An Amazing, Long-Overdue, All-encompassing Update

So some might think I forgot how to blog or suddenly lost my passion for it since it has almost been a month since I last wrote. (The majority of you are probably just thinking, "Is that why all those annoying emails stopped coming . . .") The truth is neither of these, of course. I have simply not had enough time - what with trying to get married and all. (Who does that these days anyway? *just kidding*) Now, back by popular demand . . . *drum roll* . . . I give you: "An Amazing, Long-overdue, All-Encompassing Update"!!!!

Really, I am sorry it took so long. The only reason I have time today to blog is because Andrew's break unexpectedly got moved back an hour . . . after I'd already started dinner. Bummer? Nah. It gives me time to blog.

First, an update on the garden! Remember those tiny plants? Yeah, well they've grown! In fact,  I've incorporated them in tonight's dinner. Bwahahah! Well, I guess that is why I planted them right?

My beautiful tomato. Now that I look at the picture, I realize I took it at the wrong angle to show you my one tomato that's growing, but rest assured - there is a tomato and he's growing big. Question for readers: This is my first time gardening on my own (remember) and I'm not sure, but this tomato looks a little wilty and I seem to remember tomato plants producing more than one tomato. Am I doing something wrong? Or does this tomato plant look alright to you guys. I wonder if I'm over watering him. Mom did tell me every 10 days and I've been doing every week if not more than that. Could that be making a difference?

Here's the rosemary, onions, spinach, strawberries, cantaloupe, and in the corner the flowers there. As you can see, everything's doing really well. Um, except the cantaloupe. Honestly, Andrew and I aren't too upset about that (someday I'll tell you about my run-in with roller-skates, concussions, and cantaloupe. They are related I promise.), but it does make me wonder why he's the only one not growing. Any ideas?

The spinach is so big - I'm not sure if it's time to harvest it. I tried anyway (since I figure you can buy baby spinach at the grocery store so it can't hurt if it's not time) and it'll be in the salad tonight. It started to flower so I'm figuring it's past overdue for harvest, but honestly I have no idea. The strawberries seem to have taken the best to my little garden box. We've already eaten quite a few bright red strawberries (although I seem to have a nasty neighbor who may be picking them and eating them too . . . . grrrr) and they were good! Feels good to eat something you've grown!

During the wait to get married (9 days!!!) I've been having fun with Andrew - as in smearing my nutella all over his face. Another story to tell (with pictures) sometime - our whip cream fight. Way fun!

Oh, my dinner for tonight! Let me show some pictures so far: 

Tonight, I'm making "Lemon Garlic Chicken". If you ask my immediate family, you'll learn it's one of the few really good main meals I know how to make. But it is really good, and I haven't messed it up yet. (Don't jinx myself right . . .) I used mushrooms and potatoes from our basket and onions from our garden. (The recipe calls for red onions, but I forgot to buy some for the dinner so I'm just trying it with some green onions and we'll see how it goes.)

 I bought, grated, and juiced three lemons to use as seasoning - smelled great and I put them down the disposal and it smelled up the kitchen. AND for the first time today I minced garlic. (That's the stuff in the middle there.) I've cooked plenty of times with garlic before, but I've always had the expensive pre-minced stuff. Since I couldn't find it at Walmart I just bought a cheap head of garlic and taught myself how to mince it off Youtube. Worked great - although I admit I got tired of doing it the chef's way on Youtube and got out the hand chopper thing. Way faster.

 Here's the meal - before being cooked in the oven since Andrew's break got moved back. It looks good. I hope I can get it out of the oven in the right amount of time. Since the oven's so small, I have to adjust times and temperatures for everything. Kinda freaks me out sometimes.

And that up there my friends is spinach from my garden ready to go in the salad. Which I haven't made yet . . . .

An update on work: I'm still working in the herbarium and as of today I'm going to bring the TA notes from the class I teach up-to-date. It's getting closer to the semester and I don't want to get caught again scrambling every week to put together a lesson plan. Course, no matter how much planning I do, the professor will change the course (since it's still updating) and I'll have to make changes anyway. But at least this way I'll have a head start.

I finally got my classes worked out for fall. I'm taking Bioethics, Genetics, Technical Communication (300 level english class), Teaching Students with Disabilities, Multicultural Education, and my personal favorite: Floral Design! I'm super excited for that one.

I'm dying to show some bridal photos but I don't want to spoil it for the wedding. Since it's only nine days away, I think I can justify showing just one. 

Ok. So it's not a real bridal photo, but like I said, I didn't want to spoil it. Check out that long veil! I couldn't resist. It matches the train so well! 

Um, well that's all I can think of to update with right now. Thanks for reading! (If you did indeed stick with me to the end of this long post . . . .)

A Job Switch

Ok so it's not quite like it sounds. I didn't actually get a new job but really the only thing that's the same now is the employer. I used to work in a lab preparing DNA but I finished all of it, so now I work in the herbarium mounting plants. Basically that consists of gluing plants onto a thick paper, identifying them with the help a big book, giving them a barcode, and entering them into the computer. It's actually a really fun and creative job because I have to puzzle out a way to fit the whole plant on the paper artistically. Love it.