Smoked Brisket and Flowers

  So, ever since Layton and I got married he has been anxious to start becoming a whiz at the grill.  He comes from a family of grillers and was ready to know if he had the touch.

  Well, at our apartment we only had a little tiny charcoal grill, definitely not smoking material.  =P  Then when we knew we would be moving he told me that he really wanted to look into getting a charcoal grill/smoker.  Well, as it turns out, the guy that lived there before us left his old grill and it had a smoker box underneath.  We were super blessed and excited.  :)  It isn't the best grill out there, but you can't beat free.

  So, after taking a few weeks to get settled in I bought a brisket and we started planning.  ;)  Last Saturday he started the grill up early and prepped the meat.  It smelled SO good!  It smoked for 5 hours and then cooked in the oven for 2.  Believe me when I say that those last two hours were not easy to sit through.

  We decided to go pretty traditional and had garlic mashed potatoes and roasted brussell sprouts.

  It was some seriously good food.  :)  Layton says the meat was a tad dry, but I think it was good and not at all bad for his first try.

  Soon he wants to try smoking some stuffed jalapenos.  I cannot wait for that experiment!  ;)

 On a slightly deferent note, Layton brought home flowers the other day.  :)  It always makes my day when he does so.  Those "Just Because" flowers will get you every time. <3

~God bless and a wonderful week to you all!

Health, God's Faithfulness, and Yoga

  I don't have any pictures for this blog and you will figure out why soon.  :)  I just wanted to take a little time to update you all on Layton and I's life.
  Most of you that read this are fairly close to Layton and I, if you are one of those people than you know that the first year of Layton and I's marriage, though wonderful, has been a bit ridden with trial.
  Right before we got married I had my wisdom teeth pulled.  It was a horrible experience.  I know a lot of people go through it with flying colors, but I did not.  They had a break one tooth into three pieces in order to get it out of my jaw.  I didn't heal well and got dry socket really bad for two weeks.  I also didn't do very well on the antibiotics, which made the whole pain factor hard.  Because of that my immune system was shot without us knowing it.
  While all of that was going on I started having some pretty bad back problems (we think just from the stress of job, wisdom teeth, and wedding).
  So, we got married, had a wonderful honeymoon, came home and the storm hit.  One week after we got back from our honeymoon I got really sick (we thought I might have been pregnant, but alas, it was to be a different storm ahead).  Through months of sickness, back pain, nausea and no energy we tried to figure out what was wrong.
  This was also a very hard time for me because Layton is a huge naturalist.  He loves essential oils and hates doctors, and that was a big submitting time for me.  There were many times I wanted to quit and just head to the doctor.  But as it turns out it was good that we waited, watched the symptoms and researched.  After six months of sickness we finally narrowed it down to hormones which lead us to my adrenals and thyroid being totally off.  That resulted in food allergies coming up to the surface.
  We continued to work through things and try to fix all the many problems.  To fix what we know about.  To change our diet time and time again.
  Praise the Lord my energy has come back up and been up for about three months now.  I can do a lot of things that seemed so impossible those first six months.  And we have adjust pretty well to our diet, though it is very hard at times to stick to it.  :)
  Our newest "medicine" has been hot yoga.  I was very skeptical of yoga and the benefits of it, but there is a place just down the street from us and they were running a special so we decided to try it out.  Though it has been a lot of hard work staying in a 105 degree room for 90 minutes, stretching out my stiff back and muscles, the results are already beginning to show after two weeks.
  All of this to say... In two weeks time I have a major doctors appointment to figure out how bad my thyroid is.  Layton found a naturalist doctor who uses vitamins and minerals to help your body heal naturally.  I am a bit nervous and scared, but most of all I'm just ready for this trial to be over.  I try to continually remind myself that this trial is good for me and not to compare my walk to others.  To remind myself that what the people are going through around me is hard for them, even though it may look easy to me.  And that what I am going through it perfect for me, to draw me closer to Christ.
  It has not been easy and is a daily struggle.  To find joy and contentment, especially on the days when my energy is low and just making the bed seems like such a task.
  I would ask for prayer from you all though.  For the upcoming doctors appointment, but mostly for me to find rest in God and who He is as our sovereign God.  And pray for my husband as well.  This has been hard on him too, but he has stood by me the whole way... making dinner and doing laundry when I need him to.  :)
  Thank you for reading all my ranting.  Please message me or email me if you have any prayer requests.

~Thankful for the body of Christ, my husband, and God's perfect plan.

`Proverbs 19:21
Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that stands.