Happy New Year!

New Year's Eve will always be a special night for Craig and me. Three years ago tonight, Craig asked me to be his wife. It's a night that I'll never forget and a story that I love to tell. I wish I had pictures of the occasion but I think everyone was too excited to get a camera. The whole event is captured on film but I'm not technology-savvy enough to figure out how to get it on the blog. Plus, I had just donated my hair to locks-of-love and my chubby checks with short hair did not equal a good combination. Anyway, Thanksgiving 2004, Craig and I were at the mall when he asked me if I wanted to look at rings. Trying not to be too presumptuous, I asked, "Rings? What kind of rings?" To my excitement, Craig replied, "engagement rings." Now, Craig and I already been dating for about 3 1/2 years by then and of course the topic of marriage had come up but we were both still in school and dating long distance so I was definitely surprised when he wanted to look at rings, but there was no way I was going to question it! After looking at rings and telling him which ones I liked, I didn't want to push the issue. But I couldn't help getting excited inside -- I mean this had to be it! I remember telling my sister that I just knew Craig would ask me at Christmas. I mean, what guy wants to spend money on an engagement ring and a separate Christmas present? Now, I am by no means a patient person. I was the kid that went searching for Christmas gift early and I spoil surprises because I always try to figure things out. So every time Craig and I talked, I tried to pick up on any clues to when he would ask. One time Craig mentioned he was going out to eat with my dad and I just knew they were going to have "the talk." This may have seemed like a pretty good clue, but Craig and my dad hang out all the time so it was really nothing out of the ordinary. Nevertheless, I was sure it had to mean something. I pictured all these scenerios in my head of how he would ask me. I even practiced acting surprised and saying "yes" in the mirror. Well Christmas came and went, without a proposal. I was so disappointed but I couldn't let Craig know what I had been hoping for. On New Year's Eve, Craig's parents had their usual party at their house and both of our families were there. We started playing Pictionary and Craig went up to draw. He picked up a card and said, "Angela, you should be able to get this one." He started drawing a ring with a diamond and two stick figures. I guessed every engagement-proposal-diamond related word I could think of, never picking up on the hint. My competitive nature was too concerned about winning the game than a marriage proposal. He laughed and said, "I don't think you are going to get it" and then pulled out a ring. I was completed shocked. After weeks of anticipating this moment, he had caught me completely off guard. I was so surprised that I don't even remember every thing he said, just that he asked and I said "YES!"

Once upon a time...

Last night, I had the privilege of baby-sitting for Maggie and Linley Phillips – two of the sweetest little girls ever! They are such a joy to take care of and being around them reminds me of growing up with my little sister. Well, last night was especially fun. Maggie has this little suitcase full of wonderful girly goodies, like dress-up clothes, necklaces, tiaras, and fancy shoes – everything you need to be a princess! She put on each outfit about three different times and then decided that I also needed a makeover. She combed my hair, painted my toenails (don’t worry – it was with pretend paint) and gave me lots of necklaces and hair bows to put on. Once she was finished, she looked at me and said, “so pretty.” So us two princesses started twirling around the room when a song came on. It was “The Way You Look Tonight” by Tony Bennet. I couldn’t help smiling to myself and thinking that inside every woman is a little girl who wants to put on a fancy dress and twirl around to music. God created a woman’s heart to long to be the princess and He is our Savior, our Prince of Peace and the Ruler of our hearts. So here is to little princesses in all of us – I hope you are all feeling “so pretty!”

New Discovery

In honor of the first Thanksgiving and the Pilgrims discovering how to cook and live in new land of America, I would like to share my latest discovery. Let me set the scene: Craig and I wandered out from our comfortable homeland and embarked on a journey to a new land, we call Walmart. After a slight delay in the air freshener aisle and a wrong turn by the shampoos, we found what we were searching for... nail clippers. It was then that I discovered there are two kinds of nail clippers -- fingernail clippers and toe nail clippers! I never knew the small clippers were supposed to be used for your fingers. Craig asks, "What in world did you think they were for?" I said, "You know, when your make-up bag is so full and you can't fit the big clippers in there." Craig was surprised and probably a little embarrassed that I had no idea there were two separate clippers.
Now that I seem to be the dullest crayon in the box, I have to give my defense. It makes perfect sense to assume the little clippers were for traveling. I mean there is now a whole aisle at Target devoted to travel-size products. And if we are all perfectly honest, there is no need to have two different nail clippers. The big ones work just as good on your fingers as they do on your toes. It's just one more thing to clutter up the bathroom counter. Enough excuses, I guess I just have to face the facts that I am lacking in street smarts. Well in this case, street smarts = common sense.

The Never-ending Laundry

During our pre marital counseling sessions, I thought I had learned all about being a good wife -- how to love, respect, honor your husband. I am not perfect at doing all of these but I was ready for them. I felt I had some understanding of what it meant to be a wife. What I was not prepared for was housework! Why wasn't there a chapter about how to get all your housework done? Some of us need a step-by-step guide! By now I am getting better with the cooking and cleaning but getting all the laundry done is such a challenge for me. I mean it's like a 20 step process: sorting clothes, washing, folding, etc. I can usually get the clothes washed and dried but then my system just falls apart. I never get a chance to get everything folded and put away and there’s always the forgotten load left in the dryer. By the time I get around to folding, it’s already time to start another load of laundry! I can’t even imagine the amount of laundry that comes with children. When we have kids, I am going to quit washing and just buy new clothes whenever we run out ☺.

Craig and I also have different views on laundry. My super clean husband wants to start the laundry as soon as the hamper is full. I like to do laundry when I run out of clothes. There are many times when Craig mentions that we should start laundry and I’m like, “What?!? I have at least another week of clothes left!” Never mind that the hamper is piled high and spilling over onto the floor. Craig is also very good about folding and putting his clothes away because apparently if clothes sit out, they get wrinkled. As for me, I figure why put them away if you are just going to wear them again.

So to all the wives out there – is there a secret to this laundry thing? Does the nasty cycle ever end? Or am I going to have to find a really good laundry service?

State Fair Day!

Last Friday Craig and I escaped school and work and spent the day at the fair. Our schedules have been so busy lately so it was nice to spend some fun time together and the fair was the perfect place. If you know me well, you know that I am a kid at heart and I love the fair. I love everything -- the games, booths, auto shows and of course the FOOD. A corn dog just doesn't taste the same anywhere else like it does at the fair. Luckily, Friday wasn't too crowded and we were able to do everything that we wanted. Here are some pictures from our day o' fun!


Big Tex welcoming us to the fair. Sorry, I haven't figured out how to turn pictures yet.


Our lunch consisted of a baked potato, chili dog and fried green tomatoes. YUM! We had to do a couple laps around the fair to walk it off.


Supporting my team! Hook 'em!

Craig's future career

New Wheels!

The greatest struggle in our marriage has been our car problems. I think we are seriously jinxed when it comes to cars because all of our cars keep breaking down. My first car, the late and great Ross, had to be put to down about five months into our marriage. We didn't have the money to buy a new car and were greatly blessed when a couple from church just gave us a car. Seriously, Craig just happened to mention our car troubles to someone and the next day we had a FREE car -- talk about amazing blessings from God! So our new car was Buella, a white Buick with the most comfortable leather seats ever! (And yes, I do name all my cars -- it's a Liz and me thing. I guess when you have no kids or pets, the next best thing is cars). Buella and I had it great for a few months and then she started having some serious problems. The ol' girl just couldn't keep going anymore. So a few weeks ago we said good-bye to Buella, traded her in and Craig and I made our first big purchase as a couple -- a new car! So the Northcutts have a new addition to the family ... a little black focus named Chloe. She's named after one of my favorite 24 characters. (If you haven't jumped on the 24 bandwagon, you need to. Craig and I would be happy to lend you ANY of seasons) This is my first brand new car and she comes complete with a 60,000 mile warranty which is great because if something goes wrong -- we don't have to pay for it! We are praying that this will be the end of our car troubles at least until May when we both graduate and I can finally get a job.

Striving to change

Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails. -Proverbs 19:21

I have always been a creature of habit. I cling to the familiar and find security in routines. There are many times that I want to be flexible -- I long to be one of those people that just go and do whatever God calls them to do but I shy away from changes. I am your typical type A person. I love my planner and take great delight in my "calendar time" when I can fill it out. I like to look at my calendar and know what is coming up in the month. I have always been a planner. I like knowing what to expect in life. I don't live my life moment to moment; I live it years at a time. I constantly plan five years ahead in my life. Sometimes I don't even know when I am planning ahead. When Craig and I got married, I just instinctively figured out where we would live after we graduated, what our house would look like, when we would have kids, where our kids would go to school, etc. Then Craig felt called to change jobs and go back to work at The Village Church. I was so happy, The Village has been such a big part of our lives and it's where our families were but I couldn't help thinking that this job change would completely change my life plan. We would have to look for somewhere else to live, I would have look for jobs in a new area and what about the schools for our kids? Instead of gladly following God's plan, I was upset that it didn't match up with my plan. Then I realized how much I cling to the life that I dream for myself and how selfish I am for chasing my plan instead of God's. Now that Craig has started his new job, I can see why God had him switch and why we were supposed to leave our other church. Sometimes I can be so blinded to the life that God has in store for me. I am learning that no matter how much I plan, God can change our life at any moment and I have to be willing follow. So every day I pray that God break my "planning spirit" so my life can reflect His purpose.

One Year Anniversary!

Craig and I celebrated our first anniversary by going to San Antonio for the weekend! After a summer full of school and work stress, this weekend getaway was greatly needed!

Of course we had to see the Alamo, where Craig stopped at every exhibit and read every sign!


In front of one of our favorite Mexican restaurants: La Margarita!


We spent the weekend visting our favorite places: the Alamo, the Riverwalk and the Mexican market. We also spent a lot of time at our favorite mexican restaurants. Craig proved once again that he should have been born a mexican -- the boy can put away fajitas and enchiladas like a champ!
One night we decided that we would have our anniversary dinner on the Riverwalk. We took the boat ride around the river and then just walked hand and hand looking at the beautiful scenery. It was one of those moments when it seems like only the two of you exist. And then all romantic feelings came to a halt when a bird pooped on my head! So I am completely grossed out and Craig is doubled over laughing. Finally he stops laughing long enough to get the Kleenex out of his pocket and wipe my head. Believe me, there is nothing more romantic than having your husband clean the bird poop out of your hair. Once we finished laughing about this, we decided to get some ice cream for dessert. As we are standing in line, Craig suddenly jumps out and holds his hand against his nose -- oh great it's a nosebleed! Turns out he had those Kleenexes in his pocket because he was worried about his nose bleeding. Since he used all the Kleenex to wipe my head, we had to run to the nearest bathroom. So our romantic anniversary dinner turned out to be not so romantic As we were driving back to the hotel and laughing about our crazy night, I couldn't help thinking that this is what marriage is supposed to be like. Sure, the loving, romantic moments are great but marriage isn't always about the perfect times. It is about the unpredictable, unplanned and unexpected. Life is full of bird poop and nosebleeds and marriage is about having someone to go through those hard times with you. So while I am thankful for having a husband who plans romantic anniversary getaways, I am even more thankful to have a husband who wipes bird poop out of my hair -- that's true love.

Elizabeth in Espana

So our first official blog will be devoted to our sister Elizabeth who is spending the month is Spain. Liz has been sharing these photos with us and we wanted to share them with everyone.

Here come the Northcutts

So after thinking and talking about a blog -- here it is. Neither one of us is very good at returning phone calls and emails so we wanted a way to keep our family updated with all of our news. This was the answer. So please enjoy our life -- we are so glad that we could share it with you.