New Kicks!

Let me tell you how excited I am about my newest accessory! I have wanted them for so long, but couldn't find them in my size. I had some as a kid and LOVED them, but they sadly bit the dust at the Heritage Festival on some stupid ride where they got ripped when I was getting off.

But here they are, and on my feet no less. My very on new pair of Chuck Taylor black Converse All+Stars! YEA!!!!

Fun Night Out on the Town

Last night we had a great time! To begin Joe's birthday week extravaganza, we decided on dinner and a movie.

My almost-25-year-old hubby, his 'rents and myself began our evening with the fine cuisine from Anamia's, a local fav of ours. We then proceeded to the theatre to watch Astronaut Farmer - where we also loaded up on soda and popcorn - it was AWESOME!!!

I rushed to our theatre to claim our seats in the sea of movie goers, as there often is on a Saturday, and was greated by TWO smiling faces. So, the six us of has a delightful showing of a rather well-crafted movie. Full of inspiration, cheesy Texas overexagurations and Bruce Willis' comb-over. We'd give it about a 7/8 out of 10.

Then, our night continued to Marble Slab. It was amazing...I hadn't had Marble Slab in FOREVER!!! And we topped it off with a quick round of Apples to Apples, where Keanu Reeves and Darth Vader both appeared.

It was a great night and a great kick-off to birthday week! (We like to get all the bang for our buck as we can get!)

Happy Birthday to Joe, John and Lydia..whew! a busy week!!

Here's a message in a bottle for you...

GUESS WHO'S GOING TO SEE STING AND THE POLICE!!!!

Haahaaa!!! Yes that is right the O'Briens and the Pate. Jennifer, Joe and I will be enjoying the the sights and sounds of The Police reunion tour Wed., June 27!

Can you say SUPER EXCITED!!! =)

Goin' home

Well, this weekend the Dallas children, Jennifer, Joe and I, are going home to Houston, to celebrate our Mommy's birthday and to have fun food and hang out on the couch and not do laundry or cook. What bliss!

Can I tell that I consistantly feel like I am drowning in laundry. We thankfully have the blessing of our own washer and dryer, so that helps -- but it is always there -- dirty waiting to be cleaned, cleaned waiting to be folded, clean waiting to be ironed (ick!) and worst of all, all waiting to find their place in our cramped little closet or hamper.

I would like to blame most of it on Joe. I don't know why, but it seems boys go through laundry 10 times faster than girls. But, I am sure I contribute to some of it...I guess...maybe...a sock or two...occasionally...

AND also in this grand "going home adventure," we are taking a swing by our old stomping grounds of the Golden Triangle. Our old church is having it's 100-year Anniversary on Sunday and we're going down to go to church, possibly see old friends, eat at La Suprema and show Joe where I grew up.

This is very exciting for me, as Joe has never seen, only heard, of where I hail from. I do however have mixed feelings that he will disapprove or think it silly where and how I grew up. I know he won't really...but it's still there.

So, wish us luck as we journey home, I'm sure we're in for some "fun!"

So true...

Yesterday, Joe and I made a pilgramige to Hallmark to buy several cards for upcoming events. While there, I saw a cute little mug boasting what surely had to be my mantra...

If you know me at all this goes right along with my wish to occasionally go live in a hole...something that has sounded quite tempting for the last few weeks.

Anyone else have a personal mantra or favorite saying?

Happy V-Day!

Happy Valentine's Day, friends.

Prayer and Support

Thank you for your prayer and support for my friend Jennifer's mom, Nancy Jefferson. Just wanted to pass along that she did pass away this weekend and her funeral is today. Please continue to lift up her family as they are mourning the loss of their mother, wife and friend.

It has been eye-opening the past few months as we have gone through the loss of Joe's aunt to cancer and now with my friend's mother also to cancer. It is a very unforgiving and constantly changing disease that still has so many unknowns about it. One thing that I can say I have learned through some of this saddness in our family is to truly rely on God. He is there, his truths are in the Word and He and he alone is the one true comfort.

Joe and I have recently joined a group at church, a Toolbox class, entitled something like understanding God's truths. I am so excited, because I have felt for a while that I had lost quite a bit of my knowledge and understanding in God when I got into the "real world." It is a tough, scary, unforgiving place most of the time and I am excited about reviewing these things that God has given to us to get us through.

It's tough. I feel beat down most of the time. But I know I couldn't do it at allo without him, my Joey and my family and friends. Thanks!

Retirement!

Well, I've turned 25, gotten married and have a semi-real drive, so obviously we should be thinking about retirement, correct?


Joe and I are in the process of finding out what we're really worth, making goals and figuring out how we'll make our money get us to retirement. Now the really neat/scary thing is that we have planned for me to retire at 28! 28 you say? Before you get your panties in a twist, no we are not insanely rich, we have made the insane discision to hopefully have kids one day and I get to stay home with them.

Now I know it is 2007 and women don't have to just be stay-at-home mommies, but I really want to. My mom stayed at home with us while we were growing up and I think it was such a great blessing and we would like to do the same for our kids. Now does this mean I will never work again, um, yeah right...remember the demise of social security we keep hearing about...trust me I'll be back.

But, when we really do get to retirement, what will the O'Briens do? Some of the ideas include moving to Santa Fe and Joe starting up a woodworking shop, opening a sports facility for inner-city kids, Leanna creating a business with her buddy, Lydia, opening an animal shelter, moving to the coast, moving to the mountains, moving to the mountainous coast! ha!

Well, you get the picture. There are a lot of things we want to do when we grow up and we're excited about discovering how we can get there soundly and quickly!

Any one else out there with aspirations for retirement?

Happy Birthday Pictures

Here are a few pictures from our fun party...

A Quarter Century

Yep, that's right! As we hunker down, curl up and try to stay warm during DFW's arctic blast, I get to celebrate my 25th birthday.

Well, it has been great. My parents braved the weather and drove in on Friday, we had fun, we laughed, and most important, I got presents! =) j/k!

One of my favorite things we did this weekend was host a murder mystery party, kindly held at the home of Joe's parents. We all arrived at the Deadwood Saloon for some gambling, food and murder. Our friend Allan sadly died and it was my own father, aka Montgomery Money who committed the foul deed! A true night of laughs! Hopefully we can show pictures soon!

Well, I am off to enjoy the rest of my birthday day with my wonderful hubby by our fire reading, watching football (Joe) and drinking hot chocolate!

(On a side note: it iced and snowed the day I was born too -- in Southeast Texas of all places!! -- what a trooper my mom was!)

Happy Happy Holidays

This year I got to share Christmas with my bestest friend, my husband, my love -- Joe!

I had so much fun with family and friends. We spent the holidays in Houston with my family. We enjoyed the Christmas train across the street at our neighbors (with 50+ of our closest friends), we had tamales, we had cajun chowder, we got to experience the new preacher at our parents' church (talk about trial by fire on Christmas!), we opened so many lovely gifts, we watched movies, some of us got sick! (me), I found out my friend got engaged!!!!! (CONGRATS DINA!!), and we celebrated the birth of our Savior.

I can't think of a better way to spend the holidays...unless you were going to give me more time off, which I would readily accept by the way.

So in the spirit of giving, I would like to include the awesome recipe my mom prepared over the break! Enjoy!!

Cajun Corn Chowda'

Ingredients:
2 – 12 oz bags Crawfish tails
1 – stick Margarine
1 pint Half & Half – Non Fat
8 oz Philadelphia Cream Cheese – Fat Free
1/4 cup Green onions – chopped
1 can Cream of Mushroom soup
2 cans Potato soup
2 cans Niblet whole corn
1 can Rotelle Original diced tomatoes
Salt
Black Pepper

Directions:
1. Spray a relatively large pot with Pam.
2. Add the two bags of crawfish tails, stick of margarine, and chopped green onions.
3. Sauté for ~ 10-minutes in the large pot over medium heat.
4. Add the 8-oz of cream cheese, 1-can of cream of mushroom soup, 2-cans of potato soup, 2-cans of niblet corn, 1-can of Rotelle tomatoes, and 1-pint of half & half.
5. Cook … bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to simmer the chowder for at least 20-minutes.
6. Add to taste … little salt, little black pepper, and a dash of red pepper.

Eat:
Best enjoyed when shared with friends or family!

Serves:
15 people … can easily be doubled.

Merry Christmas

"And there were in the same country shepherds, abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them! And they were sore afraid ... And the angel said unto them, "Fear not! For, behold, I bring you tidings o great joy, which shall be to all my people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ, the Lord."

"And this shall be a sign unto you: Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger." And suddenly, there was with the angel a multitude of the Heavenly Host praising God, and saying, "Glory to God in the Highest, and on Earth peace, and good will toward men."

"That's what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown." - Linus Van Pelt

Wishing you and your families a most blessed Christmas. May you feel His peace and guidance as we celebrate the birth of our Savior this holiday. And may Santa leave no lumps of coal in your stockings! =)

Merry Christmas,
Leanna

It's official!

It's official folks. I have filed my name change with the government! I am now and forever always to be "Leanna Michelle O'Brien."

I debated long and hard as to keep Michelle or make Pate my middle name. I like my middle name. I sign everything with my middle initial. What would I do without it?

But then I was sad that I would be leaving Pate behind. I love being a Pate. I love my Pate family! I didn't want them to feel like I was just ditching them.

So I called my mom to ask her for her wise opinion and she said, "Ehh, whatever it doesn't really matter." So you wouldn't be sad if I didn't use it??? "No, why??" -- so there you go!

I will always be a Pate at heart, but now I get to be an O'Brien. In fact, an LMO! (elmo!!!)

So, look out world, here I come.

(Sorry, I was having a Mary Tyler Moore moment!) :)

A Countdown of Me!

As seen on Lydia's post, but this time, all about me!

10 Random Things About Me
1. I don't like milk on my cereal. It makes it soggy.
2. I wanted to me a vet or archaeologist when I grew up.
3. I once hit a mail box with my car and the top part fell off and I ran away.
4. I want to live in the mountains and have lots of trees.
5. I would also like to open up a cafe/stationery store.
6. My car's name is Rufus. It's in the bible; he's a man of God!
7. The only C I made was in college in History because the TA told us the wrong subject matter for the final. Don't get me started!
8. I like to keep my shoes in their original boxes in my closet
9. My husband can throw a 90+ mph fast ball.
10. I love SciFi books

9 Things I Love
1. Joe
2. My Family
3. My Friends
4. Sunny, 75 degree days
5. Nature
6. The way the clouds make swirly fun patterns with the setting sun's awesome colors as a backdrop
7. Singing in the car
8. Sponteneity
9. sleeping

8 Things that Annoy Me
1. Smokers outside of buildings
2. Idiot drivers
3. Monotony
4. Laundry
5. Never getting enough sleep
6. Not having a personal chef
7. The fact that my friends live so far away
8. Commuter traffic

7 Favorite Foods
1. Chips and Salsa
2. Cheese Enchiladas
3. Chicken Enchiladas
4. Tamales
5. Lasagna - my mom's
6. M&M blizzards
7. Coke Slurpees

6 Favorite Authors
1. LM Montgomery
2. JRR Tolkien
3. Jane Austin
4. JK Rowlings
5. Catherine Marshall
6. God, Paul, Luke, John and the rest of the guys

5 Things to Do Before I Die
1. Get a puppy and a kitty
2. Go on a big sail boat
3. Go to Australia, Ireland, Scotland, and the rest of the UK (You say Australia isn't in the UK, take it up with my good friends in Sneakers!)
4. Be a great mom
5. Own a home with a yard and lots of trees

4 Favorite Quotes
1. "You think it'll work?" "It would take a miracle."
2. "May the Force be with you."
3. "Hchello my name is Inigo Montoya, prepare to die!"
4. "He is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep, in order to gain what he cannot lose."

3 Stores I Love
1. Target
2. Half Price Books
3. IKEA

2 Places I Love to Go
1. Home
2. Irving Bible Church

1 Thing I Say A Lot
Crap!

Fee Fi Fo Fum!

So my friend, Lydia, posted about how people eat m&ms. Now as the holidays are here, I thought, how do people eat gingerbread men/sugar cookie men?

Personally, I like to eat the extremities first. The feet, then the arms, and then of course the head! Then I pop in the torso and savor the flavor of the holiday season!



So if the way we eat m&ms tells us something, what does the way we eat little fake people tell us? How do you eat your baked brethren?

On a funny note: Lydia and I made holiday cookies this weekend, and one of our little guys arm fell off. So, what do we do? We icing him up with a red shmear along the severed limb area, garnish with red sprinkles and serve to our loving, unsuspecting husbands! Muaaahaaahaaa!!!

Giving - a must to remember in this crazy time of year

So we've made it to the holidays. We are rushing around trying to find the perfect gift. Trying to find the closet parking space. Trying to make the greatest Christmas cookies. Trying to make it all fit in to our schedules.

Our churches have all asked us to remember our end-of-year giving. We look at our checkbooks and wonder how much this year. With presents, travel, Starbucks, Angel Tree children - is there any left?

Well, our church Irving Bible Church, has begun a new campaign to begin New Year's giving to a special project at the end of the old year. Confusing, huh? Well, one such project our church is sponsoring was quite startling.

Entitled "Water is Basic" - we've been charged to raise funds to help provide drilling equipment to dig wells in Southern Sudan in the name of Christ.



Here's a few facts:
Due to the civil war, millions of Sudanese fled the country. Now with the relatively stable peace, many of these refugees are returning. Two hundred and fifty thousand Sudanese refugees are expected to return to their homeland in 2007 alone, but they are returning to areas with no infrastructure or services, particularly water and sanitation. 20,000 wells will need to be drilled in Sudan to provide minimal (though not adequate) support.

Women and children in Sudan spend many hours a day trying to bring safe water to their families. Some are attacked by wild animals or raped on their long journeys to find water. For those who survive, time spent hauling water robs them of getting an education. In addition, women carrying water are frequently exposed to malnutrition and anemia, and children can develop scoliosis.

An average home in the west uses over 100 gallons of water each day. In contrast, an entire African family uses about five gallons of water each day. Just one flush of a toilet in the West uses more water than most Africans have to perform an entire day's washing, cleaning, cooking and drinking. UNESCO has calculated that to ensure that basic human needs are met, each person needs access to five to 13 gallons of water free from harmful contaminants each and every day.

What we can do:
The vision of Water is Basic is to see a well drilled in every village in Sudan. Funds raised will purchase the necessary equipment to drill water wells--drilling rigs, piping, trucks to carry the equipment and Sudanese workers. Sudanese nationals will be trained to drill, operate and repair their own water wells, empowering them to impact and sustain their communities. As the Sudanese work to provide the basic need of clean water, they will see the health of their people transformed through a reduction in disease and death.

To find out more, you can visit: www.waterisbasic.org

I'm not preaching, I'm just informing. Like a good journalist should! =)
This Christmas, please pray for those working on this project and those considering giving a gift. What great and mighty things can God accomplish through the drilling of wells. Won't it be neat to find out!

Prayer Request

Hello All...a prayer request as we begin this holiday season. My friend Jennifer McDonald, who was my partner in crime in College Station, has asked me to pass on a prayer request for her mother, Mrs. Jefferson. Doctors have found cancerous spots on Mrs. Jefferson's pancreas and other areas in her body. They are waiting to receive treatment options, but it does look like it will be a hard one to fight.

Jennifer and her husband are living in Wichita Falls and her parents live in Tyler, with possible treatment at MD Anderson in Houston. So pray for God's grace and safe travel for all family and friends involved.

Thanks! Leanna

IT'S SNOWING!!

It's 10:45 and do you know what your Dallas weather is doing?? It's snowing. Too bad we have to be grown-ups and work instead of go outside and play. Anyways--take a peek outside and enjoy it while you can!

College Day Blues

Well lately it has hit me. No not the rush of the holiday season or the low coming off the honeymoon high. Surprisingly, it’s been the College Day Blues. I would like to use this term or the CDBs to represent the feeling of loss of friends, freedom, and work-related stressors, commitments and frustrations.

I have recently become to really miss my friends. I miss not being able to walk across the street or call up a friend and meet them in 15 minutes or less. I miss not having 4-10 people around a dinner table at any given evening in the week. I miss walking to class and say hi to people as you pass, or stopping in the SUB to check your email and running into everyone you’ve ever said hi to.

I miss walking! A funny thing to say, but I miss walking to class and getting to go outside. To really experience the seasons. (the seasons being: hot, cold, kinda cold, monsoon and hot) I miss the benefits of walking 2+ miles each way. I miss the rush of running to class or bumming rides because you overslept.

I miss learning. Now I still learn, but I don’t get the same satisfaction from it. Now when I learn something, it always seems hurried and for someone else’s benefit besides my own. I miss the feeling of reading a book and having an “a-ha” moment, or the feeling of euphoria when you finally solve the math problem.

I know, what you are about to say…that we all had hard times in college, and it wasn’t all fun and games and friends. That life still has adventures out there and we can still have those feelings, but they’re just different now. I understand this I really do, but right now my heart isn’t. Maybe it’s the day-in/day-out work routine and all that goes with it, maybe it’s because our friends are flung to the far corners, maybe because I’m being a dork. But the CDBs are here.

Joe and I have promised each other that we’re going to go out more, we’re going to work out more, we’re going to read more, and we are. So, if you’re a friend…give us a call so we can add “we’re going to get together with friends more” to the top of the list! Help us cure the CDBs!

(For only $5.95, we at Leanna’s Little Spot can send you a green and gold CDB hope ribbon! Sic’em before they’re gone too!)

Phases of Life

After a little observation, I have broken down life into the most obvious categories I can think of. They go as follows: birthday parties, graduations, weddings, baby showers, birthday parties for YOUR kids and then funerals.

Currently, my friends and I are in the season of weddings. We have all triumphed over our school days with birthday parties at Chuck E. Cheese or Mazzio's or the skating rink.

We have gone on to graduate from high school and college. So now, we must ALL logically get married. I have had 7 weddings in about a two month period. That's A LOT!

Next up, and one of my greatest fears is the dreaded baby shower. I have only gone to one of these so far in person. And let's face it, it's just weird. You are celebrating and lavishing gifts on a person that ISN'T even around! My friend Karen often talks about having a baby, and it's a little frightening. I think because it's almost too close to home. Because if she has one, then will my best friend Lydia decide her cute little kitty isn't enough? Then the pressure's on for ME! And I don't know if I can handle that. Please, I beg of you, give me more time.

Then life leads on to birthday parties for our children and all of their milestones, and finally our own funerals. Now it sounds a little morbid. It is sad when you are left without someone you care some much about. But I always try to think about all the wonderful things that they have accomplished in their time on earth. It's never, wow, he worked so many long hours or he drove that awesome car. It always seems to be...wow, he really loved me. Remember the time we went to the zoo? Remember how he would always give you a hug or a place to feel safe from the world. Now, those are accomplishments to strive for.

What will your life's legacy look like when you reach the end? What will you have left behind? What will God's words be to you? I'm hoping and praying for "Well done, my good and faithful servant." But I feel I have a long way to go... Here's to many happy life moments for everyone!