8.31.2009

From the weekend...

A couple of blurry iPhone photos from our friend Cody's show at Crooked Tree on Friday night. I'm terrible at remembering to take photos at opportune times... I didn't even get a shot of the musicians while they were playing. But, here are a few friends (left to right, Sarah, Jeff, Tony, Darla, and myself) and below is Jacob and I.


:::

8.28.2009

A New Favorite


Last night we discovered our new favorite sushi spot in DFW: Sushi Sake, located in Richardson. It has a lovely atmosphere- perfect for a date or a night with friends. The fish is fresh and the staff is kind. Plus, the rolls melt in your mouth. Mmmmm. I'm ready to go back. Thanks to my coworker, Christy, for suggesting it. We had a great evening.

:::

8.27.2009

Tonight is...



8.25.2009

...another one...

Here is the 2nd of 3 weddings that Jacob and I shot and edited this summer. Just finished #2, and now I am freed up to finish editing on #3 (Stephen and Callie...coming soon).

Without further adieu, here are a few clips from wedding number two...

Emily & Mitch:

Emily & Mitch Wedding {Random highlights} from Amanda Michelle Boyd on Vimeo.


Got an event coming up?



Scentsy...


This certainly makes me feel quite domestic and mom-ish. I fell in love with Scentsy warmers at Jacob's great-aunt and uncle's place two weekends ago on our anniversary get away. Basically, its a wickless candle- supposedly safe to plug in and leave, because there is no flame. Aunt Bev had three in her house, so I got to enjoy to pleasure of smelling their frangrances all weekend long. I immediately purchased one online when I got home. Just got it in the mail yesterday, fresh and sparkling and eager to be plugged in and used!

So, we've got one warming some wax at home right as I type. Hopefully it won't putrefy our air with some kind of unseeable and undetectable damaging chemical. I guess we'll wait to see. But for now, we will enjoy the scent... until it maims us with its potentially deadly chemicals that may or may not exist.

:::

8.19.2009

Our Dallas


We have officially lived in the Dallas metroplex for over a year. Naturally, we have acquired some favorite places to find grub in this city. Here is our Dallas, some of our personal preferences:

Brunch: Bread Winners

Dinner: Porta di Roma, Hattie's, Ava*

Drinks: Cafe Rembrandt, Farpointe*

Cupcakes: Society Bakery

Pizza: Zanata*, Fireside Pies

Mexican: Blue Mesa

Lunch: Square Market*, Cafe Express

Tapas: Cafe Madrid

Sushi: Still searching for the really good stuff.

::: WE ARE OPEN TO GREAT FOOD SUGGESTIONS :::


*Not in Dallas proper

8.18.2009

Aaron Hale EP

Today our friend Aaron Hale released a new EP. It's good stuff. It is available for purchase here.

:::

8.17.2009

Anniversary weekend experiences

Our anniversary began with an early morning drive into Austin. We enjoyed a delightful lunch at Galaxy Cafe in the Triangle, thanks to the wonderful suggestion by one Lauren Kimmel. Next was a lovely hot stone couples massage at Myo. The weekend went on in this sort of leisurely fashion: visiting the Blanton, shopping on SoCo, South Congress Cafe, Moonshine (we are obviously food-lovers), reflection of our past year and looking ahead to our future.

We were extraordinarily thankful to our uncle Mike and aunt Bev for opening their home to us as a hub for our excursions, and for providing great conversation and company.

While in Austin we were having too much fun to remember to take photos, but we did snap some shots from around Mike and Bev's place.

Allow me to begin here, with the heated toilet seat. Yes, heated:





Bev took some time to teach me a bit about gardening, and sent me home with some Cockscomb and Sweet Potato Margarita and Blackie:


Uncle Mike:

Definitely a comfortable and memorable first anniversary.

:::

8.16.2009

To my husband

On our 1 year anniversary, here are some of my favorite things about this man:

- The all at once impressive and inappropriate places he is able to climb upon and/or hang from in our apartment.

- His obsession with fruit juices of all variety, gadgets, and organizing his book and DVD collections.

- During the silence amidst an argument, while I’m still very upset, he begins humming, smiling, and dancing in an attempt to lighten the mood as if NOTHING AT ALL HAS HAPPENED! It annoyingly warms my heart, although I remain stone-faced.

- What an amazing daddy I foresee him becoming one day.

- The focus that he gives to any endeavor that he truly enjoys or believes in, which are carefully selected and few.

- That I know that wherever we go, whatever we do, and whatever situation life throws our way, he will stand beside me, lead, guide our family, and provide deep and thoughtful insight into every endeavor we undertake. That he does not lead blindly, but guided by a true relationship with our Savior; that his decisions stem from ideals that grow from firmly planted roots.

I love you, baby.


One Year

8.14.2009

To Austin

Today we are heading to Austin to begin our anniversary festivities! Huzzah!

8.13.2009

We are hooking up with our friends Evan and Kasey Tardy (Evan's photography blog) and The Harrison Gang tonight for some din-din and chatting. We're bringing salad. Here is the recipe that I ganked from allrecipes.com. I sure hope it's good.
1 tablespoon butter
3/4 cup almonds, blanched and slivered
1 pound spinach, rinsed and torn into bite
-size pieces
1 cup dried cranberries
2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
1 tablespoon poppy seeds
1/2 cup white sugar
2 teaspoons minced onion
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
Directions:
1. In a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Cook and stir almonds in butter until lightly toasted. Remove from heat, and let cool.
2. In a large bowl, combine the spinach with the toasted almonds and cranberries.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the sesame seeds, poppy seeds, sugar, onion, paprika, white wine vinegar, cider vinegar, and vegetable oil. Toss with spinach just before serving.


Mmmmm. Sounds delicious.


8.12.2009

Holistic Health Endeavors: Neti Pot


A neti pot is an interesting contraption. It is used to irrigate the nasal passages. Being from West Texas, irrigation is a term that I, prior to learning of the neti pot, have always associated solely with farming. But alas, one can irrigate his or her nose as well.

I first heard of neti pots in college while I was working in a pharmacy. I remember several patients asking if we happened to stock this little contraption, so we kept a supply of them on our specialty items shelf behind the counter. I never exactly understood what they were used for until recently researching them.

It is described here in an article by The New York Times:

"Originally part of a millennia-old Indian yogic tradition, the practice of nasal irrigation — jala neti — is performed with a small pot that looks like a cross between Aladdin’s lamp and your grandmother’s gravy boat..."

You can find a short demonstration as seen on Oprah
here.

I'll say it is an acquired sensation, running salt water through one nostril and allowing it to flow out of the other. But man, it sure works. It releases the gunk, if you will.

:::


8.10.2009

Surname

Today, with our approaching one year wedding anniversary in mind, I researched our last name, Boyd.

"This interesting surname is of Scottish and Irish origin. The name is very numerous in Ulster and in some cases appears as O'Boyd. This name was from "MacGiolla Buidhe", meaning the yellow-haired youth's son. The modern surname can be found as Boyd, Boyde and Boyda. The Crest is a hand pointing to a sun dial, gold. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Robert de Boyd, which was dated 1205, recorded at Irvine, Scotland, during the reign of King William "The Lion" of Scotland, 1165 - 1214."

I even found our crest!

Detailed surname description found at The Internet Surname Database.

8.09.2009

Legends

We were at this show on Friday night. Our favorite was Willie. Dylan was a bit difficult to understand... literally his voice is so gruff these days that his lyrics are unintelligible. John Mellencamp, we've never been listeners or fans, but the guys puts on a good show.

We bought tickets to this concert because Jacob wanted to see Bob Dylan live while he is still touring, and we went, we saw, we left a bit early. But all in all, we are pleased to have been able to see three great legends at one venue.

8.06.2009

Willow Creek


This is where Amanda is spending all of today and tomorrow:

Submerged in the midst of a satellite feed of the Willow Creek Leadership Summit. Many influential leaders are speaking throughout the course of these two days, so it should be quite a learning experience.

8.05.2009

How Not to Prayer Walk

I love this video that Kevin Dooley shot a couple of weeks ago for one of Lake Pointe's weekend services. I ran audio for him, and he shot and edited the footage. It is titled, "How Not to Prayer Walk". The man speaking in the video is Lance Shumake, who runs iGo Global (formerly known as iWitness Ministries). The red-hedded fellow is Lake Pointe's teaching pastor, Wes Hamilton.

8.04.2009

What a weekend


The two of us surely enjoyed our extended weekend home. We were able to spend some good quality time with family and friends. We saw sisters and sisters-in-law and grandparents and parents and brother and nephew and friends.

But it went by too fast.

Trip Highlights:
- Quality time with family, watching movies, taking it easy
- The Double Nickel with Larry and friends
- Riding in Steve and Donna's mini van
- Seeing that our nephew, Keegan, is growing up big and strong
- Nana's sandwiches
- Catching up
- Finding that I'm no longer allergic to cats. Acupuncture worked!
- Visiting FBC Lubbock and seeing Jake's old friends
- Somehow finding ourselves at a place called The KoKo on Friday night, hanging out with our middle aged friends. We danced to a George Strait song.