I’ve moved across country twice in my life. Once from Chicago to LA and then LA to Austin. Both were incredibly hard in the ways a 25 and 34 year old would assume to take on the World. Saying goodbyes to friends and co-workers. Daily routines and jogging paths. The church you felt your best at and met the most in-depth loving people. The restaurants and bars you regular’d and the concerts you cried at. Acting classes. Auditions you never got invited to. Plays you performed and made magic memories. And the dances that tied it all together.
Austin has given me a path to success not only as a career woman, but also as a wife and a mom. And as I leave it behind and move my life again, it’s incredibly different this time. It’s different in a way that after 9 years I am not leaving behind a community I loved so much, but a home I loved so much. As I lay here tonight, I look around the details of the rooms, the walls, the light fixtures, the tile pieces, the mirrors, the doors, the shelves, and even the unfinished dry wall that I never got to fix because I ran out of paint. This home, my husband and I have created together, has been everything to our relationship. Both good and bad. Everything to our children’s relationship. It’s hard to imagine giving this place for someone else to live in and experience, but life is about passing on the love to one another. Right? Love. And it’s time to give our loving piece of art to someone else that needs it.
There’s so many memories I want to share with you after living in this house for 7 years. It’s really not normal what we have experienced in most early marriages. But it’s definitely given us a few belly laughs and a few belly sobs. Like the time my husband and I had bats living in this house and he decided to build a bat house and put it on a 40 foot pole outside our upstairs window. I truly wish we had a video of how we put that stupid thing up in a concrete hole where it still stands. Those little turds still come and go… and that bat house still stands after 6 years. I truly hope it will stay here forever. Or how about the time I started to go into labor with my son, and my husband was redoing all the electricity in the main dining room/ living room. He had all the lights off and in between contractions I was giving him pieces to finish it because I didn’t want my parents, who were staying with us at the time, to not have any light while we were in the hospital. He was so mad at me that night (hahaha). Oh I could go on and on and on...
Lasagna has always been a Sunday regular in this house. It is also my husband's favorite. And my recipe is pretty ridiculous… I can do it with my eyes closed.
JENNIFER’S LASAGNA
SAUCE INGREDIENTS
1 Pound of Ground Beef
1 Pound of Ground Sausage
1 Medium Onion
2 Clove of Garlic
3 Tbsp of Fresh Parsley
1 Chopped Fresh Basil Leaves (or 1 tsp of dried)
1 Tsp of Honey
28 Ounce Can of Diced Tomatoes
15 ounces of Tomato Sauce
REMAINING INGREDIENTS
12 uncooked Lasagna Noodles
1 Container of ricotta cheese
2 cups fresh mozzarella cheese
1 Tbsp of chopped fresh oregano leaves
1 Egg
Salt and pepper
¼ Cup grated Parmesan Cheese
In 10 in Skillet, saute garlic and onion over medium heat. Add Beef and Ground Sausage. Until meat is no longer pink. Stir in remaining ingredients. Let simmer for about an hour (or two) making sure to stir to not dry out the sauce.
Cook Lasagna Noodles in boiling water. In Medium bowl, mix ricotta cheese, Egg, Oregano, Salt and Pepper and Parmesan Cheese.
Spread 1 Cup of the Sauce mixture in ungreased 13X9 in baking dish. Top with 4 noodles. Spread 1 cup of the cheese mixture over noodles; spread with 1 cup of the sauce mixture. Top with 6-8 Small slices of fresh mozzarella cheese. Repeat with 4 noodles, the remaining ricotta cheese mixture, 1 cup of Sauce and mozzarella cheese. Top with remaining noodles and sauce mixture. And finish with layer of mozzarella cheese and ¼ cup parmesan cheese.
Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 45 min. Uncover and bake for 15 min longer.
I’m going to pair this recipe with a song that stole my heart a long time ago. A guy I saw at a local spot in Austin I used to work. Langhorn Slim. What a dood. A musician named after Langhorn, Pennsylvania. One of my favorite spots to visit as a kid. This guy is incredible. And the song I’m pairing this recipe is called The Way We Move. (Very Fitting Here). Enjoy.
This house has been hard for us. But it’s also been magic. And tonight I dedicate this blog to my husband who has had many many many sleepless nights fixing this house. Making it livable. Making it beautiful. Making it the most special place to start our family. So here’s to our next chapter. And our next piece of art that we will work on together… wherever that may be. I love you so much Thomas.
From the first year floodings, to bats, rats, and snakes.
To poop shoots and clogged drains and never-ending breaks.
The 8 hour push mow days, when time wasn’t a thing
Mulching, Gardening, Tree planting was all we could sing.
From plumbing to lighting, decking and décor.
Building, Imagining, and so much more.
No matter the hot, cold or incredible stormy weather
I’ll do it all again with you in this Log Cabin Life we’ve created together
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