Sunday, August 31, 2008

Lemon Roasted Potatoes

I was watching Emeril Green on Planet Green yesterday and saw him make this fabulous lemon roasted potato. I knew I had to try it. I pulled up the recipe from online, modified it to what I had at home... and it was amazing!! This isn't the exact recipe he did but its close (if you want the exact one click here)


6 to 8 small red potatoes, cut in half or into quarters... depending on size
2 tbsp olive oil
1/8 cup julienned lemon zest
1/2 T thyme
1/2 T rosemary
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400ºF.

Place the potatoes in a small glass baking dish. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with lemon zest, thyme, rosemary salt and pepper. Toss the potatoes to coat. Roast until golden and crispy on the outside, tender and cooked through on the inside, about 30 minutes



I made enough for 2 servings for myself... which was wonderful!! I have come to love the show Emeril Green for multiple reasons... 1) its a cooking show, 2) its filmed in Whole Foods (love that place) and 3) its Emeril Lagasse making delicious food I can recreate!! Can't get better than that!!

SweetWater

On Friday I joined up with Rachael (I work with at North Point), her husband Greg, and a bunch of their friends for Greg's birthday at SweetWater Brewing Company!! It was a blast.

SweetWater is a local brewing company. We went their brewery and for $8 they give you a glass cup (that you can keep) and give you 8 drink tickets. I only went thru 2 cause I am a super light weight, but my favorite was Blue... there are blueberries in the beer! How cool is that!

The guys and me


Rachael and Me


After SweetWater we headed to Mellow Mushroom for dinner. I had a blast meeting everyone (some of the people I had met at Rachael's birthday). I also got to meet Rachael's brother Matt, who goes to school at Northwood University in Midland, MI!! How cool!! For those who may not know... that is where I graduated from! I don't meet too many people down here to have gone/do go to the school!

Mellow Mushroom is a pizza place but they have vegetarian/vegan options... woo hoo! So I got a chef salad and substituted tempeh for the meat and cheese! Loved it! For those who haven't tried tempeh you totally should... its amazing!!!

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Tim in the AJC!!

My friend and Slovak Mission trip partner, Tim, made it into the AJC today for the Atlanta Challenge that we are doing as a company!

Check it out!!

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Oh is it raining, so why not Christmas music?!?!

I came into work early this morning to conduct an interview... and I found this CD on the counter:


How excited was I!!! I heart Christmas and Christmas music!!! I put it on my iTunes and started playing it!! Who else listens to Christmas music in August???

Monday, August 25, 2008

Ragamuffin Soul

Do you want to see someone who God has put in my life to show me what being Christian is like? What it means to follow God, to use the talents God gave him to glorify Him? Check out my friend Carlos.

Sunday, August 24, 2008

Five Things God Used To Grow Your Faith

We just started a new sermon Series at Buckhead Church and here are my notes from the message, Five Things God Used To Grow Your Faith. If you want to watch it yourself check it out here!!

The 5 things are:

1. Practical Teaching - Shows us where we are, where we aren't, and where we need to be.
2. Providential Relationships - Allow us to hear from God thru others.
3. Private Disciplines - Align our hearts with the heart of God.
4. Personal Ministry - Positions us to experience God's power.
5. Pivotal Circumstances - Forces us to look in God's direction.

The original break between God and man occurred over faith in the garden of Eden. Adam didn't trust God. God wants a trusting relationship with me.

Matthew 8:1-10 the only tome Jesus is amazed by what somewhat else did... It was because of their faith.

God, I trust you.

Twitter has been added to my side bar

For those who come to the website to check out the blog you can now see my Twitter roll on the right hand side of the page. I have been called a Twitter 'fast or famine' updater. Either you will see a lot or none. Hehe!! Either way, Twitter is just a short way to update people with what I am doing (basically a quick blog). No, I will not stop updating the blog... this is just an addition!

Saturday, August 23, 2008

Breakfast of Champions (and left-overs)

I got up this morning and knew I wanted to work out... just didn't realize how much I would do. I made my way out to the couch and started flipping thru the channels when I found that on All Star Workouts they were doing a dancers routine. I thought that would be fun and it was!! But it was an hour and after it was complete I was hungry.

I had/still have left over polenta in my fridge so I pan fried some more up and then made a vegan omelet to go over it. I wanted a little bit of vegetable as well, but all I had to go with it was pizza sauce and basil pesto... so that is what I used.

On the bottom of the plate was cubes of pan fried polenta, followed by some pizza sauce that I had heated up, topped with the pesto, followed by the vegan omelet on top!! It was so good!!

In the omelet I did the following:

3 ounces silken tofu
1 tablespoon soymilk
1/2 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 tablespoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon tahini
1/4-1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
2 pinch smoked paprika
1/4 chipotle in adobo (with seeds removed)
1 basil leaf
pinch of wheat bran
1/2 tablespoon milled flax seeds

Blended together all ingredients until smooth. Sprayed a small non-stick skillet with olive oil and heat on medium-high until very hot. Poured the batter into the center of the skillet in a circular pattern about 6-8 inches across, and use a spoon or spatula to smooth over the top. Turned head down to medium and let sit for 4-5 minutes. Then flipped, let sit for less than 1 minute and then topped the polenta.

I waited a little bit and then did some more exercises off the Fit Channel... one that was a pilates program and one that was a yoga program.

After another hour of working out I was hungry again... so I ate left overs of the tofu/polenta that I made earlier this week. I plated that with some salad and it was great!! A little bit later I was hungry again so I popped some popcorn and ate that with some soy margarine!! Yumm-0!

After a little tv and a nap I decided I needed to work out again... this time I went down to the gym to run and lift weights. Now its dinner time. I just heard the timer go off... I am about to have some salmon with the left overs from Cafe Sunflower from yesterday!!! For dessert, some left over cake from yesterday!!

I am ready for dinner!!

Friday, August 22, 2008

Chocolate Pink Cafe AND Cafe Sunflower!!

Friday was a very busy, fun, and super exciting day!!! Even though it was a day off, it started at 6:30am... I got dressed and headed to Buckhead Church where a few of us met before heading to Woodson Elementary School. The church raised enough money and support to get shoes for every child at the school. There had been a few people in the church working hard for weeks getting everything together. On Thursday I helped arrange the shoes by classroom and label each child's shoes so we could easily get them on the students feet on Friday.

We drove over to Woodson, which was close to my old apartment in West Midtown, and got to sit thru one of their school assemblies. We had the most fun!! The students were so amazing and would do loud fun when appropriate and quite fun the rest of the time. There were introduction to the school rules, as well as a school mascot, a reading program, and school step/dance teams, drum lines, and cheerleaders!!

After the assembly we took the shoes to each classroom and put the shoes on each student to make sure they fit properly. I was in the first grade class and they were all so amazing!

After Woodson I headed to Edgewood to go to Flick to get my hair cut by only the best stylist, Abby!!


She is so super amazing and I always love the way my hair looks when she cuts it, and (more importantly) once I am home!! Even when I do my hair I still love it... and that is hard for me!! Only the best stylist can pull that off!

After Flick, I decided I would stop at Chocolate Pink Cafe and then make my way to the Midtown Red Cross to give blood.

I am on the mailing list for the Chocolate Pink Cafe so for my birthday they gave me a coupon for a free dessert!! I had a hard time deciding but I ended up picking their special of the day... that had peach in it!! It was amazing!!


I left the cafe and got to the Red Cross to give blood but found out that they closed at 3pm and it was after 4pm!!! I was so upset! I have been meaning to stop by here to give blood for a while and thought they were open until 7pm. Oh well, I will have to stop back another day.

My original plan was to go straight from the Red Cross to dinner, however I now had about 2 hours to kill so I went home and I was so exhausted I took a nap!! Luckily I woke up just before 6pm, which gave me a few minutes to freshen up before heading out to meet my friend Susan for dinner at Cafe Sunflower! I haven't been there before but it's a vegetarian restaurant just down the street from my apartment. I have been wanting to go but I am really bad about going out to eat when its just me... I love to have an occasion to go out for dinner (mostly because I love to cook)!

Their menu looked amazing and both Susan and I loved what we got!! We shared a starter of edamame. for the entree I got orzo eggplant lasagna. The lasagna was amazing but I only ate half so I could also get dessert... they had a coconut cake that sounded amazing... and it was!! Susan and I shared the dessert and we both loved it!!

After dinner I came home, watched some television before heading to bed!! All in all it was a perfect Friday (minus not being able to give blood)!

I love these days!!

Thursday, August 21, 2008

High

After work I decided to take MARTA to the High Art Museum. They were having an Art in the City event that I wanted to check out. I got there pretty early, around 5pm, and they were still setting up. So, I decided to check out the exhibits. Right now there is a Civil Rights display that is all pictures. It was amazing to look at some of the events that happened before I was born. Some of the events that changed life to be as it is today.

Then I went thru the Louvre exhibit. At this time they are doing The Ancient World and Houdson: Masterworks of the Enlightenment. I have seen all of the Louvre exhibits that they have had on display and although this one was amazing it wasn't my favorite. It was mostly busts of different people and much less of what I like in art. But, to each their own and I was still glad I made it to the exhibit.

After visiting the Louvre I decided to go back to the Art in the City. I walked down to where I thought it was and saw some food set up and a bar. I sat down at one of the tables (after walking thru two exhibits in heels my feet were tired) and a lady brought me a glass of wine. Cool, I thought, I really like Art in the City. A few people came around with hor d'oerves before letting me know that the buffet was open. Cool!! Free wine and dinner! Can't beat this. So far I have only had to pay for my MARTA ride as I am a member of the High Art Museum.

I sat by myself for a few more minutes and enjoyed people watching before a few people asked if they could sit with me. After introductions we started talking about my job at North Point Ministries. We chatted for a while, one of the ladies goes to Buckhead Church and the others were interested. Very nice... I was getting out and doing what I have wanted to since 7|22 on Tuesday.

Then I asked them about themselves... they are all architect. Interesting, then one girl said she liked how I just crashed the party. She was serious, not being sarcastic. So, I asked what she meant. I found out that this was a gathering of architect and the food and drinks were for their party!! Oops!! I was crashing a party... at 6:30pm. What a wild and crazy girl I am!! Hehe!

I enjoyed the food, enjoyed the company, and when their meetings began I made my way back home.

What fun!!

Dinner Last Night

So, I decided I wanted to have a little of a lot last night because two recipes sounds really good and I was in the mood for both Tofu and Fish. On my way home I stopped by Whole Foods to pick up some Grouper, however it was really expensive, so instead I got Tilapia and while I was there I remembered I needed some salad so I got some of that too.

When I got home I got started by making a basic polenta recipe that I found on the Food Network website, but changed it by removing butter. Here is what I did:


6 cups water
2 teaspoons salt
1 3/4 cups yellow cornmeal
3 tablespoons unsalted butter

Bring 6 cups of water to a boil in a heavy large saucepan. Add 2 teaspoons of salt. Gradually whisk in the cornmeal. Reduce the heat to low and cook until the mixture thickens and the cornmeal is tender, stirring often, about 15 minutes. Turn off the heat. Add the butter, and stir until melted.


After making the polenta, I knew it needed to harden so I changed and went to the gym. I spent some time on the elliptical trainer before doing my weight lifting (training) and then headed back to my apartment.

Once back, I put dinner together.

Recipe #1: Citrus Baked Tilapia and Thyme

2 fillets of Tilapia
1 teaspoon fresh thyme
Zest and juice of 1 orange
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, as needed
1 teaspoon EVOO

Pre-heat oven to 300 degrees F. Season the Tilapia on both sides with salt, pepper, thyme, and zest. In a baking dish add the Tilapia, EVOO, and juice. Bake in the oven until the Tilapia turns opaque and begins to flake, approximately 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and tent in foil to keep warm, or serve immediately.


Recipe #2: Polenta and Tofu Skillet

5 sun-dried tomatoes (not packed in oil)
14 ounces extra firm or firm tofu
2 tablespoons soy sauce, low sodium
1 tablespoon water
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1/2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
couple handfuls of spinach
18-ounce prepared polenta
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon basil
1/4 cup vegetable broth
freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Put the sundried tomatoes in a bowl and pour boiling water over them to cover. Set aside until soft. When they're soft, drain the water and cut each tomato into 1/4-inch slices.

Mix the soy sauce, water, garlic, and balsamic vinegar together. Cut the tofu in half lengthwise, and slice each half into 1/2-inch rectangles. Put the tofu into a ziplock bag, pour the marinade over it, and turn gently to coat. Let it marinate while you prepare the bok choy and polenta.

Cut the polenta into 1/2-inch slices and cut each slice into 4 wedges. Heat a non-stick skillet (lightly sprayed with olive oil, if you're worried about sticking); once it is hot, add the polenta in a single layer. Cook until lightly browned on one side, and then turn over and brown the other side. Remove from the pan and set aside. Keep the skillet hot.

Lift the tofu out of the marinade and place it in the hot skillet. Cook until just beginning to brown and then turn it over. Put the spinach on top of the tofu and pour the vegetable broth, oregano, basil, and reserved marinade over the greens. Steam until the greens begin to wilt. Stir in the sundried tomatoes and polenta and cook, covered, just long enough for the stalks to get tender-crisp, about 1-2 minutes. Add freshly ground black pepper to taste.


I also made a salad on the side. It was a lot of food but it was a lot of really good post working out food!! And, it made enough for a few left over meals!! Can't complain about that!!

Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Working at Buckhead Church

I have to say that I have been busy this week. Jason, who works at Buckhead Church, has been on vacation this week and I have been trying to fill his shoes. They are not the same size as mine, thus, me filling them is quite a difficult task. But I have been doing my very best.

After doing some work yesterday at North Point I made my way down here, I made a list of the computers that I wanted to work on, and set off to the first computer. You know how you have those days that everything you touch turns to gold and then you have those days where everything you touch turns to, well, lets just say the opposite of gold. I was having an opposite day. Oh my, was it frustrating. I started on a pretty usable computer, and within one hour I couldn't even get logged in. Four hours later and it was at least working again but my brain was not.

I was going to 7|22 last night to see Charlie Hall lead us in worship and then to see an interview with Dan Kimball, who wrote the book 'They Like Jesus But Not The Church.' Which is going on my To Read list! He was amazing and gave me so much to think about. He talked about how there are so many non-Christians who don't know Christians so all of their beliefs about us are based on what they see on TV or the stereotypes that they think we are. How I need to make sure that I am praying for and doing life with non-Christians and I need to make that a priority. Since I work in a church, a lot of my friends and family are Christian, and most of what I do revolves around those two things its very easy for me to get into my own bubble and not meet people who don't know Jesus. I came out knowing that I have something to work on and I am ready for the challenge!

Today I am back at Buckhead Church. And today is a gold day!! I so prefer these! Much less frustrating. And, after getting some work done I am to a point where I can relax a minute before diving into some learning. I thought you might want to take a look at where I am sitting:



And what I am looking at:


Its an absolutely beautiful day!!



Tuesday, August 19, 2008

Read the whole Old Testament??!?

I have actually (finally) read thru the entire Old Testament of the Bible. I decided last October that I wanted to read the entire Bible in one year. I have made this decision before in my life but never made it thru Exodus. I am super excited that I have read as much as I have. I may not get thru the New Testament by October but I will by December!! My grandma gave me a book that goes thru the whole Bible in chronological order and has devotionals. I will be starting that in January!

I am super excited!!

Monday, August 18, 2008

Tofu!!!

I had small group tonight and since we will start our new curriculum next week we decided to do a pot luck instead of any study. However, many of the ladies were super busy so only 3 of us were able to show up. I had already made a salad and Kaye brought some pineapple but we didn't have any protein to go with it. I had to think quick... and what is quicker than tofu! And it was amazing.

What I did was take about 3/4 of a block of firm tofu (I had used the other 1/4 previously in a different recipe), I used paper towel and a dish cloth to remove the excess water, I cut the tofu into 1 inch cubes, quickly marinated the soy vey teriyaki sauce and balsamic vinegar (maybe 3-4 minutes) and then pan-fried the tofu for about 5 minutes on medium-high that I had lightly covered in non-stick cooking spray. It turned out amazing! Perfect flavor, perfect texture!! Loved it!!

And what was more amazing was that the other 2 were nervous about eating tofu before we started but they each wanted seconds!! I felt good about that cause I had making something that people are nervous about eating and then not making it well.

Score one for me!!

Sunday, August 17, 2008

Spaghetti Squash with Spicy Braised Greens, Raisins, and Pine Nuts

So, I have another recipe that you may want to try... this is absolutely amazing!! I found it online here. For the greens, I mixed mostly kale (with the stalks removed) with some spinach. It still cooking, but I tasted the greens mixture and I am already in love!! I can't wait to eat more!!

Spaghetti Squash with Spicy Braised Greens, Raisins, and Pine Nuts

  • 1⁄2 of a 4-pound spaghetti squash, with the seeds scraped out (see note in sidebar)
  • Water for the baking pan
  • 2 tablespoons refined coconut oil
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 to 2 canned chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, seeded and minced
  • 1-1⁄2 bunches (about 12 ounces) kale, chard, mustard greens, collard greens, or a combination, cut into 1⁄2-inch strips
  • 1 to 1-1⁄2 cups low-sodium vegetable stock
  • 3⁄4 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 1⁄3 cup raisins
  • 1⁄4 cup pine nuts
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Place the squash flesh down in a 13 x 9-inch baking pan. Add 1⁄4 inch of water and bake until the squash is easily pierced with a fork, 50 to 60 minutes.

Hand illustrationMeanwhile, heat the coconut oil in a 4- to 6-quart stockpot over medium. Add the garlic and chipotle and cook for 1 minute. Add the greens, handfuls at a time, stirring until they’re all in the pot. Add 1 cup of the stock, 1⁄2 teaspoon of the salt, and the raisins. Increase the heat to high and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer, cover, and cook until the greens are tender, about 10 minutes, or 15 to 20minutes for collard greens. (If the pan gets dry before the chard is cooked, add more stock, 2 tablespoons at a time.) Stir in 3 tablespoons of the pine nuts.

When the squash is done, use a fork to separate the strands into a large bowl. Add the olive oil and the remaining 1⁄4 teaspoon of salt and toss gently. Transfer the “spaghetti” to plates or a platter, top with the greens mixture, garnish with the remaining 1 tablespoon of pine nuts, and serve. (Serves 4)

Saturday, August 16, 2008

Christmas Party Flight is BOOKED!!

For those who want to be in the know... I have booked my flight for November... for CHRISTMAS! I am super excited. Here is the itinerary:

November 06, 2008, Flight 246 [Non-Stop]
Departing Atlanta, GA (ATL) at 04:43 PM
Arriving Flint, MI (FNT) at 06:38 PM

November 10, 2008, Flight 266 [Non-Stop]
Departing Flint, MI (FNT) at 05:55 AM
Arriving Atlanta, GA (ATL) at 07:57 AM

Weekend Update

So, after such a busy week I was exhausted on Friday. I had made some plans to clean, do laundry, maybe give blood, get my hair cut, work out, and see if there were any errands that I could run however all but the working out fell thru.

I got up and made it as far as my couch before crashing. And then I couldn't get my lazy butt up again for a few hours. I managed to make it downstairs to the gym (its a good thing my gym is in my building so I can't make an excuse about not wanting to drive) and worked out. After working out I felt the need to lay in the sun so I moved up to the roof where I sat out for about an hour. I came back downstairs and made myself some black bean soup for dinner... which was delicious!! the recipe is as follows:

CUBAN BLACK BEAN SOUP

Vegetable Ingredients:
1c celery, thinly sliced
1c red onion, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
3 tbs tomato, diced
1 tsp garlic, minced
1 tsp ginger, minced
2 tbs canola oil

Soup and seasonings:
3c cooked black beans
3c vegetable stock
1 tsp salt
1 tsp oregano
½ tsp cumin
½ tsp celery salt
½ tsp coriander
¼ tsp thyme
¼ tsp white pepper
¼ tsp cayenne
¼ tsp nutmeg
¼ tsp clove
¼ tsp allspice
Roux: mix 2 tbs flour, 2 tbs oil, 4 tbs vegetable stock

1. Sauté the vegetable ingredients in a pan over medium heat until vegetables are tender.
2. In a large pot add the black beans, vegetable stock, sautéed vegetables and seasonings. Bring to a boil and simmer for 30 minutes.
3. Whisk in roux, simmer and stir


I didn't have any onions in the house, which was quite amazing because I always have onions in the house. But, without the onion I decided to add a half of a chipotle in adobo sauce (with the seeds removed) and it was spicy!!! Unless you love the spices I wouldn't recommend adding it... I won't next time. To tone it down a bit I added some lemon juice and avocado and ate the soup with some tortilla chips. It helped a ton. I will be making this soup again.

After dinner I finally worked up the energy to take a shower. Which was good cause I smelled awful! Haha! After cleaning up I met up with my friend Britt and a few of his friends at La Fonda, a Mexican restaurant just down the street from my apartment. We drank Mojitos and they ate dinner as we sat on their deck. It was an amazing night but we were done at La Fonda so we moved the gathering to Midtown and went on the deck at Joe's on Juniper. It was 'Trailer Trash' night so they had cheap drink specials on PBR, they had laundry hanging up on lines on the deck, they had some old decorations (an old TV, refrigerator, toilet, etc) all over, and the played country music. It was hilarious!!

Today I got up again and made it to my couch but managed to sit there only a few minutes before getting up to make breakfast. I took some left over steel cut oats and added a few ingredients to turn them into pancakes... sort of. They didn't taste like pancakes but I still liked the way they tasted. After cooking I started doing laundry and cleaned the apartment. its nice to have everything clean!!

Not sure what the rest of my day is going to look like... I may end up back on the roof again or back in the gym... maybe both!!

Thursday, August 14, 2008

Night of Worship - Buckhead Church


An amazing night of worshiping God thru song and communion while watching some of my favorite musicians on stage... what can get better than that?!?!? I had heard that Night of Worship is an amazing experience but I wasn't prepared at all for what took place. I was so moved and so filled with joy the entire time.


Tuesday, August 12, 2008

Life in the Fast Lane

I am sleepy... but that is an ongoing state! I am not busy in the sense that I used to be, aka I am not going to bed at 4am and getting up at 7am, however I have had a lot on my plate for a while now and the older I get the more I realize this will never change! Haha!

When I got back from Slovakia I basked in the feeling of a night on the couch, probably with some popcorn. I would sit there and be so content. And I would wonder why I could be that content. It wasn't that long ago that I couldn't sit still in my own home. That I had to be out, I had to be extroverted, that I had to be where ever it what happening. But I have learned that where I am is where its happening. And that week it was on my couch. At that time I wondered how long I would be able to stay like that, a few nights in a row open. Not busy. Not long is what I found out. I felt the same way on Sunday at church. So content to be there. I started thinking (probably not good with the preacher on stage) and I realized that I have been more and more content with my life. I definitely have parts I need to work on, but overall I am excited that God is leading me in this direction.

That next weekend I spent time with my parents and other family members in North Carolina. Then I had a busy week getting back into work, adding a good work out routine to my schedule for the fitness challenge, and trying to keep my sanity. Last Wednesday I looked at my schedule and cringed... every night for the next week is crammed. I work Sunday thru Thursday so here is how it has gone starting with Thursday, August 8:

Thursday - Sex and the City at the Fox Theater
Friday - work out for 2 hours; drinks with Victor, Bobby, and Vic; Kyle's Birthday Party
Saturday - my birthday -- worked out 30 minutes, dinner with Victor, Roy, Bobby, Dallas, and Vic then Lisa Lampanelli comedy show
Sunday - worked, got my nails done, grocery shop for party, birthday party with Marcus, Heather, Tangela, Cleveland, and Jason.
Monday - should have been small group and it was going to happen at my place however it fell thru so I worked out 1 1/2 hours
Tuesday - (today) I went straight from work to work on a few personal computers for a lady I work with.
Wednesday - going to the Farmers Market with Marcus
Thursday - Night of Worship at Buckhead Church
Friday - birthday party for a friend

Saturday - no plans!!! Woo Hoo!! Day of rest for me!! It will be well needed!!

Don't get me wrong, I am excited to do everything I am doing!! This is so not complaining, just a statement of facts!

Saturday, August 09, 2008

The Tabernacle

Before the Lisa Lampanelli comedy show started I took a quick picture of the stage.  I tried to take a picture of her on stage but it didn't turn out!  Oh well!!

We all laughed so hard at the show by the end I had to just stop laughing... my cheeks hurt to much!!  

What I need to do a better job of is taking pictures of the people I go places with!!  

Hanging out at Roy's deck after birthday dinner!!

I had the most fun last night hanging out with Victor, Roy, Bobby, Dallas, and Vic!!  Victor and Roy made dinner... Victor make a shrimp and crab pasta which was amazing with a side salad and Roy made cheesy potatoes... which looked amazing!! Darn lactose intolerance!!  

After dinner we all went to the roof to wait for the cab to take us to the Tabernacle to watch Lisa Lampanelli!  The night was so beautiful I figured I needed to take a quick iPhone picture!!  I do have a few pictures from dinner but haven't uploaded them yet!  They will be up as soon as possible!!

Always something happening by my old apartment (M Street)

So, I was driving to Roy's condo for dinner and happened to drive by my old apartment.  I saw a police officer go up to this homeless man, they exchanged a few words, and before you know it the homeless man was trying to run... he was handcuffed and then another motorcycle cop, a prisoner transport, and 2 police cars pulled up! 

Since a couple of the police vehicles were blocking our road I sat and watched this scene play out thru a few lights.  I felt somewhat bad for the homeless man, not that he was taken into custody, especially if he did something to deserve it.  However, I was looking at his clothing and looking at him and the combination just pierced thru my heart.  What would it be like to live his life?  

Happy Birthday To Me!!!

So, why am I so excited about this brush?!?!?

Good question... the answer is... I have been missing it for about 2 months!!  I used it one day and then went to use it again the next and it was gone.  I have searched high and low, all over the apartment, and finally decided not to search anymore.  Funny thing, I prayed to God a few times that I would find my missing brush.  For those concerned, this was not on the top of my prayer list, just thrown in from time to time. 

Today I was sweeping the bathroom floor because I was on the phone with my friend Marcus.  Generally I only vacuum, however being on the phone I decided to sweep, that way conversation could continue.  As I was sweeping, I put the broom in this tiny little crevice under the sink and with a whole lotta hair this brush came out.  It scared me at first, and then scared Marcus with my scream of glee.  However, this was a beautiful birthday present to me!  Hahah!!



I AM 28!!!!!

What an exciting day!!

Friday, August 08, 2008

Last Day at 27!!

Only one more day to be 27 and I have to say I am a little sad.  Not because I am going to be a year older, I am actually excited to have a birthday and be a little older, hopefully a little wiser too!  But because I had such a great year!!  I look back at all the changes that happened this year and I am amazed at where God has brought me.  There has been so many:

- changes (new job, end of a relationship, new apartment), 
- trips (Italy, Florida, Slovakia, North Carolina), 
- good time with friends (started doing SATC nights with Kit, sporting events, walks thru Piedmont Park, and so many more)
- leaning so much more on God (reading my Bible, praying more, more personal Bible studies)
- new and interesting people coming into my life 

I feel so blessed to have had such an amazing 27th year!!  

Fox Yesterday!!

Yesterday night I went with Lynette, Monica, Lynn's Sister (sorry I don't remember her name), Victor, Bobby, Dallas, and Kristina to the Fox Theater to watch Sex and The City (see the pictures in the post below) and it was amazing!!  I loved watching it more here, even with the lady behind us giving her commentary the entire time, than I did the first time.  I loved that everyone in the building was so excited to watch the movie and how everyone was clapping and yelling and laughing so loud at everything!!

Wednesday, August 06, 2008

Allergies?!?!?

I woke up this morning to a somewhat sore throat, runny nose, and headache. I am praying that this is allergies but I think I am dreaming.  I need to get my allergy shots done and will do that tomorrow.

Last night I did my work out again.  One hour on the treadmill, 30 minutes weight training and then 15 minutes of stretching.  It felt great!!  Of course when I got home I was starving and tired!!  I ate, took a shower and then went to bed around 10pm.  

Today I am hoping it will be nice enough when I get home to sit on the roof and enjoy some sunshine!  Wish me luck!!

Monday, August 04, 2008

Parents came to visit!!!!!

I had the most wonderful time with my family in North Carolina!!  I hope you enjoyed the pictures below!!  My parents drove down to see my new office as well as my new apartment and then we were going to drive right back up to N. Carolina.  However, God had different plans.  From the moment we left Buckhead Church it started raining.  We stopped so my dad could put his rain suit on before heading to my house.  We (aka my mom) checked the weather channel and found that there was a huge rain storm coming thru.  So, instead of heading straight north we headed straight to lunch... at R. Thomas!!!  Yumm-o!!  We all shared an appetizer and entrée.  Then my parents got a raspberry chocolate cheese cake (of which I took a bite -- to die for) and a smoothie. I also got a smoothie!  We were soooo full!!

While we were at R. Thomas we sat on a covered patio while it rained outside.  By the time we were ready to leave the rain stop!  Perfect, right?!?!  Nope, we got back to my apartment, turned the weather channel back on, and found that the break would only be temporary.  We had a night full of thunderstorms ahead of us.  So, instead of heading north my dad took a nap and my mom and I did the laundry and chatted.  When my dad got up we went up to the deck and sat outside and waited until the next thunderstorm came in.  When it did we headed back to my apartment and had a light dinner.  After dinner we headed back up to the roof and (from under an awning) we watched the lighting storm act like a good firework festival!!!  We had a great time watching a beautiful light show!!

Due to the events of Thursday, we got up at 6am on Friday and headed to North Carolina.  Shortly after we got outside Atlanta the clouds dissipated and we had a beautifully sunny day!!!  I was able to ride on the back of Dad's Harley for the day.  We went all over Cherokee, North Carolina and drove over to Tennessee and back.  We had a blast!! There are more pictures that my mom, Aunt Linda, and Kelly took -- if I get them you know they will be put on here!

Since it was every ones last day at the cabin, after a wonderful spaghetti dinner everyone packed up.  There was a ton of food that I was able to take home with me since no one else had room to take it home -- the joy of a car I guess!!  We stayed the night in the cabin, had breakfast at the local pancake house, and then each of us headed in a different direction.  I took a few hours to get home by making a few fun stops!  

Once home, I got all the food unpacked, had some lunch, did my laundry, and then met up with Victor at Piedmont Park.  We had fun walking Odin around the park but it was quite humid so we left the park so Victor could show me his new refrigerator.  Its really nice!!

Since I have so  much food we left Victor's house and headed to mine thinking we would eat and then hang out in the pool on the roof.  But, once again God had a different plan.  As we were driving to my place the sky turned from nice and sunny to really dark with a ton of wind and lightning.  By the time we made it to my (thank God) covered parking it was hailing outside!!  We still ate dinner but instead of heading up to the roof we watched the movie Cast Away... and Kedrick joined in the middle of the movie.  It was a lot of fun.  But, if you saw the pictures below of the weather... there were quite a lot of people without power that night as well as a ton of blocked off roads from trees being knocked down and debris everywhere!  

It was a great weekend!!  Followed by a great Sunday (which isn't a weekend day for me)!  I had a great day at work as well as the ability to see an amazing service!  After work, I drove home and headed straight to the roof to get some sun!!  I spent my time going between the pool and the lounge chair!!  After lounging I went to the gym where I ran on the elliptical machine for about an hour before doing some weight training and yoga.  I was told in the fitness challenge that I need to add more weight training to my routine so every other day I am doing this.  After my workout I came back to the apartment for dinner and then went outside for a post-dinner walk.

After another wonderful day at work, I decided to duplicate yesterday.  I relaxed on the roof to catch a few rays of sun before doing a little bit of yoga and having dinner.  After dinner I went for another walk.  Blissful!!  Its about time for me to take a shower!!  LOL!!

As far as the workout, I am trying to reduce my body fat so I can score better on my next check in for the fitness challenge.  I remember watching Oprah one afternoon and hearing that we should be walking about 10,000 steps per day.  I have a pedometer that North Point gave me so I put that on my hip today and check out my typical day's foot count... its right around 5,000.  Adding in my 30 minute walk around the neighborhood its just under 9,000 steps.  Which is perfect!!  That means when I work out I almost double that 10,000 steps.  So, lets see how this works for my ability to drop weight and body fat!!  I'll keep you posted!!

Ashley

In the mix of my busy day yesterday I was lucky enough to attend service while I was working and I was able to see the sermon 'Home Free, Even Me' by Louie about Ashley and about God's grace.  If you were not able to watch it at Buckhead Church please watch it here.  By the end I was in tears.  It's an amazing message!!