You know you are NOT from the South when...

You want to call 911 or at least the push the alarm, when you see a tiny flash outside. Nope, no burglar in our backyard turning his flashlight on and off.

Just a LIGHTNING BUG

Courage

Courage doesn't always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying "I will try again tomorrow". 

Mary Anne Radmacher

Ferndale

The world does not seem that big when you have Google Earth
But it does when you have to buy a plane ticket to visit home

Ferndale High
In all it's glory....

Stressed?

Take a look here

Happy Popping

How's your bracket?

I can't say I LOVE Basketball but Andy really does. For the past few years I've been filling out a bracket. I know nothing about the teams so I just guess who will win. It definitely makes March Madness alot more fun... for me and Andy. For the sake of our marriage I've picked UCLA to wih the championship ;-)

My Picks

HAPPY 100 POSTS

99

That's my final grade for my math class :-) That may not be a big deal to most but I barely passed Standard Grade Math in Matric, so I'm pretty happy... oh and this is my 99th post!!!

Enjoy Your Hot Chocolate

Anything with the word Chocolate grabs my attention!!!!!!!!! So of course I read this forward when it appeared in my inbox.

Thanks, Charli :-)

Enjoy Your Hot Chocolate

A group of graduates, well established in their careers, were talking at a reunion and decided to go visit their old university professor, now retired. During their visit, the conversation turned to complaints about stress in their work and lives. Offering his guests hot chocolate, the professor went into the kitchen and returned with a large pot of hot chocolate and an assortmentof cups - porcelain, glass, crystal, some plain looking, some expensive, some exquisite - telling them to help themselves to the hot chocolate.

When they all had a cup of hot chocolate in hand, the professor said: 'Notice that all the nice looking, expensive cups were taken, leaving behind the plain and cheap ones. While it is normal for you to want only the best for yourselves, that is the source of your problems and stress. The cup that you're drinking from adds nothing to the quality of the hot chocolate. In most cases it is just more expensive and in some cases even hides what we drink. What all of you really wanted was hot chocolate, not the cup; but you consciously went for the best cups... And then you began eyeing each other's cups.

Now consider this: Life is the hot chocolate; your job, money and position in society are the cups. They are just tools to hold and contain life. The cup you have does not define, nor change the quality of life you have. Sometimes, by concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the hot chocolate God has provided us. God makes the hot chocolate, man chooses the cups. The happiest people don't have the best of everything. They just make the best of everything that they have. Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly.

And enjoy your hot chocolate.

Worth of a Soul

Here is the video footage which inspired the picture.

The Worth of a Soul

If you've read my blog over a period of time, you'll know by now that my brother and and sister-in-law have adopted a little black girl. I saw this picture on a blog and I just love it. Perhaps even more so because of Jessica.

When I first posted this picture I did not know the story behind it. Take a look here if you are interested in reading more about the picture.

New Neighbor

One of my neighbors just sent me these pictures. This otter lives in the pond in our development - I've said before that we live in the middle of nowhere :-) These kinds of neighbors remind me of that :-)

UTAH

Andy attended a conference at the U of Utah this past weekend. It was a working/skiing/snowboarding conference :-) So while he worked and played I shopped, visited with friends and got my hair done :-) It was a great weekend.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY WEEK TO ME......

I turn 30 this week and I can't say I am happy about this number. This the first year I have actually cared how old I am turning... Hopefully I'll start to feel a little better about being 30.

I'm IT

ALL ABOUT ANDY......

What's his name? Andrew Crafton
How long have you been married? 3 Years on 03/19
How long did you date? We got engaged on our 1 year anniversary
How old is he? 6 months older than me - 30
Who eats more? He does
Who said, "I love you," first? He did :-)
Who is taller? He is.
Who sings better? Andy - well he can definitely keep a tune better than I can.
Who is smarter? Definitely Andy - although he does remind me that he was in college for 10 years so he should be a little more book smart :-)
Who's temper is worse? His.
Who does the laundry? Me, but he is more than happy to do it if he needs something specific and I'm not planning in doing laundry that day.
Who does the dishes? Me, unless I make a real meal (not often) then he cleans up.
Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? Andy - but sometimes I switch sides.
Who pays the bills? He pays the mortgage and credit cards, I pay the rest.....
Who mows the lawn? Taylor-Made Lawncare - Thank you, Taylor Jenkins... :-)
Who cooks dinner? Me - but I don't cook too often. We eat out a lot!!
Who drives when you are together? He does
Who is more stubborn? I think he is :-) He thinks I am :-)
Who is the first to admit when they are wrong? Neither :-(
Whose parents do you see the most? His of course.
Who has more friends? I keep in touch with friends way better, so it seems like me. But his friends are loyal and they always seem to find each other again to catch up - I'll ditto Courtney on that one!!!!!!!
Who has more siblings? I do.
Who wears the pants in the family? I think I do :-) But it's pretty even.

BEAUTIFUL BALLERINA

Jessica just started ballet. Here some pictures of her looking darling. I just love these pictures - I had to post them

If you don't know - Jessica is my adopted neice in S.A

5 THINGS

I have not blogged in a while so thought I'd do this tag from Tran -

Happy reading way too much information about me :-)

TEN YEARS AGO!
1. Had been in the US almost a year
2. Au Pair for the Mele's
3. Deciding what to do next - UT
4. Having a blast with Emma & Kelly
5. Can't remember

FIVE PLACES I HAVE LIVED!
1. Cape Town, SA
2. Jo'burg, SA
3. Bellevue, WA
4. Orem, UT
5. Watkinsville, GA

FIVE THINGS ON MY TO-DO LIST!
1. Study for a math test
2. Complete a theater lesson (online)
3. Find some place that will finish our deck - it needs t be stained
4. I can't think of any more which is a good thing as it is late on a Saturday night :-)
5.

I ENJOY!
1. Surfing the internet
2. Taking pictures
3. Digital Scrapbooking
4. Shopping
5. Anything crafty

TWO BAD HABITS!
1. For how organized and neat I am I am terrible at keeping the fridge organized. I open it and put something anywhere as long as it does not fall....
2. I can't think of another and neither can Andy - that's a good sign :-)

FIVE THINGS YOU MIGHT NOT KNOW ABOUT ME!
1. I cry during any movie, or even some commercials if it's even a little sad or someone else is crying.
2. I eat so much chocolate it's embarrassing. I just can't get enough and not just any chocolate it has to be Cadbury's Dairy Milk or Toblerone
3. I have 6 sisters and 3 brothers - it's complicated
4. I HAVE to get the gas whenever I have to get work done at the dentist - no matter how much it costs (and it's not cheap) or else I am a disaster during the visit.
5. I am so afraid of shots or getting blood drawn that I usually cry while or before I am about to get it done.

FIVE JOBS THAT I HAVE HAD!
1. Worked at an ice cream store
2. Accounts Receivables
3. Receptionist
4. Asssistanct Director at Kindercare
5. Preschool Teacher

So now is the time to tag others..

WHOEVER WANTS TO :-)

Curious

It is not uncommon for some people to go to the polls undecided on who they are going to vote for. I am curious ... what MORE information do they think they are going to get AT the poles that will make one candidate seem better than the other. Surely a person would figure it our BEFORE they get there.

Credit

I have to give credit where credit is due. My header picture is a quickpage download from digitalfreebies.com. You can pick up the freebie here

The Prophet Gordon B. Hinckley

Christmas 2007

We spent the holidays in CA with Andy's family. All 4 siblings (with their families) were there which made it an extra special Christmas

HAPPY HOLIDAYS

UCLA Game

We spent Thanksgiving in CA. A trip to CA is not complete without attending a UCLA Game. We had a great time and I got a cute UCL sweatshirt just to show my support :-)

KIRSTE

Kirste came to visit us, on route to S.A. We had a great time with her. We did not do anything too extravagant but it was great to have her here and show her our lives. Here are some of the pictures we took while she was here. Isn't she cute???? :-)

CHARIS BOOKS

My name is not common at all, so when we stumbled upon this bookstore in a random part of Atlanta I had to stop and take some pictures. Never mind that it is your feminist, independent women's bookstore :-) It's a little odd seeing my name right there - I never see my name printed anywhere. So here I am - Charis in front of Charis Books. And yes, they do pronounce it the same way.

Rosie

Meet Rosie - She is Andy's parents dog. She is HUGE - but has never been told that. She jumps on the couch (when she's allowed) and snuggles right into you as if she is a lapdog. She has no clue as to how heavy she actually is. It is so funny to watch.

Gorgeous Fall

ATTITUDE

I found this quote on someone's blog - I love it!!!!!

"The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude to me is more important than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness, or skill. It will make or break a company, a church, a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice everyday regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past. We cannot change the fact that people will act in certain ways. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one thing we have and that is our attitude...I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it. And so it is with you...we are in charge of our attitudes."
Charles Swindoll

BLOGS

Since the blogging world has boomed I have read a ton of different blogs. I love to see what people use their blogs for. I love to see other people's creativity and be inspired. I am often impressed by what information people share on their blogs. Of course I love it when they share things - who doesn't want to hear other people's life experiences - I know I do and I love to look at pictures of other people - even if I don't know them (yes, that may be a little odd) So, after reading all these blogs I have realized something about myself - I am such a private person - maybe to a fault. I don't share any info on this site at all - other than our trips etc but nothing really interesting and nothing juicy. Well, I am not sharing anything today either ;-) I just think I need to talk a little more.... But not today :-)

Kirsty's Visit

Kirsty has been visiting us for the past 1 1/2 week. It has been a ton of fun showing her our lives here in Georgia.

WOMANHOOD

"Womanhood: The Highest Place of Honor"

James E. Faust

"I wonder if you sisters fully understand the greatness of your gifts and talents
and how all of you can achieve the 'highest place of honor' in the Church and in
the world. One of your unique, precious, and sublime gifts is your femininity,
with its natural grace, goodness, and divinity. Femininity is not just lipstick,
stylish hairdos, and trendy clothes. It is the divine adornment of humanity.
It finds expression in your qualities of your capacity to love, your spirituality,
delicacy, radiance, sensitivity, creativity, charm, graciousness, gentleness,
dignity, and quiet strength. It is manifest differently in each girl or woman,
but each of you possesses it. Femininity is part of your inner beauty.

"One of your particular gifts is your feminine intuition. Do not limit yourselves.
As you seek to know the will of our Heavenly Father in your life and become more
spiritual, you will be far more attractive, even irresistible. You can use your
smiling loveliness to bless those you love and all you meet, and spread great joy.
Femininity is part of the God-given divinity within each of you. It is your
incomparable power and influence to do good. You can, through your supernal gifts,
bless the lives of children, women, and men. Be proud of your womanhood.
Enhance it. Use it to serve others."

It's a GREAT day in South Africa

20 October - South Africa defeated defending champions England 15-6 on Saturday to claim the World Cup for the second time in a match packed with atmosphere but short of excitement.

Jessica

A few months ago I posted a video of Jessica reciting Mary Poppins' famous saying. Here she is again singing a familiar church song (with some words replaced) She is seriously too precious and is not even 3 yet!!!!!!!

Here she is in more flattering light :-)

A Tribute...

He grew up in our current ward and his parents (and siblings) are in our ward now. Andy and I have never met him but we were amazed at the out pouring of love the whole community has showed toward him and his family. I don't know if it's a small town thing (yes, I think Athens is a small town) or a fallen soldier thing, either way I think it is wonderful.

We took food to the Chapel while the service was going on. I could not believe how many people lined the streets. There were American Flags in the ground everywhere. It was an amazing sight to see. An older lady asked me if I knew Josh and I told her I did not and she thanked me for bringing food. I asked her if she knew Josh and she too had never met him. Yet here she was on a Saturday morning waiting outside to pay her tributes.

The post and pictures below were taken from another person who knew Josh that lives in our area.

The Chapel right after the service.

On September 21, 2007, Joshua Jackson Reeves was born. His mother, Leslie Reeves, phoned her husband, Josh, in Iraq to tell him the happy news. Spc. Joshua H. Reeves was able to hear his son cry before the phone call ended.

Spc. Joshua H. Reeves was killed the next day, September 22, 2007, when a bomb detonated near his vehicle.

The community support was unbelievable. On the way to the funeral, hundreds of people lined up on the side of the road with hands over their hearts and flags waving. The Patriot Guard Riders, a group of bikers who attend funerals of fallen soldiers, stood at attention with flags to form a walkway to the chapel. Hundreds of people who had never met Josh lined the street to show support.

Our 1st Visitors

We had our 1st visitors since moving to Georgia and we loved it. Max & Amy came to visit for the weekend - we had a fun time showing them around our town and our day to day life.

You may notice a sparkle on Amy's left finger :-) They just recently got engaged and we couldn't be happier!!!!!!!!!!

My Favorite BULLDOG

A while ago I posted some of the painted Bulldogs that are scattered throughout Athens. I am still seeing different ones that I had not seen before. This past weekend I found my all time favorite bulldog - she was outside a boutique. She is just beautiful :-) I am amazed at the creativity.

A Little Happier

I am a little obsessive when it comes to things being in order and looking the same (or like it goes together) I also have binders for EVERYTHING. These binders have been on our bookshelf for some time and I have hated the way the look because they aren't all a perfect (matching) white. I decided to try adding my own colorful spine with scrapbook paper - and I just LOVE the way they turned out. Now it does not bother me every time I see them.

You can see the different stages