Book Club

A few ladies in our book club.

Good, Better Best...NO - Bad, Worse, WORST

http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/africa/09/20/south.africa.mbeki.resigns/index.html

NYC

We spent Labor Day weekend in NYC. We had a wonderful time seeing the city, but more importantly we got to visit with some FABULOUS friends.  We are so thankful for good friendships, just sad we all live so far apart.   

In the meantime we'll just be happy that they live in such a cool city!!! 

Craigslist

I just posted this on Craigslist.  

So, if you are local and know someone who is looking for some bookshelves, feel free to pass this info along.  

JUST LIKE NEW WHITE BOOKSHELVES. 

Product dimensions 
Width: 78 3/4 " 
Depth: 11 " 
Height: 93 1/4 " 

Width: 200 cm 
Depth: 28 cm 
Height: 237 cm 

* * BIGGER BOOKSHELF - $75 EACH * * SMALLER BOOKSHELF - $50 * * 

WILLING TO SELL PIECES SEPARATELY OR TOGETHER.

Kim comes to visit...

Kim came to visit (from NV) when we were in CA. I felt like I was moving there - Staying for a month, and having visitors. I had a great time. I wasn't the best tour guide, I just don't know Cali that well! But we had a great time...eating & shopping.

Kim and M at Laguna

SANTA BARBARA

We went to Santa Barbara for the day. There was some festival going on that day, though I can't remember which one. Just a few too many people to enjoy the town...maybe next time

My best BOYFRIEND and my best GIRLFRIEND.... it was a great day!

Andy & Me

Kim & Me

LAGUNA MAIN BEACH

CRYSTAL COVE - LAGUNA

Okay, no one wants to see THIS many pictures of us ... but we arrived here at the perfect time - SUNSET. I could not stop taking pictures. It was gorgeous and I wanted to capture it ALL. That resulted in a picture OVERLOAD on our blog :-)

BALBOA ISLAND

LAGUNA BEACH

Blog Worthy

Yesterday morning I was on my way to class. I was just a few streets away from where I usually park, and I was the first car stopped at a red light.  The light then turned green and I proceeded to go.  I looked to my left (thankfully, even though NO ONE should have been coming) and see a car coming towards me. So I hesitate and look the light again, wondering if it was not green after all, surely he is NOT running a RED light STRAIGHT INTO ME! Well I was right, about the green light, and about his driving straight into me.  Thankfully he hit the left corner of my car and NOT the left door, that would have been terrible. I am so thankful that I did hesitate and check the light again! Well I am totally fine but my car may not be. I could not even drive the car out of the intersection. It was quite a scene. My car was totally blocking a busy intersection on campus at 8:30 in the morning.  The kid took all responsibility and was issued a citation right there. I had a witness who told the cops everything, and were no injuries. Though I am not sure my poor car is going to make it :-( Sad. I was just thinking the other day how much I liked my car. Nothing fancy, a Ford Focus, but I really love it.  And it's a stick which I love and they are not too common.

Well the point of this post is not really to tell you about my car, but you now know the story.  Last night Andy told me he wished we had had the camera with us, to take pictures of my car. I asked him why, and he said "For the blog"  Andy doesn't have anything to do with the blog and rarely knows what I post about, yet he even thought yesterdays incident was blog worthy :-) I am happy he is always thinking of my blog :-) If my car is  right off, I'll be sure to get some pictures!

CHOCOLATE X 3

Meet my latest addiction.  My first job in high school was working at a store that sold GELATO.  This gelato was amazing and much to my delight, we could eat as much as we wanted (and I wonder why I got so fat in Matric.) Well, as a result of eating so much gelato when I was younger, I will only eat good quality ice cream and I won't eat any generic brand.  That is, until I met Chocolate Trinity.  Publix is the local grocery store and their store brand ice cream is DELICIOUS. 

Here is a description of the ice cream - "We start with the freshest ingredients, like the rich, dark chocolate you'll taste in our Chocolate Trinity Ice Cream. Then we take thick Mackinac Fudge and swirl it right in. And if that wasn't enough, we load it all with mini cups of thick fudge." Publix

So, if you happen to be in a grocery store in the south, I hope you will meet my new friend!

You shouldn't be surprised with this post, considering how much I happen to mention CHOCOLATE on this blog!

3 About Me

dfHow to play this game of tag: Post these rules on your blog. List 3 joys, 3 fears, 3 goals, 3 current obsessions/ collections, 3 random surprising facts about yourself. 

Tag 5 people @ the end of your post by leaving their names.

3 Joys

1) Andy and Family

2) Good Friends

3) CHOCOLATE -  It really does brighten my day 

3 Fears

1) Shots (needles in general)

2) Public Speaking 

3) The dentist

3 Goals

1) Finish school

2) Run a 1/2 marathon (Emily, you put this one to shame ;-)

3) Learn to cook (well better) 

3 Current Obsessions

1) MAC - I just got one and I LOVE it.

2) Golden Spoon - Pity don't have it here.

3) Shopping - I think I miss the city way too much

3 Random Surprising Facts About Myself

1) I have the worst eating habits EVER. I just can't stop.  I eat cookies for breakfast, chips for diner, oh the list goes on. I love healthy food, but I love junk food too.

2) I don't ever get on a scale, but if I am feeling fat, I'll try on almost every pair of pants/shorts that I have to see if it fits differently! It's odd and Andy just laughs at me. 

3)I don't like decorating. well it's not that I don't like it, I just can't do it. I have no creative ideas and can't put things together in my head. So, if you have any decorating tips, suggestions, ideas - I AM ALL EARS.  

Some people love tags, others hate them.  So, if you are one that LOVES them then I tag YOU. If you hate them then I don't tag you and HAPPY READING. 

LA Temple

Los Angeles Temple

Andy and I were married in this Temple and we don't get to go often, so it was great to be able to go while we were in Cali.  

I just love it!

Georgia Friends

A Group Picture

Of some of our GA friends.

(Andy was out of town for work, so is not in the picture)

Indiana

Pictures to be added soon.

WICKED

We were able to see WICKED while we were in CA. What an amazing show. Some people are just so incredibly talented. We had a great night with Andy's family, and missed those that weren't there.

A.R.M.Y

A Righteous Mormon Youth

Girls Camp was a blast. The Girls were AWESOME, the weather was perfect and I had a great time. It was wonderful being around so many quality girls for the week.

Andy (aka Mr. Charis :-) was asked to come up for a day, as they needed men at the camp at all times. It was great to have him there with me.

Lindsey & Me at the Waterfall on the hike.

Half way up the 425 stairs

Still looking a refreshed. The first day at camp.

Crazy Cute Girls

1st and 3rd year hike

Georgia STORMS

A few weeks ago we had the craziest THUNDER & LIGHTNING storms. I have seen quite a few storms but nothing compared to that one. Andy and I both woke up to the same lightning strike. The sky was alight for a few seconds at a time and it was the craziest/scariest thing I've seen in a while. Well after talking with my neighbor (okay, her name is Kate - so I don't have to keep calling her my neighbor) I come to find out this is not too uncommon for Georgia. Since then the weather has been pretty calm...until last night.

A crazy storm came through our area, and this is what we woke up to.

And this is ONLY a picture of the tree that fell on our property and is our responsibility.

Now this may not seem all that big but the root seriously stands about 10 feet tall and HOW ON EARTH ARE WE SUPPOSED TO GET RID OF THIS THING!!!!!!! Not to mention we quite like having the trees and love our lot. Now as soon as the wind blows I get paranoid that another tree is going to fall down.

You know you ARE in the South when...

Your neighbor asks you if you want to go in on a calf with them. No more buying our meat from the friendly grocer. No, we go straight to the butcher and we (together with our neighbors) order a WHOLE cow, we tell him exactly how we want the meat cut and we go pick it up and bring it home in our own containers.

That's what we'll be doing for our meat supply next year, well when our neighbors run out of their $1500 worth of meat ;-)

Inspiring Quote

Sometimes (well often times ;-) I need a little convincing. Maybe you do too.

A quote from C.S. Lewis' Mere Christianity:

God's work in our lives can be painful, but His ultimate goal is to transform us into something better. Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps, you can understand what he is doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on: you knew that those jobs needed doing and so you are not surprised. But presently he starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably and does not seem to make sense. What on earth is he up to? The explanation is that he is building quite a different house from the one you thought of — throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards. You thought you were going to be made into a decent little cottage: but he is building up a palace. He intends to come and live in it himself.

Blog Therapy

If you thought blogging was a time waster you can rest assured it is not. Not only is it NOT bad, but some actually believe it is a GOOD thing.

Take a look at this article.

So, BLOG AWAY

3's

Have you ever heard that things often happen in 3's?

Well this week I've received 2 pieces of good news.

1.
I got into UGA. I'll start in the Fall. You'd (well I'd) think I'd get automatic admission seeing as my husband is on faculty and well I can't really go away to school. But I don't, but I did get in all by myself. That's good news.

2.

My Green Card finally came, it only took a whole year. I assumed my ten year one would be approved but still you want the card in hand to know for sure. Well it arrived today. Yay. No more renewing and paying attorney fees and going to appointments. Next step - CITIZENSHIP. It's not that I want to give up my SA Citizenship, I just won't renew my SA Passport when it expires (in 10 years ;-) Renewing a SA Passport in the US is a hassle.

3.

I am still waiting for that one :-)