It's the holiday season. . . and boop di doop, bibitty bop.

we are so very classy.

the holidays so far: a summary

This is the past week and a half in pics from my iphone:

i call this one: tree with tumor. This is our Christmas tree and I love it. I even love that it looks like a mini tree is growing our of the top. Thanks to some friends, it has gotten a little more "dressed" since this picture was taken.

this one is: burning the candle at both ends. i did a lot of figuratively burning the candle at both ends LAST week. this week i have enough time on my hands to literally burn a candle at both ends.

and this one is : addie grace got a hold of my phone. she's a natural, maybe even the next frida kahlo. minus the uni-brow.

way better than the pilgrims' . . .

That's how i would describe our feast this past thursday. This is my mom:

And only she could fix thanksgiving dinner for 10, serve it all on her brand new back deck and do it all without a dishwasher, an ounce of stress or one word of complaint. She's pretty amazing.

(photo courtesy of my very talented sister-in-law, Katie Purnell)

sometimes i make things more difficult than they need to be

if i had cleaned this up after 2 weeks verses 4, it would have been a lot easier. . .

a post about posting

i cannot think of a single thing to blog today that would be funny without being t.m.i. especially for the world wide web.

so we have some traditions

i've always loved holiday traditions. trick or treating at halloween, calling our meal a feast at thanksgiving (because it always is - duh), the advent calendar before Christmas, opening stockings first, getting mad at mom for taking too many pictures Christmas morning, yeah - all of those. well i think if three years in a row doesn't make something a tradition then i, uh, then it, um, well it just DOES. so here is this set of october traditions:

making caramel apples with this guy (whose comments on my "mom skills" will have to be an entirely new post)
Creating a ridiculously original and time consuming jack-o-lantern (this was all husband man)

blowing everyone away with our artistic (haha-get it) halloween costumes. props to kelley for the inspiration.

and impulse buying vintage cowboy boots. hey they were a deal. i think. hey becca, "they're my i don't need a job, i don't need my dad, cause i've got new boots, boots."

And there we have it. Hope everyone had a great October. Here's to November!!!

zombie girl

last night i was a zombie for a murder mystery party. this is what team huensch can do with 20 minutes and 9 dollars worth of supplies.

love of my life.

here are two reasons i love my husband:

this was the text conversation we had last night:

Oct 5, 2009 7:52 pm

me: at the y, coming home in 30 min!

him: The y?! It's Brett Favre night!

me: want me to just come home? Idon't feel so good anyway

him: it's up to you but i wouldn't mind

me: Ok. But you have to act like i'm not fat

him: it wouldn't be an act.

boys, take note. always give your wife/girlfriend/girl of interest an excuse to skip out on the gym and still make her feel pretty. also, put up with the crazy.

and reason number 2:

this morning he sent me this video

prepare for shallowness

a rainy day off means crying over friday night lights and being able to tune in to a rachel zoe project marathon. sigh. i'll take it.

i think that being able to shop like liv tyler would be ideal. Rachel could pick out all these clothes in my perfect size and style and then i could just pick what i liked without having to do the math of how much each item is vs. how much is in my bank account. not only that, but a gay guy could gush over how fierce i looked in every piece. talk about a self esteem booster. maybe one day when i strike it rich. and famous. cause you know, that's what normally happens to pastors' wives.

nightmares

before you let your eyes scan down the page, please know that i love each and every one of you. why do you need to keep that in mind? because what you're about to see may give you nightmares (like it gave me).

there are, of course, a million things to talk about when it comes to the VMA's last night. the only one i have time to address right now is the image that crept right into my zombie fighting dream last night. lady gaga in her acceptance speech outfit. what about it is so so creepy? it literally makes me feel uneasy to look at. here it is. . . .


yeah, i'm sorry.

unexpected glee

So today i had this one hour break in meeting people to eat food, and at first i was really disappointed that i couldn't fill it with a couple of the things that, at the time, felt like the HAD To be done. then i remembered. i have glee on my dvr. and i have a couch. done. all of a sudden being time efficient seems much less important.

our future offspring

With any luck, this is how our future offspring will turn out. Long live the Huenschhold.

rediscovering the classics

well, i'm single for the weekend. the husband man is in st. louis drafting a fake football team and i am here - eating things without meat and watching old movies that happen to come on t.v. The first thing i did that is noteworthy is to make pioneer woman's lemon pasta. it is incredible. go make it right now, because the leftovers are even better.

the second thing i've done is watch a couple old movies. now, i'm not super into old movies, but these last two have been stellar. the first stars Dolly Parton (aka grandma dolly) and Burt Reynolds and it came out one month after i was born. If any of you are above the age of 21 you've got to check out "the best little whorehouse in texas" - its just so fun. yes, i realize that i have major moral issues with the premise but its burt and dolly in a musical! i stayed up til almost 2 am just to finish watching it. sigh. i wish she were really my grandma.

movie number two - bonnie and clyde. did you know that warren beatty used to be hot? yeah. its true, and faye dunaway in this movie could be my fashion inspiration. (and she kind of makes me want to wear fake eyelashes). i'm actually still watching it. i'll let you know how i feel about it when its over.

oh, and i saw julie and julia and in julia child's honor sara, jana and i are going to conquer julia's boef bourginion. it will take at least 4 hours and probably just as many bottles of wine. i'll let you know how that goes too.

ahhh, the single life.

if your life were a movie. . .

who would play you? it's one of my favorite questions to ask at dinner, road trips, awkward silences and during forced conversation. i don't know why i'm so fascinated with it (because seriously, like my life is movie worthy) but i am. so a couple nights ago i was at a movie - (500) days of summer - with the husband man and it clicked. Zooey Deschanel (who i love) would play a great Kelley Kirker!

so with that revelation i just thought i would give you all a window into my twisted mind. and of course, give you the ok to dream up who would play you in a movie. Here's another good example. charlotte botsford. . . .

tina fey.

feel free to leave your thoughts on the comment page (or, i mean, who would play me. but whatever, things don't always have to be all about me.)

a little of this, a little of that

I'm sorry I've been away for so long. Those of you that know me well know how crazy our schedule gets in the summer and those of you who don't - wow, thanks for reading my blog. I'll try to give you a brief but witty update.

Summer was great, we managed to make it to the Dominican, Chattanooga, South Carolina, the Lake, the Gulf, and Pisgah, Alabama. I've stayed mostly in one piece and i'm pretty sure i still have a husband and he's one of the people that is always in my apartment - it's gotten a little crazy in there but in a way that i love.

I have no new recipes unless someone needs to know how to prepare kraft mac and cheese, make scrambled eggs or order at a restaurant.

I'm just now getting back into music that DIDN'T come from a disney channel or american idol star. So no good music recommendations.

I did get some reading done (Julie and Julia, the last Harry Potter book, and a lot of tweets - because those count).

And we still don't have a dog. That's about it. Hopefully things will pick up and as students are back in school i will have more time for blogging. Here's to the fall. . .

dog days of summer

I finally feel like i have something noteworthy to write about. Before today, my only story possibilities have been centered around youth trips, failed culinary attempts and how flippin exhuasted i am. But today, today has not one but TWO real stories. both about dogs (which is a total coincidence).  

First, lets talk about the new dent in my car. i know how much my readers like a visual, so

 check this out: 

Yep, the paint is gone and there is a real dent in the bottom.  Now, the Protege is no stranger to dents - its the story behind this one that makes it fun. This humdinger was caused by a "skitish" boxer whose owner had thought it prudent to tie her fully grown 40 pound dog to a metal chair outside a coffee shop. I mean, I am known to make some bad judgement calls but this was ridiculous.  Our youth staff was sitting outside and this lady left her dog near us while she ran in to get some water. No sooner had Lauren said "hey emily, there's a free dog" than the dog got spooked by a particularly loud car and bolted. Yes, bolted, dragging the chair behind her, right in between the Protege and Lauren's car. She ran into the street, into a parking lot - hitting cars and more cars in the process. We started to chase her but about that time a fireman emerged from nowhere (yes, a fireman - how good does this get?) and took over.  The fireman and the owner of the dog finally caught her after she was slowed by her chair catching on a giant blue postal service mail drop. Chair - ruined, scratches in at least two cars, and a nasty gash in the dogs tongue.  It was quite the scene. 

Story number two. Chris got a dog!!!! And since I can't have one I shall have to live vicariously through him. We spent a good 2 hours at the humane society today picking this guy out: How cute is he?!

Ps - both pictures courtesy of my new iphone. yes, i love it.  

summers booty

i mean bounty (wink wink).

the past two days have been FULL of the fruits of summer. yesterday we went blackberry and blueberry picking with some sweet jr. high girls. two words: yummy and hot.  seriously, i sweated buckets as we picked the sweetest, plumpest blueberries and blackberries. when was the last time you ate a juicy blackberry warmed by the sun, right off the vine? for me - yesterday. before that - probably a solid 10 years. it was such a garden of eden kind of experience, if that's not going too far.

then this morning me and the husband man headed over to the farmers market at Pepper place. It's like a farmers market for over the mountain people. local organic farmers and gourmet restaurants all in one place. its really fun. and we got some good looking squash and chilton county peaches.  also, it was really hot. welcome to june in the south.  i like it. 

It would be a disservice to my 3 readers for me NOT to post this.

So, last night was one of those "surprise, we're both home for dinner" nights. and due to the fact that my pantry is filled to the brim with odds and ends AND i've maxed out my made up grocery budget. If it were just me? Pasta and frozen pesto (my mom's homemade frozen pesto, straight from the s.c.)  The only problem was, i'm married to a meat eater. What meat did i have in the house? a jar of dried beef and one frozen pork tenderloin.  The true miracle part of this story is that i realized i needed to take the pork out of the freezer at 3:30 pm.  And it was thawed by 7! Now, let me tell you what you need to do with a pork tenderloin. it turned out so well, and was so easy, and my husband man said it was wonderful (i thought it was too).

Typical Pork Tenderloin

1. preheat your oven to 400 and get out either 1 ovenproof skillet OR one skillet plus one roasting pan or baking sheet. 

2.Take a pork tenderloin, try to cut off the silvery skin ( i never really succeed at this part, but i got off enough of it. Wash your hands, and combine the following in a little tiny bowl: 

1 tsp of dried thyme

1 Tbsp of kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1 clove of garlic, minced

3.  Take that stuff in the little bowl and rub it all over the pork tenderloin. All the sides, you can even make a couple slits in it and stuff the garlic pieces down in there. 

4. Put about a tablespoon of olive oil in your skillet and heat it up over medium high heat.  Use your kitchen tongs (if you don't have tongs, go buy some). And brown the pork on every side: bottom, side, top, side. This should only take a couple minutes per side.  Then, using potholders (because i didn't) move your ovenproof skillet into the preheated oven. If you're using a baking sheet or roasting pan - move the pork tenderloin to that and put it in the oven.  

5. Bake at 400 for about 14 minutes - or until you can stick a thermometer in it and it says 155 degrees. Take it out and just let it sit there for 5 minutes.  It'll keep cooking (seriously, its weird - the pink part will actually get not pink as it sits there).  

6. Slice and serve!! Last night mine happened to be kept company by cous cous and a wedge salad. But do what you want.  

You can also change up the seasoning - but i would suggest keeping salt in there no matter what.  I'll let you know if i try any other variations that are particularly good.  

Quick, easy, and satisfies the meat lover. Done. 

and then THIS GUY appeared. . . .

These alien bugs keep just appearing, out of nowhere, in my sink.  They scare the crap out of me and when i smash them their little legs keep wiggling. It grosses me out. And i'm not easily grossed out. Plus, every time they appear Justin isn't even at home.  So i call him. And let him know that the bug has appeared and that i trapped it and that i took a picture of it and that i will kill it with HIS flip flop.  (and maybe one time i just left it there so he could see it)

Come sail away! come sail away!

This weekend has been a giant musical ball of fun here in the magic city.  It's city stages 09 - a three day festival in downtown bham that brings in dozens of talented acts and almost as many funnel cake stands.  

My dear friend lucy bought us weekend passes for my birthday. It was a sweet gift - even a little nostalgic since last years city stages was such a memorable weekend for us. This years though? It blew 08 out of the water.  Friday night we joined the aging baby boomers for .38 special, Styx and REO Speedwagon. I believe my quote in the Birmingham news is "Those guys might be old but they still rock."  Ya'll. They do. They were really good. And Styx is still wearing the same stuff they were wearing when they started making in big.  I know what you're thinking - how could a night like this get any better? I'll tell you how: the Indigo Girls.

For those who don't know, i am a pretty big indigo girls fan.  They're just so talented and in concert they make it seem so effortless. Plus, they just have a way with words and harmonies and fitting all of it together.  So we sang along to Galileo, Closer to Fine and (my personal favorite) Hammer and a Nail.  We danced with grey-haired ladies and androgynous hippies.  It was a blast.  

Plus, we made friends with the corn-dog and funnel cake man. Now that's a good weekend.  

the DR, briefly

because i know all of you were on pins and needles, anxiously awaiting my return from the 3rd world to the blogosphere (isn't that what they call it?) i'm writing this very short post just to let you know that yes, i made it back safely. i'm also still a little exhausted (because going on a week-long mission trip then jumping straight into vbs will do that to you) so this one will be short and sweet.

our trip. was. incredible. i have never been anywhere where there is so much need, and so much gratefulness. these people need food and clothing, but they desperately need Jesus. i think that is the greatest thing that i took away. Christ IS life and He alone is able to give the security and hope that all of us long for - it's just easier to see that He is what really matters when there is truly not a whole lot else there.  

thank you so much for your prayers (and some of you, your financial support). Justin and I couldn't have done it without both.  please know that you will be hearing more about this country and what the Lord is doing there. and if you get REALLY into it, i'm putting the blog on my daily obsessions. this is perhaps one of my healthier ones.  

this is one of my favorite parts of my job: watching these students as they share Christ and His love with others (and end up a little changed themselves in the process).

the worst ideas

ok, fine. i'll admit it. the picture a day thing was a bad idea. or at least an unrealistic one.  its been busy. in this week alone we've had g and mrs. g, an overnight staff retreat, and we're leaving on a mission trip to the DR. (that's Dominican Republic - not a doctor).  sooooo - there goes the image of the day. 

and yes, seriously, we're going to the DR.  you can get daily updates at www.dominicanmissiontrip.blogspot.com. So that could end up being like a daily picture, right? We'll take any prayers to want to pray on our behalf. We're REALLY excited, but, as always, its a little stressful too. Adios!!!

oh, the other worst idea was taking benadryl to go to sleep last night. a little groggy this morning.

a good excuse for cobbler

so todays pic is the FABULOUS blackberry cobbler that we made last night. yes, we. me and my sister-in-law.  i mean, blackberries are in season and pretty cheap. why would you not make cobbler? plus, there was some vanilla frozen yogurt in my freezer just begging for a companion (which i tried to give her last night in the form of a peanut butter/chocolate chip concoction - but that was a huge fail.)  i used the recipe that you can find here and it was totally simple and absolutely tasty.  let me warn you, it has to cook for an hour. so if you are like me and tend to be a little on the impatient side be prepared to exercise some self control.  (or to distract yourself with some hardcore huensch family mario kart) once out of the oven its all brown and golden and perfect.  sigh. and it looks so cute in my new little latte bowls. 

on another note: i want an internet nickname for myself. any suggestions?

It's true, there is nothing like 'em.

Despite calling Alabama home for almost 5 years(!!!!!) i have never been to the legendary Dreamland BBQ.  Well, i had never been to dreamland. Yesterday we changed that.  At the beginning of this year, i made husband man listen to me as i listed all of the things i wanted to do in 2009. The original dreamland in Tuscaloosa was one of them.  All it took was G and Mrs. G coming down for a little memorial day visit for husband man to make it happen. Let me tell you. Worth. The. Wait.  All they serve is ribs and white bread and bbq sauce (and maybe some slaw?) and that is perfectly ok. We devoured 2 slabs of ribs and then moseyed on back to the giant brick fire pit where they cook them. There were, like, 20 slabs of ribs just hanging out, waiting to be ordered. I now understand why dreamland is on everyone (and yes, i mean everyone - even the new york times) places you MUST eat. What they say is true, "there ain's nothin' like 'em nowhere."

*in the picture, i don't know that lady. she was awkwardly standing there and since it was raining i didn't feel like waiting for her to move. but that's g and mrs. g standing beneath the sign. for those of you not familiar, g is husband man's twin brother and mrs. g is, well, his wife. we like them a LOT and are thrilled that they're down here for a visit.

"did that gorilla just throw up and eat it?!"

As promise, image of the day. This is yesterday's image - four high school girls walking like giraffes through the zoo. We decided that since we were in the "savannah" and there was all this great african music playing, we should probably walk like giraffes. The girls were better at it than me - probably because most of them had the legs of giraffes. 

your first "image of the day" post. aka: 9 years in the making

So i did it! i managed to get a picture from yesterday JUST to put it on the blog. and here it is. . .

Now the explanation: this is me in my gamecocks t-shirt. it is undeniably my favorite t-shirt and THAT my friends, is what has been 9 years in the making. i bought this shirt when i bought my textbooks at south carolina my FRESHMAN YEAR. and that was 9 years ago. since then it has been worn to about 70% of the south carolina games i have attended (football, basketball, baseball, and maybe a soccer game?) and its not just a game shirt, its an everyday shirt. this t-shirt is the ONE out of my whole basket of t-shirts that fits perfectly - not too snug, not too baggy, perfect length, perfect sleeves. and honestly, all my love and wear and care are starting to show. its got the slightly freyed collar and a few mysterious stains. but its just so soft, and has the gamecocks on it. it shall never be replaced.  on to other questions. . . 

you may ask "emily, why were you wearing this particular t-shirt last night?" and i will tell you. the husband man bought us tickets to the SEC tournament! and last night carolina played the tide. and you know what? we won. and all 20 carolina fans in the hoover met rejoiced. well, as much as you can rejoice at 2 in the morning when the game was wrapped up in the 11th inning by a 4 run streak by the gamecocks.  i'm so tired right now.

so to sum it up, here's my 5 things from last night:

5. glad to see the shirt still has it

4. even at the ripe old ages of 23 and 26, sara and i will still gross people out with tmi about rotting toenails.

3. we got to see a bama coach get ejected from the game. all of you who left in the 9th missed quite a show

2. in birmingham, bama fans far outweigh the carolina fans (yes, so obvious, but seriously it was baaaad)

1. i really DO have a thoughtful husband.

GOOOOOOOOOOOOOO COCKS!

guests are the bests

oh my word, it is so pretty outside. 65 degrees, sunny and breezy. it almost makes a whole weekend full of rain and cold worth it.  the weekend wasn't all bad though. in fact, it wasn't even a little bad. you know why. . . . because jay and janice and jean brown were here!!

and the bad news is that i just tried to look at my photos of us, and they're all fuzzy. boo. so just take my word for it - we're a beautiful family who isn't afraid to have spend the night parties that include all 5 of us in a tiny two bedroom apartment. huge kudos to my parents who slept on air mattresses.  

we had an awesome weekend. they came, we ate, we visited, we slept a little, ate, visited, ate, visited, ate, visited. and somewhere in there we drove around the city to show my grandmother jean the fabulous sights and sounds (and tastes) of birmingham, al.  she loved it. we loved how much she loved it.  

they also came bearing gifts. yes, mom did her typical thing and brought me little things for my home AND two BOXES full of little letters, keepsakes, pictures, etc that have been just taking up space in my old room. let me tell you, sitting with your husband and parents and grandmother and going through all the things you thought were important enough to keep when you were in 9th grade is a weird experience.  how about the notes from boys at camp? or the notes from friends about the boys at camp? plus countless yearbook pictures, prom memorabilia and some congratulatory letters from the sc house of representatives? (seriously, there were two - one on being a beauty pageant runner up and the other on winning the state SAT championship. i'm a huge nerd). it was really amazing how much stuff i threw out. 

if i were smart enough to keep my camera battery charged i would have pictures of my boxes of junk - all artsy like. but i'm not. but my goal for the next 10 days is to take at least one picture each day. yeah, i like that. one pic a day for the next 10 days. done. i said it. look forward to that.

as promised: backpacking pictures

these are courtesy of sara, staff photographer. 

Here's our backpacking crew: John, Robert, Sara, Justin and yours truly. see how fresh and clean we are? see our smiling faces and our feet full of energy and youthful vigor?

A couple miles into the hike. Gorgous, huh? And the mountains aren't bad either (yeah, get it? like i'm saying justin's gorgeous? funny? no? ok)

And now a waterfall shot of all the boys. this is day two, and we were all doing a LOT better than on day one.

And Sara and I in our classic Sara and Emily pose. we try to take these everywhere we go!

and now this guy is governor?

i'll make this short, but i felt like i needed to blog about this. i'm watching Eraser, the Arnold Swarzenager (i'm giving up on spelling that) movie from 1996. i mean, he's such a hero. in the past 10 minutes alone he's jumped out of a plane, caught a parachute mid-air, put it on, avoided getting hit by the same plane by shooting out the windshield and just now he saved himself and vivica by letting loose some alligators on the bad guys. oh, and arnold isn't the only awesome thing about the movie. they've got photon laser guns that shoot through houses and allow the shooter to watch the milk you're drinking go down your esophagus. this is just ridiculous. and the best way to spend this stormy sunday.  

also - did anyone see justin timberlake on snl last night? i have such a huge crush on him. don't worry, justin's fine with it. 

into the wild (or, "how the youth staff tried to get justin to love the outdoors")

this past thursday i had a chance to do something that i haven't done in quite a while: load up a pack with 30 pounds of stuff and march into the wilderness with my fellow youth staffers. i'll be honest, 3 weeks ago when someone threw out the idea of a youth staff backpacking trip, i put the odds of it actually happening at about 5 to 1 (does that mean i didn't think it would happen? i don't really understand odds). but it did!

our original plan was 3 days on the cumberland trail and around prentice cooper state forest. day one changed the plan a little bit. why? well, after getting started later than we wanted, finding out what we thought was 5 miles would really be 7, and then adding on 3 miles by taking some unintended detours, we were starting to hurt pretty bad. oh, and did i mention that for the last 4 miles we were racing against SUNSET?! i realized my shoes were a little small, that my knee did not appreciate a lot of down and uphill, and that my lower back does, in fact, realize that i am approaching the ripe old age of 27. sweet mercy, i haven't been in that much pain for a while. my greatest comfort was (and is) that most of my team felt the same way.  we ended up making it to the campsite just in time. we had enough light to gather some wood, filter water and set up tents but that was IT. but who cares when you have a roaring fire? or cup o'noodles? or you're in the prettiest campsite ever right next to a rushing river? someone else on the team said "i have never wanted to quit something so bad in my entire life, but i knew that i couldn't do it. there was no option besides getting to the campsite". in my opinion, that is the best and worst thing about backpacking. you sometimes have to push yourself because there is simply no other option. 

after the standard night of very little sleep - followed in the morning by a thunderstorm moving through, we re-evaluated our plan. aching bodies and a 70% chance of more storms the next night made us decide to cut the trip to one night. our second day was spent hiking 6 miles out through some of the most beautiful forest ever. stunning overlooks, waterfalls, and what seemed like half the trail turned into creeks (it was wet, people) made me almost wish we could do it again the next day then my feet reminded me that they hate me. i will now give you my top 5 highlights:

5. our campsite by the river

4. the sound of thunderstorms rolling in in the morning

3. actually making it to our campsite

2. front row seat to sara's great fall (after which she got up and acted like nothing happened, leaving behind two nalgenes IN a creek. i was already laughing so hard i couldn't tell her to come back. i mean, she acted like it JUST DIDN'T HAPPEN. that made it so much funnier)

1. my husband saying he would do it again (now, you need to know, i love backpacking. justin - not so much. he's tough, he's in shape, but he loves his indoor sports and not going 2 days without a shower. this was a very big deal.)

and hopefully there will be pictures to come. and hopefully, in those pictures, i will look awesome.

an injury haiku (warning, contains a bit of gore)

a blow to the head

now he looks like rocky b.

he is my husband

* ok, he looks more like rocky TODAY because its all swollen and black and blue. but seriously, its quite a gash.  he hit it playing basketball, left blood all over the court. then went to our friends' house and got stitched up while laying on the kitchen counter. how gross is that? 

my new career and my not so new hobby

tonight i blog from my kitchen table - or my dining room  table - whichever way you want to look at it, and i have SO MANY things to tell you about. where to begin? on my fashionista friday? or my sunday night boredom creations? or the most recent savory recipe that i sort of got from an old southern living? well, for lack of a better plan, we'll just go in that order. no pics tonight, just a lot of links, and maybe a couple recipes. so here we go.

fasionista friday, or, "the day of little dreams" was something that my sweet friend amelia came up with.  she needed some high fashion pics for her portfolio (she's a truly gifted photographer and artist), her friend fran needed some test subjects for some out there high fashion hair, and ruthie and i didn't have to work on friday. what came of this? check it out here, at her blog.  it was one of the most fun days i've had in quite a while. i mean, who doesn't want to be a model for a day? and yes, i mean, a day. i don't know if i could actually be in a career that involves sitting in hair and make up for two hours, dressing up as a hot mess, and holding almost awkward poses in the blazing heat on a daily basis. but for a day? i was americas next top model.  keep in mind, anything that looks great in those pictures is the product of 4 artistic geniuses.  (fran on hair, jen on make up, kelly on wardrobe and amelia behind the camera).  i  think miss j would be proud.  

tonight i got bored and started browsing food blogs. have i told you about my new food blog obsession? they're like cookbooks but better. i think they're better because its all these recipes that someone else has already tried and they can tell you how they turn out! plus, if you stalk them long enough, like i do, you start feeling like they're your friends.  anyway, the product of all this boredom and food blog reading is these yummy little cookies from orangette. if you want a delicious cookie recipe that is so easy you don't even need a mixer, this is what you're looking for.  a huge shout out and thank you to sara who provided the yogurt.  i'm telling you, it is awfully handy having the littens in the same apartment complex. now they're done and sitting all chocolatey and gooey on my counter and the only thing left to decide is - do i want my dessert with red wine or milk?  

and last night's culinary creations.  saturday night ended up being the ONLY night this past week that both justin and i have been home for dinner. so, i felt like it called for some cooking.  i made becca's party chicken - it was delish. you should all get that recipe from her. and to go along with it i made this corn and zucchini skillet from a southern living way back in 2001. the main reason that this was convenient was that zucchini and corn were absurdly cheap at the grocery store, and i'm a sucker for sale produce. when i found this recipe i was sold. i changed it beyond recognition,  so now i will give you the huenschhold corn and zucchini skillet (mine, btw, was way better for you and i am sure much tastier):

Huenschhold Corn and Zucchini

2 small zucchini

2 ears of corn

1 Tbsp butter (or, cut out the butter and use all olive oil if you wanna be real healthy)

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 clove garlic

about a teaspoon of lemon pepper

salt to taste

Crumbled feta (i used about 1/4 cup)

fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced

Cut zucchini lengthwise into quarters, then thinly slice them crosswise.  cut kernals off corn and into a bowl.  

Melt butter with oil in a skillet (i used a 10 inch omlet pan) over medium high heat.  Add zucchini and garlic and saute for about 3 minutes.  

Add corn, lemon pepper and salt and continue to saute until zucchini is soft.  Top with feta and keep heating until cheese melts.  Serve with fresh basil on top.  SOOOOO GOOOOD.

the original recipe also called for pimentos and mozzerella instead of feta. i don't know, ours was REALLY good. you could probably use just about any kind of cheese you wanted, and it would be great.  

and that's all i've got for right now.  i'm off to eat some cookies. 

I love the earth

But, for the record, not as much as i love human life. but no time for that discussion - happy earth day everyone! i'm "celebrating" by working from my porch. saving gas? saving, um, i don't know. our office has no internet so we're here. 3 out of five of us. 

also, there are so many bees out here! they're boring into the wood above our windows. big ol bumble bees. and i'm not very worried because we just rent this apartment and we've told maintenance about this and they don't seem to be very worried. 

plus, out here i can look at my herb garden, which is growing like crazy. that picture is me and some home grown oregano, which i have a lot of. any ideas for fun things to do with oregano?

this is why some have called me "granola crunchy"

I have always sort of loved the term "granola" when it is used in reference to people who love the outdoors and all things "natural." in fact, i once heard someone off handedly say "oh, you're from chapin? that makes sense. people from chapin are granola."  maybe i like using this as a descriptive term because i love the actual granola cereal SO much. i buy it regularly and it constantly sits in my pantry, snuggled tightly between the cocoa puffs and lucky charms.  well, now that i'm obsessed with this blog called "orangette" and SHE makes her own granola, i decided to try it out.  i know this may make me at total hippie wanna be, or one of those girls who is too cheap to buy stuff store bought (chicken stock is my next undertaking) but after making this bag of beautiful goodness, i might never go back.  

so true to recent form, i will include the recipe for all of you. mine is adapted from orangette's which is adapted from nigella lawson.  the greatest thing about granola is that you can totally work it how you wanna work it. like dried fruit? add a ton! hate sesame seeds (like me)? leave them out! wanna add coconut or chocolate chips? i bet it would be great! just remember to add wet ingredients with wet, and dry with dry. ok. here we go!

Granola Crunchy Granola

Dry ingredients:

5 cups rolled oats
2 to 3 cups raw almonds or pecan halves, or a mixture
1 cup hulled raw sunflower seeds
¾ cup light brown sugar
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. salt

Wet ingredients:
¾ cup unsweetened apple sauce
1/3 cup brown rice syrup*
¼ cup honey
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil, such as canola or safflower

Preheat your oven to 300 degrees and put racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven.  Get out two rimmed full sheet baking sheets. 

In a HUGE bowl mix together all of the dry ingredients. You can also add sesame seeds (3/4 cup) but i didn't. And if you accidently got roasted and salted sunflower seeds that is ok too. i did that and it turned out fine.  In a smaller seperate bowl mix together all the wet ingredients. If you can find the individual cups of apple sauce they work really well and they keep longer than buying one giant thing. Mix together the wet and dry ingredients in the HUGE bowl. 

Spread the mixture on the two baking sheets and put 'em in the oven.  Bake them for about 35 minutes or until light golden brown.  Set a timer for every ten minutes to stir them.  Stir them one more time when you take them out. It'll be soft but don't worry, it'll get crisp as it cools.  

After it cools you can add dried fruit if you want.   I added cherries and raisins and it's perfect.  I also sent my dad a batch with no fruit and it was tasty as well. And that's it! store in a freezer bag in the fridge and it will keep a long time. enjoy morning after morning (or night after night) with yogurt or milk. and think of me as you're feasting on hippie food.  

*brown rice syrup almost caused me to give up this endeavor. then i accidently found it at a health/organic food store.  it's sold in a jar in a section with syrups and sweeteners. it's a gluten free sugar substitute and they would probably carry it at your local whole foods or organic market. and yes, its actually made of brown rice. i don't understand it. it's weird, but makes a mean granola.  

"mama, add a little water to that soup" - Newsies

Easter is one of my favorite holidays.  Not only do we get to celebrate Jesus Christ defeating death and the glorious relationship we can have with our father because of this, but we also get to sit around for a long Sunday dinner with sweet friends.  Then, if you're me, and you're really lucky, these folks drop in and you get to sit around for another long meal with more sweet friends: 

(this might be the most awkward picture we took. so i decided to post it)

chris, holly and meagan stopped by on the way back from birmingham and i twisted their arms into staying for dinner. miraculously, i had everything i needed to make sara butler's famous fiesta soup, seen here:

and i feel like i need to say here that this soup tastes much better than it looks. 

This soup is actually completely fantastic.  Everybody loved it and i somehow managed to freeze a good bit of it. By holly and meagan's suggestion, i will post the recipe so that you too can entertain with grace and ease, and really good mexican soup.  

Sara Butler's Fiesta Soup (feeds 5 with enough to freeze for another meal)

8 cups chicken broth

4 chicken bullion cubes

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 can diced green chiles

1 can diced tomatoes

1 box mexican or spanish rice-a-roni (both rice and spice packet)

1/4 cup lemon or lime juice (i used fresh lime juice - thanks for taking the time holly)

2 cloves garlic (sliced or chopped or pressed)

1 medium onion chopped

1 tablespoon cumin ( i accidently bought three things of it, so if you need some . . . )

1 2/2 - 2 cups chopped or pulled cooked chicken ( i used the second half of a rotisserie chicken)

Sara's Directions:

Add all ingredients, bring to a boil, then simmer with lid on for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Serve with grated cheddar, monterey jack, tortilla chips, sour cream, hot sauce, etc.  

My Directions (b/c i had to text Sara to clarify a few things, and then i changed a few things):

Get out a huge soup pot, melt a tablespoon of butter and a tablespoon of olive oil. saute onion for a couple minutes, throw in garlic, saute til onions a little soft. Dump everything else in, turn on med. high and stir a lot cause the rice will stick. once it boils, turn the heat down to low and put the lid on. stir it every 5 to 10 min or so so the rice doesn't burn to the bottom. After about 35 minutes its done!

something that brings me so much joy.

something has entered my life, and i have unintentionally been keeping it from you, my faithful blog readers.  this creature makes me smile, chuckle, even full out laugh every time i gaze upon it.  please know, right now, this guy is one of the biggest joys in my life. one glance from those googly eyes brightens my whole day. i present to you, the nanerpus. 

good finds:

good find number one:

when i was in high school i was really good friends with this girl named nikki. her dad was from india and her grandmother and aunts and uncles didn't even speak english very well. it was so different than any of my other friends' families.  one of the many things i loved about being friends with nikki was going to her grandmother's house and eating indian food.  my favorite part of indian food was what i called "indian tea." this is the recipe as i remember it:

- 3 or 4 standard black tea bags

-a handful of random spices taken from unmarked containers

-milk (no idea how much)

- sugar (enough to make the tea bad for me)

Nikki would boil water, throw in the tea bags, throw in handfuls of unknown spices, strain the whole thing through a strainer. pour in milk til its light brown and sugar to make it super sweet and voila! indian tea. i've been searching for something close for years.  

today i made a major discovery. it's called naji's pita gourmet and it is in the sketchville neighborhood of birmingham. none the less, it's fantastic. i'm talking everything a mediterranean food lover could ask for. fresh feta, house made pita's, bins of premium olives and loads of spices. they even have flavored tobacco and hookas.  here's the catch: the tea smelled like indian tea. yes, i think i might be getting close to something. i'll let you know how the hunt continues. . . . 

good find number two:

new bearings for my car. i'm not sure what that means, but it stopped that awful noise my car made every time i drove it AND i got to pay lots of money for them. they have to be good right?

good find number three:

my back sweatpants. they had been M.I.A (and i don't mean the rapper) for far too long.

and that's it. more posts coming this week. 

just a few things i need to get out there. . .

right now i just can't focus on only one thing (when it comes to blogging and in life in general). here's some of the items in my mental shopping cart right now:

- i just checked my brackets and i am DEAD LAST in both leagues. one of the leagues has 20 people which means i am worse at picking winners than 19 of my closest birmingham friends. awesome.

-i think i am a "foodie" or maybe would like to BE a "foodie." i'm not quite sure of the requirements. part of that is a fantastic new cookbook courtesy of amazon used books, and a newly discovered (by me anyway) food blog called orangette. sigh. i just don't think my blog will EVER be as interesting as hers. 

-my inner hippie is starting to resurface.  mj and i went bouldering and its like it all came rushing back. i want to grow things on my apartment porch and join a farmers co-op.  my porch, however, gets only 5-7 hours of sunlight a day and the farmers want a lot of my money for their locally organic grown produce. we'll see how this plays out.

-i would like for this week to be more productive and feel less scattered than last week (which was supposed to be super laid back but ended up being quite unsettling).  

-sara and paul are married!!!! i am so very excited about them. and a little nervous because they named me the godmother of their dog, sandy. what if she dies while i'm taking care of her? oh, i should explain, the littens now reside here at our apartment complex. this should have been first but due to being a larger, heavier item, it had to be placed at the bottom of the mental shopping cart. so as not to crush the bread. 

-i'm beginning to think in twitters. it scares me.  

more to come. perhaps expanding on these issues, perhaps with a whole new load of issues. i guess we shall see.

"

give us this day our daily bread

have any of you ever made bread? well i did yesterday and let me tell you this - it takes a really long time. and it sort of takes a lot of work.  yesterday was a good day for it though. rainy, cold, justin recovering from a stomach bug and loads of america's next top model on tv.  plus, i just bought a new loaf pan so of course i had to put it to use.  i've decided i love the idea of making bread far more than i actually like making it. you have to do everything just right. get the water just the right temperature - too cold and it doesn't activate the yeast, too hot and it kills it. you have to add just the right amount of flour (which was about a cup more than the recipe called for) and you have to mix and knead and wait and then knead and wait some more. it is one looooong process. that was fine yesterday. i could sit on the porch in between and read and drink coffee or watch antm, because it was sunday without small groups so i had plenty of time. all i'm saying is, i could never do it on a normal day AND no wonder bakers have to get up before the cracking of dawn.  

well my bread turned out beautifully and actually tastes ok. the problem is, we don't really eat a lot of bread. so i'm going to have to find something to do with this loaf of perfection.  it did make me think about that part of the Lord's prayer "give us this day our daily bread" and how i just say it and think "yes, Lord, provide for my needs" because clearly providing bread is as simple as going to the store and buying some bread. but now that i've actually made bread and it's such a freaking process i think it changes my perspective a little bit. providing bread sans grocery store - a major undertaking. it just puts a little more weight into that line of the prayer we say once a week. 

me against the music

this past thursday night will do down in history (ok, personal history) as the night that britney spears and the pussycat dolls (whom i will now refer to only as PCD) put me, amelia, charlotte and mary elizabeth against the music.  and i think we won.  not only did we get to go to a pop-tastic concert but we had a professional photographer document our adventure.  here's a few shots by amelia strauss.

Me in the car, in my fedora - a wise purchase if i do say so myself.
me and strauss. strauss vamping it up, me attempting to vamp.

charlotte. i feel like this picture so acurately describes her personality.

brit's grand entrance. she came down from the ceiling in a cage. it was amazing. 

Crazy, i just can't sleep. I'm so excited, i 'm in too deep . . .

ok. here it is. big news. tonight i'm going to see the pop princess, the queen of scandal, the duchess of disturbing yet newsworthy breakdowns. ms. britney spears.  

i am. soo. excited. i haven't been a particularly avid brit follower but i DO recognize that a chance like this comes along once in a lifetime.  so me and three friends are driving to atlanta in approx 2 hours for this event.  yesterday we spent a solid hour at claire's (yes, the last time i bought a pair of earrings there it was during brit's first platinum debut) collecting earrings, brightly colored hair extensions, lace gloves and head bands. why? because if you're going to see britney you have to be prepared. i also bought a fedora. don't worry. 

2 things that make this even MORE fun: 

1.  one of my 2 guilty pleasure bands is opening

2. my favorite photographer is documenting our adventure.  

the exciting part for you? knowing that within a couple days i will post the story of our epic adventure. 

the exciting part for me? knowing that i'm about to see a real live performace of toxic while rockign out with a fedora on my head. 

dirty pop

I may or may not have downloaded a CD called Mr. Timberlake. I love it.

Justin Timberlake is my new Maroon 5. 

for all of you single men. . .

i'm going to be honest, i don't know a lot of single guys who read my blog.  but, because one lucky man might stumble across it one day, looking for a piece of relationship advice, i will write this post.

the way to a woman's heart (at least this woman) is through the kitchen. cooking? no. baking? no. washing the dishes. i used to always say that i dreamed of a man who would stand at the sink and wash dishes when i was done cooking. i totally thought it was a fantasy - right up there with someone who was devestatingly handsome and remarkably humble - but its not. i found him and i married him. and tonight, he and two of his friends cleaned up the destruction i left in my wake. 

thank you boys. thank you. i do not take this for granted. 

also:

today we went on a search for a missing kid, and my office chair broke. now what will i sit in?

how about cookin' somethin up with meeeeeee

my recent culinary mistakes:

1. apparently, if you put some chili powder and salt in a dry skillet and if the burner beneath that skillet is on medium high, the chili powder will become a silent stalker that fills the air and makes your throat feel like fire.  it was awful because you couldn't even see or smell the chili powder. we just all started coughing. then i looked down and saw the chili powder turning black in the pan. don't ever do that. 

2. i've been wanting to make red velvet cupcakes since before valentines day. i finally got around to it.  who knew that one container of red food coloring would one be half as much as i needed? i know present to you: magenta velvet cupcakes. i also had over half the recipe of icing left over. i don't understand.

 

that's all i've got for today.

i heart the slow cooker

why is that my blog post title? because right now my house smells like asian short ribs and i didn't have to do a thing except dump some stuff in a crock pot. and i know that tonight when i return home from running a concession stand at the South Central Classic Show choir Competition, dinner will be ready. yummmm.

 i hope i don't fill up on popcorn. 

sleepy morning post

once again, i didn't post yesterday and so now i feel the need to do this first thing in the morning. i have not had coffee (but i'm in the process) and i have not yet gotten all the sleep junk out of my eyes (thought you might need to know that).  and, i've already forgotten what i was going to talk about. oh yeah. yesterday. and my apparent new gym routine.

yesterday was also a busy day. non stop from 9 am til 7 pm. that's not really that bad AND all of the things i was doing were really enjoyable. i just didn't have any time to get to a computer.  then when i got home justin and i had hot dog night, which we had been planning for a while. just so you know, hot dog night involves high quality been hot dogs, publix deli buns, and loads of chili and cheddar cheese. soooo good. but back to what i was going to say. . . 

the past few times i've been to the gym i always end up there at the same time, between 5 and 6. and here is what i think is the weird part. Rachel Ray is always on, its always the only tv with the volume on, and i always try to get the eliptical right in front of it. and, here's the really weird part: i love it. for some reason, at the end of the day, there is nothing quite as relaxing to me right now as burning calories and watching Rachel make food.  i wonder how long i'll keep this up.

super samwiches

i don't know how many of you know this, but i really really like hot dogs. it took me a long time to admit it, but i'm there.  i know it's not a very lady like food, nor are they super nutritious but i love them.  one time kelley and i thought it was a great idea to stop at a gas station for a corn dog (which is in the same catagory as hot dog) at 10 am.  it was a great idea. neither of us regretted it.  

any time i move to a new city i make it my own personal business to find out where has the "best" of certain foods.  i know that a lot of cities have magazines that do that, but i don't trust the media. plus, the testing phase of research is really fun.  it only took me two months to find the best burger and hot dog in birmingham (i reallly like cheeseburgers too). they're both at a

 place called Sam's Super Samwiches in the middle of downtown homewood, alabama.  from the outside all you can see is this little red awning with the name of the establishment.  inside its about the size of an ally and the grill takes up 3/4 of the space.  i don't know what they do to make their burgers and hot dogs so good, but they're incredible. my usual order is a slaw dog (chili, onions, slaw, mustard) and a cheeseburger with lettuce, tomato, pickles and special sauce. the sauce makes it. or maybe the grease makes it.  either way. soo good. 

the other thing that makes sam's super samwiches is sam himself. Here he is 

he's so nice. and so good at making burgers. oh, and the breakfast sandwiches?! incredible. sometimes i crave them for days. bacon, egg and cheese on a buttered, toasted bun. and not just bacon, loads of thick sliced cooked on a grill bacon. it is like heaven in your mouth. if you ever come visit me, i will probably take you there.  if we ever leave the magic city, i will miss sam's the most. 

oh, and the eye catching photos at the top of the post are sara and i enjoying our lunch from sams.

February 17th

To all of my faithful readers, i would like to ask you to give this poor, tired blogger some mercy.  i did not post yesterday, so i'm writing yesterday's post today and i will write today's post tonight. yesterday was just so busy. i was going going going from 7 am til 11 pm and there was simply no time.  that's not a complaint on the business of life, because it was in fact a wonderful day.  just an explanation, which i feel like i owe you. 

  

are any of you avid weather watchers? i am. i try to watch the news every morning just for the weather updates. now, the news is more of a morning ritual - something that brings comfort to the pain of waking up from peaceful slumber. when paired with hot coffee and staying under the covers for 5 extra minutes with said coffee and news, it's a perfect way to ease into the day.  anyway, i started watching the news in the morning in place of music videos because i realized that i LOVED being prepared for the day - even if only in the way i dressed.  for example - there are few things that will annoy me more than sloshing around all day in the rain with water soaked up my jeans to my calf. it makes everything colder.  well, if i know its going to rain, i can wear a skirt and boots, or skinny jeans that don't drag. it just makes me feel so smart. well yesterday i was reminded of something i've heard a million times: you can't always predict the weather. according to the news, it was going to be 68 degrees and sunny. according to the news, it would be a beautiful day before the storms came. according to the news, it was the perfect day to be outside. false. it was not the perfect day to do anything besides sit inside with the heat on. it was cold to the bone and the sky kept spitting out ice/rain. it was the worst day for planning lunch outside and hiking with a bunch of high school girls. but that's exactly what i did. 

and then we abandoned that plan. because there is nothing fun about walking around in the woods in freezing cold rain. thank goodness for my apartment and baby mama (woo WOO). thank goodness for a fridge full of cookie dough, and thank goodness for our heater that sounds like a constipated wild pig (go on, imagine that sound in your head. that's the sound our heater makes right now). it. was. glorious.

and that is why i don't complain about the business. because even though sometimes my days wear me out, they are fun. and i love what i do, and i feel so privileged to get to do it.  here's to youth ministry . . .

twitter, toast and twilight

 I have officially been "you won't-ed" to post every day for two weeks. i did ask for it, but it turns out that it might be kind of difficult. my life is really not that interesting and you are all about to find out exactly how uninteresting it is. here's what's been going on.

 Late last night i joined twitter. Now, i'm not real sure what to do with it, since i haven't yet figured out how to update it from my phone or why "following" someone does not count as stalking. Amelia convinced me to join and i'm still a little baffled about it - since i don't even do status updates on facebook and that's about all twitter IS. i mean, i would tell you how to check out twitter and look at what i'm doing. but i don't really know where to tell you to go. all i know right now, is that it has to do with the internet and i have not yet found a suitable profile picture. 

  This morning i had the best french toast i've ever had. it was at a barbecue place in homewood called Demetri's.  i walked in to meet two of my girls. they were sitting on the same side of a table, and they happily (yet firmly) informed me that i had two options (despite the menu that said i had many others). my options were the french toast or the hot cakes. i am SO glad that i went with the french toast. it was amazing. i don't know what they did to it, but it was so good. also, they served really good coffee, which is surprising for a barbecue place but important to me.  

  Do you have a dollar movie in your town? Because if you do you should go there all the time. today i saw twilight for the second time for only $1. that means i didn't feel guilty about spending $10 on popcorn and drinks. and i'll say this, its just a good movie. i might have even liked it better the second time. plus, i'm pretty sure the scenery will convince me to move to Washington State and Robert Pattinson will convince me that vampires are awesome.

  That's it. all i've got for today. maybe tomorrow's post will come with pictures . . .

  

remember the "you won't" challenges?

i'm thinking about forcing myself to post every day for two weeks. you know, to get in the habit. probably is someone thought i wouldn't do it, i would do it. . .

valentine tradition

Well, you might notice that the title of this post is "valentine tradition," singular,  not "valentine traditions" plural.  That is because i've never really been huge on this particular holiday.  I've been a little on the fence about it. My biggest dilemma has always been between "this is a useless, commercially created holiday meant to make me spend too much money on cards, and why can't we celebrate love the other 364 days a year? " cynicism and "what a wonderful opportunity to make people feel loved and appreciated?"  The former, if i'm honest, was usually a cover for not wanting to feel like the only person without a bouquet of overpriced flowers, and the latter came from more of a love for baking unnecessarily challenging treats. Oh, and my intentions were always much greater than anything i actually gave to anyone on this hallmark of holidays.  Anyway, back to the tradition. Here it is. . . (pardon the technical difficulties, i couldn't figure out how to take this picture so you could actually read the heart. It says "sweet fart")

 A lot of years ago my brother and i were at a forced family supper in the purnell house and mom had decorated using all these giant sweetheart candies with sweet little messages on them.  To this day i can't remember who started it, but sam and i started turning messages of love, affection and flirtatiousness into messages of pain, disgust and general dislike for the recipient.  Every year i look for these hearts, and 2 out of 5 years i get an envelope of them in the mail.  I accidentally left a few out this year, including this example where i turned "sweet heart" into "sweet fart".  some of my favorites included 

-"marry me" into "you'll never marry"

-"be mine" into "be dead"

-"your face" into "your face looks like vomit"

- "sweetie pie" into "doo doo pie"

  It's my way of letting him know that i love him. Oh, and for those of you not aware, he did marry. December 15th. i'm really behind on my posting. 

oh so many things, i'm going to have to number them.

1. WILL AND HANNAH!  Yesterday we witnessed and celebrated the marriage of our good friends will and hannah. This was one of those things that we were all talking about before they actually started dating and that made it SO much fun to be a part of their wedding yesterday.  they are one couple that justin and i have had the privilege of getting to know individually over the past 3 years and now as a couple over the past 11 months. it has been SO fun. their wedding was beautiful, as was hannah. seriously, she was such a classic (and classy) bride. plus my husband was wearing tails and a white bow tie. hott.  i'll have to get my hands on a picture or two . . .

2. the retreat is over! and i would do it all over again.  from what we've heard the students loved it and somehow learned something about "authentic Christianity" which was our speakers theme for the weekend.  it was also my last winter retreat with my small group (sniff sniff) who are graduating this may.  that part was very bittersweet. i am so proud of them and who they have become over the past 3 years but it is so hard to think about them leaving for college. 

3. the sickness. justin's had some sort of serious cold complete with fever and chills and i've just had enough of it to get annoyed.  he's a good patient. i'm just done with all the sickness. 

4.  now that the retreat is over we have to figure out what to do with our lives. feel free to submit suggestions in the comment box.

just so you know. . .

well, in 3 hours i get on a bus with 50 teenagers and take the long and winding road to Pisgah, alabama!!! it's our annual winter retreat and i am SO excited.  We've got over 100 students and 30 leaders spending MLK weekend at the beautiful Camp Toknowhim (yes, that's the real name).  this is my 6th winter retreat at toknowhim and my, like 13th winter retreat. i'm pretty much a pro. i know all the secrets to make life with so many teenagers in the middle of the woods a little more comfortable. like, take your own real coffee mug so you don't have to use styrofoam, don't let anyone touch your sleeping bad, take your headlamp and have a good bedtime playlist on your ipod.  still - i always get a little bit nervous/excited even though i really have done this for so long.  maybe its because every trip is different or because i just want to make sure that everyone is comfortable or that everything goes well so that i look good. 

i thought that in honor of my activites this weekend i would make a list of my top 10 favorite winter/fall retreat moments:

10.  the great spheggetti fight of '08. i will never be asked to help clean the kitchen after dinner again.

9.  peanut butter jelly time skit of '07.

8. my secret romance on the retreat of '07.

7. southwood's battle of the dough in '06

6.  rubber stamp carving with robin. i think in '05

5. the complete honesty and encouragement of students in '05

4.  the great conquering of the forest in '05

3.  the victory lap after emily and sara's sports spectacular in '07.

2.  the west virginia ski debaucle of '04.  all of it.

1.  kelley's leap of death in '03.  the 'its better in the bahamas' shirt is what really pushed this to number 1.  

and there it is. see how much fun it is to be a youth leader? hopefully after monday i'll have a few more to add. until then, all your prayers are appreciated.  peace!