Christmas at "Home" in Wrightsville

Lucinda & Kristin's Ugly Christmas Sweater Thrift Store Shopping Trip Fabulousness

Happy Birthday, Christmas Babes!

The only decent picture of me (until the Mr. Garcia's of the world upload their photos) is my head turned towards Sarah!

My camera is out of commission until I reclaim my battery charger I left in Wrightsville!

Check Eddie's blog for a few more pictures!

"Fun and excitement will soon be yours."
Thus sayeth
the bottle cap of my Jones Soda Root Beer

PS What other NC college football team has ever been in the running for a three year national championship?

The way they roughed up Michigan...Good luck, Mountaineers!

Little dustballs sure do grow up cute! The App Fan in the center is our "girl next door" in both K'ville and Topsail. We love her enough to cheer for another football team for a weekend!

Summer Time!

Peppermint Bark. Eggnog Lattes (At Bean Trader's...SERIOUSLY don't waste your time with the Starbucks stuff). The 24 hour Christmas Radio Stations. Our church's Christmas choir is so good it impresses even me and I'm not often blown away by music in a church...I guess I've been spoiled with a lot of good praise and worship bands. Christmas shopping in cold weather. I love Christmas.

Kristin is ____________________.

Kristin is loving Facebook and thinks you all should have accounts because you would be shocked at how many of your friends already do!

London

Drip.

Drip.

Drip.

Drip.

Drip.

Drip.

Drip.

It is amazing to me that falling water can be one of God's most beautiful creations or Chinese torture.

(Here's a blast from the past photo of a place in the Dominican Republic I visited YEARS ago!)

What I've been up to the past month...

Stapling fabric samples Charleigh and I bought three months ago at the Stock Exchange to my wall. Reading lots of books. Watching a lot of Alias. Playing Mah Jong Solitare and NOT coming any closer to my last year's high score (how in the world am I not getting any better??). Drinking a lot of water and kicking my Diet Coke habit. Getting to know my chiropractor's office really well. New women's book study at my house where God rocks our world. On-line window shopping. Laying in bed.

Talking on the phone, catching up on friends' lives (loving Jenny's new promo shots!) and staring at my ceiling. Practicing my guitar chords. Spending a lot of time in orthopedic doctors' waiting rooms. Getting better at picking things up with my toes. Getting good one on one time with my close friends who visit.



Went from 40 Facebook friends to 127 and lost all my pirate gold. Lying on my couch watching my mom clean my apartment. Not driving. Listening to A LOT of podcasts...totally love Mosaic Church & Bethel. Much to the delight of many in my life, I am finally responding "no" to every Evite I get (funny I was finally forced to this). Praying. Starting to think about decorating my apartment since I now spend so much time there. Learning to just "BE STILL" and let God.

Eating all ten of the famous Henderson cookies even though I said I couldn't (Yeah, not one made it to the freezer)! Physical therapy. Finally switching to decaf coffee (apparently you can't mix the real stuff with mild narcotics). Finally getting to hang out with my sister at my apartment on Sunday afternoons (I was always too busy to do that before even though she was one of the biggest reasons I wanted to move back to Durham.) Wearing jeans almost every day (that hasn't happened...ever). Learing how to praise the Lord. Going almost two months without wearing stillettos. Finally starting to figure out who I am (It is amazing how much better you can get to know someone you've been living with 24/7 for 27 years.)

I'm in my room.

It is a Sunday night.

My sister is studying for the spelling and grammar test.

I am playing mah jong solitare.

My life is good.

Cyber Space Materializes & Other Updates

1. Rhymes with Gin finally came to Durham. Unfortunately, I had four months of reports due that Monday morning so my world was very small.

2. We lost the game to South Carolina last weekend. So sad. After two years of hearing about this game from my Columbia co-workers, it wasn't fun to loose! I will add some pictures from the game.



3. My chiropractor is my new best friend. At three times a week, I see her more than I see my neighbors.

4. I love Facebook. I broke down about a month ago and I think it may be one of the most genius things ever invented.

5. I went to Richmond yesterday. It still blows my mind that there is a highway in the capital of the Confederacy named "Powhite". It also blows my mind that no one else seems to get it...

6. Finished Season 1 of Alias. I through season 3 almost four years ago so I had forgotten almost everything that happened and couldn't watch seasons 4 & 5. It motivated me to try french braiding my hair. Haven't done that since high school dance class... I still think Sydney looks like one of my best friends.

7. Have had two embarassing situations this week regarding my cell phone. Now, I have sworn to let this be the extent of the voicemails I leave, "Hey, this is Kristin. Call me."

8. Still undecided what my costume will be this Halloween. How do you top the "Poultry Princess" outfit in levels of "Over the Top" and "Awful"?

Time for Another Game of "Name Kristin's Favorite Landmarks"

Hint: In the 80s, was the second largest tourist attraction in the country and ONLY Disney Land/Disney World could produce more guests.

We Won! Goodbye Miami.

Traveling in the Poconos

Picture yourself sitting at a mahagony desk composing an email on a decorated landing at the top of the stair. You can look down over the balcony onto the first floor which is equally decorated. Okay, don't picture yourself, picture me. This is what I was doing at ten thirty last night in my hotel since I didn't feel like lugging my laptop through security for a two day trip up North.

Such a calming and relaxing environment with classical music softly playing in the background. Then, I hear the rushing of heavy feet up the stairs behind me while someone else is running towards me from down the hall. The man on the stairs yells to his companion, "Did you see which way he went?" "No sign of him!" They both part ways rushing off in different directions. "He has to be here! He can't be far!"

I'm trying to pretend that I don't notice but the first guy is wearing a shirt that advertises some sort of enforcement agency. However, since when do police officers wear really poorly screenprinted T-shirts? He comes running back in and asks me if I have seen anyone come through there. I told him a man in a yello shirt had been waiting for the computer. The guy's eyes popped open and he leans over the railing and yells, "Get up here now!" His friend comes racing down the hall towards him. "Did you get see him?" "Yes! He had a yellow shirt, was tall, and had black hair, too! We've got him now! He ran into a room though," was the response.

The next thing I know, I hear a walkie talkie going off downstairs. Two more men join the search. They are running back and forth behind me as I type. Shouting, pulling up table skirts and looking in every other possible nook and crany all the while running everywhere they went. I was sure they had tracked a convicted fellon...

BOUNTY HUNTERS!!


I couldn't believe how cool yet still how crazy this was. Was it safe to be in the middle of this? Two words...hostage situation. I did start to get a little fearful. Thirty minutes of this later, after the front desk attendent has called her supervisor to tell them that these strange men are running all over looking for someone, one of the guys comes up to me.

"I'm sorry if we made you feel uncomfortable."

I almost just dismissed him with a nod yet I was TOO curious. "Oh, that's okay. I was just worried it may not be safe to stay here tonight. I wasn't sure what happened."

He stands there looking completely serious as possible and says, "Well, SOME PEOPLE think that it is OKAY to break into VENDING MACHINES."

I blinked.

I blinked twice.

Vending machines. VENDING MACHINES? Are you kidding me! All that over a VENDING MACHINE? Four grown men running for at least thirty minutes like there is a bomb hidden somewhere for that!

"Really!" I said to him since I had no other words at the moment.

"OH YES!" he responded. "But don't you worry, we'll get him. IT'S NOT OVER YET. WE'LL FIND 'EM."

Flowers, Magazines, & Shoes...It doesn't get much better

My two newest magazine subscriptions; Christianity Today and National Geographic.

Just a shadow of myself

I've been in a lot of pain over the past three to four weeks and yesterday was the first time that I have actually felt normal.

It was like I woke up from a really blase version of myself.

I never thought about pain being attitude altering.

True Life

I am pleasantly surprised by how much I have enjoyed reading this book.

Who needs Jason Bourne when you have the real thing?

It gives an in depth account of what was going on after September 11th involving the war in Afghanistan. Woodward interviewed so many people involved including Colin Powell, Rumsfield, Condaleza Rice, the heads of the CIA, FBI, NSA and the Joint Chiefs as well as two interviews with President Bush, himself. So far, it seems to be the Bush Administration's story because there have been very few Democrats even quoted. However, the intelligence agency leaders are said to be fairly non-partisian and served multiple presidents. I guess the purpose of the book is to explain why Bush did what he did. Woodward doesn't tell you what his thoughts really are. Of course, every reporter has an opinion and the way they report the story can be powerful.

I read The Agenda in college, his book on the first 100 days of the Clinton Administration that Mrs. Clinton enthusiastically cooperated with him on but then tried to have recalled once she realized he wasn't quite as pro-Democrat as it would seem.
I'm interested to read the other two books Bob Woodward has since written on the Iraq war; Plan of Attack and State of Denial.

It's All Fun and Games Until Someone Gets Hurt

This weekend, I read an article by a very talented writer that I knew in college. Hilarious. I was seriously laughing out loud. Until I got to paragraph eleven and started recognizing the characters in her story...

...OUCH!

haha. I guess you'll never know what magazine you will make an appearance in...

Did she REAALLY say that?

Read on Facebook:

"My residencey of Charleston only lasted three days, yet I could spend a lifetime meeting Citadel cadets, groups of wonderful looking young men, in marvelous physical condition, what beautiful creatures they are, so crisp and so powerful. I fear they have seduced me, and I enjoy my fears..." ~Princess Diana
















Hahaha.

There's so much more...not to mention that you need a violin playing goat

It is funny how much your perspective can change on something in just a year or two.

I guess as I look at the people around me and live their lives with them, I've started to realize how serious a lifetime commitment really is.

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I like hearts and flowers. Facing your flaws and really being able to look in the mirror and be honest about the imperfections...

completely off my list of fun things to do.

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There is one couple, in particular, who have really encouraged me to step away from what I'm good at and spend concentrated time facing up and having the courage to look at the flawed areas I generally chose to ignore. I honestly didn't have much of a choice. It hurts but I think that it was the grace of God that I wasn't allowed to rest in false confidence forever.

By the way, I found Hugh Grant and Julia Robert's blue door in Notting Hill while visiting London this summer. The owners have cashed in on the movie, naming their gift shop "The Blue Door".

Hans in California

Free Sample!

Macy's Magnificant Mascara Exchange

Bring your old mascara to one of our counters and we’ll replace it with a free mascara sample.

September 19 -22 only. One per customer, while supplies last.

I knew there was a reason not to throw away my old ones...more than just they could be of good use in some future art project!

Psalm 30:5

For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.

Isaiah 25:8

he will swallow up death forever. The Sovereign LORD will wipe away the tears from all faces; he will remove the disgrace of his people from all the earth. The LORD has spoken.

1 Thes. 3-4

So that no one would be unsettled by these trials. You know quite well that we were destined for them. In fact, when we were with you, we kept telling you that we would be persecuted. And it turned out that way, as you well know.

John 16:33

I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.

I ran into my sister and her friend at the mall and then we bumped into Kim J. about ten minutes later who was headed to meet Julie. As we were talking, this guy who thought he was a player walked right up to our group and said, "Hey, ladies" and just stood there expectantly with no intention of walking away. Okay, if he were 25, this wouldn't be worth mentioning but he looked no older than 13.

What was funny is that Kim and I kept talking (after I looked at him and said, "Bye") but I hear Alisha (who still isn't believing this kid is hitting on any of us) say, "Do you know one of us?"

"No, but you sure are looking fine."

The lights went on for Alisha and she shooed him away. Then, he proceeded to stand 15 feet away with his fellow pre-teen friend and stare. The next thing I know, Alisha has closed the distance in between them and is asking this kid how old he is and giving him a mini-scolding about how we are older and he should not be talking to us that way.

It didn't seem to go incredibly well but I still really admired her effort!

Three Days on the Grand Strand

Monday night was our time dedicated to the fun tackiness of Broadway at the Beach.

Spinning teacups, giant smoking dragon boots, and giant, spinning hurricanes at the Jimmy Buffet restaurant that mixed drinks in a giant blender were a few of the things that made the awesome Michael Jackson impersonator at our party the next night look normal. I, of course, went home hours before any of the other crowd ever thought about ending the night.

The cute didn't last for too long because they started rushing me when I kneeled to take a picture.

The customer appreciation party on Tuesday night was great networking.

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I have a new favorite chef.

A comforting sight...especially since I'd had no good coffee

for three days!