Home but not quite...

Here's the whirlwind tour:

Three nights in Rome, two nights in Venice, three nights in Florence, two nights in Cinque Terre, two nights in Switzerland, two nights in Paris, four nights in London.

It is still crazy to me that Sandra and I missed each other by just a few days in London!! I also went to see the play Wicked since John and Alisha hadn't seen it yet. I think Jonesy was also in town. Crazy.

It was a fabulous trip. I was surprised by my reaction to the different cities. My favorite places (in order of greatest to least) were London, Paris, Rome, Switzerland, Cinque Terre, Florence and Venice. I was really thinking, "I need to learn French and move to Paris" but then once I got to London it was, "Forget Paris! I love London and already speak the language!" I'm totally in love with British culture. For those of you who don't know, my second major was English with a concentration in British literature. The BBC spellbinds me and I enjoy all the little differences in their vocab and accent.

I ADORE ROME. I just fell in love with the history merging with the present. You've got to love a city where it is impossible to have a subway because everytime they started digging ancient artifacts and new civilizations were found. Religon is so strong there. I don't know what I think about it all just yet but it leaves an impression on you.

My favorite attraction of the whole trip, hands down, was Vatican City. I was incredibly moved by those buildings. I'm not sure if because it really is holy ground or because the church of St. Peter is so grand that it really does make you look Heavenward.

Travel Girl

hey! I am in Italia!

I could not figure out how to flip this picture around in the internet cafe.

I have been dreaming about throwing a coin in the Fountain of Trevi ever since I saw the movie Three Coins in a Fountain!

We have been in Rome, Venice, and now Florence.

My Friends

I've realized something. I absolutely adore my friends.

Yesterday was high energy socializing due to Edwin Fest 2007 (Eddie's birthday) which took place at the Southpoint Mall Food Court. Pure genius when you realize that you can get over 30 people in and out, give them all the choices they could need for food, and then not have to spend an hour waiting for the checks to be settled out. I made the cake AND it must be pointed out that Eddie got his birthday dinner from Five Guys Burgers & Fries. Jim, your blog inspires us to greatness. You put them on the map!

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After that, was the prophetic service at church which brought the crowds and I headed home to do laundry and pack for my trip but there was "the family" who went to Randy's Pizza and then the Wednesday night dinner party at Jeff's to miss. I had to laugh when I got the message from Cole where they passed the phone around to everyone at the house to say hello. Luckily, I'd already had an EARLY breakfast with Patricia that morning.

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It is the little things that matter. Seeing Sandra (FINALLY), playing with Aidan, having Kim and Jaimie as my champions, Lance making an appearance, watching Matt butcher my cake, getting to set up more hip hop fun with Lu and Britt, catching up with the old Highgate crowd, Ceeece & Jason just being Ceeece & Jason, getting to be around the old college friends like Jess, Jonesy, Adina, John, Char & Nicole and all the other fabulous friends collected on along the way since. (Sarah, have fun in California!)

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Then, I think about everyone I love who wasn't there and it makes me so thankful. I've really spent a lot more time praising the Lord in all things. Some days, that can seem really hard. Especially in the past week. However, once you get started it becomes humbling and amazing to start remembering that the blessings far outweigh the turmoil. And when I say it can be hard to praise, one day I just started with thanking the Lord for my apartment and the things inside of it. I was very upset, knew this was one of those "praise Him in all circumstances" but I needed to work with what I could see at that point and praise God for the obvious things that were right in front of me. You know those days, where nothing seems that glorious.

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What was wonderful is that as my eyes traveled across all of those books on my bookshelf, I started remembering the people who gifted them (or swore that it was the best thing ever written and would change my life...some have). I thought about the conversations, the locations and the time of my life some of them were read. It is funny how we sometimes have such little energy to give to the Lord yet when we bring him what we have He multiplies it and gives it back to us as a way to minister to our hurting souls. I love books so there was a lifetime of love, memories, benchmarks, and people looking back at me from those shelves. The faith of a mustard seed was all it took for the Lord to send his comforting peace.

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Selah.

So many great people showed up on Friday night at Southern Village for the Symphony. Afterwards, we all split off into groups and the crowd I was with went to see Ocean's 13.

This was one of the most fun weekends I have had in a long time. I almost always enjoy life but the concert was just the beginning. Saturday night, I ended up at West End with an old friend and a lot of new ones after dinner at 411 West. It is always a little funny to be at a wine bar sipping sparkling water like a connoisseur. I was reminded why I loved Chapel Hill. We met so many people who were "friends of friends of friends" and from so many different disciplines and countries and we are all bonded by our love of Carolina. Absolutely fabulous.

I realized that I've missed the diversity which is funny considering the fact that I go to one of the few multi-cultural churches in the Triangle. However, Sunday was nice, too... worshiping with 54 different ethnicities and 23 different nationalities does add something amazing to your existence. It was great to see some old friends there, as well. The nice thing about still living in the place you went to school is that when people come back to visit you get to be a part.

Just another little snippet of information on me. Nothing too personal, nothing too deep. Definitely nothing too juicy. You just never know who comes across my little part of the web galaxy.

One of Kayla's friends died tragically last Sunday. Fourteen years old is a hard age to loose a friend. Kate, K, & I were sitting on the couch watching a movie that afternoon when we heard the sirens. You never know how close to home some things can really be.

This story brought an end to the week. Now we know who her choice to become an organ donor helped save.

Just one week left until I leave for Europe! I'm most excited about Cinque Terre, Italy. It looks beautiful, doesn't it?

I'm headed to Charlotte this morning to do six, back to back, twenty minute presentations to about three hundred people. It should be interesting! The three hour drive there will give me plenty of time to collect my thoughts.

1. Jeff Friddle once again knocked dinner out of the park. To say that he is talented would not really describe the experience he creates. His cooking is fabulous but he also just goes above and beyond. I took Cole and even though Kim & I tried to prepare him for what was coming, his jaw dropped when Jeff told him the menu. The immediate benefits to showing up to prayer on Wednesday nights would definitely include dinner at Jeff's. Mike & Tom didn't know what they were turning down!

2. Today is my mom's birthday. I think I'm attempting to bake a Sarah Foster Cake. Patricia was given one of the cookbooks and apparently made a cake the she was told was the best her friends have ever had. I thought that sounded like a good option! I love it when friends give me good receipes.

3. Melanie and Jennifer taking photos in L.A. There is just something funny about friends you love trying to take a good picture while sitting in traffic. Melanie is coming to visit in October and hopefully Jennifer will be able to stop of in RDU for a few days, too.

Vocabulary ripped from Today's Headlines: Define "Popemobile"

One of this morning's top headlines on Google was that the Pope was unharmed after someone lunged at the popemobile.

Okay, what exactly IS the popemobile? The word is pretty offensive. Sounds like he is puttering around in a golf cart. Trusty Wikipedia helped me work it out.

Apparently, after a few assassination attempts, a new type of car was created in the 80s. Each country that the Pope visits has to have one made and then they just normally display it in a museum and wait for his next visit back.

In Portugal, private donors gave millions of dollars to have one constructed. The glass is bulletproof, bombproof (is that possible), and allows that Pope to still be seen as he stands (or sits) and waves to the crowds.

Last words: "In 2002, John Paul appealed to the media to stop referring to the custom-made vehicle as the popemobile, because he believed the title was undignified."

I agree, completely. It sounds awful. However, it is still kind of funny, especially when you see how strange the vehicle looks.

Why we retreat to nature...

I CANNOT FORGET WITH WHAT FERVID DEVOTION

I cannot forget with what fervid devotion
I worshipped the visions of verse and of fame;
Each gaze at the glories of earth, sky, and ocean,
To my kindled emotions, was wind over flame. -

And deep were my musings in life's early blossom,
Mid the twilight of mountain-groves wandering long;
How thrilled my young veins, and how throbbed my full bosom,
When o'er me descended the spirit of song! -

'Mong the deep-cloven fells that for ages had listened
To the rush of the pebble-paved river between,
Where the kingfisher screamed and gray precipice glistened,
All breathless with awe have I gazed on the scene; -

Till I felt the dark power o'er my reveries stealing,
From the gloom of the thicket that over me hung,
And the thoughts that awoke, in that rapture of feeling,
Were formed into verse as they rose to my tongue. -

Bright visions! I mixed with the world, and ye faded,
No longer your pure rural worshipper now;
In the haunts your continual presence pervaded,
Ye shrink from the signet of care on my brow. -

In the old mossy groves on the breast of the mountain,
In deep lonely glens where the waters complain,
By the shade of the rock, by the gush of the fountain,
I seek your loved footsteps, but seek them in vain. -

Oh, leave not, forlorn and forever forsaken,
Your pupil and victim, to life and its tears!
But sometimes return, and in mercy awaken
The glories ye showed to his earlier years.

I don't want to ever forget or loose my sense of awe or ability to be inspired by creation. To be able to have enough belief and hope and still be able to dream is still so important. William Cullen Bryant is one of those poets who "got it" but this poem also works as a warning to me. I don't want to be too beat down, too careworn, or too jaded by the world to let these emotions slip through my fingers.

AND if it is just something you experience in your youth, then I want to make sure that I'm out enjoying it now. SO, I'm going to work in the mountains next week!

Had a great weekend. Charity planned a really fun outing to Raleigh's Art Walk.
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Kim and I got a lot of excercise on the trail at Lake Crabtree.

Girls' Night was a good time even though it rained and we couldn't have a picnic on the courtyard and listen to the band.
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Watched a movie at Kate, Kayla, & Lucy's house. Sadly, we heard sirens during the movie that marked a bad moment for the family but we didn't find out until this morning.
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Cooked dinner for Candice and Nicole now that they live in the neighborhood.
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John Michael came into town and will be staying with me for a few days.

"Hey, chick, where's your car?"

Lost my car in a parking garage at 11pm in Downtown Raleigh.

Much love to Nicole, Jonesy, Justin, and Amy who walked through THREE different garages until we found the right one. Nicole gets extra points for walking 25 flights of stairs in slight heels, Jonesy for being the encouraging trail blazer and singing a fabulous song that ended in a call and response with the drunk people crossing the street, Justin & Amy for being so cool and finding the upside of the bonding experience, and, of course, extra points to me for effortlessly creating a bonding activity that went so well it lasted an entire hour. (Which meant I was mortified.)

Age old problem

"He asked me if I sucked on lemons and I said, 'No', and then thought, 'What do you think I am, a sailor?' "

When someone told me this a few days ago I had to laugh myself in appreciation. Some days, it is a relief to know there are people out there who are literate. I love it when people pull out some of the slightly more obscure things in life and throw it on the table with the expectation that it is common knowledge.

I think scurvy was my favorite disease when I was growing up. There is something very cool about it. Also, being from Florida we have orange groves in my family so citrus has always been such a big deal and I like the dramatic.

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A lazy day watching TV became an entertainment opportunity. "Mom, would you peel me an orange? WHAT?! You won't?! But what if I get scurvy?! (Fling myself on floor and start my interpretation of that with a lot of wailing for effect.) You wouldn't want that would you?? Your own flesh and blood?"

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But then, today I got an email with the subject, "All About Gout". What? I thought that was something rich white men with the wine dribbling out of the corners of their mouth and down their chin died of in my British Literature books. Guess what, friends, gout is back.

Here was my favorite quote from the article:

"If you suspect you may have gout, schedule an appointment with your doctor today. You don't have to just live with the pain."

Two Kinds of People

Dog or cat people. Cats are my favorite but I love dogs, too.
Coke or Pepsi people. Diet Coke. I really do prefer the taste.
Morning or night people. I just generally like to be awake. I'm not an afternoon person.
Coffee or tea people. Coffee, coffee, coffee.
PC or Mac people. Whatever my company buys for me...currently a PC.
David Letterman or Jay Leno watchers. I prefer Dave.
Jerry Seinfeld people or, well...everyone else. I didn't watch Seinfeld while it was on.
Bath or shower people. Both. Shower to wake up and bath to wind down.
Heels or "sensible" shoe people. TAAAARRR....HEEEEELS! TAAAARRR...HEEEELS! Wow, do I LOVE my heels. Bring on the stillettos.
Pie or cake people. Cake. Definitely cake. But it has to be "worth it". Few actually are.
Beach people or mountain people. Mountains feed my soul but my family has a house at the beach. One of my life goals is to live in a place where the mountains meet the ocean. Seems to be the best of both worlds.
Beer or wine people. I am no longer drinking so I guess it doesn't matter.
Sleep with the window open, or window-closed people. Closed at night, open for sleeping during the day.
Sail boat or power boat people. I have never been on a sail boat. My dad has always owned power boats and scoffed at the sails.
Toilet paper roll "over" or "under" installers. I always say over but my friend pointed out that I actually do under. I think I really just don't care.
Foreign- or American-made car people. If it is my money, I'd prefer a foreign.
Cooks or microwavers. I really like to cook but I do have my trusty Lean Cuisines for micro.
Sweet-tooth people or salt cravers. Reformed sweet tooth. Totally crave salt now.
In-a-glass or out-of-the-can people. bring on the cans and bottles.
Breakfast-eaters or breakfast-skippers. I eat my oatmeal bc I should but I'm a breakfast-skipper at heart.
Black ink or blue ink people. Black ink. Just can't take blue ink seriously.
Glasses or contact lens people. I LOVE my glasses. However, I only wear them to read if I feel like it. If it was a 24/7 thing I would probably love contacts.

Come to the Outdoor Symphony Concert Next Friday!

I love the North Carolina Symphony's free concerts. We are going with aXcess next week to the one in Southern Village. That area is SO CUTE.

Let me know if you want to come! I'll probably get their around 7pm to hold seats with Kim. This is WAY better than $60 a ticket!

Life moves quickly

Alisha is studying in Florence, Italy for the summer semester and she and a friend stopped in Germany to see some of our dear friends. I was hoping I would get to visit them but haven't quite yet so Alisha was the first to go. They were my youth pastors in high school, later our pastor and have just always been a family that I completely admired and adored. Alisha and I both babysat for the kids and I even taught Jillian dance.

Here is the gang visiting the castle at Burg Ultz. (L) Kaylee sitting in Kristell's lap, Jillian, Kelsie, Alisha, Christopher, and Tammy. Joe must be behind the camera.

When you look at this next photo, you'd never know that this may be some of the most fun you'll ever have.

Tammy was the one who told John and I how she used to lean over her twin brother while he was lying on the floors and slowly let a huge wad a spit start to drip down over his face. She would then suck it back into her mouth really quickly before it hit him. This seemed like a cool parlor trick so we practiced this. After a few tragic failed tries, John wised up to the fact I'd probably never master this skill.
This is my FAVORITE picture because it definitely captures all the personalities. This is the crowd that keeps tickle wars alive every year at Christmas dinner! Last year was the first time they weren't there and we really missed them.

Finally Home

It seems like I've been gone for WEEKS I am so tired. And, I'm craving french toast. I don't know why but I really want it.

Trip to Chicago

Wicked: The music was SO GOOD. The costumes fabulous and the plot line...OH MY WORD, I HAD NO IDEA HOW GREAT IT WOULD BE. It is a MUST SEE. I would see it again...tonight. Joshua drove over from Indiana and he even really enjoyed it, laughing out loud through most of the scenes. Those of you that know Josh, know he'd be the first to tell me if he thought it was bad. His attitude going in was, "I'll sit through it. Sounds more interesting than the Oprah thing."

(By the way, for those of you keeping up...my sparkly gold stilettos DID NOT get the nod. I think my mom and Josh are the only two people in the world who remember the doctor told me to ditch the heels a few years back.)

Apparently, our tickets were for the NEXT FRIDAY so it was not fun for about 15 minutes while we were at the mercy of the box office to see if we'd get a seat. However, it worked out with us in the eighth row!


Work: The National Restaurant Association Restaurant and Hotel Show

This is definitely the largest food show in the world. People spend between a quarter of a million dollars on into the millions for their booth. We'd show up at 7am and not leave until 5pm. I carved A LOT of turkey for people.

If I tried to describe all the craziness that happened at the show in four days, my post would be way too long and you'd never believe it. Some companies go all out for this bringing in 7ft Blondes or other attention getters and hiring all sorts of amazing chefs.

A lot of money is spent on entertaining guests and customers. I went to great restaurants every night and we had our reservations months in advance.

I also got to see Ming Tsai, the creator of Blue Ginger, one of my favorite food lines at Target, while he did a book signing. He is one of those people who is just not photogenic. I was absolutely shocked by how gorgeous he is in person because his photographs portray him as an average joe.

I can't think of any other time that I have met someone and have found them so different from their photo.

Senator Fred Thompson, soon to be presidential candidate hopeful, was the keynote speaker which is cool until you realize that last year President Bush dropped by for the day.

He's joining the race because a lot of Republicans aren't happy with their candidates.



Trip to Charlotte

Locked my keys in my trunk at the convention center.

Found out in Chicago from another poultry company that there is a rumor going around that I'm dating one of my Charlotte customers. Have NO idea who they could all be talking about. It would have made more sense if they'd thought my boyfriend was a Raleigh customer.

Ate the best scallops I have ever had at McCormick & Schmidt's.

Got to experience NASCAR's race week in downtown Charlotte.

Got to do another foodshow. This one was a Fifties Theme so it was complete with an Elvis impersonator performing with girls in poodle skirts dancing around.

Who watches Lost?

Jeff Friddle = Creative Cooking Genius

He cooks every Wednesday night for the crowd who watches Lost and it is one of the most amazing meals you've ever been served at someone's house. Actually, it was better than many restaurants I've eaten in. The jerk chicken egg rolls were AMAZING.

Yesterday was the first time I'd ever gone and last night was a Caribbean theme. Everything was made from scratch including these "to die for" mango and strawberry pastries.

P.S. He caters!

Got great tickets for Wicked this weekend and I'm moving to a bigger condo in my same building for $6 more a month. Praised the Lord!

Isn't the weather beautiful? Nicole and I ate outside on the patio at Maggiano's last night.

The Loft is having a "Buy one sale item and get the other at 50% Off" right now. I got two dresses that will be great for Italy and Durham, a pair of jeans, and a pair of black pants. I go through black pants. The rest of the stuff in my closet last forever but they don't. Probably because I wear them so often at work.

Yesterday, I went to the dry cleaners to pick up two suits, two dresses, three jackets, some pants, skirts and shirts to find the place EMPTY and the sign taken down. WHAT?!?! Where are my clothes? I knew the meaning of "cold sweat" in that moment. I had tried this place because they were offering 50% if you took your clothes in on Monday so I took in a fair amount. It was quite an experience retrieving my clothes and a third of them were still wrinkled once I got home. I REALLY wanted to go back and demand reimbursement because there is no way I'd give my clothes back to them to re-clean. I can really get upset at bad customer service but I do not blow up because I know that I'm rarely talking to the decision maker. Someone who is being paid by the hour does not deserve to have me go crazy about the spot that is still on my jacket.

However, if there was ever a time for a dry cleaner to use the phone number on the tag they have attached to your clothes, I think it would be when they are closing up shop and carting your stuff to a location five miles down the road. From now on, I won't scrimp and will be happy to pay the fabulous H&S Cleaners to do all my clothes, not just the expensive ones! At least I know they do a great job and I won't get my shirt back looking worse than when I sent it in.

If you got to the end of this post, you may like a good story. You should read this blog for quick, hilarious stories. I didn't know I could laugh like a hyena until I read one of the posts this morning.

The past few days in review

1. Nicole's 30th Birthday Party at The Grape in Cameron Village. The restaurant was so great and even had the jazz band play her Happy Birthday. 2. Leeanna's Bachelorette Party thrown by Brittany at Hayes Barton Cafe in Five Points. 3. Watching the movie Holiday at Sarah's in honor of what would have been Katherine Hepburn's 100th Birthday. 4. Driving to the beach house to visit my mom for Mother's Day 5. Getting the travel itinerary set for Europe 6. Considering moving to a larger apartment in my same building for the same price. (They really want to rent my apartment to someone else.) 7. Watching 24 at Ceeece's house with he, Ben, & Sarah. 8. Lucinda joined me at hip hop class. It was WAY easy for her. She's a pro. 9. Found a great necklace in Sneed's Ferry, NC and the store's owner threw in the matching earrings for free. Turns out the jewelry was made in Bali where the fabulous Simanjuntaks have a home. 10. Trying to decide whether to see the Broadway show Wicked or The Color Purple while I'm in Chicago this weekend. I wish that I could see them both but I don't think I can skip out on dinner with my co-workers two nights in a row.

For the True Readers...

Latest Stuff

Jennifer earned her wings!

She flew into RDU and we caught up over a LATE dinner at P.F. Chang's and an EARLY breakfast at Foster's Market before work this morning.



Found some really cute things on sale at the Saks 5th Avenue Outlet. Charleigh dropped by and it turned into a party in the dressing room. She talked me out of the dress I was going to buy and into one that was twice the price! (However, it was still a 87.5% markdown so I feel good about it!)
I got some more of my favorite style tops. Italy here I come!


Have you tried the new Starbucks off of Exit 278? It is awesome with these great, cushy leather couches and lots and lots of other seating. It also has a drive thru which will be awesome on those cold, wintry mix mornings that I have to drive to Ft. Mill at 5:30am.


For more pictures from Field Day.

I was SO excited to see Spiderman 3 at IMAX. Ceeece and I stood in line and finally walk in the theater where Ben and Eric already have our seats (I was very specific that I did not want to sit in the back rows where Ben normally preferred). It was great to see everyone and the first couple of minutes I was just reveling in the excitement of it all.

But wait. Something's not right.

I lean over to Nelvin and Eddie.

"Where are our glasses? Are they going to pass them out?"

Eddie kind of laughs and tells me that all IMAX movies aren't 3D and this one is not. I thought he was just teasing me. "What do you mean this isn't 3D?" (I hear snickers behind me which added to my suspision.) "Why else would we have driven all the way over to downtown Raleigh if it wasn't 3D?"

So, I turn to Ben and Ceeece and say, "This movie isn't 3D??"

Of course, they both look at me like I'm... well, you get the picture... "No. It isn't. You didn't know that?"

What!?!

"So, we are just watching on this big screen? That is it? No, 3D? This whole time I have been visualizing Spiderman swinging threw the audience." Then, the crashing realization came down all at once and I verbalized it without thinking, "WE ARE SITTING TOO CLOSE TO THE SCREEN!"

Now it was Ben's turn to say, "What!?!" Oops. Bad move. "Just kidding." I immediately took it back as Eric was saying, "I could have gotten us seats on the back row."

It ended up still being cooler than if we had gone to Southpoint. You definitely felt like part of the action. I did have to close my eyes during the fight scenes because it was so in my face but that made it more fun.

Things to Highlight:

We still love Teddy Franco. So glad he wasn't the bad guy the entire movie.

The relationship drama is always painful in the Spiderman movies. Jonathan and I were sitting there cringing through the whole thing. (He was the only guy who went who had a counseling background and therefore knew Peter Parker was headed straight for trouble.)

These villians were SO much better than the other movies.

I'm starting piano lessons and I am SO excited about the idea.

I have finally found a teacher that I feel will be able to help me pick up where I left off my senior year. In only our first meeting, I think she is FABULOUS.

JoyLuck & Barks in Love

I finally started working on the door I danced up to my apartment the day before the baby shower Lucinda, Mrs. Elizabeth, and I threw for Merridith. If you have seen Aidan, you know how long ago that has been. I've been so busy this past year that I haven't had time for the things that draw my creativity out. After I got back from Charlotte yesterday afternoon, Kimberly dropped by to hear my tape, we went to have coffee and dessert on the lawn at Nantucket and then I had the rest of the afternoon and evening to create.



I'm putting my favorite poem on the door. Sonnet 116 by William Shakespeare. I know it is old news to be a fan of The Bard but I truly love his published work. I've read thousands of poems, short stories, and books yet he is still in my top five.


I watched The Joy Luck Club while drawing and I cry every time.
There is something so strengthening about the movie yet also so very moving. The last time I watched was with Danielle and Ginny at my house in Mt. Pleasant. It gives Hope. It is amazing how our testimonies empower in ways giving advice never really would. I guess the Bible does say that we'll overcome the enemy by the word of our testimonies and the blood of the Lamb.


*This sign in the picture may be right but I'm really having a hard time stomaching the idea. I adore Google. How else do you know if that guy who asked you out is legit?

It's us and GodTV

We'll be on GodTV tonight at 9pm. You can watch it streaming online which is interesting. Let me rephrase that. WE won't be on T.V. Rick Joyner and company will be. Jaimie, Ben, Eric, and I will just be on one of the first four rows in the audience.

(Update: Actually, I did end up on TV. They called young musicians up to the stage to pray for them and then left us up there as Ricky Skaggs was praying for a child and her family. Ben and Jaimie told me that I ended up in the tight shot between the 12 time Grammy award winner and the family the entire time.)


Last night, I took them to uptown Charlotte to experience The Penguin Drive-In which is celebrating it's 50 Anniversary.


Charleigh introduced this place to me when she lived down the street and it has fabulous fried pickles and the best tatoos and body piercings you'll see on a week night.

Watched "The Queen" Tonight

1. Visited the Durham Food Co op on Chapel Hill Blvd.

2. Had lunch with Kate.

3. Did you know that for $1450 a month, you could live in a 2 bedroom, 1 bath apartment in downtown Durham that has no washer and dryer hook-up, no interior walls dividing the bedrooms and no walk-in closets? Thank you, Christian Laettner.

4. Sarah and I visited the House of Windsor tonight. Thank you, Hollywood.

Nuts and Berries

There is a Strawberry Festival going on in downtown Durham and at the Raleigh Farmer's Market tomorrow.

Reminds me of the stuff my brother and I did when we were little.

I read a lot of books so I had a wild imagination and always wanted to try to figure things out and build something. I got very into Hatchet, My Side of the Mountain, & the Laura Ingles Wilder books.
I also had read all the Nancy Drew books by the 5th grade so I was into subterfuge and intrigue wherever it could be found. This often ended up in me getting us in a lot of trouble.

After reading Cherry Ames School Nurse (where they made perfume from an old forgotten recipe) I decided the neighborhood kids and I could do the same with a trashcan full of water, acorns, moss, rotting trees, leaves, pine cones, grass, pollen, & wild flowers. (Wildflowers because the flowers in my mother's garden had already been made off-limits to me during my hunting and gathering phase when I was preparing for The Long Winter. She also hated it when she caught me peeling bark off the pine trees. Mom just didn't get what life on the frontier could really be like.) I had the kids all running around for days gathering up everything we could find (a few of mom's flowers could have made it in there). I was sure after a week of fermenting, a beautiful scent would be emitted and we could sell it.

After a few days, Mom caught me dumping her perfume in there to hurry along the process. (The neighbors needed to see results.) That went over badly. Two weeks later, John and I decided there was no hope and that we just HAD to have the perfume. Our reasoning was that it stunk to high heaven. My poor mother. Looking back I would have been less than thrilled if someone was pouring my Versace into a woodland bog. Kids just have no concept. After a month of it sitting out there and all that work, we threw it on the neighbor's basset hound and he howled and rolled around in the grass for a while trying to get the stench off.

One year, when the first crop of strawberries came in I was convinced we could sabatoge them by cutting off the tops, hollowing out the middle, filling them with lemon juice, and then putting the tops back on. The idea was that the adults would bite into an explosion of lemon juice. I decided that we needed to make sure the plan was fool proof and convinced John to test one. We were busted by the time his screaming subsided.

It is more than just movie stars who have to wear their sunglasses indoors...

Today, I'm feeling sick. It really can put a damper on your day, if you let it, when you don't feel well.

I always took for granted what it was like to be well until I was consistently sick. Over three years ago, I found out that I had a light sensitivity that triggered migraines which caused vertigo. What that meant was that any place with harsh, fluorescent lighting was not someplace I wanted to go because it could cause strong dizziness and feelings of nausea. These attacks would last anywhere from a few days to an entire week. Rainy days were rough because all those rain drops reflected light. The week of an ice storm kept me indoors, lying on my couch which felt like was on a spinning turn table. I didn't shop at Harris Teeter, going to the mall was overwhelming and ended in me feeling like I was going to faint (and I did a few times), and even 30 minutes of snorkeling in Hawaii ended up in me lying on a beach towel and watching paradise spin around me.

I always had that feeling of motion sickness but it got worse and worse after I graduated from college and was working in the restaurant. It got to be something that I couldn't ignore and completely changed my way of life. It took an MRI and four different specialists to finally diagnose me. That made my parents remember when I was in first grade they took me to a pediatric neurologist who said I had migraines.

I went on daily medication to control the pain but even that could only stem the tide. It actually made me more miserable to go most of the day in freedom and then have the medicine wear off, bringing all the symptoms crashing back over me.

About six months after being diagnosed, I went to a healing service. I refused to go up for prayer because I was tired of praying to get better. I told the Lord, "If you want me to go up there they are going to have to call me out." Then, the pastor said there was someone who had vertigo that the Lord wanted to heal. I went down but still thinking there are probably a few of us so it isn't special. However, I was the only one. I didn't feel healed after I was prayed for or in the following weeks. I felt better but there were still times I'd feel sick or dizzy. I didn't have the attacks any longer but I was still hesitant to say I was healed. I'd feel like a liar. My pastor told me to continue to claim it and believe. Every time I felt dizzy, I would feel guilty. I finally started to realize that I would feel waves nausea when I shared my story with people.

Three years later, I am not on daily medication and I don't need it. I have only had two attacks during that time. Once, when I decided to share my testimony on a mission trip to Brazil and I was sicker then than I ever was before. It was so bad I went back to my neurologist and got a stronger prescription than I'd ever had so I would not be sick during the 36 hours of travel time from RDU to Brazil. However, I quit taking the medicine while I was there and was fine on the return trip home. The last attack happened in a cab from Manhattan to JFK after a women's retreat six months later. That was over two years ago. Before that, I was having attacks back to back, at least one a week and it was long term. Even my neurologist was surprised at how long they would last.

So, praise the Lord that while I am feeling ill today, it isn't vertigo that I'm living with on a daily basis. It puts things into perspective to say, "God is my healer." I believe because He changed MY body. However, it is still easy to take for granted when you feel fabulous. Funny how even the miraculous can become obsolete if you let it.

The weekend in review

1. Kayla's Middle School Play.
This is the cutest 14 year old you've ever seen. We cheered on she and Anna in one of the most depressing plays I have ever seen. Haha. However, the kids were fabulous. I was impressed with their acting skills. I realized that one of the reasons the play was so distressing was because the middle schoolers did a wonderful job bringing their characters to life. You really felt their pain.

2. Old School Field Day.
The latest aXcess event. I'm waiting for the pictures. Some of them were absolutely hilarious. And then, there is the picture of Lance & I taming the squirrels. They must of heard the park ranger say, "Don't feed the squirrels", because these little guys had no problem helping themselves with us standing right there. They were stealing grapes and strawberries, tearing into the hotdog bun packages, and taking off with the custard tarts.

3. Band on the lawn at Nantucket Grill.
I tried to get tickets to High School Musical since Kayla & Anna loved the seats Kate gave them. However, the weekend was completely sold out so Lance & I went to Nantucket for dinner instead. They have started the Courtyard Music Series with Bocci Italian so this is an even better reason to go on the weekends. Beautiful weather, great food, the sounds of the fountain and chill live music.

4. Jonesey's Surprise Birthday Party.
3,000 chicken wings and friends from college and KPIC. Check out Nate's fabulous photo documentary skills covering the party. There are some great pictures. It was great to see his new house. Unfortunately, it took Jaimie and I almost two hours to get home. We got stuck in I-40 construction traffic.

5. Pedicure at Andrea's Salon.
I love spending time at Color. Of course, you know that you'll see Andrea and Jeff and it is always fun to see who else comes in. Last time, it was Adrianne and this time it was Julie and then Deonni getting ready for her trip to help Renee move to NYC. The new nail artist does a great job and told me about her family's story of life in Vietnam after the war. Her father was imprisoned for five years by the Communist government because he helped the Americans. Their move to the US was one of the most interesting stories I have heard for a long time.

6. Sunday Lunch at the Food Court

I am always surprised by how much I enjoy it when we go to the food court at Southpoint Mall. No matter how many times we do it, my initial reaction is to think, "Groan" because Foster's Market is normally the closest I get to fast food but then when we go it is great. Where else can you take 20 to 30 people, all sit together, and actually be done in under two hours? It is fabulous to let everyone choose what they want to eat, not have to deal with a server, and you can get up and move around with no fear of messing up the tab.