I kinda look like this right now (well, it's actually not that bad) and I don't even care! I went to the pool today and got so involved in my book that I sort of lost track of time and forgot to turn over so now I have a very noticeable line that goes down either side of my body (making me look like a the biggest redneck to ever hit the town)!! Now I have to figure out what to wear tonight that will compliment my colors...ya know, red and white!

Yay Yay it's Friday!!

I'm so pumped it's Friday AND it's a long weekend! I can't believe I've only been by a pool once since our trip to the beach (at the end on May)! My body is longing to toast in the sunshine and it looks like Saturday and Monday will be my days!!!

The 3rd one...

I finished "Eclipse" on Wednesday night! It took me a while to get into this one but about half-way through, I couldn't put it down.Cody is glad I'm almost finished because he's starting to think I'm crazy. I was reading while getting my hair done Wednesday night and the girl asked me "what's that book about" and I had to reply "don't laugh, it's a vampire romance"!!

There is not much to say. This has to be the most hilarious yet disturbing thing I've ever seen!

A little run down...

I've been a little behind on blogging due to my obsessive reading and craziness this week. We've had a fun week...two dinners at my parents house with lots of friends because with me, it's always "the more, the merrier". Some friends from FL visited and then a melting-pot of friends came over for dinner tonight. We were also invited to "the interns" house for dinner and her mom cooked us a yummy meal (thanks, Rhonda). We were introduced to rock band which was amazing and I really feel the need to buy it...ya know, as a gift for "Cody"!! It is so fun!!

This past weekend, our family went to the Falcons game. This is not due to the fact that we are big Falcons fans, we went to see Kensey cheer! She did great! The most exciting part of the night was when my husband decided we needed to take MARTA...AGAIN! I don't get it! What's up with this fascination with public transportation?!?! We don't live in NYC! He doesn't understand that I don't think MARTA is SMARTA!! I'm the girl that wants to valet whenever possible...lazy and unadventurous, I know! 

This is the view from our first seats (the ones we sat in at the beginning)

A much better view (my kind of seats) after musical chairs during half-time!! 

The crew. We were representin' the falcon colors! Yay! 

I'm washing clothes and packing to spend the weekend in MS with FTF. It's great to get back on the road and do what we love to do! Hope you all have a wonderful weekend! 

New Moon

I can't blog because I'm too busy reading!! I finished "New Moon" yesterday and now I'm moving on to "Eclipse"!

Who would have thought a vampire romance would be so interesting?!?

Ratatouille

Self explanatory!! 

guacamole

We shared a yummy dinner at Rosa Mexicana with some great friends on Friday night! The fresh guacamole was delish! As usual, we all ate too much and followed it with some Cold Stone icecream. We walked around Atlantic Station and got yelled at by a pretty rude sunglasses vendor. Good times! Stay tuned for details on the visitor that awaited us when we got home! 

Twilight

I started it yesterday about 4 in the afternoon and I just finished it (yes, I slept last night, worked a pretty productive day today and I've eaten meals)!! I can't wait to start the next one! I never would have chosen it however, Stephanie was right when she told me I wouldn't want to put it down! Have you indulged in "Twilight"? 

De-lish!

So tonight was "dinner at Ozell's"!! It's become an annual tradition, every August, for us to have a yummy meal prepared by Mrs. Ozell and let me tell you, it's worth the wait!! We've been counting down the days and saving up our calories for this meal...all year. Once again, she didn't disappoint. We all piled around the table and ate until we couldn't breath (as a matter of fact, I'm still too full). The menu was as follows....pork tenderloin, cantaloupe, mashed potatoes, creamed corn (in a bowl the size of a swimming pool), greens, fried okra, squash casserole, vegetable soup (that rocks my socks), cornbread, biscuits, coleslaw, sliced tomatoes, cucumbers and fresh pickles topped off with a glass of sweet tea. For dessert...peach cobbler with icecream and/or (AND for most) pineapple/orange cake. Amazing. Now, I don't need to eat for a week!! Good times! 

Lit update...

Hubby updated about Lit so check it out! It was a great time and I'm still processing all that happened. Sure, we've learned too many lessons to even count and there are many things we will change when God calls us to do it again but we are thankful for the journey. I am still overwhelmed and humbled by all our friends, family and supporters!! I keep telling everyone "we have some amazing friends"!! They seriously are wonderful and there is no way we could have done it without them! 

American Idol fans unite

On Friday night, as Lit was coming to an end, I kept hearing everyone say that Ruben Studdard was in our hotel. For those of you who don't know "THE" Ruben Studdard...season 2 American Idol winner (ya know, the year Clay Aiken came in second place....by the way, he's a dad now. Does that freak anyone out?). Anyway, I really didn't give it much attention until I was sitting on the stairs talking to January and spotted him coming out of the restaurant. I thought, "I can't go home without a picture of Ruben" so I proceeded to make a huge scene, calling out his name, telling him I watched every episode of AI when he was on (he doesn't know I watch every episode, regardless), that I voted for him and asking to have my picture made. He was nice enough to oblige. It's not as if he was incognito, he pretty much wanted everyone to know it was him since his HUGE jersey had Studdard embroidered across his massive shoulders. Obviously, he's not the most famous of the Idol's (actually, he's the least famous) but, an Idol none the less! 

Happy Birthday, Dad!!

(Matthew DOES have a mohawk. This is what one day with my bestie, HHH, will do to a person!)

Today is the birthday of a wonderful man, my Dad! He is always there for me (and Cody) and always says yes, no questions asked. He is known for being able to do anything...literally, if something needs to be done, he can do it! He is a generous, encouraging, kind, loyal man of integrity who loves us unconditionally. He ALWAYS has our backs!! 

We went to Mimi's Cafe (which is excellent) to celebrate today. We talked Jason Cox into singing for him and promised him we would join in (which we did...kinda). By the end, Jason's face was red and the veins looked like they would pop out of his head!!! Needless to say, the entire restaurant was aware of the fact that it was Dad's birthday! 

Dad, you are amazing and we love you so much! Hope you had a Happy Birthday! 

It's finally arrived!

After all the planning and preparation, Lit Conference 2008 is finally here. All the festivities start today at 2:30, with our volunteer meeting, and the students will arrived around 5:30! The room is set up (with lots of chairs that we pray are filled with students :)) and everything looks great. God has blessed us with an amazing team of people who volunteered their time and resources to help in any capacity!! 

A few shout-outs (in no particular order): 

• January and Patrick, I seriously don't know how we have made it without you. You've answered all of our phone calls (even though we know you have caller ID). We are so grateful for all your help and all the hours you've given to make Lit a reality. You truly have walked with us the entire way! 
  
• Pete and Hollie, you guys are the best! We are so blessed to call you friends AND our pastor/pastors wife. You encourage us to give, in every aspect, at all times. Thank you for taking time in your busy schedule to help us out! We can't believe it's been 5 years since God put us together (it feels like you've always been there). Happy 5 year friend anniversary! We love you!
• All our volunteers, donors and prayer partners: we are humbled. Thank you, thank you, thank you, etc!!!! Each and every one of you makes our vision a reality! God has used you greatly to touch our lives. May God richly bless you all for giving!! 
• To my parents, you make us the people we are. Thank you is an understatement. Both of you have encouraged us to continue when we felt we couldn't go on and we always know you have our backs. We love you deeply!!

Thank you all for believing in us! 

For She's a Jolly Good Fellow....

On our first visit to VL (formerly know as New Hope), Cody spoke for the Sunday AM service in the "fellowship hall" to a group of about 25 people. We had heard of the church and knew it was in need of help and to be honest, we were wondering what the heck Pete and Hollie were thinking attempting to turn it into a place that would grow to reach the community. In our desire to help our friends, Cody agreed to speak and I commented that "I would never leave our church and it was cool to go help but we were not going to join them in this journey"! Well, long story made short, we fell totally in love with all the people!!! On the way home from that service, we made a decision that we wanted to be part of the journey at VL and we are so blessed and thankful for the relationships we have there. 

One of the people we fell in love with was Mrs. Ozell. She is absolutely in love with the Lord and she sits in service with tears in her eyes because she is so thrilled to see God at work in the church! She loves the band...drums, long hair, weird beards, distressed jeans and all! She is most well known for her expertise in the kitchen and anyone who's ever tasted any of her treats knows her skills are unsurpassed! I look forward, with great anticipation, to my annual dinner at her house featuring fresh vegetables from her garden!! Words can't begin to describe! So here's to Mrs. Ozell...Happy 90th Birthday! We love her! 

Dinner as Nease & Deese

Last night we had a wonderful dinner at Stoney River with the Nease's!! Jarrett and Christy decided we needed a break from all the conference planning and "forced" us to meet them to eat. It didn't take much prodding since we love stoney pups. 

Let me pause for those of you who don't know about the famous "stoney pup"...it's a mini roll that melts in your mouth. They are also known as tiny bites of heaven covered in melted butter. 

We always have fun with J & C! We laugh (tons) and Jarrett gives us an education! The food was excellent and it was so great to spend some time together. J & C, we love you guys! 

**BTW, we didn't dress alike on purpose!!**

Our Mexican Fiesta!!!

Last night, most of the people who went to Dominican Republic had a little party! We ate lots of yummy, HOMEMADE Mexican food that was so delicious! It was so great to see the peeps (even though most of us see each other on a weekly basis since we go to VL)!  To end the evening, we all jumped on the sofa and Addie (who's 4 and has some pretty good skills) took our picture. We really just wanted to see how many people would fit on the couch but it was the perfect photo op too. Mad props to our wonderful chefs...thanks to you, our pants fit a little tighter today. It was worth it!! 

DR Reunion!

We are so excited to host the Dominican Republic team reunion party tonight! We can't wait to see everyone! It's been almost 4 months since our amazing trip. Crazy how time goes so quickly! The menu for tonight is authentic Mexican food prepared by Xochitl and Areli (which is going to be yummy...unlike the buffet at the hotel in DR). Thank goodness we don't have to eat crepes or "create your own" pasta with questionable meat! We are also thrilled to be able to drink the water with no hesitations! Yeah! More on the DR reunion tomorrow!

Hope you all have a happy Friday!