Don't Feel Like Studying...Blog!!

Spring Break 2008



My wonderful brother and me on the beach..one of the not so pretty days.

This one doesn't need a caption.



These guys have an obsession with digging holes and burying...well anybody who will let them really. And so I have ALOT of Austin buried pictures. Like one from every day we were there.


I just thought this was funny. Shhh....she's sleeping


Our first night out to eat we went to this new restaurant that I promise you has NO inside seating at all. Even if it's raining you are sitting outside. They say it doesn't hurt business but I'm not sure I'm buying it. We were sort of cold that night even with a fire pit right beside us.


Basically it was fun, as you can see from the pictures. I love these people.

Back to studying. Yuck!

Building My Library

My parents bought me a new bookshelf for Christmas. I had two that were already full and overflowing with books, so I was very thankful and excited when I got it. However, I had no way of transporting the unassembled bookshelf to Birmingham where I live since I drive a car. And, the first part of the year was really busy in general. So, at the middle of February, nothing had still been done. We finally were able to load it up in my parents' van, and mom brought it out here one night. A week later we assembled it. And, about a week later, it is now in place and filled with books.



The middle bookshelf is the new one. They didn't have the exact same model as my previous two, but this one is very close. The only difference is the top molding.



I had to take all my books out of the other two bookshelves to move the bookshelves around a little. So, here they are piled in the living room floor.







And, this is the final outcome. I was really pleased with the way they turned out. We have a little space now where we can put a few pictures, etc. Although, if I know my addiction, it won't be long before that space is filled, too. :-)

HAPPY LEAP DAY!

Just wanted to share and express my joy over this one extra day in the year. The only extra day we get for another four years. For all of those who wish you had another couple of hours in the day (myself included), well here it is. One whole day for you. I think it should be a holiday.

Celebrate. Get those tasks done that you've been meaning to do for days, months, years. Be lazy. Be brilliant. Come up with a solution for world hunger. Write a book, or letter. Take a stroll outside and smell the roses.

Do what you want - it's your extra day. But use it wisely, because you don't get another one until 2012.

FL Fellowship Meeting

We had so much fun at the FL Fellowship Meeting two weeks ago. I have been feeding off the sermons and the good fellowship ever since I got back. Below are some pictures I took while we were there. (Sorry they're so late!)

Brystal and John

Mom and I

Gary and Danielle

Kelly and Jim

John and I

Dad and a fellow meeting attendee

A great group of young people

Thank you so much to everyone for your kind hospitality while we were there. I really enjoyed seeing old friends and making new ones. And, it was great to put so many faces to names I have heard from my parents' visits down there. It seems unfair that we have to live 8-10 hours away, but it makes our visits together that much sweeter!

I don't have my notebook with me here at work, otherwise I'd join in posting what I listed as the sermon titles. I think it's really neat to see how so many people can pull so many different things from one sermon, and have a totally different subject title in some cases. And, even if the subject is the same, your mind can be pulled in different directions as the Spirit leads you. Praise the Lord when we are blessed as individuals when the sermon mixes with what we've been studying or praying about in such a unique manner!

I am marking the meeting on my calendar for next year, and do hope to attend. Until then, we have a meeting the 4th weekend of April. Please do come visit us! We would love to see you!

(And, if your calendar tends to get full...we also have a meeting the 3rd weekend in November!)

Recipe # 2

Cheesy Chicken Spaghetti

Stick of butter
Small Velveta Cheese
1 can of Rotel
1 can Cream of Mushroom
Chicken (depends on how many you want to serve)
Spaghetti ("")

Boil chicken. When done, cut however you like. Cook your spaghetti. Melt together the butter and cheese, and add in the Rotel and Cream of Mushroom. Mix all together in a large baking dish. Cook until brown. (I didn't get a firm answer on the temperature, maybe 350 or 400 degrees.)

This is also pretty quick and easy. Very filling, too!


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I have a prayer request tonight. My co-worker Crystal's daughter Ella had a virus starting last Thursday. Over the weekend Crystal and her husband, John, got it. Then, Ella started getting sick again yesterday. Last night they went to the emergency room when she started vomiting bile and had blood in her stool. They found a blockage and did a barium enema (sp?), but it came back three times today. Tonight, after the third one, they took her back for surgery. Everything looked really good in her bowels, and the intaceception (sp?) had dissipated. Tomorrow morning they are going to do another test, to check the inside of her bowels, and make sure it isn't a polyp causing the problem. Otherwise, everything should be fine. Please pray for Ella, Crystal, and John. Ella is only 9 months (she'll be 10 months a week from today). And, Crystal and John are exhausted. They haven't slept any in the last 24-48 hours. They would appreciate any prayers offered.

Recipe # 1

Sorry for the delay in posting my first recipe. My blogging always seems to be very erratic. Without further ado...


Georgia Cornbread Cake

1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
4 eggs, beaten
1 cup oil (vegetable)
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/2 cup self-rising flour
2 cups pecans, chopped very fine (I use just 1 cup)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease and flour a 9x13 inch baking dish (PAM also works fine). Stir together sugar, brown sugar, eggs and oil in a medium bowl until smooth. Stir in flour and vanilla, add pecans and stir until evenly mixed. Spoon into prepared pan and bake for 30-35 minutes (Note: my oven takes 40 minutes). Bake until toothpick comes out clean. Try not to open the oven until you know it is done.


This is nothing like cornbread at all. Great for dessert, or as a morning breakfast snack. I made it last year for my co-workers for Christmas, and they loved it. And the best part - it's fairly quick and easy. Hope you enjoy, too!

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Movie Reviews:

What's Eating Gilbert Grape

5 stars

I saw this movie for the first time this past weekend and thought it was fantastic. It showcases a young Johnny Depp, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Juliette Lewis. Each have outstanding performances, especially DiCaprio. He was nominated for a best-supporting Oscar, but lost. The plot in a nutshell - Gilbert Grape (Depp) is the man of the house taking care of his mentally handicapped brother, Arnie (DiCaprio), his extremely obese mother, and his two sisters. The movie centers around Gilbert struggling to deal with everything and whether he will get the chance to live his own life. I love movies like this that really dive deep into characters. It really tells a story and deals with issues. Be sure and tune into the special features if you watch the dvd.


Ocean's Thirteen

3 stars

This movie was way too predictable for me compared to the first two Ocean's movies. The plot was somewhat weaker, focusing on revenge and hurting someone as much they could, instead of the delicate intracasies of suberb, flawless theivery. The writing was fair. And, it lacked Julia Roberts and Catherine Zeta Jones. The reason for three stars, instead of 2 or 2 1/2? It did have George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Andy Garcia, Al Pacino, and Casey Affleck in it. All great actors, we know. They just didn't get a chance to really shine in this film.

Voting by Candlelight

Last night, after the hard rain had ceased, our power began to flicker. It would go off for a minute or so, and then come back on. Around 10:30 p.m., however, the power went off for good. I made a quick call to Alabama Power and was told via an automated voice that it wouldn't be back on 'til the wee hours of the morning. So, with my candles lit, I finished up a couple of things before heading to bed. One of them was my VOTE! I'm voting by absentee ballot since I won't be in the county where I'm registered on the day of the primary election, next Tuesday the 5th - SUPER TUESDAY. It felt like something from the very distant past as I marked my ballot by candlelight, and sealed everything really good. I mean really good. Three envelopes, as mandated by the accompanying instructions. A secrecy envelope to put my ballot in. An affadavit envelope to put my secrecy envelope in. And a large brown envelope to put my affadavit envelope and a form of identification in. Whew. Don't want to just scan over those directions!

So, my vote has been cast. And I'm quite anxious to see how my candidate does. I hope each of you are planning your trip to the polls, if you haven't already done so. Florida, you had quite an impact, causing two candidates to drop!

Now, you may be wondering why our power went off if the rain had already ceased. Can you believe it was the wind?? We actually had peak gusts of 65 mph in Birmingham. All across the state this morning there were damage reports of trees uprooted, damages to homes, and power outages. Probably some of the most widespread damage without accompanying severe weather. It was crazy, I tell ya. I didn't go to sleep for a while, because I could hear the wind just howling outside. (Not to mention, it's really odd with absolutely no light, not even your alarm clock light.) Thankfully, though, the power was restored by the time Table and I awoke, and we were able to get ready for school and work. God bless the line crews.