It all began with the Esther study ...

The Esther study is a Beth Moore bible study and it's fantastic! Beth Moore is amazing and I've loved the studies I've done of hers and this one is perfect ... couldn't have had better timing in my life because It's Tough Being A Woman! I was invited to attend the bible study at Southpoint Community Church via my friend Becky. It was not her intention to have me join the church but just that she thought it'd be something I'd like to do and she'd enjoy my company. Well, from the moment I stepped through the doors something said, "home".

Let me start of by pointing out a few things about this church: First, before I even started I received a call from my small group leader telling me who she was and that she was excited to meet me. Second, when I came that first meeting she asked me some things about myself and then encouraged me to meet up with Tracy who is in charge of the Single Young Professionals group. Third, Tracy contacted me and said, "I was told to contact you." No lip service here ... real people who follow through. I was quite pleased right from the beginning.

At the end of that first evening of bible study, after watching the video, the pastor's wife got up on the stage and said a prayer over us and then talked about this new website they were utilizing called Women That Lead. There are two websites the church utilizes to help their congregation build connections and in addition to the women's site they have SCC 600 which is the men's equivilant. This church is all about technology. They encourage you to build connections through the computer which really helps you to become more active despite your busy schedule.

My small group leader had mentioned that I should meet Tracy, the leader of the SYP group. I registered myself on Women That Lead and that next day Tracy had sent me a message! She said that Kim had told her to get in touch with me and that she was interested in meeting up. We decided to meet up before the Esther class that next Monday. Needless to say she was very friendly and invited me to the SYP event at the church that following evening. I showed up Tuesday night and had a great time! Everyone was so real and friendly and Christ-centered ... it was refreshing. I met a few girls and a few new facebook friends that evening.

The first Sunday I went to a service I came early and hung out in their coffee shop, Doc's. This is located right in the main rotunda where you can see all the worshippers felowshipping together before and after the service. This church has a large area right in the center of the building (the rotunda) where everyone gathers and it truly helps to create a sense of warmth and community. It's always packed and you're bound to run into someone you know even if you're new. While I was seated drinking my coffee I watched another great bit of technology being utilized. A mother walked her children over to a small bank of computers against one of the walls and proceeded to check them in. The computer printed out a bunch of stickers which she placed on each child and then escorted them back to their various classrooms.

It's so awesome to be surrounded by forward thinking people who aren't afraid of technology, people who when they say, 'you should meet so and so' they follow through and actually introduce you to that person, people who are genuinely interested in fellowship and being real in their faith. Stacey and Tracy have both remained friendly and in continual commnication with me and we've chatted outside of our SYP events and Esther study. This Thursday I'm meeting Stacey and some girls at YogaBerry at the Town Center. I'm super excited to be making these new connections and building new friendships and establishing this as my church home. I had thought great things about Crossroad Church but I never really felt connected. This church is a whole new experience and I'm really thinking this is a good fit.

New Year ... New Resolutions (and holiday party photos)

This year I'm vowing to become more healthy and to get back into shape. There is absolutely no excuse for having the fat I have on my body or my lack of cardio fitness ... I have no kids ... I have the time ... I'm just LAZY. So, with my new roomie I'm hitting the gym. I've bought a beautiful Tommy Bahama bathing suit that shows all the things I hate about my body right now (which, according to my friends, is all in my head) and I am going to try my darnedest to make sure I look good in it by summer!

Today was book club. We read Life of Pi ... of course ... I only read the first quarter. Honestly I just couldn't get into it. I've been told that it's a good book and I think that eventually I'll go back and finish the book but I think that really right now I'm not really in that frame of mind. Our book for next month is Jane Eyre. I never had a chance to read that book so I'm looking forward to it. Plus, it's a quick read and quite interesting so I'm sure I'll be finished by our next meeting on February 1st.

Work begins again tomorrow. Not that excited. Thankful that I have a job in this economy though. Well, still haven't uploaded pics from my Christmas vacation ... I'm such a slacker ... but I'll try my hardest to get them uploaded soon. :-)

For now I'm posting pics from my holiday party. Enjoy!

My sister, Lauren, with my Mom and Dad

Jeff and Phil

Wendi and Jarrett

Stef, Me, and Heather

Erica, Rachel, and Renee

Rick, Phil, Randy, and Jeff, with Myself

Melissa, Me, and Wendi

Me and Jeannie

more random thoughts

So yesterday evening I went to Rachel's (Ray Ray's Cafe) for dinner and a movie. We had honey mustard baked chicken, mashed potatoes, and mixed veggies. Simple but yummy! We watched Made of Honor ... cute ... but not my fav. This morning I got up and met Becky at the beach to walk and talk and then we had breakfast at Shelby's. It was absolutely beautiful this morning! I love being so close to the ocean ... I know I've mentioned that before ... but it truly helps put things in perspective for me. The ocean is a calming sanctuary for me. Anyway, yesterday was my friend Brandy's birthday so tonight we're having dinner at La Napolera and then going ice skating! Tomorrow morning is church ... Pastor Gee is doing a new series that should be quite interesting. Check out the website for more details. Tomorrow night begins the book club meetings. Not sure I really have time for a book club ... but we'll see. Somehow this weekend in between all the goings on I'm supposed to find time to write a paper. Good times ... pray for me y'all ...

BLESSINGS! Until next time ...

6 quirky things about myself ...

I've been tagged by Rachel to post 6 quirky things about yourself. Here are the rules:

1. Link to the person who tagged you.
2. Mention the rules on your blog.
3. Tell about six unspectacular quirks of yours.
4. Tag six fellow bloggers by linking them.
5. Leave a comment on each of the six blogger’s blogs letting them know they’ve been tagged.

My personal QUIRKS:

1. Everything has to be in its place. On my coffee table, my bathroom counter, my office desk, etc. I have this OCD need to have everything precisely in its place.
2. I can't stand when people don't take care of themselves ... especially those that go out in public looking like they don't take care of themselves. I realize that people "don't care" and are more about "being comfortable". It's BS and it bothers me. Like my mom always said, "You never know when you're going to meet the President." Take a little pride in your appearance people.
3. I am a lazy procrastinator. If I can put it off I will. Out of sight out of mind. I somehow end up completing things absolutely necessary which fools people into thinking I'm fairly motivated but secretly ... I'm a bum ;-)
4. I have to have the toilet lid down. Always. That is why they invented the darn thing. Put the lid down after every use please. Thank you.
5. Grammar. Please use it appropriately. End of story.
6. Punctuality is important. I had too many times being late to Girl Scouts, birthday parties, etc. that I now have an intense fear of being late. I'm always early ... I usually try to keep it to only 5 min but sometimes if I misjudge the time to get somewhere ... I'll be "un-fashionably early". I guess it's better than being "fashionably late" :-)

I don't know 6 people that blog regularly, so I also am going to break the last two rules and make it 3 people. However, if you read my blog and would like to tag yourself for me, please feel free.

I tag Rachel, Shay, and Sara. Have fun!

Best Day Ever

So ... today is the best day ever! I am going to sit right here and drink my Pinot Noir and tell you all about it ...

I woke up this morning refreshed and before my alarm (which almost never happens). I got out of bed and took my shower and decided to jump right into cleaning (which also almost never happens). I vacuumed, scrubbed my bathroom floor, washed some area rugs ... things that I always seem to put off until I absolutely have to do them ... and decided that since I had some time before church I'd put on CBS Sunday Morning and check my email. In my Gmail I had a friend request waiting for me on Facebook and wouldn't you know it ... my good friend, Colleen, from what seems like ages ago!

I couldn't believe it! She and I were best buds for my sophomore year at UNF. Her father had a heart attack (I think that was it) and she left spring semester to go home and attend FAU. I was devastated ... here I had found my twin soul ... the one who truly got me better than anyone else ... the one who was just as sick and twisted and fun and evil and hilarious as I was ... and she left me. Sure, we tried to keep in touch ... but life gets in the way.

Next thing I know it's been 10 years almost and here we are again ... with a second chance. When I tell you this girl is funny ... she's hilarious! We have the exact same sense of humor ... we liked the same food, drink, music, you name it. It was a blast being her friend! So here I am ... writing back and forth today ... trying to play catch up. I tell you what ... God works in mysterious ways.

Here I am all depressed about my mortgage ... and the lack of funds to cover my said mortgage each month ... and how am I going to refinance when my condo is supposedly worth less than I owe ... and all I can think about today isn't the worries but the memories.

Life is good ... despite all the shit thrown at you ... life is good.

practically a month has gone by already ...

It is now officially August and today is my friend Shay's birthday. I can't believe how fast time flies! Shay is having twins in November. My friend, Jennifer, in Boston, is having a boy in September. I can't believe that I'm that old ... that my friends are married with children. It seems like just yesterday my friends and I were riding our bikes in the neighborhood ... carefree ... only concern was to be home by dark.

I was thinking yesterday while reading The Pioneer Woman's blog how wonderful it would be to live out in the middle of nowhere ... to have the ability to run free out in the open ... no fear of traffic. It made me think about the years (from 1st through 4th grade) I lived in Northern Virginia. It was a time of innocence. We would spend hours playing hide and seek ... using the entire neighborhood. I remember asking Mr. Monahan in the winter ... "Can we skate yet!?!" ... waiting for our neighborhood lake to have frozen sufficiently whereby we can, in our sneakers (we're not talking professionals here), skate until we became frozen through ... only to then have one of the mom's on the block sit us all down with hot cocoa. I remember the time I lived in the house with the giant sloping front yard. When it would snow we'd have someone stand guard on the other side of the street to watch for cars and then we'd slide down the yard ... hit the snowbank and go flying out into the middle of the road. We'd land with a crash and yet, somehow, want to get up and go at it again.

Moving to Florida sure changed things. Now there is no snow and no real change of seasons, but we have the ocean ... great swaths of beach to run on ... lots of sand to dig our feet into ... and the weather is nearly perfect year round, right? Well ... that's to be debated. ;-P

Anyway, I really must get to work ... speaking of ... remember the times when you didn't have to work? When all you had to think about was whether to play with the Barbie's before or after lunch? Seriously ... I need a sugar daddy ... or a handsome rancher like The Pioneer Woman ...

wow how time flies ...

So, not sure if anyone still reads this thing ... but I just realized I haven't posted anything since April of 2007. Good golly! So, it feels to me like not much really happens in my life anymore which is why I hadn't posted anything ... but then when I talk to people they say, you've done this and this and this, etc. SO, I'm going to start blogging again. Mostly to keep up with my friend, Shay, who just created her own blog and I know she'll be much more faithful than I am ... which is a powerful motivator!

So, let us see now ...

First, they opened a new bar downtown called Mavericks. It's a "rockin honkey tonk" according to their website. It's like Crazy Horse but cleaner, less smokey, and with better looking bartenders. Hee hee. It's super fun! And me and the girls have been trying to go every other weekend. I even purchased a pair of boots at Western World in Orange Park. They're fantastic!

Second, most recently I went on a cruise with some girlfriends a few weeks ago. We went on a Carnival "booze cruise" ... I'm not going to lie ... parts of it were hella ghetto ... but overall it was super fun! We left on a Thursday afternoon out of Port Canaveral, went down to Nassau, and back early Sunday morning. Right away we found a bar on ship with an amazing band and became their groupies. They are a group of Asian men who sing classic rock. One minute they're on stage talking with Asian accents and the next they're singing Lynard Skynard and you can't even hear the accent. They rocked! We had so much fun although I think we're all planning on going Royal Caribbean next time.

Let's see ... I finished up my teacher's certification coursework and am now fully certified with no job in sight. Gotta love the budget crisis. YAY for Amendment 1 ... I swear, people really don't realize what happens when you cut taxes from one area it affects another. Now, I'm not saying we should be like France and fork over 60% of our incomes ... because I don't trust that our gov't will use the money correctly ... however, things like education, our national park service, etc. are grossly underfunded. It's pathetic. Anyway, I'll keep y'all posted on all of that should something change. For now I'm continuing to work at UNF.

This past year in 2007 I went to France in September with my good friend, Jeannie. We spent 7 days (including travel time) and visited Paris and southern France for my cousin Matthew's wedding. It was quite a trip. Very whirlwind ... but fun! We spent a few days in Paris, toured around, and took the train down to Brignoles. Matthew was married in a beautiful monastery and the reception was at an old chateau. It was absolutely beautiful! We went down to the coast and put our feet in the Mediterranean. I wish I had more time but it was so worth it!

In November we took a family trip to the southern Caribbean on the Holland America Cruise line. It was a week long. We visited their private island, Grand Turk, St. Thomas, and Tortuga. I loved the little port area created for the cruise boats in Grand Turk ... even had a Margaritaville! We walked around St. Thomas and took a taxi van to Mountain Top, had a banana daiquiri, and took lots of pictures. The British Virgin Islands are hella scary. It was dirty and disgusting and unfortunately we quickly decided never to go there again. The ship's stabilizers were broken and crossing the gulf stream put quite a many guests into awful seasickness. I would say that Holland America is not really worth the price and is also full of the elderly. But, overall it was a great vacation!

For Christmas, the family rented a cabin in Blowing Rock, NC. It was super cute but super run down unfortunately. It was nice and cold and we even got to play in the snow a bit! I drove my car and she got to experience the cold and snow for the first time ever! I took pictures, don't you worry ... ;-)

I know there are things I'm forgetting but I'll try and post more later. I'll be sure to post some pics of all my trips as soon as I get a chance. Now that I'm not working full time and taking courses at night I should have much more time to keep up with this thing!

Divas Do Austin

In March, over spring break, my friend Terry and I went to visit our good friend Shay in Austin, TX. Shay is the founding Diva for Jacksonville and although I have taken over her role ... I have big shoes to fill. We miss Shay terribly but know that soon she will be starting an Austin chapter of the Divas and we can't wait for the updates!

We drove around Austin and the surrounding area and while out and about found a bunch of cars parked on the side of the road by the 360 Bridge. We decided to investigate. Thus we ended up climbing a cliff in heels ... but it was worth it! The view was amazing!

We went to Zilker Park and checked out the Blue Bonnets and even walked around downtown. We stopped by George W's old home and went in the Capitol building.

All around Austin are giant guitars painted like they do in other cities with bright colors. For example, in Jacksonville they have jaguars. So, of course I took a picture of one of them!

Austin is quite breathtaking. I didn't imagine it would look anything like it did ... it was so very hilly! And March is a great time of year to go as it was not too hot!

time to play catch up 3 ...

Okay ... one final installment and you're all caught up ...

This month my friend Renee celebrated her birthday at Mezza Luna in Neptune beach.

The food is always quite delicious ... and we really had some good conversation.

Will even busted out the grill for us all to enjoy. Good times certainly were had by all!

time to play catch up 2 ...

Also, in February was my friend Julie's birthday ... we celebrated at Cafe Carmon in San Marco and then went karaoke singing afterward ...

The Great Chowder Debate

This past Sunday was the Great Chowder Debate in St. Augustine. It was held at the Conch House and was tons of fun! (L to R: Shay, Stef, Terry, Caron and Kristin)

"Looking for the best chowder on the east coast? Satisfy your passion for great seafood at the Conch House Marina’s celebrated annual Great Chowder Debate. More than 30 area restaurants compete to see who has the best chowder. Participants are treated to an almost limitless variety – from local favorites like the Menorcan chowders to an assortment of New England chowders – made with clams, conch, lobster, scallops and crab and laced with secret concoctions of herbs and spices. The event starts at noon and runs throughout the day. All proceeds benefit the Shriners Hospitals for Children."

I think we liked Hurricane Patty's Seafood Chowder and The Fiddler's Green New England Clam Chowder the best. YUMMY!

Melissa's Birthday

Saturday was Melissa's birthday (the one in the middle) so we went to dinner at Daruma Japanese Steakhouse then bowling. It was tons of fun!

I actually managed to score above 100 so that made me quite proud ... hee hee. Although poor Melissa didn't fair so well and it was her birthday. Sorry babe. I know you had a good time anyway.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MELISSA!!!

Art Walk

Last night I went with a few friends downtown to the Art Walk. We met at Burrito Gallery and I had a great Mahi taco. Yum! We then proceeded to walk around downtown to view the art on display in various buildings and in Hemming Plaza. It was nice to see what my city has to offer. I don't often get the chance to go downtown. I highly recommend the Art Walk ... first Wednesday of the month ... mark your calendars.

Saturday was Julie and Dennie's wedding at a chapel downtown. It was beautiful and the cake was from Cinnotti's so you know that it was fantastic. I know Julie and Dennie will enjoy a lifetime of happiness together.

YAY! A diva birthday celebration is always a fun event. Diva Shay celebrated her birthday on Friday and we all showed up at the Lemon Bar for drinks and then after a bit of a fiasco with Ragtime we headed to Sun Dog for dinner and dancing. Good times were had by all.