My Weaknesses...

We bought a new mattress...

Last weekend, and the sheets I ordered online at overstock.com arrived today! They are so cute and soft! Can't wait until we get to sleep in the new bed! There's lots of packing and moving before we can do that though!

Today in the Bathroom at Work...

I was washing my hands. When I pumped the soap into my palm, I must have had it cupped at a particular angle because the soap ricocheted and landed just above my right eye on my temple! That means the soap flew up at least two feet! LOL Thankfully it didn't get in my eye because I had a meeting in five minutes!

Thirteen Months...

From today I will be 30! GASP!

The Poll...

And the winner is...pay the $65 to get the cleaning service with a combined 60% of the vote! Now, I just have to double check and make sure it's okay with Fisher! :-)

Who is voting for Fisher's money in the poll...

'Fess up! I know one of you is Sned.

Fun Pictures...

A super cute sea tur-tell (as I like to say) and two peculiar Fish...ers.

Help Us Pack...

We will feed anyone that wants to come help us pack! :-)

Plano Balloon Festival...

We watched the balloons launch yesterday for the Plano Balloon Festival. We chased one balloon until it landed, of course, it had to be the Hooter's balloon. It was really cool to watch it land and it was really big! The fabric was really smooth and sturdy! Seeing inside the basket was really cool too. The balloon basket tipped over on landing, but the pilot was really good with all the kids that had questions for him!

Sandy's Cupcakes...

These are cupcakes I made for a friend's birthday. My first attempt at chocolate cake! I also used cute little cupcake liners, but the cake baked up so dark that you can't really see the liners!

My new favorite cheese...

This stuff is tasty delicious! It's yummy with carrots, I like to spread it on my Lean Cuisine panini and it's great all by itself!

Where Geeks Drop Off Their Snail Mail...

I saw this today at the corner of Gateway and Campbell in Richardson.

Snickers Marathon Bars...

Hello Everyone reading this blog. This is a desperate plea! The next time you are in your local Wal-Mart, please check for the boxed Snickers Marathon Protein Bars in Caramel Nut Rush. They in the nutrition/bar section of the pharmacy. Fisher loves these and it looks like they are being discontinued. They're about $7 a box, so please buy all that you can and we'll pay you back!

Mattress...

I'm shopping for mattresses online to get an idea of how much they cost. I went to Macy's website since I got a good deal on my current bed when it was Foley's. One of the first beds that popped up was a $16,000 mattress! Who would pay that much for a mattress?

The Roman Road/Jesus Loves You...

From http://www.allaboutgod.com/the-roman-road.htm

The Roman Road: A Well-engineered Path to Salvation
The Roman Road is a collection of verses in Paul’s Epistle to the Romans that offers a clear and structured path to Jesus Christ. Although many people believe they will go to heaven because they have lived a good life, done charity work, been baptized as a child, attended church, or treated others fairly, the Bible declares that none of us can live up to God’s standards of righteousness. Therefore, we need a road to God that doesn’t rely on anything we do, but rather, relies on the gift of His grace alone.

The Roman Road: Follow this Map
The Roman Road provides a detailed map for our salvation and eternal fellowship with God. Just follow these steps:

1. We must acknowledge God as the Creator of everything, accepting our humble position in God's created order and purpose. Romans 1:20-21:

"For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened."

2. We must realize that we are sinners and that we need forgiveness. None of us are worthy under God’s standards. Romans 3:23:

“For all have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God.”

3. God gave us the way to be forgiven of our sins. He showed us His love by giving us the potential for life through the death of His Son, Jesus Christ. Romans 5:8:

“But God demonstrates His love toward us, in that, while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

4. If we remain sinners, we will die. However, if we repent of our sins, and accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, we will have eternal life. Romans 6:23:

“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

5. Confess that Jesus Christ is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead and you are saved. Romans 10:9-10:

“That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”

6. There are no other religious formulas or rituals. Just call upon the name of the Lord and you will be saved! Romans 10:13:

“For whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved.”

7. Determine in your heart to make Jesus Christ the Lord of your life today. Romans 11:36:

"For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen."

The Roman Road: Are You Ready?
The Roman Road shows you the path – are you ready to accept God’s gift of Salvation now? If so, believe in what Jesus Christ did for you on the cross, repent of your sins, and commit the rest of your life to Him. This is not a ritual, just a prayerful guideline for your sincere step of faith:

“Father, I know that I have broken your laws and my sins have separated me from you. I am truly sorry, and now I want to turn away from my past sinful life toward you. Please forgive me, and help me avoid sinning again. I believe that your son, Jesus Christ died for my sins, was resurrected from the dead, is alive, and hears my prayer. I invite Jesus to become the Lord of my life, to rule and reign in my heart from this day forward. Please send your Holy Spirit to help me obey You, and to do Your will for the rest of my life. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.”

"Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." (Acts 2:38)

If you decided to receive Jesus today, welcome to God's family!

Talk to another Christian about your decision so they can talk to you about getting baptized, finding a church, etc.

Love!

Latest kitchen experiments...

On Thursday I made a Mt. Vernon Cherry Cake. The filling was cherry and was cooked on the stove, my first attempt at this. The cake was a doctored mix, very thick mix...extra tasty batter! Same old buttercream. I was lazy, and since it wasn't for class I just put it on a regular plate and slapped on some icing.

I also made pigs in the blankets for dinner on Thursday and again tonight. The picture is from tonight. They're easy! I used crescent rolls, hot dogs and cheese slices. Yum! I love mine with mustard! The trick is to roll the dough triangles out to rectangles, and cut each big rectangle into eight smaller rectangles.

Edited to add: Use Kraft American singles, they don't melt all over the place like these did. Maybe they're not really made with milk at all?!

McKinney Trade Days...

This Saturday, we are going to McKinney Trade Days. It's one of those crafty-sell-all-kinds-of-stuff-funnel-cakes flea market. I'm surprised Fisher agreed to go, since it basically shopping which he can't stand. We're going to go for a few hours with friends! Woohoo! Then it's off to a two-year old's birthday party, and I get to meet a friend's parents for the first time!

Hot Dog Buns...

I know what you're thinking...a post about hot dog buns? In the last few years, I've noticed the difference in hot dog buns regionally available in the US.

We're all familiar with the side-load bun (as Wikipedia calls it). It's the "normal" bun here in the south. Browned all around and soft and tasty (bottom pic).

My first experience with a different bun was in Massachusetts. Before that, I thought all buns were created equal. Not so. In New England, the buns are stuck together, so you pull them apart like a roll. It exposes lovely white, non-crusty sides and it stands up on it's own on a plate. I also discovered today that you can grill the sides of these buns (middle pic).

In Kauai, Hawaii at a hot dog stand called Puka Dog, they serve special bun with a puka (hole) in the middle. The hot dog is placed in the puka in the bun, and the hot dog is swaddled by the bun. The puka does not go all the way through, so the bun holds in all the toppings. At Puka Dog, the toppings range from lemon garlic sauce to pineapple, mango, coconut and several other relishes. The normal toppings are available too. The bun is baked and warmed on a rod that makes the puka (top pic).

I like the puka bun the best!

Poem for Mr. X...

How did you find this blog?
Are you stalking me?
Shouldn't you be hiding in the London fog?
Or riding in a taxi?
Fisher and Mike are great detectives.
Maybe I should get their perspective?
All of a sudden I'm feeling drowsy...
Mr. X, you are lousy!

KFC...

No, it's not what you think...it's the Kauai Feral Chickens! These things are everywhere on the island!

This is what lack of talent looks like...

September 11th...

A friend posted about September 11th in her blog, and it inspired me to write about it here.

It's hard to believe that was six years ago, and I think about how much has changed in my life since then. I wasn't directly affected, but I remember watching the second plane hit the tower, later watching them collapse, trying desperately all day to work, but being too preoccupied with trying to watch TV and even making bunny ears on my boss' TV (after we unpacked it) to get better reception.

That night I had a conversation with a friend about how we felt helpless and wondered silly things like, "If I didn't have pizza for dinner yesterday, would that have changed this?" It's amazing the stupid stuff that goes through your head during times of stress and how you think the miniscule things you do on a daily basis have a large impact. Prayer was the only thing I could do, and I realize now (my faith has grown a lot these last few years) that God was completely in control that day, and always has been. I knew that then, but it has more significance now.

In the six years since: I've grown closer in my walk with God, I've moved to Dallas because of a job that I interviewed for one week "after September 11th" (this phrase is now ingrained in all of our vocabularies), my parents moved to Arkansas, I've met great new friends and made stronger bonds with the old ones, and I got married! There have also been not so good things that have happened in the last six years, but God has been in all of those things which has made it possible to get through. Without God, I couldn't imagine dealing with tragedies like September 11th, and things in my own life.

aLOha...

Hello Everyone!

We are back from our Hawaiian vacation! We had a fantastic time!

Here's a quick overview and a few pictures!

We took an island-hopping cruise on Norwegian Cruise Line's Pride of Aloha visiting Oahu, Kauai, the Big Island and Maui. The ship could use some improvement but the itinerary was awesome!

Oahu - Honolulu (2 days)
Drive North Shore, see Banzai Pipeline, Sunset Beach, Waimea Bay, snorkel at Shark's Cove, drive to Haleiwa, have yummy garlic shrimp from a shrimp truck and had awesome "Shave Ice" (snow cone) with vanilla ice cream, visit Dole Pineapple Plantation and have fabulous Dole Whips, snorkel at Hanauma Bay. Snorkeling is fantastic in Oahu! Water is so clear. Next day in Oahu, we hiked up Diamond Head (a volcano). Tough hike for me! Then we got on the ship! We played Horse on the basketball court and I won!

Kauai - Nawiliwili (1.5 days)
There are chickens everywhere on this island from the hurricane in 1992 that did a lot of damage. People didn't secure the coups, so the chickens are wild and everywhere now! We drove to Ooepaka and Wailua Falls...beautiful! We drove through Waimea Canyon, such a beautiful example of God's handiwork! Tried body boarding on Poipu beach, had a delicious Puka Dog (http://www.pukadog.com/). Drove to spouting horn (a hole in the beach rocks that water "blows" through. Visited the ubiquitous Hilo Hatties. Also visited Kapalaka beach. Fisher "caught" the banana virus...this is the new version of the bird flu for him. I made a shell lei on the ship today with a matching bracelet. Shave ice was not good!

Big Island - Hilo (1 day)
Visited Volcanoes National Park and the world's most active volcano, Kilauea. No lava to see though! It was like a sulphur-smelling desert! The steam vents were really cool! They're how the volcano releases pent up steam/energy. Some of the rocks were hot! We also went through a lava tube (a tunnel left from a flowing river of lava).

Big Island - Kona (1 day)
We went snorkeling today! We snorkeled at Captain Cooks' Monument in Kealakekua Bay. There were spinner dolphins here (they jump out of the water and spin)! And a pod of dolphins (30-40) swam right underneath us! We saw some really neat fish here! Needle fish and eels! Eew! Yummy shave ice, again, times two!

Maui - Lahaina (1 day)
Tried surfing! Not the sport for us! But it's cool to say we've tried it! Snorkeled at Kaanapli beach. Good snorkeling here too! Had delicious shave ice! Went to the Old Lahaina Luau! What a fun experience! Food was tasty and show was really cool!

Maui - Road to Hana (1 day)
Drove the long windy road with lots of one lane bridges to Hana and saw lots of waterfalls and great overlooks (ocean on one side, lush green land on the other)! There were people running a marathon up the mountain. We ran into them on the way up and the way down! Saw a black sand beach. Drove to Lahaina to get shave ice again! Stopped at an overpriced Taco Bell!

Oahu - Honolulu
Ship docked again, and we went to Pearl Harbor and left for home.

Whew! We're exhausted!