It's official! I'm a NY Yankees fan.

We went to the Yankees vs. Detroit Tigers game last night. Unfortunately the Yanks lost but it was still an exciting game. We were up at the very top but we could still see really well. My friend Sarah was there with her family so Katie an I visited her at her seats. The last picture is taken from Sarah's seats. They were amazing! If you ever find yourself in NYC during baseball season I would certainly reccommend going!

This week has been so hot that I have not wanted to do anything. I have barely even wanted to eat so cooking has been out of the question. It finally cooled down today so I wanted to cook. After watching an old episode of Top Chef I decided I wanted to cook meatloaf. I was in an adventureous mood so I decided to make up my own recipe and it turned out quite well if I do say so myself. Everybody else seemed to enjoy it as well. It turned out to be an Italian style meatloaf complete with a homemade sauce on top. That's right folks, no ketchup on this meatloaf. I made fried okra for the second time in my life. People in the north don't eat it. I try to do my party and introduce them to the fine vegetable that is okra. Anyway, nothing exciting has happend this week so I have resorted to blogging about food. If you are still reading this then your week must have been as exciting as mine. This time next week I will be at a Yankees game so hopefully I will have something a little more interesting to blog about.

My Alabama trip continued...the second week.

It was great to get to visit with everybody while I was home. I wasn't very good about taking pictures so here are the few I took. I had so much fun with everybody and I can't wait to see everybody again at Thanksgiving. If I didn't get to see you this time hopefully I will catch you the next time I am home.

My second week in Alabama started off with some quality time with some of the Mee-Maws. We were too busy talking to take many pictures. Then when I tried Lily did not want to sit still long enough to be in them so this is what I got. It was great fun and relaxing to see the Mee-Maws. Jennifer and Josh's new house is too cute and Lily is very proud of her room.

I got to see Bekah and Eli the most out of everybody at home I think. I was very happy to see that Eli had not forgotten me but by the 3rd time he saw me the newness of me had warn off. We had lunch with Jennifer Rushing while I was in town and as you can see Eli enjoyed the dessert.

How cute is this picture? Two of my favorite people! Chloe is my cousin Miranda's little girl. We all went out to eat the night before we left to head up to NY. Leigha played with Chloe for a second and I am pretty sure she was Chloe's new best friend(at least for the day anyway).

This is my nanny's kitchen in her new house. Aren't we impressed with the color? Since I have come back to New York they have put the cabinets in so I am sure it looks much different now. Unfortunately I didnt get to help with the house any like I had planned. But, I think it is coming along just fine without me. I can't wait to see it at Thanksgiving. I hope it will be finished by then!

Nanny and Pa's 50th Anniversery Party

My first week of being home was pretty much devoted to getting ready for Nanny and Pa's party. We all had a lot of fun hanging out on the 4th of July and then got busy decorating as soon as dinner was over. I think that the party went really well. The food was fabulous, and I think everybody had fun with karaoke! There were a few tears, lots of laughter, and fun times for all!

Nanny and Pa with thier grandkids

The Walton Cousins always have a good time when they are together. Unfortunately we don't get to have everybody together as often as we would like. But, I think that everybody takes advantage of the time that they do have together. For the first time in a long time almost everybody lives within about 2 hours of Nanny and Pa. Hopefully that will make things alot easier for everybody to get together. The collage above is made up of some candids that we took while we were waiting to take the family portrait. I'll post about the actual party next so check back soon!

A Walton Reunion

I guess it's about time for me to post about my time at home. It was a packed couple of weeks so it might take a couple of posts. Check back in the next few days for more updates. This first collage is of the families that make up the Waltons. We took a big family portrait the morning of Nanny and Pa's Anniversery party. This was part of their present from the family. I was very happy with how the pictures turned out. It all just worked out perfectly. The colors, the location and one happy little baby made for beautiful pictures. Chloe even picked a coordinating stuffed animal for the big event. The Walton family is one handsome family if I do say so myself!

44 hours later....I'm done!

Now I can finally get back to real life. It might be a little sad that a book can have such an effect on people but I must admit that my life has pretty much stopped for the last 2 days. If I had not already had plans to go to a party last night I would have not had any human interaction until tomorrow. Thank you to non-Harry Potter friends for taking my mind off of it for a second. I can't believe it is over. Yes, I am talking about a bunch of fictional characters but they are characters that I have been following for 4 or 5 years now. I'm sad that nothing new will happen but I am happy with how it ended. I am also happy that there are still 2 more movies to come out! For those of you who are not Harry Potter fans this all seems a little crazy. I know, I was one of those who made fun my friends where reading children's books. But for those of you who do understand, Thanks!

The beginning of the End!

It is 12:30 am and I have my book. Leigha has already read the first few pages on the way home and now I will be reading to her as she packs for her flight in a few hours. Guess what I will be doing for the next 72 hours!

The calm before the storm

This week has been rather uneventful. I am actually very greatful for that. I have been able to have some productive alone time. I've spent most of my time running errands and getting ready to be gone for 2 weeks. My car is in good condition, with a full tank of gas and an audio book in the cd player! Now I just have to work Friday night and all day Saturday then I head out on Sunday morning! So, If we haven't made plans yet give me a call so I can put you on the calender. My second week home is still pretty open.

Father's Day with The Father: God, Me, and my ipod.

I didn't go to church today...I know,I know I'm a heathen. After an exhausting week of playing tour guide then working all weekend I just needed to sleep in. Plus, the thought of sitting down and listening to someone talk for an hour was not very appealing. After I got up I decided I needed to go work out and get a few things done today but the thought of walking on a treadmill inside made me sad. So, instead of going to the gym I went to Rockland lake. While I work out sometimes I like to listen to sermons. So I set my ipod to a Safe Harbor Sermon I had not listened to yet and I started walking. As I walked I very quickly noticed all the families that were out at the lake today cooking out and playing games. I began to feel a little sorry for myself that I was all alone walking around the lake while my family was back in Alabama together celebrating Father's Day. I then began to think about the fact that this is not the first holiday that I have spent by myself and certainly won't be the last. Because of the life that God has called me to, I will be a part from my family and friends for the majority of the time. I began to pray and I felt the presence of God with me and I suddenly did not feel so alone anymore. I felt a real peace and comfort that God was right there with me and I would never be alone.

About half way around the lake I came to a another large section of families enjoying eachother. I felt very joyful for them and how fortunate I am to live in such a diverse place. It was beautiful to look around and see people of all nationalities celebrating in thier language and in thier own way.

Towards the end of my walk around the lake I saw some swans resting in the water so I decided to sit on a bench and watch them. As I sat and praised God for the beauty around me I realized that as much as I see myself as a tiny ugly duckling, God sees me as His beautiful swan. After swimming around for a few minutes they decided to fly. I don't think I have ever really watched swans take off out of the water before. It was very interesting to see how they started flapping thier wings really hard just to get thier feet on top of the water. Then they actually run on the water for a few feet until they can get enough air under thier wings to actually take off in the air. Once they are in the air they still have to flap thier wings really hard to get up enough air under thier wings to soar above the lake and really fly. It was a beautiful site that I was very fortunate to see. I also noticed though that after all the hard work to just get up in the air they still had to work once they got up there. They floated for a few seconds but then they would have to flap thier wings to keep them in the air and then float for another few seconds. It was a continual cycle but I am sure well worth it just to be in the air flying.

After they left I continued on my walk but I kept thinking about the swans. Thier taking off is really symbolic of a Christian's life. We could be content to just float along in the calm cool water all day and just be the cookie cutter little Christian that we have always been. Or, we can begin to flap our wings by spending time with God and put a little more effort into KNOWING him. After flapping our wings for a little while then we can finally have the faith to not walk, but run on the water with the promise that He is the air under our wings and he is going to lift us up to new heights. Finally, after our faith is strong enough we can fly and rest on the Wind of our God, never forgetting to spend time with him to continue building up that wind underneath us.

I'm so thankful that I have a Heavenly Father that sees this tiny, awkward, ugly duckling as His Beautiful, graceful, swan and who is willing to be the wind that carries me. This promise is why I am willing to go wherever He takes me.

Leah does NYC

 

Leah came to visit me for the week and I got to play tour guide again. We went on the same tv and movie tour that Aunt Connie and Heather went on. It was great fun. We made it to the tour bus on time this time! Leah was very impressive with her trivia knowledge!

 

We started off our second day in the city with Central Park. We went to Strawberry fields first, which is somewhere that I have always wanted to go. While we were in central park we were very excited to see the M. Knight Shamalan(don't know how to spell it). He was on the phone while we walked by. I am guessing he was scouting out the location for his next movie!

 

This was Leah's first time in NYC. It has been fun experiencing things with her for the first time. She was very impressed with the lights of Time Square. We went to see Mary Poppins Tuesday night. It was FABULOUS! The sets alone were amazing but the songs and actors were also great! I would reccommend it for anyone coming to the city! Warning: don't expect it to be just like the movie.

Tea Time and Sushi!

 
Molly, Sarah and Katie took me into the city for my birthday on Wed. First we went to Magnolia's(a trendy bakery in the Village) and got cupcakes. Then we went to "Tea-rific" in Chinatown. It is a chinese tea house that has great bubble tea. We had nice tea and conversation. It was the perfect end to a great birthday. The picture is just of Katie and me. We look very buisness like because it was rather chilly so we had to wear jackets. Sorry, I don't have a picture of all 4 of us who were there.
 
Friday night I got very lucky and walked into work to find somebody wanting to pick up my shift. Some of my friends were having a "make your own sushi" party so I very quickly agreed to not work. Making my own sushi was rather fun since I am pretty picky about my sushi. This picture is of my rolling my sushi. Impressed?
 
Isn't it beautiful? I must say I was pretty impressed with my first attempt. In case you are wondering what I put in my roll, it was carrots, avacado, and cucumber. No crab or any other raw meat for me!
 
It was very yummy, if I do say so myself!

In Honor of Jennifer Stone!

Happy Birthday to Jennifer! I had a big idea of a photo montage in honor of you but that would involve messing up a hundred times and crying alot so I decided against it. We love you lots Jennifer Stone and I can't wait to see you next month!

 

Top 10 blog worthy things that I've been too lazy to blog about!

10. We said goodbye to Jesse with a fire and smores!



9. My friends and I had a Spice Girls party which involved being a Spice Girl.


8. My friends and I had a Cinco de Mayo Party that was actually held on the 6th.


7. The Missions Students had a dinner at Dr. Bailey's house and were blessed
during the Basi ceremony...an AGSM tradition!


6. Attended a graduation party for Molly, Stacy, and Sarah, which involve Nithin
going into the pool in 50 degree weather.
5. I saw Les Mis for the second time. Wonderful as always!
4. I saw the Drowsy Chaperone. Very funny for any broadway lover!
3. I leave for Alabama in 25 days!
2. Leah comes to visit next week!
1. I really love living here and I honestly don't know if I have ever felt so
content before! It's a wonderful feeling.

What do you think?

My pastor, Luke Camara, brings up some interesting and controversial topics. I'm not too good at the whole blog thing so I thought I would borrow from him. He brought up the topic of drinking on his blog this week. I have a little bit different audience than he does so I was just wondering what you thought? Be sure to read the comments on his blog and don't forget to comment to let me know your thoughts.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY HEATHER WEATHERS!!!

Brave

I have known this song for awhile but if you know me you know that sometimes it takes me awhile to catch on to things. Recently I have really come to identify with the words of this song. They are some powerful words. I urge you to read them and then to listen to the song by Nicole Nordeman. I pray that they might be as inspiring and uplifting to you as they are to me.


The gate is wide
The road is paved in moderation
The crowd is kind and quick to pull you in
Welcome to the middle ground
It's safe and sound and
Until now it's where I've been

Cuz it's been fear
That ties me down to everything
But it's been love, Your love
That cuts the strings

So long, status quo
I think I've just let go
You make me wanna be brave
The way it always was
It's no longer good enough
You make me wanna be brave
Brave, brave

I am small
And I speak when I'm spoken to
But I am willing to risk it all
I say Your name
Just Your name, and I'm ready to jump
Even ready to fall

Why did I
Take this vow of compromise?
Why did I
Try to keep it all inside?

I've never known a fire that didn't begin with a flame
And every storm will start with just a drop of rain
But if You believe in me
That changes everything

Vote for Caroline!

 

Please go to this site to vote for Caroline! She is the one on the back left of the picture. Caroline is in a contest on a Birmingham radio station. You can hear her and the other two contestants on the site. Please vote for Caroline and tell everyone you know to do the same! She really is the best one!

It's Spring Time! Well not really.

 
By looking at these pictures you would think that it was fall. But it is not. It is spring. Unfortunatly I put up all of my sweaters last weekend when it was 80 degrees. Anyway...my friend Jesse is moving out this weekend so we have a little going away get together last week after class. I wish I had known about the fire pit before now. I would have been out there alot more often. It is a nifty little area not far from the building I live in.
 
Aren't Sarah, Molly, and Abby soo cute! They were a little chilly so they had to huddle to keep warm. We had another party last night at Sarah's house. Hopefully pictures from that will be coming soon. It is the end of the semester so things have been a little hectic trying to finish everything up.
 
According to Jesse this is my L.L.Bean look. I think I just look like I am trying to stay warm. We also had smores at this little get together. It was great fun. I really just enjoy the roasted marshmellows but everyone else enjoyed the smores!

Happy Birthday Susan!