A great new find

Last night I met up with a friend at Serda's Coffee in downtown. They have a little bit of everything there. The most interesting part is their gellato. I sampled a few different things, never having it before, and I was blown away! I look forward to taking Brad there and getting a cup of Zuppa gellato which is made with egg and white wine...sounds different but it was delicious; tasted like a creme brulee w/ a scotch aftertaste. I ordered the chai latte and I must say it was the best I've ever had. I also hear they have live music too.
Now, I am Moka's Coffee fan for sure and I'll remain a faithful customer of theirs. It's owned by a great family and it has a cool atmosphere. They also support live music.
I am also a Starbucks fan. Oh, and I also love Carpe Diem on Old Shell Rd... okay, so I guess I haven' quite found a coffee shop that I don't like. All I'm saying is that it's nice to finally have some variety in Mobile. I support all these espresso based establishments...often. They all have something different to offer, in different parts of town.

Movie review/workout/it's hot.

I finally watched Juno last night. I really liked it! Ellen Page is adorable, I must say. Anytime a movie's or tv show's plot includes premarital sex, the radar starts to buzz. Obviously it's because I have a conviction about it that it's not the right thing to do (for many reasons). Lots of times it's viewed as something that's not that big of a deal; like daily life, you know? What I did like about Juno is that it proved this crucial point: It only takes one time to conceive. It baffles me that a married couple who wants a baby so bad can try to conceive a baby for years to no avail, yet for some couples it only takes once. I also liked the part about the baby having fingernails. I don't think that was what initially drove Juno to decide not to abort, but it did give the thought that she's not just carried a group of cells but a life. I thought that was cool. Anyway, I'm not going to pick the movie apart and tell you what I thought or if I approved or disapproved. I thought the movie was well written, had an excellent cast and I kinda teared up at the end. Oh, and I think my favorite character was Brenda, Juno's step mom. She was boss.
After watching the movie, I went to the gym for some cardiovascular exercise. I thought the elliptical trainer was best for this at the time. I slept like a rock last night.

Today I'm going to lift weights for lower body then meet up with a friend for espresso later on. There's a new coffee shop in downtown that I've heard a lot about so we're gonna hit that one up.

It's getting hot outside. Real HOT. Summer's here everyone. I guess thanks to global warming our planet's weather is a bit off, however thankfully the south eastern region of the US actually got to enjoy what's called Spring this year. I liked it.

Mid Week Yada Yada

I've been fairly sleepy all day long; I didn't get much sleep last night. I am planning on going to a spinning class a the Y later this evening. I will be going home first to change. I may have an argument with myself over whether to change into exercise clothes and go to the Y, or change into pj's and nap on the couch. I haven't decided which side I'll take just yet.

Other than that, I have no plans for the evening, nor do I tomorrow evening. Friday night, I am to attend a rehearsal dinner for the wedding of precious Holly and Jacob. Their wedding is Saturday.

So, the week tends to be slowing down a bit.

Hmm, CSI NY comes on Wednesday nights....I guess I do have plans.

Dang it!

Sorry, folks. I'm having issues with photobucket today, so the pictures in the post below do not fit properly. I believe you can click on the picture to see the full shot.

Holiday Weekend

Yesterday was Memorial Day, fka Decoration Day. Thank you to corporate America, the general public follows the traditions of barbecuing and searching for big sales at Sam's Club, instead of taking time to decorate the tombstones of fallen soldiers, remembering the sacrifice they all made for our country. Ashamedly, I am one of those citizens that shopped and failed to recognize the reason for the holiday. So, for that I am sorry.

So, with that confession said, I'll give a re cap of my 3-day weekend. Friday night Brad and I met up with some friends at Mars Hill Cafe for dinner. Thank you, Corky, for the amazing dinner and the mango tea. Saturday I don't remember the details. I really hate when that happens. I do remember that I slept in some, worked out at the gym and went to see the new Indiana Jones movie with Brad, Will met us there. Thanks Will, for saving us seats.
I really liked the film. It got rave reviews from tough Hollywood critics, but the general public is kinda "meh" about the whole thing. I thought it was great.

Sunday we went to the morning service at church, People of Mars Hill and then I did some grocery shopping. I also bought a jalapeno plant. That day Brad worked in the yard and I cleaned the house. We had our "small group" friends over for a grill-out that evening. We wanted to do one big get together to visit before Brad left for his long trip. Man, the food kept coming! I made baked beans (for the first time, my own recipe), roasted potatoes, queso dip, and a strawberry shortcake. It was a bring-your-own-meat deal, and I filled up the grill three times, I think. It was a great night. Brad was awesome, he did most of the clean up while I was still visiting with friends.

Monday we really took the day off. I meant to go for a run, but it didn't happen. We slept in, watched some Monster Quest on the History Channel, then decided to do some shopping. He needed electric guitar strings and I wanted some more herbs. So we went to Musical Walmart, I mean, Guitar Center, then to Lowe's. We bought a few hanging planters, a thyme plant, and a cucumber plant. So now, in the yard we are growing:
tomato
cucumber
jalapeno
thyme
sweet basil
rosemary

Over the weekend, we discovered we have 6 gladiolas plants! For the past 3 years we thought they were only tall decorative grass. This year they are budding in bold red flowers. I am ecstatic! We plan on laying a pallet of sod in July. Our backyard is shaping up beautifully.

I took a few pics of some things we are growing and I also got a few of the babies.
Here's Lucille looking like she wants to kill me.

Here's a pic of my sweet basil plant, and you can see Arwen in the back ground going to town on a rawhide.

Here's Batman with HIS rawhide, in his favorite "chew spot".

And last but not least, is our fearless feline, Robin.


I finished the 6th Harry Potter book last night. I wanted to re read it before the movie came out. It'll be released in November, so I'm kinda ahead of myself.
Now I will finish reading Echoes of His Presence. I should have that done by next week if I don't allow myself to get too busy and distracted. After that I'm going to dive into more C.S. Lewis. I'm not sure where to start. I began to read Mere Christianity this past fall, I may just start that one over and go from there.

Today is a weight lifting day. I'll do that after work, hopefully I'll have time to put in some good cardiovascular exercise afterward. I have already cleaned the house for small group tonight so I have no excuse.

I'm looking forward to our discussion tonight. Jack's teaching this past Sunday was really good. I need to listen to it again though.

Hummph... I'm having a hard time getting into the swing of things today.

5 reasons why I love youtube.com

I often wondered how people can sit in front of a computer for hours on end looking at "stuff". I can check email, look at myspace for a sec or even facebook, maybe browse around some discussion boards for kicks, but that was about it...until I discovered the endless possibilities of youtube. So here's a list of reasons why I love youtube.com

1.) It provides hours of entertainment!
I have recently been introduced (not personally) to comedians Brian Reagan and Jeff Dunham. Jeff is my favorite of the two. When I am feeling bored, or there's nothing good on tv, I'll enter their names on the search and find clip after clip of their stand up routines. I love laughing out loud while at home by myself, it makes it even funnier, I think.
Here's a few gems:
At Starbucks, a small is tall.
I want MUFFINS!!!
Jeff Dunham and Peanut. This one will make you snort out your nose, it's so funny - fah fah!
Brian Reagan's experience with the ER.
Funny Cats.
Tommy Boy comes to Halo.

2.) It is a great go to source for tutorials.
My hair has reached to such a long length, and it's getting hot outside. I'm growing it to donate, so I can't cut it just yet. I'm tired of the pony tail so I did a search for demos of how to create different up dos. I found lots of great ideas and have already used them myself.
I have also found videos of makeup techniques.

3.) It shows me just what my husband is up to while on the road.
Seraph has a youtube channel and they periodically post videos they take while traveling. I love being able to see the places they visit and watch the goofy ways they pass the time in the truck.
This was a personal favorite of mine.

4.) It works for nostalgic purposes.
There was some good television back in the 80s and 90s. From Masters of the Universe to the Cajun Man on SNL, you can view just about any of your favorite tv moments.
One of my favorite icons from the 80s was Shera, Princess of Power. Take a look.

5.) It is the central network of stupid people.
There are a few people in my life that, honestly, I'm surprised they're still alive. Daredevils and extreme sportsmen/women (and clumsy people) have plagued youtube with their videos of stupid stunts. I believe this became the cornerstone of this website's success. Although I think it's insane to try most of these dangerous acts, it does provide entertainment for myself and my friends. If at the beginning of the video you hear the words, "Hey Y'all!!! Which 'is!!", you know it's going to be good.

Time is a strange thing.

Time is a factual element of life. It is measured in seconds, minutes, and up. Those don't change. It has always taken 60 seconds to equal one minute. But doesn't it seem to feel different to us? Time doesn't seem evenly spread; it moves. It speeds up, it slows down, it stops. When waiting for an important phone call or email, or even just to get off work, it can creep by. When taking a lunch hour, or enjoying coffee with a friend, it speeds by. Strange.
Last night Brad and I visited friends of ours who just welcomed their first child into the world. They had a perfectly sweet baby boy. I held him a lot. Brad was wonderful with him too, even though he had never held a newborn. He's such a natural. But I have known the mother since the 7th grade. I met her husband my first day of college. I remember life with the two of them before they had even met each other. Now, they've been married over 5 years and have a baby. Time has flown by on this one.
I was speaking with my friend about how she needs to savor every single moment with her newborn because it will be gone before she realizes it. Next thing we all know, he'll be out of diapers and getting his driver's permit.
I remember the night I found out my sister was having her first baby. I can recall the look on Brooke's face when she told me, I can remember my emotion, I can tell you all that I was dreaming about that night, too. It honestly seems like it happened just a few weeks ago. But Hannah just turned 9 years old... It's so sad. I have well incorporated myself in the lives of Brooke's kids, but I still feel as if I've missed out on so much because they are growing up so fast. I was telling our friends last night how Baby, the family maltese, would come running out of mom's bedroom when Mikayla would start crying. We brought Mikayla home when she was 11 months old. When she woke up from nap time, Baby wanted mom to get in there quick and shut her up! Now KK is turning 9 later this year. She talks like she's 19 though. Again, time is gone, it seems.
Brad's 10 year reunion is this year. He isn't able to attend because Seraph is on the road at the time. He's pretty disappointed because he wanted to see his old friends, of course.
As of this month, he and I have been graduated from college for 5 years. We are also celebrating 8 years together in just a few weeks. I think it's weird how I remember so vividly, the night we met and what I was thinking, almost like it did happen not too long ago, but I have a hard time remembering what life was like before him.
The measures of time do not change, but life itself seems to alter it for each individual.
I don't have an exact point with this entry, just wanted to state what was on my mind today. I hope you are all having a great week and that you are making the most of your time.
ha ha! Do any of you remember that old DC Talk song "Time is Tickin Away"? Wow, that one came out of left field...