grits + scrooge

I love holidays at Unboundary. Our office has lots of great annual traditions, and last night was one of my favorites. At 4:15pm a bus picked all 40 of us up at the office and drove us to Dogwood Restaurant. Chef Shane Touhy of Dogwood, along with his amazing grits, was featured as the afternoon appetizer portion of our TEDxAtlanta event. We knew we had to go back for more grits. Dinner consisted of Anson Mill's stone ground grits, chopped port, sweet tea bar-b-que sauce, slaw + Parmesan crusted flounder, oven dried tomatoes, bay scallops, thyme, cream + Chocolate creme brulee, toasted marshmallow. So yummy! (And a nice break from all of the fast food we've been eating :)

Then the bus took us to one of my favorite Christmas-time stories. The story of Ebenezer Scrooge and how he came to know the meaning of Christmas. The Alliance Theatre puts on a great show every year, and this year was just as great!

More fun to be had over the next two weeks! Merry, merry Christmas!

update via lists

The D-I-Y (do it yourself) mantra sure does make things rewarding. However, it also means that things are going to take time. Especially when you work 8+ hours a day, and only have a couple of hours at the end of the day to get things done. Currently, our house is a little ghetto-fied. So, an update in the form of lists (I can't bear to put up pictures just yet).

Things we still have to get done + what they effect:

- Stain the front door = no Christmas wreath hung until then; oh, and we also can't install our new knobs until then either (which is why we have no door knob from inside)

- Stain the back deck = Porch furniture set up on our parking pad (where a huge pile of trash also lies...we've been promised our workers are coming back for it!)

- Fix the toilet in the master bathroom = I have to walk all the way to the guest bathroom to make my (at least once) middle of the night potty break

- Repair the kitchen sink faucet hose = Eating take-out for every meal (see list of take-out spots below)

- Paint the guest and master bathrooms = Makes sense to wait to get everything fully set up (mirrors hung, pictures up, etc)

- Get cable installed = Missing all my shows (w/ no way to DVR then either!) + going through all the old movies we have

- Install Racks for Master Closet = We have to go to three different rooms to put together (and find!) our outfits for the days (our clothes/shoes reside in closets, dressers, and bags in both the guest bedrooms)

- Replace dryer exhaust duct = One large pile of laundry!

However, we have gotten the following (so much!) accomplished -

- Carpets installed

- Fridge, stove/range, washer + dryer delivered and installed

- New front and back door (that conveniently lock, unlike the previous ones!)

- Painted all of the walls in the house (save the bathrooms)

- Moved all of our things from the condo to the house

- Unpacked almost all of our things

- Fixed the water heater

- Replaced + painted the siding

- Bought a vacuum cleaner and an iron

And my final list is all of the places we've eaten take-out lately (some of which I'm a little embarrassed) -

- Nuevo Laredo

- Arby's

- Bonehead's

- Publix

- Jimmy Johns

- Taco Bell

- Chick-fil-A

- Moes

- Star Provisions

- Lindsay + Gavin's (our awesome friends who have provided at least two meals for us!)

I am craving some fresh vegetables and a piece of fish!!

While I'm ready to be settled, I'm definitely trying to take the time and enjoy the fun parts of this transition period. Here's to being homeowners!

time to take a deep breath

It's no secret that our lives are a bit chaotic right now. Chaos and lack of sleep, more often than not, leads to frustration and short tempers (at least for me). I'm not gonna lie - I have had to be very intentional to keep a grateful heart.

We are living with boxes stacked everywhere. But we have a home.

The kitchen sink is broken. But we have food.

We are sleeping on a mattress in the living room. But I have an amazing, loving husband to sleep next to.

I don't have time to put up Christmas decorations (heck - I don't even have time to unpack all of our daily things). But I have a Savior who entered this world for me.

For me. To save this world.

God. Came. To. Live. In. This. Dirty. Sad. Sinful. World.

For us.

It's just the dose of humility that I need right now. Which is why this is my favorite Christmas song right now. And possibly will be from here on out.

It's still a mystery to me

That the hands of God could be so small

How tiny fingers reaching in the night

Were the very hands that measured the sky

Hallelujah, hallelujah

Heaven's love reaching down to save the world

Hallelujah, hallelujah

Son of God, Servant King

You're here with us

It's still a mystery to me

How is infant eyes have seen the dawn of time

How is ears have heard an angel's symphony

But still Mary had to rock her Savior to sleep

Hallelujah, hallelujah

Heaven's love reaching down to save the world

Hallelujah, hallelujah

Son of God, Servant King

You're here with us

Jesus the Christ, born in Bethlehem

A baby born to save, to save the souls of man

Hallelujah, hallelujah

Heaven's love reaching down to save the world

Hallelujah, hallelujah

Son of God, Servant King

You're here with us

thanksgiving in photos

Part 1: Augusta

We had a blast in Augusta, with lots of food, family, friends, and relaxing. Good thing, because Part 2 isn't quite so restful!

Family Bootcamp : Thanksgiving Morning

(led by Tee on the far left)

My favorite ladies : Thanksgiving

Aunt Wendy, RA, Jennifer, & Mom

Auburn/Alabama Tailgate w/ great friends!

Grant & Micah, J & I, Baby Harris (belonging to Micah!) and Kathryn and Neal

Our favorite kids in the world!

Part 2: Jamie and I cut the weekend short, and came back to the ATL on Saturday night. There was lots of moving to be done (Sun & Mon), but we are finally, officially in our new house!

Jamie and the U-haul on Sunday

Last night at the condo : Air mattress-style

Carpet comes tomorrow (for the bedrooms), so

everything lives in our living room until then.

Perfect ending to a super-long two days!

Pizza and wine in OUR new home!

I've got tons of before photos that I'll share soon, especially when we have some after photos to share!

Thanksgiving Come Early

This year, our Thanksgiving started a few days early. And by "thanksgiving," I don't mean the turkey, dressing, or the pumpkin pie. I mean it literally. We gave thanks this weekend for some really great friends and family in our lives. Friends and family who spent 8+ hours of their Saturday helping us paint our new home.

Robin Anne and mom drove in from Augusta. Sue and Dave came for their second work day on Claremont Street. Kelly, Gavin, Lindsay, Jessi, Jessica, and Shep all showed up and went to work. It's amazing how much more fun work is when you're doing it with some of your favorite people. We had the iPod going, Lindsay made some amazing pizzas for lunch, and mom and Sue made sure to keep us full with snacks and drinks along the way. (Since painting isn't really their thing, they both spent the day cleaning AND lining all of our kitchen and pantry cabinets!)

And the result was a freshly painted home where each room has a piece of our friends in it.

Jamie getting things started with some putty

Mom cleaning the kitchen

Jennifer and the kids were in town, so they came by to see.

Hadley helping paint :)

Although we're a long ways off, it sure was fun to have the

backyard filled with kids playing

Kelly and RA in the blue room

Jess, Jessi, and Linds in the Master

Dave was the master edge/trimmer!

Tackling the upper window!

And then the sink started leaking.

Minor diversion from the paint party

Jessi and I in the laundry room

love of my life :) wondering what we've

gotten ourselves into

hanging out on the front porch as

we celebrate a long, productive day!

Turns out we completed almost every room! Dave, Sue, Jamie, and I went back yesterday to finish most everything up. Closets and bathrooms are the only things left, and I'll have photos of it all soon! Today we get new doors, siding completed...and I'm working on the carpet. Anyone got any suggestions of carpet installers that are relatively affordable? 7 days (minus the four days we'll be in Augusta) til we've got to be out of our condo!

OCD much?

Lists are an important part of my life. Growing up, I was probably one of the most unorganized people. Until college. Partly because I was now responsible for managing my own time and partly because my small living space served as living room, kitchen, bedroom, etc. That was when I realized my great need for lists. This is what has to get done today. This week. Etc. And this realization came with my great need for significant "places" to put things. Electronics go in a basket on a shelf in our TV stand. Hair products go under the sink. Hats go in a bin on a shelf above our closet. Nice dresses go on the left side of the closet. Casual dresses go in the armoire. Jeans go in the bottom drawer of the dresser. You get the picture. Things must go back to their "places;" otherwise they get misplaced. No list/"place" = a forgotten lunch date, a missing pair of pants, an incomplete work assignment, an unnoticed birthday of a friend, etc.

It wasn't until recently that I have again been reminded of the necessity of these tools in my life. It's just the way it is. Without them, there comes this overwhelmed version of myself. Lists and "Places" keep order and sanity in my life, and I am a much happier person when this is the case. Even the husband, who once poked fun of my lists, is recognizing that they are important for our household!

It was with his encouragement that I created this crazy spreadsheet for our house (if you click on it, it'll give you a larger version so you can see just how crazy detailed it gets!). There's so much to do, and we need a plan. What we need versus what can wait a few months until we're settled. What has to be done before we move in. What we currently have for the house. How much money we have left in gift cards so that we can get the things we need. There's so much to do, and this allows me to see it in big picture. And check things off (which is my favorite!).

If this is the list for just the basics of our house, can you imagine what my binder was like for the months of wedding planning? Huge and crazy! But it got me through.

Ah - now I can breathe a little sigh of relief as we attempt to check some things off the list!

you can put this on my Christmas list

This year, with the new house and all, I'm really having to differentiate on what classifies as a need and what falls into the want category.

This definitely falls into the want pile, but a girl can dream right (and did I mention that I have a birthday that comes up right after Christmas)? It's a Nespresso Citiz Automatic Espresso Machine. This thing is pretty small in size, but it makes quality espresso and the milk frother is close to barista quality. While the price is slightly higher than I'd like, it's a great price for an espresso machine. Linds and Gavin got one for their wedding, and I've been envious ever since my first latte at their house.

As I've mentioned before, my drink choice changes daily. However, this little machine (and the purchase of some extras - i.e. syrup flavors) will allow me to make whatever I'm feeling like having. For way less than the price at a coffee shop. And you can have a latte any time you come over too!!

Of course, in all actuality, this goes behind the new doors, carpet, paint, siding, cleaning, vacuum, decor, etc. that we need for the house. Oh well - I'm content snuggling up with a Starbucks cup in my hand...cause afterall, we have a home! And there's always next year :)

success!!

Thanks to everyone who came out last night! The event was a HUGE success - exactly how much so, I'll have to wait to tell you when we get the final numbers in from Lindsay and Gavin. However, I do know that the goal we set was pretty high, and that we exceeded that goal!! There are going to many kids who are going to be blessed as a result of the fun times that we were blessed with last night. Dawn came and even won one of the raffles! Earrings by Jen Boaz. Oh, and my stud of a husband did a great job introducing the founders of LUO. I'm so glad he's back! I'll post more pictures later, but wanted to share the good news! They'll be more of these in the future, so if you didn't make it out, you don't want to miss out on the fun next time!

Speaking of Dawn, she's been busy prepping away for our annual office Feast. This year's theme is "modern pilgrim" and the set up is fabulous. About to head out now to start with hors d'oeuvres. Yummy! Pictures to come!

::COLLIDE::

Come out tonight!!

:where art meets africa to set children free from poverty:

It'll be fun night of eating (tapas!), sipping (sangria!), hanging out with good friends (we'll all be there), and learning more about LUO! I've got much more to say about our amazing friends, Gavin and Lindsay Tarquinio, and their non-profit, LUO, but the point of this post is short and sweet - come join us tonight at Eclipse de Luna (Perimeter location)! $10 in advance, and $15 at the door.

See you there!

h.o.m.e.

**While the beginning of this post is a little more sentimental, there is news to be told. So scroll down a bit if you haven't the time to read much :)

Several friends have posted this week on the topic of home, thanks to this post by someone who asked her fellow bloggers to write on the concept. Turns out two of my friends, both from different places in my journey, were a part of that group, which got me thinking. What is my concept of home?

From birth to the end of high school, I lived in the same home - 2237 Pickens Road, Augusta. Two parents, 4 kids, and at one point an aunt, uncle, and 3 cousins. It was a full, chaotic, house and I loved it that way. It was a refuge, a place I felt safe and loved. I thought I had my idea of home figured out...until I stepped out into college (which was not so easy...pulling up deeply set roots can be tough).

That's when I experienced a teeny tiny dorm room and some super silly times with Micah, a college house full of good friends in very different stages of life, a grad-school apartment on my own, and a post-college house filled with girls trying to figure out the real world. During this time, my heart was stretched. A little piece was left in every place that I had called home. Each was special and sentimental and home in it's own way.

Then I met the husband. And God taught me about narrowing my focus. Letting go a little bit of each of the places I had left. Though they still hold sentimental value, I'm able to give more where I am. Which from April on has been the cramped condo.

Ironically enough...today, home means this -

1915 Claremont Street. Yep, it's official. We are HOMEOWNERS!! After a year-long process, we have finally found and CLOSED on our in-the-city home. If you know Atlanta, it's in Underwood Hills, just off Defoors Rd (which is just down from where I-75 hits Howell Mill).

I'm sure the house on Claremont Street has many lessons on home yet to teach. Let's face it, it's probably where we'll have our first kid. It's where we'll continue to learn what it's like being a husband and a wife. It's where we'll have our first pet. And our first mortgage. Heck - we start ripping up carpet next week!

I guess, to sum up, I'd have to same home is different for everyone. I get that homey feeling in many places I go. My in-laws. My Augusta home. The Goldsmith home on Summerville. Homes belonging to friends. Really anywhere there is love (cliche, but true). And I pray over our home and the purpose it will serve to us, and to others.

I'll keep you posted on the home. There are many before pics to show (and afters should be coming soon!).

it's the little things

Flowers bring me such joy. To me, they symbolize life. They start as a seed, they grow and flourish, and eventually they die. They add pops of color to a drab room/day. And certain types have a such a sweet smell! They have so much beauty, and fresh flowers make any home a little more cozy and homey.

When I was younger, I had serious thoughts of getting a job in the flower delivery world. What better way to spend your day than by making all those people smile? Flowers have a way of bringing joy, providing comfort, and reminding us of life.

This weekend Jamie and I made a (not even) 24-hour trip home to Augusta to celebrate my dad's birthday and an engagement party for a high school friend. On Sunday, mom and I went out to her garden and snagged a few of these for me to take home to the ATL.

Hydrangeas are one of my favorite types of flowers. They were pretty much the flower of choice for my wedding - bridesmaids bouquets (pictured below), cake decor, centerpieces, etc. They are classically southern, and give such a full look to an arrangement. The best part - these that I just brought back will die...and they will still be beautiful as a dried bouquet!

Wine & Cheese

That picture pretty much sums up some of my favorite things.  Add in some good friends, and I am set!  At work, we've been known to have our fair share of wine and cheese parties.  Some have been large scale, some have been kept on the down low, and some have been lavish!  

Tonight, a group of co-workers (some old, some still here) are going to Ashley's condo for a wine and cheese party!  Dawn, and even Olive!, are making an appearance.  Looking forward to lots of catching up and laughing over some of the greatest bits of food and drink!  

Just because - here's a little excerpt from the article that I snagged that picture from.  

Wine and cheese work together like instruments in an orchestra: Each is enjoyable on its own, but together, they can create a symphony. Wine and cheese bring out the best in each other. The protein in cheese softens the tannins in wine, and the right combination can result in a harmonious medley of delicious flavors.

Mmmmmm.

booooooo

happy halloween y'all.

this has been a busy season for us, so i sit here typing at my desk in absolutely normal clothes - the first time in two years that i haven't dressed up for halloween at the office.  oh well.  guess, it's not technically halloween yet.

happenings this weekend - 

: lil sis comes to the atl tonight.

: birthday kickball game/party tomorrow for samuel.  can only imagine the costumes!

: hanging out with lindsay and gavin tomorrow tonight.

: possibly a halloween party to hit up?

: phone call to the nieces and nephews to get the download on their costumes.  from what i know it's hadley as taylor swift, wyche as a power ranger, collier as hannah montana, and hutton as daphne (from scooby doo).  as my sister said - what happened to the days of being a hamburger, fries, and a soda :)

: and an exciting new series at buckhead church - @work

happy, happy halloween!!  i leave you with these two pictures of the husband and i from last year...when we were merely bf and gf.  note: jamie is obsessed with the 70's

Yes.

I have spent way too much time messing with my blog layout.  

No.  

I am not finished with it yet.  

Guess that's what happens when you're the OCD type.  Bear with me :)

Valentine's Day

I'm a sucker for romantic comedies.  

I have my list of classic favorites - You've Got Mail, Never Been Kissed, Two Weeks Notice, Love Actually, Ever After, and I can now add The Proposal.  Micah and I lived in a college dorm room together for three years, and every night we popped one of these movies in to fall asleep to.  At some point one of us would wake up to the fuzzy screen...yep, back in the days of VHS's.  

So I'm super excited about Valentine's Day, coming out this February.  I've seen some random previews, and it looks like everyone from Hollywood is in this movie!  I figure if Julia Roberts is back, then this is gonna be good.  A list of some of the actors - 

Julia Roberts, Patrick Dempsey, Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Garner, Shirley MacLaine, Hector Elizondo, Ashton Kutcher, Jessica Beil, Jamie Foxx, Anne Hathaway, Topher Grace, Eric Dane, Emma Roberts, Jessica Alba, Queen Latifa, Taylor Swift, Taylor Lautner.

Seriously.  Check out the preview below - 

And one of my biggest frustrations is a hyped up movie gone wrong (i.e. The Wedding Date).  So here's hoping my high expectations are exceeded!

The Warehouse Sale

While scrolling through one of my favorite daily blogs, Atlanta on the Cheap, I discovered The Warehouse Sale.  After picking up the latest edition of Creative Loafing so that I could have the free entry [pg. 15], I ran out at lunch.  And came home with these - 

At $100 cheaper than the retail price, I'm feeling pretty good about my purchase.  Afterall, I was in dire need of some new jeans to wear with flats.  My current jeans that fill this purpose are about 3.5 years old and have holes in the most inappropriate spots.  Even after patching and sewing, it's time for them to retire.  

If you have time today, go check out the Warehouse Sale.  If you have issues with buyer's remorse, be warned, nothing can be returned.  And I was a slightly unimpressed, as I was picturing a large warehouse with all sorts of discounted clothing (think more like 75% jeans, 25% shirts, dresses, and misc.  Now I've got to figure out how to explain to the husband (who owns one pair of jeans, mind you) why I needed these jeans.  

My next vacation will be....

Sin city. 

Because of this.  

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, Garth Brooks is officially out of retirement!  And he signed a deal with the Wynn Hotel in Las Vegas.  Weekends in Las Vegas will now host perhaps my most beloved musician of all-time.  

And I've always wanted to go to Vegas.  

Little fun fact:  Did you know that Garth Brooks is the best-selling solo artist of all time in any genre?  Beating out even the King of Pop, MJ.  Don't believe me?  CNN will tell you so.

Happy Weekend!

It should be a laid-back weekend in our household, and I'm pretty excited about it.  We do have to run some errands for some exciting happenings in our lives, but more to come on that later.  For now, I'll leave you with these adorable fall trends from Anthropologie.  I could totally live in that store!  (Yes, in the store.  I'd have all the great clothes I needed.  Tables to eat on.  Adorable plates for my food and saucers and teacups to drink from. You get the point.)

Moss

My friend, Tyler, is one of those people who has a knack for decorating.  She and her husband, Will, bought a house a few months ago, and she has done a fabulous job getting the entire house looking absolutely beautiful and homey!  Her latest post on fall decor has some great ideas, and I think my favorite part of it all is the moss that she adds as an accent.  My mom uses moss all the time, but I haven't even thought of it (emphasizing once more that I am not a decorator at heart!  But I do love to steal ideas!).  I'm a big fan of cool colors, and since most of my fall decor is a little brighter, I think the moss will help tone it down a bit.  Mom tells me that I should go to Michael's for moss, so if I get motivated enough I might just go get some.  With so much going on right now, I might just have to tuck this away for next year.  Or maybe Thanksgiving?

the boots

My younger sister is what I would call "fashion forward."  I, on the other hand, am more like "fashion behind."  

Our story usually goes like this - 

Robin Anne comes out wearing something that is a brand new trend (i.e. skinny jeans).  

I give her a distasteful look and tell her that I'm never wearing [skinny jeans].  

Six months later, I own a pair of [skinny jeans].  

Now, it doesn't always happen like this.  There are occasions when I will really never buy something that she wears (mostly because, unlike me, she can pull everything off).  And then there are times when I actually like her newest trend right off the bat.  

The latter is what happened with "the boots."  Here's how it went down...

Robin Anne shows up wearing these awesomely beautiful boots.  

Turns out they belong to her roommate. 

Robin Anne eventually bites the bullet and gets her own pair. 

I know that there's no way I can convince myself to buy them at full price, so I settle with boot envy.

At the end of the season last year, I find that the boots are on sale. 

I call sister and tell her the situation and that I think I'm going to buy the boots.  

I can hear the resistance in her voice.  Again?  She's thinking.  We're going to be seen all over Atlanta in the same boots all fall?! (To her credit, this actually matters to a fashionista and I do this often. Oops.)

I feel bad, so I pass up the boots and tell myself that they will probably be out of style by next season.

Fast forward to fall 2009.  

It's almost boot-wearing weather, and I realize that the boots are still perfect.  And in style.  And I'm having major not-buying remorse (if that exists).

Little sister now lives in a different city and I didn't buy the boots?!

Friend Lindsay and I are hanging out and she tells me about these amazing boots that she just bought on sale.  

She pulls them out, and alas!  They are "the boots!"  

She tells me they're on sale at Nordstrom.  And she's ok with us walking around the ATL with the same pair of boots on (and the same wallet for that matter - what can I say?  We have similar taste and shop in all the same places!). 

Right away, I call the husband and explain the scenario (i.e. justifying why they'll be a purchase for X dollars on our bank statement - welcome to marriage!).  I get a "go for it." He's the best.

I immediately order the boots online to pick them up at the store (mind you, still more than I normally pay for boots, but after this story? Come on!)

I get a message from the salesman that my shoes are ready for pick-up.  Hooray!

I get a second message from salesman saying that he was mistaken.  They don't actually have my size.  Oh no!

I get a third message from salesman saying that they actually found my size!  It's an emotional roller coaster (can we say dramatic!).  

The first chance I get, I dash to the store, and finally!  

I-go-home-with-"the-boots"-!

Worth it?  Um...I may or may not have worn them every day this weekend.  

A little pathetic?  Definitely.

Thai Lettuce Wraps

One of my favorite meals is the Thai Lettuce Wraps Appetizer (plenty large enough for a meal!) at the Cheesecake Factory.  Gaining inspiration from Lindsay (I might as well mention one more time how amazing of a cook and baker she is!), I decided to try my hand at homemade Thai Lettuce Wraps.  While Lindsay would make up her own variations based on what she tastes, I have to read recipes!  Thank you Google - you can find the exact ones at Meemo's Kitchen blog.  

On Wednesday night, I tried my hand at them, and they turned out super yummy!  If you're a cooking pro you can probably disregard this next part, but I have to admit that this dish took me a lot of time and energy.  Worth it in the end?  Definitely.  But be warned.  

Husband ready to eat!

Close-up

*A few variations that I did try:

- For time and money sake, I bought Ramen Noodles, Oriental flavor, and cooked them as instructed.  Then drained the noodles, and topped with peanuts.  Wasn't too bad at all.  And only $.25!

- Another time saver, I decided to only make two sauces that we like - the Thai Sweet Red Chili sauce and the Peanut sauce.  They also happened to be the only two that didn't require a blender or food processor, which saves lots of clean-up time!  

- To cut costs, I decided to go with iceberg lettuce.  Never again!  Iceberg breaks apart too easily; therefore, making the meal even messier.  Plus, bibb lettuce is like butta.  

- Finally, the Thai Sweet Red Chili sauce calls for 3 Tblsp hot ground chili paste.  Well, I just couldn't find any at the grocery.  But I did have hot chili sauce from Dekalb Farmer's Market that worked just fine.  

Various Happenings

Our lives are generally not this exciting, but the past few days have been so fun!  This weekend, Jamie and I headed over to Carrollton to celebrate Hutton & Collier's 4th birthday!  These are my precious nieces and the youngest of the Green brood.  Because their birthdays fall in the middle of college football season, for the past four years they have had the same party.  Mom & Dad rent a moonwalk, the kids jump and play all day, and the parents watch football!  Of course my sister, Jennifer, does her best to add variations so that they don't feel trumped, so the theme this year was a princess/pirate party with face painting, a "go fish" game, yummy snacks, and of course - the giant moonwalk in the shape of a pink princess castle. 

It was a perfect Saturday!  I was deemed head photographer, so I didn't get many pictures with my own camera, but here are the few I came home with....

Me & Collier, Jamie & Hutton - watching 

Auburn beat up on Tennessee

Wyche and Collier getting their morning exercise

at Aunt Kathy and Uncle Aaron's house

Luke and Courtney are the friends we visited in California.  As I mentioned before, they are great friends and incredibly generous.  For our wedding gift, they gave us tickets to see U2!!!! 

The show was last night, and beyond incredible.  Such talent, amazing graphics, phenomenal lighting, and great music.  Plus, we had amaaaaazing seats!  It was a night we won't ever forget!

Rockstar pose

The man himself - Bono

And here are two videos for you to enjoy - 

Vertigo

a small bit of Amazing Grace into

Where the Streets Have No Name 

something that I should never keep in the house....

(but that I just bought at the grocery yesterday.  oops :)

This stuff is seriously amazing, so if you haven't tried it yet I can't decide if you should or not.  Because once you do, you'll be hooked.  I had it for the first time when I went to Europe in 10th grade.  When I found out they served chocolate at breakfast, I knew I'd fallen in love.  I guess when you call it a "spread" it makes it ok.  Anyhow, it's a hazelnut chocolate spread, and can be eaten on toast, crackers, in croissants, on top of cookies, or simply by itself.  Simply delic!

It wasn't available in the U.S. until a few years ago, and it is ruining my healthy eating choices.  Oh well.  You can find it at most grocery stores!