Our LifeGroup

Wow! We have been so blessed with the group of friends we have found.

We have so much fun together and take time to genuinely care for each other. 

Here are some moments captured throughout the past 3 months.

Serving, Playing, Caring...doing our thing...

At Hoskins Park serving dinner to the men who live there. We visit them every month and bring dinner from a gourmet restaurant in Charlotte!

Jessee, Shanna & Lori

Serving the guys

Oh dear! It's Halloween...here we have Baby & Johnny (Dirty Dancing) and Tony Romo & Jessica Simpson!!

The Coneheads!

Lori, Jessee, Gretchen, Lauren and me getting ready for the Halloween Bash!!

Brad and Gretchen contemplating Gretchen's many strikes at the bowling alley :)

Jessee & Luke (and yes, my charming husband in the back!)

Lori giving a thumbs up before she bowls!!

Shanna, Lauren, Jessee, me, Gretchen and Lori getting pedis before Lori's big day!

Lazy Day in Asheville

Russell and I spent part of the weekend in Asheville...walking around, shopping for antiques, eating and bumping into friends who had the same idea as us.

What a great way to celebrate Labor Day!

Blob in my office...

Sometime last night, during the remnants of Tropical Storm "Fay", this blob creeped through the church roof into the wall of my office.  It's been staring at me all day...

I'll let you know if it makes a move or decides to explode.

Photos from the FHC Stage, Aug. 9

From the garden at Habersham...

Introducing...

OUR NEW HOME!!!!

We move in August 2008!!!

Here's our street:

We have walked/ran along this street so many times saying, "Someday maybe we can live on this street..." Well, now it has come true and we feel so blessed to move into our first home on our street of dreams!

Belgium, April 2008:

Belgium in the Spring...April 2008

beautiful church in Brussels

Yumm! famous Belgium chocolate!

Russell and I in Bruegge

Bruegge: "Venice of the North"

Au Revoir!

Bonjour Belgique!

Russell and I are headed to Belgium in 2 weeks! Yeah! I am so excited and am having a hard time concentrating on anything else...however, I did find some time to blog about my excitement :)

We are leading a trip sponsored by our church to assist Belgium missionaries, Brent & Daisy Boatwright with some renovations to an old church building.

You can check out their website at, http://boatwrightsinbelgium.blogspot.com/

Russell and I are traveling with another couple to Brussels and then on to Huy (pronounced "we") where the Boatwrights live. We will spend most of the time renovating and some of the time touring, meeting the locals, and eating great food I'm sure!

We will of course take A LOT of pictures and some video and I will share it all on this blog...it is an exciting trip because it is the pioneering trip to Europe that our church is sponsoring. Most trips are sent to Africa, Cuba, and the Dominican Republic and this is the first to Europe...hopefully it will be the first of MANY :)

Europe is such an important mission field. Unlike other nations where poverty, economic downfall and opressive governments rule over the people; Europe is a very prosperous, wealthy, and educated nation where the need for God is not completely recognized. The vast majority of Europeans are either Catholic or Muslim and therefore have a difficult time understanding the gospel of grace that Jesus advocates. It is difficult for missionaries to make an impact on Europeans because they seem to have everything - why would they need God's grace?

Pray for us and be ready for an update in 3 weeks!!

Salut!

It’s Not Easy Being Green…

Beginning this month, I have made a clear and concerted effort to live more green-ly :) No, I did not watch 'An Inconvenient Truth' and become magically inspired by Al Gore's monotone voice! Instead, I feel that I have awakened to the realization that we are God’s stewards of this planet and there are a lot of simple changes we can make to preserve the planet and it’s dwindling resources.

So, here are some of the things that I have already done or would like to begin doing:

1. Eco-friendly light bulbs – they make emit a funny shade of light, but they save energy and money!


2. ANY type of paper products that I buy is made from recycled paper.


3. I will no longer use paper napkins for everyday meals…instead I have converted to cloth napkins – they create no waste and look nicer J It’s a bit of a pain to wash them and iron them after every use but a small sacrifice.


4. I am making a huge effort to keep more lights in the condo turned off and more appliances unplugged when not in use.


5. One interesting thing I discovered a couple of weeks ago was bamboo plates…they can be used in place of paper plates and when discarded they only take 3 months to biodegrade…paper plates take years apparently…WHO KNEW??!!!


6. I have completely STOPPED using bottled water and disposable coffee cups…instead I only use my SIGG bottle at work and the gym and my Starbucks coffee carafe at work for coffee, tea and cocoa J


7. Buying local and organic groceries is easy now that I shop at Trader Joe’s (from here on referred to as TJ’s)…everything we need I buy there and I make sure it is organic if possible and definitely from the USA. Organic food does not contain harmful pesticides or harsh methods of production, and buying from the USA does not impact the planet with more carbon fuel emissions. So it’s a good thing all around!


8. And finally, the newest and most difficult change I will try to make is to join the Locavore movement! I know you are asking yourself, “What in the world is a locavore??” Well, not only was it the Oxford Dictionary’s 2007 Word of the Year, but it is also the movement to eat only locally grown food. Local meaning within 100 miles of your home! Now, I am not trying to be a complete locavore because I am not sure that is even possible, but I will make an effort to buy our fruits, veggies, cheese and some meat only from Farmer’s Markets in Charlotte.
   
   
   Wish me LUCK!!

That's Some Good Readin'...

So, instead of posting book reviews here on my blog (which never really worked out the way I imagined it would!) I will now be posting them on the website, Good Reads :) My sister-in-law turned me on to this great website that allows you to share your reviews of books you have read, as well as share what you are currently reading and what you hope to read someday!
Here is the website...check it out and start reading!
www.goodreads.com

SaveDarfur.org has a post called "http://www.savedarfur.org/newsroom/clips/sudanese_pair_accused_of_war_crimes/">Sudanese Pair Accused of War Crimes." that's worth checking out...

The International Criminal Court's prosecutor in The Hague outlined what he called operational, logistical and command links between Sudan's government in Khartoum and horse-mounted nomadic militias it recruited and bankrolled to carry out mass killings in the Darfur region, and he named a member…

It is optimistic that two individuals are being examined in these atrocious crimes, but this will not stop the killing, rape and displacement to thousands of innocent people in the Darfur Region. Action needs to be taken to stop crimes against humanity. Please visit www.savedarfur.org to learn more about what you can do to help and spread the word!

Check out this AWESOME blog:

http://tryonstreetjournal.wordpress.com/

Okay, so I am a little bias...this is Russell's blog. Despite the fact that he is my husband and I think anything he does is amazing, this blog is VERY good and is widely read by WordPress readers.

So if you want some education on business happenings, investing strategies and other notable news nuggets pertaining to the economy - check it out already!!

...This will start a new post series of reviewing books I have read...


Review I: The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory

Could not put this one down...I read the entire book in about 1 week which is something since it is over 600 pages! The way that Gregory writes deeply in to her characters minds and emotions is captivating and allows the reader to relate and care for the characters. The primary character is Mary Boleyn, younger sister (although in actuality she was probably the older sister) of the infamous Anne Boleyn, second wife of Henry VIII.









Mary Boleyn

The book is written in 3rd person and basically chronicles a sister rivalry between Mary and Anne and the overwhelming pressure they both have on their shoulders to excel their family to the throne by ANY means possible. Along with their brother George, Mary and Anne spend their days plotting, planning and placing themselves strategically in front of the king to get his attention.

Mary wins Henry VIII's attention first but through a series of brutal betrayals by her sister, she is pushed out of the way in order to let Anne Boleyn become the king's newest mistress. Once Anne is in place a whirlwind of trickery, betrayal, murder and lies ensues. Gregory makes it clear why the name Anne Boleyn is forever remembered.










Anne Boleyn

The element that makes this novel so wonderful is that Gregory is a scholar and professor of English court history and therefore peppers the pages with factual events of the time. In essence you are reading about Henry VIII history with small elements of personal drama written between the lines. The emotional journey of Mary Boleyn is partnered with historically recorded events like the plague, wars, political conflicts of the time, and most importantly, the reinvention of the Church of England and the marriage of church and state in England. The story is so compelling because it is not merely a story but also a look into the past.

One key element I also found interesting was how the women of the royal court dedicated their life to pursuing the king or one of his men of the court. Life was defined by how many suitors you could obtain and if you could ultimately become one of the king's mistresses and possibly his next wife. Obviously women in Henry VIII's court were successful since he went on to have a total of 6 wives...2 of which were beheaded!

Henry VIII


Recommendation by Caylene: Great read especially if you like historical fiction and are not offended by a few bedroom scenes. http://www.philippagregory.com/BookBoleynGirl.shtml

On Valentines Day my very sweet husband treated me to a seafood dinner that rivaled Pike Place Market freshness!

There is a new seafood restaurant in Charlotte called Oceanaire that boasts the freshest seafood you can get in Charlotte (a tough task since we are several hundred miles inland). They fly in their seafood from the coast every day and some fish don't even arrive until 7:00pm in the evening!

In all it's mouth watering detail, here is what we had:

• Steamed Mussells in butter and garlic sauce


• Boston Stuffed Flounder (stuffed with crab and brie cheese!)


• Grilled Orange Roughy


• Bleu Macaroni and Cheese


• Sweet Potato and Cranberry casserole


• and DESSERT - Warm Rhubarb Crisp with Vanilla Ice Cream :)

Thank you to Russell for giving me such a treat!

"Each one of them is Jesus in disguise." - Mother Teresa



In the 20th century, we have known mass slaughter of human life,
displacement, starvation, and rape as a means of ethnic cleansing in Armenia, The
Holocaust, Cambodia, Bosnia, Rwanda. Now in South Sudan and in Darfur, hundreds of
lives have been lost in the 21st century.

Please visit www.savedarfur.org to support helpless men, women and children who are suffocating in the grip of prejudice.

“I want to join my prayers to many other voices. Every
few months we are driven away from one refugee camp
to the other, so far in the desert where nothing, nothing
at all exists. This is no way for a human being to live.
No way to live in such a shocking place – uncultivated,
waterless, treeless and barren region...! Everything is
burning, Lord, around me, around us ... in me, in us ...
Everything is barren, hell, hell...! Yet, Lord, we believe
you are there, beside us. We pray for all the Africans
living now our same condition. Bring back peace and
tranquility to our beloved country. Peace which is
desired by everybody, the old and young, rich and poor,
women and men. Amen ... amen ... Let it be so.”
—Prayer from a Darfurian Woman


For even more information on how to help those in dire situations, please take time and visit www.one.org and www.worldvision.org

Okay, I am finally adding a recipe to my blog. It was bound to happen sooner or later so I am beginning with a simple but surprisingly delicious dessert/breakfast/midnight snack. This is taken from my mom's recipe with a few small changes of my own...




Apple Crisp

Topping:

2/3 cup oatmeal
2/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2/3 cup all purpose flour
½ tsp. cinnamon 6 tbsp slightly softened butter (diced)

Apples:

6-8 Apples (granny smiths or braeburns are the best), peeled & sliced 2 tbsp. granulated sugar
½ lemon juiced
1 tsp. cinnamon
1tsp. pumpkin pie spice

Preheat oven to 400 degrees
In a baking dish combine apples, lemon juice, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice & sugar
In a bowl mix flour, brown sugar, oatmeal, cinnamon & butter
Crumble topping with a pastry cutter or whisk
Cover apples with topping and bake for 15-20 minutes until topping is golden

I strongly recommend enjoying this with vanilla ice cream, outdoors on a picnic blanket with someone who makes you smile...