101 posts... are we really THAT interesting?!

This week has been another boring week. I have had school workdays this week, so I am getting back in the swing of things. That also means more laundry! I am even supposed to be getting a computer in my office sometime this week!

I got to meet J a couple of times this week for lunch during breaks between workshops. We are going to miss those lunch dates once school is in session.

Friday, as soon as J got home from work, we headed to Cary to the movies. We normally go to Apex, but we would miss the 7:25 show and knew I couldn't stay away for the 10:50 one! So off we went. We planned on eating at Red Robin, but we found a Salsarita's, so we changed our minds. Then we headed up to the mall to kill some time and get some good deals (see coupon blog). We made it just in time! The Switch was really good. I hadn't expected to enjoy it so much. Definitely worth the price tag... which by the way, movie ticket prices are crazy now!

We went to the community church again today, but decided not to stay for the pot luck. There wasn't really that much food, and we have decided to try out some churches closer to Raleigh anyway. We went to Bojangles for lunch, and man it was packed! College students are definitely back. Since L is the closest town with restaurants to the college, they all come here to eat!

This week, I have meetings Monday and Tuesday, and school starts Wednesday. I won't start seeing students until the week after Labor Day though. J's parents are also coming in this week, so it will be a good week!

Woo Hoo

J had class Monday and Tuesday this week in Fayetteville so he can do taxes. Woo hoo. I did make him a little something to surprise him when he got home.

Look familiar? I was excited about making them again, since they were so good the first time. Then about 1 minute in, my hand mixer quit mixing! Ugh! So it took me over 2 hours to make these things since I had to do everything by hand. Worth it though... but won't be making them again for a while. That's for sure.

I had three days of new teacher meetings this week, so this week seemed to drag on. I should be getting paid extra though, so that's good! Thankfully, I did have Friday off, so I got to eat lunch with J. After eating lunch with him, I headed to Raleigh to finally close our Regions account. Then, I met Anna at Rita's. Seriously, SO good. We both got Vanilla Mango Blendinis. If you are ever near one, GO TRY IT! I also hit up Harris Teeter (see coupon blog.)

Saturday, J had to take a notary class from 8-4:30. We were both bummed we didn't have our Saturday to spend together. We (sometimes) miss the time when we didn't have jobs because we got to spend so much time together. We try to enjoy our nights and weekends together though. :) After supper Saturday, we went to an ice cream place in Angier. They have a billion flavors (well, almost). We plan on taking all our family there as they come visit. (I sampled Apple Pie, but got Sugar Cookie-couldn't turn down all those sprinkles! J got Brownie Batter.)

J thrilled about Notary Class

Sunday, we went to the community church, again. We enjoyed it and are looking forward to the potluck next week, so maybe we can meet some more people. We spent the afternoon watching golf and reading. I have been reading Tess Gerritsen, and J has been studying for more tests this week. I also decided to make some french toast and pancakes to freeze for breakfasts since school is starting this week.

I just let them cool, then put 2 in each ziploc bag and threw them in the freezer. Quick breakfasts for the next couple of months! Just hope there is enough syrup for them all. :)

Then, I got a little shock:
Yes, that is J getting his hands dirty cooking supper. He made spicy baked chicken with corn and garlic bread. It was really good. It was nice to be the one being served instead of serving. Here's to hoping he cooks some more. His inner chef is pretty good- he didn't even use a recipe!



Tuesday starts school for teachers. I have meetings this week, and students start next Wednesday. J has his tests Wednesday, but there is really no pressure for those. So long, Summer. See you June 14.

Well...

Hello, everyone!

I promised C that I would write the blog this week so here it goes. Thursday night, we went out to the Japanese place by work with my coworkers to celebrate passing all of my modules. They paid for my meal which was nice. Saturday we went to Apex to do a little shopping. We were able to purchase an ironing board and a wicker basket for our shoes. This morning we went back to the community church and enjoyed the service. It's still a bit strange but overall we really like it. Sorry this week was so boring. We'll try to do better this week ;)

Tomorrow and Tuesday I have tax class in Fayetteville. The idea of helping others with their taxes is frightening, but I'm sure they'll get me well prepared.

Hope ya'll have a great week!

J&C

103! to 79!

Just last week I blogged about it being SO hot here... well, this week was great! Only a couple of days were in the 90s, mostly in the 80s.. and today the high was 79! Maybe NC is better after all...

J had class Tuesday and Wednesday. When he got back to work Thursday, he found out he passed the rest of his tests! Now he can start studying for some that earn a little extra $! (When I say little, I mean little.) Thursday night, we (along with his co-workers) are going to eat to celebrate.

Thursday, I went to Raleigh to swim with Anna. We swam in the morning, so it wasn't too hot, and the pool wasn't too crowded. It was perfect. Then we headed to The Cheesecake Factory for our $1.50 cheesecake! We split an appetizer knowing we were going to eat cheesecake. We had tex-mex eggrolls, which really were amazing. Then it was time for cheesecake. A ordered red velvet, and I ordered the new Reese's. Both were delicious, but mine, of course, was better.



Because of the beautiful weather around here, we have been walking on the days we don't go to the gym. Thursday, we went a little further than usual, and a nice older lady was working in her garden. Since my garden has bloomed all summer, but not produced anything, I was slightly jealous. J made a comment to her about how pretty it was. She then offered us some tomatoes and peppers. It just made my night!


With a bowl full of tomatoes and peppers, I knew I had to make some salsa...

Everything but the tomatoes...

Left over bell peppers were sliced and thrown into the freezer for future use...



All done!

It isn't as spicy as we like, but it is still good.. and not from a jar! Even though it isn't perfect, our first salsa is a success. We plan on eating it all soon... in fact, some is already gone.

Since we had a couple of leftover bell peppers, we decided to make kabobs Saturday night. We grilled them with some chicken, and man was it good! There wasn't much left over.


Today, we went to the community church just a few miles up the road. We spent last night reading their website and beliefs, and we were getting pretty excited because a lot of it lined up with what we believe. We knew that some things would still be different, but hopefully something we could live with. While there are some things we would have to get used to, I think this church is definitely worth going back a few more times. And not just because they had the most comfortable seats any church has ever had. Hopefully, we'll like it more next week!

Can you believe that....

it has been much cooler in Mississippi than here this week?! That's right. We are on our third day of record breaking temperatures, including excessive heat warnings. The past few days have had heat indexes ~114! I sure hate to see our next electric bill!

We have managed to beat the heat a little this week. I cooked everything in the mornings when I got up, so I wouldn't heat up the house when it was super hot out (even though the heat index was 102 when I got up this morning!)

Monday, I made these:

Mini cheesecakes- not from a box! And they were so good! And of course, most of the ingredients were on sale. I even bought some more cream cheese, so I may make some again... we'll see how I feel about whipping the egg whites until stiff again.

I also made this from the Pioneer Woman's Cookbook that Sophie gave us as a wedding gift:


Yes, it is meatloaf, and yes, it is wrapped in bacon! I used ground chicken (that I got on sale), and it is good! There are plenty of leftovers!


I ordered some tennis shoes through zappos a couple of weeks ago. Unfortunately, they weren't what I expected, so I sent them back. Thank goodness for free shipping both ways. Once my credit goes through, I have my eye on another pair.

Saturday, we went to the water park again. It was really hot and sunny, so it was packed. We lathered on the sunscreen (SPF 50 for my 'white, not tan' self!) and had a great time! We rode all the slides we wanted and spent a while in the lazee river. We also saw a girl almost drown, which was kind of amusing. Sounds pretty mean, right? Well, she went down a slide that had numerous warnings that it dropped you off in 8 feet of water, so if you cannot swim, do not go down the slide. She, obviously, could not swim. Glad she was okay, but still don't know why she thought it was a good idea to go down! We left the park right at 4, a little tired, and only slightly red. Success.

Today, we decided to try out the Baptist church here in town. We have been struggling with finding a church we like, so we thought it was worth a shot. We chose to go to the traditional service since it would probably be closer to what we were used to- and even then it was... interesting. J says the preacher sounded like Gomer Pyle. (Once I watched a video on youtube, I quickly agreed.) We thought about going to the contemporary worship, but I don't think we will. There is a community church we might try out next week. If we don't find anything else, I guess we'll just go back to Fayetteville.

This week, J has class 2 days. I am going to Raleigh on Thursday to swim with Anna and to get cheesecake for $1.50 at The Cheesecake Factory. Pretty excited about that! It's going to be another great (hot) week!

BBQ, Water Park, Golf

This week has been good! I have finished some more books and checked out a few more. I cleaned the house good and did all the laundry that had been piling up since I went to Seattle. We also had some BBQ. Almost the real stuff. The BBQ here is vinegar based, and well, just not good.

I actually made this in my crockpot! I had some chicken in the fridge that needed to be eaten that wouldn't fit in my freezer, so I made this. 3 lbs of BBQ! I didn't realize it made so much, so I found some room in the freezer to put some for later, but we still have a lot to eat!

Saturday, we got up and went to Wet N Wild in Greensboro. It was cloudy, and apparently stormy around us because they closed temporarily twice while we were there. We rode 2 slides before they closed for the day. :( We did get a rain check, so we can go again (Even though we will have to pay to park again, ugh!) Hopefully next time, we will pick a better day.
Sunday, I went with J to play golf at the country club. I just drove the cart, of course, but the course was really pretty, and we got to see some animals.

Bored while J was chipping and putting



Some deer running

A squirrel in a hole in a tree

A turtle just chillin'

Now we are just looking forward to next weekend for some more fun- no telling what we'll end up doing.

103!

It has hit over 100 this week here. And there has been little to no rain. The grass is crunchy, and my poor garden looks sad (even if I water it 2x a day!) But dead grass means J doesn't have to mow! Got to look on the bright side!

I got home Wednesday morning around 11:30. I was going to take a nap, but decided I didn't want to wait to see J. So we had lunch at Zaxby's and dessert at Sonic! So excited the Sonic down the road is open!!! When I got back, I slept for a while. :) I have even been sleeping in past 10 since I got back from Seattle. I could get used to it!

Saturday morning, I made pancakes and eggs, then we went to Raleigh to find me some tennis shoes and J some shorts and pants. Well, the trip was a bust. All we got was an iphone case for J. I did order some shoes from zappos when we got home though. :)

I have already made 2 trips grocery shopping since I have been home. Our freezer is PACKED. And the fridge and pantry and looking pretty full too! We are planning to grill out tonight when J gets back from golfing.

We are hoping to go to the water park in Greensboro Saturday, but we'll see. I have 3 more books to read this week, and I am hoping to give the house a good cleaning.

The Emerald City

As I type this, I am still in Seattle waiting for my red-eye flight. Less than 10 hours to go!

We had a great trip and saw so many things! I, of course, want to come back. :)

Here are a few highlights of the trip (followed by pictures in the post below.)

-Hiked a trail in the mountains, hiked through the rain forest, and went to the beach all in the same day!
-Got coffee at THE Starbucks and had some donuts from Pike Place
-Went to Deception Pass and took a boat tour
-Underground Tour- We learned so much about Seattle's history, and you know I love history
-Went to Canada!
-Saw some awesome fireworks and sunsets.. even a sunrise.
-Ate buffalo chili on July 5 in Paradise...
-Ate a Top Pot Donut. Oh Yeah.

What a great week! The only thing that would have made this better is if J was here. Can't wait to see him! (I will see if I can get him to blog about his week.. don't hold your breath. ;))

Pacific Northwest

View from airplane

Olympic National Park

Ruby Beach

Reflections in the Seattle Library

Deception Pass, Pass Island, Canoe Pass

Starfish on the dock in West Seattle

Stanley Park, Vancouver, British Columbia

View from West Seattle

Snoqualmie Falls

Sunset July 5

Sunrise July 6

Getting Ready!

I am slowly getting all packed for my trip to Seattle. My flight leaves tomorrow at 10:45!

This week, I have been slowly packing, so I don't forget anything. I have also been reading some more James Patterson books. (I read 4 this week.) I have also been going to the gym since I know that this coming week will not be the best exercise wise. We have also been looking for our iPod Touch. We have no idea where it is... so if you have an idea, let us know! haha

Wednesday, J got his new iPhone 4! We found a few apps and enjoyed playing with it. I know he loves it. He is hoping to get a case for it soon, but not many are out yet.

Thursday, we ate lunch at Mi Casita. We haven't had a lunch date in a while, so that was fun.

Saturday and Sunday, J played in a golf tournament in Sanford. He didn't win or anything, but I think he had a good time. He met a few people, which was also nice. None of them live around here really, but it was good for him to meet some new people.

Thanks to Southwest's birthday this week, they were running $39 flights from Nashville to Raleigh. My parents are coming a weekend in October and Clark is coming in September! I am excited for them to get to visit. Hope I don't have to work too much!

Friday, Richard and his brother, Brian, are coming up for the weekend. I'm sure they will have fun.

Since I will be in Seattle, there won't be an update until late next week. (I get home Wednesday morning-July 7.) But there will probably be plenty of pictures when I do get around to posting!

Full Week!

This week we had visitors! J's mom and sister came and stayed with us. They came up Tuesday, so I spent Monday reading and cleaning.

Tuesday night when they got here, we decided to go bowling and eat in the cafe at the bowling alley. Well, we forgot socks, so we went to Wal-Mart and got some cheap ones. We ate at the Rev-Up Cafe, which was very underwhelming. We then go to get a lane, but apparently Monday- Thursday from 5:30-9:30, they have league bowling. So we just left.

Wednesday, we ate lunch with J at Mi Casita in Dunn. Much better than the one here. Then we headed to Apex to do a little shopping. We came back and I cooked spaghetti for supper.

Thursday, we went into Cary and Raleigh for some shopping. We ate lunch at my favorite, Cafe Carolina. Thursday, we grilled hot dogs and hamburgers for supper.

Friday, we got up and went to Wrightsville Beach, which is just over 2 hours away. It was cloudy, but the water wasn't bad. The beach was crowded, but still fun. We went into downtown Wilmington for lunch/supper. I wasn't really impressed with Wilmington, but I am glad to say I have gone. Hopefully next time we can try out a less crowded beach.

Saturday, J played golf and J's mom went with him after we had tacos from the taco trailer. It was good, but expensive. We also went to a used bookstore downtown and bought a few cheap paperbacks for my trip next week. Marion and I worked on some of her history quizzes for her online class. Those quizzes were tough! So glad I am done with college. We ordered calzones and strombolis from Papa's. So good. Probably better than Stromboli's in Starkville. We also watched a good bit of golf (US Open.)

Sunday, we went to church, then to Cook-Out. We also checked out Big Lots and Ollie's, which is like a nice Treasure Hunt/Dirt Cheap. We found a few things before heading home. Then J and M went to play some golf which we went to Whole Foods and Kroger. It was a fun little trip.

They left this morning, so I have been to the library and the grocery store (see coupon blog.) Now I better get to reading!

School's Out... Almost

Tomorrow is the last teacher workday of the school year! Yay! I have a meeting, and I think that's all. We will also put my car in the shop, again. Hopefully, this time they can figure out what is wrong.

This week, the students were on half days, so I didn't see any students. I just worked in my office and had a couple of meetings. It was a great week!

J's birthday was Thursday. We had an apple pie to celebrate. He had class in Raleigh and got out early, so he even got to play a round of golf! It was very hot though. In the 90s all week!

We have been reading some this week. I have now finished the first 3 books in the Alex Cross series. I just started 1st to Die this afternoon. J has started The Fleet Street Murders, since his mom will probably want to take it back home with her.

This week, J's mom and sister will be coming to visit. It should be a fun week! We are hoping to be able to go to the beach for a day! :)


Here is a picture of my anniversary band... better late than never! (Taken with J's awesome new camera!)

So close!

Another week... not much exciting going on. This is my last week of school! June 14 is the official last day for teachers though.

Wednesday, we ordered a new digital camera. After much debate, we went with the Panasonic Lumix in red. It arrived Friday, and so far, we LOVE it; and the price wasn't bad either! Happy Birthday, J!

Friday, we decided to try the Chinese place in town. J liked it, of course. I thought it was okay, but I have never been a big fan of Chinese.

Saturday, we went to Fuquay to try the new Spicy Chicken Sandwich at Chick-fil-a. I had registered to try them before they were released. We were happily surprised to find out that they whole meal was free! J did get a milkshake, but that was only $2.50! I love cheap meals! We also rented 2 Redbox movies (I had a code to get them free.) We got Duplicity and Inglourious Basterds, which was surprisingly good.

J played golf 2x this weekend since he is planning to play in a tournament at the end of the month. He seems to think he is getting better. ;)

I didn't post a picture of my garden, as the lack of sun is taking its toll on most of my plants. :( However, we do have baby green beans!!! Hopefully some will be ready this week! I planted some squash in a pot and moved one tomato plant into a pot, so those will get more sun. We'll see what happens...

Comin' Around the Mountain

Where to begin...

Last week was the last week that I saw students. State testing is under way, so I am proctoring and doing end of the year stuff. Summer is almost here!
Friday, J got off work a little over an hour early so we could head to the GA mountains. It was a 6ish hour drive. We stopped and ate in Morganton, where the deaf school is. We drive in the pouring rain and in pitch black. Around curves. On a mountain. It was a long trip, but we made it a little after 11 (I think.) We couldn't tell much about where we were, but I knew I was tired. I woke up the next morning to this:


I couldn't wait to see it in the sunlight! Saturday, we went to breakfast in downtown Clayton at a cafe. It was so good! When we got back to the cabin, J and David went to play golf. The rest of us decided to go out on the boat. There were some amazing houses on the water!

View from the boat

One of the ridiculously large houses on the lake

Saturday night, we grilled hot dogs and hamburgers and put together a puzzle. It also cleared up by the end of the day, so we had some AMAZING views. What a beautiful world God has created. We got to eat almost every meal outside on the porch. Even when it was raining (which is did a lot of!), it was so nice to be able to sit outside and look at the mountains!

View from the porch once the sun came out

View from the side of the porch



Us on the porch


Sunset

Sunday, we went out on the boat for a little while. The rain caught us, but it was still fun! We had some cupcakes for Marion's birthday and grilled some steaks! We also heard the clock for the first time. M and J's mom had heard it before, but the rest of us hadn't. Apparently, when it is light enough, every hour the clock says, "Praise God" in an ominous voice. It was kind of creepy at first, then we found it hilarious. Everything in the house was pretty religious anyway. All the paintings had bible verses, they had their testimony written out for everyone to read, a phone number to call if you had prayer requests, etc. We even got to the point where we turned on the lights just so we could hear "Praise God."

Monday, we went to town for M's birthday. We ate at a seafood place.. in the middle of the GA mountains. We topped it off with some DQ.We were sad to leave, but happy to be leaving when it was light out! We headed back home, but we made a pit stop to see NCSD. One of the prettiest schools I have ever seen!





It was a great weekend! But now, back to the real world...

How Does Your Garden Grow?

May 27

We have a pepper and some lima beans on the way!

I also planted some more green beans in the empty front square, and they are starting to break though! I need to replace one of the broccoli squares and probably move a tomato plant.

One More Week

Just another week here in rural North Carolina.

J took 5 more tests this week, but he didn't study as much as he could have, so we'll see how many he actually passes. Hoping for all 5, of course, but will take 3 or 4. =)
Harris Teeter was doing Super Doubles this week, so I made a couple of trips. One is mentioned in my coupon blog. The other will be up shortly!

My check engine light came on again, so I went back to the place that fixed it before. I sat around for about an hour while they worked on it. They think the hose they put on last time was too loose, so they just fixed it and let me go!

Saturday, we went to a golf course in Fayetteville. It wasn't very busy (or that nice...) but we had fun. There were geese everywhere! When we got home I cooked this (Mexican style.) Thanks, Clark!




It was pretty good! We will have to try it with the regular recipe one day, but I had all the ingredients for the Mexican version except for one, so that's what we did!

Sunday, after church, we headed to IHOP! I had been wanting to try their new pancake stackers. It was super busy, but we only waited about 5 minutes or so. I am sad to report that the stackers were underwhelming. I should have just stuck to my New York Cheesecake Pancakes. We then headed to HT. The cashier didn't scan one of my coupons, but we still saved 60%! J even got some ice cream and Sun Chips. I will have to make a trip to Kroger sometime for hot dogs... can't wait to grill out again!

This is the last week that I will see students since testing begins next week. Well, my elementary kids have testing this week, but I can work around their schedules easily since I only have 3! Friday, I will proctor a test all day before we head to GA to see J's family! Then next week, I will proctor middle school state tests and work on end of the year stuff! It's almost over! June 14 is the last teacher workday... Looking forward to the summer!

How Does Your Garden Grow?

May 20

One pepper plant even has a bloom! :)

Anniversary Weekend Pictures

See post below for recap of the weekend. :)

Waiting on our food at Cafe Carolina

J eating his panini

Blue Whale Skeleton

J in the Tupelo Tree

View from our room

Us after dinner

WRAL gardens

Mirazozo by Architects of Air

Mirazozo by Architects of Air

My Strawberry Donut Sundae
(they are buy one get one free on Sundays :) J had an original)

Our top layer!