jessi and katie take pittsburgh

That's right...you read correctly, my lovely little sister is gracing Pittsburgh with her presence in a mere 14 hours!! I cannot wait for her to be here!!! Wahooooo! This city isn't going to know what hit it. Its going to be a girls' week here in the burgh (John is in CA for a conference) and I can't wait!! Although I already miss my hubs (how sad...I mean sweet...is that?) I'm still so freaking thrilled that KATIE IS COMING!!!!!!!!! I love you didder :) Can't wait!!

just some pics...

beautiful rhododendron


beautiful roses



hey Dixie girl


posing



cilantro, basil, chives and oregano


parsley and two types of peppers


hello sweet summertime


love our sycamore tree


shake

things i love, love, love:

1. Red, red wine...no, not the song, the actual wine...well while we're at it I love the song too
2. Golden Girls--I had a mini-marathon tonight (Sophia is my fave)
3. Leslie Samsone walking workouts--I chose this exercise segment from ondemand today and it was awesome
4. Guacamole
5. Mexican food--my husband was gone for 29 hours and 3 out of the 4 meals I ate were Mexican
6. Jazz music--I could listen to it all day long, and today I did
7. Cool breeze coming through an open window
8. My Black Currant Vanilla and Sandalwood Vanilla candles
9. My hot pink rhododendron and roses (pics will come later)
10. (Please note sarcasm here) The fact that my dog can and will eat 1/3 of a pound cake in 5 seconds (this happened while I was taking a potty break today)
    

happy birthday T!!

Today is my dear friend Teresa's birthday!! She is one of the sweetest, funniest, most wonderful people in the world! Teresa, I hope you have an awesome day!!! I wish I was with you to celebrate :) I love you so much!

And yes, the picture is a joke, she doesn't actually pose for pics like that :)

19 minutes

Another must read from the Jodi Picoult collection. Very, very good! Right now I'm reading Handle With Care by JP...she's my new addiction. Next is My Sister's Keeper (if they have it at the library when I'm there). You truly know you're a book addict when you cannot wait to get in the car to listen to the book and then say a little prayer that your trip will take longer than usual so that you can listen to the book even longer. Seriously, I think there's something wrong with me.

expecting a 2nd niece/nephew :)

I am proud to announce that Heather and Patrick are having another baby! Yay! Heather is due around the beginning of November and we cannot wait to meet baby number 2! Congrats Heather, Patrick and Anna! Anna, you'll be a great big sis! :) Love ya'll!!

(stole this pic of the pirates and their little parrot from Heather's blog, thanks H!)

you know you're in the north when...

The other day I was reading the food section of the newspaper and came across a little bit where they give a thumbs up or a thumbs down to some type of food item. Well wouldn't you know that they listed portabella mushrooms (thumbs up) and okra (thumbs down). Well you know you're living in the North when they give a thumbs down to okra. I honestly don't think they know the total goodness of okra. I guess these people never had a mama to teach them how to cook it properly. Idiots. If these people ever had delicious fried okra they would have NEVER given it a thumbs down. Gah.

am i really watching this?

Why yes, yes, I am. Am I embarrassed to admit it? A little. John watched White Fang last night and of course I got sucked in because there was a cute puppy in it (darn you bleeding heart!). Then John reminded me that I needed to go to bed since I'm an adult and have a real job. Now he turned on this dumb sequel and yes, I'm watching it as I type. Side note: I totally attribute this habit to my father. Anytime a TV show or movie is on (whether he enjoys the film or not and regardless of how tired he is) he gets sucked in. I have totally inherited this. And yes, my husband makes fun of me for it. As far as me recommending this movie...no I don't. The only upside to it are the cute dogs but you can simply fulfill that desire by looking at the pics below.

in case you wanted to laugh...

This guy is flipping hilarious:

http://bryanallain.com/

Much thanks to my cousin Emily for posting it on her blog first. Enjoy!

sherlock holmes--movie review

Last night we watched Sherlock Holmes. I have a few things to say about the movie:

1. Sherlock is a freaking genius. He totally kept my attention due to his incredible memory, intuition and knowledge.
2. Robert Downing Jr. is a stud.
3. The storyline was good, however J and I both agreed we would've hated to live in late 19th century London.
4. I heart Rachel McAdams.
5. See the movie, its good!
   

change of heart

I've been meaning to post about this book for like 2 weeks now so here goes...I finished my first Jodi Picoult book. I've heard all kinds of praises for Picoult's work and I have to say that I completely agree! The book Change of Heart was absolutely captivating! I found myself looking forward to getting in the car so that I could listen to it and then not wanting to get out of the car because I wanted to continue listening to it. So, yeah, its a really great book and I highly recommend it. 5 out of 5 stars.

weirrrrrd

I was looking through some pics on my computer and came across these little gems...so weird to think that just a couple of months ago this is what it looked like outside.

Last night we took Crazy on a walk and I found myself thinking "crap, I forgot to bring a coat...what if it gets really cold". Never mind the fact that we were 3 minutes away from our house or that its the middle of May. When its cold for mooooonths you just don't get over it easily...I think it should be a form of PTSD, yeah, I'm pretty sure it is. You can quote me on that.

abby's visit :)

Last weekend with ABby was a blast! I had so much fun the entire time we were together. We toured Pittsburgh sites, shopped, ate, drank and talked. I loved it! Here's a list of the places we went together:

• Kelly O's--fabulous huluski
• Ross Park Mall (we visited Juicy and Michael Kors)
• Rita's Italian Ice (twice)
  
• Greek Orthodox Festival (they were out of baklava...boooo)
  
• Pittsburgh Zoo (we were able to pet a deer and watch some lions play with each other!)
• Church Brew Works (yum yum yum yum yum)
• Church
  
• Dog Park
  
• More shopping at the Waterfront

Thanks so much for coming Abby, I had a fabulous time with you!! I love you so much cuz!!!

makes ya think...

I stumbled across this article while perusing relevantmagazine.com (my new favorite website, obviously) and it piqued my interest. I've always been against pornography whether it be my (sometimes) modest nature, Christian beliefs or feminist ideals. I just think its wrong on a number of levels. But I've always thought of pornography as sexual pornography...I've never thought of it like this:

The Dangers of Emotional Pornography

But it explains some of the thoughts I've had. Of course I love The Notebook, what a great romantic novel and movie but I always left feeling like "oh I don't have that" or sometimes I'll think "oh man why doesn't John re-do a house for me, write me love letters everyday and think of me all the time". Well, newsflash, he's a human and that isn't normal. Now I'm all for expressing your love, but I'm also all for people realizing that we don't live in a fairytale, this is real life. And I'm writing this to you as a woman who struggles with that realization almost daily. John will never be Noah or Danny (from Grease) or Prince Charming. He's John. He's normal. He screws up and so do I. And that's why I love him. Mental note to self: Make this your daily mantra. Hope you like the article :)

precious

(copied from postsecret.com)

happy mother's day!

I would like to dedicate this post to my mom and all of the other wonderful moms (and moms-to-be) that I know! A mom is such a wonderful thing to have, you can learn so very much from her. So much love, nurturing, advice on love, advice on clothing, advice on food and health, and sometimes things as simple as a shoulder to cry on, a hand to scratch your back or a listening ear. I love my momma sooooo very much! I believe that I am the woman I am today due in large part to HER! It kills me that I couldn't be with you to celebrate this day and I'm really sorry for that. Please know that I love you in an incredible way and you were in my thoughts today! I love you Mom!!

june & johnny

Love them. Love their music. Love their style. Love their names. I just love it.

more goodness

"And we need to be Christians first—in our politics, in our actions, in our theology and in our worship. We need to make everything else secondary. Instead of trying to transform Jesus into someone who looks and acts like us, we need to be transformed into someone who looks and acts like Him. It’s not about getting to heaven or bringing heaven here to Earth. It’s not about a one-time conversion experience or being raised in faith from a young age. It’s not about being predestined or choosing faith. It’s about being open to follow Jesus where He will take us. It’s about being humble enough to learn from the way others follow Jesus. We all have different experiences of faith, and there is much we can learn about Jesus from those we encounter on the journey. But if we don’t walk in love—the kind of love that is kind and patient and humble—then we will miss out on all the things Jesus wants to show us

I need to make this my mantra.

If you would like to read more click here.

A.A.H.

I shall nickname Dixie AAH for Anxious Attention Hog. Since I have come home today she has been all up in my business. Stepping on my laptop. Stepping over my laptop so that her body blocks the screen from me. Stepping on my phone as I text others. Yes, she's 52 pounds and no, she doesn't care that she's two cell phone stand offs away from breaking my wrist.

Her beloved ball was caught between the power strip and the wall (where she could not retrieve it, despite her anxious stabs) and she literally circled the room whimpering and whining until I looked up from my computer to see what the dilemma was. Now she is going crazy barking at the neighbor who is innocently mowing his lawn. Too bad he didn't know he lived beside the junk yard guard dog.

Geez...she better be glad she's so darn cute or I would not be happy with her. Here's to a night of barking, wrist breaking, computer screen blocking, and whimpering (crap, I'm out of wine).

article #3

3 Wrong Ways to Read the Bible

Fave quote:
"Don’t worry: I believe the Bible is God-inspired and perfect in what it communicates. But the “God wrote it, I believe it” brand of inspiration fails to account for an important kink in the process: People are idiots. While the Bible’s message may be perfect, those of us reading it are unequivocably not. It’s easy to rip verses out of their cultural and literary context so we can slap them on a bumper sticker."

getting that hair cut

Sometime soon (date is not set yet) I will be getting my hair cut (gasp!). To donate it to children who have lost their hair due to that nasty thing called cancer. For those who know me well, you know that I love my hair and I love having it long. These precious children are one of the only things that would warrant cutting a significant length of my hair off. And now to my point...help me find a new hairdo after "the cut". I've been browsing and apparently I have a "round" shaped face and I know that I do not want my hair any shorter than right above/around my shoulders. PLEASE vote for your fave haircut below and/or give me other suggestions. Thanks, love ya'll!!

Option 1



Option 2


Option 3


Option 4


Option 5

Apparently I love Nicole Richie, who knew. And yes, I see now that a lot of those look the same and some of them are shorter than what I originally said I wanted. Just let me know what you think...I'm dazed and confused...

yes, another article

So I really dig Relevant's website. This article might be a little uncomfortable and some may take offense to it but that is not my intention for posting it. I really enjoy articles that cross the boundaries of comfort and make you think. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Breaking Generational Sin

mayday!

Interesting article...

Mayday!

Fave quotes:

"But if the history of Israel teaches us anything, it's that history is a dialogue between God and free, responsible persons and that God keeps summoning us again and again to empower the poor and needy and to nurture justice."

"...and then promised that at some time in the future He would return to complete the victory over all sin and injustice. At that time, even the groaning creation will be freed of its bondage to decay (Rom. 8:21). All tears and injustice will disappear, and the kingdoms of this world will become the kingdom of our Lord and Christ."

"Let us never suppose that success depends on our diligence and brilliance. This is finally God's task. Of course, we should work hard. We are God's stewards, and God wants to change history through our faithful efforts. But the task is finally the work of Almighty God, the Lord of history, the present and coming King. As such, we should pray as hard for our campaigns for social justice as the wonderful people in a Billy Graham evangelistic campaign have prayed for evangelism. And we should combine our prayer with our most brilliant strategic thinking and most persistent hard work. When God uses our efforts to expand religious freedom, democratic governance, fair legal systems, and socioeconomic justice, let us give thanks to the One who empowers and sustains us. And when we face setbacks, we should remember they are only temporary. Jesus has burst from the tomb. Jesus has already won the decisive victory over all evil. He will most assuredly, as He promised, return someday to complete His victory."

Ok, so that last quote is the entire last paragraph...but I loved it so much I couldn't cut any of it out.

wow

I'm speechless...really, wow.

The Better Marriage Blanket

they're back!

Well for me they never left, but I just wanted to let ya'll know that I found this gem while browsing online tonight. Enjoy :)