Monday, May 25, 2009

What's New

So I really do have a life, even if I'm not good at keeping up with my blog...

Let's start with Wednesday, because that's about as far back as I can remember.  We had church here at the house on the back patio with some STEAK (and yes, of course I made a salad).  We opened our Bibles but never got to the "study" part because we kept on talking and laughing and telling stories.  Sometimes those times are equally or even more important than "studying."

Thursday we went to Artiles, a new Cuban restaurant, with the neighbors.  It was to celebrate her birthday a MONTH ago.  The restaurant had AWESOME food and the people were really friendly.  Not a huge buffet selection but that's ok because everything tasted so good.  Mmmm...I love those fried plantains.

Friday I took the day OFF and hung out at home with Reber who had a stomach bug.  Still much better than working.

Saturday my neighbor, Karina, and I went with her church to Our Community Place to cook and eat lunch with the people there.  That is one amazing place with a bunch of good people.

We also had another cookout with my neighbors and coworkers in the afternoon.  Everybody enjoyed hamburgers and grilled corn, face painting, and a tres leches cake fiasco that was still delicious.  It totally fell apart!

Here is my neighbor painting the kids' faces.  She is so talented at everything and always has good ideas.  The kids were so excited that they kept crowding around her and she hardly had space to work sometimes!


Here are the kids with their finished faces:

I LOVE all these kids - they're so adorable and funny.  Plus we discovered that our shared backyard space is perfect for kids to run around and play.  I always say "I don't have a yard," but really I do!

Sunday I cleaned the basement like a madwoman because I want to have a yard sale sometime in the coming weeks.

And now it's Monday.  Time to savor the extra day off, get a few things done, and take a break!

Saturday, May 23, 2009

A couple random pics

Confession:  I am officially the worst picture-taker EVER.  I take my camera places and then never end up using it.  I am afraid to change the batteries because last time I did, it deleted all the pictures.  But this morning, I got up some courage and went on iPhoto and here they are in all their glory:

Here are Madalyn and Buddy.  Oh my gosh I love her name.  She's the daughter of our friends Aaron and Laura.  Laura is the best picture-taker I know, so forgive me for this one but I think it's cute.


Here is my ridiculous cat being ridiculous.  He's always into something.  Pardon the kitchen mess...I'm always doing about a billion things at a time in there.  And see that bread maker?  I scored that for 10 bucks at a yard sale!!


And finally, one that I can't take credit for because Reber took this one, but isn't it pretty where we live?  I love our neighborhood because it's full of life and kids are always playing.

Well, there you have it - hopefully more to come soon!

Sunday, May 10, 2009

Lessons from a Road Trip

Last week, we drove to NC to help our friends Aaron and Laura move.  That was down and back to Greenville in 24 hours, and was really fun!  Here are some lessons from the road:

- When one lane is closed on a major highway, GET OVER WHEN IT SAYS THE LANE IS ENDING!!!  If everyone would just move over to the un-closed lane, everyone could keep going at a slower but steady pace.  But since some people decide to be jerkfaces and try to get in front of everyone, it ruins the whole thing and makes it stop and go for miles.  That is my non-scientific observation, anyway.

- My car has an adjustable seatbelt!  This is the best news ever because I am always trying to push the seatbelt over because I'm short and it digs into my neck.  Reber, being the wonderful husband that he is, noticed that I was always tugging at it and when I mentioned my frustration, he reached across and adjusted the seatbelt.  This also means that I'm an idiot because I've owned this car since July 2006.

- The Mayflower is the best restaurant ever in the history of the world.  It feels like you're at a seafood restaurant at the beach when you walk through the door.  The menu is extensive AND reasonably priced AND you get a ton of food AND it's delicious!!  Unfortunately, these are only in NC but I'm going back every chance I get!

- I still love my car and the 40 miles/gallon we got on the trip.

Yay for a road trip : )

Saturday, May 2, 2009

Yard Sale Extravaganza

If you don't live in Harrisonburg, you've probably never seen anything like the Belmont Estates Yard Sale.  Basically, it's a huge subdivision of really nice houses, and twice a year they have a community yard sale.  I wish I had taken my camera.  Driving around is like trying to get out of a concert.  There are people and cars EVERYWHERE.

Why do I go to all this trouble, you ask?  Duh, the deals!  Today I spent about $60.  In the stores, the stuff I bought would've been at least $350-400.  I got a brand new hammock still in the box, a bread machine, bunches of clothes, a handheld game for my dad, a couple little household items, AND, the piece de restistance, a big painting in a nice frame.  Original price was $120 (the tag was still on the back) and I paid $15!!!  Woohoo!!