Road Trippin'

 (this is a long and rambling post . . .is that unusual for me?  hahaha! I'm just trying to capture the memories!!)
Last weekend, we took a teeny tiny road trip to Memphis, Tennessee.  It is weird to me that neither Mark nor I had ever been to Memphis.  Our kids have been several times over the years - one of Laura's college roommates/sorority sisters lived in Memphis plus both of our kids worked at SOS (service over self) for a week every summer during high school.

We loaded up the car and headed out on Friday morning.  We took the "new" interstate 22 and I was mesmerized by all of the woods along the road.  I don't think I had any idea that we had so much forest nearby.  Along the interstate there is a large amount of reclaimed land from old strip mines, too.  It is also a long way to the first bathrooms . . .just saying . . .and everyone got off at the same exit!!

We made it to Memphis and decided since it was raining, we would go ahead and find the Williams Sonoma outlet.  My friend, Debbie, had told me about the outlet and the fact that they had great prices on All Clad cookware.  We bought a 10 piece set, a waffle iron, and a couple of extra skillets.  I'm loving it all ready . . .and the prices were amazing.  There was a Pottery Barn outlet next door and I wouldn't even allow myself to go in . . .I had spent ALL MY MONEY at the Williams Sonoma Outlet!!

Mark wanted to try the dry rub ribs at Rendezvous Restaurant so we headed there for lunch and he was not disappointed. 

We checked into our downtown hotel and decided to walk around and check out the neighborhood.  Our hotel was one block off Beale Street so we were centrally located.

It is probably a really good thing that we don't have a Wet Willies in Birmingham.  I am mesmerized by all the spinning vats of delicious drinks.  (there was one in Savannah when we were there . . .) I had a concoction of strawberry daiquiri layered with a pina colada . . .and it was wonderful!

You can tell by the sky that the weather was iffy but we decided a little rain never hurt anyone.  As we walked, we were a little surprised at the number of homeless folks on the streets.  We have a large homeless population in Birmingham so I have no idea why we were surprised.  One guy gave us such a great story (about knowing the police and the church down the street) that Mark gave him $20.  As soon as we finished our conversation and turned to walk away, Mark said "we probably shouldn't have done that."  We turned around and the guy had vanished.  I mean - really vanished . . .in seconds.  I told Mark that maybe we had just handed a $20 bill to Jesus.  Do not make fun of me . . .really!!

After much walking . . .and a beverage . . .we decided to go back to the hotel for a little while to rest.  This, in and of itself, is a miracle (thanks to a big drink) because Mark doesn't like to waste time when we are someplace with new places to explore.

I had TWO things on my must-do list while in Memphis.  I wanted to go to the Williams Sonoma outlet (check) and I wanted to see the ducks at the Peabody.  I had checked the times and so we headed out in what we thought was plenty of time for the 5:00 p.m. "walk of the ducks."   In my research, I didn't see any notes from anyone that said "IF YOU WANT TO SEE THE DUCKS, ARRIVE AN HOUR EARLY."  We arrived at the Peabody and we couldn't get close enough to see.  Mark said he saw one duck . . .I saw ZERO.  Now this is going to sound totally silly, but I almost cried.  I only had two things I really wanted to do and one of them didn't happen.  I put on my happy face after a few minutes of pouting and stomp walking . . .and we walked to Automatic Slims for dinner . . .at 5:00 o'clock . . . .yes, we were the only people in the restaurant at that time.

The restaurant was very unique.  They had fried Wickles (and we LOVE wickless!) on the appetizer menu so we had to order those.  They were great!

We didn't really enjoy our dinner . . .in hind sight, we should have walked back up to Beale Street and eaten a world famous hamburger at one of the bars.

We went back to the hotel . . .and it was still really early . . .and Mark didn't want to sit still . . .so we got in the car and drove around Memphis.  He wanted to check out a couple of liquor stores to see if they had any different Bourbons.  I don't know what we did before GPS on our Iphones.  Siri and I became great even better friends last weekend.  An added bonus of the night was seeing the bridge with all the lights.  Mark drove around until he got me on the banks of the Mississippi and I was able to get an ok shot with my phone.  The picture doesn't do it justice - it was really lovely (you can see that the sky is still angry and sad).

The picture below is the main reason we went to Memphis -- Kate's graduation from the Memphis Theological Seminary.  Kate is in our Tuesday night Young Professionals group and she and I work together and she has "house/cat sat" for us. We love Kate!

We were seated near the back and she said that she was happy to see us as she came in.

The graduation was at the Baptist church on Broad Street and in addition to the graduation service, there was also a worship service woven through the agenda.  I have a video of the choir but I can't figure out how to get it into the blog.  The choir was from an African American church and the preacher who gave the message was African American.  It was so cool to worship in a different environment.  Mark is hearing impaired (from years of shooting guns without ear protection!) and when the congregants talked back to the minister during her sermon, he had a hard time hearing (plus the microphones weren't always doing their jobs correctly - how dare they??).

Kate-the graduate

I love this picture of the three of us!!  Yay for Kate - we are so proud of you and can't wait to see what God is going to do in and through you as you continue to partner with Him!!

Pack Rat Hodgepodge

1. May 17th is National Pack Rat Day. Sidebar-should we be celebrating this? Hmmm...
Who in the world came up with Pack Rat Day???  Please, oh please, tell me that Hallmark makes a card for this day!!Are you a pack rat? Even if you're not a full fledged pack rat, most people have one thing or another they struggle to part with. Tell us what's yours.
My husband and I tend to clean out and give away things.  We bought new All Clad cookware this weekend . . .and the Mr. said to me in the car, "You can buy this on one condition - that we get rid of all the junky pots and pans!"  We were out of town (will post about that another day) and we went to a Williams Sonoma outlet . . . let the heavens part and the angels sing.  It is a really good thing that we do not have a Williams Sonoma outlet nearby.  Yes, you see a ten piece set in the giant box, a waffle iron (Mark's contribution to the giant rolling cart in the store), a sack under my shoes and a sack you can't see hanging from the bar.  Yes, we took the new pots and pans into our hotel room because the parking area for the hotel had HUGE signs not to leave anything in sight in your car.  This was a significant purchase so the CPA with whom I live lugged it all into our hotel room.

Now back to the pack rat question . . .We did significant "cleaning out" when we moved to this house.  I still have lots of crafting materials . . .and I love holiday decorations so those are hard to give away.

2. What are two things you know you should know how to do, but you don't?
Fry food?  I don't know how to fry chicken!!  I really don't want to learn either.  Mark loves fried chicken so I should probably learn how . . .nah!   A lady at church gave me a recipe for fried okra (I should say instructions) and I have fried okra . . .maybe two times.  Let's see . . .what else do I not know how to do????  Stick to a budget!!  I actually CAN stick to a budget but I don't like to do so.  Thank God for Mark.

3. Do you crave sugar? Do you add sugar to your coffee and/or tea? Do you use artificial sweeteners or sugar substitutes? When dining out is dessert a given? Are you someone who has slain the sugar dragon, and if so tell us how you did it.
Since February, I've been eating very little sugar.  I'm not a coffee drinker and I can drink my tea unsweetened (or with equal - answers that artificial sweetener question).  I drink a million diet soft drinks (artificial sweetener again).  I haven't slain the sugar dragon but I've beaten him back a little.  I have found that the less sugar I eat, the less I want it.  Sugar is like alcohol or other addictive substances to me.  If I start eating it, I don't want to stop.  My thin husband (I'm not thin!) is the same way about sugar.  He loves it and can eat and eat and eat and then he has to exercise and stop eating real food to make up for the sugar!

4. What's a trend it took a while for you to come round to, but now you can't imagine living without?
I'm always the last one on the trend train!  We were slow to get on the new house/updated kitchen trend simply because our kitchen in our old house  (and the house) worked just fine.  I must admit that I love my kitchen and house now.  Of course, I have granite countertops and the world is moving on to other substances so I'm still behind!!5. What's a song that reminds you of a specific incident in your life? Please elaborate.
This is so stupid but this popped into my mind.  When I was a teenager, we would go to the roller skating rink with our church youth group.  They would play "This Magic Moment" and I would dreamily imagine skating with a handsome prince!  I think I have written about this before!

6. Insert your own random thought here.
I blogged almost every day in February (personal challenge) and I blogged every day in April (A to Z Challenge).  I blogged one day right after that because I was asked to write a post about my faith.  After that, I had to take a break.  I love writing down my thoughts but sometimes life is so incredibly busy.  Yes, I know that writing should be a priority but my faith, my job, my family, exercise . . .so many things are so important.  Do most of you have a "set" time when you blog?  Or do you just try to carve out a few moments?

Those are the biggest shrimp I've ever seen!!

As I typed the title, I thought . . .hmmm . . .I don't even think I have a picture of the shrimp!  How could that be???

Our son and daughter-in-love host a Crawfish Boil every year.  They've been gracious enough to include us . . .and I think that this year, we were good help . . .we played with Emma a good portion of the evening.  We love spending time with this sweet girl and she totally adores her pops. . .and the feeling is more than mutual.

She looked so cute in her little dress . . . and they even had a tiny Auburn chair for her to sit in.

Luke lives down the street.  Of course, Luke's parents live with him.  I want a shirt like Luke's shirt!  If you want to read about Luke's miracle birth, check out this article.

I'm not sure what face Emma is making.  She looks like . . .maybe she didn't get her way (which would be rare since pops is holding her!!)

Look at those crawfish!

I have a picture of the giant crawfish but not the giant shrimp.  I'm not a fan of crawfish, so my sweet son bought some shrimp to throw in the pot and even told me to go first in line so I could get some before the throngs descended upon the table.  Last year, he made it all so spicy that I couldn't even eat the corn and potatoes.  He cooked it just right this year!  Spicy, but not too spicy!!  The shrimp were GIGANTIC -- I had to turn my head as I broke off the top of each one before eating!!  Glenn has found a supplier of crawfish and shrimp - Red Mountain Crawfish- it is so fresh!!  I was just reading about them online - they have a relationship with the Landry family from Swamp People!

I

There was corn hole playing, throwing the ball for the dogs, eating, drinking of beer, lots of laughter - sounds like a perfect night!  There was even a cool breeze blowing!!

We didn't get a picture of our family on Easter Sunday this year so while everyone was together, I made them all line up (they only do this because they love me . . .or so I will shut up!!).  Laura's boyfriend, Scott, drove up from Montgomery to be with us.  I think Emma is looking at the dogs or something behind her!  I love this crew of folks!

off the face of the earth

I feel like I've fallen off the face of the earth (in the blogging world)  - whew!!  As much as I loved the April A - Z Challenge, it just about killed me.  I would be blogging long after Mark went to bed at night and then I was so tired the following day . . .over and over.

So what's been going on?

Two weeks ago, we had a "mission night" with the young professionals.  We made two small "gifts" for a group home (12 residents) - we had bags of gold fish crackers and a cute note that said, "You are o-fish-ally awesome" . . .and we made a baggie with a card "ORANGE you glad that spring is here? Be a SMARTIE and feel FRITO enjoy your day!" The baggie had an orange, a few packs of smarties candies and a bag of Fritos!!

The group also made 100 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for a local mission and last but certainly not least, the group filled "bags of fun" for the children of our food co-op program.

Ten loaves of bread, lots of peanut butter and jelly, plastic knives and spoons, plastic tablecloths . . lots of supplies needed!!

We tried to keep the bags of fun for the food share ministry "equal" so that there would not be any hurt feelings.  I divided the candy into groups so that each bag would have the same kinds of candy.  (I did some of the prep before the group arrived)

The PB&J's were made in the kitchen.  They were listening to music and laughing a lot!

We filled the bags in the dining room.

On the morning after, I delivered the sandwiches to the local mission.  A nice gentleman carried one of the boxes for me and then he whispered to me, "Ma'am, could you spare $1.50?"  I had to look him in the eye and tell him that I didn't have a cent to my name (which was true, by the way!).  I've been thinking about that request ever since . . .what did he want to buy with $1.50.  Did he want a soda?  Did he want a candy bar?  I take diet pepsis for granted . . .and I take $1.50 for granted.  Ma'am - could you spare $1.50?  I'm glad I had sandwiches because I've been thinking about this all week - 'Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me."

Living Life - Where is Faith?

A few weeks ago, I heard about how Pure Flix is encouraging everyone to think about how they maintain their faith in God throughout life's ups and downs.  I was in the middle of the April A to Z blog challenge and knew that there was no way I could write that blog post at that time.  I decided that I would spend my time writing about my faith for a blogpost in May.  Pure Flix is a company that promotes content with good values through their wide variety of Christian movies.  When my kids were little, they had a favorite movie that we watched over and over and it was a movie purchased from a site (except by phone back then - no internet!) much like Pure Flix

All of life's ups and downs have been rolling around in my head since I read her initial email.  I grew up in the church - we walked to church on Sundays.  My mom was active in church . . . our dad . . .not so much. He believed in God.  He had high moral character (though he could "cuss" up a blue streak).  He was baptized before my mom died of cancer.  He just didn't go to church very often.

My mom died when I was 15 . . .I was a Sophomore in high school.  I remember standing in the backyard on the day she died . . .I was shaking my fist at God and cursing at  him for taking my mom. In hindsight, I can see that I was actually angry at God for a long long long time - probably into my 30's.  I continued attending church but my heart wasn't into worshiping this mean God who would take my mother.

mama and daddy when they were younger

One of the beautiful things about our lives is that we can all look back and see things so very clearly. God put so many people in my life - people that would continue to love me even when I was very unlovable.  I can see the hand of God over and over and over again - sending people to help guide me.

I'm going to be brutally honest . . .in hindsight, it wasn't my faith in God that carried me . . .it was friends and family who had faith in God and they carried me until I could walk again.  On Sunday, in Sunday School, the story about the friends who carried their friend on a mat to Jesus was a part of the lesson.  I've always thought about that story and my friend, Susan Peterson, who died of cancer. When she was sick and tired, we continued to pray and "carried her mat."  Looking back on my life, I can see where others carried me "sitting up on that mat" for quite a long time . . . they loved me back to Jesus.

I can't imagine living life without my faith in God. . .but it is so comforting to know that I'm surrounded by other believers who pray for me; who encourage me; who support me; who listen to me; who remind me that I am a beloved daughter of the king of kings!

The two pictures that I have used today are old black and whites.  I took a photo of the photo using my phone so the picture quality is terrible . . .but I want you to see my favorite picture of me and my mama.  She was so beautiful inside and out.  I wish I could know her now!  I would love to talk about life and faith with her.  I would love for her to meet my children and grandbaby!  BUT . . .But God sent people into my life who have loved me and made me realize that I'm never alone.

May the Fourth Be With you . . .and also with you . . .Wednesday Hodgepodge

Link up with Joyce at From This Side of the Pond and answer the Wednesday Hodgepodge questions!!

1. Can you tell I'm embracing a Cinco de Mayo theme here this week? Do you like Mexican food? What's your favorite dish? How about on the side-black beans, pinto beans, refried beans, rice? What about heat-mild, medium, hot? Will you celebrate with Mexican food and drink on May 5th aka Cinco de Mayo?
I LOVE LOVE LOVE Mexican food.  Can you tell I like it a lot?  I love the chips and salsa.  I love the margaritas. I love cheese quesadillas.  I love two order grilled chicken, rice and beans . . .and I love the cheese dip and I love the guacamole!  I love black beans, pinto beans, refried beans, and rice!!  I like mild or slightly medium.  My hubby loves it hot!  One local restaurant serves Tres Fuegos sauce . . .yeah - three fires!  He loves it!  We are going out to dinner with our Sunday School group on Friday night and we aren't going to a Mexican restaurant . . .but I may see if they have a Mexican inspired dish.

2. Ever been to Mexico? For work or holiday? Love it or no? If you haven't been is this a place you'd like to visit? Can you speak Spanish?
I've never been to Mexico.  Yes, I would like to visit there!  I took almost enough Spanish for a minor in Spanish in college . . .but haven't kept it up.  I can still read some . . and sometimes understand some . . and can still say, "como esta" . .. and "muy buen"

3. What's one thing you may accomplish this month?
Stay alive??  This has already been a crazy month.  I think all the "meanies" have come out of the woodwork.

4. If you were mayor of your village, city, or town, what's one thing you'd like to see changed, done away with, revamped, or accomplished? Is serving in public office something you've ever seriously considered?
I've never considered serving in public office.  I don't think I would be good at that job!!  My husband would want every yard to have fresh pine straw and for everyone to keep their bushes trimmed and their grass mowed. We live in a neighborhood where they monitor much of that but . . .  On a more serious note, I wish there was some way to take care of all God's children - every single one.

5. What's something that may be popular, but that you just don't get?
I don't know if these are popular or not but I saw them on some ad that popped up yesterday . . .really?

I'm also a big believer in shirts that cover bottoms.  If you want to wear yoga pants or leggings every single day of your life, more power to you but buy shirts that cover every inch of your derriere.  I don't want to see it.

6. Can't let this week slip by without mentioning Thursday May 4th is Star Wars Day. As in 'May the 4th be with you' ahem. Are you a fan of the Star Wars series? Exactly how much of a fan are you? On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being 'I've seen every film, own the action figures, might have dressed as Darth Vader for Halloween one year', and 1 being, 'what's a Vader?' -where do you land?
I've watched most of one of the Star Wars movies . . the last one.  I think I maybe watched part of the first one years ago.  I love the cartoons that will be out on the 4th - showing two church members - one saying "May the fourth be with you" . . .and the other one responding "and also with you."  Of course, I just did a google search and couldn't find a single one of those cartoons to show you.  I promise I didn't make that up!!  

7. Scroll back through your blog posts and in three sentences or less tell us the general theme of your fourth blog post. Does it still ring true today? Is it a topic you re-visit on your blog from time to time?
Awww -- I love this post.  I started blogging in 2009 so it is old.  My children are now 30 years old.  This is not a topic I would revisit . . .but it is cute!!  I will talk about my children probably a million more times!!

8.  Insert your own random thought here.
My brain is tired today.  I have no random thoughts!  Oh yes, I do!  My son and daughter-in-law and several other friends have been listening to Podcasts.  Many of them told me about one in particular so I've been listening to it --  S-Town.  Do not listen if you are offended by curse words.  It is a true story told by a reporter about some happenings in a small town in Alabama.  I will say that the story makes Alabama look bad.  I don't talk that way - accent (I hope!) nor do I use that many curse words.  BUT . . .I can't quit listening.  I'm on episode five out of six and I hate for it to end.  Mark and I have actually had "words" about this podcast because he thinks it is horrible that I'm listening to something with all those curse words in it.  I don't think it is any different than watching an R rated movie or reading a book by James Patterson or some of the other authors I read.  There are people in the world who curse every other word - the men on some of those fishing shows curse so much that sometimes all you hear are bleeps.  Actually, my daddy could curse with the best of them . . .though he didn't say some of these words!!  If you aren't offended by bad language, listen to S-Town.  It is pretty fascinating. . .especially if you live in Alabama

I may be late for work . . .

I may be late for work because I'm sitting at the kitchen island writing a blog post!  I have already answered some emails this morning at said kitchen island!

On Monday, I had an interaction with a non-church member that has weaseled its way into my heart - like an arrow through the heart (overly dramatic!).  I'm using silly words but truth here - I take my job seriously.  I work for the church but I also work for Jesus (yes, I know you don't have to work in a church to work for Jesus).  Words can sometimes dig so deep that you question everything about yourself.  Mark says things like, "don't take it personally!" (he is right).  On this day, I pray that every interaction I have with any person brings glory to God.

So on to more mundane things -- our sweet baby girl has been picky in her food selections lately.  I remembered buying these for our kids - evidently they didn't go over so well with sweet miss.  This Gran did make one suggestion that was good - Campbell's soup!  Things are already cut into bite sized pieces!!  Mark was with her when she was eating dinner last night and said she loved it!  (of course, that was yesterday - she might not like it today! :-)

What did we do this weekend?  On Thursday night, we had our supper club over for a taco bar and I didn't take a single picture!

On Friday night, we went to a surprise birthday party for a friend of ours.  I think her husband and daughter really surprised her!

Isn't that cake beautiful?

They  made these cute stickers for everyone to wear at the party.  I love cute ideas!!

On Saturday morning, we heard the front door open and look who came to visit.  We walked over to the park to play.  She loves to hold two things - one in each hand.

She enjoyed swinging this time!

Later in the day, we drove a few miles down the road to a local nursery to buy pine straw and some plants for our front porch.  The wash of color was amazing!

I wanted to buy one of everything!

Unbeknownst to us, as we traipsed all around on Saturday . . .we evidently had a slight stomach bug.  Mark was sick on Sunday and unable to attend church.

On Sunday morning, our friend, Kelly, preached her last sermon at her Lutheran church here in town before moving to Kentucky later this month.  I worshipped at the Lutheran church on Sunday morning.  I've been to funerals in the Lutheran church but never a Sunday morning worship service.  They did several things differently from the UMC but it is so wonderful to know that we are worshipping the same God - who loves us all.  After worship, I scurried to Trinity to teach Sunday School and then I came home and we rested.  That is not a word that is used often in the Elliott household . . .we rested and got better so that we could hit the week running.

Did you do anything fun this weekend?