A Helping Hand

I started a 10 month fellowship with this organization back in August. I love what I do and we were recently featured in a local newspaper. Here's the the link for the article.

http://www.chapelhillnews.com/2010/11/28/60983/give-it-a-rest-help-is-available.html

The Cruise

So, after typing out three *very* long posts about our cruise, I decided that you probably don't want that much detail about my life, so I'm just giving you the highlights! :)

The boat was amazing, the food was great and the entertainment for the most part was terrible. One of my favorite things on the boat was the hot glass show, where three glassblowers made some incredible works of art on the top deck of the boat! It was pretty amazing. I also really enjoyed the indoor adult only pool. It was so relaxing!

Our ports of call were pretty great too! The only place I was marginally disappointed with was Magen's Bay on St. Thomas. It's supposed to be one of the most beautiful beaches in the world and it was only meh to me. We also did a tree top zip-line excursion which was awesome. They said we couldn't bring our cameras, as we'd need both hands to do it (and they were right), so I'm pretty bummed about that.

All in all, the cruise was amazing and I am definitely converted! I can't wait until we can go on another one! :) I put together a little slideshow of some of our pictures! Enjoy!

Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

I am so grateful for so many things this year! I'm thankful for my family, for our home, our jobs, for living in a country with so many freedoms, for my education, my kitty, the nice things I have, and the gospel of Jesus Christ.

This year for Thanksgiving Dinner, it was just me and Matt. We had baked salmon, with arugula salad, mashed potatoes, rolls, green beans, roasted sweet potatoes and beets.

For dessert we had an apple and pear galette. I got the recipe for the galette on allrecipes and it was pretty good. My crust was a little dry and crumby, but it had a good flavor. Click here for the link to the recipe. I added some sugar and salt to the crust to give it more flavor. I also used pumpkin pie spice instead of the spice mixture (because cardamom was 10 bucks for a little bitty thing!). I just realized that I forgot to add the brown sugar in the mixture, but I didn't miss it at all! I also brushed the crust with some egg whites (because I had some left over from something else) and sprinkled the whole thing with a little sugar in the raw. Any way, it was Matt approved which for a pastry is incredible! Try it! You'll love it! Here how it turned out.

The Concert

I think my husband said it best after the concert. He said (of Muse), "They are amazing musicians, but they aren't performers." I would totally have to agree. Don't get me wrong! The concert was incredible and the experience, unforgettable. But all they did was go from one song to the next. There was no interaction with the audience beyond the obligatory, "How are you doing tonight, Raleigh?!" I love Muse and their music. It was as good, if not better live. I just wish there had been a little more performing in addition to all the incredible, ear drum bursting wall of sound.

Now, that I've said my peace, I can dwell in memory of the gloriousness of the evening. Muse is one of the few remaining bands/groups that sounds just as good live, if not infinitely better. At the risk of going off on a tangent, why is it that so many "singers" have to rely on technology to sound even half-way decent on a recording? You know what, never mind. Muse has always sounded delicious live, as it should be.

Any way, the concert was amazing and I made some friends with the guys standing in front of us (so in the event of me jumping up and accidentally landing on their feet, they wouldn't mind so much) and had an awesome time. My ear drums felt like I had cotton balls stuck in them for the rest of the evening and I honestly thought that I might lose my voice for a while the next morning (but nothing can get these pipes down for long!). Truly, it was a wonderful night. *sigh* I definitely will go see them again when they come to town.

So, here are my favorite pictures. Enjoy!

I survived!!

But, just barely. The concert was auh-mazing, the cruise was unbelievable and the surgery was awful (but necessary). I've only recently come off of the narcotics (which are frustratingly mind-addling. I think I may have had the same couple of conversations with Matt five of six times. Sorry honey.)

I'm in the process of sorting out our pictures, but here are my favorites from all three events. :) More to follow soon (most likely).

•  This was the beach we went to on St. John. By far, the most beautiful place we went on the cruise

•  Muse. Love it.

• This was taken soon after waking up. Considering what I looked like after waking up from my last surgery, I'm looking pretty hot!