Sneak Peaks ...

Ready for Christmas!

Erin's Pecan Pies :)

Yum ... why do the holidays always taste so good! It might have been the ingredients staring me right in the face everytime I walk into Publix or the fact that all my favorite cooking blogs have had new recipes and pictures, but its that time of the year again and I had the itch to bake a pie ... a pecan pie. I had NEVER ever had pie before last year, yes it's true I must have been deprived. Last year at this time I was up in Atlanta sitting in my good friend Erin's office chatting about none other than cooking and our favorite foods. Somehow we got to the topic of pie and I mentioned I didn't like pie, but eh I had really never had any home made pie. The very next day I had a nice slice of home made pecan pie on a plate in front of me ... my life has never been the same. Okay Okay ... not that dramatic but wow I didn't know what I was missing! Last year I attempted to make them myself, I did alright and this year I tried again and did a little better. I figure once a year I make them and if I improve each year then maybe by the time I'm 40 they'll be perfect :) Anyways, big thanks to Erin for introducing me to the deliciousness of Pecan Pie ... I do wish we could devour these together!!!

2 More From Clean Up :)

Productive Weekend ...

Before ...

After ...
Next Week ...

Old Friends are Best Friends ...

Thursday night I got to have dinner with two of my very best friends! Brandy and Amber drove down from North Carolina and were on their way to Miami to catch a cruise to the Bahamas for 3 days. I'm so happy that I got to see them if only for an hour or so while we enjoyed dinner. We got caught up on each others lives and other people's lives we still chat with. It still amazes me how no matter how long time goes bye that we don't hang out the second we do its as if we never left college. We still laugh at the same jokes and make fun of the same tendencies we did back in college, and those stories & memories may be altered a bit over the years but they still end the same way ... with laughter.
I've learned first hand that true friends, the friends that would do anything for you, the ones that are there for you at the best and worst times of your life are so few and far between in this world, I'm so grateful to have not one but two true friends in Brandy and Amber. I consider myself very lucky that I have 4 true friends in this world, looking back on my childhood I would have given just about anything to have one. Let's just say finding a true friend in middle school was like finding a needle in a haystack. Sure enough I have one true friend from highschool days and we didn't even go to highschool, it was our dedication to PGA park runs over the many years that we became good friends. She is the kind of friend where no matter how long we don't talk, I could see her tomorrow and it would be like we had never gone a day without a conversation. The other 3 true friends I have I made in college, and I truly believe that college molds you into the person you are today. It's the first time many of us are away from the calm and shelter of our families and you have to rely on the friends you make to sort of get you through the day. College was tough (academically, physically demanding being a student athlete), I was always homesick, north carolina was always cold, and well it was tough. I found some amazing friends during those times and looking back on the path I chose I wouldn't have had it any other way.

Happy 90th Birthday Grandma!!!

I love you always and miss you every day!!!

GA-FL Try #8 ...

Hart County Goes Global ...

This just in ... Hart County Tennis Sweatshirt worn in Holland ....

Abla Englais?

So I'm in Mexico right now, Hermosillo to be exact for a conference on health tourism. It's been really interesting so far. The hardest part has been the spanish ... since I know none but I'm learning a few words to at least try to communicate. Most of the conference has been in spanish, so they have english translations on the headsets, which is kind of funny because the speaker is talking a mile a minute in spanish and then the translator is speaking very slow and going uhhhh.... uhhhh.... it must be very hard to translate on the spot like that, listen and talk at the same time.

Anyways I'm still on east coast time so I woke up at 5:30 this morning and checked my email to the best news ever ...

"I AM IN REMISSION!!!!!! MY SCAN WAS GREAT, MY TUMOR MARKER IS DOWN, AND I CANT BE HAPPIER!!!!!!!! i just got home , it is almost 7pm. so gotta go eat.......wanted to give you the great news.......i have to go on tarceva again, and i see him in one month............whoopee............when i got in my car, a KU song was on the radio!!!!!!!!!perfect day.....love mom"

Great way to start off my Friday! Mom, I love you and I'm so so happy for you! Have a great weekend and I'll see you on Monday :)

Happy Birthday Dell!

Happy Birthday to my mom-in-law Dell :)

I hope you have a great birthday!!

Florida - Georgia 2008