Ooo Heaven Is A Place On Earth

I got back to Charlotte last week after five days in the paradise that is Turks & Caicos. We had a revolving door of guests ranging from Little, Daddy, Sis and myself, then my brother and his girlfriend for a short visit and then the fella joined for about three days. I relished the time away (once I finally relaxed about not having phone service). It was such a good chance for the fella and I to spend an extended amount of time together and make sure we still like each other (success... we do... even more than ever) and to recharge my batteries surrounded by the people I love.

Lately

Life has been especially crazed of late, but you won't hear any complaints from this girl. Between bridal showers, celebrations for friends, time with the fella, body refining (I'm down 10 pounds in 3 weeks... perfect for our trip to the Caribbean in a few weeks), cooking and grilling, working for the Lord, working for myself and socializing with the family, the last few weeks have been a whirlwind, but I can't stop smiling.

Here's a peek...

It's The Thought

They say it's the thought that counts, which is extra helpful for me, since I had a thought to do something nice for the fella, but my actions didn't exactly follow it through. You see, he happens to be as fond of coffee as I am of Diet Dr. Pepper. I, on the other hand, can't stand the stuff.

I decided, however, that brewing an excellent cup o' joe for him was a lovely little gesture. Several weeks ago when we ventured to the zoo we began the day with a late morning brunch at home. Having never actually used a coffee pot I guessed about where the grounds went, poured some (several scoops?) in and hit brew. He was tickled that I would think to make a pot, so we sat and waited for the caffeinated treat. Approximately 7 minutes had elapsed when I mused, "This sure takes a while." "Yes, this is above averagely long," he replied. "I wasn't supposed to put water in, right?" I asked. He laughed, asked me how much coffee I'd put in and explained the correct proportion of water needed. Unfortunately, "Some to a lot" isn't a very good measure of grounds, so we took an educated guess about the water needed. We sat and waited, and he continued to chuckle at me. It had been quite a while longer when he went to investigate why there was still no coffee in the pot. Well, you see, apparently it's necessary to put the lid on the pot to release the brewing beverage. As soon as he secured the top, "PLOP!" a mess of coffee-scented sludge dropped right into the pot. He was a sweet sport, though, and forced down several sips before waving the white flag between guffaws.

I decided to retry my luck more recently when I discovered that my former roommate had left her pot behind when she moved out. I purchased some grounds and filters, threw some in the appropriate place, poured in some water and went to find the pot. Unfortunately, there wasn't a pot to be found, so I wisely placed a mug underneath the mouth of the maker and found a wooden spoon to push the release open. As I stood there holding it with hot coffee alternately filling the mug and running down my arm, the fella entered the kitchen to silently witness my attempts at this business. Once again, he sweetly sipped the resulting drink while shuddering at the grit and thickness.

After throwing the remainder out he gave me a big hug and told me that I was welcome to just buy him a Starbucks drink next time I wanted to treat him to a java surprise and thanked me for my heroic efforts. Then picking up the grounds I'd purchased to help with the clean up, I heard him snort. "Folgers INSTANT Coffee," he read. "Just add hot water." Well, who knew instant didn't require a jimmy rigged pot brewing? Apparently everyone but me. Someone pass my a diet soda and be done with it.

Hoppity Hop

Easter was an incredibly eggs-hilirating whirlwind! My church had worship experiences Friday, Saturday and all day Sunday, so I worked around the clock, but I am so thankful that I was able to experience it. We saw over 19,000 attend our church in a single weekend, and even more staggering, more than 2,200 salvations. I am awe-struck by God's mighty power. He is risen indeed, y'all!

I was also able to schedule some time in with the family and fella, and between Sunday worship experiences we were able to stop by for a tasty meal that Little whipped up. I had yesterday off and spend the day being productive. Thursday marks the first day of a 90 Day Weight Loss Challenge we're doing as a staff. We're paired as teams, and the win team pair each receives a 5-day trip for two to Aruba. I have my game face on, and I spent yesterday cooking and freezing meals for my partner and I. I can't wait to post pictures throughout the process. Our plan is foolproof, and I'm about to get my best bod on!

Rod Iron Revamp

Daddy and Little were kind enough to pass down a sweet little set of patio furniture to me the other week. It was white, rusted and in need of some love, but a quality set with lots of potential. During my Friday afternoon off I was able to give it just the attention it needed. I'm still planning to recover the seats, but I think this minor facelift gives it new life. I purchased a grill and The Fella and I have already had so much fun breaking it in. In fact, tonight's menu features rosemary pork chops, zucchini and corn and black bean quinoa. I can't wait to have a patio party with my turquoise table and pink and glittery chair (yes, they are covered in glitter). Good thing I now have a personal chef to help plan the menu!

BEFORE:

DURING:

AFTER:

Twenty One

My sweet sis turned 21 on Sunday... unbelievable. Since I wasn't able to attend her epic throw down, I opted to travel to Chapel Hill on Friday to grab some lunch and time with her. Although it was a short visit I was thrilled to squeeze in some wonderful sisterly bonding. I just love this little girl so much. We grabbed a quick pictorial, and despite describing it as "not our best," it's a sweet memory of a lovely day.

He Gets Me

While deciding whether to watch Devil Wears Prada or The Hulk:

Me: You do NOT want to see me get angry.

Fella: What is that? Like the other side of glitter?

While tasting each other's TCBY creations. Note: he is a chef and apparently has a much more refined palate than I do...

Me: Isn't it delicious?

Fella: No. It tastes like a Care Bear. Seriously, it's like a My Little Pony threw up in here. It's perfect for you.

Those Three Little Words

There comes a point in most boy-girl (and heck, some boy-boy and girl-girl) relationships, where the epic phrase, "I love you" is uttered. I may or may not be speaking from recent experience, but here are things that will most assuredly ruin the sentimental and romantic mood in that first moment of golden, spoken affection.

1. When it's whispered, reply, "Huh?"

2. When it's whispered, reply, "What'd you say?"

3. When it's whispered, ignore it.

4. When it's spoken audibly, reply, "Huh?"

5. When it's spoken audibly, reply, "What'd you say?"

6. When it's spoken audibly, stare blankly at the speaker, blinking rapidly.

7. When it's whispered or spoken audibly, laugh.

8. When it's whispered or spoken audibly, reply, "Yeah right."

9. When it's whispered or spoken audibly, reply, "Gee, thanks."

10. When it's whispered or spoken audibly, reply, "Are you just saying that?"

11. When it's whispered or spoken audibly, reply, "I love Zaxby's."

12. When it's whispered or spoken audibly, start crying.

Fat Fingers. Flat Tires

Doors are weapons. Don't let anyone convince you otherwise. On Monday night my poor right index and middle fingers fell victim to a heavy door being swung open as they reached to grab the handle on the otherwise. The collision let my poor digits bruised, battered, and the size of a 300 lb. man's.

I arrived home that evening to find the sweet fella waiting to tend to my injury with Rice Krispy Treats and Diet Dr. Pepper (he knows the way to my heart, I tell ya). When I stepped out of my car to give him a hug we both heard a steady and distinct hissing sound coming from behind me. Sure enough my car's front tire was slowly pancaking.

Never fear, of course, for the strapping lad expertly and deftly switched out that flat for a shiny, new one - not a new flat... a brand new tire. Quite an eventful night to be sure, but it's never ever dull around these parts.

Zoo Sunday

When you work for a church it's pretty rare that your weekends are free, but this past weekend I was blessed with an open Sunday. I worked our worship experiences on Saturday night but was able to sleep in and enjoy my Sunday. Typically I arise at 4:30 each Sunday morning to be at my campus by 5:15, so waking up after the sun was a welcome change.

I wasn't really sure how I would cope with the empty hours. I was afraid that by lunchtime I'd be rocking in a corner from the lack of activity. Instead, the sweet fella decided to take his Sunday off too, and we spent a glorious day of togetherness.

We both slept in, and he headed my way for a breakfast/brunch of chocolate chip pancakes, strawberries, cheesy eggs and my attempt at making coffee. I loathe coffee, the fella loves it, so I decided to try my hand at brewing a pot. What came out was pure sludge, but he claimed it was exactly how he likes it and drank it anyway - stray grounds and all.

After a leisurely meal, we headed about an hour and a half south and spent the afternoon at the Riverbanks Zoo. I have been dying to go to the zoo forever, and this trip was perfection. The weather was warm and a bit overcast, and we spent several hours wandering from exhibit to exhibit. I really couldn't have imagined a better trip. The time in the car was filled with singing, laughter and conversation, and really added an extra layer of enjoyment to the day. He forgot his camera, and mine was officially dead, so we purchased a disposable one (I can't wait to get those shots back) and snapped a few on my phone. I wish we had better mementos of the field trip, but these will have to do. If you follow me on Twitter, you probably rethought that decision as I tweeted picture after picture of #zoosunday.




When we rolled back into Charlotte, we got spruced up (again, no pictures... le sigh) and went to an exquisite dinner at Ruth's Chris. Starting with sweet chili calamari, petite filet for me, ribeye for him and shared sweet potato casserole and sauteed mushrooms, luscious and perfection are really the only words to describe the meal.

I feel so blessed that someone would go so out of the way to make me feel pampered and appreciated, and the fella managed just that. I'm beyond excited about where this relationship is headed. I've gotta good one.