Happy Father's Day!

Jeremy, Lindsay, and I took my dad to the Atlanta Botanical Gardens this afternoon for his Father's Day treat.  If you know my dad at all, you know this was pretty much heaven for him.  To say he loves plants is an understatement.  (Ryan and Mom were supposed to come, but Ryan had a diabetic issue this morning that needed monitoring, so Mom had to stay back.  Just as well...she would have gotten a major migraine from the heat had she come, not that we didn't miss them both.)  Here are some pictures to remember the day:

Lindsay, Dad, and I on the Canopy Bridge, which actually wasn't very high or very long, but still neat.

Dad, Me, and Jeremy on one of the trails.

The 4 of us

I wanted an updated picture of me and Murphy, the family golden retriever (well, since 9th grade)

If you ever have an opportunity to go to the gardens, I would highly recommend it.  It is only $15 for adults, and you can easily spend all morning or afternoon there.  They have a rose garden, edible garden, tons of hydrangeas, bogs, just beautiful trees, a few greenhouses for special plants, a children's garden (with a water fountain, so have the kiddos wear swimsuits), and tons more.

Our life group is beginning a study on Romans chapter 12.  This just so happens to be my favorite chapter of Romans, and Romans is one of my favorite books of the Bible, so you can imagine my excitement.  We are focusing on 1-2 verses per week, so we are really diving into meanings.  To supplement our study, we are reading Chip Ingram's "Living on the Edge," also known as "r12."  How did I not know about this book?  I feel slightly ashamed (Since I love Romans) but mostly excited.  Romans 12:11 is my birthday verse- since high school.  :)  Has anyone else read this book?

In other news, Jeremy and I had granite counter tops installed in our kitchen!  (Silent/Aloud cheer here, please.)  We didn't think we'd be able to afford granite, so we went browsing Home Depot's Corian.  Jeremy's keen eye spotted granite on sale, which just so happen to match our white cabinets nicely, and was the same price as Corian.  Since granite adds more value to our home, we opted for it rather than the Corian.   The downside is that our kitchen sink plumbing and cooktop wiring won't be hooked up until Tuesday, so we've been eating, dare I say it, microwave meals for the last few days.  We did splurge and try a new Mexican restaurant and a new pizza place since the installation last week, so we have had some leftover. Here are some pictures of the granite:

A close-up of the cutting board the installation guys made from the sink cut-out

View of the granite with the cooktop stove

Last week I was able to visit an old friend and her newborn!  Anjaly and Nolan live about 20 minutes from me, which is nice, and I plan on visiting them more now that I know that.  Her family is just so precious, and I fell in love with Noah, the family pet, while I was there.  It was great catching up.   This week, I plan on buckling down and finishing some of this darn papers for my grad. portfolio, AND visiting with Anslee, who is coming to town from Austin.  I think I will also assemble a book case I just purchased from the World Market, pending Jeremy's approval.  (He wasn't there when I bought it, and I am not even going to try to lug that think out of my car before he sees the picture online, just in case I need to return it.)  That said, it looks just beautiful, distressed wood, 4 shelves with a drawer on the bottom, and I got it on sale and the cashier let me use her coupon.  I love it, and I am pretty certain Jer will also, since he has been mentioning book cases lately, and I know his taste for the most part.

Also, Powder fell in the toilet the other night.  Yes, Powder, our cat, fell in the toilet.  He was sitting on it watching me brush my teeth, and when I turned the water back on, it apparently startled him, and in he went; his whole back half.  It took him only half a second to get out but quite some time to recuperate.  

Shannon and I went to Dick's Creek Falls yesterday, which was nice.  She took her dog, Peeko.  Turns out, he is not AT ALL a water dog.  

The falls

Me and the falls

My Very 1st Invention

Garlic Lovers White Cheddar Macaroni Casserole

You only need: 
whole wheat macaroni
skim milk 
block of white cheddar cheese (I found this at Whole Foods.)
block of fontina cheese (in the fancy cheese section of your local grocer)
2 eggs (slightly beaten)
1 chopped red bell pepper
dash of paprika, dash of pepper, dash of parsley
2 large garlic cloves (minced)
Optional: Add chopped onions, ham, sausage, sun dried tomatoes, or fresh chopped tomatoes


Preheat oven to 365.


Prepare noodles, drain, and return to pot. Add about a cup-1.5 cups of milk, garlic, half block of white cheddar cheese, and block of fontina, and spices. Heat on low until cheese is mostly melted, and stir every few minutes. While you're waiting, slice the rest of the cheddar. You will layer these on top of the casserole right before baking. Add slightly beaten eggs and peppers at last minute (so they don't bake while in pot), and fold in with pasta. Pour in 9x13 baking dish, and cover with sliced white cheddar slices. Bake at 375 for 25 minutes. Makes 12-16 servings.

I encourage everyone to check this organization out: Project Zimzala

Essentially, an old friend (and neighbor, Matt Harrison) is a co creator of this non profit organization that creates events in which proceeds go to charities benefitting the Atlanta area.  They are completely local, and have hearts and minds in the right places, and are hoping to make Atlanta a better and safer place.  You can help them get started by voting once per day in June Here, and the top 10 ideas will receive $50,000 each.  You can browse their business plan and goals, and just learn more about them.  They are a legitimate organization, and need support.

You can also find their pages on Facebook and Twitter.