tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-51405553393571649322024-03-14T01:41:31.748-06:00Beauty for Ashes"...to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness, instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair..." isaiah 61:3cari dianahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00695383430430490964noreply@blogger.comBlogger29125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5140555339357164932.post-64191101412058403672013-01-27T15:46:00.000-06:002013-01-27T15:46:27.653-06:00wise wordsi came across this CS Lewis quote a few weeks ago and have not been able to stop thinking about it. <br />
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"love anything and your heart will certainly be wrung and possibly broken. if you want to make sure of keeping it intact, you must give your heart to no one, not even to an animal. wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements; lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. but in that casket-- safe, dark, motionless, airless--it will change. it will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable. the alternative to tragedy, or at least to the risk of tragedy, is damnation."<br />
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relationships are messy. we are sinners and left to our own devices, we will hurt those we love. however, the joy of doing life together and the benefit reaped from this far outweighs the hurt we may experience along the way. may i "most gladly spend and be spent for your souls..."(2 cor 12:15a)cari dianahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00695383430430490964noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5140555339357164932.post-14948951734341751492012-11-11T20:23:00.000-06:002012-11-11T20:23:02.344-06:00final thoughts (for now) on ethiopia.so i've been home for a little over 2 weeks. i am still trying to process all that i saw and learned there. hands down this trip was one of the most impactful experiences of my life. i have looked at my pictures no less than 50 times and prayed countless prayers for the staff and kiddos at onesimus. my heart was moved and perspective on this "easy" life i live was given. since i have been home, i have constantly been asking myself (and the Lord), "so what now?" it is impossible to go on a trip like this and not have it stir some kind of emotion while there, but now that i am home, what do i do with all that i saw and experienced? what changes do i make in my daily life to show that i love Jesus with my whole being? how can i be the hands and feet of Jesus without traveling half way around the world to hand out antibiotics and rub ointment on infected little cheeks and foreheads? am i willing to love the least of these in a tangible way here in NWA? what does this look like everyday? what can i give up in my everyday life in order to give to others who have less? all of these questions have been floating around my head since i've been home and honestly i don't have clear answers for any of it yet. <br />
here is what i do know. i want this life that i am living to be about something more than me. i want others to know that i love Jesus with all of my heart and i want to live so they can see it everyday. at the end of my days, i want to know that this life i have lived impacted others for the Gospel and made a difference. my tendency is to self-focus and i do not have this all figured out. i am not good at these things, but i want to be better. prior to the trip, i prayed constantly that the Lord would not let me leave Ethiopia unchanged. now i am constantly praying that this stirring in my heart for those who have nothing will not go away and that i will be driven to do something about it. <br />
micah 6:8 has been on my mind a lot lately. "He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God." cari dianahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00695383430430490964noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5140555339357164932.post-84986369732232850942012-11-11T19:46:00.000-06:002012-11-11T19:46:21.548-06:00ethiopia post 2--the pics<br />
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get ready for picture overload. i tried to narrow it down to just a few. i really loved everything about this trip and could sit and look at these pictures daily. as i said in a previous post, our team went to ethiopia through the james initiative, which is a local organization seeking to raise awareness and support orphan care. they partner with an ethiopian organization called onesimus which is kind of like a christian boys and girls club for street children. this ministry amazes me. not only do they provide a safe place for these kids to come and be loved on by people who love Jesus, but they also reach the community around them in several ways. the social workers at onesimus make home visits to see the parents (for the kids that have them) and provide support to them. they have 3 halfway homes where some of the street children live. they also sponsor a number of children to go to school because all education requires a fee to attend there. the staff and volunteers at onesimus are some of the Godliest people i have met, pouring out daily on these kiddos that would probably otherwise not receive love in a tangible way. they sacrifice their time and their personal living situations so that they can be a part of this organization. they spend and are spent each day loving on these kids, but you would never know it the way they come each day with a smile on their face and a joyful spirit. they are the hands and feet of Jesus. i cannot praise this organization enough for the work they are doing and the way they are doing it. i loved working alongside them for a week and hope that one day i will get to do it again. </div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6uvv78JElaI/UJqV9tYtthI/AAAAAAAAAMI/tCkN71TtnaM/s1600/oct+2012-+DC+vacay+and+ethiopia+065.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="162" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6uvv78JElaI/UJqV9tYtthI/AAAAAAAAAMI/tCkN71TtnaM/s320/oct+2012-+DC+vacay+and+ethiopia+065.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">the joy of these kiddos was CONTAGIOUS. please let me be joyful no matter my circumstances just as these kids are</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1zoyiYTXlAc/UJqWDoxTiQI/AAAAAAAAAMQ/jQE2fXdCsSs/s1600/New+Image.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="258" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1zoyiYTXlAc/UJqWDoxTiQI/AAAAAAAAAMQ/jQE2fXdCsSs/s320/New+Image.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">these ladies are the BEST. i loved working alongside them for the week. sidenote: i was more nervous to travel half way around the world with people i barely knew than i was about any other part of this trip. thank you God for these new found friendships! </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tTJk7g4E82E/UJqWJywTDAI/AAAAAAAAAMY/x0PGSoYRJCY/s1600/oct+2012-+DC+vacay+and+ethiopia+069.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tTJk7g4E82E/UJqWJywTDAI/AAAAAAAAAMY/x0PGSoYRJCY/s320/oct+2012-+DC+vacay+and+ethiopia+069.jpg" width="293" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">so much beauty in this picture. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-N7_ijmSZ4WU/UJqWUqDQ0NI/AAAAAAAAAMg/ATPDwc7oeJU/s1600/oct+2012-+DC+vacay+and+ethiopia+076.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-N7_ijmSZ4WU/UJqWUqDQ0NI/AAAAAAAAAMg/ATPDwc7oeJU/s320/oct+2012-+DC+vacay+and+ethiopia+076.jpg" width="283" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">lots and lots of fingernails were painted after the girls saw the doctor...even some of the boys wanted their nails painted! at first we said no, but how could we even resist the sweet smiles and "please?" they would give. we drew the line at giving them pink polish though haha</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ugrw4uE_b4U/UJqWalgQDCI/AAAAAAAAAMo/x_X-xGvg6bE/s1600/oct+2012-+DC+vacay+and+ethiopia+079.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ugrw4uE_b4U/UJqWalgQDCI/AAAAAAAAAMo/x_X-xGvg6bE/s320/oct+2012-+DC+vacay+and+ethiopia+079.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">dr. daniel on the far left and nurses getamesay and tigust on either side of me. what a privelege to serve alongside others in my profession half way around the world</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GmmcJKgSM7Y/UJqWoULqoLI/AAAAAAAAAMw/rF69YvU4ajY/s1600/photo-6.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GmmcJKgSM7Y/UJqWoULqoLI/AAAAAAAAAMw/rF69YvU4ajY/s1600/photo-6.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"chew this up and take a drink" (insert ridiculous motions that i acted out to every child because i don't speak amharic. half of the fun of working in the pharmacy was laughing with the kids at how i tried to communicate with them. charades has never been a game i'm good at)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-QyaDnRVf04s/UJqWy5htHGI/AAAAAAAAAM4/E1SiGK3h68w/s1600/oct+2012-+DC+vacay+and+ethiopia+190.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="236" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-QyaDnRVf04s/UJqWy5htHGI/AAAAAAAAAM4/E1SiGK3h68w/s320/oct+2012-+DC+vacay+and+ethiopia+190.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">one of my favorite pics of the week. this sweet boy did this through our van window as we were loaded up to leave the church at Korah. melt my heart. the feelings were mutual.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tKrvXos9IlA/UJqW_MfQ_VI/AAAAAAAAANA/VkYx6YylYkE/s1600/oct+2012-+DC+vacay+and+ethiopia+184.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="243" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tKrvXos9IlA/UJqW_MfQ_VI/AAAAAAAAANA/VkYx6YylYkE/s320/oct+2012-+DC+vacay+and+ethiopia+184.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">as soon as we arrived at the church at Korah on sunday the kiddos latched onto us. korah is a community located near the local dump. the people who live here are very poor. this sweet thing was my buddy for the better part of the morning. i was in love with the full heads of curly hair on these little girls. so precious.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZFzm9UJOt8E/UJqXFjzU0rI/AAAAAAAAANI/FM2v4-bgmEU/s1600/oct+2012-+DC+vacay+and+ethiopia+215.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="233" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZFzm9UJOt8E/UJqXFjzU0rI/AAAAAAAAANI/FM2v4-bgmEU/s320/oct+2012-+DC+vacay+and+ethiopia+215.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">ethiopians eat meals slowly and end with coffee. so much is centered around relationships. i loved this. i wish our culture allowed for more sitting with others and less go go go. also i will never complain about the opportunity to drink really great coffee after every meal. :) did you know that coffee originated in ethiopia? when in ethiopia, do as the ethiopians do right? so i drank LOTs of coffee. all things to all people right? haha</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-c3rTG_hRTgU/UJrVC7fCLNI/AAAAAAAAANc/qO3Bnb8t-qk/s1600/oct+2012-+DC+vacay+and+ethiopia+102.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="155" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-c3rTG_hRTgU/UJrVC7fCLNI/AAAAAAAAANc/qO3Bnb8t-qk/s320/oct+2012-+DC+vacay+and+ethiopia+102.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">i think i left my heart in this city. praying that i get to return one day.</td></tr>
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<br />cari dianahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00695383430430490964noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5140555339357164932.post-59825871025676361532012-11-11T19:45:00.001-06:002012-11-11T19:45:56.207-06:00ethiopia part 1...because all of my thoughts cannot be contained in 1 post...well i have been home from ethiopia for 2 weeks now so i think its time to do a trip update. i have put this off a little because i feel like i lack the words to put together a post that coveys my feelings about the trip. the short of it is that it was such a good trip. for 3 of our days there we helped them put on a clinic for the street kids they reach. we saw roughly 140 kiddos each day. this was nuts! by the 3rd day though we were like a well oiled machine, moving the kiddos through the stations fast! the doctor who worked with us is an ethiopian who's specialty is in public health. part of his job through the hospital he is employed by is to work clinics like the one we put on. it was fascinating to talk with him and learn about healthcare in ethiopia. here are some of the things i learned. <br />
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-there are approximately 38,000 people to 1 doctor in addis ababa<br />
-for preventative treatment, nurses make home visits. 2 nurses are responsible for making visits to approximately 5000 homes. they are also responsible for the follow up from these visits.<br />
-nurses working in the hospitals make approximately $125 per month.<br />
-the infant mortality rate in addis (which is one of the most civilized areas of ethiopia) is 700 babies for every 100,000 born<br />
-the top killers among children in addis are tuberculosis, complications from HIV and nutritional deficits<br />
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some of the main problems among the kiddos we saw were intestinal parasites, fungal skin infections, and infection related to rotten teeth. all of these problems are related to unsanitary living conditions and nutritional deficits. it was so sad to me to see this, knowing that the fix we gave them would most likely be short term only since we weren't fixing the source of the problem. this was really hard. these kiddos have never known what its like to go to the doctor when they are sick let alone go for well child check-ups. the luxury of being able to afford to go to the doctor when i am sick is something that i know i take for granted. throughout the week we passed out lots and lots of vitamins and worm medicine. going into the trip, we didn't take many supplies with us, with the intention of buying what we would need from local pharmacies. i loved that we did this. it allowed us to pour into the local economy and bless some of the local business owners. we made fast friends with the pharmacist across the street from onesimus and made several visits to her throughout the week as we ran out of supplies. it was so fun to see her beaming as we walked through the door! business was booming for her that week! i also really liked that we did it this way because it ensured that we were using supplies that could actually be available to them later on since we know they carry them locally. <br />
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i am really thankful to have had the opportunity to use the skills i learned in school to help others where medical care isn't readily available. i can't tell you how fulfilling it was passing out vitamins, rubbing ointment on sweet little faces and giving drinks of water to these kiddos. if ever you get the opportunity to go on a trip like this, GO. it changes your outlook on life and shifts your perspective. <br />
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<br />cari dianahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00695383430430490964noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5140555339357164932.post-26167611062899171692012-09-09T18:14:00.002-06:002012-09-09T19:15:53.917-06:00ethiopia or busthaha not a very fitting title for this post but i couldn't resist! i am really excited to tell y'all that i am going on a medical mission trip to ethiopia in october! i am pumped. i have wanted to go on a medical trip ever since i graduated from nursing school. in haiti last year, it broke my heart to see kiddos there with long standing medical issues that have a really simple fix here in the states. i feel blessed to have earned an education that allows me to help others everyday. i know that education is a privilege that not everyone can receive. i am challenged by the parable of talents in matthew 25. because i have been entrusted with much, i feel that it is my responsibility to use this knowledge to help others who could not otherwise help themselves. <br />
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i am going with a group from northwest arkansas and we will be partnering with the James Initiative. The James Initiative is an organization started by a few Christians here who felt compelled to care for the orphans of the world as we're commanded in James 1:27. i believe in the work this organization is doing for several reasons. here in the states they work to inform people of the realities of the orphan population and their need for care. they do this by mobilizing groups to go and supporting adoption. in ethiopia they are doing much of the same thing. equipping and encouraging Believers there in the local Church to be the hands and feet of Jesus to these kiddos. i love the way the James Initiative is coming alongside the ethiopians to allow them to show their community that it is the local Churches job to reach their community. it would be easy for americans to step in, take over and provide. however, this creates a need for dependency. so instead, they are coming alongside and teaching them how to run effective outreach ministry so that the local church can essentially be the hero. this allows the lost there to know that the local Church cares about meeting tangible needs along with the spiritual ones. i think this is a beautiful partnership. for more information you can go to thejamesinitiative.org<br />
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while my group is there, we will be working with local doctors and nurses to help run a clinic for the orphans the james initiative is reaching. one day this clinic will hopefully be able to provide ongoing check ups and medical care to these kids. i am beside myself that i get to be a part of this!<br />
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more to come as the trip gets closer! cari dianahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00695383430430490964noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5140555339357164932.post-27255116992387463982012-08-19T15:46:00.003-06:002012-08-19T15:46:34.237-06:00some thoughts on babies i am 3 weeks into my new job and loving it. starting over is humbling and refreshing all at the same time. it's definitely weird to be the new girl. i have to ask for help no less than 50 times every day. i can no longer anticipate what the doctor will order for a particular problem, because well i don't know much about babies just yet. asking where something is kept in the nursery and being told "over there" has quickly become one of my least favorite things to hear because i haven't learned where "over there" is in most cases. thankfully, my co-workers are helpful and willing to teach. honestly, the change of pace and environment has been a breath of fresh air. there is something so sweet about new life coming into the world. i love getting to be a part of the special time in families lives of welcoming a new baby. i like to learn and am learning new things each day i am at work. This has been exciting and fun. <br />
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now i have always been that girl that really just loves babies. i will oooh and ahhh over any that cross my path. i've loved holding and rocking them since i was barely big enough to not be held and rocked myself. let me just say though that there are a few basic things that i never fully got until the past few weeks. i'm sure many of you mommas out there already know all this, but to this single girl, some of it has been almost mind blowing. <br />
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1. never under estimate the power of a good swaddle. baby's love it. like they will stop crying almost immediately (most of the time) if you wrap them up real tight. i feel like i can accomplish big things now with just this tiny piece of knowledge. <br />
2. breastfeeding is not something moms and babies just naturally know how to do. i won't elaborate on this too much because frankly i'm not sure most of my bloggy audience wants that kind of information. let me just say though that i have never in my life considered how important the latch, suck and flanged lips could be. who knew??! <br />
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3. babies are resilient. when holding a baby the phrases "use two hands" "careful" and "be gentle" always came to mind. while these are important, the ways that we wrap, tuck, poke, prod and lift babies in the nursery is a pretty good reminder that God created them with little bodies that are ready to be handled by the outside world when they are born. <br />
4. when you take a diaper off to change it, that will inevitably be the time the baby decides to go again. with.out.fail. i am happy to learn though that i have cat-like reflexes i never even knew about in these instances. <br />
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there is still so much that i don't know and i have lots to learn in the coming weeks. overall, i think this job change has been a really good thing for me. i hoped and prayed this would be the case before i started. i am thankful now to be able to say that it was a good decision. <br />
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until next time, buh-bye. cari dianahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00695383430430490964noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5140555339357164932.post-90321964240024853242012-08-02T09:39:00.000-06:002012-08-02T09:39:12.934-06:00she loves Jesusthe other night a friend and i were texting back and forth. she was describing a person who i had never met, but will soon work with. her description about this girl ended with, "she loves Jesus a lot." in the moment i thought, this girl sounds great, i should be her friend. but later as i kept thinking about it, i wondered, would people say this of me? would my friends, family, co-workers and church family describe me to others as someone who really loves Jesus? sadly, i know from my actions that i am not always worthy of this description. i am thankful for the grace that He continually shows to a sinner like me who messes up everyday. <br />
i really do want to be so intentional with my actions though, that people know i love Jesus. i don't want to do the right thing because i think it is what's expected of me or i'm afraid of who will see me doing the wrong thing. i want to do what is right because i love the Lord and desire to obediently follow His commands. i want to love God with my life. To live in such a way that what i do in my daily life at home, work and church can bring glory to Him. what a noble compliment for someone to say, "she loves Jesus a lot." <br />
i pray that i will live in such a way that people could say the same of me. cari dianahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00695383430430490964noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5140555339357164932.post-61664024730476922872012-07-24T15:13:00.000-06:002012-07-24T15:13:55.728-06:00a time for changenow anyone who knows me well knows how much i hate change--like to the point that it's almost a four letter word to me... i just love my routine. im a planner and don't always do well with the unexpected. i've been this way my whole life. i'm not kidding when i tell you that my parents used to have to wait until i was out of the house to re-arrange the furniture. i just loved coming home to the familiar. haha<br />
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so i was surprised to say the least when i started feeling like i needed some change in my life last fall. after graduating 2 1/2 years ago, i stayed in my college town and took a job as an ICU nurse at a local hospital. it was an easy choice. i already knew that i loved the city and the church i was attending. i had friends here and my parents were just a short trek across the arkansas-missouri state line. working in the ICU was never my original plan, but it proved to be a great decision. i learned a ton right out of school and was forced to speak up a little more and be confident in decisions that had to be made everyday in my job. i have been happy in this job, but just started feeling like i should at least try working in the area that i always thought i really wanted to be. as soon as i started feeling like it was time for a change, i began praying that the Lord would lead me to what would be next. not only this, but i prayed that God would make me willing to do whatever He had. this was huge for me because i am not the type to go looking for change.<br />
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fast forward to this spring. at the recommendation of a friend, i began reading a book by kevin deyoung called "just do something." the premise of this book is that so often Believers pray intently for God's will and what they should do next, but don't ever step out in faith and do anything. deyoung makes the point that God's Will is for us to obey His Word and make much of Him. how we go about doing this can sometimes be left up to us. does God care what job i have and where i live? sure. but can i walk in obedience to His Word and bring glory to Him wherever i am, for the most part yes. when i finished reading this book i was challenged to go ahead and just start applying for new jobs (both locally and in other places), instead of waiting around and continually asking the Lord, "what should i do next?" i knew that He would provide for me since i felt so strongly that it was time for something different. as i applied for jobs, i prayed specifically for 2 things. 1. that it would be a day shift job. i worked nights for a year right out of school and it was ROUGH. and 2. that the pay would be right. i wasn't looking for big bucks, just something comparable to what my current job paid. <br />
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well, He definitely provided all this and as of next week i will officially be a NICU nurse. (for all you non-nursey people that means taking care of the tiny babies) :) i am so excited for this opportunity and i am just thrilled to be staying here hog country. it will be weird being the new girl all over again. i had become very comfortable with the kind of patients i was caring for in the ICU. now, its a whole new ballgame! in some ways i think this will be really stretching, but it will be good! <br />
more to come on this in the next few weeks as i start. cari dianahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00695383430430490964noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5140555339357164932.post-33223990633397815882012-07-12T20:07:00.000-06:002012-07-12T20:07:57.650-06:00a weekend awayA few weeks ago i went to minneapolis for a long weekend to see this little cutie and her parents.<br />
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it was such a fun weekend with the perfect amounts of going and relaxing. sonny and anne took me to see all of the tourist-y things you have to see in minneapolis like the mall of america and ikea (not a minneapolis exclusive, but it was my one request of places to go there). we also did plenty of this.<br />
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doing this everyday would just be the life. now you can't tell from the pic because my hand is in the way that little girls shirt says "i have the best auntie" as if she needed any more help being my favorite niece... :)<br />
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on saturday morning we ventured downtown to the farmers market. now there is nothing i would rather do on a sunny saturday morning than go to the farmers market. while walking around downtown we discovered this cool trail right by the mississippi river with great views of the city. <br />
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the brother and i at the sculpture park. apparently no tourist trip to minneapolis is complete without a trip to the sculpture park to see the cherry on the spoon. (i actually didn't even know this was there until my momma added this to my must-do list for the trip...thanks mom)<br />
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at the end of my time there we all agreed that it was one of the best weekends we'd had in a while. it was so good just being together. sonny and anne were the best hosts showing me the sites and cooking yummy dinners each night. we spent lots of time outside during the day (probably because it was a breezy 78 degrees everyday i was there...i can't even remember the last time it was that cool here...probably in march...) and watching movies at night snuggled on the couch with avery girl.<br />
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i'll admit, there were a few tears on the drive home just thinking about how big lil miss would be the next time i see her. too bad minnasota and arkansas can't be just a little closer. :( after hearing a few swaying comments over the course of the weekend of moving to minneapolis, i may have looked at a few job postings listed there when i got home. then reality hit about 2 seconds later and i remembered that i am a sissy about cold weather. in my ideal winter the temperature would never drop below about 48 degrees. let's be honest, there's no way i could do a minnasota winter haha! i guess minneapolis will just have to remain a fun weekend getaway spot. looking forward to many more trips north!<br />
...in april-early october of course...<br />
...just kidding! <br />
well kind of :) <br />
<br />cari dianahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00695383430430490964noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5140555339357164932.post-34116662371970418582012-07-02T17:53:00.000-06:002012-07-02T17:53:01.791-06:002 weddings and a showeri'm still playing catch up a little from the past few months and mostly just trying to hit the high points. the weddings of 2 dear friends and a baby shower for another dear friend could certainly be considered just that. <br />
early in may one of my very best friends, kristin married heath. it was such a special day for the two of them and i was so glad to be a part of it. i appreciate these two so much and love how they are a beautiful picture of serving the Lord better together than separate. the whole weekend was a blast with lots of college friends in town. i love how weddings these days are another excuse for best friend reunions. so so good. <br />
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one of my very favorite pics from the weekend. so many people i love this this picture.<br />
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mani hands<br />
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the centerpieces<br />
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(the next two pics are courtesy of the lovely xuan huynh) <br />
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we sure love the sass in pics together. <br />
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the ceremony was beautiful and the reception is currently in my top 3 all time favorite wedding receptions i've been too. there were good friends, yummy pie, hoppin' music and we danced the night away. most fun night i've had in a while. i'll spare you the pics from this though. unfortunately lots of people dancing in a smallish space makes for a HOT (in the most literal sense) party. we were all looking a little rough by the end of the night. that's the mark of a good dance party though right??<br />
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next up the wedding of this pretty girl. <br />
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leah is the <a href="http://sewingcommonthreads.com/">bestie</a> 's sister. i have watched this girl grow up. not having any sisters myself, leah has always been "that little sister i never had" to me. she is spunky and creative and funny. i just think she is great. this wedding took place at ashley and leah's parents home. it was super simple and had so many sweet little details that just made me so happy. wedding in a field and dessert reception under a homemade canopy in the trees. loved it all. <br />
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and last but not least, a baby shower for <a href="http://jennifermarielivingthelife.blogspot.com/">jen</a> and sweet baby kennedy on the way any day now! jen and i co-led a k-life small group when i was in college. you know that friend that you can just say anything to and know that she will understand because she just gets you? jen is that friend. she had such an impact on my life and is still a dear friend. i only wish that she still lived in fayetteville :(<br />
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we opted for cupcakes since it was on a sunday after church. tissue paper pom-poms are a little tedious to make, but i do love how they look. <br />
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small groupies all grown up! i can't even believe they are almost done with college. they are such Godly girls and i am so proud of the way they live today. <br /><br />
well the girls pulling in right now for the bach. gotta run. bye now. <br />
<br />cari dianahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00695383430430490964noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5140555339357164932.post-19761539331211185692012-06-26T19:26:00.000-06:002012-06-26T19:26:29.602-06:00sweet summertimeanyone who knows me well knows that i am a warm weather girl. i hate being cold and almost everything that comes along with winter weather. the summers i spent working at kanakuk in my college years conditioned me to not just tolerate the heat, but to love it. there is something about summertime that just takes me back and makes me feel good. i love the carefree spirit of just going with the flow, spending lazy afternoons poolside and taking a break from busy schedules during the school year. i love the excuse to go get ice cream because it's too hot to do anything else and that it is still light outside at 9pm. i just love it all. <br />
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this is what summer has looked like for me so far... <br />
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hanging with some of my favorite kiddos<br />
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crafting on rainy afternoons. i do love a good project. thank you pinterest for helping me channel my creative energy. <br />
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baseball with the family. <br />
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evening walks on campus. seeing my name on senior walk has yet to get old. love my alma mater. woo pig.<br />
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enjoying fresh flowers on my kitchen table from grandmas hydrangea bush<br />
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outdoor concerts with fun friends. lets just say that we definitely stood out with our chaco feet among the cowboy boots at the luke bryan concert. comfort and practicality always win. haha<br />
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more to come later on my summer adventures as i play bloggy catch up, but for now<br />
peace out. <br />
<br />cari dianahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00695383430430490964noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5140555339357164932.post-43505117294008575482012-06-26T18:37:00.000-06:002012-06-26T18:37:52.576-06:00hey there, remember me?hey remember that one time i was a blogger? yeah, me too. consistency with this has not been my strong suit. whoops! so to the two of you who actually read this (shout out mom and grandma) a new post! <br />
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you may remember back last fall i posted about a new little addition coming to our family.... well on march 27, this beauty made me an aunt for the first time. we could not be anymore in love with her. <br />
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meet avery anne. you should expect to see more of her in the upcoming posts. ps: such a sucker for a baby in ruffles. seriously, how can you not swoon when you see this babe?!<br />
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here we are in our first picture together. it was clearly love at first site on my end and if you look closely at those little eyes, i think the feelings were mutual... :)<br />
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thats all for now.<br />
signed,<br />
one happy auntie <br />
<br />cari dianahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00695383430430490964noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5140555339357164932.post-40604492533304643322012-01-01T19:22:00.000-06:002012-01-01T19:22:05.975-06:00christmas re-capwell december was a whirlwind and now its 2012! wow-o-wow! i haven't been a very good blogger these days :( instead of christmas re-cap, this could really more appropriately be called december re-cap. december was fun fun with so many christmas festivities but BUSY. it was full of christmas parties with fun friends, family get togethers, trips home to see out of town friends and even a wedding for some dear friends. so here we go! the entire month highlighted in iphone pics!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Q8Kg6EZsezU/TwD-oOrWu7I/AAAAAAAAAHw/KNyUKH647pM/s1600/deck+the+hogs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Q8Kg6EZsezU/TwD-oOrWu7I/AAAAAAAAAHw/KNyUKH647pM/s200/deck+the+hogs.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>one of the christmas parties that i went to this month was an ornament exchange with some girls from work. somehow i managed to end up coming home with this one! what a score! love those hogs and this green sparkly ornament was cute cute hanging on my tree this year.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Ee52RF6v0N0/TwD_vgCYB6I/AAAAAAAAAH8/PRoW8tJO0YY/s1600/o+christmas+tree.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Ee52RF6v0N0/TwD_vgCYB6I/AAAAAAAAAH8/PRoW8tJO0YY/s200/o+christmas+tree.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>our tree this year with all sparkly ornaments! i never grew up having a themed tree and actually didn't intend to have one this year. sometime last year my mom let me sort through all of the christmas ornaments that we had growning up and pull out the ones that were mine to put on my own tree. hello rite of passage. well over the course of the year, the room they were in was re-arranged and the box of ornaments couldn't be found in time for me to use them on my tree this year. bummer. i found a great deal on this huge pack of ornaments on black friday. all of them were sparkly and matching. next year i will use my ornaments that i always remember having on the tree growing up (such a sucker for sentiment). this year, it was kind of fun having a matching tree though! <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Z1XzwEhVr7Y/TwEBklfvnpI/AAAAAAAAAII/AgF1pNxqtE0/s1600/chelsea.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Z1XzwEhVr7Y/TwEBklfvnpI/AAAAAAAAAII/AgF1pNxqtE0/s200/chelsea.jpg" width="149" /> </a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">my cutie lil goddaughter cuddling up for some dora stories. since i worked on christmas day this year, family christmas' happened with back and forth trips home over the course of a week and a half. sure do love this little girl and had fun spending an evening with her family.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Qp2N7I-LBbg/TwECipM2f2I/AAAAAAAAAIU/RxeGoI_98Rk/s1600/goofy+brother.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Qp2N7I-LBbg/TwECipM2f2I/AAAAAAAAAIU/RxeGoI_98Rk/s200/goofy+brother.jpg" width="149" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> goofy brother. i'm not sure which he enjoyed more, the presents...or the wrapping. crazy to think that the next time i see him, he will be a DADDY. i'm so happy for them!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-R2Iulfj0DF4/TwEDeFL_lRI/AAAAAAAAAIo/0YJkJMhSnrY/s1600/warm+suit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-R2Iulfj0DF4/TwEDeFL_lRI/AAAAAAAAAIo/0YJkJMhSnrY/s200/warm+suit.jpg" width="149" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">so annie and i got these mathcing "warm suits" for christmas. i believe they are called forever lazies. anyway, we clearly had to try them on once we opened them. and don't you even worry, these treasures have a zip down hiney flap. here we are demonstrating how it works. you're welcome for that. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">so there it is. merry christmas 2011. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">ps: i started out this post with my margins being in normal paragraph form. halfway through they somehow changed to centered. i'm not sure how this happened. my track record with losing nearly finished posts on blogger is not in my favor. i'm afraid that if i try to fix it i'll lose the whole thing so i'm deciding that a post with poor margins is better than no post at all! sorry! maybe i'll be better at this in 2012... </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div>cari dianahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00695383430430490964noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5140555339357164932.post-16942076587029090132011-12-01T16:45:00.000-06:002011-12-01T16:45:06.245-06:00Happy December!Today is December 1st and i feel like the Christmas season is finally upon us. (technically, its been here since the day after thanksgiving i guess) since thanksgiving is my favorite holiday, i'm a firm no christmas anything before thanksgiving. i hate that it gets overlooked because we are in such a hurry to move on to christmas. typically, i won't even order my favorite christmas drink at starbucks until after thanksgiving is over and i absolutely will NOT listen to christmas music early. it's a big deal to me. <br />
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anyway, now that it is december, bring on the christmas festivities! i spent a couple hours today baking christmas cookies for an event at church tonight while listening to my Tennessee christmas mix (who doesn't love some old school amy grant? circa 1983...i wasn't even alive then...) on pandora. bliss. <br />
at this point in my life, i don't have very many christmas decorations to speak of. hopefully this will change over the next several years. here are a few pics of my favorite christmas-y things around my house.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-YRZlGFP5kDU/Ttf_07R811I/AAAAAAAAAHU/85ZQjgEwSK4/s1600/wreath.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-YRZlGFP5kDU/Ttf_07R811I/AAAAAAAAAHU/85ZQjgEwSK4/s200/wreath.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>i made a "wreath"! i'm not sure what to call this exactly since it's not really round, but we'll just stick with a wreath for now. i saw this idea on pinterest. this is actually the first pinterest project that i've done. i'm pretty pleased with how it turned out! i love that our door has something fun to hang on it now too! <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-WIDd6m53Hwc/TtgAwt-U4fI/AAAAAAAAAHc/q83FbjZpVF8/s1600/countdown.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-WIDd6m53Hwc/TtgAwt-U4fI/AAAAAAAAAHc/q83FbjZpVF8/s200/countdown.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>so robyn turned our kitchen chalkboard into a countdown for christmas! i LOVE it. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--UkCOmqoyQo/TtgBKD0cx4I/AAAAAAAAAHk/72iEjLxTgvg/s1600/light+up+troop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--UkCOmqoyQo/TtgBKD0cx4I/AAAAAAAAAHk/72iEjLxTgvg/s200/light+up+troop.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br />
so this isn't really a decoration per say, but i did think he looked pretty cute all festive and lit up! while we were putting up our tree on sunday, i decided i would just see if troop would cooperate and let me take a picture of him with the christmas lights. i'm not quite sure how i pulled this one off, but it happened! and before you tell me that i was torturing my pup and yada yada, just know he got plenty of treats after this pic and happily went back to chewing his bone. <br />
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i don't have a picture of our tree, but i think it turned out pretty cute too! merry christmas y'all! may your days be merry and bright!cari dianahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00695383430430490964noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5140555339357164932.post-50361451318260199182011-11-27T19:06:00.000-06:002011-11-27T19:06:57.655-06:00the great mousecapade 2011. part 2.so finally after about 6 weeks of plotting against the mouse, WE FINALLY CAUGHT IT!!! VICTORY!<br />
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honestly the mouse has kind of been on the back burner lately because we've been focusing on some other crawlies we've had around our house in the past couple weeks. yu-ck. so last night after i went to bed, robyn was upstairs and heard a trap go off in the kitchen. after donning rain boots and gloves (because that's how we roll around here...not taking any chances with the mice nibbing on our fingers or toes...) she checked under the sink to find that the mouse had eaten the bait off the trap, set it off and gotten away. i'll tell you, mice these days must be up on the peanut butter trick. everyone told us that was the best bait, but experience has taught us, it is not. this is when she got crafty. we all know from every children's book ever written about mice, they love cheese. so she melted some cheese to the trap. this way there could be no snitching. <br />
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today, we were in the kitchen putting some stuff away and what did we find under the sink? a mouse in the trap! SUCCESS! as i scooped that little creature out with the dustpan, all i could think was "what now little mouse, what now?!" sad, i know, but in light of the events from last weekend with the snake, i'm really just feeling dominion over these pests around my house. wo-man. who even knew this girl could take care of such things??? cari dianahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00695383430430490964noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5140555339357164932.post-30651047047236563262011-11-27T18:48:00.000-06:002011-11-27T18:48:30.467-06:00welcome to the junglealright "welcome to the jungle" may be a little dramatic for this post but not too far off. it's a regular zoo around here lately. this city girl is having to expend herself in ways i didn't even know was possible.<br />
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some of you may remember <a href="http://givingbeautyforashes.blogspot.com/2011/10/great-mousecapade-2011-part-1.html">this</a> post from a few weeks ago about our mouse hunt. well last sunday, robyn and i were headed out the door to church (on time mind you...that's a little victory in and of itself...) and what do we find to greet us on the sidewalk? a SNAKE. is this a joke??? now there are some things that i just can't handle, namely spiders, but snakes i'm usually ok with. seeing this though, led us into a discussion of our options for this little creeper. i'm not normally a "all snakes must die" kind of girl. i mean if its outside and not bothering us, whatevs, just let it be. right now i'm talking as though i've been around snakes my whole life and just pick them up bare handed...let's be honest, this is not the case. city girl, right here. so back to the discussion. leaving it there wasn't an option because everything like that just gets into our house. robyn and i didn't love the idea of sharing our home with this. then i thought, maybe i'll scoop it into a dustpan and carry it to the field at the end of the street. this idea was quickly vetoed as robyn reminded me that snakes crawl and i was in church clothes. a dustpan didn't provide much distance between the creeper and my hand... and church shoes didn't provide much speed to get that snake to the field in a hurry. this lead us to choose option 3. killing the snake. now we had to sike ourselves up for this one. as we began looking around the garage, we realized that our options of tools to take care of the mouse were limited. in the end, we choose a paintcan. i mean pickings really were slim looking at all we had to work with. so i walked up to mr. slithers and just dropped the can on him. at this point we were really late to church so we just left the paint can in the drive and went on our way. when we came back, we lifted the can and SUCCESS! the snake was dead. boo-yeah. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6OKSTN_WqKQ/TtLZ7F23ugI/AAAAAAAAAHM/m9JXjH57izo/s1600/snake.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6OKSTN_WqKQ/TtLZ7F23ugI/AAAAAAAAAHM/m9JXjH57izo/s320/snake.jpg" width="238" /></a></div><br />
now google told us that this snake was probably just a brown snake, so really he would have been harmless. if you look closely at the picture though, you will see that his head was kind of diamond shaped. this made me think that he could have been poisonous. once upon a time, in my kanakuk days, my friend becca and i used to orient the counselors during staff training to nature class. now this in and of itself is really a joke. i mean the girl who couldn't be in the room with a live spider teaching nature? puh-leese. but it happened. any-who, digging into my vast snake knowlege all i could even remember was red and black, friend of jack. red and yellow, kill a fellow. good. so i can absolutely tell you that this snake is not a coral snake. so glad all that nature knowledge has stuck with me through the years. <br />
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so there you have it. i killed a snake. who even knew i had it in me.cari dianahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00695383430430490964noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5140555339357164932.post-45030178437792250252011-11-23T21:44:00.000-06:002011-11-23T21:44:19.044-06:00short and sweetso somehow blogging has taken a back burner to well, life. this is not because i'm short on topics to blog about, but more because at the end of the day lately i've been lacking the creativity to come up with any kind of post that anyone besides my mom would want to read. thanks mom :) <br />
thanksgiving is tomorrow. i LOVE thanksgiving. hopefully, there will be a post dedicated to thanksgiving in the near future, but i'm just not sure i can promise that. for now i will just say that it is my favorite holiday and i'm really excited to head home in the morning to see my family. <br />
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here is my top 3 of my life lately...<br />
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1. first and foremost, I'M GOING TO HAVE A NIECE IN APRIL. i'm beyond excited about this! i would have been just as thrilled with the news of a nephew but i sort of just knew all along that this babe would be a girl. ask my family, i have a really great record for guessing baby genders when people in my life are pregnant. call it a gift. i love the thought of absolutely spoiling this precious lil cutie with all things pink and bows and tutus! <br />
2. i killed a snake this weekend. now this news is really just a teaser because the whole snake killing incident deserves it's own post. and don't you even worry, i have pictures to document the whole thing. it still shocks me that i even had it in me to do this. just to peak your interest here are some key points...church clothes, paint can, robyn, google. now that i've got you hooked, you'll have to check back later for the whole story.<br />
3. so i called it a top 3, but really it's just a top 2 i guess since i need to go pack for home now. i can't actually remember if i thought of 3 things to post about when i started writing but now this is all that comes to mind....maybe i can blame it on a long day at work?? plus who has a top 2 anyway? that doesn't even sound that exciting. <br />
alright i'm out. happy thanksgiving everyone!cari dianahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00695383430430490964noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5140555339357164932.post-27539696878652982552011-11-06T21:34:00.000-06:002011-11-06T21:34:20.385-06:00i'm baaaacckkk!i've taken a little bloggy break the past couple of weeks without even meaning to...whoops! life has been busy busy so many things have taken a back burner lately. one day last week, my most loyal follower, aka my mom, mentioned that she noticed i haven't blogged in a while, so i guess that means it's time to post again. all of you who have just been waiting on pins and needles for an update on my life, you have my momma to thank for this....she says you're welcome. :) <br />
i have a few things lined up that i have been meaning to blog about but for now i will just stick to a post about this past weekend. such a fun one it was! it started thursday night when i got off work. one of my best friends from college, <a href="http://twopeepsandapooch.blogspot.com/">sarah</a> and another dear friend from home, morgan came into town early that evening! <a href="http://gutshall-tell-all.blogspot.com/">amber</a> made us a yummy dinner and we spent the evening laughing and catching up. we all stayed up way later than this girls 9:30 bedtime usually allows for. <br />
we spent friday afternoon eating a yummy loafin' joes lunch and browsing the aisles of target and some other local shops. that night we met up with a couple of high school friends who still live here in town for dinner. i love how out of town guests give an excuse to drop everything and just hang out. i hate it that we sometimes need this excuse, but sure i'm thankful for the time together. <br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zRWELMJepw4/TrdMPX3sOQI/AAAAAAAAAGM/vKe2CQTpHp0/s1600/sarandi+2011.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zRWELMJepw4/TrdMPX3sOQI/AAAAAAAAAGM/vKe2CQTpHp0/s1600/sarandi+2011.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">sar and i. such a sweet sweet friend.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</tbody></table>saturday, <a href="http://sewingcommonthreads.blogspot.com/">ashley</a> arrived. woo! we lunched at slims and lazed around that afternoon. love that with best friends, just being together is enough. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-eih_9ZtQRPU/TrdNkL6EhKI/AAAAAAAAAGU/J7r4l0Aqq-o/s1600/besties+2011.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-eih_9ZtQRPU/TrdNkL6EhKI/AAAAAAAAAGU/J7r4l0Aqq-o/s320/besties+2011.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">reunited and it feels so good! sure love these girls! thanks for the picture steal ash :)</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</tbody></table>that night we went to the game. woo pig! sure do love watching those hogs win in person! i didn't take full advantage of going to as many games as i could of when i was in school so it's such a treat now when i actually do get to go to a game. it's an even bigger treat to get to sing "oh lord it's hard to be humble, when you're an arkansas razorback fan!" at the end of the game and we sure got to sing it saturday. such a fun game to be at! <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4lxDHixep6c/TrdO5HljyfI/AAAAAAAAAGk/6enw4BHf67o/s1600/ash+hogs+2011.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4lxDHixep6c/TrdO5HljyfI/AAAAAAAAAGk/6enw4BHf67o/s320/ash+hogs+2011.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">love those hogs!</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</tbody></table>today has been bittersweet saying goodbye to the last friend who left today. my heart is full after such a good weekend with friends who are so dear to me. thankful for friendships that continue on even from states away and pick right back up when we're together. "from the fullness of His grace we have all received one blessing after another." john 1:16cari dianahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00695383430430490964noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5140555339357164932.post-34308768071601071772011-10-20T20:11:00.000-06:002011-10-20T20:11:21.657-06:00the great mousecapade 2011. part 1.this story begins about 4 weeks ago when robyn told me she thought we had a mouse in our house. (i just can't resist the rhyming. its too cliche not to.) honestly i laughed and didn't believe it because i hadn't really seen any of the signs of mice. shame on me. she set some traps but we never saw anything so we kind of just dropped it. <br />
fast forward to tuesday night. i was sitting in bed reading and thought i saw something scurry across the floor into my closet. i was kind of confused because trooper is laying at the foot of my bed and doesn't move a muscle. the thing about the troop is that any kind of living creature in what he thinks is his territory sends him THROUGH the roof. he sees a dog at the end of the block, a cat on the golf course, a neighbor in THEIR yard across the street, a moth in the house and IT'S OVER. i just couldn't believe that if a mouse ran across the floor he wouldn't notice it. way to go troop. this could have been your moment of shining glory. instead you just snooze it away. cautiously, after putting on my tennis shoes (safety first always, i'm not interested in any mice nibbling my toes) i look around in my closet. about this time robyn walked in. THANK GOODNESS. i cannot do this alone. the only weird thing we notice are corn kernels scattered in little trails all around my closet. what the heck. after looking a little closer, we can see that it all starts from my corn bag. (for those of you who don't know the greatness of a cornbag, it is literally a fabric bag filled with dried corn kernels that you warm up in the microwave and use as a heating pad. heavenly. ) and that's where i see it. there are holes in my corn bag. we also notice little droppings here and there. don't worry, we verified this on google. yes, we are those people. what would we even do without the world wide web? thank you, al gore. i kid, i kid. kind of...<br />
all this to say MOUSE CONFIRMED. and in my closet of all places. this would be the case since i laughed at the idea of mice in our house just a month ago. and i apparently have been providing a corn feast to these crawly creatures for who knows how long. perfect. lesson learned. boo. <br />
so now we are left with figuring out what to do about this. i'm sure you are all on the edge of your seats waiting eagerly to find out how this story ends. well stick around for part 2 once we figure this out ourselves. suggestions are welcome.cari dianahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00695383430430490964noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5140555339357164932.post-20272600290518268882011-10-16T14:47:00.000-06:002011-10-16T14:47:35.299-06:00we're suckers for crafts<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-99047ooVt-s/Tps7PsM1WUI/AAAAAAAAAE0/DgkoMg5Vaao/s1600/war+eagle+mill.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-99047ooVt-s/Tps7PsM1WUI/AAAAAAAAAE0/DgkoMg5Vaao/s320/war+eagle+mill.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br />
it's that time of year again...war eagle craft fair time!!! my mom and i started going a few years back and it has become one of my favorite things that we do each fall. let me just give you the back story on us and crafts. when i was a kid, hobby lobby was one of my mom's favorite places to go wonder into. sure she would go in with a purpose, but one idea would lead to another so then we would have to go check it out. this usually required a trip down another aisle to see if they carried anything like whatever she was thinking of. (sound familiar? anyone who's ever been to the hob lob with me knows that i do the very same thing these days...) when i was a kid, i was not a fan trips to hobby lobby with my mom because i knew they would take forever and it wasn't just going to be a get in and get out thing. well everyone knows, that we all become our parents in one way or another. i'll go ahead and admit it. I'VE BECOME MY MOTHER IN THIS WAY. it's ok though, i'm actually not sad about it at all. so in the spirit of me inheriting my mom's love for craftiness, the war eagle fair really is such a fun tradition for us. <br />
we could not have asked for a better day weather wise this year. warm, sunny, clear skies. perfect. neither of us bought much, but it's always fun to wander in and out of the tents and booths that are set up. it's really just an added bonus that the fair is held outside of the war eagle mill. i just don't think you can be the beauty of autumn in arkansas. i love it.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3iVgYjbchJQ/Tps-Z1c-_xI/AAAAAAAAAE8/T53L4OF1uF8/s1600/weird+dog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3iVgYjbchJQ/Tps-Z1c-_xI/AAAAAAAAAE8/T53L4OF1uF8/s320/weird+dog.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>many of the things at the fair are honestly things that we could make ourselves if we had the time to do it. this however, is not something either of us would ever have thought of and i sure hope we never get to the point of thinking it is a necessity in our 4 legged friends lives...<br />
this vendor was selling doggie visors with attached sunglasses. really? this is a joke? nope. they were for real. i didn't even bother looking for the price tag on these puppies...no pun intended...ok maybe a little intended...because really? i just snapped a quick pic because i knew it would be blog worthy, and tried not to let the vendor think that i was really buying into the idea that this was a necessity in troopers life. sorry troop, i do love you, but not quite this much...<br />
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and finally, fair food.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rx0AadwOgrE/TptBOOkefOI/AAAAAAAAAFE/w9J7DRnwgF8/s1600/fair+food.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rx0AadwOgrE/TptBOOkefOI/AAAAAAAAAFE/w9J7DRnwgF8/s320/fair+food.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>fried pickles, potato whirls and strawberry lemonade. oh yum. i surely can't eat these things often, but in the spirit of the fair, you just have to give in. not sorry. <br />
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that's all for now. happy sunday to you!cari dianahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00695383430430490964noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5140555339357164932.post-18713028642434815772011-10-11T20:09:00.000-06:002011-10-11T20:09:20.877-06:00just call me auntieso this weekend i made a whirlwind trip home to see these 2 people.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AVuVn-gkA5g/TpTyq1dSt2I/AAAAAAAAAEs/-HFU8h44LMA/s1600/sonnyannie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AVuVn-gkA5g/TpTyq1dSt2I/AAAAAAAAAEs/-HFU8h44LMA/s320/sonnyannie.jpg" width="234" /></a></div>this is my brother sonny and his wife annie. i wish i had a background story for this picture...but i might have swiped it from facebook... stalker much? um yes. but it doesn't count if it's family right? i did it all in the name of a good blog post because really, who likes a blog without any pictures to look at? so you're welcome for this little stalker addition.<br />
anyway, just as we were headed out to dinner, sonny made a little off hand comment to my dad about knowing that you're old when you become a grandpa. at first we were all like "haha whatever, let's go eat." my dad stopped and asked if that was a joke or for real. sure enough, IT WAS FOR REAL! they are going to have a baby! I'M GOING TO BE AN AUNT! <br />
we are all beyond excited! i wish i had pictures of our expressions when we found this out, but of course i don't. i just want to remember this moment as such a sweet family memory. it was so fun that night making our predictions for boy vs.girl and brainstorming good grandparent names for my parents. i'm excited for this next season for our family. more to come on this as the days draw closer to his or her arrival. i plan to be a doting aunt to this lil' preshie. i can't even wait. cari dianahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00695383430430490964noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5140555339357164932.post-31512530372150500652011-10-05T20:16:00.000-06:002011-10-05T20:16:28.908-06:00wednesdaysi love wednesdays. what a funny day to love right? i usually don't work on wednesdays which really is reason enough to love it, but good things happen that day. <br />
in the mornings, i go to bible study. i'm doing something different this year and trying out Bible study fellowship (bsf). it's not like any Bible study i've ever done, but i'm really enjoying it so far. we are studying Acts and the Epistles this year. i really like the daily study portion of it. i've done plenty of beth moore studies and those really are great, but i'm loving that the Bible is the only resource we use for this study. i feel like i'm learning a lot from Scripture i've read over and over. it's challenging and good. <br />
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wednesday afternoons i meet with susie for discipleship. this is susie.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EvDcT6hgOjM/To0IVR46qRI/AAAAAAAAAEo/Cv5PVHNn9os/s1600/206410_1768942536408_1024530178_31791658_3049013_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EvDcT6hgOjM/To0IVR46qRI/AAAAAAAAAEo/Cv5PVHNn9os/s320/206410_1768942536408_1024530178_31791658_3049013_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>we went on a mission trip to haiti together in march and really just clicked. she's cool and i like her a lot. i'm not really sure what we are trying to portray in this picture, which really makes it even better i think. we are reading "forgoten God" by francis chan. it's a book about the Holy Spirit. i don't know if either of us really knew what to expect from this book, but we are really liking it! honestly, i'm not sure that i've ever given the Holy Spirit a ton of thought except that He is there. (side note: did you know that the Holy Spirit is a He and not an it? i did not before reading this. there's your bloggy educational nugget for the day) a lot of what i'm learning about the Spirit in this book ties closely together with what we've covered in the Acts study at bsf so far. love when that happens. <br />
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wednesday nights are TRACK nights for the 1st-4th graders at church. i've blogged about this a bit before. 5 weeks in, and it's still so fun! it's really is a highllight of my week! <br />
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i'm sure that this has been a thrilling read for y'all. thanks for listening to my love for this day in my week. haha!<br />
also, shane and shane's cd "the one you need" came out yesterday. i'm sure all of you in my budding audience remember that i posted about it in this <a href="http://givingbeautyforashes.blogspot.com/2011/09/so-fall-is-here-and-im-kind-of-really.html">post</a> . i bought the album yesterday and it's just SO good. now i'm not that girl that waits and waits for an album to come out so that i can buy it the day it's released. no big, if you are that girl (or boy? i'm just not sure any boys actually read this. do boys even read blogs? i just don't know...) mostly i'm just too cheap to buy something until i know it's going to be good. i feel the same way about seeing movies in the theater. another post of another day. anywho, i'm pretty sure this is the first album i've EVER bought on it's release date. that's big time. so if you're a shane and shane fan, or even if you're not, check this out! you won't be sorry you did. cari dianahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00695383430430490964noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5140555339357164932.post-89510598370859692902011-09-29T08:50:00.000-06:002011-09-29T08:50:50.080-06:00pumpkin muffins!i LOVE pumpkin in the fall. these are my favorite pumpkin muffins to bake. i can't remember where i found this recipe first, but i know that i've had it for the last couple of falls. anytime i have to bring a treat to share in the fall, this recipe is my go-to. it's so easy and fool-proof! you just can't go wrong with that! so here it is. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xU5ONSJemVc/ToSBvg5MB9I/AAAAAAAAAEI/R34ho12Ufag/s1600/muffin+ingredients.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xU5ONSJemVc/ToSBvg5MB9I/AAAAAAAAAEI/R34ho12Ufag/s200/muffin+ingredients.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>3 ingredients people. that's it! easy peasy.<br />
1 box spice cake mix<br />
1 can of pumpkin (not the big one, just the standard size)<br />
1 bag of cinnamon chips (these are like chocolate chips except they are made of cinnamon. if you haven't had these before, go buy a bag now. they are SO good. Hershey is the only brand i can ever find and i actually have to make a special trip to a different grocery store than i usually shop at to find them. wal-mart doesn't carry them..boo.)<br />
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Preheat oven to 325. i use muffin liners so that i don't have to grease my muffin tin. fill muffin cups 3/4 of the way full. bake for about 25 mins. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LrGRAxIHFyQ/ToSDRoRJ1KI/AAAAAAAAAEM/vEGfrtCICmw/s1600/pumpkin+muffins.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LrGRAxIHFyQ/ToSDRoRJ1KI/AAAAAAAAAEM/vEGfrtCICmw/s200/pumpkin+muffins.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br />
i've always wanted to try a cream cheese frosting on these (another weakness of mine...i could eat it by the spoonful!) but they are pretty sweet with the cinnamon chips so i think a frosting would be too much. <a href="http://sewingcommonthreads.blogspot.com/">bestie</a> made them a couple of weeks ago and she frosted them and omitted the cinnamon chips. she said that they were just as good. i just really love the chips in them, so i can't bring myself to leave them out in order to try frosting. this time i just dusted them with powdered sugar which did nothing special for the taste but made them look oh so pretty! i took them to a potluck at work this week. this is a good thing because i can't help but eat these by the twos when they are sitting on my kitchen counter... <br />
enjoy! happy fall y'all!cari dianahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00695383430430490964noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5140555339357164932.post-14358847923951838942011-09-25T14:28:00.000-06:002011-09-25T14:28:50.325-06:00what a great weekend it has been! <a href="http://sewingcommonthreads.blogspot.com/">ashley </a>came to visit! after several long days at work, some best friend time this weekend was the perfect way to end the week. she came in friday night after work and we met up with kristin and amber for dinner at hammontrees. hammontrees is a local fayetteville favorite for fancy grilled cheese. i just don't think you can go wrong when your speciality is cheese. this is unfortunate since i'm lactose intolerant....boo. life's hard when you're a lactard. oh well. i eat here in spite and love every bite in the moment. haha<br />
saturday morning we swung by ricks (another local favorite) to pick up some coffee and yummy pastries before heading out to a couple of flea markets we'd been wanting to check out. i have such a thing for flea markets these days! the hunt of finding little treasures in these places is so fun! this week's find was maybe my favorite of all time so far. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QpOEuq9slq4/Tn-K_avXGsI/AAAAAAAAAEE/VNRYYF1s17I/s1600/glasses.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QpOEuq9slq4/Tn-K_avXGsI/AAAAAAAAAEE/VNRYYF1s17I/s320/glasses.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>these are the same glasses that i remember drinking from at my grandma's house growing up. i think my mom actually had these too. they are glass jelly jars. as soon as i saw them, i knew i wanted them. i love the sentiment of using something on a daily basis that i remember having as a child. i'm not actually sure that they don't still sell jelly in jars like these. since i'm not much of a jelly eater though, it was a better deal on my end to just buy them here. just over $2 for 5. i'll take it. i love how thick the glass is. when i carried them up to the counter, the owner of the shop called them country crystal. i love it. <br />
we ended the day watching the arkansas-alabama game with <a href="http://gutshall-tell-all.blogspot.com/">amber</a> and caleb. the game was disappointing but the company made the afternoon well worth it. thankful for a weekend full of great friends! cari dianahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00695383430430490964noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5140555339357164932.post-44447835362122752982011-09-18T15:52:00.000-06:002011-09-18T15:52:30.359-06:00another week has come and gone and the highlight was definitely a trip to kansas city this weekend. robyn had a vacation day that she needed to use before next week. when she asked if i wanted to take a long weekend and go somewhere it didn't take <strike>much</strike> any tempting for me to say yes! thank you three 12 hour shifts a week to accommodate this kind of spontaneity. after weighing our options of places to go, kansas city fit the bill of being an easy drive and having plenty of cool things to check out. an added bonus was the fact that we would drive right past my parents house on the way to drop the pup off for the night. shout out to my mom (who i know reads this even if no one else does) for being the best dog sitter ev. troop thinks you're great. :)<br />
the goal of the trip was simply to enjoy the time and not be tied to a schedule. this worked out perfectly. we knew that we did not want to feel like we needed a vacation from "vacation" and we didn't want to be stressed while we were there. we also made a pact that we didn't want to eat food that we could get in fayetteville. loving local things even when we're not the locals...perf. <br />
faves of the weekend... (ps i didn't take a single pic this weekend...whoops! thank you google images for saving this post from being boring and pictureless. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bSm04hPErck/TnZebFzNVsI/AAAAAAAAAD0/ekLs7STY1c4/s1600/pandolfi+deli.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="157" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bSm04hPErck/TnZebFzNVsI/AAAAAAAAAD0/ekLs7STY1c4/s320/pandolfi+deli.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">friday lunch. this little gem was found by urbanspoon on my phone. how did we ever do trips without the iphone? pandolfi's deli is a family owned hole in the wall place that only serves lunch M-F. now you know a place is going to be good if they can afford such limited business hours. we both ordered the sassano which was turkey, prosciutto and pepper jack on a homemade roll with balsamic vinegar. yum-o. we ate every bite. as an added bonus, while we were eating the grandfather of the owner (who's father was the originally mr. pandolfi when he came over from italy) came over to chat with us. much get much more local than that people.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-k6y3QK9JCB8/TnZgfrJLVXI/AAAAAAAAAD4/tWnpjUoFRcs/s1600/garment.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-k6y3QK9JCB8/TnZgfrJLVXI/AAAAAAAAAD4/tWnpjUoFRcs/s320/garment.jpg" width="238" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">so a <a href="http://tarabess.blogspot.com/">friend</a> from high school recommended this place in the power and light district. i'm still a little confused if the store is called the garment or the garment district but either way it did not disappoint. they had TONS of clothes that were so cute and unique. seriously, so many great things. there was lots to love here but a cute cute purse for the winter is all i left with. and it was a STEAL. i do love a good deal. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VU3uufG8mEI/TnZiwGOho6I/AAAAAAAAAD8/fqROw-TMAtY/s1600/kc+city+market.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="208" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VU3uufG8mEI/TnZiwGOho6I/AAAAAAAAAD8/fqROw-TMAtY/s320/kc+city+market.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">i do love a farmers' market no matter the location. kansas city was a great one downtown. it was a little chilly saturday morning which made it perfect to pull out the scarves and jackets and wonder around with coffee in hand...actually i think both of us may have had hot tea...either way...perfect. had i not been traveling, i could have come away with LOTS of tasty produce, but i was a little nervous to leave it in the car all day. i did get some honey oatmeal bread from an amish stand. delish. the amish sure do know how to bake bread! i do wish that i could bake like that...for now i'll just stick to buying it from them i guess.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CxCN_GFbztg/TnZkddk6-GI/AAAAAAAAAEA/k0qRvfzJg4o/s1600/uppercrust.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CxCN_GFbztg/TnZkddk6-GI/AAAAAAAAAEA/k0qRvfzJg4o/s1600/uppercrust.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">all i have to say about this is yum-o. so just before heading home on saturday, we made the last minute decision to find something sweet for the drive home. the upper crust bakery happened to be just down the street from the place where we had lunch. it was this little place in the back of the oddest kitchen store i've ever been in. seriously, this place had every kind of kitchen gadget, both cheap and high end, on floor to ceiling shelves. so much fun to browse! even better because we had yummy cookies in hand while we browsed! and they were still warm...i'm just not sure it can get any better. i had a banana cookie with burnt sugar frosting. i'm not sure that i am normally a banana dessert kind of girl. if it's dessert, it needs chocolate. i mean you really can't go wrong with this right?! this cookie made me never want to eat banana bread again without frosting...so good.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>and that is all. we are all home (me, robyn and trooper that is) and it's back to work tomorrow. woo. cari dianahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00695383430430490964noreply@blogger.com0