Seriously Ridiculous

My husband frequently chides me for my overuse of the word ridiculous...but seriously...I LOVE the word ridiculous.  Oh, and did I mention that I also love the word seriously?  My thanks goes out to Drs. Grey, Stevens, O'Malley, Karev, Yang, and Torres for assisting in the forming of that ridiculous habit (watch 1 episode of Grey's Anatomy and see if you don't become attached to the word yourself).  Anyways...back to my obsession with ridiculous.  The reason I am so fond of the word is because I find it to be amazingly descriptive.  There are so many situations which the word ridiculous so perfectly describes.  To demonstrate, while cleaning this afternoon I took some photos of some seriously ridiculous situations in my own home!  Enjoy!

Exhibit A

The current state of my refrigerator is ridiculous.  There is taco sauce on the top shelf (that's not where it belongs).  There is a carton of strawberries on the second shelf, strawberries in a white pyrex bowl on the third shelf, and strawberries in a plastic baggy on the fourth shelf.  There is a pizza box on the fourth shelf that hasn't been touched in days...something tells me the pizza isn't even good anymore.  And don't even get me started on this...

I think it is ridiculous how many condiments have found their way into the shelves of my refrigerator door.  Do we seriously need all of these?  I could die over that bottle of French's yellow mustard that is haphazardly laying on its side.  And why aren't the taco sauce from shelf one and the salsa from shelf four in the door?  Oh that's right, because there's no room in the inn!  Seriously ridiculous I tell you!

Exhibit B

My pantry...not so ridiculous right?  It is actually fairly well organized and I am generally happy with it's appearance.  But sadly, it is the contents of my pantry that I find...you guessed it...ridiculous!

Seriously?  What business do a pair of DINKS (double income, no kids) have with not 1, not 2, not 3, FOUR boxes of Kraft Mac & Cheese?  Well here's a clue...there were 5 boxes of the stuff and now there are 4, and I didn't eat any of it.  So either one of our mice hijacked a box, or my other half consumed it.  What can I say, he loves the stuff!  Ridiculous (sorry, I couldn't help myself)!

Exhibit C

A couple of years ago, my mom gave me this great green basket that goes really well in our family room.  This afternoon I glanced over at said green basket...

...and realized that it was being taken over by a sea of magazines...

So I decided to try to sort through this ridiculous mess.

Hmmm...I seriously wonder whose little hands placed this guy in there.

I quickly determined that I was ridiculous to think that I could sort through this mess in one afternoon.  I am inclined to throw all of these away, but I know there are bits and pieces of valuable information in each of these magazines.  I did throw one, small, pitiful stack away - but I plan to return to these one day soon to tear out the valuable tidbits.  In the meantime, they are now neatly stacked back in the green basket.

Finally, just so you don't think I am ridiculous, I'm out to prove that the use of these word can often be positive.  This dessert, affectionately named "Berry Surprise" by my husband, is seriously and ridiculously delicious!

Coming Soon...I Hope

It has been on my mind for a long time now that I want to start a new blog.  I feel like I have sort of gotten my feet wet to the whole blog experience with this blog...BUT...if you know me you know that I follow A LOT of blogs.  A lot of AMAZING blogs.  And I say that they are amazing not only because they look amazing with pictures, and buttons, and gadgets, and music, and...well you get the point.  I think they are amazing because of the people who write them and the stories they share.  I follow blogs of people I have never met and people who are most assuredly unaware of the fact that I follow their blogs.  People in Wisconsin, California, Arkansas, Minnesota, North Carolina, Ohio, Florida, Kansas, Michigan, Indiana, and the list goes on.  All of these people have something to share, and while they may have started in sharing with their inner circle of family and friends, we all know that over the internet it is quite easy to share on a different level.  Unfortunately, with the good comes the bad and the ugly, and we read and see a lot of horrible and inappropriate things over the internet and on TV.  BUT...that's why I love the blogs I follow.  They are clean and fun and a chance for people to share everything from recipes and funny stories to Scripture and prayer requests.  So...the point of this post is to tell you that I am craving a new blog.  A fresh start.  Something with a little more piz-azz and something that I will enjoy updating and sharing with others.

On that note...if any of you blog gurus out there have tips for creating a great blog (backgrounds, music, favorite gadgets, etc.)...please do share!  I am an eager and willing student.  It may take me a while to get this thing off the ground...or rather onto your screen...but I am trying to get the creative juices flowing.

In the meantime...we hope you are all doing well.  Virginia, as always, is beautiful right now.  Life is busy.  Adam just returned from a 6-day study intensive held in Windsor, Ontario for his CFA exam.  The exam is the first Saturday in June.  He is taking Level III this year, and if he passes the test he will officially be a Chartered Financial Analyst.  He has put 6 years of hard work into this...please pray that he feels calm as he heads into the test.  I am so proud of him for his determination.  We won't know until the middle of August whether or not he has passed, but we always love the time after he takes the test to relax and take it easy for a while.  Well, Adam is mowing the lawn and there is laundry to be folded.  So...I'm off!

Long overdue...

I know that we are LONG overdue for an update, but Adam got me an iMac for my birthday, and we still haven't had the time or energy to figure out how to get all of our photos (or my iTunes for that matter...gggrrrrr!) from the old computer to my new computer.  If only life would slow down for a few hours so we could get this accomplished!  Anyways, I promise that when we get everything transitioned over I will post something interesting.  Hope you are all doing well.

Big Trip to the Big Apple

November brought a first for me...my first trip to New York City! I consider myself a well-traveled individual, at least within the United States, but I had never been to NYC. My best friend and roommate from my senior year of college, Lauren, has lived in NYC since we graduated. She is getting married in January and I am her matron of honor (matron?!?). So I decided to head to New York and throw her a shower. It was a whirlwind weekend, but so much fun. I don't get to see Lauren often so while being in New York was a treat, it was even more wonderful to have some face-to-face time with her.

The shower was at Alice's Tea Cup, a well-known tea room in NYC. Much to my surprise, this is one of Lauren's favorite places. I Googled "Bridal Shower New York City" and found this place. I booked it, but didn't give Lauren any details until the night before the shower. She was sure that I had asked one of her friends where she would want to have a shower. I was thrilled that she was so excited and that I had chosen wisely!

As Lauren puts it...Alice's Tea Cup is the "girliest place in the world."

In addition to many varieties of delicious tea, we were presented with 5 of these 3-tiered stands full of scones, finger sandiwches, cakes, cookies, mousse, etc. There were 10 girls present so you can about imagine how much food we took home. It was amazingly good. We ate until we all felt ill. Lauren and I had to go back to her apartment to take Advil and a nap!

On Saturday night we went and saw the musical Spring Awakening.

(Lauren and I outside the theater)

It was a fun-filled weekend. We walked all over the city (SoHo, West Village, Central Park, 5th Avenue, Times Square, Rockefeller Center, Bryant Park...whew!). I may not have been there long, but I was able to see so much. I can't wait to go back to see more of the sites.

Lake Lure, NC

In October we drove to Lake Lure, NC to spend a long weekend with Adam's family. We love being in the mountains and it was so fun to catch up with Adam's parents, Jeff, and Kelleigh. The picture above is of Kelleigh and Connie on top of Chimney Rock, overlooking Lake Lure. The girls decided to go for a hike and the boys stayed at home! Although Adam and Doug will tell you that they took their own hike on the, shall we say "road less travelled." They both came back with war wounds from that excursion. Another great fall weekend!

Fall 2008

Adam and I kicked the fall off by visiting Carter Mountain Orchard, just outside of Charlottesville. It was a beautiful day and the views overlooking Charlottesville were amazing. On just the other side of the mountain from the orchard is Monticello, Thomas Jefferson's home.

Does Adam look exciting to pick apples or what?

Yum! These are the apples we came away with. They were delicious! I honestly couldn't believe how much better they tasted than store bought apples. The other highlight of the orchard for me were the cider doughnuts they sold. They reminded me of the doughnuts I used to get as a kid at the Auburn Fair. So good! It made me wish I could sit at Grandma Rufner's kitchen table and share one with her just one last time! Adam and I definitely want to make apple-picking at the Carter Mountain Orchard a fall tradition. It will be fun to take our kids there someday.

After hiking the mountainside to pick our apples, Adam and I decided to eat at Michie Tavern (pronounced Mickey). Located at the base of Carter Mountain and a short distance from the entrance to Monticello, Michie Tavern (ca. 1784) is a well-known historic site.

Adam displays the classic southern fare we dined on...cornbread, bisquits, mashed potatoes, fried chicken, pulled barbeque pork, green beans, black-eyed peas (which he tried for the first time and did not like...neither do I). We both stayed away from the stewed tomatoes...yuck! Because it is all-you-can-eat, Adam went back for seconds. By the time our waiter asked us if we wanted fresh peach cobbler, we were both so full we had to decline.

Later on in October Adam and I invited our small group from church over to carve pumpkins. I hadn't carved a pumpkin in years. It was fun and our pumpkin looked great!

(Adam took the picture above, sorry for the bluriness!)

Adam pulling the "guts" out of our pumpkin. I was happy to let him do that part.

Our pumpkin!

Can you tell we chose the easiest design? The pumpkin on the left is an owl and the one on the right is a spider and its web. Next year maybe we'll try something a little trickier!

Cannon Beach, OR ~ Haystock Rock

(This picture is out of order...I hate it when Blogger does this. Does anyone know how to format picture order on Blogger? If so, please share!)
Another gorgeous picture of the Oregon coast.

Our rental car....JUST KIDDING!!!

Before we left, Adam suggested that for our last day in Oregon we rent a convertible. We had planned to head to the coast for our last day of sightseeing so I thought the idea was perfect. So, Sunday night we picked up our little convertible and headed out to the coast...with our fleeces on, the seat warmers going, and the heat cranked! We weren't going to let some chilly temps keep us from taking full advantage of the open air ride. Even though we were freezing! On Monday morning we drove across the Columbia River from Astoria, OR to Washington. So now Adam can say he's been to Washington too (for all of 20 minutes)! We then headed down the coast to Cannon Beach.

Adam's first views and steps into the Pacific Ocean. We weren't sure which was colder...our bare feet in the snow of Mt. Hood or in the water of the Pacific.

Haystack Rock!!! As a child of the '80s I am a huge fan of the movie The Goonies. One of the things Cannon Beach is most famous for is Haystock Rock and its other surrounding rock formations. While I knew these rocks from The Goonies we were delighted to find out that the tide pools around these rocks are amazing! We were also able to look through telescopes and see puffins and several other types of birds that make their homes on the rocks. No one has been on top of Haystack in 40 years so as not to disturb the natural habitat. The rock stands 235 feet above the sand. I was bummed that it was cloudy this morning, but it was low tide so we were able to get up close to the rock and walk among the tide pools.

(This picture of Haystack was taken later in the day when the sun had come out, but notice that the tide had come in and covered the tide pools we had walked among that morning)

Look familiar Goonies fans? Nicole...I would have died to have you there with me!


Two starfish hanging out on a rock in the tide pool. These rocks were covered with layer upon layer of mussels. We also saw fish, crabs, and other wildlife.

This guy is HUGE!


That about wraps up our trip to Oregon. We had a wonderful time and only wish we had a few more days to keep exploring. By the way, you may have noticed that we appear to be wearing the same clothes each day of our trip. We (me especially) were ill-prepared for the cool temps a great deal of the time in Oregon...especially near Mt. Hood and that morning on the beach. So, Adam is always in his orange fleece and me in the only long-sleeve item of clothing i brought. Trust me, the next time we head that way we will be much more prepared...right Adam?

Multnomah Falls & the International Rose Test Garden

This is Multnomah Falls, the second largest waterfall in the United States. Notice the bridge that crosses over the upper pool. In 1995 a wedding party was standing on that bridge when a natural rock slide from the upper fall occured. 20 members of the wedding party received minor injuries from flying rock...including the groom who was hit in a rather "unfortunate" location. Too funny!



We also had a change to visit the International Rose Test Garden in Portland. These roses reminded me of the ones used for our wedding. This place was amazing. I have never seen so many varieties of roses in my life. We were amazed to learn that the whole garden is tended to by 1 full-time gardener (I imagine that's a dream job) and 2 summer volunteers.

Mt. Hood

Just two more pictures as we drove around Mt. Hood towards the Columbia River Gorge. These views were so amazing. While in Oregon we saw Mt. Hood, Mt. Jefferson, Mt. Adams, Mt. St. Helens, and even Mt. Ranier (from the airplane). So beautiful! It might rain a lot in Washington and Oregon, but I would imagine these views on a clear day make it all worth it. Adam and I kept wondering if people become "immune" to the beauty of the scenery.

Timberline Lodge ~ Day 2

On Sunday we were able to head back up to the Timberline Lodge. For the first time since we had arrived in Oregon the weather was clear...and Mt. Hood was no longer "supposedly" there. GORGEOUS! Another first for us...riding up a ski lift and romping through the snow in shorts and sandals...Brrrr!!

Notice that we are above the clouds in the distance.

The peak of Mt. Hood

A picture of Mt. Jefferson in the distance.

Fritz, Chris Higgins, and Adam with the peak in the distance.

Fritz and Adam headed up the ski lift (Fritz was also in our wedding and we once again had the pleasure of hearing him sing at Matt & Kelly's wedding).

It's amazing that the day before I stood in a very similar location by the Timberline and all my camera could capture was gray clouds and no mountain! The views were spectacular from up there...and on top of the great views a kid wearing a powder blue leisure suit exited the ski lift behind us and went skiing on down the mountain. Too funny!

Timberline Lodge

I imagine that most of you have seen the movie The Shining (think REDRUM...that oughta jog your memory). To our delight, Timberline Lodge, which was used for the outside shots in The Shining was located 6 miles up the mountain from our resort in Gov't. Camp. While Adam was tending to his best man duties on Saturday, I travelled up the mountain with some friends. Unfortunately, it was extremely cloudy/foggy and the ski lift was closed, but I did get some fun shots of the lodge itself.

The building is quite old and was built by the WPA (Works Progress Administration). It was completed in 1937. For more great pics, go to www.timberlinelodge.com .

The artwork and carvings in the lodge were beautiful. This is just one examble on a staircase.

When we went back to the lodge on Sunday in better weather (more pictures next post) Adam couldn't resist getting his hands on the "Here's Johnny" axe. Scary!