If anyone is interested, there are some really great bath and body products that are hand made by residents at Magdalene (a 2 year residential community for women with criminal histories of prostitution and drug abuse) located just outside of Nashville, TN. The women create natural and organic handmade products from lavender fields in which they help tend and maintain. 100% of the sales proceeds go to support the residents.
Erik and I had the privilege of hearing Becca Stevens, an Episcopal Priest and founder of Magdalene, speak a few years ago. We also got to meet and hear stories from some of the women who's lives have been changed as a result of the support at Magdalene. It really is a phenomenal ministry that is making a real difference in the lives of women.
Here's the link:
www.thistlefarms.org
Friday, December 14, 2007
Wednesday, December 05, 2007
Skiing on the grass! Wednesday, December 05, 2007
So, usually when we ski in Maggie Valley there is considerably less GRASS. This past Saturday, Erik and I went skiing (well, of course Erik snowboarded) with my friend Regina. It was totally spur of the moment on Friday night, we were like "we're going at 6:30 tomorrow morning!" That's how we roll...
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Fall in the Smokies Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Erik, Will, and Gaines all braved the trampolines at the Asheville Mall. What a strange concept, to PAY be strapped into a harness and jump up and down for 5 minutes. Weird. But pretty funny.
Shawna and Will are amazing parents! Gaines is so smart and respectful, I've never met a 2 1/2 year old like him. They're expecting a new addition to their family very soon. I can't wait to meet her!
Wednesday, November 07, 2007
4 friends, 4 babies, for 3 days! Wednesday, November 07, 2007
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A few weeks ago, I headed to Dallas to meet up with my girls from nursing school. Usually, 6 of us get together for a weekend of catching up, re-connecting, and laughing until our sides hurt. Sadly, Maurine and Wendi couldn't make it this year (we missed you!) so it ended up being the 4 of us pictured below (Alisha, me, Suz, Jessicca). Suz just had QUADS, so we spent 3 days together loving on her precious babies; Andrew, Benjamin, Savannah, and Ethan. SO sweet.
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Suz and her husband Joe have the babes on an awesome every 4-hour feeding schedule. We all jumped right in and helped with feedings, diapers, laundry, bottles, and burping :) It was definitely a reality check into the world of parenting. Granted, most parents aren't juggling 4 newborns! But, I must say, Joe and Suz are doing an amazing job.
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In a moment of insanity, Jessicca and I volunteered to do one of the middle-of-the-night feedings by ourselves! It was absolutely hilarious. Imagine us waking up all 4 babies at once, changing diapers, most of them started screaming, and Savannah decided to vomit the most I've ever seen come out of a baby, right on Jessicca's chest! We ended up doing just fine, but it was just one of those times I wished we would have caught on tape. Good times...
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Monday, October 15, 2007
Corn Maze Monday, October 15, 2007
Yet another thing to add to our list of "firsts" this year...a Corn Maze. What a crazy thing. You run around a corn field, in which a maze has been cut out, trying to locate all of the stations to get a punch for your card. We opted NOT to do the haunted maze. For one, Chris and Ashley had their precious little girl with them, and secondly, Erik was scared (HA!) Our small group went together this past Friday night. We split up into groups (boys vs. girls) to see who could finish first. I'll just let you guess as to who won!
Friday, October 12, 2007
Smoke Free in Tennessee Friday, October 12, 2007
As of October 1, all restaurants in Tennessee are smokefree indoors unless they limit access to people 21+ at all times. SO interesting... I never thought I would see the day this would happen here.
Saturday, September 22, 2007
Mackinac Island Saturday, September 22, 2007
The Grand Hotel (above) was so much bigger than I expected it to be. We didn't stay there, for one, because it was WAY out of our price range, and after 6pm all men HAD to be dressed in suit and tie while the women were not allowed to wear pants. That is SO not our style, so we settled for marveling at its beauty from the sidewalk. The hotel has a rich history, opening back in 1887!
It was around 40 degrees the first morning we set out exploring. I didn't bring gloves, so I used my fleece! I think Erik was embarrassed by me!
Friday, September 14, 2007
Linda's 60th Friday, September 14, 2007
Erik's Mom turned 60! Last weekend we loaded up the "loveboat" and headed up north to celebrate with her. It was a huge bash with 30-40 of her dearest and oldest friends. A few of her oldest friends were college buddy's (The Nurds, as they call themselves) who have stayed in touch all of these years and still get together every year. We partied all evening at this amazing Bed & Breakfast in Bellaire, MI (on Torch Lake). It was such a beautiful event to celebrate the life of such a lovely woman!
Gotta love the two-seater!
Shuffleboard is actually a very violent sport.
Monday, August 27, 2007
Raccoon Mountain 10K Monday, August 27, 2007
What a beautiful day for a race! This past Saturday, we headed to Chattanooga with my sister and her husband to run the Raccoon Mtn "Round the Rim" 10K. Actually, Kevin and I ran the 10K while Erik and Amber ran the 5K. We left Knoxville at 4:45am to get there in time to register and everything. Yeah, so, by the time the race started I had already been awake for about 4 hours! My coffee buzz was wearing off and I had become lethargic from the drive down. Even so, it was the most fun! Only 180 runners, really laid back and informal. Just the way I like it :) We ran around the "rim" of this huge reservoir, it was really pretty. There was a nice cool breeze at the start, believe it or not. This was surprising to me b/c it's been about 100 degrees here every day.
Here's a view of the reservoir.
Ah, and now we have the post-race shots. We're awake! That little banner in the background was the finish line
I don't think Erik and Kevin planned to be twins. And, Amber and I didn't plan on looking like weirdos (below). It just happened.
These were the worst race shirts EVER! Tank tops? Come ON!
We spent a lovely afternoon in DT Chattanooga, in the historic art district. These pics were taken in a very interesting sculpture garden.