Skipping Saturday

I started a blog about something that just continued to irk me yesterday, so I am gonna leave it alone and just skip Saturday entirely. I don't need my blood pressure going through the roof.

So for Serene Sundays I will share my love for beer. I love getting together with friends and having a few beers, listening to a show, having a bbq, playing cards...etc. I didn't always like beer. Like most girls, I preferred fruity drinks. Somehow I acquired a taste for great beer. I am a snob when it comes to beer though. For me there is nothing better than a thick Guinness on tap, or an ice cold Killians even. I curl up with a good beer like some people do their coffee.

Carthage Photo

Only in a small town like Carthage will a BLT be the healthiest thing on a menu and a tractor be in the middle of traffic.

Wishing and Tasting

This is another mundane thing to be wishing for, but I would really like to get a new bathing suit and some sundresses. Every time I go shopping I see all these cute clothes that I wish I could buy. I mean, I am not trying to sound like a poor little child or anything. I am well beyond blessed, but I do wish sometimes I had extra cash to spoil myself with a new dress or something. With summer weather coming in, I am wishing for some cash to come with it so I can get some cute flowy dresses.

Zach let me borrow his blender so I could make some shakes for breakfast. It's kinda like a smoothie, but I like it a lot. Really easy and tasty

1 banana
1/2 milk
1/2 OJ
bit of vanilla extract
bit of honey
ice

blend together for a sweet delicious smoothie!!

Wow I am really bad at blogging

Traveling Tuesdays:

I will be going home this weekend, to the small town of Carthage. I don't go home much anymore just because there is not much there for me. I am from a very small town that is charming in small doses. So it feels good to go home every now and then. My father has been begging me to come home which has been absolutely adorable. Tomorrow I will drive home for a weekend of home cooked meals, car maintenance, and possible hiking. Often, going home is quite therapeutic.

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil

I have recently picked up Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt. My brother in law recommended this book to me, and I love it! Basically, it is a nonfiction book written just like a novel. A writer from New York, John Berendt, goes to visit Savannah and decides to buy a townhome there for when he wants to visit. Before too long he ends up spending more time there than in New York. He gets to know the elite Savannahians. He is invited to lavish parties, meets antique dealers who are restoring the old city, makes friends with a drag queen, and gets thrown into the town gossip. I am halfway through the book, and if it weren't for my addiction to watching seasons of desperate housewives, I would be done with the book. Anyhow, this is a great read, and because it is non-fiction but read like a novel makes it even better. 

Besties in town

Just as I was REALLY missing some of best friends I got some emails and a phone call. My best friend who just got married in MS this October sent me an email last week to let me know she and her husband would be passing through. I was overjoyed by this news! I was just telling Zach how I really missed my friends from out of town. I mean all of best friends are at least an hour away so sometimes it just sucks not seeing them for a while. Stephanie and Greg were here on the weekend and again on Tuesday. Something that was more awesome than just seeing Steph was that Greg and Zach got along so well. So when they left Wednesday morning I was a wreck. It felt like a breakup or something. I just really missed having my friends around, and then seeing how well Zach fits in with them made me more sad. However, the night before they left I got a phone call from one of my other friends to let me know she would be in the area on Thurs! So as sad I was on Wednesday morning, I had something to be excited for as well. It was a perfect fate for a week when I was really missing having my friends here.

Pops of Colors

Taken in China circa 2008 near the city park. Copyright Virginia Rose

Thirsty Thursday

I picked up some bottles of wine a week or so ago just to have some. I found Little Penguin Wine on sale. For a cheap wine, it's not too bad at all. The pinot noir is better than the grigio in my opinion. Try it out. I'd recommend it.

So I'm a week behind, but as far as you know I am right on track

As it is Wednesday, I find myself wishing, yet again, for a house with a big kitchen, lots of windows, and a big porch and yard.

Rosewell Mansion

While visiting Zach's family in December, he took me down to the Rosewell Mansion. This is an old house that was built in the 1700's. Thomas Jefferson spent many days here writing a draft for the Declaration of Independence. The mansion burned in the early 1900's leaving only these remains. Located in Gloucester, Virginia the mansion leaves behind such a great story. It's hard not to imagine life back in those days while you drive down the still dirt road to get to the mansion. The ground is soft as you step out of the car from the sandy dirt of Virginia. You can still walk on the front steps and imagine a large front door entering into a huge foyer. There is so much history within the few standing walls of this house built from bricks compiled of Virginia soil.

Forget the books....

I don't want to write ANOTHER blog about the Chronicles of Narnia since I am now on book 7. You probably get the point of those books, while amazing, blogs of these books can get redundant. So in substitution I will take a moment to rant.

I am really pissed at the cost of being healthy. They take something that is so great in its natural form and make into an industry, kinda like Christianity. Anyway, why the hell is it so dang expensive to eat healthy. Because I am not raking in the funds right now, many of my meals are ramen noodles or peanut butter sandwiches. I don't know how many bowls of cereal I have eaten in the last month. It's so sad to me that it is cheaper to get tons of processed food than it is to buy fruits and veggies. I mean, they don't even have to be organically grown to drain your wallet. You get more for your buck to buy a bag of potato chips and a pack of mac and cheese. No wonder America is fighting obesity. There are so many other things I have to say about this and not to mention the influence of the government on mass production of foods. Screw the FDA.

Ok, it's too late at night for me to get riled up over this.

The Golden Man

Once a year, this little man brings me 4 hours or so of the most emotional and inspiring serenity.

The Oscars.

Nuf' Said

Saturday

So this week I was struggling with money. In my mind at least. I was very worried about my finances. It's not a huge deal, but I am getting a little raise at work and a small promotion. It helps, and it came at just the right time.

Also, I finally have a running buddy. A consistent running buddy. One of the guys that is running with my group for the 1/2 marathon also lives in the boro and wanted to train together. I am so glad. So we ran 8 miles yesterday, and it felt great.

Things just always work out, they do!

Favorite Wedding Photo

This is by far one of my favorite wedding photos that I have taken. It was at a small stone church is Sparta, TN on a smoldering June day. Laura was the one of the coolest brides and really let me have fun with their photos.

Gnocchi Nada

I made homemade gnocchi this Sunday. It wasn't bad, but it could be better. It ended up more like dumplings, which may be correct. I had never had gnocchi before. Basically, you boil 3-4 potatoes until tender. Drain and mash. Add lots of salt. Add 1 1/4 cup flour and roll into dough. Knead until smooth and in a ball. Separate and roll into 3 1 inch diameter rolls. Cut inch long shapes/cubes. Then drop them into boiling water. Watch them float to the top and you know they're ready. The sauce was heavy cream and Gorgonzola cheese, blue cheese sauce. It was very blue cheesy. It was dense, and bland. Today, however, I ate some leftovers. It was way better, and I added some pepper and mozzarella cheese to tone down the blue cheese. It was tastier. I made this as an entree, but it is definitely a starter or side. If you feel adventurous, go for it. I just wanted to try new food.

Garden Galore

I grew up visiting my grandparents often. My grandfather has always had a garden, even though he is now in his eighties. My grandmother cans all of the veggies that he grows. I remember waking up early with my grandmother and shelling peas, stripping beans, and boiling fruits for jams. My sister has followed in their footsteps, but I am a ways behind. However, I do actually want a garden one day. So since last week I wished for a backyard, this week I will wish for a garden in that backyard. (It better be a big backyard, because I want a pool too, lol) I want to put time into growing the food that I eat. There is something about fresh veggies and fruits from the garden knowing that you put hard work into it.

Travel Tuesday- Seattle

Last April I went to Seattle with a friend. I wanted to go because I was thinking of moving there but wanted to check it out first. Seattle is such a great place. I spent a lot more time in Tacoma which was just as nice. I found that Seattle is a great place to visit. I would love to go back again. I don't want to move there though. Of course, I drank so much Starbucks while I was there that every time I smell Starbucks coffee it makes me a little nostalgic for Seattle. It truly is a beautiful place.

Dawn Treader

I finished The Voyage of the Dawn Treader and it might be one of my favorites in the series. CS Lewis just has a way with words. The book goes deep into the ends of the worlds, and I really felt like I was there. I remember mostly from this book that the characters could see fathoms deep into the ocean. It was crystal clear with cities and majestic sea creatures. From CS Lewis I remember what is like to imagine and how important that is.

Cleaning House (for Sunday)

This is an odd thing to bring me peace or happiness, but a clean house really makes me feel better. I feel much more organized and relaxed. I love having a clean kitchen, which thanks to Zach I have now. My bed is made and things are mostly put away. I love cleaning. I mean, I don't want to do it all the time, but I love getting things organized and spotless. I guess I just feel that if my apartment is clean that my life is less chaotic in some way.