Welcome to my world- where friends and family are interchangeable terms!
Last Tuesday, two of my loves, Taylor and her mom, came to town for Taylor's college orientation. That fact is still sinking in... The first activity on our agenda was arguably the most important: where were we going to eat? We ended up choosing Olive Garden.
I used to turn my nose up at this place when my parents would talk about it. After all, what's there to like about Olives? And gardens remind me of salad...bleh. But then one day I found out that they serve pizza and was willing to give it a shot. I now get the delicious mixed grill with the tuscan potatoes...every time. My philosophy is to find something you like and stick to it!
Upon entering the restaurant we spotted this dear man with a sparkly accessory in tow. This, my friends, is true love. Clearly, he is carrying the bag for his wife, but it was absolutely hilarious. He was carrying that purse with such pride!
Taylor was brave enough to take this picture...
Most men would probably hold that purse like this:
As soon as we were seated we noticed that the kitchen was extra loud. There were plates crashing and glasses falling...it was almost as if I was the chef. At one point Mrs. Christie said, "It sounds like we're in Home Depot." I almost spit out my drink.
Hang in there, buddy...just a few more orders left.
Our food was great, and we were so busy inhaling breadsticks chatting that we didn't realize we had waited almost 45 minutes for our food. Our "consolation" prize? A free ice cream dessert... but after a detailed inspection Taylor discovered that this gift came with some false advertising.
"Hey, where are the nuts and caramel, like the picture?"
Then we headed to Taylor's dorm for the night- Preston- the SAME dorm where I spent many a night with Jamie in college! Just the smell of that place brought back great memories.
Jamie actually helped paint that stairwell back in the day!
Besides suite bathrooms and a really cool fish tank in the lobby, the Chick-Fil-A and Marble Slab across the street make it an ideal place to live.
The next day a repair man came to fix our cabinets.
His name is Jay. You might know him. Our cabinets were not installed properly when the house was built and had been driving me NUTS. And bless Jay's little heart he was able to fix ALL of them!!! He rocks!!! There is a quite an intelligent brain under all that hair : )
We took him to a delicious dinner at Sumo that night. It was so good that I wanted Su'mo!
The fire was neat, the rice was even better, and our cook had a lot of personality (He's not the person in this picture; I actually have no idea who this man is.)
The next day Jamie and I headed to Ale House for one of our traditional Wednesday lunches. Ale House gives lunch cards, and on Wednesday they'll punch your card twice (after 7 you get a free meal). Jamie has gotten at least three or four free meals by filling up her punch cards, while I on the other hand have gotten only ONE, because I keep losing mine. No surprise there.
We usually get seated right away at Ale House and are in and out within 45 minutes. Imagine our surprise when we walked into a CROWD of people. My goodness, I didn't think we had that many fans! And then it hit me...the Gamecocks were playing baseball that day.
Waiting an hour for our food was not what we had in mind, but at least it was time well spent with an awesome friend : D She'll kill me if that ever happens again.
That afternoon I came home and did something out of the ordinary; made the bed. I know that it makes the room look neat and all, but out of all the chores, I find this one to be the biggest waste of time. I should have heeded my instincts. I was walking briskly around the corner of the bed when I smashed my thigh on the corner of the foot board.
I cringed in pain for at least two minutes and thought for sure my femur had been cracked in half. A knot about the size of my fist had already started to form, and it hurt so much that I actually saw stars.
This bruise- we'll call him "Sir Hurts a Lot"-has made quite the artistic showing on my leg, and I will be SO glad when it is gone. Want a tip for the day? Making your bed may end disastrously. You can quote me on that.
Friday night my parents came in town, and we did some shopping. After a debacle with her earrings, receipts, etc., Mama ended up going into Handpicked three times that night. Haha! Here she is on the grand finale trip.
Saturday was filled with family fun in Summerville, and I got to meet one of my newest cousins, Jayden. I am nothing short of obsessed with him!
Ryan
Katharine: 396 Ryan: 1
"Don't worry, love, it's a family affliction..."
What a DOLL!
Definitely one of the day's highlights...
I LOVE him!!!
Who knew lizards had babies?
Put that thing back where it came from, or so help me!
One of my cousins is featured in Better Homes & Gardens!!!
Jayden had the honor of wearing my prized sunglasses that have previously been a topic of conversation.
It was so great to see everyone and take a break from the real world! I often think about how luxurious it was when I was ten or so and didn't have a care in the world. I do love my iPhone, but sometimes I dread getting work related calls and emails. Over half of them do not bring good tidings of great joy; they are news bearers of doom. What I would give to have a day with no technology (said as I write this blog...).
"Make it stop!"
And to top off our technological trauma for the week- our cable box kicked the bucket yesterday. It went schizophrenic on us for about 24 hours, with numbers and letters constantly running on the screen. What was supposed to be a "system update" (thanks for the heads up, Time Warner) ended up completely ruining our box. Who said I wanted a system update anyway??
Here's hoping that you are spared from any crises this week. I am constantly reminding myself to be thankful for the good and bad. After all, many blessings come in disguise, and sometimes we are learning a lesson, or being shielded from worse things. I came across this verse, and while it was almost humorous as it relates to my life lately, it leads to the explanation that Christ's glory will be revealed through the things we experience.
"Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you." 1 Peter 4:12
There is joy in tribulation. Christ is making us perfect and chiseling at us. It's going to hurt, but the finished product will be well worth it. Our true character is shown most easily when things are tough. If you remember one thing from this post, make sure it's this: being a consistent Christian is one of the most important decisions you will ever make. It is also something that you must strive for daily.
- If someone at a department store charged you twice, resolve the situation while being kind about it.
- If someone cuts you off in traffic the only gesture you should make is to thank the Lord that you didn't end up in a wreck.
- If you're speaking with a representative for a company who has done you wrong, you must remain Christ-like. Not only do you get more sugar by being sweet, but it's also the right thing to do.
- If someone is mean to you, take the high road. I promise you'll never regret it. After all, if Christians don't show Christ, who will?
As June comes to a close, I am looking very forward to the remainder of the summer- looks like it's going to be loads of fun!
Take care, my dear friends, : D
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