Long time no post

I've been obsessed with facebook lately, so I haven't posted anything on here. I'm finally getting back into my normal groove after two traveling weekends. I helped out in the office at church this week and started (aka, didn't get very far) a student ministry brochure. I'll try and post PDFs of the other two things I've made, but I may just have to take pics of them. 

On Memorial Day I hung out with my friend Julie and her family. Her 5-year-old daughter Rachel is my buddy. We had great girly time playing Disney princess checkers and painting fingernails. I also got in a little Wii action. I'm a bit rusty since I haven't played in eight months! Yes, that's how long I've been here. It's hard to believe. 

Well, I suppose I should get ready and run a few errands before work. I need to go in early to work on a nasty, huge tab chart. For those of you designers reading this, you know how evil that is. 

Back home and back to work

Wow....what an emotional, tiring, yet fun weekend I had in Chattanooga. My friend Nathan's funeral was a beautiful celebration of his life. It was the first time in almost four years that all of my Indiana and Tennessee friends were together. While there were some tears, we had a great time hanging out at some Chattanooga hot spots. Ruth took a gazillion pics of us goofing around downtown after the viewing. It was such a great release after a heavy evening. We made a late-night run to Krystal's one of Nathan's favorite places to eat. The weather was beautiful for the funeral, and the church  made a wonderful meal for all of us. We all rested a little then enjoyed some Sticky Fingers BBQ before heading back downtown for Clumpy's ice cream. The highlight was the fountain. I didn't run through it, but Ruth's niece got totally drenched. We all frolicked around and then listened to the guys play their guitars. Sunday we all met at Cracker Barrel for breakfast and our farewells. 

On the plane ride home I met former Dallas Cowboys and OU coach Barry Switzer. He looked familiar, and then I saw his massive Super Bowl ring. We had a nice chat about sports and his career. One of my sister's co-workers can't believe I didn't get his autograph. I didn't want to be like the people who are in awe when they meet a celebrity. There were plenty of people who had already recognized him. It's funny, because I had hoped I'd see someone like Nicole Kidman or Carrie Underwood in the Nashville airport. I didn't expect to meet a sports icon. 

Remembering...

I normally don't post anything serious on here, but I feel the need to today. This evening I found out my friend Nathan died in a car accident on his way to South Bend, IN for a wedding. He was only about 25 minutes away from town. My friend Adam said they think he might have fallen asleep. I met Nathan through his sisters Ruth and Anna. I traveled to Chattanooga a couple times to see where they grew up and hung out with their older brother and his family in Atlanta. Nathan would usually come up to South Bend a couple times each year. I remember him helping out Ruth's husband Pete with odds and end. He had a knack for videography and sound. I used to joke that he could sound like the movie voice in previews. He LOVED ice cream and would buy a ton of it when he came to visit. He also loved taking pictures, and would often post all of them on his blog (even the ones you wished he hadn't taken!) He was a daredevil and up for anything. He was a big sweetheart who truly cared about his friends and family. I only wish I had been a better friend to him. While I didn't meet her, I think he had found true love. Right now my heart goes out to her. I can only imagine how hard this is for her. I'm also praying for Nathan's family and the Tarwackis. They are such a close knit group. They all are like my second family, and it is so hard knowing they have to go through this. I hope and pray that I can make it to the funeral. My one consolation is knowing that Nathan was a Christian. I have no doubt he is hanging out with Jesus remembering all the good times in his life. 

Funny stuff

This was in the tree outside my apartment today. Hilarious!

Signs of summer

Hello sunshine, here I come! I sprayed on some of this today and got a slight tan line on my shoulders and legs. I'm not into the fake baking, but I will make use of tanning oil. Yes, I suppose SPF 8 is low, but if I put on SPF 15, I have to be in direct sun for a couple hours. I was already sweating after a half hour today! My computer said it was 66 degress, but I think it was more like 80. Ahhh...I have returned to the land of hot summers. I hope I can hack it. 

I went to Lowe's last week and bought some flowers for my deck. Sunday night I helped a friend fill the planters around her house. It made me miss planting flowers at my old place in Indiana. Some day I'll attempt to plant a garden. I love new potatoes and fresh sweet corn. 

I'm a sucker for anything that looks like Daisies. My favorite flower is the  yellow rose, but I didn't have much luck growing some last year. I also like sunflowers. I grew a couple last year, but something came and ate their heads off. 

Something green and hearty looking

No hibachi for me. :-(

And my first lucky bamboo plant. It matches the artwork I've yet to hang on the wall. 

zoobaloo

Now that everyone (well almost everyone) is joining facebook, I'm not sure how many people will continue to look at this. I'll keep posting though.

Last Sunday my parents and younger brother came down. After a super yummy lunch at Logan's we headed to the zoo. We didn't see everything, because time ran out. My mom and I weren't that interested in seeing the reptiles anyway. :-) We did see the penguins though. Many of the animals were sleeping, so I guess we caught them at nap time. Here are a few pics.