Meat Madness

This past weekend Todd had an army conference at the beach so I went with him... and shopped while he was in "class". Saturday night we went with a few of his army buddies and their wives/girlfriends to a Brazilian Steakhouse. If you have ever been to one of these, you probably know exactly what this blog is about... but if not, you really need to check one out.

To say this type of restaurant is perfect for a bunch of army dudes is an understatement. It's basically an "All-You-Can-Eat- MEAT" restaurant. First you pay one price for the "buffet". In the middle of the room there is a big buffet with lots of salad type items, sushi, some deli meats and cheeses and some light casseroles. My guess is that this buffet is just there to please the women-folk who come to dine with their men. Either way, it is a good amount of food and easy for most to fill up on just that. If this is your first time at such restaurant you think.. "this is nice" and you fill your plate at the buffet.

But as soon as you sit down... it begins. Men everywhere, walking around with giant skewers loaded with meat. It's actually quite barbaric. Heather, my vegan sister, would have died. Each "waiter" (aka meat pusher) has a different type of quality meat on a giant skewer. They walk up to you with their "meat stick" and giant knife and, if you agree, cut you off a piece and move to the next person. I really think the "meat men" got a kick out of startling the pregnant one every time they landed their large dead carcass on the table next to me. It was insane.

And the funniest part is watching all of the guys we were with try to eat as much meat as possible because they just don't want to say no to the mounds of meat circulating the room. Needless to say, the Brazilian steakhouse is a place that all of you must visit sooner or later... unless you are a vegetarian.

our guard dog

Since we don't have a child to show you pictures of yet, here is a good one of our guard dog this afternoon on the front porch. I like to sit out here sometimes when I get off of work and read or check email (we get our wireless outside somehow). Lilly watches neighbors walk by and cars go down the street and attempts to look intimidating to those she deems necessary.

Questions for the dentists out there

I went to the dentist last week for my normal 6-month check-up and while I was there I started thinking about all of these things that all of us go through at the dentist (or any doctor for that matter) and how we react to it. Here are a few questions I came up with.



1. Does anyone actually floss? This does not include those who are dentists, or the dental hygienists, or even anyone married to dentists. I mean, actual normal people. I recently asked this question among a group of close friends and no one admitted to actually flossing daily. Some said they flossed weekly, but most of the group really didn't keep up with it. So why then, when you go to the dentist, do they make you feel like that you are the only person on earth that doesn't floss, and that if you don't floss your teeth are going to fall out? I know there is some truth to this, but I'm just not concerned with making it part of my daily routine. I mean, I feel like I have a minty fresh breath for the most part and that flossing really isn't going to help that.

2. Why do the nice ladies cleaning your teeth always ask a lot of questions while probing your mouth? Do you think they have a special club to see who can ask the most in-depth question to a patient while they've got mental ice picks picking away at your teeth? Yes/No questions... sure. But things like "what are you going to name your baby?" are not quite questions I can answer while I've got 8 out of your 10 fingers down my throat. So then, I just sound like a complete idiot while trying to actually answer the question and explain that we don't have a name picked out yet.

3. Whenever I first go into see a doctor or dentist, they always ask "what's new?". Do they mean like what's new with my teeth, or what's new in life? I never really know how to answer that question. I mean, I could tell them all about the new house or the upcoming baby thing, but then I get paranoid that they were really only concerned with my molars and gums. Maybe I just need to start saying "not much" in response to that question and not feel like I'm not being honest by keeping it short.

That's all the pondering I've got for now! Time to go floss.

PS. In case you ever need a picture of teeth (like I did for this blog)... don't ever search Google Images for one. I came across some really disgusting pictures in the process.

Heaven

Carla passed away last night around 7:30pm. I can't help but think how weird it is that someone like her has died. Not that I think anyone is immortal, but just that she was so young, and it was so sudden. Just days ago her and her family are doing fine... making plans for the weekend or watching the olympics or hanging out with friends at home. And today, her husband, Michael is grieving for his wife and facing the reality of being a single father to such a young little girl. It breaks my heart to think about it.

It's times like this that we should be praising God knowing that Carla is home with Him partying in Heaven. But even though we weren't very close, I can't help but be sad. Sad that Carla is gone. That Linen will grow up without her mother. That Michael will watch his daughter grow up without her mother. That Carla's family will not see their daughter/sister/aunt again. I pray that God will continue to teach us why this kind of thing happens. I believe that someone somewhere... even if they never knew her... will meet our Lord because of her death. But I can't help but be sad also.

The great thing is that God has this all planned and it is so much better than we can ever imagine. Our small little brains can't even comprehend what He's got in store and how He is going to use things like Carla's death to His glory. What an amazing God.

I don't know if we recognize people in Heaven. Sometimes it makes me sad to think that I might not know Todd in Heaven. But then I think about how wonderful it will be to sit at His feet. And the best part is that as great as I think it will be... that doesn't even compare to what it will really be like. I mean, the Heaven that our Lord has created is beyond anything we can even come up with in our wildest dreams.

We will miss you Carla. I pray that your family and friends will find that among the sadness that your life was lived for Him and that he will use your death for His glory. I pray that one day your little girl will be able to tell the story of her mom's life and God's glory even in your death. Until then, party it up in Heaven!

Pray for Carla

Please take a second and say a quick prayer for Carla Carnes. Carla and her husband Michael used to go to Radius (our church) and still keep in touch with our body even though they have now moved to North Carolina. They are around the same age as Todd and I. They have a young daughter, Linen, who is under the age of two.

Carla noticed a lump in her stomach and it was discovered that she had an enlarged liver and spleen. She was sent home until more tests could be done but then passed out and was taken to the ER about 2 days ago. Since then she has been admitted and transfered to a hospital in Charlotte. After a series of serious events, including her heart stopping, Carla is now on a ventalator until doctors can figure out what to do next.

Please pray for her healing. Pray that the Dr's can figure out what is wrong and fix it soon. Pray for her husband, Michael, and his strength in leading his family through this tough time. Pray for her family also who are at the hospital.

WE GET IT!

Todd and I don't watch that much TV, but whenever we do, we get so annoyed with the "overdoing" of certain commercials. For instance, for what feels like 10 years now we have been bombarded with the whole DTV change-over thing that doesn't happen until Feb 17, 2009. I really think we've had enough warning considering the commercials are on at least once every 10 minutes, and have been that way for over a year. However, it will be entertaining to hear about all of the people who call the poor TV station to complain that their TV isn't working on February 17th. Todd and I are going to have a big party to celebrate not having to watch any of those silly commercials anymore!

Other annoying commercials that I am sick of (and keep in mind, that we really don't watch a lot of tv, yet we are still annoyed with the little bit we do see):

- The Alltell commercials with the 4 competitor dudes constantly being beat up or thrown out on the road. I really think this series has gone on way too long.
- The "Head On- apply directly to your head" commercials. This is so annoying they even make fun of themselves, yet still seem to air a commercial during every episode of Jeopardy I've ever seen.
- Any commercial that comes on 10 times louder than the program we are watching. I used to work at a TV station and I know they can fix this prior to airing it:)
- Although they are coming up soon and we won't have to worry about it anymore, the Olympic commercials can be a bit much. We get it... they start on 8-8-08!

Feel free to add to my list if you can think of any that I haven't listed! Hopefully this problem will go away on February 17, 2009 when our TV stops working. I really wish they'd warn us when they are going to make big changes like that:)

Random Pictures

The main purpose of this blog is to keep everyone updated and have lots of pictures... and so far, I haven't really put any up. I am still working on getting my digital camera up and running so that I can start putting some recent pictures up. I promise I'll have it ready by December. Until then, here are some random photos for your day:)

Braves V Red Sox Game with Alexis.


Go Gamecocks!


Lilly and her best friend, Shiloh.


I'm flying!


Our Alaskian get-away

Bringing Back The Pack!

So the other day I was looking for something in our storage closet at work. When I say "storage closet" I mean, extremely large room filled with shelves full of junk that we refuse to throw away because we are a non-for-profit organization that thinks it's a waste to throw anything away.



Anyway, I digress. I found a box full of fanny packs in our "closet"! And I started to wonder, what ever happened to the fanny pack? I mean, what a great idea! I could carry my cell phone, wallet, keys and even a small snack and not even use any hands to do it! So I have decided that I am officially bringing back the pack! That's right... next time you see me my growing belly will be sporting a nice black fanny pack. And, if you are jealous... I will provide one to you so that you can join the movement.

The fanny pack... it's not just for dorky tourists anymore!