Jillian In Georgia

New Blog!

2011-06-12T13:44:00.001-04:00

Hey everyone! We made it to MN! Below is the link to my new blog. Check it out for updates on me and Eric!

The Things We Do

Blog Title

2011-06-10T16:00:00.003-04:00

Hey everyone! Thanks for all your feedback! I have decided on a name that just came up in conversation. My new blog title will be called: The Things We Do. Thank you Michelle for the help!

Please start using this website to view my blog: http://jilliansthingswedo.blogspot.com/ Jillian In GA will no longer be posted on.

We are on the road to MN, check my new blog to see how the move went! We should be in MN by June 13th but I probably wont be able to post for a few days.

Hope you have a great weekend!

Our House

2011-06-05T08:40:00.000-04:00

Hey everyone! I have decided on a new blog name but you are going to have to wait to see what it is. The name will be reveled on June 10th as we are driving to MN. For now I wanted to post some pictures of our house. It has changed over the 5 years we have owned it but this is how we will remember it.

Dining/Living Room

Living Room

Master Bedroom

Eric's Office

Guest Bedroom

Kitchen

Basement

We have loved living here over the years but we learned how hard it is to be a home owner. There is always something to do or work on when you own a home. We have loved having our own place but I will be happy to be renting again. We will buy a home again someday.... just not so soon.

The Plan

2011-06-03T13:26:00.000-04:00

We are all packed and ready to go (for the most part)!! We will be closing on our house here in GA on June 10th at 3:30 (all prayers are welcome!) and will be hitting the road shortly after for the long drive to MN. Over the next week we will be meeting with friends here in Athens one last time and going out to some of our favorite restaurants. I really don't want to say goodbye to anyone! Luckily we will have plenty of reasons to visit!

Here is our moving plan:

Pick up 25 foot rental truck (YIKES!) on Thursday 6/9 and start loading it with all of our big furniture pieces.
Finish packing small boxes Friday 6/10 morning.
Close on our house at 3:30
By 4:30 hit the road and drive 8 hours to Paducah, KY where we will spend the night
Wake up on Saturday morning and drive the rest of the 13 hours to Stillwater, MN
Stay with my family for two nights before driving the truck up to Zimmerman, MN where we will be storing our things at Eric's mom's (Thanks Becky & Dan!!) and unload the truck

Here is our route:

View Larger Map

We will be back in MN in 9 days!

CONTEST: New Blog Title

2011-05-30T10:00:00.001-04:00

With the move to MN coming soon I am going to need a new Blog title!! On the 12th of June I will no longer be Jillian In Georgia. With that said.... what should my new blog title be??

Starting today, I am holding a contest for the best name. Whoever gives me a great idea for a new blog title and I pick it...I will send you a $10 gift card to Starbucks. Start thinking!! You have until June 5th to post a comment with your idea.

Things We Wont Miss

2011-05-27T10:00:00.001-04:00

This list is kind of petty... but I had to put it out there.

Pollen!!!
No alcohol sales on Sundays :)
Having to spend money to travel home for the holidays & being away from family
House maintenance
Big bugs, cockroaches, fire ants and snakes!
Bermuda Grass (I know, its weird...but I miss the feeling of soft lush grass on my feet!)
Red clay and no sand
Having to dress up for football games....not that we ever did it, its just the principal
Humid oppressive hot summers
Being called a Yankee :)

Things We Will Miss

2011-05-25T10:00:00.031-04:00

A lot of emotions have been flooding through me this last week.... excitement, nervousness, stress, and sadness. In the last week I have resigned from both of my jobs, had a yard sale (we made $300!), started packing, had a party to say bye to some friends, and returned the canoe and several other items to Eric's brother. Moving away from Athens after living here for almost 5 years will be tough. We have a lot of great things to look forward to in Minnesota but we will miss a lot of things here as well.... I guess that just means we will have to visit every once in a while!

Here is a LONG list of the things we will miss...

Friends!!
Our CSA from Roots Farm
Pizza from Transmet
Being close to the mountains and the beach
Spending time at Sandy Creek Park
Canoeing, camping and hiking with Michelle & Kelly!
Movies on the lawn at the Kelley's
Hiking through the Botanical Gardens (Greg & Eric do this pretty regularly, I know Eric will miss it!)
An early spring (with all the beautiful trees and flowers in bloom)
The Founders Garden at UGA
ZUMBA classes at the YMCA and all my friends there!
Our church small group
Eating out at The Last Resort, Taste of India, Farm 255, La Dolce Vita, and several other restaurants
Our first house
Great Coffee from 1000 Faces
Going to UGA football games... GO DAWGS!
Warm summer nights

Michelle, Kelly, Eric and I on one of our hikes on the AT

Val, Greg & Eric at Trappeze

One of several trips to the beach, this time in Savannah

Veggies from Roots CSA

Camping on the Altamaha River

Dinner at Transmet: Jason, Bethany, Me, Katie & Matt

Saturday's in Athens

Ode to the Canoe

2011-05-24T14:40:00.000-04:00

Well, as you know we have LOVED having a canoe while living in Athens. It was a great cheap way to have fun and explore. We paddled the Altamaha River, Oconne River, Lake Jocassee, and other small lakes around Athens. Unfortunately, the canoe belonged to my brother in law and with the move we had to give it up. It left our home on Sunday and I am going to admit I cried. Not because of the actual canoe being gone but because it was like this chapter of our life had ended. It was a sad moment for me to realize we wont be paddling around Georgia anymore with our friends Michelle & Kelly. So this post is an ode to the canoe....we enjoyed having you around!

Update: The House

2011-05-23T10:00:00.000-04:00

Well folks, our house is officially under contract! This has been an amazing experience and a HUGE answer to prayer! So far things have gone smoothly (knock on wood) and we are all set to close on the house on June 10th!!!! Which means....

We are moving back to MN! We have been wanting this to happen for SOOO long that it still feels like a dream. It will be bitter sweet leaving Athens, our friends, and our first house but we are ready to go back home to be with family and friends in MN.

We are officially leaving Athens on June 11th. We would love to see all our friends in Athens again before we go... please email or call so we can plan something soon!

Thank you all for your prayers and support through this whole process.....we are very blessed!

Lake Hartwell

2011-05-19T13:39:00.000-04:00

Last weekend we had a wonderful opportunity to go to Lake Hartwell. One of Eric's fellow grad students has a family home on the lake and invited the Philosophy department up to the lake. It was so wonderful to be on the water! Eric and I miss our times on lakes & rivers and we couldn't pass up this opportunity.

One of the best parts of this trip was that we got to spend some quality time with Greg, Val & their new baby girl Isla. She is sooo adorable and was great the whole weekend! I was very impressed that she wasn't fussy or upset at all (I am sure mom & dad noticed a little)!! It was a weekend of firsts for Isla.... first month, first vacation, first boat ride, and first time out of state!

I can't wait to see how this little girl will grow up and what she will become. Val is a talented artist and Greg is a philosopher. Isla is one lucky girl to be the daughter of these two wonderful people!

The weekend at the lake was fun and relaxing! I enjoyed the sun, drinks, conversation, and meeting new people! :) Thank you to Brooke for letting us stay at her family's house.

Greg, Val & Isla

Me & Eric enjoying our 2nd boat ride of the year!

Charleston

2011-05-17T12:54:00.000-04:00

Eric, me, Justin, Grandpa, Becky & Dan

A couple weekends ago we were able to go to Charleston for a long weekend. Eric's brother lives in Charleston with his girlfriend Lindsay. Eric's mom, step dad & grandpa came down from MN to visit as well while we were there. We had a great time exploring Charleston and enjoying the company of family! On our first day in Charleston we explored downtown a little. I just love all the private gardens around and the architecture.

One of the many private gardens around Downtown

On our second day in Charleston we were able to take a boat ride around the inter-coastal waterways. We drove under the Cooper River Bridge. I love the lines on the bridge.

Cooper River Bridge

Boats at the Marina

Grandpa & Eric/Iowa vs. Minnesota

This trip was great because we were able to celebrate Mothers Day with Eric's mom. We haven't been able to do that in 5 years! I, of course, missed my mom but it was great to be with family. We celebrated by going to church, having an amazing brunch on Isle of Plams, and then spent some quality time on the beach.

Justin, Grandpa, Becky & Eric - 3 Generations

Lindsay, Justin, Dan, Eric, Nan, Becky, Grandpa & Me

Dan, Grandpa & Becky at the beach

Justin and his girlfriend Lindsay now live in this great house that is close to a chain of lakes. The picture below is of their backyard. It was a great place to relax over the long weekend!

I have a LOT to blog about....

2011-05-16T14:12:00.000-04:00

Well, I have a lot to blog about and I promise that it will be coming soon! Lately, we have been to Charleston to visit family, at a lake house on Lake Hartwell, and we have some exciting news about our house that I will be sharing soon! We have been so busy I haven't had the time to blog!!

Athens Twilight

2011-05-02T15:00:00.000-04:00

Karen, Kelly, Me & Ally

Athens Twilight is always the highlight of the Spring for me. It is sooo much fun to go downtown and watch the bike races. This was my first time staying for the entire womens and mens races.

Last year we got rained on so we didnt stay too long. This year, the weather was great! Not too cold, not to hot, it was just right!

We did see one crash...it was a pretty nasty one during the girls race. It was tough to watch as 5 or 6 girls crashed into each other.

I was able to get some pictures of the womens race... although I am not used to taking action shots. These ladies sure go fast!

When the mens race started it was too dark for me to get any clear pictures. However, I did get some shots that I think look more on the artistic side that I like...even if they aren't in focus.

Overall, it was a great night!

Womens race going down Clayton

Kelli, Michelle, Kelly, Karen, Me, Eric, Ally & Alen

Kelly was also taking pictures of the races....his are a lot better than mine :) You can check them out here.

Devils Fork State Park

2011-04-30T09:46:00.000-04:00

This past Easter weekend we decided to go camping with our friends Michell & Kelly. As you know I have been so restless at having the chance to go hiking, camping and paddling! The weather is finally better for more outdoor fun and Eric's ankle is almost at 100%....so we were ready!!

We had plans to go to Devils Fork State Park to camp and paddle on Lake Jocassee for some time. Eric and I both had Friday off so we were planning on heading out Friday morning for the lake. Unfortunately the weather kept changing from good to bad to good and so on. We were pretty much set to just leave on Saturday morning because we did not want to get rained on when we decided to risk it. We packed up the car, loaded the canoe and were at the lake by 1:30.

Once we got to the lake we unloaded the car and got everything situated into the canoe for our paddle to the campsite. I like this Park because the campsite is boat access only so there aren't too many people around. Friday afternoon the lake was completely fogged out. We could barely see the shoreline at some points in the afternoon but we didn't get rained on during the day. Eric and I just hung around the campsite Friday afternoon, walking around and spending some time reading. We didn't get rained on until the middle of the night, but we were in our tent and didn't get wet at all.

On Saturday morning we headed back to the boat launch to meet up with Michelle & Kelly. It was still foggy Saturday morning but was getting warmer throughout the morning. After they got settled at camp we walked around a bit, had lunch and then decided to check out some waterfalls that are on the lake. Unfortunately, we had no idea where we were going and we didn't find the waterfalls. Fortunately, the fog cleared out and it turned into a beautiful day that we didn't care too much. This lake is very beautiful! The water is so clear it almost looks like Caribbean ocean water.

Kelly likes to make goofy faces....it keeps us entertained.

After our paddle we headed back to camp. We spent some time hanging out in our hammocks before getting our fire going to cook dinner. we made hot dogs, corn on the cob, and of course smores. It was a delicious meal!

Sunday morning came and after breakfast we headed out onto the lake again in search of the waterfalls. This time we found it (with the help from another camper on the lake)! These falls were beautiful! Water cascading down from big boulders....it was well worth the paddle! We had lunch at the falls and enjoyed the rushing water before heading back to camp.

Heading back to camp from the falls was a little tough. The wind was picking up, causing some resistance in paddling against the wind. I am pretty sure it took us a little longer on the way back. Once we got back to camp we all jumped in the water....which by the way was very cold....to cool off from our hard paddle.

The cove our campsite was on.

Since the wind was picking up we decided to pack up camp and head back to our cars. When we were ready to head out we noticed that there were whitecaps on the lake. Yikes! This is no fun for paddlers. It seemed to take forever for us to paddle across the lake. Eric and I struggled against the wind the whole time and waves were close to crashing up over the front of our canoe. I don't know how Michelle & Kelly made it in their kayaks. But we made it back safe and sound...maybe a little wet.

All in all it was a great trip! We paddled around 17 miles (a lot more difficult than paddling down river :). We might just have to make it back here before we move!

Raven Cliff Falls

2011-04-18T12:49:00.000-04:00

This weekend we had a quick visit from a friend in MN. Eric's best friend from his home town hoped on a plane on Friday to come and see us. We spent Saturday driving up to N. Georgia to go on a hike recommended by our friends Michelle & Kelly. We drove up through Helen and decided to grab lunch there before we hit the trail. (Helen is an experience in its own if you have never been there.)

At about 2:00 we hit the trails ready to go. The hike to the falls is 2.5 miles and is a small steady climb, nothing too difficult. We got to follow the river the whole way and there were many small falls along the way. We took the time to catch up with Gabe and enjoy the nice cool weather....it was perfect for hiking!

Gabe & Eric

Gabe trying to push over a dead tree.... Eric and Gabe are two peas in a pod when it comes to dead trees.

Me & Eric

The cliff at the big falls was amazing. Pictures can not show how big this rock is. The river flows right through the rock.... it was absolutely amazing to see!

Gabe & Eric decided to stick their feet in....it was VERY cold!

Gabe, me & Eric

Eric & Me

Catching up

2011-04-17T10:51:00.000-04:00

Well it has been too long since I have blogged. Not a whole lot has been blog worthy so I will catch you up quickly. It seems like the trees around Athens have sprouted leaves overnight and all the things that were blooming no longer are. Last weekend I took some pictures of our house while our azaleas were in full bloom and this weekend they are gone.

Last weekend I also took some time to walk around the botanical gardens to take some last min. pictures of Spring blooms. The Dogwoods and Tulips are no longer around most places but I was able to snag a few pics of what was remaining at the Gardens. I also spotted a few Geckos while walking around. We have had a lot of these guys around our house this year.

Eric and I are still in limbo as we try and figure out what our next step is in our lives. We are waiting for job opportunities in MN and hoping that something comes soon. We would love to go back to MN when the weather is getting nice there!

We had a visitor this weekend from MN but I will blog about that in a few days. Until then, I hope you had a great weekend!

Update!

2011-03-28T12:57:00.000-04:00

Here are a few updates from previous posts.....

- Eric passes his prospectus defense! Now he is officially ABD (all but dissertation) and on the job market!!
- Peter Pan was AMAZING! We loved it!!

A few months ago I blogged about changes and that my health was something I wanted to change (for the better!) and I wanted to happily report that I:
- have been eating better
- have not consumed any soda for 3 months
- have been working out at least 4 times a week
- have lost 11 pounds!!!
- and I have been consistently been going to the allergist twice a week for my shots

A List

2011-03-15T15:23:00.000-04:00

I am excited for a lot of things right now so I figured I should make a list!

1. The REI dividends are here!! We have some $$ to spend at REI and I cant wait!
2. The weather is getting warm and I hope to spend some time on the canoe this weekend!
3. Eric is defending his prospectus on the 25th....this is the last step he has to complete before writing his dissertation!
4. We are going to see Peter Pan! It is a very cool 360 degree performance... check out the website to see. It is our birthday present to ourselves :)
5. We are planing a camping/canoe trip over the Easter weekend to Devils Fork State Park
6. The dogwood trees are starting to bloom!

Around Athens: UGA's North Campus

2011-03-14T13:20:00.000-04:00

Athens has a lot of great places to spend a warm sunny day outside. One of our favorite places to hang out is the Founders Garden on UGAs North Campus. The garden was built in 1946 by the Garden Club of Georgia. It is beautiful year round with its great landscaping. This time of year, there are a few things blooming... lenten roses, camillias, daffodils, and hyacinth. Eric and I spent Saturday afternoon enjoying the nice warm weather in Athens. I took a few pictures of the garden to entice you into visiting. It is a great place for a walk, studying, or having a picnic lunch!

All over North Campus there are smaller gardens like the Founders Garden. We enjoy walking around the smaller gardens, admiring the architecture and landscaping. Here are some more pictures of around North Campus.... complete with a picture of the Arches.

Bradford Pear Trees

2011-03-08T13:18:00.000-05:00

Bradford Pear Trees are very common in GA. They line a lot of streets in Athens (including one right by my house, as seen above) and are always perfectly shaped. I love this time of year when they are all blooming. I think they look like beautiful white clouds or snow covered trees. Unfortunately they do not produce edible fruit AND they don't smell very good. I am not sure why but they kind of stink. Here are some pictures so you can discover the beauty of the Bradford Pear without having to smell it :)

Vacations

2011-03-02T12:52:00.000-05:00

It has almost been a year since we went on Vacation to Costa Rica and I have to say I am finding myself daydreaming about being in the jungle or on the beach relaxing all the time! I think I need a ~~weekend~~ week away from life. Just to enjoy and relax and not have any stress! I have obviously been thinking this way a lot with my prior post about camping :) It is just that time of year to take a break! The small obstacle in the way of a vacation is we have no time or spare money to spend on a week long vacay. Oh well...maybe in a couple months that will change.... but you can bet until that time comes I will be dreaming about it every day!

A little early...

2011-02-28T13:14:00.000-05:00

Spring it a bit early this year! Last year I blogged about spring in April....it isn't even March yet!! The weather has been unseasonably warm and we already have daffodils and all the trees (with the exception of the dogwoods) are blooming. It truly is beautiful outside! The only downside for me is the pollen.... I found out a couple weeks ago that I am severely allergic to pollen (no wonder why I am always stuffy!!!). So I have started taking allergy shots. Hopefully this will solve my allergy issues for the rest of my life!

I have to say I am a little hesitant with the early spring, I am sure we will get some colder weather around the corner before summer comes. But for now I will enjoy the warm weather and the flowers before it is all over and the muggy hotness that is summer in GA falls upon us.

REI Dividend

2011-02-25T13:47:00.000-05:00

Anyone who has an REI membership is excited for this time of year...why you ask? Because it is dividend time!! If you are an REI member you get a percentage of your purchases back each year in March. Plus they give you a 20% off coupon. So in the spirit of shopping at REI, I have made a wish list. Of course I have to share the dividend with Eric so I most likely will not be able to get everything I want :) ....but here is to hoping (and my birthday is in April....hint, hint)!!

Arc'teryx Moveo Tank Top

prAna Gigi Shirt

Privo by Clarks Polar Lake Shoes

REI Willow Roll-Up Pants

Camping....Hiking....Camping....Hiking....

2011-02-23T21:49:00.059-05:00

Camping and hiking are the two things I keep thinking about this time of year....It has gotten nice out and I am ready to spend time outside! Unfortunately, it is still a little cold to do overnight camping and my husband has a sprained ankle so.... no day hikes for us!

I love being outside end exploring the woods, having a camp fire, taking pictures, and enjoying my friends & family with me.

We have gone camping and hiking a lot since living in GA. We have been to Cumberland Island, the Appalachian Trail, Altamaha River,other parks in MN, GA, and NC and Costa Rica.

Luckily for us we have friends and family that enjoy camping & hiking with us. I hope we can do a lot more this spring! (If Eric's ankle heals quickly.)

Where do you like to go camping & hiking?

(PS. Our computer has been fixed! It is a miracle!!)

Shutting down....

2011-02-17T13:05:00.000-05:00

...Just for a little while. My computer crashed at home (don't worry I have most of everything backed up) so I will not be blogging a lot until I get a new one. When I do have time to blog at work, I wont have any pictures to share (sad!) but I will post a few things here and there. I would LOVE to get a new computer asap but financially I am not sure if we can make it work. Computers are SOOOO expensive! But at some point I will need one so I can download my pictures, edit them, and post them on here! Until then, I hope you have a wonderful spring! I will be enjoying the warmer weather....I hope you do as well!

Around Athens: Cine

2011-02-14T14:04:00.002-05:00

Happy Valentines Day! I hope you have special plans for the day! Eric and I are celebrating tomorrow. We will be going out to eat at Speakeasy and then catching a movie (Another Year) at Cine. Which brings me to my latest Around Athens posts.....

Cine is a movie theater downtown Athens that features independent films, small budget films, discoveries from festivals, and local productions. They always have a great selection of movies and they have a bar. You can order anything and bring it into the movie with you. I love being able to enjoy a glass of wine with my movies!

If you haven't been to Cine I highly recommend it! What are your Valentine plans?

Warmer weather

2011-02-12T08:39:00.000-05:00

I think that no matter where you live, this time of year you are itching for some warmer weather. I know I am! A couple weekends ago we had two 70 degree days...ever since then I have been dreaming of shorts, t-shirts and flip flops. Spending afternoons on our deck and grilling dinner. I know I am only a month away from that so I am not going too stir crazy, but I know when we move back to MN it will be another 3 months before it is really warm. So I am going to enjoy the early spring while I can! (Sorry MN friends....I know its cold there.... you can come & visit if you need a break!).

Here are a few random pictures from the 70 degree day of the cats enjoying the warm weather.

Fun with Fungi

2011-02-10T13:10:00.000-05:00

One of our favorite things to do in Athens is to go on a quick hike at the Botanical Gardens. This past weekend we went for a nice hike and I took my camera along. There were some daffodils peeking out of the ground but most of what I found to take pictures of was fungus. Lots and lots of fungus growing on trees. So, check out the pictures I snagged...

I am excited for everything at the Botanical gardens to start blooming so I can take more pictures but until then they have some beautiful orchids inside.

YouTube

2011-02-04T12:40:00.000-05:00

So I am not a person that uses YouTube a lot.... Occasionally I will look at a funny or cute video that someone shared with me on Facebook or something like that. Now however....my house it on it.

Our Realtor is using it to try and bring more interest to the house. I am not sure what I think yet.... it is a little weird to have our home on YouTube. But if it sells faster, than I am all for it! Our cat Heidegger even makes an appearance in the film. Check it out:

Changes

2011-02-01T20:35:00.001-05:00

This will be a year of changes.....

The first change is my health. I am working on being healthier -- eating better and exercising more. I am also going to have an allergy test don't. I have allergy problems year round and it is time for me to get them checked out. Next week I should know what I am allergic to. I am NOT looking forward to doing a "scratch" test.

The second change is our home. We have officially listed our house for sale. It is weird being in this transition....trying to keep the house clean, spending free time fixing things around the house, spending money on a home we wont be staying in for long. But it is our first step to moving back to MN and making that our home again.

Moving to MN will be the biggest change. It is bitter sweet thinking of leaving our life style and friends in Athens. We are sad to leave it all behind but are excited for the opportunities for us back in MN. New opportunities being a new and better job for me. I am hoping to advance my career in HR by moving to the twin cities.

Until then, we will be enjoying everything here in Athens!

Around Athens: Restaurants

2011-01-21T13:59:00.000-05:00

We have several local Restaurants here in Athens that we love to go to. Our most favorite restaurant we go to all the time is Transmetropolitan (usually shortened to Transmet). It has the best pizza in town and it is relatively inexpensive. They sell pizza by the slice or whole pies. They also offer calzones, pasta, salads & sandwiches. We love this place! There is even a location 5 min from our house so I guess we eat here a little too much! The picture below is of the downtown location. So now you know where to go for the best slice in Athens.

Around Athens: Hot Corner

2011-01-14T17:29:00.000-05:00

Well after being "snowed in" for 2 days and schools being closed for a week life is kind of getting back to normal. In lieu of not having something else to post about....Here are some more pictures from around Athens, taken a month or so ago.

This section of Around Athens is Hot Corner. Hot Corner is a historic place in Athens. "During the early 1900s, the corner of Washington and Lumpkin Streets, nicknamed "The Hot Corner," was the center of cultural life in the Black community." The first picture is of the Morton Theater which was the first ever African American Theater in the South. It is still used a lot as a theater for concerts, performances, and church services. Our church met here for a while before we out grew the space. The second picture is of Trapeeze Pub, it is a local favorite of ours. The Morton and Trapeeze are across the street from each other and the 3rd picture is of both of them.

Where are you.....

2011-01-11T21:47:00.000-05:00

When you don't have to go to work or school for 3 days (or maybe more?) because of the weather? Where are you when roads are plowed by front loaders and bulldozers days after snow has fallen? You are in Georgia.

I have been going a little stir crazy here in Athens. I didn't think I would ever say that I am ready and willing to go back to work.....but I am now. Being stuck inside for the last two days has just been nuts. Eric and I decided to go out to dinner tonight and I am so glad we did! The roads were perfectly fine. The side streets/residential streets were slushy but not icy. Everything else is plowed and is perfectly safe to drive on. I know we are from MN and are "used to it" but this is just getting old.

I have not worked for 2 days and I am not being paid for these 2 days all because of 5 inches of snow. I understand that the state of Georgia is not equipped to handle snow but I just cant take it anymore. It is crazy that the whole state has been incapacitated because of this.

Sorry for the rant but I am tired of it....I am going to work tomorrow even if no one else is. I need to work because I am bored, I need to get out of the house, I need the money and because I am frustrated.

What does it mean......

2011-01-10T13:28:00.000-05:00

When there is no bread or milk in the grocery store? When people are lined up at the gas stations? When schools announce they are closing for a day or two? When no one leaves their homes? It isn't the end of the world.....it means it is going to snow in the South! And it did!!! We got about 5 inches of snow here in Athens and everything is shut down. The schools and universities have closed and my boss told me not to come into work today. Woooohooooo! Today is a lazy day at home. Who knows what tomorrow will bring.....

Friends in MN!

2011-01-09T09:01:00.001-05:00

While in MN over the holidays we got to spend a good amount of time with our old friends. It is always so great to see them! Our friends Tim & Sarah invited us all over for dinner one night at their new house. We just ate dinner and cached up with what has been going on in our lives.


Jason, Eric, Brian, Tim, Sarah, Jenessa, Me, DJ, Rachel, Tara & Tyler

The girls: Jenessa, Me, Sarah, Rachel, & Tara

We also spent New Years Eve with a few of our friends at a great place called The Chatterbox Pub. When we lived in Mn we went to this place all the time. Now it has expanded and there are 3 locations. The fun part of this place is they have board games, video games and any other games you can think of. We started out the night playing banana grams and then finished with a great game of Clue! It was a fun way to bring in the New Year with our old friends!

Eric, Jason & Jenessa

DJ, Rachel & Me

The pub, it has a funky feel

Eric, Jason, Jenessa, DJ, Rachel & Me

While in MN I was also able to catch up with two co-workers from my student worker days at Bethel. Erin & Kristen, unfortunately I didn't bring my camera but I wanted to say that I had a great time with you ladies catching up!

We truly have some great friends from College that we will always be close to, no matter how far we live apart! Happy New Years everyone!! I hope we all have a great 2011!!

Christmas in MN: Part 2

2011-01-07T13:02:00.000-05:00

After spending some time with my parents we headed to Zimmerman, MN to see Eric's family. Eric's brother Justin and his girlfriend Lindsay drove up from Charleston to have Christmas with us in MN. We had a great time playing out in the snow, playing games, and opening our gifts!

Justin also brought his two dogs and they were a blast to have around. They had never been in snow before and you could tell they loved it!

So tired after a long day in the snow!

Like I said in my last post we saw a lot of wildlife on our trip. In Zimmerman we saw some wild turkeys. These guys are a lot bigger than they look in the picture....

While in Zimmerman we went snowshoeing, ice skating, sledding and we played broomball. It was great to spend a lot of time outside!

Eric's mom, Becky & Eric

Broomball team: Aunt Kathy, Lauren, Drew, Me, Eric, Rachel, Trevor, Lindsay & Justin

The family: (back row) Dan, Becky & Justin (front row) Me, Eric, Rachel & Lindsay

Over the years in Georgia we have realized how much we miss having snow! We really do enjoy a lot of winter activities and cant wait to be back in MN to do them more often!!

Christmas in MN: Part 1

2011-01-06T12:54:00.000-05:00

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas & New Years! Our time in MN was wonderful as always! Eric was in MN 5 days before me and spent some time in his home town with old friends and family. I arrived the night before Christmas Eve and we spent the first few nights with my parents in Stillwater, MN. My parents and Eric's mom both live in the country and it is always fun to visit them because of all the wildlife that come to visit. My parents feed the deer in the neighborhood and have had this guy (below) visit often. Isn't he huge!?!

We had a great Christmas with my parents! It was nice and relaxing and we got a lot of great presents.

While in Stillwater Eric and I decided to drive out to a nice walking path for some exercise. All the snow was so beautiful! And there was a ton of it! At one point I walked out into the fresh snow and I sank in a little over 2 feet.

On Christmas night we always drive around to look at the lights that are put up around the town. This house has been dubbed the Griswold's because of how many lights they have at their house. I couldn't resist a picture this year.


Dad, Mom, Eric & Jillian

Thanks mom & dad for a great Christmas!!

Home for the Holidays

2010-12-22T12:42:00.000-05:00

As always we will be spending Christmas with our families in MN! Eric is already in MN and I will be flying there tomorrow. I cant wait to see family, friends and play in the snow!!! I plan on spending of my time in MN playing in the snow....either ice skating, sledding, or just making snow angels. I will post a few updates over the holidays but don't expect much.....until then I wanted to wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!!

Around Athens: College Ave

2010-12-19T10:01:00.000-05:00

Eric and I have lived in Athens for 4 years and we have a lot of favorite places around town. I have decided to start taking pictures of some of our frequent hangouts and the popular places around Athens since we wont be here forever.

Our first stop is College Avenue. It is located right in the middle of downtown Athens. On College Ave there are several clothing stores, bars, restaurants and coffee shops.

Eric has spent A LOT of his time at Walkers Coffee Shop & Pub studying for classes, grading papers, and writing for his Ph. D. We have also watched a few football games here and watched some of the World Cups games here as well.

The Grill (below) is a popular place in Athens. Open 24/7 it serves the best (and greasyest) burgers, fries, and malts in town.

Baby its cold outside...

2010-12-12T14:52:00.000-05:00

It is officially winter here in GA. The cold nights & days have been keeping our fireplace busy! Our cats have been snuggling up together, sleeping by the fire and sleeping on our feet at night to stay warm. I love having the fireplace going....it always makes it cozy!

I have mentioned this before but I had to share it again. Our cats love laying down in boxes, suitcases, and bags....well we left some Trader Joe's bags out the other day and it didn't take long for Rainy to jump in one. Isn't she cute!?

Athens Christmas Parade

2010-12-09T15:40:00.000-05:00

Last Thursday we went to the Athens Christmas Parade. This year we met up with my co-worker Tracy & her family. The parade is always fun. I have several favorite parts of the Athens parade... 1. The dogs from the shelter....it always makes me want one. 2. The marching bands...especially the drums. 3. The cute kids dancing & singing. 4. All the lights! Here are some pictures from this year's parade.

My fav. float in the parade

Tracy & me

The St. Mary's Polar Express

This float was made out of all recycled products. The tree is made of green plastic bottles.

Even Starwars we at the parade

Eric & Me all bundled up!

My favorite tree

2010-12-08T12:41:00.000-05:00

Is it weird to have a favorite tree? Well, I have one. This is a Ginkgo Biloba tree. Ginkgo's are one of my favorite trees but this Ginkgo is amazing. It is probably on of the biggest ginkgo's I have ever seen and it is so beautiful in the Fall. I had to get a few pictures of it since this might be the last Fall we spend in GA. There are Ginkgo's in MN but they are TINY compared to these southern giants. What do you think?

Fall in Athens

2010-12-06T12:45:00.000-05:00

This Fall has been busy for us! Between football on Saturdays, fixing up the house (painting and tiling), family here for Thanksgiving and Christmas around the corner.... we were busy. I cant believe it is already winter. It is a cold 37 here in Athens today and I am loving it! I was tired of the hot weather and I am ready for a break! Here is a small recap of what else we did this fall:

Thanks to a friend, Eric and I were able to go to one UGA game this season. We had a great time watching UGA beat Idaho State!

We have also had to rake a few times this Fall. I know I have said this before but the amount of leaves we have is ridiculous!!!

Tile

2010-12-05T18:42:00.000-05:00

I have always liked tile flooring and tile back splashes and tile anything....but now I have a greater appreciation for them! As you know a couple weeks ago we tiled our kitchen and bathroom floors and let me tell you, it was rough!! It took 4 times longer to do than we thought, cost almost twice as much to do....but it looks 20 times better than the crappy linoleum floor we used to have!

We started on Sat the 13th and didn't finish until the 21st. It took longer than we expected because we didn't realize all of the things you have to do when you tile. PLUS we learned that the way we thought we could do it would not work. Who knew our linoleum floor was glued down by the force of God....Who knew you cant tile directly on top of plywood flooring?...Who knew that we wouldn't have a usable kitchen for over a week?? Not us! :)

We would not have been able to do this with out the help of some friends! So here are some shout-outs... Thank you Michell & Kelly for your time, muscles, knowledge, destroying your hands and being sore for us! Thank you to Ben & Abby for the tile saw...it saved us money and frustration! And thank you to the man at Lowes that probably saved our tile floor from breaking in 2 months by telling us we needed cement board for the floor.

Well, here is a before picture (I forgot to take one so this is from when we bought the house)....

Before

Michelle & Kelly stripping the linoleum

Kelly laying down cement board

Eric screwing down the cement board

Me happy to be finally laying tile after 3 days of working on the kitchen.

Eric's job was to cut tile with the saw Ben & Abby gave us

After one nights work of tiling

The finished product!

TA DA! No more ugly linoleum!!

Thanksgiving

2010-11-29T13:12:00.000-05:00

I know I know, I promise to post some pictures of our tiling project soon....but for now you will have to be happy with this post!

On Wednesday my parents flew in from MN to join us for Thanksgiving. They were here until last night and it was great to have family around. I cooked a full turkey day feast for the 4 of us and our friend Gabe. The food turned out great and we still have a ton of leftovers!

Saturday we spent the night watching the UGA vs Ga Tech football game at a local pub in Athens called The Royal Peasant. We were thinking of going to the game but the temp for the night was going to be 30 degrees. WAY too cold for us :) Here are some pictures we took with my dad's cell phone of us at the pub.

Whistle while you work

2010-11-16T12:11:00.000-05:00

Here I go again....not blogging. It again has been too long! Unfortunately, this one is going to be short. We have been in the process of tiling our kitchen and bathroom and it has been going slow. We started last Friday and I think we wont be done until this weekend. Once we are done I will have time to blog all about it. Until then... have a great week!

Nothing to blog about...

2010-11-04T14:23:00.000-04:00

Wow it has been a LONG time since I have blogged! We have done little to nothing since going to Asheville 3 weeks ago. Last weekend Trader Joe's opened up a store in Athens. I went on opening day with a friend and I had so much fun checking out all of their wonderful food! I cant wait to go back to get some specialty things....and to get more wine! The TJ brand of wine, Charles Shaw, is surprisingly wonderful for $3 a bottle!

Last weekend Eric and I started on a few improvements on the house. We are going to list it on the market in January and we have somethings that need to be updated before we try and sell. So we re-painted our living room/dining room and all the trim in the rooms. We had never painted that room because we like the original color but it was looking dirty and had one too many scrapes and holes in it. The color wasn't exactly what we wanted but it still looks good. Before thanksgiving we plan on tiling our kitchen and replacing our counter tops. I am excited to have an updated kitchen! I wish we would have done it a lot sooner than a few months before listing the house for sale. :) Oh well!

This weekend will be a busy one...Friday night we are going over to a friends for their annual 5th of November party. We will be watching V for Vendetta outside on a projector. It will be cold so I plan on bringing my sleeping bag!

We also will be going to the UGA vs Idaho State game with our friend Matt. He had a few extra tickets and was willing to share! This will be our first game we have been to in two years....I cant wait! GOOO DAWGS!

Maybe I did have something to blog about :)

Asheville

2010-10-22T18:35:00.000-04:00

Last weekend Eric and I went to Asheville to get away for the weekend, enjoy the cool mountain weather, see the fall leaves and celebrate our 5 year anniversary. This was our third time going to Asheville and it was just as wonderful as the last two times.

We arrived at out B&B, The Sweet Biscuit Inn, at 6:30pm after driving 3 hours. We dropped our stuff in our room, freshened up and headed out to dinner. We decided to try out a new place that we have not been to before: Fiore's Ristorante Toscanna. All I can say is YUM! We ordered their Tuscan Stuffed Figs (Figs stuffed with basil goat cheese wrapped in prosciutto)...they were amazing! For our entrees I ordered the Gnocchi Della Casa and Eric ordered the Veal Saltimboca.

After dinner we walked around downtown Asheville at Pack Square Park. At night the buildings look so beautiful all lit up. During our first two visits to Asheville, the city was constructing this park. They did a great job! At the top of the hill is a beautiful fountain. Down from the fountain is a lawn nicely landscaped and then two beautiful old buildings at the end with another fountain. Of course, I couldn't resist taking some pictures!

The Sweet Biscuit Inn

Saturday morning we woke up and started the morning out with a cup of coffee on the front porch. The cool weather felt great!! We then had breakfast with all the other B&B guests. The owner Angela made us walnut cinnamon french toast, served with fresh fruit & local bacon. After breakfast we went for a walk at a park. After the walk we went antique shopping. I was on the hunt for some Fiesta and sadly I didn't find anything I needed.

Where we went for a walk. I liked the bridge.

For lunch we went to the Bier Garden to watch the UGA vs. Vanderbilt game. We watched the first half before deciding to head back to the B&B. We spent the rest of the afternoon hanging out on the front porch playing cards.

We ate dinner again at a new place, The Early Girl Eatery. Also very good food. I dont think you can go wrong anywhere in Asheville! The only thing you need to keep in mind when eating out in Asheville is to prepare to wait about an hour before you can sit down. If you want to have lunch at 12 then you should show up at 11. We went to dinner at 6:45 and had to wait an hour before getting a table. We were in no rush so we spent the time walking around downtown.

Sunday morning we had another delicious breakfast. We spent the morning again on the porch sipping coffee. I didn't want to leave the nice crisp cool weather for the 80 degrees that was awaiting us in Athens. We left the Sweet Biscuit Inn around 11:00 and headed back downtown to eat at my favorite place....Tupelo Honey. As always it was delicious!

One of the many tunnels we drove through.

After lunch we headed out of town and took the Blue Ridge Parkway back to Athens. We have never driven the parkway because the part by Asheville has been closed for well over a year. The Parkway was beautiful! The fall colors we so nice to see. It was tempting to stop at every scenic lookout but we would have never made it home! My pictures do not do it justice...


The windy road of the Parkway

Overall we had a great relaxing weekend. I just wish it would have been a longer trip!

5 Year Reunion

2010-10-15T13:25:00.000-04:00

This weekend is our 5 year college reunion from Bethel University. 5 years has flown by! Bethel was such an amazing experience for me. I met a lot of cool people, made life long friends, I met Eric there, went to a lot of fun Royals football games, traveled the world, and learned A LOT! I will always cherish the memories I have there.

I am sad because we will not be able to make it to the reunion. With Christmas in 2 months (yes that is right, Christmas is in 2 months!!) buying a plane ticket for two was not an option. I am sad we wont make it to see all of our old friends. I know it will be so much fun!

However, we did plan a fun weekend. We will be in Asheville, NC celebrating our 5 year Anniversary. We decided to postpone our trip so we can see some beautiful fall leaves in the mountains.

Here are some pictures from WAY back during the Bethel years.

Me & Jenessa

Kristen & Me

Sarah, Molly, Jenessa, Me & Becca

Washington Farms

2010-10-14T13:44:00.000-04:00

This past weekend we decided to check out Washington Farm's pumpkins. We have been there to pick strawberries and blueberries before but we have never been there for pumpkins. We have usually gone to Burt's Pumpkin Farm but we just didn't have time to make the drive this time.

Michelle & Kelly joined us in the perfect pumpkin hunt. Eric and I came home with one big, one small, four mini pumpkins, and two pie pumpkins.

Picking out pumpkins was fun. I really wanted a green pumpkin but I didn't think the farm would be happy with me picking one before it was ripe.

After going to the farm we at lunch out and then went to Michelle & Kelly's to watch the UGA game. While watching the game Kelly made a home made pumpkin pie with one of their pie pumpkins. It was AMAZING!!! And it was super easy! I always assumed making a pumpkin pie from scratch would be hard but it wasn't.
I will definitely be making it for
Thanksgiving this year!

Here is the recipe in case you are interested in trying it!

Ingredients

1 sugar pumpkin
1 recipe pastry for a 9 inch single crust pie
2 eggs
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1 (12 fluid ounce) can evaporated milk

Directions

Cut pumpkin in half and remove seeds. Place cut side down on a cookie sheet lined with lightly oiled aluminum foil. Bake at 325 degrees F (165 degrees C) for 30 to 40 minutes, or until the flesh is tender when poked with a fork. Cool until just warm. Scrape the pumpkin flesh from the peel. Either mash, or puree in small batches in a blender. Increase oven temperature to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C.)
In a large bowl, slightly beat eggs. Add brown sugar, flour, salt, 2 cups of the pumpkin puree, pumpkin pie spice, and evaporated milk. Stir well after each addition.
Pour mixture into the unbaked pastry shell. Place a strip of aluminum foil around the edge of the crust to prevent over browning.
Bake 10 minutes at 450 degrees F (230 degrees C), then reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Bake an additional 40 to 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Remove the strip of foil about 20 minutes before the pie is done so that the edge of the crust will be a light golden brown. Cool pie, and refrigerate overnight for best flavor.

Our Harvest

Something New....Tea!

2010-10-06T14:13:00.000-04:00

Since Eric and I have been a couple (8 years this November!!) he has gotten me to try all sorts of new foods. Before we were dating I did not eat shrimp, kiwi, fish of any kind, blueberries, pork, lamb and a whole bunch of other foods. I remember trying calamari for the first time on a Valentines date at the St. Paul Grill and loved it!I used to be a PB&J ONLY Girl (which I do still eat on occasion) but now I will try almost anything once.

Since being together I have also learned to love coffee, wine, beer and now.....Tea! I wouldn't say that I now love tea...but I am liking it a lot more. Eric's Aunt Ada and Uncle Chuck always have tea at their house and when we visit them we have it with breakfast, lunch and dinner. I have always opted for coffee on our visits to their house, but now I will happily drink some tea! Let me know if you are interested in joining us for tea time!!

The Return to Pather Creek

2010-10-05T16:58:00.000-04:00

Alan, Keri, Michelle, Me & Eric in a "Cave"

Saturday we hiked 7.2 miles at Panther Creek Falls with some friends at church. It was a perfect day to hike!! The sun was shining and the temp was a nice 60-70 degrees. It took us an hour and a half to hike to the falls. Once there we spent time by the waterfall eating lunch, exploring the river and skipping rocks. After a good rest we headed back up the trails to our cars.

Keri & Alan resting for lunch

I was very happy with myself on this hike. It was definitely easier on me than it was the first time we hiked it. I think all the Zumba I have done at the Y has helped me not run out of breath. My knee however is a different story. It started hurting about half way to the falls and by the end of the day it was pretty sore. I feel like I am getting old...but Michelle said I need to lift more at the Y for my legs...she is probably right :)

It was great to get out and hike...I hope to do some more this next weekend and sneak in a trip to Burts Pumpkin Farm.

Kelly &Michelle hydrating

Being goofy...

Me, Alan, Keri, Eric, Kelly & Michelle at the falls

No trip of mine is ever short of pictures and as always I had to take pictures of my surroundings....

The upper falls

Cool log with moss

No idea what this is but it is beautiful!

Friday

2010-10-01T14:09:00.000-04:00

I am SOOO glad it is Friday! Work has been rough lately and I just come home tired every day.

It has been cooling off here in GA and I am very happy to see leaves starting to change. I plan to start walking around Athens and taking pictures of the area. If this is going to be our last year here I need to get some good ones! Maybe I will do this tonight.

I am also excited for tomorrow because we are going hiking with our church group to Panther Creek Falls. We went here in the spring and I am ready to check it out in the Fall. We haven't done anything outside since our river trip in September....it is time!

So You Think You Can Dance!!!

2010-09-28T09:32:00.000-04:00

Opening routine.

Group Bollywood

Last night was the annual SYTYCD Tour and I had a BLAST! I went with friends Bethany & her husband Jason. This year the tour was by far the best we have been to! Almost all of my favorite dances where a part of the tour and they even had some new ones! My favorite dances were a Bollywood group routine & Dominic & Roberts hip hop clown dance. I pretty much liked all of the dances though!! The energy of the music and dance is contagious...I am still in a great mood after the tour last night. I just want to get up and dance myself!!!

I got some great and not so great pictures...but you can get an idea of what it was like!

This year we were on the floor level and although it was hard to see sometimes (we had a giant sitting in front of us) it was well worth it!
We were super close!!


Finale: You Cant Stop the Beat

I honestly can't wait for next season and the tour to follow. The show is great to watch and tour is so much fun! Today I plan on downloading some of the music last night since it is still in my head!

Bethany & Me

5 Years

2010-09-24T12:36:00.000-04:00

Today is our 5 year wedding anniversary! I cant believe it has been 5 years....I guess it really is true that time goes by when you are having fun! Eric and I have had a great 5 years and have been very blessed and I am excited to see where life will take us next!

Tonight we are going out to celebrate with a nice dinner. In October we will be doing our annual trip to Asheville for our anniversary!

A long time coming

2010-09-21T12:00:00.000-04:00

So these pictures have been on my camera forever!! So sorry for the late posting...

Back in August, my friend Bethany's husband threw her a surprise birthday party. This just wasn't any birthday party...it was a Jane Austin book club inspired tea party. The party was held at the Founders Garden on UGA's Campus. Tents had to be set up because it was misting but it was still beautiful. Bethany's husband tricked her into taking a walk through the founders garden and before she knew it....Surprise!! We were all waiting for her with our books in hand to discuss. We started off with birthday presents and then discussing Jane Austin's Persuasion. I had a lot of fun and I know Bethany LOVED it. Plus I am pretty sure her husband scored some major points in putting this party together for her. Check out the pictures...

Deer

2010-09-20T12:00:00.000-04:00

It seems like we are always battling deer in our neighborhood. I think we have two to three groups of deer...WAY too many for our small neighborhood. The other night I looked out our front window and saw a buck in our found yard and a doe and her two fawns in our neighbors. They are nice to look at but I wish they wouldn't eat my hostas! At this point in the season though....it isnt worth the trouble.

Back to the 90's

2010-09-19T16:12:00.005-04:00

On Friday night, Eric and I went to a free concert at the Navy school with my friends Bethany, Katie & Casey. We started off the night at Normal Bar and had a couple drinks before walking over to the school. This free concert (in the park) brought us all back to the 90's with Blessid Union of Souls and Sister Hazel singing their hit songs.

First up was Blessid Union of Souls. They had a few no. 1 hits back in the late 90's such as "I Believe", "Hey Leonardo" (AKA She likes me for me), and "Let me be the one." Blessid Union of Souls was pretty low key. Everyone sat in their chairs or on the blankets and bopped their heads and sang along to the music.

After a short break after Blessid Union of Souls ended their set Sister Hazel hit the stage and everyone jumped to their feet and rushed towards the stage. Including Casey. She LOVES both bands but was most excited to see Sister Hazel. Sister Hazel has a few more hits than Blessid Union of Souls. Some of the well known songs are "All for you", "This kind of Love", and "Your Winter."

The concert was a ton of fun! The weather was perfect and the music was great! The music brought me back to the 90's and on Saturday morning I promptly opened my iTunes and downloaded a few Sister Hazel and Blessid Union of Souls songs. Doesn't it bring you back?

Zumba!!!

2010-09-18T10:45:00.003-04:00

For the last few months I have been going to Zumba classes at the YMCA here in Athens. I LOVE IT! I love the music, it is fun and I get a great workout in the process. I wanted to share a video for everyone out there so they can see how much fun it is. This group isn't from the Y but we do the same dance there....the song is Que Te Pica by Notch.

7 Day Challenge Day 4 & 5

2010-09-15T12:32:00.002-04:00

Day 4 was yesterday and I was to change my to-go routine by avoiding plastic cups, bags and styrofoam. This was easy because I didn't go out to eat at all. I thought about it again this morning when I went to grab a plastic ziplock bag to put my breakfast muffin in and then decided to use some Tupperware. Its still plastic but I can reuse it! That is one step in the right direction!!

Day 5 is today and it is to watch what you buy at the grocery store. "Be mindful of the packaging - choose less! Try shopping on the outside edge of the store - it tends to be healthier food and have less packaging." Again I wont be going to the store today but I will try and keep this in mind the next time I go shopping. No more plastic baggies for my fruit & veggies!

My Favorite Season

2010-09-13T21:23:00.000-04:00

FALL is here! Or almost here. Eric says it is not
Fall yet because it is still 90 degrees outside. BUT the leaves are slowly starting to change. I noticed a hint of yellow at the tops of Ginko trees and the Dogwoods are showing off some red leaves and berries.

This past weekend I put out some holiday decor. Just a few leaves, fake pumpkins, and all of my
Fall PartyLite candles. Fall decorations are one of
my favorite things about Fall. It is nice to make some subtle changes around the house. Here are my other favorite things about Fall....

- The smells of cinnamon, pumpkin, and cloves
- Apple Cider
- The cool breeze
- Raking
- Going to Burts Pumpkin Farm
- Carving Pumpkins
- Thanksgiving
- Pumpkin pie, pumpkin bars, and anything else pumpkin!
- Time to start making soup
- Time to start wearing sweatshirts (at least it is in MN!)
- Its our wedding anniversary
- The beautiful changing leaves
- FOOTBALL!
- Christmas is right around the corner!!!!

7 Day Challenge Day 1, 2 & 3

2010-09-13T13:52:00.002-04:00

Well I think I have already failed! I use so much plastic it is sad. Honestly I forgot about the plastic challenge. Saturday, Day 1, I was supposed to avoid straws. I did this, but only because I didn't go anywhere that would give me that opportunity to turn it down. I did however buy a plastic bottle of Diet Coke. I was so starved for caffeine, I didn't even think about it!

On Day 2 I was supposed to avoid plastic bottles (already failed this part the day before). On Sunday I didn't use any plastic bottles other than my reusable nalgene water bottle. Again, I did not have the opportunity to resist or turn down a plastic bottle.

Today, Day 3, is to not use plastic grocery bags. I am usually good at avoiding plastic grocery bags. We have reusable cloth bags I try to use when I go shopping. However, we do stock up on getting plastic bags for our kitty litter disposal. Now though, I am going to get paper bags and we will use those instead. (Side note: I wonder how bad kitty litter is for our environment?)

Tomorrow is Day 4: Change your "to go" routine. Ask what the "to go" containers are before packing it up and avoid plastic cutlery. And always, ALWAYS go Styrofoam-free.

Hopefully I will remember this tomorrow! I do not plan to go out anywhere but you never know!

Plastic

2010-09-10T12:29:00.003-04:00

A few weeks ago, my fellow blogger friend started posting about a 7 Day Plastic Challenge by GreenPlate. The challenge starts with simple things you can avoid each day that will help bring awareness to you on how much plastic you use. When my blogger friend wrote about her 7 days I found it interesting and thought about checking it out. But then, I totally forgot about it until last night.

Last night I stayed up watching a documentary on the Pacific Gyre from VBS.TV. You can check out the video here(please note there is a lot of profanity in the video). VBS and GreenPlate explain that the Pacific Gyre as an area twice the size of Texas, where the plastic to plankton ratio was measured as more than 6:1 in 2001. In 2008, the ratio had increased to 28:1. GreenPlate also says that, "We now know that 90% of marine trash is made of plastic - and 80% comes from land and local watersheds."

This is a picture of a tangled web of plastic nets and ropes that the VBS team found in the Gyre. (Picture found from here.)

Watching this video and looking at GreenPlate's website really opened my eyes to the horror that is plastic. Seeing all the things that the VBS crew found in the middle of the ocean really disturbed me. We all use SO much plastic. Even today I have used several "disposable" plastic items - none of which can be recycled.

So with all that in mind, tomorrow I am going to start the 7 Day Plastic Challenge. The first step is easy - no straws. We will see how easy it is after tomorrow...I will keep you updated!

The CSA Blues

2010-09-10T12:00:00.000-04:00

I have to admit, I am already missing my weekly veggies! I really enjoyed driving out to the farm and picking up our veggies. Right now they are doing a Fall CSA - we decided not to extend ours - and today I saw the post on their blog for the veggies that the Fall CSA was producing and I got a little sad. I guess I will just have to go to the farmers market this weekend and pick up a few things. :)

In case you are wondering what we are missing out on, this is what we would have gotten this week:

-Peppers
-Eggplant
-Basil
-Beans
-Okra
-Garlic
-Arugula
-Zinnias

Altamaha Pictures

2010-09-09T12:00:00.000-04:00

Here are some more pictures from our trip this past weekend....

Me and Eric in the canoe.

Here is the train that passed over us at the beginning of our trip.

Michelle in her kayak during a backwater excursion.

Some Gators! These are really zoomed in so not the best quality. Like I said before, we didn't want to get too close.

This is the dead one.

From Middle GA to the Atlantic Ocean: The Altamaha River

2010-09-08T16:09:00.001-04:00

Eric, myself, and our friends Michelle & Kelly started on a journey down the Altamaha River in South Ga last June. Our first trip down the river we paddled 40 miles in two days. Our second trip down the river was only 28 miles in two days. THIS trip however was 54 miles in two days.

We started our trip this past Friday. We strapped the boats onto the cars and started driving south to Jesup, GA. We arrived before 10pm and decided to sleep in our cars instead of getting out the tents. In the morning Eric and Michelle shuttled one car to our end destination and came back with the other. After getting all the boats situated we were on the river by 8:30am leaving Jaycee's Landing.

At the beginning part of this trip we saw many man made things along the river. A paper plant (that smelled very bad) and a railroad bridge were interesting to paddle by. While going under the bridge a train went over us and I have to say, it was a little freaky being under something SOOO heavy.

After the bridge we didn't see much signs of civilization other than a few fisherman for the rest of the day. We did however see some wild life. Lots of birds, fish and...alligators! The first gator we saw was dead along the shore. I was glad it wasn't alive but I was a little concerned on it's size. We are guessing it was 7 feet long from snout to tail (picture coming soon). Seeing something THAT big was kind of freaky!

After the dead gator, we did see a few other little ones in the water. They never bothered us and we stayed as far away as possible!

At some point during the day we had a little butterfly hang on the canoe. First it was on the front of the boat just hanging out. Then it decided it liked my hat. I think the butterfly was on there for at least 30 min if not longer. I thought it was pretty cool. It must have been on vacation as well.

At about 4:00 we picked a beach to claim as our home for the night. We were not quite sure but we thought we did about 24-26 miles of paddling that day. We set up our tents, got a fire going and cooked our dinner. Michelle & Kelly brought us some beef, pepper and onion kabobs for dinner. They were delicious! Of course, we also had some S'mores. We sat by the fire for a while before we headed to bed (before 10pm). It had been a long day and we were tired!

We got up the next morning, tore down the tents, packed up and got back on the river by 8:00am. Unfortunately, shortly after starting down the river we discovered that we had only gone 19 miles the day before. It is so hard to gauge where you think you are on the river. Sometimes we have mile markers, and sometimes we don't. So... we needed to go a lot farther on day 2. We decided we should go about 25 miles. That way we would only have 10 left for day 3.

At about 1:30 in the afternoon on day 3 we stopped at a big landing called Altamaha Fish Camp. They had a little convenience store where we bought some ice, drinks and ICE CREAM! This was a nice treat after paddling 37 miles so far. At this point we needed to go another 7 miles, give or take. We started again down the river at about 2:30. At about 4:00 we got to a point where we figured we could stop once we found a camp site. Every place where we thought we would find a nice beach was covered by weeds and grass. The farther we went the more we realized that we would not be finding a place to camp that night. So the decision was made that we HAD to paddle all the way to our final destination; Two Way Fish Camp in Darien, GA. This would mean a total of 35 miles in one day. It was a HARD afternoon.

At one point we realized that we were no longer paddling with the current. Apparently the tide was coming in and we hand to paddle against it for about 4 hours. Who knew the tide would affect the river 20 miles up stream so much!?!

Like I said, the afternoon/evening of paddling was HARD but we had some amazing views on the river. We saw a lot of beautiful Cypress trees covered in Spanish moss. It was so beautiful...I just wish I could have stopped to enjoy how pretty it was. We FINALLY arrived at Two Way around 8:40pm. It was a HUGE relief to be done.

The boys went off to get our car that we left at Jaycee's Landing while Michelle and I ate at Mudcat Charlie's. Yes, that's right folks...we ate at a place called Mudcat. I only ordered a grilled cheese sandwich but the rest of the menu did look very good. While at dinner Michelle & I worked on finding a hotel to stay at for the night. We ended up getting a room at the Fairfield Inn & Suites. I have to say, the bed in that room felt like Heaven. It was sooo comfortable. MUCH better than the ground I had been sleeping on the night before.

The next morning, Monday, we left the hotel and headed to Savannah for the day. We spent some time just hanging out by the river before catching lunch and heading back to Athens.

Even though we had some setbacks it was a great trip! We have completed 122 miles on the Altamaha river since last June. It really didn't take long but 122 miles is a lot! I am excited to say that I have paddled the whole Altamaha River. If you look at the map you can see where we started and were we finished. I am very proud of what I have accomplished!

(Pictures from this post came from Michelle's blog. Hopefully I will have some more from her hubby to share soon.)

On the road...

2010-09-03T14:04:00.002-04:00

Today we are hitting the road with the canoe strapped to the car. We are driving down to South Georgia where the accents are thick and the bugs are big! ;) This weekend we are finishing up our paddling adventures on the Altamaha River. We have 54 miles to go in 2 and a half days. I am excited but a bit nervous....this part of the river apparently has alligators...I REALLY hope I don't see one! I hope we will leave the river with a nice tan, not too many bug bites, and not seeing ANY alligators or snakes. Wish us luck!!!

CSA Week 17, 18 & 19!!!

2010-09-01T14:51:00.000-04:00

Our CSA has officially ended, however we still have veggies from Roots Farm in the fridge. To catch you up on all that we have been getting.... Here is a mix of what we have received from the farm the last three weeks:

-Butternut Squash: Backyard Harvest & Full Moon Farms
-Peppers
-Eggplant
-Basil
-Beans
-Potatoes: Full Moon Farms
-Okra
-Garlic
-Arugula
-Tomatoes
-Eggs: Crooked Pine Hollow Farm
-Assorted Zinnias

Sorry I have no pictures for you. Again, I have been lazy in my blogging responsibilities. :)

As you can see, we received a few things from other Farms over the last few weeks. It was HOT here in GA and Roots Farm suffered a little but they did us well with supplementing some things. I am sad that our Summer CSA has come to an end. We really enjoyed it this year. PLEASE check out Roots Farm so you can participate in a CSA next year!

Bad Blogger!

2010-08-31T12:47:00.002-04:00

So I have been HORRIBLE at blogging lately. I think I have just been lazy. I have 3 weeks of CSA's to blog about, a friend's surprise birthday party, and this weekend we are going to paddle 54 more miles down the Altamaha River. I have a lot to write about! So hopefully soon...I will get to it :)

4 Years

2010-08-18T17:16:00.000-04:00

Four years ago we packed up our one bedroom apartment in South Minneapolis in a moving truck and drove off to Georgia to move into our first house and start a new life. I cant believe that much time has flown by! We have done so much since living here!!

Trips to Savannah, Charleston, Boone, Asheville, Baton Rouge, New Orleans, Oregon, Costa Rica and of course several visits to Minnesota. I completed my MBA and Eric has started teaching his own classes as he works on his Dissertation. We now have two grown cats (one FAT and one skinny). We have hiked several trails in GA and along the Appalachian Trail, paddled down the Altamaha River, and camped at a few State Parks. Bought a new car. We have participated in two CSAs. We have made a lot of new friends. We have had a lot of visitors from MN. We have fallen in love with College Football and have gone to several UGA games "Between the Hedges". We have grown fond of some Southern foods (Hush-puppies, grits, BBQ pork, Brunswick Stew & SWEET POTATOES!) We have also celebrated 4 Wedding Anniversaries since living in GA (soon to be 5!).

We have done a lot and have created a lot of wonderful memories here. You never know where life is going to take you but we are hoping that in 1 more year life will take us back to MN. A lot needs to happen in the next year but our goal is to be in MN next summer we are reaching for it!

MN Part 5

2010-08-16T14:38:00.000-04:00

The last part of our trip we spent in Stillwater with my family. Thursday night we went to dinner at Phil's Tara Hideaway an old restaurant in Stillwater. They have awesome Greek inspired food! After dinner we had dessert at Nelson's Ice Cream. Check out some of their pictures to see how AMAZING this ice cream is. A CHILD's size is $3 and is about 4-5 scoops of ice cream! I usually have to save 1/2 for the next day. My mom and I love their peanut butter chocolate flavor...it is SOOO good!

All day Friday we spent time on the St. Croix River. Eric and I hope to paddle the river someday because it is so beautiful!!

Eric has a nice spot in the shade overlooking the St. Croix and the high bridge.

After hanging out on the river, we joined our old friends at a great pub downtown Minneapolis called The Local. I was super bummed though because I forgot my camera! After dinner and drinks we headed to our friends Tim & Sarah's new home in South Minneapolis. This home was a fixer-upper and they have done a great job! It is so beautiful! Seeing all of our friends and Tim & Sarah's home in the city AND spending the week with family really made us miss living in MN. PLUS or friends J&J announced that they are having a baby in February! We are so thrilled for you guys!! :)

On Saturday before heading back to Georgia we went to the Washington County Fair in Stillwater with my parents. We had fun looking at all the farm animals and eating fair food. We couldn't leave MN without eating some batter fried cheese curds!!

Overall we had a great trip home to MN! I cant wait until Christmas! :)

MN Part 4

2010-08-15T08:00:00.000-04:00

After three days on Rainy Lake we started the drive to visit Eirc's Aunt and Uncle in Castle Danger, MN. Once we got to their place on Lake Superior we were greeted with a beautiful rainbow!

Ada and Chuck have beautiful flowers all over the property but they are especially proud of their roses. The second picture shows all of there potted rose bushes next to their house.

Unfortunately, we could only stay with Ada and Chuck for one night since we were in MN for a short week. We got a group picture before we said our goodbyes and starting or drive back to the Twin Cities.

MN Part 3

2010-08-14T14:50:00.000-04:00

We had such a great time on Rainy Lake with Eric's family. We were also very happy to have his Grandpa with us so we could spend some quality time with him. When we weren't on the lake we spent time hanging out on the deck Eric helped build last summer. We had such a great time is was very hard to leave, all we could think about was spending weekends there when someday we move back to MN.

MN Part 2

2010-08-12T19:41:00.000-04:00

We spent two nights in Zimmerman before heading to Rainy Lake in International Falls. Eric and I got to stay in the boat chalet that used to be his grandparent's. I mentioned the Chalet in a post from last summer when we got a painting of the place. His aunt and uncle now own it and they have fixed it up real nice! We enjoyed sleeping close to the water, it was nice hearing the waves!

As always, Rainy Lake was beautiful...I couldn't help taking many pictures of it.

Our first night on the lake called for a boat ride to see the sunset. Below is a picture of Eric, his grandpa Jim, and his mom Becky.

As always the sunset was beautiful!

Here is a picture of Dan, Becky, and Rachel

Our second day was devoted to a boat ride up the lake to Blueberry Island and Anderson Bay. We spent the time here having lunch, relaxing, and of course looking for blueberries!

Below: Grandpa, Dan, Becky, Rach, Me & Eric

Side Note on Figs

2010-08-12T12:00:00.001-04:00

We tried a Maple Fig Rice Pudding recipe last night and it was AMAZING! :) For those of you CSA members that are getting figs....here is the recipe from Oprah.com

4 cups milk
3/4 cup pure maple syrup
1/2 cup long-grain rice
Pinch of ground cinnamon
1 large egg , lightly beaten
6 Mission or Kadota or Calimyrna figs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
Sweetened whipped cream , for garnish (optional)

Directions:

In a heavy 3- or 4-quart saucepan, whisk together milk, maple syrup, rice and cinnamon. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat; reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until rice is very tender, about 1 hour.

In a small bowl, whisk 1 cup hot rice mixture with egg. Return mixture to saucepan and cook, stirring constantly, about 5 minutes or until thickened.

Meanwhile, slice 4 figs lengthwise into sixths. Remove saucepan from heat and stir in sliced figs, vanilla and salt. Quarter remaining 2 figs and use them to garnish pudding; serve warm. Top with whipped cream, if desired.

MN Part 1

2010-08-11T22:25:00.001-04:00

We arrived in MN Saturday (July 31) at 10:30am. Our wonderful friends Jason and Jenessa picked us up from the airport and we headed to one of my favorite places in Minneapolis, the MN farmers market! It was packed with people and we had a lunch date with other friends so we only picked up a few things before heading leaving.

We met our other friends Tara, Brian, their son Tyler and Tara's sister Megan at a great little Pub in St. Paul called The Blue Door. We ate WAY too much friend food and felt VERY full when we were done.

After lunch with went with Jason and Jenessa to their cute apartment in a great neighborhood in St. Paul called South St. Anthony. We spent the rest of the afternoon with them hanging out, talking, and playing a little Frisbee. It was great to spend some quality time with them!

At about 5:00 Eric's family picked us up to go to their house in Zimmerman, MN. Remember, they have the beautiful log cabin home? It is still beautiful! We spent only a day there hanging out. While in Zimmerman we checked out a county park and did a short walk around it. I have to say MN really does a great job with their parks. There are always paved and unpaved trails, picnic areas and they are clean and well kept up.

Dan, Becky, Me & Eric

We are back!

2010-08-08T09:19:00.002-04:00

What a wonderful week with our friends and family in Minnesota! I will have a lot of pictures and stories to share with you soon. First I have to unpack, do laundry, get food for the house and rest a little. :)

Off to MN!

2010-07-30T22:00:00.000-04:00

Well folks, we are off to the beautiful land of MN!! As you know I am super excited to see our friends and family and to spend some quality time on the land of 10,000 lakes! I just checked the weather and looks like we will be enjoying temps during the day in the mid 80's and at night in the mid 60's. That means I need to pack my swimsuit and sweatshirt!

See ya'll later!!

CSA Week 13 & 14

2010-07-29T19:38:00.000-04:00

I know I forgot to blog about last week's harvest but it was the same as the week before so nothing too exciting there. :) This week however, we got some new additions! Figs!! I had never tried fresh figs before so I was anxious to give them a try. And? I liked them! They have a small hint of plum flavor. Unfortunately, when I got home yesterday... Eric had ate them ALL! So I only got to try one bite. Oh well, I am sure we will be getting more!

Here is the complete list:

-Figs
-Melon
-Summer Squash
-Cucumbers
-Tomatoes
-Peppers (I liked these too!!)
-Basil
-Garlic
-Beans

Some of our peppers...

Peaches...Peaches....and more Peaches!

2010-07-27T12:00:00.000-04:00

As I mentioned before, we bought some peaches on Friday from Thomas' Peach Farm. The last few days the peaches have ripened on our kitchen table so we could can, freeze, and bake them. Last night, Eric and I started processing some of our many peaches. We canned 4 large jars and 3 small jars of peaches using a recipe from Cooks.com. We will see if they turned out OK in a few days.

The rest of the peaches we pealed, sliced and froze on cookie sheets for smoothies and other fun drinks.

Tomorrow we plan on having peaches and ice cream and baking a peach pie!

A Great Weekend! Part 2

2010-07-26T12:00:00.000-04:00

Friday we spent the morning hiking at Hard Labor Creek State Park. It was HOT HOT HOT outside! We hiked 4.4 miles on a horseback riding trail. It was a good hike with some elevation changes. While hiking we saw some wild boar. They ran away quickly so I didn't get a chance to snap a picture, but they were fun to see! Here is a picture of the four of us at the half way point.

After hiking we stopped at Thomas' Peaches in Watkinsville. We bought a large basket of peaches for canning and eating. Unfortunately they are not quite ripe so they are currently ripening on my kitchen table. :) I will let you know how the canning worked when I am done!

Saturday was graduation day! We got up early, got ready and drove to Demorest, Ga for my graduation from Piedmont College. I had to wear this ridiculous black polyester gown that had wings on the sleeves. Again, it was HOT outside so we took some quick pictures after the ceremony before running to the car to get in the AC.

Once we got home we took a few more pictures...it was MUCH more comfortable in the shade without the black polyester oven on me :)

Saturday night we had a little party with my parents and close friends at our favorite Pizza place. I had a great day celebrating my graduation! It was wonderful to have my parents here and to hang out with some good friends!

A Great Weekend!

2010-07-25T10:55:00.003-04:00

This weekend was GREAT! Eric and I picked up my parents from the Airport on Thursday afternoon and we spent the afternoon in Atlanta at the Aquarium. (Thank you Bethany for the two free tickets!!) We probably spent 3-4 hours at the Aquarium. There are so many beautiful fish, whales, sharks and other things to look at! Here are some of my better pictures...

The best part of the Aquarium is the large tank with the Whale Sharks, Manta Rays, and a whole lot of other big fish! You start by walking under the tank through a tunnel before you get to the big viewing area. We were lucky enough to be there right when they did a fish feeding. It was VERY cool to watch!

More to come on the rest of our weekend later....

CSA Week 12

2010-07-20T15:24:00.000-04:00

I am so behind!!! Last week Roots Farm CSA gave us:

-Blueberries
-Summer Squash
-Cucumbers
-Tomatoes
-Pepper
-Basil
-Garlic
-Beans
-Carrots
-Eggplant

Three weeks ago I forgot to take a picture of the purple pepper. I decided to go to the farmers market two Saturdays ago and I picked up a few more! So here are the purple peppers :) Cool hu?

So Close!

2010-07-13T12:33:00.006-04:00

I am so close to being done with school! I am ready! I only have one night of class to go (next Monday) but before that day I have to complete a take-home final, a group project, and present the project. I know it will be done soon but it is going by slowly! Only 6 more days.

I graduate in 11 days with my Masters in Business Administration! The best part is my parents are coming down from MN for graduation! They will be here in 9 days.

In 17 days we will be flying to MN for a week! I miss my family, friends, and the lake/river! So I really cant wait to be there! It will be a quick visit and we will be traveling all over MN in one week.

1st stop (A) will be Minneapolis where we will spend some time with old friends.

2nd stop (B) is Zimmerman to see Eric's family.

3rd stop (C) is International Falls (Eric's home town) and we will spend time on Rainy Lake.

4th stop (D) is in Two Harbors to see Eric's aunt and uncle.

The 5th and final stop (C) will be to Stillwater to see my parents and spend some time on the St. Croix River!

This is our route...I wasn't joking when I said we would be all over the state :)

View Larger Map

CSA Week 11

2010-07-06T13:12:00.005-04:00

We are past the 1/2 way mark of our CSA! I am so sad that it is already winding down! This week we got....

-Corn
-Sun Jewel Asian Melon - I am loving the melon and berries!
-Blackberries
-Summer Squash
-Zucchini
-Cucumbers
-Carrots
-Eggplant - Not such a big fan of this...we tried making Eggplant Parmesan and it was a big FAIL! We didn't cook it long enough and by the time is was ready I had given up and ate my noodles by themselves.
-Tomatoes
-Peppers!! The first time for this summer! And they are purple!!
-Basil

(Unfortunately, I forgot to snap the picture before I cut up the pepper and corn. Hopefully we will get more peppers next week!)

I am planning on hitting up the Athens Farmers Market this weekend for some more corn and melon!

Almost there....

2010-07-03T09:36:00.000-04:00

In 21 days, after one final paper, a final group project, a final test and after 3 more nights of class I will graduate with my Masters in Business Administration. I am still clueless with what I want to do with my life but I hoping to now have time to figure that out. As I have written before about how I have been stressed in finding a full-time job after I graduate...well the stress is over! I did not get a full-time job but I have been offered to keep my job at the school and be part-time staff for the Student Services office. I am very excited to not have to worry about what to do when I graduate and only having a part-time job at the hospital. So now I have two official part-time jobs. It isn't ideal, but I think this will give me the opportunity to find what I want to be when I "grow up". ;)

I am still on the hunt for the perfect job, but now I have the time to do it.

CSA Week 10

2010-06-29T19:01:00.001-04:00

This Week:
-Melons! We picked this one called Honey Yellow Honeydew...I already have some and it was YUMMY!
-Blackberries & Blueberries
-Carrots
-Cabbage
-Potatoes (Surprise! We got more!!)
-Summer Squash
-Zucchini
-Cucumbers
-Eggplant - HELP! I have never cooked eggplant....any ideas?
-Tomatoes
-Basil

Watson Mill State Park

2010-06-29T18:04:00.003-04:00

This past Sunday Eric and I decided to go to Watson Mill State Park out by Comer, GA. We spent the first hour walking on some of the trails and taking pictures. We didn't last long in the heat before we wanted (or needed) to get into the water. We had a great time playing in the shoals and staying cool in the river! I highly recommend this place to anyone who likes hiking, swimming, and covered bridges. :) Here are my pictures from the day...

CSA Week 9

2010-06-26T09:06:00.002-04:00

We are half way through our CSA season and the shares are getting better! This week we got:

-Potatoes (the last batch we will get of potatoes)
-Cabbage (also the last time we will get cabbage)
-Carrots
-Pole Beans
-The first showing of Sweet Corn
-Summer Squash
-Zucchini
-Cucumbers
-A few tomatoes (I am sure we will have more next week!)
-Lemon Basil
-Blackberries & Blueberries!

This week we also got to pick some extras from the squash, zucchini, and cucumber bins. SO I got some more squash so we can make soup, more zucchini to make bread, and cucumbers to make pickles! When I will have time to do this....I have no idea! I am down to the last few weeks of class and I know I am going to be busy. But I only have 5 classes left! And then I am DONE!

Altamaha River Pictures

2010-06-19T18:08:00.003-04:00

I finally picked up the pictures I took from our Altamaha River paddling trip. The quality is pretty crappy from the disposable camera I used but here you go...

Cat Update 2

2010-06-18T12:27:00.003-04:00

Things do change quickly! Yesterday I had to take Heidegger into the vet. He had some goop in his left eye and the Vet said his eye may be scratched and to bring him in. We got to the Vet and they first started looking at his eye. The Vet used some sort of florescent dye and a black light to look in the cat's eye. He couldn't find anything but the eye was swollen. The Vet then checked the cat's temperature....He had a fever. With the fever and eye infection the Vet decided to look for any abrasions on the cat....He found TONS of bite marks from other cats! Some were more recent than others and Heidegger flinched when the Vet touched some of them. Because of all the bites, the infected eye, and the fever... the Vet decided to give Heidegger an IV bag and some eye drops to help with the infection.

All of this made me feel like a bad pet owner! My poor cat was attacked by other cats and I didn't even know! The Vet told me that if he could give cat owners one piece of advice he would tell them "Never let your cat outside." He said that cats get in fights all the time and that often timed the bites lead to infections. Which leads to visits to the Vet and money spent. Last nights visit was $105.

Needless to say, my cat is not going outside ever again. One, because I don't want him to get hurt and two because we cant afford $100+ Vet bills. Most of all I feel horrible for my poor cat that was in pain and didn't feel well. He was such a sad sight to see last night.

Cat Update

2010-06-15T22:11:00.003-04:00

Our cat Heidegger has been spending 50% of his days & nights outside now for the past week and a half and it has been going well. Tonight however was his first night being caught in the rain. When he came back inside he was wet and wouldn't stop licking/cleaning himself from the rain. I think he is pretty cute...

So far Heidegger has two "bumps & bruises." Some how he has a patch of fur missing from his ear and he has a small (but already healing) hole between his shoulder blades. I think him and two of the neighborhood cats have been fighting over territory. I will have more to post about this later....but for now, it is bed time!

CSA Week 8

2010-06-15T12:34:00.004-04:00

It has already been a week!?!? WOW.

In my last post, I mentioned that Eric and I would be helping out on the Farm this past Saturday. Well we got up early Saturday morning to head out to Roots Farm. When we left the house it was already 75 degrees. It was going to be a hot one! When we got to the farm we were given instructions on what needed to be done....weeding! We weeded a lot! Luckily for us, they had awesome weeding tools. I heart the stirrup hoe! I would say we did 2 1/2 hours worth of weeding. We also prepped a few rows to plant other veggies. For our last hour we processed carrots. All we did was cut off the carrot greens, washed the carrots and then separated them into Firsts (pretty & not damaged) and Seconds (ugly & damaged). After all of our hard work, we were treated to a yummy lunch from the farmers. We had a great time, worked hard, sweat a lot, and learned some about farming! I am ready to do it again next time!

While we were at the farm I was excited to see a few things growing that we have yet to get in our CSA....There was sweet and spicy peppers, tomatoes, cabbage, melons, blackberries, figs and corn! And...some of it came in the CSA today!

This week we got:

-Red Potatoes
-Cabbage
-Carrots
-Beets
-Pole Beans
-Summer Squash
-Zucchini
-Cucumbers
-Lemon Basil (it smells like lemons!)
-Blackberries & Blueberries!

I know it really isn't the right season, but this week I plan to use the cabbage, potatoes, and carrots in a Corned Beef & Cabbage recipe from my friend LeAnne. I also plan to bake something with our zucchini and come up with something creative with the yummy lemon basil. Any suggestions?

CSA Week 7

2010-06-10T12:35:00.004-04:00

This week we go potatoes for the first time!! YUM, we got six (three for us) Yukon Gold Potatoes. I cannot wait to try them! I am thinking we will have some baked potatoes and hamburgers this weekend.

We also got:
-Red Russian Kale
-Arugula
-Lettuce
-Carrots
-Beets
-Garlic
-Thai basil
-Lots more Summer Squash & Zucchini
-Cucumbers (3 different kinds including lemon cucumber....it is a weird little spiky ball)

I have to admit, keeping up with all the veggies as been tough. Eric has been a real trouper in eating a majority of our veggies (the beets, chard, and failed recipes that I wont eat). I am always looking for different ways of cooking our veggies, so if you have any recipes for the ingredients above...please share!!

Even though it has been tough keeping up with the volume of food I am still enjoying it. It is fun waiting to see what we get every week. I also have been enjoying driving out to the farm to pick up our veggies and meeting the farmers. This weekend there is a workday on the farm for its CSA members. Eric and I are planning on going and I cant wait to learn some about farming in GA! And you know I love digging in the dirt! Realistically though, I think we will be pulling weeds :) I am ok with that! I will let you know how it goes.

For now....I have to get back to my homework (I only have 10 nights of class left, that's 6 weeks until I graduate!).

Compost to Pumpkins?

2010-06-07T14:00:00.000-04:00

Looks like we are going to have pumpkins! We used some of our compost for the first time this year when we were planting in our shade garden....apparently it wasn't done composting. So, we have pumpkins! The plants started out small and now they are flowering. I am very excited!

I will keep you posted on the pumpkins!

The Cat is out of the Bag

2010-06-06T15:31:00.005-04:00

We have decided to make our cats outdoor cats. As I have mentioned before, we have started letting the cats out onto our back deck. Yesterday we decided to let them just go where they wanted to go. Unfortunately Rainy, our female cat, is not up to date on her shots so...she didn't get to roam. The first one "out of the bag" is our other cat Heidegger. He seemed to be in his element. He wondered off for about an hour and then came right back. Since then he comes and goes often but hasn't been away for an extended period of time. I can tell that he is loving some freedom!

Rainy on the other hand, liked being on the deck all day. At one point we caught her "hiding" under our grill...I am not sure if she was scared or just liked being in a tight space. I think it was pretty cute though.

CSA Week 6

2010-06-02T18:32:00.003-04:00

WOW did we get a ton of veggies this week or what!??! We have a ton of squash and zucchini...and they are BIG! We also got cucumbers for the first time. Along with these we have chard, kale, beets, parsley, garlic, carrots, lettuce, and this weird purple thing called Kohlrabi.

Tonight I have tried a squash casserole and I plan on making zucchini bread, cucumber salad, and a slaw salad with the carrots and kohlrabi...I will let you know how it turns out!

Strawberry Jam Procrastination.

2010-05-31T14:02:00.011-04:00

This week has been hard to do homework and study when I want to be reading for fun, cooking and cleaning around the house, playing outside, and looking for jobs for when I graduate in 9 weeks. I think I have found a ton of ways to procrastinate studying for my finance class. One of which was to make Strawberry Jam. As you might remember, a few weeks ago Eric and I went strawberry picking and picked 2 gallons of strawberries. Well some of these strawberries were frozen for smoothies and jam making. I like to make freezer jam and it is SOO easy!

Here is what you need:
4 Cups Sugar
2 Cups smashed strawberries (like I said, I use my frozen ones so they have to be thawed first)
2 Tbs of lemon juice
1 Packet of Pectin

5-6 cleaned jam jars with self sealing lids
1 Ladle
1 funnel (makes it a lot less messy!)

In a large sauce pot mix together the sugar, strawberries, and lemon juice.

You want this to cook hot so I usually have my stove up all the way. Bring the sugar fruit mixture to a rolling boil (this is when it keeps boiling even after you stir it). Mix in pectin and stir for 1 minuet.

Remove from heat and skim off any foam that might appear on top. Use the ladle and funnel to pour mix into jam jars. Leave about a 1/2 inch room on top.

Fill up all of your jars.

Then screw on lids tightly (please use an oven mit or towel to hold onto the jars...they will be HOT!). Now leave out to cool down on the counter. Once cooled place in the freezer for storage. The Jam will last one year in the freezer and a few weeks in the refrigerator.

Good luck Jamming!

Altamaha River Preview

2010-05-28T13:21:00.006-04:00

Like I mentioned in my last post...last weekend we went canoeing down the Altamaha River in South Georgia. We started at Carters Bight Landing and ended 28 miles down river at Jaycee's Landing. It took us 7 hours to paddle down the river (however we did float a few times) and spent one night on the shores of the river. We had a great trip!

Here are a few pictures from Kelly's camera...

CSA Week 5

2010-05-26T17:40:00.002-04:00

I didn't take a picture!?! I know, it is hard to believe! This week we received basil, cilantro, dill, more summer squash, radishes, beets, kale, lettuce, and garlic scapes. I have never made squash casserole, but I think I am going to try it with the large amount of squash we have been getting! Anyone have a good recipe?

In other news....I am back in school and again completely overwhelmed. The two classes I am taking are demanding a lot of work. One class, leadership, I know I will enjoy and will enjoy the challenge it brings. The other class, managerial finance, will not be a joy in any way shape or form. Right now, I am just hoping for a 'C'. On the bright side, I only have 7 weeks of class left...that is 14 class nights before I graduate!

We also went canoeing this past weekend on the Altamaha River. We did this trip with Michelle and Kelly like we did last year. I will tell you more about the trip when I get my pictures developed (I used a waterproof disposable camera). So stay tuned....