Aaron is growing a goatee! It's in the beginning stages now, but after a couple of weeks he'll be a hunk-o-hairy man. We are now taking votes as to whether he should let it grow or shave it asap.
What do you think?

When we were in Las Vegas, I spent about 30 minutes getting this Henna tattoo on my ankle. It was a great experience! In India, women have Henna tattooed onto their hands and wrists, ankles and feet in very intricate designs. It is a dye that goes on green, turns black, peels off, and becomes this brown color. It's a very cherished art in India (mostly done before weddings and special celebrations), and I had a great time talking about it with the woman who did this for me. Unfortunately, it only lasts for 3 weeks, and mine is already starting to fade.

Top Ten Cities With Longest Commutes
Wednesday, August 30, 2006

Here are the top 10 metropolitan areas with the longest commutes to work. (Commutes are in average minutes, one way):

METRO AREA COMMUTE

-- 1. Vineland, N.J. 39.6
-- 2. New York 34.2
-- 3. Washington, D.C. 33.4
-- 4. Poughkeepsie, N.Y. 32.2
-- 5. Atlanta 31.1
-- 6. Riverside, Calif. 31.1
-- 7. Chicago 31.0
-- 8. Winchester, Va. 29.7
-- 9. Stockton, Calif. 29.4
--10. Vallejo-Fairfield, Calif. 29.2

(Source: Census Bureau)

As you see, we are #5 in the country for longest commutes to work. Aaron and I are pretty fortunate in this area, though. We split the difference between both of our works when we found this new apartment, and so on a good day it takes us both 10-12 minutes to get to work. On a bad day, when they close two or even just one lane because of an accident...you can forget getting home in less than an hour. We are very thankful for our location, though. Just in case you were curious!

We had a split personality weekend...our "one flesh" separated and we did different things:

Aaron left for Spring Hope, NC on Friday afternoon to attend Jonathan's bachelor party on Saturday. His dad, Uncle Charles, cousin Caleb, and a friend met him in Durham at Southpoint to have dinner on Friday night. I slept. That's all I did! I got home around 5:30 and crawled in the bed, and woke up at midnight only to wash my face and brush my teeth before falling asleep again until 9 a.m. Saturday morning. It was pretty bizarre...15 hours is the most I think I've ever slept at one time. I felt refreshed on Saturday, so I guess it was a needed rest.
Jonathan invited all of his wedding party to a paintball tournament for all day Saturday. Aaron's team lost badly...he has the battle bruises to show for it. I heard it was a blast...after that, they grilled out for dinner together and hung out until late in the night. The wedding is October 8th, but it was perfect for them to have this party this weekend so they wouldn't be rushed and could really spend time together.
There's nothing much to tell about my Saturday...I did some meal planning (I'll post about that later) and grocery shopping, and then read a book beside the pool for the rest of the day. I visited a friend, Laurel, at her home on Saturday night and we ate dinner together and shared stories.
On Sunday Aaron ate lunch with his dad and then came home to me!
I only waited for him, my beloved husband!

He took me out on a nice date to the Cheesecake Factory on Sunday night...and you better believe that we had the Godiva Chocolate cheesecake. We almost skipped the entree to get straight to the dessert, but we practiced a little self-control. It was a perfect end to a weekend apart.

On Sunday night we saw the Cirque Du Soleil show Mystere at our hotel, and then had a fancy dinner together. Grandma and Marie joined us for dinner...everyone in a good mood! (maybe it was because the show was awesome, or because we were having steaks, or because we had won some money on the roulette table, or because we enjoy each other)
Good picture! We are praying for Marie this week...I've heard she has fractured her shoulder. Hope you feel better soon, Marie.

Sunday afternoon the women of the group visited the spa in our hotel. We had the spa manicure and pedicure...mom and Sierra's first time!
It was a pretty fancy place...
She's smiling because of what they just did to her feet here: What a treat! I don't know what this green stuff on our feet was, but it made everything so soft.

I got to take my picture with Tim and Faith.

After the photo shoot, me and G.Dub lounged around the pool and spent tax payer money on virgin daquiris.

I mentioned a while ago that we didn't like Captain Jack Sparrow's 2nd movie, but it was fun to meet him nonetheless.
I don't even know if Dad watches Larry King Live, but he couldn't wait to get a picture with him. Larry squared.
Aaron forgot to pack his gym clothes for the trip since he didn't realize he would have this one time opportunity to play with Shaq.
Trivia time: In what Tom Green movie did Shaq make a guest appearance?
Wait a minute, I thought Tupac was dead!? By now you must realize that these pictures are staged :) We visited Madame Tusseaud's Wax Museum on Sunday.

Thomas Jefferson, founder of UVa.

Thank you, thank you very much.

Flores/Fernandez family greets JFK and his lovely but deceased wife.

This past weekend we traveled to Las Vegas for a vacation. We all flew out at different times from different cities, but met at Treasure Island, a hotel/casino right on the Vegas strip. Aaron and I loved being able to spend time with my mom and dad, three brothers + 1, and Grandma and Marie.

Grandma loves to gamble (slot machines only). Not because she's trying to win a lot of money (although I'm sure she likes it when that happens), but for the fun of it. She and Marie visit Las Vegas once a year. This is what we did on Friday afternoon after a big breakfast. We were pretty tired from the late flight we had on Thursday night. The pool was crowded, but the sun was hot and the sky was perfect. From left to right: Aaron, me, Stephen, Joey, Sierra, and Michael.On Friday night we had an awesome meal at Kahunaville in the hotel, and then saw the Blue Man Group show. It was very unique, maybe even weird, but it was amusing to watch dad as a number of very uncertain looks appeared on his face.The most important thing about this trip was that it was mom's birthday (8/18). We celebrated on Friday night in our hotel room after dinner and the show. We had this beautiful cake delivered by room service (candles and all!). She was pretty surprised I think. We played Catch Phrase until around midnight...it was hilarious! If you don't have that game, go get it. The only reason we quit was because Grandma and Marie wanted to hit the slots before they missed out on any big winnings. HA!The birthday girl with her Knight in shining armor!On Saturday morning, we got up early to ride horses in the Grand Canyon. It was about an hour bus trip to the edge of the canyon. It was a great experience, except for when the guide explained to the whole group with all sincerity that it has taken millions and millions of years for this landform to develop, and everyone just believed it as a truth.

Dad is a natural!He looks like a pro in this picture before we headed out, but what about the pose below? A little uncomfortable after an hour or so?This is what we did during most of the trip...eat dessert. This is a Volcano from the RainForest Cafe at the MGM Grand.

We had a pretty lazy weekend...Friday night we went out to dinner and a movie with several young married couples from the church. It was fun to hear new stories from new people, even though the Greek restaurant we went to wasn't great. On Saturday we slept in (well, I did...Aaron got up at the crack of dawn because he was so worried about something happening to his truck), and then slowly got out of the apartment only to drive through the entire city of Atlanta until we agreed on a lunch spot. Saturday night we went to the movies again (!). Sunday we went to the early service and heard a good message on being persistent for the things we pray for. We were able to sit out at the pool a little, but we spent most of the rest of the day in the Hispanic part of town (looks a lot like Mexico City, Aaron says) trying to get Aaron's truck equipped with an alarm. It's pretty hoodrich :)
We just enjoyed spending time together this weekend. Have a great week!

We seem to have had our first gangsta experience in Atlanta. Aaron's truck was broken into last night! Thankfully they were unsuccessful in trying to hotwire it...but the dash is pretty torn up. More information coming soon...

Well, the "easygoing gourmet" that I posted about yesterday worked out well...we had black bean and mushroom quesadillas on top of white rice, szechwan long beans, black eye pea salad, and three cheese bread (had to be vegetarian). Everything I bought was spicy, but probably not spicy enough for this Indian family! It was also kind of expensive...but it was worth the elimination of last-minute stress.

This is the family of a student I taught last year (Parth). They moved to Atlanta over the summer, and it was a perfect reason to meet up with them again! We laughed a lot...it's funny how we are able to identify with people from other cultures in very detailed ways. We loved the whole night.

Aaron and I invited a family over for dinner for this coming Saturday. When I spoke with them last night, they said that Saturday wouldn't work, but tonight will! We didn't want to miss out on an opportunity just because it was last-minute, so we told them to come on! Of course I don't have the appropriate groceries, nor the time to get any, so I asked some co-workers for advice this morning and here's what I decided on:
http://www.eatzis.com/
What a relief! It's going to be fun :)
I'll let you know how it goes...maybe I'll get some pictures, too.

The new students started to arrive even a few weeks ago, but this week is the start of the official check-in. It has been crazy! Last night I was so tired, I fell asleep around 8:30. It's fun to meet them- some of them are really nervous and I enjoy being able to encourage them. It's a great population to work with...they are so appreciative of however you can help them.

Mom has had a blast of creativity recently. We were impressed with her new landscaping art design at the side entrance of the house.

On Saturday night after the reception, Aaron and I went to the movies with Stephen, Michael, Courtney (see post below), and Nathan and Erin. Nathan and Erin were married a few weeks ago, so it was fun to hear about their wedding experience and their new home. We saw Talladega Nights...another movie just for those who enjoy stupid humor. There were a lot of laughs, but a good bit of it was foul. In every way it was a blessing to be with family and friends.

We had the pleasure of celebrating a new marriage with a longtime friend this past weekend. Kari, who was an absolutely gorgeous bride, was married on Friday and had the reception on Saturday night. We drove to Salem to attend...we wouldn't have missed it for anything. It was a great party...fun to see friends from home. Kari exudes happiness, and even though it was the first time I met her new husband, Kade, I think they are a great match. Kari and I went to school together from the start, and also were Girl Scouts in the same troop. Great memories!

Beautiful newlywed (1 year marriage veteran) Katie.
and below,
a great friend Courtney. She came in from Richmond to attend. She is in Physical Therapy school there.
The reception was outside under a tent...it was perfect as you can see.

I'm going through a dry spell in regards to cooking for my husband. It's been hard in the transition to get a good schedule of grocery store trips and finding organization in the kitchen to put things. I also have a lack of desire for it. It's really humbling to admit this, but I do it only because I need help. I am hoping that some of you will post a comment with a recipe (fast, easy, and short list of ingredients) that you enjoy. My plan (adapted from some advice from Aunt Angie!) is to create a list of main dishes that I know I am able to cook and use them to make a meal plan for two weeks at a time and shop from that. I am also trying to make a list of side dishes to pick and choose from when I am deciding on the meal plan. So far my list has 23 dishes. My goal is to have 30 to choose from throughout the month. Please give your input! I need 7 more ideas for my list. Click on "Comments"...you don't have to login as it says, you can simply leave a comment as "anonymous" and then write your name in at the end of the message.
Thanks for your help! I'm hoping to get over this soon and be the wife I want to be.
I'm using this grocery checklist to organize myself. Maybe you will find it useful as well. Or maybe I'm the only one with this problem...