Stop Traffic!

Sunday - Today is Freedom Sunday. People all over the world joined in praying and fasting for those who are held captive. Sadly, there is more slavery in the world today than at any point in history, and a large percentage of those enslaved are children. I thought a picture of a stop sign is fitting - seeing as how these signs are used to stop traffic. We must take a stand and stop the trafficking of humans.

Fine Line

Saturday - The weather here today was amazing! We spent most of the day outside enjoying the sun and warm temperature and walked all over the place. When we were walking off Jupiter Island, we passed some people who were fishing on the bridge. I had a chance to take this shot of someone's pole as they were off getting some bait. The blue water reminded me of the Caribbean and the temperature reminded me of Spring. Awesome day!

A Safe Place

Friday - Anytime we visit Chick-Fil-A, there is always a police officer on duty. I've never seen anything like this at any other CFA location I've been to and I've never seen any trouble at this location. Nicole and I stopped by after attending the Night of Prayer at church and shared a chocolate milkshake. Other than Ghirardelli, I'm not sure there's a better chocolate milkshake than CFA's.

The Control Panel

Thursday - When I was driving home today, I realized I have a LOT going on in my car. My car isn't luxurious by any means, but I have enough electronics to where I'm never bored if I'm going anywhere. Between my GPS, cell phone, iPod, and XM roady, there's no way having all these things available to me is conducive to safe driving.

First Contact

Wednesday - For the first time, I've decided to try wearing contact lenses. I had an appointment with the eye doctor today and she gave me a trial pair to practice with for a week. It was no easy task getting them in and out of my eyes but I expect it'll take a while to get used to them. Still not sure if I'm comfortable messing with my eyes so much but it could be helpful and more practical in certain situations.

Red Out

This doesn't come around very often. It's the Red Velvet Cake Ice Cream from Publix! It is one of their seasonal flavors that they sell only a few months out of the year, which makes me appreciate it even more when it is available. However, I'm trying to get better about watching what I eat and I'm trying to keep myself from eating ice cream every day. Tonight, I was very tempted to make myself a big bowl of Red Velvet Cake ice cream but I was able to resist the urge! Instead, I settled for a fat free fudgesicle, which are available in the store year-round.

Chick-Magnet

Monday - I can't seem to get enough of Chick-Fil-A. I went for breakfast this morning and then I was considering going back for dinner. And there is a special place in my heart for chicken biscuits. While I love Chick-Fil-A's and will never turn down a free one (which it was this morning), I'm sad to say that it comes in 3rd on my list of best chicken biscuits. I'd give Hardees my vote for having the best and Bojangles would come in second. It's scary to me to even think about the possibility of living somewhere that doesn't have chicken biscuits readily available.

Would You Be Mine?

Sunday - I go back and forth on Valentine's Day. Sometimes, I think it's a dumb holiday that is made up by companies that want you to buy their products. I also think that it is lame to have a specific day where you do nice things for your significant other and make them feel special because we really should be making an effort to do that everyday. Yet, sometimes we need days like Valentine's Day to remind us about what is really important. We shouldn't depend on Valentine's Day as the day where we make someone else feel special, but it should remind us not to take that person for granted. My picture is of some tulips I got for Nicole for Valentine's Day. My hope was that I would buy them a couple days before and then they would open on V-Day, but I think I misjudged it by a couple days.

The Light in the Distance

Saturday - One of the things Nicole and I enjoy doing is going for walks together. It's something we did when we started dating and we've continued to do it during this first year of marriage. We've been blessed to have some great places to go for walks (UGA's North Campus, Celebration, Epcot's World Showcase, & others.) Now, we have the opportunity to walk along Jupiter Island where we can see the ocean on one side and the intercoastal waterway on the other side. At the southern end of Jupiter Island is the Jupiter Lighthouse, which is one of the oldest and most unique lighthouses on the east coast. The lighthouse is always a good place to stop and take some pictures.

A Cut Above

Friday - I'm beginning to wonder how many times I'll talk about Seasons 52 on this blog. The picture above is from when Nicole and I went to dinner with my grandparents on Friday night at Seasons 52. Yet again, the food was delicious and the atmosphere was great. We had reservations and it took them about ten minutes to have our table ready, which was no big deal to us (especially for a Saturday night.) Then, while we were waiting for our food, they brought us a flatbread and said it was on the house because we had to wait so long. To me, customer service and caring for the customer can go SO much farther than having the best food. It's so impressive that Seasons 52 does a great job in both areas.

Speed Pacer

When I drive to work in the mornings, this is the road I turn on as I'm leaving the condo complex. If I'm ever late, how do I not speed on a straightaway like this?! Unfortunately, the speed limit on this part of the road is 45 mph and there are always cops sitting on the side trying to catch people. Saturday and Sunday mornings are usually a challenge as the bike riders ride along the side in a big line.

A Devilish Day

Wednesday - In my opinion, tonight featured the best rivalry in college sports - Duke & North Carolina. I haven't been as good about following Duke this year because of other responsibilities and scheduling but there was no question I'd be watching the game against UNC. Even though Carolina is struggling this season, I figured they'd play well and stay with Duke for most of the game. However, the Blue Devils pulled away down the stretch with strong leadership, clutch shooting, and good defense. It's good to finally get another win against the Heels. GTHC!

Tuesday - I just finished reading this book with my team at work. It focuses on belonging to communities and how that relates to small groups in churches. The author poses some rather interesting questions about what it means to belong, what types of relationships and spaces we develop, and how we can create and foster environments that encourage growth and belonging in a church setting. It reminded me of my classes at UGA that focused on relational development and types of interaction. Who knew Speech Communication would actually come in handy?!

Movie Night

I checked out Kingdom of Heaven from the library last week after Andy Stanley said it was one of his favorite movies in a message he gave at Catalyst last year. After having a busy past couple weeks, I finally have a chance to watch it tonight and see if Andy and I have the same movie tastes. So far, I'm about 30 minutes into the movie and there have been some pretty crazy fight scenes. I'm not sure about the story yet and I don't know how accurate the background is, but it definitely has some potential. Also not sure I like the fact that I recognize one of the characters from Grey's Anatomy. As of now, I'd compare it to Troy with a religious twist.

Super Bowl Sunday

Tonight, our CityPlace Campus had a Super Bowl Party for the city of West Palm Beach. The idea was to put on a big party and invite the homeless of the area to come and enjoy themselves. We grilled over 600 lbs. of chicken and hundreds of people brought sides and desserts (we contributed pasta salad & cookies). There were also people at stations all around the theater where we offered haircuts, prayer, recovery & addiction assistance, and a feet washing station where people could have their feet cleaned and receive a new pair of socks. The entire night made me really proud and honored to be part of what God is doing at the CityPlace Campus of Christ Fellowship.

Farm Fresh

Saturday - I'm pretty sure we have started a new tradition for Saturday mornings - going to the Green Market in downtown West Palm Beach. We went for the second week in a row and had a great time walking around, trying samples, buying random foods, and taking pictures. Some of the people were pretty rude about taking pictures of their stuff (I should tell them I'd be giving them free advertising on my popular blog) but most of them were very nice. I was able to take this picture of these beautiful flowers and plants and decided this would serve as my picture of the day. Actually, it was difficult to pick just one picture and I went with this one because I always seem to post shots of food.

Peace Out

Last weekend, Nicole and I submitted applications to join the Peace Corps. It is a very long process and very competitive, but we completed the initial stage of completing the applications and submitting them. This week, we received informational packets in the mail with the next steps for what we do in the process of applying to join the Corps. The chances are slim that this will work out but we're trusting in God's plan for us and we're doing everything we can along the way. Above is a picture of a brochure we received and it's my picture from yesterday.

Pei Dei!

I'm a little behind on posting my pictures so I'll probably put up a few different entries today. My picture from Thursday is from Pei Wei! I've written about Pei Wei before on the blog, but I hadn't taken a good picture of it yet. We went on Thursday night to the Pei Wei in Stuart with some friends from our life group and had some delicious Chicken Pad Thai. The picture I took is from the window as you're walking in the door. I like how it turned out because the logo and text are clear, and you can see Nicole in the reflection.

Scaling Back

I've had lots of moments today where my stomach didn't feel right and I just never really felt comfortable. Having a day like today makes me realize that I need to get back to eating healthy. In 2010, my eating habits have been pretty awful (one sign of this is by looking at the pictures of food I took in the past month) and I haven't been good about exercising. I need to reacquaint myself with some healthier foods, exercising, and that little guy in the picture above. I'm not a fan of standing on the scale but I've reached a point where it's necessary.

Lost & Found!

I took this picture to celebrate one of my favorite days of the year so far - the season premiere of Lost! I don't think I've ever been so into a show and I'm sure this season will probably lead to more questions than answers, but I don't care. I've been glued to the TV for the two hour premiere and I already have no idea what direction the writers are going in with this season. Whatever they do, they've got me hooked.

Fruit Stand

Last night, I came home at the end of a long day and an EXTREMELY long weekend and tried to figure out what to eat for dinner. When I looked in the refrigerator and on the counter, it seemed like we have more fruit than a farmers market. I decided to get everything out and take a picture of all my options. There were actually a couple other things we finished earlier this week (apples & pineapple). I'm just glad I love fruit.
I picked up a new book tonight and I'm interested to see how it turns out. I've been wanting to read "Quiet Strength" by Tony Dungy for a while and I'm not sure there's anyone in sports I have more respect for than him. The difference for me in reading this book is that is that it's an Audiobook, which I've never tried before. I plan on downloading it on my iPod and listening to it as I drive to and from work. I hope it's as good as reading a regular book.