Post Game Meal

Sunday - After six long years, Duke is back in the Final Four! I watched the game against Baylor with nervous excitement but I felt like it was a pretty good match-up for the Blue Devils. Duke tends to shoot well against zone defenses and Baylor gives up offensive rebounds - and those turned out to be the main factors for Duke's success today. As a celebration dinner after the game, we decided to head over to the Dune Dog. I hadn't really eaten all day so I went all out with the Ribs and Wings Combo. Yes, that's also garlic bread, creole rice, and corn on the cob. And I finished it all!

The Mac is Back No Slack!

Saturday - It's been a while - but I finally made it to a concert! I was fortunate enough to get hooked up with a ticket to the TobyMac concert Saturday night and it was a great time. I always thought DC Talk put on an amazing live show and Toby has continued to provide great concerts throughout his solo career. Also had the chance to hang out with Toby's guitar player before the show - cool guy. Thanks to Johnny Cashville for the tix!

A Nook in the Wall

Friday - It's great when you find a quaint little local restaurant that no one else is talking about. It's like discovering a hidden gem your town has to offer. We found that today with the Center Street Nook. Nicole deserves all the credit as she was the one who kept mentioning that we should check it out - and she was definitely right. Everything tasted great - from the Manhattan Clam Chowder to the Shrimp 'n' Grits to the Grilled Mahi Sandwich. Already looking forward to going back!

Cinematic Dining

Thursday - I put a movie on hold a few weeks ago at the library and it finally came in yesterday. I figured Food Inc. would give me an eye-opening perspective into the food industry but it wasn't actually as gross as I was expecting. There were some disgusting parts - I think I'll be re-evaluating how much I eat ground beef, but it was rather tame for the most part. The movie pushes buying organic, which I have no problem with, but it's just not financially practical for the majority of Americans, including us.

Spicy Chick

Wednesday - Have you heard the news? Chick-Fil-A has a new spicy chicken sandwich! Nicole and I went over for lunch on Wednesday and received our free orders of them. I liked it but I don't think I was prepared for how spicy it would be and I think I'll stick to the regular chicken sandwiches. Why mess with a good thing?

Old Faithful

Tuesday - It's been a while, but we were able to talk Mema and Grandaddy into dinner at the Cheesecake Factory tonight. There was no wait and Nicole and I shared lettuce wraps and a pizette. Oh yeah - we also shared that wonderful plate of deliciousness in the picture. Meet the Chocolate Tower Truffle Cake - it's my new friend.

Semi-Homemade

Monday - With Mema and Grandaddy being here, Nicole and I rarely cook anymore - they cook or we go out. However, they weren't feeling well on Monday night and we were on our own for making dinner. Nicole cooked up some chicken and I made some noodles and grilled peppers and we had a feast!

CityPlace's Central

Sunday - Every once in a while, we'll have a sermon that encourages people to get connected into community with other believers. This weekend was one of those times and we wanted to make sure we were prepared for the response we'd have after services. We were able to set up a cool display with all of our communication pieces and hopefully many people will get connected into small groups.

Glades Day

Saturday - For Christmas, I bought Nicole tickets for an airboat tour in the Everglades. We had been waiting for the weather to warm up for us to use them - and Saturday was perfect weather. It was an awesome time and we saw a couple gators and had a picnic after our boat ride. The picture is of the boat we took - and I was impressed with how fast the old Osprey could move. And our guide seemed to be straight out of Deliverance.

A Spiritual Illusion

Friday - A friend of my grandad who is into woodworking gave this to him today. I think it's rather obvious to see what it says in this picture but it's tough to tell when you're looking at it in certain ways. Maybe it's not that difficult - but I keep telling myself that because I stared at it for 20 minutes and couldn't tell what it said.

Bracketeering

Thursday - It's that time of year again - the NCAA Tournament has begun! I've never felt so unprepared as I've filled out a bracket and I have little confidence in most of my picks. I didn't realize how unimportant watching college basketball would become once I worked full-time and got married. Adult responsibility = lame final four picks.

Shake 'n' Bake

Wednesday - After finishing the book our small group was going through, we decided to celebrate with a potluck dinner. Nicole and I were responsible for dessert and Nicole had a great idea to make a strawberry jello cake. If you can't tell by the picture, it turned out awesome!

Washed Up

Tuesday - I said I was going to try and do a better job of updating the blog and then I go a week and a half without posting anything. I'm so committed! This is a strange picture because it actually is a picture of my computer screen - which is playing a video I recorded. I was asked to go to the beach and record a baptism for a man who had accepted Christ the night before. It was definitely one of the coolest experiences of my internship and something I'll never forget.

Lone Ranger

Monday - I returned to another day at the office - but it appears that I was the only one. There are normally five people that work in the cubicles as you head down my hall and none of them were there today. It was unusually quiet and the lights would go off every 5 minutes because they are motion activated. However, I was able to be quite productive and I was able to listen to Pandora all day without annoying anyone.

Celebrate the Day!

Sunday - Today, we decided to eat another one of our cupcakes from Sivada's - our Birthday Cake Cupcake. It was not quite as good as the coconut cupcake but still very good and I don't know if anything is going to top the coconut. I figured today would be a good day for the celebration cupcake because it was daylight savings today, which means more daylight! A day where we celebrate having more day! And more time to enjoy this beautiful weather in south Florida.

Leisurely Afternoon

Saturday - When you live at the beach, I feel like there is an obligation to sit outside and listen to the waves and read a book. I was finally able to finish a book I'd been working on for about 5 months and I enjoyed a Fruit Punch Popsicle in the process. Credits to Nicole for the scenic shot!

A Southern Retreat

Some pictures from our quick trip to Jacksonville for our Peace Corps interview:

The city had a bunch of great little old-time Southern feeling downtown areas filled with local shops and boutiques. It reminded us of being back in Athens and made us realize how much we really miss the South.

The famous Peterbrooke chocolate company that is based out of Jacksonville. The girl working inside was extremely friendly and let us sample all kinds of things - I now know I'm not a fan of chocolate covered pringles.

This was an awesome local art gallery that featured 3D Pop Art from Charles Fazzino. I'd never seen any of his stuff but it might have been the coolest art I've ever seen. Check out his website
Here is the Cookies & Cream cupcake from Sivada's. Unfortunately, I wasn't a big fan. The chocolate tasted strange and the icing was way too sugary.
This was the Cheesecake Cupcake from Sivada's. The cake was very good and it was filled with cheesecake but the icing was still a little too sugary. An improvement from the Cookies & Cream but still not outstanding.
Our entire selection of six! Back row is German Chocolate & Coconut. Second Row is Cookies & Cream and Peanut Butter Cup. Front row is Birthday Cake & Cheesecake. Coconut ranks as one of the top cupcakes I've ever eaten - and I've eaten a lot!
This probably deserves it's own post - but we realized we had a flat tire as we were leaving the hotel where we had our Peace Corps interview. We were forced to rush over to a Tire Kingdom in a random part of town - as we were dressed in our suits and we walked across the street from the tire place and found this local BBQ joint. We were the only white people in the restaurant - but the service was great and the food was too! And they served Sweet Tea that should come with a Diabetes warning. I loved it!
The previously mentioned cup of Sweet Tea and I'm just throwing out some love to A.J.'s! Drop by and say hello if you're ever in the ghetto in Jacksonville.
This was the view from our balcony on Thursday night. We had a great spot on the river across from the Landing and our room was awesome. Nicole's mom hooked us up with an executive suite!

Cups of Cake

Friday - When we were preparing for our trip to Jacksonville for our Peace Corps interview, we looked at some things that might be fun to do after our interview. One thing that we figured as a must was stopping at this local cupcake shop called Sivada's. When we walked in, we were overwhelmed with our choices and decided to get six before trying one to see if we even liked them. But when you walk in the door and that's what you see - how can you not order at least six!?

Mexican Moss

Thursday - Who knew Jacksonville had GREAT mexican food? We found this little spot in the Westside section of the city known as Five Points - and it is very similar to Five Points in Atlanta, but you don't have to deal with as much traffic. The food was excellent, and I wish I had taken more pictures but I ate too fast to think about getting out the camera. We had chips & salsa (best salsa I've ever had) and a gouda & caramelized onion quesadilla for appetizers. And I had a cup of Green Chili and Smoked Pork Enchiladas with Rice & Beans and Nicole had a cup of Chicken Tortilla Soup and Salmon Tacos with Rice & Beans. And we had all this for about $30!

The Windy City

Wednesday - The weather was awesome today. It was sunny and in the mid 70's and I was able to have lunch outside with Nicole. The only negative was that it was really windy. When I came home, I could hear the waves crashing down on the beach and saw the mist blowing off the waves from the wind. Uhhh...that sounds like a lame romance novel. Basically, it was windy and I took a picture.

The Car Compass

Tuesday - I spent a good deal of time in my car Tuesday. I drove to work and then down to Ft. Lauderdale to have dinner with some friends from UGA who are here for spring break. It was great to get to hang out and catch up with them - but it's never fun to drive to Ft. Lauderdale, especially between 5-7pm. I was counting on my GPS to get me where I needed to go, which it eventually did, but I'm not sure it took me the right way. It's frustrating when your navigation system takes you on routes that probably take you more time than if you were figuring it out on your own. It's okay Garmin, we can still be friends.

Apple-a-Day

Monday - When the weekend ends, it's back to work and back to my computer. I usually spend most of Monday working on my Mac and catching up with e-mails and planning out different things for the week to come. I was never a big fan of Mac when I was in college (and I still hate their marketing concept - focus on your own advantages and quality and stop putting so much attention on your competition - it's like you're in politics) but I've become a fan of their products over the past year. Between my laptop, my iPod, and Nicole's touch - I've been converted.

Clean Sweep

Sunday - I put deodorant on the grocery list for this week and I tried to be as specific as I could about what kind I use. Alas, it still didn't work! For some reason, my body is really sensitive to what kind of deodorant I use and most kinds make me itch. I've never tried this one but I usually am not happy with the white ones - because I always end up seeing most of it flake off onto the floor. This might be my most disgusting post of Project 365 so far.

Southern Comfort

Saturday - After much discussing, hoping, and planning, we finally had our inaugural meeting of the Southerner's Club! It's a group of people who are living in West Palm Beach but claim the South as home and wanted to get together and enjoy some friendly southern hospitality and delicious southern food. Someone asked me what my favorite dish was and I listed at least 4 things and then remembered 4 other things that tasted just as good. Pulled Pork BBQ, Green Bean Casserole, Macaroni & Cheese, Fried Okra, Creamed Corn, Banana Pudding, Peach Cobbler, and I really could go on and on. And the people who brought the food are even better!

Light Me Up

Friday - After spending another day at the Honda Classic, I figured I'd take a picture of my ticket and it would be a good representation of the day. However, we left the tournament and headed for the Wellington Mall because Nicole was trying to find some dress clothes for an interview we have next week. As she was looking in Banana Republic, I decided to sit in one of the lounge areas and take some pictures to kill time. This picture came out pretty cool while I was taking random shots of the ceiling and everything else that was around me.

A Driving Car

Thursday - I had planned on taking some pictures today at the PGA Tournament I attended, The Honda Classic. A friend from church gave us some free tickets and we had a great time walking around and following some of the best golfers in the world. Unfortunately, the PGA prohibits spectators from bringing cell phones or cameras on to the course. So while I was planning on getting some great shots of the PGA National Course - I decided to get creative and take a picture of a different Honda Classic - my car!

Holy Smokey!

Wednesday - C.R. Chick's has quickly become one of my favorite restaurants in the West Palm Beach area. They serve fresh food with good flavor and they might have the best values around. The people are always extremely friendly and I've yet to have a bad experience at any of their locations. The dish I'd heard all about but never tried is simply known as "The Smokey." It's penne pasta in their tomato cream sauce with big chunks of smoked chicken and melted cheese. My mouth waters as I type it. Soooooooo delicious!

The Tropics

Tuesday - I've grown up on the Popsicle brand. At my house, we switched between cherry & orange popsicles, creamsicles, fudgesicles, and pudding pops. And I liked them all! Over the past couple years, Nicole and I have been partial to fudgesicles but I saw some new flavors in the grocery store the other day that I was interested in trying. The Tropicals package includes: fruit punch, tropical orange, and pineapple. I love all those flavors! To be honest, these flavors haven't been as good as I was hoping but they're still pretty good and nearly calorie free.

Chocolate Silk

Monday - During the past weekend's trip to Disney World, I had a bottle of Chocolate Milk and remembered how much I love it. When we got home, I put it on the grocery list and hoped my grandparents would pick some up. Much to my delight when I looked in the refrigerator this evening, I saw chocolate milk! And to make it even better - it's skim milk but tastes like 2%! What a deal!

Sunset Paradise

Sunday - The sky tonight was the prettiest I've seen since we've been here. The picture came out pretty well and it still doesn't accurately capture what the sunset was really like. Amazing.

Molto Bene!

Saturday - We spent the day at Epcot and had a great time. The weather was cold and rainy but we had fun anyway. I was impressed that my grandparents stuck it out being that the weather was bad and I know they were tired and I was also proud of Nicole for hanging in there while being sick and not complaining. We had dinner at Tutto Italia in Italy and it was delicious. The lobster ravioli was fantastic and the staff came out and sang Happy Birthday in Italian to Grandaddy.

The Grand Old Floridian

Friday - I don't know if there's any place more luxurious at Disney World than the Grand Floridian. The picture is from the main lobby in the hotel and I think that using the Sepia feature on Nicole's camera gives it the best "Old Florida" look (not that I know what that means.) We'll be staying here for a couple nights with the grandparents and hanging out in Orlando.

Talented

Thursday - We tried a new restaurant in Jupiter tonight. It's called Talenti's and it's another Italian restaurant in Jupiter. There is no shortage in this town of Italian places owned by guys who have moved down from the northeast. It's so funny to see how local Floridians prefer to find good local seafood restaurants, and all the transplants from the northeast try to find the Italian and Jewish places.

Being a Community

Wednesday - Being in a small group isn't all about going through a bible study together or making sure we read through a book. It's about building relationships together and encouraging each other and doing life together. The picture of the day is of some of the ladies from our life group when we were hanging out up in Stuart.

Tri-Fecta

Tuesday - Lately, I've been doing a ton of stuff with videos for our blog at work. It's been great having a Flip Video Recorder that can plug right into my laptop and load into iMovie and I've really enjoyed learning about how to make different types of movies. One of the keys to being able to use the Flip is having a good tri-pod. The picture is the tripod I use with the flip, and it has a cool feature of having legs that can wrap around things and bend.

Cream Fresh

Monday - The picture of the day is of some ice cream that sat on the counter for about 4 hours. We had dinner with some friends at their apartment in CityPlace and we were responsible for bringing dessert. Nicole made some awesome Apple Dumplings and I went over to Publix and picked up some Vanilla Ice Cream to go with it. The ice cream went great with the dumplings, but didn't look so good when we left it on the counter while we talked for a few hours.