[roo-nik]

Bonnet, Bowler, Beanie, Beret

2012-01-19T18:10:00.005-05:00

"When you wear a hat, it is like medicine for the soul..."
- Anonymous

Lately, I've been thinking we need to bring the hat back into everyday wear.

You know, everyday wear as in - not just for royal weddings and couture fashion extravaganzas.

Seriously, what could be more dashing/daring/darling/dapper than these stylish toppers?

1920's Cloche Hat

And you men aren't exempt from this look! Sinatra loved a good head warmer:

"Cock your hat - angles are attitudes." -Frank Sinatra

Even US Poet Laureate, Billy Collins, has something to say on this subject...

The Death of the Hat

Once every man wore a hat.

In the ashen newsreels,
the avenues of cities
are broad rivers flowing with hats.

The ballparks swelled with thousands of strawhats,
brims and bands,
rows of men smoking
and cheering in shirtsleeves.

Hats were the law.
They went without saying.
You noticed a man without a hat in a crowd.

You bought them from Adams or Dobbs
who branded your initials in gold
on the inside band...

I officially declare the Hat Revolution begun.

Hats Off,

How To Enjoy Autumn 101

2011-09-17T16:03:00.011-04:00

1. Purchase pumpkins, apples, and mums from your local farm or orchard.

2.Pull out your best apple cider recipes. Serve in toile mugs with cinnamon sticks stirrers.

3.Make s'mores by a campfire.

4. Buy cloves and cinnamon. Throw them in a pot along with orange peels and some boiling water. Homemade potpourri is the best!

5. Purchase a kitschy scarecrow from your local craft store. Name him.

6.Bundle up, go outside, and appreciate the colors. Find the best acorns and leaves and savor them for awhile. Put them in your pockets. Hold them up to the light.

7. Constantly be on the lookout for leaves with the best "crunchage".

8. Go to the county fair and walk through the quaint haunted house. Ride the ferris wheel. Eat caramel apples and cotton candy.

9. Go to a corn maze. Throw away the map and just run around in the dark with a flashlight. With friends.

10. Only eat things A.) Covered in caramel B.) Having to do with apples and pumpkins.

11. Try to work the words "autumn" and "fall" into every conversation. At least twice.

12. Take a drive through the Blue Ridge Mountains.

13. Wear plaid and jewel tones.

14. Invest in a pair of socks covered in leaves or pumpkins.

15. Read "fall-books." Some of my favorites are The Perilous Gard, To Kill a Mockingbird, Wuthering Heights, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, and any Sherlock Holmes adventures or Agatha Christie novels. Also, John Updike has a great children's book entitled A Child's Calendar with some great fall poems.

16. Watch mystery movies like Arsenic and Old Lace, The Village, and Bob Hope's The Cat and the Canary.

17. Go on a hayride.

18. Make a jack-o-lantern for Halloween. Then make another.

19. Buy a candy-corn scented candle.

20. Have a pumpkiny pancake breakfast with apple cider syrup and hot chocolate.

21. Incorporate nutmeg into your life as much as possible.

22. Buy new leather boots and a fuzzy scarf.

23. Watch It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown once every day. On Saturdays, watch it twice.

24. Rake leaves together until you have a massive pile. Jump in them. Be gleeful and child-like as you do this.

25. Be happy. Because fall is here!

"Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns."

~George Eliot~

Enjoy,

Feeling A Bit Like Robert Frost Lately...

2011-08-19T10:17:00.014-04:00

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim
Because it was grassy and wanted wear,
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I marked the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I,
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

There is a reason this poem graces the pages of every middle school literature anthology in America. It also makes sense that the immensely approachable Frost won a Pulitzer at least four times. This poem is real. It describes what all of us, 7th graders or MA graduates (as is soon to be my story), feel at some point or another.

I begin my last (!) semester of grad school this Monday. How quickly/slowly the time has gone! And after? I do not know what will happen. Perhaps an adjunct teaching position at my alma mater? International travel (My husband and I seem to have an unquenchable thirst for all things international)? Teaching homeschool groups English and Spanish? Publishing (writing is a given)? Heaven forbid, more school? I know that the possibilities are endless! I will try to keep you all posted on what is soon to be an exciting and scary season of our lives and will try to be a bit more regular with my posts as well!

A Goal Completed

2010-04-27T23:23:00.005-04:00

Hello!

Just wanted to post a couple pictures of Stuart's "Tar Heel" 10 miler a few weeks ago! This was his first race, and he did f-a-b-u-l-o-u-s! I was so proud of him! He had trained hard for this for several months, and was so excited about running around his old stomping grounds.

So we got up at 4am on April 10th and drove to Chapel Hill, NC. It was a long day, but a lot of fun for everyone!

Here he is before the 10 miles.

Noah (my brother-in-law) and I both went to root Stuart on, which he said encouraged him a great deal. We would hurry to the various mile markers and shout his name and clap for him when he passed. As you can see, he always had a big grin on when we did that!

I believe Stuart averaged about 8 1/2 minutes per mile, which we thought was super great, especially for his very first race.

I'm sure there will be lots more races to come in the future!

Off for a run....

Long Time, No Blog.

2010-03-31T09:02:00.018-04:00

Hello Everyone,

It has been a long time, huh? Fortunately, this week I have a small breather from school and I wanted to catch up with all my blog world friends. I hope all of you are well and that life is going swimmingly.

Here's a short update, to prove that I really have been taking pictures the last few months!

January:

I started school, and life ended as Stuart and I knew it. Late nights, early mornings, many nights with little to no sleep, fast meals, eating out, whiny students, getting tough on whiny students, learning how to be a teacher on the fly, thinking about what to write my thesis on, endless streams of email, deadlines, deluges of 10-15 page research papers to write, irritating professors, learning how to be a student and a teacher at the same time, meeting lots of really cool people, and chaos in general has since taken over our lives. Welcome to the world of academia.

Stuart 27th birthday! It was a great event! He requested we go to Ruby Tuesday to get one of his favorite meals: the "Smokehouse Burger." So we did! And we had a small party at home with presents and of course, his favorite chocolate cake.

We also had a Tar Heels theme for his birthday decorations. You can see one of the streamers in the back has fallen down!

Other January events: Going to see "Walking with Dinosaurs" with my brother Andrew and his family. So great to see them! We enjoyed spending time with the girls, and much to my surprise, they weren't scared of the roaring dinosaurs one bit! When I asked Zoe if she was worried about the dinosaurs (because her eyes were as big as saucers), she just said, "No. He'll eat those people over there!" and pointed to the other side of the coliseum. Haha. I love her so much.

February:

Valentine's Day was especially fantastic this year. We went out to eat at this great restaurant called "Main Street 221," which has a German flare to it. I think that was the name. Stuart would know for sure. He always remembers restaurant names. He gets it from his dad I think. Anyway, this is the Valentine I made for Stu-Baker.

And this is me opening my V-Day gift from Stuart, which was absolutely fabulous! It was a picture album of all the things we did in 2009 together. He made it on Kodak Gallery during his lunch breaks while I was at work. He said it took him about a month or so to make it and get it just perfect. And it was! I cried. It was the best Valentine's we've ever had together! The book consists of 85 pages of pictures in several different layouts on a pretty background and Stuart's captions. Precious! We are thinking of making it a tradition for each year!

Other February Events: Finding out my brother and his wife are expecting their third baby. If all goes well, I'll be an aunt for the 10th time!

March:

Big month! I finished up one of my grad classes after several grueling weeks of projects (yay!), Stuart and I officially joined our church and attended a reception at our pastor's house, I had a wonderful Spring Break in New Bern, North Carolina with Stuart and my bro, Harrison, and I attended a lingerie shower for my lovely sister-in-law Mary-Alice, who I only get to share a last name with for a few more weeks. We also had some great fellowship with our friends Everett and Mary Mounts, who are friends from my old church in Danville. They are so encouraging to us and we loved spending time with them! Here are a few pics of the shower and Spring Break....

The lovely table of refreshments set up for the bride-to-be....

Michael Stuart- the only boy allowed at the party!

Mary-Alice enjoying some shower treats....

The guest of honor enjoying a cuppa!

Mom Graydon served up punch to everyone!

Next up - Spring Break!

The water at Atlantic Beach was freezing, but that didn't stop me from dipping my toes in....

Stuart the beach bum!

Harrison entertained us the entire week with his crazy antics and impersonations. Here he is experimenting with the effects of static electricity on his hair.....

So, that about wraps it up for this post. I will try to be more diligent in my updates, but no promises! : )

Things we are looking forward to in April....

*Stuart's first 10 mile run in Chapel Hill, NC.
*Mary and Fred's wedding!

See you all in the funny papers!

Happy January!

2010-01-04T21:15:00.005-05:00

What a joy to be writing this post to all of you out there in this new, wonderful year of 2010! Stuart and I had a wonderful trip home to see family and friends, and we hope you all did as well!

A few short thoughts from me and I'm off to enjoy the evening and the movie Up with Stuart (which I've heard is actually pretty fantastic)!

1. I'm in grad school mode right now. This is a very busy week I have ahead of me, filled with test taking, book reading for early assignments, and several tasks to complete at LU, such as getting an office badge made and visiting Human Resources. It is my last week of freedom, so I'm trying to enjoy it as well as get everything on my list done!

2. Stuart's 27th birthday is this Friday! So this week is all about keeping birthday surprises from the birthday boy. I would tell you what I'm getting him, but he might be reading this.....

3. As we speak, Stuart is hanging some shelves my brother and sister-in-law so generously gave to us up in our kitchen. We also bought some other furniture for the kitchen while we were at home as well as a few accessories. I am so excited about this! Everything is coming along so nicely and it feels great to have at least one room that seems to be almost done! I really adore interior design and I enjoy scrounging around antique and home stores looking for that little item that says, "Staley!" on it.

4. Time for a few blog changes! I'm not sure if I'm going to change my blog background (although I've been thinking about it), but I am changing up a few other things. Obviously, I'm not doing the "100 books" challenge anymore (see #5 for more info), so that'll be coming down, but I probably will keep up something to do with my reading. This year will obviously be filled with more academic readings, but I am hoping to fit in some biographies as well. And since it is a new year, I thought I would replace The Importance of Being Earnest quotes with a new book! I haven't decided what yet. All in all, just be on the lookout for some switch-ups. Got to keep life interesting you know!

5. Soooo, I didn't make it to 100 books in 2009, but I did make it to 54! Over half way! I was extremely happy with this, as the reason I gave myself the exhorbitant goal of 100 books was so I would push myself to read more. I was looking back over my list for the year and thinking, "Wow! I read so many great stories and authors last year!" I am also super proud of Stuart, who read 9 books this year! He said that I inspired him with my passion for books (awww) and that he was also concerned about his brain "rotting away" after his college graduation. After I told him about some of the benefits of reading, and some of the sad statistics about adult readers, he was hooked! We are both committed to reading and studying our whole lives, and handing down this wonderful gift to our children too. I strongly urge all of you to read! Even if it is only 1 book a year, set a goal for yourself and start! It will reward you your whole life through....

So, that is about it for now around Neverland! Hope you all are having a great 2010 so far!

Love,

We're No Scrooges....

2009-12-17T13:10:00.018-05:00

Merry Christmas!

As the cheery sounds of "It's a Marshmallow World" dance down our hallways, I am writing this blog post to give you a peek of our very first Christmas at Neverland!

I have immensely enjoyed our decorations thus far. As of today, I am done with tutoring until next year (I think Christmas break is even better as a teacher than it was as a student), and I am basking in the simple pleasures of the season; taking a few extra moments to shake packages under our red and silver Christmas tree, standing under the mistletoe with Stuart (many, many times a day!), and reading my favorite Christmas stories.

I hope you and your loved ones can find time to do the same in this over-too-quickly time of year!

Enjoy the photos!

Our staircase wrapped in Christmas garland...

Our front door Christmas wreath....

A close up. I love the butterflies and the fruit, even though it was a giant pain getting the latter attached!

This is the miniature tree we put up in the office for Stuart. I went up there one day, and peeked in and it made me sad that I was enjoying all of the decorations everywhere else in the house while he was stuck at the desk. So, voila! He has his own Christmas cheer near his desk!

This is a portion of my Christmas library. All of the downstairs windows are sporting their own Christmas titles, including some of my childhood favorites like Madeline's Christmas... it is so fun to decorate with books!

This is Iorek (pronounced "your-ick"), and he actually doubles as Christmas and Valentine's decor. Look at him, living the life on our bed....Stuart gave him to me, because he loves to give me stuffed animals...

Our sophisticated, not cheesy at all, snowman countdown piece.....

Ah...this is my "A Christmas Carol" table. This year most of it consists of snow, because I am slowly building my Jim Shore figurine collection. I have two more to get, and some other copies of the book as well. I just love it though! Especially Jacob Marley's miniature chains....such a great Christmas story! I don't why, but Chuckie D. (I call him that because we're pretty close) just makes me want to cry like a baby....

Here is our first beautiful Christmas tree! We've had one neighbor stop by and compliment us on it and the wreath! And I must admit, Stuart and I are very proud of it. We worked hard coordinating the colors together...well, Stuart told me what he envisioned and I coordinated, but still, it was a team effort! We're thinking about adding other trees as the years go on....huh. It is funny, but I never pictured us as "Christmas people." You know, the ones who have 12 trees in their house and all that, but we have had such a good time decorating together, that I think we might be after all! Maybe next year we'll add a UNC tree for Stuart and a Victorian one for me! I'm also thinking about a Travel tree. It is our tradition to buy a Christmas ornament wherever we go, and we've accumulated quite a few! It would be fun to have them all on one tree as a tribute to our adventures together!

Okay, our stockings were so fun to pick out! We went to Target together and decided to pick out each other's stocking. Our only rule was that it had to "reflect" the other's personality. And all I can say is...wow. Stuart knowingly picked out a pink Shabby Chic stocking for me, trimmed with pink velvet and adorned with a jeweled crown. I was more worried about Stuart's...mine was so obviously me, but his was harder to pin down. Then I saw it! A reindeer stocking dressed in green (a color Stuart is in half of the time), with the little reindeer holding a chalkboard. Augh! Stuart loves chalkboards. Stuart has a chalkboard. I remember when I would visit him at UNC, I would write little love notes on the chalkboard he had for him to see when he would practice his math problems on it. And whenever we made a meal together there, we would make up a name for our imaginary restaurant and I would write it on the board in artistic lettering. Anyway, the stocking was such a perfect representation of that piece of his personality that of course I picked it up and waved it in triumph! We've hung them on our little banister at home...

In short, we're really embracing our Christmas together! We've watched several Christmas movies together, and are making many new traditions together, but trying to keep some old ones as well. Stuart was actually leaning towards not going home for Christmas, but having our own celebration here, and just going home for New Year's Eve, but eventually decided against it because both of our families are expecting us already. So, we're keeping that tradition for now! Also, for those of you who don't know it, Bedford is actually "The Christmas Capital of Virginia." Seriously. We have a sign and everything. We've gone to look at some great lights, but missed the town meeting in the square with the hot chocolate, carriage rides, and the decorating of the town Christmas tree. Also we missed the Christmas parade. We just found out too late because it is our first year here. Next year we'll be there because we love living in a small town and want to show our support!

We're trying to do something Christmas oriented every night, so tonight I think we're decorating Christmas cookies together, and I'm trying to find "Charlie Brown's Christmas" or the cartoon "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" because Stuart hasn't seen either one of them. Sadness. They are two of my favorites! When he first told me that I thought he was teasing me, but no! There are really people who haven't seen these Christmas classics! One thing we do have in common is our love for "Mickey's Christmas Carol." We ordered it off of Amazon last year and love it, it brings back great memories of childhood for both! And of course we both love Patrick Stuart in "A Christmas Carol" as well as "It's a Wonderful Life" and many others!

I encourage all you bloggers to do something fun this last weekend before Christmas! It only comes once a year!

Signing Off,

Typical Staley

2009-12-13T23:41:00.011-05:00

This picture sequence pretty much sums up our relationship....

Haley enjoying a book, soaking up a good storyline....

Stuart enjoying a book, seeking intellectual stimulation and very interested in what he's reading....

Haley getting jealous and saying, "Hey, I want to be what you're interested in! I'm intellectually stimulating and cute!"

And as usual, he falls for my wiles hook, line, and sinker!

Evil laugh....

Turkey and Such

2009-12-04T00:34:00.013-05:00

I'm just going to give a quick recap of our Thanksgiving week in photographs....

Enjoy!

Stuart relaxing on the couch at my Mom and Dad's before lunch...

Stuart stocking up on the Thanksgiving goodies (especially the potato casserole!)

My fantastic parents! They were also the hosts of our first Thanksgiving dinner that day! When we went around the table and shared what we were thankful for, it was unanimous...Mom's restored health, her safety through her thyroid surgery, and most of all....a cancer free body! Thank you, Lord!

The whole Thanksgiving crew (we missed you Young and Williams families!)

On to Thanksgiving #2! This is me holding my always happy nephew, Michael. What a cutie! I'm only sad that I don't get to see my newest nephew, Matthew Thomas, because he's on the other side of the world from me!

Anyway, this Thanksgiving was held at Stuart's aunt and uncle's home. There were over 30 people there! Crazy!

Apparently, everyone was tired after eating except Mary......

And this last picture is of my niece Zara the day after Thanksgiving. She was helping us decorate the Christmas tree. It was adorable. She would watch my dad unravel the lights and try to help him, which of course, complicated things! Her whole face lit up when we finally turned the lights on for the first time. Here she is with some ornaments.....

All in all, it was a great week! Except for the part where Stuart and Harrison talked me into going to Wal-Mart in Danville at 1am to view all the Black Friday mayhem. I was dead on my feet by the time we arrived there. All that Thanksgiving food sinking into my body no doubt! I'm a night owl at heart, always lurking around until early hours of the morning, reading, cleaning, or, in tonight's case, updating our blog. So imagine Stuart and Harrison's surprise when I, the ringleader of all nighttime activities, zoned out and trudged around Wal-Mart after them like a zombie......When we got back, I slid in between the sheets while Stuart and Harrison went to the kitchen for ice cream. All Stuart could say was,

"I can't believe you're in bed before me!"

I didn't hear the rest.....

Happy Christmas-ing!

It Ain't Easy Being Green... or... How We Spent Our Weekend

2009-11-10T23:14:00.011-05:00

This past weekend was really wonderful and really, really awful all at the same time....which in my experience is a lot like life in general. Great times corresponding with really hard situations...but I digress! On to the good, the bad, and the scary...

Friday

A great day! Stuart was on what I like to call his "Friday High" all day long. I think for him, the anticipation of the weekend is better than the weekend itself sometimes! He likes for me to stay in the office with him sometimes if I'm not tutoring or doing other chores around the house, so on Friday afternoon I basked in the sunshine filled office with a worn copy of Little Women and my journal, keeping him company while he worked. Bliss! We had plans later that night to eat at Moe's Southwestern Grill, go shoe shopping, and see this:

Those of you who know me know I am a huge fan of all things A Christmas Carol (and all things Charles Dickens for that matter), and this was the perfect opportunity to kick off the holiday season! What I didn't know or expect was that it was digitally animated (think Polar Express with Tom Hanks). We actually saw it in 3D, which means we had to wear those goofy glasses they charge you a fortune for. But! No matter to us! We were on a date, and Stuart of course had me giggling like crazy with his glasses and general hilarity. The storyline really didn't vary much from the book version, and the visuals were really stunning, especially with the 3D effects. Stuart was a little disappointed that it wasn't more humorous (being that Jim Carrey was playing pretty much every role in the movie), but still thought it was very well done. We shared our usual Coke Icee and popcorn and were two very contented lovers!

Saturday

Mostly bad! I woke up sick, sick, sick. Ugh. All I could do was curl up with my heating pad and try and rest. Achy, dizzy, headache.... No fun Saturday adventures for us! Or so I thought. Stuart very sweetly stayed with me and talked to me, and somewhere during that conversation we decided to paint the kitchen...for real. No more deliberating on the green swatches splattered against our wall! Just pick a green and go with it! So we did! I blame that decision on the Extra Strength Tylenol....no really....because there is no way I would have spent all of Saturday afternoon, Sunday afternoon, and Monday afternoon painting if I hadn't been feeling...extra powerful. But we love it! Sure, it took forever because I needed to rest quite often and we had to tape up 3 million things, but hey...

it is so done....

Here's a picture of the painful taping process...

Don't have one of the finished product yet, because I don't consider it one! So you'll have to be patient!

Well, after collapsing into bed on Saturday night, I thought the excitement was over. No no! At 3:45ish I woke up not feeling too well (I went to sleep with a bucket by my bed...I hate nausea, don't you?) and was pretty restless. I got up to go to the restroom and then I slid beneath the covers once again and tried to fall asleep....

So there I was...

minding my own business.....

trying to go to sleep.....

trying not to be sick.......

when................................................................................

I heard a noise. A car actually. Somewhat in the distance. Which isn't highly unusual being that we live in a neighborhood and all, but still.... I noted it.

And then....my stomach tensed.

Was that a gunshot?

I thought, "No, it's just the car backfiring. It sounds like it has a really loud engine and all that, so that must be what it is. How obnoxious!"

But then all in a rush, I heard tires squealing, and the engine roaring closer and closer and then...

another gunshot!

A really loud gunshot.

"Stuart!" I cried ( in what can only be described as a panic-stricken voice), sitting up like a rocket in bed.

Stuart was awake in an instant saying, "I heard it! I heard it! It was in my dream! Gunshots in my dream!" (We've kind of laughed about this since then, because his reaction was so fast but still so muffled and sleepy sounding. If I hadn't been so freaked, I probably would have laughed right then!)

We ran down the hallway and into the office, both of which are on the second floor of our house. The office has 5 windows in it, and you can see everything that's going on outside, so that was naturally where we headed. Instinctively, we dropped into a crawl once we hit the office, not knowing what might be going on outside. Stuart warned me to stay down as he looked out of the windows, but whoever it was had turned around in our cul de sac and gotten the heck out of dodge. Needless to say, we were exhausted, shaken up, and worried. What on earth had happened? We found out later from some neighbors that no one was hurt, but some windows were shot out of at least one of the houses being built around us. Sooo, in the last couple of days I haven't been sleeping too well, and tense up every time I hear a car driving by. I don't know if it was a prank or what, but it definitely messes with your security, you know? And we live in a really safe, family friendly area, so nobody is really sure why this happened as of right now.

Sunday

Well, after a not so restful night of being sick and worrying about being murdered in my bed (you know, the usual), we slept in and missed church. Stuart let me sleep. And sleep. And sleep. I woke up about noon, still not feeling like myself, but a bit better with no nausea. We pretty much just rested and painted a little and that night, since the kitchen was totally destroyed, we did something absolutely unheard of in the Graydon household. We went out to dinner for the second time in one weekend. Ruby Tuesday is only about 5 minutes from our house, so we got all cleaned up (which made me feel a lot better in and of itself) and headed out the door, talking about how approx. 4 years earlier (November 5, 2005 to be exact), on our first date at the Colonial Ball, we had no idea that on this night approx. 4 years later we would be married and painting our kitchen and going to Ruby Tuesday because we were tired and our appliances were all covered in plastic (I'm sure all you married couples know this game). We snapped a fast photo as we headed out...

See? Not a speck of green or a single bullet hole on us or in us!

Well, that was the first weekend in November for us! Hope yours was a little less exciting than ours was!

Kicking off the holidays with a bang-bang,

Acceptance...It Feels Nice

2009-11-02T15:54:00.004-05:00

So, I didn't want to leave everybody hanging about my grad school application...

I got accepted!

Please pray for Stuart and I as we have to make several choices between now and December! We both feel that this is where the Lord wants me to be as of right now, so unless he leads us down another path before January...grad school it is! I will be pursuing a MA in English, an opportunity I am elated about!

The next step in this process is pursuing a GSA position, which stands for Graduate Student Assistant. This position is harder to get, as it is a full scholarship for the program, and several people want them! The education is free, and you are assigned two English 101 classes to teach under the guidance of a full-blown professor. The great part? It is a paid job as well! Not very much, but coupled with the free Master's and the teaching experience, it is a pretty sweet deal. On the down side, I am planning to start the program in January, and I'm not sure if there are any GSA positions open until next fall, so we may have to foot the bill for at least one semester.

We would ask your prayers on this issue as well, as we really can't afford grad school without one of these positions. I'm pretty nervous about it because I know many smart, qualified people who want these positions too, and I can't help but think, "Yeah, right! This isn't going to happen!" But, we are just trusting the Lord! If this is really what He wants then I think we'll be fine... if not.............. I know He has something else for me out there!

God Bless You All!

Hope your Halloween was great!

Pridefulness, Thy Name is (Gulp) Haley!

2009-10-30T15:14:00.009-04:00

This morning while I was having my quiet time, I was perusing The Valley of Vision: A Collection of Puritan Prayers and Devotions, along with my Bible reading. Before I proceed with this post, let me just say that this is a wonderful book brimming with spiritual insights. Many of the prayers convict my heart and bring tears to my eyes. They are beautifully written, but not in a showy way. These prayers are sincere, humble, and cover every subject imaginable, from a convicted sinner's prayer to longing after God. I ran across this book because our pastor, Dr. Kroll, read from it several Sundays ago, and the words struck a chord with my heart. Stuart and I have read some together as well, and enjoy discussing how they apply to us, how we can take our prayer lives more seriously, etc.

Anyway, I ran across this convicting prayer on pride. What a snare it has been in my walk with Him! How many times it has kept me from going to Him with repentance in my heart! How often I have sat in judgment of my brothers and sisters in Christ and felt it welling up within my soul! For those of you who find yourself in my shoes, I want to share it with you:

PRIDE

O THOU TERRIBLE MEEK,
Let not pride swell in my heart.
My nature is the mire beneath my feet,
the dust to which I shall return.

In body I surpass not the meanest reptile;
Whatever difference of form and intellect is mine
is a free grant of thy goodness;
Every faculty of mind and body is thy undeserved gift.

Low as I am as a creature, I am lower as a sinner;
I have trampled thy law times without number;
Sin's deformity is stamped upon me,
darkens my brow,
touches me with corruption:
How can I flaunt myself proudly?
Lowest abasement is my due place,
for I am less than nothing before thee.
Help me to see myself in thy sight,
then pride must wither, decay, die, perish.

Humble my heart before thee,
and replenish it with thy choicest gifts.
As water rests not on barren hill summits,
but flows down to fertilize the lowest vales,
So make me the lowest of the lowly,
that my spiritual riches may exceedingly abound.

When I leave my duties undone,
may condemning thought strip me of pride,
deepen in me devotion to thy service,
and quicken me to more watchful care.
When I am tempted to think highly of myself,
grant me to see the wily power of my spiritual enemy;
Help me to stand with wary eye on the watch-tower of faith,
and to cling with determined grasp to my humble Lord;
If I fall let me hide myself in my Redeemer's righteousness,
and when I escape, may I ascribe all deliverance to thy grace.
Keep me humble, meek, lowly.

I think my favorite line is, "My nature is the mire beneath my feet..." In other words, I'm my own worst enemy! Many times I don't even recognize I'm being prideful until the moment, conversation, etc. has passed. Then I think, "Oh no! Not again! I had such a prideful spirit about that!" Then I'll have to apologize to whoever it was, or just confess it to the Lord and start over. For me I am often deceived because I'm simply thinking, "But I'm right about this!" and not recognizing that its the way I'm being right about it! My deceptive nature...

Also, I love the line about sin's deformity being stamped upon us. How true this is! When I begin to think of my sin nature as a literal deformity in my soul, I begin to see just how ugly it must be to a pure and Holy God!

In closing, I am happy to say (without pride I hope!) that pride is something the Lord has and is taming within my heart. In the meantime, I find that this prayer helps me to put in all in perspective!

Humbly Yours,

It's Called The Happy Dance For A Reason

2009-10-22T21:16:00.007-04:00

Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is indeed a sweet night. After many weeks of filling out applications and forms concerning various aspects of my life, writing a paper on why I want to be part of the Master's program at Liberty, taking tests (not to mention paying for said tests), begging teachers for recommendation letters (okay, not really begging...but still), checking on my transcripts, and waking up with vocabulary flash cards stuck to my cheek...

It is finished. The deed. The beast has been slain and I'm left holding the sword.

That's right. I am done applying to grad school!

Forget that this was the easy part and I have at least two years of grueling writing, research, late nights, and other unspeakable evils in front of me. I'm done until January!

I'm going to kick back, relax with Stuart, and pop Duck Soup into the DVD player because...

I have nothing else to do.

At this rate, I don't even care if I get in.

Booyah.

Free For Now,

A Hairy Situation

2009-10-09T15:58:00.010-04:00

This hilarious procedure took place about a month ago. Watch, learn, and enjoy...

Step 1: Right before Stuart decided to shave off his beard I insisted on getting a picture to remember it by (because I loved, loved, loved the beard! So manly....)

Step 2: We call this the halfway point. Not too late to keep a remnant of your former beard, Stuart!

Step 3: We call this many things, including but not limited to:

Life-altering
Hilarious
Like watching a bad 70's or 80's cop movie
Odd
Incriminating
Hair Don't

And so at this stage it was definitely too late to keep a remnant. Sorry Stuart, now it all has to come off!

I just want to give you a moment to take it all in......

.......

.......

Well, I don't actually have the final picture of Baker without a beard, but most of you know what that looks like anyway. I think I was still shrieking with laughter at the sight of him like this to take another picture.

So there you have it! Future blackmail material...

Having Fun,

For Me?

2009-09-13T15:25:00.010-04:00

So....

Thanks to everyone who helped make my 22nd birthday a great one! Not a day went by during my birthday week that I wasn't surprised by some pleasant phone call, facebook remark, or a fun package in the mail!

As most of you know, my parents and brother came up for my birthday weekend! Stuart and I gave them the grand tour of Neverland, cooked them a scrumptious supper, and settled in for a fun evening of talking. The next day was the perfect day to turn a year older! The weather was beautiful as we all piled into the 4runner to head to Cracker Barrel for breakfast! Then we strolled downtown Lynchburg for a bit, looking in antique shops and browsing the farmer's market, hiked Sharp Top (that is pretty much a given now with whoever comes to visit us!), and went out to eat at Abuelo's in Roanoke. On Sunday my family went to church with us and then Dad wanted to take Stuart and I out to Olive Garden for one last meal together! The whole weekend was a lot of fun, especially because I hadn't seen my parents in awhile!

Monday, Stuart had the day off of work for Labor Day, and we have been planning for weeks to make it our private celebration of my birthday. Stuart's pretty big on stuff like that, and of course I don't argue! I woke up to the great smell of pancakes, bacon, and soothing hot tea! That sweet man had sneaked out of bed to make me a birthday breakfast! And...he made me supper too! He set up a table out on the deck and grilled out steaks, baked potatoes, and made us salad as well! Then I opened the presents he had for me! It was so great! There were candles and everything. Such a great evening together!

I know I've already sent everyone thank you notes, but I just wanted say:

Dad and Mom - Thank you for the great weekend, the birthday meal, and the gorgeous antique trays! I couldn't have picked a better gift!

Harry-Sun - Love the Christie title you gave me and I cannot wait to read it! You're the best brother in the entire world!

Andy and Melissa - I have so enjoyed The Valley of Vision thus far! Thanks! Oh, and also I loved the e-card too. Bwahaha!

Liz Holbert! Your e-card just totally made my day! It was such a surprise to open up my inbox and see it there! Thank you my dear friend!

Seth and Karen - I love the Sephora gift card! There are always so many things there I want to get, but always stop myself because I don't "need" it. Now I can pamper myself a little! Happy face!

Jonathan and Denise - Love the makeup and writing pad! I remember our "sparkles" conversation we had last year sometime. I'm sure these sparkles will be perfect and not too gooky or sticky or just...weird like the other ones I've tried were.

Dad and Mom Graydon - Getting your package in the mail was such a surprise! I loved both books you sent me! I cannot wait to read the Elizabeth Prentiss title, and am eager to use some of the tips in the decorating one! Thank you!

Mary- Even though I know "technically" your gift was both to Stuart and me and was also a late wedding present, it hit right around my birthday, and so it kind of makes me think of it as one! We love that wonderful picture frame. I look at it all the time!

and Stuart.......you know! : 0

Here are a few pictures we took over the birthday weekend....

My fab parents!

Stuart catching my reaction to a gift from my parents.

Stuart and Harry enjoying some birthday dessert!

On the Sharp Top trail! Pretty tired at this point as you can tell.....

Forgive me, but I don't have any pictures of Stuart's special dinner for me as of right now! Perhaps at a later time!

Happy birthday to me....

Quick! I Must Write This Before I Have Something Else To Do!

2009-08-27T11:57:00.005-04:00

So all of you won't think Stuart and I have fallen off of the face of the earth, here is a very short synopsis of our lives lately:

* Guests, Guests, Guests!
-We had Noah up for all of last week and had a ton of fun! We took him to Bojangles (of course), watched movies, and he and Stuart even had a fun "guy night" together.
- On Saturday, Noah's last day here, Phil and some of the Freeman's came up to go hiking at Peaks of Otter and eat pizza with us.
- We're meeting up with Dad Graydon tonight to eat dinner together and pick up Suzanne, who will be staying with us for a week. We have lots of fun things planned!
- Next weekend my family is coming up to stay the weekend, and help me celebrate the old birthday.

* School
- I'm currently sitting in on an English class at LU on Tuesdays and Thursdays (hurray for free education) at the request of some friends and a professor in the English Dept.
- Preparing to take the GRE, which for those of you who don't know, is the test you have to take to get into grad school...kind of like the SAT, just another level up. So, a lot of studying right now. Haha! It doesn't help that I'm pretty much horrible at taking these kinds of tests...I'm dead serious. I get all nervous under timed tests, and bored, and fidgety, and usually end up doing bad on them.

* Job Hunting
- I may have found a little something on this front. I'm in contact with a woman who runs a school and wants get someone to prep/tutor students for the SAT and critique essays and such...and that person would be me. So hopefully, that will work out. I'm not sure though.

*Normal Life
- I cook, I clean, I write letters, go to church, have quiet times, read books, take care of Stuart (not hard because he's so easy to please!), grocery shop...all of you ladies will know the drill!

So as you can see I've been pretty busy as of late! I'm very thankful for it, but it does mean I have not blogged for almost two weeks! So sorry everyone!

Have a great weekend! Do something fun!

Love,

On August, Autumn, Thunderstorms, and Life

2009-08-11T10:00:00.002-04:00

August finds me in a bitter -sweet mood this year.

For me, I've always felt that the end of summer marked the beginning of a new year, and not January 1st. I think this is because everything in my life shifted in August and September as a small child. I moved up a grade in school, I turned a year older, and Sunday school always promoted me to the next class at the beginning of September. Everything seemed to start over, to change. While January only threw me back into the murky abyss of what I had been doing before the jolly activities of the holiday season, September whispered of new beginnings, new people, and new chances. And some goodbyes.

I've never been able to shake that feeling.

However, I'm always excited for the upcoming autumn season. It is no secret that autumn is my favorite time of year! It has been since I was a small child...autumn just seemed so right to me. And so, so beautiful. All of the best things happened around autumn. My birthday as I alluded to earlier, the excitement of a new year at school with brand new school supplies, leaves changing colors, walks in the woods near our house to collect pretty foliage, pumpkin carvings, Dad chopping up wood for the upcoming cold season, warm beef stews and roasted peanuts, and the much anticipated county fair with all of its promises of ferris wheels, caramel apples, cotton candy, and craft exhibits. I remember Harrison and I giggling nervously together as we held hands at the top of a giant sliding board, then the rush of exhilaration as we whooshed down it's curves, delighted when we landed in heaps at the bottom, safe and sound. I've seen that sliding board in recent years when I passed it at the fair. It looked so much smaller...

How can autumn be so joyous and so sad all at once? Everything is so beautiful, and yet in reality, everything is dying. Everything is changing. Everything is moving on.

*Sighs*

My good friend Melissa and her husband Andy, are leaving Lynchburg next week and moving to Texas. Sadness. I will miss our college days, sitting together in church, and summer fun at local restaurants and bookstores. Thank you Lord, for such a good friend...and Melissa, I sincerely hope you two move back here after Andy's done with engineering school so we can raise kids together, and they can get married and we can finally be related! Ha! Have we got ambitious plans or what?

I know another part of me is sad that the school year is starting again...without me. This is the first autumn since I was 3 years old (I started school at 4, I don't think my mother could stand my begging one second longer, or my reading to everybody in the house from my hand-written, hand -bound, hand-illustrated books) that I haven't been preparing for school. And yes, I miss it terribly. Okay honestly, there is a possibility that I might be starting my Master's soon, but it won't be this autumn, and I don't know if it will happen at all. Also, it is a different kind of feeling than in years past. Whether I pursue another level in my education or not, I feel the sad ending of an entire chapter of my life. My Swan Song so to speak. And while I am ready to go on to the next thing, I will miss this wonderful part of life immensely. That feeling of knowing that every autumn will be like the one before, full of newness and learning. Now it is my turn to educate others- my students if I choose to teach, and my children as Stuart and I have little ones, and they in turn began all of the autumns of the rest of their lives.

But on to the "sweet" part of the bitter-sweet mood I'm in...

I love our new life here in Bedford, and I love being at Stuart's side for all the rest of our autumns. I love our sweet little house, dubbed Neverland by us, because it is the place made up of the love-filled dreams we talked of before we were married. Oh, how we planned and talked about having that "perfect little place of our own!" The place where our love never grows old and we are forever young, just like in the children's book. Also, the first book we ever read together was Barrie's Peter Pan, and I always thought that the first house we lived in, the first place we really settled into would be our Neverland house, where we could cook together, read together, love each other, begin our family, and never grow tired of it! Hence, our new blog title! All of our love to all of you, always!

Next up, and this may be a bit odd...thunderstorms are on my list.

I love to watch them swoop down upon our new home in little Bedford City from the majestic Blue Ridge mountains! I love to watch the beauty of the clouds darkening, love the contrast of our small, quiet home against the boisterous rumbles of the open sky, love the scented candles and cheery lamps against the hushed darkness, love dinner baking in the oven, promising something warm and comforting to Stuart and me while the summer rain slaps the roof above. Sometimes at night, we turn all of the lights off, and sit on the porch, watching the lightning light up the night like the giant lightning bugs I caught as a small girl. We listen to the rain pour down, talk about our day, hold hands together, and I know all the while that this will be one of my best memories of our time in Bedford....I took some pictures (on a sunshine filled day) of the outside of our house, because I know many of you have asked...

The master of the house and hearth (and my heart *smiles*), Stuart Frazer Graydon, III.

Front view of Neverland. Next year in the spring we want to plant lots of flowers and maybe have a little garden in the back...

Our cute little front door with our wreath, and our cute little address plaque on the side....

Stuart enjoying his lunch break on the front porch after eating, a daily occurrence. You may also notice the background construction site. We think it adds a bit of class to the joint.

Our cheery pink petunias make our porch seem more home like....

Other things that make me feel oh so "sweet" in this hot and sticky month of August?

*An endless line of loved ones who are visiting almost every weekend make our hearts soar with joy. What can be better than catching up with people you love so much and being able to give them a bed to sleep in?

*Being "home." Man, it is the greatest feeling to have one.

*I have been spending time doing what I have always loved. Writing. And that is deeply fulfilling. With or without a publisher's contract.

*Getting to know Bedford. I love driving through the city at night, windows down, everything quiet and serene....

*Stuart and I deciding to bake a "fun" recipe every single week... and this is just a guess....most of them will probably be filled to the brim with chocolate and will most likely be desserts...those of you who know Stuart will know why...

*Turning 22 in a manner of weeks! I don't why, birthdays usually aren't a big deal to me (as evidenced by the fact that Mom Graydon gave me a look several months ago and said, "Haley, I don't remember ever having celebrated your birthday! When is it?" I had to laugh because Stuart always teases me about it too.) But this year I have been so grateful for my life, and the wonderful things in it, that I am deeply moved and grateful God allowed me to arrive here and see this wonderful number of 22. I feel like celebrating my life. So.... buy me presents all of you....Haha! I'm kidding about that part!

So, you see the good things far outweigh the bad!

Well, it is pouring outside, and I need to prepare our supper.

Happy "Last Full Month of Summer" to all of you!

Our Deepest Love and Best Hugs,

Quick Update #5

2009-07-29T15:19:00.003-04:00

A short list of all that has been going on in our lives the last week or so:

* My sister-in-law, Crystal, and her boyfriend, Joe came up to spend the weekend with us. Stuart and I made supper for them, and later we made snacks and watched the movie Defiance, which by the way, is really intense and keeps your attention. Stuart and I had already seen it and liked it, so....that's what we did. Crystal and Joe really liked it I think...

* Saturday, we hiked Sharp Top at Peaks of Otter nearby. We packed a cooler and backpack full of goodies and had a great time.

*I fell flat on my face while hiking... yes I did. And it was really funny even to me, but unfortunately, not to Stuart....

* After hiking, we went home and got cleaned up and went to the mall in Roanoke where we ate in the food court, shopped, ordered Ben and Jerry's ice cream, and had a good time all around...

*Came home, made more snacks and watched Jumanji...went to bed.

*Went to church Sunday morning and then came home, had a quick lunch and saw Crystal and Joe off...*sniff*

Other happenings?

*I got facebook again for any of you who don't know it yet! I had it for a long time throughout college, but got rid of it for various reasons...but now Stuart and I both have one. Look us up!

*I've been re-reading some favorite books for old time's sake, including (but not limited to), And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie and Alcott's Little Women. Each time I do this, I'm like "Man, I love this book!"

*We've been having storms and constant rain here, especially during the night, which I kind of like because it makes our house seem more cozy. I just snuggle up to Stuart in bed and listen to the rain beat outside!

*I'm still job hunting, but now Stuart and I are considering some other options. Will let you know as this develops more.....and no it does not involve children...

*Harrison might be coming up again this weekend! Yay! Always happy to see my little bro!

That's about it for now! Hope all of you are doing well!

Sincerely,

New Bern and Beyond

2009-07-23T23:12:00.016-04:00

As promised in my last post, I have pictures from our anniversary trip to New Bern, North Carolina last weekend. We had such good jaunts, fellow readers! The beach is about an hour away (for those readers who don't know the area), and we spent almost the entire day there on Sunday (our actual anniversary).

We both got some sun...

Correction:

I got some sun.

Stuart apparently got the entire sun and tried to swallow it or something.
I've spent the last couple of nights slathering the poor soul with Aloe Vera gel and listening to him bemoan the itchiness of his state. But I digress...

We drove down on Tuesday evening after Stuart got off of work and set up house. Stuart still had to work Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, so the party didn't really get started until the weekend. But those nights were still a lot of fun. I read a book to Stuart and we took the family's paddle boat out on the water at dusk to talk and such. We also grilled out steaks and of course, made our annual trek to Books a Million where I added to my library as I always do whenever we visit New Bern. However, I will admit that this wasn't quite as exciting as it used to be, simply because I live near Barnes and Noble now (10 times better) and didn't before. But still...I love any bookstore, anytime, anywhere. And who am I to fight the New Bern tradition?

I ask you...who?

FYI- I also love Next Chapter Bookstore in downtown New Bern. Yay for used books....okay I'm moving on.

Anyways, like I said, the real fun started that weekend. I'll let you look at the pictures now and just narrate as I go. Shall we?

This first picture is of me in downtown New Bern on Saturday. We slept late, ate lunch at Schlotsky's Deli, and browsed all the local shops. We also had a treat at the Cow Cafe, which Stuart makes me call the Moo Cow Cafe, even though I argued, "That's not the name. Look at the sign." Stuart just says its family tradition and we must call it the Moo Cow Cafe in honor of the old cafe...or something like that.

The treat at Moo Cow Cafe I mentioned above was in fact a banana split. Oh sorry, I mean a Moonana Split. And believe it or not, it was a first time experience for both of us! Can you believe it? I've heard my whole life about banana splits, but never really wanted to try one. Stuart said he had never had one either and we decided to seize the opportunity to share something together for the first time. It was surprisingly good. I don't know, I just never thought of bananas and ice cream as a very appealing thought, but I'd definitely do it again. Stuart agrees with me. The picture of our first banana split...awwww...

Now here was a funny event. Not only are both of us pretty horrible at miniature golf, but a storm had come through the night before and totally soaked the course. We couldn't even play one hole because it was under water completely. And yes, Stuart beat the pants off of me. But I looked better golfing! Ha!

July 19th! Our anniversary day on the beach! It was so nice out, not too hot, borderline chilly actually. We got up early, went to IHOP for breakfast, and drove to the beach with snacks, books, cards, and sunblock (but apparently not enough). Stuart buried my feet in the sand, and I collected lots of shells for a shadow box I'm making. We also played in the ocean together, Stuart bodysurfed, I watched and laughed, threw sand at him, ran from him when he tried to rub sand all over my back, and attempted to push him into huge breaking waves ( I know, my sense of humor is sick). Stuart later said that he let me push him...hmmmm....

Stuart. Pre-sunburn. A happy and carefree man....

Were you expecting a post sunburn picture? I don't have one. Sorry. But I do have a picture of us back from the beach, all cleaned up and ready to go out to eat at The Harvey Mansion. We ate filet mignons and they were delicious. The waitress wished us a Happy 1st Anniversary! It was fun. Note: You can't see Stuart's sunburn because of his shirt. But his smile looks like a slight grimace of pain to me, don't you think? And just so you guys don't think I'm heartless and didn't look after the Baker, let me just say I asked...nay...pleaded with him to put on sunblock. Several times. But he would have none of it. I hate to say I told you so....no I don't....I told you so!

Me having a moment. Stuart says I look better this way and I quite agree. I think it adds a certain something to my countenance. I look more intimidating. Or perhaps....psychotic? Anyway, would you approach someone with this face? I didn't think so.

The stately Harvey Mansion and restaurant. Located near the water for your viewing pleasure.

And last but not least, Studebaker cranking up the grill for some steak eatin'. One night we also bought wings and other appetizers from Hurricane's just up the street. We popped popcorn, drank Coke, and cuddled through Spiderman 3.

So now you know several things, one being that I am not responsible for Stuart's sunburned state, and another being that I love to spend money on large quantities of books. But the most important thing you know is that Stuart and I had our first wonderful anniversary together and are now, even as I type this, beginning to live the second. And that is the best anniversary present of all.

Embarking on Number Two,

Congratulations to Us!

2009-07-19T17:30:00.000-04:00

Stuart and I have officially made it to the one year mark as of today!

We're currently in New Bern, North Carolina living it up and celebrating our 1st completed year of married bliss. I'll probably blog more on the details of our excursion later, but I couldn't resist posting something on our actual anniversary date. I can't believe it! It seems like yesterday...really.

Stuart was sooooo handsome in his tux...*sighs*

Here's a picture we took a couple of weeks ago when July finally rolled around. We decided to take a picture showing our big 12 month mark. We were so excited that our special month had finally arrived! July will forever hold an important place in our hearts!

And just to remember good times, here's a picture of us on our honeymoon on Prince Edward Island a year ago, which was too perfect for words... sea canoeing anyone?

Here's to year two and many more memories!

Love,

The 4th in Pictures

2009-07-06T21:23:00.013-04:00

Hi Everyone!

We hope you all had a safe and happy 4th of July. Stuart and I spent the majority of the day at the Graydon's. Here are a few pictures of the event. Enjoy!

Here's Mom Graydon enjoying some delicious roasted corn outside in the courtyard...

Joe and Crystal (one of my 5 sis-in-laws) enjoying 4th of July festivities.

Yes, these are the same people shown above...just with funnier faces!

Mary (another sister-in-law) enjoying some "auntie time" with new family addition, Michael Stuart Robinson. Our first nephew (but not for long, Dana's expecting a boy in November, yay!)

Mary and Crystal with Michael. They just look sweet....

The proud new parents! Seth and Karen Robinson (yet another sister-in-law)!

So in all honesty, I didn't take as many pictures as I usually do at these kind of things. By the time we made it to my parent's house later on in the day, I was too tired to take any pictures at all! So I'm glad we at least have these. One sad thing: I didn't get to see any fireworks this year! We had planned to make it back here in time to catch fireworks at our new house, but the visit with my family took a little longer than anticipated. O'well! There's always next year!

Here's to long summer days!

Love,

Quick Update #4

2009-06-29T10:16:00.003-04:00

Happy Monday!

Well, Harrison is finishing up a week long visit with us and is going home today (big tears of sadness). We've had fun watching movies, hiking, etc. I really don't want him to go, but I know a man's gotta do what a man's gotta do.

I did suggest he live with us however....

Over the weekend we had another fiasco with the house. Our toilet beside the kitchen overflowed one night after Harrison took a shower. Obviously we have a blockage somewhere. There was ummmm....errr.....excrement.... everywhere! All over the bathroom obviously, but it seeped into the kitchen, under the refrigerator, and into the pantry. It was putrid to say the very least. I had to go outside a couple of times while we were cleaning it up because I was so nauseous.

This was at 2am (we had stayed up late talking and watching a movie). Stuart called the emergency plumbing number to no avail. The toilet kept rising at the slightest hint of water. So once again, no toilets, no washing hands, definitely no showers, dishwasher, or clothes washer either. We waited and waited.....finally at 4am we gave up and went to bed, but not after scrubbing down the kitchen multiple times as well as ourselves (in the tub without draining the water, it was not fun). Nobody came until yesterday afternoon sometime....apparently its fixed now, but.....I'm not putting anything in the pantry for awhile just in case!

The other big news around here is that there's a bear in our midst! A real live one right here in our neighborhood! Stuart got an email this morning warning everyone to keep their children inside. Its torn up some bird feeders and made a couple appearances on people's lawns.

Well, that's about it for right now besides I've been searching for a job like crazy. Pray that I find one!

Until Next Time,

5 More Minutes, Mom!

2009-06-14T09:30:00.000-04:00

By now I should know that Robert Louis Stevenson has a sixth sense when it comes to children. I saw this poem by Stevenson a little while ago, and I must say it took me back to being a small child in an instant! He always does. Rarely do you run across a person who remembers so perfectly the feelings and questions of childhood. Every summer as a little girl, after an evening filled with relay races with my siblings and lightning bug chasing, I was called in to go to sleep...too early.

Always, always, always too early!

Perhaps some of you can relate....

Bed in Summer

In winter I get up at night
And dress by yellow candle-light.
In summer quite the other way,
I have to go to bed by day.

I have to go to bed and see
The birds still hopping on the tree,
Or hear the grown-up people's feet
Still going past me in the street.

And does it not seem hard to you,
When all the sky is clear and blue,
And I should like so much to play,
To have to go to bed by day?

Happy Sunday, everyone! Hope this made you smile a little!

Big Kids Now,

Incompetence: A True Story

2009-06-12T16:30:00.003-04:00

Some of you weren't praying hard enough.....

Haha! No I'm just kidding.

But! We did have a hiccup on our house closing today. We were almost there........

*Sighs*

We were supposed to close this Monday the 15th, but apparently somebody at the mortgage company dropped the ball.

Basically, the appraisal company performed the appraisal last week but "forgot" to send it to the mortgage company (Incompetent person #1) until later this week....so late in fact, that it is now too late to close on Monday.

And how did this come to our attention, you ask?

Our Realtor called Stuart and said the closing company needed our homeowner's insurance documentation.

Stuart responded (shocked and dismayed voice), "Ummm, I handled that weeks ago! They should have had it long before now."

So, Stuart called Geico to get the scoop. The Gecko himself told Stuart that they needed a mortgagee clause from the lender, which they had not received though they had attempted to get it numerous times.

Guy at mortage company = Incompetent person #2

The gist?

We're not closing until Friday the 19th....

All things considered, it could have been worse. We still get to move in on Saturday like we planned, but just" forgetting" to do your job... really?

Really?

Really?

I just needed to vent. Stuart vented to me and now I pass on the joy to all of you. And we both think this entitles us to "forget" to pay the mortgage company at least once. Teehee!

Honestly though, we've been really blessed through this whole closing process. This is really the first thing we've come up against so we don't really feel like we should rip anyone's head off...yet.

For those of you who have trouble getting my humor, that last comment was a joke.

Have a great night!

Feeling better already,

Milestones

2009-05-13T15:09:00.018-04:00

Happy May!

Wow, so this is my first May post! Sorry I haven't updated in awhile. Everything has been pretty busy around here. But! Today I bring you stories and many pictures of our recent adventures!

So! The question you are all dying to know.

What have Stuart and Haley been up to lately? Hmmmm?

Everything you can imagine my friends.

Mother's Day, birthdays, graduations, house hunting, car repairs, bridesmaid dress fittings, frustrating (might I add fruitless as well?) job hunts, etc.

But! We'll hit the highlights!

Saturday, May 9th, I officially graduated from Liberty University with my BA in the field of English. Granted, I've been graduated since December '08, and have even received my official diploma of awesomeness in the mail. But this was the real deal! The atrocious cap, the gown, the heinous meshing of over 20,000 people onto one football field...

You get the big, crowded picture.

But one thing I didn't expect! I was on TV! Yes, Channel 13 actually interviewed moi out of 6,300 graduates! I mean, I knew I'd be famous after I graduated, but I didn't realize it would all start literally minutes after the ceremony! Ha!

No, in all seriousness I looked ridiculous! I was hot, sweaty, and really flustered by the camera being pushed in my face. I got out some really profound words...

"It was wonderful. I really enjoyed it."

Wow, Haley. Your 15 minutes of fame and you kind of blew it...hmmm.....

Still! If you want to watch it, here's the link:

http://www.wset.com/news/stories/0509/621280.html

Just hit the "Click here to watch" button and I think it will show a few commercials first, but then you should be in business! If it doesn't work, sorry! I don't know how long they keep those news stories posted!

And I really just want to take half a second and give Stuart a blog hug. He was my biggest fan on my big day. He drove me to LU (we had to get up at 5am for the drive), got sunburned from sitting in the heat for so long, took pictures, and just kept telling me the whole day how proud he was of me. He also has a special "graduation day present" plan that he has been keeping top secret. When I find out what it is, you all will certainly read about it!

Not that I'm not going to snoop about a bit (wow, say that 5 times fast) to see what this is all about.

Because I am.

Stuart, consider yourself warned.

Here are pictures!

Here's me and my main man/fan/hero/friend/lover/soul mate/insane activities partner/ and co-founder of the newest Graydon family branch. It was 7:30 am on Liberty Mountain!

Me pre-graduation hat hair.

Our commencement speaker, Ben Stein. The Ferris Bueller/Visine Commercial/Expelled Documentary /Win Ben Stein's Money Show - Guy.

Me-lissa and Haley! She's getting married May 30th! Waaaaahhhhh! And I'm a bridesmaid! Double waaaaahhhhhhh!

That night we all celebrated with dinner at Miyako's, a local Japanese restuarant. We were not about to try and eat in Lynchburg...I mean I'm a big fan of 3 hour waits and everything, it's just that my family isn't...I know.Weird.

The other big event around here was Mother's Day, which was the very next day after my graduation! I gave my mom roses and a card, and she went to a Mother's Day parade Hargrave Military Academy was throwing for all the cool moms (my younger brother goes to school there, therefore she is a cool mom).

But! The big Mother's Day event this year was at the Graydon's. They decided to do it up big this year, and throw Mom Graydon an outdoor tea party. And since yours truly is a daughter-in-law (the first one in the Graydon family, might I add) my help was recruited.

My task? Flowers and kitchen helper.

I actually prefer the titles "Floral Design Specialist" and "Culinary Advisory Assistant." I'm thinking about putting these on my resume as I'm job hunting.....Hey, I would hire me.

But I digress.

The event was lovely and the weather was cool, but nice.

There was a diverse menu (including but not limited to):

Petits Fours (heart-shaped)
Chicken Salad Croissants
Raspberry Tarts
Pumpkin scones
Pasta Salad
Fruit Salad
Strawberry Shortcakes
Spinach & Cheese Tarts

Various Types of Teas

And a background music selection of Michael Buble, Frank Sinatra, and Dean Martin.

Mom Graydon was of course, delighted by it all. The children took turns sharing "mom" memories that were special to them, and presented her with a scrapbook. She said it was the best Mother's Day to date!

Some pictures of the memorable evening...

The l-o-n-g table. My flower arrangement is in the middle (the photo at the top is the closeup shot of the arrangement). I scattered flower petals up and down to fill in the "white space" and I *think* Karen set up the candles and mirrors. But...I could be wrong about that.

The special Mother's Day bouquet I made for Mom Graydon. I wanted her to have something marking her place as the guest of honor. The bouquet consists of tulips and one enormous peony (compliments of my own mama's garden. She grows beautiful flowers!).

The food...

More food...

Another highlight of the evening was Stuart and me finally getting to meet Elyana! She slept most of the evening, but she was precious even sleeping!

So, there's our weekend! I hope you enjoyed the pictures and please leave a comment!

Coming soon to a blog near you:

Harrison's Hargrave Commencement
Haley Finds Out What her Graduation Present Is or Stuart Gives Haley her Graduation Present (whichever comes first!)

Hoping Life is Good,

Has It Already Been A Year?

2009-04-29T15:16:00.015-04:00

The person who is on my mind right is short, chubby, and bald.

This person also doesn't have many teeth, has long delicate fingers, and loves to destroy cake...

Give up?

The little person on my mind is my niece Zara, who just celebrated her very 1st birthday yesterday on April 28th!

Her mom said that Zara seemed to know exactly what was going on on her special day! When the birthday cake was brought out, Zara started to laugh, kick her feet, and reach for the yummy frosting!

As for me, I can't believe it has already been 1 year since this little girl entered all of our lives! All of our nieces are growing up so, so fast! I feel so blessed that I am getting to watch them change firsthand. How they all have grown!

I remember holding Zara for the first time a year ago. Nobody could get over her l-o-n-g delicate fingers and toes!

"Perhaps she'll be a musician or a ballerina!" we mused together.

No matter what this little girl turns out to be, she is surrounded by family who surely do love her!

The Birthday Girl

Looking forward to even more birthdays,

4 Words

2009-04-21T13:11:00.004-04:00

...We hate house hunting.

We only want one house. Just one. Doesn't have to be very big. Doesn't have to be our dream house. It just has to not utterly repulse us..........yeah. That would be nice.

Dreaming on,

There's No Place Like Home!

2009-04-09T14:53:00.002-04:00

Hello Everybody....from our native soil!

That's right! We have officially made it home!

We are so glad to be back in the USA and looking forward to catching up with all of our friends! I know I haven't done a serious post in awhile, but don't worry! I'll catch up soon! This is just a fast update to let everyone know we haven't fallen off of the planet! This past week in Pernes we were very busy, soaking up our last few days in the French countryside, buying presents for loved ones, and taking care of a few domestic chores. Okay so it wasn't just a few, as a matter of fact, it was a pretty large undertaking. Not because the house was so dirty, but because we wanted to leave it better than we found it!

The flights were long, but completely smooth, something we had been praying for (especially after our disastrous journey to France)! Thanks to anyone who thought about us or prayed for a safe journey home!

Our last night in France, our friends Vincent and Siv had a meat fondue for us, as well as a delicious ice cream cake. We closed our time together in prayer, and said our heartfelt goodbyes, not knowing if we'll ever see them again (in this life)! On the way back home, Stuart commented that he felt we had come full circle. Vincent and Siv welcomed us our first day in France with a big meal and helped us get settled, and now three months later they were doing the same thing to say goodbye! What a wonderful blessing they were to us....

So! Welcome back me! It was sooo wonderful to get in my car this morning and drive! I was afraid I would forget how to over there!

I've also been thinking that now that we're home, I need to change the title of our blog. Any snappy titles on anyone's minds? I'd love to hear them!

I hope all of you have a wonderful Easter weekend, surrounded with a strong church community and family/friends to celebrate Christ's resurrection!

Off to buy Marshmallow Peeps and Cadbury Cream Eggs,

10 French Things

2009-03-30T08:48:00.013-04:00

A small list of things we will really miss once we find ourselves in the States again...

(in no particular order)

1. The excellent bread. Seriously, I think I've become a bit of a bread snob since I've been here. When I get home, I'll probably throw all of our bread away once its a day old....

2. The slow lifestyle. Nobody is in a hurry! Whenever you are invited to lunch, it means spending most of the afternoon in fellowship with others. Such a pleasant difference from the American rush, rush, rush. Take your time...life is sweet....

3. The incredible doors and windows! Everyone has a different door here. All ornate and colorful! And there are a variety of shutter colors. Purple, green, blue, yellow, even pastel pink!

4. The "oldness." The buildings have such character and we love the cobblestone streets and stone structures that date back to the 13th century or so.

5. The patisserie shops and their creative confections. (Hopefully I can do a more thorough post on them soon!)

6. This charming road Stuart and I take almost daily walks on. There are horses on the walk, pretty flowers, a small stream, and ivy covered trees. I will always treasure our memories of walking it!

7. The Gothic architecture we've snapped so many photos of! I've waited a long time to see some of it and I will miss its stately presence!

8. Being so close to so many wonderful historic sights/countries!

9. Herbs De Provence - A blending of herbs such as thyme, basil, fennel, savory, lavender, etc., that supposedly captures the essence of the South of France. Stuart and I have enjoyed it immensely and pretty much put it in everything we cook (meats, potatoes, sandwiches, etc). Hopefully we can find it in the USA!

*To find more on Herbs De Provence click here.

10. The wonderful people who have welcomed and befriended us here! Our neighbors and church friends have been so good to us. They've driven us to the train station, taken us sight seeing, cooked for us, and explained the "French Way" to us! I couldn't have asked for a better welcome! I truly hope the Lord blesses them for their sacrifices and love!

So, I guess these would be my top ten. Although, I'm sure after I get home, there will be things I'll miss and just don't realize it yet!

Missing France Already,

Travel Radar: Germany and Holland

2009-03-27T09:12:00.016-04:00

Hi!

Stuart and I are now back from our trip to Germany to see the Young family. I so enjoyed seeing Dana! It was especially hard to leave because I usually only get to see them once a year. Sadness! It makes those final moments hard. But! We had such a great time! We talked and played with the girls and took two day trips. Both were fantastic and I'll give more details/history along with the pictures below. As with the Paris trip, too much happened to post it all, but I will give you the gist. Here you are, friends!

The worst and best day trip we took was to Amsterdam, Holland, a trip that was a complete surprise to Stuart and me. We didn't realize that Dana and Rob lived so close to the border of Germany/Netherlands (about 5-10 minutes)! So....we got to see Amsterdam (a city Stuart has always wanted to go to), and tour Anne Frank's house (a literary landmark I've always wanted to go to)! We killed two birds with one stone, so to speak.

So, why was it the best and worst day trip?

It was the best because it was so interesting and a complete surprise.

It was the worst because it was really cold and rainy and....I got sick!

Yep, halfway through the day I started thinking, "Huh, I don't feel so good..."

Honestly, I thought it was just because I was damp and cold from being outside most of the day, but then on the way home my teeth started chattering and my body started aching and I knew I was sick. Blah!

Dana was really sweet and found me some meds and of course Stuart was right there asking me if I was okay.

"What aches?" he asked.

"Ummm....everything." I chattered.

"Like your head and stomach?"

"Yeah. And my armpits, and my skin, and my throat, and my ears....."

"Oh! That kind of achy....."

Haha! Needless to say, I have been taking it easy the last couple of days and am feeling better, if not totally up to speed yet.

Anyway! This first picture is of Dana and me in an Amsterdam restaurant fixing to eat pizza. I think I have like 4 layers of clothes on here....Brrrr!

Pictures weren't allowed inside of the Anne Frank house, but I got a shot of her memorial statue instead. Wow! That house was so sobering to me. It especially made me sad when Hannah would ask Dana, "Mommy? What happened to her? Why did those men want to kill her? Did she die?" Its hard to explain something as evil as the Nazi regime to a 4 year old, but Dana did a great job putting it on her level without terrifying her.

As a book lover, I have a desire to visit every literary location I can find, so this was very engaging to me. I kept trying to picture little Anne writing this journal, never dreaming that her words would impact so many people all over the globe.

I'm also a lover of history, so it was equally interesting to learn additional facts about the Holocaust, a subject I find fascinating and sickening all at the same time. Otto Frank, Anne's father (who survived), had filmed an interview and allowed pictures of him to be taken as well. You could see such depth and sadness in his eyes.

I know for me, I can have trouble taking really important things in when I'm there. It seems kind of surreal, or like a dream. I don't know if any of you know what I'm talking about but, sometimes I'll talk to myself (silently of course, don't want the men in white coats a' knockin' on my door!) to make it more real. For instance, as we were entering the secret annex at the AF house, I was thinking:

"Anne walked up these stairs, just like I am. The people who captured her had their feet on these stairs too. And here I am with my feet on these same stairs, all these years later. She wanted to grow up, and get married, just like I did. She wanted to write, like I do....."

Etc.

I don't know, it helps make it more personal to me sometimes. More than a museum that you pay to see, you know?

Anyway...the statue...

Next up are our adorable nieces sharing a chocolate milk in Amsterdam. Hannah on the left, Rebekah on the right......

Cuteness, right?

Can I just say that Stuart and Rebekah hit it off from day 1? She loved him! And I can't say that I blame her! She would run up to him and hug his legs, or want him to hold her in his lap all the time! When he picked her up, she would just stare at his face for the longest time (I know what that's like)! Finally I asked, "Bekah, do you think Uncle Stuart is handsome?" She gave me a shy smile and nodded. SOOOOO sweet! Here is a picture of them together before we left.

Another sweet moment between the two: Stuart had fallen asleep on the bed while we were watching a movie with the girls. Rebekah pointed to Stuart and said,

"Uncle Stuart is tired?"

"Yes, he is." I said.

So Rebekah went and got her very worn out stuffed Eeyore and sat it on Stuart's chest so he'd have something to sleep with. How precious is that?

This next picture is of Hannah and me putting Easter clings on the window of their bedroom. We had so much fun! Every month, Dana and the girls decorate their room together in whatever event is coming up! So, we had bunnies, Easter eggs, and flowers galore to decorate with.... I'm so glad I got to be there for the "changing of the decorations" ceremony!

Rebekah's face when her mommy pulled out the Easter decorations for their room! She was so excited! Out with the March kites and in with April, Easter bunnies, and spring flowers!

Our other day trip was to Cologne, Germany to see the Cologne Cathedral! This place was amazingly huge and so fascinating to learn about. Rob told us on the way that he thought it beat out Notre Dame. Ummm....yeah! I would have to agree with him! It made Notre Dame look like a little chapel! It took over 600 years to build (1248-1880) and is the largest Gothic church in Northern Europe! It also houses the coffins and remains of the famous three wisemen, which we got to see! We also toured the treasury (where no photography was allowed) and saw beautiful chalices, staffs, etc. made of gold, crystal, and precious gems.

Another "fun fact" that Dana and Rob told us: During WWII, this cathedral was off-limits for bombing, because all the pilots and soldiers used it as a landmark!

We couldn't fit the whole thing in, but you get the idea!

Dana, Rob, and the girls enjoying a snack as we all waited for our train to Cologne.

Seriously, I am so thankful we got visit the Young's. Both of us really enjoyed it. I enjoyed catching up with Dana and seeing the girls (Hannah was a flower girl at my wedding this past summer, but Rebekah couldn't come that trip. I hadn't seen her since she was 4 months old. She's two now! That is way too long to go without seeing her!)

Stuart really enjoyed this trip as well. He expressed happiness at finally getting to sit down with Dana and talk and get to know her (Dana felt this way about Stuart as well). Up until now, Stuart has only really gotten to know Harrison, so I think it was neat for him to be able to spend time with another sibling of mine.

But now the thing that tops them all!

I was there when Dana found out she is pregnant with her third baby! WAAHHH! Words cannot express how special this moment was to me as a sister! With Hannah and Rebekah, I found out from Mom, or over the phone, or through another one of my family members. But this time, I was actually there in person! It was so neat to hear Dana telling Mom and Dad over the phone (she put it on speaker so I could hear their reactions) that they were going to be grandparents a fifth time! Mom actually didn't believe her at first and was like,

"I know Haley put you up to this! This is a joke!"

As if I would do such a thing! (Halo) What does she take me for, a prankster? (Okay, okay, we really did consider calling her up together and saying, "Hi Mom! One of us is pregnant! Guess which!" But...we were afraid she might have a heart attack!)

Some may call it perfect timing, but I think it was a special gift from the Lord, I really do! I mean, what are the chances of that happening in a five day time frame? I will always treasure it!

Well, that's all for now! Stuart and I leave in about 12 days for home, and we are intent on enjoying every moment of the rest of our time here.

But! I am looking forward to some events when I get back, such as:

*Officially graduating from LU (meaning the cap and gown ceremony)
*Seeing my younger brother Harrison graduate from Hargrave Military Academy!
*Seeing both of our families and meeting Elyana Ruth for the first time.
*Being a bridesmaid in Melissa's wedding to a wonderful man named Andy, and helping her in any way I can to get ready!
* Buying our first house together!
*Finding a job or some sort of paying activity in Lynchburg, Va!
* Finally seeing our wedding album!

Have a great weekend!

Love to everyone,

Travel Radar: Paris

2009-03-19T20:00:00.000-04:00

Hi Everyone!

Wow! So, it's time for the Paris update that you've all been waiting for! Sorry it has taken me so long, I've been uber busy this week with cleaning, cooking, and preparing for this weekend's jaunt to Germany. But! I finally have gathered up some extra minutes to share some trip highlights with all of you!

Since it would be impossible to show you the whole trip (we literally took 100's of photos), or tell you about the entire experience, I am only going to share a few things I think are interesting and share a little background behind the photos. Enjoy!

Here's the breakdown of our trip:

Day 1: Arrive in Paris around noon. Check into hotel, wander around city.
Day 2: The Louvre Museum (Mona Lisa, Da Vinci, etc.)
Day 3: Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, Browsing in the Latin Quarter, supper outside at a small bistro.
Day 4: The Palace of Versailles (Marie-Antoinette, all the Louis the 14ths, 15ths, whatevers), and exploring Lafayette Galleries (the biggest store I have ever seen in my life. Period. Bigger than anything I've seen in New York, Texas, or anywhere else in the USA.) It carried all the designer names. I picked up a pair of Prada flip-flops.....400 bucks. Yeah....I put them down carefully. If that's the flip-flops, I don't even want to see the boots and high heels! Dessert at a bistro.
Day 5: Museum D'Orsay (Van Gogh, Monet, Manet, Degas, Millet, etc.), Nice dinner inside, due to cold weather!

Okay, here are two shots of our hotel. The Hotel Prima Lepic. We enjoyed staying here! The staff was very friendly. We had a bit of trouble finding it, but not too much which I'm grateful for. My suitcase was getting awfully heavy!

Our cute little bed with a pretty canopy. Typical European hotel room -tiny with thin walls! You could hear everything! We didn't mind though! It just makes for better snuggling up!

As you read above, we spent the first full day of our trip at the Louvre. Stuart and I had a running joke that we spent the majority of our trip doing this.....

Haha! Which makes sense, because most of the ceilings are beautifully decorated! Neck gets a little sore though. We toured several sections, hitting the highlights like the Mona Lisa and some of the Classical and Napoleon paintings, then decided to look at our personal interests. We both wanted to see Vermeer and other Dutch painters, Stuart specifically wanted to see the German paintings, and me? Well friends, I immediately headed for the Egyptian artifacts! What can I say? I've always been fascinated with ancient Egypt, and here was my chance to see a real sarcophagus! It is a topic I'm very much interested in, but don't know very much about...hmmm...I should work on that!

This picture is of Stuart and Homer becoming fast friends. Homer even played his harp for us. What a thoughtful guy.....

Here's a shot of us culture vultures somewhere during our trek of the Napoleon paintings. I couldn't believe how huge these paintings were, or how perfectly detailed! Where was I when all this talent was handed out? I haven't even graduated from stick figures yet!

This is our second full day in Paris! We decided to visit the Eiffel Tower and climb it the old fashioned style! No elevators for us! We came, we saw, we got slightly dizzy, we conquered! After this, we walked to Notre Dame where we did not see Quasimodo, but did get to see beautiful Gothic architecture and stained glass, and got bugged to death by some woman who wanted us to give her money. The thing was, there were like 10 women working the same street with the same lame story! Really? They should split up or something! Anyway, we were approached probably four times by these people, and then got cursed at for turning them down!

"Oh wait ma'am! Come back! Now that you've cussed me out, I just really want to give you money!"

Riiiiiiight.....

Anyway, us in front of the Eiffel Tower!

Our third day found us at Versailles, the palace of some very rich, very troubled people. When we got through, all Stuart and I could say was, "No wonder the people revolted!" These rulers lived in such ridiculous opulence. It was really incredible. I can't even describe it! It was beautiful, but wow! Apparently, it really sapped the money out of the country. The king had a series of rooms (about 7) leading up to his throne room, each one growing more and more ornate as we grew closer to the throne room and the king's divine presence. It was kind of his way of saying, "So do you feel inferior yet?" Here's the famous Hall of Mirrors. Very bright and open!

Here is the room several of the queens slept in, including the doomed Marie-Antoinette. It was out of this room she fled from Paris when the peasants began to attack the palace. (Oh! Side note: The picture at the very top of the floral chair is also from Versailles. All of the furniture varied from room to room. Nothing was decorated the same! This chair was in the library of one of the king's daughters.....) Anyway, everything in this room matched! I must admit, being a person who is fascinated with interior design and clothes, I was excited to see Versailles simply because of the array of fabrics I had heard about. Now, I can't decide if it would be a designer's dream or nightmare!

Check out this canopy with the feathers! I don't know....I kinda think it should be a little more ornate, don't you?

Here is me in Marie-Antoinette's room sporting headphones and my awesome audio guide necklace. I'm pretty sure that all of you are jealous of this right now......Visit Versailles and you too can wear one, my friends!

Here is the outside of a section of Versailles. It's only a side of the palace, can you believe it? One story tells of a maid who got lost inside the palace for several days before she found her way again! I believe it! Also, this is only one of the palaces on the extensive grounds. There are two others, a smaller one specifically for Marie-Antoinette to get away from her duties and relax in. She kept animals like sheep and cows, and liked to disguise herself as a dairy maid to get away from her people and all the royal demands. The other is a much bigger one that we didn't tour. I didn't have the courage....

Our last full day in Paris we went to see the Museum D'Orsay. We loved the paintings there, and Stuart was so excited about seeing one of his favorite paintings by Van Gogh up close! Of course, we had to get a picture of him with it! Here it is! I think this is the title!

Vincent's Bedroom in Arles:

And lastly, this is Stuart and me in the Museum D'Orsay browsing random galleries. One of my new favorite artists is definitely Millet, who had several beautiful pastoral paintings, which reminded me of Thomas Hardy's Tess of the D'Urbervilles, one of my favorite books! I fell in love with them, and we even bought a small print for our new house (wherever that may be)!

So! We had a wonderful trip! I will try and fill in some other finer points later, such as food and smaller attractions we enjoyed, but this should give you a rough sketch of our trip! Some of the best times were at night, when we were eating outside under the heaters and talking for hours together! It was so great! The metro was an adventure as well!

Well, off I go now! Tomorrow we are on the road again for another short trip to see Dana, Rob, Hannah, and Rebekah! Yay!

Goodbye for now!

I Spy...Spring!

2009-03-10T07:46:00.017-04:00

Did you ever play "I Spy" when you were little? How about "Guess What Color Car Is Going To Drive By Next"? Or "What Shape Is That Cloud"?

Okay, so I don't know the real titles of those last games, but I do know that these games always remind me of cool spring days when I was a little girl. I used to sit on the front porch swing with my grandmother (we call her granny), usually with a bowl of peanuts or an apple, hoping the next car that drove by would be blue and that I would win the game.

I also remember wonderful days when my mom would take Harrison and me outside for a cheery picnic in the front yard. We would play "I Spy" for forever. I also remember having to pick really easy colors for Harrison, because he was so little!

So, why the walk down memory lane, you wonder?

Why, finding these first hints of spring sprouting around the house, of course! Seemingly overnight, a beautiful assortment of flowers have woken up from their winter sleep and stretched their stems towards the sun!

When I saw them, I got so excited I got out our camera and snapped pictures of them all! I love spring!

As evidenced by the flowers, we have had some really nice weather lately. Actually, the same evening I was happily photographing flowers, Stuart and I had a wonderful time grilling steaks for a Friday night supper! There is an indoor grill in the sunroom, and we quickly put it to use! We also made french fries and had our weekly Coke.

Sunday, the weather was beautiful again and we had lunch with Jean and his wife. Afterwards, Jean showed us an old cemetery in their town (the town of Mazan), as well as the old city (similar to the walled city of Pernes I blogged earlier about). Back at home, Stuart and I enjoyed a long walk and talk on the country roads. We had a wonderful time! There were many other couples out in the nice weather, and we all exchanged a polite "Bonjour" whenever we met up. Stuart was wearing a t-shirt, and I was picking violets and admiring the horses we always see on our walks.

All in all, a relaxing time filled with great conversation!

We wanted to give everyone a glimpse of our Friday night cookout, so here are some pictures for you to enjoy! Hope your weekend was as great as ours. . .

You can tell we like lots of marinade and seasonings on our steaks! Hooray for flavor! Won't you please have one with us?

The grillmaster himself. Making eating fun... one perfect steak at a time!

Stuart and Haley in front of the sunroom grill, having some Friday night fun! Hello everyone!

On the outside looking in - I started the fries inside while Stuart grilled outside. We always open the window so we can still talk!

Well, that wraps up the recap of this past weekend. This weekend however, we'll be in Paris! Look for pictures and a post next week sometime!

Have a great week, and take time to notice all the signs of spring! It only comes once a year, you know!

Off to pack,

And On A More Personal Note...

2009-03-03T07:13:00.004-05:00

Happy March!

Stuart and I have been doing lots of traveling over the weekend, and looking forward to some special trips later on in the month, but our thoughts have also been turning homeward as we prepare to journey back to the good ol' USA.

First, let me say that this trip has been a really good time for Stuart and I to get down to some of the nitty gritty of what we want out of life. We've had talks about our goals as a couple long after we've gone to bed at night, spent many evenings on the computer house hunting, and gone for idea filled walks in the beautiful French countryside. It feels good to sort through the numerous areas of our life and decide together:

"Is this what we want?"

Kind of like spring cleaning, but with lifetime decisions! Thankfully, most of the difficult questions had been ironed out long before we were married, but there are always the ones that come up after you're married too! There have been foggy areas, and as we find ourselves on the downhill slope of our closing journey, we are emerging into a sweet clarity that we know has truly come with God's guidance.

That being said, I'm happy to say that after we return home we will be making our permanent home in (or around, depending on the house) Lynchburg. I know, I know! That's where we lived before we came here! But, Stuart has really felt that the Lord is guiding us back there. It is always amazing to see God work. If you had asked either one of us in January where we didn't want to live, we would have said Lynchburg! We were thinking the Triangle, Charlotte, even D.C., but Lynchburg was just supposed to be temporary until I graduated from LU.

But! When we got to France, we agreed to really pray for God's will in seeking our new home, neighborhood, job opportunities, etc. Imagine my surprise one morning, when Stuart told me that God was putting Lynchburg on his heart, more than that, that he actually wanted to live in Lynchburg and raise a family there! Well, this was a 180 from what I had been hearing! I had to laugh as I thought about all the weeks we had been looking for houses in the Triangle and numerous other locations. Trust me, Lynchburg wasn't even at the bottom of the list!

After we made the decision to pursue Lynchburg, we've both had that amazing peace that comes when you know you're headed in the right direction (a peace we definitely didn't have when we were looking elsewhere). It's funny, but now that the decision is made, I want to look at the whole situation and laugh, "Of course! It was there all along! How embarrassingly obvious!"

O'well! They say hindsight is always 20/20!

We've also made numerous other decisions pertaining to our lives, but if I typed them all out, you all would be here forever!

Suffice it to say, that we are extremely grateful for God's direction and the love of our families.

We covet your prayers as we try to find a house that is the right fit, and as I try to find a job in our present economy!

Looking forward to seeing everyone soon....

Love,

Travel Radar: Gordes

2009-02-27T03:07:00.009-05:00

Hello Everybody!

This is Haley writing our very last post of February!

While all of you (with the exception of the Young family) are asleep on the other side of the ocean, I'm taking a little bit of time to write up last weekend's excursion to the city of Gordes (a.k.a. Minas Tirith look-a-like for all you Lord of the Rings fans)!

This city was very majestic looking and built up on a hill, so it made for great scenery! Stuart and I had so much fun going up and down random staircases, down small alleys, climbing up on rock walls, etc.

The best part? No annoying railings! If you fall 200 feet and break your skinny neck, that's your problem!

Since this isn't peak tourist season some of the shops were closed, but most of them had their wares out on the cobblestone streets, and we purchased two watercolor prints to remember our trip by! We have really enjoyed not having to battle the crowds while we're here. I think it has really allowed us to explore more, and made it seem less touristy and "herd of cattle" like.

And as always, we are so grateful that we have been given this special trip together. It's always amazing to make a comment about the scenery, something you're feeling, or something you want to do, and the other one always looks up with a knowing smile on their face and says,

"I was just thinking the same thing. . ."

I literally cannot count how many precious times that has happened between Stuart and me! At the very beginning of our relationship when we were courting, it would surprise and delight us! Now it still delights us, but each of us has come to know the other's knowing smile and nod. There is nothing like being in harmony with the one you love!

And now the part I know all of you have been waiting for. Pictures! Hurray for modern technology!

Stuart and I thought this looked similar to the White tree in the courtyard of Gondor...

We spent a few minutes in this sweet little spot talking and taking in the scenery. We're literally on the very edge of the hill, with nothing at all below us. So exciting to get that close!

Stuart, the lonely wanderer...

Haley, the lonely ponderer. . .

Well, that's all for now as we wrap up the month of February!

We're both looking forward to March and the exciting adventures knocking on our door! Mainly, 5 days in Paris by way of train, and a trip to Germany to see the Young family and the sights of Deutschland. We are so excited!

Wishing all of you a great adventure too,

Profiter de Soleil

2009-02-20T18:49:00.000-05:00

This is what our friend Jean told us one of the first days we were here...

"Stuart and Aaaaleyy," he smiled, pointing at the sky, "profiter de soleil!"

Profit from the sun.

Wise words in a place where rain shows up at the drop of a hat.

So! What do you think we did? Stuart took the day off of work on Friday and we profited until the sun came out of our ears!

"Where should we go?" we mused. We'd been to several of the nearest towns already, and did we really want to drive two or three hours? Hmmm....

In the end, we opted to explore Pernes les Fontaines, our own little city that we'd managed to overlook in our other "bigger game" travels.

Our challenge?

They don't call it the city of fountains for nothin' friends! There are around 40 fountains scattered over this little village, and we wanted to see them all! In addition, we had seen several beautiful chapels, sweet little patisserie shops, and the mysterious inner city (complete with 13th century walls and other fascinating architecture) all from a distance. We had not yet taken up our cameras, backpacks, and tennis shoes and conquered the unknown stone gates.

This was that day.

We layered our clothes (because you know "sunny" doesn't always mean "warm") and dug two bicycles out of the Daniels' garage. With a few squeezes of life into our tires, we were pedaling towards adventure on the rutted back roads of France!

Here I've included some pictures of our extreme fountain quest. Let me just say that I'm not sure how many fountains we ended up seeing. They all began to look very much the same after awhile, and I got the feeling that we were circling a bit too.

Anyway, I've included two of the fountains. The first was the most gruesome and it's a closeup, there were other deranged figurines surrounding it as well. The second was a larger one in a quiet courtyard we found. You may not be able to see it, but the statue on top is of a bird "partaking" of a fish.

Lovely, yes?

This picture was after Stuart had stolen chocolate bread from a patisserie and was banging on the cathedral door for sanctuary (and hopefully confession). Too bad they were closed!

Now Stuart is stealing something else....a kiss from me! (Okay, so secretly I let him do it!)

Our last picture is of a typical French street: extremely narrow and stony. After about 20 of these sweethearts they all start looking the same! Still, I love the quaintness of the towns, and the houses possess a certain character that most American homes lack.

Perhaps the most interesting part of the entire day was when we ran across an iron-gated staircase. Stuart, being the extreme fountain quest leader, immediately said, "Come on!" I timidly followed, stating my fears that we may be wandering into a residential area.

Stuart insisted.

I sighed...he's the boss!

We followed the staircase...which led to another, narrower staircase, which turned into....

a staircase....

After awhile of climbing, we soon realized we had stumbled upon the stairway to heaven!

I mean the city tower!

We found ourselves in a courtyard standing at the base of yet another set of stairs. But in the end, it was well worth it. We were at the highest point of the whole city! The views were gorgeous, and everything felt so calm and carefree.

We've included a picture of one of the views, though it really doesn't do it justice!

I like that you can barely see the mountains rising in the distance.....

So, at the end of our extreme fountain quest, we hadn't seen all 40 fountains. We're not ashamed to admit it! But, we did see many beautiful things that we hadn't planned on seeing at all, including a Chocolate shop (which we will be returning to soon...yeah), an awesome little boutique with home decor, cool sundials on the sides of a church, and of course, the surprising "rooftop excursion" I just mentioned.

This is Marco Polo signing off,

Quick Update #3

2009-02-17T14:46:00.004-05:00

So....

I just wanted to let everyone know I'm still here and that Stuart and I had a special Valentine's weekend together. We did lots of things, including:

1. Visiting Roman ruins at the small town of St. Remy.
2. Going to a florist shop in Pernes where Stuart picked out a gorgeous mix of roses and daisies for me. The best part? They were grown locally! The worst part? They were ridiculously expensive. They are currently in a vase on our dresser and I love to look at them!
3. Deciding to cook a special Valentine's steak dinner together! We headed to Intermarche and not only picked out steaks, but everything else our hearts desired (ice cream, cookie dough, frozen mars bars, and a chocolate beignet to boot! Don't worry! We normally NEVER eat like that!)
4. Giving a yellow rose to our neighbors Philippe and Monique because they have been so kind to us since we've been here. Philippe even went to a bookstore and requested a special travel book in English for us. How thoughtful is that?
5. Since Stuart had the day off on Monday, he took me shopping at H&M in Avignon!

All in all we had fun. We laughed, cried, and...........didn't take any pictures!

Sorry! I guess sometimes you're just too busy living the moment!

Hoping all is well with all we love,

P.S. Dana Gayle, if you're reading this...I'm showing you my vampire teeth! Teehee....

Portraits of Everyday Life #2

2009-02-13T07:43:00.010-05:00

My Stuart Frazer where he is everyday from 8-5. You can't capture a better picture of his everyday life than this!

He is so good at his job, and I couldn't be more proud! I really believe he has a special talent for what he does!

However, I must admit that I would go insane doing his job. I'm very much the fidgety, creative type who likes to move around and be on my feet. Isn't it neat how God made us all with different strengths, weaknesses, and capabilities?

Here's to all of our sweethearts on this Valentine's weekend! Whether they are short or tall, talkative or reserved, crossword puzzle aficionados or football freaks, we are all so blessed to have been given to one another!

Happy XOXOXO Day!

Travel Radar: Palais des Papes

2009-02-09T16:32:00.016-05:00

Hello Blog World!

I told you there was more coming soon and here I am, with details and current pictures as promised!

The primary reason for our trip to Avignon was to see the Palais des Papes, or the Palace of the Popes. This place was apparently uber popular back in the 14th century. Since the architecture around here is so incredibly beautiful and gothic, Stuart and I wanted to post some photos we took around Avignon. We hope you enjoy them....

Thoughts on the palace:

1. Cold. Extremely, stupidly cold.

2. Huge.

3. These guys were living the life. Today, lots of Christians and religious people kind of have the whole "vow of poverty" thing going on. These popes didn't have an issue with this. Though the walls are mostly bare now, they were covered with ornate tapestries and tiles when they ruled. The pope's bedchamber was ridiculously nice, with gorgeous frescoes painted by the finest artists money could buy. They had huge gardens and even personal zoos, where they kept animals like lions, peacocks, stables of deer, etc. They had tons of power and mucho dinero my friends. All of this information leads me to my next thought....

4. I think I'd make a good pope....

All joking aside, the palace was extremely interesting and there wasn't a lot of security, which means Stuart and I acted a lot sillier than we normally would have....

Stuart was going for the Quasimodo look, too bad we weren't at Notre Dame! Still, I guess that makes me Esmeralda. Not dark, gypsy Esmeralda mind you. No, this is the fair, over eager, touristy Esmeralda with museum audio phone. If there had been problems with security, I could have wonked them over the head with this clunker...

Here are some shots of the palace and surrounding courtyard. Notice the hot young man in one of the pictures. That would be my husband......

The bell tower at the palace. Very beautiful and very old.

The view of Palais des Papes. This picture really can't capture how enormous this courtyard and the castle were. It took us hours to walk through (listening to the audio guides) and we still didn't see all of it!

I love, love, love this picture of Stuart going up the castle stairs. It was such a random shot. I just said "Smile!" and he did, and it turned out to be the best picture of the whole day!

*Sigh* I love old things! This window was so breathtaking, I couldn't resist snapping a couple of pictures of it. This was on the inner wall of the palace in a courtyard we walked through. Note the details in this stone! They don't make 'em like this anymore!

Me in a courtyard...profound.

After the palace, Stuart and I decided to have something to eat at a nearby cafe and then to set off down the cobblestone streets to see what we could see. The cafe? Not so much. Our waiter was extremely rude and careless. It was the very first rude French person we've met, and it was almost too much for our hearts to bear. But! Why focus on the bad? Afterward, to my surprise and delight, we stumbled upon the shopping district. We went in perfume shops, linen shops (which actually smelled better than the perfume shops!), and even in a gourmet bakery shop where we picked out delicious gourmet cookies resting in overflowing baskets (we chose chocolate, coconut, and then one that was a cinnamon, lemon mix. Yum!)

Then Stuart (being the sweetheart he is) took me shopping for clothes! Yay! He is always so generous and knows that girls love to look and buy that sort of thing. He even patiently waited while I picked out everything, held the clothes, and waited for me outside the dressing room. I am so blessed to have such a patient man for my husband!

Here are a couple more pictures of the shopping area:

I loved this old theatre. It was so huge and majestic looking. I mean, I'd go see a play there...

And now, perhaps most importantly of all.....

Yes people, McDonald's is one step away from world domination.....

Also, all my sisters-in-law will surely recognize the store to the left we all know and love....and never ever shop at at all....right girls?

All in all, a very fun trip.

Until our next journey,

Quick Update #2

2009-02-09T08:51:00.003-05:00

Hello People!

All is well here in France.

Yesterday Stuart and I went to church as usual in Carpentras (I'll try and get some pictures of that up soon) and then had tea and pound cake with our next door neighbors Philippe and Monique! They are such a hospitable couple, and although they don't speak much English and you all know we don't speak much French, we got along great and talked about 2 and 1/2 hours. They have truly been a blessing to us since we've been here!

Saturday found us in the beautiful city of Avignon, Travel Radar and pictures to come!

Other than that, I really wanted to update my LU friends on what's been going on in my life (although I'm sad that some of you guys haven't got blogs yet, and therefore cannot comment. *Sniffle*)

Everything is pretty much the same except that Stuart and I have a brand new niece!

Miss Elyana Ruth Wilson

We are so happy for Denise and Jonathan and also happy that the baby totals for the Williams/Graydon families are going up and up and up!

We now have:

Hannah Faith
Rebekah Hope
Zoe Jean
Zara Lynn
Katrina Joy
Shiona Marie
Elyana Ruth

and......(drum roll, please)

our first nephew due in June (compliments of Seth and Karen)!

I wonder who will have the next baby? Hmmm......

We love being here, but miss seeing all of our sweet little bright spots too.

(Denise, I know you're my most avid reader! And since you know all of this....sorry!)

There's your update!

More soon,

Portraits of Everyday Life #1

2009-02-04T10:06:00.005-05:00

For all of you who wonder what Haley does besides read...

Voila!

Now, why she does it in ballet flats, velvet pants (note their rolled up to prevent any floor grime), and jewelry is another question altogether. . .

Call it madness, stupidity, or just plain prissiness. . .

Stuart calls it "Haley being Haley."

Perhaps we'll never know...

Windex Forever,

Travel Radar: Fontaine de Vaucluse

2009-02-02T10:39:00.005-05:00

Bonjour Everyone!

I cannot believe I have spent a whole week away from the happiness of typing up our blog! You people are my greatest joy! You're the bright red cherry on the sundae of life, the chocolate morsels in the giant cookie of events, and the rainbow sprinkles of every frosted conversation.

In short, if you did not read the blog, there would be no point in writing the blog. Savvy?

That being said, I highly recommend our latest jaunt to anyone who happens to find themselves in our current neck of the woods. Fontaine de Vaucluse was a beautiful place to visit, not only in its physical loveliness, but in all the normal touristy ways. There were several small shops selling the best that Provence had to offer (which primarily means lavender, lavender, lavender), and for all of you less inclined to the brisk walk, the hike was very easy and could be taken at a leisurely pace. Mix in a dashing young fellow to share the experience with, and I really was quite at my ease.

We slowly made our way up, stopping to take in the scenery, snap photos, and coax the local wild life up the rocky banks (although I'm sure I have no earthly idea what I'd do with a duck if I ever caught one).

But just what is Fontaine de Vaucluse? Here's the gist:

This place sports beautiful rapids (you can rent kayaks), and a huge rocky waterfall under the shadows of impressive mountains and elegant castle ruins. Water, water everywhere if you get my. . . drift. But! The source is unknown. We arrived at the top to see clean pools of calm water seeping from under the mountains. It almost looked nice enough to swim in, if it hadn't been for the water suddenly rushing down the ravine at break neck speed. That alone made you realize the quantities of water this mountain is pumping out.

And so my fellow blog readers, what is the secret of the fountain?

A secret, that's what.

"But!" you cry. "We cannot allow this mystery to go undiscovered! Call out the spelunkers, the police, the intellectuals, for heaven's sake call out the philosophers. There must and will be an answer!"

Not this time my friends. We can only ask:

Oh man! Did all the dwarves drown down there? Gimli?

And....

Isn't it hilarious that all those intellectual smart-alecks can't figure this out?

And on a more serious note:

What other secrets do the depths of the world carry?

Do I really want to know? Isn't it more fun to know that there's no explanation?

Perhaps the secret of the fountain is simply not knowing, but trusting.

Up to our necks in liquid reflections,

"To one who has faith, no explanation is necessary. To one without faith, no explanation is possible." - Thomas Aquinas

P.S. Of course there are pictures!

One happy couple....

I love these castle ruins! It was my favorite sight!

The rocky fall!

Stuart in front of the source. The water is coming out from under these rocks. See how calm it is?

Quick Update #1

2009-01-26T16:32:00.011-05:00

Hello, Hello, Hello!

We just wanted to update all of you on our life in France thus far. Actually, the weather has been pretty *blah* since we've been here, so I'm afraid there isn't much to tell. We were planning on touring some on Saturday, but the rain and windy cold would have none of it. So, no interesting stories for you all. I do however, have some pictures for you to see!

Since we haven't seen much of France just yet, I took some pictures around town to help you all get a better idea of our everyday life. After work, Stuart and I often go to a local grocery store to pick up items we need for the evening or weekend or whatever. So far, we've made the French dish Chicken Cordon Bleu together, which Stuart really loved and wants again very soon! Here's the outside of the grocery store, because I know you're all dying to see it (don't even pretend you're not):

It seems to be one of the larger stores in the area, but you'd be surprised at the things we have trouble finding. Fresh milk for example, is not always on the shelves. The French seem to prefer a milk that requires no refrigeration and that will last almost a month! Sorry, I still prefer fresh!

This second picture is a snapshot of inside Pernes-le-Fontaines. The castle looking structure is the entry way to the "old city." No cars are allowed beyond this point. Stuart and I plan to explore it one day soon! I think the idea of a walled city is very quaint, don't you?

This last picture is a view from the mini bus of the house after we had gotten back from the grocery store. In the summer, I think this area serves as a garden. Our bedroom is the top left window. There is also a neighborhood cat who wanders around the yard during the day. Maybe I'll see if we can coax her inside with some food!

In the meantime, all is well. Stuart and I have gotten settled in, and have made friends with our neighbor Philippe, who speaks no English but is so animated that we all feel like we're playing charades most of the time! And of course, we are loving our time together to talk with one another and bond. It is wonderful! On Wednesday, Siv has invited me to go shopping with her in Avignon, so I will try and keep my eyes open for neat things to fill you all in on!

All of our love,

Chocolate Filling with a Side of Happiness

2009-01-22T07:29:00.007-05:00

Our first visit to a French Patisserie.

Ah yes.

Many years from now when I'm an old coot gumming nursing home food (if they don't euthanize me first), I will undoubtedly go into euphoric shivers at the thought of our first trip to Sugar Heaven. For that is what it was, the fat girl in me recognized it as soon as the bell tinkled over my head at the entrance. And I'm just telling you, the fat girl doesn't lie.

The glass displays flashed with a brilliance that would have made a Windex employee cry.

And the counters, you ask?

Pristine.

The trays?

Filled.

The floors?

Glossed Marble.

For pete's sake, the place glowed.

There were beignets filled with caramel, chocolate, or if you wish, an apple filling. All nested in lacy doilies on perfectly golden trays. There were cherry tarts, creme brulee tarts, and cake slices the size of my head. I could feel the powdered sugar residue building up inside of my lungs just breathing it in.

The walls were lined with your choice of long and thin baguettes, short and fat baguettes, or crisp masses of floured sour dough bread.

In selecting our pastries of choice, we suddenly felt warm with the glow of people who have made not only a decision, but a firm decision.

One caramel beignet, and one chocolate beignet, if you please. . . No no, to the left man!
The left!

Add in a pointed jab with the index finger at the desired loaf of bread, and we practically radiated with importance, arrogance, and a feeling that we very well could be food critics from New York, come to pay a visit to our glazed European friends. Nothing like picking out pastries to give you a sense of empowerment.

A quick rustle of small white bags and wrappings, a flip of the coins, and a "Merci!" were enough to complete the quick, though meaningful outing.

The consumption of the product was of course, divine and filled with oohs and hmmms. We munched in harmonious contentment for awhile and smiled at each other with gooey teeth.

But! Alas, I must admit when it was all said and done, the crinkling and cracking of the bakery paper quiet, the anticipatory remarks on the flavor and texture passed, and the licking of fingers to savor those last delicate morsels done, eating the pastry was not nearly as exhilarating as selecting it in that shiny shop.

Later though, as I settled down to a quiet evening with Stuart, filled to my nose with the calorie laden treat, I decided that for tonight at least, I felt genuinely French.

P.S. How could I eat a French pastry and not think of our loving families at home? We took pictures so that you may share in the joy of our first tender bites.

*Notice how Stuart leaves me hanging in this first one. Undoubtedly to make me look as if I consumed the majority. The fiend!

*Now this is better! Except that I think I inhaled some of the powdered sugar and it must have gone to my brain, because I lost it just about here. I spent the next couple of minutes giggling like an idiot. No doubt euphoria brought on by an overdose of glucose.

Where In The World Are We?

2009-01-20T15:28:00.008-05:00

So, I have had multiple questions concerning the area in which Stuart and I are currently residing. Here are a few tidbits to help the readers get a general feel for our temporary home.

Town: Pernes-les -Fontaines

Population: Roughly 10,000 people

Occupations of residents: According to Vincent ( the man who picked us up from the airport and who's wife translates for us at church) the majority of the residents here were at one time farmers. They produce (get it?) tons of fruit and veggies here during the spring/summer seasons including cherries, strawberries, tomatoes, potatoes, onions, lots of grapes, and even olives for making olive oil! However, Vincent says a lot of locals are beginning to drive outside the area for work, employed by manufacturing companies, etc.

Claim to fame: Mount Ventoux, the mountain all the bikers ride up in the Tour de France, which I don't know much about so....don't ask.

Major cities we are near to: Avignon (approx. 90,000- 100,000 people), Marseille (approx. 1 million people). To go grocery shopping, we have to drive into Carpentras because Pernes-les-Fontaines isn't big enough to hold a cup of water, which is kind of like saying, "I live in Ringgold/Milton, but go into Danville to do my grocery shopping."

Body of water: We are about 45 minutes to an hour from the Mediterranean Sea, so we often get high winds coming up off the water that causes it to blow here pretty hard for around three days or so.

So there. A few quick facts for all of you out there wondering.

More witty commentary next time!