a moment to appreciate the south

top ten things to love about the south:

1. grits
2. fresh peaches
3. college football...war eagle!
4. spring break in PCB (panama city beach)
5. the hospitality
6. college kids who follow jam bands (and some post-college)
7. bluegrass music
8. cornbread dressing
9. fresh summer tomatoes
10. humidity

agree or disagree?

my best friend's wedding

ryan and i just got back from one of the most lovely and fun weddings that we've ever experienced (and this was an experience). our friends, kit and ryan, were married on kit's family farm near selma, alabama. talk about southern hospitality...we ate and played like kings and queens thanks to the upchurch family (kit's side). they can put on the dog. we arrived thursday night to open arms and warm welcomes and chicken pot pie. the wedding party got to stay in a nearby hunting lodge surrounded by 90 acres of cotton.
on friday, ryan was able to go fishing early with some guys and he actually caught two, huge bass. he's such a manly man. we played at the farm all day...swimming, laughing, skeet shooting, catching up with friends. for the rehearsal dinner we went into selma and had the biggest piece of meat that i've ever seen at a beautiful old home and b&b. i love the south.
of course on saturday, you've got to do the luncheon thing. we had shrimp and grits, sausage/egg casserole, etc. at yet another beautiful old home. oh yeah, and we sweated quite a bit. our poor non-southern friends...
the ceremony was amazing. it was outside, next to the barn. a homemade cross hung over the barn opening in honor of kit's grandmother. we sang, shared in communion, cried and witnessed the beginning of a beautiful marriage. afterwards, we celebrated. very much so. "the style band" played while we danced like crazy in an (thank God) air-conditioned barn. and then we finally had to say goodbye to kit and ryan. unfortunately, they have to spend two weeks in hawaii.
i'm ecstatic over their joining, but i'm mourning having to say goodbye to friends. i'm thankful for good memories and moments to reconnect. it was truly unforgettable.

martha's back!

i just want to wish that sweet, lovable martha stewart a warm welcome back to the television world. starting on sept. 12, our angel of the do-it-yourself queendom (or kingdom) will be gracing us with a live show. much like judge judy or some soap opera, it will be a daytime tv show. this is my advice to the diva...poofy hair and more revealing clothes, it's what sells. cheers, martha!

merton wisdom

“Where there is a deep, simple, all-embracing love of man, of the created world of living and inanimate things, then there will be respect for life, for freedom, for truth, for justice and there will be humble love of God. But where there is no love of man, no love of life, then make all the laws you want, all the edicts and treaties, issue all the anathemas; set up all the safeguards and inspections, fill the air with spying satellites, and hang cameras on the moon. As long as you see your fellow man being essentially to be feared, mistrusted, hated, and destroyed, there cannot be peace on earth. And who knows if fear alone will suffice to prevent a war of total destruction?”

From Seeds of Destruction by Thomas Merton
(New York: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, 1964), p.183

hot sauce and helping out

when ryan and i were in new orleans over christmas break last year, we met a man who runs a community garden there. he and neighborhood boys plant hot peppers and hand-make a yummy hot sauce. they also raise chickens and do some other gardening as well. they are actually a sub-group of an organization called PARKWAY PARTNERS which does alot with urban families and youth in new orleans. i'm currently trying to get in touch with them to find out what kind of help they need. i'll post it as soon as i find out. you can find them at www.parkwaypartners.com .

reporting the news

now, why in the world do we need to follow the path of a hurricane for two days straight on the news? i'm truly saddened for the people of new orleans, for those whose lives are in danger, those who will be without homes, and for the historical parts of the city. but, it's like we thrive on fear as americans. no wonder we have such high rates of anxiety/depression. i mean, just to watch a reporter on tv standing in a parking lot in biloxi, ms practically dodging sheet metal that's flying around...it doesn't seem right to me. i know that i can't live in a box. nor would i want to, but this is a good reminder to limit tv watching. to stay informed, but not consumed. to read something positive. to breathe. to pray for and help those affected by a catastrophe.

yummy...

this is my hunk of a husband. some think he favors jesus. am i married to jesus?

super hero

this is wonder woman. she saves people from evil. who wouldn't want to be rescued by her? i think she might be in new orleans in this picture.

good stuff

CRAWFISH CHOWDER
1-2 Lb Crawfish Tails
8 Oz Cream Cheese Cubed
1 Med Onion Diced
1 Stick Butter
1 pint ½ & ½
1 can Cream of Mushroom soup
2 cans cream of potato soup
1 can white corn with water
1 can yellow corn with water
Tony Chacare's Seasoning (+ salt & pepper)
Wilt onion in butter. Add crawfish for 5 minutes. Add cream cheese until soft. Add all the other ingredients. Let simmer on low, stirring regularly, for 1 hour.


this recipe comes straight from our cajun friends who made this for us last week while we were getting ready for melissa's wedding. make sure everything is full fat, ya hear. it would also probably work well with shrimp.

who shares a birthday with my husband?

look at this beautiful array of cool people that have a birthday on august 14th. this is officially, since yesterday, ryan's birthday month. i'm not sure if we're going to invite these folks to our party, but we'll see. the one on the bottom is not my dad.

the big, phat koch sister wedding

well, it's here. THE WEDDING. i've been helping my sis-in-law, melissa plan her old wedding and there's quite a bit that goes into it. i guess i just forgot. but at least the dj is going to play "whip it" by devo. and "i like big butts". fun times. pray for us all.

my friend mev's birthday week

well, these ladies sure know how to celebrate. we're all here to wish my dear friend mev a happy birthday week. let this be a lesson for all you uncreative folks who complain about the lack of a cupholder. god bless america and mev.

lovin' the water

this is biscuit. his parents are sort of like river people. because they are my bosses, i forgive them of that. biscuit likes a nice dip in the elkhorn river and then a cold miller lite afterwards. it really helps keep your mind off of the heat.

do you have the golden ticket?

i can't believe that i haven't written about one of the best movies i've seen in quite a while. ryan and i have been excited since december about the tim burton version of "charlie". some say it looks too weird, sure. some say it looks too dark, ok. in my opinion, it's less weird and dark then the gene wilder version...with maybe a few exceptions.

we braved the opening night crowds to see this flick. lucky for us, ryan and i got to bring along our friends jake, 11, and gwynnie, 8. there's nothing like seeing a movie based on a children's book with children. a night of pizza, gummy bears, and a movie all about candy.

the oompa-loompas may have been my favorite part(s). the music is outstanding. i was belly laughing. instead of willy wonka portraying a savior-type character to charlie and his family, he is more human in this movie. with issues and baggage of his own. ryan and i like that part too.

as for comparing to the gene wilder version...you can't. it's a whole different beast. you should really check it out.

viva francais les air guitar...

this is sideburn. an air guitar rocker has a hard life. a mysterious life. do you notice the black sweatbands on the wrists? hardcore. you've got to love our french air-rockin brothers.

thank you, france, for a specimen such as this. grrrr. rock it like a hurricane.

air guitar

heeeellllooooo kitty. meow. this is for real folks. here he is, in the flesh, david "c-diddy" jung...2003 air guitar world champion. what a rock star. don't worry, there will be more to come about this year's championship.

a muppet?

i must admit, this isn't the best picture of carole king, but can anyone figure out which muppet she favors? i need some help on this one. oh yeah, zach and i saw her on the today show and that's where this thought came about.

catherine and bunny

i want to dedicate this blog entry to foolio. she is a very artistic soul who works with a top interior designer named bunny williams. this is not foolio in the picture. it's bunny. with her collar up.

she spanks horses

this is ryan and me with our friend kit. she is getting married soon to a guy who is also (conveniently) named ryan. no, we're not sharing a husband. that's gross. kit does love horses though. go figure.

learning stuff

I'm having a hard time getting into the Bible right now. So, go figure, God's going to teach me about Himself through folks around me. The Great Teacher came to visit me yesterday-at the roller skating rink of all places.

I take care of an 8-year old girl with behavioral disorders who had the worst day she's had in my seven months of working with her. She was lying on the floor of the skating rink whining for someone to help her (she can actually skate-she was just testing me). When i told her that it was time to leave-she grabbed a child's ankle and pulled him down. The fear in his eyes just hurt the heart. Her behavior was definitely spiraling down.

Why, God, is this my burden now?

Before I knew it, she grabs the hair on the top of my scalp and pulls for two minutes. I think it's still bruised up there.

In comes God's grace, through Michelle and Desiree. I'll probably never see these women again. They pried her hands from my hair and helped me restrain her while I called for help on Desiree's cell phone. They sat there with me for 10 minutes (or longer) restraining her until help came. They, unfortunately, also suffered minor injuries from the incident.

To watch this child go through this broke my heart. This is where humility was shining her face. There's really nothing I could do to snap her out of it. I began to suffer with her. Sobbing with her. It hurt (in many ways).

I'm learning to understand gentleness. God has been teaching me this through pain and drawn blood. I can't respond to her the way I want to-by knocking her block off. I've got to respond with loving, gentle hands. She's so sensitive to that.

Anyway, God's still on my case despite my lack of interest in the Bible. Maybe I'm learning more. Maybe He's taking me the long way back to the Bible. Maybe He just wants to show me His face. I'll certainly keep on looking.