Merry Christmas!

It's been awhile since I've posted because I've been having fun with Christmas preparations and spending time with my husband while he's off school.

Here's some exciting things that have happened:
1. We got a sofa! A really nice one! For only $363!
2. We painted our living room green. We hope this is okay with whoever is in charge of our apartment.
3. I went to beautiful downtown Shelby, NC to visit one of my best friends, Lydia. I taught her to knit and she took me to her church and told me about applying for Ph.D programs. I also saw one of my best professors from college, Dr. Goodman.
4. I drove in snow. Very exciting.
5. I have 259 new emails in the email account I use "professionally." This is where I get job postings and lots of library-related emails so I can stay up to date. After Christmas break when I'm back in the library I'll be doing lots of reading!
6. Matt and his mom got together to get me a sewing machine for Christmas!
7. Christmas dinner is halfway done. The roast is roasting, the potatoes are mashed and baked, and the broccoli salad is ready to be mixed. All that's left to do is bake the crescent rolls, glaze the carrots, and cook the corn pudding.

Merry Christmas!

Snow, snow, snow...and a show!

We encountered all this snow in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park on our way to Nashville this past Sunday. It was a welcome suprise that made the journey even more worthwhile. We went to Nashville to see Andrew Peterson's annual Christmas concert at the Ryman Auditorium. I guess it's kind of silly to drive 5 hours to see a concert, but it was one of the best - if not the best - concert I've ever been to. Andrew just released a wonderful Christmas album called Behold the Lamb of God: the true tall tale of the coming of the Christ. There was a plethora of guest artists including (but not limited to) Derek Webb (formerly of Caedmon's Call), Sandra McCracken, Andrew Osenga (of Caedmon's Call, formerly of The Normals), Randall Goodgame, Buddy Miller (Julie, his wife, is one of my favorite artists, but was sick and unable to appear), Jill Phillips, Andy Gullahorn, Pierce Pettis, and Phil Keaggy. It was a great way to celebrate the coming of the Christ.

Mo in the snow

That's me in the snow. By the way, Mo rhymes with many words. I like that. Maureen rhymes with few words, which is okay too, but in college for a bit, I was referred to as Queen Maureen, which doesn't really fit me. Anyway, snow is pretty.

Update: I am somewhat incorrect about the rhyming. According to Rhymezone.com, Mo rhymes with 369 words, and Maureen rhymes with 300, which is more than I would have thought.

Matt in the snow

And there's Matt, who in his life has seen less snow than I have and was slightly more excited about it.

On the needles

I"ve been trying to knit quite a bit lately in order to finish some projects. Here's what I'm up to:

On the Needles:

1. Purple Ribbon Scarf (gift)
2. Mystery Purple Item (gift)
3. Mystery black boucle item (gift)

On Hiatus until after Christmas:

1. The unsuccessful sweater that has made a return as a somewhat successful sweater that just needs to be longer - again, this is a fault with the pattern not me!
2. A small bag to match the return of the unsuccessful sweater
3. Scarf and hat or hat and bag with Lion Brand Landscapes Spring Desert yarn
4. Sweater with Cascade 220 Burnt Orange yarn

AT&T Wireless is the dumbest company I have ever dealt with

We have had so many problems with this company I'm not sure I can remember them all, but after our experiences with them today, I feel the need to recount as many of them as I can. These will soon be written in a letter to their customer service department.

1. We moved to an area where they don't have service, but they wouldn't let us out of our contract unless we pay $300. It's cheaper to pay the bill every month, so we keep the phones.(August)
   
2. Then, they merged with Cingular, but we were told we could not transfer to Cingular, even though Cingular does have service here. We were told we would not be able to transfer our service until after our contract ran out in February 2005. (August)
3. Even though we had stopped using our phone because of the excessive roaming charges, our October bill arrived with charges for CALLS WE NEVER MADE. Seriously, Matt's phone had been sitting untouched on a shelf, yet calls MADE FROM TAMPA, where he had not been in October, were on our bill. (November)
4. We received a fancy letter and flashy brochure in the mail that proclaimed the wonders of the merger and the fact that we could change over to Cingular service. So, Matt calls to find out how to go about this. We are told his contract expired last week (remember earlier we were told the contract went until February). Funny, but if we had called a week earlier we wouldn't have had to pay for the month of December. (This morning)
5. Then, a helpful customer service representative named Heather checks with her manager and explains that all we have to do is go to Cingular.com and sign up for service (which includes a free phone), then call back AT&T Wireless, tell them to cancel the second line because we're switching to Cingular and we won't have to pay the cancellation fee. Sounds good, right? We go to Cingular.com, sign up, and then Matt calls back AT&T Wireless (which had the worst voice recognition phone tree ever) and is told everything he was just told by Heather, WHO WAS ANOTHER AT&T WIRELESS REPRESENTIVE, is COMPLETELY WRONG! What the heck!?! Matt spends another half an hour on the phone while they tell us that we still have to keep my service until February and there's no way we can change unless we do it on the phone with them and pay extra money for a phone. The bottom line: we never should have gone to the Cingular website, even though that's what Heather told us to do. ACK! Why can't they give us a straight story? (This afternoon)
   
6. I cannot create a log-in on their website because something somewhere in all the information I just typed in doesn't match their records. (15 minutes ago)
   

Oh, Christmas Tree!

It's pretty in the dark...in the daytime, it looks pretty raggedy. But I like it. The cat does too. especially the glass ball ornaments. We've resorted to moving his food in the guest bedroom and closing him in there when we can't supervise him.

1 Peter 3:8-12 MSG - I think this speaks for itself

8 Summing up: Be agreeable, be sympathetic, be loving, be compassionate, be humble. 9 That goes for all of you, no exceptions. No retaliation. No sharp-tongued sarcasm. Instead, bless--that's your job, to bless. You'll be a blessing and also get a blessing.

10 Whoever wants to embrace life
and see the day fill up with good,
Here's what you do:
Say nothing evil or hurtful;
11 Snub evil and cultivate good;
run after peace for all you're worth.
12 God looks on all this with approval,
listening and responding well to what he's asked;
But he turns his back
on those who do evil things.

Inspirational Career Quote

In the nonstop tsunami of global information, librarians provide us with floaties and teach us how to swim.-Linton Weeks

Water

It's been raining here for the last two days. The rain stopped this afternoon and the sky is beautiful. But the water is still here.

Our yard always seems to collect the water and squishes excessively after rain. I've become accustomed to this and try to walk lightly (if that's possible). On my way to the library I noticed a weird noise in the grass. I think you can actually hear the water seeping through the ground. Most of the way up the hill I heard small trickling noises in the grass.

I think this is really exciting, obviously, since I'm writing about it. In Florida, rainwater just sits and habors mosquitoes.

"Another moonshine still busted"

That's the headline on the local newspaper today. Note the use of "another" - this is the second one found since we've been here. It seems to me that it would be easier, cheaper, and well, more legal to just pick up your liquor at the store, but apparently the mountain folks don't agree. I guess they think enjoying homemade alcohol is one of the benefits of living in a small town (see post below).

What I've been up to -

I didn't post for awhile because I was off gallivanting and turning 25. Saturday the 20th I was flown to northern Virginia to help clean out my aunt's closet (which prompted much thought and discussion about my future as a professional organizer, like on the TLC show "Clean Sweep"), watching cable television, shopping, and visiting with my grandparents.

I returned to Georgia and my parents' house south of Atlanta a few days later, reuniting with my husband and my cat (they had been road tripping in Florida in a car with no air conditioning - sorry, guys). I cooked yummy Thanksgiving food with my mom and celebrated a quarter century of my life.

For the last couple of days I've been knitting to try to finish the makeover of the unsuccessful sweater, unpacking and doing laundry. Today I made a really good chicken and dumplings recipe I saw on 30 Minute Meals at my parents' house. It was fairly easy and delicious. For the recipe, click here.

It's wet and cold here again, and I think I'm beginning to see what this whole winter thing is about.

Two Benefits of Small Town Life

1. Going to the insurance office, the library, the bank, and the post office in less than an hour with a minimum of traffic.

2. The bank and the insurance office put out free candy on the counters. For children and adults!

Librarian Work!

Tonight, I used two reference books to help a student. Then I looked up books on the catalog to help a student! Woohoo! I am useful!

Drive-in

On Saturday night Matt and I discovered the best way to see a movie. At the drive-in. Neither of us had been to a drive-in movie and the Tiger Drive-In is only $5 per person for 2 movies! We bundled up with some extra blankets in the truck and enjoyed The Incredibles (really good) and Surviving Christmas (stupid but kinda sweet in the end).

Tiger is only about 15 to 20 minutes from us, which is closer than any other movie theater in the area. Plus, it's way cheaper. The Tiger Drive-In broadcasts the movie soundtrack on a small fm radio station - you just tune in when it's time to start the show. You can talk during the movie if you want, adjust the sound as you like, and no annoying teenagers parade up and down the aisles (because there aren't any aisles!). We finally get to see movies on a big screen on our own terms! Hooray!

Unsuccessful sweater

I have been knitting very hard to finish my first sweater. Here it is almost finished. Problem is, it looks awful! That's why there's no pictures of me wearing it.

Blue day...and what makes me happy...

Today was kind of a blue day. I get in moods where being in the house all day is ultra-boring, housework is ultra-annoying, and being without a career is the ultimate insult to my intelligence. The house was cold, Matt was sick-y, I had a headache, I spent half an hour skinning chicken, I had to bust kids who were making out in the library stairwell, and the recipe I tried for lunch was not so good.

So, because I know I'm being a spoiled brat I wanted to remind myself of things that are very, very good. Here's ten off the top of my head:

1. Phone calls from my parents. They're just so nice.
2. Rainey (the cat) when he's sleeping on the couch.
3. The sound the door on our porch makes when Matt is coming home.
4. Knitting! I may only be able to afford cheap yarn, but I like having something to show for my time.
5. Cheese. I'm a dairy girl. If only it wasn't so fattening.
6. Books.
7. The fact that I'm done with school forever.
8. The mountain view from our front door.
9. Rain. It was a very wet day here. Actually the climate in northeast GA almost qualifies as rain forest. Hence, the lush vegetation. Hence, 75% of this county is state park or national forest.
10. Prayer. God doesn't mind if I tell Him about my bad day.

Puppers for Kail!

My 2 year old nephew is living in Japan for a year (with his parents), so for Christmas, we have to send him something small. So I thought - finger puppets! Inspired by this pattern from Knitty.com, I used my free time this weekend to whip up a frog, an elephant, a bear, a pig (you can't see the cute curlique tail in the back), and a mouse - all from leftover yarn. I'm almost sad to let them go, but I think Kail will enjoy them.

First Frost

Yippee! Now I really feel like it's winter. I woke up today around 7:30 and the temperature was 31 degrees. I've been walking a few mornings a week around the trail that circles the athletic fields on campus. Usually there are other people, but today it was only me. It was cold, but so beautiful! The grass fields and the landscaping was all sparkly with white iciness.

The most mesmerizing was the kudzu on the slope up to our front yard. The edges and the veins in the middle of the leaves were outlined in white frost. I wish I had taken pictures!

Now I can't wait for the snow! I'm also wondering if my knitting skills are advanced enough to do a pair of mittens...

can you tell I'm bored at work?

As a librarian and lover of children's books, I couldn't resist the book quiz that told me I'm Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.

You're Alice's Adventures in Wonderland!

by Lewis Carroll

After stumbling down the wrong turn in life, you've had your mind opened to a number of strange and curious things. As life grows curiouser and curiouser, you have to ask yourself what's real and what's the picture of illusion. Little is coming to your aid in discerning fantasy from fact, but the line between them is so blurry that it's starting not to matter. Be careful around rabbit holes and those who smile to much, and just avoid hat shops altogether.

Take the Book Quiz at the Blue Pyramid.

Now, I don't know what this means exactly. I'm not sure it's good, but I suppose it means I consider life an adventure, which I do. I am confused right now about the Direction of My Life (it's capitalized because it does seem to be a big deal) and I should be praying more for God's direction. Well, maybe not direction, because it doesn't really seem like I need to be going anywhere physically right now...maybe understanding. Alice was looking to understand, right? That's what I want too.

Subbing

I subbed Thursday for art classes, Friday for dance classes, and today for theater classes. I find subbing more interesting and tiring than what I currently do in the library (which is not so much).

I have liked being in the arts classes. First, because the students are taking these classes as electives, most of them act like they want to be there and are having a good time. Second, there is some impressive creativity and talent in these students.

It's a little heartbreaking being around so many teenagers with potenial. I don't think they see it. As teenagers - and really as people, I guess - our worlds are so small. I've been frustrated with my anonymity here, but it does provide many opportunities to really look at other people. With teenagers, it seems that tiny events are worthy of great drama but little analysis. They don't seem naturally inclined to the "big picture." They don't seem to understand how much they can impact things and how much ability they have if they try.

Oh, but I wish they would. My prayer is that they will someday be grateful for the teachers who pushed them harder, the parents who sacrificed to pay for this private school, the friends who encouraged them. I hope some of the students here go on to be great, instead of just funny or cute or well-behaved. It makes me wonder about the people who taught me. I hope that I appreciate what I've been given and that I will be able to use my abilities.

Article by Marylaine Block about bookstores and libraries

Ex Libris--an E-Zine for Librarians and Information Junkies -- issue 201

Someone on one of the listservs I receive posted this article about the differences between bookstores and libraries and what libraries can learn from bookstores. I found it interesting and really like Ms. Block's suggestions for library promotion.

One of the things that still makes me want a real library job is the opportunity for promotion. (One of the others is collection development - I enjoyed every second I spent selecting and ordering materials at my last job). I get excited and inspired just thinking about displays and marketing reading. Far too many libraries simply stick the materials on the shelves and do almost nothing to entice users to, well, use them. In fact, some libraries, including the public library I now frequent, act like my unquenchable desire for books, books, and more books is troublesome. Sigh.

My perfect librarian job would have this title: Collection Development and Promotion Librarian. I would select and order materials, create materials displays, do some public relations and marketing, develop special events and programs, and, for good measure, do a children's storytime every once in awhile.

Unfortunately, I have never heard of a job like this anywhere.

The bridge

...And here's me on the wooden bridge that crosses the creek.

The creek

We thought this was a nice picture of the creek on the trail near the mountain house.

The view

This is the view from my grandparents' back porch. It was foggy when Matt took this picture, but you can sort of see the mountains in the distance.

Quick update

I haven't posted in awhile, so I thought I would put up something quickly. This weekend was Fall Break for school here, so with a bit of a long weekend we visited my grandparents outside of Asheville NC. More about that later (see pics).

One of the interesting things I did this weekend was cut my own hair. Saturday I was just tired of the length and didn't want to look for a decent salon, so I did it myself. I have to say, this is one of the better haircuts I've ever had.

Matt and Mo on Rabun Bald

Here's us at the observation tower. Note our matching hats. We're so cute. The view is more impressive.

Rabun Bald

We hiked to Rabun Bald on Saturday, a height of 4996 feet. From the top, you look down on the mountains. It was a two mile hike, but the view was amazing.

Pretty leaves

It's gorgeous in the mountains. We're already too cold for our Florida-conditioned bodies, but it's worth it for the leaves.

Going to the Dillard House

Very exciting update today. It's about food, which is one of the things in my somewhat monotonous life that I have to look forward to.

Last Friday I got Thai food. This Friday I get SOUTHERN HOME COOKING! Which means - REALLY BAD FOR YOU!

Do I care? No. We're going to the Dillard House to eat (according to their website) :
~Fried Chicken ~Country Ham ~Prime Rib ~BBQ Chicken~Potatoes au Gratin ~Green Beans ~Creamed Corn~Steamed Broccoli ~Glazed Carrots ~Harvard Beets~Ford Hook Lima Beans ~Tomatoes/Onions ~Cole Slaw ~Melon~Yeast Rolls ~Cornbread ~Cobbler a la Mode

YUM! The food is served family style, so you can eat as much as you want. To make it even better, Matt and I are eating with a dozen or so ladies from our church in Florida, so we are guaranteed to have fun.

Tomorrow we'll be fat, but tonight we'll be happy.

Tallulah Gorge #2

Another view of Tallulah Gorge and larger falls. If I remember correctly, Tallulah Gorge is the largest gorge east of the Mississippi River.

Tallulah Gorge #1

We went to Tallulah Falls Gorge this weekend with my parents. There are several waterfalls in the gorge - this is the smallest, Bridal Veil.

subbed again today

Well, since I don't have anything else to talk about...

I wanted to put up some pictures from this weekend of the scenery and the cat, but I worked today! Funny how now that I'm home during the day going to "work" for a few hours (10-3) seems like a big deal. I subbed in three high school art classes and have concluded that being an art teacher is a cool job. Watching the students work today to express themselves individually within the confines of a uniform project was inspiring.

Also got to eat lunch in the dining hall. I love salad bars. Whoever invented them was a smart person. It's too expensive to have the variety of fresh salad stuff at home that an institution can provide. And the cafeteria honey mustard dressing is fantastic.

Something I do not love - self-checkout. Actually, I guess I have a love/hate relationship with self-checkout. It's great when you only have a few items and you just want to get out of the grocery store fast. Today the lines at Ingles were uncharacteristically (that's an 8 syllable word) long so I did self-checkout even though I had a whole weeks worth of groceries. I don't think it was any faster than the long lines and I had to bag everything myself. Maybe it works better with two people.

The parents are coming!

This weekend we're not leaving town, but we are having visitors! It's the first official visit (they're spending the night) for my parents to the new home. I'm really excited and have been having fun cleaning things up and making sure everything is nice for them.

We're having Thai food tonight!

And they are bringing the dog!

What's going on

Recently in the life of Mo:

* Taught the cat to fetch. Seriously, it's really cute. He has this one catnip toy, a purple frog, that, once thrown, he will retreive and return to the feet of the thrower. Much fun.
* Redecorated the bathroom. Who knew Wal-mart had cute bathroom decor? Most of it is hideous, but there was a nice coordinated set that I purchased some pieces of today. We now have a new shower curtain, shower curtain holder things (what are those called?), soap dispenser, toothbursh holder, and light switch cover. It's really quite impressive because it coordinates with the bedding that we purchased at Target.
* Made a weird pumpkin dessert. Not brave enough for pie, I tried a cold pumpkin thing that Matt likes, but I am not so crazy about. If I make it again, I will not use the giant can of pumpkin.
* Made the yummiest macaroni and cheese ever. Here's the recipe (it's really bad for you):
2 cups cottage cheese (I used low fat)

1 cup sour cream

1 beaten egg

a few dashes of salt and garlic powder

4 cups cooked macaroni

2 cups shredded sharp chedder.

Mix it all up and bake at 350 for 1/2 hour.

* Picked out a new child to sponsor through Compassion International. I have been sponsoring a boy named Danny in the Phillipines for several years now. Matt also sponsors a boy in the Phillipines through World Vision. We wanted to do more, so now, for only $28 a month, 5 year old Justine in Uganda gets food, schooling, health care, and other necessities, along with exposure to the good news of Jesus. If you are interested in releasing a child from poverty in Jesus' name, please check out Compassion.

6:52 p.m.

I just noticed that the ladies' room here in the school library smells like frozen yogurt. I have never encountered an institutional restroom that smells like a food I would now like to eat. Props to the housekeeping staff. I wish we had a TCBY here in northeast Georgia. I think the closest one is an hour away.

Can you tell there's not much going on here? All day I've been looking forward to Gilmore Girls, for the funny, zingy dialogue. I have also been looking forward to the VP debate, although I'm pretty sure that will not include any funny, zingy dialogue. I am pretty sure Edwards will smile and Cheney will glower. Then again, maybe Cheney will smile and Edwards will glower. Should be interesting.

1st century Judaism and Jesus

One of my blog readers requested my suggestions for learning about first century Jewish life. I wrote my college thesis about women in the first century, so I know a little (very little - scholars seem to have a lot of conflicting opinions) bit about this. Here's some quick suggestions:

For the beginner - The Jesus I never knew by Philip Yancey. Yancey recounts his personal experience with learning about Jesus in the context of his society.

For a scholarly, but still accessible, treatment - try some of the books by N.T. Wright, a well-respected British scholar.

If you want to be challenged, try The historical figure of Jesus by E.P. Sanders. Sanders is interesting - a Jewish scholar of the New Testament.

Crafty hobbies

While I was loading the dishwasher today I was thinking. In the past few years I have tended to pick up crafty hobbies. In college, I took up scrapbooking and cross-stitching. Last year, I began knitting.

Actually, I picked up crafty hobbies when I was younger too. There was the painting with the mini canvases and acrylic paint, the shirt decorating, the polymer clay sculpting, and the collage making.

Apparently I have a need to express myself creatively, and I have a limited attention span when it comes to crafty hobbies. The newest phase is only a desire so far. I want to sew. I want a sewing machine. Part of me justifies this by thinking that every woman who plans on having a family should have a sewing machine and know how to sew just a little. But the other part of me sees purses like this one, or this one, or this pillowcase skirt, or these aprons, and I just think - "I want to make that."

But I already have a bunch of knitting stuff in my closet and I want more. Besides the previously mentioned and now abandoned hobbies for which supplies were purchased. It just doesn't seem right to take up another.

Look-a-likes

During my college years, I was often told that I looked like someone else. A friend back home in Louisiana, some actress I'd never heard of, someone's sister, Janeane Garafolo, and once, my dentist said I looked like Madonna. That was weird. Even my brother once walked up to a girl in Chick-fil-a thinking she was me.

All these memories brought back by a trip to Wal-mart. The check-out girl there today said I looked like her cousin Ashley in Kentucky. Apparently Ashley even wears her hair short like I do.

Griffin

Once again, Matt and I spent the weekend out of town. Matt had a music conference in the Atlanta area and my mom and dad are south of Atlanta in Griffin, GA, the self-proclaimed "city of irises," so we left the kitty for a few days. Besides getting to spend time with my wonderful parents, we enjoyed big city delights like Applebee's, Target, Michael's, and Garden Ridge. There's a lot that Wal-mart just can't offer.

We attended my parents' church on Sunday, which was very nice. Many people seemed eager to meet us, and Matt said they had the best church choir he had ever heard. Pastor Craig presented an interesting and compelling message about Moses' encounter with God in Exodus 3.

Oh, and we are very thankful to my mom for some fantastic home cooking.

Fall...Autumn...Fall...Autumn

I hear that today is the first official day of Fall.

Fall has always been my favorite time of the year. Of course, I've lived in Florida my entire life up until a month ago, where "fall" just meant the humidity went down a bit and temps were no longer in the 90s.

Also, my entire life up until now I have called Fall Fall. But this year I think I will call it Autumn since we're already waking up to temperatures in the 40s. It gets nice during the day, but still...

I think I will like Autumn. But I think I will be cold.

Poncho to Be

Here's what I'm doing with the pretty red yarn. Ponchos are all over the stores, but there are also a lot of easy knit patterns, so I'm making one for myself. I'm trying out seed stitch for the first time and liking it.

Yummy red yarn

This is the yarn I'm working with right now. Because the only place around here to get yarn is Wal-mart, I have a limited selection, but I like this one. It's Caron Simply Soft Autumn Red. Pretty, right?

I've been knitting a hat.

I decided to post a bit about what I've been knitting recently. This is a ribbed hat I am almost done with. It was really easy and now all I have to do is sew up the back and it will be ready to wear.

My first day as a substitute teacher

There are many things in life I thought I would never be. Things like blonde, or a movie star, or a ballerina, or a singer, or an accountant, or a chemist. Substitute teacher was also on this list. Yet, now I am a substitute teacher.

I've been working part-time in the library at my husband's school (he's an actual teacher) and they were kind enough to offer me the opportunity to be on the substitute list and bring home, if not the bacon, at least (perhaps) some turkey jerky. Today I substituted for two American Literature classes, where I even had to lead a discussion on J. Hector St. John de Crevecoeur, two English I classes, and a yearbook class. I think I am too big a dork for this job. On several occasions, a student would just look at me blankly, and on several more occasions, they didn't stop talking. Nonetheless, no one laughed at me except when I cracked a joke, and no one did any harm to himself or others. I admire people who are or want to become teachers. It takes a lot of effort to be interesting and authoritative at the same time.

Even though I may not have thought I could be a sub, it wasn't so bad. And I'm getting $50.

The big rain

So, this was the weekend of big rain and no power - at least for part of it.

It all started Thursday when there were tornado warnings and lots of wind and rain. Power went out and I got sent home from work in the library. Matt (that's my husband) and I lit a bunch of candles and tried to put together a puzzle that was way too hard, even if we'd had sufficient lighting. The fun part was when we got to try to eat the stuff in the fridge that was going to go bad. The not fun part was waking up Friday morning and still having no power.

But, they cancelled school so we were both free for the day and went to explore Asheville. It took longer than expected because of an unfortunate detour through some very flooded mountain area. There were houses that were literally about to wash away. We did enjoy Asheville, for the most part, mainly because of the access to real shopping, like a mall and Ross and TJ Maxx - two of my favorite stores. Downtown Asheville is real cute, but not so much fun in the rain.

We made the sad discovery that people from Asheville don't understand that when traffic lights aren't working due to lack of power, you treat intersections like a four-way stop. Negotiating the parts of town with no electricity was interesting.

Power was back on when we got home on Friday, but went out a few more times Saturday. By the way, the weather on Saturday and Sunday was beautiful. Everything was clear and crisp. So rain's not all bad, after all.

We also bought a digital camera this weekend for a very good price, so expect pictures here soon.

My weekend

I just realized that I've been sitting in an empty school library for almost two hours. It's nice that I'm getting paid to check my e-mail, but I wish I could be doing librarian-y things. I would even happily shelve books. But...since I won't be doing any of that, I'll write about my weekend. This was the first weekend since Matt and I moved to GA that we had to ourselves. No visitors (though we enjoyed you all - Rick, Lydia, Will, John, Matt's mom, Randa). No extra work for Matt. No going off to visit family.

I was very excited about this weekend that was ours. I came up with the plan to hike Glen Falls, eat a picnic lunch, and spend the afternoon in nearby Highlands, NC. The three Falls were beautiful and we very much enjoyed the hike down. The hike back up the steep trail was more than I bargained for. Seems I always overestimate my fitness. We made up for it by sipping delicous frozen chai from Buck's Coffee Cafe.

Sunday morning we were back in Highlands to visit First Baptist Church of Highlands. It was very nice, but small, and overall, not the church for us. Lunch was at a barbeque joint as we were on our way to beautiful Sapphire, NC for The Offering, a sort of mini-festival featuring worship artists. For ten bucks we got to hang out on a really beautiful grassy hillside by a lake with mountain views and enjoy some very good music. We mainly wanted to see Shane and Shane, who did a fantastic set under the stars. I also enjoyed Todd Agnew and Charlie Hall. I have to say that it has been a long time since my corporate worship through song felt so joyful, and I'm grateful for the opportunity.

Boo to the Subway in Cashiers, NC for running out of bread when several hungry youth groups descended on them. If you are a sandwich place, bread is important, is it not?

New Knitty!

As I was adding knitty.com to my links section, I figured I'd head on over there and see what was going on. Oh my! New fall patterns are up already! I was planning to post about my weekend, but now I am drooling over patterns that are beyond my current knitting abilities, but look so adorable! This scarf! This bag! This sweater! This wrap! Sigh...

By the way, my husband told me this weekend that he was a little embarrassed of my knitting. Apparently he thinks it's dorky. Eventually I talked him out of that view, but now I'm not sure if he deserves a new Mo-made scarf for this winter or not. :-)

Finally...

After a few years of reading blogs, and admiring the people who have the time and abundance of thoughts to fill up a blog, I am starting finally starting one. Being underemployed and in a fairly new town (we've been here just over a month), I now have the time. We'll see about the abundance of thoughts.

First thought - northeast Georgia is much, much prettier than Florida, where I lived my entire life up till now. Besides the fact that this area is not so beseiged by hurricanes, it has mountains! And waterfalls! And gorgeous sunny, but not hot, weather.

We may not have friends yet, but we do have a nice view.