airplanes

author:  Cecilia

My good friend Katy Barber has been leading the girls on elevation leadership through a Thursday morning bible study.  We are reading "The God I Never Knew" by Robert Morris.  In this book, Morris addresses misconceptions about the Holy Spirit and defines who he is.

In a chapter I read on vacation, Morris talks about how we hear the Holy Spirt.  One is through his word, and one is through his voice.  Morris writes:

"The Holy Spirit wants to speak clearly to us just as much as we want to hear clearly from Him." [pg.26]

I work at a Pediatric Outpatient Clinic in Conway called Pediatrics Plus.  I'm a speech therapist there, and I work with kids ages 9 months-12 years old.  Connected to our building is a preschool called The Center of Early Learning.  It serves children 6 weeks-5 years old with and without special needs.  Our building is in the shape of a "U" and in the middle of the "U" is a playground.  Two times a day, maybe more depending on the weather, the kids go outside for recess.  Because 1/2 of my caseload consists of children that attend The Center of Early Learning, I sometimes find my kids on the play ground when I need them for speech.

I've worked for Pediatrics plus for 4 years, either as a therapist or a classroom helper when I was in grad school.  What I've noticed time and time again is that between the ages of 1-3, at any point during recess, if an airplane flies over, the child stop what they are doing, look up in the sky, and yell airplane!!

It's kind of funny when you think about it.  The kids literally stop dead in their tracks and start screaming at the sky.  Then, they look at whatever adults are on the play ground to make sure they see it.  Usually the teachers are right there with the kids, pointing at the sky and yelling "airplane!"

The most bizarre part is that even kids with language delays can find an airplane.  I treated a child in that class last year that was two and I would lay out several pictures on the table of familiar objects (ball, spoon, house, car, etc). The child would sit there as I asked him to point to different pictures and would require my help on ALL the pictures BUT the airplane.  The airplane was identified every time.

Why?  Because these child have been trained to identify and acknowledge the airplane.  Their teachers have shown them how to look and listen for it, then they have taught them how to respond to it.

I started thinking about all of this when Matthew and I were flying home from Miami.  I started to wonder if any kids saw our airplane.  Then I started to think about Morris' book.

I know who the Holy Spirit is.  Since knowing the Lord, I have been taught how to identify him.  I've also been taught how to acknowledge Him, but what I have realized is that I am usually too busy to stop and do it.

To the 2 and 3 year olds, the airplanes are still exciting.  They would be completely content if airplanes could fly by every 5 minutes so they could holler and point at them.  But, after the age of 3,  the children move to what we call "the big playground".  It has two slides, sandboxes, swings, basketball courts, bicycles, etc.  The kids on that playground have stopped acknowledging the airplanes.  Why?  Because they are busy chasing their friends, playing, and being 4 year olds.  They have better things to do than point at airplanes in the sky.  I am the four year old.  I'm busy trying to be a good therapist, a good wife, a good daughter, a good friend...the list can go on.

It's not always hard for me to acknowledge the Lord. I think it's easier for me to acknowledge the Lord when I can see him.  When a broken person is encouraged, when the sick are healed, when I see community stepping up to support and love on someone, I can point at it and say "That's the Lord.", but when I don't see it, when I only hear it, it's harder for me to believe.  When I hear the Lord tell me promises for my future, yet I don't see how on earth that will happen, or when I hear the Lord tell me promises for someone else's future, but the world is telling the opposite, it's much harder for me to point and say "That's the Lord."

I started thinking about this and once again, I was reminded of the children at school.   Even if a child doesn't see the airplane because of the clouds, they will still stop in their tracks and point to the airplane just by hearing it's roar, and it gets the same response whether they see it or not.  It's because they know what an airplane sounds like, and without seeing it, only hearing it, they can confidently identify and acknowledge it's somewhere in the sky.

So my prayer has changed from "God let me hear your voice" to "God let me hear your Holy Spirit and acknowledge that it's you.  No matter what my eyes see or don't see, let me rest in your promises and know that it's you.  Allow my selfish heart to stop and respond to how good you are and the blessings you bring in and out of my life."

Bachelor 2012: Week 4

(Author: Matthew)


Week four of The Bachelor 2012 opened with breath-taking helicopter shots of Park City, UT in autumn. During the mountain montage, Ben tried to imitate what a prince must sound like when admiring his harem, and told us how quickly he has fallen in love with all his women. He went on to say the reason "he" brought the girls to Park City was because the outdoors are such a huge part of his life. All the Park City dates, Ben promised us, would be outdoorsy and awesome.


As the girls settled into their hotel suite, the first one-on-one date card arrived for Rachel. As usual, this made Kacie B cry. This competition has been really hard on her you guys. You don't even know. She went on to say she just wishes the competition were over and she and Ben were going to the grocery store right now. (I'm not even making a joke here. She actually said this.) 


As Ben and Rachel departed the hotel in a helicopter, Nicki jealously lamented that she was not riding in it with Ben. I've been in a helicopter. Trust me, Nicki, unless you enjoy the feeling of drunken, angry badgers wrestling each other inside your stomach, you came out ahead this time.


The chopper dropped Ben and Rachel at a private lake where they spent the day paddling around in a canoe, having a picnic and talking about how "nice it is out here." After all two of his conversation topics had run out, Ben took the opportunity to point out nearby landmarks he assumed were constructed by beavers. At dinner, there was just as little talking between them. Ben wanted Rachel to be more communicative, but Rachel only wanted to prove she had more personality than a brick wall. For a while there, it looked like the brick wall would prevail. Just when it seemed Rachel was destined to go home, she told Ben she was having trouble opening up, but, she assured him she was honest and would tell him anything. Taking her word for it, Ben completely changed course, said they had a great vibe, gave her a rose, stuck his tongue down her throat and starting giggling like a fourth-grade girl. Of this jarring transition, Cecilia commented, "So. Basically. Ben could go on a date with a hammer and give it a rose." (Side note: Cecilia got increasingly angry the longer Rachel's lobster tail laid untouched on her plate. To my wife, there may not be a more terrible affront than an uneaten lobster tail.)


On the group date, Ben resumed the charade that he's an avid outdoorsman. He took the girls horseback riding and fly fishing. Amazingly, not one of the girls caught the abject horror on his face as his horse stumbled in the mountain stream he crossed as his steed trotted to greet them. Neither, did they seem to notice his 100% awful fly fishing form. (Granted, I'm not a fly fisherman, but I have seen A River Runs Through It. There's no chance Ben could have earned a spot as Craig Sheffer's stunt double in that fine piece of cinema.)


From the outset of the group date, Kacie pouted and whined about not getting enough of Ben's time, while Courtney the Wicked told us how easy it was going to be to get the group-date rose. I'll say this about her. She comes across as a self-absorbed, manipulative, immature brat, but she's a straight-up genius when it comes to playing the bachelor game. Ben absolutely melts anytime he's near her. He hangs on her every word and bends over backward to make her happy. The other girls notice this and are unequivocally threatened by her. Naturally, Courtney the Wicked managed to be the only person (including Ben) to catch a trout. She could do no wrong on this day.


Later that evening, Ben took turns more or less telling certain girls they had nothing to worry about at the upcoming rose ceremony. After one-on-one convos with Casey S and Nicki, Samantha demanded the same reassurance, because in her mind, she should already have a ring on her finger (her exact words). Why, she asked, hadn't Ben taken her on any one-on-one dates yet? Ben turned the question around on her and asked her to give him a reason, for which, she had none. Ben then explained the reason had been because she was so emotional (read: crazy) on every group date she'd been on. In a rare case of back-boned-ness, Ben snowballed the conversation down to the point where he didn't think he needed to wait until the rose ceremony to send Samantha home, so he asked her to leave right away. In a nearby darkened corner, Courtney the Wicked cackled.


Afterward, Ben took Kacie B up to his room and promised he still had feelings for her. As is his habit, he sealed the conversation with a make-out session. When Ben returned, Courtney the Wicked stole him away to a secluded fireplace and started kissing him. At an opportune time, she pulled away, told him how badly the competition sucked, admitted she thought they were not spending enough time together and explained she had lost sight of "us." Cecilia's theory here was Courtney the Wicked, being only a mediocre verbal communicator, didn't mean to talk as much as she did. All she meant to do was get Ben's wheels turning enough so he could continue to affirm her the way he had done all along. Even though she was completely incoherent, Ben turned to jello. He left to retrieve the group-date rose. When he returned, she literally laughed at him for being so easily manipulated. Moments later, he even admitted he had planned on giving the rose to a different girl. This is why Courtney the Wicked is such a bachelor prodigy.


The second one-on-one date of the week went to Jennifer the Red-Headed Accountant. In a rare moment of weakness, Courtney the Wicked admitted to being a little worried about the date, since she could easily see Ben and Jennifer the Red-Headed Accountant being good friends. As most every one-on-one dates go, this one was pretty sweet. There was "trespassing," crater repelling, free falling, kissing while dog paddling, gondola riding, dining al fresco, rose giving and a personal Clay Walker concert (where Clay Walker must've been extremely perplexed to see more people gawking at Ben and Jennifer the Red-Headed Accountant than him). The two biggest highlights of the date were Clay Walker's fantastic mane of hair and this quote from Ben, "I like that Jennifer is easy-going. She's a good kisser...she seems like she has a good family...she's outdoorsy."


At the cocktail party before the weekly rose ceremony, Emily used her alone time with Ben to trash talk Courtney. He would have none of it. When she finished her rant, Ben threatened her that badmouthing other girls could ultimately be her demise. Shellshocked, Emily stumbled back to the party and spilled the beans about her conversation to Jamie and Casey S (Courtney the Wicked's best friend, consequently). Casey S defended her BFF and then skipped away to tell her conniving crony what Emily had said about her. Later on that evening, as Kacie B tried to start a light conversation involving all the girls in the room, Courtney the Wicked derailed the chit chat so she could take direct shots at Emily. Unfortunately, Emily wilted like a hydrangea in the desert under the assault. If it had been a basketball game, this would have been the moment Courtney the Wicked grabbed her 10th rebound to give her a triple double. It was a performance that won't soon be matched again (until next week when she steals Ben away from a group date and forces him to go skinny dipping).


At the rose ceremony, with Rachel, Courtney the Wicked and Jennifer the Red-Headed Accountant already holding their roses, Ben gave roses to Lyndzi, Jamie, Nicki, Kacie B, Elyse, Big Teeth Blakely (BTB), Casey S and Emily (surprise, surprise). After Ben escorted Monica out the door, he told the girls their next stop would be Puerto Rico, to which Courtney the Wicked revealed she had been only two months ago. Of course she had.

Bachelor 2012: Week 3

(Author: Matthew)

Continuing with last week’s theme of trying to determine whether or not the bachelorettes have got what it takes to make it in Ben’s natural habitat, the gang traveled south to San Francisco, which is Ben’s hometown #2. San Fran is not as good as Ben’s hometown #1. I know this because Ben said San Fran’s name approximately 300 times less than he said, “Sonoma,” last week. So there.

As the girls were riding down in their limousines, Ben grabbed lunch with his Over-Protective Sister Julia. We met Julia last season on the Bachelorette, when she and Ben’s mother systematically belittled Ashley H and obliterated her self-confidence during Ashley’s hometown date with Ben. It was fine performance by them both. Julia quickly reasserted her demand that Ben’s future lady click with both her and their mother. Terrified, Ben changed the subject and talked about how “professional” all the girls were (insert Big Teeth Blakely (BTB) joke here).

Our host, Chris Harrison, met the girls in their San Francisco hotel suite, asked them how they were doing, told them about the dates for the upcoming week and then gazed maniacally around the room and cackled, “I hope to see each of you at the next rose ceremony.” He’s the best.

Ben’s first one-on-one date was with Emily, the Ph.D. student from UNC. Ben decided it would be a great idea to conquer their fear of heights, so they climbed the San Francisco Bay Bridge. Of the challenge, Ben said, “If we can climb this bridge, there’s no telling what heights we can reach in our relationship.” How dare you, sir! You KNOW The Gentleman Ames would’ve said exactly the same thing. You’re not going to believe this, but there was a moment when Emily lost confidence on the climb up. Ben kissed her, and Emily forgot all her fears and turned around and bounded up the remaining distance to the top. That never happens. Ever.

At dinner later that night, Emily told Ben what was supposed to be a funny story about getting matched up on an online dating site with her brother. Ben didn’t laugh because he was too busy thinking of a way to get back to first base. He told her he liked that she was smarter than him, gave her the rose, kissed her and then walked her down a pier for a private fireworks show. Recapping the date Ben said, “words can’t describe” what happened. I don’t know. I feel like I did a pretty decent job describing it, friend.

On the group date, Ben took the girls to a San Francisco street that had been blocked off and converted into a downhill ski slope with manmade snow. Since it was 80 degrees outside, it was really just another creative way to get the bachelorettes in their swimsuits. Afterward, he took the girls to the Tonga Room and Hurricane Bar, the Fairmont Hotel’s iconic tropical tiki lounge. Meanwhile, back at the room the second one-on-one date card arrived for Brittney. Her excitement immediately turned to dread, as she asked aloud, “what if I don’t get a rose?”

Back at the tiki bar, Rachel pounced on Ben like a puma and spent a few moments verbally upchucking about how awesome he is. Ben smiled in agreement, and then allowed her to grab his face for a round of tongue hockey. Shortly thereafter, Kacie B took Ben for a walk and whined about how hard the competition is. Ben told her he didn’t have the words to console her, so instead, he made out with her. Of the two girls, Rachel must’ve been the better kisser, for it was she who received the group date rose. (Side note: in the scene where Ben gave away the group date rose, Monica was a BLUBBERING MESS in the background. Cecilia and I guessed the reason for her grief revolved around Brittney (see below), but even so, it was super-duper strange. Naturally, we rewound and re-watched it three times before we reached this conclusion.)

While all this was transpiring, Brittney made up her mind to follow her heart and leave the competition (translation: she thought she would get sent home anyway, so she self-sabotaged herself to save Ben the trouble). Outraged, Cecilia yelled at the TV, “What the heck is your grandma gonna say, Brittney?!” Brittney packed up her stuff, went downstairs to the tiki bar, and stole Ben away from the group date so she could explain that she “doesn’t deserve a chance with him” and she doesn’t “want to waste his second one-on-one date in San Francisco.” Ben feigned heartbreak and muttered some gibberish about how Brittney leaving represented the scary possibility of how any girl could leave the show whenever she wanted, which worried him since he doesn’t want to end up alone. Poor, poor jail master.

With Brittney out of the picture, Lyndzi received the second one-on-one date. Ben took her around the city in a trolley car and acted like he was a big deal around town. They stopped at a famous ice cream shop, jumped the line as the common folk angrily eye-balled them and grabbed a couple ice cream cones as Ben faked like he was boys with the shop’s manager (their man hug was NOT legit). Next they drove through China Town and Lyndzi went on and on about how great a tour guide Ben was. They stopped at City Hall, Ben took a key out of his pocket, they walked into the main lobby and, at the top of the steps, Matt Nathanson began playing a private concert. Ben and Lyndzi immediately started kissing. Ben later claimed the kiss was “unexpected.” Uh huh.

After City Hall, Ben took Lyndzi to a speak easy that required a password (yes, it was actually as cool as it sounds). He asked her why she was still single and she described the long-time relationship she had that ended with a text message from her ex that said, “welcome to dumpsville: population you.” Of course, she was in no way to blame for this insensitivity. The night was capped off in a piano store where Ben taught Lyndzi how to play a simple duet. In the middle of another song he was playing, Ben transitioned into David Gray’s, “This Year’s Love,” while using the classic look-how-surprised-I-am-that-I-did-that face that musicians make when they do something “unexpected.” Lyndzi was so impressed. Somewhere in the middle of all that, and I forget where, Ben gave Lyndzi a rose.

As soon as Cecilia saw Big Teeth Blakely’s (BTB’s) dress at the cocktail party, she went off about how she (Cecilia) wore the same dress during a Spring 2005 Alpha Tau function. She promptly texted several of her sorority sisters to tell them about it. Girls are so weird sometimes. The party started out by Ben French kissing Jennifer on a couch and revealing that she was the best kisser in the competition. Upon hearing this admission, she claimed she was in love. After that, Courtney took Ben up to a balcony and did her ever-increasing, I’m-giving-you-as-many-chances-as-I-can-so-you-have-no-excuses-for-not-knowing-I’m-a-phsyco routine. In the middle of their conversation, Courtney uttered, “You could make cute babies.” Ah oh.

In an interesting twist, Shawntel the mortician, from Brad Womack’s Bachelor season, made arrangements with Chris Harrison to crash the cocktail party and profess her love for Ben. It was not made perfectly clear how, but the two of them had made a previous connection and the night’s cocktail party would be their reckoning. As she walked through the room, she attained her desired effect. All the girls turned on her as one and Ben exclaimed “holy $%&!” as he saw her. She told Ben she wanted the same chance at love the other girls had and asked to attend the night’s rose ceremony. Confounded, Ben excused himself so he could have time alone to think. In his absence, the girls alternated taking varying degrees of cheap shots at Shawntel. Nicki (and others) started crying. Elyse blurted out, “You didn’t know Ben! You were from Brad’s season!” Jacyln, as usual, had the best quotes: “I mean, I feel I’m better than Shawntel. I do. And listen girl, you had your chance and you freaking lost.” Later, Jaclyn’s rage turned to despair as she said before the rose ceremony, “I’m getting dumped by a girl he’s known for three minutes.” Fantastic.

At the rose ceremony, with Emily, Rachel and Lyndzi already clutching the roses they’d earned earlier in the week, Ben distributed the other roses to Courtney, Kacie B, Elyse, Jamie, Jennifer, Casey S, Big Teeth Blakely (BTB), Monica and Nicki. For effect, he paused before the final rose, with Jaclyn, Erika, Samantha and Shawntel eagerly awaiting his remarks. He tried to give a speech about how hard his decision was, but Erika’s knees would not cooperate, and she abruptly fainted. After the producers made sure she was fit to stand trial, they stood her back up, Ben launched into his speech again, addressed each of the four girls without a rose and gave the final rose to Samantha. Heartbroken, Shawntel quietly left, disappointed Ben “wasn’t being man enough to recognize their connection.” Erika fainted again. And Jaclyn cried her head off and ran into a nearby bathroom so she could start throwing things.

Now. During the time he spent thinking about his rose choices, my guess is the producers STRONGLY suggested Ben give Shawntel a rose. It would’ve been unprecedented drama (even for a show as ridiculously over-the-top as The Bachelor). In fact, if I had been a producer I would’ve suggested Ben give Shawntel the very first rose, just to see how the other girls would’ve reacted. As it turns out, Ben played it totally safe and chose not to keep Shawntel. It was the right call on his part. Unfortunately for us, it was the most boring call he could’ve made. Surprise, surprise.

Bachelor 2012: Week 2

(Author: Matthew)

Week two of the 2012 Bachelor season might as well have been a two-hour infomercial for Sonoma. The city’s name was said somewhere in the neighborhood of 40 and 6,571 times.

The entire show could be summed up in these three sentences:

1. Ben loves Sonoma.
2. Sonoma is Ben’s life.
3. If the girls can’t handle Sonoma, then they can’t handle Ben.

Kacie B was the first of the bachelorettes to learn and experience Ben's above three rules of life. From the get-go, it was utterly ridiculous. After five minutes of hanging out with Ben, Kacie told us, “Ben brings out things in me that I haven’t been in touch with for a long time.” The show’s editors made it seem like those “things” were Kacie’s super-duper, baton-twirling skills, (she just happened to find a baton in a main-street shop window), but I’m not entirely convinced that’s what she meant (just like I’m not entirely convinced SHE knew what she meant).

A little while later, we got to see Ben and Kacie have an uncomfortable dinner conversation where Kacie peppered Ben with questions about his deceased father, and Ben got tongue-tied, so Kacie just answered the questions for him. Of course, in the very next shot, Kacie told us how natural her chemistry was with Ben. Huh?

After dinner, Ben gave Kacie a rose, and he took her to an old-timey movie theater where they watched home videos from their respective childhoods. Seeing his father on the videos made Ben tear up, which made Kacie tear up, which made my wife tear up, which made me laugh.

The next day, Ben practiced his goober walk in the park and met a handful of his girls for a group date. Big Teeth Blakely (BTB) used the opportunity to showcase her…self. Meanwhile, Ben used the date to talk more nonsense about how Sonoma is a “community built on family,” or something dumb like that. This was followed by more small-town-community hogwash where Ben forced the girls to accept acting roles in a community theater play he claimed a bunch of elementary school kids, and not himself, had written. In the play Ben feigned a dreadful British accent and clomped around while probably thinking he was all awesome and stuff. It was tough to watch.

The group date ended (like all group dates do) at a fancy outdoor swimming pool. After the girls had changed into their bathing suits, Ben took turns making out with them. That’s not entirely true, but it’s not entirely false either. The highlights of the pool party all revolved around how everyone hated Big Teeth Blakely (BTB) because she was so…friendly with Ben. Jaclyn, summed it up perfectly, “Blakely…more like...Fakely.” Burn. Even so, Big Teeth Blakely (BTB) earned the group date rose. She would not be denied.

On Ben’s second one-on-one date, Ben took Courtney on some faux-hiking excursion through the woods. He also took his Jack Russell terrier, Scotch. After about Scotch’s third second of screen time, Cecilia blurted out, “I want Scotch to go on every date!” She was completely serious. And after watching the date, I agreed with her. After their walk through the woods, Ben and Courtney rode on a tractor, Ben waxed eloquent about Sonoma, they ate dinner in a vineyard, awkwardly kissed each other, and then Ben gave Courtney a rose and they kissed some more. Now, Courtney is a lunatic. Deep down, Ben knows this; he has to. The only thing that’s keeping her around is the fact that by profession she is a “model.” Ben likes that. If Courtney were a financial analyst or critical care nurse, he wouldn’t care as much. If I’ve got this wrong, and none of this is true, then Ben is in HUGE trouble.

At the pre-rose ceremony cocktail party, Big Teeth Blakely (BTB) continued to antagonize her opponents. After Big Teeth Blakely (BTB) interrupted Ben’s one-on-one time with Samantha AND Erika, Emily questioned Big Teeth Blakely (BTB)’s “morals.” I was just as confused to hear Emily say it, as you were to read it just now.

After that, Jenna grabbed Ben for some alone time on an outdoor couch, and, within 10 seconds, said the phrase, “I feel like I’m a guy in how I act.” Looking like a trapped zebra about to be devoured by a tiger, Ben sat there for a few tense moments until Jaclyn came outside and asked if she could steal him. Before she had even finished her question, Ben had risen up off the couch and started walking Jaclyn's direction. Afterward, Big Teeth Blakely (BTB) fake cried and Jenna real cried, and both successfully garnered Ben’s attention (a dangerous precedent).

At the rose ceremony, in addition to the roses he’d already given to Kacie B, Big Teeth Blakely (BTB) and Courtney, Ben distributed roses to Jennifer, Emily, Elyse, Jaclyn, Erika, Rachel, Lyndzi, Nicki, Casey S, Samantha, Monica, Jamie and Brittney. 

This led to the obligatory Jenna meltdown, where she delivered this beauty: “I came here for love! Are you kidding me?! No, really, are you kidding me?! I’m mortified! I never find love! I’ve always been trying to find it!” Best of luck to you, Jenna. You’re going to need it.

sometimes.

It’s Your love that we adore 

It’s like a sea without a shore

We’re lost in You, we’re lost in You

It’s Your love that we adore

It’s like a sea without a shore

We’re lost in You, we’re lost in You

Sometimes

"Sometimes" -David Crowder Band

from his new CD Give us Rest

My Chicken Salad

I have to admit, I have a love/hate relationship with chicken salad.

So many times I have slaved over a stove making it.

and so many times I've hated what I made.

too runny.

too dry.

too chunky.

But today.  today was the day.

Today was the day I finally got it perfect.  Hallelujah.

It was so yummy, I remembered to take a picture after I had eaten half of it.

whoops.


So, because i love you, I will share my recipe.  BUT I must tell you...this is my favorite... that doesn't mean it's the best.  It's just what I (&Matthew) like.

 If you don't like cranberries, don't use em...If you don't like pineapples...don't use them.

Feel free to doctor it up and make it your own.

GROCERY LIST

1 ½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken

2 tablespoons dried thyme

3 tablespoons liquid smoke

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

sliced green onions (3 stalks)

4 stalks organic celery – chopped

¾-1 cup mayo (depending on desired consistency) 

1 8 oz can sliced pineapple – diced into tidbits

½ cup dried cranberries

½ cup sliced almonds

1.     Boil Chicken with Thyme until fully cooked

2.     chop celery, pineapple, green onions

If you have a kitchen aid mixer, it will shred your chicken using the whisk attachment!!  It’s the best secret ever!!  If you do not have a kitchen aid mixer, you will need to shred your chicken by hand, then add the rest of the ingredients.  Whisk at speed 2 or 3, then bump it up to a 4 to allow chicken to shred.

3.     Once Chicken is cooked, shred your chicken, either kitchen aid mixer style or manually. 

4.     add liquid smoke, Worcestershire & salt & pepper to taste

5.     add pineapple, celery, green onions, almonds

6.     add mayo slowly, ¼ of a cup at a time until desired consistency

Ode To Mpix

I rarely order professional prints, but when I do, I always use mPix.  There is something in me that thinks "walmart.com" could do this, but I must say mPix has spoiled me.   For one thier costumer service is amazing.  If they send you something you aren't happy with, it's very likely that they will fix it.  AND they are fast.  Let me explain.

This is my Sister-In-Law Anna. 

Anna is incredible.  I love her so so much. 

(i have another sister in-law, Sarah, who is as equally incredible that I also love so so much)

Anna is married to Michael and they have two kids.

Avery

and Nathan

(i promise I'm getting to my mPix story...)

Anna's 30th birthday is January 29th and we celebrated this past weekend.  One of Anna's favorite things is pictures of her family, and in times before I have gone over to their house to snap pictures of the kids.  Matthew and I have gotten really busy, so I haven't had a ton of extra time to snap pictures of the kids and it has made me sad!  They are growing up so so fast.  Too fast.

Soooo on Tuesdays, Anna goes to Bible Study in the mornings and Matthew's mom, who has now officially been named CoCo, watches the kids.  

(there's CoCo & Matthew with super cool 3-D glasses)

I knew that Anna would be gone for a few hours, so I called Coco and asked if I could come over.  In a matter of minutes we had the kids dressed and I was snapping pictures left and right.

You see, Anna has the really fun wall in her hallway that is filled with black and white pictures of her family.  Different pictures of the family line her wall in different sizes, most marking milestones or important dates.  So naturally I wanted pictures for her wall.

Coco and I wrestled those kids around until we were both sweaty and exhausted.

And it was worth it.  Why?

Because we got this.

and this

and this

melt your heart right?

Then... we had to put the house back together EXACTLY how it was.  Did I mention Anna is the most organized person I know?  It's inspiring.  Everything has a place, and I knew if something was out of place, she would know something went down.  

Once the house was in order, in the words of Miss Avery "Cece work."  I went to work and crossed my fingers Avery wouldn't tell her momma she saw me that day...

That was tuesday.  I edited them Tuesday night, but didn't find the frames I wanted until Wednesday night.  Once I knew what size I wanted my prints I logged onto mPix to find anything that is bigger than an 8x10 takes a few days longer.  

cue devastation. 

...

...

...

...

and now cue solution

I made the gut decision to order the pictures even though there was a chance they wouldn't get here.  

Once I ordered the pictures Wednesday night I immediately emailed mPix and practically BEGGED them to rush my order so I could have them at my door by Friday (because FedEx doesn't deliver on Saturdays) and within minutes I got an email from mPix :)

notice the timestamp....9:41 PM!  Herb took the time to email me at 9:41 PM!

and Herb tells no lie.

Thank you mPix and FedEx!  With your help my pictures are PERFECTLY printed and at my door on Friday (the day before the party).  

We celebrated Anna Saturday night with the most Amazing Cheese Fondue (recipe from Lauren Foster) and chocolate cake!!

Anna loved the pictures of her babies, and I loved watching her open them :)

mPix, I owe it all to you.

I also LOVE Millers Photo Lab.  We ordered 3 of their acryllics when I had my bridals done through John Newberry and they are in our house.  We got LOTS of compliments on them.  They have AMAZING photo products as well!

Bachelor 2012: Week 1

(Author: Matthew)

The Bachelor started this season the same ole formulaic way it always does. We saw the highlights of our new Bachelor (Ben) getting his heart ripped out by the former Bachelorette (Ashley). The apex of Ben’s bad day on the beach was, of course, his killer, in-no-way-was-this-prepared-beforehand-should-I-lose quote, “Good things don’t end unless they end badly.” Tremendous.

Staying faithful to the tried-and-true script, we were next treated to the usual montages of the new Bachelor overcoming his heartbrokenness. Look, there’s Ben pouring himself into work! And here he is drinking wine with his friends on his vineyard next to a campfire! Now he’s on a sailboat! Watch out, he’s walking down a hill carrying some wood! And here he is standing on his porch, staring pensively into the distance! Ladies and gentleman, your 2012 Bachelor, Ben Flajnik! Just for good measure, the montage ended with Ben inexplicably playing piano in a meadow. Ben is nothing if not fancy.

After that, we were given life snapshots of nine of Ben’s 26 bachelorettes:

• Lyndzi rode a horse and her last relationship ended via text.
• Amber shot guns and ate cow balls.
• Kacie would love Ben like her grandparents loved each other.
• Courtney said she’s not concerned with the other girls because she’s a model.
•  Jamie raised her brothers and sisters when her dad died because her mom wasn’t up to the task.
• Lyndsie showed us how hyper she is.
• Jenna insinuated her highest aspiration in life is to become Carrie Bradshaw (more on her later).
• Shawn worked at a desk and then played with her son.
• Nicki said, “the next time I get married, it is going to be forever.”

Ben concluded this segment by doing an interview with Chris Harrison where he repeatedly assured us he is READY for this. In this interview he talked about the lingering affects of his dad’s death, how he doesn’t regret the experience of the Bachelorette and how hummingbirds reminded him of something. I have no idea what the hummingbirds had to do with anything because Cecilia, Amanda, Tyler and I started doing Brad Womack impressions and that seemed like a much better use of our time (“Come ‘mere to me.” “I want you here.  I do. I really do.” “Hey, babe.”, etc.). 

Next, were the always-entertaining and completely-ridiculous bachelorette meet and greets with Ben. The quick-hitter highlights:

• Rachel was told she looked, “stunning.”
• Erika, the law student, told him, “The verdict is in. you’re guilty of being sexy.”
• Amber B told Ben she was Canadian and her last name was Bacon. (It really happened.)
• Elyse asked Ben to find her later because she was going to make him sweat a little.
• Jenna got overexcited and tried to repeat Ben’s awesome quote from the Bachelorette, but she butchered it beyond repair.
• Courtney told Ben she had a crush on him and then played with his hair.
• Emily, a student of the transmission of diseases, made him sanitize his hands and mouth before giving him the first kiss of the night.
• Samantha wore a sash and talked with a cheerleader voice.
• Casey was awkward.
• Amber T walked in a circle and told Ben he had a second chance at love at first sight. 
• Holly wore a big hat.
• After Jamie walked inside, Ben said, “I’m loving the brunettes.”
• Shira pretended she knew about wine when she actually didn’t. Ben did not like that.
• Blakely smiled with her big-white teeth.
• Brittney brought her grandmother (Sheryl), which basically forced Ben’s hand into giving her a rose later that night.
• Nicki flirted well.
• Diana claimed she forgot what she meant to say. This technique did not go as she probably had planned.
• Jennifer acted like a nerdy accountant.
• Lyndsie recited a self-written poem in her British accent.
• Anna just walked right by Ben in a move Ben called, “ballsy.”
• Monica confessed she missed her dog more than anything.
• Jaclyn gave Ben two hugs.
• Shawn hit him on the arm.
• Kacie called him, “Benjamin,” and asked him not to sugarcoat anything.
• Lindzi rode up on a horse, allowing Ben to utter, “I’ve never dismounted anyone from a horse.”

After everyone got comfortable inside the mansion, things gradually started to get weird. Ben spent alone time with several girls, including Nicki, who demonstrated flawlessly how to get prematurely over-invested in a love interest. Emily showed Ben her “gangsta side” and performed a rap for him she wrote herself. During her sick flow, Ben could not have been more uncomfortable.

And then. There was Monica. She explained in a room full of drunk and emotional bachelorettes that she felt nothing for Ben. Apparently, this was the most offensive thing anyone had ever said in front of Jenna. She immediately started crying and saying she didn’t “want to be drama.”

Somewhere in the middle of Jenna’s meltdown, Monica ended up on a couch with Blakely and started spooning her. She called Blakely a “gorgeous, real woman.” She followed that up by saying, “If you’re the only thing I get out of this, I have lived, and I have lived great…you’re in my life forever…you’re beautiful, you’re amazing…you know I need your number, right?” The whole time Blakely stared at her silently with a goofy half grin on her face like she was trying to figure out the funny part of a sophisticated joke.

Jenna then cried some more, Lindzi got the first impression rose, and Chris Harrison promptly entered the room with his usual, self-satisfied smile and announced it was time for the rose ceremony. Ben thanked the girls for coming, and told them, “This is the first of many tough decisions.” With Lindzi holding the first-impression rose, Ben proceeded to give the remaining roses to: Jamie, Rachel, Blakely, Emily, Kacie, Casey, Brittney, Erika, Shawn, Nicki, Jennifer, Elyse, Samantha, Courtney, Jaclyn, Monica and Jenna (surprise, surprise).

Of the girls who were sent home, Amber B gave the most memorable quote: “There’s only one Amber Bacon.” Agreed.

As for the rest of this season, it seems pretty predictable. Jenna and Monica will be kept (by the producers) for a few more weeks so America can see them fight. Courtney will do her best Michelle Money impersonation and antagonize the rest of the bachelorettes. Girls will get their hearts broken…and so, too, may Ben. Shocking. I know.