My own street sign!

My brother sent this to me the other day when he walked by it in San Luis Obispo. My namesake, on a sign (for those of you who don't know, my middle name is Lee). It is just missing the "e" on Jamie. Wonder what it is like to live on this street...:)

Snack Staple

I made this yummy granola bar recipe a couple of weeks ago and would swear by it. I love granola bars and such but refuse to buy them from the store because who wants to buy high fructose corn syrup and partially hydrogenated oils covered in a waxy coat called chocolate. No thanks. So even though these fruity granola bars have a lot going into them, it is worth it because you will make them over and over again. LOTS of ingredients=LOTS of goodness, in my book (and usually lots of time too, but not these!!). They are not too sugary because it is mostly honey. I also liked to crumble them and use them as granola in yogurt or other cereal. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did. As a side note, I also made them with chocolate chips and no fruit, and they just weren't as good.

Homemade Granola Bars
2 c old fashioned oatmeal1 c sliced almonds
1 c shreddded coconut, loosely packed
1/3 c toasted wheat germ
3 Tb unsalted butter
2/3 c honey
1/4 c light brown sugar, lightly packed
1 1/2 t pure vanilla extract
1/4 t salt
1/2 c chopped pitted dates
1/2 c chopped dried apricots
1/2 c dried cranberries
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9X13-inch baking dish and line it with parchment paper.2. Toss the oatmeal, almonds, and coconut together on a sheet pan and bake for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned. Transfer the mixture to a large mixing bowl and stir in the wheat germ. 3. Reduce the oven temperature to 300 degrees.4. Place honey, butter, brown sugar, vanilla, and salt in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Cook and stir for a minute, then pour over the toasted oatmeal mixture. Add the dates, apricots, and cranberrrries and stir well.5. Pour the mixture into the prepaed pan. Wet your fingers and lightly press the mixture evenly into the pan. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until light golden brown. Cool for at least 2-3 hours before cutting into squares. Serve at room temperature.
Recipe by Barefoot Contessa

The Unknown

My friend Gina posted this prayer by Richard Foster on her blog the other day, and I found it very fitting for what I/we are experiencing right now. I post it both to share and as a place that I can come back and read it:

Loving God, I choose this day to be a servant. I yield my right to command and demand. I give up my need to manage and control. I relinquish all schemes of manipulation...
In Jesus' name,
Amen

After one more year, Bob will graduate and we don't know where we will be, in this city, this state. No idea. I guess this is where trust in God really plays out. I have been seeing my strong sense to control my surroundings and it seems the more that gets taken from me, the more I desire to control. I am thankful that I have a neat group of women and a wonderful husband to work through these things with me. I know that so much of life is not predictable or what you hoped for or expected, but somehow I am always surprised at my disappointment.

Lesson Learned.

Bob and I "saved" this nice restaurant called Canoe for our 5th anniversary dinner because we heard it was good and that a lot of food was local. It had a beautiful atmosphere right on the river, but as soon as we sat down we realized what we really have known all along--that we are NOT gourmet diners. We shared a glass of wine, partly because we always share a glass of wine and partly because we wouldn't spend $20 on two glasses of wine. When we ordered dinner, an awkward conversation began:
Waitress: And what will you have for an appetizer?
Us: Oh, we will pass on the appetizer
Waitress: Well, everyone usually orders an appetizer, so it might take longer for your dinner to come, but I will try my best
Us: Uh, okay
As soon as the waitress left, Bob tells me we should've gone to a place where we would've spent the same amount of money and gotten a lot more. BBQ or Mexican food we decided. When our "gourmet" plates came, although looking very beautiful, we were reminded again. We hate to eat a whole meal and still go home feeling hungry. We are the people who like the thought of dressing up and going out somewhere nice, but in reality, not so much. I want to eat to my hearts content, have leftovers and enjoy it all over again. And I don't want it to matter if I spill on myself, because you know I will. On the way home, we picked up brownies and a movie. When we got home we changed into our PJs and back into ourselves. Lesson learned.

NY photos--finally!

Okay, so I am finally getting around to posting pictures from NY. Here are the highlights, but if you want to view all of them, you can find them on http://picasaweb.google.com/106338896800545130178/NewYork#
I was wandering around one day and accidentally found my way to FAO Schwartz. I was by myself which ALMOST stopped me from having a good time, but I decided to let loose, take my shoes off and play the famous keyboard with my feet. It even lit up! Sooo fun, despite the fact that everyone else playing had a child with them.

I love books and I can and do spend hours in the bookstore. This one had both new and used books and I visited it a couple of times just to hang out and read. My favorite find was a book called Secret Postmaster or something like that where blank postcards were passed out and people were to write and illustrate their biggest secret. It was so telling of the human heart. Some were funny, some deeply disturbing, and some that made you think, "Do they know me?". People shared about not feeling loved, about wanting to believe in God, about abuse, etc. I found myself really drawn to this. I also bought a book called the Compassionate Carnivore. Bob and I have been becoming more aware of where our meat comes from and how to make good decisions based on our values. It is amazing how inhumanely animals are treated their entire lives just to give us food. I have no problem with consuming meat, but I do think God has given us animals to treat with integrity while they are living and in the process of dying.

This is Wall Street. Nothing special outside.

NY is known for its bagels, so my friend Sherry and I took the trek to H&H, which is known for it's fresh bagels. The store was nothing to boast of. All they sold were bagels and then they had a fridge where you could buy packets of cream cheese or apple juice. It was nothing like the bagel shops here with varieties of cream cheese, coffee, etc. I guess the goal was just to showcase the bagel. And it did--they were awesome--warm when you bought them and they just sort of melted in your mouth. I think I could live on bread.

Here is a sweet quote that was in the park.

A list of those that died in the 911 attack at the museum that Bob and I went to.

This is a Japanese oragami peace chain hanging in the museum. The great significance of this is that it was donated by a Japanese man whose family had died in the bombing of Hiroshima. He gave it as a gift after 911, which I found very humbling after the pain he had suffered at US hands.

An elementary school nearby had made a quilt for firefighters at one of the first responding stations. These cannot be read without at least getting teary eyed, for the heart of a child is an immeasurable thing. There is so much hope, life, and understanding that exudes from little ones. Each of the squares started with somewhere today... and the one above was one of my favorites.

Rebuilding ground zero. They are turning it into a memorial site including waterfalls into the foundations and they are also building new buildings around.

A wall of pictures of the people who died. Heartbreaking.

Bob and I taking a picture in front of the Statue of Liberty. Oops! I guess we are blocking it :) Too bad the guy taking the picture didn't bother to tell us.

Riding bikes in Central Park.

Me eating the best gyro I have ever had (and the cheapest, nonetheless). It was from a stand on the side of the road. I still crave gyros from NY and have to settle for ones in Atlanta.

We walked the Brooklyn Bridge and ended up at a homemade ice cream shop on the other side. Yum!

There is nothing special about this picture except for the funny story behind it. The fountain was pretty so I wanted to take a picture and Bob started talking about how to choose the right person to take our picture--something like someone you could run faster than if they decided to take our camera. He was laying out all these theories as we were looking around for someone to take our picture. This guy was walking toward us really fast, alone, with his hair a mess and looking kind of frazzled. Don't ask me why because he would be the last person that I asked any question to, but Bob asked him to take our picture. Denied! The guy actually said no, which astonished me, even in NY, because I had never had that happen before. Luckily a girl nearby saw this and felt sorry for us, offering to take our picture. If not for her, we probably would not have a picture by the fountain because it would've taken a while to work up the guts to ask someone again. Not really, but pretty funny.

Mexico Anniversary

Bob and I went to the Mayan Riviera to celebrate our 5th anniversary. We had a wonderful time and enjoyed the culture, people, food and activities. Bob and I brushed up on our Spanish while we were there. We spend a lot of time snorkeling, laying around and eating chips and salsa. The great part about our resort is that it had like 10 sister resorts in the area so we could go to a different one and hang out each day. We went to Cozumel one day and visited many different beaches. The hotel we stayed at was an ecological reserve, so it was almost like a zoo--they had monkeys, deer (we got to feed them), birds, and other animals. We also got to visit Chichenitza and other Mayan ruins. If you want to see more pictures from our trip, here is the website: http://picasaweb.google.com/106338896800545130178/Mexico2010#

Below are a few of our favorites.

This was the kiddie pool. Although there was a sign for 12 and under, it could not stop Bob and I. All those fun slides and stairs called to us. We paid for it though when at the end of the slide you landed in water about 2 feet deep and either got a wedgie or a pool floor burn. Not good, but well worth the fun.

We went to a show that highlighted the Mayan ball game and other activities at a place called Xcaret. We snorkled through caves during the day and then at night we got to see the show. The people in the show dressed up in some of these crazy costumes.

Our hotel had been a booming place in the past but had been ruined a few years back by a hurricane. After that some of the land was sold and a man sits in this lifeguard tower to guard it. It is such a beautiful area.

Snorkeling!

Wish you were here! Totally inappropriate, I know, for me to even be posting on my blog, but just too funny to pass up. Bob and I went for a walk on the beach and were stopped abruptly by this image--a man, missing some clothes as you can see (he may have gotten confused and took the wrong piece off) facing the ocean. The best part was, there was a boat out in the distance that he was facing. Anyway, I didn't feel comfortable walking past him but Bob just had to take a picture, saying he wanted to make it into postcards to send to people saying "Wish you were here". So consider this your post card ;)

Botanical Gardens

Each month our apartment complex offers what they call a cultural enrichment where they pick a place (the zoo, a museum, etc.) that you can go to that month and they pay 90% of it. It has been a great way for Bob and I to do some things in Atlanta that we might not have done otherwise. A couple months ago we went to the Botanical Gardens. Here are some of our favorite pictures.

Let this be a lesson to all mosquitoes

One of the awful parts about living in the South in the summer are the mosquitoes. Especially because we live on the water, we have to be wary of those little buggers. It seems like no matter how hard we try, one or two always follow us in the front door. We are obsessed with finding and killing these pests, and they know how to hide. Each death is a personal victory that Bob and I bestow on ourselves, but this week Bob took it to a new level...

As we are laying in bed last night, I point up to the wall and say, "Look at that little spider." This is the conversation that ensues:

Bob (looking sheepish): That is not a spider
Me (coming to the realization of how this conversation is going to play out): It's a dead mosquito, isn't it
Bob: Yeah, I think I killed it last week
Me: Well, then go clean it up, that is disgusting!
Bob: No, it is serving as a lesson to all mosquitoes that if they mess with me that is what will happen to them

Nice. Whatever makes my husband feel like a superior human warrior...

The slip and fall

Last night we went out as a group to a restaurant called Max Brenner's which is known for it's chocolate. We really went for dessert but started with a light dinner. I shared a delicious peanut butter chocolate euphoria sundae with a colleague (yes, it was really called that one the menu), which we thoroughly enjoyed.

It was raining like crazy, so we were already a little wet as we entered the crowded subway with people heading home for the night. I went to slide my metrocard through and it said I didn't have enough money, so I turned around to go put more on my card. Because the ground was tile and extremely wet and because I was wearing my rainbow sandals (awful on the floor when wet), before I knew it, I was in midair. I thought for a moment that I was able to catch myself from falling, but no such luck. Smack! I hit the wet ground with no warning and no time to brace myself. I landed on the hard tile, hitting my hip, elbow and knee simultaneously, and no joke, the whole crowd went, "Oooh!". By this time all of my friends were to the other side. As I was trying to get reoriented and not to cry, I kept hearing this one highschool guy say, "I missed it! I didn't see it!", which at first annoyed me a bit, but then I started to think was funny. I kept reminding myself that at least I was not old enough looking for people to be really concerned about falling.

There was this one nice angel of a man who came and helped me up and asked me if I was all right. I was so thankful for him because honestly at that point I could use all the help I could get. I told him that I was all right, that I had just slipped, to which he responded, "Yeah, I know." Anyway, it's times like this that surprise me a bit and teach me some too. I really did not feel that embarrassed, which came as a surprise to me. I guess by now I have lived enough life to know that stuff like that happens. To all of us. Maybe not in NY in front of a crowd of people with one dissapointed that they missed your gymnastics, but it does happen to all. And I couldn't get over how thankful I was for that man. I think it will make me more aware of my surroundings when a stranger needs help. I realized that often times people want help even if it is not expressed. I know I did. It makes you feel not so alone. Anyway, I guess these are some of my ponderings as I sit here the next day with my knee and hip and elbow still throbbing. I am secretly hoping that bruises will pop up just so that others know how bad it hurt!!

Tour de NY

Bob came up to visit Memorial Day weekend and we exhausted ourselves with activity. We did all the touristy and fun things that our hearts could desire and found out we still did not have enough time. The first night we went to Times Square and the Hudson River. It is fleet week, where the navy ships come in and the men wander the streets in their uniform. I was hoping to see an action shot of the famous picture where the navy guy is kissing a girl, but did not get my wish.

We ate beignets at a New Orleans restaurant which were completely subpar in taste and way too pricey. After experiencing Cafe du Monde in NO, I can honeslty say that nothing else should be able to call itself a beignet. One of Bob's goals was to eat at as many pizza places as he could so we grabbed pizza at two different places one night.

I wanted to see Ground Zero, which of course now is nothing but a construction sight. They have a small commemorative museum nearby which was extremely powerful and worth the small entrance fee. Bob and I were both incredibly touched by the displays. Seeing pictures and hearing and reading people's stories made it so much more real. I felt connected in a way that I never have before to that incredible tragedy. I am sure that it helped to be in a place that was right next to where the monstrosity occured. I think the main thing I was left with was people's courage and the ability to unite and become selfless in times of utter vulnerability. I couldn't help but put myself in the shoes of a wife having her husband call from the air saying his goodbyes or the wife of a firefighter knowing that he purposefully entered the mess to do his duty aware that he most likely would not return. Gosh, it was awful and amazing. Another thing that particularly blessed me was this quilt that young students had made and sent to the firefighters and on each square it said "Somewhere today someone is..." and the children finished the sentence. The goal was to show that life can grow and continue even after extreme loss. The children finished with things like... planting a garden, giving someone a kiss, etc. I never cease to be amazed at children's vulnerability, hope, and life. Can't wait for some of my own :)

We also biked Central park, walked the Brooklyn Bridge, ate homemade ice cream, ordered take-in (so fun!), saw the Statue of Liberty, bought food from street vendors--worst churro and pretzel I have ever had, but also the best gyro I have ever had-- and ate pizza at Patsy's, a place that Frank Sinatra frequented and loved so much that he would have pizzas from there flown in to Las Vegas. We ate at S'Mac, a mac and cheese place that serves various gourmet kinds of the comfort food, stopped at Max Brenner's chocolate store but couldn't handle it at the moment (I WILL be going back) and visited the famous Strand Bookstore known for 18 miles of books.

Needless to say, we had a wonderful time together and created many precious memories. Although Bob liked NYmore than he thought he would, I think he has become a Georgia boy. On day 2 he already missed the water and the trees and was ready to go home by day 3. When he got home, he mentioned how much cleaner he feels and how he can breathe better. I am getting ready to be back in nature as well, although I have a bit more shopping to do :)