According to the engraving on the inside of my wedding band, March 31st is my wedding anniversary. Upon further investigation, THIS March 31st (which is Friday) is my 5 YEAR wedding anniversary. It is hard to believe that I have been married for 5 years. And even harder to believe that in June of this year it will be 10 years since I started dating Morgan. Of course, we had our hiccups along the way, but essentially we have been committed from day one!
So, what does a couple do to celebrate 5 years of marital bliss? Well, it was a hard decision for us because we are a single income relationship currently due to Morgan's "Call to Seminary". Morgan really wanted a trip and I gave in pretty easily. We started out thinking we would do one of those 'all-inclusive' deals at some exotic beach location. After many hours of searching the entire internet, we decided that was a lot of money to just sit on the beach. So, we started to think of other places. DC, Skiing out west, NYC, Chicago... Finally, we settled on San Francisco and Napa Valley.
Fortunately for us, Morgan's spring break is next week which makes it the perfect time to celebrate our 5 years with a trip to San Francisco and Napa Valley. Here are the details:
We board an Airtran flight on Saturday morning and arrive in San Francisco around Noon (Pacific Time). We are then spending Saturday night and Sunday night and most of the day Monday in San Francisco. On Monday, we will drive our rental car up to Napa and spend Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday nights in Napa. Saturday we fly back to the ATL.
And so here is the point of the post. All we know about San Francisco is that Rice-a-Roni is the city's treat and that it is the home place of Uncle Jesse, Uncle Joey, Danny, DJ, Stephanie, and Michelle (Full House). Further, all we know about Napa is that they make wine there. So, if you have tips or suggestions about what we should do, please leave them in the comments.
"The San Francisco Treat",
-Uncle Joey
PS- The ONLY thing we have already booked is the Alcatraz tour. I am really looking forward to seeing the secret passage-way that Nick Cage and Sean Connery sneaked in.
PSS- I will of course have pictures and posts from our trip (hopefully during the trip).
Tuesday, March 28, 2006
Monday, March 20, 2006
Finally, a sabbath day!
Well, the last few weeks have been crazy around the Hay house. Before this past weekend, our last 4 weekends were:
So, that gets us to Saturday. Morgan and I finally had a day to sleep in (not sure if I was really sleeping or if I was passed out, but either way I didn't get up until noon). We spent a couple of hours cleaning up our house. We have decided that keg parties are easier to cleanup after than BYOB parties because there is much less trash. After the house was respectable, I got on the couch and watched March Madness while Morgan went to the mall. We cooked a nice dinner together and watched a movie. Sunday was a typical minister's family Sunday. We went to church, went to lunch, went home and rested, and then went back to church for youth group.
I know that we are supposed to rest on the 7th day and it only took Morgan and I almost 5 weeks to find time to rest. Thank God for rest!
- Thurs Feb 16 - Sun Feb 19: Morgan at Montreat Planning Team meetings while I helped her dad do his 'honey do' list at their new home in Black Mountain. Nothing like doing chores at someone else's house.
- Fri Feb 24 - Sun Feb 26: Morgan in Plymouth, NC with her 3 best friends from highschool while I was in Highlands, NC with all my buddies for a double-bachelor party. Details of both trips to be withheld to protect the innocent (and the guilty).
- Fri Mar 4 - Sun Mar 6: Morgan and I co-hosted a wedding shower for a friend (one of the bachelors from the party) in Birmingham. We also went to church at SHPC on Sunday with my family (see here for post about the sermon).
- Fri Mar 10 - Sun Mar 12: We went on a confirmation retreat with the youth from St Lukes Pres. Actually, Morgan helped lead the retreat and I was the "Cabana Boby" (cook, maid, driver, and anything else that they needed done). Then, when we got back on Saturday, Morgan and I spent a couple of hours in the yard. Then, on Sunday while Morgan was at church, I spent another 8 hours in the yard. I hate yard work more than anything!!!!!!
So, that gets us to Saturday. Morgan and I finally had a day to sleep in (not sure if I was really sleeping or if I was passed out, but either way I didn't get up until noon). We spent a couple of hours cleaning up our house. We have decided that keg parties are easier to cleanup after than BYOB parties because there is much less trash. After the house was respectable, I got on the couch and watched March Madness while Morgan went to the mall. We cooked a nice dinner together and watched a movie. Sunday was a typical minister's family Sunday. We went to church, went to lunch, went home and rested, and then went back to church for youth group.
I know that we are supposed to rest on the 7th day and it only took Morgan and I almost 5 weeks to find time to rest. Thank God for rest!
Thursday, March 09, 2006
The Luther Burger
Luther Burger: "a bacon-cheeseburger served on a Krispy Kreme doughnut bun"
To be a little more specific, they take the doughnut and slice it down the middle like it is a bagel and then they put the glazed side of each half on the grill and grill it for a quick moment. When they put the doughnut bun on the burger, the middle (non-glazed side) is facing out so that when you hold the burger you are holding it with the middle piece of the doughnut. They serve it with your choice of fries, tots, onion rings, or hush puppies.
I had mine with a side of tots AND fries. I mean, if you are going to have a coronary, might as well enjoy it.
So, yes, I went to Mulligan's with my friend Stewart last night and we both had a Luther Burger. It has an interesting taste. Amazinginly, it tastes exactly like you would guess; like a hamburger with a sweet bun. It is like having your entree and your dessert at the same time.
Stewart and I also had a couple of pitchers of Stella beer (which was also a first experience for me). After the Luther Burger and Stella beer, we headed over to The Corner Pub to join the CTS team as they competed in Team Trivia. To be honest, I can't remember if we won or not. I remember that we were in first place before the final question, but I don't remember what the final outcome was. Needless to say, Stewart and I had a real good time!!!!
For more information regarding my obsession with weird fried foods, please see these links:
"Fat, drunk, and stupid is no way to go through life, son."
-FatDrunkStupid
To be a little more specific, they take the doughnut and slice it down the middle like it is a bagel and then they put the glazed side of each half on the grill and grill it for a quick moment. When they put the doughnut bun on the burger, the middle (non-glazed side) is facing out so that when you hold the burger you are holding it with the middle piece of the doughnut. They serve it with your choice of fries, tots, onion rings, or hush puppies.
I had mine with a side of tots AND fries. I mean, if you are going to have a coronary, might as well enjoy it.
So, yes, I went to Mulligan's with my friend Stewart last night and we both had a Luther Burger. It has an interesting taste. Amazinginly, it tastes exactly like you would guess; like a hamburger with a sweet bun. It is like having your entree and your dessert at the same time.
Stewart and I also had a couple of pitchers of Stella beer (which was also a first experience for me). After the Luther Burger and Stella beer, we headed over to The Corner Pub to join the CTS team as they competed in Team Trivia. To be honest, I can't remember if we won or not. I remember that we were in first place before the final question, but I don't remember what the final outcome was. Needless to say, Stewart and I had a real good time!!!!
For more information regarding my obsession with weird fried foods, please see these links:
"Fat, drunk, and stupid is no way to go through life, son."
-FatDrunkStupid
Monday, March 06, 2006
Why do we confess?
I am no theologian (I leave that up to my dad, my wife, and my brother), but I did enjoy the sermon I heard yesterday. Morgan and I were in Birmingham this weekend to help host a wedding shower for a good friend of mine. We, of course, stayed with my parents and went to church with them on Sunday morning at South Highland Presbyterian Church. SHPC had a guest speaker named Wil Willimon who is apparently a well respected theologian.
Anyways, he preached about why we confess our sins. He referred to some churches who preach how 'good' people are and that their services are full of reminders of how 'good' the church goers are and the service is meant to build them up and make them feel all warm and fuzzy inside. He then wondered why Presbyterians (and many other reformed churches) start out our service with such a downer like openly confessing that we are sinners. He said that that type of openly admitting that we are not good is not part of our human nature. That we as humans always want to appear confident and in control and not focus on the bad things that we do, but to instead to focus on the good things that we do. So, why is it that we always confess our sins and admit how bad we have been.
As I said, I am no theologian, so I am sure that I cannot relay his sentiments exactly, but the jist of his sermon was that we admit our sins because we are sinners. We have been sinners "since Genesis, Chapter 3" as he said. But that the good news is that despite our sins, God still loves us and forgives us. God sent Jesus to be with the un-Godly and to save us. So, we confess our sins so that we can humbly go before God as sinners and then accept the divine Grace of Jesus Christ as our Saviour.
I am not good at putting these things together or always getting the exact right point, but I do believe that what he was preaching is exactly what I believe. I KNOW that I am a sinner and I KNOW that because of God's grace and through the love of Jesus Christ, that I am saved.
Thanks be to God!!!!!
Anyways, he preached about why we confess our sins. He referred to some churches who preach how 'good' people are and that their services are full of reminders of how 'good' the church goers are and the service is meant to build them up and make them feel all warm and fuzzy inside. He then wondered why Presbyterians (and many other reformed churches) start out our service with such a downer like openly confessing that we are sinners. He said that that type of openly admitting that we are not good is not part of our human nature. That we as humans always want to appear confident and in control and not focus on the bad things that we do, but to instead to focus on the good things that we do. So, why is it that we always confess our sins and admit how bad we have been.
As I said, I am no theologian, so I am sure that I cannot relay his sentiments exactly, but the jist of his sermon was that we admit our sins because we are sinners. We have been sinners "since Genesis, Chapter 3" as he said. But that the good news is that despite our sins, God still loves us and forgives us. God sent Jesus to be with the un-Godly and to save us. So, we confess our sins so that we can humbly go before God as sinners and then accept the divine Grace of Jesus Christ as our Saviour.
I am not good at putting these things together or always getting the exact right point, but I do believe that what he was preaching is exactly what I believe. I KNOW that I am a sinner and I KNOW that because of God's grace and through the love of Jesus Christ, that I am saved.
Thanks be to God!!!!!
Ma Bell back together again
As most of you are aware, I work for a large IT consulting firm. In our ATL and BHAM offices, we basically have 1 client; BellSouth. We have a few other small clients in these two offices, but the majority of the 350+ employees in these two offices work on BellSouth projects. Further, BellSouth is the single largest US based client my company has. So, you can understand why the acquistion of BellSouth by AT&T could cause concern around my office. See this article: AT&T agrees to buy BellSouth for $67 billion
What does this mean to me? Well, I am not sure quite yet. Most of you know that I haven't exactly been happy in my job and so this may be God working in a really weird way to help motivate me to determine what it is that I should be doing with my life (Warren and Steve, please remember that what I say here stays here and shouldn't go to our bosses). But would God really cause a $67 billion merger just to make me go do something more with my life? Probably not, but God may work through this to help kick me in the butt to go do something better.
I have a feeling that there will be an office-wide meeting (imagine the scene from Office Space when the 'Consultants' show up) this week to discuss what impacts this has to my company's business and bottom line. I will keep you updated on the company's solutions and my solutions (or I guess I should say, God's solutions for me).
"Mr. Watson, come here, I want you!"
-Pa Bell
What does this mean to me? Well, I am not sure quite yet. Most of you know that I haven't exactly been happy in my job and so this may be God working in a really weird way to help motivate me to determine what it is that I should be doing with my life (Warren and Steve, please remember that what I say here stays here and shouldn't go to our bosses). But would God really cause a $67 billion merger just to make me go do something more with my life? Probably not, but God may work through this to help kick me in the butt to go do something better.
I have a feeling that there will be an office-wide meeting (imagine the scene from Office Space when the 'Consultants' show up) this week to discuss what impacts this has to my company's business and bottom line. I will keep you updated on the company's solutions and my solutions (or I guess I should say, God's solutions for me).
"Mr. Watson, come here, I want you!"
-Pa Bell
Wednesday, March 01, 2006
Sorry to have been idle for so long...
Hey all you Quest-fanatics,
I apologize for the lack of posts in the past few weeks. My last post was right before I went to Montreat for a long weekend. Then I got back and the internet at my office went down (yes, that is right, at the Global IT Consulting Firm). It has only taken them over a week to get it fixed. I guess I could have posted from home, but by the time I get home from work, I don't really want to sit in front of a computer anymore. So, I am just now getting back into the swing of reading blogs and surfing the net. Hopefully, after I catch up on my surfing, I will have something worthy of posting about. Till then, peace out!
-Seacrist, out!
I apologize for the lack of posts in the past few weeks. My last post was right before I went to Montreat for a long weekend. Then I got back and the internet at my office went down (yes, that is right, at the Global IT Consulting Firm). It has only taken them over a week to get it fixed. I guess I could have posted from home, but by the time I get home from work, I don't really want to sit in front of a computer anymore. So, I am just now getting back into the swing of reading blogs and surfing the net. Hopefully, after I catch up on my surfing, I will have something worthy of posting about. Till then, peace out!
-Seacrist, out!
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