11/9/10

Food for the soul

So I haven't exactly kept up with my once a week blogging, as it had been over a month since my last post.  But I'm back and hopefully I'll stay on top of it. I'll try to post a update about the last month soon. 

Last Thursday Mike and I went out to a restaurant that we've wanted to try for a while, but just never made it there. It's called Fred's Southern Kitchen.  We weren't really sure what to expect (other than traditional southern food, obviously).  So we get seated (on our way to our seats I noticed them playing Keep Changing the World by Mike's Chair) and the waitress asks if we'd like the buffet.  (I didn't know they had one, but Mike was all about it, so I figured, what better way to find out what's good)

So we of course try to be good and both start with a small salad, but then proceed to take a little of everything (well not everything, but you get the idea) and our plates looked something like this:


This picture unfortunately does not show the DE-LICIOUS sweet potato souffle.  I have never enjoyed sweet potatoes, but in an effort to always try new things, I tried some.  Holy cow!  It was like a dessert. It tasted like brown sugared baked pecans.  I'm now in search of a recipe for this.  :)

I noticed that throughout the meal there were only Christian artists playing.  And then on our way out I saw a booklet on their newsstand that said "Breakfast for the soul."  So I picked it up to check it out and it was a journal to record your reflections on certain Bible passages every day.  The inside cover said this:

"Like most everyone, you've probably missed a meal at some point.  Remember how you felt as the day wore on?  It starts with that empty feeling in your stomach, with the hunger pangs reminding you more and more of your need for food.  And as that hunger grows, you find your energy beginning to drain away.  
When believers miss a day in God's Word, they experience the same effect spiritually.  God's Work is designed to nourish our minds and spirit, and without it, we're left feeling empty, and our 'spiritual energy' drains away.  Hebrews 5:14 says '...solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.'
Many believers feel attending weekly worship provides more than enough time in the Word.  But just as your body can't thrive on one meal a week, your spirit will never flourish on just one day a week in His Word.  And, just as a healthy adult should be able to feel himself, a believer should be taking in the Word by more than just hearing it.  Taking the time to read God's Word allows God Himself to speak directly to you.  In James 1:22 it says: 'But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers...'.
Are you hungry?  Jesus himself said: Luke 6:21 'Blessed are you who hunger now, for you will be satisfied.'  I promise you, by taking time to be in His Word daily, your life will be transformed.  Make a commitment to stay with the reading plan for 30 days and see what takes place in your life.  You won't be disappointed.  
2Timothy 3:16-17
All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work."

I've heard that basic comparison made before, but not in such detail.  I thought the visualization was on point.  

So I've never been to Fred's or any of the associated restaurants, but I can definitely say, 
I'll be back. :)

MnM

9/26/10

Shoes, Glorious Shoes

The radio station I regularly listen to (The JoyFM) annually collects new shoes to bring to orphans in Guatamala or Peru (depending on the year).  I participated by donating some shoes for the kids and dropped them off at a Rack Room Shoes one morning before work, where I got to meet The Morning Cruise (Dave, Bill and Carmen) and the band Mike's Chair



super excited
Carmen, Mike's Chair, and 14 listeners went on the trip to deliver the shoes to the kids.  The group that went would wash the kids feet and then put on socks and shoes.  They would then continue to hang out with the kids and sing and do a craft and share the word of God.  You can check out some of the amazing and moving stories on Carmen's blog.  


It's beautiful to see kids be cared for and shown the love of Christ.


MnM

9/14/10

Meet the Adams

Mike's cousin Kyle married his beautiful girl, Megan, on August 28th.  


We flew up to Ohio on Friday and hung out with Megan, Claire, and Justin in Dublin and then drove up to Geneva-on-the-Lake to meet up with the rest of the family.  We hung out and ate dinner together on Friday night.
The Lodge

Sunset on Lake Erie




Toured the city and enjoyed the pool early on Saturday and then went to the wedding at 5pm.  


It was a beautiful ceremony at a pavilion on the lake. 
watching Megan come down the aisle


saying the vows they wrote... which made everyone cry.. really... everyone.


And then it was a great party (with great food) inside the lodge. 
first dance

MnM

the Adams


All around a great weekend hanging out with the family and celebrating Kyle and Megan's wedding!
Congratulations, Adams!


Here's the video of their first dance:


MnM

9/12/10

Wedding Cake and Wine

So I haven't been able to stick to my once a week post... but I'm going to try to catch up... here's a start...


So you're supposed to eat the top of your wedding cake on your one year anniversary.  Well Mike and I weren't around on our 1 year anniversary (in fact, I'm not even positive that our cake was in the same state as us at the time) and none the less, did not eat it.  We remembered and forgot about it multiple times and our 2 year anniversary rolled around... and the topper was still in our freezer.  So, I decided that it wasn't going to get any better with age and we could always use to free up some space in the freezer, so time to eat it.  We cracked open a bottle of champagne our friend bought us for our wedding (that he gave to us in March, apparently were not the only ones behind) and tried our two and a half year old cake.  


Mike says...
Not bad. 

The funny part was until we cut into the cake, we didn't remember what flavor it was.  It's interesting how much you stress over all those details while planning the wedding and even two years later, don't remember what you picked.  But it was a white cake with an orange cream filling. The filling was delicious, but the outsides of the cake were dry and the outside frosting just tasted freezer burnt. But the center was great in my opinion! :) 



Just following our cake experiment I requested to visit the Florida Orange Groves and Winery.  I'd never been to a winery and just wanted to see one.  So I chose this winery because they make wines from different fruits.  They only sell one wine that's made from grapes.  So we visited the shop and took the tour, did a tasting and bought some delicious stuff!  I learned it takes 4.5 lbs. of fruit to make one bottle of wine.  They do everything on site.  So we got to see everything from the fermentation barrels to the bottling process and hear about how it all started from the owner.  


I super recommend any of their wines!  And they have wine slushies, a wonderful treat for a summer day. :) Here's the place: www.floridawine.com


Here's some of the deliciousness we got:
marinades, Hurricane white sangria, watermelon wine slushie box set

So there's been lots more going on since my last post... I'll try to post again soon. :)

MnM

8/18/10

You could be a winner!!!

My friend Danae is having a contest on her blog.  Just donate (even a dollar) to one of the awesome causes she has linked on her site and be entered to win a $50 gift card!  So far there are only two or three participants... so your chances are good!!! :) 


The contest ends tomorrow! So check it out now! 


http://divinemrsd.blogspot.com/


Thanks for contributing to (one of two) GREAT causes! 


"OUR LOVE MUST NOT BE A THING OF WORDS AND FINE TALK. IT MUST BE A THING OF ACTION AND SINCERITY. 1 JOHN 3:18"


MnM

8/16/10

Lions and Tigers and Bears, OH MY!

Ok, so there weren't actually lions.... or tigers.... or bears... but it was a zoo!  (what can i say, zoos in Florida are small)  Mike and I went to the Sanford Zoo on Saturday and had a great time.  It was a company outing for him.  And we met:

a turkey at the petting zoo... which was funny because you couldn't pet the turkey...

a cheetah chillin' in the shade

an orangutan eating while he was hanging out

the elephant eating lunch

bright and pretty birds

and these two wild animals 

And I got to meet a few of his new co-workers!

But mostly this guy cracked me up:
Zippy lounging
Like he's posing for a magazine. hilarious.

We were excited for this event because the zoo has a zipline/adventure course, and we were ready for the adventure!  But we forgot that you have to wear tennis shoes to be on the course and wore sandals instead...  :(  So no zipline course for us, but we did get to ride the train: 

Mike didn't fit so well. Just another advantage to being short... you fit on the little kid rides! :)

All in all an awesome day at the zoo. And afterwards we went home and watched the Browns.. and they actually won! But I'm not getting my hopes up... It's still pre-season.  But YEA! IT'S FOOTBALL SEASON! :)

MnM

8/11/10

The Beginning

I wanted to start a place to keep folks up to date on the lives of MnM (not that we're all that exciting, but none the less) and just document life in general.


So, check back every now and again for notes, comments, life events, pictures, etc.  I'm going to try to keep this regularly updated... but you know how that is sometimes. :) 


Enjoy!


(post #1 - check.)

MnM