Up Close and Personal

Is it sad that this chicken is the most interesting thing I could take a picture of this week?  Oh well.  This is my life :-)  The other day said chicken was a little too close for comfort.  Are chickens territorial?  There is no zoom going on here, she walked up that close to me.  And after I snapped this shot I slid away :-)  That beak looks sharp!
Interestingly, the next day, there were chicken feathers all over the parking lot.  Not quite sure what to make of that.

It is hot hot hot here!  And I love it!  I don't know if I'll be loving it tomorrow when I'm sitting outside at a wedding (my outfit choice is based purely on what will show the least sweat.)  But seriously, I am so excited for my friends Greg and Christina and cannot wait to celebrate their big day with them!!  They are 2 of the kindest, most easy going and generous people I know!

In case you thought the chicken was the most exciting part of my week, here's some evidence to show otherwise...

I texted this picture to my boss on Wednesday when I got our Keurig set up!  First things first - Jesus is the primary source of joy to my day.  Hot coffee falls high up on the list :-)  It's the little things.

Sing joyfully to the Lord, you righteous;
    it is fitting for the upright to praise him.
 Praise the Lord with the harp; 
    make music to him on the ten-stringed lyre. 
 Sing to him a new song; 
    play skillfully, and shout for joy.

 For the word of the Lord is right and true; 
    he is faithful in all he does.
 The Lord loves righteousness and justice; 
    the earth is full of his unfailing love.

Psalm 33:1-5

Happy Friday!

Do you see what I see?

I've got a joke for you!
Why did the chicken cross the road, er, ugh, I mean tracks?
Oh - you've heard that one before?
Well that's ok, I don't know the answer anyway.
But what I do know is this...
I was late for the train today, and it just pulled away while I was getting out of my car.  I've chilled out A LOT with my obsession of getting the early train, so I took it in stride, pulled out my book and passed the time, glad to be outside on the first day of summer!  That's when I heard the sound - a low pitched scream coming from the bushes.  I looked over.

Do you see it?

And I thanked God that I missed that train, so that I could see this funny sight!  And I was reminded that my day can be filled with moments like this, when I slow down and live in the present.

I have no idea where she came from, or where she was going, but I was glad to start my day with her.

"Be still, and know that I am God." Psalm 46:10a


Yep, today I'm thankful for a run in with a chicken :-)  What are you thankful for today?

Wake up in the morning feeling like...

...writing a blog post.
I know, I know!  Where have I been?  It's funny you should ask!  It's been a busy few months.  Here's an idea of what I've been getting into...

There've been lots of weddings!

Many congratulations to Keisha and Noah and Liz and Jack.  Praying for both couples!










There's been some gardening...

...and the neighbor drama that always ensues!  I know she means well, and she does ask *sometimes*, but digging up my potted plants (even just a few flowers) and planting them in your yard is not ok.  There's a bit of a language barrier, or maybe it's cultural - I don't know.  All I know is that my little work of art here is much thinner on the flowers, and she amazingly now has some in her front yard.  And I was actually watering them this time.  Oh well.  From now on, they go straight in the ground!!  Thank goodness all the veggies are planted on the deck.  I just have to keep the squirrels away from them.

I also had my birthday, which was fantastic.  My wonderful boyfriend and his wonderful sister took me to dinner at an Indian Restaurant none of us had tried.

It was the absolute perfect setting, perfect weather, perfect company and perfect food!!

To celebrate we also spent the day in Annapolis with my family, which included sailing of course!

The whole weekend included a lot of cake - which is my weakness.  Thanks to my small group, my family and my co-workers for knowing just what I like!

It has already started feeling like summer and to celebrate we had some crabs in the back yard.

We will definitely be doing this again sometime soon.

And this past weekend we celebrated the Sailibration (200th anniversary of the war of 1812) with my bf's family and the tall ships.

Of course Mexico was my favorite.  We got to see a little bit of the blue angels as well, but getting pictures of them was quite the comedy of errors.

I also got to go home with the bf to his parents house and spend a weekend there, which was really nice.  We ate great food, but I forgot the photographic evidence.  Fried oysters aren't that appetizing to look at, but they are DELICIOUS!

I've also managed to spend a little too much time at the hospital for my liking - one scheduled trip, one because I passed out at the doctor...and sprained my ankle twice (I skipped the medical attention on those!) I thought I'd spare you pictures of that mess.

It's taken all I have to keep up with my work load, but it seems to be easing up a little.  It's also taking all I have to keep up with maintaining my weight, but that's a story for another blog.

We are starting a heat way here in Baltimore, so keep cool friends!