OMG!

OMG - my sister just told me (via iChat) that yesterday at Chipotle in LA she ran into several members of my favorite TV show: So You Think you Can Dance! She saw last year's champ Benji and his sister Lacey (this year competitor, though a bit on the loose side we fear...), and Hok (a cool dancer who was voted off a few weeks back. She also saw Jack from "Will and Grace" at the same Chipotle...don't we all wish we lived in LA?



p.s. - I just learned a new abbreviation from my hip sista: OMGFO = Oh my gosh, freak out! I am definitely not hip enough for that one...

Skip

as I'm sure you have read by now, the deacon community suffered a huge loss this week with the death of our head basketball coach, Skip Prosser. our thoughts and prayers are with all deacs who felt this loss and definitely with the Prosser family. the links below are wonderful testimonies to his work as a coach and a human. this picture is of the Quad thursday evening - students rolled it in memorium of their coach.



http://www.newsobserver.com/sports/college/wfu/story/651224.html

http://wakeforestsports.cstv.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/072607aaa.html

I'm back...

hello all - I am returning after a week or so because I have no officially finished Harry Potter numero 7...it was a long slog (759 pages), but I finished and it was worth it...don't know who else out there has finished it yet, so I won't be too specific in my reaction: I loved it all for the most part and even shed a little tear - but I could have done without the epilogue...love to hear your comments!

A Reader Reads

I love summer reading...often, to be honest, I feel that reading is what summer was made for. Well, at least for teachers perhaps. It is rare to find me without a book in my handbag or in the passenger seat of the car these days...a great way to pass the time at the carwash, doctor's office, auto body shop (argh!), etc.

So far I have read several young adult novels on CD - a new one called Bucking the Sarge by Christopher Paul Curtis being my favorite thus far (but not appropriate for grade 5) - and three adult books - all of which I would recommend: The Tenth Cirlce by Jodi Picoult (thanks for the rec, schman), The Mermaid Chair by Sue Monk Kidd, and A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson. As a reader, I definitely prefer a good realistic fiction read, but I have to say I have enjoyed the latest read (a memoir) more than I thought I would. Bryson writes with quite a spunky voice and I laughed out loud several times in airports last week reading him.

Sidebar: Kudos to Al Roker of NBCs today show for starting a kids' bookclub for summer reading - his latest selection (But, not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis) is a fabulous, rich text that everyone should read...

I am, of course, also waiting with quite bated breath for the final Harry Potter - due to arrive on my doorstep this Saturday thanks to my Harry Potter Fairy from Asheville!!! For those of you (you know who you are) who mock reading Potter as an adult - don't knock it til you've tried it. Rowling does an incredible job creating a whole world for your imagination to play and live in. By the time I'm through with book seven, I definitely expect a sense of loss knowing that I won't be returning to that world for another adventure. Her characterization and voice is also fantastic from a writing point of view.

To be even more nerdy, I have been thinking a lot about the character that will be killed off in the end of this story...I read in PEOPLE that Emma Watson (Hermione in the HP movies) thinks its going to be Neville and he'll die getting revenge on his parents' death...while I think this is a sweet notion, I am more inclined to believe that Rowling will take us on a much more tragic path and take out Ron or perhaps Harry himself?! I feel this way because of the utterly unbelievable death of a fantastic character in book 6 - though I am secretly hoping that that one will turn itself around somehow!

After Harry Potter, my list goes like this: Going with the Flow (a nonfiction text on gender differentiation in teaching), Between, Georgia (summer novel recommended by my friend Jenny O), and finally, A Thousand Splendid Suns (new Kite Runner book!).

So, happy reading -- I would love to hear what all you other readers have been flipping through this summer...

el casamiento cinco

looks like we made it...yep, we've made it through five years of marriage...this year on June 29th we felt very thankful for being together in marriage for five years and (yikes!) together as a couple for eleven..we will be the first to attest that marriage is not the easiest road to walk, but also quick to tell of its beauty and giftings. So, we decided to celebrate this year and head to the Isle of Palms outside of Charleston, SC...four days in the sun and surf and a little beach condo was just perfect - enjoy the pictures...





david waits patiently for the beach fireworks show

Carlita

On June 30th, my beloved Carla Cobb finally tied the know in Atlanta, GA...she looked beautiful and the wedding was such a celebration. Dave and I drove down to enjoy the celebration before we headed out for a beach vacation (woo hoo!) and mom flew in from Dallas - one awesome surprise was to visit with fellow Dallas-ites attending the wedding. We especially loved chatting with Anna Curnes and her mom Betsy and Debs Dunlap...snaps to David Rietz who busted out the sear-sucker (sp?) suit and looked quite fetching...

my sweet ride

So FINALLY I got the check from the insurance company and was able to take Snow (my honda) in to the body shop to be fixed. Check out my sweet rental and the damage to my car as well as the van who hit me (look for a miniscule mark on his bumper toward the right). I have never driven neither a hatchback nor a Dodge before and I have been getting tons of attention scooting around town - haha. I think this whole thing will be over within the week if all goes well...yea!