Down with Fellini's

I was hoping to report on the blog tonight a wonderful culinary experience from today. Rather, I have to warn you--if you are ever in Atlanta, do not eat at Fellini's Pizza. I have seen a few of them around the city. Today, we ate at one on Ponce de Leon Ave. It was gross. The pizza was not that great--sort of a cardboard'y taste. And the calzone was just a big chunk of cheese--with a little bit of crust and some sausage in it. The only good thing, as Lauren reports, is the mariana sauce that came with the calzone. That's about it. Her vote was to go The Varsity. I voted to try something new. We should have stuck with the good ol' grease pit, The Varsity. I highly regret our decision.

We went into town to do a few things and go watch a movie. Then, when we were there, sitting down and watching a movie in a dark theatre right after lunch just made us sleepy (of course, the greasy cheese and pizza mixture in the bottom of our stomachs probably did not help--I know, probably a lovely visual for you). So we explored a bit. We came upon Atlantic Station--an outdoor mall along with lots of different housing, very close to downtown. Was pretty cool. Banana Republic, Express, things like that. Had a really trendy-looking Target--with parking on the first level, then the Target above it. Was pretty cool. I had a Starbuck's Frappucino to salvage our eating experience for the day (we do not have a Starbuck's here in Carrollton--one thing that we do not have but desperately need).

We took the camera to hopefully take some cool pics from our lunch experience--then our stomachs and heads hurt, so we just wanted to get out of there. And, there is this ginormously huge mailbox outside of Douglasville I had hoped to get a shot of--but it was almost dark when we passed through Douglasville--so alas, no picture for this posting.

Hope all is well with you out there in internet-land. As a good friend would put it--remember, we are just 10 minutes east of Dallas, via the internet. We look forward to our Texas voyage, just around the corner. All is well here in Georgia. Lauren is lovin' life now with school being out for the semester. Work is going great for me--we have already had our big youth Christmas shin-dig . . . and I am really enjoying getting out and watching youth's games and concerts around town.


--be

Waffle House, Waffle Yes

What is amazing to me is that the soft yellow glow of the Waffle House sign still gives me joy. We ate their late last night; and getting out of my car and walking across a Waffle House parking lot still makes me happy--because I know what is inside--pure goodness. There are three here in town--one less than a mile from our loft. Ah . . . yeah.

I remarked to someone the other day that I think every town in Georgia has a Waffle House--it is true. They're everywhere. Heck, less than ten miles from where I sit, there are Waffle Houses across the interstate from each other.

Of course, our visit last night was as good as any. That's the greatness of it--awesome and yet consistent. And, oh my, they have added something to their menu--biscuits and gravy--finally. When you think about it, this is something they should have had all along--being a Southern staple. Waffles, double hashbrowns smothered and covered, and biscuits and gravy (no that was not my entire meal--we shared it). Mmm--that brings me some joy.

Life moves along well for us. Lauren will be finished with school next Tuesday--we are looking forward to that. Has been a good semester. We have a big youth Christmas deal on Saturday--it has been a really busy week at the church for me. We are looking forward to getting to come to Texas for a good visit here in a few weeks. My sister is going to fly out for a few days before we drive to the nation of Texas and then ride back to the Lone Star State with us.

We had a Deacon Christmas Party on Monday night--a bluegrass/western quartet came and played some for us. Was really good. They played this one song, "Cross the Brazos at Waco" that talked a lot about Texas. Lots of people turned around and looked at me. They know the Texan in the room.

I am watching the Mavs struggle through another one. Man, they are not doing well. And, we are not able to see many of their games here of late. Maybe that is for the best, as they go through their woes. My theory is Avery is just sort of playing around, not pushing anyone too much, trying to figure out different line-ups until later in the season--then they will really turn it up later in the season and as the playoffs begin (rather than trying to calm down at the end of the season, then have to really turn it back on when the playoffs begin). At least that is my theory--I guess it makes me feel better about it all.


--be

Holiday Weekend

We have had a nice holiday weekend, so far. We spent yesterday hanging around the house. We did get out during the afternoon to drive around, just to see what all was open around town. Burger King was the only fast-food restaurant open. The Waffle Houses (all three of them) were open (of course). A couple of grocery stores and Blockbuster, along with a few other things.


We woke up and had a marvelous breakfast--french toast casserole. Sorry the pic is sideways--just turn your head:
Lunch was incredible. The picture does not do justice. Turkey stuffed with dressing--unbelievable. Asparagus with ham. Lauren's family's tradition--Irish Potato Casserole. A meal to remember for a while:

A Dallas Cowboys win topped the day off just right. Has been quite a sports weekend, so far. Mavs won. 'Boys set a record, going to 10-1. Right now, though, things do not look that great for the Longhorns. The pesky Aggies are up 10-0 and driving early in the second quarter. That would be just like A & M--they're not having that great of a year, win or lose they will probably make some sorry bowl. Texas has an outside chance to still make the Big 12 Championship--and A & M will probably go on to beat them now. Stinkin' A & M (isn't that right, Janet?). And I've just about given up on Colt McCoy--great as a freshman, he can't remember what sport he is playing as a sophmore--he better shape up before next year (or everyone will be wondering where Jevan Sneed is).

This morning, we woke up early and went shopping for a little bit--here in Carrollton, then over in Newnan. This was my first experience with the Friday-after-Thanksgiving shopping deal. Not too bad. There really were some good deals out there. The amount of people was incredible. Even Carrollton's parking lots were full before 7:00 a.m.

What amazed me most was how inconsiderate people were. That, and how much stores stock their aisles full so that no one can walk down them, when the stores are full. People on cell phones walking around in parking lots, walking in front of cars . . . people walking around department stores with HUGE shopping carts, completely clogging aisles up. People just don't care. Something's wrong with that.

Newnan is really cool. There is a cool stretch of shopping on one of the major roads. Saw a Mazzio's Pizza place that looked to be shut down--but still, been a while since I have seen one of those. We had some breakfast at another Chick-Fil-A Dwarf House. They had a breakfast buffet (which we regret not eating at)--looked incredible--but we did not have a whole lot of time to mess around with Lauren needing to get back to work--so we just went to the fast-food part. Also said the breakfast buffet is on Wednesday night--that's awesome.

Newnan has a really cool downtown; and a pretty good barbeque place. Sprayberry's. Lauren had a barbeque sandwich that she liked. I had ribs (pork, of course--they have not discovered what good beef bbq is here) and brunswick stew. The ribs were pretty good. This stew stuff is everywhere--but we had not had any before today. It was actually pretty good. Seems like they just put some different scraps together and make a stew--pretty good. The bbq sauce was good--different from what we're used to (as is all bbq here--we just had to come to that realization today--it is just different, but good in its own way)--the sauce was vinegar-based. Here is a pic:

Well the sports weekend still has a ways to go, even if the Horns can't come back (this comeback junk is going to catch up to them before too long)--all kinds of good high school football tonight, then some good college football tomorrow--Georgia/Georgia Tech, Kansas/Missouri, etc.

--be

The Leaves, They Are A Changing

We are enjoying fall in the southeast. We believe the best colors of the leaves has probably passed us--but we have a good route to take next year in October to get a good view of the leaves. Here are some pictures from the State Park, just outside of Carrollton:

Below is a picture that disturbed me. As if Christmas means that we must pawn things so that we can buy gifts. I don't really think that is what it is all about. Signs have become very interesting to us here of late. There is one at the bottom this post. It does not really need any description.

Thought you might want to see a little something that we are going to enjoy tomorrow for Thanksgiving. Bourbon Pecan Pie with Chocolate Drizzle. Ah . . . yeah. I hope to post some pics of our T-giving food tomorrow.

This is what we had for tonight. Pizza roll. Yes, it was as good as it looks.

Like I said--needs no description.

We are looking forward to a nice, peaceful Thanksgiving holiday. Turkey with dressing stuffed in it (how? I don't know--Lauren is amazing), Irish Potato Casserole, Asparagus with Bacon, Yeast Rolls, and probably other stuff I cannot remember. Of course, if we can get a Cowboys victory tomorrow, that will make it quite a nice T-giving.

Quite a sports weekend--Mavs tonight (just watched them pull of a 17-point deficit for a win over the pompous Houston Rockets--I cannot stand that Tracy McGrady. Ah, yeah). Tomorrow-'Boys. Friday-Carrollton Trojans host a second-round playoff game, UT-A&M game, and the Hamilton Bulldogs take on Corrigan-Camden (congrats to them on one of the greatest upsets I have ever witnessed last week over Mart--sort of, I took it in on the internet radio--but I know it was amazing), Saturday-Kansas-Missouri game, not to mention the Georgia-Georgia Tech game, among others. Wow, I'm excited just to type it all out. Go Mavs. What a comeback, especially after their 24-point comeback last night. What a way to start the holiday off!

Lauren and I went to the Atlanta Thrashers game Monday night. The Phillips Arena is very cool. The concourse is extremely wide, with all sorts of different food eateries--pizza speciality place, hot dog speciality place, a salad and wraps place, burritos, along with tons of other stuff. The arena itself is really cool, too. The luxury suites (not that we got to see one or anything) look amazing.

I guess there is a reason hockey is a northern sport. It was freezing in there. I guess I should have thought about that more before we entered--but it was more warm outside at night than inside. The game was pretty neat to see. Hockey is like soccer--like Lauren says, they score so few goals that it makes it not nearly as interesting as more fast-paced sports--or even baseball. Baseball is peaceful and serene--but still exciting. We were going to take the camera to take some pics--but it did not fit into our pockets--and I did not really feel like taking it on the subway with us, just carrying it around.

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours wherever you may be this holiday weekend!

--be

Catching Up

No real news or any big happenings to report. I was going to head to the Alabama mountains to play at a beautiful golf course today--but that did not work out. So, I guess this is sort of a boring report.

We are in the middle of football season in these parts. The regular season of high school football just ended this past weekend, as it did in Texas. The Carrollton Trojans won their region (similar to districts in Texas). They will probably host a few games at home, if they are able to keep winning. They will face their toughtest test of the season in the third week of the playoffs, should they advance that far. They will place Carver-Columbus, the team that knocked them out last year--and I hear it will be there, so that should be difficult.

College football is in full swing, to say the least. We are holding our own for the Texas Longhorns--everyone knows where our allegiances lie. And even though NFL football is not big here, seeing as how the Falcons are lousy, people know of our passion for the Cowboys. Speaking of the Cowboys, How 'Bout Them Cowboys?

We are glad the NBA season is upon us. I expect people will soon learn of our passion for the Mavs. We have gotten to see a couple of their games, so far, as many of their games will be on national TV this year. We are thinking about getting NBA League Pass, so we can see all of their games. But if we do that, we will probably wait until later in the season--when it is cheaper, plus I do not know if I could keep up with all of that basketball. Their games come on so stinkin' late here. The other night, they were on TNT--against Golden State--but it did not come on until 10:30 p.m. here. 10:30 p.m.!

The leaves are beautiful here. Fall is spectacular. We expect spring to be, as well.


--be

The Lone Star Nation of Texas

I travelled to the great nation of Texas this past weekend. Flew out of Birmingham, into Houston, then to Dallas Love Field on Thursday night. Then a straight shot back to B-ham on Saturday. I think my new favorite airport (since I have such a wide ranging repertoire to choose from!) is Houston Hobby Airport. They have a Pappas Burger restaurant, a Pappasito's food stand, and a lot of other restaurants. Small enough to be cozy and not hard to get around--and not too big.

I got to see family and friends over the weekend--it was really nice. Got to see mom, dad, Jana, and Jake the dog, along with lots of other family, youth, and friends. It was so good to see you all. We just hung out, for the most part; and I made a few quick trips around town. I saw the Hamilton Bulldogs defeat one of their rivals, the Clifton Cubs, in one of the greatest high school games I have ever seen. It was awesome. We had a goal-line stand as time expired. So much drama. And I got to see some of my former youth get the victory. Now they have to win this week and get a little help to make it into the playoffs.

Was very nice. On the way back to the airport, we stopped at Sundance Square in downtown Fort Worth. Got to see our old stomping grounds and ate at one of our favorite FW restaurants--Uno Pizzeria. Mmmm. Sauceless pizza. I also got some good beef brisket during my TX stay. I cannot tell you how much I have missed that beef brisket goodness--thank you, Texas, thank you for beef brisket drowned in sauce.

Lauren is in the midst of what seems to be a horribly, extremely (any other adjectives?) difficult take-home test. She worked all weekend while I was away in the nation of Texas. She registered for her spring classes today--has the exact same schedule as this semester, just different classes. So that is great. She did not have class today-so she was able to stay at home all day, working.


--be

Biscuits, A Phantom Road, and Cheaha

This past Thursday, I had to go to Atlanta for a conference--so Lauren and I had dinner Thursday night up in the Buckhead District. We went to Uncle Julio's Casa Grande--of the same Uncle Julio's in the DFW Metroplex. And the food was the same. The chips were the same. The salsa was the same. Some good ol' Tex-Mex right here in the heart of Atlanta. T'was just what we needed.

On Friday, we had our crosstown football rivalrly--the two schools here in town played each other. It was surprisingly close in the first half--Carrollton was behind--but they came back to win, 29-3.

On Saturday, we headed out for the Cheaha Wilderness in Alabama. We were going to go hike the mountains--but Lauren has been sick, so we just drove around.

We began the day at one of Lauren's favorite southeast restaurants--Jack's. People in the southeast love their biscuits--and Jack's makes good ones. While we were there, it hit me--there are no Whataburger's in the southeast--that is sad.

After stopping at Jack's in Bowdon, we headed off for Alabama (only 15-20 minutes west of Carrollton). We saw this Sno-Biz in Bowdon. I worked at one of these in high school and have loved their sno cone goodness since. This isprobably the largest one I have ever seen--complete with their own ice cream. Interesting.

We drove through some really pretty country--really pretty country. All sorts of colors in the trees this time of year. Rolling hills. In Wedowee, Alabama, we saw this Bill's Dollar Store. It has been years since either of us have seen one of these. Lauren had a good point--it's like time stands still, to a point, in the southeast--many of the stores we grew up seeing (Bill's, Piggly Wiggly, etc.) still thrive in this part of the country.

On the way to Cheaha, we basically got lost. Or wait, to put it better--our map got lost. Did you know maps lie? Well the two we have sure do. We made it to Lineville, AL, from where Highway 46 was supposed to head off for the State Park. We now know Highway 46 DOES NOT EXIST. We drove around town looking for it for 30 min's, then finally stopped and asked at a gas station. The first two people I talked to had both never heard of this highway or the town on this highway that is shown to be five miles away from the town. Good grief.

Well, I finally talked to a guy who knew what he was talking about. I knew he was legit--when he said to come outside and he would show me where to go, then he sat his Mello Yello bottle down. I knew to trust to him. His instructions were to go down that road over there (he pointed in the direction), go down the hill for about a mile, down the hill, then turn right on the paved road. We did. We got to that other town (Pyriton), but then the highway just ended. Inexplicably. So we drove around for a while, then finally decided to turn on a road that was on the map.

The lesson we learned is to always check google maps. We had two maps--one showed highway 46 connecting to a highway (though this map left highway 46 unnamed). The map that named highway 46 did not show it connecting. I thought I would combine the knowledge of the two maps. Stupid. Always check with google maps and go with what it has--google knows all.

We finally made it to Cheaha State Park--probably a little over an hour east of Birmingham. The drive is spectaular--up mountains. This is the view from the restaurant at the State Park--we had a sack lunch here. There is a bit of a hue--sort of like what makes the Smoky Mountains so smoky. Sort of hard to see in this picture--but look in the horizon. Supposedly, on a clear day, you can see five to six surrounding states from up here.

You can see some of the different colors in the trees here.

This is the observation tower on the very top of Cheaha Mountain--the highest point in Alabama.

We climbed all the way to the top--up a very narrow set of stairs. We got to the top and were very disappointed in the view. So, I wanted to take a picture of something--so I chose this graffiti. I found it interesting for two things: 1. the misspelling of this great name of American cinema history & 2. we were probably less than 20 miles from talladega speedway.

This is at the bottom of Cheaha Mountain--at Cheaha Lake.

A nice day.

Like I said, Lauren is sick right now. We're hoping she can get better before tomorrow--she has a really difficult week ahead at school. School has been really intensive for her--but she is hanging in there.

Things at church are going well for me. We continue to feel more and more settled, more and more normal here in Carrollton. I am looking forward to heading to Texas this coming weekend for a quick weekend trip to see family.

--be

Weekend in the Southeast

On Friday night, Lauren and I went to the Carrollton football game in Sandy Creek, just south of Atlanta. We actually lost--it was strange. The stars aligned just right on that night for us to lose. Oh well. It is always strange to go to road games where we have twice as many people at the game than the home team. I bet they did not have one-third of their stands full. The P.A. announcer was the biggest homer I have ever heard--ridiculous--that stuff should not be allowed. He was continually telling the Sandy Creek crowd to yell and support their team. To the point of it being stupid. Also, they allow artificial noise-makers at high school games in Georgia, which is a bit different.

After the game, we went through Peachtree City on the way back. Peachtree City is the aforementioned city with over 100 miles of golf cart trails. Many of their residents just have a golf cart they drive around town, rather than a car. We have heard stories of some of them really souping their golf carts up--with shocks, speakers, etc.--just keeping up with the Jones', I guess. Anyway, it was funny to see a golf cart parked at Kroger's.

On Saturday, Lauren studied all day--fun, huh? I went to my first SEC football game. Wow. That's all I have to say. Tennesse at Alabama. Bryant-Denny Stadium holds 92,1832 people. It was incredible. We grabbed a pork bbq sandwich on the walk over to the stadium. I figured out my error in trying to eat bbq in the southeast. I keep expecting the beef bbq to be good here--like Texas beef brisket good. Rather than doing that, I should just go with the pork, I guess. It was awesome. This stuff had been cooking all night long. And, they did right what so many places do wrong here--they actually doused it in bbq sauce. So many places around here believe the sauce should not be poured all over it--they think the bbq should stand for itself. Whatever--that's just cause they must not have good sauce. This was incredible.

Then, I grabbed a hot dog at the game--very interesting. Can't say that I really liked it this way--but it was interesting. It was full of sweet onions and a mixture of chili and mustard. Different. But interesting. On the way home, we stopped at a Golden Rule BBQ--in Pell City, not the one in Birmingham. They have great fries. I had a double stack burger--with mustard and barbeque sauce. Was not the best burger ever--but it got me to thinking--barbeque sauce on a burger. Why, yes, brilliant! I have had it before but this reminded me about it--what a great idea.

'Bama started the game off with an onside kick that they recovered. It was pure awesomeness from then on. They kicked Tennessee all over the field, 42-17. Was close for a while, then it just got funny. 'Bama has a pretty good team. Give Saban a few years; and they will be contending for a national championship. Roll tide roll.

Today, I was reminded that we really do live in a beautiful place. I went up to Clarkesville for a funeral for some church members--a little over two hours northeast of here, in the foothills of the Appalachians, almost in South Carolina. It is a beautiful place. It's close to the town of Helen, which I have heard is an absolutely gorgeous place.


--be

Falcons Game

I went to my first NFL game on Monday night. I went to the Falcons-Giants game on Monday Night Football. Pretty dang cool. The Georgia Dome is huge. There were lots of things different about an NFL game--I was surprised how few players the teams had on their sidelines. The head coaches seem to be on their own little islands--not a whole lot of interaction with other coaches and players on the sidelines. Saw Stuart Scott, Emmitt Smith, and Steve Young--even though it was through binoculars.

The TV timeouts take FOREVER there at the game--and the teams, of course, just have to stand out on the field waiting for the commericals to be over. The Falcons are horrible--I mean, horrible. They cannot block. I hope to have some more pictures to post from the game soon. One of the best things about the Falcons game is Atlanta has a great subway/rail system. So, we were able to park out by the loop around town and ride it in to the game (downtown). We had dinner in the CNN Center--where all the CNN stuff goes down, they have a huge food court on the first floor. Pretty cool. We had great seats--they were behind the end-zone, so you could see everything develop.



--be

Weather

It was a nice chilly 40 degrees this morning and is supposed to be a nice balmy mid-70s this afternoon.

Just thought you might like a weather report.


--be

A Little Bit of This, A Little Bit of That

A couple of weekends ago, Chuck (Lauren's dad) came in for a visit. 'Twas a nice weekend of showing him around town and hanging out. He got in town on Friday night and was able to stay until Sunday morning. He ate his first Krystal burger (oh yeah). They ate at Miller's on Friday night, a restaurant on the square here in town that we have been wanting to try for a while. There is a Miller's restaurant, the same Miller's that is here, in Virginia--the town U of Virginia is in (can't think of it right now) in which Dave Matthews Band basically came to be. How is that for a little trivia.

That same weekend, a friend of ours from the great state of Texas was also in town. Angela was in seeing some family that lives here. We had a great time at lunch with them; and then I went to the Carrollton game that night with them at a football stadium literally out in the middle of the country. It was pretty interesting--it was the largest crowd they have ever had at that stadium--so they had a plane flying overhead taking pictures all night. A fun night. Good to hang out with Angela and her aunt and uncle--they are all great people. Carrollton High is dominating football in the great state of Georgia. They are ranked third in the state; and they beat the team that was supposed to give them the most difficult game of the year last week, 42-0. Ought to be a fun run this season!

Last week, I went to a really cool exhibit at Emory University in Atlanta (Lauren went to it today with a friend). The exhibit is on artifacts of early Christianity. There was part of one of the Dead Sea Scrolls there (the temple scroll)--that was incredible. The world's largest, oldest menorah was there. Lots of old pieces of the first Christian churches of the Constantinople era. Some of the utensils similar to what was probably used at the Lord's Supper were there. A decomposed ankle bone with a nail from a cross in it--similar to how Jesus was probably crucified. I realize I am probably boring many of you and probably grossing the rest of you out with that last tidbit--so I will move on. But suffice it to say--it was really, really cool.

Matthew, Lindsay, and Conley came in this past weekend. They came in on Thursday morning and headed back out on Saturday evening. Thursday, they all chilled here in town. On Friday, we headed into Atlanta and messed around. Had lunch at the Flying Biscuit Cafe. Both Lindsay and I had some really creamy grits there--unlike anything I had had before. Matthew had some chicken that looked great and some good sides. Lauren had a really good breakfast. And, of course, we all had wonderful biscuits. We also went to the DeKalb Farmers Market/World Market. By far, the biggest market we have ever been to. Was really cool--huge, all sorts of food, produce, and stuff. Then, we all enjoyed hot dogs, onion rings, and orange frosties (mmm) at The Varsity--what they call the World's Largest Drive-In.

Friday night, Matt and I went to the Carrollton game and saw them drum up on the Cass Colonels.

Saturday, we messed around town, including going to the State Park here outside of town. Below is a good picture of us in the forest.

Lauren and our niece, Conley, on a bridge.

Conley and I

Saturday night, we headed into Birmingham and dropped them off at the airport. Afterwards, Lauren and I drove around B-ham for a little bit. We saw the restaurant that inspired the movie, "Fried Green Tomatoes" (Irondale Cafe):

And, this is the only Waffle House I have ever seen that is not in a Waffle House building. Looks like they used some sort of an existing structure for it.

We saw a few sites around B-ham (which, by the way, is a really cool town--lots of rolling hills and trees and cool stuff), then headed back. We ate at a famous Alabama BBQ place--Golden Rule. After eating at a few BBQ places in the southeast-we are basically sort of disappointed. We miss the beef brisket, which they do not have out here. We have eaten at a few places so far that are pretty good--Fat Matt's in Atlanta, Bilbo's in Bremen, and Shane's Rib Shack here in town--but it is a chain, so it is all over. The rest have been a bit of a disappointment.

Oh well. On the way back, we also drove by Talladega on race weekend. The race track is only a mile or two off of I-20. Talladega on a Saturday night of race weekend is a pretty rocking place. Tons of campers in these enormous fields, all waiting for the race the next day. I mean, there were a TON of people out there. Pretty crazy sight.

One other thing before I wrap this one up--I have noticed that there are not really many dirt roads (on state-maintained roads) in the southeast, well at least in Georgia, but probably other states, as well. All of the county roads are paved. Interesting. 'Til next time . . .

--be

Amicalola Falls

Yesterday, I went with our senior adult group here at the church to Amicalola Falls--the highest waterfalls east of the Mississippi. B-e-a-utiful. Up in the mountains, where the north Georgia mountains start. The foothills of the Appalachians--in fact, the start of the Applachian Trail (remember that from Oregon Trail, anybody?) starts seven miles from this state park. That trail goes all the way to Maine--2,140 miles of hiking trail. Wow, would that be cool. Anyway, this is looking out the window of the lodge we ate at.

Again, the lodge. This was our view during lunch.

This is the trail to the actual falls. This trail is made out of recycled tires--really cool, really squishy. There were some stairs (420 of them to be exact) to climb to the top of the falls. I went up part of the way and realized it was going to take a while to get up there. Probably would have done it--but did not want to slow the group down.

The falls.

Our church bus in the parking lot of the trail.

We stopped at a pumpkin farm on the way back. A lot of pumpkins. Had a hay-ride and all sorts of pumpkin stuff there. Pretty cool.

That is one big pumpkin.

We hope to share some pictures and tales from the past couple of weeks with you soon--just have to find some time to sit down and do it.

How 'bout them Cowboys????

--be

Grits, Grits, Grits

They're awesome. Grits, grits, grits. They go with everything--and they're good with everything. You want just plain grits to go with eggs and bacon--awesomeness. How bout some cheese grits with basically any entree--tastes great. Everywhere you go-grits.

Grits are basically everything the southeast is about--and that's fine by me. Not sure I totally understand grits--but that's okay-I don't need to.


-be

House Pics

Mi casa es su casa. Well, at least you can see the pictures. This is from our bedroom looking down.

Also from our bedroom looking down . . . on the living room.

Ditto.

Looking at our front door.

Our kitchen and you can see upstairs a bit.

Jacuzzi tub in the downstairs bedroom.

That's a look into our place. Just thought you might want to see.

--be

You've Got to Be Kidding Me

Last night, I lay in bed and somewhere around 11:30 p.m., our trash dumpster at the lofts was emptied. That's right--the trash truck came by and banged around and dumped our trash at 11:30 p.m. This is not the first time I have heard this--once, it was well after midnight that I heard such a commotion going on. I was talking with a college student at Univ. of West Georgia, here in town, a few weeks ago. He lives in the dorm-and he said he heard the trash dumpster at his dorm being emptied at like a horribly late hour of the night.

Why? Is there that much trash in Carroll County that it needs to be picked up at 11:30 at night?


--be

The South (Addendum)

And as a friend reminded me . . . the south is all about biscuits. They completely love biscuits--and with good reason--biscuits go good with everything. In fact, in the south, biscuits are a meal in and of itself. From Jack's to Bojangle's, they have all corners covered when it comes to biscuits. I mean there are restaurants that are completely devoted to just biscuit stuff on their menu. It really is pretty cool.


--be

The South

Boiled peanuts . . . pork barbeque (no beef brisket 'round here) . . . trees and hills and the most gorgeous lakes . . . history--civil war stuff, civil rights sites and figures everywhere you look . . . red lights long enough to catch a nap between . . . traffic circles--in the most random places . . . towns everywhere . . . hospitality . . . accents--real southern accents . . . they call it the south--even though it is actually the southeast (just look on a U.S. map) . . . you can get to lots of cool stuff in big cities in a relatively short time . . . we live right off of the same highway i used to be able to see from my front porch in abilene, texas--that's really cool and comforting in a way . . . an affinity for football--not pro football so much but high school and wow, do they love their college football in these parts . . . restaurants that serve food based upon how many meats (normally just one) and how many veggies you want (usually one to three) . . . kentucky fried chicken buffets, breakfast, too . . . waffle houses as far as they eye can see (two on one interstate exit--unbelievable, my friends) . . . a mcdonald's, krystal, waffle house, and hardee's at literally almost every interstate exit . . . they have a few chicken expresses in georgia--just a bit of a drive from here (zaxby's-a chicken chain in these parts ain't too shabby) . . . a publix and ingles grocery store in every town (southern grocery food chains) . . . mountains and beaches a few hours in every direction . . . eastern time zone--something that affects you more than you would think (11:00 p.m. news is a killer) . . . beautiful flowers and landscaping everywhere (it is amazing what a little humidity can do) . . . oh, and a love for people.

--be

Tour Championship

Yeah, that's right. I got to go to the PGA Tour Championship this past weekend-at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta. It was quite cool. Tiger came by and chatted with me. Okay, maybe not--but I did get to see him and all of his friends. The greens really were as bad as they said they were--the heat out here must have really cooked them. There were bad spots all over; and they were pretty rough.

The course is in a really interesting neighborhood--you can tell it is an older neighborhood. It was once a pretty rough part of town; but apparently a lot of money has been put into it and it is renovated and really cool. The course is pretty cool. Pretty short. The rough was really short. Makes Colonial look like a long course, or at least the holes I saw.

The crowd was really big for Tiger--I was in a pack about seven or eight deep (I was right behind someone). Other spots around me were about twenty-deep. Good grief. Besides Tiger and Phil's followings, the crowds were not too terribly bad. Saw Ernie Els take 5 strokes to get down from about 100 yards. I guess even the good ones have rough spots--makes me feel better about life.

Lauren is really busy right now--she has like 84 papers and 22 tests today and tomorrow. Okay, so maybe not that bad--but she has a ton going on. I think she will be glad once tomorrow night gets here--she has a big test tomorrow. While I was at the Tour Championship, she was at the school, studying.

My Univ. of Texas Longhorns almost let me down on Saturday--almost got beat by the Univ. of Central Florida. Good grief. I think lots of people here understand and respect our love for Texas football--a number of people said something to me about the Longhorns barely getting by Sunday at church. Lots of the teams around here have been getting beat and upset. But 'Bama is still winning, somehow. I guess it takes $4 million a year and Nick Saban--but they have found a way to win a few games. Go Cowboys--they're still undefeated. More than I can say for the local pro team around here--the Falcons--they just plain stink.


--be

Been a Few Days

Well, it has been a few days since we have posted anything. So, just thought I would let you know that we are still kickin', still living life in this foreign land . . . then again, maybe it is not all that foreign.

We took in our first Carrollton Trojan football game this past Friday. It was crazy--now that reminded us of Texas High School Football. Packed crowd. Even had our first boiled peanuts at the game. Will have to agree with someone who told us that night--why mess with someone that is already good? Can't say I liked it too much--it was a little sweeter than a normal peanut--but it was very wet and weird. We helped root the Carrollton Trojans on to their 2-0 record.

Had me some good barbeque on Friday--went to play golf in Bremen, 10 minutes north of Carrollton. Shot the best round since I have been here, which does not say much, then went and ate pork and beef barbeque at Bilbo's. Man, it was good. That might have been the first beef barbeque I have had seen since I have been here. They definitely miss out on one of God's greatest creations--beef brisket.

I was happy to find the Texas Longhorns playing on TV Saturday night. I rooted them on from Georgia. Then, got to see America's Team win one somehow last night. All in all, a great weekend--all of my teams won, might not have all been pretty, but they won. Found out that we will get at least half of the Cowboys games on TV this year-maybe more-so that is definitely a good thing.


--be

La Iglesia

We have talked for a while about posting some pictures of our church on here. But, I got to thinking today, why not just share our church's website with you, which has most of the pictures we wanted to share with you: www.carrolltonfirstbaptist.com
For a picture of the sanctuary, click on the tab about worship services.


--be

Our Weekend

What do those look like? Purple sausages? Try potatoes. We walked to the Farmer's Market on Saturday morning here in Carrollton. I (Lauren) have been looking forward to going for some time but we have not been around on a Saturday until this weekend. The above potatoes are purple skinned fingerlings (AKA peruvians). I have seen them before but did not want to pay the price...well, these babies were only $1/lb from a very nice organic farmer. Amazing price and beautiful, as well. Even the starch was purple, as my white bar towel is now testimony! We roasted them but I would really like to try them in a potato salad with a mustard vinagarette. Next time...

Saturday afternoon, we went to the Atlanta Braves game. We met Krista (L's stepsister), Adam (Krista's husband), Jenna (Adam's sister), and Sharon (Adam's mom) there. A fun time. A bad game, a horrible game (as far as the Braves go)--but a great day.

A view of the skyline from our seats. A ginormous jumbo-tron in centerfield. Behind it is downtown Atlanta. Georgia State is down in the mix of all that--yep, that's the fun Lauren gets to have three-to-four times a week. The gold dome is the state capitol. Directly to the right is the torch from the Olympics. Also, in the middle of the picture is a blue wall--that is the old Fulton County Stadium--and in the middle of the wall is a white dot--that is the Henry Aaron 715 landmark that we have a pic. of from a few weeks ago.

All of those flags are pennants. See how many they have, including one red one--for a World Series Championship? Do you know how many the Rangers have? A few less. Oh well--as you can see from the picture above, I still support my Rangers.

A pre-game radio show going on with Mark Lemke (old second baseman from the Braves playoff runs) and, I think maybe, Chip Caray.

A picture of home plate from centerfield.

The Braves got a grand total of two hits. Probably would have just been better for them to have not gotten any--then we could have seen a no-hitter. But the Mets beat up on them. I am kind of a Met fan--so that's good, I guess. But, the Braves put on a poor showing--much to the chagrin of Adam.

We saw John Smoltz driving his car away from the game in a neighborhood as we were leaving and taking a short-cut back to the interstate.

On the way back to Carrollton, we all ate at Gumbeaux's. We had some shrimp etoufee, red beans and rice, fried crab cakes, and crawfish po boy all around the table. I'm telling you what--if you are in Douglasville, GA and want some cajun food--this place is awesome.

Hope you are enjoying your Labor Day weekend--we sure have.

--b&l

People Talking Out of Their Heads

Why do people get such enjoyment out of telling others news? Lauren and I went to the opening football game for Central High School last night. They got to 2:30 left in the first quarter; and they had to stop the game because lightning was spotted. Once lightning is spotted in Georgia, you must stop the game until 30 minutes from the last spot of lightning (we also heard another interesting tidbit on the radio--if two teams from different classifications are playing each other and it gets to 11:30 p.m., they must stop the game immediately. If the teams are from the same classifications, they can play on indefinitely. Hmm--somebody really thought that one out).

Anyway, we went to our car and waited for an hour to see if they would begin again. At that point, a lady went throughout the parking lot, yelling to everyone that the game would be delayed until 11:30 a.m. the next morning. So, we thought okay, we'll come back in the morning. Well we read the paper this morning--and the game was finished . . . LAST NIGHT. After an hour and a half delay, they finished the game. That lady did not know what she was talking about. She just heard something, most probably a rumor-then got joy from telling others how it is. Thanks, lady. Thanks a lot.

Central wound up losing. But, Carrollton High, the other team here won--they (a 3A team) beat a pretty good 5A team. Ought to be a fun football season. Also, I found out this week that Carrollton High is the 17th most winning football program in the entire nation (for teams having played over 300 games)--how bout that.

We did get to see one of the strangest things ever last night. On the opening kickoff, we kicked to them. One of our kids actually tackled one of his own teammates--they were both running down the field to try to tackle the other team. I am still not sure I understand what happened there. Veyr strange. I hope the poor guy just got confused or something.

I played golf yesterday afternoon and learned why people do not walk playing golf out here--humidity and hills. Oh, wow. I went out to Bowdon, about 10 miles from Carrollton--where I was told I could walk and play for $10. I thought, wow, even if it is a goat ranch, it's just $10. Only problem is it is a Par 3 course--would have been nice to know. I got out there and thought I would go ahead and play it since I drove out to play it. Let's just put it this way--the speed of the greens depended upon how much sand was on them--they were overseeding them. After nine holes, I had had enough of the sand, the hills and humidity, and the slow play (the group in front of me took 20 minutes to play a 151 yard hole)--so I left. Went out to a course here in Carrollton and finished up my 18--much better. Played pretty well, too, for the first time since we have been here.

We're going to the Braves game today.


--be

Rain, Rain, Go Away . . . wait a second.

It has been raining here for the past few days. Went out to the driving range and had to quit early because it was raining. But that's okay--it's supposed to be in the high eighties for the next few days--which is good because we are going to the Braves game on Saturday. What a great change from the 350 degree days we have been having (okay, maybe not that bad--but boy it has been humid).

We'll take in our first Georgia high school football game tomorrow night--hope it is as exciting as Texas high school football. We have about three high school teams to keep up with here in Carrollton--so that should be fun (and they are all in the same region--similar to districts in Texas).

Lauren is finishing up her second week of school tonight. She has been doing well--getting to know people there at school, getting a feel for doctorate work. The Atlanta commute has not been too bad--she does not have to go in during high traffic times.


--be

Boone, North Carolina

Welcome to our weekend. I went along with Lauren up to North Carolina-to see Lauren's friend, Sarah, who lives in Boone. We left on Friday morning and stopped in at yet another Dwarf House Chick-Fil-A for breakfast in Rome, Georgia--one side you can order like normal from a person at a cash register; the other side you can sit down on. Lauren had an awesome chicken biscuit; and I downed me some grits, eggs, and biscuit--something I have decided is a southern staple. From there, we headed north and drove through the northern Georgia mountains, past the Brasstown Baldy, the highest point in Geogia.

In these parts, all of the Kentucky Fried Chickens have buffets--something we saw a ton on this trip. Wish we would have stopped there for lunch--anything would have been better than Clyde's, which is where we decided to stop. We crossed into North Carolina; and things went from beautiful to absolutely beautiful. We drove up and down some mountains and got into the first of two really big rainstorms, so we stopped at Clyde's in Waynesville, NC. Looked like an awesome greasy spoon, home cookin' place. It was greasy allright-greasy badfoodiness. Never eat there--just in case you are ever at a crossroads of where to eat in Waynesville, North Carolina--don't pick Clyde's. Just go hungry if you have to. Lauren's was okay. Mine was just plain bad--it gives fried chicken and mashed taters a bad name.

After lunch, we drove through the Smoky Mountains and Blue Ridge Mountains. Above is a picture we took not too far from Boone. This stop is one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen. The picture, of course, does not even get close to what it actually looks like. Guess this is why they call them the Smoky Mountains in these parts--looks like there is smoke rising from all of them.

This is Boone. A really cool place. It had been in the high 90s here in Carrollton last week. At Sarah's, we slept with the door open and I had to close it because it was freezing. It was perfect temp. We ate at the Coyote Kitchen that night--totally made up for lunch--kind of a Tex-Mex sort of place. I had the best salad I have ever eaten--lettuce, corn chips, salsa, kobe meat, cheese. Awesome. Guess it stretches the term, "salad"-but still. Lauren had a boat thing--bunch of stuff together--fried plantains, sweet potatoes, chicken, black beans, and cornbread. She also had a sweet potato fry appetizer that she really liked.

Saturday morning, we went to the Watagua County Farmer's Market (amazing); and we hiked up Grandfather Mountain, just south of Boone, up to 5,900 ft. It was a seven mile hike; and we are still feeling the effects today--but boy, it was cool. Above is a picture of the trail we took. Wish the whole thing would have been like this--we literally had to crawl up some ginormous rocks to get to the top.

No, this was not one of those rocks--but it was a really cool rock we saw on the way up.

This is why they call it Grandfather Mountain. This outcropping in the distance looks like a man's face, if you look at it right. Sorry the flash did not work well, but if you look right and use your imagination, you can see us and Sarah.

This is from the top of Grandfather Mountain. Made all 7 miles worth it.

A shot on the way down the mountain.

Just thought we would share a bit from our weekend with you. We have been meaning to post some pictures of our church and of the loft--we will do that soon.

--b and l