Loving Life

Paris!

2011-11-10T20:49:00.001-05:00

Wow. I can't believe it's been a month and a half since I last blogged.. and I am two and half months behind. In some ways, I feel like we are still recovering.. but I know that's not true. It's just that I'm still working on blogging about the trip and working on the album. I feel like I need to get those things done before working on more current things.So before I forget any more than I already have.. here's a little blog on our time in Paris.

We woke up really early and hauled all our luggage down the empty streets of London to St. Pancras, the International Train Station in London.

The train ride to Paris was great. It wasn't too long. But it would have been a little better if we had a window seat. We did wander down to the food train an hour or so into the journey for some coke and pastries. yum.

We arrived in Paris, to a whole new world. Very different than London. Of course, we wandered around a lot trying to figure out where to exchange our dollars for Euros, purchase metro rail tickets, decipher the french signs, etc.. Finally we made it onto a train heading to our hotel. We were so lucky to have beautiful weather while we were in Paris. The sky was a beautiful blue and the sun was shining brightly.

It was so crazy to experience warmer weather in Paris than we did in Africa. ha.

After we checked into our hotel (totally old school hotel.. as in, we had REAL keys that we had to leave at the front desk when we left) we headed over to the Eiffel tower. It was in walking distance. and it is HUGE. We finally got to it.. and then we had to walk and walk and walk so we could get back far enough to take pictures of it!

Getting close!

We had a little bit of an issue while we were at the Eifell Tower. We decided to take a little rest in the lawn and just enjoy the beauty and sights of Paris, especially the Eifell Tower. While we were relaxing... all of a sudden, 30 of the trinket sellers started running in our direction. Aaron was pretty sure they were being chased by a police officer. So I hopped up quickly to move.. Aaron stayed in our spot. In literally less than 45 seconds.. my little point n shoot was dropped (by me) and picked up by one of the running men. So depressing.

After recovering from losing my camera (and swinging by the hotel to backup my SLR and pick up my other point n shoot).. we made our way towards Notre Dame.

What a beautiful building. I loved the architecture. Since we had less than 24 hours in Paris, including sleeping time, we just swept through the city and didn't really go in anywhere.

We decided to grab a banana and a strawberry crepe from a street vendor and then enjoyed it while sit on a step admiring Notre Dame.

After enjoying Notre Dame for awhile, we headed over to the Louve.

It was so amazing from the outside. I can only imagine how awesome it is inside. Though we did get a little bit of a glimpse through a huge glass window. One day, we'll be back and we will wander around inside for hours!

Of course we had to get some pictures with the pyramid! :)

After cheesing it up for photos, we rested in the nearby grass and snapped a few more photos and rested our feet. We couldn't believe how big the Louve is! It kept going and going...

After the Louve, we headed over to check out the Luxembourg Gardens and Palace. And again, we enjoyed just relaxing in the gardens. Paris is a HUGE city.. so we had to rest every time we got somewhere! ha. It was so beautiful and filled with tons of people soaking in the beautiful day.

That evening, we headed out for dinner and a show (Eiffel tower sparkling light show!) but decided against a fancy restaurant, purchased some coke, bread, and cheese at a local store and grabbed some grass right in front of the Eiffel Tower. We got to enjoy each other's company, people watch, and watch the sunset in Paris. It was fabulous. And then we got to see a sparkling light show.

After enjoying the tower, we enjoyed some fabulous dessert at a little restaurant right by our hotel. And coffee (coke for me).

We really enjoyed our time in Paris... just wish it could have been longer! (and that my camera hadn't been yanked...)

London - 2011

2011-09-24T00:09:00.001-04:00

"Woke up in London yesterday..."

You know, "Good Life" by One Republic. I think of that song every time I think about London and vice versa.

On our way back to Atlanta from Mozambique, we decided to extend our layover in London to have a full day to see some sights. It was definitely wasn't long enough, but we got to see lots and really enjoyed our time there. Of course, it was a bit rainy in the afternoon, but what do you expect in London?

Here's a little recap of our quick whirlwind day.

*We arrived in London at 6am after spending way too much time on airplanes. After grabbing our luggage, going through customs, leaving our luggage at the "left luggage" (caz' who wants to lug around 2 weeks worth of luggage on a whirlwind day?"), exchanging money, and purchasing a ticket, we finally made it on the tube. Luckily, the airport is at the beginning of the Piccadilly Line so we were able to score some seats for the semi-long ride into the city. Since it was a weekday (Thursday) and morning commute time, we got to see the normal Londoners traveling into the city for the work. Seriously, everyone had an ipad, nook, kindle, or magazine for the ride.

*We finally made it to the city and got off at the closest tube station to our hotel (fairly close, which was very nice) and we were able to clean up in the fancy bathrooms, change, and drop off our luggage with the concierge so we could head over to the British Visitor's Museum to get our London Pass and then see the city!

*We wandered around and grabbed some breakfast in a park (lemon pastry and coke). The squirrels over there must be really used to people, because while I was trying to take a picture of one that was really close to me... he climbed my leg. For. Real.

*Our first stop was to see Big Ben and Houses of Parliament. How cool! They are so gigantic! and fabulous!

*Of course, I had to get a picture with a telephone booth!

*Next stop was Westminister Abbey. What an amazing place. So full of history. When we walked in, we were given headsets with audio tour guides that we could control. We decided to try to see everything, but only listen to the audit tour for the highlighted portions of the tour. Cameras were not allowed.. except in the cloisters section. So I don't have tons to share. But believe me, it was amazing.

*Well... I know that I wasn't technically supposed to take pictures.. but I wasn't 100% sure if this room was off limits.. because I saw other people with cameras. So I snapped a couple of the recent bride and groom. William and Kate.

*Well.. and then Aaron convinced me to snap this picture of Isaac Newton's grave/memorial. You know, since we named our dog after him. It's a bit blurry, but I had to be real quick.

*After overwhelming ourselves with Westminister Abbey, we grabbed the Tube and headed to the west side of the city, for Fish and Chips at The Golden Hind. Highly recommended from friends and good 'ole Trip Advisor. :) It was quite fabulous. delicious.

*After lunch, we headed back to the heart of London, through Green Park to see Buckingham Palace. We even saw some people heading into Buckingham Palace... not sure who they were.. but they were going in.

*and then it started raining. A Lot. And we huddled under a tree trying to read our map that was starting to smear to figure out how to get to our next destination. But we made it without drowning to the Tower of London. We were running out of day and still had a bit we wanted to see (and a lot of stuff closed at 5:30-6:30).. so we just wandered around seeing the buildings but we only went into 1 building. To see the Crown Jewels. Spectacular. They were gorgeous. Totally worth the line. Again.. another place where pictures aren't allowed. But I snagged this photo from online, so you would have a visual.

*After the Tower of London, we went over to see the Tower Bridge. It's a London landmark, so of course I wanted to see it but I also knew that Aaron would really enjoy seeing the steam engine room inside. and I was right. He loved telling me all about how it worked and just watching it. At the top of the top walkway of the bridge, we were able to look out over the river and see some of the London skyline.

Lego Tower Bridge

*After our very busy day seeing the sights, we went back to the hotel to rest our feet for a little while and get fancied up for dinner. We didn't really have a place in mind for dinner, so we just wandered around until we found a little Italian restaurant. I know it's a little weird that we had Italian in London.. but it was so good and we were just glad to find some food!

*After dinner, we walked around seeing the night sights.. but especially the London Eye. We never made it over to it during the day... but I am so happy that I was able to photograph it at night. Big Ben and Houses of Parliament were nice bonuses. :)

*Long story.. which will be addressed in a later post.. but we lost our little point n shoot camera on our trip... so we lost some of the "Aaron & Erin" pictures from our first day in London... so when we returned to London from Paris, we ran around and hit a few sights to snap a couple of quick pictures. Some of them with our cheap waterproof camera. Luckily it was a BEAUTIFUL day outside, so I am so happy we got to see London with the blue skies and fluffy white clouds.

*Although I'm very happy we got to see beautiful, blue sky, fluffy cloud London.. we also almost missed our flight back to Atlanta.. partly due to that. We were cutting it close.. but I knew we had time to get back to the airport and check in.. assuming no problems. Well I was wrong about the no problems. We went to grab the Tube and 1 of the trains was defective.. so we ended up having to wait for 5-10 minutes for another train. We grabbed the first one that was heading towards Heathrow airport, but it wasn't heading to terminal 5. So we had to hop out at a station (above ground) and wait for the Heathrow terminal 5 train. For a short while, we were pretty sure we were going to be stuck in a little town outside of London. Once we made it to the airport, I ran to the left luggage desk to pick up our luggage and then met up with Aaron to check in for our flight. We had no problems checking in, but then we had to check our bags. We ended up standing in 5 different lines waiting to check out bags. One time a computer messed up and then 3 different times the lines were just closed on us. We were finally able to check our bags, literally 35 minutes before our flight departure time. Luckily, security was speedy. Unluckily, the Heathrow airport is huge. We were those people who run through airports. It was a bit ridiculous. We made it as they were already boarding the plane (and only because they were running a little behind schedule). Whew. We seriously thought we were destined to stay in London.. and as awesome as it was, we were so ready to be home! We did get upgraded seats, so the extra leg room and reclining helped make up for the craziness.

waiting on our train in random small town outside of London.. hoping we make our flight.

Labor Day Weekend - 2011

2011-09-15T22:06:00.001-04:00

I'm pretty sure this is the first time Aaron and I have stayed home and didn't have company for a 3-day weekend, and it was perfect!

Here's a little recap...

Friday we celebrated Newton's birthday... and just hung out at home.

On Saturday, I went and ran some errands, while Aaron slept, A LOT.

I made a craft (Aaron helped too, after I blistered my hand from the hot glue gun)

I finally updated some pictures around the house.

Though, I still have to get some new frames for some other photos I printed. Including a really cute photo of my nieces.

We also added some more storage to our utility closet. So much more organized now!

On Saturday evening, Aaron and I went to midtown and had dinner at a really awesome French restaurant. A co-worker had a voucher that was going to expire for a 5 course meal, so she gave it to us. We ate on the rooftop patio and enjoyed all kinds of fabulous food.

Afterwards, Aaron and I wandered around the streets, mainly because DragonCon was happening in Atlanta that weekend... and we very much enjoyed seeing everyone dressed up in their costumes!

Sunday afternoon we decided to go to Helen, GA. It's a really cute German town about 1.5 hours away. We've actually been there one other time before. In 1999! We went on a fun trip with the youth group and stayed at Lake Burton and we went over to Helen, GA one day.

We were going to go tubing, but since the weather was a bit dreary and not too hot.. we decided to just roam around. We had lunch at a cool little German restaurant then had yummy chocolate caramel apples from Hansel and Gretel's Candy Kitchen. Awesome. Afterwards, we drove over to Lake Burton, for old times sake. :)

And Monday.. well it was rainy. So we slept in. and did a whole bunch of nothing.

It was a great weekend!

Pin Adventure: Easy Ice Cream Cake

2011-09-15T20:52:00.002-04:00

I decided to try another one of my Pinterest pins. I made this for a girls get together and I think everyone enjoyed it! I made 2, just in case, and ended up bringing the 2nd one home. I told Aaron I wanted to get a picture before he ate any...

My Inspiration:

My cake:

I came home and Aaron had already helped himself to the cake. haha. So, at least you get to see the inside.

Here's the recipe:

Ingredients

1 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar
6 ice cream sandwiches (3.5 ounces each)
1/2 cup chocolate chips, chopped

Directions

Line an 8½-by-4½-inch loaf pan with a piece of wax paper or parchment, allowing the paper to hang over both long sides.
In a large bowl, beat the cream and sugar until stiff peaks form.
In the bottom of the pan, arrange 3 of the sandwiches in a single layer, cutting them to fit as necessary. Spread with half the whipped cream. Repeat with the remaining sandwiches and whipped cream.
Sprinkle the top of the cake with the chopped chocolate chips. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze until firm, at least 1 hour and up to 1 week.
Holding both sides of the paper overhang, lift the cake out of the pan and transfer to a platter. Discard the paper and serve.

From: Real Simple

Mozambique - Days 9,10,11: Pemba

2011-09-12T21:42:00.001-04:00

Day 9 was a Monday and our last day in Montepuez. On Monday we celebrated Alan's birthday, loaded up the car, had lunch at home, then hit the road heading back to Pemba to spend some family time at the beach before our flight on Wednesday, Day 11.

Here are some memories/highlights from days 9-11:

*Monday was Alan's birthday, so he was showered with gifts at the breakfast table.

Chacos from Byron and Jeanette

shirts from the girls

*After breakfast, we loaded up the car and headed to Pemba on Monday afternoon.

*In Pemba, we stayed at "the bush camp". It's a really neat site right on the beach. Alan and Rachel had a tent for their family and Aaron and I stayed in a backpacker unit. Unfortunately, the backpacker unit near the tent was all full, so we stayed off a little ways.. made for creepy walks at night. We got to the bush camp right before sunset so Aaron and I kept the girls company while Alan and Rachel set up their tent.

random huge dog we found

We were laughing because Ellie was such a funny photographer. First Rachel and I were standing close with our arms around each other, then Ellie made us separate a little.. then she made us put our arms down so she could capture the sun in the back. :)

Aaron and I attempted to get a picture of us on self timer.. Ellie jumped in last minute. haha

*That evening we went to eat dinner at the Naval Club. It was fabulous! We ate outside, right by the water. Alan even took Aaron and I on a little tour.

Dinner at the Naval Club

*After dinner, the girls went to bed and we adults stayed up playing games at the bush camp kitchen. While we were in the kitchen, a couple came in to work on their dinner and there seemed to be something going on.. then we heard "it's going to bite you".. so of course we had to ask what was going on... they had a squid!

*After games, Aaron and I walked back to our backpacker unit. Remember that creepy walk I mentioned? Yeah it's really creepy when it's dark. The backpacker unit is basically a bamboo structure that has walls a bit taller than a normal person, but then there is open space above the wall until the very high roof to let in sunlight and air. The doors don't have any way to lock them, they just push to. So Aaron and I arrived back at our unit and I was checking out the interesting strings hanging from the roof. Aaron decided to show me that it's for holding up the windows. He opened the window and we heard a man say "obrigado" which is thank you in Portugese.. then I saw a flash light for a second and then he was gone. Talk about extra creepy! There was a man under our window! and he said thank you! Come to find out, he was the guard... but we didn't know it that night.. so I didn't sleep very well at all. Of course I would wake up every hour being paranoid then I would hear crazy animal sounds. It was quite an experience. We definitely slept better the next night when we knew there was a guard.

our bed in the backpacker unit at the bush camp

*On Tuesday, Day 10, we spent the morning playing at the beach with the girls. We had to trudge through really thick mud to get down to the water since it was low tide. We pushed the girls around on foam boards and just had fun playing. Alan and the girls even found a few crabs while we were at the beach.

*We went to lunch at an Indian restaurant that has beautiful views of the beach. The restuarant has a pool, which is where we were planning to spend the afternoon, but it was under construction, so we just ate lunch then played at the bush camp beach.

butter chicken

sharing ice cream

Indian Ocean

*Before heading back to the bush camp, we stopped at another restaurant and picked up pizzas to have for dinner that night. It has some really cool decor!

*The whole gang got in the water that afternoon.. but it was pretty chilly! and Katie was not a big fan, so she and Alan got out before long. Abby and Ellie loved climbing on the tree.. and their parents! and then they would take turns swimming to and from their mom and the raft. They really love the water!

*Tuesday night - pizza and more games!

*Wednesday we packed up all our stuff and took some pictures down at the beach before heading to lunch at a local restaurant. One last meal before our flight.

Ellie was helping me set up the self timer.. ha

*The Pemba airport is a bit chaotic.. in my opinion. I wish I had taken a few pictures of our last few minutes together.. but I was so stressed trying to check my luggage and make it through immigration that it didn't happen. After we checked our bags, we were able to spend a few more minutes with the Africa Howells before heading through immigration. We all joined in a circle and Alan said a prayer for our travels. Then we hugged those nieces multiple times and said our goodbyes. I somehow made it without crying. :) I think it's because we get to see them in less than a year when they come to the states on furlough! When Aaron and I walked outside to get on the airplane we heard sweet voices yelling "BYYYYEEE AARON AND ERIN, WE LOVE YOU!" We turned around and saw our family waving from the waiting area. Oh what a sweet way to end our time in Mozambique. :)

Mozambique - Day 8: Chipembe - worshipping, visiting, co-op garden

2011-09-07T00:18:00.001-04:00

Day 8 was a Sunday, also our last full day in Montepuez. Sunday is a very busy day for the Howells in Mozambique. Each Sunday they visit a church in a nearby village, I believe most of the churches have been planted through their mission work. Visiting a church involves visiting with the church members, worshipping and usually a meal. We were able to go to a nearby village, Chipembe, to visit, worship, and eat. After eating, we visited a co-op garden that several members of the church share. It was a great garden!

Here are some memories/highlights from Day 8:

*I loved helping my nieces with their beautiful blonde hair.

Aunt Erin and Ellie

*Once we arrived in Chipembe, Alan took Aaron and I around to meet a few different people in the village, including the Chief.

*This girl was working on pounding corn (I believe) for sheema. Aaron gave it a go (which they kids found amusing), though the women over there put us both to shame. They are so strong!

*Before worship began, the girls played with some of the kids. Once I got my camera out, the kids were jumping up and down trying to get me to take a picture! and of course, I had to show them the picture.

Katie Joy

Ellie

Abby

*There were even a few ladies that wanted me to take their picture.

*This is where the church meets and a few members of the church.

Rachel and Erin

*We sang some songs in Makua (again, I attempted..). Alan gave a lesson. We shared in the Lord's Supper. We prayed.

*Lord's Supper consisted of chopped cookies and an orange drink that tasted very similar to medicine. (We participated, even though Byron and Jeanette sent along travel communion cups for us..ha)

*After worship we were served sheema and cabbage.

* We spent a lot of time sitting on woven baskets and mats that morning...

*After lunch, we loaded into the car (with a few Mozambicans in the back) and headed down the road to a co-op garden. Several members of the church work in the garden and it was so neat to see all their hard work. I think they really enjoyed showing it off too.

Abby

Ellie with Uncle Aaron

Aunt Erin with Abby

*We were sent home with another gift, onions. Lots of onions!

*Side note: I decided to ration my water while at church and eating lunch as I decided I would be perfectly ok with not experiencing a latrine while on my trip to Africa. :) I had survived 7 days.. I could make it one more day!

*Sunday afternoon we met a few more of Alan and Rachel's friends that stopped by, including Rachel's language teacher.

Guys picture. Mario, Alan, Aaron. And Katie Joy joined in. :)

sometimes it's hard to pray with a 1 1/2 year old around...

Rachel with her language teacher

sometimes it's hard to pray with a 1 1/2 year old around...

*Sunday evening is movie night at the Howell home. Rachel insisted that we watch Horton Hears a Who since we had never seen it.

*After dinner and a movie, we packed up our things to head to Pemba on Monday.

Pin Adventure: Button H

2011-09-05T12:09:00.001-04:00

Well I have a recent Pinterest addition.. like many of my friends. I decided to utilize my long holiday weekend at home to tackle one of my Pins.

My inspiration:

My craft:

Process:
I went to Hobby Lobby in search of some colorful buttons. Unfortunately, the cute, colorful buttons were all pretty expensive ($1.50 for 2 or 3 buttons), so I bought this Bag 'O Buttons and spray painted them with some leftover paint from when I painted my bar stools recently.
After I painted the buttons, I sketched out what I wanted my H to look like and filled it in with buttons. Then I framed a piece of scrapbooking paper and hot glued the buttons to the paper.

I think it's pretty cute!

Happy 3rd Birthday Newton!

2011-09-05T11:22:00.000-04:00

We recently celebrated Newton's 3rd birthday! Of course we got out the birthday hats for pictures and spoiled him with a new toy and treats.

Newton's 3rd birthday

September 2, 2011

I found this raw hide lollipop at Pet Smart. How awesome!

Got this Pepperidge Farm frozen cake at Kroger for $1.99. Sweet deal. and sweet cake!

Happy Birthday to our Newt!

Coffee and Donuts baby shower for the Chaffins

2011-09-05T10:44:00.001-04:00

Last weekend I went to a cute coffee and donuts baby shower for my friend Sarah. The hostesses did a great job with the decor and food. Here are a few pictures from the day:

Krispy Kreme donuts. Fabulous. Yummy.

Coffee station.

Some gifts

Musical mobile from Jenny and I

I'm so excited for Sarah and Michael and I can't wait to meet baby Avery!

Mozambique - Days 6 and 7: Kambako Reserve

2011-09-02T01:30:00.002-04:00

The first night we were in Montepuez, Alan and Rachel discussed a tentative agenda for our visit. They mentioned that they had found a hunting reserve a few hours north and were in the process of emailing back and forth with the owner/manager/someone about a special consideration for us to come for part of a weekend, just for viewing (no hunting!). There is another animal place nearby that they occasionally take visitors to, but they hadn't had much luck with seeing animals, so they thought it would be worth a shot to try something new. After a little bit of emailing, we got the approval to go! We were all very very excited, even though we weren't really sure what to expect.

Days 6-7 (Friday and Saturday) were spent at the reserve and traveling to/from the reserve.

Here are some memories/highlights from Days 6 and 7:

*The hunting reserve was 4.5 hours away.. on very bumpy, very dusty roads. During part of our ride, multiple biting flies decided to join us in the car.... and give us little nibbles. It was extra fun with 3 little girls in the car. :)

*The drive to the reserve was so beautiful. I love all the bush and mountains. We pit-stopped in Chipembe, a nearby village, to let them know that we would be worshiping with them on Sunday. I loved this guy's smile and his awesome hat. PS. he was wearing an awesome hat on Sunday too!

*Our guide's name was John Wayne. Yep, that's right! John Wayne. From South Africa. and he always said "bon appetit" whenever he would start eating (usually a good 5-10 minutes after us) lol. what a funny guy.

Finally made it to the reserve

Following John Wayne to the camp

*The main camp was full, so we got to stay at a tent camp. It was awesome. We were the only ones there. Alan and Rachel and the girls stayed in a structure, similar to a cabin. Aaron and I stayed in a really neat tent. It even had a bathroom attached to it! Since we were the only ones there, it was like our own private camp! The food pavilion was really neat. It had a huge tree growing through the middle of it and it overlooked the river. (which wasn't too much, as it was dry season)

Africa Howells cabin/tent

Our tent

Inside our tent.

Food pavilion

*After a delicious lunch of cottage pie, we went on our first ride. Alan stayed behind with Katie Joy, so it was Aaron, Rachel, Abby, Ellie and me.

Lugenda River

Baobab tree

*We saw an elephant print.. and some elephant poop. But no elephants.

*Animals we saw included: monkeys, baboons, water bucks, impala, wart hogs. red duiker (somewhat rare), guineas, kudo, elands (from afar), and some pretty cool birds.

Water buck

Impala

Water buck

guineas

kudu

Impala

Wart hogs

Water buck

Impala

Monkey

Baboon

*One of the highlights of our safari was seeing LIONS! Rachel spotted them, right by the car.. next to their recent kill, impala. One of the lions did not have any food when we spotted them, so she laid down in the grass, flicking her tail.. which according to John Wayne, is a warning that we should keep away. We eventually pulled forward some, so that she could come back to get some more food. and so we could get a better look at her, of course.

Our first sighting of the lions!

See the bloody paw??

She was not very happy with us!

She's licking her lips!

Coming out to see if there is any more food.

See the lion under the tree, eating the impala?

*The African sunset is absolutely breathtaking. According to John Wayne, it is very pink because of all the dust in the air.

*That night for dinner, we had impala! It was delicious. Tasted like beef. not chicken.

*Ellie fell asleep at the dinner table. :) It was a long day.

*After dinner, we (Aaron, Alan, Abby and I) went on a night drive. For the night drive, Aaron and I took turns shining a huge spotlight into the bush looking for shiny eyes! Since it was dark, I didn't really get to take pictures. We saw bush babies, white tail mongoose, and a serval cat.

*We got back pretty late at night (10) and were informed by John Wayne that we would wake up at 4:30, breakfast at 5:00 and morning safari starting at 5:30. Whew! (originally wake up was at 4.. but I think he changed his mind after he saw my face!)

*After the morning safari, we headed over to the main camp to meet the owner/manager and for our final meal there.

*I loved the views of the Lugenda River!

*The girls loved the pool!

*On our way back home, we saw a gorgeous sunset over a river. This is one of my favorite scenic photos from the trip and is currently my wallpaper on my laptop.

*With the drive there and back, the safari drives and the drive to the main camp, we calculated that we spent approximately 20 hours {bouncing} in the car in 2 days. We were extremely exhausted once we got home, but it was so worth it. We are so thankful to Alan and Rachel for taking us!

Ok, sorry for the crazy long post!

More to come!

Mozambique - Day 5: Visiting friends and women's bible study

2011-09-01T00:32:00.001-04:00

Day 5 was a Thursday. Alan had some things to do at "the land" (where they are building the new house) and we still had lots of friends to meet. We got up early and headed out with Rachel and the girls to meet more people. Later that afternoon, I was able to join Rachel and Martha (one of the missionaries) and some of their Mozambician friends for a women's bible study.

Here are some highlights/memories from Day 5:

*I'm not sure if I've mentioned this yet. But every time Alan introduced Aaron as his younger brother, everyone would look at Aaron, then Alan and they would say that they "have the same face". Basically, they look a lot a like. Even when we couldn't understand Makua, we always knew that's what they were saying based on their faces and hand gestures. ha.

*First things first. The girls put on their new pineapple dresses from Nettie so that we could get some pictures before they got dirty!

*Those girls are pretty funny when it comes to climbing the truck.

*Alan has a motorcycle that he rides around town. I took this picture mainly for Nettie. :)

*We attempted to get a picture of us with all three girls. Fail. But we got a few other cute pictures.

*Our first visiting stop was at the Imam's house. The Imam is a leader at the local mosque. He was quite a vibrant man and even startled Katie with his loud greeting as soon as we arrived. (she may have cried...) Aaron thought it was amazing that he was wearing a very clean, very white shirt and pants.. considering how much dirt there is! The Imam's wife was so sweet and sent home a sack of flour with us.

*Side note: We were gifted a few things on our stay, but we left it all behind. We didn't think US customs would be too happy with our flour, onions, and peanuts. :)

*Next stop was at the home of a local evangelist. We enjoyed spending some time at their home and meeting the family.

*Our last visit was to Rachel's language teacher's house. Unfortunately, I cannot remember her name right now. and unfortunately, she was not home when we got there, but we did get to meet some of her kids. Her house is at the foot of a mountain and has incredible views. (We did get to meet the language teacher a few days later at the Howell's house)

*Afterwards we went to a local restaurant and enjoyed some Coke! :) in glass bottles! :) and then went and looked around the market for a little while. Since petty theft is fairly common over there, I did not take any pictures at the restaurant or market to share.

*When we got home, we were surprised with another gift. Sugared peanuts. They taste like honey roasted peanuts, but it's made with sugar. I believe it was from the wife of one of the workers (I need to verify some of these facts with Alan or Rachel). They were sooo good! We ate all of them. :) Of course we shared with the family.

*That afternoon, I was able to join Rachel, Martha, and some Mozambican ladies for a bible study. They sang some songs in Makua. (I mainly just listened.. since I was not very good at reading Makua. ha!.. I did try though) We also read and discussed Matthew 7:13-14, the narrow and wide gates.

*After the study, we ate some sheema (ok I seriously have no idea how to spell it!), which is ground corn, along with beans and potatoes. Sheema is a staple among everyone we met in Mozambique. Anytime we were fed, we always had Sheema, and usually beans. I'll be honest and say that I don't love beans.. but the sheema was pretty good. :)

*When we got back home, some of the missionary kids were over playing outside.

*That night we played some games with Alan and Rachel and packed up to leave for the game reserve the next morning. (can't wait to share pictures!)

More to come! (slowly by surely!)

Newton at Newtown Park

2011-08-27T21:28:00.002-04:00

After 2 weeks of being away from our sweet puppy and then a low-key week at home, we decided it was time to spend some quality time at the park with Newton. I had heard that a nearby dog park got a Beneful Dream Dog Park makeover this summer, so we decided to go check it out. The park was awesome! It had fountains, a bridge and tunnels for the dogs to play in/on. Of course, once Newton found the pine cones, nothing else mattered! We had to throw the pine cone in the fountain. :)
Here are a few pictures of our day.

Mozambique - Day 4: At Home and Guys/Girls Time

2011-08-26T20:32:00.000-04:00

Every other Wednesday the adults of the missionary families get together for guys time and girls time. This is time for the guys and girls to spend time together, talking about team stuff, making future plans, enjoying lunch, and spending time with God.

Wednesday was a pretty relaxing, low-key day. We spent the morning at home playing with the girls and then the afternoon at respective guys/girls time at a local restuarant.

Here are some memories/highlights from Day 4, Wednesday:

*The girls got some sparkly masks and loved wearing them around.

*Katie loved putting bananas in a small gift bag. Then she would hand one to me and then one to Aaron. Then she would take them back and put them in the bag. Repeat.

*We spent lots of time playing with the girls. And the bike riding continued.

*Uncle Aaron became a jungle gym.

*Ellie and I jumped on the trampoline together... until we found a HUGE spider. We quickly ran away.

*I enjoyed lunch and girls time with the missionary ladies at a local restaurant. We spent time reading and praying Psalm 91.

*There is a military training base in Montepuez and we got to see some of the soldiers marching down the street on our way back home.

*We had fresh coconut on our Snow on the Mountain for dinner that night.

*Ellie loved her new clothes from Papa B and Nettie!

*Just some random photos. :)

More to come!! :)

Mozambique - Day 3: Nekwaya Village, home, team night

2011-08-23T22:34:00.001-04:00

While Alan was in Pemba picking us up from the airport on Sunday, he learned that a church member in a nearby village had passed away. There they do the burial on the day of death (I believe) and then a 3rd day ceremony. Alan was under the impression that the 3rd day ceremony would be on Tuesday, so we got up early on Tuesday and headed to the village, Nekwaya, for the ceremony and to visit with the family and church members. Turns out, the ceremony was actually on Monday, so we just spent time with the family.

That afternoon we played outside with the girls some more. Abby enjoyed riding her new bike around and Ellie got her birthday present a little early, Abby's previous bike.

The Africa Howells serve with 2 other missionary families in Montepuez and Tuesday night is team night where they all get together for dinner, chatting, and games. Since the Africa Howells had been in South Africa during Abby's birthday, they also celebrated Abby's birthday with the team that night. We had a great time getting to know their teammates!

Some highlights/memories from Day 3:

*I was introduced as Elizabeth to all the Mozambicans since we decided that Aaron/Erin would be a bit confusing.

*Tuesday was our first experience of the very bumpy, very dusty roads of Mozambique, as the road from Pemba to Montepuez is paved.

*We experienced a little bit of car problems along the way, apparently that's normal missionary living in Mozambique.

*We visited with family and friends of the church member who had passed away.

*We met some members of the Nekwaya church.

*Mozambican children love getting their picture taken. Ha.. well not just the children, the adults too.. but the children were very animated about it.

*Katie Joy snuggled with Uncle Aaron in the backseat and took a long nap. It was amazing how well she napped considering how bumpy the roads were.

*We saw some beautiful scenery on our way back to Montepuez.

*The girls spent more time playing outside. Abby rode her new bike. Ellie rode her new bike. Some of the missionary kids came over to play. One of the games they were playing was Narnia. I thought it was funny when I came outside and saw one of them asleep on the stone outside.

*We met and visited with some Mozambican friends.

*Celebrated Abby's birthday at team night.

More to come!

Mozambique - Days 1 and 2: At Home

2011-08-22T23:08:00.000-04:00

We landed in Pemba, Mozambique on Sunday afternoon and were greeted by Alan and Ellie at the airport. Fortunately for us, customs took the day off (what?!?)... so we just got to grab our luggage and head on. Alan and Rachel and the girls (I'll refer to them as the Africa Howells) live in Montepuez, which is a town about 2.5-3 hours west of Pemba.

Sunday night is movie night in the Africa Howell home, so after lots of hugs and kisses, the girls started their movie while Aaron and I enjoyed hot dogs, coke in glass bottles, and chatting with Alan and Rachel.

Monday is a stay at home/cooking/baking/family day which was so great for us. We loved being able to spend the entire day with our sweet nieces, just playing and getting to know them and their home.

Here are a few highlights/memories from our first 2 days.

*Katie loves to suck on 2 of her fingers... a lot. (Even when they are very dirty.)

*We had pancakes for breakfast!

*Monday is cooking/baking day. We spent a lot of time in the kitchen (Rachel spent most of the day in there!) making all sorts of stuff, including Abby's carrot cake birthday cake. I thought it was funny that an 8 year old requested carrot cake, but it was fabulous.

*Abby has grand visions of her birthday cake and even provided a drawing. Rachel went to her cupboard, pulled out 2 heart shape pans.. looked at them for a minute and decided she could make a dog shaped cake. I'm still not sure how she did it. She's amazing.

*The girls love swinging in the backyard.

*The girls love playing in the backyard.

*The girls also love climbing on top of the truck.

*Katie is too small to climb on top of the truck, so she just gets in the back.

*Abby made a homemade kite with a grocery bag, some string, and a stick.

*We transported lots of goodies to Moz and the girls loved all of them. Clothes, shoes, books, candy, bubble gum, gold fish, etc. Some from Papa B and Nettie, some from Nannie, some from Aunt Carol and Aunt Susan, and some from us.

*Aaron and I went with Alan, Ellie, and Katie Joy to the land where they are building a house. It was really neat to see the layout and hear about all their plans.

*When we got back to the house, Rachel had completely decorated Abby's birthday cake. Like I said, amazing.

*The girls love bedtime stories.

*We also transported a bike over for Abby's birthday, so after the girls went to bed, Alan and Aaron put it together for a surprise the next morning. (We do not wake up as early as the girls.. so the surprise is not documented via photos)

*We taught Alan and Rachel how to play Monopoly Deal. Fun fun. :0

More to come!

Windsor, England - Travel to Mozambique!

2011-08-21T21:12:00.000-04:00

Aaron and I got back from our trip to Mozambique yesterday evening and then we went to Nashville today to get our Newton. We had such a wonderful time on our trip and I can't wait to share details and pictures. Of course, I took tons and tons of photos so I'll be blogging and posting photos in groups.

On our way to Mozambique, we had a 9 hour layover in London, so we decided to head over to Windsor to catch a glimpse of Windsor Castle, lunch of fish and chips at a local pub, and walk about the town.

Cheesing it up in front of Windsor Castle. Unfortunately, we didn't get to see the Queen.

We had traditional fish and chips and mushy peas at the Horse and Groom pub right by the castle. Yum Yum.

After lunch, we wandered around Windsor some more checking out the Thames river and a local coffee shop, with some free wi-fi.

Beautiful English countryside and rainbow.

Africa sunrise as we were flying from London to Johannesburg, South Africa.

Giraffe in the Johannesburg, South Africa airport.

Approaching Pemba, Mozambique - our final flight destination!

We finally made it!!

Driving through villages on our way to Alan and Rachel's house in Montepuez, Mozambique.

June 2011 summary

2011-08-03T01:06:00.000-04:00

Here goes the June 2011 summary:

June was semi-low-key. We traveled for 2 different family reunions, and I squeezed in a couple of photo shoots while in Memphis.

First off was the Howell family reunion in Memphis (Millington, actually)

Aunt Tempee with some grandbabies

I didn't take lots of photos at the family reunion, because I did 2 photo shoots that morning before the reunion started. I was done! Here are some photos of Aaron's cousin's family.

my other shoot before the reunion. another one of Aaron's cousins... one of my favorite families ever. So sad they moved from Atlanta.

Had a family reunion at Joe Wheeler State park. Already blogged: http://aehowell.blogspot.com/2011/07/minor-family-reunion.html

Made some oreo stuffed chocolate chip cookies.. they weren't as good as I was hoping. but pretty.

Had a small group cookout. yummy food, as always.

Our small group is awesome. Here are some of the goodies they have provided for us to take over to our family in Africa.

June was a good month. :)

May 2011 summary

2011-08-03T00:27:00.002-04:00

Well I'm incredibly behind on blog posts.. and I really want to get caught up.. so I'll be doing a few general recap blogs to sum up some of our summer events.

Here goes May 2011:

Made Pioneer Woman's lemon basil chicken. yum.

Cinco de Mayo with the Tuleys!

Reunited at Gigi's in Nashville with Lauren. {photo shoot weekend}

My sister and her friends came to visit one weekend. We took them to Antico for pizza and Flip Burger for shakes.

Anniversary flowers from the hubby.

Anniversary dinner date with my handsome hubby.

Maggie and I matching at church one day. Great minds think alike.

Brad and Katelin's going away party.

Random lunches with hubby while I was working downtown.

Dinner at Front Page News. Loved the outdoor patio.

We ate a lot of corn for dinners.

oh and Rachel and I went on a Bahamas cruise. already {sortof} blogged: http://aehowell.blogspot.com/2011/06/bahamas-cruise-sailing-day-and-day-1.html

oh and we went camping with Tim and Morgan.. already blogged: http://aehowell.blogspot.com/2011/05/camping-at-table-rock.html

May was a good month! :)

Harding pit-stop

2011-08-02T23:49:00.001-04:00

Aaron and I made a little detour and pit-stop at Harding when we headed to Dallas for the 4th of July. It had been almost 3 whole years since I had been in Searcy, and I was so happy to finally visit again. Harding is such a special place to me. I have so many great memories there with friends and with Aaron. We loved driving around and seeing the changes (except for the fact that they closed Charlie's, I didn't love that).

I got to swing by the College of Business and see one of my old professors and Penny, the lady I worked with when I did my graduate assistantship. The COBA building is undergoing major renovations this summer for expansion, and I was able to get my very own tour by Penny, Harding University hard hat and all. :)

I'm so glad we made our little pit-stop and I hope to visit again soon, hopefully sooner than 3 years next time.

We really wanted to go in the bookstore and get lots of Harding gear, but it was closed for inventory. bummer.

trying out our old mailboxes... of course I had the top row, go figure. :)

the Lilly pond

Family picture. Newton's first time at Harding.

We found the brick with our names on it. Aaron's parents got it for all of us. So special.

4th of July, Texas style

2011-08-02T23:30:00.000-04:00

Aaron and I went out to visit Lauren and Erik for 4th of July since we weren't sure when we would be another opportunity to see them. We loaded up the car and headed to Memphis on Thursday night and made the rest of the journey on Friday. (pit stop at Harding! - blog to come)

It was so good to see them again!

Here's a photo journal of our trip.

The Dallas skyline up ahead.. almost there!

On our first day there, Lauren and Erik took us to a little doughnut place that had kalaches... oh.my.goodness. We went back every single day for breakfast!

After breakfast, we drove around the city some and took the M-Line trolley to see some sights. Nothing too exciting, but it was free, so no complaining. :)

Found all these cows... they were BLAZING hot.

Saturday night we headed to the Fort Worth Stockyards for the RODEO! :0

Sunday, we decided it was just way too hot to be wandering around Dallas again, so we hit up Hurricane Harbor, water park at Six Flags, for most of the day... then stopped at Sprinkles for some lovely desserts.

I had never been to an In-n-Out Burger place before... and there was a new one right by their home, so we hit it up. Pretty yum.

Sunday night, we went to Addison Kaboom Town to see fireworks!

and a little bit of an air show!

Happy 8th bday

2011-07-31T16:40:00.000-04:00

Happy {belated} birthday to our oldest niece, Abby. Yesterday she turned 8! Aaron and I were just watching home videos of her first visit back to the states when she was a baby. I can't believe how big she is already.

Can't wait to see her in 1 week! :)

Tapleys Take Texas

2011-07-23T16:12:00.002-04:00

As most of you know, one of my besties moved from Atlanta to Dallas in May. Lauren is one of my closest friends and she always will be! She was also my photography partner with Two Girls and a Camera. I miss doing photo shoots with her!

Well, I am a complete slacker and never posted about the fun "Tarpleys Take Texas" party that we had for them before they moved. And since I've already been to visit since then, I feel like it is way over due! Jenny and I had so much fun planning the Texas themed party and personalizing it with their very own Atlanta photo book. A lot of times when friends move from Atlanta, an Atlanta book is purchased and everyone signs different pages that have meaning. Jenny and I decided to take it one step further and went all around Atlanta in 2 evenings and snapped a whole album worth of photos. Add 1 night of editing photos and 1 night of designing and we got something really special. I love it and I know they Tarpleys do too!

At the party, you better believe we made those Tarpleys go out in style in cowboy hats. And Jenny got extra festive with western themed cupcakes, which were just as good as they looked.

We miss them soo much. Like I've said, Aaron and I have already been to visit them once.. and I'm sure we will see them again soon!

Only 2 more weeks!

2011-07-22T18:00:00.003-04:00

Remember these cute Africa shirts I made last year?

Well when I gave the girls the shirts, only Abby and Ellie tried theirs on. We decided to not wake up Katie Joy to try on the little onesie.

Yesterday I was browsing around on facebook and came across this photo.

Oh my! So cute! I cannot wait to see these adorable girls in just 2 weeks. and their parents too! :)

Minor Family Reunion

2011-07-01T13:25:00.001-04:00

Aaron and I just got back from a fun weekend at Joe Wheeler State Park in Alabama. Every year, we get together with my grandmother's siblings and their children and grandchildren for a very extended family reunion. We have a few locations in the mix. I've only been going for a couple of years, but so far we've done the lake (Joe Wheeler), the beach (Gulf Shores), and the mountains (Smokey).

We always have a great time getting together and enjoying whatever the location provides.

We stayed in these cute little brick cabins right on the the lake. They were a tad bit retro on the inside...

We were only able to reserve a boat for the 1st half of the day (8-12), so early Saturday morning we headed over to the Marina and hopped on the boat. It was still a little to chilly to get in the water at that time.. but it definitely warmed up enough.

Michael

That's my brother

Aaron and I out enjoying the boat ride

Beautiful lake scenery

James

cute cute cousin, loves the water

The family enjoying their time on the lake. :)

We found a rope swing that we were pretty excited about, but the water ended up being too shallow.

After the lake, we all headed over to the pool for a little more fun. We didn't stay too long, because shortly after, the giant black storm clouds rolled in.

James especially loved the pool area.

Saturday night is always the big get-together. This year we all grilled out steaks and hung around the cabin. The cousins also went on a deer search.

These are the deer we found on our deer search.

This is the deer we saw while driving to the cabin.

Grilling squash

Jr. Howells and Michael

Green Crocs everywhere!

All the little kiddos watching a movie.

Family enjoying the deck with the lake views.

On Sunday, we got up and had family church before loading up the cars to head to lunch and then home. We had a little bit of spare time, so we stopped by to see the dam.

Hanging out on the playground before leaving on Sunday

Wheeler Dam

After lunch in Florence, AL

We had a wonderful time and I'm already looking forward to next year!

On our way back to Atlanta....

Creepy doll...

Bahamas Cruise: Sailing Day and Day 1 - Grand Bahama Island

2011-06-26T15:40:00.000-04:00

So I've been meaning to post about the cruise, and I said I would.. but I've just been going nonstop. It's hard to keep up!

Rachel and I boarded the cruise ship on Monday around lunch time and we were able to enjoy the sites of Miami and some yummy food. We didn't do much that day except enjoy being on the ship and soaking up lots of sun.

Miami!

So ready for our cruise!

Sail away party - I did convince Rachel to go out and dance for the Cuban Shuffle.

We ate all our dinners at Palace Restaurant which was so delicious. In my opinion, the dinner on the first night was the best. I had red snapper and lobster. I love lobster but I don't get to eat it to often, so when I do, it's a treat!

Waiting for our table

My red snapper and lobster

Enjoying our dinner.

Disregard the wet floor sign... Rachel's drink was spilled.

My beautiful sister

Sisters!

Tuesday morning we arrived at Grand Bahama Island and headed over to explore Port Lucaya before heading to the beach.

Port Lucaya was beautiful! I loved all the beautiful colors on their buildings and furniture. They even had multi colored umbrellas everywhere.

Our beach time was pretty relaxing. We just laid out in the sun (Rachel got so burnt!) and played in the water. I have a waterproof case for my camera, so we had a lot of fun trying to capture some of our fun. haha.

Hanging on the beach

I spent a lot of my time reading on the Nook. It was perfect!

Back on the cruise ship, staying covered up, trying to avoid a burn.

Yummy steak for dinner!

Day 1 was a success! More to come!

In 60 days...

2011-06-06T22:59:00.005-04:00

I woke up this morning to these beautiful photos.

Abby - 7, Ellie - 5, Katie Joy - 1

Aren't our nieces absolutely adorable? The pictures served as a wonderful reminder...

In exactly 60 days... we are boarding a plane (plus 2 more) and heading to Mozambique, Africa to visit these sweet girls and their parents!!!

For those of you that don't know, Aaron's brother (Alan) and his wife (Rachel) serve as missionaries over there. They've been there for quite awhile and we've yet to visit, so we decided that this is the year!

We are really excited about our upcoming adventure and spending time with our sweet family on their turf! Of course I'll share some photos and experiences on the blog once we get back.

Camping at Table Rock

2011-05-31T20:27:00.000-04:00

This past weekend Aaron and I packed up our camping gear (what little we have!) and lots and lots of munchies and headed to Table Rock State Park in South Carolina to camp with some of our dear friends, the Lavenders.

Friday night we arrived just before dark and we were able to set up our tent (on a hill) and play a couple of games before heading to bed.

We started the trip off right on Saturday morning with pancakes and bacon. Yum. Yum.

After breakfast, we decided to go on a hike. Unfortnately, all the short hikes went nowhere special.. so we embarked on a 6 mile hike. Whoa. I did fine until the last mile when I got a side stitch. The hike we did was to a waterfall, which was beautiful. Once we got there, we settled down on a rock for our packed picnic. Newton went along for the hike and did a great job. I was pretty impressed by our little suburban dog.

On Sunday, we decided we were not cut out for another hike, so we drove to see some pretty sights, but mostly hung around camp lounging and playing games. Our games of choice were Rummikub and Monopoly Deal. Sunday night we grilled out hamburgers and roasted hot dogs.

Of course, no camping trip is complete without Smores.

Newton's favorite part (and our least favorite) was collecting rocks and laying one beside us for us to toss for him to fetch. He had a little collection going on the picnic table and I died laughing when I saw it. haha.

Miami

2011-05-26T01:48:00.002-04:00

As I recently posted, my sister and I went on a Bahamas cruise! Let's just say that it was wonderful and I enjoyed being able to spend some time with her (while simultaneously, avoiding work ;) )

We flew to Miami on a Sunday afternoon and arrived at our hotel on Miami/South Beach with plenty of sunshine still available to us. We immediately changed into our swimsuits and headed straight for the beach, which was conveniently just outside our hotel! A-W-awesome.

After our much needed time in the sun and playing the beautiful weather, we headed out for dinner. I was a bit concerned, since I hadn't really done my research on food places.. but luckily my friend, Ashley, told us the perfect place to stay. We were right by the Lincoln Road mall.. which is basically blocks and blocks of shops and restaurants (most of them being primarily outside). So we walked until we found the "happening" place and settled in for an amazing dinner, complete with chocolate cheesecake.

Of course we had to squeeze in a little more beach the next morning before heading to our cruise ship!

Cruise posts to follow. :)

Toms

2011-05-19T19:02:00.000-04:00

Do you own a pair of Toms? If not, you are totally missing out.

I got my sister some for Christmas 2 years ago and therefore got added to the Toms email list. Every couple of weeks I would receive an email showing off all the new styles, so I finally decided it was time to get some and asked for some for Christmas (2010). and I absolutely LOVE them.

I just wish they were a little bit cheaper.. because I am also in love with these:

Aren't those awesome??? I want them. I need them.

And these:

I need some good grey shoes. :)

And these:

So so cute! Perfect summer shoes.

Happy 3rd Anniversay!

2011-05-17T00:54:00.000-04:00

Happy 3rd wedding anniversary to us!!!

Today marks 3 full years married to the love of my life. We have had so many wonderful memories and adventures so far and I can't wait to have even more. :)

Just to name a few:

3 places we now call "home" (Atlanta, Memphis, Nashville)
3 new niece/nephews (Ethan, Katie, Roman)
Newton!
lots and lots of traveling
multiple jobs
tons of holidays spent with our families
moved to Atlanta
Aaron in graduate school
Erin pursuing photography

I can't wait to see this list grow and grow as we enjoy life together.

I am truly blessed to have such a wonderful spouse beside me each and every day. I'm really thankful for him and I'm extremely proud of him.

Happy Anniversary to the love of my life!

St. Simons

2011-05-05T11:53:00.000-04:00

Lauren and I went to St. Simons a few weeks back to photograph a beautiful beach wedding.

See all the sneak peeks: Hanson Wedding Sneak Peeks
if you're interested. :)

We decided to take Monday off of work so we could enjoy the beach and beautiful St. Simons on Sunday. We had a wonderful time! I'm going to miss beach time with her!

Before the wedding on Saturday, we hit up Southern Soul for some yummy BBQ

and some fried oreos. YUM!

On Sunday, we headed straight for the beach. The sun was warm.. but the wind was cool. Still had fun.. and still got burnt...

Beautiful beach!

We ventured from the beach for lunch and found this fun little place. We ate outside in our swimsuits, coverups.. and jackets. lol

I pretty much stayed away from the water since the wind was chilly.. but I did have to go put my toes in. :)

Found this jelly fish. This was right before I got hit in the face with a Frisbee. ouch.

Then we went to dinner at Coastal Kitchen, recommendation from friend. :)

Of course, what's vacation without dessert? So we hit up St. Simons Sweets. Cutest sweet store!

Beautiful sunset views from our hotel.

Monday morning we were so burnt that we couldn't do any more time at the beach. Instead we slept in, packed up, breakfast outside at this cute little place and headed home.

I loved St. Simons and spending time with my friend. I think Aaron would like it, so hopefully I can take him sometime. :)

Erin Elizabeth Photography

2011-05-04T18:39:00.000-04:00

Since Lauren moved away from me (sad...), I've started my own photography blog.

Please check it out.
http://erin-elizabeth-photography.blogspot.com/

And let me know if you want to schedule a photo shoot.

Also, please "Like" my facebook page. :) Erin Elizabeth Photography

May 3

2011-05-04T18:20:00.000-04:00

Well I'm a complete slacker... I totally forgot to acknowledge this yesterday.

May 3, 2011 marks our 8 year dating anniversary. 8. Can you believe it?

Don't you just love this picture? haha

Happy {dating} Anniversary to my love! :)

And here we are... 8 years later. Same column. (well, maybe.. general area at least)

This time...

2011-05-02T23:19:00.002-04:00

This time next week... I'll be aboard a cruise ship with my sister, Rachel.

Heading to the Bahamas

That's all.

Today...

2011-05-01T22:40:00.000-04:00

Well... today was the day. The day I helped one of my best friends load up the uhaul and car, ready to hit the road to Dallas. Lauren is leaving me.

Lauren has been such a blessing to me in Atlanta. She was a part of our small group. She was one of the first girls I became close with. We spent so many weekends together hanging out and having fun. And we both pursued our love for photography together with Two Girls and a Camera. She's a best friend for life. I'm going to miss her tons!

I held it together pretty well tod... I didn't even shed a tear until we were all standing in a little circle and "delaying the inevitable" as Jenny said. As soon as the goodbyes started.. the tears started. Luckily for me, I get to see Lauren in just 2 weeks. We are photographing a wedding together in Nashville. I just wish the wedding had been further along in the summer so we could space out our seeing each other. I'm interested to see how I hold it together when I have to say goodbye to her then. I'm expecting not very well...

Love you Tarpleys! You'll be missed!

Spring!

2011-04-04T20:21:00.000-04:00

Spring is officially here! Just check out these beautiful flowers. :)

Oreo Balls

2011-03-28T21:46:00.000-04:00

What do you get when you take oreos + cream cheese + chocolate? OREO BALLS! yum yum.

I made some this past weekend to share with my small group. I had a few leftovers that were taken to work, and now they are all gone. They are fabulous. I'm sure most of you have had them.. and probably have the recipe, but just in case, here it is.

You'll need:

1 package of oreos

1 package of cream cheese

1 package of chocolate almond bark or baker's chocolate

Crush/Grind up 2 sleeves of Oreos. (I like to use my little food grinder. It's better to have them finely ground instead of crushing with your hands or rolling pin)

Mix together with cream cheese.

Form into little balls and place on wax paper.

Melt a few blocks of almond back. (I think I used 9 squares total, but melted them 3 at a time)

Dip the oreo/cream cheese balls in chocolate and place on wax paper.

Sprinkle with crushed oreos (from the 3rd sleeve)

ENJOY!

POP!

2011-03-28T19:33:00.000-04:00

Yesterday I went to one of the cutest baby showers for my dear friend, Erin. She's pregnant with twins! A boy and a girl! The theme was POP! Everything was so cute. Balloons, popcorn, pop rocks, ring pops, etc.. Loved it.

Happy Birthdays!

2011-03-22T23:08:00.001-04:00

Happy 2nd Birthday to Nephew Ethan!

and Happy 21st Birthday to my sweet sister, Ashley!

I'm glad we were able to celebrate with you guys this year. :)