Chairs, Cheese, and Hotdogs

Random, right? Well, basically the way I update the blog is entirely based on what's inside my camera. Luckily, there are a few exciting things to share. Perhaps they're more exciting to us...

These are the chairs we chose for our table! We bought them and they're being delivered Friday... all 10.

I think those who are familiar with Kincaid's restaurant (I worked there all through college) will figure out what this is. If not... I'll tell you. I bought a shredded package of asiago cheese at the deli counter and spread it on a cookie sheet. I baked the cheese --alone-- for about 15-20 on 350 degrees until it was browned throughout. Kincaid's served a palm-sized piece on each caesar salad they served--and people raved about them.

But, that's not the best part of this experience. This is where it gets real.

The funny thing... this happened on a Friday night. Ray went to play ultimate frisbee at the park down the street (happens every Friday with a bunch of our friends) and was heading back to our house to come get me before heading to a friend's house for game night. Well, one of our friends came over to shower before we headed over for game night. The whole time I'm thinking how awful our house must smell to him! Being in a house for the first time, you smell new scents anyway. But, our house smells like CHEESE! I brought it up and apologized for the rank smell in our house. He told us that he thought we had CATS! I can't stand cats and would never personally want them in our house... but it's funny that the scent of cheese can be compared to the scent of cats. Ha. Regardless, the asiago crisps were delicious and we had them with our caesar salads the next night.

We experienced the glory of Portillo's. Of course, Ray is the only one to experience the Chicago dog, complete with little green peppers. I had a surprisingly good croissant sandwich with veggies and yummy fries. We also hear their chocolate cake is great. To be determined soon...

Bunnies, bunnies, everywhere! They're all over the map around here lately and on this day, they invaded our front yard. We normally see 1-2 in our backyard throughout the day, but on this day, they were quite daring.

Random. Look at the difference between cars and small trucks!? Yikes. As seen about 2 miles from our house.

Last week, I took a solo drive down south to Greenville College. I have been co-teaching a MA course in teaching (and technology) with a friend and colleague from my MA program at Pepperdine. I've been the virtual instructor teaching via Adobe Connect with video. This past week were their presentations. I made the 270-mile drive down south and experienced what is southern Illinois. I was about 25 miles from the center of St. Louis, Missouri before heading back north after the night of presentations. They were great. I really enjoyed the innovation that these students brought to teaching and it made me really appreciative of my opportunity to share my experiences and expertise in teaching with technology throughout the course. Here are a few sights to be seen on the trip down the I-55 south. 

Here's a massive thunderstorm I was driving into. Just as I drove into this mess, I saw incredible lightning, thunder, and the most intense downpour I've ever felt in my life. It was SO bad that nearly every car on the interstate pulled over and turned on their flashers-- on the interstate! I joined the crowd, pulled over, and then trekked on when I felt it was safe. 

Speaking of thunderstorms, I've never experienced thunderstorms like this in my life. At 2:30 a.m. (this morning), I woke up to thunder that was so intense our house shook as if there were an earthquake in progress. The lightning was non-stop and flashes of the brightest light were seen about every single second for 15 minutes straight. They're insane... and I'm not sure I'll ever get used to them!

Spotted! I was told these only existed in the west... I surely did not eat there, but I thought it was fun to see something I was so familiar with back home in California.

...and there's the update of our lives for the past week or so. Ray has been busy pulling up rotten boards from our deck that he plans to replace, power wash, and re-stain. I've been subbing a ton but since schools are finishing up for the year, all I have to look forward to is the grading of half of 204 projects just turned in for that MA course. I'll have a few things keeping me busy.

On a more personal note... I'm having surgery tomorrow on my skin. Use sunscreen, people! Any of your thoughts and prayers would be appreciated as I go under the knife. I'll be okay and I'm thankful for doctors and my own intuition when it comes to my body. Reality is that life can be hard... I'll update with progress and healing as it moves along! Last year around this time, I was undergoing elective Lasik surgery that ended up being one of the best decisions I've ever made! This year, same month, I'm experiencing something entirely different. Being thoughtful, but thankful.