Friday Favorites

 While I'm ready to embrace warm weather and longer days, it comes with more guilt for partaking in the below mentioned favorites. I feel like I should be making Namath walk (which he hates), watering something in the yard (we have two whole flower pots), or generally something more than watching TV while eating Easter candy.

 I recently cashed in my workout points at work for an Apple TV. Yes, I realize the irony.

Hello, streaming Netflix. Hello, every season of every show I love available at the touch of this little black button.

 Via recommendation, I immediately jumped on the Parenthood train. The show, not actual Parenthood.I laugh, I cry (well, not yet, but I'm assured it's coming - no spoilers please).

Just because you're inside doesn't mean you can't celebrate Spring. With pastel colored Easter candy. Is there anything better than your favorite candies available in egg shape and bright colors? I think not. I had the Valentines version of these SweetTart gummies, and they were amazing. The bunnies aren't too shabby either.

I also recently heard a rumor of carrot cake M&M's....can anyone confirm or deny?

What's your favorite Easter candy? I have to go with Cadbury eggs - but my experience is there is no gray area here on one's feelings of Cadbury eggs.

Costly

My Bible study group just finished Tim Keller's "Counterfeit Gods". If you've never read Tim Keller, I would highly recommend it, as any good Presbyterian would.

As with any good book, there were a few parts that resonated with me well past when I closed the pages. Actually, weeks past, which is only slightly annoying, and very telling of how much I needed to hear this passage.

I actually took a picture to send to a friend, because, can't we all relate? Or maybe I'm alone out here on a limb, holding grudges.

At every point in the Bible, the writers are at pains to stress that God's grace and forgiveness, while free to the recipient, are always costly for the giver. From the earliest parts of the Bible, it was understood that God could not forgive without sacrifice. No one who is seriously wronged can "just forgive" the perpetrator. If you have been robbed of money, opportunity, or happiness, you can either make the wrongdoer pay it back or you can forgive. But when you forgive, that means you absorb the loss and the debt. You bear it yourself. All forgiveness, then, is costly.

I think somewhere between the messages of "forgive because we have been forgiven" and "seventy times seven", I have it in the recesses of my mind that I should "just forgive", and it should be easy. I mean, Jesus DIED for our sins, surely I can forgive for fill in the blank. While those statements are true, there was comfort for me in the fact that it's not easy, nor is it supposed to be.

Wrongs require payment, sacrifice- and more often than not, that payment and that sacrifice is made by the one wronged. Sometimes to people who don't ask forgiveness - and a lot of times don't "deserve" it. Ouch.

On the cross we see God doing at the cosmic level what we all have to do when we forgive. There God absorbed the punishment and debt for sin himself. He paid it so we did not have to.

Sound familiar? Keller does a great job of always taking it back to the cross. What Christ did for us on the cross, we are called to emulate, on a smaller scale, in our own lives. It's not fun, or easy, but it's truth.

A nice truth for the thick of  Lent season.

Glorious

This weekend was easily one of the best this year. Longer days, time with friends and weather that made it impossible not to be outside exposing my milky white winter skin.

 Fortunately, the feeling was mutual.























I finished work a little early on Friday, just in time to watch Namath rest his eyes and get ready to kick off St. Patrick's Day.


And what says St. Patrick's Day better than a photo booth? The beer wasn't green, but it was custom brewed and delicious.

We hosted game night Friday night, a true welcome to my 30s.
The theme: breakfast for dinner.
My contribution:

 Yes, that's a tater tot breakfast casserole. It was everything I thought it could be.

After a Saturday morning run in the warm sun (glorious!), we headed down to Avondale for some refreshments. Saw's Soul Kitchen is right next door, so lunch was cheese grits, topped with turnip greens, topped with BBQ, sauce and onion straws. I KID YOU NOT.

I could barely get my trunk up from the chair. 

 Meanwhile, back at the ranch...

 After a weekend of sunbathing and rolling around in the grass, we could no longer ignore Grizz's smell and long nails. I loaded him up Sunday for a bath. I got the usual stink eye. Sorry buddy, but bathing is definitely one of the things on my list that is outsourced.

 Worth it in the end when I saw that big smiling head, and I no longer have to hold my breath when he walks by.

 While he was at the spa, we sought out some quiet of our own.

 Next weekend has big shoes to fill.
 

Humor Me

But I think this dog is HILARIOUS. Obviously, I'm biased. Happy Wednesday.

A few snapshots from this weekend.

 He's nothing if not proud of himself.

 You think someone could bring me a steak? Some cheese? Perhaps an assortment of olives?

 Please stop taking my picture.

 Seriously. Please stop.

 It's so hard being beautiful.

 Hard and exhausting.

Birthday

Today is the Big 3-0.

It has treated me nicely so far. I have no deep thoughts, but in the words of Ealy Nation - I'm just grateful to be able to celebrate.

Here's to sugar, carbs, wine, ribbons and bows - things all good birthdays should be made of- and to 30 more!

It's Almost Spring...

 Coming to you live from Alabama...where we are hoping to be seeing the last few weeks of winter. Here is documenting the last bit of our hibernation (I hope).

MS cooked an excellent chicken picatta for Valentines Day. Does anyone go out for Valentines anymore? Staying in is so much more enjoyable, and I don't miss my 9 p.m. bedtime. I'm not kidding.

 Namath did his best version of "McKayla is not impressed". When I first took this picture, I thought his bone was his leg, and I was REAL impressed with his flexibility.
 

 We had a showdown of sorts. It was inevitable. There's a cat that stealthily frequents the hill behind our house, but Namath's sharp vision was not fooled. Five months after we moved in, he caught wind of it and chased him into the storm drain. Good work, Namath.

 We spent an evening enjoying views of the Magic City. Isn't she pretty?

 A fancy drink at a laid back evening with some friends. Strawberries and champagne should be a regular part of my life.

 Namath has taken to eating rocks out of the fire place. This includes hiding them under his bed for later snacking. The loud crunching and cracking is not discreet, buddy. Nor is he when you try to take them away from him. Yikes.

 MS headed for a night in the woods last Friday. Namath was left with me for a night of DVR'd girl shows. He was so excited!

 In an effort to bring on Spring, I've painted my toenails "Ate Berries in the Canaries" and started back running after work. Yesterday, MS did the same across town.

Move over, JT, the Searson's are in sync. I'll end on that lame joke.

Friday Favorites

This week I'm bringing you my most favorite thing I've bought in probably the past 6 months. The Rusk Super Freak.

I first heard about this little gem here. This website deserves a post of its own for her hair tutorials, but I digress.

My little drug store hair dryer had served me well, but it was on its last leg. Drying my hair is the least favorite part of my day. Oh, the misery. It's a hard life I lead. So with promises of super fast drying time and a great deal on amazon, I pulled the trigger.

WHERE HAS THIS THING BEEN ALL MY LIFE?!

I think it maybe takes me 3 minutes tops to go from soaking wet to dry, and it makes my need for a straightener minimal. Anything that speeds up the routine in the morning gets a gold star from me.

Not all of us have perfectly straight hair upon waking.

We are expecting snow showers this weekend, so I'll be stocked up on the essentials - wine and DVR'd episodes of Grey's Anatomy. Happy Friday!