Joe and I spent a weekend in NYC.  This was my third trek to the Big Apple in about a years time.  Every time I go, I enjoy it more.  We went with about 33 other people from our church and spent a weekend singing, passing out tracts, sight seeing and getting to understand people outside of our little corner of the world.

This time I got to experience a couple of new foods.  I do believe 'experience' is the perfect word here.

On Friday evening we divided into groups and went on a scavenger hunt.  One of the items on the list was to try a food you've never tried before.

We went by a Jamaican restaurant that offered cow feet.  Joe, who is always looking to try something different was all into this.

So here's my take on cow feet with curried rice.  The rice is delicious and the cow feet are too.  But be sure not to get any little spec of the fat or bone with the meat.  The fat tastes awful! 

(I hate to think of how dull my life would be without my husband prodding me to branch out a little now and then....)

We also got to try some goat meat and that was quite delicious!

While we're on the subject of food.....

We took the entire group to Penangs - an authentic Thai restaurant.  Such good food.

(Joe ordering for the group)

We had taro.  I had never heard of taro before.  It was baked into a spongy cake like bowl and they served it with all kinds of vegetables and nuts on top.

They said it's related to a yam.  I looked it up and found this article that I thought was intriguing.

We tried 9 different dishes at Penang's.  Some were delicious, some were ok and one was not so good.    The mango chicken is still the best in my book.

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We went by the Rockefeller Center.

Joe remembered he is madly in love with me and was squeezing the life out of me.

While we were there they cleared the ice with only one couple remaining on the ice.  The romantic music started playing and he got down on one knee and proposed to her.  She must of said "yes" and the crowd went wild. 

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We spent time singing and passing out literature in the subway station.  We passed out a couple hundred New Testaments as well as tracts.  It was amazing how many people sat down and read them while they waited on the their ride.

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We went by Ground Zero.

I had never been to St Pauls Chapel before.  The church is located right across the street from where the Twin Towers once stood and was not damaged one bit on 9/11.  The church has a rich history including George Washington praying there not long after he became president.

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The Staten Island Ferry/Statue of Liberty was next on the sight seeing list.  We had very little time so we decided we'd take the ferry over and then catch the same ferry and come right back. 

You still have to get off the ferry, then enter the building and make half circle to get back on.

One member of our group thought he could make a quick bathroom trek before getting back on and ended up not making it back on the ferry with the rest of our group.

(Check out the light bulb hanging in the sky....)

He said he saw the doors closing and the ferry was still out there. 

BUT- no amount of begging or pleading got him through those closed doors.

The spiritual analogy of this has stuck with me and if I forgot everything else about this trip, I want to remember this.

Someday it will be too late.  The door will be shut.

No amount of money will buy you into Heaven.

No amount of begging or pleading will get you into Heaven.

There IS only one way to get to Heaven - Jesus Christ!

....and then I had to wonder??

Am I doing all that I can to share the good news of the Gospel?

Do I really and truly care about where they will spend eternity?

What am I doing today that will make a difference in eternity?

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The definition of a germaphobe : Any person who is obsessed with cleanliness and defeating bacteria.

So now I’m looking for the word that describes the exact opposite of that.

The best I can do in one word is “Matthew.”

He has absolutely no concept of dirt, germs and grossness.  I have tried teaching and preaching but somehow I’ve failed to get through. (Some days I think he is starting to get IT)

Examples of what I’m talking about.

1.       At a recent volleyball game, he put his pretzels on the floor and was licking them off the floor all in an effort to play puppy.  I obviously put a stop to it but I think he had ingested a lot of grossness already.

2.       Public Restrooms are a nightmare with him.  His curiosity is just out of control and he wants to touch and feel everything.  Asking him to stand still with his hands in his pocket is like a severe punishment.

3.       We thought we had a mouse in the kids room so we set a trap in their closet.  One morning he threw a ball and hit the trap.  So we were planning on leaving it for Joe to reset.  A few minutes later Hannah was yelling, “Matthews licking the peanut butter off the trap!”  This may sound really gross but in reality it was a brand NEW trap and therefore not quite as disgusting as it sounds.

4.       THE WORST - We were at a game, sitting on the bleachers.  He was driving his diggers on the empty bleachers and the next thing I know he was chewing gum.  YES, YES!  He was chewing  a wad of gum he found stuck on the bleachers.  It was almost enough to turn my stomach.

Can I defend my self and tell you that I DO watch this child.  I watch him like a hawk and somehow he manages to escape my watchful eye for a brief moment.  I pray that his Guardian Angel can be with him and is willing to work double duty for this precious child.

The ironic thing is he is WAY healthy.  He has had a sniffle or cough once or twice in his life, has never been to the doctor and has never had a flu of any kind.  Hmmmm…

I guess I’m getting more germ conscious the older I get.  Yesterday I was teaching piano and it felt like almost all my students were sick or someone in their family was sick.

Remember, I’m sitting in a little room with these kids and I get this mental picture of it being packed full of germs.  Seems like everyone is sick.

How can we avoid sickness this winter?  What do you do to keep your family healthy?  Maybe chewing someone elses old gum would help?  NOT! J

First off, I must tell you that my trusty old wallet and I have parted ways.  This thing was falling apart, the change purse part was torn and did I mention it was white.  Very ugly and plain.  Just white.  It actually came inside a purse and I fell in love with the compartments.....

It had all the right compartments.  A place for receipts, cash, change, cards, etc.  This wallet is kind of like a good friend-pretty much irreplaceable.

Am I the only one who is WAY picky when it comes to purses and wallets?  They have to be JUST right!

I bought one at target, went to slide my credit cards in and it tore.  High quality, wouldn't you say?

I returned it and finally found the perfect one at Kohls.

Did I mention they were having an awesome sale on wallets?  SWEET!

I don't think this picture does justice to the wallet.  That's what I get for getting a picture from the Kohls website instead of finding my camera and taking my own picture.

I just think this picture makes it look a little granny-ish.

Now I'm ready to SHOP!  Anyone going with me?? And we're shopping in style.  haha...

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True Story.

Sunday morning is always crazy at our house.  Food to be made for carry in, clothes to be packed for the rest of the day, kids to be dressed and a mom that always sleeps 15 minutes longer then she should.

Our routine includes a stop at the gas station (I buy my papers for couponing) and Joe runs to the bank to get cash while I'm at the gas station.

Last Sunday, we're about 5 minutes behind like usual and before the car even comes to a complete stop, my door is open and I'm out.  I quick step (as much as you can with heels) to the door and as a reach for the door I felt something around my ankles.

A quick glance downward revealed my slip......in a nice circle around my ankles.   

My options were 2 - pull it up again or grab it and pretend I carry a slip into the gas station ALL the time.

I chose the latter.  I wasn't going to stand in the entranceway of the Dalton Marathon hiking my slip up to my waist.

But, the problem actually began with me grabbing my oldest, grungiest, no more elastic half slip in my haste to get dressed.  Add to that the new slippery control top hose I was wearing and that's how you end up in town with a slip around your ankles.

And that's an embarrassing way to start ANY day. 

I hope you had a good laugh at my expense.    Now have a good day!