Trip to Georgia

We just got back from our trip to Georgia. Valerie and her two kids, McKenzie and Malachi, came up to visit from Florida while Jeremy was gone on a mission trip in Miami. It's been a while since we've seen them so we had to go!

We packed up the Gixxer in the back of the truck and drove about 4.5 hrs to Georgia. Malachi really enjoyed seeing the motorcycle and he kept talking about it. He liked sitting on it and asked Jonathan if he could ride it with him but he had to explain that they don't make helmets that small.

Once Jonathan was getting ready to go ride and he noticed his gloves were missing. Then Malachi came out wearing his gloves and it was so cute. He wanted to sit on it again:

Craig decided he wanted to ride the motorcycle so I got some good pics! Here, Craig sat on it and Jonathan helped him back it out of the garage:

After Jonathan told him about the gears, etc he is ready to ride!

On Sunday, we went to Free Chapel and had a great service! We really missed our church. Afterwards, we went out to eat at Outback Steakhouse and then we just relaxed around the house. While Valerie and Janet went to the store with McKenzie we stayed home with Malachi.

Then after packing up everything Jonathan went for one more ride.

And now it's time to load up the Gixxer.

We had so much fun visiting everyone and I hope we can do it again soon!

New Toy

June 30th, 2011, we brought home a new toy. It's a 2006 GSX-R 600. Jonathan found it on craigslist and we got a super deal! He has always wanted one so I'm so happy we are able to live a dream he has had, according to Jonathan, for his whole life!

This is a whole new adventure for us and the first one started with the oil change! We have never changed the oil in anything ever, so we figured it would be a good time to start... Well with youtube and Jonathan's handiness we eventually conquered this task along with learning what doesn't work! Here is the tools you need:

So first, Jonathan took off the fairings:

Now it looks naked! Then he unscrewed the cap that let's the oil drain. Very messy by the way!


Now the fun part! He had to unscrew the old oil filter so that we could replace it with a new one. This ended up being way harder than expected so Jonathan sent me up to Advance Auto Parts to get an oil filter wrench. (I didn't even know there was a such thing, so I don't recommend this part.) I drove 15 min. to the nearest town. I came back with it and he proceeded to put it on the oil filter. (Actually, it wouldn't stay on, so Jonathan hammered it on. Not a good idea.) He unscrewed the oil filter but then with the wrench on top of it, it wouldn't fit past the mufflers. It was stuck!!!


Now we start worrying. We keep thinking about what if we can't get it off and then we gotta take it to the mechanic. That would be so embarassing! Thankfully, after my prayers of course, and lots of tries, Jonathan gets it off! Now you pour in 2.6 qts of oil:



Tada! Almost finished, now he puts back the fairings and it's good as new!

Birthday!

My friend Aleah's birthday was Tuesday, the 5th, and to celebrate I made her some yummy peanut butter cupcakes with peanut butter icing! It's my mom's recipe which is my favorite! It was my first time making this recipe but I think it turned out really good.

The one's on the left are the ones I decorated for Aleah and her family. I made one with all her family's names on them and the others had cute flowers on them and then of course the middle one has a '28' on it!

I'm sure you are wondering why my cupcakes are outside. Well, I started baking in the kitchen and Jonathan decides to work on the laminate floor. So, of course, this includes cutting wood. And to my horror, I see a cloud of sawdust floating over to the kitchen where I was baking! Thankfully, I was able to save my cupcakes as I rushed them to the umbrella table sitting outside. All the while, Jonathan didn't think it was a big deal and couldn't even see the cloud floating on the inside of the house! Later, though, I did point out the fine film of dust over everything, which WOULD have been my cupcakes. Anyways, they turned out great, and nobody noticed any sawdust. ;)

I decorated some of the other cupcakes with Matt and Autumn's name on them and then I made these:

This one was for Buddy, Matt and Autumn's dog. (He's a Golden Retriever if you can't tell from the pic) And then I made an 'I Love You!' for Jonathan and then the one on the right is my mom's horse, Dixie, which I sent a pic to her phone.

Monday night I got the crazy idea to sew something for her gift! I just started sewing about a month ago so I'm not that great yet. So far I have made a pot holder and...well that's it. A pot holder and now a cellphone pouch as well. I had been wanting to make one for a couple weeks now so I figured what better time to make one than for my friend's birthday? I do wish I had given myself more time to work on it but I think it looks pretty good for my first one. I want to make some more because I enjoyed it so much! So here's what it looks like:

This is what it looks like open. I sewed on the velcro for a closure and the inside is a different pattern!

And this is what it looks like closed. I sewed a cute jewel on the front and at the last minute I decided to add a wristlet to it so that way you don't have to hang on to it. I'm so glad I did that! I like it so much that I'm going to make myself one next!

As soon as I make some more I will post them on here! My goal is to eventually be able to sew a quilt and maybe even some clothing! I can't wait!

I'm Back!

After talking to my good friend, Aleah, I decided to start blogging again. It's been almost exactly a year but I'm excited this time around. 2011 will be a great year in the Lord with many blessings to come! That's why I will be writing to give Him all the honor and praise! Jonathan and I have recently moved to Charlotte to stay with his brother Matt and his wife Autumn. Jonathan is working here and I am going to try and find a job. We like it a lot and it's helped to make new friends and we also found a church that we truely enjoy, Central Church of God! This Saturday, April 9th they are doing a 5K Walk/Run and the proceeds go to help stop human trafficking. Aleah signed up with me and I'm not sure what we got ourselves into but I'm excited anyways! I know we will have a lot of fun and it's for a good cause! I have wanted to do a 5K for a long time and now all we gotta do is practice!

Haiti Relief

My heart is burdened for the people of Haiti. I can't help but think about how blessed I am, and how blessed we are to live in this country. We cannot even begin to imagine the pain and suffering that is in Haiti. There is devastation everywhere. But there is hope.

Thankfully, my church Free Chapel has a mission to feed hungry bodies and souls. Each month we serve 540,000 warm meals to the hungry and impoverished in Haiti. I encourage you to watch this video to see how you can join us and help this cause!

http://www.jentezenfranklin.org/haiti/

Photo Session with Everything Lovely Photography

Jonathan and I recently had a photo session with an amazing professional photographer! Her name is Michele and we loved working with her. This was our first professional pictures we've ever taken together and Michele helped us feel so relaxed and comfortable. I feel like she really captured our personalities within the shots. We met at Piedmont Park in Atlanta. Jonathan and I had never been there before. It was so beautiful and seemed to go for miles! There were several picturesque places in the park. It had a gorgeous skyline, lake, and a gazebo to name a few. I look forward to working with Michele again! Her website is EverythingLovelyPhoto.com. Check out her amazing work AND prices!