Fargo - Day 4

I have a great brother-in-law. For one thing, he is perfect for my sister. They were definitely made for one another. He loves her so well, especially the goofy parts of her (and there are many...) But, aside from that, he is generally just a great guy and very thoughtful of the people around him. Recently, he was driving around and saw a really cool tree. He came home and told Pam all about how he had seen this tree that I would just love. I am a bit obsessed with trees (partially thanks to my old roommate Erin) and nature in general. So, today, while driving around the city, he took us to this tree. It is a cool tree, for sure! We had fun playing around on it for a few minutes. Here are some of the pictures:

Fargo - Day 3 (new and improved - with captions)

We started the day by going to hear Jeremy preach at one of the 3 Baptist churches in town. It was the first time that I had heard my brother-in-law preach, and he did a great job! He preached on Jeremiah 29. His love for the Lord and desire for this city to come to know the Truth was definitely evident.

After a very yummy spaghetti lunch, we decided to go for a walk to find some gelato. But first, we walked all the way to Minnesota! This is the Fargo sign as we walked back across the state line into North Dakota.

Fargo has several very funny signs. Check out Carla's blog for a couple more examples. We find it quite hilarious that there are specific instructions that there is to be no shouting after 10pm.

Mmmm! The gelato place was open! We were a little worried, since almost everything downtown seemed to be closed on Sunday.

My sisters are REALLY enjoying the fact that all the buildings in this town are brick, and I think random brick walls are a great place to play around with my camera! (No sarcasm here...)

Everybody needed a new Facebook photo :-)

The day ended with a trip over to Abby and John's place for a cookout. This sweet couple are Pam and Jeremy's ministry partners here in Fargo. I got to meet their new little girl, Julia, for the first time. She is definitely a cutie! This is Pam with Julia (maybe a little practice for the future...)

Even though there is no photo documentation, I have to include that we ended the night with a game of Pluck and a game of Scrabble. I won both. That does not often happen when I play Pam in Scrabble (she pretty much always wins), so I have to take this opportunity to brag :-)

Fargo - Day 2

Day 2 in Fargo went a little like this:

Sleep in late...Drag myself out of bed...Enjoy some coffee made by my fabulous brother-in-law...Finally manage to get all four of us ready using one bathroom...Head outside to the refreshingly beautiful North Dakota temperatures (read: 70's)...Walk to downtown (about 2 blocks from the apartment - SO nice)...Learn that Fargo is, in fact, "windy as hell" (and I quote the man sitting next to me on the plane. I, of course, would find a different way to express that fact.)...Enjoy a yummy turkey burger and fries at the Old Broadway (ordered a veggie burger, but what I got was amazing AND I didn't have to pay for it)...Walk around downtown...See Bob Costas and Billy Crystal randomly walking out of the theater right in front of us (seriously - who would have thought I'd see famous people in North Dakota??)...Take a picture of Billy Crystal from afar (trying not to look too much like paparazzi)...Continue to enjoy the sights of downtown Fargo and take pictures like a tourist all around the town...Come home for a brief stay before heading to the movies (where apparently the entire population is on a Saturday afternoon)...Watch The Proposal (for $6! - hard to find that in Atlanta)...Go to the mall and buy jeans at Gap for $20 (regularly $69)...Head to a really cute coffee shop and enjoy an amazing frappe and play cards...Win at Phase 10...Get back to the apartment and quickly edit a couple of photos for all of you to see...Finish this post and head to bed! I'm sleepy! Enjoy the proof below!

No caption necessary

One of the many faces of Jeremy Robinson

Sitting at the table at Old Broadway (sporting the curly hair - it was faster...)

Random side of a building that I thought was cool

Billy Crystal

Random impromptu shoot next to brick wall

Pam is definitely singing, "Get your lollygag on" (or something like that) and making us laugh. Who knows what that actually means, but it was funny


Having fun over a game of Phase 10 with Pam and two of the summer interns

Fargo - Day 1

(the unedited photo version)

Those were some of the highlights of the day - hanging out in the Mall of America in Minneapolis, which is complete with roller coasters in the middle of the mall; riding from Minneapolis to Fargo with my sisters and being thoroughly entertained by Pam's rendition of various nutrition-related songs (including Salad Sisters and B is for Banana); and enjoying the beauty of the amazing rays of sun.

Due to the fact that it is late and I got about 3 hours asleep before the flight this morning, that is all I have for now. For a much more entertaining version of today's events, check out Carla's blog.

Yes, I have managed to convince both of my sisters to start blogging. I'm good. :-)

Lake Fun

This weekend I went to the lake with some really fabulous friends. We had a great time! The highlights were hanging out on the boat, tubing, attempting to water ski, yummy food, and having time to catch up with friends. The lowlight was sticking a knife into my hand while trying to cut an avocado. For some reason, I am repeatedly uncoordinated when it comes to knives. The hand injury put a damper on my plans to reattempt skiing on Saturday, but I had fun on the boat anyway! Here are some pictures from the weekend:

Anna and I (I have been missing this girl!)

Matt and Rachel

Rachel and Lauren

Benjie and Jen

Lauren and Rachel relaxing in the lake

Trying to figure out how to tie the ski rope...

Lace and I with skis on - proof that I made an attempt (I actually made several attempts, and got pretty close to getting up a couple of times. Was planning to keep trying, but a knife through the hand thwarted those plans...)

Keely skiing (clearly, our guys were successful with the rope)

Getting ready to go tubing

Apparently I was having a good time! Not sure what Anna is thinking...

Tubing fun

Trying not to fall out!

Jen and Lacey's turn

Lauren chillin' on the boat

Benjie - our fearless captain. This is apparently his boat driving face.

Me and my wounded hand, right after having water poured into my burning eye (evidence that I was a good nurse and applied my sunscreen)

My fabulous small group friends - the dirty and exhausted version
(complete with typical Matt behavior)

**Update - If you want to check out some videos of wipe-outs from the weekend, check out Trey's blog. The best wipe-out of the weekend award definitely goes to Benjie, though, while he was slaloming on a broken ski. His foot came out and sent him flying like a ragdoll, which pretty much gave me (the only nurse on the boat) a heart attack. Fortunately, he was fine. Unfortunately, that moment was not captured for your viewing pleasure.

I Love You Too, Daddy!

Dear Dad,

Happy Father's Day! Sorry that I am not there to share your day and take you out to lunch. Next time you come through, I owe you a breakfast! I hope that you have a great and relaxing day. You deserve it! I just wanted to let you know that you are an amazing Dad! Thanks for:

*putting up with a house full of girls! I know there were an awful lot of hairbows and makeup lying around. And sorry for all those times that we used your razor or forgot to put the shampoo back in your bathroom. Oops...

*teaching me to be a good sports fan. Thanks for always taking us up to Atlanta for the Braves games! I love those memories. I loved (and still do) watching the Braves and Gators games with you. I love it now that when I am watching the Gators on a Saturday afternoon and they score a touchdown, I can give you a call and know that you are watching, too.

*being patient on MANY a shopping trip. I know that the mall is not on your list of favorite places to be, but you have made that sacrifice so often in order to spend time with me. Thanks! And, thanks for all the outfits, too!

*all the "dates with Dad" for my birthday! We did some really fun things! I remember going to the fair, the Suwannee River Jam, Braves games, and trips to the mall to buy a new outfit and get my hair or nails done. You always made my birthday special!

*calling me "just to check in." Thanks for always letting me know that you are thinking about me.

*working so hard in order to give us everything that we needed, and most of the things that we ever wanted. Thanks for helping to make it possible for me to go to an amazing college and be debt-free on the other side. Thanks for the car when I was old enough to drive, and then again my sophomore year at Furman. I am a blessed girl, indeed.

*making frequent visits up to see me, even though I don't live so close by. Thanks for all the Braves tickets and the breakfasts at Eagle's Landing. So yummy!

*teaching me about Jesus. Thanks for helping to point me to the Truth - I would not be who I am if you hadn't. It has been so exciting to watch how the Lord has been speaking into your life, especially in the past couple of years. Thanks for being an example of how to trust in the Lord and walk in His steps.

*always supporting me and the steps that I have taken and am taking in life. Thanks for encouraging me to always do my best, use my gifts, and most of all to follow the Lord where He leads.

I love you, Dad!