cheval glass

two weeks

I have been in somewhat of a "fog" the last 2 weeks as we spent one week packing and this past week moving. I looked at Todd at some point this week and said, "Honestly, if there was a gun to my head right now, I could not tell you what day it is." We are SO happy to be in our new home..pics to come! So , here is what happened around the Cullen house the last two weeks...

• Sydney finished preschool...she is officially a Kindergartener...say that 30 times really fast! She is headed to HHCA in August.
• Todd and I celebrated our 14th Anniversary on June 3rd. For those who know us REALLY well, we can all say that Todd deserved a big kudos for that!
• My Worship Arts Intern, Emily Wolffe, from my Alma Mater, Liberty University, started this week. Her 1st task? Painting Sean's bedroom last Friday night! She is an awesome woman, gifted musician, and a REAL servant to put up with our move being right smack in the middle of her 1st week on Hilton Head! We are going to have an awesome summer!
• Ellie Lancaster was in Hilton Head this week and we had the chance to reconnect. We have known each other for about 9 years from NorthStar and most recently we were original staff members of The Gallery Church in NYC. We love you, Elle!
•   Sydney turned 5 years old today. She is such a big girl and just a joy to our lives. I would think after 5 years of being a parent I would have more of a clue? NOT! We celebrated with some of Sydney's close friends and our friends as well at the Yacht Club (My b-day is tomorrow.) Yes, it was a much deserved treat...sitting around the pool and they fixed the food!
• We love our new home. We feel SO blessed that God has given this to us. Our friends, the Krupas, from ATL were able to move into our rental house. God just worked the whole thing out! Now the fun begins...painting, pictures, and giving this place "our touch."

Hope you had a great two weeks...looking forward to being back in the blogosphere this week!

10

Preparing dinner for our family is tough. First of all, cooking is not a pleasure for me.  I do not like to cook and I'm not really good at it. My husband is the chef in the family...a little of this and a little of that and he has a masterpiece! However, we cannot afford to eat his meals a lot of times (I meant it, he is REALLY a good cook!) We both work and during the week, we are running just like everyone else. Todd gets to prepare a gourmet meal every now and then (when I can budget one) and he helps with most meals during the week (aren't you jealous, girls?) I do not believe in the "fix everyone what they want" mentality.  We also eat out WAY to much and since we are  Dave Ramseyites, that is out of the question. With all of that said, I have been looking for 10 meals that EVERYONE likes to prepare on a regular basis. These are meals we have on hand that are easy to prepare with just a little bit of thought.  Why 10? Our budget and our schedule dictates that we can eat dinner at home no more than 5 times a week...thus 10 meals per pay check. Well, folks, I have found them!  Click here to see the meal plan.

Recreate - Day 3 & 4

  Attending this conference is like drinking from a fire hydrant for your brain. I come away overwhelmed with new ideas, encouraged by old and new friends, refreshed in my spirit, and charged up to face the world at home that awaits me.  No matter who you are and where you are from, this is a safe week in your life because you are among people who get you.  We all have unique personalities as artists and it's OK to be "quirky" here. The draw of the week is the coming away from everyday life and being in community with like-minded people.
Randy Elrod (conference leader) led a session for the 1st time at Recreate. Here are some thoughts I gleaned from that session...

• We need real people who are physically present in our lives. Technology is great (social networking), but we need to be where we are. 
• A person of influence is someone who makes you feel better when you leave their presence.
• "It not just about life and art. It's about the ripple effect."
• We view suffering in our culture as if we have done something wrong.

Ian Cron led a beautiful communion service for all of us. It was so refreshing to be a part of this and not have to plan it or play for it. He incorporated liturgy and as well as songs of response written at his church...it was one of the most beautiful experiences I have had in worship. I attached some pics of the table.

Anne Jackson led our last session on Thursday. She recently published a book entitled Mad Church Disease that discusses burnout in our churches today (it's on my list to read!) Here are some thoughts I gleaned from her...

• Is serving in my current church role interfering with my communion with Christ?
• The only way to fulfill our purpose with people is with a sincere relationship with God. Apart from God, we can do nothing.
• Am I living with integrity in my conscience?
• it is not my job to be my provision - it is God's job!

I need some time to process alot of what I heard and experienced and I look forward to sharing that over the next few weeks.

Recreate - Day 1

Meet and Greet here...Dinner here...Live Jazz by him.  This is your typical church conference :)
You never know what to expect at Recreate and that is why I am here.  We have a great 3 days in store and I can't wait to share about it here at cheval glass. Follow me on twitter for micro-blogging throughout the conference.

Girls weekend

My friend Kim and I are spending a couple of days together (as we try to do at least once maybe twice a year) catching up on each others'  lives, eating, and shopping. We have great husbands.  We ate at a FABULOUS place last night , Le Maison on Telfair in downtown Augusta, GA that I highly recommend. More food and shopping are on the agenda today. Did I say we have great husbands?

Roti and curry

Sunday night, we were invited to Clint's house (who is from South Africa) for a South African meal...Roti and Curry. Roti is a flat Indian bread and Curry is a spicy dish with meat and potatoes.  The coolest thing was that Sydney stood in a chair and watched Clint prepare the Roti for 20 minutes!  She says she is going to be baker/cook one day.  It was fabulous!  Click on the link for a recipe!

The Kitchen Club

Saturday night is our weekly date night and most of the time, we don't have a plan.  We just set out to a different part of the city that we haven't been too very much and just pick a restaurant that looks good.  Well, last night, we hit the jackpot!  Todd and I stumbled upon THE BEST restaurant in NYC that we have come across since we moved here in December. The Kitchen Club is a quaint little restaurant on Prince Street in the East Village owned and operated by Chef Marja Samson. Sake and Dumplings are her specialty.  The restaurant has a French-Asian decor and is accented by her French bulldog, Chibi, who looks like he owns the place!  I had spinach and shrimp dumplings and then Mahi-Mahi for dinner.  Todd had a steak salad that was out of this world! We will definitely visit again.

Sweet tea in NYC

We found the sweet tea in NYC!  Tonight, we had dinner with our team at this place called Brother Jimmy's located on Amersterdam bteween 80th and 81st and had AWESOME sweat tea and barbeque.  It was more like a bar, but the food was outstanding.  So, now us southerners don't have to go without our sweet tea fix!