Happy Anniversary

This morning I got an email with the subject line "Happy Anniversary" from Carol, Greg's mom. Hmmm . . . I think to myself . . . 8 months early, ok . . . but then I went on to read that today is the 5th anniversary of Greg's "new face".

Let me explain . . .

Greg went to college in Pennsylvania. I stayed in Charlotte to go to UNCC. So one night, 5 years ago, I was at the M28 coffee house and received a phone call letting me know that Greg (who at that time was my boyfriend of about a year) had been riding a bike and was hit by a car. Up in PA. 461 miles away. I found Leah who then found Joe and we had a time of prayer amidst all the business of the coffee house. I was naturally distraught and trying to think of the fastest way to travel 461 miles to see Greg and would I even make it in time (grim thought, I know).

Well, wonderfully, about 10 minutes later I got another call from someone who was a little less emotional and who informed me that, in fact, Greg had not been on a bike that was hit by a car. No. No car. He was on a bike that had run into a pedestrian.

(And I must explain the story for his sake so he doesn't sound like a big jerk. He was riding a borrowed bike with bad brakes to ride down the hill to the cafeteria. Narrow sidewalk, mud and large rocks on either side. A foreign exchange student who didn't know that your're supposed to keep right. They play chicken until the very last moment and then both ditch off the same side of the sidewalk, thus colliding.)

Greg was taken to the hospital because his head had rammed into her knee. He didn't know that at first and played the part of the gentleman quite well. Then someone asked what happed to his face, he reached his hand up there and could feel that his right sinus cavity was now caved in.

So, long story short (and trust me, I'm leaving out some hilarious dialouge here as Carol, Nate and Kristie rushed up to PA - I was chosen to housesit for them) Greg had surgery over that weekend to repair his face. The pictures are quite disturbing, so I won't post any. Trust me, you should be thanking me =)

Oh, and right before everyone left to drive up to PA we were able to talk to Greg on the phone. At the end of my turn he said (whimpered . . .) "I love you . . " And that was the first time I told him that I loved him in front of anybody else. Nathan laughed at me because I said it really quiet and then turned bright red. Good times =)

In leiu of nasty broken face pictures, here's No-Shave November. Greg's dorm happened to have the challenge already shceduled which worked out quite nicely for Greg seing as he couldn't shave for a month anyway. Several Charlotte guys participated, too, in honor of Greg. (l-r Greg, Kelly G., Dave M.)

A rather boring post . . .

Well, we haven't been up to anything very exciting over here in Ross-world. We're in the midst of refinishing some furniture for our guest room which took up most of Saturday afternoon (I'll post some picture when it's completed!). Other than that, we've just been keeping busy with the normal demands of our life right now. Nothing incredibly blog worthy =)

But I did find a new cooking aid this past week that I wanted to share. I love using chicken broth to flavor rice and all sorts of other things but don't always have a box or can of broth on hand, so I was reluctantly using bouillon in the past because it's so quick and easy. But I wasn't crazy about the MSG. Admittedly, I do prefer homemade, but that's just not practical for everyday life. Some convenience items are good to have on hand. Well, long story long, for really no reason . . . a lady in our CG introduced to me chicken base:It's not quite as good as homemade and does have a decent amount of sodium in it (yet comparable to canned stock), but it dissolves very nicely into warm water and contains no MSG. And it's a soup worthy stock. Not weak and grainy like a bouillon broth. Another benefit is that you can make exactly the amount of stock that you need and there is no waste.

Any who, that's a little window in my life if the most exciting thing I have to blog on is chicken broth . . . =) I think it's time for another weekend getaway, huh?

Apple Picking 2k8

Per yearly tradition (with last year off), we went apple picking with Nate and Kristie at Sky Top Orchards. We had so much fun! This orchard has acres of pick your own apples and a vast array of varieties to choose from. Plus, it's on top of a mountain with breathtaking views on all sides. We of course had to taste each different type of apple before committing to picking it or not and by the time we left we were covered in juice (some more then others *cough*cough*) and completely full.

There were many other families out picking today; it was so much fun to see dads lifting their small children up to pick from the highest branches. It reminded me so clearly of our family apple picking outings when we were little and lived up in northern Virginia. I hope we get to make those same memories with our kids one day.

But for present, I will be cooking, baking, canning and freezing this week . . . I really can't wait!They also have a small vineyard

Greg bobbing for apples, only without water and a large tub.

Panthers Game

(written by Greg)
Steve was fortunate enough to get some tickets to the Panthers' game last Sunday vs. the Falcons through one of his vendors at his job. Getting tickets was awesome enough, but they were in the Alltell luxury box! The seats were located on the 25 yard line and we had a catered buffet with prime rib, cheesy bacon potatoes, fruit, cheescake and other wonderful stuff. If it costs $5 for a hot dog, I'm sure Steve and I downed a good $200 in just the food. Even better, the Panthers CRUSHED the Falcons 24-9 and quarterback Jake Delhomme ended up winning the NFC Offensive Player of the Week award for his performance.

Here's a few pictures of the game taken from our box and of course...my food.

Dorm Room Sleepover

Another weekend away! As we planned it, Greg was supposed to go backpacking with a group of guys and I was supposed to go up to Montreat to spend the weekend with Allie . . . well, the weather canceled Greg's plans and the lack of gas in North Carolina threatened to cancel my plans as well. Fortunately, we were able to find gas Saturday morning and I hit the road for the mountains. (I know, I know, if you're short on gas, a road trip isn't the best idea . . . but boy, do I miss my sister badly . . . It was worth it to me!)

I got up there in time to see her volleyball game. Mom and Dad had gone up the day before and spent the night, so I got to cheer with them, which is always fun! After the game we went out to eat with Mom and had a great dinner at Black Mountain Bistro (Where was Dad? you might ask . . . long story short - - Dad had to get back to Charlotte for a work emergency and Mom was able to ride back with some other team parents who live in Charlotte as well). It was the first time I've been up there and not eaten at "our" pizza place, but they had all gone there the night before so we switched it up a bit.

After dinner and after mom left for home, we immediately changed into sweats, cuddled up and watched a couple movies in Allie's dorm room. Plus some girl talk . . . there is always girl talk . . .

I got to go visit the church Allie goes to while at school on Sunday morning which was wonderful! (That's a main downside to going out of town every weekend for a month, you miss the Sunday meeting!) There were a little more than 200 people at the service we attended and it reminded me so much of what our church here in Charlotte was like 15 years ago or so. It was a great experience for me.

I can't begin to describe how much I enjoyed spending time with my sister. It was so refreshing to my soul to get to spend time with her . . . Obviously, being sisters, we grew up together and that's a unique bond right there. But in addition to that, because I got married and moved out when she was a Jr. in high school, I've experienced a lot of her growing up and maturing from outside of the family home which in a way has strengthened the friendship aspect of our relationship. She truly is one of my closest friends and I treasure the time we get to spend together!

We think these are female wild turkeys . . . please comment if you know otherwise . . . they really are some of the oddest looking birds we've ever seen!