This is an exciting week. Perhaps one of the most exciting in a while....

First thing: I got a new phone yesterday! I've been looking forward to my "new every two" upgrade with Verizon for several months and I'm very happy with the new hardware I picked out yesterday: the Samsung Reality.


Not a fancy-schamncy 3G phone, but rather a multimedia touch-screen phone with email capabilities. I really didn't want to pay the extra $30 a month (on top of our already pricey cell phone bill), but the $9.99 date package required with this new phone didn't seem so bad. I have to check my email box(es) via a computer anyway for work, but this will be invaluable when I'm on the road for photo shoots, etc., to keep up with anything that might come up! Plus, it's just plain cooler than my now-defunct flip phone. :)

Up next: Haircut on Wednesday!
I'm the type of person who springs for a nice salon cut (or any cut) every 3 months or so (I like to let my hair grow out), and now is the time! There happens to be a nice salon just behind our apartment (through the alley/parking lot): Emmett Rode. It's gotten some rave reviews online, so I'm hoping for a transformational 'do' that will carry me through the summer. I'm sure you'll be seeing how that goes!

Also on Wednesday: Dinner & Fireworks out with the girls! I've been blessed to have more exposure to folks in Chicago via Patrick's job and our recent involvement in a book club organized by one of those work friends. We've done dinners regularly with some of these couples for the past several months and even had a "Girls Night Out" last Thursday for the first time. So much fun! Looks like it may become a more regular occurrence throughout the summer -- there's so much to do in this city and you can't blame us for taking advantage of these few warm months!

Thursday -- the Big Day!
Hopping a flight to Georgia, my home state, for our yearly family reunion. A sad event -- my grandmother's passing and consequent memorial service on Saturday -- also brings me back to my home this weekend, but I couldn't be more grateful for the timing. I had planned to be down there this weekend anyhow for our reunion, and I'm looking forward to catching up with both sides of the family that will be in town for the respective events. And this year I'm excited that Patrick (dear husband) will be joining me for the reunion (he wasn't able to attend last year). How appropriate that we will be able to celebrate the life of my grandmother surrounded by family -- and follow that up with even more celebration of the God-given ties of family.

We (as a family) look forward to this event for most of the year, and I couldn't be more excited to share it with them very soon!

Just purchased one of these cute little things online and can't wait for it to arrive!

 

I've spent the last year and a half brewing about 4 cups of coffee every morning in my Cuisinart Grind n' Brew. While it's never a bad cup of coffee, I can't really justify using just barely 25% of a 12-cup coffee maker... especially when sometimes half of the pot goes to waste (I really don't drink more than 2 cups a day). I've also found that brewing a smaller batch in a larger coffeemaker creates greater "separation" of the ensuing liquid and grounds -- grounds that sink to the bottom of the mug with a watery brew on top is never what I'd call a good cup of joe.

With this little guy (clever name: "Ready Set Joe"), I can make a single cup at a time. Less waste, better taste! Or I guess I'll find out -- more to come once the little brew-mug arrives.

And hey, they've come up with even more research on the benefits of drinking coffee!