My new hobby

This year I got one of the best Christmas presents ever.... a KitchenAid Mixer!  Yay!  I love it!!!!  I have taken up a new hobby in the past month.  I really enjoy decorating cakes.  I'm not that good at it, but it is fun to try and be a little creative.  Matt seems to have gotten all of the creative juices in our family, so I like being able to do something a little artistic.  Haha.  I guess as long as they are as good as what you get by stopping by Bloom on the way to the party, my family will keep letting me make them.  Haha!  Maybe one day I will get good enough to sell them...but probably not...haha.  Anyway, I want to thank Mom and Dad and Ma and Papa for one of the greatest gifts ever!

Did you know that Willy Wonka lived in Detroit?

In September, several of us on staff went to Granger, IN for the Innovate Conference. On the way, we had a layover in Detroit. Of course, the gate where we landed and the gate where we needed to be for our next flight were on opposite sides of the airport. But this time....that was a great thing! Because had it not been for our trek across Michigan...I mean the Detroit airport...we would have never gotten to take the magical ride through the Willy Wonka factory. Did you ever see that movie? The original? That wondrous magical boat ride was pretty creepy stuff when you were a kid wasn't it? Well, if you are walking through a normal airport in the US and happen upon a tunnel, much like that in Wonka's factory, it can be kind of creepy as an adult. And then you just stand on the moving sidewalk and take it all in and it becomes kind of fun! Kudos to Marshall for going back and trying to capture it on tape...but really...you just have to be there. I'm pretty sure someone tried to lick the wallpaper on the way out!

PS-The video gets really good at 51 seconds!

Willy Wonka's Wonderous Boat Ride

In case you never saw the original

For the lastest information on the Tigers....

Ange's Top Ten List

Oprah does it.... Dave does it..... So why not.....

Angela's Top Ten Lists:

My top ten books of all time.....



10. The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis (7 books)
9. The Newpointe 911 Series by Terri Blackstock (5 books)
8. Uncommon Heroes Series by Dee Henderson (3 books)
7. The List by Robert Whitlow
6. Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
5. Les Miserables by Victor Hugo
4. The O'Malley Family Series by Dee Henderson (7 books)
3. Safely Home by Randy Alcorn
2. Deadline by Randy Alcorn
1. The Bible (how can you possibly find anything better....it was written by God)

My top ten songs of all time.....



10. For Every Mountain by Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir
9. Out of the Woods by Nickel Creek
8. Taking My Time by Susan Ashton
7. There is a Line by Susan Ashton
6. Dancin', Shaggin' on the Boulevard by Alabama
5. Sunshine by Billy Miles
4. Fast Car by Tracy Chapman
3. Won't That Be Fine by Ginny Owens
2. Stay (I Missed You) by Lisa Loeb & Nine Stories
1. Gotta Get Back by Shelby Lynne

My top ten coffee shops in Greenville.... see if you can find the pattern


10. Starbucks at Greenville Memorial
9. Starbucks in Targetl
8. Coffee Underground
7. Starbucks on East North Street
6. Starbucks on Woodruff
5. Starbucks Downtown
4. Starbucks on Fairview Road
3. Starbucks on Wade Hampton
2. Starbucks on Pelham
1. Starbucks on Haywood

My top ten favorite clothing stores in town....


10. Gap
9. Dress Barn
8. Mr. Knickerbocker
7. Banana Republic (only during a BIG sale)
6. Macy's
5. Kohl's
4. Steve & Barry's
3. Old Navy
2. Target
1. Belk

My top ten favorite restaurants in town....


10. Little Pigs
9. Red Lobster
8. Red Robin
7. Zaxby's
6. Arizona Steak House
5. Coffee Underground....mmm...the Turkey/Granny Smith Apple Sandwich
4. Thaicoon
3. P.F. Chang's
2. Carrabba's Italian Rastaurant
1. Molina's Mexican Restaurant

My top ten favorite shops in town....
10. This N' That
9. Ten Thousand Villages
8. TWIGS
7. Tuesday Morning
6. Hallmark
5. Pink Azalea
4. Handpicked
3. The Shops at Provence etc.
2. Kendall's
1. Swoozie's

It's A Tough Life!

I came to work this morning a little nervous about the comments that I would get about the newest addition to my closet. Before I got out of the car, I knew that Robbie would make some kind of joke about my choices hurting his eyes and that dad would probably just shake his head and say nothing, but I never expected such disdain for one simple outfit. It started with Cindy. She was nice enough, but I think the word she used was "interesting" and then she threw in something about fitting in with college students to make me feel better. Next was Ben, followed by Robbie, and even David Nabors got in on the action. I believe it was Taylor Swift that he compared me to (and it wasn't a compliment...haha.) But the final blow came from the depths of the Sr. pastor's office, when he said, "That is THE ugliest outfit you have EVER worn." Now you may think that at this point in the day I am depressed, but there is one thing that you are forgeting.... I'm not working with the most fashion forward group of men to ever live. I work with Ralph Carter, not Ralph Lauren. So I am holding my head high and assuming (regardless of how erroneously it may be) that I am at the top of my fashion game.
By the way, here is what the editor of Style~Heart or Hate had to say about this pic of Jordan Sparks...
"I will admit that I HATED this trend back around 2001 when it first popped up. But now I can't get enough of it. Babydoll dresses, tight dresses, mini-dresses all look GREAT over jeans. The key is in the length of the dress. The dress shouldn't be longer then your knees and the jeans can be cropped or full length, it depends on the look you're going for."

All I have to say is... "2001!!!!"

Oh, and for those of you who don't know the staff well, we all really love each other and have fun giving each other a hard time. If my clothes are all they make fun of...I'm getting off pretty easy!

The Mount Rushmore of China

When I went to China in 2002 I was so bummed that I flew that far and didn't get to see the Great Wall of China. Isn't it supposed to be one of the 7 wonders of the world? So I was really excited when I heard that my next trip to China would include a visit to the Great Wall. Two weeks ago I began a bus ride from my hotel just outside of Tiananmen Square up to the Great Wall. It was a longer bus ride than I expected. We finally got there and I was so sad to see all of the t-shirt vendors and people yelling "Hey Lady, do you want some chopsticks?" Like everything else in the world, they have turned this into a money making deal. It is hard to enjoy the beauty when there is a monorail going up the side of the thing. Oh well, we bought our tickets and jumped on the monorail. When we got up there it was pretty. We walked up to the top of the wall and took a few steps and a few pictures and then it hit me....yep that's what I thought it would look like. The anticipation was so much greater than the actual experience. I immediately thought of the summer after my junior year of college when my family drove for hours across South Dakota to see Mount Rushmore. We finally got there and stood at the observation deck for about 30 seconds and then looked at each other and got back in the car. It looked like the postcards we had all seen. It was quite the disappointment. I don't know what we were expecting then. I don't know what I was expecting at the Great Wall. Wouldn't it be so much cooler if you had never seen pictures of these places and then stumbled upon them. Even if you had always heard about them, but had never seen them. That would be so cool. Well one thing that I had never heard about did happen that day. You can take the monorail back down or you can luge down. I was a little terrified, but I determined that something about this experience was going to be exciting and memorable. So I got on the little sled and down the Great Wall I luged. How awesome is that!

My mom...

She is the only one in my family who:
1. can hit a baseball farther than my dad
2. is smart enough to stay out of a lightweight truck in a snow storm
3. sees a spiritual truth in snow
4. can REALLY frown
5. pays you to run a comb down her back
6. thinks dad and Matt are ALWAYS funny
7. makes her taco salad recipe based on whose special day it is
8. thinks I am an expert at anything
9. rents a movie she has been dying to see,
only to fall asleep during the opening sequence
10. can make a tummy ache better just by being there
11. makes the best Sunday dinners
12. lets Matt hit her with an electric flyswatter
13. could be the mom. What a tough job! And she does it like a champ!


I love you mom. You are the greatest! Thanks for all you do!
Happy Mother's Day!

My Tree

Chris Rice wrote a song titled "My Tree".
On a hill far away stands a tall mighty tree
Where a boy and girl used to take
turns pushing the tire swing
I remember the pocketknife in hand
And her name in my heart
And thinkin' there ain't no way for a boy to contain
The love that he feels inside
So I carved her name into my tree
Then I carved a heart around her name
Then I carved an arrow through the heart
Just to say "I love you"
Now on a hill far away stood an old rugged cross
The emblem of suffering and shame
I remember the nails through my hands
And your name in my heart
And how in their wordless way the nails explain
The love that I feel inside
As they carved your name into my tree
Where I wrapped my heart around your name
Then I took your arrow through my heart
Just to say, "I love you"
Just to say, "I love you"
Now I can never forget how much you mean to me
'Cause I will always remember whenever I see
Where I carved your name into my tree
Where I wrapped my heart around your name
Then I took your arrow through my heart
Just to say, "I love you"
Just to say, "I love you"

Yesterday I had the privilege of taking Scout to see "my tree" in Statesville, NC. When I was about 4 years old, dad and I were walking a little trail at Lakewood Park and he stopped and carved a big heart with the initials AC+RC in it. What a great dad I have been blessed with. He didn't just teach me about God's love...he showed me God's love in the way he loved me! Scout, you have quite a legacy kid!

Running with it....

One of my favorite things in the whole world is "running with it." For those of you who have no clue what I am talking about, "running with it" is when someone says something (usually not on purpose) and it becomes a phrase that everyone laughs at...over and over and over. I began my love for "running with it" early on. Growing up in the family I did, someone was always doing it. "Catalytic converter" and "God bless you, Christine" are two of my all-time favorites from my childhood. If you are telling me a story about your car and say "catalytic converter," there is a good chance I am going to bust out laughing. Just the other day I went on a prayer walk with a group of people. At the end of it, the guy in charge said, "Can someone tell me what they saw?" I had an immediate internal response. No one there would have gotten it. I told this story to my family and they all said together, "I saw a deer. Well, God bless you Christine." And then we all busted out laughing. No one else (including Carla who was sitting there) would have had a clue what we were talking about. My friends from college can hear something and simultaniously respond, "take luck," "say 8," "I've been struck," etc, etc, etc... My college students know when the proper response is "swing it around Roger." Isn't it fun to know what people are thinking? That is the sign of an intimate, personal relationship. We all need relationships like that! If you don't have one, make one! Sometimes, we have to step out and make that initial move towards a new friendship. You never know when you will meet someone who will become a lifelong friend. Just this weekend, I was with Heather Bedsole who has become a dear friend to me over the years. Thursday night we were playing a game and she looked at me and said, "I had too!" We both busted out laughing. So, shut down your computer, go find a close friend and "run with it!"
Take Luck,
Angela

Born To Be Pampered....part 2

Well, the poor guy looked like he wanted the earth to swallow him up. He asked us to step back outside and said that he was going to call his boss (the sketchy looking character I had left my keys with). A few minutes later he came back out and said that his boss had left for another job and had three sets of keys in his pocket. So we waited, and waited, and waited...remember we are in Atlanta... Well, while the poor guy working is apologizing for the 5,873rd time, the boss comes screeching into the place where we are waiting. He tosses the keys to the guy working and jumps back in his car...never looking at us. Again, it is amazing how a little pampering can temper your attitude. We tipped the valet (because it wasn't his fault...and we felt sorry for him having to work for the other guy), jumped in the car, and laughed about it the whole way to the hotel. Oh the hotel! My cousin, who lives in Atlanta, had told me about how some of her friends had gotten really good last minute deals on 4-star hotels in Buckhead on Priceline. So we tried it....and it worked! So here we are laid out on the big cushy pillowtop mattresses of the Buckhead Hyatt, talking about old times until it is time to get ready to go out for dinner. This may have been the best part of the whole day. We went to Two Urban Licks. This is now my favorite restaurant in Atlanta. There is free, mandatory valet parking and the best calamari you have ever tasted. Haha! We had a blast!

The tables are super close to each other and so we even shared our appetizer with our neighbors..haha. When the bill came, instead of mints, they gave us suckers. I thought that was a cute touch...get it...licks. Well, we went back and went and laid in the sauna and then went back to the room and talked and watched tv. The next day we slept late and then went shopping. Could this weekend be any better? I submit that it could not! Haha! Always fun to hang out with life long friends!

I think I was born to be pampered! Haha!

I know that reality is that we all have to work for a living...well maybe not everybody, but the people I hang out with all have to work for a living. I know that we shouldn't be lazy and that we should pull our own weight. I completely understand and agree with all of this. However, every once in a while, a woman should be treated to day of pampering!!!!!!!! Why? Because man o'man does it make a WORLD of difference! My friend Mindy, who lives in Atlanta, called last week and with desperation in her voice said, "I need a night away!" Now, for you men who read this blog, what she was really saying was "I need to be pampered!" So, being the understanding friend that I am, I said, "Do you still have that coupon for the Three-13 Salon and Spa?" And the next day, I was off to Atlanta. When I got to Georgia, we spent that night with her family at their home in Canton. I had a great time seeing her husband, Jason, and their three precious kids, Abigail, Olivia, and Josiah. We ate yummy Italian food, brownies, and watched Celebrity Apprentice. And all of that was a lot of fun.....However, the next morning Mindy and I (in our most comfortable attire) loaded up the car and hit the road....and that is when the fun really started! Our first stop was the Three-13 Salon and Spa. This is a great spa in Marietta, GA where Mindy and I had gone to get facials for her 32nd birthday two years back. So we were back for a second round of facials.For those of you who are thinking that this has to be the most miserable hour of your life....you are SO wrong. It is awesome! When the facials were over they did a make up touch up on us and we were off for lunch. We decided to stop by Chick-fil-A for lunch. There were three major reasons for this decision. 1. We had more coupons...haha. 2. It is Atlanta...there is a Chick-fil-A on every corner. 3. We had big plans for dinner and didn't want to eat too much or spend too much money. After a fun chat over lunch,we set out for our next destination. We drove down to Buckhead and pulled into a Valet lot. A distracted looking character took our keys and nervously we headed into Sugarcoat for "the sweetest mani/pedi in Atlanta." Haha! Actually we opted to skip the mani and just take in the pedi. Now this was a really cool place. As you can see, you don't have the big spa chairs, but you sit on this big bench with pillows all over it. It took a minute to get used to, but once you did it was very comfortable. We had a blast! The two girls who did our pedis were hilarious and very talkative. We talked about the latest fashions and who wore what to the latest awards show and just had a good, girly time. And then the day turned exciting. We went out to get our car and there was a new valet guy there. I gave him my ticket and he went inside. Then he came out...looking a little shaken...and asked what kind of car I was driving. I told him that I had a Honda and he went back inside. A few minutes later he came back out looking very frazzled and asked if I could come and look at his board and spot my keys. Now I am beginning to look a little shaken. I went in and my keys weren't there. He didn't have the keys to my car on his board. Now....do you see how much this previous pampering was helping...I didn't cry or break down and didn't plead with him for information or to call the police...I just stood there and looked at him...
TO BE CONTINUED!

For Such A Time As This

The college class just finished a study of Esther. Most of you know that the most popular verse in Esther is when Mordecai says that Esther may have been placed in the kings palace "for such a time as this." There are so many times in life, when things happen and I think "God, why are you letting me go through this?". More times than in my own life, I look at the lives of other people I care about and ask that question. More and more I am being reminded that God sometimes allows things in our lives, so that in the future He can place us in places "for such a time as this." Where do you find yourself today? Are you in the middle of something that you don't understand? Maybe it will help someone else in the future. Look around. Is there someone hurting or questioning that could be helped, answered, spurred, or encouraged by your experience. Act now...maybe you are there for this precise reason! God, even though it hurts, thank You for putting me here...for such a time as this.

I always hated Art and Architectural History!

At Clemson, one of my least favorite classes was Art and Architectural History. This was a required class that took lots of study time and still brought down my GPA. But this morning, I think I have finally figured out a piece of the puzzle. Do you remember "The Scream", an expressionist painting by Norwegian artist Edvard Munch? Ever wonder why he painted it? What must have twisted the mind and feelings of the poor guy who is depicted in the painting? I am pretty sure that this is a painting of a guy named Mikey as he is walking out of a staff meeting where someone said, "Let Mikey do it, he'll do anything." Haha!
Love,
Mikey...I mean Angela

Micah Bradford Griffin

This has been one of the hardest weekends I remember. Thursday morning, my oldest friend, Mindy Griffin, gave birth to a beautiful 7 pound, 11 ounce little baby boy named Micah. Sometime between 6 and 7 pm Thursday night, he passed away. Friday through Sunday I was blessed with being able to be with Mindy and her husband, Jason, and their other three children. My heart breaks for them and for Micah's grandparents and aunts and uncles. It was amazing to see the strength of Mindy and Jason. I know that they are hurting, but they are drawing strength from Christ. I was reminded again this weekend (and especially today) of how much comfort, encouragement, and strength we draw from our Christian family. I can't imagine going through the difficult times in life without the love of my church family.

Today at the funeral, Heather sang a beautiful song by Watermark called Glory Baby. Some of the lyrics are "I can’t imagine heaven’s lullabies and what they must sound like, but I will rest in knowing, heaven is your home and it’s all you’ll ever know." While extremely sad, this is a very encouraging song. I was encouraged to think about little Micah in the arms of Jesus, never knowing pain or hurt, but only heaven. It also made me long for heaven, . . . again. Every time this world gets hard, isn't it great to think about our future? Things may get better here, but we are promised a perfect eternity if we trust in the blood of Christ and ask him to save us. I hope that you can rest in this hope when tragedy hits. If you can't, please call and let me help you find hope!