Isn't Life Funny?

Hilarious, really.

Can you sense my sarcasm?

Right in the midst of my extreme financial anxiety over the holidays and moving into our condo (Dec. 21 by the way!!), Jeremiah's car decides it's time to break down. This morning. While I was driving. To the tune of $400.

Isn't life funny???

Still running through my head are all the condo things we could have bought with $400. Perhaps a good deal on a mattress and boxspring? All the blinds and ceiling fans and paint we might need? A queen bed frame and guest bedding? Dining room chairs? A coffee table, bookshelves, and picture frames? Or perhaps making a dent in the refrigerator we just had to buy. Bahh!

The good news is the car broke down right after I pulled through the drive-thru at a local Starbucks. Luckily, I wasn't in the middle of 288, alone and stranded. And fortunately, Jeremiah was still home to receive my tear-filled phone call and come to my rescue. The school I work at was even very gracious with me when I told them I wasn't going to be able to make it in so last minute.

The other good news is Allen Tire has saved the day again, fixing up that piece of garbage by mid-afternoon. After the battery light went out, and it started overheating and smoking and smelling like it was on fire, and would barely drive, I didn't think there was any hope left. Oh, and we had to get it towed. But a pretty penny later, my nemesis is parked right out front again.

This is the thorn in our side. Great theologians of the past are rolling in their graves right now as I compare our constant car trouble with Scripture. But boy is it a pain!

Over the Weekend

Jeremiah and I had a great weekend!

We traveled north to the Koehler household for a very special event--my sister's believer's baptism. Although she was baptized as a baby, Andria's new relationship with Christ and understanding of Christianity at its core motivated her to be baptized again. Simply an outward sign of her new faith. I've been praying for Andria's salvation since my freshman year in college and so you may imagine I am overjoyed that God has drawn her into a personal relationship with himself just over a month ago. Yay!

While we were there we did some other fun things, too. On Saturday morning we were able to get together for breakfast with two of our great friends from college, Kristy and Matt. It was so great to see them--to catch up and laugh together!

Afterwards, we headed to Bucks Country Gardens with my parents to admire their festive displays. 'Tis the season and I couldn't be happier. Jeremiah and I have never been out with just my parents, it was sort of like a double-date. I loved it!

The four of us then headed over to J. Scones--the bakery where my sister now works. What a cute place it was, and what delicious delicacies it had! My mom lavished us with scones and cupcakes to enjoy the rest of the weekend. There's a reason this bakery's claim to fame is scones. Instead of dry, crumbly pastry, these baked goods are flavorful and moist. They even mail frozen dough for you to enjoy no matter your location. Want dibs? Let me know.

Buff chick mac cheese followed later that evening, in addition to relaxation and quality time together.

On our way home Sunday we picked up a couple goodies at Ikea; however, this wonderful lamp shade we bought doesn't fit on the stand we have, so surprise surprise we'll be returning it. Bummer.

Just Around the Riverbend

Now that my Macbook is back and better than ever, time for a little literary gem to brighten your day. And by literary gem, I mean a hopefully brief update on a little trip we took a few weekends ago.

As I've mentioned before, Richmonders are big into going to the river. My friends Bevin and Claiborne are no exception. Claiborne's parents own a house in Deltaville basically right on the point of a little peninsula. It's a gorgeous, cozy place with a bunch of bedrooms, a huge screened in porch leading to an open porch, plenty of yard space, a bit of beach, and two piers and a boat to boot! Oh, and an amazing stone fireplace in the center of the main living space. So large they have to have the wood custom-cut.

A couple weekends ago, the Irbys were making the hour and a half trek to D-ville for a mini vacation away from the stress of work. They invited us along and we were so excited they did. We packed our things and headed down Friday night and stayed the majority of Saturday. You could find us chatting with a glass of wine by the fire, exploring the property, competing in a couple Scattegories matches, and trying out a local pizza place. It was a lovely, relaxing time getting to hang out with new friends.

Thanks for Your Patience

...because I've just about lost mine.

I'm disheartened to announce that my computer is out of commission, hence the less-than-consistent posts. I'm currently updating you from Jeremiah's Dell desktop PC circa 1990, bulky monitor and all. My ultra trendy MacBook has failed me once again. Those words are painful to get out. That blazing white beauty has been my right-hand man, and without him a part of me is snuffed out. Bahaha! But really, I rely on my computer a lot for checking email, paying bills, uploading pictures, browsing condo ideas, and of course stalking on facebook. So now that its "AirPort" has decided it's about dead (this happened a few months after I got it three years ago, too) I have no way of connecting to the network. No internet equals worthless computer.
The silver lining in all of this is that when I called Apple support yesterday, the English-speaking (yay!) man informed me that I still have six days left on my AppleCare, meaning I can get all of this repaired and no cost to me. Hallelujah! I thought that warranty expired long ago. Talk about clutch timing. So tomorrow I have a doctor's appointment at 12:20 in the afternoon. Actually, I don't, my computer does. There's a bonus, too. The top of the laptop where I rest of wrists has cracked on both sides so it's currently covered in packing tape. G-h-e-t-t-o. I thought, eh, since this guy speaks English I'll go ahead and ask him if that is covered as well. YES, he said! Whoop, whoop!
So hopefully they won't keep him in the hospital for too long, but even if they do, I guess it'll be worth it to have him healthy again. Until then, I can't post any pictures and my life is a little more irritating on this Dell. Hang in there and pray that I'll do the same.

In other news, the holidays are approaching and I'm getting excited for that. We've started a bit early this year so as not to overwhelm ourselves during December when we've got some moving to do. Speaking of, our big move is approaching in just over a month.
Although I felt like it was moving at a snail's pace during the record high temps this summer, time really is flying.

Tornadoes and Treats

Unbeknownst to me, Central Virginia was/is under a tornado warning until 8pm this evening. Being that I frequently check the weather (mostly due to my outrage towards VA temps--it's in the 80s people!!), I knew we were bound to experience rain and quite possibly thunderstorms. But tornadoes? I hadn't heard! Not until I was on the elevator on my way down to my car when I received a text message from a friend warning me to take cover, big storms were on their way. I had just heard a couple rumbles of thunder and by the time I made it to my car I was being pelted with heavy rain. Although a bit nervous (I've been scared of thunderstorms since I was a child), I pressed on and drove out of the parking lot to the traffic light. The traffic light was out. The winds had now increased tremendously, the rain so heavy one might have thought the Hoover Dam unleashed atop my car. I couldn't see anything except the traffic lights now completely horizontal and blurry headlights. I was panicking! Literally shaking. Was I going to get sucked up into the abyss? Or would my car just flip and I'd suffer? I called my dear husband to wish him a good life without me, but per usual he didn't answer (only this time his phone was acting up, so he's innocent). After I miraculously got out of the left-hand turn lane and circled back into the parking lot, I called my friend Bevin, the text messanger. She was reporting the weather to me as she watched it live on the TV. I was indeed in the midst of extremely hazardous weather. Listening to her advice, I hung tight in the parking lot (in fear) for 15 more minutes until it seemed to clear.

Wouldn't you know 5 minutes later the sun was out.

But the stress from my commute home quickly subsided as I opened the unexpected package that awaited me on my doorstep. My dear mom sent Jeremiah and I Halloween goodies! Wishing your mom was that cool? Thought so. She knows that at 24 and 25, we can still appreciate Halloween festiveness. And I love how she doesn't just send an obesity-sized bag of 'fun-size' candy. No, she has cute bags, with the perfect confections--gummies for J, chocolate for me--and handmade bat name tags. If you denied your wish for a cooler mom now, I know the veil has now been lifted from your eyes.

And P.S., they should really rename king-size candy bars to fun-size and rename those little teases to unsatisfying. Amen?

What the Heck is a Hokie?

This past weekend the Link clan headed to Radford and Blacksburg, VA to celebrate Debbie's 50th birthday 10 months late. Last December we promised the tried and true Virginia Tech alum a trip to see her Hokies play at Lane Stadium. So Friday night, after Ben arrived from Philly by train, the three of us drove west to Radford, the city where Jeremiah lived for the first twelve years of his life, to meet Deb, Chuck, and Caroline. I always love a chance to get a glimpse into Jeremiah's life before me, and enjoyed hearing the stories and seeing the sights of him as a young buckaroo. On Saturday, we packed in the van and starting tailgating around 10am for the game at noon. A couple other family members (who are season ticket holders) have a tailgating spot just around the corner from the stadium, a huge plus. The perfect weather and a Hokie win made for a great afternoon. We spent the night again on Saturday and made the three and a half hour trek back to Richmond earlier today.

Wedding Weekend

This past weekend Jeremiah and I took a trip up north for my dear friend Lindsay's wedding. The Franks and the Koehlers have been close friends since our parents went to high school together. Lindsay and I grew up together which made her wedding so special to me. She and TJ couldn't have asked for a more beautiful day and everything seemed just perfect.

After the lovely ceremony, we headed to the reception site for cocktails before dinner began. Those poor, poor butlers. Or, if they are paid by the number of trays they clear, they were the luckiest butlers in the history of butlered hors d'oeuvres. Either way, whenever in eyes reach of the Koehler family they were bombarded. Cameron and Jeremiah were literally following their scents in order to get their fingers on as many pigs-in-a-blanket, scallops wrapped in bacon, beef wellingtons, and duck with caramelized onion as they could. It was disgusting. This morning, Cameron determined he may or may not have downed 15 pigs and probably ate an entire duck. Delicious. Free drinks and food is a dangerous scenario. "I wonder how much money I saved..." said my tank of a brother, reflecting on the amount of beverage and food he consumed at one single event. Jeremiah justified his gluttonous behavior with the 'workout' he got in from all that dancing. If you've ever seen that man move, you can understand why he's currently resting on the sofa, sorer than he was the first day he lifted a free weight.

Moving on.

You may or may not know my sister is a top-notch pastry chef. She somewhat recently attended The French Culinary Institute in Manhattan and has been rocking people's culinary world ever since. She's done dozens of side gigs, including graduation and baby shower cakes, cupcake bonanzas, cookies, eclairs, cream puffs, and several other delicacies. Lindsay and TJ's wedding was her first wedding cake debut and boy did she hit that one out of the park. I mean really, this girl is talented beyond belief. This is by far the best cake I've ever seen in the flesh, and probably one of the greatest cakes I've ever see pictures of. And let me tell you, after planning my own wedding, I have seen a lot of cakes. See all those flowers? They're made out of gum paste. Yes, she made each individual flower. (My mom and I learned this with her this past spring break from the same woman who taught Buddy, the cake boss) Not only did it look good, it tasted incredible, too. Chocolate cake with coffee buttercream and pound cake with vanilla buttercream and raspberry something-or-other. Hire her for your next special occasion.

But don't hire me to help transport--that was way too nerve-racking!!

'Twas a wonderful weekend with family. Enjoy some down-time entertainment at our table from Cameron and Aaron--so dark it's almost painful, bummer.