Me & You

Positioning my arm out to take the picture is a favorite shot of mine.

Taking Tea With Sophie

For my adorable niece Sophie, with love from Auntie Shell.

Notes from Sophie on her birthday tea party...

A Little Princess... it's always tea-time...

Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland

Sophie's tea time etiquette rule number one: Have fun!

Rule number two: Don't take yourself so seriously.

Rule number three: Always remember to lighten up!

Sophie's tea setting.

My first official tea-time.

Auntie Jessica's pretty tea cup and saucer.

When holding a cup never put your finger through the handle. 

Auntie Shelley Marie and her happy tea pot.

Momma checking out Jonas Brothers...

concert pictures. : ) Yeah, she's cool like that!

Lovely ladies.

What a fabulous and delicious way to celebrate my 7th Birthday!

A Dedication

Dear Ate Delsa, Larry, & Dillon:

     Sending you our deepest sympathy today.  Know that we are thinking of you and lifting prayers of comfort and love as you said goodbye to Bobbie.

   I knew three things that were certain about Bobbie.  She was the ultimate knitter, it brought her so much joy.  (I remember her fondly when she gave Mama Delia a knitted poncho to keep her warm during her chemotherapy.  I remember her fondly now as I look at my knitting supplies.)  She loved spending time with her family and grandson especially, Dillon always put a smile on her face.  She was a woman of few words.  I hope that her silence was a reflection of her profound soul searching.  I hope she found peace in God.  

     I'm saddened that I never got the chance to send this to Bobbie.  Patrick and I picked this card for her in hopes to encourage her during her battle with cancer.  I regret being too late.  

   But it's not too late for us to send this encouragement to you--- her loved ones.  "Do not let your hearts be troubled.  Trust in God; trust also in me.  In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you.  I am going there to prepare a place for you.  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am." John 14:1-3   Take care.

    

                                                                                                With love,

                                                                                        Michelle & Patrick

To Kill A Mockingbird

I was craving to spend time at the bookstore tonight. I miss it, the ambiance of books and coffee. I can spend countless hours with those two for company. I of course browsed through many potential books to take home. For whatever reason, I decided to pick this one up. I've been meaning to read or re-read some of the classics. Believe or not, I have no recollection reading To Kill A Mockingbird. (When it came to American literature, Steinbeck and Hemingway novels seem to be the popular choices of the English department back in my middle school and high school years.) Although I know the premise of the story, I'm looking forward to finally getting to know the story lines behind some very famous names: Scout, Atticus, and Boo Radley.

Back to my book... Goodnight.

Giada's Kitchen

Kuya Dohn:

I received your delightful surprise in the mail today!  You are always a step ahead of me.  I'm still working on my "Thank you" for you.  I love my new cookbook!  Giada is one of my favorite chefs.  I enjoy the simplicity in her cooking and baking, so much so I visited her old stomping ground in Paris.  Thought you may enjoy seeing where I placed your gift. I had a lot of fun cooking with you in your Food Network kitchen and can't wait to return.  Also, please extend our thanks to Jon for the incredible breads.  We will share them with the family.  Although as you can see, I'm notorious at diving into them. (LOL!)  I'll make sure to stop by at the beloved bakery next time I'm in town.  Lastly, I truly enjoyed the card and bookmark you enclosed. (I keep all of them.)  You always put so much love and thoughtfulness in everything you do.  I truly appreciate you and know that I take my lead from you! (smile)  

Big Hugs,

Amne

P.S. to Ate Delsa: How are we going to top this one again? I can already hear you say, "wala akong ma say..." (LOL!)  We can try but I think Kuya will always win. : )

Neige, Beignet, et Cafe

It's a beautiful morning.  Snow is falling.  A candid picture of the Mr. in his pjs dropping off a letter in our mailbox. (I think it's cute.) Doughnuts with strawberry jam and coffee for breakfast.  Wishing you a cozy Saturday morning.

Neige

Beignet

Cafe

Bonne week-end.

P.S. from Paris

Still day dreaming...  I took a little time to compile this post to help de-stress from yet another long day.  

a story book photo...

...from a lovely boat ride, this was my most memorable view

cafe living- my favorite pastime

two cafes where famous philosophers, writers, and artists... 

...used to commune, i always stop here 

american hamburger that cost 24 euros, too hungry to complain

what a pretty name for a bakery

tree above jim morrison's grave

  the majestic notre dame cathedral proudly stands on ile de la cite

i want this car

i always stop to smell the roses

Sigh.  It was nice to reminisce. 

Sweet Dreams

It's one o'clock in the morning.  I've had a long day and night.  Although I'm terribly exhausted, I felt the need to share a thought---travel. Travel found its way in my day dream.  Tonight I hope to dream about places I've been and places I have yet to see...  Good night and sweet dreams.

Photo courtesy of Anthropologie

Class of Trauma Burn

How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard.

Annie

Our first dinner party of the year...

We celebrated Patrick's 9 1/2 years of friendship with this amazing and loving crew.

Thank you Ryan, Kate, Leo, Ashley, Carrie, Kate, Jenn, Lucia, Christy, and Eron & Rachel (below) for your friendship and wonderful company.  We had a fantastic time with all of you!

We're rest assured this is not goodbye and hopeful that this new year bring us all closer together.

Rejoice!

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:4-7

Big Day

Yes, today was a big day. Change is coming, a good and exciting change. I awoke bright and early to prepare food for Patrick’s work holiday pot-luck. He went about his day with his co-workers just like any other work day. Except today was sadly different because it was his last day with them and the last time I’d prepare food for his great crew. As many of you know, he was accepted at MSU Nurse Anesthesia program and begins grad school this new year (we’re really excited). It was a bittersweet goodbye for him as he chose to keep his last day a secret from his work. Understandably so, he wanted to leave with the memory of a regular work day and no goodbyes. (not to worry, we’ll be seeing his work friends soon) So when he returned home tonight, I knew it hit him hard. It’s not often he ask me to make him a cup of tea and time alone. He sat in our office writing a heartfelt letter to his unit. I read it and it put me to tears.

Today is also the day my highly anticipated project at work goes live, the Medicaid Specialty Access. Operationalizing this contact was an incredible experience for me not only because it exposed me to the business at the State level, but it enabled to partner with such good people and friends across our institution. (In case you're reading this, a special mention of thanks to Laura and John who were key players in this project. I am sincerely appreciative of your teamwork and friendship. It's a rewarding feeling when we can all work together to benefit our great institution, physicians, patients, and our health plan customers.) There were so many behind the scenes work that went into this project. Thank God for teamwork. Here’s a little something fun---a peak at the Storyboard I created for our Quality Month celebration which explains the project. The theme was exploration…  (Honestly, I've made better ones. : )2008 was a good year. It's been wonderful to have been able to share with you my days both ordinary and noteworthy. Although I’m not sure if I’ll continue this site for another year, for now count on me still being here. I'll keep you posted. God Bless this New Year!