Sickness, Yummy Food & Shoeboxes

Well I really couldn't think of a title for this post since I really just wanted to catch family up on what's been going on with us lately. I think Dad is my only avid reader every day! Thanks Dad!! Anyway, it's a rainy morning here in Atlanta so I thought I'd publish a post of our recent happenings. Last weekend poor Jeff got sick and has been sick for quite some time, and Sunday morning he received an injury to his rib cage during his soccer game. On Sunday night, one of my girlfriends, Lindsay, got baptized at church so we where all there to see her & I thought Jeff might die right then and there. He felt so horrible, so I dropped him back off at my house and met my girlfriends out to dinner at the OK Cafe in Buckhead. It's one of the BEST home cooking restaurants in Atlanta so I got some delicious crab cakes. It hit the spot!

In addition to sickness, my aunt Karen, who lives here in Atlanta, became very ill last week. She contracted the Swine Flu and that morphed into pneumonia, so needless to say she's at the hospital in the ICU. Surprising enough she caught it even though she's a scientist at the CDC. So last night, we went over to the hospital to visit her. Jeff stayed out but I went in and I had to put on a surgical mask, gloves and scrubs. It's been quite scary but it seems that she's turning a corner-hopefully. My grandparents came down yesterday morning and I hope Jeff and I can meet them for dinner one night this week.

Jeff and I have also been taking care of one of Jeff's neighbors dogs because the owner is never home. She is such a sweet boxer and is the same boxer we've been battling with Cobb County Animal Control who have done nothing to help her. So I left a nice note in his mailbox on Sunday hoping that he would relinquish her to me or at least let us help him take care of her. No response of course so Jeff is going to contact Animal Control again. AC and I haven't had the nicest conversations so we're thinking if Jeff calls, they'll be more likely to listen to him. Keep her in your prayers as we want to get her out of the situation she's in before the weather starts to freeze over.

In brighter news, Jeff and I have had some amazing food lately. We hit up our favorite Mexican restaurant in Marietta last night and this past Saturday we hit the Fall Festival where I got some delicious fried Oreos. I love good food! I have also started getting items together for Operation Christmas Child which gives gift filled shoe boxes to needy children around the world and shares the love of Christ. OCC is connected to Samaritan's Purse and Franklin Graham. Maggie started filling shoe boxes in high school and I asked my Mom what she was doing. Once she told me, I decided that I wanted to get involved and some of my girlfriends and I volunteered last year at the processing center. This year, some of my other girlfriends and I are going to do the same. I love packing the boxes with gifts and I think I'm going to try to do 5 or 10 boxes this year. That's about it with us lately. I'm excited to see all the little trick or treaters on Saturday night!