The Art of Cooking Part II

HER: Here a picture of our host Wes Ridout. **Smoking hot sausage anyone??**

HIM: This particular night was with Wes and his girlfriend Meaghan, Jason, Vanessa, Sebastian, and I. Obviously, we have a good time at our various dinner events.

The Art of Cooking

HER: Being a Chef, I love the taste of different foods. Cooking is definitely a passion and a hobby I like to share with friends. Here in Jacksonville we have met so many people that share the same interest. In my case, creating great tasting memories every time I sit at the table is the most fun activity I could share with anyone. The aromas of the dishes, great company and of course tasty wine to top a great meal with. I admire the interests of all my friends for this art of good eating.

Here a few pictures of the company but didn't get any of the food.... for some reason. We all had the privilege of joining Jason at his house for a first time dinning experience.

Matt & Misty

HIM: Congratulations to Matt and Misty! They are now Mr. and Mrs. Crouch! Wish we were in town for the festivities... : \ Regardless, we're so happy for them!

News

HIM: So, it's time for FINALS at school now. :P Things are going really well, but there's so much to do.

To liven things up, I got news that two of the grants that I worked on before I left Indiana came through. When I worked for the adult literacy program (SOAR!) there were two outstanding grants that we were waiting to hear back on. The director emailed me this week telling me that I got them $6,000 from my efforts. So far, I've won $3 Million for nonprofit programs in Indiana. That's always really exciting. As many of you know may know, grants are a lot of work. They are basically competitive papers for money. There is a strict set of guidelines and you have to persuade a funder of why you deserve the money more than the other applicants. There are many great programs that need funding, so it feels good to hear how projects I've worked on are doing really well.

In other news, our class section had a great Thanksgiving pitch-in last night. Jon offered up his home and good food and conversation ensued. A lot of us were unable to go home for the holiday, so we organized a pot luck dinner. I can't wait until we get the photos up. Sebastian made a dozen new friends and Vanessa showcased her cooking skills. She brought her famous chocolate truffles and made some tasty rice dishes. Roshaika brought us a turkey to cook that turned out pretty good, as well! A baked bree appetizer was my contribution. We all had full bellies and droopy eyelids by the time the night wrapped up. We owe a huge thanks to everyone who showed up and brought food!

Disney Pictures...

HIM: So, here are the pictures from our Disney trip! What a great time! Seth used his intimate knowlege of the park to ensure that we didn't have to wait long in any line. As you can see, the entire weekend was awesome!

Barrister's Ball 2007!

FCSL hosted a Ball at the stadium Downtown. What a fun time to dress up and socialize!

Carving pumpkins.....

HER: Halloween came and went. I can't believe that it is the end of October!!

Sebastian had a Halloween party at the school the previous Friday (10/26). Having many custom options this year, he opted to be SPARTACUS (his favorite character from a show called Lazy town). I have to agree it was such a great choice, most of his class dressed as Spiderman. Parents were invited to the party. So it was fun to interact with the class and meet some of the parents as well.

I can't believe how pumped the kids got when the teacher played the famous SPONGE BOB SQUARE PANTS song. It was like magnetic energy attracting the children to the center of the blue rug. Witnessing them interact with the song was priceless!

* No pictures of this event were taken since the school prohibits every parent from taken pictures but of their own children only.

That afternoon Frank, Sebastian and I went shopping for pumpkins. Finding the right pumpkin to match Frank's PUMPKIN HEAD CUSTOM!

It's been a while...

HER: Wow! Its been a while.. I know, we know.... So many events, so much to say. so many things started but yet unfinished... Life has been really busy here in Florida lately. Hopefully I will make more time this week and publish the unfinished.. pictures and updates are definitely coming!

HALLOWEEN PARTY PICS!!!

Almost a month later but finally got to play with the computer for a bit.