Who's got the cheapest gas?

I bought gas in Columbia, SC, for $1.86/gal Saturday night. Has anyone seen cheaper? The average price here in Charlotte, NC, is $2.14/gal, but living on the state line, I go to SC for gas.

Are we in sunny California or sunny Carolina?

Ironically, while my sisters in TX are dealing with ice, we had perfect weather in Charlotte this weekend; 67 degrees both days with open windows to let the breeze in. The ducks, geese, and even one blue heron enjoyed the warmth, because it won't be here tomorrow.

Amanda Faye and I went to Forest Hill Saturday and listened to the second lesson in the "Doubting Out Loud" series: "If God is so good, then why does he allow suffering?". (If you want David Chadwick's answer, you'll have to call me. :-) I'm using it as leverage to get your calls.)

Sunday, we went to a good PR service and a new (to us) young families class. That afternoon while I made enchiladas (Kristy, call me for the sugar-free recipe) for our Life Group's potluck later that night, Mandy was at a wedding shower hosted by the PR women for her. We were both surprised at their participation and generosity! Thirty-five women attended, several of whom didn't know either of us.

At Life Group, Jeff Walling happened to be video taping a "commercial" around the corner for use during next week's service. He stopped by our host's house and wanted to film Mandy and I posing as visitors being welcomed into the host's house, but before we could start filming, the funniest thing happened. Remember when the homosexual florist made a delivery to Kristy at the brick house and there was a dead cat (?) in the yard? As Jeff came up the sidewalk with video camera in hand to the host's rarely used front door, we opened it and simultaneously encountered a deceased squirrel laying perfectly in the center of the middle step. Jeff's drama degree kicked in and with a vile expression asked if he'd interrupted a sacrificial ceremony. Surrounded by our awkward hysteria, Nick, the host, explained the local cat leaves "presents" on his steps. Jeff used his shoe to toss the rigoristic carcass into Nick's bushes so we could "take two!".

We had a great weekend. We're blessed with great friends, great families, wonderfully supportive churches, good health, and each other.

Married man, married man...

Have you ever heard the "Married Man" song from the same named skit on John Boy & Billy's radio talk show? "Married man, married man, drives around in a minivan, has a wife and some kids, now his life's on the skids, heyyyy there, wherever there's a screw up, whenever something blew up, you'll find a married man."

Well, that certainly doesn't apply here........yet anyway. Life is great and God is good! Though we didn't take a honeymoon trip (because of vacation time from work, etc.), we're still technically on our honeymoon and have little time for blogging. We're tasked with merging households, reorganizing closets, deciding which silverware to keep (and, yes, we categorized then aligned according to height and design....I love this girl!), and the honey-do list of projects has barely just begun. Yet, at the urging of several, I'll update my blog. Really so much has happened in the last three weeks that I'd have to write a dissertation to cover it all. Plus, Dad and Kristy's blogs did a fine job summarizing the wedding already.
We felt the wedding ceremony was simple, but elegant. Nothing more or less than we wanted. The cold and rain could've held off, but that's minor for an indoor ceremony. Everyone looked wonderful and meshed well. Golf was enjoyable, as was the mani/pedicures for the
women I hear. The food at Frankie's was superb and the conversation was wonderful. Mandy and I agreed our description of the whole event was "perfect". The hotels worked out well, everyone traveled safely, distant family and friends made the trip, and everyone had smiles on the entire time.

Even the cake turned out perfectly, despite being a last minute purchase. We'd planned on ordering it in advance, but it slipped our minds and the display case at Dean & Deluca's was half empty being New Year's Eve. On top of that, the first five boxes they opened of my preferred cake were damaged during shipping. The final box was "perfect".
The dust has settled a bit, the confetti has been swept up, and the party favors put away. Now we're just enjoying life.