What is Chrysalis?

This past weekend we headed to B'ham to celebrate my brother-in-law's 30th birthday and to meet about Chrysalis.  Unfortunately, my memory card messed up on my camera.  Therefore, I don't have any pictures from the weekend, until my sister-in-law sends me them:)  

Happy Birthday, Jody!  We had so much fun celebrating with you!!

Now...on to, what is Chrysalis?   Jason and I will be helping with the Men's retreat coming up in May.  Jody, the 30 year old, will be the director that weekend.  I can't wait to see what God has in store for the men on the retreat, as well as the helpers involved.  

What Is Chrysalis?

Chrysalis is the growth stage between caterpillars and butterflies. While on the outside it may look like nothing is happening. However, on the inside, a very unique crafted change is taking place. This change, from a caterpillar into a beautiful butterfly symbolizes that through dying of the self, Christ can transform us into new people. Jesus Christ is able to change, re-do, or delete our old selves into a brand new person! However, we must be willing and open in order for Jesus to come into our lives and re-create this new person.

The name Chrysalis was chosen for the Young Adult Walk to Emmaus because it represents a growth of faith in the lives of college students and other young adults. This spiritual growth is vital to help the transformation between teens and adulthood.

Chrysalis is a three-day spiritual renewal retreat that gives participants the opportunity to learn more about their faith and experience Christ's love and grace in a new and exciting way. It also provides the chance to make new friends and establish new commitments in their spiritual journey.

To find out more: 

http://www.alabamayac.com/master-page

Cabbage Patch

Have you ever been to the Cabbage Patch Kids Hosiptal in Cleveland, GA?

Well, my mom said I went when I was little, but not to this wonderful facility....

We visited Helen, GA this weekend with our friends Helen and Bill.  Helen was telling me about the Cabbage Patch hospital on the way there and then we of course saw plenty of signs once we got there.  I was hesitant to ask to go there, but we ended up having enough time to go on Saturday:)

It was honestly, besides the Anna Ruby Falls, the highlight of my trip.  I thought it was just amazing.  Maybe because I had one when I was little, or maybe because it's just crazy that they have a facility like that for Cabbage Patch dolls! 

I was so intrigued by this place that I had to go back to the cabin and research all about this place.  It's a pretty neat story.  You should check out http://www.cabbagepatchkids.com/. 

We were about to leave and Helen spotted this friend.  I lit up and of course ran to take a picture!  The others are thrilled, huh?

Queen of Hearts...Helen and Bill were a little weirded out by this one, ha.  However, I must admit she was a little scary.

Be sure and visit Cleveland, GA if you have little girls.  Such a neat place!

P.S. We were the only people in there without children:0

More to come about our trip...

Denver

Approximately 3 weeks ago, I along with 5 other Pure Barre trainees headed to Denver, Colorado.  It was my first time to visit there.  I have wanted to go there to snow ski in the past, but we just haven't had the chance yet.  Little did I know that my first opportunity to go would be for Pure Barre training.

We stayed in this adorable house.  Carrie, the founder of Pure Barre, once lived in this house.  Now it is used for trainees to stay in while they are there.  It's seriously less than a mile from the studio we trained at. 

Living room area

kitchen

The PB staff left us little goodies. We got a new PB shirt and red polish!

Jordan trying out the PB room with the ballet barre. 

This is basically what our schedule consisted of:

• Wake up
• Eat breakfast
• Take a Pure Barre Class and/or observe a class
• Study and practice our section for the day
• Go to lunch
• Round robins
• Dinner
• Study, chit-chat, and watch tv
• Sleep

Out for dinner:)

We fit a lot of information into our brains in a total of 4 days.  I am a teacher by profession, but to 5 and 6 year olds...not adults who are there to lift, tone, and burn.  I am so glad to have been introduced to such a wonderful technique, called Pure Barre.  My two dear friends, Courtney and Kelly, introduced this to me several months ago and I fell in love with it.  I honestly can't believe I am doing it.  This was definitely a challenge for me.  I've always loved the idea of teaching an exercise class, but never thought it would happen.  I'm so happy that I have this opportunity.

I taught my first class last night at the studio and loved it.  I can't wait to keep perfecting myself and building more confidence as an instructor. 

While on our trip, we drove around in this:

Gotta love it!  We named her "Betty Blue".  She survived the rather hazardous "icy/snow" conditions that hit Denver on Sunday, the last day we were there.  We made it to the airport, with a slight delay, and were the last flight from Denver to Atlanta that evening.  I've never been through the "de-icing" of a plane before.  It was pretty cool to me, but I love to fly.  I'm like a little kid:)



 Those of you who know me well, I was watching the weather channel a good bit on our flight back.  I knew we were heading into icy conditions in ATL, but also knew we were in safe Hands.  We made it back safely, but Kelly and Courtney's father thought it was best to pick us up and carry us to their house until morning.

Fortunately, their parents lived there and were able to take us in for a couple of days.  We couldn't leave!  The roads were so bad.  We were sad, because of not going to the actual GAME, we thought we would at least be able to roll Toomer's afterward.  That was okay though.  We had a warm place, great meals, nice fellowship, and we made it back on Tuesday. 

While I was stuck in Atlanta, Jason was all over the country!

Stay tuned for his adventurous trip...

Whatever It Is

Have you ever heard that song by Zac Brown Band?  

My friend, Mary, introduced me to Zac Brown Band this summer on our beach trip.  We listened to the cd all the way down there and all during our trip.  I fell in love.  

Jason bought me both cds for Christmas so we were well prepared to sing away:)

 Leigh and I

 To ring in the New Year, Jason and I went to Atlanta and heard them live.  It was awesome!  We stayed with our dear friends, the Kofflers.  Unfortunately, I didn't get any pictures at the concert because I was afraid they wouldn't let me take my camera in.

Here is a video...enjoy!

(Excuse Jason and I singing, ha.  You can hear Jason say something to me at the end:)

B-ham

We traveled to Birmingham this weekend for a wedding. Jason's childhood friend, Webb, got married this weekend. We had a great time seeing friends and spending time with Jason's family.

This was also a great opportunity for us to visit the The Jetts. We met up with Haley and John at Cocina Superior after the wedding. We had great conversation and then headed to their house. It was so nice to spend time with them, even though it was a short amount of time. Haley and John were the best hosts. Haley had our towels, blankets, etc. all laid out in our guest room. Jason asked her if he needed to call the front desk to compliment the services, haha. She also woke up this morning and made waffles and bacon. The food was awesome! Then, we were off to church together. It just so happens that Jody and Shanna, Jason's brother and wife go to the same church that the Jetts do. We all went together.

After church, the St. Clair clan headed here:

It's definitely one of our favorite places to eat. For me, it's because of the rolls. I love them! We enjoyed the rest of the afternoon just spending time with each other. It was nice to once again all be together.

Thanks Haley and John for having us in your home! St. Clair clan...we had a blast!

hAppY biRThDaY AMERICA!

Wow...what a great week of celebration. Mary and I headed out early Wednesday morning to get an extra day of beach time. It was rainy, so instead we shopped, enjoyed long chats, and had a nice dinner. Thursday, rainy day # 2....Wae, Mary, and I went to the SPA. It was awesome!!!! I felt bad, because the one who needed one most, Jason, was back at home finishing his last day of work before heading down to be with us.

Friday was beautiful...beach bound! When I say this trip was full of relaxation, I mean RELAXation. We all seriously laid on the beach and didn't move for most days at least 6 hours. Mary and I read these books. She finished Something Borrowed and Something Blue all on the trip. I am in the middle of Something Blue. Awesome reads...highly recommend.

We ate at some great restaraunts. The Back Porch, Schooners, Boondocks, Pompanos, and Angelo's. They were all wonderful. Pompanos has the best sushi..love it! We enjoyed listening to great music the whole week. Wae carried his ipod around the entire time. I also learned that the Zac Brown Band sings a lot of songs that I like, I just didn't know the artist. Mary and Wae completely sold me out on him. I am definitely purchasing the CD.

One of the most exciting nights was at the Arcade, haha. When I say exciting, I mean one of the nights we went out and about after dinner. Like I said, we were very relaxed. We hit in the batting cage, shot hoops, and played the game that is like bowling. Mary and I rocked at it!! We also threw in some yummy ice cream from Marble Slab Creamery that night:)

Our last night was spent watching the firework show at Pier Park. Our condo was so high up and close by that we didn't have to get in the huge crowd, plus rain, that night.

I enjoyed this trip so much. Most of all, I'm glad Jason got another vacation from work. He is the one that really needed it. Hope everyone had a Happy 4th!!!

Beach Bums

Last week, Jason's family treated us to a vacation in Gulf Shores. We stayed at the Beach Club Resort and it was awesome! Our routine stayed the same pretty much every day. Each day began with Shanna and I going to the gym. She definitely kept me motivated while on vacation:) Then it was beach time! Jason started calling me the "Sun Goddess", because I love to lay out. However, this year, I must admit it was harder to lay out there all day.

I read this book while I was there. It was a great read for the beach.

Two nights while we were there, we ate at The Beach Club Restaurant. The other night we went to Cosmos. We lucked up with a great restaurant by finding it on the Garmin. It turned out to be the perfect atmosphere...live music, patio seating, excellent food, and a few little shops. You should check it out next time you are that way!

One night we were able to get the typical, family beach picture. Mrs. Jeana had mentioned it when we got down there and of course in the back of my mind I had already thought about it. It just so happened that everyone had the appropriate attire to make it work. This picture turned out quite well considering the security man made us get off the sand dunes. I mean come on...we were only going to be on them for just a second.

A funny moment at the beach was when this little friend decided to join Shanna while she was laying out:)

On Saturday, there were tar balls when we got to the beach. After lunch, you could see a little bit floating in the water. It was definitely starting to worsen, because when Jason and I put our chairs in the water, it was sticking to our feet, legs, and chair. When you would rub it, it would smear and I was afraid it would ruin my swimsuit! Therefore, we headed to the pool for the remainder of the day.

It was so nice for us all to be together. All of us living in different locations makes it hard for us to ever be together at the same time. Mostly we see each other during the big holidays. Thank you Mom and Dad St. Clair!!! We had a blast:)