I'm thinking about saving my money up for this dress. I think it's super cute.

Buffy got a new bunny. She is thinking about naming it George. Right now she calls him Bunny. I think Bunny George is super cute.

Dan and I survived another "SEVERE THUNDERSTORM/TORNADO WARNING." We chilled on the futon in Dan's office. I went on and on about how we need to call the State Farm guy about getting more renter's insurance. WAH. WAH. WAH. Anyhow, the house is still standing but the yard is flooded (though you might not be able to tell from this photo. But Dan's spirit looks flooded, doesn't it?).

Taylor and I just finished the eye masks we made for the invitations for New Beginnings. Dan and I decided to model our handiwork. They turned out pretty cute. Taylor picked out the fabric and cut out the patterns (I suck at cutting out patterns) and I did the sewing. We are quite the crafting team. I think they'll be a hit.

Some of you may know of my girly girl crush on Jemaine Clement. Dan's going to make me a t-shirt with him on it that I'm looking foward to. Well, he is in one of my new favorite movies, Eagle vs. Shark. It didn't come to the theaters here in Mississippi. Go figure. Well, it came out on dvd when I was home for Christmas. Dan and I went to the Blockbuster here to get it and, what do you know, they didn't have it here. CRAZY. They did order it for us, so we only had to wait for a week to see it. So, you lucky Hattiesburgians out there, go rent Eagle vs. Shark. Give Jemaine some love.

My mom kept telling me that there was a photo hanging in the IHOP in Duarte with a girl in it that looked like a depressed version of me as a teenager. She was right. The photo was taken of my long lost twin who was going to school in Duarte, CA. It's really odd, thought I'd share.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TYLER

YOU ROCK

I think Dan looks hot.

Miss Leigh Ann, my Southern Belle friend, came over for a visit. We got to talk about her new ENGAGEMENT to Davey. Her ring is beautiful and she is so happy. I am so excited for her. Leigh Ann and I met when I worked for Cellular South. She would always brighten my days with her optimism and southern charm. She is going to be the most beautiful bride.

I think I need to start wearing makeup again. I've been a little lazy lately. Photos of me will get better. I've lost 15 pounds since Christmas and I'm giving up the Diet Coke and eating healthy. I'm starting to feel a lot better and happier.

HUGS

Miss Suzanne and I went out last night. We had a girls movie night. It was so much fun. I wish I had taken a photo to put up here because we looked super cute. This photo is from when her puppy Shadrach was so little. I was going through a down time. She surprized me with a visit from Shadrach and I felt so much better. Suzanne is an amazing woman and friend. She is one of my favorite things about Mississippi. I am so happy to have her in my life.

Benner, Annie, Buffy and Kat

I think this photo is too cute.

xoxo

Today Martha, Joey and Gaby came over for lunch. Joey jammed to my Saturday Morning cartoons' greatest hits cd and The Ramones version of Spider Man was on repeat. Gaby was adorable and oh so grown up. Martha and I had a yummy spinach salad and I made the Trader Joes mushroom & herb risotto that Annie turned me on to over Christmas break. We had a nice time catching up. Thanks for coming over Martha and friends. I had a blast. HUGS.

AMY, this is the Meyer Lemon Cake I mentioned to you. It takes a while to make but it is so worth it.

· 8 tbsp. unsalted butter
· 4 large eggs, separated
· 1¼ cups sugar
· 2/3 cup buttermilk
· 1/3 cup Meyer lemon juice
· 1 tbsp. Meyer lemon zest
· 2 cups cake flour
· 1¼ tsp. baking powder
· 1/4 tsp. salt
· For the glaze:
1 The Ingredients:
· /3 cup Meyer lemon juice
· 1 2/3; cups confectioners' sugar
· For the candied Meyer lemon slices:
· 2 Meyer lemons
· 2 cups sugar
Preheat the oven to 325° F.
Melt butter in saucepan. Cool and set aside. In a mixing bowl, using an electric mixer, beat egg yolks with 1 cup of the sugar until thick and light in color, about 2 to 3 minutes. Beat in buttermilk, Meyer lemon juice and zest. Sift together cake flour, baking powder and salt. In a separate bowl, beat egg whites with an electric mixer until they hold soft peaks. Then add the remaining ¼ cup of sugar and continue beating until stiff peaks form. Fold half the flour mixture into egg-yolk mixture, followed by half the egg white mixture—so you don't deflate the batter. Repeat with remaining flour and egg white mixtures. Take about 1 cup of the batter and stir it into melted butter. Gently fold butter mixture into the rest of the cake batter. Pour into a buttered and floured 9-inch cake pan or Bundt pan, and bake for about 50 to 60 minutes until cake is lightly brown and pulling slightly away from the edge of the pan.
While cake is baking, make glaze and candied Meyer lemon slices. For glaze, combine Meyer lemon juice and the confectioners' sugar in a saucepan. Heat, stirring occasionally, until sugar is dissolved. Set aside. For the candied slices, cut Meyer lemons widthwise, in ¼ inch slices, and discard end pieces. Remove seeds. In a saucepan, combine 2 cups of water with 2 cups of sugar. Bring to a gentle boil and simmer five minutes. Add lemon slices and simmer about five more minutes, until fruit is soft but not falling apart. With a slotted spoon, remove slices and place on waxed or parchment paper.
When the cake is baked, cool in the pan for 5 minutes, and then invert onto a cooling rack. With a long toothpick, poke the top of the cake to make about two dozen small deep holes. Slowly spoon the warm glaze over the cake, allowing to sink in before adding more. Poke extra holes if needed, eventually using all the glaze. Arrange the candied lemon slices in a random pattern on top. Cool the cake completely and serve.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

DAD

I am anxious to get back to church tomorrow. I've missed my young women. They are so amazing. There are three active girls here in our group. Taylor, Hannah and Ashley. They are all so unique and cool.

We woke up to snow today. Dan's friend Will called us to tell us to look out the window and get up because we were meeting him for brunch at the Hintons bakery. My friend Taylor told me that it was the first snow since 1993. Big day for sure in Hattiesburg, Mississippi.

Aunt Janet sent me an email about Uncle Jacks new goat Buddy Boy. He was very ill when he was born and almost didn't make it. They had to give Buddy Boy a lot of special treatment and it looks like Uncle Jack has found a new Buddy for sure. I love this photo of Uncle Jack and Buddy Boy.

Aunt Betty and Uncle Cecil came out to California to help Auntie Lillie with a door in her house and to visit. Mom and I had lunch with them one day. I didn't get a photo but I did get a chance to tell them about the adventures Dan and I had on their farm over the Thanksgiving holiday. My Uncle Cecil renovated my Grandma and Grandpa's farmhouse and it is the coolest hangout ever. We went on walks down the road and crossed the creek to walk in the fields. I had never seen the farm or the landscape in the fall so it was one new discovery after another. We made a camping version of Thanksgiving dinner and watched a lot of Flight of the Concords episodes on the portable DVD player. We had the chance to visit Uncle Bill and Aunt Velma. That was fun. They told us stories about Mommy when she was young. We also saw my cousins Mary Kay and Laurel. They took us out for lunch. Our last night there we were invited by Uncle Fred to stay in his new house. I watched my first football game in its entirety and Uncle Fred made us some Stew. We had such a wonderful time. I am so thankful to my Aunt Betty and Uncle Cecil for letting us stay at the farm. I don't think I will ever forget that Thanksgiving.

Bono and I had a photo shoot in the front yard after one of our walks. He looks so handsome and regal. I really think he is the most amazing, good looking dog in the whole world.

Dan and I went down to Vista to see Katherine, Doug, Nicole and Tyler. They took us to Souplantation. That was some yummy salad. Thanks Katherine and Doug. We slept over and had a slumber party. It was a lot of fun. Dan played board games with Nicole and Tyler. I wish we could have stayed longer.

HAPPY NEW YEAR, 2008

Hey Buffy, do you think these Elephant seals

are as cute as your Elephants? CJ said these

ones stink. I wonder if yours do?

CJ took us to Hearst Castle. WOW. This place is amazing. I wish I was a movie star back in the 1920's and was invited to a weekend at the "Ranch". This place had everything. I wanted to dive into the Roman swimming pool and lounge around. I also wanted to move into one of the guest houses. Mr. Hearst even had a zoo on his Ranch. OH, and he breeded Boston Terriers. A must see for sure. Anna, you were right. We should have taken all four tours. CJ, thought there were too many stairs though. He asked the tour guide, "Mr. Hearst really liked the nude form, huh? Male and female?" He slipped her a twenty at the end of the tour and I felt like I was the daughter of a really important man for sure.

After Christmas CJ, Mommy, Dan and I went up the coast to Morro Bay. We saw sea otters floating with babies on their tummies. I love sea otters. When Dan and I spent our first week of courting in Seattle he took me to the aquarium. I fell in love with sea otters and Daniel.