Introducing...

Pearce Hovenkamp!

For my birthday, my friend Diana got me my own Travel Kitty to travel with. I've taken several trips with her kitty Smoochacha and always had a blast (see here and here). Now, Smoochacha has a friend to hang out and swap stories with.



Pearce and I have already had some fun together.


Check out his section of my flickr page for more pics....
http://www.flickr.com/photos/merth2erth/sets/72157619355549019/

Catching Up

Whew! What a crazy week it's been! This week....

I turned 29,


I finally finished organizing my coupons,

(Before & After)

I dragged Dave to the ballet,

(He was a really good sport about it, but I suspect that it may have been Dave's first AND last trip to the ballet!)

And we opened up "Spa Sadie."

I Want to be a Moon

A few days ago, I heard something on the radio that really made me stop and think. The radio host was talking about an encounter she had had with Mac Powell of Third Day. She asked him what his life was like as a superstar. Mac Powell replied that in the realm of Christianity, there is only one star (the Son) and the rest of us are moons, reflecting the sun/son's light.

Consider some facts that I found about the moon...

• The Moon is not a light source; it does not make its own light.
• The Moon reflects light from the Sun.
• We can see the Moon because light from the Sun bounces off it back to the Earth.
• If the Sun wasn't there, we wouldn't be able to see it.
• The Moon appears to change shape but what we are actually seeing is the Moon lit up by the light from the Sun in different ways on different days.

What an awesome illustration of what it means to be a reflection of God's light!

Missing in Action

Time for a new post...except for I feel completely void of new ideas. Sorry. I know that doesn't make for very exciting reading, but c'est la vie.

Let's see...what have we been up to? Watching hockey. A lot of hockey. And I've been cutting coupons. I got a new binder for organizing my coupons (the accordian-style folder was getting a little crowded), and it feels like it's taking FOR-EV-ER. Oh well, it will be nice when it's all finished and ready to go.

Oh yeah, I also found a new recipe. Easy and really yummy! If you like cinnamon rolls, you've got to try it!

Now, off to search for my muse....

Police Station Pizza

“There's a pizza place near where I live that sells only slices. In the back you can see a guy tossing a triangle in the air.” - Stephen Wright, comedian

Ever since I started hanging out with my in-laws and making trips to Pittsburgh, I've been hearing about Police Station Pizza. Police Station Pizza is, without a doubt, my FIL's favorite pizza in the whole world. Whenever he goes back home to Pittsburgh, he brings back an unbaked pie to enjoy in NC.

During our last trip to Pittsburgh, I finally got to try Police Station Pizza for myself.

Dubbed Police Station Pizza because it used to be next to the Ambridge police station (go figure!), the pizzeria is actually named the Pizza House. But no one calls it that.



Police Station Pizza is a unique place with a unique product. It's a take-out only place that is generally packed with people. When we went to pick up our order, there were about 15 other people waiting as well. (Dave said that was a light day.) You order pizza by the slice (or tray), and they cook every tray of pizza exactly the same (just cheese), adding the toppings after the pizza is cooked. We ordered 30 slices of pepperoni and extra cheese (just for the record, we were feeding a whole group of people!). At first, I didn't know what to think about the handful of cheese that they dumped on top, but by the time we got to our eating destination, the extra cheese had melted nicely.



I don't know if the pizza was the absolute best that I've ever had, but it WAS really good. I would definitely eat it again...especially now that I know how to order it like a local.

Just stopping by...

Let's Go Canes!

It's official. Playoff hockey has taken over our house. No really...I'll have to take pictures. Dave "redecorated" our living room the other night with every bit of Hurricanes paraphernalia that we own.

When the Hurricanes won the Stanley Cup in 2006, I was just beginning to watch hockey (at least, just beginning to watch it on a regular basis). Dave and I had only been a married for a few months, but I think that was my first introduction to how much he really liked hockey.

Fast forward three years. The Hurricanes have finally made it into the playoffs for the first time since their '06 victory. And this time, I know what I'm watching: Dave and I have been following the standings since October.

It looks like the Hurricanes are going to continue to have a tough battle with the New Jersey Devils, but we're still cheering for the home team.

Let's go Canes!