No longer shall we be Hot-Lantans

That's right. Wes and I are moving back to the Port City, to Wilmy, whatever you want to call it: We're moving HOME. I gave my notice at work today and yet it's still surreal. We've been here for almost three years, more than half our marriage. I'm ready (and I think I can safely say Wes is too) to head back to the beach, to be surrounded by family and our old friends and to start the next phase of our lives.

I will be working in the office at Chrysalis Counseling Center and start mid-June. Wes will be working at Winter Park Baptist. We have to sell our house but since everything has worked out so perfectly so far, I have to believe that will work itself out too.

If you're in Wilmington, we'll see you this summer at the beach. If not, come visit!

Come Follow Me

I caved:

http://www.twitter.com/alexismhunter

I don't have much more to say there than I do anywhere else, but at least this way, I can follow others. Inquiring minds want to know what folks are up to these days...

Green Smoothies

This is my latest addiction. I was skeptical at first too, but after one sip, I'm hooked. I learned about green smoothies from some folks at my gym and thought the idea was impressive: drink a delicious fruit smoothie that has blended up dark leafy greens but still tastes like the fruit. I must say, the green smoothies I have made recently live up to that standard. Here's my personal recipe:

Handful of frozen fruit

5 Fresh strawberries

2 tablespoons of non-fat plain yogurt

1 tablespoon of no sugar added applesauce

splash of fruit juice (Trop 50 is my favorite)

BIG handful of fresh baby spinach

I blend the first 5 things starting on ice crush to get the frozen fruit really smooth. Once smooth (which by the way you could drink this if you are too scared of spinach), add spinach and blend long enough that the spinach is completely incorporated. Pour into a glass and enjoy.

Start by pouring into a dark glass just because the color may freak you out. If you use blueberries or pomegranate juice, it won't even be green.

It's no MAC but can't beat that price...

Wes bought me a laptop for my birthday this year. Well, technically, it's a netbook. (Which, by the way, spell check doesn't register and wants me to change but according to this, it's a word). Wes has a MacBook and we both love it, but with him in school and having a crazy busy semester, I haven't always had a computer at my disposal while at the house. We have a Dell desktop that is 5 1/2 years old and it's running on borrowed time. We decided that it would be good to get an inexpensive laptop for me because basically all I need is to get on the web, run some basic applications and have iTunes. Off to Best Buy we went hoping that those PC people would be there that pay for your purchase if you find a PC in your budget. Alas, they weren't in Alpharetta this weekend so we paid for it ourselves. After about an hour of deciding, I went with the Gateway LT2104u and I really love it! Going in the store, I didn't think I would even like the netbooks but it is so handy and it fits right in my purse (ok, I carry large purses but still...).

I can't believe it has been over six months since my last post. OK...well, I guess I can believe it. However, I sent out our annual Christmas letter yesterday and noted that this is in fact my blog. I have no idea how many people actually read this but if you are one of the few, you should probably just subscribe or set up a blog reader. Google Reader is great for this. That way, all the blogs you read can be in one place so you don't have to surf around to find them

If you didn't receive a letter from me, let me know and I'll send one.

We're still around...

I realize that I haven't blogged since I mentioned we were going to Cancun despite swine flu. Well, we went and no swine flu to report. It actually worked out quite well for us as everyone else seemed to be too scared to come so the place was only about half full. We had a blast with the Waldens, Nelsons, Longs and Fatty and Suzanne! We stayed four nights/five days at one of those all inclusive type places (Grand Oasis Cancun). I would give it a B+. It was perfect for our group since there wasn't a lot of people there but there were a few downfalls. Overall, it was wonderful because of the group we went with. We are trying to have a Memorial Day trip every year with these great folks (not always in other countries). Here are some pics:

View from our room


Dinner the first night at the only "Mexican Restaurant"


My toes lounging beachfront


Wes lounging beachfront


For more pics, go to my Facebook page

Mexico

Map of swine flu outbreaks

Some of you may remember that Wes and I have booked a trip to Cancun May 22-26. We are going with four other couples and are really excited. Then this stupid flu started and I got phone calls and emails about how we should cancel. Well, we haven't cancelled yet. Although the cases in New York started from a group in Cancun, this map shows that there are no confirmed cases in Cancun as of today. So our plan is to wait a little while longer before making a decision. My initial feelings are that by May 22, this will go away and not be a big deal or will be so out of control that nobody is allowed to travel and we won't have a choice of whether we go or not. I really hope that we can go! I am keeping my fingers crossed and praying that this whole thing goes away.