Website is up!

www.jayandemily.com

We're getting married!

May 12, 2012

Insta.gram

A few weeks ago I wrote about new social media/tech sites I learned about in a technology class at work. I decided to check out Insta.gram recently and wanted to share this unique iPhone app.

This is how it was described in my class:
Insta.gram: My newest addiction! It’s a fast, beautiful and fun way to share your life with friends through a series of pictures. Only avail for iPhone at moment. 

This is what it looks like:

You take a photo and then put it through any of the available filters and post online. You can see photos from people you "follow" and comment or "like" them.


If you are already on Insta.gram or decide to sign up please follow me @erobards

Great devotional

Misty, a girl in my new small group, recently sent me this short devotional. I really enjoyed it and thought I'd pass it along.

“I have called you friends.” John 15:15 NKJV

Become God's friend

Another step in developing your friendship with God is: Choosing to be honest with Him! God doesn’t expect you to be perfect, but He does expect you to be honest. If perfection was a requirement not one of us would qualify. In the Bible God’s friends were honest about their feelings, sometimes even complaining and arguing with Him, yet He didn’t seem to mind. In fact, He encouraged it. God listened patiently to David’s accusations of unfairness, betrayal and abandonment. He didn’t zap Jeremiah for claiming God had tricked him. Job was allowed to vent his bitterness and God actually defended him for being honest. On the other hand, He rebuked Job’s friends for faking it: “You haven’t been honest either with me or about me - not the way my friend Job has…My friend Job will pray for you, and I will accept his prayer” (Job 42:7 TM). To be God’s friend you must share your true feelings with Him, not what you think you ought to feel or say. Until you understand that God uses everything for good in our lives, you’ll harbor resentment towards Him over your looks, your nationality, your economic background, your unanswered prayers, your past hurts, and the things you’d change if you were God. Actually, revealing your feelings and releasing your resentments to Him are the first steps to becoming spiritually whole. Isn’t it encouraging to know that God’s closest friends felt just like we do, but instead of masking their feelings in pious clichés they voiced them openly. Why? Because expressing them leads to healing and a deeper level of intimacy with Him.

Skeet shooting

A few months ago Jay and I bought a Living Social deal for a round of skeet shooting. It was a good deal and we both thought it would be a fun weekend activity. The deal was for a gun rental and a round at Tom Lowe Shooting Grounds. I admit part of my fascination with the idea of going skeet shooting was to wear a preppy shooting outfit. I envisioned something like this.

But when Jay came to pick me up he told me I should dress much more casual. He was wearing a long sleeve t-shirt and jeans. So despite my desire to dress the part I agreed and went casual.

When we arrived and I was handed a box of ammunition and a gun without any instruction I started to get nervous. I had held a gun before and even shot one a long time ago but I definitely needed a refresher course. We spoke with one of the shooting grounds' veteran shooters and he gave me a quick tutorial on my gun, where to stand and how to aim at the clay birds as they shot out of the box.

The first round we shot with another couple and in the end the girls beat the guys with total number of "birds" shot. My beginner's luck was short lived though and the next round I only got 3 out of 25.

                                                          

In the end we both left with sore arms but an exciting afternoon of trying out a new sport. We both want to try it again.

Broken resolution

I realize it has now been over 2 weeks since I last posted and I've broken one of my New Year's resolutions. Sorry for the break... I'm back

Proud Aunt!

UPDATE: Check out their blog http://baileyandbanksbakersdozen.blogspot.com/ for more information and pictures of the puppies

My brother bred his dog Banks and the mom gave birth yesterday. There are 13 new lab puppies!!
1 chocolate boy, 4 yellow girls, 2 yellow boys, 4 black boys, 2 black girls. I'm so excited to meet them in a few weeks.

Check out all those recipes...

Go here to see what everyone cooked this month!

P.S. - If you'd like to join us it's not too late!

Cooking Challenge #1

A few weeks ago my friend Emily invited me to participate in a blogging cooking challenge. Her friend Cassie has challenged herself to cook something new out of all her cookbooks. Emily and several other bloggers (including myself) decided to join Cassie and try new recipes ourselves. Each month we will link back to each other from Cassie's blog and share our cooking triumphs/failures.


Let me start by saying I was hesitant to join this challenge. Not only am I a novice cook but I'm also a picky eater. Often recipes in cookbooks don't appeal to me because of all the ingredients that they call for. In addition, I don't own many cookbooks either. However, one of my goals for 2011 is to eat at home more often so I figured what the heck and told Emily I'd participate.


For my first recipe I wanted to cook something from my family cookbook. Several years ago we had this cookbook put together to save all of our family recipes. The cover shows the Dempsey family in 1942 in front of their house in Greenville, Kentucky. My grandfather is the one on the far right. He is my mother's father. The recipe I chose is cousin Jonathan's enchiladas. When I normally cook Mexican food I do the Old El Paso soft taco kit. It is easy, tasty and (almost) everything you need is in 1 box. This would be a challenge for me to buy everything individually. I stopped by Kroger to pick up my ingredients seen below.

Ingredients:
1 pkg of enchilada sauce mix
1 (8 oz.) can of tomato sauce
2 cans of enchilada sauce (I only bought 1 and it was fine!)
1.5 cups of water
1.5 lbs. of lean ground beef (I used less)
Medium flour tortillas
3/4 cup grated Cheddar cheese
3/4 cup grated Monterrey Jack cheese
1/3 cup minced onion (optional - I did not use)



Combine sauce mix, tomato sauce, enchilada sauce and water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil and simmer 5 minutes. Mix cheeses together (I bought them already mixed). Brown ground beef and onion; drain. Stir in cheese and sauce mixture until cheese is melted.
Spread 1/2 cup of sauce mixture in bottom of baking dish. Put 1 tablespoon of meat mixture on each flour tortilla and roll up. Place seam side down in pan. Pour any leftover meat/sauce over tortillas. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes.

Verdict: I went into this meal thinking I wouldn't like it because typically I think enchiladas are a little too wet. I accidentally only bought 1 can of enchilada sauce but I think that was actually perfect because they weren't as runny. I really enjoyed these enchiladas and they were perfect for me because they were just cheese, beef, sauce and tortillas. They were simple and I liked that. This recipe made 6 enchiladas so hopefully they will also re-heat well too.

Tech Nerd Alert!

Today I attended a class at work on 60 new sites/apps to check out. We went through 60 in 60 minutes. It was fast-paced but I thought you might enjoy browsing through some of the new start-ups and social media sites out there. Several are geared toward news/journalism and some are just silly (NoseDial) but if you've got some time it's worth clicking around.

About.me: Create your personal splash page. Quickly build a personal and dynamic splash page that points visitors to your content from around the web. Measure metrics too!

GetGlue: Now that you’ve mastered the art of checking-into hip spots, start spreading the news to your network vis a vis the shows & movies your watching, books reading, music listening and even the great wine your enjoying.

Miso: Like GetGlue… only not quite the same buzz. Hmmm… Could this be the Gowalla of Ent-based check-in’s?

Jumo: From Facebook co-founder Chris Hughes, this new philanthropic start-up works to match do-gooders with appropriate causes. Think FB minus the flashy advertisements and need to impress the opposite sex!

Untappd: Checking into locations is soooo last year! Even checking into entertainment choices has its limits. With this app you can get back to what beer drinking was meant to be about… social! New meaning to buzzworthy!

Path: Photo and video sharing network, also sees itself as an enhancement to Facebook; users can log in to Facebook to find Path users to share with. But Path limits the sharing to 50 friends at most, rather than with everyone you know.

Insta.gram: My newest addiction! It’s a fast, beautiful and fun way to share your life with friends through a series of pictures. Only avail for iPhone at moment.

PicPlz: Very much like Insta.gram and Path, PP allows users to snap photos and add fun effects like "Russian Toy Camera," "The 70s," and "Instant Film." Connect with Facebook and Twitter to the service.

DailyBooth: Your life in one big conversation… only through pictures. And unlike the other social photo sites, this is real-time shots. Sounds weird, but the kids say it’s cool. Trust.

Quora: Crowdsourcing redux. Let’s face it, we now live in a ‘browse-answer-notification’ world! A continually improving collection of questions and answers created, edited, and organized by everyone who uses it. Bigger than Twitter? Chuck Norris?

Tumblr: Very popular microblogging platform that allows users to post text, images, videos, links, quotes and audio to their tumblelog, a short-form blog.

Diigo: If Delicious is really going away, better start looking for alternatives! Diigo goes beyond simple social bookmarking by providing a wealth of features, including collaboration and web page commenting tools. It includes a Delicious import tool and client apps are available for iPad and Android. The service is free and is advertising-supported.

Mashable: The holy grail for social media and emerging tech news and trends. Period.

TechCrunch: AOL bought TechCrunch four months ago. Many feared the web/gadget/social media blog might become diluted but it continues to be an industry leader.

Engadget: Beautiful tech trends website. Can’t go wrong here!

SlashDot: The site bills itself as ‘News for Nerds, Stuff that Matters’ and it doesn’t disappoint. Not as pretty with little photos and video, but with all the info-muscle!

Read, Write, Web: Excellent source for news on Web Apps, Web Trends, Social Media and Consumer Behaviors. Overall my #1 site for tech trends + news media info! Super rich info with the most forward-facing stories in the web space.

CNET: Best site for gadget/gear/hardware reviews. Period.

GigaOm: Great for technology news, analysis and trends. Can be a bit highbrow… but the content is consistently ahead of curve.

Gizmodo: Heavy provider of outstanding technology news… have proven bigger than one-trick pony after scoring iPhone 4 scoop. Worth a bookmark. Do it!

FastCompany: My favorite magazine (print or digital). Always on top of latest trends in Tech, Business, Design and Leadership. Full articles are always insightful/inspiring but also do a good job with daily blurb updates early and often on site.

Social Fresh: A social media education site with heavy focus on marketing trends. Great for niche stories on intersection of SM and consumer behaviors.

Mobile Marketer: Wanna keep up with latest trends for all things Mobile? Look no further!

Silicon Alley Insider: Bookmark for the firm handle on all things SV news. Great scoops!

ValleyWag: Gawker Media blog with gossip and news about Silicon Valley personalities.

Techmeme: Bookmark ‘em all in one shot… let Woz sort ‘em out!

10000 Words: Amazing blog that combines very best of Innovation + Journalism. Founded by New Media Journalist Mark Luckie, site was sold to Mediabistro recently but Mark still blogs and contributes fabulous content.

Neiman Lab: Awesome site focusing on future of Journalism trends, breakthroughs and discussion. It’s run by smart peeps from Harvard… what else do you need?

LostRemote: The first and only source dedicated to social TV coverage. Readers are primarily TV execs, producers and social technology companies helping reinvent the future of television.

NewsFlashr: Use what I do each morning to sift through dozens of blogs and papers in minutes instead of hours. And best of all sorted by topic and feed.

Bump: Go green and stop ordering biz cards now that you can exchange contact info with your smartphone-packing acquaintance.

Boxcar: If my life were managed entirely by push notifications, I’d be way more productive! Instant push notifications for emails, social nets, RSS feeds and more. iPhone only.

Qwitter: Can your ego stand the bruising? Service provides email updates of Twitter followers who – gasp – pull the plug.

JustUnfollow: Payback’s a… well… you know. Unfollow Twitter users who do not follow you.

Klout: The standard for influence. Look up your Klout Report to find your influence level, user style, and content. I’m good for a score of 61 – you got me beat? J

Groupon: Three words Collective – Buying Power. Has blown up to 2600+ employees and valuation upwards of north of $15 billion in few short years.

ScoutMob: Another ‘digital coupon’ service but not nearly as massive as Groupon. Started by couple guys from Atlanta, the free service is currently avail in ATL, NY and SF with promises to expand to about a dozen other U.S. cities this year.

Living Social: Boasts up to 90% off the best of your city. Sheesh… what will you do with all this extra dough?

Flavors.me: Very similar to About.me with a few more bells and whistles and freemium option ($20 yr for ad-free)

RockMelt: Your browser. Reimagined. Rockmelt is a social web browser built off of Chromium and boasts deep integration with both Facebook and Twitter with it’s “Edges” which are filled with friends that are online and feeds that you follow complete with update badges. Facebook freaks will dig this fun.

Google Cloud Print: The future looks good on paper! Wouldn’t it be nice if you could print a file from your iPhone or Android straight to a networked computer printer? Wait no more.

Storify: Platform for incorporating social media into stories you are working on; tweets, flickr images and YouTube videos. Service is in private alpha but accepting invitations.

Storyful: Not to be confused… founded by former CNN journalist David Clinch, Storyful curates the real-time web. In other words, separate the useful news from the river of noise flowing through channels like Twitter and YouTube.

Nosedial: No more taking off your gloves and freezing! Now you can dial with your schnauz! $.99 from the Apple app store.

Addictomatic: Inhale the web! Instantly create a custom web page for the hottest buzz on any given topic. It’s super easy. Don’t believe me?? Try it.. dare ya!

Duck Duck Go!: Described as a “hybrid search engine”, DDG has been around for a few years but remains small and relatively unknown. But it’s growing as users become appreciative of the reliable and diverse search results which rely heavily on crowdsourced data such as Wikipedia. Also note: no spam or privacy concerns… shhh!

Know Em: Secure your brand or online identity on Social Media. Hurry… run!!!

AudioBoo: Why stop at simply sharing text, photos and video when you can now swap audio too!? What’s next… smell-based social net?

Apartm.net: Why wouldn’t you want to unlock your front door with a mere @Foursquare check-in!? Muaaahahah (sinister laugh)!

WordLens: Instant translator – for now only English-Spanish and only for iPhone but only a matter of time before foreign language teachers go the way of dinosaurs!?

Increible: Groundbreaking translation app from Google Translate. Only avail for Google Android. Set to arrive with next app update.

Tango: Sick of hearing how cool Apple Facetime feature is for iPhone 4 users? It’s payback time! Works 3G/4G and between Android and iPhone devices.

Betali.st: Great site for keeping up with newest up and coming startups on the block. Discovery is fun!

FlipBoard: Didn’t earn Apple’s 2010 iPad app of year and TIME 50 greatest innovation kudos for nothing. A game changer app that interfaces all of your SM feeds into one user-friendly stream.

iPad2 Rumor Guide: Mashable helps take some of the guess from the guesswork on the long wait for what’s up with iPad 2. Especiialy dig the percentages attached to each feature on liklihood if it happening.

Memo.lane: Puts together a digital scrapbook (or timeline) from your updates on social networks!

Roku: Thinking about cutting the cord? Roku earns high praise for its affordability, ease of use and varied programming selection.

Diversity.Journalists: Growing database for minority journalists with a particular focus on Digital Media.

Grandmom's 80th Birthday

After the ice started to melt my mom, grandmom and aunt all came to Atlanta for the weekend to celebrate my grandmom's 80th birthday. On Friday we ate at my new favorite pizza place, Antico Pizza. It is delicious and authentic pizza from Napoli. All the ingredients are shipped in from Italy and you eat on community tables inside the kitchen with the ovens.

Saturday we went to the matinee of Beauty and the Beast at the Fox Theater. We were there with every little girl in Atlanta but we all enjoyed the show and I was singing the songs for a few days afterwards. We also ate a delicious steak dinner and opened gifts before watching Miss America on tv. It was a great girl's weekend celebrating my wonderful grandmother.