tea for Christmas

I was permitted an early Christmas present from Andrew & was so delighted with it that I'm devoting pictures & an entry to it.


Busted out the Brown Betty teapot for this one! I love the beautiful way that the tea is wrapped. The paper around the tea has gold crowns on it, which I am thrilled to be able to use to make cards or other crafty things with. Two mornings in a row I've enjoyed English Breakfast tea, and I'm looking forward to having more today as I attack some reading I've been meaning to do. A Million Miles in a Thousand Years, Tea with Jane Austen, and some plays from my former drama instructor in college.
Thank you Andrew for the gift of British tea! You know me so well, know how much I am enthralled with England, with good tea & you truly take delight in watching me enjoy these things. And how that puts me in mind of God's love...what enjoyment he feels when I'm enjoying what he's given me, but deeper... How I come alive when I'm delighting in Jesus, truly.
Don't mind me, just processing some things.
I enjoy so much more what I've been given, simple as they may be, when I'm on track.

the brownies were good & a risk taken

Martha Stewart's pumpkin swirl brownies turned out alright, even though my oven cooks too hot, the edges of the brownies were singed & the the brownies on inside middle of the pan were liquidy when the timer went off. The lingering taste of cayenne after eating a brownie is really pleasant.
I took a risk today. See, I make cards & envelopes out of papers I collect from magazines, wrapping paper, brochures, etc., and the church I work at was having a craft fair today...so I decided to be brave & purchase a table to experimentally sell my wares. It was so fun! My friend Jenni agreed to share the table with me to sell her own unique rings, headbands, bracelets, necklaces, and "rosette" brooches. Our powers combined made for a more fun experiment & good company. We didn't make a ton of money, barely covering our costs, but the experience was fun & I'm considering the next brave step...dreaming of Etsy & a business like Painted White in my future.
Here's a picture of part of our table. Jenni's on the right.

musique de notre première année

Whoo! Who's that babe playing the bass with the long hair? Answer: my husband when he was in the hardcore band Weeping Prophetic in Arkansas...oh to have known him then...

Musique de notre première année. Music of our first year. Carla Harding, a favorite Brit blogger of mine, has this tradition every year of listing her favorite books/movies/music she's discovered throughout the year. I thought it'd be a good idea to remember the soundtrack of music of Andrew's and my first year of marriage. Here's what it'd sound like:

Above the Golden State
Michael Bublé
Damien Rice
burn PATTERN (Andrew's former band)
Josiah James
Jason Upton
Diaspora (Andrew & his friend Andrew's sideproject band)
Frank Sinatra
John Mayer
Jack Johnson
Coldplay (Viva La Vida)
Thrice
Dustin Kensrue
Nat King Cole (Christmas)
Chicago (Christmas)
Bing Crosby (Christmas)
Sara Groves (Christmas)
Kutless (worship album)
Matt Redman
Jeremy Riddle
Bob Marley
Sigur Ros
Sonata Arctica
Sondre Lerche
Michael Jackson
Amos Lee
Liason
Kansas
This Coming Season (friend Josh's band, real good)
Cream
Israel & New Breed
Johnny Cash
Dewey Lybecker
Keith Green
Enter the Worship Circle
Reliant K
Jon Foreman
David Crowder
Phil Wickham

So there you go. Soundtrack of our first year. Now I'm off to attempt making pumpkin swirl brownies, before the weekend gets real busy!

lately in our lives

We celebrated first wedding anniversary on Monday in a London phonebooth...
in Casablanca eating pita...

in Midtown with James Herriot...

and at a British tea shop in Florence!We sound like world travelers, don't we? :) I didn't notice that before.

A favorite part...falling asleep to the sound of pounding rain on Saturday the 21st. Don't usually get such a treat. The rain is usually quieter.

We also played a little dress up on our actual anniversary day, putting on our wedding clothes again & taking a few pictures of ourselves. I'm thankful Andrew goes along with his wife who still likes to play dress up. :)

Thanksgiving we spent with our Poet family, walking a 3 mile race/run, making homemade lattes, playing Spades & Hearts, and eating delicious food. The rain came down in torrents in the afternoon, making beautiful sounds & bringing a whoosh of chill into the hot kitchen. I was so delighted, I had to take a picture, so here it is, Stonepile Farm on Thanksgiving Day:

I don't want to forget these things

It was one of those walks. The temperature, breeze, leaves lifted, light, & sound all transported me back to South Dakota & washed me with awareness. Reminded me of several walks home in S.D., this walk to work I had this morning. His presence was there & loving me.

This weekend...my friend Laryn & I went to a craft bazaar. We walked into the entry way of the beautiful home hosting the bazaar & women surrounded Laryn, exclaiming over her swollen belly, oohing & ahhing & bestowing glorious, sweet joy, loving words & touches. Laryn was basking in it & I got a taste of it too. How appropriate...reminded me of Elizabeth & Mary in Luke 1. Generosity was shown to me too. I found a gift for my sister Erin's birthday (be watching the mail, soon, Angeldust!) & was given a precious gift myself. It has been over a year that I'd wanted a pretty, simply framed chalkboard to write inspirations on & I found it at the bazaar, more wonderful that I'd imagined it. The price was in my range, if I'd been shopping for myself, but it was given to me as a gift from the lady who made it. What! Generosity was shown to me, more than I deserved or expected.

Afterward, Andrew & I met with a student interested in serving as a Campus Catalyst for his university. (If you want to know what this means, go to www.campusamerica.org to read stories, watch the video & get involved with praying on college campuses.) I was feeling nervous & insecure about what to talk about, how to encourage, really feeling like my role in Campus America was the wrong size for me & I was too small to fit into it. But it was wonderful. Fredrick told us stories & we told him stories & my spirit was refreshed, being reminded of the God Most High who's still actively answering the prayers of His children. Groundless worrying, why do I get stuck so much?

And Sunday...listening to a Damien Rice song, I was distracted, missed the exit I was supposed to take & ended up taking a ten minute detour on my way to a book club. We're reading the book "Captivating" by John & Stasi Eldridge, learning about unveiling beauty this week. That detour that seemed like a waste of time, the song I happened to be listening to, I realized later these happenings were instrumental in teaching me about love. Abandoned, wild, passionate, generous, love. When it's "safe" to give, when circumstances allow, the timing's just right, love is crazy & sometimes makes no sense...

...somewhat like this post.

biographies (and a plug for libraries)

Lately, I've been terribly interested in reading biographies. Yesterday Andrew & I were at the library & I checked out a few books. Among the ones I'm most excited about are:

Ooh, I love American history! Don't know much about Martha Washington, except for her alleged gingerbread cake recipe (thanks mom!), which happens to go great with applesauce. I heard recently that she was perhaps the best First Lady of the U.S., and I want to know why.

Classic Hollywood is another area of interest for me, and, I admit, for me one of the draws of reading biographies happens to be the glossy picture section in the middle. The Grace Kelly book has some beautiful pictures & I especially liked seeing the ones from her years as Princess Grace of Monaco, a part of her life I'm not as familiar with.

Right now Andrew & I are waiting for our "Financial Peace University" class to start. It's a finance class done by Dave Ramsey that our church is doing the curriculum for. It's been a lot of fun, and I'm SO THANKFUL that we've had the opportunity to do it. There's hope, even with student loans & such! Our goal is to be debt free in five years...and how we entertain ourselves is by taking advantage of our public library & check out free DVDs & books! Yes, libraries are a wonder...

hospitality

My prayers from about a week ago are beginning to be answered, specifically the desire for being able to show hospitality & for God to present opportunities for that. On Tuesday night we were graced with a visit from Israel, a friend who attended college with us, who since then has been on grand adventures in Germany, Costa Rica, & Nicaragua with Youth With A Mission (YWAM). He'd been living in South Dakota since these adventures & was stirred up to visit some friends in the Northwest, where we are. He's been hitchhiking part of the way & it was a surprise to hear from him, but our evening was free & we invited him into our home for dinner & to spend the night. What unfolded was a sweet time of encouragement, laughter, outbursts, prayer, tears, & faith-building stories. It was refreshing to hear from Israel, a guy who lives so on the edge as he does, and of his heart for Berlin, Germany, which is so big. (To read his blog, go to: http://translatelove.blogspot.com/). It was what I'd imagine a visit from the apostle Paul would be like, or that's what it makes me think of.
More...I'll be looking for more opportunities & hints & nudges & openings...

apples & inspiration

Saturday we celebrated what Andrew & John Poet called "Cider Saturday", which we hope will be come an annual tradition in our family as long as we are in this place. First let me say that for several years now my sisters in Minnesota & my father who visits them have sent me pictures of them picking apples from orchards with my adorable nephew & niece, rosy cheeked & laughing & smiling & wearing adorable hats & I feel desire well up in me to be a part of it. This year Andrew & I were a part of the apple harvesting, a thousand miles away from Minnesota. There's this family at our church, the Poets. (Isn't that name wonderful!) They've opened their arms to the two of us, far from our families, and adopted us into theirs, celebrating birthdays & holidays & now, apple harvesting. Saturday we picked apples from the twelve trees on their farm & made apple cider, apple pie filling, and applesauce, all day long.

Our friend Rachel, who came to help with the apples.

Our friend Chris, who also came to help with the apples.

Us, in the orchard.

Rachel, Jordan Poet, and Chris.

The cider press at work.

John Poet working the cider press & little John.

Cider in a glass. Over 60 gallons were produced!

On another note, lately I've been feeling inspired to create, to read, to extend hospitality, to life (if life were a verb, different than live). I think the wholesomeness of harvesting apples & not letting any go to waste, working & producing good things to eat helps me be inspired.

Andrew said that he wishes he could have chores like those the Poets have, everyday. Feeding the pigs, splitting wood, bringing in the firewood, etc. Something about country life inspires...and maybe it has something to do with being around those Poets. :)

Eleven Months

Today's our eleven month anniversary of being married! (My sister Moriah's favorite number, so it must be celebrated with a post!) What more God still has in store for us...

The Lord your God is with you, He is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing. ~Zephaniah 3:17

the weekend was full of...

...produce

at the Farmer's Market on Saturday, Jamie & I perused the fresh offerings, sampled organic truffles (the chocolate kind), hazlenuts, berries, a pear, good things. I bought rainbow chard & hazelnuts. Then Sunday when Jamie & I went to the orchard/pumpkin patch we bought apples, pumpkins, garlic, and a yam between the two of us.

...pumpkins

Saturday evening Andrew & I went to a pumpkin carving party & had a blast. He did one with Calvin's grimace on it (from Calvin & Hobbes), and I attempted Cinderella's carriage, but it looks more like a face, interestingly enough. We're inspired now & plan to do more carving with Jamie today. She & I perused the huge boxes filled with pumpkins (.25 a pound, just had to mention it)
...pie

We were pie eaters this weekend. We had pie at the pumpkin carving party. We had pie for a Sunday picnic after church. We had pie when we played bingo with the senior citizens at our church on Sunday night. We still want more pie...our craving will be satisfied tonight, when Jamie comes over & we make use of the apples we picked in the orchard Sunday afternoon.

...friends
(Varying from the things beginning with a "P") Friday we supped with Mr. & Mrs. Rick Lewis, enjoying their company, their dog, a walk, and the BBC movie version of Charles Dickens's "Our Mutual Friend" which turned out to be excellent (all of it). The Lewises are dear to Andrew & I, Mr. Rick being a mutual friend :) and teacher of ours & his wife being the former receptionist at our college. We share taste in literary classics & BBC movie marathons. My good friend Jamie & I had quality time on Saturday, enjoying festive fall flinging herself into our awareness. We walked downtown in sprinkling rain & sunshine to the Farmer's Market & you already know what we did there. Then on Sunday, that was the day we went to the orchard, picked apples, found pumpkins to carve, etc. Also on Sunday Andrew & I went to an indoor soccer game & cheered on "Dwight's Army of Champions" (the team name...so clever).

...adults of all ages

We attended a young adults pumpkin carving party. We attended youth group on Sunday night. We played bingo with senior citizens. Andrew won a bingo game the first time in his life. For his prize they gave him four packets of beef flavored ramen. What a happy guy he was! :)

Here's Jamie picking an apple.

At the orchard & near the patch in front of the pumpkin bins.

the girl is here!

My little sister arrived in town last night for a weekend visit! Well, she's my little sister, but she calls me her little sister because I'm shorter. Oh, such a clever girl. Really, she's soo funny. Can't contain the giggles when I'm around her. But really, I can't. :)

There's nothing like having sisters around. Moriah, especially, draws things out in me. Puns for example. Or rhyming. My maturity level in general really plummets when I'm around her. We make dog & cat noises together, we really do. This morning when I woke her up to get ready before we went out to get coffee, she snarled like a cat with her morning voice. Several times. What a silly girl.

We went to coffee, like I said, and I realized during our time together this morning that one reason I love being around Moriah is because she inspires me. It's similar to when I listen to sermons & the Holy Spirit will drop ideas in my mind of things I should do or create, or people I should call...Moriah makes me excited & inspired like that.

Raising her hand for some peculiar reason. There's a story there, I just can't remember what it is.

At the coffee shop, getting her breve.

Us. Silly me, I thought we were taking a cute picture. Nope. I was supposed to be silly!

This afternoon I'm going to read some of Moriah's Creative Writing class creations. Poetry, and an essay about the neighbor's dog, Moses, who was put down this week, a dear-to-our-family-dog who was like Odie in Garfield. One story Moriah wrote is about a girl in an insane asylum, whom Moriah ironically named Rachel. Hmm. I wonder if I should read anything into that? :)

from coast to home

Got back Sunday afternoon from a women's retreat at the coast. It was a good opportunity for me to get to know women in my church, women that in ten months of attending I either haven't met yet, or haven't had sufficient time to get to know them. I was so glad for the chance. And it was at the coast! I've had a craving to see & hear & play at the coast, so this weekend was very timely.

Lately I've had a desperate need to be known, to be known by girls who like me & love me & see the value in me and let me do the same for them. It has been freakishly hard lately. Amongst the different introductions & explanations & chat times at the conference with women from my church, I felt this need grow in me, to be known. There were women from different churches at the conference, too, friends & I was able to have that feeling of being known satisfied. It worked beautifully; those times made me eager to discover the pre-friends & to be more present when I was with women from my church.

Two escapes to the coast by myself also restored me & drew worship out of me.

And when I saw my husband again! How wonderful it was to be hugged & held & kissed & too much information-ed by him! What a thankful wife I am with a husband who treated me to an Irish cream soy latte (one he made), time to read on my own, & cuddle time on the couch as we watched The Bourne Ultimatum! We've been foolishly smiling like giddy children ever since we've been back in each other's company.

It was good to go away so that I could come home again.

getting Beauty straight

Here are some notes I took at the 24-7 Prayer Gathering in Minneapolis in May. The talk was by an artist, Linea Spransy, and I rediscovered these notes in my journal on Sunday. They're worth sharing:
We are people who should be blazing with hope!
We can turn around and bless God with a unique language that we have.
Beuty-outside of God's will takes the form of seduction.
The downfall of many artists is egoism. Lucifer was the most beutiful. Beauty is not always good.
Beauty: the love language of God.
Our little plans get lost in the spaciousness of God's creation.
Crime goes down when there's beauty around-think of city sections.
People, when they wear beautiful things, their behavior changes.
Beauty pulls beauty out, light attracts light.
Egoism ends in a withdrawal from the spiritual community. The antidote to that: we belong to a family, seeing value in other people.
Egoism has become a virtue, a very false virtue.
Imagination is inexorably linked to compassion.
Selfishness reomoves us from reality.
Our culture has cut us off from reality-can't you see it everywhere?
We see ourselves as a whole, not a part of a whole.
Our culture is connected to comfort insted of heroicism.
Laying down the art itself...take your life, your lifestyle & live it the way God says to live it, creatively, deeply creatively, and with virtue. Virtue is a really exciting idea and it's hard.
Oh! For a church that is virtuous!
Oh! For artists who are virtuous and not self indulgent!
Constantly check our ego at the door, constantly check our desire to do what's easiest at the door.
The bass note of gravity of this is the sacrifice it requires.
So we lay our lives down as living sacrifices.

wilder

finished reading Laura Ingalls Wilder
my thoughts linger in the simplicity of life
back then

of chores, of "good mornings", of warm quilts,
long walks, hard work, hearty food,
winter evenings, simple Christmases
and shy love

the men then were wilder
(not only Almanzo)
the curse of Adam burdening
forcing sweat, work, toil
limping too

but joy comes, and singing,
and the playing of the fiddle,
beautiful horses,
big dreams

Big Dreams
Beautiful Dreams

shattered

Here is the scene that awaited us as we arrived to open the church this morning (minus the orange things we added after discovering the scene):

Yup. Someone threw a rock through the glass door. Shards were strewn all over the floor. It was a really impressive sight, with the shiny glass catching the light, like jewels. It was beautiful. What had happened was serious, though. Someone didn't like the door the way it was and decided a gaping jagged hole would suffice better than your average glass door. Did it have to do with the fact that the door opened into a church? Hmm. Maybe.

Something our pastor said about the event during our service hit me in a right way, too. He led us in prayer for the person who did the damage & said it's not okay for someone to feel like they have that on their record, that the bad guy (yes, the devil, and he is bad) wants people to feel burdened by things like that, to make them feel unworthy or guilty, and THAT'S NOT OKAY.

Got me thinking that I'm glad I go to a church where there's a disturbance like this. The shattered glass door reminds me that the faith I hold to is a threat to some people, like I wrote in my journal, the gospel & Jesus are not the fragrance of life to everyone; to some it's the smell of death (I stole that from brother Paul). Perhaps it's because the church is making a difference & people are being set free from addictions, from bad relationships, from mediocre, and our church was due for some sort of disturbance. However that works, anyway, after discovering the shards & brokenness, my morning was so GOOD. Worshipping with a bit of the tension of the morning's discovery hanging in the air was the missing ingredient for an offering for a King who often gets mediocre praises from me. I was so inspired during the sermon & afterwards & had to write ideas down so I wouldn't forget them.

And then it struck. Like a Rock breaking into the church. Who's our Rock? The Lord is our Rock & our Salvation. And when that thought dropped into my head, I saw that morning's events as a prophetic statement that God (our Rock) is bringing breakthrough into the Church.

Yes! Take it, take it! Not just for the congregation I attend, see it for yours too! We're family! A gift for you!

May we be shattered, our protective doors be shattered, into a beautiful mess to welcome in the risky King who has life and wind and breath and grace in Him.

And an end to guilt, for sinners. Like the taxcollector in Luke 18, praying, "Lord, have mercy on me, a sinner."

peculiar treasures

This morning I had coffee with my friend Jamie, a very good friend. Since I've been married & out of the college culture, it's never failed, every time after being around Jamie I think, "She's a treasure." To borrow from Robin Jones Gunn (I read her books in high school) Jamie & I are peculiar treasures. It works so well. I'm the Christy, she's the Katie because I have brown hair & Jamie's hair is red (refer to the Christy Miller series by Robin Jones Gunn).

I love her life. Jamie lives downtown in a little studio apartment within walking distance of the library, the university campus, and so many coffee shops. She's...how do I explain four years of friendship? Challenging. Out of the box, adventurous, spontaneous, curious, interested in cultures, fashionable, sassy, Jamie face, who's also one of the people who has taught me the most about communication. Also about loving people. She works with people who have addictions & counsels them. I couldn't do that, but I appreciate her ability to & her heart to help people break their addictions. She's in a good position to see the brokeness & to help process, advise & intercede. Sometimes the brokeness overwhelmes me, but Jamie encourages me to see that it is so do-able to help people. I see Jesus in her.

Now that I don't see her every day, my glimpses of Jamie mean more, I think. Gotta take advantages of the friendships in front of your face right now. When friends move away I don't want to regret times I could have spent with them and didn't.

Working on those friendships, bit by bit.

This braving the Beauty business...makes me think. God's the most beautiful, He's the beauty I seek...and He brings us into relationships. Not only with Himself, but with other people. I want to be a good steward of the people He puts around me, the close ones, the neighbors, the one...like how Jesus would leave the crowd and go after the one person who was alone, struggling, lost. I'm seeking to be better at that.

Here we go, rocketing into a fun-filled adventure.

the domestic life post

Unashamedly, I am very domestic. This post will aid to reveal the depths of that. To start, here's my recipe (thanks Liz & Erin!) for chicken pot pie, perhaps the biggest culinary success in our household:

Easy Chicken Pot Pie

1 pre-made pie crust (for top & bottom)
1/3 cup butter
1/3 cup chopped onion
1/3 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 14 oz. can chicken broth
1/2 cup milk (I prefer soy, yes indeed)
2 cans of canned chicken
2 cups frozen mixed vegetables or 1 lb. bag (cooked)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add onion, cook for two minutes, stirring frequently until tender. Stir in flour, salt, & pepper. Gradually stir in broth & milk. Cook & stir until bubbly & thickened. Stir in chicken & mixed vegetables. Remove from heat and spoon into crust-lined pan. Top with second crust. Seal the edges and flute. Slice holes in crust. Cook 35 to 4o minutes. The last 15 minutes put foil around the edges to prevent burning. Let stand five minutes before serving.

And there you have it. Someday, perhaps, I'll share my family's sourdough pancake recipe. It's top secret, but what the heck?

Besides making chicken pot pie, this week I've been reacquainting myself with the writings of Laura Ingalls Wilder. Right now I'm a few chapters into Little House on the Prairie. Ah, the domestic life...

i get to sit behind a desk now

We're back, yes we're back home! Strange to call this place home, since we were gone for 3 1/2 weeks, visiting the places where we grew up, other "homes." I concluded five summers ago that people define home to me, so I suppose I have several homes to claim.

It's good to be back in a routine. Both Andrew & I are working today, bless the Lord! It is good to be behind a desk again, sorting out bills, stamping letters, printing checks, and organizing my work space! I sound very type A...

Andrew & I have another baby to meet as soon as we can: little Caleb, Cory & Bekah's new son. I'm very excited to have babies in our lives!

There's nothing like sleeping in your own bed, is there?

Now that we're home, I'm excited to do some decluttering (since I brought so much stuff home with me from my home of origin...things like books, things I accumulated in Japan, treasures), reading, walking, and artistic things.

Maybe I'll post a couple of photos from the trip, soon.

a bride, babies & encouragement

This last weekend we were in a wedding. It was slightly stressful, but worth it (?) for the outcome & to be involved in the lives of our dear friends. I love weddings & going to them to show support for the merry marrying couple. I'm a die hard who believes in staying until the bride & groom are off to their next destination before leaving a wedding celebration, no matter how many hours pass. I like to see them off & wave & make noise & be included in the farewell. It's important to me to celebrate these milestones & the serious intention & love shown in the guts it takes to enter into a marriage. Love it! :)
Here's a picture of Emily, the beautiful bride, before she married her best friend, David. I love her joy. :)

Yesterday two of my friends gave birth to their firstborn children. Lysha (married to Chris) gave birth to a girl, Zoey, and Amy (married to Luke) gave birth to a boy, Samuel. Andrew & I went to the hospital to visit them yesterday afternoon. Lots of our friends & acquaintances are having babies this month, an interesting phenomenon to us. I'm encouraging Andrew to expose himself to the newborns who will be in our lives (another one to come: Caleb, Corey & Bekah's son who's due soon). My intention here is to get him used to babies so when it's our turn, he'll be readied. Babies should be celebrated, too, I think, and it was an honor to be able to visit two in the same day at the hospital, hours after their mothers travailed to have them. God is amazing, by the way.

Here's a picture of Andrew & me having coffee in the hospital...seriously! This hospital was like a resort...best coconut soy latte I've ever had. Andrew got a punch card because of all of the visits we'll be making to our friends who are having children at this hospital. We may even go there for dates, it was that good...And then, there's encouragement. Three days in a row, starting Tuesday, I've had talks with people about Campus America (goodsearch.com it) the prayer initiative that I'm involved in & excited about. After each rendezvous with Joel & Krista, Ray & Becki, & Leslee, respectively, I'm left filled... :) Filled and thoughtful & thankful & wondering how God can love me so much. I'm glad, humbled, grateful, curious about the rest of God's plan.

Rich

I feel like a wealthy woman. Late last night Andrew was playing his guitar & writing down lyrics for a song he's working on, as I was baking a cake for a bridal shower/bachelorette party for my friend Emily tonight. As I sat on the couch, I was brainstorming ways to frost the cake this afternoon, when I looked at Andrew creating & looked around me & had the impression that we are wealthy. All of our needs are taken care of & we still are able to give away to other people. Seems like wealth to me.
Circumstances would argue. We're broke. We're also fighting that mentality because we have this crazy idea that we're going on a three week road trip to visit family starting next Friday, and as we were praying yesterday, we still thought it was a good idea. Time (a little less than a week) will tell, but we keep hoping. Monster Mammon doesn't like us right now, but he doesn't matter, I'm convinced.
So, as my 24-7 Prayer Facebook friend Carla Harding likes to say (wouldn't she love that introduction?), if you are of the praying to Jesus persuasion, send one out for us.
In the meantime, I am thankful to be so wealthy. This wealth must be from the One who is Beautiful.

Tony and other matters

We a portion of Independence Day hanging out with Tony (pictured above, far right), a soon-to-bee senior in the youth group who Andrew is mentoring. We went to a town called Harrisburg, where there was a 4th of July parade, and then walked along the riverfront, stopping in a park to eat hot dogs in the shade, talking about Rob Bell, Mark Driscoll, sound theology, friends, and whatever else. Then we bought an elephant ear at some booths that were set up for the holiday, and we ate it!

Tony is an incredible guy. We've met with him after youth group for several months, to talk about what's going on in his life, our lives, and to offer any advice he asks us for. Sometimes some of his friends come with, sometimes it's just Andrew & Tony. When we drop him off at home, we pray for each other. It's been such a rewarding venture & we have seen God do amazing things through Tony & his friends. His high school is booming with hunger for God. Once, after the last performance of The Odd Couple, which Tony was in (he played Oscar), every cast member at the cast party at Tony's house asked Jesus into their heart! These were students who were turned off to God, but somehow through Tony & another girl from youth group, Katie, God made miraculous things happen.

After hearing that story, I was thinking, "I wonder if Tony would mentor me?" :)

We're learning a lot from this guy & he is such a blessing to our lives.

Above is a picture from burnPATTERN's concert at youth camp. I love this face Andrew makes.

And this...just a mushy picture of us that I like.

band wife

As long as I have been a wife, I've been a band wife. The band began in September or so, and after a lot of hard work & practices & hang out sessions, the album is finished and for sale. (A couple of blogs ago I posted a pic with Cory Emery passing the finished album to me in memorandumm of the event.)

This Sunday the guys had a five hour practice & the wives (all band members are married) went to coffee together. Something Bekah (Cory's wife) said stuck with me. It concerns Cory & Bekah's recent career change that is now focused on the band & doing music professionally, something God has been obviously leading them towards in the last year. Bekah tells Cory before a band practice, "Go and live the dream!" And when he comes back, she asks him, "How was it living your dream?" That was encouraging for me to hear & I want to start speaking into Andrew's dreams & endeavors more. Especially when he's using his gifts to be a blessing... So I am definately encouraged to do that.

Andrew's been away for almost three days (at youth camp, he's a counselor) and I miss him. He's coming home for the night, late tonight, though, & I'm thrilled to see him. Burn Pattern's concert @ camp is tomorrow night & I am really looking forward to it. The band wives got a taste of the song set when we dropped in on their practice on Sunday. New songs are already being incorporated, and one that Andrew wrote! I'm so proud of my man. :)

Erin's visit

My sister Erin has been in town visiting & it has been such a blessing. The first couple of days were rough because Andrew & I returned from Texas with bronchitis, apparently. I didn't have it as bad as he did, so he was home all week resting, reading & consuming vitamin C. After a couple of days in our little teeny tiny one-bedroom apartment, Erin was offered a place to sleep at her friends Mary & Karri's apartment & it was a good thing for all. Exposing a house (apartment) guest to bronchitis is not showing loving hospitality, methinks. :)

And so, I wondered if I'd ever see Erin again, her schedule being filled with the tons of friends she has in this place...but I did. :) Especially in the past few days we've had some really good time together. I have Wednesdays off from work (note: I am so thankful for my job, it is such a blessing, and I'm glad), and Erin & I spontaneously spent it together...it felt like a day off. No laundry, dishes, housework, etc. We visited Priscilla, a lady who formerly employed us both at the campus library. She gave me lots of papers & magazines for my artistic pleasure & I've been ripping out pages furiously to make into creative envelopes. Erin & I had a chance to go to my favorite coffee place & get real coffee (sorry Starbucks, sometimes I'd like a shape on top of my foam) plus lunch, & played Bananagrams! An amazing game, like speed Scrabble, that's what Bananagrams is. Then we went to this amazing gift shop that is a "sister store", meaning when I need a gift for any of my sisters, that's the place to find it.

Yesterday evening Andrew, Erin, Karri (one of the girls Erin's staying with) and I ate at a southern cooking restaurant... Oh my goodness. Pulled pork, collard greens, yams, beans & rice, sweet tea, all amazing. Before when we went to this restaurant, Andrew's Southern accent came out, but it didn't so much this time because I was teasing him about it, I think. I'll play it more subtle, next time.

After dinner, we went to a free outdoor play of Peter Pan. It was entertaining, but hard to follow sometimes because the wind & sound system caused the actors' lines to be lost. The little girl who played Wendy did an excellent job.

We had more dessert after the play, I admit. Well, coffee/tea/and I had something like gelato/ice cream that is vegan and safe and coconut tasting. It's was delightful.

Sometimes when relatives come to town, we go all out. Like eating a huge dinner, ordering dessert afterwards, and going out to coffee again. Why, even this morning Erin & I went to see Jamie, my dear friend who I want to keep forever (she's a treasure), over coffee. Then Erin has a friend who works at a bakery who can make leaves in the foam of a latte, so in order to see her again before Erin's departure, we visited another bakery. I got a vegan almond delight cookie, compliments of Amber, which I'll consume soon.

Restraint will be exercised soon. It's nice to have relatives in town, it's like a celebration, and a lot of coffees, meals, trinkets are purchased in those times (sometimes), and I think it's okay. Within reason. The reasonable season will begin Sunday, officially, but I'm glad Erin's been around.

Thanks, Abba. It's beautiful, this family idea that's Yours. Great idea. :)

Texas Surprise, etc.

This last Friday, Andrew & I rocketed away on another fun-filled adventure to surprise some family members by showing up last minute for cousin Heather's wedding. The best of the surprise was reserved for Sue, Andrew's mom. She had no clue we were coming & even was talking on the phone to cousin Jill, telling her everything in Texas was going well, except Andrew & Rachel weren't able to make it. Little did she know, a mere number of hours later we'd come in the door of Uncle Jeff & Aunt Yvonne's kitchen door behind her back, causing her to respond in shock/delight/tear-filled exclamations. It was so worth it. Such a blessing to surprise her! One of the highlights of life, I think. Jessica (my sister-in-law) and Jon (father-in-law, Sue's husband) even planned it so that Sue would get us to herself as she was working on Heather's wedding cake & the rest of the family was at the rehearsal.

Here's the glorious wedding cake Sue created for Heather's wedding. Isn't my mother-in-law gifted? I'm amazed.

Since returning to the Northwest, Andrew has developed a fever and my sister Erin is in town for a much anticipated visit. It's crazy in our little apartment. Andrew's fever, my newly acquired cough, and Erin's allergies all flared up last night...we were quite a group. I'm looking forward to health & more good time spent with Erin (so far we've walked, picked flowers, played Bananagrams). Andrew's fever was lower this morning & Erin & I have plans to go get coffee & bring our books along.

In other news, yesterday Andrew & other Burn Pattern band members received the official first copies of their newly recorded album! Since Andrew has been ill, I was his ambassador to pick up some of the CDs for us. Here I am with Cory at the tradeoff, at the appropriately titled Trader Joe's store. Ha ha. Irony I wasn't intending. Unfortunately, we're in front of the dairy section. :( Where's the soy? Anyway, Andrew was so thrilled to get the album. Hard work paying off. I'm proud.

prayer for the nations

In my last blog I mentioned the book Red Moon Rising, which has to do with the 24-7 Prayer Movement. Today I found these videos of key 24-7 people speaking about destiny-shaping events that are happening in the nations right now: UK's elections, President Obama attempting to bridge the gap between Muslims & Christians in the Middle East, elections in Lebanon. There will be one video for every day this week. They're short (around five minutes each) and informative and also offer ideas about how to pray. Please give them a viewing & pass on the word.

Here are the links for the first two videos (others will follow, keep checking the site this week):

http://www.youtube.com/user/247Pray

For more, you can go to the 24-7 website:

www.24-7prayer.com

Love to you!

loving now

Here's what I'm loving now: Andrew's profile. Yeah, it's pretty cute, but aged in a way, or maybe it looks that way because when he smiles or laughs there are crinkles by his eyes. Enough to make me loose my concentration. And his eyes...I'm loving his eyes right now, too. :)

Also now, I am loving re-reading books that I loved before. Among them are Red Moon Rising by Pete Greig & Dave Roberts, the story about how the 24-7 Prayer movement began in England & spread like crazy wildfire. It's arguably my favorite book & it changed my life four years ago when I read it as a soon-to-be-college sophomore. Wild, wild, stuff. We serve a wild, unpredictable God. And He's good, too.


Pause in the narrative: another Andrew thing I'm loving right now is the way he looks at me & then when I look at him, he quickly looks up & around as if he's scanning the room, then looks at me with a surprised look, hiding the fact that he was looking at me. The dear boy. :)

Back to books. The second book I'm re-reading is The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, which is an impressive title, don't you think? It's by Mary Ann Shaffer & Annie Barrows, her niece. It takes place post WWII, in England & thereabouts & it's about a lady authoress who finds something amazing to write about. Not only that, but the nearly entire book is compromised of letters. What more do you need in fiction, really? There are even allusions to Jane Austen & Oscar Wilde & the Bronte sisters! My reader's heart is won. Did I mention it's funny?

Something else I'm loving is Pixar's movie UP. Andrew took me to see it in the big theatre (what I call the non-dollar-fifty-theatre where we usually catch a show) on Tuesday. Oh, Pixar keeps amazing me with their stories & humor & I am delighted with this latest offering. It had me scared, laughing, crying, smiling... I highly recommend it. Five stars, no kidding. You know how I feel about the number five.

I also loved the downpour or rain we stepped out in after we left the theatre. We were dodging puddles to get to the car. My new shoes were drenched in the first step & I loved it. I'd been hoping & praying for rain. Loving, too, the thunderstorms we've been having. Makes me miss the Midwest.

Further things I love lately: fresh produce. Corn on the cob. Fresh grapes. This feast was the result of a run to Albertsons, where grapes were .99 a pound & I couldn't resist. There is something so satisfying in the crunch of a good grape. I still don't understand why in Japan they peel their grapes. The crunch of the skin of a good grape is too good to pass up. Good grapes!!!

We also ate corn on the cob tonight. I showed Andrew what shucking corn was & he did it with me. Made me remember being home & shucking corn on the porch step next to the driveway, on the somewhat rare occasions we had corn. Dear memory, I'm not sure why. During dinner I explained to Andrew that in my family, growing up, if we bought corn, the plans for the evening were changed...if there was already a plan for dinner, it got postponed because we were having fresh corn!!! (This story may be a bit of an exaggeration, but I like it, and that's how I feel about sweet corn. Let it be a new family tradition! Eat it when it's good!)

Loving Mark Driscoll's sermons online. He cracks me up, but also presents the Bible in a real, practical way encouraging creativity & obedience. Highly recommend www.marshillchurch.org.

All for now. Loving a lot right now. :)