Reviewing 2009

Wow, I can't believe 2009 is almost over and we are about to embark on a new year with new adventures.  Before looking forward I thought I would reflect on some of what happened in the past year.  In random order...

Odessa's Going Away Party

Florida with Grandma & Grandpa E

Met Doc!!

Saw Dan in Marble

Happy Birthday to Me

Got Preston

Grandma Poll's funeral

Ladies in NYC!!!

Joe's Wedding

Mom in town!!!

Brittany's Wedding

Hanging with my ladies!!

Family in Atlanta for Thanksgiving

Mission trip in Cambodia!!

I have had a very blessed year and I am so lucky for all I have been able to do!! I love all my friends and family and look forward to spending another year with you!!

MIA - Cambodia Here We Come!!

I have been MIA, I am aware of this. An over-packed calendar with no ambition to type is all I have to blame it on, however it's a poor excuse, I know.  However, it probably won't change in the near future as my family is leaving town tomorrow A.M. (after having a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend with my Mom, Dad, Dan, Doc, Preston & me) and I will be off to Cambodia on Thursday!  How crazy it is that time has flown by so quickly!  I can't believe the end of 2009 is here!

If you would like to follow what happens in Cambodia please follow us here...

Please keep us in your prayers!!

Granola Squares

I have been working and working on making granola that doesn't have much raw sugar / honey and are full of very healthy, very yummy ingredients.  I had a few recipes that I pulled together as well as a few items that I pulled out of my own hat to make these.  Don't get me wrong, they are still very high in calories (if you make 16 squares they are about 190 calories a square), but you could easily decrease the amount of dried fruit to make them less calories.  Or at least a little less :) 

I also found that they taste better on the second day, after being in the fridge and letting the banana really sweeten them up.  Also, I love to freeze them and have them a few weeks later.  Heck, I like to do that with any food!


Granola Squares

1 cup old-fashioned oatmeal
1 cup sliced almonds
1/2 cup wheat bran
1 cup shredded coconut, loosely packed (I used unsweetened)
5 Tbsp cinnamon
1/2 cup toasted wheat germ
1/4 cup flax seed
1/4 cup pumpkin seeds
1/4 cup sunflower seed
1 ripe banana, mashed
1/4 cup honey
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/2 cup dried fruit, or a mix of dried fruit

Preheat your oven to 350°F. Spray an 8×12-inch baking dish with cooking spray (you can use a 9×13-inch pan if you want) and line it with parchment paper.

Toss the oatmeal, almonds, cinnamon, wheat bran, flax, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, and coconut together on a sheet pan and bake for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned.  Then, transfer the oatmeal mixture to a large mixing bowl and stir in the wheat germ.

While the oatmeal mixture is toasting, smash the banana with a fork until liquid and then add the honey and mix well.

Reduce the oven temperature to 300°F.

While the mixture is still warm, stir in the banana/honey mixture, vanilla and salt until the mixture is well coated, then the dried fruit. Pour the mixture into your prepared baking dish and press, press, press it in until the mixture is packed as tightly as possible.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until light golden brown. Cool for 2 to 3 hours before cutting into squares — your best serrated knife is great for this.

What's new with me...

Well, yesterday I taught Preston to roll over!! Woo hoo!  I have been working with him since I got him on the command.  It took time but it was fun teaching him.  I am so proud... like a proud parent!  Ha!  He is super excited too that I am super excited.  LOL!!

In other news, the artichoke dip that I just posted was for Jennie's Birthday Party.  She lives in my building and had some friends get together on the roof of the building... we all made food and/or brought wine and hung out and ate.  I ate waaaaay too much food yesterday but I had a blast!

Last week we had our Admin Retreat at work.  The entire division went to Browns Bridge Church for 2 days and went thru the book "7 Habits of Highly Effective People."  There were 7 groups and each group presented a habit.  It was a blast.  I even got to work on my fear of microphones.  I did some public speaking!  Next to tackle... my fear of basements...

Last Friday I made dinner for my friend Ryan.  And she brought her dog over so our puppies could meet.  Preston was a little too aggressive... I will have to work on sharing with him.  He didn't want to share his space...  But, we Ryan and I had fun eating dinner, taking our dogs for a walk, and watching Cougar Town.  Jennie even stopped by for a while.

On Saturday, I met up with my Cambodia trip group for some Cambodian food at Phnom Phen in Tucker, GA.  I am even more excited now about the trip as I LOVED the food!!  I also had a blast with the group.  I foresee us getting along really well!

Tomorrow should be ladies night with my friend Lynette, Shannon, and a few other ladies.  We keep planning our meetings but sickness, travel, and miscellaneous issues keep getting in the way of the fun! 

Then on Thursday night Mom comes into town!! Woo hoo!!  I can't wait!

Cheese-Free Hot Artichoke Dip

If you are like me, lactose intolerant, and love artichoke dip you want an alternative that won't leave you hurting.  And the fact that I made it yesterday and no one noticed the missing cheese (I didn't tell them it was made with tofu) and no one even batted an eye!!

Hot Artichoke Dip

Ingredient List

• 1 12-oz. pkg. light silken tofu
• 2 Tbs. reduced-fat mayonnaise
• 1 Tbs. Dijon mustard
• 1 Tbs. lemon juice
• 2 cloves garlic, minced (about 2 tsp.)
• 1/4 cup white onion, diced
  
• 1/2 tsp. onion powder
• 1/2 tsp paprika
  
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp chili powder
• 1/4 tsp hot red pepper flakes
  
• 1 15.5-oz. can artichoke quarters in water, drained, rinsed, chopped
• 1 cup frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
• Paprika for dusting

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400F. Purée tofu thru red pepper flakes in blender or food processor until smooth. Transfer to bowl.
2. Stir artichokes and spinach into tofu mixture. Spoon into 8-inch glass pie dish or casserole. Bake 20 minutes. Dust with paprika; serve.

Slow-Cooker Stew with Beans, Sweet Potatoes and Corn

Woo hoo for the beginning of fall!!!  I love this time of year because I get to create lots and lots of soup.  Whats better than curling up on the couch with a warm bowl of soup while watching Wheel Of Fortune?  The answer is... nothing!

So I needed to do a quick post for the latest creation that I made last night for small group.  I found the slow-cooker recipe here and barely changed it up.  I put it all in the crock pot before going to work Wednesday morning and when I came home it smelled magical!

I also pulled some Ezekiel bread dough out of the freezer (I had put together about a month ago and froze).  When I got home from work I baked the bread and both Teesha and I thought the bread was better after it was frozen then the loaf made without freezing it. 


Slow-Cooker Stew with Beans, Sweet Potatoes and Corn

1-28oz can of unsalted whole tomatoes, including the juice
3 cups sweet potato chunks
2 cups cannelini beans (I used dried that I sat in water overnight)
2 cups lima beans (I used frozen, but thawed them first)
2 cups frozen corn kernels (that I thawed with the lima beans)
1 large onion, diced
2 large cloves of garlic, minced
3 cups vegetable broth
1 tablespoon paprika
1 tablespoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

Dump the tomatoes into slow-cooker and crush with your hands or the back of a wooden spoon. Mix in the remaining ingredients, cover, and slow-cook until everything is tender.  (for me it was 9 hours on low and then a few hours on warm - until we were ready to eat).

Quick Update

Hello all!  Just a bit about me.  This past week there wasn't too much new or exciting to report but here is what was the top of the week for me...

• My boss and friend Rachael had her work baby shower.  It was a lot of fun to watch her open her gifts, the food was amazing and I had a great talk with another Rachael who was also there.
• I went to my mentorship group Tuesday night.  We have read the book 'Spiritual Friendships' by Mindy Caliguire and we are talking about spiritual friends.  Its great to hear others perspectives and to realize we all struggle with so many of the same / similar thing when it comes to close, spiritual, female friendships.
• I just read the book 'Julie and Julia' by Julie Powell.  It was a fun read and I would love to now see the movie so I can see what is the same and what they changed!
• Today I am relaxing and cooking, my favorite kind of day.  Preston is watching me, of course.
• Tomorrow I am going to my mission trip 'retreat' where we will get to do something (not quite sure what, it is a mystery) and it will be for team building and getting to know each other better.  And it will be within the city limits of Atlanta, I think...
• And then tomorrow night I am going to Lynette's birthday party.  Super excited to be able to celebrate with her.

Well, onto life.  My muffins just came out of the oven and I need to do a little house hunting online today too.  Wish me luck, I only have until the end of November to find and purchase a place if I want the first time home buyers tax credit!

Ciao!!

Morning Glory Muffins

So, I decided I wanted to bake something this morning and have it for brunch.  So, I pulled out my trusty cook book (What the Bible Says about Healthy Living Cookbook) and found a recipe.  Of course, like every other recipe, I changed it up a bit.  I used mostly all organic ingredients but use what you have on hand.

A quick hint... I can never eat a full jar of applesauce before it goes bad so to save money, I buy unsweetened applesauce in individual containers when they are on special at the supermarket.  Then I can keep them in the refrigerator until I need them for a recipe or until I want to eat on plain!!  Do unsweetened, you can always sweeten them if you want.

There are a ton of ingredients however its really easy, it smells fabulous, and we will see in about 20 minutes how good they taste!!

Dry Ingredients:
3/4 C walnuts
1 1/2 C whole wheat flour
1/2 C whole smelt flour (or you could just use whole wheat flour again)
1/4 C wheat germ (you could use old fashioned oats instead)
3 Tbsp ground flax seed (optional)
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 C raisins
1/2 C dried unsweetened coconut
1/4 C pumpkin seeds

Wet Ingredients:
1 C unsweetened applesauce
1/4 C extra virgin olive oil
1/4 C maple syrup
2 eggs
3 tsp vanilla

Ingredients to Shed:
3 small unpeeled carrots (or 2 large)
1 unpeeled apple (I used Braeburn)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray muffin tin or line with paper liners.
2. Chop walnuts and combine with other dry ingredients in a large bowl
3. Combine wet ingredients in glass measuring cup and mix well to incorporate.
4. Shread carrots and aples and add them to the dry mixture.  Stir to incorporate.
5. Pour the wet ingredients into the flour mixture and combine well.  The batter will be very thick.
6. Use a 1/4 C measure to scoop, divide the batter into the muffin cups and spread into the cup.  Bake until a toothpick inserted into several of the muffins comes out clean and the muffins begin to brown slightly, 25 - 30 minutes.

Instead of baking all of them now, freeze some of the batter for a quick muffin later.  Also, the muffins freeze well, so put them in a freezer bag and eat later!  Yummy!!

It's not all about ME...

Really.  Seriously.

My mom just emailed me a link I think you may all want to check out... its the pictures from my Dad's recent adventure hunting with Dan.  I've only had time to look at a couple but they are amazing.  Dan just got a new camera recently and, I have to say, I think he is mastering it well!

Me!!

We had to take some pictures for our ministry services division retreat that is coming up and here is the one taken of me...

 

I love it!!  I had a lot of fun taking the picture and thanks to Rachael Stanley's amazing camera it made a really good still shot of my jump!  Fun times!!

Chicken and Spinach with Mushrooms

I found this recipe recently and thought I really needed to try it... it sounded great, I mixed it up with the ingredients I had on hand but I still think it was missing something.  So, I am writing the recipe as I think it should be... not as I actually made it.  

 

Ingredients
1 tbsp olive oil
3 cups (1 lb) diced chicken
1 small onion, chopped
4 oz baby portabello mushrooms, thinly sliced
4 oz shiitake mushrooms, trimmed and thinly sliced
1 tsp kosher salt
6 oz baby spinach
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
2-1/4 cups vegetable broth
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp coarsely chopped rosemary
1 tbsp basil
1/2 tsp chilli powder

Directions

• Heat oven to 400 degrees F. 
• In a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, add olive oil and diced chicken.  Cook until almost all pink is gone, then add onions. Cook, stirring until just soft, about 4 min. 
• Add mushrooms and 1/2 tsp salt and continue stirring until softened, about 4 min. 
• Gradually add spinach and stir until completely wilted, about 2 min. Transfer to a large bowl and add chicken; wipe skillet clean.
• Whisk together flour, broth, lemon juice and 1/2 tsp salt and add to the same skillet over medium-high heat. Whisk until mixture is boiling and simmer until just thick, about 2 min. Add to chicken mixture with spices, then transfer to a 2-qt baking dish. 
• Bake until golden, 25 to 30 min.
  

You could add something as a top... maybe rice, biscuits, or phillo dough.  Enjoy!!

Mango Chicken Stir-Fry Wraps

I found a recipe for beef wraps but thought it would taste just as good with the chicken sausage (since I already had that at home).  I had this recipe in the back of my mind for a while and when Miranda decided to come over for dinner on Wednesday I knew just what to make.  We had a lot of fun getting dinner ready (I made this and she made a yummy salad). 

 

Ingredients:

1 tbsp olive oil
 2 red bell pepper, cut into strips
8 scallions, white and light green parts, chopped
3 mango chicken sausages, cut into pieces
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1 cup bean sprouts
2-3 tbsp soy sauce
whole wheat flour tortillas


Directions:

• In a sauté pan, heat oil over medium-high heat. (Do not let oil smoke.) 
• Add chicken sausage and stir-fry for a couple of minutes.
  
• Add red peppers and scallions.  Cook for 1 minutes.
• Add mushrooms and cook for 2 more minutes. 
• Add soy sauce and cook for 1 more minute. 
• Place bean sprouts in center of tortilla.  Top with chicken-vegetable mixture.
  
  

Enjoy!!

September All Staff Note - Joshua

I wanted to take notes of our staff meeting.  And I thought the talk that Andy Stanley gave was so amazing that it needed to be shared.  I probably won't do it justice here but here is my take away:

• None of us know in the moment when we are making our mark.  We only realize the significance of the moment when we look back.
• God's greatest concern for us is that we will become so successful that we will forget the Lord.
• When Jesus prayed 'give us our daily bread' he was referring back to the time God fed the Israelites daily manna from heaven. 
• What do you do when you don't know?  When I am waiting for God to decide how He is going to use me? How do I position myself to be used for God's glory?

Joshua was 110 years old and reflecting on his life when he said the following statements :
Joshua 23:8 - 'Cling' to the Lord your God...
Joshua 23:11 - Take diligent heed to 'love' the Lord your God...
Joshua 24:15 - As for me and my household we will 'serve' the Lord.

What set Joshua up to say this at the end of his life?  Joshua 5:13-15

¹³ Now when Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with a drawn sword in his hand. Joshua went up to him and asked, "Are you for us or for our enemies?"

• There were usually guards & laws preventing someone armed in the presence of Joshua.  This man would have been considered an assassin.
• Essentially Joshua asked "are you for ME or against ME"
  

 ¹⁴ "Neither," he replied, "but as commander of the army of the LORD I have now come." Then Joshua fell facedown to the ground in reverence, and asked him, "What message does my Lord ^[a] have for his servant?"

• The literal translation of 'neither' is 'no.'  Joshua asked the wrong question.  The question was not big enough. 
• When he said commander - that was actually Joshua's title.
• Joshua had authority over the Israelites & he was considered their greatest authority.  Joshua realized the angel had more authority than he did.
• There are 2 question you can ask:  

1. Do I have authority?
• are you for me or against me?
2. Am I under authority?
• Who am I for?
• What side am I on?

• Joshua demonstrates he is uner authority by bowing down.
  

 ¹⁵ The commander of the LORD's army replied, "Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy." And Joshua did so.

• The angel didn't answer any big question or give any big instruction.  He didn't tell him the future or how to handle any major issue.
• Instead, Joshua was tested to see if he would surrender/submit to God.  It was more about making God's name great.

My takeaways:

• Live as a women who is under authority.
• Obey God, trust him with the outcome.
• God takes responsibility to the life that is fully submitted to Him.
• It doesn't matter who is for me or against me.  It's about who I am for.
• It's not about who is on my side but who's side I am on.
• If I win I win.  And if I lose I win.  Because I trust God with the outcome.

We never know our defining moments until they are long gone.  Position yourself so God will make his mark thru you.

Christmas In Cambodia Blog

So, I wanted to give you the link the new blog for the mission trip to Cambodia that I am going on.  I am still very excited about the trip and I am looking forward to it so much!!  I will still post some things about the trip on this blog but the other blog will have information from all of the trip participants!!  Please keep us in your prayers!!

Rainy Day Weekend

Well, I am exhausted. At work I have been working hard on upgrading the bookstore inventory software and I have to say I am disappointed on how un-well it is going. I just keep working and praying and I know that it will all work out. And, I guess we learn a lot from things going wrong so I have had a lot of practice this week at learning. Hopefully next week I can implement the lessons that I have learn and make it go a little bit better!!

On a better note, Preston and I are having a ton of fun!! He is an excellent walker and we love to play around. Thru our first (and so far only) fight he learned that I am alpha! Ha! He loves sitting next to me and will follow me all around the house. I have learned that he doesn't like baths (I think this is typical for dogs) and he doesn't like wearing the cone around his head (he has had to wear it when I am not around as he got fixed about 10 days ago). But, he does like the food and dog bones I bought, getting petted, sitting on the couch, but toys he is pretty indifferent about!

Last night Lynette came over and we watched Kiss Me Kate, ate dinner and had Pink champagne. I usually am not a huge champagne fan but Pink was amazingly good! It was fun to drink while watching old moves! Now I need to go antique shopping and find a few old champagne glasses to drink them out of. We just drank them out of my big red wine glasses... just not the same! Ha!

For dinner I made the Baked Thai Corn Fritters but this time I doubled the recipe and added edamame and peas. We had thme with brown rice mixed with Biryani (curried rice with peas, red pepper, apples, raisins and spices) that I bought from Trader Joes and chicken apple sausage. Lynette brought over Stacy Cinnamon Sugar Pita Chips and Mint Oreos. I over-indulged with the pita chips and I did have a (couple) mint oreos. Totally broke my general ban on dessert! But, after the week I had I really just wanted some good junk food! Ha!! I also loved Kiss Me Kate and had a blast chatting with my good friend. It has been a while since we been able to get together. We keep making plans but schedules and sheer exhaustion have kept us apart!

Tailgate Tuesday

Last week Tuesday the I.T. team for all of North Point put on a grill out lunch in preparation for the upcoming football season. Well, it wasn't the only reason... we also wanted to get together with staff so we could get to know them better and they could get to know us better. And, this was such a great idea! Thanks to everyone in the I.T. team I had a blast and I had a ton of fun setting up the event! Big props to Elizabeth for coordinating everything, to Rachael for being the person I got to spend the day with setting up, and to the guys for all the grilling!! Here are a few pictures from the event...

Do you see Ellen and me in the background?!?!?

If you could say a quick prayer for me today... I have been managing a project at work and today is the first day of implementation. I have never managed a work project before (I have always been the one who works tickets out of a queue) so I have been blessed to learn a lot but I am nervous as all get out! I know God is leading and directing me in everything and I am not to worry but I still do. I have said a few prayers myself but I figure the more the merrier!

Baked Thai Corn Fritters

I found a recipe for Baked Thai Corn Fritters on Vegan Dad's blog today and knew I had to make them right away. I, of course, changed up the ingredients a bit so here is my tweak. And I loved the way it tasted!! I made it for just me, but if you are making it for a couple people I would double it, at least!

Makes 4

- 1 cup frozen corn, thawed

- 1/2 tsp red curry paste

- 1/4 cup smelt flour

- 1 egg

- 1 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tsp ginger, minced
- 1/2 tsp dried, unsweetened, coconut flakes, chopped

- 1/2 tbsp cilantro
- 1 tbsp fresh basil, chopped
- 1 tbsp hoisin sauce
- pepper, to taste

- chili powder, to taste


Preheat oven to 400 degrees. I used an iron skillet to cook in.

Put thawed corn in a bowl. Mix in curry paste. Add in flour, egg, garlic, ginger, cilantro, basil, coconut, and hoisin sauce and mix well.

Dip a 1/4 cup measure in water, then scoop out 1/4 cup of batter onto skillet. Sprinkle pepper and chili powder on top.

Bake for 12-15 minutes, turning once in the middle, until golden brown on top.


I loved this and will make it a few more times!! Yummy!!!

Searching for God Knows What

My small group just got done reading the book Searching for God Knows What by Donald Miller and it was another great read. Here is some of what I found most interesting:

• After my friend told me 'reality is like fine wine, it doesn't appeal to children,' I started reading the Bible very differently. I stopped looking for the formulas and tried to understand what God was trying to say. When I did that, I realized God's message to mankind wasn't a bunch of hoops to jump thru to get saved and it wasn't a series of ideas we had to agree with; rather an invitation to know God.
• The problem with God-impostors is that they worship a very small god to validate their identities. This god falls apart as soon as you touch him.
• Man is wired so we get his glory from God. God's love is so pure that Adam & Eve felt no insecurity at all. But when that relationship was broken, they knew it instantly. All of the insecurity rose the instant they realized they were alone.
• What God must have felt, arriving on the scene just after the Fall, knowing all He had made was ruined. Meeting Adam & Eve's eyes for the first time. They are shaking, feeling the trustworthiness of their first love and wondering if He would love them again. Hearing Him speak for the first time as the One who had been betrayed. "Who told you that you were naked?"
• If you declare war against someone else you either have to handcuff them or kill them to win. But if you want them to be forgiven by Christ and live eternally in heaven with Jesus you have to love them. Declaring war in the name of an agenda, in the name of God, is what militant Muslims are doing in the Middle East, and we don't want that here.
• When we read the Bible for other reasons than text to explain God, it becomes a puzzle by which we test our knowledge against our friends, and the views by which we distinguish superiors from inferiors. Its is as though we believe when we die, Alex Trebeck will be standing at the gates of heaven leading us in a mad round of religious Jeopardy.
• Fasting is mourning Him, baptism is identifying with Him, Communion is remembering him.

I love the different viewpoint presented in the book. I never thought of what God must have felt like after the fall, or that God didn't design the Bible specifically for modern day America. But for everyone (yes, everyone) around the world to have a relationship with him. To give us the opportunity to live within the context we were designed and to know His love.

Pretty awesome, I have to say.

Dinner = Amazing!!

We had the most amazing dinner tonight!!! Jennie brought over a butternut squash, wine, and home-made kiwi sorbet and mango sorbet. I have never had better sorbet in my life!! Teesha brought over coconut flakes and chicken stuffed with wild rice and mushrooms. And I had acorn squash with the rest of the ingredients. All together, it turn out fabulous. And I had a great time chatting with them both!!

Maple Walnut Squash

1 acorn squash
1 butternut squash
1 1/2 cup walnuts
3/4 cup raisins
1/2 cup dried unsweetened coconut
1 1/2 T maple syrup
1/2 t vanilla

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cut the squash in half and scoop out the seeds and stringy stuff (save the seeds for later). Put the squash in a 9 x 13 inch pan with the cut sides facing up.

In a food processor, combine the rest of the ingredients and pulse until the nuts and raisins are coarsely chopped. Scoop the walnut mixture into the scooped out sections of the squash.

Fill the bottom of the pan with water 1/4 to 1/2 inch high. Cover pan with foil and bake until squash flesh is tender (about 1 hour 15 minutes is how long it took for me).



Roasted Squash Seeds

Clean the seeds so there is no more stringy stuff. Let the seeds air dry for approximately 30 minutes. Then, in a bowl, I added 1/2 T olive oil, salt, pepper, and Spike (no salt added) seasoning. I then roasted the seeds in a greased 8 x 8 inch glass baking dish at 300 degrees for 30 minutes.


Umm, yea. Yummy!!

My new DOGGIE!!!

So, I am not officially a dog owner!! Wantta see pics of the cute little guy. Here you go...





He is 4 years old and weighs in at a whopping 8 lbs. Which is perfect for me. He sheds a bit more than I had expected however I think it will be completely handable. We have spent 1 full day together and I still love him, so that's good right? Now I am just showing him that I am pack leader (and I will always be leader)!

Today we went to the duck pond across the street from my apartment and he had a blast hanging out in the shade while I sun bathed. Then we went for a quick walk. Super fun day!!

Tonight Jennie (lives in my building) and Teesha (from small group) are coming over for dinner. I am going to make a maple-walnut-acorn squash dish that I have been wanting to make so I am excited about that. If it tastes any good I'll upload the recipe!!

For lunch, I made a smoothie out of unsweetened chocolate, cinnamon, soy milk, milled flax seeds, and mango. Put it all in a blender a blender with ice and it was tasty!!

Restaurant Review: Cru

So, apparently cru means raw or uncooked in French. However this restaurant wasn't a sushi restaurant (as I thought it should be) but a tapas restaurant. Britt, Andrea and I (Andrea is who Britt and I stayed with in Italy a little over a year ago) went there with a group of their friends. Andrea had stopped in Atlanta for a week before heading to graduate school in NYC. Can you believe it... I am so jealous that he is able to live there!!

We started with a glass of Sangria. Their house Sangria was only $5 a glass, which tasted pretty good! Then I got Lamb sliders for dinner which was also very yummy, in fact, everyone seemed to really enjoy what they got. The only complaint was that the food was a little pricey for a tapas restaurant. I generally like to try 2 items at a tapas restaurant but at $12 for my plate that was out of the question. But, if it tastes good that's what counts right!

Either way, I had a great night with my friends... And that truly is what counts!!

Chicken in Lettuce Cups

A few nights ago I had dinner with Jennie (she lives in my building) and her friend Cindy and we made the most amazing lettuce cups... next time I would either use regular lettuce or cut the Boston lettuce leaves into a salad and have it that way. However it did taste amazing!!

2 Tbsp. reduced-sodium soy sauce
2 Tbsp. soyvey sauce (you could just use teriyaki sauce)
2 tsp. grated peeled fresh ginger
2 tsp. sesame seeds

2 tsp. olive oil
1 1/2 lb chicken breast, cut into small chunks
1 c. frozen shelled edamame
3 large stalks celery, chopped
1 red pepper, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1-2 Tbsp dried basil (fresh would be amazing here as well)

In a cup, combine first 5 ingredients. In a large skillet, heat olive oil on medium heat. Add chicken and cook 3 minutes (or until almost cooked), stirring occasionally. Add edamame. Cook 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in celery, red pepper, garlic, and soy sauce mixture and cook until chicken is cooked thru. Arrange lettuce leaves on your dinner plate and use them like a bowl for the chicken mixture.

Enjoy!!

Sesame Ginger Stir Fry

Here was dinner last night... yummy!!

white rice, cooked

1/2 cup vegetable broth
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tbsp fish oil
1/2 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon honey
1/2 teaspoon salt

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
3 tablespoons ginger, grated
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
1 chicken breast, cooked and chopped
1 bag Asian style vegetables (frozen - steam in bag)
1/2 seaweed wrap for sushi, cut into small pieces

In small bowl, combine vegetable broth, 1/2 tbsp of the olive oil, fish oil, soy sauce, cornstarch, honey, and salt; whisk until cornstarch dissolves.

Heat vegetable in microwave 1 minute less than package states.

In a skillet over medium-high heat 1 tbsp olive oil, garlic, ginger, and crushed red pepper for 1 minute. Add chicken breast until heated. Add vegetables. Add soy sauce mixture and stir-fry until sauce thickens slightly, 2 to 3 minutes. Add seaweed and mix in.

Enjoy!!

More pictures added!!

Well, I have now uploaded my remaining birthday pictures!! Enjoy!!

Chicken Spinach Mango Orzo Salad

I had a GREAT birthday today!! I worked during the day and everyone was wishing me a happy day. I loved it! After work I stopped at Whole Foods to pick up some ICE CREAM (made from coconut milk), which was fabulous! I sat out on the roof for a few minutes before deciding it was just too hot to make it any longer. I got to spend time with Erinleigh at my apartment while she made me an amazing birthday cake. Then Jenny (who lives in my building and I generally hang out with n the roof) came over. A while after that George, Miranda and Joe came over. We hung out and I ate so much sugar I think I am high!! I have pictures I need to up load, but that will happen another night...

I also made the following salad today and it is amazing. The only thing I will add in is some chili powder or something with just a hint of spice. Otherwise its perfect!!

For Chicken:
1 large chicken breast
1/4 cup orange juice
3 Tbs. apple cider vinegar
1 Tbs. balsamic vinegar
pinch of salt

For the Salad:
1 ½ cup orzo
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
1 Tbs. olive oil
2 tsp. balsamic vinegar
1/4 tsp. sea salt or to taste
Grated zest of 1 orange
1/2 cup edamame
1 mango, diced (about 1 cup)
1/4 cup sweet onion, diced
4 cups fresh spinach , chopped
1 canned sweet red pepper, diced
Freshly ground pepper


Directions:

For Chicken:
Whisk orange juice, vinegars and salt. Dice chicken into chunks and add to marinade. Marinate 30 minutes.

In a large stalk pot, add water and bring to just a boil. Add chicken and marinate and cook until chicken is no longer pink.

For the Salad:
Cook orzo according to package directions ; drain in colander.

While orzo cooks, whisk the orange juice, oil, vinegar, orange zest and salt in a large bowl.

Add edamame, onion, mango, chicken, and orzo to bowl and stir with a rubber spatula to mix well. Stir in spinach and red pepper. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight.

Enjoy!!

Yay for Birthday Parties!!

I had an amazing time with friends for my 29th birthday party! We celebrated at Teela Taqueria and it was a blast. I had so much fun talking with everyone and it was great to have a reason for friends to get together and meet each other. Its crazy that before this, most of the people at the party hadn't met each other. I will have to do a better job of getting friends together more often!! If you want to check out some pictures... here you go!!

Congrats Brittany & Jake!!!

I had an AMAZING time with my family at Brittany & Jake's wedding last weekend...

Brittany & Jake

Brooke, Brittany, Aunt Julie, & Vicki

I arrived mid-afternoon on Friday and was very excited to see my parents in the airport when they picked me up. We met up with my grandparents in the hotel and in the evening we me up with everyone at the rehearsal dinner. The dinner was more of an outdoor picnic, which was super fun. We had a bunch of picnic tables right by a lake (they don't call MN the land of 10,000 lakes for nothing) and a lot of people played volleyball. We were even able to celebrate Alex's 15th birthday!! I was kinda out of it and quite achy so my parent and I left early to go back to the hotel to sit in the hot tub. It was just what I needed... early night, hot tub, sleep. I woke up Saturday with a new lease on life!!

Saturday morning we all headed to the reception hall to help decorate. My Dad and I put the Hershey Kisses on all the tables, which I thought we did a wonderful job ;) After decorating we went back to the hotel to get cleaned up and dressed up before the wedding at 2pm. It was BEAUTIFUL, my cousin Brittan was GORGEOUS, her sisters Brook and Vicky were FABULOUS and Jake was handsome. It was a wonderful wedding... very traditional until the very end when the wedding party danced down the isle. I loved it!

After the wedding we chatted with family and watched the pictures being taken before heading to reception. I can't say enough about the decorators at the reception... we, uh I mean they, did a wonderful job! LOL! The food was delicious and I had a great time dancing with all my cousins... even Wes came out to cut it up! Brennan and Colton were amazing dancers. However, my favorite dancer was Alex, but that's because she slow danced with me :)

On Sunday we all got together at Uncle Jim and Aunt Julie's house to watch the present opening. Thank goodness Brittany read the cards and Jake opened cause there were lots of presents and we would have been there for days had we had to watch Britt open them all... LOL! After opening we ate Chinese for linner and then had birthday cake for dessert. Yumm-o!

At night my parents and I headed back to the hot tub for some additional relaxation before heading to my grandparents room to play schafkopf. I am so glad we were able to get a few games in this weekend!!!

Then bright and early Monday morning I hopped back on a plane and went straight to work. It has been a very busy week at work too with lots of interesting projects for me to work on. At night, I have tried not to do too much but Tuesday night I scrubbed down my apartment, yesterday I did plates and then walked to Publix to get some popsicles. Tonight I have a mission trip meeting and tomorrow night a group of friends are going to Teela Taqueria to celebrate my first annual 29th birthday!! I am super excited and will remember to bring my camera so I can take many pictures of the festivities.

If I get any additional pictures from the wedding I will post them here!!

Great day!!

I've been pretty busy however I have to be honest... I just haven't felt like documenting lately. I don't know why because whenever I look back on my blog I am super excited that I do update here. So, I promise I'll try harder.

Today was a great day!!! I went with Miranda to an AMAZING vegetarian Indian restaurant called Niramish in Little 5 Points... OMGosh it was great!!! For sure we will be going back there again... we both believe that this is the best Indian we have had in this city and it is comparable to the Indian restaurants in New York. Wow! Great!! Then after lunch I got my hair cut... or more trimmed at my most favorite salon Flick in Edgewood. I always love getting my hair done. Then I ran a few errands before coming home, doing yoga and making a huge salad for dinner. In the salad I added the following as my 'dressing' and I have to tell you this is amazing!!! It's my version of this recipe and I will be making it again. The mint is just perfect in this little recipe. So yummy and so fresh!!

Sugar Snap Pea Salad with Lemon-Mint Vinaigrette

Ingredients

Lemon-Mint Vinaigrette:
3 Tbs. olive oil
3 Tbs. minced fresh mint
2 Tbs. lemon juice
1 Tbs. minced sweet onion
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp. sugar

Salad:
1 lb. sugar snap peas, trimmed (can be frozen or fresh - I used frozen)
mixed nuts

To make Lemon-Mint Vinaigrette: Whisk together all ingredients.

To make Salad: Cook sugar snap peas in boiling water 2 minutes, or until bright green. Drain. Toss peas with 3 tsps Lemon-Mint Vinaigrette. Save the rest of the vinaigrette for later use.

Book Review: Ragamuffin Gospel & Rede

For my mentorship group, we just finished reading The Ragamuffin Gospel by Brennan Manning. It actually took me reading the book 2 times to like it and to understand it. I am generally a pretty good, fast reader. However, with the way I read and Brennan writes I had a hard time following the first time (but everyone else in the group didn't have this trouble). The second time around I had caught onto his writing style and was able to get a lot more out of the book.

Here are some of the points that I pulled out and have really meditated over:

• You are accepted. Never confuse your perception of yourself with the mystery that you really are accepted. Trust in the God who loves consistently and faithfully nurtures confidence, free disciples. A loving God fosters a loving people. "The fact that our view of God shapes our lives to a great extent may be one of the reasons Scripture ascribes such importance to seeking to know him." (Peter Van Breemen, Certain As the Dawn)
• Her spiritual poverty enables her to enter the world of the other even when she cannot identify with that world. The poor in spirit are the most nonjudgmental of peoples; they get along well with sinners.
• The gospel of grace calls out: Nothing can ever separate you from the love of God made visible in Christ Jesus our Lord. You must be convinced of this, trust it, and never forget to remember. Everything else will pass away, but the love of Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Faith will become vision, hope will become possession, but the love of Jesus Christ that is stronger than death endures forever. In the end, it is the one thing you can hang onto.
• The dichotomy between what we say and what we do is so pervasive in the church and in society that we actually come to believe our illusions and rationalizations and clutch them to our hearts like favorite teddy bears.
• The alternative to confronting the truth is always some form of self-destruction. In order to free the captive, one must name the captivity.
• Freedom in Christ produces a health independence from peer pressure, people-pleasing, and the bondage of human respect.
• Perhaps the simplest, though certainly not the easiest place to start, is with myself. Carl Jung, the great psychiatrist, once reflected that we are all familiar with the words of Jesus, "Whatever you do to the least of my brethren, that you do unto me." Then Jung asks a probing question: "What if you discovered that the least of the brethren of Jesus, the one who needs your love the most, the one you can help the most by loving, the one to whom your love will be most meaningful - what if you discovered that this least of the brethren of Jesus... is you?"
• Perhaps we are all in the position of the man in Morton Kelsey's story who came to the edge of an abyss. As he stood there wondering what to do next, he was amazed to discover a tightrope stretched across the abyss. And slowly, surely, across the rope came an acrobat pushing before him a wheelbarrow with another performer in it. When they finally reached the safety of solid ground, the acrobat smiled at the man's amazement. "Don't you think I can do it again?" he asked. And the man replied, "Why yes, I certainly believe you can." The acrobat put his question again, and when the answer was the same, he pointed to the wheelbarrow and said, "Good! Then get in and I will take you across." - This is just the question we have to ask ourselves about Jesus Christ.
• The fallacy in Peter's mind was this: he believed his relationship was dependent on his consistency in producing the qualities he thought had earned him the Lord's approval.
• The mature Christians I have met along the way are those who have failed and have learned to live gracefully with their failure. Faithfulness requires the courage to risk everything on Jesus, the willingness to keep growing, and the readiness to risk failure throughout our lives.

Although I wrote out a lot, there is a lot more in the book! I would totally recommend reading it.

While I'm on the subject of books you need to read... if you haven't already done so, read Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers!!!! I couldn't put it down... I read a 500 page book in a weekend... you will love, love, love it!!! She does an amazing job of story telling. I will be reading The Mark of the Lion series soon.

Strawberries & Steamed Greens

I had a ton of fun this past week but it was jam packed so I am exhausted today and sitting on my couch watching 'Baby Mama' on HBO while drinking ice coffee. What a great A.M!!!!

Week in review... on Monday was small group, I know, it's normally on Wednesday but we changed it for this week. As always, I loved it!!! On Tuesday my friend Kelli came over and we cooked and then ate on the roof. It was great being able to chat and get to know each other better. I am loving having some great girlfriends. And speaking of which, I went to Lynnette's house on Wednesday and she made dinner and we watched a movie. I also got to meet her new puppy Cooley... which has the biggest paws of any puppy I have ever seen!! That sweet little puppy is going to be huge!! Thursday night I had my first CAMBODIA MISSION TRIP meeting!!! I am super stoked to be going in December!! Yesterday I was very busy... and it was my day off! I had a lot of errands to run and that took a good majority of the day. At night I went with Teesha to the Horizon Theater to watch a play. It was sooooo fun!!

So, I bet you are wondering what Kelli and I made for dinner. Well, I had veggie burgers in the freezer so we had that with corn on the cob, steamed greens and grilled strawberries & banana. The steamed greens were amazing and the grilled strawberries and banana was eeeh, ok, but would have been amazing had we been eating waffles! Seriously, I so will have to do them again when I made waffles, pancakes, or those little personal pies that you make when you are camping. You know, the ones that you make over the fire.

Anyway, here are the recipes in case you want to make them yourself!

Steamed Greens with Caramelized Leeks

1 Tbs. olive oil
2 large leeks, white parts only, thinly sliced (11/2 cups)
1 bunch any dark, hardy green (12 oz.), tough veins removed, coarsely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced (1 tsp.)
1 tomato, largely diced

Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add leeks, and saute 5 minutes, or until soft. Reduce heat to low; add Swiss chard and garlic. Cover pan with aluminum foil, and steam greens 7 to 9 minutes, or until wilted and tender. Once the greens are almost done, turn the oven off and add the tomato. Leave the aluminum foil on the pan and let the tomatoes steam for a few minutes.


Grilled Strawberries and Bananas

2 tablespoons lime juice
2 tablespoons honey
Pinch salt
Pinch cinnamon
1 pint strawberries, hulled and halved
1 banana, sliced crosswise into 1/2-inch rounds

Heat a grill pan to medium. In a medium bowl, whisk together the lime juice, honey, canola oil, salt and cinnamon. Add the strawberries and bananas, then toss gently to coat. Reserve any of the glaze remaining in the bowl. Oil the grill pan. Grill the fruit for 2 to 3 minutes until there are light grill marks. Use a pastry brush to brush the tops of the skewered fruit with any remaining glaze, then turn and grill, covered, for another 2 to 3 minutes. Put all the fruit back into the original bowl. If you let it sit for a few minutes the glaze will thicken up. Very yummy!!

Check it out... Straight from Buckhead Church!!

North Point Online Promo from John on Vimeo.

Spicy Braised Greens, Raisins, and Almonds

Here is the recipe for the delicious dinner I made last night. It was amazing!! I used tempeh because I have it on hand but you could use any meat or even tofu. I used too much red pepper flake so I would suggest keeping it kinda subdued. But, do as you please :) Also, this is a recipe that I have made a few times before however it constantly changes to accommodate what I have on hand!

2 tablespoons refined coconut oil
1 red skin potato, diced
1/4 sweet onion, diced
1 package tempeh, diced
1/4 tablespoon red pepper flakes
2 cloves garlic, minced
1-1⁄2 bunches (about 12 ounces) kale, chard, mustard greens, collard greens, or a combination, cut into 1⁄2-inch strips
1 cup low-sodium vegetable stock
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1⁄3 cup raisins
1⁄4 cup almonds, toasted

Heat the coconut oil in a large frying pan. Add the red skin potato and onion and cook for 5 minutes. Add garlic and red pepper flake and cook for 1 minute. Add the greens, handfuls at a time, stirring until they’re all in the pot. Add the stock, salt, and the raisins. Increase the heat to high and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer, cover, and cook until the greens are tender, about 10 minutes, or 15 to 20minutes for collard greens.

In another small pan toast the almonds over medium heat until done. When the greens are done plate them and sprinkle on the almonds and enjoy!!

Starfish, Fox, and a Symphony

Friday night was ladies night for my friends Heather, Christina, Amy and me!! We had a blast!!

Our night started with dinner at Starfish, a sushi restaurant down the street from my house. We got a few different kinds of rolls and split them between everyone. It was a fun way to chat, eat, and taste different options. To fun!
After dinner we made our way over to the Fox Theater to watch Jersey Boys!!




We actually arrive late so we didn't have to wait in any line. However, missing the first bit wasn't great. I had no clue that it was the story of the Four Seasons (I don't know why I didn't know) however Amy clued me in before we got there. Good thing or I would have been royally confused!!! LOL!!!! I loved the musical!! We had a blast watching it!! I would recommend it to anyone.

Of course any ladies night wouldn't be complete without a good cocktail so we walked to Bazzaar for a quick drink and conversation. We had a blast people watching and updating each other on the latest in our lives.

Saturday was a really, really fun day!! I spent the morning at the Peachtree Road Farmers Market. I have always wanted to go to the market but had been trying to clean out my pantry. I finally have it fairly well cleaned down so I figured why not. I love the idea of locally grown organic foods!! I was able to purchase a squash, some green beans, and a few different heads of dark greens. I made up some dinner yesterday from what I got... and yummy!!! I'm going to try to do this more often on Saturdays. There wasn't as many vendors as I would have liked however it was a close walk. I have another option of trying the Morningside Market however I would have to drive there. If I do make it there I'll let you know what I think.

In the afternoon I hung out with VJ and John at John's pool. Always fun to hang out by the pool! On my way home I stopped by Erinleigh's house to pick up her dog Darcy. I am watching Darcy until tomorrow A.M. She is fun however she is a night walker and the tags on her collar jingle when she does. So, I was woken up abruptly a few times last night. Tonight I am going to have to take her collar off before going to bed!! Otherwise I really enjoy watching my friends dogs!! Always a fun time!! :)

Then at night VJ and I went to the opening night of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheater. It was beautiful music, amazing choir, beautiful location. It was also outside in 90+degree extremely humid environment!! Even I was a bit miserable because of the heat, and if you know me you know that is *almost* impossible!! However we did have a blast and it was worth sitting in the heat to hear.

Gone Country?!?!?!

I have to admit, I was excited to visit Dan and Doc, however I didn't think I would like the weather or the 'rough living' lifestyle. However I LOVED it!! The entire trip was great!!! I couldn't have asked for a better time... thanks so much Dan, Nate & Doc for such a wonderful time at Outwest Guides!!!

Dan and Nate at The Cook Shack

Dan and Me Horseback

Doc and his spunky personality!!

I arrived Wednesday morning and actually was early... can you believe it!?!?! We landed before 9am, and my arrival time was scheduled for 9:15am!! I was super excited as I arrived in the *huge* Aspen airport and went to baggage claim to meet up with Dan however he was nowhere to be seen. Ok, I thought, I'll get ready... so I went to the bathroom and came back out. Still no Dan. I walked to the cafe, the store and back to the baggage claim (those are the only places available for Dan to wait inside) but he wasn't there. I called his phone but it went straight to voicemail so I left a message. I walked around some more and found a magazine about Aspen. I took a picture inside the airport. I sat and played solitaire on my phone. Still no sign of my brother. Weird...

I left a few more messages on his phone before he finally picked up. He was on his way and thought that I was supposed to land after 10am. Oops! Miss communication. I walked outside and realized I needed more cloths on. Since I had some time I went back into the restroom and put on my long underwear (I kept calling them my underpants to Dan & Nate which made them laugh). I sat back down and started reading the Aspen magazine. Quite interesting I have to say!

Around 10am Dan did make it to pick me up and we went to a Round-Up that the local outfitters were having. It was the first time they had gotten together like this and it was to build comradely between the outfitters. Apparently outfitters can get quite nasty if they aren't friends so they are trying to build rapport with each other. And, I was able to watch how they each take care of their horses, how the saddle up, how they pack the mules as well as hear a bunch of cowboy/outfitter stories!!

Once we had lunch we all packed up and headed out. Dan, Nate and I went to town to do some grocery shopping and to pick up a few things needed back at the ranch. Once home to Nate's cabin we sat a minute and then went to let the horses out. Finally we ate dinner... I was famished!! It was the best fajitas that I have ever had :)

After dinner Dan and I went to his cabin... which is AWESOME!! It is the coolest place I have seen. It was built in the 1800's by a sheep herding family. It is all propane (no electricity up there), has a bathroom, small kitchen, living room with a couch and wood burning stove, and an upstairs loft with 2 beds. It's very rustic and absolutely cool! Well, cool and it was cold so Dan did a very, very good job of keeping the fire going so I would stay warm all night... what brotherly love!!

Side note, even Nate's cabin has no electricity. They do all heat by wood burning stove however Nate's place has solar power and a back up generator so he has a computer, TV & radio.

Wednesday night Dan and I chatted while drinking beers by the fire. Can you believe it... I had a beer... well 1/2 a can. I drank the second 1/2 the next night... haha!!

Rise and shine sleepy head! We woke up at 6:30am... ugh early!! Much earlier than I wake up at home. But there is work to be done. Dan made some coffee while I got dressed. After drinking our cup we drove to the horses. The weather was awful Thursday morning... rainy and c-c-cold!! Dan rounded the horses and then we made it to Nate's for breakfast. Dan and Nate had cereal and I had left-over fajitas!! No milk for me!!

Dan was supposed to take out a ride in the A.M. however with the weather so bad they moved the ride to the next day. Instead, Dan went out and pounded fence posts while Nate and I stayed in and worked on the website and fliers I have been putting together. After getting that together Dan came in for lunch and then back out to work. Nate and I drove down to the mailbox (which is at the bottom of the mountain). On the way back up we picked up Dan and we headed in to watch a movie. Nate decided that with this kinda weather work was done for the day.

Of course, as soon as we headed in the sun came out. It was still pretty chilly but it was nice to see sun. We watched the movie, changed and went to town for dinner and a rodeo. It was my first rodeo, but Nate says it doesn't count. I did, however, get to wear a real cowboy hat!! Fun stuff!! We ate dinner at the only fast food joint that is in Carbondale... subway. I haven't ate there in forever but it was really good. The rodeo had a few people bull riding (like 7) and Nate thought they were all horrible. Most the rest of the 3 hours was spent watching kid events. It was hilarious!!

Friday was BEAUTIFUL!! Couldn't ask for a better day so Dan and I walked to the horses so he could round them up and then we headed to Nate's place for breakfast. After breakfast I watched Dan get the 3 horses ready so we could go for our ride. I didn't realize how much work went into saddling up the horse. Once he was done we headed into Marble to pick up the rider then the 3 of us went on a 2 hour ride up and back down the mountain. It was beautiful and I took a ton of pictures (don't want Mom to be mad and she totally would be if I missed any photo opportunity)!

After our ride I made Dan and me lunch. Nate had been out shoeing horses and had already had his lunch. I made grilled egg and ham sandwiches. I haven't had that combo before but I have to say it was really good!! Love cowboy food!! After lunch Dan went back to work while I cleaned up. When I went back out Nate and Dan were working on two horses. They had to trim the hoofs and then work on taming them. It was fun to watch Dan and Nate work in the Round Pen. Dan is just learning how to tame horses and Nate has been doing it since he was 10 so he mostly watched and gave instruction to Dan. When needed Nate would step in and show Dan what he needed to learn. I took a ton of pictures and you will absolutely love them all!

Then it was time for dinner. There is one restaurant in the town of Marble called The Cook Shack, a BBQ joint, and its only open Thursday thru Sunday. Luckily it was Friday so we were able to eat there! Dan and Nate saddled the horses (I helped by brushing them) and we rode down to dinner. I had yummy pulled pork, coleslaw, and corn with jalapeno corn bread. Dan and Nate had their burger... all great!! Dan and I finished the night with a piece of chocolate cake!! Yumm-O!!

By the time we made it back up to the ranch it was dark! Dan and I had a quick beer by the fire and then went to bed! We were exhausted but back up by 6:30am to get ready, round up the horses, and go to Nate's for breakfast. Once done, Dan and I went to saddle the horses... once again I brushed them. This time we were going with Ken's son and niece. Ken is the owner of the ranch and his family spends time up there in the summer. We were going out to show the niece how Dan and Nate horseback ride so she can do a few rides and work for them for a month as well as take me on my last ride of the trip.

It was beautiful again... it could make a city girl turn country in an instant! Once again I took many pictures and enjoyed being horse-back. After a few hours we headed back home so I could clean up, pack and have a quick lunch before heading to the airport. My flight was scheduled for 4:30pm.

We made it down and into Aspen with a few minutes to spare so Dan and Nate drove me thru the town so I could see it and then into the airport. After our good-bye's I went thru security and waited for my plane. At 4pm they loaded us in, gave us the speech, and took us down the runway. Then the pilot came on speaker to announce that the Denver airport was shut down. We waited on the plane for 3o minutes then he came back on again to say it would be at least another hour so the drove us back to the terminal and we waited in there. At 6:30pm they said that it would be at least another hour before they would know more and my flight to ATL from DEN was at 7pm. Since I would miss the connection and the only open fight from DEN was at 7pm Sunday I decided to change my flight to Sunday from Aspen at 1:30pm.

I tried and tried to get in touch with Nate and Dan but in the mountains that can be difficult. I knew they were doing laundry so I called the only laundrymat in Carbondale but the lady said they had just left. I left a few messages on the house phone and Nate's cell but the cell was out of service and they had a few stops they took before going home so they didn't get back until after I decided to get a hotel in Aspen. Even if they had come got me after they got home it would have been at least 11pm before we would have made it home and then Dan would have had to take another 1/2 day to get me back. Mom suggested (since I was about in tears from exhaustion she actually more decided) that I get a hotel. I stayed at the the Inns at Aspen which had a shuttle and was the cheapest available. Luckily it was only about 1 mile from the airport (or less) so I was quickly there. I found out they had a hot tub so I found my room, threw on my swim suit, and went straight for the tub. It was great!! Very relaxing. After my quick dip I went back to my room and went right to sleep.

The next morning I went to their free breakfast which was amazing. I made waffles with strawberries, grapes, an egg, and tons of coffee while reading a newspaper. I don't know if I have ever really read a newspaper before! Ha!

After breakfast I packed up and took the shuttle into Aspen. I spent about an hour walking around... most shops were closed since it was Sunday morning but I enjoyed it and once again took a lot of pictures. With the number that I took, I think I made Mom proud!

At 12:30 I was back in the Aspen airport, this time the plane took off and I was able to sit next to a man named Chris who I had a great conversation with. Once we landed I waited to pick up my bag that I had curb checked (wouldn't fit in the overhead bin). We were outside since the plane was so little but it started to lightning around the airport so they moved everyone inside and we had to wait to get our baggage until after the lightning passed. I was in Denver at 2pm and had until 7pm for the next flight. I walked the airport, found where the 2nd leg of my journey was to depart from, looked around a few shops, found where I wanted to eat dinner, and then found a quiet spot to do some work reading. After reading I pulled out my laptop to take notes and found that there is free wifi in the Denver airport. So at 5pm I grabbed some dinner, found a table, pulled the laptop back out and checked emails and did some work. I also spent time uploading pictures and chatting with a few people in the airport. One man I chatted with was going to Detroit to look into purchasing an old Ford plant (for work, of course) to tear it down and build something else. Interesting stuff!

My flight to Atlanta, of course, was delayed but we made it out at 8:30pm Denver time and landed in Atlanta after 1:30pm EST. Ouch! Then we found out that they turn the Atlanta airport trams off at midnight so we would be walking from D terminal to baggage claim. And the bag that I curb checked would have to be picked up there. So we all walked the 6 hubs to baggage claim and the bags hadn't even started flowing yet! It felt like the trip home that would never end! But, finally the bags did make it, I grabbed mine, and the Marcus was kind enough to take me home at 2am! I walked thru my door at 2:30am and made it to bed around 3am.

Luckily the trip was worth the delays! I couldn't have had more fun in Marble, CO and I look forward to the next time I am lucky enough to spend time there!! It was a blast!!

Getting ready!!!

Today is a mixed emotions kinda day. This morning was Sean's funeral and I spent the time in tears. Don't get me wrong, the funeral was amazing, the speakers did a phenomenal job, the music was great, and we were there to celebrate Sean's life which rocked! Also, Gabi and Jana looked amazing!! However it was personally tough on me. I know I will miss him as a mentor and friend. And driving to work this morning knowing that just brought tears to my eyes.

I also am sitting her wondering if my second offer on a condo has been accepted. The first offer fell thru, which I expected, so I put an offer on another place in the same complex. These are the only two places in this complex on the market right now so if this falls thru I will wait/search for other places. Which is fine, but I should know today if the homeowner accepted my offer then it will go to the bank (it's a short sale). I know God has been working on patience in my life (this will be constant) but here I think I am doing fairly well. I know that where ever I end up will be of God's choosing. That he has a plan for my life and that my timing and his timing don't normally line up (my timing always being much sooner than God's).

And finally I am thinking about seeing my brother in COLORADO!!!


I leave on Wednesday and will be taking a TOOOOOON of pictures!! I can't wait to see Dan and Doc!!! I have been talking to Dan and Nate (his manager/friend) over the past few days. Then yesterday they send me an email detailing the weather...

Wednesday...Mostly cloudy. A chance of rain and snow showers in the morning...then a chance of rain showers...thunderstorms and snow showers in the afternoon. Highs 45 to 55. Chance of precipitation 40 percent.

Wednesday Night Through Thursday Night...Mostly cloudy with a 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Lows in the 30s. Highs in the 50s.

Friday Through Saturday Night...Mostly cloudy with a 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Highs 55 to 65. Lows in the 30s.

Ouch. Burr. Holy crap! I don't know what I think of this. I am leaving sunny, 90's weather for this. It doesn't deter my enthusiasm to see Dan (or Doc), but it makes me re-think my packing strategy.

Sean Strickland

Here is an honesty post. I have been fighting with God. I know I will never win, but there are times that I just want to wrestle with him and right now is just one of those times. My head hurts, to the point of a headache. I feel like crying and have teared up more than once in the last hour and have cried hard a few times over the weekend. I don't want time to think so I have been doing as much as possible to keep myself and my mind occupied.

Why all of this? Well, my former manager and friend Sean died suddenly in a car accident last Wednesday. His funeral is tomorrow. He is leaving behind a wife and a 7 year old daughter who I have gotten to know and love. The family had an amazing outlook of what life would look like in the near future. All of that is gone. My heart broke. Why would God have had him go thru all he just went thru and then take his life away?? I know he is in a better place, but his family is not. They are hurting. I started to think of all the things I have been able to do with my Dad from the age of 7 to now and I break down. I can't imagine what that is like. There are times I feel numb, like this can't be real. Every time I start up my car I think, will I make it to my destination?? What was he doing when it happened? What had he been thinking about, he was so close to home. And what keeps going thru my head is why? What is the meaning of all of this?? Why does God even have us here on this planet? Why did He even make us, from the beginning? What is the point?

These are the thoughts that I have taken to bed every night. I have taken to prayer every day. On Wednesday night I was so mad I didn't want to pray, I didn't want to read my Bible, I wanted to rebel and be as far away from God as possible. I was overwhelmed. How can I be mad at God when he exactly where I want to run to for comfort? And after I calmed down (a few hours later) I did go to Him and talked, yelled, and cried.

The following nights my Bible study led me into Ecclesiastes where Solomon is asking the same questions. Solomon goes thru a lot of what he find as meaningless. But then he goes into what is meaningful. And since I have read this verse on Friday, I have been meditating on it. It has been giving me peace.

Ecclesiastes 5:18-20 - Then I realized that it is good and proper for a man to eat and drink, and to find satisfaction in his toilsome labor under the sun during the few days of life God has given him—for this is his lot. Moreover, when God gives any man wealth and possessions, and enables him to enjoy them, to accept his lot and be happy in his work—this is a gift of God. He seldom reflects on the days of his life, because God keeps him occupied with gladness of heart.