The cycle...

I've had quite the morning. There's no mistaking it, God IS stirring. You see, pretty much all components of life as I know it are in a stage of change. I am all but done with being an intern, we are about to move, Mike quit his job yesterday, I am turning down an otherwise great and promising job offer as a dietitian...that combination would typically send me into a whirlwind of stress and worry and fixation on how to gain back control. Instead, I can truly say there is an unwavering peace of mind that has consumed us. Instead of grasping for control we are learning to be still in prayer, submerge ourselves in the Word and seek out and dream of His will in place of our own. We have no idea what that looks like, but there has been such a cycle in the ideas that stir our hearts. And I know and understand that God is doing the stirring, that He is the sole source of that peace of mind, hope, comfort and trust. Today He led me to a blog (while I seriously need to be doing homework, mind you. I love how He works through even our procrastination and search for distractions from productivity!) that further led me to the most intensely spiritual moment I've experienced in quite some time. It was and is powerful and I am thankful. The most intriguing aspect of the journey recorded in this blog is that it is happening. It is not an account of what has been done, what has occurred. It is playing out now. I cannot even begin to tell you how so many parts of the content touched and moved me and how those moving moments led to feelings of being encouraged, challenged, blessed, changed...


Like my friend Mc said, God is about to blow this world away! We feel it! I feel like He is working so hard to reveal Himself and His will to me, aching for me to choose Him, count all else as loss (Philippians 3:8), and follow Him to secure my part in it all - the JOY and the SUFFERING. I don't know if I've ever heard Him so strongly before. We are far from honed in, but we are excitedly expectant! 


The story that moved my morning was the one of Katie - a 23 year old that left a life of American comfort, a loving family, the pursuit of her typical dreams to go to Uganda. At first just for a year, and then more, and more. Now she calls it home. She is a single mother to 13 girls, all of which she adopted and has loved and led. Her obedience to God's will for her life and transparency is truly inspiring.


Check it out - Kisses from Katie. Prepare to be moved.

"If we are really following Jesus, we will go to the hard places. Being a Christ follower means being acquainted with sorrow. Because we must know sorrow to fully appreciate joy. Joy costs pain, but the pain is worth it."

Two birds with one stone :)

As you know, I'm finishing up my internship program and with that comes all sorts of assignments I've put off until now - one of which is a media project, and since a blog is, in fact, media then some of my nutritional ramblings can be housed here to account for some credit. 


A couple of our closest friends, Megan and Mike are about to go on a major adventure. Major. They have been planning and planning (and planning and planning) and some 47 days from now they are heading out to thru hike the Appalachian Trail! Sure, for your good old weekend camping trip you can bring along your favorite foods, even fresh fruits and vegetables. But for 6 months out on the trail trekking the 2,179 miles between Georgia and Maine there are many other considerations. Weight. Convenience. Storage. Preparation. They will be adopting a daily hiking regimen and burning anywhere from 5,000-7,000 calories per day, so they're going to need lightweight, convenient food that doesn't weigh down their pack while offering them a lot of bang for their buck energy-wise. So, for Mc & Mike - a few trail recipes that I hope will be helpful. And don't worry, you can count on us for a substantial food drop (maybe even some cowboy cookies). We love you both and are praying for you everyday :)


Strawberry Sensation

• 1 cup strawberry Frosted Mini-Wheats
• 1/2 cup dried strawberries
• 1/4 cup yogurt covered raisins
• 1/4 cup chocolate chips

While you're at home, combine all ingredients in a zip lock bag. (Let me know if you need help, Lol). Each bag makes 1 serving - 622 calories.

On the trail, eat as breakfast or as a snack.

Hangdog Oatmeal

• 2 1/2 cups oatmeal
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• 1/2 cup dried bananas, powdered
• 3/4 cup chocolate chips 

At home, combine all ingredients in a zip lock bag. Each bag makes 1 serving - 679 calories.

On the trail, boil 4 cups of water. Stir in contents of bag and remove from stove. Set aside and let cool.

Cranberry Orange Rice

• 1/4 cup instant rice
• 1 tbsp dried cranberries
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 packet True Orange
• 1 tbsp powdered milk
• 1 tsp brown sugar

At home, combine everything into a zip lock bag. Each bag makes 1 serving - 430 calories with honey topping.

On the trail, pour mix into pan and add enough boiling water to cover mix. Let stand until rice is tender. Top with honey.

Snickerdoodle Coffee Mix

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup powdered milk
• 1/4 cup powdered non-dairy creamer
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 3 tbsp instant coffee granules
• 1/4 tsp allspice
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon

At home, combine all ingredients into a zip lock bag. Each bag makes approximately 8 servings - 90 calories per serving.

On the trail, add 3 tbsp of mix into 3/4 cup boiling water and stir.  

Cheesy Bacospuds

• 2 1/4 cup instant potato flakes
• 1/2 cup instant dry milk
• 1 packet Butter Buds
• 1 1/2 tbsp dried onions
• 3/4 cup crumbled bacon or Bacon Bits
• 1 package powdered cheese spread

At home, add all ingredients into a quart size freezer zip lock bag. Each bag makes approximately 4 servings - 480 calories per serving.

On the trail, bring 4 1/2 cups of water to boil. Add water to bag and stir well. Let stand.

I know, once you eat any of these for days in a row they won't be appetizing anymore...but may they keep you energized and get you where you're going. One foot in front of the other!

Maybe one day :)

New way to the finish line...

Then, calling the crowd to join his disciples, he said, "If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will save it. And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul?" 

Mark 8:34-37 

Automatic. Expected. Normal (whatever that is!). Safe. Considered. Planned. Comfortable. Accepted. These, I feel as though I have always clung to. I have held ownership over my life, selfishly followed my cookie cutter ambitions, found my comfort in meeting expectations and God is now stirring beautifully unexpected, exciting ideas in the mind, heart and soul of both Mike and I. We are not without fears or hesitation, but we are hopeful and full of faith. Please pray for us :)

You have to release to grasp.

Sweet redemption!

Upon some reflection over a smooch down and some chicken noodle soup I decided that I haven't had such a day in some 22 years. Bee-tee-dubs, a smooch down is otherwise known as a grilled cheese, although I'm aware of its widespread limitations. Anyways, I woke up this morning to 7-8" of fresh powder. To you non-skiers, that's terminological lingo for a white blanket of untouched and glorious snow. There's some specifications dealing with the texture of that snow - granulated, packed, moisture content, but who wants a lesson? I ain't picky and neither is Upstate South Carolina. Me and my people have not seen such a snow day since 1988 and I was probably diaper deep in my own filth for the better half of that day so let's just call January 10, 2011...redemption. 


Snaps from the day.

Our house in the fresh powder.

Sully had a big day right along with us. He's currently in a coma (aka nap), curled up keeping my feet warm. 

I tend to surround myself with Megan's, it somehow just happens. But judging from experience, they make the best of friends. Here's two of my three. Solid company for a snow day :)

You may wonder how you can spend an entire day outside enjoying the precious rarity of snow. A little creativity and some crazy boys helps keep the day packed with fun. This is my husband, jumping a ramp on a knee board after being pulled behind a four wheeler with a ski rope. Although we're big chity people now, we're from a small town - the kind with nothing to do. Like good little adults, we're putting our life experience to good use. 

Winding things down with a good, rich cup of hot cocoa. That's what kept the girls going when our little fingers had barely enough sensation in them to tell whether we had actually snapped the capture button on our cameras or not. 

So, there you have it. The recipe for a seriously great snow day, sweet redemption or not. Now I am le tired. 


And speaking of recipes, let's swap some of those! But keep in mind, this girl doesn't have a dishwasher........I actually have TWO and they are connected to my arms.

This side of the fence...

All fluff aside, scraight-up-da-screet to the point. Mike and I had one heck of a conversation this evening. The kind about life. Questions posed. Answers guessed. Precipitation of deep inner emotions, one's you are unaware of until the said divine conversation happens and they spill out like a juicy rumor in an office full of women. Yep, that kind of convo-sesh. Pure out loud contemplation, and bonus - with the one that's going to live it all out right by your side. 


During our lengthy dialogue, my ever-steady, contemplative husband made the point that we are ALWAYS talking about what's next. The future, our dreams and our intentions on following them, our plans. The other side of the fence - if you will. And would you even believe it if I told you? - I completely agreed. Its as if we couldn't care less. Did I say that right?! I feel like humanity has been getting that phrase wrong for years. Anyways, we really don't concern ourselves with today. Instead we constantly focus on the happenings that will unfold after, after, after...after WHAT exactly?! Which really deprives the day of joy and opportunity. 


Today. This day. The one that we're living but is yet so often spent consumed, in one way or another, with the ones that will follow. Sure the future is fun to think about all shiny and new. Hop-in-your-hovercraft-and-go-get-you-some-Dippin' Dots (you know, ice cream of the future). But why is it so hard to focus on the present?! During college most settle in the bittersweet mix of the vow to never again crack another textbook and exercising 100 different ways to soak up the last bit of the freedom-filled life they've lived (in orange!) with all of their best friends. After that, in those first wobbly steps into Dun..Dun..Dunnnnn "the real world" occurs a flip flop that is sure to give you whiplash. You're propelled into this whirlwind that's hard to explain. Unpack that - jobs, bills, insurance, schedules, only getting to "catch up" when you can, never-ending decision making that you still funny being responsible for, a budget, and finally - the pressure to proceed on to the next step. That last one's the kicker. And don't even get me started on our analyzation of how it must feel 10+, 20+, 30+ years on the daily grind, throw in the responsibility of having kids to the mix - real life needs a Yoda.


So, after all the perplexities and a conversation that stretched much longer than Mike bargained himself for, we surfaced with something quite simple. 
A plan to not plan. 
I know, all of this for that?! 


While the uncertainties are vast, we will cling to the following:


1. We want to live in God's will - where He would have us, when He would have us there, for the reason He would have us there. That seems fuzzy a lot of the time, but we're growing and learning and trusting.
2. We don't desire any form of the "corporate ladder" just yet. This is the part where the deep, inner emotions oozed in. Its the part that goes against the grain and makes us, and probably our parents, uncomfortable. And now, a bit of a grammatical appositive for you - As irresponsible and unprofessional as it is, I am so tired of being so focused. I feel like I could jump out of my skin. I've always (and I mean, always) been so planned, unwavering and there's more to me yet - I can just feel it. I explained it to Mike like this, "I can try to apply how I've always been to all these hypothetical experiences and adventures we talk about and it doesn't make any sense. But I feel as though I'm not who I am yet, like I need to apply something, something bold and off-the-map to who I am now in order to become who I need to be." 


I know, its a little deep, but I share with the hope that I will hold myself to it. And Mike's on board, too, he really is. He's worked so hard, gone on to dabble (aka pull regular 80-hour work weeks) in a career field he's sure he could say goodbye to. "Shift gears" is currently our middle name - and how cute, we share a last name, too. We don't know what it will look like, but we know that the typical American dream, settle down, race to the white picket fence, financial stability, homeowner, dream job thing just isn't for us right now. More like road tripin' out West, maybe someday following some 5 million footsteps of our brave and inspiring friends, some longterm international missions...


This day. The present. 


P.S. There is absolutely NOTHING wrong with settling down and starting a family and we admire and support our many friends that have done just that. Its truly something we dream of doing one day. We just have a little itch to scratch first :)

Hit or miss?

A drop in a bucket. A dime a dozen. A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. A chip on your shoulder. Beat a dead horse. Come hell or high water. Don't count your chickens before they hatch. Drive someone up the wall. Everything but the kitchen sink. In like Flynn. Loose cannon. Like a chicken with its head cut off. The last straw. Tie the knot. Smell a rat. Raining cats and dogs. Keep your chin up. Last but not least. No really, that's the last one, as in not-to-be-confused-with-one-that-I'm-asking-you-not-to-consider-as-the-least-just-because-I-put-it-last-in-this-ridiculous-list.


Okay, enough with the idioms. Which, now that I glance back, approximately half of them reference some type of barn animal. Hmmmmm weird.


Anyways, today was a hit or miss kind of day. I started my longterm care rotation that turned out to be more of a hit than a miss, but nothing to call home about. There I go again.


Overall, life's pretty sweet at the moment, Mike and I are on the home stretch of this single income, tuition paying, seeing each other in passing, bridge building job from you know where. Not that we're not thankful, we know that you can't really slap the hand that feeds you. but really, its just not where our heart lies. So what's on deck? A little time to retool, rejuvenate, recharge, rethink, reconsider, readjust, restrategize - you know, some good old R&R...&R&R&R&R. Plus some things that don't start with R, like pray, save (the cheddar), and enjoy ourselves just a smidge. But much more on all that jazz later...


Back to my day and the hit or misses.

Well, this was technically last night, but nonetheless a HIT. Pile up night with Katie complete with various techie Apple products, the Tech game and the season premier of the Bachelor. And finally, some hot chocolate with a twist. 

I'm a big mint + chocolate fan. Let's just say I could captain the ship, but this was such a disappointing MISS! In hindsight, I cannot believe I thought the sweet, dairy filled goodness could be replicated in a stick of gum. I do have a food science degree and according to my expertise, not worth the 5 calories.

Not only am I a sentimental being, but I am also a creature of habit. Take it a step further - I am a creature with sensitive skin. I cannot find my bodywash, my dear sweet tried and true Lever 2000 Pure Rain, ANYWHERE! I usually stockpile them in two's or three's but the river has run dry. I guess I will now have to add my perfect blend of lather and foam, signature lingering scent to my ever-expanding list of products (that I happen to hinge my life around) that circle the dark black abyss of discontinuation. I'll let you know if its a HIT or MISS.

An 83 minute catch up sesh with my mom, spanning the 2700 miles between us. Do you even have to ask?! Such an unmistakable HIT! She always keeps me going :)

This is a toss up, but I'm gonna throw it in the MISS pile. Because of my big, sweet, furry Bink, I have fur balls EVERYWHERE in my house. Don't get me wrong, he's worth it, but he's also the reason you can pick up my broom and literally see where my hands usually grasp the handle. And look at him - spoiled rotten, paying me zero attention while I clean up behind him. Nature vs. nurture, I'd like the final answer to that. 

Please tell me you've eaten from the coffee table that is an unstoppable 24 marathon. Its a definite HIT and we're obsessed. We do take a hiatus every now and then, but Mike and I have been anticipating a comeback any evening now. If I can only manipulate him with a decaf (SIKE!) cup of joe then I could squeeze that precious extra 48 minutes out of him. That way after surfing between the Sugar Bowl and the season premiere of the Biggest Loser we can end our night with a little Jack B.A.uer (sorry MacGyver) action. You should rest easy knowing someone's out there giving those fictional terrorist the business. 

So, I hope your day was riddled with HITS, skimpy on MISSES. How was I on the idioms? Anybody got a final count?

Here we go, 2K11

As the sentimental being that I am, the first day of a new year always seems to render some room for nostalgia to seep in, but what a blessing to have lived days you yearn to live again. As far back as my memory can take me to this fresh new life I get to call "the present" can be fully measured in blessings, even the not-so-fun junk if I can establish the right perspective with some prayer and time in the Word. Some of the most fresh...

Having our sweet puppy, Sully. He adds a lot of love and laughs to a lot of days :)

Being newlyweds and doing life with our dearest friends, the Martins! And Megan & Bryan Davis, we adore them, too. I just don't have a good all inclusive picture :)

Our one year anniversary trip up to a cabin in the mountains of North Carolina, kicking off the start of our SECOND year of marriage! Lots of quality time outdoors just the two, well three of us :) 

Meeting new, solid friends to go through the internship process with, couldn't get by without them!

Flying out with Shellee to see Mom in Oregon for Thanksgiving! We have missed our Mama and it was so good to get to see her!

Having our first little place to call our own :)

Our Anderson family ski trip over Christmas break :)

And regardless of our crazy busy schedules we've had going on lately, we've managed to enjoy some good playtime with family and friends and to get outside.  

So, what to do exactly with this new year? Great observation Carlos! (C'mon, the Magic School Bus, Ms. Frizzle) I'm landing on...reflecting on the blessings and God's provision in my life. And after I've carried on with that for oh, about 80% of my day, then I intend to use the other 20% to tune myself into the direction He has for me. Mike and I are always chasing feelings of where to go and what to do next, but God's always trying to teach me the "be still" (otherwise, don'tcha dare worry about it, hey-look-over-here-remember-me?, my plans > your plans) lesson. So in this moment, the present, Holy Cow 2011! my prayer goes a little something like Paul's ancient hopes for himself and the Thessalonians:

"So we keep on praying for you, asking our God to enable you to live a life worthy of His call. May He give you the power to accomplish all the good things your faith prompts you to do. Then the name of our Lord Jesus will be honored because of the way you live, and you will be honored along with Him. This is all made possible because of the grace of our God and Lord, Jesus Christ."

2 Thessalonians 1:11-12

Happy New Year to you!