New Years 2011

Happy 2011 New Year's

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Random ... But Yum

I thought my blender was broken, but by the grace of God, she lives on and today made me the best smoothie ever.

For your entertainment and potential future use, the simple recipe:

Some crushed ice...maybe a 1/2 cup
OJ 3/4 cup
2 heaping spoonfuls of yogurt
some blueberries
3-5 carrots
some leafy greens (I used spinach, but kale would be yummy too)
a half of a banana
a tablespoon of freshly ground flaxseed

It was delish... got good servings of fruits and veggies and some probiotics/calcium/dairy stuff from the yogurt.

Reviews??
Enjoy :)

"Checking In"

We've been in our new little house for about 2 and a half weeks now. It has been pretty cold since we have been trying to save turning on the heat until November. Well, now that it't November, we have it set to come on when the temp dips below 60 F. It gives a good excuse to wear cozy slippers and layers... and blankets... and to make tea. Or bake something to warm up the house some more.

The space is finally looking more like a home now that we have an eclectic collection of generously donated items (table with chairs, couch, big comfy chair, a table for the window, a washer and dryer, a little hutch).

We also have a new dog... well, new to our little family of two. It's Missy (previously referred to as Misty). She is a completely different dog since she has been adopted into our family. I joke with my family/friends that she is like a kid- just needed a good diet, regular exercise, and some structure in her life and she is back on track. We think she's lost about 2 lbs. which for a small dog, is HUGE. She is definitely cuter now too :).

It was so nice to unpack our wedding gifts, organize our stuff some and start using them. It's rather surreal opening them all back up realizing that that was nearing 3 months ago! How the time flies.

Joel is at his new job and is busy as a bee- for those who like similes. We are looking ahead at this schedule of about 3 months of 11-12 hour days and 6 working days/week. It's going to be a busy spring! It is meeting lots of new people and enjoying the office as well as the occasional travels so far (to Eugene for 4 days).

And I'm looking for a job still. I have applied to probably at least 30 different job postings and have one interview so far for a DHS position- next week. I'm looking forward to it and celebrating little successes in this whole process... no matter how little. In my spare time, I've been cleaning the house, continuing to unpack (I can't believe how long it has taken to organize everything!!), walking our pup, reading Stieg Larsson (SOOOO GOOD), and I joined a yoga studio about 4 blocks away from our house. It is great. I am sore in places I've never been sore before. I also am acutely more aware of my breathing and my body than ever- as they like to say, I'm "building a stronger bond or relationship with my body". My favorite term from yoga so far is "checking in". I love it. The teacher says as we lie on our backs preparing our bodies to begin, "Let's go ahead and check in with our shoulders. How are they doing." As we rotate around and move into new poses, "Go ahead and check in with your knees. Are they doing ok?"... It's awesome.

That's all for now... just 'checking in'.

-Have peace.-

Portland Bridge Pedal

3 hours and 40 miles later... we did it!
We got to enjoy each other, the country's best city, and bikes! I think around 18,000 people came out and we got to cross all the portland bridges. It was a blast and our buns were burnin'. I'm becoming quite keen on the bike riding and getting more and more used to the length of the workout, endurance building.
We saw some very interesting things and some gnarly wrecks- thank goodness for Portland fire fighters (*cough* Jeromy Paul). We are all now stocked on Clif bar hand outs and rehydrated and ready for Seattle to Portland 2011!!!

Master Cleanse

So, I haven't blogged in a really long time, and unfortunately, what comes to mind is what my future in-laws are calling the "poo poo diet", because you drink "poo poo tea". A colon cleanse.
I just started the "Master Cleanse", sometimes known as the Lemonade Diet. ... It's not really a diet that most people think of. It's not to lose weight, though that can happen... but so far (I'm on day two this morning) it hasn't been too bad. I'm getting the hang of it and I have 9 days to go. In for the long haul.
I have received laughs, sisterly concern, excitement, disbelief. The weirdest thing so far was the Salt Water Bath- look it up. And they say your tounge turns a little white then pink when the toxins are coming out of your body then the pink when you are super healthy. There are so many crazy things that can happen on this cleanse that I'm just excited to be fresh, clean, starting over, healthy! I recommend it already for people. It's body, mind, spirit, emotions- the whole deal. Our minds and bodies are totally connected and it's amazing the things we can do in either to affect the other. I think we are so quick to jump to take a pill and this cleanse can assist in avoiding that and I'm learning lots of other ways we can use natural things to help our minds and bodies. It's great- try it!

Spring Break

We had an amazing spring break. It was divine :)
We started off spending the first half at Washington Family Ranch pulling up sod (see Sweat and Earth post) then took the incredible and incredibly long road to Boise... via the Oregon Scenic By-way. It was sooo beautiful. We have some of the best talks in the car and it was such a great place with the amazing scenery to share together. We made it to Boise and had the time fly away so fast as we got to see some friends, golf with my pops and then we headed for the mountains to shred the powder! It was great new snow and I am continually impressed by my mom and Jeff and their active lives at the cabin. They are awesome. I was so fulfilled spending that time with family and enjoying the closeness with Joel. We all got a good laugh when he tumbled through the jump rather than flying over it- wish I had pictures to share of that!!
God blessed us so much to have that time together and with family and friends and the whole week we got to enjoy His glorious creation in many ways. It definitely made the top 5 best spring breaks ever!!!!

Sweat and Earth

The last 48 hours I have smelled like sweat and earth... earth is a mix of grass and dirt. I am at Washington Family Rance- the Young Life camp near Antelope, Oregon. It has been a great week to be able to spend time with people I don't get to see very often and with Joel. (We have 5 months to go as of today, by the way.)
We are on college work week at the Ranch and we get to choose from various jobs to be done in groups for the first part of the week. It includes everything from housekeeping to cutting up chunks of grass and peeling the up with shovels and hauling them to a gator to be dumped at the greens pile- that's what we have had the joy to do this week. I am SO sore. It has been so great this week though.
It is easy during this time to see myself living a sacrifice- I want to be more like that in my everyday. Day in and day out- living life sacrificing, doing things that cost me. I am in a season of sacrifice right now in my life I feel like. It is hard... I'm learning... and I have a strange and unfamiliar joy right now as I reflect on it. God is so good.

Misty

At first I was annoyed with her and the yellow spots she seemed to leave all over the house or the pens of mine she has chewed up and ruined. Sometimes it was the papers she pulled out of the trash to chew up. Other times it was the really soft poos she would leave on our walks that were really hard to pick up from some friendly person's lawn. Gross.
Missy is a little white Bichon pup that I have had the pleasure to get to know. She belongs to GG. She is her constant companion, ever-listening ears, and a reason to get out and walk. Missy has grown on me sooo much. We have gone on bike rides together (I will load pictures soon)and I have taken her over to Joel's house to play and around town. She is so so nice to have in the house when GG has had to be gone sometimes. It makes the house so much more vibrant. She loves attention. She is a little reminder of God's good gifts to us of life and joy. She just loves getting attention, to get her back and belly rubbed, and enjoys playfulness. She does "the dolphin" to get you to pet her and sometimes is so ridiculous. Her excitement used to annoy me, to be frank, but lately, I have needed it and feasted on it.
GG recalls the story, "When the kids called from Salem, they said they had something for me. I said, 'Oh gosh... I don't need anything else in this house.' Then they told me it had 4 legs. ... And now, I don't know what I'd do without her. She's my good girl. Oh yes you are my good girl!"

KatyDid and beginnings

This is a katydid... a rather exciting and cute (katy) bug, but also something that my family has called me- especially my grandma.
So, I've never blogged before. I've read lots of other peoples, but have never had the gumption or courage (if I'm going to be honest here) to write my own. There's been a recent interest with all the crazy, wonderful, hard, joyful, weird, and exciting things going on in my life lately to start one up.
I have been afraid that I need to have something really good to write about just in case anyone reads it, but I think I will just go for it- raw, unedited, true, real, ME. We'll see what comes of it... For such a time is this!

Beginnings... beginnings start. Do they ever end? Or that is endings I suppose. I think I like beginnings rather than endings. Lately I've had a lot of beginnings but am surrounded by some endings too. I just got engaged November 12th (I guess that is longer ago than I realize) and that is a HUGE beginning of forever. Joel. I love him. He is a gift from God- a God-send. We are beginning a life together and I couldn't have fashioned someone better for myself than him. God is so faithful and knows me so well... sometimes He is pretty humorous too in the ways He gifts things and people to us. :) I also am beginning a life without school. It is a funny transition because I'm still in my college town, which is becoming more like home to me these days. This could be temporary as the months pass and I decide when (if?) I will go to graduate school at Portland State U. I also began helping co-facilitate a women's domestic violence intervention group... it comes under other names sometimes because it cover a variety of needs for the women of our community, but that's what I'll go with for now. And I've also began living with an amazing woman who is experiencing things that people do when they get to their endings. She is so alive and so vibrant that I'm not sure this beginning of our roommate-ship is only a beginning rather than nearer to an ending. She is at peace. She loves her flowers. She goes by GG, Grandma, Mom, Dorothy. And of course, the beginning of this blog!
Endings... my last term working with Wyld Life in McMinnville. I am nearing the end of my time living in the city of McMinnville in all its glory. It has been good to me. Joel is finishing up and ending his final season with basketball. I am in my last few months of working with Kids on the Block which has been one of my places of employment the last 3+ years. I will really miss those kids.

I have learned from GG that seasons bring life and seasons bring recognition of life's joys and sorrows. It brings appreciation. That is what I hope to get from these beginnings, endings... seasons.
"There is a time to plant, a time for it to grow, a time to harvest, and times to rest." -GG