2010 In Review...

January

• Celebrated my 27th birthday with a whole week of fun. Three syllables. Sounds so much older than two.

February

• Welcomed our nephew, Kole, into the world.
• Took the first course in training for foster/adoption. Not sure if this will lead anywhere, but it may, eventually and in God's time.
• Sold a bunch of stuff on craigslist. Yay!
• My aunt, JoDee, visited from Turkey.

March

• Took a few key leaders on our team to the NW Ministry Conference - my favorite conference of the year!

April

• Worked together with MLT businesses for the first MLT Egg Hunt. Fun & simple way to serve our community!
• Visited the Tulip Fields with Marisa & the girls.
• Took Matt's mom on a "Mother's Day Picnic" with Marisa & the girls at Ballard Locks.

May

• Joined the camp leadership team to help with planning games.

June

• Surprised my dad to celebrate his 50th birthday.

July

• Had our first sleep-over visit with the girls! Crafts and baking!
• Spent the 4th of July at the Lakehouse with the family.
• Took 14 kids to summer camp.
• Took a trip in the Kayak with mom down the Skagit River from Sedro Wooley to Mount Vernon.

August

• Celebrated 6 years of marriage.
• Said goodbye to my kitty, Fugue, after a long battle with a sinus issue that had turned cancerous.

September

• Celebrate with our friends Michael & Lani as they welcomed their first, Gideon, into the world.
• Built & launched "Club56" - a new way to minister to our 5th & 6th graders.
• Began my first consulting relationship with another church looking to grow their Children's Ministry.

October

• Joined a book club.
• Had the girls over to spend the night.
• Worked with MLT area businesses to host a Trunk 'r Treat.

November

• Finished my 3rd class for this year, meeting my school goal! 3 more to go!
• Crazy snowstorm the week of Thanksgiving cancelled my first attempt at hosting the big dinner! Went to mom's instead - went sledding for the first time AND played golf in the snow!

December

• Learned that my aunt, JoDee & her husband, Paul, will be moving "home" - well, to the west coast at least, to California. Good enough for me!
• Babysat Gideon for the first time. Man, he's cute, and now my confidence with babies is so much stronger!
• Rearranged our pre-K&K classrooms to accommodate our awesome growth.
  
• Flu knocked me out 4 days before Christmas, putting me 2 days behind in preparations for just about anything...
• Had the girls for three days, two nights. Swimming, Christmas lights, crafts, baking, cooking, playing!
• Had planned a special New Year's Eve party for my mom's 50th birthday, but the Worst Migraine Ever caused her to call it off yesterday. Instead, we drove north and met them near the Lakehouse for dinner.
• Rang in the New Year with Michael, Lani & Gideon.
  

Reverb10 - Prompt28

December 28 – Achieve. What’s the thing you most want to achieve next year? How do you imagine you’ll feel when you get it? Free? Happy? Complete? Blissful? Write that feeling down... (More at Reverb10.com)

I have an annual routine of planning goals for the coming year each December. Generally, I choose about 6 goals - usually 3 professional and 3 personal. While I did choose 6 this year, one stands out above the rest as a tad hairy and audacious... It's do-able for sure, it just feels hairy and audacious because it's been on my plate for nearly 10 years.

This year, I will complete my remaining 3 Bible classes and apply for ordination.

I received my credentials to preach a little more than two years ago, but I began the three year program shortly after I turned 18. And I joke about how I "never finish anything". It's time to finish this.

I think I'll feel relieved. If we'd had kids before I finished this, I might never finish it. I think I'll feel proud of myself - not in a haughty way, but simply pleased that I accomplished something. I know I'll feel "done". I've wanted that feeling - to be done - for years. I'm ready for it.

Reverb10 - Prompt 27

December 27 – Ordinary Joy. Our most profound joy is often experienced during ordinary moments. What was one of your most joyful ordinary moments this year? (More at Reverb10.com)

In my line of "work", it's a fairly common occurrence, baptism. I suppose you could call it ordinary. And yet, no baptism is ordinary. Each is different - representing a different story, and more importantly, the soul of a different child of God.

Baptism becomes particularly special to me when it's one of "my own" kids in the tank - a child I've watched grow up in our church, whose eyes I've seen light up at the realization of God's goodness, whom I've had the pleasure of pastoring, loving and praying over.

In July, Shailyn was baptized. I didn't know her quite as well as I know many, as her family had just begun attending our church several months earlier. But I could see in her a real love for Jesus, and she had a story. As she shared with the church, bravely and thoughtfully, why she was choosing to follow Jesus, I cried as I thought to myself "this is why I do it."

Reverb10 - Prompt 14

December 14 – Appreciate. What’s the one thing you have come to appreciate most in the past year? How do you express gratitude for it? (More at Reverb10.com)

You know what they say about how you can pick your friends, but you can't pick your family? It's true about your spouse too. You can pick your spouse, but you can't pick is family. They're a package deal.

I have to admit that, with all the in-law jokes and stereotypes, I really didn't do too badly in this department. After all, I got a sister that I never had, who has given us two beautiful nieces. And this year, I've really come to appreciate my mother-in-law.

My mother-in-law is a deeply caring person, and I know she labors in prayer for us. She has known hurt in her life, and she deeply desires to spare her children from the painful road that she has walked. She looks for ways to help us, and often blesses us at the most needed times. She's always glad to see us, she never makes us feel guilty for not visiting more (we can do that ourselves!), and she'll put down anything to talk to us. She is dedicated, for sure, and I so appreciate her love and counsel.

Reverb10 - Prompt6

December 6 – Make. What was the last thing you made? What materials did you use? Is there something you want to make, but you need to clear some time for it? (More at Reverb10.com)

I make with such regularity that it hardly seems worth posting. I opened iphoto to look for a snapshot of something I've made recently, and the first photo looking back at me was this - my goofy nieces (who can't both take a good picture at the same time) in their Halloween costumes.

I usually shy away from sewing with patterns, because I hate tedium, and all the careful cutting and matching is very tedious. But who am I to resist a little challenge, especially when it comes to making these girls so happy? Marisa bought the fabric and the pattern and I did the (very hard) work.

Sweet little nurses in scrubs. They borrowed mommy's stethoscope and blood pressure cuff. And because I couldn't help myself, I even made matching trick-or-treat bags.

Reverb10 - Prompt 5

December 5 - Prompt: Let Go. What (or whom) did you let go of this year? Why? (More at reverb10.com)

Just last week, Matt and I were playing a game when the dice rolled under the couch. He quickly climbed down onto the floor to locate it, and in the process, retrieved several missing cat toys. Among the recovered treasure was Fugue's husky.

Fugue loved to hunt, and frequently could be heard wandering the house announcing his latest kill with a muffled meow (talking with our mouths full is muffling, after all). The husky was his favorite, a little four inch stuffed dog that used to belong to Matt until Fugue adopted it as his own. I hadn't seen the husky in months.

We said goodbye to Fugue in August, after a long battle against a sinus issue that eventually manifested itself as cancer. For days afterwards, I would hear his meow in the house... and then remember that he wasn't really there. I miss him, and finding the little husky brought it all back.

Reverb10 - Prompt 4

December 4 - Prompt: Wonder. How did you cultivate a sense of wonder in your life this year? (More at reverb10.com)

In my experience, wonder is cultivated when we put life on pause. Catching a snowflake and examining it up close. Turning off the TV to sit next to the lit-up Christmas tree, in the peace and quiet. Watching the waves roll and pondering how no two are identical. Stopping to admire a rainbow. Considering the complexity of the human (and animal) body. Taking a break to play on the floor with some kids. Using the word "wow" liberally, to remind yourself to appreciate differences, uniqueness and - well - wonderment. This is how I cultivate wonder in my life - simply by putting life on pause.

Reverb10 - Prompt 1

December 1 – One Word. Encapsulate the year 2010 in one word. Explain why you’re choosing that word. Now, imagine it’s one year from today, what would you like the word to be that captures 2011 for you? (More at Reverb10.com)

The one word that encapsulates 2010: Focus. This year has been challenging in many ways, all of which come back to my focus. When I have allowed myself to get distracted, I struggle against the tides of disappointment (past), discontent (present) and despair (future). But when I am focused, on what God has given me and what God has for me right now, life is meaningful and fulfilling. That's what I wish for my every day.

My word for 2011 will be: Contentment. Not far from "focus", contentment is a valuable asset to me. When I am focused on the right target, I am content. In this year ahead, I want to live in contentment, not longing for what I don't have, what I feel I lack, but simply content.

"...I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength." Philippians 4:11-13

Scoop #8: Ridiculous Chocolate & Scoop #9: DF Peach

spent a lovely two days at the lakehouse with the fam last weekend, to celebrate 4th of july with explosives and homemade ice cream. loving this new tradition. haven't made a whole ton of new recipes lately, but am experimenting a bit in the dairy-free department. except for last weekend of course - when we did a remake of the Candied Bacon Ice Cream (not as good as the first batch) and also tried CuisinArt's ridiculously chocolate ice cream (can't remember the name, and not posting the recipe because I didn't really care for it... sorry.)

but i did purchase a few gorgeous peaches which sat on my counter, smelling all sorts of good, when the weather turned hot. i needed to use them for fear of wasting them as they threatened to rot on my counter. i recently checked out a vegan ice cream recipe book from the library, to help me in my dairy-free explorations, and while i feel the book lacks some in originality, it did give me an excuse to experiment. so here we are - my adaptation of vegan Peach Ice Cream:

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Dairy Free Peach Ice Cream
2c. Almond Milk, unsweetened "original" flavor
2T. Flour
2-3 Peaches
1/2 c. Agave Nectar (I'm using the darker stuff, and I actually went just shy of 1/2c.)

Cut up peaches into chunks and add to blender. Pour milk and agave nectar into blender. Blend. In a bowl, place 2T. flour, and pour in a little of the peach mixture at a time, up to half the liquid, whisking the flour to blend well. Put the remaining peach mixture in a small saucepan on the stove and bring to a boil over medium heat. Remove from heat and add in the flour mixture. Cover and refrigerate until well chilled, a few hours at least. Freeze in your ice cream maker according to manufacturer's instructions.

Scoop #7: Salted Caramel Ice Cream

or not.

I had high hopes for this one, having had it before at Molly Moon's and loving the intensely salty flavor. I used this recipe, and judging from the fact that they've included gorgeous photos of successful ice cream, I'm assuming *I* was the problem.

I sweated over making the caramel myself, and boy did it taste good in caramel form. I mixed the base, I chilled it for hours, I even popped it in the freezer beforehand just as they suggested. But after 30 minutes in the ice cream maker, it hadn't changed consistency at all, and even another 30 minutes resulted in the same. My diagnosis is the salt content - I may have gotten a little too liberal in adding salt.

So I've popped it in the freezer to see if it hardens at all. I'm dubious, but I'll be sure to let you know if there's any change. Don't let my experience stop you from trying the recipe - just follow it to the letter.

Scoop #6: Creamy Peanut Butter, and his cousin Crunchy Peanut Butter

two for one, and here's how they came about:

i took yesterday off to venture south with matt on a field trip to cabela's. the plan was to stop at his parents place to visit and have dinner on our way home. at his sister's request, we brought along the ice cream maker. but car problems always know how to wreck a well-laid plan. not too far from his parent's place, the thermostat housing blew up and the engine overheated, spewing pink smoke all over the place. we managed to drive it in legs, resting every half mile or so to cool the engine, for 2 more miles to get it to a shop, which promptly informed us that they wouldn't be able to get the part until 9am the next day (today).

making the best of it, we decided to stay the night with the family (having no clothes or even a toothbrush), and the weather was perfect for sleeping out under the stars. the girls were elated at the idea of staying up late to stargaze.

and that is how Creamy Peanut Butter was born. except that we forgot the blade that mixes the ice cream, and tried to do it by hand using a rubber spatula while the canister spun inside. that didn't work, and it took us way too long to figure that out, so matt's mom busted out her old dolly madison ice cream maker, a wedding gift, and we did it the "old fashioned" way. sooo good.

around lunchtime today, mom decided she was up for more peanut butter ice cream, so i mixed up the batter using crunchy peanut butter instead. also really good.

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Creamy and/or Crunchy Peanut Butter Ice Cream

This is made identically to the Fluffer Nutter Ice Cream, but omitting the "fluffer", and keeping the vanilla from the standard vanilla base.

3 1/2c some combination of Half & Half, Whole or 2% Milk
3/4c sugar
1tsp Pure Vanilla Extract
1c peanut butter.

Combine milk, sugar and vanilla in a pour-friendly container. Mix well with whisk.

In a small sauce pan, over medium heat, melt peanut butter.

As it softens, stir in a little of the base at a time, until it's smooth and a bit pourable. Turn off the heat, and keep mixing in more base until it's fairly runny. Ideally, you want to add enough to bring the warm, melty peanut butter, back to a cooler temperature so that it will easily mix into the rest of the base without curdling the milk.

Pour the peanut butter into the base. Add the base to your ice cream maker and freeze according to manufacturer's instructions.

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oh, and the car is better now - thanks for asking. we braced ourselves for serious expense, and got out just shy of $250 - relieved. too bad it took an extra day out of our week - didn't get home until 7:30pm tonight. *exhausted*

Scoop #5: Candied Bacon Ice Cream

Oh. My. Word.

If I never ate a different flavor ever again, if I was limited to Candied Bacon Ice Cream for the rest of my life, I would be completely satisfied with my ice cream career.

Many have turned their nose up at the idea, but if you like maple syrup with your bacon, or if you're a fan of the salty-sweet combination, you'd probably enjoy this.

We loved it.

We did a half batch of David Lebovitz's recipe. I screwed up the custard base (too hot, curdled the milk, overcooked the egg which results in a slight eggy taste) and it was still freakin' amazing.

Scoop #4: Cantaloupe Pear Mint Sorbet

I'm allergic to dairy. Ironic, no? Well, we think I am anyway. If not allergic, at least addicted, because I can't seem to go for more than 36 hours without jonesin' for the stuff, and therefore I can't get off dairy long enough to decide if my skin issues would clear up without it...

So anyway, one day I'll get around to it, and therefore, I need a back up plan. That would be spelled S-O-R-B-E-T. (I really do prefer C-R-E-A-M, but it really depends on how badly I want to itch like a leper...)

I had some leftover fruit laying around and it was time to use it up. I started with the rotting watermelon, hoping that some part of it was salvageable, but soon discovered it was pretty rank all the way through, so I moved onto the non-rotting cantaloupe. Hey, this is real life, people.

Made this up as I went along. It's only about 1/3 of a batch, I suppose.

I loved it - the mint goes well with the cantaloupe, and gives it a very refreshing flavor.

Matt did not love it. Not even sure Matt liked it. Oh well, more for me.

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Cantaloupe Pear Mint Sorbet

1/2 cantaloupe, seeded, peeled & cubed
2 pears, peeled, cored & cubed
2-3T fresh mint leaves, sliced up a bit
2T lemon juice
1/4c water
1/4c sugar*

*The rule for fruit in frozen desserts is that when frozen, it's not as sweet. I'm not sure I believe that, but I'd always prefer undersweet than over sweet. If your fruit seems extra ripe, you may want to cut back on the sugar syrup (cut back on the water and the sugar equally). If your fruit seems more tart, you might want to add more. Next time I make this, I'll use agave nectar in place of the sugar, in which case I'd still cut back, as it's sweeter than sugar.

In a small saucepan, simmer water and sugar together until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and let cool a bit. This is your simple sugar syrup. (If you plan on making multiple sorbets, it wouldn't hurt to do a big batch of this stuff and store it in the fridge.)

Mix fruit, mint and lemon juice together. Add to blender. Pour in syrup. Puree until smooth. Might be a bit warm depending on the temperature of the syrup, so I'd stick this in the fridge until it's cool-ish or until you're dying to finish your dessert.

Pour into ice cream maker and freeze according to manufacturer's instructions...

Scoop #3: Fluffer Nutter

If you're not familiar with the concept of "fluffer nutter", it's about as bad for you as a sandwich can get. Well, maybe not. But remember how I said I was against corn syrup in my ice cream? Yeah, this recipe is my exception.

The "fluffer nutter" sandwich is much like a PB&J... but instead of jelly, you'd substitute marshmallow creme (hence the "fluffer" part). And it's like dessert, on bread.

It also makes for very good ice cream. I suspect peanut butter ice cream alone would be great, but something about the occasional hunk of frozen-gooey marshmallow... oh baby. Matt and I both agreed this was a favorite, to be repeated (though not too often, due to the aforementioned objections to corn syrup, which is like the only ingredient in marshmallows...)

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Fluffer Nutter Ice Cream
I kinda made it up as I went along. That's my disclaimer.

Mix the base for the basic vanilla recipe, but omit the vanilla.

In a small sauce pan, over medium heat, melt 1/2-3/4c peanut butter. As long as you're not allergic to peanuts, I'm assuming you can't screw up this quantity.

As it softens, stir in a little of the base at a time, until it's smooth. Turn off the heat, and keep mixing in more base until it's fairly runny. Ideally, you want to add enough to bring the warm, melty peanut butter, back to a cooler temperature so that it will easily mix into the rest of the base.

Pour the peanut butter into the base. Add the base to your ice cream maker and freeze according to manufacturer's instructions. About 10 minutes from being complete, grab your marshmallow creme and start dropping it by the spoonful into the ice cream maker. It might get a little out of hand. Be prepared to lick up the drips. Just trust me on that. You might do up to a cup of marshmallow creme. Maybe more. I don't know. Wing it. Live adventurously.

Let it finish mixing. Enjoy. Try to make it last more than a couple of days, huh?

Scoop #2: Vanilla

Yep, plain ol' vanilla. Matt's favorite (well, besides the B&J's of course!) We're celebrating his birthday with some friends tonight, and it just seemed apropos to make vanilla.

Need to remember for next time to go a little easy on the vanilla - 1tsp suffices, even though the original recipe called for "1-2tsp". Any more than one and the texture changes because of the alcohol content of the vanilla, I assume.

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Vanilla Ice Cream

2c Half & Half
1/3c agave nectar
1c Reduced Fat (2%) Milk
1tsp Pure Vanilla Extract
Pinch of Salt

Mix well with whisk. Pour into ice cream maker and freeze according to manufacturer's instructions.

Scoop #1: Avocado

Matt's staying with this parents for a few days, remodeling their bathroom. The ice cream maker has arrived. I really can't wait.

Decided to try something exotic: Avocado Ice Cream.

Sounds good, right? It was okay. The recipe used a sour cream base, and I just couldn't get past that flavor. Plus, I may have over-sweetened, substituting agave for the sugar.

Oh well. 1 down, 99 to go!

(Can't for the life of me find the recipe for this... but that's okay, it wasn't that awesome.)

100 Scoops

We bought an ice cream maker. And I'm in love.

We did it in an effort to save money. Yes, really. We recognized how much we were spending on treats and especially late night desserts, and we knew it had to stop. Or at least be minimized.

Plus, Matt was positively hooked on Ben & Jerry's and I'm absolutely beside myself that they use corn syrup in their ice creams. As soon as I realized this about my own favorite flavors, I switched to the much more simply made Haagen Dasz varieties - my favorite being the coffee and/or java chip... But even so - at $4/pint, it adds up. (As do the calorires.) And I still couldn't get my junkie to jones for anything other than "everything but the..." and all it's corn-syrup-laden sweetness.

With our own ice cream maker, we justified, we could control the ingredients, the cost and the calories. So we did it.

Thus launches a completely ridiculous (and potentially fattening) project: 100 Scoops. I'm on a mission to make 100 different flavors. In theory, this could happen in about a year. Or I might get totally bored with it in, say, a week. Either way, no pressure, but stay tuned.

vacation, pt 2

our exploration of lake whatcom was awesome. the water was more rough than we're used to on reed lake, but with adventurous spirits, our 40 minute trip turned into more than an hour. matt fished unsuccessfully from a nearby dock. we headed for a peninsula that proved to have an interesting shoreline, robed in delicate fir trees right up to the water's edge. in a little inlet, i spied a piece of trash caught up in the shoreline and saw an opportunity for a good deed. it wasn't hard to talk mom into fishing it out, but being that it was behind a mess of fallen branches, it required a couple of attempts, the last of which included me nearly rolling us over as i contorted my torso to get under the heftiest branch. we were successful in removing the trash, and stayed dry too. victory.

we barbecued dinner and ate al fresco. matt had been unsuccessful in fishing all weekend, until he was focused on making his burger. bob saw the pole jump and matt took off like a shot to get to the water's edge, just in time to reel in a keeper of a trout. one wasn't enough for him, of course, so he baited his hook before returning to dinner. not 15 minutes into his burger, the pole jumped again and matt moved, even faster this time, to snag his fish. again this morning, as he worked on a puzzle upstairs, we noticed some activity in the water. i suggested matt go check his bait, and he found yet another trout waiting on his line. we decided that the watched pole never catches anything - but the largely abandoned pole is incredibly successful.

this morning, i was up early (as matt has been both days, uncharacteristically), and on a hunch, i poured my coffee into a thermos, grabbed my bible and the single kayak and headed for the center of the lake. out for almost an hour, i paddled slowly, wandered and gazed, listened to the ducks talk to one another, and listened as my Father talked to me. a perfect setting.

spent some quality time in my beads this weekend, feeling some renewed creativity. i quite like the hammered silver look, and i worked through a great gift for a friend, and even a nice pair of earrings for me.

this afternoon, mom and i walked down to a garage sale, finding new puzzles, some toys for little kole and a handmade anthro-esque bag with a carpet-like texture for me.

the afternoon has been casual. mom and bob will head out soon, and matt and i are planning another venture into fairhaven, and i've promised him some company while he fishes at the lake next to ours.

vacation

on the fence as to whether or not i should even keep the blog, seeing as how i haven't posted in 4 months, but i'm on vacation, and if there's any time to post, it's now.

10 days, beginning yesterday.

lazed around the house a bit yesterday, watched a few movies and did a little tidying and packing in preparation for our weekend at the lakehouse. drove up in the evening, meeting mom and bob for a late dinner on the way.

up early this morning, we'd planned on a hike at squires lake. mom went, to run the trails and matt and i hiked the main trail, enjoying the mossy paths, the sparkling water and most of all, the spontaneous communion with nature.

after we showered up, we were ready for breakfast. one of the few things i'd wanted for my vacation was breakfast out on sunday morning, since that's not something i've done since i went into ministry 3 1/2 years ago. we couldn't quite make the logistics work for sunday, so we decided to go out today and just pretend it's sunday.

we drove into fairhaven, a cute little town a few miles north (that actually has a ferry that runs to alaska!!). we ended up at a beautiful little cafe with a lovely breakfast menu - incuding an eggs benedict that featured smoked salmon. mmm.

we had some wandering to do around that cute little town - our adventures brought us to a bead store (yay!), a cupcake place (double yay!) and a sweet garden & art shop (just plain gorgeous). i couldn't help but come home with a handful of beads to make a gift for a friend, not to mention a few new tools - i'm going to try my hand at the hammered silver (ok, aluminum) look.

i was in desperate need of a power nap when we got back, which was downright delightful, and after a few hours lounging about, mom & i are off to explore whatcom lake via kayak while matt & bob fish.

27

my nieces informed me at 7:15am today, standing on my front step with cupcakes and party gear, that i both look like a monkey and smell like one also. good thing they're cute.

celebrating the big 2-7. four syllables sounds so much older than three. good thing i get to go back to three next year.

various celebrations include:
*dinner with my in-laws on wednesday - quite fun. i'd never noticed before, but we laugh a lot when we're with them. i sure enjoy it when my father-in-law joins in.
*coffee with a friend who has her birthday the day before mine - the closest i have to a "birthday buddy".
*aforementioned surprise from marisa & the girls, which included a scrapbook from each featuring pictures of us together, many really awesome drawings of their memories, and an exhaustive list of the reasons why they love me.
*dinner with my family.
*late-night dessert with my girlfriends.
*dinner with m&l tonight.
*something yet to be announced with matt... no idea what he's planning.

i do like stretching this birthday thing out over the course of several days.

2009 in review

(since review posts are just about all i do regularly, we might as well recap 2009.)

jan: bought a house - our offer for which was accepted on my birthday of all days! celebrated my 26th birthday. proceeded to pack up life as we knew it.
feb: dedicated our house undercover, then got our keys a day late, but just barely. spent a week working harder than i've ever worked, and moved in on valentine's day.
mar: prepared for the church's move to the new campus, not the least of which included painting, unpacking, setting up and decorating all of the kids wing rooms. matt got laid off again.
apr: held our first outreach event at the new campus, an easter egg hunt, and celebrated our first sunday morning there on easter sunday. so glad to be "home". katey & rt were married at teh end of the month.
may: worked our butt off on the house. preached for the first time, with Don. took a quick trip to the lakehouse.
jun: celebrated matt's 25th birthday. had a housewarming party!
jul: another quick trip to the lakehouse. went camping with marisa & the girls. preached again, with Don.
aug: celebrated 5 years of marriage! moved in my inherited piano. went to summer camp too. matt got a part time job, which allowed him to work and supplement with his side business.
sep: preached for the first time on my own. matt went to copper island. started E3, our intense spiritual growth journey at church.
oct: creekside hosted it's first comedy club night. so much work; so much fun.
nov: celebrated thanksgiving with dad. got my first traffic ticket.
dec: gave an awesome pyrotechnic (sorta) kids message at christmas eve services. celebrated christmas with all the families; rang in the new year with friend.

happy new year!

december in review...

• crafted like crazy. barely finished it all in time for the holiday.
  
• wasn't quite as prepared for christmas as last year. oh well, not every year can be a real winner.
  
• met mark driscoll from mars hill. cool guy. i've always admired his teaching. we don't see eye-to-eye on everything, but that's not what matters.
  
• blew up a bottle of soda in kids church. that makes for the best teaching ever.
  
• went to the ladies ornament exchange at church. quite fun.
  
• dabbled in mystery shopping. still not sure if i'll keep doing it or not... but was a good learning experience.
  
• cut about 4" of my hair off.
  
• continued working through E3, creekside's spiritual growth initiative. am learning a lot about God and myself.
  
• went to court to discuss a little traffic ticket i received. thank the Lord for deferrals, and the judge who struck fear of traffic laws right back into the hearts of every citizen in that room.
  
• celebrated the birth of my dear friends' first baby. they're single-handedly responsible for starting the "let's buy a house" trend which caught on with all the young marrieds' at our church, so let's hope they're the start of the next baby wave as well.
  
• spoke to the kids at the christmas eve services on the difference between joy and happiness, using flash paper and a candle as a visual. was fun, but the real highlight was that my mom, grandparents and even bob's mom came too.
  
• reorganized my craft room. yay.
  
• changed up our christmas celebration traditions - christmas eve dinner was at mom's, and we spent the night, our first christmas, in our own home.
  
• am currently thoroughly enjoying a week's vacation. have deep cleaned a few rooms, organized a few things, crafted quite alot, and read even more.
  
• am ensconced in a book called "the light and the glory", the history of God's plan for and hand in America. i love history, i love God. good combo.
  
• celebrated mom's birthday today by going to see the new penguin exhibit at the zoo, which included brunch before and afternoon tea afterwards. what a lovely day!
  
• rang in the new year with our dear friends. waaay past my bedtime. i'm afraid i'm just not any fun after 11pm.