Snippet of Christmas

While in Oregon, Jesse and I drove out to St Helens to visit Grandpa and Grandma Nelson.  He had just undergone open heart surgery and was being cared for at a rehabilitation center. An added treat was that Holly drove out, and Dad was already there. It was a mini Christmas minus one important person: Mom.

I sliced my finger open, leading us on our way to get some emergency stitches. Fun way to spend Christmas!!

We'll Be Home For Christmas

After our snow fall, most cars in this area look salty and crusty.  Perhaps I wouldn't care so much if we were still driving Higgins, our Honda Civic, but somehow our bright red 2010 Corolla screams "Clean me!"  What better afternoon adventure is there than driving through a car wash?

 Last night, Jesse and I celebrated Christmas together, opening gifts from each other before boarding our flight to Oregon on Tuesday.  So far, since being married, we've yet to have a "normal" Christmas where it occurs on just one day...I guess we have a knack for spreading out the Christmas cheer!

So, we're headed home to Silverton to spend Christmas with Jesse's family.  We'll also get to see some Nelson clan, hop-skip-and-jumping over to St. Helens to check in on Grandpa Nelson.  Oregon, here we  come!

Snow

We got snow yesterday!!!  My thermostat at work is still broken, so I decided to take some action...hence my hat!

There's our little red car burried under snow.  It was very exciting to watch about 5 hours of snow fall during work.

At the Cross

To the cross I look.  To the cross I cling.
Of its suffering I do drink.  Of its work I do sing.
On it my Savior, both bruised and crushed,
Showed that God is love, and God is just.

At the cross you, beckon me, draw me gently to my knees,
And I am lost for words, so lost in love, I'm sweetly broken, wholly surrendered.

What a priceless gift: undeserved life, have I been given through Christ crucified.
You've called me out of death, You've called me into life.
I was under Your wrath, now through the cross, I'm reconciled.

In awe of the cross I must confess,
How wondrous Your redeeming love, and how great is your faithfulness!

Broken for You...I'm broken for You, my Lord.
Jesus, all that's left, oh I am sweetly broken.

Ritual

The past four sermons at church have been on ritual.  When I first sat down and read the topic, a few things came to mind: sacrifice, religion, and even evil.  Of course I didn't think the pastor would get on stage and teach about witchcraft, but I honestly wasn't thinking on the right plain of intellect.  In fact, the last thing that came to mind was tradition, habit, and recurrence.  Now that the term ritual has broadened, I've begun to think about the importance of ritual inside our home.  What traditions or practices do we keep, and why are they important to us?
Just this past weekend, I went to a Christmas party.  There, the hostess, a good friend of mine, shared with all of us a family tradition she's continued on in her own home.  Growing up as an Army Brat (as she likes to call herself), her family moved frequently. One year, their move was around Christmas, and the packed-up decorations didn't make it to their new home in time.  Karen's mom decided the girls should bake and decorate cookies to hang on the Christmas tree that year.  Every Christmas since then, their family has baked and hung their cookies on the tree along with the other ornaments.  After the Christmas party, we were each encouraged to take a cookie home with us as a reminder...little did Karen know that her cookie reminds me about a lot more than just a fun loving tradition...it reminds me of other rituals more important: blessing, gifts of love, Christ's sacrifice, and family.   

Catering for the Heart

Lunch was catered today, meaning two things.  One: Everyone eats lunch even if they aren't hungry--who misses a free lunch?  Two:  Everyone congregates at various desks and converses over their plates piled high with sandwiches and double servings of cookies. The topic today within our group was cursing.  The general opinion was that children still living at home should not include four letter words in their vocabulary, at home or on the street.  Curious to see where this topic would lead, I took backseat and listened rather than contributed.  While the commonality poo-pooed children cursing, a very large issue was neglected.  No one uttered a word about the adults cursing. In fact, the general neglect of that matter was that it's a no-brainer that parents will curse, but children shouldn't let anything slip off their tongues.  Interesting, huh. 
It's now a couple hours later, and this topic is still fresh on my mind. It makes me wonder what around me influences the words I say or the tone I use?  Who around me rubs off on me and affects my personality?  The answer to these two questions alarmed me.  We're not currently highly involved at our church, so the majority of our time is spent with coworkers. Would I want to resemble my life after theirs?  Not particularly.  All the more reason to be aware of how I act, what I say, and how I say it.  Funny how catering turns from a plate of food to food for thought. 

Randomness

Here's just a little bit of randomness captured on my phone.

Smithsonian

 Washington Monument

 We couldn't get the timing quite right, but I wanted to capture the bright sunset anyways...excuse the blurry photo.

 I guess Mom just realized I was sitting next to her or something...

 We went to a Sports Bar to watch the Oregon vs. Arizona game while my parents were here.

 Christmas has landed in our home.  Out of curiosity I looked outside the window to see if other apartments in our area were decorated (yes, I was a peeping Tom for a second). Much to my surprise I could only see a few Christmas lights or trees through windows...what's wrong with these people?!?  I guess I'll have to make up for them!

Thanksgiving 2010

The table was set.

 Places were marked.

 Desserts were made with love.

 Breaks from the kitchen were enjoyed.

 Sparkling Cider bubbled.

 Thank you, Dad and Mom, for flying out to Virginia to spend Thanksgiving with us.  We enjoyed the hugs, the laughter, and just getting to enjoy time spent with both of you!

We ventured to Mount Vernon. but the rain and dark sky directed our steps to the restaurant instead.

 Mom enjoyed the Peanut Butter soup...she may be the only person within 50 miles who actually liked it.

After lunch at Mount Vernon, we decided to drive to the Natural History museum. Jesse and Dad parked the car while Mom and I waited in the freezing cold (and drippy) weather.

 The sun decided to come out on Monday, so while Jesse was at work, Dad, Mom, and I ventured back out to Mount Vernon to explore the plantation.

 Mom was kind enough to ride in a wheelchair to prevent her knee from killing her.  I have the callouses to prove that we pushed her up hills and through aisles.  What a fun memory!

 Aladdin the Christmas Camel...



Fish Pedi

Thanks to a generous gift from my boss, Mom and I experienced something only "city folk" could think up...a fish pedicure.  Perhaps you've seen it on the Today Show or Good Morning America, or perhaps you've never heard of it before and your shaking your head already.  A fish pedicure involves your bare feet, a tub of water, and a large family of hungry, sharp-toothed fish.  Think piranha on a gold-fish sized level.  Okay, so perhaps it wasn't quite that severe, but it was definitely an experience.

Once we were over the first shock of the extreme tickling sensation, we were able to sit back and relax against the waterfalls.

The fish especially loved Mom's feet...yum yum.

After twenty minutes of being submerged with our hungry little friends, we were then ushered to two thrones.  Mom had never had a pedicure before, so her Ooohs and Aaaahs entertained the Vietnamese ladies working on our feet.  We had forty-five minutes of relaxation, and then they painted our now very soft feet.

We must have looked like we needed some extra pampering because they offered coffee, tea, and soda.  RELAXATION at its finest.

After the pedicure, we had manicures, and whuuaaalah.  We're now complete...or are we now beautiful?  One of the two...or maybe both.

Taking a Break

I'll be taking a break from from blogging .  You'll have to check out other blogs for entertainment or boredom (whichever you get out of this one) for a while.

Correction

My last Chicken tip was incorrect, brought to my attention from none other than Judy West Nelson.  Please excuse my lack of research and statement that in order to have eggs, you must have a Rooster.  I stand corrected--in order to have chicks, you must have a rooster, but hens will lay yummy eggs without their man.

Here, Chik chik chik

In honor of Mrs. Kara West, I'd like to share some simple ways to take care of chickens. After all, you yourself may also find six chickens in your backyard some day! Here's to farming!
1. While chickens are capable of finding their own food (bugs and seeds in the ground), they do require some additional nutrient supplement. No, Cliff bars won't work. Sprinkle Scratch in their pen along with your kitchen scraps (fruit, veggies, and bread). Don't forget to provide water.
2. Do you like long walks on the beach? So do they--but they prefer your yard. Don't keep your chickens cooped up all day. Consistently allow them to roam free. You'll find their eggs to be healthier and tastier. A happy, exercised chicken = yummy scramblers.
3. Winter weather can be difficult. You won't find chicken sweaters and booties at Petco, so you will need to take extra precaution to keep your feathered friends from freezing. Cover the pen and the coop windows with plastic to limit drafts. During the day, allow your chickens out of the coop. If you don't, they will quickly tire of each other and fight with their siblings.
4. Hungry? No eggs? Simple. Place a plastic egg or golf ball in the fresh nest. Your gal will get the idea. I wonder if this works with husbands..."Heather, what's this baby doll doing on my pillow?"
5. Most importantly, and especially for Kara, if you would like your hens to produce eggs, you do need a rooster. Can't live with 'em, but certainly can't live without 'em!

Vote YES for Bundling

Jesse and I woke up extra early this morning to carry ourselves to the voting booths (our first time voting at a booth and not on an absentee ballot or Oregon's paper ballots). We bundled in our wool coats to protect against the chilly 37 degrees, and of course we rewarded ourselves with a cup of coffee.
Gloves and scarves have made their way to the front of the closet once again as the temperature drops. In just a few days, the 60s have turned into 50s, and it's almost too cold to keep our windows open at night. People at work laugh at me when I bundle up to venture out for lunch, saying "You're from Oregon, you should be used to this cold." Don't they realize I haven't lived in a cold climate for over 7 years??? I will wear my layers proudly!