Exploring new paths

A few weeks ago the Lord made it clear that it was time for me to step out of ministry in Focus (my church's young adult class), and simply take a break for a while. I'm one of those people that when I'm "in", I'm in all the way - so its hard for me to just jump from one ministry to another. So far I've found the time off to be quite refreshing - grabbing a coffee and relaxing before corporate worship allows me to observe what's really happening within our body. It also gives me time to reflect on where God would have me use the talents and abilities he gifted me with next. I have some ideas but am still uncertain where he'd have me move.

While most of the people around me see my decision as a good course of action, there are some that have kindly expressed concern that I'll remain unplugged indefinitely. One conversation today started my mind percolating, as the speaker commented about those that had become involved with the Emerging Church movement (yes, I count myself as one of those) tend to leave a ministry/the church and never put down roots with another body of believers.

I can confidently state that this will not be the case with me. And while The Matrix has been overused by my generation as a way to express themselves, a conversation between Neo and Trinity near the beginning may help clarify my stance.

Trinity: Please, Neo. You have to trust me.
Neo: Why?
Triniity: Because you have been down there, Neo. You know that road. You know exactly where it ends. And I know that's not where you want to be.

I know the road of disconnection. I walked it for five years. I know where it ends: misery, despair, hopelessness, loneliness. It holds the illusion of freedom but in reality is laced with chains and traps that bind. I'll never forget what it felt to walk that road - which is why I can be so confident when I say that it will not happen again.

Nothing can compare to the completeness I feel when connected with God's people. I love the imperfectness of it, as we all strive to learn what it means to live like Christ. I love that progress is expected - just like you expect from any child as they learn and develop.

Prayer is a powerful thing. So pray that I discover the path the Lord has before me - and that those who may have been led astray will return to the only path that leads to true joy.

Refreshing the Kitchen, part 2

The weather has turned colder, which means I've moved from outdoor to indoor projects. A rainy day in May led to the beginning of my kitchen refresher, and last week I happily finished the task of repainting my kitchen cabinets. Paint is a cheap, easy way to achieve a fresh look (much like hair dye, hmm...) - a gallon of paint is around $15 and the cabinet liner was $4/roll and I only needed 5. The most expensive part was my time - probably 30 hours all told.

I loved the modern look of black cabinets, but I'm really enjoying the white. My kitchen is pretty small, so anything that helps it seem larger is great. Painting the cabinets white allows the sunshine to reflect from the two windows - and that really helps when I'm struggling to wake up each morning! I painted the handles the same brown as the walls - having a bit of trouble finding the look I wanted so that was my quick fix.

Lower cabinets

I just love using Mason jars to store items - they are an easy way to organize and also see what I have left. Can you guess which items were canned fresh from the garden this summer?

Above the stove - currently holds random small appliances.

Dishes, baking supplies, spices and cook books (Joy of Cooking and Williams-Sonoma).

A remnant of cabinet liner gave Miss Sumatra a new mat as well.

Thanksgiving

I happily joined my brother Daniel, his wife Kim, and their son Barak for T-day at their home again this year - I knew that if it was anything like last year it would be memorable. Sure enough, Daniel had a crazy story to share . . . and while I won't share it here, suffice it to say it involved ashes, fire, and an almost call to emergency services. Ah, family - love it! Contributions included cornbread casserole, green bean casserole, beverages, hors de ouvres and likely other things I'm forgetting!

Mom and Dad kindly provided the turkey (quite moist and lovely), dressing, mashed potatoes and gravy. The dressing was a crockpot recipe via Southern Living which turned out quite well, and very much reminded me of what Mama Sue used to make - err, provide. When I arrived at Dan and Kim's Mom was playing Wii bowling with Barak - who was gleefully provided Gramma with advice.

It was great to see Gran and my aunt Lorie from Far Far Away (Overland Park). Gran is doing well and had a great time playing Mexican Train with myself, Kim, and Barak after dinner. It was wonderful to catch up with Lorie and chat about how our pups are doing. I was impressed that she'd taken her pup out for a walk this morning - way too cold for me!

My contributions to the meal were rolls, blackberry cobbler and pumpkin pie. I'm not a pastry maker (yet), so pies were my option to help push my culinary boundaries. I definitely made a few mistakes with the blackberry cobbler. Looks lovely in the pan but pretty impossible to dish out - should have drained the berries (why in the world didn't I think of that?). Next time I might do a vanilla wafer crust - that would likely give it a bit more stability.

Pumpkin pie, I must confess, has never been high on my dessert choices. There's just something about the texture that doesn't sit well with me. Yet I knew it had been asked for specifically so I had to do my best. Turning to foodnetwork.com I found Alton Brown's recipe - if anyone can change my mind it's him! I'm happy to report that I ate an entire piece - and gladly brought the leftover home. I'll never fear it again.

One final pic - my aunt and I both worked hard on the weight thing this year, and I'm so proud of both of us! What a great feeling to look back and see so many positive changes after a crazy start to this year. There is so much to be thankful for, and I was glad to share this day with my family.

Quick Quiche

Brunches are lovely, so when my mornings are a bit more laid back I love to try out new recipes. I chose to make pies for Thanksgiving dinner this year - opting to purchase pie crusts since I've yet to conquer pastry making. Since I only needed one - this was the perfect chance to try a quiche! It also helped that I came across an amazing sale and picked up a great quiche pan for less than $3.00.

I was familiar with the basic ingredients for quiche, but just to ensure I used correct proportions I did a few recipe checks. Eggs, half and half (you can swap for milk, but as this is a splurge sort of dish I stick with the richness of half and half), veg, cheese, perhaps a meat (ham or bacon usually) all whipped together and poured into an unbaked shell. Forty-five minutes later I was enjoying this loveliness!

I used spinach, onions and Swiss cheese - it turned out so great I'm sure this dish will enter regular rotation. Next time I'll caramelize the onions first though, to add a bit more flavor. I'm also thinking that a Greek version would be amazing - think Feta cheese, red onions, green and red peppers ... mmm. A bit of fruit on the side and this makes a refreshing breakfast and a great treat for a cool fall morning.

Review: Towers of Midnight

If you're a Wheel of Time fan and haven't read Towers of Midnight yet - well, go no further until you have. Definite spoiler alert as I discuss the highs and lows of the 13th book in arguably the BEST fantasy series of my generation.

For those that don't know, Robert Jordan began the series in the 1990s - and knew how it would end from the get go. Originally envisioned as a trilogy, the series presents an immense world filled with politics, religion, culture clashes, the One Power, and of course, male/female misunderstandings (which are simply hysterical). Jordan died before completing the series, and Brandon Sanderson was tapped to complete it. This is the second of three novels Sanderson writes, using the extensive notes Jordan left behind.

In all the ways that matter, this is a much better work by Sanderson than the previous (The Gathering Storm). While there were sections in which Sanderson's voice was obvious, for the most part it felt like text Jordan had written. It was great to see Mat acting more like the rouge I've come to love - he wants nothing more than to be considered normal, and he's anything but. Perrin has been my favorite character since The Shadow Rising, and I found myself staying up late many nights to find out what would happen. His storyline had felt quite scattered - and it was quite satisfying for the Berelain and Morgause stories to be resolved. Galad, a character that was introduced early but received very little face time, played a key role and is one of the few that has been consistently portrayed through the novels. And thank goodness we finally made it to the Towers of Ghenjei - a spectacular section (that came at the end of the 861 page book - I was seriously worried the cover art was a big tease).

Yet there were flaws - the most notable were proofreading errors in the copy (dear Tor, I'd be happy to take on that task with the final novel). Egwene seemed to have completely changed personalities between TGS and TOM. If Elayne complained one more time about drinking goat's milk...Aviendha showed up 2/3 of the way through - and she got little text in the previous book. I can only hope the next novel features her more (it must - she learned some key things in Rhuidean). The title itself - we saw the towers in the opening and that was it - what the heck? I assumed we'd learn more about Seanchen, but that was a total bust.

All in all, a great novel and a perfect buildup to the 13th and final book in this epic series (due out this time next year). I've read each so many times I've lost count, and the audio books are in regular rotation. This series is one that I've spent nearly 20 years reading - and it covers a 2 year time span for the characters. Highly recommended - start them now, you won't regret it!

An Art-full Weekend

It was a week filled with major (hard drive failure) and minor (what, no coffee beans in the house?!?) disasters - that ended on a high note. As I sat home Friday evening, trying to decide which of the downloadable classic Zelda games I'd purchase next, I received a timely IM from my dear friend Emily. Symphony tickets you say? Yes! I'd love to get dressed up and head out for a night on the town. And when I discovered that she'd never been before, well, that just made it all the more exciting.

I was lucky enough to receive quite a bit of arts exposure when I was young - school trips to the symphony, summer musicals at Starlight and Shawnee Mission Park, visits to the Nelson-Atkins Museum - and the realization that not everyone has that chance makes me a bit sad. It's difficult to express why the arts are so impactful - you just have to experience it. So go already!

Anyway. I was excited to find the Michael Stern would be conducting - I haven't had the chance to see him in action yet and his passion was awesome. He's a full body conductor, as much a part of the story telling process as the musicians. Each of the three pieces told an emotional story of romance - at times gentle and soothing but at others wild and dramatic. There's a need for both in life, right? Absolutely breathtaking and truly and evening to remember.

Saturday evening saw the debut of my darling niece, Miss Ella Grace, in a KCBT children's program. I was so thankful I could attend! She even had a solo near the beginning of the program, and gleefully sang to the joy of her happy parents and brother (and aunt of course). It's such an exciting thing that children in our church are exposed to arts opportunities, and I think she's one that will enjoy them for a lifetime. The fact that she gave me a bit of a shout out and wave from the stage, well, that's just a moment I wouldn't trade for anything.

A truly wonderful end to a rather stressful week - and the perfect way to kick-off some vacation time. Here's to a memorable Thanksgiving week!