4 Years Ago … Part 1

So I meant to blog about this on December 10th, but I didn’t. So here’s my late post ….

On Decemeber 10, 2009, I wrote the following in my journal:

“As I wrote that date I realized it was 4 years ago today that I came back from Israel. Wow … what memories that brings back. I have to stop myself, because I could sit here for hours thinking of all my experiences that semester and how God changed my life. Thank You, Lord, for making that possible!”

I am so incredibly thankful for the semester I spent at IBEX. It truly was one of the greatest times of my life, for many reasons. The Lord taught me so many wonderful lessons, blessed me with new and lasting friendships, and burdened my heart for missions. I got to walk where Jesus walked, pick up stones where David killed Goliath, march around Jericho, wander the streets of Jerusalem, hike (and I mean hike – it’s steep!) the Mount of Olives, raft down the Jordan River, stand in a place where I could see 3-4 countries at one time, snorkel in the Red Sea, eat 1/2 shekel pita and falafel, make friends in the Old City, buy the most awesome t-shirts ever for a couple dollars, listen to gunfire, take pictures with Israeli soldiers, walk around the Temple Mount, go to church on Saturdays, float in the Dead Sea, see where the Dead Sea scrolls were found, listen to the jackals, and read the Bible where it was actually written (my first night there I was sitting outside reading my Bible with Mary, and I stopped and suddenly said: “Mary, we are where this was written!!!!”). That is just a sampling of what I did … I don’t have all day to write this. Here are some pics, and I will be bringing part 2 to you shortly … Enjoy!

Ashkelon Beach ... and the burned down tower

Mary and Me with Egypt in the background

Need to make a phone call?

Nothing screams "Israel" like Elvis and ice cream

We kinda stumbled upon some soldiers outside the Temple Mount

Reading the Psalms of Ascent ... so awesome!!

Making wine

Roberto, typical Christian, me and Mary

The Dome of the Rock ... graffiti

Was this my first ever falafel?!? I LoVe falafel!

 

What You Should All Listen To

The other day I was talking with my friend ab0ut the Next Conference. If you’re interested in seeing what the conference is about, you can check out this link. As a result of this conversation, I went on the Next website to check out some sermons from last year’s conference. I listened to this message, and so should you! It’s called “Just do Something” by Kevin DeYoung (I think it’s the 8th one down under the 2009 messages). It’s about the will of God, and I believe it’s the best message I’ve ever heard on the subject! Enjoy!

 

Still, my Soul be Still

Still, my Soul be Still

Words and Music by Keith & Kristyn Getty & Stuart Townend

Still my soul be still

And do not fear

Though winds of change may rage tomorrow

God is at your side

No longer dread

The fires of unexpected sorrow

God You are my God

And I will trust in You and not be shaken

Lord of peace renew

A steadfast spirit within me

To rest in You alone

Still my soul be still

Do not be moved

By lesser lights and fleeting shadows

Hold onto His ways

With shield of faith

Against temptations flaming arrows

Still my soul be still

Do not forsake

The Truth you learned in the beginning

Wait upon the Lord

And hope will rise As stars appear when day is dimming

 

Greeted by This …

The ROUS (Rodent of Unusual Size)

That dead ROUS is what greeted me yesterday morning. That is right outside my sliding glass door … and it was absolutely disgusting. Despite the fact that there’s nothing to reference the size with … just take my word that it was HuGe! It was so big and the tail was so long, that I was not sure what it was. I didn’t know that rats have tails that long … and that they can be so large. I will spare you any further details on the matter, other than to say “Thank you, Steffi, for disposing of it!”

And need I remind you of these previous posts?!? What in the world?? I’m such a city girl, I’ve never had to deal with these matters before … and I’m kind of getting tired of it.

 

Survey says …

This is in honor of one of the greatest games of all times: “Would you rather…” (it helped pass the time and created lots of laughter at my Orangevale Starbucks, yay!) It’s also just for kicks, because sometimes in life we are reminded of how insignificant we are … and we just have to take it with a laugh or two. So without further ado … would you rather …

1) Go back to your college and have people assume you are an incoming freshman … when you actually graduated over 2 years ago.

or …

2) Be asked by a key, elderly woman in your Bible Study (who has been there since its beginning): “And what’s your name? … What’s your last name? … And how long have you been coming here?” (the answer to the last question … about 4 years … minus a year or so when you didn’t live in the area).

On completely different note … is it really November? Time sure flies when you’re having fun! The funny thing is a couple weeks ago, I saw my first Christmas commercial of the season and … it was just under 90 degrees here in sunny SoCal! That just seems like such a contradiction to me … go figure! I was so excited yesterday when we had a few little drops of rain!! Such an amazing and rare thing here!!

 

East Coast Trip: Top 10 List

#10 – The Leaves – We were there a little too early for the full change of the fall colors, but we did see the beginning and there were spots of color here and there. It was so beautiful, so I can only imagine how gorgeous it must be in full orange, red and yellow!

#9 – Papa Driving in NYC - We were all quite proud of his maneuvering through the crazy streets of the city. We laughed (and gasped) several times throughout the journey. The best part was when we were stopped at a light, and Sally rolled down her window and touched the truck next to us.

#8 – Empire State Building - If you didn’t see the pictures from this post, check it out. It was a crisp, clear night … the view was amazing! When I asked my friends what to do in NYC, they all agreed that I had to do the Empire State Building at night. I definitely agree.

#7 – Tea & Carriage Ride. In honor of my grandma’s birthday, we surprised her by going to tea at The Plaza Hotel and then taking a carriage ride through Central Park. It was so much fun! I absolutely loved Central Park … it’s such a beautiful, calm place.

#6 – North End: Boston’s Little Italy – LoVeD it here! I wonder why?! Mike’s Pastry was just amazing, as I already mentioned in my previous post. And Caffe Vittoria is a legit Italian bar (and by bar I mean coffee shop). My latte macchiato took me back to Venice … it was just grand!

#5 – Sea Swirl!! We were in Mystic, Connecticut (way cute little town with fun shops), and I was craving ice cream. One of the tourist guides to Mystic recommended a few ice cream places, one of which was Sea Swirl. The thing about this place that caught my eye was that Rachael Ray had eaten there on her show “$40 a Day,” and I LoVe Rachael Ray. So my quest … find Sea Swirl and have ice cream there. Well we found it, and I’m not gonna lie it wasn’t what I was expecting. It was just this little hole-in-the-wall kind of place on the side of the street. It was the kind of place where you go up to the window and order and there are picnic tables outside. I told the girl I was a big dork and I was only there because Rachael Ray had been there, haha. She had actually been there when Rachael Ray was there and she told me what she ordered – the codfish sandwich. So all this effort … and she didn’t even get the ice cream! But since I was hungry I decided to be brave and try the sandwich. Note to keep in mind: I do not like fish! Oh. my. goodness. The sandwich was InCrEdIbLe!!! In fact, it’s just before lunch as I’m writing this, and now I want one for lunch. Do you think I can make it to Connecticut and back in 1/2 an hour?!

#4 – Ear piercing! I told Heidi months ago that I wanted to get second holes in my ears. We decided we wanted to get it done on this trip if we could find a place. The process of trying to get our ears pierced was hilarious … we tried to do it our 1 night in Providence, and after 3 piercing and tattoo parlors (or is it a shop – I do not know), more lessons in piercing and gauges than I care to know, and several thoughts of “Am I going to die in here?!” … we did not get it done. In Boston, right before we had to leave (literally … I was afraid we were going to miss our plane, haha!) Heidi and I spotted a Claire’s … and we came out of there with second holes, permanent souvenirs, and a mission accomplished.

#3 – Hot cocoa and talking. On the last night of our trip (in Boston), Heidi and I really wanted some hot chocolate to drink. There was a downpour, we were soaked, we were cold … we wanted to drink warmth. We were back at our hotel, and we weren’t really sure where to go at that late hour to drink hot chocolate. So Heidi, Sally and I headed down to the “lounge” in our hotel to see if they could satisfy our craving … and sure enough, they had hot cocoa … and whipped cream! The three of us sat and talked for a long time and had great conversation. 

#2 – Story time with Papa and Grandma. There were lots of stories and fun conversations and memories throughout the trip, but the highlight was in the car driving from New York to Connecticut. Sally asked Papa and Grandma to tell us the story of their relationship. We got to hear everything from when they first met to their first date to their first kiss to their wedding to their honeymoon to their anniversaries and much, much more. So fun!

#1 – My favorite moment from my trip … the end of my plane ride to New Jersey. It was sunset … there were beautiful, huge, white, puffy clouds … there were amazing colors dancing across the sky … I was listening to the Sovereign Grace song “Glorious & Mighty.” It was one of those mountain top experiences of seeing God’s greatness through His creation and worshipping Him. He is truly amazing!

 

East Coast Trip, Pt 2

I had to dedicate a whole post to Boston, because it was my favorite part of the trip. I LoVe the city of Boston! We got into Boston on a rainy Sunday afternoon, got settled into our hotel, and then I went out with a friend from college who now lives there. I got to spend an hour and a half on a personal guided tour of the city (we drove around, because it was raining), which was awesome! I learned a lot of random facts about places and got to see all the highlights. We then met up with my grandparents and cousins at Union Oyster House - the oldest restaurant in the United States.

View from Papa and Grandma's hotel room - so beautiful! Heidi, Sally & I ended up with a private balcony with that view!

Enjoying our lovely seafood dinner

On Monday, we took a trolley tour around the city. The trolley stops at all the hot spots and you can get off for as long as you want and hop on another trolley when you’re ready to move on. It was a good way to get around if you’re not inclined to walk. Boston Common and Boston Gardens are beautiful! We had a lot of fun taking pictures there, and thanks to photographer Sally, we got a lot of good ones. We had a fun dinner that night with my friend and saw some more sights. Good times!

The original Cheers bar (the food smelled amazing!)

Heidi and I made a new friend, hehe

Enjoying our new friend!

So cute!!

Papa and his twins

Kisses for Papa

Heid & Han

In the gardens

On Tuesday, Papa and Grandma parted ways with us and headed up to Maine. Sally, Heidi, and I went to Harvard and walked around for a bit. Then Heidi indulged me, and the two of us went to Little Italy! We went to Mike’s Pastry, which I was told not to miss (So true - I later enjoyed the amazing creme puff I purchased there). Then we went to Caffe Vittoria, which was recommended to me, and I had a delicious iced caffe macchiato. So yummy and tasted like Italy to me. We met up with Sally and headed back to our hotel and then to the airport. We were all so sad to say goodbye and to be leaving these wonderful places we got to experience. I am so thankful for the opportunity to take this trip – it was a blessing in many ways! I will still post my “Top 10″ list … I purposely left some things out of these last 2 posts so as not to overlap too much. For now, I leave you with one final picture …

These are EvErYwHeRe and EvErYoNe loves them!!

 

East Coast Trip – Pt 1

Many of you may know that I went on a trip to the East Coast a few weeks ago. I was supposed to go on a trip to Italy, but that did not work out and the Lord had other things in store for me. There’s too much to put everything we did and all the pictures we took … but here’s an overview and lots of pics (I will try to get more pics up on Facebook for those of you who want to see more).

 On Wednesday the 23rd of September, I flew to Newark, NJ, where I met up with my grandparents. Thursday we went to New York City and saw the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, and the Empire State Building. I stayed in town a little longer and walked through Time Square to see the lights and the buzz.

At the Statue of Liberty with NYC in the background

My Foot Picture for the trip! Can you believe how big Lady Liberty's foot is?!

NYC was so beautiful from the top of the Empire State Building!!

Me & Grandma

Thursday night, my cousins – Heidi & Sally – flew in. The next morning, we drove into New York City (go Papa, go!). We surprised my Grandma for her birthday and took her to tea at the Plaza Hotel and then went for a carriage ride through Central Park.

Tea at the Plaza

Heidi & Me in front of the pretty bridge in Central Park!

I HaD to do a fish lips picture ... I couldn't resist!

 We then headed up to Connecticut, and Heidi & I became the official navigators, hence the picture with the map and the worried look of wondering how we were going to get from point A to point B (which I think was actually taken heading into NYC from New Jersey). We spent the night in Connecticut and spent Saturday morning at Mystic, CT. It is a beautiful area with quaint shops AND … Sea Swirl. What you might ask is Sea Swirl?! Well … it’s part of my ”10 Top Highlights from my East Coast Trip” so … you’ll have to check back and read a later post to find out!! Man, I am so mean, haha. But continuing on …  

Uh oh

Having fun, hehe

Still having fun ...

Beautiful Mystic

How cute is this place?!

 We ended up in Providence, Rhode Island that night, where Heidi and I discovered their Little Italy and the cutest cafe with the most amazing crepes!! The two of us ate there Saturday night and then made Papa and Grandma go with us for breakfast the following morning (we let Sally sleep in). I got to have one of my favorite Italian pastries – sfogliatella. It was yumm-o!

If I could remember the name of this place, I'd totally recommend it, haha!

From Providence we headed on up to Boston, Massachusetts … which I will tell about in Pt 2! Then I will post my “Top 10″ list … so stay tuned!

 

It all caught up with me …

So the last few weeks have been pretty busy for me. A couple weeks ago I was in charge of planning food for about 60 people for our Bible Study retreat. Yeah, that was a whole lot more work than I realized … but it was great! Then a couple days after retreat, I flew to the East Coast, where I met up with my grandparents and two cousins. We traveled through 5 states in 7 days. Needless to say … it was not exactly a restful vacation. This week the exhaustion of the past few weeks finally caught up with me … especially Friday afternoon. Allow me to explain what happened …

On my afternoon break I decided to lay down for a few minutes, because I was so stinkin’ tired! I went down to the comfortable couch in the lounge, set my alarm for 10 minutes, and enjoyed a nice rest. When my alarm went off, I was very sad because I had not fallen asleep (which was not a surprise … I’m not one of those people to lay down and immediately fall asleep). I thought to myself … “Self, you have a couple minutes of break left, just lay here a minute more … it’s not like you will fall asleep or anything.” Next thing I remember: waking up (a little confused by my surroundings), seeing the lounge door open and someone walk in, and hearing the words: “Rita (my boss) just wanted me to check to see if you were in here.” I quickly realized what had happened, looked at the clock, and was alarmed to find out my alarm had gone off 45 minutes earlier!! I ran upstairs to customer service and apologized to my boss and sat down and tried to work. Problem was, I was dizzy and so disoriented from my long, deep sleep that I could barely function! And the day was almost over anyways, haha.

Moral of the story … always get up to your alarm at work

 

Zucchini Frittata for Jenn

This post is dedicated to my dear friend, Jenn, who got me hooked on the most amazing blog! This blog, combined with seeing the movie Julie and Julia(“What is it that you really like to do?” “Eat!” “And you are so good at it.” “I am good at it … I’m practically growing in front of you!”), has inspired me to cook. I already loved to cook … but now I just feel more and more like doing it! I recently made a zucchini frittata (a frittata is like the Italian version of an omelet, but way, way better!), and I had leftover ingredients to make another. So last night for dinner, I decided to make this scrumptious dish and to document and to blog about my experience. I realized in the process, I’m not a photographer, haha. I have no clue how to take good pics of food … oh well.

Chopping made so much easier with a Cutco knife!! Love it!!!

Oh, and I love my wooden spoon from Sur la Table.

Buon Appetito!

Here’s the recipe I made (I modified it from The Silver Spoon recipe – added onion, thanks to a friend’s teaching) ….

Zucchini Frittata

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/4 cup butter

2 and 1/2 cups zucchini, thinly sliced

1 small or 1/2 large white onion, chopped

6 eggs

Salt and pepper

Heat the oil and half the butter in a pan, add the onion and the zucchini and cook, stirring occasionally, for 10-12 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and remove from the heat. Lightly beat the eggs with a pinch of salt and stir in the zucchini. Melt the remaining butter in a skillet, pour in the mixture and cook until lightly browned *on both sides. This frittata may be served hot or cold.

*My sweet friend, Cristina, taught me the trick of how to cook it on both sides. You can try to flip it with a spatuala … but good luck. The easier route … place the lid on the skillet (I recommend doing this over the sink, just in case of a catastrophe) and flip it upside down. Result: the frittata will now be in the lid, cooked side up. Slide the frittata back into the skillet, resulting in the uncooked side down … allowing for it to get cooked!