Summer Days

The weather finally seems to be taking a turn for the warmer. Thank the good Lord that we are finally  moving out of the dark cold of winter/spring and welcoming the sun with open arms!

Unfortunately, summer does not mean every day is warm as we learned this past Memorial Day weekend. The Hub's family has property in a popular vacation spot in Eastern Washington just above Lake Chelan. It is a gorgeous, clear lake surrounded by rolling hills and wineries. It's packed during the summer with people that love sun, water and lots of alcohol.

Anyway, we packed up our tent, some old clothes, hard lemonade and headed out for the 4 1/2 hour drive and staked a claim on their land before anyone else showed for the weekend.

This is my tent.

I say My tent because I bought it on my own before I met my husband and I spent a whopping $140 at Costco for it. I bought it for a church camping trip in Orondo which is situated at the mouth of a wind tunnel. I was beyond proud of my tent on that trip because mine was the only was the only one which stood tall during a windstorm that knocked everyone else's tent to the ground.

So since then, I have been strangely attached to my Coleman Weathermaster. I set it up on my own and take it down on my own.

My sister-in-law made fun of my for also packing an air mattress with matching sheet and comforter set. What can I say, I am kind of a mini-Glamper!

Our weekend started off with partly cloudy weather and gradually remained mild at best with some rain spurts here and there.

The only real negative happened on our first night when we came to the conclusion that it was absolutely FREEZING. We huddled with our cold sensitive puppies in between us under at least 6 blankets but still managed to be severely uncomfortable the rest of the night.

Luckily, my wonderful in-laws had a portable heater which we brought an extension cord for to keep us in a comfortable temperature for the rest of the trip.

We got incredibly dirty, ate lots of great food, chopped wood, built a bunkhouse, played phase ten and went wine tasting. So pretty much an amazing weekend was had.

And yes, Jew and I lovingly groomed my father-in-law. She was a tad bit overdramatic thought.

Here is praying for a little bit more sunshine though for the rest of the summer months!

Boredom

Here are some are trivial things but they make me who I am and anything that does that to a person has to be worth mentioning, right?

1) I love to read. Books! GLORIOUS MAGNIFICENT ADVENTURES ON THE INK TYPED PAGES OF A PAPERBACK! Or my kindle. Which I recently broke :( sad day. I will read whenever the opportunity arrives. I order books of of Amazon like no ones business and my dream one day is to have a library with floor to ceiling shelves filled with books. And not just any books. I am fairly picky about what I choose to read. I like Victor Hugo, JK Rowling, Khaled Hosseinni, Jane Austen, Charlotte/Emily Bronte, Orson Scott Card, Aldous Huxley, Ayn Rand, Joseph Steinbeck and most any other writer who produces literature of skill and interest and artistic form. In comparison, I LOATHE Stephanie Meyer as an author and a few others whom I personally just don't find their style interesting, like Joseph Conrad. I was one of those few kids in high school who honestly enjoyed reading the assigned novels in english class and I would finish them all early and start on the next one. I like to lose myself in a good book, a story and a place with people that all exist inside my head. I have ridden broomsticks to Hogwarts, flown kites in Kabul, fought along the wealthy students on the streets of Paris, courted Mr. Darcy, run away from Mr. Rochester, trained at Battle School, became an individual who loved exclusively and drove to Eden in the back of a pickup truck. I never left my chair or my cup of tea but I had such grand adventures indeed.

2) I cry when I hold other people's babies. It happens subconsciously but I get emotional around infants. Probably some weird maternal hormonal thing but something about the smell of their hair, their soft giggles and snuggling deep into my arms to sleep triggers a desire in me. A desire to start my family and have lots of my own babies. I cannot wait to find out that we made a little life and I get the privilege of nurturing, growing and caring for it inside of me. I am excited for labor pains and learning my strength as a woman, the giver of life. I have my opinions on the art of childbirth already laid out. I am excited for ten little toes and ten fingers to nibble on. I want a nursery to decorate and little milestones to witness. I want to pick their name with incredible care and find fun ways to announce our little joy. I even want crying, spit up and dirty diapers. All the glamours of motherhood. I am young and I have time, this I know, and I honestly hate when people remind me of it because it is obvious. I am allowed to be excited and have this desire. And personally, it is no one else's business when my husband and I decide to start our family. So about your opinion? No thanks, we don't want it.

3) I get discouraged too easily. I think I try to be positive about most life situations and trust in a divine plan, which I do. But sometimes, it seems, that when everything goes according to plan, little detours and potholes show up and in the end you wonder if you ever should have taken that road in the first place. It is life, and it's crappy sometimes and wonderful other times, but sometimes you worry when you face big decisions and fear making the wrong choice. Take the plunge or climb off the diving board. Either way, you cannot stand on the edge forever.

4) Family is the greatest thing. I have close family. Both my own and my in-laws. Though they live far away I still feel close to them. I wish we could all buy acres of land and live on the same property. My mother literally still has a plan for us to do this. And honestly, the thought would freak out a lot of other people, but in our case, it seems natural. My children's grandparents on both sides to be running distance away would be my greatest joy. To have all the aunties and uncles near and cousins who grow up as best friends. Family is forever and even if we disagree, we are loyal and we love in all things.

5) I am ridiculously uptight sometimes. People think I do not realize this but I do. I like to play mom to others, sometimes even when I do not have to. Responsibility weighs far too heavily on my shoulders at the wrong times, sometimes the right times as well. But I am stubborn, and I get snappy or rude or conceited at times. I get defensive. I do not condone or defend it but it seems to be a consistent part of me that I am learning to recognize at times. Maybe I will control it someday. At least I am trying.

6) I think it is absolutely disgusting when people drink the milk out of their cereal bowls after they are finished. I have always hated it. My whole family thinks it is nasty. I distinctly remember two occasions when I was younger in which I was forced to drink it. The adults who instructed me to do so was a girl scout leader and a dear Aunt. Neither of which I blame at all because to most people it is wasteful to pour out the milk which they would find no issue to drink. I on the other hand hate the taste of milk tainted with cereal and just thinking about drinking warm milk with bits of food floating in it honestly makes me gag. I would gladly pour it down the drain. But now, I love nothing more than to put barely a splash of almond milk in my cheerios so that when I finish it, not even a drop of milk remains. No guilt, no waste and no gagging!

7) Mushrooms. Foul capped little demon fungus. I hate them. Always have. The smell. The look. The texture. The taste. The fact that it needs a damp dark dirty place in order for it to even grow just churns my stomach. That and broccoli. Raw is fine. I don't enjoy it but it does not bring out the loathing I have for cooked broccoli. The smell is horrific and a small piece of cooked broccoli in a dish will honestly ruin everything in the vicinity. I might like it one day but for now, sick.

So I was bored and wrote all this down while watching BBC tv shows on Youtube while I simultaneously deep cleaned my kitchen in a lost effort to save it from the sugar ant invasion. These are the things a stay at home wife with no husband does on her free days errrr every day actually. :)

A Change of Direction

Sooooo, unfortunate news awaited me once I turned on my phone in the Fort Lauderdale airport after our trip. It seems that due to extenuating circumstances, the position at the dental office I was hired for is no longer available. Other details were included but it is not my desire to share them here.

Long story short, I am now jobless once again.

I have never had as much difficulty finding a job as I have since we moved here. The demand is simply not the same as back home. It is understandable though considering CDA is a small city and I am not the only qualified dental assistant searching for employment. But it is an incredibly difficult fact to swallow.

And as much as I would love to be a domestic diva and keeper of the home, preparing to be a stay at home mommy someday and rock a fifties dress and pearls while I bake pies and vacuum, our pocketbooks won't allow that luxury just yet.

I am in a difficult period of life, with no employment, my husband away for long periods of time and our finances strained because of it. So changes might happen though nothing is yet set in stone.

For now, I am trying to trust Heavenly Father in his divine plan and will for us in all things. Even if I am unable to see why a certain direction was taken or a circumstance made. But I need to trust. I trust my husband to provide and I trust the Lord to lead us and open doors for us and close them as well.

For now, I have accepted this sad change and hope to have good news to share in the near future. Whatever it may be.


"And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, ²⁹ yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. ³⁰ But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? ³¹ Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ ³² For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. ³³ But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you." Matthew 6:28-33

"I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

John 16:33

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

Romans 8:28

But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

Matthew 6:33

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope

Jeremiah 29:11

April Update

Hello fans! Actually my family, a few friends and the random person that ends up here through the vast maze that is the internet. I am a busy bee so sometimes I need to throw in a bunch of stuff that happened recently in a single post. Let us begin on this wild adventure!

Dentistry and Pediatrics

Children are a blessing and I fully agree with that. Which is probably why I am pretty much bouncing off walls and ceilings with excitement over my new job. I finished my first week of working there and it was superb. Dr. Dance is absolutely fabulous and easy-going with one of the funnest offices I have ever been in. The kids are great and even the random tantrum thrower is not difficult to handle unless screaming 5 year olds send you running into a closet to hide in fetal position. Lucky for me I do  not take it personal and find working with children all day to be charming and easy in more way than one. Getting bit every once in a while is not an issue when you work with such amazing ladies and a great professional. I only wish I had such a dentist when I was small. I feel so blessed to have been given this amazing opportunity to exercise my skills and bring glory to my creator through them.

False: Because 99% of the time it is because you actually were not flossing. Your red, swollen gums and heavy plaque prove that each and every time.

Crossfit and Paleo
I am officially joining the crazy world that is Crossfit in less than 2 weeks. I am pretty much stoked because I am so darn impressed with the diligence and determination involved.

The plan is to pretty much become a beast. No big deal. 

I have been eating a fairly strict paleo diet the last month in order to prepare myself for a major lifestyle change. For anyone who does not know, paleo is casually referenced as the caveman diet and tends to go hand in hand with crossfitting. In a summary, paleo focuses on clean eating vegetables, fruits, berries, nuts and meat/seafood with no allowance for any grains, legumes or dairy products. If it grows on a tree, swims in the sea, walks on the ground or grows in the dirt on its own without human cultivation, you may eat it. The fish must be wild caught, the meat must be grass fed and free roaming, organic vegetables and no processed foods. None! That means no sugar! Oh vey! Americans eat over 200 lbs of sugar a year on average. So lets just say, my diet was less sweet in the past weeks. I can't eat sugar, milk, cheese, yogurt, ice cream, bread, soy products, peanuts or everything in between. It sounds insanely difficult but it has actually been incredibly simple. I feel better and sleep better and am prepping my body to use it's systems in the way they were designed. I am pretty excited for bootcamp to start and see what the gift that is my body is really capable of!

Fellowshipping
If anyone knows me well, you know I love the big man upstairs and his sovereignty in flesh through Christ Jesus. I have extremely conservative beliefs based on most people's opinions, which does not really fit well in our politically correct country of ours. And you know what? That is great because we are also a free nation that allows me to believe whatever I want. And let you believe whatever you want as well. Amazing concept right? Americuuuhhhhh!

Anyway, I am a huge Mark Driscoll and Mars Hill Church fan. You know, that really controversial church based out of Seattle where my pastor apparently is a huge woman hater and bigot and it is all a huge cult because he dresses like a normal person yet holds strict biblical view. Thanks for letting me know, your enlightenment astounds me. Yeah, that one. Well, every Wednesday night, a group of young adults in the CDA area meet at our house, watch a sermon, worship, pray and discuss together. It has been such an encouragement in my life as I move to a new area and grow as a woman into my own beliefs and desires. I like to bake and set out coffee for it and we all seem to have a fairly good time. It is glorious and I am so thankful for our new friends and the opportunity to fellowship together. (Big Christian dictionary word thats basically hanging out with a purpose of spiritual encouragement) Learn something new everyday!

    

Vacation, All I Ever Wanted!

I know 3 lines of that entire song but it felt appropriate at this moment. My hubs, my parents, sister, her friend and I are all leaving for the Bahamas in less than 24 hours!!! We are all departing from different locations from Spokane, Seattle and Elko but the goal is to arrive at the fabulous Atlantis resort on Friday. 

Not this atlantis....

Or the one Disney made.

But this beautiful place!

I have been to Jamaica and to Cancun but never to the Bahamas so we are expecting a grande new adventure, albeit a tidbit on the pricey side. But we love to travel and hopped on the sunshine train as  winter seems to linger on forever in the northern US.

I am frantically packing, cleaning and shutting things down in our home all by myself because that is what I do while hubs works, I delegate and take charge of my own to do list. This is no exception. 

I may go overboard on responsibility, like turning down our thermostats and unplugging everything in the house and eating nothing but Kale for 3 days so I can have a relatively empty fridge when I leave. But it is me, and if anyone knows me, this would not be suprising. At all. Not even a little. 

So bon voyage as we jet off to paradise for a week. We will tell you how it is when we return broke and probably fatter then we left!

Words to Pictures

I love books and I love movies.

I love literature and I love film.

I especially enjoy movies that are produced accurately off of a particular play, novel or fable.

This year there are a great number of films being produced which I am waiting anxiously to view.

One of these is Romeo and Juliet based on the world famous playwright of Shakespeare. I normally am not fond of retellings of this story unless it is the 1996 version which portrays Leonardo DiCaprio as a  gangsters in the Venice beach area wooing the daughter of a rival played by Claire Danes all while  speaking perfect lines from the origional play. It captures what is most beautiful about Shakespeare, his words.

This new version is using the same technique but setting it back into the renaissance period from whence it was staged originally. I am beyond excited.

The Great Gatsby is also soon to be released starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Casey Mulligan and Tobey MacGuire. It is easy to say just from the trailer that it will be incredible beautiful cinematography with accuracy to F. Scott Fitzgeralds origional novel of bootleggers, adultery and the roaring twenties.

But this new telling brings to my mind a particular issue I have with a lot of films that base off of novels.

INACCURACY IN THE CHARACTERS.

For example, twice in the Great Gatsby, Daisy Buchanan is described as having dark hair while Jordan Baker is a honey blonde. Yet in almost every film made of this novel, actresses with the opposite hair color are cast. Why is this? Is this because we as a society, see Daisy in her shallow, flirtatious way and instantly envision a blonde while her athletic, and independent counterpart in Jordan is seen as a smoldering brunette? It is a shame really that we deviate from the authors intent in order to fill a vision society places.

Another issue I always had was with the potrayal of a blue eyed Harry Potter in the series of films. Anyone who has EVER read the books knows automatically that Harry has green eyes which are the exact color of his late mothers. Hence the constant reference to "Lily's eyes".

Characters are always noting this physical description of him which later becomes a point when Professor Snape is killed and asks to look at Harry's eyes because they remind him of his mother, whom Snape loved his entire life. A torment that Harry, with his father's looks and mother's eyes, would be a daily reminder to Snape of the love that was lost to another. But, apparently, this was not an important issue to the directors because even later on, during a flashback scene, the red head who plays Lily as a child has dark brown eyes. So we, as an audience, are apparently supposed to overlook this? Maybe if you simply enjoy the movies as entertainment and don't care about the story or character development, this is no big deal. But for those of us who based their childhood waiting on another HP novel to be released and literally suffered emotional turmoil at the hands of these paperbacks, it is kind of a huge deal.

I mean come one, they did not even try at all. The above photo basically describes my feelings whenever I watch that scene.

For that matter, Narcissa Malfoy is a blonde with striking blue eyes. Not this weird dual color and chocolate eyes that was cast as Draco's mother. I can think of a number of actresses who would have fit the bill better. But apparently no one saw sticking to JK Rowling's work of genius as important enough.

THANK YOU!

It is a stupid rant but one that has always bothered me and probably will continue to bother me until film makers start taking an authors work seriously enough to stay accurate.

Rant over.

I just hope they do not screw up Ender's Game at least. Hoping but not counting on it.