The Marine

Sometimes we forget... that far away, across the seas, there are still wars being fought to protect the freedom and safety of citizens of the United States of America. We live in comfort and domestic bliss, while public servants endure hardship as good soldiers... fighting, standing, holding ground, seeking information and doing many other things that I know not of. All to protect the life that I live here.

May we always love these soldiers. Who willfully abandon lives, dreams, goals, futures, time, memories and all that is precious to them... to protect all that is precious to us.

Somehow these things become more real to each of us... When we know that soldier. When we talk to him before he says goodbye. When we hold dear the friendships of his family. When we have grown up together, spent hours travelling and living and eating and loving together. When he is like our brother.

This is Matthew. The Marine. My friend and almost-brother.
He has recently moved into active duty. Soon to be sent to Afghanistan...


Come home safely, my friend.

I'm a Cook for the People!

I have always loved to make food. Cooking, baking, anything of that nature. Always loved it! When I was a teenager, I loved to cook and my sister loved to clean. And that's how the division of duties in our household fell... But ze problemo with this was, I figured, since I'm making the food, I better like it!! Not everyone in the family agreed with my slightly-selfish philosophy. (Give me a break; I was a teenager!). My brother and sister protested loudly, vehemently and very often!

And thus the family joke... "We want a cook for the people, not a cook for the cook!!!" :) HAHA
I don't remember my mom protesting much though... She liked it when I cooked. She still likes it when I cook. :)

My revelation of this past weekend is that I must have gotten over my cook-for-the-cook tendencies. My sister is expecting a baby veeery soon, so I planned/hosted a baby shower tea for her... While working hard with food preparations on Saturday, I was chatting with my mom about the menu... and my comments brought a revelation:

Egg Salad Sandwiches... "I'm not really a fan of egg salad"


Mushroom Phyllo Cups... "I don't really like mushrooms much either" (actually I kinda liked these--garlicky!)

And then there was the Roast Beef Sandwiches ... (so-so)

After awhile, I realized I had grown as a cook (slight overexaggeration here). I liked variety. I liked having something for everyone, more than I liked something for me!! YAY! Personal growth!

Some other good tea-time food...




The best part of any party.. is knowing that people are having a fantastic time!

The Guest of Honor & Mommy-to-Be (Again) = My Sis


Happy Sisters!

Welcome, 2010!!

In my 27 years of life, I've never spent a New Year's Eve alone. There's always parties, gatherings, sparkling grape juice, loud groups of people, crazy games and ALOT of smiles/yelling/general rejoicing... And don't get me wrong---generally I like that. :) This year, I decided to be different. Instead of jumping-up-and-down-and-screaming the New Year's welcome, I was calm. Quiet. Contemplative.

First, I headed out to the freezing cold outdoors of downtown State College to experience "First Night." And it definitely was FREEZING cold. Maybe my frozen toes was related to the fact that I ran out of the house in a rush that morning.. not realizing there was a couple inches of fresh snow on the ground. Fluffy, pretty, cold, wet snow. And I was wearing dressy ballet flats. Without socks. Stupid, I know.... But the pain goes away after toes go numb. So I wandered up and down this street for awhile.

Looking at ice sculptures. (I like ice sculptures. They remind me of my childhood. I have a vivid memory of seeing my first ice sculpture---a huge seashell filled with cold cocktail shrimp. Yummy!! hahaha)

I guess that everyone else was cold, too. Funny-winter-hat business was booming!

Some ice sculpure artists were still working...

Eventually, I unfroze.. took a last look.. and headed home for a quiet evening.

New Year's Eve is a symbolic time... I've never been a fan of New Year's resolutions. They always tend towards the shallow and the impossible (i.e. I want to lose 40 pounds in a week!). Honestly.... that's just crazy-talk! But I do make New Year's goals. Sometimes it's encouraging to look back and feel a sense of accomplishment. Sometimes it's a little painful to see where I fell short of those goals. But New Year's is about new beginnings, right?
This year, my goals are simple. I want to love... Love Jesus more, love people more... Learn to genuinely show love.... Sure, there are more specific goals. But I like to go to the heart of the matter... and LOVE is where it all begins.

The year of 2010 stretches out in front of me like a long, dusty road. Many unexpected twists and turns. And yet---I don't fear the future; I rejoice in it. I don't shudder at the unknown; I anticipate it. Life is continually changing, always unpredictable, always bringing a new season to be mastered and conquered..

"She looks at the future and smiles..." Proverbs 31:25

I look at 2010 and smile. Welcome. :)