August 20, 2008
Recently we went grocery shopping at Whole Foods to get stuff to make Challah’s every Shabbat. I went in the bulk isle and grabbed some nutritional yeast not knowing the difference. When I went to make the Challah, it didn’t rise. When I told my sis-in-law my problem, she told me I had gotten a different kind of yeast. Apparently, nutritional yeast is a big thing with Vegans because it is an unreactive yeast that yields a lot of protein, and B-complex vitamins. It’s also very low in fat and sodium. So…Mar gave me the recipe for Nutritional Yeast Pesto.
TJ wanted no part of it when I told him what I was gonna do with it. But we had it tonight, and it was amazing! I love the stuff…never going back to the old recipe I used to use.
I am really beginning to really get into Organic stuff. I know it’s more expensive, and on the little salary I have and a Seminarian husband, I don’t know how I will continue to make it work and still feed us. Despite that, I appreciate the fact that I am not putting toxic chemicals into my body. I like supporting the local farmers, I like knowing that what I put in my body is helping it run how God intended it, and I like the fact that I am feeling more myself the better I eat.
So, here’s the recipe (thanks Mar). Try it out!
1/3 c. pine nuts
1 bunch basil
2/3 c. EVOO
1/3 c. Nutritional Yeast
5 cloves garlic
Dump it all in your blender and mix it up in your pasta with some chicken sausage…yummy!
August 7, 2008
Despite our frustration at the two attempts we’ve made to actually get there due to roads being closed with no detours (welcome to the ingenious engineering they have around here), the Dallas Farmers Market is a pretty cool place. It’s been a part of Dallas seven days a week since 1941. It’s huge, it’s full of local produce, and even more, it’s way cheaper than buying it at the store! Between the Farmer’s Market and Whole Foods, I should be ok in maintaining a level of normalcy that I’m used to…but I will forever be missing my beloved Trader Joe’s.
July 30, 2008
Today is our 2nd Anniversary! I love you TJ and am so happy to be your wife!
July 29, 2008
I can’t believe it! It’s 6 months ago today that I was in Bend, Oregon having surgery to excise my Endo! I feel like it is 6 months ago that Dr. Redwine literally gave me my life back. Thinking about today coming, I realized that I had no idea exactly how much pain I was really dealing with everyday. It wasn’t until the nurses woke me up in recovery that I finally understood the disease and how it literally tore threw my body and my energy every day. I cannot tell you how incredible it felt to wake up in that recovery room when my operation was complete and nobody had to tell me it was a success. I just knew…I could feel the void of pain. I could feel that the Endo was finally gone. And since that day, I have felt the same. Not a twinge of pain. No painkillers. No laying on the couch or in bed all day with my legs propped up on 5 pillows, and a warm bag of rice of my stomach. No stopping after 3 steps up the stairs because of the pain radiating down my legs, or stabbing my stomach from the inside out. No TJ carrying me to the bathroom, or blow drying my hair because it hurt too much to do it myself.
Sometimes I think about how Endo took over my life. It was all I had to talk about, all I could think about, and all I was interested in because I was desperate to get it out. I knew there had to be another option besides a hysterectomy or immediately trying to become pregnant (even though they sais it would never happen for me). Looking back, I can’t believe I went through the kind of pain with no relief for so many years. Especially, so much pain that last year and a half.
It feels amazing to get up every morning and be able to do whatever I want to with absolutly no limitations. When I hear of other women and their struggle, usually very similar to mine, I tell them to not waste another day in agony. I tell them to run, not walk to Bend, OR to see the most compassionate, knowledgable, and successfull Dr. for our disease.
So, thank you Dr. Redwine for giving me my life back!
July 26, 2008
We’ve been here for 2 weeks today, and somehow I don’t think that it’s enough time to be acclimated to this new, foreign country people call Texas. Every time I go into a parking lot, I’m scouring the place to find just one of these pretty little plates on the back of a car. Then I can park myself right there until the mystery “relative” of mine comes back to their car so I can give them a hug.
Boy do I miss my California.
July 16, 2008
I’ve (TJ) only lived on the DTS campus for five days now but have already gained an immense appreciation for where I now live. Psalm 36:9 says, “For with You is the fountain of life; In Your light we see light,” and I already hear the waters flowing from this campus to the surrounding neighborhoods and see the light it throws into streets of downtown Dallas. I look forward to what this place will mean to me throughout the years to come.
Here are some pictures I’ve taken of the campus and surrounding areas:
Skyline From Our Window
Home!
July 16, 2008
Jessie On Her Big Day!
Hey everybody!
Normally Jess is the one carrying the Brown Bag but I’m so proud of my beautiful wife today that I couldn’t resist making my own addition.
Today is Jess’ first day as Dallas Theological Seminary’s new Adviser of Student Services! She has worked hard to get to this point and I extremely happy for her.
Jess, I love you and hope your new job is everything you want it to be.
1, 2, 3 - Congratulations! (EVERYBODY)
July 10, 2008
This isn’t a real picture of what happened, so family don’t freak out completely…but you definitely can get the idea of what we were dealing with yesterday traveling from OC to El Paso, TX. Everything was fin up until we went just passed Picacho Peak in AZ. I had just woken up from a short nap and taken pictures of the peak. And then it happened. Dad looked in the rearview mirror and said, “We’ve got sparks!” Then we all looked back and dad said, “Oh man, we have flames. We gotta get outta here!” But we were on I-10 in the right lane and there was no where to go. If we went to the left, there was a ditch with nothing but dry brush that would have set eveything blazing. But on the right, there was nothing but K-rail for miles. Dad had no other choice at that point but to stop and shut down the highway. But the time TJ pushed me out of the truck the flames were going 2-3 feet up in the air. I was calling 911 to and flagging people down on the highway for help. Dad and TJ were scrambling to try and find someone and trying to put out the fire. Then a man in the semi carrying cotton seed oil in front of us ran out of his truck and gave us the fire extinguisher as another guy from the semi behind us ran to help put out the flames. A couple more seconds, and the wind changing directions, and our car would have burst into flames only to follow shortly with all our life’s belongings in the truck.
Needless to say, we had the highway shut down for miles, Highway Patrol came to assist and get us out to a safe spot in a ditch instead of on the highway eventually (and out of the insane 115 degree heat). The man who saved us with his extinguisher stayed to help us put cones up in the road to direct traffic. Later, after hugging him as tight as I could and thanking him for saving us, he introduced himself as Lucky. Boy were we lucky that he was there. Amazingly, nothing on the car was burned. Not even the wheels melted.
We began driving after calming down at a Dairy Queen a mile and a half back, and thought all of the trouble was over. We were just bummed we had to drive the car behind the truck and had to be split up. Then the downpour hit. We were stranded at a gas station in Wilcox for a good 45 minutes. And when it got dark, it got really bad. It was so pitch black dark, and the rain was coming down in buckets flooding the road. Truckers still barreled down the highway at 80 mph and I was driving to give TJ a break from driving the truck without my glasses. By the time we got to a place where we could pull over, I was sobbing and shaking I was so scared. I have never seen rain like that in my life. I kept trying to figure out how we could get on top of the car when a huge wave of water hit at us. Should we open the door and climb on top, or do we go through the window?!
We took exit by exit trying to stay together and be safe. Our 12 hour ride to El Paso took almost 19. We rolled into TJ’s parents around midnight completely exhausted from the drive and emotionally spent, b ut thankful for God’s protecting us through the whole ordeal.
Hopefully, tomorrow’s 12 hour drive will be much more uneventful. Please pray for safe travels!
*Real pictures to come once we get settled.
July 8, 2008
This is our last night in California before we start driving to Texas in our huge truck with our entire life in tow. Fortunatley, this last weekend in California was filled with great time spent with my family. After running around for days on end closing up our life here in Orange County, we spent the 4th of July with Matt, Mar & the nephews. It was super relaxing playing Wii Tennis with Matt and swimming in the pool with our nephews. It was really a great day with them that we wanted before we left.
Then on Saturday TJ and I hit Crystal Cove beach one last time to take in the ocean. That is one of the biggest parts of California I will miss. Even if I don’t see the ocean every day like we got to while living in Dana Point, just knowing it’s there when you want it is a good feeling. That night Steve, Shell & our neive treated TJ and I to an amazing dinner in Laguna Beach.
Sunday was our last day at Calvary and then we had a family BBQ together.
Today, we packed up the truck and had the family over again to join in on our very last In’N'Out. The other thing TJ and I will miss terrbily about California.
Saying goodbye to my family was rough for both of us. We will miss being apart of the every day lives of my nephews and niece so badly. We hate that we won’t see J’s first steps, or see N off on his first day of pre-k. Or won’t see C running around the house chasing Cooper. We’re going to miss all of their growing up for the next few years. But I am so looking forward to supporting TJ to follow his calling and establishing our life together in a completely new context.
Nothing rewarding in life is easy…it’s hard to leave family you love like crazy behind…but it feels wonderful to have their support and know we are doing what it right for us.
So, in 7 short hours we will be on our way to a whole new world!
July 2, 2008
Leave it to me and my sorry excuse for an immune system…but tonight called for my mother-in-law’s famous hot toddy. The first time I had this concoction, I was at TJ’s parent’s house after just meeting them and got sick because that’s what I do best…get sick at the worst possible times in the worst possible ways. I’m hoping that I’m just overly tired and stressed out with the move coming up in less than a week now, but this may be the beginning of a cold. I knew it would happen sometime. Any time I go through any sort of life change, stress, anxiety about the unknown or a combination of strong emotions similar to what I’ve listed, I get overly tired and then get the sniffles. Well, not really the sniffles. It starts with the sniffles and then I get some rare infection that Dr.’s have never attrubited to the normal cold, and then get teased by my family for being so complicated…but that scenario cannot happen because we just don’t have the kind of time to be rushing me to specialists all over Orange County.
Although nothing is full fledged yet, I am “doctoring up” with a HUGE shot of whisky, honey, and tea in my hand to guide me into a nice slumber for the evening. TJ has me all set up with Aleve Sinus/Cold-D (amazing stuff), Echinacea tea, Echinacea lozenges, Zicams, and tissues ready to go!
Hopefully I just need a good night sleep and maybe a bowl of my mom’s matzo ball soup.
