Reading List

This is what I have been feasting my eyes on this summer, fall, and now winter.  Nate encouraged me to keep a list of the books I read and it sounded like a good idea to me...so here it is.  My favorite and recommended reads: Mark of the Lion Series, Unbroken, and Until Tuesday.

June 2012-December 2012

Mark of the Lion Series- Francine Rivers *****

A Voice in the Wind

An Echo in the Darkness

As Sure as the Dawn

A Mother’s Hope-Francine Rivers *****

Mudbound-Hillary Jordan***

Swallowing Stones-Joyce McDonald**

The Vault-Ruth Rendell*

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas-John Boyne****

Inside out and Back Again-Thanhhi Lai***

Billy: The Untold Story of a Young Billy Graham and the Test of Faith that almost Changed Everything- William McKay****

Why Have Kids?-Jenna Goudeau****

Wheat Belly-William Davis MD*****

Unbroken-Laura Hillenbrand*****

Until Tuesday-Luis Carlos Montalvan/Brett Witter*****

Mr. Churchhill’s Secretary-Susan Elia McNeal***

Too Small to Ignore-Wess Stafford****

Seriously I’m Kidding-Ellen Degeneres*

The Blessed-Ann Gabhart*

The Winter Sea-Susanna Kearsley ****

Chaos Walking Trilogy-Patrick Ness ***

Lamb: The Gospel According To Biff-Christopher Moore ***

The Life of Pi-Yan Martel ****

Running For My Life: One Lost Boy’s Journey from the Killing Fields of Sudan to the Olympic Games-Lopez Lomong ****

Christmas time is here...

It's less than 2 weeks away until Christmas.  However, unlike most years I feel like I've been able to breathe a little more during this holiday season and just enjoy it as it comes.  I think part of that is because the majority of Christmas shopping was done in October this year when my mom was up for a visit.  It seemed like a great idea at the time, since I would be able to send gifts back for family and not have to bother with shipping boxes...and truly I've been enjoying a more relaxed Christmas season for it.  Perhaps a significant part is also that we celebrated the Canadian Thanksgiving this year which falls in October, leaving a larger gap between Christmas and Thanksgiving.  This also allows some more breathing room instead of needing to rush around tearing down "fall/thanksgiving" decor and rushing to put your Christmas hat on.

I think this weekend Nate and I will pick up a few last items for the Christmas season and even that I'm looking forward to.  There will be no malls involved.

This year I'm even dabbling into the holiday hosting.  There is a small group of family that will be coming over to our place for a Christmas meal on the 25th.  Right now it's just Nate's parents and aunt and uncle, but it could be a few more come if we find others that have no plans or family around.  But I'm okay with small.  I have to confess I'm not a huge fan of large holiday meals because it just seems like the majority of the day ends up in the kitchen when I would much rather be catching up with family and friends.  (Or I spend most of my time visiting and feel guilty that I'm not helping out more in the kitchen!)  There seems to be extra stress and expectation for things to be a certain way that come along with those holiday meals, that I generally just want to say "pass", but I think this will be a good way to break the ice with a small group of family.

We shall see how it goes!

Over the next week we have a variety of Christmas items on the calendar.  The first being our Christmas date!  We are headed out to eat and then to The Vinyl Cafe with Stuart McLean.  I have become quite fond of the Vinyl Cafe over the last few years as Nate has introduced me to the radio show on our long car rides from Ontario to Anderson and Anderson to my hometown for family visits. Nate would download some podcasts of the show and we would be swept away in great stories and music with the hours passing quickly by.  This will be the first time I will have seen it live.  And if it was anything like the experience of sitting in the audience during the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, TN...I will love it.  I'm looking forward to Monday night with great anticipation!

Lastly and most importantly, Nate and I have been reading through a book called "Silence-And Other Surprising Invitations of Advent" by Enuma Okoro.  It has been treasure to us and has resonated deeply with both of us as it lifts up different areas we have been struggling through in our personal and spiritual journeys over the last months, trying to understand the unexpected paths God seems to be leading us.  We look forward to the rest of the advent readings that are to come this season.   I think this year more than any year...while I always know what Christmas is really about, I feel the real meaning and significance of this season.  While I still enjoy the holiday lights and decorations and meals and parties, I know this season is nothing about me and I'm not focused on what I want.  This season is about God's love for us all, no matter what condition we are in.

I hope you are able to enjoy this Christmas season as much as I am.

Movember Mania and November News

Some updates on the family front:

Nate is growing a moustache for Movember.  He is a man always happy to support causes with facial hair growth.  We were both pretty unfamiliar with this movement until this year, but it seems to have large awareness base in Canada overall.  If you are unfamiliar with the Movember movement, it is for men to grow moustaches in the month of November to help raise money and awareness for men's health issues and cancer research.  If you are interested in donating to the cause you are welcome to do so by copying and pasting Nate's MoSpace page address:

http://ca.movember.com/mospace/5032421.

Or you can just check out photo's of Nate's progress on growing his moustache. =)

We have moved into our new temporary home!  We are thrilled to have a place of our own to call home even for just a little while.  Saturday was move in day.  I can honestly say it was the fastest move EVER!  When you basically just have a suitcase of clothes and shoes, it doesn't take long to pack and unpack!  Nate is thrilled to have an office to work in for sermon's and church work, while I have ecstatic to have a lovely tub to take regular baths in again!  We continue to be thankful for the small things even during these challenging times.

We met with an immigration lawyer a few weeks ago to get a professional consultation on realistic wait times etc for the paperwork we are waiting on.  We left the appointment with increased frustration and disappointment as he told us the standard time to expect is a full year from start to finish.  So we would be looking at September 2013 as a realistic guess on when we will have completed the process for Nate to work in the US.  We had been hoping more for a 6-8 month range previously.  He did also walk us through some options for me while we are waiting during this time for us to remain together.

Nate celebrated a birthday last week, one of his first times to celebrate with family at home in many, many years.  And by coordinating multiple family monetary donations, we were all able to pull together to get Nate a much desired iPad...  Which was successful in leaving him surprised and speechless!  He is now enjoying the process of familiarizing himself with the new technology.  I think he most enjoys dictating instructions to Siri as this has not been a feature of his previous Apple products.

The weather is cooling but we are still enjoying some beautiful and sunny days, including today.  Another perk of the home we are staying in is its access points to the hiking trails directly off the housing addition.  So I am off to enjoy this incredibly mild day by taking some time to enjoy the nature around us!

We appreciate and value your continued thoughts and prayers.

Breakdown

This weekend we had the privilege of helping someone in need.  After unsuccessfully calling some friends to make some plans to visit on Saturday afternoon, Nate and I were headed to run an errand in a nearby town when along the way we passed a car on the side of the road with a retired couple standing alongside the car.  As we drove past I did the common 180 degree turn to have a longer assessment of what was happening and if more help was needed.  As I turned, I saw a tire leaning against the front fender of the car and no work was being done.

"Do you think we should turn around?" said Nate.

"I think so."

"That's what I was thinking too."

And with that Nate pulled around and drove back to the car on the side of the road.  As we pulled behind the car we saw they had New York plates and the wife had gone to sit back inside the car.  The husband was still out and we introduced ourselves to one another.

Tim and Lori were headed back from Minnesota where they were visiting their family and grandkids to home which was just across the river near Niagara Falls in New York.  The drive is actually shorter when you come through Canada instead of coming through the States.  They were on the interstate when they started to smell something wasn't right with the car.  It smelled like something burning.  So Tim pulled off at the next exit and got out and looked at everything but nothing was visibly wrong.  So he had just gotten back in the car to get back on the road when the front driver's side wheel fell off and rolled across the road...  The bolts had been sheered off and there was no way to reattach the wheel.

So when we heard the story we called back to the house and gave our location and had Nate's dad call a tow truck for the couple since they didn't know who to call in the area they were in, and we waited in our cars (it's getting pretty cold these days!)  Once the tow truck arrived we suggested a Canadian Tire store that wasn't far away and in the same shopping plaza we were also headed to.  Since everything was taken care of for the moment we said we would go do the stores we had planned on and then check on them back at Canadian Tire.

Shopping completed we headed over to the shop as the tow truck was delivering the car into the shop bay.  They got the news that the store wouldn't be able to get all the parts they needed to get them on the road again until the next morning.  Tim called a neighbor who agreed to drive up and pick them up since they only were an hour and a half from home.  So we stayed with them and visited at a diner across the street until the neighbor was well on his way and then we dropped them back off at the Canadian Tire and headed home ourselves.

It was 4 hours our lives overlapped with Tim and Lori, and we got to know about their family and their life story.  We heard the story of how they met through traveling back from the same speech competition in Catholic school and went to mass together that night before heading home.  They have now been together for 51 years and married 44 years.  Tim retired 4 weeks ago.  We got to know the story of their son who was a chemical engineer who was now going to school to be a deacon in the Catholic Church.  We were all grateful that Tim and Lori's lives where spared this Saturday.  We were grateful they were on the side of the road when the tire fell off and not traveling at high speeds on the highway.  We were grateful that while Nate and I were not able to get together with old friends that afternoon, God arranged it so were able to make some new one's instead.

Move-In Ready

Last night we arrived at our friends home to get the informational tour of the home we are housesitting this winter while they enjoy the warm temperatures down south!

You know, the basics:
"Garbage day is Friday.  Here's the quirks to the shower.  If there are water problems here is where you can shut the water off.  The breaker box is here."


Here are the things I was giving silent cheers for while on the tour:

"Here is the heater switch to this side of the bed.  I like my covers warm when I get into bed at night"
Me: Awesome.

"This shower had one of those rain shower heads.  Nate will probably like that."
Me: I think I will like it too.

"Here is the switch to the fireplace"
Me: I will be good friends with this switch.

"This is one of those new 3D TV's"
Me:  You better tell this to Nate, I will not remember anything more than it has 3D capability.


We are 11 days away from move-in!

Ten Thousand Villages

Today, I piled into a van with 6 other ladies and headed to the Ten Thousand Villages, an international fair trade market that supports people all around the world who hand craft many items.  Everything from coffee to Christmas ornaments.

So as I roamed around the room admiring the wide variety of option available for sale, I stayed true to my purchasing mantra these days: small and travel size!  So for me it was a pair of earrings and a necklace.  Easy to pack and take anywhere. ;)

The hosts of the event even set up a small cafe where you could stay and have soup, coffee, and desserts.  The group of us did stay and did just that and were able to visit more before packing up our bags of purchased goodies and heading home.  It was a lovely morning and lunch and fun to be a part of the group.

Tonight, I am also excited to visit with friends from my hometown who are in Canada visiting family.  I know them from growing up next door to them and being best friends with their daughter.  I'm blessed to have a friendship with her that goes back to when we were 4 or 5 years old and continues today and I enjoy the times I can reconnect with any part of the family, as they are all dear to my heart.  So tonight we are both taking a time out visiting our individual families, to get together and visit one another!

Thanksgiving, Family, and Football

Canadian Thanksgiving was this past Monday (Oct 8), it was a good time both leading up to and after the holiday.

In the days before Thanksgiving weekend my mom and her husband Tom came up to see were we are staying while we are in Canada.  They drove up Wednesday, stayed Thursday and Friday, and then drove back on Saturday.  

We were able to do some sight seeing together.  The first day they were here we had the most beautiful weather and it coincided perfectly with our trip to Niagara-On-The-Lake, a small town with a very beautiful stretch of manicured lawns, small shops, cafe's, and winery's all around.  It was sunny and warm (between 75-80 degrees) so we ate lunch outside on the patio before taking time to stroll down the streets before driving on to get to Niagara Falls.  On the way, we also stopped at the whirlpools that are created by all the water flowing through the area and then made it to the grand finale of our day: The Falls.  

As we drove near and could see the cascading water we got the famous mist that settled over the car and everything around it.  You could see the pedestrians on foot with their frizzy and damp hair walking along the sidewalks enjoying the view.  

We found a free place to park on the edge of the area we wanted to walk to and strolled back to the falls along the water before it found its way to fall over the cliff crashing at the rocks below and then moving on.  There was an old abandoned, rusty barge that got stuck on the rocks above that we could see.    

Once we got to the front of the falls we were almost constantly able to enjoy not just the falls themselves, but the numerous rainbows that formed due to the constant mist and bright sunshine!  

It was a fantastic day!

The following day was a Friday and Mom and I went shopping and then we all had an early Thanksgiving meal at Nate's parents house that night.

After a morning breakfast on Saturday, Mom and Tom headed home.

Sunday, we had another Thanksgiving meal after church and enjoyed a relaxing afternoon.

Monday, Thanksgiving Day, was a day of no commitments or cooking!  We had an easy morning and then went on a hike to Borer's Falls, afterwards we warmed up over Pumpkin Spice Lattes.   Nate and I then headed to go watch a movie which wasn't my favorite, but because there were so many issues at the theater getting the movie just to start (I think we saw one preview repeated about 4-5 times as they were trying to fix it and the movie started 40 minutes after it was supposed to), everyone got a free movie pass after the movie was over.  Afterwards, we even got a little bit of football watching in at Boston Pizza!

While we mostly watch American football, this Friday I will see my first Canadian football game!  The Hamilton Tiger-Cats or apparently just the "Ti-cats" for short.  (I have to confess I just googled it to see what city they come from...I was guessing Toronto, but it is actually Hamilton.)  Should be an interesting experience!  I think the biggest adjustment will be only having 3 downs in the Canadian league while I'm accustomed to the 4 downs.  

It's fun to be here and experience some more of the Canadian culture!

Anchovy Paste

Today, I purchased anchovy paste....a first for me for obvious reasons.

I try not to think about that magic ingredient in Caesar salad dressing.  However, when one wants to make a homemade Caesar dressing....one needs anchovy paste.

Yuck.

But perhaps that is a perfect ending to the week.

A bit strange.  A bit unpleasant.  But needed for the big picture (or salad).


This was a week I needed more space and less human interaction.  So while trying to juggle being tactful to those around me, I found ways to carve out little pieces of time for myself.  One afternoon I spent several hours at the park with the laptop, typing up lists and organizing information for Nate.  I think that might have been the highlight of my week.  A bit strange, I know.  But it was something tangible I could do, a task I could complete independently, outside in a space free from any obligations other than the tasks in front of me.  I felt a little more like myself for those few hours.

Because, this phase of life has been a lot like starting a new job.  Except every aspect of your life is a new job.  I am learning to live with extra roommates, figuring out a rotating schedule of who's cooking what night, figuring out eating preferences, cooking for 4 instead of 2, learning a new church culture, learning where things are located in the community, learning what stores are what and where to mail a letter, learning how to walk from point A to point B, so on and so on.  None of this is overly exceptional.  Any individual who moves from one place to another would experience most of these things.  But it is exhausting.

That exhaustion has caught up with me and I had tears streaming down as I laid in bed one night.  Wanting so desperately to have a place to call my own and find a normal rhythm to life again.  A bit unpleasant.  But I realized a part of me just needed to acknowledge that it's okay to feel bad.  (Yes, Mom....all in all we really are doing great.)  But we still don't understand why this is happening, and perhaps we never will know all God is accomplishing through it.  The journey has parts that are unpleasant, uncomfortable, and painful for me.

I can't say why this is all needed for the big picture, but I'm trusting that it will make a heck of a Caesar salad someday.

Termites!

We had an infestation.

Of termites.

Deep sigh.

I received a call last night from Andrew in Guam.  Poor guy.  I'm sure he wasn't looking forward to that   call.  He let me know that there had been an infestation of termites at the church.  The good news is they caught the signs of the problem quickly.  The bad news is the termites do quick work and there was still damage to our belongings because the church was one of the best places to store our things until we got there.

Nate and I both know that termites are often a problem on the island.  It's part of the reason we opted not to ship my beloved antique wooden rocker that belonged to my grandfather.  Distance was part of it, termite issues was the other big factor.  So we knew the probability of keeping the chair in good condition was not likely.

It seems the biggest damage the termites did was to the many books we shipped, which are 90% Nate's.  Andrew reported there was damage around the edges of the books, but it sounds like since they were packed so tight in the boxes they weren't able to get between the books to start eating away.  So hopefully, while they won't look nice, the text on the pages is still readable.

Andrew said they had also gotten in the computer box (we shipped my desktop Mac) but don't appear to have made their way into the computer itself.  It's now been relocated to someone's home for safer keeping.

Our new IKEA table that we shipped seems to have survived, the box is disintegrated and Andrew stated he is going to enlist the help of some of the women of the church to clean the table with a women's touch but it seems to be in fairly good order.

It seems the termites also found our pictures, mostly those in picture frames that had been hanging on our walls, so I think this is what I was most sad to hear and will be most sad to discover first hand once we get to the island.

For Nate he is most disappointed in the loss of many of his coffee mugs.  While the termites didn't eat the mugs, it was discovered after inspecting more boxes for the destructive bugs that many of the coffee mugs didn't make it in one piece from being shipped over.  These mugs are Nate's souvenirs of his many travels.

I am hopeful that perhaps our most recent purchases of mugs throughout Europe this summer have made it.  Several came in their own individual mug boxes and were wrapped inside the box as well.  I will hold onto that small flicker of hope for us both.

The church is now going through each box to unpack, inspect for termites, and then repack all our belongings into plastic containers.  Such a tedious chore for them, but we appreciate all the time they have invested into trying to keep our things safe until we are able to arrive and unpack.

If all goes well we will have some familiar items waiting for us when we land and begin setting up our lives there!

Letting Go

The air has turned decidedly crisp in the mornings.  As Nate and I drove around this weekend running errands, I would put my hand out the window slowly moving it up and down wondering at such quick changes in the feel of the breeze.  Fall arrived this week.

There was some rain this weekend as well but I barely remember it in contrast with the sunshine, beautiful blue skies, and interesting cloud patterns that were mixed in.  The perfect jeans and sweater weather is being ushered in.

There is a sense of calm as I look out the window and watch the swaying tree branches and sunshine stream in the room.  But I certainly have bouts of frustration as emotions bubble up and I start feeling boxed in, not knowing how long we will be here.  Not being able to make plans for the future.  Not knowing what God has in store for us.  Wanting to run forward but finding my feet cemented in place.

I'm a flexible human being but along with most human beings... I create plans.  I can adjust those as needed and I often do just that.  Adjust.  Tweak.  Revise.  I'd describe myself as flexible.

However, in this place we are in...not knowing any certain time frame of when we will be able to move on, I've let go of my ideas and plans.  Not in anger just in realization that the plans I had and where I would be at this time, will not be.  I watch them drift away like leaves on the water; in different directions.  Perhaps one or two will drift back at a different time and I will recognize it as the same dream but in a new color...instead of yellow when I released it, it's now orange.  A similar dream but not quite the same.

I pray more now.  Much more.  I pray for acceptance and obedience.  I pray for understanding.  I pray for God's will to be done.  I pray for the future.  I pray for solid ground to plant some new dreams and create new plans.

But for right now I feel like am learning to let go, and let God sort out the rest.  And to have no plans at all.

Musical Ride

This week has been an interesting one.

The most important development was Nate got a call to see if he could work starting Wednesday, which he could!  Hooray!  I might now have mentioned it on the blog, perhaps because I might have been trying to repress the fact that neither of us has been working since May 27th.

That's 3 months without work and income.  It feels like we broke some kind of world record...and not a good kind of record that you want to shout from the mountain tops about, or hang a plaque on the wall.

But hey, we survived.  And I guess that is what we would be shouting from the mountain tops: God has provided.  We had support of family and friends.  We had a roof over our heads, clothes to wear, and food to eat.  We are doing well.  It's a good reminder to be humble and to realize how little "stuff" you need to get by.

However, big on the "stuff" list we really feel the need for is a car.  Again.  Yes, we just sold the Jetta before coming to Canada, but in order for a higher level of freedom without cramping Ma and Pa Weeb's style over the next few months we realize we need to buy another car.

So this week (and last) Nate has been systematically researching cars and scouring used car listings.  I did a little but quickly realized that Nate seems to really love the hunt and since I don't really care what we get as long as it's reliable and affordable, it was much more time effective to let Nate do the looking.

We test drove a few earlier this week: one I couldn't get out the passenger side of the car once the door was latched and Nate had to release the door from the outside, another didn't even start when we tried to turn it on, another we walked away from due to some pretty major inconsistencies in what the seller was saying about it. 

Example: "You can drive it but just doing leave the housing edition please, there is no insurance on it right now, it just sits here all day."  (5min later when we asked to look in the trunk at the spare) "Yeah sure, let me just unload my suitcase and cooler of bottles we just got back from Niagra."

Tomorrow Nate has lined up a few more private sellers.  Pray we find a winner so we don't have to keep looking!

Other interesting notes about this week:  I ended up driving a friend of the family who fell outside the house to the ER.  I was the only one home when I realized what had happened and when she asked me if I could drive my response was yes, but when she asked me where the closest ER was....uhhh???  Not from around here...I have no idea.  

She said never mind, we will go to the one she knows.

So that's what we did.  I drove and she told me where to go.  After she was admitted and waiting for stitches, I dropped off her car back at her house, explained to her husband that his wife fell and she would need some stitches and she would need him to pick her up at and I walked home.  

But I will end on a positive interesting note.

Last night I went to the RCMP Musical Ride.  If you are anything like me you are asking what is RCMP?  Well let me fill you in.  It's the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.  

And they perform every year with 32 horses and men/women that volunteer from the police force to train for this show.  They said they had around 350 application this last year and then they whittle them down to about 35 officers who are selected for the show.  Let me be honest and tell you, I'm pretty confident I'd never heard of this before or seen it on TV but apparently it's a pretty big deal and they even performed in England for the Queen's Jubilee.  So as I was hearing some of the background information, I was thinking more along the lines of classical musical numbers that the horses and riders moved to, but much to my surprise it opened with a few country honky tonk songs.  Not a single classical piece in the show.  But it was fun to see and it's obvious much time and training goes into this.  It was a good experience.

Holding Pattern...

If you haven't already heard the news:  We have been delayed for awhile.

This week we had originally planned to arrive on Guam and begin our new life there.  But we had unexpected setbacks with new paperwork guidelines for Nate (the Canadian) to work in Guam (U.S. territory) and as we assessed our options to move forward, it looks like applying for a green card for Nate will be the best way forward.  So while this will be best for the long run, it delays our arrival for maybe 6 months.  There is no way to know for sure.  Perhaps it will work faster than that or perhaps longer but we are happy to have a plan of action and work toward that!

So in the meantime we are doing the work to reframe our situation and not think of all the negatives or disappointment in not being able to arrive on Guam this week to realizing there will be gifts in the extra time we have to be in North America.

* We will be able to experience the beauty of another fall season.  We both love this weather and all the activities it brings with fall festivals, changing leaves, and jeans and sweater weather.

* Having additional opportunities to see family and friends we would not have otherwise had.

* Having God do a work in us to have a better understanding of walking in faith.

We did decide after assessing the situation that we will stay in Canada during this time.  There is several potential work avenues for Nate he has already been approached with, and on the flip side finding work back in the states for me would be much more difficult.  We are also thankful that Nate's parents have a basement apt. that we can stay in and utilize during this time.

We also remind ourselves that God's timing is perfect in all things so there are reasons we must be facing these delays.   Perhaps there is still work God wants to do in us before we leave, and things He wants to do in the church on Guam before we arrive.  We are doing our best to trust him every step of the way.

You can continue to encourage us with your thoughts and prayers and we will continue to keep you posted on what our journey is like.

Anniversary #2

We made it!!!

Well, not that it's the biggest anniversary ever, but we reached number 2 this week.  And so far I really love our anniversaries and celebrating us!

Last year we spent it visiting Guam.

This year it was just as exotic.  We spent our anniversary in Toronto and did all things Canadian!

We took the GO train into the city and had a short walk to check into our hotel and then head out for dinner at none other than Wayne Gretzky's restaurant.  At this fine establishment I had my first taste of Canadian poutine (french fries, cheese curds, and brown gravy) and we finished our dining experience with #99 hockey puck made of brownie/cookie with ice cream on the side.

With our belly's full we headed over to Toronto's "The Second City" to have our funny bones tickled.  It's a comedy venue where they do skits and improve and they did a wonderful job!  We found the skits very current, poking fun at social media, relationships, politics etc.

We enjoyed the beautiful evening afterwards as we walked back to the hotel and as I walked I wondered where we might be celebrating our anniversary next year. ;)

Going Postal

Today, Nate and I mailed our 3 most awkward and heavy boxes we are shipping to Guam and besides our golf clubs I think we have actually shipped all the boxes we will need to.  (However, somehow there always seem to be more boxes appear that need shipping.)   I have totally lost count on how many boxes we have shipped but if I had to guess I would think it would be in the high 40's.  I am so tired of packing and shipping boxes!  And I say little prayers for whomever is receiving the boxes on Guam because they must be absolutely, positively sick of picking them up!

We got to know the post office employees more than most people might.  This was especially so in Anderson.  However, our most meaningful interaction was our last day in Anderson while we were shipping boxes out before leaving town a few weeks ago.  We went to the main branch (which is not our normal branch we visit) in hopes of getting two people working on the register so when we come through the line we don't back people up behind us forever.  Because, let me tell you when people see us coming with large boxes 5-6 at a time no one gets excited. 

Unfortunately, they just went down to one employee at the registers shortly after we arrived and by the time we got to the window there was already a good sized line formed behind us.  So Nate and our friend, Tyler dropped the boxes off for me at the window and felt it was in their best interest to not hover around the counter and went outside to wait.  

I was face to face with a seasoned postal employee I've encountered a few other times, and had absolutely no issues with but remembered him to be slower in processing mail and can come across pretty gruff at times.  But I was determined to make this as pleasant as possible for him knowing he might be feeling stress of the line behind me.  So as we made some small talk he got curious what we were shipping and why so much.  And I explained we were moving to Guam for a pastoring position for my husband.  

This gave him pause, as it normally does for most people either for good or bad.  He looked over to Nate and our friend who were now hovering in the doorway at the edge of the post office and asked if the tall one was my husband which I confirmed.  Then he looked at my over his glasses and said to me "Will you do me a favor?" and I anxiously wondered where this was going, but said sure.  

Then he pulled out an iPhone from his pocket, opened up his notes app, and slid it over the counter to me.  

"Will you write you and your husbands names down and that you are ministering in Guam?  I would like to pray for you and I would like to put you on the prayer list at our church."

So I did just that, stating we would appreciate all the prayers.  As I was typing in our names I was wondering if this guy was taking a risk of reprimand from any superiors if he was overheard etc.  But I was really appreciative and genuinely touched that this gruff sounding man was a brother in Christ and wanted to pray for us!

He then shared he went to Mexico on his first mission trip with his church this past year and it was one of the most meaningful things he had ever done in his life.  

I was quite honored that he chose to share with me and that he took such a personal interest in who we were and were we were going.  

As I paid for all the shipping costs, I gathered all my receipts and we said our goodbye's.  I looked at the long line behind me and thought it miraculous that no one had a meltdown while they waited and thanked everyone for their patience as I made me way to meet up with Nate and tell him about my last half hour.

Birthday surprise...

This past weekend it was Leslie's birthday on the 15th. On Saturday the 14th we had a celebration at her mom's house with a variety of family members. On Sunday we had a relaxing day and went out for supper at a local Rochester pizza joint called Mikey's. However, today was the grand birthday finale.
I should back up a bit and mention tht Leslie and I talked about what we should do for her birthday as we drove up to Rochester after our last goodbyes in Anderson. We thought about how we didn't need more stuff to ship to Guam and we had become accustomed to living with little as we traveled through Europe. We also don't have jobs right now so cost needed to be factored in and as a result Leslie decided she wanted a pedicure. I thought that was a great idea, then he added a stipulation...her gift would be that I would get one with her.
I had never done that, or thought of doing that before. But for my wife's birthday I thought I'd be willing to suffer through it. Well I'm happy to say there wasn't much suffering. ;) I drew the line at nail polish & no matter how much Leslie insisted that clear coat was good for making my toenails healthy and strong, I maintained my stance.
It takes a bit for a guy to swallow his pride just having a pedicure at all, because there is no gauge of manliness that includes the item "pedicure". Getting my toes painted just was too far over the line for me.
Overall, I can admit it was a positive and relaxing experience that may even result in a future pedicure at some point. I couldn't really argue with the massage chair, or the leg/foot massage that was SOOO relaxing.
Happy Birthday Leslie...thanks for including me in your gift!

Funny story

Ok, the reason we have two similar posts at nearly the same time is because we were in different rooms writing at the same time without letting each other know! At least we are unified in our thoughts. ;)

Fast Forward....

Apologies for dropping the ball on the second half of our European trip.  We were too tired and busy for adding the blog to the to do list.
Here is the short version of what happened.

We picked up the rental car as we left Paris and drove up the coast staying in Dieppe, Amsterdam, and then worked our way into Denmark and Sweden before driving south through Germany, crossing back into Austria (staying near Saltzburg this time) and then we spent our last few days in Davos, Switzerland.  It was amazing and exhausting.  We especially loved our time in Sweden and Switzerland for that reason because they were great breaks from the city and much more laid back.

Now we have been back for a week.
We stayed with good friends Jon and Holly in Anderson and were able to connect with other friends and continue to ship boxes to Guam.  Now we are in Phase 2 and are in my hometown and look forward to visiting with family and friends in the area.

This is certainly the difficult time of our summer, there are still fun times and great moments but they are often tempered with tears and sadness.  Certainly processing through such a large life change takes lots of energy and we are thankful to have more chances for rest in my hometown.

Keep praying during this time of transition.
Thanks.

Summer of transition

Well I dropped the ball in filling in details from the rest of the trip. Things got busier and I got tireder and that's that. However, I'm not going to neglect posting because of guilt over it. For awhile I thought, "I'll go back and fill the gaps in, finishing off the details if the trip." That's way too much to fill in on this blog because I don't even know who follows us in this. If we haven't seen you since returning from Europe and won't see you in the next month and you want to know about the trip, leave a comment or send a note and we can fill you in.

Anyway, we spent the last week in Anderson living with our friends, Jon and Holly Lambert. It was great to be able to catch up with them and experience their hospitality. It allowed us to ship the last 22 boxes to Guam and to say some last 'goodbyes' to a few of the magnificent people we've come to love in the area.
It was tough to be "home" in Anderson, but to not have our home. Leslie had moved us out of the apartment before we met in Europe so that we wouldn't have to pay rent and utilities for a glorified storage unit. This week provided us with some joyful/tearful opportunities to reflect on many of the people and things that we will miss greatly as we leave this part of the country. A deep sense of gratitude and thankfulness over how blessed we have been is the healthy byproduct of the grief over moving away.
We are now in Rochester, IN for a few weeks to spend time with Leslie's family and various friends before heading up to Canada around the 28th. If you are in the area and happen to read this, drop us a line and we'll see what we can do about connecting with you.
Thanks again for your friendship and support.

Paris

Julie and Ken arrived in our second day in Paris and had a nice lunch before heading out to explore. We caught the subway to the Arc de Triomphe and walked down the Champs a l'Elysses which is a fancy street where we enjoyed window shopping and even enjoyed some of the showrooms of Toyota, Renault, and Mercedes.

Afterwards, we made our way to the gardens just shy of the Louvre and grabbed some crepes along the way too!

On the next day we did our time in line for the Eiffel Tower. One of the lifts was down so the just had one working. So we waited for several hours, listening to Rick Steves audio guides, before beginning our trip up the tower to the very top. To views are quite impressive and worth the wait. That was a full day if waiting and we grabbed some quick meals. Unfortunately, this was also the evening I got sick with headache and stomach and by the following morning I was worn out and tired but feeling much better!

On our last Paris day we did Notre Dame and the Louvre. I caught my top picks: the Raft of Medusa and The Lacemaker (paintings) and Nate saw his top pick: the painting on Coldplay's album cover... Viva la revolution(?) by Delacroix, and Julie and Ken's pick: The Mona Lusa.

The next day we packed up and headed to pick up the car rental. We had a problem with the 12 volt outlets not working on the car which was resolved by putting us in a brand new Volkswagen Passat. Diesel. Manual. So we've been driving for 2 days and haven't stopped yet for gas. Nate is in heaven. :)

I will leave the last two days for Nate to update since they coincide with. Canadian history.

More of Rome

Well, yesterday was more exciting than usual. It was Saturday and we took an easy morning before catching the bus into Rome. Except instead of catching the bus that normally runs every 20 minutes, we waited and waited and waited. After an hour and a half the bus finally came but was standing room only. So we rode into town in less than desirable circumstances, but finally made it! We tried to see Michelangelo's "Moses" sculpture but for some reason the church was closed. We had downloaded several free audio tours from Rick Steves and toured the inside of the Colesseum and the Roman Forum. Both were spectacular and headed back on the metro and bus to the area we are staying. We met some Aussies on the bus and exchanged some stories and traveling tips before parting ways. For dinner we had some authentic Roman pizza that you get only in the evenings because that's the only time they fire up the very hot wood burning ovens. It was so very tasty! The only hang up was when we went to pay with our card they gestured that we couldn't pay with it., even though they had it posted on the door they accepted Visa. Our server kindly pointed out the sign posted near the register written in Italian apparently notifying patrons that ...maybe the card machine was down? We are not sure but we didn't have enough money which meant Nate walked back home to get more money while I stayed at the table holding down the fort. After 30 minutes Nate made it back and we were able to pay and leave without washing dishes to work off our dinner!

Sunday, Nate preached at the church in Ostia and then we shard a delicious family meal at Bea Santonocito's granddaughter's house (vegetable lasagna) and then back home for afternoon naps. In the evening we attended the surprise birthday party for Daniele, the pastor of the church. It was fun to visit with the people from the church and hear more of Bea's stories from her life.

We had a travel day yesterday. Daniele drove us the the airport and we flew to Paris on a short 2 hour flight, which also brought much cooler temps. I am back in jeans and layers but it's nice to have the variety!

Our first day in Paris has been blissfully low key: sleeping in, reading, crepes and coffee/hot chocolate at a cafe, and shopping at a market. We did a little walking to see Notre Dame (from the outside) but are saving the big sightseeing for when Nate's parents arrive tomorrow.

This marks the halfway point of our trip! It's been all we hoped and more!

Venice to Rome

Venice, of all the places we've seen has been our favorite. It was raining when we arrived to the island but we put on our rain jackets and with Nate's expert navigation, found our way quickly to our hostel. We were off the main hostel location and our check in guy, David took us to our room wich was located in a residential area. There were supposed to be 4 others staying the second night but it ended up being our place the whole time which was great! It had a wonderful terrace and we enjoyed several meals there with a fantastic view.

Our first full day we were at St. Mark's square morning and night. And other than the rain when we arrived, the weather was beautiful so morning hours were spent taking photos before the square filled up with tourists... Like us ;) which meant we were up and out the door before 7am...but well worth it. We road the water bus up the Grand Canal in the early morning light watching the locals begin their day of delivering laundry, food, and merchandise all by boat. It was fun to see. We were also early in line to go in and see the basilica. The afternoon found us back home, napping as most things shut down from 1 to 4pm. We toured the Frari Church and saw some amazing artwork there from one of the paritioners: Titian. Perhaps you have heard if this painter! And then we went back to St. Mark's Square to see it at night, which was beautiful in a whole different way. Live music flows from all the restaurants in the square.

On the. 2nd day we ventured over to the Doges Palace excited to take the Secret Itineraries tour which was recommended several times in the guides we had, along with purchasing at a nearby museum to skip the lines at the palace. We did this just to find out they only sold general tickets, not the one we wanted. So we got in the long line at the palace just to get to the ticket booth and find out that tour is sold out until the following week and we were faced with a quick decision to pass or get the general admission ticket...disappointed, we bought the general tickets and after the 3rd room straight full of columns that looked pretty much identical I began falling into a depression that just grew worse as the 4th room was full of more columns and so was the 5th and the 6th. I couldn't believe we just spent money on such a lame place. However, (and thankfully) things started looking up and after so many rooms of columns. We also saw were court was held, the bridge that connected the palace to the prison (The Bridge of Sighs) and other really interesting things. It was quite comprehensive after all and worth the price of admission.

We had lunch and then collected our bags and then headed to the airport to catch our flight to Rome. We arrived late at night and the pastor at the church in the area, Daniele picked us up and delivered us to the home of his mother who is hosting us during our time in Rome. In our first day we rode into the city with Bea, our host who helped us find our way. We spent the day on foot seeing for the first time so many of the famous Rome sights. One of my personal favorites was the Fountain of Four Rivers, which doesn't rank high on the tourist lists but was incredible. Nate found the Vittoriano awe inspiring.

Today, we tackled The Vatican City. We saw St. Peter's Cathedral and square, the Vatican Museum, which includes The Sistine Chapel (twice... you can ask us about that sometime) and The Castel Sant'Angelo.

We are certainly worn out at the end of our days but it is the best kind of tired.

The City of Music: Vienna

We arrived in Vienna (or Wien) after a 5 hour bus ride from Prague. The ride was uneventful and it was raining as we pulled in to the Praterstern station. We saw the famous Ferris wheel and a giant circle swing at the amusement park nearby. We hopped on a trail to Huttledorf stn and got picked up by our hosts who we connected with through Mennonite Your Way. Erwin and Christine had a separate little apt. in their basement and we enjoyed breakfasts with them each morning.
That first night was the night of churches, an event in Vienna and Prague (perhaps beyond) wherein all the churches are open through the night with various music and programs. We joined our hosts in attending a choir concert at a local church designed by Otto Wagner, an "Art Nouveau" architect who designed many of the public spaces in Vienna around 1900. It was a super neat church located on the property of a sanatorium, and the design catered to the patients who were in the hospital.

The next day we went on a brief audio tour of the Schonnbrun palace where the last of the Hapsburgs lived and spent their time amongst lavish surroundings. We proceeded to find our way to a little sausage stand to eat with the locals before making our way to St. Stephan's cathedral, napping in the park and enjoying a wonderful dinner. For dinner we shared a Wienerschnitzel, which is tenderized veal that is breaded and fried. My mom made this when I was growing up, but it was only after being in Vienna (Wien in German) that I realized that wiener meant that it came from Vienna. After that tasty tidbit we returned to the church for the English mass.

On our second full day we headed to the tourist info center by the opera house and found that all the Vienna museums were free that very day! We went to the museum near St. Charles church (which was also spectacular) and saw the first couple floors about Austrian history and an exhibit on Gustav Klimt. After that, lunch in the subway stn, and a drink in the historic Landtman cafe. We ran into a cheeky British family who were friendly towards us, though dissatisfied with their server. The nearby Volksgarten was filled with roses and people enjoying the day. After the roses we traveled over to, and walked down the blue Danube on our way to get Italian gelato from a store that's served since 1886. We finished our day by heading over to the big ferris wheel, but opted for the swing instead as it was a greater adrenaline rush.

As of this morning we headed out on a train to Villach, in southern Austria, caught a bus, and are now in Venice!!!

Paris of the East: Prague

Today finds us on a bus making our way to Vienna. A perfectly rainy and cloudy day for travel, I for one would much rather this weather for travel than the days we are on foot walking the cities!

We found Prague amazing.

Day 1
Nate and I found ourselves arriving within 30 min of each other. One by bus, the other by plane. Our host Lucie picked us both up and we headed to her house, before going back out for a quick orientation of the city and metro and then dinner full of local options.

Nate and I had some different variations of dumplings and meat. And Nate even sampled some of Lucie's dish (Steak Tartar) which was raw ground beef, raw egg cracked in the middle of the meat, and a variety of spices and ketchup you then mix all together and spread on top of fried bread rubbed with garlic.

Kudos.

Day 2
We spent the first whole day with Lucie, who took the day off work and took us off the beaten tourist path to a country-side castle. We drove most of the way and parked near some very old and beautiful country homes and hiked the rest of the way to the castle. We took a tour and then grabbed lunch together. Fried cheese, cheese and sausage and potatoes, French fries with tarter sauce.

Day 3

Nate and I tackled Prague on our own. We started with a 3 hour city tour that covered old town, new town, and the Jewish corridor which was so great to get a better sense of the historical context that has shaped the city. Then we did the grounds of the Prague Castle and the Charles Bridge. We worked up a serious appetite and found a pub for dinner before heading home.


Day 4
We filled in some gaps from the day before and encountered a mostly unplanned day. We stumbled across a gypsy parade, a local market, went to the grocery store, and had dessert and coffee at an "Art Nouveau" restaurant.

Now we are only minutes away from our next destination: Vienna! Who knows what adventures we have in store...

A whole new trip...

It's Tuesday and we are together again. We have met in Prague and are staying at a friend's house. It's so good to be together after 3 weeks apart. Leslie was able to get everything done in order to move out of our apt. in Anderson and is now unemployed, which is providing freedom to enjoy this trip.
After developing a familiarity with Berlin, and the Kreuzberg area in particular, I am back to learner mode and starting from scratch. I don't recognize hardly any Czech words & there's new money to deal with too. It helps to have a friend here to help with ordering some food and train tickets etc. Tomorrow we'll do a Sandeman's walking tour and learn the history of the main sites. I'm pretty sure that more English is spoken around the touristy parts of the town, though we'll likely try to dine off the main streets to save money.
We are very excited to begin our dream trip of a lifetime...no kids, no jobs, and by the time we're done, no money. ;) But a whole bunch of amazing memories made together.

Foreign Firsts

I'm waiting in a salon to get my first haircut abroad. I don't speak German so this should be interesting. Leslie likes my hair shorter and seeing as we've been apart for awhile and I haven't had a hair cut since before graduation, I think it's about time. Rhonda Philips said there was a lady here that spoke English but I forgot her name, so we'll see who I get.
Nadine...that's who cuts Rhonda and Christian's hair. That's who I got I cut mine too. I think she's the only one who speaks English there. She did a good job on my hair too!

Berlin life

Today marks the last day of our time together as a team in Berlin. We have been together since May 7 and it has been very good. I'm a little sad about their departure, but mostly about the fact that I won't be around AU to connect with these teammates through the coming year. We have connected well and processed some meaningful experiences together. Anytime I encounter some of the profound WW2 sites that are the physical places where tragedies and atrocities occurred I came away pretty much speechless. The group was able to process thoughtfully through most experiences.

The best part is that my wife is coming to Europe and will meet up with me in a couple days. Yay! Leslie and I will meet up in Prague on Monday and I can hardly wait. I've missed her presence ad sharing some of these experiences with her. The difference in this period of separation is that she has had to finish packing up the house without me. :( We did what we could before I left, but she has been working for the last few weeks and still needed a certain amount of stuff to live from. The other difference is that while Berlin has been great, the best part of our time in Europe will be had together. I'm grateful for this time to nurture our marriage relationship!
Finish strong Les! I love you!
Nate.

The Beginning or The End?

Well... today was a big day.

Nate has graduated and we had celebrations this weekend.

Today, Nate is flying to Berlin and I'm looking around the apartment making a game plan to be moved out in 3 weeks.  We have done a lot all ready.

We have loved our home here and feel grateful for this apartment for the last two years.  This apartment holds the memories of many enjoyable times with friends and family.  Our first home together.  It has heard great laughter and seen several tears from us over the last few years.

Nate, sadly, had his last night here last night and won't be back to this apartment.

I will have us moved completely out by the end of the month before flying to Prague to begin our next adventure: Europe.  My favorite part of the next chapter is that we will be back together again.

I will miss Nate so much over the next few weeks, but do look forward to getting in visits with friends and family during this time.  I plan to make the most of it!

And...we plan to both read Forgotten God over the next weeks.  It will be nice to have a sense of being connected and sharing a similar experience through reading.

I'm not sure if this time should be considered the beginning or the end....either way it's lots of change.

Lord, help us!

Winding down...

Seminary has been a four year journey and it is coming to an end. My last major paper was submitted yesterday and I have 2 more little assignments to do tomorrow. That's because tonight is set aside for time with Leslie. It's our last night by ourselves in our home. Soon we'll have family joining us from all directions to celebrate the graduate this weekend, so I felt we needed to enjoy our time together before I head to Berlin on Monday and Leslie and I have to be apart for 3 weeks.
We drove down to Hamilton town center and had dinner at our favourite restaurant...Stone Creek Dining Company. I will miss that place!

BIG Changes

My apologies as I feel we have missed a step in introduction and explanation.

So let me explain.

For any of you we have not had a chance to tell yet,  Nate and I are moving to Guam....a small island in the Pacific that is a US territory.  There are two Church of God churches on that island that is about 30 miles long and 6 miles wide (for those of you who know the exact measurements, forgive any errors in this post!) and 232 square miles of surface area!  

Nate lived there for 5 years prior to moving to Indiana to complete his seminary education.  He worked with the youth and by the end, was pastoring the church we will be returning to.  Through his experiences of working with the church, he realized that he did feel a call on his life to pastor that he didn't necessarily feel before but didn't have the education he felt he needed. 

This lead to his decision to come to Indiana to complete his master's degree.  4 years later he is just over one week away from graduating.  As our time here was nearing it's end, the church on Guam contacted Nate and asked if he might come pastor them.  A missionary couple, has been there for the last 26 years working with and building the church.  However, Guam has recently been moved off the "missions" list as it was decided that since it is a US territory it doesn't really fit the criteria they have for missions.  So the couple who has been pastoring and ministering will now be moving to another small island called Yap, also in the Pacific and will be opening up a Christian school.  And the church on Guam is hiring a pastor.  

So after careful consideration and prayer, we have accepted the position for Nate and will be moving to Guam this summer.

We are so excited for this, but also very sad to be leaving all our family and friends we have been blessed with in Anderson, Indiana, and beyond!  This is actually the closest Nate has been to his parents since he was in high school, so we have also enjoyed being able to have regular visits to and from Canada as well.

So this summer is full of adventure even before we leave for Guam. 

We decided to capitalize on the fact Nate will be doing a 3 week urban ministry class in Berlin, Germany to finish up his second master's degree right after graduation.  His airfare over there is part of the class cost so we have just arranged his return ticket to be different from the rest of the classmates and I will be flying over to Europe at the end of his class and then we will do a once in a lifetime tour of Europe.  We start in Prague, then travel to Vienna, Venice, Rome, Paris, Amsterdam, Copenhagen, and then will be traveling in a rental car all along Germany's western and southern border to explore towns as we go.  

Again we are incredibly excited.

Once we return to the US from our Europe travels we will be spending good time with family and friends near our hometowns, starting with mine in northern Indiana, and then Nate's near Hamilton, Ontario.

We will savor our time together before making our last journey for the summer to our new home: Guam.

We plan to fly out around August 20th.

So this is what is coming up in life.  And we decided to transform the blog from mine to ours, so we could both use this space to process and share what is going on in life.

We are thankful for the technology of today that will enable us to be better connected with our friends and family, no matter where we are in the world.

Sales...

On Saturday we had a multi-family seminary community yard sale.  Leslie and I had the most stuff to sell before our move to Guam, but there were 4 others who set up around the front of the courtyard too.  We were at it from about 6:45am until 3pm.  It was one of those days when the sun did not want to come out and the wind blew consistently so that if you weren't moving, you were cold.  One couple provided a portable fireplace, which was great to warm up around, and the customers love the campfire/fall fest smell, but I got a headache from a slow overdose of smoke inhalation.  We sold all the big stuff we had and packed up a carload at the end of the day in order to support the local Goodwill store with a hefty donation.

On Sunday I preached at South Meridian for the last time.  I have preached there about twice a year over the last 3 years and it's been a good experience overall.  Ed was out of town and wanted me to have one last chance.  Afterwards we drove up to Kokomo for lunch with the gift certificate from the Young Adult small group this semester.  We enjoyed each of the 5 groups we hosted through the years.  We could've eaten at Applebees in Anderson, but there was a man who saw my car stereo equipment on Craigslist and was very interested.  I sold the Rockford Fosgate sub and amp I bought off of Amanda Daniels when I first arrived in Anderson 4 years ago.  I bought it for $75 and sold it for $170.  I also brought along some other speakers that the guy might want and sure enough, for $30, he was willing to buy those too.

Leslie posted the car for sale on Craigslist on Saturday night and today (Monday) we have had a serious inquiry.  We may even sell it as soon as tomorrow.  Now that the sale of the car is imminent, I'm noticing some emotions that are a bit of a surprise.  This Jetta has been a great car for us and the only car I've known Leslie to drive.  After the wedding we sold my Honda and have been getting by superbly with Jenna the Jetta.  We've made trips to Michigan, Ohio, Ontario, Tennessee and have taken it camping around Indiana.  We wouldn't get rid of her if we didn't have to, but alas, there are no VW's on Guam, or if there are, there are no parts for VW's on Guam.  In the next few days we'll be forced to say goodbye to Jenna...

New Member!

Hey hey, I (Nate) am joining the blogosphere with my lovely wife Leslie. Look for updates as we travel through Europe this June.

Eggplant and Peppermint Patties!

I finally found it!  A recipe that uses eggplant that I actually like!  It took much longer than I anticipated to make but I think it was worth the effort =)  And the gluten free menu continued with Peppermint Patties for dessert with coffee...Thanks for sharing the evening with us Jon and Holly!

3-Cheese Eggplant Lasagna from allrecipes.com:

Prep Time:
40 Min

Cook Time:
45 Min

Ready In:
2 Hrs 25 Min

Servings  (Help)

USMetricCalculate

Original Recipe Yield 8 servings

Ingredients

• 2 eggplants, sliced lengthwise into 1/4-inch thick slices
• 2 tablespoons salt
• 2 tablespoons canola oil
•  
• 1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• 1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• salt and ground black pepper to taste
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 cup frozen chopped spinach
• 1 cup shredded carrot
•  
• 1 (15 ounce) container ricotta cheese
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Romano cheese
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions

1. Sprinkle both sides of eggplant slices with 2 tablespoons salt, and layer them in a large baking dish with paper towels between each layer.
2. Place a smaller baking dish on top of the eggplant slices, and weigh it down with several heavy food cans. Let sit for at least an hour or until the paper towels are visibly moist.
3. Rinse eggplant slices with fresh water and pat dry with paper towels.
4. Heat a large skillet on medium heat and pour in 2 tablespoons of canola oil.
5. Working in batches if necessary, cook both sides of eggplant slices until they are slightly browned, about 5 minutes per side. Set cooked eggplant aside.
6. Prepare sauce by combining the crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, oregano, basil, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon onion powder, 1 tablespoon olive oil, salt, and black pepper in a separate bowl. Set aside.
7. Heat 1 teaspoon olive oil in a skillet over medium heat; cook and stir onion until translucent, about 5 minutes.
8. Add frozen spinach and shredded carrots to onion. Cook until mixture is dry, 5 to 8 minutes. Set aside to cool.
9. Combine ricotta cheese, eggs, Romano cheese, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon onion powder, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a separate bowl.
10. Spoon cooled spinach and carrot mixture into ricotta mixture and combine.
11. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
12. Begin lasagna assembly by pouring a thin layer of tomato sauce into a 9x13 inch baking dish.
13. Place half the eggplant slices in a layer on top of tomato sauce.
14. Spread half the ricotta cheese mixture on top of eggplant layer.
15. Add another layer of tomato sauce, then layer on the remaining eggplant slices and remaining ricotta mixture.
16. Finish with a final layer of tomato sauce, and spread mozzarella cheese over the top.
17. Bake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes or until the mozzarella cheese is browned. Let sit for 10 minutes before serving.

Nutritional Information 

Amount Per Serving  Calories: 289 | Total Fat: 16.1g | Cholesterol: 86mg

Chocolate Covered Peppermint Patties

Servings  (Help)

USMetricCalculate

Original Recipe Yield 4 dozen

Ingredients

• 1 cup mashed potatoes
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons melted butter
• 2 teaspoons peppermint extract
• 8 cups confectioners' sugar
• 8 (1 ounce) squares semisweet chocolate
• 2 tablespoons shortening

Directions

1. In a large bowl, mix together the potatoes, salt, butter, and peppermint extract. Gradually mix in confectioners' sugar; mix in enough to make a workable dough, between 6 and 8 cups.
2. Knead slightly, and roll into cherry-size balls. Flatten balls to form patties. Arrange on sheets of wax paper, and allow to dry overnight.
3. Place chocolate and shortening in a microwave-safe bowl. Heat in microwave, stirring occasionally, until melted and smooth. Dip patties in melted chocolate, and let cool on wax paper.

Nutritional Information 

Amount Per Serving  Calories: 118 | Total Fat: 2.6g | Cholesterol: 1mg