It's been a while since I've been skiing... I didn't do any skiing last winter due to a knee injury playing indoor soccer. The year before that, I went skiing once and only once because I was super broke. And before THAT, I went snowboarding.... in Korea. And this is how that went down. Why did I snowboard in the first place? Oh, because I didn't want my dear friend Abbey to be alone on the slopes all day. In case any of you are wondering... NO. I will not be snowboarding again. In my life. EVER.

And then really... I don't know why I hadn't skiied the year before. Probably because I had JUST moved to Korea, and I had more important things to focus my attention on. (You know, like learning how to teach, and live in a city with roughly 10 million folks). 

And then prior to THAT, who knows? Too busy with life, I guess. 

I actually own my own skis (do I dare admit that? They are super bruised up, old and a little on the short side)... used to have all my own gear, but don't know where that has all disappeared to. Literally the only thing that really remains is a good pair of mittens! Regardless, I'm getting ready to go on a fantastic trip with some fun people I like to call friends. 

I'm lucky that the aforementioned 'good life chatter' is kind of a big deal when it comes to knowledge about great ski gear. He bought me a really great ski coat last winter (that I sadly didn't use). I ended up finding a great deal on some great pants that match wonderfully with my coat (they were 50% off), bought myself a great brand new pair of goggles off eBay for under $40 (retail $110) and ended up finding a nice new cute beanie at Urban Outfitters today (of all places!) for a lovely $9.99! 
The only thing left for me really to buy is well.... skis. Hah. I think that will be the goal for next season. For this trip, a demo ski rental seems right up my alley. 

So. Very. Excited. 
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Annnnnd we're back. Wednesday Night Dinner is bringing sexy back and made it's first debut in sadly a very, very long time. But it happened, and it was great. It was night of the Jalapeno Popper Stuffed Chicken.

My friend Holly has a really great recipe blog and I decided to check it out the other day to see if there was anything interesting that I wanted to try out. Especially since now that given my new kick in the pants, I need to start cooking more. If you don't know what I'm talking about, refer to the post below this one. 

I came across some amazingness. Jalapeno popper stuffed chicken breast. I knew it was the perfect main dish for the first Wednesday Night Dinner of 2012. 
You can find the recipe here. Thank you so much Holly for sharing on your blog! It made Wednesday Night Dinner even more of a success. 

In attendance
  • Jessica Roundy (Hummus making expert, right here)
  • My roomie Joanna (She sang for us later in the evening with that voice that's like an angel)
  • Angie (Joanna's sister and seriously skilled masseuse... really.)
  • Mr. Brian Sturm and Ryan Chatterton (both of these guys are back on break from Bible College... I'm so glad they made it!)
  • Janessa White (Always a pleasure. ALWAYS.) 
  • John Mark Krum (Bringing his mad cooking skills to help me in the kitchen is always appreciated)
  • Karen Krum (Sister to Mark and a darling sweet thing who unfortunately didn't get to show off her pictures from her most recent travels!) :(

The Menu
  • Veggies and homemade hummus to snack on before the meal
  • Jalapeno Popper Stuffed Chicken Breast
  • A wonderful broccoli/pasta salad (impromptu... let's just say Mark and I had a miscommunication as to what side he was supposed to bring) Haha.
  • Salad
  • Garlic french bread (Albertsons jipped us though and forgot the garlic butter spread. But not to worry, Brian and Ryan came to the rescue and made it work. GOOD JOB BOYS!)
  • Nutella banana milkshakes for dessert. 

YUM. YUM. YUM.
All in all, it was a fabulous evening. Such a great group. A great meal and a great thing I am proud to call Wednesday Night Dinner.
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I'm about to lay down the law with myself. And let me tell you why:

I went into the refrigerator yesterday to 'try to find SOMETHING to eat' and of course dread it because of the fact that I know I don't have much food to choose from in there. 

And then it happened.

The shocking realization that I do have food. Actually, a lot of it. IN FACT, roughly about seven to-go containers.

SEVEN!!!!
I then immediately asked myself what the hell I have been thinking. I was frustrated at looking at all this well intentioned food. I mean, I did afterall, bring it home anticipating to eat it at a later date. But there it was. Just all sitting there. Some of it had been in there a little over a week, but for the most part, all of them were from the last week. 

I attribute this to my single, young and active lifestyle of living downtown and always meeting up with friends. Not to mention, everything is just always so close. The fact that I work downtown doesn't so much help my cause either. It's fun to eat out. Fun to walk around downtown. I happen to like it. A lot. 

The silly part is that I love to cook. LOVE it. I enjoy nothing more than having people over for dinner, learning to cook new meals and challenging myself with interesting recipes. 

So today it ends. Here's the goal:
  • Eat out for both lunch and dinner only one time per week. 
  • Suggested by the lovely Laura - make a monthly calendar of meals and make a grocery list weekly. (I actually had a co-worker boast in her once weekly grocery shopping habits as well). 
  • Instead of meeting people for dinner and drinks, invite people over to my place more regularly. (I think this will prove to be extremely beneficial on many fronts)
  • Although I despise Winco (I won't get into the details... let's just say I prefer Albertsons hands down), I will be doing my shopping at Winco. If I'm doing these major shopping excursions, I need to 1. Save Money and 2. If I'm only doing it once a week, I should be able to hack it. (Sigh). I won't say I'm making THAT transition with enthusiasm... yet.

I've got my grocery list locked and loaded.
I clearly have much to learn. I shall update my progress as I go! 
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My dad was building a pigeon coop last Friday when this  happened to him:
All is fine and he left the ER tellng me that the worst it hurt was a 4 out of a 10. He's so tough!! Apparently this isn't the first time this has happened, and last time the nail went through THREE fingers! I think he was more embarrassed than anything. I was sure to give him a nice little lecture about being more careful next time and be in less of a hurry to finish something. Slow and steady wins the race, DAD!!!
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The weekend was good. Nothing too major or exciting happening, but it was great nonetheless. Here's the highlights:
  • Spent time nursing my nasty, painful bruise I got from playing soccer on Friday night. 
  • Spent some time with that one particular 'good life chatter' referenced here. And had (surprise!) a really good life chat. Actually this conversation and time with said life chatter meant the world to me. Never more in my life have I EVER felt so loved from someone in my entire life. It was beautiful and definitely the best part of my weekend. It has affirmed to me that love truly is one of the most powerful things we ever will know or experience. 
  • Went and saw Mission Impossible III. Just love those kinds of movies. I think if I could be anything in the world, it would be a secret agent/spy type person. Can't get enough of it. 
  • Sunday involved church, the staple lunch menu item of Madhuban Indian and some time resting at home and cleaning out a closet that was in desperate need of organization. 
  • Also, I took down Christmas decorations. Better late than never. 
  • Oh, and got a new pair of ski pants. 50% off! Hollllla!! They match my coat, are a very lovely color called 'Volcano' and I couldn't be more stoked about my ski trip coming up at the end of February. 
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T-Minus 22 Days! 01/12/2012
 
For me, there's a certain amount of excitement that surrounds any sort of travel. This upcoming trip I'm taking is especially exciting because it's definitely more like the travel and backpacking i've done in the past and am used to. I'm not exactly the all-inclusive- resort-type-vacation-kind-of-girl. 

It's especially fun from the standpoint of all it takes to execute a trip internationally. I get it, I'm just slightly going across the border, but still. 

There's always so much to do when it comes to prepping to travel abroad. Like....
  • Packing. Packing light, making sure you have a great pack to accommodate the stuff you're bringing. I always enjoy realizing how little I really need to bring. It's humbling. 
  • Hostels. Always fun to stay at a great hostel. It's actually probably one of my favorite parts of traveling. Meeting new people, learning about them and have a diverse group of people that you typically share the passion of travel with. Love it. 
  • Passport. Always hanging tight to that sucker just in case... not to mention it is a great feeling getting a new stamp to grace the pages. 
  • Money exchange. Playing the game right and exchanging your money at the best possible place to get the best rate. It's totally all a game to me. 
  • Planes, trains and automobiles. Love the diversity of transportation that's often times necessary. Again, it's like putting together a puzzle and figuring out where you need to get to, and how to make it happen.
So, about this upcoming trip:

Where: Vancouver. Viva Vancouver baby!! Can't believe I'm excited to say I'm heading to the land of Canucks... but, alas, I am. 
Why: To see WILCO!!! Absolutely can. not. wait!
Our seats (OMG, I know... they're fabulous)
Hostel: Really excited about this place. The Cambie in Gastown. It really does look like a pretty great hostel. 

And whom am I going with? None other than my adventurous gal pal Sarah. I'm very excited. We plan to rest up a few weeks in advance because it will be non stop for 4 solid days. We fly into Seattle on a Friday night, wake up early Saturday morning to head to Vancouver. Sunday night is the show and we head back to Seattle EARLY Monday morning and fly back to Boise that afternoon. 

But. It will so be worth it :)
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This post is pretty personal. Just a warning for ya. But, that's OK. I want my blog to be personal and to generate discussion around real things in life. 

So, here's the debacle:
My Grandpa Bob. My mom's dad. To set the stage and give some background, it's important for me to say that I've never really ever been close with him. I have always felt indifferent about him. That is, neither really good, nor really bad. Christmas 2010 was a lovely one. My family (my mom, dad and little brother) were almost finished up with presents and the ones left to open were presents from my Grandpa Bob and his wife Darlene. Oddly, there was one for each person in the family but me. There was definitely a sense of "Oh wow, that's weird... it must have been an accident." or "Maybe my present got left in the closet or under a bed somewhere or left in the car" or even "Well, they're getting old. Maybe they forgot I live back in America now" 

My dad did mention VERY vaguely that they might harbor some hard feelings that I don't see them very often and I remember him asking me "Well did you get THEM anything?" I remember it being an odd question and an even odder feeling once I thought about it. Anyone who knows me well knows that I'm not so much a gift person. In fact, I really can't tell you how much I don't really care for gifts. Giving them or receiving them. So, the thought crossed my mind last year that it was a blatant action to give everyone a gift but me. I then later thought to myself "Oh that's just absolutely ridiculous. There's no way he would really do that" 

But, he did. He gave everyone a present but me. 

Fast forward to this year. My mom lets me know that he is on his way to drop off Christmas presents at her work. She tells me that if there's not one for me, then she wasn't planning to take any of the presents from him. She was nervous, but she felt the need to stand up for me, to protect me and do what was right. 

And so she did. She had to do what she hoped she wouldn't have to do - stand up to him and not accept any of the gives he came bearing. The card for my brother and the gift for my mom & dad was very intentionally shoved back into his car by my mother. He explained to her that I don't call him, I don't see him, etc. etc. Her action accompanied by a "No, thankyou" left him stunned to say the least. 

The irony of his comments and the obvious reasons he's upset are what get me fired up the most. Like, for instance the year that I was back visiting from living in Korea. I called him up and told him that I'd love to see him before heading back to Korea. He told me, in so many words, that they were too busy and didn't have time to see me. Huh. Ok. I actually didn't take it personally back then and just thought it was a bit weird, but hey... whatever. 

Then there was the time after I moved back from Korea that I got ahold of THEM and went over to their house for dinner. I actually had a really great time and enjoyed myself quite a bit. Have I seen them since then? Once at a family function. Not because I don't want to see them or because I don't care, but because life is rather busy. I barely find time to go up to see my parents. I see my Grandma Yo who I'm tremendously close with hardly ever. We talk somewhat often, but life is just busy. It's hard to connect sometimes. In fact, I really didn't keep record of this until this all happened and then I was able to recall these things that had happened.  

I"ve spent a great deal reflecting on this and praying through what part is the most hurtful/frustrating/irritating to ensure I can move forward with this. 

Here's what I have concluded:
  • There's no doubt he feels hurt from something. Whether it's something I did or not... he's hurting. It's important for me to realize that as much as I've been wronged, I must have compassion on what the root of all of this is.
  • I will be standing up for myself. I plan to have a conversation with him to tell him exactly what I think about it. I know he's old, and I know he's my grandfather. This conversation will be respectful in tone, but I will speak with a righteous anger to be straight forward about the situation. 
  • More than ANYTHING. I am ashamed of the person he is. Do you know he actually this Christmas gave my cousin Andrew $5, his brother $15 and gave my little brother $25? Haha, and I of course got nothing. What the hell. 
  • So, that's the type of man he is. While I've been indifferent all these years... seriously never thought poorly of the man my whole life... I simply DO NOT have room for people like that in my life. I really don't. 
  • I feel sorry for him and his lack of understanding of what unconditional love is. It pains me to know that he probably has never experienced and might not ever know what unconditional love is. The last time I saw them, they mentioned to me they were going to a church here in Boise. A solid church at that! This morning, as I pondered this, the thought of how he understands God's grace and what Christ did on the cross surely must be tainted in his mind and in his heart. 

And the last thing I know: I am in a position and have an opportunity to show him Christ-like unconditional love. To love even though I am in a way, hated. To love even though I have been wronged. To love despite of how it has made me feel and disappointed me. 

But I don't feel quite there yet. Not sure if I will actually go to his house to talk with him about this, or if I will just write a letter. Since letters can be revisited, I almost wonder if it would be the wisest way to communicate these things.

So. There you have it. The great debacle. It's caused quite the stir in the family and this is one thing that won't be going away anytime soon. 
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An article from Relevant Magazine has been put in front of me today and my goodness... there are some good thoughts on marriage folks. 

CLICK HERE TO READ THE ARTICLE.

I plan to buy Tim Keller's book, The Meaning of Marriage from which this is excerpted from. 

Hope this article evokes thought and encourages self reflection with a Biblical standpoint.
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Randomly stumbled upon this guy and this breathtakingly beautiful song. It absolutely melts my heart. It's way too great not to share. Enjoy! 
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This weekend was a good one. It consisted of the following:
  • A very poor attempt at sleeping in on Saturday (was awake by like 8:30)
  • Thrift store shopping. Found lots of goodies! 
  • Time with Shannon and Jessica Roundy (my little thriftstore companions)
  • Good life chats with someone who may or may not have inspired the title of this blog. More to (possibly come on that later). 
  • Dinner with aforemention life chatter at a lovely pizza joint called Casanova.
  • Church on Sunday. Amazing service, at that.
  • Madhuban Indian food. No more explanation is necessary. 
  • A nap. A FOUR HOUR nap. I was surprised, but then when I thought back at how much sleep (or lack thereof) I got last week, it made sense. 
  • A lovely sunset 
  • Impromptu worship/jam session with the roomies.

So, without further ado....
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My thrifty finds
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Good quality time with the roommates. Such a blessing to share life with these ladies!
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