Four Score and Five Years Ago

On Jan 3rd Devin and I celebrated...

...our 5 year anniversary. Yeah!

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Our festivities included a variety of Portland's finest - Henry's Tavern, Hotel DeLuxe, Living Room Theaters, Stumptown, and Fehrenbacher Hof.

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Five means we're official, right?!

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PS. thank you to the five bowlers for posing for this picture. and props to the dogs for behaving so well during the photo shoot.

Best of 2008 - Trader Joes Products

Seeing that it's near the year end, I thought I'd compile some "Best ofs." Here are some of my favorite goodies and go-to foods from Trader Joes 2008.

8. Mushroom and Herb Risotto. Great to have on hand. Simple to prepare. Add some chicken or veggies like zuchinni or spinach and you have an all-in-one meal.

7. White Bean Hummus. I thought I had overdosed on Hummus, so I took a break for a while. Then Dev bought this and I got back on the Hummus horse - the white Bean Hummus Horse. (I think this is the most times I've ever typed Hummus.)

6. Almond Milk. Almond Milk was the new water for me in 2008. Devin can attest that I chug this at least 5 times a day. It's super cheap and, as it says, a delicious alternative to soy!

5. Blueberry Green Tea. If your house smells funny, just brew some of this tea and let the aroma take over. I'm not a big fan of blueberry flavored things, so I was skeptical, but this blew my green tea socks off.

4. Brown Rice. Aka the other savior of the world. Not only is this rice BROWN and ORGANIC, it's really GOOD and so EASY to cook. You'll never want to cook rice the traditional 20min way again.

3. Thai Yellow Curry Sauce. Devin and I have consumed so much of this sauce this year, I'm suprised we aren't more yellow or at least more Thai. We've added it to everything. One of our staple meals is brown rice (above), grilled fish and veggies with yellow curry sauce. booyah.

2. Sublime Ice Cream Sandwiches. Of course I wasn't about to forget dessert. I don't know how they do it, but honestly, these seemingly childish ice cream sandwiches are up there in the heavenly eschalon along with the most gourmet confections on earth.

And finally, numero uno.

1. Roasted Gorgonzola Flavored Oven Crisp Crack-ers. A word of caution. Buy these, and you will be on the road to addiction. I don't know what it is about these little hexagons but they are... well, it's a mystery. Let me know if you can figure it out. They have so many flavors, they're like a meal in one. And they last about as long as a meal because they adhere to the back recesses of your teeth creating a second meal entirely.

I didn't realize the level of our dependency on these until I looked up from my laptop yesterday and saw...

Note: This photograph was NOT staged.

Advent Action - Hope

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.

Take my yoke upon you

and learn from me,

for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

Matthew 11:28-30

God, thank you for coming to us. Thank you for showing us humility by coming into our world as a child. Thank you for showing us true love by sacrificing yourself for us. Thank you for showing us hope amidst our world filled with unrest. In the coming year, Jesus, help us to learn from you.

Advent Action - Belovedness

One of the profound experiences of the spiritual life is that when you discover yourself as being the beloved son or daughter of God, you suddenly have new eyes to see the belovedness of other people.

It is very interesting because it is the opposite of what happens in the world when they say you are very special, that means you are not the same as the rest. If you win an award, then that award is valuable because not everybody gets that award. The world is saying that you are only the best when not everybody else is the best.
-Henry Nouwen

Prayer: Lord, take away our desires to be valued in the world's eyes. Grant us a spirit of repentance, of lowliness, of love. Help us comprehend the love you have for us and for those around us.

Advent Action - Temptation to Power

One of the greatest ironies of the history of Christianity is that its leaders constantly gave in to the temptation of power - political power, military power, economic power, or moral and spiritual power- even though they continued to speak in the name of Jesus, who did not cling to his diving power but emptied himself and became as we are.

The temptation to consider power an apt instrument for the proclamation of the Gospel is the greatest of all... With this rationalization, crusades took place; inquisitions were organized; Indians were enslaved; positions of great influence were desired.

What makes the temptation of power so seemingly irresistible? Maybe it is that power offers an easy substitute for the hard task of love. It seems easier to be God than to love God, easier to control people than to love people, easier to own life than to love life.
-Henri Nouwen

Advent Action
Today give up the need to control others.

Advent Action - All your heart soul and mind

We must continually remind ourselves that the first commandment requiring us to love God with all our heart, all our soul, and all our mind is indeed the first. I wonder if we really believe this.
-Henri Nouwen

"Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?" He said to him, "'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul and with all your mind.'" This is the greatest and first commandment."
Matthew 22

Advent Action
Often we remain so imprisoned by 'old tapes' running though our heads that we cannot acknowledge God's love for us. Pick an 'old tape': a resentment, a belittlement, a loss, a regret, and release it permanently in exchange for the shelter of a loved and loving God.

snow in pahrtlahnd