right next to the freckle. on my neck.

One of my favorite artists just came out with necklaces that have the lyrics to some of her songs on them. I love her music... and I definitely love the necklace. Just thought I'd share. Have a blessed day

http://www.jjheller.com/home.asp

Click HERE to listen to the song (:

.to ameliorate a grape tomato.

First off.. I would like to commend grandmas around the world who walk to the grocery store and carry their groceries home.

I walked maybe 3/4 a mile home with my groceries

Not a lot right... well my arms were killing me by the time I got home. If its any consolation it WAS uphill. Nonetheless (: it was good for me and gave me respect for all those grannies (: Sidenote: my arms are really long... so every time I came to a curb I had to lift them up... my groceries almost reached the ground.

Tonight I made my first "real" meal. I'm practicing for "Easter dinner". David's family is coming over after service for dinner, so I wanted to practice to make sure I could do it without burning the house down.

This is how I felt going into this whole production. As many of you may know. I never learned how to cook. Mom offered many times, but it has never interested me. Now... don't tell mom, but I love it.



I learned some things... like cook with clothes on. (So that's why they wear an apron) I do the dishes in a sports bra when i'm home alone, and the blinds are shut... because I always get soaking wet, and hate getting my shirts wet and soapy. So I thought the same principle would work with cooking, so I wore my pajama shorts and a tshirt. Not a good idea when you're cooking chicken in olive oil and don't have tongs. My legs are all covered in red spots from olive oil flying out of the pan on me :( Felt like an adventure at least!

Also, timing is huge. I started the chicken... and then the couscous and realized I didn’t know when I started the chicken, and then I focused on the chicken... and forgot how long the couscous had been sitting on low heat... I started figuring out that I could use my music in the background as a sloppy timer. Every time the song switched I knew it had been about 3 minutes.

Have bowls ready. Prepare everything before you start cooking stuff. I know this is common sense for all of you that are 25+ and probably actually most people my age, but hang in there. I’m so excited and just want to share what I’m going through.


(: I make a huge mess when I cook. I had to mop the floor when I was done.

I thought I destroyed the chicken... so I was terrified to try the finished product.. but here's a picture or two.. or three. I'm not proud :P

Rosemary Chicken with Garlic Couscous, Grilled ish Zucchini and Grape Tomato.

 

Good News : It was Amazing (: maybe that's just because I cooked it, and am bias
but I really liked it... it made me cry. i was so happy.
 blessings.

New Place - Free Slideshow Creator

I hate rings. I've actually ALWAYS stressed out because I'm worried about how I would handle wearing a wedding ring every day for the rest of my life. I even considered a tattoo instead. Then I wouldn't have to worry about it, and I won't play with it all the time.. and unless my finger gets amputated.. I can't lose it! Too bad I find tattoo rings increasingly unattractive. This morning, I was wasting time on Etsy and found this ring. I actually really like it.. which is odd. But I do (: so I thought I would share.

http://www.etsy.com/listing/30591529/tres-stacking-rings-turquoise-spiny

Peripatetic

My professor made a really interesting analogy this afternoon that I thought was very insightful. Of course, I don’t have his exact words, but below is the general gist.

“What if the church was a bridge? Something functional. Helpful. Necessary.

            -Well what happens, if after a storm, the body of water that the bridge went over.. moved. The course of the river changed.

In Christianity, if we see the church as this bridge, we have to be attentive to the changing course of the river. We have to be careful not to maintain the bridge for bridge’s sake, and remember our purpose. We should see the body of water, as the people the church is trying to reach out to.”

In applicable means... I guess we should look at traditions. Not only the concrete church traditions but traditions that have been developed subconsciously within the church. If they aren't helping people, we aren't do it right.

Last. Night...on a bed of lettuce.

  First day of school. First day of school.

A lot of people ask me, “Chels, what are you studying at school?”

                  I would say, “Educational Ministry”… which no one is familiar with, so I decided to start saying theology… to make it easiser.

Not until people started asking… “What is theology?” did I realize that this isn’t actually an easy answer. One.. because I didn’t REALLY know how to answer (embarrassing I know).. and two, because it means so many different things to people.

This morning in class my professor rattled off a definition I really like. I’m HORRIBLE with memory, and forget things as they are said… but this is what I was able to write down. Even if it’s not his exact words.. the general gist is captured.

“Theology is the systematic reflection process on the person of Jesus Christ”

He went on to explain that theology isn’t only about statements.. it’s about questions. Theology isn’t only about description.. but identity. Theology is something that is breathed… lived out. Theology is about God, and because God shows through everything.. theology is about everything.

From here my professor explained that he isn’t about defining truth. He knows that he is limited. His capacity to clarify truth is confined, because we are so small compared to God.

He started off class with an exercise where we spent 2 minutes getting to know the person next to us. Pretty basic. However, he did something new. He had us then turn around and tell the person on the other side of us as much as we could about the person we had just spoken with. We can’t capture a person in facts. We can spend much time studying a person and still not be able to fully describe them.

“Christ is full of grace, life and salvation.

The soul is full of sin, death and damnation.

Now let faith come between them and sins, death and damnation will be Christ’s, while grace, life and salvation will be the soul’s; for if Christ is the bridegroom, he must take upon her the things that are his. If he gives her his body and very self, how shall he not give her all that is his? And if he takes the body of the bride, how shall he not take all that is hers?” 

–Martin Luther

March. March on

 

Transition.

                  Change.

Moving two girl’s entire dorm room contents in an Acura.

                  Waiting for seven hours while your parents bring back some of your great grandmother’s furniture to fill your empty house.

                  Realizing how blessed you are. And how bare your pantry really is.

Applying for a second job, when the first one can’t give you as many hours as you had hoped.

                  Cooking without a recipe… because you don’t have wifi yet.

Neighbors outside your house til 2 a.m. yelling at each other after they’ve come home  in a taxi.      

                  Bamboo crashing against your window in the stormy spring nights in Seattle.

Skyping til the wee hours of the morning with the boyfriend you never see.

Forgetting and remembering to thank God for all I have.. when I deserve none of it.

                  Getting back to school after a 10 day break.

                                    Being refreshed by amazingly knowledgeable professors who do care and really love their job.

So much has happened in the last month.

I hope you’ve been able to see some of my silly posts on fb, showing pictures of the things I’ve made to eat. As soon as the family gets back from Mexico I’ll steal Mom’s camera and take some pictures of the house (:

Excited for the adventures ahead. As ready as I’ll be for the challenges.