Our Breakfast Place

This morning I spontaneously suggested to Jeff that we go to Bread and Ink for Breakfast. Thankfully, he thought that was a great idea! We usually go on special occasions like Birthdays and monthly anniversaries. And because we didn't go out to eat on our anniversary this month, we thought we should celebrate my going to California... a last hurrah together if you will. We love this restaurant because of its commitment to using delicious local foods and the atmosphere is fantastic.

Sarah and Jeff @ Bread and Ink!


I got a Citrus Avocado Salad and Jeff got Asparagus Risotto. MMMMmmmmm! We also decided on 2 desserts. Coffee Ice cream (the best I'd ever had) and this Cassatta lemon cake with chocolate ganache frosting (we are saving it for after dinner tonight-can't wait). Money well spent!

We also window shopped on Hawthorne street, which is one of the neatest places to do so.

Roots.

In just 3 days I'll be in the town I grew up in (and the home I grew up in- for perhaps the last time). I haven't really given too much thought about the emotional connections of saying goodbye to the home in which I grew up. A home that welcomed me back after many a surgery, where I had my first kiss, in which I woke up every morning to the sound of my dad putsing around the kitchen, where my sister and I played house together and sang together, where we celebrated many family gatherings, where our family ate dinner together every night, where I learned to experiment in the kitchen, where I learned to play the piano... So many good memories will surely flood me when I come and go for the last time. I am in tears right now thinking about how hard it will be to say goodbye. The house will never be the same. And its not like I can drive by it any time I want to now that I've moved so far away. Ok I really need to stop thinking about this because I am feeling really sad. Its not that I don't want mom and dad to move because I know it will be a good thing for them- even necessary as they see it. It is just really weird to think of another family or person living there, eating there, sleeping there. There is just no other way to describe it.

I'm going to start packing early but I'm waiting until Jeff gets home to start the laundry however because he wants his work shirts washed.... He has the next 3 days off which is definitely a blessing that we get to spend lots of quality time together before I leave because I will surely miss him while I'm away.

I just reorganized the whole pantry because my husband will be doing all his own food preparing/ cooking for the next 2 1/2 weeks... Now everything is accessible and easy to see... (Except for the chocolate chips... I hid those). ;0)

Confessions of a vegetable lover

Recently, Jeff and I have been thinking about how we can start living healthier and finally decided we would put our mouths where our minds are (haha!)... As I mentioned in #17 of my list of 25, a few posts below, I love cooking with vegetables. So, Jeff and I went on a veggie spree at WinCo. We bought more vegetables in the past week than I have my entire life (that's a lot of vegetables). An hour and approximately 20 dollars later, we were at our apartment experimenting with vegetables we'd never dreamed of combining. We made 3 different kinds of soups/ stews, guacamole, ratatouille, home made pesto, and goat cheese & pesto infused meat balls.

"Meatballs?!", you ask in alarm. "But those aren't vegetables"... Granted the meatballs were a bit off of our veggie track, but we oven baked them as opposed to pan frying them like we'd always done in the past, so there was no extra fat. We were worried that they'd be too dry but apparently we released them from their sizzling prison just in time.

In the future we will oven bake our meatballs because it makes for a less messy a method-- keeping dancing grease spatters to a minimum and therefore cutting my clean up time in half! And the fact that I don't have to babysit the pan, turning them over every so often, also makes it a less time consuming project. Anyways, this meatball feast was truly an all around positive experience. However, we've talked about going off red meat for a while... (the exception of course is my visit to California... and who knows what Jeff will cook up while I'm away.) All kidding aside, we just want to be more mindful of where our food comes from. On a similar note, processed foods are a little heavy on the use of fossil fuels and carbon emissions something-er-other, which I've heard is bad for our atmosphere/ planet and our bodies... although I'll be the first to admit I'm not exactly sure how it all works. One of my goals is to learn more about the ill effects of processed foods. Hopefully more on this later...


Here's a sampling of some of the Vegetables/ Plant like foods we used:

Eggplant
Red bell peppers
Mexican Squash
Avocados
Zucchini
Shallots
Roma Tomatoes
Garlic
Yellow squash
Cucumbers
Corn
Yellow Onion
Potatoes
Leeks
Carrots
Celery
Mini red, Orange, and yellow pepper
Celeno Peppers
Fresh Basil
Vine Tomatoes
Rosemary
Green onions
Spinach

Dinner 1: Spicy Vegetable, 3 Bean, Sausage Soup.

Dinner 2:
Goat Cheese and fresh-Pesto Meatballs,
served on Whole Grain Linguine,
with (slightly home made) Pesto Sauce,
Ratatouille on the side.

Dinner 3:
Potato Leek soup,
Corn and Red Pepper Chowder,
Whole Grain Bread.

We were able to freeze the left overs... and have been enjoying them ever since.

5 months. 10 days. and sports.

As of today, Jeff and I have been married for 5 months. We celebrated yesterday because Jeff had the whole day off! Today, there is the Blazer/Suns game which we will most likely watch in our apartment since Jeff's family is busy this evening. We haven't yet watched a whole game on our big screen... So, I'm real excited to pop popcorn, eat fishy crackers, and relax together while watching it in the comfort of our own living room!

Rooting for the Blazers Feb. 9th, 2010
I've never been one to appreciate professional sports. However, ever since Jeff's Birthday, when we went to a live Blazer basketball game, I have become more comfortable with the potential positive effects that sports events have on society. I am too tired and lazy to get into this discussion now, but I can say that I'm learning more and more about how to have team spirit, what the term "playoffs" means, and am slowly getting acclimated with terminology associated with certain plays... thanks to husband who is so patient with me.

In just ten days, I will be in California for a long visit. Although I am super excited to be visiting my family, I worry that it might be too long and my parents might get tired of having me there since they've been completely empty nesters for 5 months now. (Even though I know they miss me when I'm in Portland, having me back might help them realize how much they appreciate their time together). It will be interesting to see how our family dynamic has changed, if at all. I'm looking forward to seeing my sister and Billy again too. Since Jeff's trip up to Sumner WA was canceled, I'm so hoping he can fly down and visit too for a few days. But as we are trying to save money and he wants to work as much as possible, it may not work out. :0( The good things about Jeff not going on his trip to Sumner is we know his cell phone will work so we'll be able to talk unlimited without paying a roaming fee- which sounds like a big hastle to set up! Another good thing is that Jeff will be on his own for 2 1/2 weeks which is significant because he's never lived "on his own" before... He told me his goals for while I'm gone... getting back in the habit of going jogging, and reading books a ton... :0)

Jeff had 3 days off in a row... last weekend and this weekend he does too. As much as I would love to take a trip up to Seattle to see Laura... I think Jeff would rather use the time off to catch up on sleep... fair enough, he deserves a break.

On Friday of last week, Jeff took the day off and I was finally able to go to a doctor for a referral to a new cardiologist since I am way over due for my 8 month check up! The Doctor's brother and sister went to Calvin College... what a small world. Hopefully the cardiology office will call this week to set up the appointment?!

Church

We may have found a church. This morning, Jeff and I visited a U.C.C. church in Portland! I was elated that he was willing to try out a non-CRC church! This had been weighing on my mind ever since before we arrived in Portland. He said that he would be willing to explore other churches but he really liked his family's church. He grew up in the CRC tradition thus he is partial to attending probably out of loyalty to his family and to the pastor. I have just been feeling like I won't be able to grow my gifts with his family (who are really involved in almost every aspect of church life) there too. I feel like Jeff and I need to find our own place where we can grow spiritually as a couple and find a community with people our age and who have kids etc. I feel like I can understand where Jeff is coming from though because I don't think I would be as willing to explore CRC churches in California if we lived there. The good thing though is that Jeff's family's church has evening services too. So we can go to the UCC church in the morning and the CRC church in the evening, granted this is if Jeff doesn't work on Sunday.

Its interesting to me because in my theological discussions with Jeff it seems to me that both of our theological perspectives align more with UCC than CRC (eventhough we met at a predominantly CRC College). That was one of the things I liked (and still do) about Jeff- he never pretended to have a corner on the religious truth. This morning the sermon was on Conversions... (the conversion stories of Paul and Ananias were mentioned) but of course the Pastor explained that the U.C.C. wasn't one to use the term "convert" into our conversations about Christianity-which in my opinion is a difference from most Christian reformed traditions. The members of this church were so compassionate with their prayer requests... On the whole, the experience was a good balance of praise God because he is good but we also were reminded about the shit that goes on in this world.

So, Jeff and I both agreed we could see ourselves attending the church regularly (especially when we have kids) and could see ourselves living in the cute little neighborhood that surrounds it. It was a small church (building wise and in attendance) but it felt homey and passionate more than small. We almost didn't go this morning... but I'm real glad we made the effort (however late we might have been...). When we arrived Jeff excitedly noticed that they choir was singing a rendition of "Proud Mary". Finding a new morning church is something to pray about... most definitely. Even if this isn't the church we end up at, I'm really glad we started the process of exploring our options.

Walking to California

I love this quote: "All truly great thoughts are conceived while walking."-- Nietzsche.

I've been sick for 2 1/2 weeks and quite frankly, I'm tired of it. One sign that I'm getting better is I no longer feel foggy. I had the works: Sore throat, head ache, cough, cold. I can't remember ever being this sick especially for this long. The other day when I was starting to feel slightly better Jeff convinced me to go on a walk with him. This was special for three reasons. It was nice to finally get some fresh air, it wasn't raining, we talked while we walked... reminiscent of our Calvin days. I fell in love with Jeff through walking with him and listening to the thoughts he shared.

Jeff and Sarah walking at Calvin College in Sept. 2006.

Shortly after Jeff and I met, especially before we started dating we used to walk for hours around Calvin's beautiful campus and talk about everything. Anyone who has met me knows about my tendency to be quiet... but Jeff really got me talking during those walks.

On another note, In 20 days I will return to California for a 17 day stay! It will be the first time I've returned since getting married last November. The reason for the trip is my parents will soon be moving out of the home I grew up in and they need help packing everything up and cleaning out their house. Jeff is going on a business trip during those weeks up in Sumner Washington to help open a WinCo there. Since he will be staying up there, we figured it would be the perfect time for me to go and visit my family. This will be the second store that he's helped open... Its great opportunity for him to see how yet another store operates so I'm excited for him. But I will miss him so much as this will be the longest we've been away from each other as newly weds. :0(

25 things

1. I married my best friend, Jeff late last year. It was the best decision I've ever made because I can say for the first time in my life I am truly happy.

2. My twin sister and I are nothing alike. But we are really good friends.

3. Having a stroke at the age of ten during heart surgery changed me in many ways. The most difficult years of my life followed. I had trouble communicating (and still do sometimes), lost my personality, suffered from depression, and had to relearn some skills that everyone else takes for granted. I still struggle in social situations and have a general lack of self confidence but am back to 'normal' for the most part, if there is such a thing.

4. My favorite foods are: my oatmeal chocolate chip cookies with pecans and almonds, fishy crackers, vanilla ice cream, home made granola, whipped cream, goat cheese, tomatoes, mashed red potatoes.

5. My parents are some of the most patient and loving people I know.

6. I had a crush on my husband for over a year before we started dating. At 1:00 AM I asked him out. We were on a 5 hour stroll through the snow. The moon that night looked magical. Exhilaration is the word I'd use to describe the feeling of finding out that he liked me too. I am still in awe that he loves me.

7. My parents instilled in me a love for learning. As educators they were always providing teachable moments at home.

8. I'd take sparkling wine or champagne over beer any day. (Except Pomegranate beer).

9. I love playing hand bells.

10. I've traveled to Australia, Canada, England, Jamaica, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand. Some day I'd love to go back to Japan and travel to Africa, France, Holy lands, Ireland, Italy, and Spain.

11. At age 21 I finally got my drivers license. I still don't like driving... so much responsibility.

12. One of the best pieces of advice I've ever gotten was to "take one risk every day". If I actually followed this, my life would be more interesting.

13. My left ear wears a hearing aid.

14. My husband and I had a short 4 month engagement before we got married. He proposed on my Grandparent's anniversary July 20th. We got married on my parents wedding anniversary, November 20th. And Jeff's parents got married on August 20th.

15. Moving to Portland, Oregon was the easiest yet hardest decision I've made. I miss my family who still lives in California.

16. I didn't try drinking alcohol until 2 months after I turned 21.

17. I'm excited that spring is here because all the farmers markets in the Portland area open in April. Using fresh veggies and trying new recipes even though I know I won't stick to them are my favorite types of cooking. I've always loved vegetables and creating ways to make them taste even better.

18. Going to college in Michigan was a challenging experience. I'm proud of myself for getting my bachelors degree. I just wish I had applied myself more.

19. I contracted malaria from Jamaica in 2007 which remained dormant in me for 5 months before the symptoms showed up. I was hospitalized over a weekend so they could monitor its progression.

20. Before we got married, my husband and I felt united in the fact that we wanted to live simply. It wasn't until after the purchase of our 40 inch flat screen T.V. that I learned my husband's definition of simple living is much different than mine. I always imagined that simple living meant living with out some unnecessary modern conveniences. While his was more like its o.k. to have nice things but the less stuff the better. Learning to compromise with each other is something we are working at.

21. I've never been to Las Vegas.

22. When I was younger, I wanted to be an actress, an opera star, a composer, a veterinarian, an author, and a restaurant owner. Now, I don't know what I want to do with my life.

23. My family grew up with out watching T.V. This spurred lots of creative moments for my sister and me.

24. If I were to do college over again I would think about majoring in Philosophy or Religion. My favorite course was Philosophy of Social Science... It altered the way I think about life.

25. Camp Del Corazon (Heart camp) was a life saver... I learned so much about myself especially that I shouldn't let my heart disease hold me back from living.