Seventh

Happy Anniversary! Seven wonderful years! J, Thank you for loving me for who I am, for believing in me, and for encouraging me to reach for new dreams that I at one time thought impossible! You have challenged me to become a more thoughtful and logically inclined person. You are a great cheerleader and encourage me whether I ace challenges or fail. Thanks for tolerating my love of butter and for stomaching my often wild kitchen creations! The compassion you have for others around you is contagious. Learning new insights and sharing in new activities and ideas together is my favorite! I am so proud of all you've accomplished in these past seven years! And I can't wait to see what the future holds for us! I am most enthusiastic to be your wife and I joyfully choose to spend my life with you everyday over and over again until our forever runs out! 
My desires for this next year of marriage are to pray more for (and with?) you, share more openly my thought processes and feelings with you, make new recipes for us to try, and Lord willing- start a family together. You are my forever bean-- better than a dream come true. You have far exceeded my expectations for how wonderful marriage can be. You are full of rich character, soulful integrity, and snuggly warm delight! I love you so, my dearest Jeffreybean! Happy Anniversary! XOBCXO

A most long over due post...

Written June 2014
My heart is overwhelmed. I am excited, scared, a little sad, and exhausted. We are moving! After my husband  and I crammed ourselves into a decent sized room in the basement of his parents’ home in October of 2012 it was hard to imagine us ever leaving... with the generously low rent and the lovingly prepared free meals, the constant companionship of kitty cat Jo, his sister, mom, and sometimes dad, lack of privacy when we desired it most, the creaking of floor boards above at all hours of the day and night, the beeping start and quiet whirring of the stationary bike right outside our bedroom door,  and Video games and TV blasting in the basement "game room" (a project quickly insisted on upon our arrival).  As grateful as I am for this experience and the ability to get to know his family better- as people living together often do, it will be nice to have our own space again… The reason for our move is Jeff got into a nursing program 200+ miles East of Portland. I am thrilled for Jeff beyond belief. It has been a dream of his to become a nurse ever since we married... maybe before.

August 2016
Those days of anxiety and excitement  turn into a year and yet another year,  my husband now has an associates of nursing degree from a community college in Portland. Thankfully we didn’t have to move to Pendleton, OR after all. Instead we moved 5 minutes away from Community college campus and both took classes there. He passed the NCLEX this summer, and is working towards his bachelors degree in Nursing at the prestigious OHSU! I can’t believe how fast time rages on yet how slowly it seems to drift in the moment.


We celebrated his academic feat by visiting Tokyo to see his brother this summer. After I left, he travelled on with his brother on a backpacking trip across the middle of Japan (from Kyoto to Tokyo) amidst the blistering heat and intermittent thundershowers. They trudged on average 25 miles a day for 16 days. They got lost enough times to turn their 280 mile journey into approximately 330 miles but somehow still managed to finish in time for him to fly home to me. That was a rough 2 weeks. We only facetimed once that whole time and I missed him dearly. I surprised myself and actually got along okay without him partly because I binged watched movies I knew he wouldn’t enjoy and TV shows I rented from the library. I also read Hiku poetry by a man (Basho) who had travelled the Nakasendo trail many many years before and I vicariously through his words imagined J and his brother seeing some of the same sights.

I am from...

I am from the sheet-roofed-theaters on Ancona drive
from postage-stamp-backyard play and a paper mustache
from piano keys and a one woman choir
from art projects and silly singing in doctors' offices
from eucalyptus trees and restaurant counters made from rock

I am from lovers of education and play
from naples, fremont, signal hill, stevens, and valley
from reconciling beliefs of/in the UCC and CRC
from hand-me-downs, sweet gifts, and "get-well-soons"
from sunset blvd. and the Bay Shore library

I am from a crowded womb
from John Rosemond and an endless piles of magazines
from chasing bark-less dogs down one way streets
from coffee and chocolate
from homegrown jalapenos and whispered hallelujahs

I am from finding salvation on the back of an otherwise empty school bus
from both public and private humiliations
from directing plays and obeying without question
from recorders, disorders, and recorded song
from ringing and overly resined bows

I am from 2 islands one with bridges the other without
from tubes, life-lines, and monitors
from loss and recovery
from loneliness and heart ache
from anti-anxiety pills and sunny dispositions
from waiting and answered prayers

I am from frustration, fear, and undeserved grace
from the cutting board, coffee on 2nd street, and Tillamook cheese
from marble slab and stroll and savor balloons
from sunshine, snow, and now rain
from dust and hope
and from love.

Monthly Highlights to catch up.

Its been a while since I've posted.

Here is a highlight from each month:

August: We traveled to Chicago to witness our friends' beautiful wedding.

We also took a side trip to Michigan and got to reminisce old times in the town and on the campus where Jeff and I met seven (gasp!) years ago.

September: I started a new job in a new department with the company Jeff and I work for. Its way more stressful and I'm learning a ton of different things all at once. It will take me a while to get the hang of everything but I am enjoying getting to know the people who work in my department.

October: My 27th Birthday~ Jeff surprised me with a favorite meal complete with cupcakes decorated with cute owls and pumpkin apple cider to drink. We went out to eat way more than we should have this month and we celebrated with Jeff's family a lot too. It was a great birthday!!!

November: We celebrated our 2nd year Wedding Anniversary! :0) Time flies while we are having fun. I love Jeff so much. I couldn't ask for a better life partner! He is simply the loveliest!

We had a quiet and relaxing thanksgiving with a ton of delicious food at the Dekker house.
I can't believe today is the last day of November. Christmas is just around the corner.

We've been and will be busy at work because of the holidays. I sure hope we can get away to California soon for a visit?!

Psalm 104

Yesterday Jeff and I took a romantic three hour hike and this is what we saw...

We also saw a baby deer, many slugs feasting, snails with amber shells, shy ladybugs, dozens of black winged moths with iridescent dark blue bodies and red heads, bird nests, and flowers of varied hues.  

Strawberry Fields Forever

Walking far along the unpaved road into the fields of strawberries, the three of us take turns rolling the bouncy red wagon behind us. The red wagon wobbles unsteadily while the wheels bicker and squeak, protesting the dirt beneath them.  We can hardly hear ourselves speak during such a racket so we pause in brief moments of rest to share our observations and memories.

The noisy Red Wagon holding our  juicy treasures!

While Susie and I scour one field, Jeff wanders to another and finds a kid-sized,  painted wooden-plank replica of a scarecrow complete with cardboard shotgun. This field seems untouched and holds rounder and more robust strawberries. We pick here. The strawberries we snap off the plants make crisp popping sounds if done just so.  Sugary scents are inhaled as we hold red berries up to our noses. "Smells sweeter than candy," we chime. 

Fresh out of the field, some U-pick Strawberries from Sauvie's Island

This year we go earlier in the season. Our picking experience is greatly different than last year. There are more strawberries, and bigger ones too!  We are pickier about what we decide to pluck. 

Small waves of sunshine coupled with light breezes and cloud cover make for ideal weather. We have a fun afternoon picking strawberries. 

This summer I am bound to make strawberry ice cream and strawberry-chocolate-chip pancakes. We have been known to plop a strawberry or two in a glass of sparkling (or white) wine for a refreshing weekend treat.  And of course, we will be adding them to our spinach (green) smoothies!

Other ideas of what to make with our U-pick strawberries are welcome! :0)

Notes on Rain: poetically Tuesday

Light dusting of mist
unseen, felt as surely as sweat
dampness envelopes
as a foggy bathroom
after a steamy shower

Pavement darkens
 fresh rain,  falling, wafts
metallic, rubber, and wet rock
pungent, sweet, heavy
scents assault the nose

Pavement iridescent
slick with oil
pace heightens
with earnest intensity
a pitter-patter

Drops bounce violently
off surfaces quicker
than they fall creating
 check mark extravaganzas,
on  windshields

Waters converge
clouding perspectives
like cataracts
eyes closed
 just listening, quicker

harder louder jogger's
shoes hitting pavement finding
rhythm sprinting joining throng
marathoners moving
steadily to their own beat

A symphony,
one million drums
roaring in dissonant
pitches rolling with
unsteady but continuous vibrato

Thicker drops splat eagerly
 Eyes open, the windows
blur colors
not distinguished,
time to leave

One's haven
trekking through biting rain,
a sweeter smell,
metallic, rubber, wet rock
replaced

Raging flush
moves to prickling
pellets, tugging on
hood-strings clumsily
with mittens.

Becoming one with rain
shoes join pounding
 pavement with staggered
dashes moving
with hesitance

Avoid splashing pant legs
in muddy puddles.
Cautions bid unsuccessful
whole being engulfed
with the deluge

From inside
 sprinkles seems lazier
 than moments ago,
sounds taper to single horse
 clopping rides away

Ultimately echoing
distantly,
Grateful
 for invigoration
 in the rain.

A Trip Downtown

Awaking before dawn this morning we worked up a sweat at our apartment gym. We rode the Max downtown and ate underground at Pioneer Place. Upon finding ourselves accompanied by a herd of noisy school children, we politely nibbled our food and left. Blocks away, we viewed the movie "Midnight in Paris" in a small upstairs theater. Jeff and I were both taken with the historical characters and the moral. Then we strolled through Central Library. I checked out Annie Dillard's The Writing Life. Before heading to Powells Bookstore, we shared savory chocolate mint and hazelnut Gelato in a double scoop. Sitting at a table for two on the quiet sidewalk we watched the world around us and talked about time- how we had and would spend it- all the while fully enamored in our present moments.  At Powells, we sipped coffee (& tea), shared a soft-chewy-chocolate cookie, and read together in the bustling cafe.  On the train ride back we stood in silent satisfaction of a memorable day, my body balanced precariously against his. Hand in hand, we made dimpled glances at eachother while we noticed that we smelled pleasantly like the city. Upon arriving home, Jeff studied for class while I scribbled-with new meaning- in my journal.

Garden of Awakening Orchids

Yesterday Jeff and I went on a date to the Lan Su Chinese Gardens. The garden is located, as one patron exclaimed with delight, "...in the middle of a city!" Named Lan Su  because sounds from both Portland, and our sister city in China, Suzhou. And because Chinese enjoy double meanings: Lan means Orchid and Su means Awaken/ Arise.


We crunched honey-sweetened Chinese Puffed Rice Cakes
and sipped Chinese Tea served in creamy-porcelain Gaiwan Teacups

here in the Tower of Cosmic Reflection tea house

we sat and drank the sounds of classical Erhu interpretations

played by this gentleman.

A gorgeous day, we experienced typical spring weather for Portland: a mix of rain with a little shine.
Our outing was both romantic and educational. The garden's quiet, peaceful atmosphere complimented the slightly blooming flowers. Watching raindrops patter on the garden pond was magical.

Kites everywhere... Indoors. Impressively displayed in the hall, the study, and the terrace were kites of all shapes, sizes, and kinds for their special Chinese Kite exhibit. Cultural histories, art of kite making, science of kite physics, and international differences between kites were explained. Fascinating.

Thanks to Susie and Phil for the free admissions coupon! 

Double Dekkerdoodles

For Jeff's Dad's birthday last week Sunday, we wanted to bake homemade snickerdoodles for his gift.

We ran out of sugar in early January but luckily I had a ton of left over Splenda from my attempt to make Apple Cinnamon Jam as a Birthday gift for someone with Diabetes... 'This should work,' I told myself, 'after all its just like sugar.' Unfortunately, I kept waiting for the jam to become jiggly but it never did. So I looked over the packaging to make sure I had followed all the steps.... I had. It wasn't until I put the box in the recycle bin that I realized my mistake. The pectin box states very boldly on the front and sides, "DO NOT USE WITH IMITATION SUGAR," Oops...

***
'Baking cookies would be doable with Splenda,' I told myself, 'after all its just like sugar.' When mixing Splenda with the the ingredients it created wet clumps that were the consistancy and color of runny scrambled eggs rather than cookie batter. We stirred in the flour and baked them anyway but they stayed in the shape of the round balls that we had rolled them into instead of expanding, puffing, and flattening out as the recipe promised. Jeff and I reluctantly ate the batch of dry, sickeningly sweet, and crumbly cookies. In fact, I saved the last one for him!! I hid it in the cooled oven forgetting about it until one week later (after preheating the oven for this second batch of Dekkerdoodles.) This made for one hard, chard cookie. You can imagine our disappointment. ;0p

I bought just enough sugar to make these Dekkerdoodles:








Even the ones that I had to roll in splenda/ cinnamon are equally as tasty. I was hesitant to do this as my track record using Splenda so far had been quite poor. But thankfully they turned out fine. Phew.

Rustic Fudge Brawnies

Ok, I'm definitely not the biggest fan of brownies. Usually brownies are the equivalent of a dry chocolate cake that skips the best part (the frosting.)

But when researching optional recipes to make for my visiting parents (in 4 days :0) from today!!), I happened upon a few brownie recipes that sounded interesting...

Not your typical brownie recipes of packaged-chocolate-flour mix + eggs + water = brownies. Instead, these recipes omitted all flours, eggs, and sugar. The no-bake concept intrigued me and seemed simple enough as one recipe had just 5 ingredients.


So, for my version of no-bake brownies, aka Double Dekker's Rustic Fudge bRAWnies: I used walnuts, dates, pecans, cacao (cocoa) powder, salt, honey, and as one recipe recommends I pressed raw cacao nibs on top. These are extremely healthy!
During the brownie making process, my "test" tasting along the way created a deficit of brownie batter so there wasn't enough to cover the bottom of my 9X3 pan. (The original recipes called for a 8x8 pan but I decided to go for extra thick brownies... which didn't happen even after I made another half batch of brownie mix to compensate for the batter in my tummy.)

I must say I don't really remember what a regular brownie is supposed to taste like in flavor or texture as I haven't had one in ages. But these are pretty tasty. Here are some photos of my bRAWnies.






After scarfing down two large brownies, Jeff said, "If this is what it is like to eat raw, I could go raw everyday!" :0)

5 years ago today

Five years ago today, 2/12/2006, we walked around campus... together, not yet hand in hand. (We had been close friends for over a year and a half at this point. I was a junior and you were in your second year. We had kept in touch over the phone during the summer and the semester you weren't in Michigan.) Much to my delight, you had returned to school a few days earlier. It was 1:00am and I was supposed to be studying for a Statistics test. There was just so much on my mind; you could tell there was a secret I wanted to share. You encouraged me to tell you but I was fearful of rejection so I hesitated. I silently questioned my poor timing and how you would respond to my secret. But most of all I wondered what was to become of us if you didn't like what I would tell you. I questioned aloud if our friendship would change. You assured me it wouldn't. I even asked you if you had any idea what I was going to say. You told me much later, that you had an inkling but didn't want to say anything if you weren't right.

It was the most beautiful night, magical even. The moon was aglow with an encompassing frosty halo. Sparkling snow blanketed the field behind the gymnasium as we sloshed through it, headed no where in particular. I realized that you weren't going to let me not tell you that night... I figured we'd been walking and talking for about 5 hours... you deserved to know the truth. Shaking from the icy air and in fear of losing my best friend, I stopped walking, allowing you to walk ahead as I didn't want to look rejection in the face. I took a deep breath and shyly whispered "Jeff, I really like you." You turned and walked towards me and gave me a hug. At the time, I wasn't sure if it was a pity hug- or an I really like you too hug. It seemed like forever until you said something. But when you said, "Sarah, I really like you too." I knew this was the beginning of something beautiful.

We were both in shock. Here we were such great friends and we each had secretly been in love with the other for who knows how long. Remember how elated we were to discover this mutual desire to be more than just friends? I don't think I stopped smiling for at least a week. I still get butterflies when I see you and a smile comes across my face when I think of you. I am thankful that the courage to tell you how I felt came upon me that fateful February morning. It is truly bliss to be alive with you and share this home in each other.
I love you Jeffrey Dekker.
Love,
Your wife

Roses are... frosting?

While working at Marble Slab Creamery, as their cake creator/ brownie baker/ and cookie dough maker, I discovered my passion for decorating cakes. It was working there that I also discovered the deliciousness that is buttercream frosting... (For our per shift free treat I sometimes used a tiny helping of buttercream as my ice cream mix in) soooo delicious.

However, I had never attempted homemade buttercream frosting... nor had I tried making a rose from frosting before. Lets just say making a frosting rose is one of the most very challenging kitchen crafting projects I've ever attempted. Part of what made it difficult was that I could not find the proper tool: a rose pin. So, I used a meat thermometer instead because it was similar in shape (but not size) as the tools used in the frosting rose making demonstrations I had seen on youtube. I was proud of my craftiness until it didn't work so well. The raised rim around the circular thermometer platform made it impossible to lift off to place on the cake with ease. After many failed attempts and many globs of frosting in my tummy later, I finally got one good one (after about 10 tries) which ended up not so centered on Jeff's birthday cake... Oops.


Happy Birthday Jeff! :0)

Homemade Pomegranate Cheesecake

Yesterday I made my first cheesecake.... Here is the catch... There is no cream cheese, no confectioners, brown or white sugars, no honey, no butter, no eggs, no cream, and no baking involved! And there are only 7 ingredients! It's a raw vegan cheesecake! Jeff and I have been attempting to eat more "raw" foods lately. Raw meaning: not cooked, and not highly processed. So more green smoothies, more vegetables and fruits in their natural state, less meat, less sugar, less bread & pasta, and apparently more cheesecake. I downloaded this particular cheesecake recipe from therawchef.com. This cheesecake tastes like and looks as close to the real thing as we can tell, although we've never actually eaten real 'pomegranate flavored' cheesecake before, but it definitely tastes like a cheesecake.

So, what is in it? The filling is made out of Cashews, coconut oil, lemon juice, agave nectar, vanilla, salt, and pomegranate juice. What about the crust? Well, take the first 6 ingredients I listed and vary their measurements and you have the crust. Next time I might try almonds or pecans for the crust and I'm sure it would be equally tasty. It was almost too easy to make which means I'll be whipping it up again in the future with (or without) visitor's requests... Any excuse I have to make this... I will take advantage of! Jeff and I both had some for breakfast!

Here are some more photos of this fun kitchen crafting adventure:

The Crust...


The Filling is set...


Ta Da...

Kitchen projects of the new year.

In this new year Jeff and I have been spending a lot of time in the kitchen.
Mostly for gifts...

Jar of Hazelnut Butter:


Spicy Cheese Ball:


Baby loaf of Rustic Rosemary Greek-Olive Bread:



For ourselves, we experimented with Apple Cinnamon Jam, a Tabbouleh salad, Garlic and Jalapeño Quinoa, and a few others.

End of December Review

I don't miss my hair as it was weighing me down at over 18 inches long!! No, I didn't donate what was cut because it was not "quality" hair- But, I would have loved to. My new do will hopefully be more convenient for working freight crew. I'm happy to have virgin hair and glad that its basically back to my natural color. Here is a photo of my new hair cut!



I burned my thumb pretty badly on christmas day making Peanut Brittle from scratch for Jeff's dad. The brittle turned out great and my thumb is healing. (I will spare your eyes and not post photos of the thumb.)

Peanut Brittle

1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup water
1 cup peanuts
2 tablespoons butter, softened
1 teaspoon baking soda

Directions:
Grease a large cookie sheet. Set aside.
In a heavy 2 quart saucepan, over medium heat, bring to a boil sugar, corn syrup, salt, and water. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Stir in peanuts. Set candy thermometer in place, and continue cooking. Stir frequently until temperature reaches 300 degrees F (150 degrees C), or until a small amount of mixture dropped into very cold water separates into hard and brittle threads.
Remove from heat; immediately stir in butter and baking soda; pour at once onto cookie sheet. With 2 forks, lift and pull peanut mixture into rectangle about 14x12 inches; cool. Snap candy into pieces.



Baker's Notes:
We conveniently decided we were going to make the brittle on Christmas Eve at approx. 6:30pm. Problem is most of the stores were closed already for the holiday so we bought 10: 1 5/8 oz. bags of salted and honey roasted peanuts from a liquor store because that was all they had. We thus omitted the salt from the recipe because the nuts were salty in themselves. I was thankful Jeff's mom had a candy thermometer because I can't imagine doing this project without one. This must be the first recipe I followed every step to the letter... and I'm glad I did because it turned out beautifully and Jeff's dad seemed impressed! :0)

When our friend Rob was visiting from Eugene he gave us the brilliant idea to compile a CD of songs about trains for Jeff's dad and thankfully provided us with the majority of the music! Here are the album covers Jeff and I designed:

Front cover of CD case: Designed and colored by Sarah Dekker.

Back of CD case: Designed and colored by Jeff Dekker

Wintery Cinnamon

It seems as if we skipped over autumn entirely. I've heard this could be due to Global Warming but it could just be me and my lack of observation as I slept while other people may have witnessed the vibrant leaves turn and blow away. I must say I missed fall this year. I want Winter to grow on me... so I try and convince myself- "Winter is growing on me," but I'm never sure if it is.

We've decided not to decorate for the holidays this year so I'm going to have to get in the Christmas spirit some other way. Although this year our apartment is sans decoration, our apartment is beginning to feel and smell wintery.

The air is frigid- we try not to turn on our heater too often (to save both money and electricity) so instead we bundle up in long sleeve shirts with hoodies and cozy pajama pants and snuggle together under our fluffy covers when Jeff gets home from work. Often times I fall asleep until late in the evening. This afternoon nap ritual is a favorite of mine.

The scent of the gingerbread coffee I brewed yesterday lingers with hints of freshly baked apple crisp radiating from our oven.
Baking so lifts my spirits. I felt overwhelmed with sadness earlier about not being able to see my family this holiday season and so I decided bake. And now, I have a smile in my soul and on my face... It also helps that the apple crisp will be done right as Jeff gets home from work... I'm surprising him with this treat. If it turns out horribly, at least the apartment smells cinnamony and delicious.



Apple Crisp Recipe

Makes six servings

6 apples cored and sliced
3/4 cup white sugar
2 tablespoons whole wheat pastry flour
5 tablespoons ground cinnamon
1/4 cup water

3/4 cup quick-cooking oats
3/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/3 cup butter, melted

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Place the sliced apples in a glass pan.
Mix the white sugar, 2 tablespoons flour and ground cinnamon together, and sprinkle over apples. Pour water evenly over all.
Combine the oats, 3/4 cups flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda and melted butter together.
Crumble evenly over the apple mixture.
Bake at 325 degrees F for about 45 minutes.

The Case for End Year Resolutions!

At the beginning of each new year I set out to accomplish major feats. Exercise 3x a week by going to the gym after work, keep our home clean (...how about just the kitchen?), stop biting my nails, put money into savings, volunteer my time, etc. Thinking up these resolutions through a process of thoughtful self-reflection and writing them down are major accomplishments in themselves. Every year I fail to meet my expectations of success. By early February I've given up hope and by the end of March I've forgotten what my resolutions were in the first place. The other day I was searching for our marriage license and instead came upon my new years resolutions list that I made at the beginning of 2010 tucked away at the bottom of my night stand. I am annoyed at myself for how much I didn't accomplish. I had a whole year to work on improving myself and some how it just didn't happen. The fact is, New Years Resolutions are a lost cause, for me at least. I become so overwhelmed with negative self-talk, i.e. "you'll never be able to keep this up for a whole year," that my new years resolution to think and talk positively is automatically defeated. So instead, I've decided to try something new. 'End of the Year Resolutions'. Starting in early (mid-December in this case), I have 15-30 days to accomplish as much as I can manage. A month is perfect because 1.) It is just enough time to kick a bad habit or get into a good habit, and 2.) because its only a month, this set time frame seems doable- less daunting than a whole year. 3.) The lateness in the year factor allows me to feel like I accomplished something this year and 4.) therefore I can leave the year on a more positive note. 5.) If I am successful at sticking out my resolution, I can then decide if I want to continue this newly formed habit of self improvement through the new year which 6.) will most likely make keeping these resolutions in the new year easier because I'll already have practiced and know I can succeed.

For this End of the Year here are my 5 Resolutions:
1.) Find a better balance between work, resting, making time for friends, and family time
2.) Be more intentional about hanging out with Jeff's family
3.) Put belongings back in their proper places to keep apartment organized
4.) Shed the unnecessary- focus on what I truly value.
5.) Eat more Fruits and Vegetables daily and limit my intake of processed foods

New Opportunities... Thankfully Thursdays

A few days before thanksgiving my husband came home from work and excitedly told me about this night position that had opened up in the variety department... I listened to everything he told me and said, "it sounds like you are really excited about this, you should go for it!" And he was like, "No silly, not for me... for you!" See I thought he had been talking about himself switching departments so we would both be working nights, but he was actually suggesting that I apply for this position. After figuring that out, I was a little hesitant because I'm not loving working at night. But after he reminded me that there would be other people around, and I would not just be sitting at a desk the whole night, I quickly got on board. So, I turned in my application not really knowing what to expect. I interviewed for the position and was offered the job. I am thankful to have a fresh start and learn some new skills. :0) Jeff is super enthusiastic about me working at the same company and store as him, which I think is really sweet. His excitement has rubbed off on me a little too. So, I have 3 more nights at the hotel and then I start sometime this next week at WinCo. I am thankful for this new opportunity to learn new things, meet new people, and grow as a person!

End of November Review

November was kind of a blah month for us. We were both ill for the majority of November. Yeah, there were a few days when we felt better... being sick is exhausting. It is fine when one of us is sick as the well person can take care of the sick one, but we learned we can manage to take care of each other even though neither of us felt great. I remember thinking how I was thankful that we are usually pretty healthy and I was happy that we would both feel much better in a few days. But the few days turned into a few weeks... the sickness continued without reprieve. Our 1 year anniversary was low-key because of this. It was just nice to relax together. We finally got Jeff in to see the doctor on the 30th because he was so sick and has some lumps on his neck. The doctor thinks he probably has swollen lymph nodes from a sinus infection so he is on antibiotics for the next week or so. :0( Here's to hoping they work!

Our apartment looks as ill as we do. Thats all I'm going to say about that.

Our dear friend Hope visited us mid-November! This was a huge highlight for us as we really enjoy her company. It was just like the old days at Calvin- our sophomore year, the three of us hung out all the time. :0)

Thanksgiving was nice. We spent it with Jeff's family, had a nice traditional turkey dinner, and I fell asleep on their couch after the meal.

I started reading the book Hot Flat and Crowded. It is interesting so far and I'm on page 300 out of like 400.

On Our budget: We did really well this month and saved 1/3 of our income again this month. This of course doesn't reflect the fact that we paid off ALL our loans: for school and my car. But these special transactions came out of savings so they were not pulled from our monthly income. Jeff's and my anniversary gift to each other is being Debt Free!! We saved up our money and decided we would start our second year of marriage off right! We are both relieved not to have to take these moneys out each month and more importantly, now we can continue to save up our money for a house, and kids, and exciting endeavors like that! :0)

I finally mailed my sister's birthday gift on the 30th of Nov...... a month and a 1/2 late. I'm such a bad sister. We hope they like them though.