a week off... how wonderful!

i am grateful to my organization for a week off of work. it has been so refreshing! i was lamenting to luke yesterday that it's too bad we can't store up rest. me resting a lot this week does not equal me being any less tired when work starts up again. his retort: i guess we have to enjoy it while we can!

enjoy it we have done. here are some highlights.

the small, boring things like lots of sleeping in and cleaning all those things i never seem to get around to.

then, there are the things that only i would get excited about, like the REI used gear sale today or spending my Christmas money on an apple corer/peeler so i can dehydrate apples with ease! i have also been excited to try recipes from my new cookbook (homemade pantry by alana chernila). yesterday, i made strawberry peach fruit leather!

then, there have been the big things. luke played a jazz show with some of his out of town musician friends. we had our 4th annual ugly sweater party with friends, which was more fun than ever complete with our fried Evan dj-ing and a white elephant gift exchange.

we got to go visit some of luke's extended family at their house on the mckenzie river and enjoyed a dip at terwilliger hot springs in the SNOW! it was majestic and so sweet to spend time with family.

my parents are off in europe having a train adventure, so luke and i spent christmas eve with christian, church and soup- a sandor tradition! since all the nieces and nephews are far off in other countries, we spent christmas morning not opening presents, but snow shoeing with rusty and mary lou at trillium lake on mt. hood. the trees were heavy laden with snow and the silence of the woods was deafening. we are so lucky to live so close to such natural beauty.

side note: another tradition in the sandor family was the Pillsbury orange sweet rolls on Christmas morning. you know the kind- the ones in the can that pops open before you put them in the pan. this year, i tried my hand at a homemade version and they were delectable. never going back! look here for the recipe.

i have managed to squeeze the most out of this week off, and still have a few more days! plan to spend it reflecting on the year of 2012 and all that God has been doing in these months.

if i had to describe relaxation in one word...

it would have to be breitenbush.

the name of a retreat center out in the middle of the cascades where luke and i spent the weekend. we went to welcome winter, to celebrate his birthday a week early, and to RELAX! mission accomplished.

it was raining hard all weekend, and there was even a dusting of snow when we woke this morning. the perfect weather to enjoy many long soaks in the outdoor, natural hot spring-fed soaking pools. that plus an incredible vegetarian buffet at each meal, lots of rest, games, reading (just finished under wildwood by portland local colin meloy and i couldn't put it down!), exploring in the woods, prayer, mate, and down time with the one i love.

my body, mind, soul, and spirit feel refreshed. thank you abba for the creation of a place like that and for all the people who care for it.

a weekend, filled to the brim

three day weekends... the possibilities are endless.

luke and i managed to squeeze in lots of good things this weekend. a movie, caramel corn, roommates and good friends, bike rides, water aerobics. :)

we kicked it off with a work project with church, imago dei. we worked with a group of brothers and sisters from around the city to bless the local DHS office by remodeling the visitation rooms. we took down wallpaper, repainted, replaced toys and furniture and helped create a space that will hopefully be welcoming and help parents reconnect with their kids living in foster care during their weekly visits. i must say that one of my favorite things of being involved in a big church like imago is the reach that we are able to have in our city. my heart is beginning to swell for foster kids, especially as we get involved with Foster Parents Night Out (a monthly chance for us to hang out with foster kids as their parents get to have 4 hours of respite). i'm excited to continue to love on these kids in my community.

on sunday, we loaded our bikes on the bolt bus and headed up to seattle. we got to explore pike's place market, and met up with my cousin scott who goes to UW. the bus ride and the bustling market brought back sweet memories of south america. we even revisted a favorite latin american import store that has all things central and south american, including our favorite kind of yerba mate. scott rode the 30 miles with us to my grandparents in redmond, where my mom and brother met us. we enjoyed some good stories at dinner and then got to shake my grandma's world up a bit when christian, luke and i joined her for water aerobics this morning. my grandparents are beginning to show signs of aging and it sure does make me cherish the time i get with them, each time it happens.

feeling ready and refreshed for the week ahead. thursday is the last day of after school classes in my new school, so i'm looking forward to some down time and montana next week for thanksgiving with luke's family.

hope your long weekend was joyful.

one of portland's best kept secrets...

you know those things that make you absolutely love where you live? not like the weather or the distance to the mountains, but the little things.

like the people you always ride by on your way to work. or the mexican store across the street where the ladies know you by name because you're in there so much. i could go on and on.

for me, there are so many things like that here in portland, more particularly in SE portland. and one of those is BARLEAN's HONEY.

luke's sister leah stumbled upon this and now i want to pass it onto you. for $10.50, you can get a quart (pictured here) of local, raw delicious honey from bees that either enjoy the flowers right in their neighborhood or the wildflowers up in sandy by mt hood or the blackberry bushes along the springwater. that price is unreal! just today at the farmer's market, i saw another local vendor selling a quart for $18.

the best part of their honey is that it is sold at their house. there is a cabinet in front, kept unlocked. you get to pick your honey and just drop the money in a slot in their garage. i love their faith in humanity. :)

i won't buy honey anywhere else. and once you experience the "honey house", i guarantee you won't either!

what's one of those little things that you LOVE about where you live?

Happy 2nd anniversary to us!

to celebrate our second wedding anniversary, we took advantage of the three day weekend. we backpacked in the tillamook state forest at gales creek, spent the night at a little spot by the creek, and hiked out the next day. we took a quick detour to (the very crowded) tillamook cheese factory for cheese curds and ice cream before heading to the mcmenamins grand lodge, blackberry picking along the way. what a restful weekend with lots of reflecting, mate drinking, and just enjoying each other. after starting my new job last week (more on that later), it was so wonderful to be free of responsibility and clear my mind. i am constantly surprised by how well luke knows me :)

since we were backpacking and packing light, i didn't carry our camera along but took many mental pictures along the way. wish there was a way to share them with you.

as we were hiking, i was struck by some of the ways that backpacking is similar to marriage. in both,
*you share the load. individually, there are often too many things to carry and juggle, but when there is another, it quickly becomes manageable. i am especially experiencing this right now as i just began my new job and the hours are long. luke is quick to step up and do what needs to be done, where at different times over the last couple years, those things might have been ones i took care of.
*your partner can help you see the beauty you might otherwise miss. while hiking, luke was constantly pointing out different things that i was walking right past. plants, sounds, sights. with an extra set of eyes, our vision is increased.
*the other person can lend a hand to help you when you've fallen down. obviously, i fell while we were hiking. heck, i fall a lot even when i don't have a heavy pack strapped to my back. and luke is always there to get me back on my feet. in our marriage, he is one of the biggest sources of joy and helps lift my spirits when i am down.
*your partner can help you remember where you've been. if you're like me, who is directionally challenged sometimes, all trees and trails quickly begin to look the same. luke helped me remember which trail and direction we came from, guiding me to make sure we headed in the right direction. in our life, he is quick to remind me of the past, experiences we've had and how they shape us as we move forward.
*you take turns leading. depending on skills of each person and the situation, it is not always the same one ahead, setting the pace. although luke is the head of our family, that doesn't mean that there aren't times where i am leading.
*it's ok to admit that you made a mistake. on our hike, together we decided to go one way and quickly realized that it wasn't where we wanted to go. i am grateful that we were able to change direction with blaming each other or holding a grudge. rather, extending grace to each other is one of the most tangible ways we can be christ in our marriage.
*there is encouragement and opportunities to push the other person to challenge themselves. it is in the presence of a safe person that one feels comfortable to try new things and stretch themselves.

but the most striking thing to me was THE JOY OF THE JOURNEY IS MULTIPLIED WHEN SHARED WITH SOMEONE ELSE. i am thankful daily for the companion that God gave me to journey alongside.

not surprisingly, rick mckinley at imago dei is currently walking through a series on god, sex, love. listen to the podcasts here.

oh yes and one last thing. rusty and marylou came and joined us this weekend at grand lodge. little did they know that while they were relaxing in the soaking pools with us, their community Springwater was busy building them a deck at their house as a way to thank them for five years of leadership. click here to see their reaction to their new deck!

hittin the road...

this past weekend, we got out of town as we headed to salt lake city where one of luke's old roommates, levi rogers, got married to a gal named cat. it was a lovely wedding and a great chance to relax and reflect as i finished my time at kelly elementary and before i began at bridger. it was also a wonderful chance to connect with friends who we don't get to see all that often. my mind was free of worry and to do lists and it truly felt like a vacation, complete with camping, farmer's markets, incredible scenery, good car conversation, and listening to kelly joe phelps' new album. here are some highlights!

in eastern oregon, we took the wallowa tram up to the top of mt. howard for breathtaking views.

old buddies together on the morning of levi's wedding day: luke, brandon and levi.

cat and levi rogers! <3

they turn into middle school boys when they are together!

the view in northern utah, or idaho or eastern oregon. it all looks the same- golden fields and dull slopes.

up with the sun at our campsite on the snake river.

what did i do to deserve this?

this is a question that has come up multiple times in the last few days. mainly, it has been posed by my dear husband (what have i done to deserve you? etc.) got me thinking. you didn't do a thing. i didn't do a thing. THAT IS WHAT WE CALL THE GRACE OF GOD. i believe in a God who showers me with so many things that i did nothing to deserve. and what else can i do, but sit back, receive, be grateful, and look to him to fulfill my needs, whatever they may be. here are some of the things in the last few days i feel especially undeserving of but am so grateful for.

my sister, bro in law, and niece and nephew are here from zambia and i got to spend the whole week with them running around being auntie kat. their little accents are just too much to take with a straight face, as we went to the clark county fair, camping, and capped it all off with a sleepover at our house last night. since i only get to see them once a year, i cherish each moment with them as i see how much the kids have grown and am able to relate to my sister as we grow our adult friendship. and jeremy- he keeps me on my toes with his south african vocab, saying things like "i'm going to go put on my longs, jersey and slops" (= pants, jacket and flip flops) or "put it in the boot" (= the trunk of a car).

i accepted a job last week that will take me from kelly elementary back to a familiar place- bridger k-8 where i served as an americorps several years ago. i will no longer be the extended day activities coordinator, but the SUN site manager through Impact NW. i know it won't be without challenges, but am so looking forward to going back to many people, both parents and kids, who still have a special place in my heart. also, it's a spanish immersion school, so i will be using my spanish daily!

we harvested some from our garden today! there is no joy like seeing things grow from nothing to something that sustains us.

may i ever be with a grateful heart.

surprise getaway

months ago, luke had me block out this weekend for a mystery date with him. i had no idea where we were going and was armed with a packing list five items long. :) he picked me up after work on friday and we were off... to the peterson prarie guard station by trout lake, wa (about 1 hr. 45 mins from home). but not without a stop in hood river for ice cream at mike's first (the best hidden treasure ever, but only open in the summer months). home of the baby baby- $1 scoop of homemade ice cream. over the past couple of years, we have rented and stayed at various forest service cabins and this one might have been one of the best. no running water, no electricity. to some, this sounds like an awful way to spend the weekend, but for me, it was the best because it allowed me to rest, calmed my mind and soul, and gave me no choice but to spend undistracted time with my love, exploring and being in god's great beauty. we took our bikes, explored ice caves and natural bridges, played lots of speed scrabble, slept lots and enjoyed each other. he cooked for me, remembered all my favorites, and even let me lounge around reading until i finished the last book in the hunger games series. i was spoiled rotten by the man i love. and to top things off, we got a spectacular view of mt adams this morning on our way out of town. wow. i am so blessed and i think i'm ready for the last week of school after a weekend like that!

signs of spring...

no one can deny that this past weekend was incredible! the sunshine, relaxing after a VERY challenging week at work; it was all just what i needed. here are some highlights and some ways that i know that sunnier days are just around the corner: *long bike rides (we rode 55+ miles on saturday out to corbett in the gorge with a hard core group from imago. i impressed them by keeping up and with my buckets full)

*laundry on the line

*chacos on my feet (thanks car for this amazing pair from a thrift store!)

*terere with my amor

*hanging out with the chickens (henrietta, ruth, and amelia bedelia)

*planting things in our garden

*bbq lunch with the eads. we are soaking up as much time with them as we can before they move to paraguay in one month. (check out their blog for more details on their trip: beggingforchange.blogspot.com)

we ended the weekend with a trip down to salem for a wedding of a missionary we met while in peru. it was a beautiful celebration and great to reconnect with her again. topped off by some reading at the salem waterfront park. hard to beat weekend. hoping yours was just as relaxing!

can it be? we've been home one year!

as i look back into my journal from one year ago, this is what i find...


as the bright red sun dips down beneath the horizon, so does our time in south america fade away into a memory. now, after nearly 7 months, all the people we have met, the places we have been, the stories heard, smells, sights, sounds now have to be tucked away neatly somewhere in our minds and memories. when will we come back? that is everyone's big question. Lord, i don't know when we'll go back or if we will or the next time we'll be in latin america. that is all in your hands. you know our hearts and desires! hopefully, it won't be before too long though.






what a whirlwind of thoughts crowd my head, as i try to even begin to process what transitioning home will be like. all the people to reconnect with. all the questions of how was the trip. not being just me and luke. not being able to be lazy, and wake up late or take siestas.
i feel so much more tranquila than when we left months ago, and can only hope that i carry some of that with me into the next phase of life. how will i let my perspective be changed? i do not want this trip to be in vain- to leave us unchanged in the way we interact with each other and with those around us. MAY WE BE CHANGED AND MOVED. i do not regret the trip one bit and am excited for the foundation it has helped us to form for our marriage and our life together. even though the honeymoon (i can say now) is officially over, may the adventures continue.


ellen and eric, who make living with another couple FUN!

the adventures have indeed continued since our return from south america. we find ourselves immensely blessed with meaningful jobs, wonderful roommates and a great home, families nearby, a solid church community, and everything else we could need. hard to believe that one year has gone by since we have been back in portland. as much as we sure enjoyed wandering, it sure does feel good as our roots start to grow!