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!

christmas traditions...

Having this be our first Christmas as a married couple in one place, we are having a chance to try out all sorts of traditions- old and new. Two that have proved to be so fun have been Bonham family traditions: Making wassail and peppernuts. Having wassail in the fridge to pull out and heat up leads to many chances to just sit and enjoy the company of those around us. Peppernuts is a fun cookie to make with lots of helping hands. Thought I would share with you two of our favorite Christmas recipes.


Peppernuts:
3 3/4 cups sugar
3/4 cups Karo syrup
1/2 tsp ground anise (we buy the anise star and grind it in a coffee grinder)
3/4 cup sour cream
1 1/2 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 tsp baking soda dissolved in 1 1/2 tbsp water
2 eggs
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp cloves
1/4 tsp nutmeg
flour to make a FIRM dough, (about 8 cups)

Mix in given order. Refrigerate dough. Test a few and work in more flour if necessary. Roll out into snakes and cut with knife into 1 cm pieces. Bake at 350 about 10 minutes until golden brown. Let cool completely before storing in an airtight container.




Wassail (pronounced was-sul):
10 cups boiling water
1 tbsp tea leaves (or 3 Lipton tea bags)
1 tsp all spice
1 tsp cinnamon or 2 cinnamon sticks
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp cloves
4 cups orange juice
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 qts cranberry juice (64oz)
6 cups water
1/3 cup lemon juice

Steep the tea for five minutes, Remove the tea bags and add the spices and remaining ingredients. Bring to boil and then remove from heat. I like to store in mason jars in the fridge. Pull out how much you need and heat it up on the stove, serving it hot!

putting down roots...

our poor potted plants who have been living in pots since april...


finally got planted in the ground this week and they look so happy! we are growing tomatoes, squash, cucumbers, carrots, green peppers, jalapenos, and some herbs. thanks in a large part to my mama who planted a lot for us and gifted us our very own patio garden!

much like our garden plants, we are also putting down roots. the boxes are all unpacked, everything is in its place and we have a home! we had a lovely housewarming party on sunday and it was great to be able to share with loved ones the home that God has blessed us with. we are looking forward to many fun times with friends and families. it really is the people who wander through our front door that make the space come alive!


my herb garden and the chicken coop in progress.

a friend from our home community was getting rid of her chicken coop at just the time the boys were designing plans for our coop. needless to say, julia gifted us all the parts of her hefty and fun coop! we hope to get our little egg layers at the beginning of august!


painting our room


the finished product


adorable roommate ellen trying her hand at our hand-powered lawn mower (we decided it's kind of like vacuuming the grass)

we are trying to do our part in living a sustainable life (thus the lawn mower) and have made a clothesline and hope to develop our compost system. little things we do can have a big impact!


luke + chai + hammock chair - view of safeway parking lot = best kind of morning ever

the hassle of getting this chair back from paraguay is all worth it when i get to sit in it, relax and enjoy a cup of tea. our corner of portland is busy and there is always something or someone to watch. buses pass, fire engines zoom by, grocery shoppers hurry to safeway, the excitement is endless... when i sit in the hammock chair, i feel like i am in peace in the midst of the chaos that surrounds me.


plates of cookies waiting to be handed out to our new neighbors. ellen and i had a baking bonanza and made snickerdoodles, no bakes, macaroons, and molasses crinkles.

last night, we handed out 15 plates of cookies to our neighbors. the responses we received varied, "holy cow." "hey honey, you've got to come out here and see this." "are you guys the welcome wagon or something?" doors barely cracked open and we were talked to through a screen door. or when we went to the apartment building that looks down on our yard, we were handed a plate of chocolate chip cookies fresh from the oven in exchange for our cookie offering. what a treat! sure making cookies and handing them out to neighbors and sounds cliche, like it's something that everyone does. we decided that no one actually does it anymore; it's just something that is easy to talk about. so, we put our feet in motion and met some very interesting characters on our block. a previous neuro-scientist that now has a 9-5 job and lives with his three cats. the owner from the most delicious neighborhood bakery and her wife. an ecuadorian lady with her cuban husband. a young family with a three week old baby. single mom with her three boys. there is so much life right here on our street. introducing ourselves was hopefully just the first step in developing some meaningful relationships with these folks. God has placed us here, now may he use us as he pleases.

oh yes, in other news, i found out last week that i will be working full time at Kelly K-5 Elementary in the Lents neighborhood (where Rusty works). i will be the SUN extended day coordinator and parent engagement coordinator. exactly the job i was hoping and praying for. looking forward to starting next week!

home

As I sit here and reflect, the lyrics from Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros' song "Home" play on repeat in my mind.

Ah, home
Let me go home
Home is wherever I'm with you
Ah, home
Let me go home
Home is wherever I'm with you

nesting, settling, whatever you want to call it, we are about to have a home for the first time in luke and my married life and we couldn't be more excited!

while we were dating, we each lived with roommates and friends. then, as soon as we got married, we headed off to south america, where the most reliable "home" we had was our little REI tent that we could pitch in any lawn and feel some sense of comfort. we hopped from hostel to hostel and stayed with family and new friends as we adventured. the amount of homes that we have been welcomed into in the past year has been overwhelming and a great testimony to the hospitality that we hope to embody as a couple. staying with luke's parents upon our return (thanks to rusty and mary lou and aaron for welcoming us in with such open arms) and house sitting for several families, we have continued to live out of boxes and in transition. like the song lyrics say, since we started our married life, luke has been my home. wherever i have been with him, i have felt at home, no matter if we were sharing a bunk bed in a surf hostel in chile or sleeping on an air mattress or in a twin bed or out under the stars. not much compares to lying next to him at the end of the day and knowing that i am at home...

starting next week, we will finally be able to SETTLE! everything will have its place and we will no longer have to wonder just which city (Portland or Vancouver) something is in if we can't find it or try to remember just which box it's in.

we are moving in with a lovely couple from our home community at Imago Dei (elic and erin as you may have heard me refer to them as. their names are actually eric and ellen!) we are so expectant for what our life together will bring! they are also a young married couple, so we are looking forward to learning together and having dear friends to share life with.

in other news, luke is working at pyro pizza (SE 12th and hawthorne) and will continue that work as he begins his NEW JOB at Rose CDC as the Resident Assets Assistant next Monday. i am working at Bridger K-8 teaching in the SUN program and will soon begin at Harrison Park K-8 working with the PPS Summer Academy (hanging out with 5th and 6th graders in summer school). hoping and praying that something works out at one of those schools for the fall.

since we have been home, there hasn't been that much culture shock or a hard transition home. we have been able to jump back into relationships in Portland and enjoy all that this town has to offer (even the rain and being cold enough to put on a long sleeve and sweats). we are back on bikes and are even heading off 4th of July weekend on a brief camping/biking trip with friends. the summer months fill up quickly with family, fruit to be picked, friends, and the incredible nature that surrounds us here. because of our long time gone, we are able to fully embrace all that we have here and it sure is an abundant life.

stop by our new home sometime and say hello. the door is always open to share a meal, get a hug, play some games, or if you need a listening ear! our home is your home.

Learning about the past

For Kat to accurately learn about my life as a 6 year old, she had to go all the way to Paraguay. One of the main goals of our trip from the beginning was to return to where I had grown up, and meet old friends and family along the way. From mid-February to the end of March we traveled around Paraguay staying with various family members. My family roots were established in Paraguay when my grandparents (for their honeymoon) spent 3 years in Paraguay as a doctor and nurse. (see! 7 months is not such a long honeymoon after all). To finish our time in South America, my parents and Hannah, my sister joined us in Paraguay to relive memories of our childhood. We toured Yalve Sanga, the small indigenous town where we lived for 4 years, and had a barbecue with many people that were part of our lives. Our family told many stories and drank lots of terere with lots of people over the last week ouf our visit. it is also special that now I have several cousins that are working in the Chaco- Oliver as a doctor in Yalve Sanga, and Eric as a Vet in Filadelfia. It was great to see how the legacy that was started by my grandparents many years ago in Paraguay is being continued by family members today.


Hannah and I in our old classroom

To complete the trip, we flew to New York City to spend time with our friend Jon Roberts, and received a surprise visit from my cousin Rachel. From there we took the Amtrak to Kansas, stopping in Chicago for a visit with Kat's cousin Stacy and her family, and my sister Hannah. From there we went to Newton, Kansas, where I grew up. This now completes Kat's understanding of my growing up, and has completely filled her head with names. We have had a wonderful time with many old friends and relatives who have been so graciously hosting us. Today we attend Liz and Michael Wiebe's wedding, and then we are off to Minneapolis, Kalispell, Spokane, Seattle and drum roll...Portland!



Barbecue at Yalve Sanga



the famous Paraguay bottle tree that stores water in its trunk


Touring Yalve Sanga with Eric, Sumhya and Oliver


Outside KM 81, the hospital that my grandparents helped start to fight leprosy


Pizza in New York with Jon

a true Kansas potluck

(Luke's) Busses are what move South America. It's no question that the majority of people spend a great amount of time on busses, whether the double decker VIP or the "chicken bus". We have ridden our share of crammed busses, and we have even ridden first class on several occasions, usually by accident. This post is to tell you about the funny and the not so funny experiences we have had on the many hours that we have spent on busses. From January to mid-February, you could say that riding the bus was our full time job, as we clocked 140 hours in about 4 weeks.



Simple economics: the more people you have on one bus, the more money you make. Thus, it is not uncommon (but very uncomfortable) to have someone's crotch in your face, or yours in someone else's. In order to avoid these uncomfortable rides, at times we have had several change of plans because the busses have been too full. Sometimes there is no bus that goes from one place to another, and we have to find alternative modes of transport. Most of those rides have caused me to throw up


an old Pepsi truck, converted to bus (I threw up)


a large construction truck (I threw up)


a plush pick-up truck driver that was nice enough to take us through the andes mountains (I threw up)

Sometimes you get a "flight attendant" that serves you bad food, good snacks, or Coca Cola. If you get a double decker bus, the front seats give you the best leg room, the best views out the panorama window, and would make you a flying projectile if anything happened. Sometimes they play movies like Police Academy (1, 2, 3, 4, and 5) Bad Boys, or sometimes Christian movies. Nice busses have bathrooms, but they make sure to emphasize that they are only for urination purposes. No matter what bus you are on, there is sure to be a little child looking over the seat at you, just staring. We have learned that the best thing to do is stare back or stick your tongue out at them.



Of course, busses are captive audiences for eager vendors. One time a natural medicine doctor got on and showed pictures of all the horrible things that can happen to your private parts if you don't take this chinese medicine. Others sell food, cell phone chargers, or soda. One time a police officer got on, and asked for a tip because he was protecting the streets from thieves, and claimed that he didn't get a salary. Another got on to preach the gospel.

Our rule (whenever possible) is to take the bus, even with our large hiking backpacks and buckets. When we arrive in a city, we ask someone what bus we should take. Then we cram ourselves and our bags into whatever vehicle this bus happens to be. One time we were crammed in a large mini-van (pictured below) that not many white people ride.

Everyone knew each other, and began laughing very loudly while using the word "gringo" from time to time. We knew they were talking about us. It doesn't bother us to be the subject of conversation.

Busses cause a person to be more "tranquilo" (calm, cool and collected) because there is no telling what the trip will be like. They may arrive early or late. They may be cheap or expensive. The driver often stops for hot water for mate, or cold water for terere. They put Kat to sleep often within 10 minutes. People bring everything from animals to kitchen sinks with them. I don't fit well in them. Although riding busses were not our first choice of transport when beginning this trip, they have become some of the most memorable parts of South America. Life happens inside and outside every bus; we get to put our seats back and enjoy the view.