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!

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!