Summer Salsa

This salsa perfectly embodies the taste of summer. Sweet pineapple, spicy peppers, smooth mango, fresh cilantro, a hint of onion... the only thing that would make it better would be a few chopped tomatoes, just for that splash of red. (I like when my food is aesthetically pleasing as well as taste bud pleasing.) I wonder if a few strawberries would be appropriate?

Find the recipe here. (I used canned pineapple because I am allergic to fresh. I imagine fresh would taste even better, but this worked for what I needed.) I've had it three times in less than 24 hours - once atop grilled chicken, once by itself, and once on tortilla chips with melted mozzarella. Simply amazing!

Summer Camp

Camp was everything I hoped it would be, meaning the messages were just what I needed to hear, everyone had a good time, the food was fabulous, and the campground absolutely beautiful. To top it all off, my team of The Climbers won the competition for the week. :)

But all good things must come to an end, and I am home again...slightly sunburned around the edges, covered in mosquito bites, and tired. 

Canoeing and kayaking around the lake were definitely my favorite activities of the week.

There are actually two large ponds that are separated by a 'creek' of sorts that runs between them. This can be perhaps a bit tricky for new boaters to navigate even in the day, but some of us counselors decided to go for a midnight boat ride. Thankfully, no one capsized and we only got stuck a couple of times. I also enjoyed swimming (such a relief as it was sooo hot and muggy) and jumping on the trampoline in the water.

One of the quotes from the messages that I keep coming back to think about: "God will be as close and as real to you as you let him be." -Bro. Rufus Edmisten

The sermons from the week should soon be posted here. I think I will put them on my iPod to listen to again...each one is packed with so much truth.

Off to Camp!

It's been a crazy, busy weekend, and I just came home exhausted from the evening to find the contents of our trash can strewn around the kitchen and down the hallway. Wouldn't have been too bad except for the coffee grounds sifted into every corner and the lump of pie dough smeared down into the cracks of the wood floor. *sigh* I think the dog will be sleeping in his crate tonight, because the last thing I want at this point is a puking beagle in my room.

Tomorrow, 6 AM, brings the departure of the church bus to teen summer camp. I'm supposed to be on that bus,  with my belongings, to spend a blissful (?) five days with the teens at a beautiful lakeside camp in Ohio. I'm really looking forward to it, both to spend some time with the kids, catch up with old friends from other churches, and hear a favorite evangelist.

But first...I really need to pack something - well, a lot of things really. And take my poor, sick dog on a little walk around neighborhood to work out some of the junk he ate. Gross.

See ya'll!!!

(If you want to follow our activities, some of us counselors will be posting pictures here.)

On Kindles and Real Books

I knew I wanted one, but I was holding out, hoping they would release a new version before I leave in October. I thought that if I could just wait until September, then buy whatever the latest version is and get it set up before I leave the country.

To be honest, I had mixed feelings on buying a digital reader. On one hand, I knew I would love it when traveling, being able to have hundreds of books at my fingertips, all in a slim little device. However, I don't just love to read books; I love to feel books, to smell books, to see books, to know books. Books have personality - from the new ones with unbroken bindings, smoothly cool edges, and fresh glue scent to the old ones with water stains, softened corners, and the smell of musty loveliness.

Then my brother ruined all my best-laid plans, for he let me borrow his Kindle. He had upgraded to *something else* (I won't say what, but it's a fruit...) and was going to sell his Kindle. He knew I was thinking of getting one, so let me borrow his for a couple days. I should have turned away, but I didn't.

On the first day, I plugged it in, linked it to my account, downloaded a couple samples, and read for a bit before bed.

On the second day, I discovered a couple sites where I can download free books, and put some on my download list that I've been looking for anyway. That night, I spent a blissful two hours reading before bed. The hook sunk deeper into little, naive me.

On the third day, I bought a new case and a skin (which I'm not sure I'll really like), then sent my brother a message that I wasn't giving it up. He just replied with a smile, because that was exactly what he was hoping would happen.

We're going on day six, my ordered accessories have come in, and I've already devoured two books I've been meaning to read. I don't think I'll be giving it up anytime soon. :)

I know my Kindle won't replace my love for real books, and I imagine I'll still be visiting book sales and book rooms to add to my own collection. But at this point, I've banned myself from buying any more books anyway and I really don't have a lot of room to take books with me to Africa.

Now to come up with a name for her... any suggestions?

I love beautiful summer nights like this one. There's a sliver of a moon hanging just outside my window. Hundreds of fireflies congregate among the shadows, suspended through the trees, quietly and solemnly blinking their messages. A few chirping crickets, the far-off wail of a train - its very peaceful and still.

The weather in Francistown was around 32 degrees today. It is hard for me to imagine that place cool at all, since it was so hot the entire time we were there. Of course, when we go back in a couple months it will be at the start of their summer again. But if you're thinking of visiting and afraid you won't be able to stand the heat (you know who you are), maybe next June and July would be a good time to think about coming? Just a thought...

Packing Up My Life

It's a curious thing, looking through one's life possessions and sorting them into piles of take, save, and throw. There is a constant stream of things leaving our house, and yet there are still corners not yet touched. Another trailer load to the auction, a porch sale, a few more bags to the thrift store...slowly, yet surely, we will get this done.

I have many conflicting emotions about what I should be doing with my things in particular. Over the past few years, especially since I moved into my 'suite' of rooms in the attic, I have assembled quite a collection of furniture, dishes, books, souvenirs from other countries, and interesting vintage items. I have a nice, cozy little living area - almost a full apartment really - and I hate to give it up.

Part of me loves the thought of having only two suitcases to my name - all possessions packed neatly into two rolling bags. If it doesn't fit, it can't stay. That part of me wants to take everything I currently have, pare it down to two bags, and just walk away from the rest.

The other part of me (perhaps the more sensible, perhaps the more sentimental) wants to pack everything away. At this moment, I have no idea where I will be in a year (do any of us really?). My brother and I are saying that we are going to Botswana for a year, after which we will reassess and decide whether to come back or to stay longer. If we do come back in a year, or even in five years, I will be glad that I saved all these things. I will be glad to have furniture and dishes, my familiar books and souvenirs, all ready to unpack and furnish a new place to live.

But what if I never come back? What if I do all this packing away in vain? What if I spend so much time, money, and energy in carefully saving my possessions, only for someone else to have to clean them out and throw them away at a later date?

See what I mean? It's all very conflicting and confusing. So I try to compromise. I pare down, throw a lot of stuff away, sell a lot of stuff off, and then the rest I store. I've been collecting a menagerie of plastic storage totes for several months now, so as I have the time, I fill them, inventory them, label them, and put them in the basement, in my corner of the storage space.

I get so happy in seeing stuff packed off and taken away. It's a freeing feeling, really. But I also get extremely happy when I see my little corner of storage in the basement, all neatly packed, inventoried, and labeled by numbers.

I may not know where I will be this time next year, but I do know this... it's going to be an exciting ride!

"Sitting down and looking up at the sky for a few minutes - not any particular part of the sky, but just at the sky in general - at the vast, dizzying, empty sky of Botswana, cut human problems down to size. It was not possible to tell what was in that sky, of course, at least during the day; but at night it revealed itself to be an ocean of stars, limitless, white in its infinity; so large, so large, that any of our problems, even the greatest of them, was a small thing."

From The Good Husband of Zebra Drive, Chapter Six, by Alexander McCall Smith

I am one blessed girl...

It's been another one of those long, summery weekends. This one was packed with memorable moments, few of which were captured on camera. :) But that's okay...I've never lacked in the words department.

Saturday dawned hot and muggy with a strong chance of rain. Mom and I prayed it back as we prepared food - mounds of chicken and piles of beef, bowls of guacamole and pico de gallo - a taco bar was the order of the day. We also made jars of tea and hand-squeezed lemonade since we knew our guests would be so parched. Desserts were made by some good friends, and I think that was my favorite part. :)

About 40 minutes before the ceremony, I rushed upstairs to get ready and write a speech. Hhmm... it wasn't the best thing I've ever written, but I skipped about half of it when I gave it anyway. (Can you say "nervous"?)

Here is what I wrote:

"When I graduated from EBA in 2003 and started taking Bible Institute classes, I never imagined that I would get to this point. I started taking classes merely for my personal edification, and because I wanted to learn how to witness to people and counsel them.

"Bible Institute may not be a good choice for everyone (although I may be biased and say that I think every church member should at least take a few classes), but I want to give you two reasons why it was a good choice for me.

"First, the focus of the school and the flexibility it gave me. The focus of LVBBI has never been to sit in a classroom and listen to a teacher. It has always been to get out there and do something. Because of this focus, I was able to be flexible with my schedule. I was able to drop classes (sometimes at a month’s notice) and go off on missions trips that lasted anywhere from six weeks to five months. The school was able to work with me and my schedule, and the reason was because of their focus of ministry. It wasn’t a threat to the school that I was just taking off for months at a time. Instead, it was the focus. I was helping missionaries sent from this church and missionaries that this church supports, and I was learning more there than I ever would in a classroom.

"The second reason that LVBBI was a good choice for me was because of my relationship with my teachers. I didn’t just come to class and hear them once a week. I knew my teachers, some of them for my entire life, and I saw most of them seven days a week. I knew their faults and I knew that they lived out what they taught in the classroom. I was able to serve alongside of them in many ministries in this church. Again, this just reinforced the focus of LVBBI, that we are to go out and do something, not just sit in a classroom.

"The past in the past, and now what matters is what I will do with this great gift that has been given me in my education. I look forward to the next step God has put before me, and I appreciate your prayers. Thank you."

I was privileged to have my father speak for the commencement address, and to have my brother, as the dean of the school, present my diploma.

There were two high school seniors graduating in the same ceremony, one from our Christian school (EBA) and the other a homeschooled missionary's son. 

Many people were able to come to my house to help celebrate, and it was just what a good graduation party should be - lots of good friends and family, both old and new, and lots and lots of food. :) 

One pic of the decor, simple and plain, but perfectly festive. 

Then we packed up and headed off - out the door by 5:30, can you believe it? My parents were headed for West Virginia to be in another church on Sunday, so they dropped me off at a campground in Maryland on the way, where I surprised a dear, dear friend for our birthday. Yes, OUR birthday. We were born on the same day, and used to celebrate our birthdays together all the time. That has been a rare occurrence these days given our situations in life, so I was so happy that the surprise worked out. Making it even more special was the fact that this is the first time I've met her daughter, my namesake(!), in real life. I've been sent lots of pictures, of course, but never been able to hold the sweet, chubby baby for myself. 

It was *almost* like old times again - staying up late past everyone else talking, goofing off and embarrassing each other. But it was better than old times, and I was so pleased to watch her interact with her daughters and husband. Such a sweet family, and I am so blessed to count them among my friends. (And so very sad that I didn't think to take one picture of us together, or me with the girls!)

I love camping, I love these friends, and I love the church we were able to attend on Sunday. All in all, that Saturday evening to Monday morning was full of so many pleasant things and wonderful moments. The whole weekend from start to finish filled my heart with gratefulness to the Lord for the life He has given me. I'm one blessed girl.

Tonight, on the eve of my 26th trip around the sun, I can honestly echo the lyrics found in this song.

"God's been good in my life
I feel blessed beyond my wildest dreams 

when I go to sleep each night

Though I've had my share of hard times, 

I wouldn't change them if I could

Cause through it all,

God's been good."

living outdoors

I love looking at pictures of outdoor living spaces. I love the idea of spending lots of time outdoors, and I suppose I do. I often work on our front porch, and we try to eat out there when the weather is nice. The problem is that we often have such extremes of weather here in PA. No one wants to eat outside when there is snow or freezing rain, but after a couple short weeks of spring, we delve right into hot, sticky, humid summer - and that isn't very appealing either. So I guess I like the idea of outdoor living spaces more than the actual reality, unless one day I move to a part of the world with perfect climate year-round. :)

This weekend is my graduation from LVBBI here at our home church. After the graduation, we are having a smallish party at our house. Well, smallish means 70-80 people, so we obviously won't all be seated inside. Thus, I've been thinking a lot about how I want to set it up outside. Nothing maybe quite as nice as the picnic scenes below, but I've got a few creative ideas. Now I just have to find the time to pull them off before Saturday gets here!

Some of my favorite pics I've saved of outside living spaces:

My favorite thing about June...

Although my birthday is a pretty close runner-up. :)