The school year is coming to an end and it is sad to say but I have shifted my thoughts to summer time.
Summer may be the most exciting time of the year. Students are released from papers, tests, and set schedules. The sun is almost always out and does not go down til 9:30. You can finally roll the windows down while driving and grilling something on the bbq for dinner becomes the norm. Rare things like golfing, boating, and gardening become accessible once again. Summer is a great time, I can’t wait!!!
For my honeymoon, my husband and I were fortunate enough to go to Maui. All we heard from everyone was go on the road to Hana. So we ended up going on the 68 mile long road. This thing lasted forever!!!! It was beautiful, and thank goodness because I got tired of being trapped inside the rental car. This was an amazing road though. One way road in each direction, it has 59 bridges, and 46 of them were ONE WAY! The entire road has around 620 curves, so if you get road sick, I would not suggest this destination. I just wanted to share some of the pictures from when we went. All-in-all it was fun to spend time with my honey.
Last week I was fortunate enough to visit an organization in Spokane called, Life Services. It was a project through Speech 323, Organizational Communication. Where a group of us toured the facility and interviewed them to see if their organization would be a good fit for the 2500 dollar grant that the philanthropy class at Whitworth is giving this year.
The organization houses women ages 12-21 that are pregnant. They provide free medical, counseling, life skills, and a safe place to stay while they are preparing to deliver their baby. They are a Christian organization that does not push God un-to the young women, but does help them with what path to take in life.
I just want to commend this organization for the wonderful work they are doing within the Spokane community. Great job!
This past weekend my husband and I vowed to try out a new recipe, and we really wanted to break in our crock-pot. We decided to make All-American Chili, a recipe my father found in a cook book about 7 or 8 years ago. everyone that has ever tried it has attest that it really is the best chili ever. Take some time to make this, it really is delicious! Enjoy
Ingredients needed:
6 ounces of hot turkey Italian sausage ( we get the long horn hot dogs from Costco, those work best)
2 onions, chopped
8 garlic cloves, minced
1 pound of hamburger
1 jalapeno pepper, chopped
2 tablespoons of chili powder
2 tablespoons of brown sugar
1 tablespoon of ground cumin
3 tablespoons of tomato paste
1 teaspoon of dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/3 teaspoon salt
2 bay leaves
1 1/4 cup of Merlot or other fruity RED wine
Cook the meat in one pan
Cook the onions, pepper, and garlic in another pan
Put the rest in the crock pot and mix
After both of the pans are cooked, add those into the crock pot as well
you can eat it right after you mix it, but it is best if it simmer a couple of hours, or overnight !!!
This is a picture pulled from Google Map that shows all the coffee shops in ONLY Spokane Valley.
I am addicted to coffee, but even I have noticed that there is an overwhelming amount of coffee shops. I was born and raised in Spokane, Wash. and have seen the rise of the coffee shops, but when is enough? I recently took a trip to Maui and when I was there I noticed that coffee shops were scarce and mostly limited to a few Starbucks. But here in Spokane there is literally one on every street corner. Could this be an attributing to obesity? To the economic downturn because we are spending $4.00, three to four times a week, on a surgary cup of joe? We need to think about this issue Spokane.
This is a picture of the awesome beauty on top of Mt. Spokane during Free ski night.
Three times a year Krem 2 news, a local news crew in Spokane, Wash., along with a few other local companies put together free ski Fridays, at local ski resorts. You get a free night lift ticket with a donation of 3 cans of food, or more. All donations collected go to the local food banks.
This year my husband and I decided to go. I have skied since around 8 years old and my husband has always been snowboarder, but he decided to put some skiis on for this occasion.
It ended up that this was the biggest turn out Mt. Spokane had ever had. We barely missed the cut off at 1200 people. They had a huge van full of food! It was fun to see how much people had donated to the local food banks.
Despite the record number of people, the lines moved fast, the sky was blue, and we had a blast. What a great experience, and it was a pretty cheep date as well. I encourage people to take part in this event next year.
Me and my husband attend a grow group at church. We are in the process of watching a series geared towards couples called, “Love and Respect“. It is centred around the idea that in order to sustain a healthy relationship men need respect and women need love. It does mention that although this is not true for all couples, it is true for the majority. This is an interesting series that a man named Emerson Eggerichs and his wife Sarah created. Emerson has a masters in Communication and if I remember right, a PhD in family ministries. This is a fascinating taped conference that had my church growth group laughing out loud at how relatable the examples he gives are. Here are a couple that I could remember.
1. Women talk to their husbands as they would talk to their girlfriends. So if we call you up questioning where you are or whats taking you so long don’t get mad, were not interrogating you. We are just assessing the situation as if you were our fellow girl friend.
2. A man will sometimes talk about what he wants to do in his future. Like for example, he wants to buy a 69′ Camaro and fix it up and yada, yada, yada. As a women we know we could never afford to do that, but if you shoot his dream down it crushes his spirit.(And we do this quite often.) So encourage his dreams, even though they might not be realistic.
3. Another point he made was that men have a need for intimacy while women have a strong need for emotional connection. Both have to give in once in a while. A man might have to sit and just listen to his wife talk because she needs that connection. While a women might have to be intimate because her husband has an internal need for that as well. An interesting fact about this is that humans are the only species in the world that are sexually intimate face-to-face. I found that interesting because we truly need that connection.
4. One of the big things Emerson drills in to couples at his conference is that men hear, look, and see through blue hearing aids, glasses and through a blue microphone. While women hear and see through pink glasses, hearing aids, and speak through a pink microphone. We are completely different, but we need to learn that it’s not wrong, just different.
Look this sermon up, I found it interesting and enlightening. Just because you are not married doesn’t mean you can’t learn how to make a relationship better.
I work at Petsmart in the Spokane Valley and I often meet the most interesting people. I have worked there for a little over three years while going to school and I truly think it is a pretty fun job. I get to meet new animals that come in, as well as their crazy owners. The other night I was fixing the store and attending to customers. Their was an older couple that was looking at collars and leashes. I walked up behind them and politely asked if they could use any assistance. Yes! The older gentleman quickly answered. “Lets see….” He said, “We are looking for a nice collar and leash for a little african boy and his goat.” I chuckled to myself a little bit. This man was buying probably around $20-$30 on a goat for a little boy in Africa. The older couple were most likely sponsors for World Vision or a program of similar statue. Although this couple was giving out of the kindness of their heart to someone they barely knew, I couldn’t help but laugh after talking to them. It amazes me what americans believe are essentials. I’m sure the little boy will truly enjoy the royal blue collar and leash for his goat, but I can’t help but think… Could their be other things we could spend our money on and be a better help to other countries.
I was married this year on January 8th and everything went as planned… well except for my dress getting stuck on a tack holding the runner as I was walking down the isle. Other then that minor detail the wedding went well. It was truly over in a blink of an eye and as my new husband and I lay in the bed at the hotel that same night he turned to me and said, “I dont remember a thing from what happened today, but I have a ring on my finger so I guess we went through with it.” I laughed in agreement because it was true. We had spent 6 long grueling months (Which if you dont know is a short engagement by many peoples standards) planning for this one day. And here we are at the finish line with nothing but exhuastion and a ring to show for it.
Marriage is something that should be valued and cherished because 1st, many people dont choose to do it, and 2nd because God says so. But does society place too much importance on the wedding itself and not in the meaning behind it… You betcha!
About a year ago I was sitting on my couch watching a show on TLC called “Say YES to the dress.” Yes, I could spend my time doing other things but I found this more entertaining. I could sit their for hours watching this show because it amazed me how these women acted. They would prance into a room with usually 6 or 7 of their closest friend and family and spent up to an entire day trying on wedding dresses. Some of these women leave at the end of the day buying a dress that costs as much as a down payment on a house! How ridiculas… A bride wears her dress for 8 hours at most. So is the cost worth it? If you ask your financial advisor he would probably laugh so hard he would fall out of his rolling black leather chair. Just for kicks I did the math and if you buy a dress for $10,000 and have an 8 hour wedding you would be spending $20.83 per minute to wear the dress. Society has placed a social norm upon women that your wedding is the most important thing you will ever plan… but what about the real meaining behind marriage. What about commitment, trust, and honoring one another. Society has placed that on the back burner, and it is clearly shown by the divorce rate in america.
This is a picture of the awesome beauty on top of Mt. Spokane during Free ski night.
