Blue and Red

This is going to be a shocker.....YES I am indeed blogging about politics!! NEVER did I think this day would come as I've always been the one to politely excuse myself from the table when the conversation turned political. Somehow though, this coming election has captured more of my attention than any other. Maybe it's because Graham and I seem to be on pretty opposite sides of the spectrum politically (surprise, surprise) so there has been quite a lot of debating going on in our household. I have never been to understand the "agreeing to disagree" statement. How is that even humanly possible!? I definitely don't deal well with disagreement and haven't yet discovered how to find a healthy balance. In my ideal world, I would convince Graham with my strong arguments and sway him into agreement with me--yeah right!

We listened to NPR last night (yes friends, probably the first time I actually paid attention while we were listening) and a bunch of "undecided voters" called in to share there opinions/which way they were leaning as far as candidates go. I learned a lot and I think it is really healthy for me to be considering both positions openly (which I think I actually may be starting to do!) So I am still not quite sure which candidate will be receiving my vote, but I am 87% sure Graham and I will be placing votes for different people--weird! Notice how I'm being completely vague and not mentioning parties or names? :o) So McCain named a female as his running mate today--that was a strategic move if you ask me! We'll see how this pans out.....

A Tandem Ride With God

At church on Sunday, our pastor shared the following poem that really struck me. We have a couple friends who are going through some tough stuff right now and my prayer is that they too will be encouraged to "keep pedaling."

"I used to think of God as my observer, my judge, keeping track of the things I did wrong, so as to know whether I merited heaven or hell when I die. He was out there, sort of like a president. I recognized His picture when I saw it, but I didn't really know Him.

But later on, when I met Jesus, it seemed as though life was rather like a bike, but it was a tandem bike, and I noticed that Jesus was in the back helping me pedal. I didn't know just when it was He suggested we change, but life has not been the same since I took the back-seat to Jesus, my Lord. He makes life exciting. When I had control, I thought I knew the way. It was rather boring, but predictable. It was the shortest distance between two points.

But when He took the lead, He knew delightful long cuts, up mountains, and through rocky places and at break-through speeds; it was all I could do to hang on! Even though it often looked like madness, He said, "Pedal!" I was worried and anxious and asked, "Where are you taking me?" He laughed and didn't answer and I started to learn to trust. I forgot my boring life and entered into adventure. And when I'd say, "I'm scared", He'd lean back and touch my hand.

He took me to people with gifts that I needed, gifts of healing, acceptance and joy. They gave me their gifts to take on my journey, our journey, my Lord's and mine. And we were off again. He said, "Give the gifts away; they're extra baggage, too much weight." So I did, to the people we met, and I found in giving I received, and still our burden was light.

I did not trust Him, at first, in control of my life. I thought He'd wreck it, but He knows bike secrets, knows how to make it bend to take sharp corners, jump to clear high rocks, fly to shorten scary passages. And I am learning to shut up and pedal in the strangest places, and I'm beginning to enjoy the view and the cool breeze on my face with my delightful constant companion, Jesus.

And when I'm sure I just can't do any more, He just smiles and says... 'Pedal.'"

~(Author unknown)~

Camping Adventures

This past weekend we went on our 2nd camping adventure of the summer--this time with my sister Lani and bro-in-law Michael. We went to Twin Harbors Beach State Park which is in south west-ish WA. We were unfamiliar with the area but it turned out that a beautiful sandy beach was a 3 minute walk from our campsite. The campsite itself was long and skinny so we practically sat back-to-back with our neighbor campers when we were sitting at our picnic table but Michael's always good at making conversation so we made friends quickly. :o)

The weather was beautiful when we arrived on Friday--blue sky and sunshine! We enjoyed the beach and then headed into the "town" of Westport to see what the "city-life" looked like--definitely not much to it! We did walk along the pier and gathered ideas for our next day's adventure......

We went CRABBING! Totally random but very fun! We bought a crab pot, bait and gear at a local fishing shop and settled on the pier for crabbing, a picnic and pinochle (our latest obsession). We were there for 6 HOURS and had SUCCESS! (If you can call 1 crab success....) :o) We had a great time despite getting only one crab of legal size. Another guy on the pier only caught 1 as well and so gave it to us so our crab could have a crab friend to join him in the pot for dinner. (We made fettuccine alfredo with crab). Look how orange they turned when dropped--live--into the boiling water!

Sunday we knew wasn't supposed to be great weather. I woke up expecting to hear rain pelting the tent....but it was quiet. I got up, thinking we could pack up really quick before the rain started but before I could get dressed, I heard the sounds of drops outside. Too late! We sure packed up quickly though and then "enjoyed" breakfast at Denny's. Now we have a muddy tent that is set up to dry in my inlaw's garage....

Phone Call

We were just heading out the door for a weekend of camping when Graham's phone rang. It was an odd number so he answered it and meanwhile I stood by, listening to his side of the conversation and desperately trying to figure out who he was talking to. I heard words like "professional references" and "interview" and I grew excited! The jist of it is....Graham is starting the interview process for an oncology position at Children's!!!
This came up somewhat out of no where. He actually applied for this position about 6 months ago and was called back right away. They said he was the perfect candidate except that he didn't have bone marrow transplant experience so he didn't get the job. (Come on people! How many nurses are you going to come across that have that!!??) So anyway, apparently they're interested again and this time they seem willing to train him in the bone marrow area. The position is unique in that it would involve both inpatient (hospitalized kiddos) and outpatient (more of a clinic) shifts so he would have quite a bit of variety. AND....drumroll please.....he might get to work fewer weekends given the hours of the clinic!!! His first (of three!) interviews is this coming Wednesday so keep him in your prayers. I'm feeling excited about this possibility particularly because he wasn't really looking for it and it more fell into his lap. I've been wanting God to do more "dumping in our lap" lately to help us determine what He would have us be doing and where He would have us be doing it. We'll see where this one goes!

August 17th, 2006

Yesterday marked our two year engagement anniversary! I've been telling Graham all week "That was the day you engaged me!" I was searching through my old e-mails and found this reenactment of what happened that I sent out to a bunch of my friends after the proposal. I thought it was worth while posting to re-live the wonderful day.

"Big events just don't seem to cease with me lately....Last Thursday was a big day. Things were looking pretty serious with Graham and I but then a few days ago, he gave me this huge talk that he needed more time because he really wanted to have a place to live, have found a church etc. before he proposed. I was so bummed because he's been looking for a place for 6 months + !! Then on Thursday night we went on our weekly date. We'd spent about an hour making these gourmet sandwiches and a nice salad to take for our picnic. I put the sandwiches in the oven to keep them warm while we packed everything else. We arrived at the beach only to find I'd left them in the oven! I was so frustrated with myself and the fact that we didn't have our yummy sandwiches (figures I'd be paying attention to the food....) that I didn't even notice he was acting nervous. We were at a sandy beach overlooking the ocean with a ferry boat just coming into the dock (Edmonds). Anyway, we were busy reading something together and all of a sudden, in the middle of his sentence, he started looking up toward the sound of an airplane. Since he was in the middle of talking, I followed his eyes and looked up too. There was a nice airplane flying above us---that was all I saw. Then I realized it was one of those planes that flies with a banner behind it and I started thinking, how cool, somebody is going to get a message! Then as I started paying closer attention, I saw that the banner read "Kelsie I love you. Will you marry me?" It didn't occur to me for a brief moment that it was MY name with MY spelling on the sign! When it finally clicked, I looked at Graham and saw he was smiling and said (and I quote): 'ARE YOU SERIOUS!??' Then he asked me to marry him and gave me a beautiful ring. The whole beach began to applaud (as well as the people lining the ferry dock). I looked up to realize Lani's fiance had been hiding in the bushes taking pictures of the whole thing. Graham then ran to his car to get his guitar and some sparkling cider to celebrate. He played me a song that he wrote with the whole beach audience. When I got up afterwards to go to the ladies room, a couple women came running up to me to say congrats and to see my ring. Graham's family then appeared from the other side of the ferry where they'd been hiding. Graham said that apparently about 4 planes flew over us before the actual plane and so every time he heard a sound, his heart would pound and he would casually try and look up and see if it had a sign---I didn't even notice. :o)
What a fun week! I was all smiles..."

A trip to St. Joe's

So I promised in my last post to speak of our trip to Bellingham this past weekend. Well, we actually weren't supposed to go all the way to Bellingham. The plan was for us to leave our hotel on Saturday morning and head up to go camping at Baker Lake. On Friday night, I got a call from my brother saying that my dad was in the hospital and that we wouldn't be camping. Well, some of you may recall that this is not the first time that my dad has ruined a vacation by taking a trip to the hospital. The last time this happened was the day we were supposed to leave for Disneyworld.... Anyway, poor Dad felt really badly to do this to us again but of course we all agreed that "camping" out at the hospital was of greater importance. They never really figured out what was wrong with him---they thought for a while there that he had pancreatitis and then decided it was probably some bad GI bug. We had lots of fun in the hospital, joking with the nurses, making up "special needs" for my dad and writing them on his room's whiteboard, blowing up the latex gloves etc. I think we might have caused my dad more stress and embarrassment than cheer but I think deep down he must have appreciated our antics.

The kids visiting the sickie:

My brother Josh

My bro-in-law

My Birthday

Graham (as somewhat expected) went ALL OUT in treating me to a wonderful birthday long weekend. On Thursday night he surprised me by gathering friends and brothers and sisters in law (and real sister) at the Icon Grill where I had my favorite dessert ever: a giant ice cream sundae. The next day we took off for our final destination of: Seattle (I really had no idea where we were going and thought maybe we were going to Canada...). The morning started off at Julia's in the U district where I had the best pancake of my life with granola, oats, toasted pecans and blueberries. Next we went to Greenlake, walked a bit, and then got coffee at Starbucks and read for a while. Around lunch time we headed to Agua Verde where we rented a kayak for two and kayaked around some of the gorgeous homes on Lake Washington. If you recall, Friday was somewhat windy which made for the "white water" kayaking in some parts of the lake--it really freaked me out! But thankfully we found a calm place to de-boat for a picnic lunch. Our final destination was the Westin Hotel Downtown which was absolutely phenomenal. We got a room on the 35th floor facing the water!! It was absolutely the coolest room I have ever been in--I was so excited!

Our room:

Enjoying Starbucks in our room:

Once we were settled, Graham pulled out my gift, wrapped in a pink Victoria Secret bag. I was totally expecting....well....ya know.....but no! Inside was a little box with a jewelers' emblem. And inside the box was a pair of diamond hoop earrings!! It took me only a second to realize that the earrings were actually made out of wedding rings he proposed with. (For those of you who don't know the story, my fingers didn't tolerate the initial setting that he picked out for me due to my skin sensitivity. So back in the fall, we went out together and bought a new setting with the intention of selling the old. We made a couple attempts to sell it on craigslist but only crazy people responded who wanted to send me a check via e-mail that I could print off my computer....Deep down, I didn't want to sell it anyway because it had so much sentimental value-not to mention it's in all our wedding pictures!) Back to the earrings....Graham found a jeweler who was willing to cut the bands, create posts and 14 k backs to complete the set. I was speechless. And yes, I realize that I am SO spoiled! AND, as if all this wasn't enough, Graham also got me a trip to my favorite salon where I'm supposed to get a cut and my first color ever (I think I'll just do highlights). So if anyone wants to suggest a style, I'm open to suggestions!

Back to my birthday celebration evening, Graham took me to the Coldwater Bar and Grill where we enjoyed lots of yummy seafood. We watched the opening ceremony of the Olympics in our room while we enjoyed our view of the Seattle lights at night. The next morning, we walked down to Pike Place Market for some crepes before heading up to Bellingham. Bellingham is a whole other story that I'll continue in a 2nd post....

This week

I think this week is going to be an exciting one which is why I'm really looking forward to it. Graham has been busily planning what sounds like is going to be a "week of birthday" celebration for me. I really know next to nothing about what is going on but he never fails to spoil me! He absolutely loves to go all out despite my attempts to convince him that he could spread the spoilage out amongst the 12 months of the year. To give you an idea of what I have to look forward to, last year he blind folded me and drove me downtown Seattle and dropped me off in front of a Spa. He left me for an hour massage after which I received instructions to meet him at the Sculpture Park by the piers. He had piles of gifts for me as well as my favorite drink at the time--Amaretto Sour (concealed ever so sneakily in my Nalgene). Next we went to 67, the amazing restaurant in the Edgewater Hotel for a super yummy meal. What a guy!
So back to this week: I've been told I'm busy on Thursday night. Then on Friday we both took the day off so and we'll be going somewhere overnight. The next morning, we're heading up to Baker Lake where we'll meet up with my family for a couple nights at my all-time favorite family camping spot at Horseshoe Cove. Then Graham also just informed me that the following Thursday is booked too! Hmmm.....what could this boy be up to!

Kangaroos

I'm not sure what it is right now but I am really wanting change in my life! I have had a very challenging week at work which has made me love my job at some moments and desire to leave it at others. I have had some wonderful interactions with families that have been extremely rewarding and I feel that I have slowly been able to develop relationships with them and earn their trust. Somehow I feel drained though. Lots of heavy isssues going on.
On a lighter note, a nurse was telling me a hilarious story this morning that had me laughing all day. So parents in the NICU get to do this thing called "kangaroo care" with premie babies where the baby lies naked (with just a diaper) on his/her mommy or daddy's bare chest (this is supposed to be good for bonding for both baby and parents). Anyway, so this nurse (who is probably in her 50s was telling me that yesterday one of her baby's daddy wanted to do some kangaroo care. Now this dad is quite young, very fit and also just happens to be a firefighter. So the nurse has her back to the dad and is working on something. She turns around to face him just as he is peeling his shirt up over his head and exposing his toned chest. This poor nurse said that she almost fell over, lost her train of thought and was trying really hard to focus and be professional. Needless to say, she seemed quite pleased to be taking care of the same baby again today! ;o)

Another recipe

Graham's been craving "Taco Stand Tacos" that really taste like the authentic mini tacos you can buy at a street stand in Mexico. I finally found a recipe that was wonderfully flavored and "tastes like Mexico."

Taqueria Style Tacos - Carne Asada

INGREDIENTS:

For meat:
3 pounds flank steak
1/3 cup white vinegar
1/2 cup soy sauce
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 limes, juiced
1/2 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon ground white pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon paprika

For relish:
1 white onion, chopped
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 lime, juiced

Toppings etc:
corn tortillas
salsa
guacamole
beans
fresh limes, squeezed
feta cheese
lettuce, shredded

DIRECTIONS:
Lay the flank steak in a large glass baking dish. In a medium bowl, whisk together the vinegar, soy sauce, 4 cloves of garlic, juice of two limes, and olive oil. Season with salt, black pepper, white pepper, garlic powder, chili powder, oregano, cumin and paprika. Whisk until well blended, then pour over the steak in the dish. Turn over once to coat both sides. Cover with plastic wrap, and marinate for 1 to 8 hours.

In a small bowl, stir together 1 chopped white onion, cilantro, and the juice of 1 lime. Set aside to use as a relish for the tacos.

Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cut the marinated flank steak into cubes or strips. Cook, stirring constantly, until the meat is cooked through and most of the liquid has evaporated.

Warm the tortillas in microwave for about a minute to make them pliable. Arrange two or three tortillas on a plate, and lay a generous amount of beef over them. Top with a sprinkle of the onion relish and other toppings. Garnish with lime wedges, and serve.