You Alone...

"You alone are holy.

You alone are Lord.

You alone are worthy to be honored and adored.

Mercy You have given.

Kindness You have shown.

Love is You alone."

We sang this song at church last night, and I seriously can't get it out of my head.  I love it so much.  I think it's a good reminder of the One who is in charge, especially when things are tough and so many people desperately need our prayers right now.  

If you could make a spare moment, please say a quick prayer for these folks throughout your day:

Mike and Tricia's baby, Jack Michael

Val and JD's baby, Jovan

Erik's Grandma Vi

Fr. Tom Kraft

Kathryn Barcom

My grandma, Margie Forsman

My other grandparents, Mary and Harold Hasenkrug

Everyone who's sick right now

All the people who have lost their jobs

We know that God can more than handle all these things, so we can have hope that the best is yet to come.

RONNY!!!!

See that guy on the Jumbotron?  I TOTALLY KNOW HIM!  Like, we're friends.  As in, if he saw me, I'm pretty sure he'd even know who I am.  He's awesome and he plays in the NBA--and he's smart and super nice, to boot!  And I used to be his RA.  :)

Erik had never been to an NBA game, I'd had a terrible week, and our college buddy Ronny Turiaf was in town playing for the Golden State Warriors--sounds like great reasons to hit a Blazers Game to me!!  :)  

It was a blast.  The Blazers won, but Ronny had a fantastic night!!  It was really fun to watch him play.  Unfortunately he'd broken his tooth in a game the night before and was in a TON of pain so we weren't able to see him after the game, but still totally fun and worth it!  :)

Spokanistan.

*sigh* I will ALWAYS love this sight.  (Maybe with a lil' less snow...)

Or Spoklahoma or Spokompton, if you'd prefer.

We took a lil' trip right after New Year's to do some family and friend-visitin', music-listenin', and memory lane-trippin'.  It was fun, despite the fact that Spokane was literally buried under six feet of snow.  Crazy.

Two of my most favorite people, EVER, Nicole and Davey.  Nicole's going to be famous.  Watch for her, and you'll know I knew her when...she is one of the most talented singers I've EVER known, and she's just finishing recording an album in Nashville.  And she's one of the sweetest, nicest, most faithful and wonderful girls around.  And Davey...let's just say Davey is one of those people you're lucky if you ever get to know.  He's a gift.

We had some adventures to be sure: spinning out in the middle of I-90, "off-roading" in and out of several parking lots (that snow is DEEP, man!), having Christmas for a friend who'd gotten stranded in Spokane and couldn't make it home so his family sent his gifts up with us, singing bedtime songs with good friends in the mansion, watching the boys' two shows...it was fun times.

Bryce (one of the former bandmates) with Johannin!

I'm not feeling very wordy this evening (helpful when I'm trying to write a half-hour talk for a retreat next weekend, eh?), so I'll just put up some photos.

Gonzaga's Alumni House...that is a lot of snow!!

And one last request: could you all please pray for Erik's Grandma Vi?  She is seriously the sweetest, kindest lady, and cancer seems to be getting the best of her right now.  We had the chance to visit with her while we were there, but she's definitely weak and exhausted, and she's been in the hospital twice in the last month and a half or so.  She definitely needs some prayers.  Thanks, prayer warriors!

Wolfy's (used to be Arny's).  Half-buried!

Mr. President.

Here's the thing about today: no matter what party you associate yourself with, no matter what your political leanings, no matter what you think of the man, and no matter what you fear or love about his policies and ideas, there is no denying that today was a day that will go down in history.

I am not going to lie and tell you I'm not very nervous about the statements he's made about FOCA and some other policy issues; I am.  But there's no denying President Obama is a young, charismatic, energetic figure who has a HUGE job ahead of him.  I hope and pray he can be the leader we all need him to be.

And that's the thing: he NEEDS our prayers.  Desperately.  Because let's face it: if you didn't like Obama, too bad.  He's the President now, and we need to accept that.  Constantly railing against him and lamenting his win will not help anything.  Praying for his wisdom and guidance will.  I'm not saying I did or did not vote for Obama (or McCain, for that matter).  I'm just saying that in our country, where majority rules, Obama won.  And you cannot deny that millions of people are feeling an incredible spirit of hope in a time when hope is hard to come by, and that says something.  

When they say he has the weight of the world on his shoulders, they aren't joking--he is faced with the biggest economic crisis we've faced in decades (which could possibly have us on the verge of a depression), we have the highest unemployment rate in years and it continues to get worse, our international image is horrible...and on and on.  But people think he can do it.  And let's be honest here: a President is only as good as the people who surround him, so we should definitely be praying just as much for his cabinet and his team of advisors, that they will be gifted with wisdom and temperance.

I get frustrated when people say things like, "Oh, gag me, the inauguration," "I have no interest in seeing any of this," "I'm so sick of hearing about it," etc.  It's history, and it's important.  I also get frustrated when people are telling me he can save the world, he's our only hope, etc.  I have heard all these today.

Brian Williams (NBC Commentator) said tonight we must remember that 59 million people did NOT vote for Barack Obama, and that is true.  He also said it was important to note they (NBC) were not making a judgment call or saying in any way the Obamas are better or worse than the Bushes, they're just different.  And the truth is, no matter who had won, it would be different.  Bush was ineligible for re-election, so obviously, regardless of the outcome, we would have a new president today.  And when we look at the state of the nation, it is also obvious that change is not only inevitable, but necessary.  What we've been doing isn't working.  It's time for something different. 

Am I scared about FOCA?  Absolutely.  But even the most established, knowledgable moral theologians and philosophers state we cannot base our opinions on one single issue or set of issues.  Will I pray Obama changes his stance on several major life issues?  Of course.  But do I hate him and refuse to support him because our stances on several issues are dramatically different?  No.  And that's fine.  Because we're all entitled to our opinions.  But regardless of your opinion, Obama is the President as of noon today, and what we need, now more than ever, is unity.  We need to work together as a people and a nation toward solutions, not division.  I respect your opinion, and I hope you respect mine.  But please don't treat me like I'm a moron or an idiot if I'm not totally on the Obama bandwagon and you are--I'm sure we both have our reasons.  And please don't be disgusted or angry with me if I am on the Obama bandwagon and you're not.  If you like his agenda, fantastic!  If you don't like his policies, awesome!  We live in a country where that's totally okay, and I hope and pray you have the courage to express your opinion and work to further your cause when appropriate.  But just like I can hate the war and love the soldiers, I can dislike certain policy choices without hating our President.

I like Politics.  But I like the Politics with a capital "P"--the kind where people from diverse backgrounds and ideologies come together to try to solve the problems facing our world, the kind where there is argument and passion and sometimes even anger, but in the name of making the world a better place.  I do not like the kind of politics with a small "p", where we have bickering and backstabbing and hate just because we disagree.  Did anyone notice that Senator Bennett, the VERY Republican senator from Utah, had a major role in today's ceremonies?  Good choice, Obama.  And did anyone notice that tolerance and love were major themes in the opening prayer by a conservative pastor, the Inaugural Address, the poem read by the Poet Laureate, the closing prayer, and many other major events of the day?  I did, and I hope you did, too.  Mr. Obama chose these things to be a part of this day to set a tone for the coming years, and I hope this message bodes well for things to come from our new Commander-in-Chief.

Less than 50 years ago, our nation was a place where black people couldn't drink from the same water fountains, go to the same schools, sit in the same seats, or eat in the same restaurants as white people.  I have witnessed discrimination and racism first-hand, and I know we have a long way to go.  That being said, it is astounding that in 50 short years we have changed so dramatically that today we inaugurated a black man from a single parent family who has known poverty and injustice.  I don't want to make too big a deal of this, because I think that's a danger, but there is no denying it is a historic occasion.  

President Obama is not God.  Nor is he the Devil or the Anti-Christ.  He will make mistakes.  We all will.  But we must have hope that he can bring about positive change and guide our nation through a time of undeniable turmoil.  Please pray for our new President, this young man facing more major challenges than most of us could begin to imagine.  Pray for his wisdom, courage, integrity, and temperance.  Pray for his safety.  Pray for his family.  Pray for unity and peace in our nation and in the world.  Pray that the mistakes he will inevitably make are small, and the successes he achieves can move us in a positive direction.  And pray that truly, the best is yet to come. 

111 Blessings.

Since my 100th post was lameski, Josh gave me the idea to write down 100 of my favorite words, but I decided to take it a step further, and for my 111th post, I'm going to write 111 blessings and/or things I am grateful for (plus I think this will be good for my mental stability and attitude) these days.

Feel free to skip over this post if you want to--I don't necessarily expect you to read through all these things.  Or feel free to pick whatever number you're on and do it yourself with that many blessings.  :)  These are in no particular order, and know that even if I don't mention you specifically, I still count you as a blessing!  These are just the ones on the top of my head tonight.  :)

1.  God.

2.  My amazing and wonderful parents--I don't know what I would do without them and their support and generosity.

3.  My beautiful, brilliant sister, Amy--I'm so proud of her for following her dreams!  And I'm so glad we've become such great friends.  I love you!

4.  Sterling--despite some initial struggles, he is a great husband and partner for my lil' sis.  He has grown up a lot, and I'm glad he's my BIL.

5.  Erik.  Even when we struggle, I am still blessed to call him my best friend.  No matter what happens in our relationship, he will ALWAYS be a huge blessing in my life and someone I will love forever.

6.  April.  Gosh, we've been through a lot.  And despite time and distance, she is still my best friend and she can always make me feel better when times are tough.  Love you, girl!

7.  Janna.  We don't talk as much as we should, but whenever we get together (we try for at least twice a year), we still giggle like we did when we were ten.

8. Debi.  Probably the only person I know who I would fly across the ocean just to see (and yes I do know other people across oceans!).  She got me through college.  Seriously.  And she is always willing to listen to me.  Thanks, darling.  Love you!

9.  Gonzaga--I got a fantastic, wonderful education, met some of the best people I'll ever know, and had some of the best years of my life.  I will ALWAYS love that place and everything it represents to me!

10.  Music.  What would I do without music?  

11.  The ability to sing.  I am sooooo blessed to be able to sing.  It is one of the things that brings me true joy in my life, and I love being able to bring joy and bless other people through my voice.

12.  Marie W.  The big sister I always wanted and never had.  How I wish we spent more time together.  I wouldn't have made it freshman year of college without you!

13.  Marie S.  My faith wouldn't be anything near what it is today with out you.  In fact, I don't think words can express the impact you've had on my life.  I love you!  And I'm SO glad you're back in my life.

14.  Leslie--I couldn't have had a better first roommate.  I wish we were more in touch than just facebook every now and again.  You're awesome, and I'm so glad we reconnected through SEARCH senior year!

15.  SEARCH--oh, how my life and faith have changed because of this amazing program.  The blessings I've received through this one thing alone can't begin to be numbered.

16.  REACH--one of the hardest, most frustrating, and most wonderful years of my life.  I got to see so many places and meet so many amazing people because I made the scary decision to be a missionary and live in a van for a year.  I don't think I'll ever fully realize how much I grew because of that experience.  And the people on my REACH team (both my St. Rose team and the big team) are all incredibly holy, wonderful people.  Thanks for sharing your lives with me!

17.  Reed Hansen, aka "Papa" Hansen.  Oh, how I love this man.  I truly wouldn't have made it through high school without his wisdom and love.  He taught me so much about what it means to be an adult, an artist, and a person.  I am unbelievably blessed to have had his influence in my life for the last...gosh...15 years?  Maybe longer.

18.  Julie Hansen.  What an amazing, wonderful, wise, beautiful person.  Getting to know her was one of the best things I've ever done, and I'm so glad they consider me one of their kids!

19.  Growing up in Vernal.  

20.  John and Jean Orchard, my host parents in London.  I don't even know if they're still alive (they would be super old by now!), but they were kind and wonderful and they took fantastic care of us.

21.  Coach Dickson.  How much did I learn about life through him?!  Sheesh!  Words can't begin to describe how he changed my life, helped me grow up, and taught me so much.  Knowing he believed in me was one of the most powerful things ever.

22.  London.  Studying abroad changed my life.

23.  HiLites.  I would have NEVER made it through high school without HiLites.  I remember after my first big HL performance, Taunia Wheeler came up to me and said, "It was a JOY to watch you perform.  I could tell just watching you that you truly LOVED what you were doing."  It was true.  Even when things were frustrating (which actually wasn't that often), HiLites was definitely one of the best experiences of my life, and I truly enjoyed every single minute.  I can't begin to describe how much I miss it.

24.  Dancing.

25.  Cheya.  What a great friend she always has been to me.

26.  Taunia Wheeler.  I learned so much from her and how she truly loves every single one of her students and absolutely believes in them.  That was great for me, and her encouragement and support when I was diagnosed with scoliosis was absolutely incredible.  Love her!

27.  Being deployed to Florida by the Red Cross--one of the most amazing, eye-opening, heart and life-changing things I've ever done and probably will ever do.

28.  Leah NUSSE!  My very first friend at Gonzaga (someone I still love dearly and actually still hang out with in Portland!), and my SECOND successful match-making experience (her lovely husband John is also a dear friend).  I'm SO excited that THEY'RE HAVING A BABY!!!!

29.  Mary Heitkemper.  This woman can write one heck of a letter of recommendation!  And she's ALWAYS willing to write them for me.  She's a great mentor.

30.  Fr. Jim Meehan.  This man has caused me more frustration...and offered me more love, patience, and great advice than almost anyone.  He's amazing, and I'm so glad to have such a great relationship with him.

31.  My faith.  I would be nothing without it.

32.  Jesus.  (Good thing these are in no particular order.)  What would I be without my savior?  He pulls me through EVERYTHING, even when it seems like I can't keep going.

33.  Health insurance.  Not having it REALLY stinks, and I'm glad I have good insurance right now.

34.  My job!  It is SUCH a blessing to have a job I actually really like and find fulfilling right now!!  It's not really designed to be a super long-term job (a few years max, probably), but right now, I'm learning so much, making enough money to get by, and I feel like I'm truly making a difference in the world.  It's fantastic.  And a total answer to prayer.  Thanks, God.

35.  Tomatoes.  :)

36.  My gym membership--I'm making myself love working out.  I know it's good for me.  Go kickboxing!

37.  Sean Kane.  This kid is so wise.  He has touched my heart more than he knows over the years.

38.  Katie O.  I am SO proud of this girl--she is the toughest girl I know, and I am so blessed to have her in my life.  I wish we were in better contact.  

39.  Vertigo.  I know that sounds weird, but having vertigo for a year really taught me a lot about suffering, and still having some episodes of it remind me how lucky I am to have my health when I'm not dizzy.  It also taught me great lessons on letting go of control and asking other people to help me.

40.  My health.  I struggle sometimes and I still have pain from my car accident and my ankle and whatnot, but overall, I can't complain.  I'm very lucky to be a pretty healthy girl and to have access to health care when I need it.

41.  Analisa.  God dropped me in her lap and her in mine when he worked this out.  She's a great roommate, we get along famously, and she's a good friend, to boot.

42.  My house.  Despite the craziness of being stuck here during the snowstorm, this is a fantastic place to live.  I still sometimes am shocked that I live here.  It's awesome.

43.  Facebook.  I know that sounds weird, but I have connected and reconnected with so many people through facebook--I just reconnected with my best friend from kindergarten and first grade because of facebook, and we literally hadn't talked in 20 years.

44.  Green tea.

45.  Valeri--I love you girl!  Thanks for coming to the rescue and doing everyone's hair for Amy's wedding!  You have a true GIFT for making people feel (and look) beautiful.

46.  Sore muscles.  Man, nothing makes you remember you're alive like sore muscles.

47.  Amy Hugh.  I've learned SOOOOOO much from her over the past...gosh...14 years (I've known her for half my life!!  Crazy.).  I'm glad we've become such good friends.

48.  Trefoil Ranch.  Oh the memories.  It will always be one of my favorite places on earth.

49.  Bozarth Mansion.  Same reason as 48.

50.  Cloud Rim.  See previous 2.  And I can't forget to mention all my amazing camp girls!!  These girls (and a handful of guys) are incredible blessings in my life and I love them so much.  We have had CRAZY good times together!  And they totally love me for who I am, no holds barred (that happens when you see each other every day, after rolling out of bed, in the same clothes you've been wearing for 3 days, and going on almost a week without a shower--that's called bonding).

51.  The ability to sail.  I LOVE SAILING!!  There's nothing else quite like it.  I need to do it more often.

52.  Horses.  Truly, almost nothing brings me more joy than being on the back of a horse.  Someday I WILL own my own.  There is no feeling of freedom like galloping full speed through a meadow on the back of a beautiful horse.  It's magical.

53.  Austin and Collin.  Two good friends I miss dearly.  Love you guys!

54.  Davey Gaines.  Oh, what a beautiful soul.

55.  Nicole Lewis.  I couldn't be more proud of this girl!!  She's going to be famous (for real!) and I will be blessed to say "I knew her when..."  I love you!

56.  Zack Anderson.  I learned so much from this kid.  He was the greatest friend I could have had senior year of college.  I'm so proud of him and what he's become.

57.  Tana.  We've had our struggles, but she's become a great friend and sounding board.  Love her.

58.  Matthew Vawter.  What an awesome opportunity to experience God's true miracles EVERY day.  And he definitely reconnected me and rebuilt a friendship I feared was lost forever.  I'm glad it wasn't.  (Love you, Amy!)

59.  Aaron and Amy.  These 2 are great examples of faith and love and the awesome things prayer can bring about.  Even though I haven't seen or talked with Aaron in years, he was such an amazing friend during my first year away from home, and I wouldn't have made it without him.  He taught me so much about friendship and love and helped me realize some major things about myself.  I am forever grateful for his presence in my life, even if we don't talk anymore.  I pray someday that will change.  And Amy, his beautiful wife--I'm SOOOOOO blessed and grateful and glad that we've reconnected and fixed our friendship.  Seriously--one of the biggest blessings of 2008 for me.  And a true testament to what prayer and hard work can do (and fix) in a relationship.  Like I said before--LOVE YOU!

60.  My Mac laptop.  I know it's silly, but it was such a blessing when my folks gave it to me last summer, and it continues to make my life so much easier EVERY day.

61.  Audri.  Gosh, I love you!  WHY HAVE WE NOT SEEN EACH OTHER IN SO LONG?!?!  Seriously, one of the most lovely, beautiful people I've ever known.  I love that we're back in touch, and you inspire me so much.

62.  Marcia Forsgren.  I learned so much from her.  Her influence in my life throughout my 3 years of high school will NEVER be forgotten.  I still think of her all the time.  

63.  Fr. Al.  Oh, what a marvelously gentle, wonderful man.  One of God's true gems.  I wish I could see him more often.

64.  Alliance.  Seriously, I couldn't have picked a better place to live freshman year.  Some of my best memories of college happened with the girls in my hall that year.  I wish I would have realized how special it was while I was there.

65.  Jen Cook.  Much of what I know about leadership I learned from this amazing woman.  She's incredible.

66.  Joe Albert.  What an incredible mentor, leader, and friend.  I'm blessed to have him on my side.

67.  Nathan.  That little 3 year old kid was what kept me going during those crazy days at the pre-school.  I think I will remember him fondly forever.  And he was SO stinkin' cute!

68.  Chai tea.  Yummmmm.

69.  The ability to read.  What would I have done in my life without books?  Sheesh!  I've always been a reading fool!  :)

70.  Photography.  I'm so glad I took a class!

71.  The sound of rain/wind--but only when I'm safe and warm inside my house/tent/etc.

72.  My upcoming trip to Europe!!  I'm SOOOOOOOOO excited, and it is a blessing to have something so amazing to look forward to!

73.  My new coat!  Something I really needed and an incredibly generous gift from Erik.  More on this in a later post.

74.  TobyMac--something about his music seriously speaks to my soul.  I can't get enough.

75.  Cassi.  I LOVE this girl.  If I had to pick a second little sister (besides my own, amazingly fabulous lil' sis), I would pick Cassi.

76.  Spokane.  I think Spokane will always hold a special place in my heart after spending so many years and so much time there.

77.  Girl Scouts.  I know it's cheesy, but my experiences in Girl Scouting (especially at camp) were truly what taught me that girls can do anything, and that we all need to follow our dreams.

78.  The Red Cross.  I have gotten amazingly fabulous training and have had some of the most intense, emotional, difficult, and wonderful experiences in my life volunteering for them.

79.  Deborah.  I would have NEVER survived St. Anthony's without Deborah.  No chance.  And how would I EVER drag myself to kickboxing and hip hop and zumba every week without Deborah being my gym buddy?  She is one of the newer blessings in my life, and I love her so much!

80.  Being an RA/RD.  I LOVED my job as an RA and as a Hall Director.  Seriously.  Some of the best people and best experiences in my life came out of these jobs, and I learned soooooo much.  Sometimes I wish I were doing it again.  Maybe I will.

81.  The ability to play the guitar.  I LOVE my guitar.  I need to play it much more often.

82.  Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred.  This is a new thing in my life, but I've never been so sore and so motivated to keep doing it again and again as I have with this.  You know, the fact that I have the ability to get myself in better shape is a huge blessing, as is the fact that I need to!  It means I have plenty to eat, I don't have to do crazy hard physical labor all the time, etc.

83.  Fresh fruit.

84.  Run Kid Run.  Their music...ahhhhhh.  Love it.

85.  BABIES!!  I LOVE babies, and someday I can't wait to have some of my own (all in good time, of course)!  But in the meantime, it is such a blessing to see new life all around us, and I'm so glad my friends are always willing to share their babies with me.  :)

86.  Life.  

87.  My car accidentS.  I've been in 3 in the last 2 years, none of them really my fault, and although I had pretty major whiplash from the 2nd one, I have still been able to walk away from all 3 of them.  I have been blessed to have been kept safe in these scary situations.

88.  Pumpkin bread.  Mmmmm.

89.  Ellicia.  Erik's sister has become such a great friend, and I'm so glad I've gotten to know her.  No matter what happens with Erik, I know we'll still be friends for a long, long time.

90.  My near-death experience in Vienna.  Sometime I'll tell you all about it if you haven't heard it, but I had some major life-changing things happen that night, not the least of which being that I learned in a real, powerful way how to TRULY trust God with my life and everything that happens in it.

91.  Bailey and Dundee and Maggie and Niko....sometimes you just need a puppy in your life, you know?

92.  Ed and MaryJo.  Erik's parents have always been exceedingly generous and gracious to me.  I love them a lot.

93.  Starbucks blended lemonades.  Oh so delicious on a hot, summer's day.

94.  Creation Fest NW.  The last two summers were amazing!!!  

95.  The Shack.  If you haven't read it, you need to.

96.  The Biggest Loser--hello, motivation!!

97.  Renee and Amber and Andrea and Josh and Jess and Kathy and Megan and Jo and Hope and Raquel and all my friends whose blogs I read religiously--I wouldn't read them if I didn't care about you guys!!

98.  My Grandma Mary and Grandpa Harold.  I know things aren't easy for either one of them, what with my grandpa's alzheimer's, but they are still great examples of love and faith and sacrifice.  Love them so much!

99.  Deb and Dave.  My family away from home!  :)  They are incredible, and so generous.

100.  My amazing cousins.  I'm so glad we've all become such great friends as we've gotten older!

101.  Grandma Margie.  This lady's amazing--she's almost 92!  And so generous with us.  Love her!

102.  My pseudo-grandma, Laverne.  She's incredible, and so strong.

103.  Montana.  I will always consider myself a Montana girl.

104.  Prayer.  How cool is it that we can communicate directly with God?  And God listens!  And answers us!  It blows my mind sometimes.

105.  Alter Wiener.  How cool is it that I know a Holocaust survivor?  I've even been over to his house for a traditional Jewish dinner.  He's amazing.  

106.  Sleep.  I'm so blessed not to have insomnia!

107.  My friends--all the ones I haven't mentioned.  Every single one of them has touched my life in someone and made me who I am today.  They continue to make me a better person and help me to become who I want to be.  Thanks, guys.

108.  Sr. Juana.

109.  All my "stuff."  I am not that into material things, really, but I have a lot of really great stuff, from really incredible people.  I am blessed.

110.  Hope.  It's so cool that we live in a time and place where, no matter how hard things are, we have the ability to hope.

111.  Love.  Lots and lots of love.

NEW YEAR'S!!

I had to work like crazy for a couple days before New Year's, but luckily I had already worked like crazy during December so I'd have enough hours in that I could leave early to catch my flight to Utah (which was crazy anyway because of the snowstorm), and so I could work as little as possible on New Year's Eve.  I was hoping to make it up to the Tri-Cities to watch Erik's band (well...part of it) play at First Night Tri-Cities.  I managed to make up my extra time so I didn't have to work at all on New Year's Eve, and I convinced my boss it was a good idea for me to take Friday off so I'd have extra hours later in January when I was crazy busy, so I had Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday off.  It was great!

I managed to get ahold of Erik's roommate, Dave, who was driving up to Kennewick that night, and ask him to let me catch a ride.  So I raced home, packed in like 5 minutes, then drove to the East side of Portland and found a place to park my car for the rest of the week.  I met him over there, and we drove up to the Tri-Cities together on Tuesday night.  We went straight to Erik's sister and brother-in-law's house to play Rock Band!!  It was SO fun!  I had only played for a couple minutes once before, so I wasn't very good, but it was fun!!  I love Ellicia and Geoff--they're fantastic!  

1/2 of Johannin (aka Puddy (Dave) and Erik) at First Night Tri-Cities

Then we drove to Erik's folks' house and stayed up waaaaaay too late.  It was nice to hang out and see each other after a couple weeks away.  New Year's Eve was VERY chill--we just hung out and played the lazy game most of the day.  Then it was time to head down to First Night.  We checked out an Irish trio--they were great!  :)  Then it was time for the boys to play.  They were a total blast, as usual!  :)  They have so much fun when they play, and they're great about getting the audience involved and interested.  They knew at least half of the audience, but that probably made it even better.

The best part of the night was when it was almost midnight, we all went outside where they had a big New Year's (disco?) ball suspended from a crane.  Ellicia and Geoff, Erik's mom and dad, and Erik and I were all hanging around waiting for midnight, and some old guy was talking.  It came time for New Year's and we're all getting ready for the countdown when he says, "Alright, everybody!  Are you ready?  Here we go!  ONE!............TWO!..........."  Meanwhile everyone's looking around going, "What the...????!!!???"  Hello?  CountDOWN, anyone?  There's a reason it's not called a countUP!  We were all soooooo confused.  Are we counting to ten?  Sixty?  One hundred?  What?  So he continues...."EIGHT!.................NINE!.....................TEN!.............

GO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

GO?

We all just looked at each other and didn't quite know what to do!  Even the crane operator was confused!  After "Go" he kind of just shrugged and let the ball down, then some fireworks started and we did the traditional New Year's hug and kiss thing.  

Super fantastic people!  Left to Right: Gary and Julie (friends of Erik's family--they are wonderful!), Mary Jo and Ed (Erik's parents), Ellicia and Geoff (Erik's sister and brother-in-law).  Dancing to a Johannin song.

And did I mention it was FREEZING?!  So as soon as the fireworks ended we skedaddled to the cars!  Erik and I went and met Dave and some friends at Denny's for a bit, then headed home.

New Year's day was VERY relaxed.  We just slept in, enjoyed the day, went to church and met our friends' (Jonny and Karen) new baby, Noah!  He was BEAUTIFUL.  And Karen looked fantastic for having a baby that was only like 10 days old.  Then we went home and headed to bed so we could head out on the next adventure in the morning.

This video is kind of long and not the best quality (just from my little digital camera), but I really like this song they wrote.  It's called "Bright Eyes" (I think).

Urgent Prayer Request for Jack Michael Fanning.

Jack was 8 days old when Mommy and Daddy held him for the first time.

Hi!  I have an important prayer request...

My good friend Mike Fanning (one of Erik's old roommates) and his wife Tricia had a baby on January 2nd.  Unfortunately, Tricia developed preeclampsia, and little Jack Michael was born after only 28 weeks, at 1 lb 9 oz.  While he's a little fighter, he is definitely struggling--a lot.

It would be awesome if you could all keep them in your prayers.  If you'd like to know more about specific things to pray for, or to read their story, check out their blog, not so jumbo jack, by clicking on that link or going to www.thefannings.blogspot.com.  I'm sure they'd love it if you wanted to leave a comment or a prayer on their blog, too.  There is also a link to a photo album with more photos of this tiny little miracle in the blog, or click here to see more.  Thanks for your much needed prayers.

Yep, that band around his arm is Daddy's (Mike's) wedding ring.

Jack is obviously VERY tiny--only 11 inches.

The Crazy Snow Nightmare, The Finale.

These photos probably speak for themselves.  *sigh*  This entry isn't really in order, because I have photos from 2 trips that may or may not go up later, but this is the byproduct of the last snowstorm--my crunched up car.  :(  NOT a good day.

Erik and I drove all the way back from Spokane, six hours, with no incident, then just about a mile from my house in yet another crazy Portland blizzard, a freak accident happened in front of me and unfortunately I couldn't stop (despite taking every precaution--going 2 mph, in low gear, and leaving LOTS of following distance), and I slid down the hill into the car in front of me.  Even if you're the best, most confident driver in the snow, if your vehicle won't stop, it won't stop.  Simple as that.

So even though it might not LOOK like it's THAT bad, apparently the hood being bent up like that makes it unsafe to drive, due to drag and aerodynamics and other things a physics major could probably explain to you, and so it ends up being about $4000 worth of damage, when all is said and done.  Oi.

Needless to say, the car's in the shop, and I'm driving a rental car at (gulp) $30 a day.  So if I got it last Friday and I have to have it until at least next Wednesday...you do the math.

And despite the fact that the accident in front of us caused this accident, since neither my car nor the car I hit actually hit the other cars, it's considered a separate accident...and thus my fault.  So my insurance has a $750 deductible, plus I'm paying for the rental....no fun.  Luckily my folks are willing to help me out, as I'm trying to pay for a trip to Europe in the not-too-distant future...

UGH.

Peacock Lane

The infamous "leg lamp" from "A Christmas Story."

The last couple years, Erik and I have gone on a special "Christmas date," but because of the crazy snow, we almost didn't get to do it this year.  Nevertheless, we persevered, and found a fun Christmas date to go on, despite all the snow closures and travel craziness.

In Portland, they have a Christmas tradition that every year, this cute little street of old, old houses gets totally decked out for Christmas.  I guess they've been doing it for decades, and lots of Portlanders go see it.

Some houses have themes, others are just decorated with lots of lights.  Either way, it's fun!

They have free hot apple cider and hot chocolate (free or by donation)--a must on cold, snowy, wet nights like the night we were there.  The snow TOTALLY added to the ambience, though. 

They had Santa and Mrs. Claus out taking photos with people (there was a line, so we passed that by and let the kiddies do it).  They also had an archway with mistletoe.  :)

Supposedly they have horse-drawn carriage rides, but we didn't see it.  We did, however, see a hayride pass us by as we headed out. 

Overall, it was a very fun (FREE) date!  :)

The Crazy Snow Nightmare, Part 3.

The snow from the window of Erik's apartment.

So, Monday they called us and said the office was going to be closed, so we should work from home that day instead of coming in.  I was kind of skittish about getting stuck again, so that was fine by me.  By Tuesday much of the snow had been cleared off the road, so with my chains on, I made it out of my neighborhood and took the very sloooooooowwwwww journey to my office.  I worked that day (we happened to have our Christmas work lunch that day, luckily, so we all got to leave the office and go out to lunch for a few hours!), then went and did 99.9% of my Christmas shopping in case I couldn't get out again, since it was supposed to start snowing again--thank goodness I did!

Off the deck of Erik's apartment.

Wednesday we got the "Come if you can, work from home if you can't" call, and with one look at the craziness out my window, I took the second option.  Snowy, snowy, snowy, and coming down hard!!  Thursday and Friday were more of the same, with both days having brief sunshine breaks throughout the day, but it was suuuuuuper cold.  

The whole week we were watching school closures, because we were supposed to be working at two different middle schools, and every day school was cancelled.  For one school, they decided to have a two-hour delay on Thursday, but held school.  I was all ready to go, so I made the attempt to get out of my neighborhood.  With my chains on, I just BARELY made it up the first little hill, took TEN minutes to make it up the second hill and just made it to the top, and then just before the final hill, I spun out.  My co-worker, Scott, had just called me when I started spinning...he may have heard some words he wasn't expecting from me as I threw my phone across my car and attempted to regain control.  I landed in a snowbank on a side street where there hadn't been any traffic for a few days, and I gave up.  I picked up the phone, told him I was going home, and he made the trek to the school instead.  I called my boss and told her I couldn't get out (seriously?  A few surveys are SO not worth wrecking my car and risking my safety!), and I slid and skid my way home.

A house in my neighborhood.

Thursday and Friday we had a friend and her sweet 4-month old baby stay at our house because of some problems she was having, so it was fun to have some people at our house and something fun to do!  :)

Friday night Erik and I had our Christmas date (more on that later maybe), so he came in with his 4-wheel drive, we had dinner at my house, then we ventured out to visit some lights.  That was the first time I'd been out of my house since Tuesday.

The cool, ice-covered trees.

Saturday Erik headed back up to the Tri-Cities for Christmas.  He'd already been out of school for a whole week! because of snow days, and was ready to be headed home and really be on holiday.  I woke up to it snowing REALLY hard, and Erik just made it through the Gorge in near-zero visibility before it was closed for about 4-5 days.

The view from my driveway.

By Sunday I seriously needed a break from my house (hello, cabin fever!), so I hiked 2 miles each way to go to church.  It was FREEZING, but totally worth it.  I've never BEEN so happy to go to church!!

The ice on my poor car...before the worst of the storms.

On Monday our friend Kerry came to pick me up with her baby (her Subaru did AWESOME in the snow!!), and we went up to a little store in my neighborhood (one of the only ones open), just to take a little break and get out of the house.  

Later that day I called Erik's roommate, Dave (Puddy), because he had been snowed in and his flight to Boise got stuck there on Sunday night.  I told him I was bored, and he said he was coming to get me.  So I hiked out and he picked me up, and we went to our friend Ann's house (who had also been snowed in and had not one, but TWO flights cancelled), and we made an awesome dinner, watched Christmas movies, and baked cookies.  It was a blast.  (Hence the sugar cookie nativity posted previously).

My flight was supposed to leave on Tuesday evening (the glory of having no time off because of a new job!), but I didn't know how I would get out of my neighborhood to get TO the airport.  Erik's roommate decided we could have an adventure, so at about 1 AM, we made the trek down into my neighborhood, made it almost all the way to my house, and I packed as fast as I could then we started the crazy journey to their apartment.  We got there about 3 AM and crashed (since Erik had already gone home there was an extra empty bed and bedroom!!).  Then we got up the next morning, ate breakfast, and Dave took me to the MAX (train) station.  It took almost 3 hours to get to the airport from Hillsboro, but I eventually made it and was able to fly out--one of the few days that flights left that week!  Hip hip hooray, I went home for Christmas!  :)

And just a little sidenote...we know everyone was thinking Portland was just being wimpy because of a little snow, but the truth is, we got a TON of snow.  There was almost 4 feet at my house.  Even for Utah, where they're used to the snow, that's a lot for basically one storm.  And in Utah they're prepared for this craziness--in the town of Hillsboro, population of something like 200,000, where Erik lives, they literally have FOUR snowplows for over 1500 miles of road.  No wonder they couldn't keep up!  Plus because of the environmental crazies, they won't salt out here, so they just pile dirt and gravel and occasionally de-icer, and then wonder why it doesn't work.  Plus we had snowstorms followed by ice storms followed by snowstorms.  It really, truly was crazy here.

The Crazy Snow Nightmare, Part 2.

This is, surprisingly, one of the few roads that actually got plowed during the snow craziness.  And it had probably been plowed a couple times at this point.  Holy cow.

So, I promised you the story of the snow.  Here we go:

Two Sundays before Christmas, Portland got snow.  Erik and I were supposed to meet at church at 11:15, and church is close to my house, so I left just before 11.  It was snowing, but not very much, and I'm from Utah, right?  A little snow doesn't scare me!  I've never even CONSIDERED buying chains or snow tires.  Little did I know about the Portland snow...and why it's SUCH a big deal when it happens here.  

I made it about 30 yards before I got stuck.  To get in and out of my neighborhood, there's a very long hill that goes down and back up again (like a "V"--get it?).  Yep.  I found myself stuck at the bottom.  I couldn't get up either side, no matter how hard I tried.  After sliding sideways down both sides a few times and playing bumper cars with the curb, I had to concede that I was, indeed, stuck.  I called Erik and told him I wasn't going to make it because I was stuck.  He told me he'd be right there.  I kept trying to get out, to no avail.  I didn't want to be stuck at the bottom and risk OTHER cars having the same problems and sliding into me, so I had to figure something out.  There aren't really any side streets on this stretch of road, so that wasn't an option.  I didn't know what to do.  After about 20 minutes, a few phone calls to my folks, a few more attempts to free myself, and several offers of a ride to the top, Erik came hiking down the hill.  He tried to get the car out, but he didn't have better luck.  

Isn't this cool?  This is part of the trouble with Portland snow--it seems to almost always be accompanied by ICE.  And lots of it.  And there is ice on top of snow on top of ice on top of snow...you get the picture.  Eeek.

Eventually we managed to get it off the street and onto a very long driveway that serves two homes.  One homeowner was fine with us parking there...the other was not.  Finally he agreed to just let us park right by his house while we went to try to get chains.  So we wrote down some of the info from the tires, grabbed the owner's manual, and hiked out to Erik's car, parked up above.  Now, I'm not exaggerating when I tell you it was truly a BLIZZARD at this point.  Wicked, blowing winds, tons of snow--NO fun.  

We drove down to Safeway, googled some car places on my phone, and started our attempt to get chains.  The first place we went was a) open and b) had chains (a major feat!), but we didn't have the right info to fit them.  Argh.  So we drove back, hiked down to the car, wrote down some more info, hiked back out, and drove back to the little mom and pop car place.  NIGHTMARE!!  We finally got the right chains, got the spreader things (who knew you needed those?  Glad Erik thought to ask!), and drove back up to my neighborhood.  We again hiked down to the car, figured out how to put the chains on, and made our attempt to get the car out.  Erik drove (thank goodness!), and we tried my dad's method of backing up one side as far as we could and zooming down as fast as we dared to try to get some momentum to get up the other side.  After a couple tries, we just managed to get out.  So we picked up Erik's car and went the back way into my neighborhood with both cars. 

This is a tuft of long grass sticking out of the snow...covered in a sheet of ice, like a straw.  Crazy.  This was BEFORE all the grass was covered up by LOTS more snow.

We had literally spent like 4 hours trying to get my car freed.  So we warmed up, dried off, and got some food, then Erik left.  He called me a few minutes and asked if I wanted him to take me to church, since I didn't dare to risk getting stuck AGAIN in the dark.  I said yes, so he came to pick me up.  We got to church...and they had cancelled the services because of the snow.  

HOW DISAPPOINTING IS THAT??!!??!!

So that was our first day of craziness.

DELICIOUS, Low-Fat, Low-Cal Oatmeal Applesauce Pancakes!

I was totally craving pancakes today, but I'm really making an effort to eat healthy (New Year's resolutions, right?), so I searched online for a recipe.  These are DELICIOUS!!  You probably have most of the ingredients in your pantry already (I did), and they totally hit the spot.  I smeared just a little bit of my homemade blackberry jam on them, but I'm sure they'd also be super good with maple syrup or applesauce on them.  They're delicious, healthy, and very filling!  Enjoy!

Here's the recipe:

Low-Fat, Low-Cal Applesauce Oatmeal Pancakes

1/2 cup all-purpose flour (or substitute whole wheat flour for 1/2 the amount--that's what I did!)

1/2 cup quick-cooking or old-fashioned oats

1/2 cup fat-free milk

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce

2 large egg whites

1 Tbsp. canola oil

Place ingredients in medium bowl and whisk until well-blended.

Heat a griddle/frying pan until 375 degrees (medium).  When griddle is hot, pour about 1/4 pancake batter per pancake.  Cook until bubbles appear and the edges are puffed.  Flip the pancakes and cook until golden.

Makes 8-9 pancakes.

Per 2 pancake serving: Calories 248, Calories from fat 46, Total fat 5.2 grams (sat. 0.6 grams), Cholesterol 1 mg, Sodium 309 mg, Carbohydrates 42.7 grams, Fiber 2.9 grams, Protein 7.8 grams.  (*Obviously these numbers will be a little different if you use 1/2 wheat flour, but they're close.)

The Case of the Missing Links

So, as I've been trying to figure out a layout I want for my blog, somehow my links have all disappeared.  I'm sure it's my fault (argh!), but annoying, nonetheless.  I'll be working on getting them back up over the next little while, but if yours doesn't show back up for some reason, please leave me a comment or something and let me know (and you'll have to give me the address again) so I can get you back on my list!!  It's just one of those weeks.  :/  

100.

I just realized that my 100th blog post was about how I don't want to write on my blog.  Lame.  :/

I promise.  Something real.  Soon.

Blog ADD.

I'm having serious blog ADD.  I don't want to post anything real until I'm in a better mood, but I also can't decide what I want it to look like, so sorry if it changes like 50 million times in the next couple days.  :)  If you find any place with cute, fun, free backgrounds, let me know.  :)  I'm new at this whole thing, and I totally don't get the whole digi-scrapbooking thing, so I'm just flying by the seat of my pants here.  :)  Oh well.

Alexander Days.

Do you know what kind of day Alexander had?  Remember that book from our childhood?  Perhaps some of you have read it to your own children.  Say it with me now:  "Alexander and the terrible, horrible, no-good..."

 

You guys can finish it yourselves.  That gives you an idea of how this week has been for me.  Let's just say, my car's in the shop, it'll probably cost me at least $1000 when all is said and done, I'm having relationship drama, I'm driving a rental car, I have to make up work, something's wrong with my phone list of volunteers I need to call...sigh.  I don't mean to complain.  Really.  It could be worse. 

But I could still use prayers, if you're willing, please.  Especially about the whole relationship thing.  :/   *sigh*  I'll put up a better post soon, promise.  One with photos of the crazy snow in Spokane and Portland, and fun times on vacation, and other more exciting things like that.  Right now I'm just trying to be optimistic.  It would be awesome if you could pray for that, too.  :)  Thanks, guys.  Love you all.  Hope you're all having fabulous, non-Alexander days!