Pleasant Places

A few years back, during an exceptionally trying time in my life, these verses resounded in my heart. At the time, it seemed like something so far away, so hard to finally come to, to rest in. Yet here, at the close of 2011, I find myself again drawn to this passage, and this time realizing its reality. He has indeed brought me to pleasant places. I'm so humbled at what the Lord has done, and so expectant for the coming year:

Psalm 16

⁵ The LORD is my chosen portion and my cup;
you hold my lot.
⁶ The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;
indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.

⁷ I bless the LORD who gives me counsel;
in the night also my heart instructs me.^[d]
8 I have set the LORD always before me;
because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.

⁹ Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being^[e] rejoices;
my flesh also dwells secure.
¹⁰ For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol,
or let your holy one see corruption.^[f]

¹¹ You make known to me the path of life;
in your presence there is fullness of joy;
at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

Sweet, Salty, Spicy Quinoa Salad

I have been experimenting with quinoa salads lately, and this has been one of my favorites so far:

1 C quinoa, rinsed and toasted

1 C water

1 C chicken stock

1 Tbsp olive oil

2 green onions chopped

1/2 jalapeno, deseeded and finely chopped

1 C broccoli, lightly steamed and chopped small

1 pear (or mango), cored and chopped into dime-sized bits

1/4 cup queso fresco, crumbled

Directions:

Bring water and chicken stock to a boil and add rinsed, toasted quinoa (toast in a pan lightly until it starts to crackle). Bring heat to low, and set timer for 15 minutes. Add olive oil to a saucepan and bring to medium low heat. Add green onions and jalapenos. Stir for 2-3 minutes. Add steamed broccoli. Stir 2-3 minutes more.

When quinoa is finished cooking. Remove from heat and let sit 5 minutes. Mix in onion, jalapeno, and broccoli, then add chopped pear and crumbled queso fresco. Stir and enjoy!

Military Pop Stars.

We've been watching a lot of war movies lately, and when I say "we," I mean Blake. Sometimes, war movies bother me, so I do dishes, or iron, or talk on the phone. And then I watch an education documentary like "Waiting for Superman." In any case, while getting ready for our days, Blake was singing one of my favorite White Christmas classics, "We'll follow the Old Man, wherever he wants to go..." and slowly moved into, "Praise the Lord, and pass the ammunition..." (not from White Christmas).

All this soon got me thinking of Bing Crosby in White Christmas. He plays a talented and well-known crooner who serves in the army during World War II. I started to consider our current entertainers and how well they might fare if their fate suddenly involved a draft into the military. It caused me to chuckle. Now, obviously I don't know any of them personally, but the difference that has occurred in a few generations shocked me. I don't even know quite what to call it, other than the reign of almighty self. I love that I am living now. Present. Here. I also respect a lot of what other generations before us valued: Serving God, Country, Family, and Others.

Day 28

I get to start a new job tomorrow :). I am taking over for a teacher at an alternative high school. I'm pretty excited about it, but I am totally aware of how much I need to lean on His grace. I have 6 different courses I will be teaching, and no prep. So... I haven't been posting these last few days because I have been prepping. Anyhow. I have also felt the desire to take up running again, which is such a huge stress-reliever for me. Our neighborhood is mostly hills, which have always seemed insurmountable to me with running and I have avoided whenever possible. This season however, they seem to beckon to me. I keep saying in my mind, "I'm not afraid of hills." And I've gotten better at running them. I feel like it's so parallel to my life as a whole. I've often been afraid of hardship... difficulty. But as I've passed through different seasons, I've experienced that nothing can separate me from His hand. And I don't fear them anymore. Each day is a gift. Each season handcrafted from Him who is All-good. All of that makes me happy :).

Days 23 and 24 of the Sketch Project

I finally had a chance to sketch some live turkeys. It was just about dusk, twilight was setting in, and Blake came inside and asked Sara and I to come see something cool. A couple of toms (male turkeys) were getting ready to sleep for the night in a tree. I love when it is quiet enough to hear the frogs and the night noises and feel like summer is coming. My insides get happy!
Here is a picture of my cousin Sara's favorite phrase: (She has a flower on her ring-finger nail)

Day 22 of the Sketch Project

What a glorious day! Blake's cousin Sara (and my cousin now too) flew up from SoCal for a visit, so us girls went on a trip to pick her up. Sara is 31, but she had a brain tumor when she was a little girl, and still functions as one, sweetness and all :). Every minute (literally) she says to someone nearby, "Hey (so and so)..... I love you." She is staying all week with us, and I'm looking forward to a week of fun!

On her flight up, she was given a pack of Southwest playing cards, and some Southwest wings. Here is a sketch of the wings:

Days 20 and 21 of the Sketch Project

Happy Easters! Here is a sketch of a green apple in hand. A green apple in hand is better than an apple pie in the mind. heh. My hand got a little disproportionately long, but it still works:

This next sketch ended up taking a total of 30 seconds. We have tons of wild turkeys in our neighborhood, and it is hunting season. So blake got out his rifle for a quick look. It is a fast, rough sketch, but it's fun (no turkeys):