Runner's Legs

I recently joined a gym!!! This is a big deal for me. I've never been a gym person, and this is my first gym membership ever. I usually just run outside, but I live in Philly now, and Philly gets cold during the winter. I prefer not to cough up blood after my runs.

So I went to the gym after work today to sweat off some calories. I started with a 3 mile run, followed by stretching and some other random exercises. There are so many different machines to choose from, and I don't know how to use all of them, so I get a little overwhelmed at times. Sometimes I pretend to be stretching when I'm really reading the machine instructions. One of the machines that I decided to try works out the butt. This is one of my problem areas. Perfect. You stand with your chest against a pad and push your legs (one at a time) back. Don't forget to clench! As I was mastering this machine, I thought to myself that the guy working out on the machine behind me had quite the view. Whatever. I'm at the gym for a reason, so he can deal. And deal he did!

After a minute, he moved to the machine next to me. I finished up my exercises and started wiping down the machine. He decided to strike up a conversation with me that went something like this:

Guy: Do you run track? 
Me: No. I should, but I don't. 
Guy: Well then you must play sports. 
Me: No. I did when I was in school, but now I work. I sit on my ass all day. 
Guy: (Chuckles) It doesn't look like you sit on your ass all day. 
Me: Gag. 

Did I mention that he was black? HAHAHA.

Just Make Sure You Don't Marry Anyone Over There

For the past year, I've been working as a consultant for a Norwegian NGO. Since they're based in Norway and I'm based in the US, I've been doing a bit of traveling back and forth for meetings and such. In fact, I'm about to take my third trip to Norway since I began this job last January. In addition to being stoked that I have a job in this economy, I'm even more excited that I've been able to travel. Traveling is one of my favorite things in life.

I've really learned to take advantage of travel opportunities whenever possible. For example, on my first work trip to Norway, I decided that I would leave on a Friday instead of a Sunday so that I could have the weekend to explore. The office is in Kristiansand (southernmost part of NO), but I had to fly through Oslo (the capital), so I booked myself a hostel and spent 2 full days seeing the city. It was glorious (despite the frigid temperatures). On my next trip to Norway, I spent bookend weekends in Stockholm and Copenhagen. Even more enjoyable. For this upcoming trip, I'm visiting Reykjavik on the first weekend, followed by Helsinki on the following weekend.

My grandparents try to keep up with with my travels. They always ask me about work and where I'm going next. My grandma makes sure to write down the different places that I'm going so that she'll know where I am in case she needs to reach me. Whenever I get back from a trip, I show them a slide show of pictures that I've taken. Lots of grandparents might worry about their grandchildren traveling alone internationally, and mine are no exception. I get the typical concerns about traveling alone as a woman and advice about not talking to strangers and always carrying pepper spray. But the warning that I get most frequently from my grandmother is this: "Don't go off and get married over there. It would be difficult for us to come and see you."

I love this. I know she's joking, but there's always a hint of seriousness in her tone, which makes it even better. Hey grandma, I'm nearly 24, have been living here in the US for 18 years, and am marriage material, but I haven't received any proposals yet. Do you really think I'm going to get a 2 karat rock on a 10-day stint in Europe? Highly unlikely. So I always tell her she has nothing to worry about, which seems to alleviate her worry until the next time around. But if I ever meet a handsome European man with a great accent and an even better taste in sparkling stones, my grandparents will just have to get over the distance.

Fun Fall Recipes: Pumpkin Stuffed French Toast

I'm well-aware of the fact that fall is over, but I figured I'd post one more "fall" recipe that will warm both your belly and your soul. I was obsessed with pumpkin this fall. Pumpkin bread, pumpkin spiced lattes, pumpkin seeds. So I decided to explore another pumpkin flavored treat: pumpkin stuffed french toast. It seemed like a simple concept, so I made up the recipe myself. 

1. Purchase a loaf of thick french bread or Challa bread. Cut it into about 1 inch slices. 

2. Carefully cut a slit about halfway through the slices. You may want to carve out a little bit of the inside. This is where the filling will go.

3. In a medium bowl, mix 3 tablespoons softened cream cheese, 3 tablespoons canned pumpkin, 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (you can substitute cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves) and 3 teaspoons sugar. Blend together well.

4. Using a small spoon, carefully insert filling into bread slices. You might have a little excess on the outside.

 5. Fill all the slices until you are out of the pumpkin mix.

6. In another medium size bowl, scramble 6-7 eggs. You can add a couple tablespoons of milk and a teaspoon of vanilla if you'd like.

7. Dip the bread slices into the egg mixture to coat the entire piece. Then place in a lightly greased frying pan. Cook for about a minute on each side, or until they are cooked through.

8. Drizzle with melted butter and sprinkle with powdered sugar. Serve warm.

Voila!

Who Wouldn't Want to Live in Detroit?

My family moved from southern California to Detroit over four years ago. And when I say Detroit, I don't mean that we live on 8 Mile and Gratiot. We live in the suburbs, about an hour north of downtown. However, since the majority of people in the world would have no idea where Shelby Township is, I claim the greater Detroit area as home. I was strongly opposed to the move, even though I was already in college and out of the house. I mean, Michigan? Really? In addition to being far, far away from all of my friends and family, I was sure of the fact that there wouldn't be much to do here.

But was I ever wrong! I've never been here for more than a couple months at a time, mostly for college breaks and now for holidays. But the more time I spend here, the more I realize what a gem it really is. Michigan, and more specifically, Detroit, offers a plethora of opportunities to live life to the fullest. From fine dining to a variety cultural experiences, Detroit offers countless incentives to visit or to call it home. Here are a few that I've come up with:

• If you're into sports, we have several choices for you. Although all are winning teams, the Lions and Pistons top the charts every year.
• Michigan's fantastic weather draws people year-round. Humid in the summer, sub-zero in winter- who wouldn't want to take advantage of it?
• Rome has the Colloseum and Paris has the Eiffel Tower, but Detroit has the abandoned Ford and GM plants. These unique architectural masterpieces are difficult to come by these days. 
• If you consider yourself to be a culinary connoisseur, there are plenty of opportunities for fine dining, like Buffalo Wild Wings and White Castle.
• In case you get bored driving, you can enjoy entertaining road signs like, "Use caution and allow snow plows room to groom" or "In ice and snow, take it slow."
• Enjoy winter sports? You'll have plenty of opportunities to go cross-country skiing or ice fishing during our extra-long winters, which last from October to April.
• There are a wide variety of cultural experiences available on 8 Mile Road or in Arabic Town.
• If you're a linguist, you will thoroughly enjoy refining your accent, placing particular emphasis on A's and O's.         
• You can enjoy Detroit's landscape on the many scenic detours that have been created due to constant road construction.                                                                                                                          

So, if you're ever looking for a lovely spot for your next vacation or move, consider Detroit. You won't be disappointed!

More Than Fruitcake and Holiday Cards

 Hi friends, it's time for another blog! The issue on my mind: political correctness, specifically in reference to the time of year that falls between December 1 and January 1. No, I'm not talking about winter. It may interest you to know that winter doesn't technically begin until December 21, which means it's only been official for four days. What I'm talking about is what is now referred to as the "Holiday Season." The season that used to be a peaceful preparation for Christmas. The season that the church calls Advent, "arrival" or "coming." The season that now consists of corporate marketing campaigns and commercial upon commercial attempting to convince us of all the material objects that we need in our lives. And worst of all, the season that has been tainted by political correctness and generic greeting cards.

In preparation for Christmas, I went to several stores looking for Christmas cards, but they're more difficult to find than you might think. Holiday greeting cards fill the aisles instead. "Happy Holidays" is now the accepted wish to family, friends and colleagues. This phrase is safe, it's generic, and it's boring. I understand the reasoning behind wanting to be all-inclusive and not daring to offend, but in our attempt to be neutral, we are removing the very reason that this season exists.

You see, Christmas means more to me than presents and fruitcake. Christmas is a time to celebrate the birth of Jesus. Christmas is a time when the angels and shepherds worshiped the baby in the manger- a time when we can still revel in the mystery and miracle of his incarnation. And Christmas is a tradition, a tradition which has been warped and is slowly being stripped away, replaced by secular culture and practices and rhetoric. I respect other beliefs and religions and recognize that not everyone celebrates Christmas, but I also expect that same respect from others. So I'm going to celebrate Christmas and continue to call it that, and I refuse to become a generic greeting card that wishes everyone a nondescript "Happy Holidays." And if this offends you, deal with it. I'm not Jewish, but if you wished me a "Happy Hanukkah," I would say "thanks" and be on my merry way. So Merry Christmas, Merry Christmas, Merry Christmas!     

You Know You Grew Up In A Pastor's Family When...

Let me preface this list by giving a bit of background for those of you who aren't as familiar with my childhood.

My dad is a pastor. A missionary pastor. I lived in Nigeria for the first 6 years of my life. We lived in a cement brick house with cement floors and relied on solar panels for light and our well for water. Television? What's that? I played in the dirt with the native village kids.

After Nigeria, we moved to Indiana, where my dad finished up his seminary program. We were poor. Television? Oh, it existed. In a 12" x 12" box. Excellent!

Following our 2-year stay in Indiana, we moved to the LA area, where my dad started a church and worked primarily with Muslims and Gypsies. If you think Gypsies only exist in the movies, you're wrong. Our church met on Saturday evenings. Since this was a special assignment for my dad, he had to raise his own support. This meant that nearly every Sunday, he traveled around to different churches in the area and throughout the state to preach and talk about his ministry. We got to travel with him every time.

My mom... well she's a missionary too. And a musician. She plays guitar and piano and writes her own songs. Lots of them. So guess what! In addition to being given the opportunity to travel, we were also guilted (I mean given) the opportunity to pursue our musical talents. We were the modern day Von Trapp Family Singers (Sound of Music in case you're lost). People literally called us that. With six people in our family, there were lots of opportunities to harmonize. We even had matching Easter outfits made one year. Laughing yet?

Needless to say, I was often forced against my will to participate in the family ministry. This was how my parents put food on the table, and I certainly wasn't about to give up food. Oh, and about that TV... Well, we finally upgraded from a 12" to a 20" (still no cable), and after a few years of that, we convinced our parents to buckle down and get a 32" AND cable. Glory Hallelujah!

So, now that you have a better understanding of my childhood, it might make my list more enjoyable. You  know you grew up in a pastor's family when:

• You weren't allowed to watch PG-13 movies until you went away to college.
• At least twice a year, one of the family activities involved creating, folding, stuffing, sealing and stamping family ministry newsletters.
• Your mother referenced all-beef hot dogs as being "gourmet."
• You prayed as a family at least 3 times per day. 
• There were communion wafers in the very back of the highest kitchen cupboard, and as a kid, you begged your parents to let you try them.
• Buying clothes was always a nightmare. They were either too short, too tight or too low. Turtlenecks were favored.
• You got to stay late and clean up after all church-related functions.
• You went to church twice most Sundays... sometime three times if you were lucky. 
• You learned to be really good at sleeping with your eyes open.
• "Butt" and "crap" were always unacceptable words.
• When many of your friends found out that you were a PK (pastor's kid), they treated you differently because of your "holy-by-association" privilege (just for the record, I totally don't believe in that).
• Dating? Don't even think about it until you're 15. You can double date then. But you're not allowed to go on a regular date until you're 18. Fortunately (or unfortunately, however you choose to look at it), this was never an issue for me.
• Your family got lots of cards and presents from the congregation at Christmas. This was always a perk. 
• You can recite the Apostle's Creed, Nicene Creed and the Liturgy by heart, and know most of the hymns by heart too.
• Your mom's advice to you is always "just pray about it."
• Neither of your parents have ever had more than one drink at a time. Alcoholic intake is strongly discouraged. 
• You still get to sit through morning devotions out of the "Portals of Prayer" devotion booklet when you visit home.

The list can go on and on, but I think I got my point across. Did you crack a smile while reading this? I found myself laughing out loud a couple times as I reminisced about all of the ridiculous things that I experienced growing up. I hated most of them as they were happening to me, but looking back at my childhood now, I really wouldn't change much of anything. Ok, well maybe the turtlenecks and multiple church services on a Sunday. But this was my childhood. This is my family. These are my memories- the things that make us unique. And I have the utmost respect for both of my parents for what they do.

The family at Rachael's confirmation.

Most Recent Art Obsession: Trees

These ceramic plaques started their lives as kitchen decor. One of them featured tomatoes; the other peas. Definitely not the style of decor I'm going for in the house. But I saw their potential, and more importantly, saw the fact that they were 90% off at Jo Ann Fabrics. Clearance is one of my weaknesses. But for less than a buck a pop, I figured they were worth the investment, even if they didn't end up working out.

I'm not the kind of artist that can imagine something up in my mind and transfer the idea onto paper. I need a visual representation of an idea, which I can then attempt to replicate. So like most of my other artwork, these are not entire my own creations. I found 2 pictures online that I really liked and copied them. However, I did add my own flare, so I suppose that makes them "mine."

I started with this one, which definitely ended up being the most difficult and time consuming. I decided to repaint the background, since I didn't like how it first turned out. The challenge was figuring out how to smoothly transition from color to color, without blending them together too much. This picture is called "Hopeful Winter."

This picture ended up being significantly different from the one I found online, mostly because I wasn't able to replicate the stroke technique. The background colors are also a variation from the original. Since this is a different painting style than the first, it ended up taking less than half the time the first one took. I call this "Spring Showers."

I used acrylic paint on both of these. The total cost of this project ended up being about $3.

They are now hanging in my dining room.