2009: the fullest year of my life!

2009 was one of the most adventure-packed years of my life.  It started with my boyfriend of two years, Justin Chase Moore, asking me to be his wife on January 10th.  Somehow, although I can't explain know why, I knew he was going to propose to me that day! I wouldn't let myself believe it, telling myself it was just wishful thinking. But whatever it was...intuition, a vision or some kind of dream...I was right! I said yes. :)  That evening was a tour of families and relatives, with me showing off my handsome fiancee, and maybe my ring too. ;)

In May, Justin graduated from UNL with a degree in Mechanical Engineering.  Going to his graduation ceremony, the first I'd been to, was wonderful.  He had been working at an internship with a defense contractor here in Lincoln, but at that point, the job market was very lean for engineers, and we didn't know if we'd have to move so he could have a job.  The company didn't officially hire him until after we'd been married for about a month, and we had already had to sign a lease on an apartment, so we were trusting that God would provide something in Lincoln.  Now he is a full time Design Engineer at General Dynamics.  He designs rocket casings. Which is pretty cool. :)

a very tasty dinner

My goal for the past few months has been to convince myself, as well as my husband, that food can be truly healthy and also truly tasty.  So here's a 'recipe' that I've made a couple of times now, altering it here and there.  The original is here: Squash, Sage & Parmesan Pasties. (Pasty=pocket of food.) The first time I made this, although the pockets were delicious, the dough didn't turn out all that great.  So this time I bought a premade puff pastry and used that instead.  Usually I wouldn't go out and buy something I can very easily make myself, but...mine wasn't very good. (And it wasn't easy.) The premade pastry was really easy, and tasted way better.

First, here's a photo of tonight's finished product.

This recipe is enough for four pockets/servings, although tonight, I made two pockets, and kept the extra filling to help make a meal another night.  What I like best about this is that you could pretty much throw anything in the pockets and with the right seasoning, it'd be amazing. Carrots, potatoes, corn, spinach, leeks/onions, mozzarella or gouda cheese, sweet potatoes, broccoli, feta cheese, walnuts, etc.  You could also add meat, like ground beef or shredded chicken, but it's definitely not necessary; it's a good idea to cut meat from your diet wherever you can.

Christmas music & the future

Like most people with souls, I really enjoy Christmas music, especially the old, traditional carols.  Maybe part of the magic is that we only hear them for a few glorious weeks each year...but there is something, yes, magical, even primitive or ancient, about them, and I feel like a part of history when we sing them at church, with the lights down low, candles shimmering and glowing on faces.


It's probably because I've studied words and poems and sentences and literature for so long, but I can't help see the beauty of the lyrics, so much more complex and layered than the monotonous choruses our generation turns out.  The lyrics are timeless because they are meaningful and beautiful.  


Traditional Christmas carols are about the baby Jesus, about the manger and the stable and the angels and the shepherds.  But the Christmas story isn't just about that instant in time, that particular nativity (birth) scene that we replay and make shrines to.  It's about peering into the future.  Christmas is about waiting for something.  We are all waiting for something.  

why I write

I've been wanting a new blog for months now.  Actually, any old blog will do, but I was just too embarrassed at how long I neglected the last one.  I'm really excited about this, and I have so many things to say.




The problem is, when I'm out and about doing normal life, I'll plan out topics and ideas for blogging, but...when I arrive here at my computer, I lose focus and all my ideas. So for my first blog, I forgot all the epic and world-changing things I was going to say. I'm sorry.  I need to get used to this again. This is boring. This is why I'm a little afraid of blogs, too...because I'm afraid I was just deluding myself and I don't, actually, have anything much to say.




Alright. Here's the truth of the matter. Somewhere in the past six months, I realized that I need this outlet.  I need to write, and for some reason, the writing has to be "out there" in the world or the public or for someone else to read.