Bandit loves Brenden

Here is Bandit, waiting for Brenden to come home. As soon as his car pulled up, he was practically doing flips and jumping at the front door. So cute and so smart!

His Plans

" 'For I know the plans I have for you', declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.'"
Jeremiah 29:11

There is always hope.

Keen for Cobian

I lived in Southern California for about 5 years before making the move to Oregon. I've only recently started seeing signs of shredding my SoCal tendencies and embracing that which is Pacific Northwestern. As we were getting ready for a day at the beach yesterday, I immediately went into my closet in search of my Cobian flip flops only to pass them up for my Keen hikers. I dressed in layers (and was very glad for it) and didn't even think of sunscreen. I pointed this out to my husband who laughed and added that I no longer associate the beach with a swimsuit or crowds of tourists.

We hiked along the shoreline and climbed over logs and rocks and marveled at the beauty and fierceness of the ocean. There were no crowds, little sun, and natural scenery. I wouldn't trade it for anything.

Indian Cauliflower Soup

I made an amazing cauliflower soup this weekend! It is seriously so yummy that it is on my top 5 best foods list! I'd be happy to share the recipe with anyone! And it is Vegan!

Sushi Night

Our great friend and sushi extraordinaire Mike came over to give us a lesson in sushi making. It was amazing fun and yes, we did prepare raw fish :)

The ingredient box!

The rice is the tricky part

Brenden cutting the raw tuna...yummm

While the rice was cooking, we prepared noodle miso soup with fish cake

Mike's rolls, they look so perfect:


My sushi! I called this the Texas Roll:

Brenden's sushi, he prefers raw tuna and rice

What a great night!

Thoughts

I've been thinking a lot about contentment in my life. I struggled with where to live (Iowa vs Oregon) and can honestly say that I have total peace about our decision to stay in Oregon. My questions/prayers were answered in a powerful and obvious way and I have been at peace ever since. We've recently moved into a home that we love, in a charming neighborhood that suits us well, and have been building our home and future growth.

Contentment is a funny thing that is not changed by circumstance (although momentary happiness can change on a whim). It can only be changed and strengthened by effort (painful at times) and choice. Pure, Godly contentment surpasses money, job, relationships, worldly fulfillment (even those that are good) and creates peace. I pray that I can have this kind of contentment, whether or not I have enough money, a job, health, children, or a home. All these things dim in the light of Christ. And He promises to provide the things we need.

Just thinking :)