April Showers

I had my good friend Liz over for dinner earlier this evening, satiating our palates with this yummy new recipe that I found in my Real Simple magazine, chicken with tarragon and leeks. Before I went into work this morning I dumped most of the ingredients in the crock-pot and let it work its magic throughout the day. It was delish! Super easy to make and yet incredibly tasty. I am so in love with crock pots!

So I'm assuming the picture above has some of you scratching your heads. Yes, I know we look like a couple of missionaries in Afghanistan. But that is not the case. After dinner Liz and I decided to head out to Philly Flavors for some water ice, with Georgie on hand. Given that there were thunderclouds overhead, we were somewhat in denial that it would start raining during our walk down to Fairmount Avenue. Well wouldn't you know, it starts to pour as we walked along Brown Street, right behind Eastern State Penitentiary. We had on our scarves (both gifts from friends of mine who brought the scarves back to the States from Uganda and Kenya), so we wrapped them around our heads to avoid getting soaked. Smart, I know. Thankfully we were only a few blocks away from my good friends, Jonny and Laura's place, so we booked it to their block. Their house was a blessed sight and fortunately they were both home! We looked like a couple of drowned rats and Jonny in his Irish brogue stated that we looked like Muslim missionaries going door to door. That, of course, was not the case. All we wanted was an umbrella to borrow for the 6 block walk back to my place. It was all very amusing, for Jonny and Laura of course. And as we walked away with umbrella in hand, a fond farewell of "Goodbye Burqua girls" was declared by Jonny. Smart-ass that he is. :D

Laughter ensued for the rest of our walk back to my place. Both soaked and disheveled, we decided that it probably was a "kodak moment" which we needed to capture. It was good times. Good times.

Sacred In The Ordinary - Part 7

1. I just got back from home group and while the discussion was somewhat cerebral, I left feeling cherished and so delighted upon by the One who designed me.

2. Over the last 6 or so months, been feeling somewhat restless and discouraged with this season of life that I'm in. I had this idealized notion of where my life should be at this stage: married, raising a family, career mom, 2.5 kids, living the cultured and seemingly aware urban life, etc... But alas, these intimations have not come into fruition. And with that, I have questioned, "Has God forgotten me?" I know He hasn't. I suppose it's all about perspective. God has been teaching me how to look at things with a grateful heart, no matter what season of life I'm in. And for now, He has placed me here in Philly to give hope and joy to the children and families I am working with. With that, He has also surrounded me with this amazing community of believers who sharpen and challenge me, yet at the same time show me in so many ways Jesus' love.

3. Walks along Kelly Drive with Georgie.

4. "Creation Appreciation" along Kelly Drive. And I'm not talking about the flowers and the trees here. ;)

5. Silly emails and bantering back and forth with my good friend Iowagirl, (who also works with me). I think of Iowagirl whenever I read this quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson:

It is one of the blessings of old friends that you can afford to be stupid with them.

Sacred In The Ordinary Pt. 6

It was a very long work day as I had to give a training for prospective foster parents and adoptive families this evening. I just got home about 45 minutes ago. I would have arrived home earlier had it not been for the fact that I drove in circles around my neighborhood for about 20 minutes looking for parking. So all I want to do right now is complain about how crappy my day has been, rant about the people who've seriously annoyed me today, and bemoan the fact that I'm feeling like my life is absolute crap at the minute.

But, I won't.

I figured this is probably the best time for me to think about the "Sacred In The Ordinary", the grace that's been afforded to me today and even in the last few days, no matter how shitty of a day I've had. So here goes.....

1. So I had a dental appointment today, which I usually look forward to every six months. Yes, call me somewhat demented, but I've always liked going to the dentist. The crazy thing is, as a child, I had many dental problems which of course resulted in many trips to the dentist. Some of my dental issues as a kid were fairly serious, what with some surgeries and tooth extractions that I had to endure. (Hey, I was an immgrant kid coming from a country where I did not receive proper dental care!) Was I traumatized? No. I think it was my childhood dentist, Dr. Kennedy, who made going to the dentist a relatively "positive" experience. He specialized in pediatric dentistry, which in all likelihood is probably the reason why going to the dentist does not give me the shakes. He was that good. But I digress. I love my current dentist, Dr. Nepa, and his most awesome staff! They really do make going to the dentist quite painless and enjoyable, with their welcoming smiles and friendly chatter. Yes, call me weird. Anyways, after an x-ray, a quick scaling, a jiffy polishing, and a refreshing rinse, I was finished. And no, I do not have any cavities. My dentists loves me. :)

2. Drinking an ice cold Yeungling Beer with my friend Liz on Friday night, while she gave me a detailed account of what causes an inverted uterus. If you watched ER last Thursday night then you'll know what I'm talking about. And yes, Liz used to be a labour and delivery nurse at HUP (Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania). Let's say that it was a gripping conversation. I really ought to think about becoming a nurse because I seriously find this kind of stuff fascinating.

3. Sunday afternoon naps with my sweet Georgie burrowed under the blankets at the foot of my bed.

4. My mom is on vacation at the moment, visiting with her youngest sister and her family in San Diego, CA. My brother and his wife are also with her on this trip. Mom called me the other day, just to let me know that she and Lem were driving through Sunset Boulevard on Rodeo Drive. As many times as mom's visited LA, she has never driven through Rodeo Drive. She had such delight in her voice, I found it so incredibly amusing.

5. It is now almost an hour after I started typing this post, where at the start I wanted to bite someones head off. Now, I'm actually smiling as I finish typing up this post. I guess this is another example of Sacred in the Ordinary? :)

Have a good night everyone!