Master Chef Party

The very best party I have ever had because people brought so much dedication and enthusiasm with their dishes. I think the pictures speak for themselves...

 The middle photo is of the winning dish: The Gung Hay Fat Choy Lettuce wraps by B.

The menu included:

Turkey Meatballs with Hot and Spicy Sauce

Winter Vegetable Ruebens

Chicken Sausage Hash

Cocoa Pork Patties with Ginger, Squash, and Apple Chutney

Foot Pie

Cauliflower Crust Pizza with Pesto Turkey

Tuna Melt With a Sweet Potato Twist

That's a Gouda Pear-Cheesy Flatbread

Caribbean Curry

Crab Apple Bites

Pork Bahn Mi Crostini

Marinated Lamb Skewers

Meatball Sliders

Chicken Bites and Ham Delights with Pineapple Mustard Sauce

I ask the most outlandish things of my friends, and they deliver with flair!

Join post crossing

While I was traveling, my favorite thing to send home to family and friends were personalized post cards. I had downloaded an App that took any picture from my iPad, let me type a message on the back, and send it to anyone in the US for 80 cents. It is quite a deal and so much more convenient than finding postage and mailboxes in other countries. It let me share some of my memories as well. I have always loved writing postcards, and I loved this even more. It also made me think about joining post crossing again when I got back home so I could send personalized cards.

I just signed up to send out three postcards. They will be going out to Germany, Russia, and Canada.

Host an If:Gathering Event

If:gathering

February 6-7

IF GOD IS REAL... THEN WHAT?

This 2-day gathering will bring women together from around the world to wrestle with belief that God is real, the places in our lives where we are struggling with unbelief, how can we overcome unbelief and then what God can do with our belief.

I first heard about If:gathering from Jen Hatmaker's feed on Facebook. I'm a fan of her writing, blog, and humor. So when she said this cool thing was happening, I wanted to check it out right away. I didn't know any of the other seekers in the line up except her, but the purpose behind the event was just what I'd been looking for. One of my goals for coming back to Bethel was to restart a women's group at the church. I wanted to join the church before I tried anything official, and I became a member back around Thanksgiving. This year has been super packed and I just haven't gotten around to everything. If: came at the perfect time and was a perfect reason to get a conversation with some christian women about our lives here in Bethel. Three other women joined me all weekend in the school's library hearing amazing speakers and sharing what God was teaching us and planning for us. It was a very refreshing weekend to give focus on how I can be serving here in Bethel.

Modern Book List

An item on my list is "Read Year Four of Great Books List," which includes works from the Enlightenment to the Modern Era. The stars indicate that I've already read that title.

Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding: David Hume

Critique of Pure Reason by Immanuel Kant

Democracy in America – De Tocqueville

Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion by David Hume

Emma by Jane Austin

Essay Concerning Human Knowledge by John Locke

*Gulliver’s Travels – Jonathan Swift

*Hamlet – William Shakespeare

*King Lear – William Shakespeare

*Letter on Toleration by John Locke

*MacBeth – William Shakespeare

On the Origin of Inequality – Jean-Jacques Rousseau

*Othello – William Shakespeare

Phaedra by Racine

Representative Government by J.S, Mill

*Romeo & Juliet – William Shakespeare

Second Essay on Civil Government – John Locke

Tartuffe – Moliere

The Social Contract by Jean-Jacques Rousseau

*The Tempest – William Shakespeare

Treatise of Human Nature by David Hume

Thirty 3 by Thirty 2

Here is the start of my next list. It's not complete, but it's some things that I would like to add to everything not completed on the last list.

-make an alphabet collage
-start the Modern book list on the Great Books list
-finish the Dicken's collection
-Kentucky derby party
-"triathlon day"
-complete level three of Spanish on Duolingo
-finish Algebra course on Khan
-send a postcard every month
-join post crossing
-host a If:Gathering event
-Bible study group
-go to Sunday school for a month
-start a women's group at church
-finish two online classes
-move up on the pay scale
-do the If:Equip study for a month
-compare three online masters program
-Whole 30 challenge
-get a summer job
-try a listerine footbath
-read the news every day for a month
-update the blog at the end of every month
-buy an under water camera
-31 letters to people who have had an influence in my life
-join Netflix again
-make soap
-marathon month
-walk to Oscarville
-overnight camp with the dog
-Ironman month challenge
-three books on tape
-30 box for Kelly
-2 week hike
-finish Agatha Christi list
-muzzle train Yakko
-try a life coach
-get under 175
-segway tour
-2014-2015 album

Rollovers...
-teach Yakko 5 new tricks
-new tattoo
-boat share
-make a podcast
-volunteer at Winter House
-create and complete classic movie list
-libravox volunteer
-arctic circle
-exercise class
-visit transition town
-teachers pay teachers
-volunteer with dogsleds
-masterchef party


more to come....

Community Events

In an effort to be more involved, I put it on my Bethel list to attend a community even every month. So far so good.

I will try to come back and update later to what they all were, but now I am trying to finish my list. I do know the Steel Salmon Auction was one of them...

Two Books on Tape

I definitely got this one settled, but I was really trying to get the third out of the way before the 1st. I listened to the Count of Monte Cristo first. This took for.eve.er. It is a really good story that should have ended 50 chapters earlier. So much detail, which I didn't care about.

Next was The Land that Time Forgot. It moved much quicker but was a little confusing int he beginning because someone finds a message in a bottle and starts reading it and I didn't understand at first these were two different people. Also, the ending is wholly unsatisfying unless there is a sequel that I am unaware of. If there is none, I might have to write it. And the dog will be alive.

I am currently in the middle of Bleak House by Charles Dickens. I really do love Charles Dickens, and it's on my list for this next year to finish the collection, but this would have been a better novel to read. Because then I would have been able to skip over and speed read through sooooo much. There are a lot of good an interesting side and back stories that do come into play, but the main story is so much better and I could do without the rest and just read about Ester. I'm only a couple of dog walks away from being done.

Exercise Class

So I got this one under the wire. I went on Saturday, January 31, and dropped in on a spinning class at the fitness center. But I also then signed up for the next month of spinning classes. So again, check. My legs have been aching every since.

Window Herb Garden

I bought it. There it sits on my cabinet. I think I will wait for the weather to get a little warmer before I wake those seeds up. Otherwise, I would have to keep the thermostat up a little higher during the day. But, I'm going to say check!