Camping at Ice House

A few weeks ago we finally got to go camping!!! Matt was amazing and found a place called Ice House Reservoir about an hour away toward Tahoe. We didn't have a reservation so Matt and his dad went up Thursday night and claimed one of the last spots available!

They had some good dad/son time. Matt figured out how to use some camera settings to take pictures at night. :)

We like this one. It's the edge of the fire pit glowing with hot embers, and the swirling color is the end of a burning stick that he's moving around.

Chuck went home Friday and Matt came and picked me up after work.

The next day we found this perfect spot by the water!!!

Here it is again from a different view. You can kind of see me behind the tree that's behind the stump. Matt's taking the picture from a rock that quickly became our jumping rock!

Oh yes!!! The joy of a rock and water!!! I love this picture!!!

More fun but I'm not quite as interesting as Matt! :) We think this one looks like I'm doing a WWF move or something! :)

A view of our campsite and Matt keeping the fire alive. We were at the very edge of the campground...available to any bear that felt like joining our company. Actually, some said that bears had been visiting at night while we were there. Our last night we stopped cold a few times from noises in the woods. Hmm, I think I'll stick to the middle of the campgrounds from now on here in bear infested California.

Once again, Matt keeping me smiling and entertained while taking the tent down. He's getting the air out of the tent while folding it up...in case you were wondering. :)

We really had a great time together. It was perfect weather, even at night, and surprisingly not too crowded. We basically just relaxed....matt drew and read, I soaked in the fabulous sun, we both swam, roasted our first GIANT marshmallows, did a few Mad-Libs, worshiped, ate, slept, soaked up some campfire smoke, and all the great things that come with camping!

Fritz & Fun...and not so fun

This last Wednesday we headed to San Francisco for our date night....which included getting to see Fritz, a great friend from our church in Portland. He is a professional photographer and has recently put together a series of images that tell the stories of many people who have faced or are still dealing with eating disorders. His work is being displayed at a gallery in SF where we joined him for the opening night!

Of course we couldn't pass up the old photo booth! It was so good to re-connect...but just wish Shannon, his wife, could have been there too! Next time! We love you guys!

We next explored somewhere new to us...Ghiradelli Square! Since it was late, it was quite peaceful to wander around without people everywhere. I really enjoyed the piano music in the background...perhaps Jim Brickman!

...and then the ice cream shop....which WAS full of people!

Matt waiting....

YUM!!!

...but difficult once again to pass up so many amazing chocolate options! The subject came up again as we ate...does it really matter that we don't choose chocolate? Should we even be buying ANYTHING at ALL from this company since they are SELLING chocolate? I've personally started to give in and just eat the chocolate that is offered to me at various times...cuz it's SOOooo good...and i WANT it....and it's easier to convince myself that my dollar and choices don't really matter...or that what I've heard really isn't true. As we passed by the piles of shiny bags of chocolate on our way out, I realized that I want to remember again why I've turned down chocolate for the last couple of years...and renew my decisions....so here i am...

Q: So what IS the chocolate issue? Why ARE we passing up most chocolate these days?

A: For us, the issue with chocolate (as well as rice, coffee, tea, bananas, etc.), is that we cannot ignore the reality of where it came from and HOW it came to us. Just because we WANT it or THINK we NEED it are NOT good reasons. That's just American thinking. The truth: Eighty-some percent of the world's chocolate (cocoa beans to be exact) come from the west coast of Africa, with about 43% coming specifically from Cote d'Ivoire. Why is this bad? Because the primary way in which the cocoa bean is harvested in these places is by child slave labor. CHILD SLAVE LABOR. If you don't believe it just do a web search for "chocolate and child slave labor" and see the facts.

No, I don't think that we will change the world by not eating and buying chocolate here and there. But I DO know that I am finished with pretending in order to protect my own pleasures. I am going to face the reality that most, if not all of the chocolate offered to me has been made possible by the work of young children...who most likely were sold by or taken from their families, who probably work around 12 hours a day in unsafe conditions, who have had their chance for education stolen from them, etc. I can't enjoy it. I don't think that I SHOULD. I don't WANT to.

So where does that leave me? Every time I turn chocolate down, I can let it be a reminder to talk to God about it...to ask Him to care for the kids...to end this mess. I can find out what WILL help to stop this madness. I can get the word out. I can buy ethically sourced chocolate ("Fair Trade" stamped- Dagoba, Theo, Green & Blacks, etc). I'm not going to pretend that it isn't real just so I can enjoy what I think I must have. If I eat the chocolate, I AM taking part. I'm not pretending anymore.

So what about stores that sell things sourced from sweat shops- Walmart, Khols, etc? What about "made in China" on almost everything we buy (they persecute and torture Christians)? If I follow this thinking through, will there be ANY store left that I can shop at? Will there be ANY foods left that I can eat? Will we go broke because the ethical things cost more?

Well, these are things that I'm researching, praying about, etc. I think, though, that I can no longer turn away from these things just because facing them will most likely cause me many inconveniences. If Jesus thought this way, would I even have a Savior? I'm not sure....

what do you think?

Pepper Progression

i was walking toward home the other day and saw that my pepper plant looked EXTRA dark green...and as i got closer i realized that not only were the leaves darker but the PEPPER was CHANGING COLOR!!!! FINALLY!!! so here you have some picture progression!

It looks like a HEART!!!

It has a bit further to go but i'm enjoying the process. I don't even know if I'll end up eating it since who knows if it has issues with taste or some weird virus because of my lack of understanding of taking care of plants. I don't really like the taste of my tomatoes...hmm, someday a real garden!

Lesson learned: if a pepper is green for MONTHS,

don't assume it isn't really a RED pepper! WAIT!!! :)

Yum, Food!

Since getting married and then needing to eat according to the Candida diet (not to lose weight but to feel better), I've learned that I REALLY enjoy cooking. I recently discovered a new website that I think you might like. It has pictures, is healthy, and if you try a recipe and like it, there are even recommendations of others that you might like as well. So if you wanna check it out, go to www.eatingwell.com.

I recently made the "Chicken and Spiced Apples" and LOVED it! Matt thought it was average, but I think he must have taste-bud issues! :) It was easy and healthy! Today I just made the "Turkey and Bean Enchiladas," which I also REALLY like! This one took a lot longer to make but I personally enjoyed it since it used a new ingredient to me- Tomatillos....

....which reminds me....

I picked my first ripe tomato last weekend!!! YUM!!! And more are coming! I just wish this pepper would turn red! I think it's been green for two months now! Hopefully it doesn't rot on the vine.

The jury is still out on whether or not I'll plant veggies or not next year. I DO know, though, that I want to have a HUGE garden in heaven! FRESH FRESH AMAZING FOOD...the way God intended! Can you imagine!?!?!!! YUM!!!

If you have any great recipe websites, please let me know!

At the Pool and the Field

The pictures don't show it since I was taking them, but one way I've been blessed this summer is by the pool at our apartment! Since I work just a 5 minutes walk away, I often even come home on my breaks and go for a swim and sit in the WONDERFULLY WARM and BRIGHT SUNSHINE!!! I've had many good times with God there! :) I think He likes the sun too!

Of course we love having family over as well! I love this picture...Zoe was so happy with her Uncle Matt...she felt like a true Star riding around on his back like a "circus girl."
Joshua was a day away from starting swimming lessons and was FULLY enjoying jumping in, getting out, jumping in, getting out with the encouragement of his mom to catch him!

Beautiful Zoe without her front teeth!!!

Matt has been an As fan for most of his life, and loves the game of baseball! Our little church here in Folsom joined a community co-ed league, and Matt decided to join in!
He's only had the chance to play in a couple of games (because of his work schedule), but looks forward to every time he gets to take part!
It's been a good chance for me to just spend time getting to know people better while we're cheering the team on! Go Pirates!!! :)
Maybe next they'll have a volleyball team so that I can play! I'd consider basketball but I think I'd only make it up and down the court twice before I'd pass out! hmm...inspiration to exercise!

CHICKENS!!!!

...actually, most were roosters! We try to set aside time each week to go on a date and just have fun together. Since we're not swimming in money, we end up finding some pretty random things to do for free! And I must say, it's quite fun! This last week Matt took me to Fair Oaks' Old Town, which he randomly discovered a few weeks ago!

It's basically a little road with some old buildings, shops, a park, and ROOSTERS... EVERYWHERE!!!!
If you don't see them at first, it doesn't take long to realize they are there because of the constant "Ur-ur-ur-ur-UUUUURRRRR!!!!!" in the background.

There are big ones

Little ones

Pretty ones

Red ones

Lots of them crossing the roads...getting to the other side!!! :) If you click on this picture you can see this guys neck all wacky cuz he's cockadoodledooing! :)

Black and White Ones

....I just couldn't pick which pictures to post so I decided to just put them all!

I wish I could have gotten a picture of one of them running! They were SO FUNNY to watch as they would suddenly bolt down the road as if they were excited or late for something!

Ah yes, this one was the elderly, confident one whom Matt named Josiah!

He would just follow us around and was quite large!

And for those of you who aren't the constant thinkers and introspective types that we are....who tend to worry that we might be wearing ourselves out at times with our thoughts...maybe these pictures will ease your concerns by letting you see that we actually DO relax, laugh and have quite the non-serious, non-thinking times here and there! :).......I think this is Matt trying to reflect the chickenness around us! Almost scary...but funny too!

...it was catching!!!

Matt instructed me not to try too hard to make the face but just let it happen as I focused more on the SOUND of the rooster noises.....i'm not nearly as talented as he is at this!!! too bad there's no sound attached to this!

.....he only gets better and better! :) Don't you think he looks almost chicken-like?

hmm, not sure about this one...

He makes me laugh

THIS is true joy!!! a great day with a great man...and roosters!!!

Who could ask for anything more! :)

Oh, and if you were wondering- all the chickens and roosters are in the town because several years back, a guy in town raised them, some escaped, and the town eventually decided to just let them be. Now they pretty much own the town and wander freely! Truly, they just stand in the middle of the road as if they own the place! funny times! So never lose hope for a good date, even if you're broke. Just go explore an old town and see what you find!