The things you did at first...

At the gym last week a few guys mentioned to Jeremy that they hadn't realized that we were married and thought that we were just dating. We took this as a compliment because they made their assumptions by observing the way that we flirt at the gym (with each other of course!), the way that we clearly enjoy spending time together and each other's company, the looks that we give each other, they took all of those to mean that we had to be dating, in that "first love/ infatuation phase" because married couples just don't do that stuff. Granted two of the guys are recently divorced and probably have a dismal view of what a marriage is, but I think this reflects an increasing stigma in America about marriage. How often in conversation or media are jokes made about "the ball and chain", about lack of sex after two people are married, how often do TV shows and movies depict couples that seem to be purely enduring each other's presence rather than relishing in it, serving each other, and joyfully putting the other's needs before their own? There is nothing special about Jeremy's and my marriage other than that we are compelled by the Holy Spirit and committed to honoring, and being centered on Jesus. We don't have all the answers or have a conflict free marriage, but we invite Jesus into our home, hearts and lives and seek to stay fixed on Him. We have only been married about 2 years, but I pray that this type of flirtation will carry on throughout our entire marriage. Flirtation is refreshing to a marriage; hand holding, back rubs, winks, pats on the butt, sharing inside jokes that are just between the two of you. All of these things breathe life into a marriage, and help to keep two people united. In Scripture Jesus reminds the believers of their first love stage with Him, the things they did during that time, and He encourages them to do these same things always.

Revelation 2:4-5 “But I have this complaint against you. You don’t love me or each other as you did at first! Look how far you have fallen! Turn back to me and do the works you did at first. If you don’t repent, I will come and remove your lampstand from its place among the churches.


This easily applies to marriage... in the beginning of dating each person puts in much thought and effort into their looks to impress the other, they do sweet things for each other like leave notes, give flowers, they are touchy feely, frequently encourage and compliment one another, and think about each other endlessly when apart. Now I'm not saying that every couple should flirt in the same way, or do the same things as Jeremy and I, God created us all different and what is a display of affection for one couple may be different for another, some people don't have physical touch needs, but have other needs. Jeremy and I are also two very affectionate people, whose biggest love needs are spend time with and touch, so those are how we both need love and give love to each other. The point of all of this is to think about your dating, courting or newlywed period and remember all of the special things that you did for your sweetheart. To purposefully do those same things 5, 10, and 50 years into marriage, to make intentional acts of kindness to each other, to be purposeful about feeding the fire of friendship, passion, and closeness within a relationship. To (as I often say) blossom and not just endure in marriage.

Don't followers of Jesus have a duty to exhibit Christ in their marriage? Aren't we to reflect Christ's love, patience, gentleness, and humility through our union, so that His character may be known and observed?

Ephesians 5:22-32 For husbands, this means love your wives, just as Christ loved the church. He gave up his life for her to make her holy and clean, washed by the cleansing of God’s word. He did this to present her to himself as a glorious church without a spot or wrinkle or any other blemish. Instead, she will be holy and without fault. In the same way, husbands ought to love their wives as they love their own bodies. For a man who loves his wife actually shows love for himself. No one hates his own body but feeds and cares for it, just as Christ cares for the church. And we are members of his body. As the Scriptures say, “A man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.” This is a great mystery, but it is an illustration of the way Christ and the church are one. So again I say, each man must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.

I challenge you to ask yourself, what is my marriage saying to the world about Jesus? How can I better reflect Christ's love to my spouse, and through that to others?

These questions aren't easy, we all fall significantly short of displaying a Christ-like character, but we have a God who takes people like us, cleans them up, and is continually making us more like Himself. And that is something worthy of rejoicing!

Shannon

Weekend cooking

Here's some of the recipes that our weekend included, all of which happen to be vegan (well almost)...

Curried Tofu Sandwich

Curried tofu sandwiches are one of my favorite quick lunches or weeknight meals! I usually can make 3 sandwiches from each block of tofu. I save the extra curry paste in the fridge for up to two weeks for additional sandwiches, or a pot of my Thai Red Curry. From one can of curry paste I can make at least 5 sandwiches or pots of curry. If you don't like tofu, we use this same method for curried tuna or chicken salad sandwiches for Jeremy and they turn out great, we usually just add about 1 Tablespoon of mayo to the curry paste in that case.

-1 block firm or extra firm tofu
-2-3 Talbespoons red curry paste depending on level of heat desired (from can as pictured, I just like it better than the jarred kind, and it's cheaper, you can find it at some main grocers, but it's usually cheaper at Oriental grocers, less than $1 a can, so stock up)



-bread, I like 12 grain whole wheat

Drain tofu and mash with the bottom of the fork until it's ground up resembling the picture below.



Stir in 2-3 tablespoons red curry paste until incorporated. Layer tofu in between bread or pita pockets and serve.



Split Pea Soup

I made this recipe for Split Pea Soup that I've previously posted, but I left out the ham to make it vegan, well almost anyway. I still used chicken bouillion cubes because that's what I had on hand, and I'm really not that strict about eating vegan (I do still eat seafood, and do have dairy every now and then, even eggs in baked goods), but to really make it vegan you could easily substitute veggie broth or bouillion.



Baked Seasoned Russet and Sweet Potato Fries

-1/4 cup olive oil
-3 russet potatoes, peeled and sliced into fries
-3 sweet potatoes, peeled, and sliced into fries
-1 Tablespoon paprika
-1 Tablespoon garlic powder
-1 Tablespoon chili powder
-1/2 teaspoon onion salt

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. In large tupperware container combine olive oil and spices. Add potatoes and shake well to coat. Place on greased baking sheet. Bake for 45 minutes.



Shannon

Black Eyed Pea Soup

This morning I woke up and threw a pot of this soup on the stove. Now the whole house smells good, and I'm trying to contain myself to wait until later to eat it. It is easy, inexpensive and yummy. I make it a little bit different every time, sometimes I just throw all the ingredients in a slow cooker and let it do the work for me, this time I didn't use the ham and it's still delicious. It turns out pretty spicy, so if you don't like spicy food I'd use one can of diced tomatoes with chiles and one can of plain diced tomatoes. Since I make it different every time this is more of a method and ingredient combination, use more chicken broth or water if you want it thinner, use cornstarch or flour if you want it thicker. You can even take 1 cup of the cooked peas aside and puree in a blender or food processor to give the soup more body, experiment, and enjoy!

Black Eyed Pea Soup

-1 lb dried black eyed peas, rinsed, soaked and cooked according to directions on bag

-chopped up ham (if using)

-1 medium onion, diced

-several cloves of garlic, minced

-2 cans tomatoes with chiles (like Rotel, mild or hot depending on your taste)

-1 teaspoon salt

-1/4 teaspoon pepper

-3-4 cups chicken broth (from can, homemade, or bouillon cubes)

Add onion and garlic to peas when cooking according to package instructions. Once peas are cooked to desired consistency add remaining ingredients and simmer for at least 20 minutes until the flavors are combined.

Shannon

Whole Wheat Pancakes

This Saturday morning I made these as a delightful breakfast for my hubby who has been craving pancakes, but doesn't usually eat many carbs. It was nice to have the chance to do something special and out of the ordinary for him in the middle of all of the chaos and craziness of packing and moving. We both LOVED these pancakes (that you don't have to feel guilty about at all because they are so healthy) and will probably add them in as a fairly frequent breakfast rotation.



Whole Wheat Pancakes
-1 ¼ cups whole wheat flour
-2 teaspoons baking powder
-1 egg
-1 cup soy milk, plus more if necessary (I think I used 1/4-1/2 cup extra)
-1/2 teaspoon salt
-1 tablespoon sugar
-1/2 cup blueberries or chocolate chips (optional) (I did about 1/2 the batter with blueberries and about 1/2 the batter with chocolate chips)
-and in going with my healthy theme, pure maple syrup for serving with the pancakes

Sift together flour and baking powder, set aside. Beat together the egg, milk, salt and sugar in a bowl. Stir in flour until just moistened, add optional ingredients if using, stir to incorporate. Preheat skillet over medium heat, grease with cooking spray, butter or oil. Pour approximately ¼ cup of the batter into the pan for each pancake. Cook until bubbly, about 1 ½ minutes. Turn, and continue cooking until golden brown.

(shown with two blueberry pancakes on left and two chocolate ones on the right)

Shannon

My first sewing project

This Thursday Me, Meggan, Kim and Randy's mom, Joan (who is a seamstress), all gathered for sewing lessons. We used a pattern from one of the fabulous books that my mother-in-law got me for Christmas and we had an evening filled with chatting, laughter, girl time, and crafting. I learned so much. It was great to finally learn how to use the sewing machine that I bought months ago, and to create an entire project start to finish in one evening. Talk about instant gratification. I usually bite off more than I can chew when it comes to crafting and discourage myself, but this project was just right, especially under Joan's guidance and with her assistance. What a wonderful time of teaching and investment made from an older, wiser woman to us. I'd wager to say that not all that we learned that evening was sewing. Anytime you spend quality time in the presence of a spiritually mature believer discipleship just seems to happen naturally along the way. As we sewed, giggled, and chatted, we also learned life lessons about being a Godly woman and mother. What a wonderful example of Titus 2! And below you can see my first project, a baby bib and burp cloth made of orange flannel and white terry cloth.

(please forgive that this is on top of a moving box as a back drop, that's about the only surface we have available in our home right now... boxes, boxes everywhere!)


Shannon

Farewell Myrtle Beach

This week as I sat at the beach on my lunch break I nestled a restful period of prayer and reflection into my otherwise chaotic day filled with work, moving details, and packing. As I gazed out over the ocean my heart and mind finally started to grasp that I really am leaving this place that I've called home for almost five years now. I never would have known upon moving here the turns my life would take in Myrtle Beach... I never would have known how God would have used this move to draw me to Himself, give me a husband who loves Him, and a community of friends to share my life and my heart with. How He would use this five years as a huge transitional period, freeing me from so much of the pain and insecurities of my life before Him and teaching me who I am in Him, what that freedom means, the depths of the power of His healing, comfort, love, grace, and forgiveness. As I stared out over the ocean, just a few blocks away from where I was baptized just a few years ago all of these thoughts filled my head. I found comfort and security in God's plan. Reflecting on how five years ago I moved here as a person purely living life for myself, and now leaving with my life in the hands of Christ. How God has time and time again taken the worst of my circumstances, failures, and struggles and used them for His glory. How now when I am again heading into an unknown place and people (just as when I moved to Myrtle Beach) God still has a plan for me (just as He did when I moved to Myrtle Beach). And in all of this I find comfort. In knowing that God is so much bigger than me, my questions, my plans, my ways, and my desires. With all of this I bid Myrtle Beach a sweet farewell as she will always hold a special place in my heart, as so much transition occurred here. If I were in the Old Testament I would probably build an altar to God here and my name would be changed signifying my encounter with Him (as with Abram, Jacob and many others).

Shannon

My birthday party and a bang update

Since my birthday was in the middle of the week Jeremy and I celebrated my birthday on Saturday. He planned a whole day full of surprises for me. I started off my being able to sleep in (which never happens). Then I got to do some cardio on my stationary bike. Then it was off to lunch at a surprise venue. Much to my delight it was sushi, one of my absolute favorite things to eat; actually sushi and chocolate are my two favorites and I got to enjoy both on my birthday! After a wonderful lunch of great food and conversation Jeremy and I headed home. We relaxed for a bit while I perused a new cookbook that was a birthday gift (another one of my favorite past times is cookbook reading). Then we got ready for an evening "out" for my unknown birthday celebration. We started with an hour or so of coffee and tea at Barnes and Noble while we chatted and perused more reading material... muscle mags for Jeremy and cookbooks for me. Then we headed off to our destination but had to make one quick stop at home to pick something up. ****Surprise**** Our house was filled with an assortment of our closest friends, balloons, confetti, snacks, and that chocolate cake that I mentioned earlier. We spent hours chatting the night away and enjoying the company and conversation. Here's a few pics from the evening. It was definitely one of my favorite birthdays ever! It was great to have a chance to get so many good friends together, especially knowing that we are going to be leaving soon and our time here with them is very limited.

Some pre-partying before Jeremy and I arrived (the other Jeremy shown in the pic)

Dan and Sophia playing

Carmen pretending to be me and surprised

Carmen again

Who stole Kim's smile?

"Surprise!!!!"

(lots of laughter)

look at all the pretty confetti (that is actually still on our floor)

(Meggan must like taking pictures of Carmen since all of the photos are hers and this is the third Carmen photo)

My handsome part planner extraordinaire turned candle lighter

The delicious, fudgy chocolate cake made by Meggan

Crystal trying not to burn down the house by walking VERY carefully

"Make a wish"

Daddy's little girl

Every time I walked through the kitchen my foot picked up pieces of the confetti that was scattered all over so Meggan decided to capture my foot art. The best part was the 5 minute long leg lift that she made me hold while taking this picture.

The gals

(All the pics above were from Meggan's camera, the one's below are from ours, which isn't as good a quality)

Dan & Crystal

Jeremy & Caleb, the old roomies

Jeremy A. & Randy

Kim & Jeremy

Sophia & Meggan

Caitlin & Carmen

Trouble.

P.S. Onto the subject of bangs... You've probably noticed that I did go back and get "full" bangs cut. However I'm still not quite 100% happy with them. They are a little thin for my taste. You can still see my forehead through them, and I was really looking for a thick, full layer that covered my entire forehead. So dare I go back for round 3???? Third time is a charm, right???

Shannon