macaroni & cookies

Greetings to my faithful 5 followers.

Three days till Christmas, it's coming fast. Those who dare venture to a shopping district in these last few days leading up to it I must admire. Or feel sorry for - I'm not sure which. Christmas holds a funny tradition in my family. For as long as I can remember, my parents have made breakfast - every year we have green pancakes, and red syrup. We each get a flapjack shaped like our first initial as well. It's weird - but fun to have such an original tradition every year.

I went to Michigan for 6 days, last Wednesday through yesterday. I had an absolute blast! I stayed with a couple of my friends for the duration and we had some interesting adventures. I hadn't experienced a genuine Michigan winter for a while and honestly forgot to pack proper attire. I kicked myself a couple of times over that mishap. The Battle Creek group was lots of fun. In the picture are a few guys I worked at Barakel with this summer. My friend Danae was there too, I'm sad she couldn't stick around long enough for the picture. Brad, Jeremy, and Cody were quick to make sure I had my fill of football games, action movies, and hockey smack-downs. I don't have any brothers, so hanging out with these three crazy guys was pretty interesting - but they made it lots of fun.

I returned to the South and didn't go back to my old house. This last week during my Michigan visit, my family moved across town to our newly purchased residence. The adjustment isn't super easy - moving never is. But God has proved himself so faithful through this whole experience and He makes it easy to rely on his timing. It's weird trying to move into my new room, as I'll be moving out yet again in just 10 days. Packing and repacking though has kind-of become my forte.

A new gas stove awaited me here. It's easy to get back into the cooking swing with that at the forefront of my mind. Today I decided unpacking my new room could wait a little bit longer and I grabbed the KitchenAid. My new house smells mildly awkward - the aroma of oatmeal chocolate-chip cookies did the trick to erase that. The oatmeal addition to this otherwise rather cliche cookie makes it hearty and somewhat crunchy. Perfect! I had to make dinner too - nothing like breaking in a 'new' kitchen! I've successfully broken in a Family Circle magazine featuring 4 different macaroni and cheese recipes. Tonight I completed this quartet of pasta recipes - finishing with the only one I hadn't made yet, a cheeseburger version. It was tasty - but definitely could've used some onion and garlic. I've decided garlic is basically a miracle to the cooking world. It takes a basic spaghetti recipe to the level of your guests asking for your extraordinary sauce secret. It brings joy to my heart.

Every Christmas, Jesus' mother Mary is always brought to my mind. I marvel at this young girl - much younger then my 20-year-old self. Her absolute unwavering faith puts me to shame. The precarious situation she finds herself in does not deter her from her need to carry out her mission with strength and courage. Her humble response to the angel is so crucial to the character of this specifically chosen girl. "I am the Lord's servant," Mary answered. "May it be to me as you have said" (Luke 1:38). She didn't question, or argue - a common response to such unbelievable news. Oh to have such resolute faith.

Merry Christmas friends.