NOVEMBER?!?!

Erin's on the left, Phill's on the right

Hello! To celebrate the end of October, Phill and I carved pumpkins for the first time since FOREVER. November has arrived just way too fast, I don't know where the time has gone.

I am still completely enamored with pumpkin and have a few new experiments to share with you :-) Before I do that though, I'll just give you a quick update on what new and exciting things November will bring.

This month I am leading a Beth Moore study on the fruit of the Spirit. Please pray that I will enter this with a humble heart, looking only to know Jesus more and invite other women into the same. I'm not sure how this is going to go but I look forward to seeing how every unfolds. Along with this, I will be getting training through the Pregnancy Center, where I have been volunteering, to speak to kids in the local high schools about healthy relationships, abstinence, and services provided at the center. I may also get to go and be a speaker at a high school. I am SO excited about this opportunity to get to be involved with teens again, even if only for a few days. I am praying that God gives me new insight and compassion through this. Again, I want to be going into this with humility and expectation that I will know more of God's love.

Pumpkin Scones

 These are FANTASTIC! I have made them 3 times in the last two weeks (don't worry, once was for Phill's class so we didn't eat all of them!). They are not as hard or dry as normal scones because of the pumpkin, but I love these. The only thing I did differently than the recipe is 1.) I messed around with cutting up the dough because they come out to be a lot of very skinny triangles if you do it her way  2.) I only had to bake them for about 10 minutes, so check often  3.) These are great without frosting...and I didn't want to ruin them with too much sweetness so I only made the spiced frosting and lightly drizzled it on top.

Pumpkin Gobs (or Pumpkin Whoopie Pies Halved)

Before I even show a picture let me explain the obnoxiously long description above. I made them too large and would have only had 10 very large whoopie pies, which is not enough to share with our small group and way too many to keep around here. So I pulled them apart and called them Pumpkin Gobs instead. I also used WAY less frosting than the recipe calls for...I'm pretty sure I ended up tossing half of it.

Not a cookie, not bread, not cake....just tasty

With a little extra cinnamon on top for the spice lovers like me :-)

Well friends, I hope you had a fantastic October and are looking forward to the adventures of November!

Miss you!

Pumpkins PLEASE!

I am totally getting into the fall season this year! The first time I saw pumpkins, I felt giddy like a little kid. I can't remember every feeling so excited by fall, but I am in love with the colors, the smells, Pumpkin Spice Lattes, Scarecrows, leaves, if it's connected to autumn I LOVE IT. It may have something to do with the sheltered and quiet life I am currently living but none the less, I am stoked!

As you can see I bought a few decorations so that I can enjoying the season at home as well as out and about.


I'm hoping that the decadent dessert drew you into my blog today because I am very proud of my masterpiece. Let me introduce you to Pumpkin Monkey Bread. A friend of mine posted this recipe on facebook and I've been chomping at the bit for a pumpkin recipe that wouldn't force me to buy a ton of things I didn't already have on the shelves so I made it the day after she posted it. The only "hard" part about the recipe is the time it takes to make. BUT the length is mostly due to a need for the bread to rise, so you can occupy yourself elsewhere while it gets ready. I have never been much of a baker, the baker in my family is my sister so I feel very proud of this super tasty treat.

I am so glad to have had this recipe fall into my lap and I'm hoping to pass on the favor. Try! You Like!

We were created to be full

In the last 2 months, I have had the privilege of working through the Beth Moore study, "The Beloved Disciple," an exploration of John. The scripture we have studied and her teaching along side of it have made for a very rich and revitalizing experience. I am very grateful for getting to participate in this with the other women in the study, which adds another level of meaning for me.

What has touched my heart most deeply in this journey so far is a renewed and authentic interaction with Jesus that I have avoided for quite some time. There are so many things that He has begun to stir in my heart, images and ideas that I have known in my head for so long but I feel that I am starting to experience in my heart. One of these ideas concerns His fullness. I feel the need to process through this idea and share the picture in my head.

When I think about being filled with the Holy Spirit or experiencing God's fullness, I only see my physical body being filled. Imagine that for a second : a pitcher of water being poured into you until you are full. Does anyone else see this image too when thinking about these things? This is how I have always imagined it. Now, various questions have started to confront me when I see this image while thinking of being full. How much would fill a person? The Math Teacher in me wants to know my volume. Then I want to know what does that amount to, what can you do with it? What can't you do with it? I did a little research and found vague and complicated answers. So I'm going to just guesstimate a little. I'm going to make myself an easy shape that will make the results a bit higher than reality but will be easier. So let's say I'm a purple cylinder. I am going to assume most of you don't want to see the math, so I'll skip it and just say that my volume would be about (on the high side) 50.5 gallons. Now to make this a little more realistic I'm going to shave a little off of that number because I used my hips as the diameter of this thing...so I'm going to say more like 40 gallons.


With 40 gallons you can:

• wash a load of laundry
• take a kid sized bath
• take a 10 minute shower as long as your have a low pressure shower head
• fill a medium sized fish tank
• water your yard at a low stream for 40 minutes
• provide water for a family of 4 for 10 days if everyone drinks 1 gallon per day
• Drive from Tucson to Phoenix and back, then sit in traffic to get across town

Is that all I think Jesus is good for?! I only experience enough of him to do laundry, dishes, bathe myself...not even all of those things at once or in one day! We all experience emptiness, and as a Christian I try to look to Jesus to fill that. Beth Moore pointed out something I feel I have often fallen into, "Far too many people think that the good Christian thing to do about our gnawing emptiness is to get a grip, stop whining, and live without for the rest of our lives." I feel like I have been living on so very little of Jesus, only allowing as much as I can imagine, leaving me to feel dry and like a hungry, spiritually deprived child. I am so glad to be discovering that He has so much more to pour into me! I don't have to live on just a little bit of Jesus and the Holy Spirit every now and then, I am meant to FEAST! I was created to be full!

"that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us," Ephesians 3:18-20

"And from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace." John 1:16

How much am I willing to believe that the creator of the universe is willing to fill me? How full do I believe He is? Can I really have SO much more?

Thank you for letting me process. I love you friends

Visiting the Ol' San Franny

It was so foggy driving in to San Francisco that we could barely see 20 feet in front of us. Luckily on our way out of town, we were able to snap this shot of the bottom half of the Golden Gate Bridge. What an amazing sight!

Phil had last Friday and Monday off for Labor Day so we took the opportunity to go visit Maya (sister) who lives just north of San Fran. I hadn't ever spent a lot of time exploring the city so she graciously took us to all of the major tourist spots that we hadn't been to.

 Before we even got to the city, we stopped at an old military fort that now left in ruins. The dense fog made the foresty ruins spooky and entrancing. There were tons of tunnels, bunkers, pits where HUGE guns used to go, and graffiti to explore. Phil, being the man he is, found a ladder leading underground that you aren't supposed to use (indicated by the thick slab of concrete that used to cover the entrance until it cracked) and of course explored the inside. He found a room full of water and mold, fortunately no vipers or ghosts or whatever else...This was a fun pit stop that unfortunately soiled Phil's only pair of shorts with mud before we even made it into the city. So first stop in the actually city was the shopping center!

 After some successful shopping, we set out for Chinatown. This was super cool for me because I have always heard so much about it and to see it up close was really fun. After Chinatown, we took a TRILLION steps up to Coit Tower which gave us a breathtaking view of the city. From there, we wander and explored, had some tasty pizza, then walked back to the car to go home. It was a wonderful trip!

Gate of Chinatown

Everywhere I turned in this store I saw something I wanted to get for someone back home...particularly my sister. A trip back will be in order before Christmas, birthdays and weddings :-)

HA! We almost got in trouble for this picture. So worth it though.

Back from a dry spell...

This last month has been up and down. Both the ups and the downs made blogging less appealing but here I am hopefully renewed! I miss everyone in Tucson but I am learning to enjoy and appreciate Monterey. Here's a quick summary of the more exciting activities that I have found to keep myself busy and engaged:

• I have continued running with new vigor. Today I ran 3 miles straight for the first time and finished in 28 minutes! I already have my 4 mile route planned for tomorrow. God is calling me to make working out a worshipful experience instead of purely competitive or for weight loss. I am enjoying exploring this new form of worship...even when I can't breath. I've also got a running buddy on Sundays who motivates me to keep going throughout the week...though she doesn't know that yet.
• I am involved in a Beth Moore study, "The Beloved Disciple," with mostly other military wives. It is a study on the Disciple John and we're only on week 1 but I am already totally digging it :-) Already God is showing me images of Jesus through John's eyes that make him more real. She asked us to describe how Jesus might have appeared to the disciples after the first few days with him and the word that came to me that was most meaningful was "touchable." It has been a while since I have really been able to think of Jesus as a real man and someone that isn't far away. 
• This Thursday will be my first day as a volunteer at Compassion Pregnancy Center . It is a faith based organization that provides counseling and clinical services to women that are pregnant or that have had abortions. There are a number of possibilities for me here including office lacky, counselor, and speaker at the local high schools. I may not be able to actually counsel or speak while I'm here but I'm hoping to get the training. I am unsure of God's plan here but I am really excited about being involved!

And to finish it off, I have some more pictures to showcase the beauty of Monterey...from the only sunny day in weeks! Just kidding but only sort of.

And the most beautiful of all.....

 

ME IN A WETSUIT! hahahaha

I miss you friends!

Another wonderful weekend expedition

Even though my weeks are a little slow, Phil makes it up to me on the weekends with some really fun adventures! It seems that every weekend there is something brand new and mind blowing to explore. We visited the national reserve Point Lobos, which for me was like a mystical, enchanted forest. We only scratched the surface this weekend on this gorgeous reserve but what we saw made us want to come back for more! 


This little spot is very famous. It is the inspiration for various artists and, before it became a reserve, over 50 movies were shot here. Beside the beautiful scenery, there are is a wide variety of wildlife. We didn't make it to the sea lion cove or the pool where the otters play but you can bet we will next time! 

                                                                      

This program is so difficult to put pictures up in any kind of interesting looking way. 

If you get the chance to visit before we have to leave here, it wouldn't be a hard sell to get us to take you exploring through this beautiful mixture of forest and ocean. 

As soon as Phil and I can get signed up, we are going to learn how to scuba dive! This reserve has one of the best spots for diving around. We were able to see just some of the cool sea life just in pictures around the reserve and I am SOOO excited to get in that water! Learning to scuba dive will be a lifelong dream come true. 

I am trying to prolong finishing this blog so I don't have to go run...but I'm running out of other pertinent information :-) I would love to hear from you!

Good luck teachers with your back to school craziness! I wish I were in it with you...and at the same time I am jubilant that I'm not!

Sniff this!

This last week has been full of fun and breakthroughs for us. We have decided on a church that meets in an old theater downtown. "It just so happened" that when we asked the small group coordinator about joining a couples group, she said that there was a new group revving up and the first meeting was that night! We met some really nice people that love Jesus and want friends as badly as we do. I have very thankful for God's providence in this, my week has been and will continue to be the fullest it's been since we got here. My extroverted-ness was going crazy without friends!

This last weekend we also got the opportunity to take a trek up to Gilroy for their annual Garlic Festival! We were really unsure of what to expect but when we got there we realized what a  HUGE production this thing is. There was loads to do, to look at, and to eat :-) The whole fairgrounds smelled wonderfully garlic-y.

As we walked in to the festival, we saw a man using a pole that had fresh rosemary on the end to lather these large pieces of meat with mounds of some fantastic garlic topping while they slowed cooked on the grill. Such a wonderful smell!

There was a celebrity cook at the festival from the show Top Chef...

we grabbed some garlic beer and waited for the show to start!

Just kidding about the garlic in the beer ;-) The Top Chef contestant we went to see was Angelo Sosa...he talked about himself the for 20 minutes and didn't even mention his food...needless to say we had more exciting things we wanted to experience so we left. But we got a picture!

Here is the large flaming garlic bulb...Gilroy weather is much warmer than Monterey 

so this sucker made it feel almost like Tucson when you got close enough.

Garlic roasted corn!

Can you see the PILE of garlic on that fry!!!! 

We had dragon breath for days and it was so worth it!

Of course, we had to try out the garlic ice cream (no joke this time). 

It definitely tasted like garlic but it wasn't bad...it left you mouth feeling kind of tingly.

 It's worth trying if you ever get the chance!

He really did like it, I swear! We also tried some very tasty garlic bread...

but it was gone too fast for us to get a picture

I am very grateful for all of the fun and exciting (maybe sometimes challenging) adventures we are getting to have. Thanks for checking in! 

Love Love Love! And a Happy Birthday to my very wonderful Mother-In-Law! I hope you are enjoying your day!

Erin's Excellent Enchiladas

Today, I am thankful for forgiveness. It is amazing how asking, receiving, and giving forgiveness from or to someone allows for great healing and renewal.  I asked for forgiveness yesterday from a friend and it has really helped me pull out of a "woe is me," super selfish attitude. Thank you Jesus for bringing me to a place where I can genuinely ask for forgiveness when I have wronged someone and for providing me with the humility to also forgive.

Recently, Phil and I have been trying to eat foods that give us good energy and encourage us to live a healthy lifestyle. We choose to eat as much fresh food as possible without preservatives, a lot of protein, etc. If you want more info on the specifics of our food choices, you can look up Paleo or Primal diets. Within the last year, we have been struggling with eating this way because it means cutting out a lot of our staple foods such as pasta, bread, any grainy or gluteny foods, etc. We felt at first very limited (and myself sort of bitter) in our choices of meals and snacks so we bought a few cookbooks to help broaden our food-rizons. I have gotten to experiment with a lot of great recipes that are SUPER healthy and tasty.

This meal turned out to be Phil's favorite so far. It was meant to be tortilla soup...but turned out to be Excellent Enchiladas with a side of Cauliflower Rice and Refried Beans (and no refried beans are not Paleo but DELICIOUS!). They are super easy to make and very very tasty. Here's a quick ingredient list:

~2.5 lbs chicken (breast or other)

~as much onion as you like

~as much celery as you like

~as many carrots as you like

~1 can of enchilada sauce (28ish oz)

~a little chicken stock if you don't want super strong enchilada sauce flavor

~3-4 cloves garlic

~1/2 a lemon's juice

~cayenne pepper for heat

~garlic powder

~black pepper

~salt

~cumin

~Let it sit in the crock pot 6-8 hours and you have tasty enchiladas. 

~Serve with avocado and cilantro...and of course cauliflower rice and refried beans.

If you want to know how to make Cauliflower Rice, I would be happy to share...but this blog is already getting long :-)

Below is an example of a not so awesome recipe...Eggs Houses where the house is a tomato. Blech.

I love you!

Recipes thanks to http://everydaypaleo.com/

J'ai deux surprises pour vous!

In the last couple of days I have received two welcomed surprises. The first was the arrival of a friend of Phil's to keep us company for the weekend and the other was a loverly house warming gift from my family.

Phil's friend, Brendan, inadvertently made this weekend somewhat of a milestone for us in our new lives in Monterey seeing as he was our first visitor and guest! I haven't gotten to meet very many people here yet so to have someone to get to know was refreshing. I had only briefly met Brendan at the wedding but had heard loads about him. I am grateful to have gotten to spend time getting to know him better and look forward to future encounters :-) One of our fun adventures with Brendan was a trip to Carmel beach where, of course, shenanigans were afoot. Luckily, with the help of our BRAND NEW CAMERA (!!!!!), I was able to document some of these fine moments.

Our first beach picture with lots of fog

The man (Brendan) stuck in the sand or the man with 1 1/2 legs getting acrobatic? 

The two crazies in the 58 degree ocean!

Ma deuxième surprise is best explained with photos. Thanks for the love family, you're the best! I miss you and love my non-killable addition to our home :-) Funny thing that I didn't tell my mom was that I had been considering getting myself a plant to liven up some space in a lonely and pastey white part of the dining room. She's a mind reader, that one!