The Ozinga Outlook

Riverdance-Valentine's Edition

2012-02-14T18:52:00.000-06:00

Isaac and I are such old fogies when it comes to late nights on work nights. We decided we'd celebrate Valentine's Day this weekend, and then I saw in the paper early last week that Riverdance was in town for their final North American tour. Um, yes please! I mentioned this to Isaac, who happens to be as much of a dork as I am when it comes to these kinds of things, and we ended up with tickets for Friday night's performance. Granted, we would've gone even if it wasn't Valentine's weekend, but it was a nice excuse to say this was our Valentine treat.

We're not the kind that make a big deal out of Valentine's Day, but since our tickets were this particular weekend, we used a gift card I still had from Christmas (thank you, Jessica Richards!) to eat at Olive Garden before the show on Friday. The portions at Olive Garden are HUGE, so we ended up with dinner for Saturday as well. That's my kind of dinner out!

Waiting for Riverdance to begin

Hobby Center is a gorgeous venue for a show, and Isaac had never been there. I think he would've been content looking at the galaxy lights in the ceiling all night. Riverdance put on a show that words can't describe. Irish dance is fascinating, both soft shoe and hard shoe. My favorite scene was in the second act when the Irish immigrants and the Roaring 20's blacks have a tap off. Woohoo! As a former dancer, this made my day.

Not only can these dancers dance, but most of them also sing...phenomenally! Riverdance is a true musical, and I loved every second. Amazing. Now I just need to see Lord of the Dance whenever it decides to come back to Houston. And I need to take Isaac to Ireland so he can see where my family came from and all the places I fell in love with during my trip there at 13.

Tonight we've been pretty low key. Isaac is sick with a bad cold, so I'm glad we did do something fun this weekend. I made a special dinner of salmon, and we enjoyed cake balls I bought from a friend's son for a fundrasier and chocolate covered strawberries we made last night. Yum, yum!

Yum, yum

Aggie Belle taking good care of a sick Daddy.

We prayer your Valentine's is full of Christ's love.

We love because He first loved us! ~1 John 4:19

Meal planning Monday

2012-02-13T19:03:00.000-06:00

Sunday: Church

Monday: KFC thanks to coupons!

Tuesday: Oven Roasted Salmon with pasta and broccoli

Wednesday: Santa Fe Chicken

Thursday: Chicken and Sausage Gumbo

Friday: Leftovers

Saturday: Bacon and Cheddar Potato Soup

Book Review: Kisses from Katie

2012-02-11T19:58:00.000-06:00

Oh, my, how do I adequately describe this book?! Katie Davis has boldness for Christ and honesty that scares many, and I that's the ONLY reason I can use to explain why there are folks who criticize her.

Katie is now 22 and living her days in a village in Uganda, raising 13 girls she's fostering and running Amazima Ministries. She's from Brentwood, TN, so that of course makes her cool in my book, but there is so much more to her than being from Nashville. Some would say Katie has given up so much to live with so little, but after reading her words, I think she would agree that she gave up a lot, yes, but has gained oh so much more. Katie has seen God work day in and day out to meet the needs of the people she loves. What could possibly compare? There's nothing wrong with living in America, but she has learned to be dependent on God for everything. I wonder how much deeper our faith would be, and the actions that pour from it, if we had to truly be dependent on our Father for every day needs.

I must be honest; while reading Katie's book, I became a bit jealous. She has a life I dreamed about for years. I could've been her, had I been bolder and trusted the Lord more. The truth is, my faith is weak. I'm afraid of the unknown. Despite the fact I have the contacts and support to make a life like Katie's happen, I chose the known. I struggle with that, but God has blessed me anyway. I now have a husband that loves me and supports my crazy dreams to be in Zambia, and he's trying to help me make that happen on a temporary basis, since for now, God has us planted pretty deep in Houston for the time being. Maybe if NASA bellies up because our government is become more and more incapable of making smart choices, we're end up there on a permanent basis. In the mean time, God will show us how to stay involved where He's planted my heart while living here.

Isaac and I attempt to live intentionally for Christ, and Katie's words are encouraging me to become even more aware of how we're spending our time and our money. It's not enough to read our Bibles each day and be involved at our church. We've got to be seeking out ways to join God in serving His children day in and day out. That's what matters. Katie is doing an amazing job of having her actions back her words, and because of that, folks are coming to know Christ. Why don't we get how important our actions are, and that helping others-meeting their needs-is exactly how Jesus intends for us to live?

Her descriptions of her emotions during visits back to America ring so true to me. I don't always feel comfortable here after seeing how the rest of the world lives. It's not wrong or bad to live here, but I do think that as Christians it comes with an extra responsibility to be aware of how our time and money are used. Katie has challenged me to stay aware, learn how to remain in a more constant state of prayer, and learn how to stretch my faith.

Check out what Katie is currently up to at her blog called The Journey.

All the Michigan Posts

2012-02-08T17:30:00.000-06:00

Ok, I finally got all of the posts from Michigan published chronologically. They can be found here:

How We Got to See Snow in Michigan

Gorgeous, Beautiful Snow

Happy Birthday, Isaac!

Grandpa Ozinga's Funeral

Meal Planning Monday

2012-02-06T18:53:00.001-06:00

Sunday: Super Bowl Party at Church

Monday: Pancakes, Bacon, and Eggs

Tuesday: Leftovers

Wednesday: Bertolli bag

Thursday: Rosemary-Mushroom Chicken Soup

Friday: Chilis

Saturday: Soup leftovers

Fill in the Blank Friday

2012-02-03T17:33:00.000-06:00

Several of my blog buddies are participating in "Fill in the Blank Fridays", and it's such fun! Here's this week's:

1. If money wasn't an issue, the first thing I'd cross of my life list is moving to Zambia and adopting our girly.

2. Chocolate and orange juice is something I like that other people think is weird.

3. If my life were a movie right now, the title would be The Teacher Diaries .

4. Three things I am looking forward to this month are hopefully Isaac finishing my cedar chest update , going to the movies and seeing the projects my kids make about Africa.

5. My favorite song to sing in the shower is whatever is currently stuck in my head from choir rehearsals.

6. If I found out that the production of Yogi Pomegranate Green Tea was ending this month, I'd go out and buy as much as I could tomorrow.

7. One thing I'll never grow tired of is reading.

Linked up at The Little Things We Do.

Happy 1st Birthday, Aggie Belle!

2012-02-01T18:32:00.000-06:00

Our little roly poly of a fur ball is all grown up and turned 1 big girl year old today! The ten months we've had her have flown! We're so proud of how well Bailey has adjusted to her as well. Aggie Belle is still a pup at heart, but she is learning to mind so well. Her one weakness is pulling on walks, but we're working on that, and she's learning. We're so grateful for all the joy she's brought to our little family! Happy birthday, sweet girl!

Playing with her birthday present, a food puzzle.

And, most importantly, it's my mommy's birthday too! We'll be celebrating with her and all the rest of the family on Friday night, assuming we can all stay healthy. It's been germy in our homes lately.

This is from my bridal luncheon, so it's older, but I like it anyway!

Happy birthday to the best mommy a girl could have!

Meal Planning Monday

2012-01-30T07:01:00.001-06:00

The last two weeks of planning ended up being a joke with Isaac rushing off to Michigan and then my trip up a few days later, so hopefully this week will get us back on track!

Sunday: Back to snacks between church activities.

Monday: Mexican Chicken Casserole

Tuesday: Beef Stew from the freezer

Wednesday: Meatloaf in honor of Aggie Belle's 1st Birthday!

Thursday: Leftovers

Friday: If my extended family stays healthy, we're getting together to celebrate Mom's birthday

Saturday: Maybe, hopefully, finally our birthday celebration at Melting Pot!

It Was Only 7 Days....

2012-01-28T14:32:00.001-06:00

...but it seemed like a month. Isaac's grandpa died last Saturday morning in Michigan, and the past week has been a roller coaster. We've gone from grief to celebration as we've bounced between death and birthdays. The flu hit hard as we kept moving back and forth across Michigan visiting family members. As always, God has been ever present, guiding and strengthening. I need to write about it all. I will write about it all. But for now, we're finally about to board the first of two airplanes to finally get home after this seemingly endless week. We're exhausted and not sure which emotional state we're supposed to be in, and I am still suffering from a few flu symptoms. The thought of two sweet puppies waiting for us is thrilling! If you would, please say prayers this coming week for my little family as we settle back into our routines. We both have no idea what we'll find when we return from a week away from work-always a daunting thought.

Here's the list of posts from Michigan as I write them and back-post them:

How We Got Snow in Michigan (1/22)

Grandpa Ozinga's Funeral

2012-01-26T17:05:00.009-06:00

These were two hard days. Grandpa's visitation/viewing was yesterday, and today was the funeral. Isaac especially was bombarded with a sea of faces he'd never seen-great-aunts and uncles, second and third cousins and the like. I think he felt like he should've known who they were, and felt bad that he didn't, but that's part of it. I rather enjoyed meeting Isaac's cousins that hadn't made it to our wedding, but the circumstances sure have made it hard.

Isaac and Jacob typed up memories of Grandpa for me to read today during the eulogy portion of the funeral. How do you wrap up a man like Grandpa into just a few words?

Grandpa loved Jesus first and foremost. The boys don't remember ever hearing about a morning in which Grandpa didn't begin the day by making coffee for Grandma and sitting down at the kitchen table to lead them in morning devotions. He moved his family, wife and three kids at the time, to Liberia in 1952, long before many people ever wanted to go to such a 'dangerous' place to be missionaries. He fell in love with the Liberian people and worked hard to build a school for the village and teacher them sustainable farming practices. Isaac's dad was born during their years in Liberia, and he totally grew up as an African kid.

When political issues necessitated the return of the Ozingas back to Michigan, Grandpa quickly did what was needed to be certified to teach in his home state. He taught history for nearly 30 years. Grandpa was in a tough inner-city school, but he made sure his kids knew he cared about them and tried to make history exciting, back before we had the internet and cool videos to help us with that. Some of his former students even left notes about how much he meant to them in the online visitor's book the funeral home provided. Grandpa was always trying to teach the grandkids about history, relating it to things of interest to them.

Space exploration intrigued Grandpa, especially from a historical viewpoint. He was so stinkin' proud that Isaac interned with and was hired by NASA. He drove around Michigan and their winter home in Florida with a NASA logo stuck to the back of his car. He talked about his grandson who worked at NASA a lot! Grandpa was one of Isaac's biggest supporters and encouragers when it came to applying for the astronaut corps someday. Help us, Grandpa's death probably just means my dear husband will fight even harder to get accepted. :) Isaac's dad made sure that Grandpa's NASA lapel pin was lovingly in place on his suit coat for the viewing and funeral. Grandpa would've been tickled pink to know he was proudly wearing that pin for all to say goodbye to him.

The more I've learned about Grandpa this week, I've realized two things. First, it's incredibly ironic and not so very surprising that Isaac chose me to marry. Few people are more fascinated by history than me, but Grandpa was probably one of them. Then, the bond with Isaac's family and Africa runs as deep as it does in my family. The overwhelming, burning, fierce desire to be a place half a world a way is breathtaking most days. I won't say that Isaac necessarily sees Grandpa in me; that would be weird, but I think he was comfortable with my boldness because he grew up seeing it in a man he adored. For me to join into a family deeply rooted in Africa fits just as nicely as it does for Isaac doing the same with my family. In other words, we're seeing how God has had His hand in this for many, many years.

The second thing I've learned is that Grandpa left big shoes to fill. He left his kids and grandkids a legacy that won't die because he instilled so much of himself into them. It's not going to surprise me one bit when Isaac is named to the astronaut corps. The man has more determination now than ever, and Grandpa has helped with that. I think Grandpa has also lit a fire for Africa in Isaac for which I'm incredibly grateful. The money isn't together yet, but Isaac's as determined as I am for us to get to Zambia together, and I can't wait.

Thank You, Jesus for such an awesome man to teach so many about You!

Happy Birthday, Isaac!

2012-01-24T21:59:00.000-06:00

Isaac's birthday is one to remember and forgot this year. Bless his heart.

I got horribly sick with the stomach flu yesterday and ended up at urgent care, but not before making sure I had ordered my man a cookie cake for today! I've got to redeem myself from "Worst Wife of the Year"! And, I had been able to grab him a birthday card at the Hallmark store in the Chicago airport on Saturday, so check one for thinking fast on my feet. Phew!

Isaac's uncle picked up the cookie cake for me, and the whole family met us in Holland, Michigan at an AMAZING restaurant called Boatwerks. I'm so glad Hellen and Dave recommended it for us and took us up there. It sits right on the lake and is super fancy. Everyone's meals looked incredibly-lots of seafood-but I stuck with a plain potato to stay safe. No more yuckies for me! The staff was fabulous, bringing Isaac a sundae to go along with his cookie cake.

Outside Boatwerks

Beautiful restaurant

Yum!

I'm so grateful to have another year with this man. Isaac is beyond talented, and he spoils me. We're working out marriage day by day (it's a learned thing, you know!), and he's a great leader for our family. Happy birthday, Sweetheart!

Gorgeous, Beautiful Snow

2012-01-22T16:51:00.001-06:00

Sunday was a gorgeously, cloudy, cold day in Grand Rapids. Grandpa's family was still in shock, and funeral plans couldn't be made til Monday, so we were on our own for the day. Isaac, Jacob, and I spent the week in Grand Haven, about 40 minutes from Grand Rapids, with the boys' aunt Hellen and her husband Dave. Hellen's son is Jason, our third stooge, so he was with us when he didn't have to be at work on the other side of the state.

The morning made me aware of just how much water surrounds Grand Haven. The river is on one side, lots of small lakes are scattered around, and Lake Michigan is on another side. The other amazing thing is the sand dunes! Sand is all over the place. It's like Florida, but taller dunes several stories into the air. Amazing! On this particular day, the dunes were covered in snow. Snow and sand together? Count me in!

Hellen and Dave wanted to drive us 'kids' around to see some of the places they all used to go as kids. I'm a bit jealous I never got to play in these places when I was little. Sliding down dunes sounds fantastic! The area was absolutely breathtaking with all of the snow. The waves of Lake Michigan are beginning to freeze in jagged patterns along the shore, so we 'walked' out onto the lake. So cool!

Snow covered beach at Lake Michigan

The 3 Stooges standing on Lake Michigan

I blame the wind for my closed eyes.

Channel into Lake Michigan. Killer icicles.

Standing on top of a dune, looking down at the ski club.

Grand Haven is just a fun small town. I like small towns, and the beauty of the river front and lake front are just amazing. It's so easy to find views of the whole town from atop the paved, house lined sand dunes. Incredible structuring. Isaac has promised we'll go back in a few summers so we can really play. Obviously this isn't how I'd hoped to first be introduced to Grand Haven, but I'm glad we got to visit.

How We Got Snow in Michigan

2012-01-22T16:06:00.001-06:00

Be careful what you pray for...God will answer.

As Isaac and I learned, He doesn't always answer in the way we expect. For weeks before Christmas, we prayed and prayed for snow while we were in Ohio for Christmas break. We got upper 30s and rain. Little did we know that Isaac especially, but me too, would see tons and tons of the fluffy white stuff the month after Christmas. I thought specifically praying for Christmas so that Aggie Belle and Bailey could enjoy it would be enough, but it wasn't.

Isaac's granddad went in for surgery on MLK to have a mass on his intestine examined and removed. The surgery went well; small masses were removed and the larger mass was biopsied to ensure it was benign. Tuesday morning, the 18th, we received a call on our way to work that Grandpa had been rushed back into surgery due to internal bleeding. The places where the tumors had been removed weren't healing properly. Grandpa had just turned 82 and was in pretty good health, but the thought was that the blood thinners he has taken for several years were just causing the blood to not clot properly. Isaac was shaken up, but we prayed, and kept on with our day.

By Wednesday afternoon, things weren't looking good for Grandpa. Isaac didn't want to believe anything bad was going to happen, but I told him that if it did, and he didn't get to see Grandpa one more time, he wouldn't be a happy man. We began to back him a bag, and my dad took him to the airport early Thursday to get to Grand Rapids.

When I went to bed on Friday, things seemed to be stable. The next thing I knew, my doorbell is ringing and it's 6:45 AM Saturday morning. I had gotten a smart phone a week earlier and wasn't used to the new ring sounds. I'd slept through an hour of Isaac, my dad, and my granddad trying to wake me. Ten minutes later, my granddad arrived, not knowing Isaac had spoken to my dad too. I officially get the Worst Wife of the Year Award, and it's only January!

Grandpa had died about 5:15 in the morning. Isaac and his brother Jacob had spent the night at the hospital on Friday, and they held him as Jesus took him Home. That's a hard thing for a man to have to tell his wife.

Isaac told me I was booked on a flight to Detroit that left in 2 hours...I had an hour to pack and get to the airport. The fact that the only thing I forgot was a pair of dress pants is pretty impressive. My granddad took me to the airport and then went back to my house to pack up the dogs' stuff so they could go to Pearland for the week.

By 4:00 Saturday afternoon, I was in Detroit, met by the 3 Stooges (Isaac, Jacob, and their cousin Jason) and in a land of freshly fallen snow.

Meal Planning Monday

2012-01-16T19:15:00.000-06:00

Sunday: Tuna Salad with crackers and carrot sticks (it was a busy weekend; don't judge!) :)

Monday: Grilled Salmon with Lemon Dill Sauce

Tuesday: Spaghetti (frozen from the Fall) with garlic biscuits

Wednesday: Mexican Chicken Casserole

Thursday: Veggie Beef Stew from freezer from the Fall

Friday: Melting Pot to celebrate both our birthdays!!!!

Saturday: Eve with Steve Fellowship Night

TWO new recipes this week-yay! My goal for 2012 is to try one new recipe a week. So far I'm doing great; we'll see if I can keep it up! :)

What are YOU eating this week? Please share!

Vision 2012

2012-01-15T20:18:00.000-06:00

Each winter UBC hosts a retreat for the Youth Group called Vision. My first Sunday at UBC was Vision Sunday 1998 when we moved back to Houston when I was in 7th grade. At the time, Youth Group was only 7th-12th grade, so technically, I made it to Vision every year until I graduated. It's a super fun time to stay with a family from our church, hang out with a cool college kid that loves teens, and have 2 full days to shut out school and other distractions to focus on Jesus. Before I got sick in college, I was able to lead a Vision group, which was a blast. This year, Isaac and I decided to host a group for the first time. We're exhausted right now, but we are so, so glad we jumped into Vision!

For starters, we were given the 6th grade girls, 4 of whom are in our Sunday School class. Three of those four I've known since they were just barely toddlers, and one has been in our Sunday School since last year when they moved here. She's also mine 5 days a week at school. :) The other three attend Sunday School at the other hour, but they fit right in with the rest of us. Our 7 girls are just so sweet and darling, anxious to please God and the adults in their lives while still desiring to have as much fun as they possibly can.

Our college leader for the weekend was Rose Hale, and she is so much like me it's eerie. God planned this weekend out to a T! Rose went to the same high school I did and was in the same service program called PALS. She's also an Aggie and pledge into Phi Lamb, the Christian sorority I was involved with during my 4 years in Aggieland. What a treat to have her stay with us!

All ten of us got along so well, and Aggie Belle and Bailey were plumb thrilled to have 8 new people in the house to play and love. Maybe, just maybe we have a new tradition on our hands!

Friday evening was full of brownie and greeting card making to prepare for our visit with some homebound folks on Saturday. Then we headed up to church for worship. Matt Wheeler and his band led worship for the weekend, and they are fabulous! I hadn't been in a truly Spirit filled contemporary worship service in quite awhile. What a treat. The girls then had Bible study with Rose in our office while we got the living area ready for them to crash. Surprisingly, they all really did go right to sleep at midnight. Woohoo!

Sarah, Katy, Grace, and Shirley working on cards.

Katy and Sarah with half of the sleeping arrangements.

Blair and Shirley with the other half.

Human knot before bed.

More human knot.

We were supposed to visit 3 homebound families after I cooked breakfast, but we were only able to get ahold of one couple. Still, we had a great visit with Mr. and Mrs. Brenton. The girls seemed to truly enjoy the stories they were told, and their cards and brownies were very well received. As always, I think we had more of a blessing from our visit. I just love how God works in that way!

After lunch, we took the dogs to the dog park so everyone could run off some energy. Whoever said 12 year olds (and 27 year olds) are too big for playgrounds has never met us! The girls had two more Bible study sessions in the afternoon, separated with some crazy games of Red Rover.

Rose, Sara, Blair, Sarah, Cassidy, Shirley, Grace, and Katy

Grace couldn't break through Blair and Cassidy, along with Sara.

Rose, Katy, Shirley, and Sarah deciding who to call next.

Dinner at church was followed by a second fabulous worship service. Kyle had several stations set up around our chapel where the kids could pray, meditate, focus on maps of the area to see where they are called to be disciples in this moment, and various other activities to help them focus on Christ. Most of the adults don't seem to participate in these worship times, maybe so the kids don't feel intimidated, but I don't agree with that view. I didn't go to the stations, but Isaac and I sat right where our girls wanted us to be, and prayed, read our Bibles, and sang right along with them. To have an hour to sit and meditate on God's word interspersed with song uninterrupted is a precious, precious gift I don't give myself (or God) nearly enough. I have a long way to go in my spiritual disciplines, and this weekend gave me some focus on where to begin strengthening my walk with Christ.

The girls came back to our house for their last Bible study with Rose before one more trip up to UBC for the day to play two mean games of hardcore laser tag. Kyle had hired portable laser tag to set up in our field for all the kids. Host homes were told to play, though Isaac and I were the only two that did. All the 6th grade girls and boys, their leaders, and a few 7th graders were on our team, and we beat out the rest of the 7th and 8th graders in both games. The kids were stoked, and I think I have been given a new level of respect in the eyes of my 6th grade boys for all the kills I made. hehehe

Gig 'em!

Listening to laser tag instructions.

Rose, Blair, Sara, me, Cassidy, and Katy-no one ever said laser tag gear is glamorous, but it sure is fun!

Blair, Sara, Grace, me, Cassidy, Katy, Sarah, and Isaac.

Aggie Belle was so sad to see the girls pack up this morning. She was convinced they were at our house for her and not Jesus. The girls seemed a bit bummed our time had ended as well, but most of us will be back together next Sunday, and there's always next year!

Such a blessing! Rose, Blair, Grace, Sarah, me, Isaac, Katy, Cassidy, Sara, and Shirley

Thank You, Jesus for such a blessed weekend!

Houston Fun with Jacob

2012-01-12T20:51:00.000-06:00

Isaac's brother Jacob drove home with us from Ohio and stayed for about 8 days. We love when Jacob visits, and the puppies are always in Heaven with Uncle Jacob in the house. Half the fun is exploring our city as Jacob finds fun things he'd like to do.

On the Friday before New Year's, we had a warm day, so we headed to Galveston. This isn't a new thing for us, but it's a treat to be on the beach, mostly to watch the excitement of Bailey and Aggie Belle. Bailey acts like a pup each time his feet hit the sand, which always warms this Mommy's heart. It was a warm, sunny day, but the water was about 56 from the cold snap we'd had over Christmas. Tepid water didn't stop Aggie Belle from diving head first into the surf to hunt down her ball. Crazy!

New Year's Eve found us at the zoo for elephant bath time, the sea lion show, and a date with the giraffes. It was a cooler day, but that just meant the animals were extra playful.

My last day off was Monday, so we decided to visit the Downtown Aquarium since none of us had ever been there. We had some coupons, so it wasn't expensive, and our pass allowed us to go to through the aquarium as many times as we wanted as well as ride the ferris wheel, train, and carousel. The aquarium is small but incredibly well done. Each exhibit has the utmost in detail.The 4 tigers there are beautiful. We enjoyed watching their training demonstration. They are so incredibly smart! We saw Nero.

Happy Birthday to Me!

2012-01-10T22:01:00.000-06:00

According to my birth certificate, I turned 27 at 2:30 PM today. I can't figure out these late twenties years, how I'm supposed to feel about them and all. That's another post though. This was one AWESOME birthday!

Teaching the Omega kids (Gifted/Talented) means we have permission to do more in-depth teaching. Why not go on a field trip then, say to see King Tut, and have lunch at Hard Rock while we're at it? And since I was planning this shebang, why not my birthday? Such a good idea!

The kids were thrilled to celebrate my birthday on a field trip, and I think I was sung to at least 10 times. Eh, it's fine. I sing to them on their birthdays, so it's only fair!

King Tut: FABULOUS exhibit! Half the fun was watching the awe and gross out factor in the kids. There's a canopic jar where some of the embalming fluid from 1320 something BC can still be seen from where it dripped down the side. Cool and icky all at the same time! Seriously though, do some research (www.kingtut.org is a simple place to start), and then go! We had a local Egyptian expert visit with out kids on Friday, and they were definitely able to apply their knowledge to what they saw in the exhibit. That'll make for a happy birthday right there! To stand in front of a statue, carving, or piece of jewelery that's over 3,000 years old is mind boggling. The intelligence of the ancient cultures can't be overlooked, and if the Bible isn't proof enough for you, this exhibit will be.

At Hard Rock, I was brought an ice cream sundae with a candle, and all 81 kids sang their hearts out to me. I wasn't expecting the 'stand and be sung to' routine, hence the picture:

What an embarrassed goober!

The kids on my bus decided to serenade me on the way home with their own renditions of Justin Bieber, Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, and Boys II Men. I felt like I was back in 6th grade when they bust out "I Swear" at the top o their lungs. However, I did have to draw the line at Barney's theme song. A girl has her limits!

I came home to find:

Inside was The Story CD. Check it out if you don't know about this awesome musical take on Genesis to Revelation. Thank you Isaac and babies!

Isaac and I then went to spend the Vera Bradley gift card my parents gave me. With a coupon and their Winter sale, I got:

Bible cover, lunch box, sticky notes, and stationary in Rhythm and Blues

We did some more browsing and headed home for Carrabbas leftovers (thanks Mom and Dad) from Sunday when my family had a game night for my birthday. With an added bottle of champagne and the following little beauties for dessert, I had one blessed birthday.

Thank you Ms. Ginny's for being such a wonderful, right-around-the-corner bakery. Coconut cream, chocolate dream, German chocolate, and Italian cream. Two still remain for another day. :) Thank you Isaac for the treat!

I was very spoiled today, and it's super fun to have a day all about me, but my prayer is that God uses me to magnify Him in great ways this year as I certainly have no clue what 2012 and 27 hold.

Meal Planning Monday

2012-01-09T18:09:00.000-06:00

Sunday: Carabbas carryout to my parents for a family game night for my birthday!

Monday: Russian Chicken leftovers

Tuesday: Carabbas leftovers for my birthday.

Wednesday: Parmesan Crusted Tilapia

Thursday: Cilantro Chicken

Friday: Leftovers

Saturday: Vision dinner at UBC

A Very Sad Horse Visit

2012-01-03T20:07:00.000-06:00

Every time we go to Ohio, we visit Isaac's former teacher, Steve, to catch up and love on his horses. The dogs Raven and Jack usually make sure we visit them too. This year was a sad trip because my favorite of the horses, in actuality a Shetland pony, had been put down just a few days before our visit due to irreparable Founders . Hotrod was my buddy, and just the cheekiest of equines. You can read more about Hotrod here. Needless to say, I was crushed upon this news. Major and Dolly, the big guys on the farm, were pretty crushed too. The day before our visit, they'd been found in the back pasture (where I've never seen them go) and both stood on either side of Hotrod's grave. Yep, even animals mourn. They were in such a depressed state they wouldn't even come out of the barn for carrots. Now, they did eat our carrots, but we had to come to them. So much for play time this visit. I miss my little buddy.

Major and Dolly not wanting to be social.

Finally coaxed Dolly into a mini rubdown.

Hotrod opening my zipper pocket Dec '10

Brush down and comb out with Hotrod Spring of '10.

Munching apples Dec '09

Meal Planning Monday

2012-01-02T16:56:00.000-06:00

*I'm really not ready to go back to work this week, but I am ready to get back into a cooking routine. The last minute plans are killing my planning!

Sunday: Pizza Hut

Monday: Sandwiches. I had planned to cook, but then the boys ate a late afternoon snack, so what was the point?

Tuesday: Jacob's last night, so restaurant of his choice.

Wednesday: Russian Chicken with green beans

Thursday: Beef and Mushroom Barely Stew

Friday: Chicken and Veggie Alfredo Biscuit Bake

Saturday: Left-over Russian Chicken

So long, 2011!

2011-12-31T16:40:00.001-06:00

Neither of us is sad to see this year end. We've actually been counting it down with giddy excitement. While this year hasn't been awful, it hasn't been enjoyable very much either.

Hitting dead end after dead end with figuring out Zambian adoption has drained us enormously. Then, after working so hard for a year to save up for both of us to get to go to Zambia on a mission trip in 2012, I didn't receive the history grant continuation, which meant my stipend was no longer funding the meat of our account for the trip. At this point, we're throwing every penny into the account we can, but we didn't get as many donations as we'd hopped for Christmas, and we're still over $4,000 behind. I hit an invisible wall yesterday and had an absolute meltdown about this. And don't tell me God's timing is perfect because I KNOW! I'm not an idiot, but knowing something doesn't make it any easier either. We'll get there when God wants us there, and for now, that has to be enough.

Sending HOPE to our girl!

Work has been hard for both of us this year. With the shuttle program ending, NASA is in all kinds of uncertainty. Isaac's job is incredibly secure, but the lack of direction for the organization is disheartening at best. This Fall began the hardest year yet of my teaching career, with several days leaving me ready to throw in the towel. A few more months are left in this current school year, but the light is bright at the end of the tunnel!

We lost three of our smaller pets this year, and while they were tiny, they left big impacts on our lives. Losing Igor, Braveheart, and Sissy so close to each other was hard on us all. Just a reminder that we aren't Home yet...

Igor

Bailey with Braveheart and Sissy

In happier times this year, our sweet Aggie Belle joined the family March 31st. Isaac waited 3 1/2 years to find a weimy female puppy so that Bailey could handle the adjustment, and I'm so glad the wait was worth it!

Aggie Belle 3-31-11

We have a blast with all of my family when my little brother married a sweet girl, and our family grew once again. What a fabulous weekend of laughter and love!

I've stayed healthy for 4 years this month, and despite a few scares that the endometriosis might be roaring its ugly head again, they've all been false alarms. Hallelujah!

The Teaching American History Grant trip this summer was beyond amazing! I learned so much first hand from Civil Rights leaders, fell in love for a 2nd time with D.C., and learned that NYC has it's bright spots. I adored Ellis Island, and vividly saw life from 100 years ago. The beauty of upstate NY overwhelmed me, as did Niagara.

MLK's kitchen table, Niagara, Statue of Liberty

In August, we celebrated 2 years of marriage and were treated to a family trip with the Ozingas.

Turtle farm, Date Night on the ship, and a sting ray

With an aching heart and no time table for 2012, I have to remember all of 2011's blessings, or else 'bleak' is the only word that comes to mind, and that's not true. Whatever 2012 brings, God walks before us, and that is ALWAYS enough.

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. ~James 1 :17

Happy New Year from the Ozingas

Happy Birthday, Nanny!

2011-12-29T23:02:00.000-06:00

Yesterday was my grandmother's birthday, and the whole day was all about her! Nanny has wanted (ok, we've all wanted) to visit Bayou Bend for over 20 years, but we've never made it. How sorry are we now that we have been! Ima Hogg (yep, really) was the only daughter of the first Texas born governor of Texas, and she spent most of her life as a philanthropist and educator of all things Texas. Actually, she did a lot more than that, but I'll save the history lesson for Bayou Bend. Ima also collected art of all shapes, sizes, and sorts from around the world that she displayed in her huge home called Bayou Bend. The crazy thing is that Bayou Bend sits on 14 acres in the middle of Houston, yet it's so wooded and secluded. Her gardens are stunning, and the house is amazing. Photos of the interior of the house aren't allowed, so go visit! We all went to dinner at Ruggles in Rice Village and ate our fair share of desserts. I hope Nanny had as much fun on her birthday as the rest of us did!

Super fun bridge to cross from the parking lot to the mansion grounds.

Back of Bayou Bend

Statue of Diana

HUGE sequoia tree

Meal Planning Monday

2011-12-26T18:20:00.000-06:00

Sunday and Monday: Kitchen Closed

Tuesday: Leftover Vegetable Beef Stew

Wednesday: Restaurant of Nanny's choice for her birthday

Thursday: Pearland

Friday: Leftover Spaghetti

Saturday: New Year's Eve Party at the Patenaudes

Merry Christmas 2011!

2011-12-25T12:10:00.002-06:00

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord".

~Luke 2: 8-11

We pray this Christmas Day renews your anticipation of the second coming of our Savior as you celebrate His birth. Hallelujah!

Merry Christmas!

The Ozingas 2011

Christmas Eve Festivities

2011-12-24T21:09:00.000-06:00

This morning we drove from Lebanon to Louisville to spend the day with my aunt Donna, my god-sister Stephanie, her kids Alex and Shelby, and Steph's fiance Jason and his daughter Rain. This is two years in a row we've gotten to spend several hours with my family during Christmas, which is such a treat. Usually my extended family doesn't get to be with us during Christmas because we're all so spread out these days. I love any time I get with these super precious people. Alex and Shelby adore Isaac, and I think they have a soft spot for me too. :) We got to see their new house, and then we ate lunch at Five Guys. Yum! Steph, Donna, and the kids have a tradition of ice skating on Christmas Eve, so we joined them. What a hoot! I haven't skated in close to 10 years, but after a couple of laps, I was away from the wall and gliding along just fine. Isaac had no problems, as usual. That kid!

Alex and Shelby; Aunt Donna

Rain and Steph; Jason, Rain, Shebs, Steph, and Alex

Jason, Steph, Alex, me, Rain, and Isaac (Shelbs wasn't into photos at the moment); goofy face time with my nephew!

The Ozingas' church wasn't having a service tonight since they're doing regular worship services in the morning, so we made our own 'candle-light' service with the aid of sparklers and a bottle rocket or two. We lit the sparklers, Jacob read the story of Christ's birth from Luke, and then we sang "Hark the Herald Angels Sing", "Joy to the World", "Gloria in Excelsis Deo", and "Come Let Us Adore Him".

A bucket of 'candles' and the Bible were all we needed for an awesome, fresh worship experience!

Then, we opened our stocking presents to help with time management for tomorrow morning since we have church. Stockings are quite an ordeal with 4 pups who all want to open presents. Ok, two of them want to dig and tear and rip while 2 are content to eat their treats, but it sure makes for lots of laughter!

Isaac's candy cane was in several pieces!

We pray this nights brings great joy are you celebrate Christ's birth!

Christmas Survery

2011-12-24T16:31:00.004-06:00

Several of my friends have posted this on their blogs, so I thought I would too:

1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate? Hot chocolate, with a stick of peppermint, please!

2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit the under the tree? Santa is imaginary, so he does neither. We wrap all the presents we give though.

3. Colored lights on the tree/house or white? Colored! Isaac likes icicle lights, and those are white, but I want some 'Pop' in my decor.

4. Do you hang mistletoe? The years we can find it fresh we do. It was super easy to find growing wild in College Station, but Houston is a little too far south to find much.

5. When do you put your decorations up? The day after Thanksgiving.

6. What is your favorite holiday dish? Mom and Nanny make a mean beef tenderloin, but I also like the peppermint ice cream layer dessert we always have.

7. Favorite Holiday memory as a child? My 10th Christmas: my grandparents took us to Hawaii. It was a wonderful week of focusing on family instead of presents. Oh, and not to mention gorgeous!

8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? I was in 4th grade. I had lost my very last baby tooth and asked for the truth about that blasted fairy. I cried for ages. I will never do that to my kids, because all we cared about when we were little was fun Santa stuff. Jesus totally took the back burner, no matter how hard my parents tried.

9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? We used to, but not anymore.

10. How do you decorate your Christmas tree? Colored lights, an angel on top, and all of our childhood and grownup ornaments. It's a hobnob of awesome memories!

11. Snow! Love it or Dread it? For Christmas, love it! We just don't typically see it unless we're in Ohio, and not even that is a guarantee.

12. Can you ice skate? Nothing fancy, but yes I can. We went today in fact with my aunt, sister, niece, nephew, soon to be b-i-l, and his little girl.

13. Do you remember your favorite gift? The two trips to Hawaii are probably the winners there.

14. What's the most important thing about the Holidays for you? Celebrating Advent and preparing our hearts for Christ's return as we remember His first arrival on Earth.

15.What is your favorite Holiday dessert? Fudge, peppermint ice cream fudge oreo goodness, chocolate covered peanuts-all homemade.

16. What is your favorite holiday tradition? Celebration at Houston's FBC

17. What tops your tree? A beautiful angel that glows.

18. Which do you prefer: giving or receiving? Giving. Honestly, I hate opening presents anymore. I hate the suspense of wondering if I'll like what's inside that package, not to mention the enormously overwhelming guilt I suffer when I get something while knowing so many have so little. I love being a spy to find out what others want and them spoiling them.

19. Candy Canes: I prefer them with chocolate. :)

20. Favorite Christmas show? White Christmas and the original Christmas in Cnneticut

21. Saddest Christmas Song? Steven Curtis Chapman's "All I Really Want" Kills me everytime.

22. What is your favorite Christmas song? Carol: Hark the Herald Angels Sing Contemporary: It changes often, but currently, Selah's "Light of the Stable"

Newport Aquarium

2011-12-24T10:02:00.001-06:00

Isaac and I hadn't seen his best friend Mark and his wife Anna since their wedding a year and a half ago. We were so excited that it was working out for us to spend a day with them this trip to Ohio. Friday was Anna's birthday, but she was quite content to spend part of it with us. We met at the Newport Aquarium in Kentucky to enjoy the sea creatures before lunch at the Claddagh Irish Pub. Yum!

We visited the aquarium two years ago with Bethany, but we realized we'd forgotten so many of the exhibits. Newport is one fabulous aquarium!

An exhibit with fish from Zambia!

Clown fish and an anemone

So, it's no secret we have strong feelings against Santa and the way the lie of Santa takes away from focus on Jesus, but we met a Santa today that even we couldn't resist. Scuba Santa dropped his sleigh in the middle of the Newport Aquarium for a visit, along with some pretty cool seahorses and an elf named Pixie. Now that is pretty cute, for a fairy tale!

Story time with Scuba Santa

Anna and Mark

Penguins!

La Comedia: A Christmas Carol

2011-12-23T21:43:00.003-06:00

La Comedia is a fabulous dinner theater in the greater Dayton, Ohio area that we really enjoy visiting when we're in town. We've made a tradition of seeing their Christmas performance each year when we come in December. They typically do musicals, and 6 shows a year. Some day, I hope to see something besides the Christmas production, but it's still a treat. This year's production was "A Christmas Carol", which we saw Wednesday night. Now, Dickens is probably my least favorite author on the planet, but the actors did a great job with the material they had. Singing and dancing on stage is no easy task, especially to keep it professional quality. I love the mix of local and professional-straight from NYC-talent that La Comedia hires. Maybe some year we'll get a picture of all 5 of us together!

Brothers!

Messiah

2011-12-23T07:05:00.000-06:00

Chamber Singers, the smaller vocal ensemble at our church, was joined by a chamber orchestra to perform Part I and the Hallelujah Chorus on Sunday night. I can't tell you how thrilled I am to be sharing a stage with Isaac for the first time ever-at least vocally. He can sing great, and is really gaining confidence in his abilities after years of focusing only on violin. It tickles me pink to be able to perform such powerful pieces of praise with my husband.

Road Trip

2011-12-22T17:04:00.000-06:00

Monday and Tuesday we trekked from Houston to Lebanon, Ohio to spend some long over due time with Isaac's family. While Aggie Belle always enjoys car trips, she has never been in the car more than an hour and a half, so we weren't quite sure what to expect. We know Bailey gets a tad nervous being cooped up for so long, so our dearly loved vet gave us some meds to just make both pups a little groggy. Our babies were absolute champs both days! Aggie Belle used her seat belt like a pro, and Bailey didn't mind being in his car seat when I needed a break from holding him. I'll travel anywhere anytime with both of them. What a treat to have such cute, cuddle, sweethearts to help us pass the time. God answered our prayers for travel mercies time and again on our drive. Praise Him!

Aggie Belle spent most of the trip on her blankie and Daddy's pillow.

Sweet Boo snoozing away the time.

Precious, darling babies!

Introducing Kate and Pippa

2011-12-21T16:40:00.000-06:00

No, no, we haven't completely lost our minds. Six weeks ago, we rescued two gerbil sisters from a family who could no longer keep them, but we couldn't come up with names for our brown and blonde sister pair. Braveheart and Sissy had been so easy to name because their personalities were so strong, but our new girls are just calm sweeties. On Friday, Isaac said he really like the name Pippa. I told him that Pippa is a good name, but since our critters are sisters, the other must be Kate. Isaac is dear enough to humor me and my love of all things British, so Kate and Pippa it is!

Kate

Pippa

Aggie Belle likes that Pippa matches her coloring.

Pippa and Kate

Christmas Decor 2011

2011-12-20T14:56:00.001-06:00

While we work so hard to keep our focus on Jesus between the day after Thanksgiving and New Year's Day, we do love to decorate our home! We try to make sure our decorations help us focus on Jesus. My collection of nativities made around the world is growing!

My favorite Christmas decoration-my nativity from Zambia.

Aggie Belle hasn't broken a thing on the tree. I don't trust her with presents though.

Daddy and daughter inspecting the tree.

We had to add a stocking this year which meant changing from "JOY" to "HOPE". Do you think I minded?

Venezuelan nativity, my baby tree, and Precious Moments nativity from my childhood

Even our new gerbil girls are part of the festivities.

My nativity ornaments that were made in London.

Meal Planning Monday

2011-12-19T07:14:00.000-06:00

Sunday: Leftover Beef Vegetable Stew

Monday-Saturday: Kitchen is closed thanks for family and friends who will be spoiling us all week. Yippee!

Angry Birds Cake

2011-12-18T15:13:00.001-06:00

Isaac was asked to make a cake themed around the game "Angry Birds" for our triplet friends who just turned 8. The cake turned out so cute!

Friend!

2011-12-17T14:56:00.000-06:00

We went to a super special, Dr. Seuss themed birthday party for super cute Megan this morning. The party was adorable for such a darling 2 year old, but I must be selfish and admit that my favorite part was the text I received this morning saying my precious friend Ashley was going to be able to join us for some Seussical fun! Ashley and I don't get to see each other much living 2 hours away and having insane work schedules. While Isaac and I were totally enamored with all of the fun party things, we must be honest in saying that our sweet time with Ashley and her husband Tim stole the cake for us! I cannot explain just how overfilled my heart is after a visit with the Assels. To be with someone whose known me and loved me so long in spite of all of my flaws is a joyous thing. Thank You, Jesus, for such special friends!

Peanut Butter and Chocolate Fudge Recipes

2011-12-13T07:43:00.000-06:00

Dad typically left the cooking to Mom when we were kids, but there were times, like when he made gumbo, that he took over the culinary creations. Two things I remember him making almost yearly were fudge and peanut butter ritz dipped in white almond bark. The last doesn't need a recipe, but Dad's fudge does. He typically made two batches, one of peanut butter, and one of chocolate. This year, I poured half of the peanut butter into two separate pans and then poured half of the chocolate onto each peanut butter pan. Isaac is currently in sugar heaven!

Peanut Butter Fudge from one of the old, old Reidland, KY United Methodist Church cookbooks:

3        C. sugar
3/4     C. butter
2/3     C. evaporated milk
1 1/2 C. peanut butter
2        C. marshmallow cream
1       tsp. vanilla

Put sugar, butter, and milk in a large pot.

Bring to a boil. Boil for 5 minutes. Stir constantly. Then remove from heat.

Add marshmallow cream, peanut butter and vanilla. Stir until well blended.

Pour into 9 x 13 greased dish to cool.

Chocolate Fudge is from the back of the marshmallow cream jar. If it worked for Dad all those years, it works for me!

3 cups of sugar
1 3/4 sticks of butter

2/3 cup of evaporated milk
1 1/2 boxes of Bakers Semi-Sweet Chocolate Squares-chopped
1 1/2 cups of marshmallow cream
1 teaspoon vanilla

Put sugar, butter, and milk in a large pot.

Bring to a boil. Boil for 5 minutes. Stir constantly. Then remove from heat.

Add chocolate and marshmallow cream. Stir until well blended.

Pour into 13x9 greased dish (or in my case, on top of the peanut butter fudge I'd already made).

The fudge will be firm in about 3-4 hours.

Meal Planning Monday

2011-12-12T07:23:00.000-06:00

Sunday: Sunday School Christmas Party

Monday: Veggie and Beef Stew

Tuesday: Rudy's BBQ

Wednesday: Music Ministry Christmas Party

Thursday: Stew Leftovers

Friday: Homemade pizza date night with three very special kiddos

Saturday: Pearland

Christmas Truth

2011-12-11T15:56:00.000-06:00

Once again, Jen has spoken my heart better than I ever could. If only I could express my thoughts so concisely and clearly. Thank you, Jen, for helping families keep Christ in Christmas and fluff out. May God bless your family.

Houston's FBC Celebration 2011

2011-12-11T15:22:00.001-06:00

Gregg Matte, John Bolin, FBC's choir, orchestra, members, and visionaries have done it again! How they manage to tell the same story in a different way year after year amazes me. Don't get me wrong...the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Christ is a story that will never get old, even if presented in the same fashion time and again, but to so creatively bring to life the Word of God is awe-inspiring and a joyous filled time. I think Isaac and I have a Christmas tradition in place that will last as long as we're in Houston. This is our 3rd Christmas married and our 3rd Christmas to attend Celebration. This year my parents, David and Laura, Laura's parents, and her grandparents joined us, along with our UBC friends Kathleen and Anthony.

2011 included dancing penguins, Frosty, and of course Santa flying down in his sleigh during The Spirit.

During The Songs, we got a kick that John had chosen some of the same songs that Matt chose for us to perform this morning. Of course, a 300+ person choir and a full orchestra is much more impressive than our 80 person choir and 30+person orchestra, but FBC is a bigger congregation. UBC has the same ratio, I think. :) The music was moving, and so deeply spoke the Truth of Christmas.

Isaac said he's fine only playing violin on stage and not from a harness 50 feet in the air. :)

This year's The Story section was my favorite of the three years I've seen. It began with Isaiah hearing from God and sharing with the people that a Savior would be born for them. We saw the agony of the Israelites as they waited 700 from Isaiah's prophecy until the birth of Christ.


Do you see the angel above the stable?!

Then, we heard and saw the shepherds respond to the angels as they went to visit the Baby in Bethlehem. As Jesus grew into a toddler, we saw the approach of the Magi, coming to worship the King as a little boy. Of course Paige tromped through the sanctuary, on her best big elephant girl behavior! She stank up the place, but she can't help that even a clean elephant is a stinky creature! *Side note...a Phi Lamb sister from my days at A&M and her family attend FBC. Each year, her husband plays one of the Kings. This year their little boy played toddler Jesus, so it was a touching moment seeing a real daddy bow to his own little boy representing the Savior of the world. It made me think about how it must've been for Joseph watching Jesus grow.

The best thing is, the story doesn't end with the Magi visiting little Jesus and then returning East. Jesus grew up. He taught for 3 years about how to live life in a manner pleasing to God. Jesus was betrayed by a friend, crucified on a cross with the weight of every past and future sin on Him, and rose from the dead 3 days later to proclaim that faith in Him ends the 2,000+ year void that had separated man from God. Hallelujah! Now that, my friends, is a CELEBRATION!

I might possibly be a bit obsessed with the flying angels each year...

And no worries, October 20th is already on my calendar to by tickets for next year. Want to join us?

Caroling, Caroling...

2011-12-06T18:24:00.000-06:00

I wasn't caroling through the snow this past week, but I sure sang a lot!

Let me set this up by saying that our church averages 950 people split through two services each week, and our choir for the traditional service averages about 75. We have about 20 people that play in an orchestra (Isaac plays violin) with the choir on Sunday mornings. This thrills me. Our music minister/director pushes us hard, and the music we learn is always stunning. We have a bazillion NASA engineers (many from the glory days), and our director reminds us constantly that if we can put a man on the moon, we can certainly learn such-and-such rhythm, etc. He's right. I don't think any of us are there for our selves, because we rarely know what we sound like, and choral music is a team sport. No one outshines another, and if you do, you know about it real quick! Blending is a must for us. Gracious, I'll probably never be a soloist, and I'm not sure I want to. I love the challenge of choral music and the sounds that come from an eight part harmony.

Thursday we had a special concert for about 400 people from our community who are experiencing some tough times at the moment. UBC hosts Light House of Hope the first Thursday of each December for folks that we regularly minister to, ranging from the neighborhood shelter, the crisis pregnancy center, and HUD apartments nearby. This year, the choir and orchestra were asked to perform. I think it might have been more of a treat for us than them. There were so many cute little ones dancing in the aisles and laughing while we sang. Such a fun sight!

Friday and Saturday I sang with the Clear Lake Symphony for their Christmas concert. We accompanied the symphony on 5 songs, and sat behind them while the played the other selections. I got goosebumps both nights, feeling the sound vibrations move through the floor, up my feet, and all the way to my nose! Our community has such a fabulous symphony, and I was honored to be asked to help out the choir that performs with them from time to time.

Sunday was a our bellapalooza-UBC's 4 hand bell choirs in concert for Christmas. So much fun! I've been ringing since I was 13, and I just love it!

We still have our big choir concert Sunday morning, and Isaac and I are both singing in Messiah on the 18th with a smaller ensemble. I love being a musician at Christmastime!

Meal Planning Monday

2011-12-05T07:53:00.000-06:00

Sunday: Breakfast for dinner

Monday: Poppyseed Chicken Casserole and Cranberry Casserole

Tuesday: Clam Chowder

Wednesday: Russian Chicken and Green Beans

Thursday: Leftovers

Friday: Digornio Pizza

Saturday: Goode Co. BBQ before Celebration @ FBC

Earning Her Keep

2011-12-04T21:06:00.000-06:00

Aggie Belle loves to please. She enjoys being challenged by 'chores'. Her current favorites are retrieving the newspaper and bringing in the mail once we take it out of the mailbox. Today, Aggie Belle learned how to take the grocery bags out of the truck and bring them to me in the kitchen. What a big helper! I wish the pictures weren't blurry, but at least it's an idea of what our pup can do.

Story Time

2011-12-03T17:03:00.002-06:00

Some day, I want to be a mommy that tells stories like this. Beautiful.

Amazon Christmas Music Downloads

2011-12-01T19:02:00.001-06:00

Once again, Amazon is offering a different Christmas song for free each day in December until Christmas. Yay! Head here daily to claim your free song.

**Disclaimer: I learned last year that not all of their music is in the true spirit of Christmas, so make sure you check the lyrics before blasting the music for little ears! Let's just say not all the songs were radio cuts.

Aggie Belle Update

2011-12-01T07:31:00.000-06:00

Aggie Belle is 10 months old. How do puppies grow so fast?!? Isaac and I can't believe she's been in our home for 8 months now. Our 'puppy' is now 56 pounds, which means she's full grown, but it won't surprise me if she adds a few more pounds as she's just now filling out.

Bailey really seems more comfortable having a 'little' sister now. He doesn't cower when Aggie Belle is running past him, and sometimes we even find him in her house checking out her treats. He's always thought her water bowl was his second water bowl, and if we aren't careful, he'll snitch a few kibbles from her too. Recently, Bailey even stole a piece of rawhide from Aggie Belle. Um...this dog hasn't had interest in rawhide in two years. I love seeing my shy boy's spunky side more often as he grows more bold with this crazy puppy!

Aggie Belle's favorite things include whining to play with the new gerbils (more about them soon), fetching the paper and mail, going bye-bye, and being outside. She still loves chasing her tail and whining at the squirrels through the back door. Oh, and now she's decided Bailey's tummy makes the best pillow. Seriously? Shouldn't it be the other way around...?

We loves these two pups and all the laughter they bring into this home!

Meal Planning Monday

2011-11-28T07:38:00.000-06:00

Monday-Tuesday: The last of the leftovers. :)

Wednesday: Chili

Thursday: Chicken and Dumpling Soup

Friday: Chili

Saturday: California Pizza Kitchen in my oven.

Thanksgiving Break Fun

2011-11-25T22:24:00.000-06:00

I love working in a school district that gives a whole week of vacation for Thanksgiving. I've much enjoyed a week to do what I want-my own plans, my own schedule.

Monday my mom, my grandparents, and I went to the zoo where we saw most of the animals, but of course the elephants and giraffes thrilled me most! Ruggles was top on our list for lunch, (one of Houston's best!), and then we stopped by the Museum of Natural Science to see the Civil War exhibit. It was a great day with lots of fun conversation and laughter at the animals.

Bath time for Baylor and Shanti

Of course Tupelo and Bayor immediately put on 'sunscreen', with Tess's help, as soon as they went outside. So much for bath time!

Swimming in their new pool!

Nanny, Dede, and Mom with Tupelo and Baylor splashing.

Mom feeding Mtembei

Mtembei munching the lettuce I gave him.

Tuesday was full of errands and then Teachers' Night out at Melting Pot with my friends Diana and Danielle. Fabulous food and fabulous fellowship.

My grandparents had yet to experience the joy that is Bayou Wildlife, so on Wednesday Isaac and I took them to feed the animals and get 'bathed' by the same sweet deer that melted me to giggles back in March.

I found the kissy deer from March!

Nanny managed not to get nipped by the ostrich.

Nanny and an eland.

No worries...this llama didn't spit!

Cindy the Camel

Kissy deer!

Nanny and Dede liked the kissy deer too!

Thursday was full of family and food, walks around the lake, and a few Christmas card photos.

Today we've been busy putting cleaning the yard and the house so we can dig into some serious decorating tomorrow. We also had fun playing Loaded Questions with my parents and grandparents tonight. Such a silly game!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-24T12:25:00.000-06:00

Isaac and I attempt to be intentional in our thanks in our daily quiet times, but isn't it nice to have a whole day set aside to spend with family talking about all the blessings in our lives? I love how old stories of thankfulness share more about my family's past as memories are stirred and shared with us youngins.

Instead of inundating Facebook every day with something for which I am thankful, I decided to compile my list of 30 blessings in one spot on one day. What are you thankful for this year?

1) Salvation in Christ Jesus. I'd be nowhere without it.
2) The ability to read the Bible and grow in my relationship with Christ.
3) My family. They raised me right and love me always.
4) Isaac. He's crazy enough to love me, quirks and all!
5) Bailey. This dog has seen me through so much!
6) Aggie Belle. This crazy puppy sure is fun!
7) Our other pets. Hours of entertainment!
8) Friends. Life would be so dull without them!
9) You knew this was coming...my Tundra! Love getting to have a dream come true!
10) Extended family that's scattered everywhere. I love them dearly, and they give me an excuse to quench my travel bug.
11) Horses. Oh, the joy!
12) Texas A&M University. Proud of this school and all I learned while there.
13) Trips to the beach. Sand, waves, salt air, happy puppies. Enough said!
14) Our home. It's cozy and meets our needs.
15) Disney. Magical
16) Books! I love getting wrapped up in a story or learning more about our world.
17) The ability to be globally missional without leaving Houston. Between my blog being read in over 20 countries on every habitable continent to teaching children from 5 of the habitable continents, I can be Jesus to the world so easily...maybe too easily.
18) The kids in our lives that our friends allow us sweet time with. Love it!
19) Music. Singing and playing make my world go round.
20) All those summers in Kentucky with my grandparents. Lots of road trips and late night movie-thons.
21) My job. Love sharing world cultures with kids.
22) Museums. I'm a nerd, but I so enjoy a good exhibit.
23) Never being truly hungry or thirsty. I realize I'm in such a tiny percentage of Earth's population.
24) Elephants and giraffes. They remind me of God's incredible sense of humor and creativity.
25) Always having our needs met. Someday, we might work on the wants, but we are so blessed to never worry about the needs!
26) Living so close to my immediate family. Fun!
27) The ability to understand the glorious promise of earthly and heavenly adoption.
28) College sports. We've been highly entertained for countless hours thanks to our Aggies and Wildcats
29) Our Sunday School kids. Sometimes I wonder if Isaac and I don't learn more from them than they do for us.
30) Being healthy and endo free for nearly 4 years!

Meal Planning Monday

2011-11-21T18:58:00.000-06:00

Sunday: Sandwiches (we had a big lunch with our friends who moved away and were home visiting!)

Monday: Chicken Tortilla Soup

Tuesday: Teacher's Night at Melting Pot; leftovers for Isaac

Wednesday-Friday: Pearland!

Saturday: Thanksgiving De-tox, so probably sandwiches or leftover spaghetti from the freezer

British Booty!

2011-11-15T16:36:00.000-06:00

My mother went to Britain without me, but oh, did she ever make up for it with British presents!!! Mom knows I love England and Scotland dearly and that it was very hard for me to send her off without me as her tour guide. She spent an awesome week experiencing some of my most favorite places on Earth. I think she enjoyed every bit of it!

Tote bag of the Royal Palaces, Knights and Castles book for my classes, Pearce bookmark, an Edinburgh sign for Isaac, St. George Chapel calendar, purse from Harrods, woolen Scottish cap for Isaac, Nativity set made in London for my international collection, Pearce magnet, 5 sets of postcards, 2 Mars bars, a crown Christmas ornament handmade at St. George's, and a woolen Scottish scarf.

Merry Christmas to me! And it's not even Christmas!!! (I think I need a camera for Christmas. Isaac's phone isn't cutting it anymore...)

Meal Planning Monday

2011-11-14T18:35:00.000-06:00

Sunday: Church

Monday: Spaghetti and Garlic Bread

Tuesday: Eggs, Bacon, and Biscuits

Wednesday: Homemade Pizza since Mom surprised us with dinner on Friday

Thursday: Bacon and Mushroom Stuffed Chicken

Friday: Spaghetti Leftovers

Saturday: Pearland to hopefully watch the Aggie BTHO Kansas!

Jake and the Neverland Pirates Cake

2011-11-13T15:00:00.000-06:00

Friends of ours asked for a sheet cake themed from the Disney Channel show "Jake and the Neverland Pirates", but with their son's name instead of Jake's. Mr. Creativity gave them this. The man amazes me! Apparently Pirate Jake is cool, but not cool enough yet to have character cake toppers, so Isaac made his own with PowerPoint, cardstock, and our printer. Pretty cool, huh?

Meal Planning Monday

2011-11-07T17:00:00.000-06:00

Sunday: Leftovers from T-bone Tom's

Monday: Chicken and Veggie Alfredo Biscuits

Tuesday: Leftover Taco Salad

Wednesday: Creamy Shrimp and Rice from Philadelphia Cooking Creme

Thursday: Tapestry Dinner for me; leftovers for Isaac

Friday: Homemade Pizza

Saturday: Mandy's Wedding

Birthday Girl

2011-11-06T06:57:00.000-06:00

Happy birthday, Precious Girl! We love you so much and hope your friends help you feel extra special today. I wish I could see the look on your face when you get that bucket of water dumped on your cute head! xoxo

Wise Advice

2011-11-02T14:29:00.000-05:00

Found a new blog today thanks to a Phi Lamb sister. Jen Hatmaker and her husband had 3 kids and then God told them to adopt two more. :) This makes me happy! Ok, so this post she wrote is all about how to talk to friends who are in the middle of and directly post adoption. I love her humor and her honesty. Just had to share. Happy reading!

National Adoption Month

2011-11-01T21:19:00.000-05:00

November 1st: the beginning of National Adoption Month. If I could lobby on Capitol Hill for any cause, adoption would be it. It shouldn't have surprised me then that I received a text in middle of dinner from a dear friend who has been involved deep in the spiritual heart of Zambia with my family for over 15 years saying she had found a couple willing and excited to share all they know and help us through our adoption in Zambia. Praise You, Jesus! Oh, we're still months away from knowing IF we'll get to bring home our girl, but we're one step closer to that answer. We may never make it home with a child from anywhere, but if others are encouraged to adopt because we have at least tried, then I deem us successful. If others come to serve Christ before themselves because of this, then we are beyond successful. Father, You're timing is always perfect, and Isaac and I haven't doubted. You are perfect, gracious, and sovereign in all things. May You alone receive the glory, no matter our journey's outcome! Bless Your name forever!

I waited patiently for the Lord; He turned to me and heard my cry. Psalm 40:1

Meal Planning Monday

2011-10-31T07:31:00.000-05:00

Sunday: We get to be home! Left over enchiladas.

Monday: Carnival food while working UBC's Fall Festival

Tuesday: Swiss Chicken and homemade Applesauce

Wednesday: Taco Salad

Thursday: Leftover chicken

Friday: School Dinner Club at T-bone Tom's

Saturday: Pearland to hear all about my mom's trip to Britain!

Visit from the Boys

2011-10-30T16:51:00.001-05:00

Last Tuesday-Tuesday, Isaac's brother Jacob and their cousin Jason came in for what is becoming an annual visit. Our home turns into a frat house with lots of food, messes, and laughter, and I try to lay low so I don't bother them, though I must say they do a fine job of waning me around.

On Thursday, we spent the afternoon at the beach. It was a cool day, too cold for swimming, but warm and sunny and perfect for walking, running, throwing toys, and even an impromptu ballet set by me. :) It was just blissful in every way! The dogs loved our jaunt and slept so well that night!

The boys crewed a hot air balloon for the Balloonar Festival at NASA over the weekend, so they were very busy Friday morning and evening, Saturday morning and evening, and Sunday morning. Friday afternoon found us at the bowling alley, enjoying how the quiet of normal working hours. I was horrible at bowling, as always, but the brothers were in a bowling league as tykes, and Jason's just good at sports, so they had a blast. I laughed a lot!

Saturday night several teachers and their families met up at school for a bbq and then we went across the street to see the balloons glow. The boys had a great time setting up and tearing down their balloon all weekend, and Jacob even got to fly with their pilot on Sunday morning.

Come back soon, Jacob and Jason! We all miss you!

Meal Planning Monday

2011-10-24T16:58:00.000-05:00

Sunday: Leftovers from the week

Monday: The guys' last night, and they requested hibachi at Ichibahn. Yum!

Tuesday: Hibachi leftovers

Wednesday: Leftovers from last week-can't let all that goodness go to waste!

Thursday: Chicken Enchiladas

Friday: Isaac's on his own; I have a birthday party

Saturday: Pearland

Sissy

2011-10-21T21:54:00.001-05:00

Sissy, on the left, and Braveheart munching peanuts

When we came home yesterday, the dogs were looking around Sissy's cage, so I went to check on her to see if she was awake to play. The dogs tend to forget gerbils are nocturnal and not always up to playing before dinner time! Sadly, I found Sissy curled under her jogging wheel, no longer with us. She is probably having a hard time choosing between running in Jesus' huge gerbil wheel or climbing in a huge set of tubes in Heaven, all while living again in her sister Braveheart's shadow. We're pretty sure Sissy had a stroke about 3 weeks ago, and since she was close to three years old, we were expecting her to head back to Eden anytime.

Isaac put her a container so the pups could say good-bye. They both nosed her and couldn't understand why she would pop up to play. We let them follow us outside to dig the hole to bury her, and this very much upset Aggie Belle. She did not like Daddy putting dirt over her little gerbil girl one bit! Bailey just sat there and then looked toward Braveheart and Igor's graves. I guess he remember the summer's two burials. So sad to watch them say good-bye!

Both gerbil girls gave our puppies so many hours of fun, and we enjoyed them too. What a treat to care for two little furballs of love for nearly two years!

Meal Planning Monday

2011-10-17T16:57:00.000-05:00

This is a fun, crazy week as Isaac's brother and their cousin will be in town!

Sunday: Leftover Meatloaf and Salad after church activities

Monday: Chicken Green Bean Casserole, Cranberry Casserole, and Pumpkin Cookies (splitting the recipes to take to the Tanners).

Tuesday: Chili

Wednesday: Tookie's

Thursday: Ichibahn

Friday: Italian Beef Sandwiches

Saturday: BBQ at school before the Balloonar Festival Balloon Glow

Ticket Pull

2011-10-16T16:49:00.000-05:00

Saturday morning felt like I was back in college, getting up early to pull tickets for a big game. It was my turn to buy tickets for our family to see Celebration at FBC this year (see here and here to understand why this is such a big deal). I woke up at 5:30 and made it to FBC by 6:42. Tickets go on sale at 8:00 each year, and I was 27th in line. I had brought my book (The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place: The Howling-fabulous story!) and plopped down to dig into the story. At 7:00, they opened the doors so we could wait in the candy cane-themed foyer until 8:00. More and more people kept arriving, and by the time I had my ten tickets and was walking out the door at 8:24, I bet there were over 200 people in line. We're picky about where we sit. We want the lower level, but the first couple of rows of the back section so we can see the animals parade across the middle aisle. Too close to the front and we won't even know they were in the sanctuary. Too high up and it's just not as fun.

While in line, the couple in front of me were Ol' Ags, so they struck up conversation upon seeing my shirt in honor of our (hopeful) win against Baylor and my Aggie ring. The gentleman was giving me a hard time about my ring because it looks so new while his is so worn that many of the symbols are no longer visible. I love hearing stories about the glory days at A&M...when everyone had to be in the Corps, and it was still an all male campus. So many funny tales!

My new friends also asked me if I knew who won the Heisman in 1950. I sadly didn't know. I was then asked if I knew which actor when the Oscar in 1960. Still didn't know. He then asked me if I remembered the name(s) of teacher(s) who had made a difference in my life. Of course I do! God knew exactly what I needed to hear to keep my career in perspective because it sure has been a challenging year. Thank You, Jesus for speaking through the words of others!

Cranberry Casserole

2011-10-16T16:37:00.000-05:00

Another old family recipe that is a Thanksgiving MUST and pops up on occasion the rest of the year. And no, it's NOT dessert, but a delectable side dish!

Casserole:
1 package fresh cranberries
1 can whole berry cranberry sauce
3 cups peeled and chopped apples
3/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/3 teaspoon salt

Topping:
1 stick butter, melted
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup oatmeal

Combine casserole ingredients and put in a 9x13 baking dish. Mix topping and spread over the casserole. Bake at 325* for 1 hour.

Chicken Green Bean Casserole

2011-10-16T16:34:00.000-05:00

An old family recipe:

1 box wild rice, cooked as directed

1 sm. jar pimento

1 can cr. of celery soup

1 cup sour cream

4 cups chicken

1 can french gr. beans

1 can sliced water chestnuts (optional: Mom uses them; I don't)

3 T. chopped onion

1 cup mayo

1 can onion rings

Season and cook chicken; shred.

Mix all ingredients into a 9x13 dish.

Top with crumbled onion rings.

Bake at 350 for 45 minutes.

It tastes like Fall!

The Writing Is On The Wall

2011-10-13T22:20:00.001-05:00

But are we reading it?

The news this week about the Iranian backed assassination attempt on our Saudi ambassador is just another piece of evidence to back the yet unfulfilled Ezekiel 38 and 39 prophecies. If you aren't familiar with these, read here.

Iran has been an interesting country for me to study for years. It's a stunningly beautiful place (google images of Iran) with a strong heritage thanks to the Persian Empire. Fabulous culture! But, a little over 30 years ago, the overthrow of Shah Mohammed Reza in 1979 ushered in one of the purest theocracies this world has known, based solely on Shi'a Muslim beliefs and the ever increasing certainty (to Shi'as) that the 12th Imam (Mahdi) is returning soon to usher in a glorious world reign. However, many think that before the 12th Imam will appear, Israel, Iran's "Little Satan", and America, Iran's "Great Satan" must first be destroyed. Hmm..scary. Iran's Grand Ayatollah Khamenei, and his predecessors, have been angry with America for decades because we offered asylum to the Shah's family (and still do), and our Western culture supposedly infiltrated and ruined their cultural. Cultural borrowing is a choice, so I'm not sure how that's our fault, but yes, we are guilty of keeping a family safe.

So, if Ayatollah Khamenei really believes that Israel and America must both be destroyed for the Mahdi to return, then why aren't we paying more attention? Why aren't our government and military leaders reading everything they can on Shi'a eschatology so that they can understand the mindset of the Iranian leaders? If they really think sanctions will stop a nation from completing tasks they feel are vital to their future, they're nuts.

Now, bring in Russia. Did anyone else pay attention to the fact that Putin is pretty much for sure and for certain going to be president AGAIN (czar wanna-be, perhaps?)? Does anyone know how much he talks about not liking America? Does anyone pay attention to the deals and meetings Russia and Iran have? This screams of Ezekiel 38 and 39! War on Israel by Russian and Iran is imminent, and what are the chances America will be threatened too? The writing IS on the wall. God, in all His sovereignty, has given us all the knowledge we need to prepare ourselves spiritually and as a country to face not a power of this world, but the Prince of Darkness, disguising himself as the political and religious leaders of Iran. His Word is perfect, living, and teaching us, if we'll read it! In Beth Moore's study on David called "Seeking a Heart Like His", she reminds us in Session 5 how as Christians it's a responsibility to know what's happening in the world and to be a part of the solution, not more of the problem. She's right, because she pulled her words right out of Scripture. So, if the problem is Satan, what are we doing to fight back appropriately? WAKE UP, America!

To learn more about all of these ramblings, check out Joel Rosenberg's blog.

Ozinga Cakes Unlimited

2011-10-11T07:16:00.002-05:00

I'm about to dub our house the above mentioned blog post title. This past week was filled with buttercream and cake as Isaac filled three cake orders, one for 100 people! My kitchen is currently nice and clean and will remain that way until Isaac, his brother, and their cousin commence their late night baking sessions next week, but that's just pure fun!

Here's what my creative husband had up his sleeve last week:


Our friend Callie asked for this cake for her Mom's

This was for 100 people...huge! For a Primetimers' Event at our church.

For a little girl at church.

Meal Planning Monday

2011-10-10T07:16:00.001-05:00

This is another clean out the freezer week because I need room for all the Blue Bell and other goodies I need to stock for our special guests next week. Yay for company and a husband who doesn't mind leftovers!!!

Sunday: Clif bars between church activities

Monday: Meat Loaf and Veggie Medley

Tuesday: Spaghetti and Salad

Wednesday: Pork Tenderloin and Salad

Thursday: Meat Loaf and Veggie Medley

Friday: Pearland with the family

Saturday: Pork Tenderloin and Salad

Wet, Messy, Glorious RAIN!

2011-10-09T16:27:00.000-05:00

THIS is why I was a distracted mess in worship this morning. I promise I was talking to God the whole time, tell Him, "Thank You, thank You!" over and over again for this loveliness that was falling from the sky and that I could see so clearly from the choir loft. Then in Sunday School, the kids were laughing at me because I kept losing my train of thought because I was looking out the window at the rain running off the roof. WHOOP!

Folks, Texas has been in a serious drought for 10 months now. Like, watching desertification happen before my very eyes, and I don't have to show my students videos of the process from them to learn about it anymore-that bad of a drought. Cracks in the ground large enough to trap cell phones, keys, and small puppies-no exaggeration. Houston itself is 24" below average rainfall; our 3-ish inches today won't fix our drought, but it has been a pleasure to stay inside today, take a nap, and work around the house with the blinds open wide to catch every glimpse of the wet goodness falling from the sky. Perfect day of worship!

Love Knows No Bounds

2011-10-08T15:08:00.000-05:00

Keven and Matildah were married today, and I can't wait to see pictures from their wedding in Lusaka! What a thrill for these two amazing people to get to spend the rest of their lives serving God and loving on some of the coolest kids I know (that would be those at CACZ, of course!). Congrats, you two!

Hope's Journey to Zambia

2011-10-05T20:56:00.000-05:00

November 6th is our little girl's 'birthday', and my friend's offer to take things with her to Zambia gave Isaac and me the perfect opportunity to ensure a special something would be waiting for her on her big day. No one living really knows her birthday, so for our little girl, November 6th has been dubbed the exciting day all children anxiously await.

Material, tangible presents aren't always a big deal in Lusaka, but Isaac and I wanted to give something, probably because we can't actually be there. Yes, I know that sounds a lot like parents who 'buy' their kids' love, but hopefully the whole international adoption situation excuses us at least a little. :)

Admittedly, a birthday present for our cutie was more about the shopping experience and memory building for Isaac and me, but we still wanted the present to be special and meaningful. We decided on Build-A-Bear, and we had a great time making our bear to send to Zambia!

We choose a cute little tan cub with a huge brown nose and chocolate eyes. She didn't look too cuddly at first!

We made sure our little bear was stuffed nice and full so she'd be hug-able and cuddle-able for years to come.

Isaac made sure our bear was nice and fluffy too!

We didn't decide on the name Hope until we sat down at the computer to make the 'birth certificate'.

Once Hope was free to leave Build-A-Bear, Isaac insisted on hold her until we reached the car. He didn't care what the other shoppers thought as they gave strange glances at the grown man carry a teddy bear in the mall; he was going to pass on as much lovin' as possible to that little bear to give our little girl. I'm proud of him, and watching him made my heart melt!

Our puppies are always interested in the things we bring home, and Hope was no exception. Aggie Belle whined for two days, sitting next to Hope, wanting to play. Bailey slept curled up on Hope's lap Saturday and Sunday night. Dare I think that they truly understand a member of our family is missing and Hope represents that? I used these pictures and Publisher to make our sweetie a little story book to tell about Hope's journey to Zambia. This is one special bear folks, but she belongs to one special little girl!

It was bittersweet tucking Hope, the book, and a birthday card into the suitcase Monday morning to begin the long journey to Zambia. We can't wait to hear stories from Kevin, Matildah, and Janet about the adventures of our darling and Hope!

Sweet Hope!

Suitcase of Love

2011-10-03T19:35:00.000-05:00

A friend of ours is heading to Zambia in a week, and she generously offered to take with her anything I wanted to send! Praise Jesus for the loving arms of those who help me 'be' with my friends and family who live so far away. With the help of some very generous students and family members, Isaac and I were able to stuff a huge suitcase full of 47 pounds of toiletries and school supplies for our friend to pass out at her church. We also bought a present for each of the 31 older kids at House of Martha. The little kids get stuff all the time, but the older ones get overlooked, so each kid has a present we picked out with them in mind. We wrote names on each present so they know it's theirs. We take so for granted being able to call any tangible item 'mine', but it's a big deal for these kids. I collect toiletries, hand-me-down clothes, and small presents all the time so that I'm prepared when these suitcase opportunities arise. A second suitcase could have been filled, but we didn't have enough money to ship a second suitcase to Kentucky at the moment, so we're just one step ahead in packing for this summer. :)

Thank you, thank you to all who helped us send this suitcase of love to those I love so very much!

Meal Planning Monday

2011-10-03T08:21:00.000-05:00

Sunday: Cliff Bars between church activities

Monday: Chicken and Biscuits

Tuesday: Spaghetti with Salad

Wednesday: Italian Pinwheels with Salad

Thursday: Leftovers

Friday: Don Pico's with Work Dinner Group

Saturday: Leftovers

DolphinTale

2011-09-29T18:37:00.000-05:00

While the Aggies looked like they had a firm grasp on the game against OSU on Saturday, Isaac and I decided to take advantage of a Groupon I had purchased to see DolphinTale. Little did we know that the Aggie would blow their lead while we were being incredibly entertained by Winter and her friends, but I think our distraction was much better than the game!

I remember the newspaper articles and stories on TV about the 3 month old dolphin found caught in a crab trap who had to have her tail amputated a few years ago. I was at A&M and oh so sick at the time, and Winter's story grabbed my attention. For ages, nothing was said about her, but then stories about her prosthetic tail began to surface, again gaining my intrigue.

When the movie previews were for DolphinTale were first shown this summer, I was super excited! My family is big Ashley Judd fans (Go BIG BLUE!) and I adore Morgan Freeman. Isaac found the previews online last week got really excited. If you read the blog much, you know Isaac isn't a movie buff, so that's a big deal!

The movie was very well made, with Winter playing herself. Best I can tell, most of the story is fictionalized, but Winter really did get a prosthetic tail and is doing so well with it! It was so refreshing to see a family-friendly (truly ALL ages) movie that was funny and up-lifting with fabulous acting. Well done, Hollywood!

To learn more about Winter's story, visit her website, where I borrowed these images too. :)

Pumpkin Pancakes

2011-09-26T18:38:00.003-05:00

It's still 100 degrees outside (literally), but I couldn't wait any longer to dive into one of my favorite things about Fall and Winter: all things PUMPKIN! The only time I like the color orange is when it comes is pumpkin. :)

In less than 36 hours, I've made my mom's bestest pumpkin cookies and I just made a batch of pumpkin pancakes to throw in the freezer to be heated in the toaster in the mornings to come. My friend Laine gave me this recipe a few years ago, and it's a hit in this house. The dogs sure love getting pureed pumpkin for dessert too!

2 1/4 cups all purpose flour (I use whole wheat).
4 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
7 tablespoon sugar
2 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 1/4 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 3/4 cups milk
1 egg
3 tablespoons butter (melted)
1 ½ cups pumpkin puree

In a medium size bowl, sift together the dry ingredients.

In a small bowl, combine the milk, egg, and butter.

Add the milk mixture to the dry ingredients, mix until smooth.

Stir in the pumpkin puree until combined.

On medium heat, scoop the batter into a non-stick skillet and cook like you would a normal pancake.

Yields 16 pancakes using a 1/4 cup scoop.

Meal Planning Monday

2011-09-26T07:16:00.000-05:00

Work has been the biggest stress-ball mess every this school year, and I'm so happy to have lots of leftovers tucked away in the freezer so I don't have to worry about cooking much this week. What a treat!

Sunday: Whatever we grab to eat at church between Bells and Chamber Singers.

Monday: Hickory Smoke Pork Tenderloin in the Pampered Chef microwave baker with Southwestern Ranch Salad

Tuesday: Dinner at Bible Study for me; Meatloaf and green beans for Isaac

Wednesday: Leftover Pot Roast and Veggies

Thursday: Leftover Beef Stroganoff

Friday: Either Poppyseed Casserole that's in the freezer or we'll be in Pearland with my family

Saturday: Pearland for the Aggie Game

Vacation Get-Away!

2011-09-23T21:23:00.000-05:00

My dear friend Michelle linked up on Kristen's blog for a super cute blog post, and since I adore traveling, I had to join in on this one! Kristen asked her bloggers to write about their five favorite vacation locations-places they have already visited. My trouble is picking just five!

{FIVE}

Walt Disney World

How can you not love all things Disney?! I've posted blogs in the past about my love for the magical feeling that can be nearly overwhelming once entering a Disney Park. So many fun childhood-and adulthood-memories are tucked away for me in the depths of the Disney parks. I'm thankful for the time I've gotten to spend there with my family, Isaac, and my sweet friend Meredith

{FOUR}

Ft. DeSoto Beach and State Park

On our last trip to Florida, we spent two days at one of the most pristine beaches I've ever seen. We encountered dolphins just a dozen yards from us, found countless living sand dollars, and soaked up all the waves, sun, and soft sand we could manage. The fort was built for protection from the Spanish during the 1890s and the Spanish American War, which means there is lots of history to investigate. There are also places to kayak right alongside manatees and sea turtles in the park. What a special treat!

{THREE}

Washington, D.C.

I have visited our nation's capital city twice now, and I'm just in love. I went in the winter of '07 and this past summer. While yours truly is a history buff of all kinds except for American history (go figure), I so much enjoy the capital and all of the special treasures it holds. The monuments are probably my favorite places, but the Holocaust Museum, all of the Smithsonians, the National Zoo, and the Newseum are must sees!

{TWO}

London

I've never been to continental Europe-just Britain and Ireland. While I love Ireland has a whole more than just about anywhere, London is a much more manageable trip, especially on an 8 hour layover! My second and third times to London were on layovers traveling to Zambia, and I made every second count in a city I have grown to adore, which is a HUGE statement for this self-proclaimed city-phob! And...it's easy to navigate all alone like I was! WHOOP! I love the history, the shopping, the architecture, and the people. Even better, it's not dirty like NYC or other large cities I've visited.

{ONE}

Chaminuka Park, Zambia

If you know me, it's not a surprise that Zambia is my number one place to be. While my work and time visiting my family there aren't considered vacation, my time at the lodge at Chaminuka is vacation, and the absolute best ever! The people that live in and maintain the animal reserve are precious, dear folks who love Jesus and their nation. While I look for glimpses of Eden everywhere I go, I think cuddling a 3 day old, orphaned kudu, standing in a field with two wild giraffes, and riding horses amongst herds of wildebeest and zebra is about as close as I will come this side of eternity. I cannot wait to take Isaac to visit Chaminuka this summer when I finally get to take him home with me!

Where are your favorite places to travel?

Aggie Belle and the Cedar Chest

2011-09-22T16:10:00.000-05:00

When I was a toddler, my parents invested in a cedar chest from Lane Furniture to store all of the sentimental baby items they thought my brother and I might like to keep. Two years ago, Isaac and I inherited the cedar chest when my parents downsized. I love having the chest; the bench seat needs recovering and the hardware is a bit outdated, but that piece of furniture has remained unchanged through countless moves and it's location at the foot of my parent's bed (and now ours) is a representation of home.

Enter Aggie Belle. She's cute, she's cuddly, and she's hyper. Oh, our 7 month old puppy is incredibly well trained, but she's still a puppy. Her mommy tried to tell her daddy she needs more exercise in the mornings because she gets bored by mid-day. Her mommy tried to tell her daddy that she isn't ready to be left out of her kennel in the afternoons after he feeds them at lunch. I think her brother tried to tell her daddy this too. Daddy wants to think is little Princess is just perfect though, and after a few successful afternoons, determined she was grown up and no longer a threat to our house. "I told you so" is rather appropriate at the moment.

Last week Aggie Belle chewed the bottom left corner on the cedar chest. I was proud of myself for not yelling or crying or threatening to send Aggie Belle back to the rescue group. I did plop on the floor and just stare, but I stayed calm. Isaac thought he fixed the problem by spraying the bottom with an organic sour stuff that dogs don't like to taste, but he didn't think to spray the top. A few days later, the top corner was chewed too. Sigh. Apparently the humans and canines in our house learn lessons the hard way.

Since I married a jack of all trades, Isaac has begun sanding and dismantling the trim work on the chest. He bought a drill that shapes trim (forgive my lack of technical terminology), and is in the process of striping the stain so the whole chest can be redone. Yes, I'm excited I get new fabric to recover the bench and new hardware, but really? All this work! Every time Aggie Belle walks into our study where the cedar chest renovations are occurring, Isaac asks her, "Who made this mess, Aggie Belle?" It's pretty funny to see her cower because she knows she did it.

Here's the 'old' cedar chest. Check back in a few weeks to see the 'new' one!

Isaac had already taken off a handle before a picture managed to be snapped, but you get the idea!

LEGO Cake

2011-09-20T17:52:00.001-05:00

Isaac loves making cakes in his free time, and this weekend he made a great cake this weekend for our pastor's son. Noah has thousands and thousands of LEGOs at his house, so it wasn't a surprise to anyone when he asked for a LEGO cake for his birthday. Here's what Isaac created:

Pretty cool, huh?

Meal Planning Monday

2011-09-19T10:04:00.001-05:00

Sunday: Leftover Pork Chops and Potatoes from last week

Monday: Meatloaf and Green Beans

Tuesday: Buitoni Frozen Bag (It's Bible Study night, so Tuesdays need to be quick!)

Wednesday: Slow Cooker Rosemary-Garlic Beef Roast

Thursday: Pasta Carbonara with Bacon

Friday: Birthday Party

Saturday: Leftover Pot Roast

Presidential Elections-Zambia

2011-09-17T10:03:00.000-05:00

Nearly a month ago I received a phone call from an American friend in Zambia asking for prayer for the upcoming presidential elections on September 20th. The tone in her voice was strained, and I knew even before the details began to come that things must be bad. Zambia has been an incredibly peaceful nation since its birth in 1964 when Britain granted her independence after years of colonial rule. In the midst of a continent of tribal strife, corruption, and struggles for power sits Zambia, a peaceful, beautiful, and often silent reminder of what the whole of Africa has the potential to be.

Lately however, quarrels between political theologies have broken out in the middle of the streets, with small riots occurring as citizens have chosen sides between the two completely opposite presidential candidates. I don't pretend to understand all that's at stake if President Banda is re-elected or if Mr. Sata is chosen instead. I have my opinions, but I hardly even trust them because the Zambian press is government controlled and not even the BBC is covering enough of the campaign to form an accurate assessment of the situation.

These teenage girls deserve a fair, free future.

What I've gathered from my friends and family in Lusaka, the capital city, and my time there last summer, is that President Banda is a good man. He's not perfect, but what leader is? President Banda strives for democracy and pushes for the advancement of Zambia. He welcomes foreign aid and foreign workers as he knows they help the Zambian economy. Mr. Sata is more or less the exact opposite, and that scares me, as a milder form Robert Mugabe in neighboring Zimbabwe quickly comes to mind. I completely understand his desire for Zambia to be self-sustaining and not influenced by foreigners,but not even America is capable of that.

My Canadian friend told me last week how his fiance was caught up in a small protest/riot in town, and it made me sick. She's Zambian and can handle her own like no one I've ever met, but all she wanted to do was run a few errands. Sheesh! Another friend sent me an email this week saying the violence is minimal but that the vocal protests are long and loud when the two opposing sides meet. Sounds like home, huh?

Beautiful Chaminuka, outside of Lusaka

Please join me in praying that God Almighty will move in the hearts of the voters this weekend as they make their decisions about who to mark on their ballots. God is sovereign and He will use the outcome of this election for His glory; pray that Satan's influences are squashed and God may reign supremely in the hearts and minds of Zambians. Pray for peace on Tuesday, the 20th so that elections may run smoothly, that protesters do not influence the decisions of the voters, and that no one won't vote for fear of what might happen at the polls. Pray that the votes will be reported and recorded truthfully, and that the winner is humble and the loser is gracious. May God bless you greatly for your prayers!

Meal Planning Monday

2011-09-12T17:20:00.002-05:00

Sunday: Sandwiches or whatever anyone wants from the fridge or pantry; Bells and Chamber Singers have resumed, so we're up at church for 3+ hours, so this is our Sunday evening from now on!

Monday: Katie's Beef Stroganoff Casserole

Tuesday: Rosemary-Dijon Pork Chops

Wednesday: Stroganoff Casserole Leftovers

Thursday: Dijorno Pizza

Friday: Pork Chop Leftovers

Saturday: Babysitting

One Decade Past

2011-09-11T21:19:00.000-05:00

I told myself I wouldn't blog today. I don't care for this day. The memories are too much most years. But, church today changed my heart, so here I am with a few words and hopefully a little wisdom.

September 11, 2011 was right at one month into my junior year of high school. It was a "B" week, so that Tuesday found me in my "A" classes (block schedule was the best!), so at 7:30 AM, I was beginning chemistry. Class was normal, but at 8:57 AM when we entered the halls again, the atmosphere had changed. Kids were talking about a plane in NYC. Something sounded strange, but I shrugged it off and went on to German I. My teacher was upset when I got to class. Another foreign language teacher was off 1st and had the radio on, so she kept telling us reports from across the hall. My teacher was working on a paper clip TV antenna (yay for the good old days of analog), so we finally got the Today Show broadcast. It didn't take more than a few seconds of watching and listening to see that something was really, really wrong. A moment later, another plane crashed into the 2nd tower. I remember sitting in my desk completely frozen. Then the towers began to crumple and shock took over for reality. Confusion was paramount, and nothing I saw or heard made sense. Reports about DC and Pennsylvania began to trickle into the broadcast. My friend Savana Horton and I were the only two upperclassman in that class (we were also in Spanish 4 that year, so we were insane, but we learned a lot!), and our teacher wasn't about to stop us from moving around the room to sit with friends. I wish the broadcasters had been able to supernaturally know all the facts, because they unwittingly allowed a lot of fear-mongering to happen. Between the Port of Houston, NASA, and the oil and chemical plants, Houston sure seemed like a good target if another plane had been captured. 3rd Period PALS and 4th Period US History were more of the blur of news reports and trying to make heads and tails of the mornings events.

A lot of prayer happened that day. Going home to my family at 2:30 was blissfully sweet as we talked and trusted the Lord. At 16, I was innocent enough to be unaware of those who hate America and believe that violence is the answer to the hole in their souls that only Christ can fill. And, I began to realize more and more that our world is dying, as the Bible declares will happen as we draw closer and closer to the day of Christ's return. Violence and disaster and horrible tragedies will increase, in part because Satan is making a desperate last attempt to turn hearts away from salvation, and in part because God wants us to draw close to Him and make Him known before He judges us one last time.

Just in Houston, in the last 10 years, we've had Tropical Storm Allison, Hurricane Ike, Columbia, violence that has taken young lives from our community, so many lost from disease, and a drought that is wreaking havoc and damage all across town. Countless other calamities are happening all over the world. Yet, my hope isn't in this world. I don't despair. Christ is coming. A new Earth is soon to be established; God Word says so, and it's true and perfect in every way. Praise You Jesus, that You are my hope, and that You teach us how to cope in a world full of terrorists and evil and how to show Your glory inspite of Satan!

The angel said to me, “These words are trustworthy and true. The Lord, the God who inspires the prophets, sent his angel to show his servants the things that must soon take place. Look, I am coming soon! Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy written in this scroll. Look, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to each person according to what they have done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.
~Revelation 22:6-7; 12-13

The Help

2011-09-07T07:16:00.041-05:00

I read The Help back in the Spring before school ended. I loved the book. I thought it felt real and solid, a risky mixture of views from 'both sides of the tracks' from Civil Rights era Jackson, Mississippi. Kathryn Stockett played it safe at times, but the story felt right.

Thanks to my parents and their anniversary present to us, Isaac and I finally got to see the movie on Saturday night. Now, remember, I'm a book connoisseur. It's rare that I enjoy a movie anywhere near as I much as I do the novel. Saturday night, however, I was in for a treat. Each of the characters was played lovingly (though not always loveable) by the actors, as if they knew that the telling of accurate history was at stake. I appreciate their efforts.

As we walked out of the theater, Isaac told me the movie was awesome. From him, that's a compliment of the highest order. I didn't marry a movie buff, much to my chagrin at times. He then began asking me questions. Was it really like that back then? Did those laws really exist? Was writing that book really illegal for Skeeter? Yes, Honey.

I'll never pretend to understand what it was like to grow up in the Deep South prior to post-Civil Rights era, for either side, but I got the crash course of my life this summer, and I feel like I at least know the facts, even if I don't fully comprehend the emotions. Then, my own memories come to play.

See, my grandparents had a black maid before I was born and for many years into my childhood. I think I was a preteen when Annie finally retired, and she would come for visits until my grandparents moved to Texas 5 1/2 years ago. I wish I had some photos of Annie on digital files, but I don't. I need to dig through old albums at my mom's and see what I can find.

How do I describe Annie? How does anyone describe an enigma of life? Annie was bubbly, happy, and full of wisdom. After I turned 4 and we moved to Texas, I'd spend weeks at a time back in Kentucky with my grandparents. If I was there, at least one of my grandparents was with me, but often, Annie was there too. Annie played with me, talked to me while I ate, taught me how to clean properly, and didn't mind my incessant chatter and baby dolls scattered everywhere. I will NEVER flip a pancake more than once, thanks to Annie's fussing at me that I would ruin the fluffiness the one time I did flip a pancake a second time. Phew! We loved Annie, and I never thought twice about her color or my color or why she worked for my grandparents. It just was.

Reading The Help brought back many memories of my days with Annie. Things were different in Kentucky, especially by the mid-to-late 90s when Annie retired, but it still makes me wonder about her life when she was younger. I questioned how she was treated when she first became a maid decades ago. I wish I knew what she had dreamed of being when she was a little girl. I'm sure her options weren't like what they were for a white little girl. I wish I knew if she still wanted to be a maid even after society had changed when she came to work for my grandparents. I mean, she did her work cheerfully, but is that what she really wanted? Now, unlike Minnie and Abilene, my grandparents knew Annie's family members-what was happening with them, how things were, and all that good stuff. They had conversations about each others' lives. It was more like family than it might have been 20 years prior, but I still wonder. Would friendships have ever formed past the color boundary had an employment not been established first?

While I'm glad I don't have to live through the Civil Rights movement, the effects of hatred and racism are still felt nearly 2 generations later. When will we ever see each other through God's eyes? In the meantime, I'm grateful for the Skeeters of our world who seek out the truth and the Minnies and Abilenes who are willing to tell it!

Labor Day: Zoo

2011-09-05T19:11:00.000-05:00

Since today's high was only 90, we took advantage of the breeze leftover breeze from Tropical Storm Lee and headed to the zoo this morning. We love having a zoo membership (thank you Mom and Dad, aka Santa Claus), and because we get in free, we don't mind paying a few dollars to park if it means missing the parking crowd so we can get in to the fun faster.

The best part about having to park in one of the garages and using the side entrance is walking in right next to the giraffes. You all know how much I love giraffes! It was lunch time when we arrived, and they were all munching away on hay, lettuce, grass, and any leaves they could reach. The best thing about the Africa exhibit at the Houston Zoo is that the animals are incredibly close to the human visitors. While the giraffes were eating, I was only 3 feet or so from their tongues. God made these creatures so unique, and I love it!!!

Jack and me

We watched the chimps play, ooed over elephant babies Tupelo and Baylor (is it sad that we know each of elephants by name and most of the giraffes??), and saw all the other zoo favorites too.

While I'm not convinced summer is over, this is Houston after all, tonight's low is in the 60s, so the first of many nights with the windows open might be begin now. :)

Meal Planning Monday

2011-09-05T07:19:00.000-05:00

Sunday: Hamburgers and other Mom goodness at my parents while we watch A&M

Monday: Poppyseed Chicken Casserole

Tuesday: Homemade Chicken Fried Rice

Wednesday: Leftover Sloppy Joes from the freezer

Thursday: I have a work meeting, so Isaac can have leftover BBQ or do his own thing

Friday: Genghis Grill with Dinner Group. Matt has a BOGO coupon about to expire for all of us to use. Woohoo!

Saturday: Leftover Poppyseed Chicken Casserole

Game Day

2011-09-04T21:26:00.000-05:00

VS.

Aggie Football is back! My parents have the best TV in the family, so we've all congregated in Pearland to be our own cheering section of 10 (if you count the dogs) for the Fightin' Texas Aggies as they BTHO SMU! WHOOP!

Bailey is ready to BTHO SMU!

Aggie Belle enjoyed a bone during her very first Aggie game.

Poppyseed Chicken Casserole

2011-09-04T16:26:00.000-05:00

Here's another childhood favorite of which I can't ever seem to tire. It's so easy to freeze half of it and bake it later.

Ingredients:
3 boiled, shredded chicken breasts
1 cup sour cream (I use fat free...the taste won't suffer)
1 can cream of mushroom soup (I use the low fat; you can also substitute for cream of chicken)
1 sleeve Ritz crackers-crushed
1-2 T poppyseeds

Directions:
~Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
~Grease a 13x9 baking dish
~In a bowl, mix chicken, sour` cream, and soup
~Spread mixture into baking dish
~Top with crushed crackers
~Bake for 25-30 minutes

Teaching Stats

2011-09-02T16:55:00.001-05:00

I'm still soaking in that this is my fifth year teaching. Time flies! I love my job, so it makes sense that it feels my first day was two weeks ago, but wow! While I feel like parents question me less and less, I still look like an 8th grader which makes it hard to come across as a professional to someone who is 50 and has a PhD in astrophysics. I'm not complaining, but I'm grateful for the respect 5 years has granted me.

Two weeks into this fifth year, things are still going great! I'm teaching GT kids for the first time, and we're having fun. I still have my language learners, and they're always a good group. I only have about 13 of them this year, so my numbers are down this year.

Currently, I have 160 students that I teach. At least one of those 160 was born in one of the following places: Russia, Japan, South Korea, Mexico, Ghana, El Salvador, Colombia, Nepal, India, and Honduras. Since I'm the world cultures teacher, I love this! I think it's so cool to see what these kiddos can offer our class from first hand knowledge and experience. Some of them came to America as little bitty kiddos and don't remember much, but often much of their culture is still practice at home. I think it's such a blessing to get to be a blessing to the nations without ever leaving Clear Lake!

Happy Birthday, Dad

2011-09-01T07:00:00.000-05:00

I won't tattle on Gene-O and tell how old he is, but AARP has been his friend for a while. :) hehehe...

My daddy is such a hard worker, and Mom and David keep him busy the rest of the time. The times I can steal him away seem to be fewer and fewer, so I very much enjoy our Wednesday evening choir rehearsals and Sunday morning worship in the choir loft times together. He likes to brag on me, and while I don't always feel it's warranted, I let him anyway. Dads are allowed to be proud, right? Daughters can be proud too, and this one sure is!

The four Ozingas love you, Gene-O!

Creamy Shrimp and Rice

2011-08-31T18:29:00.000-05:00

(I don't have a working camera at the moment, so excuse the lack of pictures)

We have become big fans of all of the Philadelphia Cooking Creme flavors. They are incredibly creamy and make meal prep very easy. As much as I love teaching, I'm exhausted when I come home, and I want recipes that are simple, tasty, and hopefully nutritious too. The cooking creme tubs usually have recipes on them, and this is one of those recipes. Isaac and I both enjoyed the shrimp and rice.

Ingredients:
2 t. olive oil
1/2 C chopped red peppers (I used a green bell pepper from our garden)
1/2 C chopped onion
6 oz package sugar snap peas, halved (Isaac requested asparagus instead, and it was tasty!)
1 lb. frozen, cooked, cleaned medium shrimp, thawed and drained (I used raw and put them in to cook immediately so that the shrimp gained the pepper and onion flavor).
1/4 t. black pepper
1/4 C milk
1 tub Philadelphia Savory Garlic Cooking Creme
2 cups hot cooked rice (I think this would be great with pasta too).

Directions:
-Heat oil in a large skillet on medium-high heat. Add peppers and onions; cook and stir 4-5 minutes or until crisp-tender.
-Stir in peas (asparagus for us); cook 3-4 minutes or until heated through, stirring frequently.
-Add shrimp, black pepper, and milk; cook and stir 3 minutes or until heated through.
-Add cooking creme; cook and stir 2 minutes
-Serve over rice.

Yum!
.

Journey to Joy Kickoff

2011-08-31T07:00:00.000-05:00

If you've read my blog for long, you might have picked up on the fact that I don't always enjoy women in large doses. There's something about the drama that goes along with a large group of women that makes me insane. My life has enough drama without anyone else's whining.

While I was at A&M, my perceptions of 'girl drama' began to change when I joined Sigma Phi Lambda my freshman year. I learned that while just because a group of girls claims to be Christian doesn't mean drama is handled 100% of the time, God equipped me to handle it better. Now at UBC, I'm seeing that the whiny drama I loathe isn't tolerated, but isn't bashed either. Women are encouraged and nurtured by each other in the Women's Ministry in ways that diminish the traits about gatherings of women from which I had always shied away.

Two years ago I began facilitating women's Bible studies on Monday evenings because the options for working women-of any age-were very limited. It's been fabulous, and I've enjoyed growing in my knowledge of my Daddy God and His will for His children with the women I've met in my groups. This Fall, UBC is launching an evening version of Journey to Joy, the Women's Ministry's morning Bible study and fellowship time. Now, instead of just 10 of us meeting to study together, dozens of us will join on Tuesday evenings for a time of fellowship, worship, and then our separate small group studies. I am so excited!

Tonight was the Open House of sorts for Journey to Joy. I felt a bit of deja vu since I probably hadn't had worship with that many other sisters in Christ since I graduated from A&M/Phi Lamb. It was nothing fancy, but just munching and visiting and then simple worship with just a guitar and singing was just what this busy lady needed!

In two weeks, we start up our Fall Semester. I was excited before, but now I'm counting the days! What a blessing.

Trust and Obey

2011-08-30T07:15:00.001-05:00

My fears and my stubbornness to take the easy road are coming into direct conflict with God's will, and I'm struggling to follow my Daddy God as He leads and desires.

In the past few weeks, I've wanted to throw in the towel and forget I ever thought about us adopting from Zambia. The process is so hard and complicated because Zambia is so strict about their adoption process. Trust me, with human trafficking rates as high as ever, this is a good thing, but it's beyond frustrating when I think of a little girl without a family and two people so ready to bring her home.

The easy thing would be to just ignore it all. We'd move on with our happy little life, enjoying just being the two of us, and eventually adopt from somewhere easier. Yet, that's not obedience to a plan the Lord, who in the flesh of Christ as a human has faced every temptation and fear, has given us to attempt this adoption of a darling little girl that I love with all my heart. We may never bring her home, but I know God has something He wants us to learn just from the process of trying. If I don't obey, then I'm exhibiting to myself and to all the watching world that I don't trust that the God who knows and sees all and takes care of even the flowers and sparrows (Matthew 6:25-26) will also care for Isaac and me and our hearts and the heart and life of a sweet little girl. And since I do believe all of that to be true, then I have to keep praying against the doubts and frustrations of Satan and obey, even when it's hard and I don't want to.

Besides, when I think of that sweet darling pretending to cook with the nannies, riding her bike, and enjoying the shade of the big orange flower tree (can't remember it's name, but it's beautiful) as the winter days are coming to an end in Zambia and heat is returning, I know fighting for her to have a family will always be worth it-always.

We've been praying for someone to come alongside us and help us through this process, and we finally heard from a family who has recently adopted from Zambia, so I'm hoping this is the start to getting answers to so many of our 'How do we...' questions. Thank You, Jesus!

Meal Planning Monday

2011-08-29T07:00:00.010-05:00

Sunday: Gospel Gala at church; Texas Baptist Men are smoking bbq for a disaster relief team fundraiser.

Monday: Left over Carrabbas from Sunday's birthday lunch for Dad and David

Tuesday: Creamy Shrimp and Rice using Philadelphia Cooking Cream

Wednesday: Sloppy Joes and fruit

Thursday: Open House at school, so they'll feed me and Isaac will have plenty of left overs :)

Friday: Boondoggles-This is our first ever SCIS Dinner Group meeting, and I'm excited to hang out with my co-teachers and their spouses!

Saturday: Leftover Creamy Shrimp and Rice

New Sunday School

2011-08-28T16:45:00.000-05:00

Isaac and I began teaching the middle school Sunday school class at church today. Back in April, some of our 5th graders began asking if we'd move up with them in the Fall. By mid-July, the current teachers decided to pursue other opportunities on Sunday mornings, and Isaac and I were longing for more opportunities to have real relationships and more one-on-one discipleship with the kids we teach, which wasn't possible in the large group format that the children's ministry is currently using (not saying this is negative, just not what we desired). Today was promotion Sunday, so we got to move up with our now 6th graders and join the 7th and 8th graders.

The 9:30 hour is the big draw for the youth group, so we were excited to have 15 kids this morning at 11:00. Considering we didn't get the curriculum until Thursday, the lesson went really well. We need to work on getting the kids up and moving during our discussion time, but we'll have more time to prepare this week. The lesson was about how Christ calls us to be missionaries-all of us (Matthew 10:1-20). Some of the kids brought up great questions on what should be done if they feel passionate about something but their parents don't agree. It was nice to use personal experience talk about how God will often put a desire in our hearts that He won't cause to occur for many months or even years, but that doesn't mean they should stop praying or ignore it (ahem, Zambia, anyone...?) or disobey their parents.

We're praying that God shows us how to really encourage these teens in their faith, help them bond with each other, and challenge them to live what they believe.

Happy Birthday, David!

2011-08-27T16:07:00.000-05:00

Today this guy is 25. That sounds so cool...but then it means that I have to be older than 25 and that's not so cool. :)

I have a fabulous 'little' brother, though he's been bigger than me since I was 13. I'm proud of him; he graduated in May from UHCL with a masters in health care admin and now works for Blue Cross Blue Shield, taking care of their hospital contracts in Texas. He and Laura stay really busy, so Isaac and I are very excited to spend some time with them this weekend to celebrate David's birthday.

Happy birthday, David!

Another Zambian Painting

2011-08-24T19:23:00.000-05:00

My eyes were a little bigger than my walls one Sunday after church last summer when I was at the craft market at Arcades in Lusaka. Oops. Not only did I bring home the smaller painting that Isaac put on a stretcher bar and hung several months ago, but I also brought home a five foot monstrosity that is just gorgeous! Isaac had to have some courage to tackle this one, but he did, and the results are perfect in my piano room!

Aggie Belle helped Daddy make the stretcher bar.

It's gorgeous!

Back to School!

2011-08-22T20:55:00.000-05:00

World Geography is back in session! I have 6 classes of roughly 160 fabulous kiddos this year, and I'm excited to get to know them! My class numbers won't balance until sometime next week, but even with such big classes, today was a great start. They had no problem beginning on a map of oceans and continents and had a discussion with me while they worked. If I can keep this going, we're going to fly through curriculum and dig deep this year! Yay! I can't believe this is year five!

Meal Planning Monday

2011-08-22T07:27:00.000-05:00

Sunday: Breakfast for Dinner
Monday: Frozen Hearthstone Pizza
Tuesday: Tuna Melts
Wednesday: Russian Chicken with Rice and Green Beans
Thursday: BBQ Baked Potatoes
Friday: Leftover Mushroom and Chicken Pasta (already cooked and frozen)
Saturday: Leftover Russian Chicken

Happy first week back to school!

Ozinga Family Cruise Days 6 & 7 & 8

2011-08-19T21:38:00.000-05:00

Friday was our day to be in Cozumel. I learned last year that I actually enjoy Cozumel despite my extreme dislike for Mexico. We went scuba diving last year, and while I cringed at the idea of passing up opportunities to swim with the sea creatures, Isla Pasion was calling my name. My parents visited the little white island several years ago, and my toes have been itching to sink into that sand ever since I saw their photos. Penny and Dave decided to join us this day while Sarah and Jacob explored Mayan ruins.

Cozumel Port

Passion Island, as the Americans call it, is nothing more than a spit of fluffy white sand about a 30 minute boat ride from the cruise port in Cozumel. And...it's stunning. It's owned by the cruise lines, and they only allow so many people to travel to it each day meaning the beach is never crowded, walks are always secluded, and there's never a line for anything. A while back Dos XX told the cruise lines that if they would only sell Dos XX beer (Corona filmed all their commercials there previously), they would provide peddle boats, kayaks, and water inflatable toys (think blobs and ice bergs) for the guests. While none of that is necessary to thoroughly enjoy all the island offers, we did have some fun, and Isaac and his dad had a bit of a climbing and balancing competition.

I really just wanted to sit myself in that fluffy, warm goodness and not move, but swimming and walking took up much of my day. The lunch buffet was tasty, and a great distraction during the 15 minute rain shower. Passion Island is such a fun taste of paradise!

Saturday was our last day, and a fun day at sea. In the morning I received a massage and facial while Sarah and Jacob took a behind the scenes tour of the ship. In the afternoon was took turns racing down the 5 story slide for the last time before cleaning up for dinner. We were not happy campers when we had to say goodbye to Denis for the last time, but we're hoping he and Amy will take us up on the offer to get a behind the scenes tour of NASA. The final show was hysterical; several guests had auditioned to perform with the singers and dancers to be famous stars throughout the decades and genres. Lots of good fun, and a great way to end the trip!

Swan, Frog, Puppy, Elephant, and Orangutan zoo that grew for us during the week.

While none of us were ready to get off the ship on Sunday, we were ready to be home. I think we made it off the ship by 8:30 and were home by 9:15. I kept busy unpacking, doing laundry, and grocery shopping before we crashed for naps. My parents had all of us, my brother and sister-in-law, and my grandparents over for Goode Co BBQ and homemade ice cream. Yum! The best part of the day was having our sweet puppies again. :)

Ozinga Family Cruise Day 5

2011-08-17T17:36:00.001-05:00

Thursday was my favorite day. We woke up and got ready while we sailed our way into the harbor in Georgetown, Grand Cayman. The pier isn't large enough for cruise ships so were tendered to shore for some shopping before our excursion left for the day. As with most cruise ports, lots and lots of shops are right off the pier, making souvenir shopping for family back home a breeze. Georgetown is a beautiful city, and I want to go back to explore the history museum!

We loaded the van and headed down the road to the turtle farm. It's a farm in the fact that turtles are raised there, but it feels more like a Sea World exhibit. Upon entering, we were met by a huge turtle 'ocean' with a dock for them and a beach so they can make nests to lay their eggs. The eggs are later removed by the conservationists that work at the farm to be carefully monitored and studied. The turtles that live in the 'ocean' are HUGE. Most that have reached that size are over 40 years old and weigh 300+ pounds. They are beautiful.

There are smaller tanks that hold smaller turtles. Many of the smallest turtles are allowed to be picked up and held. Most of these little guys aren't too thrilled to be removed from their swimming practice, but we were taught that the nerve in their throat will calm them down if it's gently rubbed with the stroke of a finger. We had so much fun holding turtles.

We drove past gorgeous 7 Mile Beach which looks like the most stunning post card I can possibly imagine. One of many Tortuga Rum shops was next on our tour where I learned that cinnamon raisin rum cake is even better than the chocolate version. YUM! We also stopped in Hell, Grand Cayman, a tiny part of the island so named for it's black rock formations that look rather ominous and the fact that a British hunter visiting this location shot at a bird and missed, stating, "Oh, hell!" in response to his failed attempt. It's turned into a big tourist attraction but honestly didn't impress me much. The rock formation is eerily pretty, but it's not worth the hoopla that's made about it.

The rock formations at 'Hell'.

After driving around some of the mansions on the west side of the island, we left the bus and hopped on a boat for the 30 minutes ride out to Stingray City which is nothing more than a shallow sandbar about 3-5 feet deep. The sand is as white as sand gets and the white is crystal clear. Stingrays come and go as they please into the shallow water. A while back, boats started anchoring there feeding the rays. As more boats would come, the rays kept returning. Now, the wildlife parks management boat is out there all day to keep an eye open for any unruly tourists, but most of the guides do a great job of keeping the humans in check so the rays stay safe. They are so silky smoothy, and yes, cuddly too! The Caymanians say it's good luck for 7 years to kiss a stingray, and while I don't believe in luck because God orchestrates everything, the rays were too cute to resist. They will also give back 'rubs'. :) One ray has been nicknamed Frisbee because she was born without a tail. Frisbee is currently pregnant, and we could feel the two little babies inside of her. Crazy! Several barracuda swam past us and I found a couple of pufferfish and conchs too. We didn't want to leave this gorgeous taste of Eden where humans and sea life played with such joy. On the way back, we got a closer look at the Cayman Dropoff where there's a living coral reef and then the water depth plunges from 30 feet to 700 feet to 7000 feet in a matter of yards.

Frisbee

Ray and Puffer

I asked Isaac if we could retire to Cayman if we don't end up in Zambia. I think it wouldn't be hard to convince him to do. :)

Thursday was our second formal night and it was the captain's reception for repeat guests. That's always a fun party! Isaac and I were eating at the Steakhouse on the ship that night as our anniversary present from his parents. It's a four course meal, so of course I couldn't eat all that was on my plate if I wanted to at least taste everything, but our waitress kept thinking something was wrong. Only that my stomach is too small for all of that! Isaac said he ate the best steak of his life that night. It was a great treat, and we enjoyed the show afterward with his family.