Apparently getting married equals becoming a very bad blogger.
Maybe I just don't have interesting things to say anymore?
Or possibly I don't have time?

Or really, its probably that I've been concocting up a food blog (its true, I have. It'll just take a while before I actually launch the thing.)

In any case, I'm alive. And married. And happy. And dreaming up food blogs.

TEAM S.E.E. : SAVE THAT DATE, YO.

Thanks to Randall for the image!

the best things about planning a wedding.
1. Knowing that I'm getting married in a little over 100 days.
2. Registering (and consequently finding out that I am obsessed with the color teal.)
3. Looking forward to joining the 10 syllable name club. Lind-say-Anne-Strann-i-gan -Eal-y-Eld-er. Count em, its 10. (Erica is also in this club. Are you?)
4. Watching Nich try to bond with my cat. He tries so hard, and she will not give of her love.
5. Looking up hotels & honeymoon spots. Dreaming of things we can't afford.
6. Looking up apartments that we love, and dreaming of buying houses we can't afford.
7. Getting in touch with old friends, geeking out with my girls on colors and dresses and ideas.
8. Looking at dresses and accessories and shoes and make up! Gosh, its fun to be a girl.

the worst things about planning a wedding.
1. The lack of sleep
2. The wedding nightmares (I had one nightmare and it was the day of the wedding, but time had magically passed and I hadn't been able to invite anyone and I didn't fit in my dress and I didn't have a veil and I was crying and begging my dad to postpone the ceremony but he wouldn't. It was tragic).
3. The teeth clenching
4. The dieting / joining 24 hour fitness
5.The budgeting

The list could go on, I suppose.
But I actually don't hate all of those things (I do like the exercise and don't mind the budgeting too much). I thrive under pressure. I'm an event planner, for crying out loud!

But...truth be told, the one thing that stinks about planning this wedding is a slight feeling of loss. There are so many people whom I love, yet who I don't have here by my side. I miss my girls (Taylor and Brandon are included in the 'girls' section). I miss the people that know me best. Portland is home now, and I love it dearly. But I dont think I'll ever find such good girl friends again. I am grateful for all of you, and I just wish you were closer!

So, thank you friends who are far away. Even though you are far, I still feel your love and support and excitement. And I know you'll all be here on the big day...and my plan is to sell you on Portland, make you fall in love with the city, and then you'll never leave. Such a good plan!

ST. LOUIE!

I am in St. Louis!
I hadn't seen Becca (my besty) for one and a half years and so Nich and I decided to make the trek out to St. Louis for Mardi Gras weekend. And let me just say, it is so good to be here.
Mike and Kelly are here too!
We braved Mardi Gras on Saturday. It was 20 degrees (at best) and windy and there were lots of drunk people trying to spill their beers all over me. We got a beer or two, a string of beads, and some Jambalaya before deciding that we weren't really the mardi gras type . So we went and ate Pizza and fried raviolis and just hung out at Becca and Darren's apartment.
Yesterday we went to Becca and Darren's church (Darren was in full gear, with his black shirt and white collar. it was great). We also tromped around the City Museum for a few hours....that place is INSANE. And by insane, I mean awesome. There are caves to explore, a 7 story slide (it was slightly terrifying) and hours of endless fun and things to climb on and jump off, etc. Nich was in heaven. Most of us came out with bruises and very sore muscles (I think we are too big or old for some of these activities?). I gashed my shin but it was worth it. I mean, its a 'museum' that lets you run around like a crazy person! Awesome! Then we went and saw the infamous Arch. As nich put it: "I take back everything I ever said about the Arch." It is massive and beautiful and glorious and I had no idea how cool it really was. The tours to the top of the arch were sold out, but I am secretly glad because they looked terrifying.

After all this activity, we were exhausted. So we came home and I made black bean chili and we watched the Oscars (Yay for Slumdog Millionaire!). Twas a good time for all.

And, today is our last day here. I believe we are going to the Zoo (its free!) and we are going to eat some St Louis BBQ tonight and then go to a Chocolate martini bar. I am so excited!

St. Louis has surprised me on a number of different levels. It really is a beautiful city and there a lot of fun things to do. The architecture is gorgeous, and the city is full of old buildings, and character, and parks, and arches (ok, just one arch.). I really like it here. And, of course, it has done my heart a lot of good to be with old friends. These are some of the best people I know! So here's to best friends, and fiancees, and good old Saint Louie.

THE BIG NEWS

So, unless you've been living under a rock or something in the last week, you've probably heard the big news.

Yep.

Its true.

I'M GETTING MARRIED! TO NICHOLAS EALY-ELDER!

He proposed on Tuesday evening, during the Sunset at Mount Tabor park, overlooking the city. Oh, and he proposed with a baby cupcake from our fave lil cupcakery. The ring was on top, in the frosting. Too cute for words. I was CONVINCED that he hadn't talked to my parents yet, and that he didn't have a ring yet, so I was most definitely surprised. I guess that is what I get for thinking I know everything?

So the wedding will be in late June, and that is about all I know at this point.

I posted a couple pics for y'all. Unfortunately, pics don't really capture the beauty of this ring (from 1910, Platinum band with engraving, one large circle diamond and two small french cut diamonds!), but you get the idea.

Hooray!
I. am. so. excited.
And if you haven't met Nich yet, you should. He's a good man. The best man I know, in fact.

So, its been awhile.
I haven't had much motivation to write, though I feel like I have a lot to write about.
The picture of Laura above is one of the few pics I got back from my first roll of film I took on my new Diana camera. Sadly, a lot of the photos didn't turn out (I'm new to lomography), but there are a few gems. I like this one a lot.

I got salmonella poisoning from celery and peanut butter. Or at least I think I did. I ate the stuff and then threw up for the next few days. So, make of that what you will.

And, here it is, the first day of February. A month into the new year. I didn't do a big new year's blog or anything, and I never posted my bests of 2008. But I don't really feel the need to. 2008 was a good year for my soul, and a bad year for music. There were a few good films (Slumdog Millionaire, Man on Wire, Happy Go Lucky, The Wrestler), so I guess there's that.

But, really, I suppose I didn't feel the need to share because things are good. I'm happy here. Penelope is currently fast asleep on my feet (she keeps me warm in the winter, its rather nice of her), and I will wander up to the Albina Press in a few moments to get a glorious espresso beverage from the man I love. Lost is back on (and is amaaaaaazing). Battlestar is back on (and is good, but nothing is ever as good as Lost. ever.). Nich and I even joined a shuffleboard league. Does that make us old people? Or awesome? Or maybe a little of both?

In any case, as far as I can tell, 2009 is going to trump 2008. And that's hard to do, considering 2008 was a pretty good year.
I am excited for the future. There are good things to come.

So its the new year and I've made some resolutions and a few lists and I've already hit a few hurdles and I am already quite exhausted and I have all these lists to post and things to say but I can never quite find the time. I'm still here, I'm still writing, and I'll post soon enough.

I hope your holidays were happy.
Mine were very happy, indeed.
I think 2009 will be a very different sort of year.

I am absolutely positively freezing.
And, I've had enough snow days to last me for awhile.
And I wish my heater was good at heating things.
And I wish I actually owned hats and gloves and snow boots and jackets that kept me warm.
And I wish I had snow tires.
And I wish I wasn't stuck.
And I wish Nich didn't have to work right now.

Alas, my love and adoration for the snow has come and gone. I am now just freezing and slightly fussy.

But, I am about to make the trek home. Its only 10 blocks and I now have chains on my car (thanks to Nich and his frostbitten fingers) so it shouldn't be a problem. Maybe I just need a nap. Or some food. Food and sleep, those things always seem to solve my bad attitudes.

And, yes, the snow is beautiful.
And yes, I have worked on lots of Christmas projects.
And yes, I have baked loads of Christmas cookies.
It has been nice.
I'm just really really really really cold.
And I'm really really really ready for Christmas.

snow day!

It snowed a lot this weekend.
Which, as I've heard, is quite rare for Portland.
The high today was 26 degrees.

Its cold, its icy, its windy, its downright miserable outside. But I love, love love it.
My office was closed today due to ice and bad roads, which resulted in a whole lotta cooking, cleaning, eating, snuggling, drinking of red wine and coffee.

I've realized that the cold makes me crave comfort food (Yesterday I made pot roast. Tonight I made meat loaf - which was awesome. And just for the heck of it, Nich and I whipped up a butternut squash soup from squash that we had leftover from the Thanksgiving Organics box).

All in all, its been a lovely and snowy weekend. I'm on my couch, full of yummy meatloaf, snuggling with Nich (and Penelope when she feels inclined), watching the second season of 30 Rock.

I'm just going to pray that it snows like crazy again tonight and the next night and the next and then I will never have to go to work again. That's a good plan, right?

my tree!

MY TREE!
I am in love with my tree this year.
And, yes, I cut it down all by myself.
Reason #1879234382934789 why Oregon rules.

for my dear friends with un-spellable last names.

So my Thanksgiving weekend went a bit like this:

Weds night: Cook pies & chutney like a madwoman. Wait for Brandon to get dropped off at my place. Drinks at Meridian.
Thursday: Insane day of cooking, eating, family, Nich's mom meeting my family, games, Brandon, Paul, Linda, goodness.
Friday: Brunch with Brandon. Thanksgiving #2 with Nich's dad and girlfriend and awkward other family units. Then Somali Thanksgiving over at Danielle's house.
Saturday: Sleep in. Civil War Game at the Tanker with Brandon and Nich. General Saturday mayhem with the little brother.
Sunday: Brandon leaves at the crack of dawn. Clean my house like crazy. Go pick up Kelly & Mike in Kelso, Washington. Give them the grand tour of Portland (which included Albina Press and Saint Cupcake). End up at the Horse Brass for fish & chips.
Monday: Took the day off of work for day o glory with Mike and Kelly. Go to brunch, shop with Kelly for a bit, take Mike and Kelly to the Japanese Gardens where MIKE PROPOSES TO KELLY. (Yes, I knew this was going to happen and had been plotting it for weeks with Mike). Nich and I conveniently 'forget' our cell phone in the car, thus leaving Mike and Kelly to their devices and run into town to grab celebratory champagne.

Then, Mike took us our for a celebratory dinner. And, I must say, this is quite possibly the BEST DINNER I HAVE EVER HAD.
While Kelly and I were out doing girl things (i.e. buying antiques) they made reservations at a little place called The Park Kitchen.

We most definitely celebrated the Teutscher & Sycz (yeah, thats right. say it five times fast!) engagement in style.

We decided to go for the taster menu, which is essentially the Chef's choice of small and large plates. They brought out the first few, and I was impressed (but still hungry. the portions are small, you know). And then more plates. And more. And I didn't know how to pronounce most of the ingredients but my tongue and tummy were very happy. I was desperately trying to blog on my cell phone (so as to remember the glory of that meal), but at the end of the meal our waiter so was kind and printed up menus that said "Mike and Kelly's engagement dinner" so that we could remember the night forever. It was rather magical...

So, I wont tell you EVERYTHING we ate, but here is a sampling of some of the amazing things we ate (please note, this menu is not for the faint of heart and/or vegetarian. I will say that the Park Kitchen only uses local farms and butchers their own meat):

Catalan Pasta with sauteed calamari, chorizo, and a squid ink and olive oil sauce.
Pumpkin Ravioli with Cranberries and Rabbit Confit
Roasted pear salad, red lentils and curry
Persimmon, shaved machego and hazlenuts with rose hip dressing
Black Cod seared with duck fat, served with goat cheese creamed cale and cod fritters.
Venison, celery root puree (think mashed potatoes, but better) with lime spiced cauliflower and a savory huckleberry sauce (this was, BY FAR, the best dish of the night. amazing.)
Parsnip & Carrot Cake with coconut-saffron ice cream
Pear and pecan tart with rum anglaise

There was a lot more, but I figure that you are all drooling by now and that this was torture enough.

So, here's to two of my favorite people in the world: Mike and Kelly. Huzzah!
I love you both dearly, and I could not be happier that you two are getting hitched. And, I got a really good dinner out of the deal. So, thank you. :)

so, I've been thinking.

The whole world, it seems is in crisis.
More specifically, the economy is in crisis.
Every day, its something new. And things aren't magically getting better. The government can throw money at the problem, but that is only a temporary solution. Because, you see, the problem is us. The problem is the American Dream. The problem is that credit card companies hand out credit to anyone with willing hands (believe me you, it is a travesty that Somalian Refugees are handed credit cards without being given knowledge of how to use or pay off such a thing.). The problem is that we are all used to living beyond our means. We buy peaches and pineapples and mangoes year round because we believe that is is our right to have such delightful produce at any given time of year. We buy clothing from large retailers and do our best to not think about what that "Made in Indonesia" tag really means.

These are the things I have been thinking about.
All of it, is wrong.
This whole system is grossly wrong.
I've succumbed to our consumer society. I am a consumer. I shop the sales, I demand my buying freedoms, and I want what I want when I want it.

After praying and talking to a lot of friends and reading up on helpful sites, I've made a few decisions.

1. I will not buy clothing from any retailer that supports sweat shops. No more Forever 21, no more Target, etc. I will only buy recycled clothing, American made clothing,or clothing that is proven to be made in fair conditions. If you are interested, these stores (and more info on lots of wonderful things) are listed at www.coopamerica.org.

2. I will buy local & organic (as much as I possibly can). I will buy fruits and vegetables that are in season, rather than indulge in something that has been trucked across the country and has wasted valuable resources. Granted, buying local and organic is seemingly more expensive, so for now I am buying items that are on sale as much as possible. For Thanksgiving, I talked my mom into purchasing a fruit & vegetable bin from Organics To You (www.organicstoyou.org), and it will be delivered to my place tomorrow. I am so excited to see my bin of fruit and vegetable goodness! We decided to plan our Thanksgiving menu around what fruits and vegetables were available from this local co op, and if I do say so myself, it is going to be awesome. I plan on making twice baked herbed yams, a cranberry apricot chutney, mashed potatoes, and lots more.

3. And, lastly, the Strannigans are re-visiting "Thrift Store" Christmas this year. We only give gifts that we get at thrift stores (or things that are handmade). We've done this once before and it has been one of our best Christmases to date! I am not very good at making things (I dont sew or knit or draw or paint or ANYTHING) but I am good at thrifting and at making Mix CDs. SO my presents are usually some fun thrift store kitsch and a good winter mix.

So, these are the small steps I am taking. I think the clothing commitment will be the most difficult, but I look forward to the challenge. I am blessed to live near 3 awesome clothing recycling shops (like Buffalo Exchange) and so I really cant see why I would ever need to go to Forever 21 again.

Thanks to Danielle & Krispin, Myste & Phil, Cameron & Erica, Nich, and Denison Witmer for encouraging me in such actions. I am proud of all of you for your faith, your convictions, and for taking a stance against consumerism. I would LOVE to hear other ideas, thoughts, suggestions from any of you readers about the subject. I am just barely delving into all of this and I am excited to be a part of the solution for once, and I am excited to be a responsible steward of what God has given me.

So, those are my thoughts. I want to hear yours!

On love & coffee.

On Saturday morning, I slept in.
I snuggled with Penelope for a while, basked in the sunlight, and I lazily exited my bed at 10:30 am or so. I got ready in a flash, grabbed an apple, and biked up to the Albina Press for a little morning cappy from Nich.

What I received from Nich was this:





And, that right there about sums up my weekend.

There were a lot of bicycles, a lot of coffee, a lot of sunshine, and a lot of love. It was a lazy and peaceful weekend. The air was crisp, the leaves have turned and have nearly all fallen. Penelope even seems happier than usual. I watched documentaries and ate pizza with new friends, I got more than 8 hours of sleep (2 nights in a row!), and I've averaged 3 coffee beverages a day.

This morning, Candyce and Nich and I all ate at the waffle window (I had mine with huckleberries and lemon Curd, Nich's had basil, bacon and brie on it and we all split a pumpkin pie waffle - they were SO good.), we dropped by the Albina Press to get a cup of joe, we attended service at Imago. Then Nich and I took Nolte on a walk, then we biked over to Stumptown for more coffee. Lastly, we came home and squeezed in an episode of Battlestar before Nich had to go to work. This was all before 2 o'clock!

I am not ready for the magical weekend to end.
The big boss man from London will be at work tomorrow, which means my job will be under more scrutiny than usual and I have to dress in "business clothes". Sigh.

For a moment, I forgot all of my woes. I forgot that I am poor and that I am tired and that I feel helpless and that the doctor's can't seem to figure out what's wrong with me. For the weekend, I enjoyed the people that I love. And that was rather nice. This is a life long struggle, I know - to find contentment in the place Christ has me. I am grateful for so many things. Some days I just forget.

oh, how I miss the internet.

Well, first off: I am no longer an internet junkie.
My work installed all sorts of crazy internet security systems and so my blogging, chatting, facebooking, etc has all come to a halt. Thank goodness for my fancy phone (which allows me to stay connected during the day, but just a bit), I had no idea how attached to communication I am.

Honestly, this is really difficult for me. All of the sudden I feel disconnected from so many.
So, I had to carve out a night in which to upload photos, write a blog, chat with friends, and the like. This is strange. It would seem that my blogging will be less frequent. Unless I figure out a way to post blogs from iGoogle, in which case, we may be in business.

Secondly.
Holy moses, we have a new president. I definitely stray away from talking politics on this here blog (my readership is quite varied in opinion) but I will say this: we are in for some changes. Lord only knows what those changes might be, but things will be different. I am not anxious about the future, and for the most part I'm excited. I'll say it, I like Barack. But I am not putting my hope in him. He's human, after all. I'm just glad this election mess is over and we can all go back to concentrating on other things. Really, there are better things to think about. (Gasp! Blasphemy! I know.)

And, lastly, the last couple weeks have been a blur of busy, but they have been good. The beach weekend was absolutely fantastic. It was everything you wanted a beach weekend to be: relaxing, romantic, beautiful, inspiring, and full of good friends and AMAZING food. Seriously, we ate like KINGS! I am thankful for my friends, I am thankful for my wonderful boyfriend, and I am thankful for long(ish) drives home with fall colors and falling leaves and listening to Sufjan Steven's Illinois all the way through (We were in love! We were in love! Palisades! Palisades!). I honestly think the drive back was quite possibly the most beautiful drive of my entire life. It was magic.

Kristin came into town for Halloween (which was also magic), and it was so nice to have an old friend here for the holiday. Kristin, Nich, and I dressed up as Project Runway peoples and while no one had ANY clue who I was, I still had a blast. It only got slightly annoying the 8th time I got asked if I was Katy Perry. Like, seriously? There is some photo evidence of the night on facebook currently, I'll try to get them on flickr or something soon.

Kristin and I also visited the Velveteria, which is the only museum of velvet paintings in the world. awesome! There were so many amazing paintings -- Unicorns, Bat Boy, Willie Nelson, Polar Bears - you name it, they had it. Its only 5 dollars to get in and it is only open on weekends. Best 5 bucks I ever spent. We also took a trip to Oaks Park to visit the Roller Skating rink. Kristin collects pressed pennies, and by 'surfing the web' we found that you could get a Rollerskating Squirrel pressed onto the penny. Done and done. All I can say to you Portland people is: please go to the roller skating rink at Oaks Park. Please! It is old fashioned with a beautiful wood floor and while it is a little pricey ($7.25 was my total after skate rental) it was worth it. First of all, this is a legitimate and competitve roller skating rink from the 1950's. There are lanes for backwards and forwards skating, as well as a center area for 'tricks'. There is a HUGE Wurlitzer organ hanging from the middle of the ceiling and a little old man (by the name of Gary Russel) playing the organ from a little glass box on the side of the rink. They play showtunes! And Elvis Presley! And the sound of music! On a HUGE Organ in the middle of a skating rink! And, they had a large oversized chipmunk/squirrel thing (roller skating rink mascot, apparently) walking around. Sadly, it wasn't skating. Buuuuut, it was still awesome.


My heart is good, my head is good, my body is even starting to feel a little better.
Portland in the fall is magic.
Come see Denison Witmer, Day of Lions, and Kelli Schaefer tonight.
:)

one o' them movie moments

6:45 am.
Ashley and I are in my car, Albina Press coffee freshly in hand.
Its still dark outside. Its quite cold.
Its Friday, and we are tired from a long week of work and early mornings.
We want to be at the beach already.
I hand Ash my iPod, we are too tired to think. Too tired to pick a tune.
So, we hit shuffle.

And then, like some crazy iPod magic, all was right with the world.
Aretha came on over the stereo and before you know it, Ash and I are singing RESPECT at the top of our lungs and doing jazz hands at all the same parts of the song. SOCK IT TO ME SOCK IT TO ME SOCK IT TO ME.

And then we giggled a lot at our ridiculousness and unplanned, yet coordinated, dance moves.

And I felt like I was in a movie. Maybe Jerry Maguire? (Think Tom Cruise 'Free Fallin') Or Sleepless in Seattle? (Think Meg Ryan singing "harses harses harses"). Whatever movie we were in that moment, it was a good one.

There's nothin like a good cup of joe, roomies, Aretha, and jazz hands at 6:45 on a friday morning.

Have you ever had a moment where all of the sudden you can envision the rest of your life and you feel terribly happy to see what your life will be, but you are terribly discontent because you aren't there yet?

I have that feeling every day.
Granted, I love my life.
But I can see how things will be, and I'm ready. I'm ready for the next phase of life. And I need to be content and I need to learn to live in the present - but its just that the future looks so good right now.

MAN ON WIRE

As per Cameron's recommendation, I took the BF to see Man On Wire last night at the Living Room Theater, in downtown Portland. We hadn't been on a proper date in awhile, neither of us had been to the purportedly lavish Living Room Theater, and movies are only $5 on Mondays and Tuesdays. Done and done.

I thought the movie was at 6:50, but it really started at 6:40 (oops). The drinks were $6.50 a pop (This is $2-$3 above most Portland cocktail prices). The theater was almost full, there were fears that we might not be able to sit next to each other. And, it really didn't feel like watching a movie in a living room. At all. In fact, it was only slightly more comfortable than a normal movie theater.

But...
All that aside - this is the best film I've seen in a long time. The footage is stunning, the music is beautiful and haunting, and it just made me really want to be friends with Philippe Petit. He has such an adventurous spirit and such a livliness about him - I simply adored the cute (yet crazy) Frenchman.

I highly recommend the movie (go see it go see it go see it!). If you're scared of heights, you might get a little bit squeamish (Nich had a few momentary freakouts) as the footage is slightly terrifying.

random spatterings

It is as if a part of me has died.
PROJ RUN (Project Runway, for you long-handers) is over.
I must say, I was conflicted about the winner. I would have been happy with anyone but that one bratty girl (I wont say her name, lest I be called a spoiler...) but there was one collection that stood out to me, and that collection did not win.

If you want to take a little look-see, the 3 final collections are HERE (Courtesy of Blogging Project Runway).

There are probably other more interesting and personal things I could talk about but its 7:40 am and my iced coffee hasn't kicked in yet, and frankly...I'm exhausted.

Also, is it just me or were the albums released thus far in 2008 a bit lackluster? I can't think of much that really got me excited about music. Am I forgetting some glorious album from earlier this year? What's been great in OH-EIGHT?

Oh, and I'm going to be her for Halloween.

A September Mix.

So I am part of a CD Mix Club that some of the boys in Sherwood started.

The rules are pretty simple. There are two groups of 12 people and each person is assigned a month. When it is your month, you must create a mix of your liking, create original artwork, and send it to the 12 people in your group. For the rest of the months in a year, you can sit back and relax...and wait for someone else to send you their mix. And, then we post the mix (from each group, so two per month) on our mix cd club blog, in zip file format. I think its a pretty awesome system.

In any case, here is my September Mix,(and subsequent post about my mix). Take a lil listen, and I hope you are pleasantly surprised. I'm quite pleased.

birthdaze & black lights

My trip to Long Beach/Los Angeles was a whirlwhind of goodness. I got to see so many people that I love and miss, I ate at MOST of the places on my list (Berth 55 and Disneyland will have to wait for the next trip), and I got to sing Karaoke at the Prospector...not once, but twice. Yes, I am a lucky lady.

I came back to Portland and I hit the ground running.
We had an impromptu BBQ & game night last Monday because I was craving hot dogs. Weird craving, I know. But it made for a really fun night.
Lauren went to the ER last week and found out she has Gall stones. :(
Krispin's birthday was Tuesday, and we played black light mini golf. It was weird and awesome.
We saw Dr. Dog & Delta Spirit at the Doug Fir on Tuesday. Dr. Dog puts on a darn good show (that is an understatement), and the Delta kids were delightful (as usual).
Nich's birthday was Wednesday. I was slightly stressed about pulling off the perfect present / birthday because I'm a little bit rusty at this girlfriend stuff. In any case, his birthday was wonderful...we ate wine & cheese, watched Battlestar Galactica, and then joined up with the gang for Project Runway.
Nich's official b-day party was Friday night, which was also awesome. Danielle made Jell-O cake, we had drinks at the Tanker, and attempted to watch the Presidential debates.
Paul moved to Portland on Saturday. (yeah!)
Tick Talk recorded Saturday afternoon.
The Cold War Kids were in town Saturday night and it was really good to see them.
Stephen (Candyce's friend from Sudan) is in Oregon! I met him last night, and he is awesome. He made me miss Africa terribly.
My stomache troubles have returned and are worse than ever.

And then, of course, there are the matters of the world and our nation and this economy. It makes me tired and ill, and yet I persist in reading about it - because, well, I am a glutton for punishment. Or maybe it is that I am searching for a little understanding. But the one thing I know is that I think we've all had it wrong for a long time. And I am starting to realize that our nation is no more 'blessed' than another. And nations come and nations go, but Christ remains the same.

I don't know what will happen with the economy, I don't know who will (or should) be president, but I am done worrying about it. Honestly, I think I'm ready to go move to the woods and live in a commune and grow corn and strawberries. I should probably learn how to grow vegetables before I attempt that, but I'm sure it'll all work out. Right?

In the words of my wise younger sister, Danielle..."I'm voting for Gandalf."

No, seriously. I am.
Gandalf for President.