My Daddy

My Dad is not a perfect man. Not one is. But he comes really close.

My dad taught me to love adventures, and to make them yourself. With him I've explored gold dredges, beaches, mountains, eagle's nests, remote villages.

I've traveled all over Alaska, from the beaches on the Kenai Peninsula to the beaches in Nome. This photo is Bishops Beach in Homer, Alaska. 

With my dad, we've driven across 

across all the states in New England, shared a lobster dinner on the coast of Maine and seen from the top of the Empire State building. 

The lobster dinner was delicious, but overrated we both decided. Given the choice, we'd rather have Alaskan King Crab.

 However... the company at this particular feast did add to the experience....

That was one very experienced and determined sea gull. He seemed upset and miffed that we didn't feed him immediately.

The moment my dad got up he took his place at the table... grabbed a napkin and ate it. Then he flew off.

We've visited countless museums. My dad taught me patience and how to appreciate things that are really old. Or are at least modeled after old things. This museum was the Mystic Seaport: The Museum of America and the Sea. It was more interesting to my dad, but that doesn't mean I didn't really enjoy it. 

 When he visited in Chicago, we visited the Museum of Science and Industry. It was a huge hit. Again, it made me appreciate how my dad helped me pick a man worth marrying... Jason and my dad are very similar in many ways.... especially museums. 

We've explored tons of waterfalls all over Alaska. Gorgeous and private. We also road tripped to see "The Great One," Niagara Falls. That was a ton of fun. 

We went to check out the big cities we'd never seen. Boston. New York City. We got stuck in Manhattan with our car in New Jersey and had to take a $60 cab ride back over. But it was worth it. 

And most of all, I have amazing memories of how my dad helped us in our wedding. Helped pay for it, helped give assurances on my decisions. I was sad, he couldn't be there a lot during the process of planning the big day, but really, he didn't need to be. He'd already prepared me for the trials, how to make decisions, how to manage money wisely, and most importantly, how to look for a godly man.  

My dad's never been perfect, he never will be. But he's a fantastic father who has never let me down. He's helped teach me, and some of the most profitable conversations I've ever had have been with my father.  I learned so much from him growing up, and I know I still do so now and in the years to come.  He never claimed to have all the answers, he never claimed to always live like he should. But he taught me where to go for the answers: God's Word. And he taught me to strive to live how Jesus wants us to, even if we may never achieve it perfectly. 

I'm so proud to be his daughter. Happy Father's Day Dad! I love you. 

Coming soon: my first Assyrian Wedding! Preview...

Coming soon! My blog about my first Assyrian wedding and what I noticed. This will make the second wedding of the summer, and the second in Chicago. To tide you over... and to share some photos of my adventure right away... Enjoy! More to come as soon as possible. So much to say about this wedding... what a wonderful experience tonight was.

Super Pretty Dress... details soon!

God-honoring ceremony: thing that came to my mind: service.  

Assyrian traditions!

Learning... how to dance...

Recipe: Espresso Chili Rub Chicken

Great recipe for so many reasons: it's fast, it's healthy, it's full of flavor, it's easy to modify. 

This is a wonderful seasoning rub that you can create ahead of time and use at your convenience as well, goes really well with chicken, beef or seafood. I think it would do pretty well on a pork tenderloin as well. 

Ingredients: 

2 tbsp dark brown sugar 

1 tbsp ground espresso coffee

1 tbps ground coriander

2 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground ginger

1-2 tsp red chile flakes or chili powder

salt and pepper

For my recipe, I used two boneless, skinless, chicken breasts that I cut into slices, so I could have strips for making wraps or setting on top of rice, etc. I also modified the recipe to include less sugar, and instead of chile flakes I used a fresh ground red  (bright red!) pepper that I found in the Mexican section of our market. All the packaging was in Spanish, but I can tell you it added a ton of heat. Leaves me wondering what kind of peppers they used! 

After tossing the chicken in the rub and coating it evenly, I put it in a skillet, poured two tbsp of white wine over and cooked it on high heat. The wine helped all the ingredients to stick to the chicken nice and evenly. Very tasty. 

I decided to make a wrap with mine; using a garden spinach tortilla, greek yogurt, and red leaf lettuce to cool down some of the spice. Jason used hummus and cucumber to do the same. 

Tampering with blog design...

I'm trying a few new things here on the blog site... pages, re-labeling all of my posts for greater consistency... and hoping to add a few elements to class it up a bit. 


It's a bit more difficult than I expected, so slow going from here, but in the end I hope it will be more useful, easier navigation, and more enjoyable. Plus look cooler. 

Day 3: A song that makes you happy

Day 3: a song that makes me happy... 

There's a lot of them out there. A song for each mood actually. About (ages ago) I think a month? I endeavored to make mix cd's for whomever requested them first on my twitter and facebook pages (see, it's totally worth following my antics). I've since actually made progress, I promise to those waiting eagerly. There's so much music out there! So many songs that have touched my memory in specific ways, tied to experiences. 

This song is one that makes me happy, but I don't think I'd like it much if not for the lyrics. They are so true, so powerfully packed with things I need to constantly remember. That's what strikes me. And maybe happy is a misleading word, as so much thankfulness and awe at ou Savior. 

The question was raised
As my conscience fell
A silly, little lie
It didn't mean much
But it lingers still
In the corners of my mind

Still you call me to walk
On the edge of this world
To spread my dreams and fly
But the future's so far
My heart is so frail
I think I'd rather stay inside

But You love me anyway
It's like nothing in life that I've ever known
You love me anyway
Oh Lord, how You love me
How You love me

It took more than my strength
To simply be still
To seek but never find
All the reasons we change
The reasons I doubt
And why do loved ones have to die?

But You love me anyway
It's like nothing in life that I've ever known
You love me anyway
Oh Lord, how You love me

I am the thorn in Your crown But You love me anyway I am the sweat from Your brow But You love me anyway I am the nail in Your wrist But You love me anyway I am Judas' kiss But You love me anyway

See now, I am the man that called out from the crowd
For Your blood to be spilled on this earth shaking ground
Yes then, I turned away with this smile on my face
With this sin in my heart tried to bury Your grace
And then alone in the night, I still called out for You
So ashamed of my life, my life, my life

But You love me anyway
Oh, God… how you love me

You love me anyway
It's like nothing in life that I've ever known
You love me anyway
Oh Lord, how You love me

Currently reading books

I like to read lots of different things all at once. I don't give them all equal reading times normally... but there's always a couple books I'm chipping away at each month. 

This month: 

Crazy Love, Francis Chan. 

I can honestly say this book is changing my life. It's not just the book though, it's the combination of my pastor's preaching and the same themes and convictions echoed in different ways by Chan. This is one of those few books that I can honestly saying that instead of just reading, critiquing, evaluating from a literary or theological viewpoint and putting down; it's actually made it past internalizing and has changed my actions, attitudes and way I approach things. If you're thinking of reading this book- do it. But do not read it fast or you'll whiz past the point of his book: it's not about understanding something new; but DOING it. I'm in chapter 8 now, doing this as a weekly study with my women's small group at Harvest Bible Chapel; my awesome church. 

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, J.K. Rowling. 

I love fiction, and I love light reading. I've really enjoyed Harry Potter. The plot is actually quite good, the characters are super, super funny- it's not something I'll give my kids to read until I deem they're old enough- but I love the books. 

Desiring God, John Piper. 

I was able to get this book for free from Desiring God online; the goal was to celebrate the books 25th anniversary with online book discussions led by Piper himself. I've heard so much about this book that I wanted to read it, but I've not really enjoyed it. Much of that comes from the theological differences I have with Piper, and also I feel he uses way too many words to say things that are obvious. I'm only in chapter 4 at the moment, but I do plan on finishing the thing. 

Has Christianity Failed You? Ravi Zacharias. 

I love Ravi. I wish I owned all his books. Working on that part. This one was a Christmas gift; (great gift!) and it's dense, so I'm taking it slow. I love the approach it takes, because it addresses so many comments or reasons (excuses, let's be honest) that people have left the church and rejected Jesus Christ. Ravi is the perfect person to write on this subject. I'm still in Chapter 2 on this one... it's going to take a while to really digest. 

Love Wins, Rob Bell. 

I put this book on hold a month before it was even released, and only today was I able to pick it up at the library. That alone should tell you why I'm reading it.  It was one of the books that had a video intro that lead to controversy and lots of conversations about it; both from Christians and the lost. It's a best seller, many of my coworkers and people I know have read it, and I want to know what it says. I trust many pastors and mentors and their reviews of it; but before I say anything beyond I'm almost sure it's heresy I'll finish the book myself. I haven't read anything but the cover at the moment. 


Are you reading anything fun? Serious? Life changing? New? 

Things you need in a friend.

One of the many things I love about being a Christian is that it's so unifying. To a Christian, the most important thing and person in our lives is Jesus Christ, and the bond between people who love Jesus doesn't matter if they've ever met before. 


We all stand equal in God's eyes, no matter how long we've been a Christian, no matter what we've done in the past or will do in the future, our backgrounds, our circumstances, nothing puts us on better or worse standing in the presence of God, and in His church. 

Tonight I had the lovely experience to gain a new Christian friend, who reminded me in so many ways of how precious friends are. A true friend is one who loves; one who sees your triumphs and failures and still loves you completely out of the grace of Jesus Christ. And you don't have to have known people for a very long time to know if the love of Jesus is the driving power in their life. 
And, if it is- it's a wonderful foundation of a friendship. When you have in common the most important thing your life, the things you may not have in common are far less important or divisive. Age, culture, education, careers, even language barriers! etc- far less essential than knowing, loving and following Jesus and serving Him. 


 Being focused on the world to come puts this temporary world in the correct perspective. Christian friends help you keep that focus. Seek them out! They are so valuable, and essential. We cannot fervently follow Christ by ourselves: we need accountability, encouragement, and to work together for His kingdom. 

Lord, keep our eyes heavenwards as you direct our hands and feet towards this world.