The past couple days have been a blur. Tuesday we hung around all day and then a bunch of our friends came over for dinner and dessert! Wednesday we had an appointment to get our oil changed. (Which turned into an oil change, new air filter, new exhaust and new breaks.) That kinda sucked but now our car is running like a charm. We put a for sale sign on her this morning, although tomorrow we need to give it a little wash and vacuum it and such. Pray that we can sell it.

Anyhow, while we were waiting for our car, we went into Paramatta. A friend of ours gave us her discount card to use so we had lunch at a nice cafe (two meals for the price of one) and saw Bridge to Terabithia. I was a little hesitant to see it after seeing the trailers - which made it look like a bad Narnia knock-off. But I was wrong. It was really really good. Probably the best based-on-a-book movie I've ever seen, except for maybe the Lord of the Rings trilogy. The acting was great and they really brought out the psychology in it. It's not really a kids movie. I'm not sure why they market it that way. But anyhow, I highly recommend it if you haven't seen it. Two thumbs up. Charles liked it, too, and he had never read the book.

Today we were woken up way early by Phil, calling to see if we wanted to go out boating on the harbour, since it was actually looking like a decent day. (Another guy in our church has a speed boat.) We couldn't pass up the chance for that, so we got all bundled up and headed out. It was SO much fun! We even got pulled over by a police boat (which is quite an ordeal to get the boats together - pulling over a car is much easier) for a random breath test. I guess there have been a lot of boat crashes lately so they are really cracking down. But it was funny because Adam said that in 12 years he has never been pulled over. And we were the only ones out today! But that was funny. The police even let me take their picture! :D
We had lunch at Watson's Bay - the most famous place in Sydney for fish and chips. It was delicious! It started to rain as we were heading home. Fortunately, there was a little top on it which kept us pretty dry. The sea was really choppy at the mouth of the harbour which made Charles a bit sea sick, but I thought was awesome!! It was like a roller coaster!
So that's that. We've been all over the harbour now. Great fun! We have packed so much fun into that past 2 months, it's amazing. Coming up is a day of paintball and also out for mexican and to see the new Transformers movie. And then camp, and then New Zealand, and then home. Time is really flying. In a month from now I'll be home - fast asleep in my old bed. Wow!
I can't wait!

(We'll get pics up on flickr soon.)

Today is my birthday. I'm 24. I'm in my mid-twenties now. That's hard to believe. I still feel like a kid. It's weird to be away from home and cold on my birthday, but Charles has made it so special. Unfortunately, the weather is acting up (it's still raining,ugh) so we can't do a lot of what we had planned. Phil was going to take me up in the bronto today (the big basket at the end of the ladder on the fire truck) and we were gonna get ice cream and go out and play baseball. But alas, those things are not happening today,

BUT - I can't believe what my husband and my dad cooked up. They were scheming. But I had no idea how big it was. My husband is really spoiling me this year - Great seats for the symphony, dinner at the opera house restaurant, (complete with new shoes and a red dress that my dad bought me!) and on top of that - A KEYBOARD! Charles and my parents bought me a Yamaha DGX 620! A full-size portable grand piano complete with weighted scaled hammer action keys, stand, pedal and a bench. It's BEAUTIFUL!!!! I don't have it here. They shipped it to my parents house where they set it up, put Happy Birthday (and Merry Christmas - since it's for both) signs on it and took pictures for me! So it will be waiting for me when I get home. So I never have to go without a piano again! Woohoo!!!!!!

Bring on the creative genius!

I love my husband! And my parents! They are so good to me! :)
Here's my new baby.

I'm going to get into some seriousness in this post, but first I must mention 3 other things.

First, last night we went to Pittwater Wesleyan Church for "Swing Church." This is a bi-monthly Sunday night outreach event where people come and hear jazz music and a 5 minute sermonette. So we went along last night to experience it. To be honest, I was blown out of the water. You never really know what to expect at functions like this but I must say that this was the best free music I have heard since being at Houghton. The musicians were fabulous. Two were from the church and the other members were part of their band. Unbelievable groove and improv. That is all I have to say. At one point the drummer "walked" around the room drumming (and keeping the beat) on whatever he could find... a mic stand, the floor, a kid's head, a coffee cup... it was spectacular.
Now I have to tell you about this family. George Morrison is the Senior Pastor at Pittwater. He is one of the sweetest men I have ever met. His wife plays the piano and sings nicely. But man did they reproduce. They have 3 children - John, James and Katherine.
John was the drummer. He is famous in the Australian music world for his jazz drumming and spends his time doing public appearances and raising money for kids and doing workshops and all that jazz.
James Morrison is actually famous all over the world for jazz trumpet. He spends much of his life if Europe where he is HUGE. He is also well known in America and is a jazz icon in Australia. Everyone knows him. He actually showed up to the last Swing Church, but couldn't come last night.
Last is Kath. She is late 30's but looks like late 20's. Very beautiful. She was a dancer on broadway for 20 years and then decided she wanted to play jazz trumpet. And within a few years she made it into the Conservatorium where she is now studying. She was also there last night - the solo trumpet. And man, she is good.
But it just astounds me. 3 kids, all incredibly talented. You would have thought at least one would have been a dud. But nope. And you'd never know from meeting quiet, humble George that he has 3 famous children. Just crazy. I wonder what Christmases are like at their house.

The last thing about the jazz band that I want to mention was the piano player. Young guy, maybe early twenties. I walked into the room and heard amazing jazz piano - runs and crazy chord progressions, etc. I sat down to watch him and saw that he had terrible form. He never curved his fingers and his pinky stuck straight up in the air. I commented to Charles on it, saying I couldn't believe how someone with such bad form could play so well. Charles turned to me and said "And I cant' believe that someone blind can play so well."
No kidding. This kid was totally blind. And genius. He played the whole night, doing crazy runs and jumping all over. It was interesting to watch him find his opening notes, by touch, but then his fingers just flew all over the place. It was really quite moving to watch. His whole body was into the music. He wasn't distracted by music or watching his fingers -- every bit of him was focusing on the song, on his improv. His body swayed in time and concentration. But every now and then he'd give a little smile.

I couldn't play like that with 2 good eyes. This kid was gifted.

Second, on Saturday the entire Wright family came over to celebrate Graeme and Heather's homecoming. It was so much fun. 3 boys and their 3 wives/girlfriends and us. Talk about chaos and a gazillion conversations and laughter and debate - it was so spectacular. I really felt like I was home with my own extended family. I really felt a part of the family, which was awesome. On the other hand, it made me really homesick. I know there are only 3 weeks to go. But you just come to a point where you are just ready. And I am there. I can't wait to see everyone at home. I miss my family so much.

Third, tomorrow is my birthday. Charles let it slip that he is taking me to the opera house restraurant before the concert. I am so excited! But that is not until next Wednesday. He has something else up his sleeve, I think. He has been very secretive. And he and my dad have been e-mailing like crazy, but he won't let me read them. So, either my dad likes Charles more than me (which is a possibility, but not likely - although he does like Charles, there is no question there!) or they are up to something. I am guessing the latter. So we shall see.


Okay. Now if you have been patient through all that other stuff, g'donya. This is what is really on my mind.
Last week I read Real Live Preacher, which is a collection of blog posts written by a texas preacher. He started out writing anonymously but put a name with the words not long ago. This book challenged me on so many issues.
What does it really mean to live like Christ?
How do we love one another - especially those that are not in our Christian circle?
How much do I really understand God and His ways?
(And so many more.)
Reading this, some of the posts frustrated me, the majority of them made me want to cry. He writes with (although vulgar language that really bugged me sometimes) passion and conviction and honesty. I like that. He writes about really hard things we have to grapple with. He writes about his daughters (those parts definitely made me want to cry). He writes about his frustrations with fundamental Christianity and TV preachers (he wasn't so nice about those).

But there is one thing that I can't get rid of. And I new someday I'd have to really grapple with this. This is an excerpt from his post "A preacher, a rabbi and a professor go into a computer store."
That December I (the preacher) was using the Hebrew word Shalom in my Advent sermon series. The rabbi (Jonah) was waxing eloquent on the concept of Shalom while we drank coffee at their kitchen table... I think Jonah realized that he was not a peace and decided to do something about it. He stopped his lesson and asked me point blank, "Do you think I'm going to hell?"
I gave my polite answer. "That's really not my busicness. What happens to you after you die is between you and God." That was not enough for the rabbi, who responded quickly, "No, you don't get off that easy. As I understand it, your religious tradition teaches that I will go to hell unless I accept Jesus as my saviour. I don't intend to do that. I think you owe me an answer. Do you believe I'm going to hell?"
I did not want to hear this. He was right. I do come from a tradition that understands hell to be real. Maybe not eternal fire, pitchforks and gloomy cages, but separation from God is understood to be real.
I'd been avoiding the subject of hell for some time, living in denial. We gentle Christians often do this. The harsh reality of our theology works agaist what we discover in real life. Those of us who get to know people of other faiths are profoundly moved by the experience.
A Real Life Rabbi faced me across teh table. Here was no teology or doctrine or tradition. Here sat Jonah, a man I had grown to love.
He escaped the concentration camps when he was three because a Mennonite man grabbed him and said, "this is my son." His family stared straight ahead and pretended not to know him. They found their pitch basket at the last minute and put him into the river. The Mennonite brought him to America and helped him find his only surviving relative.
As a young man in rabbinical training he danced with the Torah before polio took his legs. I went to the synagogue with him and saw him twitching in his chair, for he longed to dance again with the sacred scroll. I heard his impassioned prayers, offered at teh end of the day. He was teaching me a little Hebrew, ever patient as I struggled with the text.
I found it hard to look him in the eys for I understood then how our theology hurt him and other people of faith.
"No," I said. "I do NOT believe you are going to hell. You love God more than anyone I know. More than anyone. I feel closer to you than I do to many in my own tradition. I cannot believe that about you."
He started at me until I could look him in the eyes again and simply said, "Thank you." The stunning dignity he put into that "thank you" is ever on my mind.
We have a belief that teslls us faith is Jesus Christ is important. We have a theology that tells us what we decide here on earth has consequences after our life is over. I have two friends named Jonah and Robert. They are Jews. I am undable to think that God does not accept them - I am not able to think this. There is something deep withinin me that will not abide such thought.
I owe Jonah a great debt. B ecause of my encounter with him, mine is a theology born not only of word, but of flesh and Spirit.

I am really struggling with this, especially I think, because it's a Rabbi. Someone who does love God but says outright that he has no intention of accepting Jesus as his saviour. I believe in a God of justice but of love and of mercy. I also can't get the verse out of my head that says "I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through me." That is pretty clear. Can we accept half the truth? But I think again of C.S. Lewis's take on things as he portrays in the Last Battle, where the young soldier fighting for Tash ends up in Aslan's world after the destruction of Narnia because, even though he said he was serving Tash, his actions were those of one serving Aslan. And vice versa. Those who said they were serving Aslan but followed the ways of Tash were really not serving Aslan at all, but Tash. (Does that make sense? If not, read the book.)

It's all just a muddled mess in my mind right now - it's like a dull ache, constantly nagging me. I do not understand God and His ways. I know what I was brought up to believe, but what is really truth? As RLP said, what about things we discover through our life experiences?

I feel that my core has been shaken.

I can't even believe it. God is just blessing our socks off this week. I mean, He is always blessing us but this week it's like "IN YOUR FACE!!!!" For real. I mean, I told you about the job. And that is totally awesome. And I can't wait.
And today I wake up to another e-mail saying "I have great news for you!" and I'm thinking to myself, "You've already given me a job. What else is there?" Well, hahaha, it turns out that I'm getting a $1/hr raise... AND I HAVEN'T EVEN STARTED WORK YET!!!
They put in the request awhile ago and it was approved yesterday. The day they hired me.

Unbelievable.

I am now a Financial Aid Consultant for Asbury Theological Seminary!!!! They called this morning and offered me the position! What great news to wake up to! I am so thrilled! This is such a blessing! I knew the salary and hours before I applied, but I had no idea how many benefits there were. First of all, the health insurance package is fantastic - way better than what I would have gotten on Charles's student plan! Second, after 2 years, Charles gets 50% off his tuition and after 4 years his tuition is free! Third, I can study part-time, right away, for ABSOLUTELY FREE!!!!! I can't believe it! Fourth, I can walk to work, which will save us loads on gas and insurance! Fifth, I get to have lunch with my husband every day! Sixth, the ladies I get to work with seem super sweet, and I hear they are all very musical and every now and then the school asks our office to lead the worship for chapel! Seventh, they already worked things out with housing to have our apartment ready a month early so we can move in anytime after we get home! (Now, instead of late August, we're looking at moving in the first full week in August, which means I get a couple weeks head start on the job!) It also means that we won't have to live so long without an income!

It's so crazy how God provides. Again, He meets all our needs in a way that is always way better than we can ask for or imagine! A week ago yesterday I had no idea what I'd be doing the next 3 years. I was wondering how we were going to make everything work. I had no idea I'd have a job like this! I found that job on the day the applications were due (and if it weren't for being 14 hours ahead, I would have missed it) and it's just perfect! And now I have a job and we have some stability, and we aren't even there yet... man! Thank you, Lord! And on top of everything else, I am so excited to get to work in a Christian environment! I loved Hillside and the environment there, and I thought it was so neat that I got to work with so many Christians, and that wasn't even a Christian organization! I just can't wait to work somewhere where everyone is working for the glory of God! Woohoo!!!

I guess that's enough for now! Thank you to all of you who lifted up a prayer or two on my behalf! :) The Lord sure answered them!

Well, I had my first phone interview tonight. It went really, really well. They asked really good questions, and I think I gave good answers. (I hope so, anyway!) This was the first interview I've had where I had absolutely no idea what to expect. So I was a little nervous at first. It was difficult, in some ways, because eye contact and presentation are so crucial to interviews, and that was impossible. My Grandfather is so sweet and kept saying to my mom, "if only she could send them a picture, then they'd see how sweet she is and how perfect she is for the job!" How cute is that. Well, hopefully my words were good enough! I would really love this job, I think, and the ladies I would work with seem terribly sweet! So we'll see. I should find out by the end of the week. Keep praying that they'd realize how perfect I am for the job! ;) The biggest concern is how late I have to start, being I don't even get back to the US until late July. So we might have to move up our move date a couple weeks. We shall see. And one super cool thing - over Christmas break I'd get 2 weeks of paid vacation. Sweetness!

That's it. Keep your fingers crossed! I'll update you when I know something new!
Ooooo... I hate the waiting!

Tonight at church we had a Doubt Night. We don't normally have evening services but once a month there is a special "outreach" event. Tonight, Charles and Steve were a panel and people asked questions (ahead of time) about doubting and Christianity, theology, etc. It was fantastic. There was a small, but good group. We had some really intense dialog, which is something I have been really craving. I love deep discussions and life, reality and the Lord. There were questions of God vs. Science, of the importance of theology in our lives, of whether or not you have to go to church to be a Christian, etc. Really, really good. It will give me some things to think about for awhile. We only got through half the questions. We could have been there all night. That would have been awesome. :)
Today I was thinking a bit about the Wesleyan church. For the most part, I really like the Wesleyan church. I like their idea of Christian Perfection, I like how they have, in the past, stood up against things like slavery... But there are a few things that I don't really like. And this isn't true about every Wesleyan church I've been in, and I see it more in the Australian churches than American churches, but I see it none-the-less.

We seem to be stuck.

We have broken away from liturgical services but we haven't really continued to change and evolve with the culture. Not that I love mega-churches and seeker sensitive churches all about singing trite songs and hearing a 30 minutes sermon on why we should give our money to the church while hearing a 10 minute topical sermon about how our culture is going to hell, and us with it, if we don't change our ways. But times are changing. People are changing. Thoughts about God and theology are changing - starting to go back to the model of the early church - going back to what the original text was about, and seeing where we have gotten off track. Style of music is changing. I see that here. There are churches here that are full of teens and young adults and families. And there are reasons why they are full. It's because they are changing to meet the changing needs of people in today's society.
Yet, many Wesleyan churches are so resistant to change.
And yet, it's not like we are stuck in years of old, wonderful, thought out liturgy. We are stuck in the 70's. I believe in Australia this is more of an issue because that is when the Wesleyan Methodist Church first appeared in Australia. Therefore, founding members of these churches are still alive. Administration, etc. has not yet changed hands. Well, it has started, but the founders hold a lot of power. And therefore, because this is what they know and love, it hasn't changed. And there is nothing wrong with tradition. I love tradition. I love hymns. I believe there is value in this. But I also see how failure to evolve and change really damages a church. And I'm not speaking of any church in particular. I'm speaking broadly of many churches here.
But I think we are missing something. Hope Wesleyan is a very refreshing church because it is trying to meet the needs of the community. It's trying to be a worshiping, caring community concerned with depth in teaching and discipleship and taking God's love to the streets. Really good things.

But even that is lacking something. And I think that in trying to be "modern" and "flexible" and "easy-going" and attempting to make things "comfortable" for new-comers (those are my words, and I love Hope, so please don't be offended anyone. I don't think any of those are bad things, I'm just trying to say what I'm feeling.), I think we lose a sense of awe... of reverence... of worshiping as a Body and not individuals. There is something so sacred about corporate prayer. And responsive readings. And corporate responses (such as "This is the Word of the Lord." "Thanks be to God.")
(One really positive note for Australian Wesleyan churches is that they serve communion once a month rather than once a quarter. I think this is fabulous!)

Maybe what I'm yearning for is the perfect church, and maybe that doesn't exist. (Well, I'm sure it doesn't!) But I crave a church that appreciates ancient and sacred liturgy, while desiring to meet the needs of the whole congregation - old and young. I want a church that does responsive readings, recites old prayers, the Creed and the Lord's Prayer together, takes communion with the understanding of it as a corporate spiritual discipline, a place where Christ meets with His Bride and imparts grace to us. I want a church where we sings hymns and choruses - where we aren't afraid to bring in drums and a few guitars - where many people can use their gifts, not for performance, but for worship of God who gave those gifts. I want to be a part of a church where worship isn't about what I get out of the service or whether or not I like the style of preaching or singing but it's about what we can do to make God's heart sing. I want a church where the pastor preaches from Scripture - not culture - and seeks to draw people into the narrative, into our role in God's story, not only as individuals, but as a church. I want to be in a church where people love, respect and encourage each other. I want to be in a church that will welcome prostitutes, teenage mothers and drunkards and love them, rather than whisper/gossip about them and sit in judgment on them. I want to be a part of a church that actively works to feed hungry and clothe the naked, rather than sitting around in our big churches and comfortable homes talking about being Jesus to the world.
I want to be in a church where people aren't afraid to talk about Jesus, where people invite others to church, whether they come or not. Where people aren't embarrassed to be a Christian or too lazy/nonchalant to be bothered with stepping out of our comfort zone and reaching out to someone. I want to be in a church that is passionate about spreading the gospel.
(Tangent - I think that's a lot of our problem. In the early church, they were under the impression that Jesus was coming back soon and there was a sense of urgency. They had this incredible knowledge and they had to tell as many people as they could, because they might run out of time. Well, 2000 years later, it's like we suspect we have all the time in the world. We don't have the same initiative, even though we should. In talking with Phil last night I realized how stupid we really are. The apostles were preaching like crazy, despite ridiculous persecution, because they wanted to share Jesus with as many people as they could before he returned. What about me? What if Jesus doesn't come back in my lifetime? What excuse do I have? What if I feel like Jesus isn't coming back now, so, it's okay, I still I have time. But when I get to heaven and Jesus says to me, "I didn't come back during your lifetime. Instead, I gave you your whole lifetime to tell people about me. What did you do with it?" Man, will I be ashamed. So really, we have no excuse at all. Ok - end of tangent.)
I want to be in a church full of people who are considerate, who are good neighbors, who are honest and hard-workers, who aren't hypocrites, who "walk the walk as well as talk the talk" as the cliche goes. I just want to be in a church that is what the Lord created and intended us to be. I want to be the Church - the Body, the hands and feet - the Bride of Christ.

In Doubt Night, one statement came up about a bumper sticker or magnet or something that said "Jesus, please protect me from your followers." And another man brought up a survey that was taken in New York where they asked people who they would least like to have as neighbors and the #1 answer was Christians. That is so awful. We should be the BEST neighbors.

Being in churches my whole life (and I grew up in a fantastic church!) this seems so impossible. But it's what the Lord calls us to.

I suppose that's the end of my ranting and raving. If you stuck it out, g'donya. I'd be interested in your thoughts.

For now, adios.

1. I love to make list. I'm not really sure why. I have made so many lists in the last few days - grocery lists, things that we need to get done in the next couple weeks (ie, sell the car), furniture/odds and ends that we will need when we get home, expenses that we have coming up, things we have that we will take to KY, things we have that we probably won't take to KY (due to the lack of room)... So - it seemed fitting to make yet another list. I decided to do it here!

2. My interview is Monday at 10pm! woohoo! I'm nervous and excited!

3. Two of our boxes have arrived safely at home! (Huge sigh of relief.) The third was was undelivered and should be at the post office. If it's not there, there's going to be trouble.

4. We've been looking into getting a keyboard for me for seminary, since I can't take my piano. I have fallen in love with the Yamaha DGX 620 also known as the YPG 625. They are expensive although there are some pretty good deals on ebay. Unfortunately, we have to wait awhile. I'm a bit disappointed. I'm going nuts without a piano. I can't imagine doing it for much longer. At least I'll have one the month we are in NY. So, if you have a lot of money and want to buy me a great present, there you go! ;)

5. My birthday is in 10 days! I can't believe I will be 24. Sometimes I feel like a grown-up but a lot of times I still feel like a kid. Charles has something up his sleeve, but, for once, he's not letting anything slip. I am so curious. The hints he is giving me are not helpful. We are also going to the opera house to see the Sydney Symphony perform Mahler's 6th and I get to wear my red dress!! What a sweet birthday this is going to be. But I will miss home. This is my first birthday away from home. The first of many, probably. That makes me a little sad. I love home.

6. I got a new shirt yesterday and it's totally cute!

7. I guess that's all. We are going to a BBQ tonight with some people from church. It's awful cold for a BBQ. They have a hot tub, which is cool, but I think I already sent my swimmers back to America, being it is winter and all and I didn't expect to do much swimming. Plus, it's raining. That is all it has done here lately. And, again, we have clothes out on the line getting soaked. Fantastic.

8. I'm out. Cheerio!

I've got a job interview at Asbury Seminary next week!!!!!! (well, a phone interview!)

Praise the Lord!!!!

Be praying!

So i've started applying for jobs in Kentucky. It's such a pain to do when you live in another country. it's makes communication really difficult. Fortunately, we'll be home in a little over a month.
There is one that I would really like and it's right at the seminary which would save me a lot of time and money if I didnt' have to drive to Lexington everyday. Plus, being so close, I might have a better opportunity to audit a class or two, which I would love. So be praying about that.
Also, lately, I've started doing a lot of thinking about the future. Well, I guess I always do a lot of thinking about the future. But Charles and I had a big discussion about what my dreams and passions are. And I guess I really don't know. There is a lot of impractical stuff that I'd like to do and there is some practical stuff that I think I'd like to do. But I just don't feel super passionate about anything.
I like people. I like to help people. I enjoyed my experiences at Hillside. So do I go the social work route?
But I love music. I love to write music. So do i get a teaching degree or do i pursue something that is still as impractical as my first degree? I just don't know.
I love to lead worship and sing and play the piano. I love to study the Bible and learn about God. So do I get an MDiv?
Augh! There are just so many choices. And I have no idea what to do. And someday I'm going to have to do SOMETHING.
I want to do whatever the Lord has for me. I'm open to anything that he'd have me do. I want to be a willing vessel for his service. But it's hard when I have no idea what he wants me to do.
And I guess I'm just tired of thinking about it.

So maybe I can get one of these jobs that I've applied for and maybe it will give me a clue to what I should be pursuing.

But, alas, I don't. I'll give it a shot anyway.

It has finally, after 4 long days, stopped raining. Australia is the land of extremes, it would seem. We have been in drought for ages, and praying for rain. Well, it has rained and it has poured and now, instead of having everything fresh and green, everything is flooded. Ships are washing up on the beaches, flatter areas are completely flooded, cars floated away, houses were destroyed...
According to someone in church, maybe we prayed too hard for rain! :)

Today we finally made it outside to play some baseball. I was getting pretty sick of being couped up in this freezing house, basically living in one room because it's small and with the heater on actually gets decently warm. Plus, I can't remember the last time we watched so many movies. It was fun for a couple days to cuddle up and listen to the rain and just veg. But it got old pretty quickly. I don't think the clothes that were on the line really enjoyed it, either. I hung them out to dry the day it started to rain. I think they were probably, after 4 days, the cleanest clothes we've ever had! :)

On Sunday we went to Cold Rock, which is the Australian version of Cold Stone. I'd never been to one before and, oh my goodness, it is just amazing. I had white chocolate icing with fudge brownies and mint slice. so so good. It's a good thing I don't live in Paramatta, or I would be eating there every day.
And we went to this little natural foods grocery store... it was like cheese heaven. I have never seen so many types of cheese in my life! I love cheese. My newest kick is haloumi cheese. so yummy!
Speaking of cheese, I was making spinach tortellini this week and thought it needed some kind of creamy sauce, instead of a tomato sauce. So i made one up. It was a luscious creamy, cheesy garlic sauce and it was delicious!!! :) I was proud of myself.
Lastly, (and this is the last of the food talk, I promise), I found the recipe for the Olive Garden's alfredo sauce. sweeeeet!

In other news, Charles and I found that we really enjoy make-up shopping. We had a little spat on Sunday night (nothing big, no worries) and on Monday went to Blacktown shopping center just to pick up some practical things. Maybe it was us trying to be extra nice to each other, or maybe we are more vulnerable after hours of heart to heart conversation, (or maybe it was just that it was the Queen's birthday [not really, but this is the day they celebrate it and everyone has off work and school, etc.] and everything was on sale), I don't know. But whatever it was, we gave in and made the trip to the mall worth our while. :) It was loads of fun! :)

I guess that is that!

Regarding my previous post, I actually did dream about food last night - freedom fries (don't ask), chocolate mud cake, scones, giant donuts with enormous dipping bowls of whipped cream...

I'm surprised I didn't wake up with a huge stomach ache after all that food!

Perhaps that is the good thing about dreaming! I could partake of all that sugary, fatty deliciousness and not get sick!
Woohoo! :D



(Just to get your mouth watering!!)

I think I'll go make some scones for breakfast! Ciao!

I feel like I have been eternally hungry the last couple days. Perhaps it is because I have been staring at pictures of some of the most delicious looking food ever. I borrowed a couple cook books from a friend and have been jotting down some recipes. If it weren't for the fact that they are huge, expensive and heavy and I don't want to ship them home, I'd buy them. Everything looks so good.
But I've had to pick my favorites and stick with those.
Then, Charles found a cool program on the internet where I can keep all my recipes. So I spent all day yesterday typing in recipes with my stomach growling for them all. I'm trying my first one this week. I think it's something like pasta with garlic and parmesan spinach. yummm! We'll see how it turns out.

Speaking of computer programs, I finally got around to watching the 2nd and 3rd Matrix movies yesterday. I loved the first one and I'm not really sure why I never watched the others. So last night we did a movie marathon and watched them both. (I know - we are bums.) They were pretty darn good. Although you can't beat the first one, I was surprised at how much I liked the other ones. After things I'd heard, I wasn't sure if I would or not. Despite the fact that the end was not "happy" for everyone (I really like happy endings), I found it quite satisfying.

For a bit of randomness, I am the worship leader at church this week. Hope runs a kind of crazy schedule for who does what, but this week I'm in charge of the order of service, a couple songs, etc. Being the Charles is preaching on Job and the other song leader already picked the one song I had in mind, I had a doozy of a time finding music that was applicable. But anyhow, I digress.
I was looking for a good benediction and was skimming through the New Testament. Man, oh man there are some great benedictions. People just don't conclude letters like that anymore. They are so powerful! And it seemed that each one I read went so perfectly with something that Charles has preached on the last couple weeks. I also found a fantastic one for Job (at the end of 1 Peter). I was thrilled. I think I'd like to do a study on the benedictions.

So that's that. I'm going to go dream of food and then tomorrow perhaps attempt my first batch of bill's chocolate cookies! :)

We had an awesome night last night. We had dinner at Macchiato's in the city: amazing woodfire pizza! We had a Shanghai (duck, oyster mushroom, plum sauce, peppers...), Margherita (tomato, garlic, parmesan, basil...) and Mexican Chicken (spicy chicken, jalepenos, onions, boccerino [or something like that] cheese...). SO good. Between 5 of us, we scarfed down 3 pizzas in 15 minutes!

The game was so much fun, but seriously, Sydney is awful. They only lost by one point and they actually should have won because the other team that had a goal that shouldn't have counted (they scored it on a dead ball), but still, Sydney was outplayed. They looked like they were playing hot potato rather than footy. But we screamed and yelled and cheered for them anyway.

I suppose I should be used to cheering for the losing team. I am a Bills fan, after all. :)

I guess it's something you never really get used to. SOMEDAY my team is going to win.
Anyhow, we went in a group of 10. It is the biggest group of friends (our age) that we've been in since we left the US. What a breath of fresh air! And they are all crazy fun.

Pics will be up soon on Flickr.

Today we are heading into the city with some friends for another one of my friend's birthday. We'll hang out a bit, eat some dinner, but the ultimate goal is to make it to the Footy game: Sydney vs. Essendon! Sweeeet! I love footy games. It's gonna be a cold one out there but so far it's a beautiful day so maybe they can trap in some of the heat if they close the dome.
It's gonna be a good day.
And tonight we have Peter, the principle of Kingsley College in Melbourne, coming to stay with us for a couple days! That will be great. Peter is a pretty cool guy and it will be good to have him around! It's so weird to have people come to stay with us at a house that isnt' really ours! But we have the house all clean and the bed made up and so it sorta feels like our place!
I'm pretty excited!
Lastly, I spent the 5 hours it takes yesterday to make Banoffee (one of my favorite Irish deserts). It's an amazing pie - and I bet you can guess what's in it! It turned out really well, despite a few near disasters!
For some reason, things in the kitchen always go well for me unless Phil is there. (Dont' ask me why.) It happened again yesterday. Things were going great and then the doorbell rings. At that point I put the mixer in the cream and it splattered all over me and the kitchen. THEN, once again, Phil and Charles were stuck mixing the stupid cream by hand while I, AGAIN, hunted all over the kitchen for a real mixer. But, believe it or not, I found one this time! But as I moved some stuff off the counter to make room for it, the little hand-held mixer tipped over and, before I could catch it, it fell right into the middle of my beautifully decorated (and by now all complete) pie. Ugh. I was so angry. At least the presentation doesn't effect the taste! It was just perfect! :)
From now on, Phil is banned from the house until dinner/dessert is totally ready. :)

Well, gotta go! Off to the footy! GO SWANS!!