was written in.

In celebration of the upcoming holiday season…

November 3, 2009 · Leave a Comment

I would like to talk about food. Specifically, today, about Pumpkin Bread – maybe one of God’s greatest gifts.

A recipe – from Real Simple. I have added my “more healthy choice ingredients” in bold.

  • 1 cup pumpkin pie filling (not pure pumpkin)
  • 1/2 cup canola oil, plus more for the pan (1/2 cup of applesauce… You’ll still need to oil the pan slightly, however)
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar (3/4 cup of turbinado or organic sugar)
  • 1/2 cup molasses
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour (2 cups of whole wheat flour)
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

Directions

  1. Heat oven to 350° F. Oil a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan.
  2. In a large bowl, combine the pumpkin pie filling, oil, sugar, molasses, and vanilla. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and ginger. Slowly stir the flour mixture into the pumpkin mixture.
  3. Pour into the prepared pan. Bake for 60 to 65 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack for 10 minutes. Using a knife, loosen the bread from the pan. Invert it onto a cutting board. Serve warm.

My day is better just thinking about this stuff… Yum.

Oh… and there are only 22 days until Thanksgiving… so… this recipe will only make you more prepared for the day where giving thanks, eating, family and football is all that matters…(not really, but you know what I mean…)

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A few thoughts.

October 27, 2009 · Leave a Comment

rachelandevan

This is Evan and I on our first night in Sanibel Island, FL with my family. It was an amazing trip… and I can’t wait to go back – hopefully sooner than later.

So, what’s new? We have a venue ladies and gentlemen… drumroll please!

loveless

Check another thing off the list.

Oh… and Loveless Cafe will be catering… check.

Lighting… check.

Flowers… almost check.

Photographer… in the cue.

Wedding dress… check.

Bridesmaids’ dresses… check.

Things are coming along slowly but surely.

Oh… and Ellie’s Run for Africa has started back up… It’s being held on May 22 this year at Percy Warner, again. A team of Ellie’s Run volunteers went to Kenya this year to see where your money has been going. It’s amazing. Education – something that’s taken for granted by so many here – is the ticket OUT OF POVERTY in Kenya. What our team found to be sub-standard and devastating is the conditions in which these families live… but the greatest thing that the team found was hope. Yes – these people – despite their miserable living conditions, despite not having clean water or sewers or food or sometimes clothes – have HOPE. And lots of it… and that’s just the beginning of the story.

Over the next few weeks, I’ll be posting more about how we can all be more involved to make an impact in Africa.

Stay tuned.

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Wedding Planning. Dad beware. Don’t read this.

October 15, 2009 · 2 Comments

I have always heard that this is a stressful process… but until you’re there, I don’t think that you truly understand.

I have a theory on WHY it’s stressful, however. It’s not that there is a list a million miles long of “to-do’s”… it’s that there’s a list a million miles long of things that each seem to cost several thousand dollars. A piece.

Gulp.

Something about me. I have horrible buyer’s remorse. I feel guilty if I spend more than $25 on myself… so the fact that renting a venue for a wedding is going to reach into the multiple-thousand-dollar zone makes me want to just run to the courthouse with Evan. And that’s just task one. Then, there’s a photographer (a good one) and a cake and do-we-serve-dinner-or-just-heavy-appetizers and let’s-try-to-keep-the-guest-list-at-100-but-that-isn’t-realistic and bridesmaids dresses and licenses and timelines and oh, yeah-I-want-to-lose-15-lbs and THE dress and tuxedos-really-I-don’t-really-like-traditional-tuxes-because-I-just-don’t and and and and and and and I need-a-wedding-planner. Oh yeah, I need to call that Event-lighting-place.

Did I mention that I work full-time?

I really hope that I have sons.

Luckily, I am in the season of life where tons of people are getting/just got married so they have lots of good advice. Thank. You. Lord.

At the end of all this though, I like to remind myself that this is just a ceremony that will show the world how much I love my Evan… and if nothing else, we’ll be married!

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So… I AM ENGAGED.

October 14, 2009 · 1 Comment

Yep. It finally happened… In New York City, In Central Park… on a Carriage Ride. What can I say? My handsome fiance is also romantic. I am a lucky girl. Details to come…

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And three years later…

August 17, 2009 · 1 Comment

I am back to blogging. Ok, maybe not three years, but about 3 months… or so.

The point is… this summer has been insane.

Let’s recap:

Ellie’s Run for Africa.

A trip to Lexington.

A trip to Florida.

A move to the other side of town.

Joint custody of SammyMac, the dog.

Etc.

And basically, blogging was not at the top of my list of priorities.

So, here we are again.

Let’s talk about 2 things that have become overwhelmingly clear – and this is not anything deep or significant…

1. Blue tooth ear pieces make me crazy. I hate them. I don’t mind if you are using it in the car – in order to be a safe driver, etc. Or, if you are using it while you cook a meal, so that you have both hands free. That’s fine. What I can’t stand is when people walk around the office, their house, their yard, the mall, a restaurant, or yes – even the bathroom, with the stinking piece in your ear. Seriously? Seriously. I think that it’s an issue of narcissim. That, and people think that you are talking to yourself. Also, why can’t you just hold your phone up to your ear? Please enlighten me, because I do not understand.

2. It has become increasingly apparent to me that school buses are a complete waste of tax payer money because every parent now drives their child to school every day. Honestly, if you aren’t going to put your kid on the bus (the first day of school is an exception), then let’s get rid of them – the buses, not your kids. Your kid, however, will probably be fine if they ride the bus to school. Heck… I rode one for 10 years… or I walked a couple of miles in the snow (we lived in Michigan… so I really did… I am not just saying that…) Anyway, what I am saying is that I made it. I had to ride the bus to school and I made it. It may have not been fun… but sometimes life isn’t fun. Use this experience to teach a life lesson. Morning work-goers will thank you.

Okay. I promise that my next post will be more positive and less of a rant. I.JUST.HAD.TO.GET.IT.OUT. (Probably because it took me 40 minutes to get to work – 10 miles away. I was behind every SUV/mini-van/crossover ever made with my-kids-the-best-dancer/gymnast/student/soccer player/frisbee-thrower/video-game-dominator stickers plastered all over the bumpers.)

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Insert Explicative Here.

June 17, 2009 · 1 Comment

I’m a little ashamed to say this. Well, a little ashamed, and a little not ashamed because I think that everyone, at some point or another has come to a point in their day where they have been asked so many questions and told to put so many things on their already obese “To-Do/Must get done yesterday/Critical/Highly important/Direct order from the President” list that all one can do is think of their choice of cuss word over and over while debating whether or not anyone would find them in that random closet just around the corner from their desk in their big, cushy corporate America-ish office lame cubicle.

Yes, friends. It’s one of those days.

I am not going to share with you my choice-four-letter word because 1) I don’t even like the fact that it comes to mind 2) I am well-aware of the fact that my parents or younger siblings/cousins/Sunday School students may very well read this one day and 3) because it’s just inappropriate BUT I would be lying if I said that it hadn’t come to mind, oh, at least 349,300,042.569 times today. Yes. Exactly that many times.

I want to know when it became okay for us me (fine… I’ll use “me” but I KNOW FOR A FACT that there are those of you out there thinking the same thing…) – Like I was saying, I want to know when it became okay for ME to let my job – whether good or bad – determine how I felt about the rest of my life. (While we are on this subject, I would like to know who decided that a 8-hour-a-day, 5-day-a-week workday was anything close to appropriate/a good idea/reasonable/Doctor-approved. I think that it was Henry Ford… really, I think it was him.) Lately, it has taken over my brain… stopped me from sleeping… and given me anxiety attacks – and let me tell you – my salary (while I am VERY thankful and fortunate enough to even have one) does NOT merit any sort of thinking-pondering-control-over-my-brain after 5 p.m. on any given day of the week.

I have been trying to tell myself to take a step back and look at the bigger picture… compare it to something else that at the time, was devastating, but somehow I overcame, survived, and am now here to talk about it… LIKE, for instance, 3rd grade when I had a teacher that you hear about when telling horror stories at 3 am at a birthday party-sleepover. I remember going up to school to see who my third grade teacher was going to be and reading Ms. Smith (names have been changed to protect the teacher who really is a fine person but  just have a bad wrap because she actually disciplined/had control of her class). When I read my name on the wrinkly piece of paper taped haphazardly on the window, I pretended like I fainted. My mom told me to get up and act my age – you know, along with that look, like if you don’t get up I am going to make sure you know acting like this was a really bad idea and then we’ll also make you tell your dad. I got up but proceeded to tell her that it must be a mistake, there must be two almost-third graders with my name and that maybe it was time for my dad to put in a transfer to a different bank so that we could move – and I could go to a different school. My mom looked at me, rolled her eyes, dragged me over to the first grade class listings so we could see who my little sister’s teacher was and that was that.

I am here, so I survived, clearly, but I remember thinking that the year with Ms. Smith would never end, that I would be stuck in eternal-third-grade-hell, and that nothing – I MEAN NOTHING – worse could happen.

The thing about that situation – at least I knew there was an ending. It was ONE year that I had to “suffer” through – a character-building opportunity. The thing about being a grown up? You just don’t know. And the just “not knowing” leads to all sorts of questions and feelings of hopelessness – to feeling like you’re stuck in this miserable situation forever. So… I have been feeling this way. A lot. And, I don’t want to make it sound like I am not happy. I really am – there are things that could be different, sure, but for the most part – I am happy. But this ONE thing – ahem (aforementioned obese “to-do” list) – is enough to make me almost insane, sometimes.

The good thing: this isn’t forever. It may be one month, one year, ten years (I hope not) or seventy (let’s be honest, it may kill me before then) but even seventy years isn’t forever. In fact, to God in Heaven – where I will spend my eternity – seventy years is like a split second. So… for all of those who are sick of whatever situation you’re in – and I know that there are a lot of you in far more pain than me – let us take hope in the fact that our God is awesome. He’s bigger than us. And THIS TIME that is so not fun or even miserable is really only a speck of dust for us – that one day we will have no more pain, no more suffering, no more crying, no more unhappiness, no more “let me just get through this year/month/day/hour/five minutes.” We will be living with our Jesus, our Father, and experiencing love that we can’t comprehend.

Happy Wednesday.

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Results

June 15, 2009 · 1 Comment

So far…

Over 1,000 people attended.

The weather was PERFECT for running.

Over $51,000 (and counting) was raised.

You all are awesome. When I think of the magnitude of the impact this will have, I can’t help but be overwhelmed.

Here is a video of Ellie talking about Ellie’s Run. If you didn’t get to participate this year, there is always next year… Also, there will be several opportunities to get involved before then, so stay tuned.

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We are 3 days away from Ellie’s Run for Africa.

June 10, 2009 · Leave a Comment

We are three days away from the race and I want to share some really really exciting news.

Our goal was to have 1,000 attendees at the race this year – not necessarily RUNNERS, but have 1,000 people show up. As of yesterday, we had 628 EARLY registrants and over 100 heroes (people who have agreed to help us fundraise!). I just squealed with excitement. Our community rocks. You all are so so awesome and generous and even if it’s NOT the reason you signed up, I can see the hands of Jesus at work. He told us to care for the poor, and I believe that’s exactly what we’re doing.

Barbara Ambrose (Ellie’s mom… Ellie is the founder of Ellie’s Run for Africa) sent a “thank you email” to our Operations Team the other day. One thing about Barbara – she is an amazing woman and mentor and a fabulous parent. It takes a Godly parent to listen to the God-given dream of her 10-year-old and take it seriously… help her start a 5K and ultimately help her raise over $155,000 in four years. Anyway, she shared a quote with us from Maya Angelou:

I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.

How true is that statement? Barbara goes on to say that we are all so blessed to take part in something that GOD showed Ellie… and it’s so true. The Bible talks about  the innocence of a child being such a gift – and I think this illustrates exactly what he was saying! A ten-year-old wanted to help, PRAYED about it, started a race and has helped HUNDREDS of children in Africa. Her efforts – along with our HEROES – have even helped BUILD A VOCATIONAL SCHOOL. This is soo sooo sooooo important because it’s ONE STEP in demolishing the cycle of poverty. This school allows kids to learn a trade… which in turn helps them make money… which in turn gives them the ability to provide for themselves and help provide for their families. I am not trying to preach… I’ll leave that to Pete… but I am saying that GOD STILL USES US… GOD STILL DOES MIGHTY THINGS… GOD IS STILL CREATING AND HELPING AND PROVIDING FOR HIS CHILDREN… and I believe that when we ask God to bless our efforts to help others, to build community, to feed the poor and to do things in 3rd world countries across the globe… HIS FAVOR WILL shine upon us.

I am not sure how to say this in a pretty way… so I am just going to say it like this – The biggest blessing that I have ever received personally is being humbled by giving my time and money (which are really God’s to begin with) to those who need it more than I do. It’s not about the feeling of accomplishment… it’s about knowing that Jesus CHOSE ME to show someone else… some poor little child in Africa that he loves them so so so much… so much that it’s incomprehensible… that he loves them the same as he loves a rich man on Wall Street… that he hasn’t forgotten them… and that he’s going to use the money that OUR community has given to teach THIS CHILD that his time on Earth may not be the greatest but that his blessings in Heaven will be so great that this time will just be a speck of dust. He is USING US to provide a teacher that WILL TEACH THIS CHILD about the awesome love of our GOD, and THAT is why every minute, every dime, every prayer MATTERS.

Barbara wrapped up her e-mail with the following:

So, how do you think a child who is wearing a ratty pair of shoes – full of holes – must feel when he wakes up and knows today is the day? This is the day the teachers have been telling him about for a week. This is the day that he gets a NEW outfit and a NEW pair of shoes. It only happens ONCE a year and he can hardly wait to get to school. This sweet little boy doesn’t know that you [gave $50 or that you gave hundreds of minutes and attended countless meetings to get him his shoes.] BUT, one thing is certain – he will NEVER forget how he feels when he slides his feet into a pair of brand new shoes that actually fit.

Everyone, I want to thank you for your prayers. I pray that God shows you these children with HIS eyes… that you may understand HIS love. Please pray for beautiful weather this weekend. You all are awesome.

Happy Wednesday!

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Why I do this – Part 2.

May 21, 2009 · 1 Comment

They used to be barefoot.

They used to be barefoot.

I love these kids more and more everyday. They are so precious and so thankful for a PAIR OF SHOES! Seriously… I take so much for granted.

DSC00047 (Large)

Keep praying. Every prayer, every penny, every time you tell another person about this – it makes an impact!

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I’m back… again…

May 18, 2009 · Leave a Comment

and still working on Ellie’s Run for Africa stuff… which I am loving more and more everyday. Seriously. Please continue praying that God will bless our efforts this year. These kids are so special and I want the best for them… more on this later.

In working on some stuff for ERFA, I found this quote… which resonated with some things that we have been learning at church… and that I have found to be so true.

If you live only for yourself, you are always in immediate danger of being bored to death with the repetition of your own views and interests.

~W. Beran Wolfe

I love this. I have a tendency to get caught up in my own little world. What Rachel wants, needs, feels, hates, loves, etc. It’s hard to step back and look at the bigger picture… that there’s a world outside of my own. Full of people with needs. Full of people who experience more injustice in one day than will in my entire life. Full of people who don’t know love because no one has shown them what it is.

This year, in addition to being involved on an organizational level (for lack of better words), I have chosen to try to “sponsor” ten kids in Kibera… the slum in Africa where a majority of Ellie’s Run for Africa money is sent. I hate asking people for money… it’s makes me want to crawl in a hole and never come out. But, here I am… facing my fears and asking for your help. You can donate a dollar, five dollars, ten dollars… whatever you want… but please listen to me when I say that every little bit helps. ERFA funnels the funds raised through African Leadership – an organization based in Brentwood, Tenn. The leaders at African Leadership are awesome stewards of the Lord’s money – they pray over every penny and seek God’s wisdom as they decide where to send it. Your money is going DIRECTLY to someone in need. If you do not want to help financially, I ask that you pray. Pray for these kids – that they may come to know Jesus and be filled with his love.

If you would like to donate, you may do so by clicking here.

Thank you in advance for your help! Happy Monday!

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