More holiday pics to come!
Saturday, January 16, 2010
Holiday Pics Part 1 - Ice Fishing
On Christmas Eve my parents, brother and I drove up to Saginus Lake to do a little ice fishing. It was a chilly, snowy day at the lake and the fish must have been on holidays too since there were no bites. Good thing we didn't count on having fish for lunch. I drilled a couple of extra holes just to keep warm and we went for a walk to get the circulation back in our feet.
More holiday pics to come!
More holiday pics to come!
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Home for the holidays...
A quick update: I've had a relaxing start to my holidays. We've had gatherings with both sides of the extended family and it was nice to catch up with grandma, uncles, aunts and cousins again. Christmas morning our family opened presents together with my sister and brother-in-law in California via Skype, which wasn't the same as having them in person but the next best thing. My parents, brother and I went ice fishing on Christmas Eve and we had an excellent hot dog roast, but no fish. I'm enjoying my much needed break immensely, with an average of about 10 hours of sleep per night.
So that is my very brief update from Hudson Bay. Watch for picures to come...
So that is my very brief update from Hudson Bay. Watch for picures to come...
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Merry Christmas!
Classes are finished, bags are being packed, and tomorrow morning I hit the road for the 24-hour, 1386-mile drive to Hudson Bay. I'm really looking forward to spending Christmas with my family. It's been a whole year since I've seen my parents, and my brother will be home for Christmas as well.
I'm not taking an intensive class in January so I'm actually off until the first week of February. This is a much needed break.
Here is the Christmas card I created, my year in pictures:
I'm not taking an intensive class in January so I'm actually off until the first week of February. This is a much needed break.
Here is the Christmas card I created, my year in pictures:
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| Make a Smilebox scrapbook |
Monday, December 14, 2009
Christmas party with friends...
This evening was the Christmas party with the gang. Here is the invitation that was send out via Facebook courtesy of Andrea:
Oh, come all ye faithful to the house of Narnia on Sunday, Dec. 13 at 5:00pm.
You may come in a one horse open sleigh, or stroll over the parking lot and through the woods in the winter wonderland, for it may indeed be a white Christmas party. Just don't get run over by a reindeer. The halls are decked with mistletoe and holly, the tree is trimmed to bring us all both joy and glee.
Santa Clause is coming to town, so bring your white elephant gift and a favorite holiday snack. Though there won’t be chestnuts roasted over an open fire, Joanne will come a-wassailing. All other Sunday Sabbath rules will apply, or else you'll be gettin' nuttin' for Christmas.
Do you hear what I hear? No, this won’t be a silent night. Nor will it be still, still, still. The bells will be jingling, herald angels will be singing, there will be joy to the world and peace on earth. So come on, ring those bells! For we six queens of Narnia (and Brittney if she doesn’t have to work) are all wearing purple, bringing cameras, and having one last rock around the Christmas tree before we all go home for Christmas to celebrate the birthday of a King.
Oh, come all ye faithful to the house of Narnia on Sunday, Dec. 13 at 5:00pm.
You may come in a one horse open sleigh, or stroll over the parking lot and through the woods in the winter wonderland, for it may indeed be a white Christmas party. Just don't get run over by a reindeer. The halls are decked with mistletoe and holly, the tree is trimmed to bring us all both joy and glee.
Santa Clause is coming to town, so bring your white elephant gift and a favorite holiday snack. Though there won’t be chestnuts roasted over an open fire, Joanne will come a-wassailing. All other Sunday Sabbath rules will apply, or else you'll be gettin' nuttin' for Christmas.
Do you hear what I hear? No, this won’t be a silent night. Nor will it be still, still, still. The bells will be jingling, herald angels will be singing, there will be joy to the world and peace on earth. So come on, ring those bells! For we six queens of Narnia (and Brittney if she doesn’t have to work) are all wearing purple, bringing cameras, and having one last rock around the Christmas tree before we all go home for Christmas to celebrate the birthday of a King.
Thursday, December 10, 2009
My chaplaincy reading list...
This semester my on-site practicum supervisor has been supplementing my "academic" reading with "inspirational" reading. His rationale: You're not likely to directly reference or refer a patient to a textbook. And narrative is such a powerful tool for connecting with people. So here's what I read this semester for my practicum, all of which I would highly recommend:
Albom, Mitch. Tuesdays With Morrie. New York: Broadway Books, 1997.
Andrews, Andy. The Noticer: Sometimes, all a person needs is a little perspective. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2009.
Andrews, Andy. The Travelers Gift: Seven Decisions That Determine Personal Success. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2002.
Bueckert, Leah Dawn, and Daniel Schipani (Eds.). Spiritual caregiving in the hospital: Windows to chaplaincy ministry. Kitchener, ON: Pandora Press, 2006.
Fosarelli, Pat. Prayers & Rituals at a Time of Illness and Dying: The Practices of Five World Religions. West Conshohocken, PA: Templeton Foundation Press, 2008.
Kirkwood, Neville A. A Hospital Handbook on Multiculturalism and Religion: Practical Guidelines for Health Care Workers (Rev. Ed.). Harrisburg, PA: Morehouse Publishing, 2005.
Nouwen, Henri. Our Greatest Gift: A Meditation on Dying and Caring. New York: HarperOne, 1994.
Pausch, Randy. The Last Lecture: Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams – The Lecture that Inspired the Book “The Last Lecture.” DVD. Pittsburgh, PA: Carnegie Mellon University, 2007.
Young, William P. The Shack. Newbury Park, CA: Windblown Media, 2007.
Albom, Mitch. Tuesdays With Morrie. New York: Broadway Books, 1997.
Andrews, Andy. The Noticer: Sometimes, all a person needs is a little perspective. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2009.
Andrews, Andy. The Travelers Gift: Seven Decisions That Determine Personal Success. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2002.
Bueckert, Leah Dawn, and Daniel Schipani (Eds.). Spiritual caregiving in the hospital: Windows to chaplaincy ministry. Kitchener, ON: Pandora Press, 2006.
Fosarelli, Pat. Prayers & Rituals at a Time of Illness and Dying: The Practices of Five World Religions. West Conshohocken, PA: Templeton Foundation Press, 2008.
Kirkwood, Neville A. A Hospital Handbook on Multiculturalism and Religion: Practical Guidelines for Health Care Workers (Rev. Ed.). Harrisburg, PA: Morehouse Publishing, 2005.
Nouwen, Henri. Our Greatest Gift: A Meditation on Dying and Caring. New York: HarperOne, 1994.
Pausch, Randy. The Last Lecture: Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams – The Lecture that Inspired the Book “The Last Lecture.” DVD. Pittsburgh, PA: Carnegie Mellon University, 2007.
Young, William P. The Shack. Newbury Park, CA: Windblown Media, 2007.
Saturday, December 5, 2009
It's been a long week...
If I had to put a title to my week I think I'd call it something like, "Coming to terms with the end-of-life and the realization of my inadequacies."
On Monday I attended an IOPO (Indiana Organ Procurement Organization) conference in South Bend. It was an all day meeting, but my supervisor and I skipped out a little early once we'd had enough. I am all for organ donation, but the thing that bothered me a little was that because these people deal with this stuff all the time they seem to forget that someone actually has to die in order to make organ donation possible.
On Tuesday afternoon I was at the hospital and the oncology case manager flagged me down to tell me that there were three end-of-life cases that were in need of a chaplain's presence. I didn't feel altogether comfortable doing all of those visits by myself so I paged my supervisor and I shadowed while he took the lead.
This first half of this week was reading week so I didn't have class on Wednesday. I spend the greater part of the day researching for my Atonement paper on "what does the atonement mean at the end of life?"
On Thursday I attended a funeral that my practicum supervisor officiated. We'd been talking about funeral planning and I asked if it would be possible for me to come to a funeral as an observer of the clergy's role. That evening I finished a book that I had been working on over the last week or so, titled "Tuesdays with Morrie" by Mitch Albom which is an excellent book about one man's journey at the end of life and the lessons he passes on to his student.
On Friday I spent the morning and afternoon in my Spiritual Guidance Practicum course and then later in the afternoon I had an appointment with my own spiritual director where I finally had the chance to process my week. There I was able to say, "I feel so incompetent at times" and "I have so much to learn," and she was able to ask me "Where have you sensed God in all of this?"
After an intense week I was in need of an evening of relaxation and distraction. Earlier in the week my practicum supervisor at the hospital invited Carrie and I to join him and his wife at the performance of Handel's Messiah at the University of Notre Dame on Friday evening. It was an amazing evening and I enjoyed it immensely. It was a good reminder that in the midst of death and dying there is still new birth.
p.s. While Carrie and I were waiting for the concert to begin we saw a fellow CMU alumnus. She is studying at the graduate school at ND and her husband was singing in the choir. Such a small world!
On Monday I attended an IOPO (Indiana Organ Procurement Organization) conference in South Bend. It was an all day meeting, but my supervisor and I skipped out a little early once we'd had enough. I am all for organ donation, but the thing that bothered me a little was that because these people deal with this stuff all the time they seem to forget that someone actually has to die in order to make organ donation possible.
On Tuesday afternoon I was at the hospital and the oncology case manager flagged me down to tell me that there were three end-of-life cases that were in need of a chaplain's presence. I didn't feel altogether comfortable doing all of those visits by myself so I paged my supervisor and I shadowed while he took the lead.
This first half of this week was reading week so I didn't have class on Wednesday. I spend the greater part of the day researching for my Atonement paper on "what does the atonement mean at the end of life?"
On Thursday I attended a funeral that my practicum supervisor officiated. We'd been talking about funeral planning and I asked if it would be possible for me to come to a funeral as an observer of the clergy's role. That evening I finished a book that I had been working on over the last week or so, titled "Tuesdays with Morrie" by Mitch Albom which is an excellent book about one man's journey at the end of life and the lessons he passes on to his student.
On Friday I spent the morning and afternoon in my Spiritual Guidance Practicum course and then later in the afternoon I had an appointment with my own spiritual director where I finally had the chance to process my week. There I was able to say, "I feel so incompetent at times" and "I have so much to learn," and she was able to ask me "Where have you sensed God in all of this?"
After an intense week I was in need of an evening of relaxation and distraction. Earlier in the week my practicum supervisor at the hospital invited Carrie and I to join him and his wife at the performance of Handel's Messiah at the University of Notre Dame on Friday evening. It was an amazing evening and I enjoyed it immensely. It was a good reminder that in the midst of death and dying there is still new birth.
p.s. While Carrie and I were waiting for the concert to begin we saw a fellow CMU alumnus. She is studying at the graduate school at ND and her husband was singing in the choir. Such a small world!
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Sugar fix...
In the stress of the last few weeks of school I've been craving a lot of sugar. Here are three recipes that I've recently tried and would like to share with you.
Sugar in the main course:
Apricot Sauce (I've used this with both pork chops and meatballs):
1/4 cup chopped onion.
1/4 cup apricot preserves
1 tbsp soy sauce
2 tsp minced garlic
1/4 tsp salt
Saute onion in a bit of oil. Add remaining ingredients and cook until thickened and sauce-like. Add cooked pork chops/meatballs to sauce and heat through. Really good served with rice.
Sugar in the dessert (well, duh):
Chocolate Fudge Pudding
(like a pudding cake)
1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
2 tbsp cocoa
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup milk
2 tbsp cooking oil
1/2 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
2 tbsp cocoa
1 3/4 cups hot water
Place first 5 ingredients in bowl. Stir.
Add milk, cooking oil and vanilla. Stir well. Turn into a 3 1/2 quart (I used a 4 quart) slow cooker.
Stir second amount of brown sugar and second amount of cocoa together well in bowl. Add hot water. Mix. Pour carefully over batter in slow cooker. DO NOT STIR. Cover. Cook on High for about 2 hours until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.
Sugar in the snacks:
I was first introduced to peanut butter popcorn at a professor's house. Apparently it's a Swiss Mennonite tradition to have apples and popcorn on Sunday evenings.
Peanut Buttered Popcorn
3 quarts popped corn (keep warm)
1 1/2 cups nuts (opt.) - I used walnuts, but I've also had it with peanuts
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup corn syrup
1 cup peanut butter
Put sugar, honey and syrup in heavy, greased pot (greased pot not necessary if using non-stick cookware, but I've learned that greasing the popcorn bowl would probably be a good idea). Bring to a boil and boil 2 minutes. While stirring, add peanut butter. Remove from heat. Add vanilla. Immediately pour over warm popcorn. Stir until well coated.
If this recipe makes more than you are able to eat in one sitting, it works to roll the extra into popcorn balls while it is still warm.
Well, I've just finished a handful of raisins and chocolate chips while writing out these recipes, but now it's time to get back to the books. It's exactly two weeks until the end of the semester so the pressure is on!
Happy eating!
Sugar in the main course:
Apricot Sauce (I've used this with both pork chops and meatballs):
1/4 cup chopped onion.
1/4 cup apricot preserves
1 tbsp soy sauce
2 tsp minced garlic
1/4 tsp salt
Saute onion in a bit of oil. Add remaining ingredients and cook until thickened and sauce-like. Add cooked pork chops/meatballs to sauce and heat through. Really good served with rice.
Sugar in the dessert (well, duh):
Chocolate Fudge Pudding
(like a pudding cake)
1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
2 tbsp cocoa
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup milk
2 tbsp cooking oil
1/2 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
2 tbsp cocoa
1 3/4 cups hot water
Place first 5 ingredients in bowl. Stir.
Add milk, cooking oil and vanilla. Stir well. Turn into a 3 1/2 quart (I used a 4 quart) slow cooker.
Stir second amount of brown sugar and second amount of cocoa together well in bowl. Add hot water. Mix. Pour carefully over batter in slow cooker. DO NOT STIR. Cover. Cook on High for about 2 hours until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.
Sugar in the snacks:
I was first introduced to peanut butter popcorn at a professor's house. Apparently it's a Swiss Mennonite tradition to have apples and popcorn on Sunday evenings.
Peanut Buttered Popcorn
3 quarts popped corn (keep warm)
1 1/2 cups nuts (opt.) - I used walnuts, but I've also had it with peanuts
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup corn syrup
1 cup peanut butter
Put sugar, honey and syrup in heavy, greased pot (greased pot not necessary if using non-stick cookware, but I've learned that greasing the popcorn bowl would probably be a good idea). Bring to a boil and boil 2 minutes. While stirring, add peanut butter. Remove from heat. Add vanilla. Immediately pour over warm popcorn. Stir until well coated.
If this recipe makes more than you are able to eat in one sitting, it works to roll the extra into popcorn balls while it is still warm.
Well, I've just finished a handful of raisins and chocolate chips while writing out these recipes, but now it's time to get back to the books. It's exactly two weeks until the end of the semester so the pressure is on!
Happy eating!
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