jacques o lantern.

My oh-nine pumpkin.  I named him Jacques.  He is French.

I used to love Halloween.  Purely for the candy, but the costumes were pretty great, too.  Here is a list of my favorites of both:

1.  Tootsie Rolls. The long skinny ones, the long fat ones, the mini ones, the vanilla or orange or lemon or cherry ones, the ones wrapped up in a lollipop...just give them to me.  Mysterious brown taffy stuff?  Yum.  I think my big sis agrees.

2.  The year I was a mermaid, although it was a lonely costume.  I was the only one in my first grade class who couldn't sit down at story time.  

3.  Mini Laffy Taffys.  Preferably the grape ones. 

4.  The year I was Pippy Longstocking.  I wore a jean jumper with a striped shirt underneath, boots, tights, freckles made out of my mom's eyeliner, and wire hangers in my braids.  Cute.

5.  For when I've got to have chocolate, I'll take the Reese's Pieces.  Not the cups...please, not the cups.  You would have to force me to eat one of those.  But the pieces?  Yes please.

6.  Skittles.  Dressed in the classic red.  Eat all the orange first, then the purple, then red, green, and yellow.

7.  Smarties.  I think this is the only time of year you can actually get them.  I like to chew the outside first and then eat the middle last.  Yes...it's possible.

8.  The year I was an angel.  I believe this was Kindergarten.  I spread glitter everywhere I went from my wings.  I'm sure the teacher and janitor appreciated it.

9.  Gummy bears.  The ones that come in the green bag with the bear wearing overalls sitting on a log.  The white ones are the best.  Sister loves these, too.

10.  Anything chewy, gummy, and sour.  I'll take it in any form.  :)

Am so excited to raid my nieces and nephew's stashes.  Happy weekend!

last night.

I never want to forget what our lives are like right now. I mean, husband and me. We love life, love marriage, love the season we're in...and before we know it we'll be older and have children at our ankles and babies in our arms, our pup will get older, our nieces will be babysitters, we'll have to eat less dessert and more carrots, our hair will get gray, we'll both sport reading glasses, and I'll learn how to drink coffee without creamer.

But not yet.

Last night Danny and I were on our own schedule. Separate from the rest of the world. We ate dinner when we wanted. A salad with the works. I told him about the Maccabees and he told me about so-and-so at work. I read my book on early Judaism while he played his electric guitar. We sang songs and forgot words and he played some of my favorite tunes. The slider was open, the room was brisk, I was bundled up and he wore a beanie. My feet got cold and he wrapped them up, just like always. I took a hot shower while he popped the popcorn. We seem to always have popcorn on salad nights. We met back in our room, me with long, wet hair and him with a big bowl of goodness. We watched you've got mail and laughed and smiled and enjoyed. Then it was bed time. So we turned off the movie early but kept the light on. We brushed our teeth side by side and hopped in bed. Then we talked. And laughed. For hours past the time we were supposed to be asleep. We played my favorite we're-too-awake-to-go-to-sleep game. Make your best impersonation of ________. And we tried to remember the theme songs of old shows we used to watch, talked about Jesus and Denver, and reminisced about the first time we met. He made me laugh and I made him laugh and we talked about how much fun we have together. I am so glad he picked me. And he is so glad I said yes. And then he told me a story and I grew quiet and we knew it was time to call it quits. So we kissed and cuddled and drifted to our dreams with smiles on our faces.

We love this season. But we sure are excited for all that's to come...

my rendition.

My rendition of my favorite childhood book, If You Give a Mouse a Cookie...

If You Give Your Professor Your Paper Early...

One day, you'll have a big paper due.  And a few days before that day you'll want to give your professor your paper early.  So you will.  And if you give your professor your paper early, she will tell you your style is "weighted down".  If you ask her what she means, she will make a comment on just about every sentence describing in detail all your faults.  If you add a comma, she'll tell you have splices.  If you take it out, she'll tell you it's become a run-on.  Then she'll tell you your order of words is "awkward".  And when she tries to change it for you she'll tell you she "gave up" and to "work it out" some more on your own.  And if you take offense to her "critique", she'll remind you that it was a REALLY GOOD thing and that she is REALLY GLAD (in CAPS) that you turned in the paper early so you could "fix" all your errors before it's due.  And if you don't want to change anything, she'll probably fail you.  So you'll do it.  And you might tear up.  Or want to delete the whole thing and start completely over.  But that's what you'll get if you give your professor your paper early.

The end.

ps this post can be a.k.a. breakdown #1 of fall 2009

Denver the last dino.

This is part of the reason why Denver's name is Denver. Danny and I couldn't find a name we both loved, until the name Denver came along. Then Danny remembered this show. And we found it on youtube. Once we saw the intro again, we knew there was no turning back from the name! Danny is really excited to teach Denver how to play the guitar.

We love our little dino.

earlier than promised.

I could not wait to show off our pup.  Meet our 5-week old Denver.  Yes, that's his name!  We are so proud of how much he's grown the past 2 weeks!  He loves to play, doesn't mind when his brother bites his ear, and is simply content to just be in our arms.  We are in love with our Denver.  3 weeks and he'll be home with us...

Will tell you more about our time with him this week.  Happy, happy, happy day!

111-125

111  sunsets

112  bananagrams (this letter ends our pup's name.)

113  marriage.  gets better daily.  more on that later.

114  sleeping til I wake up naturally

115  rice paper lanterns

116  sour gummy worms (am craving them)

117  charlie brown christmas (Vince Guaraldi Trio)

118  white, mini pumpkins

119  purse pockets

120  having someone hold the door open for me

121  blankets.  lot of blankets.

122  the musty smell of library books

123  wearing no mascara and rubbing my eyes

124  puppy licks

125  sunsets.  from the side mirror.

in the words of my pastoral servant leadership professor...

enjoy life today.  notice every good thing about it.  breath it in and live it out.

drive in.

This weekend Danny and I went to the drive-in to see this.  

Please tell me you've seen it.  

And please tell me you've been to the drive-in.

It makes all the squealing and talking and laughing out loud a-o-k.

 SO. MUCH. FUN!  If you haven't been, we'll take you with us next time!

D & I can't wait for the special features on the DVD.

Maybe we'll have another dinner party when it's released...

i'm lonely.

I was supposed to write to you today.  But I've had stomach problems all day.  I blame it on what I call a plum gone bad.  Shucks, and it tasted so good, too.  

Anyhow I leave you with these things that are on my mind...

We have guest musicians playing at our youth group tomorrow.  (Not famous, but still...)  Will take pictures and share soon so you see where we spend our Wednesday nights.

I really love my big sister.  Really, really, really.  I sort of wish we could be all grown up and live together again...you know, so we weren't threatening to push each other down the stairs or slamming fingers in doors (we were bad girls).  

In 3 weeks from Friday I will have another niece.  Can't. Wait.  One sewing project to do before baby Austyn's arrival.

Am still mad at that plum.

I am hoping to have a very lovely dinner party this Sunday night.  Am crossing my fingers.

I am counting down the days (3 1/2) until we can see our pup.  Am promising 5-week-old pictures and the name reveal first thing Monday morn.  We are so excited.  We oo and aa at every pup and we just can't stinkin' wait to oo and aa at ours (in person, not just in  pictures...which, by the way, I swoon over daily).

I hate being alone when Danny is at worship practice. (Hence the title. Boo.)

I need a haircut.  Really bad.  But only have $20 to spend on it.  Hmm...

Goodnight.

this week.

Last week we struggled every single day to make what was on our list.  I'm not sure we ate what was "planned" one time.  One night, I even went back to old faithful...a bowl of rice.  I guess that's the beauty of flexibility.  Hopefully this week will be better.

What are you all eating?!

on breakfast.

Danny and I are oatmeal eaters. At least 4 days a week. Sometimes with steamed apples. Sometimes with bananas. Sometimes with blueberries. Always with cinnamon & brown sugar & vanilla. Yum.

As delicious as it is, sometimes we need a break. So I'm working on that. Cereal is okay, but it can get expensive when you only buy the healthy kinds. And well, like the rest of you all, we're on a budget.

Least week I made these. You can make them, eat them, and freeze the rest. Then, when you're ready, zap 'em for a minute and drizzle syrup. Oh. My. Goodness.

This week? Pumpkin muffins. Oh yes...My husband will be one happy man. and I will be a happy lady.

Image via The Kitchen...My favorite go to place for recipes and food fun.

reason #298 why I love my husband

Danny is really funny.  I mean, really.  I laugh constantly.  Belly laughs, even.  I'll start sharing some things with you so you'll know what I mean.  Like tonight...

“I can’t eat ravioli and carrots together…they’re too far apart on the food chain!”

Now that I type it out it's not that funny...but in the moment...oh man.  

I am so glad I married a man who makes me laugh.

PS We shared a lot of sweet moments this weekend and I can't wait to share about them with you.  Until tomorrow...

..."say theology!!!"...

Allow me to introduce you.

These fine ladies and gents are the people in my Masters of Divinity program (minus the men in suits. Not to say they're not fine gents, but you know...). We laugh together, cry together, stress out together, study together, do homework together, learn together, read together, write together, problem solve together, share about our ministries together, lose weight together, gain weight together, become sleep deprived together, serve together, eat together, and seek God together.

I love you.

new years, old clothes.

Quite a few years ago I made a huge new year's resolution. Huge to me, at least.

Confession:
I love clothes.

I really do. I love shopping and pairing different things together and layering and wearing something new and, and, and.

I know it has no eternal influence, but there's just something about that new cardigan sweater, those run-free tights, or the new brown leather boots. It gives me butterflies just thinking about it. Pathetic, I know.

Anyhow, I would say this used to be a struggle of mine. Mostly in under grad (because I worked two jobs and had $$ to spend...certainly not the case anymore). I found myself buying something new every other week. Sure I had the money to do it, but it was just wasteful. And I had to do something about it.

So I decided: no new clothes for a year. Yes...that was it.

A friend of mine recently let me know that she is wanting to do the same thing this year. She asked for guidelines, help, advice, etc. So I'm giving it to her. And I'm giving it to you, too, just in case you want to have such an adventure for yourself. Here are her questions, some others I heard throughout my year, and some I added myself.

Q : Did you give up getting your haircut or just shopping for clothes?
I set up some guidelines for my year, and you should, too.. For me it was pretty much strictly geared toward clothes, so haircuts weren't included. I made one exception, which was a bridesmaid's dress for my friend's wedding. Other than that, I didn't but any new clothes.

Q : What about "old" clothes?
I set it up beforehand that if I really NEEDED something, I could get it at the thrift store. I did end up needing something throughout the year (a long sleeve thermal for a retreat, I think). I think this only happened once, though. If you allow this option for yourself, I challenge you to have an accountability partner. Ask him/her if it really is a necessity, or if you are just making an excuse for a new article of clothing.

Q : What about other non-clothing items?
Shoes weren't included in my year, but at the time I wasn't a big shoe-person anyway. Accessories WERE included, so no jewelry or headbands. It's all up to you to make your guidelines, though.

Q : What should I do to prepare?
You'll need to decide all of this before hand and write it down. Otherwise, things fall through the cracks and your vision gets unclear. Make sure the year isn't about all these rules of "I can buy this" and "I can't buy this". Otherwise, you'll just feel restricted and frustrated over it, you know? Remember, it's not that you're restricting yourself, it's more of a discipline than anything. Know your goal, share about it with whoever it is that's keeping you accountable, and remind yourself of it. Learn how to "treat" yourself in another way. I found that buying a friend something new brought me much more joy than buying it for myself. I also bought more useful things, like books and taking someone out to dinner and paying for their meal. I was also able to donate money to a family that was in the process of adopting from Africa. These things brought (and still bring) much needed perspective into my life.

Q : What should I not do to prepare?
I made the decision that this would be my resolution in October. Within the couple weeks that followed my decision I found myself "stocking up" (for lack of a better word) on things I knew I would want/need. This stopped real quick and I think I even returned some of it. Then I started my resolution early in November to keep myself from being a big dummy. Start early, if you have to, just don't make an excuse to buy more clothes before Jan 1.

Q : What do you wish you had done differently?
Here's something I wished I had done looking back on it but didn't. When you see something you want and would normally buy, write down the price. Add it up and see how much you really "saved" this year. It will be a neat celebration to realize how much you save on stuff you didn't really need anyway.

I think that's all I've got. Hope it helped, Kar! You'll do great...can't wait to hear about your year and how it enriches your life.

good mornin.

From my read this morning. I needed it and maybe you do too. From The Valley of Vision...a staple in this household. (click to enlarge)

And another of our pup...because he is a little peanut and we love him.

I feel like I should say something like, "And this is him licking my hand..."

Just wait til we get him home, friends. Get used to it. (I can just imagine..."And this is him taking his first drink out of his new water bowl...and this is him in his crate...and this is him with his rope pull toy...")

Tuesdays are fun for me. So have a fun Tuesday, too.

on parents.

If you send a mass email like the one below, parents will respond. They want to help so don't be afraid to ask for it...

Blessings, Parents!

We are off to a great ministry season. As we have been going through the Apostle's Creed, students have been learning about God Almighty and the reality of what Jesus did for them on the cross. In the next couple weeks we will talk about Christ's resurrection, the Holy Spirit, and the beauty of the Church. I look forward with great anticipation to all that God has planned for us this fall.

I am already seeing students growing this year. To watch them worship with abandon, open their Bibles to follow along with verses, and fellowship with their peers brings me such joy! I wish you could all come and see how the Holy Spirit works in our student center each week.

Oh wait...you can!

It's true...I need your help. There are events from time to time that require more leaders than what we already have. By help I don't mean a week to week commitment, but rather help for special events. For instance, we are having an event for high school students this Wednesday called Mall Madness and we need drivers to help carpool us to Ontario Mills Mall and back. Without willing parents to cook and drive and help in various other aspects, we won't be able to pull off everything we have planned for the year.

My plan is to keep a list of all parents who are willing to occasionally help. When a need arises, I'll give you a call. No obligations. No signing your life away. Just a great opportunity to serve God and catch a glimpse of what our ministry is all about! If you're interested, please reply with a simple, "I'll help!" and I'll get you on that list.

I hope you're enjoying hearing from your student about all that is happening in UpFront Student Ministries. I can't express what a blessing your student is in my life and I am grateful for the opportunity to ministry to him or her on a weekly basis. Perhaps High School Musical says it best: "We're all in this together!"

Shalom,
Kaylyn Unterkofler

PS Last line. Cheesy? Oh ya. Culturally relevant? Oh ya. Necessary? You bet.

this week.

Monday - OYO.
On your own. I'll be at dinner with my mentor (more on that later) + Danny will be at basketball. This will be our Mondays for the next few months.
Tuesday - chicken, rice, + green beans
You'll need: chicken, some type of marinade, rice + broth to cook it in, and green beans. Danny does this phenomenal thing with green beans. It's called blanching. Never heard of it? Read up. It'll change the way you view those little green devils. And it works well with their cousin, asparagus, too.
Wednesday - chicken quesadillas + black beans
You'll need: tortillas, cheese, chicken, salsa, black beans, + sour cream
I love this dish. Throw a large (or 2 small) frozen chicken breasts in the crock pot in the morning, along with some salsa. Shred it up when you get home from work. Then stuff tortillas with the chicken and cheese and any veggies you like. Just please don't microwave it. They get all soggy and sad. You must learn to do it on the stove. There's nothing like a crispy outer tortilla and gooey insides. Mmm...
Thursday - bbq chicken pizza + Caesar salad
You'll need: pizza dough (we get regular, but the whole wheat is good, too.), bbq sauce, grilled chicken, mozzarella cheese, red onion, + stuff to make your salad.
We like homemade pizzas a whole lot. We've tried a lot of different types and this one is pretty much our default. We've perfected it. It can't get better than this. (but the Mexica pizza we created is a close second.)

Bon appetit! Today is a great start to a fabulous week. Busy...yes...but fabulous all the same.

PS I can't stop thinking about our little puppers.

it all worked out in the end.

We didn't get Abby.  7 other families showed up and someone else won the raffle.  It was pretty sad and we spent the rest of the morning sulking, shared an apple fritter, made a vow that we wouldn't enter a raffle like that again, and started dreaming new dreams about a new pup.  

After a little internet searching, we were pretty sure we found him.  Our pup.  I mean really, our pup.  The only little red guy out of a litter of brown Aussies.  We called the breeder and within an hour we were holding him.  Our little love.  At only 3 weeks old, he struggled to open his eyes, but I know he knew we were there.  He licked our hands and smelled my scarf and fell asleep in the crook of our necks.  I could've let him stay there forever.  On November 15th, two days before my 23rd birthday, we'll pick him up and bring him home to be ours forever.  Ours!

...can't...see...you...mom...

Waving hello.

Brothers and sister...yes...they are all still available.  If interested, e-mail me and I'll get you info.

Mama bear.  

We love him already.  In two weeks we're going to visit him again so he learns our voices and our smells and our faces.  We are so excited to watch him grow!  (Aren't you?!)

We'll tell you his name soon...just to keep you in suspense and all.  Enjoy your sabbath!

to our pup,

Tomorrow we will pick you up from the pound. If anyone else has seen you in the past few weeks, I bet they will be there, too...mostly because you're a heart stealer and a cutie and we all can't really help ourselves.

If we get to bring you home, we will be the best parents to you. We've read books and articles and all about your breed and we even spent our last wedding gift cards last night buying you toys and food and treats and bowls for your water. We've prepared as best we can and we're ready for you.

This week I was a little "emotional", if you know what I mean. If I saw a man driving down the road with a dog riding front seat, I got a little teary-eyed. Same thing happened with that lady running with her dog by her side. And with Dug in the movie Up. (If we could, we'd get you a collar like that...but yours is still pretty stylish for a pup.)

Anyway, most of all we just really want you to have a good home with a loving family and as long as you get that, we'll be okay. But please, pretty please, come home with us...okay?

We love you already. Don't be a heart breaker.

Love,

Us

6:56 am.

Well hello.  I wonder if you're on the other side of the screen drinking coffee and eating a bowl of cereal while you're reading?  I'm over here drinking my coffee, bundled up in a blanket and wearing my winter jammers and crocheted slippers.  I'd say it's officially fall over here.  I've been celebrating.  My new autumn-y candle is flickering, we (I) just finished off the last of the homemade apple crisp, I've been wearing 3+ layers, and I have a pumpkin spice latte recipe bookmarked and ready to come to life.  Sounds like fall to me.  How I wish I could turn on the heater in our house and smell that burnt, warm, rich scent of heat blowing.  I guess I'll have to wait...for that and for my peppermint mocha.

About yesterday's "look".  We found our pup.  I mean a.  We found a pup.  She is the sweetest thing you've ever seen and I want her real bad.  But she is still a baby and isn't up for adoption until Saturday.  So Saturday we will wake early and arrive at the shelter with all the other people that want her and hopefully- hopefully- we will get to take her home.  Until then, I will keep trying not to call her "ours".  (Why did I already name her?)

On another note, here is what's going down at our house for the 3 days that we'll be home...

Tuesday - cobb salad + bread

You'll need: the works.  romaine, tomatoes, avocado, cucumber, bacon, chicken, hard boiled egg, cheese, and homemade ranch dressing (because it's so much better).  Side note: one time I ordered a cobb salad at a restaurant and a very good friend of mine said, I thought you didn't like fish.  Just a reminder, dear friends, it's cobb- not cod.  :)

Wednesday - spaghetti + meatballs

You'll need: The obvious.    

Thursday - BFD

Every once in a while, you just need some Breakfast For Dinner.  

You'll need: Whatever you want...just please not a bowl of cereal.  That's pitiful and makes me sad.  We're having homemade hash browns, multigrain pancakes, and eggs.  Always eggs with my Danny.

the best Monday.

Today is the best Monday. As I woke up early to do a Bible study with a very special student (very convenient to do, seeing we live across the street from the high school), Danny slept in. Then I went and cuddled with him under the warmth of our blankets. I smelled of coffee and hairspray and he warmed my cold feet. Now I am sitting here reading, writing, and making oatmeal (all at the same time, of course) and he is reading one of our favorite books, Valley of the Vision. (In my opinion, such a great prayer book to partner with your daily readings.) Then we will eat together, pray together, and I will be off to work while he enjoys his morning off. (Thank you, God, for a day off for my busy husband...he is so deserving of it.) Then, later on he will whisk me away from the church and take me to go dog "looking". (We're just going to look...really...That's what we keep telling ourselves.) And, because Danny's league starts today, I'll spend the evening watching him play basketball (and not doing homework. Hip hip.) A lovely Monday? I would say so. As for now, I'll share these words I just read:

I want first of all...to be at peace with myself. I want a singleness of eye, a purity of intention, a central core to my life that will enable me to carry out these obligations and activities as well as I can. I want, in fact- to borrow from the language of the saints- to live "in grace" as much of the time as possible. I am not using this term in a strictly theological sense. By grace I mean an inner harmony, essentially spiritual, which can be translated into outward harmony. I am seeking perhaps what Socrates asked for in the prayer from the Phaedrus when he said, "May the outward and inward man be one." I would like to achieve a state of inner spiritual grace from which I could function and give as I was meant to in the eye of God.

-Anne Morrow Lindbergh in The Gift from the Sea quoted in Gordon MacDonald's Ordering Your Private World

Don't you wish these were your words this morning? Me too. So let's let them be.

Gotta go. I've got an empty stomach and a hungry husband and a bowl of oatmeal with fresh bananas and strawberries waiting for me.

Shalom.

guest quilt

I remember telling you before the wedding that we wanted to do quilt squares as our guest book.  Well, the other day I got our quilt as a little surprise during my work day.  Isn't it beautiful?  We're in love.  And the stick-figures?  Priceless.  Thank you, Mary...what a wonderful gift.

Happy weekend to you all.  Hope it's a good one!