Reverting

*written on 2/18*

So I have one pair of black pants. I have been washing them more in the past months due to a new job that doesn't allow comfy, casual attire, and when I put them on today I noticed they seemed a bit shorter than they used to. I figured they'd stretch themselves out throughout the day, so I wore them anyway and kind of forgot about it... Until just a few minutes ago I noticed I've been pulling on my pants all day and having weird middle school memories.....

When I was about 10, I was taller than my third grade teacher and kids were beginning to notice that I was one of the tallest people in the class... and soon, the school. That's right - the school. I distinctly remember going to a high school basketball game with my parents and one of the cooler, much more stylish high school girls pointing and snickering to her girlfriends about the girl with the highwaters. As if that wasn't enough, she went out of her way to ask me if I thought a flood was coming - because I was wearing right pants if there was one! Mortified, I swore to myself that I would never again have short pants. This lead to scavenging through piles of jeans and pants at various stores looking for "long" or (even better) "EXTRA long" pants. Now I never buy a pair of jeans unless it says "35 inch inseam" on it.

Now, I have been walking around, all self-conscious today, all because of my stupid highwater experience. My initial reaction is that it's time to go shopping for some new pants (plus, it probably wouldn't hurt to have more than one pair of black pants). My secondary reaction is, "Kristen, get over yourself." I think that's what God's been screaming at me the past few weeks... I've just been ignoring Him. Until now.

I've found myself caught in this world of self-judging (is that a term?... well, it is now). I'm constantly thinking about how I can make myself better and how I should lose 25 pounds and get a new, cooler wardrobe, etc., etc. Somehow, I've only recently realized that maybe I should start focusing on how to make myself better, but in ways like reading the Bible more, praying more consistently and more meaningfully, bettering myself physically for the reason that my body is God's temple, not for all of the vain reasons I usually think of. And now you see my new path: Taking the focus off of me and starting to focus more on God. Doing things because they will glorify Him... not because my friends will tell me how great I look or how cool I am.

So, friends, let's see where this gets us. :-)

Weekend Update

Happy belated Valentine's Day! This holiday is one of my favorite to celebrate. I think it's so great to have a day to remind everyone how much you love them! Married, single, dating, etc... you are loved!

Jordan and I celebrated the day on Friday with dinner at Chino Latino's and a stay at the Marriott (thanks to the Hoods!). We made a trip to Ikea and the Mall of America, then headed home Saturday afternoon to make it to church. We were interviewed at each service with a couple other married couples to give some feedback on our latest challenges: to put the other person before yourself and to jump into your spouse's interest box. It was great to share our vast experience from our 4 months of marriage. :-) We sang "Love Real" by Jeremy Erickson together at the end of the service. Singing with Jordan is one of my favorite things we do together.

We spent Sunday at my in-laws with Jordan's baby cousin, Boden. Rita and Randy are babysitting him while his mommy's in Mexico on a much deserved vacation, so we went over to give them a break. I think we were the people who benefited because we got free lunch (homemade pot pies) and free dinner (crab cakes... my favorite!). Can't complain about that!

Hope you had a relaxing weekend. Now back to real life... that's how I always feel on Monday mornings.

Snow!

The past few days have been filled with the silent falling of beautiful snowy flakes. I love snow (something not too many people would admit to), and this latest little storm has made me so happy. Even though the roads aren't very good, I have enjoyed driving slowly and taking in the beautiful white-coated trees and huge icicles. Good thing I live in Minnesota.

Our church is doing a series called Making Love {Last}. Last week we learned about submitting to one another in love. Now here's something most people (especially Americans) really don't like to do - submit. We spend a lot of time in Ephesians - especially around the "submit to one another out of reverence for Christ" in chapter 5, verse 21. Submission has become such a bad word in our society. When we start thinking of it in new terms and in relation to marriage, it becomes a great word... to put the other first. Good stuff. Jordan and I will be in a panel discussion representing the newlyweds on Sunday. We're talking about things we've done to put the other first and how it's impacted our marriage. Should be pretty cool!

My eyes have been opened to a lot of things lately. I told Jordan last night that I think God is getting ready to do something big in my life... seems like things are starting to snowball, between the messages at church, learning about Haiti and everything that people are doing to help there (and feeling helpLESS with how I can help), reading some eye-opening articles and blogs, desiring to spend more time in God's word, and feeling the NEED to do more... something is evolving and I think it's going to be good. I always get nervous writing things like this down because it holds me accountable to continue to invest time and energy into this "thing"... whatever it may be. So, I'm planning to continue praying about it and see what happens. If you have any ideas what it might be, let me know. It's always good to have the advising of friends.

Made some brownies from scratch tonight. I plan to make them fun and Valentine's Day festive tomorrow, so expect some pictures! :-)

Weekend Bliss

Whenever Saturday morning rolls around, I feel myself heave a sigh of relief. There is something so amazing about sleeping in (even until 8:45!), then sipping coffee and eating an egg and cheese biscuit made by my husband. Then, a day with no agenda except dropping off some donations at Goodwill and having dinner with friends... heaven.

I had a great day yesterday at a chiropractic assistant conference at Northwestern Health Sciences University. I learned a lot about how to do my job better, and I went to a great session on nutrition. The speaker was very influenced by The Omnivore's Dilemma, a book Jordan has been reading and raving about. Very good info... lots of great challenges!

After the conference, our church had a preview service for our upcoming campaign, The Ripple Effect. We're raising about $4 million in the next three years to distribute between local, regional, and global efforts. It's amazing to go to a church where this huge goal will be met and we will bring clean water to villages in Africa. Love it.

Just got the "READY" call from Jordan, which means I need to make myself presentable. :-)

Off to Goodwill we go!

Here goes nothin'

A new blog... a fresh start. I have a blog on www.jordanandkristen.com, but I've recently been feeling a need for something girlier. A place I can talk about decorating and shabby chic and fun recipes and crafts I'm learning about. A place to help you stay updated on my life. Of course, I'll probably mention Jordan (my husband of 4 months) from time to time, but expect this to be a place where sparkles and ruffles are fully accepted, no questions asked.

So, for starters, let's talk about the amazing banana bread recipe I tried last weekend. The combination of bananas, walnuts, and CINNAMON was to die for. Why had I never thought to add cinnamon to banana bread before? Well, I will do it every time from now on. I found this recipe on the Joy of Cooking website. It's a must if you have ripe, almost black bananas sitting around. Serve warm - you won't regret it.

1 cup walnuts or pecans, toasted and coarsely chopped (optional)

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup granulated white sugar

1 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled

3 ripe large bananas mashed well (about 1-1/2 cups)

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and place oven rack to middle position. Butter and flour (or spray with a non stick vegetable/flour spray) the bottom and sides of a 9 x 5 x 3 inch loaf pan. Set aside.

Place the nuts on a baking sheet and bake for about 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly toasted. Let cool and then chop coarsely.

In a large bowl combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nuts. Set aside.

In a medium-sized bowl combine the mashed bananas, eggs, melted butter, and vanilla. With a rubber spatula or wooden spoon, lightly fold the wet ingredients (banana mixture) into the dry ingredients just until combined and the batter is thick and chunky. (The important thing is not to over mix the batter. You do not want it smooth. Over mixing the batter will yield tough, rubbery bread.) Scrape batter into prepared pan. Bake until bread is golden brown and a  toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 55 to 60 minutes. Place on a wire rack to cool and then remove the bread from the pan. Serve warm or at room temperature. This bread can be frozen.

Makes 1 - 9 x 5 x 3 inch loaf.

I hope you and your family love this as much as we did.