The Schnake-Kolbas Hearth and Home

Savory Legume-Barley Soup

2010-11-29T13:19:00.000-08:00

I know it's been about 1,000 years since I last posted. But for those of you out there who might still be subscribed to my blog on an RSS Feed, or perchance check it from time to time in the vain hope I may have changed my mind and posted, I finally find myself once again with inspiration, time, and motivation to blog a little bit. So without further ado - I am here to share with you a recipe I created last night.

I nearly called this "Post-Holiday Legume Barley Soup" but eventually opted for savory because that word always makes me want to eat anything it describes. But the inspiration for this soup came from the ham bone and gallon or more of turkey broth sitting in our fridge, accompanied by very few other veggies, and a friend coming to dinner - all of which was the result of the recent holiday.

Don’t be intimidated by the length of this ingredient list. If you look closely you'll see that it is mostly herbs and seasoning, most of which you probably have on hand. Again, I had a few more fresh herbs on hand because of the recent holiday, and I generally do find them far superior to dried - but as this is not meant to be a recipe that sends you to the grocery store, dried and/or a couple substitutions will do just fine (majoram would have worked well I think). Also, the recipe could easily be done with only Turkey (or chicken) stock, or only a ham bone, but I had both and found the combination worked nicely.

We ate the soup with Michael's freshly baked sourdough bread. It was his first loaf of sourdough, which he made from a starter he's been patiently bringing to life with wild yeast for the last two weeks. The combination was fantastic. Enjoy!

Savory Legume-Barley Soup

1 ¼ cup dry Black Eyed Peas

1 cup dry Green Lentils

½ cup Pearl Barley

6 cups water

3 cups Turkey Stock

1 Meaty Ham Bone

3 sprigs Thyme – torn off the stem

½ sprig Rosemary, minced

5 leaves Sage, finely chopped

8 black peppercorns

Dash ground cloves

1 Tbsp brown sugar

Hearty dash dried parsley

Salt and pepper to taste

1 large onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

8 oz. mushrooms, sliced and chopped

Olive oil

¼ cup dry red wine

I brought the black eyed peas to a boil and let them sit a few minutes(I’m not sure this was necessary, but they seem like they need a little more cooking than lentils, and in the end, everything came to a good amount of cooked, but not too mushy). Drain the black eyed peas, and add the rest of the first list of ingredients.

Bring the soup to a boil, then let simmer. Meanwhile sauté the onions in the olive oil 5 or 6 minutes, until they start to become translucent. Then add garlic and mushrooms. Sauté until mushrooms are tender (a minute or two) then add the red wine (1/4 c. is a rough estimation) and let it simmer about 10 minutes, until most of the alcohol has evaporated. Add this to the soup mixture. (Normally I’m a one-pot soup girl all the way, and this could be done in the soup pot ahead of time before the rest of the ingredients are added. I just didn’t plan that far ahead and did it after the beans were simmering – it can go either way depending on if you’d rather save a pan to clean, or time for the soup to simmer).

Let the soup simmer for an hour or more. Add more liquid as necessary – it can be more of a stew or a soup depending on preference and occasion. Taste occasionally and add more salt or pepper if it needs it. (The amounts here will depend largely on how salted your stock was to begin with). After about an hour and a half, remove the hambone. When cool enough to handle, remove all the ham from the bone, dice it, and add back to soup.

Let me know if you do make it and what you think!
And if anyone does read this and asks for it, I'll also share my next most recent invention - sweet potato and stewed hen curry, which came out quite nicely as well.

Receiving a Gift

2010-09-19T23:55:00.000-07:00

About a week before Pamela and I moved from San Diego I had the privilege of driving out to the Anza-Borrego Desert for a night with a few good friends to watch the annual Perseid meteor shower. The four of us stayed awake for a few hours watching some spectacular shooting stars and talking. None of us had the illusion that we'd stay awake all night watching the stars, and since we were sleeping on the hard ground, we knew that none of us would sleep through the night without waking up a few times.
Before we went to sleep, my friend Peter gave us some advice: he said that when we inevitably woke up in the night, not to let it frustrate us but to open our eyes and watch the stars until drifting off again; to accept it as a gift. So that's what I did and I think it was some of the best advice I can remember ever being given. The night sky that night was so clear and beautiful, even without some of the biggest shooting stars I've ever seen. When I awoke that night and looked up at the stars I was filled with the deepest sense of gratitude.
Gratitude, I've begun learning, is probably one of the most profound religious dispositions I know. And it's implications are probably just as profound economically.
Last weekend Pamela and I went to the Oregon coast for her birthday and went on a short hike at Cape Perpetua. As we walked along in this beautiful forest overlooking the ocean, I was struck with the sheer beauty of the place. I had the thought that however useful that place may be, it is infinitely more beautiful. Any economic utility, any "natural resources", seemed to be far outweighed by the beauty. How wonderful is it that there are so many places in the world that are that way? Maybe every or nearly every place is (or once was) truly that way if only we had eyes to see. What a gift!
Thank you Creator of all and Giver of all good things!

Oregon

2010-09-14T16:18:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since either of us have made a blog post and a lot has changed. The big one is that Pamela and I have moved to Oregon. Thankfully I'm pretty sure nobody uses this blog as the main way to keep track of our lives. Anyways, we're currently living with Pamela's parents in her hometown of Philomath and we hope that our being here can relieve Kent and Barbara somewhat as they care for Barbara's 89 year old father Ted who has Alzheimer's and also lives here. Kent started blogging about Ted and Alzheimer's a few months ago when Ted moved in; his blog is http://caring4ted.blogspot.com/
Our first few weeks here have been very busy as Pamela's sister, her husband, and our niece and nephew had been here as well and we'd been spending a lot of time with them.
On the job front I got hired to work at the farm stand at local farm called Heavenly Harvest and have been there for a few weeks. I may update more about that later. Pamela recently got hired at the local Center Against Rape and Domestic Violence (CARDV) and is very excited about it. I'll bug her to post more info about that sometime.
I'm hoping to begin writing on here more regularly about things I'm reading and thinking about. I have never consistently maintained a journal and hope that writing here will help me process and solidify things in my mind.
-Michael

Homemade Caprese Salad

2010-07-10T12:48:00.000-07:00

Since about a year ago when Pamela and I went out to a nice French restaurant for a date and had the most delicious caprese salad, we'd been dreaming about making our own from homegrown tomatoes and basil and homemade mozzarella cheese. Well, a few weeks ago we finally did it! She even bought me fancy olive oil and vinegar from the Temecula Olive Oil Company.

The cheese making process wasn't too bad; it took about 2 hours and it was mostly waiting, but the consistency wasn't quite right so we'll try a different recipe next time. All in all though, it was a lot of fun, not a bad way to spend a Friday night. :)
-Michael

I Need Ideas!

2010-05-19T16:20:00.000-07:00

So last week I was approached by the "Go Green" Committee at one of my jobs and asked to join. This really flattered me because it's a very big concern for me and maybe they saw that I ride my bike to work. Unfortunately though, my AmeriCorps year of service ends in just over a month so I won't be staying long. However, I would really like to contribute some good ideas for the committee while I can. So far there's pretty much just little stickers by light switches asking people to turn off the lights when they leave the room.
Does anybody have any ideas for how a typical office workplace can "go green"? It's challenging since we have a few offices throughout the city so we're pretty decentralized. It makes education/awareness trickier. But we have an Executive Director who would get behind a good idea, especially if it would save money.
-Michael

Our Best Discovery of 2010

2010-05-05T09:05:00.000-07:00

"Where is our comfort but in the free, uninvolved, finally mysterious beauty and grace of this world that we did not make, that has no price? Where is our sanity but there? Where is our pleasure but in working and resting kindly in the presence of this world?"

-Wendell Berry

One unique aspect of the geography of San Diego that I've noticed and begun to love is all of the canyons throughout parts of the city. Growing up just an hour north of here I'm familiar with much of the landscape, but these canyons are new to me. In much of the city it seems like just about every inch of space is used for humans. Even if it's "green space" it's for the use of people, featuring neatly groomed non-native plants and grass needing tons of water; water that we import from hundreds of miles away. Green space is artificial and safe. But then there are these useless canyons that seem to be inconveniently right in the middle of everything. In most parts of the city they seem to be left undeveloped, raising property value and nourishing my soul whenever I see them.

However, Pamela and I live in the most densely populated neighborhood in San Diego which also has the least "green space". Here many of the banks are paved with cement to allow streets and houses to be built alonside them, and grungy apartments sit at the bottom of the canyons. Pamela and I both long to encounter nature so we often go on outings on the weekends to hike. When we don't have the time or will to drive somewhere, it can be tiring to not be able to escape. Then, back in January, on a walk in our neighborhood we discovered a trail that wound straight through the middle of an undeveloped canyon right by our house. We were astonished that we hadn't found it sooner and that it wasn't riddled with trash. Pamela immediately declared it to be our "best discovery of January". When we reached the end of the trail and discovered an additonal little path that led down to a small stream completely surrounded by lush trees and bushes, she upped the classification to the "best discovery of 2010." Easily.

The trail isn't long, but it's a sanctuary for us. On our walks we find respite from the noise, listen to the birds, watch for rabbits, and pay attention to the native plants. There are so many wildflowers still blooming. We pick sage to cook with, and yesterday I'm nearly certain I found fennel as well.

Fennel?

Topics of Interest.

2010-04-23T10:19:00.001-07:00

We are terrible bloggers. I like to blame it on not having internet at home... but when you consider the amount of time I waste online at work everyday, it's really not a legitimate excuse. Anyway, by way of catch up here is a little list of things we WOULD blog about, but haven't gotten to.
Current Topics of Interest in the (Schnake-)Kolbas Home:

-Adventures in home-making: cheese making, yogurt making, bread making, granola making, home-made fallafel. papusas, pad thai... the list goes on...
-Adventures in gardening: green-horn mistakes and the benefit of starting out SMALL.
-Wendell Berry's the Art of the Commonplace essay collection. (hmmm are we noticing a bit of theme here?)
-LOST Season 3 (ok, so I wouldn't write a whole blog post about it, but it's definitely a current topic of interest)
-Exploring San Diego County hiking - successes and failures.
-Using non-gendered pronouns for God. Freedom and struggle within feminist theology.
-Paradigms of power within: the Church, the Food Industry, and the non-profit world.
-Dumpster diving.
-Plants of San Diego: Introduced species. Edible wild plants. And SOIL.

Unfortunately photography hasn't been among the topics of interest so I don't have any nice pictures to spice up this post... Since it is unlikely that I will ever get to the blog posts that could be written on each of these topics, feel free to ask me personally if any of them spark your interest! I'm better at one-on-one conversations these days anyway.
love,
Pamela

Just Getting Started.

2010-01-29T09:46:00.000-08:00

There is a lot about Michael and my life that is just getting started: our marraige, our "careers," our home together. In all of these things Michael and I hope to live lives of simplicity, peace, and justice. However, that too, as with everything else, is just getting started. This is a post about what that looks like for us.

I believe that God has invited each of us to be made new, and to live into God's kingdom of peace and justice. However, this is not something that can happen all at once. Although I believe we are "empowered by the Spirit of God" to live in this kingdom of peace, there is also the reality that it doesn't come naturally, and it will be a long process, a journey of slow, but hopefully constant change, and frequent failure. I strongly believe that this life should be joyful, if not easy, and in that vein Michael and I have taken small steps toward simple and Just living instead of immediately trying to implement every single thing possible. This is humbling, and it means that we have to live with that uncomfortable element of ambivalence, but it also means that we know where we are heading and what we are moving towards without getting burned out or judgemental (since there are examples of people making bigger changes than we are).

(The farmers market flowers with daisies and ferns from our backyard that we used for our wedding are my "joy in simplicity" visual for this post.)

Here are a few little examples of how we are starting out.

Just Eating: There are a lot of things about our current system of food production that are unjust and unsustainable. A LOT. There are a lot of things we don't do that we know would be good, but here are a few things that we have chosen to be our starting point for food justice.

-Organic fair-trade coffee. We don't eat entirely organic or even, at this point, mostly organic, because it is a lot more expensive. But after passing several months between the two of us in Peru, Nicaragua, Ecuador, and Argentina, where we personally knew coffee farmers and saw the affects of this industry on individuals and on land, we do our best to be consistent about supporting fair-trade organic coffee (rainforest alliance cirtified when possible). We plan to move toward more organic food especially based around certain products as we learn their particular importance.

-Making our own bread. We bought a bread machine for $4 at a Thrift Store. Making our own bread is inexpensive, delicious, and FUN. Once or twice a week we sit on our couch in anticipation of warm fresh bread. Then when the bread machine beeps we rush into the kitchen to slice off big pieces and smother them with butter and jam. Mmmmm... Plus, we are closer to our food production and use a little bit less plastic.

- Less meat and milk. Again, this is an easy choice for us. It is cheaper, healthier, and better for the environment and world food sustainability. Plus, I prefer soy milk to regular milk. And there are tons of wonderful ethnic meals that don't require any meat. My thinking is to try to find a balance of eating in a way that would be possible for every person on earth to eat if somehow resources were equally distributed. We have discovered that the less we eat meat, the less we desire it. Eventually we may head to a fully vegetarian diet, but right now I have to admit find a lot of joy in the occassional burger or chicken in my pasta.

- Starting a garden. This is very much a starting point. So far we have sucessfully grown... cilantro! Semi-successfully grown basil, rosemary, and the onions and sweet potatoes are looking good. Our composting experiement failed, as did the lettuce and broccoli. But it's been a fun journey and a learning process. Little by little we are going to figure out how to grow some of our own food, and it brings us joy. We also try to get a good deal of our produce at farmers markets, this is easy to do in San Diego and again FUN.

Other things besides food related:

-Michael rides his bike to work. He LOVES it. This is much easier to do living in San Diego. We live close to our jobs so as to not commute, and I personally think God helped us out with that one. I should ride my bike to work too... but so far I haven't motivated to start doing it, so I am giving myself grace and hoping to start soon.

- Another easy choice, because we just don't make a lot of money, was not having internet or TV at home. We're on the computer all day at work, so I really enjoy coming home and having a break from it. We recently started watching episodes of LOST that we get from the library... and are loving it, so we're definetly not up on any high horse about the whole TV thing, but we also enjoy knitting or crochetting, playing music together, reading, and getting outside often. We're just starting out on exploring how to promote peace through our liesure activities by being "creators and makers" (a method of opposing destruction and consumption, probably worth a post of its own). I am looking forward to finding new ways to do this.

- Refraining from buying new clothing in favor of second-hand and hand-me-downs. This was hard for me to commit to at first, but now it has just become natural and easy. I am really encouraged by that fact because I think it is an indicator of how the rest of this journey might go -- moving towards simplicity can sound overwhelming at first, but little by little these changes become integrated into your life and start being easy and natural, at which point it is probably a good idea to take a step further and try something new!

If any of you have ideas or examples of how you have joyfully engaged in simplicity and justice, we'd love to hear it!

Life Updates

2009-10-23T11:45:00.000-07:00

We've been bad at keeping this up, partly because of the inconvenience of not having internet and partly because we've been busy.
Pamela and I have really gotten into a rhythm of life that feels so normal even after only a few months. Pamela cooks and I do the dishes. I keep saying I want to gain more confidence and practice cooking though... We're somehow able to eat tasty, cheap, nutritious food for the most part which we're both a little too satisfied about. I've been thinking about food a lot lately but there are so many other people so much more knowledgeable and thoughtful about it than me. Our friend Sarah wrote a blog post about eating organic, local, and vegetarian recently. Here's the link: http://allthingshold.blogspot.com/2009/09/good-better-best.html

Being a volunteer coordinator at two non-profits can be a little tricky for me sometimes but it's been good lately. Work has been a little better at both places than it had been for a while.
I've also been really enjoying not driving. I walk to work when I go to the one right by our house and I ride my bike when I go up north. I'm also very proud of myself for that. I really didn't know anything about bikes a few months ago and I wasn't particularly fit or driven. So, I guess what I'm saying is that it's easier to do than I realized and I really enjoy it.
A few weekends ago Pamela and I visited our friends Katerina and Sarah who live and work on an organic farm a few hours north of us. It was so nice to get away and such a restful weekend.
There's a lot more going on in our lives and my head. I'll try to write about some of it before it builds up too much.
peace,
Michael

Slacktivism and Social Change

2009-10-06T10:24:00.000-07:00

I read a very intriguing (and relatively short) article here about the new trend of what has been
"slacktivism"; that is lazy activism that can be done now by simply joining a Facebook group or signing an online petition. Then today one of my favorite columnists, Nicholas Kristof at the Times, wrote a short blog post here on the same topic giving another perspective. This really fascinates me because engines of social change have begun to be one of my top interests. How do we create positive social change? How do we build up community where it is broken? What is the nature of resiliency? How and why do the lower classes develop class consciousness, and why does it seem to happen so rarely? These are some of the questions that I am most eager to explore.

Anyways, this new trend of online slacktivism seems to throw a kink into the way that things have worked in the past and it's hard to tell what will come of it. When I first read this article I immediately felt guilty for the ways that I have participated in slacktivism simply to appease my own conscience. Websites these days make it so easy to write a letter to the CEO of Starbucks, your congressman (or woman), Secretary Clinton, the president of Peru, or whoever. Simply fill out your email address and write your name and you've done your part to fight injustice. Is it really that simple? But what if my motives are pure and I feel deeply outraged about an injustice or possible injustice that there seems to be no other way to address besides sending a generic letter from the comfort of my home?

I would scoff at that if I hadn’t been a part of some positive change brought about by slacktivism. Earlier this year a graduate of Wheaton a few years older than me was living in Egypt. I met this guy one time because he happens to be a very close friend of a close friend of mine. Anyways, when Israel started bombing Palestine to pieces back in December, many Palestinians sought to flee to Egypt, but Egypt closed the border and they were trapped. This guy helped organize a protest against the Egyptian government and was then arrested by secret police and taken to an undisclosed location where he was being interrogated and, for all we knew, tortured. As word got out at Wheaton many students and professors went to the Egyptian embassy in Chicago and protested. I didn't find out about that in time, but I did write letters to everyone I could, including the Egyptian ambassador, my congressman, etc. He was soon released and my friend talked to him on the phone and he told me that his interrogators were surprised at how many American friends he had. After a day or two they even brought it up to him while they were interrogating him. Can you believe that? We raised enough awareness for them to notice it and feel nervous. They had intended to for this to be a secret and we quickly made it clear that it wasn’t and this likely helped lead to their releasing him pretty quickly.

I don't know the answers yet, though I've learned that in our complex world you have to intentionally limit your scope or you'll go crazy. That might be one of the big temptations of slacktivism; to be an “activist” for too many causes to actually effect change in any of them. For me limiting my scope means sticking to what I know, what hits home and what I am just drawn to. There's a whole lot to fight for right in our neighborhood of City Heights, and there are people out there working on all of it; things like keeping our parks safe from crime and cigarette free, increasing access to cheaper, healthier, more natural food for the poor (i.e. food justice), improving our schools, integrating new refugees into our neighborhood, educating undocumented immigrants about their rights and more. Even in my own neighborhood I have to choose what to put more energy into and there are certain issues, people, and places that I am more deeply connected or affected by than others.

But what is more important than picking and choosing my pet issues to join internet groups about is being truly compassionate. A compassionate response seeks solidarity while Slacktivism is too easily lazy and distant. Sometimes it may be the only tangible thing to do, and it can potentially be compassionate, but it requires nothing. Your thoughts?

-Michael

Three Vignettes

2009-10-01T12:51:00.000-07:00

One: "What do you call a white girl in city heights?" (Lost).
A couple of weeks ago I was driving home from work. I was in the turn lane to exit onto the street I live on when a nice Muslim man pulled up in a mini-van next to me and asked through the window, "Excuse me, are you a little bit lost?"

Two: You never know what could happen at 9:30 on a Wednesday night.
Last night, at about 9:30, Michael and I were sitting in our bedroom chatting, when we suddenly heard what sounded exactly like a parade going by outside our house. Except we had heard no approach. We jumped up and looked out the livingroom window to discover that there was in fact a nine piece horn ensamble playing full force in the parking lot of the appartment complex across the street, which is home to several dozen Mexican families. A small gathering was standing around the band with all the appearances of a birthday party. Michael threw on a t-shirt and some flip-flops and went across the street to join the party where he was presented with a large, fully in tact but fried, fish. I stayed home but enjoyed listening to the unexpected live music, which lasted for about another half hour, while I did the dishes.

Three: We Felt Like Kings.
Last week, upon discovering that we were actually spending far less money than we had origionally budgeted, we decided to treat ourselves with a trip to Trader Joes. (Normally I confine my shopping to the grocery store in our neighborhood with the best deals in the weekly coupon advertisements.) As we walked around the store I switched my normal shopping mentality from "Do we really need this and is it the best deal I can find?" to "Why not?" Michael would nervously ask, "Do you think these peanuts are a good deal?" "Sure! Get 'em!" I'd respond. "Oh they have that cereal I really like, but I guess we don't really need it" he would say. "Go ahead," I'd tell him. About half way through the shopping trip Michael turns to me with a glowing smile and says, "This is so much fun!" We left there with a small tub of hummus, a box of crackers, three boxes of tea, regular AND decaf coffee, cereal, dried cherries, a bag of peanuts, one tub of organic yogurt, and of course, a $2 bottle of wine. We felt like Kings! Afterward we shared an ice-cream cone from Rite Aide, and I bought a copy of David Copperfield from a used book store. It was so much fun.

2009-09-16T13:53:00.000-07:00

Internet has still been down. There was a night last week that I spent working on a long blog post and haven't been able to post it yet. There are also a few specific topics I'm planning to blog about once I get the time. We're still here though and doing great. We're just busy. We're going back to Temecula this weekend for my sister's wedding so it'll be a little while still before we post again. Hopefully internet comes back soon.
peace,
Michael

Internet Out

2009-09-03T16:07:00.000-07:00

Our internet hasn't been working well lately. There are a few things I've been meaning to blog about. I'll try to post something tonight.
peace,
Michael

The New Roots Community Farm

2009-08-27T20:35:00.000-07:00

This post will be dedicated to a project of the International Rescue Committee here in San Diego (where I work) that is so inspiring and exciting to me that I want everyone to know about it.
First of all, if I haven't mentioned this already, the International Rescue Committee is a refugee resettling agency that has a very big office here in San Diego and also works all over the world. They provide a number of wonderful services for refugees and I work part time there (and part time at another organization) as a Volunteer Coordinator.
Anyways, the project is called the New Roots Community Farm. The IRC has been working for a few years to buy this 2.3 acre plot of land just a 5 minute walk down the hill from our house to create a big urban farm for refugees and other immigrants. Earlier this year they finally got all their permits and got the farm all ready. Then, through 3 different community groups (one for Mexicans and other Central Americans, one for South East Asians, and one for Africans), the 80 plots were given out to families. Over the past few months the farm has really started growing quickly and has been such an amazing positive influence for the refugees and the community of City Heights. I wrote down a list of all the great things I can think of that have come out of this, but I'm sure there's many more.

A big vacant lot of dirt was transformed into a beautiful, green, life giving space in a neighborhood much in need of that.
The farm has provided a way for refugees coming from agrarian backgrounds to do something productive that they're good at. For example, a Burmese man that my coworker tutors had been sitting depressed at home during the days watching videos on the internet about the war in Burma. Now he works on his plot every day and he's great at it.
This project brings diverse refugees and immigrants together and breaks down stereotypes and encourages commonality. Many of the refugees have negative stereotypes of each other and don't realize how much they have in common. When they work the land together and share tools and spend time together outside they learn how similar they are and about each other.
The farm allows the refugees and immigrants who have plots to supplement their diet with healthy food. The zip code I live in is by far the least healthy in San Diego and it's a big problem because unhealthy food is so much more accessible and cheap. This is a way to combat that.
The farmers can sell their produce at the City Heights Farmers Market to earn some much needed money and even possibly be given much more land in North County later on if they're serious about farming.
This project educates the community about the important community health and refugee issues.
It encourages community involvement. People volunteer, clubs and churches have been supportive, the neighbors guard the farm and lend their electricity outlets sometimes. These things all better the community of City Heights.
It will serve to educate the community about gardening and farming since they are just finishing an outdoor classroom and will conduct free gardening classes every Saturday.
Very soon they will be working to create cooking classes led by refugee women who often are stuck at home and don't feel they have anything to contribute. I'm helping to recruit volunteers to advertise for and coordinate the cooking classes as well as putting together a cookbook filled with native dishes from our diverse refugees.

I've been told that the New Roots Community Farm is the first of its kind and that other IRC offices and other refugee resettling agencies are hoping to imitate it. I hope that they can because it seems to be such a positive thing for refugees and our community.
-Michael

Honeymoon pictures!

2009-08-24T11:39:00.001-07:00

At last we got a card reader and were able to access the pictures on our dead camera. They only cover the first half of our honeymoon due to the sneaker wave that killed our camera while were trying to enjoy a sunset... but it's fun to finally have the few pictures that we did get!

The whirl-pool tub and complementary champagne that came with the "romance package" at our hotel in Portland. Thanks mom!

Our first day in Kauai.

Fancy sushi dinner night.

Breakfast on the balcony every morning was maybe our favorite part of the week. Michael made me so many delicious pancakes!
Wiamea Canyon was very impressive but would have been more enjoyable/worth the windy drive if I wasn't too sick to hike or walk around.

At least I wasn't too sick to be adorable...Spouting horn

This is a view from the secret little cove we found by taking a hidden trail that I stumbled across.
We were pretty excited about finding it.

This is a beach that a local waiter told us to go to. Something of a local secret he said, and "the prettiest place on earth to watch a sunset."

Unfortunately the clouds mostly blocked the sunset and a sneaker wave came up and killed our camera a couple minutes after this picture was taken...
And thus, that is the end of the honeymoon pictures.

Prison Injustice

2009-08-22T16:58:00.000-07:00

I just read this column by one of my favorite columnists, Nicholas Kristof. I had been reading an ethnography about the prison system here in the States a few months ago and wasn't able to finish it because I was still in college, but the injustice of our criminal justice system has begun to really upset me. If that doesn't speak to everyone, hopefully the economic wastefulness that this column makes apparent at least will.

Getting Started

2009-08-19T21:02:00.000-07:00

Alright, well Pamela and I have been meaning to get a blog started for a while now and finally it's getting off the ground. We'll use this blog to share about our lives, jobs, neighborhood, church, recipes, thoughts, etc.
Pamela has blogged a little bit on her blog and she'll tranfer her last few posts over to here tomorrow. We'll both try to regularly use this blog as we live here in City Heights.
-Michael

Recetas Latinas Saludables

2009-08-14T09:06:00.000-07:00

A couple weeks ago Michael brought home a little goodie bag that the "foodies" (health and urban agriculture department) at his organization were giving out for free. In this goodie bag was a treasure so wonderful that I must share it with my blog reading friends: A small little cookbook called Recetas Latinas Saludables, or Healthy Latin Recipes Made with Love. It is a collection of recipes published by Champions for Change gathered from Latina women in California which are healthy versions of typical dishes . Though my usual cooking method relies more on reading several internet recepies until I can come up with some combination that uses the ingredients I have on hand than on cookbooks, I have been cooking almost exclusively from this cookbook for the last couple of weeks and am loving it. (as is Michael) The ingredients are mostly inexpensive (especially living this close to the border), the recipes are all very healthy, and the food is DELICIOUS. Our favorites so far were the Sopa de Abondigas (to which I reccomend adding a healthy dose of cilantro) and Mango Black Bean Burritos.

This past week at the farmer's market I came across a second edition from the same group called Soulful Recipes - equally delicious and healthy looking soul food recipes. I can't wait to try it out!

Cooking these recipes not only provides me with delicious and nutritios meals, it was also a fun way to connect with the ethnic groups directly around our home. Now if only they would publish verions for Somali and Vietnamese food I'd be set!

East City Heights

2009-08-12T09:14:00.000-07:00

It is cool and overcast in City Heights this morning. Growing up in Oregon I never fully appreciated the wonder of an overcast morning. The cool misty fog spreads a layer of calm over the otherwise baking and busy street that we live on.

As I get up and prepare our ritual oatmeal and coffee this morning, the language I hear spoken outside my windows is Spanish. About every 30 minutes a car drives by blasting some form of Mexican music. Michael and I love this.

If you turn down the block however, you realize this is not merely another Latino neighborhood in San Diego, but something much more strange and interesting. Just around the corner a Vietnamese husband and wife sell an odd assortment of vacuum cleaners, DVD players, and other garage sale items (incidentally this is where I purchased my vacuum and DVD player 2 weeks ago for $20 each, the former of which works great and the later... not so much). Walk another block down and you come upon Buddhist monks in their bright orange robes preparing to serve the daily bread line at their brightly painted temple. Across the street from the temple Somali women draped in richly textured cloths from head to toe carry their groceries on their heads. Or maybe they are coming from the hair salon around the corner which advertises private rooms for Muslim women.

If I were to walk down my street in the other direction I would be greeted by friendly African-American women sitting in plastic chairs in front of their appartments. A young white couple walking down the street would look rather out of place on these blocks. How strange we must have seemed two nights ago playing croquet in our front yard with five of our friends. And yet "strange" takes on a different meaning on Altadena Ave. Everyone seems to take it in stride.

Houses in my neighborhood vary in size and maitenence, though most tend on the smaller side. Some are falling apart with dirt lawns, others have gardens more meticulously maintained than I've seen in the ritziest suburbs (albiet with more practical and productive vegitation). The cars are similarly diverse, from the souped up racers to the ancient camper vans blaring tinny music and plastered with ice-cream labels.

Just three blocks from our house is a large park where Thai women get their morning exercise under the protective shade of an umbrella or large hat, Mexican women burn off calories in swishy pants and long sleeved shirts. I'm probably the only person "working on my tan" in the whole neighborhood.

In this same park we gathered a week ago with our Asain, Latin, and African neighbors for our local National Night Out event. We ate hot-dogs, painted tiles, listened to brief speaches from localrepresentatives and politicians, watched the Asian youth preform impressive breakdancing stunts on the grass, and finally marched around the park chanting "No more violence!" We paused on the edge of this park at the small memorial cross of a young Mexican youth who was gunned down here two years ago. The fervor of our chanting increases as we brandish our candles in his memory and chant "No more violence! No more violence!"

Michael and I LOVE this.

Blogging bug is back

2009-08-06T11:24:00.000-07:00

Since beginning my new life in San Diego I have suddenly rediscovered the urge to blog. There are so many new sights and thoughts and things to share about. On the downside, we don't have internet at our house (except for the ocassional 5 minute spurt of catching the one very weak unprotected signal here and there). We are looking at sharing internet with our neighbors however, and if this should happen I believe a new blog may emerge - a joint authorship between my husband and myself. For the time being, and in the spirit of taking advantage of free library internet, I thought an update might be in order.

A lot has happened in the last 2 months (wait, no, 3 months, has it really been 3 months since we graduated?!). So many life changes rolled up into one. Graduating and getting married have already been covered with their own brief picture posts so I will begin the update where the last post left off.

After a fantastic wedding Michael and I spent the night in Portland and then headed to Kauai for a week long honeymoon in his parent's time share on the island. I so wish I had pictures of this beautiful week to share with you all, but alas our camera was caught by a sneaker wave and killed and we haven't been able to acess the pictures from it yet.

Next came a week long stay at my parents house where my sister, adorable nephew, brother, and brother-in-law were all present. It was again, a terrific week, beautiful to spend this time with my nearest and dearest. I treasured every moment with my nephew and sister. It was sad to leave.

But leave we did, our little green echo packed to the gills, ready to start our new Californian life. Despite a certain aversion to California that I think all Oregonians might be genetically endowed with, I knew the Lord was calling us to San Diego, and it was exciting to see what this new chapter held. We drove through the incredible Redwoods, along the coast, and finally though the desolate Central Valley before landing in Temecula, at Michael's parent's house.

We arrived in So Cal just 2 days before Michael's new job began. This time held a bit of anxiety as it involved: frantically looking for a job, Michael commuting into San Diego most days (though it's only an hour, not too bad) and us spending the night at our friend's Chaz and Rebeccas 1 or 2 nights a week. We never knew from one week to the next where we would be living or what I would be doing. It was like someone pressed the pause button right at the most suspenseful part of the movie...

...And then they hit play and everything whirred back into lightning speed. The commuting lasted about three weeks before we had an opportunity to house sit just South of the city. On the same day that the house sitting option became available I was called in for an interview. The next day I was hired. The job is not exactly what I had in mind, but I hear that finding exactly what one had in mind is quite rare. The funny part is that this job is the exact same job that Michael has - volunteer coordinating for a refugee resettlement organization through Americorps funding. (Only I'm a Vista and he's a State and National VIP, which means nothing to anyone unless they've done americorps).
My job has not started yet. I was origionally told it would start mid August, but due to annoying funding issues I won't start until the end of August.

The day I was hired for this job I switched my Craigslist search from job postings to appartment postings. There sitting in the ads was our ideal home at our ideal rental price. We went out to look at it the next day and signed the contract on the spot.
It is the most adorable little one bedroom duplex with a real life yard all to ourselves! I was hoping to post pictures here today, but I grabbed the wrong cord on the way out the door, so they are trapped inside my camera. The yard and cuteness of our home are only icing on the cake, however, in comparison to the incredible neighborhood we are in and the proximity of the house to both of our jobs (well, one of Michael's anyway, as he splits his time between two).
The nieghborhood is called City Heights, it is the neighborhood where most refugees who come into the city resettle and also has a very high Latino population. We have heard that it is supposed to be one of the more run down and "dangerous" neighborhoods in the city, however, so far I've found nothing but love for this incredibly diverse and beautiful community. I have so much more to say about it, that will have to be a post of it's own.

So that's where we are now, and life is rolling by. I suppose it feels a little like someone hit pause again as I wait for my job to start, but it's more of an intermission. Time to refocus and come back to earth before launching off again. Michael is enjoying his job. I'm getting the house all in order. We're involved with a great little Christian "intentional community" a couple neighborhoods away, and slowly but surely we're getting to know our neighbors.

And that is enough detail for one library session.
love,
Pamela

Get Married: Check

2009-07-23T12:51:00.000-07:00

More photos to follow soon.

P.S. I almost forgot, the rest of the photos can be viewed here: http://www.pictage.com/675142

Graduate College. Check.

2009-05-23T11:08:00.000-07:00

Sorry guys. I would give captions, but blogger is is being too difficult. Maybe later...

(The bridge where he proposed)

Elections in Nicaragua

2008-11-13T06:31:00.000-08:00

First of all, if any of you are avid news readers and have caught wind of the current unrest in Nicaragua, I want to assure you that I am totally safe, and there is really no danger of me being not safe even if things continue to escalate.

To the rest of you who are wondering why I would need to make that statement:
We had elections for mayors this past Sunday (mayor is a more important office in this political system), and they haven't gone well. Violence has been escalating, and both sides are accusing the other of foul play. They are doing a re-count today, but the fear is this will actually only cause more violence because the Sanandista party (President Ortega's party) is already sure that they've won, and the opposing PLC says it was rigged from the beginning and they won't accept the recount, so either way the results could cause more violence. Bags of burned PLC ballots were found in the dump in multiple municipalities, but the Sanandistas claim they were planted there, and there has been irregularities in the numbers in several municipalities as well.
As I said, I'm safe, I life on the outskirts of the city, a good ways from any violent activity, and I won't be travelling into the city center any time soon.
But, please pray for our country, and especially this city, Managua. Pray that things will be calmed down soon, and that somehow the truth will come out. My bosses are predicting that it's looking like the only thing that could come out of this is another negotiation between the two "caldeos" (strong men) of the country and leaders of these two parties, likely an underhanded deal which will give more power to these power hungry men. It's a really complicated situation, but it is consistent with the history of political movements in the country dating back to the Colonial era.
I'll let you know if anything else happens.

I went to Guatemala!

2008-10-31T13:56:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I actually got back almost two weeks ago. But they have been a busy couple of weeks, so forgive for the delayed picture presentation.

Without further adue - Central American HNGR Interns Vacation 2008

Me, Austin, David, and Sheryl. A diverse and lovely bunch.

The ruins of Tikal! Oh my gosh. So amazing.

We got this lovely riverside bungalow all to ourselves for 2 days. It rained the whole time, but we didn't even mind one bit. Just made a better excuse to sit around reading, doing puzzles, and playing yahtzi!

David and Austin. This is Austin's favorite fruit in Guatemala, mostly because it looks so weird. It tastes pretty good too though.

Here are Sheryl and I at some ruins in Antigua, the beautifully preserved (albiet very touristy) Colonial Capital of Central America.

It was a really nice trip.

Since then I also spent some days with a short term missions team in the Northern part of Nicaragua. It was a good experience. I was a translator (I know right? My Spanish is improving for sure, but they were also a little desprate), and I really enjoyed seeing the rural community we were working in, and the extra acceptance I got from the local Nicaraguans as a translator rather than a member of the team. :-)

Yesterday I tried on my wedding dress and it is just about all finished! It turned out sooo lovely! I wish I could post pictures here... but then Michael would see them, so you'll just have to wait until June 13, 2009, or after when pictures will be posted without hesitation.

I am a feminist.

2008-10-22T11:02:00.000-07:00

I own it and I declare it. The mistreatment, the neglect, the opression of women has lasted too long. Too long. The church has not taken a stand. The church has been silent. The church has promoted it rather than healed it. It is wrong.

In Nicaragua 70% of church members are women. Virtually no women are pastors, though ironically in this machismo driven society I have encountered more women pastors than I ever have seen in the states. I have learned there is room for the word "pastora" - "pastor" doesn't have to be only a masculine word. 70% of church members are women, yet women are not in church leadership. Is there something wrong with this picture? Yes.

In Nicaragua infidelity in marraige is the norm rather than the exception. Women have told me this. They have pleaded with me to make their voices known. I have told men. They have told me it's not true. They have told me my sources are emotionally involved and unreliable. This is wrong. I know women who are raped by their husbands. They can't do anything about it. They know that if they left their husband the chances are too strong that they would never find anyone different, anyone better. This is WRONG.

I have sat in meetings where decisions are being made about what we consider a "healthy church." I have seen the parts which speak specifically to women's issues be disregarded and thrown out. The parts I insisted we put in on behalf of those women who pleaded with me to make their voices known. I've sat there silent and helpless as no one took a stand. I was the only female in a roomfull of powerful men.
So this is what it is to not have a voice.

What are we going to do? I am going to start by telling you:
I am a feminist.
Do I love men? Yes. And I believe they should be treated well too.
Do I think women must work outside the home? No. That's not what it means to be a feminist. I plan to be a stay at home mom for a good chunk of my life, if the Lord permits, and I think it's a wonderful and respectable job (as is being a stay at home father).
Do I believe we need to fight for change? Yes. I believe it on behalf of my Nicaraguan sisters. I believe it on behalf of all of the unheard voices - of minority races, of the poor, of the two-thirds world. I believe it when I see that the church is the most exclusionary institution in the United States, when I admit to my pastor here that there is a difference between how women are treated in the church and how they are treated in the rest of society. I am admitting this, not happily reporting it as I should be if the church is really the agent of change it is called to be.
I have sat in a room of powerful men as they made a decision not to hear the voices I have heard. I have cried over this.
I pray: Come Lord Jesus Come.

The rumors are true.

2008-04-20T19:53:00.000-07:00

We're engaged!!

I know. I can't believe it either.
Ok, so I know you all want "the story" so here it is:

Friday morning 8:30am I am awakened by something hitting my window screen. I try to ignore it until I hear a soft "Pamela.." I roll over to see Michael smiling at me through the window. "Oh! what are you doing here so early?" I mumble? "I brough you your shampoo" he says (I had just ran out and he had taken my bottle the night before so he could fill it with some of his).
I thought that was sweet of him, so I went around to the door to get it from him, still feeling a little confused as to why he was up and dressed at that hour.
When I went to the hall door (boys can't come into my dorm hallway during normal daytime hours) and there was Michael, with a giant boquet of flowers. "Do you want to go to breakfast?" he asked.
Well I thought that was awfully sweet of him. I noticed his heart was beating when I hugged him "Could this be...?" I thought, but I tried not to jump to any conclusions. So I rushed back to get some real clothes on and brush my teeth, all the while trying not to get my hopes up or assume anything.
We got in the car, but when we didn't head toward our normal breakfast place I was a little curious. "Are we going to Denny's?" I asked... trying to think of any breakfast place near our driving direction. "Um... maybe..." Michael replys. A minute later, we turn off the main road we were on and Michael admits to me, "Ok, so we're not going to breakfast right now." And then I knew. This was really happening.
We drove to Northside Park in veritable silence, both unable to think of anything to say. When we got to the park, Michael asked if I wanted to go for a walk, and I suggested we walk to the bridge that went over the pond a few yards away. He agreed and we both started walking rather briskly in that direction, clutching hands and still unable to think of any topic of conversation. That is until Michael said... "Wow, there sure is a lot of goose poop." Which I agreed with and proceeded to tell of a duck that I heard outside my window. He suggested perhaps it was a goose, but I contended it was in fact a duck. And then... having pulled all we could out of that topic, we walked the remaining distance to the bridge in silence.
When we got to the bridge Michael turned to face me. He told me that he knew this was a place where we had many memories, but they were only good memories here. And so, he told me, this was where he wanted to do it.
And then Michael got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. I said yes. And we both started hugging and laughing. We tried to kiss, but our mouths were too dry, so we just hugged and laughed some more... and the rest... well I suppose it's mostly still ahead of us.

This was my Grandma Schnake's ring. I've known it was some day to be mine since I was little, but in the past few years decided I wanted it to be used when I got engaged. I really don't think I could have found a ring that I liked more if I tried.

Thanks for everyone's support and love! The Lord is so very good to me. I'm really just overwhelmed. I love you all and... sorry if you found out about this from my blog. I tried as hard as I could to tell everyone I could before putting it online... but the clamor for the story finally one out.