The Birth of our Savior

The last few weeks I have been reading through the gospels, focusing on the birth of Jesus. I thought it would be a good way to getting in the Christmas frame of mind...the correct frame of mind. One thing that has really amazed is the simplicity, the trust, the blind faith that everything is going to be okay. Mary and Joseph so simply accepted what was coming, they believed in what the angels said and knew that God would provide.

Its hard for me to comprehend. Personally, I think I would freak out. I mean having God's child...I think I would flip! Yet, Mary accepts this...and Joseph...look at him. He thinks of divorcing Mary (slight freak out, I think) and instead the angle tells him to marry her and trust that the baby is God's. Amazing. I cannot even imagine but I am glad it happened.

"For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord."

Luke 2:11

Being thankful....

We have so much to be thankful for and it often gets lost in the holiday craziness. I am trying more and more to see the good in my life and focus on the blessings God has given Brandon and I. Especially, during this time of year I think its important to give thanks where it is due!

God has blessed us with...

a beautiful place to live

each other

wonderful friends

delicious food

 health

jobs that we enjoy

wonderful family that love us

Christmas joy and decorations

Really the list goes on and on. I am just so thankful for all the blessings He has given us, most importantly our salvation. 

Merry Christmas!

Chickpeas...Yum

Yes, chickpeas! Chickpeas, please! So yummy they deserve their own post.

We made fried chickpeas since our favorite neighborhood restaurant took them off the menu. I dont blame them though...they try to keep the menu seasonal and new. check them out if you are in the Seattle area.

 http://serafinaseattle.com/cicchetti/

We made our own...and like i said, Yum!

 all fried up

                                    Tasty!                                    

Gone :(

Beatiful Weekend

This past weekend was wonderful! The weather on Saturday could not have been better. Sunny skies, warm temps (in the 50's), no rain...its was great. Who would have thought it was December!

We started Saturday off with a hike with the JH kids (thanks Pastor M for tagging along!)

We hiked Rattlesnake Ridge which overlooks a beautiful like and is surrounded by other mountains. By the time we got to the top we were sweating but the view was well worth it!

Amazing, right?

Saturday evening, we headed over to C.K's for a Christmas get together. Brandon made some pork buns and they were a huge hit.

Also, Brandon and J decided to match for the occasion! So cute :)

And of course, the rain returned on Sunday and the Packers lost.

I guess that's the way it goes...

Christmas Cheer

I am looking forward to some many things and so many of them are great blessings in my life! So I think they deserve to be listed out!

faith, celebrating the birth of our savior

family 

time with family!

christmas at the K's

christmas in michigan

christmas in illinois

three christmases...who could ask for better ;)

cookies!

time off from work 

snow...hopefully just the right amount!

good food (which is never lacking)

friends...both new and old

walking downtown Chicago at Christmas time

candle lite churches

watching white christmas, elf, christmas story...so good!

oh the list could go on, and on, and on....

by the way 10 days to Christmas!

Christmas Happenings...

We

christmas cards have arrived and are going out!

sunny winter afternoons

trees on the way home 

ugly Christmas sweaters!

new knife ;)

triple ginger chewy cookies...yum

pretty trees

fresh crab

setting sun

its beginning to feel like Christmas!

It's coming...

Christmas that is....

I am excited! How about you?

picture is of a huge tree downtown :)

Happy happy birthday!

Happy, happy birthday, Brandon!!!

a week late...but better then never!

 Don't worry I wished him a happy birthday on his birthday :)

And yes, he is not pleased in this picture...because he hates when I take photos in restaurants! haha!

A weekend in Portland

Well, we hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend! We sure did...we went to Portland Friday morning through Sunday and had a blast. Above are some of the adventures...

tree lighting

being excited about the tree lighting

eating...lots of yummy food!

beer for Brandon

Portland sculptures :)

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

Enjoy some turkey :)

Time to Share

Hello! I thought I was getting better about updating but I think a couple times a month is the best I can do! I really admire those who can update blogs, journals, diaries everyday...its amazing!

I have some fun things to share!

One: the Washington Deurs (for some reason its fun to give yourself a label) have been in the Pacific Northwest for 4 years! Yep! Brandon hit 4 years on the 6th and I was on the 8th. Crazy to think we have lived out here for this long already...quick recap: moved in November 2007, lived in Renton, found new jobs, still lived in Renton (why did we live there for so long?), i found another new job, finally moved to Eastlake apt #1 after 2 years in renton, discussed how awesome living IN Seattle is, moved to Eastlake apt #2....

Two: I have another new job...makes me sound a bit fickle...but anyways... I am still working at the Firm (I am calling my place of employment the firm due to the fact if I mention their name online it causes compliance issues and whatnot). So yeah, I am working at the firm three days a week and am working at church as the youth ministries coordinator. In august I took over the position as the interim person and applied for the position :) I was just officially hired last week! Woot woot! Its been a great change of pace and I love working with the JH and HS. They are a breath of fresh air and just plain good fun!

Three: Brandon is cooking his first turkey today! For the HS...we are having a HSYG Thanksgiving feast :) Hoping the turkey is good....

Four: We are going to Michigan/Illinois after Christmas!! So excited already!!! :)

Lately...

 

 cookie making with jh

pickle making...yum!

angry birds

candy corn fangs :)

Birthday

Happy birthday to my wonderful sister, Allysha!

Isn't she cute?!?

Sorry, old picture... happy 24th, Fred!

thoughts

Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

Isaiah 41:10

Thoughts on Fall....

Fall has definitely arrived in Seattle.I have mixed thoughts regarding fall. Back in Michigan it meant that winter was coming and snowy cold weather was approaching. Here is Seattle it means rain and clouds that lead to more rain and more clouds. Not much to look forward too. I love all the changing colors and the crisp cool weather....football watching, candy corn and sweater weather. But once the leaves have fallen and the rain has be drizzling for a couple of weeks the cold, winter weather is here. Snow isn't guaranteed here, and Christmas lights look silly with rain instead of snow. The weather isn't super cold but it definitely is not pleasant.

So here's to the good part of fall...I am hoping it lasts....a long time!

 loads of peppers at the farmer's market

 dried flowers things??

 beans :)

 flowers :)

candy corn...yum!

Auction Dinner: Take 2

Auction Dinner....good food!

Once again, Brandon amazed with wonderfully yummy food. The dinner went smoothly and was definitely enjoyed by all.
The menu:

Bone Marrow & Parsley Salad
Caprese Salad
Gnocchi
Short Ribs with Celery Duo
Chocolate Tart
Farmer's Market Peach Tart

Yummy :)

Thanks to R for his awesome help in the kitchen that day!

Four Years...

Four years ago I married my best friend.

Its been wonderful!

 Anniversary surprise :)

Kayaking :)

We kayaked on Friday afternoon/evening....awesome!

Check another one of the list! You see, we have the list of things we have to do in Seattle before we move, get old, forget or whatever. The list is long and ever changing. I love being able to check one off because we normally add another :)

Our summer weather is fading quickly...Friday, Saturday and Sunday were awesome...cold and cloudy came on Monday. I am still hoping for an Indian summer....

Labor Day Weekend!

Wahoo! Love long weekends :) Brandon and I definitely made the most of it...the weekend was full of friends, sun, food, fun, oh! did I mention sun! Yes, the sun has been out and heat has joined it. Looks like Seattle is finally getting some summer weather...woot woot! We have had awesome temps...in the high 70's/low 80's and it should continue into this weekend :)

So back to Labor day....we had a wonderfully relaxing Friday evening. We ate some yummy food (fresh figs...one of my summer favs!) and watched a movie, Love and Other Drugs. It was different but good.

Saturday was a mix of events...running errands, watching Michigan football (Go Blue), napping, waiting for the game to come back on, and we had the C's over for dinner. Brandon, of course, wowed us with a meal of fresh tomato salad, farmers market green beans and garlic confit pork tenderloin. Yum!

On Sunday, we went to church and then headed out to Golden Gardens! We met up with some folks from BINW and enjoyed the sun, the sunset and a bonfire! I got to make the fire....hooray!

pictures from the beach: sunset, friends, dirty feet, brandon and me!

Monday was again a beautiful day! We went over to the K's for a labor day cookout. Lots of fun with friends. J asked us to bring an appetizer...so Brandon made his first steak tartar...super tasty but not for the faint of heart!

My Picture is gone!

I had a picture collage for the camp trip but its gone! Where did it go?

JHYG Camp Trip

So much FUN!
We camped,
ate marshmallows (lots!),
hiked ice caves,
went in an old mine,
played in the river,
ate paella (made by Brandon),
built big fires,
fellowship,
read God's word,
laughed,
ate some more (ten kids can really eat!),
slept on the ground, and
just had
FUN :)

Random Summer Fun

are you ready for this???

Who knew mushrooms could be so cool?

and tasted...well...good but interesting....
simple summer dinner :) farmer's market tomatoes w/ basil, olive oil and balsamic....yummy!
the blue angels came to Seattle for Seafair...we watched from the porch!
Love summer!

Ashley comes to visit!!

Oh and Garrett, too :)

So last Thursday, Ashley and Garrett came to Seattle!!! Whoopee! It was great fun. We walked downtown, went to Portland (for a wonderful festival), ate, laughed, visited the Ballard locks...all in a weekend! It was great to see them and spend more than a couple of hours with them. So blessed to have wonderful friends :)

Auction Dinner

In Good Company
Anna sta notte
Bone Marrow with Parsley Salad
Moules a la Basquaise
Pork Tenderloin with Parsnip Puree
Chocolate Tart
Chafoutis
Biscotti and Coffee

1, 2, 3 Crazy Weekends in July

Whew! It has been a crazy few weeks!

Weekend one: The 4th of July! Hooray and happy birthday America!! The Eastlake neighborhood (where we live) knows how to celebrate...really celebrate. The Seattle fireworks are pretty much set off in our backyard ( or in our case back porch). The weather was perfect with blue skies and warm temps. We had a lot of people over for good food, games and of course the show! Lots of fun until we were awoken at 3:30am for fireworks, round 2. Not cool since we had to be at work in the morning! Before the firework festivities!

Weekend two: Warm Beach. Warm Beach is a campgrounds/retreat center just north of Seattle. The Washington state (and Canada) CRC church gather there for one long weekend in July every year (and have been doing so for a LONG time). Brandon and I were asked to run the junior high program. After, much planning and a bit of worrying, we were there and hanging out with 30 to 50 kids through out the day! It was awesome...lessons, candy and a lot of games. The kids were great, activities going on everywhere, food, friends from church, camp fires, s'mores...what more could you ask for in a weekend?

Oh, yeah...check those shirts out! We were BRIGHT! (Thanks to Ray and Carissa for their AWESOME help!)

Weekend three: Auction dinner at Koster's. All I can say is Brandon amazed me, the Kosters, the guests. wow....More pictures of the feast to come... I promise :)

90 Days

90 days to read the whole Bible...25 days in and we are still in the groove! Its interesting because when we first started this I planned on it being really hard, getting frustrated, not having time. I also thought I am going to really get something out of this. I have been surprised at how much I have really enjoyed the process so far...reading has been great (weekends we get up, make coffee and sit and read...so peaceful! During the week we spend about an hour reading when we get home) The tv has been off more and there are more discussions on how bloody the Bible is, remember we are still in the OT with all the sacrifices! Then again...I don't really remember Brandon and I ever really discussing sacrifices...blood maybe...thousands of goats and bulls on an alter not so much!

Patience- might be the greatest lesson thus far. God made the Israelites wait for 40 years in the desert...WOW! I always knew this but by reading this and reading through the different books in the Bible one after the other makes His word, promise, and love more prominent and helps me to want to be patient!

Looking forward to the remaining days and reading His word!

Life lately....

1. good food...as always Brandon delivers amazing meals
2. family- Garth and Mary came to visit (more on that below)
3. reading the Bible...oh yes we are trying to read the WHOLE Bible in 90 days with church! We are currently in 15 days in and still going strong!
4. Sunshine is here! We have had a good mix of sun and clouds the last couple of weeks, which is amazing because I was becoming vitamin D deficient...not to mention very pale!
5. Food...did I mention Brandon had a winning auction item at church? He did and I am very proud! He is working on menu planning for two dinners for about 8 people each!
6. We went to Bend over Memorial Day weekend...it snowed, we biked and walked A LOT and had a blast.
7. Hiked Rattlesnake Ledge with the Deurs...beautiful! And I made a chipmunk friend...maybe because I was feeding it cashews...

8. Cuoco and The Carpenter and the Walrus....both restaurants we went to with Garth and Mary. Super tasty :) Someone experience their first oyster! C & W was mainly local seafood while Cuoco was northern Italian = lots of handmade pasta

9. Brandon taught his mom to make gnocchi...fun to see them work together in the kitchen! Garth and I were clean-up duty

10. Flowers!

11. Regal the Eagle...as Brandon and I named him, is the eagle who lives by the 520 bridge. During the late winter and spring he was not around much but I am happy to say He's back! I love being able to see him as a ride the bus, on our way to the eastside

12. Sun (I think it deserves two spots!)

13. Youth Group....another highly successful and fun Amazing Race! The kids, leaders and volunteers had a blast running around Seattle and Bellevue.

14. Reading... lots of books....Girl with the Dragon Tattoo series, WWII historical novels, a book on Reagan for me and lots of cookbooks for Brandon

15. Relaxing- it was so refreshing to to wake up (early), sit, drink coffee, read, and relax while Garth and Mary were here.

Life has been good to us....can't wait to see what the rest of the summer brings!

Gone...

Well, the last fish died this morning....for just over a week I had a pet (or multiple pets depending on the day). They were fun. Its just too bad that they had to go...I really do think I am going to miss them :(

Sunsets Lately

Fish!

Our first pets since getting married! I should say my first pets...nine goldfish from the HSYG auction. 5 gold, 4 grey. Brandon is waiting for them to die....

I should note three have not survived the week. I think if the rest make a month I might be able to convince him we should get a frog :) Live fishes live!

Thoughts...

So I was thinking that its been a long time since I have posted anything and was wondering why. Its not that things haven't been happening because life is always moving. I think its a bit overwhelming posting on a blog so I am going to try a new approach :) Soooo...starting today there will be more posts :) But be warned! They will probably be more candid or random or sarcastic or weird or funny and most likely just a snippet of the day or moment but hopefully it will serve the original thought behind the blog: a way to see us, know whats going on and on our (or mine- Amy) minds. Hopefully, our sweet families and friends will enjoy and get a kick out of our lives...even though we are far away. Enjoy :)

A good Saturday of Progress!

We are getting closer to finishing the second bedroom! Hooray!

We also rearranged our bedroom...
Brandon tried to hang up my Christmas gift...


Sorry Erica...his measurement was off! I think it may work in the 2nd bedroom though!

Even the Honda Fit got new accessories!


A roof rack! With the ski holder add-on!