Reading and writing to the soft lulls of gentle bluegrass today.  

Research

I'm writing a conjoined theology research paper with a friend about food, community, and faith.  This morning, I started reading Robert Farrar Capon's The Supper of the Lamb and I already think he's my favorite person - I'm twelve pages in.  His second chapter, "The First Session," is devoted to the act and art of cutting an onion.  Yes.  That's it.  Let me give you a taste:

Once you are seated, the first order of business is to address yourself to the onion at hand.  (You must firmly resist the temptation to feel silly.  If necessary, close the doors so no one will see you; but do not give up out of embarrassment.)  You will note, to begin with, that the onion is a thing, a being, just as you are.  Savor that for a moment.  The two of you sit here in a mutual confrontation.  Together with knife, board, table, and chair, you are the constituents of a place in the highest sense of the word.  This is a Session, a meeting, a society of things.  (p. 11).

There is too much I want to read to finish this thing in a week and a half! 

You may or may not have been able to guess from the fact that I didn't even get to "Vacay Pt. 2" - it's crunch time here in Seattle.  All of a sudden on Monday of this past week I realized I only had four more weeks left in this term - now that it's Saturday, I only have three left.  There were a whole bunch of papers and projects that I thought I had ages to finish and ohhh what a wonderful surprise it was to realize I had been lying to myself.  


Here's to the next three weeks.

Vacay Getaway Pt. 1

For our mini-vacay, T surprised me with a stay at the Inn at McCurdy House, a small bed and breakfast in Port Townsend, WA.  I wish I could stay here forever.  Truly.  With the ferry ride included, the trip is a little over two hours north of Seattle.  I had no idea where we were going - I was just given a packing list from my hubby and a departure time!  What a haven this little Victorian town is.  The history is absolutely incredible - so much here dating back to the Civil War.  Kathleen, the woman who lives in and runs the B&B (my new life dream), even seems to have an amazing history herself!  From the snippets she's told us of her life, and from the family albums of hers that we've been able to look at, she seems like a pretty incredible lady.  And literally has I think the best cooking I've ever tasted.

The other best thing: fleece sheets.  

No, not flannel - fleece.  

Sheets.  

On the bed.

Before we left Seattle - Nat, this one's for you!  

This is the lovely companion bag I'll be taking 

on the trip this summer - just wanted

you to see it once it was all packed up.

Definitely carry-on size, right?  Eek!

 

Quick tour of some of the amazing house: our room.

 We ate up the antiques.

 Although you can't see it here, we have an incredible 

view of Kathleen's garden as well as the water - the house

overlooks the point where Port Townsend and the Juan de

Fuca Strait intersect.

 The living room - with breathtaking views out those 

huge windows.

 Lovely entry.

 Birdhouses everywhere.

 T and I found this among the treasures in the living room.

I don't know who made it, but it's sort of the best thing ever.

Immediately I was reminded of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood.  

It's an old, leather-covered thesaurus.

 But inside, someone made incredible collages of some

of their favorite words! 

 The table set for two that greeted us at breakfast.  

Little did we know what our taste buds were about to experience.

 Fresh fruit, dried fruit, nuts, granola and yogurt.

Not pictured are apple and maple syrup muffins.

 Holy mother.  Fresh rosemary and mozzarella roasted potatoes.

Some kind of egg ordeal with a sweet sausage, mushrooms, 

sun-dried tomatoes, onions, and a spice blend.  Also toast

with Marionberry jam.

This doesn't even begin to describe it.  The best breakfast 

I've had in possibly my whole life.  I was in so much pain

from trying to fit as much of that food into my stomach

as possible.  Whoops.

So the next chunk of photos is from our venture out to Fort Warden State Park - an amazing place with a Marine Science Center and Museum as well as home to a Civil War fort.  Tons of the old buildings and military structures were still there for us to explore - barracks, army housing, batteries, and other stuff that I would sound like an idiot trying to describe.  It was...military stuff.

 A castle!  We read it was built by a guy whose sole purpose 

in construction was for it to be a chapel for he and "his bride"

to live in.  He never got married.  

[P.S. - You'll have to bear with me as I did lots of camera experimenting.  There was lots of good material.]

 On the back of an abandoned school bus.

 One of the artillery batteries - a big underground tunnel with

these giant holes in the middle where giant guns were kept

to shoot ships that were coming into the port.  

 We love climbing on stuff!

 We love sweeping ocean views!

 Hiking down the bluff.

 We made our way to the beach at the bottom! 
Big rocks made a perfect place for us to sit, have a 
snack, and be quiet while taking in the beauty.
Then we spent a good while hunting for sea glass!

Kite at the top.  Kelsey at the bottom.

 We hiked down from the top of that wall you see in the

mountains.  And, yes, that means we hiked up it first.

 Yes.

 And there were freakin' deer everywhere!  That's what T is pointing to.

This was a giant field in the middle of the park - people were literally

all around playing frisbee, baseball, having picnics, and these deer

were just chillin.  We just couldn't get over it.

 Deer!

We came back to our abode and rested for a while until dinner.  We chose The Fountain Cafe, a teeny little restaurant just down some big stairs from our B&B because we'd heard that despite it's size, the food was amazing.  It sure was.  There were literally about 10-12 tables in the whole place, the kitchen opened to the dining room, so everything felt a bit on top of itself.  But their menu advertises that they serve the freshest, local ingredients in their dishes and we could definitely tell.  It was filled with prawns, oysters, salmon, mussels, and all locally grown vegetables.  We ordered a succulent starter of roasted garlic with brie and a house-made "salsalita" - I never knew you could pair brie with a savory compliment!  It was perfect.  For our entrees, T ordered baked linguine with mushrooms, tomatoes, eggplant, and Italian sausage topped with mozzarella cheese.  I ordered Scotch fettucini - chunks of tender salmon, green onions, spinach, and hint of Scotch tossed in a light cream sauce.  Good gracious.  Then we got a ginger crème brûlée for dessert.  Lots of cheese and lots of cream in that meal - just the way I like it.

Yes, yes, and more yes.  What a day of food and of beauty.  

So thankful.

"[Psychotherapists] hold no brief for the greatness of their hearts - they are the least of those who work beyond themselves - but to some extent they lessen the man-made misery of man.  They stand by.  Hatred they endure, and do not turn away.  Love comes their way, and they are not seduced.  They are the listeners, but they listen with unwavering intent, and their silence is not cold." - Allen Wheelis, The Quest for Identity

I can only hope.

More treats

I couldn't help myself; this morning I had to purchase The Head and the Heart's phenomenal self-titled debut album.  I'm loving it.  They're Seattle's next big thing.  Actually, they're not next.  They are the big thing.

Creating together

Almost every Sunday night since late fall, T and I have joined with a group of friends we call "Sabbath" for a shared meal and community in one of our homes.  What a beautiful gift this community has been for us to be a part of - to know them and to feel known both as a couple and individually.  The group has been meeting together regularly for a little over a year, and we happened to be invited during the Fall; apparently since we've become regulars, the group has undergone a pretty significant transition in who comes regularly, so we've been glad to feel like we can make the community our own instead of feeling like intruders.  This group of friends, of all different ages walks of life, is generally situated around students of Mars Hill Graduate School and their significant others, if they have one.  There are a few folks who attend that aren't affiliated with the school other than happening to have a friend who goes to MHGS.  

This community has come to be one of the richest parts of my relationships in Seattle; I think both T and I have felt that this group has truly been a shared component of our marriage in the way of knowing us through our joys and through our difficulties.  While we're still getting to know this community and the people in it, it's been wonderful to feel as though they're "doing life" with us as we like to say.  They're in it with us.  They're in it with me.

So we try to have one person share each week in whatever way that word feels appropriate to them; this could be just sharing a story, but it could also be playing a song, doing a project together as a group, bringing a special dish to share, etc.  This past week, one of the women of the group wanted us all to participate in creating a painting together, so she provided all the materials - a sheet of paper, watercolors, brushes, and oil pastels.  She also asked if we could make a point not to speak throughout the entire thing, using eye contact and body language to communicate.

(Photo borrowed from my good friend, Kendra)

It was obvious that most of us were hesitant to start; MHGS is known for being a community of artists of all kinds, so for those of us who are less-inclined, the task was daunting.  I certainly felt the pressure of needing to find inspiration to make my contribution meaningful; it wouldn't matter if what I added was ugly if it had significance.  As I moved around the table to add different components, I noticed myself noticing the work that everyone else was doing.  I was especially attuned to the folks to added to the particular parts I had made.  So I would move to a new spot, to make a new addition, hoping to leave my mark somewhere on the page untainted.  

It was really an interesting exercise - a lot was stirred in me that was unexpected.  A sense of urgency to leave my mark on the page, then noticing my anxiety when someone covered "me" up.  I was, I think, one of the few people that moved around the most around the table throughout the whole experience.  I added something to every side of the page, in an attempt to run away from my community; to stand alone out of fear of being swallowed up.  I didn't realize this in the moment, but as I reflect, I'm saddened by my fear.  

Also reflecting back to this experience, I remember being lost at moments by watching my friends and what came out of them, onto the page.  I smiled in wonder, wondering what their lines and strokes meant.  Why curved?  Why straight? Why jagged?  Why dark?  Why pink?  Why there?  It was amazing to see so much come out of each of us.  We hadn't given it prior thought.  We had no prep-time.  But at the end it was all there, without words, crammed onto one page - bits and pieces of each of us.  It was a maddeningly beautiful mess because it was ours.

(Photo borrowed from my good friend, Kendra)

**Thanks Kendra!!

Musical Friday Treat

I decided I deserved a present to myself and, as always, I choose tunes.  Well, not always, that's a lie.  But a LOT of times, if I don't choose sugar or clothing, I choose tunes.  Sometimes I choose all three which means I've either had a really, really bad day or a really, really good day.  

Today, I chose an album that I have been long-awaiting to purchase and add to my collection: "Barton Hollow" by The Civil Wars.  This is a new, up and coming folk duo that have the absolute most beautifully haunting harmonies I have heard in a while.  Every song sends me into somewhat of a spinning, drunken-like stupor.  Their melodies float up and down and shift really quickly, while somehow maintaining the dreamy pace of Mayberry. 


The song I've posted below is called "Poison & Wine" - I'm pretty sure it was their first released single that really put them on the map.  I also think this song was at some point on Grey's Anatomy...I'm not sure where I got that from, but maybe it's true.  Either way, the song is stunning.


[And for the record, I think most music videos are ridiculous and they make me feel uncomfortable to watch.  But this is the best sound quality I could get.]

Done, and done.

What a whirlwind it's been!  I have an internship!  


Vashon Youth & Family Services


It all happened really fast, especially considering most other internship sites don't even start taking applications for another couple of weeks.  VYFS is located on Vashon Island, WA.

Here, I'll get the opportunity to help out with art and kayak camps over the summer and teach parenting classes in addition to working one on one with my clients.  Unless I get to help out with some camps over the summer, I'll be starting in early September.


Whew!  One step closer to real life!


...and putting on my big-girl pants.

FYI, in the near future, due to confidentiality purposes, I'll probably be changing the web address for my blog.  Somehow I've got to make it pretty anonymous, so stay tuned for updates.  

Not cool

I think I have this:
Cluster Headaches: The term "cluster headache" refers to a type of headache that recurs over a period of time. People who have cluster headaches experience an episode one to three times per day during a period of time (the cluster period), which may last from two weeks to three months. The headaches may disappear completely (go into "remission") for months or years, only to recur. A cluster headache typically awakens a person from sleep one to two hours after going to bed. These nocturnal attacks can be more severe than the daytime attacks. Attacks appear to be linked to the circadian rhythm (or "biological" clock). Most people with cluster headaches will develop cluster periods at the same time each year -- either in the spring or fall or the winter or summer.

Cluster headaches are one of the most severe types of headache. It can be many times more intense than a migraine attack.

And this:

Hypothyroidism: Hypothyroidism can cause many different symptoms, such as:

• Feeling tired, weak, or depressed.
• Dry skin and brittle nails.
• Not being able to stand the cold.
• Constipation.
• Memory problems or having trouble thinking clearly.
• Heavy or irregular menstrual periods.

Symptoms occur slowly over time. At first you might not notice them, or you might mistake them for normal aging. See your doctor if you have symptoms like these that get worse or won't go away.

*Courtesy of WebMD.  I need to go to the doctor.

via

On the Eucharist, Pt. 2

Cavanaugh discusses global spaciality with regard to the Eucharist meal.  He quotes Fr Rutilio Grande of El Salvador who gives a homily during Mass,

'Christ had good reason to talk about his kingdom as a meal.  He talked about meals a lot.  And he celebrated one the night before his supreme sacrifice...And he said that this was the great memorial of the redemption: a table shared in brotherhood, where all have their position and place....This is the love of a communion of sisters and brothers that smashes and casts to the earth every sort of barrier and prejudice and that one day will overcome hatred itself.'

And then Cavanaugh goes on to say,

 Less than a month later, Rutilio Grande was gunned down by a government-sponsored death squad.  In response, Archbishop Oscar Romero took the extraordinary measure of declaring that only one Mass, the funeral Mass, would be celebrated in the Archdiocese that Sunday.  All the faithful, rich and poor, would be forced into a single space around the celebration of the Eucharist.  The elite reacted with outrage, but Romero stood firm.  He was drawing on the power of the Eucharist to collapse the spatial barriers separating the rich and the poor, not by surveying the expanse of the Church and declaring it universal and united, but by gathering the faithful in one particular location around the altar, and realizing the heavenly universal Catholica in one place, at one moment, on earth.

I am reminded of this beautiful and haunting song, once a fairly regular part of my musical tastings.

put down your paper plate
come to table made
deep blue china
found on the table by the wine
so fine


it brings out flavor like 
you bring out color in life


oh, i miss you so
the feel of forever
oh, that taste i know
it hurts to remember


unfortunately high
ironically dissatisfied
i miss you
i miss you


oh, i miss you so
the feel of forever
oh, i miss you so
it hurts to remember


i had a fleeting thought this morning
and i mentioned you today


it breaks my heart
just to know you in part
and not to be with you
where you are

I hope it's less than two

It's March It's March It's March!  And in "Seattlite," that translates to, "Only two-ish more months until Spring!  Only two-ish more months of gray, drab, wet, misery!  Only two-ish more months until I can go outside every day and soak in sun but not experience humidity!  Only two-ish more months until I can start making up for Vitamin D deficiency!  Only two-ish more months until I can break out of monotony, outside of my literal and figurative walls, and see this place with new eyes!"


Only two-ish more months.