What a family/person eats in a month: Around the world

You may or may not have seen the post I did last December on what families around the world buy as groceries for one month. As I was looking over those pictures again, I read a comment about how much of a contrast monthly meals for those in the service compares to these families. I thought I'd post this picture of the MRE to represent how many people eat when they are serving our country. This is far below the standard you can see in the picture of the American family, and in many other cultures as well. Thank you, men and women, for what you sacrifice to protect and serve America.

The Double-Bind Supreme: Loving Relationships

A friend recently shared this quote with me and I was touched. Enjoy!

Love anything and your heart will be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact you must give it to no one, not even an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements. Lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket - safe, dark, motionless, airless - it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable.

--From The Four Loves by C.S. Lewis

Baby's First Photo Shoot

Cuddled warm, from the rear

Right lower arm and hand

Profile shot

Head down at cervix, open space is my full bladder

Left and right feet

Head cross section, notice measurements

Heart cross section

Heart, you can see all the chambers

Spine and scull

Umbilical cord, showing blood flow routing around the baby's bladder.

Gingerbread Village

To celebrate the Christmas season a bunch of our friends from church got together to make gingerbread houses last weekend. It was a blast! We had more candy on the table that you could imagine, and in total made 14 creations. Here are some pictures of the whole village. Matt and Jack worked on the castle, but because of the tediousness, asked for help decorating it. I was glad to help with that. My house is the one down and right from the castle, and it's a church. I was pretty proud of my work: red shingles, stained glass windows in front and back (not pictured), rolled out gumdrops made to look like window panes, window boxes and a stone pathway. Enjoy!

Belated birthday post...

I celebrated my 27th birthday this year in a relaxed way this year. Jack and I went out to dinner at a Mongolian Grill a few days before and enjoyed yummy stir-fry. On the actual day, Mark (church friend) and I had agreed to a join party at the indoor climbing wall in the evening. So, we gathered a few friends and family and headed to the community center. It was fun getting all geared up (I actually inherited a pair of shoes I've only used once before) and getting on the walls. The climbing routes ranged from 5.6-5.9 and I started with the easiest one. It really worked my forearms, fingers, hands and back. Lauren, my brother's girlfriend, advised me to keep my knees bent and arms long, instead of standing and bending my arms to hold on to the wall. Her advice was very helpful! Here are a few pictures from the event.

To add some sweetness to the event, we headed to Whole Foods after the climb to enjoy some awesome ice cream sandwiches made by a local vendor: Ruby Jewels. Her flavor choices and quality are great! Check them out: http://www.rubyjewel.net.

Mel and Linda sent some sweetness my way too, with a gift certificate to Sees Candy. Here's the delicious box I picked out.

I'm beginning to look (and feel) a lot more pregnant!

Dear friends and family,

I realize that I have set-up an expectation for this blog to be a very unreliable and out of date way to keep up on our lives. And I want you to know, that I plan to change this. I can only say that I will do my best to make sure this blog is a place you can read up on how Jack and I are doing, especially with the coming changes in our family.

Let me give you an update on how the first half of my pregnancy has been going (since I completely neglected to blog about this until now!). That's right... we are almost halfway through. Our ultrasound is scheduled for one week from NOW (as I write this). I have to say I'm really looking forward to seeing the little person inside me. I've certainly been doing my best to take care of it: sleeping/napping, eating healthy foods, taking vitamins, avoiding smoke and harmful other things, exercising.

And in past few weeks I'm pretty sure I've been feeling the baby move. One friend described it as butterflies. I've become pretty acquainted with the digestive changes now, and this is definitely different. A few nights ago I was laying flat about to go to sleep, with my hands resting on my belly and could literally feel the "flutter" and a slight push from it. I tried to get Jack to feel the same thing, but he couldn't. Too soon to share this experience I suppose.

Our appointments with the midwife clinic have been great. Very friendly people, knowledgable, not too invasive and supportive. I've dealt with a lot of nausea and they have done their best to advise me on how to best deal with it. We are thrilled that this place also offers water birth, which is an option we are SERIOUSLY considering (could have guessed that one, given that I've been a fish my whole life!). So far the testimonies I've heard on this type of delivery have been wonderful. We'll share more once we know more.

As for preparations, there has been little going on so far. I've had to change my wardrobe drastically. Thanks to the Veteran's Day sale at Value Village and the GENEROUS loans from friends I feel fully out-fitted now and have some really cute stuff to sport with my new body. I'm at the point now where people are actually asking if I'm pregnant, thanks to the clothes and the growing bump. It feels nice to look how I've been feeling for several months.

I have to be honest though, it hasn't all felt great. I've really had a hard time with nausea and vomitting. No matter how many times I do it, I hate every time and literally feel dread for the next one. I've tried my best to always have snacks, eat small and frequent meals, include more protien, drink red raspberry leave tea and get enough sleep, but my poor body is just plain uncomfortable some days. I have yet to try accupuncture or change my prenatals, though taking them at night has helped me avoid most of yucky feeling they cause.

Jack and I will have to find a bigger place, as the first 3 years of our marriage we've been living in a 1 bedroom apartment. I really like it there, the back patio opening to green grass and trees, the free pool, the open floor plan, it feels like home. However, babies take up space.

Beyond maternity clothing and more frequent visits to the clinic, we haven't really changed much. We're busy with church, friends, my work, family and enjoying the outdoors.

Pictures will follow soon, but I hope this update helps you feel more informed.

Happy Anniversary!

So this year we celebrated our third anniversary much different than before. I took a pregnancy test and it was positive. Yes, it's true. We're expected a baby next May and thrilled about it. To be honest, I don't even remember now what else we did that day. I post this now because I'm about 10 weeks and we've started spreading the word. So, this fourth year of marriage will be drastically different than before. A new adventure awaits!

Birthday at the Track

For Jack's birthday this year, celebration phase one was at the Malibu Grand Prix (we took notes from Matt on this one). The guys and some girls wanted to push the land speed record for 2 hours, in go carts that is. They had a blast, got an extra 30 minutes for the birthday boy, and enjoyed a pit stop with yummy chocolate cake and Breyer's vanilla ice cream (the only REAL good stuff).

At the end Jack was surprised with a few gifts: a new hat to replace the one he lost while swimming in the river (he dove in with it ON), and a mask/snorkle, fin set (also inspired by swimming... we kept borrowing our friends' set, so they bought him one). Overall he really enjoyed himself. Thanks to all the friends and family that called to wish him happy birthday, and sent cards. You are loved!

Peaches for FREE!

Yesterday I went to Sauvy Island and picked peaches at a friend's grandma's property. It was an opportunity that I accidently found out about on Saturday, and was able to get in on just in time. We met up in the morning at 10 AM and carpooled over. Jack suggested that I take two rubbermaid totes to fill, but with the limited space in the van we shared, I thought one would be plenty. My friend had warned me that the peach crop wasn't very good this year, and that the season was near the end, so the quality wouldn't be great. But who can complain about that when the price is FREE! Besides, he was so wrong!

We arrived at the beautiful acreage on the island. Flowers, pears, grapes, corn, pumpkins, apples, peaches, marionberries... is there anything this grandma DOESN'T grow? We pulled up to the peach orchard and grabbed our containers. The whole way over, little Benjamin (almost 4) couldn't stop talking about seeing the horse and feeding it. He'd been here before and had his mind set on ONE thing. My friend was right about the peaches on the trees not being so plentiful, but the ground was covered with eligible peaches. Right away, however, I noticed that honey bees were interested in the same thing as I was. Luckily, they wanted to rotting ones, and I didn't.

There was one slight problem with sharing the crowded space under the short and stalky peach trees with bees: Benjamin liked stepping on them. Yep! He decided it would be fun to smash the bees with this tough looking cowboy boots. After many warnings, the inevitable happened. He got stung by one. Since these were honey bees, one still was all it had, and luckily, only one got mad enough to sting him. And though his father is deathly allergic, and mom doesn't know her allergy because she's never been stung, he had no allergic reaction. Praise God!

We continued collecting peaches, and in no time my tote was full. We loaded the van, and went to thank and visit with grandma for a bit, and then headed home. Now the next phase began... prepping for the freezer. I napped until about 5:30, went to visit a friend until 7:30 and then started the project. A bit late to start a project like this, you might say? Nay! We usually take on big food projects late at night. We usually get through them :) I peeled, pared, sliced and de-pitted. Jack went to pick up the quart freezer bags (we thought we had them in stock.. doh!), and fruit fresh powder. When we had all the ingredients we sugared and packed for the freezer. 7 or 8 quarts was the yield from half of the peaches, we'll do the other part on Tuesday night when the rest of them ripen.

Oh, and by the way, we tested a few. So juicy!

Saying Goodbye to a Friend

This afternoon we had the unfortunate opportunity to say goodbye to Daniel Thomas. He wasn't there. He wasn't watching. He was resting...until Jesus returns and the resurrection unites us again. The friends and family had gathered to celebrate his life. The ceremony was quite lovely. We saw pictures, heard stories, and recounted some of the most important things to him. They were God, family, people, natures and health.

It was really touching to hear from Daniels personal trainer, and to see the great impact he had on her just from attending her cycling class and doing several athletic events. He had an amazing way with people, any type and any kind. He could make them feel comfortable, look for ways to take care of them and help them, and bring laughter and humor into any situation.

It was also great to see friends from Orchards Church, the place I spend my 10-15 years. During this time our Pathfinder club was being led by the Thomas' and my parents. These years are filled with great memories and unforgettable adventures. Most of them outdoors. Most of them unplanned.

Though this event was tragic and has caused me, for the first time ever, to wonder how God was limited in saving his life, I have learned the importance of loving people. Daniel loved people and never neglected to tell them so. All of his friends thought they were special to him, and they were. He loved without hesitation. I hope to show more love to the Thomas family by keeping in touch, offering to help, and praying for them. I hope to show more love to my family by putting aside my personal needs and looking more to theirs. I hope to show more love to strangers by showing mercy whenever I have an opportunity.

Daniel will be missed, sorely. I look forward to seeing him again on resurrection morning.

One Year Blog Anniversary!

You know you've officially entered the electronic communication world when you celebrate the anniversary of starting a blog. Well, that's what I'm doing. I realize that I only have a few faithful readers, and my hope this year is to build this base and get more connected to distant family members and loved ones. I will try to post at least once or twice a month, so that the readers will be rewarded. But as you know, life gets hectic, and the tangible demands take presidence over communication at a distance. Take a look back at the fun things we've done, the personal things I've shared and what else you'ld like to know about us. Then maybe we'll add some new features...

Dog Mountain Summit

Thanks to the invitation of a local hiker friend, we had the wonderful opportunity to hike Dog Mountain this Sabbath. It was a slightly cloudy and windy day, which is perfect for hiking. Dad and Stuart joined us for the adventure and we had a blast. Dog Mountain is rated the second most difficult hike in the Columbia Gorge. It is 3.8 miles one way and about 99.7% uphill. However, the views are beautiful and the flowers abundant. Here are a few pictures from the trek.

Family and Ferraris

Last weekend my relatives from the east coast visited and we ventured to the lovely Oregon Coast. Starting our trek in Astoria and ending in Cannon Beach we drove, climbed, walked on the beach, squished sea anemones in the tide pools, enjoyed taffy, caramel corn, icecream, and pizza and happened to be there on the Art and Ferraris weekend!!! See the attached BEAUTIFUL cars we got to see and even sit in! It was a great day with beautiful weather (ranging from rain showers to bright sun).

The next day we headed up to the Mt. Hood Skibowl to use our passes and had a 70 degree day of snowboarding. It was awesome! With Jack's wonderful coaching I progressed from 87 falls on one short run to fewer than 3. It felt so good getting into the heel/toe feel of things and soaring down the glistening slopes. We didn't get burned, too badly, showed the family our skills and made it possible for my cousin, Stew, to ski for the first time on real snow, on a real mountain!

New Life

So Jack and I have finally recovered from our illnesses and are enjoying the bliss of springtime. We had lots of fun this weekend hanging with friends, browsing a bookstore, eating yummy blueberry muffins (recipe coming soon), playing ultimate frisbee in the sun and visit with family.

At dinner last night at Uncle Bill and Aunt Carol's a family reunion video hit the bigscreen. It was so cool to see family members I have never met, and for the others to reminisce about loved ones who have grown or passed on. This reminded me of how important it is to be thankful for the family we have. We both have both of our parents, siblings and a large extended family that we can still keep in touch with, spend vacations/holidays with and learn from. I hope that we don't neglect the opportunities we have to give and receive love, memories and wisdom.

What's In a Name?

My newest niece has finally been named! Kerala (pronounced CARE-uh-la) Grace Duffy was chosen by the whole family:

Kerala was chosen by Vicki, because it is the most beautiful place she's visited in India (Wiki it and find out more about it, also known as "God's Own Country). See beach photo.

Grace was chosen by Denali, the big sister in the bunch (pronounced "Gace"... she's two).

Duffy...well Ryan contributed this one, but really got to do the most chosing for Denali's name, yet another place their family will one day visit I'm sure!

To see more pictures, click on the Ryan and Vicki link under "Our Friends"

Sickened!

This week Jack and I went tandem in being ill. He with full-blown influenza, me with a BAD cold and laryngitis. It has NOT been fun, but we have learned a few things from our experience:

1. Don't ride in a car with someone who has a suspicious and persistent cough.
2. Don't hang around the house with someone who is visibly ill.
3. You can never have too many pillows and blankets.
4. Home remedies DO help: Recipe for a Hot Half Bath
If you have a blasting headache and fever, run a HOT bath (should turn legs red within a few seconds of sliding into the steamy water), have a cool compress standing by for the head, only cover up to your waste (to pull congestion down from your head/chest), stay until you have been sweating for several minutes (5-7) and then wrap-up and sweat more in order to KILL BUGS.
5. Frozen cherries in a 1 quart bag work great as a cold compress.
6. There isn't enough hot water in our 1 bedroom apartment for TWO people to take hot half baths (described above).
7. A good collection of books and movies makes ALL the difference when you are sick for several days.
8. Good friends that make grocery funs can come in VERY handy.
9. The internet is a great time-waster when you are recovering from a nasty illness.
10. Doctors aren't much help when it comes to the flu, a cold or laryngitis (they cost money and offer little useful help).

An Auntie (and Uncle) of Two!

Yesterday at 1:58 PM (Germany time) my sister-in-law and brother had their second beautiful daughter. Denali, the BIG sister now, wants to name her Minnie Mouse March Grace Duffy. The Grace might stick, but Ryan and Vicki will still need to work out the final name when he returns from Iraq any day now. She is beautiful, with a nose, mouth, face shape and probably hair like Ryan. Here's a picture of her with Ryan's picture nearby.
It's a great feeling to be an Aunt. I wish I could see the girls more, but when we do have a chance to visit, I like to teach the how to sing, dance, be good girls, and to teach them about Jesus, as much as is possible with toddlers and infants. Hopefully we'll get to see them sometime before Christmas.

The Moon Turned Red

This winter there was a lunar eclipse, which turned the moon red. I took this shot outside our apartment in the parking lot. I thought it turned out pretty well.

Indulging the Taste Buds

On a recent trip out of town, I was given a nice meal allowance and decided to use it! I thought I'd put a little plug in for Frank's Diner in Spokane, WA with this lovely picture of the hot chocolate I ordered early one morning. It was fantastic!


The last night of my trip I decided to explore a "fancy" restaurant, again in Spokane, called Wild Sage. One item on their menu (you the know the one that you look at outside the restaurant to make sure you can afford to eat there) that drew my attention was Pesto Gnocchi. Here's a picture of it before I devoured it.


And I couldn't pass up the tantalizing coconut cream pie with passion fruit sauce. Little did I know it would be decorated with edible orchids. It was decadent and well worth the stomach ache afterwards.
A final word on indulging the taste buds is one that describes a more REGULAR occurrence at home. We discovered the pizza dough for 98 cents at WINCO and couldn't wait to try our own toppings. So we added some pesto, artichoke hearts, sun-dried tomatoes, olives, mushrooms, spinach and sometimes other ingredients. It tastes fantastic and is cheap to boot.



Enjoy a tasty treat for yourself...

Avoiding "Blogger" Deliquency

One day I'm going to be good at this. Or maybe, I'll just keep expecting people to keep checking our blog to see how life is going and making comments, even though I haven't posted for well over a month (and this seems to be the norm lately). Expectations dashed once again.

This is truly a testament to how busy life can be. As we are drawing close to Easter, I've been thinking more about simplicity. What is REALLY important? Relationships, health, beauty, being present rather than living in the future or past. This is my list.

A conversation with a good friend yesterday reminded me that it is good to simplify. To test certain traits or character or habits to see how important they really are. So, drawing from the goal of another friend, I've decided to not buy clothes for myself for an entire year (this doesn't count necessary replacements for important garments). I made this decision in mid-January and now it is easier than I thought it would be to purchase clothing for myself. I look in my closet and see rows, in my wardrobe and see piles, just the fact that I've mentioned "closet" and "wardrobe" are indications of my bounty. And I've actually found that resisting consumption of clothing for myself, has helped me be more others-focused. We'll see how this goes as the year progresses.

During this pre-Easter week draws on I hope to simplify my life more by fasting from criticism this week and prayer at least twice a day for others whom I tend to criticize or are struggling. I'm finding already that I really have to be aware of my thoughts, and to think positively, instead of negatively about situations as my first reaction. I hope this exercise will prepare me to be more ready to receive a message from the Lord this Easter. This is such a wonderful time of year to focus on my spiritual and emotional health. Pray for me in this endeavor.

Us at our favorite gelato place with friends

Facebook... I was warned!

So I've recently embarked on the fascinating and yet addicting world of facebook. I was a friend who invited me. I was my own curiosity and adventure that kept me going back. Yes, I love the hunt for old friends, high school and college classmates and reminiscence. I've found fellow band-nerds, x-country team mates, church friends, teachers, friends and their siblings and the search continues. It's be great getting in touch with people I had completely lost contact with. Though it is addicting, I'm trying to limit myself and not mention it to everyone I meet. It's just that sometimes technology really does HELP our lives instead of COMPLICATE them... sometimes.

By the way, if you want to see my profile and become my friend on facebook, search for Nikki Smith. I'm sure there are only 250! Good luck!

Snow like I've never seen before!

This weekend we had our annual Big Lake Snow Weekend. This is the one weekend each year when the Vancouver Church has the opportunity to spend the weekend at Big Lake Youth Camp in the winter. Our group was small, but we sure had a lot of fun and got to know each other better.

Over the weekend we enjoyed riding innertubes behind the snow cat into and out of camp, sledding/innertubing down the big hill onto the frozen lake, eating and fixing yummy food, playing games until early in the morning, and snow shoeing/cross country skiing in some very snowy conditions! Over night on Saturday night it must have snowed almost a foot! The powder was amazing and really fun to walk around in, sled down, and especially land in after a quick trip down the sledding hill.

A few great experiences I remember are standing on the frozen lake Friday night with a clear sky and bright stars to gaze at. It seemed like the longer I looked, the more stars I saw. I even saw a shooting star! It was also fun to venture out on cross-country skiis with my parents down the road, through the woods, up and over a hill, to find a warming hut along the trail. I really like sledding on Sunday morning, since every landing was soft and cushy from the many inches of powder. What a blast!

Here are some pictures from our trip.