FOR THE LOVE OF COFFEE

I am sure that many of you have either heard that today is the beginning of lent or for those of you that participate have officially started the 40 days of giving up whatever luxury you have chosen to attempt to go without. I say attempt because I know not everyone out there can make it till Easter. As for me, I grew up knowing of lent because I had multiple friends that are catholic and they participated each year; however my family never took part. But this year I decided I needed to step outside my comfort zone and try new things, challenge myself more & try to become a better version of myself. So what the heck, why not give Lent a shot. I wasn't sure what I wanted to give up at first, naturally facebook was out of the question (props to you out there who decided to give it up) and I don't have many things that I'm really attached to, unless I wanted to give up my dogs, but I don't think my mom would be very excited to take them. And then I figured it out

*light bulb moment*

COFFEE! It's something that has been part of my daily routine since, forever. And I've never attempted or really ever wanted to take coffee out of my life. And with a big Dutch family, coffee practically runs in our veins and we are known to go thru about four to five pots of coffee at a Sunday afternoon family get together. And with one of my cousins getting married the end of March; I was starting to get a little nervous about really giving up my beloved beverage of choice. But again, I wanted to try new things this year…so coffee it is! I also decided if I'm going to take part in this I better do some research on it. And just in case you are curious also, here's what I found:

Wikipedia:

Lent (Latin: Quadragesima, "fortieth") is the Christian observance of the liturgical year from Ash Wednesday to Easter Sunday.

The traditional purpose of Lent is the penitential preparation of the believer—through prayer, penance, repentance, almsgiving, and self-denial. Its institutional purpose is heightened in the annual commemoration of Holy Week, marking the Death and Resurrection of Jesus, which recalls the events of the Passion of Christ on Good Friday, which then culminates in the celebration on Easter Sunday of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.

During Lent, many of the faithful commit to fasting or giving up certain types of luxury as a form of penitence. Many Roman Catholic and some Protestant churches bare their altars of candles, flowers, and other devotional offerings, while crucifixes, religious statues, and other elaborate religious paraphernalia are often veiled in violet fabrics in observance of this event. In certain pious Catholic countries, grand processions and cultural customs are observed, and the faithful attempt to visit seven churches during Holy Week in honor of Jesus Christ heading to Mount Calvary.

According to the Synoptic gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke, Jesus spent forty days fasting in the desert before the beginning of his public ministry, where he endured temptation by Satan. Thus, Lent is described as being forty days long, though different denominations calculate the forty days differently. In many of the Christian churches, Lent is regarded as being forty days long, but the Sundays between Shrove Tuesday and Easter Sunday are not typically regarded as being part of Lent; thus, the date of Shrove Tuesday will typically be slightly more than forty days before Easter Sunday.

This event, along with its pious customs are observed by Eastern Orthodox, Oriental, Orthodox, Roman Catholics, Lutherans, Methodists, Presbyterians, Anglicans and some Baptists. Lent is increasingly being observed by other denominations as well, even such groups that have historically ignored Lent, such as some Baptists and Mennonites.

So now you know the historical reasons behind Lent and maybe I have convinced you to partake as well. If not, I hope you still keep me in your thoughts and prayers as I begin this little journey. As for you coffee, I will see you at Easter!

ta ta for now!



A COLD FEBRUARY NIGHT

Who out there doesn't love a bonfire, wither it be large or small, there is something that warms the soul and relaxes the body. Maybe it's the warmth or the crackling sound the wood makes. And as far as I’m concerned, as long as it's above 32 degrees outside it's completely acceptable to sit outside and enjoy a warm fire. (With enough layers of clothing to keep you warm of course!) So I talked Douglas into getting one going in the fire pit I got him for his birthday this past October. It was just what we needed after a day of working in the yard. He put some ribs on his bbq/smoker & we sat outside enjoying each other’s company, gazing at the stars since it was a clear night sky & loving the smell coming from the bbq. Perfect end to a great day. Makes me feel sorry for all those people that have never experienced a night in the country. Although it's a tad too early for the crickets to be out, there's a peace about the silence with only the sound of a passing vehicle every so often or the playful sounds of the dog's running around chasing each other. It really does a person good to sit back and just enjoy the moment without worrying about the next thing to do, the laundry or dishes, work, bills or in my case…wedding planning. Somehow I’ve been able to avoid that one pretty good lately :)

So I guess the moral of this post is:

Enjoy life one moment at a time & who the ones you share those moments with.



A MAN LIKE MY FATHER



Today ended up being one of those sunny, 50 degree February afternoons that Eastern WA is known for. And since Sunday is the day that my fiancé..side note: I realized after it was too late that I mentioned my animals names in my post yesterday..but not my fiancés..oops..so for those who are wondering, his name is Doug (or Douglas Owen when I need to get his attention). Back on track…Like I said, Sundays are the day that Doug and I like to spend time together going hunting, fishing or just being lazy and watching movies all day. But since today ended up being such a beautiful day we decided to do some yard work at his place. We started by cleaning out some of the big gardens that are mainly dirt & shrubs before getting to one of the smaller gardens that is full of irises & daffodils that are about 6 inches out of the ground. Now you must understand, I grew up with a mother that loved planting all kinds of bulbs in the spring and a father who didn't understand the word "gentle" and proceeded to rip out plenty during the times that my mom allowed him near her gardens.

Now to the point of my rambling...have you ever heard people say that girls marry a man like their father? And vice versa for men. Well, it's true. I am living proof! Like I just mentioned, my dad has no understanding of the word "gentle" or "careful" - neither does my fiancé. He promptly walked over the irises and somehow 'accidentally" pulled out a whole bulb. That is just what I actually saw, I'm sure there was more that he hid from me. It seems every day there is something that Douglas does that reminds me of my dad. Wither it's the fact that both men are hard working and live to provide for their families or the smile that appear on their face when talking to a baby, they are the two men I can always count on in my life to support me, challenge me, encourage me & love me.

No matter how old I am I will always be a daddy's girl and if I ever have a little girl I hope she looks up to her dad as much as I do to mine. Because Doug is definitely a man worthy of a little girls undying love for her daddy.

Doug cleaning the flower bed  





Hello y'all!

Although I technically don't know what I'm doing just yet, I promise to try and improve as time goes on.

And although my life might not always be the most exciting, I believe there are some things worth sharing.

However, today is one of those days where there really isn't much to post about but i figure i should start somewhere. Maybe start by filling you all in on my life.

I am 20, 21 in less than a month.(whoohoo!!) I was born in Bellingham, WA but was raised in Pasco, WA from the time i was 3 years old. at 16 my parents decided to move back and tried living on the west side with my parents for two years but decided the Tri-Cities was my home. moved back two years ago and it was the best decision I have made.
it lead me to meet the man i am engaged to, who is the LOVE of my life & can't wait to marry him in a few months and spend forever with him. If we can get through the next couple months and the whole wedding planning. I decided I was not cut out for all this girly wedding stuff.

I have two dogs and a gold fish. Gunner (miniature poodle) and Maverick (Jack Russell mix) - i can't forget my my Fiance's dog Terra (black lab) who, after a year and a half is still jealous of the attention i get from my fiance. The gold fish doesn't really have a name..poor fishy.

I started a new job a month ago (after being in the coffee stand business off & on for the past five years) I am working at Pioneer Hi-Bred in their Alfalfa research program.
I pretty much get to play with alfalfa seed all day and try not to spill it everywhere. (highly difficult)
But I have learned a lot & look forward to learning more about the process of developing a better grade of Alfalfa.

Well, that should get you all caught up on where I am. And hopefully there will be some good stories to write about in the near future. Knowing my life, it is never boring.

Thanks for reading! :)

My Fiance & I

Christmas 2010