Cooking with Class

For those of you who know me even just a little, you know I like to cook. I consider cookbooks to be totally legitimate bed-time reading material. I could happily spend several hours in any kitchen supply store. And I often wish it was culturally acceptable to spend more money on food than clothes. 

Despite my love for the culinary arts, I don't plan on turning this passion into a career anytime soon. I have so much respect for professional chefs (or even people who survive culinary school in the first place), but the long evening hours, constant shouting from perfectionist chefs, and overall high stress is too much of a contrast from my home kitchen for my liking. 

Long before coming to Paris, I knew I simply could NOT spend four weeks here without going to a cooking class (all made possible by the generosity of my sister!). And so yesterday, after many weeks of anticipation, I set off with my friend Christine for the Morning Market class (one of the many classes offered at Cooking with Class). It was at the Jules Joffrin metro station that we met the cutest chef, Constance (I knew I'd like her from the moment I saw her wearing a Levi's jean jacket and cheetah-print loafers), who proceeded to take us from one shop to the next where we bought the meat, cheese, bread, fish, and produce needed for our three-course lunch (dejeuner as they say here, hehe). Constance paused inside each shop to tell us about the importance of each food item in French culture and cuisine, how to pick out the best product, and the background on how certain things are made or processed. (This was especially true for our visit to the fromagerie-- I've never learned SO much about cheese!) Yes, I was that kid with a notebook and pen furiously recording every fact our chef shared with our class (only six of us, actually). 

Fish market where we bought mackerel for our entrée

Constance explaining all of those delicious cheeses

Right side, top to bottom: Seared mackerel with eggplant, tomato, and olive caponata with pine nuts; duck breast with meat sauce, roasted rosemary peaches, and French potatoes; vanilla bean ice cream with Greek olives (!),  pistachio cookie, and strawberries cooked in a balsamic reduction. 

Cooking buddies!

Constance was so helpful and patient with all of us (especially as I struggled to trim the fat off a finicky duck breast) and it was nice to just sit around and talk about the real France, not that touristy crap. Without a doubt this has been my favorite experience in Paris thus far and don't tell Teo, but I have a feeling it will stay my favorite. 

Can I just say for the millionth time I am SO glad God made food taste delicious?! 

ךןרמ

I would like to say a few things.

First, I think people should read the Old Testament more. Especially because it's REAL (not that the New Testament isn't, just to clarify haha). Abraham nearly having to sacrifice his own son? Joseph, though disowned from his own brothers, becoming Pharaoh's right-hand man? God engulfing the entire Egyptian region in darkness while keeping the Israelites in light? Moses using his staff to divide the Red Sea and leading God's people on dry land?

All those things-- they really happened. Do I truly believe that? Do we, as the body of Christ, truly believe that, not only is the Lord capable of doing those things, but that He actually did?

Shoot. I can say I've been convicted of that recently.

Second, I'm not drinking coffee anymore. And when I say coffee, I mean real coffee. Not those blended things or mochas or whatever (though all of those things are delicious). I mean a cup of  just-poured, freshly-roasted African blend that's been hanging out in a French press for just under five minutes. With a leeeetle bit of cream. Yes, that kind of coffee. Two weeks ago, I discovered my stomach hates this drink. My stomach and coffee acid duked it out for a few days... And the punchy acid won.

So now I drink tea, along with the occasional mocha.

It's kinda weird. I feel like I've been kicked out of some sort of cool kids club. But let me tell you-- I only had a caffeine headache maybe twice in the last two weeks. I kid you not! As strange as it sounds, that was a huge blessing. I am so thankful for the Lord's graciousness, in that way (and so many others).

Third. I find myself returning to this truth over and over again-- the Lord provides. Or, as translated in the Hebrew, "the Lord will see to it." (Did I mention I'm taking biblical Hebrew? It's freakin hard. Slash my favorite class....) Despite my distracted heart and wandering mind, He remains faithful-- to His promises, His children, His character.


For He grew up before Him as a tender shoot, and like a root out of parched ground; He has no stately form or majesty that we should look upon Him, nor appearance that we should be attracted to Him... 


He poured out Himself to death, and was numbered with the transgressors; yet He Himself bore the sin of many, and interceded for the transgressors. 

[Isaiah 53:2,12]

His love is unexplicable. And for that, I am overwhelmingly thankful.

Fourth, I find myself loving this dear friend more and more everyday. She is such a blessing to me-- words truly cannot express how she challenges me to seek the Lord on a daily basis and encourages me in a way that speaks to my heart. Love you, Suz!

Rhubarb Raspberry Crostata & delicious breakfast sandwich

I thought it'd be weird to include this with my last post. Guns, mountains,... Crostata? Nahhh.

I got this recipe from Lottie + Doof, one of my favorite food blogs. Mmmmm. Recipe can be found here. Their version is a little more... Uniform-looking? Whatevs. It's delicious, regardless of what it looks like. We served it with vanilla bean Haagen Daz. Which I'm convinced nothing could taste bad with dear Mr. Daz.

 This morning: poached egg, leftover parsley & roasted garlic mayo, spinach, avocado, tomato, and English muffin. Droooool.

Why did I have a spoon? No idea. I'm still working on the whole food staging thing hahaha.

My God created those mountains

After being home for nearly 48 hours, I'm finding it harder and harder to imagine a life without mountains. (Sorry LA, the San Gabriels don't count when I only see them 10 days out of the year.) I live in a place surrounded by mountain ranges. It's absolutely incredible. I was jogging this morning (I say "jogging" to describe the less intense cousin of "running", which may or may not include walking) and became simply overwhelmed by these blooming yellow flowers set against the backdrop of the Trinity Alps. Yet our God is more mighty and majestic than any mountain anywhere that's ever existed. No wonder Solomon's temple and the Lord's splendor is so often associated with a mountain in the Bible.


Why do you look with envy, O mountains with many peaks, at the mountain which God has desired for His abode? Surely the Lord will dwell there forever.

[Psalm 68:16]

How blessed is the one whom You choose and bring near to You To dwell in Your courts. We will be satisfied with the goodness of Your house, Your holy temple. By awesome deeds You answer us in righteousness, O God of our salvation, You who are the trust of all the ends of the earth and of the farthest sea...

[Psalm 65:4-5]

I'm a little obsessed with Psalms at the moment. As well as french braids, reading for fun, the flavor combination of dill & lemon, and my queen-sized bed. 

My first home-cooked meal of the summer was yesterday's lunch, where I took some inspiration from the lovely Heidi Swanson (if her food photography doesn't inspire you, I have little hope for you) to make orzo with a greek yogurt, lemon, and dill sauce. Sounds weird, bu it was delicious.

Why I love being home: there's always flowers around. (Expect that to be the same in our apartment next year, roomies!)

I guess it's nice to have access to my dad's Nikon, too.

a typical morning

just part of my morning routine, presented with an attempt to be artsy.

Christ the solid Rock

When He shall come with trumpet sound,

Oh, may I then in Him be found;

Dressed in His righteousness alone,

Faultless to stand before the throne.

I love that hymn. And as much as I wanted to stay snuggled in my cozy bed this morning instead of getting ready for church, I'm so glad I went. (Now I'm beginning to understand why church attendance significantly decreases on rainy weekends....)

Cru formal was this weekend. I know, I know. A bunch of Christian kids at a dance? I know you have a plethora of stereotypes floating around that head of yours right now. But seriously, I freaking love these dances. Nothing like seeing a room full of 100+ college students sing and dance along to "Jai Ho." The best part of the whole night though (besides sweating enough to offend even myself), was definitely the worship sesh at the end of the night. Not to mention looking back on how the Lord has blessed me with an overwhelming number of new friendships since the beginning of this year. 

A year ago, I didn't know any of these girls, except Suz! 

Abi, Suz, Mary, me, Jessica, Christina

The Lord is so good to bless me with these godly women! 

And the Bible study. Claaassic. We read the Word. We pray for each other. We demolish entire pans of lemon squares. And we're absolutely ridiculous together. I love them so much! ♥

Bstud! (missing Karena & Kels)

So spiritual.

And then Mary, Suz, and I went to Apple Pan. Burgers, fries, apple pie á la mode. (Don't worry Dad and Mom, I'll take you next time you're in LA.) Can you beat that?

The answer is no.

I cannot wait to live in an apartment with four of my seeesters in Christ! Oh the perks of being an upperclassmen living off-campus!

So there's the weekend update. It's after weekends like this that I ask myself....

How many days until summer?

Disneyland!

I don't like calling it "the happiest place on Earth" because I feel like I could be pretty happy at a lot of different places. And Disneyland can be miserable. However, that was certainly not the case on Saturday!

This is Abi. We kinda became the bestest of friends after knowing each other for 1 (maybe 2?) week(s). 

This is Eugi. She's another one of my bestest of friends. 

We're a pretty sassy bunch

We can be silly too.

It was Eug's first time at Disneyland and my first time in over a decade (makes me sound so old, right?). 

We did it all-- Indiana Jones, Space Mountain, Matterhorn, Pirates of the Caribbean, Astro Blaster....

And of course we went to California Adventure too.

And World of Color is one of the coolest stinkin' things I've ever seen.

It was a really great day. Though I'm not sure my body is designed to venture Disneyland for 13 hours. Did I mention we got pho afterwards at 11 pm? Yeah, that was the icing on the cake (or the Sriracha on the pho?) for one of the most fun days ever. Oh, and our tickets were free. 

Sooo LA. Sooo college.

I am so blessed to have friends like this in my life, who love Jesus and bring me so much joy. Praise Him! Because I know I definitely don't deserve friends like the ones He's given me.

♥

I can't keep up with your turning tables

For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.

2 Corinthians 10:35

I know I just finished 2 Corinthians like 2 weeks ago, but I find myself referring back to it almost daily. I think every Bible verse I've wanted to memorize in the last month has come from this book. I LOVE this particular passage. Yesterday, while hanging out at LAX for 3ish hours, I found myself getting so easily distracted by everything going on around me-- people, obnoxious ring tones, magazine covers, landing planes.... You name it. And then this verse came to mind. (Okay not word-for-word, but I remembered there was a verse about "taking every thought captive.") So I started memorizing it.... Though I think the woman sitting next to me on the plane thought I was crazy, as I was leafing through my ring of 3x5 memory verse cards while muttering to myself. Whatever.

It was exactly what I needed in that moment. And suffice to say, I wasn't as distracted after turning to the Lord and His Word. I don't care what anyone says, I know that God's Word is relevant, even in the 21st century (actually, especially in the 21st century).

Today was my first full day home, which meant my first day with full-access to a gloriously large kitchen. Sigh. A thing of beauty. Today's culinary endeavors included rosemary bread (which tasted very similar to Macaroni Grill's infamous loaves) and Bailey's double chocolate chip cookies. Ohhh yeah.

Bread. Mmmmm.

Bryan, my willing and able hand model. Woo, action shot!

Cookies. Baileys. Win!

All I have to say after that is...... I wish we had a more picturesque cutting board. Ehh you win some, you lose some. I'm also a big fan of having access to a Nikon D90. (Thanks, Dad!)

i need to sleep after all this sleep.

Awesome: my sister flying over 500 miles to make a surprise visit on my 4-day weekend.

Not so awesome: my sister and I catching the flu (and when i say flu, i mean the throwing-up kind).

Okay, so not ideal, per se. But still great! Though during those miserable intervals between vomiting, crouched over the dorm toilet, I asked, "Really, God? Really? What's the lesson in all of THIS?"

Redeeming factor: both of us having one day of health to explore LA/Pasadena, which included a trip to Mood, Norton Simon Museum, Intelligentsia, Paper Source, Anthropologie, etc... followed by an Armenian feast at a family friend's home.

That's my oldest sister, Jessi. (Paper Source employee, after me telling her we're 12 years apart: "Twelve years? I thought you were going to say twins!!")

Intelligentsia cappuccino. They do it right.

If you know anything about me, you know I like to eat. And cook. But eating is a little easier to do in the dorms. So I do that more often. So you can imagine my angst at this recovery from stomach flu. Nothing tastes good. And my stomach is always angry. And all I want is freakin' Top Ramen. Gross. [haha my itunes is currently playing "it's okay to cry" by Larue. baha.]

But the Lord is good. He will pull me out of this. Reading the story of Ruth and Esther for my Hebrew Bible class today was such a sweet reminder of how God's grace completely defies any cultural or legal norms. I kinda want to be like Esther. Minus maybe having to marry a king. I could live with a peasant husband. Haha.

I hope you all have a great week-- spring is closer than you think! Yessss.

P.S. I'm not a vegetarian anymore. Yeahhh I know. As Jessi said, I am slave to NO man. So take that!

Non-lazy Sunday

Pita falafel, take one.

Pita falafel, take two.

Best friends/roommates.

It was a good Sunday.

the Gospel, never failing

I'm thankful for the life I've been given today.

I'm blessed by my family who sets a godly example.

I'm blessed by my closest friends who genuinely care about me and my walk with the Lord.

I'm overwhelmed at the thought of the Gospel.

I'm at a loss when I think of the depths of His love.

I'm ignorant of His active role in every part of my life and the lives of everyone around me.

I'm broken.

I'm healed.

I am nothing without Him.

I think my favorite part about the Gospel is that it never gets old. I mean, it's the same story. That doesn't change. But no matter what situation we're in, whether good or bad, the Gospel applies. If you're struggling with a particular sin or can't seem to get back on track, chances are your understanding of the Gospel is screwed up.

I made banana muffins for my history discussion today. There's five of us. That's including our TA. Speaking of my TA, have you ever had a teacher who you felt like had no idea what they were talking about? Like they only speak in vague, broad terms? I think that's my TA. Which is a shame... Especially in a history class where the professor and the textbook are the same way. Anyyyywho. This muffin recipe was ridiculous. And I spruced it up with some vanilla, cinnamon, and pecans (though this was a leftover one without nuts, in case the people in my discussion didn't like pecans). And there's a bite taken out of it. I really love the natural lighting. Plus, when I took this picture, I was sitting by the fireplace in this coffee shop on North Campus and was having a great quiet time... So I have warm and fuzzy (literally!) feelings towards this picture. Hehe.

Here's to a great weekend spent mostly studying for midterms! But God is good and will still do mighty things, even in the midst of my studying. Crazy thought, right? We serve a freakin' mighty God.

The bunnies in my head go hip hop hip hop.

[Written earlier this afternoon]

Technically I could be doing work right now, but alas. My computer’s wireless isn’t working… Which shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone familiar with the brilliant engineering of Lenovo laptops. Don’t get me wrong, I am extremely grateful to have a laptop. And I know my Dad would’ve never bought me this pc if he could have foreseen the grief it would cause all of us… Mostly me. But here I am— blogging instead of writing my two-page atmospheric sciences paper. (That sounds way more academic than it really is. It’s two pages of Wikipedia research slapped onto a page in my own words. I’m not concerned.) Besides, this coffee shop has the most blog-worthy atmosphere of any place I’ve been to in LA, thus far. I wish I had my camera with me so I could share with all of you the adorable scone (with butter and lemon curd!) I ate. Either way, I’m definitely coming back here. Here being Bricks and Scones in the Mid-Wilshire district.

It’s raining outside. I'm wearing a Marmot soft shell. I feel like I’m in Portland. And I like it….? Yes. I do. Lately I’ve had this uncanny desire to pack up and move to the Pacific Northwest (and meanwhile, my sister is thrilled that her hundreds of conversations praising Portland have finally convinced me of its wonder). The weird thing is I’m not a huge fan of rain. Not that hating rain is weird (at least not in Los Angeles). It’s weird that I don’t like rain and yet I like Portland. (The italics were clutch in that sentence. Another reason why there needs to be an italics option for texting.)

I think mostly I just miss trees. And grass. Trees and grass together. An are a of trees and grass together that extends beyond a 50-square foot section of lawn off Sunset. And mountains. I miss those the most.

I did get to go to the ocean yesterday. It's no mountains, but still beautiful :)

P.S. USC grad students are obnoxious. For real.

[insert witty title here]

Risotto. It's the only thing I've made since leaving school. But can you blame me? Once you understand how the cooking process works, you start to want to make every variation of risotto known to man.

Or maybe that's just me.

This week's risotto: butternut squash. I think my favorite part about it was the color. It reminds me of anthropologie. And springtime. Ironic, since it is a fall/winter vegetable. It was a blessing to be able to cook for an apartment of upperclassmen girls who are constantly serving our community. Their hospitality and willingness to open their home to so many people is such an awesome testimony of who is the King of their lives- Jesus Christ! Love you, 403 girls! :)

We also whipped up some delicious apples to put on ice cream. Butter, brown sugar, cinnamon. Umm.... Can you ever go wrong with that combination? Let me answer that for you. No. I'm convinced that cooked fruit and ice cream is the way to go for dessert. It's sooo good and even easier to make. And healthy..... To some extent?

This is the day which the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it!

Psalm 118:24

It is such a beautiful day here in LA. Hopefully it will also be a productive day to write a paper.... Because that's what I'll be doing. I swear, this warm, sunny weather is taunting me on purpose. I can't wait for the day when I can enjoy sunny Saturdays like this without worrying about homework. So get up kids and go play outside!

The front one is the new nail polish I bought at UO. It's the little things in life, really.

P.S. I've found a band. I could easily buy their entire discography, if I had the funds. Breathe, Owl, Breathe. I'm open to donations... Haha.

highly developed taste buds. too often a curse.

When I open my own café/restaurant, I will always use freshly cracked pepper. I will never offer a caprese panini during the winter (even if I live in California). And if, for some absurd reason, I do, I will slow-roast the tomatoes with olive oil and balsamic. SALT. I will SALT the tomatoes. And there will be panini grill marks on the bread. The ciabatta bread. The freshly made, delicious ciabatta bread. And my lattés will not taste like a milky "essence" of espresso drink. It will taste like, oh I don't know, espresso. (Actually, if it were my choice, we wouldn't even offer lattés. But I guess I can't ignore their popularity. Blast.)

The only thing that's holding me back is capital. You know, money. To buy things. Isn't that always the story?

Elysee Café in Westwood? We're fighting. In fact, we're through. Save your caprese panini for someone who doesn't know what they're missing.

veggie.

I was vegetarian yesterday. And I think I'm going to be vegetarian today too.

I'm taking it one day at a time.

Yesterday I watched the first 15 minutes of Food, Inc. but couldn't watch anymore than that. Yes, yes, I know it has the reputation of being a hippy propagandistic, pro-vegetarian documentary, but I really didn't have time to get sucked in. I just got so angry/sad I had to turn it off. Who decided that it's okay to have thousands of chickens squished into coops that never see the light of day? I understand that animals are not like people. Believe me, I know. But they are still God's creation. And we're called to be good stewards of what we're given here on earth. Right?

"Whoever is righteous has regard for the life of his beast, but the mercy of the wicked is cruel."

Proverbs 12:10

So unless that chicken or beef is free-range, I'm not such a big fan. And because I'm a poor college student without an income (or a kitchen, for that matter), I probably have to eat like a vegetarian. And I don't know how long it will last. I have no expectations or goals. But I'm currently pissed off at the chicken and beef people.

That is all.

Never Expected Wide Yawns Estimate Anybody's Relapse

Happy New Year!

Yes, it's been a while. But I can only blog when I feel like blogging. And I just wasn't feeling it. Until today!

Before I say anything more on the subject of the new year, it's important that you know I'm very anti-New Year's resolution. Why do we have to wait until the new year to make positive changes? And why make promises to yourself that you know you're going to break in a matter of months (or, more realistically speaking, in a matter of days). Bah! Lame train. All that to say, I don't have a list of resolutions for 2011. Sure, there's things I need to grow in and things I'd like to do, but I certainly do not have them all figured out today, nor did I on January 1st.

Christmas break was great. At least the hanging out with family, seeing my dog, cooking, and reading parts. And going to the Goat. :)

On the other hand, it wasn't so great seeing people I once knew really well who had changed into people I could hardly recognize. In the words of Colbie Caillat, it's tough getting older. (Haha I can't believe I just quoted that song.) In the midst of it all, God taught me a whole heck of a lot. Surprised? You shouldn't be! And so, rather than a list of New Year's resolutions, I've made a list of things God taught/reminded me over winter break:

• God gives us the ability to make decisions. It's a good thing!
• You're not going to hear a clear, audible voice from God every time you ask Him if you should go a certain direction. (i.e. God, should I brush my teeth? Really? If your toothbrush and toothpaste haven't magically disappeared, just brush your freakin' teeth! You have to take that leap of faith and trust He knows what He's doing when He lets you brush your teeth.)
• We have nothing to do with people's salvation. God can save whoever He wants at whatever time under whatever circumstance. Occasionally He just allows us to participate in the process.
• If someone doesn't know Jesus, they're seeking. Muslim, Mormon, Atheist-- they're all seeking a loving, intimate relationship with the Lord. No one is too far gone

So there's just a little nugget of stuff I've been learning. Oh, and I'm applying for a 6-week missions trip to the Middle East. Whaaaa? Yeah. I know. Crazy, right? We'll see how the application process goes. And if I get in, you can expect support letters coming your way! Hehe.

On Saturday night, I made some delicious wild mushroom risotto (courtesy of Anne Burrell) with two of my lovely friends, Suzanne and Jocelyn. It was delicious. Actually, before this, I had never had eaten or cooked risotto. But it was just one of those dishes I KNEW I would like. Rice, wine, chicken stock, delicious vegetable of your choice... How could that not taste good? I am truly sorry. The photo doesn't do it justice. Next time I'll be sure to pay more attention to plating. Just take my word for it-- Anne Burrell knows what she's doing. I just now looked up her name to double check if I had spelled her name right. (I did... Haha.) Turns out Anne Burrell has a twitter. I may have just lost some respect for her. I mean, she last updated her twitter account 33 minutes ago. What is this world coming to??

Well, I'm off to have some fun. That's what I'm talkin' about! I love 1st week. You get to see all your friends at school, but you don't have any work... Yet! So great.

For my next blog post, expect some ranting about a certain garbage disposal program at UCLA. You'll see.....

I think that possibly I'm falling for you

Written on 10.27.10:

I've never been able to envision myself settling down, doing a normal job. Maybe that's why I've never felt called to a particular career... Because mine doesn't exist. I want to be on the move for Jesus. I want to be part of a movement that I know is bigger than me. A movement that God is so evidently in control of and all those participating are constantly blown away by how good He is and how unworthy they are. I don't want to romanticize that idea of being on mission for Jesus. It's a crazy hard lifestyle. But I want to reach those who everyone else labels as "too far gone."

I don't need money.

I don't need stability.

I don't need approval or acceptance.

I need Jesus.

I need more Jesus.

Why this popped into my head at Real Life on Wednesday? I have no idea. The only thoughts I've had about life after graduation involve this schizophrenic desire to become a food critic/coffee shop owner/florist/culinary school student/jr. high teacher/business consultant/missionary in a Spanish-speaking country. Surprisingly, UCLA doesn't offer that particular major. Shoot.

I still get real excited thinking about what God has in store for my life. What will that look like? Once again, I have no idea. But I DO know the Lord is faithful. And sovereign over every part of my life. And everything He's teaching me now is in preparation for something to come. Just let THAT sink in. Ahhhhh!

Aside from getting excited about what God has planned for me, this week has been a little "wah wah." I learned that a lack of midterms most certainly does NOT mean a lack of work. I feel like a broken record always asking for prayer that I would not feel overwhelmed or anxious about school, but it's rough. Especially at UCLA, a place where it's acceptable, and even encouraged, to be enslaved to academia and unacceptable to genuinely believe there's more to life than getting a job and "making a difference." (Barf. I hate that phrase. What can I say? Disney Channel has certainly tainted me.) My accounting professor is one of those people. The quote of the week reveals just a glimmer of her obsession with academic performance:

"Your college GPA is the most important indicator of your intellectual abilities."

Professor Gardner, 10/26/10

Whateverrrr. Over it.

This weekend I'll finally get to eat the highly-praised Griddle Café with my faithful, food-loving friend, Sarah. I'm SO tired of dining hall food. This is surely the highlight of my week. Also, we'll be taking a trip to the downtown LA library, which is supposed to be beautiful. So be excited for future blog posts with pictures from this upcoming weekend!

I'm not going to lie, this post was a struggle. It's kind of hard to organize my thoughts when I haven't slept in for over 2 weeks and quiet, still moments are few and far between. But eees all good! Because He is good! I want to leave you with a sweet verse from my quiet time on Wednesday morning:

Love love!

Heat waves, heavenly conversations, & food

"For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses. but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and may find grace to help in time of need."

Hebrews 4:15-16

This last week was one of those weeks when I felt overwhelmingly showered with God's blessings. (Side note: I feel like the phrase "showered with blessings" is really cheesy. Maybe because it reminds me of this hokey, old pastor that I never liked as a kid because his sermons were the closest things to a drug-induced coma I've ever experienced.) I know that prayer was a huge reason why this week was so great.

On Monday, Cru participated in a campus-wide 24-hour prayer event, where we spent an hour praying for unity among all the Christian fellowships on campus and for the lost, Jesus-needy people of UCLA. Then this last Wednesday at Real Life, our weekly meeting for Cru, I spent half of the time outside of the auditorium praying for the message, our speaker, all the people in the room, etc... And I really mean "etc." Because after a while, the Spirit started to bring up issues and concerns in my prayers that I never would have thought to pray about. I have never considered myself a chatty Kathy, so I knew it was God working through me that gave me the strength to pray to Him for over 40 minutes. (Ha, that doesn't sound like a lot of time, but I really am trying to build up my prayer endurance!)

There is certainly something to be said about extended time in prayer-- I'm talking about the kind of prayer that goes beyond the 5-10 minute verbal confetti we shoot up to God at the beginning and/or end of our day. The kind that stretches us. The prayer that forces us to rely on Him to provide us with words to say. The Lord has been teaching me so much about that, this week in particular. Yeahhhh prayer!

This week I was missing cooking a lot. I mean, really a lot. You laugh? Haha, I suppose it is pretty hilarious to think that I could be just as cookingsick as I am homesick... Maybe even more so? (Yes, cookingsick. It means exactly what you think it means.) So it was a huuuuuge blessing yesterday to to go grocery shopping at Ralph's and prepare a delicious, home-cooked meal at Sarah's apartment. Here's the final product:

Pan-roasted fingerling potatoes, roasted brussel sprouts (yes, kids, they're delicious!), pan-fried salmon fillet, and delicious cheesy/garlicky biscuits. Now that I look at these pictures I realize I need to start working on my plating skills. However unattractive the plate may look, however, I have to say the meal was delicious. And therapeutic, to boot.

I laugh when I think God made some of us liken cooking to therapy. He can be a funny God sometimes.

Today was the football game. The heat was nearly unbearable. My friend and I decided that in hell there will humid heat (like that of today's game), only without the option of taking a cold shower afterwards. Man, hell would suck.

And I leave you with two pictures that concisely sum up our roommate relationship: laughter.

Go Bruins! Hehe :)