Better Late Than Never

 
 
So, these are a little late in coming, but here are the results of a couple of pretty great games of bacci ball at the Reed residence the weekend of Paul and Brooke's wedding. Good times were had by all (contrary to the facial expressions...). I love you guys. See you in a week!!!!

Forgetful

 

So, I realized about a week ago that I had completely forgotten to keep up with my picture taking. Then for the next week I couldn't find anything to photograph. My life, in the last month or so, has become very routine. I see the same things every day, so I no longer find them picture worthy. BUT, that's the whole point of this blog; to keep me from staring at the rut, instead of looking at all the beautiful things enticing me to get out of my rut! I have a tendency to fall into a pattern of reflection (usually revolving around myself, or at least around my perseption of the world around me) that greatly limits my outward focus. As a result I forget to invest in the people around me. I forget to appreciate the people around me. I forget to live a life worthy of the calling I've recieved. You can see how a lack of awareness of the beauty of life surrounding me (and photographing it) would be symptomatic of a bout of self-centered oblivion.

Anyway, I know it's nothing profound, but taking some time to bake this weekend has really helped me gain a wider perspective. I wish I could articulate this phenomenon for you, but I, myself, do not completely understand how it works yet. I'll let you know when I do. The baking was inspired by a new cook book I found ($5.57 at Barnes and Nobel!!! I love clearance racks... and the best part- IT HAS PICTURES OF EVERYTHING!!!!)and rapid approach of Mother's Day. I let my mom pick out her breakfast treat (she picked the Passion Fruit Blueberry Squares featured below) as well as the dessert to be served to our company tomorrow night (Chocolate Mint Goodness). Now I share the joy with you.

And if you're ever driving through Chicago, let me know. I'll bake you something yummy. :)

Passion Fruit Blueberry Squares

 

 

Sweet Minty Goodness

 

 

Vivid 3

God certainly seems to enjoy bright colors.

 

 

 

 

Vivid 2

 

 

 

 

Vivid 1

 

 

 

 

Flash!

 
Believe it or not, this was shot in a brightly lit room. I only wish I knew how to do this on purpose. :)

Better Than Christmas!

 
 
 
What's better than the birth of our Savior? The ressurection of our Savior!!!! And perhaps the added bonus of friends who bring fun things like nurf shotguns and rubber ducks to Easter dinner.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Beautiful

I see your face in every sunrise.
The colors of the morning are inside your eyes.
The world awakens in the light of the day.
I look up to the sky and say you're beautiful.

I see your power in the moonlight night,
Where planets are in motion and galaxies are bright.
We are amazed in the light of the stars.
It's all proclaiming who you are. You're beautiful.

I see you there hanging on a tree.
You bled, and then you died, and then you rose again for me.
Now you are sitting on your heavenly throne,
And soon we will be coming home. You're beautiful.

When we arrive at eternity's shore,
Where death is just a memory and tears are no more.
We'll enter in as the wedding bells ring.
Your bride will come together and we'll sing, "You're beautiful!"

-Phil Wickham

Bor Lor Bau

 
 
I miss Asia. A lot. Sometimes I'm overwhelmed with shame when I realize how much I took for granted while I was there. There was so much to see, to love, and to learn that I missed out on because I was focused only on ME, and MY experience. What a waste. Oh well. Lesson learned... At least I hope so.

Bor Lor Bau is a sweet roll with a cookie'ish topping that can be found in bakeries all over Hong Kong (other places too, I'm sure, but Hong Kong is the place to be when it comes to pastries...). From the Youth For Christ building in HK, we would walk an extra 50 feet to this amazing bakery and get our breakfast each morning. This is what I usually had. It was one of the only things that didn't involve Spam or red bean paste (neither of which are all that bad, but not for breakfast...)so it was my first choice. We called them "cookie buns," due to the sugar cookie topping. I've come to learn that they're actually called Pineapple Buns, though there's not actually any pineapple in them. Go figure. Anyway, this was last night's baking project. It involved a new oven (1st thing baked in it!), yeast (which I CONQUERED), and a lot of butter. Not bad for a white kid's fist attempt at Asian baked goods, eh? As a bonus, they even tasted good! Just one bite brought bake a flood of memories. Let me know if you want some (buns, that is... not memories)!

Toodles.

Open By Chance

 

I need a job with these office hours.