life is lekker

flowers in a nalgene

lekker — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 01:48:15 +0000

like i said, randy has been incredibly supportive the past week as unexpected things have come my/our way.

we are still trying to figure out how to keep the dogs from destroying things while i’m at work (let’s just say that a few items have been chewed, including my nalgene, some clothes, my phone, randy’s tackle kit and more). you can only sort of blame a 100+lb dog that gets left inside all day. hopefully we can figure a way to keep them contained outside for long periods of time.

anyway, randy came to the house while i was still at work to let the dogs out. and then i came back to the house to find beautiful fresh flowers in a new nalgene with a thoughtful note that ended with “p.s. there’s ice cream in the freezer.” one of my favorite kinds: haagen das dulce de leche. what a fun surprise! we ate the ice cream with measuring spoons because my silverwear is still at my old house. classy.

please don't chew on this nalgene, fallon

flowers in a nalgene? love it. i went to bed smiling.

not your usual rental property 2

lekker — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 17:49:21 +0000

the rental house saga continues and i think it will for at least a month longer. the damage was more significant than the contractors first thought. the house is still drying out and they can’t fix the plumbing and turn the water on without installing the water heater or they risk another pipe bursting in the cold weather (please no). anyway, i’ll spare the blogosphere from all the details. being a lover of pictures i’ve been trying to document this crazy adventure:

i may not have running water, but thanks to a warmer day the snow on the roof started melting. i placed buckets under the corners and what do you know, i collected enough water to flush the toilet! in other words, for the first time since moving in i was able to use the toilet in the house

collecting water for the dogs

we bought a (used) washing machine! not that we can use it right now, but you can't pass up a good deal on such a necessary purchase

the current "kitchen"

the fridge and cabinets (on top) all in one! and the water source to the right

before i had collected enough water to force flush the toilet i was driving to the nearest forest service picnic site to use the bathroom there. i went out to my car yesterday morning to do just that to find a completely flat tire. apparently there was a nail in it. i was hoping i could simply have air added to it (roadside assistance on my insurance is paying off!), but...

it wasn't fixable. i drove in to town using the spare and took it to a tire shop. bad news: the alignment on my car is so messed up that it keeps ruining tires (i've bought 8 tires in 2 years). essentially the entire back end of my car is messed up and it's not worth fixing. i had to buy 2 rear tires so that it's drive-able but they are just going to wear down uneven. in other words, i need a car. let the search begin...

a lot going on right now. hoping to find a new car and a temporary place to live (with the dogs) soon. curious to see what works out. i am reminded to be thankful for health, a new job, great family and friends and a fiance who continues to be incredibly helpful and supportive. not having running water while camping is no biggie; in fact, it’s expected. being in a house without a use-able toilet, shower or sink makes me realize how much i take running water for granted and i can’t help but think of the millions of people in the world who do not have access to clean water, let alone running water. i have it pretty good, really. don’t get me wrong, i’ve been frustrated and done my share of venting. staying positive lasted for about 12 hours yesterday and then i became quite cranky and overwhelmed by it all. glad Someone gives us new mercies every morning.

not your usual rental property

lekker — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 16:57:08 +0000

well, i am officially living in missoula! perhaps i should say semi-officially. i am renting a 3 bedroom house at the base of the mountains and just 30 yards from an awesome trout fishing creek. and i’m only about an hour away from some hot springs across the idaho border. this is the house that randy and i will first live in when we’re married. randy will be living with his sister this semester but he graciously began the process of moving in to the house while i was in egypt. that’s when this whole adventure began…

when randy arrived at the house a little over a week ago, the master bedroom was completely flooded – water was spraying down from the ceiling, ceiling tiles were hanging down, etc. our landlords live out of state so no one had been in the house the past few weeks to notice that a pipe had burst. yikes. the brief version from there is that the master bedroom has been completely gutted and is only studs. some water got in to the kitchen walls so they have torn out the sink, some of the cabinets, the counters, etc. as renters we don’t have to pay for any of this (phew!) but there are a few challenging aspects: there is currently no running water in the house. they can’t turn the water on until they finish drying out the flooded part so they can put in a water heater and fix the plumbing. if we didn’t have two dogs i would simply stay somewhere else but max and fallon need a place to live too!

if it weren’t for randy i would probably be stressed beyond stressed by all of this. new job, new town, new house and no water. i will be bumming showers off of krista (randy’s sister and where he is living) until we get water. as for going to the bathroom, if i really have to go (you know what i mean ), i drive to the closest gas station, which is about 4 miles away. but this morning i had a brilliant idea, if i do say so myself. there is a forest service picnic area just 2 miles from our house and they leave the bathrooms unlocked in the winter, even stocked with toilet paper! so now i have a 2 mile drive to a toilets instead of 4 the simple pleasures. they are hoping there will be water in the house by the end of the week. i’m trying not to count on it. this weekend i drive back to eureka and load up all my furniture. it’s the air mattress until then…

more on the new job later. first a few pics:

my new roommates

randy was showing me around the house, how stuff works, etc. we're both a fan of the classic MT shower curtain

taking the boys for a morning walk up our street

making coffee on the stove because we have no kitchen (bought jugs of water at the gas station)

thanks for setting up the phone (no cell service), internet and more, randy! you’re the best.

egypt!

lekker — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 17:36:33 +0000

i had a wonderful 11 days in egypt with tara. it’s hard to believe that the trip is already over, especially since we have been planning it for months. i’m really glad that i was able to go. thanks for a wonderful time, tara, and for lots of laughs!

riding a camel at the pyramids. i was a big fan of the camel ride.

on top of mt. sinai. what a beautiful hike and view.

off-roading in the sahara! and camping. suhweeeeeet.

sad to see our time together end.

insha’allah.

extended trip to illinois

lekker — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 15:44:34 +0000

because i am in between jobs i was able to spend 2+ weeks in illinois for christmas and new year. it was great to have extended time with family and friends. randy joined me for the final 10 or so days. we did a lot of wedding planning, hanging out and eating good food. a few pictures:

cheering on illinois basketball at the first home big 10 game

family soccer game with some friends. we were all pathetically tired after an hour of soccer

randy, dad and i went bowling one night. i lost the first game miserably but came back to win the second!

bringing in the new year! happy 2012.

hiking trail 3 at turkey run state park - a family favorite

we like each other

part of wedding planning included purchasing a wedding dress! randy didn't (and doesn't) get to see it, but he was allowed to be in the picture once the dress was in a bag

chatting over…pizza

lekker — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 01:39:39 +0000

randy and i love pizza. hence we will most likely be serving pizza at our wedding.

when we were first dating we went out to eat after church on sundays. initially we each ordered our own thing until we discovered that the cafe made unique pizzas that were not on the menu. our favorite: buffalo wing pizza. it’s a blue cheese based pizza with buffalo wing chicken chunks, celery and carrots. and of course cheese. sounds odd but it’s delicious! and since this is our last sunday in town (quick version of future post: we’re moving to missoula!), we decided to take a trip down memory lane and order a buffalo wing pizza. add to that discussing another chapter in the pre-marital counseling book and a mint chocolate brownie and you’ve got another wonderful sunday afternoon!

the most uniquely delicious pizza in town. our second favorite is the "desperado," which is sausage, feta cheese, sweet peppers and tomatoes.

dip it in ranch dressing and you've got yourself a truly cholesterol filled tasty meal

our first christmas together...this is after a long day of eating and hanging out with family (hence the awesome hair). excited to head to IL next!

the blue pot

lekker — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 02:24:43 +0000

i have never been so excited about a pot. but this isn’t just any cooking pot. it’s cast iron. and not just cast iron, it’s beautiful blue enamel cast iron. if you’ve never cooked with cast iron you’re missing out (in my humble opinion). this pot is not just for the stove – it can also be used in the oven! but i must confess something about this pot: it was a bridal shower gift to me. i never imagined i would use such a gift pre-wedding, but randy and i decided such a wonderful pot shouldn’t sit in a box for the next 6 months. and we are both going to enjoy the chili it produces tonight so it’s still an “us” item. thanks to our friends who got us the blue pot! it will be used tons, especially on these cozy MT winter nights.

browning the ground turkey and sauteing the colored peppers

i just keep looking at it sitting on the stove. i think i'm falling in love with a blue cast iron pot.

this is not what is typically happening while cooking. randy made dinner for me many nights the past two weeks as i've been working longer days and have a lot going on (to be posted about later!). he more than deserves a nap while i make some chili tonight. just knowing he's in the house is comforting. can't wait to live together when we're married!

isn't it beautiful?

call me crazy, but this pot is awesome.

chatting over…leftovers

lekker — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 15:43:20 +0000

as much as we love cooking, making a big meal isn’t always possible. it seems that december is always a busy month with christmas festivities. so this past sunday randy and i heated up some leftovers (from a night he had graciously made dinner when i worked late) and discussed another chapter in the pre-maritial counseling book. we don’t have a picture of said leftovers so i leave you with a picture from a year ago when randy and i hung out “just us” for the first time. but it wasn’t a date…that didn’t happen til next month

snowshoeing straight up the ski mountain together. and then it was cloudy so we didn't even have a view. it was a fun day just the same.

chatting over…venison fajitas

lekker — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 02:25:18 +0000

today was chapter two of the pre-marital book – followed by venison fajitas! randy got a buck last week; we cut it up on friday and today was our first time eating it. it was a wonderful afternoon of chatting followed by good eats. so fun cooking together!

randy makes the venison, onions and peppers

making the fajitas...each our own way

we made pomegranate guacamole - so delicious! tara introduced me to this wonderful idea. it adds a nice burst of flavor.

sundays are quickly becoming my favorite day of the week…

chatting over stew and bread

lekker — Sun, 20 Nov 2011 21:49:32 +0000

randy and i have have a pre-marriage book that has been recommended to us that we will be going through together in the coming months. we have decided to do it on sunday afternoons and today is our first day. through informal chats we have already discussed the importance of sharing meals together – we want to be intentional about making and eating meals as a family. i like the idea of having a big sunday meal after church; whether that is something we do regularly, i decided that today would be a good day to thaw some venison and make stew in the crock pot. i’ve never used a crock pot before, but i’ve been enjoying the smells all afternoon!

venison stew with carrots, onions, potatoes and garlic, cooked in broth. i added some red wine and various spices. hope it turns out well.

a simple beer bread recipe - it's nice because you don't have to use yeast, thus there is no "letting it rise" process. the yeast in the beer does the work and adds a nice tangy flavor.

we both love to cook and have people over for meals. we look forward to having a home of our own for you to come visit!