More Apt. pictures...

2nd Annual Cookie Exchange

I had a cookie-exchange party last year that went so well that I decided to do it again this year. My other friends have stolen the big holidays (Thanksgiving, New Year's Eve, etc.), so I decided to stick my own event in during the middle of the month of December. I went kinda crazy and obsessive decorating the house for the party. Note: cutting hundreds of snowflakes out of cover stock is rather hard on the knuckles. There were supposed to be 8 attendees, but two of them ended up sending cookies and flaking on the party. Because I am a kind-hearted soul, we exchanged their cookies for them and carried on. I was rather pleased with the selection and quality that showed up this year, and I'm definitely going to carry on the tradition for the next Christmas season. In the meantime, Sean and I have a tray full of cookies to devour.

P.S. I got an awesome cheese to serve with rustic bread as an appetizer. It came from the Nugget Market and is called "Fromager D'Affinois." It's creamy and mild, with just a slight bit of saltiness. I'm in love with this cheese.

SNOW IN CITRUS HEIGHTS!

Sarah and I went for a walk around the mall last night and I thought it was starting to rain on us. The rain was blowing around, so I just figured it was a light rain. But, it was the first hint of snow to come! Very cool.

The school semester is almost over for me; December 17th is the last day. Thanksgiving was great this year; we had dinner with Mom & Dad Kenney, and then on Sunday we had dinner with friends. We also had a surprise birthday party for Sarah's grandma & Kaidence's first birthday party the same day up in Smartville; Nana was definitely surprised.









Hmmm, what else? We put up our tree on Saturday and finished decorating our house for the holidays yesterday. I told Sarah that the last few Christmases went by too fast, so we had to make sure that: the tree was up in time, Christmas music is playing at home, & we need to take frequent trips to the mall to soak in the experience. So far, so good.

We Live!

I had no idea it had been almost two months since our last post. There's a lot of stuff I can't remember that's happened in the past couple of months, so I'll just focus on our trip to Oregon two weekends ago. I don't have a lot of time, so I'm going to break it down in the form of awards:

Best Provision of a Comfy Guest-Room Experience: Patrick & Mary

Worst Cheese & Ice-Cream Tour: Tillamook Cheese & Ice Cream Factory

Best Made-Up Car Game: Sarah, for "Follow Words" (I just named it)

Best Made-Up Car Game Save: Mary, for "caseworker"

Best Use of the Word "House" to End a Made-Up Car Game: Patrick

Best Assassination Scenario: Patrick

Best Catch-Phrase Partners: Mary & Sarah

Best Catch-Phrase Answers: Patrick, for "Jib-jab! Sad!" and Sean, for "Red kryptonite! Blue pants!"

Best Scenery: The State of Oregon

Recent Weekends

Two weekends ago we went to San Francisco to see the "Tut" exhibit at the De Young museum in San Francisco (note: we hate San Francisco; it's a dirty, frustrating city). My parents gave Sean tickets for his birthday, and the exhibit was really interesting. After having wandered through the museum looking at artifacts and art from South America (from the A.D. time period), seeing what the Egyptians were doing in the B.C.'s was amazing. Most of what we were looking at came from 1450-1300 B.C., and the artistry was incredible. Also, did any of you know that there were actually five boxes surrounding King Tut, not just the one sarcophagus? I didn't remember that from my sixth-grade unit on ancient Egypt. Alas, there aren't any pictures, because photography isn't allowed inside the exhibit.

Last weekend (i.e. a couple days ago) I made some curtains for our kitchen. That's right--I MADE CURTAINS! Previous to my weekend project, the only thing I had ever sewn--ever--was one button back onto my favorite peacoat. I had received a small (read: beginner's) sewing machine for my college graduation, so I decided to put it to use. Steve likes to get up on the counter in our kitchen, which means we either leave the blinds up all the time or he messes them up. We've been leaving them up, but that means potential naked exposure (the kitchen window practically looks right into our bedroom at the back of the apartment). So, curtains. Or sew curtains. Either way, I made them. They are nowhere near perfect; in fact, I'm probably going to make some more in a different fabric. However, the important thing is that I finished them, and they are curtain-like enough that they'll do for now. Sean was kind enough to say that he likes them, but I'm not happy enough with them to post photos just yet.

The Rest of August

Sean actually got to have three birthdays this year. We did a Scandia video game/batting cages/minicar race birthday on the Sunday before his birthday with my side of the family (plus Becky & Roshni), then we did a small gathering on Sean's actual birthday with some friends, then we did another family birthday dinner with Sean's side of the family Friday night. Scandia was fun, although they didn't have any air-conditioning inside the arcade. My mom and dad played a first-person shooter together--my mom played with a rather disgusted look on her face (which was awesome). I made Sean's new favorite burger, the Andouille-Beef burger, for his "friend" birthday, and it was generally agreed that they're very tasty.




A couple weekends ago, we took Friday off and went up to Eureka through Sunday. The goals of our journey were thus: to escape the searing heat of Sacramento; to visit Sean's family; and to explore the area's outdoor wonders. The weekend started off with a sense of doom hanging over our heads, because we almost got into three accidents on the way up and because Nate convinced Shelly we were coming on a different weekend (hence, they were not expecting us when we called to say we were 20 minutes away). So: Nate got in trouble and Shelly was a good sport, and everything turned out great (except for everyone else being out of town for a funeral). They led us on all sorts of adventures in the greater Eureka area and generally impressed us with how close they are to all sorts of natural beauty. One of the highlights of the trip was their sewage treatment plant/bird sanctuary. Seriously. You should check it out if you're ever in the area. It was an exhausting weekend (Nate and Shelly have energy to spare when it comes to walking), but super fun. The one disappoint is that apparently local Humboldt County coffee shops can't make a good iced white mocha; we had to give in and just go to Starbucks. Oh well.



To make our August even more exciting, we drove down to San Diego for a quick baby-shower (for my friend Naju)/visit the Martas trip. We had a bunch of fun hanging out with Sharon, Isaac, and Reece at the Wild Animal Park (amazing), and it was great to see my still-skinny-except-for-her-baby-bump friend. We rounded out the day by watching a movie with Sharon & Jake--an unintentionally hilarious stealth-Christian movie that provided ample opportunity for commentary. It was really sad when we left the next day, because Isaac was crying and saying he wanted to go to Sacramento with us. It almost made me cry, too. He drew me a picture later, so I guess all is well now.



That's about it. I decided to not post every new recipe I make, because some of them have been complete flops. However, I made a quick dessert with some leftover berries I had from the farmers' market, and it turned out really well. Here you go (courtesy of Alton Brown):



individual berry crisps
(serves 4)

• 1 cup all-purpose flour (about 5 ounces)
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 cups chopped nuts (walnuts, almonds, or pecans)
• 1 1/2 cups crushed crackers, gingersnaps, or cereal
• 4 ounces unsalted butter, cubed and chilled
• 12 ounces fresh or frozen berries (blueberries, raspberries, or blackberries work well)
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch

directions

1. Place the flour, sugar, nuts, and crackers in a large mixing bowl; combine.
2. Work the butter into the dry ingredients, using your hands or a pastry blender, until it is crumbly.
3. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the berries, sugar, cornstarch, and 1/2 cup of the crisp mixture in a medium bowl; stir gently to combine.
4. Divide the mixture evenly among 4 small (7-8 oz.) ramekins. Top each ramekin with 1/2 cup of the remaining crisp topping.
5. Place ramekins on a sheet pan and bake on the middle rack of the oven for 30 to 35 minutes, or until fruit is bubbling and topping is browned. Allow to cool 15 minutes before serving.

rating: 5/5 (I decided to change my response system so I wouldn't have to remember what people said....)

critique:
I can't imagine using crackers in this recipe, and I probably wouldn't recommend it. I used cornflakes, and it turned out great. Although the recipe doesn't mention it, this dessert pairs well with some good vanilla ice cream.

Friendship Camping and Recipe of the Week

We attended the First Annual Friendship Camping Trip at Collins Lake this past weekend. We have a group of friends that has been getting together for the past couple of Thanksgiving weekends to have a "Friendship Thanksgiving," and the people who started the tradition (and host the event every year) decided to give us something to look forward to in the summer, as well. The friendship part of the weekend was awesome, but the camping site itself was rather dismal (ubiquitous clay dirt, Martian landscape around the lake, and loud, drunken neighbors). We still had lots of fun, and we ate really well. Thanks to the McChesneys for arranging everything and making all the food I brought completely unnecessary. By the way, if any of you out there haven't had a camping cobbler made in a Dutch oven--get out there and do it! It was one of the highlights of the weekend. We did have to leave briefly and come down to Sacramento for Sean's cousin's wedding, but we were glad to be able to attend both events in the same weekend.

On a separate note, this week's recipe isn't new to me, but it's probably going to be new to you. It's my favorite chocolate cookie recipe, and it comes out perfectly every time. I had an urgent need to use up 6 1/2 Hershey's bars that somehow came home with me from the camping trip, and this recipe fit the bill. It came from Martha Stewart Living magazine--I don't know what issue.



double-chocolate cookies
(makes about 3 dozen)

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (preferably Dutch-processed)
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
• 1/2 pound milk chocolate (4 oz. coarsely chopped, 4 oz. cut into 1/2-inch chunks)
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
• 1 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

directions

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside. Melt the 4 ounces coarsely chopped chocolate with the butter in a small, heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmer water; let cool slightly.
2. Beat chocolate mixture, sugar, eggs, and vanilla with an electric mixer on medium speed until just combined. Reduce speed to low; gradually mix in flour mixture, scraping down bowl as needed. Fold in chocolate chunks.
3. Using a 1 1/2-inch ice-cream scoop, drop dough onto parchment-line baking sheets, spacing 2 inches apart. Bake until cookies are flat and surfaces crack, about 15 minutes (cookies should be soft). Let cool on parchment on wire racks.

responses

Sean said: "...." (sound of chewing and contented look on face)
Sarah said: "I think these are better than America's Test Kitchen's!"

critique

I really don't have anything critical to say about this recipe. I would only caution you to follow the instructions and take them out when directed. They may look too soft or underdone, but they firm up quite nicely and form a wonderful crunchy outside/soft inside contrast.

Catching Up

We've been terribly busy (no, honestly--going to bed at 9:30 really cuts down on the amount of time in which we can get things done). Anyway, I haven't made any new recipes for the past couple of weeks. I'm restarting this week, but first more random bits of information:

• Camping for July 4th with my family was a blast (despite some weird family dramas).
  
  
  


• I got a bonus at work that allowed us to pay off my CR-V, with some money left over to spare (which means we now own both vehicles outright).


• We went boating with some friends on Saturday, during which Sean and I both failed miserably at our first attempts to wake-board; however, we did discover that night-boating is awesome.




• We've got lots of trips coming in August, so that's going to be another busy month.

I just hope I can stay on top of these recipes, because that binder is fat with ones to try! This week's recipe was a big hit at Sean's maternal grandma's 94th birthday party, and it was super easy; it came from a website called Allrecipes that I often use (I modified it a bit to fit what I had on-hand). Sorry that there's no photograph, but the lighting in our house at night makes food look particularly unappetizing.

berry trifle

(serves 18)

• 1 package (10.75 oz) prepared pound cake, cubed
• 4-6 cups assorted berries (cut strawberries into slices, if using)
• 1/4 cup orange juice
• 1 package (5 oz.) instant vanilla pudding mix
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 can (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk
• 1 container (8 oz.) frozen whipped topping, thawed

directions

1. In a medium bowl, combine pudding mix, milk, condensed milk, and 1 cup of whipped topping; whisk until smooth and set aside.
2. Place 1/2 of cubed cake in bottom of trifle dish or large glass bowl. Brush tops of cake pieces with 1/2 of orange juice. Layer with 1/2 of berry mixture and top with 1/2 of pudding mixture.
3. Repeat cake, berry, and pudding mixture layers. Top trifle with remaining whipped topping.
4. Refrigerate until well-chilled, at least 2 hours and up to 8.

responses

Sean said: "Really good."

Sarah said: "This was so easy! I'm making it my potluck go-to recipe."

Grandma said: "Delicious."

critique

The recipe, as I wrote it, already has some modifications of my own. The original recipe called for one layer of cake, one of berries, and one of pudding mixture, but I thought it would look nicer and be more balanced on the palate with two layers. Also, I was supposed to use frozen berries, but I had a quantity of fresh strawberries and blackberries to use up. I think it would work well either way. Finally, it wasn't nearly as good the next day, so definitely make sure it gets served and eaten within 8 hours.

P.S. The lack of formatting features is driving me crazy! I messed with the bullets and spacing in this post for about 20 minutes before giving up. I don't understand what rules govern the random spacing of bullets for this site.

Recipe of the Week and Random Bits of News

First, random bits o' news: I'm officially back to full-time work (bad news for quality time with Sean, good news for our bank account); David sent us an awesome, random present that promises to transport things, entertain both of us, and clothe Sean; Steve barfed on the carpet again; it got to 112 degrees in Citrus Heights yesterday; I made my first-ever grilled tri-tip last night, and it turned out very well.

Now for the recipe, reprinted without permission from http://www.cookandeat.com/:

strawberry semifreddo
(serves 8)

ingredients

• 1 pint of fresh strawberries, stems and caps removed
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 t vanilla
• 4 eggs, separated

directions

1. Mash the strawberries well (I used a potato masher). Set aside.
2. Whip the cream until it is firm. Cover and refrigerate.
3. Combine the sugar, vanilla, and egg yolks in the bowl of a mixer and beat until it is thick and pale yellow, about 5 minutes. Move to a large metal bowl, cover and set aside.
4. Beat the egg whites in a clean mixer bowl until you get soft peaks.
5. Fold the whipped cream into the egg yolk mixture. Then, fold in the egg whites, trying not to deflate them.
6. Fold in the strawberry puree, mixing just enough to get some nice swirls and streaks but not a solid pink color.
7. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place in the freezer for at least 30 minutes. You’ll need to freeze it for well over an hour for more of an ice cream texture. Note: If frozen overnight, let it sit at room temperature for about 10 to 15 minutes before trying to scoop it.
   

responses

Sean said: "Mmmm."

Sarah said: "I would make this again."

Carrie McChesney said: "Light and fresh."

Dan McChesney said: "Like a light ice cream."

critique

I enjoyed this dessert very much, and I would make only a few minor changes. One is that I would probably macerate the strawberries in a teaspoon or two of sugar before mashing them, because they were a bit tart in the sweet, dairy part of the dessert. I would also suggest setting out the dessert for closer to 20 or 30 minutes after being frozen overnight, because otherwise it's a bit too icy in the middle. I ended up pouring the whole thing into a plastic wrap-lined loaf pan due to personal preference, which made for pretty slices. Those of you who know me well know I tend to like very sweet things, but this is one dessert I've found that had a minimal amount of sugar and was still very satisfying (especially with Belgian butter cookies from Trader Joe's).

Recipe of the Week: Lemon Linguine with Spinach and Pine Nuts

This week's recipe was a bit of a flop. Oh well; that's what I get for trusting the Interweb.

lemon linguine with spinach and pine nuts
(serves 6)

• 1 pound linguine
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1/3 cup minced shallot or onion
• 1/4 cup chopped sun-dried tomato
• 1 tablespoon grated lemon zest (from 1 lemon)
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic (about 2 large cloves)
• 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 8 cups baby spinach, loosely packed
• 1/2 cup toasted pine nuts
• grated Parmesan cheese

preparation

1. In a large stockpot, cook linguine according to package directions or to taste.
2. Meanwhile, a large, deep skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat.
3. Add shallots, sun-dried tomatoes, and grated lemon zest; cook, stirring constantly, 1 minute.
4. Add minced garlic and cook, stirring constantly, 1 minute.
5. Drain linguine and add to skillet. Add lemon juice, salt, and pepper, tossing over medium heat to combine.
6. Place spinach in large bowl.
7. Add hot linguine mixture to spinach, tossing to combine.
8. Throw pine nuts over the top and add cheese to taste, or pass pine nuts and cheese at the table.

responses

Sean said: "...." Sarah said: "This isn't terribly good, but it's not inedible."

critique

There just wasn't enough seasoning in this dish. In fact, I only used 8 ounces of pasta; I can't imagine how tasteless it would have been if I had used a whole pound. It probably could have used a lot more garlic and sun-dried tomato, and maybe some red chili flakes for interest. I might try it again and play with the seasoning a bit.

Recipe of the Week: Beef and Andouille Burgers

So, as Sean mentioned in our last post, I have tons (more like 400-500 than 150) of recipes I've set aside to try. I get them from magazines, cookbooks, the internet, and people I know. They've started piling up to a point where I felt as though I'd never get through them all, so I've decided to not compile any more recipes and instead focus on making at least one new recipe a week. It's going well so far, so I've decided I would announce it to the world and commit myself to the project. In fact, I've made more than one new recipe for the past couple of weeks. I'll try to get pictures of the food, but it's hard with some dishes to get a good picture and still get it on the table at the right temperature. For my official "launch," I present you with a recipe from Bon Appétit's cookbook (borrowed from the library):

beef and andouille burgers with asiago cheese

(serves 6)

ingredients

4 oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon whole-grain Dijon mustard
8 ounces andouille sausages, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 1/2 pounds ground beef (15% fat)
2 large shallots, minced
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons ground black pepper
1 teaspoon fennel seeds, crushed
6 large sesame-seed hamburger buns
6 1/3-inch-thick slices red onion
Olive oil
1 cup coarsely grated Asiago cheese**
1 7- to 7 1/2-ounce jar roasted red peppers, drained

preparation

1. Finely chop sun-dried tomatoes by hand or in a small food processor. Blend in mayonnaise and mustard. Transfer to a small bowl. (The mixture can be made one day ahead; cover and chill).


2. Finely chop sausage in food processor and transfer to a large bowl. Add beef, shallots, salt, pepper, and fennel seeds. Stir with fork just until blended. Form mixture in to six 1-inch-thick patties.


3. Prepare grill for medium-high heat. Grill hamburger buns until golden, about 2 minutes. Transfer to platter. Brush onion slices on both sides with oil and sprinkle one side with salt and pepper. Grill until golden, about 7 minutes per side. Grill hamburgers to desired doneness, about 5 minutes per side for medium-rare. Sprinkle cheese over top of burgers.


4. Spread cut sides of hamburger buns with sun-dried-tomato mayonniase. Top bottom halves of buns with hamburgers, then red peppers. Top with onion slices. Cover with top halves of buns and serve.

responses

Sean said: "One of the best burgers I've ever had."

Sarah said: "Pretty good."

recipe critique

I omitted the roasted red peppers because they just didn't sound appealing for this recipe. I did use the asiago cheese, but we couldn't really taste it on top of all the other flavors; for this reason, I would say it's unnecessary to the recipe and adds unneeded calories. Also, I got "Cajun" style andouille sausage, which was probably the wrong choice. Although Sean loved the taste, I thought the seasoning in the sausage competed with the other seasonings in the recipe. I would probably use mild Italian sausage next time, because it's easier to find and less aggressively seasoned. Also, I found the amount of mayonniase mixture to be inadequate. The sun-dried tomatoes reduce the spreading capacity, so I would probably double that part of the recipe next time. Finally, since Sean and I were eating alone, I froze 2/3 of the prepared patty mix. I'll let you know how it goes when I use the remaining mix.

Sorry About The Slow Update...

I haven't posted anything for a while because I was waiting for one teacher to post my final grade for last semester, which he did today.

So, last semester went very well. I got an A in my math, health and Photoshop class and a B in my modern art history class. I start summer school June 8th and will be taking swimming @ 5:45 AM (whee!) Mon-Thurs., as well as beginners astronomy and economics. Summer school ends August 7th and then I will have five classes in Fall starting August 22nd; so I will have a little break.

Sarah is working more hours at Northwest Exteriors because business is picking up again, which is great. She has also recently organized all of her recipes as well as grabbed 150 new ones (maybe more)and has started putting them in a binder with pictures. She estimates that we can have something new each week for the next five years or so.

We recently got new "blackout" curtains for our bedroom as well as a sofa/bed for our office. The curtains are awesome! They block out 99% of all light and they make our room really dark at night; I highly recommend them to everyone. Wal-Mart+$22 per panel=awesome. Our sofa/bed came from Ikea and will enable us to watch free TV from our computor comfortably as well as allow people to stay with us overnight. It is small, lightweight, cheap, new, and has no metal bars to stick in your back when you are sleeping! You can't for anything more.

We have gone on a few hikes lately, one with friends, and the other alone. We also went to Stinson Beach with Becky, John and Roshni for lunch. I stepped in poo on the beach (barefoot), that was fun. What more can be said other than we love hiking and we love our friends? Nothing more. :)

We also got a bicycle for Sarah from Craigslist for $40. We have been riding together for the past week to get in better shape and we really enjoy it. The time goes by quikly and we get a great cardio workout.

BIG NEWS! Steve barfed a hairball the other day and we got him to do it on tile! Normally he does it on the carpet which makes it very difficult to clean, but this time we were able to grab him when he was making his "barf noises" and take him to the bathroom tile floor. I realize it's gross to talk about cat barf, but when you have a cat that always barfs on the carpet, never on tile, you would get excited too if it finally made it to tile. :)

Not much else is going on. I am still volunteering on highschool staff at church and Sarah has started doing "greeting" a couple weekends a month too.

Busy Weekends!

Our four-year anniversary was April 2nd, and we spent the day at the California Academy of Science in Golden Gate National Recreation Area. It was awesome! There is so much to see and things to do--it needs to be experienced. They have the nation's largest digital planetarium (coolest thing ever), a four story indoor rain forest (with tons of butterflies), an aquarium that is almost as big as the one in Monterey, a 3-D bug show, a T-Rex skeleton, and a natural history wing with lots of stuffed animals from Africa. Needless to say, if you love nature and astronomy, you will love this place.

That weekend we went to a live debate to see William Lane Craig (author of Reasonable Faith) and Christopher Hitchens (author of God is NOT Great). The topic was (you guessed it) "Does God Exist?" It was held at Biola University, and it lasted just over two hours. Sarah and I were very fortunate to get seats only twenty feet away from the speakers' podium, since over 3,000 people showed up to the event, not to mention the people watching live over the web across the world in 15 different countries including Sri Lanka! As if that wasn't cool enough, we were able to exit out the back way where we literally walked right by Hitchens and were able to get near the front of the book-signing line. THEN, some people were interviewing people in line for a documentary they were making, and they interviewed me! To top things off, I got to meet Dr. Craig in person and actually got to speak to him for a couple of minutes while he signed my book. Needless to say, I was on cloud nine.

This last weekend was also a highlight in our lives. We were very fortunate to spend some time with the Watoto kids' choir from Uganda. These kids were amazing, not just as performers but as people. Sarah and I truly felt blessed to have the opportunity to have dinner and breakfast with them. The kids always hugged us, always said please and thank you, were always smiling, and made us feel like "old" friends as soon as we met them. We could not help falling in love with all of them. Thank you McChesneys for giving us that opportunity! :)

Some days you just feel different...'nuff said.

Special Edition: The One Where Sarah Heard a Weird Noise

So, it's 4:00am (on the dot, which is weird in itself) and we're off in dream world. Steve is snoring lightly, Sean is snoring lightly, and Sarah is not snoring because she's a lady. Sarah is woken out of a typically delightful dream by a cacophonous noise that she does not recognize. Upon further investigation, she finds that the bathroom ceiling is pouring water in three different places and is about to pop.

The complex maintenance man arrives, blearily rubbing his eyes, in a surprisingly short amount of time after a semi-frantic phone call from the intrepid adventurer (that's Sarah, if you're paying attention). It is discovered that the degenerates upstairs--for that's what they must be, if they let this happen to us--left their toilet running all night. The fearless maintenance man pops the ceiling and hilarity ensues. Or, at least, as much hilarity as can be found at 4:26am involving a shop-vac and three moderately awake adults, one of whom is a stranger to the others.

So let this be a lesson to you, children: Just say no to drugs.

Our New Place

We love our new place here in Citrus Heights! We are really close to shopping, including several dollar stores! We feel much safer here than at our last place and it is 100 times easier for guests to park. The only problem we have so far is having a smaller water heater. We get about 10 minutes of hot water, but then it starts getting progressively colder. I tried taking a 15 minute shower and had nothing but cold water by the end. It's a small price to pay, and we are willing to pay it.

Weeee!

Sarah and I went to the snow last weekend; it took a while to find some, but we did! The snow was pretty deep which made walking difficult, so we decided to race!

This was my first week of classes for the semester; so far all my teachers are pretty cool except for a health class--not too exciting.

Also, we are moving next week! We have our spare room boxed already and everything else will have to wait until we get closer.

Lots of News This Time

Well, Christmas was great. Sharon, Jacob, Isaac and Reece came up from "San Diego". David, Joanna and Declan came up from "Los Angeles" and Patrick and Mary cam down from Salem. It was great seeing everyone and spending time together. Sarah and I got a GPS unit for our car from Mom and Dad Alwin, which will help me to not get lost around Sacramento. New Years was a lot of fun too. We went to our friends the Truitts' and stayed up 'till about 4am--good times. We also drove down to L.A. for Sarah's grandfather's 70th birthday party Christmas weekend. It was great to see everyone, and we had a good time.

Well, Sarah is still working part-time, about 25 hours per week, and we are praying that her work picks up so that she can get her hours back. We have decided to wait until the end of the month to see if they will be able to give her hours back, if not she will unfortunately have to look for a new job. We don't really want her to leave because she enjoys working for them so much.

I am no longer working part-time. In fact, I am no longer working. Unfortunately, last Tuesday I was told that Thursday would be my last day. I was let go for financial reasons. So now I am looking for another part-time job that I can stay at for about a year while I finish school. By the way, I finally looked at my last semester grades and I got all A's. :)

The great news is that we are moving at the end of the month! We are going to be out of our Carmichael apartment by Jan. 31st and will be moving to Citrus Heights. The rent is cheaper, we will have two full baths and a fire place, we'll have two assigned parking spaces (one of which is a garage), and we will be closer to friends and church. Unfortunately we will be further from my Mom and Dad and Becky and John. :(

We went on a hike today with our friend Scott at Muir woods. It was very pretty and we had a good time together, although Scott drives like a crazy man! We will probably do more hikes together since he is close to our favorite hiking location, Mnt. Tamalpais.