metaphorically pondering...

sometimes, it's like:

a wee sardine climbing to the highest peak of the largest mountain

walking so long in killer heels they become stylish flats

growing a beard from my elbow hair

converting white wicker furniture to darkly stained oak

keeping your lip balm intact while eating spicy hot ribs

throwing an ace of hearts into a vintage hat on the ground from the roof of a skyscraper

carving the Mona Lisa out of jell-o

sneezing so violently a piece of your lung pops out


this was a fun form of expression. I recommend.

Great Art

i'm inspired

this is a must-watch. 

I read about this woman in the newspaper 

and visited the link on youtube.  

I suggest you do the same...

Susan Boyle

tastefulthomascuisine

Below is a picture of coconuts growing in the wild...at the MN zoo. And to the right is a fun fact found directly under the plant.


Higher quality nutrition paired with increased time in the kitchen has brought with it many exciting and delicious things, and so---It is time. I have been working on a new blog not-so-secretly, and now I feel ready to reveal it here. Please do check it out- the link should be to the right, or click here.



p.s. I love coconut oil.

this. is. hilarious.

Herbal Supplements

It's official. We have begun our herb garden! This addition to our home has been a dream of mine for quite a while now, and I am excited for these fresh herbs a few steps from the kitchen. To the right you will see our four new friends: Rose, Clive, Ollie, and Ted. (rosemary, onion chives, greek oregano, and thyme.) I like to imagine them playing hearts and bridge when we're out...

Ever feel like you're on a deserted island and then discover that you are, in fact, not at all where you may have imagined? That is, I believe, the fate of these two wee ladybugs catching a ride on this tortoise, perhaps unknowingly.
When I directed Patrick's attention toward this micro-phenomenon while we were at the MN Zoo today, he imagined the dialogue being something between a guy and girl, with the guy using the pick-up line "Well baby, it's just you and me stuck here on this island..." I laughed.

And this scene, funny as it was, also brought me to a place of deeper thoughts on how things are not always as they seem. That which we perceive as reality may in fact be all we are capable of understanding in our finite, limited existence. But at some point the tortoise moves, and we discover that life is indeed a grand adventure. Even if it doesn't always seem like it.

Mickey Mouse Magic Wands

bathing by candle light

time alone

finally feeling at home

constantly designing our space

our one bedroom wonder in the city.

unique one-of-a-kind abstract artwork in the kitchen

beauty expressed in each little spot

splashes of color

the simple

the classy

the elegant

replaced candies and sugar 

with dried fruit, nuts, unrefined sugars and sweeteners...

I could write an homage to coconut oil.

healthy health nuts we have become.

my husband makes delicious honey whole wheat bread.

solitude found here in a few secret hours a day

bake

cook

read

spend more time in the kitchen.

word games online.

I am home.

Marriage Thoughts after Month One

I cannot do this without God.

moments of extreme frustration.

fun and difficult.

harsh reality of my ugly ways.

revelation of how much past hurts have left a print on my heart and my mind- and how those hurts affect my actions and words.

fear overwhelms me sometimes. I never knew being so close, so vulnerable, was so very scary.

loving him is a choice I make everyday. Some days I have to think about it. Others I don't.

Knowing that he'll be my roommate for the rest of our lives is extremely difficult for my mind to grasp. It's super fun though!

Today we had a fight about cheese. And it was really difficult. And seemingly insignificant, but at the time, the hardest thing that ever existed in the world.

I have always been fascinated by the complexities of relationships, and now, this one proves to be multi-dimensional and a never-ending, ever-changing myriad that has me mesmerized. Such a cool glimpse and reminder of what relationship with the Lord is like, for He is truly infinite and mysterious and amazing.

What a thing it is to be experiencing the impossibility of loving him without God and then experiencing the beauty of God loving Him through me. I cannot love him as just Angela.

I am more selfish than I ever imagined.

I am so many things that I never saw before.

How difficult to depend on someone else so much.

How great to depend on Jesus entirely.

How wonderful to enjoy another person so much on this deep of a level- As if exploring the caverns of each others' hearts, each new cave is a new part of my personality, his preferences, my dreams, his thoughts etc... "Come look in here- this idea is so cool" "This may not surprise you, but its something of a key into an elemental part of my self" "Are you sure you want to go in there...no, don't! I don't think you'll like it" ...and unfortunately, upon entering an unstable cave without being invited-"Get out! Leave now! You cannot see this part of me- I'll fall apart and suffocate you unless you leave right now!" and then the opposite JOY of-"Come in here, it's a very fragile and special place, and noone except God has seen this part of me, and now I want to share it with you."
We help each other to discover new caverns as well- he has definitely helped me to come across caves I either haven't noticed or didn't exist before-WOW!

What a rough, exciting, exhilarating journey to be spelunking through each other's hearts.

I like him more every day.

Favorite interchange with husband Patrick so far:
me: Good morning :) (laying in bed) What are you thinking about?
him: A dream and a song.
me: (after much laughter) It's like I married a fairy prince.

He is my prince, my knight, my love.

Ridiculous

I never do these things, but I saw this on a friend's facebook and liked it for some reason, AND I'm in just the right mood to post something like this. I hope it brings a smile to your heart. It does to mine.

1. YOUR SPY NAME (middle name and current street name):
Rochelle Park [could be a good name for a novel series]

2. YOUR MOVIE STAR NAME (grandfather/mother on your dad's side and your favourite candy):
Barbara Reeses [the embodiment of fifties class and glamour]

3. YOUR RAP NAME (first initial of first name and first three or four letters of your last name):
A-Thom [lame]

4. YOUR GAMER TAG (a favourite colour, a favourite animal):
Purple Monkey [nice. I think Patrick would be proud. and excited I'm a gamer. which I'm not.]

5. YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME (middle name, and city you were born in):
Rochelle Winona [well, I do like to sing in the shower- maybe it could be my shower name...]

6. YOUR STAR WARS NAME (first three letters of your last name, last three letters of mother's maiden name, first three letters of your pet's name):
Thosonpen [it sounds like an asian alien name]

7. JEDI NAME (middle name spelled backwards, your mom's maiden name spelled backwards):
Ellehcor Nosretep [this will be my spoken password to open my car door someday.]

8. SUPERHERO NAME: ("The", your favourite colour and the automobile your mom drives):
The Purple Suburban [a fat purple blob...here to SAVE the DAY. right.]

9. YOUR ACTION HERO NAME (first name of the main character in the last film you watched, last food you ate):
Osbourne Pickle [I'd have a green action hero jumpsuit.]