Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Facing Giants

Our family dog, Zorro, is a small pooch. He is a Lhasa Apso and as cute as an ewok. He doesn't care how small he is or how cute he is though.

 While sitting in the living room enjoying some late evening T.V., I heard Zorro barking. My brother and I went to investigate in the back yard. Zorro had chased a raccoon way up into one of the trees.
A giant, dark, furry animal with sharp teeth didn't scare him and neither have big dogs. I remember when a friend of ours brought over their giant dog for Christmas and he barked at the giant dog letting him know whose house it was.

Instead of cowering behind the glass door with his tail between his legs, Zorro approaches his giants and lets them know how he feels. If Zorro can face his giants so can you. It doesn't matter how small and cute you are, or how big you are, be an ewok and scare the Emperor's best troops off of their flying mopeds!

Thursday, July 21, 2011

Key Lime Pie

While working in the kitchen this week, someone mentioned key lime pie. A instant craving for it came up and the sound and thought of it reminded me of my family at home who enjoys it. That evening at dinner I mentioned it during conversation, a young girl named Rhianna next to me piped up excited at the thought of making one.


“I made one of those just last week! Can we make one tonight?” she said.
“Sure!” I replied surprised. And so it started, the process of making a pie. First, ingredients had to be gathered, which Tylor, one of the summer staff guys, graciously went into town twice after acquiring cream cheese frosting the first time instead of cream cheese. Then Rhianna and I squeezed the life out of several limes, cracked open several eggs to get egg yolks, put in some creamy ingredients, mixed it all together, cooked it and put in the refrigerator to set, but there was no patient waiting. After 45 minutes we enjoyed our pie….soup….since it wasn’t quite set yet.

This Saturday, Rhianna got up during testimony time and shared about how God called her name while she was working in the peach plant. When he called her name, her faith was affirmed to believe that God can do anything. She said she had given her life to Christ in 2008, but not fully since she hadn’t quite believed God could do everything, like speak to her. This week though was a break through.

Proud and happy for Rhianna, I believe she sets a great example for us all. We are like key lime pies. We need good cream cheese, not just cream cheese frosting, to have strong flavorful faith that can be enjoyed by all and it takes time to set us in our faith. Plus God continues to work in us to make our faith as delicious as possible so that we don’t just have faith soup.

Thursday, June 23, 2011

Dried Peaches and Soup go to Hungry Kids

After breakfast this morning, Fritz, one of the directors here at Gleanings for the Hungry, shared about his recent mission trip to Haiti where he went with a team from Gleanings to help people in the recovering country. The slide show began with pictures of individuals giving out dried peaches and soup to hungry people, then it progressed to tell a deeper of story of circumstances aligning and an amazing accomplishment coming together.

The story started to unravel with a picture of a resort by the water coming up on the screen, after seeing many pictures of the hungry being fed, this one seemed kind of odd. But it turned out that there was a woman who worked there that really had a heart for the kids and the team prayed with her about this woman's longing to do something for the local kids.

A week later, when the team came back, she had hired a nanny and brought in 6 kids. The neat thing about this is that the team had been wanting to build a house for Rick's daughter Kim, who is a missionary there that watches over children. In introducing Kim to this woman, a greater purpose for the house was now set...to open an orphanage where Kim could share the responsibility of watching over orphaned children with this local woman.

Donations came in for the house and local people helped build the house and it came together in a couple months. "It was really incredible," Andrea Merrill, who went on the mission trip last year.

To learn more about their trip, go to http://gleanings.org/?p=2182

Friday, June 17, 2011

Snapshot

I am excited for tomorrow. At 8am I'll be flying out of SeaTac on my way to Fresno where I'll meet my guy and be taken into Dubina, CA to the Gleanings for the Hungry YWAM Base. This will be my first mission project and I admit I am nervous for how I'll adjust from working eight hours a day in front of a computer to physically moving and working with my hands this summer.

I am hoping that they will teach me how to cook since I hear they need help in the Kitchen and I am sure I'll get a chance to see first hand how the peaches are processed through the equipment, dried and shipped out. The latest batch went to Kenya!

I really think this will be good a chance for me to get out of my head, step away from my career, take a break from writing and just experience life and people. After going through the intensive college years, working my hardest at several internships and establishing my reputation in the local business community...my brain is just kind of tired. The break is a welcome one.

I am also excited to support Tylor while he works driving a forklift day to day feeling useful. This last year has been a struggle to find consistent work and it is nice to hear him happy and feeling fulfilled. Seeing him every day in this environment will be new and uplifting for us. :)

Thursday, May 19, 2011

My Review of Crush Master 10 Speed Blender in White

Originally submitted at CSN Stores


Features:

  • 10 Speed blender
  • White finish
  • Multi level stainless steel blades
  • Heat resistant glass blending jar
  • Ten speeds plus pulse
  • One touch ice crush
  • Motor overheat protection system
  • Safety interlock system
  • Fas...


Good Sturdy Product

By Monica from Olymipa, WA on 5/19/2011

 

4out of 5

I am actually very impressed with the blender itself. The blender jar is a very tough, thick, and durable glass (perfect for a blonde klutzy destructible force like me). On one side of the jar, it gives measurements for cups and ounces, while on the other side, it gives liter measurements. This is very handy for a recipe stickler…not me…but for someone who is of course.
The blades in the jar seem to be pretty durable, sharp, and strong. They are long and have crushed up our over-frozen ice cream into perfectly creamy milky mixtures. Just think…with this Crush Master, I can crush ice and make smoothies! This will go over very well during the three days of our Northwest summer when everyone is salivating for an icy smoothie.

(legalese)

Saturday, April 16, 2011

Laughter and Fun Mark FAC's First Family Fun Night

The team at the BHG Family Activity Center is upholding the centers name by bringing families together to become active. On April 15th, they held their first Family Fun Night where parents and their kids, together, got to experience gymnastics and enjoy each others company in a relaxed atmosphere.

It's not every day that you see parents trying to quickly run on a balance beam to catch their kids who are gall abounding over big octagon shaped obstacles, in a game of cat and mouse. That was my first experience at the Family Fun Night and it was a blast. My sister, Natalie Jonen, was the mouse and I was the cat who had to catch her. She was a fast little mouse, but I was faster and adrenaline sent me leaping over the obstacles and running through the course headstrong.....until I rolled my ankle coming down from a leap.

"Cat Down!" Everyone yelled as I walked off the course. It was comical no doubt and everyone was laughing, but all the effort that went into running and jumping was squashed by my inability to coordinate my feet with my brain. However, the rest of the night proved to be fun even for a slow cat like me.

I also noticed that my sister thoroughly enjoyed playing the rest of the games and so did the families. For instance she gladly used all energy at "Ships and Sailors" (which is kind of like Simon Says), relay races, parachute games, exploring all the beams, bars, cushion shape thingies, and socializing with other kids her age and their families.

We all finished the night off by eating pizza from Round Table Pizza (another YEF merchant),  Schwan's ice cream and watching Chronicles of Narnia on a giant wall that would make IMAX look like an old fashioned 60's t.v screen. I am glad I went and got to meet new families in a relaxed atmosphere and I enjoyed the activities and of course..the ice cream and pizza were delicious.

The BHG Family Activity Center is a YEF merchant where YEFkard members can participate in the YEF program. I am looking forward to the next Family Fun Night at the BHG Family Activity Center which will be on May 13th starting at 6:30 and hopefully I'll see you there! Remember to vote online on which movie that you want to watch through the Facebook events page that will be set up for the event that will be connected to the BHG Family Activity Center fan page: https://www.facebook.com/#!/BHGFAC and bring bean bags and pillows for the the movie!

Sunday, March 13, 2011

Becoming a Professional

I feel like I have been riding a roller coaster that has ended now that I am home and doing what I love. I started work as a paid copywriter this last Monday, which has helped me feel validated as a person and as a writer. My life hasn't always been so lovely though. This last Friday when I drove passed Skippers; memories from my first job rushed through my mind. I distinctly remember one particular night that was the start of a long line of personal changes that led me to where I am today.

On that night in Skippers, I was charged with the task of cleaning the chowder pot. The chowder pot is a giant cauldron that Skippers uses to make chowder, but it is more than just that. It is the cantankerous sore that belongs to the person who has to close that night and that night it was mine.

As I scrubbed the chowder pot, burnt chowder stubbornly stayed on the walls, pieces of chowder decorated my fishy smelling black outfit and the hot giant pot ceased to get clean. Anger, frustration and desperation swelled within me. I was so done. It was in that desperation though when I set a fire within my heart that would continue to blaze within me for years. That fire's purpose in me was to keep bettering myself, to become a professional and to make it.

It was in that moment late at night when I smelled of seafood and vinegar and nearing my breaking point, that a stern determination began to set in. That stern determination to make it and become a professional writer has finally paid off though. As I drove passed Skippers, five years and two degrees later, it hit me that I did it. I landed a job as a professional copywriter in Lacey. I am home. I am not in Seattle at Marchex. I am not in Tacoma at UWT.  I am home and I am doing what I love. God is amazing.

Sunday, March 6, 2011

The Crush Master 450-Watt Black & Deck Blender Review


A review written by Monica Jonen about the blender provided by CSN Stores.com

Anticipation brews as I sit swirling my pink milkshake, than I take a sip and…smile. My sister ingeniously suggested the sweet flavors of Strawberry, Cherry, Pineapple, Cocoanut and Banana for the milkshake. Each flavor rolls around in my mouth inevitably blending. ‘This must be what pink tastes like!’ I think to myself. Pink is my favorite color and so this thought makes me exceedingly happy.
The machine that allowed me “taste” pink today was the Black & Decker Crush Master 450-Watt Blender. I recently ordered it from http://www.csnstores.com/Black-and-Decker-BL10450H-BND2182.html and it came within a week of ordering it! It arrived on the weekend, while I was out socially playing, and so I let my sister and mother open to test it out first. They are very happy with it, except for the confusing buttons and its’ instruction manual.
I believe the most confusing button is the Hi/Low button. It is a simple gray button that you just push, but communicates nothing. There is no indication as to whether you are blending at high or low speeds except for the sound of your blending. In the instructions manual it says, “Select to change speed between High and Low. The word will appear on the LCD screen to show which speed is being used” However, there is no LCD screen on the blender to tell me what speed I am using. This is frustrating, especially since the instructions manual doesn’t match up to the product.
The other point of frustration is that there are two sets of blending speeds. The ones on top and ones on bottom of the gray buttons, both which serve different purposes (puree, blend, liquefy, crumb, beat, etc). You can’t switch from the top to the bottom buttons though because it doesn’t say how to do that in the so called “instructions manual”.
The directions aren’t very detailed and do not communicate very much, except for that this is a blender, don’t stick your hand in it and turn it on. These are instruction manual problems though, and while tied to the product, (it just means they don’t pay their technical copywriters enough doe). My mother also pointed out that there are three different model numbers which indicates that these instructions could be for any one of those. There is nothing to indicate what model we have though.
I am actually very impressed with the blender itself. The blender jar is a very tough, thick, and durable glass (perfect for a blonde klutzy destructible force like me). On one side of the jar, it gives measurements for cups and ounces, while on the other side, it gives liter measurements. This is very handy for a recipe stickler…not me…but for someone who is of course.
The blades in the jar seem to be pretty durable, sharp, and strong. They are long and have crushed up our over-frozen ice cream into perfectly creamy milky mixtures.  Just think…with this Crush Master, I can crush ice and make smoothies! This will go over very well during the three days of our Northwest summer when everyone is salivating for an icy smoothie.
And so now you know who to come to during the summer time for hydration. If you are looking for a basic blender though that will serve you blending needs, I would definitely suggest the 2015 version of the Crush Master when it comes out.

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Cubes and Interior Decorating

So with my new job I have a  "cube" as everyone calls it. So far, I've put three pink things in it, but I would love to decorate it with wall and art decor. I think I'll get it from CSN stores too because they have free shipping on orders of $69 or more and their A+ BBB reviewed.
I don't know why cubes are gray, it is the sleepiest most boring color. I need some color, because I have a colorful personality! I was thinking about a painting, not a Salivor Dali painting, but maybe a sunset or a picture of the south sound. Something to give me peace and keep my dreaming. I love shopping for fun things like decor, but I prefer to do it online.
Speaking of dreaming, stay tuned for an upcoming review.