Friday Lunch Feet

One of the best parts of our week at work are Fridays, because of Friday lunch.  Each week, a different Sunday school class, community group, student's parent etc. makes a home cooked meal for our student volunteers.  They come to the office at 12:30 and we eat and hang out.  It's the one time each week that we're all together just for the sake of being together.  Friends + good food + Friday afternoon = best part of the week!  This past Friday was an exceptionally good "Friday lunch afternoon."  It was the first one of the semester that was nice enough to be outside for, and students hung around for hours.  I grabbed the camera to snap some pictures of a our leisurely afternoon, and the feet of whoever was around.

Jillian and I

Carly

Will

Mason

Nick

Ivy

Sam

Jeremiah

Zach

Jillian and Kelcie

I don't know what Jillian said, but it sparked a reaction from Kelcie!

I'm not the only one who tales pictures of feet...

Blueberry Baked Oatmeal

I made this several weeks ago and forgot about it until I came across the pictures on my camera!  If you like oatmeal, than I really don't know why you wouldn't like this.  It's kind of like a big, thick oatmeal cookie! 

Meyer Lemon Blueberry Baked Oatmeal
Ingredients
1 Meyer lemon, zested and juiced*
2 cups nonfat milk
2 1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 Tbsp butter, melted and cooled
1 egg
1/3 cup sugar
2 cups blueberries, fresh or frozen
* I just used a regular lemon
 
Directions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Spray an 8-inch square baking dish with nonstick spray.

Zest lemon; set zest aside. In a bowl, combine milk and juice from the zested lemon to make “buttermilk”.

In a medium bowl, combine the oats, baking powder, salt, spices, and lemon zest. In a small bowl, whisk together the “buttermilk”, butter, egg, and sugar.

Spoon half of the oat mixture into the baking dish, and then half of the blueberries. Add the remaining oat mixture and scatter the remaining blueberries on to the top, pressing them in slightly. 

Pour in the milk mixture and place in oven.

Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, or until the mixture is a light golden brown along the edges, and the center has set up.

from PreventionRD.com

Serving on Saturday

Saturday morning six students and I headed out to Doe River Gorge.  Doe River is a local camp and retreat center, and is a great ministry partner of ours.  The mission team wanted to do one last service project before the semester was over, so we headed out there to help them get ready for summer camp.  We spent the morning spreading mulch, and I was quite sore on Sunday morning!  It was worth it though, because we got to be a blessing to Doe River and had a fun time working together.  

Me with Ivy and Will, the Mission Team student leaders.

Mustache Ball

For the past few years The Well has had a black and white themed swing dance, but this year we changed it up and had a Mustache Ball!  Which was basically just a fun dance with mustache themed decorations and food.  It was also nice to have the option to wear a colored dress, and I was thankful I could get more use out of an old bridesmaid dress!  In fact, lots of old bridesmaid dresses got re-used.  Carly showed up wearing one of her old ones, which was the same as the one I had on, just a different color.  And Jillian borrowed the dress and shoes that I wore in my friend Jessica's wedding!  We also had a photo booth this year, which was a huge hit.

Two Hours Later

There is this great restaurant in town called Barberitos, and it is great for many reasons.  1) The food is delicious!  Every time I go I get either a burrito or nachos with rice, black beans, chicken, cheese, lettuce, salsa, corn salsa, and mushrooms.  So tasty!  This is seriously what I have ordered for the past 6 years or so and it has never gotten old!  2) It's the sort of place that every time I'm in there I run into someone I know, so it's always a social adventure. 3) The management is wonderful.  The managers are strong believers and do so much to give back to the community.  One of the ways they do this is by hosting fundraiser nights.  For everyone who comes to support them, the group receives 20% of their sale.  The Well has done several of these fundraisers, and if you advertise well and have a good turn out you can make several hundred dollars in just a few hours!  I went to one of these fundraiser nights last Tuesday and to another one last night.  These nights are especially fun because everyone is there to support a cause and you see tons of your friends.

Last night I went on my own and planned to just get my meal to go.  I actually had it and was headed out the door when I ran unto Lauren, Lauren, and Rachel.  I was more or less ordered to sit down and join them, and I gladly obliged.  After lingering over Barbs we ended up walking over to Menchies and getting some frozen yogurt too.  So my plan to be in and out in about 15 minutes turned into almost two hours plus dessert.  I'm not complaining though.  It had been an absolutely beautiful day and friends, good food, and lots of laughing was the perfect ending.

Thrifty Thursday

I stopped by Goodwill Monday night because I hadn't been in a while and I had two great finds!  Two pairs of Nike Dri-Fit running shorts for $3.67 each!  These things retail for about $30 if you get them from Nike, and $15-$20 from somewhere like T.J.Maxx, so needless to say I was thrilled!  It almost made me want to go pound out a couple miles on the pavement...Almost...I did go to the gym and bike though!

Sunny Side Up

Last Thursday it snowed.  Yesterday is was sunny and almost 80 degrees.  It's like we skipped spring and went straight to summer!  I'm not complaining though; I loved how warm it was and driving around with the windows down.  I also loved eating lunch and working on Bible study lesson outsides.  The major downside to all this time outside?  My arms and shoulders are quite red now, but at least they aren't as white as before!

New Boots and A Big Announcement

I mentioned in a post last week that I had gotten new rain boots and you would it hear more about them later.  Well, it's later!  A few months ago I wrote about how I needed a new pair of boots and I was debating on whether I should get another cheap pair to make it through the season or go ahead and invest in a good pair.  I actually ended up doing neither of those things.  I just decided to save money all together and make do with the old boots I had.  I super glued the broken buckle back together and made sure not to step in puddles that were deep enough to get inside the leak.  

Now the "good pair" of boots I had my eye on were a pair of Hunter rain boots, and I was pretty sure I wanted them in yellow. Well one night about a month ago I was at home reading when there was a knock on the door.  I went and opened it and there was no one there, but there was a UPS truck driving away and that's when I noticed the big package.  My mom sends me packages fairly often, so receiving one isn't totally out of the ordinary, but this was much larger than what she normally sends.  I had no idea what it could be or who it was from, and then I noticed on the mailing label that it was sent from Hunter Boots.  I grabbed a knife, cut all the packing tape, opened up the big brown box, and there inside of it was a beautiful, shiny black Hunter boot box!  I was almost giddy as I opened it up and saw the even more beautiful and shiny yellow rain boots that I wanted!  

I had a hunch that my sister had gotten them for me, because she had recently asked me a bunch of questions about what kind of new boots I wanted and when I planned on getting them.  I gave her a call and sure enough, they were from her!  She asked if I had seen the message she had included when she ordered them, so I dug around a little more in the box and found this envelope, which if you ask me, is pretty nice for a pair of rain boots ordered online.  And inside the envelope was this message...

Not quite sure what the N is for...

The big announcement is...I'm not just going to England, I'm moving to England!!!  At some point next year, probably/hopefully January, I will be moving to Birmingham, England, for at least a year!  I am going to be serving with Christian Missionary Fellowship International (CMF) through their Globalscope program, which focuses on international campus ministry.  The ministry there is called Canvas and serves students attending The University of Birmingham.  In many ways it reminds me a lot of The Well.  They have weekly services with worship and teaching, a leadership team of students, weekly Bible studies, fun social events, service opportunities, and even weekly meals together!  I don't know the specifics of what I'll be doing, other than just doing life with these students, with the intention of helping them come to know Jesus and grow in their relationship with Him  - which is what I'm doing now!

In order for me to pursue this opportunity like I need to, this semester will be my last on staff with The Well.  That is definitely a bittersweet realization.  I am excited to go, but it doesn't mean I won't miss what I'm leaving behind.  I know the Lord has called me to go though - so I'm going!  In the months ahead there will be more posts about the whole process of getting to this point, what life after The Well will look like, more about the ministry of Canvas, and about my future new home in Birmingham!  But for now I just wanted to go ahead and get this on the blog.  I can't wait to see all the things these feet are going to experience in the months ahead!

It's going to rain a lot there, which is why good boots are a must!

If you are interested, below are links to both CMF's website, and Canvas' website and facebook page!

CMF International

Canvas online

Canvas on facebook