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Sundays in our Neighborhood

by Lucky Red Hen on September 29, 2008

Saturday is a special day, it’s a day we get ready for Sunday!

That’s what I think of when I think of Sundays. Yesterday was different.

This Saturday I had a full schedule…

  1. family pics in the a.m. (goodbye David, sorry I didn’t hear your talk)
  2. then out to the in-laws in the afternoon to see off the rest of the fam for a Mariner’s Game (they surprised great grandma with tickets – they got some hats, saw a homer & won!),
  3. little shopping for jeans for me (turning out not for me since I was out of luck; I originally put “little jeans shopping” then realized that denotes that the jeans are little),
  4. purchasing maybe outfits for the family pictures for the kids,
  5. a nap because my body ordered one (last week I saw a doctor and did a blood test so hopefully this week we’ll have the results and I’ll quit having to crash during the day),
  6. pick up girlfriends for Women’s Conference,
  7. Volterra Restaurant with four fun Twilight book friends for dinner (Wild Boar for the first time, with beet greens, parsnips and a delicious Gorgonzola demi-glaze)
  8. then pick up Ryan (feels like a brother) so we could hang out with Colin (looks like he could be my brother) who was from out of town here shooting a wedding (sushi at Umi in Seattle – hibachi style yellow fin tuna)
  9. and home just after 1am.

At my age, getting to bed after 11pm isn’t a good idea, but sometimes it’s gotta be done.

I told myself that it’d be nice if I could wake up at 7am to call my favorite camera store (they open at 10am EST, so 7am my time) and adjust my order before it shipped. But seeing that I was hitting the hay sooo late, I also told myself that it will all work out if I didn’t wake up, so I didn’t set an alarm.

Go figure, my body wakes me up at 6:58am to potty and just in time to call the store. I decided to check my email in case they got my change (didn’t yet) and talked to customer service (already shipped – dangit – just refuse pkg when it arrives and they’ll take care of it – YAY i heart them). While checking email, I noticed a Facebook invitation notification and decided to check it out before getting back to bed (normally I don’t fall back to sleep very easily but I was BEAT and ready to hit the hay).

The invitation was to join an “In Memory Of” group for this young man, Tyler Bleyl, a senior in high school.

WHAT?!? He’s my sushi pal? I just saw him in July (when I took this pic with my PnS). WHAT?!?

I laid back down in shock. When I woke up a couple hours later, I was exhausted still. That emotional, groggy, I slept-but-not-really kind of feeling. All I could think about was him, his family, his friends and this sweet girl who would miss her friend. My stomach was in knots and my body was tense. I thought about my own kids as I thought about his mother, my friend, in complete shock and denial.

Church would be the place you’d want to be to reconcile this news, normally. But for me, I wanted to stay home that day around my family… soak it up and ponder about this boy, my friend.

Our church is organized to have a certain geographical area attend at the same time at the same building so that you know your neighbors, can help one another and share the good stuff without having to travel all over the dadgum place. Because of that, when you’re not at church, people notice. They notice then they call to make sure everything is okay.

I received a few phone calls asking where I was. “I didn’t feel like going to church, so I didn’t,” was my reply, trying to be discrete. One friend joked, “I didn’t either but I went anyway.” Usually when I don’t feel like going is exactly when I should be going :)

The last call of the day I changed my answer and explained why I didn’t feel like it… that was nice. Talking about it seemed to purge some of that icky feeling. This friend understood and talked about how sweet life is and how precious we should make every moment.

The other thing that was nice was that people cared. Having a foundation of people who care where I am, wonder if I’m okay and are willing to do something about it if I need it… that’s another good thing about the church I attend. We lift each other up and take turns doing so. Living so close makes it more possible than if we’re spread out.

Going to sleep last night, well, that’s another story and another after 1am one. As I laid there, I couldn’t help but think of the news. Over and over and over until I finally drifted off to sleep.

P.S. Thanks Lyn + kids for stopping by on your walk Friday. It was nice to see your cute faces and visit for a spell. Spell. Isn’t it nice to start using Fall words already? :)

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Quick Recipe: Limon Blanco Chili

by Lucky Red Hen on September 25, 2008

This recipe was our winner last fall at the church event. Honestly, I was surprised that a vegetarian dish would appeal to so many non-vegetarians! But it was as if nobody missed the meat! It’s absolutely delicious and filling! I’m not sure why I keep YELLING by adding an exclamation mark, but I guess I mean it!

Rumor (which might’ve started with me, so there’s no scientific evidence) has it that rinsing canned beans diminishes the gassy effect ;)

Limon Blanco Chili
by Lyn Nelson

1 medium onion, chopped
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 – 15 to 16 oz can hominy, rinsed and drained
1 – 15 to 16 oz can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 – 15 to 16 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
3 cups broth (veggie or chicken)
1/4 cup lime juice (imperative, don’t skip it)
2 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro (imperative, don’t skip this either)
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp ground black pepper

In a large saucepan cook onion in hot oil over medium heat for 3 minutes. Stir in hominy, beans, broth, lime juice, cilantro, cumin and pepper. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat, stirring occasionally. Serve topped with shredded cheese, green salsa and sour cream.

See how quick & easy that is?!?

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Shot In The Head

by Lucky Red Hen on September 23, 2008

So that title might be alarming, but that kind of stuff really happens. Sure, there’s not a high probability that YOU might be shot in the head (unless you work or live around repeated gunfire, I suppose), but it CAN happen.

It happened to a dry cleaner employee, Heather Brammer, in South Carolina just last month (August 22, 2008) and she’s lucky to be alive. She was shot in the back of her head, after the robber told her to lay on the floor, face down.

My point in this posting though isn’t the gruesome crime; you’d think it’d be, but it’s not.

What happened after she told her story on the Ellen Degeneres show yesterday (maybe today, I had it DVR’d so I can’t remember which day specifically) is what I’m worried about. Ellen gifted her with a 7-day all-expenses paid trip with her husband to Greece (a place she’s dreamed of going).

That’s still not my point (but it’s getting close).

I cried for her like a baby. A big, fat, boob. A blubbering idiot (I can say that if it’s about myself, can’t I?) Why in the world would I need to emit tears of joy for a complete stranger because she’s GOING TO GREECE?!? I dunno. But it’s irritating, to say the least. Crying at the drop of a hat isn’t admirable, unless it’s for an acting scene and the crew wants to be done with the day.

For instance, I was at a charity breakfast this morning (eeearly, mind you) for a local medically-fragile children’s facility, Children’s Country Home.

I didn’t cry!

However, I should explain that I certainly WANTED to cry and I really FELT LIKE crying, but I worked very hard to keep my composure and (I suppose) save the blubbering for the privacy of my own home. “Hmm, look at that strawberry and it’s colorings,” I thought as I took a deep breath and pushed the emotions down (which might be considered unhealthy, we should just let it all out, but I wasn’t ready). “There are some seeds and patches of yellow where it should be juicy red,” I thought as I got ready to look back up at the speaker.

“What were you doing at this breakfast,” you ask?

Well, last week at the Edmond’s Art Walk, I met artist and optician Lisa Norrgard who was visiting my artist friend, Jennifer Culp, who was displaying her work at the Edmonds John L Scott. Lisa and her husband’s optical store is 1/2 glasses and 1/2 artwork from local artists. Instead of charging a commission to show and sell art, they ask that the artist donate at least 20% of their sales to Children’s Country Home. At their fundraiser in December they donated $12,000.

Anywho, Jennifer and I were discussing the lack of notable art galleries in the Woodinville area and she thought Lisa and I might be able to brainstorm ways to change that. As we talked about that, CCH came up and she invited me to the fundraising breakfast at the Bear Creek Country Club. I’m a sucker for a free meal.

The presentations were terrific and the way the director of CCH, Diane Kolb, explained the importance of such a home couldn’t help but tug at everyones heart.

She talked about children who have been there since birth and others that came after sustaining a dangerous accident. One little girl’s entire immediate family perished in a car accident that left her paralyzed from the neck down and dependent upon 24-hour medical care.

A school teacher told the story of Britanny, who needed round-the-clock medical assistance that was difficult to arrange outside of the hospital because the lack of staff availability. Because she wasn’t able to come to school without a nurse aide (that wasn’t available) she had to stay at the hospital, away from her school friends and the classroom that brought her joy.

I guess starting my day off with stories of children who struggle got me more emotional than usual for the rest of the day. Although, I have been known to cry for the silliest of things… like a woman getting a vacation to Greece.

Guess it’s better to feel something than to feel nothing at all.

P.S. I get a lump in my throat when I see a person in military attire too. But, that’s normal, isn’t it?

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Tiny Fey 30 Rock at the Emmy's

by Lucky Red Hen on September 21, 2008

Am I the only one that noticed Tina Fey’s (30 Rock) earrings at tonight’s 60th Emmy Awards? On one ear, white and black. On the other ear, black and white. Hmmm, Lucky like. (Picture is from last year, not tonight.)

I enjoyed Ricky Gervais‘ monologue mocking Steve Carell (his timing is spiffy). Especially since Ben and I partook of Ghost Town (I giggled much) on our date Friday night. I’m a new fan!


Who couldn’t use a little Steve Carell face time? He makes me laugh.

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NY Times Article on Stephanie & Christian Nielson

by Lucky Red Hen on September 7, 2008

Read the NY Times article about Stephanie & Christian Nielson here.

“Her relationship with her husband
wasn’t perfect.
But she chose to
focus on the beauty.
And the more she
focused on it,
the more she had.”
—Stephanie’s sister, CJane

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Stephanie & Christian (prayers needed)

by Lucky Red Hen on August 18, 2008

I, too, join my friends in prayer (I’m unable to fast due to hypoglycemia) on behalf of my friends Stephanie & Christian for their complete recovery and the comfort of their four small children.

They were in a private plane crash Saturday evening in Arizona (along with their flight instructor, Doug Kinneard, who died soon after the crash from injuries).
If you’re the kind, please say a prayer for this remarkable family. If you’re not the praying kind, please think kind thoughts for them.
Stephanie’s sister, CJane, will keep us posted on their condition.
Images taken at Lucy’s wedding a couple years ago
EDIT: Doug Kinneard’s SIL posted about his last hours on this earth.
EDIT #2: Stephanie has burns covering 80% of her body, Christian’s burns cover about 1/3 of his. Here’s a KSL report and another from Arizona.

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I'm Baaack

by Lucky Red Hen on August 15, 2008

Are you ready for some posting?

I know I am!

Pictures, stories and quips coming soon :)

Just gotta dig myself out from under all the tRaVeLiNg, pIcTuRe tAkInG and cLiEnT wOrK to put a little sumthin sumthin together for you, my dear reader.

:* Smooches!

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Cheater

by Lucky Red Hen on August 3, 2008

Wanna see me CHEAT? *I* am the lucky one to have spent the night with my dear CJane (as well as confirm I’m no longer a BYU Creamery virgin, thanks to her… “Thanks for the chocolate ice cream cone for me and the kiddo’s!”).

That’s a lame way to post, but I’m on vacation and it’s HOTTER THAN BLAZES HERE (which means my fingers melt to the keyboard, so now I have to get off so I don’t have to call a doctor).

Just looked at the clock… 11:11pm (it’s my favorite time of day, if you didn’t know that already).

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