Resolution

I am making my New Year's Resolution today. I know it's late . . . but it's something I've done every day since December anyway . . . so why not make it official?

I am going to floss my teeth every day in 2010.

My dentist would be proud.

Looking Back

I feel a little late doing this now . . . But this really is the first time I've gotten to look back over this past year and reflect.

This has been a great year for me. I wanted to, you know, cater to all of our short attention spans with some little witty blog that highlighted the best part of each month. But as I look through all my pictures from this past year . . . I realize that would be near to impossible. I have been to 4 other countries in 2009, ridden an elephant, discovered I'm good at baking, developed my skills for writing and editing, had a bad haircut in Thailand, said goodbye to many friends as they've left our home here, tried new activities, learned to live in the snow, and traveled more than ever . . .

It's hard to sum up . . . or even relay everything I did or learned this year.

But here are a few of the highlights from my 2009:

Dating Nathan beginning last January!

Traveling with work for "Vision Dinners" in February.

Taking up snowshoeing and cross country skiing.

Celebrating my birthday in March with great friends at a "cabin weekend!"

Developing a great working relationship with Tyler.

Getting my own house (and painting it myself) in June. I absolutely love it.

Going back to Biola for the first time since my graduation . . . and seeing so many wonderful friends.

I got to see both my siblings graduate in June. Bryce from high school and Kirs from fashion school.

After a year and a half of being a vegetarian, I broke down and starting eating seafood while in San Diego. I am now a pescatarian.

I got to spend 2 weeks working as a lead counselor at our camp in San Diego!

This year my family came to me for some family + Micah vacation.

I got to celebrate Nathan's 30th b-day with both our families. We're a crazy bunch.

It was great to join Cassie and Kiel at their wedding in Los Gatos.

Then I got to join Allison and Joey at their wedding too!

Nathan and I spent a week in Canada! It was an awesome time . . . and so beautiful!

While in Canada we went to my cousin Melissa's wedding.

In October I spent 2 weeks in Thailand helping run a camp we do there. It was awesome. I love Thailand.

This was the most breathtaking and beautiful moment of my year. "Loi Krathang," a Buddhist lantern lighting ceremony in Thailand.

I got to explore Singapore for an evening. I honestly don't know why I don't live in Asia.

I made it home in November to enjoy the annual Harris and Rogalski family dinner! Nathan came too.

I finished out the year with Amber and my family when they came for a New Year's in the mountains.

It's been a great year. God is so good. I am blessed with great family, amazing friends, a wonderful boyfriend, exciting opportunities and adventures, my own house, and a full-time job. Not everyone can say the same.

I hope your year was just as good as mine!

Forgotten God

This is the book "Forgotten God - Reversing our Tragic Neglect of the Holy Spirit" by Francis Chan. My boss gave it to me for Christmas. So far I've really been enjoying it. I've always loved hearing Francis Chan speak at Torrey Conferences at Biola, and in the summers here at camp. I always appreciate his solid, Biblically centered teaching that encourages us to live and approach life according the the Bible, and not just how our culture understands church and spirituality today. I'll give you my review of the book once I'm done.

The Orange County Sunset

Business and Marketing Writing

Yesterday I finished my online "Business and Marketing Writing" class. This was a class that work paid for me to take, and I got to do it on work time since it is an investment in me for our little news publication that I work on.

It was a great class! I really enjoyed it and feel like I have a lot to take away from it. The class went through the whole process of business and marketing writing . . . from finding out what your company image is, writing for your audience, writing structure, grammar, editing, work relationships for the writer, and dealing with the ethics within marketing . . . and a whole lot more. I wish I had another writing class to take now. I'm sad it's over.

When You Don't Own A Shovel

Since I do not own a snow shovel (don't ask me how I survived all last winter because I'm really not sure) . . . I figured the best way to clear part of my driveway, and to spend a nice lazy Sunday morning . . . would be to make a snowman of course.

Check it out - she's even got a nose and a mouth :-)

Cream Puff Follow Up

While making the whip cream for my cream puffs yesterday . . . I was suddenly quite panicked as I realized that I had never in my life made whip cream before - and that I may very well make a complete fool of myself by trying to make something for a contest that I had never made before (and was something I was kind of making up). I had this mental picture of my cream puffs with melted pink cream running out of them.

I was totally crunched on time . . . but with Nathan's help I was able to create my very own peppermint whip cream which I filled the cream puffs with. Then we topped them with bits of crushed peppermints and powdered sugar. They were beautiful! The pictures here don't do them justice. I just didn't have a chance to take good pictures since I was rushing out the door (Nathan, bless his heart, even had to help me put my shoes on). All in all . . . I made 45 peppermint cream puffs and 60 rum truffles for our Christmas taste testing party.

Being someone that never really grew up baking much . . . I was very proud of my handiwork and that fact that I just jumped in there and tried something relatively unusual . . .and difficult maybe? And I was flattered by the fact that I had the only dessert at the contest that was all eaten up! Both desserts too! I was told that the cream puffs tasted like Heaven. Unfortunately, I didn't win. Though my gut tells me that I was pretty close (but my gut was also full of peppermint whip cream). All in all . . . it was an enjoyable experience, and I've got myself a great new recipe!

Cream puffs look much better when they're not under plastic.

Some of my rum truffles. It's a good thing I'm blocking the fact that I had a huge mess in my kitchen when I left!

Nathan read a Christmas story to the kids at the party.

So, after all that, what do you think? Should I be a pastry chef in my next life?