Church Hopping

This summer, Danny and I have decided to church hop (ENO #6). What IS church hopping? Well, it is not a strange-charismatic-slain-in-the-spirit-move (but what "slain-in-the-spirit-move" aint a little strange?!).

Ever since I moved to Raleigh, we have only attended our current church which we're good with. Its got some issues, but what church doesn't and its stuff we are willing to live with. Things we love about it are the music, the teaching and the diversity (read: more than just rich white folk). We feel it accurately represents ALL races and socio-economic faces of the Triangle area (um, and heaven).

The only other church we are familiar with in this area is Sue and Bill's church, but that's mostly because I have been there a ton of times when visiting pre-Raleigh move. And they go to an excellent church, its just not where God has lead us.

What is the goal of this church hopping? Perhaps its similar to my goal of "REAL" cooking. Its to get us out of our comfort zone a bit. We are not looking for a new church home, we are looking to be exposed to other bodies of Christ in this area. We are looking to experience Jesus in environments that aren't about "familiar." Okay, so this is just Raleigh/Cary and its not like we're headed out on a missions trip to the drug lord's playground in Columbia. But I think people take for granted how comfy they get and how much what's familiar can sometimes deceive them (not any of YOU of course).

Nevertheless, I think it will make us appreciate our church more and challenge us to see what matters to us most when it comes to Sunday morning worship. As I do posts on this experience, I am inclined to keep the churches anonymous, but that seems silly. I shall rip them apart in typical Jacqueline style openly. Okay, just kidding.

Church Hop #1 -- Calvary Chapel Cary

PROS:
Location accessible, diverse, intimate service, friendly people (had 2 men intentionally reach out to us), contemporary music and open to leading of the Spirit (in other words, the music did not have to end at a particular time and only certain number of songs sung). Lots of "expressive" worship -- raising of hands, clapping, amen-ing both during singing and message. Teaching was solid and applicable but seemed on the "seeker" side. Pastor -- gifted speaker and very entertaining. There was almost conversational feel between him and the congregation. At times it almost felt like a very large small group. Anyone from any walk of life could feel comfortable being apart of this church.

CONS:
Teaching was not "meaty" enough. Pastor is such a gifted speaker that we could see the potential of confusing being "entertained" instead of being fed.
Pastor-led governing body and not elder-led.

Jacqueline Fashion Con: Too casual. I know its summer time and all folks, but grown men should not be allowed to wear flip flops to a worship service. Listen, I'm convinced even Jesus wore mandals to synagogue.

Would we recommend this church? Yes
Would we go back once in awhile? Yes
The most unexpected thing we experienced? The sadness of missing that church family feeling we had at Immanuel.

A Six Month Review

I decided to review my "goals" as seen in my January post "Starting Another Decade: 2010."
I focused on 5 things and here's how I'm doing as of June 2010.....

1. Read only FICTION
-- finished Amy Tan's "Saving Fish From Drowning"
-- read Marilynne Robinson's "Gilead"
-- just finished Jean Kwok's "Girl in Translation"





2. Exception to goal #1 -- The Bible.
I have not been reading. I have been listening to the NIV audio on my iPod to go along with our church's goal of reading the Bible in 90 days. I am 4 weeks behind and finished "Daniel" on the Woodrow Wilson Bridge.


3. Start attempting some REAL cooking.
-- made Rachel Ray's "Hot Curry Noodle Bowls" (liked very much)
-- made Giada's "Grilled Salmon with Citrus Salsa Verde" (DELICIOUS!!!!), Herbed Quiona, and Caramelized Onion and Grapefruit Salad (liked).
-- made Stuffed Zucchini and Red/Orange/Yellow Bell Peppers (liked alright).
** I can't say that any of these recipes are what I would consider "real" cooking, but they have all made me cook outside of my comfort zone dealing with an ingredient or two I don't usually use.
--> ENO #5 -- There is a ton of freedom to experiment with meals now that its just my adventurous hubby's palette and mine!

4. Get back into working out and losing weight.
-- On the wagon, off the wagon. Gain a pound here, lose a pound here. As of this moment, my weight is exactly where it was 6 months ago. Great, I haven't gained weight, but bummer, I haven't lost the weight I gained from last year.

5. Pray. ORIGINAL post: "Pray more. Pray in ways that seem trivial. Pray in ways that are uncomfortable. Pray in ways that are different. Pray more of scripture. Pray. Pray. Pray. No, I'm asking now for you to pray for ME! I want my life to reflect the character of praying. I can certainly "talk" well enough to those around me, why can't I pray to the God who is always around me?"
-- As my teenagers like to say, "Total FAIL." Ugh. So not praying. So lazy. I could blame my hubby. He prays for us in the morning and at night, so I figure he's got it all covered. I guess the harsh truth is success in goals #1-4 don't make a hill of beans if #5 doesn't have any action.....

Empty Nester Observations ["ENO"]

Now that Michael has moved to VA and Lauren is spending time with grandparents in VA, the empty nest season has begun. I have decided to do a series of how this transition is effecting my life. I will be posting various observations as they come up. I have decided to call them "ENO" (Empty Nester Observations).

ENO #1 -- I am a minimalist. I do not like clutter. I do not like to "keep things just in case." I prefer my environment to be tidy, organized and free of stuff. Now that the kids are basically gone, this bent in me seems to be flaring up. I want to clear out everything. Late last week, my first victim was the pantry. Specifically, I attacked the Michael and Lauren shelf. No need for snack items to stuff in lunch boxes, no need to keep all 3 hot chocolate mixes or Michael's grape drink mix and Lauren's lemonade mix. No need for 2 kinds of puddings b/c one child likes only vanilla and the other prefers tapioca. No need for after school quickie microwavable Mac & Cheese or cans of Beenie Weenies.

Rearranging and clearing out the pantry has made it almost twice as big with room to spare. There is room for my cookbooks and my "admin stuff" like rubber bands and tape, etc. There is now room for all the multi-vitamins and over the counter-help-me-function-like-I'm-30-something-again-even-though-I'm-40 pills.

ENO #2 -- The minimalist fashion. Now we may prance about the house in as little clothing as we'd like.

ENO #3 -- Only the front and back door need to remain closed. Why be bothered by closing the bathroom door now?

ENO #4 -- Oh, chores still need to be done. I might be Asian and slant toward the pro-child labor, but I am missing having the "extra help" to take out the trash, vacuum, feed the animals, bring in the groceries.......

Vacationing with the Woodrow Wilson Bridge

Immediately following the 70s bash, we headed to the Washington Harbor (again) for a security conference Danny had to attend for work. I, of course, served my role there as Danny's "arm candy." Turning 40 has made me realize there are not many years left of that job for me. Before you know it, I'll be the "walker candy".


The keynote speaker was John Ashcroft. Hail all things conservative!

I had hoped to spend the entire time there hanging out at the pool reading a new book Danny had gotten me for my birthday. Well, that never happened. Instead I spent a considerable amount of time with the Woodrow Wilson Bridge, both intentionally and unintentionally. There is a trail from the Gaylord Hotel across the bridge to Old Town Alexandria. It is 3 miles one way. I walked it 3 times which is a total of 18 miles. The other time, I spend almost an hr on it in stop and go "rush" hour traffic. Uggghhhhh.........hate DC traffic. Will NEVER live there again.

Anyway, the first day I got to spend an afternoon with my friend Kelly. She is a designer and we use to work together at the Freer and Sackler. We use to "slug" to work together and have some great "slug" stories. After having her son Warren, she decided to stay home full time and couldn't be happier! It was so fun catching up and remembering old times at FSG and being grateful for the current state of our lives!

The second day my gorgeous friend Christine aka "Fuji" came to the Harbor to meet me for lunch. She is a friend I hung out with at Immanuel. She works for the Christian Embassy (Campus Crusade for Christ) in DC. Again, was such a treat to catch up with her and even do a little shopping. Got myself a dark gold purse :) Fuji got me all caught up on the happenings at Immanuel. So much can happen in 3 short years! Whew! Since Fuji is 1/2 white and 1/2 Japanese, I like to say that when we hang out, we make 1 white person and 1 Asian person. Its a hapa thing, you wouldn't understand :P

The last night we were there we had dinner with his boss and family. That day Danny won a Flip video camera from a Cisco session. GO DULIN!!! On our way home, we stopped in Springfield to have lunch with Michael and Cory. It was good to come home to an empty house and no more activity.

Disco-Rama-Momma

As most of you know, Danny (with the immense help of Sue and Bill) threw me a 70s Disco party to celebrate my 40th birthday. The decorations were amazing, complete with disco ball and groovy wall paper. There was a 3.5 hour playlist that had everything from Earth, Wind & Fire to David Cassidy to ABBA to Bee Gees to Neil Diamond. There wasn't a groove that was missed. The food delicious with a homemade chocolate ice-cream cake. There was pin the afro on the Disco Diva Jacqueline and YouTube videos projected on the wall with 70s dance moves. Farrah showed up and so did a chick from "Good Times." There was a lot of blue eyeshadow and the outfits were "Far out!"

The only thing that was disappointing was the low show rate. I did not expect out of towners to be there (and was thrilled by the ones who made it). It was a lot of the "local" turkeys that didn't make it. I am struggling with trying not to take it personally, but those thoughts are for another post.

The love I did get from the crew that showed up was awesome and there was plenty of laughs, silliness, singing, dancing to go around. There also seemed to be enough afro to go around to. Thanks to you all for the Good Times! We did not get home 'til 2:30 am.

How Appropriate

We are going through the Bible in 90 days at church. Going through means reading, but I have been listening to it on my iPod as I walk with the dog, do housework, etc. I am a week behind, but I just wanted to say how appropriate it is that as I have had to face the traumatic experience of turning 40 and grieving the loss of my youth, I started the book of Lamentations today.

Oh, ha, ha. Who says God doesn't have a sense of humor?

No Comment

It is my 40th birthday. Enough said. I don't care if 40 is "the new 30." I ain't 30, I'm 40. I'm not being graceful about it and I can't pretend I'm not a single bit vain about it. I'm not going to apologize about my bad attitude. I know, a real shocker for you......

In any case, my hubby took the day off and made it wonderful despite the number. He treated me to a yummy dinner at a Spanish restaurant Tasca Brava in a trendy part of town. Thanks to the rest of you for emails and texts and calls to express love.

UGHHHHHHHHHHH.............. I'm forty!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Congratulations to Lauren and Michael

The end of last week was a flurry of activities ending in the culmination of graduation on Thursday, June 10, 2010. I have felt a range of emotions and the many ways in which this day was significant and bittersweet for Danny and I can't be described. At least not right now.

Needless to say we are very proud of them both. Lauren performed her graduation poem flawlessly if not being the highlight of the ceremony. She also got her driver's license the next day! Michael was able to save enough money to purchase my black Honda for himself!

Anniversary Dinner

We went to the Carolina Inn for our anniversary. It is the same venue we had our wedding at and we went there last year too. Its going to be our anniversary "tradition" while we remain in the area. And its on the campus of UNC (GO TARHEELS!!). Plus, the profits go to the UNC Library. Eatin' for ed-joo-ma-ka-shun!

It was a lovely evening as expected. Two of our waiters remembered us from last year which was nice. Maybe its because we wore the exact same thing we did last year. Yes, I squeezed into a little pink dress. However, it was quite a different "fit" after consuming food. As I told my friend Zoe, next year I'm showing up in pink work-out pants!! The nice thing about this fine dining experience was that even though we had 1 main server, every server would wait on us as they passed our table. I'm all about having lots of people waiting on me! Oh, but you knew that already.....

Anyway, as always Danny spoiled me with 3 cards, a new digital camera, and beautiful star gazer lillies ("our" flower and the kind used in our wedding). Since it was our "Cotton Anniversary" (who knew?), I got Danny a cotton T-shirt (see pic!). He looks so cute in it!

CATRINA -- the menu is below for your viewing pleasure :P

Fine bottle of champagne: Duval-Leroy Brut

French bread, pumpernickel raisin bread

Compliments of the Chef for our anniversary: 1 single pan seared scallop in a delicious sauce

Jacqueline

Appetizer: Medjool Date Stuffed with Valdeon Blue Cheese, Wrapped in Prosciutto Di Parma, Crimson Lentil & Bulgar Wheat Salad, Red Wine Syrup & Chive Oil

Palette cleanser: Mango sorbet with 1 raspberry

Entrée: Braised Spring Lamb Shank, Anson Mills Creamy Polenta, Sundried Tomato, Greek Olives, Dandelion Greens, Crumbled Hillsborough Cheese Co. Feta, Lamb Jus

Danny

Appetizer: Veal Sausage, Potato Gnocchi, Fava Beans, Toasted Pistachios, Roasted Peppers, Shaved Ricotta Salata, Garlic Broth, Mint Oil

Palette cleanser: Mango sorbet with 1 raspberry

Entrée: Grilled Hickory Nut Gap Farm Pork Chop, Anson Mills White Cheddar Grits, Alamance County Shitakes, Green Beans, Baby Carrots, Fried Green Tomato Croutons, Rhubarb Jam, Ham Hock Jus

Dessert: We were too full but they gave us a two complimentary truffles

730 Days and Counting

Today represents 730 days of marriage for the man of my dreams and me. In many ways, it feels as though we just got married 6 months ago and sometimes it feels like our wedding day was a lifetime ago.

Two years (and 10 extra pounds) later, we are still the best of friends and unbelievably happy. In a world (and in our own pasts) of brokeness, Danny and I celebrate a day and two years of God's continued blessing and grace in our union. We will brag in the Lord for what He's done and continues to do. Our happiness and joy is not just based on our love, but a result of God's work.

As I recently reread Danny's vows to me, I am amazed at how he has so faithfully fullfilled each promise. Go ahead and throw-up and roll your eyes at me, but I am so undeservedly loved well daily by a man that treats me like the sun rises and sets on me. (And yet, he is still capable of gently reminding me that it actually doesn't!)

Happy Anniversary, Danny. I thank God you are the husband that exceeds my expectations and fullfills my dreams consistently.

>CLICK HERE to see a slide show from our wedding that focuses on all our friends we love who celebrated on that day with us. They are goofy and fun and I cherish seeing how happy and beautiful you all are :)

Senior Awards, Etc.

Last week was the last "real" week of school for the kids. This week is exam week (1/2 days) and if you're a senior with an A/B in the class and less than 3 absences, you are exempt from your exam. Needless to say, that means both the kids don't have a full week this week of school either.

Graduation is exactly 1 week away. CRAZY.

Last week was filled with more awards nights at school than we could stand or rather our butts could handle while sitting on cold, hard metal bleachers in the gym. I'm such a grumpy old woman.

Lauren and Michael both received various awards. Michael was recognized for the highest grade in his Earth Science class. Lauren had a similar award for her Digital Media class. She also was recognized for the various scholarships. She got a sash as a graduate with "Distinguished Honors" meaning her GPA is 4.26 (or higher). We were impressed with the number of seniors who had GPAs that high. She also got an award from the President of the United States for her high SAT scores. Yes, feel relieved that your President cares so much about my daughter's SAT scores.....

I confess, I am struggling with all this graduation stuff --- its all very exciting and fun to experience so many proud moments, but my heart is sad as I think of the very glaring absence of my parents getting to be here, especially my mom. She had been talking about Lauren's graduation for years and I am so sad she will not be with us on that day.

The DC Trip

Several weeks ago, Danny and I headed for Gaithersburg, MD for almost a week. He was there for "Disaster Recovery" excercises with work and I was there to have fun, see old friends, eat and hopefully not recover from any disasters.

It was a jammed packed week for me downtown while Danny worked some days 'til 8:45 pm. I got to see a ton of people I love and worked with. It was like a crash course in spending time with people from all walks of my "previous VA life."

We got to see Andy + Diane for dinner. I had lunch with 2 former bosses, and got to visit with a 3rd former boss. Met up with former co-workers at the Freer/Sackler. Had lunch with my realtor/friend Rosanne and her hubby John (who I worked with at FSG). Got to see lots of art at my leisure at the National Gallery (there was a Rothko exhibit) and another amazing exhibit at the Hirshhorn. Got to hit my favorite restaurants: Jaleo and Burma. Enjoyed lunch in the staff restaurant at NGA and also enjoyed yummy gelato (and miss the former Smithsonian discount that made it affordable!). Got to see my old carpooler buddy Nick. Drove out to Clifton and surprised another dear friend Cheryl (thank God she was home!).

That was just Tuesday - Friday.

Saturday Danny and I went to Arlington to a Vietnamese restaurant that a good friend of my mom owns. She was there and it was hard for her to hold back tears when she saw me. Her Engrish was rough, but I understood her emotions and she kept saying how much I looked like Yen.

After that we headed to the National Harbor (AWESOME!!) to meet up with Tammy and Marshall at the Gaylord. They were offering local residents a discount on rooms, so Tammy got us some rooms. It was also Marshall's bday weekend so we were ready to have fun. When we checked in, Tammy mentioned Marsh's bday and the front desk dude hooked us up and upgraded all of us to suites for free!! Tammy and I figured we probably got $500 rooms at the price of $125! NICE!

We wined and dined at Graces Mandarin, then headed to Bobby McKeys a dueling piano bar (Marshall actually did all the graphic design work for the owner). After that we went to the Gaylord's guest only night club where we got to see fireworks from the balcony at the top of the building. The club was cool but pretty empty as it was still early but we had goofy fun anyways. Both couples decided to retire early to "take advantage of the beautiful rooms" and met in the morning for breakfast.

During our stay at the Gaylord, there was an Asian wedding that Tammy and I so desperately wanted to crash, because we thought for sure we could fit right in. There was also, and I lie not, a "Pole Dancing Convention." That explained why it seemed we saw so many hooker like chicks. Again, Tammy wanted to crash this..... kidding. But we did meet a chick in the elevator that flew all the way from London to attend this event. It was her first time in DC and the US and she was not going to have time to see the sites, just learn how to expose her own sites..... Oh, that was wrong of me.

After breakfast, Danny and I headed to Immanuel for church and then went to lunch with our favorite mentor couple Joel and Cindy. We got home Sunday night by 8:15 in time to watch the season finale of LOST (which was a immense disappointment).

All the pics I took were of the time with Tammy and Marshall. I could kick myself for not documenting all my other friends. Danny and I had a blast --- and were SO blessed by our time with the people we love. It was such a truly, deeply meaningful time for me to see so many faces from my past and feel the love of friends you haven't seen in several years.

God provided me with rich conversations with old co-workers and it was great to be happy about life, marriages, children..... Thanks to all who treated me to food and fun :)