While we're at it, Kari Jobe.

Listened to this in the car with best friends at Plu's wedding. Changed my life. Try to focus on the song, not the visuals of this worship conference.

So good.

Anderson Everson.

Congress Park, Denver.
Merry Maids.
Brit and gents.
Rain stopped in time to throw the football.
This weekend, in Colorado, my dear Anderson became an Everson.
It was an emo musician field day. Literally.
Am I a rock and roll photographer?
My color editor had a field day, too.
Sic em Bears.
Lovers.
Rehearsing.
Well-wishes before the Bachelorette.
Up, up, and away went prayers for B.
Metaphor for her happiness.
Summer ending.
Phil

Wickham

We walked down the aisle to this song at Brittany's wedding.

My favorite song of her reception:

Above, on Letterman. Below, in a rad Discovery Channel commercial:

[I]'ll take the hand of those who don't know the way, who can't see where they are going. I'll be a personal guide to them, directing them through unknown country. I'll be right there to show them what roads to take, make sure they don't fall into the ditch. These are the things I'll be doing for them - sticking with them, not leaving them for a minute". (Isaiah 42:16, MSG)

Last week: A Photo Essay

Last week was one heck of a week. The evidence:

Weekend at the lake
Nathan's 80's birthday party

Time spent sorting bazillions of school supplies, many donated by my very generous small group
I'm the luckiest girl in the whoooole school.

Room room pow.

Love the gorgeous floor.Love every single thing.

Love those mirrors.

That lefthand wall is wallpaper!

Looks like the inside of my head.

That claw food bathtub....

The wide-plank ceiling, the red chair, the tufted ottoman, the pendant fixtures...

Check out http://www.empirevintage.com.au/ for a gorgeous little antique shop, and the home of some of these beautiful interiors.

Lake Mode

Dear friends,

I am in Lake Mode. I wish I lived in Lake Mode.

Where you listen to the water and the birds. Where you find shapes in clouds. Where you hang on a tube for dear life while flying over the wake and feel very, very alive. Where you cannot remember where your shoes are. Where you eat whatever you like, cause it's vacation.

And, best of all, in Lake Mode you live in community. My friend Mark and I have decided we should all live in a compound. My friend Satpack kind of did once- she grew up on a cul-de-sac with her cousins next door, and all the mommas raised all the kids. Another friend this weekend knew of another cul-de-sac where all the families rotated cooking dinner, each family cooking one night each week. Pics forthcoming...

I swear, we were made to live that way. In a little Tribe.

One day.

Salsa, yum.

The Luna de Noche salsa was incredible! Just like in the restaurant. Here's the recipe:

2 32-ounce cans of whole peeled tomatoes (28 oz is fine)
3 jalapenos
5 bunches of cilantro
1 tablespoon and 2 tsp granulated garlic (garlic powder)
2 tsp salt
2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp vegetable oil
1 tsp black pepper
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Boil the jalapenos for 3 minutes, drain, remove seeds and ends.
Remove the stalks from the cilantro
Puree the tomatoes, cilantro, and jalapenos in a blender/food processor.
Put puree in a big bowl.
After all pureeing is done, add in spices, oil and lemon juice and mix.
Voila!

It was very, very delicious.

It was very fortunate that a) my husband was out for a guys' night, b) we had all the ingredients in the house, c) I made it all by myself (this is rare, it is Husband who is the chef in our little duo), and d) it turned out splendidly. This is fortunate because then afterward I met some girls for Julie & Julia, and if I had not just come off of a culinary high myself, I would've felt very inadequate.

In other news, we're going to the lake tomorrow and Monday! It will be just like this, right?Dear, dear friends, beautiful scenery, tasty drinks and eats, stories that are better with age... plus, the two cutest children in the universe. Truly, what tops that.

Atheists in Megachurch, and Happy Weekend

Yikes. Be forewarned. This article is tough.

An Australian Atheist attended a mega-church near her home and wrote about her experience . It is my worst nightmare. Have I mentioned my love for black and white photography, and pendant lamps?

I ran across a great quote. The article was about a writer who did a social experiment and got his news only from newspapers (no TV or internet news) for a few weeks. His review of the experience ended with these words:

"Ultimately, I think these changes are helping me stay more focused throughout the day on things that are pure, excellent, and beautiful (Phil 4:8), and less on things that are trivial and easily entangle us (Heb.12:1)."

I wish those were my words..... about life in general.

Happy weekend dear ones. Weekend plans:
1. Make green Luna de Noche (my favorite restaurant) salsa with recipe stolen off internet
2. Complete new bulletin board to make visual prayer requests (photos of people I'm praying for, to remind me)
3. Spent a few hours in Excel (I'm the membership officer in my Alta Mater's alumni club and its sign-up time)
4. Read Crazy Love
5. Get oil change
6. Mexican food (see #1) Julie & Julia with mom, brother's girlfriend, and her mom
7. Attend Nathan's '80's themed 28th birthday party
8. Go to the lake for Sunday and Monday!

Angels

On Friday, 10 beautiful children flew to Texas from St. Petersburg, Russia. They are orphans, and they are between the ages of 6 and 11. We call them the Angels from Abroad. They are staying with host families, some of whom plan to adopt them. We are praying that all 10 children (including 3 sets of siblings) find their "forever families" as a result of these three weeks. While they are here, they fill their time going to swim parties, the rodeo, the lake, Vacation Bible School, and other fun kids' activities. Here they are after a fun swim party. Let's be praying for these kids.

You can follow their daily fun at http://www.angelsfromabroad.com (especially check out the blog- more pics and stories).

And while we're on the photo kick......
Me, in Grandpa's garden, mid-80's.

V. interesting.

A veeeery interesting article over at Sojo blog titled "Beer Diplomacy" exploring connections between alcoholic beverages, spirituality, community, and Obama's soothing racial tensions over a beer at the White House. An exerpt:

“Moralists work hard to maintain the wedge between spirituality and alcohol — it’s what keeps them in power,” said Sean Lilly Wilson, a friend and classmate of mine from Wheaton College and founder of the craft brewery Fullsteam in Durham, N.C. “But there’s no evidence that Jesus wanted this separation. Quite the contrary! Alcohol and community are central themes in Jesus’ first miracle (the wedding at Cana) and his final act (the Eucharist).”
An veeeery interesting article reprinted at Shapevine called "The Bottom Billion" describes why certain countries are growing more developed (India, China, Brazil) while others at the very bottom (the poorest 1/6 of the world) are much poorer today than in 1970. He describes four traps that keep countries from prospering, and how those four traps keep foreign aid from working to help people.A veeeeery interesting response to a very controversial topic by some smart Catholics over at Busted Halo:

Is the story of creation in Genesis literally true? Joe Paprocki Anwsers:

The story is true but not necessarily fact. Huh? Catholic Scripture scholars tell us that some parts of the Bible use figurative language to express God’s truth. Figurative language can express truth without relying on fact. We use figurative language all the time. For example, if it’s raining very hard, we say that it’s “raining cats and dogs.” That statement is true but not fact. In the same way, we know now that some parts of the Bible employed figurative language.

Why? Because the illiterate culture that the Bible came out of did not have the kind of science that we have today. They were concerned more with truth than they were with facts. Does this make the creation story and certain other Biblical passages mere “fairy tales?” Absolutely not. Everything in the Bible is true. In other words, everything in the Bible is the revealed Word of God that teaches us the truth about God and our relationship with him. The creation story (by the way, there are two creation stories! Take a look at Genesis 1:1-2:4a and 2:4b-25), and the entire Bible, is primarily concerned with religious truth. Darwin’s theory of evolution and the Big Bang theory are concerned with scientific truth. There is no conflict between the two (Pope Benedict XVI said as much not long ago).

As Catholics, we don’t have to choose between creationism and science. Now, having said all that, the Bible is indeed filled with many historical facts, many of them quite accurate. It is important to read good Catholic commentaries to guide us when it comes to determining the historicity of an event we encounter in the Bible. To get a good understanding of how Catholics are to interpret the Bible, take a look at a very helpful document published by the Pontifical Biblical Commission titled The Interpretation of the Bible in the Church.