Foodie News

I am trying to eat a wider variety of foods than usual. So I found this recipe using wheat berries as the base. I made it tonight and it is a hit with Cara and me. Aaron, it uses bacon! I substituted turkey bacon and it is low fat and delicious.

Wheat Berry Salad with Bacon

1 cup wheat berries
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup pecan halves
6 pieces bacon
1/2 cup dried cherries
2 shallots, thinly sliced
2 Tbs. EVOO
2 Tbs. fresh lemon juice.

A. In a large saucepan, combine the wheat berries, 3 quarts broth or water with 1 tsp. salt and bring to a boil. Cook until tender but still slightly chewy, about 1 hour. Drain and rinse under cold water. Transfer to a large bowl.

B.Meanwhile, heat oven to 350. Spread the pecans on a rimmed baking sheet and bake, tossing occasionally, until fragrant and toasted, 6-8 minutes. Roughly chop the nuts.

C. Meanwhile, in a skillet, over medium heat, cook the bacon til crisp. Drain and crumble up and add to wheat berries, along with pecans, cherries, parsley, shallot, oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste. Stir gently to combine.

Enjoy.

Sarah comes to Albuquerque

I was among the throng of supporters at the McCain/Palin Rally last night. Token celebrity was Robert Duvall and his wife. It was invigorating though not very informative. Yet, I came away glad to be in a state where my vote will really be needed. I volunteered to take a list of 100 undecided voters that I can call and encourage to vote. I think I'll pray for each by name over the next 2 months, too. I'm proud to be an American.

My Life is so Unexciting...

Cruising through the web researching the wonders of oxytocin as it relates to my birthing class, I came across the website of a woman who seems to share the same passion for birthing as I do. She comes to birthing from the same Christian perspective as I do and I'm very excited about dialogueing with her about the format of the classes I teach at Care Net. ANYWAY, somewhere in my crazy search this morning I ran across this fun website of tests. I took this personality test to see if and how I've changed.

Your result for The LONG Scientific Personality Test...

ISFJ-The Protector

You scored 27% I to E, 53% N to S, 19% F to T, and 42% J to P!

The protector type is called such because you feel your life is best used to protect those you love from the pitfalls of life, to see to their safety and security. You belong to the larger group called guardians. You find great satisfaction in assisting the downtrodden. You are not talkative with strangers, but you can chat tirelessly with those you trust. You have a good solid work ethic. You are thorough and very likely frugal. You do not like to be in a place of authority, and will delegate poorly if forced into a lead position. You share your type with 10% of the population.

As a romantic partner, you are generous and gentle. Occasionally you may be taken for granted because of this fact. You are tireless in providing acts of service for your loved ones. You run the risk of always being exhausted because you won't say no to your partner. You are sensitive to criticism and will withdraw rather than fight back. You wish to be appreciated for your loyalty and whole hearted nuturing. Your values must be respected and you thrive on consideration and kindness.

Your group summary: Guardians (SJ)

Your Type Summary: ISFJ

Take The LONG Scientific Personality Test at HelloQuizzy

Field Trip to Southwest New Mexico

I just returned from my long anticipated 2 day outing with the OASIS ("enriching the lives of mature adults") group. I was part of a group of 25 women and 6 men ranging in age from my inexperienced 56 to a very young and vigorous 92. We went on a historical tour of southwestern New Mexico and we all had a great time. I learned alot about this beautiful state in which I've lived but haven't even begun to explore. And I met some very interesting people including a gentleman who served as a B-17 pilot during WWII. I asked, he didn't know my dad.

We left Albuquerque at 8 am on a huge tourbus with TV screens and potty to go. (I'm embarrassed to admit that I was one of only 3 people who used that stinky on board toilet. It is designated as emergency use only and I guess I've been blessed with one of the smallest, most easily irritated bladders around.) We drove south to Socorro and then west through Magdelena, a mining and cattle shipping town and onto the plains of St. Augustin, Horse Springs, Aragon, Datil. Along the way we stopped at the VLA (very large array. click on the link and read about this amazing technology in the middle of nowhere) I have included some pictures of it in the slideshow.

We headed south again ending our day in Reserve, which is the Catron County seat. Catron county is huge, almost 7000 sq. miles, yet has a total population of only 3600 people. There are far more heads of cattle than people in the beautiful part of the state. Reserve has a population of only 374 but one of those people is Bill, the man who's courting me and who serves as county manager. I had a great time meeting half the town's folks within the first half hour there but especially enjoyed having dinner at Bill's pastor's house. I felt very comfortable with them and we had lots in common and lots to talk about.

My tour left the next morning and we headed south to the WS ranch near Alma which is rich in history. The ranch owners demonstrated some horse and cow maneuvers and delighted some of the guests to a wrangling, branding, and castration show. Needless to say, I did not watch this. I was very interested in the little cemetery on a hill on the ranch in which some of the US Army Cavalry are buried after being massacred by the Apache. The ranchers delighted us with stories, cowboy poetry and a fabulous BBQ lunch.

We then went to the beautiful Catwalk National Recreation Trail and enjoyed a 2 mile hike along a historic mining waterway. We drove north again and stopped at Quemado Lake.

We continued north through the Malpais National Monument and Conservation Area which is a stunning volcanic mountain range. We drove up through Grants and then east on I40 back to Albuquerque.

I am reminded again what an beautiful state this is and how awesomely gracious our God is in sharing His creation with us. My traveling friends told me of so much more there is to see in this quadrant of the state. I'll be more than happy to take another field trip with my new silver haired friends.

Bragging Rights

Stephanie got her diploma in the mail today and was pleasantly surprised that she actually earned the SUMMA cum laude honor. Even better than what she had thought. I'm proud of her.

Girls' Road Trip

The girls and I just returned safely from our 2000 mile road trip. We had a very fun time. First stop in Mesa, Arizona where we visited with Jen and Dan and their cute kids. We found out later that we picked up a "hitchhiker" there in the blazing hot desert and took him to breezy Carlsbad, Califonia. The gigantic centipede hitched his ride in Stephanie's tote. He caused quite a shrill scream from the girls as he emerged from the bag in the guest room at Aaron's house. Steph captured him in her wide bristled brush and let him go outside in the green grass and shrubs.

We visited Coronado Island and explored it's beautiful white sand beach where we collected lots of sand dollars. We weren't even sure what a sand dollar was until we googled it at home. I have never in my life found a sand dollar except in a gift shop so we were excited about our finds.

We spent a few hours another day on Carlsbad beach and watched the surfers there and soaked up more sun. Aaron and I went to the U-Pick strawberry fields where we happily picked ripe, juicy, huge berries which we enjoyed in our cereal each morning.

Aaron and Nancy took us to Wild Animal Park in Escondito, where the temperature was closing in on 100. It was a very interesting safari park, though. Maybe even more interesting than the San Diego Zoo. Most impressive were the huge condors.

Aaron is a banshee in the kitchen wielding a mean knife and some impressive pots and pans. We ate some fine food cooked up in the Gamiz kitchen: hot shrimp stuffed poppers, salmon and shrimp civiche, blackened salmon, spagetti squash lasagna, hot pintos, and mashed sweet potatoes, (not yams).

On a whim, I decided to head north and stop at the Grand Canyon on the way home. Awesome, amazing, beautiful. We ended up hiking a good 4 miles along the rim because we missed our path back to the car. One cannot visit the Canyon and come away with anything but acknowledgment of our Creator's infinite power and might. We are so small in this universe.

Our trip ended up just short of 2000 miles. And I thank God and his awesome angels for keeping us safe on the road.

Special Olympics

On Sunday, June 1, the little Calvary Special Olympics Volleyball team played their very best and took home the Gold Medal in their category. Cara played 5 games with fellow special athletes Aaron, Ethan, and Isaac. The three coaches Ed, Melissa, and Rho rounded off the team. Each team plays 3 athletes assisted by 3 coaches. The special athletes get to serve from a closer-to-the-net line and are given another chance if they mess up the first attempt at serving. It was a jolly good day on the courts. Lots of cheering and lots of personal achievements. Cara was able to score some points from serves. Isaac ran for some volleys and passed the ball on, Aaron was able to stay on his feet during the games, and Ethan also scored some serving points. We are so thankful for the coaches and referees and timers and scorekeepers who all volunteer their time and their hearts to this great organization.