Trading Spaces

Or making space usable...

Over the past few days, I have been working to change this boring back porch storage



into a cozy little reading room.



I'm very excited...

Dietrich approves as well...

Pierce Pettis

I just found Pierce Pettis on youTube... fun!


ok so this isn't the best advertisment... but I was just excited to find it.
Pierce is definitely one of my all time favorite song writers/singers. You should definitely check out his work
Jonathan and I saw Pierce at Ginkgo's in Saint Paul a few months ago... definitely one of the highlights of my year.




There are better Pierce Videos here--scroll halfway down the page to Pierce Pettis
Check out the "God Believes in You" video -- Pierce calls it his 'reverse psycology' song ;-) Oh heck... check out all the songs. They're totally worth it.

When you start to doubt if you exist
God believes in you
Confounded by the evidence
God believes in you
When your chances seem so slim
When your light burns so dim
And you swear you don't believe in him
God believes in you

When you rise up just to fall again
God believes in you
Deserted by your closest friends
God believes in you
When you're betrayed with a kiss
Turn your cheek to another fist
It doesn't have to end like this
God believes in you

Everything matters if anything matters at all
Everything matters
No matter how big
No matter how small

When you're so ashamed that you could die
God believes in you
And you can't do right even though you try
God believes in you
Blessed are the ones who grieve
The ones who mourn, the ones who bleed
In sorrow you sow
But in joy, you'll reap
God believes in you

Oh, God believes in you


--Pierce Pettis

"The Japanese Joseph
What the North Korean regime meant for evil, God used for good."
an article by Philip Yancey
Joseph in North Korea

A Stumbling Block

An article by Randy Alcorn that I've recently rediscovered per a conversation about meat sacrificed to idols (long story--ask if you're curious)

The article is top notch though, and I thought I'd share it. It is a frustration that some people like to claim that other Christians are being a stumbling block to them--because they are offended at an innocent choice they have made. I remember a conversation I had at a large church in Downtown Minneapolis where the Youth Minister was telling the group that if they wore jeans with holes in them to church they could be a stumbling block to the elder members of the congregation--because these people might be offended at their lack of dressing up for the Lord's day. Hence, if you make that choice, you're in sin.

Ahem...

The stumbling block of 1 Corinthians 8 (and Romans 14) is an action, taken by a biblically informed believer, that does not in itself violate any scriptural precept or principle, but which a less knowledgeable or less mature believer might imitate, in a way that violates his conscience.

get the article here

The Pineapple Story--Online!

Last night while cleaning the kitchen and the livingroom (yes I do clean now and then), I pulled out my Otto Koning tapes and listened to #11.

Otto was a missionary in Paupa New Guinea and has some of the best stories! Today I discovered that you can hear him online! The Pineapple Missionary I recommend downloading the sermon, as you should listen to it many times :-)

If you really like him, you can purchase the entire 12 tape or cd set here

"Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend. Inside of a dog, it's much too dark to read." ~Groucho Marx

Current reading material

me: Moby Dick

J: GMAT Study Guides

I can't comment on the GMAT material (except that it looks VERY difficult!), but Herman Melville is genious. Great Book.

I heard on the radio the other day, that people no longer write anything substancial in corrispondance--in fact hardly communicate substantial events at all. They cited the all too common situation of inadvertantly evesdropping on someone who talks too loud on their cell phone.

"So, I'll see you at 6:15 then? Yeah, not 6:30, I'll be there earlier... yes, 6:15..."

So, alright, maybe that's an unfair example, but I got to thinking, you know--they're probably right. In our wireless generation, with some gizmo strapped to our heads at all times--be it a blue-tooth headset or ipod--there's no time to think anymore, let alone pen (or type) things of substance.

So what are you writing these days?

This month's post...

lots of news this time around.

With August well under way, Jonathan and I find ourselves with big changes, both at work and at home. First off, Jonathan's manager at work has applied for and received a new position, leaving a little uncertainty who is going to be taking his place. While J may be offered the position, there are many candidates, and so the next few weeks could be very interesting with the changes that will be taking place. This follows up a great physical inventory at their yard, which was very exciting that things turned out so well.

Right now it seems that things will be very busy as Jonathan gets ready to take the GMAT in 5 weeks and apply for grad school.

For me, I have resigned my book keeping position as it really was not a good fit for me. (I was always the kid who hated math... how did I end up in accounting? *grin*) Jonathan and I had been praying for a new job that would be in line with my interests and abilities, and I had been making a very concious effort not to be worried in the interim, but to trust that this was the direction that God was leading us and wait to see what he had in store next.
In the meantime, I had come in contact with a wonderful local photographer (check out JohnMagnoski.com) who was generous and gracious enough to let me come shoot a wedding with him at the Nicolett Island Pavillion. It was a beautiful event, and I learned alot by shadowing and watching, as well as getting the chance to put my own camera to the test in it's first wedding experience. A few days later, I received a call from John, wondering if I had a current job as he knew of a studio that was hiring.... So here I am, without actively looking for this job, I now am employed by a photography studio. Cool! Thanks God!

A few weeks ago, I also had the opportunity to do some band photo's for "Love in October" A local emerging pop-rock band. You can see samples of that and other current work at my new current work blog http://daypix.blogspot.com/ (the goal is to update it after each project with some favorites of the shoot).
This past weekend we traveled to Moline, IL where J's friend Rachel was getting married. We were asked to shoot their wedding pictures (samples to come up on the current work site) and had a blast.
Then, to top it off, yesterday we had two word-of-mouth (my preferred method of advertising) inquiries, one for a family portrait session, and another for a wedding... so in the past few weeks the photography biz has really taken off. Very exciting.

We had to leave the dog home when we went to Moline, so our friend Joel was a sweetheart and took care of him while we were gone. Random note; Dietrich is terrified of the kitchen floor (zero traction). Hopefully when we head up to Jacob's wedding at the end of September, we'll be able to take the dog along.

Well, I think that's enough for now. More to come.... :-)

adios amigo's

The Sunrise over Little Bass Lake

Jonathan and I had a wonderful time at Uncle Steve's cabin. It was so beautiful!!

Here are some more pictures from the weekend.


fishing!




Dietrich hanging out on the dock

Busy Busy Busy.

Maybe I will be better at keeping a blog in the winter when there's not so much to do. :-)

Last weekend, Jonathan and I took a mini-vacation up to his uncle's cabin a few hours North of us. The weather was wonderful, a nice mix of sun and hard rain. Thunderstorms are one of my favorite things, and going to bed listening to the rain on the roof is sooo relaxing. The rest was especially needed for Jonathan as he's been putting in some long hours at work lately--and combined with the early mornings--it's been really draining.

We went fishing while we were up there, and tried to teach the dog to jump off the dock. HA! Dietrich (our pooch) loves to swim, but cannot for the life of him summon the courage to jump off the dock into the water (what a chicken). We took him on the pontoon boat and had the same problem, when he wanted to get in the water he actually would crawl out onto the pontoons, fall to his belly and slide off sideways into the lake. It was pretty funny. The rest of the time he would pace around the boat, whining about his desire to get in the water--and his petrifying fear.

We came home on Sunday night even though we had Monday off too. We both just felt it would be nice to spend a free day at home--being lazy and catching up on things that we generally don't have time for. I spent too much time playing xbox (I am so addicted to this "Jade Empire" game), and overall just had a nice day.

Tuesday Jonathan was back to the early schedule. He was leaving for work, and I was just drifting back to sleep when he runs into the room again "The car was broken into!"
Bah! Stupid people broke a window in my car and ripped out the stereo. Not only that, but I (idiot that I am) had left my purse under the seat while we were at the cabin, and, since we didn't go anywhere Monday, had forgotten to bring it in. So they got that too. Bah again! They also popped the trunk and found our fishing equipment, took that too of course. What a mess... good news is, it's just stuff. Replaceable--and it's all going to burn in then end anyway.

Other than that, it's just back to business. We're both back at work--though I only have a few more weeks as a bookkeeper (yay!!) Hopefully the next gig is wedding photographer/design student. We'll have to see how that progesses though.

Till next time,

-C

And now... The News

Alright, it’s been a while since I’ve had a chance to add to this conglomeration of random Teichroew information, so here’s the basic update.

“The MOST Amazing Race” was an AMAZING success! The event raised over $53,000 for The Salvation Army here in the Twin Cities. Jonathan and I were thrilled to be a part of the race—and to help The Salvation Army. The more we have learned about their organization the more impressed we are with what they are doing in communities across the US.

The race itself was a crazy-fun compilation of challenges, but I don’t have time to write about it at the moment—so for now, you’ll have to give us a call to hear the crazy details.

Right now we’re trying to settle back into the normal routines of life after quite a few crazy weeks. I have been busy with photography, and have quite a few upcoming appointments. We’re also trying to expand the portfolio (currently at http://mn-photography.blogspot.com/) and get a jump on the learning curve. I’m working my way through a 3” thick “Photoshop CS2 for Photographers” manual that is excellent and intimidating at the same time.

Last night we had the Burkum’s over (very good friends of ours) for dinner and sweet fellowship. I mention it also because they were test subjects for a few new recipes that came out beautifully. I’ll add them to the bottom of the post.

CHIPOTLE-LIME GRILLED CHICKEN Smoky chipotle marries lime juice and mild honey in this irresistible chicken dish, perfect for your next barbecue.

1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1/4 cup olive oil
2 1/2 tablespoons chipotle Tabasco
3/4 teaspoon salt
6 large skinless boneless chicken thighs (2 1/2 lb total)
2 teaspoons mild honey


Prepare grill for cooking over direct heat with medium-hot charcoal (moderate heat for gas).

While coals are lighting, stir together lime juice, oil, Tabasco, and salt in a liquid-measuring cup. Put chicken in a large sealable bag and add 1/3 cup marinade (reserve remainder in cup). Seal bag, forcing out excess air, and marinate chicken at room temperature, about 15 minutes. Stir honey into remaining marinade until dissolved to make sauce.Grill chicken (discarding marinade in bag) on lightly oiled grill rack, covered only if using a gas grill, turning chicken over occasionally and moving it to avoid flare-ups if necessary, until just cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes total.

Brush both sides of chicken with some of reserved sauce, then continue to grill, turning over once, until lightly browned, about 1 minute more. Serve chicken drizzled with remaining sauce.

Makes 6 servings.

ASIAN PEAR AND AVOCADO SALAD WITH GARAM MASALA SYRUPThe combination of garam masala — a blend of sweet and hot spices — and a light sugar syrup adds so much flavor to this refreshing salad that no oil is necessary. The spice blend subtly enhances the natural sweetness of the pear and the avocado, while lending an aromatic note.

If Asian pears are not available in your area, you can substitute another firm-ripe pear variety.

For garam masala syrup
2 cups water
1/2 cup sugar
1 (2-inch-long) piece cinnamon stick
2 (1- by 1/4-inch) pieces fresh ginger, smashed
2 teaspoons green or white cardamom pods, lightly crushed
2 teaspoons coriander seeds, lightly crushed
10 whole black peppercorns, lightly crushed
1/4 teaspoon dried hot red pepper flakes

For salad
1/4 cup raw green (hulled) pumpkin seeds (not roasted)
2 firm-ripe California avocados (1 to 1 1/4 lb)
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 Asian pears (1 lb total)
4 oz mixed microgreens or baby greens (4 cups)

Make syrup:
Bring all syrup ingredients to a boil in a 1-quart heavy saucepan, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Reduce heat and simmer until syrup is reduced to about 1/2 cup, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let steep, covered, 1 hour. Pour syrup through a sieve into a bowl, discarding solids.

Prepare salad:
Heat a dry heavy 10-inch skillet over moderate heat until hot, then toast pumpkin seeds, stirring constantly, until puffed and beginning to pop, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer seeds to a plate and season with salt.

Halve, pit, and peel avocados, then thinly slice lengthwise. Gently toss slices with 2 tablespoons lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste, then gently toss with 1/4 cup syrup.

Halve pears and core, then thinly slice lengthwise. Toss pear slices with remaining 2 tablespoons lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste. Stir in remaining 1/4 cup syrup.

Drain pears, reserving syrup, and arrange slices on 4 plates. Transfer avocado slices to plates with a slotted spoon, discarding syrup. Toss greens with reserved syrup from pears and salt and pepper to taste. Mound greens next to avocado and pear slices and sprinkle with pumpkin seeds.

Cooks' note:
Strained syrup can be made 1 week ahead and chilled, covered.

Makes 4 servings.

Family Picture

Our new family picture :-)

Date Night

Thursdays are date nights in our house.

It's a tradition I've really become very thankful for over our first year of marriage. Life can be hard enough and busy enough to crowd out some important things--like spending time together--if we don't have a plan to keep each other and our relationship a priority. So yeah, Thursdays, great huh?

Tonight I'm not sure what we're going to do (most of the time the "doing" is not really as important as the just "being"), but I think I'm going to try a recipe for Rhubarb Apple Crisp. Candace brought home some extra rhubarb from the people she works for today. She had cut up what she wanted and had some left over. What do you do with rhubarb when you don't have Strawberries I wondered (Strawberry Rhubarb Pie happens to be one of my dad's favorites). but a quick trip to Epicurious.com helped solve the problem. Jonathan has a recipe (yes he is a great cook!) for a 7 layer rhubarb desert that I have heard marvelous things about, but we don't have enough to attempt that this evening.

Here's the Apple-Rhubarb Crisp recipe (in case you feel the need to try it yourself)

Topping
3/4 cup all purpose flour
3/4 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
1/2 cup old-fashion oats
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts

Filling
1/2 pounds Golden Delicious apples, peeled, cored, cut into 1/2-inch pieces (about 4 cups)
3/4 pound rhubarb, cut into 1/2-inch pieces (about 3 cups)
3 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Vanilla ice cream or frozen yogurt

For topping
Mix first 5 ingredients in medium bowl. Rub in butter until mixture begins to clump together. Mix in nuts. (Can be made 1 day in ahead. Chill.)
For filling
Preheat oven to 400°F. Combine apples, rhubarb, sugar, flour and vanilla extract in large bowl and toss to coat. Transfer apple mixture to 8x8x2-inch glass baking dish.Sprinkle topping evenly over fruit. Bake until fruit is tender when pierced with knife and topping is crisp, covering with foil if topping is browning too quickly, about 45 minutes. Cool 20 minutes. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.
Serves 6.

I'll try and post a picture and maybe a little review later. ;-)

Houdini Dog

So we've had this problem with the dog.

He keeps getting out.

Three days after we got him, he disapeared from our yard around noon. Sure he came wandering back all pleased with himself about 6pm (right in time for dinner--of course!). But that was after hours of looking for him, going to the various shelters, and wondering if he was the next order up at the roadkill cafe.

Unless he was unlatching and relatching the gate (hey he's smart), he had to be going either under or over our 6' chain link fence. Sure he can jump, but 6'? We opted for under.

Kevin found a loose spot in our fence the afternoon he got out. If you push firmly on the South side of our fenced yard, a small 5" gap would open up between the fence and the ground. Enough that a determined pooch could slide out if he really wanted to.

So I spent the next morning staking down all the loose fence areas. I also piled bricks in front of the West Gate, just in case the little gap there looked too inviting.

That afternoon, he got out again. What!? How?!

We wondered if he was jumping up on the bar b q to get over the fence, or maybe using the railing of the deck as a boost to clear the 6' barrier.

Finally desperate to find the answer, we started playing fetch, and one throw lobbed it over the fence where he could not reach it. Dietrich looked frusterated and went to the back gate wanting to be let out so he could retrieve the ball. The three of us outside (Jonathan, Jacob and I) all urged him on "get it boy!! fetch it up!" He got pretty worked up and anxious and then, with one flying leap he jumped straight to the top of our 6' fence, grabbed the top with his paws, pulled his back legs over and was out. No effort.

Oh, did I mention he's trying to learn to use a doorknob. No Joke.

It's a scary thing to own a dog smarter than many people.....

The long awaited new pooch pictures

What cute guys!!

Happy Cinco de Mayo

Don't forget to celebrate Cinco de Mayo today.
It's a fabulous excuse to get (or make) some excellent Mexican food, and to be glad that they are not speaking French south of the border.
Hurray for our Mexican amigos!

New Family Member!

We have a new member of the family that I'd like to introduce to you.

(picture coming)

His name is Dietrich (not diet-rich as we discovered it could be mispronounced at the vet, it's actually pronounded d-trick --or close enough anyways)

Dietrich is a 2-year-old stray that was not claimed by his owner (poor guy) and so now he has come to live with us. Animal control thought he was a lab-border collie mix. But essentially he looks like a black Irish Setter with a lab face. He's super cute.

Dietrich is really smart and already knows how to "sit" "stay" "come" "lay down" "shake" and "fetch" (the only dog I've ever had that actually brings the ball back AND drops it in your hand) He also kind of gets the idea of "roll-over" but we're kind of still working on that one. Another great thing is that he doesn't bark much. He does currently have a cough--we're hoping it clears up soon with some good love and care (the vet didn't know what it was, so what else can we do?).

The MOST Amazing Race! We Qualified!!

It was a rainy Saturday, when we pulled in the the Salvation Army parking lot.

Both of us were excited, and I felt those anticipation butterflies in my stomach that used to come right before a big basketball game. A couple of guys were out front with umbrellas, greeting the arrivals.
"You here for the race?" one asked, "Go in and sign up at the front desk." We smiled and thanked them. "Good Luck!" the other one called as we walked inside.

At the front desk we were given bags for our coats, then our ID's were checked against a roster of participants. "Ah you're the "Real Gold" team." The gal at the front desk said, giving us back our drivers licenses. We chatted a bit while putting our coats into some bags that had been provided. "Leave your things here" They told us. "Someone will be watching them, and you can get them back at the end of the race. "

We were directed to a large room with tables facing the front. Each table had two chairs tucked under it, and a pen sitting on top. Other teams of two were already settled in, chatting or playing nervously with the pens. We sat down and wondered what was coming next. The whole race was a secret. We even had to sign a legal looking form that said we would not talk about the race until 4pm that evening. All we knew was that it was being styled after the television show "The Amazing Race" and that there would be physical activity involved. We watched the clock move closer to noon and waited for our instructions.

A man and a woman were sitting at the front of the room, both in uniform. The Salvation Army has maintained a uniform policy, and it's workers are often given military titles. As the hands on the clock lined up at 12, they stood up and began to give us instructions.
"You must follow your clues exactly." They said "You may not ask for guidance from any of the volunteers. If you do not follow the instructions as they are written you will have to repeat the challenge."
As they spoke, they handed out large white manilla envelopes with "The Most Amazing Race" enscribed over a Salvation Army logo and a round map. "You must wait to open your first clue as a group." they directed. "There are 49 teams. Six teams will be competing in this heat, more will compete every hour. You are not competing so much against each other as against the clock. The top 15 times will qualify for the main event. "Now, the moment you've been waiting for... ready... set... Go!"

Six envelopes ripped open simultaniously. Inside a small piece of paper gave instructions

"Inside this envelope there is a map, and a list of six locations. You must find each of these locations on the map and write down the coordinates for each. You must have each location correct before you can continue."

We looked at the locations, street addresses, landmarks, parks... this wasn't going to be easy. We had only found three of the six locations when the team next to us got up to turn in their list. "Oh no" I breathed, "We're in trouble."
"Three wrong!" The official told them, they hurried dejectedly back to their seats to try again. Jonathan and I bent closer to the map.
"J-4" I said. He copied it down on the coordinates sheet. "Evergreen Park? Where's that?" We asked each other. "Check the key on the back" Jonathan said.
"Two wrong!" Another team hurried back to their seats.
I found Evergreen Drive in the street list, we flipped the map back over and Jonathan pointed in the far right corner. "There it is!"

We hurried up to the front and gave the official our answers. He compared them with his sheet while we wondered how many we would have to fix. Without a word he handed it back and held forth and envelope! We were right--and we were the first one's done!
I did a little happy dance. Hands shaking we tore open the envelope.

"Go into the kitchen.

Your team must choose a plate and finish everything on it.

When you have finished and your mouths are empty you may get your next clue."

We dashed into the kitchen. Paper plates were arranged on the table. Each one had a large can of sardines and two paper cups filled with a dark, suspicious-looking liquid.
"At least it's just Sardines." Jonathan said, displaying relief that it wasn't anything grosser. We decided to wait on the drinks until we finished the fish. "This is disgusting" I said, "Do we have to drink the oil in the sardine can too?" There was no answer from the smiling volunteers. "It will help it go down easier." Jonathan replied, taking a large bite of sardine. We were choking down the last of the sardines when I decided to go for one of the cups. "Looks kind of like motor oil" I commented, smelling it. "Oh! it's only prune juice! Drink it, it will help with the dry oilyness of the sardines."
We finished our plate, somewhat amazed that none of the other teams had made it to the kitchen yet. After our mouths were checked we were handed our third clue.

"Follow the Salvation Army logo's on the floor to your next challenge."

We found a sticker stuck to the floor, and then another--a whole path of them, and we raced off following them.
We ended up in a large gym. A man handed us an envelope as we entered.

"Go across the gym and get a basketball. Make a basket to get your next clue."

I decided to do this one, since I happen to love basketball. Funny thing though, My hands were still oily from the sardines so as I ran up to make what should have been an easy layup, I tried grabbing the ball from my dribble and completely lost it. The ball hit my foot and rolled across the floor. "Arghh!" I groaned. I finally made a shot and returned the basketball.
Jonathan was up next. His task was to run two large bags of salt (at least 40lbs each) from one end of the gym to the other--one at a time. Then I had to search the bleachers for a hidden envelope that contained the next clue.

"Find the garage on the North West corner of the gym." It said, "There you will find your next challenge."

"What way is South?" I asked. "I'm not sure." Said Jonathan as we spun around trying to get our bearings. "Let's try the doors one at a time."

Luckily it was the first door we ran to. Inside were more volunteers and a medium dumpbox (the kind that gets delivered to your house on a big truck, and you can throw away remodeling scraps or yard debris, that sort of thing)--filled with foam packing peanuts!
Our next clue explained it.

"One member of your team must enter the dumpbox" it said "there you must find a hidden rubber ball. Get out and give that ball to the official. To complete this challenge both teammates must stand on the Salvation Army shield (sticker) on the floor."

Jonathan was already putting on the supplied dust mask. "Go for it hon!" I yelled, as he dove into the packing peanuts. He disappeared completely from view for quite a few seconds. We could see the peanuts flowing over where he was searching for the ball, and a moment later he was up--victorious!
He jumped out and we both moved to the shield on the floor.

"Eleven Minutes and Thirty Four Seconds." The timekeeper announced. "What?!" We both asked. "We're done?" We looked at each other excitedly, we hadn't seen another team since the start of the compitition, we were first in our heat. Of course that didn't mean that we had qualified, just that we had a better time than the people we were racing with. There were 43 other teams to think about too.
It was five full minutes before another team finished up. We got some water while we waited and then stayed to watch the other 5 teams take their turn to dive in the dumster. All in all a very amusing show.
We were not to find out that we had made the final 15 until the following Monday. But we both left excited and happy about the events of the afternoon.

Now we're waiting for the Big Race at the end of May. While this was just a qualifying event, and under 15 minutes, the real race is supposed to take most of the day, and will be happening all over the Twin Cities. The competing teams will only be allowed to use public transportation as they try to figure out each clue and outrace the others.
It will be a fun event. But most importantly, it's a fundraising event that's supporting a great cause. we are really excited to be a part of it.

~Christina

The Introduction

Well I suppose the first thing to do is give a little background, since most of you probably know us better individually than as a couple. So here's short and sweet.

*disembodied narrarator voice*

"Jonathan was raised in Mora Minnesota on a hobby/Christmas tree farm with his two brothers and younger sister. Being homeschooled he had the opportunity to develop many and varied hobbies of his own, including beekeeping, geography, raising cattle and various crops, and Missions opportunities in Venezuela and Ethiopia.
Jonathan was deeply influenced in High School by a conversation about using business as ministry with Tom White, Director of "Voice of the Martyrs." That conversation helped develop a conviction that God was calling him to use Business as a means to bless others and spread the gospel, particularly internationally. With that in mind, he applied and was admitted to Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota.
During his course of Study Jonathan spent one year studying Chinese language and business in mainland China.
It was after his return to the States, while studying at the U of M that Jonathan met Christina.

Christina was raised in Portland Oregon and was also homeschooled along with her 3 brothers and 1 sister. Her hobbies included reading, writing, basketball, art, and mid-night trips to Canada.
Some formative things in her life included a missions trip to Los Angeles and Mexico while in high school, and some on-street evangelism and ministry to the homeless in downtown Portland.
When Christina was 21 she felt God calling her to participate in full time Missions, and so as a step in that direction applied and was admitted to a small unaccredited Bible school in Minneapolis, MN. With that news, she packed her belongings and drove across the country to her new adventure. During Christina's first year in Minnesota she lived three blocks from Jonathan and never knew it.

Jonathan and Christina met through the campus ministry "Christian Student Fellowship" which both were an actively involved in.
Two years later June 4th 2005, on a beautiful both rainy and sunny day they were married at Como Park in Saint Paul Minnesota."

*end of narration*

ok now for the Happily Ever After part

We currently live in our first house, in the Camden Neighborhood of North Minneapolis. Candace (Jonathan's sister), and Kevin--a student from Taiwan studying english in Minnesota, also live with us.
Lately we have been on the lookout for the newest member of our family (a puppy!), and getting excited for the many adventures of Spring and Summer (camping, traveling, planting our garden etc...)



I guess that's it for now,
~Christina

The first post

So I figure, with our crazy lives, it might be easier to keep up with everyone if we started a central messaging point. So, here it is. Enjoy
~C