An Ode to Dealiest Catch...

Ok, so this is a post about nothing, really, just sharing my love/obsession with the show Deadliest Catch. In case you're not aware (which, to my utter shock and awe, many people are NOT!), Dealiest Catch is a "reality" show about the men who fish on the Bering Sea through the Alaskan King Crab and Opelio Crab fishing seasons. It is a show pretty much totally filmed on boats and has a Bon Jovi song for it's theme song...can it get any better than that? This post declaring my love is spurred on by the fact that my Aunt Barb and Uncle Tom recently sent me the second installment of this season's shows that they've been recording for me. Woo-hoo! You have NO idea how excited I was to receive them!
My love with this show started about 6 years ago when I was a junior in college (I think that was the last time I lived in a house that actually had cable!). The Discovery Channel aired a show about the Dealiest Job in the World and it was all about crab fishing. It featured boats on big waves. I was hooked. However, at this point, it wasn't a series. So, imagine my bliss when I came to learn, three years ago, that they were going to air a series all about crab fishing. Wonderful.

Of course, as I mentioned before, I didn't have cable in my little house in Huron, so getting my weekly fix of Deadliest Catch required trekking all the way down the street to my parents' house to watch it (I conveniently found a way to be fed while I was there too!). Getting my fix nowadays proves to be a little more troublesome than a walk down the street, but many, many profuse thanks to Aunt Barb and Uncle Tom for keeping me hooked!

Happy Turkle Day!

Happy Thanksgiving! (Or, Happy Turkle Day if you're Amber...she struggled getting "Happy Turkey Day" out today and said Turkle several times. It has a nice ring...)

As I sit here writing this, Thanksgiving Day is coming to a close, but most of you reading this are just sitting down to "watch some football" (a.k.a.--take a nap). The day was great. It all kicked off yesterday evening when most of our team house-swapped. The Intemann's went and stayed with the Stevenson's, so Amber, Patsy, and I (Alethea wasn't feeling well) invaded the Intemann's house. You're probably wondering why 7/13 of our team packed up to go 10 minutes across town to stay for the night. Good question. And honestly one I didn't even think twice about, until Bryan pointed out that it's really just not "normal" in the States for people to go stay at a colleague's house, only 10 minutes away, on the night before Thanksgiving. But, when you live in a foreign country and are celebrating a holiday that the rest of the country doesn't acknowledge, you're driven to do some abnormal things. And it was fun. =)

Amber and I are proudly showing off our first-ever Pecan Pie. And, for the record, this was no regular pie plate...this thing was a beast. It practically took 2 of us to lift it! One of the benefits of staying at the Intemann's house was using their kitchen...slightly larger than our apartment-sized kitchen! We also were responsible for the mashed potatoes (I learned from the master...my dad!) and the green bean casserole. Yum.
Do you know what we call this? The Polish Winter Refrigerator. That's right. The drinks are actually cooler when left outside than when stored in the refrigerator. And think how much space is saved! (Notice the cans of Jellied Cranberry Sauce...the Winter Refrigerator works for food, too! We stored cheesecake and plates of leftovers out there as well.)
Here it is! The celebratory spread. Do you think the Pilgrims used Polish Pottery? There was so much delicious food, there wasn't enough room for everything on the table, so Stacey had to hold up the mashed potatoes for the photo op. Everything was wonderful. The food was just like Thanksgiving in the States. We had lots of people send us different ingredients we needed to make it official. Pleast take note of the ginormous plate of cranberry sauce. Yum!
And, the coup de gras...the desert table! There was pumpkin pie, pecan pie, spiced pecans, fudge, cherry cheesecake, buckeyes, pumpkin roll, and a large bowl of whipped cream. Need I say anything else? Behold, it is a thing of beauty.
And, finally, this photo just makes me smile. This is Becca, Ethan and Mikaila at the kiddie table. They were having a good old time and it totally reminded me of many Thanksgivings at Grandma Davis's house with the cousins...laughing hysterically and being utterly obnoxious (not that these kids were obnoxious at all...but I think it's fair to say that, at times, we probably fit the bill). And, please notice the bottle of ketchup on the table. As the kids were sitting down with their food, I distinctly heard one of them ask for ketchup. It was like music to my ears...a child after my own heart. Everything's better with ketchup. Even Thanksgiving.

So, in a nutshell, that was our Thanksgiving. After enjoying all of the yummy food, we drank coffee, visited with a Polish friend who stopped by to wish us all a Happy Thanksgiving, then started the mini-euchre tournament. Amber and I were on a team and were 1 and 1. It was a great time and, while I definitely missed enjoying the day with my family back in the states (but did enjoy talking with some of them via Skype--thanks for saying "hi" everyone!), it still felt like family being with our team here.

So now, I guess this means the Holiday Season has officially kicked off. Amber has been chomping at the bit to break out our few Christmas decorations and let the music rip, but I've been holding her back. It just doesn't seem right before Thanksgiving...and besides, you end up burned out by the week before Christmas. At least that's my experience. But, in an effort to spread Christmas cheer, I'll share this link with you. Just check it out. I don't think you'll be disappointed.

Ice Skating and English

Last week, we headed out to Jemiolowo-a little village nearby-to teach English to some of the kids. We plan to be there every Wednesday. I haven't gotten to see much of the village, other than this little community building, but so far it seems really neat. The kids are a lot of fun and have come both weeks with their notebooks and pencils, ready to learn some English! The leader of the village is a really neat lady who is an amateur astronomer and has a telescope in her backyard. (I'm hoping we'll get invited out to do some star-gazing sometime soon. One of the things I miss--because we live in a city-- is seeing the stars on a clear night!) She's also apparently an amateur archaeologist, as she's discovered the remains of an ancient tower in her backyard! (Like the ones they light in Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers). The picture below is of Marcin explaining something to the kids before we got started with the english lesson.I'm sure it initially took you by surprise, but-believe it or not-this picture below is not of me. I know, I know...it's hard to believe. I didn't have a camera with me, so I found a photo that is similar to what I looked like out on the ice the other night. JUST KIDDING! Tuesday night after meeting with Ala and Nina, they invited us to head over to the ice skating rink and give it a whirl. We checked our schedule, reckoned that we'd have enough time to squeeze in a trip to the ER, and hit the ice! It was so much fun, and it even began to snow while we were skating. Perfect.
This is Nina gearing up to do some serious ice skating. These girls are absolutely great. I love hanging out with them and am so thankful for their friendship! They have definitely given us some serious laughs and some serious fun times!
Ok, remember that problem I used to have with figuring out how to order pictures on here??? Well, I still have that problem. This picture (below) was supposed to go with the picture of Jemiolowo, but ended up down here for some reason. Anyhoo...these are some of the kids we're teaching english to out in Platyny. The past couple of weeks it has been really encouraging to see their english skills improve! They're starting to get it. I'm sure they'll far surpass my Polish skills before long. Tonight we had to choose 4 of the best behaved, hardest working students to go to a camp in January down in the south of Poland. Two of the girls in this photo (in the pink flowered shirt and the white shirt beside her) were chosen. Please pray for these 4 kids, that they'll be open to the Good News about Christ and they'll see the hope He has for them.

No Lame Apology This Time...

I am going to spare you another apology for my weak blogging efforts as of late. To be honest, I just plain haven't felt like doing it. I haven't felt like doing a lot of things lately. I have just felt kind of "blah". I can try to attribute it to lots of different things (and they may all factor in slightly): the decreasing daylight; the cold and damp weather; getting into the rut of the routine...all valid points. However, the truth of the matter is that I've taken my eyes off of the Lord and wallowed in the darkness of discouragement and just the general "funk". However, our gracious and faithful Father has shown His mercy once again and opened my eyes and shined His light on my heart. He just continues to speak to me that what He's looking for is ME. Simply ME. All of ME, but just ME. He is calling me to walk with Him, love Him, and know Him. And I so often want to run ahead or off in another direction and miss Him completely. I am so grateful for His mercy and the amazing ways He pursued me to bring the state of my heart to my attention.
In light of this, I came across this poem (actually it's a monologue) on YouTube the other day. We were going to be reading about the Samaritan Woman (in John 4) with Nina and Ala this past Tuesday, so I thought I'd check out YouTube to see if there was anything that went along with it. This monologue came up (which you can check out here) and it's amazing. I love the story of the Samaritan Woman because it paints such a beautiful picture of what I love about Jesus. This poem says it way better than I could, so I'll just leave you with it. It's a little long, but well worth the read, especially after you check out the real story in the fourth chapter of the book of John.

Woman at the Well
I am a woman of no distinction, of little importance.
I am a woman of no reputation save that which is bad.
You whisper as I pass by and cast judgmental glances, though you don’t really take the time to look at me.
Or even get to know me.
For to be known is to be loved and to be loved is to be known.
And otherwise what’s the point of doing either one of them in the first place.
I want to be known, I want someone to look at my face and not just see two eyes, a nose, a mouth and two ears, but to see all that I am and could be; all my hopes, loves, and fears. That’s too much to hope for, to wish for, or pray for so I don’t, not anymore.
Now I keep to myself and by that I mean the pain that keeps me in my own private jail, the pain that has brought me here at midday, to this well.
To ask for a drink is no big request, but to ask it of me, a woman unclean, ashamed, used and abused, an outcast a failure, a disappointment, a sinner.
No drink passing from these hands to your lips could ever be refreshing, only condemning, as I’m sure you condemn me now, but you don’t.
You’re a man of no distinction, though of the utmost importance, a man with little reputation, at least so far.
You whisper and tell me to my face what all those glances have been about and you take the time to really look at me.
But don’t need to get to know me.
For to be known is to be loved and to be loved is to be known
And you know me, you actually know me.
All of me and everything about me.
Every thought inside and hair on top of my head.
Every hurt stored up, every hope, every dread.
My past and my future, all I am and could be, you tell me everything.
You tell me about me.
And that which is spoken by another would bring hate and condemnation, coming from you brings love, grace, mercy, hope and salvation.
I’ve heard of one to come who would save a wretch like me, and here in my presence, you say I am he.
To be known is to be loved and to be loved is to be known.
And I just met you but I love you.
I don’t know you, but I want to get to.
Let me run back to town, this is way too much for just me.
There are others; brothers, sister, lovers, haters, the good and the bad, sinner and saints who should hear what you’ve told me who should see what you’ve shown me, who should taste what you gave me who should feel how you forgave me.
For to be known is to be loved and to be loved is to be known.
And they all need this too, we all do, need it for our own.