I'm back!

Hello! So... it's been awhile. :) I dropped blogging shortly before my sweet boy Caleb was born, but now feel that I have both the time and inclination to resume writing and posting, especially since he's been taking such good naps during the day! (much rejoicing...)

Life is really hard and really messy sometimes. God is really good and really strong all the time. That's a good way to sum up recent life, I think. I've decided to be real and actively include Sean's daughter Nalani on this blog. She's part of our life, and it feels fake and sanitized to be silent on that front. The situation provides a constant challenge to love someone who is antagonistic toward you (Nalani's mother), and to actively practice trusting God to be sovereign, wise, and loving, as we know He is. We had a wonderful visit with Nalani over Christmas, so I would like to post some pictures of our time with her. Stay tuned!

I've been working at getting over my aversion to running outside in the winter weather. California has spoiled me. :) So far, I've run five or six times with gloves, ear warmers, hoodie, underarmour long-sleeve shirt and pants. It's still kind of a weird feeling to run with so many clothes on, but it feels so good to get some heart-pumping exercise. (Last time I took off the gloves about 10 minutes into it.) We Skype with Nalani twice a week for about 15 minutes each, Thursdays and Sundays, so on Thursdays Sean gets to come home a little early from work. We've been trying to arrange it so I go for a run after we Skype while Sean watches Caleb, so that's at least twice a week we have a time slot for me to run! I can now handle temps in the 30's-- have tested that hypothesis! Temps in the 20's... haven't attempted yet. I read an article that claimed the burning-lung-and-throat feeling you get from the cold air goes away over time. Sounds fun, right? Sean and I plan to sign up for a St. Patrick's Day 5k in the Springs, as extra motivation. I can run for about 30 minutes straight now, but it's very s-l-o-w. Taking a year off from running means you gotta work back up to both rate and distance! I am thankful that I seem to have lost the baby weight (it's hard to tell sometimes with those winter "survival instinct" cravings that cause you to gain a protective layer of fat to survive the cold!).

I've also been trying new recipes! Soon to come, posts on:
Sweet Potato Ragout
Orange Barley Chicken
Homemade Cinnamon Rolls
Chicken Caesar Salad (w/ homemade dressing and homemade croutons!)

Thanks for listening. :) Until next time...