Ukranian Easter eggs:)

Two years ago, my sister was in Ukraine (adopting the second of my darling nieces) over Easter, and she purchased some beautiful traditional Easter egg wraps from there. I love them! The one with wording on it says the traditional orthodox greeting "Christ is risen indeed!" 

brunch and such ( a rare food post!)

Unlike the more predictableThanksgiving menu, Easter food is somewhat ambiguous. Everyone seems to have different traditions- many involving ham. So when my sister asked me what we should make, I volunteered an easy to prepare brunch menu... which despite being simple to execute made a rather remarkable spread. Well, my dad was impressed, anyway:) 

It was fun to cook with my sister- and, of course, it was fun to eat so many things i enjoy:)

 Eggs Benedict is a personal favorite due to the hollandaise sauce, and it incorporated the traditional ham, to boot! 

Ps. I love asparagus.

And of course, there had to be an egg hunt. But we didn't eat those. We ate things which are infinitely better. Like blueberry muffins. Mmmm.

family is precious

Really blessed to be at my sister's with my family this Easter:) Family is precious. 

 With my Dad

My nieces

My sister & brother in law

traveling and not writing + Odds & Ends

This is probably sufficiently apparent to all reading my blog, but i have been busy traveling these last few weeks and haven't been writing at all. My time with family and friends is short, so I am spending it living rather than writing about living:) Sorry that these proper values make for a general lack of posts. 

 Last week with the girls in Montana was a cherished time of catching up, sharing life, and drining coffee...

... and who could object to the expansive lake and mountain views around Flathead lake? 

Odds & Ends

I cut my hair a few weeks ago... its over a foot shorter! Definitely having fun with that:)

I spent the last week in South Dakota and the midwest- having quality time with my dad and some dear family friends, as well as getting a molar pulled (the one that broke in Nepal). More on that later when i have some downtime. 

As for now, I am in Arizona with my sister and her family... which means i am beset by darling nieces and their My Little Ponies. Fun fun:) 

big sky country

I have been on the mainland now for shy of a week- and my first stop has been Montana. My close friends Jasmine and Trina moved to Montana this past year and I decided that as long as I was heading out to see my family, I should probably try to drop in and see how they've settled in over here. I have missed those girls! 

Its been a refreshing time of catching up, sleeping in, drinking coffee, laughing hard, being snowed on, and taking in the beauty of big sky country. Eventually I will probably share more photos, but for now- a glimpse of those wide Montana horizons...

Lakeside, MT

crazy blessed

 Get home from outreach, move to a new house, and go on a trip: story of my life:)

But despite the rush and bustle of coming home from several months in Nepal, and moving into a new house before my three week trip to see family on the mainland (MT, SD, AZ), this time has been a blessing a hundred times over.

For those that know my previous housing situation in a disintegrating Paia house , you can understand the glory of emerging from my little mouse hole in "the pit"to an airy, restored Paia house. It isn't much of a looker from the outside, but the new place the base rented out (christened L & L's ) is sturdy, bright and has brand new tiling and fixtures. By mainland standards its probably still a little beach bungalow- for me its a dream come true. Eventually I will have housemates, but for the moment, I am sole resident- perfect for unwinding and settling in on a limited time frame!

For the last four years I have kept furnishings and such from my previous house and didn't know why i bothered. But now, suddenly moving into a completely empty and unfurnished house, I know why God allowed me to keep a handful of things. Its perfect to move in and already have some basics:  a table and chairs, curtains, and dishes! And not just any stuff- but things I hunted up at thrift stores over the years and have fond memories with. Having this stuff ready to move in is like frosting and a cherry on an already amazing cake.

I can't even begin to explain how timely and specific an answer to prayer this is. It goes way beyond wanting a nicer place to live. (Although after I woke to a rat tousling my hair at 3am on my last night in my old place (and subsequently chased him out- don't worry:) I feel validated in moving on.) The Lord has been priming my heart for this gift and this season- and its so sweet to see fruition of His plantings. I wish I could put it all into words, but its too soon. I just found out I was moving yesterday morning... and spent the rest of the day packing, moving, and unpacking! So its still hard to put words to how i feel. Mostly at this point I ramble, kind of laugh a lot,  and occasionally scream. Expressive, yes- articulate or good for explanation, no.

Suffice to say I am CRAZY blessed to be living in this little bungalow down in Paia. SUCH a gift.

Even last week, who'd have thought?! Overnight, I am living in a real house and am just wildly blessed by this turn of events. Praise the Lord for this sweet gift.