yes I did just move across the country...

I think I've teared up at least once every day at work so far. My new job is just that awesome! Every day, a picture, a number, a sentence, a story... something brings it home to me - again - what I'm doing and who I'm serving, and I realize that I'm just so overwhelmedly blessed. 

"What ARE you doing?" you ask? That is a good question, considering I up and left for Chicago very abruptly two weeks ago and didn't bother to explain!

Well, I got a new job. And it's pretty awesome. Awesome enough to move to Chicago for. Awesome enough to ask Ryan to move across the country (again!) for. I am the Communications and Resource Development Manager for Paul Carlson Partnership - which means I run marketing/communications and general office management for this really cool organization you've maybe never heard but will hear about constantly from now on.

Paul Carlson Partnership is named after Dr. Paul Carlson. He was a medical missionary to Congo and was kidnapped and killed by rebels in 1964. Not long after, the "Paul Carlson Program" began. In the beginning they had one hospital and a lot of passion for medical care in Congo. Now we support 5 hospitals and over 100 clinics, and some micro-financing/economic development. Our work is in the Equateur province, which is the poorest province of the poorest country in the world. We're talking about 8 cents a day for many of the families. 

Where do I come in? Well, this job uses my bachelors in media/communications, my masters in theology, and my years of administrative experience. I wasn't even looking for a job that would use all three, I couldn't even imagine what it would look like! Now I'm here - still not really sure what it is going to look like, but really excited and blessed to be figuring that out. If only I could figure out a way to add in quilting... ;) nah, I'll keep that for my down time. 

Not going to lie though, this month has been pretty stressful. I was offered the job and had two weeks to pack up and get to Chicago. I spent my first week here working 9-5 (with jetlag) and apartment searching. I'm about to sign a lease on a perfect little place by my office, and close to public transportation so we can explore the city! My dad is going to bless us by flying down to Pasadena and driving over with Ryan. They are bringing just a van - it's hard to imagine starting over in a household with just a few boxes! But, stuff is just stuff. Though it would have been great to have more than two weeks to decide what to keep. In all of this, lots of little things have been going wrong. Lots of details have gone awry, sicknesses have gone around, and I didn't even get to say goodbye to everybody. On the other hand, I've been blessed with a beautiful place to stay and car to drive for these few weeks of transition. Not to mention, everyone here is so nice! Kind, welcoming, thoughtful... just plain nice. 

Right now I'm mostly looking forward to living in the same house (and time zone!) as Ryan again. Once that happens, we'll be able to think about refurnishing a home and discovering our new city. I'm excited to share more with you in the future! 

Empty Nesters

Well, we've been empty nesters for about two weeks now! The little guys flew off on the 29th, about two seconds after I snapped a photo. That one didn't really turn out, but this one is from the 27th.

Aren't they sweet? They were 22 days old when they took off. It startled me so bad! I was standing there, a few inches away, taking photos. They didn't show any signs of distress or fear, and then they suddenly just flew right up and landed out of arm's reach. I only saw them fly that one time, but they looked like pros. They hung around our courtyard for a few hours - I could tell they were practicing because they'd be in a different spot every time I went out. I got a few blurry photos but mom was feeling especially protective that day, so I could only stay outside for a few seconds at a time.

We really miss them, they were such a treat to see every day. In watching their progress around the courtyard that day I discovered an old nest we'd never noticed before. Mostly likely the same mother's nest from last year. So we can only hope that she'll be back in the future!

Kale Feta Cannellini Burgers

Fries in the oven, pallet prepared for burgers for dinner, and... no black beans in the cupboard. Oops. Plan B? Invent something! We love these Sweet Potato Burgers, so, while I didn't have any sweet potatoes I knew that cannellini beans can made some great burgers. A quick look through the fridge and "Kale Feta Cannellini Burgers" were born. These are vegetarian but not vegan. You could probably use a flax egg and skip the cheese, but in that case I'd just recommend the burgers above, which are already vegan and spectacular.


Ingredients: 
1 can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1 leaf kale, chopped fine
2 oz feta cheese, chopped/crumbled fine
1 egg
1 clove garlic, crushed
1/4 tsp salt
2-6 TBL whole wheat flour (or substitute for gluten free flour/breadcrumbs)
Generous Panko crumbs for coating (optional, or substitute)

4-6 TBL olive oil

Serve with avocado, sriracha, any regular burger fixin's.

Directions:
Combine beans, kale, feta, egg, garlic, and salt in a medium bowl and smash together. You could probably use a food processor for this, I like to use my handheld pastry blender (which is also the perfect tool for guacamole, by the way). If you don't have either of these tools, a fork and some elbow grease, will do the trick.

Slowly stir in the flour until you've reached a wet-but-stiff consistency. It should feel pretty gloopy, but still hold together.

Form the mixture into patties. I find 6 small sliders easier to handle, but you could go for 4 bigger burgers. Coat generously in Panko.

In a nonstick skillet, heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. You know it's hot enough when a piece of mixture put into the oil sizzles. (If you don't have/use a nonstick skillet, you'll need to use a lot more oil and basically fry them. Or try baking. Let me know how it works!)

Cook the patties for 4-8 minutes on each side, or until golden and crispy. I like to add the second half of the oil when I flip the patties.

Enjoy, and let me know how they are!

The verdict here? Two "clean" plates.

Hummingbirds day 14 and day 20!

I left town for a few days, and missed a lot of the birds' development. But now you get to see side-by-side pictures of them to see how much they have grown in one week! It's pretty amazing.

Here they are on day 14

And here they are today, day 20!

They look like they are just about ready to take off and fly, don't they?

They don't seem to be scared of us at all. As you can see from the picture, I was only a few inches away from them and they just blinked calmly at me during their photo shoot.

What a week!

I'm a little delinquent in posting, but I have managed to squeeze some crafting in amidst the hubbub. I'm finally working on the second Christmas stocking for me and Ryan, using this adorable pattern. I had to take a break after the first one, but since Thursday I've gotten the second one all the way to setting up for the heel. I have no idea how it's going so much faster than the first.

Yesterday was the first day of a long weekend jammed packed with events. We are celebrating the 20 years of service our retiring president has given the Fuller community, starting with this ~1000-person picnic! Fun times. I was the assistant to the search committee that selected the new president, so I was well-positioned to help the president's executive assistant with some of the event preparations over the last couple of weeks. I did that basically full time last week, hence the lack of crafting photos.

Last night was also a wonderful dinner with the search committee. It was a time to reflect on this incredible year and to celebrate the outcome together. I was personally so blessed to see how many of the individuals on the committee are personally interested in where I will go next, and I was a bit overwhelmed (in the very best way) by all the help and advice I was offered. It feels so good to have been offered some concrete steps to take to help me figure out exactly what it is I want to do!

Today I will help set up for the board meeting, which is also this weekend, as well as attend a committee meeting. Tomorrow, I have the privilege of attending the board meeting as a member of the student government. I have learned so much at these meetings over the past two years. It is truly an honor to be able to see such strong and passionate leadership at work.

I definitely have some reflections to share on what I've learned so far this weekend, but for those who are reading and wondering where I've gotten off to... time flies when you're having fun (and/or organizing events for hundreds of people)!

Stay tuned for another baby bird post too! They are growing unbelievably fast, I think they've doubled in size again over the last few days.

Hummingbirds Day 7

I've spent my blog-improvement time this last week figuring out how to get pictures from my phone to my computer at a decent quality. Unfortunately, Picasa Tool on my phone was downsizing everything. The path from phone to blog still seems a bit convoluted right now, but at least I've figured out how to get you a better picture of the babies! Here they are today, on day 7. I am absolutely sure they are bigger now than they were when I left for work this morning. Their mama was even spotted sitting next to them - instead of on top of them - today. Though, I don't know that's because of that growing little beak you can see in this photo, or if it's because it was about 100 degrees again today (maybe she just needs some space!). 

The wee ones have definitely filled the nest now. They are about three times bigger than they were a week ago, I'd guess. The one in the top of the photo had her head laying on top of the other one's head this morning. Now they've figured out how to wiggle apart a little bit. I have to admit, I'm pretty excited to see how well the nest holds up as they grow. Hummingbirds are apparently quite the little engineers. I read that they repair the nest around the babies as they grow up, and that the nest stretches to accomodate them. The mama uses spider silk to bind the nest together, so I imagine it is a bit stretchy. 

I've been taking pictures of them every day or two! I'll post more often now that there are some discernable features in there. 

Baby hummingbirds! Day 1

They are here! 24 days after they were laid, the hummingbird eggs have hatched! Aren't they... cute?

Better photos to come!