Written by Peter

 

So the time has come. The holidays are here and my lovely wife has reminded me that my contribution to her blog has been long over due. Last month we had the opportunity to go on a road trip to Nashville, TN. This trip was quite the treat as we were able to visit family, downtown Nashville, and of course Trader Joe's. On our way back home we made a brief detour to Montgomery, AL, which is the home of Maxwell AFB (the location of Commissioned Officer Training school also known as COT). Just a little over ten years ago I graduated from COT and my former pastor in PR, Dennis Kirkland, was able to attend. Fast forward ten years and now Dennis is a student at COT on the verge of graduating. Funny how things work.
There have been a several men who God has placed in my life over the years who have played a significant role in my development as a Christian man. Dennis, who is now a missionary to Guam, (and a Guam Air National Guard chaplain) is one of them. Dennis was the pastor of Grace Bible Church in Ceiba, PR when I was an impressionable teenager and he took a keen interest in both my brother and I. Dennis was a strong example of a Christian man and a wonderful mentor. Although our time in Alabama was quite brief we were able to reminisce over old times and talk about future plans. Most importantly I was able to introduce Jen to an old friend.

Dennis & Lora Kirkland visiting me at COT, July 2002

Jen and I visiting Dennis at COT, November 2012

 

Christmas can't be very far away...

Now that I'm living in the states, I'm taking advantage of all those stores that we didn't have in PR. I think the cashier at Michael's is starting to recognize me now, AND I wandered into a Hobby Lobby last month for the first time. That was a wonderful mistake. So now that the Christmas season has begun, I'm attempting all of those crafts and decorating ideas that I've collected on Pinterest. So this week I bought a package of six empty glass ornaments and started to play. These were the ornaments that happened today.

Sand from the beach my husband and I met on. <3

 

Tiny shells that needed a new home. : )

 

Some of my beach glass collection.

 

And the pinspired wedding invitation.

 

This has definitely given our tree a more personalized feeling. It will be fun to look at these ornaments over the years and "remember when..."

 

 

 

Quick trip to Texas

We took a three day trip to San Antonio to attend the funeral of an extended member of Peter's family. It was nice to be able to represent his family and remember Marianne. While there, I was also introduced to different friends and favorite places of Peter's from when he was stationed there for two years. We ate TexMex, Puertorican, and Indian food- all things that we don't get at home. We tried to visit the newly-opened Trader Joe's store, but got stuck in a traffic jam and had to revise our plans. Also drove past the Alamo, and listened to an audio book and a half. :) Good times.

For dinner tonight!

When I was planning my wedding, I often thought, "how in the world did people do this before Pinterest?!" Now as I am learning to be a wife I think the same thing. How did people do this without Pinterest?? Thankfully my friend Amy introduced me to the site last December, because my life would be very different without it. All of the dinners that have been served in this house in the last four months were pinspired. My husband doesn't even ask anymore when I serve him something new. He just smiles (or occasionally raises an eyebrow) and says "hmm...Pinterest?" Sometimes I send him "shopping" though my food boards to pick out what we will eat the following week. His enthusiasm does not quite match mine, but he is a good sport. So this was our favorite new recipe of the week- chicken & sweet potato quinoa stir fry.

 

1 c water

1/2 c quinoa, rinsed and drained
1 med sweet potato (about 8 oz), peeled and cut into 1/2" cubes
4 tsp canola oil
12 oz boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1/2" pieces
1 med onion, chopped
1 jalapeño chile pepper, finely chopped
1 med red bell pepper, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp ground cumin
1 c frozen peas
3 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro

1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp black pepper

1. COMBINE water and quinoa in small saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium, and simmer until liquid has been absorbed, 12 to 15 minutes.
2. PUT sweet potato in small saucepan with enough cold water to cover by 2" while quinoa is cooking. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and cook until just tender, 3 to 4 minutes. Drain.

3. HEAT 2 teaspoons of the oil in large nonstick frying pan or cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook, stirring occasionally, until starting to brown, about 4 minutes. Transfer to bowl.

4. RETURN pan to heat and add remaining 2 teaspoons oil. Stir in onion and jalapeño pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, 1 minute. Add bell pepper, garlic, and cumin. Cook until vegetables start to soften, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in peas and reserved chicken and cook 2 minutes. Add quinoa and sweet potato. Cook, stirring frequently, until heated through, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in cilantro, salt, and black pepper.
Originally from prevention.com

The Jennifers Johnson

Jennifer Johnson is a friend from California. We share the same name (my name hasn't officially changed yet) and met when I was teaching at the preschool her children attended. After that there was babysitting and cookie baking and badly wrapped Christmas presents. Now, she and her husband, Jody, seem to vacation in all of the places that I live. : ) They make an annual trip to Puerto Rico to celebrate her birthday, and this year they also took a trip to the Gulf Coast. It was fun to have them over to our home and to catch up over dinner. Thanks Johnsons!

Election day fun

We were invited to spend election evening with some friends. They homeschool all of their children, and were looking to broaden their audience for their election presentations and their own mock election. It was so cute, I have to share.
We arrived and got to register to vote.

 

 

 

Then we got to vote for the president and three household initiatives that were written by the kids.

 

It was fun to see the projects that they were working while we watched the results on the news.

 

 

And then we ate patriotic brownies and Watergate salad!







Happy Thanksgiving!

So it is Peter's turn to blog about his visit with Dennis Kirkland, but he is taking his time. So I will keep posting until he is ready. We will be spending the afternoon with his coworkers at one of their homes. Please know that we are thankful for YOU- our family and friends, even though distance and work schedules keep us from spending the holiday with you.
This week, we celebrated Peter's birthday with friends.