"Mawage. Mawage is wot bwings us togeder today. Mawage, that bwessed awangment, that dweam wifin a dweam..." -- The Princess Bride {November Recap + What I Learned Fall 2019}
This month was such a blessing it went beyond words. I celebrated Thanksgiving with my family, and two days later, I was standing on my brother's side as he married a lovely young lady who loves him well. My brother is one of my best friends in the world, and seeing him happy and loved well fills my heart with joy. I always have things to be thankful for, but this month, they were all staring me in the face. And now, I am in December with bells on!
What I Watched:
1) Sully. This movie isn't very new, but it has Tom Hanks, which almost always means to me that it is worth watching. This movie is based on a true story and is named for Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger, the pilot of guided a commercial flight into the waters of the Hudson River in an effort to save everyone on board. Thankfully, he was successful! However, this movie covers the aftermath of the investigations that followed and the assertions that Sully hadn't chosen the best way to troubleshoot despite the fact that everyone survived. While it also included flashbacks of the crisis landing, it was mainly examining the character of a man who was on trial in the court of public opinion but prevails. I enjoyed it.
2) Raising Dion. My mom recommended this show to me. It stars Michael B. Jordan and Jason Ritter and follows the story of Dion, a little boy who discovers he has super powers. It details how his single mother must raise him and protect him. It has a bit of a cheesiness factor, but the ending was of Season 1 makes it worth it! It's pretty wholesome and family-appropriate, and did I mention that it has Jason Ritter?!
3) Tag. I had wanted to see this movie since it first came out because the whole premise reminds me of my brother and his friends (my bonus little brothers). What makes this movie even better is that it is based on a real-life group of friends. Every year, a group of friends who have played tag since they were children set aside a month of the year to play tag. Determined to stay young through play, they use elaborate ruses, disguises, and airline miles to tag each other in the most unlikely of places. As the most legendary member of the group is getting ready to get married, the group gets together to see if they can tag the only one who hasn't been tagged. This movie was funny, and it stars Jake Johnson, Ed Helms, and Jeremy Renner.
4) The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. This movie is one of my brother's favorites. We both enjoy quirky travel movies, and this is one of them. It has amazing scenery throughout the movie. The movie follows Walter Mitty, a guy who leads a boring life but has elaborate daydreams. When his job at a magazine is in jeopardy because of a missing photo, Walter sets out on his first adventure to try to track down the elusive freelance photographer who took the picture. It is visually beautiful and a good reminder of what is possible when we're willing to take some risks.
What I Read:
Thumbnail from amazon.com
1) Daniel: Lives of Integrity, Words of Prophecy by Beth Moore. This book was the one we studied for Ladies' Bible Study, and it was my first experience with Beth Moore. The study consisted of a lot of videos complete with great throwback early 2000s fashion and her southern charm. The book follows up on a weekly basis with the videos. I enjoyed this study. While it wasn't one of the timely revelation kind of books for my current season, it was jam-packed with lots of great information and analysis about the book of Daniel. As she studies Revelation in connection with the prophecies in Daniel, I appreciate Beth Moore's humility in encouraging her readers to study the Word for themselves and to seek out many teachers, not just her. If you're wanting to add more in-depth understanding of the book of Daniel, it's worth checking out.
Thumbnail from amazon.com
2) The Masterpiece by Francine Rivers. I've had this book on my shelf waiting for me for a while. It's Francine River's latest book, and it follows much of her normal love story and self-discovery within relationship with God kind of format. The main characters have strong testimonies and rough pasts, but they find redemption in God's leading and love. Roman is a graffiti artist, and Grace is his secretary who is trying to juggle being a single mother with the dreams she has that seem to be slipping through her fingers. Their paths unexpectedly cross and give both an invitation to walk out of their pasts and into healing.
Thumbnail from amazon.com
3) Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott. As far as I can tell, this book is a holy grail kind of book for writers. I have been aware of Anne Lamott for a long time, but this was my first time reading anything by her. I enjoyed her candor, her creativity, and her quirky sense of humor. She has an authenticity to her expression that makes it easy to connect with her ideas. She does offer some wisdom and great ideas for writing, but she also offers some deep perspectives on life and how to live it well. Here is a quote that stood out to me:
"Of course, there will always be more you could do, but you have to remind yourself that perfectionism is the voice of the oppressor."
What I Ate:
A Mexican-ish Feast
Every time I come home, my family usually asks for me to cook some Honduran food. And, while I usually do, this time, I wanted to challenge myself to cook something a little different. I may have been off more than I could chew, but my Dad said that it might have been the best food I've ever made for him. So, since that was also his birthday celebration feast, I'll call that a win in my book!
Photo by Roci H.
2) Homemade Corn Tortillas. Let me be clear--this was a labor of love that I delegated to my brother. I never make tortillas in Honduras, and I'm sure that my husband thanks his lucky stars that we buy our tortillas from the local place. But, store bought tortillas in the US are mainly just cardboard, and they're only passable if they're fried. But since I wanted to do tacos al pastor, I decided we should get some Maseca corn flour and make our own. They tasted great. They also stressed my brother out to no end because we are not champion pressers and didn't have a tortilla press. In theory, making tortillas is simple because it's just Maseca and water, but the truth is that it's an art form that I haven't mastered yet.
3) Pork Mole Carnitas Tacos with Cabbage Slaw. We made pork loin roasts in an Inst-pot with a little bit of beer, salt, pepper, and cumin. The mole sauce is much more complicated and has a huge ingredient list. There are a lot of varying recipes, but generally, mole sauces can include toasted nuts, dried fruit, dried chilies, cocoa powder, tomatoes, garlic, chicken stock, spices like cinnamon and cloves, cumin, brown sugar, bread crumbs or crushed crackers, etc. As you can see, it is quite the list. Here are a few recipes for reference: https://www.thespruceeats.com/easy-homemade-mole-sauce-2342969
https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchen/chicken-mole-recipe-1972934
https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/223261/authentic-mole-sauce/
It's time consuming, but the end product is so flavorful and complex that it is worth it.
The cabbage slaw is simple and refreshing. I just finely chop or shred cabbage and shred carrots. To that, I add some chopped cilantro. All of that gets seasoned to taste with lime juice, salt, pepper, a little bit of sugar, and sometimes cumin.
Favorites:
My Brother's Wedding. I could write a lot about this, but suffice it to say that it was probably the best wedding I've ever been to (yeah I know, I also had a wedding, but I hate being the center of attention, and when you have to do the things, it's stressful). It was so personal and authentic to my brother and sister-in-law, and my heart felt very full in being around so many people who have been part of my family's history and so loyal to my brother. My family is so special to me, and I felt immeasurably blessed to be able to celebrate the way that God brought Ally and Samuel together.
1) When in a busy season, give yourself graceful permission to let things go. This fall season, I started a new job, and as I added things to my plate, I soon found that with the learning curve, something often needed to give. Thankfully, I have a husband who helped pick up some slack with doing more housework than what he normally does. There are only 24 hours in a day, so you can only do the best you can. It can be all too tempting to fall into a shame spiral when we don't get to everything on the to do list, and let's be honest, that's pretty counter-productive.
Photo by Nordwood Themes
2) Lots of cooking tips! For example, you can use fork to remove the leaves from the stems of herbs. I also learned how to butterfly a pork loin. Here is a helpful video that I used: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EFqPPoUraVI
And, lastly, I learned that you can blanch vegetables in oil and water along with salt and herbs in order to give them flavor and make them less mushy for when you need to make them ahead and then re-heat. Here is where I found that tip: https://www.thekitchn.com/my-new-favorite-way-to-cook-almost-any-vegetable-225644
3) "Vulnerability minus boundaries is not vulnerability. Vulnerability is not disclosure." -- Brene Brown
4) How to be a better listener. While I know that usually people assume that men are those that have the tendency to problem solve, my brain also automatically searches for solutions. This irks my husband on occasion when all he really wants is to be heard, so I've been reminded of a policy my dad and I developed when I was in high school. Roles were reversed for my dad and me, and sometimes, all I really wanted was to be able to vent without hearing any advice. So, my dad and I developed a system--before I really started into sharing something, my dad would ask, "Am I just listening or are you looking for advice?" And, this has been helpful for Raúl and me as well.
5) The importance of allowing for awkward silences in worship. We invite God to be in our midst, but sometimes, we feel so insecure about allowing the quiet that we never give Him an opportunity to actually speak. Worship is about Him. It's not entertainment. Someone will probably feel uncomfortable, but if He feels like we've extended our hospitality to Him, isn't that worth some discomfort? He does things that we could never do.
What did you learn this past fall? As we head into the Christmas season, my you find family wherever and with whom that is for you. May you be inspired to take some new risks in 2020. May you remember to play and to give yourself to space to rejoice over all of your blessings and accomplishments. May you eat good food and choose to be vulnerable. And may we all learn to listen just a little bit better.
Merry Christmas!
Comments
Post a Comment