Birds Everywhere!

I've never thought I was much of a bird person. They're fine animals, I just haven't thought about them much. But recently, they're everywhere! And not just all around our home where they love to perch and sing in our trees. It seems that I am actually attracted to them more lately. Whether it's the black bird necklace that Marissa gave me, or the business card that John designed for me, I seem to be migrating towards liking birds!

Here's the little guy that couldn't fly for some reason, and on a pouring day this summer, our dogs found him hanging out under my vines along the fence. I noticed them batting something around as they often do when they discover insects or other small creatures, and I rushed over to save this little birdie from being mauled to death. I then brought him inside and John (the everlasting animal lover at heart) attempted to feed him worms and bread and dry him off a bit. Then we decided to let nature take it's course and let him loose in the front yard. I try not to think of Harry and the Henderson's every time we let an animal "back into the wild." It only makes me want to build pens and coops and start a mini zoo in my back yard.

That's "Momma Robin" in her nest that was built up in our eaves on the west side of our house. I've always been intensely interested when a bird decides to build it's nest anywhere near where I am. This is probably linked with some memory or something, but it just seems special. So I awarded "Momma" the respect of snapping pictures of her from far away, even though she stared me down with an alert eye anytime I walked beneath her.

And here are the eggs! I had to wait patiently for one of these short windows of time when a mother bird goes away from her nest for food. I almost felt like I was doing something wrong as I balanced on the edge of our porch railing, holding onto the roof with one hand, and clutching the camera with the other hand! And the whole time, wondering what the neighbors think or when "Momma" will be back to peck my eyes out!

The Babies!!! Two cuties with tiny wings and bare, red bellies! I have no idea how old these little ones are, but they're adorable!

And here's our dorky pigeon friends. I don't mind them on top of our roof so much, but I think I'm going to put pigeon strips on our eaves so they can't hang out there. Our perpetual cooing alarm clock that goes of at 5 in the morning still hasn't grown on us!

Cute, Cute Video!!!

Check this out. My husband found the most talented dancing dog I've ever seen!!! And I've seen a few dog competitions where people dance with their dogs. This is the BEST EVER!! I guarantee you you will crack a smile when you see the grin on this dog's face!!!

CLICK HERE!!!

We're on the News!!!

We've finally hit it big!

Check out our news story HERE!

Check out John's site HERE!

Fun Parts of Summer

A few of those oh-so-special parts about my summers are...

• Friends traveling to our place to visit, and us traveling to visit friends.
• The beautiful summery weather!
• Festivals and markets that don't happen during the rest of the year.
• Getting in the river, lakes and any other body of water to cool off!
• Barbecuing and eating outside!!!

FINALLY!!!

After what seems like weeks of rain, the sun came out today!!! During all this pouring rain we've been having, (seriously, flood warning amounts of rain!) my plans for cleaning up my yard and clearing out all the flower beds have been foiled over and over! Usually, I'm the type of person that can see the blessing of the rain and wouldn't get bent out of shape by it, but by yesterday I couldn't stand it anymore. I was done. After this many dismal days in a row, the gloominess had snuck past just blocking gardening goals and into my soul until it was truly a blue day. I'm super blessed by God, and nothing in my life is meltdown worthy, but yesterday, everything was!!! My husband played the perfect roll of "picker up of the pieces," and gently lifted me into his arms, figuratively and literally. He asked me to list all these things in my life that had "fallen apart," and then he slowly and softly led me back to the truth for each of those items. Then he took on the role of doctor and prescribed dinner out, ice cream, and a movie to completely lift me out of the soggy day blues! What a gift from God!!! John is an amazing husband!

Now the sun is out, I'm heading out to my garden, and I am reminded at how awesome God's grace is! He never leaves us, but gives us people here on earth to hold us, pat us dry, and gently lead us back unto the path that he has for us.
But now, both John and I agree, we hope that path is NEVER going to lead us to Seattle!!!

Gym Psychology

Finally!!! After being sick for a week, I went to the gym. My nose is still running, and I didn't work crazy hard, but I went! And yes, everyone's already told me that it's better to keep working out when you're sick, but I just didn't have the will power.

Ok. What is it with us people and looking at each other at the gym?!
I know what I just wrote might sound strange, but I always wonder about this. For instance, I walk into the weight room at the gym and every eye immediately is on me! Which of course makes me feel that I either need to avert my eyes and stare at the floor as I sheepishly decide what weights to try to pick up, or I need to meet every gaze like a predator ready to attack if you dare tell me my form is wrong!
Yes, there are a lot of guys in there, and yes, they will ogle at any female that sets foot in the building, so that probably answers a large percentage of the "why do people have to look at me" question. But I find it very intriguing that once I make my way through the weight room to the safer area of all things cardio, and get settled using a machine, I start doing the same thing! When someone new walks into the room, I look up, (if I'm not distracted by TLC showing wedding dresses on the TV,) and I LOOK AT THEM! And I watch them avert their eyes the same way I did mine! And I watch them awkwardly walk as coolly as they can to the nearest treadmill! Now I know I'm not checking anyone out. And I also know I don't want to make anyone feel awkward. So what is with the stare thing?

Here's my guesses.

1. It could be that people are generally by themselves when they are at the gym. This might make their self-preservation instincts kick into gear, and they have to watch every move made in the room and be on guard in case they are attacked. I like the thought of this just because I enjoy imagining people morphing into different animals and roaming about the gym looking for food. Which just isn't a normal activity at the gym.

2. It could be we are all reeaaallly bored at the gym. And nothing is better than passing our time looking at each other. I know that I am a little bit in this category because every time I step on a treadmill, I suddenly become aware of every clock in the room. And I can't wait to get off the stinking thing! Keep my heart rate up for at least 30 minutes? Uh, lets try for three. Wow, that guy's running really fast!

My conclusion is.... It's both.

My Gnocchi Adventure.

Years ago, as I watched a Martha Stewart show, I saw the guest chef make Gnocchi. I was completely intrigued..... Which leads me to our last trip to California, when after an evening at the beach in Malibu, we stopped at an Italian restaurant near our hotel late one night. John and I tiredly flopped our slightly sun burnt bodies into a booth, worrying we weren't dressed nice enough for the formal environment. (The host had to assure me we were fine.) There was an excellent guitar player finishing his last set as we waited for our food. When our salads and bowl of little Gnocchi arrived, (we shared the dish,) I can say that we absolutely fell in love! Not with each other, that's already happened!!! But with the adorable little balls of dough sitting before us! The pillowy soft pieces of pasta that the chef had doused in a delectably creamy cheese sauce were the perfect texture and taste! We both left the restaurant pleasantly impressed, and I began on my journey to find out more about this new dish.

Each recipe I found was about the same, with the same 4 ingredients, but there was always a varying amount of how much potato, flour, egg, and salt to add from recipe to recipe. After one attempt, with a tomato, basil and garlic sauce, the little gnocchi turned out too soft. To my delight, John still scarfed them down, and said they were good enough to eat!

My second attempt (with a little more flour) turned out perfect! I was ecstatic as the "play-dough snake" cylinders of dough rolled out under my hands and didn't fall apart! It was definitely a little bit of work, and a tiny bit time consuming, but the finished product was amazing! This time I tossed the gnocchi in a creamy citrus sauce with chicken, broccoli, leeks and toasted pine nuts. Yummy!!! Next time around I will double the amount of sauce though.

So there it is. After successfully preparing gnocchi, I feel like I have ventured a little further into the delectable world that is Italian cooking! To leave you, I will share what I believe is the most magical part of these little dumplings... I love the way they cook! You throw them in bowling water, and in about three or four minutes, when they're finished, they float to the top! Now if only I could get my pork roast to wave at me or yell out "Hey Elisha! I'm done!"

To make some gnocchi for yourself...
try this recipe!

Herbs from Scratch!

In January, I started a project that I've been excited about for a long time. It was stemmed by my love for cooking, and my cravings to use yummy herbs in the dishes I cook.
But seriously... fresh herbs cost so much! Especially rosemary or sage, when just a sprig of the stuff can cost up to six dollars! I actually started giggling with glee in Van's last autumn when I found parsley and cilantro for just 79 cents per bunch! That was my shopping highlight for the month of November!

So my husband was super thoughtful to bring a present of herb seed packets home from Ace Hardware one winter day, and I set out researching, gathering supplies, and getting plain old delighted about the whole deal. After soaking the seeds overnight, breaking the hulls of the cilantro seeds open, and carefully planting the tiny little things in terra cotta pots, I set them in a south window to grow. For a short time, I thought I may have given my self too high of expectations: I planted the whole laundry list... Basil, Cilantro, Dill, Rosemary, Sage, Chives, Parsley, Oregano, Tarragon, and Thyme. But after only 4 days, there were tiny, tiny, tiny sprouts on the surface of one pot of soil!!!

I now have adorable little plants starting to fill my windows, while filling me with expectations for a fruitful spring! Can you imagine the scrumptious homemade pico de gallo, bruschetta, chicken salad with dill. . .

Yes, I'm a waitress.

35-3031.00 - Waiters and Waitresses
Take orders and serve food and beverages to patrons at tables in dining establishment.

- From Career Depot.org

I had an interesting conversation with my little sister last night about how her high school counselor (The same one I had ten years ago) gives her a very hard time since her three older sisters never went to college. This said counselor claims that she really must "make something of herself," and go to college so that her life is not a waste. Even though frustrated by what her counselor claims, my adorable sister has been researching what she wants to do at different colleges. And so far, what she has found reminds me of the same search I went through at that time of my life. She said a cute thing referring to one possible path she might take and the price of culinary school... "I don't have to go to school for it, I can just make cakes!!"

Thinking back on those same emotions produced in my heart my senior year makes my blood heat up. Just because what I wanted to do doesn't fit in the box of "college" doesn't mean it's wrong. And it's not that I didn't want to go to college, I just didn't want to do most of the things at colleges! I was an excellent student throughout school and really impressed most of my teachers, but I have never had dreams to be a doctor, lawyer, engineer, accountant, or physicist. I have however had the dream to...

... create beauty and inspiration with my hands
... live vibrantly and attract others to what I live for
... provide awesome food to my husband and everyone else
... create a home and family where people can feel loved
... live my life with a feeling of purpose

Mr. Counselor,
Right now I am a waitress. And not only that, I live in the same town I grew up in. I don't have a degree, I have never taken any accredited college credits, and I got married at an age that was way too early to responsibly decide what kind of adult I wanted to be. (According to you, that is.)
Mr. Counselor, the dreams I had in my heart during high school probably seem simple to you, but they're the same that I have today. And if I had gone off and gotten a degree to make you and the current world happy, I may not be doing what I have always dreamed of doing...

... creating beauty and inspiration with my hands
... living vibrantly and attracting others to what I live for
... providing awesome food to my husband and everyone else
... creating a home and family where people can feel loved
... living my life with a feeling of purpose

^"We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man's gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.

~Romans 12:6-8

SIX YEARS!!

I can't believe it's been six years of marriage! I just realized I don't have any digital pictures of our wedding, but just to see how young we looked, here's one from the summer after we got married. I love you John!!!

John & Elisha Mack
Jan 3, 2004

A Recap of 2009

WOW!!! What a year this has been!!! I cannot believe all that 2009 held for John and me in what seemed like such a short time! Who knew that in one year we would live in two different cities, hold five different jobs, (between the two of us), travel to California three separate times, add two animals to our family, and buy one house!

Reflecting on our pictures from this last year reminded me that not only can our lives be full... (I'm seriously amazed at how much happened to us this year!) ...but we can also lead full lives. Those filled with purpose, meaning, and a whole lot of fun!

John's mom practically started off the new year by getting married. We love you Patti and Wes!

Andy rocked the faux-hawk at Starbucks in Butte. What a good combination; the best of friends and yummy coffee!

The Overflow Worship Band.
Whoever thought John and I would lead a worship team and they would look this cool!

John kickin' it with the guys at Overflow. Wow, what awesome friends we made in Butte! Isn't it incredible how God take you where he wants you and provide only the best for you?

Me and Sasha. At Overflow of course.

John graduated! Behold the face of High Honors!

I can't believe we lived in my old room at my mom's house for almost 6 months! Apparently we were quite comfortable.

Church Softball! What a blast this was!
A little part of me wishes I had some pictures of me playing, but then again, we shouldn't dwell on the not so pretty parts of the sport!

Softball friends forever!

And that leads us to how I broke my finger. Yes that is a blurry pinky that even though it was protected in my glove, just couldn't hold up to that crazy-fast line drive. It dislocated at both joints, John pulled it back into place, then I didn't go to the doctor to have it looked at for 3 weeks, when we finally knew it was broken in two places, but I only had to do rubber band therapy and now I can bend it almost all the way.
Whew!

John and I took a crazy quick mini vacation to LA. Even though we were at the beach pretty much the whole time, we stopped by the farmer's market. Always love it! He's SO handsome!

GIRL TRIP TO CA! Marissa and Daniella were the most hilarious travel buddies one could ever ask for. I think I laughed harder than the FAA allows on most flights.

Fun with the family in Cali!

Hello Downpour!!!

Hello house! We own you! And now everything's finally unpacked!!!

Meet Gnocci. SO CUTE!

Meet Pork Chop. SO SO CUTE!!!

And about 8 weeks later, they've already grown so much!

The Macks 2009.

Thank you Lord, for everything you've given us this past year.
John and I are continually reminded of how much you love us.
Help me remember in all the times that aren't easy or smooth,
that what you desire most, is for us to draw closer to you.