Luciano Pavarotti (1935-2007)

I heard on the news this morning that Luciano Pavarotti lost his battle with pancreatic cancer. I was surprised at the sadness that filled my heart when I heard the news. As one person said today in their description of Pavarotti - "There were tenors, and then there was Luciano Pavarotti." I guess I feel some small connections with him that made him seem more personal to me.

My mission in Italy started in the magical town of Modena, which happens to be the birth place of Pavarotti. While I was in Modena, I actually met a man who sang with Pavarotti in high school. His name was Oscar Bozzoli. Oscar would tell us about Pavarotti and his memories with him... and then he'd sing for us in his large tenor voice. And, somehow those interactions with Oscar made me feel like I also knew Pavarotti.


The funeral services today will be held at the Modena Duomo, which I rode past on my bike at least 10 times a day for the 6 months that I was in Modena.


The relatively unknown city of Modena still feels like home to me, even 8 years later. My thoughts are filled with memories of Italy and sadness at the death of a great man who touched the world with his voice.

Leap of Faith

The topic of faith has been on my mind a lot lately. I think "faith" is one of those principles that I think at times I've mastered... only to then approach a new situation in life that tests my faith on a new level. What does it mean to have faith? And how do we show our faith as we face "the unknown"?

Well, there is a really great clip in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade that illustrates the basics of faith really well.



Don't you just love that?! How many times have you found yourself standing at the edge of the unknown, scared to death, taken a deep breath, and then plunged forward, not knowing how things are going to turn out? As frightening as those situations can be, there is great joy that follows, when we've taken a step into the darkness and found light on the other side. Well, Elder Packer says it much better:

"Somewhere in your quest for spiritual knowledge, there is that "leap of faith," as the philosophers call it. It is the moment when you have gone to the edge of the light and stepped into the darkness to discover that the way is lighted ahead for just a footstep or two."


Through my own experiences I've learned that when I face difficult, faith-trying moments in life, I can trust in God. I can trust that He will give me the courage to move forward, that He will answer my prayers, that He will provide a way where there doesn't appear to be a way.

Having faith doesn't mean that life will be easy, but it does mean that we won't be paralyzed by fear and doubt. It means things will still be unknown (to us), but having faith means we can take God's hand and trust that He will lead us to a place of peace and safety. I'm grateful to know that He knows where to lead us and how to get us there, 'cause I haven't got a clue.

So, whatever "unknown" you're currently facing, just take a deep breath and make that leap of faith....

Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookies

Okay, I know "whole wheat" and "chocolate chip cookies" don't sound like they should go together, but I promise you that these are the best chocolate chip cookies! Just try them and see for yourself.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups butter
1/2 cup natural chunky peanut butter
2 cups sugar
2 cups brown sugar
1 Tbsp. vanilla
4 eggs
2 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. baking soda
4 cups whole wheat flour
4 cups oats
3 cups chocolate chips

Mix everything together. Bake at 350 for about 17 minutes, depending on the size you make them. Serve with cold milk! :)

Tomato Basil Parmesan Pasta

I have to be honest that I was really shocked that Marc loved this pasta so much to take a picture of it and blog about it. It is so easy that it hardly deserves this kind of attention. I feel like I should pat some flour on my face and pretend I've been slaving away!

It's kind of hard to write out recipes of Italian dishes. In Italy measuring cups and spoons do not exist. When I would ask an Italian how they made a certain dish, they would literally say, "two handfuls of flour," or "a few large pinches of salt," or "just mix it until it gets a beautiful color." So, pardon me for the recipe below, because I really don't measure any Italian dishes I make. You might have to make it over and over until it comes out right. :)

Tomato Basil Parmesan Pasta

Ingredients:
Barilla Pasta, cooked al dente
5-8 Roma tomatoes
2-4 Tbls. extra virgin olive oil
2-4 Tbls. basil and oregano, each
1/3 cup tomato sauce
Shredded Parmesan cheese

While the pasta is cooking, dice the tomatoes in small chunks. Combine the tomatoes, olive oil, and the spices, and cook on medium heat in a skillet, until the tomatoes look like they're well-cooked (about 10 minutes or so). Then, if you need the extra sauce, add it, but not more than 1/3 cup. When the pasta is done, drain and add it to the sauce. Mix it well. Top with parmesan cheese (NOT the Kraft powder stuff! Use the shredded more real stuff). Serves about 4. Easy Peasy and so yummy people will want to blog about it! :)

Megan's Pasta is So Good

So Megan came home for lunch today and decided to make some pasta. I didn't watch the process, so I don't have any recipes for you, but I remember hearing the words "tomatoes from our garden" and "italians don't use too much sauce" or something like that. All I can really say with any surety is: This was unlike any american pasta I've tasted. And that is a GOOD thing.

First off, I've had real Italian food before, since I lived in Italy for two months. Which is to say, Megan invited a friend from Italy to come stay with us for two months, and the two of them transformed this house into Italy. Every day I felt complete culture shock from sunup to sundown, as two Italian-speakers talked back and forth and made dishes I've never had before. Some I liked, and some I thought I would need to Get Back to You on, if you know what I mean.

Anyway, today's pasta was the good stuff. Even our cats knew a good thing when they smelled it:



Thanks Megan!

-Marc

Back to School

Isn't Marc just the sweetest thing there ever was?! It has been so hard to know how to follow a post like his below. He is so wonderful! And, just for the record choosing him as my husband was the best choice I ever made. Hands down. He is my favorite blessing!


This last week has been really busy. On top of his busy work schedule, Marc started teaching his Computer Graphics class at the college again, as the semester has started over. Marc is a natural teacher, able to explain the most complex ideas and concepts in such easy terms that anyone can learn what he teaches. He makes teaching look easy and makes learning fun. I haven't been able to attend his class yet, because he isn't sure if it's okay for me to be there... but, I'm coming up with a disguise. :)

With the start of a new semester, I've also started my classes, too... as a student! Yes, I have taken the plunge. I finished my B.A. four years ago and have only now just decided the time was right to go back to school. I'm working towards getting my teaching credentials, which will only take three semesters. I'm looking forward to learning new things, as well as the end result of being able to get involved in education.

I have a few friends who home-school their children, and I've always thought that I'd enjoy doing the same thing when we have kids. But, I've thought that rather than taking them out of the school system, I'd really like to get into the system myself and try to make a positive impact. Maybe it's naive of me... and soon enough I'll find out. Luckily, we still have a lot of time to figure out what we'll do with the schooling of our kids, but I'm excited about being a "teacher," in whatever setting I end up doing it in.

Along with a new semester, early-morning seminary is here again. Last year I team-taught with another teacher, but this year I'm flying solo. And, instead of starting at 6:10am, we're starting at 6:00am. That's right A.M. You wouldn't think that extra 10 minutes would be that big of a deal. Fortunately Marc is very supportive. I recognize that he could choose to support me by rolling me off the bed to get me up or by dumping water on my head. Instead, he wakes up with me at 5:30am and helps get me going. In the winter months he even goes outside and warms up the car for me. Who does that kind of thing? Well, Marc does.


And, in between school, work, and seminary, the soccer season is off to a great start! Our little team of 13 girls is making great progress and preparing for their first game in a week and a half. Hopefully they'll do awesome despite the lack of coaching skills they've found in their coaches!

Our schedules are full... but, they're full of things that we enjoy. We are lucky to have so many opportunities to participate in life. Hopefully we'll still be able to find time to check back in here just as often as before. We've enjoyed the connections we've strengthened with friends and family through the blog-o-spere, as well as the new friends we've met. So, keep coming back... we're still here. :)

Fifth Anniversary

Megan and I celebrated our fifth anniversary yesterday. It's amazing to me that we've been married for only five years, yet we've gone through so many wonderful experiences together.

One day when I was in college, I received a letter from my Dad in which he listed several of the girls he dated before he met my Mom. Reading his short descriptions, I gather he would have been a different man had he married any of them. It was clear that he knew when he found a good match in my Mother.

When I met Megan in 2001, things unfolded the same way. My life seemed to be crumbling like the World Trade Center, and from within my thick dust cloud of emotions I found it hard to trust that Megan was...well, real. She helped lift me out of my trials and I hesitated to ask her to marry me because I was sure that no positive experience that significant could last a lifetime.

And of course, it has lasted. Thank you, Megan, for marrying me. I love you.

-Marc

Lists and more lists

By default, I am a big "lists" person. I make lists for everything. "Grocery" lists, "to do" lists, "painting idea" lists, "books to read" lists, "baby names I like" lists, "places to visit before I die" lists, etc.... Sometimes I even make lists of things I need to make lists of. Like, today for example, I made a "to do" list and on it I put "make a list of school supplies to get."

Sometimes lists put me in "A to B" mode. You know, when you're so focused on just getting it done, that you don't put any thought into the process you go through to get it done. In some cases, that mentality is forgivable. But, what if life was full of moments of just going from A to B? Isn't life meant to be enjoyed along the way?

I'm learning that making lists is okay, but only as long as I don't complete the more important tasks just to check them off. I want to go through experiences in a way that they go through me; that the experience itself changes my life forever. I want to be changed by the places I visit, the books I read, the experiences I have day after day. I don't want to just go through life to get it done. I want to use life's experiences to take me through a refining process that will help me become a better person. Isn't that the real purpose of life, afterall?