Quoted.

[I can't remember where I saw this.]

When in doubt, add more cilantro.

Every once in awhile I get this overwhelming feeling like I'm not being creative enough. Like I owe the world my amazing watercolor skills or something. Right. Anyway, I get kind of panicky thinking I need so much more time so that I can caccoon myself in the perfect environment that will just pull brilliance out of me. Right (again). Can you sense the sarcasm?

I was thinking about all this again tonight as I was making my homemade pico de gallo. I'm realizing that even when I do have time, I don't do all those things I think I need to do to satisfy this thing in me. It doesn't come naturally for me to sit down and draw, or paint, or write. I have to work hard at it. And occasionally something will accidentally be decent. And I love that. But it doesn't just happen, even if I give myself the time.

But what I do, when I have time, and sometimes when I don't, and without even thinking about it, is make food that I really like. I love a great meal, especially when it comes from my own refrigerator. It satisfies that thing in me to make something beautiful, but you get to eat it!!! How amazing is that? And other people get to enjoy it!!! It's absolutely SO fulfilling to me to serve up a chorizo + arugula taco with lime + cilantro yogurt sauce, and papaya salsa, and watch my husband translated to the 5th heaven as he takes his first bite.

My neighbor downstairs, Lucy, dropped off a beautiful pineapple upside down cake for us last night. It was a fun, sweet suprise to get that from her. And it's DELICIOUS. She wasn't joking when she told me she was a cook. Like, a real live person who bakes. (I don't bake. I have a love/hate relationship with our oven.) But this was really something.

I'm probably speaking to the choir here, but her doing that for us proves my point. Which is this: you can make a good meal for someone by putting your heart and creativity into it and communicate so much care and beauty and joy, without saying a word.

Pico! Tomatoes, white onions, cilantro, serrano chiles, lime juice, salt + pepper, all to taste

The beginnings of tomato basil soup - thanks Bep.

Taco. Arugula, chorizo, papaya, avocado, lime + cilantro yogurt sauce, onions, more lime, and more cilantro

Thanks for listening to my rant and revelation. My stomache is full, and my breath smells like onions, and life is good. Could somebody just remind me of this post when years down the road I'm cooking for our huge family of and run of out ideas and energy? Thanks.

Love you all.

Adventure isn't missing.

xoxo

Pesto

Once my basil decides to grow and get really big and luscious, I'm going to make this. I've never done it, but always wanted to. It looks so good. My stomache is growling, no joke. And it looks so easy.

Plus I think this video is absolutely beautiful. If you want to see it bigger (and better) view it from their channel.

Two Months Later

Hi everyone! As of TODAY I've been married for two entire months. That's 9 weeks, 61 days, 1,464 hours, 87,840 minutes, 5,270,400 seconds of living a life-long dream. And here I am, right in the middle of that dream. As the time passes, I'm more and more grateful to get to share life with this man. The best moments we've had are not in pictures, but I do have some other documented highlights I wanted to share.

We moved into our apartment in downtown Kirkland.

This is our view! The Olympics are straight past the water.

This was a huge answer to our prayers. It's so much better than we could've hoped.

Which would make this our front yard. Not joking.

%&@$#!!

We had a perfect honeymoon in Cabo.

For that we have to thank the Willis', McCuen's and Somers.

They made sure we had the best trip ever.  

After we got back, Jeff got into intense tour preparation mode.
So it was nice to take a break one night and see a great show at the Taproot theater.
We went with PK, Ash and Riley.

I couldn't believe I'd never been there.

The performance was an hour and a half dialogue between two actors. So impressive.
Thank you, Eric and Laurie for those tickets!

And then the MC tour began. (This photo is from Monroe.)

The play that Jeff wrote and directed (with Mike and Riley Walker) has been a complete success.

I'm so proud of him, and want to see him produce all of his ideas someday.

Jeff hit the road with the MC's on May Day.

That day, I attempted to meet some of our neighbors by hanging flowers on their doors.

I met Lucy from the 1st floor! She's a professional cook and is going to make us dinner soon. 

Tamales! YUM.

What a sweet lady. I can't wait for that meal. 

While Jeff's been gone, I've taken time to catch up with friends.

It's been so fun!

I have some great people in my life who are an amazing support to us.

We are so rich. 

I turned 32 on May 10th!

Last week I took a plane ride to North Carolina and met Jeff on the road. 

It had been 17 days without him. TOO LONG.
Thank you to PK & DeeAnn for the trip!

We led worship together at The Worship Center in Durham.

I got to spend time with the rest of the MC group - who are all just so wonderful.

We both feel really blessed to be able to join up on the road and do what we love together.

It was perfect timing.

Who took this picture? Ash?

Ever been to Waffle House? They're everywhere in NC!

We went there at 1am one night, and I ate the best waffle I'd ever had. With grits and bacon.

Does anyone know of a place that serves grits in the NW? 

Anyway, someone needs to start a franchise in downtown Kirkland.

Which brings me to today. I'm home now.

Spring is here, with warm, wet rain, and peonies.

It's our two-month anniversary!

And Jeff gets home soon.

I'm keeping myself busy with painting our apartment, finishing up my name change paperwork,
coming up with some good, healthy recipes for our new eating plan, and doing some reading.

Love to you all.

Adventure isn't missing.

xxoo

NC!

I'm going to North Carolina tomorrow to visit my husband!

I'll be with him in less than 24 hours. I cannot wait.

He's wearing his dad's old hat that says "I love to tell the story". So true.

What I'm listening to today...

It's not supposed to turn out this way.

I'm ashamed to say it. But I have to confess to my husband somehow, so I'm going to do it this way. I completely killed the cute little herb garden he made me. [I'm sorry babe!! Let's try again?]

The new leaves were so cute and little, with so much potential just a week ago.

I watered them, I put them out in the sun, and now they look like this. Arg, what did I do wrong?

Birdy Bandwagon

I finally got on it.

Try this. I'm not even joking.

Here's what you do.

Toast fresh sourdough bread. The kind you have to cut with a bread knife yourself.

Add sliced avocados.

Squeeze lots of fresh lemon juice over it all. (That part I learned from Patty Hardebeck.)

Add chopped capers. (My own doing.)

Seriously enjoy.

Lump in My Throat

Do you ever go back in your calendar to remember what you were doing exactly a year ago? Yes? No? Well I do when I'm feeling nostalgic. Especially when things are so much more different now. I like seeing change in my life.

Well a year ago, I was crying in my tea over Jeffrey Kline. He'd just left for a month, and I was convinced he hated my guts. Knowing he'd be gone for so long, I was sure he'd forget about me. I was hoping that after all the time we'd spent together up until he left, that we'd at least have some sort of "what is this exactly?" conversation. But nothing like that happened, so I reacted fearfully and talked myself out of holding tight to the virtues of patience, graceful waiting and God's perfect timing. Instead, in what felt something like grief, I let him go.

What I didn't know is that at the time, Jeff was feeling very similar, but took a different approach. He didn't let go. Which is why we're married now.

Good approach.

Well now a year has gone by, and I'm Mrs. Kline. And I'm in love with my best friend. But he's gone on the road again, all because of his wonderful job. And I have this constant lump in my throat, missing him. I never would've guessed, a year ago, that this is what I would be feeling today. Yesterday he called to check in, and after some small talk, it's like he knew where my heart was. And he gave me the time to cry silently on the phone with him.

I'm not writing this because I want anyone to feel bad for me. Please don't! In fact, I don't understand comments that have that tone "It's just not fair you have to go through that 3 weeks into your marriage!!" because I know several of you amazing women out there who live with a traveling husband and have done it for years and years. And it's not like it gets any easier. I'm so grateful for Jeff's job/ministry and that he gets to put his heart and time into something that means so much to him. Thank you to everyone who has checked in on me - it means so much, and I feel completely covered and loved and WOWZERS I'm busier than I thought I would be. It's just that I miss my husband.

Looking back to last year I regret nothing, because it turned out amazing. But I am obviously in need of more trust for our future, and more believing for the very best. And believing that adventure isn't ever missing.

Jeffrey, my great love, you are amazing. Thank you for working so hard. Thank you for going on the road. PK was right, everything you touch is so much better, because you put your best into everything you do.

poolside on our honeymoon

our wedding day - March 23, 2012

Back in ACTION.

EVERYONE.

All 2 and a half people who still read this blog...I'm back. I've been MIA for months, and the reasons are a-plenty. But, I've finally taken the time to make this blog a place I want to come back to again. One of the reasons is that once I messed the template up awhile back, it was hard for me to want to even write on here. You know when your bedroom is a disaster, and you just aren't motivated to do anything in it until it's spotless? Yeah, same thing here.

So it's all cleaned up and shiny and new. And I want to be here and come back often and share my hopefully thoughtful tumble of words.

Oh...one little piece of fun news...

You are looking into the eyes of a very married woman!

More on that later.



Woah.

and i melt

Happy New Year!

What will you be doing?! I'm ringing it in at Jon & Ranae's with Jeff and some of our other good friends. We have so much to celebrate and be grateful for. But I also just love fresh starts, and am taking full advantage of starting new. New perspective, new hope, new faith, new wonder, new opportunities, new love.
Cheers to 2012 being another wonderful year! 

Of course!

How to Make a Baby from Cassidy Curtis on Vimeo.

Cate Parr, Fashion Illustrator

I see Cate's work and am inspired all over again to keep practicing my watercolor skills.

What I'm listening to today...

HINK OUTSID THE OX

I love this print!

Found Here

Nice Layers

The History of the Sky

Watch this.

I wish there was a way to capture life like this. Where every day is a box, 

filled up with the most meaningful moments.