I've had a few requests for my biscotti recipe, so here it is!

BISCOTTI

- 1/2 c. butter, room temperature
- 1 c. sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
- 2 c. flour
- 1/2 tsp. baking powder
- 1/2 tsp. baking soda

- 1 1/2 c. chopped nuts (almonds, walnuts, pistachios, pecans, whatever)

Variations: Add 1 cup cocoa and 1 1/2 c. chocolate chips to flour-nut mixture. Or, add 1/4 cup ground cinnamon to dry ingredients. Or, after first baking, brush the cut biscotti with beaten egg white and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. Or, dip biscottis in melted white or dark chocolate, just one end.

Combine butter, sugar and eggs, mixing well. Beat in vanilla. combine dry ingredients and chopped nuts. Add to egg mixture. Batter will be very stiff and sticky. With floured hands, divide the dough in 2 loaves about 12 inches long (like French bread). Place loaves on 10 x 14 inch sheet, leaving at least 3 inches between. Flatten each loaf slightly, evenly. Bake in preheated 400 degree oven for 20 minutes, or firm to the touch. Remove. Cool slightly; lower oven to 375 degrees. While still warm, slice loaves in diagonal slices, about 1/3 inch thick. Arrange on ungreased sheet and bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes, or until firm. Do not brown. Makes about 6 dozen.

Unfortunately, I wasn't planning on being sick the week prior to my half marathon race. But that's what happened. Gosh, this whole weeks just seems like a blur. I started with a cough on Saturday, and then it progressively got worse. By Monday, I had the aches and pains. Blake ended up taking me to the emergency room Monday night because I had woken up in the middle of the night with severe back pain and pressure in my chest. I called him crying, and he was over in less the 2 minutes (I don't know how he did it.) I threw up trying to relieve the pain-- weird feeling to throw up from pain, versus nausea. Long story short, I was at the hospital until 5am doing tests and the doctor thought it was just the flu, so he gave me some prescriptions. I basically slept the entire 2-3 days that followed, and I'll have a lot to catch up on next week. I'm feeling better now than I did at the beginning of the week, but a bit discouraged that I won't be running my race. My body's just way too weak at this point.

So... if anyone is interested in running 13.1 miles this Sunday, then you're welcome to run in my place :)

Disclaimer: the little girl dressed up as Pippy Long Stockings in the picture is not me ;-) It was just a picture I liked from a Swedish photographer and thought it was fitting.

My roommate, Beth, and I ran a 5K this morning called "Fun Run With Your Honey Bun"... Beth was my honey bun :) The race was a bit comical though because, this being the first year hosting a race, only 8 people showed up. But I won't complain because since the top 5 runners got t-shirts... I won a t-shirt!! It feels good to be running again. To have that adrenal pumping through my veins and feeling an endorphin high.

I love to run.

Blake came and watched me run, and then he took my out to breakfast at Waffle House. Mmm.. good 'ole Waffle House. And so now I'm at work, fighting boredom. The library is expectedly slow on weekends. I decided that my job is perfect for anyone with OCD. All I do it walk around the library every hour to straighten things, push in any books that are knocked slightly out of place, check to make sure doors are locked and secure, confirm that the alarms are set, and count all the people in the library. It's quite repetitive, but it's a job.

Blake and I are taking off to Athens after I get off work and our friend, Natalie, is coming along. Athens is such a cool town-- lots of coffee shops, artsy people, and plenty to do.

Side note: I learned how to make biscotti and it's sooooo yummy! Last night, I experimented with a few ingredients. I made some that were honey/almond and some that were cranberry/chocolate/pecan. They're my new favorite thing to bake and Blake's new favorite thing to eat :)

I just got a phone call this morning, informing me that I was chosen to go with a team to East Asia this summer!  I applied for the trip last week-- honestly, I didn't think  I would get on the team since they were looking for licensed PT's, nurses, and doctors.  But to my surprise, I'm going :) 

We will be visiting an orphanage made specifically for disabled children, and working with them for a week.  If you don't know me, this is exactly where my heart is. I remember when I first heard about this trip, and I just wanted to know more and more.  How many children are there? How old are they?  What are they like? I cannot wait  to actually meet these children and hold them.  God is constantly using children in my life to teach me more about Him, and the simple love He has for us.  

For the next few months, I'm going to start learning more about East Asia and what their lives are like by reading books, newspapers, etc. (Please pass anything along that you think I'd find interesting.)  Something I've learned from traveling is the value of learning about the people, and putting aside all that you know from your own culture.  In Lithuania, I learned that sometimes it is more important to understand than to be understood.  We all want to be understood and for our struggles to be known.  And that's the beauty of intercultural relationships-- we are given the privilege to share in each other's lives and to understand one another.  I've come to find that people struggle with some of the same things globally.  Not everything, because each country has its own struggles-- America struggles with the pursuit of self-comfort.  But the one thing we all share in common is the need for a Savior.  We all struggle to find redemption for ourselves and for a Father to call us His children.   Christ is the hope of the world.  He brings redemption to us all, and so we rejoice!

I am so, so, SO excited about this opportunity, and I cannot wait for God to stretch my mind even further by introducing me to a new part of His world.  

"I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you." -- Jesus, John 14:18

I am ever grateful for the friendships I have cultivated overseas, and I am humbled to be given a new perspective outside of America.

Pray for Belarus right now, as they are faced in some difficult situations. But also pray for America, that we would open our eyes to see beyond our own comfortable lives and to recognize that we have enormous responsibility as a "wealthy" nation. We desperately need humility and brokenness as a nation. So instead, may we turn to God and ask how He can use us to serve our brothers and sisters in all corners of the earth.

I made a decision today. I made the decision to fight.

It's been a tough year for me in terms of running. Running has always been a joyous part of my life. But in early June I got in an accident that caused some severe neck pain, and every time I tried running my head would pound. That slowed me down from my normal habit of running. However, I didn't want that to stop me. I tried getting back into it last semester, but felt discouraged because I didn't feel very safe in this city. Two uncomfortable experiences was enough to make me feel that way. As time went by, not in my usual training, let's just say I had lost a lot of motivation. Last night I realized that I was letting the joy of running slip away from me, and I resented even the thought of such. So what did I do? Well, I just got back from running 3 miles straight... and considering I haven't been running regularly, I'm pretty content with that :)

March 2nd I'm going to run a half marathon. That gives me... hmmm... 4 1/2 weeks to work up to it. Ha! Honestly, I don't care if I walk part of it. To me, it's just a matter of not quitting. And that's my only goal.

We all know that one single time each year in when the grociery stores are filled with lines of people buying firelogs, milk, and bread-- convinced they're going to be barrackaded in their own homes-- it's about to snow!!! Everything shuts down, and the world seems to stop. At least, it does in Georgia ;-) Joe's school dance was cancelled for tonight, and church will not meet tomorrow morning. And so today, we had a grand time playing in the snow. Blake came over, and he and I made Swedish pancakes and chai tea latte for the whole family. Mom surprised Joe by picking up his girlfriend, Madi, and letting her spend the day with us also. We all had so much fun together out in the snow. Joe and Madi attempted at building a "snow moose", but I don't think there was quite enough snow. All you out in Colorado need to mail us some more packed in a good bit of ice ;-) Anyways-- it was a fun-filled day, and I guess we'll just have to wait another year until the next time it snows.