The Namesake

The Namesake is a movie we got on Netflix the other day and watched last night and this morning...it felt like the thing was about 4 hours long, and then when it was over, I looked at the package and it said it was an hour and 45 minutes. What?!



I don't think movies should be like that. Moving on.



I don't know what my bloggings will look like as the summer begins and also utter craziness, but do know that I recognize the faithful bloggers out there need to know what's going on, so I will try my hardest to keep the communication lines open.



Oh! So fun. Last Wednesday, Daniel and Andrew (the Program Director at camp) had to go to a church youth group to give a presentation about camp, and it was in San Jose. They invited Lori (Andrew's wife) and I along. I wanted to go, to get out of camp and I love San Jose, but I wasn't so much excited about the whole presentation thing. But, being the loving, caring, wonderful wifeys we are, we decided to join them.



Here is a run-down of the events of the evening:



4:30--Lori, Sarah, and I go running.....the hard core king. We ran 3 miles on trails through Big Basin. So fun. And soooooo hard-core.



5:30--We are done running and head home super-fast to shower.



6:00--The Proffitts meet the Bradfords and we head over the hill.



6:20--We get on Bear Creek, the windiest road in the mountains, but a faster road to San Jose.



6:25--All of us are car-sick. We have worked out hard and have empty stomachs.



6:45--Still car-sick, but we reach San Jose. Andrew says there is a Starbucks he wants to stop at before we go to the church. A good thing, considering we all are about to throw up. We need something in our stomachs.

The Starbucks happens to be in one of the most amazing malls around here. The eating place thing is right on the edge of the mall, so you can park and go to The Cheesecake Factory or PF Changs...much like malls in Dallas or Houston, for those of you who live in Texas.

6:50--We are driving around the parking lot of the mall aimlessly, trying to find a parking spot. But everyone else in San Jose also wanted to go to the mall. We have to be at the church at 7 aand it's still almost 10 minutes away. It seems hopeless. But Andrew is set on getting his Starbucks.

6:55--Still driving around. I'm thinking "we're definitely going to be late, but if you guys aren't concerned about that, then I'm not either". I say nothing. Lori doesn't either.

6:56--we leave the parking lot and go to the parking GARAGE (even farther away) to find a spot. On the 2nd level. We are now a million years away from the Starbucks and are walking there with 4 minutes until we are supposed to be at the church.

6:56--I am starving.

6:57--We are walking to Starbucks and we pass PF Changs. I look at Daniel and say "wow, that sounds soooo good right now." He goes "I know, doesn't it?". Andrew and Lori are leading the way, and then Andrew turns and heads towards PF Changs. I'm thinking "Um, Starbucks is the OTHER way"

6:58--We walk into PF Changs. Lori and I are like "what?" and Daniel and Andrew say "Actually there is no presentation. We just wanted to take you girls out to dinner!"

6:58--"What? Are you kidding? No way! Seriously? etc, etc...." (me and Lori)

7:00--We sit down to a wonderful dinner date at PF Changs!

The night wasn't over then, however. We then went and played miniature golf at the coolest course I've ever been to, complete with one of those windmill barn things. You know what I'm talking about?

Anyways, it was so fun! Then we went and got coffee/dessert and headed home. It was sooooooo much better than a presentation, and I have the best husband!

So, that's my fun story of the day.

Well, I am off to the pool. It's really hot here today, and I've been working with Daniel on the Apostle program all day...and I can't stand to stay in my house for very long right now b/c it's soooooo HOT in there, even with the windows cracked and the shades drawn.

Happy sun-tanning!

The picture is of the t-shirt my lovely friends made at my bachelorette party in Santa Fe. They staged it so when we walked into J-Crew, it was on a mannequin. Then I wore it. All day long.

It says "I love Dan the Man"

I do love Dan the Man...

Oh, but you can't call him Dan the Man.

Alicia was the first to call him that, and she is like, the only one who is ever allowed to utter those words. Per request of Daniel. Not Danny or Dan, but Daniel. Thank you. Not a reprimand, just raising awareness.

It has been super-fun to hear your reactions to mine and Daniel's no-sugar venture. Thank you for your comments, suggestions, and overall thorough support, regardless of what you are really thinking in your heads :)

We are still getting geared up for summer and are putting the finishing touches on "El Program de High School" otherwise known as Apostle. It's coming along, but it seems like every day Daniel comes home with a new thing that's come up and needs to get done before summer starts. There's just not that many days until summer starts, so things have to quit coming up!

In other news, last night I wanted to make bread. I wanted to make Challah bread. I bought all the ingredients and was really excited about it.

The yeast never rose. Never.

The bread turned out flat! But it still tasted really good, so that was okay. And Challah bread is Jewish, so we kind of likened it to Unleavened Bread, and had ourselves a Feast. The Feast of Unleavened Bread. I'm so punny.

But I still feel okay about it because it still tasted good, and then I consulted my good friend Lindsey, who is great at baking and cooking in general, and she said it more than likely wasn't my fault--she gave me a list of things that could have gone wrong (the yeast was bad, the weather wasn't right, etc etc...) so I have come to the conclusion that it was NOT my fault the bread didn't rise, and my efforts weren't completely wasted. Challah bread, you have met your match, mister!

Yesterday for lunch though I did make a successful meal: Corn Chowder. Soooooooo good. We ate it for lunch and dinner yesterday, actually. I'm telling you, I'm really in to this whole cooking thing. All I want to do is bake and cook. Weird, huh? It's going to look a little different once summer starts and this "no sugar" thing kicks in. We shall see. It will cause me to put my creative abilities to the test, I'm sure!

As you may know, Daniel and I are doing Netflix, which is wonderful. Last night we watched ANOTHER documentary (it's like they magically appear on our list, per Daniel, and then they magically show up at our door and we have to watch it before we send it back) Actually they've been really really interesting. We are not filling our minds with useless rubbish, but we are seeing different sides of things. Last night's documentary was entitled

"THE CORPORATION". DUM, DUM, DUM............

Complete with a creepy girl-narrator voice and thriller music. Wonderful.

It just gave background information on Corporations (where they came from, what they do now, etc.)

Did you know that corporations, by law, are considered a PERSON? Like, they have the same rights as people.

Did you know that in some foreign countries, corporations have bought rights to water and air, privatizing it?

And did you know that we are able to patent living things? (Like the breast cancer gene)?

It was really interesting. Afterwards, Daniel related his experience of working for Sam's Club, and he was surprised at how many of the things the documentary noted that he personally experienced while working for a corporation...like the overwhelming push for profit. Not Proffitt, but profit.

If you have Netflix, maybe try a documentary next time. You might be surprised. We haven't changed our opinions based solely on the view of a documentary, but it is nice to see the other side of things and to get different viewpoints.

Anyways, I must run. Literally. There are 4 of us camp wives up here who exercise together. This is what we do:

Bike 1.5 miles down to Big Basin State Park Headquarters.

Run 4 or 5 loops around the headquarters trail (.6 miles/loop), so on average 2.4 miles

In between loops, we do pyramid pushups and situps, or we just run the thing.

Ride back 1.5 miles.

It must be noted that although the bike is not far, it is really really hard on the way back because we have just busted our butts on the trail and on the sit-ups and the ride back is all up-hill.

It's quite a work-out, actually. We do that on MWF. On TTh, Lori and I do Pilates. It's amazing. If you have not tried a Pilates video, you must.

Off I go! Today my legs feel sort of like lead.....not good.

3 Months!...and my resume.

Daniel and I were driving into camp early this morning and I said "It's our 3 month anniversary!" and we shared that special moment together in the car. And then I kind of ruined it a bit by saying "Man, sometimes it feels like so much longer!" He said, "well thanks!"



I really didn't mean it the way it sounded--I meant that it feels like I've known him my whole life, and a year and a half really isn't that long to have known someone, and 3 months of marriage is only like, what, a 1/4 of a year?



So, Daniel and I have been married 3 glorious and seemingly VERY SHORT months :). We aren't going to be crazy about the anniversaries...I just like to acknowledge every '29th', because when February rolls around, our day's going to be skipped for the next 3 years. Which, as most of you know, is not a problem for us because it just means we'll celebrate on both Feb. 28th AND March 1!

In other news, this morning I have been putting together my resume. The last time I had to put one together was approximately 2 years ago, and it was in definite need of an update. Some questions that have been posed in my brain about it are:



What activities from college do I keep on my resume? Which of the organizations I was in still provide me with impressive resume additions, and which ones make me look like an entry-level college graduate? My guess is I should definitely take "Fish Camp Counselor" off the list...I live in Silicon Valley now, people. I'm thinking that anything with "Fish" and "Camp" will not impress the execs at Google...



I think I'm also going to re-format the whole thing and not just do a chronological "education, work experience, skills and abilities" resume. I will spice it up a bit. I'm not quite sure how, but I will, mind you!



That about covers today. Other things going on at camp include:



There has been a group of intravarsity college students here for the last week doing some sort of week-retreat thing. What that means for those of us who live year-round is...3 free meals a day every day for a solid week! That is a major plus for the grocery budget, and the camp food here is healthy, good-for-you stuff. Well, minus the buddy bars (huge, thick peanut butter bars covered in a layer of chocolate frosting) and the chocolate chip oatmeal coconut cookies that rank among the top desserts in LIFE. Not kidding. So it's been a really good food week.



OH! But, in other news...Daniel and I have decided that we're going to make a pretty major life/health change. Starting June 13th (my birthday), we are going to cut out all refined sugar for an entire year.



pick your jaws up off the floor. It's true!



Those of you who know me know that I have an extremely sensitive sweet tooth. I love anything chocolate, cookies, brownies, dessert, ice cream, goodness, etc....and of course yummy things like cinnamon rolls and things of the like. I do think all of those things are fine and good in moderation...which is my problem. I think I could LIVE on dessert and dessert alone if it wasn't so bad for me. And I've found that I am an emotional eater--I eat junk when I'm stressed, when I'm happy, when I'm sad, when I'm bored, all of the above. I want to take that emotional eating and channel those emotions into something better for me!



Daniel and I are going to do this together--we just want to create a healthier lifestyle for ourselves, and we are excited about the discipline that cutting out sweets for an entire year is going to take...and we know the challenge will not be easy, especially in the first months.



So, don't be upset when I turn down your cookies, don't order dessert with you when we're out eating, and don't try to force it down my throat--it's not gonna happen :)

Don't feel like I'm telling you that you need to cut out all dessert from your diet. I think dessert is the best! But I am recognizing I need to focus on putting good things in my body, and I also recognize this is not for everyone!

All in all, what Daniel and I will need from you is encouragement. Please don't say "what? you're crazy! You can't do that!" or "why? you're not fat! that's stupid" or anything along those lines. But, feel free to eat dessert in front of us....just because we're cutting out doesn't mean you have to!

We also recognize that we'll go a whole holiday season with no junk. And that is okay with us.

And we are starting AFTER my birthday. I will eat cake. Probably a lot.

love love,

Santa Cruz, San Jose, and "San Fran"

Greetings! I know it's been approximately ten days since I've written about the life and times of the Proffitts, but we've been extremely excitingly busy!

First of all, we painted our kitchen. I haven't taken pictures of it yet, so hold your horses. Plus, you haven't even seen our living room (the first room we painted) so maybe you should see that first:



Cool, huh? Notice the orange walls and the really low couch and the big sitting cushions...

















Next up is the entertainment unit. Thank you, Ikea! This is the view from the low couch....we really like it. We don't watch TV much, and when we do, Daniel has come up with a creative way of rigging the TV so we can watch movies in bed with popcorn and chocolate and root beer. That is the best way to watch a movie!



























Exciting, huh? Our kitchen will be posted next...it's blue with darker blue stripes! Really cool. And there may not ever be a time again when I'll want an orange living room and a blue striped kitchen. So why not enjoy it while we still can?


Moving on to the even more exciting event of the last week or so. My parents, (D&D, as they are so called) came to town to visit! And we had a blast. Before they came, Daniel asked me what I thought about them coming in and if I felt like the dynamics would be different. I'll admit, I was a little anxious--not in a bad way, though. I just wanted to make sure the house was in order and that we had a game plan for while they were here. We were really looking forward to them being our guests and getting to treat them and show them that we're not just "playing house", but we really are a married couple who's doing great!

They got in last Friday evening and we drove the hour from the San Jose airport to our lovely abode in the Santa Cruz mountains...maybe the best part was that we hid dreadful traffic on the way home and it was 95 degrees outside with no wind and, get this, no air conditioner! But Dad & Dawn were troopers and did not seem to mind that their shirts were sticking to their backs and sweat was running down our foreheads. Yes, disgusting.

On the way back, we stopped and got Dad his first Jamba Juice smoothie, which he did enjoy and thought they should open one in Amarillo...they really should! And when we started getting into the mountains and the amazing redwood trees that hover on either side of the road, I could tell D&D were really excited/surprised at the beauty in which Daniel and I live.

We took them out on our deck that night and we just sat and cooled off and talked, and then Daniel grilled some salmon and we made stuffed zucchini and bread and all sorts of other good stuff.....I had to show my parents my excellent new cooking skills, and if I do say so myself, they were very impressed.

The next day was....shopping day! Dawn and I had female bonding time at the humongous Valley Fair Mall and had a hay day along with the other zillion shoppers in the mall, and Dad and Daniel went and had some male bonding time....such a great day! We ate some mexican seafood on the coast that night and split some amazing death by chocolate cake. We had a good food weekend, that's for sure!

On Sunday we headed up to "San Fran" to see the sights and sounds of the city and eat some more good seafood on Fisherman's Wharf as well as TONS (literally) of chocolate at the home of Ghirardelli...you would not believe the chocolate stuff they have in that factory. I'm serious.

And of course, if you're in San Francisco, you've got to stop at the Golden Gate Bridge. We did just that!



Me and Daniel, of course.


















Dad, with the bridge...love this pic.





We tourists, taking a leisurely stroll.....towards seafood!
Some small fishing boats parked on the pier...

So, we Proffitts and Wells had tons of fun touring the city and stuffing our faces with lots of food and Ghirardelli fudge.

We were sad to see them return to Texas, but we were and still are so thankful for the weekend we spent together. I needed a taste of home, and it was really amazing to discover my parents in a different light--as a fellow married couple who also happen to be amazingly fun, caring, incredible people. Daniel and I were looking forward to blessing them while they were out here, but D&D ended up knocking our socks off with blessing after blessing. Daniel and I were amazed and so grateful...

Oh! And during Daniel and Dad's bonding time, they went and got Daniel a brand new grill!! The one we had grilled salmon on Friday night had been a gift for Daniel's HIGH SCHOOL graduation and was the teeniest thing I'd ever seen...not conducive for any kind of grilling, actually. So Dad blessed Daniel with a new grill.....Here it is in all its shiny glory! We bbq'd chicken on it the next night, and man, it was good.

And did you know that California people call a grill a barbecue? I dont' agree with that. It's called a grill, and you barbecue ON it. It's not called a barbecue. So feast your eyes on this bad boy:

So, life in California continues as usual......

The California transition keeps on, and every day brings new emotions. I am constantly being challenged to be more Christ-like, and I'm being challenged to figure myself out in ways I never thought I would. I do know I am surrounded by the people and things and experiences I am for a reason, and every day a little piece of that is revealed to me. I am learning things I would not be able to learn if I wasn't right here, right now, with my husband. So, ultimately it's good. Hard? Yes. Have I cried? Many times. But we keep on keepin' on, and so we keep on.

Love and blessings to you!

Scramble Cakes

We went camping this weekend. With some friends. In tents. And if you know anything about me, you know that is a miraculous thing.
Ahh, the camp fire. Typical element necessary in camping.

Don't forget the tent! Here is Daniel lounging on the front porch of our spacious Eddie Bauer version.

We roughed it, let me tell you. I'm serious, too! We slept on the ground and froze, people. And in the morning, I woke up with the aches and pains of a person in their 100s. Seriously.

We were also roughing it big time because we were surrounded by people in their huge bus RVs. We could see them in their cozy lit windows in the evenings enjoying warmth and television while we shivered and wrapped ourselves in hundreds of layers.

Okay so maybe I'm exaggerating a little bit :). We did sleep on the ground and it was cold, but we went to the beach and walked around and layed out, we ate like kings and queens, and at one point we got in the car and went and got a latte. So we weren't "roughing it" unless of course you count the people in the RVs. We were definitely roughing it if you throw them into the mix! Oh, and in case you were wondering, "scramble cakes" are when you're camping and attempt to make pancakes over the portable propane griddle you brought, but you also don't have a spatula (which is necessary in pancake making), and the pancakes turn to scramble cakes! Still good though.

You want to see our house? Okay! I remembered to load the pics onto my computer this time.

Brace yourself. Drum roll, please!

This, my friends and familia, is our deck.

View from the back door. This is also the view from our kitchen window (they're on the same wall). So I wash dishes and look at the redwoods. Not quite the view from California you were expecting, huh? Don't worry, the beach is not far.

And....the Internet won't let me upload anymore pictures. However, I think this whole "you must wait to see the pictures because the Internet is dumb" thing keeps the suspense in the air. Because once I post the pictures of the house, all we might have for awhile is typing! And it's good to break up the typing with pictures.

All in all, it seems a good thing for all parties involved.

So that's our weekend camping. This weekend my parents are coming into town for all sorts of shenanigans! So maybe we'll take some fun pictures then that can be posted on here probably around 4 months from now, when the Internet maybe stops being lame, but probably not :)

I will also post pictures of the bicycle I just got. I have not ridden a bike since I was like, 12. But riding a bike is like, well, riding a bike. And you pick it back up pretty fast. Especially when you have an amazing mustard-yellow vintage commuter bike with a cute rack on the back for holding all of my "bike-ish" things....stay tuned.

So, life in California is still an adventure, for sure. I'm learning a lot about myself in this time I'm not working. I'm also beginning to wonder what on earth i'm going to do after summer is over and I have to get a job...

we'll think about that later....Daniel and I are about to go on a bike ride. Isn't that a cute, newlywed thing to do?

Retiring the Muffy

No more "Muffy" for awhile, people. In case you missed it, "Muffy" is a bran muffin in a coffee mug. Amazing. However, we shall retire it for awhile because:

1) I ran out of batter and don't want to buy more ingredients.

2) It sticks to your hips. And if you ask me, concern for the size of your hips greatly outweighs the amazing-ness that is "Muffy"

We took pictures of our house last night so you all can see where I live, and now I am at a coffee shop where the Internet runs freely as long as you buy a drink...so I thought I would take this opportunity to post some of those pictures. But no....I forgot the memory card at home. Lame, I know.

So, honeymoon pics will have to suffice. We ate a lot of good food on our honeymoon, and each day we allowed ourselves one "treat". My favorite "treat" was a caramel apple that also was dipped in chocolate. Pretty sinful, if you ask me. But it was amazing, and I will show it to you now:

Mmmmm, it looks really good, doesn't it?


Just so you know, Daniel and I alternated taking bites. I did not eat the whole thing myself.

And that, my friends and family, is one of the highlights of the honeymoon--except of course all the mushy gushy stuff you're supposed to do on your honeymoon. So!

You want to see more from the honeymoon? Okay!

Daniel made steak one night. It was really good.

There are other pictures of me making the dessert, but I am still in my pajamas, so I will not post them here. Rest assured, however, that the dessert was really good.

I suppose I could show you all the things you're supposed to show people from your honeymoon--like the "amazing view from our cabin" and "all the sight-seeing we did" or things like that, but I think caramel apples and Daniel cooking steak is much more fun.

Hopefully I will not forget my memory card next time, because I know you people just want to see my house. I will post the amazing pictures of the view from our deck and the woods and all of that. I promise. Just give me a little more time.

Chocolate makes the world go 'round,

pictures?

Okay, so I know it's about dang time something got up here, and this photo is quite outdated, 2 months outdated to be exact, but anyways, here's a glimpse.

On our road trip out to Cali, Daniel and I ate the following: David brand sunflower seeds, in BBQ, Ranch, and Pickle, Peppermint Crunch Junior Mints, Diet Coke (Daniel didn't actually drink this, but every time I got one he would try it...every time he thought it was disgusting.), and oreos...Oh! And, I also had my first experience at In-N-Out Burger....it's all the rage out here, at least for the people who eat meat...

I will post more soon. I'm probably going to have to wait though until I can take my computer to a coffee shop or something. it took me almost an hour to get those two little pictures up. The joys! But I have much more to share, so....until then,

toodloo!