Isnt that a fun work to say? Spoodle. I got the pleasure again to put away the order on Monday. Do I look like a gal who has a lot of upper body strength to put away big heavy boxes way up above my head?

Well that might of not been the best photo to prove my point. Im not! DO NOT HAVE LOTS OF MUSCLES. I was feeling empowered since I just sorta hiked the Grand Canyon in that photo. Okay never-mind Im already off track. SPOODLE. It was in the order that I put away. In my three in a half years at Starbucks I had never seen a Spoodle. In fact, in all my hours spent inside of kitchen stores I had never seen something labeled as a spoodle. No one knew what the spoodle was for or why it had come in our order. Today though, today my manager showed me the spoodle and said that she found out what it was for. It will be pouring coffee into the filter right before we brew it. As lovely as that sounds, that wont be fun durning the morning rush but whatever. We got a spoodle! I just dont know if I care for the ramifications of the spoodle. So if the line at Starbucks is a bit longer in the morning, just remind yourself that it must be the spoodle.

Sometimes it can be hard for me to keep work away from my free time. At times, I’m still getting used to being paid to do youth ministry. I’ve been involved in some form or another in youth ministry since I was a youth. When I catch up with old friends telling them about my great new (its been 5 months, that’s still new right?) job, I cant believe how God has provided. I hung out with high schoolers on Good Friday like I mentioned before, I didn’t even think to write it down as part of my hours because I just like being around those girls. Getting to know them outside of a church environment. I do keep youth blogs that I read my computer at work so I am not tempted to “work off the clock”. I’ve been catching up today (my Monday at the church) on the youth blogs and a lot are talking about laying low after a buys Easter weekend. Growing up in youth ministry and then working in it for so many years, I’m glad to have always been apart of churches that don’t make Easter another busy time. The youth programs usually shut down and encourage them to join their families for Easter Sunday. I think that’s good in the busy church culture I see these kids in. If you think you are busy as full time working adult, met one of my high schoolers. I do not know how they keep it all straight. Especially the juniors and seniors who have a job along with trying to find a college to go to. On top of sports, church activities, etc etc…the list goes on. I’ve been listening to seminars from National Youth Workers Convention and its amazing how there’s always something new to hear about youth ministry. Its always changing and how so many of the same things happen when I was in high school, but at the very same time, things are so different. I think that its harder for todays kids these days than ever before. Not that its an excuse for anything, but it challenges me as a youth worker to know these students. Know their story and how to help them know the story of God. A lot of times I don’t feel I’m should be that person in these kid’s lives, that they teach me things way more than I ever can teach them. What I do know though that God provided this role in His big story of youth ministry for me. While the kids are gone at the beach this week on Spring Break I will miss them. I will spend this week planning a month full of Battle of the Sexes themed ideas for them when they return and I will love every minute of it. The lows of youth ministry are very low, but they don’t out weigh the highs.

Everyday durning the weekend I made sure to let my camera tag along inside my seatbelt bag. Easter weekend calls for celebration, but I simply had just missed taking photos.

It got started off on Good Friday, with decorating eggs with some high school girls at Emily’s. Well, that was the plan, it turned a bit more into Stella and Graice coloring eggs while we all helped which I think we all liked better anyways.

Saturday was Farmers Market day, or so it seemed. Dana and I had made plans earlier on in the week to check out the farmers market near to our house that neither of us had been to before. What a packed little place at 9am in the morning! Apparently we were “late” getting there, but having Saturday as one my one day to sleep in, 9am was plenty early. Dana got some goat cheese and I got some fun produce, some pretty tea and flowers that remind me of Carlsbad.

Dana had never been to the big farmers market thats opened everyday of the week on the other side of town, so Jason and I took her there. Jace and I both love going there just to walk around checking things out (oh, and get ice cream. They have very yummy ice cream). Once I bought a tomato there that was so good I just ate it like an apple. It was a gorgeous spring day out, so lots of people had the same idea to be at the Farmers Market. I wish that Farmers Market wasnt so far out, otherwise Id go there every week for produce.

Easter Sunday I woke up to find that Mose had passed away. Strange feelings to be celebrating the day that Jesus was risen, but having to burry a fish. It was a sad morning of morning the loss of Mose, I dont think Neils still understand where his friend has gone. I picked some cherry blossoms and put them in Mose’s empty vase. The high schoolers had left at 3pm for Spring Break trip to the beach that Im sadly not on. But that also means I had a week off and got to go to 514 for Easter service. It was very small being that half our church is in the Dominican Republic on a missions trip and rest of out town visiting family. We ended in time to watch the Carolina game, have an Easter egg hunt and a little Guitar Hero. Typical Easter Sunday at church, no?
(The little girl you see in most of these photos is Emma.)

It was a very lovely Easter weekend that went by all too soon. Now if the weather would just remember that is spring and no more little snow flakes in the morning but warm sunshine, we’ll be in business for another lovely week of spring.

It was chance that I tuned into the sports radio station. I was actually flipping through the channels trying to find that catchy “Im Not Going to Write You A Love Song” tune that I cant help but like. Instead I found myself glued to the radio sitting in my driveway despite my very full bladder. I dont remember ever watching a college basketball game in my life. But tonight, after just two days ago filling out my very first NCAA bracket, I cared to see what this was all about. Basketball is quite exciting! A lot more points are made in a quicker amount of time than football. Educated or not, I wear the pretty Carolina blue color with pride even if Jason is a Duke fan. Tonight’s game with Belmont verses Duke made for an interesting evening with us. I, of course, as a good Carolina fan said that Duke would lose. And I love Nashville which is where Belmont is, so go Belmont! Boo Blue Devils. I sat in my drivers seat tapping my foot to distract my overly filled batter. I couldn’t believe how close it came, I really thought Belmont was going to win. It was quite a fun game to watch, and very exciting ending to listen to. Never mind that it completely ruined the bottom left of my bracket. Belmont played a very good game (Jason said they played dirty with all the fouls but hello Duke always plays dirty) and only lost by one, after seconds before being in the lead when it didn’t seem like they could win the game. You might catch me watching to listen to more sports than I ever have since my first years as an Alabama fan. March madness is so fun!

I love google for many reasons. The reason I love Google today is:

One of my favorite things about Real Simple is that you can put in a food item and it will list recipes that called for that ingredients. My cupboard was full of a lot of staples that I needed to use up. I had a can of coconut milk (okay so everything wasnt a “staple” per say) that I bought on sale with a coupon in hopes to use it for something Thai tasting and it came up with Curry-Coconut Sauce . Perfect! I had chicken in the freezer, so I cooked some thin slices over a skillet for my very own Chicken Curry! You never know its really going to taste curry enough after being to Thailand. But this recipe was so spicy and tasty, that even Thai people would approve. The best part about it is, it was really easy to make. Though I do recommend a tall glass of milk near by becasue when I say spicy, I do mean spicy.

Chicken broth and me have a love hate relationship. I dont really care for chicken, so right off its broth has a bad name. But, when added to soups and and the like its always better than water. Real Simple came up with Tortellini Soup for my answer to my overly popularly pantry of chicken broth. I simplified the recipe by using just what I had in the house. So swiss chard wasnt in the cards for my version of this soup. Instead I sprinkled some cilantro on top along with the grated parmesan cheese. Somehow, most everything taste better with some cilantro on it.

These are two are my new favorite recipes. Sadly, its Spring time so its warming up and not really soup season anymore. But the nights are still a bit chilly, so until the hot summer nights come, these recipes will be enjoyed by me.

This is Emma.

Emma and her dad came into work yesterday morning for a cup of coffee. Emma’s dad held Emma out to me and said “Hugs!” This little girl can always cheer me up. Not that I was down, but it was an early morning she seemed to bring some sort of life in me that coffee cant touch.

I got off a little early, so I had a few minutes to spare before heading to the church for the afternoon. Early in the week I had noticed daffodils popping up like weeds around these parts. Driving by them I worried where I’d find time before they disappeared to take some photos of them. So I took a mini walk to capture all their glorious shades of yellow. The daffodils at my house are taking their sweet time to bloom.

I wore a skirt yesterday as I skipped around with my camera. It is spring after all, cept I cant completely accept it. The skirt was to try and push myself into accepting the snow has gone and sunny days will be around a lot. Though I feel a bit like this daffodil:

Still inside waiting to bloom. Waiting to see if the snow has really gone and its safe to come out and enjoy the spring. What a smart little flower.

Poor flower, minding its own business when a full bloom flower is teasing it. “Come out and enjoy the lovely sunny weather! Spring is here!”

Today is rained all day long. The flower that safe inside is laughing at the bloomed flower now.

The song “Falling Slowly” from the movie Once, which I love, won an Academy Award! Can you believe two indy people who kept looking at each other with these I-cant-believe-we-are-here! looks won an Academy Award! I was a bit giddy. And okay I know the Academy Awards were so two weekends ago, but I didnt see them till last night. Im a little behind with life it seems, but Im okay with that.

A lot of my friends or people around me are having babies. Maybe its because Im not married, but I just love it. I have baby fever, but not in a I-want-a-baby fever but just a I-love-holding-this-sweet-child-ohhhh-yeah-she-needs-diaper-change-here-you-go, fever. My roommate and I were in Target in the baby section and I was completely out of my element. Their registry was so picked over and crib sheets just didnt excite me. I have this thing if I dont really like the gift or its simply not exciting (like crib sheets) I wont get it. Even if they registered for it. So sue me, I went off the registry and got them some adorable oneies. You can never have enough oneies right? Did I mention they were adorable? They were.

Its been quite lovely around these parts lately. Jason and I both have been wearing sandals (or as my Dad called them the other day slippers. Slippers? Someone from southern California does not call sandals, slippers. Its like the southerners with toboggan.) as often as possible and its been so great. Was it not two weeks ago we got a couple inches of snow and now the flowers are starting to bloom? Im ready for Spring as much as I love snowy days. My pink toe nails like seeing the sunshine than the inside of my Docs. But part of me fears Spring because that means Summer is approaching and I really dislike summer here. Humidity, which means sweaty Alisa for months. I will try not to think about that too much and just enjoy the daffodils and freshly blooming pink trees.

(my friend Laura sent me these lovely guys. I now will promptly print this out and frame it for my office.