Friday, August 31, 2012

5 Exciting Oregon Things

On Saturday, I'm going to America.  I'm leaving Panama behind and moving to Oregon.  I'm very sad to leave my friends (I so wish they could go with me!).  I will miss them more than I can imagine right now.  But, I'm also very excited to live in Oregon.  I'm ready!  So, this month I'm listing just a few things I'm excited about.  Oregon will be very different than Panama.  And, after living overseas for 9 years, I'm ready to spend time in the good ol' U-S-of-A.

5 Things I'm Looking Forward to in Oregon
1. Weather.  I will not be sad to leave the humid weather of Panama.  I like living in a jungle sometimes, but I've never really liked the humidity.  It's just too much!  Oregon's weather will be a lovely change.  Yes, it rains a lot, but I don't mind the rain.  And, I will enjoy the cool weather for a while (until I get too cold).  It will be nice to have the seasons too!  I'm looking forward to Fall...and soup...and warm beverages...and cool, brisk weather!  I can't wait.

2. Shopping.  I'm so excited to be near Target again.  I probably won't even shop there very often (because I'm quitting my job and won't have money) but it's nice to know I could go there anytime. And grocery shopping will be so much fun!  So many choices and so many sales.  And COUPONS...I plan to become an expert in coupon shopping.  I'm just looking forward to the easiness of shopping in America and being able to find everything you need/want.

3. Road Trips.  We like to take road trips.  And, we bought an RV so now our road trips will be even more fun.  We don't know anything about owning an RV so it will be an adventure to learn.  But, it will enable us to take our pet(s) when we go on road trips so we don't have to worry about leaving them behind.  I can't wait to go camping for the first time!  Even if we don't take the RV, I'm looking forward to road trips.  Driving in America is just fun!

4. Football Games.  I'm excited to watch football on TV again (in English) and have more options available.  But, I'm also excited to be in Oregon and cheering for the University of Oregon Ducks!!!  We plan to try and get tickets to some games this season.  Now that we're close enough to drive to the games, it will be fun to be there in person.  I'll be sure to let you know if we get tickets!

5. Owning a House.  Yes, we have owed our house for several months...but we haven't been living in it.  I'm excited to be a homeowner.  I'm sure there will be extra work that I'm not used to (like all the cleaning and yard work) but it will be fun to be in OUR house!  We've already had the house painted and have a new fridge.  I plan to buy a new stove and new furniture and slowly start to make other changes/improvements.  It will be fun to get to know our neighborhood and just get settled in as long-term residents in America!!

Sunday, August 26, 2012

Galatians 6:9


Week 35 - Galatians 6:9
Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

Friday, August 24, 2012

Coming Soon!

OK, here's the situation.  I have 8 days left in Panama...and I don't have internet access at my house anymore.  Therefore, I can't upload pictures and write fascinating blog posts.  But, I promise they are coming.  I have an exciting Day In My Life from our trip to the beach; and I have a tasty modified recipe using up some of my last canned goods; and I will have a list of some sort to add also.  However,  I probably won't be able to upload any of this until September...so please be patient.  Check back in September and I hope to have something worthy of your interest!

Cheeseburger Pizza Pasta

I'm still trying to use up all the food in my pantry before leaving the country.  I have very random things so it's hard to follow recipes.  I had one can of cheddar cheese soup and it reminded me of a recipe I tried a while ago (Cheeseburger Pasta)...it was ok, but I wasn't sure I wanted to eat it again.  And, since I didn't have all the other ingredients, I couldn't duplicate it.  So, I decided to MODIFY it and make it work with what I had.  The results: better than the original.  It turned out like goulash and it was really good.  I added too much pasta (because I needed to use it all) so it wasn't as saucy as it might have been...but it was really good.  And, it was good as leftovers the next day!  I'll include the original recipe (in case you want to try it) and also my modified recipe.

My ingredients.

Brown the hamburger with the onions.
 

Add the cheese soup, the pizza sauce, and the chili's.

Add the pasta and the water.

Let it simmer while the pasta cooks.

Delicious and hot!

Top with mozzarella cheese and enjoy!


Cheeseburger Pasta (original recipe)

1 pound ground beef
1 can (10.75 oz.) condensed cheddar cheese soup
1 can (10.75 oz.) condensed tomato soup
1 1/2 cups water
2 cups uncooked medium shell pasta

Directions:
-Cook beef in skillet until browned.  Pour off fat.
-Add soups, water, and pasta.  Heat to a boil.
-Cook over medium heat 10 minutes or until done, stirring often.

Cheeseburger Pizza Pasta (MODIFIED recipe)

1 pound ground beef
1 small onion, chopped (I used dried chopped onions because I had them and I'm lazy)
1 can (10.75 oz.) condensed cheddar cheese soup
1 can (15 oz.) pizza sauce
1 can (4.5 oz.) chopped green chili's
1 1/4 cups water
2 cups uncooked medium shell pasta (I used macaroni because that's what  I had...I liked it better because it tasted more like goulash with the macaroni instead of shells)
Mozzarella cheese as garnish

Directions:
-Brown beef and onion in a large pot.  Pour off fat.
-Add soup, pizza sauce, chili's, water, and pasta.  Heat to a boil.
-Cover and cook over medium heat 10-12 minutes or until noodles are done, stirring often.

Dirty dishes.  The meal is made in one pot so there aren't many dishes.

Cheeseburger Pizza Pasta
Taste: 4 out of 5
Dirty Dishes: 5 out of 5
Time/Effort: 5 out of 5
TOTAL: 14 out of 15

Sunday, August 19, 2012

Philippians 1:6


Week 34 - Philippians 1:6
...being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

Saturday, August 18, 2012

August 16 - A Day In My Life

I took Thursday and Friday off of work to have one last "girls weekend" at the beach.  We had fun at the beach, even though it rained a lot.  It was fun to spend time with my friends before I leave Panama.  I look forward to the next time we can get together for a fun vacation!!  Enjoy the pictures...

I was able to sleep in a little bit since I didn't go to work (and we weren't leaving until after noon).

A delicious bowl of cereal to start my day.

Packing for the beach...trying to make it all fit in my tote bag since it's the only bag I have left.

When I leave the house empty for a few days, I like to make sure the dishes are clean and the trash is taken out.

On the road!  Abby was kind enough to drive Amber and me and we met Jen there.

A quick stop at the grocery store for tasty snacks.

We planned to stop at a Mexican restaurant for a late lunch since we had a groupon deal.  Comically, the map they provided was useless.

But, we managed to find the restaurant in spite of the map.

And we enjoyed a tasty meal.

We got to the vacation apartment and spent time talking and hanging out.

 It was raining all afternoon, but we had a good time together.

We ate our tasty snacks and spent time researching baby names...so funny!

I managed to get one mirror picture, with Amber looking in!

I forgot to take any "time check" pictures during the day, but I took one before going to bed.

What a fun day!

Sunday, August 12, 2012

John 10:10


Week 33 - John 10:10
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

I like the end of this verse better in the New King James Version: "I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly."  We need to live the abundant lives God has for us!

Saturday, August 11, 2012

Ubi

Last week was a hard week for us...we had to put our dog, Ubi, to sleep.  He was the best dog in the whole world and I am very sad that I will never see him again.  I didn't really want to make a montage video for him, but after looking at fun photos and video clips, I decided it wouldn't be so bad.  Unfortunately, I don't have access to a lot of my pictures of him as a puppy (we're in the process of moving from Panama to Oregon and my possessions are somewhere in between right now).  Also, Bill has a lot of great photos but I don't have access to his computer either.  So, with some of my mom's pictures and what I could find, I made a cute little video.  He will definitely be missed...such a good puppy dog!


The old video footage is grainy, but it's better than nothing.  
Click on the HD button to watch the video on Vimeo's website with slightly better quality. 

Sunday, August 5, 2012

Galatians 5:22-23


Week 32 - Galatians 5:22-23
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.  Against such things there is no law.