Dana-And-The-Deer

(So this happened a couple days ago, but I’m just posting it now… thought I’d let you know!)

So, here I am, sitting on the back porch of the cabin, reading my bible, eating an apple, chilling. Take some time to just be jealous for a moment. Done? Ok, we can move on.

When, I hear a rustling noise. I look over to the road and see a deer standing in the road. Hello! A deer!

So I’m thinking, ‘Oh my gosh. A deer.’ And then, ‘Am I about to witness this deer being hit by a car?’ that would be a little traumatic, to say the least, for me. Not to mention how upset the deer would be!

A car came and the deer gracefully leapt across the little dried up creek into the back yard of the cabin. The cabin where I live! Hello! Its like 40 feet away. Whoah.

Then it stands there a moment, looks around and walks into the woods. I’m still kinda in shock from all this when all of a sudden ANOTHER deer leaps into the yard, following his little deer buddy. This time it occurs to me to take a picture, but of course, all I have is my little camera-phone.

So I took the picture, and the deer looks tiny, but I’m hoping you can still tell what it is and fully appreciate this event in my life. I can’t believe these deer were so close up. I’m thinking alternatively, ‘Wow, God is so good, I got to hang out with deer today’, and ‘I straight up live in the woods.’ I guess both reactions are pretty appropriate.

Psalm 42:1-2 “As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the Living God.”

Dana-Asks-Around

For me, every day in Nashville is filled with questions. Sometimes I ask other people the questions I have, or just wonder them aloud. For example, today at Mercy I asked out loud, “I wonder whose cupcakes those are?” a lady in the office informed that another woman had brought them in to share. In this instance, it definitely paid off to voice my question. Mmm, cupcake!

But other questions, I keep to myself. And let me be clear: I have a TON of questions. The following is a list of questions that I have asked myself more than once… if not everyday, since coming to Nashville three weeks ago. I warn you, its weird, its awkward, but its real.

-Where am I?
-Am I underdressed?
-Am I overdressed?
-Do these people think I’m crazy?
-Do these people think I’m 16?
-Do these people assume I have an eating disorder?
-Do I have food in my teeth?
-Do I have to eat this to be polite?
-How did I get so far away from where I was trying to go?!
-What if my phone dies?
-What if my car dies?
-What if I get lost in the woods, and I die?!
-What if I get bitten by a brown recluse spider?
-Why am I living in a Log Cabin?
-Is 431 the same road as 31? (NO, it isn’t!)
-Am I in Kentucky?
-What is a convection oven?
-When am I gonna get to see Nancy?
-What do I do after Nashville?
-What do I do after I graduate?
-What am I going to do with my life?!
-Where the HECK am I?

This is just a sampling, my friends, of the many questions that bounce around in my brain on a daily basis. As I said, some are solved best when asked out loud or to others. “Where am I?” is a great example.

Some are best left to ruminate in my head. Usually, they help me to laugh at myself after a while when I realize how silly they are. “Do these people think I’m crazy?”, “Do they think I’m 16?”, these questions don’t really matter in the long run.

Some though, I just take to God and try to leave there. When I start thinking about the future, or try to create some huge significant meaning to every action I take or relationship I form, I get overwhelmed. I have to take a deep breathe and realize that it’s ok to have questions.
The important thing to realize is what to do with those questions; to know which category they fall into. And to be able to let them go when they are just out of my hands.

And to be content that the most pressing questions are less about the future, and more about the right now.

Dana-Pecan-Pie

I have been in Nashville for nearly three weeks and today I baked the first pie of the summer.
I just so love to bake. I can’t really explain it. I think it’s just the act of creating something that I know people will enjoy. Its like, no matter if you show up late, look like a slob, and are even uninvited… people will be glad to see you if you bring baked goods. Ha ha, so maybe I bake to ensure that I’ll be welcomed wherever I go. Or maybe not.
Well, for those of you who miss me (and me baking you things on a weekly basis!) I have decided to reveal my top secret recipe for my favorite pie. Here it goes folks, I hope you can enjoy it as much as I do!

Dana’s Favorite Chocolate Pecan Pie

Crust: I find that the one thing that will put a homemade pie into a category all its own is if the crust is made from scratch. Its worth the extra effort.

¾ Cup cold, unsalted butter, cut into ½ in. pieces
2 Cups all purpose flour
¼ Cup granulated sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
1/3 Cup of ice cold water

Mix the dry ingredients, then use a food processor, pastry blender, or just your fingers to break up the butter and mix it into the flour. You’ll know that you are done with this step when the butter has changed from blocks of butter, into something more resembling flakes… I hope that makes sense.

When you get to this stage, its time to add the water. This part isn’t really a science. Just add a little water to the flour mixture at a time, then use your hands to try and get all of the flour-butter stuff to get some contact with the water. You’ll know you have added enough water when the dough can be molded into a ball without chunks falling off.
Then comes the fun part. Clean off a spot on the counter, sprinkle the counter, your rolling pin, and even the dough with more flour. Then roll the dough to about a 10 inch circle. This is when it’s important to remember that baking is a messy process. But so what? A damp cloth will clean up the flour when you are done. Just enjoy the mess!
People make up all kinda of techniques on how to get the dough into the pie pan. Seriously, I just pick it up and lay it in there as quick as I can. If it tears, I just mush it back together. No big deal.

Filling: This is my favorite thing about this pie. It is so simple to make! Fruit pies take forever to peel/slice/sautee/whatever! Just mix these ingredients together, and you are totally ready.

2/3 Cup granulated sugar
1/3 Cup butter, MELTED
1 Cup corn syrup (I use Light Karo syrup)
2 Tablespoons bourbon
½ teaspoon salt (I usually just throw in a ‘pinch’)
3 Eggs
1 Cup pecan halves
1 Cup semi-sweet chocolate

In a large bowl, beat the sugar, butter, corn syrup, bourbon, salt and eggs with a hand mixer. Unless you happened to overheat your hand mixer in a terrible oatmeal cookie accident. In this case, its probably ok to just mix it as intensely as possible with a wisk or fork. Or whatever. It’ll be good… don’t worry!
Note: Adding the bourbon to this recipe makes it really stand out and have a depth of flavor that you don’t find in most chocolate-pecan pies. It really is the secret ingredient. That being said, it is an ingredient that has, sadly, been missing from most of my CPPs (Chocolate Pecan Pies) as of late. Only three more months till I can buy my OWN bourbon!
After you have that mixture of gooey-sugary goodness, you can then stir in the semi-sweet chocolate and the pecan halves. Once everything is stirred, just pour the filling into the crust, and put the whole thing into the oven at 375 degrees for 40-50 minutes. The pecans will float to the top of pie when they are baked, so don’t worry about it!
I’ll let you know what kind of precautions need to be take when using a convection oven… that’s what we have here in the Cabin. It should be quite an experience.
OH and one more thing. This pie can easily be undercooked, and it looses some of its appeal when its looks gross. I wish I could be more specific, but basically, just remember: You can always put it back in the oven.
I hope everyone enjoyed this Blog about CPP as much as I did. Wow, I enjoying talking (and typing) about baking almost as much as I enjoy actually doing it. This could be a very good discovery!

A day in the life...

Tennessee has an aroma unlike any place I’ve been. It smells of honey suckle, jasmine, mowed grass and little league softball, all at once. It’s a smell that fills me with a feeling of hopefulness and anticipation.
Running around the hilly road the cabin is on gives me time to feel each moment and take in the day. It’s a time when my body can move, and my spirit can be still. As I start out, I am joyful at the coolness in the air and the boundless energy I feel as I practically bounce downhill.
Is it a creek or a brook that falls beside me? I’m not sure, but its presence alone makes me smile. I look around. To my right is a mountain; green and powerful against bright blue and white. To my left are homes, spread out among trees and fences. I find it shocking that there are really horses, goats, barns and front porches with winding front drives. Its beautiful.
Everything I see and feel and smell glorifies God. Growing up at the beach, I always saw the glory of the Lord in the consistency of the Gulf. Over and over waves break on the sand and say, ‘I will never fail. I will never fail. I’m forever faithful, I’m forever faithful’.
Now, as my feet pound and my forehead sweats, I am confronted by an all new facet of God’s nature.
Coming here for the summer was a huge leap of faith. As I run, I am asking myself and God, ‘Where am I going?’ I’ll run around the bend, up the hill, to the stop sign, then turn around and come back.
With the hill in sight, my legs start to burn. This is why I love to run. Though I’m not the fastest or the toughest, I still feel like I’ve accomplished something when I’m through. I feel capable and strong when I’ve pushed through a difficult run. And now, reaching the top of the hill, I’m pretty content.
Though I’m at peace, questions fill my head: ‘Why am I in Tennessee this summer? Where is this leading? How will I know God’s will for me in the next season of my life? God, I need answers!
I reach the stop sign and walk a couple of circles, then stretch my legs. I may not have paced myself the way I should have. The run back, I know, will be tougher. I catch my breath, check for cars, then start running again.
The terrain looks all new. The sun is at my back, warming my shoulders and slowly setting. Birds chirp and dive in front of me; red, blue, white, black. They are beautiful.
I hear the brook again and think about how blessed I am to be here. The mountain to my left stands tall and majestic. I am struck by the sudden need to worship God for imagining it, designing it, and speaking it into being. Wow. Why? And then I know. ‘Because I love you, thanks why.’
Glory to God!
I’ve gotten to meet so many amazing people so far. People that I admire, whose lives are similar to what I hope to have someday. I instinctively feel the need to struggle and strive to have a life that measures up. One that impresses others and commends my goodness to them. I want to feel capable and ‘all put together’. But I’m learning, if nothing else, that that isn’t the call God has for me. He has called me to follow, to be a girl after Him, not the world. Whatever is next for me, God knows. And truly, that’s enough. For now, its ok to have questions. But I’m overjoyed to get to see the beauty of God all around me. He calls me now to just keep running. Don’t stop, don’t slow, don’t fear. Just go.
I’m moved to tears by the magnitude of this call.
Surrounded by God’s faithfulness and beauty and the character of the people I am interacting with daily, I am challenged to look within myself. What do I find? I’m surprised to find pride and envy, anger and unforgiveness. They don’t belong in my heart, but God is cultivating a new heart in me. One of mercy, thankfulness and peace. One more like His.
I approach the last leg of my run. Its uphill, and I am feeling it. I can see the back yard with porch spring, bird feeder, oak tree and pile of firewood. Its almost unreal. My joy spills over into laughter. I don’t understand why God is so good to me.
I know times won’t always be like this. But while they are, I want to soak it up. I hope that I can be receptive and patient as I lean on God during this time. And when, not if, times get hard, I’ll know that God’s love is powerful, majestic and faithful. And he calls me to run on. Where ever it takes me.
Praise God!