Let's Say Thanks

A wonderful way to say thank you to the troops and to let them know that you are thinking of them during the holidays.

Xerox prints them off for you and sends them to a soldier. You don't get to pick the soldier, but you can know that it's going to mean a lot to someone this year.

The Home Run King

As many of you know, my brother is currently travelling the world and sharing God's love in 11 countries. He left in July and has been to the Dominican Republic and Haiti so far. Yesterday, he headed to Ireland for a week and his plane had a layover at JFK. Last night, Daniel called us and it was SO good to hear his voice! I miss him terribly these days and I know there's 9 more months until I'll be able to see him and wrap my arms around him in a big hug. I so selfishly want to keep him here to myself, but then I think about all of the people who are getting to meet him and I realize that I'm so blessed to have him all of the other months besides 11 and I no longer feel sad. I'm so happy that the rest of the world gets to meet a man that means the world to me!

If you haven't been following Daniel's blog at danieldurick.theworldrace.org, you really need to. You can read all about the things his team his doing (check out the other members on Team GreenLight to get more detailed blogs), his beer reviews of the world (love that he stays true to himself), his latest illness (most recently Malaria), and best of all his videos. I know I've mentioned before that he is absolutely brilliant when it comes to making videos. He has a gift from God and he's been using it to capture his travels. The most recent video is my favorite by far (I tend to say that each time) and I cried through most of it. I love thinking about the difference he's making and how many people he is able to show God's heart to.

This video takes place in the DR and I'll just include what he wrote about it below. Enjoy!

After spending some time in the Dominican Republic, the crew starts to engage with some of the daily activities with the people in the slums of Las Barres Connes. From weeding, plucking some beans, to picking up trash; the needs in this community are endless.

While spending time with the kids in the community, Daniel befriends one kid who is a little more "special" than the rest. Walkeen had one dream of being able to play with the normal kids on the baseball field. Never having played a day in his life or knowing which direction to run, he spent all week practicing for a moment in his life he will never forget.

(Not sure why it cuts it off on the right side. You may want to open in a new window)

Family Photos by M Photography

Back in July, we had our family pictures taken by our longtime friend, Melissa Cooper. We wanted to get some pictures before my brother left to travel the world for a year so we ventured out to the farm where my mom works to snap some photos. Melissa took some outstanding photos and there are so many great ones to choose from, but I am including some of my personal favorites from the day (there's too many for me to load all of them).

Enjoy!

The family

My fantastic parents that raised me into who I am today

My brother simply doesn't take a bad picture!

The three most important men in my life.

Now of course you have to a pic of the ladies!

Seriously, could I have married a more adorable man? I'm smitten by him...

This is one of his favorites so I figured I'd include it.

I am so proud and honored to have him as my "little" brother.

We always said we needed to get one of all of us in our Bengals gear. This is what we typically look like on Sundays in September to January. Sundays will be one of the times I will miss my brother the most.

I just love the sky on this one!



And my personal, absolute most favorite........


This sums up my intense and ever-growing love for this incredibly handsome man that made me his bride several years ago. Sure, everyday life gets in the way of our love and respect for one another at times, but this man is my rock and I am forever linked to him. He makes each day special and meaningful for me. I consider myself extremely blessed and I thank God often for such a beautiful, full life that is full of love and joy.

Melissa, you captured our family beautifully! I can't say thank you enough!

My Ode to Corn

Oh my, I don't think I can tell you how much I love corn!

With our CSA, we've been getting at least 6 ears of corn a week. Some may get tired of all this corn, but not I. I usually run out before I get to try all the recipes I want and have to wait until the next week. There was actually a week where I bought 3 or 4 extra ears of corn at the Farmers Market just because I needed them for all of my ambitious goals for the week.

Corn is such a versatile plant and is truly an amazing thing in and of itself. So much of our world relies on corn since every part of corn is able to be used. I did learn an interesting fact this week. The minute that corn is picked, its kernels begin the process of turning to starch. Therefore, corn is best used (and sweetest) within the first couple days after it's been picked. Does that mean you can't use it later in the week? Of course not. But it sure does make you wonder how long it's been since it's been picked when you buy it at the grocery store. Just another reason to go local and support your friendly farmer neighbors!

I've used corn in at least 2-3 meals a week, but I thought I'd share my favorites that I've repeated a couple times already this summer.

The recipe for Corn with Bacon and Green Onions was definitely a hit on the 4th of July, so we ate it again for my dad's birthday alongside some Spinach-Walnut Chicken. I believe this dish is an excellent compliment to any meal...that is if it doesn't steal the show!

Another absolute favorite is Summer Stir-Fry! This is originally from Pioneer Woman and it is absolutely delicious! You could easily do it with chicken instead of shrimp, but oh boy, that shrimp is so yummy! My friend, Faith, saw this recipe the same time I did and we made it within a week of each other. Once she told me how truly delicious it was, I just had to make it right away. We've both had to limit how many times we make it...it's just that good! You can check out the recipe here on her blog or you can scope out the original over at Pioneer Woman.


Summer Salsa is an absolute must! Got this recipe from Faith last year and it is so refreshing! Please take note that it is not a spicy salsa, but a sweet one full of great CSA vegetables. I recommend it with some organic blue corn chips for an awesome snack!

Finally, I'm leaving you with Fire Roasted Corn Salad. This is a recipe from a little ole gourmet cooking store that I love and I just think this is such a tasty side dish! It's got everything I love in it!

You need:

• Juice of 3 limes
• 2 tsp. ground cumin
• 1 tsp. chili powder
• 3/4 cup olive oil
• Coarse salt and pepper, to taste
• 6 ears of corn
• 3 cups cherry tomatoes, stemmed and halved
• 1/2 cup diced red onion
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 1/4 lb. feta cheese, diced

NOTE: I halved this recipe and still made plenty for just the two of us. The only thing I didn't halve was the feta cheese because, well, I think feta cheese is fantastic and should be used liberally.

In a bowl, whisk together the lime juice, ground cumin, and chili powder. Pour in the 3/4 cup olive oil in a slow, steady stream while whisking to make a vinaigrette. Season with salf and pepper. Set aside.

Prepare your corn. You can either grill it by brushing some oil on them and turning them over a medium-hot fire until lightly charred for about 10 minutes.....OR if it's absolutely sweltering outside and you really don't feel like creating a fire and grilling, boil your corn until cooked. You don't have to do it for too long because you don't want to overcook your corn until it's mushy.

Using a knife (or a corn zipper) cut off all of your kernels and place in a large bowl. Add your tomatoes, onion, cilantro, feta, and the vinaigrette and toss to coat evenly. I think it's great when you serve it immediately, but I also like it when it's cooled down. Makes a great side dish.


And yes, all of these recipes were made with organic ingredients and were all gluten-free...except for that Vanilla Porter in the above picture. That's just full of gluten!

I love corn!

Now go buy some and share some more yummy dishes with me!

Someone You Should Know..........Daniel Durick

For my 3rd installment, I chose to feature Daniel Durick. This one is one that I've been in the process of writing for roughly 2 weeks. I have fumbled over my words and have had a hard time forming all of my thoughts and emotions into something that is legible.

I've known Daniel for 23 years. He is my little brother. His birth is actually my very first memory. I was a few months shy of being 3 years old when he was born, and while I don't remember a whole lot, I do recall knowing that this was a huge addition to my life.

There are stories of how I prayed to God for a little sister when my mom was pregnant with him, but God knows what's best and I sure am glad he gave me a brother. I don't know if I could have handled a sister.

But honestly, there were days where I could've done without him. Daniel had this inept ability to know exactly what my triggers were and he liked to push EVERY button. He absolutely tortured me when we were kids! We can laugh about it now, but I still shudder when I think of all the times he bit me, times he hit me, or times he just pushed me to the point of tears (which was often...I was a very sensitive child). I think he got me to cry several times a week.

As your typical siblings, we just kept our distance for a while. We always had a good time on vacations and such, but it wasn't until my senior year of high school that the sibling rivalry started to die down a bit.

At the end of my senior year, I started dating Mark and then I went off to college to live. I'm sure Daniel loved this. He didn't have me there all the time playing the big sister role and reminding him of what he was SUPPOSED to do all the time.

But I will say this, I have loved watching the relationship between Mark and my brother develop since we've been together. Mark truly considers Daniel to be his brother and I believe Daniel feels the same way. They went hiking on the Appalachian Trial together, play softball together, train like maniacs at the gym, and they of course bond over all of their amazing abilities in water sports when we go to the lake. I love watching them together because they get each other laughing all the time and watching the two of them laugh is one of my favorite things in the world!

While I was away, Daniel developed into an amazing musician. Music has always been a big part of both of our lives. I would say that was probably a result of our parents always singing us to sleep every night. I remember when Daniel decided to start playing the drums. He was terrible...as any new musician who'd never played before may be. However, drums are something Daniel really stuck to and he got good. And I mean, GOOD!

Daniel played in a band all throughout high school and played in several throughout college. I enjoyed going to his shows and I always welled up with pride as I watched how far my little brother had come. I knew he was good and I loved watching others experience it too. Daniel gave up playing in his bands a couple years ago for his own reasons that I completely understand and support, but he still enjoys jamming with some of his best friends from high school. I would love to see a reunion show.

Daniel is also an amazing athlete! He seriously blows me out of the water. He featured a video on his blog recently that was made by an organization and one quote they kept repeating stuck with me about a way to describe Daniel. It went something like, "There are those that say they can't, and there are those that say they can and they do." Daniel CAN!

Daniel is always coming up with these out-of-this-world goals for himself of something he'd just like to "try". It started out with running a marathon. You can see from the picture above that he completed it and he did really well.

After that, Daniel wanted to run a triathalon. We all went to watch him and he did outstanding. Finally, Daniel wanted to do the Half Iron Man Triathalon in Hawaii. This is swimming 1.3 miles, biking 56 miles, and running a half marathon. I can't even imagine it and he did it. Not only did he do it, but he came in 5th in his age division! He's truly an outstanding athlete and I wouldn't be surprised if this is just the beginning. We may see him in the full Iron Man before we know it!

Daniel is also about as genuine as it gets. What you see is what you get. He has a great sense of humor and like I said before, his laugh is one of my favorites. He tells a great story too which I've been able to enjoy a few over a beer or two. He gives the best hugs that someone can give and he has a wonderful ability to make everyone that he knows feel valued. Daniel is a wonderful listener and a joy to just be around. I feel privileged to have been able to go on countless vacations with him over the years and every one of these is so full of memories (good and bad) that we just love to rehash and laugh over together.

You really could not ask for a better brother!

Just last year, Daniel graduated from college at NKU. We were so proud to watch him graduate with honors in the communications department. He worked so hard in college and was incredibly successful. While in school, Daniel interned at a local Cincinnati TV station where he built some amazing friendships and Daniel would continue to work there after college while living in the Cincinnati area. He is superb at filming and editing video. I'm in awe of his artistic eye for making videos and I love every single one of them.

While in school, Daniel had to do an internship for school that did not involve his TV station. Our parents have friends that are missionaries down in Ecuador that own a Christian TV & radio station. Daniel decided to go down to Ecuador for a month and work there to get some experience. Our family was thrilled because we had all been to Ecuador before and while Daniel thought that he'd gain experience and insight into the communications world, God had much bigger plans for Daniel and his life.

During his trip, I think Daniel only got to work at TV station for one day. The rest of the time, he was carted along with all of the other missionaries. He worked with groups in the jungles to build churches, he played with the children, and altogether found a new path in life. I think this is where Daniel found what a true relationship with God looked like. You can read back through his blog during his travels and see the dramatic difference God was making in his life. Tears come to my eyes as I think about what a changed person Daniel was when he came back. Anyone who knows him can attest to it.

Not only was Daniel's relationship with God sparked, but so was his love for travel. We had tried to convince Daniel to try traveling earlier, but he just wasn't really that interested. That was fine, but I think we all knew how much Daniel would like it based on his personality. Since his Ecuador trip, Daniel seems to not be able to get enough travel.

I remember one weekend at my parents' house, Daniel just said, "Oh, did I tell you I'm going on a trip and I'm leaving Monday?" (typical statement) To which I replied, "No. Where are you going?" As nonchalant as he could be (and he truly is this way), he simply said, "Iceland".

When I asked him what made him decide Iceland, he just said, "I don't know, I looked it up and it looked pretty neat."

Oh, to be able to just pick up your stuff and go. Daniel has a very adventurous personality and traveling is just perfect for him. Which leads me to the next journey in Daniel's life.

Daniel applied and interviewed with an organization called The World Race with Adventures in Missions. He was accepted last summer and has been preparing for the last year to embark on a journey around the world. The World Race's purpose is to travel the world to share God's love and to help those in need.

Daniel has raised money for the last year to help fund his trip. Daniel was worried that the money would be an issue, but with the help of family and friends, Daniel got his trip funded with no problems. From there, Daniel went on to sell all of his possessions (this went toward his trip cost as well) and has just taken off to travel the world for the next 11 months. His newstation did a wonderful story on him about a month ago on his journey.

He is currently in Santo Domingo for just a few more days before heading to Haiti for the month. He will be then go on to Dominican Republic, Ireland (for just a few days), I believe the Turkey/Greece area, Africa (for about 4 months), and SE Asia (another 4 months). Things can always change...and they probably will, but they will continue to go where God leads them.

His team (only about 7 people) will live off roughly $25 a day for food. Daniel is responsible for everyone's money and budgeting, which means he will have quite a task at hand. He is also videotaping their adventures during the trip. You can follow him on his blog (link is also on the right) and feel free to support him or adopt his team (Team Green Light) in prayer.

Seeing my little brother off at the airport was incredibly difficult to say the least. There were many tears that were mainly selfish because of how much he will be missed. I love him more than words can express and I am truly the proudest big sister that there ever was or will be. I know that God is going to do amazing things through Daniel and I can't wait to watch and follow him as he experiences it all.

Daniel is genuine, trustworthy, respectful, fun, adventurous, caring, honest, a great friend, a fantastic brother, can strike up a conversation with ANYONE, cool under pressure, has a heart for God, and will undoubtedly do huge things through Christ during the next year!

So if you don't already know him.....

Daniel Durick is someone you should know!

Please continue to cover him in your prayers!

Christmas Gift

Ummmm....can we say best Christmas gift ever???

Jordan got Mark and I two lower level tickets to the bowl game. As if that wasn't great enough, he also gave us a UK football signed by the ENTIRE team!

Pretty amazing!

Mark and I are often amazed at what wonderful friends we have. We thank God on a daily basis for such good people in our lives.

California: Day Two

Our second day was PACKED with things to do! We dropped Amy off at work that day so that we could have the car and cruise through town. We started off the day with a hike in the Hollywood Hills. We went to Runyan Canyon where many celebs bring their dogs to run/walk. While we didn't see any celebs, we saw plenty of beautiful views (well, after the morning smog cleared).

Next, we drove through town to see some of the "sights". We really just had a GPS and were looking for things we'd heard of before. We had no desire to actually get out and see many of the sights. Just simply wanted to drive by them to say we'd seen them. We went by the Chinese Theater, down Sunset Blvd., all throughout Hollywood, and even went over to Beverly Hills. Mark didn't know what the Beverly Hills Hotel was or why it was significant, but I took a picture anyway.

After we got back, Mark and I took the bikes to the beach. This later turned out to be my favorite thing to do each day. The ride is no more than 10 minutes and I would just load up the bike with my purse, a good book, and a towel to go read on the beach for hours.

But on this day, Mark and I rode a few miles on the beach past the Santa Monica pier and then came back to Erdinger to sit on the beach and have a beer and lunch. The service was horrible, but as can be imagined, the beer was delicious. The company wasn't too bad either.

I then had to hurry home because a year and a half ago, when I finished the Twilight series, I got Amy hooked on them. Well, the week we were at in CA happened to coincide with the premiere of New Moon. Amy's friend Lindsay is a HUGE fan and has her own website. In fact, US Weekly had named it in their favorite Twilight sites that week. If you are a Twilight fan, you can check it out here.

Lindsay, Me, Amy, and Jasmine

So, that night, we went to the red carpet premiere in Westwood. We didn't see the movie or anything, but got to see all the stars. Below are the pics (if you care). While this was an amazing treat for me, I have to say that going to a red carpet premiere PERIOD was pretty awesome!

My camera is not so great...

Robert Pattinson

Kristen Stewart

Taylor Lautner

Happy Anniversary!

Happy anniversary to my parents who are celebrating 33 years of marriage today! I can truly say that my parents are a shining example of what love is and what a healthy, Godly marriage looks like. Thank you guys for loving each other through the good and bad times and for showing me what the institution of marriage is in a culture that forgets so easily! I love you both!!!