Sushi Party

Saturday night we went to a friend's house. I'll call him the Sushi Master (pictured below). The Sushi Master and his lovely wife hosted a wonderful sushi dinner for nine. The best part was he let us participate by helping to make the sushi. We had so much fun.
I learned a lot about preparing sushi. I always thought it would be too difficult, but it wasn't. Having someone show you and then doing it yourself is the best way to learn.

The rice is the most important part of sushi. For a recipe for sushi rice click HERE. This website has great information about sushi.

Then you need to slice up all the veggies and fish. We got a chance to chop and slice celery, cucumber, carrots, crab meat, salmon, tuna, shrimp and avocado. We had lots of fun and it didn't feel like work. When we were all done, we had so much sushi to eat.

Here are some pictures from our night.

On the left cucumber and carrots. On the right Jessica slicing cucumbers.
Skilled hands slicing avocados and cucumbers.









Rice with salmon about to be placed on top. Watch out these had a dab of wasabi on top of rice. Scott's handiwork.








First you apply the rice. A nice thin layer. Then add crab, carrots, cucumbers, avocados.









Roll nice and tight. My first sushi roll on the left. It looks pretty on the plate.









Everyone's having fun. Mandy and her hubby Mike. Mike's spicy tuna roll looks like a fish doesn't it?









What a feast. We did put a big dent in this spread. I enjoyed every bite.









This is what happens when you put too much wasabi on your sushi.

Bolt

Friday night Tom and I went to a $2.00 movie theater with a couple of friends. I wanted to laugh so we saw Bolt. I know it was released last year in November (which explains why it was at a $2.00 movie theater), but I just got around to seeing it.

I have to say it was such a cute movie. It was clean. It was funny. It made me laugh out loud. The hamster, Rhino, was the cutest thing ever. The New York pigeons were hilarious. If you haven’t gotten around to seeing this movie and want to see a cute, funny, family movie then Bolt is just right for you.

I know I’m a grown up and this was a “kid” movie, but don’t you just love those types of movies sometime? There are times I just don’t want to think about the plot or the meaning behind a movie. There are times I just want to see a movie that will both entertain me and make me smile. Yes, these types of movies are predicable, but who cares.

I watch chick flicks for the same reason. The plot line to every feel good chick flick – boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy wins girl in the end. It’s a formula that works why mess with it.

Sometimes in my relationship with God I find myself in the mode of predictability. I know what to expect and life is good as we move along together. I like those seasons. Then there the times when things move fast and there are many ups and downs. There are curve balls I didn’t see coming and believe it or not, I’ve learned that even in those types of situations God is still constant. He is who He is. His formula is the same. He loves me no matter what. I love that about Him.

© Nadine Zawacki 2009

Hope Inside

I love my children for many reasons. I’m a proud mom and will brag about their accomplishments at a drop of hat. I know I’m not alone in this. Moms love their kids. When they are little every step, word, wonderful works of art, etc. expands our chest. When they are older every good grade, sport accomplishment, musical or dance recital, etc. doesn’t go without support and encouragement.

As adults there is a mutual respect that develops. You love when they ask your opinion on something or when they call for no reason whatsoever. Giving your opinion is not so much a matter of “You have to do this because I’m your parent, older and know better.” It’s more along the lines of “I love you and if you want to know my opinion, I’ll share it with you.” Guess what; they usually want that advice.

I got an email from my daughter. Her brother sent a link to a new movie trailer and while she was watching it, an image made her think of me (the Hope image above). She captured it and sent it to me.

The word hope means a lot to me for many reasons. For one it’s the meaning of my name. When Tom first got diagnosed with cancer he gave me a bracelet with the word hope on it. It was a reminder to keep hope alive. There are times my hope starts to fade, then I just look at my bracelet and remember -

Jeremiah 2:11 “For I know the plans I have for you, “declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

© Nadine Zawacki 2009

Commercials

I understand the need for commercials. Some are very clever and fun. Lately there are many of them that are very irritating.

Besides the disturbing Old Navy mannequin ads (I don’t feel the need to elaborate), the one on top of my list is the new Kleenex commercials where the lady keeps repeating the word TOUCH. Touch this, touch that, the list goes on and on for the whole commercial. I mute it every time it comes on or I change the channel – opposite effect I believe the advertisers want.

Then there are the stupid commercials that try to have these catchy tunes but seriously need to get a clue - (Hillshire Farms – Go Meat and Subway’s – Five Dollar Foot Longs).

My favorite though is any NEW drug commercial. What I dislike about these are all the possible side effects. They can include everything from dry mouth to cancer for the same drug (talk about a stretch). They always end the same – “Ask your doctor if this drug will be right for you.” Oh yeah, that makes it better. Why would I want to try something that could kill me when my original problem is not life threatening?

Repetitions of ads help sell their products. It puts it in the consumers mind and they remember them, even years later. I still can sing the Oscar Mayer bologna song.

When I first became a Christian, I memorized scripture. I still know those verses 30 years later. I need to be more careful of what gets repeated over and over and gets stuck in my brain. I need to guard what comes into me because enough of it becomes something solid.

So Lord, help me to continue to repeat more of You in my life and more of Your word.

© Nadine Zawacki 2009

Welcome to the Ultimate Blog Party 2009

Hello and welcome to the Ultimate Blog Party 2009. Come in and look around. I hope you enjoy your stay whether you are here for the first time or a regular friend. I always have a blast visiting new blogs during these parties, so make sure you leave a comment so I can stop by your place too. Let me tell you a little bit about me.

I’m madly in love to my childhood sweetheart. We’ve been together for over 31 years and married for almost 28. We have two grown children whom we are very proud of. I self-published my first novel Prisoner of Circumstance. Here’s a short description for you:

Can good really overcome evil? When Regina Palmetto strikes a deal to save her father’s life, she knows what she’s getting into. But then the stakes go up. One night during her husband’s drunken rage, her marriage-in-name-only becomes something more. She is determined that her unborn child will not grow up in this family of evil.

With the help of Detective John Nelson, can she escape the madman she lives with? And should she be concerned with Nelson’s reasons for helping her?

I’m giving away a copy of my book (Prize #24). To enter to win you simply need to pick your top three prizes you hope to win, list them on your party post and leave a comment at 5 Minutes for Moms our gracious host. I’m hoping to win one of the following:

· Kitchen Aid Artisan Stand Mixer from Moms Who Think
· $50 Gift Card to Target from Shoot Me Now
· $30 Gift Certificate from A High & Noble Calling

So whether you have been an old friend or a new one, I want to thank you for stopping by. Don’t forget to leave a comment so I can come by and visit you too.

© Nadine Zawacki 2009

If you're here from the Blog Party, click here for latest post.

On the Road Again . . .

View Larger Map

In about 4 weeks Tom and I will be on another road trip. I can’t believe we are moving again. When we moved to Dallas (Oct. 2008), Tom drove a truck and our car was in a car carrier. This time will be different.

Tom’s last chemo treatment is April 13th. Driving a truck is not an option because I can’t drive one of those huge trucks with a car carrier. The driving would be too hard on Tom, so I’ll do most of the driving.

We are using PODS to move our belongings. PODS are storage containers that are delivered to your home. You load them up and they deliver the PODS to your destination. It’s the easiest way for us to move. Here’s the catch – it takes about 2 weeks for our stuff to get to NY. That leaves us without a home for that long. What to do? The answer is simple - road trip!!!

We'll be leaving on April 17th. I’m excited because we will be stopping along the way to visit with friends and family (see the above map). Our first stop in Louisiana is the only place we don’t know anyone. It is not the most direct route to New York from Dallas, TX, but it will be fun.

If there is an internet connection, I will let you know along the way where we are and what we’re up to.

I am very excited to stop and spend some time with people we love. Pictures will be taken and blog posts will be written.

I can’t wait! Road trips rock!

© Nadine Zawacki 2009

You can use the directional arrows located on the upper left hand corner of the map picture or click the link underneath to view more of the map.

Blessed Child

I just finished reading Blessed Child, a book by Bill Bright and Ted Dekker. They wrote a sequel called A Man Called Blessed. If you know me, then you know that I love Ted Dekker. Blessed Child is one of his earlier work (2001). In the last couple of years his writings have become more than edgy; it has become a bit dark. His later work is not for everyone. I admire how his creative mind works.

Even though I’ve read this book before, recently I’ve read it again. When there is a book I enjoy, I re-read it over and over again every couple of years. It’s amazing how I can forget some of the details of the book. What I remember is the gist of the story and that it moved me in some way.

Blessed Child is about a young orphan boy who was abandoned and raised in an Ethiopian monastery. The back cover states the following:

When relief expert Jason Marker agrees to take Caleb from the monastery, he unwittingly opens humanity’s doors to an incredible journey filled with intrigue and peril. Together with Leiah, the French Canadian nurse who escapes to America with them, Jason discovers Caleb’s stunning power. But so do the boy’s enemies, who will stop at nothing to destroy him. Jason and Leiah fight for the boy’s survival while the world erupts into debate over the source of the boy’s power.

I fell in love with Caleb’s innocence and great love of God. His relationship with the Father is one that moved me to jealousy (in a good way). It made me desire to know God in such a way and deepen my intimacy with Him. No matter how good my relationship with God is, I don’t want compliancy to creep into it. A story like this one, makes me reexamine my relationship and strengthen the areas that are weak.

Some books make me forget, some make me cry, some entertain me and others move me to a deeper relationship with God.

What type of books do you enjoy?

© Nadine Zawacki 2009

Thank you Bex for this lovely award. Bex has some adorable boys that she writes about and I enjoy reading her blog. Check her out when you get a chance.

Rest is a Weapon

My husband always says that rest is a weapon. He heard Graham Cooke say that once. According to the dictionary a weapon is described as a device designed to inflict injury or death on an opponent. The secondary definition is; something used as a way of getting an advantage in a situation. Rest means a state or period of refreshing freedom from exertion.

How can rest be a weapon? For me I find if I don’t take the time to rest, then it will catch up with me. It will try to take advantage of the situation I’m in and I don’t react well. It does inflict injury to my body, mind and spirit.

I find when I’m so busy and do too much evidentially it catches up with me. It seems when life is as busy as it has been (it doesn’t show any signs of slowing down), it’s important for me to remember to slow down and rest.

Lack of sleep and a busy work week is a recipe for collapse. On top of our busy week, I’ve been battling a nasty head cold. Sitting through meetings with a foggy head is not recommended, but the meetings went really well. Many good things were discussed. My favorite part was being able to visit with everyone during the breaks. We also had some dear friends stay with us and it was good to spend time with them.

By Friday, my body was rebelling against my lack of sleep all week and my non-stop activity. I found it hard to function. Today is going to be a day of rest because rest will rejuvenate my body, my mind and my spirit. Yes, I could be packing boxes or countless other things, but today rest is the best thing I can do for myself. Tomorrow is another day.

© Nadine Zawacki 2009

Ultimate Blog Party 2009

Can you believe it’s time again for the Ultimate Blog Party hosted by 5 Minutes for Moms. The party starts on March 20th and runs until the 27th. For detailed information click HERE. You will be able to sign up and join the party on the first day, March 20th at 12:01 am.

Some of you may not know what a blog party is. Let me take a moment to explain. The purpose of the party is having the opportunity to visit as many new blogs you would like. You write a post telling your new visitors a little about yourself. You sign up at the 5 Minutes for Moms post and link your post. What’s nice is bloggers come and visit your blog. They leave a comment (that’s encouraged) and you visit them and leave a comment. I’ve found the more blogs you visit the more visitors you get.

This party also has a great prize page. I’m giving away a copy of my book (prize #24). There are so many great prizes to choose from. In your party post you list your top 3 prizes you are interested in and link those blogs. In case those top three are taken you can list as many back up prizes you want in the order you want.

I have met many wonderful bloggers this way. Some have become friends and we have been visiting each other’s blogs for years now. Doesn’t that sound like fun?

If you have never participated in one of these parties, I encourage you to try. If you are a male blogger you are stilled welcomed (don’t let the name of the site keep you away).

If you’ve participated in the past, leave a comment to let others know what you think.

© Nadine Zawacki 2009

New York – Part III

Last Saturday when we were in New York we had a busy day. The church (pictured above) was having a luncheon at noon for us. A meet and greet. About fifty or so members were able to attend. We had a delightful time meeting everyone. It seems every time I talk about our visit, I mention food. Then everyone gets hungry as they read – I’ll skip the food part to spare all of you the glorious yummy details.

After we ate, we had a questions and answers session. I took pictures from the front (see below) of each side of the church. I told them if they asked hard questions, I would point them out on my blog. I have to say, they were all very, very nice. I’ve never felt more welcomed. I’m looking forward to getting to know all of them better.
That evening we went to Tom’s dad’s house to catch up with family. You can ask Tom, it takes a lot to embarrass me. After we said our hellos and gave hugs, three family members handed me my book to sign. They have not been the first ones to ask, but I always find that funny when someone wants me to autograph my book. Part of me was embarrassed and the other part was honored. I could tell they were proud of me.

We had a nice time visiting with family. Not all the siblings were able to be there, but we’ll have time to visit with them soon enough.

On Sunday we got to meet more people from the church. Tom preached, mainly describing who we are and where we came from. Rick and Kari (the former pastors) prayed for us and passed the baton. It was good.

We had such a nice visit. Tom and I are excited about this next phase of our lives. We are going home. I never thought we would live in New York again, but something feels so right about it.

We were praying that our flight would not be cancelled. New York was expecting a snow storm. The prayers worked and we took off without any problems. The snow did fall – they received a foot of it. Ah, the snow. I’m not a big fan of snow – I don’t like to drive in it. I guess I’ll just have to get use to it again.

Thank you for reliving my trip. I have a busy week next week and company coming. I don’t know how much time I’ll have to blog. Until next time – have a great week.

© Nadine Zawacki 2009

New York – Part II

I don’t usually have time to blog when I’m on an actual trip, so blogging about it after the fact is also fun. Here’s more about our visit to NY.

After we got settled into our hotel (which was very nice), we met the two elders (Peter and Maurice) from the church for dinner at Piccola Bussolar. This was a very nice Italian restaurant. The food was amazing. The company was delightful. The service was fun. Our waiter – Hector, unless we didn’t like the service then his name was John – was adorable.

From appetizers to the main course it was all so good. Tom and I shared a veal chop that melted in your mouth. Each piece was the size of a plate (thank you Hector for the head’s up on how big the portion was). We couldn’t finish, but it served as a yummy snack one night. Peter and Maurice were so pleasant. It was a fun evening of getting to know each other.

The next day we got up and went on a search for a bagel place. Oh my. We found bagel heaven. I just savored that first bite. It was so long since I had a NY bagel that was freshly made that morning. My favorite is a toss up between – a cinnamon raisin bagel with cream cheese and a toasted sesame seed bagel with butter. When you can’t decide you have to have both. Tom loves both also, but if he had to choose one it would be the sesame seed bagel.

Tom and I went house hunting after our yummy breakfast. We met with a real estate lady who showed us around. I had wanted to look at more rentals than she was able to line up. We are convinced our best bet is to rent first because it gives us more time to make a wise decision in buying. I’m glad we are going again in April to firm up a rental. We have so many people from the church looking for us. Thank you all for your help.

That evening we got to meet with the leadership team at Panera Bread. I’ve never been to one before and the food was yummy. I had a soup and salad combo that was very tasty. The bread that came with it was really good – I didn’t even use butter. The team was so welcoming and didn’t have as many questions as I thought they would. I have to say that these people love their former pastors – that was clear. What impressed me the most was how loving and kind they were towards us while going through this difficult transition.

I know I’ve made you all very hungry right now. I’m sorry. Stay tuned for more NY trip stories.

© Nadine Zawacki 2009

New York – Part I

Tom and I were sitting at the airport waiting for our flight. I couldn’t believe we were actually going back to New York. I’m not a big fan of flying. It’s the take off and landing that gets me. Also I’m not too fond of the idea of the plane being up in the air. I can’t believe the airlines charge you to check your bag ($15.00 for the 1st bag and $25.00 for the second). Seriously. You now have to pay for the possibility of your luggage being lost and tossed about like a ball. Isn’t that special.

Our seats were in the first row right behind 1st class. I don’t think I ever sat that close to 1st class before. It was a long flight to New York from Dallas and Tom fell asleep for most of it. I entertained myself by reading and observing.

I noticed that before I got something to drink, people in 1st class were served a nice drink (in a real glass) and some lovely mixed nuts (served in a pretty glass bowl). Then the rest of the plane was told they will be serving drinks and they had snacks for purchase – a can of Pringles ($3.00) or a cheese tray ($4.00). The lady next to me bought the so-called cheese tray. It had one piece of cheese – yep, one piece, crackers and raisins. I don’t know about you, but you would think a cheese tray would have more than one piece of cheese. By the time we got our drinks, 1st class was being served warm towels to clean their little hands between courses. I started to smell food – hot food. It was served on real plates with cloth napkins and silverware. I’m not bitter, just observant.

I started getting bored while Tom slept and started making up stories in my head about the passengers in 1st class.

There was the business man who was going on yet another trip, leaving his lonely wife behind. They had a fight before he left. He had a hard concentrating on his paperwork because of it. He’s hoping to make it up her by taking her on a vacation to St. Bart’s.

Then there was the publisher, reading yet another novel that has him sleeping before he finished the first paragraph. Little did he know that if only turned around, behind him was a budding not so young author that would had exactly what he was looking for. If only he wasn’t stuck in 1st class…

When we landed the first thing we did was find a pizzeria. Ah, that first bite was like pizza heaven. The crunch of the thin crust was like music to my ears. The cheese was stretchy. The slice large enough to fold…yes, I was going to enjoy this trip.

© Nadine Zawacki 2009

Start Spreading the News. . .

You’re properly wondering why there is a video of Frank Sinatra singing New York, New York…that’s because Tom and I are moving back after being gone for 16 years. We are going back to pastor the Lighthouse Bridge located in Lindenhurst, Long Island. We go with the full blessing of his current employer, John Paul Jackson.

The current pastors (Rick & Kari) are coming here (Dallas) to work with John Paul. Leaving a church family whom you love is never easy. Sometimes following God means making changes in where we live. We understand that fully and when we left Washington it was difficult. Keep Rick, Kari, and the Lighthouse Bridge as they navigate this new change in their lives.

Our trip was wonderful and we couldn’t have felt more welcomed by everyone. What a warm, loving group of people. I feel totally blessed.

When Tom and I knew our time in West Virginia was over, we started looking for what God wanted us to do next. In that time of transition, Tom and I went through an interview process at several churches. We were invited to speak and meet the people. It never failed, each time on the way home Tom would look at me and say, “Na, I could love these people.” Tom has such a big heart and I would laugh because I knew he was being very sincere. After about the second time I’d say, “Tom, I know you can, but could I love these people.” After this trip, I said to Tom, “I could love these people.”

God has bought us full circle. We’ve lived in West Virginia, Washington, Texas and now back to New York. Along the way, we had our ups and downs. We’ve met incredible people who we loved and worked side by side to advance God’s kingdom. Each time it was a new adventure. I’ve often said to Tom, “You jump, I jump Jack.” (Gilmore Girl reference) and I meant it. God keeps giving me opportunity to follow through on my words.

I will tell you more about our trip, the wonderful people and the great food we ate in upcoming posts. So stay tuned.

© Nadine Zawacki 2009