sugar cookies.

this has been a very fun holiday weekend.

the day after thanksgiving was beautiful, so i went on a walk along the water at lincoln park. i love walking there. it's the first park i found when i moved here, and still one of my favorites. sometimes i listen to music or podcasts, sometimes i just listen to the waves and think. friday was the latter. for most of my walk i was thinking about how the bible tells us time and time again not to be afraid. i've been reading in isaiah lately, and it seems like every chapter at least once there is the command "fear not." the Lord was good to remind me during my walk that where he has me now is GOOD, that he is faithful to provide, and that my fear (in any sense, from lack of a job, to where i'll be in a year, to what people think of me) stems from a lack of trust in Him.

after my walk i did some little things around the house as dana decorated everything for christmas!! i walked down to starbucks in the afternoon and sipped on a soy chai, one of my favorite starbucks treats, and which i've always called "christmas in a cup."

on saturday after community group i helped the reeds with "family clean day." baby reed is due in a matter of weeks, and katy wanted to get everything spick and span clean before the big day comes. craig and i scrubbed the kitchen clean (that's our area of expertise), every drawer, cabinet, and surface. katy and tyler cleaned their room and the living room, all while singing along to christmas music. when we were all done, it was a thing to behold. in return for our help, the reeds gave us a Creative  Date! a friend of ours puts them together, and when you buy one, you get a series of envelopes with clues on them. the theme of ours is "a tourist in seattle"- so when we go, we'll open the first clue, figure out where it leads, go there and do something, then open the second clue. i think there are 5 or 6 in total, and the last one leads to a highly recommended (by our foodie friends) restaurant. it sounds like so much fun, and i can't wait to go!

we spent the rest of the evening playing games and making sugar cookies. i'm thankful for friends who are like family, so comfortable to be around, and so full of laughs! phase 10 got everyone hyped up, and after that, the reeds relaxed on the couch and craig and i baked the cookies. i sure do have a lot of good conversations in that kitchen. it helps that i have a key to their house, it's practically my second home, and i do most of my baking there :)

we didn't have christmas cookie cutters. but you can't go wrong with hearts!

i actually put effort into these ones to take home.

after that, we just slathered some icing on and ate them :)

the look of concentration?

monopoly deal. the new banangrams.

after church today there was a decorating party, and anyone who was interested could stay and help out. i did, and got to climb ladders, use a power drill, AND a staple gun. days like today i'm especially thankful for parents that taught me such things! i like to learn how to do things, and know how things work. today i enjoyed hearing the big picture idea, then getting the creative license to figure it out and go with it.

too many hands for one small felt circle?

hanging lanterns with power.

stapling lights to the ceiling.

a bit precarious.

a quick trip to the gym, a homemade dinner-by-dana, and ice cream with dana and emily....a beautiful end to the day.

and now to go crawl into my warm bed and read because i've been shivering all evening!

love,
tracey

thanksgiving.

yesterday i got to spend the entire day at the reed's house, cooking, cleaning, laughing, playing games, and enjoying the company of my friends who are family. everyone brought their favorite family recipe to cook, and the lineup was delicious.

sausage mushroom stuffing and a mimosa (ginger ale for the preggo lady)

lots and lots of card games

pizza dip: gone in a flash. it wouldn't be a day at the reed's without something pizza related.

true to us. thankful to live out life as roommates.

the table setting was fresh and beautiful.

gin and 7up, a mellina family tradition!

the spread.

katy: creamy mashed potatoes, rustic apple pie, crusty bread sausage dip

kelsey: jellied cranberries, beveridges

craig: champagne turkey, fruited jello dessert

me: brown sugar yam casserole, herb stuffing, hot pizza dip

dana: cheddar green bean casserole

ready to dig in!

the men.

fun fun fun!

liar's bridge.

the dishwashing and kitchen-cleaning professionals.

there was lots of good conversation, including going around the room and saying something that we were thankful for. we were all thankful for our community here, that we have people that love and shepherd us, point us to truth. we were thankful for evidences of God's work in our lives, thankful that we have houses to sleep in and food to eat. thankful for our families, scattered across the states. thankful that God chose each of us, to open our eyes to know him. thankful that he gives us the desire to know him more, and the means to do so. thankful that Jesus redeemed our souls to make it possible.

and thankful for taste buds and a sense of smell, to enjoy every bite of that delicious meal to the fullest.

love,
tracey

november.

i've been mia.

in my absence from the blogging world...

i roasted an 18 pound turkey for the proxy thanksgiving celebration at church:

(it turned out so well that i got asked for the recipe!)

i made some delicious hot chocolate from scratch for my roommates:

i eliminated the need for a spoon in our sugar jar:

(that's the top of an empty morton's salt container, in case you were curious.)

i ate nachos at the matador after campus cleanup:

i took some pregnant belly photos for the reeds:

(they're such great models.)

i went out to (and thoroughly enjoyed) a nice dinner and a concert:

AND i completed my first catering order (!!!) : 

(fruit tartlets)

it's been a very busy past few weeks. it's been neat to see the Lord provide in both big and small ways, from answering some very specific prayers, to something as simple as a babysitting opportunity that i unexpectedly got paid for. right now i have to run, i'm off to deliver my treats. (bonus points to anyone who can help me come up with a creative catering name!)

tomorrow is thanksgiving!

love,

tracey

manna.

today i turned in my resume at bakery nouveau and met three more starbucks managers, hoping that by putting a face with my name, my chances for an interview will go up. the last one was on alki, and afterwards i bought a peppermint mocha to sip on while i walked by the water. i've been job searching for almost two months now, and the market is saturated. everyone i've talked to has just finished up their seasonal hiring, and isn't looking to potentially hire until after new years. all the dietetic jobs i've applied to list several years of experience as a requirement. as i was walking along i started to get a little discouraged for the first time. the main thought running through my head: i worked hard to do well in school, moved across the country for an internship, cranked it out to pass my registration exam, and now have no opportunity to use all the skills i spent years developing! a thought process that screams entitlement and expectation, neither of which is right.

as i was walking and praying, i started thinking about the story of the exodus. the israelites are wandering through the desert grumbling and complaining that it would have been better for them to stay in slavery than to die of hunger in the desert. in response, the Lord rained down manna, a bread that they had never seen before, for them to eat. he met their needs in a way that they were not expecting, commanding them to gather just as much as they would need for each day, and twice as much on saturday, so that on sunday they could rest. but the best part about this story is that every day there was enough food for that day. those people who gathered a ton and tried to keep it overnight (that's me) came back to find it spoiled and rotten, and those who were only able to gather a little had enough. though the israelites initially lacked trust and tried to take their situation into their own hands, they learned that the Lord met their needs every day, no more, no less.

in the same way, the Lord provides for us. often in ways we have never known before, and often in ways we would not expect. this is the kind of faith that i desire: to look at what i have each morning and know that the Lord has given me exactly what i need, sometimes in a way that i feel like there is an abundance, and sometimes in a way that forces me to forego my ability to understand and trust that he will provide. right now, in this season, i see his provision through my parents who make it possible for me to pay my bills and eat food that i enjoy, as well as through my community who is quick to be generous. at the same time, i see him giving me an opportunity to trust, as i apply to job after job after job.

but i also see the blessing in other ways. the Lord has given me time. lots of time. i've been able to use it to do things that i really enjoy, like cooking and being outside and spending time with good friends. i've been able to relax. to sleep 8 hours a night. to bless my roommates. to enjoy the seattle fall. to grow a TON in my understanding of who God is and the grace that he gives so lavishly.

while i'm busy looking for his provision in the form of a job, am i missing the manna that is right in front of me?

(don't worry mom and dad, i'm still applying to jobs :) )

so i'm thankful for the season. and while i'm eager for a job, i can only do so much, and then rest and enjoy the blessings that the Lord has given me for this time. for today.

love,
tracey

testimony.

one of the challenges of being home all the time is wanting to bake ALL the time. technically i could, but i certainly don't need to, and none of us roomies really want all those desserts laying around anyway. (well, we do, but our clothes don't.)

nonetheless, i just went upstairs and jacqui pulled out a tray of perfect chocolate chip cookies from the oven, and stashed the rest of the dough in the fridge. there went my self control...if there's one thing that's basically impossible for me to resist, it's cookie dough and fresh-from-the-oven cookies. is this sabotauge or what??

this morning the four of us had roomie breakfast, which is always a great way to start the day. we finished just after 7 and it was still pitch black outside..the days of 4:30pm sunsets are coming soon enough. as much as i like the daylight, it's kind of fun to have such short days. i think i find it adventurous. one of these days i'll make it to alaska and (a) experience a day where the sun never comes up and (b) experience a day where the sun never goes down. (and i'll see the northern lights while i'm there.)

i applied for a job at starbucks today! i'm optimistic because i know they hire a lot of new employees without a lot of experience, AND they provide their part time employees benefits. when i filled in my availability, i chose the morning shifts....i might be working at 4:30am every day for the next season of my life. we'll see. i AM a morning person...usually. i was up at 5am everyday for my rotation in tacoma, 4am can't be that different, right?

today i also have been thinking through my testimony, which i will be giving for the campus cleanup crew tomorrow night. i always enjoy looking back and seeing how the Lord has grown me over the years, expelling lies and replacing them with truth, softening my heart, teaching me to live in the power of the Holy Spirit, breaking down my pride. it's neat to see the faithfulness of the Lord, proof that is encouraging in the times when i feel like i have no idea what i'm doing or what the purpose of whatever trial i'm in is. "and i am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ." philippians 1:6

testimonies are powerful because they give evidence of the work of the Lord. it's good to remember where i've been, and to see how God broke into that and opened my eyes to truth. as i've been thinking through, this verse has come to mind:

"and you shall REMEMBER the whole way that the Lord your God has led you these 40 years in the wilderness, that he might humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments or not. and he humbled you, and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that you might know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord. your clothing did not wear out on you and your foot did not swell these 40 years." deuteronomy 8:2-4

REMEMBER, don't forget.
he has LED you.
that he might HUMBLE you, thereby refining you as his image bearer.
he let you HUNGER, so that you might know your need for him, and then FED you in a way you could never have foreseen.
he TAUGHT you.
he PROVIDED for you and SUSTAINED you.
because he is ENOUGH.

i've seen these things so clearly over the past few months especially.

i'm headed to lincoln park for a walk...i've been inside all day. the weather is now COLD, not just chilly. but when i'm dressed right (which for this texan involves about 8 layers), i love walking along the water with the wind in my face.

(alki, not lincoln, but same idea)

love,
tracey