The New DeLews

An awakening to Chinua Achebe

2011-12-12T17:57:00.003-06:00

I recently finished a compilation of 3 of Chinua Achebe’s novels: Things Fall Apart, No Longer at Ease, and Anthills of the Savannah. It was completely foreign to anything I had ever read before, as Achebe’s utilization of oral tradition, proverbs, Igbo language and non-linear storytelling overwhelmed my senses. Achebe’s distinctly (and refreshingly) non-Western writing style inserted me into a West African culture. It was reading by feeling: the truth of the proverbs, the weight of heritage, the glue of family and community, and the pain of the tragic events caused by the clash of modernity and tradition.

It is this first collision between European colonists and the Igbo tribe in Nigeria that Achebe explores in Things Fall Apart. The reader is introduced to Okwonkwo, a prominent man in the foremost Igbo village at the prime of his life. We see his pride, arrogance, compassion, and honor. Through his eyes we view the unwelcome intrusions of British justice and religion, and their devastating impact on his family, on his standing in the village, his village’s prominence within his tribe, and the Igbo culture as a whole.

I’ll admit that Achebe’s portrayal of the Christian missionaries felt as true as it was frustrating. Frustrating because I identify myself as a Christian, yet sympathized more with the traditionalist characters than the Christian ones. Because in all the I have spent in sub-Saharan African countries I had never once asked a national about their perception of colonization. Because I had never read about the colonization of Africa from an African’s perspective. Moreover, my meager exposure to African thought is still many times greater than that of most other Americans. It is a tragedy that the stereotypes of an impoverished, starving, diseased, corrupt, and violent Africa prevail throughout the Western mindset. More readings of Achebe and other African authors would be the beginning of a new awakening of the West to the diverse cultures and the rich histories that comprise Africa.

The second book in the volume, No Longer At Ease, translates these themes into a Nigeria that is on the brink of independence, yet is under a new kind of imperialism. This story follows the grandson of the main character from Things Fall Apart, and it illuminates the dark path into corruption that continues to ravage the political lives of so many African politicians. This grandson was supposed to usher in the bright future of an independent Nigeria, yet succumbed to the very temptations he vowed to fight. For the first time, I understood some of the pressures that are unique to the West African public official and how the imposition of a Western-style government fails to address the reality of communal bonds and familial obligations. I see in a new light see the impact of the clash of Western modernity and Igbo traditionalism, and I recognize that the vague label of “corruption” is insufficient in describing the challenges that face the Nigerian (and perhaps other African) societies in the 21^st century.

Anthills of the Savannah, the final installment of this volume, takes the themes present in the first two novels and develops them into their late-20^th century manifestations. The reader is thrust into a chaotic West African dictatorship struggling to maintain a pretense of democracy in the face of an increasingly restless population. Achebe gives a more intimate exploration of the characters’ thought lives, and the novel swells with poetic daydreams and inspiring speeches. The point-of-view transitions from character to character, which makes the first few chapters a bit disorienting when read immediately after the simple third-person narrative of the first two books. But after I was accustomed to this different style and the new characters, Anthills of the Savannah became my favorite of the three works. This book provides a more comprehensive view of a West African nation; the reader meets the president, members of his administration, academics, cab drivers, market-ware hawkers, and slum-occupants. As the regime unravels, Achebe slowly adjusts the focus of the story from the primary individuals onto the community that they become. The rediscovery of traditionalism and community within the urban modern context is the salvation of the people that find their lives upended by the political chaos. The main characters must draw back from their individualism into community which is protective and close-knit, yet open and hospitable story. Once these developments occur, the hope, dynamism, and beauty of these characters, and thus of the modern West African experience, finally shine through the tragedy that was wrought by colonialism and continued by the corrupt and abusive. This sunrise of hope—even amidst the suffering—is made even more precious by the despair witnessed in Achebe’s first two works.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinua_Achebe

http://www.amazon.com/Things-Fall-Apart-Chinua-Achebe/dp/0385474547/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1323734896&sr=8-1

July and All Its Craziness

2011-07-21T23:17:00.005-05:00

July has been one of those months where you go to sleep on the 1st and you wake up on the 31st. Time has flown and it doesn’t seem like it’s going to slow down. To recap, in this month alone, we have:

-celebrated my grandma’s 90^th birthday with my extended family in California
-met my youngest nephew for the first time
-enjoyed the infamous 48-hour George Family Vacation
-had a friend live with us for a month
-spent almost a week at the DeLew Family Reunion in Wisconsin
-played on a weekly beach volleyball team
-endured the Heat Wave from Hell (well, I hope we’ll endure)
-half-heartedly started half-marathon training
-whole-heartedly started making tons o’ breakfast smoothies

And there are still 10 days left in July! And in those 10 days alone, we will:

-host my lovely brother-in-law while he visits for a week
-go on a five-day business trip (me)
-help friends renovate their apartment (let’s be honest, Mark will)
-have a bachelor party at our place (Mark again, I guess)
-attend a wedding
-try to survive the rest of the Heat Wave from Hell

In no way do I assume that we are alone in this busyness. It’s summer, this is what happens. But I think it’s important when all you can do is go-go-go, to take a breath and remember what you have done and what you are doing. It’s too tempting for us to go from event to event, responsibility to responsibility and actually miss the significance of each moment. So here I am, listing out each major thing so that I might sit with and appreciate each one. It’s been a blast of a summer. With so much to do, we have so much to be thankful for.

Holding Loosely

2011-06-30T16:34:00.001-05:00

During pre-marital counseling (about 2 ½ years ago, crazy!), we began the never-ending discussion of what finances would look like in the lives of the New DeLews. We talked about our view of money and how we are to use it. Everything was pretty theoretical at that point, as we were a one-income family, so our financial decisions were somewhat limited (do you want pasta or rice for dinner tonight, honey?) But even in our limitedness, we still had the power of choice in little things. And as Mark and I would review the palette of choices in front of us, we discovered that we share the elusive value called generosity.

Generosity is a really broad term with about a billion perspectives of what ‘being generous’ looks like. A hypothetical example: Mark offers me a bite of his Kobe beef burger. This is an incredibly generous act for him. But if I don’t realize the abnormally high value he places in this dead animal-turned food, then I won’t understand his act of generosity. In fact, I may feel like he is stingy by only giving me one bite. Marital issues emerge, cultural miscommunications explode, and suddenly an act of generosity morphs into an argument about who is more selfish, ungrateful, or you name it. Sweet. Sounds like fun.

So over the past two years, we have been exploring two primary questions—what is generosity? And how should generosity take shape in our lives? I’ll focus on the first question in this post. First, I think that we should broaden the ways in which we express generosity—through our time, skills, sharing resources, etc. Our goal is not to simply give money away so that we feel good about ourselves. But I believe that inviting people into our lives, giving to others, and being open to receiving generosity are all components of it. Everyone, regardless of socioeconomic status or situation, is called to be generous. That’s one of the things that connect us to each other—we all have something to give, and we all are in some kind of need.

Through all of our conversations, I’ve come to understand being generous as the state and act of holding loosely your possessions, time, control, and status, so that you may share with others. Being generous is more than writing a big check to a community center or buying dinner for your friends. The generous action must be accompanied by an openness to let people into your life and to relinquish your sense of control. And actually, when I frame it this way, I start to realize that naturally I’m not so generous after all! It’s something I have to intentionally work on and practice. If I start to feel like I’m tightening my grip on something, it’s a sign that I need to open my hands and share it with others.

This is an important habit because as humans in a community, we are designed to share with each other. I think living generously is moving closer toward who we were meant to be. We were meant to give ourselves to each other in response to the generosity we’ve experienced—from God, friends, or whomever. It’s tough to hold loosely the things I value. And yet, when I realize that I have been the recipient of generous love and grace, I am encouraged and empowered to share that with my community.

How I'd survive the Apocalypse

2011-06-27T18:39:00.000-05:00

The other day, we had an unnerving realization. Now usually, the Other DeLew and I talk about a lot of important things, (like world events, wine, living in community, insert cool/socially conscientious buzz word here.) But this revelation came from a mundane conversation about our car. Recently we’ve noticed a clanking sound from beneath our car. Like something is loose. The last time I was at the auto shop, the mechanic removed a rusty bar from the bottom of our car and told me that it’s just an unnecessary scrap of metal that holds the muffler in place. But I’m sure that ‘lack of rusty bar’ isn’t causing the clanking… Right?

I asked Mark if he had any ideas about what might be clanking. Mark replied, “of course I have no idea what it might be.” We both laughed at how little we know about cars, home improvement (one of the main reasons we’re not itching to buy a home), gardening, or really anything that involves hard labor. At this point, Mark said, “You know, if the apocalypse happened, we’d be the first to get kicked out of the surviving community. We don’t have any hard skills!”

(At this point the conversation turned into a debate about zombies. I, personally, don’t like them and think they’re stupid. As a result, Mark was defending the zombies. Maturity reigns over here.

Back to the matter at hand: in high school I went on mission trips to Mexico where my team built houses for Mexican families. Mind you, I wasn’t the most adept at using a hammer or nail gun, and neither were most of my teammates. Few of had ever seen a, well, I don’t even know any tool names to use as an example. A henchsaw? Let’s go with that. We were really eager to serve, but I’m not sure if serving with a hammer was the best use of our skills. In fact, I’m pretty sure there were a couple of locals who knew a thing or two about construction who may be willing to work … I better explore this topic in another post.

All this to say, I started thinking about what value I could bring to a post-apocalyptic world in which we were fighting off zombies. I could manage a project, facilitate clear communication processes, write a pretty convincing letter to the Zombie King requesting that he be generous with us and let us live. All of this sounds pretty lame when you’re fighting for survival with swords and bayonets (this is my picture of post-apocalyptic living). But I actually think those things would be important! I think it would help the community survive and perhaps thrive!

Sometimes it’s hard to see how our specific gifts can be of use. But I’m convinced that we have all been given gifts for the good of the community. We all have our unique skills and passions, and it’s through identifying and nurturing them that we might be able to make our community stronger. And together, we may in fact survive the Apocalypse.

Highs and Lows

2011-06-23T20:41:00.013-05:00

It's been a couple months since I've posted, but instead of lamenting about how busy I've been, I'm going to share the highs and lows of the past few months. That's probably a bit more interesting.

Highs

Viva Costa Rica. For the fun of it, and because the New DeLews hadn't been out of the country since 2008, we decided to take a trip to Central America. Incredible coffee, deserted beaches, bike rides to local bars, practicando mi espanol, sunburn, losing a wallet in a taxi. We learned something that we've always thought- we're awesome travel partners.

(F)Easter. To celebrate

resurrection, we hosted a Feast the day before Easter. Seventeen people came together for stuffed lamb, chicken, stuffed mushrooms, sourdough stuffing, and wine was a'flowing. It was a sweet time of celebration and community.

Two Years. The New DeLews may not be so 'new' anymore. In May we celebrated our two-year anniversary. We took a staycation downtown and reflected on how thankful we are to be with each other. I feel like we've grown a lot as a couple and as individuals in the past year especially.

Summer weather. There is nothing like Chicago in the summer. A couple weeks ago, like a lightswitch, it became summer. Grilling out, late-night bike rides, free concerts

downtown, beach volleyball. This is the reason we are able to survive the 8-month winter tundra.

Lows

Missing out. Living in Chicago has its incredible perks, but one of the hardest things about living here is that I miss out on George Family events. My nephew, Manny, was born in the spring and I have yet to meet him! Pictures and skype aren't able to capture what it's like to be at 3 year old birthday parties, orchestra concerts, or summerfest. That's definitely a low.

"Spring" weather. Yet again, Chicago has been confused about what spring is. Torrential rain, spring snow, 40 degree weather. Just, bah! come on, Chicago. Pull it together.

Friends leaving. This is a transitional time for a lot of our friends. A couple of our close friends are moving away and so we've had to say goodbye. It's a little bizarre for us to be some of the stable ones in our community. I'm thankful that we are more settled in our careers and community here in Chicago, but it means that we see people leave for exciting new things, while we remain here.

Lack of running. Have I mentioned the weather yet? My goodness, after I ran the marathon, I promised that I would never get out of shape again. I was all geared up and ready to start running outside in March, but it was cold, snowy, and windy, my body just couldn't handle it. So now it's the end of June and I'm re-learning to run in 85 degree weather. Oh Chicago.

Through the highs and lows of every season, I think it's really important to take a deep breath and reflect on where we have been and where we are going. Before we get caught up in summer vacations with family and really busy times at work, I want to be a woman who remembers the little things that shape our lives-- whether that's awful weather, good friendships, or bike rides. So I'm thankful for the highs and the lows. And looking forward to oh so many more.

7-Layer Season

2011-03-01T20:08:00.007-06:00

Seasons of life. I'm realizing more than ever that we are always in a season of life. Often I stray away from this 'season' language because I can't ever figure out a really cool title for my season. The truth is, our seasons are multi-layered, like Taco Bell's 7-layer burrito. Well I think The New DeLews are in a 7-layer season.

Career-focus. We have the freedom and desire to focus on our careers, for which we are deeply thankful. I've gotten used to my new schedule and long commute- thanks to multiple public transportation catastrophes including missing my train after getting stuck behind a bulldozer (in the city?!), wandering around sketchyville while waiting for a ride, sitting on a delayed train for 3 hours, just to mention a few. But honestly, it's not that bad.

Extreme winter. I'm just going to say this once- I'm over it. Completely over it. Cold, snow, cold, thundersnow, ice, all of it. I'm done. I'm tired of not being able to run outside because there's ice everywhere, and thus, I'm tired of my jeans being a bit tighter than usual. Confession- the button of my jeans popped off the other day. I cursed Chicago-winter at that moment.

Maturing marriage. As we approach our 2-year anniversary, I feel like Mark and I are learning how to care for each other in deeper ways. Because our schedules have changed so much, we are having to be more intentional in our communication and teamwork. And in all of this, we are becoming more and more connected at the core. It's super cool.

Budget cuts. Can I blame this one on winter? As a Californian-at-heart, I don't think I understood the effect that Chicago-winter has on my psyche. The primary/only activity available, besides being cooped up in your house, is to go out to eat. All that to say, we have to scale back on our eating out, big time. I ate broccoli for dinner because that's all we had at home and I'm trying to save money. Makes me sound hard core and healthy, but man I'm hungry right now...

Tighter jeans. I'll blame this on winter too. My jeans are tighter than they were post-marathon. I'm not real pleased about this. Remember the button of my jeans popping off incident? Yeah...

The Medill Inn. Our apartment has become an inn, or I'd like to say a hotel. Within one month, we are having nine different people spend the night at our place. And honestly, we love it! It's time that we break down and buy a second pair of bedsheets, so that we're not constantly doing laundry.

Renewal. Mark and I are sensing a strong movement deep within us. We're asking ourselves difficult questions about our purpose in our particular neighborhood, our passion for living alongside and serving the marginalized, and what that practically means in our daily lives. We're asking the Lord to renew our desire to act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with Him. It's not clear exactly what that might look like, but we're eager to follow His lead.

Whatever season we're in, whether it's multi-layer or elusive, I hope that we will be thankful and intentional, open to change and welcome to all.

Changes Come

2010-11-13T09:43:00.005-06:00

As the seasons change, the New DeLews have found themselves in a time of transition. This Autumn has zoomed by us, especially after the marathon (which was one of the best/funnest experiences of my life). And although no one would call the New DeLews particularly handy in the home project arena, we've spent the past month trying to make our lovely rented apartment feel like a home (pictures to come... eventually). We've been having a grand ol' time nuzzling into our lives here, making ourselves pretty comfortable and pretty settled- essentially preparing to hibernate for winter.

Occasionally I have looked at other jobs. Usually this didn’t mean anything because we have this nasty thing called the economic downturn. So really I was browsing what might be out there if this dream called ‘a good job market’ ever comes true. So one month ago, I applied to a couple of jobs. Within a week, (to my complete surprise) I had 2 interviews scheduled and I was thinking through those awful ‘what are your strengths and weaknesses’ questions. After a couple more interviews, I accepted a position at my college alma mater as the Associate Director of Reunion Class Giving.

The words from the Over the Rhine song have been playing in my head- "Changes Come, turn my world around..." And I feel like that’s what is happening. Our worlds are being turned around and we are feeling stretched and excited. A couple of rites of passages are occurring right now (not in order of importance):

1. buying my first business suit (Mark is SO happy)

2. deciding to leave my current position for the unknown of a different job.

3. writing and submitting my first letter of resignation

4. initiating the first major lifestyle change for the New DeLews

I think that number four has been the scariest. Both Mark and I have an abnormal love of city living. Because we both currently work downtown, we love commuting together, having a 25 minute commute, getting home at 5pm sharp and having the entire evening to run together, make dinner, entertain. And yet, with this new position, I will be doing the reverse commute via train- to the suburbs- probably taking an average of 1 hour each way. Although the idea of drastically changing our lifestyle like this is particularly daunting, we are confident that this is the beginning of a new season in our lives. Yes, we will both put more of ourselves into our jobs and we’ll have to be more intentional about our time together and with others, but changes come. And we believe God is in these changes, and so we are thankful.

As the song says- “Changes Come, Leave my burden down." So as the changes in front of us are SO exciting and a little daunting, we rest in the reality that this is where God is leading us now. We have learned over and over again, He is faithful and He will sustain us. So we’re excited for the journey ahead.

10/10/10

2010-10-07T19:30:00.000-05:00

After spending a long week in DC not for vacation, the New DeLews are back in Chicago and eagerly preparing for the much anticipated event of the fall- The Chicago Marathon!! This Sunday, 10/10/10 I will be running my first ever marathon (26.2 looooong miles) alongside 45,000 runners and over 1 million cheering fans. Needless to say, this is super exciting. There’s a lot of mental psyching up and planning that goes into this event, so I’m going to run over my little checklist:

The Last Supper (Saturday PM): Carbload! Homemade lasagna, bread, salad, and most importantly- NO WINE.

The Last Breakfast (Sunday AM): 2 scrambled eggs with a bit o’ cheese in a whole wheat pita. And most importantly- Coffee. Got to get things moving- in every possible way.

Music Playlist: Start off with all three volumes of the Glee Soundtrack (should last me about 2 hours), then depending on my mood, either go Gospel music or angry white boy music

Outfit: a bright blue running shirt with my name on it, black shorts, running shoes, red anti-sweat headband

Gear: running belt with tons o’ nutritional goos, cell phone, ipod shuffle, and plenty o’ anti-chafing lube (I’m not going to say any more about that one. But did you ever expect to see the word ‘lube’ on the New DeLews’ blog?)

Pacing: I’m running the marathon with my partner in crime, Ashley. Our goal pace is 9:30 minutes per mile, which would allow us to finish the race in a mere 4 hours and 9 minutes. Although the race officially starts at 7:30am, we most likely won’t cross the start line for quite a while. But if we cross the start line at 7:50am, we will be finished by 12:00pm sharp!! Here’s to hoping!

Meeting up: The Other DeLew will be trekking around the city with my lovely Mama George, finding strategic places to cheer! The Main DeLews will join in the cheering, along with a couple other friends. Every time I think about seeing friends and family on the sideline, I get a little choked up. I’ve been so blessed by people’s support over the past few months.

Post-Marathon Crash: Stumble back to the Medill and order out tons o’ food. And celebrate with fam and friends. Perhaps with wine.

Shout-out: And I must thank the lovely Other DeLew. Mark has been amazing- waking up early to run before work, biking alongside me on the long runs, caring for me when I got heat exhaustion, and constantly encouraging me to train hard and well. I could not have done this without him.

We’ll see how this Sunday goes. 10/10/10- bring it on!

An Urban Pizza Incident

2010-09-15T15:08:00.008-05:00

It’s a beautiful weather day here in Chicago. As everyone knows, we get about two of those days per year, so I had to make the most of it. One of the things that contributes to the New DeLews' ‘uber-urban persona’ is the fact that we both work downtown, and we love that! Unfortunately our offices are on opposite sides of downtown, so we can’t meet up for lunch very easily. But in the past we’ve tried creative ways to meet up. One time I walked to his office (poor decision, as it was about a 30 minute walk), I’ve taken the bus to his office, he's taken a taxi to mine, we've both taken buses to meet up in the middle, etc… All that to say, when there’s a will, there’s a way, but it’s always a little rushed and stressful.

Well today I decided to try yet another creative method to see the Other DeLew. The Chicago Water Taxi! The mucky green Chicago River flows through downtown, and there’s a water taxi with a couple of strategic stops for $2! I took a perfect 5 minute walk to the river, hopped onto the boat, and 10 minutes later I was at Mark’s office! It was so refreshing.

Mark enjoyed some Chicago-style deep dish pizza for lunch today (for a work function), and he graciously offered to give me his leftovers. I’ll be eating dinner solo tonight because Mark is a big business man and has a big business dinner. I had asked him to bring me the pizza when I met up with him today. “Mark, please put the pizza in a bag so I can bring it home after work.” I believe those were my exact words on the phone. And dear Mark came downstairs with the bag of pizza in his hand. We took a walk, got some coffee and relished every moment together. And then I gave Mark a quick kiss and hopped on a bus back to work, bag of pizza in hand.

As I sat down on the bus, I casually looked into the bag of pizza for the first time. And here is what I discovered….

Ahh, the Other DeLew. He did exactly what I requested. Exactly. Love it. Love him. I cherish these moments. Hilarious and just plain wonderful.

That Naive Girl

2010-09-07T22:19:00.005-05:00

This New DeLew has never been known as a fashion guru. Back in the olden days, pre-marriage, when I was a 'Young George', I was morally against 'cliche fashion' (as I would call it), because I strongly believed it communicated materialism and consumerism. At the end of freshman year of college, I donated over half my wardrobe because I decided to take a stand against materialism's hold on my life. And although that decision resulted in wearing the same black long-sleeve shirt every day of my college career, I truly believed that this was one of the ways I can be subversive in society. That is, until I needed to dress up for some event and I realized that I didn't have anything fancy. And let's be real here- my definition of fancy was (and kind of still is) 'anything that isn't cotton'. And in the end, I would bow to the god of materialism by raiding my roommate's closets. But anyway, I reflect on that time of my life with a sense of endearment. Part of me says 'what a naive girl', but the other part of me says 'where has that girl gone?'

This past weekend we were in Madison, Wisconsin for a wedding, and we had the chance to spend some time putt-putting around the little city. On Sunday morning we were sitting in an independent coffeeshop surrounded by college students who were working on papers amidst their facebook stalkings. The student next to me was wearing a 'Free Palestine' t-shirt while his girlfriend was using political theory to bash one of Sarah Palin's speeches. And for whatever reason, it brought me back. I was reminded of the numerous thought-provoking discussions that I had in coffeeshops that totally rocked my entire understanding of reality. I remembered that feeling of challenge and uncertainty that I experienced when I was discovering a new way to perceive the world, this society, and my life in the midst of it all. I remember those late nights that we would spend dreaming of ways to be subversive against mainstream society, to fight the system of injustice, and to be communities of peace. These are the visions that make my heart beat. They are conversations that feel raw, that make me feel more alive.

And I asked myself, when was the last time my understanding of reality was rocked? How often do I question the powers that be and seek ways to be subversive? Not just for the sake of being subversive, but because I believe in an alternative vision for this world- a world where people choose love over hate, community over self, and humility over pride. Have I just become another cog in the machine of society?

I refuse to believe that these thought-processes are only for certain stages of life. Yes college students may have the luxury of time to theorize about life and society, but now ideally, I may have the resources and ability to put some of those theories into practice. It may take a different form now, as I can't wear a black long sleeve shirt to work everyday. But that doesn't mean I should just fall into the routine of materialism and consume everything I can. It just might require a bit more nuance now. And however counter-intuitive it might seem, we must continue to live in the midst of complexity and be comfortable with challenge. Now is our time, whatever stage of life we are in, to challenge what we consider 'normal' and be open to alternative visions for how we ought to live in this world- however subversive they might be. It's not naive, it just might be the way we were meant to live.

Did someone say berries?

2010-09-01T21:47:00.006-05:00

Let's play a word association game, shall we? When I say Scarecrow, you think Harvest. When I say Glass of Wine, you say Heaven. When I say Midwest, you say The No-Man's Land between California and New York City.... juuuuuuust kidding......... and lastly, when I say Fall is Around the Corner, you say Berry Pie. Right?
Although I'd like to think that I made a berry pie because my psyche is so attuned to the changing of seasons, in actuality I was sitting on the couch and realized that frozen berries could be used for something besides smoothies. And let me say, this epiphany has changed the New DeLews' lives forever. My sister (who is an incredible composer, gourmet cook, and mother of two with another on the way) has a 'healthy' recipe for an Amazing Berry Pie. Now to my dismay, I probably wouldn't consider this pie as healthy as, let's say, kale. But hands-down, I agree that it is Amazing. Ah-maze-ing. If you happen to be anywhere near The No-Man's Land between Calfornia and New York City within the next four months, you will most likely smell this berry pie as it bakes in my oven. We can't get enough of it.

Amazing Berry Pie
A couple notes: I tweaked the recipe a bit, because I don't do the top crust. I don't have the patience or a big enough food processor. So instead I make a sugary, cinnamony, oat-y topping that is amazing. Makes it more like a pie-cobbler fusion.

Preheat oven to 350

Crust:
1.5 c flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 c butter (chilled)
1/4 c water

Process ingredients in a food processor until it becomes a big blob. Either roll out or pat out in the pie pan. (I don't own a rolling pin)

Filling/Topping:
5-6 c fresh or frozen berries (I used rasps and boysens, but definitely toss in blacks and huckles!)
1/2 c flour
1 c sugar
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 1/2 Tbs butter
1/2 c oats (any kind)

Combine sugar and cinnamon, then cut the butter into the mixture. Sprinkle 1/3 of mixture on the pie crust in the pan. Combine flour and berries. Pour berries into the pie pan. Add the oats into the remaining sugar, cinnamon, butter mixture. Pour on top of berries so that it's well-covered. Bake pie until brown and bubbly, (took my pie about 1 hour and 15 minutes). Let sit for 1-2 hours before serving. Enjoy!!

A Collage of Summer

2010-08-31T20:44:00.012-05:00

The New DeLews are not a picture-taking couple. We like the idea of it, and sometimes we even bring our camera, but all too frequently the camera gets swallowed up by the deep mysterious creature known as my purse. (Why must my purse be so big?) But every once in awhile we (actually, the Other DeLew) manages to take a couple of pictures. In order to make up for all the lame posts that have been pictureless, I've decided to share a couple of our summer events through the medium of rather amateur photos. As summer is sadly coming to a close, here's a brief overview of some (not all, by any means!) of our summer happenings in Chicago.

Let's talk about my brief, yet passionate obsession with kale. Oh yes, my grand idea of making 'kale chips' was supposedly going to solve any desire to eat normal potato chips. These are the types of things I do when Mark is on business trips. Although he tried to feign excitement for the kale after returning from the airport, when he really just wanted a piece of meat, let's just say, I haven't made the kale chips since.

Family visits! We had a wonderful time when my parents visited from California, my sister's family (including 2 babies!), and multiple visits from out-of-towners and overnight guests. The Medill has acted like an inn, and we love it! As Mark and I continue to learn how to be hospitable, we have realized that often we work better as a couple when we are hosting people in our home. So people, when you come over for dinner, you're helping the New DeLews be the couple we're meant to be! Thank you for sharing your lives with us!

Mark has continued to improve on his dishwashing business at the Medill. When we moved, we made the switch from having the dish rack on the counter, to placing it in the sink. And this has really developed Mark's incredible jenga-like stacking skills. It's an art.

Grilling and Lemon Drops. Because of the horror known as Chicago humidity and a lack of central AC, we have increased our use of the outdoor grill, and also perfected our recipe for lemon drop martinis. Sitting outside with friends, grilled burgers or grilled pizza and lemon drops? Now that's what I call summer! We have had wonderful conversations with our landlord and friends, sitting over citronella candles and good food.

Time together. Although it has been a busy summer for the New DeLews, we have enjoyed the bike rides, el rides, frozen yogurt, lake outings, and so many wonderful evenings wandering the city streets. We are deeply thankful to live in the city of Chicago, (particularly during the summer months), and we are thankful for the people in our lives. It's the people that bring beauty into our daily lives. So summer, you have done well this year.

Perseverance

2010-08-30T21:26:00.005-05:00

I have had a ton of people ask me (with horror on their faces), 'Why are you training for the marathon?!!' And people, you are right to ask this question for a multitude of reasons. 1. I have never been much of a runner. One time I told a new soccer coach that I was normally a halfback, and he laughed at me. I was even diagnosed with 'exercise-induced asthma' at one time. But in reality, I should have just been diagnosed with 'being out of shape'. 2. A marathon is 26.2 miles. Yes. That's a lot. 3. Training for the marathon is a huge time commitment and lifestyle. It isn't a decision that should be taken lightly. I have a history of making spur of the moment decisions, so it's absolutely right to ask me if I'm really committed to this type of thing.

And let me say, although registering for the marathon itself was kind of a spur of the moment decision, I had been mulling over the idea of marathon running for awhile. And although I thought that all this training would absolutely kill me, the truth is, training for the marathon has been very freeing. First of all, I have a set schedule that tells me exactly how many miles to run every other day. On the days that I don't run, I get to rest. And they actually feel like rest days- I don't ever feel guilty about not running those days. Now that I'm running so much, I don't really have to think much about caloric intake (victory!!), and it just feels so good to really feel healthy. I wouldn't quite say that I get a runner's high, because honestly, I think that's an oxymoron. But I do experience a sense of confidence and accomplishment when I feel really good while running 8 miles. And even though I'm cursing the world during mile 14, when I've successfully run 15 miles, I am ecstatic and relieved.

But there is a deeper reason for why I have continued to train for the marathon. I'm learning a new type of perseverance. I kind of feel like I'm sounding like those locker room sports posters that have an acronym for perseverance- p=power, e=excellence, r=respect, etc.... But anyway, never before have I practiced such a a gradual, yet extreme form of physical perseverance. I have always understood perseverance in an emotional or spiritual sense. There are key moments in my life, like tragic deaths, difficult cross-cultural situations, or times of deep loneliness, that have developed emotional and spiritual perseverance within me. And I believe those times have built my character and given me a type of fortitude that you can't muster up. Those times are an intricate part of who I am. But running has opened my eyes to what it means to physically and mentally persevere. I am forcing my body to go beyond its comfort zone, to do things that I never dreamed possible, and I am forcing my mind to push through it all. And it is really encouraging to remember how I could barely run three outdoor miles last February. I never thought I'd be here now!

Now I am not going to say that I am able to run because "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." (Philippians 4:13), because honestly, I'm don't think my ability to train for the marathon is the right interpretation of that verse. But I can say that I sense God in the midst of perseverance. I mean, we have a God of perseverance. A God that only expects perseverance from us because He constantly perseveres for us. As I force myself to persevere through the craziness of marathon training, which in the grand scheme of things is not that monumental, I reflect on something absolutely monumental- God's perseverance for us, as He seeks after the brokenhearted, pours out love on even the proud, and draws the world to Himself. This thing called perseverance- it's beautiful.

On the Trash

2010-08-26T22:06:00.002-05:00

11:30pm Friday. After a fun evening with friends at a super hipster bar, I packed and tried to remember all the things I needed to do before flying out at 6am. Mark had already flown to CA because he had a business trip out there, so I was in charge of closing up the Medill before our 8 days in California. So of course, I did the dishes, straightened up the apartment and made sure all the windows were closed and locked. There were only 2 more things I needed to do: 1. water the flowers in our cute window box and 2. take out the kitchen trash. 'Hmm, both of those things require going outside, so I'll wait until the morning to do that....'

worthless decision.

4:40am Saturday. I was rushing around with wet hair, with the greatest intention to take out that damn trash. But before I could do that, I got a phone call from the taxi company: 'Your cab is here. If you do not come outside in 2 minutes, the cab will leave.' So of course, I dropped what I was doing, grabbed my bag and ran outside to catch my taxi, leaving the trash and flowers in the dust.

5pm Saturday. I confessed to Mark about my utter fail. Mark scowled and said "Baaaaaaabe..." (disapprovingly).

6pm Sunday (a week later). We walked up to the apartment- dead flowers. I've never seen flowers so dead in my whole life. Fail. We walked into our apartment, and surprisingly there was not a putrid odor as I had expected! So Mark opened the lid to the trash can, and I immediately thought, 'hmm, I don't remember putting all that flax seed in the trash can.' Mark angrily carried the maggot-filled trash can outside as apologies flowed from my mouth. Needless to say, I cleaned the living hell out of that trash can with a power hose and lysol, majorly ashamed at my complete fail. It was probably the grossest moment in our marriage to date.

But, we are planning to buy more flowers and we have the cleanest trash can ever. And although the whole situation was admittedly my fault, Mark kindly (and silently) worked alongside me to clean up my mess. He could have tried to teach me a lesson by making me clean it up all by myself, but he didn't. I'm thankful for his gracious partnership. And I need to learn how to be a gracious partner in return.

But next time, I promise to take out the damn trash.

Blood Minerals in the Congo?

2010-07-24T12:37:00.009-05:00

One of the issues currently in the news that is directly related to my previous post on China in Africa is the influence of the mineral trade on the conflict in the Congo (DRC). This is one of the most tragic wars in the past decade, with millions of deaths, rapes, and mutilations. Moreover, it is one of the most complex and horrific, involving land rights, invasions/subversions from Rwanda and Uganda, the leaders of the Rwandan genocide, mini-states, warlords, ethnic conflict, rape, and minerals. Yet this conflict does not define the Congo. As the blogger Texas In Africa regularly explains, there are (surprise!) real people living there who are rebuilding their country. And the mineral trade, which China helps to drive (along with myriad Western companies), is a actually piece of that process, providing thousands with a small but important revenue stream. While various armed groups derive revenue from minerals, there are other sources of revenue to which they can turn if the legislation actually works. The greatest problem in Eastern Congo is the lack of government...the central government simply does not have the capacity and/or will to impose order upon that part of the country. (The blog Texas In Africa is so interesting because it explores the consequences of this lack of governmental control.)

So the law that the US Congress passed the other day that aims to prohibit the trade of conflict minerals will likely not achieve its desired outcome of reducing the conflict. Despite the focus of the Enough Project and other advocates like Nick Kristof on the mineral trade as the economic driver of the war, Texas In Africa insists that these efforts are misguided and give a simplistic view of the conflict:

The argument that cutting off the mineral trade will make any of this possible defies reality. As does the idea that soldiers will stop raping, looting, and burning down villages if one of their sources of revenue is cut.

Just about every local leader in the east will tell you that the mineral trade is not the cause of violence and that ending the trade is very unlikely to end most violence, especially given the absence of functioning political and security institutions. Ending violence is of course a huge priority for the Congolese, but this is the wrong way to go about it. The legislation is unlikely to do harm (until it causes some of the 1 million people who depend on the trade for their livelihood to become unemployed), so it's mostly just been a waste of time and energy. But why the advocates won't listen to the people they purport to help is beyond me.

...so that's too bad. The ultimate measurers for the success of a development program or in any country is always the local people who are supposed to be benefiting. Unfortunately, US foreign policy is not usually characterized as perceptive to local opinion. What's this bill all about then? Is it just a way to make American consumers feel better about themselves? Hmm...As an American who cares deeply about issues of peace and justice around the world, I will try to listen to the voices of those around the world--especially those of the marginalized and oppressed--and try to influence the foreign policy of my country accordingly.

Update: Texas In Africa is writing about this issue all week, so go to her blog for more/better analysis!

Is China actually helping Africa?

2010-07-24T12:18:00.008-05:00

Deborah Brautigam’s The Dragon’s Gift: The Real Story of China in Africa provides a revealing and comprehensive view of China’s “aid” program in Africa. I label China’s aid program with trepidation because China’s activities in many African nations don’t correspond with Western expectations of an “aid program”. This misunderstanding may be the source for much Western criticism of the “rogue donor.” Accused of exploitation of African workers, environmental degradation, and an insatiable desire for African natural resources among other things, China has come to be viewed as a new imperialist over Africa in some circles.

But as Ms. Brautigam explains, persuasively interweaving anecdotes with economic data, China is blazing a different path in Africa, viewing African countries not simply as bottomless holes in which to dump aid, but as new markets to invest in, profit from, and even partner with. She cites longstanding Chinese aid projects in African countries and numerous joint-ventures between quasi-government-owned Chinese companies and African companies to support her case. Admittedly, the data is limited due to the unavailability of official Chinese aid figures, but she succeeds in debunking the popular myth of China’s new aid program dwarfing those of traditional Western donors. Reports of gargantuan cash transfers to dictatorial and corrupt African regimes are largely overstated.

Rather, the author illustrates China’s different approach to aid. Instead of the vague goals such as the broad and immeasurable Millennium Development Goals decided on by UN experts, Chinese grants are tied to specific proposals submitted by African governments. In contrast to the largely unmet promises of Western donors to double or triple aid to Africa, China has indeed met its goal of increasing the billions it donates in the form of grants or concessional loans. Rather than irresponsible lending to profligate or corrupt African governments (followed by self-congratulation when these impossible loans are forgiven), Chinese loans are structured to ensure long-term repayment, often in unconventional ways.

One of China’s most interesting differences from the West comes in its view of “sunset industries,” which refers to sectors that have become too expensive to maintain in China due to rising labor costs. Instead of trying desperately to keep factories that have become too expensive to remain in China, the government encourages these industries to “go global” and find more economical locales for production. This results in foreign direct investment in African countries, bringing jobs, infrastructure, and technical knowledge. (Too often this also results in the violation of labor and environmental standards in offshore locations…but these violations are not unique to Chinese companies, and we are hypocritical to cast blame only upon them). Going global also pushes Chinese manufacturing towards more high-tech and high-value production, which translates into better wages and skills for its own workforce. Remember, China is also a developing nation. In America, labor unions view outsourcing as unfair, but they also fight to raise wages even though the value of the products may remain stable. Thus the struggle of US automakers. Perhaps the US and its companies could learn how to better equip its workforce for occupational transitions once an industry is no longer viable in the US and encourage the development of more high-tech and green jobs.

Brautigam successfully illuminates the parallels between what happened during China’s own spectacular development and what Chinese actors are trying to accomplish in Africa. After more capitalist-friendly leaders wrested control of the government from Mao, China began to implement reforms which spurred economic growth. This included allowing Japanese and Western firms to invest in China and help it develop its natural resources. For decades, China was an exporter of minerals and gas, and its government successfully utilized this natural wealth to promote development and increase the wealth of millions.

It is widely thought that the Communist Party now justifies its autocratic control over its people by making them richer. I would never encourage any government to suppress its people by denying free speech, freedom of religion, and elections, and I believe that increasing a person’s freedom is an integral part of “development.” In my opinion, today’s China has many problems, including high rates of pollution, growing inequality, corruption and of course human rights violations perpetrated by those in power. Many African countries share these characteristics with China, and I fear that some are choosing to emulate the Chinese model of autocratic capitalism. I am not denying that China’s involvement in Africa can contribute to the corruption, pollution, and oppression that has already been occurring within the continent. But less-widely known are the stories of successful partnership between Chinese and African companies, innovative ways to use natural resources to ensure benefit to the source country, and the benefits of viewing Africans as economic partners instead of aid recipients. The skeptics accuse China of exploitation, and it is true that Chinese companies desire to reap profit from their African investments (so do Western companies). But it is important to recognize the jobs that investment and infrastructure development can bring to African countries. The US can lead the way in adopting some of the more creative measures that aid can be used to encourage business. Further, it’s essential to gain a nuanced view of the moderating influence that China is starting to have on autocratic African governments. The US can continue to engage with China to ensure that it continues this trend.

Is the increase of Chinese activity in Africa ultimately a positive trend? As Brautigam explains, China’s purpose in engaging in Africa is ultimately for China’s benefit (isn’t that how any country is expected to act?), but increasingly, this is accomplished through initiatives that benefit both Chinese and African actors. More often, it is the response of the African government that determines if interaction with China actually benefits actual Africans. But, if any country knows how to quickly increase the economic standing of millions of poor people, it is China.

UPDATE: Deborah Brautigam maintains a blog that reports on the latest happenings between China and Africa: http://www.chinaafricarealstory.com/

Guest Post: Andre's Reflections on Palestine and Israel

2010-07-21T20:33:00.005-05:00

Hi everyone- we are honored to have our first guest post! Our friend Andre read my first two posts about Israel and Palestine and had a few thoughts of his own (and I finally got around to posting it). He has studied this issue intensively, and so we really value his perspective. Thanks Andre!

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It is an excellent point that by reading Hamas solely through the lens of terrorism, the American public tends to falsely see Hamas as it sees “terrorists” in general—a poorly defined group of violent, reactionary, fundamentalists that act based on timeless religious extremism rather than political motivation grounded in relatively recent events. While this perspective is misleading to say the least, Hamas does have a thoroughly Islamist ideology that has gone way beyond Palestinian nationalism. So to me Hamas bears no resemblance to the French Resistance or any other group motivated solely by human rights. Fundamentalist religious ideology almost by definition makes compromise and negotiation especially difficult, since a religious fundamentalist connection to the land tends to preclude giving up any part of it. So there is no mention of any sort of two state solution from Hamas beyond a long term ceasefire (and we’ve seen how ceasefires work out—if there is no reconciliation and closure, then there will always be some excuse to reignite conflict). This is in contrast to Fatah and most other elements of the PLO, since even the most dogmatic secular nationalists can talk about real compromise without sounding too hypocritical. That’s why Israel funded Hamas in the late 1980s and created the monster that it faces today, so that it could undermine realistic movement towards a two-state compromise. Hamas’ Islamism in this way is an ironic reflection of the ideology of right wing Israelis who will not even consider giving up an inch of the land originally encompassed in the British Mandate. On both sides it is important to keep in mind that religious rhetoric in a political conflict is inextricably tied up with political goals, i.e. to a great extent Hamas’ Islamist rhetoric is an effect as well as a cause of its power aspirations, and same with right wing, fundamentalist Israelis.

I think you’re also right that identity is the linchpin currently holding together and perpetuating the many elements of the conflict. Palestinian and Israeli identities both developed largely in opposition to each other, so as long as they both exist as such the conflict remains intractable. But what fuels the reproduction of polemic identities isn’t unchanging, pre-existing belief —it is personal experience of trauma and loss. If a youth has been displaced and continually harassed by the IDF and seen family members killed, political action they take is based on this, rather than some pre-existing a priori belief in a political or religious ideal. Like they say, all politics is personal. So I hope that if Israelis can finally muster up the political will to rein in their government and military and gradually loosen up their choke hold, there will be gradually less trauma to drive oppositional identities and reconciliation can occur. But obviously that is a big if.

All up in your business

2010-07-06T19:30:00.002-05:00

The other day, my parents asked the New DeLews what we liked about living in the city. We said that we love public transportation and the fact that you can't help but be nominally involved in everyone's business. Whether it's someone asking for money on the El, talking on their cell phone about the most recent vampire movie, or listening to an insanely loud heavy metal song on their ipod, you notice (and sometimes, if we're honest, you judge). But all that to say, I love the raw-ness of it. There's a certain part of it that seems real to me- the city makes thousands of different worlds collide, and at times it can be a huge nuisance because I really don't want to overhear about what your friend's girlfriend said to her cousin's ex-boyfriend. But I'm forced to hear it and recognize this daily world-collision.

Well the day after we talked to my parents about this, the four of us found ourselves on a ridiculously crowded bus where everyone was all up in everyone's grill, and most people were desperately trying to avoid how uncomfortable it was. And of course, at the front of a bus, two babies were screaming at the tops of their lungs and hitting at each other while the tired mom casually swatted away their punches of fury. Most of the people on the bus judged, but everyone was inconvenienced. After about 15 minutes of straight child-screaming, an older man from the back of the bus yelled to the tired mom, 'Hey I've got a belt if you'd like to use it!" The entire bus chuckled. Everyone was thinking the same thing.

Well today, I experienced what I would call a 'She actually just said that!?!' moment. On my morning commute I boarded a very crowded bus that only had a few open seats in the back. So I walked to the back of the bus and noticed that one lady (let's call her Bag Lady) had strategically placed her purse on the seat next to her. And when I walked up to her, she again, strategically, did not acknowledge my presence. Now I realize that this may be appropriate on airplanes, but not on Chicago transportation. You move your damn bag so that a person can have a seat. But all that to say, I just moved to a seat right behind that lady. Unbeknownst to me another woman (let's call her 'Crazy Bold Lady') had noticed the entire 'not moving the bag' incident. Out of the blue, Crazy Bold Lady absolutely exploded and started verbally assaulting the Bag Lady. And the conversation went like this:

Crazy Bold Lady: You know, you should really move your stupid bags so that a human can sit down. It is absolutely rude to just place your bags on a seat in such a busy bus. Who do you think you are!?
Bag Lady: (visibly flustered) Well I didn't notice!!
Crazy Bold Lady: Well you need to stop being so selfish and start noticing people around you!! Why do you think your bags deserve to have a seat more than these people. It's real nice of you to allow everyone to stand so that you don't have to place your bags on your precious lap!
Bag Lady: All right! I said I didn't notice!! Have a NICE TUESDAY!!! (as she angrily puts her bags on her lap and pretends to start reading)
Crazy Bold Lady: Well there ya go, NOW you're actually being courteous! For ONCE!

And an awkward silence rested upon the entire bus. But you know what we were all thinking? I can't believe the Crazy Bold Lady actually said that!! I've thought all of those things, and when I'm really ridiculous, envisioned myself actually saying them. But this lady actually said it! Wowza. And although I was mildly amused by the whole situation, and oddly impressed by Crazy Bold Lady's sudden verbal vomit, I felt bad for the Bag Lady. Yes, she was not being very courteous, but she probably wasn't being malicious with her bag. But regardless, she became the victim of the Crazy Bold Lady's wrath. It was actually a really sad encounter to witness. She was so quick to judge the Bag Lady, without having any real understanding of what's going on. And yet it's so easy to do that, especially when your world is completely colliding with someone else's on the bus. But if I'm going to be a person defined by grace, I know that I must relinquish my desire to judge and be willing to imagine someone's life outside of my brief, annoying encounter. It's absolutely unnatural to me, but I've got to try.

Family Central

2010-07-06T12:29:00.007-05:00

It is family central at the Medill. Within a series of 10 days, we've got four families popping in and out of the Medill in Chicago. (Now quick forewarning- because we never take pictures when we should, only the picture of Mark and Trinity is from the past two weeks. The other pictures are random within the past year. But at least there are pics!)

First, the lovely Majorins family of four enjoyed our Guest Room (that we set up with a pack n' play and toddler bed). They trekked from foggy Oakland and landed in steamy Chicago, exhausted and ready for a good Midwest meal. As we prepared dinner, two year old Trinity wandered through our house saying "What's that?", "Let's go upstairs!", and "Why is that door stuck?". It was really fun to watch Trinity explore her new surroundings and try to make sense of it all. Finally we sat down for grilled bbq pork chops, roasted rosemary potatos, corn bread salad, and chocolate stout cake with a Bailey's ganache, and enjoyed a great night of conversation with lovely Sarah and Phil. Ahh, it was great!

Then we had the Main DeLews over for dinner (slight clarification- although we're the New DeLews, we can't really call Mark's parents the Old DeLews because they are quite spry and not old at all. So for this purpose, they will be called the Main DeLews). They made the lovely train ride from Wheaton to Chicago, enduring through the 93 degree heat/humidity, and graciously suffered through the lack of A/C at the Medill. But with a meal of almond-crusted grilled salmon with caramelized onions, garlic potato salad, mediterranean salad, and ice cream with homemade chocolate sauce, I think we all ended up ok. So thanks for coming, Main DeLews!

For the past 5 days, Papa and Mama George have been visiting the New DeLews, doing apartment projects and eating a lot of good food. A few of our feasts included- Mediterranean Chicken Salad, pan-seared tilapia with arugula pesto, lemon parmesan risotto, grilled turkey burgers, sweet potato fries, homemade fresh tuna salad, blueberry muffins, and oh so many other things. We also went out to Ciao pizzeria- a new pizza place in Logan Square. In fact, we loved it so much, that we went twice! It was so fun to have my parents in town, experiencing our Chicago life a bit and also interacting as two couples. It's a cool shift in the parent-child relationship. Some of our activities included- playing pick up stix, Chicago Architecture boat tour, watching a foreign film, tango dancing in the park, shopping, and experiencing the craziness that is July 4th in Chicago. Oh man, it felt like we were in a war zone with all the illegal fireworks going off in our neighborhood.

And tonight, the lovely Carpenters are coming over for dinner! They've been doing a midwest tour, and we are so excited to see them because they have played a really important role in our lives as the New DeLews. Now we may be recycling one of the meals mentioned above, but hey, it was so good, why not?

Being with our family members and other close friends reminds us that the New DeLews are not alone in this world. We are who we are because of our communities. And I am so thankful for who God has placed in our lives. The past few weeks have reminded me of that over and over again.

Reflections on Israel and Palestine, Part 3: Ending the cycle of victimization

2010-07-04T20:51:00.006-05:00

If it seems like I direct the bulk of my criticism at Israeli policies and not Hamas or other Palestinian actors, it is because I hold the liberal democracy to a higher standard. I have great respect for the democracy that Israel has been able to carve out in the Middle East. I just wish that it was a democracy that benefited Palestinian Arabs as well as Israeli Jews. Of course, I stand against the violence perpetrated by both Hamas and the Israeli Army--but this post is mainly about Israel, as the US is most likely to be able to influence our strongest ally in the Middle East. The US gives Israel’s military over $2 billion every year (http://wrmea.org/component/content/article/245-2008-november/3845-congress-watch-a-conservative-estimate-of-total-direct-us-aid-to-israel-almost-114-billion.html)

I feel like I should have a say in how Israel uses my money.

And last, this episode is emblematic of the cycle of victimization. Jews across the world have suffered tremendously throughout the centuries at the hands of Christians, Muslims, Romans, Turks, Europeans, Arabs, and others. It is tragic, although probably inevitable given this history, that the country with a stated desire to retain its “Jewish character” has victimized others in the name of national security. Some victims, in this case, have become oppressors.

Although Israel labels any attacks by Palestinians as terrorism (and some rightly so), these attacks are really part of an ongoing conflict between two identities that have deeply hurt each other—and continue to hurt each other. This conflict has been so pervasive and enduring that some people don’t know any other way of life except through the prism of war. Moreover, millions of people have been personally affected by the violence. It is not an abstract war occurring some miles away. Rather, families have been devastated and wounds have been opened which would take decades to heal—if healing is desired.

But I believe that there is hope for more just policies, the cessation of violence, and ultimately in reconciliation. Understanding this conflict as a longstanding post-modern conflict based upon ethno-centric identities rather than “good vs. bad” will help in defusing it. Then, the Israeli and Palestinian leaders must craft policies that reflect this reality and honestly push towards a peace agreement. Both sides must give up long-held desires.

But simultaneously, the Palestinian and Israeli people must begin to try to forgive each other. It is my hope that giving air to multiple perspectives on the conflict in the Middle East will in some small way help bring about the recognition of humanity in the other and lead to treating the other with dignity. I am a realist with regard to the tremendous obstacles facing the Middle East peace process; however, I refuse to let cynicism dispel hope for reconciliation among the nations.

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I think I'll leave this topic alone for now. I'd love to hear your thoughts! I certainly don't claim to know everything, and would love to hear any constructive criticism or other thoughts. Thanks!

Lessons Learned

2010-06-21T12:14:00.000-05:00

The past few weeks have been kinda crazy for the New DeLews. So instead of writing a long post about our craziness, I've decided to explain a couple of the 'lessons learned'. Because let's be honest, we're always learning lessons, right?

Routine: Although I hate to admit it because it might mean I have a bit of Type A-ness in me, I actually like routine. And I've finally determined what 'Routine' means to me. Essentially I'm in a routine if: 1) I've made bread and granola, 2) there's some type of leftovers to eat for lunch, and 3) the living room is neat (note that I didn't say clean, I said neat). So all I really need is about 3 hours of cooking and 'neatening' in order to feel relatively stable. Maybe I'm not so complicated after all....

Trips: A solo weekend trip to California for less than 43 hours is wonderful, so invigorating, but too short. Every time I go to CA, it's harder to come back. Although I love living in Chicago and I'm so thankful for our life here, for some reason without fail I find myself in tears at the airport bar while waiting for my return flight to Chicago. It's bizarre, I know. Poor Other DeLew.

Volleyball: Playing beach volleyball on Monday evenings, after not touching a volleyball for 6 years, will lead to bruised arms and bruised egos. I swear, I used to be good!

Running: The New DeLews' wise plan to run 6 miles on Saturday at the hottest point of the day (89 degrees) turned out to be not-so-wise. We made it, but definitely hated life.

Puerto Rico: Puerto Rican Day in Chicago means tons of people dangerously hanging out of cars while waving abnormally large Puerto Rican flags and honking horns. Just be aware.

Soba Noodles: If you have too many soba noodles in one pot of boiling water, just place them in a larger pot. Do not ignore this issue by cooking them for longer and allowing a layer of noodles to burn onto the bottom of said small pot. Especially not when you have friends over for dinner, like last night.

Blood Orange: Vodka + tonic + splash of Trader Joe's Blood Orange Italian Soda= one of the most refreshing drinks ever! It's the New DeLews' new thang for the summer. Thanks, Parris, for the recommendation!

Blue Sheets: Washing blue bedsheets will cause your entire load of laundry to turn a nice shade of pale blue. Unfortunately the Other DeLew doesn't like to wear blue undershirts though. Fail.

And that's our life right now. Learning about ourselves, our city, and random life-things. Although it can seem silly to make note of these little things, the truth is that these things reminds me to be thankful in the midst of mundane life moments. And practicing thankfulness helps us be more aware of God's grace in our midst.

Reflections on Israel and Palestine, Part 2: Trying to understand the "terrorists" in Gaza

2010-06-11T20:43:00.001-05:00

Let’s try to apply a Just War Theory framework to the Hamas perspective of the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians. Hamas operates in an occupation context that makes it closer to the French Resistance than to Al-Qaeda (in fact, Hamas views Al-Qaeda as a threat, not an ally). From Hamas’ perspective, the whole of Palestine (including the area known as Israel) is under Israeli occupation (not to mention the West Bank—actually under occupation by the Israeli Army, and Gaza—virtually besieged). To Hamas, Israel’s war against the Palestinians, which began with a massive 1947 land grab known as the Nakba (or “catastrophe”), justifies unconventional attacks against the invaders. And because the perpetrators of this invasion evicted Palestinian civilians, and include Israeli civilians, the conflict resembles something like total war. Recall that total wars occur when entire nations are in danger of being attacked, as in WWII. Civilian attacks are expected, such as the Nazi rocketing of London or Allied bombing of Dresden. (just to be clear, I don’t believe in the “Hamas” or “Israeli” perspective of this conflict, and I would never condone displacement or attacks against civilians).

But the conflict in the Middle East is something even more engrossing than total war—in this conflict, there is very little to distinguish civilians from soldiers. Not only do soldiers strike against civilians, as in the Gaza war of 2009 or a Hamas militant strike against an Israeli settlement, but also civilians participate in the conflict, such as Israeli evictions of Palestinian villages or Hamas storing weapons in schools or hospitals. And, more subtly perhaps, a civilian can become a soldier at any time to attack the enemy and then blend back into the populace. These conflicts entail identity warfare; where one group of people, often defined by ethnicity or religion, wants to destroy or displace another group of people. Moreover, their very identity is predicated upon opposition to the enemy’s identity. These wars are called post-modern conflicts, and they have sadly become more common throughout the world (Bosnia, Sudan).

Because Israel frames this conflict as a fight against terrorists, and thereby fails to recognize the deeper causes and consequences of identity politics, it will also fail to win real peace. Instead, Israel is under a “siege mentality” that portrays even legitimate Palestinian opposition as “terrorist.” With this wartime mindset, national security is the groundwork for all policy, and problems are solved through military means.

Thus, Israel decided to deploy commandoes to stop the flotilla rather than more diplomatic means. More importantly, Israel justifies the economic blockade of Gaza as a matter of national security to stop the flow of arms to militants. But as already explained, this policy has not succeeded in diminishing Hamas’ power. The reliance upon the military to solve political problems has not yielded positive outcomes for Israel. The war against Hezbollah in 2008, against Hamas in 2009, and the Flotilla raid of last week have not created any progress towards a permanent solution. Moreover, the events of the last 3 years have actually hardened the opinion of the Arab street, erstwhile Muslim allies such as Turkey, and some Europeans against Israel. Israel must alter its policy if it wants to ensure the long-term safety of its people alongside the Palestinians.

Extreme Reactions and Summer Activities

2010-06-07T16:12:00.003-05:00

We interrupt this series of Israel and Palestine posts for a not-so-deep and probably not-so-thoughtful post about bikes and summer. Actually, I have much to say about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, but the unfortunate truth is that I'm not quite as balanced (or informed) as the Other DeLew is. I'm really thankful for the way Mark thinks through complicated issues, because he challenges me to not jump to simplistic conclusions. Now clarification- that's something I'm working on, it doesn't come real naturally to me. For example, the New DeLews have obviously been talking about Israel and Palestine a lot recently, and typically the conversation goes something like this:

Me: I can't believe Israel is being such a bully! I'm totally Pro-Palestine

Mark: Em, it's not as simple as you think it is. Let's look at the entire history of.....

Me: So you're Pro-Israel?

Mark: No, you need to look at both sides of the issue, and the proposed solutions are so complicated....

Me: So your Pro-Palestine like me! Two have become one!

Mark: Ugh! Em!!

Actually, I'm not that ridiculous, but unfortunately my initial reaction to current events tends to be a bit extreme. But give me a bit more information (and some time to cool off), and I'll start to really think through the issues. Regardless of who is in power, however, I'm really concerned about all of the Palestinians and Israelis that are being affected by this unnecessary violence and unrest. And I do pray for reconciliation. And justice. And peace. I'm looking forward to hear more of Mark's thoughts.

Onto the not-so-thoughtful topics, Friday was very exciting because the New DeLews biked to work for the first time this season. I finally got my wonderful clunker bike fixed, which was absolutely necessary since some punk-ass kids stole my front tire. And the brakes didn't work. And the handles were on upside down? I don't know why, but it's fixed now. We had another Craigslist success and got a used bike for Mark. My bike- bright green. Mark's bike- bright orange. We look like a bunch of skittles riding around the city. Anyway, summer has arrived and the time for biking to work, marathon training, beach volleyball, and ultimate frisbee has commenced (oh so sportsy!). And of course, we're also looking forward to the other non-sportsy activities- free symphony concerts, summerdance, drinks on patios, beergardens. Gotta love summer in the city.

Reflections on Israel and Palestine, Part 1

2010-06-04T18:48:00.004-05:00

The incident between Israeli commandoes and the flotilla of aid ships this week caught most of the world by surprise. The details of what actually occurred are still murky, so it is unclear if the commandoes acted out of self-defense, or reacted disproportionately to the activists on the ships. So far, it looks like Israel completely botched this operation...they sure aren't making any friends right now. We can debate the legality of the Israeli landing on the ships, but Israel will say that the seaborne interception was a necessary part of their blockade of Gaza (although many people, including me, would disagree). We can also debate the legality of the blockade itself, and there are strong arguments on both sides. Israel portrays its policy of blockade as defensive, purposed to keep the current trickle of arms into Gaza from becoming a flood. While the isolation of Gaza seems like a defensive necessity to many Israelis and may or may not be legal (international law is such a gray area), in effect it has ghettoized the 1.5 million Palestinians who live there. Morally, this is indefensible. There should be another way.

From my perspective, as a 20-something middle-class American, I cannot influence any of these policies directly. I can’t change Israeli public opinion to be more compassionate towards the imprisoned Gazans, and I can’t convince Hamas to officially recognize Israel. I’m primarily concerned with the US foreign policy towards Israel and Palestine that my elected officials have created. So let's take a second to briefly review some events that have led up to this point:

In 2006, there was a relatively free (especially compared to most of the states in the Middle East) internationally monitored election in Palestine. Fatah, the incumbent party, lost and Hamas won. Reasons given for Fatah’s defeat, despite being the favorite of the West, include the lack of progress towards Palestinian independence after decades of occupation, a perception of incompetence and corruption, and being the favorite of the West. The US and most of the Western world refused to recognize Hamas as the elected government of Palestine due to their militancy and refusal to recognize Israel. The Bush Administration’s strategy was to isolate Hamas in its Gaza stronghold so that it would fail to govern properly. Meanwhile, the West Bank, which was governed by Hamas leadership for only a short while after the election, was supposed to prosper and develop, thereby delegitimizing Hamas. The ensuing contrast between a poor, isolated, Hamas-governed Gaza Strip and a developing West Bank, now governed by technocrats, was theoretically going to convince people to overthrow Hamas and re-join the Western-approved Palestine—or, at least convince Hamas to recognize Israel and renounce its dedication to Israel's destruction.

While this strategy, of which the Israeli blockade of Gaza is a key component, has succeeded in impoverishing Gazans, it has failed miserably at its primary goal of wooing Hamas or its supporters. This strategy failed because it pretends the 1.5 million Palestinians in Gaza do not exist. Ultimately, an event like this week’s botched interception-at-sea was bound to happen under the strain of blockading so many people.

Unfortunately, President Obama, despite promising an outreach to the Muslim world in an inspiring speech last year, has failed to change the US stance on one of most important issues to the Muslim world. The US policy of non-negotiation with Hamas makes about as much sense as Hamas refusing to recognize Israel. Although Hamas has perpetrated horrible terrorist acts (and this should not be taken lightly), it makes no sense to ignore them. Designating a democratically elected government as a mere terrorist organization completely misses the complexity of the situation. Of course, I believe that Hamas should never attack Israeli civilians or employ suicide bombers. This is so wrong and hateful. But I also believe that Israel should stop displacing Palestinian civilians from their homes--a cruelty that kills the soul of a people bonded to the land. So often the American view of Israel/Palestine is one-sided. We need to understand the context in which Hamas exists.

(to be continued...)

Liberated Women

2010-06-02T13:25:00.002-05:00

For the past few days I've been listening to my 'Liberated Women' playlist. Ani DiFranco, Alanis Morsette, Frou Frou-you rock! Let me explain- there are no underlying reasons for listening to this playlist right now- I'm not anti-men, in a fight with the Other DeLew, or generally angry. In fact, I'm very pleased with my personal representative of the male species- specifically the Other DeLew. I think it's a common misconception that all 'liberated women' are secretly angry at men.

Now I will admit that I've been in that 'angry at men' stage, and I've used a hyper-feminist agenda to express that anger/disappointment (i.e. first 3 years of college... heh). But I believe I did a disservice to feminist ideology when I used it to salve my anger. The just message of equality and liberation became clouded by my hurt and disappointment, and so I'd use the idea of a 'liberated women' to make men feel insignificant and to exert my strength and power. But take that too far and the oppressed quickly becomes the oppressor. And let's be honest, constantly making men feel insignificant and guilty for being a man is a sure-fire way to decrease any positive interactions with them. And then when you have very limited interactions with the enemy (aka men), it becomes even easier to stigmatize all men as complete tools who live and breathe to oppress women. And only when I distance myself from the enemy can I be free and liberated, right?

The truth is, that's not real freedom, and I would suggest it's not real feminism. We'll never really be free if we try to gain liberation by demeaning someone else, and I think using ideologies as a weapon does exactly that. In fact, I feel more liberated as a woman since I've been in a relationship (and now married) to the Other DeLew. The understanding that we share allows us to explore what liberation and equality really looks like. As we understand our differences and learn from each other's perspectives, mutual respect develops, which gives us the space to live and love freely. And I believe that reconciliation brings true liberation. So all that to say- yes, I am most definitely still a feminist! But I must thank my male counterparts for contributing to a more robust understanding of feminist ideology and practice.

A Ten Mile Weekend

2010-05-29T11:03:00.008-05:00

Saturday morning at 7:30am I started my first official race ever- the Soldier Field 10 Mile Race! My good friend Ashley was my partner in crime as we ran down and up the Chicago lakefront (alongside 10,000 other runners) for 10 miles in the blazing sun, finishing in 1 hour, 36 minutes at the fifty-yard line in Soldier Field! And yes, we came in 4,123rd place at a 9:41 minutes per mile pace. It was a blast! Mark was our ever-present photographer, capturing us at the start line, the almost finish line, and the post-race exhaustion line. Now that I've got this 10 mile race under my water-belt, it's onto marathon training, which begins next week. After the race, the New DeLews went camping with friends and had a great time. There's something absolutely fantastic about long weekends. We're so thankful to have these sweet times together and with friends.

All geared up at the start line

At mile 9.2, so happy to spot Mark! And to be almost done.

This picture is kind of like 'Where's Waldo?' But I promise I'm crossing the finish line!

My lovely husband supporting us all the way! He's the best.

Wednesday's 'Stream'

2010-05-26T15:40:00.004-05:00

Much of our thought life involves a steady flow of internal stream of consciousness. Now this New DeLew tends to be what you would call a 'verbal processor'. As a result, the Other New DeLew endures, I mean benefits from hearing my stream of conscious thoughts. I'm sure he can testify that's it's pretty exciting stuff (insert sarcasm). Although at times there's some depth to the 'stream', I often find myself mulling over very mundane life-things. And because today is one of those days where the stream is taking over any focused thinking, I have shared a few of my stream themes.

-Transportation- when I've squished into a seat next to someone on a crowded bus, what is the protocol when an empty row opens up but I'm getting off in a few stops? Do I, a) get up and sit in the open row just for a few stops, causing unnecessary movement b)continue sitting all squished next to the person and stare straight ahead c) just stand until we get to my stop?

-Economics- How many pairs of cheap Forever 21 sandals do I need to go through in order to justify buying Rainbows?

-Agriculture- I think that there are three types of farmers- meat farmer, basic food products (soy and wheat), and fruit/veggies. If I had to be a farmer, I would definitely be the fruit/veggie farmer. And I'd plant peaches.

-The Five Senses- how is it that one city block can have so many odors? Walking east I get wafts of steamy sewage/trash from the alley- buttery Garrett's popcorn (classic chicago thing, but at 8am it's not so appetizing)- fresh laundry from the hotel- cigarette smoke. It's all a bit much.

-Science- When the New DeLews are melting in our teeny furnace-like bedroom at night, if we put a bowl of ice cubes in front of a fan, will the fan blow cold ice-vapor-air toward us?

-Health and Fitness- My big toe hurts everytime I run. There's a blister growing under my toenail and I'm afraid that I'm getting this thing called 'runner's toe'. My toenail might fall off and I'm freaking out about it. I might become that person with the gross big toe.

-Parenting- I love watching little kids play in fountains on my lunch break. They run through the water with such abandon. It's a freeing thing to observe.

That's this New DeLew's stream of the day. Very mundane and very real.

The New DeLews' Anniversary!

2010-05-25T10:20:00.005-05:00

This past weekend was The New DeLews' first anniversary weekend! *queue applause and unruly cheering* Yep, we made it. And what did we do to celebrate this monumental event? Romantic getaway to an isolated cottage? A trip to the Bahamas? Although those would be cool options, we didn't quite get there. Instead we took a road trip with 5 college friends in cars with no A/C to meet up with other college friends at the Powell's wedding- and it was quite a wonderful trip. On Saturday the ladies and I got to put-put around town all day, take mallets to crabs, and absolutely enjoy the beautiful wedding festivities. Since many of the boys were in the wedding, they ate a big breakfast, played in the pool, and then got all swanked up for wedding pics. Woot woot to the Powells!

And actually, besides the sleeping in separate beds part, it was a fantastic way to celebrate our anniversary. A year ago we were hanging out with all these friends in preparation for our wedding. It was fun to be on the other end of it this time (i.e., not getting married) and to reflect on God's faithfulness over the past year in our lives and in our friends' lives. We are just so thankful.

Sunday was our official anniversary (May 23rd!), and we spent it eating Panera Bread with about 11 other friends and then roadtripping it in 90 degree weather (reminder- no A/C) with complete focus and fervor so that we could make it home in time for the LOST finale. At 7:30pm we pulled into Chicago, dripping with sweat and stains on our clothing from eating atrocious fast food in the car, and ran into our friends' apartment on the south side, just in time to make a quick salad and watch LOST. It was a great end to our anniversary weekend.

Sometime in the next few weeks we hope to officially celebrate our anniversary in a super romantic way, but the truth is, a weekend full of friends and celebratory events was perfect for the New DeLews. This is how we roll. We really do believe in community- which means we share all aspects of our lives with each other. And I'd have it no other way.

Pictures have arrived!

2010-05-20T10:58:00.004-05:00

The time has come to share preliminary photos of... drumroll please.... The Medill!!! (applause and cheers). Now i say preliminary because I took these pictures about a week ago, before we had finished putting art on the walls. So the pictures look a bit sterile, but I promise, the Medill is anything but sterile. Hmm, I think that might sound weird. Oh well. Warning- the Medill is not really as 'glow-y' as these pictures appear- we just have a horrible camera.

Picture 1: The Medill- We're on the first floor

Pictures 2 and 3: The parlor- remember, we have more art on the walls now.

Picture 4 and 5: The dining room- note the faux brick (much faux-er in person). We have attempted to cover the brick with a curtain, which just looks weird, so now we're not quite sure what our next move will be.

Picture 6: The Master Bedroom- our teeny tiny room with 2 doors.. really?

Picture 7 and 8: The glorious kitchen- please convince Mark that the wall color is cranberry, not pink. And those curtains are not ours!

Picture 9 and 10. Your bedroom- come visit and you can stay in this room! We've added some Zambian and Papua New Guinean art on the walls in this room. You can stare at those all night!

Please come and visit the Medill! It's a great place to be and we'd love to have you.

Oh So Sore!

2010-05-20T10:24:00.004-05:00

This week the New DeLews have dealt with an unwelcome visitor- Soreness. Now to give some context, Saturday was the most hard core Sportsy Couple day yet. But this time, our sportsy activities were separate- I ran 11 miles along the lake front, and Mark had a 6 hour Ultimate frisbee tryout. During mile 8 I had a revelation- I love this! I could run all day long. I was smiling and feeling all good about myself. My positive thought- 'Marathon? bring it!' ... ahem, then I hit mile 9. Suddenly my hamstrings felt like steel bars and I desperately fought to make it through the last 2 miles. My sudden swing of emotions brought on my negative thought- 'damn you, marathon!' Exhibit A- my tendency toward extreme reactions. Nevertheless, I made it through the 11 miles, felt tired and had some major hamstring soreness, but phew, I did it. Now my husband, on the other hand, took care of business at the tryout. He was sprinting, 'cutting', 'going deep', 'laying out' (notice how I know all these ultimate frisbee terms?)... Although Mark has been running with me periodically, he hasn't been playing very much frisbee. So, needless to say, he was pretty wiped after the tryout was over.

Now of course, thanks to the New DeLews impeccable and thoughtful planning, we had planned to host our first party at the Medill on Saturday evening. I had a nice list of things for Mark to do when he got home at 4pm (start time for party, which included dinner- 7pm). But much to my dismay- Mark couldn't move. Now I understand soreness- it hurts, but you push through the pain. Now in Mark's case, however, he couldn't push through the pain because he actually couldn't move. For reals- this was a soreness like no other- it was a beast! Obviously this made the party preparations interesting (and very slow!), but it eventually worked out. And for the next 3 days, I learned how to serve my husband in different ways, like putting on his socks for him, carrying him down the stairs, and enduring his groans everytime he took a step. It was a bonding time for us. And I guess we better get used to dealing with soreness- Mark has many more days of Ultimate frisbee, and my marathon training officially starts in June. So, cheers to soreness, we'll be expecting you!

You win some and lose some

2010-05-11T22:49:00.003-05:00

You win some and lose some. And yesterday I lost. Completely lost. It was one of those days where nothing turned out and everything was frustrating. But then the New DeLews went on a 4 mile run (since we're that sportsy couple), and some of my frustration waned. Actually, I am really enjoying this whole thing called exercise and running. I always thought that those supposed 'endorphins' were a joke, but I'm really starting to think that they are legit. When we run, 1. I get distracted because I'm obviously trying to survive. 2. I have time to think through things and remember that there is more to life than my daily frustrations. 3. I feel relatively productive, which helps anyone feel like a winner (kind of like how cooking allows my winning creative juices to flow).

All that to say, I'm thankful that our lives are not just one-dimensional. Although we might feel like losers in one aspect of life, we're able to explore other winning areas- all in the same day. It's my natural (extreme) tendency to assume that every situation is the most significant, life-altering situation ever. So when I experience 'losing hours', I find it pretty difficult to remember that my entire life is not a loss (remember that extreme streak of mine?). But I think running and cooking helps me rise above any felt loser-ness. It's not necessarily the end results of those activities that make me feel like a winner, it's the process that gives me perspective. These activities take me beyond my day and remind me that there is more to life than my frustrations. So you win some and lose some? Yeah for sure. But I'm thankful that we're not bound by the losing days.

Shared Space

2010-05-06T16:25:00.003-05:00

One thing I love about living in the city is that I am constantly reminded that I am in a shared space. The 'space' where I live, work, shop, walk, force me to realize that I do not live in my own world, and that I'm definitely not the center of it. Every morning we take public transportation to work. Together we ride the El (Chicago's subway system), and then I hop onto a bus while Mark stays on the train for a bit longer. We've settled into a reasonable morning routine, which usually includes scarfing down an egg-in-a-hole while walking, eating a mini-Altoid once we get on the train, and fighting through the crowd to give a quick good-bye kiss. It's just what we do. And our mundane routine intersects and interacts with surrounding strangers every morning. Of course, I assume that no one pays attention to us. But the truth is, watching The New DeLews' routine may have become part of someone else's daily routine. Now I know that sounds creepy or maybe narcissistic, but hear me out. As we settle into the normalcy of our lives, we start to take notice of subtleties. There are certain people at my bus stop that I see every morning. I know which bus they take, I recognize their winter coat, I observe their routine- but I don't know who they are. One day a woman came up to me and said "I am always so relieved when I see you at the bus stop because I know that I didn't miss my bus!". She knew my routine, and yet I had never seen her before.

Our lives are constantly intersecting with other people's lives, and it's on public transporation that I'm most aware of this. We can try to pretend that we're in our own worlds by reading or listening to music. But at some point, our 'world' is disrupted by a stranger, a fellow traveler. Sometimes I wonder where everyone is going. We're all in this one train, heading Northwest, and yet, what are we all doing here? For this brief moment, we are strangers sharing a common space. And in some distant way, we have a random connection to each other.

I sensed this 'random connection' very strongly when my plane got stranded in Dakar, Senegal for 72 hours. I was on my way to Zambia alone, and lo and behold, my plane broke down on the tarmac in West Africa. Suddenly I found myself walking through the streets of Dakar to a hotel with 200 other passengers- all strangers. And yet suddenly, our mundane commonality of being on the same airplane turned into a connection. The 200 passengers started to watch out for each other. One lady from Malawi gave me a $20 bill (because I had decided to travel 10,000 miles without cash- who am I??). I felt like I was on LOST the whole time, but really, I became so aware of the connection that resulted from our mundane plane ride.

As it's our human tendency to think that we're the center of the universe, I am thankful that I am forced/given the opportunity to look beyond myself every day and remember that we live in shared space. I have no idea if I will ever see the person next to me again, and I have no idea where they are going or what they're thinking. And yet, we're on the same train. It's mundane, routine, and normal. But there is significance and beauty in the mundane and the 'sharedness' of our lives.

Why so much broccoli?

2010-05-04T11:25:00.003-05:00

The New DeLews are as happy as clams in the Medill. Someday soon I will write an Ode to the Medill and share all the things we love about it (with pictures of course). But for now, I'll just say this- we officially love the Medill, and we are very very thankful. Thanks to great friends, Friday night's move was quick and relatively painless (at least for those of us who were directing where each box should be placed, heh heh). We had bribed our friends to help us move by promising huge amounts of pizza and beer. On Friday we weren't sure how many people would show up, but we definitely wanted to be prepared on the food and drink front, so naturally, we bought way too much Costco pizza and beer for days. Yada yada yada, at the end of the night, after giving away about half a pizza, the New DeLews found themselves with lots of leftover pizza (and tons of leftover beer of course- we're not lushes!) So all that to say, in an effort not to waste anything (we pretend to be green here), we had pizza for dinner 3 nights in a row. Now I like pizza and all, but that's a bit much. It was rough.

After the past week of eating so terribly, and now that we have a kitchen again, it is time to eat our vegetables- specifically green things. Yesterday I decided that broccoli would sufficiently kick off our return to healthiness. After searching through a healthy food blog, I found it! Broccoli Quinoa with Broccoli Pesto. We're talking about 4 pounds of broccoli here, people. If that's not going to get us back to health, nothing will! Now mind you, Mark agreed to this meal, mainly because the other option was a tofu stir-fry. Anyway, I was cutting the broccoli, and suddenly I became nervous that I didn't have enough broccoli. So I asked Mark to stop by our local produce Market- Emilio's, to buy more broccoli. When he came home, I was steaming broccoli and stuffing some of it into a blender to make the broccoli pesto. And Mark gently said- 'Em, that's a lot of broccoli'. But I would not be moved- I need more broccoli!

But then, while I was attempting to stir the largest bowl of broccoli you've ever seen, it all hit me- Oh no! this is a lot of broccoli. So we sat down to eat our green slush of a meal, and I must say, we were impressed by the good flavors. But after about 5 minutes, I sheepishly put down my dish- I just couldn't do it anymore! It was too much! And then Mark gently asked the question that both of us were thinking- 'Babe, why so much broccoli?' My overzealous-ness struck again: good intentions but extreme and ridiculous follow through. And we both have to pay the price- broccoli sludge up the wazoo! So as I eat my broccoli mush for lunch today, I only have one thing to say, lesson learned.

That Miserable Couple

2010-04-30T09:35:00.002-05:00

Today is the day- it's moving day! This evening we will be loading up a uhaul and making the long 1-mile trek to the Medill- with the help of some awesome friends (shout out to you all!!), and with the sustaining power of pizza and beer. That's essential.

This past week Mark and I made a packing game plan. Essentially it was- come home from work, pack non-stop, cook or order take out for dinner, and pack some more. We kinda stuck to the schedule. We made tons o' progress on Monday- Mark cooked the Whipple's Last Supper while I went for a run (it was fantastico!). Tuesday we became easily distracted- partly because of my insanely intense wave of hunger that gave me tunnel vision for Indian takeout. We took a packing break to watch Lost, but then realized it was a re-run. Instead of turning off the tv to pack, we got hooked on Biggest Loser/Glee. Needless to say, Tuesday was not our most productive packing day ever. Wednesday, on the other hand, we took care of business! Some friends came over and helped us pack/eat Thai food. Yada yada, we finished packing on Wednesday night. Yep, you heard it- two days before moving day, we were DONE packing! Yeah, the New DeLews freaking rock.

So last night, Mark and I went for a run and then went out to a nice dinner. We had a groupon (we love groupons!) for a chic new restaurant in our neighborhood. You know, one of those places where the tables are real close to each other, so you have to try really hard not to hear the surrounding conversations? We were having a grand ol' time until we started overhearing the couple next to us. This couple was in their early-40s, hopefully not married, and horribly immature. Tidbits of what we heard- Lady: "You're a horrible date! I can't believe you're so awful. You're walking home tonight!", Guy: "Whatever. I don't even care..." Later in the evening, slightly yelling Lady:"I want dessert! I lost 15 pounds so I can eat whatever I want!" Guy: "Fine! Load up on sugar for all I care. I do NOT want dessert! I'm not eating any of that crap!" And the night continued to get worse and worse. They were absolutely miserable. I wanted to tell them to break up, but Mark held me back.

All that to say, the New DeLews made some important promises to each other last night- we will N-E-V-E-R become like that miserable couple. EVER. Now I'm not pretending that we don't have petty fights. Because we do. (thanks to my natural inclination to be petty). But in the midst of everything, we have a foundation of deep respect for each other- and usually that shapes the ways we argue. Disagreeing is inevitable, but we're learning that the way we treat each other during those disagreements is what's important. So, we promise to never be like that miserable couple- we made that vow on our wedding day, and we'll continue to uphold it.

The Joys of Moving

2010-04-22T09:24:00.004-05:00

It's been a slightly stressful few weeks because the New DeLews are preparing to move apartments! Yes, the time has come to say goodbye to the Whipple- our lovely first year of marriage apartment located 0.6 miles from the El with drafty windows (that's a 15 minute walk in below zero hellish weather). At some point I'll write an Ode to the Whipple, but right now I'm so eager to live a measly 0.18 miles from the El- yes people, the Medill is drastically closer! For anyone who has moved before, you know that with moving comes a bit of stress. The past 2 weekends we have spent a good amount of time painting the Medill, which led to some strong marital discussions, I mean, agreements regarding the accent color of our bedroom wall. We took a long trip to Ikea during rush hour to find the perfect curtain that will hide the faux brick wall. And yet, we haven't really begun to pack. This will be the first time we pack up our stuff together as a married couple. It's kind of exciting, kind of unnerving. Why, you ask? Well as in many things in the New DeLews' marriage, Mark and I have different styles of packing. I'm talking about very different styles.

Emily's Packing Style Example A: Last night at like 10:30pm I wisely tried to start packing by rustling through a large bin that I have strategically placed next to my dresser. This bin contains all those things that I desperately need- old hair clips, random pieces of fabric that I used to wear in my wannabe-hippie stage (wait, I'm still in that stage!), 4 pairs of scratched sunglasses, and a sundry of malaria and typhoid pills. Like I said, I need these things. As I was sitting on the hardwood floor, digging through this bin, I realized that I hadn't used anything in this bin since my last move- a year ago. But what do you do? I haven't used the turquoise hair flower for 3 years and I had completely forgotten about it, but now that I rediscovered it, I may want some hair flair this summer. Much to Mark's dismay, back into the bin it went.

Mark's Packing Style Example A: Generally Mark keeps his dresser area relatively neat. As he likes to say 'it's easier and better to maintain a general sense of organization and neatness'. So already, Mark is one step ahead of me- he doesn't have a strategically placed bin! He's also been adamant about not buying anything over the past few weeks. Like when we were at Target, 'I don't want to buy anymore ziploc sandwich bags. I don't want to pack them.' So Mark's style is to decrease any extra stuff in order to ease our moving work load. Thus the reason he told me to throw out the hair flower.

All this to say, I'm starting to realize that we'll need an extra dose of grace with each other over the next few weeks. The truth is, we're having such a fun time getting ready to move and we like any excuse to hang out with each other. But we've got to make the plunge into this thing called packing, and decide to appreciate and learn from our differences. And that, my friends, is one of the coolest things about being married!

A Holiday Feast

2010-04-12T22:00:00.016-05:00

I'm not the biggest fan of holiday meals. I know, I know, everyone can get all riled up and angry at me for this, but it's true. The big slabs of meat, all the bones, the starches, and so many pies. I really appreciate the symbolism of holiday meals, people together, celebrating, etc.. But the food itself, meh. I think it's just too much at one time.

Even though I don't necessarily like eating these huge holiday meals, I really enjoy any excuse to cook a lot of food. So when we found out that some of our dear college friends were coming to Chicago for Easter weekend, the New DeLews made plans for the Whipple's biggest feast yet! With a total of 15 hungry eaters and only one oven, we knew that a cooking strategy was of utmost importance. After our Easter service (and after a very necessary coffee-stop) the New DeLews and Adam & E put on our aprons, sat down in the Whipple, discussed the 'master plan', and did a little 'Go Easter' team cheer. Yeah, sounds lame, but it was cool. Believe me.

The menu:

For appetizers (because dinner is never ready when we think it will be)

-Sun-dried tomato stuffed mushrooms
-vegetable slices with thai peanut dip
-broiled brie and apple slices on a baguette

Main course (yup, we're talking about 13 pounds of meat, people!)

-leg of lamb with feta and spinach stuffing

-full chicken with lemon curd topping

-homemade tomato roasted foccaccia bread

-rosemary roasted potatoes

-orange arugula salad

Dessert (most important)

-angel food cake

-lemon curd and strawberry tart

And let me tell you, after 5 hours 0f cooking and 6 bottles of wine, we had 15 people sitting at our dining room table (which we had put 3 leaves in and moved into the living room), laughing, chatting, and enjoying wonderful company with each other. It was a such a sweet time. So this Easter wasn't just a typical holiday meal for me, I felt like we were actually practicing resurrection- although we remember the darkness of the Good Friday, because of Easter Sunday we are able to celebrate together the life that God has given us. Because of Sunday, we have hope. And it is so right to celebrate that hope with our community.

Life Stages

2010-04-05T20:19:00.007-05:00

All right, I'm just going to admit it. I'm going to admit one of my hidden desires that creeped up on me last fall. So here goes- a couple of months ago, I may have wanted a baby...

Yes, I know, at that point Mark and I had been married for only 6 months. And yes, I know, there are plenty of things that Mark and I want to do before we carry diapers in my purse rather than wine openers (because you must always be prepared!). And yes, I'm still a feminist. Nevertheless, the baby desire was present and strangely strong. And yet I couldn't quite figure out why. What had happened to me?

My diagnosis? I think that I was feeling more comfortable in my married skin and so I was looking for the next exciting life stage. Now this is difficult for me to admit, primarily because it reveals that I'm all talk. I love to talk about finding beauty in the mundane and being fully present in my context, but really, when push comes to shove ... I just want excitement. And strangely enough, the excitement of having a baby seemed like the next logical step to me. And of course, Mark thoroughly disagreed.

Of course, this baby-desire would wax and wane throughout the past few months, but it came to a halting stop about 2 weeks ago. Mark and I spent a long weekend in my glorious homeland- Northern California. We had a wonderful time with my family, being around when my sister got engaged (way to go, Isaac!), wedding dress shopping, and last but not at all least, hanging out with the cutest nieces and nephew in the world (Exhibit A). And may I say, Uncle Mark and Auntie Em were quite a hit with the kiddos this weekend. These dear kids are such a joy!

But as quickly as that 'baby-desire/discontent with my life stage' came, it left. Mark was prepared for me to be extra baby-desirous after spending time in California. And although my desire to eventually have children deepened, I was reminded of how special this time of our lives is, and that I shouldn't wish it away. Having the freedom to give our time to others, having tons of people over for dinner, enjoying the beauty of our mundane lives, these are wonderful things that I should cherish. With each stage of life comes excitement and banality. But we are called to be content in the midst of it all, and to live each stage to its fullest. And I believe that the New DeLews have a lot more to learn and enjoy in this stage of life.

Running with Soy Sauce

2010-03-24T17:27:00.003-05:00

As I mentioned last post, The New DeLews are eagerly trying out our new persona- the Sportsy Couple. So let's talk about our history with sportsy-ness.

For the past year I have spent most of my lunch breaks on the treadmill at my work's gym. It's been cool, I've watched a lot of the news, particularly 'Russia Today'- which has given me a superficial view of how Russian media views the U.S.... sometimes depressing, but mostly entertaining. Anyway, I've become pretty comfortable with my inside-running routine.

Now even though I can easily run 3 miles inside, take me outside and suddenly I'm all wheezy and heaving, and I usually end up all angry the whole time. So if Mark ever suggests that we go for a run together, I have 3 criterion that Mark must promise to follow:

1. Mark must talk the whole time
2. I must set the pace
3. I can decide at any moment that the run is over, and Mark can't judge me

Pretty reasonable rules, yeah? Well my dear husband knows how to humor me, so he appeases me in this one area.

One day last Fall Mark and I decided to take a run outside. And of course, I reiterated the rules, Mark agreed, and then we agreed on one more rule- we need to run with a purpose! Now this purpose (for some people) might be to get healthy, to build endurance, or whatever. Our purpose for running that morning- to end our run at the sweet diner that we've always wanted to check out. And it was fun! I mean, sitting in the diner all sweaty and wheezing wasn't necessarily awesome, but we had a good time 'running with purpose'!

Now that I am training to run a 10 mile race at the end of May, I am pleased to say that I've gotten over my running-outside phobia. The 3 rules don't really apply anymore, meaning that I can be a civil human being when my husband graciously runs with me. But we still like to 'run with purpose'.

In fact, last week Mark and I were planning on taking a 3 mile run, when we realized that we were intensely craving homemade pad thai, and that we needed some bean sprouts from the local Korean grocery store. So we figured out a route that would conveniently place us at Jung Boo at the 2.2 mile mark. In we went, picked up the 50 cents worth of bean sprouts and pranced to the cash register. Until we found out that they had a $5 minimum for credit card transactions. (who carries cash anymore?). We picked up the largest bottle of soy sauce ever (it was a great deal, so we had to get the big bottle of course), and cashed out of Jung Boo. Mark graciously carried the huge-*** bottle of soy sauce for the remainder of our run.

We looked like total running rookies with our soy sauce and bean sprouts, but ya know, we had a great time! I'm realizing that our desire to be that 'Sportsy Couple' doesn't necessarily mean that we'll look super sportsy. But we're learning how to interact with each other in sporty-ish ways. So bring on the running outside with purpose- we may not look pretty doing it, but we'll have fun- even with soy sauce in hand.

The DeLew Happenings

2010-03-20T10:39:00.009-05:00

It's Saturday morning and I'm drinking French Press coffee, listening to John Coltrane, and staring out the window at the dismal 'wintery-mix'. What a perfect day to catch up on the New DeLew's most recent happenings? (mind you, I am intentionally choosing not to make this post about the [insert inappropriate language here] weather this weekend, so take that Chicago!).

-NYC Baby! Two weekends ago Mark and I had the incredible chance to explore New York for a long weekend, traversing around Manhattan like it was our job. We met up with some awesome college friends, and we even brought along a personal photographer (Chucky rocks!). It totally works out to be good friends with a budding professional photographer, we're always his guinea pigs, as you can see in these sweet pictures. And we contribute to his photography endeavors by lugging his huge tripod and 100 lb camera throughout the entire city.

-Goodbye Whipple, Hello Medill! We came to the exciting decision to move out of our lovely newly-wed apartment and try out the first floor of a classic Chicago brick two-flat apartment. For the same price that we pay now, we're only two blocks from the El and we'll have two bedrooms! So come on over and visit! You'll actually have a bed to sleep on.

-Sportsy Couple- We've decided that this summer we want to be a 'sportsy couple'. This means we plan to be that couple that bikes to work and runs after work. Yeah... we're hard core. But first I need to get a bike wheel, since it was stolen last year. Punk kids.

-Wine- we've decided to decrease our daily wine intake. Partly so that we can be less of the 'wine couple, and more of the 'sportsy couple'. But don't worry, there is still a plethora of vino at the DeLews.

-California- Next weekend Mark has a bunch of work presentations on the west coast so I'm going along to spend the weekend in California with my beloved family. I can handle this horrible snow today, because next weekend we'll be in the beautiful sunshine of my homeland.

-Zambia- And lastly, we are always thinking up ways to get back to Zambia. We dream about living in my host family's guest house and working with the school where I taught 2 years ago. Although we love our new life together in Chicago, our hearts long to be in the community of Musonda, where we feel called.

We've almost hit our 10 Monthiversary. It's amazing to see how much we have learned about each other in these months. And I can't even imagine how much we'll learn about each other in the next 30 years. We are very thankful.

A Midwestern Wife

2010-02-16T22:52:00.006-06:00

I have finally caved in. Growing up in the fantastic land of milk and honey (aka California), I never experienced food items like pork or that horrible thing called red meat. And although my husband finds this generally offensive, I am naturally drawn to turkey burgers, 'Turkey Jaynes' (a turkey-type of sloppy joes), and canned tuna sans mayo. I think tofu corn dogs are pretty tasty.

I really love the fact that my background helped me to be health-conscious as we plan out our meals. While I'm perfectly happy to eat beans every night, Mark has a different opinion. Mark says he has never eaten so little meat until he married me. And I have never eaten so much meat until I became a DeLew. So, we're both doing some growing. Well today I decided to take the plunge and connect to this land known as the Midwest. It's called pork roast. Not just pork roast, but cooking pork roast in a crock pot. And this pork roast included potatos and carrots- my two least favorite cooked vegetables... but I like to please my husband. And let's be honest, things are generally better at the Whipple when he's happy and full :) So, I made the plunge.

This morning before work I threw the onions, potatoes, carrots, garlic, diced tomatoes, and wine (because it's a New DeLew pork roast!), and spices all into this crazy crock pot. As Mark and I left the apartment all bundled up to brave the cold weather, I felt like such a Midwestern Wife. And then encountering the meaty smell wafting through the Whipple after work, I felt even more midwestern. So today was a stretching experience for this New DeLew- using pork roast, crock pots, and potatoes in one meal! The truth is, although I cling to my California roots like it's my job, I must admit that I still enjoyed this midwestern dinner!

So the recipe is as follows (thanks to my wonderful sister Sarah, who was also appeasing her midwestern husband):
Throw a pork roast, 2 chopped potatoes, some sliced carrots, 1-2 onions, 4 garlic cloves, a 15 oz can of diced tomatos, 1 cup of red wine, and tons o' spices into a crock pot. Cook on low heat for 8 hours. Enjoy!

The Whipple

2010-02-15T20:51:00.013-06:00

The Whipple's lease is up on May 1st, and the New DeLews are trying to decide whether the Whipple can work for another year. Please, let me say, I love the Whipple! I think it is such a fun apartment for a cute newly married couple, namely the New DeLews. A green wall facing a brick wall? How urban chic! There's no way we could ever replace the good-sized kitchen or our wedding reception table cloths that we've transformed into curtains (our first task when we arrived back from our honeymoon). The Whipple has got it all! Or so I'd like to think.

Mark and I walk to the El every day for work, which is a glorious 10 minute walk in the summer. And a hellish 15 minute walk in the snowy winter. The wonderful breeze that wafts through our large windows in the summer? Well, they're a bit drafty in Chicago's tundra. The quaintness of not having a dishwasher loses it's novelty when we're washing dishes from our dinner party of 15 people. So there are pros and cons to any place that you live.

And yes, it sounds alluring to live in a two bedroom place with a deck closer to the El. Really alluring. But I'm not sure if I'm ready to say good bye to the Whipple. This is the apartment where my love for cooking blossomed, where we've hosted tons of people for food, drinks, Bible studies, overnights. Mark and I got into our first married fight here, we've enjoyed wine on our roof, and we have experienced a lot of love here. And the most important thing is that I believe people have felt 'welcome at the Whipple'. The truth is, that is what really matters to us. I kind of feel like I'm betraying the Whipple by browsing elsewhere (ok, I'm probably personifying the Whipple way too much...). But wherever we live, we want to create a welcoming environment. Although the aesthetics of an apartment can assist the hospitable aura, Mark and I must set the tone in being authentic and giving in order for our place to feel welcoming. And we have been practicing that at the Whipple the past 8 months. No matter where we live, we seek to grow in our hospitality and openness to all who enter our lives.

Yet Again

2010-02-10T15:29:00.004-06:00

I had such hope in Saviour (third from the left in the tan hat). He was one of the brightest students in my class. Being a natural leader, all the boys looked up to him and wanted to be around his charismatic aura. Saviour Mwila spoke the best english, finished his math sets quickly, and interacted in ways that made the whole class burst into laughter. And to be honest, he quickly learned how to gauge my patience level, and then push me alittle further. I think it was a game he liked to play with me. 'How to Irritate Madam'. Nevertheless, he had influence over his classmates, so I often looked to him for help in settling the class down. He probably felt sorry for my feable attempts at maintaining class order by using Bemba phrases like 'lekeni ichongo!' and 'umfweni!'

He also was pretty well-off, relatively speaking. Both his parents were alive, and they both worked. When I met with his dad at the end of the term, he was interested in Saviour's education and proud that his son was second in a class of 61 students. With the help of a translator, I explained to Mr. Mwila that Saviour was very bright and could go to college. I pleaded with Mr. Mwila to keep Saviour in school. If Saviour stays in school, he could break the cycle of poverty... That's what I was thinking. That's what I was hoping.

So Saviour stayed in school this past year, and he got the top score for his Grade Seven Exams- meaning that he could go to secondary school- and his parents were going to pay for his annual school fees!

But then sad news, yet again. Saviour died a few days ago from malaria. He had received anti-malarial drugs, but he wasn't improving. He died on the way to the hospital. And my heart breaks.

My friend summarized it well- 'Malaria is the symptom, Injustice is the disease'. And kids are dying because of the disease of injustice. I could go on about the injustices of extreme poverty. How insufficient healthcare, under-resourced schools, malnutrition, corruption, etc are very real symptoms of injustice and evil in our world. If we put it in the theological framework of 'the kingdom of God is already, but not yet', the cycle of poverty is a clear example of the 'not yet'. We have not yet stepped into a place of peace and restoration.

And so we live in this tension. This tension that says we can have hope because redemption and justice will win- and yet in the meantime, Saviour dies of Malaria in 2010, Alex (left) dies of malnutrition in 2009, and the list of injustices continues...

In the midst of this tension, I ache. My heart aches for all of us that are experiencing the 'not yet'. May our aching cause us to act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with our God.

"Sent-ness" (a made-up word that confusingly sounds like "sentence", and is probably just a euphemism for "purpose")

2010-02-01T12:34:00.002-06:00

Being sent. What does that mean to me? I often think of it as a job to do, typical for my task-oriented self. But it’s more than that. It’s part of my identity. As followers of Christ, we are sent out into the world just as He was sent to us.

Sometimes I get frustrated with the question of purpose, of ‘sent-ness’. I feel that Emily and I have been called to Logan Square, to our church, to our friends, to our jobs. We are trying to figure out what that means: how to live lives of purpose in our jobs, who to strike up relationships with, basically being attuned to what the Holy Spirit is doing. And this is a struggle. Because, although we love Chicago, and feel like God is doing something with us, in us and through us, we also feel a very persistent pull to our friends in Zambia and to the Church in sub-Saharan Africa. And it’s frustrating, because this makes us feel like we are in transition, which we have tried to avoid. But it’s hard to think about planting roots in Chicago for the long term because we feel this pull, this urge to live in Africa and to do something about the issues that we care about, the issues that are close to God’s heart. At the same time, there are issues in Chicago that God also cares about just as deeply. And we are getting involved in issues such as affordable housing, education, and homelessness by connecting with the Logan Square Neighborhood Association, New Community Covenant Church, and By the Hand.

In addition, our occupations are a major component of our sentness. I am learning a lot at my new job, and I am finding out that I enjoy data analytics and driving program improvement in a consultative fashion. In the future, I really want to find an application for this skillset in a more justice-oriented organization. Ideally, both Emily and I would love for our interests, skills, and relationships to be aligned in a dream job with some cutting-edge organization. It’s hard to know if a job even approaching those benchmarks even exists, and it’s hard to know what to do or when to move on in search of that ethereal goal. These conflicting desires make it hard to decide when to visit our friends in Zambia. So we have all these plans, all these feelings of being sent to different places at different times. It’s hard to reconcile.

All of this means that it is vital for us to be attuned to the Holy Spirit. These questions of purpose are very important, but they can also be paralyzing if overanalyzed. We want to learn how to live in the present, recognizing the beauty in the mundane, seeing small fruits of the work of the Spirit, while also attentive to major shifts in life down the road according to what, to whom and to where God is sending us.

This Week's Kick

2010-01-23T20:02:00.007-06:00

The past 8 days I have been on an intense 'Cooking Kick'. I always like to cook and eat, so it's not abnormal for me to browse food blogs and dream about delicious meals. But this week was intense. Beyond intense. Even my lovely husband who normally eats until he can't move anymore, even he commented on this intensity.

I am giving a fair warning- this post will discuss the various meals I have made, without any pictures. Yes, I know, pictures do the talking. But I have an awful camera that always runs out of batteries and can't focus on anything. I've thought that maybe I could hint to Mark that camera would be a great Valentines/Birthday/Anniversary/Labor Day/Christmas present this year. But alas, we've got these little things called college loans. Let me clarify, I have the loans. But here is one of the joys of marriage- two have become one, so they are OUR loans! Sorry Mark. As we sat down this morning to figure out how to 'aggressively' pay these loans, the dream of a camera quickly faded. All that to say, college loans= very few food pictures on this post.

One more disclaimer: I recognize that the joy of experimenting with food and having access to tons of different ingredients can be a luxury. We live in a culture that is obsessed with food, and I admit I feel that cooking is an artform for me. (I have a whole 'philosophy of cooking' that someday I will write out). All that to say, our ability to pick and choose the foods we eat and to not view meals as simply means of survival- that is a luxury, and I want to always view it as such. Maybe that's why I freak out if I feel like we waste food....

So, the list of this week's meals:::

Monday- we had the day off, which was fantastic! In the morning I made Cooking Light's awesome coffee cake. Then in the evening we had (shout out time) Richard and Cory over for dinner! We made Chicken Tikka Masala, an amazing Indian dish with basmati rice and naan. Thanks to my sister Sarah and a combination of food blogs, this meal was a success!

Tuesday- black bean burritos- always a classic, always quick, always spicy, and always satisfying.

Wednesday- Impromptu dinner with the Parks. I ran to the nearby Korean grocery store (Jung Boo is how it's pronounced, kinda), and struggled my way through finding mushrooms, buckwheat soba noodles, and sesame seeds. For some reason, finding the right mushrooms was the most difficult! I thought I knew my mushrooms, but apparently not. We made a revised version of this meal from one of my favorite food blogs Smitten Kitchen Spicy Soba Noodles with Cabbage, Mushrooms, Chicken, and Red Peppers. Oh man, I can't say enough about soba noodles- they are phenomenal! This is going on our google document of 'Good Meals'.

Thursday- We continued our journey into making authentic asian food and made Panang Thai Curry. Also a fusion recipe, we included sweet potatos, green beans, spinach, red peppers, and shrimp. It was a similar recipe to my red curry recipe that I posted a couple months ago.

Friday- Dinner with the Baileys! Tomato Sausage Risotto with spinach, again, a revised version of this recipe. And a salad, of course.

Saturday (today!)- I finally made my mom's homemade bread! I've been wanting to make bread for a long time, and today was the day! I do have pictures of this bread, so please, be impressed. We also had fresh tuna salad- (wrap 2 tuna steaks in sliced lemons, then put tinfoil around it and cook in the oven for like 30 minutes. Toast walnuts, cut up grapes and then combine in a bowl with some plain greek yogurt. when the tuna is done, bring it out of the oven, break it up a bit and combine it with the other ingredients. Oooh, so good.)

The truth is, I don't really have anything profound to say about this week's food endeavors. I love cooking and it's a creative outlet for me. But the best part about cooking is that it creates a culture of sharing in our apartment- The Whipple. I can't describe how much I enjoy sharing meals with people. The work of cooking and doing dishes (without a dishwasher, well, Mark is the resident dishwasher), all of that work is totally worth it to me, because we get to share meals and meaningful moments with others. These meaningful moments are the highlights of my week.

Hard Core Seven Month-ers

2009-12-29T14:08:00.007-06:00

The New Year is just around the corner! Enough with this 'O-Nine' business. Onto the 'O-Ten', 'Twenty-Ten', 'O-One-O', or whatever we're going to call it. I thought it's about time to carry the banner and start blogging again. Hopefully this time with more vigor!

Of course, I must mention our amazing Christmas in California! We had a wonderful time with our family- particularly our lovely nieces and nephew. They are so precious! Please note, in the below picture I am holding my new niece Rachel Gloria. This is not a little New DeLew baby.
Moving on, in just a couple of days Mark and I can tell people that we got married LAST year. I think it makes us sound much more hard core, and even better, it makes us appear as if we know what we're doing as a married couple. I mean, obviously after 7 months of marriage we have tons of sage advice for other married people, right? Although I can't wait until we're really hard core and we've been married for 25 years, the past 7 months of newness has been so deeply fulfilling! I can't describe the joy of living with my best friend and sharing everything with each other. Freedom is the word I use to describe the past seven months. Absolute freedom. Freedom to love fully and to share fully.

Now obviously, Mark and I have gotten into our fair share of heated arguments over unsalted vs. salted butter, saying 'I understand' too often, and chicken fingers dinner. And of course, these fights always start off about superficial tidbits and morph into a monstrous debate about major life issues. How annoying. But all this to say, what has made this a wonderful 7 months is the fact that we have both committed to sit down at the dinner table and hash this stuff out. In the midst of our disagreements, I'm not afraid that this is a 'make-or-break' conversation, because no argument can break us. I have the freedom to be more honest, more real, more me. Now unfortunately, more often than not the 'more me' is just simply 'more selfish'. But that's where we get opportunities to live out God's grace and cover over that selfishness. It's a beautiful thing!

I've heard from a lot of people that the first year of marriage is the hardest. Because we've had such a fun first few months, I've been kind of waiting for the bomb to drop (or whatever that idiom is) and cause us to ask those questions 'why did I get married? who is this man? ahhh!?!?!' And of course, I"m sure there will be some type of moment like that in our life, but I'm realizing that instead of fearing the potential crazy future, I need to cherish these joyous times, use them to build a foundation that will prepare us for harder times, and remember these joys whenever we're in the midst of that darkness. So for now, the New DeLews will reflect on 2009 and simply rejoice that God has brought us deep love and fulfillment. We are so thankful.

Remember Well

2009-11-13T12:04:00.001-06:00

It has been an exciting and busy few weeks for the New DeLews. I had almost posted about our yoga experience last week (yes, Mark and I both went to a yoga studio for free classes, let's just say it was intense). I also almost posted about our sweet weekend in northern Wisconsin with our good friends. I also almost posted about one of the kids I tutor and her comment "I got Obama'd". But none of those posts were actualized. Great intentions, lame follow-through. Oh well.

But, the Big News in our lives is...

No, I"m NOT pregnant.

Mark has been offered a permanent position at his work!!

Some may know our relatively harrowing experience regarding Mark and the job market. One sentence to summarize it: We've been praying for a full-time, permanent job for Mark since August 2008. Yup, that's one year and 2 months. This obscure idea of being a double-income family still seems very surreal to me. But we are thankful, and let's be honest, I"m sure I'll get used to it very quickly.

As Mark and I have gotten a chance to reflect on the past year of unemployment, I can't get the phrase 'Remember Well' out of my head. There have been plenty of times the past year when Mark and I have been thoroughly frustrated and discouraged by the apparent 'meaninglessness' of unemployment. I mean, we have all these plans of how we want to live and serve God. How is unemployment helping us reach those goals?! I say this facetiously but really, we had to be reminded over and over again that we were not in some 'useless stage of life'. This time of uncertainty really did re-shape our perspectives. We've had the opportunity to start our marriage with a sense of utter need for the Lord and His providence. We've gotten to see how even the most confusing circumstances can make sense in God's timing. And we've learned again that our identities cannot be determined by what we do. These are the things that we must remember well. I need to remember the roughest times of this past year and God's faithfulness in the midst of it all. Holding those things close to me can help make a bit more sense of roughness that we encounter in the future, and remind me that I can have confidence in our faithful God. My desire is that we will be a couple that 'remembers well' the sorrows and joys of life, and that we might find beauty and meaning in their midst.

When you walk through the garden...

2009-10-31T13:42:00.001-05:00

It's been a while since I've posted in this space, but it's not because I haven't been thinking! Actually, one of the reasons that I have neglected my blog posting is the topic of this post tonight. Over the last couple months, Emily and I have been watching our way through the TV series, "The Wire". I highly recommend it to anyone who has an interest in the dirty workings of inner-city America...and to anyone who has a tolerance for HBO-level language and content. Currently, we're in the middle of season 3, which focuses on the political ramifications of an increasing homicide rate in Baltimore. The wealthier population is fleeing the rising crime, and the political incumbents are losing their tax base. So a lot of pressure is on the police to bring the crime rate down. The result of this combustible mix? Backroom deals between politicians, drug lords, and developers, more drug deals, gang shootouts, broken relationships, and ruined lives. It's a sad story of people using and abusing each other for power, money, and pleasure. Sounds like a depressing show...why do I watch this again?

Well, there are compelling characters, humorous moments, exciting plot twists, and mysteries behind each corner. It's an extremely smart and well-written show. Further, it’s believable that this is what could be happening in cities all over America. It's incredibly illuminating. And it promotes cynicism towards those in power (but not complete cynicism...there has to be some hope). There aren't really any "good guys" in the show, mainly just the bad and the worse. It's a sobering reminder of the injustice and evil in this world.

So what does it all mean? What's the point? I think The Wire succeeds in painting the complexity of social injustice in urban America. There isn't one, or two, or even a few causes to poverty, drugs, crime, and corruption. All these elements are intertwined and related. And while there may not always be a high-level conspiracy that reaches from the top of the political ladder to the bottom of the sewer, what happens in politics is related to what happens in the street. In Chicago, things like Cabrini Green and the Olympics (doh!) have far-reaching implications. People’s lives are affected, and the people who have the least power are usually the ones that are most adversely affected.

Thinking about this makes me want to hold our leaders, whether in politics, business, or religion, to a higher standard of integrity. When I hear of new laws or policy, it makes me ask, “how will this affect those with the least influence?” or “what personal benefits might a leader accrue from this?” These are easy questions to ask of hated politicians, but it’s important to keep our beloved figures accountable too. Corruption is a scourge of society, and I believe strongly in fighting it wherever it rears its ugly head. And because of The Wire, I now have a sense of how seemingly innocuous actions committed by either suburban families or charismatic politicians (or urban yuppies like myself) can hurt those that have no protection.

Thai Red Curry

2009-10-26T19:18:00.007-05:00

We mentioned that we would talk about kithcen experiments on this blog. Mark and I have a running google document of 'our favorite meals'. In the past few months I have become awakened to the beauty of cooking. I've come up with a whole 'philosophy of cooking', but I don't feel like writing it down yet, so give me some time.

Mark and I strongly believe that Thai food is objectively the best food in the world (even though we haven't yet been to Thailand, we still think we're masters on this subject). One of my goals in life is to be able to cook the things we love most- including Thai food. After spending a good hour in a very authentic Asian market in Chicago (it took an hour because we couldn't read any of the product names), we bought the basic spices required in Thai cooking. I must admit, one of the ingredients that is essential to most dishes is 'Fish Sauce'. Oh dear, fish sauce has such an atrocious odor, and yet if you can persevere through the smell, you can create Americanized-Authentic Thai food. So, below is the recipe/pics of the Red Curry dish I made tonight.

Thai Red Curry (based off the food blog http://www.rasamalaysia.com/)

-1 tablespoon oil
-1 1/2 Tbs red curry paste (from asian market or Whole Foods)
-8 oz. shrimp or boneless chicken breast (cut into small cubes)
-some fresh green beans
-thickly sliced carrots
-1 15 oz can coconut milk
-1/4 cup water
-2 tsps sugar
-1/4 tsp fish sauce

Heat up a small pot with the cooking oil. Saute the red curry paste until aromatic. Add the chicken and/or shrimp into the pot and stir well with the curry paste. Add coconut milk, water, beans, carrots, and bring the curry to boil. Add fish sauce, sugar, and stir-continuously for 1o seconds or so, dish out and serve immediately with steamed jasmine rice.

(Pretty much you can use any veggies you want- I added in onions and green peppers too)

We drank it with a riesling, primarily because it equalizes the spicy-ness of the curry. In honor of Fall, I also made one of our favorites: Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins. You can find a super easy recipe on one of my favorite food blogs: http://www.smittenkitchen.com/

Anyway, that's it for today. We love to eat and we love to experiment in the kitchen. Please try this out and enjoy!

Fields of Opportunities

2009-10-21T21:51:00.012-05:00

So we may have slacked a bit on blogging the past 2 weeks, but it's only for good reasons. We've been busy- I had a big work thing that dominated my life, we took a wonderful road trip to Kansas City, and our closet broke, which means all of our clothes are strewn across the apartment. It's a good look. But we're back with a vengeance, slowly yet surely getting back into our life routine. We even went grocery shopping tonight.

Mark and I had a wonderful time on our road trip last weekend. Not only were we very excited for Sean and Bethany's wedding (woo hoo!), we were eager spend some extended time together. So we started driving Friday evening (just in time for Chicago traffic) and stayed over in Columbia, Missouri. There we got some bad Chinese take-out from Jing-Gos, stayed at the 'oh-so-classy' Econolodge, and watched cable TV.

Saturday morning we attempted to make use of the complimentary 'deluxe continental breakfast' (which included stale toast and lukewarm milk), drove 2 more hours, and absolutely loved the wedding! It was wonderful. Sunday morning we thoroughly enjoyed a hearty breakfast at the bride's parents' house and then journeyed back to Chicago via Iowa.

Favorite mundane tidbit of the trip: When driving across the Missouri-Iowa border, a welcome to Iowa sign said "Iowa- Fields of Opportunities". Being the (at times) snobby urbanites that we wish we weren't, Mark and I just laughed. I've never considered rural Iowa to be a place of opportunity. Fields- yes. Opportunities- no.

But really, Iowa was a field of opportunity for us. Driving for countless hours through the countless corn fields created space for Mark and I to simply 'be' with each other. We had the time and opportunity to talk about anything- Mark explained the stock market to me (yet again), I sang the entire soundtrack of 'Rent', together we dreamed of our future, discussed our sense of calling in the world, and just laughed. Iowa gave us a chance to remember and experience the joy of being together. So Missouri, Kansas, Iowa, and Illinois (and any other states that my 'California-urbanness' normally disregards)- thank you for creating that space for the New DeLews.

Josefina

2009-10-10T19:26:00.005-05:00

All right, I realize that it's almost been a week since my last post. Shame on me. I don't really have more to say about it.

I have a major issue with hair salons. Everytime I go to get my hair cut or highlighted, it's an emotional fiasco. My hair generally turns out looking fine, but the experience is rough. I don't know why this is the case, but I've noticed a trend of hair salons increasingly becoming more and more pretentious. The stylist can't understand why I don't spend 45 minutes on my hair each morning or why I don't want to buy $50 shampoo. Whenever I sit in that chair, I get chastised for something, and then I get very antsy to escape from this place where hair is the center of the universe. Well, I have had enough of that.

In our neighborhood (Logan Square), we have tons of hair salons, I mean tons! On my short walk home from the El, I pass by 4 hair places, most of them labeled 'unisex', 'Crazy $10 Tuesdays', 'we do bowl cuts', etc... Perhaps they're not the most 'posh' places, but I figured they'd be able to cut my hair sufficiently. So Monday night, I ventured to the hair salon closest to the Whipple owned by a wonderful woman named Josefina. Josefina is a dear lady who has owned the shop for 9 years, and has lived in Logan Square for 25 years! And guess what? Josefina didn't chastise me for having ridiculously nasty roots or dead ends. She simply cut/colored my hair, and talked to me about our neighborhood and the rough economy. It was such a refreshing experience to spend 2 hours with a wise woman who understands that hair is not the center of my life, but good hair can help make things a bit better.

Spending time with Josefina reminded me that 'living intentionally' in this community is not necessarily some big event. It involves going to a local salon and sharing the mundane moments together. Although it does not seem very significant, these moments give us a glimpse into someone else's world, and it allows us to understand our community a bit better. Thankfully, this realization helps 'living intentionally' seem a bit more manageable.

I'm not consumeristic!

2009-10-05T16:08:00.003-05:00

I am so thankful for this past weekend, full of relaxation and friends! It included going out to Korean BBQ with some friends (shout out to Sean and Bethany!), sleeping in until 10am, going to a yummy lunch at Suzette's Crepery for Mark's mom's bday (shout out to the DeLews), yummy birthday dinner party with friends (shout out the Woehrs and other Wheaties), church, deep apartment cleaning and cooking, and community group at the Whipple!

One of the highlights of the weekend was spending Saturday afternoon shopping with Mark. Now this is the first time since being married that Mark and I have shopped for clothes, so it seemed like a really special event. Because Mark was involuntarily unemployed for the past 5 months (note the picture of Mark's first paycheck!) , obviously clothes shopping was not on our agenda, mainly because we were just barely making it through each month. I must admit, as I look back at that time of frugality, I'm pretty proud of us. We learned the art of discipline, of living within our means, of prioritizing our needs and wants. I was so proud of how 'subversive' we were living- we were not falling into 'Consumeristic America's' temptations! I was able to abstain from shopping, so that means that I'm totally not a slave to consumerism. Phew!

But the other day, I was looking through our 'Yummy Meals Google Doc' (it's a list of all the great meals we know how to make so far). As I read through the different meals we've made the past few months, I realized that I still consumed quite a bit, actually. I loved grocery shopping, but I thought that was totally normal. But really, it was my consumeristic outlet! I was able to justify how often I grocery shopped/thought about grocery shopping because eating was a necessity. So shopping for food can't being consumeristic, right? Believe me, I'm not at all saying it was wrong for me to like grocery shopping, but I shouldn't fool myself- it fed my subconscious consumeristic desires. What an annoying self-realization! But I guess an important one too. At least now I can admit that I"m a product of consumeristic America and face that reality head on. So what do I do? I guess I could grow my own food in an apartment in subzero Chicago winter? Well, maybe I need to be a bit more realistic...

Grace in Trader Joes

2009-10-02T15:33:00.001-05:00

All that talk about the glories of biking to work and it's been raining the past 2 days. Of course. Yesterday's 'life lesson' took place at Trader Joes. After work I walked to Trader Joes to pick up a few essentials (wine and cheese- my two favorite food groups). It was raining so I was messing with my umbrella in the entryway of the TJs. Mind you, I was tired, feeling a bit sick, and wet, so my movements were a tad slower than usual. As I'm walking over to get the cart, a tall lady walking behind me almost bumps into me, throws her hands up in anger, looks at me in disgust, and says, 'Ugh!'. Apparently I had gotten in her way. She rushes past me all angrily and arrogantly goes into TJs.

I must admit, I was SO mad at her. The whole time in Trader Joes I was thinking up smartass comments I could have made to her like, "I'm sorry that I made you lose one second of your precious time. I"m sorry you're such a jerk. I'm sorry you hate your life and are taking it out on me." Ok, so maybe those comments would have been lame, but still, I was ranting and raving in my mind. I was judging her for being so petty and impatient. Why can't she just be gracious with people around her and chill out?

A couple minutes later I was walking to the bus stop with my heavy Trader Joes bag (due to the wine), and some tourists in front of me stopped quickly to let a car pass. But of course, it was pedestrian's right away, so I brushed past them quickly, grunting a frustrated 'ugh'!, I mean, how could these tourists be so stupid? They made me slow down for a second.

Then the convicting moment hit me. I am that 'mean Trader Joes girl'! I was petty and impatient with these tourists because they inconvenienced me for a second. I was not gracious with them at all. It's all about me.

Isn't that always the case, though? We want people to be gracious with us, but then we fail to be gracious to others? I see that in my life so often, and yesterday I was once again reminded of it. I take myself too seriously sometimes, and the people around me feel the brunt of that. I want grace to pervade my life and my interactions. And it starts with these little things, the minor inconveniences, the petty issues. I must practice living graciously in all circumstances, even in Trader Joes.

Aaaaand...we're here! (both of us)

2009-09-30T21:55:00.005-05:00

Well, it's time for my first blog post. Actually, I'm very excited for this blog. Compared to Emily's, my posts probably will contain less "quotation marks." I'll try to bring my limited perspective, education, and experience to bear on some of my favorite issues, namely politics, economics, and the church. I will also attempt to view these issues in light of my belonging to the diverse human experience, and more directly as a member of a past, present, and future community that follows Jesus. (Reader beware: there is also a strong possibility that I'm just trying (and failing) to sound cool ;)

So where this goes, I'm not too sure. I want to write more about these issues as part of everyday life in this blog. Being practical is very important to me. When I examine an issue, I try to look for root causes, ideal solutions, and practical steps toward these solutions.

A little more about me and my present situation: I'm married to the most wonderful woman (Em), I live in the Logan Square neighborhood, and I work as an analyst in Chicago. As recent arrivals to Logan Square, Emily and I are trying to live "intentionally" in this economically and ethnically diverse neighborhood. We're doing this because we think it's right to respect the neighbors who have lived here for a long time and for the people who are long-term residents to be the beneficiaries of more recent economic activity (i.e. "development"). We do NOT want to "use" the city; we want to give to the city, and work for the city. I think we have a lot to improve upon, but I like how we attend church in the neighborhood, shop at local businesses, and know some residents.

One of the questions that I think about when passing through different neighborhoods, especially lower-income neighborhoods, is: how does a city foster economic growth in neglected neighborhoods that benefits the long-term residents of that neighborhood? It's not right that development in Chicago often means the pricing out of long-term residents and domination by newer arrivals with more economic resources. I'm searching for a picture of what development should mean; and although that will likely look different according to the context, I'd love to hear any thoughts or resources on non-destructive development (if that is even possible).

Well, I did use a few quote marks, but whatevs. I'm just following my heart!

Yeah, we bike

2009-09-30T12:13:00.002-05:00

Today Mark and I biked 6 miles to our respective workplaces. I know, hard core. We're totally 'that couple' that bikes together. And I feel pretty good about it. Normally my work commute entails walking 10 minutes, taking the El, then hopping onto a bus. I actually really enjoy public transportation, partly because I feel a bizarre sense of solidarity with the other 40 people squished up around me, all of us on a journey to or from something. It's one of the few times that people of every different background is forced to intermix. Sharing these moments with complete strangers encourages me to look beyond myself and remember that I'm just part of a greater story. While waiting for the bus in freezing temperatures, it is all too clear that I am not in control of my life. "Where is the (insert choice word here) bus?" But don't we need to be reminded that we're not the center of the universe AND we're not even in control of that universe? So, long story short, I love public transportation.

But biking, now that's a different story! Biking gives me a sense of autonomy and control! I can weave in and out of traffic, sometimes we're able to beat cars down a street, I can ride on sidewalks like a pedestrian, use the left turn lane like a car, and I have a kickstand like a bicycle! It's incredible. But for some reason, when I'm biking, I find myself more inclined to pray. Perhaps it's because I"m fighting for survival in commuters traffic- 'Dear Lord, please help my brakes work,' But I also find time to reflect on the 'journey of life'. My heart is a bit more tender to God's gentle nudging. And honestly, I need more times like that in my life. More times where I'm in the position to respond to what God is doing in the world. So I will continue to bike. As long as the weather allows....

Tea Time

2009-09-29T11:27:00.001-05:00

As I began writing my second blogpost ever, I felt that it's kind of a lame post because it's just about winter and tea- kind of boring. But we're all about finding "beauty in the mundane", right? So here goes...

It is a blustery day in Chicago. It seems that Chicago decided to skip Fall and jump straight into Winter. Let me say- poor decision Chicago, poor decision. I think I can speak for the masses when I say that Chicago winters are horrible and demoralizing. My hatred for Chicago winters can be very intense. When I'm ranting and raving about the cold, it's pretty hard for me to separate Chicago from its atrocious winters. In my irrational mind: Chicago has cold winters + winters suck= Chicago sucks. Now, as a self-proclaimed 'lover of all things urban', I realize that I'm not supposed to say that. I'm supposed to love the city for what it is, feel a sense of solidarity with other cold people in the city, etc...

So I"m working on a change of heart this winter because 1. my 'urban conscience' is convicting me and 2. I'd like to be a pleasant wife this winter- I don't want to be that girl that always complains about the weather. Everyone hates that girl.

In thinking about practical ways to motivate this change of heart, I've made the conscious decision to become a tea-person. Although I'm a coffee person through and through, I really like the idea of tea. It's healthier, tea-people are usually pretty cool, tea is more hippy/green, and drinking tea sparks my imagination about ancient herbal remedies. So endeavor number one- find the right tea and learn to make it. Endeavor two- develop a deep love for tea. I think this is a step in the right direction. This winter, with tea in my hand, I hope to take my eyes off of my cold self, and authentically care about the other cold people around me. Well, I guess tea can't completely take away my self-involvement, but it might help! We shall see...

We Caved

2009-09-28T21:15:00.000-05:00

Welcome to the New DeLew's blog! Now I must admit that I feel a bit insecure about two things regarding this blog. 1. I always feel a bit behind in this new 'technological' game. For example, I was slow to join Facebook, I still don't get the Twitter concept, and I just discovered the beauty of food blogs! So, here we are, once again, a bit late in the game. 2. I kind of feel like we're caving into technology, baring our souls to that anonymous entity called 'Cyberspace'. But let's be honest, we live far away from a lot of people we love. I can admit that this can be an effective way to communicate about our lives.

So, enough insecurities, let's just admit it- we've started a blog.

We will just learn as we go along here I guess. But we want to officially welcome you to our blog! We hope to share a bit about life occurances, kitchen experiments, and our stream-of-conscious reflections.

Cheers to the journey! Please join us!