Yum.

So no worries, the Hungary pictures are coming. But in the midst of the moving and working... well, they've kind of gotten pushed to the back burner.

But apparently baking hasn't. I came home today and felt the need, no, the compulsion to bake something CHOCOLATY (by the way, did you know that was spelled without an "e"? Because I did not until now. Huh.) So I googled chocolate cookies and found Paula Dean's recipe, tweaked it a bit, and voila! Deliciousness in 15 minutes. Okay, less, because I admittedly ate about as much dough as actual cookie.

Here's how the magic happened:

1 stick + 2 T. butter, softened

3/4 c. sugar

1 egg

1 T vanilla

1 c. flour

1/3 c. cocoa

1/2 t. baking soda

1/2 t. salt

1/4 bag chocolate chips

Cream butter and sugar together. Add egg and vanilla. Mix remaining ingredients in a separate bowl. Gradually mix into wet ingredients. Bake at 325 degrees for 8-10 minutes.

On another funny note (okay, maybe not to everyone, but it made me laugh), I was packing up our bookshelf tonight and found a folder of old English papers from college. I looked at one essay test from a comp class (you know the kind where they give you an hour to write 5 pages?), and, in my messy cursive, I had definitely written the following:

".... before the English gente tried to impose colonialism."

Yup. Gente is Spanish for people. Language confusion? I think so. Good job, college freshman Christie.

Amazingly, my English prof did not catch this. I guess sometimes using less-than-perfect handwriting pays off. :-)

Another adventure...

So tomorrow I will be departing on another exciting adventure, this time on a mission trip to Hungary without my other half. Even though I'm excited about the trip, I've been a little depressed about leaving Eric for 10 days. I know people who've had to deal with much worse, so I know I shouldn't complain; but we haven't been apart for more than 2 days since we've been married. It will fly by though, I'm sure!

The trip itself should be exciting. We'll be working in Nagykanizsa, Hungary, near the Croatian border, teaching English classes using the Bible. There's definitely a lot still up in the air as far as how everything will go, but I know it will work out. My going at all is totally a God thing!

You see, our church group read the book Radical by David Platt a few months ago (a very thought-provoking read!) It's all about missions, and one of the challenges at the end of the book is to sacrifice your time and money for the sake of the kingdom of God. One night right after I finished reading it, I was talking to my friend Lindsay about different types of mission trips we've been on/would like to go on. I told her I would really like to go on a trip where I got to teach English.

When I got home a few hours later, there was a message on my phone from my mom. Their church group was going on this trip to Hungary to teach English and they had an extra spot. Coincidence? I think not.

So now, five months later, here I am about to take off on a full day plus some hours of traveling. Please pray that we arrive safely, that my flight anxiety will stay at a minimum, and, of course, that the classes will go well!

On another note, we got to spend a lovely long weekend with Eric's family. It's so nice to get to see them! We miss living near our family, but it sure makes us appreciate the time we get to spend with them a lot more!

Also, while we have been eating out a ridiculous amount lately, I did manage to squeeze in another recipe last week. Remember those weird sausage and spinach turnovers I made a few weeks ago? Yeah, it turns out they are wayyyy better with beef! Just use half a pound of ground beef instead of italian sausage, and add a ton of mozzarella (okay, that kind of kills the healthiness, but it's sooo good!). Voila! A quick, delicious meal.

I also made my mexican shepherds pie again. Still delish! Seriously, you should try it. I even pre-made some for Eric to eat while I'm gone. It's in the freezer as we speak.

Anyway, that's all for now... stay tuned for Hungary pictures in about, oh, 12 days!

None but God can satisfy the longing of the immortal soul; as the heart was made for Him, He only can fill it. - Richard Trench