Cup,Slurp,Identify, & Describe

Close your eyes for a moment. When was the last time you really experienced something? Was it the taste of a delectable dessert? Was it the sweet morning air? Perhaps it was a song that captured your ear and brought you back to a moment or place in time.

During my tenure at Starbucks my absolute favorite activity was the coffee tasting. It was something that was drilled into me from the moment I walked through the doors. We did coffee tastings for everything:meetings,first days, parties, and just for the fun of it. The point of it was to get the partners as well as customers involved in understanding the complexities of coffee. We usually paired it with a dessert that complimented the flavors in the coffee. Nothing delighted me more than when I would conduct a partners first impressions. We would always start with a tasting. I favored a French press of Kenyan coffee for the first day, and usually paired it with a lemon bar. I loved to watch as an ordinary cup of coffee was transformed in front of them. It did not matter if the partner was a coffee drinker or not. I always got a reaction once they made the connection between the flavors of the coffee and the pastry.

The basic steps were to cup the coffee and get a good whiff of what you were about to taste. The next step was to slurp. This had a two fold purpose. The first was that it cooled the coffee down so that you could actually taste, and the second helped to spray the liquid across the pallet so a true flavor profile could be assessed. After getting a good taste you could then identify what parts of the tongue were affected by the flavor. Last but not least we described what we had tasted.

I may be losing some of you who don't love coffee, but bear with me. The reason I loved this practice so much was not simply because I enjoy coffee. It really was the experience of awakening the senses to something deeper than the eye can see. Too often we resort to hyper drive in our fast paced society. We inhale food, ingest millions of bits of information, and simply run through life without stopping to allow our senses to catch up. There is something pure and wonderful about stopping and allowing the senses to soak in the experience. I promise the price of time will be well rewarded.

Never Take for Granted

Tonight was one of those nights. A night where I came home and just needed some quiet. The kids were loud. Micah wanted to be held all night. Kaylie wanted a snack, to go the the park, to play, and to interrupt any conversation I was having. I know every mom can relate to what I'm talking about. Sometimes you just want some time for yourself. Time to feel like you are more than just a cook, nurse, and maid. I finally put them to bed, and decided to pull out some old notebooks full of my writings over the years. I came across this poem I wrote the night after I found out I had miscarried our first child.

October 18th
October 18th I found you were not there
My heart was broken, nothing seemed fair.
To know I would not see you
Or get to hold you to my heart,
My soul was devastated.
Will time ever heal this tear?
I am so sad.
I miss you so much now.
In just a few short weeks,
God has given you so much to endow.
You opened my heart is so many ways.
Slowly I would give up my selfishness,
For this love so great.
Baby, God wanted you to be with Him.
So once again I cannot be selfish.
I will give in.
I will always love you, my very first.
I'll keep your little snoopy,
To always remind us of you.
I love you, goodnight,
Until we meet again.

Reading this brought back a flood of memories. My children are my babies and I can never take them for granted. In those times when I'm tired, or feel I can't listen to that song one more time, I remember how precious these gifts are to me. These times are but a moment, and in a blink they will be grown.

Like a Punch in the Gut

Have you ever been strolling through life happy, unaware of the pot hole waiting just around the corner? Well I just hit that pothole, and it feels more like a punch in the gut. This may be an exaggeration, but it's a fresh hit so I need to vent. No one is completley immune to this recession. Today we found out that due to some foreclosures in our neighborhood our appraisal on our home was not enough to meet the refinance requirements. Not only are we paying a ridiculously high interest rate, but Dallas county in gouging us on taxes with an inflated property value. We wanted to dispute this and lower our payment, but ironically the deadline for the 2009 year was June1. There are still a few options on the refinance, but right now things look pretty bleak. It looks like we could be stuck with this ARM for a little while longer and who knows what rates will start to inflate to in the unstable market . It is completely frustrating when we were banking on paying some major debt off with the monthly savings.

Now I just need to take a step back. I know there are others in much dire straits than we are. It's times like these that patience and perseverance are what keep us holding it together. Now I guess I will just put on my big girl panties and do the only thing I can. Deal with it!

The Haircut

I am guilty of breaking the cardinal hair care rule. A trim every 6-8 weeks will keep your hair looking healthy. At least that is what my stylist tells me. As a teen I had my hair cut regularly. I don't think I ever went longer than six weeks. Of course I had short hair and that requires a little more maintenance. Ever since I let my hair grow long I have been perpetually tardy in the salon chair.I would say on average I cut my hair twice a year. Pathetic I know.

I used to say it was money that kept me from getting my haircut. I just hated dropping down $50 or more for a cut, but now I guess that excuse won't fly. It is pretty sad when your husband starts saying," honey you can get your haircut, no, I'm serious your really should get your haircut." I believe now it is a matter of the daunting practice of choosing a style. I have had everything from short, to long and straight. I love the super cute short styles, but I find that our love affair is short lived. No pun intended. I am happy with the cut for a couple of weeks and then it starts to grow out and becomes impossible to deal with. I have a girly side, but I definitely like to keep things low maintenance.

I like all of the possibilities long hair offers. There is the ponytail. Every mom loves this. Roll out of bed in the morning and can't stand the ball of frizz that settled on your head? Throw up a ponytail. Ball cap optional. Need to go formal? A sexy up-do will have you turning heads in no time. Heading to the Carribean? Microbraids and beads will have you fitting right in. Of course nothing beats the classic sultry long, flowing hair look.

Now I have gone and deviated from the main purpose of this blog, and that is choosing a hair style for my cut today. Can you see why I only do this twice a year?

The Problem With Blind Justice

I have been around long enough to see a few supreme court nominations in my time. I have watched with great interest as the drama unfolds around Ms. Sotomayor's nomination. I am a firm believer in blind justice. The symbol of a blindfolded women holding the balance is a completely beautiful picture of the ideal system in any society. Of course in our politically correct world we find each side battling over the fairness or unfairness any potential candidate will bring to this high court. Should race, gender, poltical affiliation, or family background have a place in the hallowed halls of our justice system? Absolutely not! Those who mete out justice should do so with no interest in either party. Judgements should be evenhanded. The scale should not lie. In our society the scale is also tempered with a strict constitution that should guard from any man who would utilize a dishonest scale.

Unfortunately there is a great problem with blind justice, and that problem is man. How can anyone expect humans to be what they are not. Our species is wrought with unjustice to the core. Each one of is a viewing life from our experience. In a perfect world one can only hope that we would do our best to keep justice blind and her scales fair, but when humanity is involved I do not know if that is possible.

A True Cynic

I have always wished I was one of those individuals that saw a glass as half full. I must admit, I am a true cynic. I don't trust easily, and I usually am looking for ulterior motives. I suppose I am a true child of this age, exposed by media from all sides, with a hardened exterior to withstand disappointment. In this intense climate it is easy to fall back to what is comfortable and revert inward. If you can't really trust anyone, maybe I can at least trust myself?

As I ponder my own cynical outlook, a verse from Colossians 1:27 came to the forefront of my mind.

to whom God willed to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

So God what you're saying is it's not Crystal the hope for glory? What a relief! With this one simple truth all my cynicism and tough resolve melts away. There is no human knowledge I posses, nothing I can build, no magic words I can say that will provide hope or peace for myself or anyone. It is this strange mystery that God has chosen to reveal to the humble and lowly of heart. Who am I to be cynical when it is Christ alone that is our hope for glory?

Weekends Are Too Short

Summer weather is kicking into full gear here in the great state of Texas. As kids start getting out of school, I find myself longing to be a kid getting out of school for summer break. I could easily fill my days with swimming, snow cones, riding bikes, and sleeping in. Alas those days have past, but they sure are some great memories. In the meantime I try to fill my weekends and some weeknights with swimming, snow cones, riding bikes, and sleeping in. Maybe I should scratch that last one as referenced by the time stamp on this blog!

In spite of a short weekend, we always try to make it a good one. I decided it was time for a picture blog. We decided once again to get season passes to NRH20. The kids love it, and it gives us somewhere to go when it is too hot to do anything else on the weekends. This was Micah's first chance to swim. He and Kaylie are having a blast!

Micah spends a lot of his weekend time playing and just being cute.

Kaylie has spent a lot of time practicing riding her bike. She actually did venture out of the garage and went on a three mile ride!

This weekend we attended a graduation lunch for my cousin Monica at one of my favorite places, Italliani's. I remembered to bring my camera to a function so here are some pictures.
K
aylie and I trying to look natural
The handsome boys in my life.

Mom and Melody

Micah really enjoyed the bread.
Kaylie decided to serenade us at the end of the meal.

It was a good Saturday, and I even got to go shopping for some new shoes and an outfit! Thanks Chris for making me fit it into the budget. :)

The only thing that could have made it better is if dad was with us. He's still plugging away in Africa until July. We miss you!

I will try to keep my camera handy this summer. I know the pictures add a little life to the blog for those who get bogged down with all the words. You may have noticed I have added advertisements to the blog. It has become an opportunity to make a little extra debt snowball money so if you have a moment check one out and help a girl out. No pressure :)

Have a great weekend everyone. It may be short, but make it a good one!