a celebration of one

yesterday, our marriage turned one!

in many ways, it's hard to believe it's been a whole year. 12 months. 4 seasons. 365 days. i was 28 [and a half] when we got married, so needless to say, i spent a lot of years waiting and hoping for my wedding day to arrive. some days i wake up and can hardly believe that marriage came true for me. and to think it's been a whole year of living life as a wife to my best friend, well, some days it almost feels too good to be true. and yet, being married feels so natural, so right that, well, i wonder that it's only been a single year.

i struggled to share my thoughts and feelings to tim in the card i gave him, and i find myself struggling now to do justice in writing to this year we've just finished. it has been such a sweet, fun, growing year. complete with its share of challenges, yes, and still so good i find myself excited for each new year we have together, with all the unknowns in store. i'm thankful for so much: for breakfasts and dinners, coming home to each other at the end of the workday, for how totally cute tim is when i wake him up in the mornings, and how expressive and thankful he is for dinners i make. and, at the same time, i've also seen the ways i'm impatient and selfish, and how my words and actions have the potential to either build him up or tear down. i am walking the road of growing from a fiercely independent woman toward surrendering my will and being more unified, partners.

and in all of this, i can see that marriage is good. and i can hardly wait to soak up each day and week and month that awaits.

katie anne

asparagus ribbon salad

i love food. real food, whole foods, foods that are healthy for my body, the farmers that grow it, my community, and the planet. i'll spare the soapbox, but local, natural foods are where its at. plus, they taste better. the asparagus, strawberries, broccoli i've had so far this season are everything that supermarket produce aspires to be.

in the midst of all my thinking lately, i've found a lot of joy in cooking. i think about food and meals a lot. partly because this year has been a learning experience in cooking for two, not just one, which has made my love for exploration more necessary and more gratifying. i'm still learning to cook enough food for us, and maybe one of these days, i'll cook enough for leftovers!

new natural ingredients, like farro, ghee, & whole grain flours [spelt, oat]; making pestos & sauces & vinaigrettes; learning new things, like what kohlrabi is [and that it's greens are edible and good!]; and made-from-scratch pizza nights are a few examples of what i've been trying and enjoying.

a recent success [one of the best dishes i've made, according to tim] was this lovely asparagus ribbon salad. not only was it delicious, but it was easy and fresh for the longer, warmer evenings of spring when it's a little less fun to stand in front of a hot oven. also, i submitted this picture to my csa and won a $15 credit for produce, with which i bought, what else, more asparagus.

asparagus ribbon salad
[adapted from here]

one bunch fresh asparagus, washed
two handfuls spinach or arugula, washed + dried + roughly chopped
1 / 4 cup roasted hazelnuts*, roughly chopped
parmesan reggiano for serving

dressing:
2-3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
juice from one lemon
2 tsp honey or maple syrup
1 tbsp finely chopped sweet onion
salt + pepper, a pinch each

• combine dressing ingredients in a jar or bowl and shake or whisk to combine
• using a vegetable peeler, shave each asparagus spear into several ribbons, starting from the tip and working downward. the tip is hard to shave, so just do the best you can.
• put the asparagus ribbons in a medium bowl and toss them gently with about half of the dressing until coated. let this sit for about 15 minutes to soften the asparagus.
• when ready to serve, add the greens to the asparagus and gently toss. add more dressing to taste if needed. 
• put on serving dishes, adding hazelnuts, cheese, and ground black pepper. enjoy!

* to roast hazelnuts: place raw nuts on a rimmed baking sheet and bake at 300 F for about 15-20 minutes. keep an eye on them and use your nose to tell when they are done - roasted hazelnuts are fragrant. let then cool for several minutes, and using your hands or a clean towel, rub them together to get most of the skins off. they are great in pasta dishes, salads, cereal, and straight up.

* use leftover dressing on other warm or cold salads. yum!


katie anne

what i can + can't see

i sat down a few days ago to write a very different post. i was thinking a lot about the differences in the things i can see and touch [which lately have basically consisted of end dates to our lease, my job, and tim's new diploma... and very empty pages in my planner starting soon]. don't get me wrong, there is still a LOT that i don't know yet: where tim and i will live in, oh i don't know, 3 weeks and where tim will find meaningful vocational work. but, i'm not quite in the same place today...


because ... I GOT A NEW JOB YESTERDAY! [more on that later]


i'm excited. my job this past year has been okay, but has left me longing for much more from my work. more challenges, growth, meaning. there have been plenty of perks in my job - short hours, the school schedule, not much paperwork - but, i'm not one to be satisfied by lots of downtime. although, playing endless games of war and go-fish aren't too bad.


and even though there's a new, visible part of this next unknown, i don't want to forget what i have been learning, which is that there's much, much more than what i can see, taste, touch. 


i've been reminded in my very favorite book, the allure of hope, that jesus calls us to hope. and hope, you remember, means that we have a vision for something that we can't yet see. so, most of what i have to hold onto right now are things i cannot actually see: so, i am working on remembering and am thankful for a husband and a community of friends who help me with that.


i remember God's promise that my "own ears will hear him. right behind you a voice will say, 'this is the way you should go,' whether to the right or to the left." [isaiah 30.21]  i remember what i once read about shalom not just being the absence of pain, anxiety, or troubles. it is so much more! shalom is the presence of the goodness of God, in the midst of all things. graduations, new jobs, holes in our ceiling, middle school counseling offices. all things. 


and that, my friend, is beyond all that i can see and attempt to control. He is always good, always faithful, always with us.


wait patiently for the Lord. be brave and courageous. yes, wait patiently for the Lord. [psalm 27.14]


katie anne

a beginning of sorts

hi out there.

maybe 'hi self' is more like it, right now.

i confess, part of me feels a bit self-conscious about this new venture into having a blog. but, here goes. we are in a season of change, of hope, and waiting. a season of oscillating between anxiety and trust, loneliness and connection. and yet, my eyes are full of wonder when i see the new ways in which His goodness is present in my life. so, i want to write. to process. to share.

to remember.

thanks for reading.

katie anne