There is still time!

There is still time!

Lent is almost over as we now reach Holy Week. A time fit for a self-examination, of how well we lived the Lenten Season according to our talents. Even if the answer for this question is that we didn’t do everything we could to try be better Christians ourselves, there is still time to live this Holy Week as holy as we can, or at least a little bit better than we did during Lent.

In the beginning of this Lent, the priest in my parish said something I was also thinking for some years already! That Lent is much more than giving up chocolate, soda (or pop, like the north says it!) or any other little sacrifice for the whole 40 days! It is more than giving up social media, for that matter, as well! It must be something that will actually help you have presence of God and help you become better Christians. But we are still missing the biggest point!

When I was living in Temple, TX, in my second year married, thus my second year in the US, I was living a very intense lent, I remember. When it was over, a few days after Easter Sunday, I was at church and a retired former pastor of that parish, I believe he was from Germany, was celebrating daily Mass that day! I think that during the four years I lived in Temple, he celebrated Mass there no more than three times. Anyway, during the homily he said something that I remember even now! Something I have never heard, or least not so clearly:

“I don’t know why people think that when Lent is over, all the sacrifices and intense prayer should cease. Lent is a preparation for Easter. If it is only a preparation, it means we should be even holier after Easter.”

That struck me really hard. I was so relieved Lent was over so I could relax a bit, but as that priest made me see, I was getting it all wrong!

I’m not saying that since that homily I dramatically changed, and that I had always followed that admonition! In fact, I have not! But it helps me keep things in perspective and helps me understand better the things I do, the things I plan to do during Lent!

So back to the beginning, how well not eating chocolate will help you be a better person, a new person for Easter (Easter in its origin means “new life”). It can help, of course, but only if you are thinking that by doing a specific food sacrifice, it will help you not binge any longer in the future! That you will be less a slave of food, or other earthly pleasures, and more spiritually free!

So, yes, all kinds of sacrifices can help you live a good lent in preparation for your new life, but the reasoning should not be lost in these 40 days, and not be totally forgotten after Easter. I know that I always need to work on this, every year!

And as a last thought, during Palm Sunday Mass, we read the whole text of the Passion of Christ. This year a specific part caught my attention! It was the very brief part that mentions Simon of Cyrene being caught coming back from a long day of work on the field, and forced to help carry the Cross of Jesus.

It made me think. Simon of Cyrene was probably a very righteous Jew! He was probably married, with children, a hard-working man, living a righteous life, somehow comfortably! And yet, he was totally unaware that in that precise day the city officials were to crucify Jesus in such a public manifestation! Has he even heard of Jesus before?

Are we not like him? Yes, I am specifically talking about us: somehow good christian folks. Are our lives just a bit too comfortable? A little too much - willingly unaware of the troubles and happenings around us? But we are called into the scene, as Simon of Cyrene was forced to! We are called to get out of our own little world and do something bigger! We are called to be bothered. I know that I need to work on this as well! Just thought I would share!



There is still time!

My birthday, but a gift to you!

Yeah, it's my 30th birthday today, Ash Wenesday, I'm pretty sure you heard me whine about it for some time already now!

I am not thrilled for the fasting and abstinence today as I am not thrilled about turning 30.... The first one is pretty obvious, the second one too! But I still want to explain my middle age crisis.

I feel like I am a teenager. I know, I've got problems! And I don't think I can sooolve them. Anyway!
I'm vain, and age makes its trail on your body.
I'm selfish, and I can't help but whine about stuff, any stuff.
I'm pretty sure I'm bipolar at some level, it impresses me that I have gotten so far in life, actually.
I have ADHA at some level, and again, it impresses me that I have gotten so far in life.

And now I stopped making sense.... I blame ADHA.

Well, as for Ash Wednesday it hasn't been so bad, actually! That's the benefit of dragging something so much then when it happens, it rarely turns out worse than you anticipated. (Although I would never suggest being this negative about stuff! You are better than me, friend, you can do better than that!)

It helped that I celebrated my birthday yesterday by throwing me a toddler party (well, except for the soup part)! But, 30 is not 3, as one can guess, and although the food looked great, at this old age I can't consume any significant amount of sugar without felling sick on my stomach. Rebecca and Nico, at the brighter (or not) side, loved the food! Well, except for the soup part! They actually tried the soup, we told them it was salsa, so they could eat it with chips. In case you are now wondering whether this tactic worked or not: it did very little.

The party worked great at taking off the responsibility of having a crazy awesome time on my birthday! It was still not my birthday but I was having a party and lots of chocolate. It drained my cerebral energy for expecting any more celebrations on the next day. So when I woke up today I was fine. It almost doesn't feel like it's my birthday and I'm ok with that! It helps that daddy wants to take me ice skating at an indoor place tomorrow night!! =) luv you, hubby!

And what about my gift to you?

You know how I can't keep a good thing to myself without sharing or making a big show out of it for everyone to see it!

Let's all just pretend that I wrote a very elaborated and convincing paragraph about what I'm gonna share with you, and you are now thinking  that you really need this in your life and you are most certain you will love it! ok? Did everybody spend some seconds visualizing it?

Ok, what you have to do now is to download the soundcloud app (or maybe you can listen on the website, I'm not totally sure).

Soundcloud app offers a variety of podcasts. Search for The St. Josemaria Institute! There you will find amazing 20-30 minutes meditations on different topics that will make you reflect and give you lots of lovely insights for your DAILY life!

Just take it from me, you will thank me later!

For my brazillian folks, it's also a great way to practice listening in english!

If I could suggest one of the podcasts I LOOOOVED:

St Joseph - the greatest male saint who ever lived
The Heart of Christ
Ash Wednesday (not the iPray, but the longer one)

Please, please give it a try

You can listen to it anywhere! I've realized I pay more attention when I'm doing laundry and listening to it at the same time! Just a tip! ;)

Xoxo
Gabby

Dan's birthday and a recipe!

Let's try a quick post, shall we?

Dan's birthday is on February, 2nd, and if you are american you are most probably thinking the same Rebecca was when she said to us: "I know what day is today, is groundhog day!". The things you learn at school at such a young age! =) I only new groundhog day was on Feb, 2nd, sometime last year when I finally watched the homonym movie for the first time! And despite the fact that the movie keeps reprising the same feb, 2nd, my head couldn't keep this piece of info as this year I have totally forgotten about it until Rebecca reminded me! Call me slow, because I actually noticed a lot of groundhog day posts on facebook that day but failed to connect the dots!

This year, in this town, on Feb 2nd was also a blizzard day! Our first blizzard! School was out and Dan only worked for less than two hours before everybody started rushing out of the building to get home before there was too much snow!

As for the blizzard, it wasn't so strong in here like the one that took place in Philadelphia and New York a week or so ago. It was supposed to start in the middle of the night and stop by the afternoon, but it actually happened from 9am to midnight! It wasn't a loooot of snow, but it was very windy.

The strong and ever lasting wind made cool tricks to the snow. Including choosing our house to be one of those who accumulated it the most! It must know who doesn't own a snow blower.

We enjoyed waking up one hour later than the usual for school days, and went to celebrate by eating breakfast out. I also shopped for a few items to make Dan a fancy (but so easy) cake! With gold-priced strawberries.

So glad we decided last minute to go out for breakfast. It made his day a bit more "celebrated".

Like I said before, Dan went to work after breakfast because his boss didn't cancel work, but he was back home after two hours. But I wasn't expecting Dan to be back home for lunch and we couldn't go to the supermarket anymore. Thanks to Costco we had at home a good quality Salmon and it turned out to be a yummy lunch (I added some more butter and salt than usual, because - honestly -  that's what restaurants do to make food tastier).

We were still hoping to get out for dinner (we had a groupon for a japanese food place), but nope! Instead, Dan shoveled 8in of snow in 2 hours (still in the middle of the blizzard, because we just follow what everybody else is doing as we know nothing).

Dan braving the blizzard, shoveling 8in of snow. In the morning we had another 8 inches to shovel!

There was still the enigma of what to cook for dinner, birthday-worthy. Well, we made homemade pizza! Ah-ham, Dan made the pizzas. I know, I know it was his birthday but last time I made the dough it didn't work very well! And as a good surprise, this was Dan's best homemade pizza eva! Then we had cake! It was gooood! I will share the recipe! Rebecca and I made the cake in the afternoon!

I know it looks nice, but after a while in the fridge, covered, it fell apart. It was still delicious, but very ugly.

Recipe
Buy a white supreme moist cake mix box (don't buy the french vanilla kind).
Buy a condensed milk can (has to be full fat, Nestle)
BUY A CREMA TABLE CREAM FROM NESTLE CAN (no subs, look for it at the cake section or in the hispanic section.)
Optional: buy some white chocolate
Buy a cool whip package.
Buy a cart of strawberries
extras: some milk, sugar and butter

Make the cake in the rectangular pan (don't do like I did with 2 round pans). Here you have the option to split the batter in two rectangular pans (so it won't be too thick, but careful not to burn) or to bake it in just one pan and after it's done you cut the cake in the middle for the filling. WARNING: take the cake out of the pan when it's hot but only slice it when you are ready to add the filling or it will dry.

Filling:
cook the condensed milk with a spoon of butter and some white chocolate (I would say 1/3 of cup). Cook on medium/low heat , mixing it constantly with a wooden spoon for about 10 min or when you notice it starts coming off the bottom of the pan while mixing it. Usually I cook for 2 more minutes after I notice this.

Add the crema table cream and mix it until well blended. Let it cool down until it is just a bit warm. It's ok to put in the fridge. The final consistency can't be too runny! It has to be thick. If it is not, cook on low heat for a bit more!

Wash the strawberries. cut them into 3 slices saving the top and bottom slices for decoration.

Decoration:

Slice the cake in the middle. make wholes with a fork throughout the whole cake. Add some moisture to the cake. I used milk with sugar and spreaded it with a spoon. Don't overdo it.

Spread a generous amount of cooked cream (all of it, actually), add sliced strawberries on top, and finally add a tie of cool whip. Put back the other slice of the cake on top. again, using a fork make wholes and add moisture.

Finish covering the whole cake with cool whip and decorate with slices of strawberry.

Yuuuuum-my. It will taste like wedding cake, you won't make another cake in your whole life!

You can keep it in the fridge but it has to be covered.

And that's how we celebrated Dan's birthday, on the actual day!

Actually, we ended up celebrating it twice as we went to the japanese restaurant (it was sooooo good!) for dinner on the next day and had yummy sausage hot dogs and froyo from Costco for lunch! We loooove that stuff!!

We ate in the car because we were supposed to meet at Costco but Nico fell asleep in the car!

A big real sausage hot dog and soda for $1.50, I love you Costco!

We had a $20 for $40 groupon to this japanese express restaurant!
Everything was delish, very authentic.
We ordered drinks, a misoshiro soup cup, 1 bento, 3 rolls and a seafood udon soup! 

xoxo

Gabby

A História de Nós Dois - Parte 9

Hoje completamos mais um aniversário de casamento (nosso sétimo, já)!

Olhando para trás, parece q passou rápido, mas também parece que sempre foi assim! Que sempre fomos casados, que sempre estivémos juntos! Se você parar para pensar, sete anos nem é muito tempo! Parece que antes de eu virar adulta (será que já sou?), sete anos se tratava de uma eternidade. Depois que me formei na faculdade (e casei, e tive filhos...) os anos tem percepção muito relativa para mim!

Mas sete anos também não é pouco, claro! Nesse aniversário as coisas andam bem calmas, tranquilas! Uma época de nossas vidas em que estamos muito bem (apesar que TPM tá aí todo mês). Graças a Deus. A Deus mesmo, porque se fosse depender dos nossos gênios não sei se ainda estaríamos juntos comemorando essa data! Nós deixamos Deus abençoar nossa união no dia de nosso casamento religioso, e nos comprometemos em Seu nome, a não nos separarmos até a morte! O que na prática significa trabalhar em nosso casamento, em nos empenhar em melhorar a nós mesmos, em pedir desculpas e desculpar sempre, e logo! Siginifca rezarmos a Deus todo dia pedindo por nossa familia, Significa colocar os meios concretos para sermos fiéis um ao outro sempre, em sermos prudentes nas nossas escolhas diáras, etc! Logo, por sua vez, não siginifica deixar rolar o que rolar, até o casamento ficar horrível, mas não poder se separar até que um dos dois batam as botas! Só dois tolos optariam pela segunda opção.

Mas enfim, na minha listinha de orações peço sempre (nominalmente) a todos os nossos casais de amigos mais próximos e aqueles que ocasionalmente percebo que precisam de uma forcinha, para serem felizes! Não é algo com a qual me contenta se apenas eu e minha família formos felizes e o resto do mundo, não! Meus pais me ensinaram assim!

Hoje vamos comemorar indo na missa juntos ao meio dia na linda Catedral e depois almoçando juntos em algum lugar (Nico nos acompanhará de vela!) e de noite planejamos jantar - a família toda, na churrascaria brasileira daqui da cidade! E como já é tradição, vou escrever alguma partezinha da história de nós dois, também em comemoração ao nosso sétimo aniversário de casamento! Aqui vai:

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A História de Nós Dois - Parte 9


Já contei nessa mesma série de postagens que eu me interessei pelo Dani antes que ele tivesse se interessado por mim! Acabamos estando brevemente no mesmo lugar e na mesma hora pela primeira vez em um fatídico dia em final de Agosto de 2006. Ele era amigo da minha amiga Ju, de São José dos Campos e iria me dar carona de volta para Campinas. Ju já tinha me dado uma introdução dele antes de nos apresentar (pra me confirmar que seria seguro pegar carona com aquele estranho).

De cara, gostei daquele japonês bronzeado, bem cuidado, fortinho e de olhos bem abertos (é possível)! Achei-o curioso e um tanto quanto agitado, admito! Não me deu bola e parecia que não estava nem aí com ninguém! Muito na dele. Então eu quis ficar "na dele" também!

Ele me deu carona e fomos conversando, mas eu já tinha me apaixonado! Dani me deu vários foras durante as minhas investidas (tímidas, por certo, pois eu sou eu, né?) o que com certeza contribuiu ainda mais para eu ficar intrigada com ele!

Pedi o msn dele para minha amiga Ju e na cara de pau, adicionei-o. Ele demorou alguns dias mas me aceitou no msn. Passaram-se outros tantos dias e finalmente conversamos (teclamos). A paixonite e coracão partido (ele tinha me esnobado, lembra?) já tinham passado então eu estava de boa! Mas agora ele que parecia interessado em mim!

Conversa daqui, dali, convida pra festinha daqui, dali, escapa do convite, daqui, dali, ele vai na festa, você não, ele fica com outra menina, PÁRA!!!!

(Eu percebi isso pela nossa conversa, fato que depois ele me confirmou)

Não quero nada com ele, mas também não é bem assim! Eu estava confusa! O menino (homem mas com cara de bebê) era seis anos mais velho que eu, biológo, japonês (explico mais pra frente!). Eu tinha a leve percepção que se eu saísse com ele, ficasse com ele, a gente iria namorar, e daí como que faz? E o resto das questões?

Sempre fui de terminar qualquer relacionamento bem cedo, ou mesmo antes de começar, quando eu fazia os "cálculos" e começava a achar bug nas contas! Pra que sofrer, não é? Deixar um relacionamento começar, durar para eventualmente terminar? Nunca me pareceu muito lógico. Sempre achei uma perda de valiosos anos dourados da minha vida jovem, na qual eu poderia estar buscando o cara ideal!

Mas né? Ele ficou com outra menina - na festa que ele tinha ME convidado pra se encontrar, mas que eu tinha recusado! Aí pegou forte, aquele ser. Como assim????

Ok, funcionou! Tive que ir (dessa vez me auto convidando) na próxima festa! Encontro marcado! Vixe, e agora? Eu não "fico"com os caras..... Dá pra fugir mas não fugir ao mesmo tempo?

Deu, mas daí não deu!

Nos encontramos na festa - muito mais cedo do que eu estava psicologicamente preparada para - e daí dei um dos meus famosos foras. E te digo, que foi O MAIS FORTE DOS FORAS! Estava com minhas amigas quando ele veio conversar e apenas minutos mais tarde disse "tchau"mesmo! Olha, tem que me conhecer pra visualizar o ocorrido sem achar isso um fato impossível de acontecer!

Fiquei depois, claro, me castigando (e às minhas amigas) em voz alta: como que eu fiz isso com ele! Agora já era! Ai meu Deus, como que eu CONSEGUI fazer isso com alguma pessoa. Nossa, agora já era! UHUM. como diria no Brasil: senta lá, Cláudia. (Tá certa a expressao? rs)

Mas o doido do Dani achou que tudo bem! Que ele poderia vir tentar conversar comigo de novo, no meio das minhas amigas, ele solo! Amigas espertas (ou cansadas de minhas lamentações) nos largaram sozinhos!

Agora não dava mais pra dar fora! Tinha que me segurar e ser moça educada! Consegui afastar qualquer tentativa de proximidade perigosa por 2h. Conversamos bastante e de boa! Tava legal! Mas na minha cabeça uma conversa em paralelo estava rolando e se repetindo: "Mas e agora? Depois daquele fora, conversando mais de 2h, vai ter que beijar! Mas e "a conversa" sobre não ficar, só namorar que você sempre tem quer ter com os caras que tem a coragem de chegar em você?"

Era hora, chegou a hora, ele iria tentar me beijar e a conversinha na minha cabeça bateu as botas, encerrou a reunião e concluiu: "Ah não, hoje estou cansada para ter A conversa". Ficamos (com gostinho de Trident, pontos para o menino limpinho!) Foi tranquilo, como acho que tem que ser, com respeito. Continuamos conversando e ele me pergunta:

"Eu sou o primeiro japonês que você já ficou?"
"Sim"- respondi, mas mal sabia ele que eu só tinha beijado quatro caras antes dele e que as chances de um ou mais deles serem um japonês não era muito grande!
"ah é? Fico lisonjeado."

Sabe como tem umas minas (e minos também) meio fascinados por uns olhos puxados, né? Ele queria saber se eu só tinha gostado dele porque eu gostava de japonês, via de regra, ou não, se eu tinha gostado dele, por ele! Mas não respondi mais nada do assunto, naquela hora!

E é aqui a parte que eu queria explicar!

Talvez eu fosse alguém que já gostasse de japonês, via de regra! Sempre tive amigas japonesas, a família mais amiga e próxima da minha família, era japonesa, gostava de ler alguns mangás inocentes (Samurai X é muito legal!), e etc.

E, sim, eu ja tinha tido "uma queda" por dois asiáticos nessa minha vida: a primeira vez na pré-escola, com um mestiço chamado Yuri (tenho boa memória, eu sei!), e a segunda quando antes de eu entrar na faculdade, eu estudava na biblioteca do IMECC, de segunda-feira a tarde, e acabava encontrando até que frequentemente um chinês, que na época achei que era japonês, mas depois veio a ser meu instrutor de GA!! Awkward!!!!! Caí fora!!

Então, vamos concordar que essas duas breves paqueras, não deveriam contar como "já gostei de japonês", né? Também acho!

Então apesar de gostar da cultura japonesa, no geral, eu nunca me imaginei realmente casando com um japonês. Achava estatisticamente improvável! Assim como também tive minha fase (bem antes de Harry Potter) de gostar de ruivos (conheci dois na minha vida e bem brevemente) mas também nunca achei que iria casar com um ruivo! Na verdade também nunca achei que iria casar com um loiro, ou com algum cara de olhos claros! De novo, culpa das estatísticas! Achava que iria casar com um brasileiro, com cara de brasileiro, e muito provavelmente, engenheiro!

Mas daí fiquei com o Dani! Tive A conversa, no nosso próximo encontro! Começamos a namorar! E dai já sabemos todos, que casamos e temos dois lindos filhotes! E estamos morando nos EUA, muito felizes! Dinheiro ainda não está sobrando, mas vivemos muito bem! Gosto de economizar e fazer planilhas de gastos, então pra mim está tudo ÓTIMO! O Dani é um EXCELENTE pesquisador e fico MUITO feliz que ele esteja seguindo sua vocação profissional! Nem nos meus planos pré-concebidos, teria dado tão certo!

Tudo isso pra dizer, que eu amo muito o Dani, meu marido! Ele muitas vezes é um santo de me aguentar na TPM. (As vezes não aguenta e a gente briga, mas ninguém o culpa, né? Muito menos eu). Me considero até que surpreendentemente bem boazinha e paciente no resto do mês! Tem que dar uma folga para o menino! Brincadeiras a parte, a gente briga, se resolve, se ama e vamos criando nossa família! Somos até que bem parecidos e isso ajuda!

Isso é o que eu tinha pra contar hoje! Não é muita novidade, mais ainda tenho anos pra escrever - e viver - o resto de nossa história!

Feliz bodas de Lã, meu amor, pra gente ficar bem quentinho nesse inverninho da Dakota do Sul!

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7 anos - Bodas de latão ou lã

Lã é adaptável e pode-se fazer muito com ela. Latão é resistente a manchas. Ambos são resistentes e capazes de durar e passar por todas as crises que vierem.