Fridays that Feel like Tuesdays that Feel like Sundays

Jon has a great joke about people who go on "cleanses." You know lemon juice and cayenne pepper and what not. They always seem to say, "Oh I feel so much better after my cleanse." Jon replies (fictionally because it's a joke and not an actual conversation), "Of course you feel good, you're eating again." I've read that a good dose of fiber and exercise will do the trick without the sting of lemon. As such, Jon and I have been on a bit of a health kick lately. We've been eating loads of salad and looking at the nutritional information on everything we eat. Before Jon came down with a cold this week we were walking regularly. Look at us, models of a healthy lifestyle. It could only go so far until I got the domestic urge to bake some cookies. So now we've got salad and cookies. A healthy balance in my opinion. You're welcome to stop by and claim your share of chocolate chip cookies. I know Jon owes our friend Andy cookie backpay for the rest of his life, due to his almost complete consumption of the cookies Andy's grandma express mailed him in college. That's a Sanchez story worth hearing. When you do make it over, it would be helpful if you had some motivational words for me. I've been severely slacking in my studies. I've got a rough draft of my first paper due Monday and nothing but theories floating around in my head. "What is the Hebrew word for rest?" It will be hard to convince my professor that I was researching the concept of rest in Psalm 95 by watching both series 1 and 2 of The Office (British Version). Maybe if I had taken a trip to Israel to survey the Holy Land, one possible definition for rest. Though it seems, no one is enjoying much rest these days over in Israel if that's what the Psalmist meant. And if I could muster up enough discipline I'd be convinced that I'd only truly rest once the paper was written. At least, I'd rest for a bit. As for now I'm letting things stew in my head in the hopes that something brilliant to pop out when I start putting words on the page. Wish me luck.

All Apologies

I wish I could say this is why I have not written in quite some time. Last week marked my return to class and this time will be the last time. This is my last semester and last class to be exact. I'll be graduating in May, Lord willing. Over the break I was sure I would get to all those things I couldn't find time for during the semester. Instead I read, a lot, and played some guitar hero, and visited family. Now it's work and school and ministry and calling friends on the weekends, "do you want to hang out?" Some exciting things are in the works for the Sanchez family. We will be graduating and moving out of married student housing come this summer. We have a niece and nephew popping up into the world around April and May. We're excited to meet them. We are starting to plan a trip to Japan. (Of course, right. Of course Jon is going to Japan. I'm stoked, too.) We're into our third year of marriage, having celebrated our 2nd anniversary and laid to rest our newlywed phase. We're goofing around, having fun, yucking it up. For now Jon is student teaching and showing 8th and 9th grade English all he's got. He's good at it, too. I've just set out my academic course for the semester. I'll be writing three and reworking one research paper(s). The following are my topics:
Psalm 95: The reinstatement of Rest
Ephesians 3:10: The Cosmic Agency of the Church
The Cosmology of Paul: Understanding the heavenlies of Ephesians
Veneration of Saints and Martyrs in the Early Church: A look at the theological development of sainthood and its implications for modern Christian community

I'm pretty excited about these as some are topics I've been wanting to chase down for awhile. I start officially researching for Psalm 95 tomorrow. And I've missed you. It's good to be talking again.

Moving at the Speed of Unproductivity

I turned in my last paper on Wednesday after turning in my last two "take-home" finals that morning. I took the rest of the night off, then the next day I went to work. The next day after that I went to work. And tonight I'm going to work. I did get a glimmer of hope and relief knowing that I had finished the semester, but the rest of my life seems to be moving right along at the same pace. Ah, well. I can't complain, because if given an actual day off with no obligation at work or church or home, I'm not sure what I would do. Now that I can't default to schoolwork with my freetime I'm opting for cleaning the bathrooms. Lame. Recently, though, I've been thinking about they rhythm of the seasons. During these winter months when you get about 2.5 hours of sunlight/graylight it's easy to get gloomy and depressed right along with that cloudy sky. The other viable option would be to let the low light lull you to sleep. What if God planned for this time during the year as a means of rest when you lay low, go to bed early and sleep late? I've been getting more sleep these past few months, and I think, as a result have yet to catch a cold. Coworkers, family, fellow students, friends have all managed one or two colds by now, while team Sanchez remains strong and healthy. I think it's the sleep. Because if God wanted us to slow down during winter, when the cold/sickness threat is at its highest, and his means of doing so was turning down the lights, but we ignored such an opportunity and kept running at the same pace we're messing with the created order. We're going to end up sick and depressed. But, if we go with the rhythm of winter and read and nap and sleep in and come close to hibernation, well we could be on to something here.

I'm trying to think through what my life would be if it was perfectly unproductive. On one side I want to accomplish great things. I want a biography written or at least a small memorial article that would feature the handful of things I did. On the other side I'm tired and want some of that Sabbath-rest, especially after writing a paper on Sabbath-rest in Hebrews 4. So somewhere between going to work, cleaning our soap-forsaken house, writing christmas cards and scrambling to get some christmas gifts together, i'd like to sit back and do nothing. here goes.

final countdown

it is my goal to not post until i finish finals. wait a minute. i wonder if this qualifies. shoot. talk to you later.

The LIfe Journey of a Turkey...Day.

This is the third Sanchez Thanksgiving we've celebrated in Portland. The first one was actually before I was even legally a Sanchez. This year we were joined by Andy and Anne and a dignified sense of progress from year one's turkey breast and year two's slighty frozen turkey. Here's what happened:

Andy grew up on a ranch, so we elected him as chief butcherer. Though our turkey isn't pictured, using Anderson colloquial use, the turkey is looking right at you.

Ever since we started cooking little chickens in our roasting pan, it's been a Sanchez ritual to dance a bit with the bird after it has had a bath. It gets the juicies flowing for cooking.

Seasoning is an art form in the Sanchez household and garlic an essential ingredient in all cooking. Having made sure the turkey was evenly sprinkled both outside and in its cavity, he's ready for the 325degree oven we've prepared for him.

Sufficiently tanned the turkey is ready for his aluminum oven fort.

This is as hip as our dining room will ever be, thanks to Andy and Anne's looks of indifference as they wait for the food to cook.
After we finished eating we gather enough strength to move from the dining room to the couches, where we watch Batman Begins. Halfway through the movie we were ready for dessert.


This is one of the most beautiful moments of Thanksgiving, Jon and Andy cleaning up while Anne and I sat on the couch watching the screen saver on the dvd player. It was so good. As long lost children living in Portland, we made sure to call our families for a thanksgiving hello. In the end we were happy to spend the day at home with no lingering stress of airports and travel. Thanks.

Food Service Feast

The warmth and bustle of the holidays are approaching. Tomorrow I'll prepare for our Thanksgiving feast by cleaning our bathrooms, doing some laundry and shopping for those last few items. Jon and I are sort of pioneering Sanchez Holidays in Portland. Our first Thanksgiving here was a month before our wedding. I cooked turkey breast using the ragamuffin appliances and cookware at 2nd base and if I'm not mistaken Eric Mora joined us. Last year we had the Albertson crew, who have since migrated to the East Coast. This year we are joined by Andy and Anne and a peach pie and cheesy Christmas music. And we've got a bottle of fine red wine.

In preparation for this year's Thanksgiving my mind has been mulling over the holiday meal we got at Drake, hosted by the cafeteria staff. It was a food service oddity, the holiday meal. All the staff would smile, slicing roast beef and setting up the tables of pie. I remember live music and Christmas lights. By my junior year every meal I ate in the school cafeteria gave me some sort of stomach ache, but those holiday meals are good, warm, well-fed memories. It seems that at the cusp of a homemade Sanchez feast, what I really want is to use my meal card for a pre-Thanksgiving Thanksgiving.

Huzzah.

I'm lame. I'll be the first to admit it. I have a couple excuses I could throw your way. First, I nearly maimed myself in a bread cutting incident that involved a sharp serrated knife and my left index finger. Second, my typing skills are slowly declining making this harder to do. Did I mention I'm lame. Moving on though I just wanted to share a small triumph of mine. I recently discovered this Web site where you can sell and buy things in what they call an "online auction." It is called Ebay. I discovered the site shortly after discovering how amazing my feet feel while wearing very expensive hippie, negative heel shoes made by the company Earth. I wanted a pair to ease those long hours micromanaging people at work and Ebay was my means. So I've been spending the past few weeks passively viewing every pair of Earth shoes in my size, comparing styles, sellers, ending times, over and over and over again. Finally I took the first step and placed a bid on a pair. Then I waited patiently yet excitedly by the computer, clicking refresh every 19 seconds to make sure I was not outbid or "snipped" in the last few seconds. Jon's brother and sister-in-law are Ebay participants of legend status. In a way my own victorious shopping today made me just a little more of a Sanchez and less of an Anderson.

As an extreme sidenote: If you want to come to our home for Thanksgiving, you are invited.