dancing in the rain

I can either be miserable as I trudge across varsity campus in the downpour or I can dance in the rain.  

Cake-in-a-cup :)

Craving something chocolate? (Trick question - OF COURSE!) Also, it is Monday, so what better excuse that to treat yourself after making it through today? This is the quickest, easiest chocolate cake-in-a-cup recipe ever! Within just minutes you will be spooning pure yumminess into your mouth :)

What you need:

• 4 Tbsp self raising flour (or plain flour with 1 tsp of baking powder)
• 4 Tbsp white sugar
• 1 egg
• 3 Tbsp cocoa 
• 3 Tbsp nutella (yes, really!)
• 3 Tbsp milk
• 3 Tbsp vegetable oil

What you do:

1. Mix everything in a bowl and whisk with a fork - or directly into a REALLY large mug!
2. Divide the mixture into 2 mugs. 
3. Cook in the microwave for 1-3 minutes - it'll depend on your microwave strength. If you want it to be all gooey and fudgy in the middle, cook it for a little less. Be careful of the mixture overflowing. 
4. It is seriously that simple! Serve with a dollop of melted marshmallow, vanilla ice-cream, whipped cream, chocolate sauce, nutella, caramel treat - INDULGE :)

Will you be in Heaven?

“The critical question for our generation—and for every generation is this: If you could have heaven, with no sickness, and with all the friends you ever had on earth, and all the food you ever liked, and all the leisure activities you ever enjoyed, and all the natural beauties you ever saw, all the physical pleasures you ever tasted, and no human conflict or any natural disasters, could you be satisfied with heaven, if Christ were not there? Christ did not die to forgive sinners who go on treasuring anything above seeing and savouring God. And people who would be happy in heaven if Christ were not there, will not be there. The gospel is not a way to get people to heaven; it is a way to get people to God. It's a way of overcoming every obstacle to everlasting joy in God. If we don't want God above all things, we have not been converted by the gospel."

{John Piper} 

Mission of marriage?

"Love is action and not emotion."

Marriage is mission - our purpose is to reflect the relationship between Christ and His bride the church, to be sanctified, growing more into the likeness of Christ, built on the Gospel, proclaiming the Gospel together, perfect, harmonious unity like that of the Trinity, God and His glory at the centre, our love for Him the basis for it all. 

Simply put? It was designed, graciously gifted to us by God, to give us glimpses of His wonderous plan of redemption, reconciliation and restoration, to display the sort of complete and sacrificial love that He has for us shown by Jesus' death on the cross, the process for us for us to be made holy, not necessarily "happy", but to be sanctified, humble, and grow in our dependence on God, who alone can bring true and lasting joy and fulfilment!

Making it through the week...

Some days are just strange. I will suddenly look up and think, "How did I get here?" 

Well it has been a long week back at varsity. But earlier today, just sitting in the sunshine, I realized that I had actually made it through - God is good, it always works out in the end! 

Here are some happenings from my week (and hopefully they will make you groan and laugh like I did experiencing them!)

Yesterday morning the train was seriously delayed. I was beginning to panic, wondering how I was going to get to varsity on time. The thing about catching the train each morning is that there are the "regulars" - those who you nod hello to each day, those familiar faces, but people who you don't actually know. A boy turned to me and said, "You want a lift to UCT?" (R and I look at each other) "Sure, thanks!" I reply, secretly thinking, "Please don't kill me, please don't kill me!"As we were driving R texted me, "I need his name, surname, car, colour, licence plate number..." haha, but as you can obviously tell, I wasn't murdered (phew), made it on time to class (yay) and I also made a new friend :) 

This morning, unfortunately, didn't go much better - I overslept by forty minutes, dressed in a flash, ran out the doors and missed my "usual" train by seconds! "Just breathe, just breathe..." (Insert mini-breakdown) But once again, by a miracle, I stumbled through the lecture theatre doors just before it began. I spent today in a sort of a daze, somehow making it from class to class, feeling like I am forgetting something, longing to get home to R... My day also consisted of just missing more buses and more train delays (of course) but I could smile, knowing that in the greater view of life these "sufferings" of mine are really nothing at all to complain about - it is actually quite ridiculous how upset I get about this little things (I'm sorry - no more self pity!)

Let me tell you about this week's Human Physiology lecturer - he is actually a friend of mine and he works at the Sport Science Institute. His stories in class this week made us wonder how in the world he was still alive - from a cyst in his leg constricting his nerves causing paralysis, to a drop foot, to dead muscle taking a year to regenerate, to constantly tripping while running and dislocating his shoulder or ripping his intercostal muscles, to almost falling into a coma due to a research glucose/insulin experiment gone wrong, to his respiratory muscles stopping due to too many drugs administered during a surgery and dying on the table and being be resuscitated... can you believe it?! Next year when he teaches us again I can only imagine what life/death experiences he will share with us - he is absolutely brilliant :)  

I also want to say that in my lectures this week I have really seen God's genius design and breath-taking creativity in all of life, in the most complex details, in sustaining it all, how everything works so perfectly together... no one can explain it, no one can truly understand it! Wow... it is wonderful being constantly amazed and in awe of my Creator, His sheer power and control of the universe. I am reminded to give Him alone all the glory!

And here I am, at this very moment, watching the Olympics' incredible opening ceremony (eating sour jelly beans, cuddled under blankets on the couch, R trying not to fall asleep rather unsuccessfully and blogging away), feeling such pride for my family's countries - South Africa, the United States of America, Namibia, Germany and Belgium - we are behind you all the way, "Go teams go!" I love times like these when the world comes together... gives a glimpse of the unity and diversity (makes me think of Heaven...)

Well I am exhausted and still not sure how I survived these past few days (thank-you Lord!). R, thanks for being strong when I feel so weak. I know that I can stand because you are by my side. And with that I am off to dreamland, goodnight*

Bed please.

"I want to change the world, instead, I sleep."

{Breathing - Ingrid Michaelson} 

And sleep I shall! Goodnight*

All you need is a cup of tea

Some days are just longer and harder than others. They begin wonderfully - a calm, cool morning, happy hello's, running into your friends, students smiling around campus (it had to be because of the sunshine!), laughing in Human Physiology at your professors stories, eating M&M's in Genetics and Biochemistry finishing early. But then everything seems to collapse around you at the same time - from a nightmare practical, to blinking back tired tears of frustration, feeling replaced and discarded, wanting nothing more than to just get home and not have to endure train delay after delay, trudging back in the dark with only a tower of work waiting that was meant to be done yesterday.

Just as I was ready to give up I glanced out of the window. It took my breath away. Pearly, pink skies reflecting on the tranquil ocean. It was beautiful. It reminded me of the bigger picture, of who is in control of it all, of who's purposes for me are perfect!

Yes, I cried when I got home (mostly in relief to finally have the day end) but it was cleansing, a release of exhaustion. And of course he held me and spoke such truth with love into all that I had been struggling with. His gentle care, his comforting wisdom, his understanding, his encouragement and support were just what I needed. He brought back perspective. He always reminds me of what is truly important and to keep my gaze on eternity.

A steaming bath, warm pyjama's, tea (of course), and chocolate after this long and hard day have also helped a smidgen :) 

The art of dance

Expressions* Here is the poster for my upcoming dancing show!

blue eyes

She doesn't know it but she sparkles. She glitters with life. She bubbles over with joy and passion for her Saviour and King. She is a dreamer. She has such great plans, plans to change the world. She believes. She is awesomely awkward - it's a good thing! She shines, making those around her laugh and feel as though all their problems have disappeared. Thanks for being such an incredible friend! And I hope that you had the most spectacular birthday :) Don't stop being yourself and never stop loving Jesus.

Things you forget

One of the best things about being at university is the amazingly long vacations. What this means though, is that the first day back after six weeks of leisure, is always a bit of a shock! Here are some things I had "forgotten"...

1. That instant irritation felt when my alarm so rudely wakes me.
2. What it's like to walk down to the station in the dark - tripping over cracks in the pavement, stumbling on the curb, wishing for my warm pyjama's and feeling a bit of self-pity (laughs).
3. Seeing the sky slowly lighten as the sun begins its day in this part of the world.
4. What riding the train is like. 
5. How unfit I am - panting after racing a hundred other students to the shuttle stop, climbing a thousand stairs, the millions of steps I take as I trudge back and forth across campus.
6. How insane the Jammie drivers "drive" the shuttles - how I have to grip my ice cold seat. Also the (loud and slightly annoying) chatter of the first years (I'm sorry, I'm still waking up) and how they really do pack as many of us as possible in the bus (good times).
7. How much I have missed my friends (hence my favourite photo's from last year - I would never have believed that those I had just met could become such incredible friends and fellow "sufferers" as we struggled through together!)
8. How wonderful it is to have to really use my brain again! Learning new, difficult and exciting things each day really does expand my universe and render me speechless as I stand in awe of all that God has so beautifully made and sustains. 
9. Exhaustion. It never seems to matter how long my vacation was, because all it takes is just one day back to wipe it all away - it is like I never left.
10. How good (and vital!) coffee is - from a serious tea drinker!
11. It doesn't matter what I wear to varsity, I will always get it wrong - I'm either freezing or dying of heat stroke... sigh.
12. I love the library. Walking up and down the silent, dusty towers of books, feeling immediately calm and ready to work the hours away.
13. That sense of overwhelming terror and dread as I wrote down all my test dates, sorted through practicals and tutorials and essay assignments - just need to survive!
14. How much I missed the iconic Jameson Steps - the student meeting ground :) Was awesome seeing friends so delightedly hug each other - feels like home)
15. I will admit that I like wearing my nerdy, white lab coat. 
16. Noticing how most of the boys in my classes have (finally!) gotten haircuts - cute!
17. How relaxing the sway of the train can be after a long and tiring day. And how the breeze through the grungy train windows becomes crisper as I near the ocean and get closer to home (and more importantly him!) How the sound of the waves lull a stressed mind and how my spirit is revived. 
18. Hard work really is hard work! Struggling to stay focussed tonight.
19. You have no free time. (I really shouldn't be blogging).
20. All I want to do is sleep.
21. I have taken all this time spent with my best friend for granted. Today felt rather lonely being without him... when you spent every waking moment together, you feel lost when he isn't standing by your side, holding your hand, preciously close by... when I saw him waiting for me at the train station my heart leapt! Sharing our day's as we walked home, enjoying dinner together, treasuring the brief moments when we could just pray and read the Bible (I cried) - I missed him more than words can describe.
22. That I really need God - His strength alone will carry me through, His sovereignty will ease my worries, His purposes will guide me, His love will comfort me. 

With that I say goodnight (and get back to my books!)

escape

Varsity is starting again. I still have so many books left to read, so many moments with friends I want to share, so many cups of tea I want to drink, lazing the time away - with no worries and no work. I have sincerely loved this winter vacation - surrounded by those I love the most, visiting family, getting away on our mini-roadtrip, all the photographs we took, new and beautiful memories made, our growth, reviving my weary spirit, renewed for this upcoming semester, challenged and encouraged to trust wholeheartedly and solely in my Saviour. No more escaping for tomorrow it all begins again... here is to insanity! 

A little piece of our love story

{Our first photograph together}

My ideal day is one spent with my best friend. We don't have to go anywhere or do something special, in fact, I love more than anything just spending all day with him, happily doing nothing! Enjoying his company is more than enough, he make every moment magical, this sort of day is just perfect - living life together.

Today has been wonderful. After early morning dance rehearsal it was time to start lazing around. We gathered up a pile of blankets and an armful of pillows ready to huddle, cuddle and snuggle down for the day. With books in hand we have spent hours relaxing, sipping tea (for me) and coffee (for him) simply content as the rain falls outside - not a gentle pitter-pattering, but wind howling, rain thundering, soil drenching, gutter pouring, door shaking, window rattling rain. Reminded once again how grateful I am for something so taken for granted as a warm home. 

Every now and then we see a glimmer of sunshine, but we dare not venture outside. Over toasted sandwiches we discuss what we are going to make for dinner for the family tonight and then hurry back to the couch to nap, wrapped safe in your arms, my heart overwhelmed (once again!) with awe and thankfulness. 

I am taken back... R and I met little over two years ago and I still can't believe how amazing it has all so blessedly turned out to be (thank-you Lord!) Ah, the memories. I am still astounded at how he so passionately pursued me and persevered (and still does) especially when I kept saying "No" (and of course so girlishly didn't mean it!) So much has changed,  I am amazed at how we have grown and how God has worked so beautifully. It is all too much to put into something as finite as words. 

Being entrusted with someone's heart is the greatest privilege and pleasure, to have the honour of sharing one's love and life is staggering, to grow each day - together - in knowing one another (and truly, vulnerably, intimately, preciously knowing!), understanding what love really is, realizing the grace of God more and more, struggling but holding each other accountable in keeping God at the centre, humbled over and over again, together keeping our minds on the cross, eternity and His will, and challenged in godliness... it is beyond anything I had ever imagined. (Better than anything I could have ever dreamed of!)

I don't know where this post is going... but I just wanted to express how brilliantly happy I am... I don't need anything more. I am overflowing with gratitude to God and all the inexpressibly good gifts He has given. Looking back and looking forward can only bring prayers of praise and thanksgiving to my Heavenly Father. He brought us together, He has kept us together, and He will carry us through. I pray that we will continue to trust in Him alone, to worship Him with all our hearts, to continually be changed by the Gospel and always glorify Him. 

... And I'm off to make some lovely hot chocolate for R and I, to get back to our blankets and books, to spend the next few hours together living our love story :)

Thanks babe, for everything!

Chocolate chunk cookies

Winter is raging. It is icy. Rain clouds have replaced the clear blue skies and wonderful warmth of the past few days. Across the country snow has fallen. And so, here is something that you can do to keep warm - bake American-style chewy chocolate chunk cookies. In my family we make these at least once a week - they really are THAT good! Within thirty minutes you will have gone from wanting, to making, to baking, to eating.

What you need:

• 2 eggs
• 1 1/3 cups of firmly packed brown sugar (that yummy sticky sugar, or you can just use white sugar and add a good squirt of golden syrup)
• 1/2 cup of vegetable oil
• 1 tsp vanilla or caramel essence
• 1 1/4 cups of self-raising flour (or normal flour with a tsp of baking powder)
• 1 1/2 cups of chocolate chips (or at least 2 100g slabs of dark chocolate roughly chopped into lovely large chunks of goodness) - personally, add as much chocolate as you like, for a true chocoholic believes that you can never have too much chocolate!
• 1 to 1 3/4 cups of either oats, walnuts, raisins or coconut (or a combination) - we usually add either oats (to make us feel "healthy") or crushed pecans 

What you do:

1. Preheat the oven to 180/200 C (or around 400 F).
2. Using an electric mixer (or your arm and a whisk - which will really warm you up!) beat the eggs and sugar together - for about 1 minute or until the mixture changes to a lighter colour.
3. Stir in the oil, essences, sifted dry ingredients and remaining ingredients (basically throw everything else into the bowl).
4. Cover and cool in the refrigerator for 30 minutes (I don't think we have ever done this step before - we just cannot wait!) But for those of you that have a little bit more baking patience, this is so that the mixture hardens to prevent the cookies from spreading while they bake (for us the oats usually hold the cookies together nicely).
5. Place spoonfuls of the cookie dough mixture onto a grease baking tray or two. If you have a really sweet tooth you can roll your cookie balls in icing sugar and then place them on the tray to bake.
6. Bake for about 10 minutes or until slightly brown. Allow to cool for 5 minutes (like that is going to happen!)
7. Enjoy while still warm - with a tall glass of cold milk or crumbled over a bowl of ice-cream :)

When I lay in bed, under my blankets, licking the melted chocolate off my fingers, all warm and cozy, I remember all those who are less fortunate than me... I have been so blessed and have so, so very much, while many in SA suffer in this freezing cold. Give thanks, be humble, share! Leave your safe, comfortable life and help those who go without, let your prayers become action, take a plate of cookies to your neighbour, go through your cupboards and fill boxes for the shelter down the road, donate blankets at your local supermarket, get involved in a church outreach or community project, smile at a stranger, make a small but loving difference :)

A (surprising) joy

Submission is a joy. It is the highest honour. It is a privilege and a pleasure to serve my best friend. True love is self-sacrifice. It means respecting the one I love, thanking him for his protection, care, provision, graciousness, kindness, generousity, pursuit of my heart and own self denial. Putting him first is what love is all about, giving up selfishness to be united, standing by his side, gladly following his guidance and prayerful leadership, working as team to together glorify God and proclaim His Gospel. We must be a reflection of the love so perfectly displayed on the cross of Christ. That is submission. 

Afternoons spent with you :)

Every afternoon R and I walk our family dog Nao (except when it rains... you know all about that!) Today was stunningly beautiful - the warmest winter day :) Just before we left I saw fishing boats coming into the Kalk-Bay harbour.

This is home. This is the route we walk, the mountains behind us and the ocean ahead. I love how the colour of the ocean changes each day... We walk hand-in-hand, Nao straining on the lead, the trains rumbling next to us, following the saltly smell of the sea, listening to the gentle crash of the waves on the sandy shore, running up and down, the foam disappearing as quickly as it appeared... (Thank-you Lord - we love living here!)

We walk the monster around the lower Silvermine Vlei. I love the crunch of our feet on the orange clay pathway, and how it turns to a rich, red mud after it rains, patterned with footprints, bicycle tires, dog tracks. It is so quiet and peaceful - I always feel refreshed after one of our adventures around the wetland.

(And the relaxing under the clear, brilliant blue sky, begins)

(Wet feet!)

(Splashing in the river)

Walking between walls of flowers... tall golden rushes, towering high above our heads, the grass swaying back and forth, making music in the breeze, listening to the birds chirp and sing, dart in and out of their nests... the fiery orange and bright yellow fynbos, red tipped aloes, velvety succulents, budding proteas... 

(The wooden bridge flooded)

(Nao eating a flower, of course...)

(My "puppy")

And when we all come home, the dog wet, our legs aching, lulled by the sound of the rushing water, eating orange slices in the warm sunshine we are already excited for the next day's afternoon... where I can spend more time with my best friend (and the naughty Nao), because nothing makes me happier :)