Maureen and Saif are married!

A wedding celebration at Felicita Gardens in Harrisburg - Maureen and Saif are now married! We had another excursion weekend, as we headed to a little paradise just outside of Harrisburg - who knew?!?! We were honored to bear witness to the ceremony on Friday night and to join in big time bbq fun on Saturday! The gardens where the ceremony was held were gorgeous, and the weather perfect. Maureen was a beautiful bride, and the two families united cultures, languages and religions across many miles and bodies of water.

We had some time to meander through the gardens and get some great photos, dance a little, and even get in a game of bocce ball!

Here's a sampling of a few pictures; a slide show will follow later!

A trip to Mt. Gretna with my nephews

My nephew has been visiting for the week with Grandma Judy and Papa Roy. Tim and I adopted him for an evening on Wednesday night. We took him down town to Spyro Gyro's for Greek food with some friends (his choice off the menu was not saganaki or souvlaki, but rather a cheeseburger :)), and then he spent the night at our house. We all slept in the tent in the backyard. Tim left us early to go to work, and Isaac and I got ourselves together, made sandwiches and packed lunch for 6 people and headed out to meet up with Grandma Judy, Grandma Martin, Tristen and Gabe. We made our way to the lake and beach at Mt. Gretna, just as they were opening for the day. Tia (yours truly) was smart enough to put sunscreen on the nephews, but not on herself, so she came home a little sun burnt, but a good time was had by all. The boys played well together, enjoyed the water and the beach, the picnic lunch and a treat at the Jigger Shop afterwards. Isn't summer great? Too bad it slips away all too fast...

An anniversary getaway to the Poconos!

Our lives are busy - busy enough that Tim and I both forgot that it was our anniversary this year! And not just any anniversary, but our first anniversary. I was on call the weekend before our anniversary, we planned a meeting at our house the night of our anniversary, and I was on call the Friday after our anniversary. Eek! We were able to laugh off our forgetfulness (chalking it up to wedded bliss), feeling like every day is like our anniversary.

So, even though it was a bit of a challange to get everything coordinated, we were bound and determined to get out of town and do something fun, just the two of us, to celebrate our 1st anniversary. We packed up the camping gear (leaving only a few important things behind, like the sleeping mats and the camping coffee percolator), put our bikes on the bike rack, and headed to the Poconos. It took us forever to get there on Saturday, because we kept stopping about every 15-20 minutes to check on the bikes, since it seemed that our bike rack wasn't holding them quite tight enough - and after all that trouble, we ended up never riding them while were on the trip! We arrived to Hickory Run State Park, where we set up camp. It's a large State Park with lots of things to see and do. We had a little rain (but not enough to ruin our time), some great food cooked on the grill, wonderful camp fires, a trip to a boulder field, some noisy camping neighbors heading out to the races at 4 am, and a little excursion down the Lehigh Gorge on whitewater rafts on Sunday.

I thought a rafting trip in the Poconos would be somewhat reminiscent of our honeymoon, whitewater rafting in Costa Rica, but we quickly learned that we were a far way away from the class 4+ rapids of the Pacuare River. First, we arrived to this huge operation with people scattered everywhere, then we went to get our life vests. When I asked where our helmets were (coming from the experience of nearly losing my husband on day three of our marriage in the middle of a ginormous rapid in Costa Rica), we were told that we wouldn't need them; only the folks who traveled alone in kayaks used them. Huh? No helmets? Then we got paired up with a family from eastern Europe, who said they had done this before. They all wanted to be in charge, at the same time, and didn't have the commands down to guide the team of rowers. Previously, I had only rafted with a professional guide in each boat. This outfitter had four "guides" on kayaks corraling the herds of rafters - there were probably 40 or more rafts in our group. Again, a very different experience from rafting in Central America. After running into several rocks and losing two of our fellow rafters to the river, Tim finally took the guide's seat in our boat, and the rest of the ride was smooth sailing. All in all, we had a fun time, had nice weather, and got out on the water. We had several things to laugh about during the day, and we dreamed of being back in Costa Rica, at our favorite honeymoon spot.

It was a short, but much needed, getaway, and we came home with sore bodies, but refreshed minds and spirits. One year down, and a gazillion more to go.

Celebrating Grandma!

Today would have been my grandparent's 72nd anniversary! and tomorrow is my grandmother's 95th birthday!!! Amazing to think of being on this earth for all these years. I had the opportunity to see Grandma today, bring her a card and flowers, and get her two glasses of her favorite - Country Time Lemonade - in the cafe. She downed that lemonade like it was her job! She didn't say much today, but made it very clear that she wanted some lemonade. I got her to almost smile to take some pictures with me today, which was a treat. Happy birthday, Grandma! We love you!

The week in review...

So I realized that it's been a very long time since I've done much posting - almost a month, as a matter of fact! Except for the pictures of my jewelry that I posted yesterday before the power outage (lasting 4 hours) and the -even worse- cable outage, lasting almost 24 hours. I'm as happy as a clam to have internet back, and figured it was time to do some blogging. It's crazy to realize how dependent we are on the internet, at least in this household, in 2008. We don't have TV, so this is our source for all things informative, not to mention how I check on the jewelry business, communicate with friends and family and follow things at the hospital while I'm on call (like right now!). Anyways, the internet is back, and so am I!

Since it's been so long, I just thought I'd post some updates...

First, we have a wonderful new outdoors patio set, which we just assembled last night. Check out the picture (a view from above on our balcony) - it was made from tropical woods (maybe acacia?!?) in Indonesia, and we were ever-so-pleased to purchase it, knowing that it was Forest Stewardship Council certified, which means sustainable and responsible methods of forestry were used to get the wood to make our super sweet table. The best news is that I ordered the table, chairs and benches on clearance, and when I ordered them, it said that there were only three chairs left, so, I ordered three chairs and two benches to have seating the whole way around our 7 foot table. When they arrived, the cartons for the chairs said "two chairs per carton." What a surprise! No where did it say that on the website nor the order form... so it seems like we got 2 for the price of 1! And we thought they were a bargain when they were the price for just one! So now we have a table, six chairs and two benches. We put the extra bench on the front porch for now, to create a sitting area out there to watch the cars and people go by on our quiet city street. Isn't our furniture lovely?!? Now you'll all have to come over and have dinner with us! We're starting with my parents tonight to break in the new table and chairs.

While having new patio furniture is exciting, it was a bit of a sad week, because I went to my third-ever funeral of a patient. This funeral was particularly sad, because it was a baby that I had delivered the week before, that was born still-born. Everything seemed fine up until the day the baby was born, when the teenage mom developed belly pain and all of a sudden didn't feel the baby move anymore. We still don't know what happened, and likely never will. My patient is doing as well as can be expected, but this is incredibly difficult for her and her family. Some things are so hard to understand no matter how old you are, but especially when you've just finished 9th grade. I was glad to be able to get coverage during my office hours to make it to the funeral - my patient and her family were all very appreciative.

We had a lovely surprise in our front yard! Which was a wonderful reminder of growth and new life (even when there are sad times and death). My sister-in-law, Lydia, had done landscaping for us in the front yard (which is gorgeous!), and somehow snuck in a surprise. About two weeks ago, I noticed leaves that didn't seem like anything else in our yard, yet strangely familiar to me. Sure enough, out popped my favorite flower, a calla lilly, and then more and more. They keep coming, one at a time! They're beautiful, and in MY yard (as opposed to some garden or alongside the road in Mexico). Thanks, Lydia.

Tim and a friend, Jason, spent the day doing the prep work to re-do the electrical work in our master bedroom. We only have two outlets, as it stands now, but soon we'll have a total of 6, plus lights in the closet, that don't currently exist. One step at a time, the master bedroom will become a wonderful retreat! Can't wait to have lots of zzzz's in that space. :)

Tim and I both must have been distracted this week, because three days in a row, we did a load of laundry and forgot that it was there! Of course, with the dampness and the hot, steamy days of July, by the next day when we remembered, the items were asking to PLEASE be washed again! At least we use eco-friendly laundry detergent, but so much for doing our deed in terms of minimizing our carbon foot print this week!

I guess we didn't do too badly, now that I think about it - we dry all of our clothes on drying racks or on the line (some day I'll have a wonderful pully system to dry our clothes on, but for now it's been added to the "list"), Tim has upped our rain barrel count to 10 (I told him that I bet no one else in Lancaster City owns so many rain barrels), and I ride my bike to work while Tim car pools with two other guys.

We're coming up on our 1st anniversary very, very soon! Just three days away! So hard to believe that we've been married now for one whole year. When I think about what the year has brought, I'm overwhelmed with joy and blessings. I have a wonderful husband, a great house (with lots of projects to keep us all busy for a long time), a fabulous group of partners to work with (go SELHS!), family and friends close by, and wonderful vegetables to eat everynight from our local CSA. Yum!

Speaking of vegetables, it's time to get on with dinner - chard cheese bake (delicious recipe from Simply in Season), grilled corn on the cob, beets, sweet potatoes, and pineapple (not from the CSA, sadly, but every now and then we break down and go with the splurges beyond what our local produce can offer), fresh baked bread from Ric's Bread at Central Market, something to do with cucumbers, and surely blueberries for dessert... all at our new table! Summer is great!

ZiZi Designs "Showcase" today on Etsy!

We've launched a showcase spot on Etsy today for the first time. We have a lot of great new pieces that Heidi and I have been working on recently. Check them out, and be sure to tell all your friends and family members about us! Remember, 100% of our proceeds go to support our friends Ralph and Deb Muenstermann, who will be serving as missionaries with YWAM in Germany starting in early 2009! Spread the word!

My first successful bread making!

I've been dying to make bread from scratch for the longest time... first, I had multiple unsuccessful attempts, and ended up with unleavened bread (or at least it seemed), only to find out that most likely my yeast was a bad batch. Then, it was a question of getting the perfect pan to bake it in. I finally got a wonderful pyrex dish that's lovely for bread making, got some fresh-off-the-shelf yeast, and went to town yesterday. I was bound and determined to make a good loaf of bread, with lots of love and lots of flavor. Of course, I chose a steamy, hot summer day to crank up the oven and go to town kneading bread.
Baking bread is a LABOR of LOVE... especially when you're supposed to knead, then wait til it rises, then punch, knead and wait again - all sorts of waiting and muscle work! Tim took several pictures of me in action to prove that it was for real! We ended up with a big loaf of yummy oatmeal wheat bread (from More with Less, one of the best cookbooks ever published) that we took as part of our picnic dinner (note: bread still warm... so good!) at the concert in the park. Hooray! Can't wait to try more bread recipes and buff up my muscles.

Happy Birthday Tim!

Today I celebrate Timothy Dean Martin - my husband! What a wonderful man God has blessed me with! Tim showers me with love, caring and service.

• He's a man of God, who has a servant's heart.
• He is faithful and incredibly dedicated to the people he loves and the things he holds dear.
• He puts others first, even when he's fatigued or suffering.
• He listens - really listens.
• He loves children, and they love him.
• He is patient and kind.
• He knocks down walls and puts new ones up again.
• He doesn't take any medicine (that's good and bad for a doctor's husband :))
• He prays the most sincere and earnest prayers; he prays for the people of the world and the people we encounter in our daily walks.
• He asks for cleaning supplies for his birthday - warms my heart.
• He walks to church and car pools to work.
• He has taught me the beauty of composting.
• He refinishes hardwood floors and he redesigns closets.
• He has a heart for missions and cultures of the world.
• He supports my jewelry business and always lends a helping hand.
• He loves ginger brew!
• He sometimes starts laughing uncontrollably when he's lying in bed and overly exhausted - the smallest thing (that may not seem so funny under less tired circumstances) sets him off.
• He reads reviews about most things before purchasing them.
• He uses spreadsheets.
• He introduced me to g-mail!
• He's expanded my family and my circle of friends.
• He is my life long partner and my best friend. I love sharing life with him. I love you, Timothy!

Happy birthday, my love.

Duane & Audrey's Wedding - Slideshow

Pics from our Vacation - Slideshow