Hello, There!

I guess it has been a while since I last posted here.

What can I say? I live in San Jose, CA now. I am married to Maria and loving it. I am back in school (West Valley Community College) going for an Accounting AA that I can take to a 4-year college and become a CPA.

I don't know what this blog will turn into, if it does anything at all. I hope to talk about my life and let my friends and family know what is happening. I also hope to talk a little bit about cool things in history, my writing projects, school and family life. Politics and religion may also be brought up from time to time.

For now, I want to let everyone in on a wonderful blog that I stumbled across some time ago. It is one of the few places I check EVERY SINGLE DAY. www.accordingtohoyt.com

Sarah Hoyt is awesome. I don't agree with her on everything, but what she writes is always facinating, timely, and worth a very close read. Even better, her commentators are almost uniformly entertaining as well. This is the only site where I read all the comments as well.

Anyway, I am back, and look forward to writing here more regularly.

Maria in Alaska

It's been a while since I've posted here. Maria, her mother Matushka Joanie, and I are currently in Homer, AK so my parents can meet Maria and her mom. They are all getting along very well, so I'm stoked. I've taken a few pictures and I'll post some when I get back home.

Look how far I've Come

A little over a year ago, I started tackling my weight problem, and shedding pounds. I'm not loosing weight nearly as fast as when I started, but they are still coming off. As of this morning I weigh 241 pounds, and I have lost 57 pounds. These pictures, taken on July 4, 2008 and March 21, 2010 vividly show the difference.

I still have a long weigh to go, but I am really getting there.

Maria and I

In 5 days

and

will meet.

Christ is Risen!

Well, Pascha has come. I thought I'd give a bit of an update on everything.

Pascha itself went well. I was in charge of smoking meat. This year I did lamb and pork loin. The loin was the same as last year, and came out really well again. Nice an moist, with good flavor. Everyone who tried the lamb raved about it. It was a really simple recipe that a friend of mine, Holly Jean Grow, gave me. Salt and pepper (I added a touch of cayenne for kick) and slathered in yellow mustard. That's it. but each slice was a bit of heaven.

I made the mistake of volunteering to cook the ham for the Pascha breakfast overnight. The smell of it, after not eating all day, kept me up most of the night. And when I did sleep, I had weird dreams of me, Maria, and a giant ham. But the ham turned out wonderfully, and the cherry-grapefruit glaze I made for it took it to a whole new level.

As of right now, I have only 12 days till I go to meet Maria. I'm really looking forward to it. I'm not exactly sure what we will do while I'm there, but I know that I'll be having some long talks with her parents. It will be good to finally see with my own eyes someone who in so short a time has become so special to me.

Work is going OK, there's been some stress associated with working so early, and me not getting to bed early enough. But I've got some solutions to it and it should turn around soon.

All in all, life is treating me pretty well at this point. No complaints here.

Aaron

Mid-Lenten Report

Yesterday was the Sunday of the Cross, the midpoint of Lent. (for the non-Orthodox, Holy Week is separate from Lent; Lent ends on Palm Sunday. Holy Week makes Lent look like a stroll in the park) This Lent has been pretty easy for me, mostly because I have other things I'm fixated on.

So far, I've gone to all the services except for the ones on Saturday mornings, because I have to work. I have yet to really cheat on the fast, though I still eat too much. And I have been relatively good at my prayer goals this Lent. I still need to be better at evening prayers though.

I've lost 6 pounds so far, and the pants I bought a few months ago are starting to become uncomfortably loose. Today, I took my drill and drilled a new hole in my belt so I could cinch it tight enough.

We still have a long way to go, and the hardest part of Lent is still ahead of us, when we have the non-Lenten foods in our house again, but can't eat them yet. But the end is in sight, the goal is much closer. God willing, the second half will go as well as the first.

Full Time Employment

Last week was the first time in over two years that I've been employed full time. Because the government has decided in its wisdom that they didn't need to have a whole bunch of full time people at a livable wage providing airport security, I've been working only 32 hours a week. Fortunately, I've been able to live on the amount I've been making, if only barely.

In order to give me full time, I had to agree to work split shifts so that on paper I am two part time officers in one body. Go figure. So I am at work for 10 hours a day, but only working 8. I do get a small premium for doing so, and I have taken up walking during my two hour break. I will also do schoolwork then once I start college. So all in all it is a good thing.

It will still take some adjusting to my new schedule. I get to wake up at 2:30 in the morning in order to get to work on time. I'm drinking a lot more coffee to cope. Still the extra pay will very much come in handy.

I am one of the lucky ones in the economy right now. I am gainfully employed, and even getting the chance to find more work. I have friends who are not so lucky, and are finding it more and more difficult to pay their bills.

This is one of the many good things that have happened to me lately.

Maria

OK, Both of you who read my blog know that I was introduced online to a wonderful girl in California named Maria Rhodes. We are pretty interested in each other. Anyway, I'll be flying down to meet her and her family on April 17.

Thought I'd post a few pictures of her so you can see what she looks like, Mom.

Hide the Decline. . .

Just found this, I think most of you will like it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nEiLgbBGKVk

Our Lady of Pochiev

Several months ago (August? September?) an icon of the Theotokos called Our Lady of Pochiev was brought to Canada, the first time in about 400 years it had come out of Ukraine. One of the stops was in Vancouver, BC and some friends of mine decided to go to venerate it, and I tagged along.

This is the church it was brougt to, Holy Trinity Cathedral

This is how packed it was, absolutly no way for one to move in and out of the church. There were people packed into the church, the nave, even out into the street! And many were young people, under 35 or 40, with their kids.

They had a balcony where the choir usually sat. I managed to force my way up and get this snapshot. Again, hardly even enough room in there for the priest to swing a censor.

Finally, some Christmas pictures

OK, so after almost a month of inactivity, I've finally decided to post some pictures of my Christmas Vacation to Alaska. And yes, I've finally figured out how to post pics.

Joachim, playing with his Star Wars toys.

Macrina, and the answer is no.

Mom, a little shocked about the extra kid that showed up at her door.

Just one pic from the drive up to Anchorage. Would have had tons more, but my camera ran out of batteries.

It's a good thing we stopped in Girdwood for batteries, because we ran into these at Potter's Marsh.

The Family Christmas Picture. I'm the good looking guy in the gray T.

I have to say, I had an absolute blast, from beginning to end. At the begining, Joe and Macrina didn't really know what to make of me, but they warmed up real quick. I got to beat Mom several times at scrabble, have some good talks with everyone, and got to eat Mom's cooking again. Also saw a bunch of friends I hadn't seen in years. The only bad thing about the trip was that it had to end so quickly.

I'll have to do it again sometime.

Christ is Born!

Glorify Him!

Last night, most of the family was gathered in Homer, AK. Only James and his fiancee Nichole (couldn't afford tickets and saving dimes for a wedding), and Naomi and her family (Disneyland) were missing. Well, Technically it was this morning, because Dad and Cyp were driving down from Anchorage and didn't get home until after 1 AM, and the Midnight liturgy didn't get finished until about 1:30. So we were all together at about 2.

Joachim was by that time passed out and went straight to bed. The rest of us, including Macrina, stayed up for an hour or more eating a meat and cheese laden breakfast casserole Mom made. YUM! Then we all went to bed.

Now, all of us are up, we've opened up the stockings and Mom is making bacon and eggs for breakfast. After that, we get to open presents!

Merry Christmas, everyone.

What I got Mom for Christmas

Well, I pulled it off. As most of the family knows, I decided to surprise my mother for Christmas. There were some complications, of course. I stayed at my brother Ben's house for a couple days, then we all drove down to my parents house in Homer, about 5 hours south of Anchorage today. My sister, Cyprianna was supposed to come up the day after me, but her flight was canceled, and she is flying tonight into Anchorage. Dad drove up to pick her up, and they will hopefully get back in time for our midnight liturgy.

So it was just Ben, Kari, Joachim, Macrina (Ben's wife and kids), my other brother John, and me. Mom was shocked, almost speechless for a few moments when she saw me. Ben got a great picture of her that I'll post once I find my chord to the camera.

Christ is born!

Glorify Him!

North to Canada!

There is a couple at my church, Bill and Lynn Day, who host a gathering of young single people once every other month or so from all the Orthodox churches in the area. The people from St. Joseph the Damascene's in New Westminster, BC invited everyone up to their church last Sunday.

I decided to go, not least because of the mention of a falafel feast. So I woke up a bit early last Sunday and left my house at about 830ish. Church started at 11. I figured that that would give me plenty of time to get through the border, and probably get there for Matins.

From my place its about 15 minutes to the border crossing in Blaine. I got to the border with no problem, until I realized that I forgot my passport on my desk. So I turned around to get it. On my way home, I stopped at the post office (its on the way) to pick up my mail. I got home, took the mail in and grabbed my passport. Turned around, and headed back to Blaine. Got back to the border, and realized -- I took my directions in with the mail.

So I head back home. I left the first time at 830. By the time I actually got to talk to a Canadian border guard, it was almost 10! And I still had an hour's driving ahead of me. Of course, they pulled me over for additional screening. I finally got out of there at about 1020, and started booking it toward New Westminster. Of course, once I got off the main highway, I got lost, and had to ask directions three or four times. The upshot of it is, I got there just in time for the English Epistle reading (St. Joseph's has a large native Arab population, so they read the Epistle and Gospel in both Arabic and English)

It was a good service, and while the Arab tones were different from the Russian, Kievan, and Byzantine tones I am used to, it was very pleasing.

And the Falafels were out of this world amazing. There is truth in the saying that Arab Lenten food is better than their non-Lenten food.

While I was driving around looking for the church, it had started to snow. I think the most we got was about 2 inches, maybe three. On the drive in, I was going about 140 kph in a 100kph zone. On the way out, because of road conditions, 30 kph on the same highway. It was slicker than snot the whole way home. But I made it home safely.

I'm now looking at getting a Nexus card so I don't get stopped again.

Cold

I moved from Alaska partly to get away from the cold. Back in Eagle River, it regularly got to 25 or even 30 degrees below zero (F). Down here in Everson, it rarely gets below 30 degrees.

The last three days, and probably the rest of the week are an exception. We got a huge wind from the Canadian Rockies moving in, bringing the air temperature down to 14 degrees, wind chill brings that down to 5-10 below zero! To make it worse, my house is drafty. The door leading outside from my bedroom won't shut all the way, so I have a dresser in front of it to keep it from blowing completely open. The window above my bed is SINGLE pane, and poorly installed. There is no insulation under the floor.

So I've spent the last two days with the bedroom closed off, all the taps running to keep my pipes from freezing, and sleeping on the couch next to the furnace.

And they call this global warming.

I Lost an X

I have been struggling with my weight for quite a long time. I've been overweight my entire life. Last year, I resolved to do something about it. I've resolved the same thing about a hundred times since high school. But something about the dial on the scale creeping ever closer to 300 lbs (I never quite got there, thank God) did something and I have been dieting and exercising (off and on) since mid February.

Since then, I've lost 45 lbs.

Yesterday, I finally went shopping for new clothes. I hate shopping, and I get sticker shock even at the Value Village ($15 for used jeans?!?) I know, I'm cheap. Anyway, I used to wear XXL shirts and 38 x32 jeans. Now, I fit inside XL shirts (and can almost squeeze into an L) and 36x32s are comfortable on me!

Green tags were half off, so I bought just about every pair of green tagged pants that didn't have holes or huge stains on them, and a couple of shirts too.

I still have at least 30 pounds to go, at which point, I'll decide if I look good, or if I need to loose more weight. The charts all say that a 6 foot man should weigh 165-190 lbs. I think that is bunk. I know people that when they were at their so-called ideal weight, they were sickly and anemic. They were healthiest when they were about 20 lbs over "ideal" weight.

Anyway, just to let you know, there is now alot less of me to love.

Gotta love the Muppets

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tgbNymZ7vqY

Watch this. I just about died laughing.

Aaron's Awesome Apple Butter

The name of it says it all. This apple butter will blow your mind away, it is so good. And I made it up myself, experimenting over the years since I moved into Apple Country (aka Washington State.). Here is the recipe.

Apples
lemon juice
2-3 C sugar
2 T Cinnamon
2 t ginger
1/2 t allspice
1/2 t cloves

Peel, core and slice enough apples to fill your 6 quart crock pot to the line. throw in a few splashes of lemon juice and stir them up to keep them from browning too much. Let it cook a few hours, till the apple slices start to break down. Add 2 C sugar and the spices. Stir it up, and taste. Depending on how sweet the apples were, add more sugar, up to 1 cup. Let this cook down till the apples are super mushy, then blend it all together with a hand blender. You can also do this, in batches, in a food processor or blender. Or run it through a food mill. Just get it uber smooth. Taste and adjust the spices if necessary. Let it cook with the lid partially off until the butter reaches the right consistency; it should coat the back of a spoon. Can it in a hot water bath fifteen minutes for pints or half-pints, 20 minutes for quarts. (this is longer than what the USDA recommends, but butters are so thick I like to give it extra time, just to make sure the center of the jars get hot enough.) Naturally, if you live at a higher elevation, increase you canning time.

The secret is the Ginger. I've never run across a recipe with ginger in it. I've also made apple blackberry butter and plan to make plum-apple butter by replacing about a third of the apples with the other fruit.

Not much going on

Not a lot has been going on down here. It's apple harvest time, so I've been picking and drying apples from my back tree. The front tree isn't quite ready, and the other three trees were severely pruned, and didn't produce much, if at all.

I've also got more blueberries, and I tried my hand at drying them too. DISASTER!!!!! I had read somewhere that you had to blanch them before drying to remove a natural wax and to open cracks in the skin. So I blanched them, but left them in the hot water too long, so they got all gloppy and stuck together. I tried to dry them anyway. It did not work. Short story is, I had to throw away about three pounds of blueberries. :( And on top of that, I reread the book, and it was the grapes that had to be blanched, not blueberries. How I got that confused, I don't know. So I'll have to try again.

I also need to get out and start picking the blackberries. In fact, I'm going to go out and do that right after I finish this post. I'm thinking apple-blackberry butter, blackberry syrup, and blackberry jelly.