It's Time...

...and now is as good of a time as any...
to introduce my new and shiny blog. 


I've been anticipating the switch for quite some time,
especially with the changes that will ensue of possibly
moving to France, applying to grad school, graduating from
college, etc.

Since I've started this blog, I've got countless encouragement
and feedback, with over 400+ views per month and subscribers
from all over the world. I am truly humbled. Thank you.

So naturally, that means that this site will no longer be updated....

I'm pretty sure that you already figured that one out...
And because I love my followers and because I don't
want to lose a single one of you, please update your
google readers or whatever to:

www.lesmesaventures.com

And be sure to come visit me, leave comments or just say hello!
It's just the same stuff, just a different/better/awesome-er platform.

So-Cal Steak

So I thought that I'd share with you guys a little recipe that I've been a wee bit obsessed with. And honestly... what's not to like? It has beef, cilantro, onions, fajita spices... yum. And I'm not over-emphasizing that I truly love it... because I've prepared this dish at least three times in the past three weeks. And I've been on a bit of a protein kick lately because I've been amping up my workouts at the gym, taking an intensive spin class that totally wipes me out. Needless to say, my usual diet of 85% vegetables wasn't making the cut. I needed meat. Red meat. Steak.

Yeah. Obsessed.

So... I was going to call this recipe "Mexican Steak" but that's a little misleading because there's nothing inherently Mexican about it. So... I'm calling it So-Cal Steak because it's a little bit of the LA foodie style, heavily influenced by all the Latino/a residents. Sound fair? Thought so.

The Ingredients:
1/2 lb - 1 lb Steak. Sliced thin and without the fat.
Fresh chopped cilantro (about 1/4 cup)
1/2 white onion, finely chopped
Fajita seasoning (I got it in a packet in the soup aisle at Ralphs)
2-3 tbsp oil (to mix with the seasoning

Instructions:
Mix the steak, cilantro, and onions in a bowl. Make sure it's evenly distributed.
In a separate small bowl, mix the fajita seasonings with the oil. It should be a bit thicker, but not like a stiff paste. Once the dressing is to your desired consistency, mix it with the meat mix. The reason that you want the marinade to be a bit thicker is because you want it to coat the meat, not just "sit there".  Make sure to mix well and get all the meat coated. Cover the bowl and let it sit in the fridge for 2-24 hours, depending on the time. The longer the better, the marinade can get in and really saturate it.

Once you're finished marinating it, pre-heat a skillet on the stovetop for a few minutes. Drop the meat in and cook on medium heat until done. Easy.

And if you're serious about this recipe, there's a bonus step. After all the meat is cooked, remove it from the pan, leaving the juices behind. (Yes, there will be liquid left in the pan). At this point, don't take the pan off the heat, instead add a few slices of raw onion. Cook for 2-3 minutes, until the onions are slightly cooked and the liquid has begun to thicken. Add to the cooked meat. Double yum.

But if you're especially protein starved, like I was today, you can chop up about a tbsp of fresh cilantro, add it to the bottom of a clean bowl. Then, poach two eggs and add on top of the fresh cilantro. It'll weaken the "attack" of the herb, without losing potency. Top with some salt and pepper. Serve alongside the steak. Voila. Steak and eggs, California style. And if this is a dinner entrée, add a glass of red wine and you're good to go.

Yum. Dig in! (I have leftovers for tomorrow's lunch. Score!)

But in other news, my teeth are free from their wire-y cages. Meaning, my braces are gone! Hooray!
Wanna see a picture? I'll assume that the answer is "yes"....

So there you have it. Steak and pearly whites. Perfect evening, if I do say so myself. 

Tomorrow

So tomorrow marks a big day for me. Really. It's been something that I've
been longing for during practically my whole academic career at UCLA.

I'm getting my braces off tomorrow.


Ohhhh, I am excited. I even promised my orthodontist that I'd bake him
brownies as a "reward" for letting me take my braces off before June. I
think my bribery worked. And true to my word, he's getting a pan of
double chocolate caramel brownies.

For some reason, I feel almost like I have stockholm syndrome or
something. The braces are coming off but I have the suspicion that
tomorrow will bring a touch of nostalgia, a little bit of emotion. It's been
over a year and a half since they were put on. And, as odd as it sounds, we've
been through a lot together. Walking into that office tomorrow, I'm a whole
other person. I've grown up in so many different ways, it's really amazing.

So before I try to make these braces into an allegorical allusion for my life,
I'll just end with this: I am so excited.

El Teide

The Mountain from Terje Sorgjerd on Vimeo.

Absolutely incredible. Breath-taking!

Center

So convicted by this song. I'm posting some of the lyrics (with emphasis) because they basically speak for themselves. Have yourself a listen and be blessed! 
- - - - - - - 
You’re the center of the universe
Everything was made in You Jesus
Breath of every living thing
Everyone was made for You

You hold everything together
You hold everything together

Chorus:
Christ be the center of our lives
Be the place we fix our eyes
Be the center of our lives

We lift our eyes to heaven
We wrap our lives around your Word
We lift our eyes to heaven, to You. 


Charlie Hall - "Center"

(p.s. I found a way to eliminate the "video" part of the YouTube link when I embed it into my blog posts. So just click and hear the song! Cool, huh?!?!)

Bon Courage

So I was talking with one of my French professors yesterday. He asked me how my quarter was going, what my future plans were, etc. I proceeded to tell him about how I'm writing a lot and actually had to drop my French literature class because my schedule was too hectic. After all, I'm trying to finish classes for my major. He knew that I applied for the French program, etc etc. I told him how I was waitlisted. So we had a good five to ten minute conversation (en français, mind you) about all of these crazy and overwhelming plans for the future.

Anyway, as we were parting, he said to me "bon courage". Typically in French, this means something like "good luck". But in the French language, there's two different ways of saying "good luck". It's either bon chance, which means "good fortune/luck" or it's bon courage. The phrase bon courage emphasizes, obviously, the idea of perseverance and courage. I had always knew what the phrase meant but it really struck me as we parted.

According to the French/English dictionary that's my bedside companion, the word "courage" in French is essentially the same word in English: courage, bravery. But surprisingly, it also means energy. So the essence of the phrase bon courage is to have strength to do the task at hand, to be brave in difficult times.  So that's exactly what I'm going to do. Encouraging, oui?

Bon courage à tous! 

The Spoken Word

This is amazing. Not only is she an excellent poetic artist, but an incredible public speaker. It's a wee bit long but really inspiring! I've always loved SLAM poetry and spoken word poetry, so it is a special treat to see the backstory and how Kay gets her inspiration.

(p.s. you might not be able to see the video on Google Reader or whatever. If not, just click through to the actual blog site! Thanks!)

Hidden In My Heart

I cannot tell you how comforting scripture is. Really. No matter what my issue or state of life, the Bible is always sufficient to calm my soul and remind me of the hope in the gospel. When I read the Bible, I know that Christ's sacrifice has made me blameless before God, with all the righteousness of Jesus.
So obviously, I like theologically based music. There's something wonderful about being able to express my religious beliefs within the context of song. I'm a firm believer that my soul has its own way of "singing" before the Lord, as new age-y as that may seem. And in the Bible, the Lord is blessed when people lift up their voices and offer their instruments in worship to Him.

And when I came across this CD, I was so so thankful. Actual scriptural verses set to amazingly soothing lullaby tunes. Although it's intended for children, I find that I'm getting a lot of benefit from it. Honestly, theology is theology. It doesn't matter if you're 3 or 50, the gospel and the Bible consistently have the same message. Can a grownup lady learn new things from a CD intended for children? Absolutely.

So don't be weirded out because it's intended for children. The music is really well done. I never would have guessed that it was originally made for kids! So adults, have no fear! I highly highly highly recommend getting your hands on a copy. It's just Bible verses set to music, no crazy stuff. Pure and simple. It brings me right back to the Bible, where I need to be in the first place. 

Buy a CD or a digital copy off the website - HERE.

Rolling In The Deep

Ohhh... he has such a smooth voice. The perfect Tuesday treat!


John Legend - "Rolling In The Deep" (Adele Cover)

Public Service Announcement

MY BRACES COME OFF IN TEN DAYS.
THAT'S TEN FINGERS. TWO HANDS.
THIS IS A BIG DEAL.


That is all. Carry on.

Sufficient

(Found this quote somewhere the recesses of my blogroll. Awesome, right?)

When your hope is in the Lord,
when you are getting inner sense of well-being and security from Him,
When He is the reason you continue even when things are hard,
Then you are building your life on something that is reliable and sure.
When you are waiting on the Lord,
you have placed your hope in the One
who is the ultimate source of everything that’s wise, good, and true.
When you wait for the Lord,
you are placing your safety in the hands of the One whose power is immeasurable.
When you wait for the Lord,
you are getting your comfort from the One whose love is boundless.
When you wait for the Lord,
you can be secure in the reality that He rules over all things.
When you wait for the Lord,
you can live with confidence because you know
that every one of His promises is true.
When you wait for the Lord,
you can be hopeful even in weakness because you know
that His grace is sufficient.”
- Paul David Tripp

(Reblogged from here)

All I Have

You know, it's funny how God has a sense of timing. It's pretty darn perfect. As I wrote yesterday, I had been waitlisted for the French program and was feeling really bummed and a bit frustrated about it. I wasn't distraught or upset, just that the "wind" had been taken out of my sails.

As it turned out, I had music team practice that evening. And for those of you who don't know, I usually sing for UCLA GOC in our times of worship, which is a huge blessing. I love serving them! And God, in his great providence, has us singing this song for Friday night. It just flattened me as I looked over the lyrics and sang them through with the team. I've heard it before, but the lyrics took on a new dimension as I pondered the state of my life right now, facing the end of undergrad with the unknown prospects of being an "adult". It's a bit scary, right?


"All I Have Is Christ" - Sovereign Grace Music

Now I'm not the most "emotional" person, meaning that I don't cry on cue, but this song definitely makes me tear up. The reason? All I have is Christ. He's my sole possession, the ultimate prize. Everything else just pales in comparison to him. Nothing really matters. Not grades, not GRE's, not grad schools, not moving overseas, nothing. Now, that's not to say that I don't put my best effort out. I do! But my focus needs to be a little more eternally focused.

So this goes above and beyond me, if my God has the ability to provide for my salvation, He can surely provide for me right now. Like the song says, "All I know is grace". Indeed!

France

So... I've gotten some sort of a response from the program that I applied to.

Waitlisted.

That word hit me like a bullet in the chest as I sat in Jimmy's Coffee Shop with my friends. I was expecting either a "yes" or a "no". Not a "maybe". That was exactly the response that I was hoping to avoid. But I'm learning that my expectations and the Lord's plans aren't always on the same plane. That is, my hopes and dreams are drastically different than what is good for me.

So what do I do? I wait some more. I put my trust that the Lord will give me an answer in his timing. All good and perfect things come from His hands, so that's where my faith is and that's where my hope lies.

Prime!

Okay. I've mentioned before that I love a good deal. Really, I do.
But this goes above and beyond.

Amazon Prime. 

What is Amazon Prime? It's a service (usually priced at $80 per year)
that gives the user free 2-day shipping and zero fees on just about any
purchase. It saves both time and money, two precious commodities.
And for someone who buys her textbooks online and makes a lot of
miscellaneous purchases through Amazon, Prime seems too good to be
true.

But it gets better. Oh... it really does. Now, I've mentioned this to a few
of my friends, but I thought I'd just make a general public service announcement.
Amazon Prime is free for college students. Yes. I'm not kidding.
All you have to do is have a working and active college (.edu) email
address and tell them your major. It's as easy as that! The free "trial" period
lasts for a year. But I'm pretty sure that you can "renew" if necessary.

So if you're a student at any university, big or small, you can e-shop to your
hearts' content! Enjoy!

Click the link to get started!
(And if you're not a student, but a parent, there's Amazon Mom. It offers basically the same thing!!)

Tory Burch

Ah... Spring is in the air and that means that I get to wear soft floaty dresses at any given point. And the best part? There doesn't need to be an occasion, just a whim! I was browsing Tory Burch's web site and came across this little treasure, a piece that totally inspired me.

It's light, crisp, effortless, and chic. What more could a girl want? Although the price point is a little steep for my budget, I'm definitely taking the inspiration in mind when I choose some other pieces for my spring wardrobe! 

What are you wearing this spring season? Talk to me, people!