X ~ eXcommunicate

     Knowing we would be excommunicated from the Amish church was not something we approached lightly when making the decision to leave.
    It has not been easy being cut off from family and friends.
    It has been humiliating, frustrating, irritating, and downright awful at times in the way we were treated, but not once did it make us feel like rejoining the Amish.
    As a matter of fact, it had quite the opposite affect on us. The more they shun, avoid, and treat us badly the less we ever want to be a part of that culture again.
    Do I miss the closeness of community? Yes.
    Do I miss all my growing up friends? Yes.
    Do I wish things were different. Yes.
    Am I happy that some Amish churches are no longer as strict about excommunication when someone leaves? Yes!!
    Another one of my brothers and his family recently left the Amish church. Their experience is quite different than ours was sixteen years ago. They have not been excommunicated. They can still freely visit their family, eat with them, etc. 
    Some other Amish communities will still shun them, but I'm so happy that their closest relationships remain intact. I'm so happy that they will never have that visit from the ministry to inform them that they are being handed over to Satan. I'm so happy that they won't have to experience the loss of everyone they loved.
    I am also happy that a few relationships I had thought were lost forever in my own life have been somewhat restored.
    I am happy that it seems as if there's a shift coming in some Amish churches in the way they use excommunication and shunning.

W ~ Wish Lists

    For some reason, I enjoy reading other people's wish lists, and being someone who enjoys creating lists, I also have a variety of wish lists floating around. I don't have expectations of ever getting them fulfilled, and I'm okay with that, but I still enjoy adding things to them.
    I have quite a collection of cookbooks, and an even bigger wish list of cookbooks. I have hopes of getting a few of them over time. 
    Bake from Scratch volumes two through six are at the top of that list. Rosie Mae got volume one for me, since she knew how much I loved them when I had borrowed them from the library. So with time I'm hoping to actually complete that set. 
    Another wish list contains kitchen tools and equipment. It's a long list. Basically if I know it exists, and I don't have it, it's on the list.
    My kitchen is tiny, so I'm not planning to actually get much of anything on the list, but it's still a fun dream.
    As a homeschool Mom, my curriculum and school supplies wish list is pretty extensive as well. I do hope to someday upgrade my printer, but otherwise most everything will remain firmly on the wish list.
    Art supplies could be on the homeschool wish list I suppose, but I have hopes of doing art related things long after all the children have graduated, so that list keeps growing as well.
    You would think as someone who admires minimalism from a distance my wish lists wouldn't be very long, but that isn't the case.
    Wish lists aren't going to buy lists though, so I keep enjoying them.
    

V ~ Ventriloquist

    There are times I am convinced my phone is a ventriloquist.
    The alert sounds that I received a text. 
    Though the phone is right next to me, it sounds as if the alert came from across the room.
    It happens every single time!
    Yesterday Steven and I went on a hike. I had my phone in my pocket when I received a text. It sounded as if it came from some distance to the right of me.
    I don't understand it.
    But it continues to happen. It's little talent is quite unhelpful if I'm trying to locate it

U ~ Ube

     I was first introduced to ube  (pronounced ooh-beh) last year and I may have become slightly obsessed with it.
     Ube is a lovely purple yam from the Philippines that is especially lovely in desserts.
    The only problem is, they're extremely hard to find. Basically impossible in our area.
    When ever we go traveling I check out Whole Foods and specialty grocery stores to see if I can find some.
     I have an entire board on Pinterest dedicated to recipes using ube that are mostly untested in my kitchen due to the high level of difficulty of finding them. (You can see it here.)
    If anyone wants to be a friend for life all you have to do is get me a nice steady supply of ube. Just kidding -- maybe.
    
    

T ~ Tunnel

     Not too far from our home there's an old railroad that has been converted to a hiking/biking trail.
    We enjoy walking on it, even as it has become quite popular and filled with people.
    When we were growing up it had been only an old unused overgrown railroad that led into a dark tunnel that had water dripping from the ceiling and even spots where parts of it had crumbled and lay broken on the floor.
    That has all been repaired and lights have been installed.
    It makes a lovely place to go hiking/walking, but occasionally as another biker goes whizzing by I almost miss the days when it was ugly, but private.
    On Monday Steven and I decided we want to walk through it for the first time this spring. It was a gorgeous sunny day and we headed out. As we approached the tunnel it felt as if we were standing in front of an AC unit that was turned on high.
    The wind blowing through the 3,290+ ft. tunnel became quite chilled before it exited. 
    We wished we had taken our coats, but speeding up our walking kept us almost warm enough.
    The view across the mountains at the other end of the tunnel never disappoints. We sat on a bench for a while to soak it all in and then headed back.
    We hope to get to enjoy it a lot this summer.