A man named Bob

My first boss when I started working for the government was Bob. He was the first person I got to meet from my new office - he came and ate lunch with me on my second day of induction. He was very kind and gave me, a nervous and overwhelmed girl, a warm feeling that I was going to be ok. He was very specific about his last name and the pronunciation of it. He gave me all his contact info and when he left I felt a little bit better about this huge decision I had just made.
Over the course of working with him for almost 3 years I witnessed how kind he was to everyone. EVERYONE! He never spoke harshly, was always understanding, and most importantly to me - he was a man of God. He truly was a witness - the kind I feel that all Christians are called to be. He wasn't evangelical in the sense that he walked around proselytizing, he did it by his actions and his words.
Last night Bob passed away. Suddenly. This morning when I got to work I found out. And my heart wretched to be with my friends, with my old colleagues. The people who had helped me to grow and develop when I felt so lost. They all know the Bob that I know, his quirky sense of humor and miscellaneous accidents that we always laughed at and said "oh Bob". I can hear it now, I can close my eyes and I'm there. But I'm not there, I'm thousands of miles away. We talked on the phone and it really helped for me to not feel so alone in my grieving.
Bob left behind 2 children, one still young, and a wife. He also left behind many friends and admirers. Most of all though, he left behind a legacy. A legacy of kindness and diligence. He loved what he did and he did it well. He did it with a smile and with a kind word for everybody.
Maybe if we all just had a little more of Bob in us, the world would be a better place. My world is a better place for having known him.
This probably doesn't make any sense except to those who were there, for that I'm sorry if this excludes people. But I was trying to think today of times that were so funny with Bob, and the one I keep going back to was the day we all ate lunch together and Bob was telling his story of his brother's dog and Irene asked him if he wore a mustache because he had been attacked. I hope my friends can find a smile when they read this - and they know that I love them, and I wish I was there to hug each one of them, and go through this together.

Mmmm...salsa

I've been trying a few different salsa recipes - but this one is the best so far (the Authentic Mexican one). I roast the Hatch Green Chiles, but I don't roast the Anaheim. I also roast the tomatoes to peel them instead of sticking them in boiling water. I also didn't add the cilantro. Tony doesn't particularly like it - so we think it's great without it.
Oh, and have you seen the new tostitos with a hint of jalepeno? Awesome!

Can you hear my sigh of relief? Can you?

I am done. I just finished my finance final. It's as good as it's going to get. Ahhh, I am so relieved....and so ready for our vacation!!!!

Gardening, one of the good things about suberbia

We have had such a great time gardening this year. It was one of the things we were looking forward to the most in having our own home with a yard! We are growing (some of it is already through for the year) sweet corn, bell peppers, green onions, purple onions, lima beans, black eye peas, pumpkins, jalapenos, basil, rosemary, tons of tomatoes, arugula, romaine lettuce, and strawberries.
We have enjoyed it so much - and the veggies have all been awesome. We have only had a few red tomatoes but the plants are dripping with green ones. And we tried a couple of the corn - they were tasty but the kernels were super small. The squash have been really good too and we've had so many we've been able to share with our neighbor. If all the tomatoes turn at once I'm going to attempt to can some of them and make my own marinara sauce. That should be interesting.
We also have an apple tree in the back yard. Poor thing - it's limbs look like they are going to break it is so heavy with apples. And this is after 2 hail storms! The apples are not quite ready but I think they will be after we get back from Minnesota. With those I think I'll blanch and freeze most of them but I'm also going to attempt applesause. Well, that's my intention....but we all know how well my intentions usually turn out. :( I'll probably run out of time and try to give most of them away!
Tomorrow I'm going to plant a fall crop - beans and cabbage. I'm not sure how early it is going to freeze here, but I'm sure I'll get a least a bit from this planting.

BWCA here we come!

Tony and I have been wanting to go canoeing/portaging for a few years now. We kept saying we were going to go and FINALLY we are going! We got our reservation back in April and it looks like it's going to be a pretty good spot. We are entering on Monday morning and exiting on Wednesday night. I'm really needing this break...from work...from school. 3 days of doing nothing but paddling around, taking pictures, taking naps, fishing, mainly just enjoying the company of Tony and nature.
We are driving up to Minnesota since we need to take so much stuff and we are taking Kirby. Tony's folks are going to watch him for us while we are up in the Boundary Waters. This will be so much better than trying to kennel him, plus he gets to play with his best friend Champ!
We still need to get a few things, but for the most part we have been preparing for this for a couple of years. For the past Christmas's we have gotten a tent and sleeping bags, and other really nice camping items.
We have been to the Boundary Waters before with Tony's parents, Will and Dan. This was probably 5 years ago though. We rented a cabin and although it had bats and spiders, we definitely weren't roughing it. But it was amazing and beautiful - we still laugh about some of the things that happened. GREAT memories!
On top of it all we get to be in Minnesota with family and friends. It's been 2 years since we've been there for a summer visit. Will and Andrea are having a engagement party so we'll get to spend some time in the Cities as well. It's a long drive (about 17 hours) but we'll drive through the night and it really isn't that bad!
Hopefully we'll have some really great pics to share!
Here's some pics from a couple of years ago -
Tony and I up on the land
Tony and Waylon
Me and Danny at their Aunts cabin