Friday Meet N Greet!

• Jenglander

Hey everyone! Happy Friday! I thought a post to get to meet new people and introduce ourselves would be fun!

We used to do these back in the day and they were a hit. So I though we’d give it another try and see who we meet today. The idea of the meet n greet is to introduce yourself and your blog, answer a fun question to help us get to know you and meet a couple other bloggers and maybe even make a couple a new friends in the process! Why not, right?! 🙂

So my friends and new friends…if you would please…

-Introduce yourself and your blog

– And the fun question (because as I’m writing this Thursday night, this is actually happening to me)…pretend like its been a super long day, it’s now 9:30pm. You haven’t eaten. It’s rainy outside, super cozy inside. What do you eat? Stay in and make something (maybe some Asian food, Mexican, Italian, you name it)? Or order out (pizza, tacos, what’s your fave?) Let’s hear your favorite favorite comfort food here!

I’ll go first…

My name is Joel and my blog is In the Desert with Jesus. It’s basically about falling passionately head over heels in love with God and fellowshipping with other Jesus followers like moi. Peppered in between the posts is lots of fellowship, laughs (and even some tears) and sharing of lives. My family and I foster and are on the cusp of finalizing our adoption of 3 kiddos. We have 6 kids, (3 bio, 3 adopted) 2 dogs, 5 fish and a hermit crab named “Ten.” It’s a full house. We home school. Oh and coffee. Oh my gosh…coffee. I am a connoisseur of fine coffee. So if you are a coffee lover, let’s talk. I’m also a writer, primarily fiction. And I work in business.

The fun question? Well, it’s a hard one. If I’m staying in, Asian. Fried rice or ramen – but the legitimate ramen done properly in Japan. If going out, it’s pizza or could be Mexican.

Cant wait to hear your answers and meet some new friends!

Joel

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45 thoughts on “Friday Meet N Greet!”

  1. Hi, my name is Gloire à Dieu ( means Glory be to God) and my blog Sunshine hasn’t really had a clear view of what it’s about since I created it just to talk about all those thoughts that pass in my mind as a born-and-raised-in-Africa type of woman. I am a Student, in Public Health and Community Development and I am a Christian, a singer, and a thinker ( basically, I am always thinking about something, solving a new world problem 😉)
    Well, without a lie, if it’s raining outside and I haven’t eaten yet, anything at hand will do but first a cup of tea to warm up.

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    1. Hi Gloire! So nice to meet you! I know what you’re talking about! I love just sharing all of the thoughts going through my head. I’m with you on the tea. I always have to have coffee with me and if I don’t have coffee it’s tea…usually a cup of matcha green tea or early grey. You can’t beat a cup of coffee or tea and rain outside!

      What part of Africa are you from? I have family and friends that have travelled across Africa. I really want to go myself one day!!

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  2. Hi there

    Great to meet you all and >> waving to Joel https://stresslesswithjesus.wordpress.com) as well as Song of Virginity blog (https://songofvirginity.wordpress.com).
    I recently made a new blog that I actually haven’t really launched yet but was supposed to display artwork – affordable artwork because everyone deserves access to “real” art without being bankrupt. But… as is, it’s not “there” yet.
    Currently, I’m writing a book so it could take a while before the other blog gets online 😀 – if it ever really does. Ha.

    Honestly, at 9:30 pm and after a long day, I would grab a banana and go to bed! ha ha ha

    A fast comfort food when eating in:
    Okay, 3 options from me:
    – A recipe I adapted from the Stonesoup food blog: Spinach on a pan full of spices and butter and some tomato sauce (any will do really). Make two holes and crack two eggs into them – cooking nicely for 5 minutes with a lid on and bam. Takes 10 min. to make and it’s actually filling and healthy.
    – A lettuce leaf with fried rice on and an egg (fried) on top
    – or my absolute favorite: Microwavable leftovers!
    Going out; I love love love Sizzlers. They have the best salad buffet here in Japan.
    I don’t know if you know this, but Ramen is originally Chinese. Udon, which I much prefer to ramen, is the Japanese noodle dish in soup.

    Anyway, I’ve got loads on my to-do list today, so I’m off for now.
    Looking forward to meet N greet 😉

    Lene

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    1. I just facepalmed when I read where you said ramen is actually chinese haha! I do love ramen. Udon is wonderful too. We homemade ramen the other night and it was great. Do you remember me telling you about ere that awesome shabu-shabu place I went to in dallas a couple years ago? Oh my goodness, hands down best soup I’ve ever had!!! It was literally Japanese comfort soup to my soul!

      Ive never heard of Sizzler. Is that a popular reataurant in Tokyo? Lettuce lead with fried rixe and fried egg sounds great!

      Ps can’t wait to see your artwork on here!! I agree everyone does deserve access to real art without going into bankruptcy!

      Hope your day is off to a good start friend. It’s nighttime this side of the Pacific!

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      1. Oh my! I just realized I must have accidentally deleted a sentence or two in my comment – facepalming myself!!!

        Sorry – it should have read:
        Great to meet you all and >> waving to Joelhttps://stresslesswithjesus.wordpress.com) as well as Song of Virginity blog (https://songofvirginity.wordpress.com).

        Yeah… sorry about that…

        I do remember you mentioning the shabu-shabu restaurant. I LOVE shabu-shabu. We make it at home all the time 😉

        Sizzlers? It’s an American restaurant chain… Seriously never heard of it?

        I don’t know if I’ll find time to finish the artwork blog. But if the Lord wants it up there, it’ll get there.
        I could use some help with choosing a theme to present artworks… actually…. anyone??

        Love from Tokyo

        Liked by 1 person

  3. i’m Ame. i write at blendingame – it’s my second blog. my first was AMExpression, which i had to take down when some things happened in my personal life. i’ve been blogging since about 2005, and i write b/c it’s therapeutic for me. i write from whatever’s on my heart, and since i’m a woman, that can and does bounce all over the place 🙂 . i know some people have a specific purpose for their blog and writing … i write just to write and get it out of my head and to process and because i like writing.

    i do not use caps in comments b/c my pinkie fingers do not straighten out all the way and they cramp and hurt easily. so i avoid using them when not necessary. i’m not being lazy 🙂

    if it’s raining outside, and i’m staying in, and someone else is doing the cooking! … and i don’t have to worry about food allergies or sensitivities … i’d go for comfort food. mexican, american, italian, asian … love it all. i can’t eat it all, but i love it. lasagna is always a dish i love … many mexican dishes – enchiladas, tacos, freshly made salsa and guacamole and chips … fried rice with orange chicken – yummm! . i can’t eat a lot of that anymore, but i do love it all 🙂

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    1. oh, and i always love a great pizza – not from a chain place, but from a mom-and-pop place where they really know what they’re doing, and the ingredients are fresh – yummm! (can’t at that anymore, either, but i still love it 🙂 )

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      1. Yes!! I have a place like this right down the street from my office and they ROCK!! They also do a breakfast pizza and ill stop by some days before work and grab a slice to go. Its so good!!

        Liked by 1 person

    2. Hey Ame!! So i’m blessed for us to have known each other on WP and have been commenting on each others blogs for a couple years now! I think your blog was one of the first ones I subscribed to on WP when I started ITDWJ. Side note, I actually had two blogs before this one that just bombed. One that I did on Blogger had only one person who read it. All I knew from Google Analytics was they were from Michigan and they read my blog every day for years. Cant wait to meet that person in heaven one day! Anyways sorry for that digression…
      Your blog is one of my regular reads and I definitely recommend it. Its really great 🙂

      I’m right there with you on comfort food. We had street tacos tonight. They were so good. I just love Mexican. One of my favorites for sure. Lasagna is always a winner. I love extra cheesy lasagna and maybe throw some Italian sausage in it for meat. There’s a little restaurant in town that I know the owners that make a fantastic lasagna like this. Haha I’m making myself hungry!!

      Hope you have a great Friday night Ame!! Always love it when you stop by!

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      1. wow … i’m humbled. i did not know that.

        my friday night was a bit rough – had to take my husband to the ER and they admitted him for an infection. am hoping one night on iv antibiotics is enough 😦

        i’m terrible, like panic-attack terrible, with body things and hospitals, but i did pretty well. his son came up, and after they gave him some morphine i came home. my aspie girl would freak out if she woke up and i was gone to the hospital, so i needed to come back home for the night.

        Liked by 1 person

      2. Oh no!! I’m so sorry. I will pray for him for a quick recovery – and for you. That sounds like an awful night! How is the infection? Will they be able to get rid of it quickly?

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      3. thank you. looks like he’ll be there another day or two so they can continue to treat via iv. looks like they got ahead of it, so that’s a very good thing. he sounds good, and he’s fever has broken.

        i totally freak out with stuff like this, so i’m just functioning.

        Liked by 1 person

      4. Glad to hear they got ahead of it and prayers for a quick release! And that the fever broke! I know those things are very stressful. So hard. I’m sorry! Keep us updated.

        Liked by 1 person

    1. Haha true and many collwge campuses. I didn’t know they were terribly bad for you. Ibmnsw they weren’t the best. That’s funny! Maybe we’ll switch to udon lol.

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  6. So I figured I’d join in the fun here…
    I’m Faith, I’m a university student and I’ve started my blog (The Faith Project) pretty recently. At the moment I’m thinking I’m going to use it as a space to practice/explore writing as well as just enjoying having a space to express myself and discuss things that matter to me!
    Honestly, the question about food is pretty tough… I would be very tempted to stay in and just eat whatever I had in the house- probably cook some pasta or something!
    This is a super cool idea, thanks for posting it! 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

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    1. Hi Faith! It’s great to meet you! I just discovered you blog the other day, it’s really good! I really liked the poetry you wrote into it. Not enough authors do that it seems and I loved it. I used to write poetry myself into some of my books (that never got published 😂), in a Tolkein-esq style. And then also some experiences with God are just better described in poetry or art than in a story, so there’s a plethora of poems littered about in my worship journal. Definitely understood where you were coming from with standing on the edge of something new and heavy and incredible. I’m in a season of life very much like that right now!

      Love you idea for staying in on a rainy night. Pasta is always a winner! You can’t wrong with that one and it can be great comfort food 🙂

      Thank you so much for stopping by! Can’t wait to read more from your blog in the days to come. God bless!!

      Liked by 1 person

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      1. Hi Joel, thank you so much! I definitely agree- sometimes poetry is the only way to express something. I’m so glad you got where I was coming from, that’s super encouraging for me. I will definitely be checking out some of your poetry! Thanks again for the kind words, looking forward to seeing what else you post on here 🙂

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      2. Thank you!! I’m hoping to get my next post written up tonight or tomorrow – I have a couple subjects I’m wanting to talk about. Hope you have a great Sunday!! Glad to meet you, Faith!

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    2. Hi Faith
      Nice to meet you.
      I visited your blog but couldn’t find a follow button… I’d love to read more from you so stay in touch.
      One advice: turn in “likes” in your admin so people can click like and share your posts etc.
      anyhow – blessings to you and welcome to the blogosphere.

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      1. This is my app nerd coming out but I can like and follow her on my app. Weird. Are you using the app or your desktop Lene?

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      3. Yup. I double checked and did both app and I also tried the desktop version and it worked. I could like and follow in both versions.

        Same here. I’m curious too. I love figurinf out the nerdy details with the app lol.

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      9. Thanks! Lord knows how long that’ll be… I’m buried in writing a book, so don’t have much time for the blogs ☺️. I’ll see you around though.

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  8. I’m probably too late to get in on this, but I just saw it and love it. So, here goes. I’m Katie Beasley. My blog is The Clingy Soul. I’ve been wanting to quit teaching and write as a career for the Christian market for a long time. Sometimes I have a hard time nailing down exactly what I want to contribute, both through the blog and in books, if I ever do get published. I have written bible study material that I’ve taught for small groups, and at some point I’ll try to get that together and pitch it to a publisher. On the blog I most write insights from my experiences through the lens of scripture.

    As far as food … I love to cook. Even after a long day, I will cook for my Beasleys. We’re on a pretty strict eating plan to accommodate my daughter’s insulin issues, but if I don’t worry too much about that, I like pastas with homemade sauces. Last week I made chicken and mushrooms with homemade parmesan sauce (but no pasta, because that spikes the kid’s blood sugar). I also made a killer chicken parmesan recently. If I want a break from the kitchen, my husband does a fine job at the grill. I’d rather eat steak at home than go out. I’d also make my own egg rolls, fried rice and Mongolian beef than go out for it.

    Now I’m hungry and I’m thoroughly resenting the 1400 calorie a day eating plan …

    Liked by 1 person

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    1. Hi Katie! Thank you for sharing about yourself! Your blog is one of my new favorite regular reads so I’m really glad you dropped by to the meet n greet!

      So I have to ask, and I don’t remember if you already wrote this in one of your posts, are you currently focusing primarily on bible study materials in your work or are you wanting to branch out into fiction/nonfiction? If so for fiction, what genre?

      Love the cooking ideas. Same with our family: we’re eating at the house most times than not. Homemade sauces are the best. The chicken and mushrooms dish sounds great! My wife is the grillmaster at our house. (I’ll burn it if I grill!) The egg rolls, fried rice and Mongolian beef sounds fantastic. Thats right up my alley!

      Just a comment from me, Katie you had a fantastic post on risk taking and Christ from the other day. Definitely recommend my regulars check it out here: https://theclingysoul.com/2018/08/21/three-things-you-gain-from-taking-risks/

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      1. Oh, my goodness. Thank you so much!

        Here’s what happened. I have had a bunch–a bunch– of miscarriages. So I thought that the book that I would write would be about how God brought me through that loss and got me to round the corner and adopt. I went to She Speaks, which I mentioned in the post, and found out how not ready I was to pitch that book even though I had a few chapters written. Meanwhile my husband and I had moved from Texas to Arkansas to plant a church (he’s a minister). He didn’t take a salary to pastor that church so we both had to work full time. I went back to the classroom full time to support us. I love the school, but I was so overwhelmed all the time that I didn’t have time to write. So after the conference, I wrote on my blog and tried to be more routine about it and was just biting my nails until summer so I could have time to focus on the miscarriage book. But I got pregnant very, very unexpectedly that next summer. I was already high risk and 45 at the time which is a little old to feel secure anyway. Long story. I miscarried and it knocked me out of orbit. I got lost in the grieving process. Then my job got ridiculous. Then we closed the church. I felt like I was drowning in failure. But during those two years after the miscarriage I did a good amount of work on bible study material–some on Thessalonians, a bunch on Hebrews, the book of John. So I’ve got big chunks of stuff that I could pitch to publishers in a bible study format, but it’s so rough that it would take a lot of time for me to revise and hone it. Last fall, I thought I would get back to the miscarriage book, and I was teaching Hebrews and also seeing a counselor. It was after about five sessions that I discovered how much perfectionism had affected me professionally and also hindered the grieving process quite a lot. Once I made the decision to go to the conference, I had three things that I’d put a lot of time into and I had to decide which one I should pitch at the conference. I decided that it had to be perfectionism because that’s where I’m learning the most. I remember vividly the day that I told the counselor that I’ve trended toward anxiety and depression a lot in my adult life and I don’t want to live like that anymore. That’s the voice that’s the strongest at the moment so that’s the book proposal, about perfectionism, that I spent the summer working on. But it would be silly to not come back to the bible studies–especially Hebrews. At one time I was teaching that weekly to a small group, but we had to quit meeting because of schedules because we all go to different churches.

        I would LOVE to write a novel. But my husband has told me that I was born to teach and write on biblical principles. So … that’s on hold.

        There are several versions of this recipe out there. It’s TERRIBLE for you. But my whole family comes running for it. And it’s also a little labor intensive, but so worth it.
        https://www.delish.com/cooking/recipe-ideas/recipes/a51085/mongolian-beef-ramen-recipe/

        Liked by 1 person

      2. Oh no, I am so sorry. I am so very sorry you have endured the miscarriages Katie. That’s so awful and hard.

        But I’m overjoyed to hear you adopted also! We adopt too!! We have fostered 3 kiddos since May 2017 and are adopting them in October – which brings us to a total of 6 kids (it’s a full house!). I love adoption and fostering – it’s a huge part of my heart. There are so many kids right here in the US that badly need good families.

        It sounds like you have some great material on hand to turn around into a book. You have a really intetesting story with where you’ve been with God. I’m just throwing this out there…but have you thought about writing about adoption as the central theme and miscarriages as the starting point that God led you from to your adoption? Writing that from a woman’s/mom’s point of view could be immensely powerful for a lot of women who have miscarried and struggled with depression and would also give a lot of visibility for adopting and maybe you could work perfectionism in with it. It sounds like God has brought you through some very intense fire, things that a lot of other women probably have endured. I could see your story really encouraging others! Just a thought!

        Agreed when you have done tons of work on something -it makes sense to do something with it. I’ve been there myself working on multiple projects and I eventially have to get to a point where I ask myself does this add value now as the front runner of what I’m working on. If the answer is yes, great and full steam ahead!! If no, then I’ll put it back and work on it less to develop it for later on. Either way it sounds like you have some great stuff to use. What do you think God is saying, which route to go?

        That dish looks delicious!! That one is going on the menu at our house!! Thanks for sharing!

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