Superbowl blues

Well, the Super Bowl is here. I'm bummed that the Giants are not in it. i'm not sure who I'm pulling for tomorrow.

On the one hand, I've always liked the Steelers. I'd have to say they're my 2nd favorite team (Behind the Super Bowl Champion NY Giants, of course).

However, from a strictly historical perspective, I'd like Arizona to win. So, it's really a toss-up for me.

I'll say......Arizona.

But it doesn't really matter because, we DON'T HAVE TV. So, I'll be watching a movie or doing school work or something. This is the one time where I really don't like not having TV. Oh well.

i'm going to have a DAUGHTER!

I can't believe I'm saying that.

Danielle had her ultrasound today, and we are most definitely having a little girl. I'm not sure what that's going to do to our house, but it sure will make things interesting!

I have to admit, I'm a little overwhelmed by it. But, I'm absolutely thrilled to be having a girl.

i don't know what else to write...

Getting ready to go to Kentucky

On February 15, I will be going to Lynch, Kentucky on a missions trip with a group from church. Here is the information/support letter that i'm sending out this weekend...


January 23, 2009

Dear Family and Friends,

You may remember that two years ago, I went to Gulfport, Mississippi on a missions trip to do disaster relief work in the wake of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. My experience in Gulfport was a life-changing experience for me and many of the other men who went. Ever since that trip, I have looked forward to the next opportunity that God would give me to serve Him in this capacity. I now have the opportunity to travel to Lynch, Kentucky with a group from my church.
Harlan County, in which Lynch is located, is ranked as the 17th poorest county in the entire nation. It has a median income of just over $18,000 per household. The town of Lynch is an old coal mining town with a population of about 1,000 people, and it has a poverty rate of almost 50%. We will be going to Lynch for the week of February 15 with an organization called Heritage Ministries. Heritage is located in Lynch, and is an organization whose main work is home construction and repair projects in the immediate area. Most of the homes that Heritage works on are owned by very poor people, widows, and people who are disabled, many from mine related injuries. We will be helping to work on many homes that need upgrades just to make them safe for the people who live in them.

There are two areas in which I will need support for this trip. First and foremost, I am seeking your prayers while we are gone. Please pray for safety, good travel, and most importantly, that God would use us to show His love to the people of Lynch. Also, please pray that we would have the opportunity to share the Gospel with people we come in contact with. If you would be willing to commit to praying for us while we are gone, please contact me and let me know about it.
Secondly, each person going on the trip needs to raise $500 in support. The money will be used for travel expenses, lodging while we're in Lynch, purchasing building materials, and food. If you would be willing to contribute towards the trip, please let me know, or you can send a check to my church, Lafayette Federated Church, 180 Route 15, Lafayette, NJ 07848. Any support amount would be greatly appreciated!

If you have any questions, or would like any more information about the trip, please e-mail me at jeffdanielle@hotmail.com, or call me at home, and I'd love to answer any questions that you might have.

In Christ,
Jeff Colarusso

**GASP** Jeff's changing a tradition!!!

For those who don't know, I'm a pretty "traditional" kind of guy. There are certain things that just don't need to be changed. I prefer hymns greatly over contemporary choruses. I bowhunt rather than gun hunt. I can't cook a turkey without making the cornbread & sausage stuffing that goes with it. I do experiment from time to time with new stuff, but, for the most part, if it ain't broke, don't fix it, right?

One of the most firmly held traditions in our family are the "Grandma Corey" cookies at Christmastime. Grandma Corey is my great-great-great-great grandmother on my mom's side. As my mom says, "Christmas officially starts in our house with the first batch of G.C. cookies". These are as traditional as it gets for me. The chances of me changing this recipe are about as slim as the chances of my Poppop getting a tattoo and a nose ring. The same chances as my Uncle Tom in Minnesota voting for Al Franken. But, tonight, I made a change...

We had made a batch of the cookies already today, and needed to make a second batch, but, alas, there was not quite enough flour. Staring me in the face from the cabinet was a container of cocoa powder. Hmmmm? Might I use that? Make some kind of chocolate Grandma Corey cookie? So, I consulted with my Mom and her mother, Mee Mee. Both seemed to think that it just might work. I looked at the container, and it read, "Add 1/3 cup to choco chip cookies for at chocolatey treat!" I measured out my flour. The recipe calls for 4 cups. I had 3 2/3 cups. Do you see? The flour & 1/3 cup of cocoa add up to 4! It was as if Grandma Corey herself was looking down and saying to me, "Jeff, it's OK to try it..." So, I gave it a whirl. After I made the batter, I took a taste. Hmmm...pretty good....chocolatey....not bitter at all...

As I type, the batter is chilling in the fridge until 8:30, when I will bake the first batch. We'll see what happens. I will update when the first batch is done.

I just might be bringing Pop Pop down to the tattoo parlor...

*********UPDATE********************

The cookies are great! just the right amount of cocoa and a little extra sugar, and they are fantastic. Tomorrow we'll put on the icing! woo-hoo!

What's that smell?? Part 2

So, for the past 2 weeks, there's been a smell in the basement. It started as a faint odor, and grew from there. At the end of last week, we got our septic tank pumped, thinking that the smell was maybe coming from our tank, which is only a couple feet from the house. Empty tank, smell was still here.

Today, I get a phone call at work from my beautiful bride. One of those "good news-bad news" calls. The good news was, she discovered where the smell was coming from. The bad news was, the smell was coming from our freezer FULL of meat, which had been (for the past 3 weeks) not closed all the way!!! It was my fault. I was the last one to close it, so I take the blame...

The good news is (and I thank God for this!) that we only lost about a quarter of the meat. I guess because of the moisture in the air, most of the meat in the freezer was encased in a block of frosty ice. The meat in the door, and the front part of the freezer, however, was encased in green/black/red goo. Smelly goo. And, the goo was on the bottom of the freezer. And it had leaked out of the freezer door, and was pooled on the basement floor.

The other good news that I really thank God for, is that the meat that we lost was mostly ground beef and ground venison. We unfortunately lost a few venison backstraps (the best part of the deer), and some venison steaks. Although, we just got a quarter of a cow (that's when i didn't close the door all the way), and the prime beef cuts were frozen solid in the back of the freezer (sirloin steaks, rib steaks, t-bones, roasts, london broils, etc), along with the last cuts from the half a pig we got last year (2 fresh shoulder roasts, spare ribs, and scrapple). In other words, the stuff we lost is relatively inexpensive to replace.

So, in the midst of chipping away at a glacier in the freezer this evening, I actually found myself feeling happy, and thanking God that it wasn't as bad as it could have been. Yes, I'm bummed about losing some of the BEST ground beef I've ever had (from a local farm), but, it could have been worse. A LOT worse.

And, the smell is gone...

Where have I been???

Sorry to all 3 of you who check this blog regularly...

The past month has been a little hectic, and I haven't had much time to blog. Here is a quick update of things at our house:

1) The Christmas Tree is up
2) We now have FOUR deer in the freezer, and a quarter of a cow...
3) Thanksgiving was great!
4) I'm starting my Master's Degree in Music Education in January
5) I'm currently in the middle of concert week (3 concerts in 8 days)
6) God is Good. ALL the time!
7) We have decided to live a debt-free life (more details to come later)
8) We have canceled our credit cards. Yay!
9) Pellet stove is great!
10) Danielle is the best wife ever!

There you have it!

My trip to Kentucky

I got back from Kentucky yesterday afternoon. It was a marathon trip. We departed church on Wednesday at 7:30PM, drove until we reached Staunton, VA at 2:30 in the morning. Slept in a hotel until 7AM, ate at Cracker Barrel, got in the truck, and arrived in Lynch, Kentucky at 2:00PM on Thursday afternoon. Do you think we stayed long?? NOPE!!



We got back in the truck at about 5:00PM Thursday, drove back to Staunton, VA, arrived at midnight, stayed at a hotel, got up at 6 AM, ate at WAFFLE HOUSE!!!! and then arrived back at church at about 3 PM Friday afternoon. So, in 43.5 hours, I drove to Kentucky and back, stopping only for sleep and meals. about 25 of those hours were actual driving time. Woah!



Why all this craziness? Because we're planning a mission trip. Lynch, KY is a coal mining town with a population right around 1,000 people. The mine is the main employer in the town, and most everybody else is unemployed. The work at the mine is not consistent, as it fluctuates with the price of oil. Oil goes way up, people buy more coal. Oil comes back down, people stop buying coal, and the mine lays off the workers. A large number of the houses are in terrible shape, and the people are either 1) Disabled and can't afford to have the work done, or 2) able to do the work themselves, but can't afford to buy the materials. There is also a pretty big drug problem in the town.

So, we're partnering with a small organization whose purpose is to minister to the people of this part of Kentucky. We visited some of the potential houses that we'll be working on. There is no building code enforcement, so a lot of the houses that have had work done are substandard. For example, a lot of people don't have indoor plumbing, but if they do, many of them drain into the river that flows through the town. Some houses just have a hole below the bathroom, and some still have outhouses. At another house we saw, the daughter built a house right behind her parents' house, and until recently, didn't have power at all. She didn't have water either. She now has a garden hose that runs from her parents' house to hers so she has some water.

In the past 10 years, we've been told, the town has made some improvements, due largely in part to church groups and mission groups that have come in to help build. We're hoping to bring a group of 15-20 people to do some work. We'll see what happens...

Highlights:


1) Driving through the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia. I've driven there a couple times, and it is just about one of the most beautiful places in the Eastern US. Especially when it's November, and the leaves are still in their autumnal glory!



2) Climbing Black Mountain on the VA/KY border. It's the highest point in KY (about 4,300 ft.), and the road that goes up it is full of switchbacks and no guardrails. The view at the top is awesome!

3) Waffle House!! OK, so it isn't the finest in cuisine, but every time I've been south, I've wanted to go to one. I finally got my chance. How was it? In one word...GREASE! It was great. The best part were the hash browns. They come plain, or with you choice of the following toppings: cheese, ham, tomatoes, onions, mushrooms, chili, or jalapeno peppers. Or, you can get them "all the way". That means "all of the above". Which do you think I got??? That's right, ALL THE WAY!!! No regrets!

Add a generous portion of grits and sweet tea at every food stop, and i'm a happy guy!

And now, here's a video that has absolutely NOTHING to do with this post. It's a tribute to John Williams. He's the guy that wrote the music to Star Wars, Superman, ET, Jaws, and many others.