It’s offical: I’m a nomad.  See, I’ve been living in this beautiful apartment in wine country for the last year.  Last October, the landlord of the house I had been living in for the past 3 years (and loooooooved) decided she wanted her house back.  I took that as an opportunity to do something I had been wanting to do for a year or so: move out of the city into the country and pursue a job in the Oregon wine industry.  Well, I found a job in the wine industry with a commission-based pay check but still had a salary-based budget.  All that to say, I had to cut some corners; my apartment being the main corner.

I gave my landlord more than a 30 day notice thinking I would have pleeeenty of time to find a new home.  Well, time ticked on and I kept searching and asking and waiting and praying.  And nothing.  I’m a homebody and need a restful and comfortable place to recharge so normally, I would be freaking out that I didn’t have anything lined up.  But I had a sense of peace, a sense that the Lord was going to step in a surprise me.

And surprise me He did.  I asked around about house sitting gigs, thinking it would be fun to live in a beautiful house up in the Dundee Hills for a couple weeks/months while the owners take their winter trips and relax after a rough harvest.  Long story short,  I found a couple gigs but one that is a certainly a surprise: I’ll be holding down the fort at a local Bed & Breakfast for 8+ weeks while the owners head to Mexico to escape the dreary Oregon new year.

Excited I am to experience life in the Dundee Hills (which is my idea of Eden) for a couple months.  Hazelnut orchards, vineyards upon vineyards, and a huge, gorgeous, cozy B&B all to myself.  My friend Trent told me I should write a book while I’m up there like Thoreau did at Walden Pond.  Or compose an album like Bon Iver did when he wrote For Emma, Forever Ago (but I wouldn’t even know where to start with that.  The only musical bone I have in my body is the one that enjoys it).

I hope I can take time to reflect on the turns my life has taken in the past year.  I’ve made new friends, new connections, found a new coffee spot and after work spot.  I’ve had to wade through the balance of keeping old friends and investing in new ones, finding a new community but also staying plugged into my community with the people I love that I go to Imago with.

I would like my time as a nomad to be a time where I let people take me in, keep me company, and invite me over.  I would like this time to be a time of rest and prayer, not flipping through channels and surfing the internet.  I would like some direction and ultimately find a landing pad, a home base, whether that be in Newberg, Dundee, McMinnville, or maybe back to Portland (don’t get your hopes up too much people).

So my nomadic lifestyle begins tonight.  Earlier this evening, I cleaned the floor of the kitchen, used the oven for the last time, and locked myself out of apartment H forever.  One last (and honestly, maybe first) batch of cookies: Flourless Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter.  Make.these.now.  You will never know that they don’t have flour in them.  They’re so easy, so delicious, and so far, they haven’t spiked my blood sugar like normal cookies do (and I’ve had 4 of them already…I know I’m bad but it’s the holidays and I don’t have a Christmas tree so I deserve them!) My friend Jacqueline over at The Dusty Baker had a great post this morning on how to make just 6 gluten-free cookies.  I’ve been craving gf cookies ever since.

Flourless Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cookies
(recipe adapted from Whole Foods)

Ingredients:
1 large egg
1/2 cup organic sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup unsweetened, natural peanut butter (no Skippy or Jif!)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 chocolate chips
Sprinkle of sea salt or Himalayan  pink salt (optional)

Method:

Preheat oven to 350º

In medium bowl, combine egg, sugar, soda, and vanilla until well incorporated.  Add peanut butter and chocolate chips until thick and well mixed.

Roll into balls, and gently press down with fork.  Add a sprinkle of salt to the top and bake for 10 minutes.

Seriously, you’ll love these.  They’re amazing.