“In quiet moments
                    when you think about it,

          you recognize what is critically important in life
                                                                                 and what isn't.

Be wise
      and don't let good things crowd out those that are essential.”





-Elder Richard G. Scott

Holiday Hangover

I'm still alive! All of my baking was a success! Last night I made chocolate lava cakes which were a huge hit - and super easy! That temporarily wraps up my holiday baking. (You know... until next weekend. I desperately need more sugar cookies!) Today I have class, and I was supposed to have the rest of the day off. Naturally, things never go as planned - so I'm working 1-close. Boo... I did a lot of cleaning yesterday. The unfortunate part of living in an old house is that dust + my allergies = misery the morning after. Yuck!

So far this season, I have baked five pies (1 pear, 1 pecan, 2 pumpkin and 1 lemon meringue), 3 loaves of banana bread, 1 batch of sugar cookies (already decimated), chocolate pecan fudge, 2 types of buffalo dip, and those lava cakes. I think that's it. (I think... who knows) And I've been making lots of popcorn, with butter and Parmesan cheese. It's my latest obsession! So I spent most of my holiday weekend happily in the kitchen! My best friend, the PDA-prone one, got engaged! She came over to my house Saturday morning before I was going to work. I hadn't had my second cup of caffeine yet, and I think I was slightly confused as to why she was coming. Then she pulled her hand out of her coat pocket and I think I just stared at it, still slightly confused. (That second cup of tea really does make all the difference...) While I think I was in shock, and not awake enough to supply a super exuberant response, her sister made up for it.

Upside: my best friend is getting married!
Downside: my best friend is getting married...

This is where the (mental) hangover comes in. This means I should work out more regularly. You know, if I want to enjoy looking back on these wedding photos later. Also, I guess this means I have to grow out my hair. AGAIN. Okay, these minor details aside... Seriously, there are certain people who think I should be married by now! More like I should have gotten married yesterday! At work, two of my coworkers are pregnant, and they also know my best friend so I know I'm going to be bombarded with questions... Seriously, my coworker thought I was going to tell her that I eloped in Florida! I'm not eloped, not married, not pregnant! Can't people take a chill pill? There is a front staff Christmas party this weekend. I must admit, if it means talking about the engagement all night, I'm not looking forward to it. I need a diversionary tactic...

Dolphins! It's perfect! Everyone loves dolphins...right? And tale-less dolphins get you bonus points! (Yeah... like that will work...) I could distract them with food! If I took my cinnamon rolls, they couldn't talk while they were eating! At the very least, I have to work the next morning so I can use that to excuse an early exit if needed.

"Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer." -Romans 12: 12

Oh well, until then I'm focused on the "game room": aka a room that used to be my older brother's. He didn't clean out all of his stuff when he moved. Neither did my parents. They did put more stuff in it... So now, how many years later, it's a disaster. A disaster that I am slowly cleaning, reorganizing and arranging. (Hence death by allergies) I'd really, really like to completely finish it by Christmas. This whole work thing is overrated...

Thanksgiving Eve

Here I sit. Waiting for my dough to rise. It will be a superb breakfast of my legendary cinnamon rolls tomorrow morning. Drinking tea and snacking. I've realized: I'm going to need more sugar cookies. WHY did I only make one batch? How long did I REALLY think they were going to last. I've eaten four myself, waiting for my dough.

I have been a baking machine this week. In preparation for Thanksgiving I made said batch of sugar cookies, chocolate pecan fudge, and two variations of buffalo dip on Monday. Followed by four pies (one pear, two pumpkin, and one pecan), banana bread, and two extra crusts (one is baked, one is not). The pie dough I made from scratch, six pie crusts in all. The pumpkin I cleaned, gutted, baked, pureed and strained myself. The pears are from our aged pear tree; they are too tough to eat as is, but after I washed, peeled and cored them, they were great in the pie! I took five bananas from the freezer and pureed those for the banana bread. And the pecan pie. (The baked pie crust is reserved for a lemon meringue pie this weekend.) All with eggs from our own chickens. We're very farm-friendly people.

Needless to say, once I roll out the dough for my cinnamon rolls, add the sugar, roll them up and cut them, I will be off the hook! Free to enjoy my Thanksgiving. We are grilling our turkey this year. Mostly, because my mom thought a 26lb turkey would be a great idea. That is a lot of turkey. It is possible to fit it in our oven, but why do that when you can fit it in our grill? The men have to play with their toys, too. I will get to eat cinnamon rolls, watch the parade and "It's a Wonderful Life" - afterall, Indiana, PA is the hometown of Jimmy Stewart, it's only natural! Maybe the dog show too, though that always makes me want a dog...

It's time to check my dough. I've worked all day and I'm quite sleepy. I'm crossing my fingers it's good to go...

Thanksgiving

It's Saturday!!! This means that after one more shift, I have another long weekend. A long weekend to think about everything that has happened in the last week, how it should (and should not) affect me in the long run. Recent work developments have been... interesting. I can't focus on that right now. I need to get ready for the holidays. [Okay, maybe I've already decorated. I only have one miniature 18" tree that remains undecorated... but I haven't watched any Christmas movies!] I mostly have to help my family get ready for the holidays. [Cue forced annual viewing of "White Christmas" with my mom and brothers.] And cleaning up some old stuff in my brother's room and getting rid of it before my mom can notice...

This week I'm going to take a step back and take the time to enjoy. Last night I finally watched "Sweet November"; I love that movie! Of course I was all snuggled up with a mug of hot tea. The Christmas tree was lit, and my little man, of the feline persuasion, was purring next to me. Not a bad way to spend an evening! I'm bound for work soon, again. After work, the first immediate thing on my to-do list this weekend is going shopping with my baby brother! And later this week, next week really, watching that movie about those vampires with my best friend! Until then, I guess other movies will have to do. I'm also really, really looking forward to running while the sun is still shining! It makes such a difference! Night runs in the winter are no fun...

the A B C's of Me: the Vacation Edition!!!

"And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose." - Romans 8: 28 [KJV]

and hey, KJV, happy birthday!!! you'll always be my fav!!!

moving on...

So I took my extended vaca, and I'm back in the swing of things now. But I got to do some deep thinking first. Here goes:

 

1. I am very stubborn. Even when things don't go my way, I will do everything I can to see it through. Case in point: I originally scheduled this trip with the intention of seeing a friend while I was there. I ended up spending the entire week solo. (Or at least without anyone I already knew.)

 

 

2. Before I try something new, or am faced with a great task, I feel paralyzing fear. But once I'm pushed out of my comfort zone to the point of "no return" I'm fine. I thrive and am completely at ease. Case in point: flying 1,000 miles to rent a car for the first time and drive around a state I hadn't set foot in for 22 years. (If you can't do the math, the last time I was in Florida I was only four.) (FYI: I got into a fender-bender in my rental, handled it on my own, and lived to tell about it. Take that adulthood!)

3. Sometimes I get God. In the weeks prior to my trip, I became aware that things with my friend might not come together. As the last window of opportunity to see my friend came to a close, it was heartbreaking because I knew I had allowed the friendship to become a distraction. I knew I had put more active energy into that relationship than into my relationship with Christ. I knew what would happen; I think part of me wanted it to happen. Such a morbid display of human kind reminds us of the eternal good that is found in Christ. Even while I was intrinsically melancholy, I also knew that it was a necessary outcome and would ultimately bring me to a better place. (See Romans 8: 28 above)

4. When I am in between a rock and a hard place, I can fly! (See #2) I was, for whatever reason, terrified about getting my passport, about pulling everything together for Africa. Even though I had a feeling I would not see my friend on my trip, and was feeling a bit down about that, AND feeling nervous about planning for Africa, I made myself get my butt in gear. On Halloween, the day before I left for my trip, I applied for my passport and clearances. One clearance was back before I even got home. My passport was in within 10 days. The last clearance came in today. Less than three weeks. God is so good.

 

 

 

5. I'm a glutton for punishment. And I love it. I went on one run in each of the first two weeks in October and didn't run at all the rest of the time before the race. That's three weeks without any running at all. Five weeks with two measly runs totaling less than 7 miles. Followed by a 13.1 mile run in one morning. As my very wise friend said to me that morning, "but you'll make it, your thrive on destroying yourself." He was right. I do, and I did. Somehow everything is faster during a race. My sprints are faster. My mile pace is faster. Seriously! A month sans running and I still hit a new half-marathon PR!!!

6. Sometimes I'm too hard on other people. I forget that they can surprise you, if you let them. I ran with two remarkable ladies. I came home and had a fund raiser for my Africa trip. I was overwhelmed with all of the love and support I have received so far. I even discussed my trip with one of my managers at work and she took the idea of me being gone much better than I had anticipated. God is so, so good.

7. I really like driving. (I just wanted to put that out there.)

8. I am a "capital T" T-U-L-I-P, for all you Calvinists out there, and I should be. The man upstairs has been looking out for me. I planned a few specific adventures for this trip. But then I thought I was just going to an aquarium, because it seemed like a fun way to kill some time, and it turned out it was the aquarium from Dolphin Tale. Winter, the dolphin the movie revolves around, is really there and really tale-less. My parents took me to Sea World, in Ohio, every summer up, until it was purchased by Geauga Lake. This experience was beyond cool in my book!

Oh, and I pet some stingrays, too!!!

9. I adore my family. The experiences of the past few weeks have allowed me to become aware on a different level of the bonds we share. Including taking my "baby" brother shopping for the first time. At Old Navy. We got into credit cards, rewards points, and credit scores... they grow up so fast! (touche, but true)

 

Home Sweet Home!!!

I'm back, and a busy busy bee!!!

But here's a tease sneak preview of my vacation highlights: