"What a difference a week makes"

Clint's quote when he came down the stairs today to find me in the middle of decorating for Christmas, with carols going full blast on the stereo. And I admit it: I'm not anti-Christmas (although I have gone through years where I am less favorable towards Christmas music) just anti-Christmas-too-early. I can't decide if it is about control (I don't want to be forced to listen to Christmas music before I'm ready) or if it is the must-follow-rules part of me that can't stand to see rules broken (no Christmas before Thanksgiving!). If the second is the case, it would explain why I identify with Agent Peter Burke on the new USA program White Collar. (Have you seen it yet? Clint and I are fans.) Part of me believes in following rules, and it strains my brain when people don't follow rules and end up with what appears to be better than I have.

Our halls are decked, inside and out. I'll have to post pictures soon ...

Thanksgiving success

Our family Thanksgiving on Saturday was a success. Everyone chipped in to make the food, clean up, and entertain the kids. Four kids under four has its own challenges, but the eight adults around the house gave us a fighting chance. Clint was the brains of the operation, selecting recipes and organizing the scheduling, all while roasting the turkey on his grill. Delicious.

My only regret was that the camera I had out and with fully charged batteries, and I did not take a single picture. Hopefully my sisters-in-law will have pictures they can share with us. If not, I'll have to be content with memories and the leftovers.

Home for Thanksgiving

Today was StoryCorps National Day of Listening. Did you take time
today to listen to and record the story of someone else? I listened,
but today wasn't the best day to record stories. We did make it home,
and then to the grocery store (I love Publix!) for complete fixin's
for our delayed family Thanksgiving tomorrow. I thnk we're all looking
forward to the visit and the goodies.

Happy Thanksgiving

A non-traditional Thanksgiving day for us this year. We left Miami
this morning, stopping again in the Everglades before starting back
home. We took the senc route for part of the day, taking the skyway
bridge around Tampa. We ate at a restaurant that had a turkey special,
complete with stuffing and cranberries, but since we're cooking turkey
for family on Saturday, we opted for hamburgers.

I have mch to be grateful for ths year, especially friends and family
far and near. To all of you, thank you for your love and friendship.

Twenty-nine

We drove back to Miami today, stopping at the Everglades to see
alligators. We had cake and candles and the birthday song last night
(singing during the commercial break of Biggest Looser and cake during
the show.)

Twenty-nine doesn't really feel different from twenty-eight. I've
tried to be reflective for the occasion, but I'm not coming up with
much. In someways, I'm nowhere where I thought I would be by now, and
in someways, I'm way beyond where I hoped to be. That's life, isn't it?

Key West

It was too bright this afternoon for this picture to turn out really well. What you can't see is the marker for the souhern-most tip of the continental United States.

Key West has been nice enough. Even during this "cold snap," it's too hot for me. I'm not a fan of the wandering chickens. But it was fun walking past Hemingway's house, and I enjoyed the drive out here. All in all, not bad.

Not Christmas

Maybe I've mentioned it, but I'm nit a fan of the Christmas-creap. I
know this year Thanksgiving is late, leaving less time between turkey-
day and Christmas, and I know that stores thunk they have to fill the
isles with something, so it might as well be Christmas, but I am not a
fan.

Today's accomplishment

As part of our tour of Miami with Clint's parents, we drove out Key
Biscayne to see a lighthout (the name of which I can't remember right
now.) Luckily for me, the lighthouse was open, and I got to climb to
the top--all 113 steps. (Thanks for counting them, Clint.) Climbing to
the top of a lighthouse has been on my list for years, and I'm glad I
had the chance today

Gastro Tourists

At dinner tonight, we realized we are at heart (or is it stomach?)
gastro tourists. Our story can be traced in the food we ate, from our
first date brownie, to the first time we said the "M" word on our way
to the Chitlin Strut, to the proposal on the beach after dinner at a
seafood shack (among our least romantic meals ever, although
delicious), culminating with a post-wedding lunch at Mary Mac's, a
traditional Southern meat-and-three. When we travel, we like finding
new and off-the-beaten-path places to eat. In the last twenty-four
hours, we have enjoyed seafood, French baked goods, and Cuban-style
sandwiches. We've discovered Yelp and Zagats are good resources for
good food. Half of the fun is trying something new, but on the other
hand, life's too short to eat bad food, isn't it?

A Lovely Day

Clint has a friend he does contract work for from time to time who is
here in Miami, so today he took advantage of that and went and talked
tech for the afternoon. Left to my own devices, I had a lovely,
relaxing day. I read a lot--on the balocny, in the hotel room, and by
the pool. I napped. And, after discovering a free shuttle, I went to
another part of the downtown area and shopped a bit, finding a cover-
up and a scarf to keep my hair tame(er) in the convertable. When Clint
returned, we enjoyed a delicious dinner together.

Exploring new cities, especially by myself, alway makes me feel grown
up and adventerous. It's a fun feeling, especially when I know it is
only temporary.

Thankful Thursday--Miami edition

Did you hear about the mess with the FAA today? We did. Apparently,
their computer system crahshed, nationwide, this morning. We heard
about it at the gate for our flight, about half an hour after we were
supposed to leave. But, I'm thankful for a smartphone so I could get
the scoop. And I'm thankful that nearly all of the time, the FAA
system works flawlessly, getting us here, there, and everywhere. With
the computer system down, the FAA was doing everything by hand, and
I'm grateful for the nameless men and women who must have been so
stressed today but who still did their jobs and got us to Miami by
12:10.

I'm grateful for nice hotel rooms and cookies at check-in. And I'm
grateful for convertibles and perfect driving-with-the-top-down weather.

Mostly, I'm grateful to be traveling with my best travel buddy, my
best friend, my sweet husband.

Survey: Surveys

Do you do those surveys that are more and more often appearing at the bottom of sales receipts? Or are you more likely to complete them when you get something small (free appetizer at your next visit, $5 off your next purchase) or are you more likely to fill them out when there is the chance of a big pay out (win $5000!).

My confession? I'll do them for either something small or the gamble of a big payout. Partly because I feel good when I do them (odd, I know) and partly because it is the only way I gamble (and if I don't enter, I would never even have the chance to win, right?).

Confession: as a child and adolescent, I use to regularly fill out and mail in the Publisher's Clearing House sweepstakes. My justification was that I was financially supporting the United States Postal Service. Of course, we never won. Actually, I usually don't win anything I put my name in for, and if I do win, I get the prize I don't want. Clint and I were about to leave an office party once when they announced they were going to do door prizes. I made Clint stay just a few more minutes to see if we won, and we did. We won the martini shaker, two martini glasses, a nice wine bottle bag and martini syrup and salt. Just my luck.

Thoughts on gratitude

When I listen to the radio in the car, I most often listen to it on shuffle or scan. I get impatient with songs I don't like, commercials, and hosts who talk. I do listen to NPR when Morning Edition or All Things Considered is on. But mostly, I scan the stations, looking for that elusive something more interesting. Every now and then, in my radio station scanning, I'll stop on one of the Christian stations when they are having a discussion, and listen until I too strongly disagree with what they are saying.

Today, I stopped at a discussion of gratitude, and heard some interesting thoughts. One of the ideas was that we should be practicing the language of heaven here on earth. It was a new perspective to me on why my words and tone matter now; if I am in the habbit of being sarcastic or rude or crude, that habbit won't just go away when I die. I don't want to have to learn a new langauge when I die. Or worse yet, not be able to say anything because I can't trust myself to do it the right way. As part of the discussion on the radio, they told of a man who had the philosophy of practicing the language of heaven on earth, and who, when he was told of a church burning down, began to pray and express gratitude and praise. It reminded me of a talk by Elder David A. Bednar last year, and his story of expressing gratitude in prayer when faced with a trial.

The other idea that struck me in listening to this discussion was phrased as a question: If tomorrow I had nothing more than what I expressed gratitude for today, what would I have? I think this can apply to gratitude towards God, but it can also apply to gratitude in our other relationships, and even gratitude toward the world around us through our actions. It is what we were taught by our parents; we show gratitude for our stuff by taking care of our things. Going back to the question, I try to express gratitude for the "big things" like jobs, cars, insurance, and our home, but I don't often vocalize my gratitude for the multitude of smaller blessings that fill my life. I want to do a better job of that as part of cultivating a grateful heart.

So for today, here are five small things I am grateful for:
1. Wireless internet. It was nice to write this post on my laptop while sitting on the couch.
2. The colors purple and berry that are so in this season. They make me smile and feel warm just looking at them.
3. Cranberry limeaids at Sonic. Need I say more?
4. Easy returns at stores.
5. A camera on my cell phone. It makes shopping when Clint isn't there easier.

Calendars and November

Growing up, there were several years where the family calendar, with appointments and scheduling details, was a calendar of local photographs taken by photographer Mark Kelly. In 1999, when I was getting ready to leave Juneau to attend Brigham Young University, I got a Mark Kelly calendar of my own. Every year since then, I've gotten a Mark Kelly calendar for Christmas. At some point, I developed a complex, convinced that Mr. Kelly picked the worst picture of the year for November, which of course, I took personally since this is my birthday-month. I remember trying to convince a friend that was the case; to prove my point, I dug out the old calendars I had and showed him my evidence. I also mentioned my conspiracy theory to my mom. What I forgot when I did that is that Juneau is a pretty small town. My mom ran into Mr. Kelly once at a community market, selling his calendars. She even told him of my conspiracy theory. But, you know, I think the November pictures have gotten better since then.

This year, the November picture is a close up of killer whales coming up to breathe. It is similar to this photograph on his Web site. While the colors in the photograph are not as vibrant as the summer months, especially, I love this image. It reminds me of the time I spent working for a whale watching company, and especially of the magic of watching whales. It makes me a bit nostalgic, which is exactly the sentiment I was looking for.

Half-way, 200 posts

This post makes 200 posts on our blog, and today is half-way through the NaBloPoMo challenge. Had I been prepared for this momentous occasion, I might have been able to prepare a list of 200 things (although that may not be a tradition I really want to start--can you imagine a post with 500 things!?!). If you're itching to know more about me and Clint than you could ever wish to know, check out last year's 100 post.

Instead, today's musings find their source in Thursday's book group discussion of The Ladies Auxiliary. The Ladies Auxiliary describes several of the Jewish customs or traditions of repentance, seeking forgiveness, and generally becoming clean before God. But there is so much judgement in the book ... in the discussion, I was sad that a people who have so frequent reminders to forgive, to repent, to be clean ignored all of the opportunities to change and still choose gossip, distrust, and judgement.

But then I saw how I am the very same. I have a weekly chance to see myself as God sees me, and to choose to abandon my sins and become clean again. And as often as the ladies of The Ladies Auxiliary fulfilled the outer symbolism without a change of heart, I too ignore my invitation of the sacrament to reconcile myself with God and my fellow women and men. So today, as I renewed my baptismal covenants, I tried to turn my heart to God again, grateful for the reminder.

For another perspective on maintaining a mighty change of heart, see this talk.

Today's art project

I couldn't sleep last night. During this bout of insomnia, I read this piece on Blog Segullah. Justine, the author, reviewed some of her activities of the week, focusing on the work her hands did, and explained that in Hebrew, the word we often translate as "consecration" literally means "filled hands" or "open hands." The lines that most struck me were, "I fill my hands with that which I have dedicated my time. Are my hands open to give and to receive?" She concludes with her hope that she fills her life with the work of God.

The ideas of Justine's post struck home to me. I have not been the wisest of stewards with the free time I have been granted lately. I have a to do list and a wish list several pages long, filled with good and worthy goals and projects. But I have let myself be sidetracked, and I have spent more time doing what is easy than what is worthwhile.

As I lay in bed, I thought about the imagery of hands, and of hands being full and open. And I had the idea to take and display pictures of hands holding things. I liked the idea of a collage of sorts, so today, Clint and I took several pictures of my hands holding things, I printed out my top ten pictures, and using a set of frames I uncovered in my recent bout of cleaning and organizing, I hung them in our breakfast nook. Here's the evidence:
I'm sorry this photo is grainy--the ones we took for the display are much clearer. The pictures are, from left to right: cranberry beans, change, a ball of yarn--and below that, empty hands--holding bubbles--and below that chocolate with Clint taking a piece, wheatberries, a lime, a candle, and an egg.

Some of the objects have are symbolic, and some I just liked the idea and the look. There are moments I see my mom in my hands, and I like that reminder in the pictures, too.

If I hadn't been in such a rush to get this finished today, I would have taken pictures with the hands of others holding things as well; I was thinking of things for family members, especially the nieces and nephews, to hold. Then the collage could also be a display of change and growth, in addition to a reminder to use my hands to fill my life with the works of God. Maybe someday I'll change things up or add to this small collection. For now, I'm pleased with the way it turned out.

Four-and-a-half

I didn't even realize until this evening at 7:30 that today marks four-and-a-half years of marriage for us--on a Friday the 13th to boot! On the way home from dinner (and dessert!), we reminisced again about our early years. I remembered the first time Clint held my hand. It was a Sunday afternoon in June, and we had made dinner (and dessert! Key Lime Cheesecake ... yum ... ) at Clint's apartment and then gone for a drive, exploring the area around Athens. I was sitting with my hand on the side of the seat when Clint reached over and took my hand. A bold move--one even more surprising now when I know Clint so much better--and one unexpected by both of us. It kind of took me back. I remember trying to think through what had just happened. Had I said something or done something to prompt this development? Back in my dorm room after the drive, I talked with my friend Amy, who talked me down from my over-thinking state, ready to jump to conclusions about who liked who more and whether or not this could really work, especially considering I was leaving town in just over a week, and ... and ... and ...

And then, without me even knowing it was happening, I fell in love. And we had our Happily Ever Beginning May 13, 2005 (Friday the 13th!). And here we are, four-and-a-half years later. I'm so grateful for my husband, for our love story, and for our beautiful life.

Happy four-and-a-half-year-versary, love.

Thankful Thursday

Today, I am thankful for the book group ladies, for good books, good discussions, and good food. We talked about The Ladies Auxiliary and had some good chats about faith, community, and religious observance.

Small luxuries

First, I need to apologize. I did post yesterday; unfortunately, because it was a draft I started in October, it posted with an October date. If you're interested in reading my book review of Bel Canto by Ann Patchett, you can find it here.

One of the things that makes me feel decadent is having empty drawers or cupboards in my kitchen. From time to time, as I reorganize and shuffle things in the quest for the one true kitchen arrangement, I end up with empty space. But instead of filling the space, I will often leave it empty as long as I can, just because I can. In some ways, it is a false luxury; our kitchen is large, and many of the things I have removed from the kitchen I have put in the garage or stored somewhere else. Maybe the real luxury would be less stuff--less to store, to care for, to move when that day comes. I could certainly be more discerning about what I keep; you should see my collection of empty peanut butter jars. And maybe some day I'll get to that point. For now, I pretend. And smile when I see the empty space.

Tragedy or comedy?

Somewhere in my study of literature at BYU, or maybe it was before that, I was told that in the historical Greek sense (or was it Shakespearean?) Aristotle's writings, a comedy was a play that ended with a wedding, and a tragedy was a play where everyone died a Great Man who suffered a Great Fall. I'm sure I'm slaughtering the idea ... maybe dear reader M can help jog my memory in the comments. (Thanks, M!) Those divisions are historical, and obviously not followed with any strictness nowadays as they were in the past. But they came to mind after finishing Bel Canto by Ann Patchett. Ms. Patchett also wrote Run, which I read and recommended earlier this year.

Bel Canto is the story of a kidnapping gone wrong, turning into a months-long hostage situation. It is the story of love, of relationships, and of art and beauty. For part of the time I read the book, I felt as if I was in a room filled with rose-colored light. Some of the story was so achyingly beautiful that it was as if I had caught a snowflake in my hand and was able to closely examine all of its intricuit wonder in slow-motion without it melting at all. But, as you can probably guess by the question of comedy versus tragedy, and the information that the book is about hostages, the snowflake does melt, the story does end, and the ending is not at all beautiful. The book does end with a wedding between hostages after their release. And that, I think, is what threw me in reading the book. Even when I knew things in the story were going to change and get worse, the ending was beyond my expectations.

It is hard to read books where you fall in love with the characters only to be denied a ending that is happy. For the Greeks, tragedy provided a chance to expereince great emotion in a controlled environment--the same reason some people watch horror movies today. Even knowing that, I'm not sure of the purpose of the tragedy in this book. In other books I've read recently, the tragedy in the story has been awful, but has taught me how I do, or do not, want to behave were I ever in a similar situation. With Bel Canto, the tragedy was externally driven, so I don't feel that same acceptance of it. Although I can't neatly wrap up this tragedy, I'm glad I read this book for the beauty and love of the happier times.

Why brine

Remember last week when I said I wasn't sure of the purpose of brining meats before cooking? Well, since then, I've learned all about brining and why it can be a good idea for meats.

I've mentioned that I get a lot of my recipes from the Cheap, Healthy, Good blog. The other source for much of my food-related information--recipes, restaurants, trends, and such--is Serious Eats. And last week, they ran a very in-depth article about brining, complete with controlled experiments, charts, and photographs. You can read the article here, but here's the summary:

Brining helps lean cuts of meat (chicken, pork, and turkey) retain their moisture during cooking. Without brining, the edges of the meat can dry out before the center gets cooked. The salt that is absorbed in the meat during the brining process helps hold the moisture in the edges of the meat.

Brining does at salt to the meat, which is something to consider as part of the meal and experience. Clint and I have had times when meat we've brined ends up saltier than we would like; for that reason, I recommend following recommended brine recipes and cooking times closely.

We're planning on at least a quick brine for our turkey this year. Now that I know what to look for, I plan to watch for the smooth, juicy meat brining can bring.

Temperance

In preparing for this month's visiting teaching (part of Relief Society), in which I get to pick my topic, I reviewed the talks from October's General Conference. I love General Conference, and I especially enjoyed October's sessions. It was nice to hear so many talks about love and personal revelation. There is still more for me to learn about both of those topics.

But, the talk that I decided to share for visiting teaching was by Elder Kent D. Watson of the Seventy. He talked about temperance, using the example of tempered glass in a car windshield, or tempered steel. He explained, "Tempered glass, like tempered steel, undergoes a well-controlled heating process which increases strength. Thus, when tempered glass is under stress, it will not easily break into jagged shards that can injure." It is hard to remember in the moment, but I believe our own heating processes, the trials and challenges we face in our lives, are also well-controlled by He who knows us best. They are also designed to increase our strength as we choose to be open to it.

Elder Watson goes on to say, "Likewise, a temperate soul—one who is humble and full of love—is also a person of increased spiritual strength. With increased spiritual strength, we are able to develop self-mastery and to live with moderation. We learn to control, or temper, our anger, vanity, and pride. With increased spiritual strength, we can protect ourselves from the dangerous excesses and destructive addictions of today’s world."

I especially like the idea that love is another source of our temperance. That is certainly true in my own life; feeling love from someone, through words or touch, calms me and gives me strength, helps me control my anger, my vanity, and my pride.

Self-control is a worth attribute to seek after, and rereading Elder Watson's talk was a timely reminder of my desire to be more temperate.

Saturday's blog post

I follow the bedtime-to-bedtime day svchedule, so that even though technically it is Sunday, part of me is still oriented toward Saturday.

Tonight, Clint and I saw Richard III at the Atlanta Shakespeare Tavern with a friend. Richard III is one of Sharespeare's longest plays; this performance ran just under three hours. Richard III isn't the easiest or most fun Shakespeare play, but it is special to the two of us. Our second date, mid-June 2004, was to a performance of Richard III in Athens. It was fun to see the play again.

Beautiful fall evening

It's a beautiful fall evening here in Georgia. Tonight, the lows will be in the 40s; even now, the air outside is crisp and brisk. If you can get away from the bulk of the neighborhoods, the stars are shining brightly; even at the end of our street with porch and street lights, the stars twinkle above while leaves crunch under foot. I wish it wasn't quite so late so that I could stroll through the neighborhood and enjoy the evening. I wish the Christmas season wasn't creeping so close; it would be nice to enjoy fall a bit longer. It's the perfect night to pile on the blankets and snuggle with my honey.

Most of you will read this too late for Saturday morning breakfast, but keep it in mind for the future. This week we tried a pumpkin pancake recipe that was delicious. The pancakes are leavened with egg, baking powder, and baking soda and vinegar, making them quite fluffy. I like them with butter, a little powdered sugar, and cinnamon, but they're also great with maple syrup.

Pumpkin Pancakes
from AllRecipes.Com
* 2 cups all-purpose flour
* 3 tablespoons brown sugar
* 2 teaspoons baking powder
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 1 teaspoon ground allspice
* 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
* 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1 1/2 cups milk
* 1 cup pumpkin puree
* 1 egg
* 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
* 2 tablespoons vinegar

1. In a separate bowl, mix together the milk, pumpkin, egg, oil and vinegar. Combine the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, allspice, cinnamon, ginger and salt, stir into the pumpkin mixture just enough to combine.
2. Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each pancake. Brown on both sides and serve hot.

One more shopping thought ...

I forgot to include this in the earlier post.

For those of you with little girls, check out the Etsy shop Kissing Kumquats. I've seen the dresses she makes, and they are beautifully done, and beautiful dresses.

Some thoughts on shopping

When I was visiting my parents over the summer, we watched What Not to Wear several times. While I would never, never, never want to be on that show, it got me trying to think more pro-actively about what I wear, which in turn inspired a few shopping trips this fall, and led to most of these thoughts.
===
I love Target. Do you know, for every brought-from-home-bag you bring and use, you get five cents off of your purchase? One of the grocery stores in my mom's town does the same thing. I haven't found any of the grocery stores around me that do the same thing, but I wouldn't mind if it becomes a trend. Five cents a bag isn't a lot, but it always feels like a pat on the back to me.
===
Speaking of bringing your own bags, Bath and Body Works has cute nylon bags that fold up into small packages for $2 each. They cost more than the canvas bags most grocery stores sell for $1 each, but they are cuter, fold up smaller, and hold more.
===
Just don't buy the blue one at Bath and Body Works, unless you don't care that it has their name all over it.
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Why must we pay to buy things with advertising all over it? As much as possible, if I am going to wear a company's name, they are going to have provided the product or paid me.
===
When did Old Navy abandon quality completely? The last time I went in, I was shocked to see what they were selling. The first time I shopped there felt like a dream come true--cute clothes that weren't too expensive. Of course, that was back in the days when I lived with very limited shopping choices, but still. I miss the old Old Navy.
===
Can you wear a jean jacket with jeans? I can't quite bring myself to do it. Any tips on finding a cute, non-jean jacket to wear with jeans?
===
What do you wear as your casual shoes? I've tried branching out my shoe selection lately, but I miss arch support. I'm considering these from L.L. Bean (I can see arch support!) but I think I would wait until they go on sale.
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Do you have limits on what you'll spend on a particular item? Or do you have a buy-it-now price for other things? When I was going into the office every day, I was always on the lookout for button-up shirts, and if I ever found a new color for less than $20, it was coming home with me.
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Shopping at Kohl's is a bit like a treasure hunt--in a different way than discount stores like Marshall's or T.J. Maxx. At Kohl's the treasure hunt is all about the price, and I see no reason to ever pay list price for something at Kohl's.
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Where are your favorite places to shop? What is your favorite thing to shop for?

I love my crock pot

I've mentioned before that I like cooking with the crock pot. Clint and I were very lucky last Christmas to get a beautiful new one last year from his parents, and it has been fun to cook with this year. Yesterday, I tried Slow Cooker Pork Chops, Apples, and Sweet Potatoes from the Cheap, Healthy, Good blog with mostly-success (our timing got thrown off, and the pork cooked for too long, leaving it a little bit dry) but good enough to put in the repeat pile. I tried adding the dried cranberries, but I don't know if I noticed a difference. And I was out of fresh onion, so I threw in dried diced onion. It added the flavor without the texture, which I think I may like better. I did the brine part, but I'm not sure what difference that makes. I need to do more research on brining. So here is the recipe, with my alterations. As always, you can find calorie, fat, fiber, and price information at Cheap, Healthy, Good.

Slow Cooker Chops, Apples, and Sweet Potatoes
From Cheap, Healthy, Good blog, Adapted from Alton Brown and All Recipes.

For the brine
1 cup low-sodium vegetable broth (I used chicken bouillon mixed with a cup of water)
3 tablespoons cup kosher salt (I used 2 tablespoons since I wasn't using low-sodium broth)
3 tablespoons light brown sugar, lightly packed
2 teaspoons black peppercorns, slightly crushed
1/2 pound ice (I guessed, but didn't worry too much since my pork chops were still partly frozen)
4 (1 to 1 1/2-inch thick) boneless center cut pork chops (4-oz each)

For the slow cooker
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 tablespoons brown sugar
2 Golden Delicious apples, cored and sliced into 1/2-inch wedges (DO NOT PEEL) (I used Gala apples since that was what I had at home)
2 medium large sweet potatoes, peeled and diced into 1/2-inch cubes
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 large red onion, sliced into 1/4-inch rings (I used dried, diced onion, and just shook it on until it looked right)

Optional
Cinnamon or nutmeg
Dried cranberries

1) Mix the broth, 3 tablespoons kosher salt, 3 tablespoons brown sugar, and peppercorns in a medium pan. Heat over medium-high and cook until the sugar and salt is dissolved, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat, add ice, and stir until ice is melted. Place pork chops in a gallon bag or 1-quart dish, add the brine, and refrigerate overnight (but not too much longer).

2) Remove pork from brine. (Discard brine.) Rinse the chops and pat them as dry as possible. Set aside. In a medium-large pan, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high. When oil is hot, brown chops, about 5 or 6 minutes on each side.

3) While pork is cooking, combine brown sugar in a bowl with apples, and stir until apples are coated. (There will be sugar left over, but we’ll use that later.)

4) Place sweet potatoes in bottom of slow cooker, and sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. Then, layer as follows: ½ the onion, ½ the apples, pork, the remaining onion, the remaining apples. Sprinkle with leftover brown sugar and cook on HIGH for 4-1/2 hours. Stir gently before serving, and be sure to spoon some of the sauce on top of each dish.

Stories and writing, again

One more post on stories and writing for this week, based on two things that came across Google Reader today.

(By the way, do you use a RSS reader like Google Reader to follow your blogs? It is a fantastic tool that I highly recommend.)

First, the blog Scribbit, written by an LDS woman living in Anchorage, Alaska (but whom I've never met) hosts monthly writing contests complete with prizes. All contestants get mentioned in the blog, so it is also some blog publicity, if you're in to that sort of thing. This month's theme is "Grateful" and the prize is a selection of goodies from Bath and Body Works.

Then, today's post on Blog Segullah, a community of LDS women with near-daily posts, I read a post on life stories and transformation narratives. Leslie, the author, recommends a fascinating article from the New York Times: This Is Your Life (and How You Tell It). If you only read one link from this post today, I highly recommend this one.

In her post, Leslie talks about the amazing, changing events in stories, and asks:

"Is the power in the event being so dramatic or in the realization and meaning we assign to it? Is it in how we craft the story around the events, in framing them as narrative, in allowing them to impact our future? Do our moments seem unimportant, un-story worthy because we simple fail to see them in a context and find some meaning, moral, or future guiding motivation in them?

"How does thinking about life as an epic story, a composite of transformative events change us? When we place ourselves in the the role of heroines how much more meaning does it have?"

She concludes by mentioning two transformative events in her life, her time as a medical missionary in her early twenties and her current work as a stay-at-home mom, and invites blog readers to comment on their own stories and transforming moments.

I think Leslie is on to something in thinking about the transforming moments in our lives, especially in light of the New York Times article and its conclusion about personal stories told in first- or third-person. More things to think about as I work my way through NaBloPoMo and think about the National Day of Listening.

National Day of Listening 2009

I wrote about StoryCorps National Day of Listening last year. This year, I'm giving all of us a heads up: National Day of Listening 2009 is November 27, the day after Thanksgiving. StoryCorps challenge is to spend an hour recording--audio, video, or pen and paper--a conversation with someone important to you.

This, too, is part of capturing and keeping memories. For many of us, Thanksgiving is a time spent with family and friends, a time where we share stories and memories with each other, even if they are just about the small things.

During my four years in Provo, I spent three Thanksgivings with my mom's family. One of my memories from those Thanksgivings was helping my grandma prepare the meal and set the table. Just before dinner, as she set out the canned cranberry sauce, she mentioned her method was the same her mother had used. I never had the chance to meet my great-grandmother, but that small story and small act is a link between us.

Most of the our own story telling focuses on the interesting stories. And when you are entertaining a group, it takes skill to turn simple interactions into those interesting stories. On the other hand, maybe the simple stories of interactions are the ones that stay with us longer, become part of us. For me, I think about my grandma and her mother every time I think about cranberry sauce at Thanksgiving.

November and memories

Happy November! Just possibly my favorite month, in one of my favorite seasons. I love November for birthdays and Thanksgiving, seasonal food and family. And, for the third year in a row, I'm signing up for NaBloPoMo--a month of posting every day. Clint laughed at me when I said I had to blog tonight because it is November. I should be better about blogging throughout the year, instead of almost doubling my postings for the year in one month--but every year, I tell myself I do NaBloPoMo to get in the habit so that I actually do better in the comming year.

The latest bee in my bonet is all about cleaning and organizing. I'm going slowly, partly because I am tring to be brutally honest with myself. If it isn't something I've used in the last year, even if it is a project I fully intend on doing, I'm putting it in a pile, and if I can't rescue it soon, it's gone.

One of the boxes I worked on recently had various notes and papers from the end of high school and my college days. I found the photographs and wedding invitations for friends and roommates, and letters from my brother while he was on a mission. I also found the first note Clint ever left for me after our first date. I found the program from the play we went to on our second date after I found his note and was brave enough to call him back. I found old talks and notes from lessons I taught in Relief Society, some over six years old. I managed to avoid most of my two traps in going through the box--keeping too much for sentamental reasons and getting bogged down in the sorting process by all of my re-discoveries.

But I was surprised in my sorting about how much I had forgotten about my own life, especially in terms of how I felt or what I was thinking. Many of these objects jogged those memories, and made themselves valuable--and keepable--for those reasons. Thinking about stuff and memories made me wish I had kept better record of those thoughts and feelings at the time, so that the objects didn't matter as much. And when it all boils down, that is the reason I want to keep writing. It is so easy to get busy living life in the moment that it is easy to forget how that moment is different from the ones that have come before. Blogging isn't the perfect answer to how to keep writing--it too public for many personal thoughts, and too impersonal for others. Ideally, I would write for myself and keep my records that way. On the other hand, it is easy for me to get carried away by writing, and to leave good things left undone so I can write. That is not the answer either. For now, blogging for a small community of friends and family is the best I have, and it at least is one more way to keep memories.

Fall groupie and a recipe

I have posted my Love For Fall in the past, but with the cool air and the leaves in my backyard turning pretty colors and lazily drifting down, I feel the need to say it again. I love fall, especially fall in Georgia. And I love fall recipes. Here's a recent favorite. Don't be put off by the pumpkin--it makes this a very hearty chili without too much pumpkin taste.

Once again, this recipe comes via Kristen Swensson,who writes Cheap, Healthy, Good as well as a weekly column for Serious Eats. You may have noticed that these are two of my favorite sources for recipes. And I hope you'll agree with me that that Pumpkin Turkey Chili is delicious. Enjoy!

Pumpkin Turkey Chili

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 cup chopped onion
1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
1/2 yellow bell pepper, chopped
1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chiles
1 large clove garlic, minced
1 pound ground turkey
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 (14.5 ounce) can red kidney beans
2 cups (1 14.5 ounce can) pumpkin puree
1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder
1/2 tablespoon cumin
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Cayenne pepper to taste (at least 3 good shakes)
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese (optional)
1/2 cup sour cream (optional)
Procedure

1. Heat oil in a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat.

2. Saute the onion, green bell pepper, yellow bell pepper, green chiles, and garlic until tender, about 10 minutes. Make room in the center of the skillet, add turkey, and brown, about 10 minutes. Stir in tomatoes, beans, and pumpkin. Season with chili powder, cumin, pepper, salt, and cayenne.

3. Reduce heat and simmer at least 20 minutes. Stir in fresh cilantro. If preferred, serve topped with Cheddar cheese and sour cream.

Two book recommendations

Last month, my Relief Society book group read The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows. The story is told through letters between characters, but the book is structured so the interactions and dates are clear: after the first few letters, I easily understood the format and the characters. It takes place on the island of Guernsey, which is located in the English Channel, closer to France than England, but under the governance of the British crown. During World War II, the island was captured and occupied by the Nazis for nearly the duration of the duration of the war. Just before the island was captured, many of the local children were evacuated to England, a scene which is heart-wrenchingly portrayed in the book.

I don't want to give away the story--and I don't think this background does--since reading it fresh was part of the joy of the book to me. And the book was a joy to read, despite its very heavy theme of World War II. The story is honest about the tragedies of war, but it doesn't wallow in those tragedies. Instead, it seems to suggest the only way to live through tragedies is to embrace them and to embrace life at the same time. Recognize the bad, and still choose to see the good, the beautiful, the funny, and the precious.

I've mentioned before that I enjoy books that raise questions to ponder. This is not one of those books. Instead, this book is more like a deliciously ripe peach, self-contained and best consumed completely. That at the end, we can still have the story to share, is just a bonus.
***** ***** ***** ***** *****
I can't remember the first place I heard about The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein. I know it is one of the options for the Real Simple No Obligation Book Club for November. Wherever I first heard about it, I was mildly intrigued by the premise--the book is narrated by a dog--but didn't think I would find it interesting. It must have crossed my radar again, because when I saw the paperback version at Costco this week, I brought it home along with my vat of chicken soup (delicious!) and my fresh-made naan (what's your favorite at-home Indian recipe?).

The book, as I mentioned, is narrated by a dog who belongs to a twenty-something aspiring race car driver. But this dog, Enzo, is a philosopher, educated on PBS and Discovery, who believes in reincarnation, and that the next step for his soul is to become a man. In retelling his life, Enzo is honest about his strengths and weaknesses, as well as the strengths and weaknesses of those he loves. Driving is his metaphore for life; dealing with life's complications and tragedies is akin to being able to drive when the road conditions are less-than ideal, or the art of racing in the rain.

This is a book that raises questions to ponder: how do I handle complications and tragedies in my life? What does it mean to be alive and to be human? What are my responsibilities to my family and myself? What are my dreams, and what am I doing to accomplish them?

For me, The Art of Racing in the Rain is like a late-night conversations with college roommates--the serious ones where life and plans are honestly shared and discussed. It made me think and made me resolve to think more, do more, be more, and live my life more.

New York

Clint and I recently took a short trip to New York. It was my first time in the city, and we had a great time seeing the sites and being food tourists. A few highlight photographs below.
The obligatory cupcake--this one is red velvet from a place we happened to stumble across. Unfortunately, it wasn't that good. We did get cupcakes from Magnolia Bakery a different day, and they were much better.
This was something we had never heard of. The restaurant just serves dishes of macaroni and cheese. The food is served in different sizes of cast iron skillets, and you can get your dish with a variety of cheese and other toppings. It certainly was comfort food.
We also shared a pastrami on rye at Katz's. I never would have guessed that I liked pastrami or rye bread, but I would order it again here.
At Otto we tried three flavors of gelato: pistachio, honeydew melon, and sweet corn. It was all good, even the corn.
We just happened to stumble across Peanut Butter and Co. as we were heading somewhere else, but when we found it, we had to stop. There is a PBS special called Sandwiches That You Will Like. It is one of my family's favorite shows, and Peanut Butter and Co. was featured on the program. Clint and I shared an Elvis, minus the bacon, with a cup of fresh milk.

We did more than eating on the trip. We also took a daytime, double-decker bus ride of the northern part of Manhattan, and later a nighttime ride that included a ferry out to see the Statue of Liberty. This was my first time seeing the Statue of Liberty, and it was neat to see it at night, all lit up, for the first time. Unfortunately, the pictures we tried to take with us and the statue didn't turn out, but I liked this one with th
Another one of our treats in the city--Grey's Papaya dogs. I liked the papaya drink better than the banana flavored one, myself.
The Chrysler building at night, as seen from our double-decker night tour.
The happy couple on the night tour. This was at the beginning of the tour, just as we were leaving Times Square. It was probably good that we took it then; although it was quite warm during the day, it cooled off at night, and combined with the wind from the tour, we were a little chilled and windswept before it was all over.
Chrysler building on the daytime double-decker trip.

The happy couple on the daytime double-decker trip. What a beautiful, sunny day.

We were in New York during the terrible rain storms Georgia had last week. We made sure to enjoy the sunshine we had while praying that our house was okay without us. Thankfully, everything was fine when we got home. Apparently our area of Georgia wasn't hit as badly as some others.
Times Square. And one of the few remaining Chevy's restaurants. Chevy's has been a Ricker favorite, but it is hard to find them any more. So we made sure to visit, shared fajitas, and thought of the Rickers.

Angel Moroni atop the Manhattan temple. The Manhattan Temple is right in Lincoln Square and is one of three temples in converted buildings (Vernal, Utah, and Copenhagen, Denmark are the other two.) The temple is beautiful, and I am so grateful we had the chance to visit the temple while we were in the city.

Before this trip, I hadn't really thought much about visiting New York, and the little I had, I assumed it would be a quick, one time visit. I always pictured myself more as a country girl than a big city girl, but I really enjoyed our time in New York.

Not quite a book recommendation

Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout

Overall, I would give this book a "meh," complete with shoulder shrug. It isn't a bad book, it just isn't that great. I think it's a combination of the expectations of a Pulitzer Prize and having come off of a book that I loved.

But ... I really want to find someone who has read this book to talk about it. Because while I didn't love it, I want to make sure that I didn't miss something, that the problem is with the book and not me. All very insecure, I know, but I blame my post-Comparative Literature major state.

The book is a collection of thirteen short stories all set in rural Maine and all having Olive Kitteridge as a character, at least in passing. Olive was a school teacher in the community for years and years, and is a woman who may come off as larger-than-life, due to hear size and her strong personality, but she is also very human.

The stories are moments in lives lived, but seem to focus more on the sad moments, or the bittersweet, or the heartbreaking moments than the happy ones. And while as story tellers, we choose to tell the interesting stories, the most beautiful stories are the ones with good moments as well as the sad or bittersweet parts.

I guess the good thing about this book is that nearly a week after finishing it, I am still thinking about it and wishing to talk about it. But for all that, I prefer talking about books that I like, rather than just ones that I've finished.

A book recommendation

The Ladies Auxiliary by Tova Mirvis

Set in an Orthodox Jewish community in Memphis--"The Jerusalem of the South"--the story recounts the year after a young woman and her daughter move to town. The woman, a convert to Judaism and a widow, brings her own flair to the community and causes community members to examine themselves in the process.

I liked how central Judaism was to this book--almost as if it were a character. And I liked that things were explained with a very light touch--I never felt dumb for not knowing the intricacies of traditions. Characters were very human and relate-able in a way that made me want to be a better person.

I loved the way Mirvis used "we" in the book. I devoured the beginning and couldn't stop reading through the middle and end, even though the train wreck I saw coming was so painful.

I am looking forward to recommending this book to my Relief Society book group and discussing it with my own church ladies.

Something to do with your cooked beans

(Another unrelated photo from the Alaska trip. This is Reid Falls in Skagway, named after the hero that shot the gangster Soapy Smith. Can you tell I love waterfalls?)

In my parent's family, the traditional Sunday night dinner is cheese tortillas. Here's the recipe:

Sprinkle shredded cheddar cheese on tortillas. Optionally add ground hamburger. Broil in the oven or microwave until the cheese is melted. Eat with Heinz chili sauce.

It's quick and simple and something they've done all of my life. When we were kids, Sunday's beverage was always orange juice with 7-up. I can remember getting quite scientific with Reed and Katie to make sure everyone had e-x-a-c-t-l-y the same 7-up.

In the last few years, my family has branched out to add another recipe to the mix. This recipe came from Uncle Mike, who found it in Cook's Illustrated. I am quite the fan of the new recipe.

Let me just say, because this is from Cook's Illustrated, the recipe is very detailed and specific. Don't let that stop you from trying it; the recipe is very forgiving. You shouldn't feel that you have to follow each step to the
letter.

Also, it may seem like a lot of steps, but it goes pretty quickly. The recipe is very easy to scale, and the prepared ingredients freeze well. The last time I made a batch of the mix, I think I trippled it, and then divided it into individual portions and froze the rest. It was then easy to have an almost-ready meal to grab out of the freezer. The only problem is these are just so good that the mix didn't last long, and now I need to make another batch.

Mike's Quesadillas, or Corn and Black Bean Quesadillas

1/3 cup frozen corn kernals
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
1/3 cup minced red onion
1 teaspoon minced garlic
(optional: 1/2 to 1 teaspoon cumin)
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/3 cup black beans, canned or cooked
2 teaspoons lime juice
kosher salt
2 plain flour tortillas, 8-inch
2/3 cup pepper jack cheese, Monterey Jack cheese, or cheddar

Heat 10-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until hot, about 2 minutes. Add corn and cook, stirring occasionally, until kernels begin to brown and pop, about 3 to 5 minutes; transfer corn to medium bowl. Heat 2 teaspoons vegetable oil in now-empty skillet over medium heat until shimmering; add red onion and cook, stirring occasionally until softened, about 3 minutes. Add garlic and chili powder (and optionally cumin) and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute; stir in beans and cook until heated through, about 1 minute. Return corn to skillet and toss to combine; gently press mixture with spatula to lightly crush black beans. Transfer mixture to now-empty bowl, stir in lime juice and season with salt to taste.

Wipe out skillet with paper towels and return to medium heat until hot, about 2 minutes. Place 1 tortilla in skillet and toast until soft and puffed slightly at edges, about 2 minutes. Flip tortilla and toast until puffed and slightly browned, 1 to 2 minutes longer. Slip tortilla onto cutting board. Repeat to toast second tortilla while assembling the first quesadilla. Sprinkle 1/3 cup cheese and half the corn and bean mixture over half the tortilla, leaving 1/2-inch boarder around the edge. Fold tortilla in half and press to flatten. Brush surface generously with oil, sprinkle lightly with salt, and set aside. Repeat to form second quesadilla.

Place both quesadillas in skillet, oiled side down; cook over medium heat until crisp and well browned, 1 to 2 minutes. Brush surface with oil and sprinkle lightly with salt. Flip quesadillas and cook until second sides are crisp and browned, 1 to 2 mintues longer. Transfer quesadillas to cutting board; cool about 3 minutes, half each quesadilla and serve.

Enjoy!

A better way to cook beans

(The photo has nothing to do with the post. It is from our Alaska trip, I just like it, I haven't shared it yet, and I don't have a picture of beans.)

I love beans, especially kidney and black beans. Love, love, love beans. A few months ago, I bought some dried beans, thinking they would be good to have as food storage. And I've made them a few times, both with overnight and quick soak methods. But just before our vacation, Clint found a no-soak bean recipe. This method knocks the other methods out of the park, both in ease and results. Here's the recipe:

1 pound beans (about 2 cups dried)
1/2 tablespoon salt
water
Optional: onion, seasoning

Pre-heat the oven to 250. Dump the beans in a pot that can go on the stove and in the oven with a tight fitting lid. Pick through the beans and remove any broken pieces. Add the salt, and optionally half an onion, chopped, or other seasoning you like on your beans. Add enough water to cover the beans by an inch and a half. Bring the pot to a boil on the stove. When the beans are boiling, put them in the oven and cook them for 75 minutes. Check the beans after 45 minutes and add more water if they look too dry. Test the beans after 75 minutes--they should be done and delicious.

Cooked beans freeze well, and the last time I made the recipe, I doubled it. It did take a little bit longer to cook, but not as long as soaking overnight and then cooking.

A new haircut

Lillie did a fabulous job today, helping me pick a new look, cutting it,
and showing me how to recreate it at home. I am grateful for a
fabulous hairdresser and wonderful friend.

Three things for Whimsy

Whimsy is a friend-of-a-friend who has a delightful blog and an adorable daughter. She is feeling the dearth of summer-time postings, and has started three things in which she posts three of her favorite blog posts and invites others to do the same. I was unable to participate in her first three rounds of three things, but I'm here to catch up now. Her suggested theme this week three things written by the selector. Please don't view me as completely self-centered for picking this week to play along. And, if you feel so inclined, play along at home.

To help narrow the selection, I've picked one post for each year I've been blogging. Two come from November, when I participate in the NaBloPoMo, a challenge to post every day in November. (NaBloPoMo grew out of NaNoWriMo: National Novel Writing Month, a challenge to write a 50,000 word novel in 30 days. Yikes!). Probably the main reason the third selection isn't from November is that it is only July.

Without further ado, here are three things for Whimsy:

• 2007: On Stories: In which I relate my theory on which stories we tell and why.
• 2008: Happy Birthday, Katie!: Thoughts on sisters and memories of the day my sister was born.
• 2009: The Unexpected: In which I proclaim my goal to enlarge my imagination.

Enjoy!

Alaska on my mind

Thirty-six hours back in Georgia. The suitcases are put away, laundry clean, and I've even put in a day at work. Of course, there is still more to be done, as there always is when returning from vacation ... grocery shopping, bills, sorting and printing pictures. It was a wonderful trip, and I am glad to be home.

It's kind of hot here in Georgia, and even spending a week in Chicago's warm humidity didn't prepare me for this. I'm adjusting to being back in the heat, but I do miss the cooler weather.

One more Alaska story for now: The last Monday that Clint and I were in Alaska, we headed to the Mendenhall Glacier with my family to take some pictures. As we got out of the car, we noticed a crowd, went over to investigate, and discovered this small black bear. I know she appears brown in the picture, but did you know black bears come in a variety of colors? This one is a cinnamon black bear. She was pretty small, even for a black bear--I would guess it is her first year away from her mother. While we were busy taking pictures--I used the camera's zoom to get the picture below--several park rangers kept the crowds and the bears away from each other and eventually encouraged the bear to meander into the woods, away from all the people.

After the bear left, we started taking family pictures and relized that our camera was out of batteries--I had forgotten to charge the camera, and used the last of the battery we did have taking pictures of the bear! Luckily, my dad had a camera in his car, and he was able to take a few before his camera battery died.

A Happy Fourth of July

Our holiday celebrations began late last night or early this morning, depending on how you look at it. Juneau's fireworks begin at 12:01 AM on July 4, so last night, we went downtown to celebrate with the community. The display was lovely.

Today, Clint and I watched the Juneau parade, especially long this year because of the 50th anniversary of Alaska's statehood.

We've had a great time with my family and in Alaska.

Happy Fourth of July to all.

(Almost) Home Again

You probably can't quite see the Mendenhall Glacier in this picture,
but it's there, between the two dark mountains at the center of the
picture. We're home, or almost so, from our quick trip to Haines,
Whitehorse, and Skagway. The trip was lovely, with great views, rich
history, good food, and small town charm. I'm a sort of hit-and-miss
photographer, but I'll try and post highlights this week.

Tonight, my mom, sister, husband, and I are taking part in the Only
Fools Run at Midnight, a local race celebrating the longest days of
the year and benefiting a local charity that supports disabled
adults.. We're all doing the one mile walk, but I have to confess, my
main motivation is to get the race long-sleve tee shirt, which also
celebrates Alaska's fiftieth anniversary as a state, taking place all
this year. Happy Birthday, Alaska-as-a-state!

We're off!

Just a few minutes away from boarding the M/V Malaspina, part of the
Alaska Marine Highway System. The Malaspina is named after an Alaskan
glacier, as are all ferries in the system. We're bound for Haines, a
four-and-half-hour ferry ride up the coast. Tomorrow we head to
Whitehorse, Yukon Territory, almost six hours down the road. Friday,
we'll drive three hours to Skagway, gateway to the Klondike gold rush.
Saturday, we'll ferry back to Juneau. Quick trip, but it should be fun.

Beach blogging

By some miracle of modern technology, we have coverage at the beach.
We're at Eagle Beach, nearly thirty miles north of Downtown Juneau.
The weather has been mixed today, but out here, the sun is shining. We
rode bikes a couple of miles down the path, through old-growth forest
to the beach. Clint and I put our toes in the water, but found the
ocean water too cold for more than a touch.

Tomorrow we head out of town for a quick road trip into Canada with my
parents. I'm looking forward to the adventuue.

A Sunday Home

Today, I attended the ward I grew up in for the first time in three years. My family moved to Juneau twenty-some years ago, and we've been in the same ward ever since. The ward has its share of new faces, but mostly it is full with the families I grew up with. I wasn't the only visitor this week, and it was fun to reconnect with others who are also in town for the summer. My heart was full to see so many friends and leaders, people who had loved me when I was a cute kid and through the tough days of adolescents. The hardest part was seeing everyone else who had grown up, like the two-year-old redhead I left who is now nearly eleven. I can't believe I didn't recognize her.

Home is such a strange concept as an adult. For me, home is my house in Georgia more than the address where I grew up and where my parents still live. But at the same time, home is Juneau more than Georgia, as fond as I am of the Peach State. I breathe differently here. There's something in the air or the soil or the rain that changes me for the better. I feel as if I have roots with the forget-me-nots, lupine, and fireweed. The presence of the mountains protects me and surrounds me with support and strength. I will be happy to be home in Georgia when the time comes, but part of me will always miss my home in Juneau.

In today's tender moments, I thought about a future homecoming, to a different home entirely. I hope we'll walk through the doors to welcome arms and smiling friends. I hope we'll find each other across the crowds just to say "It's good to see you." I hope we'll smile until our cheeks hurt, and laugh until our bellies ache. The promise of that joy makes me want to be a little better now. It also makes me want to hold loved ones a little bit closer.

Isn't it nice to be home again.

East Glacier Trail, a photo essay

This morning, Dad and I hiked the East Glacier trail, probably my favorite hike in Juneau. The weather looked good when we decided to go out, and then started drizzling for the beginning of our hike.

Here I am at the Mendenhall Glacier, just over two and a half miles from my parents' house. You can't see the glacier as clearly in this picture, but it has really receeded the last few years. When we first moved to Juneau, twenty-something years ago, the rock to the right of the face of the glacier was completely covered with ice.


We took a lot of photos on the hike--Clint and I want to decorate with nature photos in our home. I think this was one Dad took. I've always loved mossy woods. By this point, the weather had cleared and the sun was able to poke through the trees a bit.



Dad even let me take a few pictures of him.
The mosquitos were out in full force today, not too bad when we were moving, but hungry, hungry, hungry when we stopped.




Another view of the glacier. I tried to get a good picture of the deep blue color in the glacier after it calves and an iceburg breaks off, but I'm not sure it comes across very well in this picture.





We also detoured off the trail a few times so Dad could show me the ruins of an old hydroelectric plant, built in the 1910s to power the Treadwell Mining complex. In this picture, I'm standing near a pipe that brough water from Nugget Creek to the power plant.


A good day for a hike, and a good hike today.

Kitchen adventures

Today, my mom and I made her famous bread, starting with grinding the
wheat and ending with the six loaves you see below. Yum! I've been
experimenting with breads back home with little success--my yeast
breads don't rise, and my flat breads do. I thouroughly documented
today's process with pictures galore, so hopefully future Georgia-
based expiruments will also be more successful.

We also made cottage cheese from powdered milk, once with vinegar
(success!) and once with lemon juice (not success, we think the lemon
juice might have been old.)

Tonight, we're going to a function for Dad's professional
organization. It's a cookout on the beach, Alaska-style, halibut and
potluck sides. It rained most of today, but for now, the rain has
stopped. I'm hoping to get some good pictures.

Juneau

The captain just announced we are twenty minutes from Juneau. I am so
excited. This has been a long trip, and while I have been a good
traveler this trip, I'm looking forward to being *home*.

(Home as in hometown. Our house is home, but Juneau will always be
where I'm from.)

I wrote a lovely post yesterday from the Dallas Airport, all about
traveling and such, but it got lost in the ether.
=====
I'm in Juneau and settled in my childhood home. My flight from Dallas
yesterday was delayed, and I ended up missing my connection in Seattle
(the flight took off fifteen minutes before I landed) and spending the
night there. This morning, I was up and back at the airport early to
get to Juneau before breakfast.
=====
The weather is sunny and Juneau-warm. Perfect. Tonight we are grilling
Greek lemon chicken and sweet potatoes. Not a bad start to a trip home.

A busy Friday

(The pictures aren't aligning well today. Please forgive the poor layout.)Plants in the boxes ... tomatoes, cabbage, peppers, parsley, strawberries, pumpkin and one zucchini. We still have four squares to fill ... maybe beans and carrots or lettuce.


I also painted the dresser I use as a nightstand, changed the hardware, and added legs to a shelf to make a vanity. The wall hanging to the left of the mirror holds jewelry, with more jewelry hanging in the bathroom. The idea for the vanity table came from Ikea Hacker; the jewelry in the bathroom idea is also from there.

How does your garden grow?

Clint and I have flirted with the idea of a garden since we've been married. The first year in our first house, we planted a few containers and then built two large boxes that never got used. This year, we picked up the book Square Foot Gardening by Mel Bartholomew (who is also writing for the online publication Meridian Magazine this year and has a Web site here) and built three boxes. We found a local nursery that with fantastic prices and brought several home. All before we realized that the boxes needed to be approved by the Home Owners Association. And before we were told by a neighbor that vegetable gardens were not allowed. Fortunately, that information was mistaken, and the HOA approved our boxes. Of course, now that we have approval to move forward, the forecast for the next ten days calls for rain every day!

Hopefully things will be dry enough at some point this weekend to start planting. I'm looking forward to homegrown tomatoes.

The image is from a poster in the World War II Poster Collection at Northwestern University.

Happy Anniversary

Happy anniversary, love.

When we daydream as children of our happily ever afters, we don't think about the weekday anniversaries with work and chores. But then again, we say "for better or for worse" without knowing what the worse may be, and crossing our fingers behind our backs to try and keep it away.

For an anniversary that we both have to work, we're blessed to both work from home today, in a way, spending the day together. We're lucky enough that chores and other commitments can fit into our plans for tonight's Italian-dinner-special celebration. Maybe it helps that we both have low-key sides we can put into play. Maybe it helps that we started celebrating this anniversary on Saturday.

We can't keep the worse away, whether it is week-day anniversaries or illness. But even the worst is better with love.

Through all of the "better" and "worse" of the last four years; through travels and quiet nights at home; through showers and sunburns, I've loved our first steps into forever.

Here's to a million more and beyond.

April is National Poetry Month

I'm about a week late in posting this. According to the Academy of American Poets, National Poetry Month was established in 1996. Which may be true, but I thought I remembered studying poetry in April in school years before 1996, so maybe there was an unofficial National Poetry month before then. Or maybe poetry is easy to study in April when the weather turns warmer and school children get anxious for the end of the year and the freedom of summer.

Whatever the root of National Poetry month, I recently discovered some helpful poetry resources that I thought I would share.

• GottaBook is publishing 30 poems by 30 poets in April, featuring previously unpublished poetry by children's poets including X. J. Kennedy and Jack Prelutsky.
• The University of North Carolina Writing Center has a handout on explication, or the art of analyzing poetry, as does the Online Writing Center at Perdue found here
• The Library of Congress has a helpful list of online poetry resources
• The National Endowment for the Humanities EdSiteMent has a collection of poetry lesson plans

If you're looking for something less academic, my new blog friend Whimsy is hosting a poetry contest with prizes! -- but you only have until 8 pm PDT Sunday to post your poem!

And to help get you excited about National Poetry Month, here's a poem from an anthology I put together as a high school assignment.

The Poem
Amy Lowell

It is only a little twig
With a green bud at the end
But if you plant it,
And water it,
And set it where the sun will be above
It will grow into a tall bush
With many flowers
And leaves which thrust hither and thither
Sparkling.
From its roots will come freshness
And beneath it the grass-blades
Will bend and recover themselves,
And clash one upon another
In the blowing wind.

But if you take my twig
And throw it into a closet
With mousetraps and blunt tools,
It will shrivel and waste
And, some day,
When you open the door,
You will think it an old twisted nail,
And sweep it into the dust bin
With other rubbish.

Among my favorites (and so hard to choose just one favorite!) because of the spring-appropriate imagery of the potential of growing and taking on life.

So, dear readers, what is your favorite poem? And why?

Favorite lines

I'm not the kind of person who quotes movie lines. Partly because I don't have that kind of memory, partly because there are few movies I watch more than once or twice. The only exception I can think of is While You Were Sleeping--and with that, I have to admit I regularly think "Two, please; Four, please" when I am on elevators. But even that is a pretty simple movie quote. Like I said, I just don't have the gift.

I have been known to repeat lines from commercials more often than movie lines. Last night, I realized my all time favorite is from this commercial:



My favorite line: "I'm too excited to sleep!"

Thinking about this last night, I asked Clint his favorite-commercial-line-to-repeat. His response: "Two words. Blue Berry." Unfortunately, I couldn't find a clip of the Eggo commercial which has inspired many blueberry purchases at our house.

And now for audience participation. What's your most repeated commercial or movie line?

An evening with Andrew Young

Last night Clint and I attended the premiere of How We Got Over, a new documentary about the Civil Rights movement using footage from the Civil Rights Digital Library. After the documentary, Ambassador Young answered a few questions from the audience and then stayed around to shake hands. We had a pleasant evening and enjoyed the documentary. It is exciting to see the project I've worked on for the last three years being used and discussed by people around the country and around the world.

The Athens Banner Herald includes an article based on an interview with Ambassador Young before the screening, available here.

Currently the documentary is not available publicly, but when that changes, I'll be sure to post the information.

An event in Athens

For those of you in the Athens area, Monday night Civil Rights leader, former mayor of Atlanta, and former ambassador Andrew Young will be on campus to present the full length version of his new documentary How We Got Over. Here are the details:

The Walter J. Brown Media Archives & Peabody Awards Collection at the University of Georgia Libraries will host Ambassador Andrew Young as he presents the premiere of his new feature-length civil rights documentary, How We Got Over, at 7 p.m. on Monday, March 30.

The event, in Room 102 of the Miller Learning Center, is free and open to the general public, as well as UGA students, faculty and staff.

Much of the footage from How We Got Over is taken from the Civil Rights Digital Library, the project I have been working on for the last three years. A shortened version of the documentary has been shown twice on WSB-TV in Atlanta. I have recorded it, but have to admit that I have not watched it in its entirety yet. Clint and I are planning on

For those of you interested who may be outside of Athens, all of the Andrew Young material in the Civil Rights Digital Library may be found here in the Civil Rights Digital Library. One of my favorite clips with Ambassador Young is this one from 1971.