changes in latitudes, changes in attitudes

Me and my pops at the show

I am fortunate to have a dad who has good taste in music (well...mostly) and who raised me to have a deep appreciation for music as well. Among other artists (The Beatles, Paul Simon, Steve Miller Band, The Temptations, etc.), Jimmy Buffett albums were on heavy rotation at our house growing up. Instead of "Old MacDonald Had a Farm", songs like "Margaritaville" and "Cheeseburger in Paradise" were my childhood nursey songs instead. So when I saw that Jimmy Buffett was coming to the Bay Area for a concert, I immediately called up my dad and said, let's go! He has seen Jimmy perform many many times when we lived in Colorado but surprisingly had never seen him here in California. And since I became a Jimmy fan because of my dad, I figured it would only be fitting to go to my first Buffett concert with him. So we got some tickets off Craigslist and put May 19th on the calendar.

Last night was the show and it was the only concert at a large venue I've been to where pretty much everyone was standing up and dancing throughout the show. I knew that Jimmy Buffett fans (aka Parrotheads) can be pretty hardcore, dressing up in full Hawaiian luau garb and it was entertaining to see the variety of grass skirts and coconut bras (many of which were worn by men). The atmopshere at the concert was lighthearted and playful, largely due to all the margaritas being consumed, but also because Jimmy Buffett songs can transport you to a tropical island mindset where there is not a care in the world. There was only one new song that brought the crowd back to reality called "A Lot to Drink About" (alluding to bailouts and global wars), but even this song had an upbeat twang to it.

All in all, it was a fun evening and I am glad I've finally seen Jimmy Buffett live!

Grass skirts and Hawaiian shirts galore

Parrotheads know how to party

My dad on his second grossly overpriced margarita

Mixing work and pleasure: Part 2

Friday night's dinner plans with Ashley and Mark begins with Ash making reservations at an Italian restaurant in Irvine called "Z Mario" that she said had moved locations but was an amazing Italian place. Ashley's friends, Tawny and Jeremy, join us there and as we walk in I notice two things: the decor of the restaurant is very minimalist and modern (doesn't feel like any Italian restaurant I've ever been in) and the restaurant is completely empty. COMPLETELY. The hostess leads us back to our table in the back of the restaurant and we walk by a dance floor and a bar...hmmmm. When she gives us the menus, everything is over $30 an entree, and there is nothing remotely Italian offered. It turns out that the owners of what used to be "Z Mario" decided to turn their cozy Italian restaurant into a trendy lounge/uber expensive place to eat. We quickly decided to pick up and leave and find an actual Italian restaurant and ended up at Villa Nova in Newport Beach. Apparently, this is the spot where Joe DiMaggio took Marilyn Monroe on a blind date, pretty cool stuff. I ordered the manicotti and it was delish!


After dinner, Ash and I talked the night away and made a late-night run to YogurtLand. Again, I found that SoCal has a myriad of awesome frozen yogurt places and if I lived there, I would make a point to visit a new one each week! The next morning, Ash displayed her domestic skills and made a hearty oatmeal and scrambled eggs breakfast before we headed out to do some serious shopping. Actually, I did some serious shopping and Ash was my lackey, helping me find cute summer work outfits and making sure I did NOT buy more tank tops. I scouted out some great deals at Old Navy (50% off stuff already on clearance!), H&M, and Forever 21 and ended up with 5 cute tops and one classy skirt for $60.00.
We then drove up to Westwood, where I was going to meet up with Rachel. We stopped at Diddy Riese, a classic dessert place near UCLA that offers their famous ice-cream sandwiches for $1.50. You get to choose two fresh baked cookies and your flavor of ice cream and the result is a sweet tooth's dream!


The rest of my weekend getaway was spent with Rach in Santa Monica. The last time I had been in Santa Monica was for a college spring break trip with ADX when we stayed in a motel where homeless men were using the windows as mirrors to shave. Let's just say staying in Rach's apartment was quite a step up from that. We took a coastal drive to the Malibu area and gawked at the ridiculously huge mansions that people live in. For dinner that night we went to the Third Street Promenade and ended up at Barney's Beanery. This place has the most extensive menu I've probably ever seen....they have everything from chili bread bowls to fajita plates to burgers to pasta dishes to meatloaf. And for those that love their potatoes, they have 25 different kinds of potato skin options. Needless to say, it took quite a while to decide what to order. After dinner and strolling around the Promenade, we went back to Rach's place and ended up watching "Little Women" (what girl doesn't love Christian Bale as Laurie?) on her laptop in her comfy bed before dozing to sleep.
It was so refreshing to sleep in until 11 the next morning, it's a foreign feeling to wake up feeling well-rested! Rach then suggested a brunch destination that she had tried before, called Jack and Jill's. A restaurant that has a name derived from a nursery rhyme is enough to catch my interest so off we went. Another delicious dining experience. What I liked the most was that you get the option of these mini-blueberry cakes with your meal and they were so good! After stuffing myself yet again, it was time to head back to Sac. I am so grateful I was able to visit with so many close friends during this work trip...many thanks to UCD and taxpayer money =)

Mixing work and pleasure: Part 1

Although UC staff haven't gotten cost of living increases or merit increases in a while, there is a huge perk to being a UC adviser: the 3 day UC Advisors conference that happens every spring. Basically, the department pays for its advisers to stay at a nice hotel in a nice location in order to mingle with other UC advisers and go to adviser workshops with titles like "How to Charm Students at The Door and Not Keep a Flask in Your Drawer" (no joke). This year's conference was hosted by UC San Diego so we were put up at the Hyatt Regency in La Jolla.....ca ching! I enjoyed my king bed, my comped meals, and being able to have an excuse to not check my work email (the hotel did not have free internet) and instead use any free time to dive into reading "Angels and Demons" or watch random television (including the Biography Channel which had an interesting segment on Christian Bale). Unlike last year's conference, most the workshops I went to this year were rather interesting. The most useful seminar was about the topic of the low-income student experience at UC campuses and how to best serve this student population. Our keynote speakers at breakfast and lunch were also entertaining, including a professor of music who proceeded to play the maracas for 10 minutes at the end of his talk which he said was a metaphor for being able to improvise in any life situation....haha.
Since the conference was in La Jolla, I was able to visit Krystle and Dan during both nights. They took me to Yogurt World the first night which has the most amazing cake batter yogurt....it is unlike any fro yo I've had. Then we watched (and discussed) Wednesday's episode of LOST which was fun since they are fellow LOST fanatics. On Thursday night, I was able to practice my MarioKart Wii skills at their house and I have to say, I'm a little tempted to buy a Wii again. I'm a little ashamed to say I never came in first, but at least I got back to a decent level of MarioKart competency. Krystle (who moonlights as a Starbucks barista) also made me a wonderful peppermint hot chocolate on her new espresso machine....yum!

Evidence:




Since the conference ended on a Friday, I had decided to extend my SoCal stay and visit Ash in Orange County and Rach in LA since UCD was paying for my airfare anyway and it would be a great way to see them both in one weekend! So after bidding the Hyatt adieu, I navigated my way through the San Diego public transit system and got to the Solana Beach Amtrak station to get to Irvine. Amtrak is a nice way to travel and if I had to commute, this would be my preferred mode of transportation. The seats were comfy, plenty of leg room, and the view of this particular route was very calming: all along the ocean. Listening to my iPod and traveling along the coast always makes for a good combo. Now I'm in Orange County and look forward to a night on the town with the Rickmans!

My sweet ride to Irvine:

Happy Easter

Heavenly Father
You always amaze me
Let your kingdom come
In my world and in my life
You give me the food I need
To live through the day
And forgive me as I forgive
The people that wronged me
Lead me far from temptation
Deliver me from the evil one

I look out the window
The birds are composing
Not a note is out of tune
Or out of place
I look at the meadow
And stare at the flowers
Better dressed than any girl
On her wedding day

So why do I worry?
Why do I freak out?
God knows what I need
You know what I need

Your love is
Your love is
Your love is strong

The kingdom of the heavens
Is now advancing
Invade my heart
Invade this broken town
The kingdom of the heavens
Is buried treasure
Will you sell yourself
To buy the one you've found?

Two things you told me
That you are strong
And you love me
Yes, you love me


Our God in heaven
Hallowed be
Thy name above all names
Your kingdom come
Your will be done
On earth as it is in heaven
Give us today our daily bread
Forgive us wicked sinners
Lead us far away from our vices
And deliver us from these prisons

Stumptown

In the last year, I feel like Portland, OR has become a mecca for people who are between the ages of 24-35....a lot of people I know have moved there or are considering a move there. Well, I wanted to see what all the fuss was about. So last weekend we made the 567 mile drive up Interstate 5 with David's brother, Jeff, and his cousin, Katie (who has become my adopted cousin) to go up and see Barbara, David's other cousin, and her family who live 10 minutes outside of Portland. Despite the tiring 9 hour drive there and back (with only a few stops!), it was a great trip where we got to explore another interesting city. I definitely want to go back again when the weather is a little nicer (although I've been told that this is a paradox).

catching up over crepeville and cupcakes

Over the weekend, I had a chance to catch up with some friends I haven't seen in a while and I am reminded of how blessed I am by the friendships I made in college. First was a Crepeville brunch date with Rachel, a dear friend of mine who was stolen away by UCLA's Masters in Public Health Program! She's a nutrition rockstar and is learning how to save the world, one gram of fiber at a time! Then on Sunday, I was able to see another good friend, Brea, who flew out from Boston just so she could have a bridal shower with all of her California friends! In my world, bridal showers are synonymous with ADX reunion and are always a fun time of getting caught up with so many girls who I don't get to see that often. Now that a lot of my friends are dispersed over many miles, I really savor the times we're all in one place!

Of course, pink cupakes for Brea's shower

Two brides to be and me

The ADX crowd

all shook up

Interviews give me huge knots in my stomach. I stress about them for days, trying not to let my nerves get the best of me. Although I consider myself a fairly articulate person in most normal situations, I tend to stumble over my words when it comes to being interviewed. Since I'm one of those weird people in their 20's who hasn't switched employers multiple times (I've been in the same department since 2005), I've only had two post-college job interviews. I'm thankful for this but at the same time, I realize how this means my experience with interviewing is lacking.

So with that said, I got an email a week ago from the graduate program I applied to letting me know that I had made it to the second step, an in person evaluation. The email was very vague and said to also bring a pen or pencil and dress professionally. Would this be a group interview or a one on one chat with the faculty? Would we be asked theoretical questions about counseling theories or informal questions about what we like to do in our free time? I felt slightly overwhelmed at all the possible questions that could be asked, knowing there is no way to prepare for every possibility. Driving to the interview yesterday, I just tried to breathe and not let any rays of doubt crack through my confident exterior. But this is hard for me to do.

Well the 'interview' turned out to be TOTALLY different than I expected. I wouldn't even call it an interview really. All the applicants were put in a classroom and we were given four different prompts to write about. Two of the questions related to a video the faculty had us watch which portrayed a counseling session. I was ecstatic about this format because my writing skills under pressure are far superior than giving verbal answers under pressure. Then each person was given one minute to share why they wanted to be a part of the program and it was interesting to hear everyone's answers. The faculty facilitating then opened it up for people to ask questions about the program and then told us we would hear back in the next few weeks. Praise God for not having to wait forever.....whatever the outcome, I'd prefer to know sooner than drag it out. I'm just glad it's over with and don't have to deal with my anxious emotions anymore. And thanks to all of you who gave me encouraging words and support leading up to yesterday, I really appreciate it! Now I wait and see which path my life will take...which surprisingly, I'm not anxious about at all right now.

Where I'm From

For the last six weeks, I have been part of an adult ed class at my church called "Race, Faith, and Community" that has explored how issues of race impact us individually, as well as the unity and effectiveness of the church as a whole. As part of the class, we were each asked to complete a poem exercise that would help us explore the culture and experiences that have helped shape our ethnic identity. The poem was in a "Mad Libs" kind of format, where we had to fill in the blanks using words of our choice that corresponded with the chosen topic. Here's what I came up:

I am from snow covered driveways.
From Disney movies and piano lessons.
I am from the track homes of Tracy, homogenous floorplans, white walls, and a pool in the backyard.
I am from the North Davis greenbelt with it's quirky sculptures of dominoes and dogs.
I'm from bedtime stories and loud conversations.
From Kay and Don.
I'm from the 'let's talk about everything' philosophy and the importance of family vacations. From having my grandpa use the term "Japs" to having a cousin engaged to a Vietnamese man. I'm from lifelong Republicans who were surprised yet supportive when I voted for Obama.
I'm from three distinct places that shaped me: Englewood, CO; Tracy, CA; Davis, CA.
From my Grandma's white chococlate chip cookies and beef brisket with mashed potatoes.
I am from feeling like I have no ethnic identity because British ancestry equals boring.

Out of ashes

Going to the Ash Wednesday service last night was a much needed time to just stop, reflect, and have the power of Christ's sacrifice resonate with my soul.

Look down

I used to find The Colbert Show annoying but slowly I've become a fan. Anyway, his guest a few nights ago was Robert Ballard, the oceanographer made famous by his discovery of the Titanic. I saw Ballard speak at the Mondavi Center two years ago and was in absolute awe of his expeditions, especially his exploration of ancient shipwrecks that are perfectly preserved in the Black Sea. The ocean is a pretty fascinating place and much of it's discoveries are yet to be made (maybe more would be made if, as Ballard points out, some of the money devoted to space exploration was instead devoted to ocean exploration). If you're at all interested, I'd highly recommend these two clips.

The Colbert ReportMon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c

Robert Ballard

Colbert Report Full Episodes
Funny Political News

Christian Bale Parody
Joke of the Day

thinking over

It's hard not to feel overwhelmed by the state of our economy when it's pretty much all that is discussed on the news, on the radio, on the political blogs I read. And President Obama, whose name for many people is synonymous with optimism, has gloomily warned that 'crisis will turn into catastrophe' if there is a failure to pass the stimulus package quickly. But is it the right legislation that will have the most effective outcome? Well, maybe I could start with figuring out what's even in the bill...if I had enough motivation to devote a full day to reading the 780 page text. Bottom line: no one really knows a surefire way to get America out of this mess If the people who are supposedly experts in economics are scratching their heads about what to do, it's hard to feel reassured.

I have to remind myself that my hope is not in the things of this world and instead of worrying, I need to focus on how I can best love and reach out to those who most affected by the hard economic times we are facing. And maybe this will be the upside of the recession: helping Americans break out of our individualistic mindsets and rely on one another more to get through this hard time. In the end, it may be a lesson worth learning.

Workin for the weekend

I came in three hours late to work today after I called my boss and told her I needed to sleep in to catch up from my weekend. The awesome thing about my boss is, she totally understood and said to come in whenever I felt rested!

There are two kinds of weekends I relish:

1) the "lazy" weekend - David and I will sleep in until noon on Saturday, watch some TV, run our weekend errands (Target, Costco, etc.) and then come back and watch a movie

2) the "jam-packed" weekend - I go from event to event, trying to cram in as much socializing as possible

This last weekend fell under category #2. It began with a Threshold ladies night on Friday evening, complete with tons of delicious food provided by Chris Pineda (always a gracious host) and lots of good conversation. It was a great time of getting to know the other women in the group more deeply.
After a few hours with the girls, I left to spend the rest of Friday night with my hubby. We got out the necessary 'movie snacking' food (popcorn and Sour Patch kids) and watched "For the Bible Tells Me So", a wonderful documentary about the Christian faith and homosexuality. It was a poignant and well-done movie that showed the experiences of 5 different Christian families who had gay sons or daughters and discussed the journey they all had been on to learning to embrace both their faith and their gay family members. I would HIGHLY HIGLY recommend it.
Saturday came and after studying and completing an online quiz for my Abnormal Psych class, we ventured to Home Depot to look at paint colors. David and I have made a resolution to have our bedroom and bathroom painted before we possibly start grad school in the fall. I have never thought of yellow as a color I would like to paint a room, but I had a sudden realization that I really want to paint our bedroom some muted shade of yellow to give it a warm, sunny feeling. Surprisingly, David seemed ok with the idea, so we'll see...maybe our room will look like this?

I was then off to meet up with Bronwyn and Jarrod, to carpool to Kassey's goodbye party in San Francisco. What is a farewell party for Kassey without a huge gathering of all her friends in SF? I have to admit, I was looking forward to meeting her SF small group friends, since I constantly see pictures of these people all the time on Kassey's Facebook page ( she adds a new album almost every day it seems!). I really am invigorated by seeing old friends and meeting new ones and this was a perfect setup to do so! I'm also glad I was able to see Kassey before she heads off to pursue her dreams in NYC, it's always fun to watch friends take off on a new adventure.
After getting to bed at 3 am, getting up for church on Sunday was a little painful. But I'm so glad I went. Threshold is participating in a really cool series about Race & Faith during their Sunday morning adult ed class, and this week's session was really interesting. I think it's important to focus on racial reconciliation from a Christian perspective and how we as a church can be part of the reconciliation process. It helps that our class is so diverse and so there are lots of insights on the issues that are brought up.
After church, I had some downtime so I went to my parent's house and took Milo on a walk. This is one of the simple joys in my life, watching Milo run around in the greenbelt by my parent's house. He's a feisty little dog when it comes to racing around in the grass! Later on in the afternoon, David and I went over to the Howards to partake in some Super Bowl gluttony. I didn't really care about the game at all, I was more interested in watching the new "Office" episode after the game! It lived up to the hype, it was a hilarious episode. Favorite quote from Michael Scott helping recessitate Stanley from his heart attack: "Stanley! Barack is president! You are black Stanley!"
Well, the night got even better when the Howards reminded us that they now owned Rock Band....thus began a jam session that lasted well until 10 pm! I have to say though, I never want to sing Hole's "Celebrity Skin" song again, once is enough! All in all, another great weekend.

with a little help from my friends

After high school and college, it gets harder and harder to have all of your closest friends in one place at one time. Therefore, I've tried to make it a priority to set aside one weekend a year to make this happen. So last March was the first annual "Davis Girls Weekend" where the five of us (me, Ashley, Kate, Amy, and Susan) all congregated down in Orange County to stuff ourselves with cupcakes, do some shopping, and catch up on each other's lives.

The 2009 girls weekend destination was switched to the Bay Area, since 80% of us live up in NorCal now (woot woot), and I became the self-designated planner for our activities. The weekend was fabulous fun and here are some pics to prove it!


We began the weekend by lunching at the Ferry Building, where I experienced the gloriousness that is the CowGirl Creamery shop (it's like cheese heaven!). We also saw Meredith from "The Office" and we tried to get her in this picture (she was buying coffee at Peet's) but we just missed her.


When then went to check in at our amazing hotel in Fisherman's Wharf, where I got an unbelievably good deal on Travelzoo: $99 for a night versus the normal $250 a night. The nautical theme was a little over the top, but it was a very posh hotel that included a free wine reception hour, which we all gladly took advantage of before heading off to dinner in North Beach.





We then took a pleasant stroll over to Little Italy and ate at what I think is the most delicious Italian restaurant in the city, Mona Lisa. I have a long history with this place (we went there the night David proposed! ) and it just hits the spot for any kind of pasta creation you could imagine. After dinner, we were walking down Columbus Avenue to our next destination when I run into two friends from college, Kristen and Brad! It was a hilarious moment where in disbelief I shouted out "Excuse me?! What are you doing here?" not realizing that I probably sounded really rude to the other people in front of me...haha. But really, what are the odds of running into two friends at the exact same time on the exact same street in a large city? I love life's little coincidences.



Kristen gave us the name of the bakery she works at in the city, and I promised that we would try to come see her the next morning for breakfast. We then began what turned out to be a mini-trek to our next stop, the Red Devil Lounge in Russian Hill. Unfortunately, Kate thought that it would be a good idea to wear new heels, and on our walk to dinner she already had several nasty blisters in the works. Using her wonderful iPhone, I tried to find the closest MUNI stop and realized that even with taking MUNI, we would still need to walk 6-8 blocks uphill. The rest of us were in comfortable walking shoes, but poor Kate was limping along. It truly was a group effort in trying to ease Kate's pain.....Ash gave her piggy back rides and I let her have my socks, while Amy and Susan offered up words of moral support. All I have to say is argyle socks and zebra heels make an interesting combo.





After we got a little lost (even with the iPhone), Kate and Ashley gave up on walking and hailed a cab. But me, and Amy, and Susan forged on...mainly because we wanted to walk off what was a very filling dinner. So finally, by car or on foot, we all arrived and our night of dancing began.

Since a night out with the girls is rare now that I'm an old married lady, I had done some research of a fun place to go dancing. Fortunately, through the wonders of Google, I found that Wonderbread 5 was playing in SF on the night that we were there. They are a cover band that play hits from the 80's and 90's, which is definitely more my scene than some ultra trendy club playing electronica and trance.

We got our dance on and moonwalked to Michael Jackson , shimmied to the B-52's, rocked out to Journey, and even tried to rap to Vanilla Ice (I have to admit, I have forgotten the words). It was a most excellent time.








We made an early morning stop at the Fisherman's Wharf In-N-Out before heading to bed and two creepster guys in line asked Amy and Ash "Are you two here for pleasure?" Seriously? Is that supposed to be a smooth pick up line? If only Amy or Ash had thought to respond "No, actually we're here at In-N-Out for a 2 am business meeting."

The next day, we made good on our promise to pay Kristen a visit at La Boulange, the super cute French eatery where she works. The weather was gorgeous and we enjoyed another sunny walk in the city. I got what I think was the best omelette of my life: goat cheese, avocado, and bacon. It was a perfect Sunday brunch meal and was made even more perfect when Kristen snuck us some free pastries, which included a banana caramel muffin, a raisin custard croissant, and a sugar bun....scrumptious!

As if we hadn't had our fill of sweets, we made a stop at Kara's Cupcakes in Ghiradelli Square before checking out of the hotel. I agree that it is a little ridiculous to pay $3.25 for ONE cupcake, but you only live once right? After laboring over all the choices, I went with one Kara's Karrot and one Meyer Lemony lemon cupcake...and resisted the temptation to buy more. We then made a brief stop at the ocean for a photo op and headed down to Union Square.



The rest of the day involved a really fun makeup consultation at Sephora, a delectable Thai dinner in Walnut Creek, and a nostalgic viewing of an awesome movie from the late 80's, "Troop Beverly Hills". The next morning, we all woke up a little dazed from staying up late talking but Kate made sure to feed us a healthy breakfast of whole-grain toast, fruit and oatmeal before we left for Davis. I am so blessed to have so many great memories with my friends and I look forward to next year's girls weekend!

food soothes the soul

I found two great recipes in Cooking Light that I used last night and wanted to share them with any readers I have who like delicious food (hopefully that's everyone).

The first recipe is a SUPER easy and quick black bean soup. It took me about 20 minutes from start to finish, including prep! Take that Rachael Ray! This soup is also very high in fiber, which is a nice health benefit. And it goes really well with tortilla chips or even better, fresh tortillas.

Ingredients

• 2 (15-ounce) cans no-salt-added black beans, undrained
• 1/2 cup bottled salsa
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 (16-ounce) can fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
• 1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded reduced-fat sharp cheddar cheese
• 5 tablespoons low-fat sour cream
• 5 tablespoons minced green onions
• 2 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

Preparation

Place beans and liquid in a medium saucepan; partially mash beans with a potato masher. Place over high heat; stir in salsa, chili powder, and broth. Bring to a boil. Ladle soup into bowls; top with cheese, sour cream, onions, and cilantro.

The second recipe is for pecan pumpkin bread. I love anything pumpkin, and wanted to make a snack to bring to our bible study tonight, so this recipe presented the perfect opportunity! I haven't actually tried it yet (although I was so tempted to after it came out of the oven) but after our study meets, we'll see if it passes the taste test.

Ingredients

• 3 1/3 cups all-purpose flour (about 15 ounces)
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup egg substitute
• 1/2 cup canola oil
• 1/2 cup low-fat buttermilk
• 2 large eggs
• 2/3 cup water
• 1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin
• Cooking spray
• 1/3 cup chopped pecans

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350°.

Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour and next 6 ingredients (through allspice) in a bowl.

Place sugar, egg substitute, oil, buttermilk, and eggs in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at high speed until well blended. Add 2/3 cup water and pumpkin, beating at low speed until blended. Add flour mixture to pumpkin mixture, beating at low speed just until combined. Spoon batter into 2 (9 x 5-inch) loaf pans coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle pecans evenly over batter. Bake at 350° for 1 hour or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes in pans on a wire rack; remove from pans. Cool completely on wire rack.

that's entertainment

This blog is in need of a light-hearted post, so here it is! This is a random smattering of what kept me most entertained in 2008:

Reading:














Watching in a Theatre:
















Watching in My Home:



























Listening:

what no thief can steal

Death is always unexpected, even if you know it's coming. I know that sounds like a paradox but it's true. I woke up this morning knowing that my grandma could die at any moment. She had been in the hospital since Christmas Eve with a case of pneumonia that turned fatal and for the last week her lungs have been slowly filling with fluid, making it hard for her to breathe. She has been on 'comfort care' the last few days, meaning that she was taken of all the machines and medicines that were prolonging her life---and she was put on a morphine drip which would help her to die more peacefully. I have been praying the last few days that she would die sooner than later, so that she could escape her pain.

Before David and I went to go be with the rest of my family at the hospital this afternoon, I still had one grandparent left. Four hours later, I left the hospital grandparent-less. This now means my parents, aunts, and uncles are the new oldest generation of my family. which is strange to think about.

The most surreal moment was seeing my grandma take her last breath. I'm still unsure of how I feel about watching death occur, but this experience brought several thoughts to my mind. I thought about how she was born in 1920 and how different the world was then and how much she has seen it change over the span of her lifetime. I thought about how blessed she was to die in a warm hospital room with her family surrounding her, unlike so many others in the world who die cold and alone due to their circumstances of poverty. I thought about how it is SO true when people say you can't take anything with you when you die and that in the end, material possessions and wealth are so meaningless. I thought about the finite time we all are given here on Earth and how that makes time the most valuable gift.

After my grandma peacefully passed, a chaplain from the hospital came into the room and asked if she could read us a poem titled "Psalm from the Dying". There was one line that struck me in particular:


And all I take with me as I leave is your love
And the millions of memories of all that we have shared
So I truly enter my new life as a millionaire.



Rest in peace, Granny.

525,600 minutes

As David mentioned on the car ride home today after realizing that our beloved Woodland Costco has been open for nearly a year, "the days are just flying by". I once thought that you had to be at least 40 to start making cheesy comments about the rapid passage of time. But ever since graduating college, I've found myself reflecting much more frequently about how another week, another month, another year has sped by.

At first glance, it is hard for me to define the year of 2008 in one short sentence, like 2005 (the year we got married) or 2006 (the year we bought our house). It seems like there was no large defining event for 2008 in the life of the Sholers. But digging a little deeper, there are several milestones for 2008 that come to mind.

This was the year that David and I both realized what career dreams we'd like to pursue (finance for David and career counseling for me). And then we researched how we could possibly make these dreams a reality (grad school). And now we're in the process of applying and hopefully both starting school in the fall. After a few years of uncertainty, it's a liberating feeling to have a sense of what I'd like to do with my life...even though I know it might mean 4 long years of going to school and working full time. How different things could be for us this time next year!

This was the year that Threshold, the post-college ministry at our church that I help coordinate, really grew in numbers and became a thriving community. After almost two years of wondering if there would ever be a steady base of people, me and others on the planning team were getting weary. However, God gave us the spirit of perseverance and I am so overjoyed to now see new people every week join the group and find a community of other people with whom they can celebrate, laugh, pray, and discuss life's hard questions.

This year was the year that I was reminded of the importance of having a sense of wonder of the world around you. This reminder came through our two trips: DisneyWorld and Costa Rica. Both of these experiences had their awe-inspiring moments---watching the Magic Kingdom fireworks at 17 stories high, standing on a beach with monkeys howling in the trees around you, or seeing scarlet macaws in flight-- and these moments make me remember that our Creator has such a vivid imagination and created us to LIVE and soak in as much of His creation as we can, no matter where we are.

And finally, this year was a year that I had a small stirring of desiring to have kids. It's not that having kids was never in the picture and now it suddenly is, but I've come to a place of thinking that if it were to happen sooner than we plan (we'd prefer to wait until we're both done with school), I would be content with that. I've never really been a maternal person and since being married, there have been actual feelings of dread at the thought of having a baby, terrified at how it would change our marriage and how I could handle a little being that screams, poops, and depends on me for everything. But now, after three of my sorority sisters either gave birth or became pregnant this year, I see their joy and get excited at the idea of extending the Sholer clan. However, unless God has other plans, this likely won't be for another several years so don't expect birth announcements anytime soon!

So it's obvious that 2008 is not a year that can be summed up easily, but it definitely was a memorable year full of new places, people, and experiences. Here's to 2009!

Merry Christmas 08

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

In the last week I've been determined to get a decent blog post on here updating about different life events---mainly, our trip to Costa Rica---and I've succeeded in failing to do so. Although Fridays are usually a somewhat slow day at work, tomorrow I have the honor of going to an ALL DAY faculty retreat as the advising office representative. However, the word "retreat" in this instance is deceptive---I'm not going to some luxurious spa to get away from it all; instead, I will be in a conference room with 15 faculty members and some head honchos from the dean's office trying to figure out how to solve the Design program enrollment crisis (i.e. the number of students in our major has gone from 320 to 600 in the last 4 years and yet the amount of faculty and sections we offer remain close to the same).

So my quest to write the perfect blog summing up our experience in Central America will have to be postponed. However, here is a quick update of random things that are catching my interest at the moment:

Harry's new Christmas CD:




Ingrid's new song that she played when I saw her in concert last month:




I started this book on our trip and am almost finished with it. Amazingly true story of one person's determination to solve public health problems in developing nations.


Finding that perfect holiday baking recipe