True Confessions of a Dreamer

Dare to dream!  If you did not have the capability to make your wildest wishes come true, your mind would not have the capacity to conjure such ideas in the first place.  There is no limitation on what you can potentially achieve, except for the limitation you choose to impose on your own imagination.  What you believe to be possible will always come to pass - to the extent that you deem it possible.  It really is as simple as that.  - Anthon St. Maarten

Most mornings, I wake up in another country.

Each morning is different, although I'll admit it was easier when I was living in my last apartment.  The high vantage point made it easy to imagine quaint Italian villages, or I could just as quickly find myself among the rolling hills of Ireland or between volcanoes in Latin America.  My current apartment has bedroom windows that open to another building.  It's not the best, but I can still envision a small, sparse apartment within a bustling city in Africa, or a sleek high rise in Australia.  It doesn't have to be a country I've visited before, and for a while, it was a treat to wake up in the morning and open the blinds.  I wasn't sure what I would find.

Yesterday morning, I woke up in Nicaragua.  It was early in the morning, somewhere around 6:30am, although it felt more like 5:30am with the recent time change.  I'm almost never up at this hour, and although my mind was alert, my body was tired.  I laid in bed, listening to the birds chirping outside my window, and I held on to the idea that, if I opened my eyes, I would suddenly find myself back in 2009 on La Finca Magdalena.

My cozy, fluffy bed became a cot, the fabric tight and covered with my orange twin extra long sheets.  It's one of 15 exactly like it, but mine is positioned in the middle of the hardwood floor of the girls room.  The room has wide wooden doors that slam shut in the wind, and not enough electrical outlets to meet the demands of the American visitors.  There's space between the walls and roof, allowing in light and air and all sorts of four legged visitors.

It was easy to imagine waking up, stretching, and opening the heavy doors as quietly as possible.  The wind is warm, rustling the hammocks that hang on the porch.  My eyes are assaulted by the vibrant colors - green, red, and yellow cover my field of vision.  My ears perk up at the sound of happy morning chatter coming from animals and people alike, languages mixing among one another.  My stomach is tempted by the smell of breakfast - gallo pinto, tortillas con crema, huevos, and fresh fruit juices.  My coral colored Crocs squeak across the white tile floor of the co-ed bathroom as I head in to wash my face in the cold spring water.  I'm careful to keep my eyes down, not wanting to unknowingly step on a wandering critter.

The day is pregnant with possibility.  We don't know our schedule beforehand and operating on "Nica time" often means things don't happen as planned anyway.  I remember to step down as I make my way to the picnic tables, covered in blue tablecloths, that will serve as our dining room table for the week.  Many travellers are already awake, and I am welcomed with a "good morning" and the offer of coffee.

Just as I begin to invest in the moment, my eyes open and I realize I was dreaming.  My chest gets a little tighter when I come to and see I'm not in Nicaragua.  Instead I'm cocooned in my cozy, plush bed, the light streaming in between the blinds and the birds singing in the day.  While it's not a bad place to be, I am starkly aware of my heart's desire to return to small cots, crowded rooms, excitement and adventure.  I know my time will come, so for now I will sleep well and wake up to something unexpected each day.

Wait for the LORD;

be strong and take heart

and wait for the LORD.

-Psalm 27:14

In the Blink of an Eye

It's been over a month since my last post.  I've opened a window and hoped to write many times but the words just didn't come.  And once the end of July hit life hit full swing and I couldn't seem to find the time to sit and fight the words onto the page.  So here's a brief recap of the super fast month that was August.

At the end of July, my church had their second annual VBS/Day Camp.  We opened it up to many churches and organizations in the area, as well as the Nepali church that meets on Sundays next door to us.  We had a great turn out and I was blessed to be a part of the planning and teaching.



These kids were such a joy to be around and I loved getting to spend time with each of them.  We're waiting to see the doors the Lord is going to open with these kids and our church.

At the beginning of August I kicked off my fundraiser for Ethiopia.  A friend of mine who sells Thirty One products offered to host a party for me and donate all the proceeds toward my trip.  We had a party on the 20th and so far have had a good run with things.  All orders have to be in by Friday so we'll see what the final outcome is.

Along with the fundraiser, I also made a commitment to not spend any extra money until my trip in October.  So far I'm doing pretty well with it, only dropping a dollar at a baseball game Monday night for a hot dog.  I did spend some for the party last weekend to make sure we had some food but all the extras I'm eating.  :)

The middle of August brought about the last few weeks of summer camp.  With a lot of our staff heading back to school, everyone on the schedule was working overtime for two weeks to keep our day camp with 40+ kids appropriately staffed.  It was fun, but I'm glad it's over.  Forty kids is a lot to deal with, and while the trips were fun and the kids were fun, I'm looking forward to settling into a routine.

This week school started, so that means the after school program at work did to.  This year I'm in charge of that program, planning and organizing and coordinating everything those kids do from the time they arrive to the time parents pick them up.  Right now we have 21 kids but it's possible we'll get a few more next week.  That's still a lot of kids, but much more doable than forty!

This part of my job I really like actually.  Sometimes the kids are a little crazy and don't listen really well but it's all worth it.  Yesterday I was in the pool with a little girl in a life jacket (got to have an adult within arm's reach at all times) and we were going through the lazy river.  When we finished I asked her if she wanted to go down the slide or through the lazy river again.  Her answer: "I wanna go through the crazy river."  Love it!

Hopefully things are going to start slowing down here soon.  I've finally done all the laundry in the last two days, the sink is empty, I can see my floor, and all the stacks on the coffee table are at least organized.  Life is good!

A Rare Free Weekend

I had this entire weekend off!  The reason:  I had a wedding Sunday (update soon) that I originally thought was Saturday, so I had taken Saturday off to attend and Sunday to recover.  Although the dates got mixed up, I thoroughly enjoyed finding things to do with Em, who also had a rare Saturday off.

At the suggestion of my friend Bekah, we headed to the civic center for the "Monster Flea Market" in search of bar stools.  We have a small bar in the living room that we want stools for to help provide extra seating.  Em and I both slept in till 11am (glorious!) and hit the road about noon.  While no bar stools were in sight, the event didn't disappoint.



As soon as we walked in, this is what we saw...



Reliving her childhood



Super thirsty



LaserDisks...do players for this still exist?

People watching is my favorite and never disappoints

The day's spoils

In our adventure, Em and I came across a vendor with at least 1000 records for sale.  We spent a good bit of time sifting though boxes pulling out ones that struck our fancy, deciding to use them as wall art.  We were careful to pick out ones we'd want to listen to also, and made a pit stop by my house to see if my old record player worked.  (It doesn't and even if it did, it only plays 45s).  So, we're on the lookout for a used, working record player for the apartment.  Anyone have any leads?

The flea market was a great Saturday adventure and the evening ended with Chris, a high school friend of Em's coming over.  We ordered pizza and were treated to a night of good friends and music.

I should take more Saturdays off...

TGIFriday the 13th

I'm not superstitious.  I'll take care not to walk under a ladder for safety reasons and I'll do my best to avoid black cats because I'm allergic, but not because I'm superstitious.  All told, this Friday the 13th was pretty normal.  I awoke at 6am and went about regular routines up until the time I exited the kitchen to watch the morning weather.  Much to my surprise and revultion, I watch something scurry quickly from under the kitchen table in the direction of the coat closet.

I got enough of a view of it to know it wasn't a mouse; at first I actually thought it was a cockroach.  Few things are more undesireable than a four (or more) legged creature scurring quickly out of view.  Despite my disgust, I really wanted to watch the weather so I decided to deal with it later.  I took my normal seat (feet up mind you) for a few minutes of precieved normalcy. 


Probably the brother to our visitor

Em was still sleeping, and I wasn't sure if I should wake her before I left to alert her of our new temporary tenant.  In an effort to control the situation, I began, armed with a tupperware container, to search various closets.  I'd put shoes on in hopes of bringing the creature to a swift end, but I'd seen how fast it was and had prepared myself to jump out of the way if the situation called for such action.
Without luck in locating our new friend, I continued about my daily routine, waiting for Em to wake so I could brief her.  It wasn't two minutes after she emerged that I spotted the illusive critter hanging out by the baseboard outside kitchen.  I utilized some sneaky ninja moves to walk past him and grab the tupperware (I'd have prefered to let the poor thing go outside rather than outright squishing him - at this point we were practically old friends). 

The result:

Not long after this photo was taken a phonebook was added on top for good measure.  I was running behind for work and we thought Bruce, the apartment maintanence man, would be by that morning and be willing to ablidge two female tenants.  Bruce, however, got tied up and had to reschedule and poor Em did the deed herself (my hero!)

The rest of the day consisted of work (something about Friday the 13th must have given people an unspoken right to be extra mean), and an impromptu concert with my good friend Bekah.

Amos Lee was headlining at the Down by the River Festival Friday night and Bekah was given two tickets to go.  We arrived a few hours before he was scheduled to begin, and much to my surprise I discovered Chris Thile from Nickel Creek breaking it down on stage.  Awesome.

Not a super great picture but I promise he's up there.

The rain, which had been pretty torential just a few hours before, held off for the entirity of the event.  Bekah and I chatted up some new friends we invited to sit with us since they were alone.  The evening ended at a local bar for drinks with said new friends and was a great success.

Despite the connotations, I don't believe Friday the 13th has to be a bad thing.

What a weekend

This weekend has been an adventure in cooking, and by weekend I really mean Friday evening/Saturday morning, since that's pretty much all the weekend I get these days.  I arrived at the apartment Friday night a little disappointed, as I had originally planned to hit the gym after work but had forgotten to charge my iPod (any excuse, right?)  Em was working late and that was all I'd plan to get into, but once I was home I really didn't see the point in leaving again and going back the way I came (gas prices - another excuse).

I had made chocolate chip muffins the other night after work and found the exercise surprisingly relaxing.  I've always wanted to be able to cook from scratch and I felt a little like Julie and Julia (you know, cube job, cooking...we're the same).  I pulled out my cookbook and flipped to "Appetizers/Snacks," which I figured was a good place to start since it was nearly 6pm and I hadn't even thought about dinner.  I found an easy recipe for hummus, which I've had a few times but am still trying to reach that I-love-it level.

Looking at the ingredients I discovered I owned a grand total of 2 (out of 10), so as it turns out a trip to Kroger was in order.  A few of the things on the list alluded my grasp, one of which was lemon juice which ended up being in the juice aisle of all places.  The other was something called tahini (pronounced tah-HE-knee).  It's a sesame paste, and the cookbook said it was

"...widely available in supermarkets.  Your best bet is to search the condiment aisle or the ethnic food section of the store - but if you don't have any luck, don't be afraid to ask for help." 

So, three associates and five aisles later, we finally found the elusive tahini in the Mediterranean section.  (This is after I took a fair amount of time reading all the S's and T's of every brand of condiment in the condiment aisle). 

I finally made it home with my $30 worth of spoils.

Buying the ingredients was by far the worst part, and the making of the hummus just included putting it in a blender, moving the knob to the 1, and waiting until smooth.  Golden.

Friday night I also had my first experience boiling eggs (lame, I know).  I was a little worried because I like to be sure things are cooked completely and you can't do that with boiled eggs.  Things did turn out well, and when I cut though them things were solid so I was pleased.  I preceded to use two of them to decorate my salad (which I ate from a mixing bowl) when I finally had dinner at 9pm.  And I got a pretty sweet picture of my eggs before they met their hot water end.

Saturday Em and I tried our hand at smoothie making.  I had gotten most of the ingredients already, and I'll admit my motives were selfish, as I hate to waste money but was afraid my yogurt would expire before I wanted to eat it.  Smoothies are perhaps the easiest things to make...ever.  Again, it was really a question of putting things in the blender and pushing go until it's smooth.  (Kyle gives the best presents).

Not my smoothie

Although this isn't a real life photo, our drinks were pretty tasty and Em and I got to spend the morning together.  We're cute.  Then we both went to jobs we tolerate and didn't see each other until she was running out the door Sunday morning without her keys.  All in all, a very good weekend.

My new friend Tom

I've been told that while living on your own, you often acquire more stuff than you realize or desire.  I learned this first hand when I made that final move from college and discovered I had more shoes, clothes, and furniture than I knew what to do with.

But one piece of "furniture" I thought I'd never acquire - a drum.  Em came home one night last week heavy laden with a mid tom from a drum set.  A co-worker had given it to her stating someone was giving it away and he thought she might like it.

Tom has seemed to find a permanent residence in the space between the kitchen table and the desk in the entry way/living room/dining area of the apartment.  I've taken to beating on him when I need luck while Em finds it more therapeutic to give him a few knocks when she's frustrated.  Who knew his rustic appearance and baritone voice would have won us over so easily.

Moving out, I knew I'd acquire more material things than I wanted, which is a bit annoying as I was hoping moving into a smaller place would help me downsize and be more choosy when making purchases.  Despite how it might sound, Tom is a welcome addition to our new place.  (I'm thinking we should get visitors to sign him in Sharpie).  After all, it's not often a new guy comes into your life, is always there when you need him, and willing sits while you beat him.  I think this could be the start of a beautiful relationship.

Welcome to Adulthood

Tonight was the first night in the apartment where I made a dinner that required more than a microwave.  I channeled the talents of my grandmother, hoping some of whatever it was that made her cooking so good was still left in the pots.  The final product - Tyson frozen chicken nuggets and Kroger mac and cheese.  Heaven.  It probably took me 15 minutes to boil the water, and I started the oven about 3 times before finally calling mom and promptly announcing "I don't know how to work my oven."  Her response, laughter.  Gee, thanks mom.  At my busiest moment, I was on the phone with mom, sirring boiling pasta, checking two timers and preparing to open the oven to turn the chicken.  I didn't sit down to eat until almost 8:30 and it was 9 o'clock before the dishes were washed and the leftovers put away.  Being an adult is rough.

A second notable apartment adventure - laundry.  I waited a little over two weeks before doing laundry and set aside a Saturday to sort though it all.  My first load I sorted and loaded, and stepped back to survey my options, before realizing I'd made a fatal mistake (Ok, not really fatal but that makes it sound more dramatic).  After putting my clothes in the washer I poured my liquid detergent into the drain-compartment-thing, a normal next step when doing laundry at my parents house.  Come to find out, that drain-compartment-thing had a label...Liquid Bleach Only.  Crap.  On the upside, an extra rinse seemed to take care of the problem (at least it was an easy fix and not really a fatal mistake) and the washer held way more clothes than I thought, so the whole ordeal ended up taking half as long as I thought it would. 

Hopefully these risky undertakings have kept you smiling.  Keep your eyes peeled for upcoming posts on my first ballet class and a special joint post with Em.

New year, new adventures

"It's about choosing your path and being committed to it" -Mary Horowitz, All About Steve

I started this blog to document all the crazy things associated with living.  We live 98% of our lives between walls, whether physical or metaphorical, and I wanted this to be a small piece of the electronic world where I could leave my thoughts - and you could leave yours.

I recently changed the physical walls I live between and hope to use this to document all the crazy goings on.  At 24 I am finally out there, on my own, trying my hardest to be an adult.  Tonight marks the second night in a new apartment.  New apartment, new roommate, new job, new...life.  Last night, new roommate Em and I watched a movie and drank some wine to christen our new space.  Super cute and super fun. 

Let's start this first entry putting out there some of the expectations I have about this new stage. 
1.  We're going have people over like every night.
2.  I'm going to discover I have an natural inclination toward cooking and/or baking.
3.  We are not going to sit in front on the t.v. but rather expand our minds with books and deep, meaningful conversations.
4.  I will try my hand at interior decorating and, again, discover I'm very talented.
5.  Em and I will spend nights after work together, perhaps partaking in many of the above activities.
6.  This new found freedom will suddenly make me more appealing to the opposite sex.

And this is just a start.  I'm sure more expectations will surface while old ones are shattered with harsh reality checks.  Regardless, I look forward to growing in this new space.