| I want to take you, my friends, back the the beginning. Back to where this online indulgence began. Walt Whitman gave us, "Leaves of Grass," in the late 19th century. When Ashley, my lovely sister, introduced me to this poem at Christmas a few years ago, I felt chills and I cried as I read the poem in its entirety. Change Course. I bought a ticket to Santiago, Chile on Friday night. After my first drink of the night, I grabbed my new zero-fee international credit card and booked the round-trip flight that has taken over my dreams, both day and night. I clicked "submit" 3 times and FINALLY saw that the flight had been confirmed. I am really going to Santiago for 8 months! Walt says it best in "Song of the Open Road" ~ From this hour, freedom! | |||||
| From this hour I ordain myself loos’d of limits and imaginary lines, | |||||
| Going where I list, my own master, total and absolute, | 55 | ||||
| Listening to others, and considering well what they say, | |||||
| Pausing, searching, receiving, contemplating, | |||||
| Gently, but with undeniable will, divesting myself of the holds that would hold me and then again...
|
Sunday, April 29, 2012
From this hour, freedom!
Saturday, April 21, 2012
Do we all share milestones?
Or, do we step on our own milestones?
When I think about the many stepping stones I've encountered, I have some little and big ones that I know all add up to where I am today.
Learning Spanish.
Playing basketball like my life depended on it.
Joining a sorority in college. Didn't know that about me? Yup.
Taking the EL in Chicago to and from work, in the ghetto.
Accepting drinks from drunk men at a bachelor party in Boulder.
Finding a few rounds of roommates on craigslist. And 5 out of 6 of them worked out well!
Teach for America.
Dating. A lot.
Buying a bike in Denver and jumping on that hipster bandwagon, sometimes.
Tutoring calculus in college and tutoring 5th grade math in high school. And I didn't see it coming that I would one day be a math teacher. Blind!
Weekends at a ski condo in Silverthorne to ski, run, eat, and drink.
(Trying) Rock climbing in Phoenix and Colorado.
The beach in San Diego.
What about the big ones everyone talks about?
College graduation.
First love.
First car.
Bake "grandma's" chocolate chip cookies.
Retirement Funds.
Marriage.
Mortgages.
Babies.
Do we all anticipate the big events, the major milestones, as mandatory life events? Or, do we fret that we will be odd or an outcast if we don't experience the thrill of these indoctrinated events?
What if our milestones went something like....
first time I changed a bike tire
get lost in a foreign country and hitchhike
last time I paid my taxes and then lived off the grid
my garden grew edible vegetables
win a race or a competition
make international friends
use a typewriter to write a love letter
accidently fall in love
build a bird house for the backyard
teach the dog a useless trick
learn a new language
find the best pho in the city
live on a farm for a vacation, or for life
how much more interesting would change encounters with strangers be? instead of talking about an upcoming wedding, or a new mortgage because you bought a car, why not talk about the time I finally wasn't scared of the hens and grabbed fresh eggs to scramble for breakfast? or, why not figure out a way to bring in the dough but not give it back to the man?
As I prepare to pause the teaching career and buckle into a new, international life for a few months, I think about the pieces that make me, ME. I think about the stories I love to hear about others' lives and the ones I remember from my own experiences. Memories don't stick unless they involve my supportive, fun, and thoughtful friends. My milestones don't add up to what I am supposed to be pursuing.
The people in my life make my life - and it isn't what I do or where I am, but it is who i am with that matters the most. I am blessed with a supportive family and ridiculously fun friends.
You've been in my life? Then, you've placed a milestone down for me to add to my path. I am looking forward to adding to my journey, and recycling stones that still have a solid place in my life.
What would your milestones be?
When I think about the many stepping stones I've encountered, I have some little and big ones that I know all add up to where I am today.
Learning Spanish.
Playing basketball like my life depended on it.
Joining a sorority in college. Didn't know that about me? Yup.
Taking the EL in Chicago to and from work, in the ghetto.
Accepting drinks from drunk men at a bachelor party in Boulder.
Finding a few rounds of roommates on craigslist. And 5 out of 6 of them worked out well!
Teach for America.
Dating. A lot.
Buying a bike in Denver and jumping on that hipster bandwagon, sometimes.
Tutoring calculus in college and tutoring 5th grade math in high school. And I didn't see it coming that I would one day be a math teacher. Blind!
Weekends at a ski condo in Silverthorne to ski, run, eat, and drink.
(Trying) Rock climbing in Phoenix and Colorado.
The beach in San Diego.
What about the big ones everyone talks about?
College graduation.
First love.
First car.
Bake "grandma's" chocolate chip cookies.
Retirement Funds.
Marriage.
Mortgages.
Babies.
Do we all anticipate the big events, the major milestones, as mandatory life events? Or, do we fret that we will be odd or an outcast if we don't experience the thrill of these indoctrinated events?
What if our milestones went something like....
first time I changed a bike tire
get lost in a foreign country and hitchhike
last time I paid my taxes and then lived off the grid
my garden grew edible vegetables
win a race or a competition
make international friends
use a typewriter to write a love letter
accidently fall in love
build a bird house for the backyard
teach the dog a useless trick
learn a new language
find the best pho in the city
live on a farm for a vacation, or for life
how much more interesting would change encounters with strangers be? instead of talking about an upcoming wedding, or a new mortgage because you bought a car, why not talk about the time I finally wasn't scared of the hens and grabbed fresh eggs to scramble for breakfast? or, why not figure out a way to bring in the dough but not give it back to the man?
As I prepare to pause the teaching career and buckle into a new, international life for a few months, I think about the pieces that make me, ME. I think about the stories I love to hear about others' lives and the ones I remember from my own experiences. Memories don't stick unless they involve my supportive, fun, and thoughtful friends. My milestones don't add up to what I am supposed to be pursuing.
The people in my life make my life - and it isn't what I do or where I am, but it is who i am with that matters the most. I am blessed with a supportive family and ridiculously fun friends.
You've been in my life? Then, you've placed a milestone down for me to add to my path. I am looking forward to adding to my journey, and recycling stones that still have a solid place in my life.
What would your milestones be?
Sunday, April 8, 2012
My food blog fantasy
If I were a well-written and designed food blog, I would hide...under a domain name that makes no sense to the average 'googler.' That must be why I can't find the food blog of my dreams.
smittenkitchen.com is really great for creative recipes, great photographs of the food, and it is well organized. Plus, she lives in NYC. She is supposed to be a cool national blog. She includes a little blurb about her life so we get to know her at a superficial, cyber level.
Well, that just isn't enough for me. I need more in my food blog.
I need drama. I need entertainment and an adventurous spirit. I need to know the flaws and the mistakes. I want my food blog to be real - not some whimsical fantasy. There are not rose-colored glasses here. There may be some extra vanilla extract in a baking recipe, and some green chili on anything possible. Salsa makes it way into everything. But don't sugar-coat my food blog. I know the right one for me is out there, isn't it?
If it isn't, what should be in my food blog? If I were to create one from scratch, how far could I take this? Would people come back for seconds?
I know that blue cheese potato tart looks incredible. It tastes like a fall day and makes me feel like I should wear a wool knit sweater and sit at a table, looking out a window with a hot toddy in hand. Those chocolate chip orange zest scones melted in my mouth when we tried them right out of the oven. They won't last 48 hours in the house. I need to run with some Britney and Black Keys before I eat another one of those.
And, let's not forget the all-too-flavorful Italian meatballs. Man, Colorado ground beef, cilantro, parsley and some parmesan. Who know that could change a life? Those things made me fans of Italian food. I'm not a pasta girl but these meatballs with some linguini and angel hair. Served with a bacon tomato sauce. You know we had fun eating those and drinking some Malbec that night. It was a wild night in Rome eating those!
Sure, I started with someone else's recipes. But I don't know if I have ever actually followed someone's recipe 100%. That potato tart came from smittenkitchen.com and I didn't use the potatoes she wanted (I used idaho and purple), I didn't use a cream (try coconut milk), and I definitely tripled the herbs (thyme, rosemary and basil). I did use her pie crust recipe, which turned out alright but not as flaky as I wanted it to be. I like those big flakes to fall off and serve as a mini platter for the tasty toppings.
I love reading math blogs -there are tons of great math teachers out there who share resources, share their struggles with kids and their experiences with professional development. They identify tough problems - and we share common math misconceptions - and provide their take on how to combat common errors.
But, there isn't a food blogger out there that tackles issues like scones not rising, how to get the oil stain off a cookie sheet, maximizing time in the kitchen to be an efficient cook. Can't someone out there explain why I have a whole container of coriander - what the hell do I do with it?
One day... the right blog will come around when I am ready to accept it. And it'll be a passionate few hours of exploration.
potato chip chocolate chip cookies. Yup. Lays potato chips with some chocolate.
smittenkitchen.com is really great for creative recipes, great photographs of the food, and it is well organized. Plus, she lives in NYC. She is supposed to be a cool national blog. She includes a little blurb about her life so we get to know her at a superficial, cyber level.
Well, that just isn't enough for me. I need more in my food blog.
I need drama. I need entertainment and an adventurous spirit. I need to know the flaws and the mistakes. I want my food blog to be real - not some whimsical fantasy. There are not rose-colored glasses here. There may be some extra vanilla extract in a baking recipe, and some green chili on anything possible. Salsa makes it way into everything. But don't sugar-coat my food blog. I know the right one for me is out there, isn't it?
If it isn't, what should be in my food blog? If I were to create one from scratch, how far could I take this? Would people come back for seconds?
I know that blue cheese potato tart looks incredible. It tastes like a fall day and makes me feel like I should wear a wool knit sweater and sit at a table, looking out a window with a hot toddy in hand. Those chocolate chip orange zest scones melted in my mouth when we tried them right out of the oven. They won't last 48 hours in the house. I need to run with some Britney and Black Keys before I eat another one of those.
And, let's not forget the all-too-flavorful Italian meatballs. Man, Colorado ground beef, cilantro, parsley and some parmesan. Who know that could change a life? Those things made me fans of Italian food. I'm not a pasta girl but these meatballs with some linguini and angel hair. Served with a bacon tomato sauce. You know we had fun eating those and drinking some Malbec that night. It was a wild night in Rome eating those!
Sure, I started with someone else's recipes. But I don't know if I have ever actually followed someone's recipe 100%. That potato tart came from smittenkitchen.com and I didn't use the potatoes she wanted (I used idaho and purple), I didn't use a cream (try coconut milk), and I definitely tripled the herbs (thyme, rosemary and basil). I did use her pie crust recipe, which turned out alright but not as flaky as I wanted it to be. I like those big flakes to fall off and serve as a mini platter for the tasty toppings.
I love reading math blogs -there are tons of great math teachers out there who share resources, share their struggles with kids and their experiences with professional development. They identify tough problems - and we share common math misconceptions - and provide their take on how to combat common errors.
But, there isn't a food blogger out there that tackles issues like scones not rising, how to get the oil stain off a cookie sheet, maximizing time in the kitchen to be an efficient cook. Can't someone out there explain why I have a whole container of coriander - what the hell do I do with it?
One day... the right blog will come around when I am ready to accept it. And it'll be a passionate few hours of exploration.
potato chip chocolate chip cookies. Yup. Lays potato chips with some chocolate.
Happy Easter!
John 20
He has risen. INDEED!
We read that Mary Magdalene thought grave robbers had taken Jesus' body. But, why would they leave all the materials that robbers are seeking?
We read that John beats Simon Peter to the tomb but Simon Peter is the brave one to enter as John hesitates to go inside.
Now comes the really cool part. John starts to realize that when Jesus said he would rise after 3 days, he wasn't kidding around. His body rose from the dead. I can believe something magnificent created this Earth and created our whole universe. I recognize each person on this Earth is unique and our body is a mystery to modern science. But, a human body being raised from the dead? This has been the most difficult part of faith. Indeed.
Luckily, Jesus is pretty smart and knew there would be doubt.
John 20:29 "...Have you (Thomas) believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed."
That's ME! I went through years of doubt and years of seeking some sort of meaning and explanation to life. All that searching led me to where I had the most doubt, and the least evidence. Or so I thought.
The Bible is all we have. And that Bible has been translated in so many different languages over centuries. The story stays the same in any culture where Christianity has spread. Jesus Christ died for us, so that we have lift. His Father sent him here for us.
All over the world, Christians celebrate the most marvelous day - the day that Jesus rose from the dead. I have faith that Jesus rose from the dead. He actually walked the Earth after being nailed to a cross and stabbed through the side. I believe and it has given me life.
Peace be with you.
Thursday, April 5, 2012
Be Joyful!
"In the day of prosperity be joyful, and in the day of adversity consider: God has made the one as well as the other, so that man may not find out anything that will be after him."
Teach for America. Who would have thought? As a senior at Loyola University Chicago, I never thought about joining the education college. I never dreamed of managing 28 fifteen-year-old students as they punch the pi button on their graphing calculator. Who would have thought that I could take under-performing inner-city kids and have them reach grade level? I asked myself over and over again - who put me in charge?
The man upstairs. He sure does get his way. I ignored all the signs of reaching the covetous role as Ms. Karnowski, Room 135. Go back to high school? no way! I loved to play school with a elementary friend. I tutored a fifth-grade student in math when I was in high school. My AP Calc teacher even told me I would be a math teacher one day.
Ever heard of the Amazing Race? What about the Amazing Spatial Race? That's right - we are going on a race with spatial reasoning. To win this challenge: be the first team back to home base (the classroom) with each clue and problem solved correctly.
You excited? So were all my freshman.
When the two year commitment with TFA was about to end, I had no idea what to do next other than move to a new city. Fortunately, I found a teaching position in Denver right away with KIPP. I told myself - you will know when you are done with this teaching thing. And leave. Don't stay because you feel obligated to the kids. There are some mean, old teachers wandering the halls of high schools across America - and I don't want to be one of those!
The time has come to hang up my protractor, retire the graphing calculator, and finally go to the bathroom whenever I want to!
I am terrified. A little nervous about what might happen next. And so excited to see God's plan for me reveal itself.
Santiago, Chile. Why? Been there, done that, right? Well, ever since I got back in 2005, and then again in 2010, I have been itching to walk its streets, develop a true sense of Spanish fluency, explore the mountains, learn and live its history and their hope. I hate the pollution and its a HUGE city.
I feel giddy when I image myself boarding the plane, going through Chilean customs, riding the subte, drinking great wine and meeting international adventurers that have found their way to the magic and mystery of a troubled nation. Economically, stable. Sociologically, deeply troubled and hopeful.
Teach for America. Who would have thought? As a senior at Loyola University Chicago, I never thought about joining the education college. I never dreamed of managing 28 fifteen-year-old students as they punch the pi button on their graphing calculator. Who would have thought that I could take under-performing inner-city kids and have them reach grade level? I asked myself over and over again - who put me in charge?
The man upstairs. He sure does get his way. I ignored all the signs of reaching the covetous role as Ms. Karnowski, Room 135. Go back to high school? no way! I loved to play school with a elementary friend. I tutored a fifth-grade student in math when I was in high school. My AP Calc teacher even told me I would be a math teacher one day.
Ever heard of the Amazing Race? What about the Amazing Spatial Race? That's right - we are going on a race with spatial reasoning. To win this challenge: be the first team back to home base (the classroom) with each clue and problem solved correctly.
You excited? So were all my freshman.
When the two year commitment with TFA was about to end, I had no idea what to do next other than move to a new city. Fortunately, I found a teaching position in Denver right away with KIPP. I told myself - you will know when you are done with this teaching thing. And leave. Don't stay because you feel obligated to the kids. There are some mean, old teachers wandering the halls of high schools across America - and I don't want to be one of those!
The time has come to hang up my protractor, retire the graphing calculator, and finally go to the bathroom whenever I want to!
I am terrified. A little nervous about what might happen next. And so excited to see God's plan for me reveal itself.
Santiago, Chile. Why? Been there, done that, right? Well, ever since I got back in 2005, and then again in 2010, I have been itching to walk its streets, develop a true sense of Spanish fluency, explore the mountains, learn and live its history and their hope. I hate the pollution and its a HUGE city.
I feel giddy when I image myself boarding the plane, going through Chilean customs, riding the subte, drinking great wine and meeting international adventurers that have found their way to the magic and mystery of a troubled nation. Economically, stable. Sociologically, deeply troubled and hopeful.
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