Currently

looking forward to my parents’ Thanksgiving visit…

contemplating what to cook for my first time hosting a holiday dinner…

thinking about my grandma a lot…

missing my siblings….

failing at returning calls and responding to emails…

working really hard on my letterpress project…

wishing I could take a break to relax…

resisting buying myself a sewing machine and/or new camera lens…

trying to be content with what I already have and not what I can’t afford…

planning out the homemade Christmas gifts to give to family and friends…

avoiding eye contact with the giant pile of laundry I didn’t do this weekend…

worrying about my family and friends who might be affected by Hurricane Sandy…

hoping you all have a safe and happy Monday…

Friday Thoughts

This week went by so quickly! I cannot believe it’s already Friday. I am so ready for the weekend. I can’t wait to sleep until 9 tomorrow. I had a few blog posts planned out in my head for this week, but obviously I never managed to get pen to paper. It was quite the busy week, so finding time just didn’t happen.

One reason for my radio silence, was that I added babysitting on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays to my schedule. I hang out with two really awesome kids on those three afternoons. I really enjoy it, and it’s giving me some extra money to help with these things called bills, but it’s exhausting!

I also spent all my nights this week at the University working on a letterpress project that is due next Wednesday. I haven’t even started printing yet- I’ve just been setting type, sizing my paper, and doing some planning. I’m really excited about it so I hope it turns out as awesome as it is in my head.

This weekend is going to be a busy one as well, but hopefully it’s as awesome as I imagine it could be. I’m definitely going to be working on my letterpress project some more but I also hope to hit up the farmer’s market (possibly for the last time this season), do a little bit of painting or knitting, carve a pumpkin, and find a new book to read. Additionally, I have tentative plans with some new friends (who are a few of Jon’s students- Is that weird?). We’re supposedly going to watch some Disney Halloween movies and make some Mexican fare. If it ends up happening, I’m positive it will be the highlight of my weekend.

Anyway, life is really good. It’s busy and chaotic and full and positively awesome. I feel so much better when I focus on the now, instead of worrying about the future. What are your weekend plans? Any one else going to butcher a pumpkin?

I hope you have a happy weekend no matter how you spend it!

Finding my new normal

I’ve been hesitant to share a lot about how I have been feeling since the big move, because it hasn’t been all butterflies. I knew it wasn’t going to be all candy canes and milkshakes, but it’s been a lot harder than I anticipated.

I’m learning quite a bit about myself and about Jon and about how we work as a couple. I’m learning what it’s like to constantly worry about money, a state of mind that is completely new for me. I’m learning how to swallow the lump in throat every time I think about Tex and how I left him. And I’m learning how to bundle up for what I consider freezing, and locals consider nothing. (If one more person tells me, “Oh this is nothing, just wait until winter!” I may break down.)

With all change, even good change, there is a period of adjustment. There are high highs, and low lows, and what seems like very few plateaus in between.  But slowly, I’m starting to truly settle in to this new chapter. Yesterday, as I stomped through leaves to my car after work, I looked around and felt really comfortable. Then I thought, “I’m in Wisconsin, I’m living in Wisconsin;  I never even dreamed of visiting Wisconsin and somehow here I am and here I’ve been, for a month and half.” It is beyond bizarre.

At the beginning of the week, I went food shopping. I love the grocery store, but the traffic pattern to get there from my residence is quite ridiculous. But I drove to there without a thought, completely immersed in my new routine of getting groceries. And it’s moments like that where this feels normal and I’m mostly content.

I’m still having those other moments, where I’ve been home alone for a few hours while Jon is teaching his class, and all the blogs have been read, and the shows have been watched, and I’m still waiting for him to get home, and I do wonder what I was thinking. But when he gets home, and we commiserate about how cold it is while he makes himself dinner, I think to myself, “this feels right.”

(Now if only I could get everyone I love to move here, get a job that I love and that pays well, and change the location of Wisconsin to that of Florida, this would feel perfect.) Have a great weekend friends!

Autumn Manifesto 2012

I guess this manifesto is a little late, considering we’re probably more than halfway through the fall here in Wisconsin. It’s quite cold already, but hopefully that won’t stop me from crossing off everything on my list. You’ll notice that this manifesto is quite a bit shorter than my summer one. I’m the opposite of the majority of people and I prefer the summer to the fall. These goals are also a bit more involved than most of my summer ones.  I’d like to elaborate on them a bit.

Make Soup: I love soup. I have been experimenting with some different kinds of soups and I can’t wait to try even more this fall (and winter). I’d love some suggestions!

Collect Leaves: I’ve been admiring all the beautiful leaves bursting with color here. I’d really like to take a few walks and collect a variety of types and colors and make a collage.

Crochet & knit: It’s chilly already, which has caused my fingers to do some itching to knit and crochet. I’ve started to make a few granny squares, and I’d love to amass enough for a blanket. I also want a new hat, a new scarf, and possibly a sweater. I’m feeling ambitious.

Try Mulled Wine: The other night, a friend was talking about how much they enjoyed mulled wine. I’ve never had it, but it sounds pretty delicious. I’d love to make some to try.

Photograph People: I’d really like to expand my photography comfort zone and learn to photograph people. I figure the only way to do this is experience. Now if only my boyfriend didn’t hate having his picture taken.

Carve Pumpkins: Carving pumpkins has been one of my all time favorite fall activities for basically forever. I’m planning to carve some awesome pumpkins this year.

Make Apple Pie: Jon is allergic to raw apples and I’m not the biggest fan of apple sauce, so I figured I’d better learn to make some really good apple pie. Then the both of us can enjoy the delicious apples, fall provides.

Explore Wisconsin: Since we arrived over a month ago, we haven’t had the opportunity to do too much traveling. We’ve both focused on settling in, but I’m feeling more comfortable now. I hope we can do a bit of exploring some nearby towns and areas before it gets too cold and snowy.

I also forgot to put it in the photo, but I would like to get a library card so I can read some more books. I was on a bit of a reading frenzy but I had to stop because I was spending too much money! I need to start utilizing the public library.

So what are your goals for the fall?

Friday!

I mentioned on Monday that I have a new part-time job.  It’s at a very small local daycare, and I only work mornings. I’m in the room with up to 16 three-year-olds, and one or two other teachers. It’s been a while since I worked in daycare, and I really missed the children, but I’m quickly remembering all of the reasons I left. However, jobs seem pretty scarce, and I’m happy to have this one.

This week has definitely been rough. With my being back at work, my having a project due for my letterpress class, and our hosting a visiting artist (/friend) at our house, things have been pretty stressful. I am so glad that it’s Friday, and I have the entire weekend to look forward to. I’m hoping to take a nice long walk or two and collect an assortment of the beautiful leaves I see everywhere.

I also want to get out with my camera a bit more, and take some photos. I’ve been taking another continuing education, (adult school) Photography class, and I learned a few new things about my camera. It turns out that even though I’ve been shooting in Manual for while, there were a few tricks I could still pick up. I’m quite excited to see the photos that may result from learning these new things.

It’s so wonderful that it’s Friday. I really forgot how wonderful Fridays are, it’s been a few months since I was working! What do you all have planned for the weekend?

A Pitt Stop

Before I say a word about the awful drive, I just want to say thank you again for all of your sweet comments on yesterday’s post. It was such a warm welcome back; you guys are the best!

Driving from Jersey to Wisconsin was the worst aspect of the move. I am not a fan of driving; generally Jon drives everywhere and I’m happy to be in the passenger seat. But to move here, we needed both of our cars, envision a mini caravan of NJ licence plated Subarus on the highway. It took us three days, averaging about six hours of driving per day. By the end of the journey, I couldn’t even be happy that it was over and we were here, I was so furious that it had happened at all. The only thing I enjoyed about the trip was our overnight stay in Pittsburgh.

Jon has some friends who live in an old brewery that’s been converted to art studios/living spaces. The roof has grills, a garden, and an amazing view of the city. I’d never been to Pittsburgh before, and we were there for less than 24 hours, but I may have fallen in love with it a bit. It’s nestled in between a few rivers and surrounding hills. It also has a nice mix of somewhat modern architecture and old brick buildings. And the bridges: there are so many and each one is more visually appealing than the next.

We didn’t do much while there, except rest and eat, but we did manage to head to “the strip” which is host to a public market (only on Saturdays so we missed it), as well as a plethora of specialty food stores. We bought a bunch of cheeses, olives, and cured meats, as well as some dried goods, like black beluga lentils (my new favorite). We also ate at Pamela’s diner, and had the strawberry hot cakes, which were incredible.

Overall, the drive was dreadful, but this little Pitt stop, made it slightly more bearable. And while I’m looking forward to finding myself in Pittsburgh again, I think I might fly there next time.

Farmer’s Market (Portland)

Since I was a little girl, I have loved farmer’s markets. During family visits to Montreal, I always enjoyed perusing the giant farmer’s market there; from the cheese shops, butcher shops, fish shops, and cafe’s that lined the square, to the plethora of venders selling their farm goods in the center, it was heaven.

Now, whenever I travel, I love the visit the farmer’s markets. When I was planning our visit to Portland, Dean made sure to let me know that the farmer’s markets were on Wednesdays and Saturdays, so I could time our visit to coincide with at least one. We ended up going to the smaller Wednesday Market which is in the center of Portland, along the streets.

The market had a plethora of seasonal veggies and fruits, and flowers as well. A few venders sold meats and cheeses as well.  This was where we purchased the veggies for Dean’s Kale Kasserole.  Jon also bought himself some organic grass-fed sausage, which he thoroughly enjoyed.  I have to say that I think my favorite was all of the beautiful flowers.  

Farmer’s markets are really awesome, and I’ve been to various markets in a plethora of places. When you travel it can be a worthwhile experience to seek out the farmer’s market in the area, to sample some of the local cuisine, observe the differences in what’s offered, and chat with the local farmers. It’s definitely one of my favorite travel experiences. Thanks Dean for making sure we made it to the one in Portland!

Icecream

 

That saying “Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels,” pisses me off every time I hear it, for two reasons.

Firstly, because of it’s many untrue implications. One is that you can’t eat whatever you want and still be skinny, which is quite ridiculously untrue. Another is that the only way to be skinny is to restrict your eating, which is also way off base.There are many more implications but they all make me angry.

The second reason it pisses me off is because has that person never had ice cream? I’m pretty sure that tastes better than anything feels.

First Day of Summer!

It’s officially summer! Just popping in to say hello and that I hope you enjoyed the Summer Solstice today. Despite it being the longest day of the year, I’m only now finding time to post, so you can expect the ARTicipate round-up post tomorrow. Until then, here’s a photo of Jon and me from Father’s Day last year or the year before that I just found on the desktop of his computer. It’s amazing what you can discover on someone’s computer while they’re snoring behind you!

Happy Summer!

A Day at the Lake

Yesterday my family spent the morning at Round Valley Reservoir or what we refer to as “The Lake.” My dad’s boat hasn’t been made seaworthy since it was made winter-worthy in December, so we all relaxed on the shore. My mom, brother and I read, while my dad fished, and Tex frolicked along the shore.

My dad caught two beautiful brown Trout. One was big enough to keep, but he eventually threw it back because it wouldn’t have been enough for all of us. I had to laugh because as soon as my dad had one on the line, both my brother and I whipped out our cameras or in Erik’s case, camera phone. My dad goes fishing at least once a week in a decent-enough weather, but it’s always a photo opportunity when we get to see him catch one. Those fish probably felt like celebrities, with my family playing the part of the annoying paparazzi.

Unfortunately, I didn’t have the perfect settings to get the photos I wanted at the lake. It was weirdly lit, cloudy but extremely bright, add the reflection of the water and I just couldn’t get my settings where I wanted, quickly enough. Luckily there’s always a chance to make something out of nothing with the help of an editing program. Picnik, the website I usually use to edit my photos is closing in three days, so last night I decided to try picMonkey. I was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked it. It has all the basic editing options plus a ton of extra special effects. For these photos, after a few basic edits to color saturation and exposure, I chose one of the presets under papyrus. It gave the photos a grainy quality I enjoy.  Unfortunately, there is no collage feature on picMonkey yet, which irks me, that was my favorite thing to use.

I appreciate the fact that I was able to get some decent photos of the memories I made, despite less-than-steller camera skills. It was a treat to go to the lake for the morning with my family. We were all happy to be there together, but Tex was perhaps the happiest. However, no one was happy when my dad and I washed him and I found FOUR ticks in the process. It was really disgusting, but I guess it was a small price to pay for all the fun we had at the lake.