no gathering of my family would be complete without the droning of a power drill or a trip to home depot. normally it's my parents working on some sort of home improvement project, but this time i'm visiting my aunt and uncle at their beautiful abode in colorado springs, and they seem to be at the throes of home improvement projects.
when my aunt and grandmother picked me up from the aiport, my grandma proudly told me how she just bought them a new microwave to fit over their stove. while i bummed around enjoying the splendor of being around family (and greedily doing as many things as i can on their high speed internet), my aunt and uncle were busy at work the rest of the evening trying to install this microwave. trial and error revealed some holes drilled in the wrong place (measure twice, drill once, my friends), so i was called over to help out. eventually the microwave found it's new home (power drill and saw: check).
the next morning, on a simple trip to the store to get yeast for baking bread (must...feed...the...addiction...), we stopped by REI, home depot and a camera shop before making it to the grocery store (home depot stop: check).
i've spent the past few days relaxing, crocheting, writing letters, buying way too many things on the internet (all on sale and free shipping...), and listening to my sassy grandma's banter. she claims she's losing her sense of humor with her age; i just think she's getting more hilarious. i really wish i had a tape recorder to capture her remarks about life.
i'm writing this entry to the soundtrack of a power drill, shopvac and clanging of electronic bits as my uncle tries to configure a way to use skype in the living room. by the way, i just got skype (username: miller.is.robin) and was able to catch up with my good friend heidi in real time! she's teaching english in taiwan and has her own blog (http://heidialford.tumblr.com/). we communicate mainly through written correspondence; however, i thoroughly enjoyed our nearly 2 hour conversation...both of us in pajamas thanks to the 15 hour time difference! me just having woken up and her about to call it a night.
back on track...we did the quick and dirty version of the garden of the gods in manitou springs. i snapped some photos of the kissing camels, held up balance rock and was wooed into buying too many postcards at the trading post. then we stuffed ourselves silly with sushi before returning to prepare pies for tomorrow's feast.
at the trading post by the garden of the gods, there was a sign saying "it all started when two people fell in love". being with family for thanksgiving makes me reflect on the gravity of this souvenir sign. family does start when two people fall in love. the reason that all the people in the room around me are here is because two people fell in love enough to welcome children into their lives.
what the future holds for my family remains unknown. for now, i will enjoy the time we have to spend together.
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
Monday, October 31, 2011
oh, hello there fall.
today, while i walked over to sneak dinner from the camp nawakwa (we didn't have program today), i thought about fall. i've been thinking about fall a lot lately. friends have been asking me what fall is like in the mountains. i used to tell them that it made me miss the brilliant colors of the midwest. that it made me nostalgic for making giant leaf piles, jumping in them, and promptly stuffing those leaf piles down the jackets of anyone nearby. that it made me miss home.
this year, i'm embracing fall in the mountains. since i spend my days in the kitchen instead of outside, i've come to appreciate my time outside so much more than i ever have. i relish the warm sunshine on my skin and the cool shade under the oak trees. i have two beautiful windows in my room and love seeing the oak trees change from yellow, the orange, and eventually to red. yesterday, when i was hiking with friends, we found a cave and even met a new bat friend! how perfect for a halloween adventure. last week i even served up pumpkin spice coffee instead of the normal blend.
fall has been an awakening for me this year. i've been learning a new job, a challenging and exhausting job. i've been adjusting to a community full of familiar friends and new faces...as well as the difficulty of fitting in when my position is completely different from everyone else i work with. i am trying to stay connected to friends and family who are not in this community...and am finally planning the time to keep in touch (sorry pen pals...you will get letters!). it's not easy...but no one ever said life was.
i am enjoying myself. i get to create delicious, healthy food. highlights include breakfast crepe "lasagna", quinoa-black bean-sweet potato burgers, and finally finding time to bake bread from scratch! i'm slowly reclaiming free time during the week...hoping to get on some bike rides this week before it gets too chilly. and the weekends are always full of adventure : )
pictures will come soon...
this year, i'm embracing fall in the mountains. since i spend my days in the kitchen instead of outside, i've come to appreciate my time outside so much more than i ever have. i relish the warm sunshine on my skin and the cool shade under the oak trees. i have two beautiful windows in my room and love seeing the oak trees change from yellow, the orange, and eventually to red. yesterday, when i was hiking with friends, we found a cave and even met a new bat friend! how perfect for a halloween adventure. last week i even served up pumpkin spice coffee instead of the normal blend.
fall has been an awakening for me this year. i've been learning a new job, a challenging and exhausting job. i've been adjusting to a community full of familiar friends and new faces...as well as the difficulty of fitting in when my position is completely different from everyone else i work with. i am trying to stay connected to friends and family who are not in this community...and am finally planning the time to keep in touch (sorry pen pals...you will get letters!). it's not easy...but no one ever said life was.
i am enjoying myself. i get to create delicious, healthy food. highlights include breakfast crepe "lasagna", quinoa-black bean-sweet potato burgers, and finally finding time to bake bread from scratch! i'm slowly reclaiming free time during the week...hoping to get on some bike rides this week before it gets too chilly. and the weekends are always full of adventure : )
pictures will come soon...
Monday, October 3, 2011
back to the daily grind. cooking up a storm.
it has been quite some time since i gave attention to my blog. i guess you could say i took a summer vacation from blogging. to sum up the rest of my summer: my trail crew in oregon was a blast (i'll post pictures soon), my 3 weeks at home in michigan were blissful and my road trip back to california was splendid.
highlights from my road trip included seeing my brother and his family in kansas at my grandmother's house, visiting my train acquaintance (rob) in utah, spending time with kyle at grand teton NP and camping with thia in lake tahoe and sequoia national park.
when i got back to california, i hit the ground running. i spent the first week training under the other head cook, a beautiful soul named natalie, while cooking for new staff training. we made some delicious treats...especially spring rolls, homemade falafel, and extra delicious carrot cake.
the second week was the real deal...150 kids, 50 staff and teachers, and a kitchen full of food. i really got a sense for what it's like to be not only the cook, but the kitchen manager (my actual title). it's a new challenge for me to juggle trays of tater tots for the kids while not overcooking the veggie fritatta for the adults all the while baking tantalizing treats that are not kind on the waistline and making sure there is enough hand soap (random, but apparently i'm also in charge of ordering cleaning supplies for camp. hand soap has been the one that hasn't come in yet...and the one we really need. oh well!). i am starting to notice my biceps and quads getting much stronger and defined from regularly lifting 50 pound bags of flour and large pots of boiling water.
my almost-disaster came when i mixed up the squeezy bottles of cooking oil and dish soap (both yellow liquids that i hadn't labeled yet). you can imagine my surprise when i wondered why the green peppers i was cooking kept smelling so clean and bubbled up quite nicely. good thing i caught that before adding it to the huge vat of sloppy joes for the kiddos.
i'm slowly catching up on rest. i spent the weekend sleeping in, settling into my room and frolicking outside. it's amazing how soothing time outside with wonderful people can be to the tired soul.
this week i'm headed to virginia to see my best friend from college get married! i am escaping a puking epidemic that is going around camp and some icky weather passing through southern california. no complaints here!
highlights from my road trip included seeing my brother and his family in kansas at my grandmother's house, visiting my train acquaintance (rob) in utah, spending time with kyle at grand teton NP and camping with thia in lake tahoe and sequoia national park.
when i got back to california, i hit the ground running. i spent the first week training under the other head cook, a beautiful soul named natalie, while cooking for new staff training. we made some delicious treats...especially spring rolls, homemade falafel, and extra delicious carrot cake.
the second week was the real deal...150 kids, 50 staff and teachers, and a kitchen full of food. i really got a sense for what it's like to be not only the cook, but the kitchen manager (my actual title). it's a new challenge for me to juggle trays of tater tots for the kids while not overcooking the veggie fritatta for the adults all the while baking tantalizing treats that are not kind on the waistline and making sure there is enough hand soap (random, but apparently i'm also in charge of ordering cleaning supplies for camp. hand soap has been the one that hasn't come in yet...and the one we really need. oh well!). i am starting to notice my biceps and quads getting much stronger and defined from regularly lifting 50 pound bags of flour and large pots of boiling water.
my almost-disaster came when i mixed up the squeezy bottles of cooking oil and dish soap (both yellow liquids that i hadn't labeled yet). you can imagine my surprise when i wondered why the green peppers i was cooking kept smelling so clean and bubbled up quite nicely. good thing i caught that before adding it to the huge vat of sloppy joes for the kiddos.
i'm slowly catching up on rest. i spent the weekend sleeping in, settling into my room and frolicking outside. it's amazing how soothing time outside with wonderful people can be to the tired soul.
this week i'm headed to virginia to see my best friend from college get married! i am escaping a puking epidemic that is going around camp and some icky weather passing through southern california. no complaints here!
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