My Kind of Salad

You should make this today. It's so good that I am emerging from a 6-month blog hiatus to tell the world about it.

From A Homemade Life by Molly Wizenberg of Orangette

1/2 lb fresh cherries, halved and pitted
6 oz "rustic" bread, preferably day old (I used a sourdough baguette the day I bought it and it was lovely)
Olive oil
1/8 tsp crushed/pressed garlic (or more if you love garlic like I do)
Balsamic vinegar
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
Goat cheese
Arugula

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Tear the bread into bite-sized chunks, spread onto a cookie sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until lightly toasted and golden in some places.

Meanwhile, place 1/3 of the cherries into a small bowl and smash them enough to release their juices.

When the bread is finished and still hot, place it in a large bowl and toss with garlic. Let it cool slightly, then add the cherres (both smashed and whole) and toss again. Drizzle with 2 tsp. vinegar, 1 Tblsp. olive oil, and a pinch or two of salt and toss.

Taste and add more vinegar, oil, or salt, depending on what your taste buds tell you. Add two large handfuls of arugula and toss again. Sprinkle with crumbled goat cheese and finish off with a few grinds of the pepper mill.

Eat!

A Less Fertile Me

I heard that a woman's fertility drops 30% at the age of 27. If this is true, then today I just received a pretty significant gift!

27...that feels old now, but I'm sure in five years I'll think back to how young and fine-line-and-wrinkle-free I was at this time.

I took off work yesterday and spent a few hours with some of my girlfriends in the morning. They threw a breakfast b-day party for me at one of their homes. It was lovely to hang out with them at this time of day, and to "enter their world."

A world of utter chaos.

There were a total of 8 children there, ranging from 6 days to 4 years old. Now granted, these friends don't usually spend their days together with all of their children hanging out in one large, unruly jumble. So while I was completely overwhelmed by all of the kiddos, I understand that it wasn't a normal "day in the life" for these mothers.

In the midst of the joy that yesterday brought me - to spend time with dear friends and their beautiful, fun, bundles-of-energy kiddos - I realized that I am increasingly becoming more of an outsider in regards to the "mom club." This year one of my best friends (with whom I spend a lot of time) adopted a baby, and next year my sister will have her first. Every time I log onto Facebook, about 60% of my friends' posts have to do with pregnancy or motherhood. Joel and I are one of the few couples we know who are childless. It's just a part of this stage of life. But not yet OUR lives.

Last night was a tough night for me. I was somewhat depressed and mopey, cried a bit, tried to explain all of my emotions to Joel. I'm not even sure what those emotions are, really. I just know I feel more lonely these days than I ever have. The truth is, no matter how hard my friends try not to talk "mom talk," that's their world. Their kids are what they care most about, what comprise their hearts' and minds' attention and fill the hours of their days - as they should be! And I'm happy for them, and I love their children, I do. But although we connect on other levels and share other interests, I feel different. Maybe it's a self-imposing feeling...maybe they don't view me differently at all. Yet I've seen it happen time and again: As soon as another friend has her first child, or even becomes pregnant, she enters "the circle." That exclusive club that no woman can really understand until she crosses over as well.

Honestly, my personal goals and milestones for Year 27 have no room for motherhood: I am celebrating my 5-year anniversary in April. Running several long-distance races, including a marathon in October. Working my butt off at a full-time job and freelance writing on the side. Decorating my new home room by room. Drinking lots of wine. Shocker? Ha. So with all of these goals and hobbies and personal endeavors, it bothers me that I am bothered by the fact that I'm not part of the club.

I pray for proper perspective in all of this - that I let go of my inclinations for self-pity, that I learn to better love my friends who are mothers, and that I relish the NOW for me. Not sure what all of this looks like, but I guess that's just part of life and growth and change.

So here's to Year 27 - whatever it may hold.

This fall...

We warmed our home


Ran a 200-mile relay race



Went on a weekend trip to Charlotte with good friends




Celebrated the Wongs with some crazy TU peeps

Celebrated my dear friend Sam's bday at Bobby McKey's in National Harbor

Found out I am going to be an aunt!!!

(P.S. I just blogged twice in a day. PDubs would be proud.)

....five months later....

Hand check! Who still reads this blog??? Probably no one. Because let's face it, I'm not a good blogger. A recent Pioneer Woman blog post told me that a good blogger nurtures her blog regulary...at least daily, in fact. Maybe the reason I'm not writing is because I waste too much time reading other blogs? But there's just so many good ones out there! (I realize I read a lot of cooking/baking blogs. Don't judge.)

Can I start over? Can we forget about this five month period of silence? I believe in redemption. So let's redeem this blog. (For today.)

So...we bought a house this summer! House shopping, buying, closing, packing, painting, moving, and organizing consumed my entire summer, so there you have it! You're up to speed on my life. That was easy. Here's some pictures (another piece of blogging advice from PDubs that I am working on - always incorporate photos!)



Living room before


Kitchen before


Living room after

Joel painting the kitchen

I LOVE my house. The many windows (including the one above my sink in the kitchen - something I've always wanted), hardwood floors, my big kitchen, two full baths so Joel and I can get ready at the same time, a small yard that only requires five minutes of attention from a weedwacker, our back deck and sweet patio, colorful/homey painted walls, a big laundry room, plenty of storage area...these are a few of my favorite things. :) It felt like a long process at the time, but now that it's over and we're settled in our new abode, I realize that going from deciding to look for a house to moving into one in three months is really no time at all.

We had a ton of help - from cleaning to painting to moving to decorating ideas...I realized over the past few months that I have the best friends and family! I also realized that I don't want to move again in a really long time. And we only moved 1/4 mile down the street! Easy peezy...ish.

Now that we've lived on Stallion Court for two months, it finally feels like home. I'm not gonna lie, the first month was weird. I was trying to get into a new routine, trying to figure out which switches operated which lights, trying to remember where I put my mixing bowls, and realizing that adding several flights of stairs into the mix means that sometimes enduring thirst is a better option than getting out of bed for a glass of water at 3 a.m...

I feel full and rich and happy these days. I am glad that Virginia has become home, that we have made friends here who have become family, that we can sink our roots in a little deeper and enjoy this new chapter of life and home ownership...and many a trip to Lowe's.

Life is Meaningless

"Again I looked and saw all the oppression that was taking place under the sun: I saw the tears of the oppressed - and they have no comforter; power was on the side of their oppressors - and they have no comforter." --Ecclesiastes 4:1

What an incredibly difficult weekend this has been. And I have only been present in the midst of a friend's heart-wrenching grief. I have seen realities of life that I never knew until now, and I have asked questions that I never considered before.

Ecclesiastes has been bread and water to me this morning. I used to find chapters or passages from the book somewhat humorous and saw it as an "ecclectic" piece of Scripture. Now I find it real. Now I feel it resonating. Now I understand it as wisdom that gives one a ladder to cling to amdist the absurdity of life.

I have been angry, full of doubt, flung questions such as, "WHY?!?" many times over the past 48 hours. Yet my confidence in God and my awareness of his love for me, for humanity, for my dear friend hasn't wavered. Is this a test? I don't think so. I think it is just a symptom of the world in which we live. Clearly, it is a broken world. Yet beauty can arise still.

Maybe love in the midst of suffering is the most beautiful kind. Hope in the mist of despair, friendship in the abyss of grief, brief laughter in the throes of sorrow.

I believe there is always hope for healing and that every situation in this absurd life on earth is a chance for redemption. I am made more deeply aware of what living life is really all about the older I get, the more evil, grief, and unfairness I see:

"There is something else meaningless that occurs on this earth: righteous men who get what the wicked deserve, and wicked men who get what the righteous deserve. This too, I say, is meaningless. So I commend the enjoyment of life, because nothing is better for a man under the sun than to eat and drink and be glad. Then joy will accompany him in his work all the days of the life God has given him under the sun...

No one can comprehend what goes on under the sun. Despite all his efforts to search it out, man cannot discover its meaning. Even if a wise man claims he knows, he really cannot comprehend it."

Possessed by Truth

My brother forwarded this article to me a couple of days ago. My sister posted it on her FB wall. I would like to continue the family fun and share it here. It really resonates with me. What do you think?

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jon-foreman/possessed-by-truth_b_515051.html?ref=fb&src=sp

I'm an Irish Lass at Heart

I love St. Patrick's Day! My affinity for this holiday began five years ago, when I spent four months in Ireland for a study abroad program. The country's scenery is breathtaking, its people charming, and its culture and history so rich. Joel and I talk about taking a trip to the Emerald Isle together...someday.

Every year since I was married, I've made a point to recognize St. Patty's day in some way. I remember the first year I was just learning how to cook, so it took me an entire day to make Guinness stew, soda bread, and banoffi pie. Since then I've scaled down a bit, and I reached an all-time low last year when our celebration consisted of adding green food coloring to light beer. For shame! The Irish would be apalled.

This year, however, I have a two-part celebration in the works. Tonight I am making an Irish lamb stew and of course, the traditional Irish soda bread - my favorite. I also made sure to stock the frig with the real Irish brew, hopefully redeeming my "sin" from last year...

Tomorrow I'm leaving work early with some co-workers to enjoy an evening at one of the many Irish pubs in Old Town Alexandria (where I work) and toast to the Irish! Really, I wish I were back in Dublin watching the parade, and walking in St. Stephen's Green or strolling down Grafton Street. But until I return, I will do my best to keep my affection and fond memories for Ireland alive.

So cheers to St. Patrick's Day, to Ireland, and to any reason at all to celebrate life! :)