Sunday, May 31, 2009

Cheese Curds Squeak When You Put Them in the Microwave

Dear Friends,

My apologies for not entering into the blogosphere for a while. I’m slightly in shock that it’s almost been a month. The minute I stepped off the plane, from CA to MI, life took a speed of its own: non-stop fast-forward. I feel like I’ve been in a dead sprint and now I’m standing on the side of the road, gasping for breath and realizing something’s got to give, lest I pass out from exhaustion. More on this later, but I promise – PROMISE – that I will be more diligent.

Random Fact of the Day: I have added onto my personal Bucket List* and have moved “meeting The Pioneer Woman” to the top. She is brilliant. Additions include:
-Meet Stacy London or Clinton Kelly from “What Not to Wear.”
-Get my hair cut by Nick Arrojo when I pay off my student loans.
-Visit Peanut Butter & Co. in NYC and eat at their restaurant.
*These are all subject to change.

Another random fact: Beach volleyball is my least favorite sport in the entire world. However, since most summer holidays are spent at some friends’ parent’s house on the lake, I am often stuck playing it. I am not good. As a disclaimer on Memorial Day, I gave a mini-speech and said to my very competitive, college volleyball player extraordinaire friends, “ I’ll play, but you need to know that even though it looks like I’m not trying as a miss the ball or hit it behind me or off to the side or into the water, I AM TRYING MY VERY HARDEST.” Seriously, somehow, the ball just never ends up where I aim it. I would rather be doing a back handspring or sprinting contest. Anyway, miracle of all miracles, I WASN’T HORRIBLE. One of my friends even set the ball to me and I SPIKED IT. I don’t know how the ball ever went over the net, but it was like my reflexes and the wind were in sync that day, and I finished happy, sore and contemplating the 2016 Olympics.

Gratitude of the Day: This weekend, I took a short trip to Sheboygan Falls, WI for a bridal shower for my sis. Food, good food, is something that I think the world is less than appreciative of, disguising itself in thin hamburgers wrapped in foil or a Hot Pocket tossed into the microwave, as you’re running out the door. I’m just as guilty. And actually, I sometimes enjoy that kind of food. I’m currently craving Pizza Hut pizza. However, I’ve been trying to appreciate fresh, homemade food.

So, this weekend, I was grateful for really beautiful, satisfying food: bacon biscuits topped with eggs, asparagus and Swiss, homemade fruit salsa with baked cinnamon & sugar pita chips, chocolate mousse cheesecake from The Cheesecake Factory, to name a sampling. Then, a stop at Trader Joe’s just about did me in, purchasing dark chocolate pretzels and dark chocolate covered almonds with sea salt and turbinado sugar. How I wish there was a Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods in West MI. But I’ll stop now. This is the GRATITUDE section, not the “Wishes” column.


Thoughts to Ponder: For the past year, as you know, I feel like life’s been a bit of a limbo – never really sure where I’m going to end up job-wise, location-wise and career-wise. In the past month, as life took on a pace that left me wheezing (literally too, thanks to a sudden flare-up of allergies), I’ve felt the slow creeping of panic begin to overtake me. It had lain dormant for a while, and I had found a semi-calm place of contentment. However, as my days sped by, my quiet time came to a halt and my prayer life ceased, moments of frantic panic began to overtake me. That’s when I knew, something had to give. It’s something I’ve struggled with all through college – this need to fill my schedule. And in that, my life becomes a frazzled conglomeration of fast coffee dates and avoided phone calls, where I’m not even present, focusing instead on what’s coming up, what needs to be done.

So, last weekend, I slowly let go of the need to control, to be “status quo,” to have everything figured out and laid out neatly in a row (look at that – a rhyme, even before the rhyming section!). In the past month, several people have asked me what I love, what I dream of, what I wish. And I’ve come up with one thing. That is, to “create beauty.” In college, my mentor had said to me, “You know, Nicole, you were made to create beauty.” But to me, that wasn’t practical or tangible enough and I brushed it to the side and eventually dismissed it.

In the last few weeks though, I’ve realized that’s where my passion lies. That’s why I adore reading fashion magazines and think Sephora is a haven and find a release in writing. That’s why I could look at clothes for hours and find a certain sweetness in color and texture and movement. It’s why I like paint chips and makeovers and a finished room. It’s why I relax when I’m baking and read cookbooks for fun. All of these things lend to the creation of beauty. And I don’t know how this will come to fruition in my life. As a job, as a hobby, as an outlet.

In a partial answer to that, two friends of mine and I are launching a new fashion commentary blog soon, in a celebration of the art of fashion and design. We’re currently wrestling with a name. We have lists of dozens of names, but all the good ones have been taken: Little Black Blog, Trendmill, Tongue in Chic…but when we have a name, the posts will start to fly. It should be pretty entertaining, and they are much more funny than myself, so I think you will enjoy it, even if you aren’t particularly interested in fashion. Stay tuned.

And Now, a Rhyme: This weekend I went to the Land of Cheese/The warm wind blew a gentle breeze/On the way home, I saw 20 deer/Since they’re my favorite animal, it gave me great cheer/This week, I continue training for another race/Working to pick up my current racing pace.

Until next time,
Nicole

Monday, May 4, 2009

Zombies, Bucket List and Burgers.

Random Fact of the Day: As I mentioned earlier, I had the opportunity to page through the thought-provoking piece of literature known as "Sky Mall" on my way over to CA. I already enlightened you with the "Feet First with Jumpin' Jammerz." Now, I would like to share with you the other obscure item I discovered. Dum-da-da-DUMMMM: The Zombie of Montclaire Moors Sculpture. The copy reads: Not for the faint of heart. This...life-size, gray-toned zombie will claw his way out of your garden plot, office, or family room corner, pleading for assistance with the most life-like eyes you've ever seen. You'll swear you can hear him breathing. Please click on this link and then promise me you will never put him in your family room corner. Actually, please promise me you wouldn't spend $89.95 on him. I will not come over, not even if you have chocolate cake, vanilla ice cream and hazelnut coffee. Maybe if I can bring the leftovers home, I would come though, And if we only sit in the kitchen, far away from the zombie.


Gratitude of the Day: This weekend was really a blessing. My friends and I spent the weekend on the Pacific Coast (Pismo Beach), with two couples from their small group. We stayed in a beach house that's currently on the market for $1.3 million. And just relaxed the whole time. We walked along the beach and saw tide pools (I held a starfish!), ate at some great restaurants (I got chicken and Ben got burgers – still can't shake my seafood aversion), found lots of sand dollars, learned some new games (new favorite is Pinochle) and made up stories/guessed names of people at the restaurants (one of my favorite things to do, in general).


Also, just went to In 'n Out, and the Cheeseburger (animal style), fries and chocolate malt almost changed my life. Still love grilling out on the lake more though. But it was a scrumptious experience.


Thoughts to Ponder: On the way over here, I read "the Sacred echo," by Margaret Feinberg. For me, it was one of those books that touched my soul in places that I've been wrestling with and contemplating. I'm currently re-reading it, since my initial reads are always very fast and skim-like, and I'll probably write more about it later. I currently have a headache (from the pollen, I believe), so the computer screen is making me feel a little loopy). However, it was a raw and honest and beautiful piece of writing, making God seem bigger and more gracious and the world more vibrant then before I opened the book.


Here's one quote I'll leave you from the book:


"Through prayer, God invites us to sing the song of our lives to him – every word and every phrase – and he even enjoys the chorus. Prayer matters. Sometimes that's easy to forget, especially when I don't see any answers, or worse, when I receive an answer I don't really want. Yet the invitation remains: Sing it again...In those mornings, when I pour out my soul to him in prayer, I find the words echoing in my heart and mind, Sing it again, Margaret. Sing it again – because I hear you, and I love you more than you could know...No wonder the phrase, Sing it again, keeps coming alive in m,y heart and mind. The sacred echo is a gentle reminder to pray and keep praying, to listen and keep listening – no matter what the distractions" (51, 55). Highly recommended.


While in Cali, my goals were to 1.) Relax and not think about the things that normally stress me out; 2.) Blog; 3.) Explore who I want to be, as a woman, a daughter of Christ, a sister in Christ, a friend; and 4.) Begin writing a "Bucket List" (things I aspire to do before I "kick the bucket").

I thought I'd share some things from my Bucket List. I'm not writing it to be morbid or cynical or presumptuous. But, there are a lot of experiences I would love to have and thought that rather than label them as "someday," I should articulate them. It's too easy for me to put my life on "hold" and wait for that job or that person or that moment when everything slows down. I want to embrace each day and moment and life fully. Squeeze every last bit out of life and see with sparkling colors and taste the feeling of living life fully-present and 100% alive.


I only have a few things on the list so far, but here they are:

1.) Live with an Amish family for a week. I've always been fascinated by the Amish, and I would really like to experience their life for a short while and learn from them.

2.) Go on a boat in a bioluminescent bay, to see the water glow.

3.) Meet Ree Drummond aka "The Pioneer Women."

4.) Go to Italy and Greece.

5.) Go parasailing. I went once before, but I would like to go again.


And Now, a Poem: Here I sit, on a comfortable couch. It's so soft, I would never say "Ouch." Later, I'm going shopping with Jod. We'll probably come back with a pretty big load. Tomorrow, we're making "You Won't Be Single for Long" pasta. Hopefully, it will make me run fasta'.


Note: I wish I had pics to post for you, but didn't bring the cord for my camera. I hope to start posting pics on this blog soon, now that I figured out the link thing, as you may have noticed. I feel accomplished now.

Friday, May 1, 2009

From Tulip Town to the West Coast

Somehow, I let a whole month passed without a single blog. I have lots of excuses, but let's just get down to business instead, shall we? In the past 24 hours, I've changed time zones, read a book, watched "Bones" and "The Office," met new friends and moved in with old friends. In the next week, I am going to try to blog every other day – no promises though. This weekend, we're heading to the Pacific coast, so my next blog will come on Sunday. Or tomorrow, if you're lucky.


Pondering Today: Yesterday evening, I flew into California for a much-needed vacation. So, here I am, sitting on the back porch of two dear friends from high school/elementary school, Ben and Jodi (in a chair I gave as a wedding gift, ironically), looking out onto the cherry orchard they live on.


It's been a long time since I've had a day to sit and move at my own pace, to eat breakfast sitting at a table, leisurely flipping all my Frosted Mini Wheats frosting side up and not get annoyed that my hair takes a year to dry. Strangely, it's unsettling for me to have so much time with so few commitments (meaning none) and this morning, I had to intentionally deny myself the right to send out emails, texts and Tweets while eating breakfast.


There's so few times I'm actually alone during the day, both physically and electronically, that actually being alone made me feel a little bit panicked and friendless and jumpy. But as the day has worn on and the sun has gently warmed the day; as I've walked along the rows of cherry trees and savored dark chocolate with coffee and milk; as I've actually sat down and prayed and journaled and been in the silence, there's a calm that's begun to settle within me. It's been absent for quite a while, so its arrival was surprising and strange, in a bemusing, exciting sort of way. But, like all things in life – a new friend, a new car, a new pair of running shoes, it's starting to have sort of a comforting, familiar feel. My multi-tasking, mile-a-minute, fast-talking self is slowly finding a rhythm with this calm. And I think I like it.


Random Fact of the Day: While on the plane, I decided to browse through Sky Mall and find the most obscure thing in the magazine. I found two things that made me especially perplexed. I'll let you in on the first item today: Feet First with Jumpin' Jammerz. The description reads: The essential accessory for that ULTIMATE slumber party. Adult footed pajamas are perfect for KIDS of all ages, even YOU! Yes, my friends – for the low price of $59.95, you can get adult footed pajamas. They come in a variety of patterns – skulls, ducks, pink camo. Definitely what I want to spend $60, given the opportunity. Stay tuned for the next item. I have to find the link because it's unbelievable, really.


An Idea: As much as I adore being in CA right now, I do miss the concession food at Tulip Time, in Holland. Tulip Time is one of my favorite times of year. In Holland area schools, we always got half days during the week of TT, because of the parades. I've been craving a corn dog, elephant ear and fries for about a month now, so I'm thinking next Saturday, after the RiverBank 10k, I'll need to indulge. Maybe Thursday night as well. It's only once a year - gotta live it up.


Anyway, if you're looking for something to do this weekend, an idea would be to head to Holland for the fireworks on Friday. And watch the Dutch Dancers - it makes me laugh, because to us Hollanders, it's totally normal to have people walking around in Dutch costumes and stores with signs in the window that say "No wooden shoes, please." Yet to most, it's wierd and out of place and I love it. I'd much rather be wierd than boring. NO - people don't dress like that year round - I've seriously had people ask me that. "Yes, as a matter of fact, I don these three skirts and hat and six pairs of socks and metal kissers and wooden shoes EVERY DAY OF THE YEAR. It's especially practical on humid, 85 degree days. At work. In 2009." No...I can't even imagine. If you would like to feel like part of the Dutch culture, you may borrow my costume. It's been in retirement since my high school Dutch Dance days and my lovely portrait in National Geographic, which I believe I blogged about earlier.


Note: I've already decided to post another blog tomorrow because I'm going to skip out on the rhyme and a long post. My eyes are closing as I type (I wrote half of this earlier today) and so I need to stop typing, since I hate having grammatical errors and typos, which come more often when my eyes are tired.


Sweet dreams/good morning,


Nicole