slow and steady wins the race

It's amazing how long it takes to get big things done, isn't it?! I am thinking specifically about the process of moving out, moving in & trying to finish graduate school since those are the events that have been encompassing my time and energy over the last week.    Because I felt so organized and ready for my big move, I was incredibly caught off guard when life over this past week was far more stressful and WAY crazier than I ever could have planned for or anticipated, but we'll get to that later.   Currently, I am sitting on the incredibly comfortable love seat my Aunt Joy gave me, with my laptop warming my lap in my refreshingly air conditioned apartment.   Needless to say, I am pretty thankful to have my feet up, even if it is short-lived. 

The chaos of this past week made me question whether or not it was a good decision to move.  Yesterday afternoon, I picked my friend Shannon up from the airport and had the opportunity to show her my new digs for the first time.  She couldn't stop emoting about how much bigger and how much nicer it is than my old place.  I was both encouraged and reassured that despite the fact that it has been rough transitioning to a new place of residence, this move was a good decision.  

The details of how the week went down are kind of ugly because it's never easy to keep up on your life when everything you need is buried in a box, your internet isn't working and you have papers to write and group projects to facilitate (or at least actively participate in), plus an old apartment to deep clean.  I wish I could tell you that my boxes are gone, my homework is done and my old apartment is clean but I can't.  Even after a week of non-stop action and constant unpacking, my apartment still isn't put together, my homework isn't done but as of 8:45 this morning, I am no longer a resident at the Equniox.  So thankful! If you have never deep cleaned an apartment in a way that honors the cleanliness of when you moved in, then you can't really understand how many cleaning fumes I inhaled or how many finger nails I broke.   My roommate Jessica and I were literally cleaning up until the seconds before we had our final walk-through with the manager and although I don't yet know the outcome of my security deposit, I feel good about way I left things.  

It's important for you to know that not all parts of this move were ugly, some parts went really well.  I had amazing help loading and unloading all of my stuff, as well as a solid weekend of move-in time, which has been invaluable.   Here are some pictures of the early stages:

This was my heaviest box of all.  A bunch of my friends tried to lift it and said "Erica, all of your school binders in one box?! Why did you do that?" Well, my friends, this box represented the weight of grad school.  Jump in and stay awhile :) 

 

 

 

 

 

This is my amazing moving crew after they moved all of my stuff in less than 2 hours! My friend Kelli took the picture instead of being in it, but she totally deserves HUGE recognition for being a giant help to me through the whole process. 

Because my friends were SO fast at moving my stuff, I was able to start unpacking right away on Thursday.   Jessica and I started throwing the empty boxes in our entry way and as you can see, it got a little nuts!

moving on out

Have you ever asked yourself "why am I awake at 1:18am and why am I still eating cheesy potato chips even though I haven't been any kind of hungry for hours?!"  If you have, I can identify with you completely.  I am awake at 1:18am, eating cheesy potato chips because my mind is running at a speed too quick to reign in and I am fighting the urge to let stress hold a significant place in my day.

Yesterday I spent the day running, packing, working on my scrapbook and babysitting.  It was a great day until sometime shortly after the little girl I was babysitting was tucked into bed, when I realized that I had way more homework than I had set aside time for.   Because I was distracted by the overwhelming amount of tasks I had left unfinished such as responding to emails, coordinating a solid moving team and paying bills, I was a little too distracted to make a dent in my assigned reading while waiting for the family to come home and send me to accomplish what I needed to do!  I came home, spent a little over an hour sending emails and then went to bed remembering that I had received notice from the apartment complex that they needed to do a walk-through of my apartment the next day sometime between 9am and 4pm.  Although this may not sound like a very big deal, I was stressed by the broad time frame of the visit because it meant that when I woke up at 7am and grabbed my homework, I was surrendering my ability to shower without questioning whether or not the entire maintenance team was going to show up while I was indecent.  I ended up spending the entire morning (7 - 12) reading for class, didn't shower and then battled a bad attitude about school during my drive into campus.  All of that to say, it's only been a week, but it's been hard for me to be back in school.  Every semester I have to readjust to the rigor and demand that grad school encompasses at every turn and this semester is no exception.    

But, that aside, I have been busy for a a great purpose; I'm moving in a week!  Come the morning of July 22nd, I will be in possession of keys to a newly remodeled apartment in one of the cutest areas of St.Paul.  My excitement has fueled my packing, and my organized personality has allowed me to have this moving process significantly underway:     

packed, stacked and ready to go!  

 

I'm not all of the way done packing yet but tonight my friend Pushpa brought over a few more boxes to help the process along.

more boxes ready to be filled! 

These boxes contain so much potential that it's hard for me to actually execute a plan and just fill them.   I've thought about filling them with every possible remaining item in my apartment, I just have to make a decision and see it through.  Everything that isn't packed is either being used or has the potential to get used sometime in the next week, hence my indecision about the best plan for using these boxes.   It's in moments like these when I wish I didn't think things through as thoroughly as I do. 

The most enjoyable part of my summer needs to be packed up, or at least picked up because I have literally exploded my scrapbooking stuff all over our dinning nook.   Every time I try and clean it up I end up making another page.   Hey, Rome wasn't built in a day, right?!

hot & thankful

It's 11:14pm on  a Monday night and I am sitting in my bed with my air conditioner running at full blast and I am sweating buckets!  Every time I rest my wrists on my laptop, get a little sweatier.  So gross! 

Anyway - I didn't sign in to blog about how challenging it has been to stay cool & hydrated lately, I signed in to say hello and to reflect on how humbling God''s provision is via a photo update. 

As you know, I have been wrapping up my graduate program, which won't actually be done until I finish my last class in August and present my Masters Portfolio shortly there after.   With the bulk of my coursework behind me, and my job interviewing done and over with, I have had a lot of time to piece through my pictures and realize how constant the Lords provision for me has been.   I hope you enjoy a small glance at the hugeness of the God I serve through these pictures:  

I was able to pass my Sign Language Competency Interview, which means that I am now certified to teach any student, age birth - 21 on the Deaf/hard of hearing spectrum.  Amazing!  This proves that God can do anything He wants to with an interest and desire that He created.  

It's hard to believe that this day actually came, and for the most part, it still hasn't sunk in, but by the sustaining power of the Lord, I lived through 2 years of graduate school!  I am so thankful that I have such supportive parents! 

Kelli, Nicole and myself on our way to the Minnesota Education Job Fair where I interviewed with St.Paul Public Schools!God truly has prepared in advance the good works we are supposed to do! 

Anna came and were able to celebrate my new job as a special educator for St.Paul Public Schools! Although the process leading up to this day was bitter sweet, I am abundantly thankful to serve a God who knows what I need far better than I do.  He is the giver of all good things, including jobs.   

 

 

I clearly have a lot to be thankful for!

fighting disappointment

Have you ever woken up determined to do something but unsure of how you were going to pull it off?  Well, this morning I laced up my running shoes, grabbed some water and headed outside to start a six mile run.   I had the whole route mapped out in my head and I was thinking strategically about when I should hydrate when I started noticing how tight all of my muscles were.  After a few minutes of stretching I wasn't feeling any looser so I just decided to go for it.   It was only 9:30 in the morning but it was already a blazing 91 degrees.  I have been fighting a sore throat + head cold for the last few days but I have missed two other training days this week because my cold has left me feeling light headed.   I really wanted to pound out my long run today.   After completing struggling one mile in roughly 17 minutes (yikes!) I knew I wasn't going to get very far.  I ran another 1/2 mile before I needed to head home.  The longer my runs are, the harder they are to complete on a treadmill, but the hotter it gets outside, the harder it is for me to complete my runs outside.  Such a dilemma!  Despite unplanned disappointment like today, I continue to be thankful that I am finally to a place where I am setting aside time to exercise.  Only a few short months ago I wouldn't have even dreamed that I would ever blog about a Saturday morning run, regardless of the capacity!  Progress.    

Training woes aside, I wanted to post one of my all-time favorite recipes for your enjoyment.  It's not exactly chili weather today but according to the weather channel, the storms-are-a-comin' which means that the warmth and comfort of this uniquely flavored chili could be a great addition to a rainy supper time.  


CHILI CON CASHEWS
From La Leche League: Whole Foods for the Whole Family

1. Saute in 2 Tbsp. olive oil in stock pot:
• 2 cloves garlic, grated
• 1 bag shredded carrots
• 2 sweet yellow onions, diced
• 2 yellow, or orange peppers, diced
2. Add:
• 1 can salted cashew pieces
• 3 cans beans*
• 28 oz. can diced tomatoes with liquid
• 1 tsp. basil
• 1 tsp. oregano
• 2 tsp. chili powder
• 2 tsp. cumin
• 1 bay leaf
• ½ tsp. salt
• dash pepper
• 1 cup craisins
3. Simmer for a couple of hours

*For beans, use: light or dark kidney, butter, black, garbanzo, or sweet corn

If at first you don't succeed. . .

One of the reasons that I started my quest towards domestication was to discover recipes that were worth repeating.  While living in the dorms during the middle two years of my undergraduate degree, my friends and I would speak fondly of our favorite childhood foods while we ate in the dining halls together.  Most people don't know what makes the food they love special, but the common trend was that most of us preferred food that held the most memory power for us.  I have now been on my quest towards domestication for almost three full years.  That's a lot of recipes!  Thankfully, I have more than smudged cook books and a few burn marks to prove it; I have discovered a few special recipes that are worth frequenting my dinner table.

One such recipe I found while digging through recipe books at the Library.  Have you ever tried that?! If we're honest with ourselves, most of us don't use at least 50% of the recipes in our cook books, which leaves us flipping page after page to discover the recipe we're really after.  Sometimes that's part of the romance of using cook books, other times, it's a huge waste of time and space.  Anyway, despite the fact that I know how underutilized my cook books are, I still love looking through new ones whenever I wander into a book store.  When I was gathering recipes for the start of 'Crock-Pot Tuesday', I wasn't finding what I wanted on the internet and I didn't have the budget to buy myself another cookbook.   I decided to head to the Library on the off chance that they had any cook books waiting for me on the shelves.   Low and behold, I discovered a very, very large section of cook books dedicated to do-ahead meals.   I ended up neglecting my homework for days as I paged through the large stack of  cook books I was too tempted to leave on the shelf.  The recipes I inherited from this research project of mine are very diverse in nature and ingredients, but if you are in the mood for some Saturday morning muffins, this recipe is for you:

Chocolate Zucchini Muffins
3 cups all purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
3 large eggs, beaten
1 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 cups grated zuxxhini
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
nonstick vegetable oil spray

1. In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, cocoa power, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg.  Whisk until blended.  Add the eggs, oil and vanilla and mix until well combined.
2. Add the zucchini, walnuts, and chocolate chips and mix again.  Cover and refrigeragte ivernight.

The next day:
3. Preheat the oven to 335 degrees.  Spray 16 muffin cups or 32 mini-muffin cups, or line with paper inserts.  Pour the batter into the cups, filling each about two-thirds full.  Bake mini-muffins for 12 minutes, standard muffins, 20 to 22 minutes.   

13.1 Miles for Change

Have you been dying to know what the deal is with my new found ambition to run a half-marathon?! Or, for those of you who know me well, you might be wondering what spurred me on to run at all?!  Let's just say, I waited 2 months to drop this news because as someone who swore I wouldn't run even if chased, I wanted to make sure that I could stick this thing out before I clued you into the process.  Just to clarify, you did read this right, I am going to run a half-marathon!  It's okay if you're in total shock; you're in great company because most of my friends are still getting over the surprise!  

This decision may seem abrupt, and in some ways it is, but the process of getting here has been nothing but life-giving, which is what I desperately needed. 

Here's how it happened: about three weeks before student teaching ended in April I started praying about what I could do to take healthy steps towards a balanced life.  After investing all of my resources and reserves so fully into student teaching, I knew I was going to walk away over-tired, emotionally drained and unusually unable to invest well in the lives of others.  I was drained in ways I had never experienced and I was afraid of how long it was going to take me to recover.  As I prayed about the steps I could take to move towards the Lord, steps toward restoration and steps towards other people, I felt the Lord prompting me to run.  

I have always wanted to be a runner but after a trial period for a few months my sophomore year of high school, I gave the sport up in pursuit of something less taxing and kinder to my knees.  When I started college 6 years ago, I stopped exercising because I was so stressed and stretched academically that I didn't have any extra reserves to invest in working out.  I know that working out has been scientifically proven to lower stress, but for me, the thought of making time for it, escalated my stress.  I couldn't balance gym time + school + friends + my job + my involvement in campus ministry + church.  It was too much and gym time seemed like the only thing that I could cut out without academic, emotional or spiritual repercussions.  I frequently thought about working out because my inability to make it to the gym combined with the stress-eating that accompanied long days in the library resulted in 6 years of gradual weight gain.  Gross.

  Now that I am standing so close to the finish line of my college career, I am ready to change my life and develop healthy habits to carry with me all the way through adulthood.   So why a half-marathon?! Good question.   The answer is actually so simple, it's liberating: I needed something that was built to be fueled by the daily commitment to the prescribed process.  I didn't trust myself to build gym-time back into my life and do it in a healthy way.  I didn't want a quick fix and I certainly didn't want to do any crash dieting.   I wanted something that relied on daily progress for long-term success.   I found a pre-training schedule online to turn me into a runner and then I found an official training schedule to build my endurance and mileage over time.

For me, running this half-marathon is about moving towards the Lord, allowing Him to restore my life and trusting Him to continue to be sovereign over my life one day at a time.   Training for this half-marathon has mirrored my spiritual journey with the Lord in so many life-changing ways.  I am deeply thankful that I have had the time to invest in this new adventure.  So far, it's been a good one!  

a little creative domestication can go a long way!

Because I am moving & because I am currently living off the last remaining dollars of my student loans, I have been intentional and strategic about eating the food I have on hand.  This is a simple concept, but what you may not realize is that I picked my current apartment because it was next to a grocery store.  Some of my favorite memories from the last two years involve me putting on my shoes, grabbing my wallet and walking to the grocery store to purchase items for whatever my newest kitchen quest happened to be.   Unlike most people, I love grocery shopping, but it's because I consider cooking more of an art than a necessity.  I know I spend far more on groceries than the average single woman, but it's because I'm funding a hobby more than an appetite.

Although I have greatly enjoyed being able to cook based on what I'm in the mood to make, rather than what I have the ingredients for, this season of my life requires me to be a little more creative when catering to my quest towards domestication.  I have been taking inventory of my food cupboard first and finding recipes second. Because I had barley, chicken broth & kosher salt on hand, as well as asparagus in my freezer, this recipe was added to my quest.   Summer isn't the best time to stand in front of a stove patiently stirring risotto, but with all of the thunderstorms we've had lately, this was the perfect dinner:

Barley Risotto With Asparagus and Parmesan (RealSimple.com) 

Serves 4 

Hands-On Time: 45m  

Total Time: 45m

Ingredients

• 5 cups low-sodium vegetable or chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large yellow onion, finely chopped
• 1 large clove garlic, finely chopped
• 1 1/2 cups barley
• 1 cup dry white wine (such as Sauvignon Blanc)
• 1 pound asparagus, cut diagonally into 1-inch pieces
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 cup (2 ounces) grated Parmesan

Directions

1. Warm the broth in a small saucepan over low heat. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, for 7 minutes or until soft. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute more.
2. Add the barley and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Stir in the wine and cook until the liquid is absorbed, about 3 minutes. Add the broth, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring occasionally and waiting until it is absorbed before adding more.
3. Add the asparagus with the last 1/2 cup of broth and cook until tender. It should take 30 to 35 minutes for all the broth to be absorbed.
4. Remove from heat, season with the salt and pepper, and stir in the Parmesan. Spoon into individual bowls.