Thunderstorms, Earthquakes, and Hurricanes

Well here I am, a true Southern Belle, or at least heading that way. Yes, that's right, I am now an official resident of North Carolina, that hot, humid, wonderfully friendly state. Here's perhaps a quick snapshot of my last week.

Wednesday, August 17, 2011, 7:00 am
My road trip lovin' father and I departed my hometown of Mill Creek, WA, for greener pastures, complete with Starbucks coffee in hand. Up to this point, I hadn't really come to full realization that I was actually moving literally across the country, to a place where I knew exactly one person, to a culture completely different that what I have known for the last 23 years. I don't even think that I really fully understood what was happening throughout the four days we were burning rubber on the I-90 and various other interstates. I guess this was for the better, as I was kind of numb to the emotions of leaving my childhood home for a second time in a decade. I'll admit one thing, I did get a littttle choked up watching my mom hold back all the tears that I (and my dad) knew were there as we drove off into the sunrise. So, we commenced our journey on an ordinary Wednesday morning. We drove through Eastern WA, Spokane, Moses Lake, and into the skinny part of Idaho, through beautiful Cour d'Alene, and made it into Montana before the afternoon was over. The highlight of the day, FOR SURE, was our stop at the 50,000 Silver Dollar Casino, a strategically placed tourist trap chock full of Native American blankets, Montana shot glasses, cedar wood workings, huckleberry syrup, and dang good milk shakes. This was a must for my dad and I because it is somewhat of a family tradition. You see, my dad has been to this place a grand total of 6 times, 3 with his own mom, dad, and siblings on their numerous trips to visit family in the midwest, and 3 times with our family. Needless to say, as dumpy as this place is, it's full of nostalgia.

Our second stop was in gawd-awful Butte, MT (no offense meant to anyone). Literally, this place is the pits. We pulled off to grab some dinner and headed towards "Uptown Butte," and found not a single decent looking place to eat. Then, we got lost for an hour. We finally found civilization in "Downtown Butte"and were blessed, for lack of a better term, with an Arby's. And that was the last time we saw a Starbucks until Kentucky. What the what. we spent te night in Bozeman, which was nice.

Thursday, August 18, 2011, 7:15 am
We left Bozeman a little past 7:00 am. The day was pretty uninteresting, except for the crack sustained in my windshield from a wayward rock. We drove through the remainder of Montana, Wyoming, ALL OF FREAKING SOUTH DAKOTA, and Iowa. It was a very long day.

Friday, August 19, 2011, 7:00 am
We both woke up rearin' to go, excited about the country before us, when lo' and behold, we had a flat. How that happens, no one will ever know. All I can say is that I'm glad it happened over night and not on the interstate through all the construction we passed. While this event was a bummer, we were lucky enough to be right next to a car dealership, who kindly fixed the hole in about 90 minutes. They said that a piece of flimsy old wood pierced the hard exterior rubber of my tire. ????? weird. On this day, we made it through Illinois, Indiana, and Kentucky. Very tired.

Saturday, August 20, 2011, 7:00 am - aka THE BIG DAY
The end was in near, merely 10 hours of country between me and my new home. And let me tell you, it was BEAUTIFUL country: Kentucky, West Virginia, Virginia, and North Carolina. This was my absolute favorite part of the drive, not even owing to the fact that it was the last day, but more so because as we left our hotel in KY, fog was everywhere, there were cicadas loud in song, and many green farm lands and trees enveloping the interstate. I honestly felt like I was in a dream (as cliche as that is). And West Virginia was even more beautiful to behold, with it's rolling tunneled hills. LOVE. Although today I heard on the news that KY and WV fall in the top 5 most unhappy states in the US. How, I don't know, because those states are beauties. After getting loston the wrong freeway in Virginia, we finally made it to the long sought after destination.

Sunday, August 21, 2011 - Present
I am settling in quite nicely. Sometimes it gets a little lonely, but that's when I remember the most that I know the Lord has put me here for some purpose; whether it be to help one person, or learn more about myself, or pursue what He is really calling me to, I know not. I was encouraged yesterday by Galatians 2:20b, "The like I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." So it is by faith alone that I live, looking forward to the plans that God has so graciously created for my life.

More exciting news soon.....

Saturday Afternoon Yummies

Today was an excellent day. I woke up and almost immediately was joined by one of my best friends, Emily, for a quick work out and swim at the local LA Fitness. It was so refreshing to work up a sweat, and then to find instant relief in the coolness of the pool. By the time we were done, both of us were REALLY hungry, so we filled our bellies with yummy Greek food from Kafe Neo, which is sooooo delish and incredible, and I can't rave enough about it.

While working out, Emily was flipping through a magazine that she brought called Picnics and Cookouts. One recipe in particular caught both of our eyes, and we decided it would be a terrific idea to spend the afternoon in June Cleaver mode.

For your tasty amusement, I have included the recipe (and some pics) below. This little babies are heavenly, in every sense of the word.

Rustic Red Raspberry Turnovers (yields 12)

What you'll need


Berry Filling
4 tsp. granulated sugar
1 Tbs. all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
2 cups fresh red raspberries, rinsed and patted dry (we ended up using blueberries instead)
1 to 2 Tbs. milk

Pastry Dough
2 cups all-purpose flour
14 Tbs. chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 large egg, beaten
2 Tbs. granulated sugar
1 Tbs. chilled heavy cream
2 tsp. fresh lemon juice
1 tsp. table salt
Parchment paper

Shortbread Pastry Dough


1. In a food processor, combine the flour, butter, egg, sugar, cream, lemon juice, and salt, and pulse until the dough starts gathering together in big clumps.
2. Turn the dough out onto a counter and gather it together. Shape the dough into 1-inch thick disk, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate to firm a bit, 20 to 30 minutes. You want the dough to remain pliable enough to roll, but not so soft that it's sticky and difficult to move once it's rolled out.

Turnovers


1. Divide the pastry and pat each half into roughly a square shape about 1-inch thick, wrap each in plastic, and chill for20 minutes.
2. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. On a lightly floured surface, using a floured rolling pin, roll out one square of pastry into a 9x14-inch rectangle. If the dough is too sticky, dust it with a little flour. Cut the dough into 6 rounds, each about 4 inches in diameter. Remove the excess dough from around the rounds and discard or save for another use. Run a metal spatula under each round to separate it from the counter.

3. In a large bowl, stir the 4 tsp. sugar and the flour, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Add the raspberries and gently toss to coat. Taste and add more sugar if the fruit seems tart.

4. Put a heaping 1 Tbs. of raspberries (3 to 6 berries) in a single layer on one half of each dough round. Press gently to flatten the berries a bit. Dampen the pastry edges with a little water and carefully fold the other side of the dough over the berries to make a half moon. Press the edges of the dough together with your fingers or the tines of a fork. If any small cracks form in the dough, pinch them together as best you can with damp fingers. Use a spatula to transfer the turnovers to a baking sheet.

5. Repeat this process with the remaining half of the pastry dough and the rest of the berries. When all the turnovers are assembled, refrigerate for at least 15 minutes and up to 4 hours.
6. Meanwhile, position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 400 degrees fahrenheit. When ready to bake, brush the tops of the turnovers with the milk and sprinkle with sugar. Bake until golden brown, 20-25 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool.

We consider these guys a huge triumph, considering how tasty they were, and just how difficult it was for us to make the stinking dough rounds. We didn't use a food processor, so the dough was hard to form, but in the end, it was well worth it because THEY WERE SOOOOO YUMMY!

Heads Carolina, Tails California

Much has changed since my last blog post. I say this with some recognition of regret: it has been too long since I attempted to blog anything. So this, as we may call it, is a sorry attempt to give you a brief update of "life since last post."

Craft Fair, Sewing, A New Friend, Etc.


Many of you read about the excited anticipation I had for an upcoming craft fair in Irvine that I had been invited to participate in. I was super stoked and honored for this opportunity to display my crafts, and began working hard right away. I sewed, I crafted, I painted, I sanded, I read blogs for inspiration, but alas, about 5 days before the affair, I received a call as I was vacationing in Tennessee that the fair had been cancelled, for some reason still unbeknownst to me. There was hope that it might be rescheduled, but alas, it never was. I was bummed, but I will not lie to you, I was also a little relieved. This was a big step, and something I'm still not sure I'm ready to face. And as it were, since the falling through of this event, I have had very little inclination or desire to recommence with my trusty sewing machine. Whether it's due to the fact that I graduated from school and have been unbelievably busy, or just merely dealing with a little bit of "seamstress' block" (I was going to call it sew-er's block, but that just ends up looking like sewer's block (as in rubbish, waste, refuse) and that's just weird). After graduation I also had to end up selling my sewing machine because it just wouldn't fit in my car for the long drive home to Washington. I was somewhat saddened by this because I had learned how to sew on this machine, but also a little excited by new possibilities (namely machines that weren't as temperamental as my old Singer). After 1200 miles of California and Oregon coast, I was rewarded with a brand new, barely used, heavy duty, gray and silver Singer sewing machine that my grandmother had purchased with the intent of using it herself, but hey, the idiom holds true in that you can't teach an old dog new tricks. I'm not calling my dear old granny a dog or anything, just pointing out that she REALLY likes her old sewing machine, and was hesitant to learn to use a new one. All to my benefit perhaps, because my new sewing machine is absolutely awesome, stupendous, great, etc., etc. Thanks grandma. From this day forth, he shall be named Bullet, for his precision, strength, and speed. Enough about this topic, and on to the next.

Graduation, and all that other nursey stuff


Yes, it's true. After five long and beautiful years, I have officially graduated from Biola University, with a BS degree in Nursing. Quite and accomplishment, from what I hear. Graduation week was a whirlwind. We had our Pinning Ceremony and shed many tears. I spent lots of time with my friends and family who flew in for a long weekend, going to all the cool hang out spots and restaurants. I graduated on a cool, Southern Californian day (thank you Jesus.....I think I prayed for this since last year's graduation, when it was blistering hot). We celebrated with Chipotle (always a celebration). And capped off the week with a joint graduation party for myself and my dear, dear friend, nurse, and roommate, Jana. And then....it was over. Here's a sweet picture of the graduating nursing class (at Pinning), who I so dearly love and appreciate. Good friends, for sure.

We were done. It still hasn't sunk in, and it probably won't until the Fall, when I don't return to California, but start a new adventure on the other side of the country. Yes, for those of you who don't already know, I am uprooting my entire life, and moving to a state where I will know exactly one person. Where you may ask? Fayetteville, North Carolina, 45 minutes southwest of Raliegh, 2 hours east of Charlotte, 2 hours from Myrtle Beach, and 2 hours from the mountains. Pretty exciting if you ask me. I luckily (and thankfully) got a Med-Surg residency position at an awesome hospital. I am also moving with one of the girls from my nursing class, beautiful and sweet Jenna, who also got a job at the same hospital (different program, though). We are blessed to be able to move together, and look forward to this exciting opportunity. I leave sometime in mid-August. And, if you are ever in the area, you know you have a place to stay (fo' free).

And finally, I PASSED THE DREADED NCLEX EXAM. I studied, I tested, I conquered (and to top it all off, I got my license). This was a pretty big deal for me.

College Roommate Becomes a Misses


I was lucky enough to have the same roommate for all 4 years of college (sadly, not my 5th year though). Her name is Katie, and she is a doll. In the summer before her last year of school, she fell in love with a boy who likes to ride bikes and make movies. His name is Jon, and not only is he a perfect fit for my roomie, but he is also a dear. To make a semi-long story short, they went to middle school, were sweethearts for awhile, didn't see each other for years and years, reunited, fell in REAL love, dated long distance, and tied the knot. It was a beautiful thing to witness. I was honored to not only be a bridesmaid, but to also help host Katie's bachelorette party with her crazy, leggy bestie from high school, Jessica. This may go down in history as one fo the best, most fun, crazy, and wild nights of all time. At our apartment, we played games, we opened cutie presents, we taught Katie how to dance, we ate, and then the real party began. We were blessed by Katie's parents with accommodations at the Hyatt in Huntington Beach for that night, so we went down to HB, checked in, changed into matching hot pink tank tops, lovingly made by Jess, and went to the Black Bull Chophouse to dance and ride the mechanical bull. The night was nothing short of hilarious. From watching Katie being admired by every guy we saw, even the 90 year old one (weird), to spending time just being silly girls, to Katie and me riding the mechanical bull together, it was an all out blast. We topped of the night with some Bomb Burgers and bed. The next day was accordingly spent by the pool, soaking up a little sun. What a good friend I have in Katie.

Fast forward a month or so, and Katie's all the sudden about to get hitched. The wedding and reception were beautiful, from the all pink candy bar, to the helicopter send-off, it was absolute perfection. I wouldn;t have expected anything less than this from such a beautiful woman. I will say that probably my favorite part, though, was the set-up and errands we were able to do before the wedding. I say this because this was probably the last time I was able to spend some quality time with one of my best friends before life would change just a little bit. I treasured this time dearly.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2


This definitely deserves a shout out. Seriously the best. For all of you that haven't seen it, you should. It is bomb. We went to the midnight showing and the festivities and excitement from the crowd was definitely an experience to be had. There was even a girl dressed up (poorly, I might add) like Voldemort. As bad as her costume was, it was still hilarious.

SHOUT OUT TO EMILY.


and that's it for now.

Great things on the horizon!

I am writing this blog with much excitement (I'm also sitting in a wheelchair...not because I have to but because it just happens to be the most comfortable chair in the room).

I am most pleased to announce that I will be taking place in The Wedding Pantry's 2nd Annual Craft Show, in Old Town Tustin, on Sunday, May 1st. The fair starts at noon and goes until 4 pm.

HOW IT BEGAN: Many, if not all, of you know that I have my very on shop on Etsy selling aprons. These are pretty much my pride and joy, and what I spend the majority of my free time creating. About a week and half ago, I got a convo through Etsy from The Wedding Pantry, asking if I would like to take part in this fair. Now, I have been contacted before to participate in other crafty things and it just didn't work out (mostly because it cost like $300 to be a vendor), so I was quite skeptical about this particular fair. However, upon many exchanged e-mails, a visit to the actual shop where it will be held, and a face-to-face meeting with the coordinator, I AM IN!!!!!! This will hopefully be a good opportunity for me to gain experience and confidence in this sort of thing (as I am quite nervous).

WHAT I'M SELLING:  I will of course be selling APRONS as my main items (I am currently furiously (and cost-effectively) trying to create as many as my pin-pricked fingers can handle). I have also discovered a new found love for POTHOLDERS!!! These gems are not only pretty simple to make, but I also get to used left over scraps of the fabrics I have most loved over the last year and a half. Pretty neat. And yet another brain storm I had while I was working was to make the fabric flowers so commonly seen on the aprons I make, and turn them into MAGNETS for a cutie fridge! Finally, I have found and am painting/decorating lovely CHALKBOARDS, as they are so trendy and chic at this point in time. I am continually thinking and formulating new ideas, so there may be more projects to behold in the next two weeks.

On a side note, the timing of this fair seems perfect because not only am I finished with the majority of my classes TOMORROW, but I also happen to be flying in from Nashville the day before. God's providence if you ask me :)

WHERE AND WHEN: Like I said, the craft fair is on Sunday, May 1st, from noon to 4 pm. It is going to be at The Wedding Pantry store, which is an adorable boutique for not only wedding supplies, but many other handcrafted goodies.

The Wedding Pantry

138 W. Main Street
Tustin, Ca 92780

Hope to see you there!!