The 10 Types of Foodies

I stumbled across this gem while catching up on the year of plenty blog. Brilliant. Just brilliant.

my friend Tim

Tim is a beautiful soul. He is a neighbor who has befriended me and I him over the past year here in Fremont. Tim stands outside our neighborhood grocery store, mostly at night, no matter the bitterness of the weather. Sometimes he asks for money and other times he just says hello. He has made my day more than once. Tim loves to read and has a desire to return to school. He has a compassionate heart, as I witnessed when he saved a sick and broken bird, fed it, and kept it warm saying everyone deserved a chance at life because God created and cares for even this little bird. For a while, I had thought that Tim had forgotten me and the conversations we've had. And then the other night, he surprised me. As I smiled at him and continued on toward the grocery store door he said, "You cut your hair." I turned back, a smile on my face, and said yes I had. He said four words that said "I see you, I notice you, I remember you." I walked around the store wondering what I could give him as he stood out in the cold. I ended up walking out after making my purchases and handing him a turkey, ham, and avocado sandwich and the dollar I had in my wallet. "It's not much" I said. And he replied that a sandwich was just what he needed. What a beautiful man. He is a constant reminder to me to be in the moment, noticing the needs and offerings of those around me.

'tis the season

Life has felt really busy lately. Work has been great and stressful all at once. My weekend was filled with a late night, a funeral, and a birthday party; alot to take in in a matter of days. I am ready to go home for Christmas; ready to sleep in and read alot and bake with my mom and celebrate my sister's grad school graduation and spend Christmas with my family.

In other news, my Christmas tree has been cut and is happily gracing the living room.

                                              Reginald, in his natural habitat :)

                                                             He's a beauty

Light at the end of the tunnel

As Thanksgiving quickly approaches, I am getting more and more excited about it. You know when you have one of those weeks and you are just over it almost before it begins? It starts out rough on Monday and all you can do is look toward the light at the end of the tunnel (in this case, Thanksgiving) and hope time will move faster toward that light? Ya, I'm there. I'm ready for a break and after Thanksgiving, Christmas is only weeks away which means vacation, curling up on the couch and reading, and yearly traditions with my family. I CANNOT wait. In the meantime, though, I plan on doing lots of baking and Christmas decorating and snowflake making :)

Adventure Account

This past week I think I made one of the best decisions of my life! Well, this may be a slight exaggeration, but still. I have been talking about this for quite some time and in going with one of my goals for this year, which is actually doing and not just talking, I finally opened a bank account specifically for the purpose of saving money to go on adventures. And it's about time. There is so much in this world that I want to see and do and I don't want money, or really the lack thereof, to stop me anymore. Hence my new "adventure savings account." I don't have an abundance of money to save but I figure every little bit counts. And as I have a dear friend moving to Nicaragua in 2 short days, I want to begin finding a way to visit her when it becomes too grey and gloomy here to bear. This is just one of the many adventures I hope to have. Maybe a visit to Hilde in Norway or a celebration of my fabulous roommate's graduation will be funded as well :)

School lunch

I am saddened as I read this article. How can we say with a clean conscience that the tomato paste on pizza is a vegetable? How can we serve french fries every day and expect kids to make healthier choices? Of course a 3rd grader (and a 12th grader for that matter) is going to choose french fries and pizza over a salad and pasta. But what if the french fries and pizza weren't an option? What if they were given healthy options from which to choose, instead of whole grains and salad versus fat and sugar? Children would have the opportunity to make a choice between multiple healthy foods and would learn how to eat well and take care of their bodies. It only makes sense to provide children with healthy food that tastes good. In my opinion, the future of our country depends on it. Not to mention the health of our children, who should be the most important thing to us. It breaks my heart that children are fed foods that are bad for them yet labeled "healthy" all for the sake of money and politics. Access to food is a basic human right. Why can't we treat our kids better? What have they done to deserve diabetes and obesity?

"food" for thought

I am passionate about food. I love preparing and enjoying delicious food. 2 years ago, I made the choice to stope eating meat and become a vegetarian. This was a long time coming for me, I think, and the journey I was on that led to this point was enlightening and horrific and inspiring all at the same time. My senior year of college, I took a class aimed at assisting students who had previously been abroad to integrate global thinking into local living. It was the best class I ever took and definitely the most impactful (I mean, I'm now a vegetarian thanks to this class). We talked alot about our food system here in the U.S. and how far it is from being natural and sustainable. Instead, it is about efficiency, assembly lines, and profit. How sad that something as beautiful and life-giving as food has become so tainted. As a result of incredible articles and documentaries (particularly Food Inc.) and a passionate, knowledgeable teacher, I felt convicted about eating meat. And since I could no longer feign ignorance, I took the leap and stopped eating meat altogether. And I have never once regretted this decision.

Being a vegetarian is my small contribution to the world. It is my way of standing up to our unethical food system. It is my way of saying I don't agree with raising animals like products to be manipulated, like they aren't living, breathing creatures. It is my way of saying I am not ok with how much land and water are used to raise cattle that could be used in much more sustainable and useful ways. It is my way of saying I believe animals should be allowed to roam free and eat grass, not corn. It is my way of saying I don't want all the antibiotics and chemicals that are pumped into animals to ever enter my body.

What brought all this to the forefront of my mind today was an article in the Seattle Times about the local food movement in the US and how it could be and already is a solution to global hunger. After reading the article, I stumbled onto the author's blog. He is a pastor in Spokane who is passionate about growing local food, feeding people, and teaching people about good food. I'm inspired and will now be following his blog.

women for women

women for women international gives me hope. it is something good in the world. it is passionate women empowering other women to be passionate. it is an organization born from the pain of one woman that has grown to change the lives of women in 8 countries. this is something i can get behind. women everywhere deserve a chance. we deserve empowerment and a hope-filled future. what a beautiful story to hear and long to be a part of.

where are the good guys??

some angry haikus
to jackasses everywhere
from fabulous girls:

seriously, why?
when your ego is put down
does hurting me help?

i opened myself
and you threw it in my face
so you could save face

i was so honest
not attacking, rude, or mean
you were not the same

i deserve better
someone who listens and loves
with no harsh judgment

where are the good guys?
who are they dating? not me
please reveal yourself

napland

joy of all joys. today i discovered the most beautiful thing: a nap room at work. i didn't know until today that such wonderful things actually exist. let me explain. in the building i work in there is a room designated for napping. it is furnished with a comfy cot-type bed, lamp, chair, shelf full of fresh sheets, and a trusty lock. how have i worked here for almost 2 months and only now found out about this?! this magical room is the best kept secret around. from now on, i am certain my lunch breaks will be better than ever.

travel

groupon getaways may very well be my new favorite website. i could get lost looking at all the adventures that our world has to offer: kenyan safaris, trips to sydney and the great barrier reef, weekend getaways to quaint lodges in new england. i want to see and experience it all. thanks, groupon, for making that possible (i can dream, can't i?).

miss representation

the following is a trailer for a new documentary that just came out that tackles the issues of how women are portrayed in the media and how disempowering that is for women.

i can't wait to see the full documentary. the trailer is thought-provoking and empowering and makes me want to do something more tangible to raise up strong, confident, independent girls.

transformation of a pumpkin

this week was busier than i expected and i never got to write about my pumpkin patch adventure last sunday. it was fabulous. thank you stocker farms in snohomish for a lovely fall day; searching for the perfect pumpkin(s), caramel apple latte in hand.

                                                 the winners

As of last night, a few of these lovely pumpkins have been transformed into works of art. i love friday nights filled with friends, homemade caramel apples, pumpkin carving, and watching Elf :)

                      my owl, tamura's harry potter pumpkin, and kirby's face

                                                      yum!

so, although it's getting dark earlier and is gray more frequently and is much colder than it was a month ago, i am still finding the beauty and traditions that fall has to offer to be quite worth the downsides of the season.

pure brilliance

"When the light turns green, you go. When the light turns red, you stop. But what do you do when the light turns blue with orange and lavendar spots?" -Shel Silverstein, A Light in the Attic


most of life lies in the "blue with orange and lavendar spots" category, doesn't it??

Ride the Ducks

today has been an incredible saturday.

wake up without an alarm
stay in bed and watch a movie
delicious coffee and letter writing
meeting my roommate's dad and stepmom
hanging out downtown at pikes place market
piroshky piroshky
great conversation with the owner of thailand junkie
riding the ducks
observing occupy wall street, seattle style

now, let me explain "ride the ducks," the number one tour in seattle. this is the ultimate tourist experience. and therefore generally the desire to experience the ducks in all their wonder as a seattle-ite (if i'm even allowed to call myself that) is looked down upon. the visit from tamura's family was the exact excuse we needed to take a duck tour. and my was it worth it. an hour and a half of exploring all the quirky, fabulous things seattle has to offer, by land and by sea (lake actually). the cheesy jokes, loud music, and laughter were endless. people on the street danced and sang with us as we sat stuck downtown due to the occupy seattle protest/rally. there is nothing more fabulous than dancing to the ymca song with a bunch of strangers and people holding signs and making a political statement. the ridiculousness of it all was what made it so inspiring. it was all i hoped for and more.

tamura and i on the duck, gasworks behind us

gasworks, lake union, and the aurora bridge

haikus for today

a day full of rain
glowing kids to remind me:
im grateful for life.

chili and quinoa
warmth to my fingers and toes
the end of monday.

Autumn in a jar

fall is here. the leaves are changing. the air is crisp. and my apartment smells of pumpkin and spices. some of my favorite things about fall are: pumpkin spice lattes, candy corn, pumpkin carving, the anticipation of christmas, baking fall flavors, pumpkin ale, caramel apples, thanksgiving, christmas decorating. my list could go on. fall is a beautiful time of year. and i must mention that i am a newbie to fall. this is only my second fall, EVER. i am unabashedly in love with the season.

in keeping with the celebration of fall, tamura and i baked delicious pumpkin cheesecake brownies yesterday. while looking at the brownie recipe, i stumbled upon what seemed like the perfect autumn dream:

homemade pumpkin spice lattes. the syrup was incredibly simple to make, and the homemade lattes i crafted this morning were divine. the syrup is autumn in a jar and the latte was everything i could hope for.

so cheers. to everything that is beautiful about fall.

Hello Seattle

This song came on this morning while I was getting ready and it just reminded me how much I love living in this city. Enjoy the song and scenic pictures.

Mr. Sun

I know I shouldn't do it, but sometimes the temptation is just too much: I caved and looked up the weather on Maui. It is always a bad idea because knowing that the sun is shining somewhere only makes me crave it more. So here's the deal, all this week Maui will be experiencing lows of 67 degrees and highs of 85 (sounds terrible, right?). It is painful to read that as I look outside at the grey rainy sky. I love Seattle, don't get me wrong, but I feel as if I would do ANYTHING for some warm sunshine. The good news, I will be laying on a Maui beach in a short 6 weeks!! I hope my pale skin can hold out for that long :)

Paradox

This picture (go to image 4) caught my attention as I was catching up on the news this morning. It is full of contrast and irony. It makes me think of war and pain and also the innocence of children and the freedom of play. In a way it is very peaceful but then you see a soldier with a gun and a tank in the background and are reminded of the devastation and brokenness of our world. This image is haunting me. There is so much depth and so many vantage points to view it from. It exemplifies our universal humanness-at some point that soldier was that little boy on the swing. Is the soldier wishing he could go back in time? What does the boy think of the soldier? Is the soldier missing his family back home? Does the boy have a family or has his life been torn apart by war, by people that look like this soldier watching him? There is so much that goes unsaid, leaving much room for contemplation and reflection. The paradox of our world today was captured so vividly for me in this picture-it amazes me the impact a single image from halfway around the world can have on me, a girl whose life seems so disconnected from the reality displayed in the picture. It goes to show you how inextricably connected we all really are. I hope this image gives you something to think about today.

henry

There is a man who signs his name simply "henry." He has been somewhat of a mystery to me ever since I journeyed to Seattle and began to call this place home. He colors the city with whimsical creatures and childlike imagination. What used to be blank walls, garage doors, even cars and buses are now brilliant pieces of art that brighten any gray Seattle day. Until today, all I have known of henry is what I have just shared with you. But as my wonder has grown, I did a little research and am even more inspired by "henry" who I now know has a full name: Ryan Henry Ward. A man who has a dream to paint 50 murals throughout Seattle, brightening up ordinary spaces. And yet, he has even bigger dreams. Dreams of traveling to the developing world and helping people through art and even more murals. Dreams like this inspire me to dream. So thank you, henry, for dreaming and painting and sharing your gift with the world.

For an article all about henry see:

http://monkeygoggles.com/?p=1824

And here is henry's webpage:

http://www.ryanhenryward.com

Pensieve

The above picture is a pensieve from Harry Potter. A pensieve is a basin of swirling silver clouds that has the ability to hold a person's thoughts and memories. Once you remove these memories from your mind and transfer them to the pensieve, your mind is free of them. You may revisit these memories as you wish but the pensieve holds the burden of them for you.

A week and half ago, after a particularly hard day and during a particularly overwhelming week I mentioned to my roommate that I wished I had a pensieve. I had too much going on in my head and I just wanted some relief from it all. I wanted to remove my thoughts and come back to them later.

And then I realized that she was my pensieve that night. I sat on my bed and let my thoughts flood out and she graciously listened and held my thoughts for me. She was my real live pensieve. And the more I think about it the more I appreciate the people in my life who serve as my pensieve, and the more I want to be that for the people in my life. Because let's face it, we all need a pensieve every once in awhile.

Monday Morning

Dear Monday Morning, I have fought with you, welcomed you, and at times slept through you. You are always faithful to arrive about a day early. The weekend passes, refreshing and full of adventures but often lacking in productivity and then you come along and remind me what I failed to do over the weekend. Overwhelmed, I roll out of bed to make coffee and soon enough I have so many thoughts and to-do lists flying around in my head that if I don't let them out, I think I might explode. And although I often dread your arrival, you never cease to remind me of the beauty of a fresh start and picking up where I left off. Today picking up where I left off means sorting through loan paperwork and trying to start my taxes and sending emails I neglected over the weekend. But, Monday Morning, you offer me grace; a few hours before my busy week actually begins, a buffer zone if you will. I'm sorry I don't often welcome you with open arms, for another week to live and breathe is a gift indeed. And you are the bringer of that gift.

Happy Thoughts

I think it is important to recognize what is good in everyday life. Those things that save me and take my breath away and make life worth living. Here are some things just today that have done just that:

1. Looking out at the rain through a coffee shop window, steaming americano in hand.
2. Seeing my art students sell their work and be reminded of the beauty they create.
3. Uplifting conversations over a dinner of wine, cheese, naan, and hummus.
4. Dreaming of changing the world with water, wine, and baked goods.
5. Watching the Lion King and singing along (of course!)

Tales of 3-5-8

These are words inspired as I rode my bus (358) home from work.  I have had the desire to write a poem about my bus experiences for awhile now and I finally have.

Tales of 3-5-8

Greetings from a driver
Though sometimes I feel invisible
Pungent smells assault me
Old and young together
Immigrants, natives, and transplants like me
On and off all day
Eye contact often averted
Personal space no longer my own
Subjected to conversations I'd rather not hear
People fighting, people laughing
Some on their way to a party
Others just riding to survive
Teenagers with no money, loud and unaware
Old women in wheelchairs
Young mothers, exhaustion in their eyes
Hopelessness, heartache, and sorrows
Smiles, joy, and adventure
All ride together
No restrictions, no expectations
Just people going about their lives
Getting from here to there
Who are you?
Where are you going?
We all ride together, yet we all ride alone

Giving up, Taking on

This morning I went for a walk/jog/more walking. I am not, nor have I ever been, a runner. I try periodically, thinking that maybe this time I will enjoy it. Not so. Running is one of those things I envy in people-a skill I would love to have and yet have never been willing enough to keep fighting for. So, I run once in a blue moon, hopeful that something in my DNA will change and that my brain will tell my body that I love this feeling. Yet without fail, I go for a run and end up walking most of it and wondering why I ever thought this was a good idea. This morning was not much different. And although my "run" turned into a long walk, it felt good to be outside moving my body instead of inside sipping coffee on the couch (although I must confess that is what I am doing now).

My "run" this morning was inspired in part by the season of Lent that began yesterday. Lent is a beautiful season in the church calendar where people choose to give things up that are important to them in order to enter into Christ's story before his death a little more deeply. Oftentimes the cliche thing to give up is sweets, as too many of us are highly addicted. Yet, as I learned last night, giving up social networking sites is quickly becoming a popular Lenten sacrifice.

This brings me to my own choices regarding celebrating this season of Lent and entering deeper into God's story. Along with treating my body better by exercising more frequently, I have decided to give up Facebook for Lent. Some may mourn this as a loss, but I am really excited by and eager about this choice, especially since a few good friends have decided to give this up as well. Yet, it is important to me not to just give something up but to take something on as well. And so as I give up Facebook I am going to be very intentional in these next 40 days to connect with the people in my life on a deeper level. I am committing to writing more letters and making more phone calls and spending face time with the people in my life that I take for granted. I think a huge part of God's story is making real, honest connections with people; therefore, this is a practice that I feel strongly about taking on in a much more intentional way.

Sitting in the living room last night with my roommate, Facebooks deactivated, we laughed about how because we no longer have Facebook we are already learning new things-particularly from all the national news articles discussing people giving up Facebook for Lent. It is ironic how much more connected we become when we choose to "disconnect."

Magical Watch

So, being a consistent blogger maybe isn't my forte. Not yet at least. As it is, blogging is an intentional choice to reflect openly on the life I am living and what I see in that life. Oftentimes, reflecting is exhausting and at the end of the day, it is the last thing I want to do. And yet, here I am at 10:30 pm after a long day at work, choosing to stop for a moment and write.

On the bus home, a little boy got on with his grandmother. He was about four years old and was wearing a hat with Mario on it. He was your classic talkative child. Just a little bit before they got off the bus, he turns to his grandmother and tells her about this great idea he has had about a watch that would "disappear them home" by the touch of a button. Right around bedtime, he could press this button and it would "disappear them home" and then they wouldn't have to ride the bus. Brilliant.

I love the dreams and ideas of children. Kids are unstoppable because they have not lived long enough to have been told that they can't do something or that something is impossible. I think this is the quality I love most in children. And I wish adults allowed ourselves to live this way: as if nothing could stop us, as if anything is possible. I can only imagine what our world could be if our childhood dreams had never been shot down. If we had never seen hurt and failure. If we had never learned the words "I can't".

I want to live my life like the boy on the bus who wants to invent this magical watch. I mean, what could it hurt? Children are the most carefree, joyful beings I have encountered. They truly believe anything is possible. We could all stand to be a little (or a lot) more like them.

Tattoo

If you were to get a tattoo today, what would it be?? I think the answer to this question is so very telling of where people are at in their lives; what has impacted them, what they are feeling, who they want to be, and how they want to present themselves. I don't have a tattoo. But if I were to go out today and get one, I know what I would get. I would get the word 'grace' tattooed on my left wrist, in simple cursive, to serve as a constant reminder of this powerful force.

If I had asked this question two days ago, I'm not sure what my answer would have been. But today I know. The word 'grace' has taken on fresh meaning for me. The grace that Christ shows to me daily takes my breath away. Having this word on my wrist would serve as a gentle reminder that God is constantly extending His grace to me and that I in turn must extend that grace to others. I would have it on my left wrist because my heart is on the left side of my body and grace must be extended from somewhere deep inside. And it would be on my wrist, the part of Jesus' body that was pierced with nails so I could live.

The idea of grace amazes me. It is such a powerful concept and yet is so simple and humble. None of us would get through life without constant extensions of grace by Christ and by people. Grace says 'I got you covered' and is something we cannot earn or ever deserve. Yet even in our undeserving state, grace says 'I value you, I'll deal with the damage.' The sign that I have seen used for grace is a hand coming from behind the head and then moving above it, covering it. What a beautiful visual of grace.

At church last night the pastor talked about Communion as edible grace and I cannot get that out of my mind. Edible grace. What a gift. Something so tangible and real. Something I can taste and feel and smell. This picture, this idea of edible grace, inspired my reflections on the word 'grace.'

Grace is the bus driver letting you on the bus even though you don't have any money that day. Grace is a homeless man outside the grocery store who says 'God bless you' and 'have a great day' even when you give him nothing. Grace is, instead of highlighting all the negatives, highlighting the one beautiful thing she did that day. Grace is a friend who listens to my struggles and doesn't jump right in with opinions, but just listens. Grace is Jesus giving up His life so that I can have life. Grace is communion, a tangible representation of the grace Christ extended to me.

Having 'grace' tattooed on my wrist would be a tangible reminder of the importance of grace in my life. And so I ask again, what tattoo would you go out and get today?

Cupcakes and Curry

Just the other night I had the privilege of spending an evening with two incredibly beautiful and fabulous women that I am so happy to call friends. Our evening began at Jai Thai where we enjoyed a meal of curry, rice, and veggies around a low table complete with cushions and a beautiful view out the window. We talked about life in a candid and completely raw and honest way. Family, future plans, futures with no plans, the craziness of being a young twenty-something, discouragement, tough decisions, the beauty of small moments. These sorts of conversations are glimmers of hope. They remind me that I am not alone. They whisper to me that my life is worth something, that even when I feel lost someone cares enough to tell me that they see me where I'm at. Feeling so content with good food and even better friends, I was asked questions that I knew I could respond to in a completely honest, vulnerable way. It is moments like these that make life worth living. Moments where I can say things I didn't even know I was thinking. Moments that make a hard day dissolve into the realization that there is more to life than what that day was about.

And then we paid our bill, put our shoes back on, and walked out into the cold. We ended up at Cupcake Royale where we bought more cupcakes than we needed and drank Americanos that the barista gave to us for free. It may sound ridiculous, but that barista has no idea how he impacted us (and me in particular) and infused our night with a little extra joy. An extra cupcake, a free drink. That's all it takes sometimes. How freeing. We can all do things like this daily with just the smallest bit of intentionality. Just take a moment to notice those around you. Pay for someone's coffee, take cookies to work, hold the door open for someone, speak an intentionally kind word, share a smile. You really never know when you have given someone exactly what they needed to change their day from lonely to hopeful. It's the little things in life that make it exciting and special and hopeful. Little things like curry and cupcakes and good friends.