Home is Where the Heart Is

Well, I've been in Boise for three weeks now (HOLLA long A VACAYYYY!!!), and I depart tomorrow. It's been amazing to say the very least. Leisurely strolls with Mom and Cooper (See our new dog!). Playing cards with the Kastma family. Small vacation to Portland. Coffee at Rembrandts and The Flying M. Dancing the night away with friends. You know. And I've loved every minute of it. This vacation has made me appreciate Boise much more then I ever did as an ungrateful teenager (how did no no ever slap me upside the head and tell me to get over myself!?). Maybe it's because most of the stores and restaurants I frequented were all about sustainability and buying local, as there seems to be a burgeoning push in this direction--and these things always excite me (easily pleased). I'm not sure if Boise was like this when I was in high school, and I never noticed it, or if it's recently grown this way--or maybe a little bit of both. Or maybe it's simply that I've learned to take pleasure in those "small" things--these are the things life is made of after all. As my neighbor and I sat over our cups of coffee--he with a mocha and I with a latte--we discussed what it means to be truly happy. How do you find that peace in the midst of the chaos that is life--between the demands of job, family, friends, meaning? I think I'm discovering the answer to that more and more--it is taking pleasure in those simple things--the foam on your latte (yes--it was REALLY that good), the joy of talking with a friend, delighting in a book, the leisure of sleeping in late when you can, being still. Maybe this trip hasn't been so much about Boise itself, but about slowing down, re-evaluating where I'm going and why, and taking some time to breathe.

I suppose there's a reason they call it "The Gem State" and also a reason why I live in the "Treasure Valley."

What's Been Cooking in MY Kitchen?!

THESE little gems:

Mouth watering.

See: Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Bars: You won't be disappointed (except you should actually make the butter room temperature and not think that all those chunks of butter will sort of melt and just "work themselves out"...rookie baking mistake. Sometimes I think this is how I live my life...). I cut the recipe in half, because these bad girls are RICH! You might look at the picture and think, "Eh...it looks slightly appetizing." YOU WOULD BE W-R-O-N-G. Try to stick with that New Year's resolution with these in your cupboard! Go on! I dare you!!! You can send me a note of appreciation for making your life ten times better because I introduced you to this recipe!

STILL one of the most memorable desserts I've ever had. MMMMM GOOD!!!

Flying M Coffee

This is the stuff dreams are made of.

Best. Foam. Ever.

Vanilla. Coconut. Latte.

And good company=even better!

Need I say more?

Follow that Blog!

Follow my friend Amanda's blog! She always finds the COOLEST stuff! I don't know how she finds these things! She's like a sleuth when it comes to finding anything green or crafty! She's how I know about half the things I know (does that sentence make sense...?)

http://kellygreenthumb.blogspot.com/

Off to ride my bike to the mall to recycle my ipod! What a green day! :)

Two Things I Didn't Know About Recycling

I know, I know, you'd think I would know everything there is to know about recycling, right?! Well, you would be horribly wrong. I mean, really horribly wrong. But now I know two more things about this splendid third R (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle):

1. Nike recycles running shoes! In general I hate Nike. They have been added to my list of Stores I Boycott along with Forever 21, Wal Mart and Abercrombie and Fitch, mainly because of terrible labor practices. But they've gained a few points back in my book because it turns out you can recycle your old running shoes there! Yes, you can drop them in a bin, and they will turn them into astro turf or a new indoor track or something like that. Neat! Learn more here: http://www.nikereuseashoe.com/

2. You can recycle your old ipod or laptop at the Apple store! And get 10 percent of a new pod! And I checked out their recycling vendor and they make sure that the parts are safely disposed off, not shipped off to another country where the people in said country are exposed to all sorts of dangerous toxic chemicals (BLEH). Anyways, I'll be peddling off to the Apple store tomorrow to drop off my old non-working ipod. AND if you recycle your laptop Apple might give you a gift card! Coolio! Learn more here: http://www.apple.com/recycling/

People That Change You

I've been thinking a lot lately about the people in my life and how they've changed me. How some of them were a friend to me in just the right time, listened to me in a time of need, or said something I desperately needed to hear, even when they didn't know it. The fact is, people don't always know how they've changed us--what they've taught us or how they've helped us. And that stinks. I mean, imagine a world where people actually know how great they are--don't you think they'd stretch themselves even further and do even more great things if they knew that they mattered and that their actions counted?! I'd like to think so. I guess I've been thinking about this because recently some close family friends had their grandmother pass away--I knew their grandmother and she was absolutely wonderful and taught me a lot about what it means to have faith. Plus she was a really good card player. But it gets me thinking--why did I never tell her those things when she was alive on earth--and why do we wait until the funeral for the eulogy? I've been running out of blog material lately, mainly because I've been holed up in my apartment writing graduate school essays. My goal is to feature a snippet about people who have changed me, and the ways that they have. Maybe it's overly sentimental, and maybe it's not. But I'd like to people to know what they mean NOW. Granted, I have SO many people that have been good to me, loved me because of and in spite of all my flaws that there really is no way to get to all of them, but for now I'll do the best I can. It will take awhile and I can't possibly get to everyone, but I'll do my best!!! Maybe those people I write about will inspire all of us in some way...who knows?!

Today I shall start with: My mom.

This probably seems entirely obvious, but is in no way any less understated. If I began to list the ways that my mother supports me and loves me, well, it'd be enough to write an entire book about. I mean that list would be LOOOONNNGGGG. I think when I was 13 or so for Mom's Day I wrote a list of "50 reasons I love My Mom." I typed it out on our 1997 computer--it was so hot. That list was created when I was 13, so you can imagine how that little monster has grown since then, as I'm now the ripe old age of twenty-freaking-five. Let me begin though: the other day while trying to clear out a bunch of the clutter in my old room, I came across a letter my mom had written me when I went off to college. It brought tears to my eyes. This being because in general, I tend to think of myself as pretty horrible sometimes (i.e. selfish, prone to moodiness, too busy to slow down sometimes, you know, the basics of horribleness), but this letter reminded me that someone always loves me even in the midst of all my flaws. This means a lot, and I think is essential to human survival and health. The thing about parents is that they see EVERYTHING--not when you're your fun bee boppin' self in front of your friends--they see you in the midst of your brooding teenage years, your bad days, your temper tantrums--all of it, and they still, for some reason not only love you, but keep on giving. I don't get it. And frankly, if I had a child that was anything like myself (especially the younger version of me), I'd probably run in the other direction (did I mention that I was a PILL, and on top of that fact talked absolutely INCESSENTLY. It was grim). I suppose stories are always more illustrative of a person's character, but take this example: My brother couldn't come home for Christmas this year. He works at a certain company that did not allow him to take time off on the 24th and 26th because evil capitalism exploits workers but that's besides the point, and Christmas was sandwiched right in the middle. Lovely. There would be no "I'll Be Home for Christmas" dressing up like Santa Claus like that Jonathan Taylor Thomas movie--he was bunkered down in Portland until the 27th. When my mom found this out, she said, "This will not do!" She called me immediately, wanting to know if I thought it would be a good idea to surprise him in Portland, and I could tell how excited she was. And that's exactly what we did. We showed up, got a hotel, and had Christmas in Portland--and it was one of my favorite Christmases to date. Really. But this is a picture of my mom--she'll do anything to help anyone out, be it surprising Matt in Portland, making dinner for the neighbors, doing art projects for the church, LOVES finding the perfect gift for someone (maybe that's where I get it?!) whatever needs to be done. And the same goes for me--she's there to talk when I need it, she sends me care packages (my favorite!), always loves me--I hope that I can reciprocate some day. Plus, she exposed me to Bon Jovi AND took me to my first (and second! and third!) JBJ concert! Too fun! Anyways, thanks Mom, I can't list all the things you've done for me, but know I appreciate them, I hope I'm as good of a person as you are someday!!!

Matt, Mom and I in Boston

My hands are oddly placed.

Goals!

I've been reading some fun blogs about minimalist lifestyles (see: http://zenhabits.net/ or http://rowdykittens.com) as well as some great books about living a greener life ("Green Chic: Saving the Earth in Style" by Christie Matheson, "It's Easy Being Green: A Handbook for Earth Friendly Living" by Crissy Trask and "The Green Book" by Elizabeth Rogers and Thomas M. Kostigen). These books, combined with other life events, have all gotten me thinking about who I am, who I want to be and how I'm going to get there. A lot of people probably think I'm a hippie because I've been really into environmentalism the past oh...year or so, and that's fine with me because if I'm going to be associated with peace and love then thumbs up (though I realize the stereotype of a hippie comes with a lot of other images, but we're all about breaking stereotypes around here so...), and maybe some just think I'm a nag. But I guess all that to say, and I've said it before and I'll say it again, I care about these things (i.e. social change, poverty, the environment, gender issues, sociology) because 1) I believe in responsibility, especially as a Christian, and 2) I'm a firm believer that if we don't do something now it's all going to come back around and bite us in the ass. Plus, it's fun and interesting! It really comes down to what I want to be known for I suppose. I don't say this to be pretentious, I say it because I really believe it's true, and vitally important. I want meaning. With all of that in mind, I've been re-visioning my future and where I want to go. What that comes down to is breaking down who I want to be which is a person who cares about others and the world around her. I hope to teach others about living out their passions and using them to make things better. I'd say I've figured out my passion (Sociology), but the application part can be super hard sometimes (it's so much easier to sit on your butt!). But there are tons of people to meet and help, and our world is too small to not do something (anything!!!). I often think about the accomplishments of others--the things they've done to help others and I want to be like that too. Thusly, I've thought over my goals for the next year: I figure I'd start small, and work my way up to something big.

ENVIRONMENTAL GOALS:

1. Buy less, and only the necessities (this will reduce my environmental impact, and the amount of trash I produce, also will try to reuse what I have before buying more)

2. Call companies to tell them to STOP SENDING ME JUNK MAIL (too many trees and too much waste!)

3. Use an eco-friendly option if available

2011 GOALS:

1. Run a 5K for some sort of charity

2. Cycle! (Mom and I have been thinking of bike riding from Seattle to Portland--wouldn't that be neat-o?!)

3. V-o-l-u-n-t-e-e-r. This one can be a challenge with the nature of my job and its unpredictability (i.e. being on call a lot), but it's necessary: I think I'll start small (maybe twice a month) and hopefully work my way up to a bigger time commitment

4. Encourage, encourage, encourage the people around me (spending more time writing letters, tell more people "thanks!")

5. Talk to someone I love/write someone a letter at least once a week (this can be hard when things get busy)

OTHER GOALS (the "eventuallys"):

1. Get my PhD! Become a professor and teach super awesome and engaging classes and inspire the lives and minds of students everywhere!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2. Publish an article

3. Get thee to Italy!

4. Take a West Coast bike tour (maybe with my brother; he's an avid cyclist)

5. I'm not sure, but I want to organize something BIG. I've thought about ways to do this: i.e. organizing a trip for students to help alleviate poverty when I become a professor or something like that. I'm still waiting on what that's "supposed" to be...