I work at a ski resort (which I will leave un-named) where every weekend I work in the kids department teaching skiing.
Currently, I am working a ten day stent over the holiday. Luckily this year I am part-time, so I am not required to work straight through the holiday busy week! (Those were not fun 10 day stents.)
One of the most interesting parts of my job is the clients I interact with.
Typical Client Profile:
Little humans with overactive imaginations; vary from extremely sensitive and shy to overwhelming adult like loud personalities in a little human bodies; Void of possible personal injury due to the sport they are trying to learn. Easily scar-able memories (words and actions); male and females ranging from 2-8 years of age.
A large majority of my day is spent skiing, while the other portion involves interacting/talking to my little human clients. I might be paid to teach and entertain these little humans, but ultimately they end up entertaining me.
Below I have listed a few of the fantastic comments I had the pleasure of witnessing:
- "If I could be one animal, I would be a sea slug."
- "Does this snow suit make me look fat?"
- "Girls can marry girls or boys.... right?"
- "Boys says I like you to other boys. Boys say I love you to girls."
- "Why do you want to kiss him? Do you want to marry him? You kiss people you want to marry."
Friday, December 30, 2011
Sunday, November 20, 2011
Meals to Please the Palate
Theme- Ground Turkey
Meal 1- Turkey Meatballs, Steamed Broccoli and Rice
Meal 2- Turkey Meatball Sub
Meal 3- Meatballs and Spaghetti
Asian Turkey Meatballs With Lime Sesame Dipping Sauce
(Reblogged and only slightly modified from Gina's Skinny Taste Recipes)
This meal is delicious. I took turkey meat balls and combined it with steamed broccoli and served it over a small portion of brown rice. YUM!
Meat Balls
1/4 cup panko crumbs (Any other bread crumbs taste good also.)
1-1/4 lbs 93% lean ground turkey
1 egg
1 tbsp ginger, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
4 scallions, chopped
1 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
2 tsp sesame oil
Dipping Sauce
4 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
2 tsp sesame oil
2 tbsp fresh lime juice
2 tbsp water
2 chopped fresh scallion
Rice and Vegetables
1 cup uncooked brown organic rice (I used Texmati Brown Rice.)
2 1/4 Cups of water
1 teaspoon butter (optional)
4 cups of frozen/fresh Broccoli
Preheat oven to 500°F.
Prepare brown rice. Combine all ingredients for rice in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil and stir once. Cover pan with a lid, reduce heat and let simmer for 45 minutes.
Mix ground turkey, panko, egg, salt, scallions, ginger, cilantro, 1 tbsp soy sauce, and 2 tsp oil and mix with your hands until combined well. Shape 1/4 cup meat mixture into a ball and transfer to a baking dish. Repeat with remaining mixture. Bake until cooked through, about 15 minutes.
For the dipping sauce mix together lime juice, water, soy sauce, and remaining 2 teaspoons of oil in a bowl. Add scallions and mix again.
Steam broccoli until it reaches your desired texture. (I like mine slightly crunchy! About 3.5 minutes.)
Transfer rice, broccoli and meatballs to a serving dish. Stir sauce, then drizzle over top of the dish with 1 tablespoon sauce. Chances are you won't use all the dipping sauce.
Serve the dish with remaining sauce, about 1 tbsp per person.
Makes 12 meatballs.
The Health details of the Meatballs:
Servings: 4 • Size: 3 meatballs • Old Points: 6 pts • Points+: 7 pts
Calories: 229.1 • Fat: 11.1 g • Carbs: 8.5 g • Protein: 24.3 g
Leftover meat balls can be stored in the fridge till tomorrows lunch/dinner where they can be re-used to make a delicious meatball sub or meatball spaghetti.
If you want to make the meatball sub don't forget to purchase a bulky roll and your favorite red sauce when you are grocery shopping. A delicious sharp cheddar cheese is a great topping option also!
Or if you are more interested in a tasty pasta dish, pick your favorite noodle and combine with a tasty red sauce. Personally, I would pick up some vegetables like mushrooms and onions to add to this delicious leftover makeover!
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Lessons of the City 2 and 3
Lesson Number Two:
When you carry an umbrella in the city, it is your responsibility to maneuver it away from others walking down the sidewalk. These maneuvering skills include rising it up, tipping it to the side, walking off of the sidewalk completely or sometimes you have to just close the umbrella all together.
All was going well on my way to the train stop in Wakefield. There were a few mishaps when I found out I couldn't fit in between the light post and the fence. Besides that the large umbrella was very much appreciated.
When I got to the city, I did as I saw everyone else and opened my umbrella at an appropriate distance from the outside door to avoid poking anyone's eye out. Where all heck broke loose was when I enter the narrow streets. I realized I wasn't fitting very nicely on the side walk. My umbrella keep bouncing off the building.
Suddenly BANG! I nailed a man on the shoulder. Oops. I said I was sorry, but he didn't acknowledge me as he seemed in quit the rush to make his train. Woo... got away with that mistake. Following that I got trapped in between the side of a building and one of those large electric boxes. People stared, I was scared I was going to electrocute myself. I nailed two other people and was knocked off the sidewalk before I started to catch on to everyone's clever umbrella moves.
And that's where lesson two was learned. If you use an umbrella when it's raining, it doesn't mean you rule the side walk. You must move your umbrella to avoid others.
This night was a special night, because I got to indirectly learn an additional city life lesson:
Lesson 3:
When you plan on driving into the city and don't want to pay to park in an expensive parking garage..
Not only do you check if there is a hockey or basketball game, but check if there are any concerts happening.
Because if you don't you might end up driving around for a hour and a half before you have to pull some super man parallel parking maneuver and barely make it to your SBS corn-hole game!
Sunday, November 13, 2011
Construction lesson #1
Demo day lesson one:
Make sure the watch you are relying on is set to the correct time.
Today we tore down the bricks the wood stove hearth on the third floor. To do this we first attempted with hand tools but realized quickly that it wasn't too reasonable. So we found out that Home Depot offers a great tool rental program.
This morning we woke up early, fed ourselves a delicious hearty breakfast at Brothers (a classic must go to in Wakefield). Then went to Home Depot to rent an electric demo hammer drill for four hours for a total of $35. Not to bad, we thought. We had estimated it would only take 4 hours to do this job.
Tylan had me set my watch alarm for 1:15pm which was 3:45 hours from when we rented the tool to make sure we returned it on time. We knew it would be loud with a drill so we thought the wrist watch was the best option to keep us on schedule.
Well all was going well until I looked at my watch and saw that we only had 15 minutes left and still had to pull up the entire base! We looked at each other and decided that we might as well take a water break. Tylan decides he should call to ask how much it would be to rent tool for longer...
This break went on for about 13 ish minutes before I realize that I never changed my clock for daylight savings time! We still had a whole hour left!
Well to not make a short story long, we finished up the entire thing minus the clean up in the four hours we estimated EVEN with my silly Windows 95 mistake!
Make sure the watch you are relying on is set to the correct time.
Today we tore down the bricks the wood stove hearth on the third floor. To do this we first attempted with hand tools but realized quickly that it wasn't too reasonable. So we found out that Home Depot offers a great tool rental program.
This morning we woke up early, fed ourselves a delicious hearty breakfast at Brothers (a classic must go to in Wakefield). Then went to Home Depot to rent an electric demo hammer drill for four hours for a total of $35. Not to bad, we thought. We had estimated it would only take 4 hours to do this job.
Tylan had me set my watch alarm for 1:15pm which was 3:45 hours from when we rented the tool to make sure we returned it on time. We knew it would be loud with a drill so we thought the wrist watch was the best option to keep us on schedule.
Well all was going well until I looked at my watch and saw that we only had 15 minutes left and still had to pull up the entire base! We looked at each other and decided that we might as well take a water break. Tylan decides he should call to ask how much it would be to rent tool for longer...
This break went on for about 13 ish minutes before I realize that I never changed my clock for daylight savings time! We still had a whole hour left!
Well to not make a short story long, we finished up the entire thing minus the clean up in the four hours we estimated EVEN with my silly Windows 95 mistake!
Saturday, November 12, 2011
Lessons learned about living in a city...
Lesson #1:
Only one person at a time fits into a revolving door.
I don't know why I thought other wise but I keep trying to fit two people into the little revolving sections.
A memory of my childhood often plays in my head of when I use to visit Seven Springs PA ski resort every Febuary. I'm not sure if I imagined it all, but I remember a revolving door at the entrance of the resort. For some reason, I also remember spinning through these doors with my brother at my side. Because of this... I had the idea I could still fit two people at a time through a revolving door. I forgot that I use to be a tiny munchkin.
The other night I found out I'm not such a tiny munchin any more. Two adults do'nt fit into a revolving door at the same time.
It felt as if I was in a angry crowded line where you can't help but continue to step on the shoes of the person in front of you while an angry mob continues to un-voluntarily push you forward.
Oh the joy of mia-shaped memories. To this day Tylan is careful now to follow me into a revolving door and definitely to never lead through one! I think I scared him for life trying to fit us both through at once.
Only one person at a time fits into a revolving door.
I don't know why I thought other wise but I keep trying to fit two people into the little revolving sections.
A memory of my childhood often plays in my head of when I use to visit Seven Springs PA ski resort every Febuary. I'm not sure if I imagined it all, but I remember a revolving door at the entrance of the resort. For some reason, I also remember spinning through these doors with my brother at my side. Because of this... I had the idea I could still fit two people at a time through a revolving door. I forgot that I use to be a tiny munchkin.
The other night I found out I'm not such a tiny munchin any more. Two adults do'nt fit into a revolving door at the same time.
It felt as if I was in a angry crowded line where you can't help but continue to step on the shoes of the person in front of you while an angry mob continues to un-voluntarily push you forward.
Oh the joy of mia-shaped memories. To this day Tylan is careful now to follow me into a revolving door and definitely to never lead through one! I think I scared him for life trying to fit us both through at once.
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Feels like Fall
I though winter was on its way here. Snow was on the ground. The nights were chilly enough for wool coat! Where did the winter weather go?
The sun is shinning bright now a days. It doesn't shine for long that is for sure, but it feels pretty great when you go for a walk outside.
The days are very short at the moment. This is when I am very happy I don't work all day inside. Because if I did, I would hardly get to absorb my daily dose of Vitamin D!
Yesterday I went to the gym around 4:10 ish and the sun was already starting it's receding path for the night. By the time I left the gym a little after 5, it was pitch BLACK out!
I am counting the days down till the winter solstice on December 22nd.
The sun is shinning bright now a days. It doesn't shine for long that is for sure, but it feels pretty great when you go for a walk outside.
The days are very short at the moment. This is when I am very happy I don't work all day inside. Because if I did, I would hardly get to absorb my daily dose of Vitamin D!
Yesterday I went to the gym around 4:10 ish and the sun was already starting it's receding path for the night. By the time I left the gym a little after 5, it was pitch BLACK out!
I am counting the days down till the winter solstice on December 22nd.
Monday, October 31, 2011
Snow is falling
Winter is here!
I was surprised to see a snow weather warning the other day.
As the the sun started to set, the rain became frozen white flakes drifting from the heavens. Winter has arrived! A blanket of snow covered the ground with in a few hours. A beautiful blanket...
After the disappointing fall foliage I was excited to see snow. The sun always seems to shine a little brighter with snow on the ground.
It surprises me when I look back on my life and I wonder how I came to love the snowy culture so much. I grew up in a family who craved sun, sand and waves. They enjoyed the occasional snowy vacation, but never craved it more than maybe once a year. Now I live a life where snow is part of my career!
I've falling in love with New England. I do miss dearly my warm beaches with great swell in North Carolina, but the rolling mountains in New England with their magical weaving rivers do something special for me.
I hope one day to share my love for this geography with my family.
I was surprised to see a snow weather warning the other day.
As the the sun started to set, the rain became frozen white flakes drifting from the heavens. Winter has arrived! A blanket of snow covered the ground with in a few hours. A beautiful blanket...
After the disappointing fall foliage I was excited to see snow. The sun always seems to shine a little brighter with snow on the ground.
It surprises me when I look back on my life and I wonder how I came to love the snowy culture so much. I grew up in a family who craved sun, sand and waves. They enjoyed the occasional snowy vacation, but never craved it more than maybe once a year. Now I live a life where snow is part of my career!
I've falling in love with New England. I do miss dearly my warm beaches with great swell in North Carolina, but the rolling mountains in New England with their magical weaving rivers do something special for me.
I hope one day to share my love for this geography with my family.
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Back on the Job Search
I thought I had found a wonderful job that filled all the criteria on my wish list. It paid good, it was only 4 days a week, it ended when rafting season started (that was a bonus more than a requirement), it involved traveling, it was something different,and I had afternoons and weekends off. Well, it seemed awesome...
UNTIL
...this week rolled around.
I got a little nervous when I stopped receiving the flood of emails about what was next, paperwork I still needed to sign and etc. Yesterday, being the nervous niddy I get to be, I sent an email out to my supervisor saying HEY WHAT'S UP?
No reply.
I got a weird feeling in my belly...
Today I check my email and see that I've received one from someone else (I'm assuming he is probably the "head honcho") that says they are postponing the start of training aka the job till early December, MAYBE EVEN EARLY JANUARY!
OH SHIZZZZ.
Well, does that mean I'm back on the job market? I don't know yet. I could always pick up a few extra shifts at Ludlow until the job got started, but that isn't going to pay the bills (but only dip into money I don't like to touch).
***SIDE NOTE***I'm one of those people who prefers to live off of each paycheck while having money safely stashed away that I can use if I decide to do something special. Now that doesn't mean I like to spend my whole paycheck... I just don't want to exceed what I make each month in spending, nor do I want to depend on a paycheck to scrap by each month. (I'd prefer to stash some of the leftovers away also... Like my dad always said "Try to save a dollar a day, you'll be very happy one day." I'm assuming that "one day" meant when I retire, not when I want to go out and buy a new computer.)
Okay, I'm done rambling back to the story...
So now what is next? Do I let this job opportunity go away, or do I try to find something I can quit as soon as everything is up and running? These are all questions I really don't want to think about, but I must. I am a grown up. As my dad once told me, "Liz, you became a grown up the moment you moved out of my house and went to college. You have just chosen not to accept the fact until now." (I think he was talking about how I am constantly moving for seasonally for jobs. My mom just calls me a "peter pan.")
***SIDE NOTE*** I found out while filling out paperwork for this job that I have lived in 14 different houses in the past 17 years. CRAZY!
Wish me luck. I'm going to start job searching for something to refill my bank account. At least I have two extremely part time jobs lined up right now (web design and ski instructor on weekends).
UNTIL
...this week rolled around.
I got a little nervous when I stopped receiving the flood of emails about what was next, paperwork I still needed to sign and etc. Yesterday, being the nervous niddy I get to be, I sent an email out to my supervisor saying HEY WHAT'S UP?
No reply.
I got a weird feeling in my belly...
Today I check my email and see that I've received one from someone else (I'm assuming he is probably the "head honcho") that says they are postponing the start of training aka the job till early December, MAYBE EVEN EARLY JANUARY!
OH SHIZZZZ.
Well, does that mean I'm back on the job market? I don't know yet. I could always pick up a few extra shifts at Ludlow until the job got started, but that isn't going to pay the bills (but only dip into money I don't like to touch).
***SIDE NOTE***I'm one of those people who prefers to live off of each paycheck while having money safely stashed away that I can use if I decide to do something special. Now that doesn't mean I like to spend my whole paycheck... I just don't want to exceed what I make each month in spending, nor do I want to depend on a paycheck to scrap by each month. (I'd prefer to stash some of the leftovers away also... Like my dad always said "Try to save a dollar a day, you'll be very happy one day." I'm assuming that "one day" meant when I retire, not when I want to go out and buy a new computer.)
Okay, I'm done rambling back to the story...
So now what is next? Do I let this job opportunity go away, or do I try to find something I can quit as soon as everything is up and running? These are all questions I really don't want to think about, but I must. I am a grown up. As my dad once told me, "Liz, you became a grown up the moment you moved out of my house and went to college. You have just chosen not to accept the fact until now." (I think he was talking about how I am constantly moving for seasonally for jobs. My mom just calls me a "peter pan.")
***SIDE NOTE*** I found out while filling out paperwork for this job that I have lived in 14 different houses in the past 17 years. CRAZY!
Wish me luck. I'm going to start job searching for something to refill my bank account. At least I have two extremely part time jobs lined up right now (web design and ski instructor on weekends).
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Saturday, October 15, 2011
Look at what is waiting for me at home!
Since I'm not home, Tylan is busy baking away. Look at this delicious treat he made from the apples we picked the other weekend!
Thursday, October 13, 2011
The places we go!
I have been on the OBX all week enjoying the little bit of time I get to spend with two of my best friends before they each embark on a life changing adventure.
On Saturday, my friend Michele is heading on a road trip across the US with two of our other friends (Mary Claire and Katie). They are doing the bottom half of the US then heading up the western coast and eventually transplanting their lives to Colorado until future notice. I wish them the best of luck!
Casey on the other hand, is leaving Monday to drive down the eastern part of the US to almost as far south as you can go, the Florida Keys! Her boyfriend Kyle and her are moving to Key Largo for a year or until they decide to do something else. In addition, Casey plans on traveling to Europe in November! Boy do I wish I was in her shoes for the next few months! JEALOUS I AM!
As sad as it is to see my friends get scattered across the US like a spilled bag of Jelly Beans, I am very excited to hear about their adventures. Also, that means I now have a place to come stay when I want to go visit Colorado and Florida... oh yeah and someone cool to hang out with at those locations.
I can't blame them for wanting to see the world. It's what I'm doing moving to Boston and all those other states I have lived in before. I'm just really happy I get to see both of them this week.
Spending time with friends like that is like hitting the refresh button on your life.
(Something Michele said to me.)
Thank you Michele and Casey for being part of my life. Thank you for teaching me how to live, love, talk about my feelings, and be a caring friend (and many other random things I shouldn't mention on a public blog). Most of all thank you for being who you are!
Best of luck ladies!
On Saturday, my friend Michele is heading on a road trip across the US with two of our other friends (Mary Claire and Katie). They are doing the bottom half of the US then heading up the western coast and eventually transplanting their lives to Colorado until future notice. I wish them the best of luck!
Casey on the other hand, is leaving Monday to drive down the eastern part of the US to almost as far south as you can go, the Florida Keys! Her boyfriend Kyle and her are moving to Key Largo for a year or until they decide to do something else. In addition, Casey plans on traveling to Europe in November! Boy do I wish I was in her shoes for the next few months! JEALOUS I AM!
As sad as it is to see my friends get scattered across the US like a spilled bag of Jelly Beans, I am very excited to hear about their adventures. Also, that means I now have a place to come stay when I want to go visit Colorado and Florida... oh yeah and someone cool to hang out with at those locations.
I can't blame them for wanting to see the world. It's what I'm doing moving to Boston and all those other states I have lived in before. I'm just really happy I get to see both of them this week.
Spending time with friends like that is like hitting the refresh button on your life.
(Something Michele said to me.)
Thank you Michele and Casey for being part of my life. Thank you for teaching me how to live, love, talk about my feelings, and be a caring friend (and many other random things I shouldn't mention on a public blog). Most of all thank you for being who you are!
Best of luck ladies!
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Harpoon Race
Columbus weekend was eventful to say the less. Friday afternoon we loaded up the truck and headed to "camp" in Greensboro, Vermont. Greensboro for those of you who haven't visited, is a tiny quaint town in northern Vermont via a lot of back-roads. The town surrounds Caspian Lake and the beautiful rolling Barr Hills.
With fall here and almost gone, we had to do some summer clean up. Tylan and I scrubbed and winterized all the lake toys. Luckily, we left the aluminum canoe out to play with. As the sun started to set, Tylan and I enjoyed a fantastically relaxing canoe paddle across the lake.
Saturday evening we celebrated Carol's 65th birthday with quite a feast of a meal! Our standing rib roast took forever to cook, but boy was it worth the wait! Carol took great delight in not taking part of the cooking this one day of the year we celebrate her.
Sunday morning Tylan and I woke semi early to head south to the Harpoon Brewery. There we meet up with Paul and Kristen (plus Anya) as we psyched our selves up for the morning adventure, a 5k race through the hills. We all did pretty well considering the physical shape we were in. Tylan (~28 minutes) finished first out of us all, with myself (31 minutes) and Paul (~40 minutes) finishing shortly behind.
My one of my favorite parts of the race was the adrenalium you get running in a pack. You felt you could never just stop and walk. It was a silent selfish "hurray" whenever you passed someone, but boy did it feel good! The pack also helped you maintain a constant speed which was nice when you're tired and being timed.
In addition to that, I really enjoyed that the last ~0.5 mile was ALL DOWN HILL! I knew my legs could move that fast, all I had to do was just let gravity do it's work. (And hope when it came time to stop, I could do it safely!) Which was good in my case, because the rib roast in tummy from the night before was still painfully trying to be digested. I willing to except whatever help was out there.
Though, as I made the last turn, gravity plus a girl walking blindly on the edge of the crowd almost made my face have a date with the pavement. I'm happy to say my face is in the same condition today as it was when I started the race... no road rash scars made to create daily memories of the race.
The race concluded with us drinking our free beers and eating tasty brats. The sun had officially come out to play, and it felt almost like a early summer warm day. I bet a few of us walked away with some unexpected sunburn. Luckily Kristen, the good mom, remembered even in October you should bring sunscreen for the beautiful Anya.
We spent the night in Ludlow after the race and eventually made our way home Monday. With fall in the air we craved those delicious baked goods that come out this time of season. This is how we came up with the great idea of stopping at Alyson's Orchard on the way home.
I felt like I was in heaven being surrounded by all types of different apples as far as the eye could see! (For those of you who didn't know, apples are my FAVORITE FOOD in the entire world, I do believe I could live off of apples.)
We have great intentions now of making all kinds of delicious baked goods... though, another race might be in order after eating all of them! (haha)
With fall here and almost gone, we had to do some summer clean up. Tylan and I scrubbed and winterized all the lake toys. Luckily, we left the aluminum canoe out to play with. As the sun started to set, Tylan and I enjoyed a fantastically relaxing canoe paddle across the lake.
Saturday evening we celebrated Carol's 65th birthday with quite a feast of a meal! Our standing rib roast took forever to cook, but boy was it worth the wait! Carol took great delight in not taking part of the cooking this one day of the year we celebrate her.
Sunday morning Tylan and I woke semi early to head south to the Harpoon Brewery. There we meet up with Paul and Kristen (plus Anya) as we psyched our selves up for the morning adventure, a 5k race through the hills. We all did pretty well considering the physical shape we were in. Tylan (~28 minutes) finished first out of us all, with myself (31 minutes) and Paul (~40 minutes) finishing shortly behind.
My one of my favorite parts of the race was the adrenalium you get running in a pack. You felt you could never just stop and walk. It was a silent selfish "hurray" whenever you passed someone, but boy did it feel good! The pack also helped you maintain a constant speed which was nice when you're tired and being timed.
In addition to that, I really enjoyed that the last ~0.5 mile was ALL DOWN HILL! I knew my legs could move that fast, all I had to do was just let gravity do it's work. (And hope when it came time to stop, I could do it safely!) Which was good in my case, because the rib roast in tummy from the night before was still painfully trying to be digested. I willing to except whatever help was out there.
Though, as I made the last turn, gravity plus a girl walking blindly on the edge of the crowd almost made my face have a date with the pavement. I'm happy to say my face is in the same condition today as it was when I started the race... no road rash scars made to create daily memories of the race.
The race concluded with us drinking our free beers and eating tasty brats. The sun had officially come out to play, and it felt almost like a early summer warm day. I bet a few of us walked away with some unexpected sunburn. Luckily Kristen, the good mom, remembered even in October you should bring sunscreen for the beautiful Anya.
We spent the night in Ludlow after the race and eventually made our way home Monday. With fall in the air we craved those delicious baked goods that come out this time of season. This is how we came up with the great idea of stopping at Alyson's Orchard on the way home.
I felt like I was in heaven being surrounded by all types of different apples as far as the eye could see! (For those of you who didn't know, apples are my FAVORITE FOOD in the entire world, I do believe I could live off of apples.)
We have great intentions now of making all kinds of delicious baked goods... though, another race might be in order after eating all of them! (haha)
Thursday, October 6, 2011
From the perspective of a commuter.
Yesterday I ventured out onto the train for a very successful travel. (Go Liz!) I ran into a pack dog walker! I was quite impressed with her skills. She was listening to music, eating an popsicle, and walking about 6 dogs! Maybe I can get a job like that. My journey also lead me to a few other interesting sites. Check out my collage to see what I saw.
I meet Tylan in the city where our evening took an unexpected but enjoyable turn. We had a few errands to run on the south side of Boston, though finished those sooner then we thought. Neither of us craved sitting in some 5 o'clock traffic so we stopped for a drink instead.
We tried out some great seasonal ales at John Harvard's Brew House, a pub I'd definitely suggest. Try out their October Stout! Very delicious.
Before I left on my adventure into Boston, I had compiled all the necessary ingredients into a crock-pot for a delicious meal of Sweet and Spicy Black Bean Soup. I was trying to be a great girlfriend, one who had dinner prepared for when we got home.
I was very excited upon our return to walk into a house consumed with the aroma of the dinner i'd prepared earlier.
Sadly, I had the definition of awindows moment and put the temperature at "warm" rather then "low." Therefore, it never cooked! All I had to show for my hard work was a pot full of warm raw ingredients. Oh silly me, guess that means we will have Black Bean soup tonight instead.
In lieu of my tragic attempts at cooking, I feed my boyfriend apple cider instead for dinner! Go me!
I meet Tylan in the city where our evening took an unexpected but enjoyable turn. We had a few errands to run on the south side of Boston, though finished those sooner then we thought. Neither of us craved sitting in some 5 o'clock traffic so we stopped for a drink instead.
We tried out some great seasonal ales at John Harvard's Brew House, a pub I'd definitely suggest. Try out their October Stout! Very delicious.
Before I left on my adventure into Boston, I had compiled all the necessary ingredients into a crock-pot for a delicious meal of Sweet and Spicy Black Bean Soup. I was trying to be a great girlfriend, one who had dinner prepared for when we got home.
I was very excited upon our return to walk into a house consumed with the aroma of the dinner i'd prepared earlier.
Sadly, I had the definition of a
In lieu of my tragic attempts at cooking, I feed my boyfriend apple cider instead for dinner! Go me!
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
After a long exhausting run around Wakefield's lake I receive a text message from my boyfriend.
Tylan: Are you coming to my softball game tonight?
Liz: Yeah! That was my plan!
My plan was enjoy my twisted teas while watching Tylan from the bench. Well that wasn't quite his plan. He then informs me:
Tylan: Great, because you are playing!
Liz: What? I don't play softball. I play soccer. ?!?!?!
For those of you who don't know me well, I am very blind. My depth perception is poor. And my hand eye coordination is slim to none. (How I can be a good raft guide, I don't know but I figured that one out.)
Once we arrive at the field, the team captain thanked and welcomed me to the team and handed me a jersey and glove. Now this is the good part... You know how any team jersey you have has your name on it? Well my was "floozie." At first I didn't know what that exactly meant. I laughed because it's a funny sounding word, right? Everyone else was laughing. My mind was going from slushies to clumsy to spacey. Oh the things that go through my head. Not until later did I actually find out it meant a "sexually loose female, slut." (Thanks UrbanDictionary.com) Haha. Nice one... thanks guys!
All four times I got up to bat I was counted as an out in some way (I hit the ball twice!). I even made it to first base ONCE, but was tagged out. (I think that's the correct softball lingo.) I almost even caught a pop fly! The best contribution I made was when played catcher. Tylan, who played pitcher, said I was distracting, I thought I was great! I even made friends with the umpire who told me about his son who recently went to Las Vegas and won a beer pong competition!
We ended up winning the game and I even got invited to come back and play during the play off next week! We shall see how that goes!
Liz: Yeah! That was my plan!
Liz: What? I don't play softball. I play soccer. ?!?!?!
For those of you who don't know me well, I am very blind. My depth perception is poor. And my hand eye coordination is slim to none. (How I can be a good raft guide, I don't know but I figured that one out.)
Once we arrive at the field, the team captain thanked and welcomed me to the team and handed me a jersey and glove. Now this is the good part... You know how any team jersey you have has your name on it? Well my was "floozie." At first I didn't know what that exactly meant. I laughed because it's a funny sounding word, right? Everyone else was laughing. My mind was going from slushies to clumsy to spacey. Oh the things that go through my head. Not until later did I actually find out it meant a "sexually loose female, slut." (Thanks UrbanDictionary.com) Haha. Nice one... thanks guys!
All four times I got up to bat I was counted as an out in some way (I hit the ball twice!). I even made it to first base ONCE, but was tagged out. (I think that's the correct softball lingo.) I almost even caught a pop fly! The best contribution I made was when played catcher. Tylan, who played pitcher, said I was distracting, I thought I was great! I even made friends with the umpire who told me about his son who recently went to Las Vegas and won a beer pong competition!
We ended up winning the game and I even got invited to come back and play during the play off next week! We shall see how that goes!
Monday, October 3, 2011
The outfits we wear.
While helping my boyfriend drop off his car at the shop this morning, I ran into a funny situation. It was early so I threw on a sweatshirt over my night gown and the next thing I knew I was going to have coffee with him before I dropped him off at the train. I had to tuck in the silky night gown like a long shirt so it would give me away hanging out below my sweatshirt.
It just makes you think about the outfits people where and the stories behind it. Do they really have that much of a lack of fashion to wear that... or were they like me in the case of the "hurry up and run out the door asleep" mornings or do they just have a fashion taste like Lady Gaga?
It just makes you think about the outfits people where and the stories behind it. Do they really have that much of a lack of fashion to wear that... or were they like me in the case of the "hurry up and run out the door asleep" mornings or do they just have a fashion taste like Lady Gaga?
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Encouragement I'm doing good things
(image re-blogged from kwamser )
I always told my mom that I wanted to see the world. I wanted to live in the mountains and on a tropical island. I wanted to live in another country. I told her I wanted to live in tiny tiny towns, and one day maybe even live in a big city. Well here is my chance!
Monday, September 26, 2011
Exploring Rangeley Maine
The evidence of summer is disappearing and the chill of Fall is taking over. As the skies turn grey, the trees morph into something beautiful to keep people from turning inward with the notion of winter on their minds.
This past week we celebrated the atumnal equinox, which typically occurs September 22-23 marking the arrival of Fall. For those non-science people, this is when the sun is basically level with the equator making the length of nights and days equal.
This weekend Tylan and I joined our friends Erin and Conor to celebrate their wedding in Rangeley, Maine. The drive was spectacular with the brilliant falls colors coming into full bloom. It seemed like we couldn’t keep commenting on the vivid oranges, yellows and reds that painted the mountainsides.
Even though I grew up on the beach and will forever consider myself a beach girl, I do love the mountains when the seasons start to change. Living in the flat lands (a Maine term I learned), you miss the transformation of green leaves into these brilliant dazzling colors of fall. The beauty of it can never quite be captured though a camera lenses, though we never stop trying.
Our weekend was full of crochet, bike riding, boat riding, swimming, photographing, dancing (lots of dancing), corn hole and good company.
A very nice couple, Nate and Rose, joined our journey from Portland to the wedding and back. Never once did they complain about being stuffed in the jump seats of Tylan’s Toyota pickup.
Thanks for being troopers, especially Nate.
The first day we got there we headed straight to the boat dock to do a little booze cruising before the evening BBQ. At one point, one of our friends Dave, was relieving himself over the back of the boat. Tylan thought it would be funny to knock him off with some unexpected boat maneuvering. Well, Dave stayed still, Nate on the other hand had a little difficulty. Nate and Rose were standing on the front of this pontoon boat and just happen to take be the innocent bystanders who took the blunt of this joke. I watched as Nate slowly lost and regained but eventually lost all balance falling backwards over the front of the boat. Those of us watching all gasped causing Tylan to swerve just in time to miss running directly over Nate. Close call, though I give Nate even more credit for falling in and still attempting to save his PBR!
The rest of the weekend was full of more fantastic stories like the above, some to be retold and others just to be left as memories. One of my favorite moments of the wedding was watching Erin walk up to the ceremony.
Saturday turned out to be the perfect weather for a Fall wedding. The morning rain cleared to a crisp blue sky with a gently fall breeze.
Everyone was looking around wondering if she was going to pop out of the trees, be delivered by a car or ride up on chair lift. No one knew. Suddenly you hear, “There she is!”
This beautiful woman dressed in all white walks out of the Saddle Back Lodge followed by her sister, sister-in-law, mother, and canine companion Olive. It was a magical scene watching these five meander up the hillside in the LL Bean boots and elegant dresses. They looked perfectly happy.
You could see the excitement and smiles on their faces from even far away. Erin looked at ease. Not worried at all, no anxiety about getting married, but content to be surrounded by family and friends.
As she walked down the aisle her eyes were locked with Conor's. No hesitation, but pure joy and excitement showed on her face. This was the moment where Erin was to officially joining her life with the one she loved the most in the world. It made me jealous. Though it gave me hope, that one day that I could have those same emotions rush through my mind and soul about loving someone that much.
Best of luck Conor and Erin!
This past week we celebrated the atumnal equinox, which typically occurs September 22-23 marking the arrival of Fall. For those non-science people, this is when the sun is basically level with the equator making the length of nights and days equal.
This weekend Tylan and I joined our friends Erin and Conor to celebrate their wedding in Rangeley, Maine. The drive was spectacular with the brilliant falls colors coming into full bloom. It seemed like we couldn’t keep commenting on the vivid oranges, yellows and reds that painted the mountainsides.
Even though I grew up on the beach and will forever consider myself a beach girl, I do love the mountains when the seasons start to change. Living in the flat lands (a Maine term I learned), you miss the transformation of green leaves into these brilliant dazzling colors of fall. The beauty of it can never quite be captured though a camera lenses, though we never stop trying.
Our weekend was full of crochet, bike riding, boat riding, swimming, photographing, dancing (lots of dancing), corn hole and good company.
A very nice couple, Nate and Rose, joined our journey from Portland to the wedding and back. Never once did they complain about being stuffed in the jump seats of Tylan’s Toyota pickup.
Thanks for being troopers, especially Nate.
The first day we got there we headed straight to the boat dock to do a little booze cruising before the evening BBQ. At one point, one of our friends Dave, was relieving himself over the back of the boat. Tylan thought it would be funny to knock him off with some unexpected boat maneuvering. Well, Dave stayed still, Nate on the other hand had a little difficulty. Nate and Rose were standing on the front of this pontoon boat and just happen to take be the innocent bystanders who took the blunt of this joke. I watched as Nate slowly lost and regained but eventually lost all balance falling backwards over the front of the boat. Those of us watching all gasped causing Tylan to swerve just in time to miss running directly over Nate. Close call, though I give Nate even more credit for falling in and still attempting to save his PBR!
The rest of the weekend was full of more fantastic stories like the above, some to be retold and others just to be left as memories. One of my favorite moments of the wedding was watching Erin walk up to the ceremony.
Saturday turned out to be the perfect weather for a Fall wedding. The morning rain cleared to a crisp blue sky with a gently fall breeze.
Everyone was looking around wondering if she was going to pop out of the trees, be delivered by a car or ride up on chair lift. No one knew. Suddenly you hear, “There she is!”
This beautiful woman dressed in all white walks out of the Saddle Back Lodge followed by her sister, sister-in-law, mother, and canine companion Olive. It was a magical scene watching these five meander up the hillside in the LL Bean boots and elegant dresses. They looked perfectly happy.
You could see the excitement and smiles on their faces from even far away. Erin looked at ease. Not worried at all, no anxiety about getting married, but content to be surrounded by family and friends.
As she walked down the aisle her eyes were locked with Conor's. No hesitation, but pure joy and excitement showed on her face. This was the moment where Erin was to officially joining her life with the one she loved the most in the world. It made me jealous. Though it gave me hope, that one day that I could have those same emotions rush through my mind and soul about loving someone that much.
Best of luck Conor and Erin!
Friday, September 23, 2011
I love when the leaves change.
Fall is coming.
Life is wonderful. I smile and enjoy the moments of seasons changing.
I enjoy moments when I can drink my hot apple cider (definitely the seasonal beverage of fall), sitting on my porch with a light blanket daydreaming about what winter will bring. (Hopefully lots of snow for skiing and snowboarding!)
Life is wonderful. I smile and enjoy the moments of seasons changing.
I enjoy moments when I can drink my hot apple cider (definitely the seasonal beverage of fall), sitting on my porch with a light blanket daydreaming about what winter will bring. (Hopefully lots of snow for skiing and snowboarding!)
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Dog Chases
Have you ever found a dog running up and down the streets aimless lost? What would you do: continue on your way ignoring it, yell out HEY who's dog is this, or look to see if they have a collar and help the poor fellow find his home?
Today a yellow lab roamed the neighborhood lost and confused. I was shocked by some people’s reactions and comforted by the maturity of others.
I witnessed a few skateboarding kids stop a cop and mention it to the officer. This seemed pretty normal and very mature of these middle school aged boy.
That all seemed pretty normal, what happened a few hours later took me by surprise.
HONK! HONK! HONK! HONK!
All our attention was drawn to the window where someone on a motorcycle honked his horn in a very obnoxious manner. I thought at first it had to be some childish prank. Nope. This continued for about a minute before we became annoyed.
I went to the window yelling something to the intent, "Is that really necessary?" Tylan, a little more confrontational, went straight to the front door to yell at this hooligan. The motorcyclist informs Tylan that he was honking to get someone's attention because a dog was running up and down the street that looked lost. Seriously dude?
Honestly, you think the best option to help this dog is to create obnoxious noise till someone else comes out do deal with the situation. Why don't you pop that kickstand of yours and grab the dog yourself?
Is this the way city people think, or did I happen to run into just one crazy person? Any other place I've lived you'd take the dog in, especially if it had tags.
This I know the dog possessed, because later that evening I was running an errand and almost hit the poor pup. It was darting across the busy street with its tail between his legs. Poor pup. I walked the neighborhood trying to find the fellow with no luck.
I hope the yellow lab ran into some nice people who helped him home, or he found his way himself. I love dogs and hate to see them lost (especially scared and lost).
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
The things we think of.
The idea of writing a blog came to me while having a conversation with my best friend, Catie, on the train ride home. Even though she lives across the country from me in Seattle, Washington we make quite the effort to stay in touch. It was actually her brilliant idea for me to start writing. By the time I got off the train my decision was made... I was to start my first blog.
Of course the first thing I do is mention it to my boyfriend. As any good boyfriend does, he encourages me to push forward and create this blog. Next, he pulls a curve ball, by telling me I have "homework" to do. Soon, I find out that this "homework" is watching an episode of House, my favorite shows, about a blogger who gets sick. This avid blogger writes everything about her life including information about her thoughts of the doctors online. The female blogger is addicted to her online life and online friends. She won't even make a health decision, like what type of heart valve to pick, with out getting input from her fellow readers. You should watch the whole episode even if you've never seen one before because it has one of those great House twists. Private Lives Season 6 Episode 14
I was confused at the end of this all if that was a warning, or what? His responded that when I mentioned blogging, two things came to mind: his sister's blog and this episode from House. Well, I guess that works! Well I hope Tylan wasn't sending me a hidden message saying "DON'T DO IT." Because here I go... blogging away.
Of course the first thing I do is mention it to my boyfriend. As any good boyfriend does, he encourages me to push forward and create this blog. Next, he pulls a curve ball, by telling me I have "homework" to do. Soon, I find out that this "homework" is watching an episode of House, my favorite shows, about a blogger who gets sick. This avid blogger writes everything about her life including information about her thoughts of the doctors online. The female blogger is addicted to her online life and online friends. She won't even make a health decision, like what type of heart valve to pick, with out getting input from her fellow readers. You should watch the whole episode even if you've never seen one before because it has one of those great House twists. Private Lives Season 6 Episode 14
I was confused at the end of this all if that was a warning, or what? His responded that when I mentioned blogging, two things came to mind: his sister's blog and this episode from House. Well, I guess that works! Well I hope Tylan wasn't sending me a hidden message saying "DON'T DO IT." Because here I go... blogging away.
Here I come big city!
Will I love it? Will I hate it? Who knows... all I know is no matter what my feelings about living in the city will be different today then at the end of this.
I grew up on the Outer Banks of North Carolina in a small town called Duck. My experience with big cities has been small, and normally overwhelming but exciting. For the summer I have been living in a small town... (Now when I say small I really mean it with only around 100 year round residents) called Caratunk located in north eastern Maine. So why am I all the sudden in Boston.... well for a boy of course!
So for my first story. Well Tylan, my boyfriend, wanted to welcome me to the city by taking me out for drinks and a lovely seafood dinner (always a favorite). Well this is where LESSON ONE of living in a big city comes into play:
I grew up on the Outer Banks of North Carolina in a small town called Duck. My experience with big cities has been small, and normally overwhelming but exciting. For the summer I have been living in a small town... (Now when I say small I really mean it with only around 100 year round residents) called Caratunk located in north eastern Maine. So why am I all the sudden in Boston.... well for a boy of course!
So for my first story. Well Tylan, my boyfriend, wanted to welcome me to the city by taking me out for drinks and a lovely seafood dinner (always a favorite). Well this is where LESSON ONE of living in a big city comes into play:
If you plan a route and know it.... stick to it, don't listen to someones short cuts, or you may find yourself late, LOST, and overwhelmed. If all else fails, when you freeze up... have a smart phone guide your way!
I had all intentions of walking from North Station to the bar Drinks. (A wonderful bar where they make the BEST dark and stormy. They brew their own ginger beer and tonic water! A must try.) Well my boyfriend thought he might help me out and send me via the subway to south station where I would only have to walk about a block and half to the bar. Well, I got off the subway around 5:15 ish and thought I was close to the aquarium, so started to follow my pre-planned route to the bar which mostly included following the Bay Harbor Trail. (This is a great trail to go on a lovely walk with someone you love... that could be a dog or boyfriend!) Well I quickly realized I was suck on this trail and was probably walking either the wrong direction or way out of my way. Eventually I passed the Gillett Shaving headquarters and started weaving through the streets of South Boston.
At this time, I hear my phone vibrate with a concerned message from Tylan because what should've taken me 5 minutes was now taking me a good twenty plus and I was still no where to be seen. This is where I needed a good reboot. After a few minutes messing with my Google Map application on my Blackberry, I find a path to Congress Street. After a 45 minute detour I finally meet my poor worried date at the bar. He just looks at me and grins... "Welcome to Boston."
So I got lost my first official night in Boston, but I learned the importance of following my route, or at least having a smart phone so it can locate you and send you in the right direction! They are a nifty device, one that never tells on you or makes fun of your silly round round about routes.
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