(This post is a part of Gwen Bell's The Best of 2009 Blog Challenge. Thanks for the great inspiration idea, Amy!)
Best Article of 09
I wish there was a job titled Inspirationalist. The description would be to find inspiration anywhere, think on it, then act on it. It would be very high paying (with good benefits!) and I'd apply for it STAT. One of the things I love about blogging is that there is so much Inspiration out there from fellow bloggers and if it is not inspiration, then it is food for thought. There's nothing I love more than reading a coherent blog post over coffee that really gets me thinking when I am too incoherent for words! Sometimes the process of imbibing all the information and inspiration sort of blows my mind.
I'll be honest, often things in my reader go in one ear (um...eye?) and out the other, or they get put on some sort of mental shelf waiting for attention, even though I know it will probably only be to gather dust (Craft Ideas: I'm looking at you, unfortunately.) Once in a while, however, I find something that not only sticks with me, it keeps falling off that mental shelf right at my feet where I find myself tripping over it so repetitively that I am forced to deal with it and find a permanent place to store it in my life (or you know, bookmark it at least!). Anil Dash's oldie but goodie diatribe about diamond marketing really did that for me this year when I came across it playing link hopscotch, and it was something I ended up sending to a number of people because it was not only funny and accurate, but at this point in my life it's totally relevant.
Now we all know how eeeeeevil the diamond industry is -- THANKYOUVERYMUCH Leonardo DiCaprio -- and truth be told, I'm not really a diamond gal. I mean I love jewelry, but I'm more into chunky (read: cheap) costume jewelry -- what can I say, I lose things. And I've never really been one for the manufactured meaning of Tiffany's or longed for a growing sparkly gemstone collection; however, as an un-married gal in a committed relationship there is a part of me that wants to partake in a little blingy rite of passage and I've always been a bit conflicted about that (no pun intended). I know that the diamond industry is not something that is aligned with my values -- both because of the human rights violations as well as the dishonesty that goes along with the price fixing and competition controlling that DeBeers is known for -- but I am not made of wood, people! And I've gotten really good at rationalizing, too -- I mean, what's one more diamond ring? Especially if it's "conflict- free". And of course I'm not even talking about some rare behemoth J. Lo rock either, so there's that. Tasteful twinkle -- it's different, right?
But it took Anil's article to really ice the already highly stacked cake against diamonds in my mind. Not only are they inherently worthless and morally evil (I know, inflammatory adjective alert!) but seriously when it comes to the way the diamond industry markets their products, he hits the nail on the head by identifying that the diamond industry is calling us and our partners nagging, helpless, chauvinist, idiots -- and not only are we eating it up, but we are begging for more. And really, that just rubbed me the wrong way.
SO....
Does that mean I am here to tell you that I have made the decision to eschew all diamonds, and that I will smugly roll my eyes at any and all marketing campaigns that tell me that I need a man to give me a rock to feel safe and calm during the thunderstorms of life -- or make claims like the title of this post.
Weeeeeeell...not exactly.
What I can tell you though, is that Garrett and I will not be purchasing a diamond when we decide to get hitched. But this year my mom offered to give me a family diamond that was actually in a ring that my grandma gave my dad -- and boy did that complicate my moral stance and tug on the heart strings. Because, really? A family diamond? Not to mention it is BEE-YOU-TEE-FULL! (The tasteful sparkle of course...haha). And once again might I remind you, I am not made of wood people. But I am pretty sure, thanks to coming across that gem of a post by Anil Dash this year, that I've decided that this next diamond, will be my last diamond.
December 04, 2009
December 02, 2009
The Trip of A Lifetime
(This post is a part of Gwen Bell's The Best of 2009 Blog Challenge. Thanks for the great inspiration idea, Amy!)
I consider myself a bit of a traveler. I mean I don't really go to super exotic locales or cliched destinations or anything (hell, I have embarrassingly only used my passport once and it was in 1986 when my hair was in full on bowl cut mode, god I should find and scan that picture) but if I have a few extra bucks in my pocket my first choice is always to spend them by getting out of town. Usually I like exploring a new place, and usually it is someplace quaint rather than extravagant, somewhere off the beaten path or somewhere seemingly ordinary. But this year I took the trip of lifetime and of all places, it was to Maui! I'm know. You are all thinking: Holly, could there be a more cliched travel destination than Maui? And the answer is, probably not. But for a few really personal reasons, it was by far the best trip I have ever taken.
Hawaii was always this mythical place in my mind growing up. My parents had lived there while my dad was in college, and even after he graduated and started playing football professionally in Detroit they spent the off seasons on the Big Island. Growing up all of their friends and members of my family had these great stories about the times they visited my parents on the islands. There were funny stories and amazing adventures, and they all painted a gorgeous picture of a what a crazy life my parents had before I was born. First of all they were in their early 20s. Imagine what you were doing when you were 22? I know I was goofing off in college and then "Finding Myself" in Los Angeles (ha!) definitely not living it up in some exotic locale. It was fascinating to me that my parents had this offbeat life before I came around -- I know that's a little self centered, but as a kid it just seemed so weird to think of your parents life before you, but it was hard to ignore when it was a life of stories re-told in such vivid technicolor. When I was young and my parents would tuck me in to bed at night I always asked for a story, and often times my father would describe tales of surfing and swimming and hiking in the lush Hawaiian landscape with its strange sounding names -- and I would drift off to sleep awaiting the day I would finally get to make sense of it all in person.
As I got older, it became less of a myth and more of a promise. You see my Grandma Marian (who passed away in 2004 and was the absolute light of our whole family) knew how much I wanted to go and was always assuring me that I would get there. Each summer all of us grandkids had the opportunity to take our own "solo trips" up to her house in Sonoma. When it was my turn to visit, she always let my fingers go walking through her perfumes and lotions -- my childhood favorites always being the L'Air du Temps bottle because it was pretty (hello 80s flashback) and a metallic tube of Crabtree & Evelyn Rosewater Hand Therapy. We spent our days visiting, doing water aerobics at her class, watching Jeopardy, having sandwiches at the Sonoma Cheese Factory, and of course always making time to catch up with her neighborhood buddies as they knew all us grandkids.
Inevitably during these trips we would stop by and say hi to her best friends (and my dad's Godparents) Mert and Don, who lived down the street. Many times they would tell stories of their recent trips to Maui altogether and how the 3 of them spent their days lounging and having cocktails and enjoying the weather at at the beach. They would always laugh when I would get upset about not having been to Hawaii yet, and say that someday I would have great friends to go with when I understood the power of The 5 o' Clock Cocktail. I would roll my eyes, of course, but they just made Maui seem so accessible. But I couldn't, in my 9 year old mind, figure out how to make it happen. So instead I'd come home from my week at Grandma Marian's and just nag my parents about it. They finally promised that they would take me when I turned 10, but frankly I'm not sure they ever really meant this. I think it was more of a finite answer to the infinite questions I would always ask "When will visit Hawaii? How long until I can see Hawaii? Can I learn how to surf? Where we will snorkel?"
WHEN YOU ARE TEN, HOLLY. WE WILL TAKE YOU WHEN YOU ARE TEN.
And so that was that. Except of course age ten came and went and we never made it to Hawaii. It's not like my parents never took me anywhere, my childhood was full of fabulous family camping adventures, the aforementioned trips to Sonoma, and one incredibly exotic trip to Bermuda (which I totally didn't appreciate a the time -- God, the regret!) but we just never really made it to Hawaii like we were supposed to when I turned 10. And so as you can imagine I pretty much brought that up annually over candles and cake. It became a bit of a family joke, actually.
I think as I got older I finally came to terms with the fact that nobody was going to Take Me To Hawaii, so I went about researching the cost of getting there myself and Holy Hell are those plane tickets pricey when you are making $12 an hour slinging mochas, so I kind of gave up the dream for awhile. I was fine doing my frolicking around the mainland and exploring California's bounty until about two years into my relationship with Garrett when he nonchalantly mentioned that his family owned a portion of a condo in Maui and would I be interested in heading out there for a couple of weeks at some point? To which my answer was, HELL-TO-THE-YES! And also immediately afterward, WHY THE HELL HAVE YOU WAITED TWO YEARS TO BRING THAT UP, BUDDY? His reply was that he had pretty much gone every summer of his entire life up until he was about 16 and so he wasn't sure that Hawaii was anything I was that excited about.
(BLINK BLINK.)
(No really, BLINK BLINK.)
So once we had a very brief repeat conversation about my likes and dislikes (LIKES: Free Condos in Maui. DISLIKES: My boyfriend thinking I would not be interested in Free Condos in Maui. See? Easy) he explained that his parents and grandparents and some teacher friends from the bay area each owned 1/12th of a condo. We could have the condo for a month if we wanted, so pretty much immediately I began to plan. Of course as travel planning goes it took us a couple years to get our time/budget/act together, but surprisingly at the end of May this year I (FINALLY) found myself on a 5 hour flight that was Maui-bound. Only twenty years after my 10th Birthday.
It was kind of a moving experience, that flight, which I realize sounds totally cheesy, but really the whole time I just kept looking out the window and thinking I can't believe I am finally going to Hawaii. I had not only packed my entire closet (which actually turned out to be a totally unnecessary rookie mistake) but also a lifetime of anticipation! And let me tell you when that plane finally landed I just let all those emotion loose! I actually cried when the plane landed because I WAS FINALLY HERE! I was finally able to see the places I had dreamed about as a child, to feel the ultimate relaxation with my best friend that I had heard about as a teen, and to see the beauty that I had envied as an adult. I had a moment of sadness because neither my father nor my grandmother were alive to finally hear about all of the experiences I was about to have, but in that moment it was like they were right there. The rite of passage was right there under my feet and it was so much for my little heart to take and so I just cried and cried the happy tears of joy that were 30 years in the making. Of course Garrett finally looked over at me and said "Dude, all these people are going to think I'm being mean to you if you are crying" and so we had a huge tear filled laugh, I wiped my cheeks and the adventure began.
We stayed in that condo for 12 days, and it was probably the most blissful time in my life. Garrett recounted memories of his trips as a child and I finally got to reconcile the pictures in my imagination with reality and it was truly so much better in person. I felt incredibly close to my father and my grandmother during that time, and as Garrett and I spent our days walking hand in hand on the beaches or cruising the island highways off to our next undertaking, I would think of my parents, and the similar moments they must have shared in their early 20s with the gorgeous Hawaiian sunset as their backdrop. What were they hoping their future held? I felt connected to the past, connected to nature, connected to a family history that surrounds me with wonderful memories even though we are no longer able to all sit together around the table and tell stories. Around every corner there was a reminder of the connections that I have always had with this beautiful place, and it truly felt like coming home.
The weirdest coincidence of the whole trip happened a few days before we left when I went rummaging around in the condo bathroom for some Advil. Underneath the sink amidst years worth of sunscreens, community shampoo bottles, and expired medicine, I found a halfway used tube of Crabtree & Evelyn's Rosewater Hand Therapy. Immediately forgetting about my headache, I doused myself in it and took myself back to those Sonoma summers with my grandma and hearing about her trips with Mert and Don and enjoying the Maui Life. It was a special moment, and the coincidence was sort of overwhelming, so when I got back home I of course shared the story with some of my relatives. Through a series of conversations I ended up having with my aunt describing where we stayed and through photographs of our trip, we ended up connecting the dots to figure out that the condo Garrett and I stayed was the same condo that my Grandma and Mert and Don had stayed in every summer all those years ago. Completely unable to believe that possibility Garrett called his parents who had the original Condo-share agreement, and sure enough, Mert and Don's names were on the contract for all those years with Garrett's parents and grandparents.
And seriously? A moment like that not only makes a trip, it kind of makes your life.
I consider myself a bit of a traveler. I mean I don't really go to super exotic locales or cliched destinations or anything (hell, I have embarrassingly only used my passport once and it was in 1986 when my hair was in full on bowl cut mode, god I should find and scan that picture) but if I have a few extra bucks in my pocket my first choice is always to spend them by getting out of town. Usually I like exploring a new place, and usually it is someplace quaint rather than extravagant, somewhere off the beaten path or somewhere seemingly ordinary. But this year I took the trip of lifetime and of all places, it was to Maui! I'm know. You are all thinking: Holly, could there be a more cliched travel destination than Maui? And the answer is, probably not. But for a few really personal reasons, it was by far the best trip I have ever taken.
Hawaii was always this mythical place in my mind growing up. My parents had lived there while my dad was in college, and even after he graduated and started playing football professionally in Detroit they spent the off seasons on the Big Island. Growing up all of their friends and members of my family had these great stories about the times they visited my parents on the islands. There were funny stories and amazing adventures, and they all painted a gorgeous picture of a what a crazy life my parents had before I was born. First of all they were in their early 20s. Imagine what you were doing when you were 22? I know I was goofing off in college and then "Finding Myself" in Los Angeles (ha!) definitely not living it up in some exotic locale. It was fascinating to me that my parents had this offbeat life before I came around -- I know that's a little self centered, but as a kid it just seemed so weird to think of your parents life before you, but it was hard to ignore when it was a life of stories re-told in such vivid technicolor. When I was young and my parents would tuck me in to bed at night I always asked for a story, and often times my father would describe tales of surfing and swimming and hiking in the lush Hawaiian landscape with its strange sounding names -- and I would drift off to sleep awaiting the day I would finally get to make sense of it all in person.
As I got older, it became less of a myth and more of a promise. You see my Grandma Marian (who passed away in 2004 and was the absolute light of our whole family) knew how much I wanted to go and was always assuring me that I would get there. Each summer all of us grandkids had the opportunity to take our own "solo trips" up to her house in Sonoma. When it was my turn to visit, she always let my fingers go walking through her perfumes and lotions -- my childhood favorites always being the L'Air du Temps bottle because it was pretty (hello 80s flashback) and a metallic tube of Crabtree & Evelyn Rosewater Hand Therapy. We spent our days visiting, doing water aerobics at her class, watching Jeopardy, having sandwiches at the Sonoma Cheese Factory, and of course always making time to catch up with her neighborhood buddies as they knew all us grandkids.
Inevitably during these trips we would stop by and say hi to her best friends (and my dad's Godparents) Mert and Don, who lived down the street. Many times they would tell stories of their recent trips to Maui altogether and how the 3 of them spent their days lounging and having cocktails and enjoying the weather at at the beach. They would always laugh when I would get upset about not having been to Hawaii yet, and say that someday I would have great friends to go with when I understood the power of The 5 o' Clock Cocktail. I would roll my eyes, of course, but they just made Maui seem so accessible. But I couldn't, in my 9 year old mind, figure out how to make it happen. So instead I'd come home from my week at Grandma Marian's and just nag my parents about it. They finally promised that they would take me when I turned 10, but frankly I'm not sure they ever really meant this. I think it was more of a finite answer to the infinite questions I would always ask "When will visit Hawaii? How long until I can see Hawaii? Can I learn how to surf? Where we will snorkel?"
WHEN YOU ARE TEN, HOLLY. WE WILL TAKE YOU WHEN YOU ARE TEN.
And so that was that. Except of course age ten came and went and we never made it to Hawaii. It's not like my parents never took me anywhere, my childhood was full of fabulous family camping adventures, the aforementioned trips to Sonoma, and one incredibly exotic trip to Bermuda (which I totally didn't appreciate a the time -- God, the regret!) but we just never really made it to Hawaii like we were supposed to when I turned 10. And so as you can imagine I pretty much brought that up annually over candles and cake. It became a bit of a family joke, actually.
I think as I got older I finally came to terms with the fact that nobody was going to Take Me To Hawaii, so I went about researching the cost of getting there myself and Holy Hell are those plane tickets pricey when you are making $12 an hour slinging mochas, so I kind of gave up the dream for awhile. I was fine doing my frolicking around the mainland and exploring California's bounty until about two years into my relationship with Garrett when he nonchalantly mentioned that his family owned a portion of a condo in Maui and would I be interested in heading out there for a couple of weeks at some point? To which my answer was, HELL-TO-THE-YES! And also immediately afterward, WHY THE HELL HAVE YOU WAITED TWO YEARS TO BRING THAT UP, BUDDY? His reply was that he had pretty much gone every summer of his entire life up until he was about 16 and so he wasn't sure that Hawaii was anything I was that excited about.
(BLINK BLINK.)
(No really, BLINK BLINK.)
So once we had a very brief repeat conversation about my likes and dislikes (LIKES: Free Condos in Maui. DISLIKES: My boyfriend thinking I would not be interested in Free Condos in Maui. See? Easy) he explained that his parents and grandparents and some teacher friends from the bay area each owned 1/12th of a condo. We could have the condo for a month if we wanted, so pretty much immediately I began to plan. Of course as travel planning goes it took us a couple years to get our time/budget/act together, but surprisingly at the end of May this year I (FINALLY) found myself on a 5 hour flight that was Maui-bound. Only twenty years after my 10th Birthday.
It was kind of a moving experience, that flight, which I realize sounds totally cheesy, but really the whole time I just kept looking out the window and thinking I can't believe I am finally going to Hawaii. I had not only packed my entire closet (which actually turned out to be a totally unnecessary rookie mistake) but also a lifetime of anticipation! And let me tell you when that plane finally landed I just let all those emotion loose! I actually cried when the plane landed because I WAS FINALLY HERE! I was finally able to see the places I had dreamed about as a child, to feel the ultimate relaxation with my best friend that I had heard about as a teen, and to see the beauty that I had envied as an adult. I had a moment of sadness because neither my father nor my grandmother were alive to finally hear about all of the experiences I was about to have, but in that moment it was like they were right there. The rite of passage was right there under my feet and it was so much for my little heart to take and so I just cried and cried the happy tears of joy that were 30 years in the making. Of course Garrett finally looked over at me and said "Dude, all these people are going to think I'm being mean to you if you are crying" and so we had a huge tear filled laugh, I wiped my cheeks and the adventure began.
We stayed in that condo for 12 days, and it was probably the most blissful time in my life. Garrett recounted memories of his trips as a child and I finally got to reconcile the pictures in my imagination with reality and it was truly so much better in person. I felt incredibly close to my father and my grandmother during that time, and as Garrett and I spent our days walking hand in hand on the beaches or cruising the island highways off to our next undertaking, I would think of my parents, and the similar moments they must have shared in their early 20s with the gorgeous Hawaiian sunset as their backdrop. What were they hoping their future held? I felt connected to the past, connected to nature, connected to a family history that surrounds me with wonderful memories even though we are no longer able to all sit together around the table and tell stories. Around every corner there was a reminder of the connections that I have always had with this beautiful place, and it truly felt like coming home.
The weirdest coincidence of the whole trip happened a few days before we left when I went rummaging around in the condo bathroom for some Advil. Underneath the sink amidst years worth of sunscreens, community shampoo bottles, and expired medicine, I found a halfway used tube of Crabtree & Evelyn's Rosewater Hand Therapy. Immediately forgetting about my headache, I doused myself in it and took myself back to those Sonoma summers with my grandma and hearing about her trips with Mert and Don and enjoying the Maui Life. It was a special moment, and the coincidence was sort of overwhelming, so when I got back home I of course shared the story with some of my relatives. Through a series of conversations I ended up having with my aunt describing where we stayed and through photographs of our trip, we ended up connecting the dots to figure out that the condo Garrett and I stayed was the same condo that my Grandma and Mert and Don had stayed in every summer all those years ago. Completely unable to believe that possibility Garrett called his parents who had the original Condo-share agreement, and sure enough, Mert and Don's names were on the contract for all those years with Garrett's parents and grandparents.
And seriously? A moment like that not only makes a trip, it kind of makes your life.
November 23, 2009
My Life Philosophy Nicely Summed Up
"The greatest crimes in the world are committed not by people breaking the rules but by people following the rules. It's people who follow orders who drop bombs and massacre villages.
As a precaution to ever committing major acts of evil it is our solemn duty never to do what we're told: this is the only way we can be sure." -- Banksy
(via Intellectual Properties)
I'm going to keep this in mind over the next few weeks because I'm mulling over some pretty big decisions. I want to make sure those decisions are being made based on what I truly want, not based on someone else's arbitrary idea of what is right.
I love finding clarity when I least expect it!
As a precaution to ever committing major acts of evil it is our solemn duty never to do what we're told: this is the only way we can be sure." -- Banksy
(via Intellectual Properties)
I'm going to keep this in mind over the next few weeks because I'm mulling over some pretty big decisions. I want to make sure those decisions are being made based on what I truly want, not based on someone else's arbitrary idea of what is right.
I love finding clarity when I least expect it!
November 20, 2009
What Can I Do? What Can You Do? What Can We Do Together?
So you all know I like to cook. I come from a family that loves food and has about a million wonderful recipes all year long -- so as you can imagine, the holidays are a pretty good time of year. Well, not really for my waistline, but hey that's not the point right now, is it? My family has always served some pretty traditional dishes for Thanksgiving, and whether my mom was cooking, or one of my aunts, or grandmas -- it didn't matter, I always knew I could count on Thanksgiving to be amazing.
One year while living in Los Angeles I cooked Thanksgiving dinner for some friends by myself (OK full disclosure: I let Whole Foods cook the turkey and stuffing, but dammit, I made all the side dishes) and it was really quite comforting to be able to recreate some of the tastes of home, even though I wasn't. Food definitely is a powerful emotional currency -- ask any toddler who has been threatened with 'No Dessert' -- and although I did miss having my family sitting there with me wearing our special "stretch as you grow pants" and complaining that Lordy, we could not eat another bite if you paid us -- oh but wait, there's pie? -- OK, well maybe just a little slice, I mean it's Thanksgiving after all -- I felt lucky that I could create that same environment for my friends with just a few strategically prepared things. If you can't have your whole family together at home to celebrate, it's at least comforting to have a special meal.
So what about all those who don't have that good food and family, or hell, even a selection of the "stretch as you grow" pants of which I am so fond? What are their options on Thanksgiving -- the most comforting and gluttonous day of the year? (Also the 2nd most effluent if you want to know the truth. Only Super Bowl Sunday is worse, but you know, that's neither here nor there right now. I'm sorry, poop talk makes me laugh. I have the sense of humor of a 12 year old boy and I can't make it stop.)
ANYWAY. Back to the subject at hand.
As you probably know, homelessness is a big problem in Sacramento. You may recall hearing about all the tent cities on this little show called Oprah a while back, and there is no time that I feel a more pressing urge to Do Something, than during the holidays. What is hard for me is to see beyond the enormous big picture. I know that I can't solve the problem of homelessness. I know that I can't find all these people homes. That I can't find them safe places, warm beds, or good hospitals, if that is what they need. And it's heart breaking to me that those problems are too big for me to solve. But I'll tell you what I can do -- I can cook a mean a dinner -- and this Thanksgiving, that is just what I am planning on doing. For over a hundred people. Holy moses, what have I gotten myself into?
This Thanksgiving, my family, my boyfriend, and my friend Courtney are cooking what should be an amazing dinner for St. John's Shelter here in Sacramento. St John's Shelter is a homeless shelter for women and children whose sole purpose is to help women go from a state of crisis to self sufficiency by partnering with community resources that help reintegrate them into society in under 90 days. It is a wonderful program, and serving dinner there as a part of my involvement with Junior League of Sacramento has been a moving experience for me, so this year I thought -- why the heck not do Thanksgiving Dinner, since it is one of the most treasured meals that I am lucky enough to have each year.
Now I know not everyone can run out and ditch their families on Thanksgiving -- even though some of you might want to. Dysfunctional Families For The Win? I dunno. However, there are plenty of things you can do from that cozy little chair where you are sitting right this second. For example, if you are feeling generous, St. John's has an Amazon Wish List that automatically sends your purchase right to their door, or if you are local, maybe you'd consider volunteering to serve lunch or dinner? I can tell you from experience that doing this is so much more rewarding than you would even think. And it already sounds pretty rewarding! St. John's also happily accept monetary donations, and seriously every little bit helps. Just as a side note, St John's has a budget of 25 cents per person per meal without the help of others (Holy Budget Batman, did your brain just explode trying to plan a 25 cent meal? Because mine totally did.)-- so just think how far your $5 or $10 or $20 could go? I spent $4 on a peppermint mocha yesterday (which doesn't include the $40 parking ticket that I received along with it in the process -- ARGH), and boy do I feel like kind of a dork when I think of how many warm meals that could have provided to women and children in crisis.
So here's the deal -- I'm not trying to get preachy on you and tell you to go out and support my cause just because I support it (Next I'll be telling you to jump off a bridge just because I'm jumping off of it!) But I guess what I am saying, (a point! I do have one!) is that in the spirit of the holidays -- maybe just take a moment to think about areas in your life where you have abundance, and then figure out how you can share that abundance in your own community. Often times it doesn't take much but a little forethought to make a big impact. I provided those links above, because if you are anything like you me you are willing to Do Something, but often just don't know how to make it happen. So, you know, to my fellow overwhelmed friends with good hearts -- here are a few opportunity with St. John's to make a differences. But if that doesn't speak to you -- that's cool too -- I mean we all have our own priorities and causes that are near and dear to our hearts. So today, do a little internet research (if you are at work -- they typing will make you sound busy, right?) and check out your local resources today.
After all, 'tis the season, right?
One year while living in Los Angeles I cooked Thanksgiving dinner for some friends by myself (OK full disclosure: I let Whole Foods cook the turkey and stuffing, but dammit, I made all the side dishes) and it was really quite comforting to be able to recreate some of the tastes of home, even though I wasn't. Food definitely is a powerful emotional currency -- ask any toddler who has been threatened with 'No Dessert' -- and although I did miss having my family sitting there with me wearing our special "stretch as you grow pants" and complaining that Lordy, we could not eat another bite if you paid us -- oh but wait, there's pie? -- OK, well maybe just a little slice, I mean it's Thanksgiving after all -- I felt lucky that I could create that same environment for my friends with just a few strategically prepared things. If you can't have your whole family together at home to celebrate, it's at least comforting to have a special meal.
So what about all those who don't have that good food and family, or hell, even a selection of the "stretch as you grow" pants of which I am so fond? What are their options on Thanksgiving -- the most comforting and gluttonous day of the year? (Also the 2nd most effluent if you want to know the truth. Only Super Bowl Sunday is worse, but you know, that's neither here nor there right now. I'm sorry, poop talk makes me laugh. I have the sense of humor of a 12 year old boy and I can't make it stop.)
ANYWAY. Back to the subject at hand.
As you probably know, homelessness is a big problem in Sacramento. You may recall hearing about all the tent cities on this little show called Oprah a while back, and there is no time that I feel a more pressing urge to Do Something, than during the holidays. What is hard for me is to see beyond the enormous big picture. I know that I can't solve the problem of homelessness. I know that I can't find all these people homes. That I can't find them safe places, warm beds, or good hospitals, if that is what they need. And it's heart breaking to me that those problems are too big for me to solve. But I'll tell you what I can do -- I can cook a mean a dinner -- and this Thanksgiving, that is just what I am planning on doing. For over a hundred people. Holy moses, what have I gotten myself into?
This Thanksgiving, my family, my boyfriend, and my friend Courtney are cooking what should be an amazing dinner for St. John's Shelter here in Sacramento. St John's Shelter is a homeless shelter for women and children whose sole purpose is to help women go from a state of crisis to self sufficiency by partnering with community resources that help reintegrate them into society in under 90 days. It is a wonderful program, and serving dinner there as a part of my involvement with Junior League of Sacramento has been a moving experience for me, so this year I thought -- why the heck not do Thanksgiving Dinner, since it is one of the most treasured meals that I am lucky enough to have each year.
Now I know not everyone can run out and ditch their families on Thanksgiving -- even though some of you might want to. Dysfunctional Families For The Win? I dunno. However, there are plenty of things you can do from that cozy little chair where you are sitting right this second. For example, if you are feeling generous, St. John's has an Amazon Wish List that automatically sends your purchase right to their door, or if you are local, maybe you'd consider volunteering to serve lunch or dinner? I can tell you from experience that doing this is so much more rewarding than you would even think. And it already sounds pretty rewarding! St. John's also happily accept monetary donations, and seriously every little bit helps. Just as a side note, St John's has a budget of 25 cents per person per meal without the help of others (Holy Budget Batman, did your brain just explode trying to plan a 25 cent meal? Because mine totally did.)-- so just think how far your $5 or $10 or $20 could go? I spent $4 on a peppermint mocha yesterday (which doesn't include the $40 parking ticket that I received along with it in the process -- ARGH), and boy do I feel like kind of a dork when I think of how many warm meals that could have provided to women and children in crisis.
So here's the deal -- I'm not trying to get preachy on you and tell you to go out and support my cause just because I support it (Next I'll be telling you to jump off a bridge just because I'm jumping off of it!) But I guess what I am saying, (a point! I do have one!) is that in the spirit of the holidays -- maybe just take a moment to think about areas in your life where you have abundance, and then figure out how you can share that abundance in your own community. Often times it doesn't take much but a little forethought to make a big impact. I provided those links above, because if you are anything like you me you are willing to Do Something, but often just don't know how to make it happen. So, you know, to my fellow overwhelmed friends with good hearts -- here are a few opportunity with St. John's to make a differences. But if that doesn't speak to you -- that's cool too -- I mean we all have our own priorities and causes that are near and dear to our hearts. So today, do a little internet research (if you are at work -- they typing will make you sound busy, right?) and check out your local resources today.
After all, 'tis the season, right?
November 17, 2009
Do You Know What Today Is? I'll give you a hint, and it involves Tony Toni Tone....
From our humble beginings slinging mochas side by side at Peet's Coffee & Tea...
...my life has definitely been more fun with you around, Garrett!
You are my absolute favorite person to be silly with, and sometimes it blows my mind that you see me at my craziest and still love me.
You always remind me not take life too seriously, and keep me grounded when I get a little too high strung.
Whenever I think of my happiest times, your face is the face I see beside mine.
I know it's only been 4 years, Garrett, but in some ways it feels like a lifetime. I hardly remember what my life was like without you in it.
I can't wait to spend the rest of it exploring this crazy world with you because there is no one I'd rather have by my side.
Happy Fourth Anniversary, Baby!
...my life has definitely been more fun with you around, Garrett!
You are my absolute favorite person to be silly with, and sometimes it blows my mind that you see me at my craziest and still love me.
You always remind me not take life too seriously, and keep me grounded when I get a little too high strung.
Whenever I think of my happiest times, your face is the face I see beside mine.
I know it's only been 4 years, Garrett, but in some ways it feels like a lifetime. I hardly remember what my life was like without you in it.
I can't wait to spend the rest of it exploring this crazy world with you because there is no one I'd rather have by my side.
Happy Fourth Anniversary, Baby!
November 10, 2009
A Completely Unorganized List About Organization
Last night my cousin Kelly tweeted that she needed to be more organized in her life and wanted some time management skills. Oddly enough I tweeted at THE EXACT SAME TIME that I needed some blog inspiration. Ok if I'm being honest, I was far too lazy last night to get up and tweet and besides Garrett was commandeering the computer and my cell phone is totally from like 1997 so that wasn't even an option , but I was totally THINKING about tweeting "I need some blog inspiration" which is almost like actually tweeting it, right? Right.
Anyway, I fancy myself fairly organized and I'm pretty OCD with some of the Standard Operation Procedures around our house. Granted, that doesn't mean I don't know how to procrastinate and avoid like it's going out of style, but the foundation is there, you know. Part of the reason I am so crazy for being organized is that I think it simplifies my life which in return makes me sooo much less stressed. With that in mind, I thought I would throw out some of my own philosophies and link to a few fun resources about organization for Kelly, and well, for you if you are looking for some inspiration. Come join my crazy organized world, friends! There is a place for everything and everything has a place!
*So, first and foremost, declare your intentions, and mean it. I find this is by far the most overlooked part of any life change that you are embarking on. So in this instance, think about WHY you want to get organized -- what improvements are going to come about because you are choosing to get organized? Is the clutter detracting from your quality of life? Are you finding you forget things or pay bills late? Think about how much better it would feel if you didn't have stress from (insert stumbling block here). Bottle that intention. This is so important is because in times of trial, you will be tempted to not stay on track so I find it helps to have a mantra or intention to keep you focused.
*Find some visual inspiration. Whether it is something like the Pretty Organized Flickr Pool that will inspire how a room looks, or a fun Mantra Poster to hang in your office or otherwise unorganized area, or a gorgeous, but functional weekly planner that actually makes you WANT to use it -- whatever it is, find a token or a tool that makes being organized fun, pretty or stimulating. You will have a better chance of sticking to it and staying on track.
Simplify! This is one of the easiest ways to have an organized life in my opinion is to simplify at all times. Whenever you are doing something, planning something, or scheduling something, ask yourself -- is this making my life simpler or more complicated? Is this necessary, or could I do it another way? A few Food For Thought resources on simplifying are: This list 27 Simple Ways to Simplify Your Life and this collection of quick tips100 Tips to Simplify Your Life
*Control Your Clutter. Unfortunately, in my opinion, clutter and organization are mutually exclusive. I am a recovering piler. I used to have very nice, neatly stacked piles of things all around my house that I rationalized were acceptable because, of course, I knew exactly what was in them! And I had put them in that very specific pile on purpose. But honestly, piles are just a euphemism for clutter, and clutter is oh so energy sucking! This article on clutter control is pretty enlightening, I think. And I especially love that this article calls out the "It's fine. I can always use another (insert item here)..." philosophy. To me, wrapping your arms around that idea -- that you don't need 500 of a certain item (thank you cards, notepads, pens, pencils, books, rolls of toilet paper, whatever your items are) no matter how useful they are -- is paramount when it comes to effective clutter control. Too many items leave you scrambling for space, and juggling that space management does NOT simplify life.
*Last but not least, I'm including a link on Scrapbook Organization because as you can imaging Scrap_girl77 does enjoy the scrapping once in a while, so Kelly, here is a quick link that not only tells you how to organize your oodles of supplies, but how to find more time to actually scrapbook. I thought the last part was sort of universally useful, I mean, even if you don't scrapbook, who doesn't want more time for...well, anything, right?
Anyway, I fancy myself fairly organized and I'm pretty OCD with some of the Standard Operation Procedures around our house. Granted, that doesn't mean I don't know how to procrastinate and avoid like it's going out of style, but the foundation is there, you know. Part of the reason I am so crazy for being organized is that I think it simplifies my life which in return makes me sooo much less stressed. With that in mind, I thought I would throw out some of my own philosophies and link to a few fun resources about organization for Kelly, and well, for you if you are looking for some inspiration. Come join my crazy organized world, friends! There is a place for everything and everything has a place!
*So, first and foremost, declare your intentions, and mean it. I find this is by far the most overlooked part of any life change that you are embarking on. So in this instance, think about WHY you want to get organized -- what improvements are going to come about because you are choosing to get organized? Is the clutter detracting from your quality of life? Are you finding you forget things or pay bills late? Think about how much better it would feel if you didn't have stress from (insert stumbling block here). Bottle that intention. This is so important is because in times of trial, you will be tempted to not stay on track so I find it helps to have a mantra or intention to keep you focused.
*Find some visual inspiration. Whether it is something like the Pretty Organized Flickr Pool that will inspire how a room looks, or a fun Mantra Poster to hang in your office or otherwise unorganized area, or a gorgeous, but functional weekly planner that actually makes you WANT to use it -- whatever it is, find a token or a tool that makes being organized fun, pretty or stimulating. You will have a better chance of sticking to it and staying on track.
Simplify! This is one of the easiest ways to have an organized life in my opinion is to simplify at all times. Whenever you are doing something, planning something, or scheduling something, ask yourself -- is this making my life simpler or more complicated? Is this necessary, or could I do it another way? A few Food For Thought resources on simplifying are: This list 27 Simple Ways to Simplify Your Life and this collection of quick tips100 Tips to Simplify Your Life
*Control Your Clutter. Unfortunately, in my opinion, clutter and organization are mutually exclusive. I am a recovering piler. I used to have very nice, neatly stacked piles of things all around my house that I rationalized were acceptable because, of course, I knew exactly what was in them! And I had put them in that very specific pile on purpose. But honestly, piles are just a euphemism for clutter, and clutter is oh so energy sucking! This article on clutter control is pretty enlightening, I think. And I especially love that this article calls out the "It's fine. I can always use another (insert item here)..." philosophy. To me, wrapping your arms around that idea -- that you don't need 500 of a certain item (thank you cards, notepads, pens, pencils, books, rolls of toilet paper, whatever your items are) no matter how useful they are -- is paramount when it comes to effective clutter control. Too many items leave you scrambling for space, and juggling that space management does NOT simplify life.
*Last but not least, I'm including a link on Scrapbook Organization because as you can imaging Scrap_girl77 does enjoy the scrapping once in a while, so Kelly, here is a quick link that not only tells you how to organize your oodles of supplies, but how to find more time to actually scrapbook. I thought the last part was sort of universally useful, I mean, even if you don't scrapbook, who doesn't want more time for...well, anything, right?
November 06, 2009
Recipe Roundup: Orange and Yellow Food Edition
When I lived in Los Angeles, my adorable old roommate Fredo worked quite a bit and was also a full time student. (By the way, do yourself a favor and click that link. His adorableness is palpable!) Anyway, he lived a rather harried life as one is wont to when juggling multiple priorities and rarely did normal things like, you know, grocery shop. But somehow he would always manage to bring home arbitrary hand me down food items -- from his mother, from a professor, from a restaurant, who knows -- and it was a common subject of amusement among our other roommate Kelly and I. He was very good natured about our ribbing, but the random morsels were always an easy target -- in fact, there was even a lovely John Mayer cover tune about an Economy Sized tub of Soft Spread that showed up in our fridge one day and seriously, almost 10 years later when I even think about margarine I still get a bit of a chuckle!
So one week, he brought home an entire bowl of persimmons. I woke up one morning and our empty fruit bowl was overflowing with exotic orange fruit and of course, mostly because we were jerks, we turned our up noses just like we did when we brewed a smoky, hot pot of Lapsang Souchong. To this day I have not acquired a taste for Lapsang (or any China Black teas, really) but oh my god -- persimmons? I take back every bad word I ever said. I can't imagine a time when I didn't love them, and the following are two fun recipes featuring persimmons courtesy of Garrett over at Vanilla Garlic (who by the way is from Sacramento -- Can I get a little love for the local food bloggers? whoop whoop!):
Persimmon Chips -- I haven't made these but they look like an awesome alternative to the Office Candy Bowl, which, where I work is like Post-Halloween-Diabetic-Apocalypse waiting to happen. yargh!
Persimmon Bread - I am pretty much enamored with any kind of baked bread, so I'm fairly sure this recipe is a fail safe.
Now, besides the elegant persimmon, the other delight that pretty much wholly represents Fall to me is the butternut squash. If it wasn't such a pain to get my knife through, we might have it with every meal during the autumnal months. Instead I usually reserve it for days when I want to make my dishes with care, and the following are fun ways to incorporate it into your dinnertime routine on perhaps a cold weekend coming up.
Butternut Squash Crumble -- First of all, they had me at crumble, OK. Cheesy, crusty goodness on one of my favorite vegetables? How can you go wrong?
Guatemalan Chicken Stew - Making the same old stew can get a bit boring. I thought this looked like a fun alternative to the traditional meat and potato stew. I haven't tried it, but I just may whip up a batch this weekend.
Butternut Squash and Sage Lasagna - First let me tell you that the idea of lasagna does not romance me. It's alright, but never my first choice. But this lasagna -- THIS LASAGNA -- has changed my life. The white sauce, the sage, the bite from the balsamic, the asiago crusted noodles mixing with the tender sweet squash -- if it doesn't change your life I will offer you a money back guarantee. Hands down, the best lasagna I have ever had. It may take every dish in your house to make it (or maybe I'm just betraying our lack of cookware) but it will be worth every delectable bit.
Happy cooking this weekend if you are doing any! After a long week I am looking forward to be a total netflix obsessed, down blanket wrapped, curled up with a good book shut in, but I just may not be able to resist the Farmer's Market tomorrow. Fall won't be around for long, you know.
So one week, he brought home an entire bowl of persimmons. I woke up one morning and our empty fruit bowl was overflowing with exotic orange fruit and of course, mostly because we were jerks, we turned our up noses just like we did when we brewed a smoky, hot pot of Lapsang Souchong. To this day I have not acquired a taste for Lapsang (or any China Black teas, really) but oh my god -- persimmons? I take back every bad word I ever said. I can't imagine a time when I didn't love them, and the following are two fun recipes featuring persimmons courtesy of Garrett over at Vanilla Garlic (who by the way is from Sacramento -- Can I get a little love for the local food bloggers? whoop whoop!):
Persimmon Chips -- I haven't made these but they look like an awesome alternative to the Office Candy Bowl, which, where I work is like Post-Halloween-Diabetic-Apocalypse waiting to happen. yargh!
Persimmon Bread - I am pretty much enamored with any kind of baked bread, so I'm fairly sure this recipe is a fail safe.
Now, besides the elegant persimmon, the other delight that pretty much wholly represents Fall to me is the butternut squash. If it wasn't such a pain to get my knife through, we might have it with every meal during the autumnal months. Instead I usually reserve it for days when I want to make my dishes with care, and the following are fun ways to incorporate it into your dinnertime routine on perhaps a cold weekend coming up.
Butternut Squash Crumble -- First of all, they had me at crumble, OK. Cheesy, crusty goodness on one of my favorite vegetables? How can you go wrong?
Guatemalan Chicken Stew - Making the same old stew can get a bit boring. I thought this looked like a fun alternative to the traditional meat and potato stew. I haven't tried it, but I just may whip up a batch this weekend.
Butternut Squash and Sage Lasagna - First let me tell you that the idea of lasagna does not romance me. It's alright, but never my first choice. But this lasagna -- THIS LASAGNA -- has changed my life. The white sauce, the sage, the bite from the balsamic, the asiago crusted noodles mixing with the tender sweet squash -- if it doesn't change your life I will offer you a money back guarantee. Hands down, the best lasagna I have ever had. It may take every dish in your house to make it (or maybe I'm just betraying our lack of cookware) but it will be worth every delectable bit.
Happy cooking this weekend if you are doing any! After a long week I am looking forward to be a total netflix obsessed, down blanket wrapped, curled up with a good book shut in, but I just may not be able to resist the Farmer's Market tomorrow. Fall won't be around for long, you know.
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