doing 'nothing'

Our beginning-of-the-week conversations for the first few months consisted of, "What did you do this weekend?" "Nothing." "Really? Nothing?" *Shrug* Before we started exchanging books, hanging out first once a week, then twice, then three or four times and texting in between.

Three and a half years later, people are asking us, "What are you guys doing for the Fourth?" And we say, "Nothing."

It's been nonstop for months now, the days and weeks and weekends jam-packed with meetings and hanging out and appointments and checking things off the list. I like that, to an extent; but a three-day weekend with no obligations is a rainbow unicorn in my version of adulthood, at least.

*****
Last week I wrote, but my heart wasn't in it. And then Friday evening came around, and our fridge was fresh out of food and we had company coming from out of town. So I decided not to post. I stressed about it for an hour or so, and realized I wasn't being present, and that's the important thing; so I gave myself a get-out-of-jail free card and forgot about it. This is part of being gracious toward myself.

It's about what's important. Celebrating means different things to different people, and has meant different things to me at different points in my life. Some people like spending holidays in the world's most famous celebration spots, packed up against strangers like the contents of a massive sushi roll. Those people probably think of strangers as future friends.

I am working on priorities. It's hard for an overcommitter like me to stay committed to everything, and I'm working on whittling down my commitments, whittling down my priorities and using the important things as a flowchart to decide whether I can take anything else on or not. I'm reading lots of LinkedIn articles about it and testing out methods of keeping my life in order. My biggest central goal right now is finding zen in the rhythm of my life, even when it's crazy and too full of good things. Rolling with it.

But my top priority is clear: my relationships with good people - maintaining them, and, more importantly, enjoying them.

Last week, when I really thought about it, between my commitment to blogging and my commitment to hosting, the choice was pretty clear. Today, I am taking a much-needed breather, starting my day with good food and a long conversation, just J and me, with good food and drinks sprinkled throughout. This relationship takes precedence, the health of our relationship and taking time to check in and recalibrate, and while we're at it, putting some care into our mental health.

This is a bit of an oversimplification, but so far my big lesson for summer 2015 is prioritizing, and using that hierarchy to make decisions about what I'm committing to.

With that in mind, I'm signing off. Happy Fourth (though I hope you all are celebrating with your friends and families, dear readers, and won't see this until the day is over). Until I write again...

all good things: the final countdown

All Good Things started as a one-hour Sunday night radio show on KSTO St. Olaf radio, featuring feel-good music and 10 highlights from the past week. The show, and its current written form, is brought to you by Clara, Second Set of Baby Steps creator, and my radio co-host Cassie.

After a conversation on the phone earlier this week, we suddenly realized that Twitter is the perfect platform to carry on the blog! Don't be alarmed, if you are not on Twitter or don't understand how it works. You don't need an account to keep up with us; just go to our Twitter page whenever you want to catch up on our list, which we will update throughout the week. If you already use Twitter, follow us @10AllGoodThings and tweet your good things at us!

But for now, sit back and enjoy this final week of All Good Things on the blog!

1. Song of the week: Don't Stop Believing by Journey. A) because AGT has lasted and continues to last for so long. B) because I found my Soc/Anthro journey paper the other day and was cracking up about titling the paper after a Journey song. (Props to Tom for that awesome suggestion). - Cassie

2. Sleeping in! Melville has been waking me up at dawn for the past few months, but this weekend she's let me sleep in. You know you're living large when 7 am feels like sleeping in. However, now that I don't get to sleep past 6 very often I get to watch the sunrise almost everyday. I do enjoy more sleep, but sitting on a grassy hill watching the sunrise with a furry pup is a great start to my workday. - Cassie

3. Enjoying the little things. Most of my recent good things have been about my dog, and it's because she has made me stop to enjoy many things I take for granted. Car rides are so fun for her that they become fun for me, finding a shady spot to sit down is like winning the jackpot, and she always says hi to everyone. I'm a lot less focused on my small little world and more open to what's around me. - Cassie


4. Taking time to talk with neighbors. Now that we've moved (same neighborhood, closer to Lake Harriet) we have some nice neighbors that like to chat. I was annoyed at first because "I have things to do!" (See above). But now that I've stopped to take the time to chat with them I've realized how awesome people can be. There's Gloria who knows what's going on in everyone's lives, Larry who knows everyone by their pet's name, and Ethan the 3-year-old that likes to randomly knock on our door to say hello. - Cassie

5. Brew at the Zoo. Every Memorial Day weekend the Baltimore Zoo hosts a big beer festival, with unlimited samples from craft breweries, lots of food, and great summer music. And of course the Zoo is open so you can go see the animals. We tasted lots of awesome beers (some highlights: the jalapeno IPA from Jailbreak, Dirty Little Freak stout from DuClaw, awesome grilled cheese sandwiches, and everything from The Brewer's Art). J's friend Dae came up and met us there, and it's been awhile since we saw him so that was nice too. And the weather was perfect! - Clara


6. Fresh mint infusion. I took a sprig of mint from our plant this week and put it in a jar with a little bit of honey to make sun tea. When I took it from the fridge later in the week it was the most refreshing thing to drink, cool and fresh and almost tingly. Plus the mint sprigs looked so beautiful in the jar! - Clara

7. Sodastream. I get bored drinking plain water all the time, but we spend an extraneous amount of money on sparkling water. So when I was clearing out my email inbox this week, I noticed an awesome sale on Sodastream machines at Bed Bath & Beyond and we went out and got one. Now we can carbonate our own water, and we are excited to make homemade ginger ale and strawberry basil soda. Next on my list is to make my own tonic syrup! - Clara

8. Scrumptious. On Wednesday night as a reward for figuring out how to stream audio in a blog post, I decided I wanted froyo. So we went to a new place in Trolley Square that is super cute and had some nice frozen yogurt.

Other worthwhile eating happened this weekend at Golden West and the Red Canoe, both in Baltimore, and...

9. Grilling out. After Brew at the Zoo we went back to Lisa's to grill brats and pineapple with the gang. I totally forgot to take a picture of it, unfortunately, but it was DELICIOUS (thanks Dae and J for getting the grill going). And of course, even if it wasn't delicious, everything tastes better when you're sharing it with good friends on a holiday weekend. It was such a harmonious food prep situation too, which made it even better. - Clara

10. Bonus song of the week: Send Me On My Way by Rusted Root. I'm pretty sure this was our last song on KSTO, too. It's just such a perfect fit, and a hands-down classic feel-good jam.


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THANK YOU, readers, for being with us tonight and every Sunday for the past few years. Thank you for your support and your positive energy. It has meant the world to both of us to be able to keep this up, and to have a wonderful community to share it with.

A note from Cassie: "I've been so happy to be able to add my AGTs to this blog. This list has become so important to me. I take a good half hour on Sundays picking things to write about. Some weeks it's really hard: like the week my aunt passed away. Some weeks it's easy: marrying Luke was pretty nice :) But knowing I can always find good things for the list reminds me that I can always find good things out of every situation. I'm so glad this is continuing in another form!"

The Good Things will keep rolling on Twitter @AllGoodThings, so be sure to join us there and share your happy moments and favorite songs with us there!

Also, don't forget to be kind to each other, and find a reason to smile every day :)

posted from Bloggeroid

all good things: let's get together

All Good Things started as a one-hour Sunday night radio show on KSTO St. Olaf radio, featuring feel-good music and 10 highlights from the past week. The show, and its current written form, is brought to you by Clara, Second Set of Baby Steps creator, and my radio co-host Cassie.

Cassie and I are talking about how to keep the good things rolling after the blog ends. So far we've thought about using a Facebook page or group, but we're definitely open to other ideas! If you think of anything (or any good things!), share it with us in the comments.

But for now, sit back and enjoy this week's top 10!

1. Song of the week: Sleeping With A Friend by Neon Trees. Is this the most catchy song on the airwaves right now or what?

2. My brother got married this weekend. It was at Gustavus as that's where he met his wife. The ceremony was really pretty and everyone had a great time. I'm pretty tired after the long weekend, but I'm glad their weekend went so well. - Cassie

3. Grandmas. I'm bringing back an old AGT from the radio days! Grandmas are the best. I stayed in a room with my grandparents this week and before I went to bed she tucked me in and kissed my forehead. It was adorable :) - Cassie

4. The new Beck album. It's really calming, and I've enjoyed listening to it while I work. His music is always best when he's been sad and this isn't different. So don't listen to it to cheer up! - Cassie

5. The new Gmail tabs. I changed my Gmail settings to automatically categorize my emails as they come in, so I don't have to weed through everything to find important emails from friends and family. I might actually start checking my email again now that I can ignore mass emails trying to sell me something... - Clara

6. Snapchats of cheesy singing and dancing. This week I sent a snapchat of myself singing Prince's Kiss and in response I got one of my favorite snapchats ever from a teacher friend dancing in her classroom to some wild dance music. So I've decided to send more of them and see what I get back! - Clara

7. We surprised one of J's old friends with a birthday dinner at Red Robin last night. It's been over a year since we've seen him, and in that time he got engaged and we hadn't met his fiancee yet! So she got in contact with J's brother and they set up a surprise dinner for him. We could tell by his face that he was really surprised and really happy to see the guys. And his fiancee was super sweet. We were all glad to meet her. - Clara

8. Hearing stories from a new perspective. On Monday night, at my Grampa's request, my family had J's family over for dinner, and I overheard Grampa and J's dad exchanging versions of the "how the kids met" story. Specifically, there was one time before J and I ever went out that I stopped into the coffeeshop when his parents happened to have also stopped by... And while J and I have told the story tons of times to different people, I haven't heard anyone else tell the story before. It was a new perspective and it was really funny to hear it from a different angle.

Plus plenty of other stories, becauses both of our families have more than enough stories to fill the time. They're all great :)- Clara

9. Woodside Creamery. It's ice cream season again! Today we went to the local creamery, said "hey" to the cows, and got a couple scoops in pretzel cones. Yum. Very possibly the most delicious ice cream ever. - Clara

10. Yesterday was J's niece's first birthday, so I pulled out all my stuffed animals and we put party hats on them, and made them sing happy birthday (badly). So funny. - Clara


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Thank you, readers, for being with us tonight, and for giving me reasons to write, and things to write about. Come back next week for another reminder of 10 more things to be thankful for!

Until then, be kind to each other, and find a reason to smile!

posted from Bloggeroid

all good things: the art of living

All Good Things started as a one-hour Sunday night radio show on KSTO St. Olaf radio, featuring feel-good music and 10 highlights from the past week. The show, and its current written form, is brought to you by Clara, Second Set of Baby Steps creator, and my radio co-host Cassie.

Cassie and I are talking about how to keep the good things rolling after the blog ends. So far we've thought about using a Facebook page or group, but we're definitely open to other ideas! If you think of anything (or any good things!), share it with us in the comments.

But for now, sit back and enjoy this week's top 10!

1. Song of the week: Sing by Ed Sheeran. J has been suggesting this song for weeks now and I haven't really heard it 'til now. But it's definitely a feel-good jam for the ages!

2. Monday morning yoga. I always feel looser and more centered when I start the week with yoga class. Plus the group is really congenial, and there is a surprising number of men in the class. And not your typical yoga men: many of them are retired or close to it, and many of them only started doing yoga a year or two ago. They are doing yoga because it's good for them, and they are acutely aware of how important it is to do things that are good for them, mind and body. It really puts things in perspective for me, and it makes the class fun because nobody takes themselves too seriously!

3. African food. Last week when my mom was away, my parents' houseguest/roommate Smyle (who is from Ghana) made a traditional African meal for my dad and me. It consisted of seasoned rice pilaf, a spicy meat stew, greens, and fried sweet plantains. She made an enormous amount of food and forced me to take a lot of it home, so I finished the last of the leftovers this week and it has been a very savory time for my weekday lunches!

4. Open mic night at the Newark Arts Alliance. I've been meaning to go to this for easily over a year now, and finally Marina and I made it - late, of course (my fault), but we made it! The sign-up sheet landed in my hands and I spontaneously decided to read a couple of poems. I was in great company with some other very talented artists, and it reminded me how refreshing and important it is to be in community with people who create things. We will be going back.

5. Yard work. J has been doing a lot of work getting our backyard into presentable shape, and it's starting to show. He even got me out the other day and I must admit that gardening is a really rewarding activity.

6. Rhubarb cake. We got a big bunch of fresh rhubarb and some beautiful asparagus in our CSA this week - a combination that reminded me of Sunny V. So in honor of that first summer I got the Sunny V Rhubarb Cake recipe from Ann's grandmother, and it was just as delicious as it was the first time...with the added seasoning of nostalgia. I know it was good, though, because when I left for the weekend on Friday there was half a pan left, and when I got back it was gone.

7. The beach. So where did I go this weekend? We rented a little house in Ocean City, Maryland, for my friend Kristy's bachelorette party. The house was adorable, the weather was perfect, and the weekend was exactly what it should have been. On Saturday we spent a few hours lying on the beach, and even though I didn't bring my bathing suit I decided I needed to go in the water. Really, swimming in the ocean is one of the most cleansing experiences I can think of.

8. The Applebee's in OC. Our first stop on Saturday night was Applebee's for drinks and apps, because the Bride loves Applebee's. It was sort of a joke, but it really couldn't have turned out better. It was the biggest and nicest Applebee's most of us had ever seen, and you would have thought we hired our waitress specially for the event. As soon as we sat down she started cracking jokes and providing a running commentary on everything, like a personal stand-up comedy routine. Plus, the drink I got there won for the night. I forget what it's called, but it's new on the menu. It has Absolut Citron, fresh basil and strawberries, lime juice, and club soda. Super refreshing and delicious.

We also got a photo with the cardboard cutout of the Most Interesting Man. Win.

9. Families. Since it's Mothers' Day, I'll narrow it down to mothers. But I specifically mean the way families come together. This week's Sunday dinner was cooked by the kids in honor of the mothers, and of course the baby was there, and her mom and both of her grandmothers. It's a great group.

And tomorrow, we're having dinner at my parents' house, and J's family is coming over to meet my Grampa, so we will get to doubly celebrate so many moms and it's always good company!

10. Postcards. I came home to an awesome postcard from a friend I haven't heard from in awhile, and it reminded me that I have a bunch of blank postcards waiting to be sent. I love postcards because they are so simple and elegant: a picture, a short note that is not as big of a commitment to sit down and write, and a lovely way to drop a line to say "I'm thinking about you!"


* * * * * * *
Thank you, readers, for being with us tonight, and for giving me reasons to write, and things to write about. Come back next week for another reminder of 10 more things to be thankful for!

Until then, be kind to each other, and find a reason to smile!

posted from Bloggeroid

all good things: the men and women (and dogs) in our lives

All Good Things started as a one-hour Sunday night radio show on KSTO St. Olaf radio, featuring feel-good music and 10 highlights from the past week. The show, and its current written form, is brought to you by Clara, Second Set of Baby Steps creator, and my radio co-host Cassie. We both contribute things to the list, so I'll tell you who said what to avoid confusion.

Cassie and I are talking about how to keep the good things rolling after the blog ends. So far we've thought about using a Facebook page or group, but we're definitely open to other ideas! If you think of anything (or any good things!), share it with us in the comments.

But for now, sit back and enjoy this week's top 10!

1. Song of the week: Push the Button by Sugababes. This song was in the movie About Time, which was my obsession a few weeks ago. And since then, I've been hearing this song everywhere. It's just super poppy and catchy.

2. Melv learned to stick her head out the window this week. There is something about the complete joy a dog has while their head is out the window. It reminds me to enjoy the little things! Also, she is completely adorable and tries to eat the air. I'm laughing just thinking about it. - Cassie

3. Impromptu friend gatherings. Last night was one of those nights when you plan to do something, that falls through, and something else more fun crops up. Randomly had 3 good friends over for appetizers, wine, and card games. We had the best time. It also combined college and high school friends which is such a fun experience. - Cassie

4. New phone! I'm not much of a technology whiz (read: I depend totally on Luke for techie things). So when I got an iPhone 2 years ago it was a huge upgrade! I was pretty sure I'd always appreciate how wonderful it was. Fast forward 2 years: my phone is slow to access the internet, send texts, and make calls. I'm frustrated :) So my contract expired and Luke surprised me with a brand new phone this week! I'm using it to write this and loving every minute. - Cassie

5. Rooftop deck. My new apartment building had a rooftop deck. For some reason it's always vacant! On Friday evening I spent a few hours enjoying a brisk wind, warm tea, and Middlemarch up there. It's so rare to find an unoccupied, peaceful area in the middle of Minneapolis so I was soaking it up. - Cassie

6. New furniture! When we moved into the new house in November, and couldn't get the queen-sized box springs up the stairs, I asked my dad and brother to adapt the homemade wooden frame that was left by the previous tenants to fit on the headboard that I had. Instead, they designed a whole new modular bedframe/box spring that comes apart and can be carried piece by piece through narrow hallways to be assembled on-site. This weekend it was finished and they came over to put it together and it is beautiful and way more awesome than the old utilitarian frame we had before!

Plus, my grandpa built me a dresser as a graduation present, but it's been sitting in his shop for three years waiting to be carted out here. When J and I got engaged, he built another matching one, so he drove out here last week with the two dressers in tow, and they have now also found their way to our home. They are also beautiful and all the drawers work great! (I'm not used to that anymore!) - Clara

7. The men in my family. So you pretty much got the gist of this one, but my dad, brother, and grandpa are pretty cool dudes. They all thrive on having projects and they all like helping me and other people out with stuff, and coming up with really creative solutions to everyday problems. Plus they are all very smart and interesting and it's really a treat to watch them work and talk to them about stuff. (Sometimes I try to help, but usually they are just running circles around me so I'm not sure how much of a help I really am!)

Also, it's cool to throw J into the mix and they all seem to get along and get things done together. - Clara

8. There's another Ole in the family! My baby sister (who is now 18) sent her enrollment deposit to St. Olaf this week! I do really want her to choose the place she wants to go, and not feel like she has to go to the same place as both of her sisters, but it has been so cool talking to Maria about St. Olaf and I'm excited to be able to talk to Asha about it too. I think college will be a good change for her. - Clara

9. The women in my family. I have to say, it's not just the men that are great. The women are also smart and interesting and good at a lot of things, so I'm glad to have my mom and Asha back from India safely. Plus now we can hang out!

I also think I'm allowed to count J's mom in this category now. She's also really smart and interesting and we went over to help in the garden yesterday, which was a cool experience. She was just telling us what to do and I actually learned a lot in just an afternoon. And then she bought us pizza!- Clara

10. Brunch, and meeting new friends over brunch! One of my friends recently won teacher of the month from one of the local radio stations, and the prize is a brunch for four at one of the country clubs. Now, this brunch is famous, and when you go in you see why. There are almost too many stations to count, and everything is delicious. The bloody marys and mimosas are excellent, and even the coffee is above par. And I met someone new, a friend of my teacher friend, who is smart and interesting and actually has a lot of shared interests with me. Great brunch, great company. Can't beat that! - Clara

* * * * * * *
Thank you, readers, for being with us tonight, and for giving me reasons to write, and things to write about. Come back next week for another reminder of 10 more things to be thankful for!

Until then, be kind to each other, and find a reason to smile!

posted from Bloggeroid

all good things: two hands, one beating heart

All Good Things started as a one-hour Sunday night radio show on KSTO St. Olaf radio, featuring feel-good music and 10 highlights from the past week. The show, and its current written form, is brought to you by Clara, Second Set of Baby Steps creator, and my radio co-host Cassie. We both contribute things to the list, so I'll tell you who said what to avoid confusion.

So set yourself up outside and enjoy this week's good things in the sun!

1. Song of the week: Girls Chase Boys by Ingrid Michaelson. This one's dedicated to my roommate Katy, whose birthday was this week. She has been playing the song on repeat all weekend, while we prepped for the party and then cleaned up after it. I already love Ingrid Michaelson, but this song is such a feel-good anthem, catchy, poppy, upbeat... and the video is so great too. Obsessed. - Clara

2. My dad gave up his whole Saturday to fix our faucet. The levers on our bathroom sink faucet have been missing since we moved in, which makes it incredibly hard to turn the water on and off when your hands are wet and soapy and slippery. We bought some knobs to try and screw on there, but it didn't work, so my dad spent his entire Saturday running around, finding parts, and installing a brand-new faucet for us. We already knew he was da bomb, but really. This is just beyond awesome. - Clara

3. Nora Lee's French Quarter Bistro. J took me out to Old New Castle for date night this week, and we went to this excellent, pretty legit New Orleans-style restaurant. We drank Abita and ate blackened cajun everything, salmon and tuna and jambalaya and hush puppies. YUM. - Clara

4. Sunday morning breakfast. Luke and I had a lot of moving left to do from our old place today so we decided to get up early and head out to breakfast. We went to Turtle Bread, our favorite neighborhood spot. I had some amazing french toast, and Luke had salmon scramble. It was such a relaxing way to start a day of moving. Also, I'm still full 5 hours later so that's never bad either. - Cassie

5. Rainy afternoons. Now that I have a dog, I'm not such a huge fan of rainy days. It involves lots of wet dog problems that are sort of annoying. BUT, there really is something about a rainy afternoon where the smell of the falling rain wafts in through the window while a Harry Potter marathon plays on ABC family and I sip a homemade latte. Hard to have negative feelings during those moments! - Cassie

6. Hosting family. Luke and I had his parents over to stay for Easter weekend. I was pretty stressed going into it. We have a one-bedroom apartment, Luke's mom doesn't like dogs, and we were also having everyone in his family over for dinner on Friday night. Despite all my anxiety, things went really well! Everyone had a great time, and I really enjoyed having them stay here. - Cassie

7. Having my books with me in the new apartment. During the move we decided books didn't need to be moved right away so we left them behind for the time being. We finally moved them to our new place, and I didn't realize how much I missed them! They add so much color and life to our apartment. - Cassie

8. NOT being on reality TV. My friend Marina and I discovered a terrible reality show this week called BridalPlasty, which gathers 10 women into a house and makes them vote each other out, one by one. That's bad enough, but what they're competing for is a full-body plastic surgery makeover and a celebrity dream wedding completely paid for. Along the way they get to have minor procedures done, and have Botox parties. The one episode we watched was full of lines like, "Who doesn't want to have a few nips and tucks?" Me. I don't. I'm good, thanks. And I'm super thankful that I'm happy with my body just the way it is. - Clara

9. Divergent by Veronica Roth. This is our latest book club selection (which I would have tried to read even if we hadn't chosen it for discussion) and I just finished it this afternoon! So good. Can't wait to get my hands on the second book... - Clara


10. Friends you can work with and play with. Last night we had a bunch of people over, people we met at different places and do different things with. Some we work with and/or work out with and/or hang out with. It was cool getting everybody together in the same place with some shared interests (food, drinks, and games) and when I went to church the next morning I saw some of the people that were there and we got to exchange knowing glances the whole time. Lots of good people in my life. - Clara


* * * * * * *
Thank you, readers, for being with us tonight, and for giving me reasons to write, and things to write about.

And thanks for joining us every Sunday night! Join the Baby Steps on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/TheBabyStepsSaga for good things every day, and updates on new posts. Come back next week for another reminder of 10 more things to be thankful for!

Until then, be kind to each other, and find a reason to smile!

posted from Bloggeroid

all good things: not fish, but friends and food

All Good Things started as a one-hour Sunday night radio show on KSTO St. Olaf radio, featuring feel-good music and 10 highlights from the past week. The show, and its current written form, is brought to you by Clara, Second Set of Baby Steps creator, and my radio co-host Cassie.

Cassie's moving this week, so look for her list next Sunday. But don't worry - there are plenty of good things to read about right now!

1. Song of the week: Butterfly by Crazy Town. In honor of my girl's 25th birthday this week, our first karaoke song (which reminds everyone of the movie Orange County).

2. Hosting. This week we had our second book club meeting, and it was my turn to host. I actually had a lot of fun coming up with little snacks and making sure everyone had what they needed! It's been a long time since I really put some effort into having people over.

3. Sister dinner. My middle sister was home for spring break this week, so all three of us girls went out for dinner together. We are so cool.

4. Having good friends close by. Last night was the second time this month I went down to Baltimore to see Lisa, this time for her birthday. It's really nice that she is so close, so we get to spend a lot of time together.

5. Laughing. Lisa knows a lot of great people, and I spent a ton of time last night just laughing hysterically with people I didn't know very well, but really liked, and some people I know and like and haven't seen in awhile. Laughing really makes life worthwhile.

6. My friend Kristy's bridal shower was yesterday, and it was a really nice afternoon. The decorations were simple but really pretty, and it was fun to hang out with everyone and play silly games. Plus, she seemed so happy to have us all there and to be getting married. It was heartwarming.

7. TJMaxx, Marshall's and Home Goods are dangerous but delightful. I got a bunch of great gifts there this weekend, and some stuff I've been looking for but haven't found for a reasonable price. On the other hand, I always leave with a ridiculous amount of stuff, way more than I meant to. But it's all great!

8. We got our first farm share this week! I've been meaning to buy into a CSA for awhile now, but only just got around to it. It's so exciting to wait and see what will be in it, and figuring out what to make with it is like a game. This week we made roasted sweet potatoes and onions: so easy and so delicious!


9. Pizza. This week has been full of pizza. On Monday we had Barcelona Pizza for dinner, because they have a Monday night special and its still a treat to get takeout on family night. And then we had build-your-own pizza for Lisa's party and there were so many delicious creations: one big, square, Italian flag pizza with a pesto base on one third, cheese only in the middle, and red sauce on the other side; an apple, goat cheese and prosciutto pizza; a four-cheese spinach artichoke pizza; two dessert pizzas with chocolate, peanut butter, bananas and jam; and tons of other combinations. So delicious, and also super fun.

10. A friend of mine started a business that opened this week! It's called Le Macaron Nashville and basically she just bakes and sells French macaroons. She's always been a pretty stellar baker, and the photos on her Facebook page of her finished piles of different colored macarons are mouthwatering. Props and good luck to my girl!

* * * * * * *
Thank you, readers, for being with us tonight, and for giving me reasons to write, and things to write about.

And thanks for joining us every Sunday night! Join the Baby Steps on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/TheBabyStepsSaga for good things every day, and updates on new posts. Come back next week for another reminder of 10 more things to be thankful for!

Until then, be kind to each other, and find a reason to smile!

posted from Bloggeroid

all good things of earth and sky

All Good Things started as a one-hour Sunday night radio show on KSTO St. Olaf radio, featuring feel-good music and 10 highlights from the past week. The show, and its current written form, is brought to you by Clara, Second Set of Baby Steps creator, and my radio co-host Cassie. We both contribute things to the list, so I'll tell you who said what to avoid confusion.

So get cozy and get ready for this week's batch of good things!

1. Song of the week: Happy by Pharrell. This song is everywhere lately, and it just makes me want to dance! Clap along...

2. Cosmos. I didn't watch the original series, but I've been hearing about the new series in a lot of different places lately. The full-color back cover ad in the WSJ caught my attention, so we found Sunday's episode on Hulu and watched it on date night this week. The universe is so cool. - Clara

3. Chesapeake City. Yesterday my friend Marina and I drove down to Chesapeake City to check out a venue. We didn't realize they were about to have a St. Patrick's Day parade and pub crawl right when we arrived, so the whole town was covered in bright green and sparkles! Theweather was gorgeous, and everyone was in high spirits. The town is so cute too, you can see the whole thing from the bridge when you come in over the bay! - Clara


4. BuzzFeed Quizzes. I am obsessed with these lately (and the ones on Zimbio are pretty good too). What Hunger Games/Harry Potter/Princess Bride/Firefly character/mythological creature are you? Can't get enough!

(Also, if you were wondering, I'm Peeta, Dean Thomas, Inigo Montoya, Wash, and the Phoenix.) - Clara

5. Fresh baked granola. I usually take granola and yogurt for breakfast when I go to the gym in the morning, and my granola jar was getting empty this week. So I whipped up a new batch and it's so crispy and delicious... And it makes the whole house smell like honey and molasses and toasty oats! - Clara

6. Attilio's. This Italian restaurant is just a few blocks from my house, and it's legendary. Neither J nor I had been there, though, until this week, when we finally made it over there for some of the best Italian food I have ever had at a restaurant. Yummm! - Clara

7. Our radio show AGT! I was listening to MPR a lot this week at work, and I started browsing their DJ list. They have written bios of each DJ so I was reading each one. I miss AGT a lot, but I was so nostalgic after reading those bios! It reminded me of how much we got to share with our (small) audience. The songs we played and the good things we shared allowed me to start my week on such a high note. - Cassie

8. Bunnysitting. Luke and I are bunnysitting for my friends, Mitch & Kristy, this week. Noah, the bunny, can really drive me crazy sometimes--how does he always find a way under the loveseat?!?!?. But when he hops up to me and nudges at my hand letting me know he'd like some petting my heart melts like a Popsicle on a summer day. - Cassie

9. Thanks to our amazing friends and family members Luke and I were able to buy a cappuccino machine with some wedding money. We are HUGE coffee drinkers so though this was a large purchase we'll definitely get our money's worth. I was a barista in a former life, and it's been so fun to teach Luke how to tamp the grounds and froth the milk. We've been making lattes, cappuccinos, and miels every day! - Cassie

10. Double features. This Friday I saw The Grand Budapest Hotel at the Uptown theater at 9:30ish. It was a super funny and ridiculous movie. Also, the Uptown theater really did a great job remodeling over the summer/autumn, but I digress. Right after that the Lagoon had a midnight showing of The Royal Tennenbaums. It was so wonderful to enjoy 2 hilarious Wes Anderson movies on the big screen in one night. Also the midnight showing was nearly empty so I could put my feet put up and laugh as heartily as I needed to :) - Cassie

* * * * * * *
Thank you, readers, for being with us tonight, and for giving me reasons to write, and things to write about.

And thanks for joining us every Sunday night! Join the Baby Steps on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/TheBabyStepsSaga for good things every day, and updates on new posts. Come back next week for another reminder of 10 more things to be thankful for!

Until then, be kind to each other, and find a reason to smile!

posted from Bloggeroid

here comes the all good things

All Good Things started as a one-hour Sunday night radio show on KSTO St. Olaf radio, featuring feel-good music and 10 highlights from the past week. The show, and its current written form, is brought to you by Clara, Second Set of Baby Steps creator, and my radio co-host Cassie. We both contribute things to the list, so I'll tell you who said what to avoid confusion.

So get cozy and get ready for this week's batch of good things!

1. Song of the week: Here Comes the Sun by the Beatles. This is a plea for spring to come, and it just always makes me happy.

Also, one of my Facebook friends posted a throwback website she made in middle school this week, which featured a polytone .midi version of this song as the background music. So great.

2. Overcoming obstacles. Last time I drove on I-95 from Baltimore I had a panic attack and had to take the smaller U.S. Highway 40 the rest of the way, which is how I've gone since then. But it takes a little longer, so this time I gave 95 a try, deciding that if I started to feel really anxious I'd switch... But I made it the whole way on the interstate, in good time! - Clara

3. Reunions. This one makes the list a lot, but I saw my girls Mary and Lisa this weekend and it was awesome. We talked about lots of important things, cooked and ate good food, and cuddled. Talk about soul food! - Clara

4. Making a new recipe. I made a delightful quinoa Greek salad this week that had tomatoes, spinach, cucumbers, onions, and an awesome dressing. I find that during a long week I can easily forget to eat healthy foods, so it's a wonderful feeling when I make the effort and things turn out well. It was doubly good because it's vegetarian so Luke and I could eat the same meal that night (which doesn't always happen!) - Cassie

5. A new honey store opened up in my neighborhood! I visited this week and ended up with so much honey in my house. Raw honey, vanilla bean honey, and honey candy fill my cupboards right now, and I'm feeling good about it! - Cassie

6. Spring is coming! This is a bit premature, but it's in the high 30s here today which is an incredible feeling after having 50 days this winter where temps dipped into the negatives. I'm going to be one of those crazy Minnesotans who wears shorts outside today! - Cassie

7. Discernment. Today I actually went to church because we had some mission specialists coming from the synod. Despite my complicated relationship with The Church, I do have great interest in the efforts It makes to come up to speed with the world, so I went. I don't know how much progress we made, exactly, but it was definitely a step in the right direction, and I know I for one left feeling inspired and hopeful. - Clara

8. Bourbon in mimosas?! We had brunch at a place called Golden West Cafe in Baltimore's Hampden neighborhood on Saturday, and they sell carafes of mimosas made with bourbon as well as champagne! Yummm. - Clara

9. Mardi Gras. I had made plans to go out for dinner with some girlfriends on Tuesday night, not realizing it was Mardi Gras... But we found 3 seats at the bar and had some drinks and half-price burgers and great conversations. Love my girls. - Clara

10. Unexpected smiles. I desperately needed some motor oil tonight, so we swung by Walmart. Our checkout clerk in the Express Lane seemed a little cranky, but when we left I said, "Have a good night," and looked over my shoulder to see her absolutely beaming like no one had ever said that to her before. It definitely made my night, if not hers! - Clara



* * * * * * *
Thank you, readers, for being with us tonight, and for giving me reasons to write, and things to write about.

And thanks for joining us every Sunday night! Join the Baby Steps on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/TheBabyStepsSaga for good things every day, and updates on new posts. Come back next week for another reminder of 10 more things to be thankful for!

Until then, be kind to each other, and find a reason to smile!

posted from Bloggeroid

all good things: luck, love, and lava cake

All Good Things started as a one-hour Sunday night radio show on KSTO St. Olaf radio, featuring feel-good music and 10 highlights from the past week. The show, and its current written form, is brought to you by Clara, Second Set of Baby Steps creator, and my radio co-host Cassie. We both contribute things to the list, so I'll tell you who said what to avoid confusion.

So get cozy and get ready for this week's batch of good things!

1. Song of the week: Get Lucky sung by the Russian Police Choir. I may be a little late with this one, but I saw the video this week and it is excellent. These guys obviously had so much fun with it.

2. Love letters. My great-grandparents wrote each other love letters while Grandpa Arvid was in the war in Europe. This year, one of my dad's cousins found letters her dad (my great uncle) wrote to Great-grandma Clara about a woman who became my great-aunt... And they are a beautiful testament to the power of love! - Clara

3. Canelazo. This is an Ecuadorian hot alcoholic drink made from cane sugar and cinnamon. I've been itching to go back there for awhile now, but for Valentine's Day we decided to cook Ecuadorian instead... and made canelazo at home! It was so tasty and hot and definitely reminded me of going out in Quito. (If you want to make it yourself, here's a recipe - but I would cut the sugar in half.) - Clara


4. Car sing-a-longs. Luke and I were driving home from the mall this weekend, and I was in charge of the music. We ended up singing aloud to Teenage Dream, Shakira's Wherever Whenever, and Unbreak My Heart by Toni Braxton. There's nothing like singing "Without you I just can't go on!" at the top of your lungs! - Cassie

5. Brussel Sprouts. Ok, so I know some people hate them. But there are great ways to eat them! I had a salad with roasted brussel sprouts, yams, sweet potatoes, and greens this weekend at Common Roots. So good! - Cassie

6. Galentine's Day! On Parks and Recreation (awesome TV show that should probably be a AGT itself!) the main character, Leslie, has a lady's version of Valentine's Day on February 13th. My gal, Emily, had a get together and it was so fun. We listened to music, danced, decorated cookies, dressed up for funny photos, and had sparkling apple juice. Lady times are the best times :) - Cassie

7. Finishing a long, classic book. I just finished a book I've always been meaning to read and a long one to boot: Moby Dick. It was challenging but really lived up to my expectations. I'm also just proud of myself for reading Moby Dick. It feels like a small sort of accomplishment. - Cassie

8. Getting the push you need. On Friday I couldn't get out of my parking space because my wheels were spinning on a sheet of ice... So J came out and gave an extra shove to get the car on pavement, and I got on the road! - Clara

9. Having something to look forward to. Cabin fever is starting to eat me and I haven't had an actual day off from work where I wasn't doing something else... So I'm taking a long weekend at the end of this month and just the thought of having a few days to chill out is getting me through the weeks. - Clara

10. Lava cake. Seriously the best thing ever. 'Nuff said. - Clara

* * * * * * *
Thank you, readers, for being with us tonight, and for giving me reasons to write, and things to write about.

And thanks for joining us every Sunday night! Join the Baby Steps on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/TheBabyStepsSaga for good things every day, and updates on new posts. Come back next week for another reminder of 10 more things to be thankful for!

Until then, be kind to each other, and find a reason to smile!

posted from Bloggeroid

all good things: make love, stuff, food, and friends... not war

All Good Things started as a one-hour Sunday night radio show on KSTO St. Olaf radio, featuring feel-good music and 10 highlights from the past week. The show, and its current written form, is brought to you by Clara, Second Set of Baby Steps creator, and my radio co-host Cassie. We both contribute things to the list, so I'll tell you who said what to avoid confusion.

So get cozy and get ready for this week's batch of good things!

1. Song of the week: Let It Go/Let Her Go (Frozen/Passenger Mashup) by Sam Tsui. Is it cheating if these two songs have been the song of the week within the past 2 months? Well, if so, I'm sorry, because I'm still obsessed with them. And this is an exceptional mashup.

2. Last Vegas. J wouldn't watch this with me, but I knew my mom would when I told her who's in it (Robert DeNiro, Michael Douglas, Kevin Kline, and Morgan Freeman). We laughed SO hard. - Clara

3. Iron Hill's two-pizzas-and-a-growler takeout deal. On Friday night I really had a craving to try this out (it's been on my radar for months but we've never done it). It's a great deal, great pizza, great beer, and we didn't have to wait for a table like everyone else. - Clara

4. My office-mate came back from vacation on Friday after being gone for a week. I know she is less happy about leaving Florida's 80-degree weather, but I am a lot less lonely at work now. - Clara

5. At dinner on Monday my family talked about the Super Bowl while eating spaghetti and meatballs. This is funny because it is so atypical: we normally have curry or stew or rice and beans while telling stories about strange experiences and quoting bad movies. - Clara

6. Plans that turn into other plans. I went to church with my friend Abby this morning, and afterward she came over for lunch and we spent awhile looking through my baby names from around the world book (which I probably haven't looked at since high school), and then she took me up to Charming Charlie's in PA to go shopping. It's nice being flexible, and great things usually come of it when you are with good friends! - Clara

7. Getting in touch with your creativity. A couple friends, our moms, and I went to a painting studio a week ago. We had the best time letting our creativity flow! It was also fun to see how much our paintings matched our personalities. - Cassie

8. Settlers of Catan. I got this board game for Christmas and recently started playing it. The game reminds me of a combo of Risk/Oregon Trail/Monopoly. I'm a bit behind the times (it came out a while ago) but I'm really into it! - Cassie

9. Learning something new. Luke and I started learning French via Rosetta Stone. I can say simple things like "The girl reads" or "the man cooks." My accent needs some work, but I'm enjoying the challenge! - Cassie

10. Looking back through old photos. I found one of us (Clara and me) in the KSTO studio and a few from our AGT fall photo shoot. The memories came flooding back and definitely made me wish we were still on the radio! - Cassie


* * * * * * *
Thank you, readers, for being with us tonight, and for giving me reasons to write, and things to write about.

And thanks for joining us every Sunday night! Join the Baby Steps on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/TheBabyStepsSaga for good things every day, and updates on new posts. Come back next week for another reminder of 10 more things to be thankful for!

Until then, be kind to each other, and find a reason to smile!

posted from Bloggeroid

all good things: winter wonderland

All Good Things is a weekly feature on the blog. It started as a one-hour Sunday night radio show on KSTO St. Olaf radio, featuring feel-good music and 10 highlights from the past week. The show, and its current written form, is brought to you by Clara, Second Set of Baby Steps creator, and my radio co-host Cassie. Sit back and enjoy!

1. Song of the week: All I Want For Christmas Is You by Mariah Carey, Jimmy Fallon and the Roots. Another reader request! Thanks to you guys, All Good Things is really getting in the Christmas spirit!


2. Girls With Slingshots. My brother gave me the print Volume 2 of this web comic, hoping to get me hooked... And it worked! I blazed through the 200 strips and wish the book was so much longer. Guess I'm on to the website now...

3. Cookie baking for Christmas. My mom, grandma and I pick a Saturday before Christmas and bake all day while listening to Christmas music. It's so fun!

For me (this is Clara now) cookie baking is also becoming a great tradition: J's sister has a bunch of people over every year to bake and package a TON of cookies in cute tins. It's a great opportunity to try out new recipes and hang out with great people. This year we made over 300 cookies (not counting the ones we ate in the process), and at least 8 different kinds!


4. My (Cassie's) wedding photos just came back and I'm having the best time going through them!

5. Law & Order SVU marathons. I could probably watch them for days :)

6. Video G-chat. It's kept me in touch with some of my favorite people who are very far away. Love it!

7. Snow days. We had two big snowstorms (by Delaware standards)this week, which closed a lot of the city including my office and J's coffee shop on Tuesday! So we got to stay home, bake, make chili, watch movies, and cuddle all day.


8. Potluck. Like the good Minnesota Lutheran girl that lives somewhere inside me, I love a good potluck. We have them every now and then at work, and there are always interesting exotic dishes like authentic homemade chicken tikka, good English shepherd's pie, chili, Caesar salad, and pierogies.

9. Longwood Gardens. This has become a bit of a tradition, since my roommate goes to great lengths to get a group of us to the gardens every spring and every Christmas. It's always beautiful, peaceful, centering.


10. On Saturday morning I finally got to chat on the phone with an old friend. We've been trying to find time for a good long talk for months now. We spent two hours (give or take) on the phone just talking about everything in our lives, and it was so easy and important. She's never sounded happier, and I've never been more comfortable in my life. These are big steps for both of us, and it's so heartwarming to be able to share our lives even over a long time and great distance.

* * * * * * *
Thank you, readers, for being with us tonight, and for giving me reasons to write, and things to write about.

And thanks for joining us every Sunday night! Join the Baby Steps on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/TheBabyStepsSaga for good things every day, and updates on new posts. Come back next week for another reminder of 10 more things to be thankful for!

Until then, be kind to each other, and find a reason to smile!

posted from Bloggeroid

devo: the people in my life

I was toying with the idea of taking the blog on vacation this month, but I decided to just do something simple instead. I've been really inspired by Gettysburg Seminary's advent calendar photo challenge, and Organic Faith Online's DIY advent devotionals. It's reminding me how important it is to pause for reflectipon, to put some serious intention behind thought or action.

Yesterday my mom and I had a long conversation about worry, which turned into a conversation about relationships. The turning point was when she said she's been managing her worry a little better lately, in large part due to regular Skype conversations with an old friend from high school. These conversations always end in prayer.

Speaking of intentional reflection.

To me there is something worshipful in routines like this one. Like Wednesday morning breakfast with my friend Mary, all four years of college. We get together and are present together. This is a critical part of being human, and relishing in our humanity instead of being discouraged by it. My mom mentioned this too.

As I get more familiar with my new phone, I am learning how to use Google Now, which in my opinion is an incredibly useful, somewhat creepy program with an explosive amount of potential. I could go on forever about this, probably, but the interesting part in today's context is that last night my phone gave me directions and a travel time to Marina's house, where I went last Thursday evening for movies and tea. Although there is a definite element of creepiness to this, I like that this encourages routines of getting together, eating together, laughing together, and talking about things that impact our lives.

I am feeling deeply appreciative lately for the people in my life. I have a great family and great friends all over the world, and they are doing incredible things, and have enriched my life in ways that continue to amaze me.

This is my devotional this week. Love. Be thankful. Be a part of the lives of other people, and I mean be active about it. Don't take anything for granted, and if you're ever thinking of someone, for any reason, send a message. It makes a difference.

posted from Bloggeroid

all good things: people who make weeks beautiful

All Good Things is a weekly feature on the blog. It started as a one-hour Sunday night radio show on KSTO St. Olaf radio, featuring feel-good music and 10 highlights from the past week. The show, and its current written form, is brought to you by Clara, Second Set of Baby Steps creator, and my radio co-host Cassie. Sit back and enjoy!

1. Song of the week: Knock Knock by Mac Miller. J&J (the twins) were stunning this song after we dropped off the Uhaul truck today and it got stuck in our heads. It's really catchy and the video is funny and actually kind of beautifully done.

2. Car wash. It was getting really sad how dirty my car was. I've been driving past the Greenhill Car Wash on my way home from work for over a year now, but haven't got up the guts (or the $8) to try it out. Finally yesterday on my way home from work I decided I couldn't put it off any longer... And it was kind of relaxing, actually, sitting inside my car, hands off the wheel, foot off the brake, surrounded by gigantic soapy brushes. And now my car is so clean!

3. Bokwa. My roommate and I tried out this new dance fitness class at the Y on Saturday. It has a series of steps in the shapes of different letters, and a lot of room for personalization. Plus, I couldn't help smiling by the end of class. I will be trying that again.

4. Having friends you can laugh with. This one pretty much speaks for itself. To me, this is a sign of good solid friendships.

5. Humidifier. We started running the humidifier in our room while we sleep and every since I've been breathing much better. Coincidence? I think not!

6. Emails from my grandparents. They live in California and we're not in super close touch... But whenever they email me it's always good, and makes new really happy. This week it was a birthday email which is double good.

7. Eating when you're super hungry and tired. You know the feeling. Yummm. Plus, a few people made food for us this week so we don't have to worry about cooking when all our kitchen supplies are boxed up somewhere.

8. Clean sheets. I probably enjoy this a lot less often than I should, but maybe that makes it all the more satisfying...?

9. J. and I had to go get the flu and Tdap shots this week so we could kiss the baby, and if course it cost almost $100 for each of us to get both shots. J. doesn't have insurance and mine only covers Walgreens in South Dakota and Wisconsin for some reason, so the pharma tech went to great lengths to find us a discount or make my insurance cover some of it. We ended up getting a few dollars off, and especially right now while we're moving every little bit counts. It just meant a lot for a person to make such an effort to help somebody else, even someone he had never seen before and may never see again.


10. Feeling at home. Today my two roommates and I had a bunch of friends over and moved all our stuff (almost) to a new house in a new neighborhood. And already I feel more comfortable and happy here. :)

We had a good crew of helpers today, which made the whole project that much easier and more bearable.

Thanks everyone for making this week beautiful!


* * * * * * *
Thanks for joining us this Sunday night! Stick with the Baby Steps on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/TheBabyStepsSaga for updates on new posts and other stuff about new adulthood. Come back next Sunday night for a reminder of 10 good things that haven't happened yet, and on Wednesday night for a more in-depth reflection on post-grad life. Until then, be kind to each other, and find a reason to smile.

posted from Bloggeroid

all good things: so much love in this room

All Good Things is a weekly feature on the blog. It started as a one-hour Sunday night radio show on KSTO St. Olaf radio, featuring feel-good music and 10 highlights from the past week. The show, and its current written form, is brought to you by Clara, Second Set of Baby Steps creator, and my radio co-host Cassie. Sit back and enjoy!

1. Song of the week: Let's Go Crazy by Prince. Prince featured heavily in this weekend's adventures, and this song seems particularly fitting. The best video I found was actually Janelle Monae's convincing cover, which is great because her song Tightrope was a close second this weekend thanks to my favorite movie: Friends With Benefits.

2. What Would I Say? Suddenly on Wednesday this was my Facebook news feed and it was wonderful. Normally I don't like Facebook apps but this one is worth it. SO worth it.

3. Twelve Years a Slave. I saw it yesterday afternoon and was really impressed at how well they adapted the movie from the book. Super powerful

4. Getting to the washer and dryer in my apartment in the morning on Sunday before anyone else. I always feel super triumphant!

5. I went to a going away party for my friend Megan this weekend. She's going to China for a year! I love going away parties because I get to see so many friends at once.

6. BJ's. A lot of people may not have heard of this, but it's pretty much the same thing as CostCo and it's awesome. I hosted a birthday shindig this weekend, which literally lasted all weekend, and we were able to feed a lot of people food and beer so cheaply. Plus, we are now well-stocked on frozen pizzas and corndogs and beer.

7. Networking. I know you are confused by this, since I recently wrote a post about what I dislike about networking, but I went to an event on Wednesday morning that was so energizing. I met a lot of smart, interesting, successful people and spent the rest of the workweek feeling super inspired.

8. Getting things done. Thanks in part to that inspiration, the second half of this week was so productive both on a personal and professional level. At work I checked so many things off my list, and I also forced myself to get around to things at home that I've been putting off for eons. It's a weight off my shoulders.

9. You know you are a nerd when you and a bunch of your friends sit down and start drinking beer and it devolves into doing imitations of NPR personalities, and it seems like the funniest game you have ever come up with. Seriously though, it was hilarious and it's all I wanted to do all night.

10. Being in a room with a lot of people I love. Like I said, this weekend I hosted people at my house, and this is one thing that never fails to make me happy: having great people around me and hearing constant laughter and good conversation.


* * * * * * *
Thanks for joining us this Sunday night! Stick with the Baby Steps on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/TheBabyStepsSaga for updates on new posts and other stuff about new adulthood. Come back next Sunday night for a reminder of 10 good things that haven't happened yet, and on Wednesday night for a more in-depth reflection on post-grad life. Until then, be kind to each other, and find a reason to smile.

posted from Bloggeroid

all good things: crazy life, crazy love

All Good Things is a weekly feature on the blog. It started as a one-hour Sunday night radio show on KSTO St. Olaf radio, featuring feel-good music and 10 highlights from the past week. The show, and its current written form, is brought to you by Clara, Second Set of Baby Steps creator, and my radio co-host Cassie. Sit back and enjoy!

1. Song of the week: Crazy Love by Paul Simon. I woke up with this song stuck in my head almost every day this week. It's catchy and makes me feel like I can stand up to all challenges, while staying positive.

2. NaNoWriMo. November is National Novel Writing Month and I am determined to finish it this year... Despite "trying" to do it for years and years now, starting as far back as high school. I'm already farther along than I have ever been. I haven't written yet today but as of yesterday I have a solid head start. And it's still fun!

3. Kitties! My parents spent Friday night and Saturday at the beach, so I went over Saturday to feed and cuddle the kitties. I looooove them.

5. Homemade bread. Apparently J. is famous for his bread, but after almost two years I still hadn't tasted it. This week, though, I came home to a hot loaf of crusty garlic herb bread and it's all I wanted to eat all week. Plus it made the house smell toasty and yeasty and herby.

6. Yesterday was my good friend's birthday, which meant we got to eat pizza and cake and go bowling with her and her husband and family. We bought two hours of bowling for six people, which turned out to be too long to bowl; so after two games we still had almost a half hour left and decided to just do silly throws out of turn to try and "play" as much of a game as possible. Then she and her husband and J. and I just sat around 'til ALL hours of the night talking and playing card games. It's good to have good friends, and to celebrate them.

...And speaking of celebrating good friends, Cassie has rejoined the list after taking some time off to get married! So I'm pumped about that.

7. My friend Emily moved in to an apartment building only 5 minutes from me! I'm really happy we'll get to see each other more often.

8. Making dinner with friends. I love chatting while chopping and eating!

9. Bringing back an old school one: Grandmas!! My Grammy (as I call her :) ) came over yesterday to spend some time with us and brought a homemade apple pie. I'm spoiled!

10. Squash soup. One of my favorite parts of fall!



* * * * * * *
Thanks for joining us this Sunday night! Stick with me on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/TheBabyStepsSaga for updates on new posts and other stuff about new adulthood. Come back next Sunday night for a reminder of 10 good things that haven't happened yet, and on Wednesday night for a more in-depth reflection on post-grad life. Until then, be kind to each other, and find a reason to smile.

posted from Bloggeroid

all good things: brave little toaster oven

All Good Things is a weekly feature on the blog. It started as a one-hour Sunday night radio show on KSTO St. Olaf radio, featuring feel-good music and 10 highlights from the past week. The show, and its current written form, is brought to you by Clara, Second Set of Baby Steps creator, and my radio co-host Cassie. Sit back and enjoy!

1. Song of the week: The Twist by Chubby Checker. Went out with some friends this weekend (which I rarely do) and checked out the relatively new Jameson Whiskey Bar at Kelly's (the new upstairs venue at Kelly's Logan House in Trolley Square). They had a fun band playing and I finished out the night twisting like nothing else existed. Because it's important to let go every now and then and dance like nothing else exists.

2. Constant Comment. Constant Comment is a classic. Lately it's been the only tea I want to drink. It's warm with the perfect amount of spice for fall.

3. "WE STILL DEVELOP 35MM FILM." Every morning on my way to work I drive past Walgreen's, which has a huge digital sign out front about developing film that for some reason strikes me as hilarious.

4. Ciao. On Friday J. and I went for a walk/run in the park and afterward strolled around Trolley Square looking for houses for rent. We didn't find any rental signs, but we did walk past this tiny, acute-triangle-shaped pizza joint that inspired us to get slices. It was some of the best pizza I've had in awhile.

5. Much Ado About Nothing. We got Joss Whedon's latest from RedBox, mostly because Nathan Fillion is in it, but I don't always have super high expectations for film adaptations of Shakespeare. But I was pleasantly surprised at the whole thing. I had read that Whedon took the whole script as-is, only adding one scene at the very beginning that of course changed the entire tone of the plot... but I didn't hate it. It actually added an interesting spin. I didn't like the black-and-white at first, but by the end it had grown on me. Amy Acker was excellently cast as Beatrice, plus some other members of the Whedon universe. Overall I thought it was pretty great.

6. Toaster ovens. I can confidently name this as the most genius appliance ever invented. You can make toast in it, heat leftovers, bake frozen pizza, keep stuff warm, and make food from scratch (quesadillas, baked potatoes, and fish, to name a few). Just fantastic.

7. One of my Really Important People got married this weekend. I wasn't able to make it, unfortunately; but it's particularly cool because this marriage wouldn't have been legal this time last year. Thanks to Minnesota, the 12th state to legalize same-sex marriages.

8. Reunions. An old family friend from Upstate New York got a sponsorship to do some work this week at Winterthur, a beautiful facility just a few minutes up the road from us. So this week, my mom and I met up with her for dinner at Nirvana, a Fine Indian Restaurant in Independence Mall. It was so good to get to catch up with her, and have some grown-up girl time.

9. Federal Donuts. I was introduced this weekend by J.'s brother, his fiancee, and her best friend, who fondly refer to it as "Fed 'Nuts" and tout the virtues of the donuts, the coffee, the fried chicken. Really, everything was delicious. I ate three donuts total, six different flavors: some more predictable cinnamon-sugary ones, and some like vanilla lavender, blackberry anise, and mango coconut. Plus, the place itself is earthy-cute in a way that places in Minneapolis are earthy-cute, but not many places in Delaware are. I am its latest fan.


10. People like to help each other. I posted a picture of my "save the bottle caps" jar on Instagram this weekend and within a few minutes I had two offers to send bottle cap collections for my project. Pretty cool.


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Thanks for joining us this Sunday night! Stick with me on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/TheBabyStepsSaga for updates on new posts and other stuff about new adulthood. Come back next Sunday night for a reminder of 10 good things that haven't happened yet, and on Wednesday night for a more in-depth reflection on post-grad life. Until then, be kind to each other, and find a reason to smile.

posted from Bloggeroid

what nobody ever says about networking

Well, dear readers, life gets in the way again. Or, life sidetracks. I have had this post about Meeting People in my Idea Bank for months, and was inspired to write it this week by a really great fleeting romantic encounter involving one of my friends... But then tonight happened and I have to switch tack. Keep an eye out for the Romantic Encounters post in the near future, though. (Also, I have been trying for years now -- plural! -- to get someone to write a guest post about online dating and for the life of me I can't get anyone to write it! So, dear readers, if any of you would like to take a stab at it I will love you forever.

...Speaking of romantic encounters.)

On to my story for this evening.

A week or two ago, I saw a Facebook post from an old family friend from the Upstate New York days, the mother of a girl I studied abroad with in high school saying she was going to be working at Winterthur for a few days. I commented that Winterthur happens to be just a few minutes up the road from where I am currently situated, and she messaged me right away and gave me her phone number and said she would love to meet up while she is in town.

So after work today she met my mom and me at Nirvana, an Indian restaurant in Independence Mall (fitting, since the circumstance of our meeting was the study abroad program in India).

Sidenote: Positive dining experience at Nirvana. We had a lovely combination of dishes: chicken madras, dal bukhara, and malai kofta with rice and raita; also the veg pakora were delicious. I would say it's on the underspiced side, especially compared to the fiery Maharaja Palace in Newark. The decor was also nice, and we got some joy out of the music. In the two hours we were there, I think there were only two other tables so it was pretty quiet on a Wednesday night. And now, back to the main event.

It was fabulous, to catch up after what has easily been seven or eight years, to share and to hear what we have all been up to, and to get a fresh perspective on things from what feels like another time and place. You know that feeling of introducing a high school friend to a college friend, like two versions of yourself are sliding together at least for a moment? Or the feeling of explaining a current situation to someone you knew very well in middle school, as if they can tell you how your middle school self would react to what is happening now, and reveal some sort of truth or wisdom you have since lost sight of? It's affirming.

Meeting up with this friend was also an opportunity to share updates on the lives of mutual friends, particularly a lot of the girls I went to school with on this program. That part was a little sad to me, because I have done a terrible job of staying in touch with most of them, and have mostly watched from afar as they all graduated together and visited each other around the world and traveled together. I will say that I am inspired now to drop a few notes to say hi and I hope you are well. Because I do. This is something I have never quite come to terms with: how can I ever express how often I think of people that have crossed my path throughout my life, and how important they are to me even if I have nothing really to say to them at this point in my life. I don't know. Staying in touch is a bit foreign to me. But I think I'm getting at least a little better at it over time.

I have, in fact, been in touch with at least one of these mutual friends in the past week or two, and I have been very happy to exchange a few words (and snapchats) with her.

Also in the last week I have exchanged messages with two really important people from my college days. And I've written some letters too. And all of these exchanges mean more to me than I can even comprehend or explain to myself.

So this all brings me to something I think about on a pretty regular basis, being a contributing member of society and spending so much of my time engaging with the working world: networking.

It's like a dirty word. It's what you have to do if you want career success. There is a right way and a wrong way to do it. The general feeling about it is reluctant and everybody has anxiety about it and to be honest I always associate the word with slimy and/or pretentious behavior and, at the very least, some fibbing and embellishment.

Which is really sort of silly, because I actually "network" all the time and I do legitimately enjoy making interesting connections with people. I like staying in touch with old friends who are doing interesting things; I like meeting new people who are doing interesting things and talking to them about it, and catching up with them later to find out what has changed and how the whole thing is going.

I met this woman on the plane coming back from MSP two weeks ago, who is an organizational change officer for her company. That means she travels around helping different branches of the company transition smoothly into using new systems and incorporating new policies into their basic operations, and making sure everybody is on board with what's going on. She talked a lot about the "people side of change."

I loved that! I wanted to ask about a billion questions, and I wanted to know how things turned out for her in the latest round of changes, and I wanted to talk to her about the impact of social media on organizational change and about the perspectives she gained from her studies in communications, in the context of what she was doing for work. I almost asked her if she had a card, or for some contact information, but I liked her so much I didn't want her to think I was being opportunistic, so I didn't ask. And I have been kicking myself ever since.

And I really think the reason I didn't ask is because that is a pretty standard "networking" technique and it seems opportunistic and not genuine and like just what I'm supposed to do. (We all know how I feel about things I'm just supposed to do.)

That may be more of a side effect of my stubborn beat-of-my-own-drum attitudes than the social stigma of networking, but I still think it's worth mentioning. Why can't I just think someone is cool and maybe want to talk to them about work, especially if we both like what we do and can inform each other's perspectives, without having it tainted by the veneer of corporate traditions? And why does something so pure, like an interesting conversation or a potential future friend or mentor or colleague, have to be cheapened by a term that carries so much weight of self-interest and personal gain?

I would love to hear other thoughts about the whole networking thing; I am pretty open to the idea that my resistance could easily be a byproduct of nervousness about putting myself out there, but I have always felt the whole "you have to do this to be successful" dialogue to cheapen connections between people that might otherwise be effortless and mutually enriching.

And to bring it back around to my original thought: I love catching up with you, classmates, friends, relatives and other readers. If I get around to sending you a personal message, it means I'm thinking about you and that I think you are probably doing something interesting and that I have respect and admiration and fond memories of you.

And if I don't get around to actually sending a message... I'm probably still thinking a lot of those same things.

Be well, readers; and be real.

posted from Bloggeroid