all good things: enjoying the baby steps

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: On Top Of The World by Imagine Dragons Imagine Dragons - On Top Of The World (Official M…:. Another gem from the Walter Mitty soundtrack: completely uplifting, perfect for sunny days and springtime and a convertible, if you're lucky.

2. Witnessing other people's cute moments. While waiting at a red light on my way to work on Monday morning (running late, of course), I noticed the driver in front of me twisting around in his seat, making a really enthusiastic face and raising his hand. I thought he was waving at me... until I saw a tiny hand reach up from the backseat and high-five him. I smiled so big all the way to work , and I think that guy and his baby did too. - Clara

3. Peppermint tea. My go-to. When I'm tired, it perks me up; when I'm stressed, or if I'm wired at bedtime, it calms me down. It calms my stomach when I feel sick, and tastes delicious if I just want a cup of naturally non-caffeinated tea. - Clara

4. The Franklin Institute. Only 40-45 minutes away, the Franklin Institute has all kinds of awesome science exhibits, plus it's a beautiful facility. We went up yesterday with J's siblings to see the Pompeii exhibit (which was not as good as the Titanic exhibit last year, but still cool) and got to spend some time checking out the other parts of the museum. My favorite part was Nat Geo's 50 best photos ever taken.

Plus, I got a 10% discount off membership, which is only $65 a year for me and a guest! I only have to go up once more this year to make it worthwhile. I'm excited to have an excuse to go up to Philly more often! - Clara


5. Finding out that you can get take out from a favorite restaurant. This weekend I wanted a Reuben super bad. A restaurant we frequent (Tavern on France) has a great one, but I didn't want to go out. I bet you see where this is going! Anyway, I was pretty happy to be eating a Reuben in the comfort of my own home. - Cassie

6. Melvie is learning so fast! She learned to sit, sleep through the night, and she finally will go for walks. For a while I was pretty sure we owned the only dog ever who refused to go for a walk. I think we're through that stage now! - Cassie

7. Packing books. Luke and I are finally almost moved out of the old place but have books and shelves left. We started packing them today. I really enjoy going through our book collection. There's so many I have yet to read, and I get excited. - Cassie

8. Engagements and pregnancies! Many of my friends are going through the next stage in their lives. I'm really enjoying chatting with all of them and hearing what their thoughts are and how excited they are. Happy times for good people! - Cassie

9. Tengo Ganas De Ti. My friend Marina has been talking about this movie for weeks, and we finally got together this week to watch it. It's a Spanish romantic drama, and we watched it with wine and without subtitles... I know I missed some of the dialogue, but it was still a great movie and I'm reminded that even with a language barrier, there are plenty of human experiences that are shared no matter where we come from. - Clara

10. Warm weather! After the winter we've had, I can't take sunshine and warmth for granted. Today it's forecast to be 82 degrees and sunny, so J and I took our porch chairs out back and spent most of the morning in the sun. I am the happiest girl right now, and I'm looking forward to sprucing up our backyard so we can have a rip-roaring summer! - 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.

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: when the world is new

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 settle in and get ready for this week's batch of good things!

1. Song of the week: Ain't It Fun by Paramore. J has been singing this song all week, and it's a pretty feel-good jam if you ask me. Also, it seems relevant to the theme of the blog: "Ain't it fun / Living in the real world..."

2. Yoga and craft beer at the Queen. Now that the weather is warming up everyone feels like doing stuff and making plans. I found an event at a local venue that includes one hour of pretty serious yoga, plus beer, wine, and snacks afterward... All for $15. All good things! - Clara

3. Roomie game night. On Friday night the three of us got together with a couple of guests, pizza and drinks, and played Bananagrams and Cards Against Humanity. It was a nice, low-key but fun way to spend a Friday night. - Clara

4. The Blue Parrot. My roommate and I have been trying to go out for dinner for weeks now, if not longer... Finally this week we made it out to the local cajun restaurant, where they make some of the best drinks I've ever had out, and also delicious New Orleans-style cuisine. Great food, great drinks, and great company? Can't go wrong. - Clara

5. Day trips to the beach. This is a major perk of living in Delaware: J and I drove down to the beach on Saturday for the day, and walked around barefoot in the sand for awhile... We also visited the Indian River Life-Saving Station Museum, which I thought was interesting (and only $4 admission), and the eternal favorite Dogfish Head brewpub. I tasted their Jin gin for the first time and it was life-changing. Overall it was the most centering, contented days I've had in awhile. - Clara

6. Homemade ravioli. This recipe took us literally over three hours to make, and since we don't own a rolling pin we used wine bottles to roll out the pasta... but it turned out delicious: spinach mushroom ravioli. So cheesy, and there is always something satisfying about eating something you made totally from scratch. Plus, it used up everything we had left in our CSA from last week: fresh spinach, mushrooms, and chives. - Clara


7. New puppy! Luke and I got a new puppy a week ago. Her name is Melville, and she's a Bernese Mountain Dog. She's a little scamp right now and likes to munch on everything. But I love her already and wish I could quit my job to spend all my time with her. This also leads into my next good thing:

8. Puppies bringing people together. I have met so many people this past week that I would have never met if I didn't have Melvie. People love coming up to me to ask about her, pet her, and get a puppy fix. I can't blame them since she's adorable! It's nice to meet so many people with smiling faces all due to my little Melvie. - Cassie


9. New apartment. As if getting a puppy wasn't enough to do this week I also moved! I live in the same neighborhood as before, but live in a way nicer place (example: we have full size appliances in this place. Our old place had an oven that could barely fit a sheet pan the long way). Moving was stressful, but now that we're settling in I can tell we'll be way happier here. - Cassie

10. April snow storms that melt the next day. This past week Minneapolis had a large snow storm. Everyone was crabby about it, but I enjoyed it! It was really warm the next day and melted right away. There's nothing like a late winter snow storm to make me enjoy springtime even more :) - 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: 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: something new every day

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: And We Danced by Macklemore X Ryan Lewis. My officemate has been taking care of the music for the past couple of weeks, and every time this song came on I would ask her what it was. Finally figured it out this week before I had to ask her... And when I put a name to the song I realized that it makes me feel goofy and devilish and carefree... Which is just what I need at work a lot of times.

2. Irish soda bread. This has become sort of a tradition over the past 2 years: soda bread for St. Paddy's Day. It's got a quick prep time and it's dense and delicious. - Clara

3. Accountability. The women I swim with are a source of great inspiration to me. A lot of them are older than I am, and understand the importance of fitness on a much larger scale than I do. And this one woman in particular is so perceptive and thoughtful (without being overbearing) and humble, and says something to me every week that lifts me up and leaves me thinking. Last week she said, "I watch the people in the other lanes who are faster than me, and I learn from them. I learn something new every day and I get faster and faster." - Clara

4. FROZEN CAME OUT IN STORES THIS WEEK. I didn't get it yet, but just knowing it is now available to me is a constant source of excitement. - Clara

5. Getting our families together. Family is a big thing for both J and I, and this afternoon we got both of our families together for an engagement dinner at an Indian buffet we like. It turned out greater than I could have hoped - everybody got along great, and even the baby liked the food! We laughed and talked and ate for hours until (maybe even after) they closed for lunch, and my mom brought in ladoo (traditional celebratory sweets) and shared it with the whole restaurant! Definitely a highlight. - Clara

6. About Time. From the people who did Love Actually, I should have expected nothing less. It's billed as a "romantic drama" but it's really comedic and British and beautiful and it just says a lot about life, and family, and how we use our time, and what is important. Definitely recommend. - Clara

7. Well-deserved vacations. My parents headed off to a resort in Mexico this weekend. They never go on vacations (their last one was in 2004) so this is huge! They both work so hard, and it's so great to see them finally spend some time away to relax. - Cassie

8. Picking out paint colors. Luke and I are moving into a new apartment in a week or so. Our new landlords are painting the walls for us and are letting us choose the colors! After living for 2 and a half years in an apartment with all white walls I am so excited to be surrounded by color. Being able to choose our own colors is really going to make the new place feel like home so much more quickly. - Cassie

9. Membership at the local co-op. A couple years ago I became a member at the co-op in my neighborhood. Every time I go there to buy produce or organic products I leave feeling great! The people that work there are so friendly, and it feels like I'm part of the community. They also have amazing produce so that doesn't hurt. - Cassie

10. Going with the flow. I'm a planner by nature so sometimes when things suddenly crop up I have a hard time. However, when I'm forced to be more flexible things inevitably end up going well. Though it's hard for me I'm always grateful when things pop up that force me to be more easy-going. It's never good to have everything planned out all the time - even a planner can admit to that :) - 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 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: i wanna dance with somebody who loves me

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: I Wanna Dance With Somebody by Whitney Houston. Last night we went to a Korean karaoke place in Alexandria, and had an all-out a cappella jam session to this song in the way there to ramp ourselves up for karaoke. Unfortunately, we had pretty well lost our voices by the time we got there. Plus the video is awesome.

2. Cleaning the closet! Luke and I cleaned our closet today and gave tons of stuff to Goodwill. Not only is it great to have less material things that I don't use, it's great to know someone else will now get to use them!

3. Mom/Daughter dates. My mom came over to have dinner with me, and we hung out for a few hours just talking. A good gab sesh with my mom is really nice sometimes!

4. I picked up Luke from the airport this week and was reminded of the movie Love Actually. People are so genuinely happy to see their loved ones again, and I was no exception :)

5. Woodwick candles are my favorite new household item. I got one for my wedding and am in love with the awesome sound they make!

6. Amy Grant Christmas music!! I never do anything Christmas-y until December. BUT, I always start listening to AG Christmas albums after the first snowfall. Lucky for me that happened this week. Yes!!

7. Conversation starters. I took my Bluetooth keyboard to the Y on Thursday to crank out a few hundred words before class, and two separate people asked me about it. Apparently my typing issues are not unique, and provide plenty of fodder for conversation.

8. Quiddler. My parents had houseguests this week, friends and former coworkers from Woodstock. After our customary rounds of Bananagrams, they brought out a new game we hadn't played before, called Quiddler, which involves spelling but a little less focus. We all enjoyed doing something new, and it was a great new thing to do too!

9. Wilmington Beer Week. Beer week is great, because all these great craft breweries get featured at all these great local restaurants, with featured menus, and I happen to love food, beer, and local restaurants. The only problem with beer week is it's not cheap. So we chose one for the week and went with it. On Wednesday J. and I went to Dead Presidents and got their featured five course meal with 4-ounce beer pairings from Goose Island. De-li-cious.

10. Tea parties. This weekend was Mary's bridal shower in Alexandria, so I drove down on Saturday and picked up Lisa in Baltimore on my way. I always forget how great it is being around people you've been friends with for a long time, even though I know I miss it constantly. The shower was great, with elegant tea cups and saucers from Salvation Army and a great spread of cookies and tarts, put together by Ellen. And then the tea party evolved into dinner, with lots of good people and lots of wine, and a makeshift version of Loaded Questions, and karaoke in a private room at a Korean bar, which is actually not that different from our normal lives together, which involves a lot of constant singing. One of the great things about Oles. And in general, SO good to be with good friends.



* * * * * * *
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: flying high

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: Don't Stop Believing by Journey. This is an All Good Things classic, and tops the list today in honor of Cassie and Luke, who played the song at the reception AND danced to it, even though he hates both Journey and dancing, because he loves Cassie and Cassie loves him. (I started yelling as much when he chose the song, and was pointedly ignored, but the romance of this situation is not lost on me.)

(Also, I have to share with you all that I somehow managed to write the name of the song as Don'tCassieBelieving, which strikes me as important for some reason...)

Also, most importantly, never stop believing.

2. Being part of the pool crew at the Y. I have kept up swimming since it made #11 on my list of "things I want to do in life" back in June of last year. The regulars, mostly in their 50s and 60s, have started to recognize me and this week I got into a discussion with some of them about getting old, staying in shape throughout life, staying healthy and disciplined. They are so encouraging to me, even if they are good-naturedly self-deprecating about themselves, and I always tell them, "If I can be as active as you are, I'll be happy!" Just keep swimmin', just keep swimmin'...

3.Conduct Us. This week from Improv Everywhere, a Carnegie Hall orchestra plays for a motley crew of amateur conductors. "Causing scenes of chaos and joy," indeed!

4. The Fault In Our Stars by John Green. I had to wait a couple of weeks to get this book from the library, and I started reading it on the way to Minnesota on Friday. I have to tell you, it is PHENOMENAL. I blazed through almost 250 pages of it on my four-hour travels, cried on every plane, in every airport, about every other chapter. A sad, but beautiful, true book. The love in this book is just the most profound, real love of almost any book I've ever read. Also, I didn't realize initially but it's written by John Green the YouTube sensation. A multi talented man.

5. Reunions! Over the past three days, I have got to reunite with my sister, more college classmates and friends than I can count on both my hands, not to mention almost all of my inner circle. Pretty amazing, and so good to catch up and just be with these people. I do know a lot of very loving and generous people, who put me up and welcomed me smiling with huge lingering hugs, shared drinks and food and shampoo. Plus, it is good and interesting to remember parts of myself that don't get a lot of airtime in my new life and my new home in Delaware. Maybe I'll bring some of them back with me, or maybe I'll just visit them every now and then.

6. ...and making new friends too! I met a ridiculous number of new friends this weekend, starting with Cayenne the dog. Other new people I met included Emily, Jose, Francesca, Jordan, Kaitlyn, Emily, Kristy, Mitch (who, it turns out, is from Delaware originally), Ginny (who I have been hearing about since freshman year) and Matt, a few St. Olaf classmates I had not officially met or spoken to before, Tim and Megan, Neil and Jill, Brent, and Henrietta the cat. I was particularly and pleasantly surprised at how quickly I felt some solid rapport with so many of these people (and animals -- especially Cayenne) and that I was legitimately sad to be leaving them with no guarantee that we will meet again.

7. The Forster-Brotens! (Known to fans, readers, and former listeners as Cassie and Luke!) I am giddy, ecstatic, smitten, proud and honored about this latest union. And I think they are probably even happier than I am.

8. The wedding itself.I have desperately tried to avoid making this entire list wedding-related, so it can be more accessible, but I think the happy couple deserves more than one number this week. Some highlights: hanging out and goofing off with the girls while helping Cassie get ready; the look on dad's face when he saw the bride in her wedding dress for the first time (we all lost it at that point); Cassie's old stuffed puppy dressed in his wedding best: dress pants, a tailored collared shirt and vest; said stuffed puppy hanging out with Grandpa all night (the handsomest men in attendance); a beautiful ceremony in the Rose Garden, short and sweet and unassuming and intentional; the bride and groom's running commentary through dinner; dancing with wild abandon; and of course our reason for gathering trumps all.

9. Uplifting flight crew speeches. Lead flight attendant of my first return flight today gave a parting speech highlighting achievements of fellow passengers, and finished it off by telling us to be kind to one another, treat each other well, and take care of ourselves.

10. Coming home again. No matter how good the trip is or how I'm feeling about my home itself, there's nothing like a homecoming.

* * * * * * *
Thanks for joining us this week. I hope it made your Sunday night! Like second set of baby steps on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/TheBabyStepsSaga, tune in on Wednesday for reflections on new adulthood, and come back next Sunday night for the good things that are going to happen soon! Until then, be kind to each other, and treat yourself well.

posted from Bloggeroid

guest post: the mission of moving forward

“The point, what I've got it down to, is there are only two questions worth asking: 

Why are we here, and what should we do about it while we are?”

– John Lloyd

Particularly strong during the mysterious and often overwhelming years of early adulthood, I sense within me an ache with an eager pulse, demanding that I discover what the hell it is I'm going to do with the rest of my life. Back when I was first asked this question of vocation, I recall my eight-year-old self considering gas station attendant a worthy calling (candy being the main motivator). Then, after years of school, it evolved from a question about work into a quandary of passion. I felt the need for a calling or at least a path that would eventually lead me there. So I went to a college that claimed it launched people into the real world with real skills, majored in political science, graduated, and then...splash!

As a member of the current class of twenty-something's spelunking my way through these years, this question of calling/splashing has plunged itself deep within me since I left St. Olaf. A month after graduation I began working for a large healthcare software company in my home state of Wisconsin. I found things to like about the work and travel involved. I felt challenged, enjoyed my colleagues and put in good hours with good output. And then it started to feel stale. Would working here for five years lead me to happiness and fulfillment? I thought not and decided to make my first major detour of adulthood. After two years of full-time work, I quit my job in order to travel aimlessly through the Western U.S. and Asia for an indeterminate amount of time.


I'm currently a month into that trip and although it still can feel ostentatious when I describe what I'm doing to friends, family and strangers, I think it was the right move for me. To get away and exist in an unorganized way, divorced from the routine of an adulthood I had barely experienced, is totally worth the lack of income or certainty in what exactly it is I'm accomplishing each day. I know that “taking a year off” is classic Stuff White People Like and I decided against maintaining a blog of my own after more than a few friends jibed, “Oh, you're not going to start a blog about finding yourself on the road, are you?” But the fact is not having anything to do other than what I choose to do has jarred me out of the way I was thinking for the last two years. It is affording me the time needed to reflect, reconsider and reengage in the mission of moving forward.

The first step was to accept that I am who I am and the world is what it is. I have made the conclusion for myself that the healthiest way to consider existence is as a collaboration between two basic elements - chance and choice. Sam Harris explains in his book Free Will that “you can do what you decide to do — but you cannot decide what you will decide to do.” His basic premise is that although we may have the ability to make choices, the situations we experience and how we arrive at them, as well as why we make the decisions we do, is all determined by a chaotic web of outside factors that we definitely do not choose or create. Chaos, though we would rather have order, is the stage on which we must act. It was by chance that at a certain time, in a certain place and with a certain set of circumstances, genes and socioeconomic factors, all of us became a living, breathing element of humanity. And this “luck of the draw” has a major influence on everything that follows. Being born a healthy, white, male citizen of the United States in 1988 meant a far different set of future opportunities than what one experiences if they are born an ethnic minority, lacking basic resources, in a time and place mired in violence and/or famine.


The element of chance continues to play a significant role throughout our lives, but I still think that the ability to choose A or B means we still have some power to construct our own identities. Choices we make are constantly altering our life's trajectory, and so with everything each of us does there is a slight bend and ripple to who we become.

Since chance is not under anyone's control, choice seems to be the element to consider closely. Choice is how we navigate through the dizzying amount of options the modern world provides us. Choice determines whether we talk to people we know via our smart phones when we find ourselves in social situations with people whom we don't know. Choices make things happen that would not have otherwise happened.

Choices we make are also vastly unequal in importance and differ in the level of conscious thought we employ while making them. Each of us engages in the repeated, physical tasks of daily life – choosing what to eat, what to wear, what to buy, when to set the alarm, or whether to set an alarm. There are also the more fluid and gradual choices that manifest into our goals, personalities and philosophies – deciding how to use our time and who to use it with, what to learn, what to believe, where to focus our energy and passion, when to move on to something else – decisions that we tinker with over an entire existence.

We all make millions of choices during our lifetimes and most of them are never considered again (many of them are not even consciously considered at the moment they are made – our subconscious brain is just that good). You will forget most of them, yet some choices will be so pivotal that the person you were set to become is completely rerouted into someone else. When I dropped I.B. chemistry in high school, it was unlikely that I would try again in college, and furthermore that I would ever become a physician. We all think about choices in the past we would like to change, imagining the different ways it would alter our current state. We think about the choices we can make now that will lead to the future we hope we hope to create. We always want to make the right choice, even though the amount of options available to the average citizen of the Western world makes the right choice harder to find and even more difficult to accept as the correct one once you have made it. Perhaps life is easier with a penchant for minimalism, eliminating the clutter of choices that are not truly important to happiness and are merely taking up time that you could be using to do things that actually matter to you.


I recently read the story of a man named Arthur Fields who spent fifty years taking pictures of people as they walked past him on the O'Connell bridge in Dublin, Ireland. He would take candid pictures of unsuspecting pedestrians and then attempt to sell them the instant color print, hopefully making enough money to buy film for the next day. This is how he supported his family and the reason he got out of bed each morning. Taking pictures was clearly what he loved and wanted to do. His sons claim he never even went on a vacation. He didn't take his camera to exotic locations, let alone find a different street in Dublin, for a span of time that resulted in over 180,000 photos. It would seem that this man had no second-thoughts about his choice in vocation, nor any reason to try something else. For fifty years, Arthur's career was immovable and unchanging.

I wonder if we all need to make a similar choice in order to feel fulfilled with how we use our allotted time on earth. Committing in such a complete way is a tricky decision to make. Where do we start? Most people have hobbies that inspire their quest for knowledge and skills, but there are also the jobs we do that absorb the most productive part of the day, some of which may have nothing to do with our actual passions. Can the thing you love also be the work you do? Clearly some people make this a reality, but still so many others are unable to find that happy balance. I don't know how to distill the fascinations I have with music, photography and writing into as pure a path as Arthur's yet, but this is what we all seem to be looking for as we drift through periods of employment and hobby. I think we are all determined to make our lives meaningful and that usually means finding a focus; being great at something is earned only after making many choices to first of all become better.


I visited Glacier National Park last week as part of one of the main goals of my trip to visit the majority of the national parks in the western U.S. and to strengthen my photography with the assistance of gorgeous landscapes and night skies unpolluted by light. Although my vehicle and current home, my mom's Roadtrek camper van, is both large and ornery about going up steep inclines, I decided to give Going-To-The-Sun Road a shot. Many switchbacks later, I made it to Logan's Pass with a few hours of daylight left. Feeling triumphant, I disembarked and found a hike to an overlook of Hidden Lake. I took to the path without pause. I counted the many people I passed who were descending back to the parking lot, their faces appearing pleased with what they had worked to see. I said hello to them as they walked by and they responded in kind. I passed other people, some much older than I, who were walking up the path with me. There were still others who had decided to stop halfway, laying on rocks, looking out over Logan's Pass and marveling at the beautiful scenery that had been carved by glaciers millions of years earlier.

When I reached the overlook, I joined others who were taking pictures and enjoying the view of the lake and the receding peaks beyond it. I watched as two young men judged a sign pointing to a further hike down to the water below, which stated that it was “very steep” and to “use caution.” They shrugged at each other confidently and continued on anyway. On the way back I joined a group of people taking pictures of a baby mountain goat and it's mother who were munching on grass a few feet from the trail. I noticed one man who I had passed going up retreating back down the trail to encourage his wife, who had decided to sit down short of the overlook, to come gawk at the goats with him. As I reached the parking lot I heard an old man say to his wife that the view was “so scenic and visually stunning – why do we need to walk up that mountain and sweat to enjoy what we can see right here!”

And so I noticed then that even on a single path there were still many choices to make. Even when there is a destination, something halfway there might feel better. Even when there is a sign telling you it's steep ahead, maybe it's still worth following. Even if a path is there in front of you, perhaps it isn't worth taking if you appreciate the view from where you are. And even when life seems vexing and the path isn't clearly marked and you wish you knew what to do, you always have the ability to live in the present moment and enjoy the small steps forward.


The lesson of mindfulness taught by the Buddha is very useful when I find myself wanting something to strive for and can feel that acute, aching anxiety because I don't know exactly what it is yet. To be mindful is to simply appreciate that you are alive, connected to the things happening around you and to be present and focused amongst it all. Rather than being lost in one cacophonous head-space, treating the world as an entity that you are a part of - rather than a separate actor in - can feel like a purer form of existence.

By practicing mindfulness through meditation and yoga, or at any time of day – standing in line, sitting on a bus, or in those moments when you feel overwhelmed by all the things you have to do - you can actually choose to have a more peaceful outlook. I can choose to be me right now instead of thinking about a non-existent future-me. This leads to far less time worrying and far more time doing what feels good. I realize that a calling isn't necessarily something you can choose first and achieve second. And I think that if I feel happy (or unhappy, which is a necessary part of life) with what I'm doing now and have a sense that I'm moving in a positive direction, I can accept that I have no idea what I want to be doing in 2018, 2024, or 2050 (if I'm even here at that point).

And with all the chance and choice involved from now until then, it would always be guesswork.

* * * * * * *

Jordan is a friend and fellow St. Olaf Class of 2011 grad. He was born and raised in Wausau, WI. His favorite job was the summer he delivered pizza. Kurt Vonnegut is the reason he loves reading and writing.

all good things: labor day edition

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 her radio co-host Cassie. Sit back and enjoy!

1. Song of the week: Entertaining Angels by the Newsboys. This song was a standby back in my Christian rock days, but I got a hankering for it again yesterday after reading this in church: "Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing this some have entertained angels without knowing it." (Hebrews 13:2.) The thought of entertaining angels just struck me immediately. And then my dad said in the sermon, "Angel means a messenger of God," and went on to talk about a beggar he met once who, he is certain, was an angel and had a message from God to deliver to my father in his time of need. We could be "entertaining angels" at any time, and I for one am always open to important messages from the universe.

2. Days off. Today, for example. Of course they never end up being free and empty as planned, but it's still a day not spent in an office chair and business casual. I hope to go back to work tomorrow feeling recharged, and the four-day week doesn't hurt either...

3. BodyFlow. Our favorite Thursday night Zumba teacher left the Y last week, giving us the kick we've been waiting for to try out new classes on Thursday nights. So this week, I went to BodyFlow, another class offering from Les Mills (creators of the well-loved BodyCombat as well as BodyVibe, BodyPump, BodyStep, BodyAttack, etc.) BodyFlow seems to be the most zen of all of these, and felt like a slightly more fitness-focused version of yoga, with some Pilates, tai chi, and dance influences. Upon leaving, I felt so centered but also as though I had definitely worked my muscles. Plus it's taught by one of my favorite instructors, who kicks ass in Combat and is a zen master in Flow.

4. NJ 40. J. and I drove up to Atlantic City yesterday for his sister's birthday, and instead of taking the interstate we (half-intentionally, half-accidentally) ended up on highway 40 through rural New Jersey. I love this road. It's the same road we took to get to the drive-in movie theater for his birthday last year, and the road itself says America as much as a drive-in movie itself. The road is lined with farm stands, diners, old cemeteries, small-town main streets, yards full of old-school trucks and cars, gorgeous farmland and ponds and bridges. Not a strip mall in sight until we hopped over to the Atlantic City Expressway.

5. Phone dates with old friends. I have an old friend who graduated a year ahead of me at St. Olaf, who calls me a couple of times a year since he left The Hill. It's easily been a year since the last time we talked, but he finally got me on the phone on Friday afternoon and we always hang up feeling like we covered important ground. Because we did.

6. Atlantic City. This can't not make the list this week. I have wanted to visit AC since I saw Wild Hearts Can't Be Broken when I was 4 or 5 years old. And finally made it. J. and I just drove up and had dinner with friends in the main floor of Harrah's casino. I will admit that I was skeptical at first, of all the scantily clad women and rich, unhappy people I expected to see, and did -- but I was pleasantly surprised to see among them people of all stripes, from the most average to the most extreme on every spectrum. And, more importantly, the people we were with were so much fun.

7. R.I.P.D. OK, not a phenomenal specimen of the film industry. But thoroughly enjoyable. It reminds me a little of Ghostbusters, with a hint of those Indiana Jones spoof movies with a nerdy sleuth protagonist (i.e. The Librarian) and goofy cop flicks. The perfect thing to zone out to on a tired Saturday night.

8. Beermosas. The last of the summer beers are sitting in prime sales locations these days, so the liquor stores can clear out their stock and make way for the pumpkin ales and Oktoberfests. (Speaking of pumpkin ales, Southern Tier's famously delicious Pumking is out and the cases cost $100 at Frank's Wine, around the corner from us. Crazy... But so good!)

Anyway, among the late-blooming summer beers is a Yards limited edition saison, which is light and dry and a little hoppy-spicy, and tastes delicious in a 50-50 ratio with orange juice. Voila! The beermosa.

9. The dog next door. His name is King and he is the king of great. He is a mutt but he has beautiful long red hair and shiny eyes that will melt your heart. The neighbor says he recognizes our cars and he always gets to his feet and starts grinning when he sees us coming. "Gotta pay the toll!" his master always says when we stop to pet him before unlocking the front door.

10. Family. As we speak Jason is helping his cousin dig out the drains of the pool she is filling in. First of all, it has been great having a pool to hang out in, especially on the Fourth of July. But it's also great to have people you can call in a hurry to help you dig out your pool drains. It's also been great hanging with my sibs before the two middle ones go back to college tomorrow for fall semester. And of course the baby. And having double dinner invitations tonight... Also, our great group in Atlantic City was made up mostly of siblings, and of the kind of friends who become family after so long.

And without these kinds of people, the ones you're blood related to and the ones you've just decided are about as good as blood-related, well... what's the point?

* * * * * * *
Like second set of baby steps on Facebook at www.facebook.com/theBabyStepsSaga! New posts show up there first, plus other articles about post-grad life, plus teasers and other important information. Thanks for reading! Tune in next Sunday for more All Good Things, and come back Wednesday for my latest reflections on being a "new adult."

all good things: sun and sea and good food

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 her radio co-host Cassie.

1. Song of the week: 2am by Slightly Stoopid. Not my favorite band name ever, but the song has been our Zumba cool down song for the past few weeks and it's got a good groove.

2. Patron XO. Jason's parents recently went to Mexico and brought back bottles of this delicious coffee tequila for their sons. Fortunately Jason has been generous enough to share it with me. My favorite way to imbibe it is over ice cream. Yummm!

3. Deep fried Oreos. The best Boardwalk dessert; the kind of thing you look forward to all day long. 

4. The Casual Vacancy, J.K. Rowlings' first adult novel. It's about a tiny town in England and all the political and social drama among its inhabitants. I've talked to a few people who started reading this and gave up when it became clear that there is no magic in it. But I stuck with it, charmed by the details (always a forte of hers in Harry Potter) and, now somewhere around page 300, I'm having a hard time putting it down.

5. Chicken madras. On Wednesday Jason and I ended up going to Maharaja for dinner. Last time we went there we got the entrees with hot spice and I couldn't even eat the food-- impressive, when most Indian restaurants stateside tone it down incredibly. Anyway, we learned our lesson and had recovered enough to go back. And we had mango lassi, garlic naan, aloo palak, and chicken madras, which wins dinner this week especially since I wasn't convinced at first that I even wanted it. Another lesson learned.

6. Wildwood. As I write this I am on my way back from the Jersey Shore with my "roommates." We just spent Saturday and Sunday on the beach, napping and swimming and eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and trying not to let the seagulls at 'em. So relaxing, and good girl time. Also, the sand there is so much finer than the sand at the Delaware beaches... Which is good in some ways ( it doesn't get quite as churned up in the waves, for example) but that also means it clings to things and silts into cracks and crevices.

7. Zumba! Katy and I went to zumba twice this week with our favorite instructor. And on Thursday we found out that she will no longer be teaching at the Y! That part is not a good thing, but it does make me not take it for granted. It's just such a fun reason to be super sweaty!

8. Wawa. Stopping at Wawa for breakfast to kick off a road trip has become a bit of a tradition lately. The bagels are just so good! So are most things at Wawa, actually. Hoagiefest is something I am a huge fan of as well. 12-inch subs for $4.79? Yes please!

9. How I Met Your Mother (a.k.a. HIMYM). The modern version of Friends. So funny. So current and relatable. Jason and I are currently in the middle of rewatching the whole series while we wait for season 8 to come out on DVD/Netflix. I just bought season 3 (since we don't actually have internet at home).

10. Good conversations with interesting people. I went out for happy hour on Friday with Jason and a bunch of people he used to work with, all of whom I liked a lot. Good people, warm and welcoming. I also love how my horizons are expanded every time I meet someone new.

Like second set of baby steps on Facebook at www.facebook.com/theBabyStepsSaga! New posts show up there first, plus other articles about post-grad life, plus teasers and other important information. Thanks for reading! And have a good week!

all good things: everything of champions

1. Song of the week: Ain't My Friend by Jessica Latshaw, Delaware native. She'll be performing on Market Street for Wilmington's Ladybug Music Festival on Thursday! Also, this video (particularly the smiling thug on the right side of the screen) makes me smile big time, over and over again.


2. I rediscovered The World’s Best Bartender on Wednesday night! He used to work at this creole place around the corner from my house and made a mindblowing mojito I haven’t stopped talking about since last year. I haven’t seen him since. But this week, J and I tried out this new restaurant up the road called Latin Fusion, and he was there tending bar, and he made me two excellent margaritas, and gave them to me at happy hour prices because I told him his mojito is legendary. We got to talk drinks for awhile (one of my favorite topics) and he really GETS it. I’m pumped.

3. Finished the Spartan race yesterday without getting injured! It was about 2 miles straight up a mountain, part of it with a 25-pound sandbag on my back; and about 2 miles back down, through mud and water, under barbed wire, over walls and fire. I did probably 100 burpees for the obstacles I didn't complete, but out of 23 obstacles there were only four I couldn't finish. I'm a little sore now, but it was SO much fun, and so satisfying!

4. The New City View Diner in Allentown, PA. On the way back from the race we were so hungry and tired so we stopped at this "creepy diner" that looked like a 1950s futuristic spaceship model, thinking we could at least get some gross greasy food. But it turns out it has the most extensive and varied menu of any place I have ever seen, and they have a sautee menu that comes with a glass of wine and a salad bar and soup, for between $12 and $18, and they have a full bar, and fresh baked goods made on premises every day, and it's open 24 hours a day! Plus the food was fast and delicious. And they have curly fries! I swear I have glimpsed heaven. 

5. Ginberry slushie. Remember the leftover gin bucket we put in the freezer after the Fourth of July? Well, last night we blended it with some fizzy water and drank it on the porch and it was the best.

6. Impromptu casseroles. Also last night at around 9:00 pm, J and I we realized after running around all over town that we hadn't eaten a real meal in awhile, so we just looked at what we had that was fast and mixed it together. What we ended up with was a veggie-and-whole-wheat rotini and shredded chicken casserole with melted mozzarella on top. Yum. And there's plenty left over for lunch today!

7. Cassie's birthday was last week! So Cassie and Luke drove down to Chicago for the weekend, to eat and see the sights! Sounds like a proper celebration to me.

8. She mentioned specifically Chez Moi, a "fun French bistro that was so good!" I told her I would add her items to the list, since she didn't have internet access yesterday.

9. Brunch at the Blue Parrot. Yesterday I woke up craving French toast, so we walked around the corner to the Blue Parrot. As usual, not disappointed. The French toast was some of the best I've ever ordered out, J's Blue Parrot breakfast had the perfect variety and the homefries were excellent, the coffee was strong and good, and the mimosas were only $3!

10. Delilah's favorite song. Someone called into the show the other night and asked Delilah to play her own favorite song... And she played You Gotta Be by Des'ree. Good choice, D. And a great way to start the week!

all good things reprise: episode 17

Another crazy week. This weekend's post is delayed for a number of reasons, mainly too much (good) stuff going on for both Cassie and I. I'll throw together a list now, though, since it's Monday Monday. And you can bet all our excuses will be on it!

1. Weddings! Cassie had a wedding to go to this weekend, which is super exciting.

2. Friends visiting! Also super exciting: my good friend Cat is visiting the East Coast from San Fransisco for a couple of weeks, and has come down here to visit me for a few days!

3. Milestone birthdays! J and his twin brother (weird, right?) turned 30 on Saturday! We threw them a big shindig and I think we can all agree that they were properly celebrated.

4. Trying anything once. We took the guys paintballing on Saturday, which most of us hadn't really done before. We have a lot of battle wounds, but had a great time.

5. Fake mustaches! On Saturday night we all went to a barcade where J bought a ton of stick-on mustaches from the quarter machines and passed them out. I kind of forgot that I had it on after awhile and couldn't figure out why no one could take me seriously.

6. Beautiful Creatures, new in RedBox this week. A captivating and mildly creepy movie with some profound statements about love, magic, beauty, and the good-and-bad-ness of life in general.

7. The beach! Cat and J and I took a day trip to Rehoboth Beach, left super early and spent the day on the beach. I always find sand and sea water and sunshine super therapeutic and healing. Remember how I've been calling for a healer?

8. Happy hour! This makes the list a lot, but this week we went to a new place: Brio at the mall. They have $5 drinks and small plates of food for $3.95!! And outdoor seating!

9. Man of Steel! Saw it on Wednesday and it was AWESOME! I won't say any more, but seriously, see it. Also Superman is way hot in this.

10. Local beer and local beer-related activities! We went to the Dogfish Head restaurant at the beach for lunch and it was a lonnnggg walk from the Boardwalk, but the food and beer was delicious. J's spare rib sloppy joe won food-wise; all three of our beers were phenomenal. Midas Touch, Bratty Swagger, and Tweason'ale. Check 'em out!

Good things in store this week for you? I hope so! Live it up, enjoy what you can, and make the most of whatever else you are dealt.

<3

keep calm and dot dot dot

A couple of weeks go I read a blog post comparing blogs to different kinds of beer. At the time, I thought that baby steps was a stout; now, though, re-reading the post, I think it might actually be more of an IPA: Ales have flavor. Sometimes they’re so hoppy they make your face pucker. You feel them as much as you taste them. These are blogs that make you feel something, too. They have an opinion. They’re not shy. They have passion and a natural voice. They know who they are, and they take a stand. Sometimes they’re negative. Sometimes they’re personal. I think I'm OK with that description, even though the classification is a bit ironic seeing as I am not IPAs' biggest fan. My posts are always personal. I'm tackling the Heavy Seas on a regular basis -- imagine living in my head all the time!

I think the post might have missed some categories, though. Like my classmate Caroline's blog, which I would call light but by no means insubstantial. This blog is easy to "drink," but it still has its own distinct flavor. Every once in awhile you get a hit of something heavier, like homesickness or current events or spirituality, but it highlights the beautiful things in life. We all need a little of that.

This is why I publish All Good Things on Sunday nights now. I admit the weeks get a little heavy sometimes. This week, I've had stress nightmares and anxiety taking up residence in the pit of my stomach. Makes me extra glad I started BodyCombat -- I obviously can't tell you enough how it sends anxiety packing.

I'm also really excited that summer is kicking off hard lately. Two weekends ago, my parents took J and I up to New York to see Rock of Ages on Broadway. We unfortunately couldn't get tickets together, so we saw Mamma Mia! instead. Which did not disappoint.

Plus, Rock of Ages was coming to Philly the next weekend, so I decided that in this case I could have my cake and eat it too. Please note, this is generally the biggest problem in my life right now: trying to take advantage of too many things.

In this case, though, I couldn't have made a better decision. One of my coworkers lives in West Philly, and we were both trying to find someone to go with us to the show on Saturday, without success. So, unashamedly, we became backup friends for Rock of Ages at the Kimmel Center in Philadelphia, rushed tickets and ended up with front row seats for only $22, and had the time of our lives.

There are a lot of parts of this story that are important: being open and spontaneous, going with the flow, doing something simply because I so badly want it. Even the theme of Rock of Ages is follow your dreams.

Maybe this is what has for so long been compelling to me about the eighties and rock music and dancing. It is antiestablishment, personal, true and a little wild. It is about dreaming and going your own way. (Thanks, Fleetwood Mac!)

And it's just plain old fun.

J and his brother donated an old PS3 guitar to my brother's secondhand Rock Band last weekend. So on Monday, at the weekly dinner, my sister and I got decked out in badass hot pink purple sparkly makeup and rocked out.

I used to dress up all the time. I used to play a lot more. I guess I'm growing up, but there are some things I hope I never forget. I hope there is always something I want so badly it doesnt make sense. I hope I go out of my way for them. I hope I still try new things even if it's not comfortable. I hope I never lose the ability to get lost in dreams and music and dancing (and Shake Shack) for a few hours, and that the real world continues to accommodate magic when I return to it.

P.S. Yesterday, another coworker invited everyone to join him at happy hour at the mall, and in line with this whole post, I thought, sure! I'll finish my post by phone, later.

And here I am, 24 hours and change later, writing something I didn't know I was going to say, but probably really needed to.

all good things reprise: episode 16

Happy Father's Day! Spoiler alert: dads will make the list! But these guys are accompanied this week by a series of other really great things, so hit play and read on...



1. <i>Rock of Ages.</i> I drove up to Philly this weekend to meet up with one of my coworkers for the show. We rushed tickets <i>$22</i> at the Kimmel Center, first row! And the show itself was mind-blowingly, face-meltingly excellent. Everyone around us agreed it was the most fun we've ever had at a show.

2. Philadelphia in general was a great time. Sara tweeted that she was going to convince me to move up there... And I gotta say, I don't hate it!

3. Meanwhile, back in Wilmington, in my neighborhood, in fact, St. Anthony's annual Italian Festival has been in full swing all week (except for the two days it was called off because of extreme weather). The festival features carnival rides and games, Italian food, carnival food (deep fried Oreos, anyone?!), pizza, beer, music, alcoholic water ice, gelato... So many good things all in one place!

4. Speaking of extreme weather, we worked from home Thursday in anticipation of hail and lightning strikes, etc... Which is always weird (particularly since I don't have internet at my house, and my job is social media) but in this case turned out to be a very good thing as our server got obliterated at the office and was out nearly 24 hours! Plus, I got <i>so much work</i> done...

5. Minor league baseball. We got some free tickets from work to go to the Wilmington Blue Rocks game on Friday night. This is great because beer and corndogs cost approximately half as much, on average, as they do at the big league games I've been to. And, after the game, there are fireworks!

6. <i>Cloud Atlas.</i> This movie was not so excellently rated, but J and I RedBoxed it last night and actually really enjoyed it! For a three hour movie, I was actually quite enthralled throughout... That is, after we turned on subtitles. (They tried to use a lot of different dialects and accents, some of which are fabricated, and it was really hard to follow.) I like the theme, though.

7. Alarm songs that make you smile when they go off in the morning. I for one need all the help I can get getting out of bed in the morning!

8. Family. Some of my dad's cousins swung through town on Friday, and came up to where I work to take my lunch break with me! I also got to spend some time with my sister this afternoon; she helped me wash my car and we talked. Also, my grandma sent me a note about healing, in reference to my last post... And J's family is also pretty great. It's always a good time when we spend our afternoons over there :)

9. ...But ESPECIALLY fathers, and grandfathers, and godfathers, and all the other men in our lives! My dad is great and I am lucky to have him. It's nice being around now, too. I'm also lucky to have a lot of other great dads in my life: two living grandfathers, J's dad, his brother-in-law who is celebrating his first ever Father's Day! And more than a few of my friends' dads scattered all over the country and the world. Thanks, guys!

<i>Cassie is taking a break from All Good Things this week because she is spending time with her dad. Totally acceptable!</i>

10. Sunsets like this one can really bring closure to the day.

All Good Things Reprise: Episode 14

It's Sunday afternoon again! I don't know how it is where you are, but here in Wilmington it is HOT. Humid. Even the breeze is sticky.

If you ask me, these are perfect conditions for feel-good tunes and All Good Things! Enjoy the list this week, and stay cool!



1. A submission from a reader: Pens! But not any pen. Specifically, the Zebra F-301. This 99-cent gem is a staple in my small world: all my flight instructors had them and once we (the students) discovered them, we were hooked. I know my flying friends back East have them still and when we sign the checks for lunch at the diner, it is a little reminder that represents how far we've come as pilots.

Protip: check out the F-701 if you've got the cash, about $5, to spend on a super-elite writing utensil. Though you might like the new "Flight" models better. And they're not related to flying, as you'd think. I know too much about pens for a normal person.

2. The Baltimore Aquarium . My roommate's mom got a few free tickets through work, so my roomie brought me and two of her high school friends to spend a hot, hot day looking at fish in a dark, air conditioned building. Great way to spend a summer Saturday also because I am a huge nerd and I love learning new things about the world. Plus, water is so calming to me.

3. Speaking of water, I am obsessed with going to the pool at the Y. Unfortunately it is usually swarmed by people... Except before 10:00 in the morning, which makes swimming in the morning a great way to start a day!

4. Happy hour. I've finished off the past couple of weeks by hitting happy hour with coworkers and friends and I totally understand how it got the name. Drink specials are really great ($2 rail drinks and domestic beers at a place two minutes up the road from work, for example), but what really makes it happy is getting to talk and spend time with really great people.

5. Bachelorette parties! I had 2 yesterday: 1 for my cousin and 1 for a friend. My cousin's was crazy and loud while my friend's was quiet and low-key. It was great to simultaneously experience both. Now I know what I want for mine!

6. Date night! Luke and I went out for dinner on Friday. Sometimes he'll surprise me and randomly make reservations. We get semi-dressed up and it's so much fun! We went to Ciao Bella, and I love it more and more every time we eat there.

7. The Edina Art Fair was this weekend. It clogs up neighborhood traffic and annoys us, but the fair is so fun! Lots of fun pieces to look at and food to try.

8. Banana Chocolate Chip Kashi granola bars. I have one before I work out and it's the delicious boost of energy I need!

9. Minute-to-win-it games. We played some at my friend's bachelorette party and had the best time! It's funny how competitive people get over small things like keeping a feather in the air by blowing on it :)

10. Porch furniture. Date night this week for J. and I was burritos and mojitos on the porch, which was so relaxing. Since the weather warmed up, all my neighbors spend their evenings and weekends sitting on their porches, so I've gotten the chance to say hi to some of them and exchange pleasantries. It makes me feel part of the community.


If you read the blog often, or even just All Good Things every Sunday... Or if you used to listen to the radio version of this feature, you are probably not shocked to note the common thread of community and good people that makes this list pretty much every week. I wanted to point it out, though, because our good relationships and the good people in our lives should never be taken for granted. If the feature was only "One Good Thing," I think it's a pretty safe bet what that thing would be.

Don't forget to tell someone you love them this week! Until next Sunday... Stay "Classie," friends and readers :)