Where would you go?

A friend of mine recently told me about a vacation she is planning with her husband in the near future. They are going to go to Texas because both of their favorite visual artists are having shows in fairly close proximity. My friend is an art history professor, so to a certain extent, art is kind of her life, but she also LOVES it. In fact, when she was telling me about her favorite artist, she got kind of giddy as she explained that it was his first art show in the United States in 25 years!

Wow.

As I listened to her, I felt kind of envious-- was there anything that I was THAT passionate about that I would plan a whole trip around it? What was my mecca?

When I was on my mission, I had a calendar that I loved, with beautiful pictures around the world. My favorite was of some whitewashed houses on the edge of a cliff with brilliant blue roofs. The picture was taken in Santorini, Greece.

I kept that picture with me long after the calendar expired. I promised myself that someday I would go to that place in the picture!




and I did. And it was the most wonderfully beautiful, and satisfying trip. Better than the photo I had coveted.

Now, I think the only thing that would inspire me to build a trip around it, is food! Like a tour of the South's best BBQ, or a trip around Julia Child's french restaurants, or a trip to find the best pizza in Italy. In fact, Richard and I want to visit all of the Michelin Star restaurants in the country. It will take time, and it will take money, but I know it will be a great adventure. Food. That is my inspiration.

What is yours?

A day in an exploress' life

How to have a fun outing with a kid: don't have expectations. Especially don't expect that this "outing" has anything to do with what you want to do-- get exercise, socialize, pick a few pounds of berries, get a tan (some people still want them, apparently).

The amazingly ironic thing about having fun with kids, is that the more you release yourself from your expectations of how you want it to turn out, the more you and your child will have fun!

Case in point: Anna and I explored the other day. We started on a walk with nothing but a few snacks and a plastic magnifying glass, and we had the most amazingly wonderful time together. We didn't get incredibly far in our walk, but it was way better than the majority (all) of the long walks I have dragged her on for my benefit!

We found slugs in abundance.

and yes, that is a tutu that Anna is wearing. She finds it breathes well in the mugginess of the jungle...

a nice close up of the slug was in order. It was all I could do to keep Anna from picking it up and either 1) eating it, and 2) putting it in her pocket.

there was also some great puddle time. I know that the mom in me should have told her to stay out of the puddle, but I like to encourage puddle jumping in our family!

THAT is a happy girl...

and Anna is having a great time too :)

Anna found this caterpillar all on her own. I didn't even see it!

watching Anna discover things is one of the most rewarding parts of being her parent. She gets SO excited, and she squeals a lot.

and of course, how could you resist blackberry picking along the way (a way better snack than the ones I brought)



And these few pictures hardly do justice to the true awesomeness of our explorer experience. We also met three spiders, in their webs; saw a blue flower, a purple flower, and a yellow flower; examined a leaf that was just like the kind that the "Very Hungy Caterpillar" eats through to calm his troubled tummy (holes and all!); and to top it off, we ran through crunchy brown and yellow fall leaves-- just to hear what it sounded like! Like I said-- a truly awesome day.

No expectations...just Anna and me!

Just trying to find my way...

I wonder if I will ever get life really figured out-- blueprint, map, "you are here," collect $200 as you pass "Go" kind of thing.

I find I am still trying to decide what I want to do and be when I grow up. I have this inner woman who tells me that I am capable of so much, but when I press her for details, she goes quiet. I find myself wondering what my future will hold and what kind of role I will play in it-- active, passive, builder, watcher, worker, mother.

I have this law degree, and it scares me to death to use it. I am intelligent and skilled, but I feel my education and training fading with each week wherein my activities consist primarily of park hopping, reading time, and cooking. sometimes I wonder if I am using motherhood as an excuse to avoid facing my own profession-- afraid I will find out that I am really incompetent after all, and that it was all a good show during school when the stakes weren't real.

And then other times I wonder if my hesitation to work as a lawyer comes from some place in the inner recesses of my soul which actually does find true contentment in being a stay at home mom. And would I be embarrassed to admit that I like being a stay at home mom? Shouldn't the feminist in me resist that title with every fiber of my gloriously empowered female being? Shouldn't I secretly resent having to stay at home while my former classmates make six figure salaries. Shouldn't I yearn for the power and recognition inside a career in the law? Is my attraction to work in the public interest sector a reflection of true altruistic desires to help, or a subconscious avoidance of the high demands and billable hours of the private sector?

If only there was an app for that!

Some button that I could push on my iphone that would tell me I am standing in the right place, doing the right thing, and that no other location or occupation would make me happier. Because I think a lot of people think there is a happier place/occupation/balance out there, and lose precious time trying to find something that they already have, or end up getting something that they didn't really want (they just think they wanted it-- only to find out that it wasn't nearly as attractive as it appeared in the distance).

So here I am, pretty darn happy to be a mom...but almost too happy. My life should be more complicated than this. I should have more stress, obligations, restrictions in my life than there is now. In short, I need to be busy doing something important, and hard, and losing sleep over it. Because biblically, I am in the 10 talent range....right? And just like Spiderman-- where much is given, much is required. But what if it wasn't 10 talents, what if it was only five, or two, or even...just one!

What if all God really wants from me...right now...is to tend the little garden of my home. Could that be enough? Perhaps for today, it is.

And since I am going to live to be 100, maybe there is time in the future for great community building, personal advising, counseling in important things-- a senate race or two. And maybe someday my voice will be just as loud in the community as it is in my kitchen. Maybe there is time for all of it...

I don't know-- I am just trying to find my way!

The 'First Annual Build a Better Burger Cook-Off

We hosted a Build a Better Burger Cook-Off on labor day (you know, because it had been, like a week, since I had planned something and I was feeling a little antsy...), and it was AWESOME. And of course, it helps to have amazing people who really get into the spirit of the competition. There were no limp grey patties clinging helplessly to stale airy buns. We are talking feta, blue cheese, mushrooms, swiss, jalapenos, salmon, ciabatta, pickles, free range....mmmmm, mmmm, mmmm!!

I totally made up the rules as we went along. Each person who entered the competition made three of their dream burgers and was assigned color coded toothpicks. Each hamburger was cut into four sections with each section having one of the color coded toothpicks in it. That way, everyone got to try everyone else's hamburger and they just kept the toothpick of the burger they liked the best. The winner ended up being the Chartreuse colored toothpick-- the burger that made me rethink our decision to eat mainly vegetarian.

Each person also had to come up with an original name for their hamburger, with a prize going to the best original burger name. Some of the entries were: the "Rhino" the "Crying Tiger," the "Heavenly Salmon burger aka WWJE burger," the "Funghi Leiderhosen burger," and the "I'm going to live to be 100 while you die of Coronary heart disease" burger.

I can't tell you how much joy it gave me to eat so many delectable burgers in one night. For someone like me that likes options and trying everything-- this was a dream of a food competition! Richard and I tried 11 different hamburgers that night, and although there was a clear winner (when you fall in love-- you know it!), every burger was delicious-- and there were not any scraps to take home!

The winner of the best original name ended up being "the Crying Tiger"-- they won a pan of home-made cinnamon rolls. I can't even remember the name of the burger that one best overall-- I only remember the way I felt when I ate it-- like the world stopped for a moment (or maybe that was my heart-- processing all that artery clogging goodness). The winner took home some salted caramels as well as a date to have a catered pizza party with the Roses.

This was my burger entry-- representing with the veggie burger. I actually got 4 votes for best burger overall. I was really trying to win in the best name category. My recipe actually comes from Guy Fiery. Check it out, it is Morgan's veggie burger and it is truly awesome. There were guys at this burger cook-off that gave me props for a veggie burger that could compete with the big guns!!

Thanks to everyone who came and competed. This will definitely become a yearly event!