Travels and Transitions

So... I'm super excited. My brother and his wife who now live in New York invited me out to visit as a round-a-bout way of getting back to Washington. I'm really looking forward to seeing them and the beautiful state they now call home!

That also means that I am getting close to coming back to Washington. I'm five days away from leaving Tennessee. I'm torn. There are a lot of exciting things I've been a part of here in Tennessee, ones that I won't get to see the end outcome for a good deal of time. I'm going to seriously miss this part of my family.

But there are good things back at home too. You friends for example. Civil Air Patrol and my leadership position that I abandoned for six months, cooking more regularly, even though I've done a decent job of keeping up my cooking skills, doing errands...

I know the transition home will be challenging. The allergies, moving back into a house with tons of people, sharing things again.... I sound really selfish.

So for now, these last few days, I'm trying to cherish every moment. With Elsa, Samuel and Lisa. And I know that I can visit, Skype and call to talk and see the people I've fallen in love with. And making fun plans to get together with everyone once I'm home!

Butter and Flour Creations

Last weekend, Lisa found something she has told me about for months now, but hasn't been able to find. Turkey and Swiss cheese sandwiches made on pretzel croissants and served with a honey mustard dipping sauce. Since she told me how delicious they were, I've been planning on making pretzel croissants for her.

I researched this pretty extensively, only two bakeries in the US (at least online, that I could find at the time) make pretzel croissants on a regular basis. One is in New York and the other is in California. So making them was pretty much our only option. I have heard that Trader Joe's carries them, but we weren't able to find them there in Nashville... 

The first batch of dough I made was for a pretzel croissant recipe. The yeast I used for 1 week expired and even that little of time, it totally didn't work. I didn't particularly like the recipe I had found, so I looked for a basic one that I could turn into the pretzel version. Turns out there are millions of recipes all slightly different. I called home and got one from my culinary textbook. 

With bread flour, fresh yeast and a good recipe, I was off. After a full 24 hours, I had completed my very first batch of croissants. They were/are delicious! I made some pretzel by dipping the risen and formed dough into a baked baking soda and water mixture and sprinkling with sea salt... 

If you're up for a challenge, I now have a fine, simple recipe for croissants over on my other blog, Gracie's Tasties

A Procrastinated Task

So I've been meaning to write a blog post on my other blog, Gracie's Tasties, for literally six months. Since August, when I finished my last summer camp for the summer. Cascade Falcon. The memories of Cascade Falcon are mixed, fond memories of feeding 200 people, memories of sore feet and burned hands, friends, family, food... All mixed feelings. It is a hard week, but very satisfying.

If you want to read what I wrote about it, check it out here. It was a lot more fun to write now that I can actually think about it, the first few months after I had thought about it so much, from like April on, that I just wanted a break.

And so a couple weeks before I leave Tennessee, I am getting some of the tasks I had as goals done.... Hopefully I can continue picking away at these things!

Parks and Pictures

Today, the temperature got up to 70 degrees. A warm bliss compared to the snow on the ground of last weekend. It is, however, pretty windy... 21 mph. Elsa and I enjoyed walking to the park, swinging on the swings and trying slides for the first time.

 She must have gone up the stairs close to eighteen times. No wonder she's taking a long nap!

Some of the lighting on the way home made her eyes look especially amazing, so we stopped for some pictures. Her hair is the result of the wind and not be being a bad hair stylist. ;-)

Sometimes she's a stinker when it comes to picture taking. she'll purposely wiggle and shake her head so my pictures are blurry. So a little bribery may or may not happen. WHAT... we're working on her colors, okay?!!! Anyway, perks of being an aunt not a mom.

A Lovely Letter

Friday's mail brought something not for Lisa, Samuel or Elsa, but for me. A bright pink envelope made me immediately think it was Ev or Jane pranking me, but no, it was from a friend. My best friend. And no, it was not a boy. Gracie Hacking and I have known each other's families for over 11 years, but we have been friends for only a little over four years.

We're really coming up on this, Gracie!

She sent me the sweetest valentine I've ever seen. And the first valentine I've ever been given out side of my family. <3

The envelope said do not open until February 14. I did wait, although my brother insisted that I wouldn't. I didn't bring it with me on the weekend away, so I couldn't open it until late that night, actually, it was technically the 15th, She cut out 24 hearts and wrote special messages or drawings on each one. It made me so happy!

Quotes from our friendship made me laugh. Like "Lobster Bisk" and "Hibiscus Tea" she even spelt bisque incorrectly on purpose. Just to drive me crazy... 

Other ones had memories. We've sure spent a lot of time together in the last four years and had many a good conversation late at night, usually until one of us (me) falls asleep, get too cold (her), or has to use the bathroom (me).

Her willingness to help me with my goals makes me thankful to have someone like my twin. And who doesn't like the idea of a World Market date? 

She sent puns that made me groan. Okay, last night when I read them after a long day of traveling, make me laugh kinda hysterically. 

She has a wonderful mother who treats me like a daughter. That or she like my key lime cheesecakes... I can't quite remember. I love Key Lime Cheesecakes... And her. She's amazing too. 

I love her willingness to prank other people with me. Like convincing people we were twins, which kinda stuck. Twins with the same name. <3

That she loves her personality type and mine and when we're together, we can totally be confident in our personalities! 

The results of our last date, three months ago. We've been planning our trip ever since and I cannot wait to explore part of Oregon with my best friend, twin and sister!

Gracie, you make me smile. This loving letter was the best part of my day! I love you so much and cannot wait for our summer adventures and to throw my arms around you when I'm home. I hope our friendship only gets stronger and better as we get older and (hopefully) wiser. That we will still make time to go out even with work, school and life gets in the way. Thank you for always being there for me when I need to talk, rant/vent and think aloud and for always being willing to help with all my catering jobs, for loving me despite my grouchy (yes, I know, everyone nicknames me that) and stressed out times. I cannot even begin to express how grateful I am for you!

Back to Balkemania

My inlaws-ish. I wish you could meet them. You'd love them as much as I do.

The couple on the left weren't there this time. 

Saturday morning, Samuel, Lisa and I made steak crepes for breakfast with the help of Sarah, Bonnie and Ellie. They turned out amazingly, although the crepes weren't perfect. We spent the rest of the early afternoon prepping for dinner, playing Carcassonne and hanging out.

Later in the day we went to the YMCA to workout. Ellie, Susan and I walk a mile on their indoor track and Ellie and I ran quite a few laps. Can you believe that I can bench press 150 lbs? Anyway, we sure know how to take over a gym. There were 11 of us there... 

Elsa loved being around so many of her favorite people. :-)

I had never seen the whole frosted windows like this. It was so amazingly beautiful!

 Then we had a birthday celebration and then more Carcassonne with Susan, Mathias and Ellie. It was a great day. While the visit was short. It was still loads of fun. When I first fell in love with this family during the week before Samuel and Lisa's wedding, I doubted we would ever see each other again. So I made it happen. I suggested the roadtrip. After that trip, I doubted I'd see them any time soon, but now, I've seen them three times in six months! I love this wonderful family!

Adventures of Roadtripping

A long weekend coinciding with a birthday in Lisa's family meant an 545 mile including four states. I had high hopes that the drive would be as fast as the previous one had been. Elsa had been wonderful and content last time.

Those hopes were dashed about two hours into what was supposed to be an 8 hour drive when Elsa got really motion sick and threw up all over herself and the car seat. Poor girl. The car smelled horrible. We scrounged around for bags, went through an entire NEW package of wipes, wishing we had garbage bags and paper towels. Let's just say Elsa and I now have an even more special bond. I have not only cleaned up multiple vomits off of her and her car seat, I have caught her vomit in a bag. Anyway, long story short, four outfits for Elsa, we finally arrived, exhausted and so ready for the drive to be over.

Jane and Ev thought sending this would be funny. -_-

She was so happy to see her grandparents and all her aunts and uncles.  

We left Michigan more prepared. Elsa ate simple foods that day and we had a good stock of wipes, name-brand paper towels, tons of garbage bags, car Frebreeze and clean clothes. But she was the least of our problems on the way back. 

There was snow all the way from Balkemania Michigan through all four states back home. Most of the trip home was low visibility with either snow spray from other vehicles, snow or rain. There was snow and ice on the highways. Instead of getting to drive 70-80 mph, Samuel was forced to 45 mph or under for the majority of the drive.

We watched the car lose control and spin around facing the wrong direction on the highway and slamming into the barrier. It was kinda scary to realize that could have been us.

I was able to get a few cool pictures from the moving car... Not super clear, but I loved getting to see part of the states in snow. I saw these same fields a bright green in September!

We stopped for dinner at Cracker Barrel, A first for me. It was fun.

I am so thankful we got home safely and after 12 hours of traveling. This morning I looked up traffic/weather articles for Indiana and found out this happened in a span of eight hours, all while we were driving on road around us.

68 personal injury crashes
199 property damage crashes
102 assist motorist calls

There was a forty car pile up, jack-knifed semi trucks, tons of slow plows, emergency vehicles, police cars.

Anyway, I was so tired when I got back that I didn't take out all my hair pins, brush my teeth or even take of my makeup...

So another traveling adventure. Not my favorite, but one full of memories. 

Dishes, Snow and Warmth

I had no right to be freezing. Samuel and Lisa had to go to work in it. I got to sleep late and stay inside the warm house. It was a nice quiet day, Elsa and I hung around the house watching Winnie the Pooh and playing. It is still snowing outside, has been off and on for three days now. It's made it feel awfully quiet around here, but peaceful.

After Elsa's  nap, we went downstairs and snuggled under the blankets on my bed. Even after working out and showering, I was still cold, so it seemed like the only option, although I knew catching up the mess of dishes from the past couple days would warm me right up. The dishwasher broke on Sunday. So from Sunday until today, I had only washed what we really needed to eat or prepare each meal. So now the counter at least is cleared of all dishes.