Hot Wheels!

Hey everybody! Sorry about yet another long delay between posts. I won't even give my list of excuses this time... (They are good though!) ;-)

This past weekend, Paul and I went up to Bismark to visit Paul's mom. His mom actually lives in Williston, ND, a once beautiful land now being decimated by the latest "oil boom." As a result, Williston is not fit for company at the moment, so we all met up in Bismark. We had a great weekend hanging out, catching up, taking care of business, and celebrating Paul's birthday! My gift to Paul was a German  grammar book he's been wanting, and a subscription to the National Review.

His mom's gift was a 2008 Honda CRV! Score!!!

We actually already knew we were getting the car, this was just the first chance we've had to retrieve it. The car is AWESOME!!! I learned to drive on my mom's older model CRV. You know, the kind that looks like a metal box on wheels, but is even harder to maneuver. This new car bears little resemblance to the car of my childhood. It is sleek, un-box-like, and handles like a dream. 

The new car has tons of space, which will make the rest of the trip to California much easier and more comfortable. It also has a sun roof, a 6-CD changer, and a remote starter. My favorite new feature, though, is the miles per gallon gauge. As your driving, a little display lets you know your current mpg, your average for the trip, and how many more miles you can go before needing to refill. It turns driving into a game with the objective of maximizing my mpg. Both Paul and I are fascinated. On our way back to Linton, Paul and I would be chatting, and Paul would interrupt his own thought to ask how the mpg meter was doing. ;-)

Here are just a couple pictures of our new wheels:

The car we came in

The car we'll be leaving in ;-)

And hatch-back for easy loading!

Snazzy interior

So there it is- California, here we come!!!

The Journey Begins

Well here we are in the great state of North Dakota! The last week was a blur of packing and last minute arrangements. We spent many days packing our things in the basement and moving them into storage in Myrtle's attic or trying to squeeze what we could into the car.

Early Friday morning, we began our long trek that will ultimately end in California. Our first major stop is Linton, North Dakota. We'll be visiting Paul's family for about three weeks before setting out on the road again.

Touring Leinie's!

Enjoying the free samples ;-)

The trip up here was a blast! We did it in two days, stopping in Eau Claire, Wisconsin overnight. We chose Eau Claire because it is exactly half way between Fort Wayne and Linton. It is a not so little known fact that Paul and I are both huge fans of Leininkugel's beer. The Leininkugel brewery is in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, and we have often joked that we should make a pilgrimage to the birthplace of our favorite brew. As we were planning our trip, we looked up Chippewa Falls, just to see where it was in Wisconsin. As luck would have it, Chippewa Falls is only five miles from Eau Claire!! We left Fort Wayne early enough to get to the brewery while they were still running tours. The tour was great! It was a beautiful area, our guide was funny and informative, and after the tour, we got to sample five different beers, all for free! After the tour we found a nice local diner and had a fish fry dinner. Then, as evening fell, we ambled through the picturesque town until we happened upon a homemade ice cream shop, which we patroned with delight. It was a wonderfully relaxing end to a long day of travel. We stayed in a modest hotel and rested in preparation for another day of driving.

Beautiful riverwalk in Fergus Falls

The next day, we took a rather ambling trip to Linton. Our route took us directly through two of the places where Paul had gone to school. We decided to stop so he could show me his alma maters, and some of the memorable landmarks in each place. It was so much fun! First, we stopped in Fergus Falls, Minnesota, a beautiful town where Paul attended seminary the first time. He only stayed there for six months, training to be a pastor in the Church of the Lutheran Bretheren. He left because the born-again theology drove him to despair, and into a long period of doubt. We visited the old seminary, and he showed me where he used to live. We walked along a beautiful river walk that runs through town, and he took me to his favorite place to eat. After a couple hours of fond reminiscing, we hit the road again.

The annoying phone call professionals ;-)

Our next stop was in Jamestown, North Dakota, home of Jamestown College where Paul earned his undergraduate degree. We walked all around the campus as Paul rediscovered his old dorms and classrooms, and told hilarious stories about his college days there. After our campus tour, he took me down to the telemarketing firm where he used to work. It's still there! Who knew you could run a successful business based on annoying people in their homes?! We had dinner at his favorite food haunt, and we lost ourselves in memories and coffee. We finally pulled in to the farm at 9:30 in the evening. We stayed up for a few more hours, catching up with family. When we finally crashed, it was wonderful to fall into a familiar bed after two long days of travel.

It has been a great start to what I know will be a memorable journey. :-)

A Work of Art

Instruments of doom

The time had come. Really, the time had come several weeks if not months ago. The time when Paul desperately needed a hair cut. We just kept putting it off, whether for money or time, or just forgetting about it. His hair had grown into a long mane of something... indescribable.

Our humble barbershop

A few days ago, we decided to try the economical approach to grooming. We went to Wal-Mart and invested $26 in our very own hair-cutting at home kit. Today was the fateful fruition of our decision.

I set up a make-shift barber shop in our Crictchen. We both needed a few shots of gin to calm our nerves. However, since there was no gin around, a scoop of chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream had to suffice.

Snip snip

With trepidation, Paul donned his fated cape. With still greater trepidation, I turned on the razor. Paul held his breath, I closed my eyes, and SWIPE! A severed lock fell to the floor. That wasn't so bad. I kept swiping and snipping for half an hour until things looked pretty even and I couldn't find anything else to cut.

Paul admiring his new doo

The result? Paul's hair is really really short!!! We both kind of like it. It's growing on us anyway. (Hopefully) ;-) Judge for yourselves:

Feeling 20 pounds lighter!!!

Results

Well, my multi-course French dinner was, in my opinion, a success. Everything did not go exactly as planned, but that was only to be expected with something so new and ambitious. The biggest problem was the timing, which was not a success at all. I got everything prepped before I began even cooking the soup, and that was smart. However, I did not realize that when the recipe said the soup was supposed to simmer for 30 minutes, it would still need constant attention. It was a very complex soup, which I would love to try again. I liked the flavor, but it did not turn out exactly like it was supposed to texture-wise. I love the nit-pickery of it! As the soup is simmering, you have to beat oil into egg yolks one drop at a time until they stiffen and turn creamy. (That's the part that didn't work out so well.) Then you have to add the first ladleful of broth one drop at a time. My ladle didn't do one-drop-at-a-times very well...  So the taste was good, but I think the texture was a little off, and I don't think the oil was supposed to be floating on top the way it was...

The chicken, beans, and potatoes turned out great! The only problem was that they arrived nearly one full hour after the soup course was eaten... I must say, Julia knows a thing or two about cooking chicken. It was very flavorful and juicy, and perhaps the best part of the meal.

The fruit and cheese were lots of fun. Everyone tested different combinations of brie, gouda, asiago, green pears, red pears, apples, and grapes. It was fun to find the best flavor combinations.

By the time the fruit and cheese were done, I realized I was missing a key ingredient for the mousse, and it was getting late. We turned to our ever faithful standby, a good bowl of ice cream, for dessert. Myrtle also introduced us to Nutella, which may in fact be my new favorite thing. During dessert, we pulled out a game of Phase 10 and played and talked into the wee hours of the morning. I mean the really wee hours. At 4:00 we finally turned in after a very enjoyable evening of good food and great company. :-)

French Foray

Tonight, I will be attempting my first meal with all French recipes from my new cookbook. I'm very excited, and a little nervous at the same time. If all goes according to plan, I will be serving a multi-course dinner. Here is the menu as it stands now:

We will start with Garlic soup and french bread (Julia says this soup, if done correctly, is not overpoweringly garlic, but rather has a delicate, aromatic flavor.)

For the main course, I will be making Supremes de Volaille a Brun with a Beurre Noisette. That's a fancy way of saying chicken breasts sauteed in butter with brown butter sauce. They will be served with buttered green beans, and sauteed potato balls. I will be serving a rich read wine that Paul and I bought on our honeymoon. (I've read that wine doesn't travel cross-country well in the summer...)

The main course will be followed by fruit with three different kinds of cheese: Brie, Gouda, and Aged Asiago. Very French.

Finally, we'll top the whole thing off with a chocolate mousse dessert that is not actually from Julia's cookbook, but sounds delicious all the same.

Well, here goes! Bon Appetite! (I hope...)

A Happy Birthday

Another year gone by, another year older, and wiser of course. I just celebrated my 23rd birthday on Monday, and what a wonderful celebration it was! I spent a relaxing day reading, catching up with family, and generally taking it easy. In the afternoon, I got an international birthday phone call! It was the first I had heard from Michelle since she left, and that phone call was the best gift she could have given me. :-)

For dinner, my wonderful husband took me out to a nice Italian restaurant. The food was delicious, and Paul even let me get cheesecake for dessert!!! When we came back home, Paul had two presents wrapped and waiting. The first was a Science Mystery Theater 3000 movie lampooning the film "This Island Earth." It was a sweet gift, because the first time we met we watched a Science Mystery Theater 3000 together. The other gift was the biggie: Paul got me Julia Child's book, "Mastering the Art of French Cooking!!!!!!!!" I squealed and jumped up and down and just about died! My passion for cooking has been continuously growing since moving to Ft. Wayne, and I have begun to develop my own philosophy concerning the art. Good cooking should use mostly fresh ingredients, relying on as little canned and pre-fab ingredients as possible. A good cook does as much as possible from scratch and by hand. It is less expensive to do so, usually tastes better, and is so much more fun. Julia Child's cookbook falls perfectly in line with this philosophy. The book is designed to turn a moderately good cook into a very fine cook. It doesn't just contain recipes, but it actually teaches them. It explains why certain foods behave the way they do, and teaches the precise technique needed to prepare foods in the finest and tastiest way. I have noticed, reading through the book, that the tastiest way often includes obscene amounts of butter and cream. However, I like Julia's maxim: "Small servings, no seconds, no snacking, and try a little bit of everything." Amen sista.

Myrtle even got me a birthday present as well! She gave me a CD with all of the evening and morning services from the Lutheran Service Book sung by the seminary Kantori. She has this CD herself, and introduced me and Paul to it several weeks ago. The night we listened to it for the first time, we all sat out on the porch and sang through every service together. It's a great devotional resource, and Paul and I are both very grateful to Myrtle for such a thoughtful gift.

It was a wonderful birthday. I think 23 will be a very good year. :-)

We did it!

In somewhat belated news, but exciting all the same, we did it!!! Paul and I ran and completed a 5K race! The run was held the morning right after power went out, but there was no way we were missing it. Besides, it was a good chance to get out and see what was going on in the outside world.

Certified, bona-fide 5K runners!!!

The run was hosted by a non-Lutheran Christian counseling center called Cross-Connections. We found ourselves in the midst of a very evangelical event. There was Christian pop blasting at the start and finish line, and before beginning the race, I was asked by one very well meaning lady if I had picked my bible verse yet. Confused, I asked what she meant. She said, "You know, your scripture to help you make it through the run. On my first run I used 'I can do all things through Him who gives me strength.'" I decided it was not the time for a theological debate, so I nodded and said that one sounded fine, and proceeded to plug in my iPod. Maybe it's just me, but fast paced hip-hop does a lot more to get me through a five mile jog than a self-help bible verse taken out of context.

All the same, the run was very challenging and enjoyable. Paul and I had been training on an outdoor track, but, as I suspected, the run was cross-country over uneven terrain. We ran up and down large hills, over open fields, and even did a mile stretch through the woods. Even with the added obstacles, Paul and I both beat our track time, and we both ran the entire thing! (Paul ran it about a minute faster than I did.) It was great fun, and gave us a profound sense of accomplishment.

We have decided to continue our running, and have moved our training from the track to a park. The park is still paved, but there are at least some hills. Unfortunately, Fort Wayne is experiencing a massive heat wave. The heat index is 114 today, and we could not work up the motivation to go out and run, knowing that the most we would probably accomplish would be heat stroke... Treadmill anyone?

Unforseen Natural Disasters

Hi everyone! It's been awhile, I know. Electricity sure is nice isn't it?

I have a new found appreciation for electricity because we just spent the better part of 5 days without it! On Friday afternoon, a day which was forecast to be all sun and no rain, a massive storm blew through our area. We realized something was going on when we heard windows breaking upstairs, and our suspicions were confirmed when the top of someone's chimney blew off and hit Myrtle's car. :-( We lost electrical power a few minutes before the tornado sirens started blaring. So that was fun.

Once the storm had passed, we went upstairs to clean the damage and wait for electrical power to be restored. We got out a game of Rummicub, made peanut butter and banana sandwiches, and brashly opened the freezer to get ice cream for dessert. The hours ticked by, and no electricity. I began to worry about my freezer full of chicken, which I had bought at an insanely good price. Finally, as the sun was setting, I called my mom to see if she could find any information. The information she found both shocked and horrified us. Multiple cities in Indiana were without power. Fort Wayne was expected to be restored by midnight Wednesday.

Wednesday. We panicked. Myrtle, having Multiple Sclerosis, could not stay in an un air-conditioned house for five days during a summer heat wave. I, having no money, could not bear the thought of loosing 20 pounds of sale priced chicken breasts. Paul, loving all things Canadian, could not watch Canadian football. The situation was dire.

The next two days were a scramble of logistics, and a fight for survival in a modern dark age. Myrtle managed to find a friend who had air conditioning, and camped out there for the rest of the week. Paul and I invested in a large food cooler and fought the ravenous crowds for ice and flashlight batteries. We battled to save what food we could and, by the end of the week, we had grilled chicken coming out our ears.

The days passed, and we did establish a sort of rhythm. We would spend the days refilling our coolers with ice, we would eat rotting vegetables and grilled chicken, and we would go out each afternoon for overpriced coffee, sitting in the air conditioning for hours while we chatted and sipped our drinks. In the evenings, we would play gin by candlelight, holding vigil for the return of that blessed modern convenience, electricity.

On Monday night, we watched in dismay as our neighbors across the street got their electrical power back, but at our house there was none to be had. Still none Tuesday morning. Finally, Tuesday afternoon, our prayers were answered and power was restored. It felt like a major holiday! Myrtle returned home, we restored things to working order, restocked the fridge, and that evening put on a celebratory feast! Yesterday there was still more restoring of order and still more feasting, and good times had by all.

So, yeah, that's why I haven't posted in awhile. Always coming up with excuses aren't I? ;-)