Missing

This weekend I am headed to San Francisco for a memorial for my grandfather who passed away 3 years ago. At the time my grandmother was to ill to hold a memorial. Now, just after her 90th birthday, she is finally able to do so. Three years ago I would have been distraught at the idea of attending the memorial, but I've done my grieving and am looking forward to spending a weekend with my family reflecting on my grandfather's life, celebrating my grandmother's good health, and in general enjoying beautiful scenery and time with my family.

The only problem is that we are each expected to say something at the memorial. I intended to read a short "essay" I wrote in sixth grade about why my grandfather is my hero. Before he died three years ago I reread it to him and then tucked it away in some secret spot in my office. I have spent the entire morning searching through every item that I have ferreted away over the years and am stumped. I have found all sorts of random crap: my photo id from studying abroad in 2001, old love notes, my husband's photo id from his first job, a crisp one dollar bill from 2007, a savings bond, a letter I wrote an old friend in a fit of anger and didn't mail, pay stubs from 5 years ago, my husband's little league playing card (so cute), a stack of movie stubs from the first year my husband and I dated, a certificate to prove I went hot air ballooning . . . these are the more interesting things, I also found stacks of old student loan documents and receipts. Generally, I found every trinket and memento from the last 8 years except the one I want. The only good thing so far is the giant pile of junk I made to throw away (not counting many of the things I listed those will be returned to their hiding places not to be looked at for another 5 years).

Something New: Make Cheese

Making cheese is something that I have been wanting to do for a long time, but have always considered it to be way to complicated to be worth bothering. That is until I saw this easy-peasy recipe at the Kitchn. The steps can be summed up as follows: slowly boil milk, add lemon, let sit, pour into cheesecloth lined colander, hang in a ball from your sink, go to happy hour, drink champagne, come home, eat cheese. I didn't even need to be there for the majority of it, it was great!

I had pictures of the process but those pictures are in a camera that is now lost at the bottom of a lake. However, my cheese looked exactly like the cheese pictured above from the Kitchn and was incredibly delicious - the lemon flavor really came out nicely. I served it on grilled pizza with caramelized onions, pear, and basil. I used whole milk but I think next time I would up the fat content and serve it as part of an appetizer. All in all, easy to do and will definitely make it again.

Grrrr....

It appears that I am mathematically challenged. I went to the fabric store with the measurements for the fabric needed to create the border and the backing of my quilt. I knew that I needed 90 x 90 inches for the back as well as enough fabric to make two 17 x 60 inch panels and two 12 x 90 inch panels for the borders. It seemed simple enough, I added the measurements together and thought I bought the proper amount. However, when I started making the panels I realized that I was going to be about a foot short. Now I am stuck with a 6 foot piece of worthless white fabric,who uses plain white fabric, and am probably another week away from actually finishing this thing.

New stuff

A month out from my birthday I've finally figured out a few large scheme things I would like to do during my 30's. Nothing to serious, just a few lofty (mostly travel related) goals:

• Travel to the Arctic Circle.
• Visit one of the three remaining continents that I haven't seen - Australia, Africa or Antarctica - Guy's choice.
  
• Swim in the Mediterranean.
  
• Go into a really deep cave - I've been in a salt mine and it was awesome, I want to do something like that again.
  

AND

• Learn to sail. This probably interests me most, but do to the cost I probably won't be doing it anytime soon.
  

I've cleared out the old things on the sidebar and put in some new things that I'm currently interested in trying. I did 8 of the things previously listed, which I will consider a success. I made sushi, volunteered, kayaked, ran an 8k, took an art class, swam in a swimming hole, made pretzels, and tried a new food (Ethiopian).

Peonies

I spent the day a ball of nerves waiting for a late afternoon appointment. 4:45 Is seriously the worst time ever for an appointment to be scheduled. I tried to focus my energy on the garden and enjoying these beautiful peonies that I found growing in the backyard but seriously, it's hard to focus on anything else.

Quilt

So close . . . I have 5 more strips to attach to the top, but I think I might have to cut a few more. I really underestimated how many rectangles I would need. I originally cut out 150, each 7 1/2 x 7 1/2, but that was barely even half of what I needed. In the picture above there are 18 connected rows which is 216 scraps, and I have already run out of 4 of the fabrics that I used. I will definitely have to add a border to make it wide enough to comfortably sleep under.

In person the red doesn't seem as bright as it does in the pictures. I love all the different projects that these scraps came from. I sit and look at it thinking fondly of my past projects, sappy huh?

What do you mean you don't want me standing in the middle of the picture?

Happy 30th to Me!

Today is my big 3-0 and I am feeling good, I'm actually really excited. I friend of mine, who is also turning 30 soon, recently told me that she planned on spending her 30th sulking because she hadn't accomplished everything that she had hoped to by this age. This in turn got me thinking about all the things that I HAVE accomplished in my 20's and I felt really really good because I have done a lot. I've seized opportunities, put myself out there, and can't think of any regrets or missed opportunities. Which in turn has lead to me feeling pretty excited about what new experiences my next decade will bring me. So out of reflection or pure bragging, I'll leave that for you to decide, I present to you my 20's:

• I graduated undergrad.
• I graduated law school and passed the bar on my first try.
  
• I got married to someone I love very very much.
  
• I lived in England for 7 months.
  
• I studied in China for 2 months.
  
• I traveled alone in Europe and China.
  
• In Europe I visited Germany, Austria, Spain, France, and Italy (not always alone).
• I've been to the Great Wall and got vertigo.
• I've seen Machu Picchu.
• I've been on cruise ships, catamarans, dragon boats, whitewater rafts, and kayaks.
  
• I've flown by biplane.
  
• I've been in a hot air balloon.
  
• I ran my first 5k, 8k, and am training for Hood to Coast.
  
• I zip lined through a jungle.
  
• I went to St. Lucia, St. Thomas, St. Thomas, Mexico, and Peru.
• I volunteered at my dream job and kicked ass realizing that even if I never get this job I could not only do it but I could do it well.
  
• I took pottery, learned to sew, cook and started learning to knit.
  
• I snorkeled.
  
• I swam in the Caribbean and Pacific.
• I sipped Champagne on the top of the Eiffel Tower.
  
• I've seen the Colosseum, Mt. Rushmore, Stonehenge, and the Terracotta Army.
• I've done a keg stand.
• I've taken a cooking class in Mexico with my Grandmother.
  
• And most importantly the friends that I have made in this last decade are more important and dear to me then anyone I had met before (excluding my husband but we go way back).
  

All in all, I feel as though I have done things and seized opportunities. I'm excited to see what adventures this next decade will bring.