Apple Deliciousness

Laura and Mike came to visit this weekend. We had a rather relaxing weekend, and made it out to pick apples. Elinore loves "helping". Hopefully she didn't eat too many leaves! Laura, I hope you got some good apples at Crane's!! I'm sorry we didn't get to eat at Pietro's while you were here. We'll make sure to do it next time: long wait or not. It was great to see you both and get to know the "healthy" Mike a little better!

Elinore's new word is "Tickle, tickle, tickle,..."
 

Playing Grown Up

Every once in a while I take a look around and wonder what on earth I am doing where I am. Mainly it happens when I get an invitation in the mail to another friend's wedding or a birth announcement. And then, in my shock, I yell at the empty room, "We are too young to be getting married and having babies! WE ARE NOT READY!!" And then I think to myself, "Correction: I am not ready (but then CLEARLY neither is anyone else!)"

And then sometimes my head starts spinning at the amount of responsibility I'm entrusted with at work and I begin to feel an awkward sense of importance. Like today, I interviewed a candidate for the center director position who just resigned as a high school Spanish teacher. Hellooooo! I interviewed a high school teacher, who is in the same ranks with my former teachers, who if I ran into on the street today I would still address as Mr. Heup or Mrs. Baldikoski!

Not to worry, the sense of importance is never inflated because usually I am humbled by other moments. Like falling down the stairs as I dole out parenting advise, or making the parent of a child with severe allergy go through all the rig-a-marole of paperwork, legal documentation, and one-on-one training of epi-pen procedures with the WRONG teacher, etc.

It is nice to know, however, that I am not alone. I caught up with a friend this weekend who started medical school 6 weeks ago. Their first role play was doing patient interviews to gather preliminary information. The instructor went around the room to each student with a certain case and the student was to ask the right questions to gather all the necessary info. After all these vanilla cases (I have a sore throat, there's a floater in my eye, etc) he got to my friend. When she asked what brought him in today, he said, "It hurts when I go to the bathroom." And my sweet, ridiculously intelligent, aspiring-doctor friend burst out laughing. And as soon as she had stifled her giggles she said to herself, "I am too immature to be a doctor."

Which brings me to my conclusion--that it is not real afterall. We really are just pretending to be adults.

Matching Socks

I feel like it is never too early to introduce a child to helping with household tasks. One of Elinore's duties is to match socks. Everytime I fold laundry, she is in charge of all the socks. She takes her job very seriously.

Correction: CHIRIMOYA

I wrote to all of my Chilean friends last night to wish them a happy September 18, tell them about my amazing find, and ask them what to do with it.

EVERY ONE of them wrote me back first to correct my spelling--it is CHIRIMOYA not cherimoya-- then to tell me that the best way is to cut it into little pieces and mix it with freshly squeezed orange juice. Since they were unanimous, I'm obligated to eat the next one that way. Apparently they call this dessert "chirimoya alegre"--the happy chirimoya.

Good luck to me. Too bad there's no one to share it with!

Catalina and the Cherimoya

Last time I was in Chile my hostmom asked me if there was anything special I wanted to see, do, or eat while I was there. I told her I wanted to eat a real live cherimoya. A cherimoya is a tropical fruit that I had never heard of until arriving in Chile, and even then, it was elusive. I tasted the flavor in ice cream, yogurt, popsicles, etc, but never had even seen the real fruit. So last time I was in Chile, it was summer and my hostmom went out in search of cherimoya to no avail. There were none to be found as it is apparently a delicate fruit that is ripe in the early summer months (late November, early December in Chile).

This evening while roaming around the plain old grocery store (Jewel for those of you who know) I stumbled across a basket of this UGLY fruit labeled Cherimoya!! I couldn't believe my eyes, and on top of that, today is Chilean Independence Day!! It was destiny. The label on the cherimoya said "ripe when slightly soft," so I picked what I thought would be a good one, then picked another just in case. At the checkout, they rang up at $3.99 a piece, and I thought to myself, these better be DELICIOUS!

But when I got home, I realized I had no clue what to actually do with the thing. I looked up online how to prepare them, and it told me to halve it lengthwise and then scoop the creamy, delicious flesh out with a spoon. So I did, and despite the many, enormous black seeds, it was good and so fragrant! Its about the size of a large pear, and tastes a bit like fresh papaya, but is super creamy. I ate half and put the other half in the freezer to eat like ice cream tomorrow. But I still have this whole other cherimoya. Maybe I'll make a cherimoya smoothy? What a great Chilean day!

A Day in the Life of Me

Today during one of the 10:30 classes for 3-5 year olds, I had to intervene in a class where a tiny girl was hysterical over her nanny having left. Often you can distract children and calm them down, but this little girl would not be distracted--she was SCREAMING and kicking and crying, and I finally had to physically hold her in my lap while we waited for someone to call the nanny and the nanny to pick her up.

While kicking and screaming, she peed on my leg.

Does anybody want to trade lives?

Soooo Cute!!!

 

Warning Signs

This morning while vigorously brushing my teeth, my toothbrush vicously catapulted a speck of tooth paste into my eye. It actually hurt A LOT. I considered calling Poison Control, but Colleen told me not to, and she IS a crisis counselor after all.

Then on the El I picked up my Chicago Reader before getting on the train, and subsequently got so sucked into the story about Hugh Hefner and his 3 pixie girlfriends that I missed my stop!

It's only 8:36. Going to be an interesting day...

Back to School

I have returned to Albion once more for my junior year and although my first week of classes went successfully, I have not yet departed the super stressed out train. As you all know I am applying to go abroad to Scotland in the Spring and I have needed to get the required signatures from various faculty members in order to turn in the application. Let me just say that it is not going well. I don't think I've ever been more frustrated with people. Before I even got back to Albion I had emailed professors letting them know I wanted to set up a meeting as soon as possible and each one told me to email them at the start of school. So I did, but to no avail. Once again it is not until I get pushy that I get responses from the professors. I even went to their offices to find out their office hours and it wasn't until I told them I would be coming to their next class to set up an appointment did they respond with a time in which I could meet with them. AHHHHHHHH! I'm beginning to feel like I won't be able to get the application completed and it's not because I haven't tried. Hopefully things will start coming together soon.

With that said my classes are going relatively well. My first day of Spanish, my former roommate Jill and I were sitting together when our professor walked in and says: Hola clase...and continued in super fast Spanish, Jill and I looked at each other and both go Oh crap. She told us that the first day was the last day she would speak english to us and as worried as I was, it's not that bad. I'm acing spanish class, having gotten 2 extra credit points for helping my team to victory in spanish charades. I know I'm amazing, just kidding. The nice thing about it, is that we do a LOT of discussion and interactive stuff in spanish getting you comfortable speaking, which let's face it I'm NOT comfortable with. The only thing I wish we did more of is vocabulary. I am finding that my lack of Spanish classes for the past 3 years has greatly depleted my vocabulary abilities, but it is slowly coming back to me.

I found it rather ironic that the class that's the most interesting in lecture, developmental psychology, has the most BORING textbook, and the class that has a pretty boring lecture, Neuroscience, has a pretty interesting book. Typical at least I'll be able to follow one part of the material in each class haha.

Then comes my invertebrate zoology class. It's fascinating, one of our textbooks talks about parasites and what not and it's absolutely disgusting but it is just amazing!! However, a great portion of our grade for the class relies on a group collection project. We have to collect a list of specimens from the field, all bugs, kill them and then mount them and present to the class. I am having a really hard time with this one. First of all I'd rather not have to catch bugs and usually I don't mind squashing a mosquito or spider but I feel so terrible about putting them in killing solution and watching them die. So bad in fact, that this weekend I caught a beetle but I don't have my ID card coded for 24 hr access to the science building yet, as it wasn't available until yesterday, and I felt so bad about keeping it in a jar for 2 days that I let it go. I don't think I would make a very good invertebrate zoologist.

My roommate situation is going pretty well so far, but we will not be rooming together again as I have spoken to one of my good friends from bio and we are planning to live together WOOHOO!! My roommate told me the day she moved in that she likes to move stuff around a lot and I told her I didn't care as long as I was able to use the internet, which meant being close to the only ethernet jack in the apt. So her solution was to get us wireless, works for me. She isn't around much as she has a very busy schedule being a chemistry major and very active in the theater technology dept. One thing I could definitely pass on is the hamster, Twink, that she brought to school with her. I am SO glad we never had one of these things. They smell, make a mess and the stupid thing bit me, not to mention that it feels the best time to play in it's squeaky wheel is right when we go to bed.

I am working really hard to be more organized this semester and getting stuff done, actually reading my textbooks and working out regularly. Being a week and almost 1/2 into school I'd say it's going well. Let's hope I can keep it that way!

Caitlyn Finally Changes a Diaper

Though not a poopy one, the diaper Caitlyn changed this weekend has moved up her status as aunt. We had a really nice time. 

David Hasselhof Disclaimer

I feel a little bad that there are now people in the world who actually think that Caitlyn likes David Hasselhof. If you are one of them, kindly scroll down to the entry covered in David Hasselhof posters and look at the bottom of the post where it says, "Posted by: ..."

Sneaky, huh.

More likely Caitlyn has Brazilian paintings decorating her wall.

The Downpour and the Cheesecake

I learned a valuable life lesson today. I suppose there are subtle things that you learn about life when you become a sans-car commuter. This morning I woke up to the sound of a plane crashing into my apartment, but it turned out it was just an intense clap of thunder. It poured and thundered without stopping for hours. Last Sunday was Colleen and my housewarming party which left our home very warm and our fridge very full! Among other things we had 1.5 cheesecakes remaining and I vowed last night to take a cheesecake to work today to share with my team.

The warning signs were there as I planned out how to tuck the umbrella into the crook of my neck to be able to lock the door with one hand while holding the cheesecake in the other. They got stronger as I struggled through the turnstyle at the "El" train stop with the cheesecake, umbrella, and shoulder bag that wouldn't turn itself sideways to slide nicely through. By the time I sat down on the train and began arranging my bag, my purse, myself, the umbrella, and the cheesecake balanced on top of it all, I had decided that today was probably not the day to tote a cheesecake.

At my exit stop, I panicked momentarily as I noticed that the revolving gate that I normally pass through to exit likely would be too small to go through with the umbrella open. Immediately after, I noticed that a foot beyond the revolving gate was a solid wall of water falling from the gutter. I looked at the cheesecake, then at the umbrella and turned around to try my luck at the reverse turnstyle.

Once outside, I began walking my .4 miles to work and in about 2 steps, remembered that flip flops are also not a good idea in the rain. As I slipped and slided inside my shoes I silently prayed to the raingods that they please not let me fall, and PLEASE not let me drop the cheesecake. Not that I really cared about the cheesecake at that point, in fact I was beginning to get bitter about how my colleagues better appreciate the stupid thing, but to drop a cheesecake in the middle of the sidewalk in downtown Chicago would be so humiliating! You either have to be the tool that makes a big fuss about cleaning it up, or the tool who quickly looks around and keeps on walking like nothing happened--cheeks burning with the shame of not only dropping a cheesecake, but LEAVING IT THERE for someone else to step in.

I did not drop the cheesecake. I did learn that streets and alleys in Chicago can become treacherous flash flood danger zones with the slightest sprinkle of rain, not to mention the downpour that occurred this morning. There were literally WAVES lapping the center line of the road, and with the water well over the curb, it was a good 7.5 foot leap to clear the ankle-deep "puddle." I was about to attempt the world's longest standing long jump, but decided that it was too risky with the umbrella, the bag, the purse, and the cheesecake attached to me. I waded in, dismissing bitterly the galoshes I had been toying with purchasing and opting instead for the fly-fishing-river-wading-come-up-to-your-belly-button pants.

I arrived at work wet and annoyed but with a fully intact cheesecake.
Never again.
Next rain I'm going to be the one with nothing but an umbrella who sits on the train smirking at the people carrying cheesecakes around.

PS- I accept housewarming gifts in the form of vegetable peelers, liquid measuring cups, and fly-fishing-river-wading-come-up-to-your-belly-button pants.

new place part IV

Kevin is a tool who is LOSING the Weight Loss Challenge.

New Place Part III

I had a chance to put up some of my art collection, and my room is really starting to feel like home. What do you think?

New place part II

A few more photos...


 

My new place!

Mom, Dad, Laura, my friend Ricardo, and I spent the day yesterday packing up boxes, loading them into the truck, navigating the truck through narrow downtown streets, unloading the truck, and then setting things up in my new apartment. It was definitely a team effort, and we couldn't have done it without Ricardo!!

I am so pleased and exciting with how the apartment is shaping up! I made some investments in a few affordable but quality pieces of furniture, and now the apartment looks like a real home! I couldn't wait until everything was finished to post a few photos, so excuse the clutter.

The bright green room is obviously my bedroom, the darker green is our dining room with the bargain table and chairs that Mom found at a garage sale last week. The beige is our living room furnished by my incredibly nice roommate, Colleen, and the yellow is our cozy little kitchen, complete with a breakfast nookish table!

Everybody who saw the apartment yesterday really liked it. There is a playground across the street of which I have a view from both of the ENORMOUS windows in my bedroom. The brown line "El" train is a stone's throw from our courtyard, though it is not elevated at my stop, so it is very quiet. My street is narrow with cars parked on both sides, but it is a dead-end which means it is quiet, lined with tall trees and large homes with front yards.

Between the two of us, Colleen and I have quite an art collection, so next time we're both not working we're going to go through and pick out where to put what. I can't wait to see what the apartment will look like with non-bare walls and the new kitchen cabinet doors that the landlord promised.

I came back to Naperville last night, so tonight will be my first night in the new place. Thank goodness Dad and Ricardo were able to install the AC unit last night to cool the place down before I sleep there tonight. We've had 2 weeks of incredibly hot weather with triple digit heat indexes!! AC is welcome!

More Pictures

 

Camping Trip!

I have just returned from my camping trip up north in Mackinaw City with Mike, his friend Nick and Nick's girlfriend Natalie. As you can see in the picture, we successfully set up our tent, except for the little black spot you can see in the middle which helps pull the rainfly off the tent.On Friday night I left Holland and made the trek to Macomb to make the final preparations before leaving to go to Mackinaw City.

Saturday we drove the 4 1/2 hr drive to Mackinaw City and arrived at Mackinaw Mill Creek campground around 3:30. We were very fortunate to get a site right on the water and the view was spectacular. We set up our campsite successfully, it took about 3 hrs, and then proceeded to get dinner going. It took FOREVER to get the fire started and the coals hot enough but eventually our meal cooked and it was delicious. It wouldn't be a great camping trip without some funny moments. Our first night camping we made the mistake of forgetting to put ALL the food out of reach of animals, even though it was in a food tent. In the middle of the night, Nick who was having trouble falling asleep got up to get a gatorade and felt something furry pass his leg. In the middle of a dream I heard Nick calling out "MIKE! THERE'S SOMETHING IN THE TENT!!" So we quickly grabbed a flashlight and shined it in the food tent to see a skunk scurrying out of the food tent.

On Sunday, we found one of our paper bags that had held the bread and marshmallows ripped to pieces on the ground thanks to our little smelly friend. After cleaning it up and eating breakfast we spent the day walking around downtown Mackinaw City. I had envisioned a boonieville kind of town, you know the type: a gas station, feed store and family owned restaurant, but to my surprise it was actually a very nice town. We tooled around the shops and ate way too much ice cream. We also spent a great portion of the day driving around Cheboygan (we went to like 5 stores) trying to find a fire pit, as ours was the size of a frying pan. Eventually we just bought some cement blocks and used those for our makeshift fire pit. We enjoyed a night by the fire eating burgers and then looking up at the stars, it was incredible you could see so many and the milky way was so visible it was amazing.

On Monday, we took the ferry to Mackinac Island. It was beautiful, there aren't any cars on the island, just horse drawn carriages, saddle horses and bikes. The first thing we did was travel around and look at the shops and then we headed to Fort Mackinac, it was very interesting. After lunch, we split up and Nick and Natalie rented bikes and rode around the island and Mike and I went horseback riding around the island and then used Nick and Natalie's bikes to go on the other side of the island. It was ridiculously hot, in the triple digits, and after 7 1/2 hrs on the island we headed back to the campsite, but not before having some of Mackinac Island's famous fudge. I have NEVER seen so many fudge shops in one area. After returning to our site we all took a much needed swim in Lake Huron and unfortunately, about 20 minutes after getting changed and dried off I got pretty sick from dehydration and heat exhaustion. Mike being the amazing guy that he is went all the way to Cheboygan to get me some pedialyte and propel water to get me rehydrated. Meanwhile, Natalie and I were talking by the fire when she jumped and pointed to a cluster of trees saying she had seen something over there. I got my honkin flashlight out and found a little skunk scurrying away from the bright light.

Tuesday was spent touring around Historic Mill Creek, the first intrustrial spot in Michigan. It was actually really cool, they had an old logging mill set up and had several demostrations to show what kind of work took place. We then walked around the extensive nature trails before heading back for another swim in Lake Huron and a couple games of horseshoes. Following our escapade we went to Old Mackinaw Lighthouse, which still had the original Fresnel light used and we were able to climb to the top of the tower. Nick had really wanted to go to The Mystery Spot so we went across the bridge to the UP and visited said spot...I have been instructed not to say anything, but I would not do it again haha.

For our final night we built up a big fire, but it only burned for about 2 hrs as it started raining and continued to rain all night and into the morning. Now, if you remember I mentioned that we forgot to stake down all of the rainfly. This little error caused the tent to get a little flooded and as we were getting ready for bed Mike noticed that his pillow was thoroughly soaked through, along with all the corners and the two enterances of the tent. We hadn't paid particular attention to where we put our tent like we should've, for one thing it was slightly downhill and there were 3 rather large roots right down the middle, needless to say they were not comfortable to sleep on. Whoops, live and learn. Well anyway, we packed up the tents but they were soaked from the rain so it was a messy and interesting feat. At around 11:30 we left, checked out and got some breakfast and some last minute fudge before making the long drive back to Macomb.

I had an amazing time and I can't wait to do it again. I realized how fortunate it was that I had worked at the girl scout camp last summer. It certainly helped with my camping skills. I also know how important it is to pay attention to where you put your tent and drink water even if you're feeling nauseas from an oil dunked salad. I was fascinated to see the unusual souvenirs offered at the stores. Along with a ridiculous selection of mood rings and other novelty gifts, there were huge selection of battle weapons like swords, daggers, battle axes, chinese stars and the like. It didn't seem to matter where you went you could find a wide variety of mood rings and battle paraphenalia. But even so, it was beautiful and an amazing adventure.

More from Camping

 

milestones

This morning Elinore woke up and I could hear her playing from our room. I usually don't go get her until 7 am, so I left her babbling for a while. At just about 7 I heard her saying, "Mama!" (it's her new sound, but I don't think she actually knows what it means yet). I got up and walked into her room. She was sitting there looking at me. I'll repeat that, she was SITTING there looking at me. That was the first time she's gotten herself back into a sitting position!! She gave me a huge grin and started clapping for herself. It was so precious. I am so proud of her!