YES!!

Engaged! Marshall proposed on Friday evening to top off a perfect day. So thrilled and excited to marry my very best friend!

Here is a rundown on the best. day. ever.

Marshall came up to Longmont with me on Wednesday. On Thursday he and my dad went out to coffee...alone. I had a sneaky suspicion I was the topic of conversation :-) But, I didn't think the proposal would come for several more weeks.

On Friday afternoon we headed up to Boulder. We walked around Pearl Street and drove around town looking at the places I spent my time in college. Next was a fabulous dinner at Dushanbe Tearoom, a Tajikistan restaurant/tearoom (Hanlons, we loved it!) I was still completely oblivious to an impending proposal. We drove back to Longmont for a Christmas Concert at my church. My dad ran up to me at the concert and grabbed my hand thinking that Marshall had already popped the question during the day. Marshall stood in the background worried that my dad was going to accidently blow his cover. Good news, I was completely oblivious to this until I was informed of it later. I didn't think the proposal was coming that day so my dad didn't throw me off at all.

Next, we drove around town looking at Christmas lights. We made our way to the neighborhood I grew up in and to the lake that I love. Marshall asked to get out of the car and walk around. Not far into our walk he said all kinds of sweet things and asked if I would marry him. I said YES!

I am so blessed and thankful for such an incredible man that I get the privilege of spending the rest of my life with. It has been a blast celebrating this engagement with my family and friends. God is so good.

Child Hunger, Seen At Midnight

Grocery shopping in Lubbock comes down to two options: Walmart and Market Street. I would always choose Market Street over Walmart (for a miriad of reasons far beyond just their free samples), but the prices at Market Street are really through the roof. Although, I would prefer never to shop at Walmart, it is kind of my only option here.

So on Sept. 15th I made my usual bi-monthly grocery shop hull. I walked into what felt like a zoo. Cash registers ringing; hustling people with carts full of diapers and white bread. Although I am used to busy Walmart's, that day it was truly mania. I accidently rammed my cart into fruit displays and clothing racks. After waiting in a lengthy line I made small talk with the cashier. I was curious if there was some kind of 'Walmart Blue Light Special' I was unaware of. She told me; "Don't shop here on the 1st or the 15th of any month, people just got their paychecks and their hustling for groceries."

That statement got me thinking. I have never lived paycheck to paycheck. I have never gone hungry. Yet, so often I forget how many Americans live in a state of daily rationing and day counting. I ran across the article below that I found especially intriguing. It discusses how busy Walmart's are at midnight every month when food stamp cards are activated with cash. Pretty sobering article. I have entirely too much to be thankful for, including daily bread.

Check out the Article Here

America's Foodiest Town

I loved eating at resturants in Boulder. There was a delicious and unique resturant for every culture in the world. Lately I keep telling people that Boulder is the best food place in the nation. I used Top Chef to back up my claim (two of the last Top Chef winners were from Boulder. coincidence? I think not), now I can back up my claim with Bon Appetit. Check out this article that declares Boulder as the Foodiest place in America:

America's Foodiest Town

Some of my personal favorites in Boulder are; Pasta Jays, Salt (a new place: totally fantastic with all locally grown flavors), Shepra's (a Himalayan restaurant), BJ's, and The Original Pancake House.

Cheesecake Experiment

I have never made cheesecake before. Although I have thought about making cheesecake before, I quickly learned that just doesn't cut it. I know Marshall likes cheesecake; so I thought it was only fitting to cook him up a gooey cheesebirthdaycake. I combined two recipes and made a somewhat substantial, yet completly fixable, mistake along the way (I will point it out so your don't end up with a tasty yet totally 'cement' crust).

Crust
12 ounces, weight Storebought Gingersnaps
½ cups Chopped Pecans
6 Tablespoons Butter, Melted
2 Tablespoons Brown Sugar
1 dash Salt

Filling
4 sticks of cream cheese, 8 oz each; room temperature
1 ¼ cup granulated sugar
4 large eggs; room temperature
3/4 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

You also need a springfoam pan. It is a fancy pan that makes the cheesecake pretty in the end; totally worth it.

To Make Crust
-You gotta crush those gingersnaps into tiny pieces. This step always produces my imminent 'KitchenAid envy'. Yep, whenever I have to mix, chop or blend I covet those people with brightly colored KitchenAids complete with random attachments (ie., a sauerkraut slicer. If only I were lying). But instead of wallowing in my elbow grease and pity; I got out a giant zipperlock bag and had an instant arm workout. I broke up all the little gingersnaps into itty bitty pieces.
-Chop up pecans in little pieces too.
-Dump brown sugar into the mix.
-Melt that butter and pour it in too; mix it all around.
-Line your springfoam pan with this sweet mixture; placing it up the sides too.

My Critical Error
Whatever you do, do NOT, I repeat, do NOT put caramel all over the crust. While it sounds delicious in thought; it may or may not almost break the teeth of your guests. One of my classic 'good intentions & bad delivery' moments. But DO put caramel on top of the finished product. Superb.

To Make Filling
In a bowl, combine the sugar and cream cheese and cream together until smooth. Add eggs, one at a time, fully incorporating each before adding the next. Make sure to scrape down the bowl in between each egg. Add heavy cream and vanilla and mix until smooth. Take a taste and dump it into the crust. Smooth out the top.

Put it into a 350 degree oven for no less than 1 hour, 15 minutes.

Let it cool for 30 minutes; then do something creative for the topping. I poured on half a jar of Smucker's caramel sauce. You could chop up candy bars or sprinkle on some more pecans. Totally up to you. Enjoy!

One of My Favorite Questions:

Last year my Sunday school teacher asked me a question I found extremely intriguing. It was:

"Would you be mad if someone spit in your face?"

I didn't even need to process such an inquiry; I immediately stated, "of course I would be."

His reply; "No, you would be wet. You decide if you will be mad."

Ahhh....onset immediate conviction. Such a true statement about the power of my reactions to whatever is going on around me. I have a choice to be mad, irritated, or simply wet. I ponder this question frequently when I consider my man-made and seemingly silly entitlements that I create all around me.


Philippians 4:8
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

A Healthy Dose of Distraction

Turns out being back to school substantially increases my internet usage. Occasionally during Income Taxation and Immigration Law I find myself browsing fabulous websites in an effort to stay awake. Here is a compilation of some of my faves of this semester: (Just click on the word and it will send you to the link: just figured out hypertext; cool, I know)

FOR FOOD

FoodGawker

My Favorite Food Blogger

The Pioneer Woman

Paula Deen

The Food Network


FOR INSPIRATION


CraftGawker

Craft Ideas

Online Art Gallery

The Travel Channel

Design & Decor


FOR ABSURDITY


Awkward Family Photos

People of Walmart


FOR WHEN THEY ARE WINNING (call me fair-weathered)


The Colorado Rockies

University of Colorado- Buffs

Goodbye Summer, Hello 2L

Back in the LBK, preparing for my second year of law school. It is good to be back after a wonderful summer. Worked as an intern in the statewide Public Defender's office. So much great experience and exposure to the legal system. Also, the office was full of brilliant attorneys; so I just tried to glean some of their knowledge. The three months flew by because it was full with 9 weddings, bar-b-ques, family time, an LBK vacay, the great outdoors, crafting, and cooking. So good.

Here are just a few pics to summarize a very full summer: (I forgot to take a lot of pics, so this is a very limited summary)



Denver Museum Garden

B& P Wedding!

Heading to Marqui's wedding

Narnia (aka Grizzly Lake hike near Glenwood)

Delicious Zucchini is not an Oxymoron.

Too much zucchini in the garden. Seriously, it happens to appear in every consumable dish. I don't even really like the stuff. So I found a recipe to makes a seemingly low-tiered veggie really fantastic.

What You Need
1-2 zucchini's
2 egg whites
Bread Crumbs (I added all kinds of spices when I chopped the bread; dried onion, garlic salt, oregano)
Parmesan (optional)

What to Do
Preheat to 400. Chop zucchini into spears. Dip spears into egg whites. Roll spears in bread crumbs. Sprinkle some parmesan on top. Bake for 12-14 minutes.

Sauce
These spears are delicious in a marinara sauce. I opened a can of tomato sauce, put in on low on the stove. Add in chopped onion, garlic, basil, and whatever spices spark your fancy. Let it simmer for a couple minute.

How to Eat
Eat right out of the oven, dip in sauce. Watch your whole mindset about this neglected veggie change.

Entirely Too Many Sour Cherries= Almond Cherry Crumble.

My mother has a fascination with farming/gardening. The older I get the more I do too. So when a farmer said he had too many sour cherries that needed picking, my mom jumped on the opportunity to glean. Now sour cherries are pouring out of our fridge. Sadly, plain ol' sour cherries are simply too sour for human consumption (in my opinion at least). So naturally I scanned all kinds of dessert recipes and mixed a couple ideas to formulate a sweet concoction.

However, it turns out cherries from a farm are full of pits (shocking, right?). So I got all Colonial and pit them myself. 45 minutes later I decided I qausi-love the Industrial Revolution and every kind of crop machinery in the world.


What You Need
Filling
4 cups of sour cherries
3/4 cups of sugar (if you have sweet cherry's cut this sugar amount in half)
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp cornstarch
Topping
1 cup flour
1/2cup sliced almonds
3/4 cup chilled butter
3/4 cup sugar
3 tbsp milk
3/4 tsp almond extract

What To Do
-Preheat that oven to 350
-In mixing bowl combine sour cherries, sugar, and cornstarch. Gently stir until cornstarch and sugar dissolve. Pour cherry mix into a 8X8 baking pan.
-In seperate bowl combine flour, sugar, and almonds. Cut butter in cubes and put in the mix. Should be all loose and crumbly.
-Add in milk and almond extract. Stir it all up.
-Toss crumbles all over the top of the mix. Spread it out so it covers all of the cherries. Some small holes are fine.
-Bake for 40-45 minutes. Cherries should be all bubbly and crust should be almost golden. Let cool. Enjoy!

My dad's new book. All kinds of awesome.

The picture above is the author's copy of my dad's new book! The book is due out in August. I have already started reading through it this morning and I love it so far. He discusses the religiously pluralistic culture that Jesus lived in & the many ways it resembles the culture we live in today. Then he points out the different ways Jesus loved, interacted with, and taught people from all different backgrounds and religious viewpoints. All throughout he examines our modern culture and the way that Jesus would interact with each one of us. He challenges us to love and interact with people in real and unique ways. So far super practical and incredibly enlightening.

My dad just so happens to live it. He loves people in ways that are unique to their values and background. He talks about deer & elk with the hunters (even though he has only shot one deer ever, and it was in the leg). He performs weddings and funerals (at no cost) for people that have never stepped into a church. He spends time with the Boy Scout dad's, the talented & gifted, the societal "odd-balls", the socially awkward, the CEO's, the churched, the unchurched. He listens really well; so well that it is hard to get him to leave any get-together. He asks excellent questions that get to the core. He is genuinely intrigued by every single person that he encounters. And he knows how to love people well. I am an incredibly lucky lady to have such a father.

Gift Bag Tags. Or something like that.

Grown-ups still do arts and crafts. We just rename the activity so it becomes entirely too sophisticated to be associated with our memories from fourth grade art class. We call it "knitting," "card-making," and "Creative Memories." But, really it all still centers around glue, paper, yarn, and glitter.

I never have grown out of arts and crafts, in fact I keep growing into them. I used to do a made-up craft show called the "Whatchamackalite Show" with my little brother. Being the awesome little brother that he is, he kept participating to humor his dorky older sister (8 years his senior) until he got much too old for a made up TV show. I had an audience and a song and I made crafts. Lots of crafts. I tried to make more grown up crafts but always defaulted to using clay made of flour & salt and painting with acrylic paint and 29 cent paint brushes.

With all my weddings this summer I decided to make little gift tags. This dough is also perfect for Christmas ornaments. The recipes for such is super easy:

MIX:
4 cups of all purpose flour
1 cup of salt
1 1/2 cup water

Once you have got a grainy & doughy consistency start making the shapes you want. I made heart-shaped bag tags so I used a heart shaped cookie cutter. Lay creations out on a cookie sheet and bake for 4-5 hours at 300 degrees. (check on periodically for firmness). After baking, let creations sit on a wire-cooling rack for a while. When it comes to painting, I use acrylic. I am sure lots of other kinds of paint would work. Once the paint is dry I cover with mod podge or sealant to give a glossy finish.

Enjoy! Let the inner 10-year old emerge. Nothing like flour and salt and paint to accomplish such a mission.

An LBK Vacay!

Sitting in the Lubbock International Airport about to board my flight to Albuquerque then to Denver. Somehow this airport got the name "International" but only sends planes around TX and to Vegas. Maybe El Paso counts?

Anyways, it was a Texas ten star weekend visiting Marshall and friends in Lubbock. Driving range, drive-in movie, pool, tennis, winery tour, Bar-b-que, Las Brisas (not to be confused with La Diosa's), Fourth of July (minus fireworks...due to flooding), Sheri's and Sheri's cute puppies, The Moore's, the McMahan's, and the Buschman's incredible hospitality.

I wanted the weekend to be relaxing and fulfilling. Check yes on both. I am an incredibly blessed lady with a cute boyfriend who humors my ability to use words that don't exist (even when I think they do) and encourages me to take risks, work hard, and love Jesus more & more. Plus, he is super fun to hang out with.

To end an incredible weekend with a bang I made chicken parmigiana. I have recently fallen in love with "The Pioneer Woman's" recipes. She puts together killer meals and the instructions are super easy to follow...simple enough that I don't screw up and forego a necessary ingredient (ie. brownies without eggs)

Here is the link: I suggest you try it...especially if you want to impress a real Italian and you're just a Norwegian.

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2009/10/chicken-parmigiana/

A CD or frisbee?

As a high schooler I spent all my money on CD's, Chipotle burritos, & AE graphic tees. If only I could return my CD collection and get cold, hard cash. I would be able to live in my apartment for a couple months and buy some canned soups (yep, the thrilling life of a law student).

No, I don't hate music. In fact I love, love, love music. I just spent entirely too much money on Teddy Gieger & O*Town (Don't judge, I was 17). But with time developing my expert "scroungyness" I discovered that free music abounds in this world. Here are my favorite places to find music so you don't have to spend your grocery money:

* The local library. This is my personal favorite, especially the Boulder Public Library. Tons of excellent CD's and you can check out five at a time. I grab artists I have never even heard of. I have discovered some real gems...as well as the occasional "William Hung."

* Starbucks Pick of the Week. Every Tuesday Starbuck's places little cards on their counter with codes on the back for free music. Download it, usually really good stuff.

* iTunes free weekly download. Every Tuesday on the bottom bar of the iTunes store it has a "Free Music Section". Some excllent music, some just downright bizarre.

* Friends with keen music tastes. I did not chose my best friends based on music, but one would think I had. I have a couple friends that must be in some kind of "Black Market Awesome Music Club." (Yep, that is you, Kimp and Fritz). Everytime I go to their house I bring an empty CD to download tunes from their computer.

The Top of the Barrel

Ally married Mickey on Sunday! Phenomenal wedding and equally as phenomenal of a couple. It was a Big (not fat) Greek Wedding, complete with much "Opha's," ouzo, and cheers. Plus, enough dancing to make even my rib cage sore (I still don't know what kind of dance move does that?) So much love in one room that I wish I could have bottled it up and sold it on the black market.

Got me thinking about the people placed in my life. Makes me feel a little spoiled. Actually a lot spoiled. I can't even start with how blessed I am because of my tremendous family (that is for another post). I will start with my BEEFS. Meeting the BEEFs in college made my whole time there so much more full than I could ever imagine. Three friends who know my heart, understand my humor and embrace my traveling/showering habits. Three friends who know how to be real and wise and witty all within the same conversation. Seeing the first BEEF get married is another big moment for me. Good thing we got a lifetime of "firsts" to live through together. Forever friendship is like nutella/white chocolate wedding cake...so delicious you contemplate sneaking into the kitchen and throwing the rest in your purse.

B&P's Wedding Weekend!

Yep, my fabulous lil sister married a wonderful man at a grand celebration! I think that sums it up rather nicely. But seriously an incredible weekend. Family bar-b-ques (yes, plural) and wedding cake and people, people, people...it was all lovely! Priscilla was stunning; seriously "Bridal Magazine" photo album worthy. B&P (Not BP...lest your mind goes directly to the gulf oil spill) are such a pair. Couldn't be happier for my little sister....Priscilla Dodsworth!

Although this blog is not designed to be wedding, wedding, wedding. The reality is I got 9 weddings this summer. Which is f-a-b-u-l-o-u-s. Especially considering my favorite dessert is wedding cake and my favorite pastime is dancing like a sorority girl. I could not be more excited!

No Longer M.I.A.

I guess my hiatus lasted a little longer than expected. Turns out summer is pretty busy as well. However, busy in many wonderful ways...grad parties, family time, catching up with friends, and work. Since the end of finals the most I have read is a recipe and various street signs. Hopefully, I will pick up a fun book sometime soon. However, considering I am currently sitting in the biggest library in CO (the Denver Public Library) and have no desire to browse the shelves means that I still haven't fully recovered from "reading overload."

Hiatus

In an effort to learn everything there is to know about Constitutional Law, Property, and Criminal Law I will be taking a short blogging hiatus. Rest assured I will be back May 11th. In fact, I will be back better than ever because it will be officially...summer!

An Easter Day Treat

Lovely Easter. Church in the morning, bar-b-que for lunch, studying at the law library, and homemade pesto pizza (recipe to follow), grilled asparagus, and this little treat (pic to the left).

I found this recipe called "Jesus' Tomb" my curiosity peaked and I decided I had to try such a dessert. It turned out to be absolutely fantastic. Plus, it is super easy to make.

All you need:

1 (8 ounce) package refrigerated crescent rolls
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
8 large marshmallows
1/4 cup butter, melted

Separate rolls into eight triangles. Combine sugar and cinnamon. Dip each marshmallow into butter, roll in cinnamon-sugar and place on a triangle. Pinch dough around marshmallow, sealing all edges.

Dip tops of dough into remaining butter and cinnamon-sugar. Place with sugar side up in greased muffin cups. I put mine in a cake pan and poured the remaining butter on top.

Bake at 375 degrees for 13 to 15 minutes. Eat warm. Be amazed.

An Intro to Simplicity.

I am an obsessive journal writer. Not only do I obsessively journal, I obsessively reference my journal; as if it has opinions to add to any given conversation. However, without fail, every time I start a new journal I get nervous. The first entry is under the strictest scrutiny and sets the essential groundwork for the remainder of the book. I guess that same silly pressure comes with a first blog post. So here goes nothing...

I am always looking for my ways to live more simply. NOT in the plain, dull, and boring definition of the word. Rather, I am looking for freedom from complexity, pretentiousness, and stress. I want my life to flow out of priorities that match what is really important. Loving and living simply, yet with great depth.

My quest for the next simple adventure led me from Colorado to Lubbock, TX to be a law student at Texas Tech. Although, law school is far from simple, I wanted other areas of my life to be. I came with 8 boxes, 2 of which were food that I raided from my home pantry. I moved into an efficiency apartment in which I can sit on my bed and reach the stove to boil an egg, simultaneously. In an effort to live on ten dollars I day (including rent) I decided against a TV, internet, or a buying a car. Minimizing the stuff in my life has helped give me perspective. However, I still got a ways to go. So this blog is designed to be a remainder to me of what is important, eternal, and worthwhile.

So this is my essential groundwork: To eliminate the complexities in my life that so frequently distract me from the people and things that matter. To tune out machines in favor of people. To savor the moments of true, momentary contentment. To eliminate unnecessary spending by discovering cheap and chic ways to save. To find recipes that are delicious without giving me a "direction" induced headache. The make the study of law a palatable and practical tool for my future. To bask in thankfulness for the over-abundance of good things and people in my life.

Most importantly: Happy Easter! He is risen. Thank you, Jesus. All to you I owe.