This season is not helping me move a smaller body mass across the half-marathon finish line...

Ok. There is something about Easter candy. I would wager it is the most alluring of all seasonal treats, Thanksgiving and Christmas included. Thanksgiving is just one day and Christmas treats are abundant, but non-specific. Check out the usual suspects that Easter rounds up:














Cadbury Creme Eggs. Classic. Some people say they're too sweet; I say they're just right.





Cadbury Caramel Eggs. Potentially even better than the creme eggs, if such a thing were possible.



The Cadbury Train continues with Cadbury Mini Eggs (and two thumbs way up for the Cadbury family...you make my life a better place). These have been sitting in a bowl on my desk for two days and I'm fairly certain I've eaten 90% of them. I'm also fairly certain that the devil himself laid them. They are that addicting.



Holy peanut butter overload. It's twice the goodness of a Reese's PB cup in one delicious egg-shaped package!




This, my friends, is a Snickers egg. If you are unfamiliar with it, become acquainted as soon as humanly possible. These delicacies were recently introduced into my life and I desperately wish we had met sooner.



No wonder the robins come back in the spring! It's specifically to roost in these nests...and then eat them.



Jackpot: Russell Stover Eggs. Any variety is fair game, but it is my personal conviction that the Raspberry Creme ones are the best, with coconut and strawberry following close behind (on my behind) in second place. 



Let's not forget about Peter Rabbit, the founding father of Easter candy. No wonder there are so many viable confectionery options considering the multiplicity habits of rabbits.

And here's the best part: we are only scratching the surface, people! The myriad of Easter candy I'd be happy to see in my basket is really unquantifiable (jelly beans and peeps excluded...I know it's unorthodox but I just don't like them).

Did I miss anyone's favorite? Shout it out if so, and be sure to enjoy the bounty of goodness that awaits at your local CVS sometime over the next few days. It's too good to miss out on!

Back on the face of the earth

Oh. My. Land.

Let's recap: since the last time I've posted, I've driven an incalculable number of miles, worked an incalculable number of hours, and consumed an incalculable number of Mini Cadbury Eggs. A girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do...and the Cadbury Eggs were necessary to my (and all surrounding living creatures') survival. Trust me.

So here's the real recap:
1. While driving mile 49872348728 last week, I was listening to positive, encouraging, K-LOVE and heard new artist Audrey Assad interviewed. Not only was her interview intriguing (saving me from prolonged-travel-brain-drain), but her music is phenomenal. I've been listening to her playlist on MySpace ever since and can't wait for her EP to come out on May 11!

2. It's currently 35 degrees. In 48 hours, it's supposed to be 70. That's right: doubled. And I will be doubled over with delight. 

3. AND the update you've all been waiting for...I finally found rainboots!!!

They are size 2/3, and they are boy's. And that's that.

It's going to be a beautiful week, people. Beautiful weather, beautiful season, beautiful hope we have in Easter's celebration. Can't wait. 

Treasured Memories

Last weekend, my parents went down to Pennsylvania to help my aunt move out of her house. In the process they went through a lot of old stuff which they were kind enough to bring back home and share with me. And now I will share it with you.

The first item was an envelope of letters that I had sent to my aunt through the years. Apparently I only thought of her on Thanksgiving, since every single card was a Happy Thanksgiving!!! card. And apparently, I never learned how to spell "aunt" throughout the duration of my childhood, since I continually referred to her as "Dear Anut Emily." (Dear Aunt Emily, if you are reading this, I do not think you are a nut.) But besides the timing and the spelling, the best part by far was the following: "Dear Anut Emily, Sorry I haven't written lately! This letter is going to be real short because the mail is coming any minute now! Do you like my stationary? We got a color printer so I made it myself! Is there anything new happening lately? Nothing here!" Short, sweet, and replete with 90's enthusiasm.

The second treasure was a box filled with my mom's momentos - photos, letters, etc. One of the standout articles was her driver's ed certificate, which was nothing if not a cautionary tale against ever letting your child get behind the wheel. This paragraph pretty much sums up the doom and gloom: "The automobile is today an essential part of our everyday life. Our children will be using one in their business or for pleasure until they die. How quickly they reach their graves may depend upon how competent and safe their driving is. Won't you help them?" Seeing as how my mom has totaled 5 cars since that letter was issued, the death proclamation didn't quite achieve its desired effect.

Moral of the story: keep anything that contains writing. It's literally priceless, and is guaranteed to make you laugh at some point down the road...a lot.

Thank you, Stillwater, thank you.

So this week I'm out on travel for admissions. My first stop tonight was Stillwater High School...a place I thought I had never visited before. Au contraire. I had, in fact, never actually visited Stillwater High School...but I've attempted. The memory of being endlessly lost on back roads before the GPS era entered my life and having to call the school to cancel my visit came screaming back to me as I turned onto said doomed road once again this evening. Lucky for me, all I had to do tonight was follow a purple line, so I arrived safe, sound, and undismayed. I would have been happy with just that.

However, I ended up with so much more. My prize for actually finding the school this time around was AMAZING. Hands down the best thanks-for-coming gift I've ever received at a college fair. I'd start to explain it, but I'd end up in hysterics again, so I'll just show you:

Wait for it...wait for it...

I almost popped a blood vessel when I opened it and beheld the glory before my eyes. A whole booklet filled with multi-colored post-its notes?!?! Do you know how many of those I go through in a year?! A month?! A DAY?!?!?!?! Oh, so many. I flag pretty much everything I read. Hence my unparalleled enthusiasm.

And as if that wasn't enough...they also gave us CHOCOLATES. I would show you those too...but they didn't last long. So...here's the box:

Thank you, Stillwater High School, thank you. You made my day. And maybe my month too, all things considered.

It's spring. I have proof.

This weekend, spring sprung in my apartment. It sprung here:



And here:



And here:



And a little bit here...



...something about the combination of ginger and fluffy white frosting seemed springlike to me...and that was all the reason I needed to whip up a batch of these Gingerbread Sandwich Cookies. They remind me of the Little Debbie cookies, except these won't survive a nuclear holocaust or still be perfectly preserved 100 years post-production. That, and they're way better. Sorry, Little Debbie. But you still rock the Swiss Cake Rolls better than anybody, so not to worry.

And even though it's about 38 degrees and windy and raining and freezing outside of my window, all of these things remind me that it is in fact the second day of spring, even if Western NY is trying to prove it isn't.

There's good news, and there's bad news

The good news is that, thanks to the ever-reliable Pioneer Woman, I encountered a wonderful organization called the International Princess Project. I am about 190% ready to hop the next plane to California and be a double-full-time volunteer for this awesome initiative, which provides opportunities for women previously enslaved by prostitution. In their own words, "International Princess Project advocates for women enslaved in prostitution, helping them restore their lives and empowering them to live free. Through various initiatives, International Princess Project both helps partner organizations increase capacity and provides direct support for women in need." 

Their product, Punjammies, are beautiful, hand-crafted pajamas, all of the profits from which go directly to aftercare support for the rescued women. Most of the items on the site are sold out right now - I'm assuming due to the deluge of traffic PW brought in by posting about them on her blog - but I will definitely be checking back again soon to purchase a pair or 200.

The bad news is that last night I was making pizza. That's usually bad news in and of itself, but last night it was even worse because when I opened up the bottle of pizza sauce, it literally exploded. It was like opening up a can of soda that had been dropped - we are talking a 5 foot circumference of sauce here. All over my kitchen. And my white shirt, which is now white with artistic orange splatters. It was at this point that I ascertained that the sauce had gone bad. I settled for sauceless pepperoni bagel pizzas, which were surprisingly quite good. So technically, this is just good news disguised as bad news.

And that's just the kind of news I like best...other than regular no-nonsense good news. You really can't beat that.  

Cheer on, sports fans.

I love sports. (And since God did not endow me with Olympic...or Little League...worthy athletic ability, that statement pertains mostly to spectating, although I do love playing/giving other players a free target for mockery.) Football has my heart, but watching any form of competition is one of my favorite things (this excludes Nascar racing...I can't watch a car drive around in circles for hours).

So I was beyond excited to read an article entitled Deeper Lessons of March Madness on Relevant magazine's website. It completely resonates the reasons why I, and millions of people, find so much enjoyment in sports. Here's my favorite part:

You know the moment in a basketball game when your team is down by a dozen or so points, but makes a run and brings it to within two? And then the crowd rises to its feet, loudly cheering, and the team gets a new bounce in its step, hitting a long three to take the lead? That moment, with the deafening noise and dispirited opponents losing control—is a moment when you can touch the glory, where you glimpse—dare I say it—the divine. You get goosebumps, you slap a stranger’s hand, and you raise your voice to the rafters for the glory to continue.

In these moments I envision God smiling at us humans and thinking, they are feeling it in small doses. Unfortunately, many of us leave these sporting “highs” without thinking that maybe they point to something greater that surrounds us. What if sport really is a gift from God? What if the blessings of sport are only a fraction of what is available to us? I think it probably saddens God when the good things in life—sports, natural beauty, art, etc—are cheapened and seen only as ends unto themselves; not as the signposts to a greater grace that exists in the world.

The full article is definitely worth a read, sports fan or not. Let March Madness, and sincere appreciation for God's innumerable signs of love for us, begin!

Green Machine

Just a quick look at the glory that was my desk today:

That's right. It's basically Greenland.

And the best part:

And as long as we're on the subject of my desk, this just found it's way home:

And there you have it: the greener pastures of my celebratory cubicle. It's been a good day.

The 2nd best day of the year!!!

I LOVE St. Patrick's Day. So much, in fact, that it ties with Super Bowl Sunday as my 2nd favorite day of the entire year (Christmas has a deadlock on 1st). And here are the lucky 7 reasons why I love St. Patrick's Day:

1. I spent well over half of my life as an Irish Dancer. Please see the blinding, sequined proof below:
 

2. Little known fact: March Madness applies to both basketball players and Irish dancers alike. March was the month of endless shows and festivals, of dancing in parades/grocery stores/radio shows/psych wards/music halls/elementary schools. Usually over the course of 72 hours. It was wonderful.

3. It's the greenest day of the year!!! Everything and everyone adopts a little green for the day. And for this lover of all things green, it's a beautiful sight to be seen.

4. Shamrock Shakes, green frosted cupcakes and cookies, mint brownies, and about a thousand other delicacies sure to send you into a sugar coma are not only allowed, but are enthusiastically consumed on St. Patrick's Day.

5. It's exactly one month until my birthday (which, this year, is a sad reminder that I'm running a half-marathon in one month...and a reminder to run off the aforementioned treats in #4 after work).

6. Because of my ardent love for the day, wonderful people who are too good to me make the day extra special. Case in point: this morning, my amazing friend Marissa stopped by my office and brought me about a million wonderful things including but not limited to a Shamrock Shake, shamrock socks, an "Irresistible Irish" pin, and...the most amazing combination of my two favorite days...a leprechaun snow globe!!! Can we all just say together, holy Irish goodness. What a way to start the day. Thank you, Marissa!!!

7. And last but not least, I get to go on ad nauseum, like this, about how much I love St. Patrick's Day all day long. And play Irish music. And wear all green. And love being Irish. I do all of things every day, but today is the day to celebrate!!!

So please do me a favor and enjoy this day. Eat something with green frosting, listen to a little Great Big Sea, and watch the Irish Dancers on the evening news. And if nothing else...enjoy the fact that St. Patrick's Day means the coming of spring! It's right around the corner!

Free Rice

I can't take complete credit for this shout-out. Although I did know about the Free Rice website in college, leave it to none other than the Pioneer Woman to remind me of it again today.

This website is AWESOME. For every question you answer correctly, they donate 10 grains of rice to people in need through the World Food Programme. Back in the day, they only asked vocabulary questions, but now you can choose a topic to be quizzed on - everything from geography to algebra to foreign languages! It's so wonderful! You're learning AND helping people...it's the perfect combination!!!

Try it out, get addicted, feed some people and your brain at the same time!

Raindrops are fallin' on my head (and feet)

Yesterday I decided to go shopping for rainboots...finally, after 5 years of living in the land of near-constant precipitation. So off to Target I went. Being a woman in my mid-twenties, I thought it rational to head to the women's section and try these on:



Then I remembered that I have the feet of a fourth grader. So off to the kid's section I went. And this is what I found:



Now if you've known me for longer than 5 minutes, you know that a hot pink polka dot number is about the last thing on earth I'd be caught wearing. Also, my wardrobe has advanced beyond the flourescent stage, so these just wouldn't do.

Next:



Nothing says "rainy days got me down" quite like skull and crossbones boots. Not exactly the sentiment I'm going for. I plow on:



Does anyone remember Rainbow Bright? I'm pretty sure these are her boots. For the probably of me donning them, please refer back to children's option #1.

And last but not least:



Which is the clear choice if you are stalking someone in the rain. Or in the Amazon.

And so I settled on these:



Clearly the practical choice, since they won't hit the Western NY pavement for another 3 months or so. Year 6 of soggy soles it is!

Apple/Mac Generation Gap

Last night I went to the Apple store to attend a workshop about how to use my new Macbook. On the way there I called my dad. Conversation was as follows:

Me: I'm going to the Apple store for that Mac class.
Dad: What?
Me: I'm going to the Apple store to take a Mac class.
Dad: I hope it turns out!
Me: What?
Dad: (Uncontrollable laughter.)

Turns out my dad thought I was going to the mall to take a cooking class, resulting in some sort of apple-related confection i.e. an apple pie or candy apple. Hence his well-wishes. But by mid-conversation he realized what I was actually talking about, and thought it hysterical. I did too.

Because really...one would think that an apple/mac conversation should pertain to fruit. Stranger things have happened.

Thank you, NFL Rewind

Let's talk about something.

The something in question is the predicament facing those who work out at the gym during after-dinner hours. At this point in the day, the remote controls for the TV's have been scattered throughout the facility which leaves the night owls at the mercy of the early birds' channel choices.

It can get ugly.

Such was the case last night. While pedaling away with determined fury I looked up to see Uma Thurman on the TV screen. My entertainment expectations were humbled a bit by this, but not completely squelched. The squelching took place when Uma's body bursts into bloody bits and starts attacking people. And commanding itself to wiggle it's big toe. And then continues attacking people, but this time in animation form. (If you have not seen Kill Bill, this is my official endorsement: don't see it. You will have very odd dreams afterward.)

Needless to say, this was not the inspirational documentary I was craving. I did not want to kill Bill nor did I want to see Bill killed.

When I was finally able to tear my eyes from the wreckage, I realized that the TV next to Blood Bath Central was playing a football game from 1994! Dan Marino in all his sprightly glory against the Drew-Bledsoe-led Patriots! Praise God from whom all blessings flow; I was never happier to watch a live event that look place 16 years ago.

Thank you, NFL Rewind, for saving my workout entertainment options from their disturbing alternatives. I, and my non-violent psyche, am ever so grateful.

The happiest place of all

I love Disney World. And today I learned why.

This semester I'm leading a book study on Donald Miller's new book A Million Miles in a Thousand Years (which, if you haven't read it, is absolutely worth a read). It's about telling a "good story" with our lives - one that is meaningful and adventurous and challenging. As I was making up the worksheet for this week, I was struck by this quote: "I asked Bob what was the key to living such a great story...he thought about it and said he didn't think we should be afraid to embrace whimsy. I asked him what he meant by whimsy, and he struggled to define it. He said it's the nagging idea that life could be magical; it could be special if we were only willing to take a few risks."

The place that instantly came to mind after reading that quote was Disney World. I went for the first time when I was a junior in college, and even at the age of 20 I was still awestruck with childlike wonder at how magical everything is there (they don't call it the Magic Kingdom for nothing!). It's a place that embodies the spirit of childhood: the belief that everything is not only possible, but also special, enchanting, whimsical. There is something about Disney World that makes you feel good about life.

As a Christian, I feel like the appeal of Disney World is something that God has put in our hearts to remind us that we were made for something more. It's the same appeal that draws us to the beauty of nature, poetry, children, and so many other wonderful things (which for me, includes coffee...and chocolate...and all food :)). All of this reminds me of the verse in Ecclesiastes that says, "He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end." I love the phrase "set eternity in our hearts." I love knowing that there's a piece of me that was created to yearn for eternity.

I think that the nagging feeling that life could be magical is real and exists to draw us into a relationship with our Savior so that one day we can spend eternity with him in the happiest place of all. And I think that is something beautiful. 

I'm a Mac

Tonight, I dumped the guy on the left and started going on with the guy on the right:


That's right...I've officially made the big switch. It will take Mac and me some time to get to know each other, but for now we are head over heels in the blissful honeymoon state. Just the fact that I don't hear my computer running with a sound akin to industrial turbines makes me giddy. I'm pretty sure I've always been a Mac a heart...and today I took the plunge and committed.

I'm stopping now before this gets any cheesier. Moral of the story: I am one happy, Mac-lovin woman. Thank you, Lord!!!

Everlasting Peanut Butter Love

It started out humbly, like this:

And ended up regally, like this:

And it was quite possibly the best (and least challenging) pie I've ever made. Thank you, Pioneer Woman, for yet another satisfying recipe. This Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie will stay emblazoned in my memory, and in my midsection, for a long time to come.

Reality check from a friend: priceless

Friends are the people who tighten our grasp on reality. And that's what old college roommates and Gmail chat are for: 

Me:  do you think i could get a job as a traveling photographer/blogger/baker/runner/counselor. 
because that would be ideal. 
Jennifer:  ummm 
Me:  i think i'd like to put all of my interests in a blender and have them come out as a job. 
kind of like a smoothie. 
Jennifer:  yes well... 

I know. It's a stretch. If anyone else has any ideas about what should be going into my occupational blender, please feel free to share.

The time has come.

Sometimes, I get really sad about my building getting torn down at the end of the year. It's my first real apartment and we've come such a long way together, navigating this crazy decade of transition known as the 20's.

But then I go to bed at night and hear the squirrels romping above me. And my goodnight prayers consist of, "Lord, please don't let me get rabies." And then I wake up in the morning and hear the birds chirping in the rafters a foot away from my window (and when it's 6:00am it's not chirping, it's squawking). And then I get into the shower to either no water pressure or no hot water or no cold water or a randomized, keeps-me-guessing combination of all three. And then I walk down the stairs and see the gigantic hole in the stairway, the same hole that held the nail I had tried to put through the wall upstairs in my bathroom before discovering the walls were literally paper thin by putting the head of my hammer entirely through the wall.

And in these short moments between sleeping and waking, I understand...and am in full agreement with the health department's landlord's decision to demolish. It's time.

The epitaph will read, "Packers fan goes down smiling."

I'm fairly certain that all signs of life ceased when I saw this:

And this:
  
Yet it is those intangibles that had Packers coach Mike McCarthy and even general manager Ted Thompson expressing what I believe to be honestly glowing assessments of Tebow's potential. Remember, McCarthy and Packers quarterbacks coach Tom Clements provided the modern template for developing a young quarterback prospect during two years with Aaron Rodgers. Among the improvements they made was smoothing out Rodgers' throwing motion, now considered one of the prettiest (and most successful) in the NFL. 

According to my colleagues who attended the combine interview sessions, McCarthy admitted he doesn't know enough about Tebow to make a full evaluation yet. But, McCarthy said, "I would definitely love to coach him."

McCarthy added: "I think the guy's a winner, just the way he plays the game. I know a lot's being said about his mechanics. Just the way he approaches the game of football, I think he'll do everything he needs to do to improve. But you look for football players. And his record in college, I think, speaks for itself. But I'd love the opportunity to work with a Tim Tebow."

Please Lord, let it be so. And let me find a dairy truck on its way to Wisconsin that I can jump into. 

The joy of Wisconsinian answering machines

I just heard what was perhaps the most glorious answering machine message in the history of answering machine messages. While placing a call to Wisconsin to speak with a prospective student, I encountered the following after the beep:

"Allllllllllllllright. For the last time, we know that Brett Favre is playing for the Vikings. We're over it. If you want to leave a message for (lists names of family members), feel free. If you want to leave a message about Brett Favre and the Vikings, call somebody who cares."

And that's when I found my soulmates. In Wisconsin. Via answering machine.