Blaahg

Oh man. I don't know how well this blog thing is going for me. I feel like I have a hard time writing authentically because I know I have an audience. It was the same way with keeping a journal. I always thought about my kids/grandkids reading it so, things became a little forced. I feel pressure to be witty, clever, etc. I can do this in person, but I have a hard time translating it into writing I analyze too much, but if you know me...you already know this. 'nuff said.


About a month ago my sister and her family came to visit and we went to Disneyland, and I might have had more fun than the kids did. It was much more crowded than we expected, but we were able to capitalize on having 3 adults and fast-passes and packed the day full of rides and met loads of characters. I was never a "Disney" kid growing up...in fact I thought I was "too cool for Disney." But a strange thing happened and I found myself mesmerized when I stood face to face with the Mad Hatter, Alice, Queen of Hearts, and the Evil Queen from Snow White. Since it was October, Disneyland was showcasing their villains. I loved it. I think everyone has a sort of fondness for dark things. Why else would we love dressing up as witches and skeletons and tell ghost stories?


But my favorite part of Disneyland? Bonding with this kid....


I don't get to see him much and I doubt he even remembered who I was, but we became fast friends. I love my niece and nephews and I pretty much arrange my holidays around them.

Forever Young

My sister Erin emailed me two poems that my niece Sophie wrote the other day. She just barely turned 9. I don't think I even knew what a poem was when I was 9 and I think my first attempt at one in 4th grade English had something to do with a paper cutter being like a tiger. In fact, I think it was a haiku. Paltry compared to her verse.

But Sophie isn't like other little girls. She doesn't like loads of girly stuff or what ever the Disney Channel is slinging. At 4.5yrs she loved dinosaurs. I took her to the Thanksgiving Point Dinosaur museum where she shocked me by looking at the skeletons of these huge lizards and listing off their names: Dimetrodon, Iguanodon, and Archeopteryx. Did I mention she was only 4.5? I looked for the name plates to make sure she was right and thought she might be able to visually associate the name (she couldn't possibly be able to read dinosaur names at under 5yrs could she?) with the dinosaur. The name plates were on the far end of the exhibit...too far for anyone to read. This tyke knew her stuff. She got all of them right. I was even more impressed because these weren't your run of the mill dinosaurs like the Triceratops, T-Rex or even the Stegosaurus.

At this time she also loved ghost stories and preferred to have them as her bed-time stories. Of course they were never too scary, but spooky enough for a 4.5 year old. I was surprised by her requests.

A few months later my sister told me a story about how they had been driving to their local Rec Center when Sophie (now 5) recited a poem that she had written.

I died for what I had not known
I didn't see the girl coming to squash me
I am dead
I am dead
I am dead

At first Erin didn't believe her and asked her if she learned it in school (Halloween was coming up) or heard it somewhere else. But Sophie explained that the poem was about a fly that she had squashed in the car. She also explained that when you said "I am dead" it got quieter each time. Huh? What? Since when do 5 year-olds use that type of syntax? I don't even know what to call that type of sentence structure. So you see, Sophies' creativity started early.

The following summer Sophie composed a song. Again, Erin didn't quite believe that Sophie created it on her own, but she did. I don't remember all of the lyrics but it is sung with harmony and has depth. My sister took her to a Cowboy Poetry reading where she mustered up the courage to stand in front of seasoned poets and weathered cowboys to shyly sing her song.

Going back to her most recent poems. I called Erin almost immediately after I read them and asked for the story. Once again, Erin was a little skeptical on if Sophie had really written them. Poor girl, can't catch a break. When Erin asked about the "copper witches", Sophie told her casually that she just thought it sounded good, not recognizing the symbolism (pennies) that they have and how they make her fall to her knees. As far as a "lopper"? Well, she just made that word up because she liked it. When asked what it means, she replied, "it's kind of like a loser." Erin asked if they should change it to say "loser," but Sophie thinks "lopper" sounds better. So do I.

This girl is brilliant.

I didn't post her poems...yet...because I want her to get them published and I don't know if blogging them would interfere with her chances. Any suggestions?

Lake verNON

Ryan and I went backpacking in Yosemite last weekend. We were planning on a 5-6 day trip, but a friend and a huge Kid Theodore supporter, Kathy Carpenter, passed away unexpectedly and her funeral was on Monday. Our trip was shortened to 3 days. The first day we (Ryan) spent driving (I slept a majority of the time, having finished a string of shifts at the hospital). We stopped at a kitschy but admittedly cool road-side farm/market/fruit stand and had BBQ'd tri-tip sandwiches, fed the chickens, and pet the rabbits and goats. They had wine and cheese tasting (we only tasted the cheese), artisan foods and loads of stuff for hipsters to Quilted Bear homemakers to rednecks alike.

Hetch Hetchy Reservoir

Unfortunately, we ended up having to back track an hour or two after missing our turn-off. We arrived late at Hetch Hetchy and slept under the stars at the backpackers campground at the trail head instead of hiking to Laurel Lake. We got an early start, bypassing Laurel Lake and headed straight to Lake Vernon. I speak for both of us when I say we soon found out we are out of shape (although round is a shape). The hike was a mere 10-ish miles in, which should have been a piece of cake considering my past hiking adventures. Granted the first half of the trail is a series of steep switchbacks, it felt like a struggle most of the way. It was also unseasonably hot. I deserve to have another excuse right? We didn't reach camp until 4pm (we hiked an extra 2 miles to see the winter trail shelter).




Face flies galore. Can you see them all? That's only half of them.



We passed on setting up the tent and slept under the stars again. I would ditch tents altogether, but storms and rumors of storms keeps me from doing it. I would take my bivy, but that would leave Ryan to fend for himself if it rained. It would be nice to get another one so we could minimize pack weight and have back-up in case the weather is foul. I miss my day's at REI when I could actually afford all of the new fandangled gear through pro-deals.


Since we lost a day driving and we had a funeral to attend, we packed up and hiked back out the very next morning. We made good time (downhill) and covered the distance in 4 hours.

We took the scenic route home and drove through Yosemite Valley and visited Bridalveil Falls, Fern Spring, and Glacier Point. We'll definitely be back for more. Hopefully in better shape and have more time.

Sore and blistered, Ryan couldn't jump very high

We drank straight from this spring... I hope we don't die.

Annecy Reina Merkley

I love this little girl. I wish she didn't live so far away so I could smother her with kisses and have her fall asleep on my chest. Ryan and I might have to make a trip up to Vancouver just to see her again. Dan and Marshawn make beautiful babies don't they? I say 'Encore!'



Dan gave her the most comprehensive and beautiful baby blessing I've ever heard. I doubt she'll ever need another one.


Congratulations Danny and Marshawn!

Bread Recipes

Below is the recipe for the crusty artisan loaf per Jessica's request. The original recipe was published in the New York Times. Watch the video on You Tube to get an idea of how the dough should look.

No-Knead Bread
1/4 tsp active dry yeast
1 1/2 cups warm water (I used 1 1/4...my first batch came out too soupy with 1 1/2)
3 cups all-purpose flour (I used bread flour), plus more for dusting. You may use white, whole wheat or a combination of the two.
1 1/2 tsp salt
Cornmeal or wheat bran for dusting (I just used extra flour)

1. Combine yeast, flour and salt, stirring until blended. Add water. The dough will be shaggy and sticky. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let the dough rest at least 8 hours, preferably 12 to 18, at warm room temperature, about 70 degrees.
2. The dough is ready when its surface is dotted with bubbles. Lightly flour a work surface and place dough on it. Sprinkle it with a little more flour and fold it over on itself once or twice. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let it rest for about 15 minutes.
3. Using just enough flour to keep the dough from sticking to the work surface or to your fingers, gently shape it into a ball. Generously coat a clean dish towel with flour, wheat bran or cornmeal. Put the seam side of the dough down on the towel and dust with more flour, bran or cornmeal (I skipped the towel part and left my dough on my cutting board...my first loaf stuck to the fibers too much). Cover with another towel and let rise for about 1 to 2 hours. When it’s ready, the dough will have doubled in size and will not readily spring back when poked with a finger.
4. At least 20 minutes before the dough is ready, heat oven to 475 degrees. Put a 6- to 8-quart heavy covered pot (cast iron, enamel, Pyrex or ceramic) in the oven as it heats. When the dough is ready, carefully remove the pot from the oven and lift off the lid. Slide your hand under the towel and turn the dough over into the pot, seam side up. The dough will lose its shape a bit in the process, but that’s OK. Give the pan a firm shake or two to help distribute the dough evenly, but don’t worry if it’s not perfect; it will straighten out as it bakes. (This whole process is to trap in the steam to make a chewy crusty bread. I can't afford the $100+ for a decent dutch oven so I bucked up $30 and got a pizza stone instead. To create the steam I put my broiler pan on the bottom rack and added a cup of water and quickly shut the oven door to trap the steam. I found this trick here.)
   
5. Cover and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the lid and bake another 15 to 20 minutes, until the loaf is beautifully browned (or 30 minutes total with a pizza stone). Remove the bread from the Dutch oven and let it cool on a rack for at least 1 hour before slicing.

Buttermilk Bread (Good Housekeeping Cook Book)
1/4 cup warm water
1 pkg active dry yeast
1 tsp plus 1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups buttermilk (I reconstituted powdered buttermilk)
8 T butter or margarine
2 tsp salt

1. In large bowl, combine warm water, yeast, and 1 teaspoon sugar; stir to dissolve. Let mixture stand until foamy, about 5 minutes.
   
2. Meanwhile, in 1-quart saucepan, combine buttermilk, 6 tablespoons butter, and remaining 1/4 cup sugar; heat over medium-low heat until warm. Add buttermilk mixture, salt and 4 1/2 cups flour to yeast mixture; beat with wooden spoon until blended.
3. Turn dough onto lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes, working in enough of remaining 1/4 cup flour just to keep dough from sticking. Shape dough into ball; place in greased large bowl, turning dough to grease top. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let rise in warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.
4. Punch down dough. Turn doug onto lightly floured surface and cut in half; cover and let reast 15 minutes. Grease two 8 1/2" x 4 1/2" metal loaf pans.
5. Shape each dough half into rectangle about 9" x 6". Roll up from short side. Pinch seam nd ends to seal. Place, seam side down, in prepared pans. cover and let rise in warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.
6. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 375. Melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter. Just before baking, with serrated knife, cut a lengthwise 1/4-inch-deep slash in top of each loaf. Brush loaves with melted butter (I didn't worry about the shape and or slashing, nor did I butter it before baking and they still came out beautiful). Bake until golden and loaves sound hollow when lightly tapped on bottom, 25-30 minutes. Remove loaves from pans; cool on wire racks. Makes 2 loaves, 12 slices each.

Bread

Even though our week in Salt Lake seemed booked, I still had enough time to pick and bottle apricots and plums, and made jams, juice, and pie filling! I didn't particularly like helping my mom bottle fruit and make pie fillings and jams. Actually, I vividly remember spending most of a Saturday peeling apples and wishing I could go play. I dreamt of peeling apples that night. After I moved out I tried the store bought variety and they were never as good. I missed the rows and rows of colorful bottles of fruit in our basement growing up. I love the idea that I can save a little bit of summer in a bottle and eat it later when the landscape has lost all color. Nothing is better than homemade jam. Seriously. You name a flavor and it's better homemade. I love watching the bubbling pots of color knowing I'll be enjoying the flavors all winter long.

Now I needed some chewy crusty bread to eat with my homemade jam. But good bread is expensive, especially when your husband eats half a loaf in one sitting...okay I do too. For the last week I've scoured the world wide web and found a great recipe for artisan crusty bread that really works! It's super easy too. I failed on my first attempt because I sifted my flour so the dough was much too wet. But my 2nd and 3rd attempts turned out lovely. I can't wait to try adding some flavor to the basic recipe...sourdough, rosemary, kalmata olive...YUM!




*Sigh*

Summer.

Mee-shell

The first week of August Ryan and I drove back to Utah for the wedding of my former roommate and our Thailand travel buddy, Michelle. Conveniently our family's unknowingly planned several other events that week which included a family reunion, baptism, funeral (this one was not planned), baby blessing, and of course the wedding! The only things missing off of our list was a missionary farewell (later in August...sorry we can't make it Steve), and a divorce. How come people attend weddings but not divorces?

2 years ago, Michelle moved into the Harrison house sight unseen. Lucky for her she moved in with two of the coolest chicks in Salt Lake. *cough* Our first encounter, however, was not the best. On the morning of my last day of class, I woke up early to pop a pie I had made the night before into the oven. 20 minutes in, all I could smell was burning plastic. Someone had had a disaster the night before and didn't clean it up and now my pie was baking in the toxic fumes. Michelle was that poor someone. Somehow, a short year later I talked Michelle into coming to Thailand with me. Lucky for me, she has a forgiving heart and we had became great friends.




Congratulations Michelle and Tyler!

Stress Test

You know those stress tests that you can take? The one that ranks different stressors over the past year and rates your stress level accordingly? Well, I think mine is off the charts!

Ryan and I weren't planning on moving when he proposed. The market was down, interest rates were low...it seemed like a great idea. We bought a house. Ryan already had a house that we planned to rent. We were on our way to building our own real estate empire! One month after we had moved in, Kid Theodore decided that it was time to move to L.A. and take a shot at the big time. Ryan's band has been working hard for over three years and had recently won several contests that included a spot at a the CMJ Festival in New York, but we didn't think we'd be moving so soon. Of course this is the road that the band SHOULD take! They've got to go while there's a buzz!

The situation go sticky for us. We had started renovating. *groan* Stuff that we had planned to take our time on now had be finished by June! Had we left it alone, we could've rented the places and left. We had 2 homes to get rental ready and the best way to tackle it was for Ryan work full time on the properties while I worked. Poor Ryan. He worked his butt off, but I found out how talented my husband really is!

Meanwhile, I reworked my resume and applied for jobs in the L.A. area. Jobs were tight even for nurses, but I managed to get 5 interviews and 5 offers! I accepted a position at UCLA's PICU. I looked for apartments when I flew out for paperwork and drug testing. I found a bright 2 bedroom place in West Hollywood near the LaBrea Tar Pits and Little Ethiopia.

Here is a short list of some of what we accomplished before we left.

Denver Street
1. Landscaped the back yard jungle - tilled, re-sod, brick lined river rock pathway, & bark chips
2. Kicked out unsavory tennants dealing drugs
3. Deep cleaned house after unsavory tennants moved
4. Painted dining room, mud room, and 3 bed rooms
5. Rebuilt chimney
6. Painted eaves
7. Replaced rain gutters
8. Rebuilt porch steps with wood



Wilson Avenue
1. Ripped out old carpet from upstairs
2. Steamed off wall/ceiling paper, patched, sanded and painted living room, dining room, kitchen and bathroom
3. Painted kitchen cabinets and 2 bedrooms
4. Gutted the basement to the studs
5. Rebuilt basement to have 2 bedrooms and a bathroom plus storage in the laundry room (framed, plumbed, electrical, sheet rocked, taped, mudded, sanded, hung doors, nailed in baseboards)
6. New insulation throughout
7. Painted entire basement
8. Tiled basement bathroom
9. Carpeted basement bedrooms and hallway
10. New 90% efficient furnace/AC unit
11. Weeded flower beds and placed bark chips
12. Re-seeded area of lawn
13. Trimmed pine tree






I can't believe we pulled it off!

Just Ask and You'll Recieve...Beyond Your Wildest Dreams...

How many pictures is too many?

It was burning hot in the house.

Ryan jumped and jumped.

It was SOOOOO cold outside! It hurt my fingers to touch the side of the bus.

I have the coolest friends. See? A picture to prove it.

I still can't believe I found time to make the mural myself! A fan of Gustav Klimt. Branches were painstakenly wrapped by friends and family.

I prefer wedding pie.

Chaz Prymek




Music to my ears! A cover of a favorite and a perfect way to end the night and year!