Wisconsin: Goodbyes

I thoroughly enjoyed my trip, and saying goodbye was extremely difficult. I consoled myself in part by writing notes to my brother and stashing them around his kitchen. I also took a photo of his filled kitchen cabinet to remind myself that I was leaving him better stocked with food.

My flight out of Madison was early Friday morning, so Brother and I snapped a quick picture and then dashed out.

I flew through Denver this time and had a little shorter of a layover. Seeing the snow-capped mountains out the terminal window was fun.

Back in Phoenix, it was time to grab my luggage and head back up the hill. My poor college-era suitcase is in an even greater state of disrepair than when I started (read: full of plastic shards due to an ever-breaking-down hard shell), but it made it. The dog wasn't too interested in my coming home, but at least he was still there.

And that's a wrap for this my Wisconsin, aka @myarizonaadventure goes North.

Wisconsin: Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving Day dawned fairly late (at least for us 5 am risers) and started with a jog at the apartment gym, since I was too scared to go outside in the cold. Afterwards, I settled in with this muesli breakfast.

Brother eats frozen berries, granola, and yogurt every morning, and after trying it, I have to say he's onto something. I might need to add this into my breakfast rotation at home!

We finished the cookies and had a little time before we needed to cook dinner, so I asked Brother to bundle up and go for a walk outside with me. Lo and behold, the sun was out, and it was beautiful!

Brother lives downtown, so we had a nice walking path and some beautiful houses along the way. 

Thanksgiving dinner was ham, green beans, and mashed potatoes. The ham and mashed potatoes were great. The green beans (usually my favorite part) however, were lackluster. Oh well. We dished everything up and ate at the granite island in my brother's kitchen.

I took a nap post dinner. I know that's a "no-no," but I did it anyway, and enjoyed it. In lieu of dinner, we had dessert and coffee and played a game of Carcassonne.

One game of Carcassonne was enough for Brother, who has memorized most of the pieces. I, however, didn't want to call it a night, so I asked to do something else. He pulled up some Penn and Teller Fool Us re-runs and we watched those for awhile. Then I tried to console myself and pack up, as I needed to leave in the morning. That didn't work so well.

More on goodbyes tomorrow.

Wisconsin: Day 3

Day 3 was baking day! Brother graciously took the day off his real job, so we went to work in the kitchen. We indoctrinated the new mixer by making cheesecakes.

Then we prepped pie dough for a chai spice apple pie. I made the leftover pie dough into chai spice cinnamon rolls.

We started on white chocolate cranberry cookies, but had to pause because we realized that we had no baking soda. We managed to get lunch (leftover curry for me!) and finish the pie before walking to the movies.

I'll admit that I'm a baby about the cold, so when Brother offered his sherpa hat, I accepted. We laughed about my get-up and what brother dubbed "all the colors," but you know what? It worked. And I was in a better mood because I wasn't cold.

Brother and I have very different tastes in movie, so I was glad to find a movie we could both watch. Complicated movies make my head hurt, and for some reason, I always seem to get sleepy during the action scenes, but I actually enjoyed this movie.

Murder on the Orient Express is based on an Agatha Christie book and has quite the complicated plot. I had an existential response to the movie, wondering if it is ever okay for people to get a second chance because someone lies for them. You'll have to see the movie to understand what I mean.

We intended to go to pizza for dinner, but we were tired, and while at Target to pick up the forgotten baking soda and a can-opener, we decided to get frozen dinner food. I got a chicken broccoli alfredo steamer. Brother got a frozen pizza. Brother snacked before dinner and ended up only having corn. I had my full meal.

It was relaxing to eat at home and not cook, since we'd worked at that basically all day.

Wisconsin: Day 2

We rose bright and early Tuesday morning so that we could head to brother's work. He lives about 30 minutes away and arrives by 7 am. Hats off to him!

I crocheted and listened to podcasts while brother went to meetings. Some of my latest favorite podcasts are:

The Chasing Joy Podcast
Sounds Good

Brother graciously took half a day off work to show me his workplace. It's pretty cool! Granted, I had to endure 30 degree cold temperatures and wind (I know, that's warm for Wisconsin, but it was cold for this sunshine girl.). First stop, seeing this tree house built with scrap lumber from the actual buildings.

Then we saw the farm campus. (Each campus has a theme.) I asked brother to take pictures of me in front of the buildings, rather than just taking scenic shots.

Each campus has a cafeteria, and we dined at one. This white bean chowder was spicy, and to be efficient, brother picked the same thing, and it was too spicy for him. I felt really bad about that!

After lunch, we visited the fountain. Brother tells me it runs until it freezes over, which is apparently a real thing up north. One stream that feeds the fountain was already partially frozen. There's a pond which eventually freezes hard enough for ice skating.

Another campus we visited had a Lord of the Rings theme. Here I am in the grip of an Ent:

Brother said we didn't see all of the campus, and I believe him! Still, we walked over four miles to see the parts we did.

We climbed quite a few stairs, as shown by the elevation map. We also went down a slide. (How cool is it that a workplace has a tube slide for adults?)

Post tour, we rested a bit at home and then hit up the grocery store for some needed Thanksgiving supplies. Let's just say the cupboards needed a little stocking:

We shopped at a two story Target. When we got to the escalator with the cart, Brother had to show me that the cart had its own escalator:

The city-folk probably laughed at me as I took pictures of the cart, but hey, I've never seen a cart escalator before. Have you?

Dinner was vegetable bao zi at The Dumpling Haus. Brother knows that I like trying new food, so he intentionally took me to exotic restaurants.

Post dinner, I sorted food and organized the kitchen. Then it was to bed for me.

Day 3 to come tomorrow.

Wisconsin: Day 1

I know that some of you have been waiting to hear about my Wisconsin trip, so here begins the wrap-up. Monday morning, I got up at 4 am Arizona time and was headed out the door by 4:30 am. Even at that early hour, I hit traffic, but I still got to the airport on time. My first flight was from Phoenix to Chicago and took about three hours. I occupied myself with the in-flight magazine crossword.

I spent three hours in Chicago, which was actually not as long as it seemed. We arrived late and then I walked from the arrival gate clear to another terminal. I tracked down and ate some lunch as well.

(Are music and flashing lights in the airport supposed to increase or decrease my stress? Or just keep people moving? I'm not sure....)

From Chicago, I flew to Madison, Wisconsin. That flight was only about twenty minutes, shorter than I expected, and less than the flight itinerary predicted.

The Madison airport is small, but efficient. My brother told me it wouldn't take me long to get my suitcase at baggage claim, and he was right! I was in and out of baggage claim in about 15 minutes.

I carried my winter jacket with my through the airport and stashed a scarf in the bottom of my carry-on. Boy, was I glad I did that! I put on the scarf as soon as I felt the cold air of baggage claim and wore my jacket throughout dinner. Dinner was sweet potato curry at Curry In The Box, and boy, did it hit the spot.

I think I understand the warm food concept of hygge after this meal. When it's cold and dreary, a nice hot bowl of curry does wonders for the body and the mind!

That's Day 1. Days 2-4 to follow.

Essentials for Travel

I am newly back from a trip to see my little (big) brother for Thanksgiving. This is the first trip I've taken out-of-state since I moved back to Arizona, and it was an adventure! (Recaps to come.) As I took this trip, I realized some ways that travel has changed for me, for the better. So I thought I would share some of the essentials that made this go-round one of the best trips yet.

1) Papaya enzymes: My mom turned me on to these, and they work! They help combat stomach distress, especially nausea when chewed. When sucked on like a lozenge, they help relieve sinus pressure, aka the painful ear popping that occurs as the plane takes off and lands. These are the tablets we buy.

2) Comfortable shoes: You never know how far you will need to walk (or run) to catch the plane. Plus, I like to walk through the larger airports as a way to pass time and to get some exercise. This trip, I wore Fila Trail Day Hikers like these.

3) An empty water bottle: You can't take water through airport security, but you can take an empty bottle. (This is another trick I learned from Mom.) Once through security, fill up the bottle at the nearest water fountain or bottle filling station. (More and more airports have those now.) Voila! "Free" water. 

*I confess that I bought one water bottle on this trip, but that was out of duress because I couldn't find a water fountain close to my gate.

4) A zip-up jacket: Airport gates vary in temperature from hot to cold. The airplanes themselves are cold. I recommend a lightweight zip-up jacket for temperature control. Why zip-up? Because it's awkward to try to wrestle a sweatshirt over your head when in close proximity to others. Also, pulling one shirt over your head can lead to, ahem, wardrobe malfunctions.

5) Snacks: Airport food is expensive! And you never know what you'll find. I like to bring granola bars, whole apples, nuts, and carrot sticks for starters. The food needs to be sturdy since it will jostle around as you walk (or run, see number two!) to your next gate. The food also needs to be non-perishable, which these snacks are. In a pinch, they can stand in for a meal, or at least tide you over until you find "real" food.

6) An ergonomic backpack: I have a High Sierra backpack like this one, and I use it as my personal carry-on item. It not only holds a lot, but doesn't hurt me due to the padded straps and backs. When needed, it carries my laptop in the inside compartment. The padded back can also act as a headrest for napping. I have had these backpack since graduate school, and it's still going strong!

I am not a travel expert by any means, so please share your travel essentials with me in the comments section below.

Thoughts on Tiredness, Thanksgiving, and Rest

I saw this quote some time ago on Instagram, and as I approach Thanksgiving break, it seems more and more apropos. I like what I do for work, but to be honest, I am tired. The weight of the pains and tragedies of life has grown heavy over the past few weeks and I am in need of a break. My body is in agreement with me, too, as I have faced stomach pains and upsetness over the past two weeks of work and life. I am pretty sure it is due to too much stress, too little sleep, and a whole ton of rushing.

What about you, friends? Are you, too, in need of rest? We live in a hustle and bustle society, and it's easy to rush and do, do, do, even on, and sometimes especially on holidays. But holidays are an opportunity to rest, to re-evaluate our values, to focus on those nearest and dearest to us.

For those of you who are Christ-followers, the idea of resting on holidays is biblical. Look at Esther 9:17-19, for example. In that setting, the Jews feasted on food and drink and took a rest from their labors. In Matthew 11:28-29, Jesus calls people to cast their burdens on him in order to rest. Rest is something we need to do, and I would argue especially so this holiday.

The Lord knows I struggle with rest, but that's my hope for you, and for me this upcoming holiday. 

Happy Thanksgiving!

P.S. I am about to, Lord willing, head off on another adventure, so I am posting this holiday greeting early. Follow me on Instagram to see more about what I'm doing for the holiday, that is, if I remember to post.

Veteran's Day Weekend

Thank you to all the veterans of the armed services, I enjoyed the freedom to have a great Veteran's Day weekend!

Friday started with going in for my yearly blood work and delivering the crisis phone from work to the next recipient. But then I had a nice slow breakfast and wrote this happy list:

@717jr got me started on this habit, and it's a great way to end the week, especially when I'm tired.

Packing for my weekend trip, yoga, and a trip to the doctor (no botox this time since I requested another EMG-we'll see if that shows anything different than the last test). Then I was on my way to Phoenix!

I stayed at Drury Inn in Tempe. Work training introduced me to this hotel, but I'd go back again and again. It's clean, has comfy beds, and complimentary breakfast and dinner. Win, win!

I laid down for a quick nap when I got there, but woke up feeling stir crazy. So I took myself for a little walk over to IKEA to do some shopping.

I ended up with some family gifts as well as these cute ceramic cacti for my best friend:

I mapped my walk through IKEA and figured out that the market itself is over half a mile. I added onto that with my walk over to the restaurant and then a stop at Panera to pick up some wholesome dinner. The hotel food is okay, but I wanted the freshness of Panera.

The night was beautiful. I am not a big fan of Phoenix's traffic and air pollution, but the warm fall temperatures are amazing. I also enjoy the palm trees that the warmer temperatures allow to grow.

I went with the ancient grain, arugula, and chicken salad and a pumpkin muffin for dinner.

I intended to save the muffin for snack, but felt hungry enough to eat it with dinner.

I have struggled with stomach discomfort all week and unfortunately it returned after eating, so all I did for the rest of the time was finish the pictured crossword and surf social media. 

I ate a Kashi Honey Almond Flax granola bar and hit the hay at 9 pm, praying to feel better in the morning.

I didn't feel great when I woke up, but I made it out to The Butterfly Run anyway. I probably arrived earlier than needed, but I got a cool grab bag:

This race was the first of several of its kind. I really wanted to run in this race because it supports research for children's behavioral health, something about which I am very passionate. The statistics about children's mental health are staggering. For example one out of five children is diagnosed with a mental illness before the age of 12. I work in behavioral health and the numbers of suffering children still make me want to cry. What was cool about this race was the partnership of Big Lots in supporting it. The CEO of Big Lots, David Campisi was there in person from Columbus, Ohio. Big Lots employees from all over the US came, too, as well as Dr. Steve Allen of Nationwide Children's Hospital. I find it really encouraging to see companies and healthcare organizations partnering together like this.

The race itself started at Kiwanis Park and went around the lake. The course was well-marked, but somehow my directions got off and I had only run two miles when I got to the three mile banner. So I walked my RunKeeper and tried to keep up. I ended at 3.08 miles, a little less than the 3.114 needed for 5K, but I had to let it go.

After the race, I met my Arkansas best friend for breakfast at The Broken Yolk. I went for a simple two eggs breakfast with rye toast and home fries. I expected something like seasoned breakfast potatoes with the home fries, but they turned out more like scalloped potatoes without the cheese. Whatever. At least the potatoes were real and with a little added ketchup and cholula sauce, they tasted great.

My friend and I headed to Arizona Mills for shopping after that. This is one of the nicest malls I've been to, with a full mile indoor circuit of stores. We hit up Marshall's, Ross Dress for Less, and a variety of other smaller stores. We mostly made Christmas gift purchases, but we did stop into a photo booth to document our adventures.

Post shopping, we parted ways, she to the event she came to Phoenix for, and I to my home. It was a good weekend.

Happy Veteran's Day, and thanks again to all who served!

Marriage Isn't...

I'm a sucker for personality tests of all kinds: empirical, researched, real tests, as well as the silly and mundane, Disney character variety. When a test about the age at which you're supposed to get married popped up, I decided to take it. According to the test, here's that age at which I'll marry, as well as my biggest deal breaker:

Clearly, the test is invalid, since I've passed the ripe old age of 25 and I am still not married. (The part about irresponsibility being a deal breaker for me, well maybe that's true.)

I've been thinking about marriage this weekend, and more specifically about what marriage isn't:

Marriage isn't a reward for good behavior. When believers accept Christ as Savior and the payment for their sins, they're guaranteed the indwelling Holy Spirit and heaven, but not marriage. Paul never married, and I think it's clear that the Holy Spirit lived in him.

Marriage isn't required to please God. I've had people had me articles that say the true calling of a Christian woman is to get married and populate the world with Christ-loving children. I don't believe that's the only way to serve Christ Jesus. Ephesians 2:10 says we are God's workmanship created to do good works. I would argue that those good works include working hard at one's job (Col 3:23), speaking wholesome words (Eph 4:29), caring for the widows and orphans (James 1:27), and probably a host of other things.

Marriage isn't a guarantee. I recently had a doctor tell me, "When you get married..." My calling is to follow Jesus. Whether or not I get married is up to him and in his control. The most I could do to "control" my ability to get married would me to ask a guy out, or even ask him to marry me, and I'm not willing to do that because it doesn't set me up for the kind of marriage I see indicated in Scripture as God-honoring.

Marriage won't fix all my problems. My dad likes to remind me that marriage isn't any easier than singleness. I'm a sinner as a single, and I'd be a sinner in marriage, too. That's not to say that I shouldn't continue to work towards holiness and a Christ-honoring life now and in the future, but an acknowledgement that no relationships on earth will ever be perfect because they consist of imperfect people.

Why am I writing this?

...For those who've been told they're "less than" because they're not married.
...For my amazing friends who long to be married, but aren't, and don't understand why.
...For those who are working hard at their marriages, because I admire the way that they seek to image Christ and His church.
...For myself, to remind myself that my "be all, end all," isn't to get married, but to glorify God.

Do I still want to get married? Most days, yes. But if marriage isn't for me, I pray that I'll still be faithful and true to my eternal bridegroom, Jesus Christ (Eph 5:21-33).

Pumpkin Recipe Round-Up

It's fall. It's pumpkin season. And you know what that means? Time to do a pumpkin recipe round-up. This isn't a new idea, but I thought it would be fun. In the beginning, I intended to do a photo dump of all the pumpkin recipes I have ever made and photographed, but I quickly realized that was too much. So here are the pumpkin recipes dated 2017. (Yes, it's still a lot!)

Chipotle, pumpkin, and chickpea curry (From My Bowl)

Pumpkin baked oatmeal muffin cups (Happy Healthy Mama)

Pumpkin chocolate chip overnight oats (Chelsea's Messy Apron)

Pumpkin peanut butter oatmeal bars (Averie Cooks)

Pumpkin pie spice coconut oil granola (Lovely Little Kitchen)

2 minute flourless pumpkin English muffin (A cooking and photo flop, but it tasted good! A Big Man's World)

Pumpkin apple oat muffins (Food.com, now Genius Kitchen)

Fat-free pumpkin raisin granola (Oatrageous Oatmeals)

Pumpkin oat breakfast cake (Oatrageous Oatmeals)

And don't forget to check the recipe index for all the pumpkin recipes I've created and posted!

So what are you going to do with that can of pumpkin in your cupboard. (And if you don't have a can, for goodness' sake, go buy one!)