Fill In the Blank Friday

Birthday chocolate...how'd that end up upside down?

Lauren and I share August as a Birthday Month, which we agree, is the best birthday month out of the year!

1. Birthdays are: a celebration! Planning a birthday party, especially for family or friends, is so much fun. And gifts are enjoyable to give but very awkward to receive.

2. My favorite birthday memory was In high school, when my family drove up to see me for my birthday while I was at summer camp at Lake of the Woods. They brought me a beautiful little cake and I got a new sweater from American Eagle. I felt so loved.

3. A birthday tradition I (or my family) has is going to tea. We started the tradition when I was 14 or 15 and went every year until, sadly, the little tea room closed. We found another one, though, but it's just not as good. We still mourn the loss of that little tea room.

4. If I had to choose one birthday meal to eat for the rest of my birthdays hence forward, I would choose A proper high tea. But we're having BBQ ribs tonight at my parents house for my family birthday celebration, so my answer might change. To go from high tea to ribs is quite a switch though!

5. My birthday is on August 10th. See "birthday picnic" post for what we did!

6. If I could take a birthday trip I would go somewhere I haven't yet been...and somewhere not on our fall European itinerary...so I'll say Greece!

7. The best gift I've ever received for my birthday was a baby sister. She was born on August 1st but I pretty much count that as my 13th birthday gift. And she turned 13 this year!

fill in the blank friday.

(This is not our room. Via Apartment Therapy)

Thanks Lauren for another great FITB Friday! Can't wait to hang out soon!

1. The last thing I do before going to sleep is kiss Andy three times .

2. When I can't sleep I turn over, and over, and over. Kind of like a dog But a cute dog!

3. The first thing I do when I wake up is in the summer, listen to the birds chirp right outside the window and the squirrels run across our roof. In the winter, hit "snooze" .

4. When I'm tired I am pure joy to be around. You sense the sarcasm?

5. My dream bedroom would be bright and airy during the daytime and cozy at night. Lots of windows to wake up to the sun! Hardwood floors, my big down comforter. I would like new pillows. I have the most comfy bed ever so I wouldn't change anything about that...And my color preference changes all the time and right now I'm in transition between tastes, so I don't know about color.

6. If I could wake up anywhere tomorrow morning it would be EUROPE already!! Time is dragging till our trip.

7. The longest sleep I've ever had was when I got stuck in the Atlanta airport during a tornado/hurricane watch and had to stand in line all night for a new ticket to England. My aunt called my cousin who was attending Auburn at the time, so I got a shuttle out there and slept in her dorm bunk bed for a looong time. Oh, I also slept forever when I had the swine flu. (I DID have the swine flu, Andy!! He doesn't believe me.)

8. I sleep on my stomach or side, but I try to sleep on my back because apparently it's healthier...but it hardly ever works out.

9. When I sleep, I like to wear a tee shirt .

10. My bedtime is usually between 10:30 and 11:30 .

Fill in the Blank Friday

My good friend John just finished his Masters, and he had a friend take this photo. Hilarious!

I haven't done FITBF for a while, it's time I get back into the groove. Lauren is fabulous over at The Little Things We Do!

1. The best thing about being in school was/is not having to worry about adult things! All that was on my mind was our weekly Friday night sleepover and the TGIF lineup. Oh, and if JTT was actually going to die from his tumor on Home Improvement. Noooo!

2. The worst thing about being in school was/is trying to fit in and figure out what kind of person I wanted to be.

3. My favorite subject in school was/is English and History, definitely. I still love to read and write, fortunately I've been able to making a living from it, although it's a pittance.

4. One subject I wish I could have mastered/would like to master is Math. My cousin's husband was making fun of me over the weekend because we still use our fingers for basic calculations. It's just not my thing.

5. I could never get tired of studying medieval history. So much richness to their culture, and we shortchange ourselves by thinking of it as the dark ages. It was just a very, very different time with different priorities and belief systems. I'll never get tired of it!

6. The most memorable teacher I had was Mr. Buck, my Senior English teacher. His teaching style made me want to become a teacher myself and major in Lit. Maybe I'll track him down and tell him one of these days.

7. If I could choose between going to school for the rest of my life or working for the rest of my life, I'd choose school. I don't feel like I know very much and there is so much to learn about so many different topics. I actually think I'm going to go back in January (shh!) when my husband starts his Masters. Just part-time, though. I already have a new idea about what I want to study.

for the hipster in you.

Stuff Hipsters Don't Like.

(Lola Wakefield)

I almost fell out of my chair, Lola is so funny!

Especially #19, about the Economy.

Fill in the Blank Sunday: Literature.

I missed Lauren's Fill in the Blank Friday, but because it was about books, I'm doing it on Sunday. I love books. And I love Lauren's answers. I pluralized some of her questions so I could do lists and lists of books....

1. My favorite bookS growing up were "Little House on the Prairie" series, all of them, of which I read them over and over again. I also adored Ramona Quimby, and was very excited to find out that I live near Klickitat Street! It's over here in NE and it is my goal to have a Klickitat address one day...

2. The funniest bookS I've ever read were Anything by Sophie Kinsella. The girl has got a gift. Evelyn Waugh may be one of the best authors of satire, and Bill Bryson is funny in the non-fiction way. I just started reading Nick Hornby so we'll see if he's as funny as I think.

3. The one book that has truly changed my life is "Nourishing Traditions", by Sally Fallon. It's a cookbook, but it is so much more than that. It actually all started with Jordan Rubin's book, "Patient, Heal Thyself" and it took off from there. I'm a nourishing foods junkie. NO diets. Kill the "Skinny Bitch"!!! (the book).

4. If you're looking for a real "tear jerker" you should probably read I remember crying in "Where the Red Fern Grows" during class in elementary school, everybody laughed!

5. If I could meet any author living or dead I would want to meet See diagram below :) This table needs more work. I tried to place them in un-like company so we could have good conversation, but I'm not sure I did it in the best way. This is a major time waster.

6. The next book on my "to read" list is The rest of Barbara Kingsolver's books. I have "The Bean Trees" in my bag right now. I get them all from the library. My "To Read" list is about 5 pages long, and getting longer.

7. If I was snowed into remote cabin in the woods and could only choose three books to bring with me I'd bring I would bring these condensed into ONE book each, so they count as three. Lord of the Rings, The complete works of Jane Austen, and complete works of William Shakespeare for reading aloud when I'm lonely OR the complete works of C.S. Lewis for some brain exercise.

Oh man, I could go on. And on. And send me book recs if you have any that you love and I'll add them to my list!

grrrrowl

Grrrrrrrr.

I now heartily distrust the post office.

Almost this exact conversation happened between me and the postal worker today.

Grrrrrrr.

If those lovely crocks don't get to their new owner in one piece...

fill in the blank friday!

English Spode, I do love you. Except when you are made in China.

I have been so busy lately. So really all I can throw you is another "fill in the blank friday" given by Lauren from The Little Things We Do. But they're fun, so bear with me!

1. The first thing I do in the morning is hit the snooze button and, lately, check my basal body temperature, because I'm trying to do some healing work on my metabolism and thyroid after a few years of really low-calorie dieting.

2. Every night before bed I ...don't have a bedtime routine! Hm. Maybe I should start one.

3. My favorite thing to do when I'm having a bad day is eat homemade popcorn with chocolate chips and watch TV or a movie on the computer in bed.

4. Something that makes me cringe is when I see people smoking with their kids in the car. Well, not so much cringe, more boil over with rage. Or when their kids are drinking from a Big Gulp. Watch out, stink eye comin' your way!

5. Social situations are mostly enjoyable! Unless no one has anything in common. Then you have to get really creative and pull out a Wii or some sort of humiliating game. Sometimes it is also fun to start a game of charades randomly and see who catches on.

6. I like to collect are dishes and bone china. My friends and family know this well about me. Dishes dishes dishes dishes!! One of the greatest days was visiting the Potteries in England to start my collection of Spode. Too bad Royal Worcester went bankrupt...

7. Weekends are for right now, procrastination.

hubble.

My family came to town this weekend for soccer, and it also happened to be a birthday weekend for my dad and brother. We took the whole fam to the OMSI IMAX theater on Saturday night to watch Hubble. It was incredible!

"Recounting the amazing journey of the most important scientific instrument since Galileo's original telescope, viewers will experience firsthand Hubble's awe-inspiring imagery, from the heart of the Orion Nebula and our Milky Way to the edge of the observable Universe".

Yeah, those are real, and YEAH, my brain exploded too!

See more pictures at the Hubble Heritage Site.

Credits:

NASA

Hubble Heritage

fill in the blank friday!

Went to this concert last week. He didn't spill any gossip, just played the guitar. I'll be honest, I was a little bummed. I was hoping for some drama. But the music was great.

Time for another FITB Friday courtesy of lovely Lauren at The Little Things We Do. Thanks, Lauren!

1. The strangest thing I've ever eaten was Picked pigs feet. Grandpa dared me. They were very vinegar-y. Also, when I ordered fish ball soup at Pok Pok, I didn't know the flash-fried anchovies would be completely whole with eyeballs...I scooped up some noodles with chopsticks and a head with a little eyeball was staring right at me...I closed my eyes and just ate the little fella! Crunchy.

2. My best friend is Andy. He makes me laugh. And cry sometimes, but mostly laugh.

3. If I could live in a different era it would be 18th century England because I love the history and literature of the period, and I miss England. Although I would have to be rich in order to enjoy it. If I were poor, I would want to live in the 1800's like Laura Ingalls Wilder, because those ladies could literally make something out of nothing. A pigs' bladder balloon? Come on!

4. I like at this moment, all the spring flowers blooming their hearts out.

5. If you only know one thing about me it should be that I love Jesus. I used to not like him or understand him at all, I only liked God. But now I love him as much or more. Faith is interesting and the most challenging part of life, for sure. I think that's why I keep following him - to see what happens next!

6. My favorite book of all time is Lauren this question is just unfair! Don't make me choose! C.S. Lewis once said something like "there isn't a cup of tea big enough or a book long enough to suit me." That's my answer!

7. The one beauty product I couldn't live without is mascara and/or burt's pomegranate chapstick.

8. Blogging is a delight. Even when I'm writing for my living or for school, it feels good to take time to write about things I enjoy or want to share.

9. If I could star in a movie with any actor/actress I would want to work with Jennifer Garner. I know we would be friends! Although I think she's made some interesting movie choices lately, I adore her.

10. One of the best feelings in the world is when Andy and I spend super quality time with each other, family or good friends. We are surrounded by amazing people and I feel very blessed.

from my bleeding heart to yours.

It is raining so much in Portland right now. That's why I'm glad to have taken pictures of these Bleeding Hearts (Dicentra spectabilis) on the last pretty day about a week ago. They are growing right outside our front gate and greet me every day, even when it's raining. I wonder how long they will last?

Along the driveway, these daffodils reach towards the sun.

And buds pop like popcorn!

Just down the road, a family of tulips are just opening up. These are my mom's favorite flowers, they remind me of her.

Don't worry, spring is still here!

my very first fill in the blank friday.

My favorite fry place.

Well, my very first Fill-in-the-blank Friday hosted by my friend Lauren at The Little Things We Do. She not only is the cutest person but also has the cutest blog!

1. Today I am wearing: jeans, legionnaire t-shirt (andy's friend's company), green sweater, zebra print flats.

2. My favorite childhood food was: sugar breakfast cereals. Favorite food now is: good pizza. fries from Potato Champion. real crepes. good butter. wine. guacamole. freshly-popped popcorn with butter melted over the top. burgerville little burgers. raw cheese. anything with coconut milk. breakfast for dinner. blueberries. can you tell I like to eat?

3. A day that I am too busy to: hang out with my husband is a day that I am too busy.

4. The last movie I saw was: "I'm Reed Fish" (on Netflix) and the next movie I want to see is "La Vie En Rose" or "Les Cons".

5. My favorite smell is: pumpkin pie spice or something just coming out of the oven.

6. A weird little quirk I have is: I imagine things happening at a microscopic level. For example, If I spill something I immediately imagine what it looks like soaking into a carpet fiber. I don't know why but it makes me a little OCD sometimes.

7. When I take personality quizzes they always say: You are a strong person who likes to be in control but is sensitive at the same time. Sometimes an interesting combo, especially being married!

Hi, mom.

Mom is the youngest of six kids - five girls and one boy. Here she is, during her tomboy preteen years, I'm guessing, being pulled out of a box by my aunt Susan. I'm not quite sure what she's wearing - small sailor stripes, then a technicolor-dream coat type sweater? Then colorful knit gloves. I'm not quite sure who cut her hair, either. It makes me laugh.

They lived in a house on Dumbarton Street, where my grandma lives to this day. Four bedrooms, very small. My uncle Jim had his own room, so there were two and three girls in teeny rooms with beds bumping up against each other. Two bathrooms; one in the master bedroom, so that meant one tiny bathroom for all six kids, with only a bathtub. I can only imagine the frantic rush that took place with all those girls trying to get ready! There is a fairly small kitchen and dining room, no dishwasher, and one main living room. That's it. I remember my aunt telling me once that she would sit outside in the car and read, just to get some peace and quiet.

Grandma made dinner every night and the family sat together. Afterwards, dishes were the kids' responsibility. I remember when I was little, baking cookies with her in that small kitchen, and could just imagine my mom doing the same thing when she was a little girl. Or banana bread, which is grandma's specialty. Little tiny loaves that you can eat in one sitting, covered with cold butter and maybe warmed up for a few seconds in the microwave.

I'll be seeing them all this weekend as our family gathers to celebrate my grandpa's life and say goodbye. Although it will be a very sad time, there will no doubt be silliness and laughter; it's just the way we Hansens's are.

small pleasure.

Pauline Croze - Jour de foule

One of my favorites - Pauline Croze. For your Monday enjoyment.

My Mini-Dissertation (or Soliloquy) on the Meaning of Life

So I've come to the conclusion that witnessing the birth of a child is one of the most profound events in life.

Before you say "DUH, you silly child!" bear with me (no pun intended, I promise!).

I was so honored when Tiff told me that I could be present for the delivery, and Lily Noel's was the first birth that I have ever witnessed. It was a moving experience. Truly, my feelings have been all over the place the past 24 hours, but this morning I settled down a little more and I think I realized how powerful the experience was and what an impact it had on me. I was sitting in class this morning and I couldn't understand why everyone was acting so normal. I had this little conversation with myself (this is where the soliloquy comes in...look it up, new fav word) :

"Wait, life goes on? No, something is different. What happens now? What do I do with myself? I shouldn't be here! I should be...celebrating or something, I don't know!"

It was very strange. Then I wanted to stand up and say,

"Do you people have ANY idea about what I just witnessed? Do you understand at all? Do you know what my friend just went through? ROBOTS, all of you!"

But thankfully I did not. Soliloquy ended.

I now also have some sort of idea about growing up, you know, those surreal moments when you realize that you are actually an adult and yes, that life is actually happening in these epic yet small moments. I always wondered how adult friends feel towards each other's children, and until recently I hadn't discovered how truly powerful the feeling is. I have 9 little nieces and nephews (related and "adopted") and I love each one of them more intensely than I expected to. They are all so precious.

And for the future deliveries that I will be a part of, I will now just assume that this feeling of awe and amazement will happen every time - a glance into the things of God, pain and beauty all jumbled together to make something miraculous, with 10 tiny perfect fingers and toes.

Now will someone please give me an honorary degree in Philosophy or something? Book deal, anyone? Any takers? No?

My heart belongs to...

Look at this sweet heart-shaped egg toast that Andy made. Toasted in the pan with butter, topped with ketchup, it's so good. About a month ago I learned that he had NEVER had egg-in-a-hole or egg-toast or toad-in-the-hole; whatever people are calling it now a days. What ARE people calling it nowadays? Anyways, I made him a few and used my "A" cookie cutter to make it special for him, and he thought it was delicious! Now he likes to make them, and between you and me, he makes them way better than I do. So I let him :)

He's very creative and he always gets what I'm doing craft-wise. Once I explain what I'm trying to accomplish I hardly ever get the "don't get it" look. I like that.

We are both working this Valentine's Day, but we've made up for it by going to the wonderful Fiction Family concert at The Aladdin last week and then reverse Happy Hour (10pm - midnight) at Portland City Grill, which is one of our most favorite things to do.

In conclusion, someone please tell me what you call the above egg-bread creation.

Enjoy your Valentine's Day!

Je m'efforce...

Jean Jacques Sempe - courtesy The New Yorker

I'm that little girl right about now - sitting under the shadow of the beautiful ballerina statue with graceful lines and a perfect arabesque. Yes, I've taken up ballet again, one of my late-in-life discoveries that I've dabbled in for the past few years. Luckily, I once again have an absolutely phenomenal teacher. She makes all the difference. Joan is the teacher I always wished to have and, from stories that other dancers have told me, her kind are few and far between. So now I bask in Joan's light twice a week for two hours and can already feel the muscle memory kicking in and my positions improving. It's glorious.

There's the well-perpetrated idea that you always remember a great teacher. That's one of the little mottos that Andy and I always encourage each other with as he continues on the path towards teacher-dom. Having Joan reminds me that this is true. Having Joan even might make me brave enough to pick up another class in between to move towards the goal that has yet to be realized, the dream that has continued to elude me and that I now refuse to slack on - my own pointe shoes.