A Winter Proposal

10.21.88 - Matt's Birthday

02.11.91 - My Birthday

02.06.10 - The Day We Met

02.16.10 - The Day He Asked Me to "Be His Girl"

12.10.13 - The Day He Asked Me to Marry Him

I cannot believe that I am engaged! After nearly four years of dating, Matt has asked me to be his. It is more than a dream come true and I am just so happy excited thrilled ... words cannot express the emotions I am feeling right now!

I was up in Blacksburg to help finish the packing before we move to Alexandria and, also, to see Swan Lake, which I had always wanted to see. As we were getting ready to go to the ballet, I noticed that Matt was wearing his brand new suit jacket (an early Christmas present from my mom) and his brand new tie. I figured he just wanted to dress a little fancier than normal as this was the first ballet he had been to. And, my goodness, did he look sharp!

We went to the ballet and were fortunate enough to have one of my very best friends sit next to us. The ballet was fantastic and then Matt, knowing that I wanted to walk around our campus one more time, led me out to the Drillfield. We ended up in the ampitheatre at the Ag. Quad, where we had always sat and talked when we first started dating. As we were walking around, he stopped under our favorite tree and knelt down on one knee. He took out the most beautiful ring from his pocket and asked me to marry him. Before he could even finish asking, I was nodding and saying yes.

I quickly called my mom, who thought that something terrible had happened, because at this point, I was a mess of tears (happy tears, of course). I told her the news and then she started crying. I told my dad and he had already known about it (sneaky sneaky)!

Over the past few days, I have received an overwhelming amount of  love, congratulations, and hugs. I am so thankful for everyone's support and just feel so blessed for this moment and what the future holds. I cannot wait...

Coconut Macaroons

I seem to be in a cooking sort of mood lately! Today I made my favorite coconut macaroons and will be giving them as parting gifts before I leave for Florida to start my new job. I really love this recipe because it is easy, delicious, and pretty darn foolproof. Plus, it makes the kitchen smell amazing for days! With short prep and cook time, you're just 30 minutes and 6 steps away from delciousness :)

Coconut Macaroons

Prep: 10 min.
Cook: 16 min.

Ingredients:
1 1/4 cup Sweetened, Flake Coconut
1/3 cup Sugar
2 Tbsp Flour
Pinch of Salt
1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
2 Egg Whites

1) Preheat oven to 325° F

2) Mix coconut, flour, salt, and sugar in a large mixing bowl.

3) Mix in egg whites and vanilla until blended (should form a pretty solid batter)

4) Place rounded teaspoons of batter onto a greased cookie sheet 1" apart (standard cookie sheet should fit 16)

5) Bake for 16 minutes or until golden

6) Let cool and enjoy!

Yield: At least 2 dozen. 100 calories per macaroon ( don't be surprised, they're almost entirely sugar :P )

Icebox Jam (Peach)

Jam is something I've always wanted to make. It's delicious, colorful, and a great way to keep fruit on the table year round. I've always been a bit deterred by how difficult preserving can be (and dangerous if not done properly), but I stumbled across a fridge/icebox style jam on Pinterest that requires no pectin and very little fuss. The downside to this jam is that, unlike preservatives, it has to be refrigerated from creation (no shelf life). That really is hardly a downside for me as I almost always refrigerate my store bought jams anyways.

With recipe in hand, I attempted to make peach jam. The recipe provided on Pinterest was good, but I found that I had to make a few adjustments. So, I have provided my recipe below for adventurous beginner canners. Enjoy!

Peach (or Strawberry) Icebox Jam

Prep: 5 min.
Cook: 40 min.
Finish: 10 min.

Ingredients:
-2 medium peaches (fist sized) OR 2 cups of cored, sliced strawberries
-1 cup water
-3/4 cup sugar

Equipment:
-Small-Medium Saucepan
-Food Processor
-Canning Jars

1) Dice peaches into 1/2" cubes, leaving the skin on. For strawberries, core and slice into quarters.

2) Place fruit into saucepan. Add water and sugar.

3) Cook on medium heat, partly covered, for about 10 minutes or until boil.

4) Uncover and reduce heat to low. Cook until syrupy (about 30-35 minutes)

5) Take off heat and let cool 5 minutes.

6) Carefully (don't spill, it is still hot and really sticky) pour into a food processor and blend until smooth (about 30 seconds).

7) Pour into jar(s) and let cool completely (about 45 minutes).

8) Put on lid(s) and store in the fridge (let cool in the fridge overnight for better consistency)

Peach Jam: 702 Calories per Batch ( 351 Calories per Jar )

Strawberry Jam: 691 Calories per Batch ( 345.5 Calories per Jar )

This isn't too different from the original, it just seemed that mine took a little longer and required a bit less fruit. Overall, it was a pretty easy recipe that was quite delicious!

Suzanne Stryk

About a month ago, one of my favorite professors made me aware of an exhibit at the Taubman Museum in Roanoke. It was a collection of pieces by an artist named Suzanne Stryk. I had never heard of Ms. Stryk nor had I ever been to the Taubman, so I decided to do a little research. Ms. Stryk's pieces are comprised of maps, which immediately caught my attention as a geographer. They are drawn on with flora, fauna, and themes of the area which the map represented. Seeing the one piece up on the Taubman website piqued my interest and I vowed that I would visit the exhibit.

One round trip to Florida and a few lazy days later, I found myself in Roanoke, standing in front of a museum that, quite honestly, looked more like a UFO than a structure. Stepping tentatively through twin sets of glass doors, I approached the ticket desk. I signed in (surprised by free admission) proceeded up the second oddest set of stairs I've ever encountered, and meandered through the exhibit halls. I wound my way around a lovely statue with no name, past a Norman Rockwell, into a room of bejeweled purses (which were quite beautiful), and finally entered the room for Suzanne Stryk.

As I walked through, I could not help but have my eyes jump from piece to piece. Every frame was filled with the most gorgeous jewel tones and myriad textures. The term "feast for the eyes" does not even begin to do this room justice. In an effort to not be completely overwhelmed, I started on the wall with the smallest pieces, cuts of the standard USGS maps. Images of oysters, feathers, and insects were painted over or layered onto these maps, much like the way you would find entries in a field journal, if a little more abstract. I circled the room, moving to the full sized maps, rich with detailed sketches, natural elements, and vibrant color. I found animals hiding among text, under flaps cut from the maps, and peering out from under painted leaves that, at a second glance, were feathers. I walked around and around until I was saturated with all I could find and observe. It was amazing, what Ms. Stryk had done, exploring the places I called home, going deep into the heart of them and bring back her findings in such a purely beautiful and creative way.

The following pieces were my favorites in the exhibit:

 Coal Tattoo (Appalachia)

 Flyway

Unfortunately, the exhibit leaves the Taubman Museum tomorrow (Saturday, August 24). If you would like to see a sample of her work and hear her commentary on the exhibit, please watch the video listed below. It helped me get a better understanding of the project she undertook and the wonderful pieces formed from it.

Suzanne Stryk: Notes on the State of Virginia

Amber

So, yesterday my family had to make a very hard decision. Amber, our Golden Retriever of 12 years, 6 months, and 6 days, had to be put down. She had had tumors that had been removed but came back and spread from her neck to her jaw and spleen. She wasn't in any pain, but she didn't have enough strength to even make it to her food bowl to eat. My dad took her to the vet to see if anything could be done, but a costly surgery to remove the tumors would not only have put her in unnecessary suffering, but also wouldn't buy her that much more time. So dad made the decision. He went into the room to say his goodbyes, Amber tiredly, but happily, wagging her tail in the anticipation of going home. And then he left the room as Amber went to sleep and never woke up.

It is hard to say goodbye to something that has been a close part of your family for over half of a lifetime. It is painful and heartbreaking. For me, I feel it is even harder because I wasn't there to say goodbye (though I don't know how well I would have handled it being there either). So, after spending the better part of a night crying uncontrollably and inconsolably, I'm trying to remember the wonderful times that I did get to spend with our amazing, goofy, loving dog for the past twelve years.

 How we got Amber: Just a few days after I turned 11, my dad said that his friend was having a wedding and that the Flower Girl's dress needed to be fitted. However, the Flower Girl lived in CA and couldn't be fitted in CT (where we lived at the time), so I, being the same size, would try the dress for her. We drove 2 hours North(ish) until we got to my dad's friend's house. The dress wasn't there yet, so we had to wait. And wait. And wait. I was staring out the window and saw that some of the neighbors were walking their Golden Retrievers and a puppy. I was really worried about getting dirty before trying on the dress, but I begged my dad to let me go play with the puppy. I ran outside, quickly introduced myself and asked the owners if I could play with their dog. As I was rolling around in the yard with this puppy, my dad asked
"So, do you like her?"
"Yes" I replied without looking up, still happily playing with the dog.
"Jessie, that's your puppy"
I swear my heart stopped as I looked up at my dad and then back at this gorgeous little fluff ball.
"Mine?" I asked, happy-tears filling my eyes.
"Yes. Your puppy."
"...no dress?"
"No dress" my dad said, laughing.
I hastily picked up the dog, who was as much as my arms could carry, ran inside, and plopped the puppy down next to my mom and shouted "WE HAVE A PUPPY!". My mom started to cry now, too. She hadn't known either. So we just sat there crying and hugging and smothering this golden ball of fur who was wiggling and squirming the whole time to get in puppy-kisses on our faces. We tossed around names like "Pumpkin" and "Goldie" and "Fluffy" (yes, Fluffy). We ultimately decided on Amber and what a perfect name that was for her.

Amber was so much for us throughout her lifetime. She was my playmate and confidant when I was little. She was by my side throughout recovery from surgery when I was 14, poking her nose curiously and concernedly at the wheelchair I was confined to. She moved with us twice, loving her new homes and chances to explore. She was a friend and a family member and just meant so much to us.

I will miss her. I already do. But I am happy knowing that she had a happy life full of unconditional, mutual love. And that is all we could have wanted for her.

Love you, Amber.