“Spring is like a perhaps hand”

Posted on March 14, 2012 by Hannah

SPRING IS HERE! True, given the super mild winter fact that winter didn’t ever actually come, this is less dramatic than usual. Still, I feel that spring’s arrival must be greeted with all caps to show our appreciation.  I am loving running around Eastern Market and watching the trees and gardens come into bloom, although I am secretly concerned that the cherry blossoms are already coming out and I worry that they will be over before our Cherry Blossom 10 Mile race in a couple weeks. Daffodils are by far my favorite spring flower as they first to arrive, the harbingers of spring if you will. These are the especially dense ones that bloom beside our metro stop.

But nothing explains the coming of spring better than this poem.

Spring is like a perhaps hand – E. E. Cummings

Spring is like a perhaps hand

(which comes carefully

out of Nowhere) arranging

a window, into which people look (while

people stare

arranging and changing placing

carefully there a strange

thing and a known thing here) and

 

changing everything carefully

 

spring is like a perhaps

Hand in a window

(carefully to

and from moving New and

Old things, while

people stare carefully

moving a perhaps

fraction of flower here placing

an inch of air there) and

 

without breaking anything.

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The price of a wedding

Posted on March 11, 2012 by Hannah

Liz recently emailed me this picture that describes some wedding averages. It came out in 2010 after the Royal Wedding to illustrate the cost of an average American wedding. My frist thought was, “WHO ARE THESE PEOPLE WHO HAVE AVERAGE WEDDINGS LIKE THIS?” Of course, because it is an average, that means that many people have weddings that cost less than this… and also that many people have weddings that cost more than this.

Sadly, what I have found as I have been planning our wedding is that the price can get out of hand even if you are doing everything possible to keep it down. Why? Because of the world’s most expensive adjective: wedding. Fancy party cake – 100$. Wedding cake – 600$.  Couple hour photo shoot – 1000$. Wedding photos – 3000$ +.  Getting your hair done – 30$. Wedding hair – 80$.  Yes, you can cut back on some things. But other things, like feeding people and putting them all in one spot can be expensive no matter what.

And yet, looking at this diagram also made me overwhelmed with appreciation for the people who are enabling James and I get married for WAY under the “average.”  James’ mother is making our cake, and I have eaten enough of her cooking to know that it will not only be beautiful, but amazing.  I have an army of the most talented bridesmaids anyone could ask for. One of them is designing and orchestrating the printing of all of our save the dates, invites, programs, fans, etc. Another took our engagement photos, and serves as my multi-purpose wedding planner. Talented friends from college are doing our ceremony music and a longtime friend is not only acting as dj at the reception, but is also camping out at the outdoor venue the night before so that no one ruins our decorations. Looking at this diagram makes me experience afresh waves of gratitude that the community that has been a part of our lives, will be a part of our wedding day.

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First World Products

Posted on March 2, 2012 by Hannah

In keeping with the spirit of my first world problems, I wanted to share with you a list of some of my favorite first world products. None of these things are essential. In fact, they are borderline frivolous. And yet, I have become genuinely convinced that these products are almost necessary to my daily life. How did I live before them, I ponder, thinking pityingly on my coatless-blenderless-purseless-caseless days. The answer is, I still lived pretty well. But “pretty well” pales in comparison to the gloriously enlightened (and much poorer) me that exists now. So here are some of my very favorite products that would only be necessary in the first world, and only be purchased by those us therein.

The Patagonia Tres Parka . This was an extravagant winter buy, but allow me to explain. I spent 4 years in Michigan without actually buying a real winter coat. Sure, I had dressy coats, but I didn’t have a snow survival coat, which is ridiculous since the snow lasted for approximately 4 months each year.  Over break, my friend Rachel showed me her new coat, regaled me with the story of her intense coat research, and 15 minutes later I had googled, found it for a HUGE discount. I came back from DC ready to brave the cold wind while I wait outside for the super inefficient metro. And then winter skipped us. But at least my coat has an H2NO layer that can be removed from the down inner coat and I have used it during our winter rain.

How did I cook before my immersion blender? I know, ridiculous. I cooked just fine. But that was because I didn’t know how great life would be with it. I can blend anything. ANYTHING. I know have an intense desire to pulverize every vegetable into a state that resembles baby food. And it is so easy, and clean, and convenient! I actually went and removed the food processor from our wedding registry because I love my immersion blender. I use it to make this amazing cider squash soup, and this carrot miso soup, and mashed potatoes, etc. You name it, I can pulverize it. James might be growing tired of dinners that resemble paste.

Obviously, one of my greatest first world problems, is that my fancy smancy camera is so big that is awkward in my purse and hurts my shoulder. But not any longer. For Christmas I got this beautiful Ona camera bag: functional on the inside, really cute on the outside.

My dad, sympathetic to the stolen computer incident, purchased me this covert computer case. Now, only people collecting vintage books will steal my technological necessities. Plus, when people comment on how cool my case is, I get to moan and share my computer theft horror story.

Now then. I am officially done unburdening my first world issues. Let the record show that I actually don’t whine all the time, I give to missions and church, and I wash out plastic baggies (sometimes) to reuse them. Oh, and I  recycle. Poorly, because I get confused about what can be recycled, but I do it. That counts for something, right? Just felt the need to share.

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First World Problems

Posted on February 28, 2012 by Hannah

Hi, my name’s Hannah and I have first world problems.

The reality of my situation truly struck me last fall when my computer was stolen. My darling, tiny, perfectly delicate, new, purchased for a steal, Macbook air. Was stolen. From my bag. Anyway, after curling up in the fetal position and crying for a while, I did what anyone who suffers from first world problems would do: I vented via facebook. Because yes, the stolen computer was my school computer (all papers GONE), but I did indeed have another computer that stays at home. Therefore I could mourn the loss of one technological appendage on another. First world problem.

I tricked James and Susannah into running the Cherry Blossom 10 Miler with me in April. This means that we have been doing delightful training runs around the city. At least I find them delightful, Susannah enjoys them, and James hates them. I tried to explain that if he would focus on something other than how much he hates running, he might enjoy it more. However, after some of the longer runs, my knees are hurting. Yes, I did get new special running shoes over break, but I have yet to get my special insoles to minimize impact. I realize that supposedly we could all run barefoot for hundreds of miles if we all concentrated enough and stuff, but I love my special insoles. First world problem.

I have this reoccurring dream where all my teeth fall out. Usually one is loose and I go to touch it and the whole set just crumbles into my hand, leaving me gummy. My personal theory was that this dream stemmed from a very real potential reality, given my home state of Kentucky. Yet, when I discussed this dream with my colleagues in the office this morning, we discovered that teeth-losing dreams can signify insecurity in physical appearance, need for control, stress over money, premonitions of death, or fear of what others think. I could easily see all of these. Yet I think what actually prompted it in this case was the fact that the night before, as I was brushing my teeth, the battery died in my electric toothbrush. One minute I was calmly resting as my teeth received a good brushing, and the next I was actually having to move my hand in rapid circles. First world problem.

We officially have the worst internet in the world. Ok, in the first world. It took Sarah and I approximately an hour to load the last 15 minutes of the finale of Downton Abbey, which meant that we waited even longer than the eternity the rest of the world endured in getting Mary and Matthew together. I mean, I realize that wifi signals go to space and come back down in our computers, but sometimes I just want to call Verizon and ask them to turn the internet up, like there is some giant knob somewhere that is currently set at LOW that could just be turned to HIGH. First world problem.

And yet, all these problems do not eclipse the fact that on a regular basis, I marvel at how blessed, how truly blessed, I am with the life I have.

Coming soon… my favorite First World Products.

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Roasted Vegetable Frittata

Posted on February 22, 2012 by Hannah

Ever on the quest for good lunches, and recently on the quest for less bready/pasta-y options, this roasted vegetable frittata has become a favorite.  It is basically like a baked, goat-cheesy version of ratatouille, and if anything has a baked goat-cheesy version, I feel that it is always a good option. This recipe is from Bon Appétit, but it has been very adapted. Adapted, because some of us do not have spacious kitchens, double ovens, infinite cookie sheets, fresh thyme on hand, dishwashers, or the time to wash a millions separate bowls and roast and then peel the peppers and tomatoes.  It has also been adapted to transform it from a quiche to a frittata, and to remove the fennel, because it weirds me out to eat fennel too much as it is a vegetable that tastes like licorice.

Roasted Vegetable Frittata

1 green pepper and 1 red pepper, cut into 1 inch chunks

1 eggplant cut into 1 inch chunks

1 sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1 inch chunks

5 plum tomatoes, cut into 4 chunks each

1 medium union, thinly sliced

olive oil

sea salt

pepper

balsamic vinegar

1 tbsp dried thyme

4 oz goat cheese

2 eggs

¾ cup heavy cream (or buttermilk, or regular milk if you have neither)

  1. Preheat oven to 450.
  2. Line one medium cookie sheet and two small ones with foil. Lightly spray foil with nonstick spray.
  3. Toss pepper chunks in olive oil, balsamic vinegar, dash of salt. Spread peppers on small cookie sheet and roast approximately 30 minutes or until tender. Go ahead and just keep on using the same big bowl to toss everything.
  4. Toss eggplant and sweet potatoes in olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper. Roast until tender on medium cookie sheet, approximately 40 minutes.
  5. Toss tomatoes in olive oil, balsamic vinegar, dash of salt. Roast until tender on other small sheet, approximately 20 minutes.
  6. Meanwhile, sauté onions  in olive oil until tender.
  7. In 9×9 inch glass or ceramic dish, layer onions, eggplant, potatoes, and peppers. Scatter thyme and crumble goat cheese over top. Whisk eggs with cream and pour mixture over.
  8. Bake at 450 until set, approximately 50 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before eating. 
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Valentine’s Recap: Burgers, Pictures, and Old Quotes about Love

Posted on February 15, 2012 by Hannah

Yesterday was Valentine’s Day, and I am pleased to say that the significant others of 1109 made sure that today all the different tables boasted flowers. James and I celebrated our four-year anniversary last week with a fancy dinner out, so we decided that what we really wanted for Valentine’s Day was a burger. We love burgers. I think I have mentioned before, but we are slowly working our way around to all the DC burger joints conducting very thorough research. Thus, while couples all across the city whispered sweet nothings, we discussed the intense burger joint evaluation rubric that we need to design and reveled over the difference a wider straw makes when enjoying a milkshake.

We also thought back over our 4 Valentine’s Day dates together:

Year 1: Taco Bell eaten while sitting shivering in my car in the snow beside Lake Bawbese. Hey, we had just started dating and Taco Bell is one of the best parts of Hillsdale, MI. The fact that it is attached to a gas station matters not. I think there were also flowers, and I made him cookies, but mostly what I remember is that it was almost hard to eat because it was so cold and my cheeks were still sore from smiling nonstop for the preceding 5 days.

Year 2: Dinner and concert in Ann Arbor to complete “James and Hannah’s Week of Awesome Dates and Delicious Dinners,” so dubbed as we reveled in out one-year anniversary, Valentine’s Day, and the bitterly cold winter that necessitated lots of homemade chicken potpie.

Year 3: I was in Paris, He was in Michigan, but I got a bunch of the most beautiful yellow roses and a box full of crunchy peanut butter, Reeses, and boxed mac n’ cheese.

Year 4: Flowers sent to me in KY and then a fancy dinner out at Bistro Bis (same place we went the day we got engaged) when I came to DC the following weekend.

Looking over this list reminds me that it really doesn’t matter what we do on Valentine’s Day – they have all been perfect. I made James a card this year with a conglomeration of stickers, sappy stuff, and a quote from La Bruyère’s Les Caractères that I read last semester. Though written over 400 years ago, the passage I pulled out still describes perfectly what Valentine’s Day should feel like:

“To be with the one you love, that is enough.”

And it is, and has been every year, and will be for the rest of the years.

We just got our engagement pictures back last weekend and I am SO excited to share a couple of my favorites. They were done by the amazing Alumbra Photography (If you live in the DC area and every need any photos, you should check her site out!), and you can see some more by clicking here.

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Occupy DC

Posted on February 12, 2012 by Hannah

Though not as in the news as other big cities, DC has it’s share of devoted Occupiers, holding out for the 99%. Liz has had to cover them for the paper a couple times and she confirms that there is in fact a hierarchy among the occupiers, with the more organized official protesters inhabiting better tents and enjoying more benefits while the stragglers, late joiners, and less polished people suffer more for the cause. I guess this means that the former are in fact the 1% of the 99%. Must feel good to triumph over the masses.

Yet the occupying that affects my daily basis is of another nature. We have only a 2 car sized patch of dirt/grass behind our house that Sarah and I park over. For a while I have been noticing a smell when I went out the back door. The mystery was solved when we opened the backdoor and saw multiple cats sitting in a row on the edge of the grass match. Apparently all the neighborhood cats have decided that our parking places provide the ultimate communal litter box.

I have spent a lot of time zoning out in the metro imagining how to deter the cats from this occupancy. Please understand that I do not desire to hurt the cats (Remember the kitten fostering project? I love the felines.) But I do want them to leave. Desperately. Because it smells. A lot.  Any ideas for non-hazardous ways to drive away a posse of tough cats that have decided that nothing says posh communal bathroom like the sandy patch under two Hondas?

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Out of Control Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Posted on February 10, 2012 by Hannah

My pre-wedding/New Year eating resolve was to try out the Primal Diet, which basically means try to eat like a cave [wo]man, aka no processed stuff, no grains, no refined sugar, no delicious pasta, bread etc. But hey, lots of kale.  I will openly admit that I only eat primal 80 70 percent of the time. But even that much really does make me feel awesome.

These cookies are NOT primal. But they are flowerless, so that should count for something. And they are quite possibly the best peanut butter cookies ever.  I first had them when Amanda threw a party for all my former students so we could squeal over engagement stuff. And in comparison with the copious amounts of pizza rolls, mini cupcakes, and cheesy dip that I consumed, these cookies were practically primal.

Out of Control Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunk Cookies

1 cup peanut butter, smooth or chunky/crunchy

1 cup brown sugar

1 egg

1 tsp baking soda

½ tsp vanilla

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (optional—mini, regular size, or chocolate chunks)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all ingredients (except chocolate chips) together well. Last, add chocolate chips (if desired) and mix well. Grease or moisten hands slightly and form dough into 1-inch balls. Place balls on ungreased cookie sheet. (DO NOT press down as in some traditional recipes.) Bake 8 – 10 minutes or until golden brown and cookies look “set,” but not done. Do not overcook. Then allow cookies to sit on cookie sheet for at least 5 minutes. (This step is very important, because cookies finish cooking during this time and totally set up. They also taste much better when the have re-solidified and are really great a couple hours later.) Remove cookies for cooling. Makes about 24 – 30 cookies.

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The Resurrection Flower

Posted on February 7, 2012 by Hannah

I never thought I would say this but I actually miss winter. Last year spoiled me. It erased some of the pain of 4 long Michigan winters, and taught me that winter meant lots of snow days, BBC marathons, and cozy food.  This year winter mostly skipped DC. Perhaps I am speaking too soon, and I will pay for it with a harsh in-like-a-lion sort of March. But for now, I almost feel that it was frivolous to buy my wonderful new down lined winter coat. Almost.

Maybe the early spring is behind what I am terming the Resurrection Flower. When I first moved in a friend gave me a lovely orchid plant as a housewarming gift.  After about a month – and an unfortunate encounter at a party – my orchid was sadly bare of all its beautiful flowers. Susannah told me that if I just kept putting ice cubes on it (which sounds ridiculous) it would eventually re-bloom. I have dutifully ice-cubed that plant since October.

I re-iterate: I have ceremoniously placed ice cubes on a bloomless dead plant for 4 months.

Our poor sad orchid moved around the house decorating different surfaces, offering itself as the hipster Christmas tree (trees were only cool till everyone got one), and enduring snide comments of disbelief from less believing roommates.

And then one day right after I got back from break I saw a bud, then another. Our orchid is currently greeting the early spring with bold blooms. 

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Lullaby in the city

Posted on February 2, 2012 by Hannah

Over Christmas break I substituted a couple days at the school I taught at last year. Substituting, in small doses, gives all the joy of teaching and non of the prep work. With the seniors we read this poem by W.H. Auden. I remembered reading a while ago, but I had forgotten how lovely it was. In the notes she left for me, Amanda described it as a “night song for a godless world,” which for whatever reason made me think of this photo that I snapped recently of the pure moon rise over the perpetual DC construction.

 “Lullaby”- WH Auden

Lay your sleeping head, my love,

Human on my faithless arm;

Time and fevers burn away

Individual beauty from

Thoughtful children, and the grave

Proves the child ephemeral:

But in my arms till break of day

Let the living creature lie,

Mortal, guilty, but to me

The entirely beautiful.

Soul and body have no bounds:

To lovers as they lie upon

Her tolerant enchanted slope

In their ordinary swoon,

Grave the vision Venus sends

Of supernatural sympathy,

Universal love and hope;

While an abstract insight wakes

Among the glaciers and the rocks

The hermit’s carnal ecstasy.

Certainty, fidelity

On the stroke of midnight pass

Like vibrations of a bell,

And fashionable madmen raise

Their pedantic boring cry:

Every farthing of the cost,

All the dreaded cards foretell,

Shall be paid, but from this night

Not a whisper, not a thought,

Not a kiss nor look be lost.

Beauty, midnight, vision dies:

Let the winds of dawn that blow

Softly round your dreaming head

Such a day of welcome show

Eye and knocking heart may bless,

Find the mortal world enough;

Noons of dryness find you fed

By the involuntary powers,

Nights of insult let you pass

Watched by every human love.

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