Signs of spring

I'm working with the windows open and I'm surrounded by a soundscape of twittering birds and buzzing bees.

Spring came early this year. The rate at which the season changed was alarming.

I've never made a snowman with daffodil eyes before

Still, it's hard not to be cheerful in the spring. Even the most negative person has to be able to find hope in this season of rebirth and renewal.

We had a mass of bulbs in our back garden that I replanted and carefully spaced out in the fall. I have been happy to see several different varieties of pretty flowers emerge from the ground so far.

 I am finding myself endlessly distracted by the chirping, buzzing and flowery mood. It's hard to handle being inside when the weather is so nice. My mind is obsessed with thoughts of al fresco drinking and dining! I was thrilled to get out for a hike last weekend. The trees are already starting to bloom!

Redbud at the Ragged Mtn Reservoir

Maybe you can teach an old dog new tricks

I don't have the best memory but I distinctly remember dreading having to run the mile during the Presidential Fitness Tests back in grade school. I was definitely one of the slowest kids. That was embarrassing in and of itself. But I also remember simply having a hard time completing the task. It truly felt torturous.

To me, running doesn't carry a fun benefit like lots of other types of recreation/exercise like biking, swimming, tennis or hiking. I guess that's another reason I haven't done it.

But lately, I have found myself running. Or, you might more accurately call it wogging (walk/jogging). As I get older, staying in shape gets harder and harder. Running is appealing because 1) it's free 2) it can be done practically anywhere 3) it doesn't necessitate a big time commitment for a good workout.

Just by virtue of this sheer practicality I've found myself pounding the pavement over the last few weeks. It helps a lot that Troy is a willing partner in this endeavor. He pushes me and puts up with my absolute disdain for this activity. It hasn't really gotten easier (I typically feel like I'm going to die during it) and I still complain about it a lot, but I will admit that one sure benefit is that I'm feeling better about myself. And that's the key point, right?

Borscht!

I love learning to cook different types of cuisine. I have had friends from Mexico and Japan give me lessons on how to cook traditional, comforting foods from their homelands. While living in Belgium I learned to make some Flemish specialties. I also hold some Finnish and Slovenian recipes dear (since that's my heritage).

Gathering around food is such a universal tradition. It's interesting to me to see and participate in making food from different countries. I feel like it gives me a window into different cultures.

For years Troy and I have been talking about having a borscht-making party with our Russian friend Yuri. Finally we made it happen!

Yuri shared a very traditional, Ukrainian borscht recipe with us.

Lots of slicing and dicing was involved.

 The soup included beets, but they were one of many ingredients.

It was a tasty but VERY filling soup. It was definitely unlike any "borscht" I have ever tasted in the U.S. Luckily we invited some folks over to share the meal. We still had leftovers for a couple of days afterwards, which was nice because the flavor of the soup got even better the day after.

Holiday Trip Home

Troy and I just returned from a road trip to Minnesota for the holidays. I'm really glad we have the job flexibility to travel for a longer time period when we want to. Our trip was action-packed, as usual. We mostly visited with our families. Somehow, even after living away for all of these years, it's getting harder and not easier to be far away from them.

Some trip highlights:
 
-Bentleyville with my sis and her family immediately upon our arrival in Duluth (after a 11 hour day of driving). It was so sweet to see my nieces and how excited they were about the Christmas lights.

Ethan and Ria roasting marshmallows

-Getting time with family--especially with our nieces and nephews. They are growing so fast!

Auntie Lissa with Ria, Taylor and Amelia

Maks

Troy's brother Casey and his boy Jack

My sisters and nieces

Grandpa and Grandma with the girls

Grandpa Rick with Taylor

-The Rogers family get-together. We saw lots of folks we might not have gotten to see otherwise. Also, when I mentioned that I don't really drink hard liquor anymore, Troy's mom insisted that I do a shot with her. Ha!

Me and Angie

Troy with his uncles and dad

The Rogers clan

-Staying with Matt and Eryn in Chicago on the way back. They are such incredible hosts. They always have a variety of great activities and restaurant options planned for us. We laughed a lot and enjoyed some great food and pie together.

-There wasn't much snow in MN but we managed to get two cross-country ski outings: one with our good friend Sarah and one with my dad.

-Annual wine and cheese party at my mom's with close friends. Always lots of fun!

More pics are on my Flickr page

Bye bye Liz

We were really sorry to see another good friend move away last week. We've known Liz since we arrived in Charlottesville in 2005. Troy and I got to know Liz well when we lived in the apartment above hers for a couple of years. We threw some really memorable joint parties.

Liz is a beautiful, stylish, funny and incredibly smart woman, not to mention a kind and considerate friend. We will miss her dearly.

We were lucky to be able to host Liz at our house in her last week here. We made her a special, farewell dinner of beef stew cooked in Belgian beer (stoofvlees/stoverij) and homemade Belgian frieten with mayonnaise.

The musgrad community also got together to throw a terrific party for Liz. There was a delicious potluck of "hot dishes," including my first attempt at a tater tot casserole. There was also an improvisational, avant-garde "good-bye" performance and a ukulele sing-a-long. What will we do without Liz and her ukulele?

Still giving thanks

I guess you could say that I've been busy. It's nearly Christmas and I'm finally getting around to posting Thanksgiving pics.

But we had such a lovely celebration with friends in Charlottesville this year that it had to at least be mentioned. And Troy smoked the turkey on the grill. It was delicious!

We had all the traditional trimmings. And our guests did more than their fair share of the cooking, which was nice. Some standouts: Liz's sweet potatoes, Aurie's cornbread/chestnut stuffing and Lyn-Dell's cranberry-mango relish.

Troy, Liz and I topped of the evening with a ukulele sing-a-long! Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday for a reason: good people, good food and good times.

Pierre & Pippi

Halloween has always been one of my favorite holidays, despite the fact that my mom always hated having to help come up with costume ideas for us. As a child, I was a clown, a gypsy or a hobo for many years in a row because those were easy costumes.

I really enjoy the creativity that goes into coming up with new costumes each year. It's not very often that adults get permission to channel such creativity and enthusiasm. It's so much fun to see kids and adults dressed up. It's such a playful holiday.

I like that Troy shares my enthusiasm for dressing up for Halloween. Unfortunately, he always has to pick costumes that are elaborate. And he puts them together at the last minute. He usually arrives to the Halloween party several hours late because he's putting on the finishing touches (this year that involved soldering some LED lights into a mask). But he always makes a dramatic entrance!

This year, I went as Pippi Longstocking (no wig needed!) and Troy went as Pierre the Pantsless Voyageur of Two Harbors, MN.

The statue of Pierre was recently renovated and moved to the Earthwood Bar, Grill and Motel (where BradFest takes place). Pierre is a really strange roadside attraction. Nobody seems to know why he's not wearing any pants. His head turns very slowly (so slowly that you wonder if you are imagining it). Future renovations will enable Pierre to talk and I think he'll be getting a new paddle for his outstretched hand. Oh, and he has these blue, LED lights in his eyes that are incredibly creepy at night. Check out Troy's rendition, he's got the creepy factor down. ;)

A picture of Pierre during BradFest.