::{ The Crop }::

Behold, the garden:

This is what I saw one of the weekends I came home in June after I had been in Indiana for a few weeks and hadn't seen the garden's progress.  I was pretty excited to see what was happening.  The zucchini was out of control, but then fate stepped in...

This is one of two zucchinis that we got.  We had a bunch that were flourishing until we went to Gettysburg.  We enlisted our neighbors to water our garden, which they did, but I like to think that a zucchini-hating-flesh-eating-pest came in and destroyed what we had while we were gone.  You can already see the death and destruction setting in above.  BUT, we still had enough to make thai food and zucchini bread, which is exactly what I wanted.

My little helper.  We made a deal with Bug, which she readily agreed to: she can get a dog as long as she keeps all of the plants alive for the entire summer.  Here she is making her best attempt to keep things thriving.  Sadly, despite her best efforts, she couldn't save the zucchini.  

[In case you couldn't tell, we're never getting a dog, or any pet for that matter]

 Part of the problem, you see.  She's easily distracted and prefers to color on the fence rather than water the plants and weed the garden.  No wonder the pests came in and destroyed the zucchini!  We're pretty sure she's a lefty by the looks of things.

And finally, I spy my little eye on something that is....

FINALLY RED!

We've got about thirty tomatoes on the vine, and they are just now starting to turn red.  I sliced up that red beauty for dinner last night -- it was worth the wait.  So tasty!

The basil is growing like there's no tomorrow, and we have some bell peppers out there as well.

All in all, I'd say this square-foot gardening thing was a success.  We have plenty of time left this year, but I'm already excited to tweak things a bit for next year.

::{ 5 Years }::

I met the Mister five years ago (yesterday).

July 27th is a great day for the A-Team because we always remember to celebrate the day we met.  It wasn't, in fact, love at first sight.  Nope.  It was even better than that because it was quite a turning point for me in a most unexpected way.  I adore surprises, and crossing paths with Steve was one of the very best surprises I've ever received.  Everything about that day is crystal clear in my mind.  I remember exactly where I was standing, what I was wearing, what I was doing, and the first words Steve said to me that evening when we met, as if it happened yesterday.

2008:

(Not the day we met, but during our week as co-counselors at EFY)

2013:

(Celebrating five years at a Clippers game)

The words from one of my favorite songs sum up the last five years the best: 

(and Benny Goodman has one of the best versions, in my opinion)

You make me feel so grand, I wanna hand the world to you

You seem to understand each foolish scheme that I'm scheming

And the dream that I'm dreaming

Now I know why my mother, she taught me to be true

She meant me for someone exactly like you

Truer words couldn't be spoken.  

Until the next July 27th...

::{ M&M's }::

My dad's least favorite job in the "dad" department is taking his kids to the airport.

Why?

It's not the traffic.

It's not the distance to the airport.

It's not the expense of gas.

It's not the inconvenient time of departure.

It's the having to say "goodbye" part.

Those are never fun.

I have rediscovered recently, though I've known this for a long time about myself, I am much like my dad in this regard - I hate saying goodbye.  This primarily deals with people, but even things - classes, opportunities, jobs, etc - have this effect on me.  If you give your all to something, then saying goodbye and letting go of it isn't easy (I'm thinking of dance teams I've been a part of, study abroad opportunities, my mission, certain callings, etc - intangible but meaningful things).  It's particularly bad because I am what you might call a human version of an "M&M": hard candy exterior, soft interior.  There aren't too many things that crack that outer shell of mine, but having to say goodbye to people is definitely one of them, which leaves the interior in a bit of mess.  So in addition to saying goodbye and realizing that I have to come to grips with some sort of parting - temporary or permanent - I also struggle to maintain some kind of composure so as not to freak out other people who are simply going about their everyday lives.  What can I say?  I don't love dramatic spotlights.

I guess this is on my mind because I've had to say a lot of goodbyes to my two favorite people over the last couple months - Steve and the Bug.  They came to see me in Bloomington this weekend, and even though it was a very quick trip, I loved every minute of having them here.  They just left (gotta time the departure for optimal napping...it's a pretty substantial drive with a one-year old) and I feel like the gas left in my "goodbye" tank is just about spent.  Fortunately, this was the last goodbye for the "Dutch 2013" adventure.  My program finishes this Friday and I'm heading back to C-bus on Saturday.  There are families, parents, kids, siblings, partners, etc. out there who have to say much harder goodbyes more regularly than I do, and I tip my hat to those people and wish them continued strength to do what they have to do.  However, I never want my family to think that it's easy for me to say goodbye - that I'm hardened to the effects of saying goodbye because we've gotten good at it lately.  It's still not easy for me.  The two-week stretches between seeing them, and the "goodbyes" of every-other-weekend visits that came to an end much too quickly have become poignant mile markers in my life that have made me realize how valuable time with loved ones really is.  If there is one thing that I rarely take for granted, it's time spent with loved ones.  Numerous close calls on the Irvine home front taught me long ago that time is precious - even mundane, ordinary, day-in and day-out kind of time.  This experience has only added further understanding to something I already knew, and I'm grateful for it.  Regardless of saying goodbye for a couple hours, a couple days, a couple weeks or even years, I sure hope I never take for granted the time I get to spend with my loved ones leading up to the goodbyes that will inevitably come.

And on that happy note, I will say that Bloomington has treated me very well.  Updates with photos will come soon - just have to survive some final presentations and final exams....in Dutch!  Tot ziens!  =)

::{48 Hours}::

...Until I'm back in the company of my two favorites for a long weekend.

I can hardly wait.

The Latest Experiment

In the few days I had before moving to Indiana (I'm now a transplant here in Hoosier land), I decided to invest myself in the biggest science experiment of my life:

I built a garden in an attempt to grow a vegetable. 

 I've always loved flowers, but growing a vegetable garden is a different challenge that's been on my bucket list for quite a while now.  Since we'll be in Ohio for a long time, I figured there's no time like the present.

Why do I consider this an experiment?

If you looked closely at the first couple pictures, you may have noticed a dead plant.  I kept it there purposefully to prove just how much of an experiment this will be for Team Adams.

We have not been known to have "green thumbs" in this household, though I will admit, we killed that plant on purpose because we didn't have a good place for it inside.  Frankly, it was a bit of a nuisance.  We set it outside and let nature run its course, i.e. a normal March frost put it out of its misery.

We're trying the square-foot gardening thing from scratch since our back patio is all cement (which added a few more steps to the garden construction to comply with a strict landlord) so we'll see what happens as the summer progresses.  Our vegetables/herbs of choice this year:

Zucchini squash

Bell peppers (green, red, and orange)

Tomatoes (Big Boy and Better Boy varieties)

Parsley

Rosemary

Sage

Now it's up to Steve to keep everything alive until I get back...

::{Some Things I've Learned}::

I am DONE!

Okay, I'm only done with the first year of many, but it feels so, SO good.  Things pick up again next week, but we're all going to enjoy every last minute of the weekend before that happens.

Looking back on this past year, and while things are still fresh on my mind, I wanted to share some things I've learned.  I'm writing this with my kid(s), assuming that more will come our way eventually, in mind, because I hope they learn to value education the way Steve and I do.  So I'm writing takeaway messages for them.

In no particular order:

1.  I have the BEST advisor on the face of the planet.  Seriously folks, I don't know how I lucked out to get into this program and to work with Professor Haeger.  She is one of the smartest people I know, and her knowledge of the field is astounding.  Barbara is also one of the greatest lecturers I've ever had the chance to learn from.  She is deeply committed to her students, she is passionate about the material, and she has some of the best stories about experiences in academia.  Takeaway message: Absorb everything you can when you cross paths with good teachers, and don't be afraid to interact with them regularly - they can shape your life in remarkable ways.

2. As my editor in chief always tells me, good writing takes time.  And it also takes lots of research.  It doesn't look like it, but I promise there is a method to my madness.  Our basement was turned into Study Central so that I could get stuff done when AJ was napping or in bed, without having to go to the library.  Takeaway message: Figure out your own study system, and start it early.  Procrastination is the ultimate academic enemy.

3.  Without ever intending this to happen, I seem to be drawn to Spanish artists/paintings.  I spent many hours with the following works this semester, completed by Bartolome Murillo and Claudio Coello.  Illusionism is at the heart of my interests, and these were fascinating works to consider even though I had never considered them before (or even known about them).  Takeaway message: Don't be afraid to explore things even if they don't "fit" the mold at first glance.

Murillo, Self Portrait, 1655

Murillo, Self-Portrait, 1670

Coello, Saint Rose of Lima, 1684-85

4. Ph.D. programs are not for the faint-hearted.  A Ph.D. is hard work - incredibly rewarding work - but work nonetheless.  Having said that, I must also say that the rewards far outweigh the challenges.  Again, this comes back to the caliber of my committee, professors, seminars, and a totally awesome husband.  I guess what I'm really saying is this - if you don't have to work hard for your education, something is amiss.  Takeaway message: Never steer clear of academic opportunities simply because they are challenging.

5.  People are more important than projects.  Duh.  Time with family is precious.  For a good chunk of the semester, nobody else mattered besides Steve and Bug.  Alongside that, I've also come to more fully understand the meaning of "keeping the Sabbath day holy."  Sabbath observance is a personal thing, and it's different for every person, so these comments are not intended to pass any sort of judgment.  Without getting too churchy, I have come to appreciate this day above all others as it was, literally, the only day I had every week, no matter what, where I didn't pick up a book, grade a test, edit a paper, etc.  I appreciate this decision mostly because it influenced the rest of my week for the better, in addition to getting more family time each Sunday.  I had to motivate myself to do homework between classes, after dinner, before Bug woke up, Friday night and most of Saturday (those were the worst), etc. but it all meant that I got to spend the entire day on Sunday with the people I love. Takeaway message: However you do it, always put family first, and arrange the rest of your time wisely to accomplish your tasks.  It can be done.

::{One}::

Warning: Photo-dump ahead.

We now have a one-year old, which still blows my mind (one month later).  So here is some recent documentation of the Bug on and around her birthday, for your viewing pleasure.

Before we get to the photos, these are some things that we always want to remember about AJ at this stage:

1) She is a mover and a shaker.  Once she figured out how to walk, she decided that she would never stand still.  Ever.  She really likes to dance, i.e. shake her booty and swing her arms.  The best part is that she dances to the beat - cracks us up every time.

2) She eats anything and everything (except mushrooms), including dirt.  She gets in trouble if she drops food on the ground, but for the most part, she waddles around with a perfect little pot belly after every meal.

3) She has finally found and figured out a sippy cup that she likes.  That only happened after we went through most of the options out there.

4) She hates shoes.  I'm guessing that will change all too soon, so I'm not concerned about it at this point.

5) She loves books.  She has the attention span of a gnat, but even still, her favorite thing to do after pulling all of the books off the bookshelf is to sit and look through about ten of them in two minutes.

6) She's starting to climb.  Yikes.

7) She loves playing outside.

8) She's a total flirt - ask every male in our ward.

9) To go along with #8, she's also a ham.

10) Daytime naps are unpredictable (some are 20 minutes, some are 80 minutes), but I really can't complain.  She sleeps 11 hours at night and has been doing that for a very long time.  Bless her little heart.

11) She leaves our front room looking like a tornado on a daily basis.

12) She is curious, and a keen observer.  It amazes me how observant she is, and how quickly she learns things that seem rather difficult for a one-year old (but what do I know?  This is a first for all of us).

  

My two favorites:

Three pigtails, because three is always better than two.

Bug at the annual Duckling Days celebration at the public library.

Struttin' her stuff.

Daddy's girls - through and through.

Getting ready to celebrate.

She was very polite and dainty...

Until she figured out what this was all about.

And then she devoured it.

So...much....sugar!

"Oh, was I supposed to wait for something?"

Team Adams knows how to party, and this was defnitely a family affair.

My favorite picture of all time.

Bug is very much like Steve when it comes to food/eating - neither of them like getting their hands messy when they eat (though Bug can't really avoid it).  The sugar made it worth the mess.

Opening some gifts, and enjoying the wrapping/packaging as much as the gift itself.

Yup.

Playing with the fire truck.

Some fun decor for the birthday festivities...

And if you look closely, you'll see what the day was actually about.

Because, c'mon, this was as much for us as it was for Bug, so let's just be real, shall we?

Best year of our lives.

Happy birthday, Little Bug!