thirst for adventure

I have been feeling restless. The excitement of a new job has melted into day to day life. The people I see, the food I make, the home I keep, have all turned into something, well, uninspiring. Is it the curse of winter? Maybe. Could my busy schedule have something to do with it? Probably.

Would an epic adventure solve all my problems? Likely not. Sure, it would temporarily quench my thirst for adventure. Depending on the adventure, it could make me content to be in PA for a good long while. But it wouldn't rid me of the restlessness permanently.

I have decided on two solutions.

One: Get some sunshine. How? A weeklong trip to California should do the trick. Even if it is rainy and muggy most of time, I think it will be a good 40 degrees warmer than I am used to, and the moisture will do my dried out Alaskan winter skin some good.

Two: exercise my imagination. I used to fabricate the most incredible creatures from a simple inanimate object. I could apply this attitude toward work, chores, and fun. I shouldn't have to go somewhere to find an adventure, I should be able to create it wherever my imagination goes.

the end of a break?

Has it really been almost a month since I have written?

As an on and off blogger, I feel that it fulfills my duties to be here and absent at will. As someone who knows how awful it is to watch their favorite blogger disappear into the busyness of real life, I can relate. Who am I kidding? The only people who fit into the latter have my phone number and can get an update on my life if they decide to call. Regardless, I have decided to try to be a little better about blogging.

Why? Several reasons...
1. so you can shamelessly keep up with me without having to actually talk to me. You know you love it.
2. Writing is enjoyable. From random strings of thoughts to well thought out topics, writing is the best outlet I have found to unwind, sort out thoughts, and otherwise express myself.
3. To re-read in the future. I really enjoy going back and reading blog posts. Whether I go back to read a correlating date (two years ago today), a specific trip (time in Africa) or a random topic, I find it amusing to see what I wrote. Some of it I wonder why it ended up being posted. Other stuff I realize was a pretty neat thought. Much of it stirs memories of adventures. All of it good to remind me of who I am.
4. To activate my imagination. Sometimes, it takes a healthy dose of imagination to make a day to day life interesting. But the most mundane day can turn into an incredibly daring tale of adventure and romance with a little imagination.

Sometimes words will fail me. Sometimes there will be plenty to say, but no time or energy for typing them. But I don't want to have to say that I didn't try.

BBQ pulled pork sandwiches and free soup

Have I mentioned that I love my crockpot? Cause I do. I made two great meals in it in three days. First off, I made barbeque pulled pork sandwiches. All you do is cook a pork roast in the crock pot while you are at work. Add a little water so it doesn't dry out in the beginning, but it will add its own juices to cook in. when you get home, save the juice (mason jar in the fridge is perfect) and shred the meat with a fork. If you are familiar with how soft and tender the crockpot makes meat, you will understand that this is really simple and quick. In fact, it was halfway done just getting the meat out of the crockpot. Return the meat to the crockpot with half to a whole bottle (depending on how much meat and how saucy you want it) of barbeque sauce. I use sweet baby ray's cause I can get it easy at costco. I am sure there are good homemade sauce recipes out there as well. cook it for 20-30 minutes on high if you are hungry, or about an hour on low. I enjoy it best when served on buns, but regular bread works too.

When the delicious leftovers are all gone, you still have a jar of broth to use as a soup base. On a cold day, I poured the juice in the crockpot and started adding things I had around.

-cream of (insert variety you have on hand here) soup
-potatoes (from the farm's garden)
-onions (always have those on hand!)
-can of black beans (I wanted some protein, and it seemed like a good alternate to meat)
-spices

When it was nearing the end, it still seemed a little boring to me, so I decided to add bisquick dumplings to it. I think that was the key to making it delicious. It was hearty, warm, and all stuff I had on hand. Next time I make it, I am sure it will taste completely different. But the nature of "free" soup is not the ingredients, its what I have available!