Failing (Flailing?)

Bunny time at Domino's Farm

Winter walk in the Arb

BAKE class

Wow. I can't believe how chaotic life has been for the past several months. I really did not anticipate what a whirlwind O's job search would be. So here's the big news: we are moving to DC this summer! We are really excited about it, and we have a lot to figure out.


But....all this chaos means that I am behind on a lot of of stuff. My list of things is looking pretty sad. We'll see how much I can check off before July 12th. To be continued.......



1. Bake something once a week
2. Visit Cannon Beach
3. Sew something (maybe a quilt?)
4. Roast a chicken
5. Read King Leopold’s Ghost
6. Make a necklace
7. Pick blueberries (Do raspberries count? I say yes)
8. Go to a Michigan football game
9. Take L. to the zoo
10. Buy Zingerman’s bread once a week
11. Pick apples (Apples were not left on the trees, so I "picked" a bag from the orchard. Full disclosure)
12. Visit The Wave Field
13. Make croissants
14. Pickle carrots
15. Take L. to the pumpkin patch and corn maze
16. Visit the cider mill with L. and O.
17. Take a class at Pot & Box
18. Learn more about our camera
19. Get up early and go bird watching
20. Plant succulents
21. Take a BAKE class
22. Make a snowman (FAIL)
23. Visit Leelanau County and Sleeping Bear Dunes
24. Work on photo album for L.
25. Make pâte de fruit
26. Go to the Homegrown Festival
27. Take a winter stroll in the Arb
28. Make Bûche de Noël (FAIL)
29. Go for a walk once a week (even in winter)
30. Put up a Christmas tree
31. Read The Brothers Karamazov
32. Make jam
33. Plan monthly art project to do with L.
34. Take a class at Hollander’s
35. Visit the Natural History Museum

Making progress

Spicy pickled carrots

Ingredients for tomato jam

The final product

 Practice shot in photography class at Blue House

I am happy to report that I am making progress on my list, my friends! In the past few weeks I pickled carrots, made tomato jam, and took a dosa class at Hollanders (which was great). Sadly, I missed blueberry season in Michigan. Do you think that picking raspberries should count (being berries and all)? 

I really enjoyed making the jam and pickling the carrots...so much so that I am planning on entering my pickled carrots in a local pickle contest on Saturday. A friend of mine is also entering some pickles, so it should be a fun event. 

Next on the list: apple picking, visiting the cider mill, and picking out some pumpkins in a pumpkin patch. I can't believe that it is almost Halloween. Yikes.

1. Bake something once a week
2. Visit Cannon Beach
3. Sew something (maybe a quilt?)
4. Roast a chicken
5. Read King Leopold’s Ghost
6. Make a necklace
7. Pick blueberries
8. Go to a Michigan football game
9. Take L. to the zoo
10. Buy Zingerman’s bread once a week
11. Pick apples
12. Visit The Wave Field
13. Make croissants
14. Pickle carrots
15. Take L. to the pumpkin patch and corn maze
16. Visit the cider mill with L. and O.
17. Take a class at Pot & Box
18. Learn more about our camera
19. Get up early and go bird watching
20. Plant succulents
21. Take a BAKE class
22. Make a snowman
23. Visit Leelanau County and Sleeping Bear Dunes
24. Work on photo album for L.
25. Make pâte de fruit
26. Go to the Homegrown Festival
27. Take a winter stroll in the Arb
28. Make Bûche de Noël
29. Go for a walk once a week (even in winter)
30. Put up a Christmas tree
31. Read The Brothers Karamazov
32. Make jam
33. Plan monthly art project to do with L.
34. Take a class at Hollander’s
35. Visit the Natural History Museum

35 before 36

A little over a month ago I mentioned that I would be making a list of 35 things that I would like to do before I turn 36. As we have no idea where we will be living a year from now, I thought that I should focus on some things that we may not be able to do in our future hometown (such as visiting a cider mill, building a snowman, or feasting on Zingerman's bread). So here it is. I am pretty excited about the list. And I have already signed up for a photography class (see #18) so I think that I am off to a pretty good start.

1. Bake something once a week
2. Visit Cannon Beach
3. Sew something (maybe a quilt?)
4. Roast a chicken
5. Read King Leopold’s Ghost
6. Make a necklace
7. Pick blueberries
8. Go to a Michigan football game
9. Take L. to the zoo
10. Buy Zingerman’s bread once a week
11. Pick apples
12. Visit The Wave Field
13. Make croissants
14. Pickle carrots
15. Take L. to the pumpkin patch and corn maze
16. Visit the cider mill with L. and O.
17. Take a class at Pot & Box
18. Learn more about our camera
19. Get up early and go bird watching
20. Plant succulents
21. Take a BAKE class
22. Make a snowman
23. Visit Leelanau County and Sleeping Bear Dunes
24. Work on photo album for L.
25. Make pâte de fruit
26. Go to the Homegrown Festival
27. Take a winter stroll in the Arb
28. Make Bûche de Noël
29. Go for a walk once a week (even in winter)
30. Put up a Christmas tree
31. Read The Brothers Karamazov
32. Make jam
33. Plan monthly art project to do with L.
34. Take a class at Hollander’s
35. Visit the Natural History Museum

And five big things to do before I turn 40:

1. Take O. and L. on PhD celebration trip (tentative destination: Croatia)

2. See the Northern Lights

3. Get back to Asia

4. Visit Hawaii with Mom

5. Research and plan fabulous 40th birthday holiday