Sunday, September 10, 2006

cooking spree

I went on a bit of a cooking spree this afternoon. I'm not much for cooking. I usually enjoy it once I get going but I don't "get going" very often. I don't feel like I'm very good at it and those things I'm not good at, I tend to shy away from. (Yes, I can be a bit of a perfectionist.) But come Fall, I'm more in the mood to cook and especially bake. Maybe because it's cooler outside so I like to be in the warm kitchen with the smells of breads and casseroles wafting through the whole house. There's something comforting about those baking smells.

Today was fun. I baked two loaves of chocolate chip zucchini bread, an apple-strawberry crisp, and a chicken zucchini casserole. Plus I have an 8-hour chili cooking in the crock pot. Yum Yum! But I saved the best for last: While I've been enjoying myself in the kitchen, my husband has been enjoying himself curled up on the sofa watching the Chicago Bears have a great game. But soon, very soon, my wonderful husband will be in the kitchen for cleanup and dishes duty (that he volunteered to do!) and I'll be curled up on the sofa with a good book! Actually, I think what my husband is trying to do is to get me cooking more often. It just might work.

Friday, September 01, 2006

The end of summer

It's been a great summer. We had a fun trip to Maine with my inlaws over the 4th of July week. The above picture was taken in Maine and it's one of my favorites! Stay tuned for a link to the rest of our pictures...
I had my birthday several weeks ago and so far I enjoy being 30! There's something refreshing and hopeful about having my 20's behind me. It was a great decade but it was also a tough decade. In my 20's I struggled to let go of an eating disorder. In my 20's I pushed love away. In my 20's I let go of unhealthy relationships. In my 20's I moved from Maryland to Seattle for grad school. In my 20's I went through life-changing experiences at Mars Hill Grad School. In my 20's I met my husband. In my 20's my dad died. In my 20's my childhood home was sold. In my 20's I received my Masters in Counseling. In my 20's I got married. In my 20's I moved to Michigan and built a counseling practice. In my 20's my husband and I bought our first home. In my 20's, I fell in love with 2 kittens. And now, I'm ready to soar into my 30's and discover all it has to offer me.
I have my counseling internship all lined up and actually, today, I'm finishing up my first week. 16 more to go. In some ways I'm counting down but I'm also excited about this internship and know it's going to be a great experience. And, come January I'll be a licensed counselor in Michigan. That's going to feel really good. This fall will fly by I'm sure. But it's my favorite season and I'm happy to be entering into it. Bonfires, bundling up and walking on deserted beaches, hot drinks, pumpkins, drives up north to see the changing leaves... what are some of your favorites about the fall season?