Two Steps Forward and I'm Not Looking Back

Torn

noreply@blogger.com (Jenny) — Thu, 15 Aug 2013 12:30:00 +0000

You may have noticed my lack of Couch to 5k updates, or a lack of posts about hiking trails. Things are on a temporary hiatus. I rolled my ankle on the way down Gorham Mountain when Thom and I were at Acadia National Park. At first I thought I just sprained my ankle, and took a week off from running to let everything rest and heal up. After three weeks of soreness and spasming, I went to my doctor's office. My doctor took x-rays and sent me to a podiatrist. What I thought was a sprained ankle is actually a torn plantar fascia tendon, which is the tendon that goes from the heel to the big toe. Mine is almost completely severed. I also have a significant bone spur on my heel.

For the time being, I am in this wonderful ski boot contraption. My doctor is hoping that the tendon will scar over and heal up. At the end of the month, I will be re-evaluated as to what can be done next, which will likely be either physical therapy or an MRI. My podiatrist is aware that I was training for a 5k, and says that I MIGHT be able to train for a November race, my gut is telling me that I am done running for the year. Here's hoping to good news at the end of the month.

Birthdays and Haircuts

noreply@blogger.com (Jenny) — Wed, 14 Aug 2013 12:30:00 +0000

Of course the first pre-season game is on his birthday

Thom and I celebrate our birthdays five days apart. It is a lot of fun, and a lot of birthday all crammed into a week. On top of that, my family celebrates my grandfather's birthday as a memorial to him, so my sister flew into town from Florida for the family celebration on Sunday. It has been a very busy few days, but worth every minute.

Thom is going back to school this fall to pursue a degree in business administration. I am so happy that he is going to college, so I decided to use his birthday as an opportunity to make sure he was starting school on the right foot. I bought him a laptop to take to class, in red of course, as well as a backpack to carry all of his gear.

Thom holding his severed ponytail

My sister flew in very early in the morning on Thom's birthday, so the three of us went out to sushi to celebrate the occasion. That evening, we went to my mother's house for a lobster dinner to celebrate my sister being in town. My sister's friend offered to give everyone haircuts, and Thom used the opportunity to cut his hair. For those of you that have been reading my blog, you have likely noticed that Thom used to wear his hair long, tied back into a ponytail. He had been contemplating trading in the long hair for a more conservative haircut, and finally decided to take the plunge on his birthday in front of the entire family. I have never seen my husband with short hair, so I was more than a little nervous. In the end, I am very happy with the results, and I think he looks great for school and all the networking he will be doing. Thom is going to donate his ponytail to Locks of Love.

My camera, wrapped in a myriad of paper from my childhood

Thom decided to give me my birthday present on his birthday so that I would have it for the remainder of the weekend. He bought me a DSLR camera. I have always wanted one, I love taking pictures and a DSLR will help me take the next step in my hobby. I was also badly in need of a camera, my iPhone actually has better resolution than my point-and-shoot camera does! There is definitely a learning curve to a DSLR, but I think I am starting to get the hang of it. I look forward to experimenting with different lenses and seeing how far my hobby can go. It is my goal to have my pictures hanging in a coffee shop some day, we shall see.

My birthday happens to be tonight, and to mark the occasion Thom is baking me a lemon strawberry cheesecake. He is definitely a keeper. After this weekend, I am guessing we are going to have a nice quiet evening in. At this point, I really do not think I would want it any other way.

Thom's new haircut, picture taken with my new camera

Convalidating Our Marriage

noreply@blogger.com (Jenny) — Tue, 13 Aug 2013 21:40:00 +0000

Thom and I were married on September 10, 2011 in a beautiful ocean side ceremony surrounded by our best friends and family. It was a perfect day, and something that we will celebrate every year. Thom and I are also Catholic. We are what many refer to as "Cradle Catholics," we were baptized as infants and celebrated the sacraments growing up. During our 20's, for various personal reasons, we both strayed from the church. We decided to go back in the spring of 2011. At the time, we were in the final stages of planning our wedding, and, as far as the church was concerned, I was still married to my ex-husband. We worked with a priest, and made the decision to celebrate our wedding as planned in September and I would seek an annulment for my first marriage. My annulment finalized just before this past Easter. Thom and I are now registered members of our local parish, and we decided that it was time to have our marriage blessed by the Catholic church in the form of a convalidation.

In order for a marriage to be considered valid in the eyes of the church, it is required to follow a specific ritual that follows church doctrine and tradition. Our marriage in 2011 did not follow this form, so now it needs to be convalidated. Thom and I were expecting the convalidation to be a quick ceremony with a witness or two after mass some Sunday. To our surprise, in order to follow church form, we need to have a full nuptial mass. We decided that since we have to celebrate the entire mass, we might as well invite our friends and family and since everyone will be together we should host some sort of reception after the fact. What started out as a simple ceremony quickly blossomed into an event.

That being said, we are keeping everything low key. Our nuptial mass is going to appear just like a wedding ceremony, because, in the eyes of the church, it is. Our reception is going to be more of dinner party. We are renting a private dining room at a local Italian restaurant and serving a four course dinner. The only music this time will be background music, no photographer, no dj, no fancy cake, we already did that. Although, I am going to wear my dress again, why not get a second use out of it? Our date is set for Friday, November 22nd, so we decided on a fall theme. The tables will be decorated with leaves and lanterns, the place cards will be fixed to mini-pumpkins, the table numbers will be jars of apple butter, and the favors will be caramel apples. The restaurant is going to serve hot apple cider along with coffee and tea for cozy beverages, and dessert will be bread pudding and apple crisp. I am looking forward to welcoming our faith into our marriage, along with the excitement of what is looking to be a wonderful dinner party with our family and friends.

Pemaquid Point Lighthouse

noreply@blogger.com (Jenny) — Tue, 30 Jul 2013 03:19:00 +0000

Pemaquid Point lighthouse is my mom's favorite place in the state of Maine. Our original plan for Mother's Day was to kidnap my mom away to the lighthouse for the afternoon. Unfortunately, the weather did not cooperate. A couple Sunday's ago, the weather was absolutely perfect, so we decided to pick up mom and do some sight seeing.

Our first surprise of the day was that our state park pass was not accepted by the gatehouse. Apparently, Pemaquid Point lighthouse is owned by the town of Bristol. Admission is only a couple of dollars per person, but it is definitely something to take into consideration if you are planning a visit. Our second surprise of the day was that the lighthouse tower was open. I have been visiting the lighthouse since I was a little girl, and I have never had the chance to climb the tower of a lighthouse. Mom and I got out of the car and went directly to the line. Thom is not a fan of heights and opted to explore the rocky ledge instead.

The original stairway

The Fresnel lens and the view out of the tower

After we climbed down from the tower, we joined Thom on the rocky ledge. My mom likes to just sit and watch the ocean, it is so endless it is just hypnotizing. Thom and I like to climb on the rocks, something I have been doing since I was a kid.

Thom on a rock!

Thom on another rock! Do not try this kids, Thom is crazy

Climbing through a rock cave

Mom, enjoying the sunshine

It was a perfect afternoon. To cap everything off, we met up with my step-father at the drive-in for dinner. There is just nothing like summertime in Maine.

Saying Goodbye

noreply@blogger.com (Jenny) — Wed, 17 Jul 2013 12:30:00 +0000

My mother-in-law and grandma

Thom and I were sitting our living room, enjoying a lazy Sunday when we received a phone call from Thom's uncle. He asked us if we wanted to see grandma one last time, she had just passed away. We got ready as quickly as we could and got down to the hospital. Grandma collapsed at lunch, and her heart stopped beating. Grandma lived a full life and had been sick for the last several years. She lost her husband, Thom's grandfather, almost a decade ago and was moved out to Maine so that Thom's uncle could take care of her. Grandma was with grandpa again, but she left her family grieving.

The funeral was held the following week in Indiana, grandma's home. Thom and his uncle flew out for four days. I was unable to get grievance leave and stayed behind. There should be rules against a spouse not being permitted to accompany their spouse to a funeral. It did not help the situation that this was also our first time apart since we were married.

The last several days have been spent listening to Thom process through everything and grieve. Grandma and grandpa were a significant part of Thom's childhood. He used to spend every summer in Indiana with his grandparents. He talked about the Polish food his grandma used to make, and the walks he used to take with his grandpa. We visited a local Polish deli, and Thom relived a moment of his childhood.

Like all wounds, the loss of grandma will take time to heal. We have plans to keep her memory alive through her traditions, food, and culture.

"Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened" ~Dr. Suess

Happy (Much Belated) Fourth of July

noreply@blogger.com (Jenny) — Tue, 16 Jul 2013 12:30:00 +0000

Fireworks had been banned in Maine since before I was born. When I moved out to Kansas City, I was looking forward to setting off fireworks to celebrate the Fourth of July. Unfortunately, the city restrictions for fireworks were rather strict, and Thom and I both had to work on the Fourth. We then moved to Maine at the end of the month, and I was certain that my opportunity to set off fireworks had slipped by. To my surprise, Maine legalized fireworks a couple of years ago. Thom and I opted to buy our own to have our first family fireworks show. I was beyond excited. The excitement only grew stronger when we discovered the fireworks store was having a two for one sale. I had no idea what to get, but Thom helped me pick out a variety pack and some extra mortars. Basically, a little bit of everything so that we could figure out what we liked for next time.

Once Fourth of July came around, I felt like a kid on Christmas. Usually, Fourth of July is a sort of "meh" holiday for me, this year was definitely going to be different. We packed up the dog, fireworks, and homemade cole slaw and headed to my mom's house for a cook out, music, and a fireworks display. We set of fire crackers throughout the afternoon, and once the sunset, the fireworks came out. Unfortunately, I do not have pictures. I was the one that lit everything, and I opted to focus on not setting myself on fire over pictures. I decided that I really like mortars, they shoot off fireworks like you would see in a town fireworks display. I also like firecrackers, and this cone thing that sort of crackles and shoots stuff off. My sister is going to be in town in August, on what happens to be Thom's birthday, so we are planning to have a second show then to mark the occasion.

Do you set off fireworks for Fourth of July? What are your favorites?

Grieving

noreply@blogger.com (Jenny) — Mon, 15 Jul 2013 16:56:00 +0000

Hello everyone, I wanted to apologize for not posting in a while. My husband just recently lost his grandmother, and is taking the loss rather hard. I have spent the last week supporting him emotionally and trying to keep his mind off of things. I feel rather backlogged at this point, I have many stories to share. More to come, promise!

Seawall, Perry's Nut House, and Going Home

noreply@blogger.com (Jenny) — Tue, 02 Jul 2013 14:41:00 +0000

I slept in a little on Monday morning, all of our adventures during vacation really wore me out, plus I do not think my brain wanted to leave. I finally woke up when Thom took the tarp off of our tent. When I climbed out of bed, all bleary eyed, I discovered that Thom already had the screen house down. I was a little upset at first, until Thom informed me that it was almost ten and check out was noon. Back in the tent I went to roll sleeping bags and pack up our suitcase. We had a quick breakfast of cereal, then finished up tearing down camp. The last thing we did was hop in the shower, it was nice to feel human again.

On our way off the island, we decided to explore Seawall. The Seawall is right next to the campground we stayed at, but we did not have a chance to look at it. Apparently, during low tide, there are all kinds of tide pools to explore. We arrived at the height of high tide, so all we saw was a cobble stone beach. There we could not find anywhere to sit, it was hot and humid, and our knees and ankles were a little sore from Gorham Mountain, so we snapped a few pictures and called it good.

We also stopped at the Jordan Pond House. I would have loved to stay for popovers and lemonade, but it was lunch hour and the place was absolutely packed. I ran in to purchase a couple of souvenirs while Thom circled the parking lot. At that point, we said good bye to Acadia National Park and headed on our way.

A trip to Acadia National Park is not complete without a stop to Perry's Nut House in Belfast, Maine. It started out as an oddities museum that sold knickknacks and penny candy. Then the store was sold and all of the oddities were sold as well. The current owners are in the process of bringing the oddities back to the store, along with knickknacks, penny candy, and fudge! My intent was just to show Thom what Perry's Nut House was all about, but the homemade fudge got us, and we left with 1/4 pound of whoopie pie fudge. It did not last long. We also stopped for lunch, and then headed home.

Overall, we had a wonderful vacation. I got to show Thom a part of Maine that was a significant part of my childhood, and he absolutely loved it. We are already making plans to go back, this time to climb a bigger mountain, go cycling on the carriage roads, or rent a kayak.

Gorham Mountain and the Ocean Path

noreply@blogger.com (Jenny) — Sat, 29 Jun 2013 12:30:00 +0000

Sunday morning we woke up to showers. Despite the rip I put through the rain fly with a tent pole (yes, I am that talented) and patched with packing tape (it was what we had), we were nice and dry in our tent. Thom through a tarp over the tent just to stay on the safe side, and we hung out in the tent for a couple hours. According to our weather apps on our phones, the sun was supposed to come out during the afternoon. After the showers stopped, we packed the hiking pack and headed over to the Park Loop Road. By the time we arrived, the sun was out, the sky was blue, and fog banks clung onto the islands in Frenchman's Bay. Perfect hiking weather.

Thom does not have much experience with hiking mountains, so I opted for a moderate trail. My guide book suggested a hike up and over Gorham Mountain with a return on the Ocean Path trail. All in all, a 3.5 mile hike that started out moderate, and ended easy.

We started at the Gorham Mountain parking lot, right off of the Park Loop Road and went up the south ridge of Gorham Mountain on the Gorham Mountain Trail. It is a moderate trail, but there are a couple steep points. In a couple of places the rocks are set up like stairs, in others you sort of have to fend for yourself. Thom and I jokingly called the trail the trail of lies, about 3/4 of the way up, you hit pink granite ridges with beautiful views that look like the summit, and just when you think you cannot go higher, the trail goes higher. Once we reached summit, a mighty 525', we sat and enjoyed the ocean and mountain views and the ocean breezes.

Sand Beach and Great Head

In the distance is a lighthouse beneath the fog bank

Fog banks clinging to the Porcupine Islands

Thom and I at summit!

From left to right Cadillac Mountain, Dorr Mountain, and Champlain Mountain
I've stood on top of all three.

After some time at the summit, it was time to head back down. We continued on the Gorham Mountain Trail up and over the summit. The decent was rather steep, but a quick hike, and I dare say a bit easier than the way up. Once we got more level ground, I stepped on a rock and rolled my ankle. It is not a true hike until I fall down, what can I say. From the Gorham Trail we went to the Bowl Trail on our way back down to the Park Loop Road. This brought us to the Sand Beach parking lot, where we were able to pick up the Ocean Path, a flat gravel path along the ocean. If you are looking for an easy hike, I recommend the Ocean Path, I have been around the Park Loop Road hundreds of times, and there are sites on the Ocean Path that I have never seen before; little coves, cobble stone beaches, and tons of areas that will be great to go tide pooling in. Once we got back to our car, we decided to head back to camp, Thom's knees were bothering him, and my ankle was sore from my earlier fall. We made dinner over the campfire and enjoyed our last night at camp.

One of the cliffs we passed on the way down Gorham Mountain

A little cove, from the Ocean Path Trail

Monument Cove, a cobblestone beach

Wild Gardens of Acadia, Otter Point, and Eagle Lake

noreply@blogger.com (Jenny) — Fri, 28 Jun 2013 12:30:00 +0000

After a busy Friday, we decided to enjoy a rather lazy Saturday. The sky was gloomy and there was a chance of showers throughout the day. We had breakfast, relaxed around the campsite, and went back to bed for a few hours. It is vacation, right?

We left camp a little after one in the afternoon, and enjoyed a low key day at the park. We visited Sieur de Monts spring, the spring where George Dorr used to enjoy the spring and surrounding mountains. He went on to work with local property owners and the government to create Acadia National Park. At Sieur de Monts, we visited the Wild Gardens of Acadia, which is a showcase of all the various plant species throughout the park. There were a lot of ferns, the lady slipper was not yet in bloom, neither were the lilies, but we were able find a lily pads, wild iris, and a pitcher plant. Thom also caught a picture of a huge dragonfly that landed on one of the stepping stones.

Lily Pads! No frogs in sight though

A wild blue iris

A pitcher plant

A dragonfly

After the Wild Gardens of Acadia, we headed back onto the Park Loop Road and headed over to Otter Point. Otter Point is a rocky outcrop that marks the entrance to Otter Cove, the point where Samual de Champlain had to moor his ship over the winter for repairs. I like Otter Point because there are some nice views and plenty of tide pools to explore. We ate lunch on one of the rocky ledges, and then I climbed down into the tide pools. Thom watched out for rouge waves.

The view from Otter Point

This is Lucy, the crab

There is a little sea urchin in this picture

After Otter Point, we decided to head back to camp to start making dinner. On the way home, we stopped by the Carriage Road entrance to Eagle Lake. The carriage roads and granite bridges were built by Rockefeller as a means of providing access to some of the quieter places within the park. Rockefeller had a strong distaste for automobiles, and purposely built the roads too narrow for a car to drive down. He believed that automobiles caused too much pollution and the noise distracted from the serenity within the park.The carriage roads were originally built for horses with carriages, which can still be seen today; however, the majority of traffic is now cyclists and hikers. There is a joke that the gravel carriage roads are the best roads in Maine. I am certainly not one to argue. Eagle Lake is a quiet place, between Cadillac and Pemetic Mountains. It is one of the deepest lakes in the park.

One of the many granite bridges

Every carriage road intersection has a numbered sign post

A mother and three baby mergansers

Eagle Lake

Climbing South Bubble

noreply@blogger.com (Jenny) — Thu, 27 Jun 2013 12:30:00 +0000

My eighth grade class took a week long trip to Acadia National Park in order to get a hands on look at all the things we learned about in earth science that year. Part of that trip was climbing the South Bubble. I guess climbing is in the eye of the beholder, the Bubble is a little over 700' and the trail is steep, but a quick hike and nothing that you would need any special gear for. Climbing the South Bubble is a memory that I recall to this day. As a little kid, my family would visit Acadia National Park seemingly every year, we would see the sites on the Park Loop Road, but I never did any of the hikes. I remember reaching the summit as an eighth grader, walking across to the rocky ledge, and taking in the most beautiful view I could imagine. Needless to say, the view from South Bubble is one of my favorite places in the park, and despite the fact that Thom is not much of a hiker, I insisted that he joined me at the top.

As I mentioned before, the trail is steep, lots of stairs and climbing up rock piles. There are very few look outs until you are just about on summit. Normally, it would only be about a half an hour hike or less, but Thom jammed his knee while climbing around on the rocks at Schooner Head and I sprained my ankle. I'm telling you, it's all downhill after thirty. Regardless, this is a great trail for families. It is .5 of a mile from the parking lot to the summit, and there is a parking lot right off the Park Loop Road at the trail head.

Now for those pictures of the spectacular view.

Thom found this lookout just before reaching summit

Thom at summit!

The majority of the rock in Acadia National Park is pink granite!

The view from the summit, over looking Jordan Pond and the Atlantic Ocean

Photo Op!

Another view from the summit, this is Eagle Lake

Aside from admiring the view, we also checked out Bubble Rock, a glacial erratic that was left balanced on the side of the mountain by the Wisconsin glacier about 15,000 years. We also got some pictures of birds riding the air currents around the mountains.

A bald eagle

Bubble Rock

A pair of osprey

Anemone Cave,Thunder Hole, South Bubble, and the drive up Cadillac Mountain

noreply@blogger.com (Jenny) — Wed, 26 Jun 2013 12:30:00 +0000

We woke up Friday morning to cloudy skies. Normally, I would have been concerned, but I have been camping on Mt. Desert Island enough times to know the clouds should burn off. A weather app on my phone confirmed my theory. We had a nice leisurely morning, complete with a breakfast of bacon, eggs, and English muffins. Thom packed us a lunch while I did the dishes, and by the time we were both showered and dressed for the day, the sun was out and the skies were clear. Today was going to be a good day.

Our first stop of the day was to the Acadia National Park visitor center, where we were delighted to find out that our seven day pass was only $10. This was because it was still considered off-season. The season actually started on June 23, at which point the rate jumps to $20 for a seven day pass. For those keeping count, we got the discount for arriving two days before the price increase. I was happy.

Once we had our pass, we headed down the Park Loop Road. There were a bunch of look outs over Frenchmen's Bay and the mountains on the island, so we took our time driving and enjoyed each other's company. We passed an active beaver pond, but unfortunately beavers are nocturnal so everyone was sleeping. Just before passing through the entry gates, we headed down to Schooner Head for lunch, and to explore Anemone Cave. The cave is not found on most maps of the park due to the fragility of the wild life within it. We had lunch over looking the cave, and then I very carefully climbed down into the cave to investigate. The rocks are slick, and I jammed my ankle hard on the climb back up, but the pictures are certainly worth it.

Thom sitting at the entrance to the cave

Sea anemones

Looking out to sea from inside the cave, note Thom's profile

Barnicles

After climbing out of Anemone Cave, we went through the park entrance and ventured over to Thunder Hole. Thunder Hole is a small cave in the rocky coast line. The cave fills with air, and when an ocean wave crashes into it, the result is a loud booming sound with a splash. The best effects are just before high tide; unfortunately, we arrived at low tide. We still got some booming and splashing!

Before

After

After Thunder Hole, we decided it was time to explore the mountains. We climbed the South Bubble, which has some amazing views over Jordan Pond and the Atlantic Oceans. I will post more about that tomorrow. We also decided to drive up Cadillac Mountain. Thom and I honeymooned in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. While there, we drove up Mount Washington. Driving up Cadillac Mountain reminded us of our honeymoon, although the road was much shorter and Thom did not have a white-knuckled death grip on the steering wheel. We did not walk the extra .2 of a mile to the summit from the auto-road, I want to save that for the day I actually hike to the top of Cadillac. In the meantime, it was a perfectly clear day and the views from the "top" of Cadillac were amazing.

Bar Harbor and Frenchmen's Bay

Looking towards the mainland, in the distance you can see Mt Katahdin

Porcupine Islands, and a cruise ship

After driving down from Cadillac, we decided it was time to call it a day. We headed back to camp, built a fire, had dinner, and roasted a few marshmallows. Such a beautiful day in a beautiful location.

Acadia National Park, the Vacation that Almost Was Not

noreply@blogger.com (Jenny) — Tue, 25 Jun 2013 15:42:00 +0000

Our campsite

The good news, Thom and I are reluctantly back from an amazing vacation in Acadia National Park. The not so good news, the trip almost fell through at the absolute last minute. I spent last Wednesday at work counting down the minutes until vacation. Our good friends were going to pick up our dog and then we were going to head down to my mother's house to pick up our camping gear. Then I was going to straighten up the apartment and finish up packing so that we could have a nice relaxing morning before going to a couple of appointments and heading off to our camp site.

That was what was supposed to happen. In reality, I got out of work to find a very distraught husband. Our bank had a MAJOR banking error that resulted in our vacation savings being completely exhausted to the point of overdrafts. Rather than a leisurely evening before vacation, we ended up arguing with the bank and trying to figure out how to finance our vacation. At the absolute last minute, my mom came through and let us borrow enough money for us to go on our trip. We then called our friends to pick up our dog, they were completely understanding and amazing, and then headed over to my mom's house to pick up our gear. I gave my mom a very teary hug, she saved our much needed vacation, and for that I am forever grateful.

Peonies, from CSA week 3

We got home well after 9 o'clock, and neither of us had eaten dinner. Thom pulled something together, and we both fell asleep out of sheer emotional exhaustion. Needless to say, the majority of my Wednesday night plans became Thursday morning plans. We resolved our banking issue, which unfortunately meant cancelling the layaway on some furniture we have ordered. Sometimes being a grown up can be difficult. We made it to both appointments on time, picked up our CSA, packed up the car and headed on our way. Until we hit a traffic jam, which turned a 3 hour drive into a 4 1/2 hour drive. We finally got to our campsite at 8:30, set up camp in the dark, and ate cold hot dogs for dinner because we could not get the fire to light. Despite all of our set backs, we went to bed with a smile. At the end of the day, despite everything working against us, we were on vacation in Acadia National Park.

Acadia National Park or Bust!

noreply@blogger.com (Jenny) — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 12:30:00 +0000

The world from on top of a Bubble

Thom and I have been watching the weather report for Mount Desert Island for the last week or so. The weather in Maine has been more or less touch and go since May, we will get a couple of days of rain followed by a couple of days of sunshine. At first the weather forecast looked clear, then it looked like rain for the majority of the weekend, as of Sunday the weekend is supposed to be warm and dry. Monday morning, I reserved our campsite. As of Thursday, we will be spending five days camping on Mount Desert Island and enjoying the scenery that is Acadia National Park.

Cadillac Mountain from the Otter Cliffs

I feel like such a horrible Maine tour guide to Thom. I grew up here, and I spent at least a weekend nearly every summer growing up going to Acadia. There are pictures of me there throughout my childhood. Here I am not, as an adult, and I have yet to bring Thom up to what is arguably one of the most beautiful places in the state. He has lived in the state for three years. It is time to fix this.

We found a nice campground on the quiet side of the island, away from the tourist destinations. Our plan is to enjoy some time on the ocean, and to climb a mountain or two. It is my goal to climb all the mountains on the island, and I have stood on the summit of a good several of them.

A sea cave at low tide

I promise that I will be back Monday with plenty of pictures, reviews of hikes, and maybe even a few camping tips. I insist on camping in a tent, but Thom picks on me for camping in comfort. There is nothing wrong with an air mattress and a camping kitchen, right?

CSA Week #2

noreply@blogger.com (Jenny) — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 03:25:00 +0000

Just as we had almost finished eating all of our veggies we got from week #1, it was time to pick up our vegetables for week #2. In just these two weeks, we have had to completely change the way that we make dinner. When I was a teenager, my mom taught me that dinner should consist of a meat, a vegetable, and some type of starch. When you have two shelves of the refrigerator plus the crisper full of vegetables, things start to change. Starches are more or less out of our diet. We will occasionally have pasta for dinner, or share a baguette, but fruits and vegetables have definitely taken center stage. Breakfasts have become fruit salads, lunches have become wraps filled with different types of greens, and dinner has become meat with a side or two of vegetables. We absolutely love it, and just two weeks in, pick up days have become something that we look forward to every week. Thom is already talking about renewing our investment for next year.

This week's share consisted of a head of Boston lettuce, a bunch of Japanese turnips, a bunch of chives, a baggie of mixed fresh herbs, a kohlrabi, 1.5 pounds of potatoes, a zucchini, and 1/3 pound of arugula! Again, this is early in the season, and our shares will get bigger as the growing season continues. So far, the lettuce has been used in lunches, some of the chives have made friends with the potatoes to create an amazing batch of mashed potatoes, the zucchini was sliced and sauteed with fresh lemon juice and garlic, and the arugula was transformed in to an amazing lemon arugula pasta dish that I found on Pinterest. I promise I will post the recipe in the future. I need to have a chance to take a picture of the finished product. We still have turnips and the kohlrabi to figure out. The turnips can easily be sauteed and are really tasty, but I have never had kohlrabi. We were told it can be shredded and turned into coleslaw. Does anyone have any experience with this? Or other recipes that involve kohrabi?

One of the things I love about participating in a CSA is discovering new vegetables that I have never tried before. At the same time, that can also be the most frustrating aspect.

Creamed Spinach

noreply@blogger.com (Jenny) — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 12:30:00 +0000

I have been craving creamed spinach for a while now, but I refuse to buy the frozen processed variety that is loaded with salt, preservatives, and... pardon my French, crap. When spinach turned out to be one of our picks at our CSA pick up, I knew exactly what I was going to make with it. I just had to find a recipe.

I was disappointed to find that so many recipes for creamed spinach call for frozen spinach. Fresh spinach has a beautiful green color, and I find that it is actually easier to work with than frozen spinach. This is because frozen spinach is sold in bricks that is often times freezer burned and once you thaw it out, it is water logged. No fun, and not very tasty. Emeril Lagasse has a recipe on the Food Network that uses fresh spinach. The man has never done me wrong with a recipe in the past, so I decided to give it a try. Needless to say, my craving has been fulfilled.

The original recipe can be found here. I opted against the nutmeg because that just did not sound right. I also cut the recipe in half because I only had a half a pound of spinach versus the two pounds the original recipe calls for.

What you need:
1/2 pound of fresh spinach
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/4 cup chopped shallot (which turns out to be exactly one shallot)
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic (one clove)
a healthy pinch of salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup heavy cream

What you do:
1. Bring a pot of water to boiling, cook spinach for two minutes, then immediately drain in a colander. Press the spinach with a spoon while in the colander to squeeze out as much water as possible. Chop the spinach. I just sort of dumped the pile of spinach onto my cutting board and made four cuts across the pile.

2. Melt the butter in a medium sized skillet over medium-medium high heat. Saute the shallot and garlic until soft and fragrant, about two minutes. At this point, your kitchen will smell amazing. Add the spinach in, and saute for another minute or so.

3. Add the heavy cream, pepper, and salt. Stirring occasionally, cook until the cream has reduced by half, approximately 4 minutes. Serve and enjoy!

Roasted Cauliflower

noreply@blogger.com (Jenny) — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 12:30:00 +0000

Years ago, a friend of mine introduced me to roasted asparagus. It was love at first bite. The tips got all crispy and it was just... love. Not to mention, crazy easy to make. In recent months, I have tried roasting other vegetables, both as an alternative to steaming, but also as a means of introducing olive oil into our diets. Olive oil is crazy healthy for you, it is an antioxidant, which means it helps clean toxins out of the blood. A recent study also found that olive oil helps reduce risk of heart disease when paired with a diet rich with vegetables, fruit, nuts, and whole grain cereals.

I have yet to find a vegetable that did not respond well to roasting, however, I definitely have my favorites. Cauliflower is certainly at the top of the list. Thom and I purchase a head or two of cauliflower whenever we go grocery shopping and frequently use it as a substitution for a starch, like potatoes or rice. Roasting cauliflower gives it a crispy outside with a nice soft interior, it kind of reminds me of tater tots.

What you need:
A head of cauliflower (you could use frozen, but fresh works best)
Olive oil
Salt
Pepper

What you do:
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Chop of cauliflower into florets. Place cauliflower into a single layer on a cookie sheet.

2. Drizzle cauliflower with olive oil, just enough to add a little moisture, don't go overboard, we want crispy not soggy. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

3. Roast at 425 degrees for 45 minutes, stirring on occasion. You know it is done when it turns a nice golden brown color.

Enjoy!

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

noreply@blogger.com (Jenny) — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 14:52:00 +0000

When I was little, my cousins and I would sneak into my grandmother's rhubarb patch grab a few stalks, and then run into the woods to enjoy our prize. At the same time, one of my other cousins would sneak some sugar out of the kitchen. For years we thought this was a completely covert operation, only to find out that my grandparents, aunts, and uncles were onto us the entire time. They just didn't complain because we were eating something healthy. Rhubarb will always have a special place in my heart, it reminds me of careless summer afternoons as a kid.

My mom used to make strawberry rhubarb pie. Strawberries and rhubarb are the perfect combination, the sweetness of the strawberries pairs perfectly with the tartness of the rhubarb. They are also conveniently ripe at about the same time. My mom's recipe used fresh rhubarb and a packet of strawberry jello mix. Don't get me wrong, the recipe is amazing and crazy easy to make. Thom and I avoid processed foods, so I decided to find a recipe that utilized real strawberries, and I would say I was successful.

My recipe is based off of this recipe I found on epicurious.com, and can be found here. I made a couple of modifications.

What you need:

Filling:
Your favorite recipe for a 9 inch pie crust.
3 1/2 cups sliced rhubarb, about one pound
3 1/2 cups sliced strawberries, about one pound
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1/4 cup corn starch
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt

Crumb Topping:
1/2 cup white sugar
3/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
6 tablespoons cold butter cut in pieces

What you do:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees, line 9 inch deep dish pie plate with pie crust.

2. Combine remaining filling ingredients, combine gently do that you do not crush the strawberries. I used a large fork and tossed everything like a salad. Fill the pie crust.

3. Combine the topping ingredients, and cut the butter in with a pastry fork or two forks. We are going for a mixture with the consistency of damp sand that will hold its shape when squeezed together. Sprinkle topping over filling. It may seem like a lot of topping, but some of it will be absorbed by the filling, so be sure to use all of it.

4. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. Then reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees and bake for an additional 1 hour and 25 minutes, or until the crust is golden. I strongly recommend placing the pie plate on a cookie sheet in the oven, my pie bubbled over a little.

5. Allow the pie to serve completely before cutting it to allow everything to set.

CSA Week #1

noreply@blogger.com (Jenny) — Mon, 10 Jun 2013 12:30:00 +0000

Thursday evening marked our first CSA pick-up. We really had no idea what to expect, and I am happy to report that we are more than impressed. We were expected a light pick-up because previous emails from the farm indicated that pick-ups would be light early in the season and larger towards the end of the season. When we got to our pick-up location, we were surprised to find out the amount of veggies we would get to take home. Every CSA member got a head of lettuce, 1/10 pound of chives (that is a lot of chives), and half a pound of Japanese turnips, then we got six additional picks, which we used to get another head of lettuce, a half pound of spinach, two half pound picks of baby bok choy, and two half pound picks of rhubarb. I would say we made out quite well, and if this is a light week, I am excited to see what is in a heavier week towards the end of the growing season.

Now we are in the process of figuring out how to use all the fresh veggies. 1/10 of a pound of chives goes a long way and we have been adding them to dinners for extra seasoning. The rhubarb was combined with a container of fresh strawberries I purchased from the local grocery store and became pie. The lettuce and spinach will be used for fresh salads for our lunches, and I am going to use some of the baby bok choy in a batch of Asian noodle soup. As for the rest, we will see what Thom and I come up with. The best part? We pick-up more veggies on Thursday!

Featured on Furry Fridays!

noreply@blogger.com (Jenny) — Sun, 09 Jun 2013 17:15:00 +0000

I just wanted to thank Stephanie from A Geek in Glasses and Becky from B is for Becky for featuring me and my furbaby clan on their weekly series Furry Fridays!

If you would like to read more about Thom and my four-legged "children" check out the the blog entry!

Source

C25K- The End of Week Two

noreply@blogger.com (Jenny) — Thu, 06 Jun 2013 12:30:00 +0000

Source

Albeit slightly delayed by a week of rain and a brief heat wave, I am happy to report that I have completed week two of Couch to 5k, aka C25K. For those of you keeping track, that is two weeks down, seven weeks to go. So far, it has been a bit of a battle. Day 1 of weeks on and two left my ankles and calves screaming. Things got a bit easier on Day 2, and by Day 3 it had become a routine. Each week consists of a different running pattern, so it is always a matter of adjusting. For example, week one consisted of one minute of jogging followed by a minute and a half of walking for eight repetitions. Week two consisted of a minute and a half of jogging followed by two minutes of walking for six repetitions. The increase of 30 seconds may not sound like much, but my legs tell me otherwise.

When I used to go running as a teenager, I remember pushing myself while running and then reaching auto-pilot, where I could pretty much keep running for what seemed like forever. These brief runs are not letting me reach that point, although I am sure there is a reason for that. Week three includes two 3 minute runs with each work out, so we will see how that goes. Part of me is excited to move forward, the other is terrified. On the bright side, my legs are already starting to feel more toned and my jeans are getting looser. I also have a great group of cheerleaders supporting me every step of the way, which helps immensely.

CSA Update

noreply@blogger.com (Jenny) — Thu, 06 Jun 2013 02:33:00 +0000

Source

I got an email last week from the farm that we invested in to inform me and Thom that our first pick-up will be tomorrow! (Squeee!) On Monday, we received an email that explained what our available selections would be. The way our CSA (community supported agriculture) works is you pick out a size of share to invest in; small, medium, or large. Each week, everyone gets certain vegetables, then, depending on the size of share you purchased, you get a specified number of picks out of a selection of other vegetables.

Our CSA is a bit different from traditional CSAs in which everyone gets an evenly distributed mystery box. Thom and I can be picky eaters sometimes and we were concerned abut the possibility of getting a box of bell peppers or onions. This way we get a little more say into where our investment goes. We were also looking at a CSA that utilized a debit card system, the way that works is once you purchase your share, a certain amount is loaded into your account to spend at that farm's stand. After a little deliberation, we opted for our current CSA; it sounded like a better value over the course of the season, we do not have to keep track of numbers, and they have pick your own peonies.

Thom and I purchased a medium share. This week we get a head of lettuce plus six additional picks. The choices are rather scant right now because it is very early in the Maine growing season, but the farm promises to make up for everything in August and September. Regardless, I am still excited to have fresh, local, organic lettuce for our lunch wraps, zucchini for our grill, fresh potatoes, and baby bok choy, which will be a new vegetable for me.

Gardening, A Memorial Day Tradition

noreply@blogger.com (Jenny) — Sun, 02 Jun 2013 16:49:00 +0000

For as long as I can remember, Memorial Day has always meant playing in the dirt, preparing the garden beds, and a trip to the garden shop to purchase plants. I look forward to the day Thom and I have a house of our own with a yard and gardens. Right now, we have an apartment, and a small deck. Regardless, tradition must go on, and I have made due with window boxes and flower pots. Despite a week of rain, we were able to get the dirt prepped, plants purchased, and planted. The next two days were rather chilly for plants that had just come out of the greenhouse, but everything is doing surprisingly well with the heat wave we are currently experiencing. The lovely petunia to the right is from my hanging pot right outside my kitchen window, it is full of purple and white petunias. These beauties are big! My hope is that they will vine out over the edge of the pot. So pretty, and you can never go wrong with purple.

Our window boxes are filled with herbs, and a random petunia that would not fit in the hanging pot. This one has parsley, lavender, rosemary, dill, and oregano.

And this one has sage, chives, and thyme; all of which managed to survive the winter. We also added basil, peppermint, and a random petunia. Fresh herbs are crazy easy to grow, and add a nice touch to culinary creations. Thom loves to add a few mint leaves to a glass of ice water, and dill adds a nice splash of flavor to scrambled eggs.

My flower pot is home to a morning glory and moss roses. This picture was taken a week ago, you can no longer see the garden gnome the moss roses have completely taken off. My morning glory is also doing really well, I have four or five new vines popping up that I need to train to the slats surrounding the deck. My hope is to have a wall of morning glories.

My miniature garden is a nice little retreat after a day of work, or for a morning coffee. We have a little bistro table out there and it is just the perfect place to sit. Unfortunately, I nailed the table with the black spray paint when I spray painted the baker's rack for the kitchen, so the whole thing needs to be repainted. The only question is what color?

In other gardening news, our CSA is doing well, and first pick up is going to be this week! So excited!

Telling Our Story

noreply@blogger.com (Jenny) — Sat, 25 May 2013 12:30:00 +0000

Scrapbooking is one of those hobbies that is just designed for me. I love being crafty and I love taking pictures. It is a no brainer. I started scrapbooking after I graduated college... wow, I feel old just thinking about how long ago that was. I took a bit of a hiatus after a bad break up before Thom and I started dating. About a year ago, I rediscovered my hobby. I wanted to document our story, so I created a scrapbook of our first year together. About a year later, it is finally done.

The scrapbook has a storybook theme, it begins with "Once upon a time," where I typed up the story of how Thom and I met, and it ends with "and they lived happily ever after," which leads into my current scrapbook about moving to Maine and planning our wedding. In between are pictures and stories of our first year together. It took a fair amount of time, but in the end it was well worth it. Thom and I already enjoy looking at the pictures and reliving our first year together, our engagement, and driving across the country. It will be an actual treasure to our future selves.

The one tiny downside of scrapbooking is that it is never ending. Time goes one, meaning there are always new things to scrapbook. On the bright side, now I am only two and a half years behind.

Friday's Letters

noreply@blogger.com (Jenny) — Fri, 24 May 2013 23:10:00 +0000

Dear Rain, please go away. While I will love running in the rain once I'm done C25K, I really do not want to water damage my iPhone. This nonsense of slight mist during the day, while I'm at work, and then down pouring when I get home so that I cannot go running is not cool. NOT COOL!!! Dear Customers, I know it is going to be rainy all weekend long while you are at your expensive summer cottages. Please do not take it out on me, I have no control of the weather. Look at the bright side, if you are at your cottage, it means you are not at work, like this girl. Dear Thom, thank you for being patient with my scrapbooking ~~hobby~~ habit and further for letting me have a girl night last night by watching wedding shows while scrapbooking. You are a keeper. Dear Readers, I hope you all have a wonderful holiday weekend and that the weather cooperates with you.