Ben and Amanda's Blog

Update on Life

2009-05-04T18:53:00.000-07:00

Three months since we posted last... We've been out of touch with the world lately, in more ways than one. Here is an update:

- Peace Corps has been pushed back, this time by us. We told them we would have to move our availability date to May of 2010, and they told us our application would expire and we would have to reapply. They promptly withdrew our application without consulting us. We have not reapplied yet, but we intend to. Next time should be smoother.

- We decided to stay in Mobile for one year because life is tough living month to month. I (Amanda) especially felt very unsettled, disconnected with the world, and mildly depressed at times. Many things happened at once that led us to the decision to stay here for a year, and I'm glad we decided that.

- One thing that happened was the beginning of my journey as a yoga instructor. The instructor I have practiced with for a few years encouraged me to get certified and teach at the YMCA, and I now teach one class per week and am looking for more opportunities. I plan to devote this year of my life to developing this skill as much as possible; I think it will be very valuable in the future.

- The other thing that happened was we got kicked out of 51 Eliza Jordan Rd N. When Ben told me Robert and Sarah were renting it, I may have done a little dance. I enjoy my garden, but country life is not for me. Many thanks to the Brenners for allowing us to stay there, but I am happy to move on. And move on we did, to an apartment that puts all other to shame. We now occupy the entire second floor of a 100+ year old house between midtown and downtown. We are walking or biking distance from the best pub in town, a barbeque joint, many drugstores, a wine shop, the farmers' market, pizza joints, sushi, a (crappy) grocery store, gelato, coffee... I could go on. And our apartment- it's huge! It has high ceilings, huge windows, hardwood floors, a balcony, a newly renovated kitchen (thanks to Robert and Ben), and a great neighbor downstairs. The other neighbor is the subject of another blog...

- I am working this week at Flowerama for Mothers' Day, and I may have a part time job there.

Our Mice

2009-02-07T15:01:00.000-08:00

This is a little video that we put together because our mice are so cute. When YouTube rejected our first version because it had a popular song at it's background, I recorded this song which I wrote inspired by them a few weeks ago. I hope you enjoy.

If you've got high-speed internet make sure you click "watch in high quality" on the bottom left of the video once you click through to YouTube.

Raw Oysters

2009-02-02T13:36:00.000-08:00

Mom and dad took us out to a local sea-food restaurant Nan-Seas for dinner Saturday night. Mom ordered raw oysters on a half shell because she loves them, and I wanted to try them.

I've heard people talk about eating raw oysters since I was small, but never have tried them until Saturday. Some people say you should just swallow them whole as to not be grossed out by the texture or eat them on a cracker, but I didn't mind the texture at all, and happily chewed half of the dozen. Oysters have a rather subtle taste, which I enjoy.

A death in the family

2009-01-28T09:31:00.000-08:00

My grandmother died in early December. It's a strange feeling to realize that the entire time you've known a person has been the worst years of her life.

Most of my memories of Granny Hardy, my dad's mother, are a blur. She struggled mentally and emotionally perhaps her entire life. My mother often made excuses for her harsh behavior as a grandmother by reminding my brothers and me that she had a difficult childhood, that her parents were abusive. As a young child of around five years old, I remember going grocery shopping with her on the army base. (My grandfather is an army vet.) I remember her buying me a twelve pack of fun-size candy bars and that we had to go to the same cashier every time because Granny was friends with her. I remember listening to Conway Twitty in the car on the way home. I remember that she always called me "Mandy", and I still hate being called "Mandy." One strong memory, or maybe a feeling, that comes up when I think of her is that she often disregarded my feelings, and I know that is not exclusive to myself. I also remember getting only practical things at Christmas. I have a very vivid image of my cousins and I in a circle in her living room emptying underwear and navel oranges from our Christmas stockings.

In my teenage years I have more distinct examples of when things started to get rough. I remember Granny and Paw Paw yelling at each other a lot. I remember remarks made by my parents about how cruel and critical she was becoming. We would go see my grandparents every Sunday after church, and she always commented on how fat I was getting or asked why I didn't wear much make up.

As I entered high school, Granny went downhill quickly. There were many frantic trips to the ER followed by admittance to the psychiatric ward. When Paw Paw woke up to her holding a knife over him in bed, he started staying at their lake house in Georgia. When she started hallucinating, he put her in a nursing home. They diagnosed her with dementia. Her brain was deteriorating. I was in college by then. Names suddenly escaped her. Soon she had no recollection of her grandchildren or great grandchildren, and we were just nice people who came to visit her sometimes. About a year ago, she had forgotten everyone except for Paw Paw. Soon after that, she quit talking, but she would still act like she recognized him. My last memory of her is of a silent, withered old woman. This image is very detached from the jolly, yet sharp-tongued grandmother I knew as a child. At thanksgiving, Paw Paw told us that she had quit letting the nurses feed her. Her brain was forgetting the last few things it knew: how to swallow, how to breathe, how to live. He did not opt to prolong her life, and she died a week later.

The time surrounding the funeral was very surreal. Many of Granny and Paw Paw's siblings and their families came. It seemed very difficult for people to recall happy memories of her. They were all very vague. She loved to get her hair done. Her house was always clean. She loved her grandchildren. It was embarrassing to struggle for a story to give the woman who was doing the service. I did hear one story that I had never heard before, which was how my grandparents met. Something that has stuck in my mind for a long time is how much Paw Paw loved Granny. He still thought of her as the same woman he married fifty-something years ago. At the visitation and funeral, it almost seemed as if he had lost a woman who had loved him the day before, even though she had been incoherent for so long. From what my mother says, he is still in a lot of pain and not nearly as relieved as he thought he would be once everything was finally over.

The service itself was awkward. My grandparents have never been very religious, but a funeral is often a time when people feel the need to be religious. Paw Paw had asked a friend of Granny's, a female pastor, to officiate. I'm not sure how well they actually knew each other. A few vague ideas about Granny were presented, but the service was much more of an altar call than anything.

My cousin gathered some pictures from Granny's old albums, and the funeral home arranged them into a video to show at the visitation. The woman in that video is so different than the one who was buried. As a young woman, she seemed like a lot of fun. She lead an obviously simple life, but the face in those pictures is not the same woman who criticized me as a child. My grandmother was a kind-hearted woman in her younger days, and she was quite stunning. I wish I had known the woman who was so beautiful, holding her small sons in her arms. I get an empty feeling in the pit of my stomach when I realize I hadn't really ever known Martha Faye Pyles Hardy.

Power Pole Problem

2009-01-20T12:52:00.000-08:00

On our way home from FOI Bible Study last night we saw this power pole which had evidently been recently ran into by a vehicle.

Food Blog

2009-01-14T14:57:00.001-08:00

We started a food blog because we like food. I'm afraid it may be horribly boring, but I enjoy sharing about my food experiences. Check it out.

http://food.benandamanda.com

Peace Corps Update

2009-01-14T14:42:00.000-08:00

The following should explain where we currently are in the Peace Corps process. Hopefully, by posting emails verbatim I will answer many questions you would otherwise have. The following emails are all from today.

Hi, Patrick.

This is Amanda Brenner. I emailed Lenny Bankester recently with all of the information needed to reactivate our file. While you were out of the office, we tried to submit some stuff to the medical office, and they referred us to Lenny, who said we needed to reactivate our file. The medical office has already responded to the medical info we submitted, and I now have more paperwork to get filled out for them. I don't know if that means our file has already been reactivated. So, that is what is going on with me and my husband, Ben.

Thanks,

Amanda

Hi Amanda,

Thank you for your message, and for your continued interest in the Peace Corps.

I have reactivated your applications, as I promised your husband I would do when we spoke a few months ago. I've informed OMS of this as well and they should begin reviewing your medical documents in the near future. I am also transferring you into the 2009 version of your original programs in the Asia region (departing in July) but your medical clearance will ultimately determine if/when/where you can serve.

Sincerely,
Patrick

Hi Amanda,

Sorry - I just realized that you'd been originally considered for English and Health for Central Asia in September of 2008. Would you prefer to remain in consideration of those assignments in September of 2009 or the same combination of jobs but departing for Asia in July of 2009? Either case is fine with me but I mistakenly mentioned the July program below and I don't want to create any confusion.

Best regards,
Patrick

We would really prefer to leave as soon as possible, but if it is a choice between July and September, and we don't know which country either of those programs go to, we would rather leave in July.

Thanks,
Amanda

Hi Amanda,

We don't discuss country names because until you are medically cleared, we don't know if/when/where you can go. As a result of your message below, I have transferred you into a pair of English (Ben) and Health (Amanda) assignments departing for Asia in July. I am the Placement Officer responsible for that program so please feel free to contact me with any changes or updates to your status.

If/when you become medically cleared, I will reassess your applications to determine if this program is even a possibility, or if alternate programs must be located for you.

Sincerely,
Patrick
(End emails)

I go to the doctor tomorrow to get more paperwork filled out about my hypothyroidism. I think that is all that is in our way of being medically cleared. Please pray or send good thoughts our way about resolving this thyroid issue.

Sledding in Colorado!

2009-01-12T07:48:00.000-08:00

Toilet Fiasco

2008-12-07T19:26:00.000-08:00

It's been awhile since we've blogged, I know. After leaving Colorado Springs, we spent a few days with my friends Lori and Matt in Birmingham and then went to spend Thanksgiving with my family in Dothan. While we were staying with Lori and Matt, we had a toilet fiasco.

It was a Sunday morning, and we were planning on going to church with the Stokes. I got up and went to the bathroom to begin getting ready. To fully appreciate this story, you must know that their bathroom, the only one in their house, is very small and has no storage space. They stack all of their toiletries on an over-the-toilet shelf, so we added ours to it. As I flushed the toilet, I reached for my stick of deodorant and grabbed it by its top. I picked it up, and, low and behold, the top stayed in my grasp as the stick plummeted into the flushing toilet. One would think, or at least I would, that the deodorant would not fit down the toilet. How wrong this thinking is! The deodorant was not only sucked down the toilet but was sucked so far down that I could not reach it, and I did try to reach it.

It is very embarrassing to tell your hosts that you have broken their toilet. It is even more embarrassing to listen to your host tell her landlord over the phone how her guest broke her toilet. After the landlord told Lori it was indeed her problem to fix, we debated over getting a plumber or giving Ben a shot at fixing the toilet. We did try to call plumbers, but being that it was a Sunday we did not actually talk to one, nor did one return our calls. Fortunately, Ben found this very same problem on the internet. Turns out the only solution is to completely take the toilet apart to retrieve the deodorant (or any object). Ben, in all his graciousness and generosity, spent the better part of the afternoon doing just that. Turns out, it's not that hard to uninstall and re-install a toilet.

Unfortunately, we forgot to record this event with our camera. I even looked for similar pictures online, but to no avail. Sorry, but we'll just have to leave it to your imagination.

Ice Skating

2008-11-17T10:38:00.000-08:00

Last Tuesday, I took Amanda on a date to go ice skating. We went to the public skating at noon at the Colorado Springs World Arena Ice Hall which is where many Olympic ice skaters train. This was Amanda's second time on ice (though she loves roller skating) but she quickly got the hang of the difference. I had forgotten how much those skates make your feet hurt.

After skating for a while, we put on our shoes and went to the other rink to watch ice skating couples practice. It was fun to see the couples practicing some of their stunts.

Paul Wilbur Live Widget

2008-11-13T11:03:00.001-08:00

So this is part of what I've been feverishly working on for the last 2 weeks.

I'll post the main part when I can.

Seven Random Things

2008-11-10T13:03:00.000-08:00

We've been tagged by Joanna. I'll go first.

1. My most guilty pleasure is keeping up with an obnoxious, homosexual celebrity gossip blogger.

2. I'm growing my hair out really long with the intent of one day having awesome, non-stinky dreadlocks.

3. After much deliberation, I've come to the conclusion that Bangkok Thai is my favorite restaurant in the US, not because it's the best food I've ever had, but because I could seriously eat there seven days a week.

4. I secretly want to be a celebrity chef and have a show on the Food Network.

5. I had my nose pierced about 4 years ago, but I took it out for a job. I really miss it, and I'd get it done again.

6. I canned approximately seventy pounds of apples during our stint in Washington.

7. When I was eleven I raised money from my sixth grade class and sponsored a manatee.

I tag Dan Savage, Perez Hilton, Frank Warren, Heidi Swanson, Don Miller, Zach Braff, and fjr.

Great political essay by Don Miller

2008-11-09T20:37:00.000-08:00

Don Miller, known for his Blue Like Jazz and Searching for God Knows What books is one of Amanda's and my heroes. We both thought this blog post about his political journey starting in a staunch conservative family was really insightful and good. I especially can relate to many parts of it. I even went to the same conservative camp he references, went to churches not on the bus rout, and even (gasp) listened regularly to conservative talk radio.

Some sections that really stood out to me:

" I learned, then, that complicated problems could not be solved through simple solutions and emotional, even patriotic rhetoric. I also learned liberal, wishful thinking was fruitless. I learned to trust the value of numbers, hard data, and to realize nearly everybody has a motive, and power corrupts. I was shocked to find out abortion had decreased by 18% under President Clinton, and another 8% under George W. Bush (a significant slowing) and the pro-life lobby had largely ignored the economic factors that contribute to unwanted pregnancy.

In referring to something he said in an interview concerning why some Christian conservatives sometimes believe blatant lies about politicians :

“When we’ve never met people,” I said, “we are easily manipulated into demonizing them. We are easily made to fear.” And I’ll add there has been a great deal of fear in this campaign.

Here's the whole blog article.

(http://donmilleris.com/2008/11/03/from-reagan-to-obama-a-brief-political-history/)

In Colorado Springs Again!

2008-11-03T09:10:00.000-08:00

We arrived in CO on Wednesday. We've become quite accustomed to driving 24 hour stretches and only stopping for gas and a meal or two. I actually prefer it to taking two or three days to complete the same trip. We've spent a lot of time relaxing at the Nash's apartment. To clarify, Ben has been diligently working on web design stuff and I have been relaxing.

We threw a Halloween party on Friday night. I love to host parties and make food for lots of people, so I was very excited. I even bought a few decorations. Our party of seven turned to a party of three, though, because our friends who shall not be named in this blog bailed on us. So Ben, Joanna, and I watched High School Musical 2 and made caramel apples. High School Musical 1 is much better. Joanna also obliged the 4 trick-or-treaters. They were a robber, a "sweetheart" bat, a vampire, and a tiny Asian witch.

Berck came home on Saturday, and we had a fun night of oysters, pizza, and pub chips in three different restaurants. We rounded out the night with some ice cream. There was also abnormally good Irish music involved. Things always get exciting when Berck comes home.

This week is devoted to Ben's work, and next week we will probably make our way back to AL. I'm sure we will have tons of fun tomorrow trying to keep up with election coverage.

Pumpkin Carving

2008-10-26T18:57:00.000-07:00

Steph's neighbors Leah and Nate invited Amanda and me to a pumpkin carving party today. This was my first time to carve a pumpkin, and I had fun.

We both printed stencils from the internet.

Amanda carved a portrait of Barak Obama

And I carved Thomas the Train

Here are some of the pumpkins carved. Mine is far right, and the one next on the left is Amanda's

Yoga

2008-10-22T22:42:00.000-07:00

One thing I think our blog lacks is introspective blurbs. Stories are fun to write and relive, but I want to write about something that's been on my mind for a few weeks.

As most people know, Ben and I are very devoted to our yoga practice. In a normal week in our normal life in Mobile, we plan our week's events around our yoga class. You can look up facts and stats about yoga yourself, about how it has helped innumerable people with various ailments, how it predates most religions, and other nifty facts that make the practice of yoga unique. Recently, though, I have been more focused on what I personally get out of yoga.

First, let me describe a typical class. We start with breathing techniques and meditation in a seated position, and we take a moment to set an intention for our class, to individually dedicate it to a purpose. This week my intent for class was to be at peace with whatever life has to give me. Then we move into sequences of poses which flow easily from one to another. Most of the class is spent in standing postures and alternates inversion postures (bent over postures) and back-bending postures. After sufficient time for building heat in the body with nearly constant movement, most classes practice a few postures specifically for balance, strength, or flexibility. The class ends in a "corpse pose" where we lie on our backs and meditate, or think about nothing. Yoga is one of the only styles of exercise which incorporates rest into the practice, which is probably why yoga is so relaxing.

Aside from the physical elements, there is something metaphysical about a class and a personal practice as well. Every movement feels like part of a dance, and every participant dances the same dance to his own rhythm, his breathe. When I practice, I feel that I am acknowledging something greater and more powerful than myself, something in me that is also in the other participants, something inside of everyone. I am not a big fan of church, and that's no secret. I have my reasons, and I don't discuss religion with just anyone. Sometimes I feel like I commune with God in my practice of yoga and what it brings to my life, and I can't say that about many churches I've attended.

What does yoga bring to my life? Well, it brings my husband and me together at least one night of the week to experience something spiritual together. It's hard for me to dedicate myself to exercise regularly, like running or something, but I religiously practice yoga at least once a week, whether I can make a class or not. Physically, I've never been more flexible, and I can seriously tell a difference in my muscle tone. I'm a big girl, I have a history of asthma, I can't run a marathon, and I don't play sports. Yoga is something physical that I can take pride in, though, and I feel better about myself because of it. Though I do have breathing complications, the breathing techniques I use in yoga are easy to incorporate to control my breathing in physically stressful situations. I can't emphasize enough how yoga has changed my perception of myself. I feel the most beautiful when I look in the mirror during class and see my body aligned perfectly (or insanely contorted).

And at the end of the class, the instructor guides you to think about the things you are most thankful for. Every week, I am encouraged to give myself more reasons to live and to be a better person, more reasons to enjoy life and love people. Today I was thankful that Ben got some payable work, that my mom is okay and my brother is watching out for her, and that I get to have adventures lots of people may never have. Every week I am thankful that I have found my own way to commune with something higher, that I have the opportunity and ability to practice.

Sorry if this post was boring for you, dear reader. I just wanted to share a major part of my life with other people who are also a major part of my life, in some respect or another. Thanks for reading. Namaste.

Pumpkin Penne with Steamed Romanesco Broccoli

2008-10-21T19:11:00.000-07:00

Amanda cooked these yesterday. If you ever see fresh Romanesco, get it. It is really easy to cook but is so much tastier than its relatives, broccoli and cauliflower. The pumpkin pasta was delicious too.

Fall Colors

2008-10-21T19:10:00.000-07:00

Port Orchard Business

2008-10-21T18:10:00.000-07:00

We've been in Seattle for a couple weeks now, and we've been trying to stay busy. Getting the Baileys off to Mobile occupied us the first week, and week two has been devoted to new hobbies for me.

It's apple season (in apple country) but probably not much longer. Ben helped me acquire quite a bit of apples, more than 50 pounds. I've done much more canning than I ever wished to do in a week. I even canned some pumpkin butter because we have pumpkins, too.

I also taught myself to sew on Stephanie's sewing machine. So far I've made an apron and an outfit for Maggie which includes a dress, a hat, and a diaper cover. Unfortunately, it is a summer outfit, so I made it the 12 month size so maybe she can wear it next summer. I have a lot more plans for making baby clothes. I know lots of people expecting. I am also knitting a scarf for Ben. Maybe it will be finished in time to be his Christmas gift.

We've been on a lot of outings, too. We took the viper into Seattle a couple times and mostly did some exploring. We attended a mock election improvisation play last Thursday. It was not about any kind of real politics, and they get ideas for platforms from people in the audience. It ended up being guy who wants to make the country run in slow motion vs. guy who wants to turn all poo into lawn furniture and other useful items. (They were running for president.) The poo-converting guy won. It was lots of fun.

We also ate at a "mostly Chinese tapas restaurant." I've never had tapas, but I think this place was just Chinese. It was good, though. The waitress was very happy to pick our dinner for us, and we had fresh-made shaved noodle stir fry and shitake mushrooms. Yummy!

We visited some farmers markets on Sunday, which is one of my favorite things to do. Down side of driving the viper: it only holds so many groceries.

Funky Good Time/ The Place to Be

2008-10-18T11:37:00.000-07:00

The next day we toured the lake a bit and stopped to view Emerald Bay, which is a popular tourist spot. While we were on the observation deck, we ran into some presumably Dutch characters. They liked to make a big deal of taking pictures and the kept chanting "funky good time" which sounds very profane when repeated fast, and they also kept declaring that this was "the place to be." I'm pretty sure they were stoned, and I did see one of them put his joint out in the bush. They needed a group picture, though, and the leader picked Ben out of the crowd to be his personal photographer.

After the group picture, lead Dutch boy decided Ben needed to take the rest of their pictures on the deck, and Ben took several more shots of them in various combination and poses. I think the camera owner realized his buddies were too high to be trusted to hold it. After a bit of tourist banter we learned they were on a similar trip from San Francisco and Yosemite, but they were headed to Sacramento next. I'm sure they were off for another "funky good time." And as we drove off, I saw one of them fall off of a fairly short boulder near the deck. Boys and girls, don't smoke pot.

Raw Food in Lake Tahoe

2008-10-18T11:26:00.000-07:00

Amanda wrote this on our way back from Tahoe. Sorry it took so long to post. Make sure you look back a few posts to see our Yosemite post.

After Yosemite, we went to Lake Tahoe to stay with our friends Nile and Jessica. It was a very relaxing time, and we didn't do too much. We did laundry and watched a movie. It was a good time to chill and catch up.

Nile and Jessica are doing a diet experiment for a month and only eating raw, vegan food. Ben and I really like to cook dinner for people, so we found some recipes which accommodate their diet and made a night of it. We served raw, vegan sushi with cashew meal, sprouts, and assorted veggies as the filling with wasabi and a special soy-vinegar-sesame dipping sauce. It was actually very tasty. I'm mad that Ben didn't get a picture of it. I also made a raw, vegan strawberry "cheesecake" with an almond and date crust. It was quite delicious, very fruity, and not too sweet. It congealed nicely in the freezer. Eating raw food has many nutritional benefits, and after eating raw food I felt satisfied, yet not bogged down or tired. Clean seems like an adequate, but odd adjective to describe how my tummy felt. I think Nile and Jess were impressed, too.

Pumpkin Patch

2008-10-13T20:27:00.000-07:00

Friday, Steph took us and the kids to the pumpkin patch / corn maze.

This wasn't the best year for growing corn, and the five-acre corn maze proved it. It was in pretty bad shape and it wasn't technically open yet.

Lost in the hey

Fun slide

Maggie in the car on the way home

Another Restaurant I Reviewed

2008-10-06T16:06:00.000-07:00

The Lion and the Lamb British Pub

Beware, all you restauranteurs. I am an amateur reviewer, and I am not afraid to slam your establishment on the internet! But this review was not very harsh.

Yosemite

2008-10-05T15:56:00.000-07:00

I got confused in the midst of CA highways and ended up taking an hour-long detour, but we arrived at Yosemite in time to get a campsite outside the valley since all the campsites inside the valley were full. Since it was in the evening, we didn't do much touring and went to the nearby park service station for an ice cream and some post cards.

As we set up camp, we noticed a fairly large tree limb that I assumed had been gathered for firewood, but the next morning as the sun was rising we began to hear loud thumps and sometimes crashes near our tent. Things were falling from the sky. The thumps got closer and were soon thumping and crashing our tent, and Amanda was sure that a dead tree was going to fall on us. We quickly got up to move the tent, and we soon realized we were only being pelted with sequoia cones which were falling from very high up. Evidently the tree decided it needed to shed most of its cones that particular morning, and we happened to be under it.

Since we had an early start we drove down into the valley. Yosemite is probably the second most popular national park, and the valley feels very touristy. There are lots of shops, lodges, and tourists. The scenery is truly magnificent, though, with sheer cliffs surrounding you on three sides. The popular Yosemite Falls was completely dry due to there being no snow left to melt, but we were able to see trickles from Bridalveil Falls, and when we drove up to Glacier Point we could see three other falls in the distance.

The rest of the day we spent traversing the higher regions of the park, picnicking, and admiring the force of nature on the granite mountaintops from vista points. Then it was off to Lake Tahoe. Anyone know how to get tree sap out of clothes?

In-N-Out

2008-10-05T15:44:00.000-07:00

Monday morning on our drive to Yosemite we stopped at an In-N-Out Burger, which was on our list of things to do in California. In-N-Out is a fast food chain found only in California with a few locations in other states near its borders, and it is famous for making everything on the menu fresh from scratch with quality ingredients. The menu consists of burgers, fries, and shakes. In-N-Out is also famous for having a secret (or not-so-secret) menu. It's a secret because it's not posted anywhere in the restaurant, and there is however a link to it on their website homepage. The only part Amanda could remember was "animal style" which means your burger gets sauteed onions and spicy mustard, I think. We split an animal style cheeseburger, fries, and a chocolate shake. All were quite tasty for being fast food.