Spring Happenings in Pictures

Spring is always up and down in Chicago. One day, visions of summer bliss and warmth, the next flashbacks of the worst winter cold ever. It snowed at some point in May, I believe. Regardless, we put away our winter gear cautiously and without too much joy (lest we jinx the warmth), dusted ourselves off and got outside remembering what the air feels like on our skin again. I just love the smell of spring. Dare I say, it's worth even the harshest of winters.

Here are some pictures from the last few months (end of spring, getting into summer)...

 There is a really cute English garden themed play space at Old Orchard. Lucia loved running through the mini garden maze.

We had a Titanic slash Marti Gras party with some friends. Mainly it was to get our friend Noah to watch Titanic for the first time because come on, who hasn't seen it? That's right, nobody. SO we had to fix that. Between Matt and I, we saw it six times in theater. There was movie watching, Mexican food and drinks, a pinata plus this amazing sinking Titanic cake.

 We had fun with the pinata on Noah and Corrie's roof.

 Lucia trying to fit in her old exersaucer but she's busting out now

 Once a week, we tagged along with Linnea and her kids to hang out with GG and grandpa Ray while Gwen and Sonja did piano lessons at Covenant Village. The kids love hanging out with them (plus the tv and snacks they get out of the deal).

 Gwen and Naomi have birthdays two days apart so we had a family party to celebrate them both.

 At Gwen's request, we played a family game of kickball at her school. It was tons of fun and funny that this fam has enough people to field a kickball game.

 GG and grandpa Ray watched the action from the sidelines. Yep, that's a seat out of a car that my grandpa is sitting in. The mind of John Wallgren and his problem solving skills never ceases to amaze us.

 On Mother's Day, the kids face-timing with Sommar in Washington.

 Lucia-sandwich with cousins Caroline and Addison

Heading to the park with these crazies

 Feeding the ducks at Lovelace park. I love that this park is walking distance from us.

 "What should I have for lunch?" -is probably what she is contemplating

 Our yearly Memorial Day weekend tradition is to go camping with friends at Lake Kegonsa in Wisconsin. The group changes a bit each year and it never fails to be a great time hanging out with friends and relaxing all weekend. This picture is from our drive up there. Love me some old barns next to beautiful trees.

This year we secured a group site that we have been scoping out for a while because it has lots of room and a shelter over the eating area. Not to mention, completely surrounded by green trees and beauty.

 Setting up the tent

 Lucia was trying to be her daddy, I guess. Reading his book, sitting in his chair with his hat on.

 Zeke dining alfresco

 Lucia and her new buddy, Soren

 The babies on the trip this year, Samuel and Anders. It's fun to watch the families grow as the babies multiply.

 Christine and Tresor even got to come hang out with us, yay!

 Lucia made friends with Lea from the campsite across the street. They mainly bonded by bubbles and running around our campsite squealing and holding hands. So cute!

The best part: campfires and the great conversation that happens around them.

 Oh man, what a great way to be welcomed home from work on my birthday!

 Matt planned a super fun party for me with friends and family but this was one of the only pictures I took, oops. Thanks for the fun time, ya'll!

 Then we got to go to Ron of Japan later in the weekend, which is always oh so yummy. Plus, the whole fam was there (and the kids were not:)

 Sonja's ballet recital dress is now Lucia's favorite thing to wear.

 And when she puts it on, she has to dance around in it. Here are Sonja and Lucia doing one of their shows.

 Beach trip in Winnetka

 Linnea and I took all our kids to the Shedd Aquarium for a free day. We almost didn't make it due to Lucia refusing to wear shorts (or anything besides just a shirt) but good thing we did cause look at this view at lunch!

 Look, they're so happy! 

Wait for it...

 And just like that...the many faces of childhood

 Watching the dolphins

Braised Pork Belly Tacos

Oh my goodness, gracious. This is one of my favorite foods I've ever made. Matt says the best ever. My dad tried it and said "meh". I guess it's just a matter of taste. But if you are the pork belly type, you will most definitely like this recipe. 

I've tried pork belly a few different ways and this is my fave recipe. I get pork belly from a Mexican market, this time with ribs still attached but that doesn't really matter. Next time, I'll actually remember to have the butcher remove the skin for me because it is a very laborious task.

The Recipe (from Have Knives Will Cook)

For the pork:

• 2½ lbs. boneless skinless pork belly, cut into large chunks approx. 4 oz. each
• 1 cup fresh squeezed orange juice
• 1 cup white distilled vinegar
• 4-6 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 tsp ground annatto and coriander
• crushed red pepper (optional)
• salt & pepper
• vegetable oil

For the garnishes:

• queso fresco, crumbled
• sour cream or Mexican crema
• fresh pineapple, cut into small chunks
• fresh cilantro leaves
• tomatillo salsa (see below)
• pickled onion (see below)
• lime wedges
• 2 dozen soft corn or flour tortillas

The Method

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and position the rack in the center of the oven.
2. Lightly score the pork belly on the fat side by making a few 1/8″ deep cuts.  Generously season the pork belly with salt and pepper.  Heat a few tablespoons of oil in a large skillet or flame-proof roasting dish over medium high heat until it shimmers.  Lightly sear the pieces of pork belly on each side.
3.  Drain the excess fat from the pan and position the pieces of belly with the fat side down.  Add the orange juice, vinegar, garlic, annatto/coriander, and a pinch of crushed red pepper so that the liquid comes halfway up the pieces of meat. Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil and bake in the oven 1-1/2 to 2 hours until the meat pulls apart easily with a fork.
4. While the pork is cooking, prepare the garnishes.
5. When the pork is cooked, let it rest covered in the cooking liquid for 5-10 minutes before pulling apart.  Once it has rested, shred the meat with a pair of forks, or your fingers and mix it with just enough of the braising liquid to coat each morsel.  Add salt to taste.
6. Pile up in tortilla with all the yummy garnishes and eat your heart out. Yum!

I made some tomatillo salsa and picked red onions to go with it all. Yes, they are delicious and essential. For the onions, I just thinly slice them then add enough vinegar (red wine or apple cider) to cover the onions plus a little sugar or honey. Mix it up, pour into a jar and let it all soak in a few hours. Tomatillo salsa recipe below...

 

Tomatillo Salsa (also from Have Knives Will Cook)

The Recipe

• 1 lb. fresh tomatillos, husks removed (approx. 4)
• 1-2 fresh jalepeno peppers (more if you like it hot)
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 bunch of fresh cilantro leaves, finely chopped
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1 Tbsp lime juice
• salt to taste

The Method

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil.  Add the tomatillos and jalepenos and cook until the tomatillos turn yellow.  Remove both the tomatillos and the jalepenos and cool them in ice water. Drain.
2. Remove the stems from the tomatillos and jalepenos.  Combine all the ingredients in a blender or food processor and pulse until the mixture is a rough puree.
3. For a more chunky salsa, blanch only the tomatillos, cool them in ice water, drain, then dice.  Stem and de-seed the jalepenos and finely dice them.  Combine the diced tomatillos and jalepenos with the remaining ingredients.

My Dirty Thirty

 Me and Lucia today on my 30th birthday. Yep, we're matching:) I thought it would be funny.

A few months ago it was Matt's turn and now mine to turn 30. My mind has a certain way it has always visualized life, or rather, the years and duration of life. For as long as I can remember, I have seen in my mind a timeline spanning along my life with meaningful tick markers. I don't know where it came from and I can't quite explain it, but there it always is. The meaningful tick markers have always been the years 12, 18, 21, 30 and so on. Beyond this visual, I can't quite remember what I really thought when I was younger of what it might mean to turn 30. I just knew it was one of those more meaningful, milestone tick marker ones.

So as I look back on the way my years have stacked up on top of each other, one after the other, I find myself 30 years deep. Each birthday is made possible only by the fact that all those other years have come before this one. I am who I am today because of where I have been and what I have done.

But I don't think that this is the whole story. Because it is in each present moment, not the past nor the future, where we find consciousnesses, peace, happiness and who we really are. This moment is actually the only moment we ever really have. Lately, I have been much more conscious on being mindful in my every day life. In other words, I have been trying to actually pay attention to each moment of my day, soaking it all in and giving gratitude. Some days I do better than others but I am really aware today of all the things I am grateful for.

Regardless of when I was young and what I might have thought this day might look like, I am lucky and grateful for what the reality has come to be. I am the wife of a wonderful man, I get the pleasure of being mom to an adorable, sweet, full of life daughter, I am the daughter/daughter-in-law/sibling to an amazing family who continues to surround me with support no matter how old I get and I get to be friends with some awesome people with whom I have so much fun with but who I also get to live this meaningful and messy life alongside. I have had countless traveling adventures, a job I love, a great church community, a place to live and things to call my own. Not to mention, this place where I currently live, holds the best porch reading spot. And I am sitting there right now. One of my favorite places in this whole world to be.

But more importantly, aside from these titles and possessions, I feel content. And that is something I am truly grateful for, realizing that it has taken some cultivation, stillness and reflection to get me here. Not that it's a destination. But today, on my thirtieth birthday, I am thankful for this 24 hour destination point. I will do my best to soak it all in.

In honor of my 30th birthday, I thought I would share 30 things about myself. My dirty thirty. Some surprising, others not so much, some embarrassing, but all of them what makes me me:

1. Fruit roll ups are my ultimate guilty pleasure. Nobody knows this better than my husband Matt who randomly picks them up for me just to bring a smile to my face much like other woman may feel about receiving flowers.

2. My family knows that I have a very strong and definite opinion about soy sauce brands. I mean, why would anyone even think about buying La Choy when they could get Kikkoman, There is just no competition and my family gets afraid if I am in need of soy sauce and they realize they only have the former.

3. I have been to 49 out of 50 states. All I can say is that we did a lot of driving trips growing up. I will have to throw a big old party once I finally make it to North Dakota.

4. When I am not working or tending to my parental duties and such, I love listening to pod casts, reading and/or listening to music. I love a good thought provoking piece for my mind to wrestle with...this goes for listening to NPR, WBEZ and watching a good WTTW show or documentary too.

5. Speaking of meaningful shows, I love the Bachelor/Bachelorette and I am not ashamed. Yes, I realize I should be.

6. Ravinia on a warm summer night with good friends or family and good music is one of my all time favorite activities. For those who don't know what Ravinia is, it is an outdoor music venue where instead of watching the performer (which there are some very notable ones) you sit on the lawn in front of the stage on a blanket/chairs, eat good food and drink wine. Some of the elaborate set ups of table/chairs/food/drink that people bring are incredible (complete with candles, fancy plastic wine glasses, gourmet food, etc.). You have to see it to believe it. I tend to keep things simple (one time last year, I forgot a wine glass so I ended up sippin' out of my daughter's sippy cup she left behind in the car. Keeping it classy:)

7. I love traveling! I have lived in Chicago, Ecuador, Iceland and Bolivia and I have traveled to Mexico, Sweden, Spain, Italy, England, France, Peru and Chile. Sooooo many more countries to go...

8. Speaking of traveling, one of my favorite traveling moments was snorkeling on a remote bay in Hawaii. Seriously, breath taking beauty PLUS, because my face was underwater, I was forced to reflect on the beauty of it in my head (although I was trying very hard to point out to Matt all the amazing things I was seeing).

9. Speaking of making a clearly individual moment into a social one, I am definitely an extrovert. I gain energy, laughter, meaning and goofiness from others. It takes me a lot of people time to get sick of it. In related news, Matt is definitely an introvert but we make it work. Usually, this means lots of hanging and talk time with just the two of us because usually he is all the 'people' I need. In fact, we talk a lot. If we don't have around 3 seriously deep conversations and 5 silly ones a week then that feels weird.

10. Although Matt is an introvert, we love to hang out with our family and friends. We are with my whole family at least once a week and smaller combinations of family throughout the week. Plus we spend lots of time with friends, at least once a week and sometimes up to 3 times a week. We may be parents of a young child, which seems to make people think that means we would just stay home all the time, not so. We pack up Lucia and bring her and her pack n play along if necessary.

11. My family has been selected to be on Family Feud, we are just awaiting a taping date. We tried out for fun back in October 2013, made it through tryouts and have been notified that we made it! Until we are actually scheduled, I will probably think it's not actually gonna happen.

12. I have an obsession of playing with the tags on my shirt. You know, the ones inside on the side? All of mine are tightly twirled from rolling them between my fingers. This is partly due to my extremely fidgety nature.

13. I love organizing things but have a pretty high tolerance for a messy house. It's just not something that stresses me out.

14. I was convinced Lucia would be a boy so the first thing I said after Matt announced she was a girl was "really?!?"...with tears in my eyes because I was so happy to have a girl. My first thought when seeing her was, "whoa, those are some enormous eyes". Beautiful, but enormous none the less. Still one of her most prominent features.

15. I definitely do not shower every day. Every other day at best.

16. When I was little, I was pretty shy and especially afraid of the large real life Disney characters at Disney World. I am reminded of this fact, oh, every time my family gets the chance. Some other things my family won't let me live down: crying after getting hit while playing whirly ball...on my 21st birthday (I guess I was a little old for that) and my refusal to sing with the whole family at church because I thought it was 'sick and twisted'.

17. When I was young, my parents once forgot me twice in one day. Forgot, like forgot to bring me home or pick me up somewhere. First they forgot to bring me home from church (picture a scared, trembling girl huddling in the coat rack by herself when the pastor found me to let me know my parents were on their way back to pick me up) then they forgot to pick me up from a birthday party later that same day. Such is the life of a third born.

18. Speaking of bring a third born, I have two older sisters and one younger brother. All four of us are wonderfully different and we each have unique relationships with the others. I love having multiple siblings.

19. I was in a musical in Chicago when I was in junior high, starring me and Donny Osmond. Okay, maybe not starring me but I was one of the kids in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at the Chicago Theater. I loved being in it and being onstage. I also loved missing school for the matinee shows:)

20. Matt and I have lived in 8 different places in 8 years. This trend is getting a little old. I dream of the day when I can pick things out, a mere paint color perhaps. Is that asking too much?

21. The noise from metal on metal, metal on teeth, knives scraping plates, etc. is my 'nails on a chalkboard' noise. Ugh, I hate those sounds. I suppose I also hate the sound of nails on a chalkboard.

22. I love cooking. Oh, and eating. I get inspiration from cooking shows and books but I don't love to follow recipes exactly. I tend to get the concept then put my own stamp on it, adapt it the next time til it's perfect. This is why I write recipes out on my blog, so I can remember how I changed the originals.

23. I love to get up a bit before Lucia is awake and read. Mornings with coffee and a good book are the best. The quiet and stillness helps sets up the rest of my day right. My brain absolutely absorbs information at this time of day. Sometimes I even keep reading after she is up but hasn't started yelling for me yet.

24. I have dreams of creating a 'Hot Dogs Around the World' book. Loaded up hot dogs of all varieties are the best. And as it turns out, most places I have been to have their own specialty hot dog. And I like them all.

25. I have a weird hip injury from over ten years ago that makes it too painful for me to bike, kayak, run for more than 5 minutes or walk for more than 45 minutes. I need to go ahead and get the surgery to fix it already. I miss biking.

26. I love my job. It doesn't even feel like a job to me. I guess that means I love it. I get the pleasure of working with teen parents. The particular families I work with are lovely and I it brings me great joy to walk alongside them for this season of their life. Not that it's always easy, I just like doing it. Did I mention I will only be the director of Parenting Progress for another few weeks? More on that in another post...

27. I believe that the bible is actually true. Turns out there is a lot of good stuff in there. Read it and surely it will resonate truth with you too. I'll break it down: God loved/s us, all of us, He has shown this to be true through Jesus, we are in Him, He is in us, so we are called to go on and love others as Jesus loved/s us even to the point of death. So simple yet so hard that it takes one's whole life to live it out. But when you know that peace that passes understanding, when you know you are fully known and fully loved, the call to love and take care of others, especially the most vulnerable in our world, becomes incredibly clear (and joyful).

28. I am extremely grateful to my parents and surrounding family that helped give me a great sense of self from a young age. When I think back, my younger years felt swirling and chaotic but I can see now that I have a sense of security and feeling loved that stems all the way back to those early years. One could not receive a better gift to set them up to thrive, not just survive, in life. I pray that my own children feel this some day.

29. Matt was my first and only boyfriend and I pretty much knew I would marry him when I was 18 years old. You may think this is naive but I'm glad I made that choice, no matter how old I was. We started dating our first year of college in Ecuador. Our first real bonding moment happened while hiking a volcano. I famously wrote home to my mom after that hike, knowing that this guy might become something special to me saying something like "me and this guy Matt hiked together on the edge of the mountain, making our own path". "And they've been making they're own path ever since" my mom declared at our wedding rehearsal dinner. Indeed, and I have no doubt this will continue.

30. I may be 30 but I still love to swing at the park. Having a young daughter gives me a great excuse to do so.

Disclaimer: I realize that some of this list seems annoying. If you're annoyed, then just disregard. If I were reading this, I might be thinking "Ugh, would she get off her high horse already and stop beaming about her life?!?" I get it. Like I said, I'm feeling particularly grateful today on this milestone of my life. I think it's healthy to cultivate gratitude in one's life. Go ahead and try it in your own. You might be surprised to find out how much you have worth appreciating each and every day.

"The world is more magical, less predictable, more autonomous, less controllable, more varied, less simple, more infinite, less knowable, more wonderfully troubling than we could have imagined being able to tolerate when we were young." James Hollis

Matt turns 30 and South Carolina Trip

 Folly Beach in South Carolina

Ah, warmth...it had been awhile since our Chicago skin had felt it.

 So long, in fact, that because Lucia learned to talk over the winter, she learned the phrase "walk in the snow" and thought it meant just plain old walking outside. This spring she has had to re-learn the fact that walking outside doesn't mean walking in snow. And South Caroline with friends for a week was a great place to do so.

 Lucia had quite the set-up on our drive down (plus an extreme rule bending amount of pacifier time to keep things sane for the adults in the car).

 Cabin fever: things got a little weird. BONUS: Lucia threw up all over herself shortly after this picture was taken.

 Our first full day there was Matt's 30th birthday! It was so fun to celebrate with friends, sunshine and a relaxing day.

 We had some really yummy brunch in Charleston at Hominy Grill.

 Then some hang out time on the beach.

 Lucia loved looking for shells and bugs.

 Lucia's beach buddy, Zeke

 Matt conducting his birthday song while proudly displaying his new Seahawks jersey.

 30 is a lot of candles...

 We had a ton of fun that night, lots of laughs together with friends as we hung out and played games. And with the help of our family and friends, I was able to put together a very special book for Matt filled with stories, fond memories and appreciations about Matt. He loved it and I hope it made him feel loved as well.

 Our place in Folly Beach was awesome! There were 8 adults and 2 kids but plenty of room to spread out.

Some cool lofted space

 I loved these staircases. And by some small miracle, neither Lucia nor Zeke discovered during the whole week that they could walk up the steps. This made things A LOT easier on us parents with small children.

 Our room

 Lucia's room :) This arrangement allowed us to get a few extra minutes of sleep in the mornings before Lucia would stand up, repeatedly open and slam the closet door yelling, "Mommy awake!?!" the split second I opened my eyes.

The porch. Hard to beat that view.

 We were located across the street from the beach which was especially great since the weather turned cooler...much easier to take quick trips to the beach without making a big production of it (like Matt and Lucia in the background of this pic).

 Lots of yummy restaurants to enjoy.

 Charleston is such a pretty place, one of my favorite US cities for sure.

 We took a stroll through the historic part of Charleston. So many beautiful and interesting houses on lovely tree lined streets. You can feel the history of the city, some of it dark, buzzing in the streets due to all the well preserved houses.

 Lucia and Zeke enjoyed themselves on our walk.

 The last time I was in Charleston, about 8 years ago with my family, we took a carriage tour. I have forgotten everything we learned then leaving me with a slight and fleeting flicker of familiarity at sites around the city....no wait, nothing there, I forget.

 What a cute little narrow house.

We happened upon this cool building...

 ...which turned to be a horse washing station or something

 The last time Matt and I were in Charleston, it was about 8 years ago, three weeks before we got married. We had rented a house on a nearby island with my family to celebrate my parents wedding anniversary. My siblings and I sat on these same benches to take a picture so of course, Matt, Lucia and I had to recreate it. 

Matt and I hadn't seen each other all summer before we got married back in September 2006 because he was at home in Washington and I was in Chicago. We had just graduated from college and we were used to spending time apart, being from different states across the country from each other. When we got to South Carolina, it was great to spend vacation time , with Matt and my family right before our wedding. I have memories of great family time, late night talks on the beach with Matt, plus place card making, program planning and strapless shirt tanning on the beach (so as not to ruin my tan lines for my wedding dress, duh). We were so excited to get married, join our lives together and dream dreams of what that joint life would entail. It was the beginning of something special and it seemed like the possibilities of our life together were endless.

So it felt like some sort of important milestone to go back to that same place and reflect on all that has happened since the last time we were there. And much has happened since then! For one, we have moved about 7 times in those 8 years. We have lived in a few countries, we have great family and friends, have had some great jobs, we've learned a lot about ourselves and have had a beautiful little girl that we adore. We have been able to make some of those dreams a reality but we are still dreaming up new adventures...hopefully that will never stop.

 Lucia and Zeke had fun practicing their jumping and chasing birds on the beach.

 Lucia and Corrie

 And we even had time to stop at a whiskey distillery, Buffalo Trace, on the way home.

But the kids went a little crazy during the whiskey tour (I mean, come on kids, can't you hold it together for just one little whiskey tour?) so Janine and I went to find some food for them. Little did we know, we would end up in some Kentucky university cafeteria. Good times.

Here are a few more recent pics of Lucia...

Lucia had to come with me to work for a few days and she did a great job napping while I got some work done.

Lucia has been really into glasses and headbands lately. And she must put them on her way, as evidenced by the above picture.

Palm Sunday. Belly protruding.

Playing with some shaving cream and food coloring

Naomi and Lucia doing a show

Gwen leading us in some yoga

This pretty much sums up life in our house with 4 little girls!