The Simple Journey

There are times when I forget what I've blogged about, what I've talked about or what I've thought about. I confuse all 3 to be the same conversation.
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If I take a moment to look back over my life it seems that I have always been on the same journey: to pursue the simple life. There were times when I was closer to it than others, but it is still something I pursue. Admittedly, over the last 2 years the pursuit has become quite intentional. My clothing fast, coupled with financial management, has led me to think about things that clutter my brain but change my lifestyle. And surprisingly, the more I read the more clutter I have to sort through, but ultimately change is Good.
One such example was my recent reading of "Animal, Vegetable, Mircale" by Barbara Kingsolver. Last summer I heard a lot about this book and when I got home from Kenya someone lent it to me. I tried to read it, but wasn't ready. Finally in March I borrowed the book on CD and listened to it during my commute to work. It is Brilliant in ways that I cannot account for. Barbara and her family spent a year intentionally being localvores: purchasing their food from local vendors or growing it themselves. The book chronicles this journey and is highlighted with anecdotes that kept me thinking for days. Clearly though I cannot mirror their journey as I do not own land and I live in a colder climate. The question for me, however, was "What can I do?"

For years I often said, "I want to grow a patio garden" and yesterday I saw that dream become a reality. Mom and I went to the Farmer's Market where I asked a lot of questions that were patiently answered.

I purchased:
-2 tomato plants (which will be hung upside down in 5 gallon buckets next week)
-4 green pepper plants
-an oregano plant
-an eggplant (now named Sophia)

At Lowe's I purchased:
-2 5-gallon buckets (which will house tomato plants next week)
-a yellow summer squash plant (named Mary)
-2 red pepper plants
-seeds for green beans
-seeds for carrots

We went back to Mom's house and planted as much as we were able. Holly is lending me more pots for the summer and I will fill them tomorrow after school. In the 2 giant green pots now live a red pepper plant and an eggplant. Both are surrounded by carrot seeds, which was Mom's idea.

If you have ever been to my home then you know that it is filled with house plants, which doubles in the summer as I take home the plants I keep at school. I have never killed a plant and my hope is to be equally successful this summer with a garden. I cannot tell you how many times I said to Mom, "I am SO EXCITED!" because really, I am SO EXCITED to watch my little garden grow.

My hope is to follow in the footsteps of the Kingsolver family but on a much smaller scale. I hope to harvest and store much of the food from my garden and to supplement the rest from local farmers like the Visser Family. I want to can tomatoes, roast and can red peppers, grill and freeze the eggplant and summer squash and fill my Mom's freezer with my winter eats. She has already donated the space. My Dad and I are going to buy a food-dehydrator together and experiment throughout the harvest season. I want a pantry full of food that I can use throughout the winter. Perhaps this is why I had to spend a year purging my home? I needed to empty my hall closet in order to turn it into a pantry.

Although I am 2 months early, this is my EarthFriendly change for July/August. Back in January I decided to adopt a new EarthFriendly change every other month for the year. My first change was to stop using my dryer. I have been faithful. In March I started to bring all of my recycling to Deb's house. May 1 saw the end of paper napkins in my home. I am sure that September/October will have something to do with Harvesting, but we'll wait and see what the summer brings.

I know that many of you out there are also pursuing a Simple Life and I would love to hear your stories. Your stories encourage me to stay strong and to not give in to consumerism. Let's do this together, okay?

Now, if someone knows where I can buy local tuna and shrimp I just might Kiss You.

My hopes for Summer

I didn't intend to write a poem...but Holly and I exchanged a series of emails today and this is what evolved. Holly contributed the third stanza. What are you anticipating for summer?

it's so beautiful outside.
i wanna go play.
i wanna swing on the swings.
kick my feet.
splash in the water.
i want SUMMER.

wear tank tops
and shorts
feel the sun on my skin

swingy sundress
and birkenstocks
and an old straw cowboy hat.
and a mojito
or a limoncello

sittin' on my porch
napping on the beach
sunsets on the lake
long walks at night

A snippet of My Good Life

Early last week, on a whim, I asked Michelle if she had plans Friday night. Usually we schedule stuff on weekdays, but it had been a month since I last saw her so I threw out Friday night. By Thursday the only thing we knew for certain was that we were going to get together. I suggested Tulip Time, walking around, getting something to eat, praising God for making Tulips, you know, that sort of thing. She agreed.

It was high time for me to participate in Quality Control at New Holland Brewing Co. You know what I'm sayin', yes? That Lucsious Caramel Apple Martini is...well, it's Lucscious. And I ordered the D-white pizza for the first time ever and I am here to tell you that it is my new favorite pizza and that is really sayin' something. If you add artichokes as a topping it will rock your world.

Michelle and I shared our life-puzzles. God spoke to me last week. He said, "surrender" and I'll tell you about that next time. Michelle shared her story. We drank and ate and laughed. Then we turned to scheming and planning and we rubbed our hands together with sheer delight. We are brilliant women independently and serious trouble when we're together.

Saturday dawned and I was already excited. Who doesn't love to watch a good parade? By 1:30 I was at Deb's house and we meandered over to our Reserverd Seating. Every year I join her extended family for the Parade of Bands. They are Good People. My niece already believes in her heart of hearts that she is a Dutch Dancer. Meanwhile, as every float passed with a pretty girl in a dress Grace would exclaim, "Look! There are 3 princesses!" We've got to get that girl on a float.

The Bier and Muziek Tent is the last event in my Tulip Time week. I've attended yearly since it's discovery. One year there was a Jimmy Buffet cover band. Another year it was a Jazz Band. And then there was last year. It was so bad I don't even remember it.

This year the Tulip Time committee added something new to the Festival: Tulipalooza at the 6th Street Stage. There must've been 500 people in attendance Saturday night. Guess who the band was? Go ahead, guess.

"That 80s Band" and they were Insane. I cannot believe how talented they were. They were performers, entertainers, crowd-pleasers and they rocked that stage for 3 hours! I was in 80s heaven. You really should've been there. I sang to my heart's content, forgetting to dance because I was 16 again. Something about that night was Just Plain Good for me. I can't put my finger on it.

Life is Good.
I'll tell you about it sometime.

My Soul feels Good

I cannot put my finger on why this happens or even how it feels. But I am learning to recognize it for what it is when it does happen. And you must know by now that I don't like to overuse Church-y expressions but there is no other word to describe it.

Spiritual Oppression.

I had two very crazy dreams Monday morning right before I woke up. One was very real, so real in fact, that I was disappointed when I woke up and checked the internet only to discover that my dream was only a dream. The 2nd dream had me cleaning out rotten food and brought back a lot of bad memories from my first job.

To say that I felt out of sorts is an understatement. Certainly I was aware that I was in a funk and try as I might to shake it, it just wouldn't shake. That's when I realized that I wasn't in a bad mood, but more that I was Under Someone's Thumb, if you know what I mean.

I gave a Test on Monday. Prior to the test I always walk around to ensure the kids have put away all their books and no papers are lying about. Then I begin the test. About 7 minutes after I sat at my desk (to let them work) I noticed a piece of paper under a girls desk. I went over to investigate. It was a vocab sheet for the test. I grabbed the sheet and her test and said something about cheating. She started to yell at me (and I quote), "You get on my DAMN NERVES....STUPID HEIFER." And I quietly asked her to stop talking so that others could go back to work (Sometimes my ability to stay calm surprises me) and she replied, "DON'T TELL ME TO STOP TALKING." And she continued with her rant. I called Security, filled out a form for her removal from my room and waited. They came, she left and several hours later I got a note from my Principal that she was sent home for the day, her mom will take care of it at home, let me know if her behavior changes.

The day kinda spiraled down from there but I was smart enough to request prayer at this point. And, honestly, it was either her or me that had to stay home from school on Tuesday and since she did not get suspended I guess I had to call in sick.

Tuesday morning I woke up after 10 hours and I felt like a new woman. The sun was shining despite what the weather people predicted. Marie came over at 10 and hand-delivered an amazing Birthday Book. I laughed and clapped and was shocked. People out there actually think I'm a nice person. I'm not even being sarcastic. This was news for me and I am trying really hard to own your words. Apparently the way I perceive myself and the way Others perceive me are two opposing thoughts. Whoa.

Marie and I walked over to Panera where we talked about writing and sharing and taking people into our confidence. She is a fabulous woman.

After Marie left I opened up that Big Birthday Book again and sat there with a huge smile on my face. Your words mean a lot to me. I cannot tell you how much they shaped my Tuesday after such a disconcerting Monday. Your words settled into my Soul and started to heal me. Very slowly. They are still working, still spreading and I am desperately trying to own them.

I sat on my patio, soaking in the sun, listening to the bees working magic in the trees. My arm turned a bit red. I graded over 300 papers yesterday and I did so while smiling. You see? Who grades papers with a smile? I have 200 papers yet to grade but I am not worried about it.

Late in the afternoon my neighbor came home from work, Andrea. She was in a fit to be tied and asked if we could have a drink on my patio. Of course, please come and sit with me. Her boyfriend soon showed up and we sat out there like old friends.

My House Church met at 6 p.m. in Centennial Park. They found me laying in the grass, staring into the trees and thanking Tiger for Tulip Time, Spring, and for living such a good life. We wondered around looking for Vegetarian options from the Vendors and finally found Cheese Pizza.

Kerri danced at 7 and I was her Heckler. Dan said, "You are going to embarrass your children someday, Diane." When the dance ended we resumed laying in the grass in the park. We talked about End-Of-The-World movies and I mused that I hope Tulips will be present at the End of the World. Kerri dryly assured me that there will be Tulips.

When we dispursed I took it upon myself to drive around Tulip Lane. I don't know that I've ever done that before. Tulips must certainly be God's Most Beautiful Flower. I appreciate their Simplicity. It feeds me. They are elegant and undemanding and that is why they catch my eye. Their beauty fills my heart to bursting. As I drove I neared the overlook to Lake Mac and the sun was orange in the sky, lowering itself into the Lake. This is why I live in Holland, it's because God finds ways to love me here.

I am so glad I stayed home from school. My Soul feels so Good today. Apparently it was empty and needed to be filled. Tonight my belly will be filled with Sushi which is equally appealing.

Treasure Hunt

The Treasure Hunt started at 3 p.m. Marie distributed our Book of Clues and the timer began! My team (Laura, Carrie and Kristin) raced to the car where we sat for nearly 30 minutes deciphering 3 clues at the same time.

Clue One: Was a list of 21 questions either about me or Holland. A letter (or number) was taken from each word and those letters spelled out a location. It took us to The Old School House Restaurant, my first real job! There we picked up an empty bottle and a piece of the final clue.

Clue Two: a series of 6 pictures (South America, Olive Oyl, Christian Slater, a school of fish, PS2 and Ground Beef) Take the first word from each picture and it gives you a 2nd location of South Olive Christian School Play Ground. Kate was there to give us another piece of the final clue and we picked up an egg with another clue unside.



Clue Three: Marie burned each team a CD of 80s tunes. We had to figure out the Artist for each song and then chose specific letters from each artist and plug them into a puzzle. It took us to Captian Sundae! We had to have our picture taken there.

Clue Four: It looks like Elven Script from Lord of the Rings but it spelled out a clue to lead us to the General Store by Ottawa Beach. Jamie was dressed in her Dutch Costume, waiting to hand us the next clue, shivering in the rain. Bless her!



In the egg was a long strip of paper with letters on it. We had no idea how to decypher it. Finally we figured out to wrap it around the bottle and it spelled out directions to go to HCHS. At HCHS we had to read a map and come up with the number 34.

After piecing all 5 clues together we were led to Window on the Waterfront, to a wooden plank with a list of names. The 34th name down on the wooden plank said "Holland Coin." We raced to Holland Coin and ended our Treasure Hunt!

Mind you, we did not figure out the clues in order! First we went to the beach and on the way there we figured out the SOC Play Ground and the Old School House. On our way to the SOC Play Ground we figured out Captian Sundae where we had just been! We finally figured out the HCHS map number and then spent a goodly amount of time traipsing around Window on the Waterfront looking for anything useful! "think like Marie, think like Marie" was our Mantra.

We laughed a lot. A lot. In the car. This was aided by the wonderful CD filled with 80s music and random shouting in the car as one person would 'click' with an idea on how to solve a clue! My driving wasn't the best because I had a hard time concentrating while figuring out how to spell "Eurythmics" and such.

My team won! It took us 2.5 hours but we won! Out of the 6 teams that started 4 finished. After the hunt was over we snuggled into Deb's house for food and sharing stories. It was a blast to hear how other teams figured out clues, in what order and how they were stumped by some. I just kept laughing all night!

Thanks Marie! It was awesome!

It's my Party!

I thought I'd keep a running list of fun things that happen today:

7:00 - Mom and Dad email "Happy Birthday!"
8:02 - Mom calls and sings to me!
8:15-8:30 - dozens of students come in my room and wish me a Happy Birthday!
Today our Ch 8 Project is due = a Hispanic Food Fair in all classes!
8:30 - Debra and Grace email "Happy Birthday!"
8:36 - Grace sings "Happy Birthday, Titi!" on my voicemail
8:54 - e-card from Carrie
9:25 - practice for a Tornado Drill!
9:38 - e-card from Karin
10:03 - Birthday wishes from Holly
10:19 - e-card from Carrie
10:24 - e-card from Carrie
11:40 - Holly and Carrie make a surprise delivery to my room! They brought their beautiful selves AND a caramel latte!
12:43 - Spanish 3 kids walk in with my birthday cake. It says, "Feliz Cumpleaños Ms. Nini. SUCK IT" (the 'suck it' is an inside joke from earlier this week! hilarious! They think I should get it tattooed on my big toe. Think about it.)
9-2:00 - Many Birthday wishes from staff
5:30 - Birthday Greetings from Mom, Dad, Deb and Grace at Mom's house
5:35 - Kerri calls "Happy Birthday!"
6:00 - Sarah and Dean call to send me Birthday wishes
6:30 - Mom lays out a spread for me: BBQ Salmon on the Grill, mashed potatoes, cooked carrots, baked beans, peach wine and Mint Choc Chip Ice Cream for dessert.

Thank you to Everyone for making me feel so loved, valued and special on my Birthday!

A Week to Celebrate

Monday night: I received one of the most encouraging phone calls of my life. It was about my writing. It was from an Editor. She thinks I should publish my work in a variety of magazines. I cannot believe her.

Tuesday: My feet did not touch the ground all day as I began to research magazines. I also reached out to an old friend and am so thankful that I did. Later that night I caught a terrible, no-good, horrible cold.

Wednesday: Our Principal announced that he is being transferred next year. He has been promoted to become the Director of Alternative Education for our district (read: he will no longer be in our building!). Please, celebrate this gi-normous moment with me.

Thursday: Sick. Went to bed at 7:45.

Friday: Sicker. But I went to work. A very stupid, stupid thing to do. Later that night Mom came over and loved on me. She brought over all the fixin's for (fake) Chik'in Soup. We used our new discovery of canned fake Chik'in, brown rice, carrots, parsley flakes, vegetarian broth and vegetarian bouillon. Amazing. I cannot tell you how much I have missed Chicken and Rice soup. Also, I slept that night in spite of my cold. Hallelujah.

Saturday: I took a nap. This is a rare and treasured thing. It was completely an accident. I also (finally) sewed 24 cloth napkins. Come over and I'll show 'em to you. I also decided that I am going to make my very own Vegetarian CookBook this summer. Believe it.

Sunday: Got a hair cut as well as my first birthday card! Thank you, Laura! You're amazing!

I'd love to fill you in an all the thoughts that swirl through my head. Maybe make you laugh. Or think. Or cry. I dunno. But I cannot do it because I have a very cloudy head when I am sick. This has been my thought process for the week, "Breathe. Come on. You can do it. Now try to eat at the same time. Try again. Can you sleep and breathe at the same time? No? You have to. You have to try. Don't give up. You are going to a Treasure Hunt next week...that is your reason to live...." Wash. Rinse. Repeat.