Becoming a Foodie

I'm re-reading French Women Don't Get Fat. I love this book. I am a non-dieter. I hate the way my life (in the past) revolved around counting fat/calories/fiber etc. I was constantly disappointed and bored to death with my saltines and Lean Cuisines. I love the way she (Mireille Guiliano) describes food: the smells, textures, pairings w/ wine etc. I also love the philosophy of not looking at food or eating as enemies.

Now the obstacles:

• learning to cook,
• learning to appreciate subtle tastes,
• and learning to appreciate good food.

Well I do LOVE to learn so I'm excited to get started on this adventure. (Helps that I'm surrounded by good cooks - my mother, grandmother, father, brother, aunts, roommate, and boyfriend are all excellent mentors.)

I also have a Merit Badge Blog and cooking is badge #28 so look for some upcoming blog crossover.

July Catch-Up

I'm not sure how it happened, but it's the end of July already.

This month I have:

• fought to get my driver's license
• fought to get my license plates
• met Hannah's new baby girl Wren
• saw my friend Diane and her family
• laughed hysterically with Hannah and Jill
• had dinner with Mom and Dad - repeatedly
• traveled to Somerset, WI to go camping/tubing with friends
• met lots of wonderful Kirkwood employees
• learned some cooking techniques
• searched for apartments/houses - failure so far
• spent time with my new someone getting to know him better
• started some tomato plants - results to be posted later
• saw Harry Potter 7 - Part 2 - bawled my eyes out

So far I've been far busier than I had planned and a little down time wouldn't hurt, so of course I'm heading to Anamosa this weekend and going up to Detriot Lakes, MN to Wefest next Tues-Sun. Wish me luck....I'm pretty sure I'm going to need it.

I am pretty desperately missing my friends back in CA. I very much appreciate the text messages, phone calls, wall posts, heytells, etc. Thank you!

I've included a picture of Hannah's oldest son Owen holding his new baby sister Wren.

Chicago - June 26th

Instead of doing a summer party for the bank the employees took a bus into Chicago. Some went in for the Taste of Chicago, others did the Shed Aquarium, museums, or shopping. Mom, Dad and I went to the Taste and then decided to take an Archictectural Cruise of Chicago. It was a wonderful day of amazing sites and great food.

New Chapter

Starting this blog over again. I'm moving back to Iowa after 8 years in California. Wow....time flies when you're having fun.

I leave this Thursday and I'm getting pretty sad about leaving everyone. Good thing my mom is flying out to drive back with me.

More to come, but this is where it will be.

~M.A.

LAX - Tip

This tip was suggested by my friend Kim. - Make sure your registration is up to date when parking at LAX. It's a great place for the lazy cop to drive around looking for expired tags!

Travel Time - For California

One of the greatest things about California revolves around time. First of all, from any location in the Midwest, California is at least 1 hour behind if not 2 or 3. So once you arrive my suggestion is to stay on your home body time. Why is that you ask? The answer is simple, Californian's do not like to get up early, go out early, or go to bed early, so if you stick with an early rise routine - which is not actually that early to you because you're still on home time - you will avoid much of the crowding and traffic that takes place in CA.

LA in the spring

If you're planning to travel to Los Angeles the very best time to visit is in February/March. It's a short spring season and the grass is green and everything is beautiful. So besides ideal temperatures and beautiful surroundings you're avoiding tourist season and getting a lot more bang for your buck.