Alcatraz!

Well, my lack of Internet access has certainly sent my posts to a screeching halt. BUT, I just found out that my local library has free wi-fi and is open until 7 pm. Can you say 'awesome?' Hopefully I will be back on a regular basis for the foreseeable future.

Now that I'm back, the question is: Where to begin? I think I'll begin with accomplishments. Back in July, I managed to cross not one but two things off my 30 Before 30 list. For this post, I will only talk about my visit to Alcatraz. I also made it to my third concert of the year, but as I am going to a fourth this Friday, I will wait and post about it after I get back from that.

(Right off the boat)

 

So, Alcatraz. A group of friends and I went to San Francisco in July for a week of fun, and our last tourist activity was a tour of Alcatraz on Friday afternoon. We originally had wanted to see it earlier in the week, but it didn't work out. It turned out better that we had to wait. After a week of being together, some on the trip were a little tired of, well, being together. Alcatraz afforded the perfect opportunity to break away from the group (which is what I did when I got tired of frayed tempers). There was a lot about Alcatraz that I didn't know. Did you know that there are beautiful gardens on the island? That it used to be a fort? That Native Americans staged a sit-in on it in the 60's? Well, now you do!

(Sigh. Why do I do that with my hands in pictures?)

 

The weather was beautiful on the day we went--sunny and cool. We couldn't have had better weather if we ordered it. My initial impression upon disembarking from the ferry was surprise; I didn't expect the island to be so...rundown. It was neat, don't get me wrong, but I was a little disappointed if I'm being honest. We started the trek up to the prison, and I couldn't help but be a little dismayed thinking I had built the place up to impossibly high expectations.

(Remnants of one of the buildings)

 

 

But, then we got to the jail, and the experience became everything I hoped it would be. If you ever find yourself on Alcatraz, I highly recommend that you take the audio tour of the prison. I had my doubts but found it to be engaging and interesting.

 

(An inmate had fashioned a bar spreader that led to an almost successful escape attempt)

Eventually, I split off from everyone in my group and headed for the gardens. I think I was the only one of us to traverse every single sidewalk visitors were allowed on. What can I say? I had anticipated Alcatraz for months and months, and I was going to take in as much of it as I could. Instead of backtracking when the sidewalk ran out, there was a set of steep stairs that led to the recreation yard. I took them and then wound back through the prison eventually making my way back to the dock. I parked myself and my bag of souvenirs on a bench and enjoyed the cool breeze. It took quite a while for the group to find their way down.

(My favorite plant in the gardens)

The families had joined up with the couple at some point, so I was the only one missing from the group by the time they made it to the dock. One of the little girls spotted me and came running over. “Where have you been?” she demanded. “I haven’t seen you in so long.” Then another of the girls came over, climbed in my lap, and eventually went to sleep. I wish I could capture in words that feeling of being together with people and simultaneously apart. In that moment, I felt content with myself and the world. It was a very good day.

(View of San Francisco from Alcatraz)

And now my favorite picture of the Alcatraz tour, taken on the ferry ride home. The flag lined up perfectly, and I was there to take the shot. Seeing it makes me wish I were still on that ferry enjoying the cool breeze in my face.

 

That's all, folks! Thanks for reading.

30 Before 30: #7 Take a Cake Decorating Class

I have been away for too long. In my absence, I completed the first course of the Wilton cake decorating method. My final cake for the course was this not-too-wonderful cake:

I started the temporary job I am working at the day of my last class so I was 45 minutes late. It meant that I was crunched for time. The design I had in my head did not make it onto the cake. I think it just reiterates what the teacher said in one class: you can fix almost any mistake if you give yourself enough time. The moral? A rush job does not a fantastic-looking cake make.

I have already shown the practice lion cake that I did. Here is the Hello Kitty cake that I did for the second class:

For some reason I only took a picture with my cell phone. Oh well. It's not perfect (the bow is messed up) but I thought it was pretty good.

For the third week of class, we made cupcakes and practiced various flowers. Here were my attempts:

In all honesty, I learned less than I thought I would in this course. One of my friends who has taken all four courses assures me that this is really just the basic course and you learn most of the really cool stuff in later courses. Of course, you can see from these pictures that I am still rockin' it like an amateur on all of these basic techniques, so I guess I shouldn't turn my nose up at what I learned. It just wasn't exactly what I was expecting. I am still excited about the second course, though. I begin next Monday learning beginning gum paste techniques. I will keep you posted. As for now, I am just excited that I get to check off something else from my list!





Go Lions! (My First Practice Cake)

Last Monday, I started a cake decorating class (which is on my 30 Before 30 list). We were given instructions to practice as much as we could making rosettes with the star tip. I was under the weather for most of the week and didn't feel like doing much of anything, so yesterday when I finally felt really well, I decided to make a practice cake and decorate it. I called my brother and asked him what image he thought I should use. He said a lion because the boys' team at my high school alma mater was playing for the state basketball championship (they lost but they were playing an Oklahoma City team...we are a tiny, rural place). I went for a very simple, very cartoon version of a lion since I had never decorated anything using a star tip. I thought it looked pretty decent considering it was my first time and all.

As for the cake decorating class, the first class was basically just getting organized, so I am waiting to see. I did learn one trick of the trade, though. To get a smooth icing surface, lay Viva paper towels (or parchment paper) on icing after icing has crusted (i.e., it's not sticky anymore) and smooth it down using your fingers or a flat surface. The teacher of my class used a fondant smoother and, since they were like 3 bucks at Wal-Mart, I followed suit. I am looking forward to getting good at this technique and having super-smooth icing surfaces.

That's all I got. Hope the time change wasn't too rough on you!

30 Before 30: #27 Complete My "Thanksgiving Project"



"Complete My 'Thanksgiving Project'" is one of those goals that I think needs a little explanation. I have wavered back and forth on this but have decided to transcribe the note that I include with all the letters so that you, dear reader, get the same explanation that a letter recipient does. Here goes:

          The day after my dad died unexpectedly last year, my brother and I were talking and he said that most people in our situation would probably be worried about what the last thing they said to him was and fretting that he didn't know what he meant to them. "I'm just not," Alan said. "As he was leaving to go to the hospital, I think I said bye. Some people that would bother, but Daddy knew what he meant to me and I knew what I meant to him."
          I realized that I agreed: Daddy did know what he meant to me and I knew how much he loved and cherished me. Later, when I got to thinking about it, I decided I couldn't say the same thing about all the people in my life who were important to me. I wanted to fix that because if Daddy's death reiterated anything to me, it's that sometimes there isn't another chance to tell someone what they mean to you.
          I considered what to do. Several years ago during one of the more tumultuous times in our family, I wrote Daddy a letter thanking him for being the kind of dad he was. He told me later how much it meant to him. I thought of that and determined I was going to write letters to the people closest to me as a project for Thanksgiving. Well, Thanksgiving came and went and no letters had been written. Back to the drawing board went I.
          It took a while. I was in a place in my life where I wasn't feeling particularly thankful, but then I really started thinking about all the many blessings in my life. As I thought about them, I knew I have a lot more to be grateful for than just the people closest to me. And so, "The Thanksgiving Project 2012" was born. I decided to spend a year being actively grateful--for the little things, the big ones, and everything in between. If you're receiving this letter, you've done something to impact my life and you're one of the things I'm grateful for.

So, that is the gist of the origins of what I'm calling "The Thanksgiving Project 2012." I realized earlier this week that since it was a project it perhaps needed somewhat more defined parameters. I decided to say that I will write no less than 100 letters as a part of this project. 100 letters!? 100 letters. Then I decided that since it was (at that time) almost March, I should probably start writing. So, I did. Which brings me to: I wrote the first letter for my "Thanksgiving Project" on Wednesday! As it is not a deeply personal one, I will include it below (pictures and text).

Dear Mr. Paisley,
     It was July 4. I listened to "One of Those Lives" on the way to my uncle's BBQ to remind myself that everything was going to be fine. My dad had gone earlier to the ER for tests because the doctors' offices were closed for the holidays. We were prepping shish kabobs when we got the call from my sister that everything wasn't okay. Daddy had had a pulmonary embolism while they were preparing to admit him to ICU. He was gone in an instant.
     I think you're right in This Is Country Music's liner notes when you say, "Country singers are present at weddings, funerals, graduations, and the most impactful moments in our fans' lives." I was still humming "One of Those Lives" when I got the worst news I've ever received, and a few days later, you were present for another momentous occasion: Daddy's funeral.
     Daddy loved music but he didn't buy a lot of CDs. He had all The Beatles' albums, a few others, and Time Well Wasted. He bought that specifically because he liked "When I Get Where I'm Going" so much. It was that song I heard as the doors swung open and I led my family into a room full of almost 900 people, all standing and staring at me. It was the largest funeral I've ever been to. My dad deserved it. More than a great man, he was a good man. Facing that crowd was one of the most difficult and humbling experiences I can ever imagine having. The walk to the front of the auditorium didn't seem long, but I knew as I made it that I was braver and stronger than I had thought and I had it in me to do anything. And your music was the soundtrack to it.
     So, I give thanks for your music and the joy it's brought to my life. I give thanks that it's been there to share in my life's moments--both big and small, happy and sad.
     Many Thanks,
     Bethany



There you have it. Letter number one. I don't know if you can tell, but the cards I had printed are TINY and I tend to get quite effusive when I write. In a way it's good because it makes me focus on what I really want to say. Well, that and write really small.

So, one down, ninety-nine to go. I will keep you updated.

30 Before 30: #28 and February Girls Meeting

This past weekend was crazy busy. On Friday and Saturday, I was out of town for Lay Speaker training. I am now a Local Church Lay Speaker so half of #28 on my 30 Before 30 list is complete. To become certified I will have to take another training course in a year. You can see my spiffy new certificate and the training manual for the course I didn't take (we were short on books in mine) in the picture below.

After the training ended, I hit the road and drove for a little more than two hours straight to my friend Crystal's birthday party. I was tired and still fighting the effects of sudden caffeine deprivation, but I still had a great time. I got home closer to ten than to nine and didn't stay up very long before crashing. I had to be up early on Sunday to print the church bulletins and have them ready for service. That afternoon, we had our monthly gathering of the girls. Ros was our host. Sadly, this was the first meeting that all six of us were not able to attend. Fun was still had by all. The theme? Pasta!

So this is the end of this rather short, rather boring post. Enjoy this picture of the sunset I could see as I drove home from Ros's.



30 Before 30: #6 Cook Something With Yeast

I crossed the first thing off of my 30 Before 30 list, and unsurprisingly, it was an easy one. My story begins this past weekend when I went with some friends to one of the Mardi Gras parades that they have in Shreveport, LA. I took my two oldest nieces because my friends have daughters the same age. All and all there were 6 children to 4 adults. (Good thing they didn't realize they had us outnumbered.) It was quite a day of driving and waiting in the cold and sprinkling rain, but by the time the parade got to us, the rain had quit and we were ready for beads.

I was surprised by how much fun I had. The parade lasted about an hour but didn't feel that long at all. The floats were paced far enough apart that we had a little breathing room between each one. The girls all had an absolute blast! (As evidenced by Ms. Caroline, below.)

Anyway, the point in all this was that even though Mardi Gras is not particularly high on my radar as a holiday, I was in the mood to celebrate it. One of my other friends turned 40 last week, so I suggested having a Mardi Gras-themed celebration complete with a king cake (which I offered to make). On Monday, the party was postponed but I had already gotten all the stuff to make the cake, was in the mood to make it, and it had the added bonus of helping me cross something off my list. So, make it I did.

Now, by far, #6 was the item on my list that has gotten me the most ridiculed. "You've NEVER cooked with yeast?" No, I haven't. In fact, if I am reading a recipe that sounds awesome and realize that it calls for yeast, I move on. It's just one of those things that seems easy to mess up and kind of scary to try with no one there to offer guidance. Especially when the recipe has such "clear" directions like "Between 3-1/4 and 3-3/4 cups of flour." Sigh.

I soldiered on and started my king cake. I got the yeast dissolved and the flour and other dry ingredients added. Then came my first moment of panic. At this point, I had used 2 of the aforementioned cups of flour. The instructions told me to "Add additional flour until a soft dough forms. Dough will be sticky." Here was my pickle: With just the 2 cups of flour, the dough seemed soft and was sticky. How much more was I supposed to add? Gulp! So, I ended up adding to the minimum amount of flour that the recipe called for and then added a spoonful for good measure.

Is this right?! Panic!!!

The next instructions were to knead the dough for 6-8 minutes until "elastic." I set the timer on my oven for 7 minutes and called it a day when it went off, hoping against hope that it was elastic enough.

Elastic? Let's hope!



I let the dough rise, punched it down, rolled it out, added cinnamon-sugar, formed it into a crown shape, let it rise again, then baked it. All the while, I had a keen sense of nervousness. I don't like doing things without having a clear understanding of how to do them. But, the timer for the oven went off, I pulled the cake out, and lo and behold, it looked like a king cake and smelled like one, too.

Prettier than I expected!

At this point, I came to a realization. I did not have purple decorating sugar. When buying my supplies, I had forgotten to check my sugars. I made due with black sugar and just explained to everyone that I had forgotten. For the baby Jesus, I searched the toy section at my local Wal-Mart for something small enough to use and ended up buying a My Little Pony playset that had a tiny koala bear in it. My friend Michael ended up getting the piece with the "baby" in it. Hail, Michael! May you have good luck for the coming year!

The glaze ran everywhere.

I did it!

Now I don't know about you, but for the last several years I have given up drinking anything but water for Lent. I am hardcore about it, too, and don't count the weekends as free days (like you apparently can). I will not have anything but water between now and Easter. Let me tell you, it is difficult but rewarding. Any time I think about how much I want a coke or tea or really anything else (like when I had my blazing headache earlier), I really do think about how insignificant my sacrifice is when compared to giving your life for something you believe in. At the same time, I don't belittle my sacrifice either. It is difficult and it is an accomplishment when I make it to the end and can say I did it. So, on Tuesday as I contemplated the weeks ahead, I tried to decide what I wanted my last non-water drink for awhile to be. I opened my refrigerator and realized that I still had the rest of the Asti that my aunt bought to celebrate the end of the election last week. What remained amounted to a large glass, so I poured it, sat down with my slice of king cake, and celebrated. I crossed something off my list!

Cheers!

30 Before 30 List

The past year has been rough for me. I lost my dad. Other things that I won't get into happened. I was looking up party ideas and came across a suggestion for doing a 30 Before 30 list (i.e., 30 things to do before I turn 30...I would think that was self-explanatory, but I have found it is not). I thought, "Why not?" It turned out to be much harder to compile the list than I thought it would be. Eventually, I hammered it out. My last change was a few minutes ago, but I am finalizing it now. Here goes.

1. Visit Jackie in NYC
2. Hike to summit of Black Mesa
3. Actually read Crime & Punishment
4. Start and continue piano lessons for at least six months
5. Lose 75 pounds
6. Cook something with active yeast as an ingredient
7. Take a cake decorating class
8. Enter one of my poems in a contest
9. Finish the novel I am working on
10. Pay off my student loan (This one has the option of being changed to 'pay my student loan down to...')
11. Get my concealed weapons permit
12. Hike the entire David Boren trail
13. Complete a half-marathon
14. Visit Alcatraz
15. Sew Crystal an apron
16. See the Grand Canyon
17. Get ten new National Park passport stamps
18. Buy a nice dress coat
19. Climb the silos in OKC
20. Learn to drive stick shift
21. Go to a hot-air balloon festival
22. Plant an oak tree (or trees) in memory of Daddy
23. Buy a new (at least to me) car
24. Go "caveing" in Kentucky
25. Write a business plan for the business I want to start
26. Make my will/financial plan
27. Complete my "Thanksgiving Project"
28. Finish lay speaking training
29. Attend a minimum of three concerts
30. Have awesome 29th and 30th birthday parties

Some of these have back stories that will be explained as I cross them off my list. I tried to be fairly reasonable with what I was putting on the list. When looking at other lists in an effort to get inspiration, I found that often people put goals that they really had no control over (such as getting published, getting married, having a baby). I wanted my list to push me but at the same time to be attainable. I think I did a fairly good job of that.