It's fall today

It's the first day of fall and I'm just now beginning to feel that I've got a handle on the new road that has become my life lately.  Days have been a whirlwind for David and me since I last posted.  A wonderful whirlwind.  Full of visitors from home, trips of our own, and new experiences (read: the school year has begun!).

Celebrating Midsummer in Sweden

A quick trip to Munich with my sister and brother

Happy

Happiness is the settling of the soul into its most appropriate spot. ~ Aristotle

Thanks for eight blissful years of happiness, David.  And thanks for a very memorable anniversary celebration -- especially the adventurous bike ride home :o)

I love you.

8 years.

“I love you without knowing how, or when, or from where. I love you simply, without problems or pride: I love you in this way because I do not know any other way of loving but this, in which there is no I or you, so intimate that your hand upon my chest is my hand, so intimate that when I fall asleep your eyes close.”

~ Pable Neruda, 100 Love Sonnets

 I love this man an immeasurable amount.

Alles Gute zum Hochzeitstag, meiner Schatz!

My Mom

To describe my mother would be to write about a hurricane and its perfect power. ~Maya Angelou

Mom, thanks for not leaving me on someone's doorstep!  I love you.

Siblings Day

Oh, snap!  I just learned that today is Siblings Day in the U.S.A.!  More excuses to send goodies to the two ladies largely responsible for my enchanting childhood, incomparable adolescence, and atypical adulthood.

Here's to Springer's, suspiciously shrinking jaw breakers, stolen cut-off jean shorts, ice cream soup, wet french braids, human clay balls, the pink brush, 100,000,000 piece puzzels, Clearly Canadian, sherbert, Hold On, green light bulbs, dance parties, Seattle, the Crissmas Cup, and spending all of our money on international flights so that we can be together as much as financially possible.

You complete me.

By the way, I just watched all of our music videos from Kiawah 2008.   Can't. Stop. Laughing.  I'm tempted to put our dance to Ice Ice Baby on here.  You know, the one where Timmy dances with a body pillow, Lyd cools off by rubbing ice packs all over herself, and I bring back the Butterfly dance.  It's just so good.  Either that, or Baby Got Back.

Women's Day

Happy International Women's Day to all of the ladies worldwide!  While I may not get to see or speak to many of you amazing women in my life as often as I'd like, I love you all and I thank you for being my sisters.  Your strengths, talents, intelligence, and hearts deserve to be celebrated today and always.

Thinking of you all!  Here's a virtual hug and kiss to you!  Mmwwaah!

Meeting Hilton

As I mentioned in my previous post, we met Hilton, our adorable nephew, for the first time over this holiday break.  My sister-in-law graciously sent us a few pictures of the resplendent moment.  I wanted to share one with you all that, I think, captures just how proud we are to be his Tante (aunt) and Onkle (uncle).

And, I also wanted to give a shout-out to Allyson to let her know that we're thinking of her.  Today was her first day back to work after her maternity leave.  I can't imagine the roller-coaster of emotions she must be riding.  Certainly it's going to be an incredible moment when she leaves work today and drives to pick up her baby boy.

Holiday Highlights

Happy 2012, friends!  How was your holiday break?  David and I had an epic 3-week trip home for the holidays.  It goes without saying that just being in the presence of my family was the highlight of the trip, but here are some memorable moments worth spotlighting:

Crissmass Cup 2012

Mexican food

The green light bulb in church

Mom's bluebirds

Dad's breakfasts

Kimmy's new glasses

Mexican food
Grove Park Inn, Asheville, NC

Malaprop Bookstore/Cafe, Asheville, NC

Lydia's cross-stitch

Mattress on the living room floor

Andrew's poached eggs

Kisses from Lilly in the hot tub

The Wire

Meeting Hilton

The Richardson's Party

Getting lost in Decatur, GA

Family "Renunin"

Mexican food

Her family

His family (with our new little addition!)

The Spa at Grove Park Inn, Asheville, NC

The famous family light bulb (only imagine it green, with a few more silicon spikes).

I hope your holidays were full of good times too.  Und ich wünsche ihnen einen guten Rutsch und ein gesundes neues Jahr 2012!

Pooh had it right...

"Sometimes", said Pooh, "the smallest things take up the most room in your heart."

Meet the new occupier of our hearts: Our nephew, Hilton.  Isn't he delicious?  I could eat him with a spoon.  A super long spoon.  One that would have to reach across the Atlantic Ocean.  Do any of you know where I can get one of those?  We may just have to wait a couple of months until we're back in the States for the Holidays to devour him.  But don't worry, Lil' Hil. . . Uncle David and Aunt Lindsay are coming for you!

 

She is the gentle autumn's rain

Rosalie Wilson Everett

June 1, 1930 ~ October 5, 2011

David is fortunate to have had his grandmother in his life for three decades. I too count myself lucky to have known and loved her for one. Memories of Mammaw over the years make us smile. And laugh. She was adorably tiny. She had an infectious giggle. She had a gorgeous smile. And she loved her grandchildren with all of her being. It always touched me, the way her face lit up when she saw David. She was extremely proud of him. But, more than her love for her grandchildren, I was most affected by her overwhelming love for her husband. They were true soul mates, those two. They went everywhere together. Did everything together. For the past few years they have been apart, but now, wherever they are, I'm sure they're together again. Love like that never dies. And neither will our memories. Because they are the thousand winds that blow, the diamond glints on snow, sunlight on ripened grain, and the gentle autumn's rain... 

Do Not Stand At My Grave and Weep

Do not stand at my grave and weep;
I am not there.
I do not sleep.
I am a thousand winds that blow.
I am the diamond glints on snow.
I am the sunlight on ripened grain.
I am the gentle autumn's rain.
When you awaken in the morning's hush,
I am the swift uplifting rush
Of quiet birds in circled flight.
I am the soft stars that shine at night.
Do not stand at my grave and cry;
I am not there.
I did not die.

Mary Frye

It's autumn. And there is a gentle rain outside...

4. October

What "Mother" Means "Mother" is such a simple word,
But to me there’s meaning seldom heard.
For everything I am today,
My mother’s love showed me the way. I’ll love my mother all my days,
For enriching my life in so many ways.
She set me straight and then set me free,
And that’s what the word "mother" means to me. By Karl Fuchs Happy Birthday to my incredible (and beautiful!) mother who could not have worked harder, cheered louder, hugged tighter, or loved deeper.  I love you, and your cold meatloaf sandwiches.

Lazy weekend turns very exciting Monday!

Do you enjoy lazy weekends?  I love a good, lazy Saturday & Sunday.  David, on the other hand, prefers being busy and productive all seven days of the week, with the occasional Saturday or Sunday (never both) to pause and catch up on his reading.  This weekend, however, we stayed close to home the entire two days.  We acted like vegetables, laid like broccoli. 

In any event, this was a particularly good weekend to be at home.  While I could not care less about American football, there was a particularly interesting game being broadcast on Europe's ESPN America network.  Our undergraduate Alma Mater played their bitter rival, the University of Florida, in the Swamp.  The University of Tennessee lost, which is never any fun, but it was pretty cool for me and David to see the Vols on TV in Vienna. 

During the game, I started a new cross stitch project.

Saturday night, we made another tasty dish from Mollie Katzen's healthful vegetarian book, The New Moosewood Cookbook.  Her Broccoli Noodle Casserole is perfect for Vienna's chilly fall.

And Sunday, we cleaned, cleaned, cleaned,... 

... because we have two very special visitors arriving in Wien today!  My mom and sister land at 5:35pm tonight!  Ahhhhhhh!

This post is for my sister

Happy Birthday Dia!

Lyd takes Vienna (Part 2)

More apologies for neglecting our blog readers. Lydia's visit has been so precious to us that we've not wanted to spend one mental moment away from her.  I'm sure you understand.  Alas, here's what we've been up to since Friday. . .

Saturday - The Prater Day

Sunday - A Wienerwald Day (Stadtwanderweg 6)

Monday - A Schönbrunner Day

Monday - A Schönbrunner Day

Monday - A Schönbrunner Day (lunching at the Gloriette Cafe)

Monday - A Heurige Evening

Tuesday - A Laxenburg Day

Wasn't Lyd a trooper?  We drug her all over the place, but she went along skipping and smiling.  Her enthusiasm made us even more enthusiastic and so we were just one big ball of fun - nonstop for 9 days straight!  It was fascinating for us to experience the city again through her eyes.  But more than that, just being with Lydia -- anywhere in the world -- is soul soothing, yet electrifying at the same time.  Our precious time together in the same city was truly a meaningful and memorable one.

Vielen, vielen Dank Lyd.  We love and appreciate you more than you can know. 

(ear <-----> ear)
Daveed & Fred-a-sisi

Lyd takes Vienna (Part 1)

So sorry.  After a day of biking through the Wachau region, we're too exhausted to concentrate on writing a descriptive post.  Hopefully these 4 photo collages will suffice for now. . .

Wednesday - An Innerstadt Day

Thursday - A Hundertwasser Day

Friday - A Stift Melk Day

Friday - A Donauradweg Day

We're headed to bed now to get some shuteye.  Hope to share more with you lovely readers again soon!  

Gute Nacht!

She's Here!

She's here!  She's here!  She's here!  My big sister, Lydia, is here!  She arrived yesterday evening and while exhausted and jet-lagged was a serious trouper last night and let us take her to our local brewery for some drinks.  We're so happy that she's here.  Vienna already feels more like home now that someone from "home" is here.

Today's going to be another hot one, so I think we'll escape the heat by wandering through some museums.  Maybe Sisi's?

 

Wish you were here Andrew-san.

Doctor of Philosophy

While we haven't seen it in person, David's PhD diploma has arrived!  It was mailed to my parents' house and my mom sent us this picture.

I can't speak for David, the man who actually earned the degree, (maybe he'll share his thoughts on here later) but this moment is seriously special!  I liken the PhD experience to tackling the Mt. Everest Expedition (which I've never done, but this is a metaphor so roll with me people).  Completing the PhD is a long and hard trek with obstacles that at times seem overwhelming and impassable. But when you reach each camp, you can take a rest, refuel, and reflect on the small but significant climb you've just conquered.  Perhaps here you may even rethink the route ahead of you and you might decide to explore another path to the top.  But, if the goal is important enough to you, then the forks in the road and obstacles you will inevitably encounter will not prevent you from completing your journey.  And completed the journey, he did!   

I'm so honored that I could a part - albeit small - of David's 6-year expedition at UC Davis.  It was meaningful for me to supply the water, food, oxygen, and encouragement along the way.  My heart swells with pride over his tremendous accomplishment.  Congratulations Doctor!

By the way, if you're interested, David's dissertation is titled, Achieving Long-term Energy, Transport and Climate Objectives: Multi-dimensional Scenario Analysis and Modeling within a Systems Level Framework.  Trying to achieve all of this sounds a bit like trying to hike Mt. Everest doesn't it?

*image taken from http://www.sciencedaily.com

Having written about the journey though, it is important to note that the PhD is the beginning, not the culmination, of a career. So here's to your career, David!  One that I hope you will find challenging, satisfying, and rewarding.  You're going to do great things with that brilliant mind of yours!

7 Years

Seven years ago we were doing this. . .

We celebrated this weekend by doing this. . .

More pictures from Innsbruck and the Alps coming soon!

The Food Edition

I'm still sticking with the declaration that I am a pathetic cook. Despite my inadequacy, I have prepared a few eats lately that are worth sharing here on the blog. Many of you readers are foodies, and so, this post is for you.

Peas & Feta on Toast
I found the recipe by Debbie Carlos here.

This is my adjusted recipe (I quadrupled what I found online):

• Butter
• 1 medium white onion
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 3 Tbsp red wine vinegar
• 6 oz. crumbled schaftskäse (or Feta)
• Salt and pepper
• 4 pieces toast, toasted
• 4 eggs, fried

First, saute the onions in butter (or oil) until transparent and edges have browned. Then, add the vinegar and frozen peas and saute for another 3-4 minutes (or until they are a little mushy). In another pan, fry the four eggs in butter. Meanwhile, toast the bread. When it's all ready, spoon the pea mixture onto the toast. Then add the cheese and a fried egg on each piece. Salt and pepper to taste.

*My dad suggested adding bacon to the dish. If you're into that, I'd recommend frying the eggs in the bacon fat. My friend Will makes the best fried eggs this way! Guten Appetit!

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Dad's Potato Soup
This soup is one of my dad's specialties and my favorite dish of all time. He used to make it for me before important events growing up. The soup was superstitious and my good luck charm. He'd even come home early from work on game days so that I'd have a fresh bowl before important soccer matches. Now, whenever he visits, he always makes a giant pot to last us for days. I've never made it as well as he can, but regardless, I try because 1) I feel closer to him and to home when I make it, 2) David loves it too, and 3) it's something I can make anywhere in the world since the ingredients aren't hard to find. When I'm in the US, I make cornbread to go with the it. When cornmeal is scarce, I usually eat it with a baguette or, like this weekend, with Garlic Knots (see below).



There's no exact science to this recipe so adjust as necessary. . .

• Potatoes (5-6 large Russet potatoes)
• 1/2 large onion
• 1/2 stick butter
• Milk (no specific amount)
• 1 large scoop of sour cream (optional)
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1-2 stocks of celery or 1 can of Cream of Celery Soup
• Green onions, chopped
• Chedder cheese, shredded
• Bacon

Peel potatoes and cut into small pieces. Place potatoes, chopped onion, and celery (if using) in a large pot. Add enough water to just cover the potatoes. Add salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium and simmer until potatoes can be easily mashed with a fork. Remove from heat and carefully mash potatoes in broth. Add butter, sour cream (if using), milk (no desired amount, but enough to think the mixture to desired consistency -- usually enough when mixture turns to a more whitish color). If cream of celery soup is used, more milk should be added to the mixture because it tends to thicken more. Serve with chopped green onions, shredded chedder cheese, and bacon bits on top.

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Easy Peasy Garlic Knots
by Jill Clark
I found this yummy recipe here.
I followed the recipe almost exactly as it was posted so I won't bore you by retyping it since Jill did such a good job already. However, I will note that I used real garlic instead of garlic salt (2 big cloves) and grated Parmesan cheese rather than shredded. I'll definitely use real garlic again but I WILL NOT use the grated cheese. It soaked up the garlicky oil goodness and I would have rather had that goodness to dip the knots in.

See Beautiful

Lindsay's beautiful sister and her husband have a beautiful idea to start a beautiful movement that recognizes beauty in the world. They've created a space for readers to share, encourage and focus on what is beautiful. See Beautiful is in its infant stages, but we're already inspired by it and we know you will be too.

• If you're into that sort of thing, you should 'Follow' their blog.

• If you're on Facebook, you should 'Like' their page (search for "See Beautiful")
  

Something that Lindsay finds particularly beautiful today is Postcards. One of our Canadian friends is decorating her newborn baby's room with postcards from loved ones living around the world. It's a terrific idea to surround a child with images of people and places from foreign lands. Even better is the idea to surround a child with loving notes from friends on the back of such images. Surely the collection of postcards Lil' Lily receives will be special to her when she gets older. It's a wonder how the images and messages will influence her as she grows and learns about the world herself.

After choosing a card of Vienna to send to Lily, the daily routine of passing hundreds of postcards on the streets of Vienna is different now somehow. While no longer annoying obstacles to dodge, they have become thinking posts. Each card is now something to consider. One wonders, who will buy the card? What will be written on it? Who will receive it? And what influence will it have? Sure, there is the chance that it might not have much of an influence at all. But, considering the power that a postcard does have is quite beautiful isn't it?

Image take from http://mindmomentmemorypostcard.wordpress.com