Gone Like a Chocolate Freight Train

I made the most delectable desserts yesterday, and once I set them out at our Sunday evening service, they were gone like a freight train! Here is the recipe for a winner every time! And so easy!

Ingredients:
1 eight ounce package of cream cheese
1 package of double chocolate Oreos
1 one pound bag of some sort of cooking chocolate (melting chocolate, baking chocolate, etc)

Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Serving: about...... 40-50 little guys

Directions:

1. Smash the Oreos to a pulp.
 Suggested methods: zip lock bag and hammer, rolling pin, or potato masher.

2. Mix in all of cream cheese. This works best if you have some sort of intense appliance like a KitchenAid, or if you don't have that- then use a mixer, or just be aggressive. The resulting consistency should be a little bumpy, not totally creamy.

3. Roll cream cheese/Oreo mixture into one inch balls -perfect and bite size. Place on tray with wax paper or aluminum foil on the bottom. Or have a friend help! Melissa was right on the game with it.

4. Melt your chocolate. Double boil or microwave, whatever technique that does not involved burnt chocolate and fire.

5. Roll the cookie balls in the chocolate for a light coating, place back on tray.

6. Optional: Garnish with any of the following: coffee grounds, white chocolate shavings, course sea salt, chopped peppermint candies, or pretzels. Here is Cat doing a batch with coffee grounds!

7. Freeze or refrigerate for approximately one hour, or until solid. Serve immediately or keep in sealed container in fridge!


Like I said, its a great recipe and it will definitely be made again!
Have you ever tried these or any sort of variations?

Snowy Rhodey

Wednesday we had a very snowy day, and we've been enjoying the crazy times since.  (at least I have been)

 the first hours of the blizzard

 Waiting for the bus on Smith hill. Look at these "sidewalks." They have disappeared. 

Rescuing snowmen down at India Point Park

Quick No Bakes!

Every year, (Since last year, haha) some people from my church get together for a Cookie Exchange! Everyone brings 2 dozen of their favorite cookies, and you end up coming home with about 3 dozen different and delicious cookies from everyone! Depending on the amount of people, you get about 3-10 of each different cookie!

This year I was a little short on time, and a friend had recommended these delicious Chocolate Oatmeal No Bake cookies. As soon as I heard no bake, I was all over that. With the help of my roommate and a friend, we whipped these bad boys up real quick. Here is the recipe and some pics from the cookie Exchange:
Chocolate Oatmeal No Bakes

2 cups sugar
1/2 cup cocoa
1 stick butter
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp. vanilla
3 cups quick-cooking oatmeal
1/2 cup peanut butter

(coconut- optional)

Combine sugar, cocoa, butter and milk in a saucepan. On medium heat, bring to a boil for one full minute.Remove from heat. Stir in peanut butter (optional), vanilla and oatmeal.
Drop by spoonful onto wax paper. Let cool for at least 30 minutes.

Lisa and I with some of our delectable selections!

So much fooooood! Our hostess definitely has the mostess! haha

Do you have a favorite Christmas cookie?

Experience New England: Latin Fa La La's

Saturday I went with some ladies from my church to our friend Diana's jewelry party. She and her husband have just recently joined Grace Harbor, and it was great to go support her and see some of her wonderful handmade accessories! I would totally recommend taking a glance at her page on Etsy! (and then buy some and give them as gifts!)

Last night my roommate Niki and I headed to the 62nd Annual Brown Latin Carol Celebration! It was held in the First Baptist Church in America and featured choir performances that were simply magical and readings that touched on the season, all in Latin! A woman from our church is studying classics at Brown, and I'm so glad she told us about the event! It was simply awesome to hear our favorite Christmas carols sung so beautifully and in Latin! I hope more people come with us next year, and man, we need to remember to get there EARLY, (starts at 8) because it was mad packed!

Celebrating Advent has been wonderful. I'm a few days behind because of the crazy weekend, but I'm absolutely looking forward to catching up today. It has been a great time of establishing a steady time to read my bible and think. It has also caused me to really think about the glory of the incarnation and what it means. The fact that the holy, perfect, and righteous God would send his son to the earth- the earth full of humans that repeatedly rebels against Him and slanders Him. So that we could then kill Him. But all for our salvation and his glory. Whew.

And lastly, Red Mountain Music has a new cd that is available to stream or download on their website. They have really wonderful, gospel centered hymns. Oh man, so good. Especially the song "All Things New," which I think is the first track. Perfectly fitting for Advent as well :)

"About Love, or, Why I Hate Attraction."

I love CCEF (Christian Counseling and Education Foundation). I literally aim to read all of their books, blogs, booklets, web content, and heck I would go to their school if I lived in Philly. They are legit, bible based, gospel oriented, and rock solid. And so I figured I would share the love.

Ed Welch recently wrote an article titled "About Love, or, Why I Hate Attraction," and its super interesting. If you have been around me for more than 231431 minutes, you will know how I stand on relationships and attraction. No, I DO NOT hate attraction, and I am NOT some sort of crazy prudish love hater.

I just think the role that so many people place attraction in, the center role usually- well, needs to be rethought a little bit.
I IMPLORE you to read the whole article. Click the title below.

About Love, Or, Why I Hate Attraction: by Ed Welch

Here is a tasty tidbit:

"Attraction is fun, and in Western systems of courtship and marriage, it is the way couples get started, but attraction is about me. It’s about how someone makes me feel. In that sense, attraction is rubbish. It gets people together but it is powerless to keep them together. Even more, attraction, without the addition of other forms of love, promises to separate marriages and any once-close relationship."

Amen brother, and I would possibly go so far to say that this kind of love should be adapted and applied to all Christian relationships. Example, are we "attracted" to your friends, because they can do something for us? Are we "attracted" to our church because of how it serves our "needs"? Or are we loving like Christ has called us to?


Thoughts?

The lone Biking Viking

A few weeks ago I acquired a brand new mountain bike. It's a 26 inch cruiser mountain bike, chosen for low price, comfort, rust resistance, and agility.  I had been pining over one since the beginning of the summer. It was a blessing to have my grandparents come all the way to Rhode Island to pick it up from the Walmart in Warwick and bring it back to my apartment.  Hehehe, thats not really why they came, but it sure was a added bonus to seeing their wonderful faces this side of the north east.

The first time I took the beaut out, Hannah and I went 5 miles, all over Smith Hill, down through Eagle Square, to Elmhurst, and back to Jewett st. I was dying by mile two, but Hannah pushed me to keep going! It was great. Ive even ridden it all the way to the Broadway area, discovering quick little routes through fun neighborhoods. Providence even has more bike lanes and paths than you would think! 

The past few times Ive ridden down by the Woonasquatucket River, and its a beautiful urban trail with a hint of nature mixed in. 

Last night, I decided to take her out at midnight, a common theme starting to pop up! (Yes I am being safe, dont worry.) I rode to Nathaniel Greene middle school and back down Chalkstone for a quick but invigorating two miles. Its been fun to explore new places and get my work out on at the same time. Sometimes walking can get a little boring, and I am ten time more excited to hop on my bike and go!

In middle school and early highschool some friends, my sister, and I would get on our bikes and just go all over Lockport. We explored every path, every creek trail, every creepy wooded shortcut through neighborhoods, we rode hundreds of laps around the local high school track, and had tons of fun weaving in and around cars. We actually called ourselves the "Biking Vikings," with the motto "If you are going to get hit by a car, make sure it's an expensive one you you can collect alot of insurance money." Ok ok, I know, but we were 14 years old. I remember being able to hop on our bikes and just go, the feeling of freedom before one knows what its like to have a car. 

Everyone seems to be getting a bike these days, so it looks like my adventures wont have to be lone ranger for much longer! Yay!

How to Plan an Awesome Midnight Roadtrip

1. Gather awesome friends.

2. Drink loads of coffee, get all pumped up, end up staying awake late into the night.

3. Decide to go on a road trip at 1am.

4. Decide how much time you have until you have to be back. We had until 10am the next day.

5. Plan accordingly by picking a destination that allows for enough travel time there and back, as well as time to see the awesome sights! We chose Plymouth Massachusetts because we wanted to see Adoniram Judson's memorial on Burial Hill! And who knew it was less than an hour away from Providence!

6. Google Maps for the best directions!

7. Put on red lipstick and take some ridiculous pre-departure pictures

8. Gas up!

9. Take lots of pictures and enjoy!

Plymouth Rock. Its definitely smaller than imagined!

Burial Hill

Adoniram Judson's memorial. He was the first missionary sent from America back in the 1700's. Awesome guy. He was actually buried at sea, but this is a memorial to him and his family.

10. Come home and pass out! Don’t forget to set your alarm for work :)

Shameless Promotion: Friends

Well hey howdy hey! Today I'm in the mood for shameless promotion, but dont worry, its not shameless SELF promotion. There is a difference you know.

I thought this morning, why dont I let you all know about some of my awesome bloggy friends?! Today is all about muh real life friends!

Jake Buob
http://www.jakebuob.blogspot.com/
This summer Jake is blogging all about books (probably some other stuff too). His reading list includes books by Dever, Mahaney, Mohler, Sproul.. I mean could it get any better? Check it out!


Niki Brooks: There is No Place Like Home
http://longingforoz.blogspot.com/
Her blog is about "home." What is home? Where is home. She is an excellent writer!


Kimberly V (Im not going to spell her last name.)
http://kdeweij.blogspot.com/
She is an Baking/Pastry/Culinary major from JWU who lives in Germany but will be studying in France. I can imagine some interesting posts coming up!

Stephanie Gaddis: Stephanie's Mommy Brain
http://stephaniesmommybrain.blogspot.com/
Great blog about mommy things, homeschooling, kitcheny delights, what to do in New England, home management, faith, book reviews, movies, music.. oh just a glory of awesome things!

Nancy Doucette: CapeCod Confessions
http://nancyonthecape.blogspot.com/
Nancy is a Travel major friend that I met freshman year. She is going on an adventure as she works with the National Park Service on Cape Cod! Cant wait to read about her explorations!

Corey McKeon
http://coreymckeon.com/
A recent Marketing grad from JWU, Corey is embarking on many new things in his life: relocating to Washington DC and attending Georgetown grad school. As I have thought about living in DC, it will be awesome to read his experiences in the city: finding a job, going to school, and getting an apartment. Corey will definitely be successful in all he does!


Ok! Hope you can check out all my friends. Stay tuned for some more of my favorite blogs!

Know of any blogs I should check out? Leave a link to your own blog in the comments. Im always looking for some awesome things to read!

Little Photo Essay

AhhHHhhHH! My mind is spinning out of control. So many things. So little time. 4 days until departure! What's a girl to do!

Oh, maybe I will learn how to knit? Haha this evenning I went over to my lovely friend Jen's house for a simple tutorial on the art of knitting. I bought this delightful yarn and she taught me the ways. In the picture above is the scarf I am making! Whew! Look at that progress in one night. Although, Im kind of experiencing a knitting crisis! Knit, perl, knit, perl, knit, perl, I dont know what happened but something went awry! AHH!

Hmm, maybe I will try Sushi! Sunday after church everyone was invited to Sakura Japanese restaurant on Wickenden St. for some exceptional delightful food/"not really going away" party! I had never been there before but was inspired by my travelicious co-worker to check it out. Let me just tell you, that crab sushi above: de-freakin-licious. Under ten bucks for a whole plate of sushi plus soup and salad? I will be making my way here again. Dan, Kim, Alon, Hannah, Leeta, Melissa, Otto, and I headed over and had a fun time hanging out and trying some new cuisine. Hannah is leaving third trimester as well for a co-op, sad!

Or, maybe I will go for a walk around Providence! This weekend Hannah slept over. It was a great time, and I am GLAD she did. Let me tell you, living with your best friends is like having a fun sleep over every night, and add some more friends into the mix, and its simply a delight. (She brings nail polish too, cant complain about that!) After getting home from church and Sakura; Kim, Hannah, and I took a walk from Smith Hill to Federal Hill to the Providence Place Mall. We ended up at Border's and enjoyed some nice Ice Chai tea. I recommend it. (but not really- its too expensive.)

And that's where I bought this doozy, which is what brings us to real time, right now, as we speak. Its a mini Russian/English dictionary, and while it looks small, you turn it over and its about 3 inches thick, atleast. For the past six months Ive been taking Russian language classes at JWU, but never bought a dictionary? Am I on crack? Maybe a little, maybe Im just too good at getting by. Sigh. My final exam is tomorrow morning, (who knows what it will really be about- my teacher is one confused human being) and this little buddy has been quite helpful in studying. Glad I bought it, cant wait to use it for real!

And thats been my life recently. Maybe Thursday night I will get to this packing shenanigan:

(cant travel without Craisins now can we!)

Hope you enjoyed my photo essay=)

Have a good one!

No Snow, "Snow" Day

Its 4:15 Tuesday afternoon and my co-workers and I are sitting at work awaiting some good news. So far we have heard about the city wide parking ban for Wednesday, but no word yet about a school closing. The weatherman is predicting 2 feet of snow to start early Wednesday and continue all day, causing a similar ruckus to the Snowpocolypse that attacked the Southeastern coast. Everyone in Providence is on the edge of their seats, wondering if the city will close down, wondering if they should go out and buy bread, milk, and eggs to stock up for the crazy storm (typical rhodey, the stores suddenly become barren when there is any kind of unusual weather predictions).

6:00pm hits and my roommate calls the Johnson & Wales storm line. We had previously heard rumors of school closings and half day closings, but nothing for sure. At that moment I see a flood of tweets from other JWU'ers about an email declaring Wednesday to be a Snow Day! My roommate confirms the word, as the storm line says similar things about nonessential staff not having to come to work, and students are off the class hook. SWEEEETTT DEAALL! The word spreads, and everyone is pumped to the max. I know I am.

I stayed up extra late Tuesday night, knowing that nothing was stopping me, knowing that I would not feel the pangs of exhaustion the next day at work or class. I finally went to bed in the early morn, excited to wake up to this winter wonderland that I’ve been intensely anticipating.

Approximately 3:00pm Wednesday afternoon, I finally arise. (I did wake up around 9am and noon, but decided to milk sleep for all its worth). Hilariously, there is no snow on the ground. Absolutely none. It wasnt even snowing! Oh snap Providence! You got schooled hard core. Which basically means we had a no snow, snow day. I'm not complaining!

Around 6pm on Wednesday it does start snowing pretty hard, but stops without terrible damage. (nothing to close the city down about, thats for sure) Which you can see from the picture above.

Our friends Kevin and Ben have been planning on coming over for the past few weeks to cook, as their living conditions aren't too equipped for hand crafted cooking, but because of incongruent schedules, it just hadnt worked out. We all have the day off though so they end up randomly coming over (well... after a long, epic, bus excursion to Aldi and Whole Foods). Sherita came over (she lives across the street) and Alon's fiance Tim was there, obviously Alon and Kim as well. So we had a mini, spur of the moment cooking party! The guys, who are both culinary majors at JWU, whipped up some of the BEST meatballs and spaghetti that I have ever had in my life (mom, you have some competition!) There were some crazy things in the meatballs like bacon, almonds, soaked bread, interesting herbs, and I dont even know what. But it was delicious. I hope they can come over again soon! (and if e actually plan it, next time we can invite everyone over for the good times!

  
Above: Kevin and Ben
  
Left: Ben, Tim, Sherita, Kim all rolling meat balls!








<-----Yum


And that’s the story of my first ever No Snow, Snow Day!!!

So much for a guided tour...

Its been a fun few weeks at home so far! Last Wednesday I had a mini-party at my house and a bunch of people came over to hang out, eat pizza and play guitar hero!
Of course, whenever my friends and I hang out, we just HAVE to go on a midnight adventure somewhere. How nifty that my house is conveniently located 20 minutes from downtown Niagara Falls! We drove over there and couldn't find parking at all on Goat Island (the island nestled between American Falls and Horseshoe Falls) due to the icey conditions, and lord knows that parking is a scarcity in the city area.

I have a riddle for you. Where am I if I am 20 minutes from home, not in Canada, not in Mexico, and not on USA territory, but still in North America?

Answer: In an Indian Casino!

So someone recommended that we park in the Senaca Niagara Casino, as its right there near the falls and free! Of course, being the adventurous kids that we are, we wondered what it was like in the casino, so we walked right in! Then we realized that you have to be 21 to enter the floor. Sung-man, interested in seeing more, went back in and asked if we could have a tour, since we were all under 21, and the "bouncer" said yes! So Janelle, Casey, Kailey, Sung, and I patiently waited to the side as he called for a guide for us. An official looking lady finally called us over and lead us into the belly of the casino. As we were walking quickly and only around the outer edges, we gave each other questioning looks, as we expected some sort of mini guided tour, but all we got was a face paced escort to the other side! How disappointing. She dropped us off on the other side of the casino, opposite of the falls and our car! And you can just walk outside and go around the building, its so cold and huge... so after exploring all possible routes back and discovering no such way, we had to ask for another escort! It ended up being the same lady too. I'm sure we looked like crazy fools- hurriedly walking from one end to the other. Oh well.
  
  At this time its about 1:30am, and it was ridiculous to see the people who were in the casino. There were tons and tons of raggedy elderly folks who were just glued to the gaming machines, pulling the lever with a sad but hopeful look in their eyes. Two days before Christmas, and I'm asking myself, shouldn't these people be home with their families? Sleeping or wrapping gifts, or baking cookies or something? I just wanted to run up and hug them and talk to them! Downtown Casinos don't do any good for an area. Sure they offer some entertainment and tons of places to eat and shop but in the long run all they bring to a community is gambling addictions, poverty, high suicide rates, and a strain on the infrastructure. That's a fact (check it out here here and here).

Anyways, this isn't a post about Casinos and gambling. After getting escorted through the casino, we walked over to the Falls viewing area and just admired its beauty. (hard to see the pic because its taken in the middle of the night!) Sung said "I would love to live around here and be able to hear the loud noises from nature all the time." haha. Its true.

I love Niagara Falls. Maybe is it overrated to some people, and surely those who live around here hardly give it a second glance, but I think its pretty cool. I recommend seeing it once in your life (go on the Maid of the Mist!).

Thats all for now folks!

Like a Bull in a China Shop

This week I was blessed to go over to a good friends house and help her decorate for Christmas. Its such a blessing how I met her! She is the Connecticut admissions representative for JWU, and she was one of the adult leaders on my trip to Greece last spring! We got along really well, and it turns out that she is a Christian and is really awesome! This summer we got together a few times, and her son and I went to the same conferences in Utica NY at Zion! So funny. Well anyways, her kids didnt want to help her decorate the tree, so a bunch of us girls from the Greece trip went over and had a blasting good time!  She is the most hospitable person I have ever met, and I pretty much want her to come and decorate my house someday. I adore her "traditional new england cottage" feel, with no gaudy decorationg, but each seems to have a purpose and memory.  Maybe Christmas decorating will become a tradition while we are all still in Providence!

It was fun, and really great to hang out with people I havent really seen that much since last spring!!

Stephanie, Me, Chimene, Yuan!

 

This is her beautiful white Christmas tree in front of the fire place.

 

Me underneath the real tree, trying to get it sturdy and uncrooked!

Experience New England: Whoa, what a rush

So this past weekend my friends visited me. I havent seen them since March, and its been a long time coming. I honestly cant believe they made it here, and I was so excited to see it happen. Bryan, Janelle, and Casey left New York around 10pm Wednesday night and arrived here in Providence about 5amish. We slept for a lonnngg time and got our day started around 3pm. haha. We went to Trader Joes, played with some puppies at the Rumford Animal Store, and did random running around. We made a huge dinner of broccoli lo mein and Beef on Weck and Matt, Jon, and Eileen were able to join us! Friday we headed up to Boston to do some exploring. We ended up walking alot of the Freedom trail and discovered the Boston Green Festival going on! It was a bunch of tents and displays all set up in Gov't Center. There were free samples of all sorts of tasty "green" foods, as well as live music, and nice people. Im pretty sure it was about 3000 degrees in Boston. Everyone was sweating and it was kinda nasty. But oh well. We walked over the the North End and ate some delights at Mike's Pastrys, went to the Old North Church, and Found an awesome farmers market and water fountain to play in!

Saturday we went to the Beach somewhere in Middletown RI. I think it might have been an illegal beach, as we got a parking ticket, and no one else was really at that area. But.. oh well. It was fun and being in the water was absolutely awesome. Afterwards we drove down Ocean Drive through Newport and saw all the swanky houses. We came back, and I had to go to freaking work at the crabshack, and waterfire was that night, so I went to work and met up with my friends later after I closed. Then we walked to Waterfire and met up with a buttload of other people.

Sunday we woke up, went to church, came home, ate glorious delights of eggplant, mushrooms, feta, onions, bacon, and peppers on a sandwhich. Oh my Lord. Good job Casey. Then we rested, made some guacamole to bring to Bible Study and headed over there. After that we drove around Providence, went to a little indian store, and ended up at India Point Park (where else would I end up?). And that was fun. Until we heard gunshots and we headed back.

They left this morning and I'm sad. It was good to see them though, and combine Providence with Lockporty times. I loved that we've kept in touch so well that it wasnt necessary to have huge ridiculous intense times, but it was just like hanging out back home in Bryan's basement.

We actually set up a lair in my living room, pulled in the extra matress, unfolded the futon, and we basically camped in there the whole time. It was soo blazing hot.

Ahh. So fun times. =) I love my friends.

Life Update

Phwew! I am a tired lady.

This week is spinning by quickly. I am working 40+ hours between the two jobs, and today marked the last day of Microeconomics, as well as no more summer classes! That is a relief. I look forward to sleeping in tomorrow.

Last night I got lesson one in how to drive a stick shift. It was 1 am, and Eileen, Jon and I went and got ice cream, and then decided to be creepy in the walmart parking lot. I promise I didnt break the car or run into anything. I did see a wild animal in the bushes, hard to say what it was because it was dark out. I have always wanted to learn for some reason. And thus begins my career as a manuel driver. Honestly.. I dont see the appeal. There are 35 things you have to do.. waaay to many steps for breaking, and how am I supposed to txt, use both feet, as well as mess around with a gear stick thingy. (just kidding about that txt thing btw). Even with these downfalls, it is a good thing to know how to do. Ahh, I am a little rocky, but practice makes perfect I suppose.

Up there ^^^ is a picture taken at my friends house wearing some creepy astronaut glasses I found on a shelf. Every Tuesday a buttload of us get together, make dinner, watch a movie, and play board games. I might have to say that my team generally wins (Im being humble. My team ALWAYS wins.)

Other than that, I might be taking a quick jaunt down to Washington DC to see my friend Nathan. Unless he comes up here. And hopefully Casey, Janelle, and Bryan are coming here for a few days in August.

Im kind of in the mood of "not believing it until I see it." Soo.. we will see what the month of August puts out. Im pumped.
Peace out.

People You Should be Friends with on Facebook. (add them while you can)

1. Your best friend. Duh. Add them.

2. Someone you repeatedly talked to in the last month and hope to talk to them in the next month. Add them.

3. You work with them or worked with them and still keep in contact. Add them.

4. You met them through a club or organization and want to stay plugged in to that club or organization. Add them.

5. You have class with them, have talked to them at least once, and need someone to get the homework from if you are absent. Add them.

6. Your grandmother, pastor, boss, faculty advisor. This will help you keep things on the professional level. And if you are doing things that you dotn want these people to know about, more than likely you shouldn’t be doing these things. Add them.

7. You met them through friends and are still friends with those friends and hope to maybe get everyone together one of these days and want to keep in touch. Add them.

8. You met them once or twice and you feel like they are good people to know for networking purposes. Example: If I were to meet a girl who works in the Boston Convention bureau, and we exchanged each others info. I would def add her. Do it.

9. You like their status updates and think they are funny. Add them.

10. "Famous" people. I’m friends with Jon Acuff and Paul Wright. It’s a good time. Do it.

People You Shouldnt Be Friends with on Facebook. (delete them while you can)

1. You have not talked to them in over a five years, and have no desire to talk to them in the next five years. (unless its family. haha) Delete.

2. If you were to walk by them on the street and not even know it was them. Delete.

3. If you randomly added them because they were from your hometown and went to your college but you never really became friends. Delete

4. If you met them at orientation for college, but never actually became friends with them at college. Delete.

5. If you worked with them at one point, but when you walk into that establishment, they do not even acknowledge your existence. Delete.

6. If you were interested in dating them but now you know that you will NEVER date them and havent talked to them in over a month. Delete. 

7. You dont know them, dont remember adding them and they are from Japan or Uzbekastan. Delete.

8.  You went to elementary school, middle school, and highschool with them, but havent talked to them since 3rd grade. Delete.

9. You met them a few times through other friends, but now you arent friends with those other friends, and will never see each other again. Delete. 

10.  People that you generally dont care about but want the latest gossip from. Thats not cool. Delete.

Stay Tuned for "People You Should Be Friends with on Facebook (add them while you can)"

Granted

How often we take for granted the essentials of life. Some things that I took for granted last night:

• you cant go to the bathroom if you dont have toilet paper (unless you are Russian but thats another story.) 
• You cant microwave hot water because your hot water isnt working when you dont have electricity.
• You cant plug in your phone charger when you dont have electricity. 
• You cant sleep in a bed when you dont have a bed.
• you cant check the bus times when you cant go on the internet because you dont have wifi.

My apartment is bare right now. National Grid kind of messed me over.  So I dont have any modern conveniences until next week. Thats ok though. Its purely amazing and beautiful and I look forward to every second I spend there. Last night Eileen brought some stuff over and Nathan came over and we sat on the balcony and he played guitar and it was like one of those perfect summer days that you never want to end. Oh man. I woke up at 7am today and I was up and ready to go and pumped.
I can see the difference in my outlook already. I am not bogged down by crappy attitudes and the constant feeling of just wanting to hide away. I am free and happy and so thankful for what I have now.
Hey real quick: One of my pictures got featured on the Greater City Providence blog. Check it out here.
Its the picture that I took of Kennedy Plaza, black and white, the statue. So yeah. cool beans.

Happy belated Birthday Casey.
Everyone should come visit me.
-Alissa-