winter

Hi everyone!  I hope you’ve had a wonderful weekend and are ready for another week studying hard at Fontbonne.  Today I’d like to share five things I am most excited for — some happening presently, others I am eagerly looking forward to.  They’re in no particular order, too, by the way!

• My family’s return from California:  This weekend (February 18), my cousin got married.  He lives in California, and my college and work schedules did not allow me to attend the celebration.  I’m really glad my parents, brother, grandma, and other relatives could all make it out to attend the wedding and reception, but I also have that reserved feeling that we couldn’t all be together as a family — not just for the wedding, but the other fun activities they’ve been enjoying.  My mom has been sending me tons of pictures to make me feel included, but it’s still not the same as being there.  Monday (February 20) my grandma and brother return, and Wednesday (February 22) my parents return.  It’s not that I am incapable of carrying on a normal life without them…we’re just a really close-knit family, and when we’re apart like this, it’s a little bittersweet and lonely.
• Trying new recipes:  I’m a dietetics major (only a freshman, so I’m not really into degree-specific classes yet) and I love cooking and baking, whether it’s creating new recipes out of my head (I’m not afraid to take a plunge, even knowing something might not turn out well) or changing up existing recipes to be healthier or appropriate for people with different dietary needs.  Tonight, I’m making a fish taco and my own guacamole.  It’s always good if you can make your own of anything because then you can control how much of an ingredient you put into the recipe!
• The Triple Crown:  I’m a horse girl, and that extends into many areas of my life, including the Triple Crown horse races every May/June — the Kentucky Derby, Preakness, and Belmont.  Two years ago (2015), we had American Pharoah win all three races, which hadn’t been done for 37 years.  I can’t begin to express how emotional I was witnessing his wins, and it further increased my enthusiasm for the sport.  My mom and I make a full-out celebration of the Derby complete with hats, singing My Old Kentucky Home with utter solemnity, apple juleps (a non-alcoholic trade for the mint juleps), mint chocolate chip shakes, picking our favorite horse to win, and breathlessly watching the two-minute race.  By the Preakness and Belmont, it’s time to get serious and just watch the race — no other “partying distractions”.  Even if you’re not a horse person or horse-racing fan, it’s so exciting that I guarantee you it’s worth two short minutes of your time!
• Summer vacation:  I don’t really get much of a summer vacation because I’ll be taking summer classes at a community college in order to graduate in four years.  But there’s a window of time between when those end and Fontbonne’s fall semester starts, so my family and I will be taking a summer trip (what?!) to the east to climb Mt. Washington (a five-year aspiration of mine) and visit Philadelphia, New York City, Washington D.C., Gettysburg, and other great spots.  As an aspiring history minor, I’m certain there will be moments of emotion as I realize the deep historical roots of the places I visit…the very places some of the most significant moments in America’s history happened!
• The Winter Olympics:  I’m a winter lover through and through (sorry, all you cold-weather-haters), and I have to say this winter has been very depressing to me with the lack of cold temperatures and snow (and I mean SNOW, not the rotten ice that struck us twice earlier this year).  A comforting thought is that the 2018 Winter Olympics are just a year away now, though!  That’ll get me through whatever crazy weather we have coming at us.

What are some things you’re excited for, whether they’re happening now or way on down the road?  Let me know, and have a great week!

~Anna

Tagged as: cooking, dietetics, Excited, future, horse racing, Olympics, road trips, winter

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