TGIF, people!

Commencing the Detox

Well, just like that it's time to go home. My flight to Denver boards in an hour and, thankfully, there are no gourmet restaurants in this airport. No Bloody Mary today. No rich hollandaises or pastries. Just a liter of water and a banana, thank you God. I don't even want to think about the amount of batter and cheese and sugar I've consumed over the last three days.

Yesterday we toured my sil's work place, which is an enormous company that spans over a campus and has themed buildings and projects. We were there for about 4 hours and only saw half of it - it's pretty wild.

In this Harry Potter-esque castle, the pictures move along the walls and within the frames like they do at Hogwart's. Check out the half stairway below.

All the conference rooms are themed. I would never get any work done.

One of the buildings (my personal preference) was called the library, but really it was divided into academic themes/fields such as this one:

And the chemistry-themed cafe:

We spent a lot of time in the library.

They were like, B, step away from the books...

There was an Alice in Wonderland building, too. Trust me, you do not want rabbit carpet like this. You do not want to follow rabbits anywhere.

The slide was the best. I think it's easy to dismiss it because these slides have become commonplace in cool technology workplaces, but dang this thing was fast! It was so fun that we did it over and over again. We were laughing so hard I couldn't breathe. It was hysterical.

I have to say, my bro and I haven't played so much together in a good decade or so. It was so. much. fun.

Even the landscaping was phenomenal.

I can't wait to go back! We're just a quick flight apart now, and traveling between the airports is relatively cheap and convenient, so I see lots more trips like this in our future! I miss them already, but it's time to get back to the surly bun bun. And the Comp II planning.

And detox.

So much detox.

If anyone needs me, I'll be drinking copious amounts of water.

Call Me the Dairy Queen

We are still having a blast eating - I mean, spending time together! Yesterday the bro and I explored a park that overlooked the lake and downtown Madison.

He wanted to call Shel Silverstein real quick and tell him that we found where the sidewalk ends...

After the sil got off work, we explored State Street and I tried mac & cheese pizza. You know I'll eat anything that doesn't threaten to eat me back, and I was pumped about it, but I also didn't have high expectations. I mean, gimme a slice of pepperoni and I'm fine. But. This pizza was so good! The crust was light and smoky (from the fire oven) and the top wasn't too cheesy. It was flavorful! I was impressed!

This is dairy country, y'all. There is so. much. cheese. We went to the grocery store just so he could show me two entire refrigerator aisles of cheese choices. This pick doesn't include the cheese store that's next to the deli or the specialty cheese aisle! I've never seen anything like it. It's the same with the milk, yogurt, and ice cream. The dairy portion takes up like half the store!

And my bro recommended alcoholic root beer (Is that a thing outside of Wisconsin? Have you heard of it?), so of course I had to try it. I considered it my recon responsibility for G, to see if he would try it during a future trip out here. Aaaaand, it's super tasty. It tastes like root beer and vanilla soda mixed together with a fizzy kick. I'm a good wife, people. I do what I can.

We strolled and shopped and ate our way through downtown. I'm a fan. This is the first of many, many trips.

Notice that my sil is eating ice cream while resting her hand on a cookie take out box. We got some of these to eat for breakfast this morning, with our coffee:

The inside is buttercream icing. OMG, I think I'm getting diabetes. Also? I'm not going to fit in the plane seat on the way back to Denver. I might have to ride in the cargo hold...not that I'm complaining.

Everybody Say Cheese!

Hello from Madison! Where the first order of business was to try the best beer-battered cheese curds in the country (with a hint of jalapeno, of course).

The cheese here is no joke. We had to cheers with the curds instead of the drinks in order to truly celebrate. We've been laughing because I think when I get back to Denver and people ask how my bro and sil are, I'm gonna reply, "Oh the food in Wisconsin is great!" or "I loved the fresh ice cream!" Remember, B, you are here to see family. Family.

Ok, so speaking of. Here they are in all their computer science-related glory:

That is a green screen on the wall. My bro does a lot of live streaming and the screen allows him to blend in to whatever picture is on the computer, so the view is seamless for his audience. My brother has an audience. 

Why yes, they do have an entire room full of their computers and equipment that they mostly put together themselves. Case in point, the computer system below is my sil's; she designed and made the entire thing. The parts change color based on what type of work she's doing on the computer.

I was out of my league. I was like, can someone hook me up to the wifi?

More food today, loves.

More. Food.

I'll be back soon, in my stretchy pants.

Off to a Good Start

Hello from the airport! I'm off to stay with my bro and SIL for a few days in their new state and their new digs. G dropped me off at the airport a tad early (on his way to work) so that I could try out Root Down.

You know how Denver is a foodie haven? Well, Root Down is a local gourmet restaurant that specializes in responsibly grown, local, seasonal food, served with hospitality. I've never been to one of their restaurants downtown, so when I found out that they're located in DIA's C terminal, I hopped on over here and started with a spicy Bloody Mary, my travel (and brunch) drink of choice.

Their morning menu is classic brunch style, offering choices of breakfast or lunch. I was torn. I sipped my spicy goodness and pondered, deciding upon the Southern BBQ Eggs Benedict: Medium poached eggs atop slow roasted pork, chard, caramelized onions and a cornbread base. Served with home fries that are a mixture of regular potatoes and sweet potatoes, and a side of lemon arugula greens. Yes, please!!

The environment is nice and relatively spacious and welcoming considering that it's tucked into a very busy airport terminal. I've seen the line stretching out the door and around the corner before, so I was prepared to wait, but I got right in. Probably because I was only a party of one and it was 11:00 a.m. I think I was in between rush hours but it was still pretty busy. And the service was friendly, prompt, and helpful. I was impressed!

One of my favorite views: into the glass of spicy deliciousness.

I'm excited to experience a new city and state: Madison, Wisconsin! Lucy is excited to have bachelor nights with daddy, complete with pizza deliveries and nerdy sci fi television shows. I kissed her goodbye this morning and she was grooming before I could even get out the door. <<sigh>>

Aaaand a lil something for the road. I mean, for the air. Cookies and Cream caramel apple.

See you soon, from the land of cheese and beer and my nephew crazy cat and my peeps! A 2-hour flight is nothing after the DEN-TOKYO flight of late. Bunichiwa!

TGIF, people!

Downward Mobility

Here's another good read if you're in the mood to reflect upon how you're living life in light of God and His mercy and grace and all that:

Interrupted: When Jesus Wrecks Your Comfortable Christianity by Jen Hatmaker

Earlier this summer, I highly recommended her book, 7, about reducing excess and consumerism. In the introduction to this book, Hatmaker says that if you want to read one book of hers, only one, then read Interrupted. It's the story of how God interrupted her life and sparked a decision for downward - rather than upward - mobility.

In her humorous and self-deprecating way, she gives the reader a peek at her spiritual "aha" moment (not just one moment, of course, but a series of them over the course of several months) concerning life in a 1st world country. Most of us are born into the concept of upward mobility and naturally subscribe to it and forget that (or never even know that) one sixth of the world isn't even on the ladder of mobility at all. They are down on the ground, underneath said ladder, with no resources, starving to death at a rate of one person every 10 seconds or so. She became convicted about how the ways in which she was wasting her own resources was contributing to the degradation of others.

((One note: while Hatmaker draws attention to global poverty, she mostly focuses on local poverty, on how she and her husband were convicted to become useful and practical to the homeless population of Austin, Texas. The ultimate product that came as a result of God's interruption in their lives was a new church they created (Austin New Church) that exists to help the downtrodden and is purposefully structured to reach out and bless the unblessed, rather than to direct all of its resources to blessing the blessed.))

I don't recommend this book because I think it will create an "aha" moment for you. I recommend it because it encourages reflection and we are open to that, and God may work in unexpected ways to show us how else we can live in a way that will help others. The literal poor or the metaphorical poor. We are all poor, after all, in our own ways.

It's refreshing to read a critique of the prosperity gospel; it's worth remembering that God's blessings don't always match up with American-style prosperity. But, as someone who thinks that money isn't bad - that we can do a lot of good things with it - I appreciate that Hatmaker frames her story as just that, hers. She raises points that are worth consideration, and she ties those points closely to scripture (New and Old Testament) but she leaves room for God to work within His readers in His own way. She recognizes that we live in a time - and a country - that provides a myriad of opportunities to help others. She simply points out that we should be thinking about how to help others rather than how to help ourselves.

Thoughts?

(Positively) Aging

When I get reflective, I try to view my life according to various seasons. Not necessarily weather-related or annual seasons (although that's fun, too) but according to trials or good times or certain "themes" that tend to stand out. If I had to name a season I'm currently in (besides the hellish temperatures of summer in Denver), I would say I'm in an "awareness of aging" season. As in, I don't necessarily feel old or young; I'm at some sort of cross roads between the two.

Ok, I mostly feel old.

How I prefer to deal with the difficulties of aging.

This is not a positive season. The things I notice about myself and - let's face it - my body are usually negative. The thing is, though, according to my age, I am not old, especially by American/1st world standards. According to the projected longevity in one of the world's richest countries, I'm not even to the halfway point yet.

But.

I've been told my entire life that I'm an "old soul," a sort of world-weary, mature soul in a much younger body. I didn't necessarily subscribe to that theory, regardless of the number of people who've told me that over the years, but now I'm wondering if there's something to it. It's one thing to be a mature 6-year-old, and a mature 16-year-old. Now, though, I feel like a senior citizen on the inside. I don't act like one, mind you. Veep, anyone? Flipping off my students occasionally? Yeah, the old soul doesn't always rule. But it tends to be the default setting.

Like I said: this is not a positive season. But it's not a negative season, either. I've had many convos with friends lately, and here are some of our observations regarding the GOOD things about aging.

...

...

Hold on, there's got to be something.

...

...

Haha, ok here goes.

The Ability to Say No.
I wanted to call this category "confidence," or "self-awareness," but I'm not sure those are exactly right. For me, though, the more times I've rotated the sun, the easier it is for me to nope out of situations, events, gatherings, favors, manipulations (ahem), etc. I'm not talking about always putting myself first and letting other people down. I'm talking about legitimately being able to tell people "no" without going through 5 days of emotional gymnastics and hand wringing. I've learned that 99% of the time people have no reaction whatsoever. And if they do react, or if they get mad, they'll get over it. And if they don't, well, I've learned that other people's anger is OK. So is mine.

Just say no. Really.

Stop Trying to Manipulate God.
I'm fortunate to have been a Christian most of my life. I've talked to God (and occasionally listened to Him, ha ha) literally as long as I can remember. It turns out He really does have a plan, whether or not it makes sense to me. And He really does know what He's doing - with me, with you, with everyone else, with the planet. This is an awareness that has come as a result of years and years - it is a benefit of aging. While this knowledge usually does not comfort me in the short term, it soothes me and brings peace in the long term. It helps me not to overreact to, well, every little thing that pops up. I've learned that pain, inconvenience, trials, and challenges are some of the most effective ways He has worked in my life. Progress typically does not come through me getting my way all the time. This is inconvenient.

Appreciate Your Body.
So cliche, I know. On any given day there are approximately 981 things I'd like to change about my body, immediately if possible. There's no need going into the details because you have your own list. We probably have the same list. But. Despite the aches and pains that have developed, I am trying very hard to appreciate my body. It gets me around. It's the shell in which I have experienced the world. It's my chamber, and God's temple (Lord, help us all). I can walk and run and sing and pet animals and smell brownies baking in the oven. I can stare out my front window and plane windows and car windows. I can drive. As I go through the day, my body allows me to perform any action I want to, mostly without any pain or difficulty. That is not a small thing.

My body has even hung out with sharks in Hawaii. Like I said, that is not a small thing. :)

Admit Your Limitations
This category could also, like the first category on the list, be labelled something like "confidence," or "self awareness." But, as I've gotten older, I've become way more comfortable admitting what I don't know or don't understand. I don't have all the answers. Neither do you. Admitting my limitations (or my lack of knowledge) has been particularly liberating. As a teacher. As a wife. As a sister. As a friend. Most recently I had a convo with Em that combined both my ability to accept my limitations and my ability to say no: I had to tell her I can't climb a 14'er (much less two!) with her this summer. I made that decision because I know what my body can and can't handle, and since it has been so good to me (!) I'm not going to put it through the ringer.

These are just some of the things that have come to mind. I'd love to know what you think.
What are some of the good things about aging?