This Is India

We have a saying here at Rising Star - it works for when things go wrong, when we run late, when it's REALLY hot, when the electricity goes off right after you've typed a huge blog entry - we simply say, "This is India." & that's that.

I love being here. It's already been life changing & I've been here for 4 days. Wow. If I didn't miss some people back in the US so badly, I'd never leave. Ever.

Sadly - I can't get any photos to post directly on to here... so... here are a couple links.

This is how you ride in India - some seriously love in the back of the Sumo Tata.

This little boy, Ajay, is brand new at the school. He doesn't speak much English, but he's so sweet - he fell asleep in my arms a few nights ago. :)

Home for the next 17 days - wow, this time is passing quickly!

I'm still deciding whether I like Indian food (as in dinner) but the SNACKS are DELICIOUS!

Part of our group of awesome volunteers - please note the awkward Jared Boy.

MY FAVORITE PICTURE - Jennie & I with Ravi Chandran, a patient a near-by leprosy hospital & the funniest guy I've ever met.

A Whole New World

I've made it to India at last! My computer time is limited, so pictures will have to wait, but for now I thought I would share with you a very abridged list of firsts.

- flying over the Pacific Ocean
- chilling out in the Hong Kong airport - Burger King's soft serve is AWESOME in China
- being on a plane for over 14 hours straight
- traveling for over 30 hours, about 7 of which I spent asleep
- painting houses in a leprosy colony
- learning how to say "spider" in Tamil - something like etukalpuje.
- reading bedtime stories to a group of about 20 5-8 year old boys that call me "Auntie Kelthey" - they all seem to have trouble with the "s"
- going to the LDS branch in Chennai - the people are amazing - so happy, so grateful, so full of the light of Christ.

India is hot, dirty, humid, & absolutely amazing. I've never been so exhausted & I've never fallen in love with a place so fast.

Thank you to everyone who has supported & loved me & helped me on this trip. I am so grateful for this opportunity to be here. This was originally a much longer post... but then the power went out. & my brain isn't functioning totally right now. I think a bucket shower might help. So good night!

Come On, Get Higher

As I shall be spending the majority of the next 2 days airborne, I thought "get higher" seemed like a pretty fitting sentiment. And that song is often stuck in my head these days, so it just felt right. :)

The big day of departure is TOMORROW! I'm on my way to India for three weeks. It feels incredibly surreal & I'm feeling more than a little bit inadequate at the moment. But I'm looking forward to this new adventure & opportunity to serve & teach at the Rising Star Outreach School in Chennai.

While I'm in India, I'll continue to post updates on this blog - hopefully with pictures, too! So leave comments & keep in touch! Thanks to everyone for all the love & support - you've helped make this dream a reality for me.

It's real. I'm leaving. Tomorrow. EEEK!

Everything I've Never Been Before

The past few months have been full of journeys, recipes, testimonies, and stories, as well as epiphanies - yet another "ee" that should probably be featured in the subtitle of my blog. I feel like I've suddenly reached a point in my life where everything is starting to change; there are a lot of big decisions floating out there on the horizon, just waiting for me to catch my breath and make the next leap. The wonderful lyrics of Switchfoot's "On Fire" have been running through my head a lot lately, as I really do feel as if "I'm standing on the edge of everything of never been before."

If you hadn't yet noticed, I like making lists, so here goes one more. I'd like to call it, "Real-izations."

1- I have some stunning tan lines. I may look a bit like a skunk.

2- I get on a plane to fly around the world to India TWO weeks from TODAY. wow. Soon I'll be starting my days eleven and a half hours earlier than I do here. Soon I'll be in a foreign country surrounded by ancient beliefs, customs, and architecture. Soon I'll start my days by singing primary songs with the children of the Rising Star Outreach School in Chennai, India. Soon I'll be facing poverty unlike anything I've ever seen. Soon I will have water buffalo milk on my cereal each morning. Soon I'll see stars I've never seen before. Soon I'll walk in the gardens of the Taj Mahal. Soon I'll be on the biggest adventure of my life. Those three weeks in India will be full of new sights, sounds, smells, and feelings. The trip that I've talked and dreamed about for months finally feels like a reality, and now I feel more than a little bit inadequate and intimidated. I'm just a little girl from a tiny farm town in Idaho. What could *I* do to make a difference to India? Not much, but I can make a difference in the lives of those I meet in India. I hope I can bring a part of my experience in India back home to share with all of my friends and family who have supported and believed in me.

3- My twentieth birthday is three weeks from tomorrow. I think this means I have to grow up a little. Which might mean that I have to make some grown up decisions. This is both thrilling and terrifying. :/

4- Our Father in Heaven truly loves each and every one of His children, no matter where they live or what language they speak.

5- Sometimes you just have to take a leap of faith & believe.

6- Naps are good.

7- There are some people that just fit into your life like they were meant to be there.

Toll House Goes Shfancy

aka Super Buttery Chocolate Chip Cookies

My daddy is a big fan of cookies, brownies, ice cream, & treats in any form, although you wouldn’t be able to tell by looking at him. So yesterday, when I was having a major chocolate craving, dad was all in favor of some chocolate chip cookies, but the recipe off of the Hershey’s bag just wasn’t going to cut it; rather, he wanted to try a new recipe from our favorite magazine, “Cook’s Illustrated,” for the perfectly chewy yet crispy cookie. I was a bit skeptical, but I’m always up to try a new recipe.

Verdict – These cookies are crazy delicious, but a bit more time consuming & labor intensive than Hershey’s or Toll House recipes, calling for browned butter & a separated egg yolk, among other things. This recipe also gives a much smaller yield, only about 20 cookies. If you’re planning on feeding the masses, stick with your usual favorite. But if you have a special someone in your life that loves butter & chocolate chip cookies, in that order, this recipe just might pave your way into their heart.

1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
14 tblsp. (1 ¾ sticks) butter (if using salted butter, reduce the amount of salt to ½ tsp.)
½ cup sugar
¾ cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. vanilla
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1 ¼ cups semisweet chocolate chips ( I used about ¾ cup semis, ½ cup milk chocolate – I like my cookies a bit sweeter
- you can also add ¾ cup chopped & toasted pecans or walnuts

1)Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly coat your baking sheet w/ non-stick spray.

2)Heat 10 tablespoons butter in a medium skillet over medium high heat until completely melted. Butter should sizzle & bubble – foam might form - don’t worry, that’s just fine – just keep stirring. Continue cooking butter while stirring constantly until butter is golden brown & has a nutty aroma, about 2 or three minutes. Remove skillet from heat & stir in the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter. Stir until all the butter is completely melted. Transfer hot butter to a heat proof bowl – you will add the rest of the ingredients to this bowl, so make it a big one.

3)Add both sugars, salt, & vanilla & stir thoroughly. Add egg & egg yolk & stir until the mixture is smooth. Let this mixture stand for about 3 minutes, stir again, & let it rest for another three minutes. I would suggest using these 3 minute breaks to dance around the kitchen to your favorite song. Stir the mixture again – it should be thick, smooth, & shiny.

4)Stir in flour & baking soda. Add chocolate chips (& nuts, if you so choose).

5)Shape dough into balls about two inches in size & place on greased cookie sheet, 8 at a time. Bake at 375 for about 10 minutes – the cookies should still be puffy, with golden brown edges & slightly soft centers. Transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool.

Enjoy!

Counting Days

I arrive in India on August 2nd. For those of you who don't like to frequently count days on the calendar, that's just 26 short days from today. *insert awed face here* My to-do list for the next three weeks is beginning to feel a bit daunting, but I am incredibly excited for this awesome opportunity.

Here are just a few highlights from my list of things to do:

1- Learn to shower without getting water in my mouth - for a chronic shower-singer, this is very difficult.

2- Get immunized for Typhoid Fever & Meningitis. Tomorrow. I don't like needles. uh-oh... someone please hold my hand?

3- Wait patiently for my visa to arrive. (& Patience isn't always top on my list of virtues...)

4- Get used to the idea of water buffalo milk on my Wheaties... yummy.

5- Pack an extra-large suitcase with very few things.

6- Write about 100 thank you notes - Sorry I'm slow! I AM grateful... but also busy... but thank you to everyone that has supported me, both financially & emotionally. I really appreciate all the confidence that everyone has in me & all of the well wishes.

7- Figure out how I'm going to survive three weeks in 100+ degree weather when I'm not allowed to wear shorts. EEEK.

8- Talk my way in to a window seat for the 20+ hour flight.

9- Tell Amelia H that she's awesome about 703 times! Thanks so much for your help & faith in me!

10- Get ready for my biggest adventure of my life.

Wheeeeeee!

ALSO - a VERY happy birthday to Mr. Keaton Jolley, who used to comment on my blog & now spends his free time creating the most randomly entertaining podcasts on this earth, quite possibly in the whole universe. He's over there > check it out & wish him a rockin' birthday on the 8th.

Firsts

Firsts are fun. I like firsts.

My trip to Cancun deserves about 7 blog posts, it was that amazing. However, life is crazy & I’m a bit lazy, soooo… here’s a list of things I tried for the first time while I was in Mexico.

1-Riding in a “car” smaller than a golf cart.
2-Speaking Spanish with “real natives” & asking for directions at 1 AM.
3-Caviar (I’m actually not a fan)
4-Smoked Salmon – that’s good.
5-Tuna, the fruit – it comes from a cactus, is a wild pinkish color, & is wonderfully sour.
6-Guayaba – aka Guava – almost as good as the juice I am so addicted to.
7-Papaya
8-Mexican Mango – much better than the kind you find in the markets in the US.
9-Swimming in the Caribbean – it’s WARM & it kinda freaks me out. But gorgeous.
10-Staying at a five star hotel. swoon
11-Going to a spa double swoon
12-Getting a real massage.
13- Clorofil water… kinda tastes like minty alfalfa-flavored water.
14- Seeing Tulum & Chichen Itza in person & climbing to the top of the temple at Xbalan.
15- Haggling over the price of gas IN SPANISH.
16- Avocado rice – yummmmmm
17- Goat milk caramels – I NEED to find a source for these in the US.
18- Listening to classical music while watching the sunset from a plane.
19- Saffron marmalade – crazy delicious, especially on ham.
20- Prawns, with their heads still attached. They watched me eat them. It was slightly disturbing.
21- Simultaneous translation - HARD!
22- Plain yogurt topped with honey – I’m hooked.
23- Celery & something else green juice
24- Seeing stars I’ve never seen before.
25- Facebook ads in Spanish.
26- Hearing little tiny kids speak Spanish – possibly the cutest accent ever
27- Swimming in a Cenote.

And about a million other things... but that's another post.

Some Old Favorites

I have a lot of blogging to catch up on, as my family just got back from a trip to Cancun, which was possibly the most awesome vacation of my life to date. As I'm the only member of my family that speaks more Spanish than is required to order at Taco Bell, it was up to me to be the interpreter, haggle over gas prices, read road signs, & translate at church. It was AWESOME. But now it's almost 2 AM, so let me just give you a bit of info on the newest additions to my blog playlist.

The Sun & The Moon by MAE makes the list of my favorite mellow songs, probably top 5. I love the slow piano & the lyrics rank among the best. Painted skies & ocean eyes? I'm a fan.

You're the World to Me & Babylon by David Gray - I love David Gray. Yet again, the lyrics are what really get me hooked. "The One I Love" has been on this playlist for a long time & holds a special place in my heart, but David Gray has written some of my favorite rainy day/late night driving music & it's high time he got a bit more recognition.

Sorry to "Generator" by The Holloways - it's been demoted for a bit of over-excessive peppiness/catchiness.

New Song

"Generator" is not only obnoxiously catchy, it is also by a band called "The Holloways." That's just cool.

Strawberry Shortcake Waffles

*Author’s Note: I don’t really cook by recipes. In my mind, recipes are more like… guidelines than actual rules. So, when making things like the strawberry topping for these waffles, I measure rarely and taste often. These are rough estimates – you’re just gonna have to be a bit adventurous and go for it, then see if it’s yummy. :) Also, these pictures are pretty awful, but you work with what you've got, & right now all I have is my built-in on my BabyMac.

Strawberry Topping

2 ½ cups fresh strawberries, sliced
½ cup sugar (maybe a little more or less, depends on how ripe your berries are)
1 tblsp. light Karo syrup
1 fresh lemon

Slice your strawberries into a medium sized bowl and add sugar. Add the lemon juice slowly, starting with the juice of half the lemon – you should add about 1/3 cup of juice. Stir in Karo and set the strawberry mixture aside and let it’s work it’s magic – you’ll have strawberries and a lovely syrup in no time.

Whipped Cream

1 half-pint carton whipping cream
2 tsp. vanilla (the good stuff, like Molina Mexican Vanilla)
1 tblsp. sugar

With hand beaters or very strong arms, whisk cream in a medium bowl until the cream thickens – it should hold the swirls of your whisk. Add sugar and vanilla and whisk until peaks form. (When you lift your whisk out of the bowl, it should pull the cream up into a little wave.)


Waffle Batter

1 Betty Crocker Butter Recipe Yellow cake mix ( it is essential that you get the butter recipe)
1 ¼ cup water
2 eggs
1 stick butter
non-stick spray

I experimented a bit with the ingredients in the cake mix and found that leaving one egg out of the cake mix directions yielded a batter that was thick but fluffy and very delicious. Although I made mine in a stand mixer, I would suggest mixing the batter by hand – mine was perhaps a bit too fluffy. Grease your waffle iron liberally before making each waffle. It took about a ½ cup of batter to fill my Belgium waffle maker. Because this batter is much more delicate than a traditional waffle, the waffles are a bit tricky to remove from the waffle maker; I had to take mine out one section at a time, but it’s worth the effort. ☺

Top warm waffles with strawberries and whipped cream and ENJOY!