reverb10 – december 10 – wisdom

December 10 – Wisdom Wisdom. What was the wisest decision you made this year, and how did it play out? (Author: Susannah Conway)

I have had to deal with a lot of circumstances and situations beyond my control this year, but I would have to say the wisest decision I’ve made this year was to move back home. Even though I had no clue what was about to happen when I returned and despite the fact that things have been painful and heartbreaking, it would have been impossible to imagine going through this from 7,000 miles away.

Bah! Humbug! It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

I’m kind of a Grinch. Not even going to try to deny it. I’m fairly certain that even as a kid I was never really that into Christmas. I think the only reason I looked forward to it because it brought with it the potential for getting a new American Girl doll or book set. Molly was definitely my favorite. She was a total bad ass. I remember wish, hoping, praying that I would wake up in the morning with the need for glasses and I would constantly beg Mama J. to attempt to braid my hair or put it in pin curls like she did for her school play.

But apart from the excitement of American Girl, I was never really that into Christmas. When you tell people you don’t like Christmas that much, you get a series of looks that combine shock, horror, pity and contempt. Despite the years of attempted sway, I’ve still managed to hold to my beliefs. Thanksgiving is far superior in my opinion. It’s just like christmas but minus the stress. All you have to do is cook, eat, drink and watch football, none of this present, tree, fake cheer nonsense.

Despite my general disdain for Christmas, I never overlook the opportunity to celebrate (I once held an Arbor Day party, trust me, I will use any excuse), so I therefore channel my dislike of the holiday in to my like of celebration in general. I like baking, so there is an excuse to excessively bake 300+ cookies and I like making gifts for people, so I suppose Christmas can’t be all bad.

I mentioned previously that I am participating in an awesome project called Operation Baking GALS! While I originally planned on just baking for my favorite Marines, I heard about the Baking Gals and knew I wanted to get involved. Over the past 2 days I’ve baked over 600 cookies that are on their way to Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Budapest and North Carolina. I never knew making cookies could be such a tiring activity but I am beat from this marathon of baking.

I’ve really had fun making some of my favorite recipes and trying out some new ones as well. I whipped up some standard Chocolate Chip cookies and threw some Mint M&M’s in a couple batches. I sampled a broken one and it was delish. I also made Deb’s Chocolate Caramel Crackers, as well as her awesome Peanut Butter Cookies. I have a slight Deb obsession.

Smitten Kitchen's Peanut Butter Cookie

I also tried out Julie’s Holiday Pretzel Treats. I tried to spicy it up with some red melting chocolate, which did not melt as well as the white and I even threw in some Hanukkah flair for Zack’s belated present.

After so much sugar, the only proper cure was roasted veg for dinner. They turned out crunchy and delicious.

 

reverb10 – december 9 – party!

December 9 – Party Prompt: Party. What social gathering rocked your socks off in 2010? Describe the people, music, food, drink, clothes, shenanigans. (Author: Shauna Reid)

I love a good party. I love planning them, organizing them, going to them, everything about them. My favorite party of 2010 was also the most bittersweet.

On August 28, my friends held a surprise going away party for me in Budapest. All I was told before hand was to expect some time of scavenger hunt to be involved and to not make any plans for the following day, which I viewed as a veiled threat. I was beyond touched by all the planning and effort my friends put into the party and I had the best time.

That morning I went over to my friends’ house and we cooked brunch and around 1pm I received my first clue and I was off. I was sent around Budapest to the sites of various fun events from the last 15 months of my living in Bp. to meet friends (and drinks) along the way. I started at the house I used to nanny at and where there was an epic St. Patrick’s Day party, to the Castle, where the annual Wine Festival is held every year, to the Hilton hotel were the Marine Ball was held, and eventually wound up at the Marine Bar where many, many fun times had been held. There were dance-offs, impromptu jam sessions, random jaunts to a 19th century jail, various feats of strength, canceling of dinner plans after we were all seated, an incident at a McDonald’s that resulted in us being asked to leave, the taking over of a karaoke bar (which wasn’t really anything too out of the ordinary) and a very long conversation in Spanish and Hungarian in which neither party had the slightest clue what was been said by the other. All in all, it was a perfect night.

There were cops…

There was drinking in public (on national monuments)

The life of the party…

This shot took us about 10 minutes and 25 attempts…

reverb10 – december 7 – community

December 7 – Community. Where have you discovered community, online or otherwise, in 2010? What community would you like to join, create or more deeply connect with in 2011? (Author: Cali Harris)

Over the past year I have made and lost many good friends, some by choice and by circumstance. Most of this year has been encompassed by transition, which has greatly affected my sense of community. I’ve moved from where and who I considered my community, and even though I’ve moved ‘home’, it’s been a long time since I actually lived here. And with  yet an other move looming in the close future, I’m once again going to be faced with a new transition, a new community. I haven’t quite figured out where that community is going to be yet, but I have very high hopes for it.

I wrote previously about how I’ve let go of certain friends over this past year, I’ve also been able to reconnect with many old friends. As much as tragedy can cause people to abandon you, it also brings those that truly care and matter. In the next year, I hope to keep these renewed friendships and focus on the people that truly matter to me.

reverb10 – december 6 – make

December 6 – Make. What was the last thing you made? What materials did you use? Is there something you want to make, but you need to clear some time for it? (Author: Gretchen Rubin)

Cookies! Lots and lots of cookies. We’re talking like over 300 here. I may never make another cookie again. I have some friends that are Marines and stationed all over the world, so I’ve been putting together some christmas care packages for them and their detachments. It’s been a fun little project to keep me busy. I’m also participating in a project called Operation Baking GALS, so I’ve made a ton of extra cookies to send to Afghanistan as well.

I am looking forward to making the rest of my Christmas gifts later this week!

reverb10 – december 5 – let go

December 5 – Let Go. What (or whom) did you let go of this year? Why? (Author: Alice Bradley)

It’s amazing to me how timely this prompt is. Earlier today, I was talking with my BFF Nancy about this. Both of us have been recently forced to realize, you don’t know who your friends are until you really need them. And it can be a very disturbing realization.

Since I’ve returned home in September, I’ve learned so much about not only myself but about other people. Unfortunately, I have mainly learned that people kind of suck. It’s easy to be friends with someone when things are great and everyone is happy, but when shit hits the fan and you actually need that shoulder to cry on, it can be pretty enlightening.

I’m not sure if I’ve ‘let go’ of people exactly this year, more that I’ve ‘given up’ on them.

reverb10 – december 4 – wonder

December 4 – Wonder. How did you cultivate a sense of wonder in your life this year? (Author: Jeffrey Davis)

The word ‘wonder’ can be used in many different ways. I believe having and cultivating a sense of wonder is one of the most amazing things you can pursue, but wonder can also be somewhat stressful. I have been in a state of constant wonder since May 1 at 3:15 am. It was at that moment I woke up and found a gypsy standing in my bedroom, my laptop bag in hand, who proceeded to run out my front door within seconds of my waking up, screaming and throwing the only available weapon I could find, a near by water bottle.

My mind started racing and seven months later, it hasn’t really stopped since. My thoughts instantly began, ‘I wonder what to do next, I wonder if I will finish grad school now, I wonder if I could have been hurt, I wonder what else was stolen, I wonder who I call, I wonder what the number for Hungarian 911 is, I wonder how I am going to finish my dissertation, I wonder what’s going to happen next…’. I don’t really want to talk about the ramifications of the break in too much here, mainly because it’s something I’m not particularly comfortable with discussing, but needless to say it was a truly traumatic experience, which was not eased by the bureaucratic and linguistic nightmare that is encompassed by both the Hungarian police and the Hungarian university system.

This state of wondering has yet to stop in many ways. I wonder what’s going to happen when I move back to California, I wonder how my mom’s surgery is going to go, I wonder why Nancy’s dad had to get sick, I wonder how Nancy and her siblings are doing, I wonder why Sean killed himself, I wonder if I’ll get a job, I wonder where I’m going to move to, I wonder a million different things.

While I do embrace spontaneity and adventure in my life, I have found that living in a state of constant wonder and unknown can begin to take a toll. I’m hoping next year will bring some answers.