Emily Exposed?

I want to get over my fear of blogging. I love writing! I love sharing! I like being part of a community (even if it’s through wires).

Here’s the thing: I was taught to be cautious and private (don’t identify yourself on the phone to unknown callers, keep an unlisted number). If someone asks for personal information ask “why?” before responding. I even identified a bit with Mel Gibson's character in Conspiracy Theory. I think as a typical oldest sibling, I tend to be more careful than carefree. In fourth grade I came home and was convinced there were “robbers” in our house without a car parked in front of it. I went to the neighbor's house and called home and found my brother was home (mom was up the street). Paranoia?

Truly, I am a people person (humans are totally my favorite animal), I love my friends intensely, and I’m ridiculously loyal. Still, I tend to be selective about who I share myself with. I’ve even been called a snob a few times, if you can believe it (one person said they USED to think I was a snob before they knew me).

I am particular, that’s all.

And I'm working on being more accepting and not holding everyone I know to unreasonably high expectations.

So opening myself up for criticisms and congratulations from people I might not know makes me wonder. How does that work? All of you blogger friends (from real life) might have some answers.

Also there are the people I do know in person. Will I offend people? I once called a European cousin a chocoholic in a mass e-mail. He took it as an extreme insult and was very upset with me. I suppose I don’t like confrontation, but that’s the nature of public exposure.

So here it goes… I feel my skin getting thicker every second…

I’m blogging!

October Air

I want to get into a classroom soon. I'm a good teacher and I want to be of service. Several teachers I've chatted with in the area me tell me that subbing is the best way to get my foot in the door. And that there are a whole pile of teachers about to retire. But that it's still a tight market... but I do hear positions open up when teachers quit to marry rich men. ha.

I've been really really missing the kids I nannied for too. The Olsens really became my family and I have more roots to Oregon than I realized. It was recently the anniversary of Graham's passing. That angel boy is free now, but he is still so alive to me. It can be hard to comprehend.

I know that the classroom thing will happen... and I look forward to the kids, the surprises, the community, and the learning. But in the meanwhile I've been fulfilling my need to nurture in other ways. I'm becoming master of my domain. In my unemployment I have turned into a bit of a desperate housewife. I've been cooking and planting and arranging and displaying and organizing. I even have a vintage apron I found at a thrift store back in the day. After the intensity of last year I am enjoying all this "me" time.

I've planted bulbs for the first time. I love the spring surprise of daffodils and tulips and yummy smelling hyacinths and paper whites. I'm excited by the bounty of fall and have been making a lot of yummy stuff.

Tonight was: Butternut squash pizza. It was a very gourmet experience (and incredibly delicious). I made up the recipe: it has ricotta cheese, a cream sauce, mushrooms, and squash of course. I love squash so much, I've even been adding it to omelets with good results!

Andrew got me a green sewing machine for my birthday. It is adorable. I love how he encourages my creativity (he bought me an easel last year and now he keeps begging me to write children's books). I need to come up with some simple sewing projects now. Any ideas?

Oh, I also got a splendid, spunky little goldfish for my birthday. I gave him a million names, my favorite being Fluffy. He died yesterday though. My mom warned me that they are toilet food. I didn't cry but I felt like it. I think he came with a parasite. I really was a good fish mom.

Andrew and I took the tandem bike out yesterday. Santa Barbara is an amazing location: we rode down by the beach and then up in the foothills, stopping for a hike through an organic farm. I love how fresh flying against the air on a bike makes you feel. Plus, you can go really fast when there are two people.

Much Love, More Later.

Emily

Grape Fields

On Tuesday we headed inland to some nearby vineyards for wine tasting. We headed up the coast with our new friends (coupled engineering grad students that live across the courtyard) and hit up Firestone Winery, the oldest in the area. $10 for 6 samples, their spiel, a tour of the facilities, a free wine glass, and including another tasting at a nearby winery seemed like an excellent deal! I enjoyed seeing the "live action" processing plant. It reminded me a bit of the Tillamook Cheese factory in Oregon. All of the tourists (mostly European) posed for pictures in front of the stacks of oak barrels in the cool storage room. I got a sense the Firestone family is politically conservative since they had prominently displayed photos of all the "great" visiting republicans since Reagan.

Being tourists.

After this satisfying stop we headed out on a stroll recommended by Best Walks in Santa Barbara. I loved being out in the open farm land under the clear bright blue sky. We drifted through the fields, stopping to munch on fresh grapes, and landed at the adjacent associated Curtis Winery. After picnicking under the cool shady trees, we headed inside. This was a much smaller "boutique" winery. Being the only visitors, we were well attended to. Fortunately, our friends were schooled in wine (they had arranged a wine club in undergrad) and were able to ask intelligent questions about the processing and flavors. Our jolly "host" was a character and we bonded over time spent in Italy. He even broke out some special stuff for us--my favorite was a VERY expensive desert wine that tasted like nectar. Yum.



















Our feet were dusty by the time we hiked back to the car. We took the inland route home and from the car I saw the small Danish village of Solvang, Lake Cachuma, and a stunning view of the Channel Islands off of the coast.

I look forward to next time and to sharing this jewel of a place with my friends and family. Come visit!

A Bit of Earth

Today we tackled our newly adopted garden plot. I am so excited to have a small piece of land to grow flowers, food, and herbs. I hope to have a tea garden as well. Our community garden is a monarch waystation for migrating butterflies and has a nice colorful strip of "wild" flowers growing down the center. Andrew and I worked out there clearing our land for four hours today. Check out the before picture above....and the after below.


I love exploring a new climate. The plants are different. The air feels different. I love the mountain view from my kitchen window. It reminds me of what the West Mauis look like from Lahaina. This place is somewhere in between Hawaii and Oregon (well literally). It got colder a few days ago. An autumn crispness seems to have entered the evening air.