A General Update On My Life for My Faithful Readers

Hi there, Readers!
I know some of you have been checking my blog weekly, and I have neglected it far too long for anyone's liking, including my own. So here is a general update on my life at the moment:

Photo Class
I recently finished an 8-week "Intro to Digital Photography" class (a late birthday present from my parents) at the local college. It turned out some of the best pictures I've ever taken, and left me with a greater understanding of camera settings and the principles of photography. It was incredibly awesome to be back in a classroom and learning about art again. Recently I've realized how much I miss my college art history and studio classes. I hope to start a new project soon, and maybe go through my Italian Renaissance notes. As for my photography class, I took a lot of pictures in 8 weeks, but here are a few of my favorites:

Old Sturbridge Village

 

Minute Man National Park

 

 

Old Sturbridge Village

(These kids didn't even work there! They were just visiting, and I heard their grandmother sewed their outfits)

 



The Old Mill Restaurant

Bolton Fair 2013
Here's some dated, but art-related news that I never got around to posting: This summer I submitted artwork to the Bolton Fair and took home a few prizes! I received blue ribbons in animal photography ("Pig Pile"), pastel/oil pastel ("Sunset on Cape Cod"), and watercolor painting ("Illuminated Tree"). I also took home a 3rd place ribbon in oil painting ("Bleeding Hearts"). I loved that the judges took the time to write lengthy critiques of each piece. They commented that my oil painting was a little thick, and the matte for "Sunset on Cape Cod" was distracting from the image. Although it's discouraging at first to hear anything other than praise, I got over it and I really appreciate their expert advice. I still haven't gotten around to changing that matte, but I plan to before it gets hung again.

Halloween
WHERE HAS THE TIME GONE?! Last time I posted, I was writing about my 5K race in April! Unfortunately my posts keep getting longer, and longer in between. By now it's almost Thanksgiving, but I can't overlook this little artistic endeavor: family pumpkin carving! Yes, I used a stencil, but who cares? Mine is the one on the far right. I love this picture of our pumpkins all together. Ok, quiz time! Is the 4th pumpkin a moose or a bat? Send me an email and tell me your guess!




Fun Fact
I recently heard that web links deteriorate at a rate of 1/200 links a WEEK. It's called "link rot" and may explain why so many of my pictures have disappeared from my blog, since I haven't been maintaining it. This is something I hope and plan to fix, if I can ever get back on the computer again after a day at work.

Work requires me to be on the computer 8 hours a day (minus lunch), 5 days a week. I like what I do, but as a result, I rarely turn on the computer at home. As a matter of fact, I think this is the first time I've blogged since starting this job, and I've been there 4 months.  

Anyway, it's late and I've got to go to sleep so that I can wake up for said job. I hope you enjoy these pictures, and again, sorry about all the missing ones.

Celebrations and Mountain Climbing

For me, May is always a flurry of activity, and this year was no exception! It kicked off with my boyfriend's graduation ceremony, then my birthday, and my bf's birthday all in a span of 12 days. At the same time the museum offered me another part-time position, so I spent the last week learning my new responsibilities at the front desk. Needless to say, a lot has happened over the past month and I just wanted to share some of the wonderful, joyful moments in my life right now.

 

 

First up: graduation! Full of pomp and circumstance, as it should be :)

My parents and I were all recognized as alumni and got front-row seats at the ceremony. I took tons of pictures, and cheered proudly.

 

For my birthday, my friends too me to Pickety Place, which is an adorable cottage in the middle of nowhere that plans it's menu based on the herbs and plants it grows on it's own property! It also has a shop where you can buy some of their products. I highly recommend it for a relaxing outing in the countryside.

 

 

 Then Zach's birthday! Here's the cake I made for him. Chocolate - his favorite (although his absolute tippity-top favorite is his mom's "black magic" cake. I'll never be able to compete with that).

Then Zach and I and all of his friends hiked Mt Monadnock. Our military friend hiked with all of his gear on, which was quite exhausting. I struggled a lot carrying nothing but water and sandwiches. Of course, the men decided to take the steepest trail!

Top o' the mountain. Happy Birthday, Zach!

5K Race Day!

Sunday was the day; the day I ran my first 5K road race.

And I KICKED BUTT!
I finished in 42 minutes, and ran the entire thing without walking at all! I never, ever thought that I would be able to run 5 kilometers, and I definitely never thought I would want to. But a few weeks ago I got an email about my school's Couch to 5K program and thought "I'm not working yet. I have the time. Exercise is good. Why not?"

So I started training 8 weeks ago by running three 90 second increments and walking in between. Believe it or not, I struggled to run those 90 seconds. I was so out of shape. But I gradually lengthened my running time and shortened the walking like the program instructed and it became easier. By week 6 I could run for 25 minutes! However, I knew that I ran too slow to cover 3.2 miles (or 5 kilometers), so I started running at home for distance instead of time. The first time I ever ran the whole 5K was on Friday, and it took me 52 minutes. I mean, I was really slow, but at least I knew I could run it without walking. And that was great motivation to keep going on race day.

Race Day. I was number 5!
Also, it was freezing cold.
Lots of people ran in sweatshirts.

 

I was surprised by how many people showed up to run! I dropped to the back of the pack pretty early, but that was ok with me. There were people of all different abilities, like experienced runners (you could tell who they were because they had professional running outfits and ipods on their arm bands), mothers pushing kids in strollers, elders who walked, and even a Fitchburg State ROTC member who ran in his combat gear!

 

I got a big surprise in the first few minutes when I saw my family cheering from the sidewalk! I didn't think they would be there! They lined up to give me high-fives and screamed words of encouragement, which made me laugh. A minute later I saw the rest of my family; grandparents, aunts and uncles ringing cow bells, whooping and cheering for any stranger who passed by :) Even from a distance they pumped me up and I ran faster, haha. Apart from the volunteers directing traffic, my family were the only people who cheered along the route. They are AWESOME! I love how supportive they are of everything I do, and I know they made the other runners happy as well. Thank you guys!

My own personal cheering section.

They could make a surprising amount of noise!

 

Waiting in the cold with coffee. What dedication.

 

Some of the people in front of me would run in short bursts and walk in between, but I set a pretty steady pace. One girl would start sprinting again whenever I caught up to her, haha. I tried not to feel bad that I was being beaten by those who were walking, but remembered that by running I was accomplishing something I never expected myself to do!

I had to run past my family twice, so after the second time they all jumped in their cars and drove past me to the finish line, yelling out their windows along the way. It wasn't hard to start sprinting towards the end; I was surprised by how much energy I had left! No flailing arms like the marathon commentators talk about, haha. Looking back, I probably could have pushed myself a little bit harder along the way, buuuuut I didn't care too much about my time. I was just happy I did it!

Crossing the finish line at 42 minutes.

I was definitely pumped up on adrenaline. I ran 13 minute miles!

In support of the people affected by last week's Boston Marathon, my aunt penned a new motto for us "runners" in the family:

Boston Strong, Barrows Strong

 

Big thanks to my amazing family for coming to support me and all the other runners! You're the best!

Happy Easter!

I hope you all had a wonderful Easter Sunday filled with candy and family and egg hunts! I know I did. I think Easter is the happiest holiday of all because the church music is full of "Rejoice" and "Alleluia!"s, there's a humongous ham dinner, and best of all, there are a few good old-fashioned egg-hunts. Thankfully I have lots of young kids in the family, so there are plenty of eggs to be hidden (and even a few to be found by a big sister).

Here is this week's Easter cake!

I tried to experiment and make some new flowers and made some eggs, too!

I didn't level the cake this time because I didn't want to waste the excess (and I didn't feel like eating it).

 

 

 

 

 

I had a lot of pink and purple frosting left over from my last class with Jessica, so I tried to finish it all when decorating this cake. Unfortunately, the frosting NEVER. RUNS. OUT. I swear it's a magical frosting that just keeps replenishing itself. Finally I gave up trying to use as much of it as possible, and told my sister she could have it. She's a good baker and I'm sure she'll find a good use for it. Although I'm sick of eating cake after having it four weeks in a row. What a ridiculous first-world problem!

 

 

 

The Festive Cake Finale

Happy Almost Easter! And with Easter comes the end of my cake decorating class. How did the month fly by so quickly?! Jessica and I certainly learned a lot, and can now put our newly developed skills to the test! If all goes well and I have time, I would like to make a couple more cakes for the family party!

 

My cake and Jessica's cake.

Oh, how professional they look! Check out those roses!

 

Leading up to the class I was so upset, because I was poorly prepared. I had baked the cake at Jessica's house the night before, but after transporting it home I forgot to open the carrier to let it finish cooling. That made the cake super moist (good for eating), but also impossible to frost (bad for decorating). The cake broke when I turned it over, the frosting kept pulling off, and I screamed in frustration as yellow cake crumbs speckled the frosting. All because I forgot to take the cover off! Then, I underestimated how much frosting I would need, and had none left over to actually decorate it during class. Luckily Jessica came to my rescue by bringing extra frosting, and I had a little pink and purple left over from our cupcakes the week before. In the end, I gained many valuable lessons from this cake, and was so happy with the way it turned out I almost forgot about the crumbs in the frosting!

 

My colorful cake.

This week, our lesson was on roses and writing.

 

Who knew you put flowers on a cake using scissors?

 

 Rosebuds! (Or tulips, whichever you prefer.)

I made them up myself since we didn't cover them in my beginner class.

 

Jessica's beautiful cake. I love the vines.

 

Side view. Check out those perfect rosettes!

 

I hope everyone has a happy and blessed Easter! Enjoy your chocolate and jelly beans and don't forget to thank Jesus!

 

 

 

 



 

Picture of the Day (and Italy News)

YUM.

 

Good news, Readers! First of all, I feel very proud of myself for sticking with my 5K program! This week we bumped up the running to five-minute increments and although I covered ground at a snail's pace, I was still technically jogging. By the end of the week I will be halfway done (and possibly very sore).

 

Second, and even more exciting, is that I finished another post from Italy last night! I KNOW, RIGHT?! This one covers my second day in Florence, or at least the beginning of it; the entry was so long that I split it into parts. Remember, days 15-18 of my trip (Florence and Rome) were non-stop-so-much-to-do-and-so-little-time kinda days. There's also a lot of art talk, so prepare to be enlightened! You have been warned. ENJOY! Day 16: Florence, Part 2a 

 

P.S. At the gym today I saw Kelly, who I met in Italy! What a coincidence that I just wrote about the trip last night! It was great to see her again and say hi :)

Cupcakes and St. Patrick's Day

Yesterday was my third cake decorating class, in which Jessica and I decorated cupcakes! Our lesson was how to make basic flowers and shell patterns with buttercream frosting.

 

Here's what I did in class!

 



This cupcake is my favorite, even though other people don't agree. I love the tiny swirls! I also made a couple leaves under there.

 

Shells. It looks woven together, yes?

 

The spiky flower. I practiced on the parchment paper in the background, but I was too afraid to move it. Jessica successfully moved hers, though!

 

She even made two!

 

More of Jessica's

 





 

On Saturday night, I also brought cupcakes to Jessica's house so we could teach Amanda and Kat what we are learning in class. It was tons of fun, especially because we made lots of different colors! We got very creative . . .

Amanda and Kat made a panda wearing a psychedelic t-shirt.

 

Jessica made sheep!

 

I made a manatee for Amanda, because she loves them so much.

 

And I made this colorful one (which my family ate! I'm so upset. I was saving it for later!)

 

In other news, Happy St. Patrick's Day! I hope you all enjoyed some corned beef and cabbage and boiled bland veggies. I particularly enjoy that meal. And as a special St. Patrick's Day bonus, here are some pictures from the annual party!

 

 

Painting the whale blue

 

Just dance

 

 

 



Week 2 of Cake Decorating: Cakes

This week in cake decorating we tackled: cakes. Jess and I each decorated a 1-layer (delicious strawberry flavored) cake. We frosted them, traced and transferred designs, and then used different tips to decorate/fill it in. Here is what we made.

CUPCAKES! Mine is on the left, Jessica's is on the right. Jessica had to draw hers freehand because the frosting kept coming off. Looks pretty darn good to me!

 

 Mine.

 

Jessica's.

 

Mine.

 

Jessica's. Is it any wonder she wants to be a baker?!

 

 

 

 

Yum.

 

 

 

 

Next week we get to decorate cupcakes! I'm excited because not only are cupcakes adorable, but you get to make lots of separate designs, instead of trying to make one, big, symmetrical pattern and position it precisely in the middle of the cake (too many factors to mess up). See you next week!

Cake Decorating Struggles

Yesterday was my first cake decorating class! But before I show you any pictures let me just say, I was not as good as I expected to be, haha. It was definitely challenging and I no longer see myself sculpting confectionery masterpieces by the end of the month. As part of the class Jessica and I had to buy a kit with lots of decorating tools, which was actually really cool. Now, when we try to fill cupcakes with ganache we actually have a tool to make it easier! We also got 2 reusable bags (for the frosting/icing) with 12 tips and 4 sets of "couplers" which hold the tip on the outside of the bag so you can change shapes in the middle of decorating! So cool! (There were lots of other things too, I was just really excited about the couplers.)

Since this was the first week, we experimented a lot with the different tips; first on a plastic sheet, and then on cookies.

These were the best designs I could make.

I think I've got the stars down.

And this was the worst. It soon turned into my "test" cookie when I tried a new tip.

Note my attempts to make grass on the left, and leaves on the right. I made the center blob using a tool made for roses. Yes, I was really trying.

 

Even writing was a lot harder than I thought it would be, especially the fancy cursive.

 

Our instructor also showed us how to level a cake, frost, and transfer designs in piping gel. Next week we have to bring home-made frosting and a 1-layer cake to decorate. Then we try our hand at cupcakes, and a double-layer cake for the grand finale! 

 

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I also went running today! Go Me! I had to bundle up with mittens and a hooded sweatshirt because it was so cold, but I stuck with the program, doing a 20 minute combination of jogging and walking. I could have pushed myself to run longer, but I'm supposed to stick to the plan and not jump ahead. Tomorrow I'll bump it up a little bit when I run the "week 2" program with a coach at school.

 

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I also started reading a new book on my kindle, called "Twentysomething: Why Do Young Adults Seem Stuck?" It's fantastic. Written by a mother-daughter team (a baby-boomer and a millennial), it explores the possibility of a new life stage called "emerging adulthood" and why 18-29 year-olds don't quite feel "grown up." Once I got past the disclaimers and technical talk in the intro, it really sums up how I'm feeling at this point in my life! The whole first chapter is full of great examples, but here are a few points that stuck with me:

 

"We're presented with too many choices and maybe a little too much freedom as well . . . It causes us to be mildly dissatisfied with just about everything we do, not because what we do isn't great, but because we feel we could always do more." 

 

"The more choices you make throughout the day, the harder each one becomes for your brain, and eventually it looks for shortcuts"--either by being reckless and impulsive, or by turning into "the ultimate energy saver: do nothing. Instead of agonizing over decisions, avoid any choice." (mostly a quote from John Tierney in the New York Times Magazine)

 

"How many choices are too many? The maximum seems to be about six. More than that . . . [and you get] sloppy, expedient decision-making. . . . As if in self-defense, you start making choices almost randomly." "Offer people three alternatives and only 21% will make their selections using "elimination strategy," which is not a whole lot different from eenie-meenie-miney-moe. . . . Give people 9 options, and they essentially give up; 77% of them will revert to choosing whatever they land on at "moe.""

 

If you are a twenty-something like me, or have a twenty-something, you will probably find this book really interesting. I can't wait to read the rest of it.

 

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Shout out to my poor kitty, who fell in the washing machine and was trapped for hours yesterday! I think she has a new lease on life. She definitely purrs a lot more than she used to.

Small Steps to a Healthier Me!

Hello all,
Today is March 1, 2013, and this month I plan to make some improvements to my life!

(1) To kick it all off, I started a "Couch to 5K" program which will have me running 3+ miles at the end of eight weeks! Today was the first group practice. We started out slow (only about 20 minutes of a walk/jog combination), but I feel so proud of myself for going. Enrolling was a huge accomplishment instead of just acknowledging that I need to be more active. And I'll be ready for the 5K just in time to run in the beautiful summer weather (with some friends)! (I would like to say that eating better is also on my list of improvements, but St. Patrick's Day and Easter fall in March, so I definitely won't be counting calories.)

(2) I'm also going to start volunteering, although I haven't figured out where, yet. For the past few months I've been attending job seekers' meetings where people come to give advice on resumes, interviews, and keeping a positive attitude. I'm really looking forward to this week's topic about about skill-based volunteering, and hope that it will give me a better idea of where I would like to help. At last week's meeting we watched an inspiring video called "Lemonade," about making lemonade when life gives you a pink slip. I guess that makes pink lemonade, right? Although I'm just starting my career and haven't been laid off, I was still inspired to think about what kind of life I want for myself and how a fulfilling career can contribute to my happiness.

(3) This isn't really an improvement to my health, because it involves eating lots of delicious baked goods, but it will contribute to my happiness: This weekend I'm starting a cake decorating class with Jessica! We'll complete the lessons just in time for Easter! How perfect, haha. I'm really looking forward to being artsy with frosting and sugar. YUM! Maybe you'll get to try one of my delicious creations. Ooh ooh ooh! I should post pictures of what Jessica and I make! Yah, I think I'll do that!!!


P.S. I haven't forgotten about Italy updates! I know lots of maintenance needs to be done (restoring old pictures, posting pictures of Rome, the final days of Italy), and I WILL get to it, even if it takes all year.

In Which I Actually Graduate, But With Much Less Fanfare

Hello again,
I have happy news: As of Friday, January 25th, have officially graduated from college. Hurrah!

Last year, I was fortunate enough to take part in the May commencement ceremony, even though I wasn't technically done. That allowed me to celebrate graduation with the friends I made at school and be outside in the beautiful (and hot) weather. This time around, my true graduation was a much quieter affair; I didn't walk across the stage, none of my family attended, and there were no cheers or hugs on my account. I attended the ceremony to support another one of my friends, but it had special importance for me as well. My name was even in the program! It was just another happy occasion to celebrate :) And now my diploma should be on its way to my house, and I can take "expected date of graduation" off of my resume. Hurrah!

How Is It 2013 Already?!

I guess the old saying is true: time flies when you're having fun. And I had lots of fun in 2012, along with many emotional ups and downs. Just to name a few:

(1) My art exhibit "Engaging Moments with Ordinary Sights" (which is why I started this blog in the first place) far exceeded my wildest expectations! For that, I have to thank you, my readers, friends, and family members who cheered me on and helped me out immensely. It could not have turned out this great without your time, effort, support, donations and of course, your presence at the show. 
(2) I graduated from college. Finally! So happy!
(3) I studied masterpieces of the Italian Renaissance while living in the beautiful town of Verona.  Undoubtedly the coolest experience of my entire life so far. I also ate a lot of pizza.
(4) I matured professionally by working at a museum.
(5) I witnessed three people I love get married.
(6) I made new friends, and became better aquainted with myself.
I can't imagine a year more wonderful than that! I'm looking forward to whatever 2013 has in store . . . hopefully it includes a job.

As a New Year's gift to my faithful readers, I finally published two more posts from Italy! My intention was to finish all of the days in order, but my two days in Rome are proving far more difficult to cover than I thought. There's just so much material (artworks, Roman ruins, run-ins with the transit police) that I could write TEN posts at least. So when they are done and posted I will let you know and give you a link. I'm assigning the date of each post as the day it happened, even if I finish the post months later. That way they will read in the right order, and can be found easily.

In the meantime, enjoy reading about Day 19 and Days 20-21. And have a Happy New Year!



P.S. I noticed that in some of my older posts the images have dissapeared. I do not know why this happened, but I will try to restore them as soon as possible.