Cliff Notes Weather Blog (And other life updates)

One of the most wonderful things about living in the Pacific Northwest is the unpredictability of the weather! Granted there are probably many people who would disagree with me, but I am completely serious. You may think "wow, does Amalia really have so little to talk to me about that we're going to discuss the weather?" Don't think of it that way. I have new knowledge from my geology course about weather and climate, and I want to share it with you all!

Less than two weeks ago we were all set for winter and a white Christmas seemed inevitable. But what kind of a life would it be if everything was predictable?

As the last of our Thanksgiving snow was lingering on the ground we experienced my least favorite wintertime weather phenomenon -- freezing rain. Freezing rain is often associated with an approaching warm front, which is exactly what we were experiencing. Warm fronts move very slowly compared to cold fronts, which results in milder weather, but often sustained wetness. The wet/warm weather resulted in a gross inversion in the Walla Walla basin (due to radiation fog that can't burn off with the low wintertime sun angle).

I always check the weather before I get dressed for the day -- and last Wednesday it was clear that the warm front had finally passed. After a warm front passes the wind shifts to the SW, which results in significantly higher air temperatures.

Although it clearly wasn't sunny, the temperature is accurate. 

What a weird day! Already dark at 4:15, yet setting record high temperatures for December 10th in Walla Walla. 

Our warm front was closely followed by a cold front. While we still had warm air shooting up from the south, the stormy weather was approaching. Sustained warm winds of 46 mph on Thursday! Cold fronts create more violent weather because they move so much faster than warm fronts. In the summertime they are often associated with thunderstorms and heavy downpour.

If it's 66 on December 11th you have to wear your Birkenstocks to yoga. I think its a rule. 

I don't have any pictures from Friday, but guess what happened! Heavy rain accompanied with high winds. But the beauty of cold fronts is their rapid movement. One day it's pouring rain, and the next it is a beautiful day! The winds aloft rotate back to Northwest, and we end up with a clear, crisp winter day.

A wonderful surprise Saturday morning! 

 Of course there was so much moisture and the ground was warmer than the atmosphere so the next morning we woke up to radiation fog that lasted until I left on Thursday.


Now as a reward for making it through that weather lesson I'll share some pictures of our culinary experience from the last two weeks!

Mexican Chocolate Cream Pie to celebrate being done with piano jury!

Chanucka themed pasta - celebrating multiculturality. 

On December 12th I felt like baking again, then remembered that the 13th is Santa Lucia day, which is an excellent excuse to do some baking and share Scandinavian culture. The traditional Santa Lucia buns have saffron, which gives them a beautiful color, and a surprising flavor.

Saffron threads in milk. 

Rolls a'rising! 

A nice way to spend Saturday morning before work.  

These cookies are pretty fun -- almond flavored sugar cookies masterfully crafted into candy canes.

These are seriously difficult to make look halfway decent...but they taste good!

Got tired of making candy canes and pulled out the cookie cutters. 

Another Chanucka favorite: Latkes and Applesauce! Celebrating that enough oil for one day lasted eight days.

Now that I am writing this blog, finals are over, I have said goodbye to Zoe and Grandma's House for a month, and am home enjoying Echo and Hood River.

Grandma's House Christmas Tree

I organized the fridge for Marisa before I left. 

Home!

Merry Christmas and Happy Chanucka! Best wishes for a snow miracle as you celebrate the miracle of Jesus Christ (and oil).

Private House 421

I must apologize for my long absence on the blogosphere. I've challenged myself to never use the adjective busy, because who isn't? But there seem to be so many things to do - both fun and school related - and the longer I put off writing a post, the more I have to say, and the more daunting the task feels! So I fear I will not be able to fill you all in completely on the goings on of everyday since we last met, but rather and overview and some highlights!

I can't believe that I am less than two weeks from winter vacation. And less than two weeks from finishing my seventh and second to last semester of college. Time is flying by (except that occasional day that seems to draaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaag on). But this has likely been my most fun semester yet. I am sure I will have no regrets regarding taking advantage of the Whitman opportunities. 

In the last month we have eaten well (at school and at our respective family Thanksgiving dinners), we have enjoyed Zoe moments, and we have had snow! 

There is no weather phenomenon that has a greater impact on my mood than snow. Of course there is the rainy day that makes me want to be snuggled up in a blanket with a book and hot tea, or the sunny day that makes me feel like I can conquer anything, but there is something magical about a fresh layer of snow. The instant I walk out into a snowy day, I am uncontrollably happy. I grin my silliest grin, and it takes everything in me not to skip and spin and kick up the snow. I wear my snowman or skier earrings. These are the best of days! Our first snow was exactly two weeks before Thanksgiving, and stayed on the ground almost until we left for holiday. I know that snow and ice create trouble for a lot of people trying to transport themselves and their families, but how can you stay upset when the world is covered in a fluffy, white blanket?

When it's good to have white flakes on your head :)

As the six members of our house are all food and holiday enthusiasts, we had to prepare our own Grandma's House Thanksgiving dinner. We divided up the tasks and then sat down to enjoy the bountiful feast together! 

A couple photos from my break - Hood River, Lebanon, and Portland. Eight cousins, seven aunts and uncles, two grandparents, two parents, a certain yellow cat, and a lot of friends. 

Echo says, "Thanks for bringing my bed back!"

Devising a plan to make lemon meringue pie!

HIlary at Thanksgiving dinner

Dad and I trying out a traditional Austrian recipe. 

Thanksgiving break is a double edged sword: it is great to have a break from the hardest part of the semester to see family and eat great food, but it makes going back for three weeks SO CHALLENGING! 

But guess what greeted us! Yep, snow! 

We still don't know who left this precious heart outside our house. 

After Thanksgiving it is time for the winter decorations - another year for these handmade snowflakes. 

Now it is time for the final haul, which will of course be made less miserable by cat snuggles, warm meals, and laughs shared.

Gute nacht!

Living Life on the Edge

This post is going to have little to do with Zoe or food, so if that's the only reason you are here, I suggest you move along. However, if you're looking for a good story, read on!

On Wednesday mornings, I meet with the other senior music majors for senior seminar to prepare for our senior exams. Today the review material was on the Medieval and Renaissance periods. I did not take the class that teaches these periods at Whitman, but rather took it while abroad in Vienna. Although I learned a lot, and have a decent understanding of the stylistic features of the music, I am able to say less about how the societal values are exemplified in the music. So I realize that I am going to have to study a bit more for this exam to get up to expected speed. I put in a fair amount of effort last night to review for the review session, and I feel like I contributed to the class as much as possible. However, I'm not sure if the same could be said for almost anyone else in class today. Our professor expressed concern that we would not be ready for the exam in two weeks, and was especially frustrated that people didn't seem to be taking these exams seriously (half the class was late and one student came under the influence of alcohol, seriously). Although I felt like I had put in a bit of effort, I could have put in more, and I still feel guilty about how the class transpired. This is all to say that I needed a bit of a change of pace for the rest of the morning to divert my thoughts and hopefully get some work done. That's why I decided to go to Olive! Also because I hadn't yet had breakfast - only tea.

Although it is only half a mile, I decided to drive (they stop serving breakfast at 10:30 and I didn't want to miss out on my favorite breakfast pita wrap!). It was also only about 25 degrees at this point.

I very much enjoyed the rest of my morning at Olive. As always. I ate my pita wrap (spinach, feta, scrambled eggs, and kalamata olives) and did some psych homework on a comfy couch upstairs. At about 11:35 I decided it was time to leave, and planned to stop for gas on my way back to campus. (The check tank light has been on for a couple weeks now, but I don't drive much or very far, so I hadn't given it much thought).

When I got back to the car, I put the key in the ignition, turned it away from myself, then experienced that awful feeling that most drivers have experienced. The car didn't start. Shoot. I have never actually experienced running out of gas before. I also didn't have time to deal with it right away because I had to get to choir by noon. So I hopped out of the car and hustled back toward campus.

Thankfully after chorale and piano I had the afternoon free to solve the empty gas tank situation. I figured the gas station a block away would have a gas can they could lend me for ten minutes, and I would be on my way in no time! I walked straight from my piano lesson to the gas station, and spoke with the lady at the front desk. "Um, hello. Do you have a gas can I can borrow? I'm parked just around the corner and I think it would have been fine but it's an angled in spot and the road is curved and so the nose is quite a bit lower than the back and I think that's why I can't get started so can I borrow a gas can for just like ten minutes I promise I'll bring it right back?!" The women at the desk claimed to not have any cans for lending because they sold food in the store, but I could buy one. I didn't believe her, but she didn't seem to be budging on the matter. And I didn't really want to buy it because it seemed overpriced. She suggested I try the used car dealership a block away, so that's where I went next.

When I got to Legacy (the car dealer) I asked the man if he had a gas can I could borrow. He said that he didn't, but to try their mechanic/supplier across the street (Quick Lanes). I laughed and told him it felt like I was on a wild goose chase, then crossed the street while crossing my fingers.

When I asked the man at the front desk at Quick Lanes if he had a gas can I could borrow, he said he didn't think so (OH NO!!), but a lady sitting next to him said they did, and I just had to leave my drivers' license as collateral. "Great," I said, "I can totally do that! Thank you so much!" Unfortunately it wasn't quite that easy. After about 10 minutes of looking in the garage the man reappeared, saying that he had searched the entire premises and unless I needed diesel, he couldn't help me after all. Around that time a man who walked and talked like he was in charge around there showed up and overheard the end of the conversation. "Are you stranded?" So then I retold the ramble-y story. He was certain they had a gas can somewhere, so he disappeared and I waited for at least another five minutes. When he came back empty handed I figured I would have to give in and go buy a can at the gas station after all. Instead he motioned for me to follow him, "I have a plan!" He said that they needed to have a can on hand, and so to solve both of our problems I could go with him to their supply store, he would buy a gas can, fill it up, then drive me to my car and put the gas in my tank. "Wow!" I said, "That would be awesome! Thank you."

So we got in his bright blue Ford Focus and started driving out Isaac's toward the L & G Ranch Supply. While we were driving we chatted about how many snow tires they've sold this week, and how most people in Walla Walla don't know that they actually sell tires because up until 6 months ago they only had about 68 in stock, but that he was hired to improve the stock, and that was why he was driving a Focus because commuting from the Tri-Cities in a truck that gets 16 miles to the gallon wasn't very practical. I asked him about where he grew up, then he told me about his college career as a music education major. This surprised me, his job has nothing to do with either of these things. He said that he never actually graduated because as an assistant manager at Pizza Hut he was making more than the local middle school music teacher, who had a masters degree. Apparently he quit school to work and never went back. It worked out well for him! By this point we had arrived at L & G. He picked out the can he wanted and charged it to his account.

As we drove back toward town, upon discovering that I am a music major, he shared a couple stories about his music career (he played trumpet, taught himself baritone, tuba, and trombone, then at his director's request picked up saxophone and ended up with several state awards and championships in sax). Then he got really excited and turned up the music we were listening to. He said it was his favorite music, an a Capella group from BYU called Vocal Point. At first when I heard it, I thought He doesn't know what a Capella is - this clearly has a drum set in the background. I am here to tell you, this is the most amazing a Capella I have ever heard. Here's a link to their music, I strongly recommend you give them a listen! http://www.byuvocalpoint.com/videos

Around this point in the conversation we pulled into the gas station, and he filled up the can.

We then drove back toward my car, and pulled up into the parking spot next to it. He graciously deposited the gas into my tank, and wouldn't allow me to pay him for the gas. I said a very sincere thank you, and then we parted ways. (He back to work and me to the gas station to fill the tank so this doesn't happen again!)

It was quite the adventure I had today. An unfortunate situation turned out to be an entertaining afternoon, in which I learned about a fantastic singing group, and spent about an hour with a very kind, friendly, and helpful stranger. I never questioned my safety. Perhaps that was naive. But if I hadn't trusted him, I would have missed out on experiencing human kindness.

Halloween sELFie

I feel like we just got back from Four Day, yet we're closing in on Thanksgiving break. Time sure does fly when your families are visiting, all your professors assign papers and midterms, and you're trying to get to every lecture that sounds interesting...and when you're having fun! Fall weather has officially settled in (can you believe it is November??) and with the cooler/wetter weather comes warmer comforty-er foods. :) 

Beautiful veggies cooking away - soon to be curry! 

This eggplant and cherry tomato spaghetti was fantastic, especially with the fresh basil and parm. 

An Indian omelette (served with yoghurt raita!). 

We ordered boba so we could have it at home! I think Zoe is interested...

Some mornings you wake up to find hot-air balloons across the parking lot...

Last weekend was family weekend, as previously mentioned. It was fun having my parents in town! We had a sampler concert (all the college ensembles performed), then went out for dessert. I have to admit, the presentation and creativity were more impressive than the actual flavor.

I worked at the bookstore on Saturday, but I was able to attend a couple talks by Whitman professors and alums about outdoor adventures. One of the presenters described a category 5 Russian rafting adventure (summer 1993), in which they embarked with scarcely enough food, without the frame for a raft, and little certainty about transportation! Yet they still brought along a guitar. 

Soon enough our families left, and it was back to the grindstone. I find it wonderful, though, that we find time to make good meals. There is something so restorative in making dinner and sitting down to eat together (at least for me!).  

Marisa took the lead on these savory crepes. 

I don't tend to like Mac'n Cheese, but how could you not like this butternut squash deliciousness? 

Rachel the florist is back at it! This month she and Morgan made Halloween themed vases (black spray paint with synthetic cobwebs).

Rachel and I have been doing a program called the Storytime Project, in which we go to a local pre-school and read for half an hour on Monday mornings to a group of about 10 little kiddos. We have been loving it, and it has been really fun revisiting some of our childhood favorites. On Thursday we went to a reflections program at the public library; we got a tour, learned about the services they offer, and even got library cards! 

Rachel with the fish at the library. 

It's Halloween! As some of you may know, I don't love Halloween, which may come as a surprise, because in the right context I really like wearing costumes. I just find trick-or-treating to be an odd custom which I could never really get behind. However, in elementary school we weren't allowed to dress up for Halloween (for religious and in-exclusivity purposes). Instead we had book week in November, and on Friday of book week, we had book character dress up day! A couple of my favorites were Pippi Longstocking and Kirsten Larson (the American girl doll). When I learned this Wednesday that I was going to be attending a Halloween potluck with costumes mandatory, I realized I would have to break my "I don't do Halloween" tradition. I'm pretty pleased with what I came up with! (And I stuck to the children's book theme.)

Buddy the Elf, Chrysanthemum, and Olivia the Pig

Taking a sELFie while hard at work, making gifts for the children. 

I wish you all a happy end to daylight savings time - enjoy your extra hour!

Driving Miss Sletmoe

Wowie zowie! In the last week or so I have done about 18 hours of driving - between the trip home/to Portland, up the mountain, and to Spokane, I have spent a lot of time behind the wheel. It is definitely a blessing to not have to commute by car to school/work on a daily basis! However, cars allow us to do fun things, which there has been no shortage of lately. I have a lot of pictures to share today, so I'll let the pictures speak for themselves.

After we ate waffles for breakfast last Sunday, Rachel and I went for a hike up Hood River Mountain to get some views of the Gorge, Hood River Valley, and Mt. Hood. It was a little hazy, but we were able to see the mountain, nonetheless!

Norwegian Waffles

Looking down the trail 

When you stop for a break you are in danger of being the object of a photo!

We made it to the top! 

First view of Mt. Hood for the weekend. 

Hanging out with Echo Monday night!

We like cats!

Monday we planned to visit Marisa in Portland, and basically eat our way across town. I think we justified most of our eating though, because we walked over the entirety of downtown about three times!

The day started with Waffle Window on Hawthorne. 

We got three different waffles and shared! A great way to taste a variety. 

Rachel and Marisa with our waffle bounty. 

Next we took the bus to downtown and saw some of the "must see" sites. 

Rachel was remarking on all the purple, and wanted to be involved. :)

Typical "tourists"

Even the locals get in on the action! 

We suggested she stand in the middle, this is the best she would do. 

For lunch we hit up the food carts! There were so many options! 

Children's section of the downtown library. 

The gates to China Town

Rachel heard about the Lan Su Chinese Garden from one of her professors and requested we go. I am so glad we did; it was beautiful! And Rachel remarked that it was exactly like the gardens in Suzhou (Portland's sister city in China). 

It was interesting to see industrialized Portland on the other side of the garden walls. 

After the Chinese garden we took the bus to NW 23rd where we indulged ourselves with bubble tea! I became very fond of this Taiwanese beverage over the summer, and have been so sad that it isn't available anywhere in Walla Walla. At last we were reunited! 

We met Marisa's mother for Sushi after walking around a little bit more. After dinner we had a couple more stops to make before our drive back to Hood River: Trader Joe's and Voodoo Donuts (which we saved for Tuesday breakfast). 

This place is definitely... unique. I recommend going at 9 pm on a Monday night - you avoid the line! 

All the options! 

Apparently it's a voodoo doll...?

After lunch and a couple last errands on Tuesday we drove back to Walla Walla. All in all it was a very good four-day break! We had some great adventures and got a much needed break from school!