Smile Because it Happened

I am now a college graduate!  It is just starting to sink in, now that I am home and have practically finished unpacking. Despite the heat and being directly under the noon sun, I really enjoyed the graduation ceremony. The speakers were interesting, entertaining, and encouraging, and it was honestly pretty exciting to walk across the stage and receive my diploma! I'm sure most of the people reading this have already seen plenty of photos from graduation on other forms of social media (or were there in person). But I love my parents and this picture too much not to share. I definitely could not have completed my four years at Whitman without the help of my parents! 

Thanks for taking this photo, Lori! 

I think Anne has a point when she says, "I'm always sorry when pleasant things end. Something still pleasanter may come after, but you can never be sure" (Anne of Green Gables, Lucy Maud Montgomery). I am sure there will be many more pleasant things in my future, but it sure is hard to see my years at Whitman end. I have been lucky to have such wonderful friends, though. I met Rachel my first day at Whitman on our Food and Hunger S.C.O.R.E (Summer Community OutReach Excursion). I think we both looked at the other and decided we were going to be friends. Every once in a while I think about how different my experience would have been if I hadn't gone on that S.C.O.R.E... I am so glad I did! And if I hadn't been friends with Rachel, I never would have met her lovely section-mates, Marisa, Elizabeth, and Fabiola. And although Elizabeth transferred after sophomore year, she was still a huge part of my Whitman experience! Thank you all! 

Rachel, myself, and Marisa (PC: Lori)

Although I don't know all the pleasant things my future holds, I know it will involve two cats and plenty of homemade ice cream! 

Rhubarb Sorbet made with new KitchenAid ice cream attachment!

Their first photo together! 

17 Years of Education Completed

Yesterday I finished my last final at Whitman, and with that I completed 17 straight years of education. I can't say that I really feel it quite yet, but it is a strange realization that I am done with school, at least for now. 

There have been many bucket list activities being checked off in the last couple weeks. We went to breakfast at the Maple Counter to use our Maple Bucks, Marisa went to the wheat fields for the first time, and Rachel and Marisa went in the fountain today. We had a tea tasting party to try all of the teas Rachel acquired in China and we had lunch at Aloha Sushi (which took a very long time...). We also did some things that weren't on the bucket list, like watch my favorite animated movie, Brother Bear, while eating chocolate fondue! We've tried a couple new recipes, like vegetable tamales and this strawberry risotto: 

And we've found time for walks through the neighborhoods around Whitman. It has been a very productive and eventful last couple of weeks! 

On Saturday, Rachel and I went to Walla Walla's 18th annual Ducky Derby. Every year we have seen the large inflated duck on top of Baker Boyer Bank in downtown Walla Walla, and knew they did a derby (floating little rubber ducks down Mill Creek) but we had never seen it! This year we saw the vendor at the farmer's market, and thought we would ask about it. He gave us the details, and the funds go to a great cause, so we each bought a few ducks! As we waited the two weeks, we talked about how excited we were to see them dump 10,000 ducks out of a dump truck into Mill Creek (this is what was described to us). Can you imagine? How cute would that be?? This all happens at Walla Walla Community College, so last Saturday Rachel and I borrowed a friend's car to see the spectacle. We were told there would be free popcorn and water, so that's always a nice treat, and there was always the possibility of winning one of the 17 prizes (a new car, anyone?), but of course we were both the most excited to see the ducks floating down the creek! However, shortly after we arrived, we learned that because of the low water levels this spring, they would not be floating the ducks down the creek, instead they dumped all the ducks on the lawn, and an off-duty fireman stood in the pile, fishing out ducks. It was so disappointing. 

We were not the only individuals blindsided by this turn of events. There were many disappointed faces in the audience. On top of all that, the free water was salty! Perhaps to make up for running out of popcorn...

Oh well. Although we were very disappointed, it was a nice day to be out, and we got a nice picture with these ducks. 

I would say it's been a good last couple weeks at Whitman! 

In a couple days our families will be here, and we will be getting ready to graduate. I am so glad to have had these two through it all! 

History Is Made

Since my first year at Whitman I have wanted to roll a bowling ball down the ramp by the stairs in Cordiner Hall. I can't explain this desire. A couple weeks ago I acquired the bowling ball (from Goodwill) and tonight history was made! It was every bit as exciting as I anticipated! Mind you, this is probably the most rebellious thing I have ever done. I would guess rolling bowling balls down ramps is not the most common reason to sneak into buildings at night. But then again, there's really no sense in being 'common.'

Hän On

This last weekend was very tiring, yet I found myself awake an hour earlier than normal this morning, so I decided to spend the extra time sharing the events of the weekend with you all. All four years that I have been at Whitman I have participated in the college chorale. It has been a minimal time commitment and an enjoyable experience up until this year. After the school year last June, we heard from our choir director that he would be taking a tenure track position at another institution. I hope him the best, he was a very nice man, and had a positive attitude. Unfortunately, he was incapable (or unwilling) of pushing us to be better. I believe in compliments, but I also believe in tough love. Our new choral director is amazing! She is Finnish, and goofy, and positive, and is a great motivator. I think the most important thing is she can get us excited about making music together. It has been such a treat having her as a director this year. Whitman is so lucky to have snatched her up!

On Saturday night we had our last concert for the year. If you would like to watch all or part of it, this is the link to the archived live stream. (The program is attached.) http://livestream.com/WhitmanCollege/Choral2015Spring/videos/85152826

It is somewhat sad to be done with college choirs, and choral singing for the time being. It has been an important part of my life the past seven years. Ali (pictured below) and I have been in choirs together all seven years.

Last choir concert together! 

And some friends I've met along the way.

The purple crew -- Roses from our lovely director. 

With our devoted friend, Rachel. 

"Yet if we are bold

love strikes away the chains of fear 

from our souls."

~Maya Angelou

Garden Party

Last evening Marisa, Rachel, and I went to a garden party at President George Bridges's home to be honored for donating to the senior class scholarship fund. Having never been to an official garden party, I didn't quite know what to expect, but I figured it would be like the one hosted by Dwight Schrute. 

Unfortunately, no one announced the guests, and there was no closing ceremonies. There was dessert, bread and cheese, and beverages though, and it was a nice evening to be in a garden. Not to mention, there were plenty of awkward speeches! It was all-in-all very entertaining. 

Here is a photo in front of the President's Residence

On Sunday evening we had a slightly less fancy, but equally entertaining. Near the grocery store where we buy our dairy and other animal bi-products, there is a restaurant called "China Buffet," but from where we park, we can only see the word "China." Over the year we've taken to imagining it as a portal to China, so when we made the bucket list, we had to add China Portal. So on Sunday we decided the time had come and we should check it out. The food was quite a bit of a let down, our China expert suggested we would have had closer to authentic food at China Express... However, we did find the portal!

The weather was very nice for a few days, so Zoe and I hung out outside quite a bit! 

Such a lovely day! 

The Final Semester Bucket List

Rachel turned in her thesis on Friday, so we decided it was time to seriously plan for completing all the items on our bucket list. Here's a photo:

Conveniently, one of the fraternities, Tau Kappa Epsilon was hosting their annual "Earth" party this weekend. If there is any good time for us to go to a frat party, this was it! Now, Rachel, Marisa, and myself have all done an excellent job of avoiding most things Greek-life at Whitman, including all fraternity and sorority functions and parties. However, going to a frat party ended up on the list, because we figured it was something we at least needed to see for ourselves.

So as the hours approached, our housemate Laura (a frat party regular), talked us through what to expect, what things would look like, protocol, etc. Laura loves being the mother hen, but her explanations can sometimes get comically exaggerated. This party is particularly interesting because they bring a layer of sod into the basement and hang vines (not sure if they are real or not) from the ceilings and walls. (Earth.)

We didn't really want to go to the party alone, so we planned to meet Laura there, and she would show us how to get into the basement (where the party was). We met Laura and a group of her friends by the bonfire around back. Comically, almost everything Laura told us to prepare for ended up not being true. They routed us through the back entrance, which was contrary to Laura's explanation, there was no large pile of shoes or bouncer telling us to take our shoes off, and we didn't see any group of crying girls. What we did find in the basement was a lot of people, loud music, low ceilings, stuffy air, and a faint smell of grass. Needless to say, we did not last long! But we were able to take a selfie before running away.

We later calculated, that from the time we stepped onto TKE property, until the time we stepped off their property was just about ten minutes. Let me tell you folks, that was plenty. Honestly, the whole experience was a bit underwhelming and very reminiscent of a high school dance. Once was definitely enough!

As a reward for completing this daunting task on the list, we took ourselves out to Shari's for late-night milkshakes. (Something Marisa and I have both done over many years of cast parties--we figured Rachel needed this Northwest experience.)

Rachel and Marisa with their pie-shakes. 

All-in-all, it was a very productive evening.

Celebrate Good Times

I don't have much to say at this point--I've been back at school for one week since spring break, and today marks 7 weeks until graduation. It is a shocking fact! 

This blog is mostly an assortment of photos and updates from the last few weeks. 

Happy St. Patrick's day from Echo!

Trying out my new Kransekake rings; move along, this land is claimed!

Cooking project with dad--homemade gnocchi (covered in parm)!

Last Monday was Rachel's birthday--we love celebrating birthdays!

Zoe was very invested in the cake decorating process. 

Happy 22nd birthday to Rachel! We celebrated with dinner of her choice and
chocolate cake with marionberry frosting and chocolate ganache, which we feasted on the rest of the week! 

Rearranged furniture and Easter decorations! Can you find all the eggs in our living room? 

Spring is a lovely time! 

If they're going to make me sneeze, at least they are pretty! 

House Easter dinner: roasted chicken, asparagus, scalloped potatoes, biscuits, hard-boiled eggs, and fruit salad. 

Egg dying by Marisa--It says my name on it! 

Finished off with a piece of strawberry cake! 

We are all very proud of Marisa for finishing her French senior written exams, and excited for Rachel to turn in her senior thesis at the end of this week!

Happy Birthday, Dear Marisa!

Today is Marisa's 22nd birthday! Happy birthday, Marisa! Since Marisa left for Portland yesterday afternoon, we had "Marisa's Birthday Celebration Day" on Thursday. It began with Joel waking Marisa up! It is a fairly long and complicated story as to why he is holding a deflated balloon and bottle of wine, but Marisa found it funny, and was a good sport about it. (As was Joel who had not been told why he was doing any of this...)

Marisa chose her birthday (celebration day) dinner. It was a french dish called tartiflette, which is similar in flavor to cheese fondue, and similar in concept to scalloped potatoes. It was very delicious! And contained much cheese. We also had steamed artichokes. Halley joined us for dinner (and cake), which was a nice way to make the dinner more special.

One tartiflette with bacon, one without

 After dinner we had peach cobbler ice cream cake! Marisa and I brainstormed and did a lot of research before landing on this recipe, which we made our own by adding raspberries. I had never made an ice cream cake before, and it was a fun (and successful!) project. 

It was fun to celebrate Marisa's birthday! It always falls during spring break, so it was special to celebrate together.


Today is the first day of spring break. I will be in Walla Walla until Monday, so it will be a nice chance to get ahead on some homework and relax in a quiet house. Unfortunately, it looks like our warm, sunny weather is gone for a while, but we don't get flowers and pretty green grass without rain, so I can't complain.

I hope everyone has a lovely weekend.

Rain, Rain, Rain by Boz the Bear
Rain, Rain, Rain
It's good to see you again
Drip drop pitter patter splashin', swishin' rain
We love the rain

Hear the dip drops on the street
Happy birdies dance and tweet
Pretty garden colors glow
Grammie's flowers grow and grow

Rain, Rain, Rain
It's good to smell you again
Drip drop pitter patter splashin', swishin' rain
We love the rain

We can watch the puddles grow
Splashin', Jumpin' -- here I go!
It's a gift right from the sky
To the earth when she gets dry

Rain, Rain, Rain

It's good to hear you again
Drip drop pitter patter splashin', swishin' rain
We love the rain

When the rain begins to clear
And the sun begins to glow
See the rainbows in the sky
Pretty colors in a row

Rain, Rain, Rain
It's good to feel you again
Drip drop pitter patter splashin', swishin' rain
We love the rain

Weather or Not You Like It

Spring is here in Walla Walla! Well, technically it isn't. The first day of spring isn't for another 12 days, but try telling that to the 64* forecast. It is days (Who am I kidding? Weeks!) like these that make me sad to be leaving Walla Walla at the end of May. It is so beautiful here when the sun shines! Daffodils are starting to bloom near our house. Students and animals alike are spending more time outside, tossing flying discs and rolling on cement steps, respectively. To quote fellow blogger, Rachel Franco, "Peace out, winter gloom!"

This morning I am sitting at Olive in downtown Walla Walla with fellow Whitman student, Grandma's House resident, and moose enthusiast Rachel. She is diligently working away at her thesis! I love coming here for breakfast and morning study sessions.

Apart from the excellent weather, there isn't much to report. We are gearing up for our last week before a two-week spring break, so I'll just leave you with a few photos from the last week.

Cookies decorated at the belated "Time's Up Valentines Party"

Rachel and Marisa got me a Norwegian heart waffle iron for my birthday! 

Marisa had dinner plans on Friday...

So Rachel and I ate Brussels Sprouts and Mushroom Risotto! (Both foods Marisa dislikes)

That is all I have to say for now! Happy International Women's Day!

Love,
Yellow Snail, Purple Moose, and Green Cat

Holy Cannoli: Be Careful What You Say

Last Wednesday night, I was remarking about something surprising and said, "holy cannoli!" Now, I was being very intentional with my language when I said this. At Whitman there is a campus wide event called the Power and Privilege Symposium, which is a student run initiative to create a forum for discussing issues of racism, sexism, able-ism, the power of language, inequality in education, and many other topics. Last year I attended a workshop entitled: Holy Cow: Why Language Matters, which was led by the Office of Religious and Spiritual Life, regarding religiously charged language in everyday life. Although a humorous title, it actually points out something most people don't think of very often. Saying "holy cow" is actually a religiously charged phrase, and can be offensive to Hindus who view the cow as a very sacred and holy animal.

This year (last Thursday) I attended four workshops with Rachel. All classes are canceled for the day, and lunch is provided for the entire Whitman community! The first workshop: Call the PC Police! How Language Can Uphold Systemic Oppression and Undermine Identity, discussed the problems with the term "PC" and "trigger warning" and worked to develop a new way of looking at oppressive language. The second workshop, was led by Jim Sporleder, who was the principal at Lincoln Alternative High School in Walla Walla for several years, and lowered school suspensions by 85% in one year by reexamining his discipline methods. After lunch we attended a panel on mental health, called: A Flaw in Chemistry, Not Character: Living with the Mental Health Stigma, which is a topic very important to me, and close to my heart. I was both pleased and saddened by how many people clearly have this on their minds, based on the probably 200 people that were packed into the 40 person classroom (fire hazard??). The last talk was led by one of my fellow music majors, and was called: Who Aren't We Talking About? An Examination of Ability in the Whitman Community. In that session we worked to develop a (working) definition of what it means to be disabled. We listened to part of a very interesting podcast about a man named Daniel Kish, who is tired of people remarking at his ability to ride a bicycle, simply because he is blind. I recommend listening to it! You can download it on iTunes (Daniel Kish Invisibilia). They also mentioned a Ted Talk, called "I'm Not Your Inspiration, Thank You Very Much" by Stella Young. It was interesting to look at disability in a new light, and recognize that not everyone who looks disable would consider themselves disabled, and not everyone who looks able-bodied is.

It was an enlightening day. And I think it inspired me to reevaluate my own assumptions and understandings as it made me want to help others do the same.

The trouble was, I could not shake the desire for cannoli! Although I had avoided using the phrase "holy cow," my words still had consequences! Generally when I get it in my mind that I want some sort of baked good or pastry, I end up making it within not that many days. So on Thursday night, I could not stand it any longer, and I made cannoli. It was a fun project that required a bit of ingenuity, but turned out really well.

Ta-dah! On my way to being an Italian Pastry Chef! 

All language has consequences, but some of those consequences are pretty tasty. 

Birthday Edition: Feeling 22

Today has been a fabulous birthday! I've been pretty sick for the last few days, but I took NyQuil last night, and I was finally able to sleep (yay 10 hours!) so I feel, although not 100%, at least more rested.

Marisa and Rachel made me a pancake and fruit smoothie breakfast, which was a surprise, and required me to be barricaded into my room... They were very cute and attached balloons to my chair and had everything ready when I walked down. It was particularly special because Marisa doesn't generally grace us with her presence so early in the morning.

After lunch, Rachel and I walked downtown to get a beverage from Starbucks (free birthday drink!); it was nice to get out for a little walk before my afternoon class.

I got some birthday cards in the mail, and this one told me to eat whatever I wanted for my birthday, so I ate the card.

When my post-tonal music theory class found out it is my birthday, they decided they needed to sing to me. But what kind of post-tonal students would they be if they sang the traditional version? So they wrote it out on the board, then inverted the melody. It was probably the most interesting and thoughtful birthday song I've ever been sung!

For dinner tonight we had burgers with sauteed mushrooms and onions, and Swiss cheese on ciabatta buns, with Parmesan and parsley oven fries. 

The evening was completed with a delicious bløtkake, made by yours truly, and enjoyed with my housemates!  

Thank you to everyone who has wished me a happy birthday! I've had a great day, and I appreciate everyone who has helped make it special!

Love Liebe Amour

Last Wednesday marked 100 days until we graduate from Whitman (assuming all senior exams go well...), so the senior class committee planned a party to mark the occasion. Rachel, Marisa, and I decided we should probably go. What if it was super fun and we regretted for our whole lives not doing more senior-y things?! We had other things going on that evening, so by the time we got there the party had been going for almost an hour. There were snacks, but no plates, so snacking wasn't really an option, and everyone there had already divided up into little groups, so we felt a little uncomfortable hovering by the food we weren't planning on eating. After a few minutes (five at the most) we decided to walk to Safeway and buy ice cream. Rachel also bought a Valentine's Day balloon. (She is always wanting to buy balloons or decorations that litter Safeway around any holiday.) I would say it was an appropriate way to celebrate! Perhaps at the next count-down party we'll arrive early enough to procure some plates. :)

We have an artist in the house! Rachel has a 3-D collage featured in the Stevens Gallery in Reid Campus Center! Great job Rachel! She even worked in her signature moose. 

Zoe being a paper weight

The weather has been improving!
Nothing like blue sky. 

I don't know how it started, but as long as I can remember it has been a tradition in my house to have strawberry waffles on Valentine's Day. Normally we would have them for dinner, unless Valentine's Day fell on a weekend, then we would have them for breakfast. I don't have a waffle iron at school, so I decided Marisa and I (Rachel is in Seattle for the weekend) would make strawberry pancakes instead. Then one day I was eating lunch, and looked up to see the heart shaped cookie cutters on the shelf. That's when I got the excellent idea to make heart shaped pancakes! It worked really well, and they couldn't be cuter!

Strangely puffy, but perfectly delicious! 

Served up right with strawberries, homemade whip, and a side of hash-browns. 

Enjoy the rest of your long weekend, and the wonders of spring approaching.