The Beginning of this Leg of the Journey

So, I have been in Columbus Ohio, my current stopping place, since Monday now. This week has been a good one as my parents and I got me settled and explored Columbus a bit. It may seem weird, coming from someone who grew up in the middle of the metroplex, but for some reason living just a stone's throw away from downtown of a major city feels very different to me. It's especially different from Stillwater, where I spent most of my past four years. I'm also having to get used to being in a different time zone. I've learned to just do a quick calculation if I'm texting or calling anyone back in Central time, which is still most of the people I text or call right now.

My apartment is still in a bit of a state, but it's quite livable already. I have a lovely bed and I saved my favorite chair from my Stillwater apartment, so my parents and I put that together already. I won't have the internet or the rest of my furniture until Tuesday afternoon, but I'm trying to spend the weekend unpacking my boxes. Not a fun activity, by any means, but I have a ton of DVDs I can watch without the internet, so I'm using those to keep me entertained.

I've also met most of my neighbors already, although I did not meet one of them here in Ohio. The current intern at Calvary Lutheran, Ethan, is one of my neighbors as well as three other nice guys. I'm sure I'll be meeting some more people on Monday as my first class starts - and they will likely be as lost and confused as I am!

It's always weird moving and starting something new, and I am in the age where that happens more often than not. New classes every semester, a move every year for me, relationships beginning and ending, and it looks like I'm still up for a few more years of it. There's a big part of me that really just wants to feel settled, rather than in constant transition. It would feel like a miracle to me if I moved somewhere and stayed for five years. However, I do my best to settle as much as I can in each new place and I'm getting better at it. I'm also beginning to form at least a few relationships which I intend on keeping despite distance, which makes me very grateful for the many forms of communication we have handy now.

My first step of settling here, other than hauling all my stuff up three flights of stairs (thanks for the help Mom and Dad!), is to spend a bit of time at the sandwich/coffee shop just next door to my apartment. They have great sandwiches and free wifi, which is rather handy at the moment. This place might see a lot more of me in the future. Today has involved a couple of naps, due to odd bed and waking times, but tomorrow I expect to have more energy and I'm going to go check out some yarn shops and maybe some yoga studios. Because these are two of my favorite hobbies, it will make me feel more at home if I have places around here. There's also a fabric shop just down the street, which I'll probably have to stop in to as well. There are a couple of presents I need to sew in July.

I'm sure once my classwork starts I'll have to make dedicated time for my hobbies, but they are worth it. Also, I have already begun studying Greek a bit, and I have a good handle on the alphabet and the first chapter's vocabulary, which I think is a good place to begin. And I have an offer of help from one of my neighbors who was a Greek major in college and likes to help to keep himself sharp.

So, despite the initial loneliness and small amount of fear that usually accompanies a move and a new start, I have high hopes for the next few weeks and the next few years. I'm already looking forward to being done with school as I start a new four-year program, but the end goals are all worth the temporary unsettledness. I'm sure these four years will pass quickly, and I'll try to keep up this blog while I can go through them, so I can share my experiences with whomever might be reading.

Wish me luck and send up prayers,
Kat

P.S. This is a blog I've started and stopped several times before, so posts before this one will be rather different in nature.

Potting

I started writing something today, but I haven't finished it yet. Until I have a chance to post it, here's a haiku about something else I did today (I re-potted a spider plant).

Digging through soil,
Wrapping up a compact mass
With more of the same.

-Kat

It's a Haiku!

Sometimes I look back on this past year and I am amazed at how things have changed.

I'm not used to it,
But good things can come of it -
Spontaneity!

-Kat

Fall

Today at a bus stop I noticed something beautiful.

The morning is still,
I see something in a tree -
Leaves are raining down.

-Kat

Dinner

Tonight I cooked again. I made hazelnut crusted chicken with a creamy gorgonzola sauce, but I couldn't find hazelnuts when I was shopping, so mine was really walnut crusted chicken. It turned out well, but I'd recommend being careful if making this in a small apartment - the chicken was getting smoky when I was cooking it and my smoke alarm started going off.

Ingredients

• 2 heaping tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 2 large egg whites
• 1 cup chopped hazelnuts, available on baking aisle
• 4 (6-ounce) pieces boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• Salt and pepper
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1/2 cup Gorgonzola
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage leaves, plus extra for garnish – substitute 1 teaspoon dried sage and stir into sauce, if fresh is not available

Directions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

Mix flour, poultry seasoning and garlic powder in a dish. Beat egg whites in a shallow plate or bowl. Place hazelnuts on a piece of waxed paper or plastic wrap on a cutting board or work surface.

Preheat a nonstick skillet with oven safe handle over medium high heat. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Turn in flour to dust the breasts, then turn in egg whites, then press breasts into nuts on both sides. Wash hands. Add extra-virgin olive oil to the pan and add chicken. Brown the nuts and chicken 2 minutes on each side then transfer to the oven and finish cooking the chicken through, about 8 minutes.

In a small pot, warm milk over medium heat. Add cheese and melt it into the milk. Stir in 2 tablespoons of chopped sage and simmer 5 minutes.

To serve, place chicken on plates and pour a couple of spoons of the Gorgonzola sauce over the center of each piece. Garnish with chopped sage.

-Kat

Baby Hat

I have a friend who is going to have a new baby very soon, so I made her this hat.

-Kat

Dreams

Always hold on to your good dreams.

-Kat