A Costa Rica Turkey Day

I will most likely regret admitting such because usually I get sarcastic comments that are somewhere along the lines of, "Aww, you poor thing...getting paid to lounge in the sun and see the world", but I REALLY dislike traveling on holidays. Missing Pie Night at Uncle Dave's and being away from family and friends is about the worst way to eat your turkey. I didn't even suffer from Turkey Coma this year cause frankly, the fancy restaurant we went to didn't give me the Harris size portion I would have preferred and there was no time to rest since I was trying to keep an eighteen month old out of a bone fire on the beach all night. It must have looked rediculous watching this silly girl chasing a baby down the beach with a plate of food in her hand (I was trying to eat, walk, chase and not fall at the same time). There isn't a destination in the world that can top being with the people that you care for and that's what I've come to realize after missing two Thanksgivings and a Christmas due to work obligations. However, I wasn't completely at a loss. The Costa Rican chef served us the most phenomenal pumpkin pie. I wish I knew his secret and I would have asked him had I just known the right words in Spanish. (I should have payed more attention in college darn it).

Costa Rica itself was great. I welcomed the warm weather with open arms and spent most of my time outside swimming both in the pool and the ocean. One would think at 27 that my fascination with playing in the dirt, sand, clay, playdough, slime, fingerpaint etc. would have subsided, but I don't think this girl is ever going to change. I am and will forever remain a child at heart.

Another upside to Costa Rica is all the wildlife. I was awakened by the sound of Monkeys in the trees outside my window and from the deck of the house we saw Blue Whales in the ocean. That's not an experience you can have everyday and despite all my whining about being away from family and friends, I am very grateful for the cool opportunities I've had.

Rice to Riches

I've found my new favorite place in New York! It's called Rice to Riches. On Saturday I met up with an my childhood friend Jenn. We used to play Strawberry Shortcake together when we were in kindergarten. Now we are both working insane hours and traveling at any opportunity. Who knew we'd still have so much in common? We both love trying new things and I've been wanting take myself on a restaurant tour in Manhattan for a while. We went to about five restaurants in one day, but this one was my favorite. Rice to Riches makes rice pudding. Not just any rice pudding...melt in your mouth, savor it forever, want to marry it cause it tastes so good rice pudding in about thirty flavors. You can even add in fruit and nuts if you like. I tried the french toast flavor and it was divine. The ambiance was hip and the spoons and bowls it was served in were funky. My kind of place...totally. I love cute, creative places like this. Jenn and I talked about opening a cupcake shop...with a million different kinds of cupcakes. Someday I will be one of those innovative people. I really admire the creativity and knack some people have for small businesses. Rice to Riches has my vote!

Thanksgiving

So it's true in life that if you want something, you have to it for yourself sometimes. This years Thanksgiving was the case. My job requires me to travel on this holiday each year. The traveling part is great, but missing Thanksgiving isn't. Last year was spent in Aruba eating Penne Pasta. Not okay with me. So, this year I talked with the children I nanny and we decided to make Thanksgiving at home before we left for Costa Rica. We invited the grandparents and cousins and had a great time making place tags and baking pies. It was the first full Thanksgiving I'd ever cooked and let me tell you people...it is no less than a three day process between the planning, cooking and clean-up. I am so glad that I did it though, listening to the children express what they were thankful for (this doesn't happen often) was absolutely worth it. These kids often spend this holiday at restaurants, which can be impersonal.

Spending that much time in the kitchen gave me the opportunity to reflect on what I am thankful for. If I wrote all my gratitude in this blog you would be reading for days so I will spare you, but I am very thankful for Thanksgiving and the opportunity to reflect on all that I am blessed with. Below are some highlights of our feast!


The Table-We made the place tags out of chocolate bars.


The Appetizer-Hot Artichoke Spinach Dip in a Pumpkin, served with bagels.


Turkey (I used the recipe from Barefoot Contessa and it turned out great!)


My personal favorite, Pumpkin and Pecan Pie!

Smitten

I have a new obsession. Just like about every other girl I know, I have been reading the Twilight series by Stephanie Meyer and I'm addicted. I think I may be falling in Love with Edward. I mean, who wouldn't want a hot and overprotective vampire taking care of you? Anyway...I'm off to read more...can't wait to see what happens next!

Confessions of a World Traveler...

I got in touch with an old friend the other day and she asked me what I've been up to in the past little while. Lately, it doesn't seem as if life has been that exciting, BUT when I think about all of the places I have been in the past few years my heart skips a beat and I am lost in wonderful memories of my adventures. I decided to make this blog a list of the places I have been and some short thoughts about each of them.

1. NORWAY-I'll never forget making Norwegian meatballs in a cabin with my friends mother or the sweater she made me or the flourescent green grass or peircing blue water.
2. DENMARK-A special place where I met friends in Copenhagen and enjoyed a "real" danish. Liberal, cool, hip...yet old. I love it there!
3. MEXICO-I've been twice. Once on Senior Trip to a small town in Ensenada and again this past year to a private beach. The Guacamole is unreal!
4. CANADA-Having a snowball fight in July on at the top of Glacier National Park was definatly the highlight.
5. THE CAYMAN ISLANDS-This place is Heaven...yet...I visited Hell here. It's a real stop as you are traveling to the giant turtle farm. And Pirates! I love Pirates!
6. ARUBA-Caribbean Water and 80-90 degrees year round. You can't beat that.
7. ENGLAND-I absolutely fell in love with London! Big Ben, the Ferris Wheel, Buckingham Palace-love it. Also, the english country side and stone henge are definatly worth a visit.
8. SPAIN-I didn't spend as much time here as I would have liked to, but Madrid was beautiful. I particularly liked the architecture here.
9. FRANCE-Most of my time was spent in Paris. The crepes are to die for. It isn't difficult to see why it is the city of love. I found it very romantic.
10. BELGIUM-We walked out of the train station and instantly the smell of chocolate and waffles permeated the air. Who wouldn't want that in their life!
11. HOLLAND-What is cuter than wooden shoes and people biking everywhere? I definatly couldn't resist the pancake houses and we went in April so we could see the tulips-rows and rows of them, so beautiful.
12. GERMANY-Three Words: Bread, Bratwurst, Berlin=Bliss.
13. SWITZERLAND-Is this place real? The miniature cabins and green hills dotted with churches make it feel like fairy land. Sparkling lakes and beautiful mountains...Swissland is like no other place I've seen!
14. LICTHENSTEIN-A Small country just outside of Switzerland. We visited a castle and ate apple strudel at a ski resort in the top of the mountains. Another fairy tale really.
15. ITALY-One of my favorites. Visited many cities here including Tuscany. The people, the food, the architecture, the ambiance. I'm going back again and again. Nothing really compares.
16. HUNGARY-There is something so special about the people here. Budapest is one of my favorite cities in Europe. If you are lucky enough to eat in homes (our friend Attilla spoiled us) the food is great. So much history and the language is interesting. We missed out on the bath houses.
17. ZIMBABWE-I didn't spend much time here and for good reason, but my passport has a gigantic VISA. We passed through on our way to Zambia.
18. ZAMBIA-So Majestic. Victoria Falls is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen. I literally couldn't breath. We also went on Safari and chased Elephants til we found them. Staying in a villiage in a clay house was an awesome experience...you can forget the world in Zambia. Pure Enchantment.
19. SOUTH AFRICA-My second home. The country I wish I was born in. I find the people, the culture, the nature-Everything about it fascinating. I will probably move there some day. I can't get enough. Cape Town is the most lovely city I've seen to date. The ocean against Table Mountain is extraordinary.
20. AUSTRIA-I think that Salzburg is one of the most cities I've seen. I loved the castle by the river and all the Mozart stuff, painted eggs, and pretzels in a variety of flavors.
21. COSTA RICA-lush, green, jungle, ocean. There is a lot to do and see here. You can hike through the rainforest, check out a volcano or just relax by the ocean. The Atlantic or the Pacific. How bout that?

Well, that is it so far...Next on the list are China and Thailand in the Spring (if I don't die from training for the Great Wall Marathon first.) My goal is tour 30 countries by my 30th Birthday. I'll keep you updated.

AFRICA

The saying goes, "once you travel to Africa, it never leaves your heart." It's absolutely more than true! I'm madly in love with this part of the world!





This summer I took a journey to South Africa for the third time to visit my friends. I cant stay away really, it's impossible. There is something about being there that makes me a better Holly. I dont know if it has something to do with it being dangerous, adventurous, rugged so different from the world I know here in Connecticut but getting lost amongst the children, the people of South Africa is where I come to find the truth, who I really am. The people of South Africa are the most charming, most charastmatic, and simply the most delicious people that I know. I am better just for having spent moments in their presence.

I believe true inspiration comes from taking a journey outside of the norm of who you are from day to day. Nelson Mandela (former President of South Africa) says,

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadaquate, our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure"

I love that quote! I often think of how much more succesful I could be if I'd overcome my own fears and live every part of my dreams, all the time. How much more powerful could I be if I let go of those fears and just let myself reach my potential. That's the hard part, when inadaquacy sets in. However, there is also another phrase used often in South Africa that says, "Nothing comes for Mahala", meaning, nothing comes for free. We must work for it!

Africa is majestic, and powerful, and enchanting! Africa takes my breath away!


I am so inspired by the children that I was privlaged to spend time with everyday. They cheat death from week to week, fighting AIDS/HIV but bring life to everyone who was blessed enough to interact with them. My African name is Mahlogonolo, it means "blessings". That name doesn't suit me, it suits them. Each day I spend with them I enter with the intention to visit, teach and nurture, but instead turn they shower me with thier gifts which are my greatest treasures: courage, optomism, hope, spirit. My heart aches to be with them again. I long to sing the ABC's with them over and over and Nkosi Sikeleli Afrika (South Africa's National Anthem)-I finally just learned the Afrikaans part so now I can sing the whole thing! To rock them to sleep. To drink Rooibos tea with them, to hear their sweet voices again. The Children of South Africa taught me how to smile, to sing and to love more deeply than I thought capable. How can I ever repay them for that? How can I ever forget them?





My favorite story amongst many: One afternoon I was sitting out under the sun on a platform with the orphans playing games. Innocent, a six year old boy carried an old tin can in his hand and as we were singing (I think I was teaching them some American rock songs-"Shake it up Baby Now" comes to mind-don't ask!), and he started beating on it with a stick, mimicking a drum. I thought it was a stellar idea! Several other children followed, digging rusty cans out of an old garbage pile. They started playing, syncopating with one another and I found myself encircled amongst one of the most sensational sounds I've ever heard. Children-laughing and singing in their language, and beating on rusty tin cans with sticks. That, is power. That is what inspires me. Simple, rugged, blessed. AFRICA!



To find out more about my South Africa addiction and what it is I do there, visit

www.banaproject.org

I can't wait to go back and continue my journey!

Falling...

There is a plethora of reasons why fall is my most favorite season. As many of my friends have shared there is so much to appreciate about it, especially in Connecticut. I enjoy fall in Utah, but I have to say when it comes to the leaves and the apple farms the East Coast is your best bet. I am lucky to live here for now. In my ward we carved pumpkins for FHE. I decided not to carve through the entire pumpkin for fear there would be nothing left when I finsihed, but here's the picture of my creation, AKA..the Globe Pumpkin. And yes it DID take a long time. It was a stellar creative outlet at the begining of the week. Now I am enjoying the crisp air and blue skies along with the smell of pumpkin chocolate chip cookies I am baking. You want the recipe?

Here it is. It's the easiest thing eva!

PUMPKIN COOKIES
1 box Duncan Hines Spice Cake mix
1 15oz can pumpkin
2 cups chocolate chips (I usually sneak in some extra)

Mix together cake mix and pumkin with a spoon. Add chocolate chips. Drop spoonfulls onto cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes.

I make these atleast once a week in October and they are great for all my freinds who are mommies and don't have time to break out the measuring spoons and baking soda!

Enjoy the rest of the season...Halloween next week. YAY!

Vespa Sick!

I am not a person who get's attached to objects easily or considers myself sentimental. I am often living away from home or occupying a passengers seat on an airplane to various destinations around the world so I reckon that getting attached to anything would just stand in my way! However, I have dearly missed my little silver Vespa lately. I purchased her in summer 2006 from the Vespa Dealership in order to save on petrol and to get though a transition period between living in South Africa and moving to Connecticut. I paid her off over a year ago and while I am working in Connecticut, she sits in my sisters garage in Salt Lake City just waiting for the day I return. She represents a time where I was free...only working part time teaching cooking classes, spending endless nights talking with my roomates, the summer sun beating down on us and the wind in my hair as we rode fast along the streets of Salt Lake. (well, if you consider 55mph at maximum speed fast).

I first gained an appreciation for the Vespa when I visited Milan with Camille while backpacking through Europe. My love affair with Italy came intensly and fast and Vespa's were everywhere as we strolled the Italain streets. I marveled at the idea of being mobile in something so small. A new way to get from here to there! When I returned, I spoke with my father about purchasing one. I have always been sort of a "Daddy's" girl, but that day I found out something new. My father had also purchased a Vespa when he was my age...drove it into the ground. Finally rid himself of it in a trash yard when it just wouldn't ride any further. I was delighted to hear that this love for small vehicles was something we had in common. Like father like daughter hey! Naturally, out of his sentiment for his Vespa he thought it a smart idea that I purchase one instead of a car.

Nowadays, miles away in Connecticut I just wait...wait for the day when I will reunite with her and we can ride together and I can again feel the wind in my hair and freedom beneath my feet. I'm definatly Vespa Sick! I've been meaning to give her a name but nothing seems fit the title I feel she deserves. She's strong, classic, elegant and graceful. All the things I desire to be, but fall short of.

The 27 Year Old Menace!

So it's no news that if you are a single woman over the age of 25 in Salt Lake City, UT that you are officially deemed a menace...but I didn't think it was going to carry over to Connecticut. In fact, it's one of the reasons I chose the East Coast when I graduated. The pressure in Utah to get married was getting intense. People assured me that the average age for marriage was older here, something like 28 so I figured I was "safe" for a while. However, sure enough...the comments keep creeping thier way into my menaceful life.

By definition, a menace is: express a threat either by an utterance or a gesture, something that is a source of danger, or to act in a threatening manner.

So I am wondering...hmmm....is doing your job, paying your debts, travleing the world, and following your dreams really all that threatening? Apparantly so cause for some reason everyone seems to have an opinion these days on what is wrong with me or why I haven't found "the one". I realize it is out of concern and love, but I often find myself laughing at the oodles of comments I recieve each week. I thought I would share a few with you and those of you who are fellow menaces will empathize I am sure. This week alone I have recived these comments.

"Holly, roll up your sleeves and get crackin! A lump on a log is not a pretty site!
-MOM
"I have no doubts Holly that Heavenly Father has a man in store for you-he doesn't pick favorites"
-friend in South Africa
"Holly you are going to to get a hunk!"
-fellow nanny in Connecticut
"You are a special girl and your reward will come"
-another friend in South Africa
"You are just so set upable!"
-My employer
"You'll find the one, It'll happen when you least expect it"
-Everyone-Weekly!

Now here is the thing...I didn't ask any one of these people if I would find the one or not or how to find the one...they all just volunteered the comments. That is what usually happens. Even the seven year old I nanny is playing matchmaker. On friday he told his 26 year old teacher Mr. Gilpin that I had a crush on him just cause I mentioned he was cute once. He is cute! But, imagine my embarrassment today as I march up to pick up Maxwell with Marshall in my arms and stains all over my shirt, cause that is what nannies look like by 3pm okay! Mr. Gilpin was all cutsie with Marshall and I was just thinking "get me outta here" as I blushed and walked away. On the way home, Maxwell proceeded to tell me in the car that he had a "talk" Mr. Gilpin today at school. He asked Mr. Gilpin if he was married, and his reply was "No, why? Does your Nanny want to marry me?". It gets worse. Maxwell copied my cell phone number off the emergency numbers list in the kitchen and handed it to his teacher and don't worry...at dinner I was being called Holly Gilpin. K...now I am totally mortified and I never want to go back to Rye Country Day School for pick up or drop offs again! Let alone the class performances. The pediatrician is also the matchmaking type. Today while taking Marshall in for a check up, he tells me I'm a nice girl and says he is going to get the yente's (Jewish Mother's) involved. Then, I tell him I'm LDS and he says, "Oh, well...I can't help you there then". Nice One! Came home and there was a message on my facebook from my friend saying that she wants to set me up with this guy who is also looking for a "nice LDS girl". We're ALL nice LDS girls!!! I want someone who wants ME!

My point being...I don't know how or when in the world I will find "the one" but I am convinced that it's more complicated than just being set up, or when I least expect it or that I deserve it. It's a matter of a miracle and one that I am willing to wait for and date for if the result is that I get life eternal out of it in the end. And if that is menaceful...I guess the whole world and those who are trying to fix Holly and her singlehood will just have to suffer the consequences. As for me...I'm just going to keep on being Holly cause I don't know how to be anyone else and eventually the guy I marry is going to find out who I really am anyways! As for Mr. Gilpin-I'll keep you updated!

My So Called Life in Connecticut

Hello from Nanny World! Things here in Greenwich are going pretty smoothly. Although, I think I just may be working a little too much and playing a little too little. I've begun to wonder if a social life is even an option at this point. Some weeks the only activities I get to are ones where I have a responsibility to be there. It must be how every mother feels, trying to get five minutes of "ME" time, which is nearly impossible, let alone dinner with a girlfriend or time to see a movie. I haven't had my hair cut since May. It seems that even my time in the bathroom which is supposed to be private time is taken up by one of the children knocking at the door, or in most cases, I bring the eighteen month old Marshall into the bathroom with me for fear of him getting into something he shouldn't or falling down one of the many flights of stairs (anyone relate to this?). It's a little awkward I have to admit the older he get's...trying to do your business while the child is peeking at you and is grinning at the bathroom sounds. K...moving on. Speaking of stairs, how many flights of stairs does one house need anyway?...in this house the answer is six which is way too many in my opinion...that must be why after I sing the children to sleep at night all I want to do is sit. Sitting would be great! But for some unknown reason I commited myself to training for a marathon which means right after work I head to the track so it doesn't get too dark. I'd love to run through the neighborhoods, but Greenwich doesn't have sidewalks...they like to keep the country feel around here. Around and around the track I go...sometimes dizzifying myself to the point I feel nausiated. I tell myself it's all paying off and will be amazing when I am on the Great Wall of China crossing the finish line. It better be! Alas, when I return home at night I am so sleepy that it takes all I have in me to shower, change into PJ's, read my scriptures and remind myself that I chose this life for myself and should be grateful for it. I guess that is the key...when we are in the midst of complaining about our lives, we need to remember that we have a choice whether to be happy about it or not. Atleast that is what I tell the kids when they whine about the choices they make. I am grateful for my job. The Mandells have been very good to me, we've travelled the world together and I have been able to live comfortably and meet financial obligations with ease. That is why I chose this and for now I reckon that I may as well enjoy the journey! To all the moms...I have no idea how you get through it without the paycheck or the Christmas Bonus...it must have something to do with the "I love you's" and seeing your children discover something for the first time!