A Little Bit of Innocence Lost.

Today, in the car on the way to a training for my job, Carter and I had a moment. It was not a particularly pleasant moment (for me), and I hadn't really realized until it was upon me that I would have to meet this particular challenge at some point. (I think it was like most parenting challenges--you know you have to tell your kids about unpleasant things at some point or do the whole "tough love" thing, but it's never quite as hard in your mind as it is in real life.)

This morning, my son learned about war.

Our war. Our warS.

We were listening to NPR's Morning Edition, and the lead story after the news update was an in-depth report about the suicide car bomb attack in Kabul, Afghanistan this morning. 17 people died. People were shooting at other people. You know, the same kind of news headlines that have become all too common, and therefore have faded into our subconscious mind. They are now just a fuzzy background noise that accompanies all of the "real" stuff going on in our quiet lives here in the states.

But for Carter, it was like a lightbulb went on.

"Mom, who was shooting?" he asked.

I paused and then explained that some people don't like other people, so they use guns to hurt them. I asked him if that was an OK thing to do, and he replied that it was not.

"But, why did they do that?" he asked.

"Because they are in a war," I said.

"What's 'war?'" he asked again.

I turned off the radio. I tried to figure out how to explain hatred and terrorism and politics to a four-year-old who has never had to deal with any of those things before. And tears came to my eyes.

This was the moment when Carter was going to start to see the world for what it is a lot of the time: a scary, hate-filled, uncertain place. This was his first look into all the things that make all of us parents fear for the future of our children. This was his first step out of innocence.

I DID NOT want to have that conversation. But I did. I told him that when lots of people fight lots of other people, it's called a war. I told him that it's sad because people get hurt.

He was fine with that explanation. We talked a little bit more, and then he seemed satisfied and let the topic drop. I didn't tell him that hate-filled people killed almost 3,000 Americans on Sept. 11. I didn't tell him that a sadistic, empty-souled tyrant named Adolf Hitler killed 6 million people almost a century ago. I didn't tell him that there's a good chance that he'll have to live with wars of one kind or another for his entire life.

Am I over-reacting? Maybe. I know that he still feels safe here at home with his family and that what we talked about today will probably not affect his day-to-day life at all right now. But a seed has been planted. A precedent has been set. And it makes me sad to think that this is the day he learned that people hurt and kill other people, a concept he will now begin to witness every day for the rest of his life.

And so it begins.

Green with......

I took these...



...and made these...



...so Carter and I can make cute things like this...



...and ended up with this.



Oops.

The volleyball crew is not going to let me hear the end of this tonight. It's hard to take a spike seriously when it's hit by a hand like that. *sigh*

I think it's time to invest in some rubber gloves.

Give it up for the Greeks.

Anyone who knows me knows that I adore food--good, well-seasoned food and lots of it. And though I love all types of food (except tofu and tripe) Greek food is what I crave a lot of the time. Not only is Greece the birthplace of philosophy and mythology, it's also the cradle of civilization when it comes to seriously yummy eats.

My obsession with all things Greek comes as no surprise to my old co-workers at APX Alarm. When I was pregnant with Carter, I ate Greek food from a little restaurant a couple of miles from the office almost every single day. For at least two months, it was pretty much the only food I ate, period. I never got tired of it. It was so much of a sure thing, in fact, that my friend Lindsay remarked one day, "Steph, I'm really concerned that your baby is going to come out Greek." He didn't, but I probably wouldn't have minded.

Skip ahead five years to present day: specifically GIRLS NIGHT OUT tonight! I got put in charge of making a pasta salad for dinner. I decided that instead of making a run-of-the-mill Mormon pasta salad (though they're also very yummy), I wanted to make a Mediterranean pasta salad. I thought about it for a few days, and with a little help from the internet I came up with the most divine pasta salad EVER in the history of salads! Ok, I may be exaggerating and it could prove to be a huge flop at our shindig tonight, but to me it tastes like the holy grail of pasta salad.

So, long story short, here's my first-ever recipe! It may still need some tweaking depending on the response it gets at the party tonight, but it's still pretty darn good. I hope you like it!

Stephanie's Mediterranean Pasta Salad (I'll think of a better name for it later.)



Ingredients:

Salad--

16 oz. Rotini pasta, cooked to al dente, drained and cooled
1 large cucumber, diced
3 vine-ripe tomatoes, diced
1/2 red onion, diced really small
1 cup pitted kalamata olives, roughly chopped
3-4 oz. crumbled feta cheese
1/4 c. chopped fresh parsley

Dressing
(Note: I modified this recipe from a similar one I found on Allrecipes.com. It can be used for any type of salad, and I think you could probably also use it as a marinade. This recipe makes more than you need to dress the salad, so pop it in an airtight container and keep the leftovers in the fridge for a few weeks....though I doubt it will last that long.)

1 c. good quality extra virgin olive oil
1 c. red wine vinegar
1 t. garlic powder
1 t. dried oregano
1 t. dried basil
3/4 t. pepper
3/4 t. salt
3/4 t. onion powder
3/4 t. dijon mustard

Combine all the ingredients for the dressing in a large mixing bowl. Using a wire whisk, beat the heck out of it until the mixture has emulsified. Set aside. (You can even make this a day in advance to allow the flavors to blend.)

In a large serving bowl, combine all the salad ingredients. Pour some of the dressing mixture over the top. Toss the salad together and then taste it to adjust the amount of dressing if needed. Serve with grilled chicken or steak kababs or just eat a huge bowl of it all by yourself. Live and let live, I say.



P.S.--Trying out recipes is hard on my kitchen.

Male Bonding.

I really enjoy living in our neighborhood, but one thing Carter has missed out on is man time. The only kids his age on our street are girls. He loves to play with them and they love to play with him, but I've been looking for a little boy his age in our neighborhood so we could invite him over for a playdate.

A few months ago, I met a family with a little boy named W. They are the cutest family and even though W. is a year younger than Carter, the two boys have already started their own mutual adoration society. So today, W. came over to play. In fact, they are playing Hyperdash in the next room as I type this.

The funny thing is that even though they've played together often at church functions and such, this is their first actual "playdate." Because of this, when W. first came over he was a little shy. As in, didn't say much and only shrugged his shoulders when I addressed him directly.

That's when I pulled out the Froot Loops and cut up an apple. We all know that sharing food with a friend is a social activity, not designed to feed any hunger except the kind that craves affection and fun. So, the ice slowly began to melt.

And that's when I overheard this conversation.

W: "My house is better than your house. We keep our mixer in the pantry."

Carter: "Do you have a back yard?"

W: "We have two yards."

Carter: "You have two back yards?"

W: "No, only one back yard and one front yard."

[Pause]

Carter: "HEY!! We're the same! We have one back yard and one front yard, too!"

[Both giggle.]

W: "We're going to get the Transformers movie."

Carter: "We have the Big Chance of Meatballs Movie for a minute." (Sidenote: This is Carter's name for Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs, which we rented from the Redbox for a day TWO WEEKS AGO. And yet he still quotes almost every line.) It's the one with all the food."

[Pause]

Carter: "Row, row, row your boat and drive it up the sea! Merry, merry, merry, merry, life is like a lollipop."

W: "HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!"

Carter: "Lollipop."

W: "HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!"

Carter: "Lollipop."

W: "HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!"

[Pause]

W: "Sometimes we burp."

Carter: "Yeah."

And then they were friends for life.

Boys are SO FUNNY.

A News Update

I feel the need to catch up on the "news" portion of this blog. So, here goes.

--I am no longer a journalist. So strange to say that! I covered the Cottonwood Heights government beat for the Valley Journals for almost three years, and now all of a sudden......I just don't. I will miss everyone I've worked with, but I will NOT miss the stress of my deadlines. In fact, I have to say it's been heavenly!!

The city council was very nice and presented me with some Cottonwood Heights mementos (scarf, shirt, keychain, mugs) and a $50 gastronomy gift card. New Yorker Restaurant, here I come!! I've been having naughty dreams about your smoked gouda potatoes for three years now!



(A word about this photo: so not flattering. I look better than this, I swear. But at the time I was on day 5 of the three week respiratory infection that I am just getting over. And I was nervous because I was standing at the front of a roomful of people. And the guy who took over my job is the one who snapped this shot, and he was using my camera which he didn't know how to use, and he was nervous too because it was his first night on the job. I'm just sayin' you have to take this photo with a grain of salt.)

--Randy sold his business. For those who don't know, Randy had a small used car dealership called Car Snobs. After two years, it has not been as profitable as we thought it would be, but has eaten up about 10 bazillion times more time and money than we thought it would. So, he has merged his biz with a company called Polished Image Auto Detailing. We are grateful for the change and think it will turn out really well. Major plus: Randy might not be quite so stressed anymore, and we might actually get to spend time with him now!

--I turned 34 a week ago. This is not an interesting tidbit in and of itself. What is interesting is that my friends chose to honor the occasion the best way they know how--with plastic pink lawn flamingos. In JANUARY.




I love my sweet friends so much! Thanks for the flamingos and the yummy breakfast Tanya, Renae, Sheri, and Kaylene! I love you guys!!

My cool sister Kiirstin bought me lunch at Taste of Thai, my current favorite restaurant. (They're in Jordan Landing now, so you locals should go check them out.)

Then, Randy took me out for a steak dinner that night. It was going to be dinner and a show, but the show part didn't work out. And it wasn't just any show--it was a performance of broadway showtunes! It would have been fun....for ME. Randy would have suffered miserably the entire time. But he was going to subject himself to the agony because he loves me!! Isn't he sweet? He not-so-secretly rejoiced that he was spared.

--Randy and I got new callings at church. We now teach the Sunbeam class (three-year-olds). God totally knew what He was doing when He helped me land that job at the preschool four months ago! It was a forewarning of what was to come! But we're having fun, even though I miss my class of 12-year-old young women.

--Finally, I had an uplifting moment on Friday night. I'm sure everyone has heard about the travesty perpetrated by NBC last week, removing Conan O'Brien from the Tonight Show in favor of welcoming back the worn-out, obvious "humor" of Jay Leno, who will take over his old chair at the Tonight Show on March 1. I tuned in to watch Conan's last night on the show, and I was inspired by some of the things he had to say; specifically this quote:

"To all the people watching, I can never thank you enough for your kindness to me and I'll think about it for the rest of my life. All I ask of you is one thing: please don't be cynical. I hate cynicism. For the record, it's my least favorite quality and it doesn't lead anywhere. Nobody in life gets exactly what they thought they were going to get. But if you work really hard and you're kind, amazing things will happen."

(See the video here.)

He was gracious, he was grateful, and above all he was kind. What a great example to everyone who watched this! All I can say is, I think the brass at NBC has lost their minds. Viva Conan! I'll buy tickets to watch you in a 7-11 parking lot anytime.

Let it go. This too shall pass.

Our little family has been struggling with some tough challenges in the last few months. Details are unnecessary, but I'll just say that both Randy and I have been fairly stressed out...sleepless nights, panic attacks and ulcer-inducing stressed out.

During this time, I've been lucky to find comfort in small blessings and unexpected places. Today, a high school friend on facebook posted a scripture from Proverbs: "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him and he shall direct thy paths." My friends have been such a strength to me, and their faith has upheld my faith in many ways. The fact that my relationship with Randy is weathering this hurricane of trials is a huge blessing in and of itself. Then, there's the humbling thought that I have a warm, comfortable home and food to feed my family every day, and a JOB. Many, many people don't even have that.

One of my unexpected comforts today came from--of all places--youtube. I was looking for footage of the earthquake in Haiti (p.s. keep everyone there in your prayers) and I stumbled upon this video. (Youtube won't let me embed it, so just click on the link.)

Yes, pretty quirky. No, it's not like it's Mozart. But this made me smile and put things in perspective for me today. Plus, I quite enjoy videos by OK GO.

"You can't keep letting it get you down, and you can't keep dragging that dead weight around...LET IT GO. THIS TOO SHALL PASS."

Reveling

HAPPY NEW YEAR!



Tonight was a quiet celebration of the new year for us. Carter went to bed around 11:15, and Randy followed soon after. So it was just me...watching Anderson Cooper and Kathy Griffin on CNN (by the way, who thought they would make good co-hosts? She just says foul things while he giggles in self-conscious horror) and swilling the Martinelli's.

I have to say I had a calm, happy moment at the turn of the year. I could hear fireworks and noisemakers and cheers outside, so I stepped out onto my porch, robe and slippers and all. I found a surprising number of other people out, too, celebrating the hope of a better year to come. (Because let's be honest, people, 2009 SUCKED THE BIG ONE. Everyone is hoping for a better year.) It was snowy and strangely quiet and peaceful in between the random shouts and fireworks, with the full moon lighting up the neighborhood. It was beautiful. It made me feel confident that good things will happen in the year to come.

So happy New Year, one and all! May 2010 bring reparations for all the crap we've had to deal with in 2009!

(And thanks for the glasses, Renae! Glittering them was the highlight of Carter's evening...ok, that and playing Wii with Randy.)