Saturday, December 19, 2009

I hate Charlie. And his horse.


Ever wake up in the middle of the night with a charlie horse? You know, that excruciating type of cramp in your calf? This has happened to me from time to time. Usually it can be massaged away, or simply stood on to stretch the muscle out.

This is all well and good. Then one gets married. And a simple leg cramp becomes embarrassing and traumatic for two.

I woke up at six this morning with the most painful leg cramp that I can recall. As soon as I awoke, I began hollering, "Ouch! Ouch Ouch!" I threw back the covers and jumped to my feet. Unfortunately, the muscle was a bit tenser than I realized, and rather than my foot bending, it simply locked and gave way under my weight. I fell to the floor and landed on my tailbone which only made me holler all the louder.

Then my poor husband woke up. He sat up, looking panicked, and discovered me sitting on the floor wailing in pain and still trying to stand on my bum leg. He pulled me back up into the bed and began to comfort me from whatever awful thing had just happened. Imagine my shame when all I could utter was..."uh...I had a...leg cramp."

Sheesh.

Friday, November 27, 2009


"Civilization is a stream with banks. The stream is sometimes filled with blood from people killing, stealing, shouting and doing the things historians usually record; while on the banks, unnoticed, people build homes, make love, raise children, sing songs, write poetry and even whittle statues. The story of civilization is the story of what happened on the banks." - Will Durant, Historian

So true.

Saturday, November 21, 2009

Shopping Local


The concept of buying local, ethical food has been on my mind for quite some time. It really important to Taylor and I that we can put things into our bodies that we feel good about, and that we put our money toward worthwhile things. Since we got married, we have done the vast majority of our grocery shopping at Superstore. (For my American friends, think massive, chain grocery store.) It's as nameless and faceless as they come. Giant aisles crammed with food that has been imported from half way across the world. Loaded with corn syrup. Available in bulk. We didn't feel great about it, but it met our needs and our budget. Not to mention, that it's sort of overwhelming trying to make a change like this. But I've discovered that if I keep my eyes open for local food chances, the more often I find them.

For example, at the college where I work, I noticed a sign in the staff and faculty lounge, that one of my co-workers was selling brown, free-range chicken eggs for $3 a dozen. Quite the deal. I e-mailed them immediately about it, and the next afternoon, he delivered a dozen beautiful brown eggs to my office. No more factory chicken eggs for us. No sir.

Furthermore, as the old saying goes, there is strength in numbers. Our dear friends, Jeff and Andrea, (Check out Andrea's thoughts on food here.) feel the same way as we do about wanting to buy local, whole foods. There's something about knowing that another couple, who is in the same life stage as us and lives on basically the same salary as us, gave us hope that maybe this endevour was worthwhile. So this morning, we made a journey to the nearest decent sized community, Steinbach, Manitoba, and explored all the local food places we could find.

The first stop of the day was the Main Bread and Butter Company. It's a fantastic store that sells nearly all local products. The store started about 10 years ago by two brothers who were discouraged by the difficulty of finding local foods in the area. Many of the mom and pop stores has been transformed into big chains. So, they created Main Bread and Butter Company. We had lunch there as well. They have this amazing eatery that makes the world's best sandwiches, in my opinion. Then we did some perusing. They sell everything from local cheese, pasta, meats, and baked goods. I myself picked up a jar of Cinnamon Honey Butter. It's made in a little community about 10 miles from Otterburne. I also picked up some cinnamon sticks that I needed for cider. We are going to try to do more of our shopping there.

Next we headed to Earl's Meat Market. This was the store that I was most apprehensive about. Because of our budget, we don't eat a lot of meat. And even meat at Superstore is expensive, so I was expecting a bit of sticker shock, but I was so wonderfully surprised by the shop. All of the meat was comparable in price. There was nothing that I saw that shocked me in terms of pricing. What I was most shocked about was the difference in the look of fresh cut meat. The ground beef at Earl's was an entirely different color than the kind at superstore. What does that tell me? Yuck. I was so excited by this wonderful find (and friendly, personable staff) that I bought some stew meat and ham hock to make soup. I got both of those for under five dollars! I'm so definitely going back.

Next it was off to Stony Brook Pantry. Another wonderful little store. The sell a lot of local baking ingredients that you couldn't find at big chain store. Flax seeds. Stone ground flour. They also sell lots of cutsie little home decor things. Taylor picked up a bag of dark rye flour for his continuing bread baking adventures, and I purchased some yummy banana chips.

We topped it off with a swing by a local, fair trade coffee shop called Lecoka Speciality Coffee. This a wonderful cozy coffee shop that we have loved since it opened a few years ago. If you're every in Steinbach, make a trip there.

I know that we won't be able to cut out superstore entirely. One small change at time means a lot. And just the knowledge that we're trying is enough for me.

Thursday, November 5, 2009

Things I like. Things I hate

Things I like:

1. Being suddenly invited over to the home of some lovely friends for dinner. Conveniently, on a night that I didn't want to cook.

2. Getting a church planter's newsletter from some very dear friends.

3. Learning about the slow movement in Voluntary Simplicity. "Wherever you are, be all there."

4. When the database at work gave me the information I needed without my needing to call tech support. Score.

5. Warm mugs of hot chocolate in my chilly office.


Things I hate:

1. Alarm clocks, buzzing at me, demanding I flee from my warm covers.

2. The first scraping of the car windows of the season. Yuck.

3. Standing in the cold, listening to country music, while my husband takes pictures of a "big check" ceremony.

4. Discovering the bag of SERIOUSLY rotted potatoes in the storage closet. Dripping with rot. Smelling like death. And then cleaning the closet with vinegar until all the goo was gone.


I feel that one's list of "likes" should always be longer than one's list of "hates".

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

A Secret

I sometimes listen to Top 40 music when my husband isn't home. Like now.

Sunday, October 18, 2009

Granola Girl

I'm on a bit of a natural, organic, homemade kick these days. I'm really hoping it's more of a change of lifestyle than a kick, but I'll have to see how I do.

I've grown increasingly grossed out by the stuff we put in our bodies and our homes in western society. The chemicals in our foods. The sprays and powders that we clean our kitchens with. The food that comes ready-made in a can. It's just gross. Now, I am not saying that it's all bad. The "wonders" of the modern age have done a lot of good things, especially in the advancement of medicine. But, I never really questioned it all, until recently. And I think that's the part that bothers me the most, the fact that the vast majority of people never think about what they're eating or breathing in.

I'm auditing a course this semester called "Consumer Culture and Voluntary Simplicity". It's made me think a lot about how capitalistic industry creates a product to meet a need that we never knew existed. Wrinkly elbows? There's a cream for that. Taps not shiny enough? Just rub this on. Nobody really needs those things, but when the option is available, I start to think, "Hey...I have wrinkly elbows! Oh no!" ...Ridiculous.

Further still, I've been reading a book called "In Defense of Food", by Michael Pollan. I'm only half-way through, but I can tell this book is really going to impact my lifestyle. He talks about the bizarre relationship that North Americans have to their diets. He argues that a large portion of what we eat is not real food. The bread we pick up at the supermarket would be unrecognizable to our great-grandmothers. We've stripped flour of it's nutritional value. We eat more dairy and meat products than any other period in history. As a result, our food is making us sick, or at the very least not doing much for our well-being. To make a long story short, he advocates for the eating of whole foods that are free of chemicals. Carrots. Potatoes. Organic, grain fed meat. Bread that is made of flour, yeast and water. Basically, if you don't know what's in the food or it has any ingredients you can't pronounce: don't eat it.

I realize that such a radical change of diet is nearly impossible. Especially since I live in climate that is bitterly cold and kills of all plant life for about six months. However, I am trying to make some small changes to my lifestyle and diet. Today I cleaned our bathroom with vinegar spray; a safe, natural disinfectant. We going to start baking our own whole wheat bread. I pureed a pumpkin to bake with instead of buying canned. We're trying to eat less processed food. They're small things, I know, and they probably won't change the world.

But it does make me feel just a little bit better.

Saturday, September 12, 2009

*sigh* Student Loans.

This is the first autumn in 16 years (note: I'm merely 22 years of age) that I have not gone "back to school." No new pens. No first day. No glossy new textbooks. I'll admit, the thought chokes me up a bit. Although, I'm sure I'll feel better once my full-time-student-husband pulls his first all-nighter of the semester. I'm pretty vindictive sometimes.

One new thing I have garnered is the knowledge that all that money that the government lent me these past four years, they now want back. I know. Sick.

So, I phoned my loan officer, Ms. Cash, (not even joking) to explain that I'm rather low income and my husband is still in school, so can I please, please join the low-income payment plan. The conversation went something like this.

Me: Can I apply for the low-income program?
Her: Absolutely. I can fax you an application right away.
Me: Great, thanks.
Her: So, just so I can give you a heads up on whether or not you qualify, can you tell me what your gross monthly income is?
Me: Yup. It's about 1600 a month.
Her: *long pause* Um...you know, I won't even send you the application. You'll qualify.

I'm very grateful...and a bit insulted.

Thursday, August 6, 2009

Jesus Christ by Brand New

Jesus Christ, that's a pretty face
The kind you'd find on someone I could save
If they don't put me away
Well, it'll be a miracle

Do you believe you're missing out
That everything good is happening somewhere else?
But with nobody in your bed
The night's hard to get through

And I will die all alone
And when I arrive I won't know anyone

Well Jesus Christ, I'm alone again
So what did you do those three days you were dead?
Cause this problem's gonna last more than the weekend.

Well Jesus Christ, I'm not scared to die,
I'm a little bit scared of what comes after
Do I get the gold chariot?
Do I float through the ceiling?

Do I divide and fall apart?
Cause my pride is too sly to hold back all my dark
And the ship went down in sight of land
And at the gates does Thomas ask to see my hands

I know you'll come in the night like a thief
But I've had some time alone to hold my lies inside me
I know you think that I'm someone you can trust
But I'm scared I'll get scared and I swear I'll try to nail you back up

So do you think that we could work out a sign
So I'll know it's you and that it's over so I won't even try

I know you'll come for the people like me
But we all got wood and nails
Tongue tied to a hating factory

But we all got wood and nails
You're tortured (and hanging) factory
Yeah, we all got wood and nails
You're tortured (and hanging) factory
Yeah, we all got wood and nails
And we sleep inside of this machine



"Just think of the tragedy of teaching children not to doubt." -Clarence Darrwow

Thursday, July 16, 2009

The Trials and Tribulations of Adulthood

It's my birthday in a week. I'll be 22.

This week, I have managed to fry a keyboard, douse a rug, and soak our futon by spilling a tall glass of water I had just poured.

Last night as I was hanging my blanket over a chair to dry...

Emily: "Taylor, maybe I should get a cup with a lid."
Taylor: "...You mean a sippy cup?"
Emily: "...I prefer 'cup with lid'. "

We proceeded to laugh about it as Taylor continued to mock me, "Why don't they make cups like that for meee? In mature patterns! Excuse me sir, do you have this gunmetal gray?"

Woe is me.

Sunday, July 12, 2009

Welcome to Flatsville, Manitoba.


Population: One.

Photo Credit: Taylor J. Summach

Friday, July 10, 2009

Latest Shenanigans



I've abandoned my blog for a while I've realized. But no more! Lauren has been blogging like crazy, so I am inspired to be more intentional with this little project. Heaven knows my life isn't THAT busy living in rural Manitoba. So, an update on my latest adventures...

1. I fried our keyboard. Yesterday morning, in my sleepy state before heading out the door to the office, I knocked an entire glass of water on the keyboard. I frantically dried it off, and it seemed to be alright, but by day's end it was dead. *sigh* Taylor bought a new one today. It's the strangest keyboard ever. It's rubber and rolls out like a mat. And ironically, or intentionally, the keyboard is waterproof.

2. It's the weekend! It was one of those weeks that, looking back, if you were to ask me what happened, I would not be able to tell you. I do know I didn't get enough sleep. I consumed a lot of chicken wings. And my husband is awesome.

3. 4th of July! What a stellar day. Taylor celebrated his first 4th south of the border. There was picnicking, and firework watching with our beloved Kelley family. We also say my family for the first time since the wedding. I intend to post pictures from that evening soon.

4. I love baking and cooking. I've found that it is fantastic way to de-stress. So, in honor of a long week...Chocolate cupcakes with peanut butter frosting and dark chocolate shavings!




(I love that apron. It was bridal shower gift from my friend Kari. She MADE it! So great. Also, picture #2 really accentuates my lack of sleep. Yikes.)



Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Books that Changed my Life...or at least the way I think.

I'll admit it. I love reading. I love curling up on the futon with a novel. I love the smell of a brand new book. I can recall being told numerous times as a child, "Don't read at the table!" It's even one of the things that excited me most about living on campus for the summer - A library crammed with books, and I could read for fun! So in tribute to one of my favorite pastimes, I give you,

"Books that Changed my Life...or at least the way I think."



To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

I first read this book in grade 11. I instantly feel in love with the writing style, the characters, and the little town of Maycombe, Alabama. I think what resonated with me the most was the realism of it. Those who are victims of injustice don't always receive their recompense. Innocence lost can never be regained.

A couple years ago, I was in the stage production of To Kill a Mockingbird. And all the feelings that I felt when I read the novel became all more real and acute on stage. I saw Tom Robinson on the stand. I contributed to the unraveling of Scout's world. I walked the streets of Maycombe. I watched Boo Radley make right some of what had been wrong.

It remains, to this day, my favorite novel.






Eyes Wide Open: Looking for God in Popular Culture by William Romanowski

Ohmygoodness. I love this book. It was a required reading for my Media and Society class in college. As with most required texts, I cracked the cover with some trepidation. I was fearing seven hours of dry textbook reading. But no! So much better. It is the best book I have ever read on Christianity and Media. He finds a great balance between "All media is 'worldly' and 'wrong'", and "Christians should even bother engaging with media." And he analyzes current media to prove his points.

If you have any interest in the relationship between faith and broader culture, read Eyes Wide Open.

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

18 Days


Taylor and I have been married now for 18 days. Eighteen! I realize this isn't a milestone day. At least not more of a milestone than day 16 or 17 or even day 19 will be. Nonetheless, the past eighteen days have been more lovely than I could have ever hoped for. And blog-worthy.

I love being married. I realize full well that I have lucked out in the husband department. He's amazing. It's strange to think that we began our adventure together two and half years ago. In some ways I feel like I have known and loved Taylor for my whole life. It even seems as though some of the stresses in our relationship has disappeared since we got married. No more wedding worries. No more strange holding pattern of being almost married, but not.

I love coming through the apartment door and seeing him sitting at the desk. I love coming home for lunch and finding that he has made me a sandwich. I love saying goodnight to him and knowing I'm going to wake up to him. I even love how he steals my pillow when I get out of bed in the morning. Being married, at least for me, means having a soft place to land.

We agreed long before we got married that we wanted our marriage to be a partnership. We both consider ourselves to be "egalitarians." It's simply a fancy word to mean that we believe we're equals. Taylor doesn't have to "bring home the bacon", and I don't have to be waiting at the door in an apron with supper ready. Ironically, we seem to be living out exactly what we believe at this point. I work full-time and Taylor spends his days job hunting and taking care of things in the apartment. He's a "Househusband", as he calls it.

Married life is good. Very good. :)





Sunday, June 7, 2009

New Adventures. New Blog.


I have taken the plunge again. Bloggersville, here I am. I'll admit that starting a new blog has been on my mind for quite a while. I've toyed with the idea since I let my last blog die out nearly two years ago.  

I started my first blog when I was 16 years old. I was in grade 11. Living in a little yellow bedroom on the east side of my parents' house. Consumed with crushes. Working a part time job. Wandering toward the future.

That was five years ago. I'm now 21 years old. A college graduate. Newly married. Living in a little one-bedroom apartment on the north side of a of yellow brick apartment building. Working a full time job. Wandering toward the future.

So, a new blog seemed in order.

I wish I had all sorts of exciting tales to write in this post, but it's a fairly quiet evening. My husband is playing a video game. I'm enjoying listening to the massive music collection that I inherited when I said "I do." (Literally, MASSIVE, I could listen to iTunes for 21.2 days straight and never hear a repeat song.) I baked a batch of chocolate chip cookies. Taylor and I took a Sunday afternoon nap together. It really is a wonderful life. 

It's a strange time in my life. I graduated in April. Four year of blood, sweat, and tears to earn that little piece of paper. I was convinced that I would have no desire to read a book, write a paper, or prepare a presentation again. I find myself hungering for more learning again. I want to read. I want to have a topic to research. I'm thinking what course I might take with my "one free audit a semester" privileges. 

I suppose you never stop wanting something more. It's really the epitome of the human condition. Of course, no one ever said that wanting something more was always a bad thing.