I think I need a garden.

I love vegetables. And herbs. They are probably two of my most favorite things on this planet. But one thing I do not love about vegetables and herbs is their PRICE! I will go to the grocery store and just when I think I spent under my budget, the cashier will ring up all my produce. Ouch...

So I've decided that I need a garden! And it would not even have to be that full! My main requirements would be bell peppers, sugar snap peas, cucumbers, perhaps carrots, and I'll say it, tomatoes. For my herb garden I would want basil, cilantro and Italian parsley. I thought I would try growing herbs on my window sill, then I remembered we live in a basement where the sun only shines 10 minutes out of the day. So until we have a home, my garden dream will just have to wait.

On a happy note, I made my first ever homemade spaghetti sauce. Holy crap it was good! Roasted garlic, tomato and pepper sauce! It made the house smell like heaven and...bonus...it was healthy! All vegetables blended up and served over whole wheat pasta? Ok, if I have to. I gotta give props to Rachael Ray. I feel like we are pasta sisters. The recipe can be found here! It sounds kind of intimidating at first, but it actually was really easy, so don't be scared. Trust me. Try new things.

A few other random thoughts.

*I took the entrance exam for the police academy! Is this real life!? I might actually really be a cop one day! I am slightly concerned for the physical test. I am a tad bit short on my verticle jump! So I've been gettin' my legs swol. No failure here!!

*Can you believe this weather!? I LOVE IT!! I've never been a HUGE fan of summer. I enjoy aspects of it, but in the end when it's hot outside you can only take off so many layers of clothes!

*I miss my Indian kids. And the teens. And YMAD. And Lisa, Tracey, Raj, Natalie, Tim, Chad, Daniel...EVERYONE! I just miss it all. Including eating messy dumplings.

*I have forgotten how hard it is being a full time student. I haven't been full time in almost two years! I feel like all my classes end up mushing together and my brain gets confused. Luckily 3 of them are criminal justice classes so it's ok if the information mushes. But I love going to school! Yay!

That is all for now! (At least I posted sooner than 3 months later, right??)

-KTD-

The most pucking awesome time of the year!

I know what you're thinking.."This will be the only blog post for another 6 months until she decides to blog again." False, I am going to try and keep this up. Hopefully once a week. It's a goal to work towards.

I love this time of year for multiple reasons.

*SUMMER IS HERE!! I love summer. Not as much as winter, but I love it! Sometimes I wonder why I am 21 and still work at a swimming pool. But then summer comes around and I remember. I get to sit in a chair in the sun for hours a day! AND GET PAID FOR IT! I love love love summer at the outdoor pool. Now...I've yet to actually work a shift out there this year, but I am sure once it comes it will be great!

*School is out! But I really can't say much considering I am going full time this semester. It's lovely having a husband who now has a full time job and can pay for my education. Love you dear!

*Hockey. Folks, it is the STANLEY CUP FINALS. As I type this, I am hoping that the LA Kings take home The Cup tonight. And by The Cup, I mean Lord Stanley's Cup. No whiners, no stopping for minutes at a time, just pure live action!! Thank you dad for teaching me the value of hockey. It is up there with faith, hope, charity, etc. 

There are more reasons, such as Arctic Circle shakes (always peach), birds singing in the morning, flip flop tan lines, sleeping with the windows open, wearing shorts, and BBQs. If I don't stop now, this entire post will be about the things I love about summer. Which isn't bad, but it might get a little boring.

So I went to India! As I sat on the last flight before we landed in Delhi, I thought to myself, "Why the h*** am I putting myself through this again?!" That plane ride is awful. It didn't matter how many times I told myself "oh it won't be that bad!" It truly was awful. My feet were swollen, I was tired, stinky, sore, and hungry for a salad. But as soon as we got on the bus to up to our village I remembered why I was there. The smells, the sights, the sounds. It's just beautiful India! While we were driving, one of our leaders said, "Do you remember this Katie!?" Oh did I remember. I love it! The kids we worked with were as beautiful as ever. Full of love, kindness, and a sliver of evil as they would laugh when you couldn't hike the trails like they could, or when you tried to say something in Hindi that never came out like it was supposed to. I love those little stinkers. 

 Godavari and Urmrilla. I love them. They could have snuck home in my suitcase and I wouldn't have been the least bit upset. 

 They were so sassy I couldn't handle it. This was not an uncommon face.

Dimple. He wasn't a real student in our school, but he would come by every day and play games with us. His smile needs to be put on a poster and displayed for all the world to see. He would bring peace to all nations!

 We did finger nails and made duck faces. They're practically American!

I cannot wait for the opportunity I have to go back. This trip was amazing. It was very rewarding being in a different position than I was the first time I went. I was able to watch our teens fall in love with these kids! Those teens should all win awards. They were positive and hardworking the whole entire trip. I feel bad I wasn't able to get to know them better, but I loved watching them interact with the children in India. 

Not a bad looking group!

A few fun highlights. Seeing the Taj Majal. Riding elephants at the Amber Fort. And freaking playing with little Indian children! Namaste!

Can I go back now?? 

Sorry for the long blog post. But I just have so much to talk about! A week after I went to India, I came home, aced my art final, and then went to Disneyland! By the way, I think I am the first YMAD intern to get straight A's the semester I went to India. Just saying. :) Anyways! Disneyland! We went with my brother and his cute family. Phil and I LOVE Disneyland. Corn dogs, dole whip, peanut butter sandwiches, Splash Mountain, New Orleans Square, oh the list goes on! Sadly for Phil, Pirates of the Caribbean was closed. Don't bring it up to him. He was almost in tears. But we still had tons of fun! 

Being with kids at Disneyland was awesome! My niece Lily really loved the characters! She needed to get everyone's autograph in her book and didn't mind pictures with them. Jack on the other hand...he needed some persuading to get his picture taken. Usually a nice big Disneyland lollipop did the trick! We also went to the beach. It was my first time ever!! It was lovely. Until I got home and understood the extent of my mistake to not wear sunscreen for 4 hours while I laid in the sun. The pain was just a reminder why we wear sunscreen! (And I'm sure the skin cancer I just gave myself will also remind me of the importance of sunscreen.) 

 Can this kid please not be so cute!? 

That should be enough for now. I have a hockey game to watch. Until next time!

-KTD-