Where to go for the best apple butter....

If that question has recently crossed your mind, look no further!
THIS WAY TO THE FESTIVAL!!
A few weekends ago Joseph and I went on a litle romantic excursion into the Shenandoahs. Sparked by an article in the Washington Post discussing romatic getaways for working couples, I suggested to Joseph that we drive off into the countryside that coming weekend (is it sad that I get most of my "activities" from my daily, and constant perusal of the news?). We decided that as fall was just around the corner we should hit up the Shenendoah National Forest Annual Apple Butter Festival, followed by a visit to a local orchard to pick some of our own apples. The trip was a delight! From the wildlife along the way to the wild time at the festival, we enjoyed seeing, smelling, tasting, and even lending a hand while experiencing one of nature's best treats.

Joseph took advantage of his time there and got in on the action. The apples are boiled in these huge pots until they are a nice mush. Add the right blend of cinnamon, nutmeg and a bit of sugar and you've got the best apple butter in three counties. It's amazing what you can learn from chattin' with the locals.
Gettin' Down and Dirty at the festival! I loved this kid, the char streak on his face and his grubby little fingers clutching his burger...
This is Rose. Rose is in charge of peeling the apples that are chopped up and tossed into the huge cauldrons of bubbling apple butter. What a woman!

Among the other talented craftsman at the festival, I liked watching the basket weavers. I particularly love the fashion statement: "while this may look like a girly-man's work, I ain't no girly-man."

Seeing wildlife these days is such a treat. Living in the big city really makes me miss my country-girl roots, although I do not miss the fear of hitting one of these guys on the road, I'm not so sure that's a very good trade-off for the traffic.

The purple mountains (that's what they call mountains out here) and the blue sky added to an already perfect day!

The orchard

The Charming Stribling Orchard.
A long picker.
A smiley picker.
Reach for it!
HAPPY picking!
What a hottie.
Apples Red.
Apples Green. Great results...Apple goodness!

What the?

Can you believe it's already October?! I am anxious for the fall, but to be honest I feel like June was just yesterday which leaves me wondering where July, August and September have gone?? In an effort to remember I figured I should document a little of the past three months...a few glimpses...

JULY: Following a fantastic Fourth in the Bahamas, our VA openhouse on July 21st crept up on us. Thanks to my good friend Sara B, we pulled it off. After spending hours baking cupcakes and cutting fruit we finally had to call it good as guests began to arrive. Joseph's parents, Sam, Tim and Karen were also there. They had been road-tripping from the west and arrived that afternoon (the openhouse was at 6pm). The Richards' took care of the finishing touches while I pulled on the dress and tucked in the veil. We were all pretty exhausted by the end of it.




A BIG THANKS to Sara and the Richards' for all the help. And advice to future openhouse planners-DON'T try to do it all yourself!

The end of July also brought the end of Margo's stay in DC. She had endured three moves, several cross-country escapdes for my wedding and such, and a grueling daily commute to Reston (BFE VA). We were sad to see her go, but excited for her to get back to Logan and Utah State and all the friends and family she missed. Her last week here we went to some of the spectacular summer events that are hallmarks of DC, including The Sunset Parade at Iwo Jima


Margo, we hope you'll come see us again soon!!

AUGUST: In the thick of the summer I was sooo grateful for the shorter work hours and the long summer nights. One of our favorite August trips was to Westmoreland State Park. Here's a recap from Joseph's perspective. "Aug 20, 2007...So Maren asked if I would type a little this week so here I am.....this week Maren read about 7 of the Harry Potter books, made a ginormous cake (or maybe that was last week), I got new glasses, we started our food storage, had my math professor over for dinner, went to my company picnic, and critiqued local fisherman. I guess it was a fun week. And ps. I like my wife.

On Friday we went camping to Westmoreland State Park, and we were pretty pumped about it because we were going to go kayaking on Saturday morning...we read "Lexus and the Olive Tree" by Thomas Friedman on the way down. It was a pretty interesting book. There really isn't a fast way to get to Westmoreland State Park...we tried to different ways coming and going, and neither was very good. But we did get to see George Washington's birthplace — it was a peaceful and beautiful place.Sadly, there was a fire ban so we ended up cooking on Maren's stove, but it was still a good time. We had stuffed peppers. The bugs were out in full force and it was HOT. I think it finally cooled down around 11:30pm...then we could sleep. The saddest part of the whole trip came when we were going to go kayaking b/c it turned out that the water was too choppy and the forest ranger wouldn't let anyone out on the water! Bummer. So instead we hiked along a trail, found a turtle and took a cool picture of a frog,and ended up back at the beach. Then we had our laughs at the expense of the funny people fishing on the shore...It was a pretty relaxing and enjoyable day"...

Growing up

Everyone has to grow up sometime. I feel like this weekend was part of my "growing up". On Saturday afternoon, after running some errands with my sister I was driving home through Old Town. The traffic is often slow (which irritates me), and people always seem to pile up in one lane like little lemmings (which also irritates me). It was just such the case that afternoon, so as I pulled in to the left-inside lane and was about to cross the intersection....CRASH. My FIRST accident! My poor little malibu!! I pulled my bruised and broken car to the curb. (Luckily only the car was bruised and broken. Both myself and the other driver were not injured). I didn't really know what to do. Thoughts flew through my mind...Do I get out of the car? I probably should clear the debris from the road. Do the police just come...no, I probably have to call them. I felt like such a child. I was shaky and nervous. Mostly I didn't want to look incompetent in front of the other driver; especially because I was fairly certain he was at fault.

I got out of the car, made my way slowly over to his and just said, "well, this isn't how I anticipated I'd spend my Saturday." We exchanged information. I called Joseph then the police. And to be honest, the whole thing was not as bad as I had expected. Everyone involved was super friendly, the police officer, the other driver, and the AAA tow truck lady who was giving everyone advice about repair shops and calling in an extra tow truck for the dude's car. The officer determined I was not a fault (which wasn't too hard to deduce). My newfound "crash friend" had left his cell phone with his wife and friends. So we called them on mine. They were at a local burger joint. Nice people. We left with a hand shake and a "Good luck" to each other. Later Joseph told me how the officer had commented on how well I was doing...how grown up I was acting. I laughed and thought, if only he had seen the child within!!

It's these funny little experiences that I am somehow grateful for because they hold valuable lessons about people. I felt like I made some new friends that day. Or at least renewed my faith in humanity. Sadly, my car will be anything but renewed!

Summer's end

As summer comes to a close, and our little garden turns into a thick jungle of overgrown flowers and withered curling pea vines, I have tried to think of recipes that include what we have successfully harvested: Squash, peppers, onions, lettuce, a few peas and carrots, basil, and tomatoes. Earlier in the summer I think we had "basil tomato chicken" at least once a week! :) Lucky for me, while browsing through the NYTimes (which is a frequent activity per my job) I saw a little webcast blurb about making Paella - a Spanish dish that Joseph and I had on one of our first dates...the trick to the Paella we had was that is was Paella negro, and yes, it was literally BLACK due to the squid ink it was cooked with! We ended up with black tongues, black teeth, and Joseph somehow had it all over his lips...Needless to say, it was a memorable date! This instead, is a recipe for tomato Paella, and a tribute to summer's end.

The Ingredients: Olive oil, onion, garlic, tomatoes, tomato paste/sauce, paprika, saffron, salt, rice and shrimp.
Preparation: Mince 4 cloves garlic, dice 1-2 onions (depends on size), slice tomatoes into wedges, preheat oven to 350, begin warming a pot of water you will later add to the rice.


Start with a little olive oil in a warm pan. Cook the diced onions until transparent. Add the garlic, paprika and saffron (1 Tbsp and 1/2 tsp respectively), and a large pinch of salt. Mix until nicely colored.

Stir in a generous dollop of tomato paste or sauce. Add the rice to the mixture (amount depends on servings you want, I used 2c) and mix well, letting the rice roast in the spices.

Add the water (in proportion to the rice) and let boil. Top with tomato wedges and pre-cooked shrimp (can be any size, I like the smaller salad shrimp).


Transfer to oven and bake covered for 15 min (or until water is absorbed). *make sure that your ovenware does not have a plastic or wooden handle!

Two months of a new life

Well, I have a new name, a new job; I live in a new house; I pretty much have a NEW LIFE! As one of my 'new life' resolutions, I have determined to be more dilligent in the blogging business. That's what's great about resolution....you can always resolve again the next day

res·o·lu·tion [rez-uh-loo-shuhn] –noun
1. a resolve or determination: to make a firm resolution to do something.
2. the act of resolving or determining upon an action or course of action, method, procedure, etc.

So on that note of resolution and change, I will say that the biggest change in my life--marked by two months today--is my marriage to Joseph William Richards. He has, in more ways than one, changed my life-for good! You know something or someone is good for you when they motivate you to be better, to reach a little higher and run a little faster. Joseph does this for me. One way he blesses my life is in his motiviation to action. Joseph is a "Doer." He is not content to sit idly and watch life fly by. If he's not setting goals or researching about grad school, he's reading up on the primary lesson we will teach that week in church or figuring out how much flood insurance costs (we live in the basment condo) or how many pounds of rice we would need to start our food storage...I love to watch my husband in action. We've only been married a short time, but I'm sure glad I got the right one :)


New Name: Maren Richards

New Job: After working several years for Senator Bob Bennett (R-UT) a new opportunity presented itself, and I took a position at a small lobbying firm in March of this year....just about the same time I got engaged. I don't really think they were bargaining on their newest employee planning a wedding the first few months on the job, but they were so wonderful and understanding!

New House: Soon after Joseph and I were engaged we found a great condo just south of Old Town, VA along the Potomac River. The lease began in June, so Margo (sister who was living with me for the summer) and I moved in that month. Since being married it has been fun playing house for keeps! We love our little two-bedroom bungalow. And yes, the guest room is all ready :)

Job Approval

Sometimes I just wish that I could figure out just exactly what it is I should do for a living. As many of you probably already know, I am currently working for a lobbying firm in downtown DC. The issues are interesting, I've become a fantastic googler, and I really do love the people I work with. But the reality is, I don't think I've found what I'm passionate about. I guess what I'm wondering, is if I should really continue that pursuit?...the pursuit of happiness, or at least satisfaction in what I do. I'm curious to hear your thoughts. Are you passionate about what you do? Is work an enjoyable thing for anyone? I know it is a great blessing to work, to master a trade, a skill, an art, but I just hope that for most people, and myself included, it becomes something to be considered a passion as well. Hmmm, maybe I'm just a dreamer :)

Home

3 months and 3 days after my blogging beginnings I have decided to revisit the world of online communication...this time I think I should get the word out (at least to close family and friends) that I actually HAVE a blog. Surprising as it may be, it is not that fun to post things into a world unknown to anyone who would appreciate what you have to say.


The rain pours down outside and the clock ticks on at a painfully slow pace. 4:18, 4:19, 4:20...40 more minutes until the whistle blows and streams of federal employees come trickling from office buildings. Like rain into the gutters, they scurry to the nearest metro entrance and duck underground, disappearing into the blur of people, all going - HOME.

HOME. I don't know why, but for some reason that is the place that flashes through my mind on a rainy day. Maybe it is because to me rainy days are synonymous to days spent on cozy couches, where fuzzy-slippered feet curl up with a good book. Perhaps it is because, whether my home is 2500 or 10 miles away, when it rains I feel like distance blurs and I am closer the the ones I love. Whatever it is, I like it. Ohh, and it's time to go home!

Inspired by a dear friend of mine, I've decided to join the world of bloggers. Perhaps I'll experience the liberation of online journaling, maybe I'll be discovered by a major publication! Regardless, I hope to keep family and friends aware of my comings and goings...I thought the little grin in this picture was quite fitting:

"Here goes nothin'!"