Seasons of Life

I've been reading about this "quarterlife crisis" idea a lot lately. I understand the sentiment of not having changed the world yet and done all of the incredible things you thought you were going to accomplish, and trying to figure out what to do about it and put actions behind your thoughts when you are so tired after work. It is frustrating and difficult. Then today I came across this paragraph which summed it up so well for me:

And perhaps that's the best way to describe these special moments in life. They are seasons. Just like the residents of Narnia learned, however, one magical season that is extended indefinitely is no kind of magic at all. It's like winter all the time without Christmas. To try and continue life in these "in between times" would ruin the unique joy that they bring. The sweetness of the season would quickly rot like a piece of fruit that's been in the back of the refrigerator drawer too long. - http://leewards.blogspot.com/

so here's to an "in between time"!

Thanksgiving in New England!

While Thanksgiving will always make me think of driving to upstate NY, hoping for snow, Christmas the day after, skits with the cousins, great family time, picking out a live turkey, and all the food that was always available for us, this year I decided that I should see this holiday's origins.

Three of us from work headed down to Plymouth, MA on a random Tuesday that we all had off! We went an hour south of Boston to see Plimoth Plantation, Plymouth Rock, and celebrate the original thanksgiving location.

We were able to view the rock that was around when the pilgrims landed, tour the Mayflower II, see a 1600's village complete with actors and animals, talk to Native peoples, and eat a full thanksgiving meal. It was a full day filled with lots of reading and wandering, there was an interesting exhibit at Plimoth Plantation on the evolution of Thanksgiving as a national holiday (where the picture of the cartoon comes from) that was very intriguing to get an idea of what really happened and how it was thought of from many different perspectives.

This trip was something I have been wanting to do since moving to New England. It was so exciting to finally be there, on a gorgeous day, with fun friends, near the ocean!

From the "original" place of thanks, HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!

Getting back on the blogging horse

Here are the promised pictures from my new apartment! Things have been super busy, but I will be blogging more-stay posted for more updates!

below are two views of the living room, the kitchen from the front door, and two views from the street.

Beacon Hill is a beautiful area in downtown Boston, with gas lit lamps, and steep streets!

Moving...

Laura and I are out of Cambridge and now living in downtown BOSTON!!!

While I grew up moving all the time, and love change of all kinds, this move has been hard. It seems to keep coming. There is always another thing to think about / another thing to move / another thing to unpack / so much stuff! I don't know how we did it so many times as a family of five (I think I have a lot to thank my mom and her unstoppable energy for) but I am excited tobe in Boston and the cutest neighborhood ever! :)

Look for pictures of the new place soon!

Boston Slang

Living in New England, one may think that there is no communication barrier. However, my time living here has proven otherwise. Due to the necessity, I have compiled a list of the top 10 most commonly used New England/ Boston Slang and how each is used most often in alphabetical order.

1. bang - to make a left turn (often, "bang a left"; also used often as "bang a U-ie" - make a U turn); sometimes used interchangeably with hang

2. Hoodsie - A small cup of vanilla and chocolate ice-cream from the HP Hood Company. Eaten with a thin wooden spoon that comes with the Hoodsie.

3. The Hub - Boston; shortened from Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.'s phrase The Hub of the Solar System (often misremembered as Universe) (seldom used in conversation, but seen often in writing and advertisements, e.g. in the Boston Globe; Top of the Hub is a restaurant) 4. Man's Greatest Hospital - (MGH) Massachusetts General Hospital 5. "No suh!" - "No way!". The appropriate response is "Ya huh!" 6. packie (also package store) - liquor store (originally i thought we needed boxes for something!) 7. Pats - the New England Patriots 8. the People's Republic - Cambridge (alternatively, seven square miles surrounded by reality) 9. The T - the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority; also used for services run by the MBTA, particularly the Subway. Taken from the MBTA's logo, a block-letter T within a circle. 10. wicked - very; or occasionally cool. Used indiscriminately, can modify anything (e.g.: "Wicked good." "Wicked bad." "Wicked boring.", etc.). Almost always used as an adverb, rather than an adjective; some Bostonians feel it is grammatically improper not to put an adjective or verb after "wicked".

World Cup 2010

Many people that I've talked to in the past 7 days, don't understand the sport, are frustrated that there are not always winners, and can't believe the low scores. I try to explain to them that even though I understand that this is a sport most Americans don't grow up following and our team isn't a contender to win the cup, I'm in love with the whole event. I love the camaraderie of the world; I love the excitement of the fans; I love seeing Americans learn about countries like South Africa with such rich, yet unknown histories; and I love being one of the underdogs!!

For most American families, the world cup is a month when they see more soccer on tv and perhaps tune in to a game or two to cheer for the US national team and see who is crowned champion. However, for the Killmer family the world cup means that we all watch, discuss, and celebrate the largest sports event in the world. I spend my mornings reliving the previous days matches with my dad in SA, I text my brother during the games while he watches in NY, and i keep my sister posted on what has been occurring while she is at work. Even my mom has learned players names and knows which teams we cheer on!

Living in Boston means that basketball fever is at its height today with the Celtics going into game 7, and while I know I'll be watching and cheering with the best of the fans tonight, the morning of June 11th was a much more anticipated event for me. I switched shifts with a coworker to have the day off, my World Cup tshirt was laid out in advance, my alarm clock was set early, and I arrived at a bar by 9:30am in order to get good seats. The atmosphere was incredible even though we were the only South African supporters! The Mexican supporters all wished South Africa luck and shouted good game at the end of the 90min match!

Texts were exchanged with my South African friends and the World Cup (aka the best month of sports) has officially begun!! Viva Espana!

it's been awhile...

Hello blogworld! It's been a little while, but I'm back in several ways. I returned on Sunday from a week long wedding extravaganza! What an honor and what fun it is to see my friends, and former roommates, walk down the aisle to amazing men :) and see Chicago in the midst of Stanley Cup fever

Now on to World Cup Fever!! waka waka eh eh (Shakira's world cup song with the amazing group Freshly Ground)

Daring Dish

my dislike for pizza and my pure enjoyment of anything with Italian dressing combined to create a crazy idea: Shepherd's Pie Pizza!

Charlie and I embarked on our cooking quest with high hopes and not too many ingredients. After completing a zip car rental to pick up forgotten items, we began our creation in earnest. Homemade pizza dough, hand spiced ground beef, frozen veggies and Yukon Gold mashed potatoes got us started. We combined the ingredients into a pie-like plate and cooked. the final product was perfection! I mean, who can complain about a meal you can put italian dressing on? With some pizza flavors coming through and delicious meat, this Shepherd's pizza could not be beat!

Here is a picture of a slice of the masterpiece.

Charlie enjoyed his piece, while sporting a great top (one of my scrub tops)!

South Africa!

I know its a bit late, but, wow. to summarize my trip to South Africa seems like a daunting task.
My time in the southern hemisphere was rejuvenating, encouraging and exciting! I went to South Africa purely as a vacation trip! Its one of the few vacations I have had without family obligations, mission trip involvement, and no list of things I had to do!
I went to South Africa to visit two different set of friends. The first is a family that I met here in Boston. Ellen and Phumlani Ngcongo were a newly married, South African couple living in Cambridge for a year while Phumlani studied at Harvard Law. Ellen was working at my church part time. Their flexible schedules and close proximity to my apartment allowed our friendship to grow during that year. They also recently added a baby girl, Keitumetse, to their family!!! I was also able to visit Valpo friend, Tyler, who is spending 6months in Cape Town finishing up his master's degree.

Quick Overview of the trip:
Jan 30- Arrive in Jo'burg (Ngcongo family)
Feb 1- 5- Drakensburg Mts
Feb 5-8- Durban
Feb 8-12- Cape Town (Tyler)
Feb 14- Arrive back in Boston

Snippets from my journal
-Can't believe I'm in Africa, I've been dreaming of this for years. Lord, thank you for this opportunity. and Keitumetse- i'm in love!!

while we were in the Drakensburg mountains:
-I am amazed at the beauty of South Africa and the complexity of these lands.
-what great friends I have been blessed with, i look forward to the years of friendship ahead
-How i love to eat! thank you for the sense of taste, Lord!!
-what was God thinking when he made a giraffe?! what a weird animal. i think its my new favorite!
-Definitely a "vacation" day today. How i love hiking, relaxing, leftovers and a pool!
-Another great day, and a proposal! I could stay here forever? Maybe I should reconsider his offer!
(note: on this day I was able to go for a two hour horse ride in the mountains, which was absolutely incredible. It was just me and the guide. He was a 23 yr old Zulu man and he proposed to me by offering me 20 cows when the going rate is 11!)

In Durban:
-Who knew a small fan could make a night so pleasant? Enjoying the breeze while i can
-We spent today with Phumlani's family in a township. what an awesome experience of love, acceptance, and culture

in Cape Town:
-Valpo friends really are some of the best friends i have!
-This city is gorgeous. Everything i love in such close proximity- mountains and ocean!
-I wish I had infinite vacation- this is going way too quickly!
-I really don't know much about South African/ African history- i definitely need to read up. There is so much rich, inspiring history that I am ignorant of.


The trip was truly amazing. I lost my heart, mostly to Keitumetse, but to Africa as well. I came home remembering why i chose to go into nursing in the first place and the dreams i still have of going overseas. I also came back rested and reinvigorated to get involved in life here in Boston. It is so easy to get caught up in work and sleeping! The fellowship and encouragement from my friends in South Africa was a nice reminder of the community God built us to desire and need.

While its good to be back in the US, I am already eagerly awaiting my next trip to Africa!
95 Days Til the World Cup!

2010!

New Years and my vacation finally arrived and I was off to Osaka, Japan!

What a wonderful time with the whole family together. It was such a treat to be able to hang out, catch up, and tour the area. We travelled to Nara (the old Japanese capitol), Hiroshima, Miyajima (a mountain island), and of course downtown Osaka!

It was fun to begin the new decade in Japan as a family. We had also spent the celebration going into the new millennium together as a family in Japan!

As we start a new year, I can't help but think about the future and what I will be doing this year. I am not sure what will happen and I am slow to make goals or resolutions, but I will remain in Boston through the year, and have several trips in the works.

I know that God has a great plan and I look forward to all the experiences, events and adventures of 2010!

Now I'm back in Cambridge, MA ready to work for three weeks before heading to South Africa to see friends in both Johannesburg and Cape Town as well as meet the beautiful baby, Keitumetse, who I have been waiting to meet for a very long time!

So far 2010 has been exciting and full of travel!

Christmas?

Another working Christmas... it just doesn't have the excitement that used to come with the holiday season. No impending break, finals to push through, gifts to anticipate.... not even a Christmas service that fit into my work schedule.

this year I worked evening shift all week and spent Christmas day hanging around my apartment. Laura stayed at the apartment an extra night so we were able to enjoy a night of home made pizza and It's a Wonderful Life! Christmas eve I was able to experience latke's and another evening shift at work. A pulled out sofa bed provided my excitement on Christmas morning and cards from friends and family were opened! I loved having a white christmas (my first in many years!) with great movies playing and worked christmas night.

Definitely a different type of Christmas then I'm used to, but not a bad way to celebrate the birth of our Savior!