F-f-f-f-februcamping

We did it. We camped in February. And we still have all of our extremities.

Thank you mild winter for your less than ferocious temps and mellow breeze that only partially chilled our bones. After a full week of work, a visit from the wonderful Beth Ann, class and two nights in St. Charles, we packed up the Camry in less than 40 minutes for a night of fresh air. We're getting good at this, but we want to get better. More pre-packed plastic bins are in our future.

We got into White Pines through the back entrance and found our site, complete with electric. Yes, an electric tent camping site. We're not as fierce as you might have thought. The most important ingredient to our successful Februcamping experience was the electric blanket. Ahhh... we were recently given a two-person biking tent and we broke it in with blankets, the usual sleeping bags, more blankets, an electric blanket and more blankets. Sleeping was no problem, and in spite of the 20's temps we stayed toasty under the electric cocoon. The new tent is perfect for the two of us.

For dinner, pescatarian February met Februcamping with a delicious foil potato packet which included red peppers, onions, butter, salsa and seasoning. It was a surprisingly delicious rival to the usual Italian sausage potato packet. There is nothing like open fire cooking with tin foil. And perhaps the old adage is true... hunger is the best sauce. This morning Dad Englert rode his bike out to join us for a cup of sludge - I mean coffee and omelets.

This afternoon I (Anna) was thinking about cold weather camping. Why is this so fascinating to us? Why are we driven to vacate our cozy home in exchange for icy snow and a frigid wind? I haven't come to a full conclusion but perhaps it has something to do with the desire to know we can survive. There's a fascinating connection to the past when we put ourselves in these situations. I feel as though I can relate to the pioneers who ventured across the virgin prairies in their conastogas. For me, it's reaching beyond the banks of normal and collecting yet another adventure to savor for a while. I love experiences - especially ones that most people don't go after. There's also something amazing about embracing winter and getting a full breath of that deprived fresh air. Winter isn't so daunting after spending a day taking it all in. We both commented about how different God's glorious creation is during this season. We don't want to miss any of it.

Cheers to yet another adventure in Andersonville... it's a pretty amazing place to be.

Sunday, Pugsley Sunday

I never knew this place existed before...

Today was too nice not to get out and ride, so I took the Pugsley out for a spin.  Fat bikes are awesome.  I was able to ride for an hour and never be more than about two miles from home.

One thing quite humorous is the looks you get.  People in their cars stare at you, and people on the trails look puzzled and then smile. 

Snow, mud, trails, and tall grass.  It's a total gas.

The mighty Kishwaukee

Finally found some snow!





A Snowy, Blustery Ride

What a ride!  I've been trying to keep my winter miles up a bit so I'm all set for the Minnesota Ironman ride in May.  It's an early season century ride with sketchy weather at best.  An easy way for me to get miles is to do a mixed-mode commute by driving to my parents' house and riding to work from there.  It ends up being about 22 miles round trip, so fairly simple.  I'm blessed that my office has a full locker room and a shower.

It's crucial to get "hardman" miles in before the Ironman ride - the tougher the weather, the stronger it makes you.  So yesterday seemed like a good day to ride.  I had some new winter riding pants that I wanted to try out, love them....I love all of my Pearl Izumi stuff.  A couple of quick observations:

Mirrors.  A mirror on the bike makes me feel like the definition of dork, but it's a great addition for commuting.  I never fear what's coming behind me, and headlights make cars easy to spot.

Cool?  No.  Practical?  Absolutely.

Overheating.  People at work think you are going to die because of the cold.  In my limited but growing experience of winter riding, I find the exact opposite to be true.  I typically regret the amount of clothing that I wear once I get where I'm going because my base layers end up saturated.  Oddly enough, I've found I do better wearing less than I think I should.  After about one mile down the road, my body heat starts kicking in and I usually find myself sweating a bit.  The only time I felt cold yesterday was when I stopped to take a picture and had to remove a glove - my hand would freeze.  I was actually quite shocked at how cold it was when I took off a glove.
  

A warm day the beach.


Hometown Adventures.  Yesterday was just plain fun.  People at work thought I was crazy, but I felt like such a kid.  I miss playing in the snow and walking around all bundled up - I think that's why I enjoy snowshoeing.  Was it cold yesterday?  Yes.  Did I need to be careful?  Yes.  But was it a bad idea to ride yesterday?  I don't think so. 

I see so much more when I ride.  Things I don't even pay attention to in a car are so interesting on a bike.  In a car I count minutes exactly and feel jipped if takes me much longer than the average.  But on the bike, I couldn't tell you how long it actually (stoppage time for photos) took me to get home because I was having too much fun. 

Potawatomi Park

Winter Riding Gear. 

• Ski goggles are crazy nice - I highly recommend them in cold weather riding
• I rode with mittens for the first time yesterday - my fingers were toasty warm and I will definitely use mittens again when it's really cold.
• Shoe covers - I have some generic neoprene shoe covers.  I'd like an upgrade to something a little warmer.
• Fenders - don't have them.  Need them.

That's all for now...

Hope Springs

The weekend after our Germany course was altered we ventured out in search of new hope and something to look forward to. Because so much of our lives had been put on hold pending a transatlantic move, we really hadn't made plans for our future here. In some ways it's been nice to look at a clean slate calendar. That weekend we eventually found ourselves picking up early flower seed packets, soil and trays to begin a 2012 gardening season. Permature? Perhaps - but there is something so hopeful in watching life emerge from a crumb of a seed. Seedlings were securely lodged in moist soil and are now beginning to emerge. Its been a while since I've planted anything from "scratch" and it blows my mind that so much explodes out of such a small particle. Each day we're checking the sprouts and looking forward to the cold days passing and the warm ones cresting, like our sprouts. We're thankful for a God that grows all things and knows our needs.



On the foodie front, we're venturing our way through new ideas and flavors. We went to a superbowl party  where our friends treated us to vegetarian chili, pistachio stuffed dates, hazelnut torte, and blueberry goat cheese - ! We also had sushi night last weekend and crafted fabulous rolls with BBQ eel, crab, shrimp, tuna and veggies-galore. Our newlywed friends showed everyone the ways of the eggroll. They've ruined our low expectations for future eggroll consumption. Let it be known that we have amazing friends!

One of our new finds is grilled avocados. So simple and so ridiculously creamy and delicious. We brushed each avacado half with oil, squeezed on fresh lime, sprinkled with kosher salt and fresh ground pepper. The halves sat on the grill for a few minutes (maybe 3) on each side and came off for another round of lime, salt and pepper. We filled the well with verde salsa, a slathering of greek yogurt and fresh cilantro and accompanied the green goodness with black beans and tortilla chips. Avacado - we love you more each day!

A Sauerkraut Ending

Sadly after months of discussion and planning, we found out late last week that our opportunity for an international assignment was officially canceled due to some external circumstances beyond our control.  We were so close we even had an offer in hand, but alas, better luck next time...

There's far too much to explain in a short post, but it's best to say we have mixed emotions.  We're sad because we'll be missing out on all of the amazing opportunities that would have been on our doorstep, but we're excited for everything we'll get to experience - friends and family, babies, graduations, weddings, etc.  God is sovereign, and we trust in His plan.  We felt certain that Europe was God's plan for us, but apparently it was just going through the process that was the plan for us.  We are not the kind of people who find satisfaction in the daily grind of suburban life, so it's a little hard to lay down this dream without thinking about the next adventure.

So for now, back to the drawing board.  We recommit to goals we had been pursuing and we refine some others.  We get to be excited about the hydrangeas we planted last year and schedule lots of cycling events and 5k runs.  It kind of sucks, but hey, at least now I can say "Meine Frau ist sehr schön, und ich liebe sie sehr!"

Pescatarian

So I was told that vegetarian plus fish equals pescatarian, so I guess this month you can actually call me "Pescatarian Paul."  I'm also learning that cutting out red meat, chicken, and pork doesn't mean you eat very healthy. Exhibits A, B, and C:

A. Pizza
B. Beer
C. French Fries

Although I've been good two days now and was disciplined enough to order a tuna sandwich (I know, not a real big step for many of you), for a meat-atarian like myself, it was a giant leap.  I guess the challenge I'm going to have is to be good and not just eat all sorts of carbs, but actually eat healthy fruits and vegetables....so, I ate a banana on the way home.

Looks like after Pescatarian February, we're going to need Atkins March.

Veggie-tarian

Anna and I made the decision to go vegetarian plus fish for the month of February.  Gulp...

No major health reasons or anything, I think we're just kind of curious to see how it affects our cooking and just to see if we can be disciplined enough.  I'm just hoping I don't lose 10lbs or something by the end of the month or else I may be persuaded to continue the veggie lifestyle.  I like meat too much...mmmm meat...

Today I was asked to go to lunch by with my manager and our GM.  Obviously I agreed to do so, but it wasn't until after I got in the car that they decided they wanted to go to Portillo's - aka "Meat Heaven" with the most tasteful Italian beef sandwiches ever.  It was very tempting, but I had the "pleasure" of eating a halibut sandwich.  Sigh....