Tuesday, April 5, 2011

well it LOOKS like spring

I haven't written in awhile. Spring break was really good, very relaxing and low-key which is what I needed. Now I'm back at school for my last spring quarter! This quarter has a lot of new things in store for me. I started a nannying job that is two days a week picking up a 2nd grader from school and then his two older brothers come on the bus. I get them snacks, start homework with them and just hang out for a bit until their mom gets home. I really like it and it's a good break from my classes and studying. I am also taking my Methods quarter which is the first of 3 student teaching quarters here at SPU. I will be in a 3rd grade classroom every Thursday observing and helping the teacher. I'm so excited to start in a couple of days. Today I had my first day of 4 Methods classes. Being in class from 8-6 is really long but I liked all of my classes a lot and the workload doesn't seem that it's going to be too hard. Actually, today gave me a good feeling about being a teacher again, which I haven't felt in a long time.

So in regards to my title...it is almost 7:30 but still very light outside. The sun is shining, and birds are singing! I love it! Unfortunately, once you step outside to enjoy it, it's all a joke as it is windy and cold so still feels like winter. I just bought Rainbow sandals and my mom is making me a dress, so now the weather just needs to cooperate!

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Artistic Updates

To follow up from my last post, I used the leftover meat, dough, and onions to make calzones! I made cole slaw again but this time had honey to add and I liked the dressing much better. One of my good friends was over for dinner and as I was cooking, I realized she's been my guinea pig all year long as I try out new recipes. She keeps coming back though :) Here's a picture of last night's dinner before and after:


Also, I've been out taking lots of pictures lately. For Christmas, I got a Cannon Rebel t2i and I have loved learning how to use it and snapping shots of everything. I had some extra time today to do some editing and uploading of a bunch of new pictures. For some odd reason, the little slideshow gadget over there ---> will only rotate through a handful of pictures from my Flikr. So here is the link for my photostream http://www.flickr.com/photos/hannahjezak/

8 days until I am done with this quarter and get to go home!

Friday, March 4, 2011

Cooking Adventures

This year I live in an apartment and while the cafeteria on campus is still an option, I have not been inside it once! I have been cooking for myself and I love it! Although, shopping and cooking for one person is not easy or very fun. I do always have leftovers unless I have friends over to share the meal which I absolutely love!

I have a cookbook that I got for Christmas, a bunch of mom's recipes, and a subscription to "Every Day with Rachael Ray." I have enjoyed trying all sorts of new recipes throughout the year though sometimes I do revert back to soup in a can or frozen pizza. But cooking takes time and energy and sometimes as a college student with a job, there just isn't a whole lot of either.

Last night I made this: Polish Pigs in a Blanket from the Rachael Ray show.




you can find the recipe here

This meal is really fast and easy to make! Problems for a single college student is that then you have pizza dough and 1/2 a kielbasa left to figure out what to do with. Sausage is great with spaghetti and marinara sauce and I'm still thinking about how I will use the dough in the next couple days.

This was my second time making it and it turned out pretty good, but here are some tips based on my experience. Spray the baking sheet with non-stick spray or use parchment paper so you don't lose the bottom crust like I did. The sausage crisps much faster than the onions so start it a few minutes later. Next time I will probably use less mustard and onions just because it was kind of overkill. Also, I realized half way through making the slaw dressing that I was out of honey so I just went without. It still tasted good but lacked any sweetness. It was yummy and very filling!



Thursday, March 3, 2011

Sun shines through the Rain

I'm sitting in a coffee shop on the corner of two streets. It is raining on one street, but not on the other. Clouds have come and gone all day, but now there are blue skies and warm sunshine and yet, still some rain falls. Is this weather not also apparent in life? Difficult situations come and go like the rain clouds. Or maybe one area of our life is going great yet the struggles in another aspect still discourage us. And yet, the sun will always come out again. The sun can pierce through clouds and shine through the drops of rain. This paradox even results in a beautiful rainbow. God's love never stops. Even if we feel alone and discouraged during hard times, He is still there. The clouds can cover up the sun, but they cannot keep it from existing and shining. Stressful situations might consume our thoughts and cause worry, but they cannot change the fact that God is in control and He has a plan. When we recognize this promise, we can experience joy in suffering, perhaps as sweet and beautiful as the vibrant hues of a rainbow.

So, there are some thoughts for the day, and now that it has stopped raining, I'm off to do some photography.

Friday, February 25, 2011

Maybe I should have been an English major


...or maybe an emphasis is enough. At any rate, everytime I take an English class, I love it! Partially because the professors are always my favorite. There are 4 here at SPU that I just love and wish I could take more classes from. I am currently in British Literature from the Restoration to Victorian. We discussed Arnold's "Dover Beach", and parts of Mill's "Autobiography" and E.B. Browning's "Aurora Leigh" today. The part of me that could NOT be an English major is the part that reads these pieces and has no idea what they are saying. But then I get to class and we discuss and it all becomes so clear and I think 'yeah I could do this.' What exactly is "this" though? A profession of reading? Well yes partly. Everyone we've read bases their writings off of ideas from previous authors. Arnold references Milton, Mill talks about Wordsworth and Browning hints at ideals of Wollstonecraft. So, I read, take ideas, and then write something new. Sounds easy right? I'm not convinced. I want to keep reading, and start writing. But I'm not sure what to write, who for, and to what purpose? This uncertainty often leads me to just push it aside and say 'nah, it's not for me.' But then I get so excited in class and LOVE discovering the ideas and connections between authors and even pop culture today. I'm a nerd that way (along with the fact that I could diagram sentences or factor binomials in Algebra all day long :D)

Maybe someday. At any rate, for the time being I need to read some excerpts from "David Copperfield". Oh and I have discovered the best study snack item: dark chocolate covered cranberries! They are sweet, chocolatey, but also healthy! yuuuum. Thank you Trader Joe's.

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

I Still Believe

It is has been far too long since I posted. Last time I just turned 21 and since then I passed the West-E, finished fall quarter, had a great and relaxing Christmas break and am now coming up to the midterms of winter quarter. Oh, winter quarter. Looooong sigh! It has been very gray and dreary literally, mentally, and emotionally. I had hoped after such an amazing summer that I would not repeat the misery of last winter and in many ways it is better and different but some aspects are still not so fun. I have really struggled with some big questions such as "what am I doing with my life????" I have had serious second thoughts of my major and career choice. But, being only 1 class away from my major completed and student teaching left for certification I realized it was impractical to make any drastic changes right now. I re-applied to work at CBCC this coming summer and after a weekend reunion with the summer staff I got very excited about it again. I currently volunteer every other Sunday helping with 3yr-old Sunday School at my church and I love it. Some frequent babysitting also helps me get my adorable little-kids fix. :)

Today was very blah until the last hour and then God shifted my teeter-totter again. In my Young Adult Lit class we have been reading books about WWII and the Holocaust and then today we watched Life is Beautiful. VERY good movie but also very sad. I was speechless after watching and couldn't participate in the discussion. Certainly not what I needed on an already blah and gray day, but I think there was a good reason. So, within the last hour, my day got considerably better because of my great Bible study. It's such a blessing to be able to open up and fellowship and pray with other Christian girls. Then I practiced guitar and have been listening to some Barlow Girl. I love music and believe it is very therapeutic. Certain songs have really impacted me and helped me through different times both good and bad. Tonight at Bible study I started thinking of one particular song that I wanted to listen to as soon as I got back. It's called "I Believe in Love" by Barlow Girl and based off an inscription found carved into a cellar wall by Jews hiding during the Holocaust.
The lyrics of the chorus are:
"I believe in the sun, even when it's not shining. I believe in love, even when I can't feel it. And I believe in God, even when He is silent." It's a really beautiful song if you want to listen to it on YouTube. I think this was such a God thing how this song tied into my class experience today and then with how I've been feeling about the weather and my life and such.

I don't know what tomorrow holds, I don't know what God's plan is for me, and sometime it's rougher than others, but, I still believe.