Live What you Love

6/27/2011

Today marks the beginning of my Summer 2011 trip to Germany and Italy. Super excited to experience my 4th time in Germany and a 1st for Italy. Many may ask why I would spend that amount of money in going to a place in Europe that I have been several times and why not explore else where. My reply: Heidelberg is a must on trips to Europe as a piece of my heart was left behind there 1 1/2 years ago and it feels like going home. Therefore, I will start and end there with 10 days of Italy in the middle.

It seems a bit surreal that I am going as I have barely even had time to think about it since I purchased the tickets a few weeks ago. It’s off to a great start....this morning I volunteered my seat on the first leg of my trip in exchange for a $425 voucher and a chance to still arrive in Frankfurt on time. At this rate, I just may MAKE money on this trip :)

As I cross the ocean I have a million emotions and thoughts crossing my mind. Excitement, joy and confidence as well as a little fear, slight anxiety and uncertainty...am I crazy to follow this path? Is it unrealistic?.....the smile on my face every five minutes, the skip in my step, the calm quiet reflection and the strange subconscious confidence and sureness that overpower the questioning still tell me it’s right. I can’t explain it any better than that.

Do I sleep? (God knows I haven’t been doing much of that since I have been couch surfing for the last two weeks and living out of my car while trying to work on editing our film project before leaving as well as finishing up at my job.) OR - Do I start planning my trip through Italy? The only thing I have done is vaguely map out a little route through Italy and back up to Germany while picking a couple hub cities to make sure I hit on certain dates. I was hoping to get some time to do a little advanced research but with the unsettledness in my unpredictable life and spontaneity in the decision to travel this summer, time got away from me. And although it’s quite an enjoyable read, I’m not sure the first few chapters of "Under the Tuscan Sun" that I read this morning would exactly qualify as advanced research. So with an iPhone Rome Guide App and the Lonely Planet Italy book, I should be able to get started and the rest will be research in the moment.

The responsible, practical part of my brain says I should probably get to booking places to stay and make an agenda but since when has that part of my brain been getting any use; do I really want to start now? It seems to be the spontaneous and whimsical part of my brain and/or the depths of heart that gladly takes over and reassures me it’s all good and it will all fall into place as I go cause this is what I’m meant to do.

This trip has been declared a food tour with the idea of exploring the food culture and documenting it both in writing and in photo, maybe even a little video. I actually went as far as telling the person sitting next to me on the first plane that I was traveling for fun but also as a food and travel writer and owner of a production company creating a film series on food culture. It just sort of came out. It surprised me and caught me a little off guard as it rolled off my tongue with ease and confidence. Felt a little scary for a second but it also felt GREAT! Guess it’s all a part of putting it out there and taking ownership of my vision. This is the beginning of the food and travel journey with high hopes of it becoming my profession one day, somehow.

Although I am looking forward to seeing the tourist sites, art, and architecture, my main interests lie in the local people, home cooking, food markets, street shops, farms, bakeries, gelato shops, and vineyards. As far as the route plan goes, the first couple days I will be in Heidelberg, Germany visiting my dear friend Carolin and of course other friends and family from when I lived there. Then the the train ride begins with the first stop in Rome. I purchased a Eurail pass to get me around while I’m exploring. It’s a great way to travel and is way cheaper than buying separate train tickets if you plan to hop around the country. After a few days in Rome, I will make my way up to Florence for a few days, all the while hoping to explore the surrounding areas as well. After Florence I will maybe hit up another small area and then make my way back to Heidelberg around the 8th or 9th just in time to celebrate my birthday with friends and wrap up my trip in Germany before the return trip back to Chicago and on to Montana.

Enough about the minimal travel plans; lets talk about the main event: FOOD. My first meal of the trip......the in-flight meal. With choices of chicken or pasta, I decided that I better prep myself for Italy with a little pasta. Don’t worry I wasn’t going to even pretend it would stack up to the real thing.

The curly white noodles were soaking in a pesto cream sauce and garnished with a few canned chopped tomatoes; I’m not so sure Italy would have approved. In-flight meals are always a special surprise, aren’t they? You never know what you’re gonna get steaming in those little black plastic hot boxes. Unfortunately, I didn’t bring my usual bag of travel snacks; the fridge in my house (aka: car) was out of order due to summer weather. Setting aside my pride as a nutritionist, I scooped up and stomached a few bites of the soggy pasta before calling it quits and settling for the 4 pieces of romaine lettuce, 1 cherry tomato, 1 slice of cucumber and a soft whole wheat high fructose corn syrup roll with few dips of creamy italian dressing. That should hold me over until I get to Germany where the fun begins.

Destination: Germany and Italy

Mission: Fun, Food, Friends, Wine, and Culture

And another one

Ok, well, I once again had another experience of spontenaity. I'm don't think you are surprised :) I designed this tattoo back when I got my arm one but wasn't sure where I wanted it and when I would do it. I guess a couple nights ago was the night. Sari and I were out for the evening celebrating our show and business with dinner at a cute little French restaurant. On the way home we decided to stop by the tattoo parlor spontaneously. We had done this before both wanting tattoos and didn't get them only for me to go back later and now this time guess who was the only one that left with one. You guessed it! The heart is larger than the other two on purpose. The meaning of my newest permanent expression is: "Faith, Hope and Love and the Greatest of these is Love." Yes it hurt and still does :)

Pondering....

So the last few weeks I have been noticing things in my life starting to repeat themselves because I have been living here now for over a year! You know..remembering moving in, remembering someones birthday happening who I didn't well last year but now is a good friend of mine, hearing about the river being dyed green for St Patty's Day, etc.....Weird! I was wondering why these things seemed SO noticeable to me and just realized yesterday that it's because this is the first time in almost 5 years that I lived in the same city for at least a year and have even had the chance to see things repeat themselves! WHOA! Sorta strange....didn't think it would be Chicago and not sure how I feel about that but while the filming is still happening, I won't be goin anywhere except hopefully traveling around the world!

Big Shoot Weekend!

Gettin ready to start on Sunday

Filming grandpa stir fryin

Preppin, plannin, directing, and workin ;)

Behind the scenes

The Crew...I'm tryin to hold myself up...this was during the last half hour of our 6 1/2 hour shoot on Sunday

All the food

Cast and crew :)

Me and Dave, my camera man

Producers, Editors, Talent, Creators, Camera man...CREW......Thyme 2 Travel Productions and TMK Productions

Me and Sari....Chinese style!

Saturday and Sunday were our biggest film shoots for the pilot we are creating. It was a very long, draining, but super fun weekend! We shot on Saturday from 9:30 to 2:30 and Sunday from 2 til 8:30......Sunday was definitely the hardest by far. Lots of food stuff, timing, energy required, and just alot going on over all. Funny cause I only remember about half of it...Guess i was "in the zone". Everything went great though and I think we got some really good stuff to work with. Kinda crazy how you will only see about 15 minutes of that 11 hours of film...........it's all a part of the biz ;) Forgot to take out the camera and take some pics outside and in the market on Saturday...I guess we were all a little busy :) Someone was kind enough to take pics around the set on Sunday though so we could share a little bit of the experience. So surreal....super fun....very excited...and lots of hopes for a great show that some network will be interested in one day soon. Probably won't have it all put together until early summer but you will be sure to hear from me! Stay tuned :)

Catching up....Austin, sickness, but ready to film!

Rapping for the talent show......our group wrote a song called "Green Poo" (all about eating lots of greens and all the movements that were happening for everyone that week ) It was definitly the hit of the show ;)

My girls......Steph from Naperville store and Vanessa from St Louis store

Me and my Tess!!!

I'm getting really bad OR shall I say I have been having a hard time finding time to write on here as much as I REALLY want to! Went to Austin, TX for work right after I wrote the last post and was there for a week. It was GREAT! Went to a nutrition retreat where, for 6 days, I got up every morning to workout, was feed three delicious PLANTSTRONG meals everyday, got to sit and listen to nutrition lectures by some of THEE top nutrition and health experts in America dealing with REAL food (Caldwell Esselstyn and Colin Campbell) and some fun activities. Was very busy and exhausting but pretty cool. Then after the retreat my friend Tess came up from Kingsville to see me for a night. Haven't seen here for over a year and we had a great time visiting, had a couple drinks, got our car towed and walking along the river trails. It was so strange cause Austin definitely doesn't feel like Texas. It is definitely more like Santa Cruz without the ocean :) No wonder I thought it was great! Upon my return, I unfortunately got sick for a week and a half with a sinus infection and bronchitis. Damn plane rides! Plus it probably didn't help that I ate EXTREMELY clean and healthy for 6 days and then went out and had a few margaritas and minimal sleep. Always have to be on the run too! Finally got some meds because I HAD to be ready for this last weekend when we did the filming for the largest portion of the pilot Sari and I are creating. Yikes!

Thyme 2 Travel Productions

It’s official! Sari and I have now started a Production Company that our film project will fall under. Due to the progression in our project and the possibilities we hope it brings we thought it was appropriate to make it more legit. Very exciting, yet a little scary at the same time. Still so much to do to get it off the ground but we are taking the steps for success. I have a strong belief in having to take risks to move forward toward what you believe you are meant to do and the only thing I can do now is be confident about it. Our website is currently pretty generic but up and running. Still working on getting a logo. As far as the project goes, we have some big days coming up in a couple weeks when we will shoot a big portion of the pilot. A little nervous and stressed about the prep work but it is gonna be a lot of fun.

Texas isn't quite India

Just found out yesterday I get to go to a Health Immersion program for some continuing ed in Austin, Texas next weekend for a week! It will be a week of healthy eating, exercising, spa-ing, and listening to nutrition lectures. Very exciting! The best part about it is that I am staying an extra night so that I can hang out with my dear from TESS! She is going to school at Texas A&M and is going to make the 5 hour drive up to Austin just for the 24hours we get to see each other. Tess is a great friend of mine that I worked with at the summer camp in California and we haven't seen each other since.....1 1/2 years ago! Looking forward to my time in warmer weather, cleansing my body, and visiting with a great friend.

India 2011?

So at work I have the opportunity to apply for a 30 day volunteer trip abroad. There are a few locations to choose from and one of them is India....a place I have wanted to go for a long time now. I am handing in my application essay today in hopes of getting selected but it goes through store level, regional level, and on to global level before selections are made. I will find out at the end of this month. If selected I still have to raise money for my plane ticket but I will cross that hurdle when I get there. Squeezing my thumbs and crossing my fingers for this wonderful opportunity. The following is the essay I am handing in today. In the essay, I had to explain why I want to go and what I would do when I return.....

“For it is in giving that we receive...” - St Francis of Assisi

This quote truly expresses much of the way that I have lived my life and it continues to guide me in my pursuit for a life of purpose. It is not describing giving as a way of receiving something back physically but it is about giving to others and receiving the reward of seeing them truly, positively impacted by what you have done. I see the option of volunteering with the Whole Planet Foundation in India as a wonderful opportunity to perform this kind of giving. As a Whole Foods Market Healthy Eating Specialist and Nutrition Educator, I have the privilege of helping guide and support others in making choices for a healthier lifestyle. Providing information and seeing the way that food can impact the lives of others is one of the most rewarding things I have ever done.
In reading what The Miracle Foundation Organization is all about and what they are doing in India, I would feel extremely privileged to take part in this year’s pilot program. I have always had a strong interest in volunteering abroad and my heart yearns to share love and give hope to women and children in need. Not only do I want to give to others but I have a passion for travel, I love experiencing different cultures, and I believe in having the true authentic experience when visiting another country. My travel desire is not to visit tourist attractions, fancy restaurants, five star hotels, or to lie on the beach drinking cocktails; I want to travel with a purpose. This purpose is a purpose to help others, a purpose to experience other cultures , and a purpose to give of myself, whether that be through nutrition education, food, music, recreational activities, or just comforting words and touch.
Upon my return from a trip of this nature, I would love to share my experience with Team Members and the community through a presentation of pictures, words, and items I bring back with me. Just as it is a passion of mine to inspire and empower others to nourish their bodies with quality foods, I would love to inspire others to learn about, respect and give back to other communities and cultures. Another aspect of my presentation would most definitely have to include traditional Indian foods and cooking techniques. Food is such a huge part of my life and how I experience culture. It is extremely significant in the portrayal of culture and human experience, largely contributing to defining family traditions and rules, companionship and family roles, and sharing and community. What a better way to share a cultural experience than with the help of food.
In close, I would like to share a poem that I wrote last month as part of an assignment. I recently finished getting my TEFL certification to teach English as a foreign language. An activity in one of my lesson plans is for students to write a poem of their own called “I am.” With prompts for the beginning of each sentence such as: I am, I believe, I feel, I hope, etc., the following is the poem that I wrote so that they could see an example of a part of who “I am.”

“I am...a nurturer”

I am… a nurturer
I wonder… what others need
I hear… soft whispers in the wind
I see… wounded hearts
I want… everyone to feel loved
I am… a nurturer

I pretend… that nothing hurts me
I feel… others pain
I touch… the lives of others
I worry… when I can’t give enough
I ask… for a guiding hand
I am… a nurturer

I understand… this world is a big place
I believe… I can make a difference
I dream… of touching the lives of many
I trust… in love
I hope… to give others what they need
I am… a nurturer

Blizzard, NYC, and Film Day 2011

Chicago Blizzard 2011

NYC

Sun bathing on the rooftop

ugggghhhhh.....my knees are about to give out just looking at this picture.

On the roof top where we were staying in Manhattan

Caro and I in front of a pastry shop....guess who needed a midnight cupcake ;)

Profile pic for filming

Sari and I and our traditional little sip before the days filming

Mic-ing up for the shoot

In the streets at the parade

Wow….I really haven’t written on here forever. This has been a CRAZY year thus far but great. Such a busy time…finished my online class to get my certificate to teach English but still have to do a little tutoring practicum, made it through the month of January with only a few full days of work off, lived through the Chicago Blizzard 2011, made a quick trip to NYC to see my dear friend Caro, and started filming some more of our pilot. This year is shaping up to be busy, productive, eventful and I would like to think, successful :) The blizzard was pretty big for Chicago but not much for this Montana girl. Pretty cool to see the lightning and the thunder though (new for me) in the midst of 20 inches of snow and 70 mile per hour winds. It almost prevented me from making it to NYC to see Caro though who was in the states for a few days and I would have been very upset to miss the trip. After a couple cancelled flights I made it there a day late but still had a great time. It was gorgeous weather with blue skies and in the low 30s with no breeze. Obviously still chilly but great for early February. Such great quality visit time in a short span and before I knew it I was back on a plane again to Chicago. Caro was there defending her dissertation to finish her doctorate in psychology. She did it! Congrats, Dr. Heindel!

I got back late last night and woke up early enough to meet with Sari and write a couple little script points for our filming session in Chinatown at noon. It couldn’t be missed as we were taking advantage of the Chinese New Year Parade taking place in the streets; a great time to get some good footage. After a few hours of filming in a couple shops and out on the snowy streets, I began to look like a wet dog and was chilled to the bone. Not really the image I was hoping for when I make it to the big screen but I think we got some good stuff. We packed up the gear and I immediately headed into to work for the remainder of the day and evening. Looking forward to a day off tomorrow and hopefully a few less things on my plate this month.

Happy New Year!

The New Year's Eve Paella and my personal chef

Hello everyone! I hope this post finds you all doing well and ready for a whole new year. I am! I think this year is going to shape up to be quite eventful. On New Years Eve, a friend of mine, Michael ,came over and cooked a yummy spanish seafood paella and we rung in the new year with some delicious food, bubbly champagne and a gorgeous view of Chicago sporting some fireworks. He is a chef so it was a litle strange to mostly watch the cooking being done cause usually it is me cooking. It was a nice rest :) I was very fortunate to have the next 3 days off of work so that I could mentally prepare for the month ahead. Lots of events going on at the store this month so I have an enormous amount of work to do. You know how it is...everyone wants to be healthier in January, right?! Still working on my certificate to teach English overseas and I'm getting ahead so I don't get stuck with lots to do in the end. Should be completed mid February. Also, still working on the filming project and we have had a few really good steps toward progressing that into something very promising. We now have a production company working with us and planning of a mini pilot show is in progress. Also have to do some filming for the store that you will be able to view online, probably in February. With all that said, I have had to fight some anxiety thus far in the new year but all for good reason. It's gonna be a good year!