Recipe for Success

"It gladdens my heart when I see you walk in with a plastic box."-Professor Fran Brearton

I love to bake. There. I said it.

Cooking and baking has always been an interest of mine, but here, when I've got a giant kitchen and a need for creative expression, baking has become quite a focus for me.

I bake every Sunday for class on Monday, then either bring the extra to class on Thursday or make something new. Funny fact, Americans are actually known for being bakers. Honestly, the first time I brought cookies to poetry class, the same Fran said, "What is it with Americans and baking?"

I didn't even know that was, like, a thing, like a defining feature of us. But I confirmed it with Naomi. Americans bake. A'ight. I can be your token American baker. Works for me.

Here are some of my recipes (and recipe edits) from the past couple weeks. They're super delicious and interesting, or at least my British counterparts think so. :)

 Orange Zest Cake 
    Whatcha need:
                 -5 oz butter
                 -5 oz white sugar
                 -2 beaten eggs
                 -7 oz flour
                 -2 Tablespoons milk
                 -1 Teaspoon orange essence (I used lemon essence, for lack of an option, and it was great)
                 -zest and juice of 1 orange (any thickness of grating will do, but I would suggest using one of the more fine options. I used a large one and found myself chewing straight zest at some points. Mm. ish.)
                 -3 Tablespoons icing sugar (this means powdered sugar. I didn't know what the heck it meant and used granulated. Worked just as well and gave the crust a little crunch).

Preheat over to 350F.

Combine ingredients at all, leaving aside the juice and the powdered sugar.

"Flour" and grease a baking pan. Personally, if any flavour is gonna get stuck on my food, I want it to be sweet, so I usually grease and powder sugar a pan. Your choice.

Bake for 40 minutes or until you can pull a toothpick out without it getting covered in gunk.

Whisk together your sugar and juice, poke holes all up in your bread, pour the mix over it.
You can either be done here, or stick it back in the oven for a few minutes.

This bread is sticky and juicy and delicious. I suggest eating it with a wee slab of dark chocolate on the side or a cup of hot chocolate. It's works as a great wake-up.

Alterations: 

   1. I don't sift flour. Can't figure out why I would. 

   2. I like to roll the lavender in my hands first, crushing the pods. It stretches it out, releases even more of that beautiful scent, and makes your hands smell awesome. 

   3. Didn't have wax paper and, knowing my struggles to do normal, basic things, the cutting nice, clean cookies wouldn't have worked anyway. I suggest chilling the dough for a bit, then just spooning it out normal onto a cookie sheet. 

At first, I couldn't tell if I liked these cookies because I didn't like eating the dough (I love cookie dough WAY more than the actual cookies. It's part of why I like baking alone. Nobody gets mad at me for snitching the batter), but baked, oh my gosh, they are beautiful. 

Fresh out of the oven is best (as par usual) because they're a little crunchy on the top, but the inside is soft and hot, they release this steamy, calming, lavender aroma/flavour. It's a really soothing little cookie. You will eat 10. 

Coconut Lime Cookies

 Need:
 -2 and 1/4 cups flour
 -1/2 tsp baking soda
 -1 tsp baking powder
 -1 cup shredded coconut (that's desiccated coconut for you UK folks)
 -1/2 tsp salt
 -1 cup sugar
 -3 oz cream cheese, cut up into little pieces (UK: "soft cheese")
 -Zest of one key lime (I had no key lime. Used a little extra lime juice)
 -1/2 cup butter, melted and still warm (not hot, otherwise you'll cook the egg when you add it)
 -1 large egg, room temp (here in NI, you don't refrigerate your eggs. Who knew??)
 -1 TBSP whole milk (I used coconut milk for the flavour. Use whatever milk you have near you)
 -1 TBSP key lime juice
 -1/2 cup of powder sugar for rolling cookies (couldn't even find that for weeks here. Frosting sugar, it's called. Needless to say, I didn't use it. Tried rolling in granulated. Truly not an important step. Go for it, though! I'm sure it's delicious that way).

The key to this recipe is texture, that's why everything is room temp, cut up, or melted. The goal is to avoid using a mixer. Stick with your spatula, folding everything in.

There's technically an "order" to add it all in, but really, I am unconvinced that there is any true reason behind that. Eventually, everything ends up in the bowl. So, as long as all the ingredients are remembered, toss 'em in there in whatever order you feel led.

Bake these little suckers for 11ish minutes at 350F. They won't get super brown anywhere and they've got amazing volume and texture, so just trust the time on the first go-round, taking them out and letting them cool before passing judgment on how long the next batch should bake for.

Personally, I was unconvinced of the limeyness (perhaps due to my lack of zest), but I spritzed my cookies with more lime juice and let them soak in it for a wee bit. I don't think you can really go wrong. It's just flavour preference.                               

Almond cups (recipe below) on left; coconut lime cookies (recipe above) on right

Baked Coconut Almond Oatmeal Cups
 Ingredients:
-2 TBSP butter, melted but not searing hot
-1 egg (thus the cool-down on the butter)
-2 cups skim milk (you can drink whole milk if you want to)
-1/2 tsp. coconut extract (what. I can't find powdered sugar here. Ain't no way I am gonna locate coconut extract. Used Coconut oil and substituted a bit of the milk for coconut milk)
-1/2 tsp salt
-1 tsp baking powder
-2 cups rolled oats (think Quaker)
-1 cup shredded coconut
-1/4 cup sliced almonds (and a healthy dose for the tops of the muffins)

Combine and dump into muffin cups, filling them half full. I found an ice cream scoop works well, if you're looking for a clean way to do this.

Use those extra almonds to top off the cups.

Now, this recipe is super healthy. I find health a bit averting, so I sprinkled brown sugar atop all of these. Gave them just the right amount of sugar to take the edge off the fiber. If you've already manipulated your tastebuds into believing that coconut oil is sweet enough for you!, then I'm sure you'll like the recipe as is. Enjoy.

Bake at 350F for 20ish minutes.

 keep this recipe exactly as it is, keeping in mind my law of rubbing the lavender before adding it in. Other than that, all kinds of sweet goodness will happen in your mouth with these. They are TO DIE for. Lavender cupcakes, who wouldda thought?

Now, they are super lavender-y, so if you just want a whiff of them, add in less. But they're so good, oh man.

Fresh from the oven, they've got a great crunchy top of sugary, lavendery goodness.

A note on the frosting. I think I have a complex with frosting. No matter what I do, I cannot make pretty frosting. All my frosting is YUM, but it's also liquid. So for me, I put a little less batter in my fairy cake cups, so that I've got a half to a four of inch of play room post-bake to pour my frosting into rather than let it drip all down the sides and create a sticky mess.

If you're like me, this may be the best course of action for you as well.

Cupcakes are best eaten that night or next day.

Berry Banananut Oatmeal Bars

Okay, these are max healthy, but also absolutely scrumptious. You can eat 10 squares and not feel guilty. I mean, you can feel guilty, but you would have no grounds to be so.

Ingredients:
(Order does matter this time)
-2 cups rolled oats
-1/3 c packed brown sugar (light or dark)
-1 tsp baking powder
-1 tsp cinnamon
-1/2 tsp salt
-1 c. of your favourite nuts. Recipe calls for walnuts, but I used almond slices
-1 c berries (any berries. and no need to be fresh. I used a frozen bag of mixed)
-1/2 c. milk chocolate chips (semi-sweet or dark are also completely acceptable)
-2 cups milk
-1 egg
-3 TBSP melted butter
-1 TBSP vanilla extract (yes, you read that right. a whole tablespoon. I ran out and halved it with almond extract. Totally acceptable).
-1 ripe banana (somewhere between green and black will work) cut into slices (sans peel)

Oven at 375F.
Grease that 9x13 pan.
BOWL NUMERO UNO: Mix oats, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, HALF the nuts, HALF the berries, and HALF the chocolate.
BOWL NUMERO DOS: milk, egg, butter, and vanilla (the hot butter may cook a bit of the egg. Temper this by whisking as you add the butter, but if it does cook it just a bit, it's going to be okay. Everything will cook in the oven.)

Put bowl 1 into the baking dish.
Add the second halves of the nuts, berries, and chocolate to the top, as well as the banana slices.
Pour all of bowl 2 over everything until all mixture is saturated. Shake it a little bit to make sure all the oats are soaked.

Personally, I like a little more uhmff to my mix, so I threw in some more almonds and sprinkled coconut on top like magic bars (which are also super yum).

Really, this recipe is flexible and forgiving, so you can really add in any breakfasty ingredient you have lying around that sounds good to you.

Bake your bars for 35 or so minutes until brown on top and milk has set.
Sprinkle the top lightly with brown sugar.

*Alterations/Notes*

-Don't bother with that parchment paper/silicone crap. As my Irish friend Emma would say, that's notions. Just grab you a regular joe cookie sheet. You're fine. 

-These cookies don't spread much, so make them as big or small as you want and space them as closely together as you darn well choose without them touching. I did about an inch, but you could probably stand to do a half inch. No need to flatten. Just glob it on there. But follow your heart. :) 

-The lemon zest you'll use (which is essentially the zest of one large lemon) will leave you with a naked lemon to squeeze for the glaze.  Juice it all out, but then use a sharp wee knife to get out any of the excess pearls of lemon juice. This will both stretch it (so ya only need one lemon) and give your glaze a nice texture. 

-The glaze is super good. After I dipped mine, I put all my finished cookies out on the baking sheet, squeezing them close together, and poured the remainder of the glaze on top, letting my cookies soak in all the lemony goodness. 

Naomi, Craig and I went out on Saturday and, after lunch, BBQd the cookies. The sugar got all caramelized. Such a good idea. 

Choco-Banana Bread or The Unbakeable Bread 
You'll start to notice a common ingredient here. Bananas are inexpensive and versatile. I eat a lot of them.

This is the first recipe so far that's given me any trouble. The end result was quite good, but honestly, I thought it would never be done baking.

Go ahead and ignore that baby banana part. Use normal bananas. The best type to use for banana bread is the forgotten kind. You know what I mean. You bought a bundle of them a week ago, put them in the fridge drawer, and never remembered to look for them. Now they've spots and have started to blacken. NOW IS YOUR MOMENT.

Everything else is the same. If you don't have chocolate chips (like the UK...), break up a chocolate bar into chunks or grate a chocolate bar (it may change the color of your bread pretty dynamically, though).

You will need your beaters for only one step: the butter.

Other than that, fold. Fold with the spatula, much like the coconut lime recipe.

Save the honey, yogurt, and chocolate chips for last and merely swirl them in.

Now, bake.

If your bread was like mine, it will look done on the outside and stay gooey on the inside. Forever. No matter how dang long you bake it.

It also won't burn (in my humble experience), but it won't bake either.

I came to the conclusion that that's how this bread is supposed to be.

So, stick your toothpick in, look for a brown top, and take it out.

You can either let it cool, or you can spoon out some of your extra yaogurt atop it like ice cream and eat it hot and gooey. Even today, I came home for a wee snack and broke up a sticky slice (even cooled, it's still a weird consistency. Good....just weird) into my yaogurt with a drizzle of honey. Healthy and satisfying, even for a chocoholic healthaphob.

Dining (and binge-ing) for One 

 Peanut Butter Nutellanana Sandwich 

 Okay, so it's not an official recipe, but it's what I've been eating a lot of and it's delicious.

Getchu two pieces of bread, some peanut butter, a slathering of nutella, and a banana cut in half, then longwise in fourths (much cleaner to eat than sliced across). George Foreman that sucker.

No George Foreman? Toast the bread first.

Add milk.

And love.

Trenchnanas

Right, so this is "litrally" the easiest snack to prepare, and it will wow. 

The only ingredient you really need is a banana. Everything else is up to you. 

You get yourself a banana, cut a panel into it along its curve, but only 3 sides, making it into a flap. 

Then, using a spoon or knife, dig a trench into your banana. 

The rest is up to you. 

In my trenchnanas, I like to do a spread of peanut butter and nutella both, then add in things like marshmallows, m&ms (if I have them), chocolate chips (if I have them), coconut, maybe a bit of instacoffee (not my best choice), Crunchie Bar. Anything. Stuff it, but don't fill it so much that your flap won't lie down well. 

Then, move your banana to one of three places: 

1. The oven. Use a small bread pan or prop it up with something and let it bake until melty. 

2. The George Foreman (are you beginning to catch a theme in my self-cooking?)

3. Wrap banana in foil and put over a fire or grill. Until melty. 

Peel back flap and spoon out. 

Best with glass of milk. :) 

Also, it's a cheap and fun group snack. Just sayin'. 

Chicken Quesadillas 

I make super quesadillas, and they take all of 5 minutes to prep and cook.

-tortilla

-cooked chicken thigh (I George Foreman all my chicken thighs at the start of the week, then chill them and take as I go)

-cream cheese

-OREGANO, rosemary, thyme. Or something like Italian Seasoning

-Cheese. I like to use whatever white cheddar is cheap. Mine comes in block form. Yours may come grated.

-Salsa. (Here's hoping your salsa options are better than mine..)

Take your tortilla and spread the cream cheese across one half of it.

Sprinkle your chosen herbs over it.

Rip apart your thigh to pieces and spread evenly over cream cheese.

Either sprinkle your grated cheese or cut up/grate your block cheese and slip into empty spaces left by chicken.

Douse in salsa.

George Foreman.

If no George Foreman, go get a George Foreman.

Until that time, a flip or two over the stove should do it.

It's the perfect "forever alone" meal. Or, if you struggle in the kitchen, a way to seem impressive and make something your friends will absolutely love without actually having to do anything that impressive.

Cake in a Cup 

While on our monthly skype date together, Anna wanted a snack. So, I talked her through the recipe of one I discovered about a week ago and loved. I don't know if she loved it as much as I did, but her lava'd out of the cup and mine had honeycomb. HELLO. 

You will need: 

-a beaten egg

-4 Tablespoons white sugar

-4 Tablespoons flour

-3 Tablespoons unsweet cocoa powder

-1/4 teaspoon baking powder

-1/4 teaspoon salt

-3 Tablespoons milk

-1 Tablespoon vegetable oil 

-Vanilla (option or obsession) 

For minimal dishes, put the egg in the cup first, beat it, and then add in all the other ingredients. The recipe has a particular order, but let's be honest. It doesn't matter as long as it's batter by the end. 

I also added a broken-up Crunchie bar (a UK chocolate honeycomb candy that is so delicious), but you could add in your favorite candy, chocolate chips, coconut, graham cracker, etc. 

For cake on the gooey side, microwave for 1.5 minutes. At that point, take it out, check it for preference, then either be satisfied or nuke it for a bit more time. Then, add a glass of milk or some ice cream and you are set. 

Contextual Beverages 

Nutella Hot Chocolate 

A delicious alone-time beverage, nutella hot chocolate is super easy and oober yum. 

      -A cup of milk

      -a big ole spoonful of nutella

      -a half teaspoon of vanilla or almond extract 

Heat milk on stove or, like me, in the microwave where it belongs, stick your nutella-laden spoon down in the boiled milk after, swirl about. 

Add marshmallows or whipped cream as the spirit leads you. 

If you want to make your own topping, I hear this one is good: 

    1. 1/2 cup heavy cream, 1/4 cup powdered sugar, 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon vanilla. 

    2. Whip till fluffed. 

Hot Tottie
There are healing powers in this beverage. Take courage, ye sore-throated!

Potion:
-A half shot of whiskey (I use Bushmills just because I like to support my adopted country).
-1 TBSP honey (any kind will do, but if you're dealing with allergies, it's BEST to use a locally harvested honey. It will literally help you gain immunity against your allergens or airborne illnesses. What.)
-1 TBSP lemon juice (I like to use fresh and zest a bit of lemon into my cup after)
-1 Cup hot water (heat before adding, not after. After will mess with the alcohol).
-Cinnamon and cloves, to taste.

The alcohol numbs, the honey has antibacterial qualities that heal, the lemon has immune system boosters. 

(alternatively, if you don't have booze but you do have jello powder, toss some of that but for sure not the whole package into a cup with honey and hot water and drink it up. The gelatin coats and numbs, the honey heals)

That's all for now. I've been baking up a storm (and even doing my dishes after!). 

Wife points, life points. 

However you put it, tastebuds have been tested, and my friends are pro-my food. 

The Reasons Why

Today was part two of I don't even know how many interviews for a potential future job.

Yes, that was my mystery skype date while I was in Dublin that had me running all up and down the streets on my quest for Wifi.

Though I am simultaneously preparing to continue on with my plans to go to Denver Seminary (ie filling out a scholarship application, finding housing with Haley), my heart is with this job.

Interview one happened last week.

While prepping with my friend London and answering questions I thought might be asked, we came across two subjects that I should probably avoid: glitter and dancing.

What did I almost instantly bring up in my interview?

Glitter and dancing.

I have no recollection at all as to how I brought glitter into the conversation...twice...but I do know I told them that I handle stress by spontaneously breaking out into dance and silently serenading strangers. Which is true! But what?

At the same time, I felt good about the interview. I was very much myself, so they got a very clear image of who they would be getting if they chose to keep me.

Turns out, they liked me! Glitter and all, and I advanced to round two: today.

Please keep in mind all of these are via Skype. ha...

Today's interview I think went very similarly to the last. Prayer and some dancing (an interpretive rendition of Eye of the Tiger) to get the nerves out, then I presented myself.

I say the most bizarre things when under pressure. They're very me to say, but never in real life would they even pop into my mind as the answers.

Such as:

"What do you not like doing?" "Wedding showers, wearing high heels around short people, and running. I mostly curse when I run." "What would you do first if hired for this position." "Look for a roommate, buy business casual clothing, and start researching." "Do you have any other questions for us?" "You know, I really don't. I spend a good deal of my free time trolling your web page. Better than Pinterest...sometimes."

Oh man. Take me or leave me.

The one question I legitimately had a hard time answering was this: 

"What originally drew you to apply for this position?" 

Yikes. 

My answer is ready but not interview-ok. 

Also, my reasons now are not the same reasons as the original. 

They're better. 

They are Spirit led and family oriented and student ministry focused, but they are not the same. 

I gave them the new and not the old. 

But in a way, the old is just as beautiful, despite the outcome. 

It's beautiful because it demonstrates just how dynamically the Lord had started to shift my heart. 

Remember task-oriented plan-obsessed Jamie from senior year of college? The one whose 5 year plan ended with her in 3 different states, two continents, and two Master's degrees before she was 25? 

I'll tell you a secret.  

Those plans weren't spirit-filled at all. They were made out of fear. They were made because I couldn't handle the idea of not knowing where I was going, and I was terrified of landing aimless in Tulsa after my European adventure. 

I consulted God, but it wasn't about God. 

And the thing was, I made these plans, these super life-altering plans when I had a pretty serious significant other in my life. A significant other whose opinion I did not consult on the matter at all. 

The decision to apply for this position came the day I realized that I wanted to marry him more than I wanted to marry my plans. 

That...wow. A God who can rock this non-romantic, die-before-changing-her-plans girl's heart to that degree must be truly something else. 

See beyond the "girl who changes all her plans for a boy" part because I am not that girl. 

I'm the snotty, self-dependent girl who God revealed what love looks like to. 

Love is not self-seeking. It trusts. It perseveres. It encourages. It is full of faith. It acts out of faith. 

Love does.

Love is wild and it does wild things sometimes that go against every shred of logic in our minds. 

That is what love should look like: founded on truth and good things but manifested in the willingness to risk everything. 

That's what I had been missing, both in my relationship and my relationship with God. 

I had not been willing to risk everything. 

I had chosen what was safe to offer and hoarded and planned-out the rest. 

No, I am not going to marry that boy, but that's just not the point. 

In December, when everything seemed to fly apart for me, it was quite the opposite: Everything flew together. 

I fell desperately in love with Jesus like I just hadn't before. I thought I knew what love was for him. I even thought to a certain degree that I had given him my plans.

Jamie, letting someone have input in your plans is not the same as handing them over. 

Applying for this job is me obeying Jesus and following directly against what would be the "safe" route for me, even though that second option seems like the more risky one to everybody else. 

Applying for this job is me saying to Jesus, "Despite where it would take me, despite other people's opinions and desires for my life, despite the fact that this does not make sense to me in so many ways, I will follow you. I want to be with you more than I want to be with my plans." 

And when I was obedient and continued to push through with my application process even after the break-up, God was faithful to reveal to me just how badly I do want this and how well it would suit my heart and strengths. 

At this stage, the result doesn't even matter so much as the act of stepping out in faith. I may get this job, and I may not. The end is not the point. If I'm following Jesus, he's not going to stick me through the wrong door. The point is that I'm listening, expecting nothing, and am willing to risk everything. 

"What originally drew you to apply for this position?" 

Love. 

What kept me in the runnings? 

Love. 

I guess my answer hasn't changed so much, after all. 

"The 9-5" or "Working Girl"

Back when I lifeguarded, the joke amongst us used to be that if you described our job without actually saying what it is that we did, we'd sound a whole lot like hookers.

Feel free to think that's crass, but so many more things are funny after extended sun exposure and dehydration.

Either way, in college, I was in this creative writing poetry class, and designed a trixy poem doing just that: poetically describing the lifeguarding lifestyle, all without actually saying the word "lifeguard" until the very final line. Personally, I thought it was hilarious and so did my classmates. My professor so did not understand it. Mood. Killer.

I've got "Working Girl" on the mind because I am currently in the early stages of interviews to become part of the adult working community. However, my life as of now is so totally unstructured so as to make a 9-5 job sound absolutely terrible.

I've never been quite resigned to the idea of that sort of stifling routine. It was one of the main reasons the block schedule of University suited me so much better than the regularity of High School. There's room to breathe and flex.

My daddy did have an excellent strategy for University life, though, and it was this: treat every day like a work day. 9-5 focus, then after, you can play.

Time management leaning toward the study side has always been my strength, but by following his system, I am actually forced to put down the pencil/mop/keyboard/book and do something that refreshes me for the rest of the evening, even if that is a 15 hour nap. A set end time prevents burnout.

Since living here, I've had almost no form to my schedule at all, which means I've had no pressure to really do anything, which means I either read for 9 hours straight or do absolutely nothing for 9 days straight. Very few of my days here have I felt proud of the way that I've divvied up my hours. There are just way too many of them for me to handle sometimes.

Now it has come time to buckle down, though, and get me prepped and ready for the real world. That, and I really, really need to start writing my final papers.

Therefore, I have a new system, which is actually an old system.

"Work" starts at 9.
The phone stays off, Facebook and Pinterest don't get pulled up at all, and I have a full list of every sort of thing that could be considered "work" that I can feel free to engage in from 9-1:30.

1:30-2:30 is lunch break, then back to business until 5.

It's day two of my system, and I've written an additional 3 articles about garage doors, made substantial headway into one of my resources for my thesis, cleaned and mopped the kitchen, made five beds, organized three shelves, and gone to class/smallgroup/skypedate.

I've got flexibility in that I can choose what I spend my time doing but defined enough structure and pressure that I am actually inclined to do it. My mind feels clear and energized, and I finish every day feeling satisfied that I've been a good steward of the time allotted me.

Go team.

In Dublin's Fair City (#momweek2014 closing ceremonies)

Dubliners are just not like Belfast folk.
Dublin is not like Belfast.

Each time I go there, I feel as though I hit culture shock as great or greater than when I visit The States.

It's crowded always, as dirty as Belfast is clean, loud, and trying to find an actual Dubliner is pretty near impossible.

However, Jansie was flying back to Oklahoma from Dublin, and it is the capitol of the republic, so we decided to explore. And, despite my wee grudge against its "city"ness, it is pretty good looking.

After some bus struggles (when do I not have bus struggles?), we made it into the city: Jansie with The Book of Kells on her mind, and me with a countdown of 15 minutes to find free wifi in a semi-quiet location.

Off we went!!

My mom understands my hang-up about books. How could she not? She's the one who instilled them into my heart. She read aloud to me hours and hours of fairy tales and Laura Ingalls Wilder and Nancy Drew, not to mention all the books on tape we listened to when painting a room or going on a road trip.

Thus, she loved The Trinity Library and Book of Kells exhibit, or so she said. I was not present for that section of her journey. I was off skyping. But more about that in a few days. :)

Next came a run-in at a local bookshop. It was so darling I wanted to pocket it and take it home. There were so many books I wanted to read!!! And yet, so many that are still on the "to-read" shelf that must be cared-for first.

From there, the hapometers were sinking (4pm and still hadn't eaten. YIKES!), so we sought out sustenance, finding a sweet little place whose name I have entirely forgotten, and it fit our qualifications perfectly: cozy, inexpensive, delicious.

On to the Dublin Castle and gardens and an attempt at the Chester Beatty Library, but it was 5 and closing. Woah. Time really disappeared there.

and a lovely cathedral...

and then...gelatto! They have just the most delicious rum and raisin flavor. This place is the best. However, I can only ever find it when I get lost...similarly to my favorite book shop in Belfast. I think something is wrong with me.
The rest is a blur: a walk to bus 16, a flurry of languages on said bus, a drop off in the pouring rain, and snuggles and Amelie and sleep. Then she was gone.

I love my ma. We're often too different and often too similar and often we struggle against division by a common language, but nobody snuggles or loves or takes care of you quite like your mom can. Nobody's driving skills can make you want to wet yourself quite like your mom's can either, but man. For all our mutual crazy and ability to drive (ha! Drive. Completely unintentional pun.) one another mad at times, I would not trade my mama for anybody.

Jamie and Jansie's Very Good Adventure (#momweek2014 p.5)

I've gotta be honest, Ireland gets more beautiful by the second, but sometimes, it all kind of blends in to a lovely blur of green.

For that reason, I don't have a map tracker, but I do know we at least hit up Dunluce Castle, Buschmills Distillery, and Slemish Mountain.

At Dunluce, we climbed all over. I enjoyed climbing down into Mermaid's Cave, and Jansie enjoyed climbing up to an overlook point.

Loathe is a good word for how I feel about heights. My imagination starts going crazy with death scenarios, but I couldn't let myself be out-adventured by my mom, so up I went with her.

On the Buschmill's tour, we learned how scottish whiskey is different from Irish, how all Buschmill's whiskey is distilled right there on the North Coast using pre-loved barrels and river water (the whole process is actually super interesting), and how they bottle to the exact order, not in mass hopes.

Next, we headed off to find "The Dark Hedges." They're these twisty, gorgeous trees planted as an entrance to Gracehill Mansion long, long ago. I love this selfie of us. Jansie can't ever figure out where the camera is, and it just cracks me up.

The best part is, when I got home, I realized I had pinned that location on my Pinterest board twice. I love the feeling of dreaming something up and then actually doing it. Kind of like my lifelong obsession with Paris (fulfilled!) or like moving here. I've got others, but they're still in the dreamy, undone phase.

Back to the journey!
Slemish Mountain (the place where St. Patrick shepherded as part of his slavery), was just lovely, but more about that on Saturday. I'm going hiking with Naomi.

Our food option today was in Ballymena (which I found no issue with, but everyone makes fun of Ballymena. It's like the Claremore, Oklahoma equivalent. Backcountry-like).

It was called "The Big House," and the employees and customers alike must have been in jail because it was desolate when we showed up.

Neither of us knew what the heck "gammon" was, but we both got it. An enormous slab of ham is the answer.

The best part of the meal, though, was when about 20 large, rugby-sized men came in all banter and whatnot. So much cursing, which, to be honest, is both completely culturally acceptable and just so darn funny with their accent.

Finally, when some additional getting lost and personal anxiety attacks (truly, I was a wretched passenger), we made it home. Well, my home that is.

Jamie and Jansie's Very Good Adventure (#momweek2014 p.4)

Belfast-Carrickfergus-Whitehead-Larne-Ballygalley-Glenarm-Carnlough-Ballycastle-Portaneevey Car Park-Giant's Causeway-Port Stuart

Our means: Rental car and prayer.

This world traveller loves and trusts her mother.
and is also a pain in the butt passenger.

However, we made it through day one alive, with only 13 curb hops and a side mirror scrape from our BnB entrance.

We took the coastal route, which means it took much longer, but gave us the most gorgeous views.

Also, it is worth knowing that the British are all about accuracy. For instance, rather than using an American phrase like, "The best in town," a Brit would say, "One of the good places to eat in town."

For that reason, it wasn't the best adventure we had, but it was a very good one.

First stop: Carrickfergus, where we roamed about the castle and looked out into the sea. Yes, that rainbow did go before us all day long. There was no pillar of fire by night. 

Glenarm is quite wee, but it is the site of a gorgeous little church, this cool old castle wall/bridge and possibly the most amusing pedestrian sign of all:

Breakfast was an Ulster Fry (meat, meat, meat, egg, potato bread, soda bread, tomato). It's standard. Oh, did I mention that's just the SMALL version? HA.

All this from the Carnlough "Harbour Lights Cafe," which was quaint, cheap, and right on the water.

Naturally, when we passed a Maud's in Ballycastle, it was our cue to pull over and indulge. Only the hope for another on the route stopped us from going back in. We're that embarrassingly addicted.

We overlooked the fabulous Carrick-a-rede rope bridge from the Portaneevey Car park. Actually, the road bends and falls just past that car park and drops your view onto the bridge and wild waters.

Neither of could breathe at the view. Had to turn around.

Giant's Causeway was nearly unrecognisable to me due to flooding. The wind had something to prove, apparently, but we stood our wee ground and took in the salted gusts and unnatural natural rocks.

However, as Jansie would put it, the hapometer (happy meter...it's my level of grumpiness depending on hunger. Similar to hangry, but it goes up when I eat...) was getting low.

It took us an unreasonable amount of time to find a place to stay and some grub, but totally worth it.

Thank you to the two local ladies who recommended both.

The Wine Bar is a local treasure, located at the end of the town. Literally. "Ya hit the harbour, see the three story, and go up). Easy enough!

The food was inexpensive and delicious (I got this coconut curry monk fish dish that was just so good), and the desserts. Ohmygosh, the desserts.

I had honeycomb chocolate brownie cheesecake. Yes, that's all one thing. Jansie had saltwater caramel chocolate torte. (can you see me drooling just rewriting this?)

Our bed for the night was at "An Amazing Bed n' Breakfast, though the fancy insignia above the door may disagree by a letter or so...:)

It was indeed a amazing house. ;)

Full and exhausted, we called it an early night. Or, rather, I did. That woman is like the energiser bunny, I swear...