It has been awhile, eh? So much has changed since my last blog post that I honestly do not know where to start.
Our once horse-crazy daughter has left the nest. She is now a sophomore (junior by credits!) at the University of Houston, studying Restaurant Management. She has become quite the baker and foodie, and has a blog of her own called The Duke of Food. I am so very proud of the lovely young lady that she has become!!! Look out world, Natalie is taking the world by storm!! Pretty sure you will see her on the Food Network one of these days!
My husband and I were lucky enough to start our lives as "empty nesters" with an eight-week sabbatical. We were able to travel to Texas to get our daughter settled in at college, then we went on some great adventures together. We traveled to Canada and did some epic hikes, did some awesome motorcycle trips around Oregon, spent the night in a tree house in Washington, and took our first paragliding flights at the Oregon Coast. Paragliding has become a big part of our lives and I will definitely be sharing more about that.
I changed careers and started my "mid-life crisis job" as a small country elementary school secretary in January. I have learned an entirely new definition of "multi-tasking" with this job!! It is completely crazy but most days I absolutely love it. The kids are the best part of my job, and I hope it will be my chance to make a difference in this world. Kids say the darnedest things and make for lively dinner time conversation at our house! Never a dull moment!
And yes, I am still cooking up a storm. I am learning to cook in smaller portions or to freeze extras for later. I still strive to use local, fresh, seasonal ingredients. I find that I am using less recipes and more technique to create my meals. I like to see what I have available and then wing it! It has been a challenge and lots of fun! Hopefully I will find the time to share my new creations with you.
Here we go, ready or not!! Hope you will join me in my new life as an "empty nest mom."
