Thanksgiving 2014, Part 1: The Preparations

This is the year.
I'm making, from start to finish, my first full Thanksgiving meal. Oh, the joy!
Oh, the hilarity.

Since we are across the country and have only 36-ish hours off from work, we knew there was no way to make it back east for the big schmorgazborg. Which is a real shame, because both of our families really do up Thanksgiving. What can I say, we like to eat.
Ryan and I thought this year would be a great opportunity to make our holiday ours. It's a special day no matter where we are or who we are with. So, we invited one of my coworkers and her fiancé over and then I realized- Oh shoot. I gotta feed them.

When it comes to celebrity chefs, my heart belongs to Ina Garten aka Barefoot Contessa. This lady is the jolliest and classiest lady on the Food Network (and beyond) and not one of her recipes has ever steered me wrong. So naturally, if I'm taking on a turkey, I'm consulting Ina.
I found a tasty sounding recipe for the turkey in her Foolproof cook book and I thought: I can do that!
Buy the bird.
Defrost the bird.
Put some seasonings on the bird and throw it in the oven.
Not so scary!

But tonight, I began "The Preparations". Below is an inner monologue account of what went down:

• Get thawed turkey out of fridge: At least I did one thing right so far, it's not frozen.
• Read recipe twice (I've been studying it all week)
• Oh no... Kosher salt? I was planning to use sea salt! How did I miss that?! Can I substitute? Will I ruin it? Oh no, I'm gonna ruin it. "Hunny, can you google something for me?"
• 15 minutes later, I'm sticking with sea salt and adjusting quantities. Moving on. 
• Realize the sink is full of dishes: That's fine, right? I can wash the turkey over here in this little corner where nothing is touching... that's fine.
• Oh my word, this little guy feels heavier than 11 lbs
• Re-read recipe
• Dang this thing is gross. And my hands are freezing. Also covered in turkey juice.
• Last week, this turkey thought he was having the time of his life. Poor guy. 
• Ok, it says here to take out the bag o' junk and the neck from the body cavity. Got the bag, that's pretty obvious. But the neck... hmm, the neck. Where's the neck? What's the neck look like? "Hey hunny, can you google something for me?" 
• "I'm really not understanding this, can you Youtube something so I can see exactly what it looks like?" Wait, what is this... a woman on a farm with her baby on her back gutting a turkey with her bare hands? What is this?! Gross. 
• I see no neck. No neck anywhere. Should we just conclude that maybe this was the one from the factory where they all ready pulled out the neck, or should I keep staring at it for the next 30 minutes?
• Re-read recipe.
• Wash gross, cold, neckless turkey with water. Pat dry with paper towels.
• You've used an entire roll of paper towels in this bout so far. Sorry, California. 
• This home-made brine smells pretty tasty! There's another positive. Stay with the positive. Don't tell anyone how oddly this is going or that you spent 20 more minutes on Youtube than necessary. 
• This looks like it will fit the turkey so it can sit overnight. Now for the plastic wrap. Oh, how I loathe you, plastic wrap.
• After three layers, I quit. That's tight enough and you're going back in the fridge, you little jerk. 
• Spray every surface in kitchen with disinfectant. Spray body with disinfectant. 
• "My hands will never be clean again."

Here's our little guy, hanging out in the fridge. And yes, that's a clothespin keeping the plastic wrap together. 

Don't get me started.

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Sweater Weather

I definitely did not bring enough warm clothing with me.

People warned me about the weather in the Bay Area, and you have my sincerest apologies for not fully believing you.

Now people back on the east coast (at least the northern part) are probably scoffing. You don't know what cold is! And actually, I do know. Having lived through the past 9 winters in the Appalachian mountains, I'm familiar. I'm not saying this weather is anywhere near the polar vortex of last year where the inside of our closed kitchen window was freezing over (Day After Tomorrow, anyone?). That is cold. I'm not trying to compare the two. I'm simply saying I probably shouldn't have purged my wardrobe like an eskimo preparing for island life.

In my mind, I thought heck yes I'm moving to California. Good-bye thick sweaters and overcoats! Hello year round open-toed shoes and 3/4 cardis.

That was a mistaken mindset. That is southern California. This is definitely not southern California.

Where those items work about nine times out of ten, you pretty much need to prepare for all weather types in this area. It's a confusing place, meteorologically speaking. It's actually a confusing place lots-of-ologically speaking. But apparently, there are tons of micro-climates that can change within mere miles. So if you're coming from a few miles north of the bridge, where we live, and are planning to head just across it, you need to bring warmer clothes and definitely a coat. But if you're planning to go even 2 miles further in to the city, you need a less heavy coat (and walking shoes- these hills are killer). If you're going to the airport and further south, tank top weather.
We've been told by multiple people that they have a second mini-waredrobe they keep in their car to be prepared for all weather at all times. I'm beginning to the think that's not such a crazy idea.

I have to be honest, I don't know whose genius idea it was to build a major metropolitan city on this land. The weather is unpredictable, the elevation changes will make you dizzy, the land itself is mostly reclaimed (meaning, it's not actual earth... the financial district was built on sunken ships in the late 1800s!), and OH YEA, it's also on a major fault line. Seems like a plan to me...


But, as I've said before, it sure is pretty.

Driving across the Golden Gate Bridge for the very first time to get to our new home!

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Two Words: Full Time (or is that one hyphenated word?)

Turns out that having a full time job takes up, well, the majority of your time. How about that.


You may have been wondering why I haven't posted in about three weeks. More than likely, you didn't even notice. Nonetheless, I'm back to give you a brief explanation:
   My job is full time!
   REJOICE!


When I was offered the position, I was told it would begin part-time and once I was producing quality work they would be happy to move to full-time. In my mind that meant a few months. Instead, it was like a few days. I had a handful of 4-hr shifts in the office and then "The Summit" happened.

Of course, I knew this Summit was planned as I was being interviewed but I didn't assume that I would be involved. It's an event they put on twice a year, one in April (nyc) and one in October (sf). You can imagine my surprise when I got an email after just a few days of working there saying, "Please be at the Ritz-Carlton in San Francisco by 1pm tomorrow."

Uhhhhhhh.... what was that, now?


So I spent three days at the Ritz, all dressed up and fancy, and even got to stay one night (FO FREE) in a suite bigger than our apartment. I couldn't help but think: "Two weeks ago, I was unemployed and a total anxious mess. This morning I woke up in the Ritz- Carlton."       Neat.

Gratitude has been the main word in the Goude vocabulary (or the Lexi-Goude, if you will) in the past few weeks. Gratitude over being in such a beautiful place, gratitude over being in such a loving and fun marriage, gratitude over receiving a paycheck. A real, professional, grown up, sizable, earned paycheck. Hallelujah, people. God Provides.

I know it kinda looks like the Capitol Building, but this is the outside of the Ritz in San Francisco. 

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California Love

I'm out of Wedding Season shape.

There was a (extremely long period of) time in my life where going to other people's weddings was my life. I mostly* enjoyed it. What's not to love about weddings? Free food, beautiful venues, happy couples, reunions with friends, and sweet dance moves.

Last night, I went to only my second wedding of the year.  I honestly can not remember the last time I went to only two weddings in a year. Five is average, but I've survived double digit wedding seasons on multiple occasions. I'm a pro. And yet, no matter how part of your routine it is, you always feel like death the following morning. I didn't have a sip of alcohol at last night's fantastic festivities and I still had to open my eyelids with a crow-bar this morning.

What a beautiful wedding! I can confidently say that it's ranked in my top three, excluding my own of course, and any family weddings because that's just not fair.  It was so quintessentially "California wedding": set in an absolutely exquisite mountainside private residence with an outdoor ceremony and reception on the patio. Perfect weather, perfect sunset, and excellent food (key to a great wedding). But always most important, our dear friends looked so in love and so joyful. Congratulations to the newlyweds!

I should come up with a rubric for my wedding rankings.

*when I wasn't bitter and whining over the fact that I wasn't dating anyone. That never helps, I assure you

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And The Angels Sang...

HALLELUJAAAAHHHH!!!

Dearest friends,

I am ecstatic to report that yesterday was the first day (more like afternoon) of my new job! Through a kind and very random reference by my new friend Brianna, I applied, interviewed for, and am fortunate enough to have been chosen as the new
Operations Analyst at Tiburon Strategic Advisors.
It sounds so fancy, doesn't it?

Tiburon is a little town right down the road. I don't have to get on the 101 (major north-south highway), I don't have to wait in city traffic, and I barely have stoplights on the way in to this beautiful little town. It's incredible. The views are incredible. Just like pretty much everywhere else around here!
The office itself is situated in a professional park just across the street from the bay. You can see the city and watch the fog descend then lift. There's plenty of people watching to do as well, as the ferry that arrives in Tiburon takes bicycling tourists back to the mainland.

Speaking of that, never in my life have I seen so many people on bikes. They are everywhere! There are huge companies that rent out bikes to tourists (my favorite of them being named "Blazing Saddles"), give them a semi-readable map, and send them on their way. We see these folks on this side of the bridge looking utterly lost just trying to find their way back to the ferry. Maybe this is your cup of tea, but not once while I was on vacation have I thought: "You know what would make this the best? A 12 mile bike ride with thousands of strangers through a crowded city I've never been to."
Not once have I thought that.


The period of finding a job was less than desirable, I must admit. As I previously posted, I was sure I would have a job before Ryan started classes. That was 4 weeks ago. But is there any reason to dwell in the suck of that situation? No! As cliché as it may sound, I learned a lot during that time of waiting. Perseverance, trust, faith, budgeting (definitely budgeting), and ways to encourage others who are in the same boat. I'm grateful to everyone who encouraged me through this process and I'm sure it won't be the last time I will need encouragement. This new position is sure to be challenging, with a lot to learn and a lot to do. I am incredibly excited about the opportunity to be challenged in such a professional environment.

Thanks for the excitement, everyone! Thanks for reading :)

Sincerely,
   kg

A view from Tiburon

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Why I Don't Like HIMYM

Some of you are probably all ready livid with me just after reading the post title, but hold on! I'm about to share an amazing revelation I had the other day.

(Ok, "amazing revelation" is probably too strong a phrase for this. It's more like a personality vs pop culture theory that I think is pretty interesting.)

I haven't advertised the fact that I strongly dislike How I Met Your Mother (HIMYM) because I respect the right to opinion, and frankly, I didn't want to argue about something as silly as sitcom preferences. People (myself included) have some very strong opinions when it comes to what they find funny. For example: I grew up watching Seinfeld with my family, and I think it's hilarious. But I 100% understand how people could find it stupid or pointless. I really do! George Costanza can be utterly annoying and the situations they put themselves in are completely avoidable. However, I enjoy it and it makes me laugh.

When it comes to HIMYM, people are appalled that I don't think it's funny. I've seen several episodes and I'm always stuck waiting for it to be funnier. There's usually the "You have to watch it from the very beginning" argument but that won't change it for me, I promise. Want to know why?! It has to do with my personality and particularly, my StrengthsFinder results. (If you haven't taken this test, I'm not going to say you have to but I will say that it's one of the most helpful and accurate assessments I've ever seen) I realized this as I was talking with Ry, who loves HIMYM, knowing his StrengthsFinder results are different from mine. His top result is Connectedness, meaning he easily finds and deeply enjoys the nuances and connections (hence the title) in life. No where on my "Top 5" list does Connectedness appear, however Activator does. Activator is all about action and potentially, impatience. (I was bummed when I read that because I knew they were so right... I am often impatient because I want things to happen RIGHT NOW. Hesitation is not part of my nature. If we've made a decision to go out for a walk, we're walking right now. The description in the link above could not be more applicable to my personality).

So back to TV show preferences. Ryan loves HIMYM because everything in the show is connected to something else in the show. I can't stand it because all they ever do is talk about something that has all ready happened. The entire episode could be spent on the same topic or in the same bar, never having moved or taken action. This is why I enjoy shows like Grey's Anatomy  because although they do have plot lines that extend through seasons, every episode they are doing something (ya know, like saving lives and stuff). It's high action. HIMYM is high connection. And this theory can be true of so many of the shows we like or dislike. Think about it!

After that realization, I felt one of those "mind blown" moments. A mystery of the universe solved. Personalities. TV Shows. It all makes sense. So I won't make fun of you for not liking a show that I like, it's all about your unique personality! Go you!

But if you hate on Brooklyn 99's first season, I won't know what to say to you. I don't care who you are... that show is funny.

(and of course "Friends", that's my favorite)



What show can you absolutely not get enough of? Which preferences showcase your personality?

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Holiday Chatter

Is it ok that I've all ready started a Christmas list?

I'm typically not one to begin the season before December 1st (unlike places such as Starbucks... ugh) but when you live in such an affluent place but can't afford any of it, you easily dream.  Thus, I've put all of my "I'd like to rush out and buy this immediately, but can't" items on my Christmas list.
That I've all ready started.

This year, I'm really excited to add some less traditional items to the list. Ryan and I have recently started getting involved with an organization called Hands Producing Hope. Not only is their vision inspiring and their work benefitting real people, the product is adorable. I encourage you to check it out for yourself and grab some swag for you and your friends this season. (Like this one- it's beautiful!)


It's been a few days (ok a lot of days) since I've gotten to write. I've been attempting to focus on the job search, and if you're interested in an update, here it is: I'll know more by the end of the week.

Riveted? I know you are.
It's like a suspense movie: Will she or won't she get the job? What will happen? *enter suspenseful music here, similar to any network TV crime show but not quite as intense*
   

In other holiday news, September 19th is National Talk Like a Pirate Day and Krispy Kreme is giving away free donuts. I don't see the correlation, but I doubt anyone in America cares. If you go to a participating location and simply talk like a pirate ("Aaarrrrr!" seems easy enough), you receive just one measly donut. You and I both know that will be gone in 3 seconds.
 IF you instead choose to go all out and dress head-to-toe in pirate costume (it specifies "No Weapons", however), then you get an entire dozen of deliciously glazed warmed sugary goodness.

Make the right decision, everyone.

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