The No-Niche Niche.

Over the past few months, I've turned into more of an introvert. I've learned to treasure the time I spend by myself and use that time to recharge, rethink, and reevaluate all things Jonna.

That's why I wanted to rebrand my blog. I wanted it to speak more truthfully and thoroughly about who I am and what I seek to do through this blog. I want it to tell my story. 

Here's the rub -- my story is all over the place. But, I don't want to limit that. I want to embrace it. 

I want to tell my readers about an amazing recipe they need to try AND tell them the funny thing that happened when I went to buy the ingredients. 

I want to talk about my relationship AND the new health regimen I'm starting to adopt. 

I want to discuss my cat food buying woes AND the Etsy prints I just ordered. 

So that's the new blog plan of action. 

Write a blog about my life as it comes. Simple? I hope so. 

One more thing. The name. The new blog name comes from Maroon 5's "She Will Be Loved" and this lyric: 

It's not always rainbows and butterflies
It's compromise that moves us along... 

This lyrics embodies what I aim to do here. I want to capture all the beauty and rough stuff that life hands me. The hope is that, if nothing else, it documents my triumphs and my struggles. And if I'm really lucky, people will take a break from their life and share in the hot mess that is mine.

Pinterest Success: Pork Carnitas

I have lesson plans to write (the semester starts in two weeks for me).

I have this weird allergy / cold thing going on. Scratchy throat, nasal congestion, sneezing, the whole lot. It's super sexy.

But, I also have this recipe from Pinterest that I found for Pork Carnitas. And LOVED it.

Yes, I eat dinner on my couch. Next to my laptop. And yes, I put my blueberries in a coffee cup. 

It was so good. Trust me, try it.

The only con of this recipe is the time it takes. It takes like three hours. You can read the original recipe  here, but here's my summary:

• Combine all the ingredients in a Dutch oven and bring it to a boil. 
• Place the Dutch oven in your oven. 
• Wait two hours. 
• Take it out of the oven, separate the meat from the rest of the stuff, pull the meat apart, and reduce the liquid. 
• Put the meat in the reduced liquid.
• Broil the meat on each side. 

Sigh. 

I know you're thinking "ain't nobody got time for that." But take the time. It makes a ton of food. Ray and I split the cooked meat and I managed to make three (almost four) meals out of my half. Such good bang for your buck! 

So, do what I did. Go to brunch on Sunday. Pass out on your couch. Then wake up and cook so you don't feel like a complete hot mess. 

This is the perfect Sunday afternoon, post brunch haze dish to make. I speak from experience.

Happy Monday, everyone.

My New Year's.

Sometimes, things just don’t go according to plan. And, that’s okay.

Sometimes, you have awesome New Year’s Eve plans to ring in the new year with lovely friends you don’t get to see that often and your cat gets crystals, a.k.a. kitty kidney stones.

(Did you know that kitties can get kidney stones?! Me either!) But they do. And when this happens, they have to get an IV put in their little kitty leg. And a catheter in their little kitty nether-region. (And you start to freak out about your finances because kitty IVs and kitty catheters are shockingly expensive.)

They shaved his leg. How sad is that? 

And your New Year’s Eve celebration becomes a barbecue feast, a Survivor marathon, and a night of watching to make sure your kitty pees. And eats. And drinks enough water. And, you pat him on his head whenever he has “leakage” because “some pee is better than no pee” when it comes to kitty kidney stones.

And, that’s okay too.

 Because, you love your cat more that you ever realized. And the thought of him not being around scares you to your very core and reduces you to a sobbing mess on a couch that may never be the same again.

So, you shell out the cash without hesitation. And, you embrace your new New Year’s Eve plans. And, you learn to get used to the pee smell in your apartment (and hope that a Groupon for a carpet cleaner will roll in soon). Then, you take a deep breath because you realize that your cat getting sick just taught you a lesson about what's really important.

And then you shower, rush out the door for work, and continue your day, as best you can.

All the while hoping that the cat pee smell is all in your head and in your nose, and not on your scarf.

Recipe: Red Velvet Cake Balls

One of my grad school peers used to make cake balls out of red velvet cake every time we had a class meeting that also involved food.

They were delicious. They were amazing. And, not that she needed it (at all) but I’m pretty sure she got a point or two added to her exam scores. That's how good they were.

So, I decided that I would attempt the same feat. What grade do I give myself? A solid “B.”

I am deducting points for not explicitly following directions and for working hastily.

But, the end result was delicious. Like, really REALLY delicious.

So, without further adieu, the recipe.

 Red Velvet Cake Balls
(recipe courtesy of Bakerella)

Ingredients and Materials:
1 red velvet cake, prepared according to the box’s directions
1 16-oz. can cream cheese frosting
1 package regular chocolate or white chocolate bark coating (I used both!)
Wax paper and cookie sheet(s)

Directions:

1. Cook the cake according to the directions provided on the box. 

I love having to expend zero energy to whip up a cake. 

2. Wait for the cake to cool completely.
3. Crumble the cake into a large bowl, or back into your stand mixer.

4. Add dollops of the frosting into your crumbled cake and mix. You can mix with your hands, or you could watch your mixer do the work for you.

5. Roll the mixture into quarter-sized balls and lay on cookie sheet. (Here’s the FIRST place where I didn’t follow the directions. Mine were like the size of the half-dollar.) 

6. Chill the balls for several hours. (Here’s the SECOND place where I didn’t follow directions. I was incredibly impatient. I waited one hour. Tops. When they aren’t chilled, they lose their shape and become all bumpy and weird looking. The cake also starts to separate and ends up in your chocolate.) 

7. Melt chocolate in microwave according to the directions. If needed and if you have it, you can thin the chocolate with some shortening. Good old-fashioned Crisco.


8. Use a spoon to roll the balls in the chocolate. The spoon also come in handy for getting rid of the extra chocolate.

 9. Plop them onto the wax paper.

10. Let them set until they are firm.

 11. Enjoy!

"There Is a Possum by the Front Door."

What is it about Christmas that makes it so exhausting?

Is it the excessive shopping and out-of-this-world crowds, lines and traffic?

Is it the stress of being around family?

Is it the overindulgent eating and underwhelming holiday workout regimen?

Or, is it the fact that Christmas is the one week reminder that you’re about to start a whole new year and therefore you ought to resolve to do things better in the new year?

I think it’s the combination of all these things.

When all of the gifts have been opened, when all of the radio stations have stopped playing Mariah Carey, when I no longer have an excuse to watch “Love Actually” and well up with happy tears, I get to thinking, “how am I going to make this year better than the last?”

What does “better” even mean?

Does “better” mean “healthier?”

Does “better” mean “fiscally responsible?”

Does “better” mean “nicer,” “more giving,” or “more obliging?”

I never know.

I’ve got a couple 2013 plans in mind. But they change everyday. I’ll keep you posted.

For now, I’ll leave you with the few pictures I took this holiday.

Happy Holidays, y’all.

You haven't lived until you've tried to force a cat to wear a Santa hat. After giving said cat a bath. 

Elf collars are met with the same disdain, in case you're wondering. 

Christmas gift from Ray. The color is called "Majestic Yellow." Love/

If you saw my old black clutch, riddled with kitty scratch marks, you'd know this new clutch wasn't a "want" gift from Ray, but a "need."

Our Christmas Eve-Eve dinner. 

And this little nugget was near my entryway Christmas morning as we tried to leave to meet my family. A possum. Who played possum and pretended to be dead. Until he really died. Gross.

"Slow and Steady ... Finishes!"

I will never truly understand the human body.

When I was practicing Bikram Yoga (and completing my 60 day challenge), I learned that it could bend and twist and contort itself in ways that seem impractical and unnecessary.

Through CrossFit, I've learned that regardless of how small or feeble the human body seems, it can lift uncomfortable amounts of weights and be pushed beyond natural limits. CrossFit pushes you to your limit and makes you a better all-around athlete and human being.

Then there's long distance running. True long distance runners feel like they are "one with the road." They find "running" freeing. Things just don't feel right unless they've gotten a 5-mile run in. I'm the first people who will say I am NOT a long distance runner. Give me a WOD with 8 200M sprints and burpees and squats any day over a 13 mile run.

So, why I signed up for the San Antonio Rock 'n' Roll 1/2 Marathon, I'll never know. But I did.

Here's a chronology of the journey that Laurie and I embarked upon. this past Sunday. In pictures. Because that's more fun.

Look at us. So happy. So ready. So NOT perspiring yet.

We were slowing down up until we spotted Ray who had finished the bike tour hours ago.  

What the #$%& was I thinking? Who thought this sounded like fun?! I am drinking the shit out of some mimosas after this over. Don't we get a free beer?? Wheres my free BEER?!?!

We finished! 13.1 Miles!! Done-zo! Yay! 

Beer me!

Since then, I've been nursing sad, sore hip flexors and a  right ankle that weirdly prefers heels to flat shoes but I'm more than okay. I'm swelling with self-pride. I love what I was able to prove to myself and to others (but mostly myself). Running will definitely have a place in my workout regiment. Not sure how large, but it'll be there.

I've got the Austin 3M 1/2 Marathon on the brain for January and I'm so excited. Our time wasn't anything to write home about but that doesn't stop me from being so proud her and I am all that we did out there. I can't speak for her but I couldn't have done it without her. 

Thanks, Laurie.

Blogger's Note: Don't judge the obvious, belligerent use of copyrighted pics. I'll buy them, promise. 

"It's Enough For Me."

After I saw that President Barack Obama had won Ohio and thus was projected to win the presidency, I stayed up as late as I could waiting for a victory speech and a concession phone call. I was worried that even though it was projected that President Barack Obama would win, things might change while I slept.   

What if Romney was holding off on conceding because he wanted a recount?

What if the precincts that had yet to report could actually change things?

What if we had to hold off on announcing a winner for days or weeks while those affected by Sandy got their votes in?

What if hanging chads came back to haunt us?  

Lucky for me, nothing changed overnight.

I have refrained from posting anything on social media about the election. Facebook and Twitter have been dirty, ugly, hateful places for the past 6 months. Instead, I went to work doing what I could to make sure that if / when I voiced my opinions, they would be well-reasoned and well-founded.

I watched the debates with as unbiased an eye as I could.

I perused both liberal and conservative media sources.

I discussed the issues with my politically astute friends and family members.

I’ll admit it, back in 2008, I thought it would revolutionary, ground-breaking and just plain awesome if Barack won. He’d make history as the first African-American president and I’d be alive to see that historical moment.

But, in 2012, I was nervous. I was anxious. I didn’t know what should happen.

Does Barack Obama really deserve another stab at being president?

If he gets four more years, will anything really change?

What if he gets four more years and things get really, really shitty around here?

Even through these unanswerable questions, I stood firm in my vote. I knew who I was casting a vote for and I knew why I was casting that vote.

I was voting for our president because I believe that he is on the right side of history. I believe that even though he is imperfect, has made mistakes, and hasn’t delivered on all of the change he promised years ago, I believe that he is leading this country in the direction that we need to be led in.

I believe that the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act is a step in the right direction for America.

I believe that the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell is a step in the right direction for America.

I believe that the ending military involvement in Iraq is a step in the right direction for America.

And, as First Lady Michelle Obama said, I am voting for him for his character. I believe him to be a good person with good intentions.

I believe that our president is a man who ran for this office to make the world a better place for his wife, his daughters, and all other Americans.

I love that he is gracious, hardworking, tenacious, and well-spoken – qualities that are important to me.

And, like President Obama stated on his first campaign trail, “In the unlikely story that is America, there has never been anything false about hope.” 

Maybe what I’m saying here still isn’t enough for you. But it’s enough for me.

I look FORWARD to the next four years.