Birthday in Italy!

Reasons why my 24^th birthday was anything but normal:

1.     I woke up and I was in Italy.

2.     I spent most of the day in Italy with Americans.

3.     I had my wish fulfilled of a Hello Kitty themed birthday. Cortney made me the best birthday cake of all time. Equal parts flour and sugar. An entire block of butter. An entire block of cream cheese. Plus glorious strawberries. It was amazing. Oh, and we had tacos for lunch. Win!

4.     I was surprised when I showed up to teach English to the kids and they had some very nice pink daises for me, complete with a drawing of me and a birthday cake. And they sang Happy Birthday to me and were extremely well behaved and no one cried. It was a great English lesson with some really sweet kids.

5.     I went to my favorite café in Naples, Azar Café, with Cortney and Ellie to enjoy the 3 C’s (coffee, Coke, chocolate). At night Azar has a million white lights on the trees and wall surrounding the outside seating area. It makes me feel like I’m in California. And now the weather is nice enough to be able to sit outside and take it all in.

6.     I went to dinner with my neighbors and their family. It was also one of the ESL mother’s birthdays. Of course, everyone is related here in some way because family is super important so they tend to stick together pretty closely. We went to a steak house and I ate a lot of food. So much so that I was sick the next day. But dang was it good. It was definitely a night to remember and one that takes up several pages in my journal.

7.     Two packages arrived for me! One from my sweet friend Emily and one from my parents. Talk about perfect timing! And I received a ton of very nice emails from friends and family. You guys have no idea how happy it makes me to hear from you. I miss you!

So basically I had the most random birthday of my life and one that I will surely never forget. I thought I was going to be all sad because I’m away from family. And I do wish I could have spent time with them. But I had a fantastic day with my Italian/American family here in Naples. I will never forget my 24^th birthday!

Cooking With Kala | Pasta Cavolfiore

First and foremost, I'm not a real cook. I'm a baker. I make cupcakes. But, I'm in Italy. So, it only makes sense for me to learn how to cook some Italian dishes. This was a group effort between myself, Ellie, and Cortney. But I thought it turned out real nice. It is very Neapolitan.

Pasta Cavolfiore (Cauliflower Pasta)
-Cortney's Recipe, as interpreted by me

Ingredients:
2 garlic cloves
1 thing-a-ma-bob of cauliflower
1 bag of pasta
some white cheese (I think we used about a cup)
salt
pepper
quite a bit of water

1. Chop 2 cloves of garlic. Cook it down a little in olive oil. You're going to want a big enough pot for pasta. 
2. Rinse & chop cauliflower. 
3. Add the cauliflower to the garlic and sauté. 
4. Add a whole lot of water. If it looks like you have too much, don't worry about it. You're going to cook the pasta in this junk. So it's okay. 
5. Also, don't let the garlic burn. Just don't. 
6. Then you want to cover the pan and let it boil for a while. You're going to want it to basically be mush. Check it often. Stir it. Make sure the water doesn't get too low. 
7. While it is boiling, shred some cheese. White cheese. Whatever you prefer. 
8. After it is nice and mushy, add some salt and pepper. 
9. Then add in a bag of pasta. 
10. Now, it is time to put down Twilight and get to some serious work. You're going to need to stir the pasta until it is cooked, otherwise it will stick to the bottom of the pan and burn and be disgusting. So stir, stir, stir. And you may need to add more water as you go. Make sure there is enough liquid in there to cook the pasta. 
11. After the pasta has cooked, turn off the heat and add in the cheese. Let that junk melt. 


And.....done. 

It tasted real nice.

Hello Kitty, Easter, & Thoughts On Being Old

I was just talking to a friend [Seth, consider this a shout out. You’re welcome.] about Easter baskets and saying that I wouldn’t be getting one this year because I was in Italy. Never mind the fact that I’m a twenty-three-year-old and way past the age range for Easter gifts. But if I were going to be getting one, I would want it to be Hello Kitty themed. Because basically I am obsessed with all things Hello Kitty. Once again, yes, I do realize how old I am.

Well, when I returned from a few days in Vienna this past week there was a little present waiting for me. A GIANT CHOCOLATE HELLO KITTY EASTER EGG! Now you people in Naples will say that it is not gigantic, but small. But compared to chocolate Easter eggs in the States, this thing is a monster. Some of the ESL moms gave us an Easter gift. It was very unexpected and sweet of them to include us in an Italian tradition. And then there is the whole thing about it being Hello Kitty themed, which is like the icing on the cake.

look at this thing! it's like a chocolate football!

Yesterday the team here in Naples went up into the mountains for a time of worship and fellowship. It was a great day hanging out in beautiful scenery and with the sun shining down on us. I have to say that it is the first Easter I’ve spent in my blue jeans and not in a flowery, pastel Easter dress. And it sure gave me some perspective on what Easter really is. It is not American tradition. It is not going to church to listen to an hour of choral music. Of course, Easter is not about Hello Kitty presents and chocolate. It is the most important day of the year for Christians. It is the reason why we have hope, because Christ is victorious over death. He has risen!

Now back to the age thing, my birthday is coming up later this month and I’m gonna be the big two four. Haha. Some of you are rolling your eyes right now and wanting to tell me to shut my mouth and say that you wish you were turning twenty-four. But alas, this is my blog and I can say what I want.

Anyway, I’ve been asking myself the question, “What do I want to be when I grow up?” a lot lately. As most normal people do. I’ve discovered a lot about myself while I’ve been living in Naples and I feel that I’ve found more clarity on the question. However, I still don’t have an answer. I have non-answers. And I think I just made up a word.

Non-answers: things that I do not want to be when I grow up

So while it is fantastic that I’ve figured some things out, I’m still not sure where I am headed. And I think that is actually an okay thing. I mean, I do have an idea. I’m going to keep taking classes in seminary and just be available to whatever sort of ministry God would have me be part of. I’ve made comments in the past along the lines of,

“Golly, I wish God would just write me a little note on an index card and dangle it from a cloud for me to see and tell me where I’m supposed to work, where I’m supposed to live, and who I’m supposed to marry. And I’d promise not to ever tell anyone about the whole card thing and be content in knowing what the future held for me.”

If my whole future were revealed to me today I probably wouldn’t be content. I’d be worried about how exactly these things were going to happen and when. And what fun is there in knowing everything that is to happen. I sorta like surprises.

So my conclusion is that I am okay with not knowing exactly where I’m going to be parking my car/bicycle/mobile home in ten years. I’m okay with trusting God with one step at a time because I have no doubt that He will be faithful as He always has been.

One step at a time. Next step: Figuring out all the secrets of the Island (think LOST).

P.S. I’m a little out of touch these days when it comes to new music and such. But I’ve been listening to some new (to me, anyway) stuff and it is super good. So I thought I would share some people/bands to check out.

-Lovelite
-Brighten’s new ep ‘Be Human’
-Jovanotti (he’s Italian)
-Tiziano Ferro (also Italian)

If you would like to name-drop some new music/bands/people for me to check out, do it. Grazie!