Food Adventures with Alivia!

Hello, friends!

As you know by now, I oft am running around working and visiting my man and that means I don't get much time to hang with my friends. It's a little sad, really, but my friends are great; the bestest of the best and I always seem to work it out. :)

Alivia is one of the bestest of the best, for sure!

She came by one evening this past week to hang out, eat some pizza, make some cake batter truffles, and drink some Silly Cow Farms Hot Chocolate! It was a fantastic time, fun and funny and just a nice break from everything else in life. :)

I love Alivia. She's pretty much the greatest! Heehee!

I sprinkled the sprinkles while Alivia coated the truffles in almond bark. Teamwork, that's what that is.

This is her "spider face."

After we made the truffles, we found our favorite mugs (per the instructions ;) ) and made us some Silly Cow Farms Chocolate Truffle hot chocolate. Yummmmmmmmmmm. I was so excited to see this when Alivia brought it over. I had actually seen this hot chocolate on a blog somewhere down the line and thought it was the cutest and coolest thing. Now I'm excited to know it can be found here! Awesomeness all around!

The truffles were pretty good too! They were a lot like cookie dough without the eggs. The end result truffle is really good with its coating. I think all around it was a great success. :) Tasty tasty! Here, you will see an interesting phenomenon that we noticed. As the inside of the truffles warmed up from being chilled in the freezer, it expanded and poked through the weakest part of the coating. Silly!

(Alivia, I did that thinking about it much too hard thing and asked Kyle what caused it to happen and he was like "duh" and told me. And I was like, "....duh." Haha!)

I hope that wherever you are and however busy you are, you get chances to hang out with friends. :) I cherish every moment I get. And Anna, Alivia and I look forward to the next time we can all hang out SO much. We need to do a bean dip and movie sleepover for sure. 

Friends of 2FT, this slumber event is somewhat of an old tradition. Do you have awesome traditions with friends? What do you do?! We'd love to hear from you, so drop a line! 

Until next time, stay excellent! 

- Jenny - 

Where I've Been & What's New!

   So, I've been an absent friend on this blog....for quite some time I'm ashamed to say. I am sorry about that friends, I have no excuse, especially to my dearest friend Jenny, who has been holding up this whole show throughout the entirety of my absence. I can only apologize & thank her for her patience & support, as a true friend, I appreciate it enormously. Thank you for being you Jenny & for being such a strong & loving friend. I love you!

   Now, to address what's been going on, there's a lot to tell, but for time's sake & not wanting to push my entire life on those who happen on this post, or are first time friends on the blog, I'll keep it as short as possible. From last April, to the current year, I've been experiencing change, the kind of change you need time to wrap your head around. I've not been good at it, & I freely admit it. Some of that change consisted of good things, a new & wonderful man in my life, for example was long overdue & very exciting! However, at the beginning, it was a long distance relationship & occupied my time & mind constantly. It had been so long, I'd been so out of balance in that area of my life that I got a little over-focused on it. Part of that was good, the effort on both sides of the relationship kept us together & brought us to where we are now, which is together & happy with each other. The other part of that focus was depression related...a feeling which has finally loosened its hold on my spirit in recent days. 

 In the beginning of September of 2012, I left my job of five years, my home, my friends & family behind for the trees & mountains of Montana. I loved it here the first time I set foot inside the state. I loved the Tri-Cities, because it was home, but there was something in me that tumbleweeds couldn't fill, the love of the outdoors, hiking, trees, mountains, wild things! So the move to a new place was exciting, even more so, considering I'd be on my own for the first time & living with my boyfriend after we decided we didn't want to let distance get between us anymore. 

 The start was great... right up to the point where depression set in. I had no friends here, save the ones I was living with, I didn't know the area very well, & I quit two jobs in a matter of days after being    
hired. I was alone often (when my boyfriend & other roommate worked), lonely, missed my family terribly, & felt guilty for leaving my dog behind(my family told me he was depressed too). After quitting the last job I hated(telemarketing job disguised as something else), I decided two months of being out of work was enough. I went home for about a week,visited with my family, collected some things I left behind, Obie (Australian shepherd) included, & went back to Montana. I couldn't move back to WA & leave the man I loved alone. Putting six hours of driving back between us was not something I wanted. No matter where I was, I was missing someone I loved. I have to thank my boyfriend for being very strong, patient & supportive during this time. If this is a place to acknowledge my friends, he especially, must be given credit. All this time we talked about being together, me moving & then up and leaving AGAIN must have been very hurtful & frustrating. Not to mention my emotional idiocy at the time, made me irritable & most likely hard to be around. He also went through a series of jobs at this time, was often tired from work & yet still found time to support me emotionally. He took me out hiking & crystal hunting on his days off & went spent an amazing amount of time together, that part to me, was heaven, it kept me safe from my bad thoughts & having him near me everyday kept me sane & alive.

 After spending time in two jobs that I hated I asked another friend, our roommate to help me find & apply for something I liked. I literally went & walked into places & applied. Anywhere that interested me was visited & I soon had a stack of paper to fill out. Turns out, the first one I filled out was the one that was destined to be my new job! The Book Exchange called me only a few days after having applied there! I saw the stack of applicants & new I was lucky. I also found out later that my previous boss had been called & talked up my work ethic & usefulness as much as he could. After a one hour interview the following day, I was in! I now work full time, I make a decent wage (for Missoula area, we Washingtonians are spoiled when it comes to wages), & I live with m boyfriend & dog in the most beautiful state in the world. 

 What I learned from all this, was that things get better. Everyone has valleys, hard times, you can even get sad for a long time... but if you're lucky, if you have the love of good friends to rely on, you can climb your way out of your old skin & into a new better you. Everyone needs good friends to sharpen them, to pick them up & hold them tight. I thank mine, every chance I get because without them, I know now, I wouldn't be here! Thank you all, & I love you!

 As for the blog, hope to see you all much more regularly & with new & exciting adventures soon! happy trails! ~Anna 

Above is a digital piece I did of my new character Avis Wolf called, "Stronger"

Twenty Thirteen (Plus+: Food Adventures: Cinnamon Swirl Bread)

Hello friends,

It has been a busy beginning of the year! Mostly, I have been fighting this ridiculous flu/cold thing. I got sick the day after Christmas, saw the peak of my symptoms that Friday, but have maintained this damned cough and sinus congestion since then. That's right, I still have a cough and sinus congestion.. *grr face*

Oh well! I am feeling better overall and I think the cough is finally beginning to ebb. *fingers crossed*

I thought I'd post real quick about my plans for 2013. Posting it here will probably give me more motivation to keep up on my plans - even if the readers of this blog are few and sporadic. :) This year, I have made a few resolutions. I do most every year and last year I kept the one that I made - to begin journaling again. My calendar journal was a yearlong endeavor to personalize and create. Granted some of the cards have yet to be stamped with their dates, I was able to write a little bit about each day of 2012. I am back to doing something I used to love to do - keep a daily journal. I have to say that with a calendar journal it really does get better with the years - I can already tell that I am really going to love looking at the previous entries every day when I go to write a new one. :)

So for this year, I am being a little ambitious and I set a few resolutions - not just the one. This year, I have the following resolutions (bear with me, one of them is pretty cliche):

• Let go. 

I have held a.... I don't know if the word "grudge" fits it quite right, but for lack of a better word , we'll go with it... grudge. During the majority of 2012, I experienced a lot of injustice on the friendship front. It was unjust, unfair, and, frankly, immature what some people have decided was appropriate to do and say. I have held on to the anger that I felt at the time these events occurred for much too long. I held on to it and let it fester long enough. So I told myself in December, that I could indulge in this nonsense only until the end of the year. In 2013, I will let it go. I am currently sketching a song lyric to commemorate the letting go of this anger and frustration. Once it is complete, I will not hold on to the anger any longer. Those people don't care, so I shouldn't either. 

• Learn more about personal finance. 

I have really good money habits - I don't spend much and I save everything. I'm frugal, always looking for the better buy. And I never make impulse buys. If I'm buying something, I've thoroughly thought through buying it. The more expensive the item, the more thinking occurs. I also don't go out drinking (SUPER expensive & completely frivolous in my eyes...) and buy inexpensively when I go out to eat. So I have a great foundation for ensuring that I have money when I need it most and ensuring that I make my money work for me. I am already saving a good portion of my paycheck into my 401K, I've got a $10,000 "emergency" fund saved up (in case I lose my job and need to live off of what I have, in case I get seriously injured, etc.), and I've got another fund building for my big buy (probably a down payment on a house). BUT I need to learn more about how to have my money grow - investment and other sources of income, etc. Thus, this resolution. I have already borrowed a book on personal finance from the library and begun to read it. Onward and upward!

• Be more active. 

So here's the cliche. Everyone and their dog makes this resolution and many of them have not kept it, even already. I am a healthy person. I eat healthfully and do my best to keep my health in check. But I recognize that I am not as active as I should be. I have used the excuse that I am at work for 9.5 hours a day and drive to and from work for 2 hours a day to avoid trying to find a fitness routine that suits me. There's always time for health, so I'm making the time. I have purchased a jump rope and have found a routine that I can do most days of the week, even those days that I work. When Kyle and I are reunited later this year, once everything from the transitions settles down, we're going to go to a gym class. Maybe spinning, maybe kickboxing - those are the two that I want to do. :D I enjoy being active, as long as it's not just running. 

So there you go, those are my resolutions. I have other things that I want to improve as well - I always do. But I think it's better that the most urgent things be my resolutions and the other less urgent things be amorphous goals that I keep in mind as I tackle everyday life. I will make them resolutions at a later date if that's what it takes to get me to keep up on them.

On to the yummies!!
The first weekend that Kyle and I were back at his apartment from his winter break - I decided that I wanted to make bread, because who doesn't love homemade bread, fresh from the oven?? I'll admit that on some matters - I'm not too big a fan of bread. Like sandwiches - too much bread on a sandwich is a bad thing. Same thing with pizza - too thick of crust can ruin a pizza for me. But bread for the sake of bread - that's a different story. I looooooovvveeee bread for the sake of bread! So here's the bread that I decided to make for the sake of that delicious baked good, bread.

Cinnamon swirl bread!

I followed a recipe I found here via bakedbyrachel.com.
It was easy, albeit a little slow given the two rises it goes through, but I think it's not a problem at all on a day that you're going to be around the house most of the day. Little effort goes into making it and it's delicious! I loved this bread and Kyle ate what was left after I left for the week in about a day. :) This one is definitely staying in my personal recipe book.

I hope you're enjoying your twenty thirteen so far and that your resolutions are holding up! Don't give up! Even if you falter, just keep on a-plugging!

Stay excellent!
- Jenny -

A DIY Christmas

Merry Christmas everyone!
I can't believe it is already Christmas eve and that we are about to hit our one year blog-i-versary.
It hasn't been the perfect first year of blogging, but it has been fun and I have enjoyed it. I look forward to continuing and, hopefully, improving.

This year was my first Christmas without school... ever. So I decided to use the opportunity to DIY more things for Christmas. I usually DIY gifts (as you may have noticed throughout this year..), but this year I decided to do more than in the past. I painted three mugs (and used clear coat to increase the lifetime of the paint, as I updated in the DIY painted mugs post), made a good number of baking soda and corn starch ornaments, and made peppermint fudge and mocha truffles.

Everything turned out really well!

First, the ornaments!
I used this baking soda and cornstarch clay recipe. I followed the directions and they turned out pretty well. Some of my ornaments experienced some cracking on the back, but it wasn't enough to make me hate them. I think it may have been slightly due to how long it took me to get from rolling the dough to baking the ornaments. To poke the holes in the top, I used a straw.

Once the ornaments were baked and cooled, I painted them using acrylic paint. Once the paint was dry I coated both sides with a clear varnish that I found in the same aisle as the acrylic paints in my local craft store.

Red Hot Chili Pepper symbol for my 'brothers' to commemorate our RHCP concert experience this November.

These were made for my boyfriend's parents. They are painted to look like their dogs. :3

This is a pair of matching ornaments. One I made for myself (the one with the funny business near the top of the star) and one for Anna! :)

That's right, the deathly hallows = awesome.

And this is one of my personal favorites - The one I made for my man. :) <3

On to the candy!
I decided that I would make some candy for my boyfriend's parents in addition to their ornaments. I settled on these two recipes: peppermint fudge by Shugary Sweets and mocha truffles by Better Homes and Gardens.

These turned out fairly well. They weren't as pretty as I was hoping but they sure are tasty. I had to fudge some of the ingredients though (pun intended). The fudge recipe calls for Andes peppermint crunch baking chips, but I could not find any and I checked three grocery stores. So I used Hershey's candy cane flavored kisses, they have little bits of candy cane in them too, so it worked out great! Also, the topping with the peppermint marshmallows and candy quik didn't pan out (couldn't find peppermint marshmallows and accidentally melted the marshmallows in the candy quik the first time...), so I used white chocolate and regular marshmallows. It's not as bright white but it's tasty and it works. :)

As for the truffles. They are delicious and they turned out well. We were running a little low on time so we were less patient than needed to deal with coating the truffles in white chocolate, so we ended up with swirls of dark chocolate in the coating from the insides melting a bit. But they almost look like they were made to look that way. ;)

Overall, it was a success and it's all quite tasty!

I hope you all have a great Christmas. I'll be back before the week is out with a post for the new year!
God bless and may your holiday be filled with love, family, friends, and warmth.

Stay excellent!
- Jenny -

Up on My Soapbox about Friendship

As a blog based in friendship, it is only natural that we talk about friendship every now and then. :)

I'm sure all of us know that friendship is great. It's beautiful, fun, engaging, and it's something that each of us needs in life. Where would we be without our friends?

If there is anything that I have learned through my life about friendship and relationships, it's that they all take time and energy and so much more from both sides. As they say, "Friendship is a two-way street." I have seen and continue to experience absolute true friendship. Anna is truly a best friend and I thank her for it constantly. I have a small handful of truly awe-inspiring and beautiful friends - they know who they are. But I've also learned that there are times when friends disagree, there are friendships that end, and there are friends that simply move on. C'est la vie.

However, it is our jobs as friends to put in the time and be there. This we all know. That's the easy part of friendship - hanging out and, well, being friends. The hard part comes along when time runs short, when friends move away, when life changes. These are the catalysts for the troubles of friendship.

And here comes the part of the job description of a friend that so many of us forget: 

Be understanding. 

So here I am, up on my soapbox - hoping that maybe a little reminding will help us all. The whole world needs to remember that we are all fighting different battles and that friends give us each strength.

If you want to the short version of the tome below, here it is: 

So for every human being out there: 

Please try to understand that we, as individuals, cannot be the centers of one another's universe, but we can be bright stars in one another's gorgeous night skies. Take pleasure in being a blessing counted with the stars and revel in every second you spend with your friends. Stop lamenting about time you don't get, quit complaining, and start rejoicing in the time you have; because believe me, there'll come a day when you too will have to say, "Sorry, not tonight," or "I'm sorry, I can't - rain-check?"

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The long version:

Sometimes, actually often times, when life decides to get busy, it does so in almost every aspect: from work, family, friends, and everyday life to new arrivals, emergencies, excitement, and change - it all tends to happen in clusters and all at once. These bouts can last for hours, days, weeks, and even months, leaving little "free" time and these moments happen to everyone.

As relatives, friends, loved ones, peers, and so much more to the people around us, it is each of our duties to understand that sometimes people are busy and sometimes this busy-ness lasts for longer than anyone wants. It is our job as friends to support our friends and loved ones and understand that they have other things going on, good or bad. Be there and lend strength - that is what true friends do. 

In my opinion, a grown adult that feels personally persecuted because the people in their lives have intervals when they have less time than usual for him/her is one or more of the following: 

• insecure about the relationships they hold
• lacking compassion and empathy for the struggles we all face from time to time
• lacking the amount of responsibilities/obligations that can cause moments and times like those
• and/or, simply, selfish.

There are a lot of things a functioning, active, and responsible adult has to do, such as (but not limited to):

• pursuing life goals
• sustaining an intimate relationship
• preserving friendships
• protecting family integrity
• fulfilling familial duties
• fulfilling fiscal and civil responsibilities
• attending to mundane, everyday tasks
• making time for oneself. 

As a working, young but active and responsible woman, I wholeheartedly believe that each and every one of those things is essential to a healthy and fulfilling life. But sometimes, some days, some weeks, it can be a lot to handle all at once. You can't tell me you haven't felt that way before.
During those times, something's got to give. 

So here's the new challenge - What is it that gives?

I hope that we can all agree, that there are some things that are simply not negotiable (and for some things, nor should they be or would we want them to be). This list of things is different for everyone, as priorities are different for different people. For me, personally, the list is: family, work, certain daily tasks (like taking a shower, eating, sleeping, tidying, and caring for my pets), and miscellaneous obligations of adult life (doctor's appointments, car maintenance, home maintenance, helping the household make ends meet, etc.). 

So eliminating these non-negotiable items, we're left with: the pursuit of personal life goals, sustaining an intimate relationship, preserving friendships, and personal time. 

From my personal perspective, the first thing that always gives in every situation is personal time (for better or for worse). Any of my closest friends can attest to this. 

So next, it's: pursuit of personal life goals. 

At this point in my life, this is a priority. I am a new college graduate entering my career field. Pursuing my career goals is something that will not give, not now, anyway. I will put in the time to apply to jobs, update and adjust my resume, write cover letters, attend interviews, study for the Fundamentals of Engineering exam (so I can pursue becoming a professional engineer), and anything else that might help. Later on in my life, as I mature into the career field and settle down to start a family, this will become less of a priority but right now, it takes up a lot of my limited "free" time (I work 44 hours one week and 36 hours the next as my work schedule and it does limit my time, contrary to some belief). 

That leaves: Intimate relationship versus friendships - the age-old dual. 

How long have men whined about missing bro-time because their man has got a new girl? 

How long have women complained about missing their gal-pal because of the new beau in her life? 

I'd first like to remind all of us that anyone who finds themselves in a meaningful relationship does, out of the nature of time itself, have less free time to spare for some things that it may have been used for in the past. It's a balancing act. 

It is important to remember that couples need time to themselves to grow and sustain a lasting relationship.

I personally am happy for my friends and kind of like it when they take time for themselves - even if it means fewer visits with them. I will gladly sacrifice some of my friend-time to see my friends find love.
But I realize that this is not how everyone feels - I believe there is an innate fear that once our friends find love, they're never gonna look back. But that's not how it is, a true friend will rejoice with you and share their happiness with you. They will look back - they'll remember that you were there when they needed you and they'll know you'll still be there to celebrate in their love.

But for many, there is still room to complain. I mean, some people truly don't look back, some relationships aren't completely balanced - in fact, I'm sure many aren't; and this is where that fear comes from.
Ideally, there should come a point (after some adjusting and transition time) where a balance is found in which everyone is satisfied and happy. This state should be balanced more often than not and only come off-kilter when changes happen (which, unfortunately can seem fairly often).

I strive for this balance. Having been in a relationship (I've been in 3 relationships total) for almost the entire time since I was 15 (I am now 22) and having each of those three last at least one year and six months with my current one at 3+ years (indicating that none were "flings"), I can confidently say that I am good at balancing my relationships and my friendships. 

But, alas, there are a few who disagree.

Now, I take this kind of thing seriously and to heart. It pains me to think that any of my friends may feel that I am deliberately not making time for them, especially when I try and the effort is not recognized.
It truly pains me.

However, I do take solace in the fact that the majority of my friends do not feel this way, only a few.
So, I mustn't be the terrible friend those few claim.

And truly, I believe that I make the same amount of time for all of my friends - with the small exception of best friends. But the issue lies in the fact that some friends need more time than others, I can't divvy up my friend-time evenly and make everyone happy...

Having said that, I believe that I am making a strong effort to balance my life and, though I will try my best to improve these relations, I understand that it might turn out to simply not be enough.

In the end, I stand by this statement:

A true friend is understanding. 

This is the whole reason a person becomes friends with another in the first place: because they understand each other (at least to some degree). If a friend cannot or refuses to understand, even with your best efforts, then perhaps they are not as close or as good a friend as they could be.

In my life there are a lot of forces that don't understand, that show little ability to picture life in my shoes... I depend on my friends to be the understanding ones. And I try my damnedest to understand each of them and to see life from their perspective - I am their friend after all, it's my job. My closest friends are my closest friends because they understand and not only that, they love me no matter what. 

I mean who doesn't love those friends that they can go forever without seeing or talking to and when you meet up again, finally, nothing has changed? Who doesn't love that? That, to me, is a great friend. 

THAT is true friendship. And I offer it to each and every one of my friends, each of them get it from me. I am always saying, "Oh no, next week works too!" or "Just let me know when you're free." But, as they say, "Friendship is a two-way street," sometimes I need some understanding too. We all need understanding from our friends. That's what friends are for. 

So for every human being out there: 

Please try to understand that we, as individuals, cannot be the centers of one another's universe, but we can be bright stars in one another's gorgeous night skies. Take pleasure in being a blessing counted with the stars and revel in every second you spend with your friends. Stop lamenting about time you don't get, quit complaining, and start rejoicing in the time you have; because believe me, there'll come a day when you'll need some understanding too.

- Jenny -

Introduction

Hi!
We're Anna and Jenny and this is our blog.
We welcome you to our space and hope you enjoy our adventures.

This is a blog based on friendship and because of this, much of the things we'll be posting will be things you would share with a close friend, for example stuff in our lives, stuff we're up to, things we think are cool, or more generally, anything that interests us. It's gonna be random.

We hope to invite you into a world of friendship. We hope to inspire you and your friends to keep close. That's one of our goals by making this blog: to stay close to one another. We know that we'll find a more defined direction and style the further we get into this project. This is our first blog and attempt at blogging - but we are both very faithful followers of other blogs. :) Bear with us as we get the hang of blogging and regular posting.

That being said, we hope you enjoy it and happy reading, friends!