Anna’s Blog

Two weekends ago, PBU students were given the opportunity to dine with faculty members and staff. However, unlike the traditional Faculty Dinner at the beginning of the school year welcoming new students and returnees, students were invited to sign up for meals with the faculty—in their own homes, and, get this: home-cooked. Delight of delights!

While we are more than thankful for our beloved cafeteria and Pioneer Catering, there is simply no substitute for a home-cooked meal. Houses served Italian dishes, American, Mexican, Japanese, among others; students were able to sign up depending upon their inclination in food, and a particular inclination to spend time with a professor’s family, enrollment counselors from the Admissions Office, or any other PBU office or staff member. My friends and I signed up to be served by the orchestrator of this event herself: the one, the only Miss Sarah Zimmerman.

The five of us students met at her apartment, and were pleased and surprised that though her apartment is attached to the noisy, open Heritage Hall, we had by the end of the night forgotten completely that we were not in another building altogether. Sarah served us some of her delicious baked salmon with sides of rice pilaf and broccoli. Throughout the evening, we enjoyed lively conversation, jokes, and stories. Sarah, through a few amusing blunders, protested that I had transferred my clumsiness to her…

But if I can speak for the rest of the students who participated in the Home-Cooked Meals weekend, we not only relished the tasty food, but also appreciated seeing the faculty and staff members in their natural environments. I, for one, hope this event will continue to be a part of the PBU social events for years to come.

...I wrote this for the PBU student publication The Scroll. Sometimes it's cool to use things you write more than once. :)

Be aware: the above image was not a meal prepared by Sarah Zimmerman. The salmon we enjoyed with her was much much much more delectable!

Posted by Anna at 9:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

What better day to relive for the rest of our lives?? What better day to get engaged than Groundhog Day?

Anyway - because I know people want to know - I'll share our story!

Late yesterday morning, my favorite/best/dear Brieanne texted me saying: "Hey girl, I have a gift card to starbucks and I have somethings I would love to talk to you about plus a date would be fun. Today at 2ish?" I responded: "Sounds great! I get out of class just after two...and have a practicum meeting with Rivera at 3:15. Is that enough time?"

...After class, I met up with Brie, chatted for a bit at our mailboxes, and made our way down to her car (little did I know, she had canceled my meeting with Rivera, texted Alyssa to let them know we were on our way, and called Kevin and let him listen in on our conversation to "Starbucks".)

Brie did an excellent job making small talk, and playing clueless. She made a few wrong turns to Starbucks (but as I'm personally directionally challenged, I either A) took her word for it, or B) didn't bother correcting her.) She played off one of the turns saying it was a shortcut -- crazily enough, Kevin and I had been out with some friends just the night before who had shown us a few shortcuts around Newtown, so I totally bought it.

Soon enough, we turned passed Shir Ami - the synagogue Kevin and I have attended (Kevin and I first became "interested" in each other at the synagogue last year, this week - check out one of my blogs from February 2009... we were blessed by the rabbi along with the other February birthdays... and then Kevin asked me out for a cup of coffee!) I pointed it out to Brieanne, who quickly realized she had made a wrong turn as if she were going to Starbucks anyway but I invited her to come with us sometime to a service... so while she was turning around, she decided to turn in to Shir Ami to just check it out a bit. I said that was fine, we weren't in any hurry.

We turned in to Shir Ami, and tooled around the parking lot. I told her to head to the back of the sanctuary, where the offices were. (Turning around the corner, I could have SWORN I saw Alyssa - who was taking pictures throughout the entire proposal! - but Kevin quickly and easily convinced me I didn't see her, but the cleaning lady.) We parked outside the office, and Brieanne told me that since I was the one who had been there before, and she was nervous or something, that I should go in and get some information. I was fine with that... but she kept moving the car. She turned in a complete circle, and said, "I think you should get out." And I was like, "Umm... ok... do you mean like get out of the car, or do you want me to go inside?" And she just kept saying, "Get OUT. Get out of the car!"

At this point, I was a little suspicious. No kidding, up until this point, I had no idea what was going on - Brieanne played her part so flawlessly! But anyway, I got out of the car, and saw rose petals on the ground I totally thought there had been like a wedding the other day or something, I didn't know, but was still not sure what was going on at this point. I walked toward the petals - yellow and pink, my favorite! - and saw Kevin standing there, behind some trees toward the side of the synagogue.

He was swaying back and forth - dancing, I thought, to The Luckiest, which he had playing on his laptop. Turns out, he was just nervous. :) I ran toward him and gave him the biggest hug. I honestly couldn't believe it was HAPPENING. He pulled out my locket (which Alyssa had taken from my room earlier today, and I had always made a point of NOT letting Kevin know what was written inside, telling him, "You'll know what it says when YOU write something to put in it!) and read to me what he wanted me to put in the locket from now on... as if I'm going to tell all of YOU!!! and got down on one knee, pulled out the ring, and asked me to marry him. We're both crying at this point. It was absolutely beautiful. Obviously, I said YES.

As soon as I said, "YES!" the doors to the synagogue exploded with Jewish women who had been having a book study or some kind of discussion inside... "MAZEL TOV! MAZEL TOV!!!!"

Kevin and I headed out... we DID go to Starbucks, got to share our news with a few friends there... went out to dinner (after talking with parents and friends on the phone)... and headed back to my apartment to watch what else? Groundhog Day! ...But someone was already in the lounge. A BUNCH OF MY FRIENDS with sparkling grape juice and cookies AND the incredible slideshow Alyssa had made for us of all the pictures she took at the synagogue!

What a perfect end to a perfect day.

Thank you guys for sharing in our excitement! Will keep you posted on dates for el Wedding-o... :)

<3

(My great-grandmother's engagement ring!)

(!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

(LOVE LOVE LOVE!)

(Thanks, Boys Like Girls + TSwift!)

(Starbucks was very supportive of our decision...)

Posted by Anna at 5:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Once upon a time, at about 9:30 tonight, a girl was reading through the book of Romans.

After the second chapter, the girl got a craving for some delicious Costa Rican coffee. She set down her Bible and walked to the kitchen. She opened the Coffee Cupboard and reached for her Costa Rican coffee beans.

As she was about to pour some into the coffee grinder, the girl remembered how temperamental the coffee maker had been acting lately. No matter how much she put into the coffee maker, the ratio of grounds to water never comes out quite right. Obviously, the studious young woman wanted to get back to her reading of the Word and didn't feel like dealing with the fickleness and irritability of the coffee maker.

She pulled out the chai tea mix instead. Her roommate had recently purchased a new electric kettle, so the girl was excited and pleased to use an appliance that was sure to be fast and reliable. She filled it with water and switched it on. While she waited for the water to heat up, the girl spooned three heaping tbsps into her favorite mug.

Hardly had she done this when the kettle switched off. "Ah," she thought, "what a fast kettle!" The water, though, when she poured it into her mug, was remarkably less than boiling. She toyed with the switch of the kettle a bit longer, shrugged, "The heck with it!" and set her mug full of lukewarm water and chai mix in the microwave.

"Hooray for an appliance that is unfailingly capable of making cold things hot!" the girl remarked to herself and to her roommate who had just come in from work. She briefly explained the ordeal. Together, as the microwave worked its magic, the two girls read and reread the directions to the electric kettle. Together, they fixed the problem: the outlet wasn't on. "Well," said the Costa-Rican-coffee-turned-chai-craving girl, "I'll get my tea soon enough anyway."

The timer on the microwave went off. The girl opened the door only to see that the chai had exploded out of the mug, onto the walls of the microwave. The mug itself was coated with the thick chunks of chai mix. "No problem," said the roommate, as she switched on the now operational electric kettle.

The only slightly frustrated girl, wishing to get back to her reading of Paul's Epistle to the Romans, started scrubbing the mug. Scrubbing vigorously, the handle broke off in the girl's hand. "UGHHH can't anything go right??" she whined to herself and to her roommate who was still sitting nearby.

Then, she noticed the broken mug had cut her finger. "UGHHH can't anything go right??" she whined to herself and to her roommate who was scurrying into the bedroom to grab some band aids from her first aid kit.

Finally, the girl sat down with her delicious, hot chai tea and Bible.

That girl... was me.

The End.

Pictures to prove it:

Where it all began.

The slowbies: coffee maker and electric kettle. Both Hamilton Beach products... hmmmm.

Microwave, obviously. Site of the explosion.

The now clean - but disabled - mug, and my poor poor finger + band aid.

Back to the Bible! Hooray for a 'successful' cup of chai!

Posted by Anna at 9:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)