I am thankful for...

Although I have a bit of moral apprehension about celebrating Thanksgiving in the historical sense, I do think that having at least one day in the year when you count your blessings is a positive thing. It would be better if this was done everyday, but I know life gets in the way sometimes. Today I want to recognize just a few things, in the much larger list, that I am thankful for.



My friends and family
I am so lucky to have such a supportive group of people surrounding me. On a daily basis, they send me inspiring emails. When I'm lucky enough to be able to video chat with them, they make me laugh and cry and smile so hard. And about once a month, I get a heartwarming care package from them filled with snacks and hot sauce. I've said this many times before, I couldn't do this journey without them.

My cat- Miley
Ok, I know some people are going to call me a crazy cat lady now. But in all honesty, I am. I love my little mischievous lady and she is so comforting to me. When she's not taking the smelliest poops, she's right by my side looking for love and attention. Watching her hunt bugs around the flat or getting her paws caught on things is a constant source of entertainment.

My roommate, my bestie, the Taco to my Nacho- Julia
This insane lady is by my side 24/7. (Like literally, sometimes we fall asleep next to each other.) Listening to her overthink her problems, wondering out loud when Josh and Donna will get together, making whale moan noises, and occasionally koala-ing me makes my life very interesting. But in all seriousness, I'm so glad I have such a cool person to share this experience with.

My community
I love my new site. I really couldn't be happier with my new placement and project. I finally feel like I am working towards a goal and making a lasting impact on the people I work with. Everyone here has been so welcoming. Aside from a few crazies and annoyances, this town is starting to feel like another home to me. Plus there is the cafe where I can get a bacon, avocado, chicken burgers daily (and do)- so bonus!

Peace Corps
As much as I can complain sometimes, I am incredibly thankful for this experience and I wouldn't be here without Peace Corps. After months and months of waiting and paperwork, they selected me to come to Namibia. They essentially helped me make a lifetime dream come through and my life will be forever changed because of them.





Again, these are just a few of the major things I am thankful for this year. My list goes well beyond these pieces of my life.



Honorable mentions include: West Wing, air conditioning, Cholula, Mindy Kaling, iced coffee, pumice stones, sunshine, homemade popcorn, my kindle, Texas A&M, Buzzfeed, avocados, Mr. Bates, Justin Bieber's Sorry music video, mug cakes, my Nalgene- and many, many more. 

My Mean Mug

It's Funfetti!

I have started a new habit and it's not necessarily the healthiest, but it does rank high on the delicious scale. Because we do not have an oven and my Spar bakery doesn't make my type of baked good, I crave my sinful American sweets. Luckily, I found a pretty easy way to satisfy that craving. This is not a new concept by any means, but it's a good way for PCVs to get their pastry fix in. You simply put any cake/brownie/cookie/muffin mix into a coffee mug and bake it in the microwave. Here is how I go about it:

1. Either make your own mix or buy any box that entices you at the store.
2. Pour a reasonable amount of the mix into a bowl. (I think it ends up being like a cup)
3. Mix in one egg, about 2 tablespoons oil, and about 2 tablespoons water. The consistency should be on the thicker side. 
4. Oil or butter your selected mug so the entire surface is covered. 
5. Pour in your mix. It should be a maximum of halfway up the mug. Otherwise it will spill over in the microwave. 
6. Turn your microwave to medium power
7. Cook for about 2-3 minutes or until a knife comes out clean. 
8. Eat it on up. Just don't burn your mouth. Ouch!

It's that simple. They taste just like they came out of the oven and it's a decent way to go about portion control. Unless you are like me and sometimes you make two, but that's another problem all together. Go forth and enjoy your pastries my friend! 

Here are some recipes from babble.com. 

Disclaimer: I am eating a mug brownie as I write this. But I have no time to take a picture of it... because I'm enjoying it too much to stop. 

The Peanut Butter to my Jelly

Being in the Peace Corps is not easy by any means- sometimes you experience incredibly high highs and incredibly low lows, all within the same hour. I'm lucky enough to have a support system surrounding me that you should be quite jealous of. (#squadgoals) I've decided to start a series of posts highlighting some of these people that make the hardest days just a little bit easier. Whether I'm in a puddle of tears or so giddy I can't stop snort laughing, they are part of this experience with me. Without them, I'm positive I couldn't make it through the next year and a half.

To start off, I'm going to highlight my main lady. She's the ride or die type. She would shank someone to protect me. We have had 26 years together and although there were rough patches in there, I wouldn't trade her love and support for anything in this world. Not even for the love of James Franco (and you guys know how serious that is for me.) It's my sister/mom/best friend Morgan.

Morgan has fulfilled many roles in my life. She has been the hardass mentor, always pushing me to try harder and be better. She has been my shoulder to cry on, or I guess more often to blabber on Facetime to. She will be my lifelong dance partner, always ready to throw out her classic pancake dance move. We can debate Hufflepuff vs. Gryffindor for hours. I expect her to call me out when I'm being a basic bitch. And in return, I help her pick out clothes that don't give her a mom ass and cover her unusually long torso.

Even though we are like 6,500 miles away from each other, she is available anytime I need her. She has supported me on my Peace Corps journey since the day I called her and casually said I had applied. She was the first person I called when I got my nomination and invitation. And she was my last pep talk before I got on the plane. When all I want to do is quit, she talks me through it. She never pushes me one way or the other, even though I am sure selfishly she would prefer I was at home having dance parties with her. I love her with all my heart. And I am thankful every.single.day for her.