So...It's been a while. Surprise, surprise. I'm kind of a failure at staying dedicated to writing this...haven't you noticed?
Anyways, I've started my bachelors classes. I'm taking psychology, composition and communication, espanol, economics and organizational behavior. Its a pretty boring set of classes, I'll have to admit. Spanish is great fun, if only because the teacher is relatively laid back, and we can get her easily distracted onto interesting topics. The professor in economics keeps it interesting, mainly because he knows his subject is slightly difficult, and hard to stay focused on. A plus is that he's straight out of Ireland, so his perspective is interesting too. Psychology is interesting- but I already took this exact class in high school. If only I could have gotten college credit *sigh*. Organizational behavior is suuuuuuuuuuuper boring. mostly because its just applied psychology. which again...I've already taken.
Now comp and comm, on the other hand...drives. me. nuts. we are currently reading the novel The Things They Carried, which wouldn't bother me so much, except that I, as well as a number of my classmates, read it in our sophomore year of high school. And once more, we aren't doing a very in depth analysis of it. Oh well, I gotta suck it up, I know...but still... 3 hours a week of sitting talking about a book I've already read and picked apart once...not very interesting.
I'm also in an Advanced Pastry course, but that only meets once every few weeks, so I've only had one class so far. We are supposed to be working on a project about the emmy's. We are to pretend that we have been asked to make 3 types of cupcakes, 2 types of brownies and a plated dessert for the emmy's...the catch? we have to use at least one Duncan Hines product in each item. I've worked a little on the project, but I haven't been hit by inspiration yet...lets hope it comes soon.
Outside of school, I've been up to a lot. I had a job as a baker/ brunch person at Zen Dog Cafe in Rhinebeck, but that only lasted a few weeks. It started out that I was going to work three days a week, and that was fine with me. The first week I started, I got cut down to two 6 hour shifts. But I was okay, because they just opened. The next week however, I got cut down to one 5 hour shift. Not okay with me- Jon and I can't even come close to making ends meet with those kind of hours. So I'm okay with it.
I'm even more okay because I already have another job. I will be working as a line Pastry cook at Terrapin Restaurant in Rhinebeck (down the road from Zen Dog, hehe). I'm going to work Mondays, Wednesdays, and the weekend, so I should be making enough to stay afloat. Jon is actually at a Job interview/ 1st day of work as I write this. Hopefully, he will be working at GiGi Trattoria (also in Rhinebeck, across the street from Terrapin).
Our garden, however, is not doing so great. We discovered about a month ago that maintenance had turned off the water to our garden hose for some unknown reason. We've been arguing and trying to get a request for it to be turned back on, and maintenance keeps saying they'll get right on it, but nothing is happening. It looks like we won't be able to come back from our summer disaster after all. Last weekend we actually watered the entire garden with mason jars. It took almost 2 hours. This is really unfortunate because on October 2nd, we have two major events that we are doing... so hopefully we can make something happen.
Well... I think that's everything going on in lil ole Hyde Park. Hopefully, I'll post again soon...we'll see though, eh?
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
I'm a lazy lazy bum...
I'm just going to say that straight off, because I really have been quite lazy as of late. blame it on having nothing to do, blame it on the heat, either way, I'm a lazy bum.
So after my last post, Jon and I traveled up to Ithaca New York to spend time with Jon's family. They recently moved, and I must say, there house is ADORABLE. I called it a number of things, including, but not limited to: the smurf village, candy land, and hansel and gretel houses. here's a link to them: http://www.boicevillecottages.com/ they are crazy cool...I kinda want one. the only thing is there are relatively small, and during our stay there, the house was full to the gills. Here's the rundown of everyone who was crammed into the house: Jon's Mom, Jon's Dad, Jordan, Jimmy, Koura (Jon's Cousin) and us. It was fun though.
We went all over Ithaca, including two different waterfalls. On top of that, we got to see Koura dance in an opera called the Magic Flute. it was a very confusing opera, but the singers were excellent, and Koura was awesome.
After a week of fun in Ithaca, Jon and I finally headed back home to our apartment in Hyde Park. It is usually about 3 1/2 hours worth of driving. but it took us almost 5 hours to get back because of traffic. On top of that, we almost hit a deer. It ran up right to the edge of a road, and stopped.
And now we are back in lovely Hyde Park. Jon has class all day, so I'm alone most of the time. We built a desk, two bookcases, a filing cabinet and our kitchen table w/ four chairs. And I've applied for a bunch of jobs too...
So thats all for now.
--Kendall
So after my last post, Jon and I traveled up to Ithaca New York to spend time with Jon's family. They recently moved, and I must say, there house is ADORABLE. I called it a number of things, including, but not limited to: the smurf village, candy land, and hansel and gretel houses. here's a link to them: http://www.boicevillecottages.com/ they are crazy cool...I kinda want one. the only thing is there are relatively small, and during our stay there, the house was full to the gills. Here's the rundown of everyone who was crammed into the house: Jon's Mom, Jon's Dad, Jordan, Jimmy, Koura (Jon's Cousin) and us. It was fun though.
We went all over Ithaca, including two different waterfalls. On top of that, we got to see Koura dance in an opera called the Magic Flute. it was a very confusing opera, but the singers were excellent, and Koura was awesome.
After a week of fun in Ithaca, Jon and I finally headed back home to our apartment in Hyde Park. It is usually about 3 1/2 hours worth of driving. but it took us almost 5 hours to get back because of traffic. On top of that, we almost hit a deer. It ran up right to the edge of a road, and stopped.
And now we are back in lovely Hyde Park. Jon has class all day, so I'm alone most of the time. We built a desk, two bookcases, a filing cabinet and our kitchen table w/ four chairs. And I've applied for a bunch of jobs too...
So thats all for now.
--Kendall
Saturday, July 31, 2010
DC Part Deux
Alrighty, so I guess that it was more than one or two days since my last post...sorry.
Anyways, on our second day in Virginia we met up with Jon and I's good friend Sean at the Tyson's Corner mall. It is HUGE! we wandered around for hours until we finally sat down and ate at a sushi place (called Wasabi) that has a really unique concept. The dishes are on a conveyor belt, and you just pick what you want off of it... the food is on different colored plates, and the price of the dish is based on the color of the plate. The food was pretty good, and we had a lot of fun at Tysons.
Jon took me around and showed me all of the places where he used to visit as a kid, including his old baseball field. We also went to a pool party with people he has known since middle school. It was slightly awkward for me, but I made it through.
The next day (our last day), Jon and I headed off to the National Zoo. It is a very large zoo, and it was waay cool to see the pandas and the O-Line. the O-line is a system of ropes that allow Orangutans to travel around the park to different areas where they can stay. Unfortunately, a number of the exhibits were closed (including the elephant house) due to construction or it being too hot. I can't wait to go to the National Aquarium next time around...
That day we also took time so that I could see all of the monuments and the White House. Did you know that you can't just go on a white house tour anymore? you have to be on a wait list for like 6 months...:( but its okay.
We had fun in Washington DC, and I can't wait to go back and see everything else I missed, which is alot because we were only there for a few days.
Currently, I'm in Ithaca, NY visiting Jon's family. We are heading back to campus tomorrow though, so expect semi frequent blog posts while I try and get a job/ set up our apartment! Woo being all growed up!
--Kendall
Anyways, on our second day in Virginia we met up with Jon and I's good friend Sean at the Tyson's Corner mall. It is HUGE! we wandered around for hours until we finally sat down and ate at a sushi place (called Wasabi) that has a really unique concept. The dishes are on a conveyor belt, and you just pick what you want off of it... the food is on different colored plates, and the price of the dish is based on the color of the plate. The food was pretty good, and we had a lot of fun at Tysons.
Jon took me around and showed me all of the places where he used to visit as a kid, including his old baseball field. We also went to a pool party with people he has known since middle school. It was slightly awkward for me, but I made it through.
The next day (our last day), Jon and I headed off to the National Zoo. It is a very large zoo, and it was waay cool to see the pandas and the O-Line. the O-line is a system of ropes that allow Orangutans to travel around the park to different areas where they can stay. Unfortunately, a number of the exhibits were closed (including the elephant house) due to construction or it being too hot. I can't wait to go to the National Aquarium next time around...
That day we also took time so that I could see all of the monuments and the White House. Did you know that you can't just go on a white house tour anymore? you have to be on a wait list for like 6 months...:( but its okay.
We had fun in Washington DC, and I can't wait to go back and see everything else I missed, which is alot because we were only there for a few days.
Currently, I'm in Ithaca, NY visiting Jon's family. We are heading back to campus tomorrow though, so expect semi frequent blog posts while I try and get a job/ set up our apartment! Woo being all growed up!
--Kendall
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Off to DC...
So after we left Lake Geneva, we ventured off to Washington DC for a few days so that I could see where Jon grew up. He technically didn't grow up in the heart of DC but in the Alexandria/Manassas area, but we spent a little time in the Capital because I wanted to be touristy.
On our first day, we went out to eat at one of Jon's favorite mexican restaurants- El Tio. I'm usually not a fan of mexican food, but the quesadillas here were amazing! So maybe Jon is having more of an influence on me that I thought. We then went and looked around at where Jon went to high school, and saw how much everything has been built up since the last time he visited.
The next day, I wanted to go into DC to see the Smithsonian's Natural History Museum and the American History Museum. We headed to the Metro station so that we could take the train in, only to find that every parking spot in the entire metro station was full! The same thing happened at two other metro stations- so we finally decided to drive in.
*Sidenote: Virginia drivers are scary. they just cut you off with no warning, and then slow down. its really annoying. You will also get tailgated, honked at, and glared at if you are not going atleast 15 mph over the speed limit.
So when we got to DC, we headed first to the natural history museum (which is free!). The place is massive, and houses a number of really cool exhibits, including the Hope Diamond. I hinted pretty heavily to Jon that it would be an acceptable diamond to go along with my engagement ring...he didn't seem to agree, lol. We then headed off to the American History Museum, where we saw the actual star spangled banner. It's huge- you can't take any pictures of if though, so I can't really show how awe inspiring it is. They also had an exhibit about Stratavarius violins, which made me super giddy. (I did bring my violin to hyde park finally, so I can play again!! yay!!) We also saw Kermit the Frog, fonze's jacket, michael jacksons fedora, and a whole bunch of other memorabilia. the museums are amazing, and I can't wait to go back and check out the other museums DC has to offer. That night Jon and I drove around Alexandria (where he grew up) and he showed me his old house. We also ate at his favorite pizza place, Mamma Mia. The pizza was absolutely delicious. It was greasy, and had a crisp crust, and was just...mmmmmm. I also got to meet one of Jons closest friends, Scott. It's interesting meeting people you have heard sooo much about. He's really nice, and I was glad to meet him.
So that was the first two days of our adventure. I'll probably post tomorrow or the next day about what the other two days where like- I think that is enough writing for today.
--Kendall
On our first day, we went out to eat at one of Jon's favorite mexican restaurants- El Tio. I'm usually not a fan of mexican food, but the quesadillas here were amazing! So maybe Jon is having more of an influence on me that I thought. We then went and looked around at where Jon went to high school, and saw how much everything has been built up since the last time he visited.
The next day, I wanted to go into DC to see the Smithsonian's Natural History Museum and the American History Museum. We headed to the Metro station so that we could take the train in, only to find that every parking spot in the entire metro station was full! The same thing happened at two other metro stations- so we finally decided to drive in.
*Sidenote: Virginia drivers are scary. they just cut you off with no warning, and then slow down. its really annoying. You will also get tailgated, honked at, and glared at if you are not going atleast 15 mph over the speed limit.
So when we got to DC, we headed first to the natural history museum (which is free!). The place is massive, and houses a number of really cool exhibits, including the Hope Diamond. I hinted pretty heavily to Jon that it would be an acceptable diamond to go along with my engagement ring...he didn't seem to agree, lol. We then headed off to the American History Museum, where we saw the actual star spangled banner. It's huge- you can't take any pictures of if though, so I can't really show how awe inspiring it is. They also had an exhibit about Stratavarius violins, which made me super giddy. (I did bring my violin to hyde park finally, so I can play again!! yay!!) We also saw Kermit the Frog, fonze's jacket, michael jacksons fedora, and a whole bunch of other memorabilia. the museums are amazing, and I can't wait to go back and check out the other museums DC has to offer. That night Jon and I drove around Alexandria (where he grew up) and he showed me his old house. We also ate at his favorite pizza place, Mamma Mia. The pizza was absolutely delicious. It was greasy, and had a crisp crust, and was just...mmmmmm. I also got to meet one of Jons closest friends, Scott. It's interesting meeting people you have heard sooo much about. He's really nice, and I was glad to meet him.
So that was the first two days of our adventure. I'll probably post tomorrow or the next day about what the other two days where like- I think that is enough writing for today.
--Kendall
Monday, July 26, 2010
It's been a traveling kind of summer
So, here's whats been going on since I last posted:
Jon and I spent a little over a week in Lake Geneva, WI spending time with my family and just hanging out. We actually spent a lot of time with my younger sister Devin, who is super excited to have a soon-to-be brother (or at least she is pretending she's excited) and we ended up taking her to a water park, where both Jon and I got massively sunburnt and have been peeling for the past week now. aarg.
we also went to Fiesta Italia with my dad- there was excellent food, but the music was lacking. I had some delicious Arancini, while Jon and my father ate Italian Sausage. The gelato was to die for too....As for the music- It was mostly American music, but then again, what is italian music anyways.
Jon and I also ventured to Big Foot Country Club to visit my old boss/mentors Chef Ken, Jonna and Dannell. It was really nice visiting with them, and I'm glad that they've stayed together.
hmmm, what else did we do in Lake Geneva? We met up with one of my closest friends Jackie, but that was about the only person I saw.
We made some excellent food for my family while we were there. As per request, we did Jon's famous fried chicken, which was as succulent as ever. I'm not sure what he seasons it with, but its off the hook. We also did a "swap" night, where I made the entree and he made dessert. I made sauteed white fish with a roasted fennel basmati rice, orange glazed carrots and a thyme beurre blanc, while Jon made a chocolate mousse with a raspberry coulis and a pound cake base. Both dishes were spectacular. For my dad's birthday, we made a seafood/kitchen sink risotto and yellow cake with chocolate frosting ( a staple in the Kelly household)
So that was Lake Geneva. i'll post soon about the adventures that we had in Washinton DC. It was a pretty fun trip!
--Kendall
Jon and I spent a little over a week in Lake Geneva, WI spending time with my family and just hanging out. We actually spent a lot of time with my younger sister Devin, who is super excited to have a soon-to-be brother (or at least she is pretending she's excited) and we ended up taking her to a water park, where both Jon and I got massively sunburnt and have been peeling for the past week now. aarg.
we also went to Fiesta Italia with my dad- there was excellent food, but the music was lacking. I had some delicious Arancini, while Jon and my father ate Italian Sausage. The gelato was to die for too....As for the music- It was mostly American music, but then again, what is italian music anyways.
Jon and I also ventured to Big Foot Country Club to visit my old boss/mentors Chef Ken, Jonna and Dannell. It was really nice visiting with them, and I'm glad that they've stayed together.
hmmm, what else did we do in Lake Geneva? We met up with one of my closest friends Jackie, but that was about the only person I saw.
We made some excellent food for my family while we were there. As per request, we did Jon's famous fried chicken, which was as succulent as ever. I'm not sure what he seasons it with, but its off the hook. We also did a "swap" night, where I made the entree and he made dessert. I made sauteed white fish with a roasted fennel basmati rice, orange glazed carrots and a thyme beurre blanc, while Jon made a chocolate mousse with a raspberry coulis and a pound cake base. Both dishes were spectacular. For my dad's birthday, we made a seafood/kitchen sink risotto and yellow cake with chocolate frosting ( a staple in the Kelly household)
So that was Lake Geneva. i'll post soon about the adventures that we had in Washinton DC. It was a pretty fun trip!
--Kendall
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Long time no see....
Wow, a lot has happened since I last posted on my blog. I promise that I'm going to try and stay more updated than I have been recently....but life has been pretty busy...
So last time I wrote, I was talking about the cake I was doing for Jon's family reunion...The cake happened, and I have to admit, though it was difficult, I struggled through and the end cake looked pretty spectacular (If I do say so myself). The 1st and 3rd tiers had cornelli lace in a pacific blue color with red and white fondant. The middle tier (which I'm really proud of) had hand painted figures of people doing the tango. The topper consisted of roses, hydrangeas and hyacinths. I promise to post pictures as soon as I can locate my camera cord....its been hard to locate with all the packing.
...And why was I packing do you ask? Because I graduated with my Associates degree in baking and pastry on July 8th 2010. It was a very nice ceremony, and I'm pretty sure Devin has it all on video. I'm glad to have graduated, but I guess it isn't the biggest thing in the world, because I'll be graduating again with my Bachelors degree in just over a year and half. I will say that I'm psyched to never have to wear a neckerchief or a toque again...
My parents got me a sweeeeeeeeeeeeeet graduation present too...a 2001 pontiac grand prix. 2 door...and I've named it Jazz. Jon's car is named bumblebee (after the transformers car) so I thought that because mine is sportier...Jazz is a good fit.
And now summer has begun.... Jon and I have a really packed summer. We're currently in Lake Geneva, WI for roughly a week and a half to spend time with my family. After that, we're driving to Washington DC to spend a few days there so I can meet all of Jon's friends and to see the sites. I'm excited- I've never been to DC. After that, we are heading up to Ithaca NY to spend time with Jon's family. We have a lot of traveling on the way, but it should be a fun road trip.
Well, I think that is all for now. I'll try and post when we get to DC, and let you know how Lake Geneva went.
--Kendall
So last time I wrote, I was talking about the cake I was doing for Jon's family reunion...The cake happened, and I have to admit, though it was difficult, I struggled through and the end cake looked pretty spectacular (If I do say so myself). The 1st and 3rd tiers had cornelli lace in a pacific blue color with red and white fondant. The middle tier (which I'm really proud of) had hand painted figures of people doing the tango. The topper consisted of roses, hydrangeas and hyacinths. I promise to post pictures as soon as I can locate my camera cord....its been hard to locate with all the packing.
...And why was I packing do you ask? Because I graduated with my Associates degree in baking and pastry on July 8th 2010. It was a very nice ceremony, and I'm pretty sure Devin has it all on video. I'm glad to have graduated, but I guess it isn't the biggest thing in the world, because I'll be graduating again with my Bachelors degree in just over a year and half. I will say that I'm psyched to never have to wear a neckerchief or a toque again...
My parents got me a sweeeeeeeeeeeeeet graduation present too...a 2001 pontiac grand prix. 2 door...and I've named it Jazz. Jon's car is named bumblebee (after the transformers car) so I thought that because mine is sportier...Jazz is a good fit.
And now summer has begun.... Jon and I have a really packed summer. We're currently in Lake Geneva, WI for roughly a week and a half to spend time with my family. After that, we're driving to Washington DC to spend a few days there so I can meet all of Jon's friends and to see the sites. I'm excited- I've never been to DC. After that, we are heading up to Ithaca NY to spend time with Jon's family. We have a lot of traveling on the way, but it should be a fun road trip.
Well, I think that is all for now. I'll try and post when we get to DC, and let you know how Lake Geneva went.
--Kendall
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
El Presidente and Cake Decorator Extraordinaire.
Did I ever mention that I am the new president of the CIA Garden Society? ...cuz...I am.
So I've been vice president since January, but because the president is graduating, I get to move up in the ranks. Yippee. Basically, I'll be doing exactly what I'm already doing, except that I get to have minions...waaahaha.
We're growing some pretty fun stuff this year, including rainbow striped corn, rainbow chard, jelly melons and millions of sunflowers. Admittedly, I don't know very much about gardening, but i'm picking things up along the way. Its been a growing experience. Everything is growing beautifully, and I'll post pictures as soon as I can find the cord to my camera... it's hiding amongst all of the cake decorating supplies i've recently acquired.
Speaking of cake decorating supplies... I'm working on a Tango themed cake for Jon's family reunion. It's going to be 3 tiered, with the top and bottom tiers covered with a lace pattern, and the middle tier with tango dancing poses. On top of that, I'm going to be making flowers to act as the topper. Jon thinks I've lost my mind with all the work that this requires...and maybe I have.
But he did help me out by actually baking the cakes and making the fudge ganache frosting! Thanks Hunny!
Oh OOH! I'll get pictures of "the rock" up as soon as I can...I know everyone is curious...so I'll just say this...sapphire and diamond :D
--Kendall
So I've been vice president since January, but because the president is graduating, I get to move up in the ranks. Yippee. Basically, I'll be doing exactly what I'm already doing, except that I get to have minions...waaahaha.
We're growing some pretty fun stuff this year, including rainbow striped corn, rainbow chard, jelly melons and millions of sunflowers. Admittedly, I don't know very much about gardening, but i'm picking things up along the way. Its been a growing experience. Everything is growing beautifully, and I'll post pictures as soon as I can find the cord to my camera... it's hiding amongst all of the cake decorating supplies i've recently acquired.
Speaking of cake decorating supplies... I'm working on a Tango themed cake for Jon's family reunion. It's going to be 3 tiered, with the top and bottom tiers covered with a lace pattern, and the middle tier with tango dancing poses. On top of that, I'm going to be making flowers to act as the topper. Jon thinks I've lost my mind with all the work that this requires...and maybe I have.
But he did help me out by actually baking the cakes and making the fudge ganache frosting! Thanks Hunny!
Oh OOH! I'll get pictures of "the rock" up as soon as I can...I know everyone is curious...so I'll just say this...sapphire and diamond :D
--Kendall
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