Reflections Along the Way

We had to make sure all traces of our games were gone before the next school day

It’s been a while since I’ve posted anything - partly because we’ve been insanely busy preparing for Canaan’s arrival, and partly because there’s been nothing terribly exciting to report.  This week, however, has been quite exciting for many reasons! 

YUM!!!

First of all, my work peeps threw me a lovely shower on Wednesday of this past week.  It was actually a double shower for me and one of the Kindergarten teachers, who is due 11 days after me.  Being that its a big group of teachers, of course we had to play games! First there was “Who pooed in the diaper?,” which consisted of identifying the correct candy bar that was melted into each diaper.  Then there was a Baby Food Flavor guessing game, followed by “Pin the Sperm on the Egg,”  a PG-13 version of “Pin the Tail on the Donkey.”  Followed by some fabulous cake and gifts, it made for a really fun evening! 

The clean 5.11 streak is hanging on by a thread at 37 weeks. We had fun taking some non-climbing friends to TRC for some Saturday morning fun!

My most exciting piece of news is that I was contacted this week by Mountain-Mama  about a sponsorship!  They are a new company that will be selling outdoor technical apparel in maternity and nursing-friendly styles!  Their clothing will be available in August of 2010.  The ironic part about all of this is that I have done a lot of complaining about the lack of maternity clothing for women that do any sort of athletic endeavor besides yoga (as if cotton yoga pants could stand up to a full day of cragging…) and just got offered a fantastic hook-up with gear when I have less than three weeks to go…Oh well, I’m just excited that there is a company out there that is filling this niche, and that I get to be a part of it – plus the timing is perfect for me as far as all the nursing gear goes! 

I added some Mountain Mama flair to the Element!

I received a welcome package from them yesterday afternoon (too bad our mailman wasn’t on the ball enough to get it to our house before I left for the climbing gym yesterday morning!)  and was ecstatic to receive a long-sleeve shirt as well as a tank top from Mountain-Mama.  Both were a perfect fit, and are super duper comfy!  I would have lived in these shirts my entire pregnancy had they been available!  As it is, you can bet I’ll wear them at work at least once or twice this week!

Trying out my Mountain Mama long sleeve maternity shirt!

Well, I was psyched to test out all my new gear, and it was a beautiful afternoon, especially considering soggy start to the morning, so Steve and I decided to walk over to Lake Lynn for a nice lap around the lake.  Lots of folks were out enjoying the weather, and we even ran into two girls that we knew – we showed off my new duds, and one of the girls said, “I would have LOVED to have had stuff like that when I was pregnant!”  Score one point for Mountain-Mama!

So this next week will be my last week of work.  My replacement has been shadowing me for the past few weeks and teaching some of my classes, and will be doing pretty much all of the teaching this week, with the exception of a field trip Tuesday afternoon.  I am counting down the days, but I have mixed feelings about it.  I’m anxious to leave because that means that it’ll be time to start a new adventure, but at the same time, I will be really sad to leave my co-workers and students, since I really do enjoy my job.  It will be hard saying good-bye to folks I have worked with for years, but I can’t wait to say hello to this new little guy that is about to make an appearance!

My new Mountain Mama tank top!

So with the excitement of all this change and transition going on in my life right now, it only seems appropriate to end this post with the slogan for Mountain Mama – “Because adventure doesn’t end with pregnancy – its just the beginning.”  I can’t wait to see what God has in store for Steve, Canaan and I in the coming months, but we are definitely expecting an adventure!

If you have ever been camping with me, you have heard me sing high praise  for the Jetboil system.  For those of you unfamiliar with the term, the Jetboil is NOT a communicable skin disease transmitted on airplanes, but rather, a portable, personal cooking system.  According to their website, the Jetboil is a “complete food and beverage multitool.” 

Steve cooking ramen noodles by moonlight (and headlamp) on our chickee in the middle of the Everglades.

Steve and I received our Jetboils for Christmas in 2006 in anticipation of a backcountry canoe/hiking trip to the Everglades for New Year’s 07.  Since then, we have never been camping without it!  For a long time we stuck to the tried and true classics – oatmeal and grits, tea, hot chocolate (MUST HAVE items when the nighttime temps on a climbing trip hover in the 30’s), ramen noodles (PERFECT backcountry food!), and boxed mac n cheese (when is this NOT a good option?!?).  Then we added some ultralite camp pots and pans to our setup.  We got a little more adventurous, adding in the occasional fried egg sandwich, and boiled corn on the cob.  I even tested out the pancake waters once while on a bike trip with my old college roomie (the pancakes didn’t work out so hot, but it was the wind’s fault, not the JetBoil…). 

Lundon and I trying to warm-up with some oatmeal on a chilly morning in the Outer Banks.

But recently, we’ve found ourselves back at the tent after climbing all day either too lazy, too cheap, or too remote to go out to eat.  We wanted something that was tasty and filling, not breakfast-y, easy to pack with minimum waste, and most importantly, able to be safely eaten after sitting out in the sun all day.  Our answer – (drum roll please) – PESTO PASTA!!! 

Grits were no where to be found in Utah, so Steve settled for oatmeal on a sunny morning in Maple Canyon.

Here’s what you need – (for 2 people)
- a big “pouch” of chicken, salmon, tuna, or whatever you want for protein (You can find the pouches in the same aisle as the canned tuna.  In fact you could use the canned tuna if you want, but I think all the juice in the can is gross, plus its a lot more trash.)
- a small to medium jar of pesto sauce (Buitoni’s is my favorite, but you need to have a cooler for that one)
- a small to medium bag of penne, rigatoni, or your favorite pasta.  (If we don’t have meat, we go for a cheese-filled tortellini or ravioli…or sometimes we splurge and do it even if we do have meat.  ). 

Enjoying some hot tea on a rainy morning in Squamish, British Columbia.

Directions -
1.  Bring water to a boil in a pot.  Add pasta and cook until it is ready.  During the last couple of minutes or so, add the chicken or fish.
2.  Using the lid for the pot, drain the water from the pasta and and split the pasta evenly into 2 bowls.
3.  Mix half the pesto into one bowl, and half in the other. 

Pesto Pasta after a great day climbing at Hawksbill Mountain in the Linville Gorge

And there you have it!  Three ingredients are all you need for a simple and fast way to satisfy your hunger and feel sophisticated even in the backcountry!

Yum Yum, PESTO PASTA!