Fifty-four years ago today, on March 1, 1961, President John F. Kennedy signed an executive order to establish the United States Peace Corps. A few months later, on August 28, he swore in the very first group of Peace Corps Volunteers, headed for Ghana, West Africa. To date, nearly 220,000 Americans have served as Peace Corps Volunteers in 140 countries. Continue reading →
Standing in line at the grocery store checkout, I often peruse the magazine rack, mostly for fodder to contribute to conversations about celebrity gossip. I also look at the lifestyle magazines, in search of new recipes or fun-looking craft projects. At the end of the year, when the magazines put out their January issues, I can’t help but notice the frequency with which the words New Year, New You! are splashed across the covers, complete with flawless-looking models with perfect clothes and promises of weight-loss and money-saving secrets within the pages that follow. Even Runner’s World jumped on the New Year, New You bandwagon this time, punctuated with an exclamation mark to get us all excited. Continue Reading →
I’ve always thought that you can learn a lot about someone by looking at their shoes, and that there’s a good story in every pair of running shoes: dirt that shows where we’ve been; a wear pattern that shows how we run, and often, where we hurt; and a smell that shows how hard we’ve worked. When I look at my running shoes from 2014, I see a lot: dust from Mexican trails, tears on the sides from bunions that insist on poking through, a tread worn from miles and miles run in thirteen states and two countries over the past twelve months. And the smell… well, I will spare you that. I like to think that my running shoes tell a story of joy, contemplation, adventure, determination, and hard work. Continue reading →
If you ever have the chance to visit Germany (or Austria, or northern Europe, for that matter) at Christmas time, be sure to spend some time at a traditional Christmas market, where you can wander through stalls of foods and crafts while sipping on a hot mug of Glühwein. This hot, spiced mulled wine is a German staple and best enjoyed with a traditional Lebkuchen or Stollen.
Since it will be a year until we can do this ourselves in Latvia next Christmas, I have brought a little piece of European tradition into our home these evening with my own, homemade Glühwein. Give it a try- it’s quite easy and a great complement to any New Year’s Eve celebration. Let me know how you like it!
Lemon bars are one of those desserts that look to be a lot more difficult to make than they actually are. With only six ingredients in this recipe, these lemon bars are a quick and easy take on a traditional favorite and make for an ideal last-minute dessert to bring to a dinner party.
It’s a beautiful day in our nation’s capital. With eleven days remaining until Christmas and two until Hanukkah, lights and decorations abound throughout the city. I spent a good chunk of my morning running outside, taking in the holiday spirit. Continue reading →
