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Bible in a Year

I have one more resolution to add to my list: read the Bible and the Catechism in one year.  Despite working on my prayer life and finding fellowship, the reality is that scripture was somewhat absent from my life last year.  Plus, 2012 is a leap year, so that gives me plenty of extra time, right?

I started poking around for schedules for reading the entire Bible over the course of a year.  Being Catholic (and, okay, perhaps a bit of an overachiever), I wanted a schedule that included the Deuterocanonical books.  Google led me to this guide published by the Coming Home Network, which also includes a schedule to read the entire Catechism in a year!  It had not occurred to me to include the Catechism, but I love the idea.  So, I will be reading the entire Bible and Catechism this year.  Who's with me?!*

In a similar vein of long-term objectives, I will also mention that I've started a new journaling project: the One Line a Day five-year memory book.  The concept is simple: everyone has time to jot down one or two sentences of reflection about their day, no excuses.  Each page is devoted to a single day, with space for five years' worth of reflections.  So, as you continue to use the journal year after year, you get to compare what you were thinking on the same day in previous years.  I heard about the journal from Monica, and I am enjoying it so far!

* Alternately, if you don't have time to read the Bible in a year, perhaps you at least have time for Bible in a Minute?

EDIT: I modified the CHN guide to include the dates for 2012, available here.

The 2011 Eleven

2011 was a significant year for me.  Both joyful and challenging, the following eleven events sum up the most consequential moments of the year.

Resolute Reflection

Throughout law school, my list of New Year's Resolutions has been short and sweet:

• Keep in touch with friends
• Get to know D.C. like a local
• Read for pleasure
• Use my time wisely
• Pray without ceasing
• Make healthy choices

Overall, I have done pretty well with the list this year.  2011 has been a year of reconnecting with old friends, especially since moving back to California.  And, I am very pleased to be staying in touch with my D.C. friends, all of whom I miss so much.  Indeed, writing Christmas cards each year is always an exercise in counting my blessings.

I definitely got to know D.C. like a local these past three years, and this year wrapped up my D.C. to-do list.  Much was accomplished during Chris' visit on Presidents' Day Weekend.  We went to the top of the Old Post Office Tower, saw the Ghost Clock at the Renwick Gallery, watched money being made at the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, and went to the National Building Museum.  I also checked off some big to-do's during my family's visit for my graduation: a tour of the White House, and a visit to the Franciscan Monastery.  And, that's to say nothing of the recurring D.C. adventures I went on, including Mount Vernon, walking the monuments at night with Jess, many trips to the various Smithsonians, and quiet afternoons at the Basilica of the National Shrine.  I miss D.C., and hope that I'll have the opportunity to visit this spring.

I am happy to report that reading for pleasure has picked up this year.  Still Thinking, the virtual book club, has been a great source of accountability for reading.  This year, we read Machine of Death, Shakespeare's Kitchen, A Time to Kill, Across the Universe, Devil in the White City, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, The Hunger Games trilogy, and are currently reading The House of God.  I think my favorite was Machine of Death, which is an anthology of short stories inspired by this comic.  It was at once macabre, hilarious, and thought-provoking.  Plus, you can read the book online for free!  My reading also experienced a sharp uptick after I received a Kindle as a graduation present from my parents.  I was a bit hesitant about using an e-reader at first, but now I love it.  In addition to my book club books, I also read Bossypants by Tina Fey, Packing for Mars, The Pun also Rises, and am in the middle of the second book of A Song of Ice and Fire (the Game of Thrones series).  Still not nearly as many books as I used to read pre-law school, but a step in the right direction.

Using my time wisely is always a difficult resolution.  There are so many distractions in this world, and the Internet is the biggest temptation for me.  I can easily whittle away hours reading online.  However, especially in light of my upcoming bar exam at the end of February, maintaining this resolution will be of the utmost importance.

I would not go so far as to characterize my prayer life as "praying without ceasing," but there has been progress in this area of my life, most significantly this autumn as I began to meet up regularly with Monica, Ariana, and Shauna for conversations about The Holy Longing, by Ronald Rolheiser.  I am so blessed to have people in my life who challenge me to grow, and support me when I am struggling.

Making healthy choices waxes and wanes.  To be honest, it's been more difficult since I've moved home, because there is less walking in the suburbs, I don't have access to a gym, and I don't have as much control over food selection (and, keeping temptations out of reach).  However, I have been doing more cooking using healthy recipes, and my bicycle has gotten a lot of use.  Still, some room for improvement.

Accordingly, these are my resolutions for 2012:

• Keep in touch with friends
• Read for pleasure
• Use my time wisely
• Pray without ceasing
• Make healthy choices
• Try new recipes
• Do more photography
• Study Spanish

2011 was a momentous year for me in so many ways (a retrospective is forthcoming), and I cannot wait to see what 2012 will bring.  In the meantime, I wish you all a very Merry Christmas!

Amanda's Apple Butter

My mom has a deep love for apple butter, but the stores stopped carrying her favorite brand, Mary Ellen, a long time ago.  So, back in October, I tried my hand at making my own apple butter.  The one caveat: my mom does not like apple cider--she finds it too tart--which is a common ingredient in the apple butter recipes that I found.  After reading dozens of variations on the recipe, I decided on a simple combination of apples, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ground cloves.  My mom loved it, and I knew I had to make more.

My mom was in heaven!

You may be wondering what one can do with apple butter.  It is very versatile.  Apple butter is great on toast in the morning, as a peanut butter and apple butter sandwich, in an apple and brie sandwich, as a glaze for pork or chicken, on vanilla ice cream, as a filling for jelly rolls, as a base layer for apple tarts, as a dip for graham crackers...  Creativity is encouraged!

This Christmas, I have decided to learn how to properly can my apple butter to give it away as gifts.  To ensure that I wasn't giving people botulism for Christmas, I did some research online, and even checked out some canning books from the library. I learned that apple butter--indeed, all fruits with sufficient acidity--can be safely processed in a water bath, rather than going through the hassle of using a pressure canner.  Boiling temperature will destroy most bacteria, yeasts, and molds in acidic foods like apple butter, and the pH level is low enough to prevent spore growth.  If you're looking for a comprehensive guide to safe canning, the USDA has a fantastic PDF, the Complete Guide to Home Canning.

In order to prepare and can the apple butter, you will need the following supplies:

Crock pot
Immersion blender (or blender)
Mason jars (I used 4 ounce jars)
Wide mouth funnel
Large pot (for the water bath)
Dish towels
Jar lifter tongs

Including chopping up all the apples, and canning, this recipe takes 19 hours from start to finish.  I recommend getting up before dawn to get started, so that you aren't up too late canning.  Or, start in the evening right before bed, so that you can wake up and add the spices in the morning.  Just don't time things poorly like I did my first time: I had to set an alarm for two o'clock in the morning to blend and jar my apple butter!

Advent Retreat

Last Saturday, I attended a day-long young adult Advent retreat hosted by the Dominican Sisters of Mission San Jose.  I went with Monica and Ariana, two good friends from Newman.  We didn't know what  to expect--would it be lame?  Would it be awesome?  Indeed, one of the ice breakers at the beginning of the day asked us with which punctuation mark we most identified, and I said colon because I was curious to see what would happen next.

As it turns out, the retreat was awesome.  There were 24 attendees, including some great new friends that I hope to see again.  The retreat was led by Sister Rebecca, who was spirited, played the guitar with extraordinary gusto, and was one of the most sincere people I've ever met.

The day was broken up into four sessions centered around Advent themes: invitation, preparation, celebration, and transformation.  I was particularly struck by the session on celebration, which reinforced for me that we need to rejoice in God throughout the year, not just during certain liturgical seasons.  I enjoyed the opportunity to refocus on the meaning of Advent, because it's very easy to get caught up in the busyness and stress of preparing for Christmas.

The grounds of the Dominican Motherhouse are right next to Mission San Jose, and they are beautiful.  After lunch, one of the nuns gave us a tour, and told us a little bit about the history of the Dominican Sisters in the Bay Area.  A few sisters were sent from Brooklyn out to San Francisco to teach at a school in the late 1800's, including a Sister Amanda, who was only 17 years old.  Some of the parents were concerned that she was not old enough to teach their children.  So, as the story goes, Sister Amanda wrote  the number "21" on a slip of paper, and placed it in her shoe.  When parents would ask her how old she was, she would reply, "I'm over 21."  Well played, Sister Amanda.

All of the nuns I met were so encouraging.  We found out at the end of the day that a sister had signed up to pray for each of us all day, which was touching.  The retreat ended with confession, Mass, and dinner.  It was a tranquil, joyous day, and exactly what my spirit needed.  They offer another free retreat for Lent that is an overnighter, and I plan on being there!

Gratitude

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving.  This was my first time being home for Thanksgiving in three years, so it meant a lot to me.  It was also my first Thanksgiving without my Nana, and her absence was felt, but I'm thankful that she's in a better place.  I enjoyed spending the day cooking with my mom.  In addition to all of our traditional dishes, we tried something new: mini pumpkin pies baked in cupcake tins!  They were incredible, and will definitely be a new tradition for us.

My family and I went around and named some of the things for which we are thankful this year.  It was a positive exercise for me, especially since I'm still coming to terms with my bar exam results.  Here are some of the things I mentioned:

• Going to Jamaica for my human rights fact-finding mission
• My experience as managing editor of the Poverty Journal
• The Catholic community at Georgetown Law
• Graduating from law school
• My new kittens
• My iPhone, which connects me with so many people I love
• My friends in DC, who are doing a great job of keeping in touch
• The support of so many friends during and after the bar exam
• Having a family willing and able to take me in during my bar exam studies and un(der)employment

That last line is the most significant for me.  I have been graced with the luxury of being able to wait for the right job opportunity, and to focus on my bar exam studies.  Despite the bumps in the road that I've faced this year, overall I am extremely blessed.

I got some good news from Georgetown: they're willing to extend my stipend to work with the Center for Gender & Refugee Studies!  So, although today was supposed to be the last day of my three-month fellowship at CGRS--indeed, they took me out for a delicious farewell lunch of Burmese food* yesterday--I will actually be working 24 hours per week through the end of December.  I'm glad to be able to do a little more work with CGRS, because there are so many interesting projects going on.

Also, I really appreciate how flexible they are about my work schedule.  In light of my three-hour roundtrip commute, they have agreed to let me telecommute exclusively for the month of December.  So helpful, not only to save time, but also money.  (Caltrain and Bart have been running me $22 per day roundtrip, ouch!)  I wish I could stick around longer, but Barbri classes start up again on January 2nd, so I'm trying to avoid working during my bar prep.

Speaking of the bar, my supervising attorney had a great talk with me yesterday, during which she revealed to me that she, too, had to take the bar exam twice.  As she and I have a lot in common--Georgetown Law alumnae, straight through from a Pac 12 state school, human rights fact-finding mission, certificate in Refugees and Humanitarian Emergencies--it was very reassuring to hear that she had been successful during the February administration, and went on to find public interest employment in her field of choice.  I have been blessed with so many encouraging, supportive supervising attorneys in my past legal jobs, and CGRS is no exception.

*I had never had Burmese before, and it is fantastic!  I love the Indian and Thai influences.  I had coconut chicken noodle soup and tea leaf salad.  So good.  I want to try my hand at a coconut milk-based soup, now.  Check out Burmese Kitchen if you find yourself with a hankering for Burmese food in the middle of the Tenderloin.