Beijing Randoms.

Random things about China so far:

• The pollution is really bad. Like really, really bad.  I saw the sky last night (haven't seen it during the day) and got so excited that I grabbed the other foreign teacher I've been exploring with and began pointing. Even though it is bad, and I am developing a nice smoker's hack, it doesn't really take away from the beauty of the city. I am still completely enamored with everything Beijing. 

• Street food is bomb. This morning Max (foreign teacher) and I went out to find some breakfast and we walked by this little stall that a bunch of locals were stopping at. We didn't know what they were selling, but we did know it was roughly $1 USD for whatever it was. What we bought was seriously one of the best things I've ever tasted. Still don't know the name, probably going to eat one tomorrow for breakfast too, already excited to eat it again. The pancake was full of potatoe-y carrot-y goodness. 

WHATEVER YOU ARE, YOU ARE LIKE POTATO HEAVEN.

• Went on my first shopping trip last night after we ate at KFC. By the way, KFC's mashed potato portions in China are really depressing, in case you were curious. I came across some rather inventive flavors of potato chips. These flavors include: Italian Red Meat, Fermented Soy Bean Prawn, Fun Wasabi Shrimp, Cucumber, Sweetie BBQ Pork, Mexican Tomato Chicken, annnnnnd Spicy Green Peppercorn Fish. Naturally, I bought the Cucumber because I was curious. My taste buds were confused, yet pleasantly surprised. 

I'm not even going to ask questions.

Chinese Wal-Mart is overwhelming.

• I don't exactly feel like posting a photo, but last night I got about eight Prostitute trading cards slid under my door. I still laugh whenever I get any of these no matter what country I'm in. 

• Annnnnnnnd this guy: 

Ifugao 2014

July was incredible. 

I know I say that every time I go on some adventure, but this July was truly something special. Ifugao Archaeological Field project's 2014 field season was one for the books. 

Highlights include:

-Turning 25 in the middle of the season. My birthday also coincided with a typhoon that came through so we didn't have to work, but we definitely partied. I was also gifted a gorgeous tribal necklace from some of the guys who work with Save the Ifugao Terraces Movement. One of my absolute favorite gifts ever. Looking at the photos still make me grin. 

-Crossing two landslides in two days. The first landslide crossing was probably the most terrifying experience of my life. Our group had just finished with our community presentation and we were scheduled to visit waterfalls (maybe? it was a secret field trip). Anyway, about 35 minutes into the drive we realized there was a HUGE storm coming through and turned back. Except we turned back a little bit too late. We continued back to camp hoping to beat the storm.... that didn't work out. At one point, while the rain is coming down on us in an absolutely horrifying torrential down pour one of the boys who was in my Jeepney just started saying, "no, no no no no no no" over and over again. The road in front of us had started to slide out! Albeit, it wasn't too close to our Jeepney, but close enough to scare the hell out of me. Then, we proceeded to cross the landslide on foot. Even scarier. As we were going rocks started to come down from the slide..... and the other side was a straight drop probably 50-60ft down. It was a moment I will never forget.

Landslide Walk of Shame

-Having to excavated from my stomach in trench Sisyphus. We named him that.  Yes, the trench that was continual mud and water and a (potentially) collapsed rice terrace. 

-I fell off a rice terrace after spending the most wonderful day playing in hot springs and swimming in a river. In case Doc tries to make anyone think otherwise, I was completely sober. 

-Becoming the group of most unlikely friends. Room two- judgement free! <3. I love these four so much! They made the month so incredible.

From Left to Right: Me, Jen, Yi-Ting and Alex. Beautiful women. 

-Watching a beautiful Harvest ritual and Mumbaki (the local shamans of Ifugao) being ordained. Being able to see rituals like these remind me why I majored in Anthropology.

This barely scratches the surface of my month, but it is a good start. I had internet only on my phone in Ifugao, so I wasn't able to post like I wish I could have. Now, on to Beijing!

Bugs, Sore Body, Mysteries. Dated June 5th, 2013.

I am pretty sure that I warned you previously that this blog was going to be a "no strings attached" kind of look into what my life was like last summer. That, obviously, hasn't changed. I will not be editing out specific happenings of my days in the field*. Editing my journal for a blog would take away the authenticity of my experience. Being a girl who has known nothing other than Western comforts, I believe that my words paint an accurate picture of what this culture shock was.  I preemptively apologize if it makes you squeamish, but you're just going to have to deal. Such is life.

*Disclaimer: I will edit coarse language with ****. My Grandma may read this. She doesn't need to see that s**t.

06/05/13
-Early Morning- 6 Am

There are spots on my body that I didn't even know existed that are sore. I'm really excited about getting into the field today. My trench is so fascinating. Like a big mystery my group needs to solve. I guess there is an option to write a paper to present in Cambodia in January- I am really thinking about it. Especially because I could probably use that writing to apply to Grad School. 

The only thing I have issues with is the washing of artifacts. OH MY GOD, SO TEDIOUS. It sucks because it's like you take a shower (you get filthy in the field) and then you get to deal with more f***ing dirt that is all over the artifacts. So you get filthy all over again.

In other news: THE BUGS HERE ARE F***ING MASSIVE. OH.MY.GOD.  So, yesterday I rode on top of the Jeepney- they take us to the site every day and you can ride inside or on top. So, first day into the field, where do you thinkg Jessie Pope rode? ON THE ROOF LIKE AN IDIOT. I can't lie, the views were beautiful. but that's where the fun stops. The catch of riding on the roof is you get to dodge tree branches. Sounds easy, right? Just move the trees out of the way as you go. 

WRONG. Guess what is in those trees? F***ing red ants, bees, millipedes,  AND SPIDERS BIGGER THAN MY HAND. I sh** you not, Joff (a guy with us) warned me about spiders. A second later I turn around and BAM. A spider with a torso as long as a tampon and legs longer than my fingers. Sweet mother of god. It was traumatizing. In that moment I decided that it was perfectly acceptable to be terrified of spiders. And in that moment I was. 

An example of a giant ass spider. She was on our way to the field, roughly 3 ft from our heads. It took a few weeks to notice her.

Then, of course, the beetles. There was a Rhino Beetle on our door two nights ago  and I didn't even scream over it. I think I'm starting to becoming jaded. Alright, time for breakfast and more dirt. Just remember, everything is more fun in the Philippines.

If I could give you an example of how big this guy was: make a hang loose sign with your thumb and pinky. Measure the distance between the two. Yep, that was the length of this guy's antennae. 

<3
Coop

P.s. I finally feel a poop coming on. 
Late at night:
Big, Big P.s.- I will almost always write about my day the next day. Archaeology is exhausting, but at least my ass will be nice :).

Oh, and when I put something in bold: I marked what time of the day I was writing Tucker. It was usually whenever I could squeeze time in.

Being abroad without the person you love is a series of  challenges. The biggest challenge? Communication. And not in the "we just don't talk any more" kind of way. It is more in the "I don't know if there is going to be power or internet access where we are going" kind of way.

While I was in South America communicating was relatively easy. The hotel we stayed in had internet in the main restaurant and although the area was rural a few places had some sort of internet access. Communication in Ifugao is another story. On a daily basis we would lose power for hours at a time. When we lost power we would scramble around to make sure any electronics were unplugged; if they turned the power back on while something was plugged in, it would blow up. This happened twice. Not a good look. At one point a storm came in and knocked out power for almost two days. Or maybe three. I can't even remember. Those days were such a blur.

Facetime dates with my main piece. 

"Manila: Day 1" Dated 06-01-13

Before I actually get to what the letter to Tuck Tuck said, I have to let you know that I was emailed explicit directions to walk off of the plane in Manila waving a paper with my last initial on it. My last initial is L, I didn't read the email until I'd already arrived in Manila and I hastily drew an L on the second page of the Turtle journal. So now, almost a year later, the L is faded and got wet (the Philippines are wet). I wrote the journal entry over the big, blue, highlighter L.

Hey Sunshine!

 Sorry about the big L. The directions left for me at the airport explicitly stated that I was supposed to be waiting with the first letter of my last name. 

Today was surreal. First- Manila is humid as f*ck. Even the girl from Florida is losing it in this humidity. I constantly have frizzy hair. Other than that- this is such a beautiful place! The atmosphere, the landscape, and most importantly the people.  Everyone said hello to us this morning. People, (old women even!) tried to give up their seat on the bus for us!

Storm: Today I experienced my first Manila rain storm. It was beautiful to say the least. We were riding in a Jeepney, which is basically a campus taxi that is a jeep with a long bed and no windows. It was POURING. I've never heard such loud rain in my life. It flooded in three minutes and it was an insta-traffic jam. The thunder was SO loud too.  (I was completely wrong about Jeepneys, I found this out later when we rode Jeepneys everywhere in Ifugao.) 

At this point I fell asleep mid-letter. I just spent nearly 24 hours traveling across the world. Give me a break. 

Exhaustion, Excitement.... Mainly the former, some of the latter.

This week has been rough on me. I am just coming off of Spring Break (without going away for the first time in 4 years) and I am not readjusting well.

For starters: I leave again soon... Really soon.  And I probably (hopefully **fingers crossed**) will be going away for a long time. A really long time. How long? To be determined. How far? Also, to be determined. Keep me in your thoughts, preferably along side the positive images and rainbows and kittens.

My brain turned off on Tuesday afternoon and I have not been able to keep it on long enough to function like a proper human being. To make matters even worse, it seems like everyone around me hasn't readjusted either. Granted, I work in education (which I truly love, I might add) and granted that I am probably taking everything too personally at the moment, I still would like the last sixish weeks of school to be relatively peaceful. I also know this is not going to happen BECAUSE I work in education and six weeks of peace is laughable by teacher standards.*

*(note: if you are a teacher who has experienced six weeks of peace during the term of your employment, please promptly contact me so that I may quit my current place of employment and throw my skills at yours. Quite literally. If you have six weeks of peace in a class room I am going to assume A. You're delusional , B. You've become best friends with a Unicorn and C. You live in Colorado, because, you know, that's legal there)

For seconders: I leave for San Diego on Saturday after noon and that is also adding to the zero level of functions going on in my noggins right now. Pretty sure my brain has already tricked me into smelling ocean breezes and sipping a sex on the beach.... maybe on the beach.

Saturday.... Just hurry up.

Please?

Parents visit and I regret drinking, per usual

My beautiful family

Tried to get dad to take a photo, he opted for a selfie.

My family is in town for the weekend! Yay! Considering I haven't visited them since November seeing them has been wonderful. Even more exciting: my mom had gastric bypass surgery recently and she looks AMAZING!!

Mom and I

Last night Tucker and I splurged and took them to a San Jose Shark's Hockey game, needless to say, they were enthralled. Even more, they had a blast. I will let the photos speak for themselves at the end of my post. I also had far TOO MUCH fun and I am paying for it dearly today. Every time I drink I am happily reminded that this body is not built like a 20 year old any more. Every. Damn. Time

Mom and Pop being all cutesy on the way to the game. 

There are so many big things happening in my life this year!! This summer is about to be one of the craziest adventures yet and I can hardly wait! I will be leaving (hopefully) June 11th and returning in the middle of August. I am hoping Tucker can make a trip out East to meet up with me in August. We really want to visit Japan together and I am PRAYING it is going to happen! Fingers crossed!

Stay tuned for other BIG announcements about my next year. I am so excited for all the new things!!!!

At least he puts up with me :)

Cabin Life

I married into the world's most WONDERFUL family. My in-laws are actually the most beautiful, loving and supportive people I've ever met. This weekend we went to our fam's cabin in Shaver Lake. 

This place is actually like heaven. Delicious junk food for days, sunshine, coffee in the pot 24/7, and a warm fire. I love, love, love, love it here. I never want to leave. 

I'm just so happy :).

My Beautiful Escape

VACATION OHHHHH YEAHHHHH !!!!!!

My favorite way to escape: Coffee, my glasses, and big poofy hair buns.

I love escaping for a weekend.  And this weekend it was the perfect getaway. My husband (who is just the greatest by the way), took me to his family cabin in Fallen Leaf Lake. It is in South Tahoe, but by god it is the most beautiful place! I felt so relaxed and peaceful. I can not emphasize that enough!

Gorgeous!!!

PERFECT RIGHT?! I think I found my new private paradise. His family has a gorgeous cabin and their own private dock right on the lake. As you can see we spent ample amount of time just watching the sunsets, laying around and reading. I read Micro by Michael Crichton and half of The Hangman's Daughter in two days. I would recommend both books. I have such an eclectic taste in novels that I don't know if there is a book I would hate.... personal problem of mine.

I loved the quaint cabin and just spending time alone with Tucker.  Even better: he cooked every single day we were there. One night, he made us turkey burgers that were to DIE for. He didn't even follow a recipe. I think I married Chef Boyardee.

The best kinds of kisses :)

I personally fell in love with the lake. For some reason being in or around water is just my zen. I feel so at peace and Fallen Leaf is the most beautiful lake I have ever visited. It is worth the visit!!  I already can not wait to go back and just relax.

Gorgeous sunsets with my best friend. 

Food. My Love Affair With Food.

If you follow me on Instagram, or hell you just know me, you will know that I am OBSESSED with food. Not just because you get to eat it and it is a building block of life and all, but I am OBSESSED with food. All kinds of food.

I play with my food constantly. Deal.

Right now I am obsessed mostly with spicy fennel sausages (no idea where that came from) and kale. I COULD WRITE LOVE SONGS ABOUT KALE!!! Tucker and I make this soup which we attempted to healthify (and succeeded I may add) from Olive Garden. We call it our Kale Sausage soup.... I will put the recipe at the bottom of this post. It is dangerously simple. Only four ingredients and full of flavor!

Back to talking about food: I love to read about it. You can find cook books littering the floor around my bed. They are just so fun to go through and get inspired!! Most of my Pinterest page is dedicated to various foods I cook and I have started to find a lot of enjoyment in stalking various food themed blogs.

I love to shop for food. It is a deadly addiction. Seriously though, I would rather go grocery shopping instead of shoe shopping. It is near blasphemous, but it is vintage Jessie. I try to go in with a grocery list to save money, but I always see something that looks fun to cook and just buy it on spot. Then of course I get home and think, "what the hell am I supposed to do with this?!!" . My newest endeavor was with lamb. I know it is nothing too extreme, but I had never ventured that way before. I ate lamb my last two days in the Philippines and became addicted:

My roasted lamb, mashed cauliflower and Worcestershire sauteed mushrooms. FANTABULOUS! 

But, MOST of all, I love to COOK. Oh my god, do I love to cook!!!! After spending a month and a half in the Philippines and NOT being able to cook it was alllllll I wanted to do when I got home. I would day dream about going home and being able to hustle and bustle around my kitchen. I even food planned dinners for the two weeks after I came home.... which I of course neglected to follow.

Cooking is everything to me. It brings people together in a way that other things in life can't. It makes my heart happy to cook a gigantic gorgeous meal and then be praised for all my efforts. For instance: this past Christmas my Gram Grams was ill so I took all the Christmas responsibilities for the family and just went to town on Pinterest!

Why am I talking about food? Because I have decided to document food I make and eat on here. Writing down recipes and sharing them with you. Just another facet of Jessie. And a pretty big one at that.

 Like I promised, my current favorite recipe! And souperrrrr simple at that!

Tucker and Jessie's Kale Sausage Soup:
1-2 cups Kale leaves (chopped, Tuck prefers if the steams are removed. I don't care)
3 cups Chicken Broth
3 Red Potatoes
1-2 Spicy Sausages.*

*This totally depends on your preferred level of carnivore. Or whatever kind of sausages you want. Tuck and I just realized the spiciness adds a bit of  a zing to the broth!

Step 1: Cut open spicy sausage and remove meat from casing. Put in pan to brown.
Step 2: While sausage is browning: put the rest of ingredients in pot. Bring pot to boil until potatoes are fork tender. Turn heat down. (I usually let it boil for a while. Just my preference.)
Step 3: Combine steps 1 and 2
Step 4: Nom on that tasty business. 


Obviously you can tweak this recipe however you see fit. It started as a knock off, but I didn't have any cream one day so we just rolled with the punches and made it anyway!

Another new healthy favorite meal: Poached egg on Arugula. Special thanks to Ms. Cassie Taylor, Ms. Stephanie Morris and my week in China for that little gem.

A perfect poach! After three tries.... shhhh!