Dream Big

Wow, it feels great to start writing, again.  That's what I am, a writer.  I'm not a famous novelist or a world renowned poet.  I'm not a magazine editor or a children's book author.  But, I am in love with words.  I love the way they tell a story; I love the power they have to bring a smile or a tear; I love the way they exist beyond time.  But, more than anything, I love the way they let us dream. 

That's what this blog is all about.  My moon dreams, finally written down.  What are moon dreams, anyway?  They're BIG dreams.  They seem so far away, stretching as far as the night sky, yet every time time you look, when the clutter of the world is gone, and the night sky is clear, there they are again, shining through the dark.  They're moon dreams. 

The kitchen is a big part of my moon dreams.  I'm not very good, but I want to be.  We've been married almost two years now, and I'm in charge of dinner.  I strive to eat healthy, fresh foods as often as possible.  This hasn't always been the case, but I feel like I am finally in tune with my body and the balance of exercise and healthy cuisine that works for me.  We have chicken, tacos, spaghetti, omeletes, and we rotate.  To make matters worse, I come from a family of excellent cooks.  Seriously, they are better than the best.  Crab cakes, shrimp creole, cheesecake, slugfest chicken (more on that later), home-made pizza dough, grilled portobellas with fresh basil and mozzarella, and the list goes on.  Whenever I ask what I can do to help, I'm usually told to "grate the cheese."  It's become somewhat of a joke in my family.  That's me, the cheese grater.  I'm excellent, really, but who wants to be an expert cheese grater?  My brother-in-law and I are the blacksheep in the kitchen.  Check out our blog www.blacksheepkitchen.blogspot.com where you can read about our struggles and triumphs to, together, create gourmet food for our friends and family.  That's where this moon dream formed.  William and I love to entertain.  We love our family and friends, and we love good food.  But, I need practice. 

Moon dreams, for me, exist in and out of the kitchen.  I "bake" them all day long, everywhere I go.  I stand in front of 7th graders, as an English teacher, urging them to dream big - to bake and then taste their moon dreams.  I'm 26 years old, and I hope God will give me years to taste all of my dreams.  Dreams of travel, and of children, and experiences submerged in other cultures, and of growing old with my husband, and writing, and living on the coast, and opening a wine and book shop in Beaufort, and more than anything, learning to taste and savor and linger a little longer in the simple blessings of this beautiful life.  That's where this journey begins.  Will I ever reach the moon?  Who knows.  But, for now, I'll dream.