"Behold, I am making all things new."

So says the Lord in Revelation 21:5. This verse is always true, but never more palpable than in the spring. 

Cabaret happened (proof). It was a lot, like a lot, but I made it out alive and learned a good deal. (not to mention legitimized a 'special skill' that needed some attention) Now, I know I did not experience winter like most in New York, but the warning that the difficulty would come not in the temperature but in the length has been quite right. March was absolutely winter. Half of April was absolutely winter. From the barren landscape of wintry Cohoes through a month that I expect to be tanning weather, I have experienced more joy and gratitude for spring in the city than I thought was possible.

This is "Round 3" since I moved to the city and its lovely and fresh and truly new feeling. My first Sunday back was Easter and New showed up all over. Of course I rejoiced for new life in Christ by the power of his death and resurrection, but also rejoiced over East Harlem. It turns out that the northeast corner of Central Park is the Conservatory Garden and is so gorgeous. I walked through for a few hours on Easter and snapped these pictures.

Easter weekend also brought on a new endeavor: real baking. Not from a mix, not cookies or a pie from scratch. No no. Things I could do in high school don't count. I'm talking yeast, kneading, and leavening. Yes, I baked bread from scratch! Incredible, I know.

In the name of tradition I asked my mom for the babka recipe we have. It's a traditional Ukrainian bread, and as Easter is the only holiday when that side of my heritage gets to have a voice thanks to the domineering Italian half, I decided to honor it on my own.

Babka falls into the category of foods that "I know how to make", which is code for food that I have watched my mom make several times throughout my life but have never been solely responsible for until now. Yikes. One valuable lesson I learned: dough does not behave like batter. I'm not sure why I assumed that a misshaped loaf would straighten itself out in the oven, but it didn't. I can definitely make these guys prettier next time.


It was a little terrifying and each step of the process I was thinking "Is it supposed to do that?" "Was that right?" In the end, it turned out "Yes." was the answer. When all was said and done, it looked like bread, and it tasted like bread. Domesticity win.
All this as a part of my attempts to be more like Miss Cami Gonzales.

new season

new routine

new auditions

new endeavors

new adventures

new goals

Behold, He is making all things new.