Turkey Burgers with Smoked Gouda

Last week, I opined that I wanted a houseguest to come enjoy dinner on our porch and within hours, an email with the subject line "Special request" landed in my inbox.

My friend Ashleigh put in her order, and she wanted turkey burgers with smoked gouda. I had no prior experience with turkey burgers, but when I set out to make them, I realized I had never made any burgers! I always buy the pre-made patties like a dummy. Yet another thing that I can do better without giving into convenience.

I skimmed around the internet for advice about flavoring and decided to kind of wing it. I put a pound of ground turkey, chopped red onion, minced garlic, a 1/4 cup of breadcrumbs (homemade!), a dollop of dijon mustard and salt and pepper in a mixing bowl. Then I mixed the whole mess up with a fork (and later my hands because using a fork is just stupid).

I formed the patties and then attacked my block of gouda. And when I say attack, I mean attack. I had EPIC difficulties wielding my cheese slicer, which was too narrow and just would. not. work.

It was pretty annoying, so I'm ready to get one of those awesome cheese slicer thingie doodles.

I put some vegetable oil in the new grill pan and cooked the burgers on each side for probably 3 to 4 minutes, with a cast iron press on top.

I topped two of the burgers with gouda and served them in some sandwich baskets I picked up in the $1 section of Target. FOUR FOR A DOLLAR. It was super awesome.

We paired the meal with Alexa's Waffle Fries and I served our little cookout meal on kraft paper, for easy cleaning purposes.

Sean and Ashleigh ready to dig in!

This is a shot of turkey burger. The thing about turkey burgers is that they're pretty lame. From the first bite, you're like, "Damn I want beef." But it was well-seasoned, quite flavorful and by the third or fourth bite, I was all about it. Plus the turkey is SO healthy.

So as you prepare for your grilling feasts this weekend, consider the humble turkey. It's surprisingly delicious, and a great option for your dieting buddies!

LOST in Translation: The Finale

Okay guys. I'm guilty.

I should have probably written my LOST recap the minute the finale ended, or at least the next day. Definitely not half a week later. But I think you can excuse my absence; I am still digesting.

I have truly spent time driving in the car, going to sleep, at work pondering what I really believe happened. I thought I knew, but then after talking to others, I'm no longer positive.

Here's what I am positive of: I was satisfied by the ending. I know many, many people were not. I walked into it expecting little to no new answers. I thought we might see the Man in Black get killed. I thought we might see the island get saved. I hoped I would see Juliet and Sawyer reunited. Done, done and done. But I have no idea what it all means.

So, settle in, because I couldn't pick just one theory. I'm going to put pen to paper...ahem...fingertips to keys, and work this out.

Initial Theory

So the show ended and here was what I thought: The island was real and the sideways world was, too. The Sideways world was the reality they created when they set off Jughead and, as Juliet said, "It worked." The sideways world imagined what their lives would be like if the plane hadn't crashed, but curiously, gave them slightly different pasts.

Now this is where it gets tricky. Christian was pretty explicit that the folks in the church were dead, but noted they didn't all die at the same moment. He also noted there is no "now, here." A lot of people took that to mean "There is no now, here in purgatory" or "There is no now, here in Heaven." Maybe it's where my head is at, but I thought, "There is no now, here, because time is fluid and does not exist." As my faithful readers will know, I thought one of the show's themes was that there is no past or present, that time is not fixed, but fluid.

In my initial theory, it didn't even for a moment cross my mind that the LOSTies all died in the initial crash. That just complicates things too much...not a single moment of the series would make sense if that were the case. That shot of the wreckage at the end meant nothing; it was added post-production by ABC. Frankly, that's what I assumed, so I was shocked when I heard fans theorizing those shots meant everyone died in the crash.

So let's say my first theory was correct (which seems super implausible since 99.9 percent of viewers agreed the sideways world was purgatory) — what was the point and what did it mean? Well I've posed the theory before that perhaps the show was about reincarnation, hence the heavy leaning on ideas of redemption, predestination, and bodies taking new forms or getting stuck.

Reincarnation is, by definition, the transmigration of the soul to a new body after the body dies (hmm...like a certain smoke monster). It returns to Earth in a new form. Maybe the LOSTies were reincarnated, or existing in L.A, in different forms and then their souls were awakened with remembrance of things past. So how would the LOSTies have been reincarnated? That's the part I can't work out. But it does fit well with the idea of the LOSTies remembering their past lives. And it certainly sounds nicer than purgatory!

What would be the point of the show, then? That relationships matter, above all else. That the desire to change matters more than actions. In this supernatural realm, the LOSTies were able to unite their souls on a journey; it seems to me the ones who didn't quite make it to the church (Walt, Michael, Ana Lucia, Mr. Eko, etc.) were people whose lives were not defined by the time they spent on the island. They didn't forge the long-lasting or life-changing relationships that the others did.

My theory doesn't work 100 percent (or even really 50 percent!). And also, no one brought it up and I don't think that's because I'm brilliant and no one else is. Which leads me to Theory 2.

Theory 2

My second theory evolved after reading some Internet theories and talking to Sean, which led me to think the Sideways World was a purgatory/in-between/afterlife type of place where, for whatever reason, nonexistent children were introduced and lessons were learned and through magic touching and mind-melding (wow, they really ripped from Spock on that one), the LOSTies were able to reconnect and move on toward the Big Pearly Gates.

The white light was a big old hint. And Christian was pretty explicit. But this one left a bad taste in my mouth. I didn't like the idea that the Sideways world featured arbitrary new characters, better lives and in some cases, worse ones, different pasts, etc. and it was just a holding cell. I can't seem to wrap my brain around that concept, either.

Theory 3

I sat down to read the recap and theories of Entertainment Weekly's Doc Jensen last night, and if you haven't read it, it is so, SO worth it. Doc Jensen is not only a wonderful writer, but has a firm grasp of the mythology of LOST and is able to sift through the tangential information to the important stuff.

His theory, which I really, really think makes sense, goes basically like this: Jughead did not work. The Sideways world was not a simultaneous alternate universe, but a spiritual place where their souls went to live after death, kind of like the interpretation of heaven in "Our Town." The Sideways world, with its new characters and relationships, was a reflection of each character's yearning, which can explain why some of them had similar back stories but were on slightly new paths, treading a little closer to redemption.

For example, Jack craved a healthy father/son relationship, and so his unconscious or his soul invented a son with whom he could make amends. He craved a relationship with Claire, his sister, and he got that. He craved a healthy relationship with his ex, and he got that, too. The same goes for Hurley, who was the luckiest man in the world, a man who was able to use his money for good. Or even Miles, who had a close relationship with his father, and the same for Faraday.

The Sideways world was a kind of psychic connection, and when Christian said, "You created this place," it meant they took the ones with whom they shared the most on the journey with them. Is it literal? Could this all be a kind of dreamy near-death vision? Would it be the same for each character, or is this just Jack's group on the plane ride to an afterlife? I don't know, but it has made me think a little deeper about the afterlife, and that was probably the point.

I think Doc Jensen's theory is so beautiful and it's one I want to believe in. I'm still having a hard time with the mechanics of it, but it works better than any others I've read. That light at the end? It reminded him of the plane crash, with the back half of the plane being ripped off. But this time they were saved by the light.

Final Thoughts

For the haters, I say what I wrote last week: This was about the journey. The end was as close to great as I think it could have come. Was it perfect? No. Is anything? I know some people were looking for more answers, and I think many of them wanted the anomalies and scientific elements explained.

Since I noticed this summer while I was rewatching the show that the religious themes were more overt with every season, I had come to expect the show to explore the themes of faith, religion, science, belief in oneself and belief in others. And that's what it ends up being. Yes, I am satisfied.

Things I would have done differently: maybe not kill the Man in Black so hastily, with a simple gun shot. I felt like he never got a fair shake. Also, parts of the finale were SO corny, especially the Sayid/Shannon reunion. But that's just my opinion.

Tomorrow, I will post my very last LOST entry. I thought it would be fun to look back at some of my theories from my LOST entries and tally up my score as a LOST predictor. I'm pretty proud of some of the things I accurately guessed, but I don't know whether that says more about me or the writers.

Hawaiian Pork for LOST finale

We hosted a small get-together for the LOST finale the other night. It was quite thrown-together on my part; I just whipped up pre-mixed pina coladas, set out hummus and a fruit tray and called it a day. Thank god for Sean's coworker, Andi, who made the main portion of the meal.

Andi whipped together Kalua Pulled-Pork, a dish she's sampled in Hawaii, where LOST was filmed. She made one version with cabbage (the traditional way) and one without. Let me tell you, this pulled pork was delicious, flavorful, smoky and according to Andi, EASY.

I set the table with a quick island theme. The runner is from Target, the glasses from Anthropologie and the napkins were recent scores from Home Goods.

Here's the recipe, care of Andi. She says she learned the recipe from family friend Laurie Segawa. Traditionally, the dish is made by wrapping pork in palm leaves and cooking in an underground pit. Without palm leaves or a pit, Andi relied on her trusty Crock Pot.

Kalua Pulled Pork

Ingredients

• Boneless or bone-in pork shoulder. Use a cheaper cut of meat.
• Hawaiian salt (white or pink). Any coarse sea salt would work as well.
• Liquid smoke (found next to barbecue sauce at your grocery store).
• Sliced cabbage

Directions

1. Sprinkle pork shoulder with Hawaiian salt.
2. Douse pork with two tablespoons of liquid smoke.
3. Cook on low in Crock Pot for about 8 hours until pork pulls apart easily with two forks.
4. Heat the pulled pork and sliced cabbage in a dry pan on the stovetop until cabbage is wilted.
5. Serve over white rice or by itself.

Sunday Best v.24

Every once in a while I go through a crazy interior design phase where I spend all day pondering how I'll decorate my future non-existent home. These days, i'm obsessed with subway tile backsplashes in kitchens; I want a Parisian bistro-style kitchen and this is a great example of what I'm picturing. Now I just need a house to decorate; anyone looking for any help or advice?

The lighting, by the way, is from Rejuvenation.

• I'm way coveting this antique display case.
• I'm in love with this website devoted to stylish old people.
• I'm equally obsessed with historic property site.
• Gorgeously simple, vibrant rugs.
• Walls that look great after wallpaper.
• How to discuss LOST.
• Amazing tips for identifying antiques.
• The funniest beards.
• A remembrance of those we've loved and LOST.
• I really want these TV Mom paper dolls.

Norfolk Botanical Gardens Visit

Last weekend Sean and I ventured out of our comfort zone (the couch) to go on a little Hampton Roads field trip. We decided to visit the Norfolk Botanical Garden, which is just heavenly. It's the ideal spot for portraits, too, and was insanely busy with weddings. We must have seen staff setting up for at least 5 different weddings throughout the park.

Here are some highlights of what we saw:

Breathtaking David Austin roses, which are the only roses I like these days.

Great garden inspiration in the English garden: plants ID'd with chalk on zinc.

A gorgeous English colonial garden, wild, yet contained.

I'm all about this look these days; it's the Virginian in me.

We spotted this guy booking it across the grass and he was attempting any route away from us, but we still got a shot of him.

I'm on a big arbor/pergola kick and keep fantasizing about my future cover patio with hanging wisteria. This one was gorgeous.

The park also has a little hut with a living roof, which I loved.

Sean pretending to balance on the walkway over a pond in the Japanese garden. He's so silly.

The park packs a lot of bang for your buck, I think. We paid the same amount we'd pay to go to a movie and spent about the same amount of time getting exercise, admiring the flowers and talking about our future garden.

Creamy Chorizo Pasta

I'm always looking for ways to spice up the dinner-in-a-pinch pasta dish. On Monday, we hadn't done the groceries and I wanted to see what I could concoct out of the pantry and fridge. I had some dried chorizo I had purchased at World Market a while back with the intention of making empanadas (before Sean decided he doesn't like empanadas), so I did a quick google search and came up with this recipe for creamy chorizo pasta.

First, I cut the chorizo into small pieces. They will feel almost too small (and I definitely wish I had purchased real chorizo links, instead of the little dried ones), but chorizo packs a lot of flavor, so you don't need a lot.

Then, I fried the chorizo with minced garlic cloves in olive oil, seasoned with a teaspoon of cayenne pepper. Watch it! It will burn fast.

When the chorizo was browned, I added a half-cup of white wine (I use tiny little boxes of white wine for cooking).

I stirred the white wine/chorizo mixture, then added some prepared marinara sauce until it didn't look too thin. The recipe calls for crushed tomatoes, but if you don't have a can on hand, marinara works just fine. Don't sweat it; save the sweating for later.

I then added about a 1/2 cup of cream. I eyeballed the levels though, since Sean is pretty picky about cream. I ultimately added more marinara to keep it on the tomato side.

Then I trotted out to my container garden and snipped some of my basil, which I'm happy to report is bountiful.

When the sauce was coming to a boil, I added fusilli (or rotini) pasta and mixed it well.

I topped my pasta with some Mexican white cheese and basil.

This pasta filled me right up (I regret to say I didn't finish the bowl!), but was a cool mix of flavors. It was spicier than normal pasta with sausage, but the cream tempered that a bit. I thought the cheese was actually a little overkill, so I might skip that next time, or use parmesan. All in all, it was a delicious dish that seemed more complicated than it actually was, and isn't that always the goal anyway?

LOST in Translation V.15

Watching LOST last night, I had a feeling I couldn't quite pinpoint. It would be unfair to call it disappointment, because it's nice to get answers and nice to have theories validated. It's more complex than that...it's the feeling of getting what you always wanted and realizing it's not what you wanted at all.

Insert cliche about the journey, not the end here.

But seriously. The fun of LOST has always been the mystery, and I'm wrestling with the knowledge I now have. But that doesn't mean we've got it all figured out. Far from it, in fact. I'm just saying I don't think there's any way the end could be as satisfying as the journey.

That said, here were my thoughts as my coworker and I hashed our feelings out today:

• Full circle: The episode opened with a shot of Jack waking up, a classic shot that has been repeated throughout the show and was the first shot of the series. That shot signified that things would be familiar and different. In no way is that more true than when Jack, after patiently listening to Jacob's explanation for himself, signed up to be The One. My first impression: That was WAY too easy. WAY too easy.
• Jacob: The whole scene of Jacob explaining himself felt like the writers were up against the wire, out of time, and decided to give the man of mystery a case of verbal diarrhea. He just spewed it all out there. His explanation of how he chose the LOSTies (you were alone, just like me) didn't make sense to me, since he met many of them when they were children. How did he know then who they would become? Is this a case for the idea of predestination? If so, why do some of them seem redeemed in the sideways world?
• Water into Wine? I thought the moment when Jacob blessed the "chalice" for Jack to drink from was corny beyond corny. For a moment I considered that he was putting on a performance, but we know from last week's flashback that he takes his mom's word as truth and believes in the power of the drink. Do you think Jack gulped down water or wine? And do you think it has real powers or a placebo effect? Jack certainly acted like the drink gave him super powers as he gulped it down.
• Off the List: So Kate was crossed off the list because she's a mother? Why is she still around then?
• BEN: Okay, enough of that jibber jabber. The real story of last night's episode was BEN, back in black, evil as ever. I'm a long-time lover of Ben's dark side, but when he shot Widmore and was all "you killed my daughter!," even I rolled my eyes. What happened to that newfound penitence? That disappeared pretty damn fast. But say what you will, Ben is the definition of a survivor. I'm wondering what his angle is at this point. He's killed Widmore and enacted his revenge. He's outlasted nearly everyone. What does he expect to get in exchange for helping the Man in Black? Surely his promise of a lonely island won't be kept; the MiB is a very adept liar.
• SIDEWAYS BEN: Was anyone else insanely uncomfortable during the exchange between Ben and Danielle? I was like, "ewwwwwww don't kiss," but it would actually be a great thing for Ben. He has always lacked a partner, and Sideways Alex has already been the daughter he dreamt of in island times. But we know Sideways Ben has seen flashes of his other life (the beating Desmond gave him on the docks) and how long will it be until the pieces come together? How will Ben respond when he has flashes of memory about the death of Alex?
• Come together: Desmond is herding the LOST cats to the benefit at Miles' dad's museum, it seems, but what will happen when they get there? How will Sawyer get there (a tip from Miles, perhaps?)? Is Desmond going to fire up a jet to the alternate world, bring an army to fight the MiB? What tricks are still left up this fail-safe's sleeve?

So what happens next, you guys? I have no idea how one would kill the Man in Black. Part of me wonders if the only way to kill him would be to destroy his origin: the Island's light. That would give the LOSTies another fine paradox: how to kill the man without destroying the one thing they pledged to protect?

If I'm wrong about that (which is highly possible), I'm still not sure how I'd like to see the show end. Do I want them to leave the island and return to their Island Lives at Home? Do I want to see their lives converge into one with the Sideways lives? That would defeat everyone's quantum physics theories.

I just don't know what to think. How about you?

Outdoor Glamour

You always want you can't have, and these days I'm obsessed with gardens. I have a little bitty porch that I hope to turn into a little green enclave, but just thinking about that has me dreaming of when I have a patch of grass to call my own.

Let's do a little window shopping, shall we?

I'm in love with this iron plant stand, $198 at Terrain.

I'm pretty sure if I were unable to control myself, my entire home (and wardrobe) would be striped. If I had a really beautiful sunroom or deck, I would love to hang these outdoor drapes, $36 at Touch of Class.
I don't even have anywhere to put them, but I want these Hallo cushions from IKEA.

Years ago, Sean's parents offered us a forest green cafe set like this, and through some confusion and idiocy on my part, it never came to pass. Of course, within a year, I wanted a set fervently. This one is $104 for the table and $99 for two of the chairs at Ballard Designs.

Is anything more romantic than light in the garden? I don't even have grass and I'm tempted to buy these glass tealights. $10 at Z Gallerie.
I love the idea of injecting some glamour into a garden. I think these garden stools from Z Gallerie are super stylish, and would move indoors or outdoors easily. $69 (on sale!!).

Homemade Strawberry Lemonade + Guest Dinner

From the moment I found out my friend Chanelle would be coming over for dinner, I knew I would have to make something delicious, but simple.

My past efforts to make dinner for more than two people have usually gone awry; I'm not so good with timing, and I have a bad habit of trying new recipes or tweaking recipes. I decided to make a very classic, very American summer kind of meal, so I went with my tried-and-true Kansas City BBQ chicken and Charm City corn, with another side of sugar snap peas.

I still wanted to make something special for the occasion, however, so I decided to try my hand at making hand-squeezed lemonade.

First, I sliced off the peel of a lemon and set a pot of 2 cups of water and 1 cup of sugar on the stovetop to boil.

Then I sliced some strawberries.

Once the sugar had dissolved in the water, I added 2 cups of fresh squeezed lemon juice (this will take about 3-4 lemons) and some of the peel. Let that simmer for a while.

Meanwhile, I pureed the strawberries in my blender. Omigod, I cannot wait to have a food processor.

After numerous pumps of the puree button, I ended up with a thick strawberry goo.

After I let the lemon sugar water mix cool, I strained the mixture into a blender.

I then added the strawberry puree, which will just sit on top if you don't stir. I almost liked the way that looked.

But I stirred anyway. Before serving, I added 2 cups of lemon Perrier and chopped mint. If I could do anything differently, I would freeze the mint in ice cubes to avoid having the peel mint off my teeth.

The lemonade, however, was delicious. Before I added the Perrier, it tasted syrupy, but the Perrier really leveled things out. For the amount of effort, I thought homemade lemonade was pretty easy; I can't wait to try different flavor combinations.

In other news, I broke down and purchased a grill pan and I LOVE IT. I'm all about the grill marks, but also, I felt like my chicken retained more of its moisture. I might be imagining it, but it felt that way.

I'm a recent convert to the glories of sugar snap peas, so I had no idea how to prepare them. I like them raw, with veggie dip, but that didn't seem appropriate for a side dish. After several quick Google searches, I decided to just saute the peas in olive oil with minced garlic cloves and salt and pepper. I sauteed just long enough to turn the peas a really beautiful, vivid green; the end result was delicious.

I finished off the meal with a plate full of The Fresh Market's cheddar rolls, which are decadent and bad for you, therefore delicious.

Chanelle had many compliments for the meal, and I have to say, it was the most success I've experienced as a dinner for guests. Now I'm hoping to make a delicious al fresco meal to serve on my slowly improving balcony; any takers?

Sunday Best v.23

I'm embarrassed to say I don't remember where I saw this picture, but it's been in my inspiration folder on my desktop for years. I love collage, but when I sit down to do one, I usually have no direction. A collage portrait of a favorite president? Perfect. I best get to working on my collage Martin Van Buren ...

• I'm in love with these '60s movie poster-inspired wedding invitations.
• I've been really into maps these days, and if I had a nursery to decorate (DON'T WORRY I DON'T!), I can imagine hanging up these cute ones.
• An incredibly useful organic food shopping guide, found via Snippet and Ink.
• Sawyer is a nicknaming genius.
• This blogger might have just explained why I don't do shorts.
• If you love "Up!" and you love love, check out this amazing photo shoot.
• I'm fairly close to penciling this yard sale into my planner. Vintage garden chairs? Yes, please.

LOST in Translation V.14

Let's get this right out of the way.

I was totally digging last night's episode.

I know a lot of you (A LOT OF YOU) hated it, and I can't blame you. Two years ago, my least favorite thing about LOST was the mystical element. I wanted scientific abnormalities. I wanted nefarious government, rich guy ne'er do well intrigue. I did NOT want to hear anything else about this bullshit Jacob guy that I was convinced Ben had invented. I did not want to see Smokey ever again.

But here we are. And at the end of the journey, I'm finding the revelations delicious. And I especially love being right.

Last summer, we were re-watching the first season and I started taking notes to track common themes (lame, I know) and I started noticing that backgammon seemed to be imbued with significance.

Don't know anything about backgammon? Yeah, me either. But I looked up the Wikipedia, which basically said backgammon is the oldest board game for two players in the world, and takes luck and strategy to win. A player wins when all his pieces are removed from the board. Players can also raise the stakes in the game.

Hm...that sounds a lot like a game played for a bajillion years by Smokey and Jacob, except they play with people. And perhaps to win the game against Jacob, Smokey has to remove all his pieces from the board (i.e. the LOSTies).

But that could be a lot of mumbo jumbo on my part. Another thing I loved about this episode was that it set Jacob and Smokey up as brothers, just like Jacob and Esau. At the beginning of this season, I mentioned on this blog that I thought it would be interesting if the MIB and Jacob turned out to have a similar story to those Biblical brothers, who were lifelong enemies. Welp, look who gets a cookie! That's right...ME!

The thing I'm struggling with is whether it's good to be right. Because as much as I'm glad I was able to accurately predict some elements of the episode, I don't know if that necessarily made it great storytelling. The whole backstory was a little too simple...when you give a bad guy an empathetic backstory, it becomes kind of boring...like showing us Anakin before he was Vader.

Anyways, let's hit the big notes:

• ADAM AND EVE: Well, I was right about the white and black stone being game pieces (not sure if it's backgammon or not). I was not right about the skeletons having to do with time travel. They are the boys' adoptive, murderous mother and what was once the Man in Black.
• The Man in Black has a corpse?! If Jacob killed the Man in Black, but we've seen him interact with Richard, then how was that possible? The only thing I can figure is that Smokey figured out how to take form, especially in bodies that could really haunt the people they came in contact with.
• The Man in Black is nameless: Did no one ever name that little boy? He was, truly, an afterthought, but from the moment of his birth, the adoptive mom (played by the glorious Allison Janney) seemed to recognize his potential and removed his own mother from the picture.
• Why is he special? Is it because he has the power to see dead people? Or because he has the power to lie?
• Wine = birthright: In the story of Jacob and Esau, Jacob offers Esau stew in exchange for his birthright. I thought it was interesting that in the LOST world, the power of Island Protector passes through a gulp of wine.
• What is that light anyways? Okay, so the island has crazy magnetism and light coming from beneath. Will we ever get an explanation to this? I thought it was cool to see that the MIB had the idea to build the wheel, which we now know only moves the island. But his whole plan was really weird and I thought, "Why does he think this plan will work?"
• Why did the light turn him into Smokey? I don't have any theories, but the entire scene reminded me of the scene in Indiana Jones when the Ark of the Covenant explodes with light and you're NOT SUPPOSED TO LOOK!!
• How did the Adoptive Mom get to island? She said it was an accident. How did she come to be the Keeper of the Light? I also wondered if she had the same abilities to sway people and infect their brains like the MIB. She seemed to know exactly what to say to both her boys.
• Smokey mentioned before that he had a crazy mother, and boy did he. But have you noted that her influence still dictates many of his actions? He still has no qualms about murder (like her) of men, because they are corrupt.

I think, of every line spoken on the whole damn show, Allison Janney spoke the most telling when she said, "Every question I answer will simply lead to another question. You should rest. Just be grateful you're alive."

Again, the show was back in the thick of the faith vs. science debate, and I really do believe that's what the show is about. At times, it seemed like it was about many different things, but at its core, it's always been about different world views. Is it better to question everything and search for answers, or better to have faith in a greater power and accept one's fate as it is? The show seems to have been a six-year-long pros and cons list for both, and I think most of us wrestle with the desire to just go with the flow or to seek for more.

One note about this week's episode: While it was super corny, I found myself disappointed to see that next week, we'll rejoin the castaways. Has anyone else come to hate most of them the way I have?

Paper Flower Wedding Bouquet

I can't really fathom not having a real floral bouquet, simply because I'm obsessed with flowers, but if I had a spare $250, I would be all about throwing this bouquet by Whether Paperworks for my bouquet toss.