Dance Party

Some friends of ours are in a 10 week ballroom dance programs at their city dance hall. This week was a dance party and they were allowed to bring friends so she invited us to come. I really didn't know what to expect, she just said wear a skirt. I was thinking that I just wanted to be comfortable, so I wore a long khaki skirt, and my mary jane shoes. Little did I know how wrong of choices these would be, even just for a two hour dance party. It turned out to be a mini lesson on the Waltz, Fox Trot, Quick Step, Tango, and a couple others. KC took some classes at BYU so he was surprisingly good and taught me a lot. If I was wearing danceable shoes, and a movable skirt I would have been able to learn a lot more. We had to switch partners a couple times. There were only about 10 of us there, so there wasn't much to switch with. I think if you have a husband, you get to keep him as your partner. One man really went by that and wouldn't dance at all if it was a switching partner song. Once I even danced with the small, Asian instructor, with a lovely comb over. He was quiet, but very descriptive and very entertaining, to me anyway. Sometimes I caught myself laughing when there clearly wasn't any joke. I just found his descriptions and they way he said them very amusing.

It was a pretty fun night and I think KC was even in the beginning stages of the flu, so hopefully everyone in the class doesn't come out with it. I think we need to start seeking these funny yet fulfilling types of classes out. Some people just know how to keep ever night of their lives occupied with things like this. Though I wouldn't want to do that (24 and The Office nights are very important) an extracurricular activity every once in a while might do us some good. Any ideas? I think a painting class or pottery class would be fun. Maybe I'll search them out. I don't know how KC would feel about that. Maybe I'm on my own with this idea.

Silly me

I just realized that the words in my last post were all jumbled up from when I was arranging the pictures into the text. Silly blogger. I guess I should've read it one last time. It's fixed now if anyone was confused.

While I'm calling myself silly, I might as well mention one more thing I realized. I don't consider myself a very quick typist. That's not the silly thing, but I found out why. I don't use my pinkies when I type. I don't know how I developed this bad, and very unproductive habit, but I'm changing it right now. Unfortunately, right now it's producing an even lower amount of words per minute, but I'm sure with practice I'll become a much more successful typer.

Popular...this sho-ow is popu-u-lar.

As you might've read from Cami's blog, we saw Wicked last night and really loved it. I'm not as into musicals as Lili, or even Jake, but I enjoy them and get excited about them all the same. KC and I didn't know any of the music going in besides what we heard in Cami's car on the way up, and snippets I've heard Lili sing through the years. I liked not knowing the words because I tend to want to sing along and it gets very distracting. I also pay better attention to what the words are actually saying if I listen intently. We had great seats, but when I go to shows, always envy the ones on the front row. It's fun to see the actors so close up I and they just have to not pay attention to the hundreds of people watching them. But, I can't compain, our seats were great. By my understanding, we're lucky we were even sitting together, or that we even got in. It was totally sold out. I'm about to put the Wizard of Oz on our Netflix so we can put all the pieces together. I was never bored or tired (thanks to my afternoon nap). It was a great night. We had a fun crowd and ate at the cheesecake factory before, which we still have yet to eat our lemon raspberry cheesecake. I was sorry that we had forgotten our camera, but that's to digital technology, and Corinne's remembering to bring a her camera, we have this night documented. We'll probably want the CD now. I'd love to hear the songs again, and again. If you didn't understand the title of this post, listen to the CD and you'll get it.

My Washingtom Post Debut

When I was at work the other day I noticed a newspaper photographer in the hall way so I hurried to get out of her way since I was cleary blocking whatever she was taking a picture of. Another woman was having people sign a paper and she soon came to me asking if I would sign a waiver in case my picture ended up in the Washington Post. I just giggled and signed and went on. She said to look around the Post later because I might be in it. It went in one ear and out the other since I had no idea when it would come out, or what the article might be about, and I had a lot of work to do. Yesterday when I went to check to see if any of the NICU babies needed pictures, the nurse said from across the room that I am in the newspaper. She said it's a good picture and I should try to find one. I went to the gift shop and piad my 36 cents. I looked in the metro section and low and behold, on page B6 there I am zooming by with my picture cart. I look like I'm going really fast since I thought I was in the way of there Picture. I'll post the picture when I can scan it in. The article is on washingtonpost.com here. Sadly my pic was not included online. The nurses were all gathered around as I was looking at the picture and I think a couple were a little jealous. I felt kind of dumb since they kep calling me their little celebrity. The picture doesn't even show my face, but my name is in the caption. I just thought it was funny.

De-cluttered...somewhat

We just finished two hours of cleaning out our storage room. It has been my goal to never have things in my house that I never use so I need to frequently clean things out to meet that goal. Things have gotten piled up in this first year of marriage and I thought it was time for a clean sweep. I can only imagine how many things can accumulate after years of this. It has become an impossible tasks to get rid of everything we don't use since some things have sentimental value. How long to we have to keep these things before we really don't care about them anymore? I feel like they are still cluttering up the place. I am really good at throwing things away and actual enjoy it. When I hear of people that hoard things and it takes over their house, I practically have and anxiety attack for them. I think I have decided that it's okay to store a few things that I'll never use again as long as it's not taking up valuable storage space for useful items. I am patiently awaiting my Space Bags to arrive. I ordered them online and I have piles of things ready to be vacuum sealed for much more storage space. As soon as that is taken care of, I will really feel that sense of accomplishment that comes with cleaning and organizing a very cluttered area.

I suppose I'm crafty after all

I've always considered myself to be a non-crafty person. I've never been much or a cross stitcher, crocheter or even a regular giant journaler. Crafts have always seemed like a waste of time to me. There are to many decisions involved. Deciding colors, accessories, sizes, etc. I think it's because when I start something I am not satisfied with its imperfections and just tell myself I'm not that type of person. What I didn't realize is that you don't have to be a creative craft queen to make something for your home. I like to think I'm creating art and it doesn't seem like such a chore to me. I'm not demeaning craftiness in the least. I feel quite the opposite. I really respect those that have such talents since I don't. I have had a success this time and I'd like to share. This is my memo board. I had one that a friend made me in jr. high and have no idea where it is. I've been wanting a way to display more pictures without making a million holes in our walls. I think this did the trick. They are very easy to make (they have to be if I did it) and choosing the colors to match the house was really fun. I guess I'm still not too crafty since this is the only project I have done, or will do for quite some time. Don't look too hard at imperfections like whether or not the lines are exactly parallel because I already know they are there. And by the way, if you don't see your picture on here, these were quickly gathers to try it out. They will be rotated regularly.

Snowy Flat Tire.

Last night as I was preparing dinner awaiting my honey's arrival, I got the usual call telling me he in on his way. This time he told me was going to be a little longer due to a flat tire in the parking lot of his building. So I told him I'd prolong dinner making and wait for him. Soon after I got another call from him saying one of his lug nuts was another size and his wrench wasn't working. I drove over there only to find out that mine was also the wrong size. We went to an auto parts store and got what we needed and went to change the tire. Right when I was deciding whether to stay or go, I saw a few snowflakes fall. Every second the snow became getting thicker and thicker. It wasn't a bad storm or anything, just light, quarter-sized, fluffy snowflakes covering everywhere very quickly. I happened to have my camera so I took a couple pics. I didn't like the idea of KC staying in the snow changing a tire all by himself, even if he was going to be fine, so I stayed to chat. It was interesting to me that all the while we were driving, or anything else besides actually changing the tire, there wasn't a snowflake to be seen. But when the changing was being done, it was making KC's hands cold while trying to righty-tighty and lefty-loosey. He never once complained, as usual. I need to take a lesson on looking on the bright side of situations like he does. The snow stopped soon after it started. So even though we got a flat tire on one of the only days that it has snowed here, and in the only 15 minutes that is snowed that day, it could've been worse in many ways. It could've been on the freeway in a foot of snow, it could've been 2 or 3 tires, it could've been... you get the picture. I actually had a very pleasant evening. Maybe that's because it wasn't my car. That might be a totally different story. He is now in two and a half hour wait to get the screw removed and the tire repaired at the wonderful Costco where his tires have a warranty. He said he'd keep himself busy by doing errands and such, and here I am again awaiting his arrival. Car troubles are rare since KC takes extremely good care of his car. I'm spoiled to have him home on time every night. I guess I can wait a little longer this time.

Who Wants Cake?

For those who don't know the story of my wedding cake, it kind of funny. KC and I got engaged at Christmas and sort of knowing this, I had made a consultation with a cake person in Utah so we could get it all taken care of while we were there. I found the perfect cake on her website and she actually had a model in her living room where we were talking. I wanted it square and on a stand but other than that, this was it. I even based my colors around it. She warned me that it wouldn't be exactly the same, and being in the cake business, I totally understood. She told me if I was really worried, I could just buy the ribbons and it would cost quite a bit less too. I liked this cake and wanted it to be just the same so I trusted her. And I thought since we didn't have to pay anything for Melody's cake, we could splurge a little on mine. This is one of the regrets of my wedding. So everything was worked out. When I walked into the reception room, I looked at the cake and let out a little gasp. Amber looked at me and without me even saying anything, she said, "we can go buy ribbons and make it look better." I just took a breath and said, "it's fine, but I don't know what she was thinking". There have been times in the bakeries that I've worked at that the mothers cry when the tiniest thing is wrong with their one year old's cake, so I thought my reaction was very kind to the woman. I just brushed it off knowing that it wasn't what the wedding was all about. It also helped my sister-in-law who was getting her cake done by the same person two months after me to make sure she was doing everything right. She talked to her over and over making sure all colors were correct. Her cake was exactly what she wanted so at least I could help a little. Besides the colors, the cake was pretty good, it was made very well and they came and boxed it up after the wedding. They meant well.

We also had another open house here in Maryland where we had about 50 or so people show up. I was working with some really great decorators and my boss said she would give me a cake for free. My friend had just started this beautiful butter cream flower decoration and she said she wanted to do it for me. I know she worked so long and so hard, and I think my boss sort of regretted her decision since we were spending so much time on wedding food. The cake turned out stunning and I felt like it made up for anything I thought was less than perfect before. Cami has more of these reception pictures on her 2006 photo link on her blog. Seeing them was the inspiration for this long-winded rant about the silly cake at my reception, but it didn't change the fact that it was the happiest day of my life.

"Famous" Recipe

So I'm on a couple message boards and they have recipe days. I never post, I just read. So today I found this message that someone sent and I thought it was hilarious. Everyone thinks their recipe is the best, and no one will ever figure it out or make anything like it. It's so funny what you find out behind the scenes of the restaurant business. Although this recipe is online of course, so I don't know how true this story is. Anyway, try it and tell me what you think. I think I'll make right now. Seem like a nice thing to do on such a cold day. She wrote:

A little background: Neiman-Marcus, if you don't know already, is a
very expensive store; i.e., they sell your typical $8.00 T-shirt for
$50.00.

Let's let them have it! THIS IS A TRUE STORY!

My daughter and I had just finished a salad at a Neiman-Marcus Cafe in
Dallas , and we decided to have a small dessert. Because both of us are
such cookie lovers, we decided to try the "Neiman-Marcus cookie."

It was so excellent that I asked if they would give me the recipe, and
the waitress said with a small frown, "I'm afraid not, but you can buy
the recipe."

Well, I asked how much, and she responded, "Only two fifty. It's a
great deal!" I agreed to that, and told her to just add it to my tab.

Thirty days later, I received my VISA statement, and
the Neiman-Marcus <>charge was $285.00! I looked again, and I remembered
I had only spent
$9.95 for two salads and about $20.00 for a scarf. As I glanced at the
bottom of the statement, it said, "Cookie
Recipe-$250. 00". That was outrageous!

I called Neiman's Accounting Department and told them the waitress said
it was " two fifty ", which clearly does not mean "two hundred and fifty
dollars" by any reasonable interpretation of the phrase.

Neiman-Marcus refused to budge.

They would not refund my money because, according to them, "What the
waitress told you is not our problem. You have already seen the
recipe. We absolutely will not refund your money at this point." I
explained to the Accounting Department lady the criminal statutes which
govern fraud in the state of Texas . I threatened to report them to the
Better
Business Bureau and the Texas Attorney General's office for
engaging in fraud. I was basically told, "Do what you want. Don't bother
thinking of how you can get even, and don't bother trying to get any of
your money back."

I just said, Okay, you folks got my $250, and now I'm going to have
$250 worth of fun." I told her that I was going to see to it that every
cookie lover in the United States with an e-mail account has a $250
cookie recipe from Neiman-Marcus. .for free. She replied, "I wish you
wouldn't do this."

I said, "Well, perhaps you should have thought of that before you
ripped me off!" and slammed down the phone.

So here it is!

Please, please, please pass it on to everyone you can possibly think
of. I paid $250 for this, and I don't want Neiman-Marcus to EVER make
another penny off of this recipe!


NEIMAN-MARCUS COOKIES

2 cups butter
24 oz. chocolate chips
4 cups flour
2 cups brown sugar
2 tsp. soda
1 tsp. salt
2 cups sugar
1 8 oz. Hershey Bar (grated)
5 cups blended oatmeal
4 eggs
2 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. vanilla
3 cups chopped nuts (your choice)


Measure oatmeal, and blend in a blender to a fine powder. Cream the
butter and both sugars. Add eggs and vanilla, mix together with flour,
oatmeal, salt, baking powder, and soda. Add chocolate chips, Hershey
Bar, and nuts. Roll into balls, and place two inches apart on a cookie
sheet.

Bake for 10 minutes at 375 degrees. Makes 112 cookies.

PLEASE READ THE RECIPE AND SEND IT TO EVERY PERSON YOU KNOW WHO HAS AN
E-MAIL ADDRESS! THIS IS REALLY TERRIFIC!!

Even if the people on your e-mail list don't eat sweets, send it
to them and ask them to pass it on.
Let's make sure we get these ladies $250.00 worth.
Enjoy the cookies, they are good..

Sleeping on a Cloud

We have been debating whether or not to get a new mattress since we got married. The one we have is fine and was graciously given to me by Cami and Jake. We even have the pineapple bed that's been used through the ages by my family. I love that I'm taking part in that. Anyway, we were getting tired of this mattress even with the cool textured foam pad I bought for it a while ago. KC's mom had mentioned before that his little sister bought a mattress topper for her dorm room bed(we all know how comfy those are) and I thought that was the answer. I wake up with a soar back and/or neck every once in a while and I thought maybe KC was right in the new mattress idea. So instead of purchasing an expensive mattress just yet, we bought the mattress topper from Costco that my mother-in-law had mentioned. It is a 2 1/2 inch memory foam pad and a microfiber down-like pillow top pad you put on top of the other. They zip together and are attached to the mattress like a fitted sheet. It took a whole day for the memory foam to recover from being vacuum packed for shipping. Ever since I put my bed together, I can't get out of it. It's worth every penny if you are in the same mattress situation as we are. It's a little taller too, so I stumbled a little getting out of bed the first couple times. I think it has also cured me of not being able to sleep in because I've been waking up at about 7:00 every day this week. I'd better get up and get ready for work, but I'm all memory foamed in.

Just a note. Cami was great and finished the quilt that was started at my wedding shower. With the help of Matt creatively making a quilting frame out of stuff he practically got for free, and Cami buying everything else, we have our cute hibiscus flower quilt on our bed. It gets pretty cold in our basement so any extra blanket is greatly appreciated.

Homemade Dip Cones

Dip cones are one of my favorite treats. Purple Turtle makes a particularly good one with a coconut shell, but any hard shell will do. I even like the cherry ones that Macey's would sell. I know it's a cheap version of "chocolate" that usually leaves a film on the roof of my mouth, but I just love it. With the reminants of the birthday party, the ice cream and dipping chocolate, and some ice cream cones we already had, I made some very delightful dip cones. I ate it very quickly. KC's was dripping a lot so he was eating it over the sink at the beginning. It's funny that a lot of my blog entries revolve around food, but what can I say? Please take these treats away from my house!

My Young Husband

KC is 30! I actually pulled off a surprise party for him and I can't believe he didn't figure it out. I was too stressed to remember a camera, so maybe you can see the pics Matt took on his gallery. I invited about 30 people and with the help of my great family, it was a success. I'm not a very convincing liar, so I tried really hard to make up a lot of lies two weeks prior the party. The day of the party was so hard for me because it wasn't until 5:30 pm, and it was a Saturday. I had to just act like we were going to dinner and it was another ho-hum night, when I was really freaking out inside wondering if everything was going to turn out as planned. I was nauseous from being so nervous, and I was getting a little cranky just because I wanted it to be out in the open once and for all. I made up a lie that I had to drop something at Cami's before we went to our restaurant that happened to be in Close by. Coincidence? I came back out and told KC that Cami promised Jeffy and Ethan that he would come say hi. They love when KC comes over. He came in and there was everyone to surprise him. It was fun to watch him figure it all out.

I prepared most of the food on Friday, and I had to even make up a lie to cover up the smell the cake left on my shirt. KC has an incredible sense of smell. The table had a spread of delicious artichoke dip, and a chocolate fondue provided by Matt and Cortnie. Cami made pizza for the kids which was great. We had a veggie tray, bacon wrapped little smokies, cheese puff rolls, and cup cakes with either a letter K or C on each of them. I couldn't have done it without my family's help.

I had also made up a fake party that was supposed to be on Sunday at Matt's so he wouldn't be bummed that there was nothing happening, and he wouldn't suspect anything earlier. We even pretended that Matt and Cortnie wanted to make the cake. Matt was funny and had a long conversation with him about what kind of cake he wanted. Perfect. So during the party people kept asking what else he was doing to celebrate and he still believed the party was on at Matt's. it wasn't until we left and we were talking that he realized that was a lie too. Ha ha. Good thing we didn't have in on Sunday since we had extremely icy roads that night. Read Matt's blog about the "Gully of Dooooomooom" and you'll see.

Happy Birthday KC!

100 freakin' things!

Fine, everyone keeps asking me, and the longer I wait, the more build up there will be for something that isn't so exciting for anyone besides me. Have fun.

1. I love mornings and can wake up early without a complaint. But staying up late is really hard for me. I will say things I don't mean.

2. I was involved a lot in school politics: Manila Elem. President, Jr. Class President, Student Body Publicity Chair. I really needed extra-curricular activities, since I was never into sports or anything.

3. I don't take a lot of risks. It's too scary for me. I need to get out of my comfort zone more often.

4. I am very grateful for my mom and dad. Every time I have a good childhood memory, I think of how they made it so wonderful. I also love my siblings and I ache for us to be all together again. The one's that live close by are so greatly appreciated. I talk to everyone regularly.

5. I always second guess myself no matter what I'm doing. I failed a lot of tests that way. I do it in other situations too like driving, or shopping. I've learned to go with my first instinct.

6. I teach the CTR class in my ward and am learning a lot more than I thought. I secretly want to be the sacrament or primary chorister. The one we have in primary puts me to sleep.

7. I love doing my hair after a week of putting it up in a wet bun. It reminds me of it's length. It takes longer to blow dry it than it takes me to walk to work, so I give up.

8. I was once proposed to when I showed the cheesecake I made for dessert at a picnic. Not by KC either.

9. KC is so special to me, I can't stand the thought of a life without him. I cherish his ukulele playing even though sometimes when he's playing I complain because I want him to be cuddling with me.

10. I went to USU for one semester where I'm proud to say my best friends were my grandma and grandpa. They are my college buddies. We bonded a lot: games, dinners, food network, which was my other best friend. I watched it for hours a day. Grandpa even set me up with my own little TV and headphones. I loved it.

11. There was a point when I told my mom and sisters I would never, never, never, never EVER like KC. I really tried to get that point across. That changed quickly. Hee hee.

12. I am the younger of the twins, even though I never understood that rule. We'll never know who was actually conceived first. And, whenever people guess, they think I'm older. The funny thing is, they give reasons like I'm taller, or I just seem older. One minute is quite a difference to some people I guess.

13. I love my cowboy boots and will never be able to replace them so they better not wear out.

14. I've worked with people from more countries than I can count including: Honduras, Vietnam, Iran, Iraq, Mexico, France, and Germany, to name a few.

15. I worked at a hotel where I had to wake up at 2:30 am for a whole year. I saw things from the city nightlife I never wanted to. The prostitutes in particular. I had a hard time thinking of anything happy for a while after seeing them. It was so sad.

16. I was single handedly responsible for the dessert portion of a Sunday brunch that was $80 per person. I didn't get paid accordingly.

17. I've been blessed with straight teeth without the help of any braces. I did get a retainer a couple years ago for a recently developed tiny space between my front teeth. I still where it every few days.

18. When the new version of "The Parent Trap" came out, I had so many people tell me that I look like Lindsey Lohan. That continued for a couple years until she changed...a little.

19. I am about 7 1/2 years younger than my husband. When we met, we both thought that was a major factor and cancelled each other out of our dating lists.

20. I like watching 24 alone, or with KC only. Parties ruin it for me. Other shows are usually okay.

21. In the course of two years when my life was changing a lot, I gained and lost about 15+ lbs without changing the way I ate or exercised. Stress has a huge impact on my body.

22. When I was young and my other friends were playing with dolls, I was doing science experiments. I remember the Christmas I told my parents that it's okay if they didn't get me any science stuff this year, when I grew out of it.

23. I wanted to grow up to be a lot of things as a kid. First "a doctor who delivered babies" as I put it, than a hairstylist, than a Chef, with ideas of other professions in between. A mom is my true aspiration.

24. I have always hated having freckles until recently. More people have them than I realized.

25. I am fascinated with the giganticness of whales. I could watch the Animal Planet about them for hours.

26. I have a hard time singing hymns or primary songs without crying. They are so applicable to our lives. Music is an escape to me..

27. I am addicted to chapstick. I need it right now! I have on in my church bag, my purse, my kitchen, my bathroom, and by my bed. All are very important.

28. I'm often cold and when I'm at home I either am wearing slippers or am wrapped up in my electric blanket on the couch.

29. I remember people's faces very well. Names, not as much, but I'll always recognize a face if I see it once or twice.

30. I dated a secret service agent. Sounds cool, but was actually a very traumatic experience.

31. I got stood up more than once by a second generation Osmond fellow. Traumatic as well.

32. I played the flute, and bass clarinet in jr. high. I still have my flute, but the clarinet is long gone. That thing was as big as me. I always wish I played strings.

33. I have a very hard time saying no to people even though I really want to.

34. I hate playing or receiving practical jokes. I even had a dream about the Andy guy on the office where I helped him find his phone in the ceiling. I never take part in such activities.

35. I am extremely ticklish. It gets annoying. I try to make myself believe I'm not, but I can't.

36. I love a clean cut husband, shaved and all. Although, the goatee he had once was kinda cool.

37. I am able to communicate with Spanish speaking customers daily with knowing only a limited amount of words. They know zero English. I even get them to buy my pictures!

38. I've had glasses since 1st grade, but hardly ever wear them. When I do, I am grateful.

39. I want to move to another state in the near future. Maybe Colorado?

40. I can't believe this, but my one year anniversary is less than 2 months away.

41. I want a big fun family like mine, but not too big. I don't know how you did it Mom, but I can't imagine life without any of us, so good thing you did.

42. I never let myself think of eternity. I know it's wonderful, but it scares me so bad. I've had sleepless nights.

43. I've held a pencil wrong my whole life.

44. I pretty much totaled my dad's car when I was 5. I remember every part of that experience.

45. I have a bad habit of wandering. My parents found that out on the beach. I find myself lost a lot on shopping trips or other crowded places. I like to do my own thing.

46. In jr. high, I wanted to be popular so bad, I would paid anything for name brand clothes to fit in. Now I am a complete bargain shopper. I won't buy it if I know I can get a better deal somewhere else. I do have an appreciation for a quality article of clothing though, with or without a name brand. (I just got a great pair of jeans from Costco.)

47. I am trying to stick up for myself more.

48. I have a lot of favorite movies but "Newsies," "That Thing you Do," and "Return to Me"
are always up there.

50. For a few years in my teens, I didn't go a day without painted fingernails or toenails. Now it's just toes. I felt naked without it. Once I didn't have time to do my toes and went to a baseball game. They were covered up, but I felt like my shoes could come off at any minute and expose them! That's a little OCD. I've changes a lot since then.

51. I actually like change. I crave it.

52. I love cooking and eating breakfast foods the most. A good breakfast sandwich, cinnamon rolls, biscuits...mmmm.

53. I think raspberries are a work of art. Most fruits for that matter. Sometimes I'd just look at them before putting them on a tart.

54. I don't like my legs. I like buying a lot of different nylons to cover them up.

55. When I wear blue, someone usually comments on how it matches my eyes no matter what shade.

56. I've always had a problem with jealousy. I wish I could just wish the best for people, instead of wanting what they have.

57. I find that if someone tells a joke, and no one laughs I will a lot so the person doesn't feel bad. This has happened on many occasions.

58. I put myself in other people's shoes in my mind daily. It makes me so grateful for what I have. It makes me sad for them.

59. I wish I read and understood the Book of Mormon better. I am in a class right now to do so. I don't know what I would do with out the gospel. I love the things I learn everyday from the hardships I have. Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ are so dear to me.

60. I find that a lot of the time in school I would know an answer to a question but didn't raise my hand. Then someone says it and I say to myself "that's what I was gonna say." I wish I would've taken more chances.

61. In my primary class we play Build the Birthday Cake, instead of Hangman. They took it too literally. The cake has five layers, a candle and a flame. Decorations if the word is really long.

62. I have very good self control when it comes to eating.

63. I hate spiders or anything that can crawl into my bed while I'm sleeping. I have sticky traps all over the house.

64. I don't like to read. I wish I did.

65. I never want to yell. When I raise my voice, I feel like my face gets really ugly.

66. I love to sing. I would do more musical numbers if I was asked. I don't like to volunteer for things like that.

67. I've recently discovered the joy if home decor.

68. I wish I would do more service.

69. I have a lot of pet peeves: cluttered surfaces, singing hymns slowly, pre-talk jokes in church, when people don't clean up after themselves, indecisiveness, people wearing pants to church (they do that a lot here), women who sing tenor, when people wear flip-flops with winter coats. I am trying to not have any pet peeves. I feel like they are not Christlike since other people find these things normal for them. Who am I to say it's not okay. I'm working on it.

70. I hate commercials. I have anxiety attacks over them.

71. I like letting other people have their own opinions as I like having mine. I don't try to force anyone into thinking my way is the best way.

72. I dream of having a huge house some day with a big staircase.

73. If I know how to do something, but someone is explaining it to me, I let them think I'm hearing it for the first time. I don't know why I just don't tell them I already know.

74. I could watch our lava lamp for a long time with out getting bored.

75. I lived at my sister Cami's house for a whole year. I can't believe she let me do that. It was really fun and helpful financially. It still feels like home when I go there.

76. My house after that had a pool. It was so cool. I swam laps for a little while.

77. I am a very focused shopper. I like going alone so I can get things done.

78. As much as it was psychologically trying for me, I actually pulled off a surprise party for KC. I still feel like ever thing I say is a lie. My brain needs to get back into truth mode.

79. I think every store bought dessert is over priced.

80. Brushing my teeth and washing my face are very fun for me. I love the feeling of being clean. I even brush my teeth in the shower so I come out clean everywhere.

81. I could watch M. Night Shyamalan movies over and over. He is a genius.

82. I made this list in sacrament meeting. It has gone by very fast.

83. I was planning to stay in Maryland for 8 month to come to culinary school. That has turned into who knows how many years.

84. I was recently assigned to be the assistant camp director in my ward.

85. It's funny that Melody and I are so different and so alike. I wish I could see her more. Someday we will see each other more than twice a year. She is my best friend. I never needed anyone else when we were growing up. It helps to have husbands to distract us while we're apart.

86. A friend from high school and I have been passing a greeting card back and forth for the past 5 years.

87. I've really become better at waiting for things than I used to be. When I wanted something, I wanted it NOW! I am learning that some things take time and patience.

88. I call Jeffy and Ethan poo-poo without even thinking about it, like it's their real name.

89. When I'm taking pictures of babies, I'm often mistaken for a nurse and get asked all kinds of questions. I also witness a circumcision every once in a while. Not by choice. My equipment is in the same room. I never look. Yuck!

90. I was Mary in the Live nativity at the temple. I had a bad attitude and it turned out to be very rewarding. That always happens.

91. I want to go to Ireland someday. It's just sounds pretty there.

92. Our shower curtain is a map of the world and I'm learning a lot. I never realized how much time is wasted in the shower when I could be learning. They should invent more waterproof learning materials.

93. I pack my husbands lunch everyday. He never asks, I just like to use things in a particular order. I also know what we have since I do the shopping.

94. I am a mild germophobe. I keep alcohol wipes to clean off my phone. I feel like I can see dirt even if it's not visible.

95. I like to treat everyone equally. Especially kids. I can't deny one kid a treat if everyone else is getting one. I'm a sucker for a sad child. I think that will change with my own.

96. When I was younger I always wanted to explain myself when I was doing something juvenile. I even knew what adults were thinking when they would hear me and my friends talking teenager-like,"Oh those kids. They'll grow up one of these days." Sometimes I wanted to take the adults aside and say, "I know this all sounds really dumb, but we're in a phase right now." Or, "I don't really care that much about the dance, I just have to let my friends think I do." I wanted to fit in with all age groups.

97. My husband has a great sense of style and I have taken quite a few tips from him.

98. I argue with myself a lot over whether or not I should cut my hair.

99. I love pilates as my form of exercise. It's great for the mind and body.

100. I love being a wife. Being married is just as wonderful or better than I ever thought it would be. I still look at my ring and sigh.

Man, I could write a blog about each and every one of these things. I guess it's a good way to blog 100 things without having to write a lot about each one. It was actually pretty therapeutic. I think I learned a lot about myself. Now I can go get my ever-lovin' chapstick.

Food mug shots

I realized while looking through my pictures that I very often take pictures of my face really close to food. They are never veryflattering so I don't know why I do this besides to document food that I either thought looked good, tasted good or had some funny story involved. I think now that I'm involved in photography I'm a little more conscious about what the picture is going to look like before I take it. So hopefully I will get better at this mugshot thing I seem to have going on. By the way, I tried really hard to get the pics all lined up straight and I was going crazy, so I'm leaving them strewn about. Sometimes I need to make myself leave things messy to practice patience. Things don't always have to line up straight, I guess (cringe).

I think I've still got it

I have been a regular babysitter for a great woman in my neighborhood. She has a cute one year old boy. I only actually spent time with him a couple different days. The rest of the babysitting consisted of me coming over after he was asleep and watching TV, playing Sudoku, giant journaling, regular journaling, or watching movies with KC. He usually came with me since he and I both wanted company. That occurred about 4 times a month or so. But this past week, I went over a lot since they are socialites and had many friends throwing farewell dinners. I really got to know them. She found out I was a pastry chef and started asking questions. I gave her an idea of what to make for a party and she made an Apple Frangipane Tart. It was a very good first attempt. In school and the shops I worked in, frangipane was a staple. It's a very dense almond cake batter that is baked in the bottom of a lot of fruit tarts. You might've even eaten it without knowing. It is so good. I know a certain Cami that can attest. So, KC and I wanted to give them a going away token. I made her a Mango Caramel Frangipane Tart. I knew she loved mangoes and I wanted to show her something else she could do with frangipane since she also loved that. She was so excited she could hardly talk. She ended up taking it to her cocktail party and came back with a clean platter. I'd much rather many people enjoy it than just two. Anyway, it was such a fun project and it's good to know I can still whip up an elegant dessert even though I'm not getting the daily training I used to. The missionaries also got this for dessert when they came for dinner, sesrved with ice cream. If you want the recipe, let me know.

I need to wake up my brain!

A while ago KC introduced me to a mind game called Sudoku. If you haven't heard of it, it is played like this:

There is one big square. Inside there are 9 more squares, and 9 smaller squares within each of those. There are several numbers placed in the small squares in no particular order. The object is to fill in every square with numbers 1-9 with out repeating numbers in any column, row, or square.

http://www.dkmsoftware.com/sudoku/index.htm

This is a Sudoku website if you want to give it a try.

For Christmas I bought KC and hand held electronic Sudoku game and I play it more than he does. I started with the beginning levels and have slowly worked my way up. I think I'm getting the hang of it. I have always steered clear of things like this for fear of finding out how much I really don't know. For instance, I have always been afraid of crossword puzzles. Whenever I'd see someone doing one there were automatically put on a higher level then me. I just told people "I don't do those." But now that I have a little confidence in the Sudoku field, I can turn to that part of the newspaper with a little less apprehension. The two puzzles are right next to each other in the paper, so I really feel like I'm facing my fear.

In the airport flying back to Maryland, I went to the overpriced bookstore and bought a book of a variety of games and puzzles (and a regular magazine for when my brain was overstimulated). I really kept busy trying games that made my brain do things it hasn't for a while. My job is very repetitive and I feel like my brain has been on autopilot. I now keep a puzzle book and Sudoku with me at all times for when I have a few minutes to spare. I suppose I could read more books, but I have never liked to read. It's kindof embarrasing, but I find it very hard to stay focused. When I do get to the exciting part of a novel, which is rare, I really enjoy it and can understand what people like so much about this spare time activity. But it's starting a book that is the hard part. I have the time and resources (you saw Cami's book list on her blog I'm sure), just no desire. Maybe the puzzles will help with the concentration and patience it takes to read more. There are so many great books, I've heard, and I don't want to be left out.

Let me know how you did on your Sudoku puzzle. Pick any level. I'm sure some of you are already experts.

mmmmmmmm...

We just finished our very filling dinner of brats, sauerkraut, curly fries, and crusty bread complete with au jus, and spicy brown mustard. We were at the grocery store and it sounded good and easy so we bought the fixin's (some of which we already had) and indulged. I think I said "this...is...so...good" between each bite. I will be thinking about this meal for quite sometime. Don't you ever eat something that just hits the spot?

Makin' it to heaven in 2007!

You may wonder what that corny phrase is I have in the title. When KC and his friends were in college they started making mottoes for the year. For example "Lookin' for more in 2004", "Stayin' alive in 2005", "Get in the mix in 2006". There aren't set rules to this. You can really make up anything you want as long as it rhymes. It's silly but kind of cute. Anyway, I guess we have to try to make it to heaven this year, until I can think of something else to do in 2007.

Well Christmas went well. We were greeted with very warm welcomes by both families and had a great time catching up with everyone. My highlight was seeing my little nieces and nephew that are growing up so fast. I grew up with them and now that I'm not there all the time, they have changed a lot. I'm glad they still remember me, but I couldn't get enough videos of them. Especially Allyson since she's most likely not going to remember me next time I return. They are so cute. I do love my nephews here though. They make me laugh all the time. Any of the three of them says or does something at least once every five minutes that make KC and me laugh so hard.

We had to fly home the day after Christmas and I was a little bummed. that day is relaxing and picking up wrapping paper. But I have to say the non-stop flight was great, and there weren't even that bad of lines at the airport. I also saw a good friend of mine at the same baggage claim in Maryland. So I had an okay day after all. Oh yeah, KC and I also got to give our gifts to eachother which was also something to look forward to. I am constantly using my very soft electric blanket that KC got for me and I am always listening to my cool, tiny (mom will tell you the size of a Triscut, while I think it's half that size.) Ipod Shuffle. I am totally in now. I love it. KC's fun presents are coming up on his birthday, so now I have to switch gears and start thinking about that. It's this month!

Before Christmas we were asked to be a part of the live nativity at the Washington DC visitor's center on December 30th. So we tried to stay in the Christmas spirit until then. We went to the front desk where they took us to the back to get into costume. KC had a fake beard applied to his face and it was a little creepy. We had to go over the music track a couple times and go through the short set of action they had us learn. It was only about 7 minutes long or something, but we did it about 9 times before the next set of "actors" showed up. It was really fun, and we could hear the boys saying funny things. It was hard not to laugh. It was a nice way to end the season and Matt took some good pictures. I'm even considering framing one for our house. I hope everyone had a great holiday season and is now having a great times cleaning up all the decorations. I haven't even started yet! (Not that there's much to put away.)

I'm So Proud

Last night I did something I haven't done in a long time. I really conquered something I didn't think possible. I wanted to go to a movie with some girls. With trying to merge busy schedules, we decided on the 10:05PM showing. I am known for falling asleep in movies that start much earlier. Whenever I fall asleep, it ruins the movie for me, and everyone that laughs at the movie and wakes me up, suddenly become this stupid bunch of people that are laughing at something not worth laughing at ( I think I'm partly mad at whatever I've missed). This is my mentality when I am tired. So earlier the day of the movie, I tried to take a nap and it was about 30 minutes. I didn't think it was enough. KC just kept warning me, "Honey, you always fall asleep. I don't know if you'll make it." Of course, he has learned of my early bird lifestyle the hard way. Sometimes I don't even remember the harsh things I say at night, but am gently reminded of them in the morning when, by the way, my mood is at it's best. My friends from high school will tell you how rude I was at sleepovers just because I was tired and they were just having fun. Something really comes over me and I can't help my words or actions. It's like I have a small version of the Hulk inside of me that comes out after 10:30 if something upsets me. I hope it wears off someday because this life guarantees more night distractions through the years. Maybe when the kids come, KC will be the night go-getter and I'll be the morning retriever. We'll have to work something out. I don't want anyone else to have to witness this side of me. But, the point of this whole post was to announce loud and clear that I did make it though that movie and got home at 1:15AM without my hulkish attitude anywhere in sight. I was chipper the whole way through and it wasn't even an act! I'm wondering the last time this has happened. I even drove...safely. I really feel like I've accomplished something. I hope someday, somewhere, it will happen again.

KC's Appreciation

I know what you're all thinking. Two posts in one day? But I just had to tell of my appreciation, for my husbands appreciation, for me. As we sat down to our quiche dinner, (Or any dinner for that matter. Tonight it just happened to be quiche.) He was commenting on how good it smelled and how he couldn't wait to eat it. Then when we started eating it, he began to comment on the texture of the flaky crust and how much he was enjoying it. When he finished his wedge, I said "a little more?" and he gave me a very long but sweet explanation for why he wouldn't care for any more. He told me about the level of appreciation he had for the quiche right now. He was satisfied to just the right amount. He told of his appreciation for the meal with one hand and the fullness of his tummy with the other. The higher the fullness hand got, the shorter the rises of the appreciation hand became, and eventually started going down. This shows so well the way KC thinks things though and can explain them a way that I don't think I ever could. I think we all know what he's talking about. I know that some great meals can be ruined if I get too full to remember how delicious the meal really was. All I can think is "I ate way too much." Most of our dinner conversations include questions from KC about what it entailed to make the meal, what this flavor or that flavor was, what ingredients I used, how satisfying it is, and even sometimes he comments on how nice the plate looks (we all know when we've made a nice colorful plate). Not because he's picky, but because he's intrigued. Sometimes I'll anticipate all his questions, and try to remember all the things I put in so that I have an answer for him when we asks. I might even answer before he can ask. Some meals are made from whatever I have to use up in the fridge so I really can't remember what to tell him. These nights I just say, "can we just have dinner and not talk about the food?" Then I feel bad because I really should always be grateful for his constant appreciation for the meals I prepare. Lunches the next day usually come out of dinner the day before so sometimes I even get double appreciation for one meal when he gets home from work and reports on lunch. A friends the other day told me that her husband never says anything about the food she makes. She said she asked once, and he just nodded, shrugged his shoulders and said "yeah, it's good." Why would I ever ask my husband not to appreciate me? I'm a lucky girl. I hope this sticks, along with his daily dish washing.

I will resist!

I'm trying to resist buying anything that I know will be 75% off starting on December 26. I've never been one to decorate but since there is no one else (mom, roommates, sisters) to do it, I have to, and want to, do it myself. But since me are leaving a few days before Christmas, I feel like I should take advantage. We did buy a tree and it's not a Bonsai. Not much taller though. Lowes was the only place (out of several places that we looked) that had any real trees under 6 feet. It goes about to my waist and KC being the man of the house put on the lights. But we've also yet to get an extension cord to turn those lights on. I'm improvising on trimming, candy canes, and ribbons, but I think our humble tree will be a great memory for our first Christmas together.
As my other siblings have mentioned on their blogs, Gingerbread house making was great fun thanks to all the hard work by M,C,and J. KC and I made a gingerbread house 2 years ago at a party. We to achieve the same effect, but it turned out quite different. We had fun at both occasions as you can see from the picture. Every one's house was so creative. I loved Jacks gumball "Christmas light" roof.

How long has that commercial been running?

I was watching TV and saw that seasonal commercial where the snowman walks in the house because he smells the soup. When he starts eating it, he starts melting. At the end, there's a little boy with snow dripping off his shoulders. I feel like I've been seeing this commercial for years and it always kind of scares me. Why is there a little boy inside all that snow. But I do like it because it reminds me of past Christmas seasons. Man, it's coming quickly isn't it? I really want to show KC the Pee Wee's Playhouse Christmas Special. I don't remember what year, but we have it on tape at my house. That is a huge tradition. I laugh just thinking about it. We have tried to find a tree that won't take over our whole apartment and they are all too big. They don't harvest them small enough for us that often. We're thinking of getting a Bonsai pine tree and we can use it every year and it would be less than 2 feet tall. They live for hundreds of years if cared for properly. I'm only kidding as it wouldn't be tradition like the other photo. (Although mine would not have teddy bears and stuffed snowmen around it.) At least we'll be going home for Christmas where there is plenty of space for trees that are easily two feet taller than that tallest part if out ceiling. I hope everyone has had more luck finding their perfect tree, or at least are planning to.

We're fryin' again!

Well I am happy to say that the turkey was fantastic! KC was the designated fry cook for the day and did a great job. It was a little rainy which makes for a very unsafe frying situation. So we made a covering of sorts and it worked okay. It took only one hour for the turkey to be fried to perfection with crispy golden brown skin. I am converted to fried turkey. It is very dangerous and we had to keep the kids at a safe distance at all times. So Thanksgiving went off without a hitch and the weird thing is, we only turned on the oven for about and hour to bake a couple things. I was right in my anticipation to buy more oil. KC and Jake went and bought a 4 1/2 gallon jug at BJs. We didn't use all of it, but we wanted to be sure. Everything tasted great! Last night the leftovers were great as well. And now that Thanksgiving is over I can listen to all the Christmas music I want. It has begun! Christmas cards are done, my winter cold is here (it was inevitable), and we are making lists of presents. We have yet to get a tree, but Black Friday weekend rushes are not my kind of fun, so we'll wait.

This year we're fryin'!

Yesterday as I was making preparations for Thanksgiving (so far two pies are made and everything is ready to go tomorrow), I thought about every year where I set the oven timer for 4 or 5 hours and checking it every 30 minutes to baste the big bird. I know it's traditional and festive but I always like to try something new, so I went and bought TURKEY FRYER! I found a great deal, as they can be very expensive and can't wait to try it. I had to buy a lot of peanut oil and am anticipating making a last minute run to the store for more. Let's hope not. I tried so hard to do my shopping in advance since the store was insane, but I was surprisingly patient. I think we can all get a little crabby in long lines. Anyway, the greatest thing about frying that I know without actually doing it yet, or eating it (which I am really looking forward to) is it is only a fraction of the time it takes to roast. I'm really hoping this works because I can't ruin a 19 lb. turkey which is what I'm told I have to work with. I'll write about how it turns out.

Bloggers Block!

I know it haven't posted for a while. And when you're a semi-internet surfer like me and have a few regular places to check when you have a few minutes, it gets boring when nothing changes. I think all the avid bloggers out there know what I mean. The truth is, I've have Bloggers Block. I feel like every time I want to add something it seems too irrelevant to mention or too personal for literally anyone to stumble across. Or I can't think of anything at all. I have recently seen "Stranger than Fiction" and really liked it but could only imagine how much more I would've related to it if I really understood writers block. I'm sure it's insanity. Not that this blog is as important as finding our how Harold Crick is going to die, but it really can drive someone crazy not knowing what to write on a little white space where you're not getting any money, grade, and barely have anybody waiting on what you write except yourself. I use this a way to be "productive" so with this blog I'll consider my day well spent. I also worked, did some advance baking for Thanksgiving and took a great nap, but for some reason this blog was yelling at me. If someone was writing a story about my life there wouldn't be much to write about at this point. But that's probably what Harold Crick thought too. He should've blogged. his life would've been much more interesting. At least every few days when we decided to add a new post.

Zzzzzzzzzzz...

Oh, how I wish I could just sleep in! It is Saturday morning and I have woken up at 6:00. I actually woke up at about 3,4, and 5, but I convinced myself to at least sleep to a reasonable hour. Since I can remember, I have found myself awake before anyone else no matter where I am sleeping. I used to pray to be able to sleep in. Most people who know me know that I'm definitely a morning person. What most people like to do at night, watch movies, go to parties, read books, etc., I'd much rather do in the morning. If I try at night, I fall asleep and get really grumpy when I have to wake up to people talking or loud movies. (All the friends I had sleepovers with will agree. I really am sorry for the things I said, but I honestly couldn't help it.) I will gladly go to bed at 10:30 (usually not by choice) and wake up at 6:30. But the hitch is, it doesn't matter when I go to bed, I wake up at the same time anyway. If I get a second wind and stay up until the late hours of the night, it doesn't matter. It used to drive me crazy knowing I could sleep in but just ...well...couldn't. KC likes to story about Christmas last year. Not only am I an early bird, but when I'm in a time zone that makes it even 2 hours earlier, I know it's going to be a long morning. So I woke up rather early Christmas morning. I would blame it on the day since as a kid we all had trouble sleeping in, but I think I'm past that by now. I was sleeping at KC's house. I knew I would wake up early, and I wondered what I would do in another person's house when they all sleep in. I naturally woke up at 6:30. I decided to go to the living room where KC was sleeping and see if I could just hang out there until someone woke up. At least I wouldn't be alone. Of course he woke up and we talked a little. He's very kind about my morning alertness. He asked what time it was and I told him what my clock said, when he looked at the clock next to him that clearly said 5:20 am. We had only been in Utah a couple days, so this felt like 3:20am. My clock was wrong, but now I was awake and there was no turning back. Poor KC isn't like me, he likes his sleep. But he knew I was awake and stayed with me. Others didn't wake up until about 8:30 or something. We actually got engaged that day and you can tell in a couple pictures he looks pretty tired. He hid it well for the most part. We laugh about it, but I still don't know how I don't need the sleep that everyone else is so desperate to have. Maybe it's a blessing in disguise. I have tried to use the time wisely over the years getting things done in the morning rather than later in the day, but just because I'm awake doesn't mean I want to get started with the day. Maybe later I'll have a child that will demand my morning alertness, and of course on those days I'll magically be able to sleep in. To tell you the truth, I'm starting to appreciate my alone time in the morning while I still have it. I get to blog, watch the morning TV I'm very familiar with, and sometimes even make a special breakfast, my favorite meal to make and eat. That's always been one of my preferred morning pastimes. I'll find my early bird purpose sometime in this life. Until then, if anyone wants to hang out around 6:30 ET, give me a call. We'll do breakfast.

Me...decorating?

Well, as we're going to stay in this apartment another year, I have decided to do what I can to make this place less drab. I've gotten new clocks, more frames for the walls, a bookcase for the living room, some pictures enlarged for the walls, a little art, and even Christmas decorations. It sounds silly that I'm getting all excited about all of this, but in a place this small, any change is a big one. Anybody that will come over won't even notice it, but that's not what it's for. It's for me. I never did anything before because I thought we didn't have room, but I've found ways. It's been really fun for me, and anyone who really knows me, knows this is a big deal for me too. I am a minimalist first of all, so buying things to just look at, seemed silly to me. The I started to notice how others homes were, and felt the warmth and creativity that was there. Guess which of these two clocks I bought. Okay, I'll tell you, I bought one similar to the one on the right. It's not the exact one but close enough. I think KC might wanted the Homer clock, but I didn't even consider it. He pretty good at helping me with my developing decorating skills, so I think he would agree that there isn't a place for Homer in our tiny apartment. I just thought it was funny. I also bought some DVDs to add to our non-collection (because we hardly have any). It's fun to make a house a home, especially when you are new to having your own space. Well, it's fun now, but I might have to hire somebody when I have a whole house because this is about all I can handle right now.

The Holiday Season is Here!

I guess I had a happy Halloween. Can you if you didn't really do any traditional Halloween activites. With our back door entrance we didn't get any trick-or-treaters, we didn't have any costumes, and didn't go to any parties. We did, however, get the makings for caramel apples and watched "The Changeling" thanks to my brother and his wife. It actually set the Halloween mood when I thought it would just come and go. I used to love Halloween. It was almost my favorite holiday. I loved seeing what shows would come on at night during the season like: "It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown", or "The Worst Witch" ("Anything can happen on Halloween, a dog could turn into a cat." We used to sing that all the time.) I even liked watching a little "Casper the Friendly Ghost" during the season . But my favorite thing about it is the upcoming Holiday season. Thanksgiving is an out-of-work chef's favorite holiday in my opinion. It's an excuse to really put those culinary skills to use. And I'm all about traditions, but there are so many dishes at Thanksgiving dinner, no one will care if you add another new one here and there. I'm already making a list of new things I want to try this year. It's always hard to decide. I'll just save the recipes I don't use for Christmas.