So Good

I was recently reintroduced to the movie Rigoletto. It's one of those movies that I watched when I was little and since then had totally forgot about it. I don't even know what made me remember it but I'm glad I did cause it is such a good movie. The music is fantastic and I have had it in my head for a week now. This is my favorite song so I thought I would share.

Home Again

I'm kind of disappointed in myself that here I have finally had some adventure in my life and I feel I have nothing to write. I guess nothing would be an exaggeration. I guess my problem is that I'm having a hard time finding the right words to describe the time that I spent in Texas. It's a fine line between being to dramatic and cheesy and not getting across how significant this trip was to me.

A little background information might you see why. I'm the kinda person that can never feel totally comfortable in new places with new people as welcome as they make me feel. I'm the kinda person that when I get tired I get ornery and annoyed pretty easily. It's like I take a few days to warm up, enjoy myself for a few more days and then am more than ready to be home. 

It is because of these personality quarks of mine that going to stay with other people for a month totally freaked me out. I just knew that I would wear out my welcome, that we would get on each other's nerves, and after a couple of weeks I would just be dying to get home.

I only mention all of this because the trip that I had was NOTHING like that! I felt at home from my first day and enjoyed every day. When time was up I was not wanting to leave. I loved Texas and hope that someday I may get to move there but what I really loved about the trip was getting to know family that I barely knew before. 

Chesney and I grew up on opposite sides of the country and aren't close in age. I had always enjoyed her company but we really never had much to do with each other. I would like to take a bold step here and say that now that we have spend a lot of time together I would consider her my new best friend.  

Being away from home leaves you completely on your own to make your decisions. Decisions based on what you want and what you want to be rather than on what you've always been and what you think people expect you to be. It's slightly frightening but extremely liberating. I find I like that person much better than the one I am at home and that's why being home is sad. 

I am not saying anything bad about home cause it really is a great place but life here is so predictable and stagnant. I could live my daily life with my eyes closed, no thinking no feeling, just doing. Life is suppose to be exciting and challenging. I'm not talking sky diving and last minute trips to Europe exciting but the excitement of new faces and places. A change of pace is never a bad thing. 

Cooking Up A Storm

Before my mission I really enjoyed cooking. It was fun and I enjoyed trying new things. My weakness is desserts, they are so fun to make. Unfortunately I did little to no cooking in Ecuador and didn't find it very fun when I got home. It was a skill I completely lost (I was reimbursed with about 12 other ones so I'm not complaining) and have slowly had to relearn.

It's taken this long because what fun is it to cook for yourself? Answer: None! Now that I'm here in Texas though I've been able to cook some and have rediscovered how much I love it. I'm having so much fun!

I'm keeping a list of the successful recipes I've made on the side but my two favorite of those are the Lemon Raspberry bars and the Apple Pie. 

I've made about every version of Lemon bar known to mankind because I love lemony things that much but this recipe is my new favorite.

Just look at them:

I've also made lots of apple pies and never found a recipe that I was in love with. That mystery has at last been solved and this will be the recipe of choice from now on! So Good!!!

Up to Something

I've been here in Texas for two weeks now and have two more to go. I worried before I came that I would be staying for too long but now I'm not so sure about that because I am loving it here.

We have been staying busy and taken time to relax and even though that sounds like an oxymoron, it makes for a perfect vacation. We go on some adventures and then take a few days to recover and watch movies, rinse and repeat :) It's sooo much nicer than cramming everything into a few days.

We started out by going to a water park called Hawaiian Falls which got me into a swimsuit for the first time in who knows how many years. I won't even try to comment on that and it's best not to try and picture that one. Let's just say I hate swimsuits and have developed this thing in my old age of really disliking getting wet. I honestly don't know where it came from but I just find getting wet kinda uncomfortable. Despite all of that I really did have a fun time, honest! I enjoyed floating down the lazy river and the wave pool cause that's how adventurous I get sometimes :) My idea of living on the edge was not sun screening my legs hoping to get some color, unfortunately I got the wrong color, Lobster Red! Needless to say, so I'll say it anyway, we were all in pain for days.

The next week we headed down to a family reunion in a small town called Vidor, which is kind of by Houston. The drive down was fun and pretty but I felt like we were in the back woods where the Family Dollar store is hip and teeth are optional. I'm not passing judgement but it was a whole new experience.

It was cool when we got to Vidor because I felt like I had taken a step back in time with all the small shops, forties era cars driving along side you, and roller skating (as in four wheels and a toe break). It was awesome.

I've seen all sorts of nifty things since I've been here like a Walmart parking lot guarded by Mountie envious ladies on horseback and the greatest rest stop of all, Bucees where I got this amazingly awesome shirt*:

I mean seriously, their advertising is priceless

Besides finding humor in odd places we've been watching a lot of Robin Hood. There are a lot of shows that I love but there was never a show as addictive as this show. I do not jest when I say addictive either and at the risk of sounding as pathetic as ever, when the show is over I'm in mourning for days!

* I had no idea that this had an obscene meaning before I bought it, I honestly thought I was just getting a funny random shirt. 

Book Clubs

     This is kinda lame but I was looking at the website for the Orem Public Library and noticed that they have kits you can check out for a book club. They have a list of suggested books that you can check out for six weeks and get as many copies as you need for your group. 

       I don't know why but it makes me really want to join a book group! Perhaps it just might help me stay focused to finish the books I am reading. 

Living Up To My Title

This post isn't any one thing specific but just some things that I have been thinking about. Perhaps a confession or two.

In my very first post I explained a little bit of why I had a blog. I've always enjoyed writing, not the serious, change the world, next great American novel kind of writing, just writing in general. I love writing letters and just writing things down. Not only does it help me make sense of things but it helps me express a voice that people don't normally get to hear from me. The problem with that theory was that it just didn't work out so well. Honestly I didn't enjoy having a blog and I didn't do so well in my computer class because I was a horrible blogger. The reason why I mention all of this is because just in the last week or so something has changed and I love having a blog.

I don't know what that something was but I was reading one of my favorite blogs, The Pioneer Woman and it made me want to have an awesome blog. I'm not a photographer, I can cook but nothing spectacular and I wouldn't want the pressure of having a famous blog but maybe, just maybe I can develop a talent :)

Do you ever have those life-changing epiphanies and moments of personal revelation that makes you feel like life might just actually make sense? Mine come with surprising frequency, like every night while I'm lying in bed waiting to fall asleep. All my great ideas come at once and I feel like I have life figured out and for what I don't quite have figured out I most certainly can conquer, no problem.

The problem is that I fall asleep and the next day if I can remember what I was thinking about I start to wonder what was I smoking?! It seems like crazy thinking but it would be really nice to wake up the next morning and have that same courage and confidence to concur the world. At least my little corner of it.

Maybe I should be writing these things down. If they really are crazy ideas and don't help then maybe I'll just get a good chuckle out of them. Not a bad idea if I say so myself but in all honesty it probably won't happen cause I'm kinda lazy like that :)

Zoo Outing and Other Ego Boosters

Last week I went to the zoo with my friend Amy and her two kids. I can't even remember the last time I went to the zoo, but it was before all the renovations so it's been a while.

My interest in going to the zoo increased significantly in mid April when the 2nd graders went for a field trip. Yes I am pathetic and was jealous that I didn't get to go as well and ever since then I have been really wanting to go. My only problem being, I am childless and it just seems like the place you wouldn't want to go if you weren't accompanying one. So both thinking the other was going as a favor to us, Amy and I headed out with the kids.

It was really fun and we got to see the bird show, the baby elephant and my favorite the giraffes. Being the super lame photographer that I am these are the only pictures that I got...

Amy and her kids.

Me, the kids and the sneezing elephant!

Speaking of Amy and the kids, yesterday while driving home from St. George I got this text and yes I did read it while I was driving! I didn't reply though so it's only half a sin and I don't feel so bad about that :)

Anyway....

Amy: I asked Sarah if she wanted to go the zoo again, here's the conversation that followed:

"I want to go to the zoo with Kaitlin. Not Grandma and Grandpa they are boring. I want to go the the zoo with Kaitlin again."

"Why do you want to go with Kaitlin?"

"Because she is just so cute mommy. Kaitlin is very cute."

A three year old thinks I'm cute and I take that as a great compliment and it made my day!!