Who wants to go to Minneapolis?

In honor of Jennifer & Jill, here is an AP article about an upcoming show. I am serious about going. I hear that Minneapolis is awesome in the summer and it would be fun. We could even dress up!

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Melissa Gilbert is returning to Little House on the Prairie— but this time playing the mother of her character from the popular television series.

Gilbert, 44, will play "Ma" Ingalls in a musical version of the Little House books that will open at the Guthrie Theater this summer. The actress portrayed Laura, the signature character in the '70s TV series that starred Michael Landon.

Kara Lindsay will play Laura in the musical. The role of "Pa" Ingalls will be played by Steve Blanchard, who starred for eight years on Broadway as the Beast in Disney's Beauty and the Beast.

The musical is based on Laura Ingalls Wilder's stories about her homesteading family.
Previews start July 26, with opening night set for Aug. 15. Performances run through Oct. 5. Single tickets go on sale June 27.

Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed

A Light Bulb and a Potato

Sunday night I came home to a very dark house. Usually when I know that I am going to be coming home after dark, I leave a few lights on at home. However, I didn't really think about it and I came home to pitch black. I walked in, turned on some lights and headed upstairs to my bedroom. I settle in and started working (blog stalking) on my computer when one of the light bulbs in my ceiling fan started to flicker. I wasn't worried because I still had another light and I just planned to go downstairs in the morning and get a new bulb. All of a sudden, I heard a strange popping noise and the flickering light bulb fell onto my bed (only the glass part fell, the metal part that screws into the light fixture was still in the light fixture). The bulb was still orange and sparks were coming out. I sat there a bit stunned and quickly grabbed a towel and put the hot light bulb in the trash. I was just thinking that if I had left on my bedroom light, the bulb could have fallen on my bed while I was out and who knows what the sparks would have done. So, today I am grateful that I came home to a dark house. Oh, and I used the potato to get the metal part out of the fixture! So McGyver!

Saturdays in Germantown

Every 2000 miles I head to Germantown, Maryland to get my oil changed. I usually try and go on a Saturday and run some errands and have a little fun on the way. My first stop is one of my favorite places in Germantown,
the Lancaster County Dutch Market.

They have fresh cheese, milk, vegetables, fruit, meat, flowers, and. . .

great old fashion candy,

sprinkles in almost every color,

and the most incredible pretzels!

When my friend Liz was serving her mission in the area, we use to meet each other at the market on her p-days. The market is only open on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays until 3pm. Their pretzels are delicious and once in a while I splurge (calorie-wise, not money-wise) and get the hot dog and cheese pretzel.

They are delicious and to quote one of my previous houseguests,
"These pretzels are decadent!"
I am not sure if they are decadent but they are sure yummy. If you are going to go, just remember that by Saturday afternoon the market has sold out of a lot of things.

Potterboy 2

Laura Seitz, Deseret News

For those of you that watched the You Tube video Potterboy (see below),

here is a link to an article about Ben in the Deseret News.

http://deseretnews.com/article/1%2C5143%2C700229258%2C00.html

Go Ben & Lynnette! The article is great and I love the pictures.

Ward Cookbooks

I collect very few things. I do not have a stamp collection, a Marie Osmond Doll collection on my shelf, or a room decorated in everything watermelon. (Even though those are fine things to collect) One thing I love to collect is Ward Cookbooks. I love cookbooks in general and I could spend hours reading the recipes and looking at the photos of the finished dishes. I have lots of cookbooks but I always come back to my Ward Cookbooks. What I love about the Ward Cookbooks is I love the regional quality and individuality of each book but I also love the similar recipes that you find.

Each of my Ward Cookbooks has a recipe for a dish that is basically potatoes, sour cream, condensed cream of something soup and a cornflake crumb topping. Depending on which cookbook you read, the basic recipe may add cheese, green onions (my favorites), or yellow onions or even ham. In my house growing-up we called this dish Company Potatoes because my mother did not like the more common name for the dish; Funeral Potatoes. This dish is culturally Mormon due to the fact that it is an easy dish to make ahead of time, it is a comfort food, it feeds a crowd, and is quite frequently served at the luncheons the Ward provides for families following funerals, a.k.a. the name Funeral Potatoes.

Here is my favorite recipe for Funeral Potatoes:

Funeral Potatoes/ Company Potatoes

12 large potatoes cooked and cubed or 1 large (24 oz.) bag of hash browns
2 cans cream of chicken soup
2 c. sour cream
2/3 c. green onions, thinly sliced
1 c. grated Cheddar cheese
2 c. crushed corn flakes
½ c. melted butter

Mix together chicken soup, sour cream, green onions, and cheese. Add mixture to potatoes. Salt and pepper to taste. Top with crushed corn flakes mixed with butter. Pour into 9 x 13 buttered pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 35-45 minutes.

*My variation: I dislike condensed cream of whatever soup (lots of sodium and MSG). So I use an organic cream of chicken soup. The soup is not condensed so you have to play around with the sour cream/ cream of chicken soup ratio so it is not too running.

The other reason I love Ward Cookbooks is that I love to think of the stories behind the recipes. Did the best cook in the ward share her favorite recipe? Has this recipe been in the family for years? Is this a dish that is requested at every Relief Society dinner?

Here are some of my favorite recipes from different Ward Cookbooks:

Issaquah 2nd Ward (My brother and his wife lived in this ward)

Chicken and Rice
By Dee Ann Paxton

2 Tbsp. butter
1 medium onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 c. rice
1 c. chicken, cooked, cubed
2 c. chicken broth
½ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. pepper
1 c. pea (frozen)
¾ c. cheese, grated

Melt butter in a 9-inch skillet that can be put in oven. Add onion, garlic, and celery. Cook, uncovered, 3 minutes. Add rice and chicken. Cook 2 minutes. Add chicken broth, salt, pepper, and rosemary. Bring to boil. Cover and set in oven. Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes. Add peas and cheese on top. Cook 5 more minutes.

*My variations: I never have celery on hand so usually just do the basic onion, garlic, butter, rice, chicken broth, poultry seasoning and then I add peas (about 5 minutes before the end) and then at I add breadcrumbs and cheese and broil it for the last few minutes.

Kentlands Ward Cookbook (This is my current ward)

My Famous Gooey Pan Cookies
By Michele Gibbons

1 c. butter
1 c. light brown sugar
1 c. white sugar
2 extra large eggs
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. vanilla
2 ¼ c. flour
1 c. chocolate chips

Mix sugars and butter for 10 minutes. Add eggs and beat for 5 more minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients. Place in a greased 9 x 13 glass pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes turn off oven and open door. Let cookies set. They will be gooey. Serve with ice cream and hot fudge sauce or just eat as is.

Recipe Note: Can be made with peanut butter chips, mint chips, or add ¼ c. cocoa powder and then add white chocolate chips-yum!

*It looks like a German Pancake coming out of the oven and it is very gooey on the inside. I usually serve it on special occasions because they are rich. They are also really good out of the refrigerator the next day.

If you are selling Ward Cookbooks, let me know because I am always looking to add to my collection.

Hungry yet? If you don’t have any Ward Cookbooks, never fear because some good Relief Society sister has created a new website. The website is www.wardrecipes.com. Now the unique regional recipes are right at your fingertips! You can submit your own recipes or try the others already posted. ENJOY!

Potterboy

My friend Lynnette's husband Ben is a potter in Utah. His You Tube video is awesome. I love pottery and Ben's work is amazing. Click on the link and see Ben at work!

**DISCLAIMER** This is a looong entry. I wanted to record my trip to Denver but honestly this entry is for me so don’t feel like you need to read it.

Years ago, I needed to find a place to move to and it had to fit certain criteria. I looked and looked at many different places and finally decided on Denver, Colorado. I found a job, a house, and I was ready to move. The craziest part of this story is that I had never set foot in Colorado but I was willing to leave my current life and move across the country. Well, circumstances did not allow for the move but I have still always wanted to see, if not move to Colorado. Here are some impressive stats about Colorado which makes me all the more a big fan.

300 Days of Sunshine Annually

4 National Parks

5 National Monuments

1 World Heritage Site

26 Ski Areas

7 Historic Trains

25 Scenic and Historic Byways

54 “fourteeners” (mountains higher than 14,000 feet)

When my brother John moved to Denver last year to start his residency in internal medicine I was very excited. I was even more excited when I flew to Denver last Tuesday to finally set foot in the state that I had chosen to live in so many years ago. My trip could not have come at a more perfect time. I just finished my year of teaching early morning seminary and I needed a few days of perspective and peace. It was an amazing, serene, beautiful trip. John is one of my best friends and I feel so grounded and calm in his presence. He helps me think more realistically about my life while still making me feel that I can accomplish anything. His faith in me helps me have faith in myself.

To start our trip, it was John’s idea that I buy a gym pass for the week and I thought it was a great idea. When we went to buy me the week gym pass, the guy at the front desk told me that it would be $15 a day. This seemed very expensive and I told John that I would just go outside and walk (it’s free). So, John asked to speak to the guy’s manager in the nicest way I have ever seen someone do it. John complemented the guy on how well he did his job and told him that he knew he was only doing what he could but maybe the manager could do a little more. The guy was not upset or offended in any way and was very helpful. When the manager came, she told us that if we spent $15 in the pro shop then she would give me a week’s pass. So, I bought a new iPod cover because I lost mine and received a week’s pass. I thought it was a great deal. Thanks 24-Hr Fitness!

Here was our daily schedule for the trip. Everyday we would get up, go to the gym, come home, eat breakfast, get ready to go out, go on an adventure, come home, relax, go to sleep, and start all over again. It was so relaxing.

On Wednesday, we drove around Denver, saw some of the sights and ate good sushi (yummy caterpillar rolls). REI’s flagship store is in Denver and behind the store is Confluence Park.

This park is where the Cherry Creek and the Platte River meet. It is a beautiful park and every where I looked there were people biking, kayaking, running, etc. Denver is a very active city and I could spend a lot of time hanging out at the park or the REI. When we got home we walk through another park named Cheesman Park to the store and bought the ingredients for John to make Spaghetti alla Carbonara (John and his roommate found this recipe in GQ magazine, see below). For two extremely busy residents, I am totally impressed at the kind of good food that these two guys make.

Spaghetti alla Carbonara
Adapted from the December 2007 issue of GQ magazine

The amounts below make two servings, as long as there's a salad or some kind of side to fill out the meal. Amounts may be doubled.

• 1-2 tablespoons olive oil
• 6-8 ounces pancetta or thick-cut or slab bacon
• 1/2 box spaghetti
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2- 3/4 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano and/or Pecorino Romano cheese
• Salt and black pepper to taste
• Garnish fave: Handful chopped fresh parsley and/or zest of 1/2 lemon

1. Bring at least two quarts of water to a boil and add at least one teaspoon salt to the pot. Add spaghetti.
2. While spaghetti is cooking, chop pancetta or bacon into quarter-inch matchsticks and heat olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add meat and fry until crisp. Turn down heat to low until you're ready to assemble the dish.
3. Break eggs into a mixing bowl. Add a small handful of grated cheese and a pinch of pepper. Beat mixture together, only enough to combine.
4. When spaghetti is al dente (about 10-12 minutes), drain it and add to egg mixture in bowl. Reserve some of the pasta water just in case. Add another small handful of cheese and using two forks or a pair or tongs, toss the mixture until spaghetti is well coated.
5. Drain at least half the fat from the pancetta or bacon, and sprinkle the crisped bits into the pasta, plus remaining fat. Sprinkle with more cheese and black pepper. Do not stir immediately; allow contents of bowl to sit for about 30 seconds, then toss to combine. If mixture seems to dry, gradually add a few ounces of pasta water to make it creamier.
6. Taste for salt, pepper and cheese, and season accordingly. Add garnish, if using. Serve immediately.

After dinner we went and saw the movie, Iron Man. Because it was Wednesday night, the theatre was practically empty and the movie was awesome.

On Thursday after our morning routine, Matt (John's roommate), John, and I headed downtown or LoDo as the locals call it to the Tattered Cover Bookstore. The Tattered Cover is an Independent Bookstore with so much charm. The owners found old buildings around Denver (a warehouse, a movie theatre) and turned them into cozy, on-of-a-kind bookstores. I spent an hour reading a Colorado cookbook on a couch while I smelled the heavenly aroma of freshly baked goods (they have a café in the bookstore). I could spend part of everyday at the Tattered Cover. If you are ever in Denver, go see the bookstores because they are amazing.

Reading cookbooks and smelling baked goods made me ready for lunch so after a quick walk around LoDo we went to a Vietnamese restaurant and we ordered Pho Bo Soup. This soup is a clear broth served with white rice noodles and thin cuts of beef. The beef is raw when it is put in your bowl and the heat of the broth cooks the meat. The soup comes with a plate of sprouts, Thai basil, lime wages, and chilies. You can garnish your soup any way you want. I tried the lime, the basil, and some fish sauce. It was surprisingly good.

If Pho Bo Soup wasn’t enough, we stopped for gourmet cupcakes. They had mini cupcakes so we each had 1 ½ and headed to our next stop-the Denver Art Museum. The museum looks like a metal winged machine which makes sense because Daniel Libeskind, the architect said, “The shape came to me as I flew over the Rockies. I copied the shapes outside my airplane window."

The museum was extremely modern and I found two new artists to love. The first was a man named E. Martin Hennings. He was from New Mexico and did many Western landscapes. I love Western landscape paintings and his work was incredible. When I got back to D.C., I called on a painting of his I saw on the internet (below). I nicely told the owner of the gallery (Richard) that $35,000 was a bit out of my price range. Richard then informed me that for art like this, “Sometimes you need to stretch until it hurts.” I thanked him for the advice and laughed at the idea of taking out a loan to stretch for a piece of art-but it is incredible. Too bad George Bush doesn’t want me to buy that!

The next artist that I fell in love with was a printmaker, Melissa Harshman. Her work is very different from Hennings' landscapes but I love the bold colors and patterns. Her work retails for about $1800.00 which is much more reasonable but still not in this month’s budget.

The best part of the museum was an exhibition, Inspiring Impressionism. I love Impressionism Art but what I loved about this exhibit is how the exhibit was designed. Most of the Impressionists studied and copied the works of the Old Masters at the Louvre. So, as you walk through the exhibit, they would show you the original Old Masters work next to the copy of that work painted by the Impressionists. I loved walking around and comparing the works and noticing the differences. It was probably one of the best exhibits I have ever seen. $20 well spent!

When we got home, John and I walked to the grocery store and bought food for dinner. Then John and Matt made Lemon Chicken with homemade Mashed Potatoes. So YUMMY (see recipe below). I should give a little shout out to Matt for his incredible chocolate chip cookies. They were some of the best chocolate chip cookies I have tasted and I love chocolate chip cookies. Matt was so sweet that the night before I left he copied the chocolate chip cookie recipe and his mom’s famous sweet roll recipe for me to take home. THANKS MATT!

Gordon Ramsay’s Lemon Chicken

• 1 large chicken, jointed into 8–10 pieces (chicken breasts work)
• Sea salt and black pepper
• 3–4 tbsp olive oil
• 1 head of garlic, halved horizontally
• Few thyme sprigs
• Splash of sherry vinegar
• 2 tbsp dark soy sauce
• 3 tbsp honey
• 1 lemon, finely sliced (ideally with a mandolin)
• Bunch of flat leaf parsley, chopped

Champ

• 1kg floury potatoes (e.g. King Edward), peeled
• Sea salt and black pepper
• 30g butter
• Bunch of spring onions (about 6–8), trimmed and chopped
• 100ml double cream
• 100ml whole milk, plus extra if needed

1. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and heat the olive oil in a large sauté pan. Brown the chicken pieces (in batches if necessary) over a high heat with the garlic and thyme for 2–3 minutes on each side until golden brown. Return all the chicken to the pan, add the sherry vinegar and bubble until reduced by half. Drizzle over the soy sauce and honey and shake the pan to mix.
2. Pour in a good splash of hot water and add the lemon slices. Let the liquid bubble and reduce down until syrupy, which will take about 10 minutes or so. By now the chicken should be cooked through.
3. Cut the potatoes into similar-sized chunks and boil in salted water for about 10 minutes, until tender when pierced with a small sharp knife. Drain well.
4. Mash the potatoes while still hot, using a potato ricer if you have one, then stir through the butter and spring onions.
5. Pour the cream and milk into a saucepan and bring just to the boil. Take off the heat and gradually pour on to the potatoes, mixing well. If the mash is too thick, add a little extra milk. Season generously.
6. Transfer the chicken to a platter and sprinkle over the chopped parsley, serve with the champ and green beans.

On one side of Denver you see the plains and I think you can even see Kansas. On the other side you can see the Rocky Mountains. On Friday, John and I drove over to Boulder to get a closer view of the mountains.
Living back East I miss the mountains and it was so fun to spend some time in Boulder. We walked Pearl Street (the outdoor mall), ate lunch at a great Mexican restaurant, and drove around the foothills of Boulder. It was a beautiful day. Along Pearl Street they had tulips that looked black but they were really dark purple, so cool.

Boulder is a place that I could enjoy living in. Evening brought delicious pizza and a walk to another Tattered Cover Bookstore and a record store. John decided to help my music library and bought me the new Feist CD.

Saturday we hit the freeway and headed to Colorado Springs. The drive was beautiful and we enjoyed watch the landscape change. Our first stop in Colorado Springs was the Garden of the Gods. The park has red and white sandstone formations that are incredible and in the distance you can see Pike’s Peak (the mountain covered with snow).

John and I walked around the formations and I took a lot of pictures. Here are just a few.

On our way home we stopped at the Air Force Academy. I have always wanted to visit the academy and the visit did not disappoint. The area around the academy is like visiting your own private forest. I am so glad that we stopped.

For dinner Matt, John, and I walked to a French restaurant named Potager which means kitchen garden. The restaurant is based on seasonal, locally-grown food including fresh herbs and vegetables grown in their own garden. We all loved the appetizers more than our entrees but we would definitely go back. For our after dinner treat, we walked home and then two more blocks down the street to an ice cream parlor named Liks. My homemade peppermint ice cream was a great ending to a fabulous day.

If you made it this far in my travel log, CONGRATULATIONS! Denver was great and I can see why I wanted to live there in the first place. I had a wonderful trip and I wish I could go back next weekend.

What is your LOVE language?

Years ago (and I mean years ago), I was at a seminar where a woman gave a presentation on relationships and she referenced this “amazing” book called the 5 Love Languages by Gary Chapman. The premise behind the book is that we all speak different love languages. Once you discover what your or someone else’s primary love language is, you can make a choice to start expressing love to that person in their own love language. Gary Chapman is a marriage counselor and wrote this book with married couples in mind. However, this concept can be used in various degrees with other people in our lives.

The five love languages are: (in no particular order)

1. Word of Affirmation
2. Quality Time
3. Receiving Gifts
4. Acts of Service
5. Physical Touch

The concept is simple, the practice can be difficult. For example, if I had realized when I was a teenager that my mom’s love language was Acts of Service, I would have understood that if I cleaned my room everyday or volunteered to help around the house, she would feel loved. Now when I think of things to do for my mom, I try to focus on things that she would perceive as acts of service.

Go take the 30-second love language test at http://www.fivelovelanguages.com.


WHAT IS YOUR LOVE LANGUAGE?

My Basement Flooded..AGAIN!

I usually am very happy with my single girl life but I have to say that there are a few things that would be easier with a man around the house. Every Spring, the rain comes and my basement floods. It is annoying and a bit stressful. For some reason I only discover the flooding late at night or on my way to work. I have a shop vac so I start to suck up the water but I can only do so much at a time because I have to lift the shop vac full of water to dump in the sink (and it is HEAVY). I usually get very wet and wishing that one of my friends or their husbands will knock on my door and say, "It is raining which means your basement must be flooding, can I help clean up the mess?" and then the water will quickly disappear.

I may not have friends that have a sixth sense for basement flooding but I do have wonderful friends that when I call, they will come and help me clean up the mess.

Moral to the story...a husband would clean up the flooded basement but so will your friend's husbands:)

George Bush wants me to buy THAT!!

Confession, I am genetically frugal and sometimes not in a good way. I find it easier to go to Target and buy three $20 shirts than go to Macy's and buy one $60 shirt. Don't ask me why- it is probably the allure of a deal. However with the excitement of my tax stimulus check coming ($600 for us single folk), I have started a new buying strategy. So, when a new purchase idea comes to my head, my thought process looks something like this…

New Bike?

I think George Bush wants me to buy that.

New Blackberry?

I think George Bush wants me to buy that.


Some home repairs?
No, George thinks that those things can wait.

Ticket to visit my family?

George thinks I should spend my own money on that.

A new watch?

I think George Bush wants me to buy that.

A new outfit and some new black heels?

George thinks that the outfit would be use for work
so that should come out of my work paycheck.

A new monitor and keyboard?

I think George Bush wants me to buy that.

I have spent my stimulus check umpteen times and now I am just waiting patiently for my check to arrive so I can buy my pre-approved merchandise. Thank you President Bush!

So, what does President George Bush want you to buy?

The GW Cancer Institute Gala

On Saturday, May 3rd, I had the opportunity to go to the George Washington Cancer Institute Fifth Annual Gala at the National Building Museum. The National Building Museum (you can take a tour- http://www.nbm.org) is incredible and the Gala was absolutely beautiful.



The Gala honored a few individuals who have helped the fight against cancer.
Sean Swarner received the Spirit of Life Award and here is what they wrote about him.



“Sean Swarner isn’t just a cancer survivor; he is truly a medical marvel. The only person in the world ever to have been diagnosed with both Hodgkin’s disease and Askin’s sarcoma, and not expected to live into his teens, Swarner defied all odds. A decade after completing treatment, and with only partial use of his lungs, he became famous for being the first cancer survivor to summit Mount Everest.”

Sean gave a moving speech and at the end he had everyone who had been personally touched by cancer to stand up and accept the award with him. I stood for my mom and for all the other people I know whose lives have been changed by cancer. As I looked around the room, I got a bit choked up looking at all the people who were standing with me.

One of the other recipients was South African apartheid activist Archbishop Desmond Tutu. He received the award because he has promoted early detection cancer screenings in many African countries with great success. He is currently fighting prostate cancer for the second time. He was very funny and so happy. When he spoke, you could hear a pin drop. It was a fantastic night.

Tagged...I am it!

1. Sad song. Dreaming with a Broken Heart by John Mayer. Patience by Take That.
2. Last purchase. Today: $24 Dinner with a friend.
3. Last argument. With myself, “Yes, you have to get up for seminary. BUT I DON’T WANT TO!!”
4. Stuffed animal name. An elephant named Ellie and a St. Bernard named Ralph.
5. Michael Jackson CD. No. I got in an argument in 4th grade with a kid that said, “The name is Billy Jean.” And I said, “NO! It is Billy Joel” I do own a Jackson 5 CD now.
6. Favorite day of the week. Fridays when I am leaving work.
7. Piano lessons. Oh yes. My mom (that didn’t work), Sister Kilpack, Sister Calder, some lady who taught at the University of Utah, my grandma-Oh yes and I still can’t play.
8. Frequent song played? I always fall back to the Wicked soundtrack.
9. Secret TV shows. I did start watching Dancing with the Stars this season. I was addicted to Days of Our Lives when I was in 5th and 6th grade.
10. Favorite scents: Campfires, pumpkin, lilac, Utah rain, ginger, and cinnamon
11. Date someone younger or older. I usually always dated older but my last date was with someone 4 years younger and that was fun!
12. One place you could travel right now? Italy or Spain.
13. Favorite time of day? About 7:10 a.m. when the kids have left the church building and I am done with seminary.
14. Do you know National Anthem? Of course.
15. Wearing now? Jeans & a sweater. I just got back from seeing a movie and dinner with a friend.
16. Jobs? Many, many jobs. Highlights: Sample lady at the grocery store, dishwasher and frog washer for a biochemistry lab at the University of Utah, Gap sales girl (I can fold!)
17. Did you go to High School Prom? Yes. I went all three years.
18. Perfect time to wake up? 8:30 ish
19. Perfect bed time? 11:00-12:00.
20. Favorite soda. I like homemade root beer but occasionally I have a diet coke with lemonade.
21. Car accident? A head-on collision when I was 17 years old and I was rear-ended 5 times in 2005. I was stopped all 5 times when the other cars hit me. 2005 was not my year.
22. Closer to mom or dad? My mom. We can talk for hours.
23. Who would you want on a deserted island? MacGyver and my future husband. It would save time dating.
24. Bungee jumping? No and no.
25. Favorite ice cream? Mint Chocolate Chip or Peppermint Spray from Snelgroves. I also like Phish Food by Ben & Jerry.
26. Any high school clothes in closet. A girl’s sweatshirt that was left in my brother’s car by a girl that he didn’t know but drove her home from a dance. It is from Banana Republic and I love it.
27. Did you play high school sports? I played volleyball. Yes, short girls can play, we just can’t jump.
28. School talent show? No. My best friend has an incredible voice and I am not much of a performer.
29. Allergies? There is not enough room for this category. Everyone’s favorite- I am allergic to bagged lettuce.
30. Fun place you lived. Jerusalem.
31. Do you shampoo first in the shower of soap? Shampoo first.
32. Wet the toothbrush or brush dry with toothbrush? Very wet.
33. Blue or black ink? BLACK usually but in my job I use blue and red a lot.
34. Have you ever gambled at a casino? No but I did just win the NCAA Tournament Pool at work, $50!
35. Puked on a plane. Never.
36. Puked in a car. My dad stopped before I actually puked IN the car. I was young and we were on a family vacation in Yellowstone.
37. Favorite cartoon as a kid? Smurfs, Scooby-Doo and Jetsons.
38. Favorite childhood TV show? CHiPs Patrol. I loved Ponch and Jon. I can also sing the theme song.
39. Who was you first roommate? At college, my friend Liz. I have 3 sisters and I shared a room with all of them at one point or another.
41. First alcoholic beverage? Never had one.
42. What was your first car? I had to drive a blue Pacer when I was in high school and it was before Wayne’s World made it cool. It was my sister’s car and it was sooo embarrassing.
43. Last movie I saw? Son of Rambow. (Totally cute movie)
44. Age you moved from hometown. 18. BYU bound.
45. First Grade teacher? Ms. Montague.
46. First airplane ride. To Oakland, California with my grandparents. I was twelve and I paid for my own plane ticket.
47. Who were you with the first time you snuck out? I never snuck out; I just slept over at my friend Liz’s house. Her parents were much more relaxed than mine.
48. First best friend. Amy Biesinger- my cousin.
49. Who is the first person you call when you have a bad day. It depends on what time it is, it is a time zone thing.
50. First wedding that I was a bridesmaid? My sister Michelle’s wedding. It was the 80’s and I was twelve years old. I had an aqua blue dress and big permed hair. Not so cute.
51. First thing I do in the morning. I hit the snooze button about 20 times. It would be annoying to anyone who lived with me.
52. Concerts? Sting, James Taylor, Dave Matthews, U2, Chicago, Duran Duran (with Susan Brown).
53. First tattoo or piercing. I got my ears pierced when I was 20 years old with my friend Randall.
54. First celebrity crush. The guy that played Mike on Days of our Lives. I cried when Robin (the love of his life) married someone else. (I was in sixth grade)

March Madness

I love March Madness. Ever since I was in college, I would fill out a bracket and play along. This year was the first year that I actually participated in pool and I am thinking that it was a good year to play. When I filled out the bracket I was told that I needed to choose the final score of the game as a tiebreaker. I never thought I would need it but in the final game it was down to just a handful of us. If Memphis won than my friend’s husband Mike was the winner and then there would be a tiebreaker for 2nd and 3rd place. If Kansas won, there would be a tiebreaker between my co-worker John and me. John guessed that the final score of the game would be 128 points and I guessed the final score would be 145 points.

Kansas beat Memphis!

The final score of the game was Kansas 75, Memphis 68 for a grand total of 143 points! I was quite pleased with myself and with the fact that out of the pool there were only 2 women playing. I won and Carol got last place. Even though the guys told me that my brother probably picked my teams (which he did not) or I just got lucky (which I did), I don’t care because my team won and that is all that matters.

I WON! THANK YOU JAYHAWKS!

You can take the girl out of Utah but. . .

I have been getting some gentle promptings (and not from the Spirit) that I should start a blog. Well, I finally gave in and here we are. One of the reasons that it took me so long to start a blog (besides my crazy, busy life) is that I could not think of a name for my blog. Well, as luck would have it, I was at lunch with some co-workers when the name came to me.

We were at one of my many favorite restaurants in D.C. called DC Coast and I was asking the waiter a few questions about the menu. Apparently, I have a reputation of asking a lot of questions about the menu (I have weird food allergies, really!). Everyone was hungry and they did not want to wait for the waiter to answer my questions. When the waiter left, I started to try and explain why I had to ask my question (which was a very good question) when one of my co-workers said, “Well, you can take the girl out of Utah but you can’t take the Utah out of the girl.” The whole table starting laughed and I was a bit taken back. Was I supposed to take his comment as a jab or a put down? Was my co-worker saying that I was less sophisticated or a little bit country? For the next few days I thought about this statement and came to the realization that in July I will have lived outside of Utah for 11 years and in those 11 years the East Coast has provide some wonderful and some not-so-wonderful learning experiences. For almost my entire adult life, I have lived on the East Coast but still to some I have not lost the “small town” part of me. (For the record, Salt Lake City is not that “small town”, Springville is “small town” (sorry Millers).)

So, I have decided that what my co-worker said is actually a compliment. I am proud to be from Utah and I am proud that maybe I haven’t lost that “small town” part of me completely. I am proud that my friends that have visited Utah always comment on how happy and friendly people are and how the landscape is so beautiful. So, I guess you can take the girl out of Utah but I hope that no matter where I live, I never take the Utah out of me!