Pass the 401(k)

I am trying to figure out where to start. You see I met someone. Really, I did. He is tall, dark and handsome and he is kind, smart and funny. When I am around him my heart does wacky things. We like spending time with each other and we can talk for hours. I think he is great and I also know that he thinks that I am great. But I think I should explain the whole story...

We met and I flirted and flirted and flirted, we went out and had a fabulous time. I then flirted and flirted and we went out again and a more fabulous time. I then "ran" into him and you guessed it, I flirted, we had lunch together, we had a great time and then, well then, we broke-up. I guess you can't really call it breaking up because we weren't really dating but we did decide not to see each other (it's complicated). I have to admit I am a bit sad but I have to say this dating thing does a lot for your self-esteem. Oh, and apparently I can still flirt. Talk about a win win experience.

However, with all of this self esteem I still had one issue. The issue is that I am not a breakfast beverage. Let me explain.

My date, my wonderful fabulous date told me that when he looks at relationships, friendships, new projects, etc. he asks himself the question, "Is the juice worth the squeeze?". The first time he said it to me, I said, "What???" and he said, "You know, is it really worth all the work to drink freshly squeezed orange juice?" I have to admit that I was a bit taken back. I come from an industrial people, I was born in the beehive state, isn't all work worth it? When we "broke-up", I keep thinking about the phrase and asking myself (in a pathetic, whiny voice), "Why am I not worth the squeeze?" Truth be told, I harped on this concept of freshly squeezed orange juice for quite a while. I even thought (in a desperate moment) about sending him a carton of juice with a note that said, "Definitely worth the squeeze". However, after thinking about our complicate issues and thinking about myself as with and without pulp, I realized something fantastic.

I am not, nor will I ever be orange juice. I am not something that on a whim you can decide that you want. I am not a quick fix to thirst or an after-thought at breakfast. No, I am not an empty calorie breakfast beverage. I am a 401(k). I am an investment. I am something that is long-term, steady and even though I may have my ups and downs, I am loyal and I will pay off big time in the end.

So, am I worth the squeeze? Maybe not, but I am definitely worth the investment.

Great Name

This post was written a long time ago and I am just posting it....sorry. Where has this year gone?

When I was a teenager, I sort-of had a small crush on Steve Young. Ok, I REALLY had a large crush on Steve Young and by the way, what normal, Mormon girl did not have a crush on him. Now, I wasn't naive enough to think that Steve and I would ever meet, date and get married but I did think he was quite cute. One day, I walked into a chapel in Potomac, Maryland for church when I saw him. Steve Young was in my church, in my chapel and I didn't know what to do. I was unavailable at the time and he was still single and cute and famous. I watched as a crowd formed around the football star. There were lots of smiles, lots of back slapping and lots of ooohs and ahhs. I was asked if I wanted to meet him and I quickly said, "No." I didn't want to ooh and ahh and I didn't want to try and figure out what to say so I sat down and just tried to focus on something, anything else. So, just before the meeting started who would sit right in front of me? You guessed it. I could have reached out and given him a back-slap of my own. I don't remember what the meeting was about but I do remember feel really uncomfortable being so close to someone so famous. After the meeting everyone came to Steve's row, just in front of me, to back-slap some more. So, what did I do, I snuck out the back of the chapel to avoid all of the awkwardness. The halls where very empty and as I turn a corner to head to my class room, I ran into another person trying to sneak off. Yep, I ran right smack into Mr. Young himself. Now, I was really panicked and I wondered what I should say. He smiled, looked at me and said, "Hi". I looked up for the briefest of seconds, my face red with embarrassment and awkwardness and said, "Hi" back. Then I put my head down and kept on walking. My moment with a BYU legend, a NFL superstar, the most eligible Mormon bachelor and what do I do, I looked at the ground and walked away.

I don't regret my reaction. I just accepted the fact that I would rather avoid the awkwardness of meeting someone famous. So, it is a very strange thing that I would plan a night to go to a cookbook signing and meet the host of the cooking show America's Test Kitchen, Christopher Kimball. I know that many people don't even know who he is but to me, it was a big deal. I like his show and I love his cookbooks. I begged my friend Jane to come with me so we drove to Chevy Chase, listened to him talk about his show for 20 or so minutes, then we lined up to have him sign our cookbooks. I have brought 3 with me to get signed for gifts and I was nervous and excited. When they finally got to me, I shyly (I know, not like me) put my books in front of him and he asked my name. When I said, Chris, he seem genuinely pleased that we shared the same name. He made a few passing comments and I thanked him (stumbling my way through it) for helping me become a better cook. We smiled for a few pictures and then we were done.
This is what he wrote in my cookbook, "Chris, Great to meet you- Great Name. Christopher Kimball.

Success. Talked to a famous person, did not make too big of a fool of myself, got awesome gifts, now I am thinking, "Bring it on Steve Young."