Holy Colee!

Thursday, my mom and I were in Rexburg for Thanksgiving. My Shahna couldn't get out of school to come to the family for the holiday, so we took the family to her. It was a beautiful day. We walked down to the park and let the kids run off their turkey. The weather was cool, but not freezing. It was really really just good.
Friday morning we went and did a little psycho shopping. Wal-Mart at 5:00 AM on the day after Thanksgiving. Yeah.... well, we weren't shopping for one of the 18 laptops (that's total, not models) so, it was pretty effective really. Besides, I got some really pretty dishes for when you come over for dinner.
Friday night my nephew came home with me and we made another gingerbread house. Apparently we did it last year, and that makes it a tradition.

Saturday morning I woke up, and looked out side. Just like that, it wasn't Thanksgiving anymore, it was Christmas. Over night we got about 2 inches of snow. It continued to snow all day and night and right thru the Bear Lake Christmas Parade :) Fitting, very fitting.

I love Christmas. Beware, it will be an ongoing topic.

General vent today, WHY? why can't people plan ahead? You can not implement new procedures the day before the majority of your staff goes on a 4 day weekend.

Ok, now that that is out of the way... I love holidays. I love not being at work (even though it seems to find me). I love hangin out with my family and just, well, being home. Except, now I am not at home, afterall. We have driven to Rexburg to have Thanksgiving with Shahna, since she had to work today and Friday. My family is a little silly. I really need to work on getting them out more. Dingle is a good place, but the world is very different when you get outside of it. We tend to get a little set in our ways and forget that there are other options.

So, I mentioned this was just going to randomness, right? Do I deliver or what?!

Sundays are good days. I'm feeling a little off today, and have actually spent all but about 4 hours of it in bed. One of the hours I made it out of the house, I was able to attend a fireside where I was able to hear testimonies about Joseph Smith, Jr born in word and song. Joseph Smith is the man who saw God the Father and Jesus Christ and is the man through whom the fullness of the gospel of Jesus Christ was restored to the earth and returned Christ's church to this dispensation of time. It was an excellent reason to leave the house.

Now, the reason I was invited to this fireside is because my friend Dav is in town from Baltimore. I spent the morning yesterday at his folks' house. Have I mentioned that I love his family as much as I love him? I never feel anything but welcome and at home there. Doing nothing more than taking a nap on their couch makes a perfect day. I am pretty sure I am back at my quota of hugs (if there is such a thing), or at least have enough to get me home Tuesday. Anyway, check out his page (www.davsblog.com) over the next few weeks. His welcome video will introduce you to some of my favorite people.

Tonight we built gingerbread houses. Matt tried to tell me that you can't put chocolate on them. To prove him wrong, my doors and shutters are built out of Hershey's blocks. It was a fun night to spend with James and Heather :) Of course, we watched LOST, too.

I really think old friends are the best kind. I am not saying meeting new people isn't fun, I just really love spending time with people I can just be myself with. Last night I had dinner with two of my favorite people in the world. It was dinner and we chatted and we watched Oprah. To most this might seem an odd night, but to me it was perfect. I am very much looking forward to doing it again in the near future :)

I have 3 cardinal rules.

Rule #1 - Never buy anything at full price at Shop-Ko or Old Navy. Let's face it, everything in these stores goes on sale about every 30 days. Just keep your eye open, you'll find it for 50% off next week.

Rule #2 - I don't cook for girls. Roommates, Large dinner parties, and family provide a way around this rule.

Rule #3 - Don't ask boys out. Over for dinner, does not count.
Breaking this rule has only proven to get me in trouble.
This rule has also been the root of one of my very favorite conversations... it happened quite a while a go, but it's stuck with me, so I am going to repeat it... maybe it's too much insight into me, but isn't that what the WWW is for?

Girl: So, you managed to impress my mom the other day.
Boy: Oh?
Girl: Yeah, and I quote, "He seems like a nice enough boy. Why don't you date him?" But don't worry, I told her.
Boy: What did you tell her?
Girl: Because he doesn't ask.
Boy: Oh sure, make me look like the ass.
Girl: Well, is there another reason?

3 days later, we went out.

Ok... I believe those may be enough random things for one entry...

I have come to the conclusion that if you live in an area that has more than one radio station, you can listen to "The Wall" by Pink Floyd anytime you want. I have heard this song everyday for the last 3 weeks. I DON'T own it. I am a radio station scanner. It's not about what's on, it's about what else is on. The thing is, I don't really listen to the radio all that much - I drive to work, at lunch, and back from work. That's really about all the radio time I have. Then again, maybe SLC just has a thing for Floyd - can anyone validate my theory?

Ok, so tonight was the last night of my cooking class. I think there is a reason he does the meals in the order that he does them... this one was, mmm.... boring. It was basically rice, with some extra seasonings (cloves, anise seed, cardamon, cinnamon) and then some shrimp thrown in on top. It left me wanting a sauce to put on it. Perhaps it would be better if we made it with chicken stock and chicken instead of the shrimp... I'll play with it a little before I completely discard it from my memory.

Anyway, the class was fun. I am glad we took it. We learned not only the dishes we made, but also just a lot of really basic things that turn into everything else. I swear if I heard him explain how to make beef burgandy one more time, I might have had to tape his mouth shut ;) JUST KIDDING! (mostly) I am excited to put it to use and really just have a go at it. Right now the only thing I am missing are the guinea pigs.

Tonight we had a makeup cooking class for the night Hiro was in the hospital. We made Indonesian Stir Fry... I have to be honest with you, it was pretty much like every stir fry I've ever had, but with shrimp. 2nd confession, I don't really like shimp unless it is covered in batter and deep fried. This second revelation is even more concerning because on Wednesday's class we are making another shrimp meal.

Anyway, I'd say it is good to be home, but I'd be lying. I was stellar until I got off the plane this morning and turned my phone on. I'm seriously considering changing the number.
Phoenix was great. Saturday we had a BBQ- yes BBQ in Novemeber - for Ian and Ty's birthdays. Then we saw Chicken Little in 3-D. LOVED IT. Cute show. Sunday we lounged around and had breakfast on the back patio, did some window shopping at the outdoor mall, and went swimming in the pool.... It's too bad Phoenix couldn't be 80 degrees in the summer too- I'd move for sure. It was hard to leave this morning. I wore capris all day in rebellion to being back in the land of the frigid. A girl has to have her little victories :)

I love flying SouthWest. I had the priviledge of enjoying a classic SouthWest safety announcement today. The in flight specialist was in a fantasticly entertaining mood. There were a couple of families in the front and he was playing up the adults as much as the kids. Not only did we get entertaining announcements, but we got booger jokes and when we landed we got trivia facts such as - did you know that lettuce is the only vegetable that is sold in no other form than fresh?

Ok, well, I am in Phoenix for the weekend and I think the kids are going to mutiny if we don't go for dinner soon :)
TTFN

Cheesy lines, predictable plot, bad acting

Well friends, it's Wednesday night, and you know what that means..... that's right! Cooking Class!
Tonight we made the traditional Italian dish, Chicken Cacciatore. Friends, we have another dish I fully plan to make for anyone who wishes. The dish itself is very simple. Onions, green peppers, mushrooms, celery, tomato sauce, baked over chicken that has been sauteed and flambe'd (personally, I just think Hiro likes to watch the alcohol burst into flames) and topped with montery jack cheese; and serve the whole mess over your favorite pasta. Of course, you have to make the garlic cheese bread to go with it. Kids- it is super easy and super tasty.

Next week we are going to have 2 classes and then we will have completed the series. I am kind of sad to see it be over. I do believe this might be the most enjoyable class I've ever taken. There is a super cute girl, her name is Angela, that I have really enjoyed getting to know better. And the security guard that stops by when he can smell we are almost done is actually a pretty funny guy. I'm convinced he comes to class half for the food and half to hit on Angela... I have bets on whether or not he will get enough umph to ask her for her number before the class ends.... he's got a week ;) Come on! You can do it!!! Go Security Dude!

As a side note, I heard a rumor that the only person left in my office that is in client services (the dept I work in) is probably leaving the project... Is it just me, or does it seem like people are jumping off a sinking ship. I really look forward to the adjustments that are going on right now being over. I have to believe that the end result will be better for all of us that are left.