Holy Colee!

So, Dav's back in town. It's funny. I see him more than I see most friends that live in the same state, and some that live in the same city, for that matter. I picked him up from the airport and we made our way to his parent's home in Liberty. Liberty is normally about an hour north of SLC up Ogden Canyon. Well, we hit the snow storm on our way up. It seemed to hit all of the sudden and we were sliding pretty good on a very frozen I-15. We were able to make it to his home with out incident, and it only took about 2 hours.
Not only was it their Christmas party, it was also Grandma Bessie's 90th birthday. Dav's family is great. I had not actually met most of the kids that were there. They are all super cute. The new baby Tom is soooo happy and adorable and the older kids are great. I am completely unbiased, by the way- this is not my family. His niece Bria is just stunning. If I can get him to send me a picture (hint hint), I'll post it here. Until then you'll just have to believe me. Beautiful girl.
All in all a great way to spend a Sunday night. I woke up this morning to find myself not going anywhere until the sun came up and the snowplows came through. There are worse places to be stuck than eating breakfast with the fam :)

I think my very favorite thing in the world is having people come visit. Friday night I got a call from one of my very favorite visitors :) I had pretty much written Friday off as meh, but a visit was all it took to turn it into the best day of the week. I had a visitor on Thursday, too. Come to think of it- It's been a pretty darn good week!

Tomorrow I am going to Dav's family Christmas party :) I am excited because it is actually the same time as my family Christmas party that I was not going to be able to attend.

Christmas is a good time for families. This Christmas I get to spend over a week at home. I still have to work, but I get to do it in Dingle instead of SLC. I'm pretty psyched about it; though I am still trying to plot out my day after Christmas shopping ;)

I believe I may be one of the world's worst gift wrappers. For the life of me I can not cut a straight line or get the "perfect" amount of paper. I spent most of the night cutting extra paper off the packages, then on the last one, I undercut and had to cover the end... No, I am not one of those people who actually cares enough to start over with another piece of paper.

My philosophy is that they are just gonna tear it open and throw it away anyway- what is the point?

I really need to invest in more gift bags ;)

So... I just found out that my roommates are leaving. Their goal is to be out by the end of the month. Now, this doesn't actually affect my life all that much. Luckily we signed seperate contracts. In my perfect world, the landlord wouldn't be able to fill the other rooms and I could just live by myself for the next 5 months. I'm pretty sure that won't happen. Anyway, if you want to live with the coolest roommate ever (and most humble)- the rent is great, the location is great, the house is ok, the neighbors suck - let me know :)

Other than that, not much going on. I've had to take my first sick day since February, this week. Actually I took a day and a half. I've decided "sick" day actually translates to "work from home" day in the CVG dictionary. The only thing I've accomplished is getting further behind on my Christmas preparations, and a little extra sleep.

BAKING!!!! Holidays give me an excuse to bake. Today I made 7 different kinds of treats. Meringue Cookies, Cream Cheese Brownies, Double Decker Fudge, Chocolate Biscotti, Raspberry Ribbons, Thumbprints, and Lemon Tea Cookies. Of course, there has to be one thing that doesn't work out like you want it to.... today that was the brownies. I baked them longer than I was told and the tops were brown, but the brownie part forgot to cook. They taste great, but most brownie batter does.

So that is how I spent my Saturday. Monday I will take them to work and put my coworkers in sugar comas.

Tomorrow Matt has agreed to let me use my pretty plates for a random Sunday dinner. He humors me. I appreciate it.

Tonight we held fast to an about 10 years now Christmas Tradition. We attended The Forgotten Carols. This is a musical, for lack of a better word, about some of the less remembered Christmas stories and of course, songs about such. My favorite Carol to sing is "I Cry the Day that I Take the Tree Down" because in my heart I always wanted to be a jazz singer... which kind of ties in to what my actual favorite Carol is. It is Handel's Carol. It is the story of a dream that Handel had about trying out for the choir that was to herald our Savior's birth. He sang and sang and sang, but he couldn't really sing and didn't make the choir. As he is leaving he asks the choir master to hear the song in his heart. The music from "The Messiah" then plays. Angel Handel is told that although he still can not sing in the choir, his song will be heard. More music from "The Messiah."

Now, the reason this is my favorite... All my life I have been surrounded by people who are so obviously talented. Many are beautiful singers, some are artists, others have such passion for things you can't help but enjoy them too, some are excellent listeners, some tell jokes, some just have a way of making people feel loved. I have often felt just like the little angel Handel. His carol gives me hope. Some day, I will figure out what it is that I am meant to do here. I will figure out what my gift is, who I am to share it with, and what good I am meant to do. My prayer is that I am not filling my life with so much "busy work" that I will miss it, and when I figure out what it is that I will brave enough to do it.

Yeah, so driving...around and around KC, MO. We finally got to actually start our day at around 6 PM. We went to the Plaza. The lights are beautiful, but OOOOOOOH so cold. We did a little shopping, but eventually we gave up. The restaurant lines were so very long that we decided to head over to "The Blue Room" which is a little Jazz club. We got there before it opened so we went to dinner at "The Peach Tree Restaurant" I got a little soul food (cat fish and fried chicken). It's a good thing our waiter was hot, cuz wow, he was slow. When we made it back to the club we realized it was geeky old white guy night. We stuck around for a bit and made fun of some of the biggest geeks, then we decided we needed a little more hoppin'.

Our next location was "The Beaumont Club." It was mostly a country, but it also played a little hip hop and we had a fantastic time making fools of ourselves. Really just an enjoyable time.

As we were leaving, Shar's friend Lamarr called. He needed a ride back to where he had left his car earlier that day. So we went to pick him up and apparently we got roped into running his errands while we were there. When I say errands, I mean, he took us with him to pick up his 3:30 AM booty call. How tacky is that???

Today was dedicated to football. We spent the day at this really cute couple's house in KC,KS. Really nice folks. It was Shar's tax school teacher and her husband. I have now watched 2 football games this season. That is double my quota for the year. I guess I am good ;)

Yesterday was a day of faces. It is still weird to me that we can work with people everyday, but never know what they look like. Well, a slew of the people that I work with everyday are located about a half hour from Shar's house. She humored me and took me out to meet them. Oddly enough, my imagination was not tooooo far off of reality. It was fun to have a conversation with them face to face instead of over the phone.

We then went to Shar's new work place so I would have faces to put with the stories she tells. She does, indeed, work with characters. I am a little jealous. The atmosphere in her building was so relaxed and familiar. I remember work feeling like family. It made it much more tolerable. If anything was to work as a tool for recruiting me, that would be it.

Well, then we went for a little of what KC is famous for. BBQ! There is a reason they are famous for it, and I enjoyed it a little too much. We found BBQ sauce in some odd places afterwords. (Yes Dav, kind of like you and grits)

Against everyone's protests we then went shopping on Prospect St. We took a dumb boy with us though, so I think we will go back today after Shar's tax test with out him.

Clarkus P. - I don't have your email address. Can you hook a girl up???

Question for the cosmos... Why is Kansas City in Missouri? While I do not know the answer, here I am, eating nachos from the KC version of Betos "Panchos." I got here about 5, waited for Shar to get out of traffic til 6, then we went to church with Shar's friend Cassandra. I must admit, I've never been the minority at church before. There were 9 white folk. 9. I've also never been to church on a Thursday night, or been to a service where it was ok to respond aloud to the questions coming from the pulpit. I liked it. I felt so welcome. Everyone came up to meet us before and talked to us after to see if we enjoyed it and encouraged us to come back. I am pretty sure every child I saw tonight is the cutest child I have ever seen. If kidnapping weren't illegal I would have brought at least 2 of them home with me.
What a great start to my weekend with Shar in KC!

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.