Recent Discoveries...

1) Chess pie. To quote my aunt, "it's creamy heavenly goodness."
2) Vanilla ice cream with balsalmic vinegar. Don't knock it till you try it. Really.
3) There's a Trader Joe's in Lincoln. Really?!?
4) If I try to sew anything other than cotton, I might have throw something.
5) Pit rocks. 3 rules. No blood. One foot on the ground at all times. Ties resolved with Rock, Paper, Scissors.

Observations

My friend Anna teaches art at two of the local high schools. She does a fantastic job. Her kids basically adore her. I think part of the reason is that she supports them in ALL they do. This means that she gets to go to athletic events, choir concerts, and all the other events that occur in the school district. While I wasn't working this summer, I helped out in her classroom a couple times. The kids make me laugh. Earlier this week, I went with her to a choir concert. These are some of my observations.
*Christmas songs make me happy. I love the religious ones even though they DON'T play them on the radio. Choirs rock because they aren't afraid to tackle them and the whole politically correct Winter Holiday issue.
*Clarification: I don't appreciate pitchy sopranos. I've always said that I don't like sopranos because they make my head hurt. I decided that the non-pitchy ones aren't so bad. I still like the lower ranges better.
*Flutes and piccolos DEFINITELY fit in the previous observation.
*I can most definitely appreciate a guy in a tux. There's just something about the suit, right? I decided this week that tails just aren't okay. They take themselves too seriously. Bing Crosby is one of the few that can pull of tails and NOT look like a penguin. (Don't get me wrong, I like penguins.)
Really, more than anything, I'm grateful for those who are willing to share their talents. As opinionated as I am, I really don't have the right to judge because I can't do any better. This is why I like to think of myself as an appreciater of the arts.

Never Again like 2010...

I remember talking to a friend of mine years ago about the fact that two of our friends were getting married. He said, "I think it's perfect, that just means one less Christmas card that I'll have to write." I immediately adopted that attitude however over time it has evolved into "it's just one less Christmas card that I have to feel guilty about not writing". This year I've decided to change that. The only problem in that is the fact that I don't have any addresses. Result? E-Card posted on the blog.
2010 has been a fantastic year. I'm pretty sure that I won't have a year like this for a really long time. I may go so far as to say, the best year yet. I've done so many things and I'm not sure I can break it down to just the highlights so we'll go for a top 10 kind of list. Here goes nothing...
10. 10 year reunion
Yes. I am that old. I had my 10 year high school reunion. It was fun to see people that I hadn't seen in 10 years. Some had changed a lot. Some were exactly the same. Almost more fun that that was going back to Vernal. It has changed so much and I don't get to go there anymore. It has a Farr's fresh now. That makes me supremely happy.
9. 2 Shakespearean Festivals
I learned something about myself this year. Actually, I learned a lot of things, but this is one of my favorites. Shakespearean Festivals are like my comiconI feel like I can geek out and pull out all of my Shakespeare trivia/quotes ("my fingers itch!" and Exeunt: pursued by a bear. and just enjoy myself. There's something about enjoying fine art and literature while surrounded like other geeks too. I the midst of the mega-massive road trip with the parents, we stopped in Stratford, Ontario Canada for their Festival. It was pretty amazing. We actually saw KISS ME KATE which made me laugh really hard. A few weeks after I got back to Utah, I hit the festival in Cedar City. Once again, I had every opportunity to geek out. And I loved it.
8. The GRE
I did it. It scared the tar out of me. I think it was one of the those "character building" experiences. I'll probably have to do it again before I go to grad school, but I think I had myself so psyched out over the ordeal that the night before I was virtually in tears and my stomach was in knots. Ultimately, it was a test. I've taken them before and I'm pretty sure that I'll have to take another, but for now, I don't have to worry about it.
7. Good Food
I love food. I love good food. I love to travel to find good food. This year's passions included cheese, fresh fruit, tomatoes, peas, breads, strawberry bisque...the list goes on. I also decided that I don't want to go to Africa for the simple reason that their food freaks me out.
6. 5Ks
Somewhere in February, I took up running. It was kind of ridiculous. I ran at 6 in the morning, OUTSIDE. I know it as crazy, but for some reason the cold didn't bother me. My father and brother caught wind of it all and in true fatherly/brotherly fashion, tricked me into registering for a 5k. Brother ran it with me which was kind of nice. We showed up the morning of and my nephew was ready to come with us too. They had arranged for me to have my own personal cheerleader. At the last minute they decided that the weather looked a little to sketch for wiggles to come with us. It was a good thing. We ran/walked through rain, snow, sleet, hail...we had it all. It was pretty fantastic. No, I didn't run it all, but I will someday.
5. Caribbean Cruise in January
One of the smartest things I've done in my whole life. Running away from Utah winter to the peace of the Caribbean...ruins in Cozumel, cave tubing in Belize, exploring in Honduras, snorkeling in Cayman. It was comforting to watch it snow 4 inches in an hour and then catch a plane to Miami the next morning. I'm thinking about a yearly trip in January to somewhere warm.
4. Snow Shoeing
For my birthday last year, my parents gave me snow shoes. Best. Gift. Ever. It allows me to hike in the winter. I have a few friends that I went with last winter. My favorite quote was, "let's go get lost on purpose". I've been waiting patiently for the snow this year and I'm pretty sure that it's not going to happen until I go home for Christmas. That would be my luck. We'll see how long Mother Nature holds out on me.
3. 26 states
California, Nevada, Arizona, Utah, Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado, Nebraska, Kansas, Iowa, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Maine, Vermont, Michigan, Texas, Florida
2. New Job
I quit my job in July. I couldn't study for the GRE and work at the same time. I tried for a good year and got absolutely no success. I quit and studied. I went on the trip with my parents. It was a hiatus from reality. I'm going to start classes in January and I've found a new job. I'm doing the same that I was doing before, but I feel like this job is going to give me opportunities to progress in other ways. I may be opening a new office and it is hard work, but I still have energy to live at the end of the day.
1. Wiggles and Nabber
I have 2 nephews. We call them Wiggles and Nabber. They make me supremely happy. Nabber arrived on my half birthday, perfect gift, yeah? That's what I thought. I'm currently trying to make the most of them before their dad gets the genius idea to move them across the country for PhD school.

I've got that feeling again...

I keep waiting for someone to update my blog for me. It's not that I don't have an exciting life, because I do. But I don't know that the entire cyber world wants to know all about it. Life is beginning to settle down a bit and I'm hoping to recreate a routine. I'm working again. Yes, it's in another doctor's office. So far the highlights have been putting together furniture, hanging blinds, and a wall full of windows. Yes. I now have windows and sunlight is fabulous. I can now enjoy the fall leaves, the snow (when it comes), and the random students that walk past the office. People fascinate me. Fashion fascinates me. I think my Halloween as been absolutely perfect thus far...it has consisted of toast with pumpkin butter, hot apple cider, and a bag of trick or treat candy. Starting tomorrow, I can register for classes in January. Yes. I'm going back to school. I miss it. I might be crazy in the spring, but for now, it feels like the right thing to do. In the mean time, I plan on reading anything that I can get my hands on. Happy Sunday!

Dear UDOT,

I understand the necessity and importance of construction. Do you really have to work on the alternate routes too?
Sincerely,
A Concerned Commuter

Crisply Refreshing

While I was in college, a few friends of mine LOVED Martinelli's sparkling Apple Cider. Every dinner party we had included at least one bottle of Martinelli's. It was fantastic. One of the side labels on the bottle said something about it being "crisply refreshing". It's been a catch phrase in my life ever since. This fall has been good for me, a "crisply refreshing" experience. I've studied for and taken the GRE and felt good about the experience. I consider that a positive. Following the GRE, I had a mission reunion and General Conference. We'll count that a double positive. Elder Uchtdorf's talk from conference spoke directly to me. I have an incredible talent to fill my life to the brim (and maybe even higher), forgetting that there are other things in my life that need attention...for example, myself.

My dear brothers and sisters, we would do well to slow down a little, proceed at the optimum speed for our circumstances, focus on the significant, lift up our eyes, and truly see the things that matter most. Let us be mindful of the foundational precepts our Heavenly Father has given to His children that will establish the basis of a rich and fruitful mortal life with promises of eternal happiness. They will teach us to do “all these things . . . in wisdom and order; for it is not requisite that [we] should run faster than [we have] strength. [But] it is expedient that [we] should be diligent, [and] thereby . . . win the prize.”

My new job doesn't start for a few more days so I've had lots of free time during the past week. I've tried to use it meaningfully and in a small part, I feel as though I have succeeded. I've been able to volunteer in the schools. I went with a high school art class up the canyon to look at the fall leaves and help with their Andy Goldsworthy projects. I was able to spend some time in a 5th grade classroom and talk to them about space camp and all the great training techniques that they would have to go through before they went to space. I was able to help a good friend move, spend time with my sister-in-law and nephews, visit my grandmother and fill up her gas tank in her car. Basic things. I do them for myself regularly and sometimes they drive me absolutely bonkers. Doing them for someone else? Totally cathartic. Now. Before I sound too much like a selfless do-gooder, I did do quite a bit of stuff for myself as well. I no longer have Nebraska plates on my car. I no longer have a Nebraska drivers license. I no longer am on my parents insurance. I watched some of my favorite movies. I did some mega reading in the Book of Mormon. I watched the first 2 seasons of the Office. I read Shakespeare and Dickens. I cleaned my room multiple times. I ate tomato sandwiches with sharp white cheddar cheese. I made and bound a book! (thanks to roommate for coaching me on that one.) I enjoyed daily rain because I didn't have to run in it. I ran in the early morning and there was no rain. I feel blessed and am grateful for it.

Crash Course

I have a picture from every state that I have visited over the past 6 weeks. (Except Kansas, I have nothing against Kansas, but I didn't have my camera with me that day. I did however, have some of the BEST french toast that I have ever encountered, EVER, in Kansas.)
Utah:

Colorado:

Nebraska:

Iowa:

Missouri:

Illinois:

Indiana:

Ohio:

Pennsylvania:

New Jersey:

New York:

Connecticut:

Rhode Island:

Massachusetts:

New Hampshire:

Maine:

Vermont:

Michigan:

Wyoming:

and just for kicks even though it's not a state...Canada:

These are just a few of the many pictures I took on the trip and are just the beginning of the many incredible things that I saw along the way. I hope to expand a bit over the next few weeks, but you have to start somewhere, right?