9.30

9/30. a special date for me. 6 years ago I came home from Brazil. (Although it felt like I was leaving home, too.) 9/29 wasn’t so special. I was crying gallons of tears. I was not ready to say good-bye to Brazil, nor to the work I was doing. Every year I recognize 9/30. My special day. I almost feel like I should buy myself something nice, like a birthday present. Instead, 9/30 is a check point date for me in the year. A day I look back on the year. I look forward to the coming  year. I think about what I’ve accomplished, where I would like to be a year from now. I set goals. Renew goals. Write a letter to myself-a-year-from-now (yes, I do). It’s a good thing. Plus, 9/30 is always around general conference. Double special.

 

I still keep this book by my bed. I still read from it. I remember looking at it before I left and wondering what all the words meant and if I would ever be able to understand. I remember as the months went by, slowly understanding more and more, to the point I was discovering new principles and concepts of the gospel as if I were reading in English. Foi bom de mais.

Happy 9/30! Feliz 9/30!

Beijos.

so excited for this

Now if school would just pause so I could have time to read it.

ps. Happy Conference soon!!

Italian Chicken

This is one of my all time favorite dishes. It is one of those impossible-to-fail recipes that I used to make to impress the boys when I was a freshman at BYUI. Now, I cook for myself and if the boys are lucky or smart enough to be around, then that is their good fortune.


Ingredients:
3-5 lbs Chicken breasts or strips(I think…Definitely adjustable. Do however much you need and adjust the sauce as needed.)
2 1/2 c Italian Dressing
1/2 c Lemon Juice
1-2 cubes Chicken Bouillon
1 tsp Italian Seasoning
Preparation:
Put chicken in casserole dish. Mix other ingredients together. Pour over chicken. Cover with tin foil. Bake @ 400 degrees for 45-60 minutes. Less time for chicken strips.
Serve with rice. Don’t forget a vegetable. Enjoy!

The science of the sauce is 3/4 part Italian dressing and 1/4 part lemon juice. I love sauce and seasoning, so I like to make enough that I can have a generous amount on my rice. If that isn’t you make less. 

FYI: This post is really for my benefit so that I don’t have to call my mom every time I want to make it. Yes, she is my #1 go-to for all the answers. #2 is Google. Very rarely do I need the #2. =)
  
Ps. I really do like to cook for others, not just myself. It is so much more fun when there are others to enjoy it with me.

nuisance no more

I have a new favorite indulgence…well sort of. One of those beauty, pamper myself indulgences. Let me explain.

Women, we all know beauty is painful and a nuisance. Especially when comes to getting rid of that undesirable hair above the eyes. Yes, I am referring to the eye brows and that hair that is never where you want it or in the shape you would like it. Thus requiring plucking or waxing. AKA pain and, seriously, tedious work.  

Well, this weekend I went to get my hair done where I always go. Shellie’s Salon. She asked if I would like her to do my eye brows for me. Why not? I hadn’t taken the time do them in quite a while. So I laid back and let her take care of the rest. It seriously was the best. And I love the results.

I highly recommend indulging yourself. Go and get your eye brows professionally done. Let someone else take care of those messy little critters. So worth the few extra bucks.(Maybe I am the last person to figure this out. I don’t know why it took me so long.)

If you are looking for a place to go,eye brows or hair. I recommend Shellie. She has her own salon in her home, so she is one of those people who I can count on to always be there, and she has superb taste and talent. She is also super cute and fun to talk to. Mention my name and she will treat you extra good. Just kidding, she treats everyone extra good.

meet nephew #2. name: tbd

He’s a cutie. He definitely has my sister’s nose and mouth. I'm in class till 3 but I can’t wait to go and see him.

made my day

My nephew usually does. I got to chat with him through video G-chat today. It pretty much was the highlight of my day, even though it was a one way conversation.He is only 22 months old and is still working on the working on getting words to work. He has the important ones down. Mom and Please. Mostly he grunts and points. But that is ok. I still love talking to him. And he is always excited to see me. He does some awesome animal sounds. He knows what a lion, monkey, dog, and bear say. Although, the bear sounds an awful lot like the lion. His mom is teaching him what an alligator says for football season. Go gators. My favorite is the elephant. He squeezes his lips together and blows out. Try it and you will have his imitation of an elephant. Oh yeah, he also has a great car sound. What little boy doesn't? Seriously, the kid is brilliant. I love him and would love a dozen of him around to play with all the time. 

I wouldn't mind having a few extra of this cutie around, too.  

Can you blame me?

falling in love with fall…all over again

All of a sudden it's Fall...again. It came on fast this year. Almost overnight. I walked out to my car today and I saw fallen leaves in the parking lot. I looked up and I saw a touch of yellow in the trees and some red in the mountains. I love fall for so many reasons. Cooler weather, but not bitter cold.  Changing colors. College football. Driving with the windows down. Fresh nippy air in the morning. Light jackets, but not heavy coats. Apples and peaches and pears. oh my!
Fall also means one other thing. I have lived here a year. It was a year ago my life took a sudden unexpected sharp turn and I jumped aboard, trusting that this was where I needed to be. I have learned to love this place. All seasons of it.
This is “my view from here” collection. Pictures of the view I get to enjoy everyday.

The fall.

 The winter. The Spring.The Summer. 

I think I am going to like this semester. It is turning out different than I had originally planned. I started out with three night classes. Now I just have one. I also started out with 19 credits. Now I only have 13. There is one class that I wish I could add. But it conflicts with another one. And the one I went with will probably be a better fit for me. Most of my classes are actually MBA classes. I’m like them. My Wednesdays are full and all the other days are open. Which allows me time to work and play. What a change that will be from my last two semesters
The one fear I had with starting this school year is that I now have to start thinking seriously about what I want to do when graduate. I HAVE NO IDEA!!! PHD?? JOB?? I don't know what kind of job I want. Actually, I do. But that job is not in my spectrum right now. Other jobs I enjoy I am over qualified for and don't pay enough to live on. What to do?? Where to go?? All I know is that things have worked out for me in the past. That is how I ended up here. And that they will work out for in the future. Miracles happen. God is in charge. Life is good.

happiness is…

getting out of the city and away from all its busyness and noise.

putting the tent up… “no problem” and no help from dad.

eating hot food cooked over the fire. (Some food just taste better that way.)

being hypnotized by the flickers of the flames.

burying down deep in a warm, cozy sleeping bag on a chilly night.

a roaring fire in the morning that melts away all the frost.

staring in awe at a million trillion stars.

listening to the wind blow through the trees.

hearing coyotes howl in the middle of the night.

not showering for 3 days.

showering after 3 days of not showering.

catching a glimpse of wildlife as they pass by.

all the goodies brought and believing that the calories don’t count because you are in the wilderness.

being with my family.

Happiness is camping.