Home Sweet Home

Well, the wedding is done (it was wonderful, and our photographer Leilani Mitchell did a great job!) and we're all moved in to our new little home. Our apartment here is teeny tiny, but wonderful, and we really don't need any more space.

Mostly I think my mom is the only one who reads my blog, so I'm going to post some apartment pictures for her. Love you, mommy!

Half of our living space

The other half of our living space

Teeniest kitchen, and the big counter that doubles as our table, and our little dishwasher. Not a great shot... gotta work on my photography skills.

Bedroom, there's a big closet that you can't see in this picture, though. And that's the pretty quilt on the foot of the bed that Granny Oberg made for us!

Also, we have a bathroom, and a big storage closet (it's probably bigger than our bathroom) and a balcony, where I will probably have some plants as soon as it's nice out again... in 6 months...

I love having a little home all of my own with no one else but Keith. It's the best. And it's little, which makes it a cinch to keep clean! And Keith does all the dishes so far! Which is great, cause I hate doing dishes worst of any chore, except sometimes he lets me help him dry them or unload our dishwasher.

I love being married.

18 Days from Now:

I will be married to the best boy there ever was.

Can't wait!

Update

Well... I've been neglecting my blog. So to recap what I've been up to lately:

I've been home for the past 3 1/2 weeks, getting down to the nitty-gritty details of wedding planning. Pretty much every day my mom and I run errands and plan things for this wedding from the time we're ready for the day until about time to make dinner. It's amazing and overwhelming how much goes into wedding planning. But the biggest decisions have been made, so now we're just busy pulling all the details together. Hopefully that means that if we drop any of the many balls we're juggling right now, it won't make too big a difference.

It's been so nice to spend some time at home with my family. Even though they're not all here, it just is good to be home. Nathan is getting way too big too fast, so it's good to get to know him again as the preteen that he is. As always, I love working on projects with my daddy, and we've been able to have some good conversations since I've been home. Anney and I have been going on weekend adventures, which is good because she's so busy being in HS band and involved with church and homework all week. I love that we have put in place a tradition of spending time together on the weekends. She's already planning what we'll do this weekend. And spending all day every day with my mom is wonderful. She's such a great mom, and an example to me in everything.

Also, my mom has some wonderful friends. Don't know how my sanity levels would be right now without Sara, Michelle, and Jenny. Those girls are so fun, and warm, and lovely. And they have some of the sweetest little kids, too, which is good for me.

Some unexpected blessings have popped up recently. My best girlfriend and her husband are going to be able to make it out to the wedding, as well as another dear friend from college. I'm so excited to be able to share wedding day with these girls who have helped to shape my life.

My sweet fiance and I have been able to get to know each other a bit better since I've been away from him. It's funny the things that come up when you're talking on the phone. Like I learned that Keith is allergic to starfish. And that he loves cooked carrots. New things pop up all the time when you're trying to keep a conversation going late at night over the phone.

Anyway, it is bedtime, but I just wanted to write a quick note on how everything has been going lately.

I get married to my best friend forever and ever in 23 days!

Wedding Planning...

... is not my forte.

At all.

The thing is, I have no idea how to plan a wedding. Also, I am not good at decisions. Also, I am 5,000 miles away from my mother. Also, I have been doing so much thinking and looking that I am starting to get overwhelmed with ideas, and they're all starting to run together into a big blob of confused wedding chaos.

So. I need to sort things out.

Here is what I know:

• We are getting married at 2:00 pm on November 6th in the Washington D.C. Temple. They have been called and scheduled, so we're all set there.
• We are having a reception that night at my church in Virginia
• We are having an Alaska reception two weeks after the wedding at the Kenley home
• My colors are green and purple... the specific shades of those colors are still a little hazy, it turns out.
• I want to do my bouquet out of purple ranunculus and white spider mums, with green hypericum berries or some other such filler. Also a few boutineers, etc.
• I am not having a wedding party
• I do not want a line
• There will be a little bit of dancing. But not a lot.
• There will be a lot of invitations- I am compiling a final guest list
• I will wear a wedding dress with sleeves. Where I will find said dress is still up in the air... way up in the air.
• I will wear purple ballet flats, probably
• I will marry my best friend in the whole world, and will be surrounded by people who love me very much

That is all I know. And a little bit that I don't know. But there you have it.

Gone Fishin'

Keith's dad loves fishing. He tries to go about every other weekend during fishing season up here. He takes his big boat and drives down to Whittier to take her out on the Prince William Sound and fish. And this weekend, we went with him.

Friday afternoon right when we got off of work, Keith and I headed out to meet up with the boat. We drove about an hour south out of Anchorage along the coast line until we got to the tunnel. We had to wait there for about 15 minutes and then we drove through to Whittier.

In Whittier we met up with the boat (that's about all that there is to do in Whittier) and got going. Friday night we threw out shrimp pots, and found a good place to camp for the night. And also convinced a stubborn 3 year old that the toilet on the boat was not scary. And then we crammed in to the boat to sleep.

After sleeping, we got to fishing, and I got seasick. Luckily all the sick went into the ocean, but that set the tone of the day for my stomach. Then we fished. I caught my first ever fish pretty early in the morning, but it was a useless tom cod. He was big, though, and I was proud that I caught him! After that I mostly let other people fish, cause I still felt icky.

We fished and ate and fished for a few more hours, and never got anything worth keeping except one red snapper- did you know that fishes have tongues? I didn't, but this snapper sure had a tongue on him. I kind of helped clean him, too. But mostly I just held the ziploc bag open to put the fillets in after Chuck cut them off. That part of the trip was nice... we found a very still cove to put the boat in for a bit.

Also, we saw really cool porpoises. They swam with our boat for a few minutes. They were so pretty! And fast. And then they swam away from us.

The last thing we had to do was get our shrimp pots. So we drove back and found the buoys and pulled up the pots. Pot 1: some shrimp. Pot 2: lots of shrimp. Pot 3: lots of shrimp. Pot 4: a small octopus, and 3 shrimp. Keith accidentally dropped that one back into the ocean. So now we're down to 4 pots. Pot that just got promoted to 4: some shrimp. Want to know the secret to catching shrimps? Cat food. Apparently they love it. They are little scavenging bottom feeders, after all. Then I held more ziploc bags open so we could throw shrimp into them after their heads were ripped off. I'm not much one for ripping the heads off of things, especially not while they're still alive. Did you know, by the way, that shrimp swim backwards? I learned that as the head ripping was happening.

Anyway, after we finished fishing, we took the boat back into Whittier, grabbed dinner at the best little fish fry place, and drove back through the tunnel and home.

Ready for my take on fishing? Here it is:

Pros:

1. You get to eat yummy things after if you catch them
2. You get to go to pretty places in Alaska, on a boat
3. Sometimes you see porpoises and other such wildlife
4. You can say you've caught a fish

Cons:

1. Seasickness
2. You probably have to touch dead and dying fish
3. Sometimes you won't really catch anything
4. Seasickness

I think I will not become a fisherwoman. Maybe I'll fish every year or two, but I'm not going to be creating a new hobby all of a sudden. But tonight we're going to eat our shrimps, so that'll be delicious!

89 Days

I have a lot of planning to do. A lot. And only 89 days to do it all in- yikes!

Keith proposed to me on Thursday. Since we met at work, he wanted to let everyone there be involved in that. Here's what happened: I was sent home early because of the weather (we're a nursery- weather is directly related to how much we have to do) so I'd been home for a while. Then my boss called and asked me to come back in for half an hour or so to help one of our important clients to look at some plants. So I drove back to the nursery, all annoyed about having such a ridiculous job to do, and got there just after the client was supposed to have arrived. So I went inside, and the girl at the front desk told me that they were out back by our pond.

As I buttoned on my work shirt, I rushed out the door, and just about ran into Keith. He'd set the whole thing up, and had plants arranged around the door so it looked nice, and was wearing his nice suit. I just started kissing him right away, because I was so excited! Then he told me how much he loves me, and handed me a bouquet of beautiful pink roses. He got down on his knee, and asked me to marry him, and I said Yes!

We're engaged! Hooray! I'm way excited. And a bit overwhelmed.

Which brings me back to the title of this post: 89 days. That's how long I have to plan until the big day. And I have no idea where to start. Yikes!

Anyway, if anyone has advice for smoother wedding planning or cute ideas, let me know!

Blogger

I'm the worst ever blogger.

Is it because my life is boring? Maybe.

Solstice Carnival

So, I'm a few days late in blogging about this, but it was just such a fun, spontaneous thing that I wanted to share.

Monday was June 21st, which is the summer solstice. That made it the longest day of this year, and up here in Alaska, that means the sun is up all night. I mean, not really up, but it sets and then it's dusky and then the sun is rising again. So solstice is a big deal.

On Monday after work, Keith was driving over to my house, when he passed by a carnival. Immediately, he called me to tell me about it. He was so excited. He gets so cute and little-boy-ish about things like that. It's incredibly endearing. Anyway, we decided we'd go to the carnival.

Ok, you know those rides that they pack up and move around and how they're kinda jerky and not all that awesome? Well... yeah. I guess we're not as young as we used to be, cause Keith and I were getting pretty dizzy by the second ride or so. But we pushed through it, and had a blast. Best solstice carnival I've ever been to.

We rode the Ferris Wheel first, cause it's the most romantic... and I learned

first hand that Keith's not kidding when he says he's scared of heights!

I think my favorite part about the evening was just how much fun Keith and I had laughing together. It's kind of been a weird couple months, dating like a real couple as we live in the same city (finally!) I've loved it, but we get so comfortable with just being together, that we've started being a little bit boring. Mostly, I love just coming home after work, and having Keith come over and make dinner with me, and then channel surfing, or running errands, or playing games, and talking about everything in life. But it was really refreshing to just get out and go on a little adventure, break the routine up a little, and just laugh together.

I'll let the happily-in-love-for-many-years couples in my life be the experts on the subject, but if I were to throw in my two cents, I'd say that a little spontaneity is good for a relationship. I hope that Keith and I keep doing fun, sweet, spontaneous things for each other for many, many more years to come.

Date Night

Such a fun date night with my sweetie boy. We made super good dinner. Pork chops and mashed potatoes and steamed broccoli... mmm! I've figured out the secret to really good pan-cooked pork chops in about 10 minutes. Keith said it was the first pork chop he'd ever really liked. Then we watched Chopped. We watch a lot of Food Network. Next, we were off to the brand-new movie theater here, where we bought tickets and then had a few hours to kill. So we walked around, and Keith showed me the work he'd done (the company we work for has the landscaping contract for the shopping plaza there) this week, and found ice cream. Um, raspberries mixed into black cherry ice cream in a chocolate-dipped waffle bowl= delicious! Then we saw the Karate Kid. That was fun. I am so glad that I'm not that kid's mother. Also, that I don't live in China. Anyway, now I'm home and don't have any roommates here, and I am a little bored... and it's making me really wish that I were married to Keith. I don't like him dropping me off, and then going home to Kevin and Greg. I just wish he lived here with me, forever and ever and ever.

Alaska Sunshine

It has been an absolutely astounding week here in Anchorage. The rare kind of week where there is more sun than cloud. We broke into the 60's, even. And I am getting some sun!

Anyway, I just wanted to express joy over the sun... but it's not that fun to blog about the weather.

Home Sweet Home

I have a bed!

Oh, it is blissful!

I am so excited to sleep over springs and a mattress, and elevated off of the ground tonight.

It will be lovely.

We Have Furniture!

Not a lot of furniture, but some!

So, yesterday and today our friend is out of town... so he let Steph and I borrow his truck. Yes, that's right- we had a truck for 36 hours! Oh, bliss!

And did we get good usage out of this truck? Oh, yeah... we bought a great big chair! He's a chair and a half size thing, and so comfy, and was only $30 on Craig's List, and almost brand new. I slept in him last night... mmm, so much better than the floor!

Also, we got a microwave, and a tall floor lamp, and some wall clocks, and a small bookshelf, and Steph bought herself an air mattress, because that's better than the floor, too.

So, I spent last night cleaning and organizing things. All of my stuff is put away, and our house is starting to look like a home! Hooray!

Craig's List...

... is useless when you don't have a truck.

Today I got all moved in to my new apartment in Anchorage. We don't have any furniture. There are people trying to get rid of stuff on Craig's List, but I can't go get anything. So basically looking for stuff was a pointless exercise.

Moving, Part Two

I'm sitting in the Salt Lake Airport right now, waiting for my flight to Anchorage. Actually, waiting for my flight to Phoenix, where I'll connect to my flight to Anchorage. It doesn't leave for another 3 hours, but my roommate's flight is in an hour, and she kindly gave me a ride to Salt Lake.

My bags are checked in. The big one weighed in at 49.5 pounds... but that's ok, because it's off!

I'm officially on my way to Anchorage. Exciting!

Moving

I officially hate packing.

Here's the situation:

I moved out to school 4 years ago with 2 suitcases full to their brims with my things, and a big box in the mail. I then proceeded to buy more stuff. And to be given more stuff. And to buy even more stuff. It's amazing how much stuff you can accumulate over 4 years.

Then, I decided to graduate. And move. To Alaska... so, not exactly nearby.

So, I started to go through my room. And I was reminded of something about myself: I like to keep stuff. I like to hold on to it, just in case I need it. I like to give it away, in case someone else could get good use out of it. I like to recycle it into materials for new, exciting projects. I do not like throwing it out.

However, there simply is not room to take all of the stuff I have gathered through my college career to Anchorage. I'm flying. That means I have to limit myself. So.

Suitcase 1: For $23, I am flying every good item of clothing that I own and a large quilt with me to AK. Also, 2 pairs of shoes and including all of my coats and jackets.

Suitcase 2: For an additional $32, I am taking the crappy clothes that I need to work in, more bedding, and most of my other shoes. Also, all of my toiletries.

Suitcase 3: As my carry on luggage I am taking paper. Piano music, official documents, scrapbook of my family... Also, my sheets, towels, and more shoes. A few other odds and ends might make it in on the very top.

Bag: My "personal item" is a very large, dumpy, tote. It will be carrying my laptop, scriptures, camera, iPod, wallet, etc... and I don't think I'll be able to quite close it shut, technically. Oh, well.

In addition to looking like a crazy lady as I wheel my veritable heaps of stuff around the airport (oh, yeah! That's gonna be exciting!) I will be shipping boxes.

Box 1: TO ANCHORAGE. I am sending up my cookbook and recipe file, my board games, yet another blanket (wow, it sounds like I have just tons of bedding... I promise it's just spread out!) DVDs, CDs, and other small odds and ends that are going to be necessities eventually, and that I couldn't convince myself to toss out and replace when I got there.

Box 2: TO CHANTILLY. I am sending home my textbooks. Not all of them, but the ones that I want to keep. I don't figure I'll want them in Anchorage, but I'll want them eventually.

In addition to all of this, I have thrown out 5 and 1/2 garbage bags of old papers, bags, half-used toiletries, class notes, tired school supplies, and just plain trash. I have bagged up an additional 2 garbage bags of clothes that are in good condition but that I don't love. I have thrown all of my good school supplies and my printer into a box to give my sister who'll be a freshman here next year. I've taken some of my school stuff up to the Cluff building to leave it for anyone who may want it in the future. I've left a cupboard full of food that may or may not be used at some point. And I have about another medium-sized box-worth of stuff that survived the first major room-purging, but hasn't yet made the cut for getting packed up for a trip to AK. Don't know what the eventual fate of those things will be.

This has been quite the struggle. I don't like throwing things out. At all. I like to have them forever. But it's necessary- I can't just keep everything forever! So, let the packing continue... a day and a half til I'm off!

Graduation

So, I'm not feeling very inspired to write about graduation, but I feel like I should commemorate being done and moving on from this chapter of my life at some point. Anyway, I'm graduating today. It's been 17 years since I started going to school, plus two years of joy school before kindergarten. So it's still not quite sinking in that I'm done. But I am... and tomorrow I'll have a diploma cover to prove it!

Anger Management

Do you ever have those days where you just want to bop people right on the top of their little heads? I have been feeling like those heads around me are in severe jeopardy lately.

It's just that people are different than me, and it annoys me.

Also, I haven't been getting much sleep, so I'm intolerant of other opinions.

I haven't decapitated anyone yet. I'm hoping that I keep up that streak. Wish me luck.

I'm Leaving on a Jet Plane...

Like Jewel, you know.

Anyway, early tomorrow morning I'm headed to Atlanta for a week of fun networking and competition. It'll be so good. I'm excited.

And then I'll come back for finals and graduation, and to pack up my life from the last 4 years.

And about 3 weeks from then, I'll be going on another jet plane, this time to Anchorage, where I will start grown-up life.

Too bad I hate Airports.

Happy Easter Week

Dream Job

I wish I could be a food critic. I would just love eating yummy foods, and getting to try whatever I wanted without having to pay for it. Do you ever have trouble choosing what to order because it all looks so good? I do. Often. Just ask Keith.

Anyway, if I were a food critic I would just say "Bring me one of everything!" and they would. And they would make sure it was their very best, because I am, after all, going to judge them.

And then comes the tricky part. Because I'm not a very good judger. I typically like everything I am blessed to eat, unless I make it or it's just really truly gross. So. I would be a not very critical food critic. Hence why I have to be a landscaper instead.

Bummer.

DC Adventure

Well, we're back from adventuring.

We had a super fun vacation! Mostly we spent time with my family. Also, we took Friday afternoon and went downtown to sightsee a little.

We had a pretty awesome weekend. Thursday we worked in the yard with my family. Also, for lunch we had the most delicious BBQ ever. We cleaned out our flowerbeds, went to a nursery and then spread mulch. After that, there was dinner and family games- we played Killer Bunnies, which made Nathan quite excited.

Friday Keith and I went downtown. We rode the Metro into town and went to the Smithsonian. We visited the American History museum, where Keith got really excited about the guns and weapons that were in a history of war exhibit. Next we went to the Natural History museum, and saw dinosaurs, the Hope diamond, and some insects. Ick. Next we went to find some lunch. We walked far, far away from where we thought we were going for lunch, but stumbled upon Potbelly's Sandwich Works, which was absolutely delicious. Then we went to the Air&Space museum, and saw planes and rockets. Do you know the difference between planes and jet planes? I didn't before, but now I do. Kinda. Anyway, after that, we walked up the mall to the Washington, WWII, and Lincoln memorials. Then, we found the nearest Metro station (which wasn't really all that close by) and rode home.

Saturday morning the family was sleeping in, so I drove Keith around to see a few places where I grew up, and we ran some errands for my mother. We also went out for birthday lunch to a new Mexican restaurant, which was delicious. It was so yum. I mean it. Seriously good. After that, I went furniture shopping with my mom and Em, and Keith helped my Dad hide some speaker wires in the walls. Then my mom and Em and I went and got the best cupcakes I'd ever eaten at Wegman's. Then my sisters and parents all dispersed for different events, and Keith and I got wrangled into a game of Monopoly with my brother Nathan.

Sunday we had church and family stuff. It wasn't a super eventful day, but it was good. Just family dinner and games and dessert. It was a good day.

We left to fly home early early Monday morning. It was early. But it was a good trip.

Spring Break-ing

Today is pretty much like this:Bright blue sky, not many clouds, and also balloons. Actually, there weren't that many balloons in my life today, but it was my birthday, so I am pretending that there were.

So today has been a good one.

But tomorrow will be even better. I hope. Tomorrow I am going on one of these:

It's a Boeing 737-800, operated by Delta. Mine will be going from SLC to IAD. That's code for it's taking me from school to home.

And it's taking Keith with me.

We are nervous. And excited.

Anxious, if you will.

But mostly I am excited. I am ready to go, and to not be in Provo, and to spend some time with Keith and with my family and with no school. And I am ready for them to actually know Keith a little bit. I hope it all goes well, because I am just in love with Keith, and also I love my family, so I'm hoping that they will be able to get along and appreciate each other.

Anyway, we'll see how it all goes. Nathan's excited to have someone to play Killer Bunnies with.

Scary, huh?

Muffins

So, just now I made these:

Next, I devoured the two most fally-aparty ones with butter all melting into them.

It's been a good evening.

Guilt-Free Online Shopping

So, I'm not really broke.

But I'm going to be a little broke at the end of the semester.

This means: I need to spend my money carefully. Since January, I have been trying to not do shopping, but today I stumbled across quite a treasure.

$100 free dollars!

Well, specifically, a $100 in gift card money from L.L.Bean, which I received as prize money last year for taking second place in my Pest Management competition at Student Career Days (which is coming up in just 5 weeks).

And I found this cute jacket!

And it's coming in 2-5 business days! I'm excited. It's just super fun, and cheerful, and water-resistant. Every girl needs more water-resistance in her life, right?

Of course, now that I've started shopping, it's hard to stop... but I'm stopping right there... for now.

New Pizza Blog

So, the roommates and I eat an inordinate amount of pizza. It's amazing. We decided that we were more qualified than anyone else to write a blog on the subject of pizza. Go here:

http://boxesofpizza.blogspot.com

It's amazing. We would know- we're amazing.

Planning

In 62 days, I will be graduating from college. Exciting!!!

So, now I have to make a plan. It's called "What to do when you get out into the real world".

There are many options. I could go be a starving bum on the streets of London (because I think that at the end of the year, I'll only have enough money to get there, and then I'll be 100% broke). Or I could get a job somewhere. This is the more likely alternative.

But there are lots of jobs, and lots of somewheres.

My family would love it if I came home, and worked there this summer. Or didn't work, as my mom pointed out to me today. But I need to have a job, or I will go crazy. And stay broke, also.

Keith and Emily and Cecilia and maybe Steph would love it if I went to Anchorage for work this summer. Actually, they probably wouldn't mind too much if I weren't working, either, because then I'd have more time to split between them all, but really I need to have a job. Or I will go crazy.

There are a few companies who I am in touch with who might want me to go where ever they're located this summer, and then after that, also. Think Atlanta, or California. They, however, would want me working, because if I'm not working I'm useless to them.

So there are options, and pressures pulling from different directions and sources. And I'm pretty sure that I know what I want, but what if I don't, really? What if what I think that I want is not, in fact, what I actually want. Oh, I'm confused.

Mostly I just don't want to disappoint anyone with my decision to go one place or another. But you can't please everyone always, I guess.

I hate that about growing up. I used to only have my parents' opinions to think about, and my own, but my opinion was usually pretty in line with theirs on my bigger decisions. Now there are opposing opinions, pulling me quite literally to opposite corners of the country. I'm very neatly tucked smack-dab in the center here at school, 3000 miles from Anchorage, and 2100 from Chantilly.

Google Maps is a lovely tool for illustrating this point. But see, Anchorage is 4315 miles from Chantilly. Which is far. And so we get conflicting opinions.

I need to figure out how to make this decision without hurting anyone. Tricky.

In the end, I need to decide what will be the best decision for me, and not worry about everyone else. Also, I need to remember that moving is not, in fact, final. Just because I end up somewhere in May does not mean that I'll be there forever. It just means I'll be there for now.

Maybe I should go to London.

Love

So, I have never been a big Valentine's Day celebrator. But, I've never had anyone special to celebrate with, either. And I'm getting a bit curious as to how this weekend will be. I wouldn't be at all disappointed if Keith and I just watched a movie and made dinner at my house and snuggled and played games and talked like we do a lot of other weekends, because he will be here, and that's all that really matters to me. But he keeps saying stuff about Valentine's Day, and it has me wondering. Then again, I don't have my hopes up too high, because the silly boy still hasn't managed to get Christmas to me yet... for all his forgetfulness, though, he really is very sweet to me.

I love being in love. I love knowing Keith, and getting to know him better. He makes me so very happy, and I just want to be his girl forever.

CLP- Part II

I did it! I passed!

Caresse Johnson, CLP

Doesn't that just look pretty? I've gotta go update my resume now...

CLP

This morning I took the second half of a series of 7 exams required in order to become a CLP.

Caresse Johnson, CLP is going to look so cool on business cards and resumes and the like.

And what, you may ask, does this designation actually mean? CLP stands for Certified Landscape Professional. It is regulated by PLANET, the Professional Landcare Network, which is basically the recognized professional organization for green industry individuals and companies. It mostly focuses on business skills, and not so much on knowledge about plants and the care of them.

Anyway, it's a kind of big deal, and I'm very much hoping that within the month I will be a CLP.

NYC

So, I've finally fixed my computer so I could load my pictures from our trip on to it... and now I get to share some here!

Steph and I at Wicked

Lady Liberty

Central Park- my definite favorite place in NYC.

Now, to highlight some of the things we did on our trip...

Friday we walked around and got familiar with the city and saw famous old buildings, and also ones that aren't famous, but are just as gorgeous. Then we went and saw Wicked on Broadway, which was so fun! I loved it.

Saturday was shopping day! Went down to Canal street in Chinatown and bought cheap stuff, and then up to 5th Avenue to shop some more. That night we went to the Guggenheim museum, and Rockefeller center, where we didn't ice skate (long lines, sore feet) but we did go to the Top of the Rock, 70 story high observation decks, to see the city from up there.

Sunday was lazy (thankfully!) We slept in, and then went to church, and then went and saw St.Patrick's cathedral and also Grand Central Station. My feet were glad for an easy day.

Monday was museum day! We walked through Central Park to get to the Met first thing in the morning. That was way cool, but I was a bit bummed- the musical instruments exhibit is closed until March. But we did get to see lots of other cool art and things. Then we went down to ride the Staten Island Ferry to see the Statue of Liberty. After that cold, windy boat ride (which was also way fun) we went to the American Museum of Natural History and saw some fossils and dead animals and artifacts and such. Then (wow, busy day!) we went to see the Phantom of the Opera on Broadway, but it wasn't quite as fabulous as when I saw it at the Kennedy Center at home a few years ago. It was still way fun, though.

Tuesday, we went and got New York bagels and ate them outside of Tiffany's. Get it- Breakfast at Tiffany's? Clever, huh? Then Steph had a job interview, so she went off to that and I got to do whatever I wanted by my self. So I went to Central Park, and wandered for 3 hours or so, and took lots of pictures (somewhere in the neighborhood of 200) of cool ideas and details and such. So fun. Then took the subway to the airport, where Steph and I met back up and flew home.

All in all, a wonderful vacation.

Vacationing

Steph and I just got back from New York last night. What a fun vacation! I have a bazillion things to do to get caught back up to speed with school and things here, but I'm still so glad we went.

Also, so glad to be home.

I just feel so useful here. People in my classes and club at school respect my opinions and ask me for help and clarifications. Professors call on me in class when they need good answers. My job is just mine, the work isn't split with anyone else, so my boss is glad to have me back, and scheduled a meeting with me as soon as he could today so we could get back to work, and I think Keith would much rather have me in Provo than across the country. Sure we still don't see each other, but at least I'm close by enough that we could get to each other if we needed to.

Anyway, more to come about New York, but I've got to get back to being needed in life now.

Mmmm...

So, it's been a while since I blogged about food (by the way, why am I so random in my post topics? It's crazy) and I feel like celebrating my latest triumph on the internet.

Tonight I made up a delicious recipe. It started with an old orange that I bought probably a month or so ago... maybe longer. You know how they get all tough and icky after a few months? So, I didn't want to eat it, but I hate wasting things, so I juiced it! First I had to pound it around on my kitchen counter, though. And then I added some ingredients, and stirred stuff, and made rice, and about 20 minutes after I started, I had created some seriously delicious Orange Shrimps and Broccoli. Seriously, yum.

And you want to know the exciting part? The only cooking techniques I used were: boiling. Also, squishing an orange. And smelling stuff. That's all! I didn't even accurately measure anything, just kinda tossed stuff in.

Here's what I did:

In one pot, put some rice. Next put about twice that and a little more of water. Boil it for 15 min. and then take it off the heat, but leave the lid on.

In another pot, put some water. Throw in a little bit of dried onion, unless you have real live onions, in which case green onion would probably be the best. Toss in enough shrimps and broccolis that you think "after eating these with a serving of rice, I will be full" and then maybe add a few more broccolis. Veggies are good for you. Note: Use the frozen kind of both of these guys. That way you're just responsible for getting them warm!

Next, smush your orange around on the counter. Bang it up a bit. Chop it in half, and squish all the juice out, mix in a bit of water, and some quick dashes of soy sauce, and a largish pinch of brown sugar, and some sesame oil, but just a little bit because it's strong, and also some ginger, which is also strong, so watch out. Stir this in a small pot. Boil it, but just for a little bit.

Next, drain your shrimps and broccolis, and mix them into your sauce. Stick some rice on your plate, dump the other guys on top and eat it. It's delish! Also, you only have to know how to boil! Also, it only took 20 minutes or so!

Snow Day

I got home (finally) for Christmas, and it was mostly great. A little too much down time for my personal taste... but I'm back at school, where I actually have a purpose, so everything is great!

Anyway, the second day I was home, my 11 year old brother and 18 year old sister and I went out and built ourselves a snow fort. Then we kicked Nate out, and snow throwing ensued. It was so fun to just play like that!

Anyway, we had way so much fun! It was great! Em got some video of the snow fight that happened after we kicked Nate out, too, which is just silly, but I love it.