On the Subject of Food...

I am in a good food mood today. I just keep wanting yummy things to eat. I made orange-ginger tilapia for dinner, which was amazing. I read through the "cakes" section of the Better Homes & Gardens cookbook, and then, still not satisfied, went on to read "cookies" and "desserts" and "breads." There are a lot of really good recipes out there, people.

I think I might be making a fruit pizza right now. Yum- a whole pan full of sugar cookie, topped with cream cheese frosting and slices of fruit! Talk about good for your soul! Only problem is I don't have any exciting-colored fruit, and it's always so much more appealing with lots of colors. I only have fruits in the yellow-orange family, however. I think I might be baking soon regardless.

Tomorrow I'm going to the grocery store, where I will buy ingredients to make wonderful culinary concoctions. And also breakfast cereal. I'm almost out.

Australia

Tonight my roommates and I had a roommate date. We went to the dollar theater to see the movie Australia and, to put it mildly, I loved it! Amazing! I need to sleep now, but wanted to tell the world that I thought it was wonderful!

Rainy Day

Today it rained all day. It was gorgeous. I love the rain; it reminds me of home. Rain has a soothing sound, and the cozy blanket of cloud cover gives me a sense of security. It's hard to get stressed and upset at the little things when you're wrapped up in the thick protection of a grey sky. Some days, however, rain can get depressing due to the lack of color. Fortunately for me, I spent my morning coloring (graphics class, you know) and then the rest of my day working in a greenhouse with glorious plants. It's hard to get depressed when you're surrounded by cheerful green foliage. All in all, it's been a beautiful day!

Alternative to What?

My super-lame, cop out answer to the question "what kind of music do you like?" has been the same for many years: "Oh, I like mostly anything, except for country and that really angry stuff."

Translation: I don't actually know what I like

Well, through the fabulous tools of Pandora and iTunes, I am starting to figure it out. I think I generally tend towards music in the alternative rock genre. I was telling my mom all about my discovery this evening, and she asked why it was called "alternative" and I couldn't give her an answer. I don't know.

If anyone understands the meaning behind this, feel free to comment and enlighten us all. Maybe I'll Wikipedia it.

Nap Time

In theory, I love the concept of taking naps. In actual practice, however, I am really not very talented at it.

This morning I absolutely did not want to get up. A tiny part of me said "Good Morning, World!" before the rest of my soul responded with a resounding "No, thank you." After forcing myself up and into the world, and almost falling asleep in both of my classes, you would think that I would spend the free hour between class and work in a peaceful, desperately needed nap.

Not so.

Here I sit blogging, instead of asleep. I've realized something- I am not good at taking naps. They always feel forced, and I never want to wake up and face the world again. Naps are simply not a good idea for me.

I should be getting more sleep, but that would require going to bed earlier, and in order to go to bed earlier I would have to miss out on some of the other activities that fill my life. Or, more specifically, people. I don't really do anything. I just fill my time with people. But regardless, I don't want to give that time up. I really like talking with good friends, singing with my roommate and snuggling with Mark until past my bedtime.

All in all, I am surviving, sleep-wise, and at this rate I should be able to last out the semester.

Blessings

I am the most blessed little girl in the world. This afternoon, I went out to run a few errands on campus and then go to work and my Plant Propagation lab. When I left my house, I was in a bad mood. Miserably homesick, and tired. And then I started wandering around campus...

It's nice and wintry out today, and there's snow hanging heavy on all of the tree branches. And as I walked around this gorgeous campus, I started to feel exceptionally blessed for being here. Then I started running into people. I chatted with my friend Jeremy on my way up the steps, and bumped into Normandie on my way across the parking lot to work. At work, I was working on a project outside at the Grounds complex when Mark walked across the parking lot on his way to work. My co-workers were all wonderful today, and then on my way out of work, I was walking past the tool room, and stopped by to say hi and eat a fabulous brownie with Dan and Bob. And then, to top it all off, when I walked in to Plant Prop lab, and was greeted with a "Well, hi, kiddo!" from Earl. I felt pretty loved, to say the least.

After bumping in to all sorts of people who I know, I realized something; even though my family is far, far away, and my sissy is even more distant off in Australia, there are people here who love and appreciate me.

Maybe a little lost...

Today I'm feeling pretty out of it. Like my head isn't actually attached to the world. Also, a small wave of homesickness is passing through, and it's got me feeling rather disconnected from the people around me.

I miss my sissy. She's been gone almost 8 months, which means only another 10 until she's home, but probably closer to 11 until I'll see her. That's feeling like an awfully long time to me today. And this morning I made muffins and sent a package of them to my friend Courtney who is in the MTC. I won't see her for what's feeling like a really long time. My Becky is close by, but so busy with being in love and in the Accounting program. Mark and my roommates are around, and they're wonderful, but I need home people today. I even spent my evening with my Smith family yesterday, but even they aren't what I'm looking for. I think I probably need my daddy. He's one of my best friends. But he's a few thousand miles away.

I guess who I really need is my Father in Heaven. He can love me wherever I am. Still, I want to go home.