Valentine's Day/February 15th

I had all sorts of plans for a fancy dinner on Valentine's Day. I was going to make wedge salads for an appetizer (you know, those salads that restaurants charge $9 for, but are only a hunk of iceberg lettuce with some bacon and blue cheese?), then we were going to have Steak Oscar (steak topped with crab and Bearnaise sauce) with roasted potatoes and asparagus, and to finish, molten lava cakes for dessert.  It was going to be a fantastic and romantic meal.

But, by the time Valentine's Day came, our plans changed.  Keith ended up having the day off of work, I ended up not feeling like cooking a big dinner, and we ended up going to a Chinese buffet for lunch instead.

Seriously, nothing says LOVE like stuffing your faces together--and being 100% comfortable while doing so.

After lunch, Keith set up his new computer, I rearranged our furniture, and we had a perfectly lovely, relaxing day.  No stress, no pressure.  It was wonderful.

Keith had to work his regular Saturday shift the next day, and I began missing our big fancy dinner that we never had the day before.  I set the table with a cloth and my makeshift candlesticks.  I set out a salad fork, a dinner fork, knife and spoon, a dessert spoon at top, with a goblet, instead of a glass.  Since I hadn't bought the planned steak and crab, I basically just cleaned out the fridge to make my dinner.

Once Keith got home (an hour plus late), I lit the candles, popped the bubbly (sparkling white grape juice), and served dinner--chicken alfredo pizza (one of Keith's favorites).  It was fun, having the table set so fancily and prettily, with all of the utensils and such, only to eat dinner with our hands.  We did have molten lava cakes for dessert, like the original Valentine's Day plan, and boy, were they sure delicious!

I loved our little February 15th celebration. I loved the casual fanciness and the randomness of our dinner.  A new Valentine's/ Belated Valentine's/mid-Frebruary tradition?  Maybe.

Overall, it was just a great Valentine's weekend, mostly because I got to spend it with my Valentine.  He may drive me absolutely crazy at times, but I absolutely love him.  Lucky for me, he is stuck with me forever.

Here's to the Year: 2013

I can't believe this year is over already.  

Does anyone else feel like 2013 went rather quickly? 

Here are some of my favorite highlights of the year:

I turned 30.  30 is fun, right? Right?!

I accidentally invented the most wonderful dessert ever

We got caught in the rain

We moved to Kelowna!
(And were sad to leave our dear friends behind in Edmonton)

We went to an Indian wedding where I was severely under-dressed

I am slowly easing into the Canadian lifestyle

I've worked on becoming the perfect housewife

Keith and I celebrated our first anniversary

I tried a lot of new recipes, like sushi and lamb legs

My sister and her family came to visit

Keith and I acted as proxies for his grandparents
as their family was sealed together forever

We have high hopes and expectations for 2014.  

What did you accomplish in 2013?

2012

2011

2010

Getting Christmasy

There hasn't been much going on at our house lately, other than getting ready for Christmas.  Guys, I am so excited for Christmas.  It just seems so much more special this year than last.  Last year we were in our cramped apartment in Edmonton, so we didn't have a tree, or lights, or many decorations to speak of.  But this year, I was determined to to make Christmas more Christmasy.

First off, I bought a tree.  It is just a small 4-footer, but it is a tree!  And the lights on it are sparse, but hey, it has lights!  I then made a garland from fishing wire and buttons.  I love it!  I need to restring it, as I placed some of the buttons too close and it is a little short, but it is homemade and colorful and cute.  I pulled out the few ornaments I had and the few ornaments Keith's Aunt Jacquie gave me, and Viola!  A perfect little Christmas tree.

Keith and I are finally starting some of our own Christmas traditions.  I feel we are a little slow in starting traditions for our little family, but we are getting there.  See the stocking on wall? That is our countdown to Christmas.  Each day, one of us opens a gift (mostly fun food items I don't regularly buy, but have stocked away for Christmas).  It is sweet to see how excited Keith gets every night as when we open our daily gift.

As I don't have a car and can't drive Keith's, we had to go Christmas shopping together.  This was actually really fun.  We each had a cart and parted ways inside, but then we had to avoid running into each other and try to keep our gifts a secret as we brought them home.  We then promptly wrapped the gifts and stuck them under the tree. There is nothing like presents under the tree to make it feel like Christmas!

And what is Christmas without Betty Crocker's Cooky Book? The best holiday treats come from this book.  It's tradition!  I think me baking goodies is Keith's favorite part of the season...

Is it wrong to place the Nativity and Santa on the same table?

It's not exactly a Christmas show, but we went to see Shrek the Musical the other night.  It was a hilarious and fun show, and a great family activity.  If you haven't seen it, I would recommend it.  It has great special effects, requires some awesome acting skills, and has lots of catchy tunes.

Here's to a more Christmasy Christmas!

The Luck of the American

St. Patrick's Day was difficult this year.  Difficult because I could not find corned beef anywhere.  I have not a drop of Irish blood in me, and I don't even really understand what the day is all about, but dangit!  I was going to have corned beef for dinner!

As the grocery ads were released on Friday, I did a frantic search to see which of the five local grocery stores had corned beef on sale.  Of the five, I found one that even made mention of it in their ad.  When I made it to that store a few hours later, I walked around the meat department at least three times.  Where the heck was the corned beef?  Sure, I could find turkeys and chickens and pork livers and legs of lamb and RABBIT, but the blasted corned beef was nowhere to be seen.  After asking the meat guy, my suspicions were confirmed: there was no corned beef.  No corned beef until the next day.

The next morning dawned cold and snowy.  I walked to another nearby store to grab a few items and to check out their meat department.  They hadn't corned beef either.  Neither did the other store I went to a little bit later.  Finally, around noon, I called the store from the day before.  Did they have the corned beef now?  Yes, the did.  Did they have lots?  No, they only received one case.  Should I come now?  Yes, HURRY!

Keith and I scrambled to the car and were soon on our way.  We arrived a few minutes later and I took a fast walk around the meat department.  No corned beef.  I decided I would never find it on my own so I asked another meat man.  Do you have any corned beef?  We did, but I think it is gone.  Can you look?

I followed the meat man down the aisle and to the right.  There, on the refrigerated bed, was a lone and solitary corned beef.  I got the last one.

I consider myself lucky, that I actually was able to find corned beef, especially since I got the last one at that particular store.  However, a question comes to mind:  in a city that has 5 different grocery chains, why does only one of them receive only one case of corned beef the day before St. Patrick's Day?  It only reaffirms my thoughts from Thanksgiving--that Canadians do not know how to celebrate holidays properly.  At least, not like Americans.

Dinner turned out great, by the way.  And I really should try rabbit sometime.

A Pi Day Miracle

Today started out like any other Pi Day-- I awoke to dreams of whipped cream and flaky crusts, fantasies of fruits and fillings, and visions of deliciousness.  I did have one goal I hoped to achieve: To conquer my irrational baking fear and make my very first pie crust.

To tell you I was successful would be an understatement.  My pie crust turned out beautifully.  The taste and flakiness were divine.  And if it hadn't been for the slightly overcooked edges (due to my oven getting very hot in the back), it was absolutely perfect.  I'm pretty sure my grandma would have been extremely proud.

The miracle of the day occurred just before we sat down to pie when I remembered to check the mailbox.  I had checked it earlier that day but was quicker than the mail lady.  I quickly ran out to get it and came back with an envelope from the Canadian government.  I opened it to find this inside:

I am now legally in the country...at least until it expires in January 2014.  We are still waiting for the real permanent resident card, but this is a really good omen that things are on their way.  We were pretty excited, so we celebrated...with pie!


P.S.  No one in Canada knows what Pi Day is.  I posted a Pi Day greeting on a Canadian chat board and everyone responded that they had no idea what it was.  Someone really needs to teach these Canadians how to have fun.

Here's to the Year: 2012

Another year has come to a close.  

I achieved some major life goals this last year, 

so I would say 2012 was a success.  

How was yours?

In 2012, I...

Asked Keith to Marry Me

Enjoyed Kindergarten

Ate Goat for Lunch

Was Proposed to for Real

Traveled to Punta Cana, Dominican Republic

Survived my Internship

Moved to Canada

Graduated from Graduate School

Accomplished a Sushi-Eating Challenge

Spent the Day in Miami

Acquired New Jewelry

Learned How to Make Gnocchi

Ate Horse for Breakfast
Witnessed the Northern Lights

Passed my Praxis Test and Became a Licensed School Counselor

Got Married

Fulfilled my New Year's Resolution

2013 has some big shoes to fill.
Bring it on!!

2011
2010

A Mare-y Christmas

Keith and I spent Christmas with his family in British Columbia.  Despite the fact that I was completely sleep-deprived for the duration of the trip, we had a great time.  I am so thankful for his family's generosity to us.  It is so nice to have a place to stay, food to eat, and family to be with.

We had a lot of fun over the 5 days we were there.  We went on a sleigh ride, saw a short Christmas play, played games, had a Christmas Eve party, saw Les Miserables, opened presents, hosted a murder mystery, and just had fun with everyone.

One of the highlights of the McLean Christmas traditions is the the traditional Dutch Christmas breakfast. There are meats and cheeses and rolls, butter and biscuits and chocolate sprinkles, and other goodies.  This year there was a special treat that wasn't on the table last Christmas: Horse Meat.

I know horse meat isn't widely available in the U.S., so let me describe it for you:  it is FANTASTIC!!  I loved it and thought it was super delicious.  Ours was very thinly sliced for sandwiches, was very dark red in color, and had a smoked, jerky-like taste to it.  Everyone said it was a salty meat, but I didn't think it was salty at all--I thought it was yummy.

So, next time you find yourself in front of a plate full of horse, think of me and dig in.

I hope you all had a great holiday!

Home

I was doing so well today.  I was up early, making pie and kneading dough, getting ready for our Thanksgiving feast.  I cut the ham and mixed the potatoes, candied the pecans, and tossed the salad.  I talked to my family via skype, cleaned the kitchen, and waited for the rest of the food to cook and for Keith to come home.  I was going to be just fine.

But then during dinner Keith said something about family and this place not being our HOME home.  And then he gave me a hug.  It was the hug that undid me, and I just couldn't take it any longer.  I was homesick.  Utterly and completely.

I thought that sitting down at my new digital piano (more on it later) might help to ease my heart.  I don't have much in the way of music yet, but I do have a Christmas album.  Thinking of Santa and snow, I flipped through the book and began to play.  But my fingers did not ring out the merry tunes of Yuletide.  Instead they strummed the chords of wistful longing.  Mirthless melodies were the only music that fit my melancholic mood, and Christmas is full of them.

It caused me to reflect that on this Thanksgiving, I am most grateful for HOME.  My home, Keith's home, OUR home.  I am thankful, not only for the roof above me and the walls around me, but for the feeling that home gives me, a sense of belonging and understanding.  I am such a lucky girl to have so many people to love and so many places to feel love back.

Even though I was missing home something fierce today, I still had a great Thanksgiving.  And I think I showed Keith a little more of what TRUE Thanksgiving is all about.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

Preamble to Thanksgiving

I'm sure that I have mentioned many times on this blog that Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday.  There is just something magical about the day and the bird and the pie, don't you think?  This year, as I am far away from home, Thanksgiving is going to be a bit different in food and in celebration.  As we have already celebrated the holiday Canadian-style, and because I can only eat/cook one whole poultry a year, our menu is going to have some variations.  Yep, that's right, instead of the traditional American meal, we're going to have the good old traditional Utahn meal of ham, funeral potatoes, and jello.  Yummy!  Keith has to work (as Thursday isn't a holiday here), so I'll be home all alone in my kitchen all by myself instead of with my mom and my sisters.  Lame.  Yet, I am determined to make it a good day--and by a good day, I mean the best-by-gone-it Thanksgiving ever!!!

Anyway, I read this article on Yahoo today, and I thought it was a good introduction to the day with some fun Thanksgiving Day facts.  It definitely gets me excited for the holiday.  Maybe I'll even eat my Thanksgiving this year the same way the pilgrims did.  Who needs a fork anyway...?

Remembrance

In Canada, everyone wears a poppy on Remembrance Day (Veterans Day).
It is an outward sign of appreciation for those who have and do serve in the armed services,
and is a reference to the poem "In
Flanders Fields" by John McCrae.

I think it is pretty neat to see so many wearing the small red flower and showing their support.

Happy Remembrance Day!

Canadian Thanksgiving

We just celebrated Thanksgiving here in Canada.  Considering that Canadians were actually the first to celebrate Thanksgiving, it just isn't quite the same as the American holiday.  They put up a good show, but we Americans know how to party right.

Anyway, we kind of spread the holiday over two days.  We were originally going to just have dinner on Monday (the holiday), but then we were invited to the neighbors for dinner on Sunday.  So, we split our food and had Thanksgiving twice.  

On Sunday I cooked the duck we bought in place of a turkey.  I'd never cooked a duck before, and it probably isn't something I'll make too often in the future.  It was easy to do, but there is very little meat on a duck and it dries out easily.  I made a salad and cooked up our apple pie, and took it upstairs where we added ribs and mashed potatoes to the table.

Monday was a little more traditional.  I whipped up stuffing, potatoes, yams, and Yorkshire pudding that we ate with chicken legs.

Overall it was a good holiday.  Any ideas on how to make American Thanksgiving spectacular in a foreign country?

Thoughts on Christ

I love hearing Elder Holland speak of Jesus Christ.

Happy Easter!

Easter Eve

We had a lot of family activities today, all of which were centered on the fun of Easter: big bunnies, plastic eggs, and more candy than a kid needs.  While the day was good, these activities in no way indicate the true reason for Easter or its significance.  And so, instead of recapping our day, I thought I'd simply leave you with a hymn, and with a prayer that this Easter Sunday inspires in you a greater hope in Jesus Christ and in His coming again.

He is Risen

He is risen! He is risen!

Tell it out with joyful voice.

He has burst his three days’ prison;

Let the whole wide earth rejoice.

Death is conquered; man is free.

Christ has won the victory.

Come with high and holy hymning;

Chant our Lord’s triumphant lay.

Not one darksome cloud is dimming

Yonder glorious morning ray,

Breaking o’er the purple east,

Symbol of our Easter feast.

He is risen! He is risen!

He hath opened heaven’s gate.

We are free from sin’s dark prison,

Risen to a holier state.

And a brighter Easter beam

On our longing eyes shall stream.

Text: Cecil Frances Alexander, 1818–1895

Leaping

According to the old folk tradition,
a woman may propose to her boyfriend on Leap Day and he must accept. 

With this in mind, I sent Keith a text this morning.
I proclaimed my love for him and then asked if he would marry me.  

His response?

"I suppose."

The man makes me swoon.

A Post in Which I Vent

Life has been a little crazy lately.  I'm not really sure why it has been crazy, considering that it has been no different than it has been for the last 4 months, but maybe I'm just a little more tired of it?  Tired of working every night until 6:00.  Tired of zooming back and forth between my internship and my job.  Tired of a long-distance relationship.  Tired of not being where I want to be.

It isn't that things are bad...I'm just ready for things to move on and progress.  I need my internship to be over with so that I can graduate.  I need to graduate so I can go back to working a full-time job.  I need to go back to working a full time job so that I have money.  I need to have money so that I can get married.  I need to get married so that I don't have to spend $500 every time I want to see my boyfriend.

So yes, I'm ready for things to change. 

But then, I just need to remember how good I really do have it.  I have a job that works with my schedule and lets me have time to complete my internship hours.  I am placed at a school that is awesome with a great supervisor and a great faculty.  I have a really cute and funny boyfriend that misses me as much as I miss him.  And I only have to survive for 101 more days.  I can do that, right?

Right??

Here's to the Year: 2011

To be very truthful, 2011 was a very trying year.  Ideas have been doubted, relationships have been tested, and faith has been challenged.  While, for the most part, I have had fun and I accomplished great things, it has been a year of sorrow and stress. And so, I am not sad to see the year end and I am ready to move on.

As a farewell to 2011, here are some of the more noteworthy things that have happened in my life over the last 365 days. 

In 2011, I...

Lost a brother

Made homemade shui jiao

Was threatened with a CNN exposé

Grew out and donated my hair to charity

Blogged every day for 2 straight months

Became a television commercial star

Wrote a poem about donuts

Discovered my mother's very sharp vision

Ate school lunch for the first time in a long time

Milked my first cow

Went cross-country skiing for the first time

Fell in love with Gus

Nearly chopped off my thumb

Bought a new car and said goodbye to the old

Won a Jane Austen giveaway

Had my first taste of Ketchup flavored potato chips

Rode a camel

Went to my last graduate class

How was your 2011?

  

P.S.:  I think 2012 is going to be a great year!  Aren't you excited to see what happens?? :)

Read 2010's Here to the Year list here.

A Letter of Apology

Dear Family,

We had fun together this past weekend, didn't we?  We had parties, ate good food, told jokes and stories, and generally had a good time. 

I would like to apologize, however, if any of you soon fall ill.  Remember how two summers ago I wrote this post about the time I was six and was blamed for the neighborhood epidemic of chicken pox?  At the time of writing, I thought I had strep and had been spreading my germs all Memorial Day weekend.  Luckily for you, it turned out to be only mono.  Unlucky for me, it turned out to be only mono...

Anyway, yesterday I came down with a sore throat.  And this morning my tonsils broke out into spots.  And this afternoon I was told I was positive for strep.  So, if you get sick, it's probably because I was spreading my germs all Thanksgiving Day weekend.  Sorry.  I seem to have a thing for infections and holidays. 

Lucky for you, I will be out out town for Christmas.  So feel free to party without me, healthy and happy.  However, don't come around for New Year's: we are notorious for our New Year's Day stomach bugs.

With love and regret,

Jill

An End to the Weekend

The end of Thanksgiving weekend is a good thing.  No more parties, no more food, no more entertaining.  And though I know that tomorrow is still considered the weekend, for me it means that I can finally do what the weekend is meant for.  Tomorrow I can just sleep in, sit still, and relax.  It will be nice.

However, the end of Thanksgiving does mean the beginning of Christmas.  Which means that, as I am leaving for Canada in three weeks from earlier today, and all my Christmas shopping must be done before I go, I only have 2 more Saturdays to buy it all. 

I better get busy.

Hangover

I blinked my eyes and opened them the merest slit, peering into the total darkness.  Good, I thought, it isn't morning yet.  I can go back to sleep.  But then the phone rang and there was an unusual amount of noise and voices coming from upstairs for the middle of the night.  And I really didn't remember ever getting ready for bed.  Realization then came--it wasn't the middle of the night, it was the middle of the evening, and I had fallen asleep.  Fall asleep, that is, for five whole hours.  And as I checked the time and saw that I had slept through the afternoon and evening and that it was now 9:00 at night, I had only one thought in mind: Curse that Black Friday.

It's true.  Even after all our complaints against the day, and our swearing last year to never again participate, we once again were caught in the current of commercialism, and we once again shopped to the death on Black Friday. 

We left the house at approximately 11:00 Thanksgiving evening, returned home at 2:40 the next morning, and were out again before 6:00.  We shopped the night and into the morning away.  We stood in check-out lines near to hours, we were pushed and shoved, we shared stories and tales of battle wounds from wars in years past, and we survived.

Looking back at the purchases our fury and extreme tiredness bought, it probably wasn't worth the blood, sweat, and tears (literally), and somethings may be going back, but the experience was exhilarating. 

Exhilarating, that is, until you crash at 4:00 that afternoon.

Thanks

I had a great Thanksgiving today.  The food was great, the company was greater, and it was just an awesome day.  I am so thankful for all that I have.  I am one lucky girl to be so blessed.  And I give you, in no particular order, 10 of things I am grateful for:

1. My family. They rock!
2. My boyfriend.  He rocks, too!
3. A job that I actually enjoy.
4. The opportunities I have had to gain an education.
5. My friends, even if I haven't hung out with them in ages.
6. Modern Technology.
7. The Gospel and personal revelation.
8. Jesus Christ.
9. Music, both spiritual and silly; and
10. Good hair days, because every girl needs one now and then.

There are so many more things that I am grateful for, and I could never name them all.  Besides, it is T minus 36 minutes until midnight and Black Friday, and that, my friends, means it is time to SHOP!!!

Happy Thanksgiving, Ya'll!!!