Our Weekend Getaway

Keith and I went down to the lower mainland this last weekend.  Because it was Thanksgiving weekend, Keith had an extra day off.  It was a short trip, as we headed down Saturday morning and were home Sunday evening, but we had a blast.

We had a little snow on the way down...

We were supposed to make it in time to go to a temple session on Saturday, but we got a late start and didn't get into town until well after the last session of the day began.  We ran around a little bit, trying to get a replacement to the new malfunctioning laptop we had bought online.  Luckily, we got it all sorted out without too much trouble.  We had time to eat a really late lunch with Keith's cousin, Jade, before checking into our hotel.  I had booked our lodgings on one of those websites where you select the price, rather than the hotel, and don't quite know what you are getting.  I was secretly delighted to find that instead of one big bed in the room, we had 2 doubles.  I love my husband, but I really love having my own bed.  We quickly changed and freshened up, and headed out.

So close!  You can actually see the border crossing from the freeway.

The event for the evening was the wedding reception for Keith's coworker, Tariq, and his bride, Shazia.  Tariq was born in Fiji but moved to Canada when he was a child.  Once he reached marriageable status, his father returned to Fiji to find him a bride.  Tariq and Shazia were married in Fiji over a year ago (just a week or so after Keith and I got married), but had troubles getting Shazia into the country.  She finally made it in, so they were finally celebrating.  I'm not exactly sure all of their cultural ties, but both Tariq and Shazia are Muslim and East Indian, though they are both from Fiji.  There were a lot of people at the wedding reception, perhaps 250-300.  Out of all of those people, only 10 or so women were wearing Western-style clothing (me included).  All of the other women were wearing beautiful saris.  Some women had their heads covered, but all of them looked wonderful in their cultural dress.  It was so neat to see, even if I was the minority.  Shazia's dress was the most extravagent (of course, as she was the bride).  It was beaded and sparkly the whole way down.  It was absolutely gorgeous!

Shazia's dress was amazing!

Sunday morning we went to sacrament meeting at the chapel next to the temple.  We then headed toward home, stopping at the graves of Keith's Oma and Aunt Yvette.  It was a jam-packed mini-vacation, but it was great!  Then, to make the weekend even better, we had Thanksgiving dinner on Monday.  Delicious!

A beautiful Sunday morning

P.S. Another item crossed off of my life list!  I've always wanted to go to an Indian wedding.  Even though this was just a reception instead of a ceremony, I'm going to count it.  I think it is the closest I'm going to get.

5 Things

1. I attended a cooking class with Megan the other night.  We learned how to make gnocchi.  Now, not only  am I a gnocchi-making fiend, I can finally cross off the first item on my life list for 2012 ("Take some random and ridiculous class").  Nothing is as random as gnocchi.
2. My dad had the hiccups the other day.  This is significant for 2 reasons.  First, in all my 28 years, I don't think I had ever heard my father hiccup (my mother, who has been married to him for almost 33 years, acknowledge the same fact).  And second, I now know where I inherited my very loud and often uncontrollable hiccuping.
3. Last night I saw the Hunger Games with my friends Jill and Crystal.  I thought the movie very well done and it was so fun to go with my girls!  I did shed a tear or two when Rue died, but it was much better controlled then the buckets I cried when I read the scene in the book.
4. Friday night I attended my mission reunion.  I only went because Sister Yang, my second to last mission companion and my trainee from Taiwan, was going to be there and I haven't seen her for 5 years.  It was great to see her and nice to get a hug from President and Sister Nielson, even though I didn't know anyone else there, couldn't find a parking spot within a block of the church, and was falling asleep during the devotional. 
5. As April is National Poetry Month and as I feel like I should show my blog some love, I've decided to sign up for Nablopomo again.  Do you know what that means?  That means that not only do I get to blog every day for the month, I also get to write some poems.  Lucky you. 

Mmm, Mmm, Margherita

Today I made a Margherita pizza.  Oh my, it was yummy.  I was going to take a picture of its glorious beauty, but my rechargeable batteries were dead.  So I swapped the set in the camera for another set of rechargeables.  But they were dead too.  I then changed them for a set of regular double A's.  As those were just as lifeless, I decided to give up.  So, no pictures, but trust me, it was good.

So here's what to do:  Make your favorite pizza crust.  Splash a few drops of balsamic vinegar on the dough.  Place sliced tomatoes, sprinkle fresh basil, and cube some fresh mozzarella.  Bake it in the oven until the crust is golden brown and the cheese is melty and bubbly.  Eat all.

It would probably be best to pre-bake your crust, as my cheese was done far before the crust was.  Maybe drain some juice off of the tomatoes to keep the pizza from being so wet.  And make sure it has lots of cheese.

Enjoy!

Living and Dying

My sister asked me the other day if I was dying.

She wondered why I was in such a hurry to cross things off of my Life List.

I told her it was because I need things to blog about.

Plus, there is so much to do in life: why not get started now?

However, Life is about to end--

Because working 40 hours and interning 15 hours a week is going to be death.

Got Milk?

Yesterday, I milked a cow for the very first time.

And you know what? 

I am a cow-milking pro.

Seriously. 

I think I have missed my calling in life.

Nothing like sushi and cows with the girls.

Thanks, Carrie and Erin!

You can go milk a cow, too!! 

Wheeler Farm has cow milking ever day at 4:15 and 5:00 and it only costs $0.50 a person.

Fun!

I Rode a Camel

Yes.

I.



Did.

One more thing to cross off my life list.

And it only cost me $6!

Oops, I Did it Again

Guys,  I am a glutton for punishment.  I just signed up with the same group that I supposedly signed up with last month to blog straight through the month.  There are two reasons why I did this.

1. I really rather enjoyed myself the last time.  It was kind of fun, and it gave me something to do every day, even though sometimes it was difficult.  And I would much rather be blogging than doing my homework.
2. As I was adding to my life list yesterday, I noticed that I had "Enter a writing contest" on there.  It just so happens that the group is having a writing contest for July, but you have to be blogging every day in order to enter.  And since I just really want to cross things off my list, I decided to have one more go.

So, you can once again sit by your computer with the mouse on the refresh button, anticipating my daily posts. 

You are so lucky.

Blogging Blunder

Do you know what is disappointing? 

Blogging every day for a month only to find out 29 days into the month that the group you signed up with to blog every day for a month doesn't even have you on their list as one who was going to blog every day for a month so you blogged every day for a month for nothing is disappointing.

Nonetheless, I made it.  I blogged every day this month.  30 days in a row.  I didn't skip once, not even when I had nothing to blog about.

Sorry to make you suffer.

But hey, I'm proud of myself.  In fact, today I added "Blog every day for a month" to my "Life List" just so I could cross it off. 

I feel so accomplished.

And...Cut!

When you get rid of this:

You get this:



As for me, I LOVE it!!

I just hope my boyfriend still recognizes me...

I got my hair cut at Landis Salon in Salt Lake.

The massage chairs and magic fingers were amazing!!

And...another life list item complete! I'm sending my hair here.

I Love the Smell of Soy Sauce in the Morning

Question #1:

What do you do when your boyfriend lives in Canada,

your parents have gone out for the evening,

and you have the house all to yourself on a Friday night?

Answer #1: 

Make Shui Jiao!!!

I've been wanting to make my own shui jiao since I came home from my mission.

It only took me 2 hours to make 3 dozen, but it was so worth it.

Throw all of your ingredients into a bowl.

Mix it all together.



Stuff your wrappers.



Boil.  Eat with soy sauce.



 Question #2:

What do you do when you have left over wonton wrappers?

Answer #2:

Make dessert!!

Baked Strawberry Cream Cheese Wonton Cups

Ingredients for shui jiao: ground pork, cabbage, green onions, ginger, garlic, soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame seed oil, wonton wrappers, water.

Ingredients for dessert wontons: wonton wrappers, cream cheese, powdered sugar, strawberry jam, butter, sugar.

You Had to See it to Believe it

Myth #1:  Snow is cold.

     True.  After a while, it freezes to the inside of your pant legs.

Myth #2:  Golf courses are just for golf.

     False.  You can do other things than golf on a golf course.

Myth #3:  Snow ruins a digital camera.

      False.  A digital camera that has been sitting in the snow for at least 30 minutes still turns on and works as well as it did before it sat for in the snow for 30 minutes much to the consternation of the owner who was wishing this was the excuse to buy a new one.

Myth #4:  Purple gloves are a fashion statement.

      False.  But they work well with an all black ensemble.

Myth #5:  If you strap narrow strips of wood and other materials to Jill's feet, she is going to fall down.

     True.  Jill has terrible balance.

Myth #6:  Jill went skiing.

     TRUE!!!  And she didn't die!

Thanks Erin and Travis!!

Note to Self: Next Time Wear Black

I went to my first ever Zumba class last night.  And I'll tell you what: it was fast, it was hot, it was sweaty, and I completely stuck out in my bright red/orange exercise pants (I dislike mirrored walls).

But it was actually really fun, even though I thought I was going to die within the first twenty minutes. And although it cost $5/hour, and I know I'm going to be super sore later today, I'll probably be going back soon.  Want to come?

POST EDIT: Zumba is a Latin dance-like exercise class.  I went to Expressions Dance on Hwy 89.  It costs $5 for 1 class or $40 for a 10 class punch card.  They have classes most week nights and some mornings.

Sun, Salt, and Spirals

Today I went to the Spiral Jetty.

Between the salt, rocks, lizards, cow pies, jack rabbits, dirt, and dead pelicans,

it was quite the adventure.

It was hot.  And bright. 

And I got a little sunburned.

But it was awesome.

Thanks, Erin and Amanda,
for helping me cross another item off my "To Do List",

and for making my 12th grade Art History dream come true!

One Potato, Two Potato, Three Potato, Four

I grew sweet potatoes.

Sweet!

Park City

Saturday I was able to go with one of my mission companions, Erin, her husband, Travis,

and our new friend Zhang Li Juan from China to Park City. 

We took a ski lift up the mountain

and walked around a bit at the top.

And I quickly realized my Chinese is as rusty as this old tower.

Then  we went to Olympic Park

And watched aerial practice.

And what trip to Park City is complete without lunch and a stop at the Outlet mall?

We had so much fun and enjoyed being tourists for the day.

The best part was that I got to practice my Chinese.

You can definitely tell it's been a long time since you've conversed in the dulcet tones when,

after speaking Chinese for 7 hours straight, you are completely, mindnumbingly exhausted.

Who knew Chinese took so much brain power?

CANADA!!!

I had so much fun in Vancouver. It really is a shame I had to come home (although I don't think my mother would have appreciated it if I had stayed...)

Some of what I did while I was there:

• I crossed the border! My first time into Canada!
• 5-pin bowling (something they don't have in the United States). I came in second with 105 points, just 4 points behind the leader. Not bad for a novice, if I do say so myself.
• Chinatown
• The OLYMPICS!!! We ended up getting tickets to the Women's Hockey Canada vs. Slovakia game. The score ended up at 18-0 Canada. Poor Slovakia. It was still a good game, though.
• Stanley Park and the sea wall.
• The Vancouver Temple is being dedicated in May. Anyone want to go?
• Golden Ears Mountain. Seems a little green for February, doesn't it?
• And of course I hung out with Keith. What else would I have gone there for? :)

More pictures here.