Enough Said

St. George

Last week I escaped to Southern Utah for some rest and relaxation. My ward planned a trip down and I jumped at the chance to join in. I had such an amazing time. I swam, hiked, slept, went to the temple, ate, laughed, played and most importantly made many new friends. Vacations rock.

Here we go again...

Do you remember the utter excitement and anticipation of summer break? I would count down the days until long lazy days of no responsibility and summer joys.  I miss those days. A lot. I feel that adults deserve a 2 1/2 - 3 month vacation right along with the kiddies. Of course, I guess if everyone took a summer vacation, our society would collapse. Blast.

Today I start another semester at the University of Utah. And, though I really do enjoy school...its beginning to wear on me. I have faith that if I work hard now, the payoff will come later. I just hope I can last. The ever impending due dates for homework assignments is getting a little old, but then I suppose that is one aspect of grown-up life I just have to accept. There will always be upcoming due dates, whether its bills, assignments at work, etc.

Today a friend of mine recommended that I make time for myself. So, this is my goal. This summer, though I will be in school and life will be crazy, I will make time for myself every single week. Time that I can do whatever I want to do. I have a feeling I'll be napping.

Food

Now that I live on my own I have the opportunity/responsibility to cook my own meals.

I am a penny pincher. I hate spending money if I don't have to. When it comes to food, I try to live on as little as possible. HOWEVER...occasionally I will have a desire to cook something delicious, usually a new recipe. (I rarely repeat these lavish dishes). So when I do cook, I go all out. I lay down loads of money for all the required ingredients, which often means adding to my spice collection which doesn't often come cheap. It also means I make an absolute mess of the kitchen, but I'm usually good about tidying up afterwards.

This week I am hosting a dinner party for two dear friends of mine and next week I am hosting another dinner event.

And so, two food items I pinned on Pinterest finally get a chance to shine.

Recipe #1  is the most labor intensive. I really hope it turns out. I've had a few too many fiascos in cooking that many more too close together might cause me to give up all together.

Recipe #2 is a crock pot recipe, which generally equates to EASY, though I've had a crock pot recipe turn out absolutely disgusting.

After all is said and done I'm usually so exhausted from cooking that I take a lengthy sabbatical before I give it another go.

So what do I normally eat? Good question...honestly I couldn't tell you.

Wish me luck!

P.S. - Tonight I made some oat bran muffins that called for apple sauce. I had none. Instead I pureed some canned peaches as a substitute. They tasted delicious. Victory!

The Joy of Helping Others

Today at work I had the task of helping a member who was having trouble logging in to see her online account. Since I am an expert at this subject I knew that the best way I could respond to her plea was to call her directly and assist her over the phone. She was quite frustrated and upset about not being able to log in. But I was confident I could help her succeed. After about a 15 minute conversation we said goodbye. She was happy and so was I because she had found success. I love my job when I know with 100% certainty I can help a person resolve their problem.

In other news, I invested in an air tight jar for my taffy at work. Taffy that once became harder than rocks is now staying fresh and squishy. And it makes me happy.

The End.