BYU Reminiscing

It has been 10 years since I graduated college with my bachelors degree. On one hand, I can't believe it's been that long! On the other, every one of those years has been amazing and I wouldn't trade them for anything.

This week I had a chance to go walk around campus for a little bit. I love going down for Education Week!

These stone panel things line the walls of the library stairwell. I forgot how awesomely 70's they are.

I spent many hours on the top floor of this library. These desks make a handy place to catch a nap between classes.

 This library has stacks and stacks of books...

 A plethora of books. A gaggle of books. A heap-load of books.

Have I mentioned how cool the library is on this campus? It has some of the best reading and studying spots.

It has skylights that make the basement levels bright and cheery. Bright enough to grow trees.

They hang cool sculptures, just because. It's the thing to do.

 The demographic is a little older, but the scene of crowded paths is familiar.

The hike up to the Y is perfect for a Monday night Family Home Evening.

I was pretty happy the clouds decided to roll in yesterday. It cooled things off.

Sometimes I forget how tall the mountains are in Utah County. One of my goals is to make it to the top of Timp in the near future. Near is a flexible term. Like, before I die.

Ah...the bell tower. Chimes out "Come, Come Ye Saints" every hour on the hour.

Universities are so darn photogenic! I hope to keep having the chance to visit every now and then.

Salt Lake is a pretty cool place to visit too.

Weber County Fair

Last week I went to the Weber County Fair. I'm not sure why, but I've never watched horse pulling at a fair before.

 They are beautiful creatures.

 I'm talking about the horses.

 This little guy was pretty cute too.

They hook the horses up to a sled with more and more weight, and the winner is the team who pulls the most weight.

 The surroundings were breathtaking as the sun went down.

 Did I mention the sky was amazing?

It was pretty cool.

 These were the heavy weight class. I learned they weigh the horses as a team.

I think I might have mentioned I liked the sky.

I didn't get any pictures, but I rounded out the night by watching the hypnotist with some cute pre-teen girls. It was an awesome night.

Food Quotes and Other Randomness

I'm going through some electronic clutter at work. I came across this list of food quotes I compiled a while back. They make me smile. And what better reason to post for the first time in 6 months than to make it about food!!

All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn’t hurt.

Charles M. Schulz

I love you like a fat kid loves cake!

                 Scott Adams

Popcorn for breakfast! Why not? It’s a grain. It’s like, like, grits, but with high self esteem

                 James Patterson, The Angel Experiment

Writers fish for the right words like fishermen fish for, um, whatever those aquatic creatures with fins and gills are called

                Jarod Kintz, This is the best book I’ve ever written, and it still sucks

The only time to eat diet food is while you’re waiting for the steak to cook.

                Julia Child

Part of the secret of success in life is to eat what you like and let the food fight it out inside.

                Mark Twain

What I say is that, if a man really likes potatoes, he must be a pretty decent sort of fellow.

                A.A. Milne

I am not a glutton – I am an explorer of food.

                Erma Bombeck

We must have a pie. Stress cannot exist in the presence of a pie.

                David Mamet, Boston Marriage

How can you govern a country which has 246 varieties of cheese?

                Charles de Gaulle

Ice cream is exquisite. What a pity it isn’t illegal.

                Voltair

I had a missed call. It’s probably the all you can eat buffet calling to say, “Come back! We know you can eat just a little bit more.”

                Jarod Kintz, At even one penny, this book would be overpriced. In fact, free is too expensive, because you’d still waste time by reading it.

I am at the moment writing a lengthy indictment against our century. When my brain begins to reel from my literary labors, I make an occasional cheese dip.

                John Kennedy Toole, A Confederacy of Dunces

Blood may be thicker than water, but it’s certainly not as thick as ketchup. Nor does it go as well with French fries.

                Jarod Kintz

You can tell a lot about a lot about a fellow’s character by his way of eating jellybeans.

                Ronald Regan

Whoever thought a tiny candy bar should be called fun size was a moron.

                Glenn Beck

Tofu tacos are not Mexican. I think putting tofu on anything and calling it Mexican is an insult to my people.

                Simone Elkeles, Rules of Attraction

If you’re afraid of butter, use cream.

                Julia Child

The thought of two thousand people crunching celery at the same time horrified me.

                George Bernard Shaw

Tomatoes and oregano make it Italian; wine and tarragon make it French. Sour cream makes it Russian; lemon and cinnamon make it Greek. Soy sauce makes it Chinese; garlic makes it good.

                Alice May Brock

Always serve too much hot fudge on hot fudge sundaes. It makes people overjoyed, and puts them in your debt.

                Judith Olney

A good cook is like a sorceress who dispenses happiness.

                Elsa Schiaparelli

The cucumber and the tomato are both fruit; the avocado is a nut. To assist with the dietary requirements of vegetarians, on the first Tuesday of the month a chicken is officially a vegetable.

                Jasper Fforde, Shades of Grey

Waffles are like pancakes with syrup traps.

                Mitch Hedberg

“Have you tried the cinnamon things?” Poppet asks. “They’re rather new. What are they called Widge?”

“Fantastically delicious cinnamon things?”

                Erin Morgenstern, The Night Circus

Thanks cow. I appreciate your tastiness.

                Craig Ferguson

He was chugging brown pop from a can Jack handed him while he stuffed nacho cheese Doritos in his face. I was glad to see he looked lots better, almost completely like himself, which proves Doritos and brown pop really are health foods.

                P.C. Cast, Hunted

Pull up a chair. Take a taste. Come join us. Life is so endlessly delicious.

                Ruth Reichl

Bacon is the candy of meat.

                Kevin Taggart

What kind of person doesn’t let you have gummi bears?

                LIbba Bray, Beauty Queens

I suppose there are people who can pass up free guacamole, but they’re either allergic to avocado or too joyless to live.

                Frank Bruni, Born Round: The Secret History of a Full-time Eater

I like food that speaks to me. Food like French toast, English muffins, and Deviled eggs. Oh, oval embryonic spawn of chicken, why has thou deceived me?

                Jarod Kintz, $3.33

First we eat, then we do everything else.

                M.F.K. Fisher

I’m pretty sure that eating chocolate keeps wrinkles away because I have never seen a 10 year old with a Hershey bar and crows feet.

                Amy Neftzger

Fruit and vegetables and the sort of things that Uncle Vernon called “rabit food”

                J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

End of the Year Musings

At the transition of a year, it is easy to take a few minutes and look back over what the last 12 months have brought to my life. Clear back at the beginning of this year, a friend of mine encouraged me to take a "one word" challenge and spend the year focusing on one specific goal, or at least using that word to help me find a common theme for all of my goals. I chose the word Love. It was a great experience and while many of the thoughts and growth are things I'll keep close, I hope it changed me in only good ways.

Since my first shot at this went so well, I want to give it another try this next year. And I am hoping my amazing and awesome friend does not mind if I forge a parallel path to her this year. As we talked about it, she told me the word she wants to focus on is Courage. I find myself equally in need of developing this particular trait, and I would like to join her in the journey. Or maybe Confidence. Decisiveness? It's a quandary!

Winter is fully here and I love the icicles that are hanging down from my roof. I think they frame the view of the mountains nicely.

I spent the holidays surrounded by my family, and - as always - I remember how much I love those I don't get to see very often. The little boys are so full of life. My brother and sister are both so kind, and my brother-in-law and sister-in-law bring so much to the mix! I am so grateful I get to be a part of their family.

This is about as close as my little niece would let me get to her. As long as she was safe in the arms of one of her parents or one of her handsome nephews (the girl loves men!!) she might consider letting me look at her. My mom later told me that this is karma coming back on me, because I did the same thing to my aunt at this age! Oh well. This little one is a doll with her head of long curly hair and eye lashes that go on for days. She's got my heart whether or not she wants me around right now! I'll win her over.

This little guy has personality like no one's business. He got a mummy book for Christmas. It is one he's checked out from the library before, and he has it memorized. He took it to a talent show and shared with all the other kids the different ways mummies can be made. "THIS one is frozen...and THIS one is dried...and THIS one is wrapped..."

I love that I have family close enough to celebrate milestones together. Birthdays and holidays mean so much more when you get to spend them with those you love.

It's not the size of the fish. It's the size of the fight IN the fish.
That's what I'll tell myself.

When the cold weather comes, I am glad that I get to look back and have minutes like this to pull from my memory bank. It warms my heart even if it doesn't chase the chill from my toes!

I continue to be grateful that I have such a wonderful job in such a great place. There is beauty around me every day, and the people are even better.

All in all, I have to say that this year has helped me appreciate so many blessings I have. There have been some challenges but I think those can make the good time all the better.

Insignificant

I have had a few posts started in my mind for the last couple of days. Posts about a week-by-week breakdown of life with an appendage in a cast. Musings on the Christmas season. Humor about things in life around me that tickle my funny bone.

But somehow, with today's events in Connecticut, all of that seems insignificant. Maybe there is something about being in a place that makes you have greater empathy when a tragedy strikes the area. I felt that way when the earthquake struck New Zealand and did damage to this beautiful cathedral.

My heart hurt when I saw this building in the rubble.

Though I have no significant ties to the area, I did spend a morning driving through the beautiful woods of Connecticut just a few weeks ago. And I ache for the children and families and adults and mothers and fathers whose lives were changed today. I mourn for the loss of innocence those kids experienced in a moment. It does not take much effort to search the memory files in my mind to find events that affected me at that age.

I find it miraculous that so many of those kids will get a hug from their mom or dad and cry a few tears, then be ready to go out and play. The resilience of children really is amazing.

Equally tragic is the earlier shootings this week in Oregon. While the death toll was smaller, those numbers are insignificant. Not because it means less to have 2 people killed verses 26. But just because each individual was someone special. Every single life is precious and tragedy isn't necessarily tied to a number or body count.

I hope I never miss a chance to tell someone I love them. To hug them close and let them know they are important to me. Life can change in an instant.

The Last Month

The last month has been a good one, but with a few unexpected twists. The first was a quick trip back to Boston for work. I got my first glimpse of the Atlantic Ocean, and spent some quality time admiring the beautiful scenery between research visits. The second day we were there, we finished up right in downtown and walked the Freedom Trail on our way to dinner.

Pretty, isn't it!! I was so grateful for the chance to get to see a little bit of one of the cities central in the founding of this country.

One of the places I got to visit was ESPN. It had me wishing (just a tiny little bit) that I was more into sports, because I think I would have had a better appreciation. However, that didn't stop me from jumping at the opportunity to sit behind one of the broadcast desks when given the chance!

We decided we make a pretty dynamic duo. I'll provide the sarcasm and he can provide the actual sports commentary. Seems feasible.

Did I mention a cute little kid had a birthday right before I left? Look at that face!

So back to Boston...on the night of the Freedom Trail, fate (and my inherent sense of grace) intervened to change my holiday season. One of the cobblestones and I had a little disagreement. Since it had been there longer, I decided it to let it win the argument. My ankle paid the price. **WARNING: Images may not be suitable for people who don't like seeing big bruises and other stuff. These are probably the same people who leave bruises alone. Then there are the rest of us who poke them every 5 minutes and say, "Yup! Still hurts!"

Here is the big beauty on the night I "sprained" it. I can't figure out if I am stubborn, stupid, or just have a high tolerance for pain. I walked on it for a couple miles and a couple more hours that night. Honestly? Looking at this takes me back to the pain...and it hurt!! Luckily I found out one of my co-workers had some sports medicine experience, and he can wrap a mean ankle. We picked up a bandage at a cute little pharmacy in the Italian district. This little old man with a mustache was behind the counter and he was arguing with another old man. I loved the charm of the situation.

By the time I got home, the foot had swollen up pretty good, and check out the bruising!!! This is injury heaven for a bruise-poker like me.

The second coolest part of the injury was watching the progression of the bruise. Every day I couldn't wait to see where it was going to show up next! It made it all the way to my stubby little toes and turned them purple. This is when I learned that orange nail polish does not go well with a bruised foot. The color combo freaked me out and I took it right off after I put it on. At this point, I decided to get a professional opinion. Guess what? My sprained ankle was done broke!

The first doctor was good to me, and decided to put me in a walking boot. The second doctor (specialist) wasn't as nice, and decided that I needed to be in a hard cast. And on crutches. No weight on the foot for a full month!! Yeah, right. I pretty much suck at that, but I am trying. But as a bonus, I got to fulfill one of my silly elementary school wishes and have people sign my cast.

Of all of them, this one might be my favorite. My niece drew a picture of me. With my cast. :)

And since I have to wear FrankenBoot everywhere I go, I decided to glam it up a bit and add some sparkle. This was the concession I made because I decided to be conservative and go with a black cast instead of some crazy color. I do conservative so well. As long as it has some sparkle!

Crutches are kind of hard to use. I was lucky enough during week 2 to get a hook-up for this sweet ride. And then my co-workers thought it needed to be tricked up, so now it has a headlight, tail light, and some sweet green downlight. And sparkly Christmas balls!!

Not that I am counting, but I have a week and five days left until the visit when I hope to have the cast removed. Just in time to go skiing for Christmas! Just kidding.

The Best Ones

I love giving out candy on Halloween. Mostly because I love the little ones who come up to the door in the most adorable costumes so that it takes all my will power not to go "Awwwww...cute!" Sometimes I wait til the door is closed and do that anyway! So here are my top 3 favorites from last night.

1. A little boy about 6 or so that I gave a Kit Kat. He turned to his mom on the sidewalk and shouted, "Mom, look! It's my favorite!!"
2. A little ladybug with sparkly boots who got pulled out of her stroller right at the end of my porch. When her mom put her down, she was more interested in using her new-found freedom to try running off the porch instead of coming to get candy. When I got down on her level and offered her a box of Milk Duds, we became fast friends.
3. One little guy who came up to the door with his big brothers and sisters. They had got the doorbell and I was handing out candy, and this little guy wanted more than anything to ring the doorbell! That big glowing light on the door frame was more exciting than anything I could give him. It made me sad he was too little to reach it!! I tried to pick him up to get him higher, but that freaked him out more than anything and he forgot he wanted to hit the button.

Here were the least favorite.

1. Two women who looked like they were in their 30's. No kids with them. Seriously?
2. The teenager who towered over me and when I went put a piece in his bag, he leaned over and looked in my bucket to see what else I had. Hmm.