Gratitude

I have so many things to be grateful for, so I thought I'd start a list in honor of the season, and to make things efficient (which my husband would appreciate, being an engineer), I'll do it alphabetically *not including articles.

A:
Apples I don't know if they keep the doctor away, but I learned to love them in London, where I also developed the skill of eating all of them but the stem.

Atonement because where would we be without forgiveness? which I'm also grateful for, especially being able to forgive myself, which is hard.
B:
Breakfast because nothing builds up an appetite like sleeping 8 hours (if you're lucky). And really yummy breakfast foods are good any time of the day. Breakfast for dinner is the best invention ever.

The color blue since my team won on Saturday. (Go BYU) Why couldn't they have been good when I was actually going to their school?
C:
Chocolate because I wouldn't be a real girl if I wasn't grateful for that. Nothing gets you through a hard day like chocolate.

Children especially my nieces and nephew. They are so cute and I can give them back! The little kids in church are pretty cute to, especially the one that reminds me of my little sister at that age . . . So adorable.
D:
Dreams that include my high school friends that I haven't seen since my wedding or earlier. Like the one I had last night . . . Is Erin Wimmer pregnant?

Dish washers I realized how nice my new dish washer is when everything I previously hand washed seems to end up in there. (I also realized my own laziness.)
E:
Electricity despite the fact that my mother and several others think I was born in the wrong century, I really do appreciate electricity. I may be frustrated by the wiring of my house, but the fact that I can plug in a straightener and fifteen minutes later look fabulous is enough to make me rejoice.
F:
Family holidays are great and despite the fact that I spent about 6 hours putting up my mom's Christmas tree on Saturday, I'm still grateful for them. And for my husband's family. They're awesome. And for all my adopted families . . .

Friends especially the fact that I still have some after getting married. Social suicide? not for me.

Furniture we have some good stuff and it makes our old house look nice.
G:
Gifts not gonna lie, I love getting them. And if I do say so myself, I'm a pretty good giver. I put some thought into mine. And it's fun.

Gratitude it makes every situation better, and turns a bad day around in seconds. It's a sure fire way to happiness.
H:
Heat I love coming home to a warm house. And I'm hoping that maintaining the temp is less expensive than turning it up and down . . .

My Hair not only that I have some, but because I woke up one morning this week and it was freakishly long. Am I the only one this happens to?
I:
Ice Cream Always room for Jell-O? I don't think so. But there is always room for ice cream. And Christmas time means Peppermint flavor . . . yum.

Indoor Plumming can you imagine having to go out to the outhouse in the snow?
J:
My Job they make it really hard to decide to go back to school, since that means I would get less than a year working there. Everyone is so nice and I feel needed. That's always good.
K:
Kindness it's good from strangers, from family, from fellow drivers . . . good skill to learn
L:
Light what did people do before electricity? I would have burned down at least three houses with kerosine. Really.
M:
My Mom was really dedicated to us children and made every break fun. And she never yelled at us from when I was four or so on. I hope I'll be good too when the time comes.
N:
Newspapers since I have to look through them everyday at work, I've discovered the joy of being up on my current events. It makes otherwise awkward conversations go much smoother. And if you feel the need to talk to someone you don't have much in common with, you can expand the conversation exponentially (which can still be pretty short).
O:
Orange juice nothing makes a breakfast like orange juice. Mmmm, so tasty.
P:
Pets I spent a lot of time yesterday being amused by my friend's dog running down stairs, and since we are considering a pet for ourselves (a cat by necessity for the mice, a dog by choice) I'm grateful for their loving, amusing natures.

The Past although sometimes it frustrates my husband and I to talk about it sometimes, and although there's no way to go back and view things without hind sight. I realized yesterday watching the girls in my ward flirt with the boys, that I am slightly nostalgic, and I miss that simplicity, and I'm grateful for my past.

Patience hard to get, highly appreciated in others.
Q:
Quilts we got the most beautiful quilt for our wedding that I love. I love cuddling up with blankets and quilts are just special versions of those.
R:
Real life is so much better than movies. And that's what I looked forward to before I got married, and that's what I love now. Sure, it's crazy and I don't ever get to see my husband, and it's still like a stop light at the Indie500, but I love it.

The Radio my morning show gets me to work every day happy. And my car doesn't have excellent reception, but I get what I need.
S:
School though it's true I graduated, I'm never going to stop going to school. I love learning and after I finish law school, there's always another masters, or photography classes, or a pottery class . . . I could go on.

Surprises I love getting them (like when my husband bought a coat rack) and I love giving them. It's just so fun to keep a good secret for awhile.
T:
Teamwork Kindergarten teachers were right sharing is important, and nothing feels better than knowing people have your back and will come through when you need them.
U:
Umbrellas you never know how much you need them until you need them. And being wet all day at work or school is not fun. Plus mine is a Monet and it makes any precipitation more enjoyable.

Underwear I've never understood why going commando was good, or fun. And nothing makes like easier than a good bra.
V:
My Viola true, I haven't taken it out to play it in about a year, but it made a great object lesson for my Relief Society lesson.
W:
Water the best way to lose weight. Even though I just drink it to stay hydrated. But I couldn't live without it.

My Watch I feel naked without it, and I'm lost without the time.

Washing Machines me and washboards don't mix, unless it's in a band.
X?:
Does anyone have anything for x? I'd be grateful for x-rays, but I haven't had or needed one recently, so I'm not exceptionally grateful for them. Though I am grateful for technology in the medical field, and tv shows like House MD.
Y:
Yarn did you kno you can crochet almost anything? It's one of my favorite hobbies. I have a few afghans, but that also goes back to my love/need of blankets.
Z:
The Zoo of course. I still love going there. And I hear they have some fun things planned for the holidays and a brand new big cats exhibit. Nifty.

Okay so I could go on, but so could you I'm sure, so feel free to post some of yours. Happy Holidays!!

Thanksgiving dinner

So, Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday--of all the holidays. Not only is it a non-commercialized opportunity to express gratitude and appreciation for the many blessings of life, but you get to eat lots of really good food.

However, sadly, all of my family is scheduled to be at their in-laws for this, my favorite holiday, which sadened me to no end until my husband suggested that we make dinner and celebrate Thanksgiving the Sunday before at our house, which our family wanted to see anyway. So, despite the fact that my experience as a chef goes back about one month (since I got married, basically), I decided to take on the challenge of making a turkey and all the fixings. Well, almost all the fixings. I let my sister bring the yams since she loves them and volunteered. My other sister brought rolls, and my mom brought pomegranite salad, which is her family's staple Thanksgiving dish, and a personal favorite.

And the good news . . .

everything ended up perfectly. The turkey was great, moist and not overdone. The stuffing I made from scratch (with not much of a recipe) was delicious, which is saying something because I don't really like stuffing. And the green bean casserole was good. Amazing gravy, yummy mashed potatoes (is anyone else hungry now?). And the table looked great. We made limeade from scratch the Brazilian way, that was a big hit. And the house was clean, I had time to look good. But best of all . . . it wasn't even that stressful. We did a lot of the prep Saturday night and we had a solid plan for while the turkey was cooking. Everything came out at the right time and was hot at the same time. It was perfect. And then after dinner, we all got to talk and play games and we had some great bonding moments. I got to know my brother-in-law pretty well, which is great since I haven't seen him much and didn't feel like I knew him at all. And he's great.

Ahh . . . this is why Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday.

Remember when . . .

Remember how I like to play this game with people I know that goes "Remember when . . . " and then some shared event, or not. Like, remember when I wrote that poem about mushrooms? . . . that was cool. Something like that.

Well, it's kind of sad when you start playing that game with yourself. The other day I was playing Chuzzle, one of the MSN games and I got a match which started this killer chain reaction that honestly lasted for about 30 secs straight. It's the longest chain reaction I've gotten from any game ever. So once in awhile while I'm playing this game at work, trying to get past level 10 I say to myself mentally, remember when you got that killer chain reaction? . . . yeah, so do I. That was awesome.

Then I start questioning my mental health. I would say it's a sign that I've been single too long, but I'm not single any more. I'm sure my psychatrist would say it's perfectly healthy . . .

http://zone.msn.com/en/chuzzle/default.htm

Happiness is . . .

getting a new dishwasher, washer and dryer, and kitchen island all in one day.

planning a Thanksgiving dinner for the fam.

seeing an old friend.

having a quiet dinner at home.

learning something new about someone you've known forever.

drinking hot chocolate when your nose is cold.

keeping other people safe on the road (even if they don't necessarily appreciate it).

finally getting a project done.

singing!!

watching your favorite movie.

reading a good book.

having sugar around when you need an extra boost.

remembering someone's birthday.

being warm enough.

being around cute children.

petting a dog.

cuddling up with your husband on the couch.

feeling safe.

feeling needed.

having a job to do.

making a goal.

reaching a goal.

being grateful.


I love Thanksgiving!!!

Mushrooms

This is my ode to mushrooms:

I love mushrooms-
Fungi of my heart
How do you taste so pleasant?

Raw and crunchy
Or baked in garlic and oil
You always make a good thing better.

To the soggy mushrooms I pulled up from my lawn:
I don't feel bad
Because you probably would have killed me
If ingested.

But in the store
You tempt me from your
Styrofoam container and plastic wrap.

I add you to food
Whenever I can
Because you are the Fungi of my Heart.


So, if you share my love of mushrooms and have the desire to go out to eat. You should go to the Olive Garden and get their Portabello Raviolli. It is the most amazing thing I've ever eaten there, or in other Italian restaurants. I highly recommend it.

Advice

I just wanted to tell all the girls out there not to date more than one guy at a time. I know it sounds fun and we all wish we could be players, and it may even sound like the best option because you want to keep your options open and you can't decide how you feel about either one. But it's not. It never ever works. And it doesn't feel like you think it will. It's like how you always want to feel beautiful and wanted and you think that having two guys ask you out for the same dance make you feel good. But then it turns out to be the worst feeling of you life, worse then not being asked at all. . .

Well dating two guys is kind of like that. It's insanely difficult to keep everything straight, especially if they don't know about each other. You'll turn into a liar and that won't make you feel any better. And when they find out, you'll lose them both. I promise. No one likes to be played.

So just say no to dating two guys at once. Make a decision. If you're honest with the second guy up front, he might still be interested in you if things don't work out with the first guy.

And for any guys reading this, I hope you know by now that if you play around with girls' hearts, we black list you. And the Network is a powerful thing that you don't want to mess with. So don't you do it either.

Good times

Can I just tell everyone I love my husband. He's the best.

Yesterday, after I brought him dinner at work (I know, I'm pretty good too), I came home and cleaned the kitchen floor, finally (I swear, the renters before either left in a big hurry, or didn't understand the word 'clean' like I do. I've had to do a lot of work. That was the nice thing about renting apartments in Provo, you HAD to clean before you left, so when you move into a new place, that's one less thing to have to do. Lucky me, I get to do it all. Which reminds me, we need glass cleaner.) I've needed to clean it for awhile now so that we can put stuff in the bottom of our pantry. Anyway, too many gorey details I'm sure. So I finish and I'm just chillin' for awhile until my hubby gets home from work, debating about whether I should try to start arranging my books on the bookshelf, when I hear a car door and then someone opening the screen door. I double checked my watch as my husband wasn't supposed to be home for at least another hour. Sure enough it was him!! Not only did he surprise me by getting off work early so we could spend time together, but he brought me home flowers . . . for no reason. (eat your hearts out girls and good luck finding another good one.) So now I have fresh flowers on my table and a warm, fuzzy feeling in my heart. *Sigh*