Weekend Rundown

Saturday: After work I went and picked out a new bike. I am so excited! I haven’t had a bike since I got home from Brazil, and I really miss riding ( especially with gas prices so high!) There was a big Memorial Day sale going on, so my Dad helped me pick out a bike that will actually fit me and my short legs :) They had to put it together, so I can pick it up later this week!

Later that night I was working on a talk for a sacrament meeting the next day (I am still on the RM circuit with the High Counselors) When I got a call from a counselor in my Bishopric asking me to speak in my ward. Sadly, the topics were not the same, so I spent the rest of the evening preparing TWO talks.

Sunday: I gave my first talk at 9:00 and then ran to my ward to give my second talk at 11:00. I am SO glad to have those done. It wore me out completely! I also received a calling in my new ward (YAY!) I am on the enrichment committee. Later, we celebrated my Grandma’s birthday (which was fun!) and I went to bed at 9:00.

Monday: (memorial day) I went out to breakfast with my parents and grandparents, and then spent the afternoon playing wii with Lacey and Steve. I had only played it once before, but I liked it way better this time! Bowling was my favorite. Lacey had to repeatedly remind me to back away from the television. So much fun!

That night we had a bar-b-que (YUM!) and made a strawberry rhubarb coffee cake for desert. I know the picture looks like it could be Shepard's pie, but it really is coffee cake! The recipe was a bit more complicated than I was anticipating, but it turned out yummy! (except for the whole rhubarb part, I am just not a fan of the texture of the stuff. I just ate around it! Next time I am putting cherries or just strawberries in the middle!)

I hope you all had a great weekend and a happy Memorial Day!

It was a slow day at work . . .

. . . can you tell?

My Silly Dilemma

It has been a long time since I have had free time on my hands. Before I left for Brazil I was busy with school, and every possible moment was filled with mission preparation. Then there was the 18 months in Brazil with NO free time. I got home and started school right away, and since them have had school, work, homework and moving. There was very little spare time. Now school is over, so there is no more homework, and we are all moved in. I am working full time for now, but only until next week. So here is my dilemma – I don’t have hobbies. I don’t know what to do when I have free time! Saturday afternoon was the first time I have had just a big block of time with nothing to do. It was a weird feeling! I ended up taking a nap, which was nice. But I can’t use all my free time during the summer taking naps! (Though the idea is kind of appealing) I need hobbies! Any ideas?

Parabêns Kim!

Yesterday my friend Charisse came up to visit so that we could celebrate our friend Kim’s birthday. It was so much fun! The three of us (Plus Bethany who is currently serving a mission and comes home next month) have been friends since middle school. We aren’t able to get together often, but it is always fun when we have the chance! Somehow, we seem to bring out the crazy side of each other. We went out to A&W’s, and then watched a movie at my house (though we seem to do more talking and laughing than watching). It was great!

Kim and I sent in our mission papers at the same time, and both got called to Brazil (different missions of course). We were in the MTC in Sao Paulo together, and then took advantage of the 1 cent postal fee to send domestic letters during the rest of our time in Brazil. At first they were letters of, “I’m never going to speak the language!” and then at the end it turned to letters of, “I don’t want to go home!” It was so nice to have someone who I could write to who was going through the same things I was. Now we can get together and talk about Brazil, and speak in Portuguese together. She is such a great person, and I am so glad to have her as a friend!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KIM!

My Dark Side

I have always been a chocoholic, and milk chocolate has always been my favorite. White chocolate I like just fine, but dark chocolate has never been any kind of a temptation for me. I even thought that people who preferred dark chocolate were kind of weird. Last Saturday my mom brought home a bag of Hershey’s Bliss Dark Chocolates. I had already tried these in milk chocolate, and was kind of shocked that she had chosen dark, but my curiosity (or addiction to chocolate) drove me to try one. It was love! Seriously, I am now slightly obsessed with these little morsels of heaven! It has probably been years since I have eaten any dark chocolate, so my taste buds might have changed which could explain this whole phenomenon. There is also the possibility that Hershey’s Bliss Dark Chocolates are an exceptional type of dark chocolate, meaning I still might not enjoy other dark chocolates all that well. I think I need to buy some other kind of dark chocolate and do some testing :)

*UPDATE* I bought a Dove Dark Chocolate bar to try, and I give it the thumbs up as well. I just find it more satisfying than milk chocolate right now!

Count Your Blessings

This week I had the opportunity to go to an amazing fireside by Virginia Pierce (President Hinkley’s daughter) I left feeling so uplifted and blessed. Here are a few things that I am thankful for this week . . .

• The Temple – Sister Pierce talked a lot about temples. I am so grateful to have one close by!
• The Rain - I have needed to wash my car for weeks (ever since it rained mud). It rained so hard this week that my car is clean! Now I don’t need to wash it for a while!
• Full Time Hours – Though my job is not a full time job, or meant to be a full time job, we are currently super short on workers. Therefore, I am working full time. It probably won’t last for more than a month or so, and sometimes its not so much fun, but I am very, very grateful for the opportunity to earn a little extra money.
• New Job – My job is perfect for a student, but I have been searching for a small job that I can have on the side so that I can earn enough to pay for school next year. This has been no small feat, as my current job is not really flexible and my schedule changes from week to week. I did it though, I found a job! I am now officially a cat sitter! (Yes, I am totally and completely serious). The job is super flexible, I love cats, and the pay is incredible! Who would have thought!
• New Shoes – I have bought two new pairs of shoes in the last week. One pair was a necessity, (I gave away my running shoes in Brazil and have been using this as an excuse not to exercise) the other was a pair I have wanted for years. I love to wear them, they make my feet happy!
• PASSING PORTUGUESE! You would think that this class would have been easier, but the whole class really struggled! I got a far better grade than I was expecting, which means that I can now buy the credits below it and add Portuguese as an emphasis to my degree!

My Pantyhose Woes

I have a problem. It is pretty much impossible for me to keep my nylons in a usable condition for more than one or two days. Seriously, it is ridiculous. I remember when I was a freshman in college I learned that you can wash your nylons. I have never had to wash nylons because I have to throw them away long before they should be washed. I can normally wear nylons once, and they are ready for the garbage. Twice is really rare, three times is a miracle. I usually only wear them to church on Sunday, and I keep my nails nice and filed, so that is not the problem! Plus, they tear in really random places, not in the same place each time. I have no idea what the problem is!

When I was buying stuff for a mission I bought a pair of really, really expensive nylons (we are talking $20 for one pair of nylons here!) I only bought them because the girl assured me that she had used one pair for the first 6 months of her mission, every day. I was thrilled. They seriously were beautiful nylons, looked great, super comfy, with great reviews from everyone who used them. I wore them once, following all the instruction on how to put them on correctly, and had no problems. The second time went just as well. The third time I went to wear them we were taking my little bro to the MTC. As we were pulling away from my house I looked down, and on my ankle was a very large, very obvious run. So much for six months! (Can I mention how grateful I am that I served a mission in a place where I didn’t have to wear nylons every day? I would have died! ALL my money would have gone towards nylons!)

So this trend has continued. A few weeks ago I bought a package with four pairs of nylons in it. The first pair was ruined the first time I wore them. The second survived the first Sunday, so I wore them again yesterday. As we were singing the opening hymn I look down, and sure enough, I notice a run on my right foot just beside my big toe. I was so mad!

Who was it that invented nylons? Am I the only person who seems to be unable to use a pair of nylons more than once?

I wish we could wear tights all year long. They seem to be much more resistant to my lifestyle. Plus they are more comfortable.