20% please...

So, my friend's Mom found this article and I have to say - it's about time!! I don't think people realize (especially people in Utah!) that server's don't get to keep the full tip you left. Yes, it may seem like a lot, but its our entire wage. The restaurant pays us nothing. And what we make from our tables we split with our bussers and the expediters. So please - be kind, tip the full 20% :) If you can't do that, please eat at Cafe Rio or somewhere where you don't need to tip. Times are hard for servers too.

As America - and Utah - cinches the proverbial belt tighter this year and looks for ways to cut back, I have one helpful suggestion: If you can't afford to tip well, don't go out to eat in a restaurant with a server.
I fear that many labor under the illusion that food servers lead a singular life of luxuriously high wages because of the short-sighted arithmetic employed.
"What? Twenty percent of $70 is $14? I've only been here an hour and she has four tables! Plus, she's getting paid hourly! That's more than I make at a real job!"
WRONG!
Servers in Utah make $2.13 an hour. Not a typo. Two dollars and change. That sort of covers taxes. As a server, my paychecks were somewhere between $5 and $20.
Servers come in to an empty restaurant and stay behind in an empty restaurant long past the time you are there. They earn virtually nothing for most of the night while waiting for the dinner crowd to arrive, then work like crazy for a couple of hours, when hopefully, but not usually, their section will be full. After the rush is over, they clean and wait for patrons to leave and make very little money for the rest of the evening.
Servers share their tips with the bussers and bartenders [and sometimes expediters or hostesses] . This is usually a set percentage of their gross sales. You could safely assume that if you leave a 20 percent tip, your server actually is netting about a 15 percent tip. If you leave a 15 percent tip, your server is getting around 10 percent.
And finally, let's not forget the campers - hanging around and chatting for hours. If a server has four tables in his section, and you decide to hang out all night, you personally monopolized 25 percent of his earning potential. Did you leave extra? Didn't think so.
Times are tough. People need to conserve. I agree. Go ahead and conserve at upscale fast food or at home.
And finally, if you harbor under the ridiculous notion that being cheap is a virtue, shame on you."
By: Greg Rockwell

My Family Christmas!

My wonderful family! Walker was so mad I was trying to kiss him :)

Ya Christmas!! I seriously love this time of year. Especially cuz I get to go home and see my AMAZING family! I got a whole week off and I definately needed it! :)

Well, I got down here last Saturday night (thanks to Katie for taking my Saturday night shift!) I spent Sunday with my family at chuch (I got to go to nursery with my parents - I totally made best friends with the cutest 18 month old you've ever seen. His name is Evan and I'm totally going to marry with him one day), we had a big roast beef, potatoes and gravy, and candy carrots dinner (the BEST!) and took family pictures. I spent the next few days helping my Mum out with preparations and finished my gifts for Kat and Jaynie.

Christmas Eve I spent cooking with my Mum, and then we had our Christmas dinner. Afterwards we opened our pajamas (the girls got Zebra striped ones this year!) and then I was forced into the only tradition I do not like - all the siblings sleeping together in the same room. Ug, its always hot and they're always noisy!! But this year wasn't as bad. :)

Squirt woke us up at 5:00am, and after the usual bugging and pestering of my father to get out of bed, we headed out (youngest to oldest) to see our presents. It was a great Christmas! My parents gave me a digital camera (prepare to see LOTS more pictures on my blog and Facebook - because now I don't have to wait for somebody else to post them!), a new cookbook (oh ya!!), a new porcelin doll (I collect them), and photo paper. My siblings gave me a watch, bath soaps, a calendar (Michael Phelps! Woot woot!) and Beedle the Bard! (I'd SOOO been wanting it!). We had a nice lazy Christmas day and I loved it. I cooked LOTS of food, and also watched Mamma Mia with my Mum - and it is TOTALLY my new favorite movie. Ah, I just love silly fun!

My newest porcelin doll. I've never gotten an Indian one before. Isn't she gorgeous?!

Mum and Squirt putting together his new legos


Walker spends most of his time trying to ignore me. :) And yes, sadly he really is that much taller than me...

This is our new puppy Jasmine. She kept trying to snitch food...

Anywho, that was my Christmas. I hope you all had a blast as well and enjoyed being with your families and celebrating the birth of our Savior.

Love you all!!

It's a Very Merry Roommate Christmas Photoshoot!

My roommate Liahona had the idea for us all to have roommate Christmas pictures taken. I was thinking "Ok, so have someone snap one of us in front of our Christmas tree - which is very cute!). But her dance friend just got a professional camera, and he wants experience in using it and trying his hand at photography. So he volunteered to take a photoshoot of us! Oh my... he is SOOO amazing! They all turned out so very very good. He let us just do what we wanted, with minimal direction from him. He spent over and hour with us, and then took a couple of days (during finals week!) to play with the color and make them look very professional. He is so amazing! Thanks so much!!! Here's a sample of them... (Just click on the picture to enlarge them. I know they're small)

LOVE YOU ROOMMIES!!!!

25 tags of Christmas...

Jeni Christmas tagged me! Yahoo!

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags?

• Wrapping paper. Gift bags are too easily peaked into. And where's the fun in knowning your gifts?!

2. Real tree or Artificial?

• I'd like to say real (they do smell quite good!), but putting lights on them is a pain. I love our pre-lighted tree that we just pop together and plug in. :) Plus, no constant sweeping and watering!

3. When do you put up the tree?

• Kat puts it up the day after Thanksgiving (though last year she was not living at home and I was, so my Mum and I put it up)

4. When do you take the tree down?

• I don't know. I'm never around for that part. Sometime around the New Year

5. Do you like eggnog?

• MMM Yes! I don't really have a favorite brand, though I've been told I need to try Southern eggnog (non-alcoholic of course)

6. Favorite gift received as a child?

• Hmmm.... I don't know. I know one I stil cherish to this day are my copies of Robin McKinley's Blue Sword and The Hero and the Crown. They're falling apart I read them so much. Oh, and my porcelin dolls!!!

7. Hardest person to buy for?

• My dad. Ah, he just buys stuff for himself so I never know what to get him!

8. Easiest person to buy for?

• Walker and Isaac. Brothers are nice and simple. :)

9. Do you have a nativity scene?

• Yep! My Mum has a big gorgeous one at home, and my roommates and I have a small one on our kitchen table! So cute.

10. Mail or email Christmas cards?

• Oh, totally Christmas cards. Be traditional, show you care.

11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received?

• I don't think I've ever had a bad gift.

12. Favorite Christmas Movie?

• Elf. :) and The Grinch. Oh, and Santa Claus is Coming to Towne.

13. When do you start shopping?

• Well... seeing as I haven't started yet... mid-December? :)

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present?

• For White Elephants only

15. Favorite thing to eat or drink at Christmas?

• All the fun things I get to cook. My daddy gives me free reign on Christmas :)

16. Lights on the tree?

• Oh yes. I like white - more classy.

17. Favorite Christmas song?

• "Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire" - I think that's the official title. Anywho, I love it!

18. Travel at Christmas or stay home?

• Well, since my family up and moved away, I travel now. But I get to be warm, so I can't complain. :)

19. Can you name all of Santa 's reindeer?

• Yes. Would you like proof?

20. Angel on the tree top or a star?

• In my apartment we have a star, but at home we have a Santa Claus! Way cool...

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning?

• Actually, my family opens them the whole week of Christmas. We open our brother and sisters gifts (one each night) the week of Christmas so we can concentrate on each one specifically. Then we open our pajamas (and my parents deny that they actually bought us pajamas every year, right up until we open them). And then everything else Christmas day.

22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year?

• That people start celebrating Christmas before we've celebrated Thanksgiving. Appreciate each holiday for its own people!!

23. Favorite ornament theme or color?

• Um... green?

24. Favorite for Christmas dinner?

• We usually have ham, potatoes, and all sorts of scrumptious things... MMM!

25. What do you want for Christmas this year?

• No idea. It's gonna be a surprise for me! :)

Now, I tag Heather, Bryn, and Katie.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

It's a BO Christmas PARTY!!

Heather, Me and Chris

So, today was our super awesome Brick Oven Christmas party! Oh my, so fun. They rented out Miracle Bowl for us and we got to bowl, and eat good food, and win great prizes! I actually had a pretty good bowling day - I beat James anyway. :) And I won a prize! (I never win drawings!) I won two (ugly) Brick Oven t-shirts, $20 to McDonald's (um... gross?) and a ... interesting BO hat (which Brett kindly took of my hands!). I REALLY wanted the Crockpot, but someone else won it. However, Chris won the set of Pyrex bowls, and she traded me. Ah, what a good friend! So now I have some awesome bowls - with colorful lids!

Some of our awesome bowling team...

Then they announced Employee of the Year. And ... I won!!! Ah. I was so scared/embarrassed/excited/nauseous/thrilled/terrified. :) But I got a plaque, $100, and a book! (My manager Lee decided we should be given something else, so he bought us extra gifts today. What a guy!) Thanks to all my BO fellow employees who voted for me. I'm grateful and I love you ALL!!

BO-ers chowing down on some foods :)


My wonderful friend Chris who traded me the bowls :)

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Tag from Beth

I kinda like being tagged. It's almost like saying "I love you" in the blogging world. :) Haha! Here's a tag I got from my friend Beth (Love ya dear!)

8 TV Shows I Like....
1 - The Office. Die-hard fan for LIFE! ... That's what she said. :)
2- House! Yes, I know he's a bit.... well, no word really describes House. But I LOVE this show!
3- Iron Chef America! Come on, the world's greatest chef's battling it out in a food war? How could this show NOT rock?!
4- Friends. Yes, I know it's off the air. But its still the BEST.
5- 30 Rock. I started watching it only because it came on right after The Office, but its actually really really good! I'm a fan.
6, 7, and 8 - Anything on Food Network. If the TV is on, its usually on Food Network.

8 Things I Did Yesterday...
1 - Did my laundry. Finally.
2- Made some Rice-a-roni with chicken and peas. It's a college staple. :)
3- Went to work!
4- Saw the Doel's! It's been FAR too long. (They are my very first "boyfriend's" family)
5- Went to Albertson's with Chris. Thanks babe!
6- Gave Greg his cheesecake with Chris. She makes some goooood cheesecake!
7- Read Eclipse (I saw the movie, and then I had to re-read them!)
8- Made Kristina jump up in her sleep. She does this every night when I walk in the room. It's quite hilarious. Apparently last night she thought I looked like an octapus because I had a towel around my wet hair. (Ya, I don't see the resemblance either, but to each her own...)

8 Things I'm Looking Forward To...
1- Statistics to be OVER!!!! Two more weeks and one rotten final away!!!
2- My missionaries to come home!!!!! (This seems to be a reaccuring theme in my blog posts - can you tell I'm excited?!?!)
3- The B.O. Employee Party this Sunday. I find out if I got Employee of the Year. Scary. (I really wouldn't care, except that I get a $100 if I win. And that would be greatly appreciated this time of year...)
4- Heather's and my Gingerbread House party!!! It's gonna be a BLAST.
5- Going home for Christmas! For a FULL week! :)
6- My 21st Birthday. January 2nd. ONE MONTH from today!!!! (Are you all preparing? Haha!)
7- Going to see Australia. It looks SUPER good.
8- The 6th Harry Potter movie. (Yes, I know its like a year away. I'm still excited!!!)

8 Of My Favorite Restaurants...
1- Biaggi's. Delish!
2- Ottavio's. YUM!
3- Olive Garden (I don't care what you say. There soup and salad lunch is DIVINE.)
4- The Foundry Grill (up at Sundance). I went there on a date a few weeks ago. Oh my, expensive but AWESOME food!!!!!!
5- El Jefe's. I miss Vegas.
6- Panera. I REALLY miss Vegas.
7- Bahama Breeze. Ah, why can't I still live in VEGAS! Such good food.
8- The Yogurt Parlor. Oh wait, this doesn't exist anymore. I don't care. It's still a favorite.

8 Things I Wish For...
1- A D- at least in Statstics. Please.
2- A scooter or car. I'm not picky. Just a way to get around.
3- My missionaries to be safe.
4- My family to be safe.
5- To be better at depositing my tips in the bank.
6- To be a better, kinder, friendlier person.
7- To continue to learn how to cook.
8- Time to work on my novel.

8 People I Tag...
Dani Emmy
Mams (This is the second time Amy. Update your blog!!!)
Kristie
Bryn (Auntie Bryn)
Brynn (Oldest friend, like, ever! Brynn)
Mum (You can do it Mommy!)
Marnie
Trisha Jo

LOVE YOU ALL!!!

Happy Turkey Day!

Thanksgiving this year was awesome! I wasn't "technically" able to ask off work, but with a little bit of help from my friend Chris (Thanks babe for taking my shift babe!) I was able to get Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday off! HUZZAH! So I traveled down to St. George and got to see my amazing family!

On Tuesday I convinced Kat to ditch school and go out to lunch with me. Ya Olive Garden! Then my Mum and I went to Walker's first high school basketball game! He basically rocked. Yup. My little brother rocked. His team won and he had some awesome rebounds, blocks, and shots. GO SPORT! The only low point of the evening was Mr. Annoying sitting behind us. He was one of those guys who must simply give his opinion on everything going on in the game. And is continually negative, convinced that if HE was on the court, he'd know what to do. Now, being a (former) athlete, this kind of attitude drives me INSANE! AH! You can never know what an athlete is going through at a particular moment. You don't know why they chose to do something, or what they're thinking, or what they're trying to do. And I honestly believe if you've been in that situation, you wouldn't be so degrading and judgemental of all the athletes are going through. So honestly... shut it!

Okay, Whew. Sorry, got off on a bit of a tangent there. :)

Anywho, the next day my Mum and I went shopping (ya food shopping!!) and then came home to make dessert. I made a great coconut cream pie, with a homemade crust. Thank you very much. :) Then my sisters and I went to see Twilight!!! It was actually really good. Especially because I went in with low expectations. So I was pleasantly surprised!

Well, Thursday was Thanksgiving!! Ah, best holiday. So full of great yummy food! I got to cook all day with my mum and then had an awesome dinner with my family! My Mum is the most AMAZING cook. Seriously. No rocks.

Well, the next morning I had to wake up early so I could come to work. Sad day. But I was SO grateful to be able to go home for a while and visit my family. I think that's one of the things I'm most grateful for. My amazing family and the time I get to spend with them. On the note of being thankful, I think I'll list the top 10 things I'm grateful for right now...

1) My AMAZING family!!

2) My missionaries. Ah, I LOVE them.

3) My job. It's a good job, I make good money, and I have awesome co-workers and managers. That seriously never happens. I'm so blessed!

4) My school. I go to a great school and I love my major. Again, so blessed!

5) My skinID acne treatment. It's working!! :)

6) My friends. I love my friends! Thanks for everything you amazing people. :)

7) The gospel. I have such a strong and sure knowledge of it. I love my Savior and I am so grateful for all he has done for me. Once again, I am so blessed.

8) A working, healthy, able body. I used to not be very grateful for my body, but I truly am now. Our bodies are amazing!

9) Books. I love books. I love to read. I love escaping into someone else's imagination for a while. It's exhilarating.

10) The scriptures. Absolutely amazing. Once more... I am so blessed!

Happy (belated) Thanksgiving everyone! I love you alll!!!

C's get Degrees!!!

Actually... I'm really not a fan of that statement. I feel like getting a C is cheating myself somehow.

However, there is one class where I find it perfect acceptable - if not amazing! - to get a C. And getting a D- would also be perfectly acceptable as well.

Stats.

Yuck.

I was failing the class. Yes friends, I do mean FAILING. Not just doing poorly. I just don't get it! It frustrates me to my wits end! But I was looking at my grade and realizing that I need a miracle to pull myself into the "non-failing" range. As in, a C on both this next exam and on the final. Usually, a C would be piece of cake for me. But in Stats, I can study for 5 hours and still fail the exam. Boo.

Anywho, I studied all day yesterday. I got four hours of sleep. I'm really tired. But guess what?

I GOT A C!!!!!

HUZZAH!!!!

Now, all I have to do is get a C on the final exam. Then I'll pass this class from Hades. :)

On other random notes, I accidentally ripped a page in my book today. I was sad. My History 200 class was only 15 minutes long today, awesome! And I get to work tonight. Oh, and the BYU-Utah Game is tomorrow. GO COUGS!!!

Missionary Update!

Today I got a letter from Elder DJ Hall! Ah, it made me happy. He even included pictures of the hurricane he was in. One reason why I don't want to live in the South. :) Give me a nice gentle Utah storm anyday. Haha! Anywho, he's doing amazing. He's in Baton Rouge right now, right by LSU campus. They're teaching a former US Ambassador right now. The guy knows EVERYONE and has loads of money. DJ says he's awesome.

I'm so happy for all my missionaries. They're amazing and DJ's one of the best!!! Only 3 more months!

Love, Me.

Life ROCKS

I love life. It's awesome.

This week has been great. Here are the reasons why...

1) No work Saturday night! I worked the lunch shift, still made lots of money, and had a night off! Ah! AMAZING!!!

2) Catching up with old friends - I got to see two of my old swimming friends this week. It was great! I haven't seen them in years.

3) American Christianity still rocks. I want to take it again. And again and again and again.

4) My Mum is finally getting into her blog. YA!!!!

5) I watched Mean Girls. That so is SOOO funny!

6) My boss at work is being so awesome and is working with me so that I can have a chance to go home for Thanksgiving. Happy Day!!!!

7) My family is amazing. I love them so freaking much!!!

8) I saw my grandparents, aunts, uncles and adorable cousins (practically niece and nephews) on Sunday. Crazy fun!

9) I got my Neutrogena SkinID this week. It's a new acne treatment system I'm trying. So far its working and its making me SOOOO happy!

10) I've been reading a Conference talk every night. I love the Gospel!

Life is Good. Actually, Life ROCKS!!!!!

Kristin got me!

I've been tagged by my friend Kristin! It's kind of a fun one...

1) Go to your pictures

2) Upload 4th picture of 4th folder

3) Post and explain the photo

4) Tag 4 friends

It's my sisters!!! This was from our annual Green River trip last year. It was quite chilly. :) But dang, we had a blast!!! Lurve you sisters!!

K, now I tag Brynn, Kristie, Amy (yes Mams, this means you have to update your blog!) and my Mum! Have fun!!

Mawiage is what bwings us togever, todaay...

Haha, I couldn't resist the title. :)

So I thought I'd make a list of all my friends that are getting married. Cuz there's a LOT! My friends are they ones who's names are highlighted...

~Dani and Tyson: Well, they're already married. CONGRATS!!

~Marissa Bradshaw and Enoch (insert last name here) - Bestie from high school

~Jenna Toone and Clayton Cook - Bestie from high school

~Leslie Rose and Michael Orton - Friend from high school

~Aryn Norris and Chris Hinton - Former favorite roommate ever!!

~Allison Lords and Jonny Katseanes - Co-workers!! (Yes, they did indeed meet at the B.O.)

~Kayla Wilde and Trevor Payne - Co-worker!

~Teil Wilcox and Josh Mitchell - Roommate (this semester)

~Malissa Bell and Jershom (insert last name here) - Roommate (this semester)

.... I think that's everyone. I probably missed a couple. :)

Isn's that list crazy long? I'm so excited for each and every one of them. They've all found their best friends and I couldn't be happier for them. It makes me want my best friend. But I know he'll come along when he's supposed to.

Anywho, CONGRATS TO YOU ALL!!!!

Making some changes...

Well friends, I've decided to take a leaf out of my friend Beth's book (thanks for being an inspiration dear!) and make some changes/goals in my life. And since I'm pretty much addicted to blogging, I'm gonna write them all down here so I can have some help and encouragement in achieving them. Go me!

I'm setting these goals because really, I feel a bit stagnant in my life. I love my life completely, but I don't feel like I'm accomplishing anything. I feel as though I'm being mediocre. And ever since the days of swimming (thanks Dee!) I've worked on NOT being mediocre. I want to be the best I can be.

So, I've made some goals here that will help me to become less mediocre, and more the best Me I can possibly be.

Good Habits:

1) 1/2 hour of scripture/gospel study EVERY night.

2) Be IN BED - that means lights out! - By Midnight every weeknight. NO excuses.

3) Wake up by 8:00 AM. Monday through Saturday! - Just hop out of bed and get going.

Body/Food Habits:

1) Running - 4 times a week. Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 8:00 AM and a long run on Saturday. I love running, so I just need to go do it!! Remember ... MARATHON!!! :)

2) Eat more veggies and protein

3) Sugar - MODERATION - always moderation. Strive for one serving a day.

School Habits:

1) Go to class. Just GO.

2) Study. No more "winging it"

3) Do my homework. ALWAYS.

4) Reading assignments. Just DO them!

Cooking/Eating Habits:

1) Eat breakfast!! Include fruit and protein.

2) Limit my eating out. Save it for special occasions, not just because I'm craving it. (This includes eating on campus.)

3) Cook dinner! - Either before or after work, but cook a decent, good, healthy dinner!

Work Habits:

1) SMILE at people! And be genuine about it! :)

2) Don't diss on customers (or co-workers). EVER.

3) Always treat managers with respect.

4) Do all of my responsibilities to the BEST of my abilities. No slacking.

5) Keep busy!!

Happier Attitude/Social Habits:

1) Be friendly! :) No sullenness of unsocialness.

2) Make friends! In my ward, classes, work, everywhere I go.

3) SMILE!!!!! Genuinely!

4) Go to all my church meetings and be social in them!

These are my goals to make myself a better person. They're just little changes, but they're important! So wish me luck all! I'll be reporting on my progress weekly.

LOVE YOU ALL! :)

My Mum got a blog!!!

So friends! Guess what?! My Mum got a blog!!

YA!!!!

Actually, I guess the more accurate statement would be I got my Mum a blog. :) But that's a technicality really.

Here's the thing though, you all need to check it out and comment so she knows its being read! Cuz if not, she'll never update it and it'll go to waste. And I spent like 3 hours customizing it for her today.

So, click HERE and go check it out! Make her update! Show her you love her! And just think, if you convince her to update it, you'll know what's going on in their lives! Since they live so very far away.

So come on! Go to her blog! Click HERE! Or HERE! Or HERE! Just go! :)

Happy "BOO!" Day!!

Halloween this year totally ROCKED! My costume was basically... the BOMB. Remember a few months ago how I blogged to you all about my super-hero alter ego? The Flying Apron? Well, I dressed up as it for Halloween! My costume was AMAZING! My hair was in an awesomely high poof (cuz you know how super heroes always seem to have big poofy immovable hair? Totally my hair), I had some WICKED awesome eyelashes on (see pictures below for proof). I made a t-shirt, Greg ordered us nametags, and I work a tight black skirt and knee high leather boots. Oh, and I had a CAPE!! It was blue with gold stars. My manager Stan lent it to me, its his little girls. :)The Flying Apron and the Incredible B.O.!!! Super-hero (and sidekick!) extraordinair!!!

So, this is a bad picture, but it totally shows off my awesome eyelashes! They match my cape. :)

Anywho, I had to work Halloween, but it was pretty fun! Slow, but that's ok. After work we had a big Brick Oven Halloween party. We chowed down on pizza and root beer and had kareoke!! And yes, I actually did sing. TWICE. Brittney Spears "You Drive Me Crazy" and "Redneck Woman". But don't worry, I had other girls singing with me. :)

The girls singing "Redneck Woman". We basically totally rocked it!

One thing about Halloween night was NOT cool though. My boots. Oh my goodness. Those burts hurt like... something bad and inappropriate to say. :) They were 3-inch-pointy-toed heels. And I work them for 4 1/2 hours on my feet. Walking on brick and tile floors. I'd describe the pain as feeling as though my toes were seperating from the rest of my feet, as well as my feet being entirely asleep... but still somehow in excruciating pain. Oh boy. My feet are actually still asleep today. I think my circulation is messed up for life.

Other than the shoes though (which, though they hurt, looked totally HOT!!! So I'm really not sad I wore them. Haha!) Halloween was great! Happy "Boo!" Day!! :)

The Joys of School

Well, today I finally succumbed. I signed up for an academic advisement meeting to get some help in organizing my school schedule so I can graduate. My meeting is not till next Thursday, but its a start right? :) I did pick up a graudation planning form and I'm attempting to fill it out right now.

Here's the slightly depressing part. I did some math (Shocking right? I never do math) and I figured out that if I take 15 credits a semester from here on out, and I take classes in the spring (can you take 15 credits in the spring?) then the earliest I can graduate is Winter of 2011. That's including a semester for student teaching. Wow.

So, it looks like BYU and I are going to become best friends. Cuz I've got a while left!

My way fun cooking class!!

So I have this cooking class every Tuesday night on campus. It's pretty fun! The lectures are weird, mostly they've been about family meal planning, and budgeting, and how to shop... none of which I was thinking about when I signed up for the class. :) But labs are great! There are three of us in my kitchen and we're basically the most awesome team ever! Today was our Egg lab (we have a theme every week, like meats or veggies or grains) and we made some scrumptious foods! I made a Cobb Salad, a Breakfast Struedel, and Deviled Eggs. I even took some pretty pictures! Ah, I LOVE COOKING! :)


Breakfast Streudel! Yummy puff pastry with a filling of eggs, ham, onions, bell pepper, cream cheese and a little bit of orange juice! Topped with parmesan cheese. YUM!!!

Deviled eggs. I got a bit over-enthusiastic with the paprika...

Cobb salad! Basically the presentation is GREAT!

Apology...

Friends, I need to apologize for my last post. My Mum informed me that that email of President Packer's talk was a big hoax. I'm sorry for passing it on and hope it didn't affect any of you adversely.

Love you all!

Times and changes...

I've had cause to think about a lot of things lately (after-effects of my "semesterly thoughts" I guess, though not of the same subjects). Times are pretty intense what with the economic crisis, presidential elections, and all sorts of other stuff. I was at a friends house the other night with a bunch of people, and we got into a political discussion. It wasn't a debate, because we were all mostly in agreement, but we were discussing issues and how we thought we could all make a change. One thing we all agreed on was the importance to vote. Now, I guess I'm being a hypocrite right here, because I haven't registered yet, but I'm gonna get my butt in gear and do it, hopefully before its too late. Anywho, one thing I found really helpful was this "quiz" thing sent to me by my second-Mommy Becca. It's just a little quiz thing that helps you understand what each candidate is saying about each issue. It gives you a quote from each one (not telling you who said what) and you pick which one you most agree with. At the end, it tells you who you agreed with most overall. I was quite impressed and found it very helpful! So I thought I would pass it along. Good luck guys, I love you all!!!

http://abcnews.go.com/politics/MatchoMatic/fullpage?id=5542139

Semesterly thoughts...

So, I have these thoughts. And they happen EVERY semester, right around midterms. Some of these thoughts include:

Do I really want to be a teacher? - Am I in the right major? - Should I be doing something else with my life? - Am I being social enough? - Is it bad that I'm not dating anyone right now? - Am I being the best I can be? - Etc, etc, etc.

I've had these thoughts (or ones similar to them) since my first year of college. This semester I was really surprised to have them come on, because I'm honestly really happy with my life. Yes, I miss my family; and no, I don't have a boyfriend, and I do work a lot, but I really have been so happy. So it was really weird that I was thinking these things. I start to contemplate changing majors, quitting school, getting a new job, going on a mission, moving home, all sorts of things. I struggled with these for a few days (as did my friend Kevin, which I just found out), but its slowly been getting better.

And then today in my History 200 class (which is the class that my professor hates me in! Though she's been nicer latey!) I had an epiphany of sorts. We were learning about teaching history and what kinds of things we should be doing as a teacher in order to help our students learn. As I was participating in the discussion, I realized that I really do want to teach. I want to help my students learn from history, and learn to love it, and connect with it.

This epiphany really made me happy. It's helped me get back on the positive path. I still don't have a boyfriend, and I still don't have lots of time to play and hang out, but I'm happy again. I have a great job, great friends, great classes, an exciting prospective career, my missionaries are starting to come home, my mom is my best friend, Dani Emmy is getting married, my roommates are all awesome, I'm healthy, I have enough money to live on, and I basically have a good life. I'm so blessed!!

So long semesterly thoughts. Hopefully we won't meet up again next semester. :)

Yick

I am yick.

It's a word I made up last night that means I'm sick and yucky at the same time.

Yick.

Ugh, I get like this every winter. I don't think my body likes the change of seasons. I live the winter with a nasty barking-seal cough living in my lungs. It's my constant and annoying companion.

Yick.

I skipped it a little bit last year cuz I was in Vegas. It was rather nice actually. Doesn't look like I'll be so lucky this year.

Yick.

Sigh...

A tag of 8's!

So, my friend Katie from my old job (Ya CE Secretaries!) tagged me on her blog. So, here it goes!

8 things I am passionate about:
~Reading
~My family
~The Gospel
~My quote book
~Cooking!
~Hiking, camping, being outdoors
~Movies
~History

8 words or phrases I say often:
~"Hello folks, Welcome to Brick Oven. How are you all doing tonight? My name's Abbie, I'll be serving you tonight. Can I start you off with anything to drink? Any of our smoothies, root beer floats, or our Chocolate Chip Milkshake?" - I think I say this more than anything else. :P
~Don't knock it till you try it
~Mmkay?
~Lurve you! (For sisters only!)
~But just a little bit (As in, Love you, but just a little bit.)
~Sad day.
~Anywho (I swear I made this up, but other people say it too!)
~Friend! (I call all my guys, and lots of my girls, Friend)

8 things I want to accomplish in the coming year:
~Survive my Stats class!!
~Get my Stars at work (Yes, I really do want them!)
~Watch all my missionaries come home!
~Start working on my book again
~Possibly put my papers in for a mission of my own - still haven't decided :)
~Read some great classics (A Christmas Carol, War and Peace, Anna Karenina, and Les Miserables are on the list)
~Run the St. George Marathon with my Pops!
~Become more involved at BYU

8 places I would love to go or visit:
St. George to see my family!
England
Italy
New Zealand
Germany - the Black Forest!!
Morocco
Peru - Machu Pichu!
Denmark

8 things I need or want: ... stressing the want
~New clothes. Winter is coming. I own nothing!!
~A haircut. Before Dani's wedding.
~A scooter!
~A new phone. I'm terrified mine is gonna break!
~A new laptop. I would love a smaller one, like a MacBook!
~A bike! A really nice mountain bike.
~A Panera to open up in Utah. :( I miss my Panera!
~A Friday or Saturday night off once in a while...

Awesome! And now (like Katie) I am going to secretly tag each of you. I tag YOU, YOU, and YOU!

Love you all!!

My sister had a BIRTHDAY!!!

Sisters at Golden Corral

So, this past weekend I was able to travel home (Ya St. George Shuttle!) and visit my family for Conference weekend and for my sister Katie's 19th birthday!!! It was a GREAT weekend! Kat gave me a pedicure and manicure at her school on Friday (she's amazing!!!), I got to cook lots of food for my family (like yummy potatoes, breakfast burritos, all sorts!), spend time with my amazing parents (thanks for letting me tag along), and go out to dinner with my sisters for Kat's birthday! Oh, and we watched some AMAZING General Conference. :) I love my family SO SO SO much and I'm so glad I was able to visit them! Here's some pics from our amazing dinner at Golden Corral (ya, I know. Kat picked it out.)

The rolls were basically very good.

And they were HOT!

Ketchup Squeeze!!

Whip cream noses!

I think my professor hates me...

So, I have this History writing class, and I have a red-headed lady professor. At first she was pretty cool, her aunt is a teacher at American Fork Junior High (McDaniel - not the one I had though) and she was pretty excited that my friend Brynn and I had gone there. So life was great.

But all of a sudden... I thinks he hates me. And Brynn. We always sit by each other, and we chat a bit, but no more so than the rest of the class. But she's always like "Abbie, Brynn, are you listening?" Duh. Of course we are. We wouldn't be in college if we couldn't listen. She glares at us, and gets annoyed by us quite easily.

Two days ago, we had presentations. When we weren't presenting, we were supposed to be sitting quietly and listening. Which I was doing. But she was constantly looking over at us, checking us and making sure we weren't talking. Talk about annoying!

Then today, we go in and guess who is sitting in Brynn's chair. Our professor. There are two chairs left, and guess who's on the other side of them? Her TA. She basically placed herself right next to us during the presentations so she could keep an eye on us. I don't get it!! Why does she hate us so bad? The most she can say about us is that we chat a bit at the beginning of class, but never loudly or when she's talking (except maybe a quick comment - its not like we ever carry on full conversations.) We both got great grades on our papers, always turn in the reading journals, and participate. I think its something about us. Do we smell? Do we give off a "Please dislike me" aura?

Whatever. I don't like her either. She hasn't taught me anything new and she's onery. Oh well, its only one semester. Brynn and I will have fun anyway. :)

Me and my Disney-ness....

So, I saw this on Sister Loose's blog (It's super cute!) so I thought I'd try it out myself. I love Disney, so why not find out what characters I identify most with? :)

Here's how it goes:

You've been hit with pixie dust so put in your faith and trust and identify yourself! What Disney characters do you identify with? List 5 and include the 'whys.'

1. Belle - Beauty and the Beast: Belle has always been my princess (Jaynie wishes she'd claimed her first, but I'm older. Haha!). Belle and I have lots in common.

• She's tall (at least, I think of her that way) and I am tall - though boys are finally catching up to me. :)


• She's stubborn - just ask my parents how ridiculously stubborn I can be. Especially when I'm right. :)
  
• She loves to read, and doesn't let anyone let her feel guilty about it - Hey, me in a nutshell!


• She doesn't fall for the pretty boy, in fact, he drives her nuts - Oh boy. I wish I could bunch big headed "I'm all that and TWO bags of chips" guys right in the face. Twice.
  
• She's heroic - she stands up and fights for herself. Whether to the Beast, or Gaston. She's tough - I don't let people push me around. Ask my Uncle Clint. :)

2. Giselle - Enchanted: Haha, this is pretty silly, but I truly feel a connection with Giselle! Here's why...

• She's purely optimistic - Optimism is how I view life. Life is GOOD! Be happy!
  
• She sings - Sometimes I wish the world would break out into song with me...


• She's a hopeless romantic - 100% me. Though I'm a bit more realistic about it than her.
  

3. Megara - Hercules: Maybe a bit random, but Meg freaking rocks! And we're totally the same.

• Meg is possibly the most sarcastic Disney character ever - Oh boy. Do I ever LOVE sarcasm!


• She knows how to take care of herself, yet still falls for the sweet guy who will do anything for her - I'm very independent. But sometimes its nice to be taken care of. :)


• She will do anything for someone she cares about - Agreed. I would do anything for my family and friends.

4. Dory - Finding Nemo: Laugh if you will. I totally understand where Dory is coming from.

• Short term memory loss - I frequently forget what it was I was doing before I forgot what I was doing...


• Silly-song-singing-optimistic-lovable-goof - Ya gotta take the good with the bad. I'm a big goof. And I totally don't care!
  
• She saves the day - Come on, when do I not save the day? :) Haha!
  

5. The Three Musketeers: Ya, I know its random, but they kind of perfectly describe me and my sisters!

• Athos - I'm probably the most like Athos. I'm the oldest, so I guess I'm considered "the leader" (at least, my parents always told me to set a good example). I'll probably be married first (hahaahah), and I'm possibly the more serious of the three of us. Though I do have a goofy side. (Like when Althos punches Porthos in the face? Ya, if I was a guy, I'd probably think that was hilarious).


• Porthos - Definately Katrina. Goofy, crazy, exaggerates everything (you know you do it Kate!), and basically just a fun-loving adventurer. Yep, that's Kat. Oh, and also a womanizer - and Katie's the biggest flirt ever.


• Aramis - Jaynie Jane. He's the quietest of the bunch - at first, just like our Jaynie Jane. He loves to read, is extremely polite, but also has his crazy wild sides. And she would totally be the first to throw out coins to the poor and hungry. Oh, and he's a subtler flirt. Just like Jaynie Jane. :)
  

Well, that's about it! Disney ROCKS!!!

4 seasons later...

Jim FINALLY proposed!!!!

Ah, I'm so happy right now.

I love The Office. :)

Why I love my school...

Okay, I love my school. Truly truly I do. Even though sometimes I get a "bit" annoyed by people constantly bringing church topics into school settings (like say, using the Book of Mormon as a source for discussion in a History writing class), I truly am so grateful to be here at this wonderful institution.

Case in point: my American Christianity class today. Ah, I LOVE this class. I took it on a whim, but it's possibly the best whim-decision I have ever made. My professor is Professor Fluhman. He's absolutely hilarious and so knowledgeable about the Gospel and Christianity in general. I've learned so much from him already, and I know I understand other Christian religions much better. Today, we were finishing up Calvinism and such, and he was showing us a few verses in D&C 20 (30-32) that use words common to Protestants, especially Methodists and such (remember how Joseph Smith almost allied himself with the Methodists?) when we got into a little "sermon" discussion...

I'm not sure how we got on the subject, but he started talking to us about whether or not LDS people believe they are saved; how if we're asked by other Christians if we've been "saved" we get a little leery and go, "Ah, well... yes, but I still have to work towards it". He said, that whenever he is asked this question, he immediately answers yes. And then he explained why.

We do believe we are saved - that's what the Atonement is all about! Christ saves us - we do NOT save ourselves. But by allying ourselves with Christ, we work together with him to be better, to become perfect. But it is through NO merit of our own that we are saved. (See D&C 45: 3-5). He said oftentimes LDS people get too caught up in what we ourselves must do in order to earn salvation; that every time we "screw up" and sin, its just another reason why God shouldn't let us into his kingdom. But this isn't what our own revelations say to us! That was his stressing point: That the revelations given to us say NOTHING about us earning our own way to salvation. It is only through Christ. Christ makes up the difference that we all lack. In his opinion, there is no such thing as too much faith and belief and stress in Christ in the LDS church. Often there is not enough.

Now, he made sure to tell us that none of what I have written above is the official church lessson (as in, he wasn't told to come teach this to us) but it was his beliefs. What he has read himself in our revelations, and that we were free to disagree if we chose. I was amazed by him, because I completely agree! All of what he said is completely in agreement with what I've been taught my whole life by my parents. It is also exactly the same stuff that is taught in Believing Christ (AMAZING book. Definitely choose to read it!). And it is also what is taught to us in Mosiah (King Benjamin), in the Doctrine and Covenants, and in our modern revelations.

I know I blabbered on about that for a long time, but that whole experience above is why I am at this wonderful school. To be able to be taught in both the gospel, as well as my intended field of study all in one day at one institution is a true blessing. For that, I can put up with the little quirks that so annoy me here. :)

Funniest T-shirt EVER

Today I was walking across campus, when I saw a guy walking towards me. I saw his shirt, and I about fell over with laughter. Here's what it said:

"Caution: May imprint on first date"

Oh my. Hilarious. I tried to find a picture of it on the internet - but I can't! Needless to say, I found this shirt absolutely hysterical. I wonder what it would be like to go on a date with this boy - we would for surely have something to talk about. A boy who likes Twilight!

We had a MEXICAN FIESTA!!!

Well, me and my dear Brick Oven peeps, we like to have little get togethers. And these get togethers must always have food. And they must always be on Sundays since there's no other night we don't all work. So, last night was one of our many such parties. A Mexican Fiesta!!! We gathered together at Heather's new apartment, and all brought some mexican food to share. I brought my Mum's scrumptious Salsa Chicken! We also had chicken tacos, rice, beans, salsa and chips, and fried ice cream! Ah, so delicious! We talked and laughed and teased and joked and it was GREAT! Then we watched Transformers ("It's Satan's Camero - It's stalking me!!) before heading to our own beds for the night. Great party BO people!!!

Heather. Our lovely host.

Mexican Fiesta partiers!

There is so much love at the BO parties...

So full of food. Time for a movie so we can digest!