Food

So, I think about food a lot. What I want to eat, snack on, smell... etc. I like a lot of foods, no real favorites, but I enjoy eating. Personally, I can't have a meal without meat. Something about it makes eating more filling and enjoyable. Even my salads need at least some chicken (often instead of making a chicken breast, I just cook some chicken nuggets and cut those up)... and of course, honey mustard dressing. I also like making up things to make for dinner/lunch. Scott and I have eaten dinner together probably 90% of the time we've dated, so he knows the main things I will make... including pasta roni or hamburger helper. I look at recipes and wonder who has things like rosemary or fresh basil laying around, so mostly I look at the pictures and go from there. It's not too bad. My favorite has been our baked ziti (although not like normal recipies and often with a different noodle). It's really easy and delicious!

1 lb. ground beef (or less if you prefer)
Bell pepper (I'm not going to list out the amounts because usually I don't measure)
Onion
Zuccini, squash, broccoli, and/or any other veggie you like
1 can of diced tomatoes
Some noodles (enough to fill a 9X13 casserole pan about halfway)--I like to use Rigatoni noodles because of the thick spirals... ziti noodles tend to dry out
Cheese
Salt/Pepper

Brown the beef, onions and bell peppers together (often I just have chopped pieces of each instead of slices because I buy the pre-chopped bags in the frozen food section)
Cook the noodles (do not overcook! undercooking is better than overcooking)
soften the veggies in a frying pan with butter (or just boil or steam them... however you like), add to the browned beef.
Combine beef mix with diced tomatoes (undrained) and cooked noodles (drained), stir in a bowl (or just the pan if it's big enough)
Pour into a 9X13 casserole dish
Sprinkle with cheese
Put in a preheated oven (about 350) for 10-20 min until cheese is melted and everything is hot.
Add salt and pepper at the end or over the beef, veggies, etc... I've even made it once without seasoning and it was still delicious with all of the other flavors.

I hope you enjoy... if you have any really easy recipies, please share... I'm always looking for something tasty and easy! I have another great recipie that Scott cooks for me, but I'll share it later...

Yum! Happy eating!

Experience with Blood

So, I used to give blood regularly with no problem. The nurses used to love my veins and could easily get it in the first shot. Once I even did it after September 11 with my friend, Marcy, and we raced (took about 5 minutes), grabbed some cookies and ran home (literally). Never felt a thing. A little over a year ago Scott and I went to give blood on BYU campus because he'd never done it before, but wanted to. He did a great job, but felt a little faint afterwards, especially after he saw the nurses twisting the needle into my arm because the blood wouldn't flow properly. It was slow moving and they had to move the needle around in my arm several times, but I finished fine and felt fine.

Now, as a side note, I've always felt like I should give because I'm type O neg, the universal doner. Anyone can take my blood (and those with O neg can only have O neg). Well, I recently got an email saying that they were in need of O neg blood. I went in today to give and well... it may not be again for a while. The same problem happened that after a little bit it slowed and then they twisted, after about 20 minutes I only had 70 grams left, then 60, then 50... then 10... then it stopped. They moved it around again and again to see if it would help. Nothing. So, when I had about 5 grams left to go, they had to take it out. Therefore, I gave the entire amount (minus a few grams) and they can't even use my blood! (They have to fill up the additional tubes in order to test it before they can use the bag) I felt fine (after 30 minutes of pressure on my arm though and squeezing the ball, I felt like my arm was going to fall off), but when she sat me up, everything got a little hazy. I didn't go completely out, but they laid me back down, put some cold packs on me and made me sit for another 30 min or so until I felt better. Sad story I know. I decided to come home from work (I have a lot of sick hours saved up) and lay in bed and watch a movie. Ahhh.

Settlers of Catan

So, Scott and I have been playing Settlers of Catan for a while. We first played the game a little over year ago with his sister, Katie, and brother-in-law, Wayne. They dominated us... which is to be expected, but we really liked it (the game, not being beat of course). I got Scott the game for Christmas 07 and the expansion pack, Seafarers, for his birthday in March last year.
We played a few times by ourselves and had fun with it. We shared the fun with Jen and Lance, and they ended up buying the game too. THEN, not too long ago we shared the game with our friends Greg and Aubrey (Greg is working towards dental school too and is taking a lot of the same classes, so they study a lot together). Now we are addicted and obsessed. :)

Not only do we play with them almost every week, but we have now created a points system that we keep track of from game to game. First one to 100 wins a prize. (We keep track of the total number of points we acquire each game and the one that wins the round gets an extra 3 points). We are crazy :) It's really fun though, we are learning not to be so competitive though and not get so uptight during the game :) It's really a learning experience!

Try it out... maybe you'll get hooked too.

It's been a while

So, I know it's been a while, but life has been busy! I'm taking a stats class this semester because I never took one before I graduated, but I thought it would be worthwhile. It's been pretty easy so far and we've almost covered the material for the first test!

Scott and I are also taking an Oil Painting class together! We have a lot of fun taking classes together, especially ones we get to interact in. I'll post pictures once we get something worth documenting :) This week we started on a "black and white" still life, really just looking at lighting *using raw umber (not black), and some white to create different tones of the same color. I love painting... but there are some crazy people in that class... enough said! One of the assignments in class is to look at a contemporary artist and get some "inspiration" from their work and make our own painting. I'm having a hard time getting "inspiration" without just copying the work. Any suggestions?

Happy 2009!!

I want to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! I can't believe 2008 has already come and gone! We had a great Christmas here in Provo with Jen and Lance. We got to see the Nutcracker (previous blog), spend Christmas Eve together, and wake up to presents a plenty! We woke up at 5 am because Jen had to go into work. It was early but very fun!

On Christmas Eve we made a special ham dinner. Lance made the delicious ham, while Scott and I made potatoes and green bean casserole. Jen had made some rolls before work (she worked both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day). Scott and I also brought home the Christmas tree from work to borrow it for the effect. I think it worked out nicely. :)

Here is our dinner:
Preparation-


About to EAT-

After dinner, Jen retold our family tradition story: How Mrs. Claus Saved Christmas. We didn't have the story in front of us, so she retold it from memory including voices! After the funny story, we read the Christ story from Luke. It's always nice to remember the Savior on Christmas. Scott and I went to a Planetarium show a couple weeks ago where they talked about the Star of David and some theories behind it. They also speculated as to why we celebrate on December 25. What a special time that must have been for those who lived on the earth, and knew of the promises made. I hope to also keep Christ a part of Christmas. When we finished the story and talked a little about what we had learned, we each opened one present. Generally in my family we open all of the "family gifts" on Christmas Eve and then open "Santa" presents on Christmas morning. This way the gifts are somewhat separated. But, this year most of the presents came from family, so we decided to just open one. I wanted Scott to open one from me because I had gotten him a stocking! I'd wanted to get him one, but I couldn't ever find one I liked. Finally on Christmas Eve, I ran to Roberts to see what they had left. They had ONE stocking left... no others, I checked. I loved it!! He was so surprised. I didn't want Santa to pass him by! It was a Christmas Miracle! Here is him opening the stocking:

I opened a game called "Buzz Word" from my little brother, Christopher. Lance opened a new Wii game from Christopher and Jen opened, from Lance, new hair ribbons. We played Buzz Word (Jen and Lance won, but maybe I shouldn't mention that), and after Jen went to bed (she had to work)--Scott and Lance stayed up playing the Wii.
I just laid on the couch and fell asleep. Christmas morning came early! Scott got me a new NorthFace Apex jacket (which I love!), Smartwool socks for outdoor fun, the short story "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" by F. Scott Fitzgerald (we went and saw the movie yesterday and LOVED it... it's nothing like the book though). It was a very successful morning :)
Thank you all for touching our lives in one way or another. I wish you the best year yet for 2009!

The Nutcracker

Last night Scott and I went to see The Nutcracker at Capital Theater in Salt Lake. We left early and ate at the Garden (top floor of the Joseph Smith Memorial Building) which was delicious. Here are some pictures from the view.























Here we are in the lobby of the Joseph Smith Memorial Building with the huge chandelier and Christmas tree. We were having a hard time getting a good picture though, these were the least fuzzy.























It was freezing outside, but we decided to walk the 2 blocks to the theater so we didn't have to worry about parking. It was so fun to see the lights on the way out.

Sint-Nicolaas Day

This year we continued our tradition of celebrating Sint-Nicolaas day on December 5th. We put out our shoes and "St. Nick" came and filled them! My mom is from Holland and so we grew up putting out our shoes on the night of Dec. 5 to find them in morning with presents! It was great because we kind of got 2 Christmases! To find out more about the holiday follow this link http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sinterklaas

I love getting presents for Scott because he is so easy to shop for! Besides that, he gets sooo excited for anything I get him! A couple of months ago we were in a store and we walked past the toothbrushes. Since he wants to be a dentist someday, teeth fascinate him. We saw the Sonicare toothbrushes as well and in passing he said, "some day I want one of these." Of course I noted that in my head and set about finding the best deal for my dollar (I am one that will research for days to find the best model for the best price). I found one, the Sonicare Elite X9500, in a package with 2 handles, 3 brush heads and one charger for almost the same price as one!

I also found, as I was reading reviews, a website
"Sonicseal" that sells silicon seals that go over the brush base to seal out the water so mold doesn't build up inside the base! It's a great product!! (it's the colored things on our brushes)

Scott was guessing for weeks what he thought I had gotten him (since he's so easy to buy for, he always guesses his presents!), but had no idea! We've been talking about Yoga lately because I want to get us both into it (I think it's a great low impact way to increase flexibility and strengthen necessary muscles!). He thought I'd gotten him a yoga mat, so he wanted to get me one as well. I love it! It's thick and not slippery either. I've been doing yoga on Jen and Lance's Wii Fit, but I'm excited to find a video to do a routine!

Christmas Dinner!

We had a department Christmas dinner on Wednesday, Dec. 3 for all of the faculty, staff, and retirees affiliated with the Department of Biology. With the aid of our office staff, we had a successful evening!

When I first walked in to set out our department gifts (this year we customized some mugs to give to each attendee), the maitre di came out to greet me. I was surprised to see Peter! Scott trained him on his mission in Brazil. Here is a picture of them:

After the dinner was over, we decided to take pictures in front of the giant Christmas tree they had in the room. Merry Christmas! (note: this was one of the last ones we took so I look tired)

I love Church

For information on the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints official stance taken on Prop 8 please see: Newsroom

Please note as well that this information includes information from several other organizations heavily involved in the campaign for the passing of Prop 8: Catholic Bishops Decry Religious Bigotry Against Mormons

Also, I'd like to note the passing of Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin, 91, of the Quorum of the 12 Apostles

The Family: A Proclamation to the World

This proclamation was read by President Gordon B. Hinckley as part of his message at the General Relief Society (Society of Women) Meeting held September 23, 1995, in Salt Lake City, Utah.

We, the First Presidency and the Council of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, solemnly proclaim that marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God and that the family is central to the Creator’s plan for the eternal destiny of His children.

All human beings—male and female—are created in the image of God. Each is a beloved spirit son or daughter of heavenly parents, and, as such, each has a divine nature and destiny. Gender is an essential characteristic of individual premortal, mortal, and eternal identity and purpose.

In the premortal realm, spirit sons and daughters knew and worshipped God as their Eternal Father and accepted His plan by which His children could obtain a physical body and gain earthly experience to progress toward perfection and ultimately realize their divine destiny as heirs of eternal life. The divine plan of happiness enables family relationships to be perpetuated beyond the grave. Sacred ordinances and covenants available in holy temples make it possible for individuals to return to the presence of God and for families to be united eternally.

The first commandment that God gave to Adam and Eve pertained to their potential for parenthood as husband and wife. We declare that God’s commandment for His children to multiply and replenish the earth remains in force. We further declare that God has commanded that the sacred powers of procreation are to be employed only between man and woman, lawfully wedded as husband and wife.

We declare the means by which mortal life is created to be divinely appointed. We affirm the sanctity of life and of its importance in God’s eternal plan.

Husband and wife have a solemn responsibility to love and care for each other and for their children. “Children are an heritage of the Lord” (Psalm 127:3). Parents have a sacred duty to rear their children in love and righteousness, to provide for their physical and spiritual needs, and to teach them to love and serve one another, observe the commandments of God, and be law-abiding citizens wherever they live. Husbands and wives—mothers and fathers—will be held accountable before God for the discharge of these obligations.

The family is ordained of God. Marriage between man and woman is essential to His eternal plan. Children are entitled to birth within the bonds of matrimony, and to be reared by a father and a mother who honor marital vows with complete fidelity. Happiness in family life is most likely to be achieved when founded upon the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ. Successful marriages and families are established and maintained on principles of faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work, and wholesome recreational activities. By divine design, fathers are to preside over their families in love and righteousness and are responsible to provide the necessities of life and protection for their families. Mothers are primarily responsible for the nurture of their children. In these sacred responsibilities, fathers and mothers are obligated to help one another as equal partners. Disability, death, or other circumstances may necessitate individual adaptation. Extended families should lend support when needed.

We warn that individuals who violate covenants of chastity, who abuse spouse or offspring, or who fail to fulfill family responsibilities will one day stand accountable before God. Further, we warn that the disintegration of the family will bring upon individuals, communities, and nations the calamities foretold by ancient and modern prophets.

We call upon responsible citizens and officers of government everywhere to promote those measures designed to maintain and strengthen the family as the fundamental unit of society.

This proclamation was read by President Gordon B. Hinckley as part of his message at the General Relief Society Meeting held September 23, 1995, in Salt Lake City, Utah.