Our ward invited a special guest to show us how to use powdered milk more efficiently. She was great! She was like a cooking show, but better because we got to sample the things she was making. We also got a hand-out with the recipes she demonstrated. Here are the five things that stuck out to me the most.
1. Almost gagging after tasting the plain yogurt. Why would she have a sample? To show the consistency of the yogurt? She had other flavors made from the plain yogurt so the consistency was already shown. I guess because people often use plain yogurt in recipes that they would need to know what it's like, but man, it's a downer for a sample!
2. Finding out about 3/4 of the way through the presentation that "instant" milk and "non-instant" milk are both powders. I thought that "instant" meant real milk from the store. How much more instant can you get? I was really confused when she said that instant was a bit cheaper than non-instant, but we'd use twice as much.
I thought, if instant is cheaper (still thinking real milk) why are we bothering with this presentation and with powdered milk? And why would anyone want to use non-instant (still thinking powdered milk) if they had to use twice as much? I guessed that powdered milk was good for storing.
This isn't the first time this sort of thing has happened to me. I often jump to conclusions that seem reasonable at the time, but when I find out the real deal, I feel REALLY stupid as in this case. Finally I asked Tanya what the deal was with the instant and the non-instant and she explained that they were both powders but one mixed instantly and the other took more time.
Huh, DUH Rachel!!!
3. The sampling experience. We only got one cup or bowl (in my case it was a cup), so all our sample left overs collected in the bottom and mixed together. So by the end of the evening, we were getting yogurty, ranchy, milky, strawberry-ish, flavors in everything. UNLESS you got a HUGE serving of the sample. Then the majority of the sample was untainted. But of course, us polite women were all only taking tiny spoonfulls.
I had an inner struggle with whether or not to take a large sample or not. On the one hand, everyone was taking teensy bites and I would look like a complete pig if I took a big spoonfull. On the other, the samples were DELICIOUS! Well, most of the samples I was NOT wild about the plain yogurt or plain powdered milk. The chocolate kind was great. So by the time the chocolate icecream came around (remember, I have a jones for chocolate), I thought, "forget this, I'm eating ICE CREAM!!!" and scooped a HUGE serving in my cup and then into Tanya's as well. Hope she didn't mind. The ice cream was really good.
4. Meeting a new friend. Tanya was kind enough to pick me up and our new friend Francis. Francis is investigating our church and came to Enrichment with us. She's easy to talk to, fun and really nice. I want to hang out with her more. I hope she chooses our church! Oh, and congrats to her for getting married soon!
5. Hanging out with my friend Tanya. She's so cool!
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Way Back When Wednesday - How I Met My Husband
I met Derek during the second semester of my freshman year at BYU. He had been in my ward (like a parish or congregation but Mormon) the whole year, but for some reason, I never ever saw him. He says it's because of work, but I know for a fact he stayed up WAY too late watching movies and eating doughnuts and slept most of the day.
One day, after my Book of Mormon class, I was walking home with my friend. She had a huge crush on him and had asked to the Winter Preference (the formal or semi-formal girl ask guy dance). We were discussing who he was, because I had never heard of him, and he came up behind us!
A few weeks later, the ward's FHE (Family Home Evening) groups were re-organized and who was in my group? Derek! Being my clueless self, I wanted to get to know this guy my friend liked.
I noticed that we walked home the same way each day, and one evening walked up to him and told him that we should walk home together everyday. He was a little confused and/or scared, but agreed to it. The first day he didn't wait quite long enough, and I spent the whole time trying to catch up with him to no avail.
I also called him to look over one of my German assignments. I had to write a fairy tale in German and I heard that he lived in Germany for a few years, so I asked him to proof read. He ended up staying at my apartment chatting with me and my roommates until curfew and he had to leave... about six hours!
A few days later, I got a call from Derek. He asked how I liked sporting events or comedy things. I told him that I liked both of those things alright, and then he asked if I'd like to go on a date with him to one of those things. And of course, I said yes.
He decided to take me to a comedy thing held at Provo High. His roommate Isaac took my roommate Kristen, and his friend Yi took another Kristen who lived in my building. It was a lot of fun! After the comedy show, we went to Wendy's and then ate the food in the car in a parking lot on campus. The only problem was there were only 5 seats in Derek's car. Good thing I was Derek's date. I got to sit in the front. Plenty of room!
The Sunday after our first date, Derek came over to my apartment to hang out with me. Around dinner time he announced that he was going over to a Japanese girl's apartment to eat dinner, and then afterward make out (He swears he was joking, but still... Come on!). I got SO JEALOUS because Derek had gone on a mission to Japan and had self diagnosed "yellow fever," meaning he had a thing for Asian women, especially Japanese. I was so upset and didn't know what to do.
I knew I needed to talk to someone about my new crush, so I chose who I thought was my safest roommate to share this new and sensitive information with. Turns out, she had a crush on him too! That's all I needed more complications! I didn't want to make her or my other friend feel upset or jealous if I decided to pursue Derek.
Then I called my mom and had a good talk with her about what to do. My mom and I have a great relationship and can talk about EVERYTHING. She suggested to do what I felt best about.
I waited on MSN messenger for him to get home that evening. It was pretty late by the time he got on, and I was really stressing out. He suggested that I go over to his apartment to hang out. I didn't think that was a great idea because I had a test the next morning and I needed to either review that night, or get up early the next morning. Derek suggested that he help me that evening and I, being the giddy, boy-crazy girl, agreed.
We ended up staying up until 4am not doing much reviewing... mostly talking. Since we couldn't stay in his apartment after midnight, we went for a ride and then talked on the back steps of my apartment.
By 4am, I decided that I should go to bed. My test was at 10 the next morning. So I gave him a hug and looked up to say goodnight. I SWEAR I didn't intend to ask for or get a kiss, but I guess hugging and looking up at the same time is a clear KISS ME sign. So he kissed me. What a GREAT kiss! I was jumping up and down and freaking out silently--my roommates were sleeping--once I got inside where he couldn't see me.
My apartment held a dorky BYU tradition that if you kiss a guy, you have to buy your roommates ice cream. Well, since I hadn't really been dating Derek for all that long (less than a week), and heck I just met him two or three weeks earlier, they were VERY surprised to say the least when I gave them a bowl of ice cream wearing a huge grin! And thankfully, neither my roommate or my friend were upset about me dating Derek and not them.
We continued to date through the semester, and when it was time to go home for the summer, we decided to try the long-distance thing. Well, one thing led to another and on May 25th, 2003, Derek informally asked me to marry him, and then on June 6th, he officially asked me with a ring... my Mom's original engagement ring. It made the whole experience just that much more special!
One day, after my Book of Mormon class, I was walking home with my friend. She had a huge crush on him and had asked to the Winter Preference (the formal or semi-formal girl ask guy dance). We were discussing who he was, because I had never heard of him, and he came up behind us!
A few weeks later, the ward's FHE (Family Home Evening) groups were re-organized and who was in my group? Derek! Being my clueless self, I wanted to get to know this guy my friend liked.
I noticed that we walked home the same way each day, and one evening walked up to him and told him that we should walk home together everyday. He was a little confused and/or scared, but agreed to it. The first day he didn't wait quite long enough, and I spent the whole time trying to catch up with him to no avail.
I also called him to look over one of my German assignments. I had to write a fairy tale in German and I heard that he lived in Germany for a few years, so I asked him to proof read. He ended up staying at my apartment chatting with me and my roommates until curfew and he had to leave... about six hours!
A few days later, I got a call from Derek. He asked how I liked sporting events or comedy things. I told him that I liked both of those things alright, and then he asked if I'd like to go on a date with him to one of those things. And of course, I said yes.
He decided to take me to a comedy thing held at Provo High. His roommate Isaac took my roommate Kristen, and his friend Yi took another Kristen who lived in my building. It was a lot of fun! After the comedy show, we went to Wendy's and then ate the food in the car in a parking lot on campus. The only problem was there were only 5 seats in Derek's car. Good thing I was Derek's date. I got to sit in the front. Plenty of room!
The Sunday after our first date, Derek came over to my apartment to hang out with me. Around dinner time he announced that he was going over to a Japanese girl's apartment to eat dinner, and then afterward make out (He swears he was joking, but still... Come on!). I got SO JEALOUS because Derek had gone on a mission to Japan and had self diagnosed "yellow fever," meaning he had a thing for Asian women, especially Japanese. I was so upset and didn't know what to do.
I knew I needed to talk to someone about my new crush, so I chose who I thought was my safest roommate to share this new and sensitive information with. Turns out, she had a crush on him too! That's all I needed more complications! I didn't want to make her or my other friend feel upset or jealous if I decided to pursue Derek.
Then I called my mom and had a good talk with her about what to do. My mom and I have a great relationship and can talk about EVERYTHING. She suggested to do what I felt best about.
I waited on MSN messenger for him to get home that evening. It was pretty late by the time he got on, and I was really stressing out. He suggested that I go over to his apartment to hang out. I didn't think that was a great idea because I had a test the next morning and I needed to either review that night, or get up early the next morning. Derek suggested that he help me that evening and I, being the giddy, boy-crazy girl, agreed.
We ended up staying up until 4am not doing much reviewing... mostly talking. Since we couldn't stay in his apartment after midnight, we went for a ride and then talked on the back steps of my apartment.
By 4am, I decided that I should go to bed. My test was at 10 the next morning. So I gave him a hug and looked up to say goodnight. I SWEAR I didn't intend to ask for or get a kiss, but I guess hugging and looking up at the same time is a clear KISS ME sign. So he kissed me. What a GREAT kiss! I was jumping up and down and freaking out silently--my roommates were sleeping--once I got inside where he couldn't see me.
My apartment held a dorky BYU tradition that if you kiss a guy, you have to buy your roommates ice cream. Well, since I hadn't really been dating Derek for all that long (less than a week), and heck I just met him two or three weeks earlier, they were VERY surprised to say the least when I gave them a bowl of ice cream wearing a huge grin! And thankfully, neither my roommate or my friend were upset about me dating Derek and not them.
We continued to date through the semester, and when it was time to go home for the summer, we decided to try the long-distance thing. Well, one thing led to another and on May 25th, 2003, Derek informally asked me to marry him, and then on June 6th, he officially asked me with a ring... my Mom's original engagement ring. It made the whole experience just that much more special!
A couple of our engagement photos. My roommate Caroline took the photos.
She is an awesome photographer
One of our wedding pictures. Derek likes it because he "blows me away" in this photo.
Us at Derek's house when we were engaged.
A picture of us just before a dance. It was a fun date! The dance was on a train!
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Newsworthy Tuesday - Musharraf's Resignation
I am a hopeless news junkie. I get so caught up in reading the news sometimes, that I have to refrain from reading. Other times, the news is either so unappealing because it's content goes way over my head or it's so depressing that I just can't read it. But more often than not, I usually enjoy it.
Today I read about an event from a few different news sources. My favorite of all time is The Christian Science Monitor. I know the title sounds weird, but it actually has really good, unbiased news. My Geography 120 professor, Professor Emmett, gave our class an assignment to read news articles about a specific region in the world and then write up a report on what we learned. He suggested The CSM and I've loved it ever since.
The event I read about was Pakistan's President Musharraf's resignation. To be honest, I was a little surprised that he voluntarily left. He's been holding on pretty tight for the last couple of years. Remember when he suspended the government and set up emergency rule?
Anyways, he resigned. And I'm not quite sure if that's a good thing or not. Some of the media said that he was a ally against terror. Others in the media said that he let the taliban hide out in the mountains. What I do know is that he was keeping democracy from really taking place in Pakistan. He came to power in a military coup and then stayed in power by what I can only imagine as unscrupulous means. So in that way, his resignation is a good thing.
So now that I've nerded you all out, I want to hear what you think of his resignation. Is it good or bad?
Today I read about an event from a few different news sources. My favorite of all time is The Christian Science Monitor. I know the title sounds weird, but it actually has really good, unbiased news. My Geography 120 professor, Professor Emmett, gave our class an assignment to read news articles about a specific region in the world and then write up a report on what we learned. He suggested The CSM and I've loved it ever since.
The event I read about was Pakistan's President Musharraf's resignation. To be honest, I was a little surprised that he voluntarily left. He's been holding on pretty tight for the last couple of years. Remember when he suspended the government and set up emergency rule?
Anyways, he resigned. And I'm not quite sure if that's a good thing or not. Some of the media said that he was a ally against terror. Others in the media said that he let the taliban hide out in the mountains. What I do know is that he was keeping democracy from really taking place in Pakistan. He came to power in a military coup and then stayed in power by what I can only imagine as unscrupulous means. So in that way, his resignation is a good thing.
So now that I've nerded you all out, I want to hear what you think of his resignation. Is it good or bad?
Monday, August 18, 2008
This One's For Tanya
I'm not sure if this is the one I used as a kid. My dad found it on-line. 10 points for dads!!!!
Edible Chocolate Playdough
3 Cups Powdered Sugar
6 Tablespoons Baking cocoa
3/4 cup Powdered Milk
1/2 cup Butter (Room temperature, no substitutes)
1/2 cup Light Corn Syrup
1 tsp Vanilla
Directions:
Mix and knead by hand until desired consistency (something like a tootsie roll). One can shape all kinds of things with this dough and then eat it also!
Recipe from cdkitchen, it's what's cooking online.
AND check out the Kool-aid Playdough in "My Shared Items."
Edible Chocolate Playdough
3 Cups Powdered Sugar
6 Tablespoons Baking cocoa
3/4 cup Powdered Milk
1/2 cup Butter (Room temperature, no substitutes)
1/2 cup Light Corn Syrup
1 tsp Vanilla
Directions:
Mix and knead by hand until desired consistency (something like a tootsie roll). One can shape all kinds of things with this dough and then eat it also!
Recipe from cdkitchen, it's what's cooking online.
AND check out the Kool-aid Playdough in "My Shared Items."
Sunday, August 17, 2008
Television and Movie Monday
Here's what we've been watching!
Television-
We've been watching the Olympics this last week. Who hasn't? They're pretty addicting. I have a hard time just sitting and watching, so I usually read a book at the same time. Sound weird, but it works for me. And I had no idea how patriotic my husband is! He was jumping out of his seat when team USA made a huge comeback against team Belgium in beach volleyball, and the whole time pumping his fist and yelling "YEAH! GO USA! BEAT THOSE BELGIANS!!!!" He doesn't even like sports!
Anyways, it's been great to see how well it's going in China. There's been a lot of hype about it, and I'm glad that China's been showing their stuff. There have been the little glitches--the lip-synching girl which wouldn't have been THAT bad if it wasn't a DIFFERENT girl actually singing, and the digitally enhanced fireworks--but overall, I think the Olympics have gone great! And it's really great to see the world getting to know China a bit better. They've been misunderstood for a long time!
Movie-
We went to see The Chronicles of Narnia 2: Prince Caspian last Thursday evening at the dollar theater. Or should I say $2 theater. Now it's only $1 on Tuesdays. Darn! Anyways, we totally, completely, thoroughly enjoyed it! It was SO GOOD even though they changed quite a few things from the book. But it's been a little while since I've read the book, so maybe it's just my mind jumbling things up.
A lot of people have been saying how much better Prince Caspian is than The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, and how they enjoyed The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, but how it wasn't all that great. I totally disagree. I thought they were both excellent! This could be because the first one was more for kids, and the second one was geared more towards an older crowd. Who knows?! I just know I enjoyed both of them. I hope they keep up the good work!
Do you ever have those experiences when you're watching a movie and you recognize an actor, but you can't quite place them because they're in a different role, wearing different clothes? That happened to me in Prince Caspian. The actor playing the evil, conniving Miraz looked so familiar, but I just could not place it. About halfway through the movie, it suddenly came to me. I was so excited I slapped Derek's knee so hard, I'm sure everyone could hear it! He was Sergio Castellitto, an Italian actor who played a great chef in my favorite German movie Bella Marta! I was so surprised that he spoke English! I'd only seen him in that one German movie and I think he's only been in European stuff. Derek had a similar experience, but he couldn't figure it out until the end. The voice of Reepicheep sounded so familiar to us, but we couldn't figure it out. He was Eddie Izzard! Funny, funny guy.
Television-
We've been watching the Olympics this last week. Who hasn't? They're pretty addicting. I have a hard time just sitting and watching, so I usually read a book at the same time. Sound weird, but it works for me. And I had no idea how patriotic my husband is! He was jumping out of his seat when team USA made a huge comeback against team Belgium in beach volleyball, and the whole time pumping his fist and yelling "YEAH! GO USA! BEAT THOSE BELGIANS!!!!" He doesn't even like sports!
Anyways, it's been great to see how well it's going in China. There's been a lot of hype about it, and I'm glad that China's been showing their stuff. There have been the little glitches--the lip-synching girl which wouldn't have been THAT bad if it wasn't a DIFFERENT girl actually singing, and the digitally enhanced fireworks--but overall, I think the Olympics have gone great! And it's really great to see the world getting to know China a bit better. They've been misunderstood for a long time!
Movie-
We went to see The Chronicles of Narnia 2: Prince Caspian last Thursday evening at the dollar theater. Or should I say $2 theater. Now it's only $1 on Tuesdays. Darn! Anyways, we totally, completely, thoroughly enjoyed it! It was SO GOOD even though they changed quite a few things from the book. But it's been a little while since I've read the book, so maybe it's just my mind jumbling things up.
A lot of people have been saying how much better Prince Caspian is than The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, and how they enjoyed The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, but how it wasn't all that great. I totally disagree. I thought they were both excellent! This could be because the first one was more for kids, and the second one was geared more towards an older crowd. Who knows?! I just know I enjoyed both of them. I hope they keep up the good work!
Do you ever have those experiences when you're watching a movie and you recognize an actor, but you can't quite place them because they're in a different role, wearing different clothes? That happened to me in Prince Caspian. The actor playing the evil, conniving Miraz looked so familiar, but I just could not place it. About halfway through the movie, it suddenly came to me. I was so excited I slapped Derek's knee so hard, I'm sure everyone could hear it! He was Sergio Castellitto, an Italian actor who played a great chef in my favorite German movie Bella Marta! I was so surprised that he spoke English! I'd only seen him in that one German movie and I think he's only been in European stuff. Derek had a similar experience, but he couldn't figure it out until the end. The voice of Reepicheep sounded so familiar to us, but we couldn't figure it out. He was Eddie Izzard! Funny, funny guy.
Twin Falls Temple Open House
I am so grateful for temples! What an amazing age we live in! There are so many temples around the world, and I have never been more than a day's trip away from one. Even in Korea! They bring so many blessings to our lives. I get such a warm feeling inside when I remember that because Derek and I were married in the temple, we get to be together for this life AND the next. Forever!
During the Twin Falls temple open house (THANK YOU Brent and Tanya for inviting us to go with you!!!), they played a DVD to introduce the purpose of temples and the history leading up to the building of the Twin Falls temple. In this short film, Elder Holland said something that made me stop and think. Not that it was a new concept to me, it was just one of those, hmm-I've-never-though-of-it-that-way-before, moments. He said that he couldn't think of Heaven without his family. It wouldn't be heaven without family.
It never occurred to me that other people thought of Heaven in a singular way. I guess I should have when society portrays heaven as individual angels sitting on mini-clouds playing harps. Well, maybe that was just one cartoon.... but still, I like our beliefs on Heaven. I want to be with my family forever!
Anyways, here's some pictures from the open house. The day was beautiful!
It was impossible to get a picture of the entire front of the temple with us in it,
so we settled on just the name and front door.
The Angel Moroni
Derek and Jane doing crazy faces
We went out to eat afterwards. We were all starving!!!
I look a little angry, but I'm not. I was just in the middle of telling
the waitress, "You have to hold the button down."
During the Twin Falls temple open house (THANK YOU Brent and Tanya for inviting us to go with you!!!), they played a DVD to introduce the purpose of temples and the history leading up to the building of the Twin Falls temple. In this short film, Elder Holland said something that made me stop and think. Not that it was a new concept to me, it was just one of those, hmm-I've-never-though-of-it-that-way-before, moments. He said that he couldn't think of Heaven without his family. It wouldn't be heaven without family.
It never occurred to me that other people thought of Heaven in a singular way. I guess I should have when society portrays heaven as individual angels sitting on mini-clouds playing harps. Well, maybe that was just one cartoon.... but still, I like our beliefs on Heaven. I want to be with my family forever!
Anyways, here's some pictures from the open house. The day was beautiful!
The sun was so bright! We tried to take a picture from the shady area.
And this is what we look like in the sunny sun.
I wish I could be more like the temple, less squinty.
It was impossible to get a picture of the entire front of the temple with us in it,
so we settled on just the name and front door.
The Angel Moroni
Derek and Jane doing crazy faces
We went out to eat afterwards. We were all starving!!!
I look a little angry, but I'm not. I was just in the middle of telling
the waitress, "You have to hold the button down."
Friday, August 15, 2008
Been Tagged
I got tagged just by reading! Thanks Teri!
4 Random Things I love about my husband:
1. He is a handy, handy man to have around
2. He speaks English, Japanese, Korean, a little German and a little Chinese
3. His teeth
4. When he breaks out in a real smile in the middle of a crazy one
4 Jobs I've had:
1. Hostess at Outback Steakhouse
2. LDS Bookstore worker
3. Temp for TRC Staffing
4. English Teacher in Korea (one of the best things we ever did!!!)
4 Movies I have watched more than ten times:
1. Uncle Buck
2. Pride and Prejudice. Yes, the 6 hour one...
3. Princess Diaries
4. Apparently I watched Dumbo 10 times a day when I was 2
4 TV Shows I watch:
1. The Office
2. Monk
3. Psych
4. The Closer
4 Places I have Been:
1. Palmyra, NY
2. Gyoungbok-gung, Seoul, Korea
3. Craters of the Moon National Park
4. Fukuoka, Japan
4 People who e-mail me regularly:
1. My Mom
2. My grandma
3. Google Calendar Reminders
4. Mailer Daemon
4 of my favorite Foods:
1. Korean Food!!!
2. Bisquick Melt-in-your-mouth Pancakes
3. Pizza (I know it's so cliche)
4. Chocolate
4 Places I would like to visit:
1. China
2. Europe
3. Russia, the Trans-Siberian Railroad to be exact
4. KOREA!!! I know I've already been there... I heart Korea!
4 Things I am looking forward to in the coming year:
1. Halloween!
2. Getting Derek's handyman business set up
3. Maybe, possibly, someday buying a house
4. Christmas
4 People I tag:
Anybody really, but if you choose to be tagged, please leave a comment so I can read yours!
4 Random Things I love about my husband:
1. He is a handy, handy man to have around
2. He speaks English, Japanese, Korean, a little German and a little Chinese
3. His teeth
4. When he breaks out in a real smile in the middle of a crazy one
4 Jobs I've had:
1. Hostess at Outback Steakhouse
2. LDS Bookstore worker
3. Temp for TRC Staffing
4. English Teacher in Korea (one of the best things we ever did!!!)
4 Movies I have watched more than ten times:
1. Uncle Buck
2. Pride and Prejudice. Yes, the 6 hour one...
3. Princess Diaries
4. Apparently I watched Dumbo 10 times a day when I was 2
4 TV Shows I watch:
1. The Office
2. Monk
3. Psych
4. The Closer
4 Places I have Been:
1. Palmyra, NY
2. Gyoungbok-gung, Seoul, Korea
3. Craters of the Moon National Park
4. Fukuoka, Japan
4 People who e-mail me regularly:
1. My Mom
2. My grandma
3. Google Calendar Reminders
4. Mailer Daemon
4 of my favorite Foods:
1. Korean Food!!!
2. Bisquick Melt-in-your-mouth Pancakes
3. Pizza (I know it's so cliche)
4. Chocolate
4 Places I would like to visit:
1. China
2. Europe
3. Russia, the Trans-Siberian Railroad to be exact
4. KOREA!!! I know I've already been there... I heart Korea!
4 Things I am looking forward to in the coming year:
1. Halloween!
2. Getting Derek's handyman business set up
3. Maybe, possibly, someday buying a house
4. Christmas
4 People I tag:
Anybody really, but if you choose to be tagged, please leave a comment so I can read yours!
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