Monday, August 31, 2009

The end

We went sailing tonight - again. It's seriously like the third time in a month; I am so totally addicted. Tonight, however, was a bit unlke the other trips. Our captains wife and son came along and it couldn't have been more fun! We have been looking forward to going out with all of them for so long and it didn't disappoint. It was a splendid evening; the perfect end to a great day!

Monday

I'm back at work, white (and blue, but mostly white) walls and terrible fluorescent lights. My desk looks like a bomb dropped on it or a tornado whipped through. I look at my calendar to make sure I haven't missed anything (or won't miss anything in the next 24 hours). I glance to next week and see that we have our company outing, which I know is coming and I'm relieved that I have almost 2 whole weeks before it even happens. I'm calm and know that if I can have just a couple of hours in the morning, my desk will get organized, I can listen to my voice mails and everything will be fine.
5 minutes later - good feeling gone. NEWSFLASH! The company outing has been moved to Thursday - only 2 1/2 days away now. The desk and messages will have to wait.

Okay, so it's not that bad. Out of all of the things I do, this is one of the easiest. The timing is just a bit off, but I guess it's a good adjustment to being back in the office after last week.
My resolve - I will not panic or stress. I will remain calm and organized (whatever that is) and, my famous last words, everything will be fine.

Sunday, August 30, 2009

Dessert for breakfast, or vice versa?

I made cinnamon rolls yesterday - a double batch, some for friends and some for us. I knew I would have left overs and they would be perfect for freezing. It all worked out well, except for the fact that there would be extra for freezing. The dough turned out perfect and when they came out of the oven, I knew I wanted to do something special with the extras. I knew exactly what to do.

I took a regular cinnamon roll - unfrosted (don't get too anxious).


Make a batch of french toast dip (egg/milk combo, a little s&p). Dip the cinnamon roll in the egg mixture; soak as desired. I have texture issues, so I don't like letting the bread I use for french toast very long, however, my mother likes a very soft french toast, so she soaks for a long time. It's totally your call. If you are one of the people who likes a soft french toast, you may need to cut the cinnamon roll in half when you soak so it can get all the way through and you won't have to worry about burning it trying to get all of the egg in the center cooked.

Be aware - put the less sugary side down first. I would assume this would always be the bottom, but if you've found a way to get all of the sugar on top, well, then put it down - face up (is that right?) Anyway, cook it all on one side first and then flip it over. The second side down (the sugary side) will definitely cook faster (aka - it will burn). I also rotated the cinnamon roll on all four sides to make sure it was cooked all the way through.

When you are done you will have a crusty, sweet and tasty cinnamon roll.
I topped the cinnamon roll with an awesome Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting (so light - perfect) and blueberries.

Go indulge and ask yourself this - is it breakfast for dessert or dessert for breakfast?

Thursday, August 27, 2009

A busy week

This week has been the culmination of 6 months of thinking, planning and preparing. We have been planning this GM meeting for 30 people from our company, people from all over the world. We have people here right now from Australia, England, France, Germany, South Africa, Korea, China, Mexico, and India. I have been lucky enough to help participate in all of the planning of this event and, because of that, I get to hang out in the woods for most of the day. It totally beats sitting in the office. I think there is a big possibility that I may not be able to go back to that. Yesterday we divided everyone up into teams for the Build-A-Boat competition. Everyone was given the same number of sheets of cardboard (I think it was 8) and 1,000 ft of duct tape. They then had to construct a water-worthy craft and then float it. Each team had an hour to complete the task. As an added bonus, each team was able to answer some brain teasers and if answered correctly, they got to have their boats wrapped in bubble wrap. Surprisingly, 2 of the boats made it to the buoy and back (about 25 feet), 1 made it to the buoy but started taking on water on the way back. Needless to say they ended up in the water. The fourth team had an incredibly buoyant boat, too buoyant in fact. They were able to paddle about two times and then the boat flipped them. Below are some pics of the event.


Saturday, August 22, 2009

Saturday's; cont...

Well, I did it! I got to cook again and I loved it. I have been into trying new things (sort of, there are still limits) so I chose to make Red Pepper Risotto as seen on The Pioneer Woman's site. I was a bit skeptical because I didn't really know what Risotto was, and I didn't think I liked red peppers. Risotto is actually really easy to make, mostly time intensive. You also want to be able to serve it immediately because, as it sits, the rice starts to get really soft and almost mushy, but the flavor it awesome. I'm already planning ways to make it differently next time. I'm thinking spicy - chipotle powder, chopped jalapenos, and some chicken, but I'm still thinking.
Now, I'm off for the crafting part of my evening...

Saturday's

I have a plan today: cooking, crafting and cleaning! I haven't been into cooking/baking in the past month or so - very weird for me, but I made dinner last night and I'm totally back. I'm working on my menu for tonight, it should be pretty good. My mouth is already watering.
I went to the craft store yesterday and found this really great pattern for a new bag - I can't wait to find some fabric to try it.
As for cleaning - well, after I do everything else, it just may not happen. That's what Monday's are for, right?

Thursday, August 20, 2009

Girl's Camp

Last year at this time I was up at Girl's Camp cooking up a storm. We had a blast! It was a ton of work but was so worth it. I don't think there are many things that I have enjoyed more. This year, though, I didn't go for three reasons.
1) I used all of my vacation time to go and see Lori
2) I wasn't actually planning on still being in this state
3) I have a H-U-G-E work meeting next week that I am organizing
(There is sort of a 4th and that is, I wasn't sure I could tempt fate enough to get cool weather - it's been a hot week; we had gorgeous cool weather last year)
So, even though I had 3 fairly valid reasons (and 1 not entirely valid but totally truthful reason) I still felt like I was missing out. I never, ever, ever liked going to girl's camp when I was 'supposed' to go, so to be missing it is a pretty big deal. I did, however, take some time yesterday (and a half day off work, hehe) and go up for the afternoon. I couldn't believe how much I missed it; I didn't want to leave. These young women and their leaders are AWESOME! So, needless to say, I am already making plans now to somehow be involved again next year - I refuse to miss it!

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Counting

3 weeks until my first class starts! I can't wait!

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

Confession

I just spent an hour trying out new blog backgrounds. It was an agonizing decision, but I like the one I have now. This is almost as painful as picking paint for real walls. Thankfully, though, it's a lot less permanent and can be easily changed. If this continues though, I will spend more time trying out backgrounds and buttons than actually updating it. I guess there could be worse things, right? Anyone?

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Lessons

Do you ever have those moments when you do something, and then have the thought 'maybe I shouldn't have done that'? Well, I did yesterday. I had a dentist appointment (yuck! ouch!) and they gave me a lot of Novocaine (pretty good stuff - sort of). I came home after an hour and a half in the hot seat and collapsed on the couch, certain that I was going to sleep it off. Then the phone rang. It was our home teacher, the sailor, inviting us to go out for a couple of hours - my father has been plotting a fishing trip on the boat and it was the perfect night. I originally decided I wasn't going to go because, let's face it, I was totally out of it. At the last minute I decided to go along for the ride. I was doing good, and then we got on the shuttle boat. Being in the boat wasn't that bad, it was standing up and trying to move on the water that was a problem. I have trouble standing up straight and walking on dry ground; I don't need any help in that department. Luckily, I got to sit still most of the evening and it was a most enjoyable trip!
In other news, today is my birthday and I gave myself a birthday present! I am officially a college student again and I couldn't be happier! Granted, writing out that check was not as memorable, but ultimately worth it. The other perfect gift is that 15 of my credits from BYU-Idaho transferred - so I am down a full semester of work. Yippee!

Sunday, August 9, 2009

Sailing

We got to go sailing for the first time ever on Saturday with our wonderful friend and home teacher. The day couldn't have been better! The sun was out, it wasn't too windy (but not too still either; that may have been a problem) and the water was perfect! I was a little nervous about getting on the boat, but after the hassle of getting out to the boat, it was no big deal (we had to kayak out to the dock where the boat was and get from the kayak UP to the dock - not fun or graceful by any stretch of the imagination and I will N-E-V-E-R try that again.)
My absolute favorite part was being on the front of the boat and trying to lay in the sun. I say trying because every time I thought I would have a great stretch of light and warmth, we would turn and the sail would be on the wrong side - but it was completely relaxing anyway. One of Lori's friends came down for the day and we had a blast hanging out and giggling like a bunch of little girls. It was truly perfect! I wouldn't have traded it for anything! Pictures will follow one day...maybe!

Friday, August 7, 2009

Announcement!!!

So, over the past several months I have been up and down and everywhere in between. I have been toying with the idea of going back to school. In February, I was planning on going to LDS Business College, then it was BYU-Idaho, then it was North Shore Community College and everywhere in between. I would get nervous and excited and then extremely confused. I have people all over the place confused and it's no wonder when I'm the source of the information. Well, it's time to announce that I have come to a decision and it is all happening a lot faster than I ever anticipated.
I will be starting classes on September 9 at .......North Shore Community College. I didn't think that I would even be able to get everything together in time, but I have spent this week doing paperwork and taking placement tests and I have orientation and registration next week, so it seems like it is really going to happen. I am going to be taking night classes to finish up my Associates Degree and then will work on transferring somewhere to finish my Bachelor's, but only one thing at a time.
So, I don't know if it's good news to anyone else, but I am officially staying here. I love my life and the positive things that I have going on right now. And even though I was so excited to leave to do something else - I am now excited and feel the need to stay here until further notice.