Things I'm doing with Bride when she visits this summer:

1. Float the Boise River
2. maybe twice
3. Eat outside somewhere fancy downtown
4. Watch the 4th of July fireworks in the park
5. Eat donuts
6. Watch Moulin Rouge
7. and West Side Story
8. Go to the Saturday market
9. and maybe find some cool handmade jewelry
10. and maybe buy it
11. ooh, and buy some of those mini donuts at that one stand
12. Yard sale shop in the North End
13. Go to that cowboy bar and ride the mechanical bull
14. Go to a rodeo in Nampa
15. Maybe go to a baseball game (for the nachos)
16. Take the hard top off the Scout
17. and go camping
18. and make fried dough in the dutch oven over the coals
19. Buy a puppy
20. That last one was a joke

You should know that if YOU come visit me, I will have a similar plan (minus the musicals if you'd like). How far we get through the list? That's another story...

Names of foods that totally gross me out (the names, that is):

1. Stew
2. Meatloaf
3. Chunky (the candy bar)
4. Dumplings

I'm not so sure about this list thing. Am I supposed to come up with 20 every time? I can't do it. I can't.

Just as a little side note, I'm trying a new Rachael Ray recipe this week. BBQ Bourbon Orange Chicken. How important would you consider that bourbon to be? It is in the name of the recipe...

A few things you might not know about me:

1. I hate being rushed but it seems like no matter how early I get up, I am always rushing the last 5 minutes before I get out the door.

2. I hate blow drying my hair but I hate the way it looks when it air dries. I have recently started only washing my hair every other day. (In Allure they say tons of women do it but I'm not so sure, I hardly see anyones hair looking as dirty as mine.)

3. I have to slather on the Eucerin when I get out of the shower and I have to let it soak in before I can get dressed or I'll feel like I never showered in the first place.

4. I think of myself as more outgoing than I really am. In fact, I think most people wouldn't describe me as outgoing at all.

5. I am a auditory learner. I can imagine that it's pretty annoying to the people around me. I have to read out loud to myself all the time. Recipes? Every time.

These are getting increasingly boring as the list goes on. I'll stop now. Time for Lost. (I'm caught up! Oh, and Sayid is my favorite even though he's like a contract killer or something)

I think I have decided that my favorite holiday is Easter. Wait, wait, wait. Before you give me a lot more credit than I deserve, let me tell you why. It's the candy, people, the candy! Peeps, Cadbury eggs, Reese's peanut butter eggs (the little ones, the perfect ratio of PB to chocolate), those one eggs in the light blue bag with the extra crunchy shell. Man o man, it's the best.

Was that post totally sacrelig? Don't judge me. I have a candy problem.

Did you know that your sense of taste is most acute when you are born?

I think about this all the time when I try something that I thought I didn't like but now I like it. Take for instance what we had for dinner one night this week: Chicken Stew with Parsley Dumplings. 2 cups, 2 cups of mushrooms in it. I hate mushrooms. Or at least, I thought I hated mushrooms. Or maybe I just hated mushrooms when my tastebuds were younger. See what I mean? I think about it a lot. By the way, we decided the recipe is a keeper and I'm posting it on my recipe blog with a tiny change and a little tip.

Anyway, there was something else I was going to blog about but now I forget. Sometimes I wish I had a little notepad glued to the palm of my hand. That might make getting other (admittedly more important) things done a little difficult.

Deep thoughts around here, deep thoughts.

If Russell sees this, he will kill me.

Before Christmas this year, I asked Paola to take a few pictures of Russ and me. I was hoping to get one good enough for our Christmas card. We didn't know Paola was snapping a picture right at this moment (I swear) but Russ was expressing his disdain for this tradition and I was laughing. In his face. (I was going to write something all cheesy and related to Valentine's Day but I guess that's out the window now.) Anyway, when we were done and we looked at all the pictures, he didn't say which he liked the most, he pointed out the one he liked least. He said this one looked like a picture in a Mormon engagement announcement. I'd say I have to agree...

Please. Allow me to present you with a situation. Let's say you had a test to take. Let's say it's the first test of the semester. Let's say you are given two days to take said test and you are required to schedule this test at a testing center on campus at some point over the two days. Let's just say (for the fun of it) that you waited until the last minute to schedule it and now you have to take the test on Tuesday instead of Wednesday. Have to? Maybe not. Do you really think they will send you away? In some other city, maybe, but Boise? Heck no. Here is the question: Go at your scheduled time (4:30 Tuesday) or take a chance and go on Wednesday? What would you do.

As if you weren't confused enough already, what if you looked at the grade book online (didn't you know that's how they do things now?) and saw that the class average as of 2:00pm on Tuesday is 84%? At first I'm thinking, sweet, must be an easy test. I'm obviously thinking about this a little too much because now I'm thinking, you know only the really smart people take the test early, those numbers are inaccurate, it's just an average.

Sorry, back to the question. When would you take the test?

P.S. If I get an A, I get a new laptop bag...

Do you ever wonder if, when you are all done cleaning up the house, it's really as clean as you think it is? Do you ever wonder if, when someone else comes over to your house they think, "man, this place is a sty"?

I wonder this all the time. Friday is my new day to clean the house. I have work in the morning but that's it. So, I start in the kitchen, it's usually the place in the house that needs the most work. I do the dishes, clear off the counters, wipe down the counters and then sweep. Sweeping is what has me asking this question. I don't sweep everyday (and my New Year's resolution to do so was a total joke) but I do sweep a couple times a week, I'd say. I have a picture to insert here but I don't know if I should... Fine. You talked me into it.
There is a hairball there the size of a small rodent. Gross. I know. Anyway, before I swept this up, I wasn't thinking that my house was a total sty but after? Yes. That is what makes me wonder if other people are thinking it. What if someone was there right before I swept, when I still thought it wasn't gross. I mean, if Russell and I knew people. And they came over to our house... Do you ever wonder?

I love sleeping in. I really love sleeping in. There is something to be said, however, for getting up and getting things done early. This morning I decided to get up and make some oatmeal because we have no milk and I am NOT skipping breakfast (are you crazy?). Russ and I sat down and ate together, my oatmeal topped with brown sugar, his with white sugar and butter and also enjoyed a mug of hot apple cider. This day is going to be awesome, right? Right. I folded the clothes in the dryer and moved the last load (towels) from the washer to the dryer and check, laundry done (even put away, too). I remembered to pack up a lunch and a change of clothes so I can go to the Rec Center. While I was looking for a parking spot I had to slam on the breaks and my book bag rolled right off the passenger's seat. When I got to my Dosage Calculation class (in which I had a test) and took out my calculator, it wouldn't turn on. Don't worry, the test was totally easy and I didn't really need it. Man, this day is going to be awesome.

Last Sunday, I considered blogging about a question I began to ask myself that very morning. Is it appropriate to listen to R. Kelly on Sunday? I decided to spare myself and this Sunday, since I had to speak in sacrament meeting and I thought I better be extra holy, I went to the church website to listen to some hymns. Did you guys know that you can download every hymn and every song in the children's songbook, too? Guess what's on my iPod now - 341 hymns (don't call me a dork). Looks like R. Kelly is going to have to wait for every other day of the week.

And thank you for all your help with my talk. I think it went well. Of course no one ever comes up to you and says, your talk made no sense. Too bad. That might make church A LOT more interesting...

Russ got some sweet new work boots today and when we got home, we decided they could use a field test. You know, before they go out into the real world, make sure there going to cut it.
So, we built a snowman. It sure was a party. Otis didn't growl like I was hoping he would ('cause I would've thought that was funny) but he was really interested in the snowman's carrot nose...

I think that in the argument, raised donut vs. cake donut, the answer can be quite variable. Take for instance, DK's Donuts in Boise, ID on State and 13th streets. Go for the cake people! Now Donut Tyme in Las Vegas, NV on Charleston just past Lamb, raised glazed is all I'm sayin'.

What I'm telling you here is there is really no need to choose a favorite. Don't you feel better with the weight of that decision off your shoulders?

I myself am headed down to DK's pronto in honor of my 24th year.

I thought my class started at 8:40 this morning. Nope. It starts at 9:40. Nice, real nice. I guess it worked out alright because I was asked to talk in sacrament meeting next Sunday. The topic? Genealogy. Don't worry, you won't get stoned for saying it along with me BO-RING. Okay but really, I'm glad that I get to start assembling my thoughts early and I was wondering if you wanted to help. How can genealogy bring you closer to the Savior? If you'd rather respond privately, e-mail me. Please? Will you do it if I send you some cookies?

Are you watching the halftime show?

If my Dad grew out his hair, it would look exactly like Tom Petty's.

Anybody with me?

I have tons of crap to do and not that much more time to do it so I'll have to make this quick. While we were in Vegas for Christmas we were blessed enough to be be graced by the presence of a little something I like to call CABLE TELEVISION. Oh, I can't tell you how my friend and I have missed each other. Anyway, we happened to stumble upon Food Network (don't know how that happened) and we caught Alton Brown making beef jerky.

He had a trick. And Russell liked it. Yesterday Russell tried it. Hallelujah! This dear meat is almost gone. Well, at least I can see the back of my freezer. Just thought you'd like see the contraption he used. We went to Home Depot to get a box fan like Alton used but, what do you know, in the middle of the winter here in Boise, Home Depot doesn't keep box fans in stock.

And the final product...