9.25.2011

Relief Society Broadcast 2011

The RS Broadcast this year was really incredible.  I'm always so glad when I go!  I was touched by all the talks, especially President Uchtdorf's.  Some of my favorite messages tonight:

1. Visiting teaching is an extension of the Bishop's calling to watch over his ward/branch.
2. Charity never faileth.  "True ministry is measured more by the depth of our charity than by the perfection of our statistics."  - Julie B. Beck
3. Keeping our covenants will grant us tremendous blessings, even though it may be difficult.  They give us true joy and peace.
4. Remember that we aren't perfect.  We are striving for perfection, but we aren't there yet, and Heavenly Father knows this!  We need to be more patient and kind with ourselves.


9.22.2011

Yummy Deliciousness



I about botched this dinner, but it somehow pulled through.  Surprisingly, when Jordan took his second bite, announced, "This is a 5 Star dinner!"  This is from the October 2011 Real Simple Magazine.

Chicken with Potatoes, Bacon, and Cabbage
Serves 4

3/4 pound new potatoes, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons olive oil
Kosher salt and black pepper
4 6-ounce boneless, skinless chicken breasts
3 slices bacon, chopped
1 small shallot, minced
1 Tbs dry mustard
3 Tbs cider vinegar
1/2 small head savoy cabbage (8 oz), cut into 1/2 inch strips

Heat oven to 425 degrees F.  On a rimmed baking sheet with liner, toss the potatoes with 1 Tbs. oil, 1/2 tsp. salt, and 1/4 tsp. pepper.  Roast, tossing once, until golden brown and tender, 20 to 25 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat the remaining Tbs. of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Season the chicken with 1/2 tsp. salt and 1/4 tsp. pepper, cook until golden brown and cooked through.

In a second large skillet, cooke the bacon over medium heat until crisp, remove to separate bowl.  Put shallot, mustard, and vinegar in skillet, and cook, stirring frequently, until the shallot is soft, about 2 minutes.  Add the cabbage and cook, tossing, until wilted, about 2-4 minutes.  Serve with the chicken and sprinkle with bacon.

9.19.2011

Changes!

On Friday, I took the plunge and finally decided to get my hair highlighted!  I have only gotten my hair highlighted once before, when I was 11, and it looked so awful that I vowed to never do it again.  This time though, I decided to go with RED highlights instead of the classic BLONDE because I have red tints in my hair anyway.  So so happy with it!  The place I go to, Flirt Salon in Carytown, always does a fantastic job and is fairly priced.  Pictures to come soon.

Then on Friday afternoon, Jordan and I both had eye doctor appointments.  I decided that after wearing hard contacts for 12 years, it was time for a change!  I was constantly having red, irritated, dry eye issues. I switched to soft contacts, and am SOOOO happy!  Wow!  In the three days I've worn them, I haven't had to deal with any debris in my eye or any of the previously mentioned issues!  There are a few differences, but I'm willing to deal with them if it means I won't have to deal with eye problems every hour.  I asked my doctor about Lasik, and unfortunately (insert huge frowny face) I am on the outer limits of being able to get Lasik done.  I have and awful prescription (like -8.5 and -7.55 with a mild astigmatism) and my vision just keeps getting worse, so even if I did get Lasik done, I would have to start wearing glasses/contacts again in 10-15 years.  Boo.

9.12.2011

Already thinking of Christmas...

You probably think I'm crazy for already thinking about the holidays!  :)  Seriously though, it's like a switch flips in my brain automatically every year after Labor Day.  Halloween!  Thanksgiving!  Christmas!  New Years!  I love it!  I'm already wanting to start decorating for Halloween.  Pinterest has given me billions of great ideas for DIY projects and I'm so excited to get a couple days off to get cracking!  In addition to the switch going off in my head, beginning the Christmas season rehearsals for the Richmond Mormon Chorale gets me excited for the holidays!  We had our first rehearsal last night, and it was great.  Singing Christmas songs in September is so fun.  I always wonder what the other people in the church must think as they walk past the chapel as we're singing variations on Fa-La-La.  Haha!

I am determined to be joyful and productive and happy!  This whole season just makes me so happy!

9.08.2011

How We Spent Our Summer Vacation

Technically, our Summer vacation ended two months ago when I started my second year of school, so I'm really behind on telling you guys what we did while I was off from school.

First, we went to a park in Richmond called Maymont. Basically, it's a historical site plus a garden (two of Melyn's favorite things). It made for a good hike and here are some of the pictures we took there:






Next on our stop (I forget chronologically when we did these things, so it's basically a mishmash) was King's Dominion, a theme park just outside Richmond. If you haven't been to Virginia you probably have never heard of it, but it's actually quite an amazing place if you like roller coasters. We tried to make the trip "cheaper" by getting the afternoon admission, that is, if you enter the park after 4 PM it's basically half price. Well, to try and get the cheaper price and still do all the things in the park, I decided that we should go on a Tuesday when the weather forecast was predicting a thunderstorm. Who would be at the theme park then? Nobody, so it was a ghost town. We got on every ride with basically no wait at all. This planning actually turned bad for two reasons. One, we were going on roller coasters so quickly (one right after another), that we both got motion sickness (me in particular). Secondly, the weather forecast turned out to be true and did storm, which cut short our evening. Well here's some pictures we took there.





I should add that this place had some really killer roller coasters. One of them, the Intimidator 305, is one of the tallest and fastest roller coasters in the world. It has a drop so high and so steep, that your vision basically blacks out you are going so fast. Crazy!

Lastly, we went to Washington D.C. to visit the temple. Every time we go to Washington, I vow that we will never go again. The truth is, the traffic is always horrendous there, no matter the time of day, no matter which day of the week. And I'm the most impatient person when it comes to traffic, waiting in lines, etc. But, we really needed to go to the temple because it is always such an amazing experience there, especially when you don't have the convenience of a temple within your own city.




In a nutshell, that was our Summer vacation. I will now get back to studying for my microbiology exam for Monday.

9.07.2011

Yummy Dinner!

Oh my goodness.  We just had the BEST dinner!  It's from "The Madison County Cookbook" on page 287, and I added my own little tweaks.


Pansit
"Philippine Pork and Shrimp Noodles"

6 oz somen noodles
2 Tbs. salad oil
1 small onion, chopped
1.5 C each small cooked shrimp and diced cooked pork
2 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
1/4 C chicken broth
1 green onion, minced including tops
Soy sauce
Sesame seeds

Heat 2 Tbs. oil in a pan over high heat.  Add onion, garlic, shrimp, and pork.  Cook, stirring for 1 minute.  Stir in broth, cover, and cook until well done, about 5 minutes.  Cook somen noodles in boiling water for 3 minutes, drain, and rinse in cold water until the noodles are cool.  Spoon noodles onto plates, top with shrimp and pork mixture and green onion.  Drizzle with soy sauce, and sprinkle with sesame seeds.  Makes 4 servings.

This dish is so delicious, and takes about 30 minutes to cook.  YUM!!!

Labor Day Weekend

Jordan and I had a blast this Labor Day Weekend!  Magically, he had school off and I had work off for three whole days in a row!  That never happens unless I schedule my work somehow!  We decided to spend Sunday and Monday with Mark, Jenae, and the kids in North Carolina.  We had a great time!  We went to dinner at a family friends, went to bed early, and then got up super early to go waterskiing!!!  I haven't been waterskiing for about 4 years, and Jordan hadn't been for 2 years.  


What a blast!  Jordan was extremely impressive.  He and I both did two skis at first to get our bearings, and then both attempted slalom (sp?) skiing, with just one ski.  Jordan was incredible and got up in three tries, and I almost made it up a couple times.  It's so hard, but so fun!  I just need to remember to lean back, keep my knees slightly bent, and knees stuck together.  


We're definitely going to have to go skiing again with them soon.  In NC, they're able to ski year round, which is awesome!  


After skiing, we got some slurpees, ate breakfast, and took a 3 hour nap...yes.  It was great.  Mark and Jenae are awesome and took us out to dinner at an a-maz-ing place and then we drove home!  It was a fun-filled, short vacation!  

9.03.2011

I need to remember this!

This is just a reminder for me.  Go to the theater!  Just like the Hale Center Theater.  I'm so excited.

9.01.2011

Relief!!!

After 129 hours of being without power, the power was finally restored to us!!!!!!!!!!!!!  We were so so very excited.  The very first things we did were:

Jump around screaming and dancing while listening to "I've Got the Power!"...run the dish disposal...turn the lights on...update my facebook status...and watch a movie!

It was fantastic.  I'm most looking forward to taking a hot shower tomorrow.  Oh man, oh man, that will be amazing.  Ice cold showers every day aren't fun.

Another thing that I have learned from this whole experience: don't leave food in the freezer, transfer it to the cooler.  The ice leaks all the way to the floor, causing huge puddles that take a long time to dry.