David Archuleta's Going on a Mission

I am his newest big fan. He has a great voice, and he is such a sweet guy! Kind of reminds me of my brothers. :) He made this announcement Monday night at his Christmas concert here in Salt Lake. LOVED the concert, but this was definitely the highlight.

Zoo Day

On Saturday I went to Hogle Zoo with my nieces, Melia and Naiya. We met my friend Alli and her 3 yr old Tristann. She has a pass that lets her get friends in free. We had such a fun day!

A few things Aunti Azie learned from Zoo Day:

1. It is surprisingly difficult to catch a great picture of multiple children, no matter how adorable the children.

2. If you take children with you to IKEA, especially with limited time, don't plan on actually shopping or looking for something you might want.

3. This is neither a rabbit, nor a deer, but a Mara from Patagonia, a relative of the guinea pig.

Melia's Favorit Zoo Animal:

Long Crazy Night

Saturday night was the Relief Society Broadcast. Tiffany got tickets to the conference center so we decided to meet our friends and take TRAX down and then go to dinner afterward. We wanted to try something from Salt Lake's Dine O' Round and decided on Cedars of Lebanon.

As we left the peaceful and uplifting spirit of the Conference Center, we noticed quite a different atmosphere downtown . As we walked we saw a few rather rowdy and scantily clad groups. The further we walked, we saw more and more of them. In fact, people all over were running around in their underwear!

We got to the restaurant as quickly as we could and tried to ignore the skivvies passing by the window. Cedars is a Lebanese/Moroccan restaurant. The setting is very exotic. They also have live bellydancers, which made me pretty uncomfortable for the guys who met us there. The meal was delicious- especially the lentil soup, lemon chicken, and hummus. However, the service was VERY slow. We finally got out at about 10:30.

We were relieved to get on a crowded train and away from the undie crowds shouting profanities about BYU and the angry street preacher man. Just when we thought we were out of it, a group of particularly skimpy undie wearers jumped in next to us and said they had to "get away from that weirdo." When I heard that and saw Tiffany's expression, I had to laugh.

To top things off, we soon realized that our train stops running to Daybreak after 10:30 and we would only be able to get to the Sandy station. Our friend's brother kindly picked us up and took us back to our cars- which were at two different stations- due to a miscommunication at the start of the night. Ha ha.

Crawling into bed just after midnight... I was grateful...to Eric for rescuing us, to Trisha for asking him to come, to Amy for being such a trooper when she wasn't feeling well, to Tiffany for keeping things light, and to Heavenly Father for the message given by Elder Uchtdorf and for helping us to have a safe and enjoyable evening despite all the craziness.

Local Harvest

On Monday night I went to a cooking class with my friend Laura Dawn. You can see pictures of the school's beautiful kitchen and read more about the class on her site. (Warning: May cause kitchen envy.) The classes at Viking Cooking school are normally $80-$90, but this was only $20 through Wasatch Gardens.

Wasatch Gardens is a local nonprofit group whose mission is "to empower people of all ages and incomes to grow and eat healthy, organic, local food." Living here in Utah, we are blessed to have many local farms and farmer's markets close by. Someday I will have my own garden and maybe my own chicken coop. For now I get my eggs from a couple of chicken farmers near work, and I get most of my produce at nearby farms or through a food coop. I love the challenge of using all of the fruits and veggies in the coop basket. This week we got broccoli, sweet potatoes, avocados, cucumbers, apples, apple pears, bananas, grapes, figs, and plums. Yum!!! I am planning to share recipes from the cooking classes on my food blog. For now here is one of my favorite recipes from the summer cooking school:

STRAWBERRY SALSA

2 1-pint baskets of fresh strawberries, hulled and chopped

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

2 tablespoons honey

1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves, chopped

Stir the strawberries and honey in a large bowl. Let stand until berries release their juices, about 10 minutes. Stir in the lemon juice and thyme. Chill at least 30 minutes and up to 4 hours. Serve with vanilla ice cream

Note: This is for all you Californians. We may have lots of fresh produce here, but we still get our strawberries from your fields. :)

L'Orage by William Adolphe Bouguereau

I entered a beautiful home on Friday night where this painting hung over the mantelpiece. It was the first thing you noticed when you walked in, and I was intrigued. I wanted to know the story. I thought that it had to come from something in literature. My friend thought it was just about a couple of girls by the sea- turns out he was right. It is simply titled, "The Storm." There is no story other than the one you imagine. What do you think? Would you have given a more descriptive title? What story do you imagine?

An Obstacle Course

On Friday night I went to the Wild Horse and Burro Expo here in West Jordan. They had an Extreme Trail Challenge, which is basically an obstacle course for the gentled horses.

Horses have such unique personalities and each team approached the course in a unique way. Some horses seemed to ignore the obstacles, some walked or ran away, many tried to go around the obstacles. Some seemed to pay no attention

to the rider and just do whatever they pleased. As I watched, I thought of how each of us handles life's obstacle course.

Here are some of the things I learned from the horses and their riders:

1. Keep your focus on the goal, not the obstacles. Don't spend too much time analyzing or stewing over a particular challenge.

2. Trust your Master.

3. Keep moving forward. Cross over the river. Don't just sip the water.

4. Looks aren't everything. That golden Palomino was pretty to look at but not too impressive on the course.

5. Have fun! The youngest pair just trotted on through the course. They didn't succeed with every obstacle, but they didn't let failure slow them down. Youth might be an advantage because we have fewer fears and reservations and trust more easily.

6. Each success builds our confidence and faith and helps prepare us for the next challenge.

GratiTuesday

This one will be short since I am in the middle of finishing my last EMPA class. Woohoo!

Today I am grateful:

1) To live in such a beautiful area.

2) For warm evenings when everyone is out walking or riding their bikes. Just like tonight at Daybreak Lake.

3) For the BYU Women's Services Writing Retreat that I was able to attend on Friday, for free! You can check out their blog here.

Pushing Daisies

My friend Veronica recently introduced me to this show. Touted as a "forensic fairy tale", the series is known for its unique visual style, quirky characters, and fast-paced dialogue.(Wiki) The story follows Ned, a pie shop owner who can bring the dead back to life. It is also about his romance with his childhood sweetheart- who he cannot touch, or she will be dead, again. I know, sounds weird, and it is. But, it is quite clean, and funny, and has some charming, though very odd characters, and some great quotes.

Here are a few of my favs:

Olive: Wouldn't it just be rock 'n roll if liking someone meant they had to like you back? 'Course that would be a different universe and something else would probably suck.

Chuck: I can’t even hug you? What if you need a hug? A hug can turn your day around.
Ned: I’m not a big fan of the hug,
Chuck: Then you haven’t been hugged properly. It’s like an emotional Heimlich.

Ned: Everything we do is a choice. Oatmeal or cereal. Highway or side streets. Kiss her or keep her. We make choices and we live with the consequences. If someone gets hurt along the way we ask for forgiveness. It’s the best anyone can do.

My Mommy

She loves me more than anyone in the whole world. My brothers could tell you the same thing. Sometimes she might drive us a little crazy with worrying over us. But ,we know it's just because she loves us sooooo much, and wants us to be happy. No matter what, she is always there for me. She thinks I am the most wonderful, amazing, talented, beautiful young woman she knows. She loves Heavenly Father and has a strong testimony of the gospel. Because of her, I have always known that I am daughter of God. She works hard to achieve her goals. At the time in life when some people are planning for retirement, she went back to school and earned a Master's degree. My Mommy is smart, passionate, and a whole lot of fun.

Here are a few quotes that made me think of her:

A mother's yearning feels the presence of the cherished child even in the degraded man. George Eliot

Youth fades; love droops; the leaves of friendship fall; A mother's secret hope outlives them all. ~Oliver Wendell Holmes ( Like I said, no matter what.)

If you have a mom, there is nowhere you are likely to go where a prayer has not already been. ~Robert Brault

"Making a decision to have a child -- it's momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body."- Elizabeth Stone (I thought this one was kind of funny, and that mom could probably relate.)

A mother is the truest friend we have, when trials heavy and sudden, fall upon us; when adversity takes the place of prosperity; when friends who rejoice with us in our sunshine desert us; when trouble thickens around us, still will she cling to us, and endeavor by her kind precepts and counsels to dissipate the clouds of darkness, and cause peace to return to our hearts. ~Washington Irving

Mom,

You are my truest friend. Thanks for always being there, and for teaching me the most important things.

Love Always and Forever,

Azure

Monkey Trap

From Urban Dictionary:
a trap designed to catch animals too smart to fall for an ordinary trap i.e. monkeys and people.
The original monkey trap involves a hollow coconut chained to a stake and baited with food. It has a hole large enough for the monkey to put its hand into, but too small to remove its hand while holding the bait. The monkey needs only to let go to escape, but gets caught because it refuses to let go in its panic to keep its precious find.

Our Sunday School teacher this week used the monkey trap to illustrate the parable of the rich young man. He ran to the Savior to ask what he should do to inherit eternal life. But, went away grieved because the answer- the one thing he lacked- was also the one thing he felt he could not do. The lesson made me think of the things that keep me back, slowing my progression and perhaps my access to greater blessings. Bad habits, negative thoughts, fears, misguided wants...

More on Unexpected Blessings

I was running late this morning, and then couldn't find my keys. After checking under all the couch cushions, and dumping out my purse just to be sure, I did a quick sweep under my bed. Then, I knelt by my bed and said a quick prayer. As soon as I finished, I put my hand down next to my bedside table, and there they were. This has happened multiple times. I wonder why I don't just start there, on my knees, every day. So, I guess, that one I kind of expected. It seems somehow wrong to say that- kind of presumptuous, or demanding. But, I guess sometimes faith does work that way.

The real reason I am writing though is because of what happened at work later today. A couple came in to apply for assistance. They brought with them their sweet 10-week-old baby. Their son, born more than 15 years after their other two children, has Down's Syndrome. Shortly after he was born, the father lost his job and the family's health insurance was terminated.

I was so impressed with this couple. They spoke to each other with respect and kindness. Dad held the baby while mom filled out the paperwork. The dad cooed and played with his baby and seemed to be full of pride and awe of his little boy. They worked as a team, and they had a spirit of true joy about them. They talked about the unexpected hardships of the past few months with acceptance, even ironic humor, but not with bitterness or resentment. Mom said, "We are excited for our new adventure. We know that he(the baby) will bring many blessings and wonderful people into our lives."

I want to be more like them, facing changes and challenges with faithfulness and gratitude.