I believe...

Recently I was listening to some random things on NPR and just letting it play whatever it wanted for me and it played me this segment.

It's about a little kid who listened to the "I believe" things on NPR and then wrote his own list of things he believes. I thought it was really cool and after thinking about it for a few days I decided to write my own list of things I believe. I did the same number as the kid did. I'm sure I could have done more but it was good to have a limit so as to really think about what I wanted in my list. I'm sure people will disagree with me on many of them. But they aren't just my thoughts and ideas, they are beliefs, they are things that I live by, that form the foundation of my life and why I live it how I do so don't bag on them, just write your own if you want them to be different.

1. I believe that Science and Religion go hand in hand if you really believe in both
2. I believe in the need for wilderness even if you never go out into it
3. I believe in imagination
4. I believe that taking risks and chances is important and that it is possible to be too careful
5. I believe in the ability to change and that it's never too late
6. I believe in memories, both for enjoying and learning from
7. I believe there are worse things in life than death
8. I believe that video games are ruining childhood
9. I believe the past should stay in the past but not be forgotten
10. I believe the devil is real
11. I believe in Evolution
12. I believe there is one true church but that everyone has the right to worship as they choose
13. I believe that the root of the problems is the middle east is boredom
14. I believe that the office of the President deserves more respect from this country
15. I believe every person has some feature that is beautiful
16. I believe every experience can be interesting if told well
17. I believe food tastes better when made from scratch, in a cast iron pan, or with real butter
18. I believe extinction due to the irresponsibility of man is a tragedy beyond our understanding
19. I believe truth exists
20. I believe that humor can be found in any situation
21. I believe there's no such thing as a bad or wrong emotion, only inappropriately placed or out of control ones
22. I believe men should be handy
23. I believe in prayer
24. I believe people should respect their elders
25. I believe in leading by example
26. I believe in Karma and The Golden Rule
27. I believe in having choices and sometimes making the wrong one
28. I believe in sacrifice for the greater good
29. I believe in families
30. I believe that experiences are worth more than money in the bank

High Tea

My friend Tisha is having a baby. She's one of what's referred to as my "work wives" with the other one being Heathyr. (a work wife is someone who, while you're at work, you're with so much and they know everything that's going on with you that it's like a marriage. I have two work wives...and a pet nerd but that's another story)

Since neither Heathyr nor I could attend any of Tisha's baby showers we decided to have our own mini one and go have High Tea at the Grand America. It was so classy! They even have someone playing the harp (but not TOO classy on the harp since we noticed once she was playing Stairway to Heaven. Sounded great though) I was surprised at how much all those tiny little finger sandwiches filled me up. They were only two bites each at the most but so tasty! I got a plum tea but if I ever go again I'm getting a hot chocolate. They had all kinds of flavors and Tisha got one that was so amazing. Don't even get me started on the lemon curd they brought out for the scones... Sadly we ate everything before I could take a picture of any of it. Oh well. Maybe I'll join the ladies hat club and then I can go all the time. I've never seen so many ladies in big hats as I did there.

Out of control

I have no sense of portion control. Yes I can control it when it's on my plate and I'm actually eating it, it's the making it that is my problem. I can never seem to estimate how much food to make and as a habit, I usually make ten times too much or make something way too big. No matter if it's the simplest recipe ever or incredibly complex and time consuming, a recipe I made up myself, or one I found on the internet... it will be too much. Here are two recent examples.

First example is this new cake recipe I tried out. It's ridiculously easy. You stack these chocolate wafers up with fresh homemade whipped cream and let it sit for a day and ta-da! Cake! It looks a little different than this by the time you eat it. (Seriously though you should all try it, I'm in love with this cake. I got the recipe from the Smitten Kitchen.) I tried it out and made it for book club ...and then a smaller one to taste before in case it was bad and didn't want to serve it ...and then some mini ones which I brought to work... see what I'm saying? There was just so much stuff, I had tons left over after I assembled the cake so I had to keep going. I ate the cake for 3 days then finally had to pass it off onto a family in my neighborhood that has 6 kids before it went bad. There was still over half the cake left.

Second example, I wanted to make some manicotti to put in the freezer for later. I pulled out my tasty manicotti recipe that I concocted a few years back and spent all evening chopping, grating, boiling, sauteing till I had the most enormous bowl of manicotti stuffing I'd ever seen. (look at the ingredients list in the background. This is one involved recipe! If only I'd paid attention to the amounts I'd written down I might not have had this problem) "What have I done?!?!" I thought as I began boiling a second box of manicotti shells to stuff. It didn't end there. What I wanted to be one tray of manicotti turned into two trays, another square pan, a loaf pan, and then a large casserole dish of ziti mixed in with all the left over filling I still had. How many people did I think I was feeding? This picture is about half of how much food I made. Maybe I should be running a food bank or get a job as a cafeteria lunch lady or something... It's a good thing I like my own cooking because I sure end up with leftovers a lot. (and I didn't even mention the enchiladas I made the next day. They're filling up the other half of the freezer that isn't full of manicotti)

Outdoor Woman

Many of you may or may not know that I'm in a book club and as small as it is, I love it. In college my roommate Candi and I decided to read a book together. It was a huge success and we ended up reading and discussing together 3 books in the few short months after school ended and before I left on my mission (sometimes reading the books out load together much to the amusement of my mother who secretly listened from her bedroom window). Finally after 8 years, 2 marriages, a couple kids, and a divorce, we found the time to pick it back up and officially started a book club. This is not the topic of my post though and as my history teacher Mr. Cripe used to always say, "I digress..." It is only to mention that through our fantastic book club I met Gina. I'm discovering that everything I want to do...Gina wants to do too. Thankfully though she's a little bit more of a go getter than I am and where I sit back and wish, she takes action... and invites me along. So in addition to joining the book club, she's started up an Outdoor Women group organizing activities in the great outdoors and finding other women to join in the adventure. I have high hopes that it will really take off. This Saturday morning we went on a hike up Red Butte Canyon. It was a great little hike for the second day of spring and we got some amazing panoramic views of the entire Salt Lake valley from North to South. We were up there as the first winds started arriving with the storm that showed up the next day. It was great to get out with new people, to a new spot, and enjoy more of this great state we live in. So thanks to Gina and Maria for the hike and hopefully some others will come along next time... next time.... that's tomorrow! We're going climbing at the climbing gym! YES!

Looking for a concert partner...

I really really really really want to go the Brandi Carlile concert on April 18th, it's a Saturday. All my usual concert partners are either out of town that weekend or don't care to see her. So anyone one else want to go with me? Anyone at all? Don't say you'll come if you'll want to leave early or complain about standing up. It's at a new small concert venue that's opening up this April on State Street so I have no idea what it's going to be like there. I've heard Brandi Carlile is great in person so please someone say you'll come with me! I don't mind going alone if I have to, but I'd rather not at a venue like this. I've thought about doing what I normally do, that is buy two tickets and find someone to use the second one after I get it, but I'm not sure I could find someone to come with me to this concert so I'm going to wait.

I'll drive....

Gina... I'll pay for you...

Come on someone come with me....

If you don't know who she is you might recognize this song of hers.

4. Find a new outdoor sport to get into CHECK!

One of my New Year's resolutions was to find a new outdoor sport to get into... I think I've found it. For years I've been wanting to get into rock climbing. Long ago I recognized the fact that I have little cardio endurance but seem to be able to do well in anything requiring strength... so rock climbing always sounded like it would suit me perfectly. The one or two times I rappelled with Bryce and Nate I really liked it. I've just been waiting for someone to come along to help me get into it. Finally I hooked up with Jake and he's proving to be an excellent teacher. We go to the climbing gym at least 3 times when he's home from work and last Saturday the weather was so nice he took me out on my first real rock climb in Rock Canyon. It was awesome and I loved it more than I ever expected to. Sadly no pictures of us climbing, just this one of us packing up the stuff afterwards. I'm even starting to slowly acquire my own climbing gear although Jake has so much I hardly need to. As a Christmas bonus from work they gave all the 5 year employees $100 to REI. I finally found something to spend it on. Yeah for my own climbing shoes! Now I don't have to waste 4 bucks at the gym every time just to worry about getting athletes foot. The only problem with new climbing shoes is you have to wear them in...the fit and the color. Mine are red which means now my feet are tye-dyed red as well. This picture really doesn't do them justice. This is my exclusive custom made chalk bag which Jake made for me. Very impressive domestic skills if you ask me. Here is Bentley demonstrating the improper and proper way to chalk up.

I thought of posting a picture of the 32 shades of black blue and purple that I've acquired on my knees, but it's too gross. So are the nice thick belay callouses I've built up on my puffy swollen hands. So far it's been worth it though. I wish I could find some people to go to the climbing gym with on the weeks Jake's at work. Anyone?