The last post

As the semester comes to a close, I realize that this is my last English 150H post. It is a sad thing, as I have enjoyed writing utter nonsense online. I feel as if my English 150H class has been enlightened, and I may even go so far as to say the world is a better place because of my blog. Are you serious?! I am just kidding. Although, I really have had a lot of fun with this assignment. Thank you Sister Larsen for letting us be your guinea pigs. Now...for one last blog.
As most of you know, I am getting married at the end of the semester. Well, that is only 16 days away now!! It's about time my fiance and I picked our cake. SO we did. It is 3 tiered, white, and with butter cream frosting. The bottom layer is white cake with strawberry filling, the middle layer is chocolate cake with mint filling, and the top is marble cake with cream cheese filling. Sounds good? I hope so. The cake design itself is beautiful. It goes along with my pearl theme, as the cake has little dots dripping down from the topmost layer. I am not describing this very well...and I can't find a picture. But hopefully you get the idea. So everything is pretty much planned, and I am pretty excited. I just wish the big day would come already!!
Back to my first thought...I have thoroughly enjoyed this semester of food-filled fun. It will be sad when it is over, but I will be a better student because of it. Now when people ask me anything weird about food and ANY type of it's aspects, I will be able to answer. In fact, I have already talked off a few people's ears off (thats a cliché right there!!), concerning food and how it defines us. That was the topic of my research paper.

I am...

If I could be any Disney character, I would surely choose to be Wendy from Peter Pan. I am a lot like her as well, she is kinda air heady...and yea that is me. She is kinda controlling too, she is always the one making plans and showing everyone what to do. Also mean mermaids pick on her, and that happens to me like all the time.
My other reasons for being Wendy are extensive, but the most apparent reason for my choice would be because I could fly. Not only would I be able to fly, but I wouldn't need bothersome wings or a jet pack, but just a "little bit of pixie dust." And then after I've been doing it for a while, and get the hang of it, I wouldn't even need that anymore! Just imagine flying over all those islands and forests in Neverland! It surely would be spectacular.
There are some drawbacks to being Wendy, but I think I could deal with them. I would make food for the lost boys, and this would be beneficial because I would become a better cook. They would be fed, and I would do my best to be their mother so they would stay out of trouble. They would grow and learn to respect me, and it would be as if they were all my children. Hook might get on my nerves, and the constant threat of losing Peter to him or that alligator would be terrible, but I am sure Peter will take care of that. He is such a man with his green tights, that I don't think it will be a problem to rid Neverland of that pesky pirate.
The drama with Tink might get annoying, but I am a human and she is only a fairy. You tell me who would win? I definitely think I could put her in her place. Seriously anyway, shes minuscule so how could that relationship even work out if Peter wanted it to. Which he doesn't so I don't think it even matters. As for the "never grow up" issue, that might be nice. I would never have to go to work, and I could live up my live in peace in Neverland. All the adventures with Peter would surely keep me company, that I don't think I'd have missed not growing up.
It would also be nice to escape my parents and family back in England. They have been arguing a lot, especially before parties, and are probably headed towards divorce anyhow. I could just take care of my little brothers, fly all day, and cook for the lost boys. Sigh* What a life! I would definitely have to learn to sew though because that blue dress with the puffy sleeves is getting old.

Getting Married

Today is the 1 month mark exactly until my fiance and I tie the knot. We are very excited to say the least, and it is inspiring that the date is in sight because after a 5 month engagement we are so ready to be married. Getting married is a huge deal, and it takes so much preparation. We are still not done, so I cannot imagine how people plan weddings in three months. The reason I bring this up, is that food is a big part of a wedding reception. We had to decide on the types of food that we wanted, how much of it, and when to serve it and all that. Luckily we went with a reception center so they are making things a lot easier. We decided to go with a dessert buffet that will be replenished with food throughout the evening. We picked cookies, (my fiance had his say in this), turtle brownies, éclairs, and cheesecake. That came to $7 a person, and when you're expecting 400 or so people, that can really add up!! This leads me to wonder why food is such a big deal. I am not even sure if anyone cares that much about eating at a wedding, but I have only been at one so I am not really the expert. Nevertheless, the people that come to our reception will have the option, and they better take it because we have to pay the bundle of money no matter what!

Our Food Supply

So I was at Maceys the other day, and at the register I saw a peculiar yellow sign. It said, "due to the recent circumstances, Maceys will no longer be able to give rain checks for wheat and rice". At first I just thought that was really weird, but then in my religion class yesterday we were talking about the second coming, and I kept thinking about that sign. I kept thinking that if we already have problems giving rain checks to people that want them, soon we will be limited in how many bags of wheat and rice we're allowed to buy! I don't know if it will really happen, but it is a scary thought because we are so dependent on our nearest grocery store. The prophets and church leaders have said to have food storage, and this is why. Just something to think about.
P.S.
Does anyone know why wheat and rice has gone up? I have heard a lot of different things, and it would be nice to hear what you guys have to say.

Spiritual Food

This Sunday I had a once in a lifetime experience with the prophet Thomas S. Monson. On Sunday after church, my fiance, his mother, and myself decided to make a visit to the care center in Holiday. The reason being that my fiance's grandma is living there for the time being. I have gotten to know her pretty well, so it is always a pleasure to go and visit her. I'm sure it can get lonely there, so we make it a point to come and visit as often as we can. We hadn't been in a while, so we decided to make the trip. Once we got there we saw that none of the residents were in their rooms, and we were then informed that they were all downstairs finishing up church. The nurses said that they should be coming back up any minute, so we all decided to wait on the couch for her to come up the elevator. Person after person came out of the elevator, but not Grandma. We overheard the workers saying what a wonderful meeting it was, and how nice of President Monson to show up. We started to get really excited, especially me because I had never met him, and my fiance and his mom had. SO when she did not come up after 20 or so minutes, we decided to go down and see what was up. Inside I was hoping that President Monson was still there, although the chances weren't good since he is the prophet of God, I doubt he has much time to spare. But, as we went down the elevator and the doors opened, there he was. Just sitting there, holding Grandma's hand. You may think thats kind of weird, but actually it's not because President Monson and my fiance's grandparents have known President Monson for years. Grandpa was his bishop many years ago and Grandma was President Monsons wife's visiting teacher. They are old family friends I guess you could say, I mean President Monson went to my fiance's parents wedding reception! How cool would that be?
"Oh there's Aunt Bertha and Uncle Bert...oh wait and there's PRESIDENT MONSON!"
So anyway, as we walked out of the doors, we made a beeline for President Monson. I was so excited to see him, I couldn't contain myself! I stood next to Grandma who was sitting next to the prophet, so I was pretty close to him!
Once she saw us, she said "I'd like you to meet my grandson and his fiancee Taylor." Immediately President shook my fiance's hand, and then mine. I was in awe. He asked me where I was from, and I told him. In response, he said President Hunter loved that place. Now this is fitting because remember President Monson served as counselor in the 1st Presidency to President Hunter as well, so he would have known him pretty well.
We continued to stand there while Grandma and the 3 ladies in front of her and President Monson discussed broken bones and such. It was so cool to see the prophet sitting and visiting with these elderly people that he loves so much. While I was in his presence I felt at peace, and like everything was just peachy! Despite the fact that I have been stressed to the T will wedding plans, school, and family. It was a wonderful experience, and I didn't want to leave. But President said we should all go home to our families, and that was that. We said goodbye, and went back up the elevator, but with Grandma this time.

Monday night fun

This last Monday was a perfect example of Monday night fun. It was as wonderful as the title suggests, and really brightened up my day. So exactly what happened you ask? Well on Mondays I have class from 10-6, and during my last class my fiance texted me. He asked how class was and he said that he thought I should leave early. Now I am a good student, and it was paining me enough to have him text me in class, that I wasn't about to leave class early. So I said I couldn't. But then, he texted back saying to leave class, and hurry. So I figured I had better since he sounded urgent, and I only left 5 minutes early from class anyway so I didn't feel so bad. I ran up the stairs of the TNRB, and through the glass doors was my fiance in his car. He had a bouquet of coral colored lilies in his hands, and plans for the night in his head. We went to Smiths and bought ingredients to make his choice of dinner; pizza and cookies. After a lot of fun in the grocery store, we headed over to my place, and the cooking began. It wasn't as disasterous as I thought. Our biggest incident was my fiance put the butter wrapped in aluminum in the microwave, which caused some spark-age, and before that put a whole stick of it in the microwave and forgot about it so it melted everywhere. We really do make a great couple. But finally the disasters were over, and we just enjoyed our pizza while watching the office. It was really a wonderful night, and it all centered around food.

School and Food

As we all know, our lifestyles determine how we eat. School is my lifestyle, and it definitely has an impact on what I eat. Although, what I had never noticed before is that the kinds of food I eat depend largely upon what day of the week it is, and what time of day it is. For example, in order to pull an all-nighter in order to do homework, I have to have food near me. There is no way that I can stay awake and think unless I have food. And it can't just be any food, specifically chocolate. I am not sure why that is, I just know it has always been like that, even way back in high school. Maybe chocolate does something to your brain, and helps it stay alert longer...I am not sure. But whatever it is, it works, and I am going to keep using it for as long as I need to!

Perfection!

If you read my blog last week, you know that I made dinner for my fiance for the first time last Thursday. Well, you will be happy to hear that it was perfect! As soon as I got home from class I got to cooking like a crazy cooking machine. It paid off though because the food was waiting on the stove when my fiance arrived. I set the table all cute, and the huge vase of flowers he brought worked well as the centerpiece. The food turned out great, and we had a lot of leftovers. For some reason it was really filling, and we could hardly eat dessert (chocolate cake with homemade frosting...really good!). My fiance loved the food though, which made me feel really good. He said that it was like a scene from his future, and he is right. After dinner I gave him his present, (Season 3 of the Office), and we got ready to head out for the movies. However, my fiance pulled out this wrapped red box out of nowhere. Inside was a ruby necklace, (ruby is my birthstone), with a little diamond! It is so pretty! Of course I pretended to get onto him for going over the budget we had set, but it made me happy all the same. After that, we went to the movies and saw Spiderwick. We got popcorn and soda, although we ate hardly any because we were still so full. It was the most amazing day, and I look forward to having similar days when we are married in 65 days...not that I'm counting or anything.

Valentines Day!

I am so excited for Valentines Day tomorrow! It is going to be awesome because my fiance and I are going to be together. It is the first time in all of my 19 years, and all of his 21, that it won't be SAD (singles awareness day). I am planning to cook dinner for him, and this is a big deal because I don't cook. I like to make weird things, (like for example I enjoy tomato pasta sauce with beef and cheddar cheese, all wrapped up in a tortilla. It's good). The only problem is that I am not sure if anyone would appreciate my experimental way of cooking. So I have decided to go with a classic, and make pasta for our valentines dinner. Spaghetti, red sauce with ground beef, a salad, and chocolate cake. I have never cooked for my fiance, so this is really a big step. And the best thing is that he doesn't even care if I cook for him...ever. So if worse comes to worse, we can always eat out. There is no harm in that.

Lazy

As I was walking to class in the snow, i got to thinking about random things. Like, why is America so obese? It's pretty much a new thing, so why all of a sudden over the last few years. The thing that pains me the most is obese children. It makes me so sad because you know they get picked on like the dickens from the other kids at school. Plus, it can't be comfortable to carry all that around...not to mention it is life threatening. Also, why don't families have dinner together anymore? It has evolved into a 'fend for yourself' thing, and whatever food you can find you can eat. Thats what my mom used to say to my brother and I when we were hungry and in our teenage years..."Whatever you find you can eat". Another totally weird thing I thought of, is why is tying our shoes like pretty much obsolete now? I tried to remember the last time I tied my shoes, and I couldn't! I have all those slip on shoes...Vans, heels, tennis shoes with no laces, and boots that just have stretchy material that slips nicely over your heel. Sure they are comfortable and all, but theres nothing like a nice laced up shoe. After a while all of the randomness started coming together, believe it or not, and I started to see a connection between my thoughts. It was, America is lazy...and maybe not just America...but the whole world in fact! Everything is about some little time saving device. I mean for crying out loud...do we not have time to bend down and tie our shoes?! Maybe that would help with the obesity, because people would have to bend down to get to their feet! Don't misunderstand, I am guilty of this little crime as well. It seems like I no longer have time for anything. What can be done, I am not sure. But something surely must be, or we will all crash from too much pressure.

Cafe Rio

I recently had a new dining experience that I just had to blog about...Cafe Rio! It was by accident that I found myself there. It was on a Saturday night, and my fiance and I along, with his family, had just finished visiting Grandma . She is rehabilitating in a care center away from home, so it was like a mini family get-away. Afterwards we did what any Mormon family would want to...go to dinner together! So, we ended up at Cafe Rio because it was close to where we already were. I ordered the chicken burrito, and I was surprised! I didn't think I would like it, just because I have had so much good, authentic Mexican food. Growing up in Southern California, I am very picky about my Mexican. Anyway, I liked it! My fiance got the chicken burrito as well, and he loved it too! In fact, we were so impressed, that on Monday night we went back. I know that sounds kind of bad, but we enjoyed ourselves. It's hard to believe that we went out of our way to enjoy a little Mexican cuisine on a Monday night...but I'm sure stranger things have happened. Maybe Cafe Rio puts some type of addictive substance in their foods, because I have been craving their chicken burrito ever since!

My closest encounter with Japan

This past holiday weekend my fiance and I went to an interesting little restaurant in Lehi called Teppanyaki. It was for my fiance's work party, so there were about twenty of us eating together at the restaurant. The layout is unlike I have ever seen before. You don't just sit there and have your food brought out to you, the chefs actually cook it in front of you! You sit at this large square table, but the middle is cut out, and there is a large teppan in it's place. (I later learned that teppanyaki gets its name from the word "teppan", which means iron plate, and "yaki", which means grilled). The waiter then takes everyone's order, and within minutes a chef emerges with a huge cart. On the cart is all of the food that everyone in your party ordered, and all of the ingredients needed to prepare it. The chefs don't just make your food either, it is an interactive and quite social dinner. The chef that we had did tricks while making our food. He made huge flames on the teppan, as well as an "onion volcano", (as my fiance liked to call it). While he was making the fried rice he cracked three eggs as well. He threw the first two up in the air and caught them with his metal spatulas, and then cracked them without using his hands. Like I said, it was entertaining. Then with the last egg he said "American way", and just cracked it all boringly with his hands. Once he was done with the show, aka cooking our food, then he started throwing shrimp in people's mouths for them to catch. My fiance and I kindly declined to have flying fish thrown at us, but there were others in our party who did not. In fact this one guy that my fiance works with caught 5 in a row! Impressive! When the chefs left and it was time to eat, EVERYTHING was good. I absolutely loved the sushi, fillet mignon, fried rice, and salmon! What made it even better was that we didn't have to pay for any of it! So naturally we got a lot of food, and one plate was actually $22! If I was having to pay I am not sure I would go back just because I will be a poor newlywed college student soon. However, for special occasions I would consider it because it was absolutely enjoyable.

An "Odd" waiter

I enjoy eating at many restaurants so it is hard for me to choose a favorite. However, I think if I had to choose I would go with Olive Garden. I am a sucker for Italian food, and Olive Garden isn’t too expensive. My fiancé and I had an interesting experience at the Olive Garden in West Jordan. We sat down at our table, and the waiter introduced himself as “Odd”. Now not only is his name weird, but his but his disposition was just…well odd.
“Have we been here before?” he asks with his hands folded and an inclined head.

We say yes, and I’m pretty sure our bewildered thoughts showed right through our faces. He was like something from back in time. He said words like "shall" and "thy",and it was quite odd. When he asks what we would like to order I already knew what I wanted to try! I saw a commercial on T.V. for the new chicken lasagna rollatini, and I was dying to try it. I wanted the salad instead of the soup, (I just love their salads), and I specify that I want Italian dressing, not ranch like my fiancé got. When he comes back with the salads he says “ranch” and sets it down in front of me with a wink. It wasn’t ranch thank goodness, but I don’t think he said “ranch” on accident. Then when he brought out my dish, he asked if I wanted cheese. I said yes of course, and when he was shredding the cheese onto my plate, he told me to say "when". So when he reached a good amount, I said "when". He didn't stop, so I said "thats good", but he still didn't stop! SO finally I said it really loud, "THATS GOOD!" He finally stopped, and when he left my fiancé and I laughed. I had a mountian of cheese on my plate. Other than that, he was a great waiter...entertaining as well. Before either of us could finish our drink even halfway, he had a refill on the table waiting. Service is important to me, so I appreciated how on top of things Odd was. Overall it was a great experience...just a little bit odd.

Ramblings of a random college student

Food is good. We all eat it, even if we don't want to. We depend on it. It can be sad really because we can't live without it for very long. Sometimes I wish we could store food up in our bodies for weeks in advance. Like bears. You know like if you go to a really nice restaurant and the food is good, you could just eat as much of it as you want. Eat it all up, and then you don't have to carry around those annoying styrofoam boxes, which you just end up throwing away anyhow once you get them safely in the refrigerator. That way you're filled up for a few good days, and you don't have to worry if all you have is Top Ramen in your cupboard! Remember that wonderful meal you had and your worries are gone! Now don't get me wrong, I don't want to live without food altogether...I like it. It's just that ever since I came to college I haven't had time to eat! Can you believe it?? I go from class to class forgetting to eat because I am too busy looking for my classes (a.k.a getting lost). I am a transfer student from BYU-Idaho so this is my first semester here at BYU. I suppose things will get better with my navigational skills, in fact I can already see that they have. I only got lost once today...but then again it is only 10:30 a.m.