Let me begin with a recap of a few of the things I've had on my mental list to blog about when I had the time...
A couple of weekends ago, Jonathan and I went with his younger brother Nick to hang out at one of my favorite places in Provo:
It was the annual Blue & White spring football game. It was nice to get out and enjoy the sunshine for a bit. We got there early and sat right on the front row of the stadium on about the 40 yard line. The first part of the day was a camp for kids. The players set up different stations around the field and the kids could go out and run the drills with the players. Right in front of us was the linebacker station. We had quite a blast watching little children running and jumping over obstacles and then tackling a huge round dummy. They were quite enthusiastic.
I remember going to the Blue & White games with my family when I was younger. It's something of a tradition. After all, we are big fans.
I could definitely get used to sitting on the first row directly in front of the action. We closely watched the new recruits and enjoyed the competition between players trying to earn their starting position.
From left to right, Riley Nelson (QB - #13), Jake Heaps (QB - #9) and Ross Apo (WR - #11)
Although the team has had setbacks already with injuries and the withdrawal from school by star running back Harvey Unga due to an honor code violation... I'm sure Bronco will have them in top form by September.
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Last Sunday was our turn to host our dinner group. Last fall, the ward activities committee assigned us into dinner groups, and about every other month we get together with the Bushnells and the Olsens for dinner. Since it was finally warm enough and a nice day, we decided to barbeque and have salads and fruit.
One of my favorite salads to make in the summer is cous cous salad. I first had cous cous in a Moroccan restaurant in Paris. They serve the cous cous with ratatouille and deliciously grilled meat. If you have never had cous cous before, you are missing out. It is light and fluffy and goes well with so many things.
The best part about making a cous cous salad is that you can put pretty much anything into it and it tastes fantastic. I like to start with zuccini, squash, and peppers, cooking them with a bit of olive oil.
To cook the cous cous, all you need to do is boil water, add the cous cous, remove it from the stove and let it sit. It takes about 5 minutes.
After fluffing the cous cou with a fork, I add the vegetables with some green onions and tomatoes (yes, Mom, tomatoes...mostly for Jonathan...although they're not bad if I cut them up small and can't taste them...)
In my opinion, no cous cous salad is complete without feta cheese and mint leaves. It's also good to toss it with some salt, pepper, and olive oil. And you're done! It's a very fast, easy dish and perfect for a summer barbeque, picnic or potluck.
Although I don't have a photograph of the actual guests, here is one of the spread. It was delicious, I assure you.
Speaking of cooking... you are all in trouble. Why? Why has no one told me of these before?!?
Dude... they are amazing. Probably one of my favorite inventions of the 21st century. You put raw vegetables in with a tablespoon of water, microwave them in the bag for about 3 minutes, and presto! They are cooked. But that's not all. You can put meat in there with or without the vegetables. I tried salmon the other night with a bit of seasoning and lemon juice...yum. But wait, there's more! You can even put the meat in the bag frozen! And it still only takes about 4 to 5 minutes to cook! These have been a lifesaver for Jonathan and I. Our schedules are crazy right now and sometimes cooking is far down on the priority list. But with these steam bags, we get a healthy, delicious meal in a matter of minutes. Sorry for the infomercial, but I wish I would've known about these a long time ago. If you are busy or don't like to cook a big meal for just two of you, give these a try.
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Last week I decided to make a change. While I liked being a brunette for the last year or so, I missed being blonde. And I needed a haircut. Desperately. Luckily I was able to get an appointment with Jonathan's cousin Tracy. She has a gift. She was able to give me exactly what I wanted even when I didn't know what that was. Her goal was to make me look "sassy." I'll let you decide if she succeeded.
(Sorry for the ghetto myspace type pictures...Jonathan was out of town when I got it done.)
What do you think? Which look do you like better?
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This should be a post in and of itself. I'm sure I'll expound on it in my next post.
Today was my last day as a 1L. I officially survived my first year of law school at BYU. My last final was this morning.
While it is nice to be done, it hasn't quite sunk in yet. I've heard the first year is the hardest. I hope that's true. But I rather enjoyed this year. I like being in school. I like learning. I like reading. I like thinking. I like studying. I even like taking tests sometimes. I'm glad I still have two more years left.
This was my carrel desk, where I spent many hours studying. And yes, I did read all of those books.
I am now looking forward to a week of rest and relaxation. I've had far too little sleep the last couple of weeks. It will be nice to give my brain a rest. And if it'll stop snowing and raining here, maybe I can soak in some sunshine as well.
It has been strange getting used to being alone at night while Jonathan works. But I'm sure we'll get used to it soon. Each night of work gets better for Jonathan, and I'm sure he'll be the best manager at Nestle in no time.
And a week from tomorrow, Jonathan graduates from UVU with his bachelors in Business. He has worked so hard to accomplish this goal. I cannot wait to celebrate with him and our family and friends!
Here's to a new chapter of life - a new adventure!
