Happy 8th Birthday...

... to my favorite leap-year baby soccer player! I've been a Taylor Twellman fan for a LONG time and loved finding out that he was a leap-year baby. He hasn't played forever because of lasting repercussions from several pretty severe concussions but he's been doing so much since then. Check out his foundation, ThinkTaylor.org and find out more about what he does. Happy Birthday, Taylor! Thanks for all that you've done for soccer and are now doing for concussion awareness! Go celebrate like the 8-year-old you are at heart!

How Do We Feel Wednesday

This is going to be a new feature for the blog although don't be surprised when it's never updated since I have no time for blogging these days. I'll pick something and we can discuss how we feel about it. Or I can just tell you and you can decide if you want to comment or not.

Today's HDWF topic is:

Hair transplants: Wayne Rooney went from this....

To this....

To this...

How do we feel?

I feel creeped out. This is gross. Why are you showing us the process? Why am I posting these pictures? Is it even possible for him to head the ball without massive pain? Ugh, ugh, ugh and more ugh. Listen, Wayne, your baldness was just a part of who you are embrace it. These guys did.

How do you feel?

Reminds Me Of....

Marriedtothesea.com has been ON this month. Almost every day, their cartoon has reminded me of someone that I know. For example...

Def Bailie, who apparently has decided she wants to do roller-derby.

For anyone dealing with election blues....
Most of my friends. I don't actually really get Pintrest.

My students... they're not allowed to bring laptops to class. I know, I'm so mean.

Kelsey! My librarian friend. I'm sure this won't be one you day.

Andrea- because we would totally say this about someone like that.

Anyone on the C of I campus- I'm sure this is what all our squirrels are thinking- that and murderous thoughts of domination.

SOTM

My concert for MSO is coming up next week and although I am loving almost everything we're playing (Suite from Carmen, some Scottish dances, a few special pieces....), this is my favorite.

I already love 99% of Copland's music and this one is just so incredible. It's got everything I love about Copland's style, plus some of my favorite quotes about Lincoln. I love it. Plus, Gregory Peck... swoon!

My Life in a Nutshell

Insanity....

This is why there have been no blog posts in forever (although there are about 12 drafts of posts right now... I just need to find the time to finish and post them..) This is also why I probably won't go back and proof-read this post.

Let me break it down for you.

Mondays are technically a non-work day but after swimming, one-on-one meetings with a student and small group, I have very little time to do anything but some planning for class the next day. Which is usually what I end up doing. Because we discuss a book on Thursday in EDU202, Tuesdays is usually more of a directed lesson so I have to figure out what that looks like. It always changes. That night I have rehearsal so I'm usually up late when I get home. Starting next week, I won't have rehearsal anymore, just an hour kettle-bells class, so that'll be nice. Not that I don't enjoy orchestra, I just will have less and less time as the semester goes on.

Tuesday are go, go, go, go. Last week after teaching and class, I had a meeting with Tim and Mark to get our group discussion taken care of. Last week was my last week but usually I then would go to kettle-bells. Now, I'm going to be running after class. I have fallen in love with running the greenbelt- I downloaded a free app that tracks my speed and distance and I have realized that although I'm not fast, I'm constant. My longest run so far as been a little over 5 miles. Because I have a paper due on Wednesday, usually I'm revising and editing it and going over the book to be prepared for the discussion the next day.

Wednesdays are nice- after I swim, I have a few hours to get work done, print stuff off the computer, plan and such before I go off to class. Starting this week, I'm going to be picking Niki up so we can carpool and grab coffee before class. This week I lead the discussion so I've been working on those questions and reviewing the book, which I have loved. It's all about tolerance, especially towards homosexuality in the Christian church and it's fascinating. Starting in March I will have kettle-bells again for an hour before heading home. The timing is perfection.

Thursdays are just disastrous- I've been getting up early on these days to get into the office and settled before class so that's been nice but tiring. Then class, class, drive, class, run, grade, read, class, Ha-Penny. Guess which is my favorite part of the day.

Friday, Saturday and Sundays these last few weeks have been pretty identical- lots and lots of reading and paper writing. My goal is to have the papers for 501 finished by the weekend so they can be written and usually I'm pretty good and sticking to that. Then it's reading for my other classes, note-taking, getting started on my three research papers (which I finally did this weekend- well, two at least), preparing for one-on-one meetings with both professors this week, etc. This week we moved (more on that later) and I try to find a little time for something fun- the Liverpool game, the basketball game at school, a movie, something.

I've also given up TV for Lent, which includes watching TV episodes from my DVDs at home. It's been too distracting and I've had a hard time getting things done in the office since all I want to do with internet is watch TV. So I have a meticulous list of what I've been missing each week and I'll make up for it in the summer when the TV is rubbish anyone (except for Suits and Rizzoli and Isles). So, by the way, don't ask me if I've seen ______. I haven't. Movies do not count (although I will not be Netflix-ing any TV shows, just films) and Liverpool games don't count either, since it's so rare that I et to watch one.

So that is why I'm all over the place. And stressful as it is, I also love it. I'm happy, I'm content, I have some rocking friends, the weather is (usually) wonderful and there are only 74 days until it is all over and I can finally relax!

Valentine's Day via Instagram

cold morning started out with some dutch bros- only a buck with three cans of food!

red toms fitting for valentine's day

i may have started a countdown calendar for how many

more classes until the end of the semester

chocolates from my sweet roommate

my england photo book arrived!

heart shaped brownies from my mom

best mug ever with chocolates and kisses

the rest of the swag from the box

i i love love couscous so so much much

probs my new favorite meal- chicken and couscous- so easy!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Apologies

For the three of so of you who have noticed a real lack of activity on this blog, I apologize. I swear to you I have about ten posts that are all in drafts right now just waiting to be finished. But I have no time. Like at all. There is a reason why it is a quarter to 7 in the morning and I am in my office getting work done before teaching at 8. So just be patient- I'll be back, I promise!

In the meantime, enjoy actual laughter and bonding moments between my two favorite TV brothers.

Old Emails

I finally started using the mail feature on my mac and it's been a lot easier to scroll through old emails. And because I have a total pack-rat in all senses of the word, I have emails saved from when I first started my gmail account, back in January of 2008. It's been crazy to read back through all of these old emails and watch how my life moved through the saga of my first job in Garden Grove, those months of uncertainly whileI was subbing but getting to travel, organizing time together with friends when I traveled or visited Idaho or the inauguration, the different Bible study groups I was involved in, prayer requests from Life Group and Kondo Krew and women's Bible Study, the transition to living in England and new experiences there as well as contact back at home, and then the last two years. I've been reading my way through them on my breaks from reading/paper writing and it's been such an experience. It's almost as though I've reliving the past few years of my life and seeing how I responded so certain things and how things have changed to drastically. It's like reading this blog over the last few years but also seeing the responses of people and who I would reach out and who would support me. I've realized (although it's not like I didn't already know this...) that I had and still have a lot of people praying and supporting me and giving me great advice. I'm very lucky. So far I've read up to England... can't wait to see what memories pop up that I've forgotten from two years ago.

By the way, if any of you were in old bible studies or groups and want to know about yoru prayer requests from back in the day, let me know! :)

Disney Songs

Let's be real, I would spend about two minutes at Disneyland but would spend three hours watching Disney songs on youtube. And I have (well, not recently, I spent my three hours these days reading books about Commemorations or Islam or something like that...). But here are some of my favorites that I could listen to over and over and over again. Both old school and new.

Despite Frollo being the creepiest villan in Disney history, this is my favorite song. I don't know who is singing (Tom Hulce, is that you?) but I love it. Oh Paris. Oh Notre-Dame. Oh Quasi.

There are so many great songs in Hercules but this is one of my favorites. So is Zero-to-Hero. And the song that Phil sings to him during training. So again, basically all of them.

Like I said, Hercules has my heart!

Phil Collins, you have done it again! It's been forever since I've seen Tarzan but my ipod played some music from it a few days ago and I enjoyed it all over again.

Favorite Disney movie. Favorite song.

Classic, absolute classic.

Not as much the song at the beginning but the HYSTERICAL monologue by none other than Robin Williams. "Hookah and coffemaker! Also makes julien fries! It's won't break... it broke..."

These mice are my favorite. Jack and Gus-Gus are the best.

So not an animated film but one of my favorite songs from Mary Poppins. I love how she makes everyone march around the house, clearly against their will.

Things I Liked About My Weekend

1. Finished THREE papers and started books for next week.... I call that winning.

2. Lots of bike rides, one of them in shorts and a tank top.

3. Girls night at the Wine Bar

4. Baking brownies and cooking chicken to be prepared for the week.

5. Lots of ModFam, which still makes me snort with laughter.

6. Wait Wait Don't Tell Me. All the time.

7. Lots of Thursday Next.

8. I enjoy weekends :)

My Last Week

So I know that it's been a week since my last post so lest you think that I am just slacking, here is what I have been doing for the last week.

Friday: Let's be real, it was so long ago, I barely remember. Oh, no, right, worked out in the gym at school since it was break week and I knew it would be empty, pick up papers from the Ed department, worked on a Mixbook photo book since my groupon was expiring, ate a late lunch, got some more work done, headed home to do a lot of reading and finish up my first paper for next week.

Saturday and Sunday: Combinations of reading, paper writing, watching Supernatural, going on bike rides, church and then the Superbowl with Jon, Abbey, Mat, Michael, Eric, Jake and Katie.

Monday: Get up, head over to the pool to go swimming and then to the office. Mondays are hard because there isn't anything officially scheduled but there is a lot of planning and prep to get done. And especially this week, I was prepping for the first day of classes, so picking up copies, organizing, going over what I would be saying, etc. This was an unusual Monday because I got together with Emily and had some coffee, which was lovely. Since I was in the area, I went to Big 5 to look at some running shoes, and then got a little side-tracked in a bookstore and then grabbed some dinner and sat in my car at MMS finishing up a paper before a short (yay!) rehearsal.

Tuesday: Wake up and head over to school. Have minor freak out over teaching, then pull it together and teach two classes in a row. Survive. Yay. Head into Boise to class. Eat lunch in the ILC while looking over my paper and also reading for next week. After lunch, go on a short run through Ann Morrison Park, dodging all the frisbee golf discs. Kettlebells class and then home to do more reading, watch a movie and then do another round of reading.

Wednesday: Wake up and go to the pool again. Favorite part of my morning. Compile list of books needed to research projects and go pick them up in the library. There are about 25. Yay. Have lunch with Dori in the caf. Finish up some details for tomorrow and then head out to class. After class to to BSU library and pick up more books. At home, do more reading and drink some hot chocolate.

Thursday: Two classes with actually teaching, not just going over handouts. Met before class with Don because I couldn't find my metaphor notes and he was willing to give me a refresher. Ran into BSU, met with prof to get approval for my HIS 585 paper, go to class, run out to Kettlebells, hope to have time for another run but decide to go to the library instead to pick up Mitford books! Class and then evening at the Ha-Penny with Mark, April and Niki. Spend the second half of the night as Winky McGillicuddy because during Kettlebells, the stretch cord snapped into my eye. Get home on the late side but finish up the Islam chapter for the night.

Friday: Get up and waver between working out or swimming in the afternoon. Decide to swim. The plan is to spend the day getting things done for next week, catching up on emails and texts, organize office and figure out life and then head home for more reading, the writing of two papers and then Netflix, tacos and wine. Cannot wait.

That's who!!!!

So last night, as usual, we went out after class. I was adamant about NOT going to the RAM again (I can't really eat anything there and we aaaallllwwwwaaaayyyyyssss go there) and insisted we go downtown because it was First Thursday. We ended up at the Ha-Penny, which was perfect because I love their Ace Pear Cider, of course, and they also serve in conjunction with Happy Fish, which was also perfect because I was totally craving cucumber and avocado rolls.

One of the guys in our class from the other cohort came out with us, which was great because we could ask him about the other cohort and find out more about him and have a new point of view when discussing our curriculum, books, class, professor, etc. He is really nice and very pleasant to talk to but the entire time, I kept thinking to myself, "Why does he look so familiar? do I know him from somewhere? What is going on?"

And then, finally, it came to me. He looks just like this guy.

Hello Albie from Real Housewives of New Jersey.

That is all.

Resemblance?

I was on awkwardfamilyphotos.com yesterday and found this gem:

Don't they remind you of this family?

Cooking Again With Michal

Last night I wasn't sure what to make for dinner so after searching some recipes and looking at what I had in my cupboards, I decided on this chicken and couscous recipe. It was super easy and delicious!

Start with preheating the oven to 350. In a glass baking dish, pour one can of tomato soup and one can of water.

Mix in 1 tsp garlic powder, 1/2 tsp cumin, 1/2 tsp paprika, 1 tbsp dried thyme, 2 tbsp red pepper flakes, 1 tsp cinnamon. I eyeballed most of it.

Add 1 tbsp of honey- or just squeeze in as much as you like.

It will look kind of like this when it's mixed.

If you haven't defrosted your chicken ahead of time, you might have to do what I did and soak them in cool water for about ten minutes until they have defrosted.

Put the chicken into the pan and cover with the sauce. Put into the oven for about 40 minutes. I took it out of the oven a few times to recover with sauce.

While that's cooking, get the couscous started- I used about 2 3/4 cups of water and 1 1/2 cups of couscous. After the water boiled, I salted it a little and then put the couscous in and took it off the heat. It was ready in a few minutes.

When the chicken is cooked, I put one piece on the couscous and then spooned the sauce on top. It was hot and delicious and as I said, incredibly easy. There was a ton of sauce left over and so next time, I probably will half the recipe or, since it's hard to half a can of soup and have it keep, probably will put four pieces of chicken in the dish instead. Enjoy!