Halloween 2011

This Halloween has been much more eventful than last year. We were invited to a cool pumpkin carving party on Friday where I carved both our pumpkins (hopefully I can get some pics from the host since I was a loser and didn't take pics of them). Alexander's pumpkin is the whale-shaped fast food speaker from Homestarrunner.com, which is admittedly super random. I carved a simple cat into my pumpkin. The party was a blast though and we had a great time.

On Saturday I had the privilege of helping to host the ward Halloween trunk-or-treat and carnival. Back in April I asked if we could have one this year and volunteered the young women and young men to put it on, which technically meant the YW leaders put it on. I spent a good portion of the day setting up and finalizing details of the event and it went off without a hitch. We had a great turn-out and I think everyone really enjoyed themselves. We had a cool crawling maze on the stage complete with fog machine and strobe light. We also had a beanbag toss, a donut eating off a string thing, a ring toss, a fishing booth, a cupcake walk, pin the nose on the pumpkin, a target toss with velcro balls game, and pumpkin bowling (where we rolled pie pumpkins into pins). In the background we had a sweet Halloween mix CD that Alexander compiled and the adults had a great time munching on apples and popcorn and sipping apple cider. I had a friend taking pics for me, so once I get them I will post them.

Of course I decorated the tables because I have this decorating disease. Luckily I went very simple and I personally enjoyed nibbling on the candy corn.



Alexander and I dressed up for this event. We didn't decide on our costumes until Thursday, so I was in a bit of a rush to sew and put them all together. In the end we won Best Couples Costume, so I think they turned out well.

Hansel and Gretel: These aren't the best pics, Hopefully I will get one with us together that was taken by a friend at the trunk or treat. Aren't we so adorable?





And finally, the traditional big-eyed and innocent picture:

One Year Ago

One year ago today I was packing up and cleaning my beloved home in Provo. To say I was an emotional wreck would be an understatement. I was beyond devastated and my heart felt like someone I loved had just died. I unconsciously dragged out the entire process, delaying the inevitable: the moment when I would have to get into the car, turn it to the east and drive 1100 miles away. At one point in the afternoon our good friend came to take our fish. I knew the fish wouldn’t survive the drive and they graciously offered to provide a home for our pets. When he took them it was just one more goodbye we didn’t want to make and we cried even though they were “just fish”. One year ago today was a horrible day.

One year ago I started over in a house I had never seen before, in a city I didn’t know. Sunday came and I dreaded it. Sunday was the day when we usually had gone to my parent’s house for a wonderful dinner and fun evening with my family and I was dreading a lonely evening in a house that still didn’t feel like home. Despite my heartache, homesickness and loss of direction, I knew the Lord was watching out for us. That first Sunday in our new ward the members rushed to greet us and I am sure nearly every person in the ward came up to welcome us. I was relieved to be in a place that seemed to want us. That afternoon the elder’s quorum president called and invited us to dinner and we eagerly accepted. We were blessed to spend the evening with 3 wonderful couples who have since become dear friends. That night was the beginning of healing.

The next Sunday I was called to be in the Young Women’s Presidency and another piece of my heart was healed. I was given a calling where I was able to be spend time with wonderful ladies while serving some amazing girls. Just knowing I had a job to do was a blessing.

Gradually we began to discover the joys and beauty of Kansas City. We found the huge Irish Festival, the incredible Renaissance Festival and the Nelson-Atkins with its free admission to view masterpieces by Van Gogh, Monet and others. We discovered Fall and the crisp autumn perfectness that results in tasty apple cider and gorgeous trees of orange and red.

Slowly we began to appreciate what self-reliance and independence really means, being too far away for my dad to fix anything. Alexander and I have also grown closer and more co-dependent than we previously had been (if that is even possible). Godiva has become more entrenched as a member of our family and I am convinced that she adds a whole new level of comfort that we desperately needed.
Alexander has found his niche and is performing better than expected in school. We have high hopes and expectations for the future and we know that he can accomplish anything he puts his mind to.

The miracles keep coming and our faith in the Lord is being tested and strengthened every day. One year from last year we have grown and stretched ourselves beyond what we thought we could. Our eyes are open to the daily miracles we receive and our hearts have found room to love Kansas City like we love our home in Provo.
One year down, the rest of our lives to go.

Busywork

Despite life not going quite the way I planned with getting a job and making lots of money, I have been keeping myself busy. The young women presidency was released but I was re-called to be the 2nd counselor again. I was pretty happy about that as I have really enjoyed my Beehives. They are so much fun to be with and they say the funniest things. Here are some of the things we have been doing recently:

Making Babysitting Kits: Actually, I feel like I may have taken too much on with this idea. I spent a lot of time typing up different forms and info sheets. I also painted the girls' names on their bags and created some foam stick puppets as an example of the craft we were doing to include in their kit. That night was a lot of fun and I relived a lot of my own babysitting memories that had been stashed away since I was a teenager.

(The stuff on the bags that looks like dust, is actually silver glitter.)






Tomorrow night we are painting simple pictures with acrylics. This is the example painting that I made to help fuel their ideas and to make sure the girls could do it in less than an hour:



Along with all the church calling stuff, I have also decided to bring a piece of the wedding business out here and see how it does. I am starting a chocolate fountain catering business and I have found some awesome kitchen space to rent. I am really excited about it, as I don't have that much competition. I just made the website live last week and am working on marketing strategies right now. You can check it out at: Elegantly Edible.

I have also been cooking a ton. Mostly to save money, but also because I have the time to do it. I've been working on some of our favorites and perfecting the recipes. I have created the most awesome chicken enchiladas ever and am working on some other new recipes. For Valentine's Day I decided to surprise Alexander by making his favorite German food. I made homemade spaetzle(cute little noodles) which he adores and costs a lot to buy at the store. The noodles were perfect! I was so proud of myself. I also made bratwurst and German potato salad. Here is a pic of Alexander's plate:



I also resurrected my Asian cooking and made my famous Thai red curry and some chicken tikka masala,served with basmati rice:



Last but not least, this juicy pot roast, complete with steamed carrots, roasted red potatoes, and divine white asparagus, served with a homemade gravy. I have to admit, I was in Sunday dinner heaven ;).


I've made a lot of other things, but I won't bore you to death with a play-by-play of our eating habits. Tonight I am making a green chili chicken salad that is an attempt to copy Bajio's salad (which we don't have out here). It's not exactly the same, but it does help quell my cravings.

I'm still applying for lots of jobs, and crossing my fingers that by some miracle one is offered to me. There is some potential with someone in the ward who is pushing the prestigious Nelson Atkins Museum to hire me, so hopefully that pans out. I would love working there! In the meantime, we welcome any prayers and extra cash you can give. Just kidding about the cash, the prayers would be nice though.

Alexander is doing an amazing job in school and is constantly impressing his professors. He is becoming known as an excellent scholar and has been excelling in all his classes, despite people saying that he has too heavy a load. I keep telling him that he has to get all A's so that he can get a high paying job and take me to Europe. I think he owes me ;).

The Valentine's Dance

Tonight Alexander and I hosted a Valentine's Dance for the Elders Quorum (and their wives). It was a very successful evening and everyone had a lot of fun. I created a great play-list with a variety of songs that made for the perfect dance. We also decorated the joint a little bit. I really enjoy decorating when I can do it the way I want it to be. :)

Here are a few pics of the night:

Some of the Decorations:









My cute parents who volunteered to babysit all the kids:



Everyone got their pictures taken in front of the backdrop, including our guest DJ's, my brother and his adorable girlfriend:



Oh yeah, and I get to do it all again tomorrow night for a Stake dance... ;)

Just One of Those Blah Days

Lately I've been just a little bit bummed. I feel like I don't really fit in anywhere outside of my home. There are all these little groups around me and I am by myself. I'll give you a few examples:

In my ward: I am one of maybe 5 women in the ward (and that includes the very newly married) who doesn't have children and is not pregnant. Plus, most women don't work, so they find it inconvenient when I tell them I can't help cause I work full time. They have their little click-ish play groups and spend all day talking and eating homemade cookies while they watch their kids play.

In my family: My sister is getting married in November. All the girls (except me) are bridesmaids and my brothers are groomsmen and they are all wearing matchy matchy outfits. I was told it didn't matter what I wore, and by that I take it to mean it doesn't matter if I am even there. I understand that married women are not bridesmaids, but I still feel incredibly left out.

My friends: Okay, first of all, I don't see my friends very often but when I do the talk is all about babies and kids etc. Which is fine, I love babies and kids, I just don't have any of my own to proudly display and discuss.

At work: I just feel awkward. I feel like people don't get my jokes or my personality and my comments are not funny and fall flat. I also feel like my opinions don't matter and that I don't have enough experience to be taken seriously.


I don't know, maybe it's just been a blah day and the craziness of this week is wearing me down. I may be overreacting, but I don't feel like I am.

This is a Blessing, Right?

IF ONE MORE PERSON IN THIS WARD ASKS ME TO DO ONE MORE THING I JUST MIGHT LOSE IT!!! That is if I haven't already lost it, which I may have already done. So it all starts with my real calling as Enrichment Leader. Yesterday I spent at least 4 hours working on enrichment stuff. This morning I arrived at church early so I could put the relief society calender (that I had spent at least 1 1/2 hrs on) in with the sacrament meeting program. That was done, great! I was feeling better already. I then had a run in with the 1st counselor of the Primary.

I was asked to sub for the chorister for the next couple of weeks. So instead of enjoying Sunday School, I went in to scope out Primary. After watching a train wreck of Junior Primary singing time and deciding that I hated the way these women ran Primary, I returned to Sunday School only to worry the entire time that I was being set up for a new calling as Primary chorister. After the meeting I calmly walked down to Relief Society where I was bombarded with a hundred enrichment things, and an "oh dear, will you lead the music?" While leading the opening hymn I was struck by how funny it was that more and more people are turning to me for things they need. I also felt blessed that I was able to help. It made me feel better. It was a set-up.

After the meeting and after speaking with 5 more women, I finally stepped into the hallway to see a sister who looked a little distraught. I asked her if I could bring the treat to book club and she looked relieved. I felt I had done enough, but she kept talking. Apparently she serves with her husband as the youth activity coordinator (her husband is Stake YM Pres) and they are in charge of the pioneer youth trek. This morning we found out that our ward is being moved to a new stake and that 4 other family wards are as well. This couple will still be doing trek, but now they have 4 new wards to work with, none of which had been planning for a trek. So now the trek has been enlarged by 4x the youth and not enough help as Ma's and Pa's. This sister asked me if my husband and I would like to be called as a Ma and Pa, I told her I would love it, but my husband can't walk for more than 30 minutes. She was obviously disappointed until she had a new idea. She will call her assistant to be a Ma and call me as her assistant. Ta Da! Trek is on June 4 and if I am called it won't be for another week. I would be organizing and working with registrations (hmm, this sounds like a job I once had...) and keeping this woman sane. Sounds exciting.

It's a good thing I'm so wonderful or else I might be overwhelmed. ;)

I think I might just die.