Picture of the Day

Elder McKee (right) and his new companion, Buffalo, NY.

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!

My beautiful roommate Karem got engaged last night!  The [very] luck man, JT Ryker popped the question in a helicopter as it flew over the Salt Lake Temple.  Karem, overwhelmed by the view, didn't quite realize what was going on- but when she came to, the answer was Yes!  Of course!  Congrats to both of you, I'm so excited!

You Know You Need to Start Acting Your Age When...

... all of your friends are thinking about what clubs/ parties to go to on a Friday night, and YOU are surfing MarthaStewart.com for scrumptious recipes [insert rocking chair, six children, frumpy mom hair-cut here].

Carrot and Coriander... Minus the Coriander...

I made carrot and coriander soup tonight.  Except right as I was finishing up I realized that I didn't have coriander which, considering the nature of the proposed soup, was not a good thing.  So I made a mad dash around the apartment complex asking after coriander and spent far too much time explaining what coriander actually was before giving up on this sorry bunch of American Little- Ceasars eating scallywags.

The soup was delish, but not as good as my mother's.  Which is usually how the story goes.

Those Lads of Mine!

Moment if sisterly pride!  Get ready for it!

Above is the talented Connor T. McKee, somersaulting through the air while diving at the Freibad in Oberursel, Germany.  Yes, that's right.  While the Utah air gets chilly it looks as though summer is staying in Germany for a few more weeks!  Am I jealous?  Well, what do you think?

Meanwhile, Logan made the soccer team and spends all of his time swanning around Europe playing other international and private schools.  it's all very fancy.  And he is a stud.  The end.

Alastair is my lovely missionary and he is doing so well in Buffalo.  His new companion is a greenie, so he is training him and helping his with his spanish.  It's flying by, and he'll be home soon!

Glee

Here's where I tell you that there is a lot of crap of TV.  But you already knew this.  So I don't really need to go on about it.

But every once in a while something magical comes along that seriously impresses.  Glee is one of those shows.  It's fresh, it's different, it's never been done on TV before: it's hilarious.  Every member of the cast has incredible talent and comic skill.  There is a moral heart of the show, which I think is something the entertainment industry is lacking of late, and a feel-good, positive energy drives the plot.  I watch it, but don't even own a television!  Which is to say: I approve.

Turned Over a New [Basil] Leaf

Alright, food junkies.  While in the airport this summer I picked up a copy of the Julie & Julia Project by Julie Powell.  While I found some of the backstories to be a little irrelevant I have to be honest about what really counted:  the FOOD.  Read this book if you need to be inspired to do something more than just the daily habits of life.  Also read it if, like myself, your kitchen needs a shake up (regardless of how cute your oven mitts and utensils are).  

I decided, at 9pm last night, to take a leaf out of Powell's book and for once in my life follow a recipe [insert video clip of my mother rolling her eyes here.  She hate's when I don't follow a recipe.  Even though she comes along with her little fork when I'm done...].  Anna and I ran to the supermarket and grabbed the basics for tomato and basil soup.

At 10.30pm ish, my first soup ever was created.  It was a tiny bit acidic, but nonetheless, breathtaking.

And so, the joy of cooking has stirred my soul once more.  I don't think I've been this excited to cook since that cookie phase I went through in middle school when I baked, honestly, all the time.

Tonight, I will try my hand at carrot and coriander soup.  The "pros" of soups: inexpensive, not so calorie slash fattie ridden, fun to make and experiment with.  Even though I am promising to follow recipes.

http://www.videojug.com/film/how-to-make-fresh-tomato-and-basil-soup

Thank You Erika!

Many thanks to my good friend and neighbor Erika, for recommending a funny new website: peopleofwalmart.com. Enjoy.

Fall Cravings

A mustard colored scarf. Feel free to buy me one and send it to me. No hard core wool- think pashmina. That'd be great, thanks.

Picture of the Day

FYE (For Your Entertainment)

Swimming just isn't worth it like this...

Hi readers. Apologies for abandoning you all- I know you have all been itching to hear about me me me. Of course I am joking, but as is the case you shall hea all about it!

Life has been rather hectic since coming back to Provo. How many people thought I could utter my distaste for school? Well, it happened: I am officially perturbed with the fact that I must continue with this charade. Of course you all know that really, deep, deep down, I love it all. But for now, today, I just despise the fact that I must pull myself from my comfortable bed (thank you memory foam) and haul myself to a physical science class. Why, may I ask all american educators, must I (an English and Editing major looking to go into publishing) take a physical science class? What must I care about gravity other than the fact that my feet remain planted on the ground?

Physical science just isn't working out for me, you guys. There might have been a "plus" in the fact that it is typically a "man" class- meaning that unlike my english classes which are full of girls and married men (seriously tragic) there was a shred of hope that I could get a couple of dates out of science. However, being a core class, I quickly found myself helplessly surrounded by freshmen. NOT the way to go for a 21 yr old in Provo. Secondly; I'm just not capable of understanding physics. We have interactive clicker quizzes in class and the number of people who click on certain answers shows up on the screen. There is always one person who clicks "E" or "C". That ONE person, that one sad individual who never clicks the right answer- that's me. Every time.

Meanwhile, the weather is getting chillier. My roommate seems to be incredibly warmblooded these days- and as such we had our window wide open last night. I had my winter duvets on, frozen, while Anna only had ONE blanket! HOW?!

Speaking of Anna: I love her. This is our 3rd year rooming together! On saturday we took a quick trip to Park City. It was nice to be out of Provo- and to use Anna's newfound freedom on wheels.

My new calling in church is on the Publicity Committee. I think that will be good fun- and a great opportunity to flex my editing skillz. I spelled skillz with a "z" because it makes me feel like my chosen field is hip slash cooler than it is. Editing, however geeky you may think it to be, is one of my favourite releases. I have had a few people hand me papers and manuscripts to edit this past week and let me tell you- there's something about clicking open my red pen that just gets me excited! Editing is like justified scalding- a legitimate excuse to be incredibly mean without the hurt feelings. I LOVE IT.

On another note, I am sorely ashamed that I have no new pictures to show you concerning my life- I have been so consumed in things that I can't really name (which means I know I've been busy but with what? The answer escapes me...) but here are some funnies from the good old internet (which began in 1991, FYI). See, I learn stuff.

Today I'm Homesick

This is where I want to be. Instead, I am ploughing through hundreds of emails, while trying to read for my Lit. class, worrying about Physical Science (more about that later) and feeling guitly about not blogging in a while. PLUS I have homework to look forward to.

HAVE YOU SEEN THESE?

WANTED: STROOPWAFFELS!

I have been searching the WHOLE of GERMANY for stroopwaffels- to NO AVAIL.  Seriously, whatever happened to these sweet tasting guys?  I thought they were supposed to be all over the place!  THEY SHOULD BE!

Movie of the '90s

Home Alone 2: Lost in New York City

What a legendary film.  Whatever happened to Macauley Culkin (who knows how to spell his name?), we will never know-- but seriously: this is the movie that Alastair and I would watch with the remote because there were so many funny bits we had to rewind, rewatch, and rewind again!  The just don't make them like this anymore.

A Few Thoughts...

a) The Mummy movies.  Remember when the first one came out?  It was awesome- the graphics were ahead if its time and we watched it with our parents, with our girlfriends at sleepovers (Brendan Fraser had it going on back then) and we watched it with the dudes when we were just happy they had finally switched of the Nintendo's and PlayStation's.  But then the second one came out (its on the TV right now, hence the thought) and it's just awful.  Cheesy lines, hideous plot... just tacky.  Not watching the latest one is one of my most wise decisions of the past two years.

b) Chocolate for breakfast: poor judgement or an ideal way to kick start the day?

c) Speedo's.  European men wear them all over the place.  Why, why, why???

I'm in Germany

Well, readers: here I am in Germany!  So far my stay has been positively "wonderbar"!  I was here for a couple of days before my Uncle Tony, Aunty Tricial and cousins Beth and Josh came out to visit my family also.  The house is full!  Mum says she likes it that way.  The boys are all crashing in the basement and Beth, U. Tony and A. Tricia are on the 3rd floor: for the first time I haven't been couch-bound because of guests!  Josh, Logan, Beth and I have take the subway into Frankfurt and enjoy some German sights... a very old car and some old town streets.

My family live outside of Oberursel, a small town in a forest on the outskirts of frankfurt.  It is the last stop on one of the main trains out of Frankfurt.  The town is very quaint and has one of the best italian ice cream and gelato shops I have ever been to!  Oberursel is a cobblestoned town centered around a beautiful church that sits in the top of a small hill.  The buildings are mainly original, dating back to the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries.  It is very european! 

German word of the day: Schloss (castle).  We went to Heidelberg yesterday- one of the most incredible towns on my list of "incredible towns".  Sitting on the Rhine, Heidelberg is a hilly town with old cobbled streets, terra-cotta roofs and the most impressive castle ruins of all time.  

Heidleberg has a wonderschon cable car system that takes you all the way up the foresty mountainside.  Yoddle- yoddle and all of that.  We took the rickety carraige along with a handful of other tourists.  The weather was insanely hot and one of the old man- tourists let one go in the confined cabin.  Needless to say, the journey upward was a little stifled.

Regardless of such hardship, the view from the top was breath- taking.

Frankfurt itself is a great town.  There are 3 H&M stores on one street.  There goes my last pay check.  It is interesting to see such a defining difference between the old town and the new built town.  It is very much a hot spot for talent and culture.  And of course, great gelato.  Who would have thought?

That's it for now.  Stay tuned for more deutsch fun.  My language skills are improving by the way- I know you were all anxious about that.  Tomorrow we are going to some place that has a ton of vineyards- and of course you all know how I feel about that!  I fear I may be heartbroken to leave this place.

FYI: The Sandwich

It was brought to my attention that I had not followed through on one of my promises to wikipedia "the sandwich".  This is most regrettable.  The smartie pants who informed me of my neglect went on to explain that sanwiches are called as such because, back in the day (in England no less) there was a certain Lord Sandwich who, like many an aristocratic brit, had a little gamboling problem.  Obsessed with the game and finding little time to eat, Lord S asked his servants to just bring him a couple of slices of bread within which he would put food for a quick snack on the go.  Rather  convenient for the avid gambler, wouldn't you say? 

FYI From Afar

A little update for you, my fans.  I am here in Germany after a number of incredibly irritating delays including exploding toilets and re-routing to locations such as Great Britain (wasn't planning on that little detour...).  Today my luggage finally arrived.  

It is an incredible feeling to be back with my family for a couple of weeks!  I'll try to keep you all updated on my adventures!

Haili and I: Sunstroke in Santa Monica

This is Not a Joke

The following was a letter sent to The Daily Universe, our school newspaper.
Letter: Swimming pornography
Wed, 08/05/2009 - 21:15

I was horrified by the photo of Michael Phelps that appeared in The Daily Universe on Monday. Phelps, a rather muscular and good looking man, was shown shirtless along with another attractive swimmer.
Doesn’t The Daily Universe understand the women of BYU’s campus cannot lead virtuous lives with clean thoughts when they’re presented with pornography at every turn?
What makes this problem even worse, though, is the fact that male sports teams all across campus routinely practice with their shirts off. Perhaps men, in their own purity and innocence, don’t understand how the female mind works. Seeing a woman in a bikini has no effect on a man, so he doesn’t understand what it does to a woman when she sees a topless man.
Let me explain: unlike men, we can only control our thoughts to a point. When men walk around half-naked, they turn themselves into pornography, and thus they tempt us.
So, out of my deep love and respect for the men on this campus, I beg them: please stop turning yourselves into pornography. Show yourselves enough respect to cover up and save the sight of your naked torso for your wife. Besides, women need you to be the gate-keepers of chastity.
Emily BelangerLee, N.H.