Three Reasons Why This Weekend Was So Great

1) Service Project at Temple Square. Our stake dug out summer flowers and planted bulbs for the spring. I'm excited to see Temple Square in bloom come April General Conference. "Look, look! I planted those tulips!"

2) Mozart's The Magic Flute, playing at the BYU de Jong Concert Hall. I went to the dress rehearsal, so I was a little nervous that they'd have a problem and have to stop. But they didn't have to stop once; I was able to see it uninterrupted. It was a beautiful production, and it's such an interesting opera. I really enjoyed watching it.

3) Cambridge get-together! Need I say more? I love hanging out with them; it makes me so happy to see them and find out how their lives are going. I love these people. You couldn't ask for a better bunch.

Life is good.

Muffin Mondays OR How Salmonella is Going to Kill Me

Muffin Mondays. The name itself is self-explanatory. How more deliciously awesome can you get?

Every Monday our apartment—you guessed it—makes muffins! We have a book of 100 muffin recipes, and it’s our goal to make every muffin in the book this year (excepting the ones with brandy or liquor in them, of course). Melissa, Michelle, Sharisa and I discussed doing it last year, but we weren’t sure if it would happen. (You know, you and a friend say, “Let’s do something sometime!” And you both have every good intention to do so, but it never happens.) We thought that Muffin Mondays would be stillborn as well.

But they weren’t.

Proof: For the first Muffin Monday of the year, we made Jelly Doughnut Muffins. They were so good.

In fact, we’ve never had a bad muffin. Some are better than others, to be sure, but each Muffin Monday is a success.

Yesterday we made Frosted Cream Cheese Muffins.

Sharisa being all domestic.

Me being all domestic.

And how are Muffin Mondays going to kill me? Because I can’t stop myself from licking the batter. Every. Single. Time. Yep. I’m going to get salmonella and die. But does the risk stop me? Ohhhhhh, no.

And . . . the finished product!

Consensus: Success! Frosted Cream Cheese Muffins are delectable!

Another Muffin Monday, another delicacy.

Muffin Love.

This is Just to Say

I don't really know what to say besides things are busy. And I wanted to post because 1) I know people read my blog and dead blogs are no fun to read, and 2) I really do enjoy posting. Life is just crazy.

But we all know that.

There's lots that I was planning on posting on from the last two weeks, but I think that I'll just say that I love General Conference. And President Uchtdorf's talk was my favorite. I'm really going to try to slow down, and refocus on the things that really matter: faith, family, and friends. And even though my life is hectic right now, that doesn't mean that I can't stop to enjoy the changing colors of a chestnut leaf, or look up at the Y lit for Homecoming.

In fact, being busy means that I SHOULD take the time to slow down and enjoy the simple miracles of life. Otherwise I will drown in a sea of overwhelming schedules and appointments.

So that's what I'm going to do, despite the craziness of college life.

By the way, I'm reading for fun again (which feels so wonderful). I'm reading The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. It's an amazing book. I recommend it to anyone and everyone.

Spontaneity

Last night I went to the German Club's Technofest, per the invitation of a friend. I wasn't sure what to expect (I don't listen to techno music, let alone know anyone who does) but I had a really fun time. Got down to some Techno Musik, wore some glow-stick bracelets and headbands . . . ja, es war toll.

Leaving the RB, I wanted to embrace the world. The early fall night air was invigorating, the moon was a luminous pearl above the mountains, which seemed so close, it was like they sat on my lap. The velvet sky was studded with diamonds, the SWKT loomed over me like Rapunzel's Tower. The Y was a shadow of a ghost upon the mountain.

The night was a song--the breeze providing the melody, crickets chirping a chorus, the hollow echo of footsteps walking away from me.

Alone, and feeling bold, I smiled at the challenge the RB stairs presented.

I took a deep breath, and then ran up the stairs--two at a time--a blur of neon on the south side of campus.

Happy Autumn!

It is officially autumn! I am very excited; autumn is my favorite season by far. The leaves changing colors, the crisp in the air, the return of sweaters and jackets, the leaves (again), pumpkins, and the smell of fall.

I'm not the only one who thinks that fall has a distinct smell, right? Because it does to me. It's hard to describe, but it is both fresh and musky . . . wet leaves mixed with the crisp autumn air and cold earth. Mmm.

"Summer move forward and stitch me the fabric of fall . . ."

Bananagrams and Brownies

On Thursday night after a frozen yogurt adventure with Camille, which was fun times-ten-thousand, I went back to my apartment, expecting the ordinary: the homework doldrums.

After trying for a while to focus on my homework, I decided that it just wasn't going to happen. Luckily for me, all of my roommates were getting "homework fever", too.

The symptoms of homework fever include an insatiable desire to move about, outbursts of singing and dancing, a craving for something sweet, the desire to throw your textbooks across the room, and spontaneous giggling. In fact, homework fever resembles "cabin fever" from "Muppet Treasure Island." *Cue Music*

"We've got [homework] fever! We're all going mad!"

You get the picture.

The remedy?

An impromptu roomie night, of course!

To cure our homework fever, my roommates and I made brownies and played about a dozen rounds of Bananagrams, which is a game similar to Scrabble, only without the board.

Zoobie! Because that's what we are . . .

Yep, a roomie night was most definitely needed.

Going, going . . .

Today I finished the last of my English chocolate that I brought home.

Sigh.

On the bright side . . .

No. There isn't a bright side in this case.

But I do have a new blog name. I quite like it. :) Props to my roommate for her cleverness.