235

• 235 is written in Roman numerals as CCXXXV.
• 235 is the atomic mass number of an unstable form of Uranium
• 235 is the number of three interstate highways in the U.S.
• 235 is the year in which a new emperor of Rome was crowned.
• 235 is the integer after 234 and before 236.
• 235 is a prime number with factors 5 and 47.
• 235 in binary is 11101011.
• 235 days ago Robin Soderling won the Paris Masters final (tennis).
• And 235 years ago, some men decided to sign their names on this piece of paper called "The Declaration of Independence" and start their own country.  

This is how I celebrated Independence Day weekend.

My adventure began with a road trip with my wonderful cousin (whom I haven't seen for thirteen years) and her family.  We drove from West Jordan, UT up to Lake Walcott in Idaho and spent the weekend with the rest of my cousins and their families and my aunt and uncle.

This is Sam.  He's one of my "little cousins" (meaning he's really my  second cousin) whom I got to see this weekend and I think he is the cutest little boy ever!!!  He's so happy and sweet and his favorite word for the weekend was "wadda."

This is my favorite aunt in the whole world (and technically, my only aunt because all the other ones are only my aunts because they married my uncles) and the grand orchestrator of this weekend's festivities.  I believe she looks very official in this picture.

And we had a parade.  Reverse, of course. {We, the audience/adults pelted the children with candy as they marched in front of us down the road.}

Quin.  {He's a big lady's man} 

ALL the little cousins (except Sam): Katie, Jason, Blake, Sean, Cameron, Natalie, Wes, Jordan, and Quin
We were pelting them with candy; [And there was much rejoicing]

I think this picture is [awe-some].
Lookin' like a boss.

Playin' at the playground

My aunt and cousins! {Note: I have seen my aunt more in the past seven months than I have seen my own mother.} All these beautiful ladies (minus my aunt) are sisters!  {Second note: Two of them I saw two years ago; the other two I haven't seen for thirteen years.  Kind of sucks being far from family.}

 On Sunday, I made it back to Provo just in time to unpack my clothes from the weekend and repack clothes for a sleepover at Hanna's apartment!  We woke up early Monday morning {6 am, early} and started making a day of it.

First stop: The field for hot air balloons

Unfortunately, the weather was all gross {and not safe for balloon riding} so only one balloon took off and they only did a tethered flight, with Ol' Glory flying by their side.

Oh yeah, we got to see a Darth Vader balloon and storm troopers.  Be jealous, all of you.

All-you-can-eat French Toast: $5 from Kneader's
SOO good.

We discovered this pretty little path with a pretty little stream  and some lovely little waterfalls.  [New Favorite Place in Provo and Reason to Move South of Campus at some point]

We also went to the Freedom Festival which was super fun where I bought this lovely purse.

Best Fourth of July Ever?  I think so.

Breakfast for Dinner Southern Style

By now you realize that every time I make something, if it's a success, I like to share it with you!!  Today's success was a Southern Gal's take on a traditional breakfast of pancakes and eggs.

My roommates went to the Asian Ward today after we got home from our regular ward, leaving me to make dinner for everyone.  I've been in an experimental mood lately with my cooking and baking, but today I kind of stayed close to what I know.  My first thought was "breakfast for dinner;" it's something my mom does all the time on Sundays and it's usually a big hit, no matter who makes it or who eats it.  My second thought was pancakes.  I immediately called my Mom and got her recipe for my favorite pancakes, then I stopped for a second and the southern girl in me said, "Hey!  How about fry bread?!"  And the rest of me liked what that southern part of me said.  So, I made cinnamon fry bread with sweet scrambled eggs and a cinnamon vanilla glaze.  (By the time I remembered to take a picture, the eggs were all gone, which just shows you how good they were!)

Fry Bread:
2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
3 level tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/3 cup shortening
3/4 cup buttermilk (or you can use regular milk and leave out the baking soda)

Mix all the dry ingredients together and then cut in the shortening.  Add the milk and mix it up.  Make soft dough and knead lightly. (If you want cinnamon fry bread like I made, then add a dash of cinnamon with the milk.)  Now, this is actually a biscuit recipe, so from here you can make biscuits in the oven.  I think it makes an excellent fry bread, so that's what I use it for.  Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface, to about 1/4 inch thick.  Cut circular pieces about 2-3 inches wide until all the dough has been used.  Stretch out each circle until it's about 1/8 inch flat.  Drop in a frying pan with hot oil and watch closely.  When the edges are brown, flip to the other side for about 45 seconds.  Remove from frying pan and place on a hot plate to keep warm or serve immediately.  Makes about a dozen.

Holy Hymning

This is one of my absolute favorite hymns, called "Lead, Kindly Light."  You can listen to it here.

Lead, kindly Light amid th' encircling gloom; Lead thou me on!
The night is dark, and I am far from home; Lead thou me on!
Keep thou my feet; I do not ask to see
The distant scene-- one step enough for me.

I was not ever thus nor prayed that thou shouldst lead me on
I loved to choose and see my path but now, lead thou me on!
I loved the garish day, and, spite of fears,
Pride ruled my will.  Remembered not past years.

So long thy pow'r hath blest me, sure it still will lead me on
O'er more and fen, o'er crag and torrent, till the night is gone.
And with the morn those angel faces smile,
which I have loved long since, and lost awhile.

This is a much simpler hymn, actually in the Children's Songbook, called "My Heavenly Father Loves Me." You can hear a beautiful rendition of it here.

Whenever I hear the song of a bird, or look at the blue, blue sky
Whenever I feel the rain on my face, or the wind as it rushes by
Whenever I touch a velvet rose, or walk by a lilac tree
I'm glad that I live in this beautiful world Heavenly Father created for me.

He gave me my eyes that I might see the color of butterfly wings.
He gave me my ears that I might hear the magical sound of things.
He gave me my life, my mind, my heart; I thank him reverently
Of all His creations of which I'm a part, yes, I know Heavenly Father loves me.

I think this last hymn speaks volumes.  It's "If You Could Hie to Kolob."  For my non-LDS friends, Kolob is the name of the place where God lives, as revealed to Abraham.  This is a beautiful piano arrangement by Chas Hathaway or this is the arrangement which I am learning to play by Aaron Waite.

If you could hie to Kolob
In the twinkling of an eye,
And then continue onward
With that same speed to fly,
Do you think that you could ever,
Through all eternity,
Find out the generation
Where Gods began to be?

Or see the grand beginning,
Where space did not extend?
Or view the last creation,
Where Gods and matter end?
Methinks the spirit whispers,
"No man has found 'pure space,'
Nor seen the outside curtains
Where nothing has a place."

The works of God continue
And worlds and lives abound;
Improvement and progression
Have one eternal round.
There is no end to matter;
There is no end to space;
There is no end to spirit;
There is no end to race.

There is no end to virtue;
There is no end to might;
There is no end to wisdom;
There is no end to light;
There is no end to union;
There is no end to youth;
There is no end to priesthood;
There is no end to truth.

There is no end to glory;
There is no end to love;
There is no end to being;
There is no death above.

There is no end to glory;

There is no end to love;

There is no end to being;

There is no death above.

Remember, to always have a hymn in your heart.  Have a happy day!

BWAC

 (Bored With A Camera)

Provo City Library [used to be Brigham Young Academy before the University became a university]

"Whenever I touch a velvet rose . . . I know Heavenly Father loves me."

"I'm glad that I live in this beautiful world Heavenly Father created for me."

It's Lee-uh; not Lay-uh. {I'm a different kind of princess.}

This is my goal for the summer.  So far, it's coming along [just swimmingly]!

The [Famous] Cookies of Gail Morgan! (Which were actually made by Leigha, but I still give her credit for the recipe and advice ;] )

"The vales exult, the hills acclaim, and all thy works revere thy name."

"The light of God rests on the face of brook, and flower, and tree and kindles in our happy hearts the hope of things to be."

The Amazing Gail Morgan! :] I love this girl. 

This is my roommate from Korea!  Her name is Shinjung and she is the prettiest Korean I've ever met!

This is my roommate from Hong Kong!  Her name is Lillian and I think she's gorgeous!

This is my roommate from Singapore!  Her name is Amanda and I think she's silly sometimes :) but she's also super cute!

Culinary Creations

So, I've been watching more food network since coming to college and am starting to understand food and flavor and cooking a little bit more (nothing like being a poor college student to inspire you to get creative, right?).  And, as my friends know, whenever an opportunity presents itself, I like to take advantage of it.  Yesterday, an opportunity presented itself as I was cleaning the kitchen in the discovery of some potatoes that were starting to go bad.  Amanda and I decided we should probably use them for dinner so that we didn't have to throw away every single one of them anytime soon.  I thought, "Potatoes . . . potatoes . . . potatoes go well in almost any kind of casserole, so why don't we get some cream of mushroom and make a casserole?  But we need some kind of protein . . . I have chicken, but it's frozen and takes way too long to defrost . . . oh yeah, Amanda and Lillian have beef they were talking about on Sunday that they wanted to use up soon; how about that?  Beef and potatoes . . . that reminds me of burgers and fries.  Or a cheeseburger and fries . . . ah, such a classic American dish.  Eureka!  Cheeseburger Casserole!"  So, I whipped together my ground beef (cooked with dill to get that pickle flavor so common among cheeseburgers as well as some soy sauce and garlic to give it a tiny bit of flair in honor of my roommates and their Asian backgrounds), potatoes (soaked in lime juice), cream of mushroom soup, a bit of chopped onion, and, because this is Utah, a squirt of fry sauce and voila!  All-American Cheeseburger Casserole!!

Baked slightly longer than perfection, but still delicious!!

It really looks kind of gross doesn't it?  Good thing it wasn't!!

"Nevertheless at Thy Word I Will Let Down the Net."

Welcome, welcome, to this beautiful Sabbath day!!!  I absolutely love Sundays and the opportunity we all have to go and worship Christ and refresh ourselves for another week!!  It's simply amazing every Sunday to gather with my friends and feel their spirits testify of the truth which we all embrace!  Why can't everyday be Sunday?!

Today being Sunday, I came home and decided that I wanted to read the Ensign.  The latest issue I have is from March.  I was reading an article called "The Savior's Compassion" by S. Kent Brown (Emeritus Professor of Ancient Scripture, Brigham Young University).  It's really a wonderful article and I would highly recommend it to everyone (LDS or not) and you can read it by clicking on it above. :)  However, the message which I got from the article has very little to do with the message which Brother Brown shared.

If you recall from the New Testament, Christ met four of his apostles while on a boat: Peter, Andrew, James, and John.  The Savior was standing on Peter's boat, speaking to a congregation of eager listeners and when he had finished, he told Peter to row out further away from the shore and cast out the nets.  Peter told Jesus that the fishing had been horrible and they'd had no luck all night, but "nevertheless at thy word will I let down the net." (Luke 5:5, KJV)  This is where I found the message of Brother Brown's article.  Peter told Jesus that they, experienced fishermen, had had no luck throughout the night, but he still trusted this man from Nazareth  and let down the nets when he told him to do so.  Because of this, he and his brother, Andrew, along with James and John were blessed with so many fish there was barely enough room in both of their boats, the approximate dimensions of which are given in the article above.  And now, here comes the application :)

Oftentimes, the Lord asks us to things which we think there is no way we could possibly do.  My favorite example of this is tithing.  If you've ever been a college student, then you know how hard it is to make ends meet with a minimum wage job, especially in Provo, UT where there are very few jobs available.  Sometimes, we may question whether we can afford to pay the ten percent which the Lord asked of us.  We may think, like Peter, that the Lord is asking us to do something incredibly hard or incredibly pointless.  "I tried it last month and I just barely had enough to pay for rent and groceries; I've been looking for other sources of income, but I just can't find anything else.  I don't know if I can afford to give anything!  Besides, what's my fifty dollars really worth?  There are plenty of other people who pay their tithing." But, if we can be like Peter, and trust in the Lord and when the Lord tells commands us to, 'let down our nets' we can receive a blessing so great that there is not room enough for us to receive it!!  Peter didn't know how many fish they would catch by letting down the nets or if they would even catch any fish at all!  But he had seen Christ heal his mother-in-law and he knew that He was no ordinary man.  By acting on that small tiny bit of faith which Peter had, he received so many blessings that there literally was not enough room to receive all of them!  He had to call on James and John to come and help him and split the fish between the two boats, and even then there was enough fish in each boat to cause them to start to sink!  Just think what we could receive from the Lord is we could have the same faith which Peter demonstrated and simply do what he asks of us without hesitation.  Maybe then we could go to institute, despite the loads of studying we need to do.  We could make time for FHE, despite the paper we have due that week.  We could invite a friend to church, even though they may have already turned the invitation down.  We could act purely on faith and rely on the Lord to carry us through.

Wouldn't that be nice? I think so. :]

Heigh-Ho!

So I realized that I haven't blogged in a while, but there's really not much to blog about except work!  Way back at the end of April, I received a promotion at work to Crew Supervisor (in a regular restaurant chain, my position would be the equivalent of like an assistant manager).  This brought new responsibilities, among them the responsibility of having to do what the Lead Crew Supervisor (equivalent of General Manager) would normally do because she is gone for the summer.  So, I am at work every morning, Monday through Friday, usually by 9 to take care of those responsibilities.  It's not too bad, and actually gives me a reason to go to the track everyday (I'm already on campus, why waste the fifteen minute walk?)  Well, back in April, our Full-Time Supervisor (equivalent of the Store Owner) got hitched to her One and Only and was finally able to go on a honeymoon that wouldn't be cut short by work this past couple of weeks.  So, being the temporary LCS, I was sort of  "in charge" in a way whilst she was unreachable.  And guess what happened?  Almost everything that could possibly go wrong.  Almost.  Came in one morning to discover the fridge had shorted out sometime during the night and everything was too hot, so we had a ton of spoilage that day.  The cause of the shorting out was the soup well, which the maintenance dude took, so we had to find another way to serve soup.  Came in another morning and found that the ceramic inside of our crock pot had broken, so we had to find another way to serve our pork (which is part of our most popular wrap, so there's no possible way we could just have a day without it.).  The last day before our supervisor came back, we were supposed to be really busy; there was an event going on on campus that was supposedly going to bring us a lot of business.  We were all prepared for it and ready for the people and . . . nothing.  We ended up with a ton of produce and stuff that we didn't use, meaning it is likely to go bad and cause us to have huge amounts of spoilage in the very near future.  Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.