goals!

Okay since I kind of missed the beginning of the year...I decided that it is time to at least tell you my goals- that way when I don't complete them I have some people to come after me and punch me in the face (nicely of course!)

learn a new language

 (my newest runner up to German is Italian, but I am still open for options-leave a comment)

learn to play the guitar

( i just need to stretch my hands out so they can actually fit around my sister's 3/4)

listen/read a conference talk everyday

(so far this one is going great- super easy five-ten minute commitment)

be friends to everyone

(i have not been as social as i used to be, hopefully this helps!)

so those are the ones i have come up with so far...i may add some more down the line, but i want to start with something i know i will actually do first. what are your goals? what are you going to focus on improving this year? 

gilmore girls and italian

So yes, two for two posts- first friends now gilmore girls...this is what I do when I am sick. I veg in front of the tv and watch the favorites. BUT this led me to  a revelation (a revelation that I happened upon in a friends jeep a week previous, but this really made it stick) .

Italian is the sexiest language known to mankind. Oh! How I love listening to it. Here I am sitting and watching Gilmore Girls (in English) and their crazy cat loving next door neighbor starts ranting in Italian. I have no clue what she said...although she was yelling I think it was something along the lines of "Hello, I am speaking a gorgeous language so you should just shut up and kiss me now." But maybe not. ANYWAY... I have a friend who served his mission in Italy (Italy right?!) and every time he speaks it melts my heart like a popsicle on the 4th of July. He says the most ridiculous things- something about a blue bird getting it's head chopped off it just one of the many, but it still sounds incredible.

I am now feeling the urge to move to Italy and fall madly in love and eat Gelato and authentic Italian food everyday! :) Good plan? I think so. What about you? Where do you want to move? What language speaks to you?

Friends

Oh how I love this show. Phoebe, Rachel, Monica,Chandler, Ross, Joey and Ugly Naked Guy. It seems like there is the perfect match for everyone! :)

Whenever I am in a bad mood, not feeling well, or just want to be lazy- FRIENDS is there.

Today I came home from work sick- guess who was waiting on my porch? Well,  Laura was,but with every Friends episode ever. You do not need anything else when you have a tv and some Friends!

Who are you most like? Who is your favorite? Which one would you/could you date?

I'll Be Home For Christmas....

So leaving Germany was...difficult- to say the least. I absolutely loved it there. I made some incredible friends (who are pretty much family now) and learned to love and appreciate another culture. When Bengt dropped me off at the airport all I wanted to do was cry. Part of that may have been drama with checked luggage and having no Euro, but I was also pretty choked up about leaving.

Three flights later, two extremely long layovers and one awful head cold later I landed safely in SLC. I was so excited to see my family. I called to let my dad know that I landed and of course he told me that he would not be there for another 15-20 minutes, needless to say I was bugged. I went down the hallway past security and hopped on the escalator.Who starts yelling and screaming? Oh yeah, the fam. BUT the best surprise of the night was that secretly my parents got in touch with Mark and he surprised me...oh life was complete! :)

Over the last two weeks there has only been one day that I have not seen him, and life is incredible. He makes being away from Germany not just bearable but enjoyable. For Christmas Eve Day we had breakfast together, and then watched multiple episodes of Community, and then I convinced him to watch Sound of Music.

Once we were completely sick of tv, we went home and changed and went to his parent's house. I love his family. We had dinner, played with his dogs, and just chatted with the whole family (except for the lucky Laos goers). Once we had spent some fun time there we came up to my house.

My family is crazy. I love them, but they are crazy. But, Mark somehow deals with them and has come to love them too! We got to spend Christmas Eve opening Christmas PJ's and watching ELF. What more could you ask for? Pearl earrings and a bracelet? Oh...well I didnt have to ask- he just got them for me.

Is life good? Yes, yes it is! :)

ian :)

oh this little guy...he never misses a chance to make me, or any one else, laugh. like his dad, he is naturally funny and is always saying THE funniest things...exhibit a....

Today I ask him if he wants to have a party with me before I leave. He instantly jumps off the couch and yells, "YES!" He then comes running into the kitchen and says that he wants to but that we have to have rules. What are his rules you might ask?

1. No hitting

2. No guns

3. No smoking (this one came as an after-thought because Bengt and I told him that he needed to stop pretending to smoke)

Yes, after telling us the rules of this LDS Young Single Adults Party he then decided to draw posters to hang up to make sure that everyone knows the rules. Funny kid? Yeah, I think so!

Weihnachtsmarkt 2011 :)

Weihnachtsmarkt: Incredible Christmas themed market. With amazing shops lining the streets filled with "snicker-snackers" (if you have not seen Modern Family you won't understand). It is absolutely amazing!

Stuttgart Weihnachtsmarkt 2011

Christmas is my favorite holiday. I love the lights, the trees, the decorations, hot cocoa, great tunes...so many amazing things associated with Christmas time, but my most favorite thing about Christmas is the spirit that comes with it. Everyone is just a little more nice, a little more patient, and a little more giving.

I love that our focus changes from ourselves to others and that we take the time to think of those who are less fortunate. This time helps us to see what is really important in our lives.

This year I am so excited to be home for the holidays, to be with family and friends, and to be able to celebrate the true meaning of Christmas.

What do you do to celebrate? What is your favorite Christmas tradition? What is your favorite thing about Christmas?

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

apple pie!

So, my Uncle Bengt is really good at baking pies- and I have been lucky enough to help him twice now. I thought that I should blog about our successes (and our failures!) so that you can make great pie too!

Pie Crust Recipe

1/2 Cup Butter (chilled- 15 min. freezer)

1/2 Cup Crisco (chilled-15 min. freezer)

1 Cup Flour

1 Tsp. Salt

2 Tsp. Sugar

1/4 Cup ICE Water (put in spritz bottle)

Apple Pie Filling

6-8 Granny Smith Apples (slice as thin as possible)

1/2 Cup Butter melted, plus another 2 Tbsp. solid

1/2 Cup Brown Sugar

1/2 Cup White Sugar

2 Tbsp. Cinnamon

1 Tbsp. Nutmeg

1/4 Cup Water

So you can use a food processor, we live in Europe and do not have one here...so we just sacrifice our hands. After the Butter and Crisco have been in the freezer, take them out and quickly cut them into small cubes.

Combine flour, salt, butter and crisco until the dough still has pockets of butter, but is well combined.  (Using a wisk or two knives works best) Spritz mixture with water, mix through flour mixture and then repeat until dough can somewhat hold. We have found that the less you work the dough, the colder it stays and the less water you use the more flaky the crust.  Split dough in two, wrap in plastic Then place dough in fridge to chill, about two to three hours.

After it is done chilling, pull dough out of fridge and let stand 5-10 minutes. Place saran wrap on surface and then cover with flour. Roll dough out to 1/8 inch thick. Take edges of saran wrap and flip the dough into a pie pan. Flute edges.

Boil sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and water in saucepan.

Place one layer of apples into crust. Place three small pads of solid butter sporadically on top. Then drizzle approx. 2 tablespoons of sugar mixture over first layer. Repeat this three times. With apples slightly mounding. Pour the rest of the sugar mixture over apples.

Roll out other half of dough, 1/8 inch thick, and place over pie. Slit the top. Bake for 15 minutes at 450 F, and then reduce heat to 375 F for another 35-45 minutes.

Let stand 10-15 minutes, then ENJOY! :)


I hope this works well for you, I would love to hear any tips/comments that you have!