The Nut Stories

Story: "Pistachios"

Any of you that know me and my taste in nuts know that I don't like any of the hardcore nuts, like walnuts etc. However, I do enjoy pistachios and peanuts. I usually just crack them and throw them into my mouth, but as I was about to toss one into my mouth I noticed that it looked a little dark, so I examined the nut further. Guess what I found?


Yes, that is a worm. Gross! I am glad I didn't eat that one.

Question: "What would kind of nut would you be if you were a nut?"

Sheena says she would be a honey nut, because it is sweet. It actually isn't a nut at all, but the best variety of cheerios. I am still undecided, I would probably choose the grossest nut of all time. This way it ensures that I wouldn't be eaten, which in my opinion would be one of the worst ways to go.

Question 2: "Is the enjoyment of nuts generational?"

This is a question that came up at dinner last night, and I kind of think that it is true. It seems like there are very few people our age and younger that enjoy the "hard core nuts". The "hard core nuts" is a category (made up by me) that contains walnuts, brazil nuts, pecans and the like. These are the kind of nuts that just ruin a good brownie, or slice of banana bread, or cake, or pie, or whatever else they are put into. So I think this calls for a vote, if you are under 30 and like the "hard core nuts" speak out, because I don't think I know anybody that fits in this category. When I say like I don't mean can tolerate, but I mean that you are the people putting these nuts into breads etc.

Story 2: "Our little peanut"

This story might be more interesting to you than the others. I know that we are more interested in this one than the others, so I saved the best for last. For this story, I think that a picture really is better than words.


This one is also known as the "preg"-nut. Our baby is due August 8.

Beautiful Day

Just thought that I would mention that it's supposed to be 72 and sunny here today! That sure beats windy, cold, and snowy in Cache Valley.

Also, I was just thinking about how cool the music school that I teach at on Saturdays is. They have a great program. Not only do they have quality lessons available on most instruments, but they also have this program that students can be a part of called Star Power. In addition to private lessons, the kids in this program are also assigned to a band that meets for an hour each week. They can choose to be in either rock, jazz, or classical bands, and they are with kids who are around the same level, but play different instruments. They study theory together and then work together in their bands. It is awesome for them to have this experience! It's neat to see what they are capable of together, and they become really comfortable performing. It's great. Also, as a teacher, I don't have to worry about administrative stuff and I get paid even when students don't come to lessons. (yesss!) It has been really fun for me to work with kids there.

Christmas

We were lucky to be able to go to Utah for Christmas. It was so much fun! We didn't bring a camera, though, so I guess we will have to get pictures from someone else. Some of the highlights (in no particular order) include:

- The lights on Temple Square
- Pickleville Playhouse's Christmas play
- Seeing and hanging out with family and meeting Josh's girlfriend and her daughter
- Seeing all of our nieces (with one highly comical diaper blowout at the Bluebird restaurant)
- Lunch with some of Brandon's high school buddies and families
- Seeing a few friends (maybe we should have visited more)
- Going out to eat way too many times (but it was good)
- Finally getting my QUILT for Christmas (my mom and I picked out the material when I was still in high school)! It is beautiful. One day when our room is put together again, I will post a picture.
- Eating at Pizza Plus and Firehouse (twice) and Costa Vida and Coppermill and The Bluebird and...
- Spending more time with family
- Brandon snowboarding/skiing with his dad and brother
- Going for a walk on the USU campus (so romantic!)
- Seeing the beautiful mountains
- Invictus (it's a great movie)
- Salt Lake Aquarium (it was actually quite neat)
- Smoothies for breakfast made by my dad (we are addicted now)
- Ice skating (we finally got my dad to go, and he liked it!)
- Spending lots of time with family... We sure miss them.

I was hoping our trip to Utah would make me less homesick, but I don't know if it did the trick. We really miss our families and friends and Cache Valley, and in a way, seeing them made me remember what we're missing. Yet, at the same time, we are very blessed to have a job, and it feels like we are in the right place for now. We are grateful for technology that allows us to be able to talk to our families weekly and see their faces while we chat. It makes us feel a lot closer to them. My grandmas both said that when they moved away from their families when they were young, all they could do is write letters. Phone calls were inconvenient and expensive. It's WAY easier to get on ichat than to write a letter. And although it's expensive, it's pretty easy and fast to hop on a plane and be in Utah the same day. We are truly blessed to live during this time.

La iglesia de Jesucristo de los Santos de los Ultimos Dias

We have officially been kicked out of our ward.

It all started with an interview with the stake president. We were very nervous, because we had no idea what it was about. While we were waiting for the interview, some high councilmen came and shook our hands (they had just had a meeting). It seemed like they grinned knowingly at us because they knew what was going on, and it seemed like they knew who we were even though we didn't know them. I don't really know if they did, but it sure seemed that way.
Anyway, we were a little anxious at that point.
It turns out that we didn't get callings, but he asked us to move our records to the Spanish branch. They have an unusual amount of new converts and need some people with more experience in the church.
We are muy excited. Plus, I get to work on my Spanish (yikes). It will be an interesting assignment, and I think it will be fun to work with these people. So we are now reading El Libro de Mormon to help me with my Spanish. Hope it works!