The Business of Growing Up

Growing up is such a peculiar business.
What does growing up mean? 
When does it happen?
Is it worth it?
What happens to the magic and excitement you feel as a child?
Is there a way of growing up without losing the enchantment of new and beautiful things?

My mother has mentioned to us children that she still hasn't felt like she has grown up. I feel like I am more grown up now than I was five years ago but I simply refuse to admit of being grown up nor do I feel grown up. I am not sure if I want to either.

When I was younger I wanted to grow up faster so I could participate in the wonderful world of driving, dating, marriage, college, etc. Why was I so eager for the next stage of life? Not that the things that I wanted were bad, they are not. They are wonderful things that have brought joy in my life. But, there are wonderful things in life at all stages of life.
Innocence and youth allow an enjoyment for the world with little reservations.
I have another goal that I think about almost everyday.
To enjoy the world as if I were young again (well younger at least, I am still young).
I want to soak up the little things.

 Sunsets
 Trees
 Love
 Flowers
 Laughter
 Joy
 Music
 Holidays
 Friends
 Books
 Art
 Rain
 Beauty

I want to have butterflies in my stomach when I see fireworks or a waterfall. I want to play pretend with my future children and believe it as much as they will.  I want my heart and soul to embrace the world with all its wonder and beauty.

Is it possible? I think so.

The Fourth

Guess where I get to go this fourth of July weekend?





No guesses?





Here's a hint:

I am so excited, I can barely wait.

Multiple Flops

I am making a Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cake and I baked the cake just fine and is currently cooling on my parents stove.

The biggest problem was making the filling. I tried three different recipes in the last two hours for cookie dough without egg (so it will be safe to eat uncooked). My wonderful little sister Callie helped me taste test each batch.   The first batch was bitter and with a weird consistency. Here is what it looked like:

Callie made the worst face with this dough. Sorry Callie.

The second batch turned out with a normal consistency but still had bitterness to it. I almost just called it good enough but I couldn't do it. It would have tasted weird. See it looks more normal, but looks can be deceiving:

Callie did not approve of this one either. 

Here is my slightly annoyed face after the second batch failed:

I should have taken a picture of Callie too.

I decided to try one last recipe (after that I was going to cheat and buy cookie dough from the store). This one called for sweetened condensed milk which I did not have. By word of wisdom from my mother I searched the internet for a recipe for sweetened condensed milk. I found out that you can make it out of one cup of evaporated milk mixed with 1-1/4 cup of sugar. You heat it over the stove and stir until the sugar dissolves. That's it! Easy right? The filling is thinner than the rest and melted the chocolate (I should have let the milk cool down before I used it). It tasted so much better than the other two, I could deal with a the consistency.  It is in the fridge and it seems to be hardening up, I am keeping my fingers crossed! Here is what it looks like, trust me this tastes wonderful:

This batch was Callie approved.

I will posts some pictures of my cakes on here soon, including the finished Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cake. Hopefully the decorating process will go better than the filling. Wish me luck!

The Day in Pictures

                                        

7:55 a.m.  I am too lazy to get out of bed.  Instead, I take a picture of my crazy hair.  Really, I wished I was asleep again.

8:52 a.m.  I arrive at work.  Starving.  But we partied it up with French toast.  Bon appetit!

3:47 p.m.  This man pulls through the drive up on a moped.  I had to snap a picture.

9:25 p.m.  Finish up the Kid History premiere.  If you haven't seen the YouTube videos, repent.  Go now, and watch every single episode until you die laughing.  This is a shot after I left and waited for a bit before going home.  It is very unclear and ambiguous.  I like it.

End of the Day:  I survived.  Thank goodness.  One more day until the weekend. Oh, weekend, please come soon.

Bingo!

Do you ever find yourself stuck in the norm; completely unable to escape from the mundane schedule of your every day life?  I do.  All the time.  I find my schedule to be the same.  This is what it looks like:

7:00 a.m. Alarm goes off.  Hit the snooze button.

7:09 a.m. Alarm goes off again.  Hit the snooze button once more.

7:11 a.m.  Second alarm goes off.  This is where it gets tricky...I either "snooze" the second alarm or turn it off...relying on the first alarm to pull it's duty to get me out of bed (after a serious amount of snoozing) around 7:40 a.m.  It's pathetic.  I know.

Then I proceed to get ready for the day and make it to work by 8:50 a.m. where I perform more mundane duties until about 5:30 p.m. (FREEDOM!).  Each evening tends to be the same...dinner, socialize, kill time, socialize more, etc. until I decided to go to bed.  Day, after day, after day, after day.  Boring.  I need more excitement in my life.

So today at work, we changed things up a bit.  Credit Union BINGO! That's right! Now we have some excitement for the day as we mark off certain things that happen throughout the day or visits from our regular members.  Exciting, right?  I know, I know...we just know how to party it up here.  Unfortunately, I think we have been at this for almost 4 hours and guess how many boxes I have marked off...  Two.  TWO boxes!! That is out of FIFTEEN. Terrible. 

So my question is to you, oh lovely people of the internet...what do YOU do for a change up in the mundane?

Happy Belated Father's Day, Anyone?

I am the worst gift giver known to mankind.  It is the sad truth, that I have come to realize this year.

 I think I managed Christmas okay.  (Wait...remember how I went Christmas shopping on Christmas Eve, and STILL didn't have a present for one of my siblings? I ended up giving the scarf I bought for my little sister to my brother, while I came up with a last minute, make shift present for Callie.  I found two movie tickets in my purse and told her I would take her to see a movie.  I still have yet to follow through with that offer.)

Or shall we remember the time that it was my boyfriend's birthday and I gave him his birthday present.....a month later. (Better late than never, right?)  So I am terrible.  Absolutely terrible.

In fact, on my personal bucket list, I have made it a goal to become better at gift giving.

So guess what I got my Father for Father's Day!

Nothing.

I am officially the lamest gift giver known to mankind.

However, I have decided that I am going to change my lame ways now, and repent of my evil doings.  I am planning a belated Father's Day present.  (Again, better late than never, right?)

Would you like to hear my brilliant idea?  (Dad, if you are reading this, stop.  Right now.  It will ruin the surprise.)

My dad loves fishing.  You should have seen his old car.  (Wait...that old car is now my car...You should see my car.)  So, in the past, we have always given him the classic Cabela's gift card.  He can pick up his own gear.  But this year, I think I shall change things up a bit.

I want to put together a "fishing day pack" for him.  Add a water bottle, some snacks, maybe some form of entertainment, et voila!  A special (and thoughtful for once!) Father's day gift!  Brilliant, right?  Perhaps, I will still add the Cabela's gift card.   Perhaps not.  (That way, if you are reading this Dad, you will still get some form or a surprise! Mwahaha.)  Behold, my brilliant, repentant idea.  Genius, I do say.

Oh no.  I just remembered...

It's Callie's birthday tomorrow.  I've got nothing.

Perhaps I'll become really good at belated gift giving.

Frozen Hot Chocolate

I love Hot Chocolate but it is Summertime. Not that that has ever stopped me before from drinking Hot Chocolate in Summer or Spring. Today I was not in the mood for a hot drink and I wanted to curve my craving for Chocolate and satisfy my thirst with a more summery twist. I wish I could tell you the exact measurements for my concoction but remember, I hardly ever measure. 

Here are the ingredients though:
Ice
Milk
Hot Chocolate Packet
Ghirardeli Ground Chocolate
Tad bit of Sugar

You can find recipes online if you are not as adventuresome as I am with dumping things into my blender (usually not knowing if it will taste right) as I often do. Here is a good one: Serendipity 3's Frozen Hot Chocolate (Have you seen the movie Serendipity? This is the little shop they went to in the movie).

Source

What I did with my ingredients is this:

I blended a generous amount of ice and milk in my blender until it was smooth. Adding the milk just until my blender could freely move around the liquid without freezing up. After that I poured one packet of Hot Chocolate mix with the Ghirardeli ground chocolate and the few shakes of sugar. I blended until that was well mixed with the ice and milk. I proceeded to dump the whole amount into a root-beer mug and continued to eat it until it was all gone (my favorite part).

I have a problem with cold things. I have inherited a nasty case of shivers from my wonderful mother. Every time I get cold I shiver up and down my spine. My muscles tighten and can hardly move. I start coughing and my throat starts to close up (don't worry, never enough where I can't breath). It is not very fun. Even though I suffered from shivers while I was drinking my Frozen Hot Chocolate, it did not stop me from drinking it all up. It was that good.

If you have not experienced the yummy goodness of Frozen Hot Chocolate or are craving it again, whip out your blender and make yourself some. Or if you do not choose to make this delicious treat for whatever reason watch the movie Serendepity and envy their Frozen Hot Chocoate.

The Cello Song

As you may soon realize that I tear up and cry a lot. This was definitely another one of those moments for me. My dear father sent me this in an email and as I watched in my jaw dropped and tears soon came to my eyes.
I fell in love with the original Bach Suite Prelude in Jr. High School because I am a cellist. It is the most popular cello piece to play. This is like falling in love with the original song all over again. I love what Steven Sharp Nelson has done with it. He is one of my favorite cellist right now. His music is refreshing and inspiring. You may know him already from the popular YouTube, Love Story meets Viva La Vida. I hope you enjoy this beautiful song as much as I do.

Bon Appetit!

I live among poor starving college students.  I'm sure if I was in college, I would be considered one of them.  But I'm not. (Don't get me started on that subject.)  But I am young, and I am always starving.  Actually, truth be told, I'm just too lazy to cook for myself.  What's the point, really, spending an half hour to an hour whipping something up that only I will eat.  Pass me the cereal please.  I mean, really.  I'm on a tight schedule.  (Have you seen my to-do list??)

However, us starving young people decided that cereal for every meal of the day just isn't enough.  So we started a dinner group.  (While I was making an invite, I accidentally said sinner group.  Oops! Would you like to come to sinner group? Yes? Maybe? No? Fine. We'll stick with dinner group then.) A group of 12 or so take turns throughout the week and provide a nice dinner for everyone.  See? We all win. 

Yesterday was my turn to cook.  I decided to go with a nice crepe recipe (I tweaked it a bit with 1 TBSP sugar and 1 tsp vanilla) and made dinner and dessert crepes.

What? Stop right there! Did I just sense through the blogging channels of the Internet that you have never tasted a dinner crepe?

Well. You are in luck, because I am going to tell you the must-haves in compiling the perfect dinner crepe.

First, while making the crepe, be sure to melt on provolone cheese. 

Then, add your choice of deli meat (I prefer turkey).   Add your favorite condiments (mustard, mayo, etc.).  Add your veggies (I like lettuce, onion, and tomato on mine).  Et voila! Bon appetit! 

Seriously...If you haven't tried this, repent now.  Get going on those crepes and enjoy.

For the dessert crepes, nutella is a must have, but pudding works too.  Or chocolate syrup.  Anything chocolate.  Serve with whip cream and powdered sugar, and if you are feeling adventurous, add fruit. 

Crepes are always a great party goer.  They are versatile, different, and oh, so delicious.  I give them a good, hearty two thumbs up.

Caitlin's Bucket List

Writing a bucket list seems to be a popular thing to do now days. I wrote one about three and a half years ago but I recently realized that some of my life goals have changed. So here is my new and improved bucket list! (List is not in any particular order)

1.   Get Married and Have Children
2.   Finish College
3.   Learn to Drive Stick Shift
4.   Leave Someone a $100 tip
5.   Pay for a Strangers Meal
6.   Ride a Tandem Bike
7.   Sew a Dress
8.   Reupholster a Piece of Furniture
9.   Lose 50 lbs
10. Milk a Cow
11. Write and Perform a Song
12. Conduct a Symphony
13. Read the Chronicles of Narnia
14. Run a Full Marathon
15. Cook Filet Mignon
16. Catch a Fish
17. Be able to Explain Einsteins Theory of Relativity
18. Volunteer for Habitat for Humanity
19. Volunteer at a Soup Kitchen
20. Share the Gospel of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints with a Non-Member
21. Hike Mt. Timpanogos
22. Write and Illustrate a Children's Book
23. Go to an Italian Opera in Italy
24. Attend a Masked Ball
25. Get a Pedicure
26. Christmas Carol with Real Candles
27. Send a Message in a Bottle
28. See the First House I Ever Lived In
29. Go to White Sands National Monument Again
30. Go Hang Gliding or Paragliding
31. Spend 1 Month without T.V. or Movies
32. Leave Cookies in the Mailbox for the Mailman
33. Prepare a 5-7 Course Meal and Serve it To Loved Ones
34. Ice-skate Outside
35. See Stonehenge, Eiffel Tower, and Fontana Di Trevi
36. Sleep Under the Stars

I know there is more, but this is all I can think of right now. I will let you know when I accomplish any of them.  Feel free to ask about any of them too..I would love to tell you why I choose to put it on my list.

Exhausted.

It is only Monday, and I am ready for the weekend.  Remember that weekend to-do list I made?  I am pretty sure I got a solid 20% accomplished.  Sweet.

Adding that to-do list with my normal to-do list, I felt rather o  v e  r  whelmed.  Stressed. Grumpy.  Exhausted.

So I ditched out on my nightly plans and conquered the lingering "to-do"s that have been crying my name since last April.

I cleaned my room.

I painted my toes.

I ran errands.

I bought a crepe maker.

I chose a bad line in Wal-Mart and waited for 20 minutes (more than the time I spent shopping) behind roudy teenage boys. I won't even begin to paint the picture for you.  Just know, at times, it was very, very obnoxious.  (I think I am getting old and crabby.  I did just turn 25 donchya know.)

I was grumpy all evening until my boy stopped by.

He made me laugh, and I was happy again.




Now it is Tuesday, and I am still working on this blog post.  (See, how awful I am at completing tasks?)

I shall end it simply:

The End.

Confession!

I LOVE Sweet Potato Fries!


I just made some. They were delicious. Don't be jealous, you can make some too! While browsing Pinterest I found a recipe for Crispy Baked Sweet Potato Fries. What is the secret to making wonderful fries that aren't soggy? Corn Starch. For the complete tutorial go here. I decided that I would test out this secret to see if it could solve my never good enough home fries. And...IT DID! After roughly following the recipe (I hardly ever measure). They turned out crispy and thoroughly cooked. I would have taken a picture of them, but I burnt them a little (I hardly use a timer too, I should work on that). Instead, I will use the picture from the tutorial, so sadly I cannot take credit for how yummy these look.

Source

Pinterest

Have you heard of the new and up coming site Pinterest? If you haven't you should look it up! Pinterest lets you organize and share all the beautiful things you find on the internet.

I used to bookmark all the little things that I would find but I would never look at them again because they were so disorginized and unrecognizable. Pinterest totally solves that problem. Plus, you can share what you have found with your friends! So, click on the link below and you should be able to see my pinboards and pins or simply go to pinterest.com and request an invite to sign up to start your own adventure!
Warning: May be addictive and awesome.

 

Weekend To-Do's

Happy Weekend!

I love Fridays. 

I love sitting at work and being anxious for the weekend to begin.

I love planning the things I will accomplish and all the fun things I will do. 

There are so many options.

My Birthday Wish

I just hit my quarter of a century mark.  So how did I decide to celebrate? A balloon launch off.

The plan was simple:  

A)  Gather great friends together 

B) Acquire 25 balloons (and extras for insurance!)

C) Dream big and attach to balloon strings

D) Launch the balloons into the air, sending out our wishes to the world.

The result? Well, just take a look! 

Looking Forward to the Weekend! Weekend!

If you have ever come across Rebecca Black's music video "Friday", I feel your pain.  Since I have seen that music video, I firmly believe that it has been stuck in my head every

Box of Tissues in Hand

Sadly, I had a long day at work today. I am currently a baker for a local pizza restraunt. I love my job and I love the people I work with. Even though I love it, it is graduation season. Everyone wants cookies, brownies, and pizza after the horribly long ceremony (I don't blame them, who really likes the ceremony?) That means we had an extra load of food that we had to make. I am a bit exhausted.

Blog Post in 5 Minutes

Have you ever been tight on schedule?  Ugh.  I always am.  Seriously.  No rest for the wicked is what they say.  If that statement is true
, then I must be very, very, very wicked.

But that is besides the point.  All judgments aside, I have decided (actually Caitlin decided) that it is time for me to make a post.  So here I am.

But I have 4 minutes left, and there are people in the room, and I keep getting distracted, and now there is a guitar playing, and my roommates are talking about the possibility of needing to call 911 in the near future (I hope that doesn't ever come to pass...I have already called 911 once, and it was NOT a fun experience.) , and now there is singing going on, and now I am rambling, and now I can't remember why I am writing this post.

Maybe I should find some more time in my life.

Irrational.

I have an irrational fear of spiders. Not to the point of arachnophobia, but close.

The other day as I was grabbing a lump of paper from a bag a spider no bigger than a nickle scurried across one of the sheets.  I (gracefully) threw the papers across the floor

Whole Wide World

There is a song that I have been obsessed with lately.

Artist: Mindy Gledhill
Song: Whole Wide World
Album: Anchor

The beat is catchy. Her voice is soothing and sweet and the lyrics are simply inspiring.  The perfect song for two ambitious girls that are on the brink of amazing things. I originally heard this song on Stephanie Nielson's blog because she is spotlighted in the video. Click here to watch an beautiful video on Stephanie's story, it makes me cry every time.

 I hope you were inspired to go and do something wonderful!