Test Kitchen/Dinner Group

To help me resolve my little recipe problem, I decided to start a weekly dinner group/test kitchen combo.

Basically, I'm going to make at least one recipe from my (ahem) archives each Thursday and invite all of my Orem/Provo peeps for dinner every week.

I was thinking I would send out a weekly email with the plan for the main dish, a side-dish sign-up list with a couple of slots, and then let everyone else know to bring $3-$8 to help pay for ingredients, depending on how exotique the ingredients are. (So... if it's lobster, everyone brings $8-ish. If it's tortilla soup everyone brings $3.)

What do you think? Is it tacky to ask people to bring money? Should I just have them bring ingredients? If it were you, what would you prefer?

Would you participate in something like this if someone else was hosting?

Chillin' with the Sistas

While in Paris I spent a lot of time with the Sister missionaries. I volunteered to go with them to a teaching appointment one week, and it turned into a standing weekly appointment.

These are the two sisters, Sister R and Sister O, that I started working with. Then Sister O went home, and Sister H was transferred in. (Sister H is the one below eating raclette).

Here we are in front of the Church on rue Saint Merri near the Pompidou Centre.

Sister R, me, Sister O

On the night before I came home, we had one last teaching appointment with E and her two daughters.
The Sisters surprised me with an awesome dinner before we went to teach--raclette!! I had never had raclette before, so it was fun to see how it works. And it was soooooo good!

So, basically you have a raclette pan with spaces for all of these little dishes to sit in. You put a slice of cheese in the dish, slide it under the heating element, and then make a little open-faced sandwich.

This is me with E and her girls on Mother's Day at church. Love them! Miss them.

On my last night, at E's apartment. Love these girls. Aren't they just beautiful. They're little sweethearts, too. Let's just ignore how pasty I look next to their gorgeous skin.

Institute Dances in Paris...

... are basically the same as church dances in Utah.

Except in Utah practically everyone is white.




There is line dancing...

...and girls have to dance with each other if they want to swing, because there just aren't enough guys to go around.

I loved making friends at Institute. It was such a relief to know that whatever happened during the week, I could go to Institute and feel (somewhat) normal.

The best friend I made in France. He's the bomb-diggity. He's also learning English, and he understood me better in English when I faked a British accent. (I'm glad he stayed friends with me, even though I squashed his dream of serving his mission on Temple Square when I told him that mission is really only "staffed" with Sisters.)

A blurry goodbye picture. Should have turned on that flash. :)

Make New Friends...

...but keep the old. One is silver, and the other gold. (Or platinum. I don't like gold.)


I love making new friends, but I really love getting together with the friends that have known me forever and know all of my history.


I had lunch last week with some of my best friends from high school, and I loved it. We are all in different situations and have different lives, but sometimes you come across people that you will always love and care about--no matter how seldom you actually get together or see each other-- because knowing them made you who you are.



Do you guys have people like that?

Institute Closing Social

This past Saturday was the Institute closing social. They handed out the diplomas, we ate Mexican food (yes!), and then we danced all night. Well, until 11, because it takes everyone at least an hour to get home...

But they also had a little "portrait" area where Sylvain, one of the great Institute teachers, took pictures of everyone. I thought it was a great idea, and I loved the frame that they brought as a prop.

YSA Activity in Versailles

Les JA (YSA's) from the Paris-East stake got together about a month ago for an activity. It was fun--a singing competition (Rock Band style, but minus the band--I don't know what the games are called that just involve the singing aspect) and dinner.

It was fun--and sweaty after everyone started dancing and singing.

Great News

The investigator I have been teaching with the sister missionaries (and whose kids I've been corralling at church for the past month or so) is getting baptized!

She is getting baptized a week after I get home, on June 27, and I couldn't be happier for her.

She is from the Ivory Coast, and she is incredible. I can't even tell you what a difference I have seen in her over the last couple of months. I love that the Gospel has such a big impact on people that you can literally see the change in their faces.

I will be so sad to leave them behind. Her daughters (3 and 1) are the sweetest little girls, and the 3 year old has taken a particular liking to me. She loves to say "Amen!" at the end of prayers, talks, and testimonies during Sacrament Meeting. So cute.

P.S., this investigator is also an amazing cook. When I asked her if she uses recipes, she and another African lady who was at our last teaching appointment-turned-awesome African dinner burst out laughing. The other lady, who is in my ward, said, "Sarah, most of the people where we come from can't even read. How would they know what to do with a recipe? Cooking is just something you learn from doing it all the time."
P.P.S. Our delicious african meal included eating amazing chicken in a spicy--as in, lots of different spices, almost like a curry--sauce; fish; a carrot, tomato, and onion salad; and fried bananas with our hands! Forks are for the faint of heart... but the food was all incredible.

Today I:

-got to church on time for the first time since I moved here (it's obviously been an adjustment, and the Metro runs about half as frequently on Sunday, so this week I finally got the timing right).

-sang in Sacrament Meeting with the ward choir. Don't worry that on Easter we're singing an excerpt from the Messiah that has notes higher than anyone should be able to sing.

-wore what I'm guessing every French person I encountered thought was a really "loud American" dress. (It's a black wrap dress with white swirls all over it. Maybe you've seen it, maybe not. It's definitely got a distinct pattern.) Good thing it was mostly covered by my coat. And they were possibly so shocked by my legs not being clad in opaque black tights that they missed the dress altogether.

-made another friend on the Metro. We're possibly hanging out tomorrow. I'll be sure to establish at the BEGINNING of the evening that I'm just looking to be friends. It should be a bit easier this time, because a) he speaks pretty good English and b) he lived in the US for 4 years. I'm hoping he got a little taste of what dating is like there, and won't be totally shocked if I tell him that I don't want to date him after I gave him my number. And if he is shocked, then at least we can go our separate ways in peace without all the drama.

-participated in a lesson with the sister missionaries. They're fantastic--one of them just got here like a week ago, so her French is still very minimal, but she is really passionate about the Gospel. I really feel like I can see her testimony shining in her eyes when I look at her. Their investigator (they call them "friends of the church" in French) is really sweet and has a lot of faith. She really believes in prayer and has a lot of faith in God already. I was really surprised how quickly I gained an interest in her little family. I almost felt like I was a missionary again.

-made tentative plans with this great sister in my ward to go out to dinner this Wednesday. I'm excited.

Wandering Downtown and Making a New Friend

I went to Institute tonight, but gost lost on the way, so I got there late. Next week I'll get there early so I can speak to more people. I just felt silly walking up to them at the end and introducing myself. Not quite sure why. But next week I'll definitely make a point to be there on time. Maybe I'll go to dinner at a restaurant by the Centre Pompidou since it's right across the street.

That's actually where I started my adventure tonight (Thursday night) after Institute. I walked behind the C. Pompidou where the Stravinsky fountain is and took this picture of the Eglise Saint-Merri.



I was going to take some pictures of the fountain, but a) it wasn't working, so it looked kind of depressing, and b) there was absolutely no light on it whatsoever and I had no tripod. Maybe I'll go take some tomorrow in the daylight. Capturing that depressed look of the foundain might be interesting compared with the normally lively and colrful display (and I say capturing in the most broad of terms. My photography skills are still in embryo, as it were).

Then I went past City Hall, which boasted a temporary ice rink out in front and a roof that was glimmering when I came upon it (much like the Eiffel Tower does evey hour on the hour).




Continuing on without any real direciton or purpose, I passed through the square in front of Notre Dame and decided to stop for a picture. It looks freshly sandblasted. So pretty. I loved that there was still a Christmas tree in front of it.


I managed to find a store that was open so I could buy body wash (will I ever remember everything I need at the store?), and I grabbed a baguette while I was there and munched on it on my way back to the Metro. There really is nothing better than a French baguette. Expect maybe a French lover, but I can't provide a comparison for you, sorry.

While waiting for the metro train to come, I checked the map on the wall like 4 times, because I had to make two transfers to get to the line that goes to my neighborhood, and I wanted to be certain I knew ahead of time exactly where I had to transfer. A guy standing near me noticed how often I was looking and asked in French if I was lost. I said I didn't think so, but showed him where I was trying to go and how I was planning to get there. It apparently worked, because he said that's where he was going.

I apparently have an English accent (gosh, I didn't already know that, thanks), and so he spoke to me a little bit in English before introducing himself (Y, from Algeria). We chatted our way through two Metro stops in a random conversation about ourselves in English and French. He is currently studying Physics at a University in Paris, and his internship is at a big Obsertavory here, where he is studying Saturn and its system. Whatever that means. I guess Saturn probably has some suns/moons/other things that are fun to learn about when you care about physics. He is also trying to pass the TOFEL so he can come to the US and study finance. The guy speaks French, Arabic, English, Spanish, and some other language (German, I think). Man. I'm completely jealous.

So, anyways, we're going to go out on the town tomorrow. My dad is, of course, freaking out.

Don't worry, dad. I promise not to marry him. I don't even know if this is a date. I guess we'll just have to wait and see.

__________________________

During our metro-ride chat, he asked if I had a boyfriend and I said, "No."

"Why?" He asked--and he was completely serious.

Ummmmm... Okay. If I knew, then maybe I'd be able to do something about it, right?

How do you even answer that kind of question?

"Never" Coming Back

In a recent conversation with my best friend, Happy, she said the following about me moving to France.

"You know you're never coming back, right? You say you're coming back, but we BOTH know you're never coming back."

Well, then.

I wish I could say with any certainty that that was true. But I can't. I've got a plane ticket to come back, and my visa will expire at a certain point (assuming I ever get one).

So unless I randomly decide to stay in France and do a Master's program (which apparently I can do, and they will just extend my visa while I'm still in France), I'll be back at the end of June and looking for a job.

MB SLK 55 AMG

If the title of my post doesn't speak to you, then you, like me, are not obsessed with cars.

However, I think I might have just had an obsession-inducing experience with the Mercedez-Benz SLK series 55 AMG. A guy friend of mine just bought one and took me for a ride this afternoon.

This is what it looks like.

*Swooning*

Isn't it beautiful? If I was a bazillionaire, I would buy one. It has a bum-warmer and a neck warmer for the driver and passenger. Among dozens of other features, of course.

Because I know my mother reads my blog sometimes, I won't tell you how fast we went.

I'll just tell you that on the way home from Phoenix (where he bought it), my friend went 180 and "didn't dare go any faster." Uummm, yeah, ya think???

I Love Rugby -- who knew??

A friend of mine (who was also one of my mission companions) invited me to her rugby match this morning. She plays for BYU, and they played UVU this morning in Orem.

What a fascinating game! It's more interesting than football to me (though I still love football) because it doesn't stop as often, and it seems like there are fewer rules. There is no padding, no helmets, and you can pull people to the ground by their jerseys. The downside? One girl broke her nose today, and another was carried out on a stretcher with a potentially serious neck injury.



Yikes.

Still, I'm kind of looking forward to seeing another game.

Bridal Veil Falls

In light of Camille's death at Bridal Veil Falls (this week last year), I have a hard time going there very much.

I've been thinking that I should make the effort to go hike the trail there in honor of Camille, but I just don't know that I can bring myself to do it. I am certain I would look at every overhang, cliff, or narrow strip of trail and wonder if it was the spot where she fell. (Morbid, I know. I can't help it--I know that's what I would do.)

This month there is an Outdoor Film Festival going on there. I thought it might be a good 'transitional' activity to get me to Bridal Veil Falls for more than about three minutes at a time.

What do you guys think? Have you ever consciously tried to change your negative associations with a certain place?

The Organ Loft - a.k.a. "Edison Street"

Last night I went to The Organ Loft on Edison Street to participate in the first installment of their fall Silent Movie series. Click here to find the Organ Loft on Mapquest.

I have to admit, I was a little bit skeptical about going, but it was a BLAST!!


The cool thing about the Organ Loft is that they have this Wurlitzer organ front and center, and as they show the silent film they have someone playing the organ LIVE to provide sound (and great random sound effects, too). It was incredibly fun, and something I will definitely do again.
This has to be the coolest thing I have done in Utah in a VERY long time. Have any of you ever done this? If not, I highly recommend it.

Summerfest!!

I have sadly neglected to pay homage to Summerfest, Orem City's annual summer celebration.


This year my visit to Summerfest was short-lived, but it was still a great time. I got some great earrings from her, and I had a good time trying to get some fun pictures. Some worked, some didn't. The second one looks super fake... not quite sure why.

Fiesta Days!!

Some of you may not know that I really love rodeos. I discovered how much I enjoy them just a few years ago at the Utah State Fair, and I think watching bull fighting in Southern France when I was in high school might have contributed to my increase in interest.

Plus there are some really attractive cowboys out there. (Please note: I do not consider cowboy-ogling a good enough reason to go to a rodeo... it's just an added bonus, like any other sport -- notably baseball).

This Tuesday some friends and I went to the Spanish Fork Rodeo. It was a blast!! Here are some of my favorite pictures.



Bucking Horses
I didn't know horses were this flexible!

My favorite :: Mutton Busting!! (too bad the sheep look possessed)

The Clown did a Motorcycle trick jumping over a truck and horse trailer.

And, of course... it's not complete without bull riding!

There's always a certain level of anxiety at the rodeo. Maybe not for everyone. But I find myself constantly holding my breath, waiting for someone to have their neck broken or get rolled over by an enormous bucking bull with sharp horns. Does anyone else feel that way at the rodeo? Do any of you even go to rodeos??

By the end of the rodeo we were all sore from sitting on the horrible bleachers, we had dirt everywhere (crunchy teeth...yuck), and I had lost the lens cap to my camera... but it was worth it.

Now I just need to know when the next rodeo is so I can make someone take a picture of me in my new awesome cowboy hat. :)

Cruising through Beautiful Skies

After leaving Ketchikan, it rained for a while and then the sun came shining out through the clouds before it set (which was right around 10:00). As the light came back into the sky, the most ginormous and beautiful rainbow I've ever seen appeared in the sky. It was so huge even my wide angle lense couldn't capture it, so the pictures below only show one side of it at a time.

What was amazing to me is that the sky was simultaneously blue, gray, rainbowed, golden, or blood red depending on where you looked. It was like every direction you turned you were on a different planet!

These pictures were taken literally within minutes (some of them seconds) of each other. Every time I turned around the sky had changed again. (That's why I took so many pictures... it kept getting more and more beautiful.)

I love that last shot because it is totally candid of the guys. I was actually in the middle of cleaning the lens and was holding my camera at about waist-high and just randomly snapped this picture that I love.

Alaskan Cruise - Installment Two

The first day we cruised past incredible scenery. This was probably still the coast of British Columbia, not Alaska, but I really don't care -- it was breathtaking!




We also played a couple of rounds of miniature golf, which was pretty interesting with the wind blowing and the ship rocking back and forth. I still managed to get a hole in one, though. (It's all that natural talent I've got...) Check out my expert stance below.


That night our waiters sang to us at dinner... Frank Sinatra's "My Way." It was totally funny. In the middle of the song they all pulled out lighters and started waving them around. Hilarious.