Susie's Leaning Tower of Chocolate for 2003 October

I love John!

Unlike Mom John and I have had trouble getting the UPS to deliver our package at a time when we're actually home. Therefore I have to drive out to North Orem and pick it up myself. Mer.

John will not be doing an internship Winter semester, so we're going to try our luck for the summer, in both Orange County and L.A. Where does one buy a house in LA? A new house.

This weekend we are puppy-sitting Traffic while the rest of the family goes to St. George. We are also kid-sitting Logan and Ember on Friday. I'm going to do lots of laundry while we get to stay in a house with a washer. And lots of crocheting and scrapbooking. I love weekends!

Now that I have a little family to cook for I have been occasionally trying out new recipes. There was the fruit pizza and pot roast on Sunday and yesterday I made a new version of spanish rice with cheese and bacon (I added my own olives and corn). Last Sunday we made baked chicken pieces with red potatoes and this yummy spicy mustard, pepper and mayonaise saucey stuff. It was very good!

Traffic is singing along to the music John is playing on the piano. We had a fun night with the kids, making monster cookies (the frosting ended up being pea green, and the cookies tasted really bad (the kids loved them)) and watching videos. John took me to lunch at Del Taco, yummy!

Mommy, if I were home I would take care of your garden for you. I miss having a garden, and eating lots of fresh veggies.

We have finally paid for wireless internet! Feel free to email me all you want.

Today I saw the most gorgeous rainbow. It was sprinkling and the sun was out and coming in sideways, and I could see the whole rainbow, really bright, plus a pretty decent shadow rainbow. Unfortunately I was driving.

For Leisure Ed. this week we are doing a photo scavenger hunt around Provo. A creative all-group picture. Pretending to push the van. Something purple.

Culture Awareness is over! Over, I tell you! The one good thing about both of my units having their nights in a row is that it's now OVER! Well, technically, my girls are still sitting out in the gym, on the stage, with hip scarves on. But I watched their dances, and cheered, and took pictures and now I can go home.

Anyone who is excited for next year didn't do enough work this time around.

Today my husband took me to the temple. Then we came home and changed and walked to Panda Express. Yummy! We had donuts for dessert. It was nice not to have to cook dinner and nice for John, I'm sure, not to have to do the dishes. My co-workers say John's dish-doing will end, but I suspect they're just saying that cause they're husbands stopped. I don't think mine will =). When school starts, they said. 6 weeks ago.

Our bathroom flooded yesterday. According to the plumber John called, when a couple other toilets in the complex back up, it all floods out of another one (ours). My wonderful husband cleaned up the mess all by himself. We had to wash all our towels twice and our carpet is still a little damp, but we won't have to pay for it at least.

John made sweet and sour chicken for dinner tonight. Real, genuine Chinese kind. It was so yummy! He deep-fried the chicken in cornstarch, and cooked it with real sweet and sour sauce, onions, green peppers and pineapple. Yummy!

Today I went ice skating with 17 boys from Heritage. There were three other staff. One was unwilling to skate, another pregnant, and the third had never been before, thus leaving me as the most experience staff skating with our 17 boys. No fights happened. I have survived.

An amusing experience happened while I was doing group in ISU today. Unfortunately, because of privacy issues, I can't say much more. Sorry.

Tonight is FHE, something John and I have been working hard at doing well. It's my turn. So far, I have made crepes. Yummy crepes. Hopefully the evening will get more exciting than food.

I had tons of paperwork to do today, and I got tons of paperwork done today, and yet it's still not five o'clock. I did assessments, made lists of the new goals I created, organized my protocal binder, organized some stuff of Marissa's... I should go through her closet. It's a mess, although not entirely my fault.

I ordered some things from Oriental Trading for my kids. The first time, it was unsuccessful; I must have typed the credit card number in wrong. This time I am being extra careful, so I checked my order delivery status and it even let me track the package through fed ex. Technology is happy with me today.

I ordered lots of fun stuff for Christmas presents, some candy, some crafts for my girls and toys for my boys, Halloween and fall stuff. Should be fun.

I discovered how to look at the stats of my weblog just now. How exciting!

Rachel, you're getting a little wacked out. I'm proud of you for unplugging the DSL. Our's turned itself off until the 20th. Is it Friday yet?

We just made Oreo shakes and have decided that they're better not made at home, because non-home institutions use Oreo cookie crumbs without the creme. The creme leaves a slimy taste in your mouth. For lunch we had Zesty Chicken and Potatoes again. We didn't use red potatoes this time but it was still good. I like Sundays because John has time to help with dinner. John is so sweet in giving me suggestions of what to cook. It makes my job so much easier.

We were visited by the bishopric tonight. They learned some Cantonese while waiting for us to open the door (the first counselor served in Hong Kong). Lei ho!

I made two batches of sugar cookie dough which are at home in the fridge awaiting our sweet return. My pumpkin- and witch-shaped cookies cutters are on the counter with my rolling pin (I love you, rolling pin!) I don't know how well the witch will work out, but the pumpkin-shaped one is really a nice cookie cutter. It's big, doesn't have any easily breakable appendages. Etc. I have a set of 100 cookie cutters John let my buy with a gift certificate to Linens 'N' Things we got from Sister Davis. He made me promise to make him sugar cookies (his fav) once a month.

Why are all my entries about cooking? Do I do anything else?

Today I finished two more pages. These were lovely lavender and deep purple pages with pictures from our Utah open house (that project is now done). John and I went through his mission scrapbook and he showed me things he liked about scrapbooking, so I am trying to add a little of *his* way into our book.

Next up: Our first apartment pages, to tide me over until we get the rest of our California reception and temple pictures. Should be soon now.

This weekend we're going to use gift certificates I got for my birthday to go to a movie in the *expensive* theatres, and are having a sleepover with Traffic, since our family birthday party is on Sunday.

I had to write this entry to show that I do more than cook. =)

John (reading his Marketing book): Would you like an ostrich skin vest? Susie: No. John: Well, on the bright side, you just saved me $19,000.

Sometimes... ok, often, when I walk through the gym, I get the urge to do a cartwheel. I haven't done it yet. Perhaps because I know my badge and keys would whack me in face if I tried it. Today, while walking though, I was also admiring my pretty sparkling diamond. It looks great under the flourescent lights.

I'm so excited. I was so excited that I planned the most fun activity for girls ISU- we made mosaics by tearing little pieces of paper. I made a sunset over the beach. Rich said: Is that a pumpkin on a wall?

Today for lunch we got Flaming Hot Cheetos. How yummy! Then we carved jack-o-lanterns and sat around. What a fun group.

I have never tried falafel because I've made before. When I worked at the Cannon center I made it probably three times. Two cans (#9) of chickpeas, a cup of flour, 1 bunch of parsley (actually, cilantro, I think) and a giant glop (1/3 cup?) of bottled garlic in water. Stick it all in the chopper-upper and fry into pancakes. Yeah, so I've never tried it.

I made potato soup today. It was a little bland; I think I put too much water, too. Disappointing, because I spent a lot of time on it. We even cut the vegetables up last night so we wouldn't be eating really late tonight.

See, I always write about cooking. Rachel is giving me French lessons (instead of writing her paper) and I have sniffle-ies.

Today I am thankful for my laziness. My snow scraper has been in my car (where else would I put it?) throughout the whole unsnowy season. I mean, it never even made it to the trunk. SNOW! Today I used it when I made a trip to Partyland to buy colored hairspray for my boys. When I got home (slightly delayed due to the football game), there was no noticeable snow, although it's piling up at Heritage.

John lies in saying he had to clean his car off. It was snowing harder at the temple (some finally did build up here), but we made do with the windshield wipers.

Tomorrow is Halloween. I have a busy day at work; one normal group, one leisure ed. (read: longer) group, two rearranged and shortened groups, one (free!) flu shot, one luncheon, 25 kids to help dress, and a giant trick-or-treat parade. Then I have to do the charting for the 35-40 kids I'll have in group. Whew. I am dressing as a boy scout.

Our utilites bill has gotten continually cheaper, but now we may need to start turning our heater on. I teased John that we'll end up only sleeping in our bedroom (so far away from the heater/AC) during spring and fall.

Arkansas?

The weather, as commercial marketing, seems to have skipped a few holidays. Poor trick-or-treaters! What John calls "flurries" I always thought was excess pieces of snow blowing off the roof or trees. But it's really supposed to snow a ton tonight.

I bought Christmas Snickers' the other day without realizing it. They're for my kids, although I'm still not sure how I can give treats to my kids when i have a few on pre-tray (exactly what it sounds like: pre-trayed low-fat diets. Cafeteria food. Yum.)

My husband went to work at 730 and called me 10 minutes later to tell me he got a very unexpected raise. Woohoo! We have evaluations in November, so I think I'll be getting a raise too, but it will be prorated since I've only been working there for a few months. Speaking of which, I should get to work and write up my goals. I'm all (well, mostly) dressed up as a Boy Scout. I hope this doesn't fall into the "no cross dressing!" category.