Visit to SG

Thanks to Jordan Frei's hospitality, I was able to make it down to St. George for a family visit and some Swiss Days fun. My allergies were less grateful and flustered me a bit but they did not get in the way of my adventures with ol' friends.

Friday night was blur of driving, arriving home to an empty house, eating at in n out with Truebloods and co, then stomping through Tiger's Trail with ceej, dave, and jordan and being attacked by an awful swarm of bats.

Saturday began with waffles and then Swiss Day festivities. Swiss Days happened to be right next to my house. In fact, two of the three ways of getting to my house were blocked off due to the fest.

Today was a nice Sunday. I saw my nephew participate in the his first Primary Program. After church, i broke bread with the Trueblood family. It is always a joy to visit their home and to witness the intricacy of their playful plots.

Thanks Truebloods for the thoughtful teasing of today!

Pheonix: In the Venue

Sufie and I holding up the line for a quick picture. I love this girl.

The concert crew after the show in front of a terrifying wall mural . Sufie made us all our own Phoenix concert tees! We looked good. This concert was also Sufie's brother Henry's first live show. In my opinion, Henry did very well fitting into the In the Venue crowd.

The best drummer in the whole world! His shirt just popped on stage as did his intense eyes as they gazed into my soul.
Meet Handsome Gorgeous. I didn't get a picture that fully captured his fantasticness or one that didn't have his perfectly quaffed hair do cut out of it. He was the finest of the Frenchmen on stage.
Thomas Mars: lead vocals and the most grateful of the band members( make sure to get a good look at his boots. so great!). He was so sweet and all over the place. He climbed up on the speakers like a drunk high school girl at a garage show. He also graced the audience with an impromptu crowd surf. Henry got to tousle his hair and I got to touch his butt. It was awesome!
Phoenix was so good! They really were great performers and they were nice to look at too. I got to meet some real crazies in the crowd as well. For anyone who knows me, they know I an chit chat like nobody's business. Since it was Henry's first concert ever, I took it upon myself to get him situated in an optimal viewing spot on the venue floor. We wrestled are way pretty lose to the stage butting in front of a few obstinate people. We, however, had the pleasure of making the acquaintance of two lovely flamboyant gentlemen named Renaldo and Luke. Renaldo is currently studying at the U as an early childhood education major and Luke is just working. They were hilarious and thought that I should transfer from BYU to the U. Renaldo and I really hit it off when he told me that his great great great grandparents moved to Mexico from Medina in Saudi Arabia. They were catholics in search of a better life. i love how everything comes back to the Middle East for me. Anyways, the boys were wild dancers and Luke gave me a joyous high five at the end of the show. Unfortunately, we got separated before a number exchange could happen. Oh well, some people are just meant to stay concert friends instead of real life friends.

Thinking ahead by looking back

I have been presented with a few choices for the future........really there is only one choice right now. The Middle East is where I plan on spending a lot of my time living, studying and eventually working for the next few years of my life. I was told today that I would be needed to go to Jordan again and work as the ground (glorified babysitter)for the future International Development interns. While I loved my experience in Jordan and remember all the good times I had traveling around, seeing the sights, and being able get to know people, I am concerned about the timing of it all. I am unsure of many things right now. My sense is telling me the more time I spend in the region I have my educational emphasis in will make my proffessional resume into to a piece od sliced gold but at the same time I have to question my ability to stay in the Middle East for 8 months straight! Can my sanity take so much culture for that long a period of time? I have got some thinking to do............

Sunday Phone Call

Sundays are meant to be dedicated to rest. I often leisurely utilize my Sundays by starting weekend homework, cleaning my room, and making some much needed phone talking. I remember when I would talk to my pal Hay in Salt Lake on Sunday during our first year of college. We would usually chat about her boy life and my very high schoolesque college experience at Dixie State College. Lately, I have been feeling a little lonesome. When I was is Jordan, I had these feelings of seclusion and separation. I longed for things that were familiar and for people I knew were on my side. I was excited to get back home and start school. Finding my friends and the safety I know as my normal life made me so happy but I still feel disconnected and I don't know how to fix it. I was really happy to get to chat with Sarai today and get to hear about her happenings. The news of life and just news in general always cheer me up and I was overjoyed to chat to someone who can change my mood with just one phone call. I love Sunday chats.

Hooray for things that make me feel good.

I have been feeling a little ungrateful today so I decided to write down some happy thoughts.

1) I am grateful for crazy but always considerate roomies.

2) I love the friends I have who are close and those who aren't too far away.

3) The hlrc computer lab is the best home away from home.

4) Fellow Arabic students all around me. Some who help and others who ask for it.

5) Open windows on cool nights and reading things that are not academic.

Salt Lake City: Quick visit for friends and free entertainment

Twilight Series Concert: I am sure some of the 40,000 some odd people that showed up to Pioneer Park were disappointed due to the fact that the city was not holding a free showing of Twilight films to the people but were instead paying a corky old school-feeling rock band to entertain people. She and Him. I think it is really more of her than him. The Salt Lake crowd was overwhelmed by Zooey's adorable performance and hip ensemble. When she jumped, the crowd jumped. When she sang, the crowd sang. She had everyone eating out of her palm. While I am not the biggest Zooey fan, I was well entertained by the sweet and well-dressed

triple threat( she sings, acts, and can bang the tambourine.) It was a good night to share with friends. It is feeling good to be back up north and about to start a whole new school year. I find comfort in the fact that I do have friends to share my free time with up here but I miss my pal Sarai terribly. But we all shall reunite over the musical talents of Sufjan Stevens in November. That will really be a night.

Fancy Foods

I spent most of my summer eating out of someone else's kitchen. I always found recipes online that i wanted to cook but never had the means of making any of my dream foods. I was able to bake a bit with the girls that I worked with at Dar al-Wefaq but the resources at the shelter were limited and I wasn't permitted to use the kitchen all the time.

I had the baking itch all summer long. The first thing I made when I got home was a chocolate zucchini cake. The hankering for chocolate did not stop there. I found this great recipe on FoodNetwork.com for chocolate souffle! I couldn't believe how easy and simple the recipe was. As with most things I make they aren't always perfect but they do end up tasting pretty yummy. I didn't get the classic puff but I ran out of batter and couldn't fill the ramekins to the very tip top. I left out the cinnamon of the recipe and just went with pure chocolate. My mom was pretty proud of my culinary prowess.

Chocolate Souffle Recipe

• 3 tablespoons granulated sugar, divided
• 2 1/2 ounces semisweet or bittersweetchocolate, chopped
• 1 large egg, separated
• 2 large egg whites
• 1 tablespoon heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon all-purpose flour
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• Confectioners’ sugar for dusting (optional)

Directions

Position rack in center of oven; preheat to 375°F. Lightly coat two 10-ounce ramekins with cooking spray; coat the insides of each with 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar.

Place chocolate in a small microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on Medium, stirring every 20 seconds, until melted, 1 to 2 minutes. (Alternatively, see "No Microwave?" below.)owl until combined. Whisk in the chocolate until smooth, then whisk in flour and cinnamon until incorporated.

Beat egg whites and salt in a medium bowl with an electric mixer on high speed until soft peaks form. Beat in the remaining 2 tablespoons sugar in four additions, until stiff, glossy peaks form.

Using a rubber spatula, gently fold half the beaten whites into the chocolate mixture until fairly smooth; then gently fold this combined mixture back into the remaining egg whites until no white streaks remain. Divide between the prepared ramekins and place on a baking sheet. Bake until puffed and firm to the touch, 18 to 22 minutes. Dust with confectioners’ sugar, if desired. Serve immediately.