The baffle clouds the agony.

I seriously think that the high point of my day was walking into my 4:30 class and seeing that the teacher had made name tags for us all. A little yellow piece of cardstock with my name on it was the best thing that happened today. Either I have low standards for a good thing or it was just a lousy day. Both I guess.

P.S. one of the reasons I never post on here is because I hate having to think of a title. So maybe I won't make them make sense at all. For today's title, I went here and hit 'new sentence'. Wow, I can be lazy sometimes.

Mashtini/Mocktail Party

Jamie turned 21 last week so we decided that we needed to let loose and have a mashtini party. However, after running errands all day long we realized that we had one hour to prepare all of this stuff. That meant chopping peppers, green onions, chives; cooking chicken; and cooking, mashing, and warming nearly 10 pounds of potatoes. It was a feat to say the least.

It would not have been possible without Delilah, our apple peeler, corer, slicer. She was wonderful in so many ways. I'll even forgive her for the small cuts that she gave me all over the back of my hand. Added bonus, we got to discover what Potato Slinkies look like. :) After boiling the taters (they cook quickly when sliced that thin) we threw them in the Kitchen-Aid, mashed them, and threw in our Darth Vader-esque Crock-Pot. (Our rice cooker also looks like a Storm Trooper, in case you were wondering). 

We did it! About the time that everyone started to show up we filled the last bowl with bacon and the party began. However, then we realized that we used all of our spoons in the serving dishes and didn't have any left for the mashtinis. (After shuffling the utensils around we were able to scrounge up enough spoons for everyone.) 

Now the moment you've been waiting for. The answer to the age old question, what the heck is a mashtini?

Tada! Look at how beautiful that is. It's a perfect mix of mashed potatoes, cheese, bacon, ham, chives, green onions, and a bunch of other stuff that I can't quite remember what it was, but it was good. Really good. I mean, really really good. Trust me. So good that even though I had three mashtinis I'm craving another one right now. Yum. Too bad we didn't have any leftovers. 

Magic.

Problem: General blah-ness from headache, etc.
Solution: Coke, ibuprofen, and a 15 minute nap.
Gloriously able to function again. Yay!

Awkward and Awesome

Wow it is Thursday again! This just keeps happening. I have all these good ideas on things to post about, but I just get busy. Weird. Well, we here are our awkward and awesome experiences from this week!

Awkward:

In a tiny bathroom on campus, there are 3 girls standing just inside, talking. I ask if they are waiting, and they say no, it’s all open. They are talking, one is telling a very long, involved story about a dog who was hit by a car. And then I’m done, as are the other 2 people actually using the bathroom. We have to weave through them to the sink and they are just standing there and we are all trapped by these 3 girls in front of the door who all slowly 

walk out while we are all trying to leave.

A man putting on makeup in a bathroom on campus.

My male nutrition teacher teaching the 'Mothers and Infants' chapter. 

The girl in my Interiors class who took an hour to eat a pack of corn nuts. She would bite each one in half and chomp it slowly. loudly. So very, very, loudly. 

Awesome:

SUNSHINE!!

Waking up and looking out the window and realizing how green the grass has gotten lately.

Creamy Chicken Taquitos

Getting the hinge replaced on our kitchen cabinet that randomly snapped while making dinner last Friday.

School is almost out! Only one more Thursday of school!

The trees are starting to look less dead.

No jacket at school (I carried it around all day)

Have a great week!

Awkward and Awesome... Friday!

Awkward

Guy totally freaking out when another guy passed the roll to him (startled, he dropped his pen and his phone)

"All I ever hear is crickets. And I talk to cats. Meow" At the meow, (it was loud) a guy in front of this one turned around and gave him a weird look

Professor wearing a Scooby Doo shirt, jeans and a hoodie

Getting picked on in sociology because of a different view on mommy blogs.

David witnessed someone brushing, flossing, and rinsing while urinating

Having the people behind you in the Marriott center soaking wet and shake all the water down on you.

The strange smell of wet wool

Awesome

This Article

Best text to get at 5:04 AM: " You don't need to come in anymore. Fyi. We have a new person."

Finally starting (fully) the new job with David as a copyright manager.

Best Email:

To facilitate transcendence through three point shots viewed electronically (and to honor the request of one of your honored number), we are adjusting our Transcendent schedule and cancelling class tonight, March 23rd and rescheduling the next four weeks as follows:

Week Twelve — March 24—NO CLASS, transcend electronically w/ Jimmer

The Forum with Mark Zuckerburg 

Awkward and Awesome

Awkward:

Pregnant girl with her notebook and textbook in between her knees, scooting her purse on the floor with her feet, and a large bag trying to move from sink to paper towels in the bathroom

Timeouts in Basketball games (nerve wracking)

The millions and billions of worms on the sidewalk between work and campus

Trying to quit job A when job B  unexpectedly shows up that is so much better for me than job A.

The teacher subtly asking a student to turn off the light on her cellphone in a dark classroom and the student turns the light back on after the teacher starts walking away.

Awesome:

David's 88 on a hard test

Walking through a door to a huge crowd of people cheering and yelling YOU WIN! And getting a sticker slapped on your coat. For no apparent reason. Winning is cool.

David's Birthday!!

Dinner with old mission companions

A new job! The same project as David! We work together again! (if I can ever quit this bakery job…. )

The long haired (stoned looking) guy standing outside a boutique talking to his friend: "This is the place to buy Mother's Day crap…" in a stupor-ous drawl

Pi(e) day and its leftovers 

Princesses/Beauty

            Most weeks Jamie and I get involved in some interesting (and a lot of the time just plain odd) conversations, but this last week may have been one of the most interesting. We talked for most of the week on eating disorders and blog posts. Jamie brought up a lot of stuff from her classes. I looked up a bunch online. We thought it would be nice to write about them if anyone was interested.

My Brave New World - "Attention Women of the World! (And Men too)"

            Women in old paintings look completely different than the models and actresses that we see today. They look healthy, happy, and real. These artists truly believed that each of these women was beautiful. They were right.

C. Jane Enjoy it - "Janna Dean Eating Disorder Awareness"

            I loved this post guest post on C Jane. Janna Dean answers common misconceptions about eating disorders in a straightforward, unapologetic way that nearly anyone could understand. Then in the same manner gives a list of suggestions if you or someone you know has suffered with an eating disorder or body image problems.

EDIT: You also might want to check out these posts on the same blog. Healing the Body Image and Healthy Body Image for Our Children

The Wild and Willy Ways of a Brunette Bombshell

            This entire blog is a fantastic resource on overcoming eating disorders and body image problems. Read any post tagged "Ned" or "Fed" or "End of Ned". You can start with this post. Or this one. Or how about this one. In fact, read everyone linked on this page.

            More than anything this week has changed the way that I look at people on campus and around town. I see all of these women who try to justify every little morsel of food that they eat by saying "I'm going to run today, so it's okay" or "I skipped breakfast, so I can eat this apple". It makes me sick to see these women looking down on themselves. It makes me wonder if they really know who they are: daughters of a King and therefore princesses and future queens. In every way they are beautiful and graceful.

            That reminds me of a few talks/articles that I wanted to post as well. I won't review them, but check the links out. You won't regret it. Also, if you know of any other resources feel free to let us know. Thanks!

Dieter F. Utchdorf - Your Happily Ever After

Katie May Hess - My Battle with Anorexia

Harold A. Front - The Thinness Obsession
             - This one is kind of old, but still an excellent resource.