"Life is uncertain. Eat dessert first"

Today in my brit lit class we somehow got onto the topic of nun hats and their shape.  My professor went off on a tangent about these pastries he had in France called religieuses which means nun's hat in French, that was the connection between Hopkins and this delectable French pastry.  He jumped on google images, showed us a picture, then took a good portion of time telling a detailed story about how one goes about eating a religieuse.  Brother Bruggar's stories are so fun.  The tangents make that class so worth it.  I guess the literature is pretty good, too.  I discovered this week that I really like Christina Rossetti.

Anyway, earlier in the semester we were told we would get extra credit if we used British recipes and brought in British desserts, such as figgy pudding and other delightful treats.  Unfortunately, the idea of making a religieuse is much more appealing than whipping up some mediocre pudding.  It wouldn't really be that hard, it's just pastry cream and  pâte à choux.  Essentially, it's a giant cream puff with a smaller cream puff on top.
  

See?  Not that hard.  I've got experience with  pâte à choux and I've watched a pro make it. We had a guest chef (from France!!  I wish I remembered his name) come and teach us the proper method for making it.  It's a slightly difficult dough to work with, but it's not the hardest thing to do.  I haven't made it since culinary school, but my professor told me he'd give me extra credit if I made religieuses for the class.  He also said he'd pay for the ingredients.  Awesome?  Awesome.

I'm going to do a test run this weekend, just to make sure the method I've come up with is going to be appropriate for making my own religieuse.  I've never had one, so I'm being daring and making them my way. I'm really excited.  This is the kind of thing I live for.  If I could just drop out of school and experiment and create desserts, I would.  But then I would get fat.  And be uneducated.  I don't want either of those.

Hurray for religieuses!

Top 8 things I love about Rexburg

A couple weekends ago I came to the realization that I really love this small, boring town.  It's often complained about that there's nothing to do here, it's so podunk, everyone is super lame, etc.  I don't know what people are thinking, but there is SO much to do!  I went to the caves one weekend, to Idaho Falls the next, I've gone to dance parties and movie nights, to walmart late at night, and out to the park to longboard.  I've gone to events on campus, over to friends houses for movie nights or to play games.  There is always something to do out here, you just have to look around you.  In addition to the atmosphere of the town, I love being at BYU-Idaho.  It's a great school with a great spirit and great people.

That being said, here is my top 8 favorite things about this place.

1.  The PEOPLE!

• I have fantastic roommates.  I've lucked out this semester with girls I don't know too well and girls I haven't ever met.  They are all fantastic.  We have the same kind of humor, we have the same ideas for how an apartment of six girls should operate.  We've already signed contracts for the winter to live with the same six people...that's kind of a big deal.
• The ward I'm in is excellent.  It's heavily full of girls, but thus far I really enjoy them.  The boys, too.  Our FHE group is a hodge-podge mix of people, but it somehow works really well.  I'm stoked for my ward.  And the guys across the street, because I'm over at their apartment almost as much as I'm at my own apartment.
• The professors are so amazing.  I've made the habit of thoroughly researching my professors on ratemyprofessor before actually registering for any classes and it's made all the difference.  I have a ton of wonderful teachers this semester who make me actually excited to come to class and do the homework.  

2.  The Campus of BYU-Idaho.
          Have you SEEN the new BYUI Center?  The improvements made on this campus since I've been gone are outstanding.  The Manwaring Center improvements are amazing, along with the sky walk and the new gym.  The campus is absolutely gorgeous.  I love BYU-Idaho.

3.  Porter Park
          I love porter park.  Granted, the fall and winter aren't prime for spending Sunday afternoons napping on the grass, having picnics with roommates and friends, it's still a glorious place.  Can't wait for the spring and warm weather.

4.  The Food
          Now, I know that Rexburg is pretty limited as far as cuisine goes, but there are some good eats here.

•   Taco Bus.  There are two on them, but the one that's worth going to is the one that's right by the round-a-bout, across from Rockland.  I prefer the macho burrito with steak, but I hear the carnitas are delicious as well.  Authentic Mexican food in small town Idaho.  In a bus.  So good!
• Sammy's famous pie shakes are delicious.  I wish I had thought to make a shake with real pie in it...  Their concerts are pretty fun, too.  I went to a ska concert, ate a banana cream pie shake, and had a good ol' time.  Too bad the shakes are WAY over priced...
• It took me five semesters to ever get myself into Wingers.  It spectacular like I was expecting, due to the hype people have made, but it's not bad.  I rather enjoyed it.  
• Sushi in Idaho seems a little bit strange, but Da Pineapple Grill is tasty.  I've spent a couple birthdays there for birthday dinner, enjoying myself some scrumptious sushi.  I kind of want some right now...
• Frontier Pies has mediocre dinner food, but their pies (excluding the cream pies) are dang good.  I haven't had any since I got back to Rexburg, but every time I think of berry pie, their jumbleberry pie comes to mind....mmmm

There are plenty of other places to eat, but they're more fast food , like Taco Bell or Little Caesar's.  All the same, there are lots of places I like to eat.

5.  The Dancing
          I love to dance.  I love dance parties, swing dancing, ballroom dancing...pretty much, if it involves moving to music, I want to be there.  I'm currently taking a ballroom technique class and I'm loving it.  We just started swing dancing and the technique is harder than you'd think, but it's so much fun!  I'm stoked.

6.  The Snow
          Don't get me wrong, the snow is a pain.  I haven't yet survived a winter here in Rexburg, so that might change my opinion of the snow, but I can't help but feel giddy and excited when it snows.  I think it's beautiful,  I'd much rather walk to school in the snow than in the rain, where I'll for sure end up soaking wet by the time I get to class.

7.  Movie Marathons
          I realize that movie/tv marathons aren't unique to my experience in Rexburg, but they're still a big part.  Whether it's Pushing Daisies, The Office, or Hoarders, it's bound to be a good time.  It's fun with roommates, it's fun with friends.  It's fun with guys from home or guys across the street.  It's fun to chat during commercials and tease each other.  I feel as though there's this bonding that happens, even though we're all sitting around watching TV.  Maybe it's just the people I watch TV with...we get pretty emotionally involved.

8.  The SPIRIT here!
           Feeling the Spirit is awesome.  I feel it here all the time and it rocks.  I'm taking two religion classes, Pearl of Great Price and Family Foundations.  Those, combined with devotional, church, and random other moments of spirituality, make life here in Rexburg abundant with spiritual experiences.  I find that I'm more in tune with the spirit and less likely to focus on the downer things in life.  I feel my trust in God strengthened every day by even the littlest of things.  Having the spirit ever present here at BYU-Idaho makes things just that much better.


I was going to make this a list of ten things, but this blog has been at least a month in the making, so it's time to post it.  I love Rexburg, it's as simple as that.

“There is nothing wrong with change, if it is in the right direction”

Remember that one time I said I go with my gut?  Yeah, carpe diem seems to be the driving factor behind many of the things that I do. 

I was planning on moving to France in January.  I was really excited, I looked into a lot of costs and I dug out my old passport.  At the time, I really felt good about it because it was time that I did something.  Living at home, working at Starbucks was getting monotonous and I needed a change of scene, a change of people.  France sounded great.  France still sounds great.

I'm not where I was in August when I made that decision.  I feel as though I've undergone an internal change between then and now, understanding more who I am, who I want to be, and what direction I'm heading.  I know now that I'm a better student, more prepared for life at BYU-Idaho.  I've made some connections out here in Idaho with people who work at the local bakers and I feel strongly that I'm going to find a job for the winter. 

Yep, I'm staying in Idaho.  I've signed a contract, its a done deal.  I feel kind of bad for backing out of the France plan, but financially it wasnt going to work out.  It costs a lot of money to travel and live overseas.  Besides, living here in Idaho makes sense.  I'm doing well in school, I have solid friends, and its hard to beat the spirit in this town.  I feel uplifted by the people that surround me and I feel happy.

I'm happier than I've been in a long time.  Things are turning around and working out for me.  It's about time, life.  Let's keep things going this way.

“College is a refuge from hasty judgment"

I've been home for two years.  I've left home maybe three times in those two years.  This fall I am moving out again and it feels SO great to be sorting through things, busting out the dusty college boxes.

There's a level of comfort that comes with being home.  I have my own room, I come and go as I please, I do my share in the house (dinner, dishes, laundry) and in turn I don't have to pay rent or for food.  I like that my things are here and, despite being a culinary term, everything is mise en place, or, in it's place.

I'm getting ready to leave home again and move into an apartment with a roommate.  I haven't had a roommate since 2007 and I'm not sure yet if I'm ready for one.  I like having my own space, you know?  My own bedroom is a place where I can take refuge from everyone around me, where I can clear my head, relax, and regroup.  Well, things changed pretty suddenly as far as the roommate situation goes.  My cousin Hannah moved in with me on Sunday.  I had known it was a possibility, but I didn't know for sure until Friday afternoon.  I used Saturday, my day off, to clean and rearrange my room in preparation for her arrival.  Thus far, I'm okay with the arrangement.  In fact, I kind of like it.

I've never been really close with any of my cousins.  I think it's partially because I've grown up not being crazy about visiting my extended family, but also because I fall kind of in the middle of all the cousins and haven't many cousins my age.  Hannah is several years younger than me, but she's easy to talk to and gets along well with people.  I'm excited to have her here and to develop a close relationship with her.  I'm excited to introduce her to the singles ward and all the awesomeness that it can be.  I'm ready to get out of my own personal space and learn to live with someone again.

All around I'm excited.  For the summer, for Hannah, for the big move in the Fall.