Food!

We had a very productive morning, food-wise. First we picked up our "Bountiful Baskets" order. It's pretty cool, we pay $15 and get a bunch of vegetables and fruits. Granted, we don't get to choose but it is SO worth it!

We got strawberries and a cantalope! I was so excited!

After that we went to Gossner's to buy a bunch of economy cheese. It's basically the odd shaped pieces so it's cheaper. We bought about six pounds of colby-jack, mozerella, swiss, cheddar and muenster. We spent about $15 on it. Not only was it inexpensive but it is REALLY good cheese!
And, another picture of my rough draft set.

Set Design

I'm taking set design this semester. Here is my rough draft for my first design, Edward Albee's The Goat. It's sort of an awful play but the setting is cool. I'll post more as I get more work done.

Shhhhh, I'm hiding...

I'm hanging out in the shop manager's office, sort of hiding. I thought I would jot down a few thoughts that have been jumping around:

1. There is a funny lady who works in the shop occasionally who calls me "Hilary" on a regular basis. It's weird because she doesn't know my sister, I've mentioned her a few times but nothing excessive. Today she said I must "remind (her) of a Hilary." Odd.
   
2. My ward is awesome. I went visiting teaching last night and it was really great. It's funny because it takes a while to start but then I'm really happy that I did it. And, I had a really random conversation with a lady from my ward. She called me about some ward stuff and then we chatted. It made my day.
3. Wearing short sleeves in the winter time makes me excited for spring. When I was a kid I used to put my swim suit on for less than five minutes but it would get me excited for the eventual thaw.

Okay, I'm done. Back to work....

Friday Night Fun

James and I had a fun night, complete with a visit from the rooter guy. Apparently trees roots and sewer pipes don't mix well. While James cleaned up the aftermath, I made the dough for this:

It was really, really good. We covered it in spinach, tomatillos, green onions, Canadian bacon and tomatoes. It was sort of tricky combo but it was delicious. (The really cute polka-dot hot pad was made by my talented cousin Hannah.)

And last up, a random picture from our wedding day. It's of James with my Keller grandparents. I love how happy everyone was on our special day and it's some of my favorite people. (Don't feel bad, I have a lot of favorite people.)

Next up, ACTF in Los Angeles in February. I put most of my boards together today and it won't take long before they are all ready for the festival. And now, I just need to figure out what I am going to say so I don't look totally terrified.

Midsummer Production Photos

First off, I just have to say that being sick for two weeks totally sucks. It's not a new discovery, it's just one that I recently experienced. Well, with that out of the way, here are photos from A Midsummer Night's Dream.

Titania and the fairies hanging out with Bottom.

Oberon telling a story to Puck and the other boys.

Theseus, Hippolyta, Philostrate and Egeus discovering the sleeping lovers. This picture shows off the black and white color palette for the humans.

The play within the play, it's in color because the fairies helped them with their show. That was the concept!
The pre-show, three of the guys doing rope tricks. It was really neat!

Titania and Oberon fighting over the Indian boy. Actually, it's a cute little girl named Avory. She's about the same age as my niece Avery but this one is a lot taller!
And a final shot of EVERYONE; cast, chorus and conductor! It's a nice shot because it shows off the stage and the whole cast.

Phew. It was a lot of work.

In other news, I wore red lipstick/gloss to church today. I'm not sure how I felt about it. It was rather bright.

Patsy Cline Production Photos

Here are the Official photos from "Always...Patsy Cline." I put them in show order and they are better than the photos I had before. Enjoy!

Picture update

The following is a bunch of pictures that I started to take at the beginning of the break, I thought I use them in my blog and I also thought I would take more pictures.

First up, the "decorations" from our apartment. I figured our place is small enough and we were planning on leaving for the whole break. Thanks for the Christmas cards!
Next up, the pretty drive through Sardine Canyon:
Even James was excited to go on break:

The next picture is my Mom coming into the house at the beginning of her surprise party. She was really surprised.

Nice face Alex...
My brother and his girlfriend made this sign:
Here is Hil presenting our Mom with her birthday cake. Believe it or not, our Mom is 50. I don't think she looks like it at all.
Jordan the lumberjack and Avery.
The candles from her cake:
Avery and her computer from her grandparents, she likes to send "e-mails."
A better picture of the Christmas stocking for James. The elf on the left is Eric Clapton, the one in the middle is Paul McCartney and the one on the right is Mick Ronson. Awesome.
And the final picture is my re-organized make-up tray. It's sort of a ridiculous quantity but it was just Christmas...
I know it doesn't look organized, but it really is. The face stuff is on the right side of the box, the lip and cheek stuff is on the left side and the eye stuff takes up the rest of the box. I love make-up.

How I Spent My Christmas Vacation (warning: there be lists)

This past Christmas was part of many firsts. There was the obvious, (our first as a married couple) but there were also a few that weren't as...obvious.

1. Raclette. It's a cheese and a meal, all in one. Apparently it got started when some Swiss shepherds placed some cheese on rocks near a fire and realized that melted cheese tastes really good. Anyhow, it's a tradition that James brought back from his mission to Switzerland. We had it three times over the break, coincidentally, every Friday. We ate on the 17th at a party with James' parent's friends, then we ate it Christmas eve and on New Year's Eve. It was really good.
   Note: If you purchase this type of cheese, melt it first. It stinks and it isn't as good unless it has been cooked.
2. My Mom turned 50! We (the kids) threw our Mom a surprise party. I think a good time was had by all and Mom was mostly surprised.
3. I got a kiss at midnight on New Year's. Yep. First time. I'm glad I finally hit that milestone.
4. I got sick, twice. The week of Christmas I got a stomach bug and then this past week I've had a cough. It's been sort of frustrating but hopefully it means I won't be sick during the semester. And last up, related to #4...
5. I took my first pregnancy test. I was throwing up and as much as people like to tease newlyweds I didn't want to chance it. No worries, it was negative. As much as we would like to start our family right now, it's not the right time. I mean, we're BOTH in grad school and we're lucky if we take care of each other. We plan on starting that project next year. Uh, I'll keep you...posted?

And that's it! That is basically the exciting parts of the break. James worked a bit (got sick right before Christmas) and I watched an unhealthy amount of TV. Looking back at it I sort of shake my head in disgust but it's not like I'll be watching a lot once school starts. But, I did sort of learn stuff:

1. As conservative as I am I felt like a total wild child when I watched part of the wedding special for the Duggar's oldest son. It was a re-run, apparently they are working on their second baby. I was shocked when I heard that the two had never been alone together and their first kiss was going to be as a married couple. Yowza. I understand waiting until you're married to have sex (hello, we did) but not spending ANY time together? James and I were able to get to know each other because we spent so much time together. Like I said, I sort of felt like a hellion watching this special.
2. If Gordon Ramsay tells you to do something with your failing restaurant, it's probably a good thing to do it. If not, you'll probably continue to fail and he'll spew a stream of profanity at you. Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares was oddly watchable, especially when the restaurant owners do exactly what he says without throwing too much of a tizzy fit.
3. MTV's I Used To Be Fat. Hello, awfulness! I watched one episode and it was like a train wreck. The episode I watched featured a girl named Marci who had been home-schooled and enabled by her mother. She didn't eat dinner with her parents who ate "normal" food, instead Marci would eat fast food in her bedroom, purchased by her mother. Enter a tough talking trainer (there are no other kinds according to television) and she is on track to lose 90 lbs in 90 days. Just like "The Biggest Loser" I found myself sucked in, wondering if she was going to reach her goal. Spoiler alert: she does.
   
4. The E! channel is awful. Full of garbage. Hardly redeemed by the Soup. Ugh.

That's about it. I can't believe I'm starting my last year of grad school. Heck, it seems like just yesterday I was starting my first year. Wow. It'll be December before I know it and I'll be DONE.

Crazy.