Wanna Recipe?

So, I think this might be the most awesome recipe in the world - tried it Monday night and was VERY pleasantly surprised.


[Disclaimer: They don't look QUITE as beautiful as this, but they ARE beautiful considering how easy they are.]

1 spice cake mix (mmmmm....spice cake...)
1 29-oz. can pumpkin
1 package (or desired amount) chocolate chips

Mix top two ingredients together first, then add chocolate chips. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes (mine were done at 15). Hello, does it get better than that? No butter or oil, and they taste great! Maybe not the best pumpkin chocolate cookies I've EVER had, but reeeeeeally good and about the easiest recipe I've ever seen.

Yes, I know this is a lousy post for not having blogged in ages, but I'm not just lazy in baking lately, obviously. Sorry, folks!

Me Too Iguana

View from the graduates:


View from where I was standing...and yes, it was all a blur: ;)


Sorry for the lack of posts the past few weeks - Commencement was August 2nd and I got sick the weekend after that. The ceremony went very well and I've received many nice compliments on how smoothly everything went. Beyond that, I'd rather forget about it and move on (just brings back stressful feelings!).



Now, on to the topic for today. In the past several months, I have come to a self-discovery of sorts. I am a Me Too Iguana. For those of you unfamiliar with this charming children's book series, you'll stay unfamiliar, I'm afraid, since it's out of print. :) But I loved it growing up, and always enjoyed this particular story of an iguana that wants to be like everyone around her. She sees the lion and wants mane like him ("Me too, me too, I want mane too!"), so she makes some fake mane to wear. She likes the zebra's stripes, so paints them on herself...you get the picture. Why am I a Me Too Iguana? I always pick up some of the the idiosyncrasies and personalities of the people with whom I associate - I don't TRY to do this, but I just do unconsciously. For instance, my dear friend Eve used to say "Curses!" a lot while we were roommates. I picked up on that. A coworker now says "Bah!" and I find I've picked up on that, too. I even try very hard not to say "Bah!" but find myself doing it anyway. Growing up, I picked up on the Winnie the Pooh theme - my brother liked Eeyore, so I liked Tigger. My brothers did band, so when it came time for me to choose between dance and band in junior high, band was the obvious choice. I even changed my major in college from Psychology to English (Eeyore brother was also majoring in English). I like ABBA like my dad...in fact, most of my musical taste comes from my family. I've picked up on working out (thankfully!) from my wonderful husband. There are countless other examples...which means...I have no personality of my own! :(

I talked with my mom about this whole issue, and she pointed out that since I was just a wee thing, I always mimicked accents (Cowboy, Irish, British, whatever I heard) and did imitations. I know my parents thought that was cute, and that it drove my brothers nuts (especially Cowboy). I guess I'm a born sponge.

Look at it this way - I pick up on things because I respect and love the people I copy. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery! So, I will just have to embrace the fact that I'm a Me Too Iguana and not be ashamed.*

*even though the whole point of the story is that the iguana learns to like herself for who she is and stops copying everyone else. *sigh*

Memory Tag

I've been tagged by Margot! Here's what to do:

1. As a comment on my blog, leave a memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you know me a little or a lot, anything you remember (it can involve the family or the husband, too)!

2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. It's actually pretty funny to see the responses. If you leave a memory about me, I'll be sure to write one about you... either on your blog, in my comment box, or I will email you back!

3. If you can't say something nice, don't say nothin' at all ☺

4. Consider this a Tag: if you've read it, you have to do it!

Back in School

First of all, as a follow-up to last week's post, working out at work is a no-no. Yuck. Maybe yoga, but nothing involving cardio. That is all I will say about that.

This Monday I began my third semester at TUI University. I'm working towards an MA in Education, focusing on Higher Ed. I hadn't had any particular plans to get a master's degree after finishing my undergrad, and if I thought about it, I thought more along the lines of cognitive psychology (if you're curious about that, you can ask, but I won't go into it right now). Then I fell into this position as a registrar, and found that on the whole I quite like it. It suits my personality and skill set - or at least I think so. I'm anal about details and organization, and that works perfectly.

So, last November I got the impression that I should get my master's degree. If I was ever going to do it, now is a good time - while husband's in school, too, and we don't have any kids. President Monson would be proud of how quickly I acted on that impression, because I registered in early December and started in January (now if only I could do better to respond to promptings of service! alas!). Amazingly enough, after this semester, I only have three courses left - I'll be done in late March. No thesis (hurrah!), so that will be that. Crazy how fast it's going (and yet it seems to drag at the same time, you know?).

I definitely enjoy learning - I had actually been jealous when husband quit his job and went back to school, and found myself living vicariously through him as I scheduled his courses and bought his textbooks (now he takes care of all that himself, in case you're wondering). So to some extent, I am enjoying being back in school myself. I've taken courses in the psychological foundations of teaching and learning, research methods (not as bad as it sounds!), law and ethics, and information systems (okay, that last one was pretty dry). I'm currently in Cultural and Cross-Cultural Perspectives in Education, and Assessment in Higher Education. Every course is applicable to what I do, so I hope all this is making me a better registrar.

I do NOT like staying late at work to work on my homework. I am quite the home-body (to the point of being anti-social sometimes). I LOVE to be home (as long as I'm not stuck there, like I was in the first year or two of our marriage when I didn't have a car). I've tried to do homework at home, though, and it just doesn't work. We must live in a worm hole or something, because time just disappears at home. Add to that the aforementioned lack of Internet, and school and home REALLY don't get along. I usually end up staying at work until at least 8PM Monday through Thursday - then, if I've been good and met my homework goals for the week, I give myself Friday through Sunday off, which definitely helps my sanity.

The only other thing I don't like about my degree is that it's all papers. Two papers a week for ten weeks each semester, with participation in discussion boards added to that. That really doesn't make for incredibly exciting coursework. For each paper, I have to force myself to start typing something, because otherwise I freeze up due to lack-of-any-desire-whatsoever-to-begin-another-paper. Couldn't they assign a project of some kind? A poster? A crossword puzzle? ;) Dull, dull, dull, and sad when the course itself is about assessment and finding effective ways to engage students in their coursework. Hello?!

Well, that's probably more than you wanted to know about my degree. Sorry. My happy news for the day is that I met my goal for this first week (two papers and two discussion board posts), so I get to leave on time tonight and go to dinner and WALL-E with my husband and mom!! What a reward!! One week down, nine to go. :)

So much for ... a lot of things

So Much For #1: Our yearly AC Challenge. We couldn't make it. We turned on the air conditioning yesterday, and I've never been happier to lose a challenge, quite frankly. When you wake up and it's 83 degrees in your house in the early morning, and the outside temperature is supposed to hit 100 for the next several days, common sense kicks in. I had the best night of sleep last night that I've had in a loooooong time. Hooray!

So Much For #2: My quick thinking. I am blogging right now for two reasons. One, Friday is a holiday and I won't be at work (we don't have Internet at home. That is both incredibly annoying and surprisingly liberating, let me tell you). Two, I locked my keys in my car. :( Will is coming to get me, but he still has to take the bus home from school and then drive here from our house, so it will likely be half an hour. I miss having my workplace be a ten-minute walk from my house. *Sigh*

So Much For #3: My being in a health/fitness "slump" - for the last couple of months I've been slipping from my resolutions regarding no treats at work (unless there's a party), portion control in general (especially with desserts!), and exercising at least 5-6 days a week. Result? I gained five pounds instead of losing the last ten I was hoping for. But I'm back on track, folks. I'm determined, and feeling focused and positive. Hopefully focused and positive enough to stay on that track even after my next semester starts on Monday. Bah! I'm hoping to use six-minute workouts from Tracey Mallet's "Sexy in 6" Program as a boost (in addition to my beloved Firm workouts) to get my metabolism going in the middle of the day at work...we'll see how successful that goal is.

Happy Birthday, Margot!

I would like to wish one of my very dearest friends a wonderfully happy birthday today. It has been far too long since we've hung out, and I haven't met her second son yet! Shame on me. I hope to remedy that soon.

I have good news: on Wednesday, I booked our photographer for commencement. Several weeks ago, I was checking Craig's List randomly and came across an ad for models for a photography project called 30 Strangers being done by Justin Hackworth. On a whim, I emailed Justin and became "Day 2" of his project this month. His studio is on the corner across from the building where we hold commencement, and I remember thinking throughout the shoot (which was very fun - one photo's below, and I'll post more later) that if our longstanding commencement photographer ever backed out, I would know exactly whom to call. And, lo and behold, she backed out (just over a month before the event - ack!), I called him, and after a week or so of considering, he accepted. Fate is the word that comes to mind, but it's probably more accurately a tender mercy. I think he'll do a fabulous job.

In other news, it is far too hot. Well, today it's supposed to be cooler, but then it will just get hot again. Husband and I have this "rule" that we do not turn our air conditioner on until the Fourth of July every year. I know, sounds crazy, but it's just a challenge and I think we haven't broken it yet. Last night, though, we were driving home from eating dinner, and I noted how it was far cooler in the car right then than it would be in our room anytime during the night. We open both our windows in our bedroom, and have a ceiling fan and small window fan going all night. Last night was surprisingly tolerable, but it's supposed to get up to the high 90s for several days in a row coming up, and I'm seriously considering camping out in the basement. :) One more week!!

Alas, lunch break is up - time to get back to work. Until next week!

Eager to Blog, but No Time!

I have become a big fan of blogs, and a touch addicted to checking those of my family and friends. Also, I want to be better at chronicling Will's and my not-exciting-at-the-moment life. Due to the non-exciting nature of said life, as well as the severe lack of free time, I will attempt to be a "Friday blogger" - I figure this helps everyone. I don't pressure myself to write everyday, and nobody feels pressured to read this everyday. Uh...not that you'd feel pressured to read this at all. But if you want to, you'll know the day I post. This is a trial run. If my life is simply too boring to post to the world, I won't belabor the point. ;)

My current drama is that the photographer for our commencement ceremony (at the university where I work as registrar and coordinate commencement each year) backed out yesterday. I'm on the search to find a photographer. In Provo. In August. On a Saturday. Yeeeeeah, it may be a challenge to find someone who doesn't already have a wedding booked. Any bets?