Something New: Weeks 34 and 35

So much to catch up on! I'll start with this.

August 19 -- Ate at a yummy pizza place in Salt Lake City with my fam. Its style was true Italian. They had amazing gelato, the first I've had since Italy. I think it was called Settebello, but I'm not sure.

August 20 -- Had an unpleasant experience waiting for my flight home from a layover in Detroit. Ended up renting a car after hours of waiting in the airport with an upset toddler. The new part: Jude and I sat and watched the airport's amazing fountain for a long time. Matt had told me about this, but you can't know how cool it is until you see it. Its patterns and timing and thick streams will keep you watching, like a mini Bellagio in Michigan!

August 21 -- Attended my first preschool board meeting at the school/church. I guess I had gone to one before in May, but this is the first one I was involved in. I received responsibilities, I presented my case for something important, it feels real now.

August 22 -- Started a sewing project for a friend of my cousin. Before I went to Utah, I made two snake toys for my cousins' new baby boys. They loved them! Now I'm making one for my cousin's friend, and a couple more for my boys because they were sad when I packed them in my suitcase.

Here's one that went to my cousin. It's a great project because it uses mostly fabric scraps, and it's great for kids because it  helps them learn four different fasteners: velcro, buttons, snaps, and ties.

August 23 -- Triple chip blondies. Have you had them? They are AMAZING. Anything with butterscotch and chocolate is addicting for me. These babies were so delicious that instead of giving half of them away like I had planned, we ended up keeping them all for ourselves. Actually, we did share a couple with the missionaries when they came over for dinner. One of them liked these so much that he took the recipe home. Seriously, a 21-year-old guy wanting to make an effort for dessert? They're THAT good, people!

August 24 -- Tried to make soy vanilla pudding in the Blendtec. Big FAIL! I was excited to give Josh milk-free pudding so he wouldn't barf it up, but it didn't set right. But then again, besides smoothies, no recipes we've tried in that blender have actually turned out well without adjustment and extra effort. I think something's wrong.

August 25 -- Took some fabric from my stash and whipped up a Zebra skirt! This is the first time I've successfully made a skirt just by eyeballing the pieces with no pattern. And since this was clearance fabric, I think it cost me a total of $4. Score!

Also, I tried dried wasabi peas for the first time today. Previously I was too scared to try them. They're not as hot as I expected, and actually quite good.

August 26 --  Met a new Elder when he and his companion came over for dinner. This one plays the piano and was overjoyed to go through all my sheet music and play a real non-electric keyboard for the first time in months.

August 27 --  Met with a new piano student. She's older than my other students (high school),  more advanced, and wants to pursue music through college. This is so exciting for me! Seeing her music brings back so many memories. I can't wait to start working with her.

August 28 -- Ordered the Turkey Bravo sandwich at Panera. It was scrumptious. But then, my opinion might have been affected by the overall good feelings of having lunch with fun friends and no kids. That situation could probably make dirt taste good, too.

August 29 -- Visited Shannon, my new visiting teachee. I had never spoken with her before and it was great to get to know a new friend. This woman is amazing.

August 30 -- Improvised tomato sauce from my own homegrown tomatoes! Even though I really like to cook, I rarely just take random ingredients and throw them together without a recipe. It wasn't bad. I used fresh basil, balsalmic, olive oil, onion, garlic, salt, pepper. You can't really go wrong with that combination.

August 31 -- Played in a softball game with a bunch of friend couples. This was so much fun! I hadn't played softball in years. I mean, not to brag or anything, but I was the back up pitcher for my elementary school team, soooo....I'm kind of a big deal.

September 1 -- Ludington! We drove our little family to Ludington after lunch to see the beach and the famous sunset. It was more than worth the trip! That beach is absolutely perfect. It reminded me of San Diego, and the sunset was out of this world. More pictures to come later.

Also, on the drive, I started reading "Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother". I can't tell yet if it will be helpful, but it's interesting.