Update: God is so funny.

Yep.

He's pretty funny. 

So, here goes the explanation:

About two weeks ago, I had a feeling that I would be getting a new calling in my ward (congregation for those who don't speak Mormon). This calling would be to take care of 30 or so girls and make sure that they're all doing okay and be there to help them, etc (Relief Society President for those who do speak Mormon). I shook off the feeling because, in all honesty, I am not a good leader. I'm a really good, behind-the-scenes kind of a person. But in the back of my mind I wondered if this was coming from me, or from God.¹ But it wasn't just that, it was also that the girl who is currently in charge, is usually in that position for 1 year, and it's only been 9 months.

Well, Sunday arrives as usual, and I'm supposed to teach. The current RS President announces that she just got engaged, which means, she's going to be released and they will have to call a new RS president. 

Panic sets in.

What if that feeling I had really WAS from God?

For two and a half days, I jumped any time the phone rang. No one ever called. By Tuesday night, I was feeling a lot better. I chalked it up to my own paranoia.

Today, I went to Church, and as I was sitting, waiting for the meetings to start, a member of the bishopric (the clergy in charge of the congregation) comes up to me and says, "Bishop would like to see you right after Sacrament meeting."

My response: "Yeah. I figured he would."

And sure enough.... Yeah. 

I'm a little overwhelmed. Probably because I'm not the person that people usually look to for a leader. But I've come to realize in the past few hours/days that these callings are opportunities for the Lord to bless us. You may be there to bless the lives of people around you, but the Lord sometimes uses these callings as an excuse to pour out blessings on you.

So, now I get to put together a presidency--something I haven't done since I was 15. Your prayers will definitely be needed.

Oh boy. This is going to be fun!

¹You see, in my religion, we don't believe in intuition, per say. We believe that God speaks to us through our feelings and emotions as well as through actual words and scriptures. Hence why I was confused.

Happy Birthday, Twin!

I'm a lucky girl.

I'm one of 6 in one thousand people. I have a twin brother.

And he's pretty darn cool.

And do you know why he's awesome besides the fact that we share the same birthday? Oh yeah--he and his wife let me come and visit them this past year. AND showed me around NYC. That's pretty awesome. 

I remember when we shared a birthday cake, back in the day. And to be honest? I miss that. I want there to be one birthday in the next 10 years, where we can share a cake again. 

Happy Birthday, E!

God is humorous.

God is funny. Really funny.

Still waiting to see how funny He's going to be.

Stay tuned...

D...D... Dating!

I know I don't post very often on here about my dating life. It's not because I'm being private.

I don't have a dating life.

And cue laughter.

Honest. I don't date. I don't get asked out and I don't ask out. I'm not bitter. And I'm not really frustrated. I just hate the advice that some people tend to give... 

Such as "You should be asking more boys out."

I've asked out guys before. And it doesn't work. I'm sorry. I feel like it's a pity date, every time. 

So, I've decided something. I'm going to attempt a new technique. If I'm talking to a boy in whom I'm interested, I'm going to find an activity in the course of our conversation that we both enjoy. Then I'm going to say, "That sounds fun. We should do that together some time." And let the door be shoved open and hope that he gets the blatant hint.

The problem is?

I have an evening work devotional scheduled for February. It's an evening with the General Authorities who are over our department and we get a nice lecture by the assistant Church historian as well as food and a tour of the Church History Library.

The problem?

I committed to another single girl in the department, to ask a guy on a date to this function.

Cue lonesome sigh.

I think I've picked the boy. And I'm going to use the next three weeks to get to know him better.

And yes. I do have to plan this far in advance. Otherwise, how else will I find enough courage to ask him?

Your prayers will be required on this as well.

You Keep Me Hangin' On!

I just have to preface this post saying, "sorry". 

Sorry for being in such a foul mood lately.

Work has been bad. Things are kind of up in the air right now and there's a possibility that my job won't exist anymore. I'm told that I won't be fired---that I will just be reassigned. Like I said---nothing's definite yet, so your prayers would be appreciated.

And it's not just that either. 

It's the fact that I have taken on so many responsibilities that I'm drowning in work. I can't complete everything and do everything that all the staff members expect me to do and babysit others to make sure they're completing the tasks so that I won't have more work in the future.

It's a mess that I can't seem to clean up. 

I finished my orientation class. It was a joke. In fact, I'm mad that I had to pay money for that because it's not like I even get a grade--it's a credit/no-credit course. 

And lastly? My birthday is a week from today.

Yeah--for everyone else in the world, birthdays are the BEST. Since 2005---I've hated every minute of my birthday. They just don't end well for me. Usually they end with me going to bed at 9 PM, bawling my eyes out. 

I'm trying to think of ways to make my 27th birthday different. I've been unsuccessful at that. I don't want to organize a party---the last time I tried that, not many people showed up. I guess I would rather treat it like any other day and never feel bad about someone forgetting my birthday or no one caring that it's my birthday than to be disappointed.

I guess I'll end this post the same way I started it.

Sorry for complaining. I just needed an outlet for the night.

Happy Birthday, K!

So, it's my oldest brother's birthday today. 
I have to say that I've been extremely blessed in the past couple of years. Out of all of my siblings, I get to see him and his family most often. And they have been very kind to allow me to visit on a semi-consistent basis.

I'll admit that because of the age difference (he's the oldest, I'm the youngest) that it's taken me awhile to really get to know him, but I think he's pretty awesome. A month or so ago, he taught me how to change my windshield wipers on my car (so I don't have to EVER pay the mechanics again!) and the past two birthdays for me--he's taken me out for lunch. That makes you feel pretty cool if I do say so myself. 
So, on this day, I'm REALLY glad that I have a big older brother to watch out for me.
And all I have to say is if anyone is annoying you--you just need to Eeeeenore!!!!

Must Share

I have to share this new recipe I got from a cookbook. I made it tonight and even though I goofed up some of it.... it still turned out EXCELLENT!

Creamy Roasted Red Pepper Soup with Crumbled Feta

Two 16-oz. jars roasted red peppers, drained

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 cup chopped onion

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup sliced mushrooms

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 teaspoon dried oregano

2 bay leaves

6 cups. vegetable broth

1/2 cup milk

1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

salt and cayenne pepper

1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese

Place the red peppers in a blender or food processor and process until smooth. Set aside.
Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the mushrooms and cook until softened and their liquid is released, about 3 minutes.
Stir in thyme, oregano, and bay leaves. Add the red pepper puree and brother and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium, partially cover the pan, and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the milk and simmer for 1 minute to heat through.
Remove from the heat, remove the bay leaves, and stir in the basil. Season to taste with salt and cayenne. Ladle the soup into bowls and top with the feta cheese.

Happy Birthday, N!

So another new goal for this year, is that I want to feature each of my family members on my blog for their birthday. Basically, it'll be a good way for me to post each month--maybe multiple times a month! And maybe by learning about my family--you'll get a good idea about me.


I'll start with N. He's my third oldest brother, the fourth in seniority. 

I love how thoughtful N is. When I posted on Facebook that I was accepted to San Jose State, N was the first person to call me up and congratulate me and give me advice.


N also wrote me a sweet note after seeing him and his family at Thanksgiving. It meant a lot to me.


And I think I loved the story about him attempting to buy an Apple computer when they first came out with a blank check from his friend's grandma (this grandma gave blank checks to N's friend to play with--he, in turn, gave them to his friends. N got into some trouble). That story gave me the most laughs at the reunion.


So on this day.... I hope you have a FANTASTIC birthday. (Plus, it's the easiest to remember how old he is... he's 10 years older than me.).


And in honor of you, here's a picture of a Midnight Blue VW Beetle that's on sale in the UK (it's the closest one I could find to your old bug.... but it has black trim. Sorry!).

Taking down the list

I read a lot of books this year. Since I'm starting a blog with book reviews, my list is going to go away. Plus, it's getting to be too long.

So here goes:

The Princess and the Hound

Fade

Wake

Mira, Mirror

Collide

Memoirs of a Geisha

The 39 Clues: In Too Deep

Hush, Hush

The Pale Assassin

Hush: A Irish Princess' Tale

The Maze Runner

The Nazi Officer's Wife

The Boy Who Dared

These is My Words

False Colours

Making the Cut

Fire

Winning by Losing

The Kite Runner

Up at the Villa

Master Your Metabolism

A Hopeless Romantic

The Painted Veil

The Actor and the Housewife

Catching Fire

The 39 Clues: The Black Circle

The 39 Clues: Beyond the Grave

Dragon Spear

Graceling

Rethinking Information Work: A Career Guide for Librarians

Blood Promise

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

Three Cups of Tea

Inkspell

The Hunger Games

A Kiss in Time

Wings

The Awakening

From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs Basil E. Frankweiler

Blink

A Loser's Guide to Love and Life

FDR

Inkheart

Dragon Flight

Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Last Olympian

Write Great Fiction: Character, Emotion & Viewpoint

The Price We Paid: The Extraordinary Story of the Willie and Martin Handcart Pioneers

Dragon Slippers

Princess of the Midnight Ball

Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow

Write Great Fiction: Description & Settings

The Ruins of Gorlan (The Ranger's Apprentice, Book 1)

The First Five Pages: A Writer's Guide for Staying Out of the Rejection Pile

Left to Tell: Discovering God Amidst the Rwandan Holocaust

Glass Castle

Well of Lost Plots

The Hourglass Door

The 39 Clues: The Sword Thief

The Year We Disappeared

City of Glass

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas

City of Bones

On Writing

Lost in a Good Book

Devil's Cub

Confessions of a Shopaholic

The Historian

Shadow Kiss

Mansfield Park

The Book Thief

The Eyre Affair

The Summoning

Frostbite

The 39 Clues: Maze of Bones

Promises to Keep: Diane's Story

Vampire Academy

The 39 Clues: One False Note

I resolve...

I can't believe it's already 2010. Where did the time go?

When I was at home for Christmas, I found a time capsule I made at mutual on December 28, 1999. I left myself a tape recording. First off--I had a hard time finding a tape player that worked. So, that's not a good idea. Next time, I will make a cd. Secondly, the tape only confirmed what I've been aware of for so long--I really was a dork at ages 14-18. Maybe I'm still a dork.

With the new year upon us, I've realized that I didn't make any resolutions last year. But I did accomplish some great things! I finally got to my goal weight about two weeks before Thanksgiving.

2010 Goal: I'm going to continue to try to lose weight during this coming year, and have set another "goal weight" for December. Here's to hoping that I can do it.

I read 77 books last year. I was hoping to get to 100, but 77 is pretty good. Considering that in 2008 I read 31! I've decided that with all my reading, I'm going to start a book blog. Once it's up and running, I'll let you know. I'm still trying to experiment with a title.

2010 Goal: Start a book blog and read 100 books by December 31, 2010.

This week begins my first class for graduate school. I'm SO nervous. I haven't been in school for two years. I'm hoping that I can keep up and do well. I've already put down all of the important dates on my calendar, so hopefully I won't miss anything.

2010 Goal: Focus on school. Never do an all-nighter.

And I think that's it. Three goals is enough for me. I'm more likely to complete my goals if I don't make too many.

I hope you all had a wonderful New Year! Cheers!