in my life

I'm working on a project for the young women in my ward and I came across the following quote by Helen Keller:

"Life is either a daring adventure or nothing. Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature."

The first part, life is a daring adventure or nothing, is so inspiring to me. It makes me want to explore places and interests that I have always thought about, but never done anything about. I don't know when or if I'll be able to do everything I want, but I'm going to try. I'm all for security, you need it, but life really is an adventure.

Here are a few things I'd like to do:

Try to write one of these. Read as many as I can.

Plant one of these. Love fresh fruits and vegetables.

Get good at this, maybe even get certified to teach it.

Learn to use this machine and....

make some of these.

Get better at this. Why did I quit when I was 12?

Purchase one of these and learn how to use it well.

Buy another red bass guitar and actually use it this time.

Travel here...

there...

and basically everywhere.

Start one of these.

Have a couple of these.

And enjoy this.

productive family nights

Kent and I have found a new reality show to waste our time on every Monday night. We know it's ridiculous, but we still watch it. The program is called True Beauty and it's produced by Tyra Banks and Ashton Kutcher (guaranteed drama). It airs directly after The Bachelor, another ridiculous reality show that somehow sucks me, and apparently Kent, in. I was making dinner while it was on last night and had to ask him the same question a couple of times before he could respond. Those rose ceremonies get intense.

You can probably guess the preface of True Beauty, but I'll give a quick explanation. 6 girls and 4 guys are in a "beauty" competition in order to become one of People Magazine's Top 100 Most Beautiful People. They think they are only being judged on their outer beauty, but they are actually being judged on their inner beauty as well. They participate in superficial beauty contests (ie. photo shoots, fashion shows, get measurable beauty ratings from a plastic surgeon, etc.), but they are judged on how nice, honest, sincere, etc. they are while doing these events. Some of the criteria for judging their "inner" beauty is off, but overall, it's entertaining and interesting to see how these people will act.

I'm not advocating this show, but if you're looking for an absurd reality show to spend your time on, go for it. You won't be let down.

What can I say? It's a total waste of time.

pepsi

I'm not a real soda girl. Every once in awhile when I'm eating pizza or Mexican food, I might order a cold glass of root beer, but given a choice, I will most often pick water or juice over something carbonated. Anyway, although I don't drink soda often, that doesn't mean I don't notice it in grocery stores or on trucks driving past my car window. There is one soda in particular that I've noticed, Pepsi. Have you seen their new logo? Isn't it beautiful? 'Beautiful' might be an exaggeration, but it has a clean, classy retro look that I can't get enough of. (I think they're trying to attract the Mac users of the world. Not a bad demographic to go for.)

My conversation with Kent every time we see the new logo together:

Me: Don't you just love Pepsi's new logo?

Kent: Yeah, it's great.

Me: I think it looks fantastic. Isn't it a great update?

Kent: Yeah, it's nice.

Me: I don't think you love it as much as I do.

Kent: I do. It looks great.

(Now that I write that out, sounds like such a dumb conversation on my part...Yeah, he likes it, get over it.)

I might not become a Pepsi drinker any time soon, but I applaud their design department for the great work on their different--yet not so different you can't recognize it--logo. They almost got me to drink their beverage. Almost.

we might be crazy

Let the training begin! Kent and I have decided to run another Ragnar Relay Race. I'm not sure why we decided to put a team together again (last year's race details), but we are in. The team is set and the money has been paid. Instead of running across the Arizona desert, we will be sprinting our way down the California coast. Talk about extremes. Both beautiful in their own rite, but vastly different.

We'll be running from Santa Barbara to Dana Point, a total of 177 miles. Sounds like a lot, and it is, but it is strangely fun. If you want more details, go here:

http://www.ragnarrelay.com/losangeles/index.php

2009 team line up: Kent, Dave, Zach, Adam (Kent's cousin-in-law), Matt (Kent's brother), Bryan Hurd (old missionary companion), Paige (Kent's sister), Lindsey (Kent's sister), Erin, Kiele, Chelsea and I. 5 out of the 12 of us have done this before and we should know better, but I guess there's something enticing about running 15+ miles over a 24 hour period. I'm glad so many people in Kent's family can join us. I need to work on my family for next year. Well, if there is a next year. We need to take it one year at a time...

Anyway, we're in and we're looking forward to April. Time to pursue my new year's goals and get back in shape.

tapas night

Dave, the Spanish chef, came over on Saturday night and prepared some delicious tapas for Kent, Zach, our new friend, Erin, and me. We actually all got to help, but Dave was the director in the kitchen, overseeing every last detail, and Kent was his right-hand Spanish tortilla man. They both served missions in Madrid, so Spanish cuisine is apparently their forte.


The menu:
Cumin almonds
Spanish tortilla*
Asparagus wrapped in Prosciutto
Empanadas (vegetable & Chorizo)
Sangria soda
Fried eggs (not pictured)

These two could open up a Spanish restaurant, the food was that good. Just look at those excited, proud faces. Buen trabajo, Augusto y Raul. Muchas gracias. And thanks, Zach and Erin, for the birthday cake. Tres Leches was a great choice.

*They say olive oil is good for you, but I have my doubts when you use half a bottle on one entree. No wonder that tortilla was so good.

home for the holidays

It was 'home (my home this year) for the holidays' and I loved every minute of it. Even though a 12-hour flu swept through the house, infecting all children and some unlucky adults in its wake, we managed to have a great time. All the local families, plus Jayne and Jeremiah, gathered for our Christmas Eve dinner and program. My assignment was to make some side dishes for the feast. My mom asked that I do something different than the standard green bean casserole, so I made Brussels sprouts and a new yam dish. I had never cooked Brussels sprouts, but my mother-in-law gave me her recipe and they turned out great. (You just never know what will happen with those sprouts. Tricky.) I also made enough yams to feed the family for weeks. I had no idea that ten yams would yield so many servings when sliced. Oh, and I attempted the Sommer mustard sauce, but it turned out looking more like runny scrambled eggs. I need to work on that one because Kent LOVES it. It tasted fine, but the appearance wasn't terribly appetizing.

Dad and Mom West, Stephen and Robert, enjoying the Christmas Eve program which always includes the Nativity scene on a felt board. We've been doing that for years and I love it.

Kent singing his little heart out.

My brother-in-law, Milt, also singing his little heart out.

Christmas day was relaxing and amazingly, started late. My nephews, 10 and 13, didn't wake up until 10am. No joke. We had to wake them up. Something is wrong with that. Kent and I got a globe and See's chocolates from Santa Senior. Good stuff. I got some other things from Santa Junior (Kent) including jeans, shoes, a book, movies and most importantly, a robe. I honestly love my robe. I've never used one before, but our house tends to get cold so I use it all of time. White, warm and wonderful. The quadruplets were also there for Christmas and they were so cute. Of course they liked the wrapping paper and bags the best.

Lining up on the stairs before seeing the presents Santa delivered. (By the way, we don't have a baby yet. This photo is deceiving. I'm holding Brynlee, one of the quadruplets.)

Two of the quads, Addison and Weston, checking out their new toys. They are so adorable!

We put Addison in the gift bag because he seemed interested, but he started to fuss when he realized he couldn't get out.

9 out of my 10 siblings and their families either flew or drove to Redlands after Christmas, so I stayed at my parents' home for a week and a half to participate in all of the fun activities: the annual cousins' party (games, crafts, hide and seek present hunt, etc.), bowling, New Year's Day games in the cultural hall at the church, rollerskating, more games (Outburst Remix was a big hit this year), movie-watching, going out to lunch with my mom and sisters, soccer and ultimate frisbee at Moore Middle School and spending time with everyone in general.

The bowling escapade. I barely broke 100.

My dad. He was pretty good. Beat me in strikes, that's for sure.

Spencer and the bowling balls. Our family took over 4 lanes and had a great time.

He may not look like it, but Kent is glad to be skating and he is good. Really.

Nieces, Kristin and Nicole. Cute, cute girls.

I have to admit, I love rollerskating. I know it's kind of a 70s thing and strange people hang out at the rink, but I think it's great. Maybe we can spend my next birthday there. Every girl's dream.

I'm a little sad the holidays are over, but I'm excited for next year. We'll probably be at Kent's home for Christmas because his little brother returns from his mission in the fall, but I'm sure we'll stop by the West household for a taste of the chaotic fun. Looking forward to 2009!