Boys Who Do the Dishes

I just had one of the most enjoyable evenings I've had in a long time. I've been wanting to invite some particular boys over for dinner for awhile but haven't had the chance to until this week. I like to invite people over for dinner on Sundays - I kind of enjoy cooking for others, and it's a nice way to get to know people a little better. I felt a little stressed for today's meal, though, because there were going to be lots of us eating, which meant that a lot of food needed to be prepared. My sister promised to help out, though, which made me feel like it would be manageable. She and my brother-in-law, as well as my roommates, all helped out, and I think we made a pretty fabulous meal - salad, bread, paella, and homemade lemonade for dinner; flan and lemon meringue pie for dessert. Yummm! The food was good, the company even better. I felt shy, as I often do around cool people that I don't know well, but it was still fun to listen to everyone talk and joke, etc.

After dinner I got to go to a fireside with Sis. Susan Tanner and her husband, who spoke about hope, faith, and charity. I've met Sis. Tanner once before and enjoyed listening to her. I've wondered what her husband was like and was really impressed with his thoughts tonight. He is a dean at BYU, and you could definitely tell that he's an educator. I told my roommate that it made me miss college - I would love to take a class from him and just soak in his thoughts. He presented hope in a way that I have never thought of before by talking about the opposites of hope and faith. He and his wife also spoke of repentance as being the process of coming back to oneself; sin is a going away from oneself. So, the fireside was wonderful!

And, if all of that wasn't enough, which it really was, after we got back home, the guys suddenly showed up and washed our dishes for us - AMAZING!! They're keepers, for sure. I kind of wondered if they would do that - they seemed like they might be of that caliber, but it definitely wasn't anything they needed to do. It was just thoughtful and nice. Lately I'm realizing how cynical I am because of how surprised I am that someone would do something like that for me. So, thanks, boys, for shattering my reality (in a good way)!

Motto

Think before you speak (otherwise you end up sinning).

Sushi!

One of my roommates and one of my friends just started a club called E.F.L.U., which stands for Ethnic Food Lovers Unite. Each weekend, their goal is to go try a different ethnic restaurant. They let me join. So far we have gone out for Thai food, Indian, and . . . Sushi!! Now, I dislike seafood. I have had some fish that I have been okay with, but as a general rule, I don't like it. I therefore try to avoid it as mush as possible.

My friends like sushi, though, and have been wanting to go for it. I finally decided to suck it up and try it, so we went Friday night. A couple of other friends joined us. We went to Sushi Saga, which was a good choice on my roommate's part because it offers Mexican sushi with chipotle sauce. I ordered the Jaime, since it was my name. It had crab in it, which I thought I could handle, especially since it also had cream cheese and avocados. However, although it was not disgusting, I didn't enjoy it all that much. I liked the Las Vegas roll and the Chipotle roll much better. I didn't quite have the courage to try the one with eel - maybe next time. I wish I had taken pictures so I could post them, but I didn't. Sorry.

My friends are probably going to kick me out soon, too, because I have been wary about the last couple of foods we've eaten. I hope they don't make me leave, though, because I have tried some new things. And, I think I will really like the next couple of places we go.

To finish off the evening, we went to a concert at the university. One of our friends plays the oboe in one of the orchestras. We missed the first half of the concert, but I really enjoyed the part that we made it for and hope I get to go again soon.

Medicine

I wanted to post earlier this week, but I didn't have a chance, and now I can't remember what it was I wanted to post about. However, I do have something on my mind at the moment, other than the fact that the "Save Now" button on my screen has been expanding with each letter I've typed - how does that happen (it did stop, so I guess the button isn't going to take over the screen)? Anyways, have you ever had a friend who is like you in ways that make you realize how insensitive you are or things like that?

I have this friend who is great - I really like him. He and I have lots of chats - you know, the silly kind that seem to occur frequently between single people. 'Who do you like?' 'Who are you interested in?' 'Why do girls . . . ?' 'Why do guys . . . ?' I love these chats with this particular friend, though, because he's one of the most amusing friends I've ever had. I can sit and listen to him tell stories forever.

Well, as you all know, I too can talk anyone's ear off. So, one of the fun things about this friend is that he's like me and sometimes forgets to politely return questions to me because he's so caught up with what is or isn't going on in his life. Now, don't get me wrong. I'm not angry at him about it. I'm more amused, which is what I already said about him. It's just that he helps me to remeber that I need to let the other person talk, too. Maybe they have something they're excited about and would like to share if I would listen.

So, if you have something to say, just remind me to shut my mouth occasionally. Thanks!

Jamie, Your Life Just Flashed Before My Eyes!

That's what my roommate said to me Wednesday night, which I found kind of amusing. She was serious, though. A car came about a foot from my life. We were going to the Institute - she for the Doctrine & Covenants class, and I for the Old People Class, as many of us like to call it (it means 25 and up single people). We had just arrived and were making our way from the parking lot to the building. The parking lot is a horseshoe shape. We were in the left side of the horseshoe. A car was driving on the middle part of the shoe, approaching our section. I assumed they would turn down our section, so I walked towards the left, so as to be out of the middle of the shoe. The car kept going straight, though, so I decided it was going to parallel park right on the connecting part of the shoe. Therefore, I altered my course and headed into the middle of the road so that I wouldn't have to wait for the car. The car, by the way, was going incredibly fast for being in a parking lot, and although I'm dragging the story out, it all happened pretty fast. Well, at the last second, the car swung directly into our part of the shoe, slamming to a stop after it already would have hit me had it been about a foot farther north. The girl in the car looked quite scared (she hadn't seen me or any of the other people in the parking lot, I think). A guy in the parking lot kind of stared at me, wide-eyed, and said, "Whoa! . . . That was close." And, as already mentioned, my roommate said, "Jamie, your life just flashed before my eyes!" Fortunately for me, I felt very calm for some reason. It reminded me that God really does watch over us. Now, if it had hit me, I'm not sure that I would have died. I am pretty sure, however, that both of my legs would have been broken, and that would not have been fun. As it is, I am still walking. I just need to ask my roommate what she saw when my life passed by.

Obligatory Post

I don't really have anything to blog about - I thought of something good earlier today (I even think it was kind of witty), but I forget what it was. Therefore, all I will say is good night. Sweet dreams! I hope you have a great week.

Welcome Hermanita!

Tonight's blog is another tribute - this one is to one of my dearest friends in the world, who you see to the left. She was my roommate for a couple of years while I attended BYU-Idaho, and she just returned home from serving in the Manchester, New Hampshire mission. WELCOME HOME!!

She is one of the coolest people I know. She is very positive and makes you feel good about yourself. I didn't do a very good job of writing her while she was away, but whenver I did write, she always got back to me promptly, and each letter was full of support and encouragement.

Have you ever met someone and gotten the wrong first impression of them? That's how it was for me. When I first met her, she seemed like the preppy, popular sort of person. I was afraid she wouldn't like me and nervous about how well we'd get along (I always worry about that kind of thing too much). Anyway, she turned out to be popular with the people who knew her, but not preppy and fake. Rather, she is a very genuine person, honest and caring.

I desperately want her to move down and live with me because I love her and have missed her so much, but only time will tell, and we each have to find out God's will for us, right? I look forward to seeing her, hopefully in the near future, and just wanted to let her know that I am so grateful for her friendship. It has meant a lot to me. I love you and hope you know how much everyone who knows you love you - you're great!!