Honey Nut Chex?

I can't remember the last time I had them, but I have a serious craving for Honey Nut Chex! It's funny the things you start to miss while you're away.

Having such a good time! Pictures to follow..

San Sebastian

Monday, May 19 thru Wednesday, May 21

San Sebastian is a small town on the Northern Coast of Spain. It became a popular destination back in the 1400s when some queen discovered the city and made it her summer home. It’s small and oddly shaped (google it to see what I’m talking about). People in Utah always use the mountains as their directional cue (ie If there are mountains on your right, then you’re headed north). This is always confusing to me because at any point in Provo you have mountains on three sides. In California it makes much more sense to me, if the ocean is on your left, you can’t be going any direction but north. This is not so in San Sebastian, its odd shape had us mixed around with directions all week.

We took a train from Madrid early Monday morning, arriving on the coast in the early afternoon. Our first day was pretty cold and we soon realized our dream of a sunny beach retreat would not exactly become reality. Notice we’re wearing sweaters and scarves! Perhaps more distressing was the realization that the spa we had heard so much about, perched right on the beach full of all sorts of relaxation opportunities, had been destroyed by a bad winter of storms. Sad!

The city has 3 miles of boardwalk that wrap along the coastline. It was fun to have a chance to run along the beach again and feel connected to fellow runners doing the same. But I found it odd that most of the men running along were wearing capris! I don’t think I’ve ever seen that at home, rarely if at all. But here almost every single man running by was wearing a running outfit I wish I owned myself. I missed a photo of the perfect threesome of men all in cute little running capris but I caught some others.

Day two of our adventure began with an absolute downpour. Eventually it cleared up and we took a full tour of the town on the Tourist Txo-Txo (choo-choo) and enjoyed the warmth, sunshine, and people watching. There are tons of cool strollers here. This carriage one reminded me of a cabbage patch stroller Annee had back in the day. Most of the others look very space-agey and cool.

At 6pm, we waited outside the local McDonalds where we met up with Matt Harding and Mikel. (After figuring out where I was going, Sarah told me “Hey we have a good friend in San Sebastian.” Well of course you do! The Wileys are extraordinarily well connected.) Mikel grew up in the Basque region and Matt spends a few months a year here. Mikel brought his little daughter and they gave us a full tour of Old Town, full of recommendations for dinner. They pointed out about 10 different places, probably assuming we’d choose 2 or 3 for our night. We went to every single one.

Side note, apparently you are absolutely NOT allowed to take pictures of McDonalds. We took maybe 4 or 5 outside their window and got a serious scolding from the restaurant manager. Matt says people are always trying to blow the place up as a protest against all that is wrong with the corporate world. I guess management is just being cautious.




***Hmm experiencing serious technical difficulties so I'll have to finish this post tomorrow. Check back for an edit later. Ciao!

MADRID!

Saturday, May 17 & Sunday, May 18

I’m here! Madrid has been a whirlwind so far. My flights were good, pretty comfortable and flying through New York is always my favorite since the trip gets cut most closely in half. Courtney and Kirstin were waiting for me at the airport when I arrived at 1030am on Saturday.

We dropped my bags off at the hotel and started touring around right away. I was so worried that I would be too tired and worthless on my first day (as has been the case on every single other trip to Europe) but through some miraculous blessings and answered prayers, I have hardly felt any jetlag so far.

Saturday we went first to the Palacio Real de Madrid, the third-greatest palace in Europe according to Rick Steves. We were delayed slightly by a sudden downpour of rain, perching under trees for cover with everyone else. The palace actually reminded me a lot of Versaille since the Spanish King who built it was actually French. Outside we saw some wild Peacocks in full bloom! I’ve seen many wild peacocks in La Canada but never with their feathers fully displayed!

Lunch was Paella in the Plaza Mayor. My first time trying it (except for on the plane over to Madrid but I don't think that counts..) We got some ice cream and posed in front of this statue which is actually the symbol of Madrid. It’s a bear eating from a strawberry tree. I’m not exactly sure what it means since 1-there aren’t any bears in the city and 2-strawberries don’t grow on trees but whatever!

Next we looked through the Reina Sofina museum which houses many of Picasso’s great works, those which aren’t in Paris or Barcelona. By this time I was getting pretty tired so after browsing through the Picasso wings I waited/napped? on a bench for Court and Kirst to finish.

On the way home we passed through the Atocha train station which was the sight of the terrorist attack in 2004. Now they’ve turned most of it into a greenhouse/memorial which is pretty neat.

On Sunday morning we headed to church in the Madrid 6^th ward, which meets at the temple. We had to run from the metro station to ditch a metro-creeper who had followed us through the stations since we got on the train – sick. The temple site is huge and beautiful and it’s always fun to see temples in distant lands. After church we walked around and found a café for lunch where I finally tried Tapas! It can basically be described as a potato quiche as was very tasty.

Next we walked to the Museo del Prado, describe by Rick Steve’s as Europe’s top collection of paintings (um Louvre?). They were having a big Goya exhibit, collecting his paintings from around the world for the most complete Goya exhibition ever. I convinced C&K that audio-guides are the best way to enjoy a museum so I got a thorough understanding of Fancisco de Goya’s life. His most famous works Second and Third of May 1808, were on display there again after a couple years of cleaning. I still remember Professor Gough’s lectures where he talked about all these paintings so it was very cool to see them in person.

The museum also houses Diego Velazquez’s Las Meninas painting “considered by many to be the world’s finest painting, period.” And several Rubens (which can’t compete with the entire floor of Rubens in the Louvre…).

To wrap up the day we strolled through Retiro park and stopped for dessert at a patisserie near the metro. It was another full day but, miraculously, I didn’t hit the jet-lagged wall at 5pm like I normally do!! Can’t believe it.

Tomorrow we’re off by train to San Sebastian for some beach time. Hopefully it’ll warm up because it has been pretty overcast and dreary in Madrid.

Spain!

I've spent the last couple days in Provo, resting, recouping, and repacking. Tomorrow morning I am off on Summer 2008 Adventure #2 - Spain! I'll meet up with friends Courtney & Kirstin in Madrid, and we'll head on from there. So exciting! I'll keep you updated on our excursions.

Not much else to report... I've had a good time joining Sarah on some Yoga at It's Yoga at the Riverwoods. (Although it feels good, I can't say the 6am yoga class is a REALLY good time...) And after 5 years in Provo, I have finally hiked the Y! I didn't take any photos, but I hiked it first with Haley and have done it a couple times since. It's a fun challenge and a good workout. I look forward to more permanently incorporating that climb into my routine when I return to Provo.

Off I go!

MIA

Still posting for the Earnests...
So that I can remember, find me
here
here
here
and here.

Colorado!

See my review of the 1st day's events on Annee's Blog.

:-)

Packing

So I've been packing for the last week. I leave tomorrow for Adventure #1 of Summer 2008 and needed to have my stuff almost completely packed up so when I come home at the end of August I can move out of my apartment quickly.

It hasn't been too terrible... I bought the Premium Moving Supply Kit from Costco and several plastic boxes from Home Depot (**I was slightly stranded there last Saturday night...). With all the supplies I needed on hand it was a fun logistical puzzle to transfer all of my belongings into organized boxes. There was much labeling, listing, sorting, reorganizing, and planning.

The part I didn't love was washing and dry cleaning literally every item I own so I could pack them away in boxes or have them ready to pack away into suitcases. Nothing makes you want to burn all your clothes and move to a nudist colony more than doing 12 loads of laundry and 3 trips to the dry cleaner in 2 days. I'm serious.

I should've taken pictures of all the boxes before I drove them all over to storage and their various resting places... Instead, I'll show you a picture of my new swimming suit! I just packed it away into Suitcase #1: Destination-Colorado Springs where I'll babysit Annee's 4 kids for 4 days.

Kinda cute right? I'm so excited!! Beach week can not come soon enough.

Speaking of Beach Week 2008, I would like to again revisit the concept of the Base Tan (where did this obsession with Proper Nouns come from??). This is something everyone should seriously consider adding to their preparation. It will greatly improve your vacation. Testimonials to follow.

It's all in the name

1. My rock star name (first pet and current car):

Lucy Infiniti

2. My gangsta name (favorite ice cream flavor and favorite cookie):

La Vell's Vanilla Mint Surprise

3. My "fly girl" name (first initial of first name and first 3 letters of last name):

R Zac

4. My detective name (favorite color and favorite animal):

Green Elephant

5. My soap opera name (middle name and city where you were born):

Lenore Silver Springs

6. My Star Wars name (first 3 letters of your last name and first 2 letters of your first name):

ZacRa

7. My superhero name (2nd favorite color and favorite drink with "the" in between):

Yellow the Arrowhead

8. My Nascar name (first names of your grandfathers):

John Jack

9. My lounge singer name (name of your favorite perfume/cologne and your favorite candy):

Vera Wang Take Five

10. My witness-protection name (mother's and father's middle names):

Lenore Alma

Six will do...

Just as a follow up, and because I know you are all worried about me getting my oatmeal fix, last week I went to target and bought 6 boxes of Cinnamon Oatmeal. I will pack it with me on all my travels this summer.

Last Friday, Ken and I went to The Tree Room up at Sundance to finally celebrate and close out his college graduation. The last few times we've gone, we have indulged in ordering appetizers even though we usually skip this step at other restaurants. Each time it's been rather disappointing as they bring out some tiny morsel on some tiny plate which costs about $15, more than dinner for two at El Azteca. We usually plan to split the dish but how do you split a cracker, ya know?

Despite knowing I would probably be disappointed, I couldn't resist ordering the Ricotta Tortellini appetizer. It came, and just as I had suspected, there was one tortellini in a bowl of broth. One. So weird! After informing Ken that there would be no sharing, I ate the delicious morsel and he asked,

"So was that really worth 44 packets of oatmeal?"

You know you've reached a sad level of devotion when you measure other meals' worthiness in packets of oatmeal...

Sorry about the weird coloring, I don't know why it's doing that...

Dear you...

Dear Smiths,

I hate you. Today, I hate you.

I woke up this morning looking forward very much to a delicious bowl of oatmeal. In fact, I went to bed last night looking forward very much to my morning ritual of Quaker Cinnamon Oatmeal. Alas, when I went to my cupboard, I found my box empty. (Jury is still out on whether or not I was the one who finished off the box...) Off to the grocery store I went, tummy growling, with plans to buy 5 boxes of oatmeal so I don't have to face this problem for the rest of the summer.

At the store I gathered milk and bananas, the opening acts in the grand morning oatmeal extravaganza. I turned onto the breakfast aisle, quickly scanned the shelf. My stomach sank.

YOU WERE ALL OUT OF CINNAMON FLAVORED OATMEAL..... AGAIN!
Can't you take a hint? Or a supply chain class?? Isn't the fact that you're ALWAYS running low on this particular product a big flashing light telling you to stock more of it? And isn't the fact that you always have banana bread flavor on the shelf a sign that nobody likes the nasty chemical-engineered smell of microwaved banana in the morning? And hasn't anyone told you that if you cook the Maple & Brown Sugar flavored oatmeal you will smell like maple syrup for the rest of the day and even get kicked out of small study rooms because of it?

I want you to know I was so discouraged on this particular day by your lack of concern for my breakfast well-being that I went home, got back in bed, and slept til lunch.

Unhappily yours,
Me.


P.S. Dear Anthro,

Thank you for providing me with my New Favorite Dress. The NFD worked great at graduation and all the various festivities of that day (and weekend, lets be honest... who doesn't repeat a good outfit for church?). The NFD is so comfortable and cute and made me feel better about spending a total of 6 years in Provo before I will graduate. And about saying goodbye to all my friends who managed to finish college in a more reasonable amount of time. Thank you.

Permanently and Unwaveringly yours,
Me.

Courtney's done! And off to Portland KPMG

Chris Nixon (Boston buddy) off to NorCal Deloitte

KHill, me, Courtney. Go forth to serve.

Other great dresses. Thanks again Anthro.

Me and Whitney. Seven years in school (but not a doctor...)

Chase & Miriam's wedding.

Blog Book!

I was browsing through someone's blog and found this info. When everyone is ready to transfer their blog into a book (maybe once a year?) here is a good way to do it!

You can go to Blurb.com and download their software for free. It automatically uploads your entire blog so you can then arrange it all into a book. For a 160-page soft cover book it cost $42 including shipping. So cute! Although maybe shutterfly can also do it? I didn't check that.



Just wanted to pass this along!

What I'm working on for finals...

It's an interesting assignment.

Many graduates enter the world of work without even understanding the fact that they are specific somebodies, much less knowing the kinds of competencies and motivations with which they have been endowed. The tragedy of not knowing is awesome. Ignorant of who they are, most graduates are doomed to spend too much of their lives in work for which they are poorly suited. Self-knowledge is critical to effectively managing your career.

Answer the following questions about yourself:

Who am I? What do I stand for? What do I do well? Where do I get my confidence from? What motivates me? What am I passionate about? What are four words I would use to describe myself? How do I add value to others? to a company? to the world around me?

Thank you Uncle Sam!

As some of you know, I am studying Tax Accounting in school. From January through April we have the opportunity to volunteer in the VITA lab (Volunteer Income Tax Assistance) to help people complete their taxes. And just because I want to solidify my nerd-dom, I will admit that I love it!!

In addition to all the strangers in the VITA lab, I got to taxes for 5 of my friends this year which was so much fun. Some of them even had slightly complicated taxes with taxable scholarships, capital gains, IRA contributions, student loan interest, child tax credits, home mortgage interest aka itemized deductions, etc. It all just gets me excited.

Ok I'm not THAT lame but I do enjoy it. To me taxes and forms are like a puzzle, a challenge, a new song to pass off on guitar hero - it's all good. I'm sure I'll sing a different song when I'm working tons of hours during busy season like Steve just finished. For now, I'll enjoy helping my friends get tax refunds.

This year Uncle Sam will return to me over $1200! (Although it is always nice to get money back, it actually means I have given the government an interest-free loan for the last year which is not good. It would be better to owe money but whatever...) In the end I'll only pay $261 of income tax (which actually all went to Massachusetts, none to the fed) which puts me in the 2% tax bracket. Love it!

Back to reality

So, vacation #1 of Spring/Summer 2008 is now over. In fact it came to a screeching halt; after landing at the airport on Monday afternoon I had to drive straight to school where I met with my group and worked on our project til 10pm. Boo. And everyday since then has been just as busy. I haven't even gone over to see June's new standing/dancing trick yet! Which means I'm busy because recently I've been over there on an almost daily basis... (sorry!)

On Sunday, the last day of our trip, Courtney and I drove up PCH to go to Duke's Brunch Buffet. It was amazing! We sat at a booth by the window with a great view of the ocean right outside. It was so delightful! There was a wedding brunch going on in the restaurant at the same time and we had some great people watching moments. I've seriously never seen a woman wearing so much pink blush and blue eyeshadow, and at her bridal luncheon! A very different vibe than Zack's rehearsal dinner at Dukes a few years ago.


For church we joined Kristen at the Santa Monica 3rd ward. There we tons of people there and it definitely seemed like a fun place to be. Of course, Sunday School and Relief Society was a two-hour, combined men and women meeting about marriage! Of course.

On Sunday evening we stopped at Trader Joe's for Courtney to buy some sauces and things to bring back to Provo. I wanted to find the Pirate Cannon Balls Ana (or Jack?) had introduced us to when we visited the in San Francisco. Those things are delicious and a whole enormous bag only has 400 calories! (Which is good, because then if you accidently look down and realize you've mindlessly munched down 1/2 the bag, you've only done 200 calories of damage!) Unfortunately, they were nowhere to be found! Apparently they don't sell Pirate's Booty anymore either, instead they have their own Trader Joe's brand of it. What a let down.

Overall it was a great trip! And I was happy to come back to Provo. Nothing like a good weekend away to help you miss the comforts of your own space.

Zack, about Roscoes... of course it's a landmark, and very well known, so people like to go there. But I'm not sure that it's a must-see. The waffles are indeed amazing! They have almost a cinnamon taste to them, but I don't really want to know what else they put in there to make them taste so good. And some of the sides I tried were tasty as well. But fried chicken? I just don't get it. I can't help but know as I'm eating it that I'm eating chicken skin, which is so gross! So I don't know. If you like fried chicken, dipping it in syrup at Roscoe's seems to be a delightful.

And about posting everyday, there's no way I can do that! If nothing else, I just don't have anything to say. So my goal isn't everyday, but more frequently than once a month with a loose target of every other day. I didn't want to tell anyone, because now if I don't reach it I'm letting everyone down, not just myself! Oh whatever...

Fun in the sun

As I'm looking back over the photos to decide what to write about, it appears that all we have done here is eat. That really is not the case, but no one would know it from the documenting we have done. I guess when you're on a trip eating does become one of the central things to do, but really, is that all we do? Anyway...

Friday morning we hit up Lucky Boy for the world's best breakfast burritos before the beach. (Side note -- I've been going there since high school and yet somehow overlooked the fact that you there are more options than just bacon or sausage burrito. You can also choose ham! Good thing I finally read the menu..)

We spent Friday at Manhattan Beach, followed by a brief trip through Old Town. I really wanted to take Courtney to Melting Pot just for the cheese and chocolate but we were still dressed in our beachy-hobo-ish attire. So she popped into H&M then made a quick change on the street, in front of Tiffany's.

Friday night we met up with Kristin and her date at the Dodger vs. Red Sox game.

Saturday was again spent at Manhattan beach. Such a beautiful, warm day. It's much easier to be happy about life's complications when you're sitting in the sun don't you think? After our play time was over, we headed to the infamous Roscoe's Chicken & Waffles (why not right?). It's a strange combination but their waffles are actually very good.

The Wiley's have been so nice to let us stay with them! They have a beautiful home and it's been so fun to be in La Canada. It makes the driving very easy because I know my way around pretty well.

Mmmm...

Day one of trip to CA (henceforth known as Base Tan Weekend):

Today I had frozen yogurt twice.

First at the Salt Lake Airport (as my breakfast, it had fruit in it so that counts right?) then again after dinner at my dearly beloved Penguin's in La Canada.

I love vacation.

30 things in the last 30 days...

1. Monday, January 28 - I completed my full personal financial analysis of the last two years, partially in preparation for doing my taxes. This involved lots of spreadsheets and lots of staying up til 3am organizing transactions. I also created a complete budget and decided to start living by it to prove to myself that I actually can live on a budget instead of just thinking and saying I can.
2. Tuesday, January 29 - Skip class to curl my hair. What?
3. Everyday – Miss Guitar Hero… The Wiley xbox is out of commission. I haven’t played in weeks.
   
   
4. Saturday, February 2 – Go with friends up to the Park City Freestyle International ski show. So fun! SO cold.
   
   
5. Sunday, February 3 – Attended Super Bowl party. My contribution was spinach artichoke dip, pot stickers (thank you for your recipe IeLi), baked beans, and sour cream and onion chicken bites.
6. Monday, February 4 - Rock climbing at the Quarry with Sarah’s family. I LOVE rock climbing. I’m not very brave so I don’t always like going to the top, and I’m not an adrenaline-seeking-thrill person, but I love trips to the Quarry.
7. Thursday, February 7 – I was asked out by a complete stranger while walking home from school carrying a tray of cinnamon rolls.
   
   I had to give a How-To presentation for my corporate communication class, so I chose cinnamon rolls. I had a tray leftover after handing out samples. I was walking home later that day, all dressed up in business professional dress, carrying a million books and bags. This nice guy walking near me stopped and asked if I wanted some help. I accepted and offered him a cinnamon roll when we got to my car. He asked me to go to dinner with him the following Friday. In any other city but Provo this should have creeped me out but I figured why not so I went! Crazy huh. This kind of stuff so doesn’t happen to me normally.
   
   
8. Friday, Feb 9-Saturday, Feb 10 -- DC visit! I was lucky enough to join Zack, Mom & Dad in visiting Steve and IeLi for Stephen’s baby blessing! It was a quick trip, but so much fun. I had a great time watching little Mei Li walk around and play and chat and laugh. She brings so much joy to the room. Steve and Ie Li live on the cutest street! I could definitely live in DC.
   
9. Saturday, Feb 10 -- Lost my favorite $5 pashmina grey scarf from Paris. I’m not sure when it actually happened, but it is no longer with me. RIP.
   
   
10. Feb 13-22 – Took midterms. This reminded me I am actually in school and should probably spend more time on that area of my life.
11. Wednesday, Feb 13 - Oliver’s CPK birthday party. Always a treat to go out to dinner all together. It was fun to have mom & dad in town as well.
12. Thursday, Feb 14 – Made some Valentine’s bouquets. A friend of mine wanted to give flowers to his girlfriend but wanted to be super cheap about it. I offered to help him buy flowers at the wholesaler. Then 3 of his friends wanted in too. It was fun, but definitely a case of saying yes to too many things. I think the arrangements turned out nicely, very untraditional which was the idea.
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
13. Thursday, Feb 14 - Received several Valentine’s bouquets. From different people. I may have a problem on my hands…
    
    
    
    
14. Thursday, Feb 14 -- Made a fantastic Valentine’s meal. I have gone crazy over this website Pioneer Woman Cooks. I love that woman’s blog and this cooking website is an offshoot from it. She had step-by-step photo instructions for each recipe. It’s amazing and gave me the courage to try a Roasted Beef Tenderloin. I’m not known as great when it comes to cooking steak but with her help it was a total success! The steak was accompanied by Twice Baked Potatoes, Olive Cheese Bread, Veggies, Gravy, and Hot Fudge Cake (recipe from Annee’s realtor). Way too much food but such a success!
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
15. Feb 1-26 – Watched almost 2 full seasons of Grey’s Anatomy. I finally caved in and started watching it. I’m aiming to finish just before the April 25^th return of the show.
16. Saturday, Feb 16 -- Fell in love with Sarah’s popcorn maker. This machine makes the process so lovely. It’s been added to the must-have list.
    
    
17. Monday, Feb 18 – Wednesday, Feb 20 – Park city visiting. Not my best skiing days but fun nonetheless.
    
    
18. Everyday – Gym time. It’s been a good month as far as that goes!
19. Wednesday, Feb 20 -- See a guy flagrantly cheating in the testing center worse than I’ve ever seen. A great internal debate followed about whether I should say something. In the end I did…
20. Thursday, Feb 21 -- Ballet West’s Cinderella with Sarah. It was an enchanted evening!
    
    
    
21. Thursday, Feb 21 – Decide I hate living on a budget.
22. Friday, Feb 22 -- Spend 3 hours fixing my TV. This involved many tools, screws, instruction manuals, and calls for help. In the end, I got the lamp changed and the TV is back in working order.
23. Friday, Feb 22 – Find out my IT band is hurt/tight/damaged. My trainer helped me diagnose the nagging pain on the outside of my knee. Rest, foam rolling and improved stretching is to follow.
24. Friday, Feb 22 – Finally make bran muffins! I needed a good running-out-the-door breakfast option. I have this super healthy recipe that required a trip to whole foods for the ingredients. Turns out they’re not too bad!
25. Saturday, Feb 23 -- Tubing at Soldier Hollow! I love this place. We had a good time (as my sunglass tan clearly showed for the rest of the week).
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
26. Thursday, Feb 21 & Saturday Feb 23 – Got to have a Hires Big H veggie burger!
27. Saturday, Feb 23 – Attended a Golden Birthday party! We love any excuse to dress to a theme.
    
28. Sunday, Feb 24 - Got my visiting teaching done! Isn’t it great to check that off?
29. Monday, Feb 25 - Threw out everything in my cupboard with High Fructose Corn Syrup. Did you know how bad this stuff is for your body? Sadly, it meant parting with my beloved Frosted Mini Wheats (ingredient #2-sugar, #3-HFCS, wow!).
30. Tuesday, Feb 26 – Finally updated my blog.