food food food

Although I posted about what I'm thankful for, I didn't really post about my Thanksgiving.
So here are the pictures:

Turkeyyy.

My dad and I working on the mashed potatoes. 

Abby, filling in as official festivities photographer while I had my hands full.

Maddie, inspecting the turkey.

Deviled eggs, not my favorite :P

"How excited are you for this food?!

"THIS EXCITED!"

Sparkling cider, official thanksgiving dinner beverage.

And ice cream pie for dessert!

And on the subject of food, I've been cooking lately! Like, really cooking. 

So here's what I've made so far...

Casserole #1:

"Chicken Noodle Kaboodle" 

(titled by Niles- apparently this is the scientific name)

chicken, noodles, cheese, and a creamy white ranch sauce

Casserole #2:

(no picture, oops!)

It was a recipe from my mommy.

Chicken, cream of chicken soup, sour cream, noodles, etc.

More home-y food for the cold weather :)

"Crescent Chicken":

Crescent rolls stuffed with chicken and cheese, baked in cream of chicken soup.

[can you tell we like chicken and noodles? haha] 

Banana bread!

Because I was craving it. 

And then today I embarked on another cooking journey...

To make "Peeta Rolls"

(Yes, Peeta from the Hunger Games)

They're basically rolls stuffed with cheese. 

Yum.

I got to use yeast for the first time.

I don't cook much. Haha.

Aaand lots of cheese!

Our oven takes like, 20 minutes to preheat.

And that's not even an exaggeration. 

Almost done!

The final product!

Then, because I actually have to eat real food and not just carbs, I made fried rice too. 

I've never cooked rice on the stove before, either. 

Thank goodness for google. 

It turned out decently, but it's nothing compared to my mom's fried rice.

*sigh*

I'll have to keep practicing. 

Anywhooo, that's what I've been up to. 

Plus lots of studying. 

And babysitting. 

And keeping out of the cold. 

Have a lovely day/evening/night.

:)

"Gobble Gobble"

Apparently that is what everyone in my family says on Thanksgiving, go figure.

Anywho, it's time for the annual "I'm thankful for..." list.
Warning: I'm about to get all serious and mushy-gushy on y'all because I really don't take enough time to reflect on what I have to be thankful for in my life. I spend so much time complaining about what I don't have/who annoys me/the hard classes I'm taking/whatever and it's dumb of me to focus on that so much.

So here we go.
For real this time.

• My crazy, strange, goofball family who raised me right and made me who I am today. This time last year I was thinking, "Home? What? Already?" So I was surprised when I was SO READY to come home this year. A couple months felt like forever and I guess I miss these weirdos more than I like to think ;)

• Every single person who puts up with me. I'm odd, I complain WAY too much, I can't make a simple decision to save my life, I overextend and double-book myself quite often, I go on and on about CSD stuff that no one really cares about unless they're in the classes with me, I stress about things I shouldn't, I block everyone out when I'm overwhelmed. I know all these things about myself and the people who also know them and STILL like me... you guys are all wonderful humans and I am thankful every day that you are part of my life. Because I honestly don't know what I would do without you. 

• Some specific people (who also fall into the category above, but require special mention): 

• Sarah Elizabeth Adams. This girl is truly the best friend I could ask for and I realize more and more that I can't imagine life without her. I recently found out that she is getting married (to one Adam Solomon, I'm also thankful for him because me makes my best friend happy) and it caused some uneasiness between us but being the fantastic person she is, Sarah told me exactly what I needed to hear to make me realize I was being dumb. And that is what real friendship is I guess, calling people out and making them work on problems because losing them is unthinkable. Moral of the story: I love this girl and I plan on being in her life for as long as she'll let me <3 

• Paulina, my roommate, for dancing and singing at Fred Meyer with me, laughing hysterically at pinterest pins until way too late every night, having life talks at random mexican restaurants, and generally putting up with my craziness. I mean, we live together. She gets it more than anyone. 
• Niles, who at some point or another over the last year became one of my best friends. He actually tells me to complain more (even when I feel like that's all I do) which is very impressive. And between him and Paulina I can't get away with being too nice anymore because they both call me out on it constantly. He's also always good for a pun or two, which is great because we need more witty humor in the world :)
• Theresa, because she is ALWAYS up for Woods and keeps me motivated to study (after we get all the latest boy/school/work gossip out of the way). She is my escape when I need one; our movie/chocolate nights are THE best. I don't know what I'd do without them <3

• The kids I babysit because they are a HUGE part of what is getting me through life right now. The time I spend with these kids is priceless. The other night one of my favorite 4 year old princesses said "Look, Miss Lindsay, it rained sparkles on my window!!! Isn't it BEAUTIFUL?!" because the rain was sparkling in the lights from the street. The way they see the little things in the world makes me wonder when we start to lose that and helps remind me to be excited about the little things. Oh, the things children can teach you!

• My education and the amazing school I'm at. Holy wow, I love my major. I know I'm not even a full quarter into it yet, but I'm fascinated by it. Next quarter I start learning about disorders and I cannot wait. I've always liked learning, but I feel like it really matters now and that makes it all the more exciting :) :) :)

Okay, now for some less serious but still much appreciated things!

1. Food. My cooking adventures have been successful so far, but it makes me appreciate the easiness of the dining hall last year and all the meals my parents have made for me. Haha.
2. Blankets. Self explanatory? I just love them. 
3. Legos. They're fun :)
4. Movies. Sometimes, I just want to watch movies all day. Pair them with #6 and #7 and we've got a perfect lazy day. 
5. My webcam. I use it way too much. But now you have evidence of #1 and #2.

Well, you get the point. 

Basically I am thankful for everything in my life that has brought me to this point and all the little extras thrown in along the way. 

Most of all, I'm thankful for YOU, for taking the time to read this. 

Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving <3

P.S. For all you holiday-haters out there, know that one day I'll make you spend a holiday with me and it will change your mind. I've been known to do that. :)

Thank You, Grandparents, For Your Good Dental Hygiene

Dear faithful followers, 

I'm sorry I've been MIA for so long, but school has taken over my life. Along with babysitting and spending valuable time with my roommate. 

BUT, I do have a fun fact for you: you can thank your grandparents for your teeth! Your grandparents and parents care for their teeth directly affected how well your teeth developed (who knew?!), so if you have good teeth you should start writing thank you notes as soon as you're done reading this!

In other news, here is what I have been up to since school started-

Theresa and I collected sea glass and made a cool little 3D collage thing. The idea actually came from this cool guy we met on the beach while collecting, and turned out pretty well if I do say so myself. 

We had some more beach adventures with Paulina, too :D

School does things to my sanity. 

Like, obliterates it completely. 

Fall is here!

And I see deer in the mornings!

My gorgeous roomie and I had a little photoshoot on these old trains downtown. 

It was pretty legit. 

She's a pretty good photographer in training! Haha. 

I COOKED. 

And it tasted like REAL FOOD.

My dad visited!

Girls nights are essential when you're single, adorable, and tired of school. 

We spent Halloween in, doing homework in the middle of dead week. 

*it's apple cider in the cups, no worries!

But the weekend before we dressed up and went out to a  friend's get-together and Rocky Horror.

It was definitely a weekend full of college experiences, and we realized just how... responsible we are. 

I'll leave it at I'm happy to be a straight-edge kid with no desire to participate in illegal activities.

Sometimes we're so adorable I just can't handle it. 

Also, I got compared to Kristen Stewart (aka Bella from Twilight)... Opinions? 

I'm learning a LOT in phonetics and anatomy and all my other classes. 

It's INTENSE but I love every second. 

Well, mostly. 

The studying is worth it, right? 

How I feel inside vs. how I let people think I feel at 8am. 

Hahaha. 

I think I'm going a little insane but what can ya do?

So anyway, that is my life in a nutshell. 

School, time with Paulina (world's BEST roommate), and babysitting. 

I hope all y'all are doing well. 

Now go thank your parents and grandparents for your teeth!

<3