23 years of Life

The last twenty-three years....I was born, I have learned to read, write, compute and calculate. I have learned that you do not put toothpaste on your chicken pox (even if it does make them stop itching), I have learned to play and ride a bike. I have broken an arm as a result of riding a bike. I have learned what is a good friend and what is a bad. I have learned to cook and clean. I have been baptized into the true church of Jesus Christ and later learned what that meant and gained an everlasting testimony. I have been thoroughly embarrassed, deeply hurt, betrayed, heartbroken, and loved. I have had my breath taken away, astounded, inspired, horrified and enraged. I have learned to dance (ish), sing, and act. I have been scared out of my mind, cried myself to sleep, learned with it means to love. I have learned what it means to trust the Lord, to finish what I start, to be independent. I was once grounded. I have kissed 3 boys, yes they were boys at the time (2 of them I still believe are). I have gained amazing friends and formed some unlikely friendships that I will cherish forever. I have had 4 birthdays on Thanksgiving. I learned to drive and then learned again to drive in the snow. I have experienced the loss of two Brother Friends, and the loss of three Grandparents. I have competed and performed. Failed and triumphed.  I have learned what beauty is.  I have grown up. A lot has happened in 23 years. I hope the next years of my life can be just as wonderful.

I want to marry the man of my dreams and best friend. 

Have wonderful children. Some of my own and some adopted. 

Save someones life. 

Start my own NPO. Working with children here and in third world countries.

Serve in whatever calling I am called to in the church with Honor. 

There are other things and I am sure I will do them on the journey, and learn a lot more. I want to make the most of the next 23 years of my life. 

I'm Twenty-Three, Twenty-Three, Twenty-Three, La La La La La....

So Thursday was my Twenty-Third Birthday. Yes. Yes, it was on Thanksgiving. It was wonderful. It started on Wednesday, with Pie Night. A new Tradition we started. You know when you have Thanksgiving dinner and you never have room for pie after, well we have pie the night before. It was delish. Then one of my besties came over and gave me the most thoughtful gift ever. I love and adore her so so very much. What would life be without Friends? Then the big day came. Ben and April stayed the night, in the trailer parked in our back yard, ghetto, I know, but it worked out well because Ben and the Skinny don't mix. I-kiek drove up the night before and Ryan drove up that morning. Mom and Bee were making dinner and wouldn't let me help. Dinner was ready at 1 and we feasted on the most amazing food ever, Dutch oven turkey (oh yeah, fall of the bone goodness), curried yams, Mashed Potatoes, home made cranberry sauce, yummy stuffing...and the good stuff. Then we had time to clean up, ate birthday cake, Lemon, opened presents from my parents, I sent my mom a list of potential gifts about a month ago and she did a great job! and then headed off to HARRY POTTER 7. Ben, Ike and Bee went an hour early to save seats. We got the row behind the handicap seats, with the bar to put your feet upon, the best seats ever. Harry Potter was so, so.....beyond my expectations. And that is saying a ton. I had just read the seventh book a month ago, again. There were only a few things that were missing from the movie, but they did an amazing job. Pure Magic. Then we went home and ate more pie, I had to make my famous eggnog pumpkin pie! I got a bunch of FB birthday wishes, but my favorite was from my Bestie and her Husband, they called and left me a voice mail that just made me smile for a long time.
So Friday I just chilled and cleaned my room. Today did the same, but went out to dinner with my parents. The waiter flirted with me, not a good thing. The was gangley and pimplie. He asked how old I was turning and I replied 23. Then gave a shocked little, "Oh, I'm just 22." Then he came back and had to sing happy birthday, and had to ask my name 3 times, he kept saying Leeann....and he left a little card in with the check, that said, Happy 23rd Birthday, but sadly he spelled Happy and Birthday wrong. My dad is still laughing at it. **Sigh** Oh well. It was a very good birthday to say the least.

Music

So at work I listen to Pandora. And I have been keeping a Google Doc of songs that come on that I really like. I have been doing this for a while. I have acquired quite a list. But I hate when Pandora plays songs I don't like and I hate having to listen to commercials and I hate that I can only skip or thumb downs a certain number of songs a hour. So I went on to you tube and made a play list of songs that I can listen to over and over and over and over again, from that google doc's list. I have 72 songs so far. I was looking at them today and it has quite the variety of music.

From Eve 6 to Regina Spektor to P!nk to Bill Withers to Jason Derulo to The Jonas Brothers to The Foo Fighters to Ray LaMontagne to The White Stripes to Al Green to Tonic to Matisyahu to Frou frou to Trapt to Billy Joel to Greenday to Coldplay to Incubus to Johnny Cash (his Hurt Cover by Nine Inch Nails), to Collective Soul to the Goo Goo Dolls....I know. A lot of really different music.....it could mean that I am really diverse or unique but I think that means I am crazy. For Reals.

So I totally Cook

At ward prayer tonight we had linger longer. I used to make something for linger longer every time we had it, like four years ago when I was first in the ward. I have been slacking. But today I made something. And people were like, Whoa you cook? And I was heck yes I do. I love cooking, baking and all that Jazz. I have been, like I said, slacking. Once upon a time I was in this really amazing chef prep class in High School...no I didn't take it at AF, I had to drive to PG and take it. Well in this class I had so much fun. I competed in a state cooking competition, like Iron Chef. It was pretty much amazing. And I also really really really looked into going to culinary school, the only schooling I was really serious about....So Yes I cook. When Ben, my brother in law, describes me to dudes he wants to set me up on dates with he says something like this: She is pretty and nice, and she makes this AMAZING dessert called Malva Pudding, he probably salivates a little bit. It is really good. But tonight the thing that got everyone talking were cookie dough truffles. Super easy and yummy, I think Clark Taylor's heart stopped for a sec when he took his first bite. SO I thought I would share the recipe with you.

3 sticks of Butter, room Temp.
2/3 cup Sugar

Cream them together.
When the butter and sugar is a light lemon color and fluffy add:
1 tsp Vanilla
3 Cups Flour
1/2 Cup Corn Starch

Mix together and add Chocolate chips, I used dark chocolate and mint chocolate chips.

Form the dough into little balls on a lined baking sheet. Refrigerate.

Melt Almond bark or any type of melting chocolate in a double boiler. Coat the dough balls in chocolate and put back onto the Sheet. Refrigerate and enjoy :)

Maybe someday I will have to share the coveted Malva Pudding Recipe.....

Path of Hot Men.

So the other day, I am pretty sure it was Oct. 30th (Mormon Halloween), my sister Bee and I were sitting at home, yes we sat at home on Halloween, I went to a party the day before and we had a ward party the monday before so I felt Halloween had been celebrated enough, so I was sitting at home watching movie after movie. I brought up 3 movies, Spiderman, Star Trek, and X-men. I had watched the first and was choosing the second. Both amazing movies. So I asked Bee which one she wanted to watch. Her choice was Star Trek. Her reason. Chris Pine is Hotter than Huge Jackman. That is were we got into a pretty heavy discussion about Hot Actors, because I agree that Chris Pine is Hot, I do not think he is Hotter than HUGE JACKMAN. So I asked who she thought was hotter....I said some actor and Chris Pine, and so on and so on, we went through, Channing Tatum, James Franco, Jake Gyllenhaal, Jonathan Rhys-Meyers, Will Smith, Zac Efron, Ryan Gosling, Heath Ledger, Christian Bale, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Russell Crowe. Then it came down to the last 2: 

Jude Law vs. Gerard Butler. 

         

There was really no way to decide who is hotter. I love Jude Law. Love him. But I also love Gerard Butler. They are both superb actors. They can do comedy, drama, action, romance. Gerard can sing amazing, but Jude sings too...although not a lot. I love PS I love you, How to train your Dragon and The Phantom of the Opera. And who doesn't love Jude in Gattaca, The Holiday, and Sherlock Holmes? And one of my all time favorite movies is Cold Mountain. They both have accents. One English, one Scottish. 

I think Bee decided that Gerard Butler was the hottest, because of his accent. And that is something you can't get around. If a guy started talking to me in a Scottish accent I would be a goner. 

But for now it is a tie. I love them both and can not choose who is more attractive. 

So on another note. I went out again with Mr. Marvelous on Saturday. We had a really good time. It was pretty simple. We just went to Zuppas, which I love, and then talked and talked and talked and talked. We both talk a lot, so we just went on and on and on. I invited him to come to I-kiek and Al-be's plays and I kinda invited myself to his sister's play that she is in. So we will see how it goes. ;)