day #1. the beginning.

so i'm here.
finally.
in jerusalem.

to tell you the truth, i never thought it would happen. and now that it has, i keep thinking that i am going to wake of from this amazing dream and it's all gonna be over. i've made so many new friends over the past few days (it's already starting to feel like i've known some of them for-ever!) i love it when you start something new - the hope and amibition that you feel, the anticipation of the adventures you are going to have, and the limitless possibilities that are in store. it seems way too easy that i just sat in a metal cylinder for 16 hours and it brought me all the way here.
today we toured the city. we got up at 6 in the morning, and after finishing our orientation, we set our feet towards jerusalem. the history geek in me was jumping up and down inside of me the whole time... it took a lot of restraint not to look like a complete idiot and do the same.
what else has happened??? honestly it feels like i have been here weeks and not hours.
last night, we left our door open because it was such beautiful weather. (we came to find out today that the hill on which our lovely abode sits is in the migratory path of a certain species of poisonous viper. definitely NOT sleeping with the door open again.
due to jet lag, i woke up at 2 in the morning. to roosters. i thought that they were supposed to wake up with the sun. really? i kinda wanted to be doing a little thing called sleeeeeeping. yeah. thanks a bunch.
they basically are forcing us to get used to our new waking hours. talk about brutal! waking up at 6 in the morning after being awake for almost 24 hours straight is just plain mean. i need my beauty sleep people! haha...  oh well.
after breakfast and orientation, we started our walk through the city. my house is literally like a 10 minute walk from the city. we walk down into the kidron valley, and back up, and voila! we're there. so we cruised on into the old city through damascus gate, while most of the shops were just beginning to open up. we met some really nice merchants that have been really great to past BYU groups that go through. i can't wait to go back and explore the rest of the city! we really only saw a very very small portion of the old city. they didn't let us take our cameras (in an effort to help them keep the pace of the tour moving) so those will have to come later. we left old jerusalem through the jaffa gate, and made our way over to west jerusalem where we did a lot more window shopping. and tried falafal. oh yummy goodness. i need to learn how to make it soooo badly. a cookbook has definitely made its way to the top of my shopping list.
and they feed us like kings here! i definitely don't think that i will be wanting for food this summer. but the thing that i do like is that we have lots and lots of salad! the green food junkie inside of me just about keeled over from sheer delight at dinner last night.
and the peanut butter! mmmmmm.... we have peanut butter, nutella, and some really sweet deliciousness at every meal that can go with (get this!) pitas! they have bread there too... but why would you want plain 'ol bread when you can have the real deal?
that pretty much sums up my entire day. how was yours? :)

just a normal thursday. not.

you know the feeling, the night before christmas... you are a little kid and no matter how hard you try, you just can't get to sleep? that every single sound is hooves on the roof and you swear you heard something coming from down the hall???
i feel like that kid.
no, my flight doesn't leave until wednesday morning, but i am back to being that same jittery little kid.
why can't i just hop in my handy-dandy time machine and whiz to next tuesday??? (i have an orientation meeting... don't wanna miss that one!)
i don't like waiting. at all.
but i'm leaving tomorrow to go see the bestest 19-year-old sister ever. she is going to europe.
is it ok for me to be jealous? if only i could split myself in two...

gosh i am going to miss my family!
i have the sweetest little brothers, both of which come into my room this morning before they leave for school and give me a kiss on the cheek. did my heart melt? yeah, just a little.
lets see how long that lasts when the older one gets home and they start fighting again...

now back to packing!
i just know i'm gonna forget something.
murphy's law of taking a vacation right?
but i figured i needed to make something to protect my poor laptop... so today i decided to make this:
(i swear i'm working on the camera situation!)

mine is yellow. surprise!
and its got buttons!
i can check that off my list of not-so-important-things-to-do...
back to the crucial stuff like finding food... and maybe taking the scissors out of my carry-on... that could be a good thing to remember.

since i'm going to grandpa's house (where wireless internet is unheard of) i am posting this as a pseudo-friday entry. enjoy!

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like: source code

i love a good and happy ending :)

dislike: gory movies (i won't say which one i watched to deserve that not-so subtle diss. you are entitled to your own opinion... except when it comes to knowing what i like.)

searching ebay for a mary poppins carpet-bag:

i think i like to stress way too much.
but the one thing that i can be grateful to stress for is that it motivates me to get things done. (if i had just barely started packing today, i probably would give up and go sit in the corner and cry.) so, the good thing about starting to stress about packing last week has actually paid off. it doesn't mean that i like it though.
now comes the best part of the packing.
i have to fit everything into 3 bags:
one that i am checking (64" total - under 50 pounds)
one that can fit into the overhead compartment (45" total - under 40 pounds)
and one purse. (of course... the word "purse" is entirely left up to my own interpretation...)
after managing to fit everything into the big suitcase, doing the whole knee-on-the-top maneuver to keep it from exploding and sending clothes and other items flying all over the room, we got the suitcase on to the scale.
it wasn't until today that i realized how truly funny brian regan is.





we tried sitting the suitcase on the scale.
what do you know. it covers up the numbers!
so here i am, holding the massive suitcase... stepping on and off while my mom looks to see how much i weigh with the suitcase. it was way too complicated for how simple something like that should be.
we managed to get it down to 55 pounds.
then i realized that i was able to take a 40 pound carry-on... duh. well i feel sheepish.
unfortunately, i have to leave room for school books that i will be getting at orientation next tuesday. gee i hope they don't give me a lot... because i don't know if it's gonna fit!
i know you are thinking it... just come out and say it already! 
jess is a packrat. jess has problems.
i know. i do.
i need someone to just pack for me, and then i would go and wear whatever they picked out for me. none of this decision-making crap. it just is way too vague for me! 


anywho. i have an obsession with chicken salad.
i could eat it all day, every day. 
feast your eyes. and possibly go and make some for yourself.

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a shout-out to my bff on her birthday!

carissa larsen - i am so freakin glad you were born!

:D

this girl makes some knock-out bread.

but i am friends with her for more than her bread-maker.

love you riss!

life at home... is... it just is.

not much news today.
not that home is boring or anything like that... just nothing that the world needs to hear about. nothing exciting...
just regular, everyday things... like my mom being obsessed with oven cleaner. (because she just discovered that it cleans the top of her stove. and that it actually gets rid of the blackened and burnt egg/cheese/spills from my brothers cooking their breakfast... and it doesn't scratch it! listening to her tell me about it was beginning to sound a lot like the oxy-clean guy on tv. i was feeling like i most definitely had to go and buy a bottle to take with me.) or maybe going to savers with my mom and finding the cutest vintage dress i have ever seen in my entire life. and it fit! (i swear pictures will come!!! i have actually made a deal with my sister to let me steal use hers for the summer.)
we also colored eggs last night... and decorated them like monsters. my sister brooke wasn't at home with us, so we took a family picture of our eggs and sent it to her:

can you guess which one it is? (or rather, isn't?)
i think mine looks like a minion.
yeah, that's pretty much home life for ya.

so sad news: i found out yesterday that due to a lame little thing called a "revolution"... that i won't be going to egypt. i think a part of me died last night when i read that.
instead, i get to go to turkey.
what is in turkey, you ask?
i have no flippin' idea.
we will figure this one out together!
[but i made a promise to myself that i WILL make it back to egypt one day. no worries, king tut! i won't keep you waiting for very long!!!]

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his voice...

good golly gosh!

it's crunchtime!

i am beginning to feel the pressure now...

not that it is anything really new.

i thrive under pressure, remember?

so i realized that i started to do this like a week ago, and never finished it.

so here ya go.

(i was practicin' my abc's for ya.)

A. age: 21! and yes, i am super excited that my driver's license now is horizontal not vertical! (talk about a rite of passage... my life changed when i walked out of the DMV.)

B. bed size: twin. and too short. i don't like it when my toes hang over the edge...

C. chore you hate: emptying the garbage.

D. dogs: big. or not at all. i can't stand little rat-dogs.

E. essential start to your day: a shower. and sunshine.

F. favorite color: yellow. and then blue.

G. gold or silver: silver... but some golds actually are growing on me lately.

H. height: 5' 11 1/2" (i should just say 6' huh?)

I. instruments you play: piano, guitar, and ukulele (but i suck at all 3)

J. job title: 'sales rep' (actually i tell people that they should buy my fat pants...)

K. kids: someday. definitely. now? no.

L. live: rexburg, idaho. will i stay here forever? definitely not.

nampa, idaho. when i'm not at school.

in a week and a half? JERUSALEM!!! yes, it does count.

M. mom’s name: susan. she also goes by wonderwoman when she is not playing chauffeur, cook, cheerleader, photographer, maid, and mom to us kids. (she's basically my hero)

N. nicknames: jess, jessie, (here's where it gets fun) toad, chief, the beast, "the girl with the gorgeous hair"... yes, that is how i am known at the plasma center...

O. overnight hospital stays: only when they aren't mine. but i can wander the halls and buy juicyfruit from a vending machine at two in the a.m.

P. pet peeve: flaky people. (not referring to dandruff... but that is gross too)

Q. quote from a movie/show: i go up to paris, bam bam bam bam... i'm back before weeks end, we spend the treasure. how is this a bad plan??? 

(from my favorite movie of all time - the count of monte cristo)

R. righty or lefty: i think that signing my name with my left hand is awesome... only because it looks like a kindergartener did it.

S. siblings: 4 of my best friends in the whole world.

T. time you wake up: always late. after i've turned off the 3 alarms that i was positive i wouldn't sleep through.

U. underwear: wouldn't you like to know?

V. vegetables you dislike: love them. but i am not inclined to try brussel sprouts. and swiss chard? ewwww. never ever ever again!

W. what makes you run late: sleep. getting distracted. trying to finish "just one more thing..." blogging? nevvvvvver. ;)

X. x-rays you’ve had: teeth, my feet (i had inflamed growth plates as a young'n)

Y. yummy food you make: must i choose??? but i hear my carmel corn brings all the boys a runnin'...

Z. zoo animal favorite: elephants. i bought a necklace with them on it today.

i've been feeling in a very music-y mood as of late.

and for good, happy, uplifting, music.

not the usual crap they play on the radio.

it gets boring reallllly fast.

but i had this one stuck in my head all day.

new life motto?

i think so.

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in preparation for my trip, we've been trying to "fix" all of my clothes, 

so that they will be somewhat cute, while still modest...

i'm so glad my mom is amazing.

and knows how to sew...

we had pants to fix, shirts to fit, buttons to sew... 

it kept us busy pretty much all night long!

but they will be worth it!

playing dress up :)

guess what?
you get to see more crappy pictures from my ipod!!!
aren't you excited? you should be.


so i have 2 weeks until i leave. am i excited? oooooh baby yes. i don't really know what to do with myself yet... so i've started stressing already. and started packing. 
for some reason, the only way that i can get rid of my worry-energy is to transform that energy into something productive. unfortunately, my room is about a foot deep in clothes and luggage. not a good way to get rid of stress. so i spent the whole day today unpacking and repacking all of my stuff, sorting things into a this-might-go-to-jerusalem pile, and a this-stays-home-for-the-summer pile. my mom has officially adopted this pile. the bad thing about having an entire family that is about the same size? they steal my clothes. (i don't know why exactly... but i never get to steal clothes back... it seems kind-of one sided to me...) although i am stealing a dress from my sister for the summer. 
i'll be gone before she gets back though. XD


this is my bed.

...well, the bottom half. this is my jerusalem pile.
this is the rest of the crap.

add another (bigger) suitcase and a tub of books, and the mess is complete!
in an effort to find more, modest dresses, i raided my mom's closet.
it was like stepping into d.i.
the whole time, i was like "jackpot!" and "why didn't i know this place existed before???" 
some of the clothes were very very very 90s. it made me giggle.
so i played dress-up all afternoon!

no, this is not one of the best ones... but i liked it so much that i wore it all day.
i think i'm taking this one with me. just cuz it's so awesome.
my mom's clothes used to fit me a little bit different... i remember when i used to wear them and laugh at how silly they looked. now they actually fit. it kinda weirds me out. 


oh you wanna know what ticks me off?
people that cheat in wordswithfriends!
i've never met this person, and they are kicking my trash. and i know that they are cheating!
who thinks of yag and za as words anyway? 
cheap.
anyway, off my soapbox. [deep breath]
take a deep zen breath...


i am going to make one of these soon.

i told my mom that i don't wear jewlery, and she asked me if i would wear this.
"duh."
"well that's jewelry."
"no it's not. it's... awesome."
i don't think she understood.
she's doesn't get a lot of what i wear...
like how i used to wear boys jeans, or only wore my hair in a ponytail... or braids... like every day for a year.
what can i say? i'm a creature of habit.
but did she really have to let me leave the house?

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spending $10 on a travel blowdryer.

(cons: the diffuser is about the size of my pinkie. not really... but it is tiiiiiiiiiiny! 

and it's pink. ew.

i'm gonna try it out, and see if it can even dry my hair...)

but $10!!!

and it is a dual-volatage one too. bam.

yum.

cranberry crunch muffins.

sounds like captain crunch... but with cranberries!!!

and in a muffin!!!

today is a great day to fly!

i was sitting outside (with intermittent bursts of sunlight) and even thinking how nice the wind was. (can you believe that? i was thinking that the wind was nice! i haven't thought that in years... let me tell you what!) it was the perfect kind of spring day that just makes you happy to be outside. brisk and sunny.
i love spring so much! :)

today made me want to fly.
don't ask me why...
when i was younger, i remember getting up really early in the morning to go and watch them blow up the hot air balloons for the boise river festival. they don't do it anymore, but i made another resolution: to go see a hot air balloon festival before the end of the year.

it's gonna be sweet!
add this to the list of the shakespeare festival, hiking, camping, fishing, and other adventures before i have to go back to school and my summer is looking pretty darn full! feel free to join me.

i just love cupcakes. (if you haven't already noticed that...)
i found this photostream today, if you like looking at cupcakes and seeing how creative people can be (especially when you are not - like me!) you'll love this!

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i most definitely wasn't in her time period... 

but this picture made me laugh.

i fell in love with the yellow outfit.

i mean yellow converse? come on!

i need direction

i refuse to think that today is saturday.
because i forgot to post my music.
so, my excuse is that because i haven't gone to bed yet, that it is still technically friday. take that saturday morning!



this was going to be a list of music that had inspired me over the course of this semester... but it seems like the end of the semester has sapped all motivation that i had. (having said that, i can also contradict myself and say that i have so much energy i think i might explode!!!) i can't stop thinking about jerusalem.
not for a minute.
unless i am missing my weather-bipolar, former home.
it's amazing to me that i actually find myself missing it.

i've decided something (and it is your job as my reader to hold me to this...)
i need some goals for the summer.
otherwise i am going to just sit and watch the whole world pass me by for the entire summer, and i will come out of it, and not have made the most of it!
da list:

• do push ups every night. (i stink at push-ups... so the number is going to start very low. but i am going to eventually build it up... hopefully i can be doing 50 push-ups every night in a little bit. don't judge.)
• write something every day.
• spend a half hour every day in quiet. no music, no tv, no distractions. just me, just thinking.
• greet every cashier by their first name. (it seems like a really random goal, but my uncle made me promise i would...)
• train for a sprint triathalon. i don't know how possible this is going to be in jerusalem... but if not, i'm going to be able to run a 10k/half marathon when i get back!
• keep up my blog!
• wake up earlier - i really really realllllllly want to be a morning person. which seems really weird if you have seen me in all my glory in the morning. yes, i am going to make this happen.
• go to be earlier - again, me = night owl. (as you can see by the time of this post...)
• get to know everyone on the trip
• simplify my life - i think i need to start with #9
• do yoga. meditate. breathe.
• be on facebook less.
• spend less time on the computer in general
• be more patient with people that annoy me. (this is mostly because i am really snippy at my younger brothers. i want to be the "cool" older sister... not the grumpy one that comes home from college that they don't like to hang out with. you get my drift?)

i could really make that list inexhaustible... but for your sake, i will stop!

i saw this today, and i thought it was super cute.

i have a new project now... 

with a white t and skinny jeans??? i am sensing a fashion uprising here.

and most definitely in a good way.

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i tried on my old prom dress from senior year

and the first thing i said was - "that used to fit???"

dish is de end.

now that finals are done:

that's a good way to think right?

sweet freedom!

now on to the cleaning.

the end of school is always fun, because you have the combination of multiple stresses, namely:

huge tests that you haven't studied for

having to pack up everything you own in boxes and put them in storage for the next 5 months

having to decide what you are going to need during those 5 months

packing all of your crap in the car

leaving all of your friends

cleaning (because if you don't, the apartment complex will charge you $20 for dirty baseboards...)

having no food left, and refusing to go to the store

trying to remember everything before you leave...

and having it snow on your birthday!

(yes, today is my birthday.)

(and yes, it did decide to snow. for the second year in a row. and yes, it is april.)

so, now that i've done a stressful list, i think it is only fair to include a list of things that i love right now.

1. cupcakes.

and i recently discovered a new way to eat them.

2. my friends

we have had many crazy-awesome adventures over this last year...

and even though i know that they are coming to a close (for now) it doesn't mean that it is the end!!!

by the way jess and carissa... i'm still planning on our oregon coast road-trip/excursion!

you aren't going to get out of this one!

3. my family

cuz they are just plain awesome.

we had all 3 of us girls up here at school this weekend, and it has been sooo much fun!

definitely not the last time this is going to happen.

i just couldn't resist putting this picture up. (i love super young, awkward pictures...)

if you wanted to know what a mane looks like on a person... i have the proof right here!

4. cupcakes!

acutally, just baking in general.

if you haven't noticed yet. ;)

i think these are SO CUTE!

i have to try them.

5. green apples

i don't know why, but if i had to eat a food for the rest of my life, this would be it.

they are a big part of my purpose for living.

i think i'm gonna go grab one right now.

6. cleaning.

bizarre?

yes.

i feel like i'm getting ready for war.

but i love cleaning.

it relieves my stress... but don't get any ideas.

if you paid me, i would come clean for you, but i don't do it for free!

7. psych

please tell me you have watched it.

if not i might cry.

8. broadway

i've seen les mis (in london!), which was probably the highlight of my life...

but i have a bucket-list of broadway plays that i have to see before i die.

phantom of the opera

jane eyre

wicked

the scarlet pimpernel

jekyll and hyde

(and that isn't all!)

9. my church

i belong to the church of jesus christ of latter-day saints.

everything that i am, i owe to my church.

it is the best part of my life.

10. music that makes me happy :)

you got me - colbie caillat

shine - laura izibor

spending all my time loving you - aaron fresh

just the way you are - bruno mars

brand new day - joshua radin

rhythm of love - plain white t's

smile - uncle kracker

eh, eh (nothin else i can say) - lady gaga

i look so good (without you) - jessie james

worst week ever invented.

who thought of finals week anyway?
the should be drug through the streets, whipped, and then flogged.
what's that? i sound barbaric?
oh really?
i am so ready for this week to be over though.
you know that feeling you get, when you are ready for something to be over, and you are ready to move on? yeah, it's like senioritis. but instead of just being done with high school, i get to go on a fantastic trip. but that trip can only happen after i make it through this week. so it bugs me that it is taking so long.
as you can tell, i have a lot to work on when it comes to patience. (or maybe it's just the fact that this is the adventure of a lifetime... and i might just be a little bit excited to go. just maybe.)
21 days.
did you hear that? 21 DAYS! :D
and now i'm starting to stress out.
i like stressing out.
i function best when there is a little tension in my life... if there wasn't, i would probably sit on my butt all the time and... i'm gonna stop there. (cuz it is sounding way too representative of the past few weeks of my life.)
this is where i am going to be.
oh be jealous.

soon. real soon. i am actually going to be able to take a picture all for myself.

(and i might just decide to share with you all!)

my next question: what should i buy? where should i go??? i don't want to miss anything - so i need help! 

that should have contained a disclaimer... my "question" usually turns to many questions... 

and i have to buy a new camera.

since the old one has run away. i really have no idea where it would even be. not even remotely.

yeahhhhh. at this point i do not like spending money. especially when it should be spent after my trip starts... not before! poo.

so i have some zucchini in my fridge right now. and i need to do something with it.

now, if you knew anything about my life at home, you would understand that the "zucchini" i am referring to in my fridge is a shame to its name. my first semester up at school, my mom sent me a zucchini that was probably the size of my thigh. no, i am dead serious. my roommate, a girl from california that i'm pretty sure had never seen produce anywhere other than a supermarket, couldn't believe it.  

i swear these things are on steroids.
we have to get very creative with out zucchini at home, so luckily, i have several go-to recipes for zucchini bread that i can go to in a pinch. but i found this recipe the other day, and it looked fairly interesting. i might just have to try this one. 


stuffed zucchini (from kayotic kitchen)

ingredients:
1 tbsp sour cream
1/4 to 1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp curry powder
1/2 tomato
1 tsp thyme
2 zucchinis
1 onion
cheese
pepper
optional: bacon


directions:
preheat your oven to 400 (200C).
give the zucchini a good scrub.
slice them in half length-ways. you can trim the ends if you like. 
spoon out the guts. just take it out (leave about 1/2 an inch in) until you end up with boat like shells.
now give the zucchini pulp a good chop, also chop a small onion and 1/2 a tomato while you’re at it. i’m only using half a tomato (more for color than flavor, really) otherwise things will become a teeny bit too fluid. having everything gush out of your zucchini is not a pretty sight, trust me!
sautee the onions in one tbsp oil or butter. it’s ok for them to brown a little this time ’round.
when the onions are almost done, add 1/4 tsp curry powder and cook everything for an additional 30 seconds. no longer or the curry powder will turn bitter. when they’re done, transfer them to a big bowl.
now this is completely optional. if you want to stick with a vegetable dish, fine, just leave the bacon out. (the bacon will give it a little more crunch and saltiness, so you can cook a few slices and let them drain on a paper towel.)
now (in no particular order), add 1 tsp dried thyme, 1/4 to 1/2 tsp salt, 1 heaping tbsp sour cream, a good pinch of pepper, the zucchini pulp, the tomato and crumble the bacon in as well.
lightly butter a baking dish and put the zucchini boats in. they’re best served straight out of the oven. 
grab a spoon and fill the shells with the mix. sprinkle some aged cheese on top.
put them in a preheated oven, give them about 20 minutes and then turn on the grill until the top is golden brown. sprinkle some coarsely chopped curly leaf parsley (the most underrated herb there is) on top and you’re done!


if you grew up and used an easy-bake oven like me... you might find this interesting. and kind of sad. 

only one more day til freedom!

stay sane til then! (for me.)

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i am grateful that my computer decided to act up

today

and not while i am in jerusalem.

(not much to be grateful for... but at least it's somethin!)

moving on up? or just out...

i can't really be sure.
all i know is that i have moved every semester since i started college. 
and it sucks.
i promised myself that the next time i move back in for school, my stuff isn't leaving until i do. no moving. nada. [it's really weird though... my room is sooo empty!]
the nice thing about the end of the semester is that i only have to get ready for school two days this week! :) not that i'm lazy or anything like that...
so my roommates and i are having a brunch today after the first session of conference, and as a tradition at home, we always make something yummy. usually we have conference rolls, but we have recently been converted to this creme brulee french toast that we got out of the "essential mormon cookbook." if you think it sounds yummy, just wait til you try it! i mean, who can resist creme brulee and french toast? and for breakfast???
i submit you cannot.


and now for the recipe. [drumroll please]
creme brulee french toast
1/2 cup butter
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 tbs corn syrup
1 loaf texas toast bread (extra thick slices)
5 eggs
1 1/2 cups half and half cream
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla

in small saucepan melt butter, brown sugar, and corn syrup overmedium heat until smooth, stirring occasionally. pour mixture onto large, greased jelly roll pan (18x13x1 inch). spread to cover surface. place 12 slices texas toast bread in a single layer to cover pan. mix together eggs, cream, salt, and vanilla. spoon mixture over each piece if bread. cover and refrigerate overnight. bake uncovered at 350 for about 30 minutes. remove from pan and serve. if not serving immediately, turn each slice of bread over (this will prevent bread from sticking to the bottom of the pan). 
makes 12 servings.


they aren't done yet... but here is what they looked last night when i stuck them in the fridge.
just image flipping those suckers over and... oh! it's way too good to think about!

for some reason we do not have a normal sized cookie sheet at my apartment... don't ask me why.

so the poor things are kinda squished on there...

but the best way to eat these (in my opinion) is to flip 'em over and to cut (barely green) bananas on top! no, you don't have to use those kinds of bananas exactly... but that's the only way that i like to eat them. if they get a whole lot older than that i start mashing them up and putting them into things. like banana pancakes. it's sad, but i make this recipe all the time. i actually half it because i can't eat that many pancakes...

ingredients

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 tbsp white sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1 egg, beaten

1 cup milk

2 tbsp vegetable oil

2 ripe bananas, mashed

directions

combine flour, white sugar, baking powder and salt. in a separate bowl, mix together egg, milk, vegetable oil and bananas.

stir flour mixture into banana mixture; batter will be slightly lumpy.

heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each pancake. cook until pancakes are golden brown on both sides; serve hot.

makes approx. 6 pancakes

(if you don't want to end up with half an egg, but make 'em all up and then freeze some for later. mine just tend to get lost for the rest of the semester if i do that. but it is a great surprise when i clean out the freezer at the end of the semester when i don't think i have any food!) 

a while back, i read this article on how to make perfect pancakes.
a revelation!
i don't think i will ever be the same. 
if you like making pancakes like i do, and don't like the flat, watery slabs that you have to scrape off of the frying pan, you should give it a looksie. :) 


ok, well time is a'flying... and i have some cinnamon rolls to make! (actually i have to decide what recipe to use first...) you will know if i have succeeded. if not, it is better not to speak of such failures. psh... who am i kidding? nothing ever turns out like it's supposed to...

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i am so grateful for a living prophet

general conference has to be one of my favorite days of the whole year

[and not because i get to sit in my jammies to go to church!]

want to know the coolest thing ever???

one of the new temples planned is going to be, like, i'm not kidding you -

10 minutes from my house!

(not that the other one is that far away either)

just kinda exciting...

and now my homework is done.

...and almost for good! (well... at least for a few weeks.)
since technically i think that jerusalem will be more like a glorified vacation... :D

i am so done with school.
burnt.
out.
i need a break.

but on a good note... it is 53 degrees outside right now!
and why am i not out there you ask?
my answer: I HAVE NO IDEA!!!
i think i shall fix this right now.
say adios to inside and go playyyyyy!
(i bought chalk yesterday... good think, because i think it is going to get some use today!)

happy friday by the way.
i thought about pulling a mean april fools joke... but i just don't have it in me.
[i could say i'm engaged or something... but what's the point? that one is way overused.]
lame.
i think we are going to prank some boys tonight though. shhhhh. don't tell!
the nice thing about having all of their doors facing each other down a hallway is that it is incredibly easy to tie them all together. oooh this is gonna be fun. :)

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today is a good day.

just plain is.

and i love that the weather finally decided to act like spring.

i love this music video...