Hey everbody! I made GUMBO!

Okay...actually I made Jambalaya and it was YUMMY! lol! So...on Wednesday while I was talking to my mom she told me that she was making Jambalaya for some of the girls at work. Now, I used to get so tired of Jambalaya because she would make it every other week and we would be stuck eating it the WHOLE week because it was just the two of us. However, it had been about a year since I had it so I thought...YUMMY!! Spontaneously while texting a friend later that day I asked..."Do you like Cajun Food!" When he responded that he didn't know I was absolutely shocked not knowing my geography and thinking that it was crazy for him to be from Missouri and have not had Cajun food! However, when someone explained to me that the Missouri is not the deep south...isn't really all that south at all, I figured that I would invite him, his roommates, and two other  friends over for dinner and that I would attempt Jambalaya for the first time! When I mentioned my plans to another friend and she invited herself along (he he) it turned into an event! The basis of this story is that it went over well and that for those of you who wanted the recipe...here it is!


*Disclaimer...hopefully you understand my mother's instructions because I will admit I had to call her twice while making it as I am a bit of a DITZ!! he he


1 lg green bell pepper
1 lg yellow onion (I prefer yellow they are not as strong as white)
2 smoked sausage (like Hillshire farms, and make sure you use the ones with pork and beef, the all beef make it too greasy)
2 Tablespoons of Cajun seasoning
1-4.5oz. jar minced garlic (only use  1/2)
1 lg can crushed tomatoes
8 cups cooked rice

chop the pepper and onion, sautee them together in a large fry pan, add 1 tablespoon cajun seasoning and half the jar of garlic, let simmer, slice the sausage and add to the fry pan, heat over medium to low heat

cook the rice

in a separate sauce pan, heat the tomatoes and 1 tablespoom cajun seasoning over low heat (I rinse the can with a little water)

mix all ingredients together in very large bowl or pan and enjoy

Do you want to go penguin sledding with me?

So I started and finished this puzzle last night! It took me close to eight hours probably. I feel that I have wasted a lot of time lately doing puzzles. Some people play video games, I do puzzles. This all started my first semester at college when I had a roommate who when through a bad relationship crisis. She had nothing to do with her time so she started to do puzzles because she felt they kept her mind off of things. I would help her and we would glue the puzzles and hang them around the apartment. At that point I was awful at doing puzzles and would only do small portions. Now, a year and a half later, she no longer lives with me but I keep up doing the puzzles, but I am the one doing the majority of the puzzles. This one I did have a bit of help with a chunk of the sky. I currently have 28 puzzles hanging on my walls, of which I completed most and another 9 waiting to be hung up all of which I did! :)

"When we begin life, we are all given a puzzle -- each one very different, yet special. As we continue through our lives, we meet people and have some type of affect upon their life, as they do on ours. We share with them a piece of our puzzle and they share a piece of theirs, with us, in return. No matter what type of impact they had upon our life, we still carry along with us, a piece of their puzzle. Meaning that everyone we encounter has a special impact upon our lives, because they have shaped us into what we are today. This is called the puzzle of life. Each puzzle growing and changing throughout our lives, but always becoming better and always having the same foundational pieces. Know that you DO make a difference in peoples lives! I thank you for sharing part of your puzzle with me!" - Erin Bridget Doyle

Girls are like
apples on trees. The best
ones are at the top of the tree.
The boys don't want to reach for
the good ones because they are afraid
of falling and getting hurt. Instead, they
just get the rotten apples from the ground
that aren't as good, but easy. So the apples
at the top think something is wrong with
them, when in reality, they're amazing.
They just have to wait for the right
boy to come along, the one
who's brave enough

  to climb
all the way
to the top
of the tree

Why Can't I?

Why can't I breathe whenever I think about you
Why can't I speak whenever I talk about you
It's inevitable, it's a fact that we're gonna get down to it
So tell me
Why can't I breathe whenever I think about you

I've heard it said that when you can't get someone out of your head that maybe they are supposed to be there! Right now I am really hoping this is true. In high school I made it a habit of falling hard for guys and getting caught up and then getting my heart broken. So when I came to college I made a resolution to not fall for guys. I still got crushes and asked guys on dates but when it seemed the interest was not reciprocated I was easily able to move on. Now it seems that I may once again be falling...I think about him a lot and really have a desire to get to know him better. He seems like an intriguing person with an interesting story to tell. I hope that I will be able to get to know him better and at least build a lasting friendship!

On another note...I have officially started on my 21 list! Currently working on number 8-all of my nails are a different color! Now I just have to make it last for a week!

Summer Girl

'Cause I'm just a summer girl
I wear my flip flops
And when I let my hair down
That's when the party starts
And who needs a boyfriend
I've got my girlfriends
And when we get together
The summer never ends

So, technically it is the start of Spring Term but to me it is pretty much summer despite the mass amount of credits I have decided to take and the menopausal weather. I have decided that I want to have a really great and memorable summer. I turn 21 and I want to remember this summer. So, I am sort of stealing an idea from a dear friend. She decided to do 101 things in 1001 days...I am going to do 21 awesome things this summer! These things are meant to break me from my bubble, help me have an amazing summer, and better me as a person! They start now and I have until Fall Semester starts to finish them!

Therefore I will...

1. Read/Reread every book I own by Meg Cabot in Alphabetical Order (0/50)
2. Volunteer in a Soup Kitchen
3. Have an Avatar the Last Airbender Marathon with friends
4. Go on a picnic date complete with bubbles and sidewalk chalk
5. Kiss a boy
6. Teach a friend how to decorate a character cake
7. Dress up for an entire week (Hair and makeup done, skirts no pants)
8. Paint each individual fingernail and toenail a different color and leave it for a week
9. Ask the guy I like 25 random questions I would normally be too shy to ask (0/25)
10. Go without chocolate for a week
11. Do 5 Random Acts of Kindness (0/5)
12. Read and Watch Every talk from Last Conference and Reflect
13. Blog Everyday for a month
14. Listen to 5 entirely new groups as recommended by friends (0/5)
15. Watch the entire season of Firefly and see Serenity
16. Go to the temple at least once a month
17. Go on an impromptu road trip
18. Write to Lisa on her mission at least once a month
19. See 25 movies I have never seen as recommended by friends (0/25)
20. Host a murder mystery dinner
21. Write 10 real letters to friends (0/10)

Why Blog?

I have a few friends who have blogs and I recently read one of their entire blogs. Just tonight, it took me about an hour but I read all of his posts from newest to oldest and I feel that I learned more about him than I did which isn't really saying much since I didn't know much to begin with! However, it is convenient since I am sorta crushing on him but didn't really know him! So, I figure this way I have somewhere to post my randomness and just talk if I need to! If someone reads it...great! If not...I'll never know! So...here goes blogging...hopefully I can keep up with it!