Good Books

okI love reading. I love reading good books. I eat them up. But then they end. Don't you hate that?
I rush through good books, finish them, and then feel sad for the rest of the day that my good friends - the characters of good books - are gone forever. This hits me really hard especially with good books that are part of good series. I grew along with Harry Potter and the Traveling Pants girls, and then they die and it makes me so sad. Why, oh why didn't Rowling/ Brashares just keep writing??? Now I have to go and find a new good book with some new good friends to love...
Any suggestions?

Thai Chicken Soup

So, I am done school. Now I have nothing to do but cook and blog. I hope you're ready for lots of posts about food! Tonight, we had Thai Chicken Soup. It a spicy Asian delight!
Dice 2-3 boneless, skinless chicken breast
Cook through in a saucepan on medium heat
Once the chicken is cooked, add 1 onion, chopped, and 2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
Sweat the onions (cook them until they are transparent, but don't brown them)
Add 1-2 cans of coconut milk (depending on how much soup you want to make. For just Zach and me, I used 1)
Add a cube of chicken bouillon
Add green curry paste to taste
Add a teaspoon of lemon juice
Let soup simmer 15 minutes or so
Just before serving, add a couple hand fulls of spinach (I used chopped frozen spinach)
Place some bean sprouts in the bottom of your serving bowls and cover with the soup
Garnish with bean sprouts
And finally, ENJOY!

Faith

A few days ago, some sweet Sister Missionaries were practicing teaching me. One of them explained to me that faith is "a belief that moves you." Maybe it was because of her cute southern accent, or maybe because of the spirit, but those words really stuck with me.
I realized that having faith is different than having expectations. I probably knew that once, but I obviously forgot it. To have faith in God's promises is believing in Him, and trusting in Him, but it is also doing whatever you can to bring those promises about in your own life.
As Christ himself explains: If ye will have faith in me ye shall have power to do whatsoever thing is expedient in me (Moroni 7:33). He doesn't say that if we have faith in Him, He will do whatsoever thing with us, but that he will give US the power to do that thing.
As I learnt this lesson this past week, I felt a strong desire to recommit myself to Heavenly Father. I know that His perfect plan teaches us to become as He would have us be, and that our faith in Christ gives us the power to do so.

"Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ" by Gene R Cook (lds.org)

What's for Dinner?

Today felt like summer. Spring at least. Okay, it wasn't snowing. Anyways, it was so nice to be warm I thought I'd make a summer treat for dinner tonight. Rice, blah. Chicken Kabob, blah. Mango Salsa, EXCELLENT! (and super easy too!)
1 Mango, peeled and cubed
1/2 a small red onion minced
1 green onion finely chopped
1 handful of cilantro finely chopped
2 tablespoon lime juice (or lemon juice is fine)
- combine all ingredients
- chill for an hour or so until all flavors mingle
- serve with chicken, steak, or tortilla chips
You won't regret it!

April 9 2010
I officially have one more day of classes. I just finished the last page of my last college paper ever. It feels great to be done (well, mostly done), but it's weird at the same time. For years - seven to be exact - I have defined myself as an English major (except that one year that I was a history major). Saying "I was an English major" doesn't seem to hold quite as much weight as saying "I am an English major" though. I guess what I'm really wondering is how long it's okay to define myself as "having been" something instead of "being" something.
What do I do now?
Yesterday, at work, a co-worker and I were discussing our impending graduation and she asked me (as everyone inevitably does) "and what are you going to do now?" I don't know. Maybe I should go to school to figure it out.
Being Canadian, and married to an American, I have to wait several months before I am allowed to work here once I'm no longer a student. I pretend like this is the worst thing ever because I'm dramatic like that. But secretly, I don't know what I'd do with myself if I could work. Maybe I should go to school and get a marketable degree. But then I'd be marketable, and who really wants that?
School is easy. It's always been easy (which of course is a judgment you can make only once you're finished). The real world seems so hard and mean and scary. And I have an English degree. Great. Maybe I should go to school and study something a little more vicious to prepare myself for entrance into this world. Maybe kicking? I feel like you could major in kicking at a reputable university today.
Maybe not. I'm sure by now you're tired of my musings. Hopefully my punctuation's correct. It would be terribly embarrassing if it wasn't. I am an English major after all.