turkey turkey turkey

Last night I cooked my first turkey and it was amazing. I filled it with apples, oranges and onions and also placed them in the roasting pan so that the gravy tasted amazing. I rubbed it with sage butter under the skin (unbelievably disgusting to perform but delicious in the end), and the top with olive oil, salt and pepper. I also made roasted asparagus and butternut squash risotto. I cooked for my parent's friends and their family so it was a big deal and I was quite nervous... but it was amaaaazing and I was so proud of myself (and my sisters for being my sous chefs).

Christmas was so perfect this year. I was really missing home so it made the holiday even more amazing. I am missing my close friends... but I got a plane ticket to SEATTLE!!!! I am going in April and I am soooo excited. I miss Hannah's presence in my day-to-day life... I truly miss all of my friends who are absent from daily life.

I need to get another job and I feel kind of annoyed about that. I am learning this year so much to rely on God and trust His providence. I am such a punk when it comes to God, I always assume I would know better and if He would just do what I say it would be fine... and then I consistently come to the realization that He knew/knows best. Aaaamen.

"He was still too young to know that the heart's memory eliminates the bad and magnifies the good, and that thanks to this artifice we manage to endure the burdens of the past."
-Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Love in the Time of Cholera-

One of my most fervent prayers is that God would grant me the grace to have a contented heart.

Peppermint Bark

"Hi! Welcome to Williams Sonoma! Would you like to try some Peppermint Bark? Right now we have a special holiday candy promotion. You get an extra price break when you buy two. It includes our hot chocolate and the holiday candy you can find around the store. But it ends tomorrow so stock up today! And it makes a great gift!"


I said this phrase for 6 1/2 hours today. Over and over and over again in my best cheery-Carly voice. Now my throat is raw and I am repeating the catch phrase continuously in my mind...

But I sold 100 tins of that darn peppermint bark cuz gosh darn it, there was a contest and you best believe I was gonna win it. And I DID. Stay tuned to see what my prize is.

Work Party

I went to a work party last night. My first work related Christmas party. It was actually really fun. I got to find out a lot more about the people I work with. I met their spouses or significant others, and pretended that I didn't notice I was the only single person there. Everyone seemed very interested in how I have been getting along at work. It was nice to find out that my boss condescends to everyone and not just me... I was starting to get worried about that. A few of my co-workers have even mentioned to her that they want her to keep me on after the holidays. She didn't look convinced... but who knows? Maybe I am impressing her and I don't even know it.

Another good thing about last night was meeting my coworker Laura's husband. They both actually went to Messiah and graduated a few years ago. Laura is a lot like me... a lot. We are both cute but not stunning, short, bubbly and outgoing, and very honest. The reason it was so good to meet her husband was... it gave me hope (I swear, boys are not the only thing I think about, and I've never been boy-crazy, but once I stopped having homework I had a lot more time to ponder them). He was an attractive NEUROSURGEON with a very sweet demeanor and he was so friendly and welcoming. I say all this because sometimes it is hard to believe that a good boy will ever want me. I seem to attract boys/men that I would never ever consider, and yet the boy I would love to date never seem to like me. I guess I have found this kind of discouraging. Now, I am not saying that I think I am not good enough for someone to love (my mom always says the man who marries me will be the wisest man on Earth, not that she's biased or anything). I really really really love sweet, good natured boys who love God and have a good sense of humor. Meeting Laura's husband made me a little bit more hopeful that maybe a man like that could love me too. The man I love will have to be worthy of my attention and dedication and I'm not going to settle for anything less even if it means staying single for ever... not to be snobby. Just being honest. But I do not want to be single forever. Being honest again.