Beginning of Spring!

I figured that since I'm basically out of school, I should probably start posting a little more regularly. Just to keep the creative juices flowing and all...

And while we're on the subject of creative juices, I'd like to say how much I love a creative surge. It's hard to explain how invigorating it is to get a little, crazy idea, mold it and add to it until it seems almost doable, and then decide to gallop down the path of creative genius. Sometimes the path ends abruptly. Sometimes daily life gets in the way. But while you're racing the winds of imagination, it's pure joy and excitement!

I've always been that way. Jeff's just learned to deal with it. :) Some days I get so excited about a project I'm going to do, that I can't think of anything else. School and housework get put on the back burner (not work so much, but that's because I feel extremely duty-bound to represent my tennis teams...which aren't really my tennis teams, but I like to pretend, okay?). Whenever I tell Jeff about my next big adventure, he always closes his eyes, chuckles a little and tries to suppress a smile while he says, "What about this project, or that project that you've already started working on?" to which I reply, "I'll finish that later. I just want to work on this right now!" Because you have to follow the pulls of the creative whims and it's really hard to work on one project when a new one is blossoming in your mind.

Since getting married, it's amazed me how many adventures you can have in your own home! Now, don't get me wrong. I still like the wandering-down-the-streets-of-Paris kind of adventures, but you don't have to go somewhere just to have an adventure. Some of the best adventures don't take a lot of travel. Like last night, for instance. I had a little cooking adventure, trying to be creative and also trying to cut corners with what I was making for dinner. Neither of us died or got food poisoning, so that's positive. :) And part of it turning out yummy. lol. But now I know I can't cut corners on that bread recipe. lol. Or there was the night before, where Jeff and I zoomed around Provo looking for Cadbury Eggs, because we didn't get any Easter candy and most of it was gone by the time I decided we really needed to satisfy my Cadbury Egg craving. After driving all the way to WalMart in Orem and having no luck, we came back to Macey's in Provo and found tiny packages of them. There were only a couple boxes left of these little packages. We bought a couple and satisfied my craving before getting home.

Cooking adventures are some of my favorite. Ever since I went to France, I've been determined to create the perfect French meal. I have yet to completely succeed, but we've had a lot of fun along the way! Jeff will eat just about anything. (He won't like just about anything, but he'll usually eat it....unless it's Ratatouille.) He usually doesn't mind to much when I mess something up. In fact, a lot of times he can't tell what's wrong when I lament my 100th batch of imperfect baguettes or my brownie-like macarons. Although he won't refrain from teasing me mercilessly when I buy the wrong kind of rock salt to make sorbet. (Apparently some rock salts shouldn't be used in ice cream making... If it's neon blue, I wouldn't use it for ice cream.) The funniest thing is he always forgets that I bought the wrong kind of rock salt for a sorbet I made in December, so when I talk about my inability to find rock salt, he always asks what I used for the pomegranate mint sorbet. Then he remembers I had to use the kosher salt we had in the kitchen, which doesn't work as well and turned the ice cream into more of a slush, and he bursts out laughing all over again.

I always get distracted when I'm blogging... And then I can't remember what I was going to say next. Sigh...

My husband and I are reading a book together, as usual. I can't decide if I like it. It's the second book in series. We finished the first a while ago, but I wasn't sure if I really liked it. It took a while for me to accept the story line, because it just seemed weird and didn't fit right. I think I kind of like it now (partially because the second book is almost completely set in Paris), but the author's style drives me crazy sometimes! I'm the type of writer who hates overusing words. (In novel, press release and paper writing, not blogging. I reuse words all the time in blogging. Blogging should be more of a conversation, not a read...) For example, "gossamer" is a wonderful word, but it should not be used three times on the same page. There are also phrases and descriptions that are SOOO overused in society that they should almost never be included in a novel. They've become almost cliche. Those who consider themselves authors should delete these overly used descriptions from their writing styles, because the phrases have been utilized to death and they do NOT sound clever anymore.

That being said, I probably still use some in my writing. I'm trying desperately to rid them from my works.

Today while I was walking from class to work, I was swept up in a crazed, bubbly, get-out-of-my-way-or-be-trampled wave of women. Hooray for Women's Conference! They weren't hostile at all, but I was afraid that if I didn't keep up with their quick pace they would trample me. The worst part was, I looked like I was part of the crowd. The wave I got caught in was headed toward the Fieldhouse, which was exactly where I was heading. I tried to look cool and nonchalant about everything, hoping that anyone watching would see that obviously I wasn't part of the Women's Conference crowd because I was walking at a leisurely pace, wasn't surrounded by chattering friends or family and wasn't wearing an enormous, orange and white name tag. (Note: I believe that Women's Conference is a wonderful event where women can go to be spiritually inspired. However, the way everyone acts when rushing to hear John Bytheway is kind of hilarious and a little ridiculous.) I was so relieved when I finally passed the doors everyone else was going in and slipped into the office! When I went to leave, I was planning on heading out the back door as usual, but Jenny said, "I don't know if you want to go out that way..." I opened the door to see a swarm of women covering the track and quickly shut it again. "Not going that way!" I said and went through the front door where I only had to squeeze through a long line of women instead of a swarm.

A year ago today, I walked the streets of Paris for the first time... Sorry, I talk a lot about Paris, but this week has made me especially nostalgic. It doesn't seem like it's been a year already. I remember trying hard not to cry my entire flight there. I was too numb from lack of sleep and jet lag to feel anything when we first arrived. If only I could have seen ahead... Those first couple of weeks wouldn't have been so emotionally insane. :) But now it's all over, Jeff and I are married and I wish I were back sitting in the Jardin Luxembourg by the pond amidst the trees and queen statues.

I decided I'm going to enjoy my last class of college ever. It's a global communications class. The teacher seems nice and he's pretty funny too. He's one of the younger, tech-savvy communications teachers, so we watch YouTube videos all the time. And my schedule is awesome, because I have class in the morning, I go to work for a couple hours, and then I go home for lunch. :) Then I can do whatever I need to the rest of the day.

Well, I should probably get going on my many projects and find time to do dishes and get lunch and clean up and do my school reading. I've already spent too much time rambling. :)