You Guessed It...

Let's hope I can be a better student than I was last year. Wish me luck, I'll need it.

World Record

I think Mark and I set a world record for "Number of Weddings Attended" yesterday. At least if there is a record, I'm sure we shattered it. We went to two weddings yesterday. Aren't you astounded?

Okay, maybe it's not that many, but it sure seemed like it. My cousin, Brittney, got married in the Logan temple yesterday at 10 am. We were invited to the ceremony, which was so nice. It was the first temple ceremony that I've got to witness other than my own. It was special to watch. 

After that, we headed down to the wedding breakfast at the Bluebird. We couldn't stay too long, because we had to jet down to Salt Lake for Mark's cousin's wedding.  So we crammed in Mark's parents van with his parents and grandparents. Her wedding was at Snowbird up Little Cottonwood Canyon. We arrived just in time for the ceremony at five. It was out on a terrace of Cliff Lodge. I'd never been to Snowbird before, so it was actually pretty cool. The canyon was gorgeous. 

We went to the ceremony, followed shortly thereafter by hors d'oeuvres and drinks in the Eagle's Nest. Someone passed us a "free drink" card, and I used mine to get a Coke. One of the hors d'oeuvres was guacamole, and let me tell you, it was outta this world! You know me and my obsession with guacamole. That just might have been the best part about the whole night.
 

Here's me licking my bowl of guacamole clean.
Okay, that's really not me, as evidenced by the nose ring. But seriously, I would have licked it clean if I wasn't at a formal wedding surrounded by strangers--and in-laws.





I've never been to an actual "reception" (nice dinner, expensive drinks, embarrassing speeches, and awkward drunken dancing) before, so it was so fun to be a part of it. However, the people that were drinking seemed to be having a little more fun. Odd, I know! 

Out of all the times that I've forgotten to take my camera, I really regret this one. The reception was pretty and different than what I was used to. I would really love to share some actual pictures, but sadly I have none. Another thing to work on. As usual, enjoy some mediocre pictures that I could scrounge up from the internet. 

These aren't pictures of the actual wedding, but I guess they'll have to suffice. They are in the exact same place anyways. With all the driving, crowds of people, weddings, and I do's, at the end of the day I ended up with a smashing headache. I'm pretty sure this is how I looked and felt at the end of the night. 

Who knew that breaking world records could be so exhausting?

Strawberry Cupcakes

I got a little daring (or shall I say, outta control) with my baking this week. A friend of mine and Mark's had a birthday on Thursday, so I made him strawberry cupcakes from the book Joy of Vegan Baking by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau. I think the best part about being vegan is being able to eat your cake, too! The recipes are always so easy and I don't think twice about licking the bowl. (Well, maybe about the extra calories but not about getting salmonella.) 

Anyway, I made a double batch and passed them around at work. As usual, I was all self conscious and I didn't know if anyone would like them. (The word vegan seems to scare people a little) But surprisingly, after everyone had scarfed them down and they found out they weren't made with dairy or eggs, they were impressed! I have to hand it to Colleen for having such a good recipe. It seems to help with me convincing people that vegan food can be delicious.

Mark thought they were so good that he demanded another batch, so I made three batches of strawberry cupcakes this week. It's a good thing that I haven't started school yet and I have plenty of time on my hands! 

As always, for your viewing pleasure, I have included a picture that I have stolen off the internet. I am always too lazy or forget to take pictures of my final product. I'll work on that. 

You'll have to briefly use your imagination here: my cupcakes had white "buttercream" frosting and I had strawberry slices instead of a whole strawberry per cupcake. (I'm cheap, what can I say). Oh, and I'm pretty sure these look tons better than mine, and there's no way I could ever take this delicious looking of a picture. 

Strawberry cupcakes : a success! 

Guess what?

I'm going!

Free Trip to Europe?

I've been holding it in for a few days, but I can't take it any longer. I just might get a free trip to Europe!
I know, you're dying to know how. Well, my sister works for a benefits company in Salt Lake, and if they meet certain goals every year then their boss takes them on a cruise. They make their goals every year, and so far Christina has been a few times to Mexico and the Caribbean. But in January, their company is going to the Mediterranean!
And her boss, the jewel that he is, is paying for her flight and cruise and a guest's flight and cruise. Well, up to $900 dollars of the flight, but in January the prices are so low that they are a little over 900 dollars.
I'm not certain I can go yet, but if I do, the only things that I would have to pay for is the rest of my flight (pocket change in comparison), tips, and spending money. Now that's what I call traveling on a college budget!

The ship sails out of Barcelona, stops at a few other places in Spain, stops at Morocco, Portugal (I think) and the Canary Islands. I'm so excited that it is almost surreal. I've been to Europe before, but it certainly wasn't free! 

I've included a few pictures of the stops on the cruise. I'm keeping my fingers crossed and I hope that I can go! 

The Laughing Baby

This has been my latest fave on YouTube. You might have seen it already because it's pretty popular, but I can't get enough of it! This clip should come with a 100% guarantee to make you smile, because it works every time. 

A Letter to a Roommate

Dear Mr. Hobo,

I realize that it may be pretty hard to find a place to rest your weary legs. However, Mark and I would like you to know that you are not welcome in our home.

Please don't take it personal. We would love to make you kindly welcome, but there have been a few things that have been bothering us. I, personally, was not a big fan of the time when I saw your long legs wrapped around the edge of my bathroom door at one in the morning. We might be pretty bad insomniacs, but I think you have us beat.

And I know that Mark doesn't like it when you suddenly appear out of nowhere (you play these magic tricks all the time). We're just not big fans of the theatrics. Mark especially hates it when you try to climb his foot when he's about to chomp on his cereal in the morning. Scaring someone when they're about to eat is bad manners, you know. 

Lastly, I'm pretty sure that our landlords will not like it when they see a third roommate in this tiny, cramped apartment. Especially not one that has a pretty nasty bite.

Regards, 

Candice