Merry…Fall?

Last Christmas Nathan jumped on the whole experience gift train and gifted Kevin, Malia, and I with a trip to Color Me Mine. He went back to school after Christmas break and was out of town with friends for his spring break. Once his semester was over, we were neck deep in getting a missionary out the door and planning a wedding. About five minutes after the wedding, school started again. And so, though it had not been the intention, we found the calendar rapidly creeping towards Christmas once again and had yet to redeem last Christmas’ gift. Nathan only had one day for fall break this year, but he didn’t have any plans, so he drove down and helped us make applesauce last Friday. And on Saturday, we finally made it to Color Me Mine!

As it is fall, the Halloween and Christmas pieces are in stock, so Kevin and I opted for something Halloweeny. Kevin chose a sorcerer’s hat, and I painted a cute jack-o-lantern. Nathan opted for a super cute dinosaur mug, and Malia selected a roller skate. Apparently, Benson Boone has a music video in which he roller blades (I only know this because Google tells me so) and so her selection was in honor of her recent attendance at his American Heart Tour concert. She painted her skate red, white and blue, and paid a bit of homage to Boone by adding his initials to the back. It was super fun to sit for an afternoon and create a little something fun.

Once we finished painting, we headed over to Tsunami for dinner. We haven’t been since before Matthew left on his mission and we were all missing it a bit. And the funny thing is, all his allergy info is linked to Kevin’s account so even though Matthew was not there and we had a server we have never worked with before, she came to the table and immediately began to address the allergy needs. Which is why we love the staff at Tsunami! They are super fantastic! And another of the servers that we have worked with multiple times, asked where Matthew was and how he is doing. 😊

For those who have never been, ceramics painted at Color Me Mine get glazed and fired before you take them home, so there is a bit of a wait. Ours was actually a pretty quick one as our things were ready today, four or five days ahead of schedule. They all came out looking great! And it makes me want to go back soon and choose something Christmasy…

If I Only Had a Brain

Most of the time my creative food endeavors turn out pretty well. But once in a while the results are a bit lackluster and today was one of those days. I’m taking full advantage of the opportunity to make all the dairy-ful desserts I can while Matthew is not here, so today was a no bake mini cheesecake kind of a day. And the Halloweeny twist was supposed to be a bloody brain resting oh so casually on top. But for some reason my brains did not turn out like the recipe said they would. Not only did they not set up in the predicted 1-2 hours, it took a full 24 hours in the freezer for me to be able to even pop them out of the molds. And even then, they did not have the definition of the ones in the picture that accompanied the recipe. But they were far and away better than the 1–2-hour brains. Those ones looked just like a brain would post zombie attack. But the blood portion looked better when it was fresher and not so great later on. Although to be honest, the effect was middling at any time. I’ve made far more convincing edible blood on other occasions. So, I guess it was kind of a no-win situation.

Nevertheless, they tasted delightful. Lemon cheesecake topped with raspberry sauce is always a winner. And next week’s treat has a higher probability of being more aesthetically pleasing, so hopefully I won’t come away feeling a bit disgruntled like I am today. But despite the letdown of a less than stellar visual impact, cheesecake cures many ills. Which means that mediocre jelly blood aside, we all enjoyed sampling this evening’s treat.

2 hour brain

24 hour brain

This is What We Did This Weekend

The Mustache is In the Building!

Benson Boone is a current rising star in pop music. He has ties to Utah, makes it his home right now, and as such has a huge following here. He is wildly popular all over the world just now, but he is especially beloved in our neck of the woods. Malia discovered his music last year just as he was breaking into the big time and has been a fan ever since. He had several concerts here last year, and although Malia really wanted to go, we weren’t able to get tickets. So, when Boone announced his latest concert tour, tickets to the show were the prize to be won. And let me tell you, it feels like we won a prize by actually getting tickets. Let me explain why.

As previously mentioned, Malia missed out on two Boone concerts last year. She really, really wanted to get to one and she hadn’t asked for anything else all year, so Kevin and I felt like it was really important to make this experience happen for her. We told her that was the plan, and she was completely fine with it being her birthday present. I signed up for the Benson Boone email list and everything so that I would be able to get tickets during the pre-sale instead of waiting until they went on sale to the general public. At the appointed hour, I was sitting at the computer, all logged in to the appropriate account, with all my payment info saved in advance in order to expedite the purchasing process. And as the clock ticked down to the moment the sale went live, I was ready to go. At least I thought so.

I have purchased tickets for high demand concerts and theater productions in the past. I have experienced the “click it or lose it” situations where you have to commit to a seat quickly, getting your selections into your cart before being given a 5-10 minute window to complete your purchase before the tickets are re-released to other customers. There have been some pretty tense ones, times when it was a bit tricky to get what we wanted in the right price range, needing to juggle between different performance dates and times in order to get them into the cart. With the purchase window counting down in big numbers at the top of the screen, even the shorter of the grace periods could be stressful as I worked to complete the purchase process and seal the deal. 

But none of those other experiences compared in any way to the insanity of attempting to purchase tickets to the Benson Boone concert. Due to his popularity here and what I can only assume is fondness for the area, he added a second show, so I had two nights to pick from. Either date worked for us so it was all about which one we could get tickets to. Like I said, I had saved my payment info in advance to speed up the whole process, but I was completely flabbergasted by how crazy fast the sale went.

Kevin and I had talked about a price point before the sale started so I had an idea of what I was looking for, but within just a few seconds of when the sale started, those cheaper tickets were already gone. These tickets were important enough to Malia that I felt like I needed to do whatever I could to get some for her, so with Kev’s support, I started clicking on anything that was available regardless of price or seating location. But just as quickly as I would click on seats and hit “add to cart,”, the sale was moving faster, and a “those tickets are not available” dialogue box would pop up. So, without pausing to think, I’d click something else with the same result. A couple of times I got tickets in my cart and immediately hit the payment button only to have that aggravating “those tickets are not available” message pop up again. That wonderful 5-minute checkout countdown was not a factor for this sale, and it definitely complicated matters! My frustration with the whole experience was quickly growing as I kept frantically clicking add to cart, attempting to check out, and having no luck. At one point I got a text message from the bank saying that there was suspected fraudulent activity on my card and I had to pause to respond to the message letting them know it was actually me. And let me say that was exactly what I didn’t need at that moment! Luckily that issue was resolved quickly and I was able to turn my focus back to the sale.

Less than 10 minutes after the sale started, both shows were completely sold out. That’s 20,000 seats x 2. And I sat there, certain that I had failed in my quest and had to figure out how to tell my teenager that despite my best efforts, her hopes had been crushed once again. Then I opened my email and discovered that I had not one, but two purchase confirmation emails in my inbox. Somehow, in all the melee, I had managed to complete not just one, but two ticket purchases. I had never gotten a purchase confirmation page, so I honestly did not know I had been successful. I opened each email and discovered that not only were the seats good ones, but they were really good ones. And all the seats were ones that had a VIP package including early entrance into the arena, early access to merchandise sales, and a special VIP merch package. I’ll admit that at that point I actually cried with relief. Not only had I survived the craziest online sale I have ever seen, but I’d successfully acquired amazing tickets. And I knew that Malia was going to be thrilled beyond all measure. 

With the tickets successfully purchased, I called Kevin again to let him know how things had worked out. The price tag was much higher than we had planned, and we discussed what to do with the four tickets, two each in two different locations. Originally, our plan had been to buy three tickets-one for Malia, one for a friend who had already been selected and who was also pinning some grand hopes on our ability to purchase tickets, and a parent. When the cheaper tickets disappeared, I switched to searching for seats in twos knowing that our cost was going to be higher than anticipated. So, we talked about keeping the tickets in the more desirable location and selling the other set. We didn’t make any decisions at that point, which was probably good because when we talked things over with Malia after school that afternoon, she had an emotional breakdown at the thought of not being able to attend with a friend. Yes, I know parents are boring, and yes, I knew she had already been discussing the concert with her friend, and as we had five months to figure out what to do, we decided to think about the whole thing for a bit and decide later how to proceed. 

In the end, we decided to keep the tickets, sending Malia and a friend to the better seats and having Kevin use one of the tickets for the less desirable seats to gain entrance as a chaperone. And it ended up being a good thing we wanted more than two seats, because it turns out that those VIP package tickets are not eligible for resale or transfer of any kind. But that also meant that Malia would end up with more than one special merchandise package. And based on the outcome of the ticket buying experience, Malia was absolutely fine with these tickets being both her birthday and Christmas presents for this year. 

After waiting for months and months, the big day finally arrived. The concert was last night. And Malia was so, so, so excited. We’re talking giggly and giddy and all things teenage girlish. Morgan, her Boone buddy and a friend who lives down the street and whose family we have known since both girls were just babies, was equally hyped up. Those expensive VIP perks meant they were in the door at 6:00 p.m., thirty minutes in advance of all the standard ticket holders. It meant the line to purchase Boone merch (a hoodie, of course) was super short. It meant that the girls came home with a nice tour logo emblazoned tote bag, a compact wallet and Chapstick holder with the tour name printed on it, and a deck of cards with Benson Boone’s abs on the back. And since the show didn’t actually start until 8 p.m. and Benson Boone didn’t come on until 9:15, they had plenty of time for the anticipation to hype them up even more. 

Being in the same building as a favorite celebrity can be a heady thing for a teenager, and in all her excitement, Malia shared one of those fabulously funny comments of hers that I love so much. I laughed when Kevin shared it with our family group chat. As they walked the concourse before they could get into the arena, Malia proclaimed, “Benson Boone is in the building. I can feel the mustache…” 🤣

Kevin tells me that the post-concert giddiness was even more impressive than the pre-concert giddiness. Those two girls just giggled all the way home. And even this morning, Malia was still aglow. She was telling me stories and sharing Boone quotes and showing me videos. This is one of those events that she will remember forever. When she is all grown up and has a daughter of her own, she will tell her about the super exciting time she got to see Benson Boone in concert. And her daughter might tease her just a bit, the same way that Malia makes fun of me for my teenage swooning over New Kids on the Block… 😂

As a side note on this whole crazy experience, having two separate fairly large purchases within just a minute or two on an online ticket selling platform certainly explains the security alert for my credit card that happened mid-sale. And while I was extraordinarily frustrated in the moment, it is nice to know that my bank is doing its job. And FYI-Boone ended up adding a third concert here. Not surprisingly, that one sold out as well. 

Starting the Year Off Strong

Malia has gained a lot of confidence in the past year. She was in concert choir at the middle school last year and while she really enjoyed it, she always looked super nervous during the concerts even though she always said she had fun. She is in concert choir again this year and her first concert was this evening. And guess what? She looked like she was having fun! Malia came out of the concert all hyped up with a well-deserved performance high. The choir has sixty-five members this year, which is great for a middle school, and they all did a great job. I look forward to hearing them sing throughout the remainder of the year!

I’ll Eat You, My Pretty!

The Wizard of Oz is one of my favorites. When I was a kid, I watched the movie every time it was broadcast. Because back in the olden days there were no VCR’s, no DVD or Blu-ray players, and certainly no streaming on demand platforms. Back then we would scour the T.V. listings published in the newspaper each week so we could be parked in front of the T.V. when something good was aired. And so, I learned to love the classic Judy Garlic version of the story.

But then, I discovered the books. And oh, how I fell in love. We were frequent library patrons in those days, still are, and on one of those many visits to the grand repository of the written word, I discovered that the movie I so enjoyed was based on a book, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. And wonder of all wonder, there were thirteen more stories that followed the first! I checked those books out over and over again. If 40 years and some library remodels had not come to pass, I could still get you within a couple of shelves of where that particular series was shelved.

When Kevin and I were newly married, we had many date nights at Borders, a large bookstore that is now, unfortunately, gone. Because we were poor, we rarely bought anything unless it was on the $5 bargain table, but we loved to peruse the shelves looking for new books that caught our fancy. And I always ended up wandering the children’s books section. Not only was I teaching 4th grade at the time, but even as an adult, I’ve always loved children’s books. And so, I would wander, looking for new books that just might interest my class or old favorites from my own childhood. 

On one of those trips, I happened to discover a set of all fourteen of the original Oz books. In all my life, I had never seen the entire series in a store, only the first book. And this set was a reproduction of all the first editions, in hardback. They were beautiful books. I had never owned the Oz books as a child, only checked them out from the library, so that set of books seemed like just about the most perfect series of books ever. But like I said, we were poor. And even back then, hardback books were pricier than paperbacks. But so in love was I with those novels that we crunched our numbers and budgeted for one book a month. Over the course of those first months of marriage, we would make our way to the store and buy the next book in the series, always hoping that they would still be there as the ones we purchased never seemed to be restocked. And then for our first Christmas together, Kevin bought me the remaining five or six books.

I have read those books many times since then. We have read them to our children and some of them have picked them up and read them independently as well. They are still magical stories and still a beautiful set. The movie has been watched frequently in our home and a few years ago we were able to attend a viewing on the big screen. And let me tell you, if you have never seen your favorite classic flicks in the theater, be sure to catch them if you have the change. Seeing things on the big screen is very different. Though you may have memorized the movie through a multitude of viewings, as I have, details that are lost on smaller screens are visible when viewed larger than life and it is magical!

So, with all that for background, you will understand why I selected this year’s inaugural Halloween themed treat. I saw the idea on Pinterest, and it had my name written all over it. It was super simple to create and I suspect it will inspire a viewing of one of my favorite movies. And I think it’s time to revisit the books as well. Life has been a bit trying of late, and a brief escape to a wonderful land where marvelous things happen and the good guys always win sounds like the perfect remedy.  

Live Enlightenment

Having spent the majority of my childhood living in the Salt Lake valley, attending General Conference in person was always an option. In those days there was no ticketing system and as now, there were always more people who wanted to attend than could be accommodated, so you had to be downtown super early to get in line and hope that you could get in. With seven children in the family, hauling all of us downtown might have seemed like a Herculean task to my parents, so even then, we usually watched conference at home. I do remember attending regional or area conferences in the tabernacle occasionally though. In the ensuing years, it seems that the number of people on hand for each conference has grown exponentially, so attending in person, even in the much larger conference center, is a tricky thing. The ticketing system helps mediate that desire and makes it so you don’t have to get in line at 5:00 in the morning, you just have to get tickets and that in and of itself can be tricky. 

Last month, we got a notification that our stake was allotted a small number of tickets for this month’s general conference. Kevin asked our kiddos if they were interested and we got some very enthusiastic responses. Malia has never attended general conference in person and Tawni, who grew up in New Mexico, also fell into the “never done that” category. We ended up with tickets to the Sunday afternoon session, so Daniel, Tawni, and Nathan made their way down from Logan to attend the session. Nathan came down on Friday since he had a mission reunion that evening, and Daniel and Tawni arrived this morning just as I was pulling muffins out of the oven. Because even when headed downtown, our traditional conference breakfast was necessary. And it gave the kids muffins that they could easily eat for lunch before entering the conference center! 

Kevin and I both got our shingles vaccinations in the past couple of days and were not feeling our best (that particular immunization is a doozy) and I’ve had a headache for two full weeks now, so the four kids headed downtown via the train. The boys told me that Tawni was ridiculously excited, and I know Malia was excited too. She was a bit disappointed that she missed conference with Pres. Nelson by a week and was even a bit more disappointed that there were no new temples announced as he usually announced the new ones at the end of the Sunday afternoon session. Despite that, she had a good experience. Tawni also enjoyed the adventure and got to hear one of her mission presidents speak (Elder John D. Amos) which was fun!

This past month has been a bit hard around here, and the spiritual lift that we got from listening to conference was welcome. I’m looking forward to being able to revisit all these talks over the next six months.

Mmmm…Rice!

Matthew loves rice. When he was a toddler, he referred to anything he found tasty as rice. And his appreciation of whatever foodstuffs he was enjoying was expressed as, “Mmmm…rice!” Bread fresh out of the oven and left to cool? “Mmmm…rice!” Sugar cookies nabbed while my back was turned? “Mmmm…rice!” And actual rice? “Mmmm…rice!” So, this is a kid who likes rice. A lot. And this is also a kid who has never cooked rice without a rice cooker. That’s a side effect of our Chinese heritage. I suspect that most people around here view a rice cooker as a handy but nonessential appliance. But in my house, it is an absolute necessity. Daniel went all rogue while he was serving in Oregon and learned to cook rice in a pot, but my other kids are highly dependent on rice cookers. I mean, I can cook rice in a pot too, but why bother when my rice cooker is so much easier and yields fantastic results? And I can set it to run and walk away, even leave the house, which you most definitely cannot do when you are cooking rice on the stove.

Eating at the MTC, where rice was served but was the long grain, Uncle Ben’s type of rice in industrial quantities was a whole new experience for Matthew. And since he consumed the microwaveable sticky rice bowls I shipped to the mission office for his first couple of days in Arkansas, he has not had any more rice. And that was almost two months ago. Needless to say, he has reached the point of having rice withdrawals. So why doesn’t he buy rice, you may ask? Because the area of Fort Smith where he is assigned is so poor that they don’t even have a Walmart. And since he is in Arkansas, the place from whence all Walmarts spring, that is saying something. He told us the nicest store they have is Dollar General. Which means that he can’t find good rice. Because along with our deep dependence on rice cookers, we are also rice snobs. Being raised on medium grain Calrose sticky rice means that the Uncle Bens and the Minute Rices of the world are far, far below our ricey standards. Because let’s face it, not all rice is created equal. Even the cuisine of other cultures that leans heavily on rice (think Mexican food) uses a very different variety of rice. And Calrose rice is nowhere near as cheap as some of the other varieties. Hence Dollar General not carrying it. 

But this is where Amazon is super fantastic because not only can I buy a rice cooker on the cheap, but they will ship it to Arkansas free of charge. And they also sell bags of the right kind of rice, which is even more convenient. So last night was rice night in Fort Smith. And Matthew loves me even extra lots today because 15 pounds of rice should last him for a while. 😉