Sunday, November 28, 2010

Salsa Teaching Lessons

Oh, no no no.... not salsa as in dancing.

(Though how fun! I think I'll learn sometime.)

Salsa as in the food.

The stuff you put on eggs, nachos, etc. That stuff.

Well, today it taught me a lesson (Count on me to find lessons from my food. *eye roll* Remember how I love food? Yes, I remember that).

There I am, preparing to go to church, eating my eggs I had made in a rush, and I look down. "Wow. These eggs are a little bland." I say (in my head). But I even had cheese on top! However, I was sick of the same old thing. Of late it seems I've been eating lots of eggs flavored with cheese. Regular, plain-old cheddar cheese.

So then (in my head) I say, "Hey. Maybe some salsa would be good with this?"

Here's the thing though - I don't really like salsa (Or do I? Read on). I usually find that when I add salsa to a dish, it takes away more than it actually adds - it overpowers. So when I have nachos or something that typically has salsa on it, I... don't. I just don't.

But here I am thinking about putting salsa - a food I "don't" like - on my eggs.


So I did it.


And you know what? I really liked it. Those eggs were good.

And that salsa taught me a lesson:

People always tell you to try new things. Try this new food. This new sport. This new style. Just do it. It's healthy, right? You'll never know unless you try.

"You cannot discover new oceans unless you have the courage to lose sight of the shore."
I agree with all of that above.

But,

What about trying old things?

What about tasting that food you thought you hated? Salsa? I had convinced myself I didn't like it, but today I discovered I actually did. It was all just in my head (literally). Because that salsa made those eggs really really good.

We get into this comfort zone about life. I'll be honest - I really like my comfort zone. I like going to Cafe Rio and always getting the pork burrito or pork salad. I like going to Maggie Moos and getting Pistachio and Black Cherry mixed. I like wearing a boring white v-neck with jeans. I like hanging out with my best friends.

But sometimes, you have to try things you think you don't like.

Sometimes
, you have to be willing to do things that might seem repulsing to you. That you really don't like. What if I hadn't taken the risk and poured that salsa on my eggs? Then I'd be writing a post about how I don't like salsa.

And doesn't that sound boring?

I once read somewhere that you have to try something ten times to develop a taste for it.

That possibly means nine times where (in your head) you're saying, "This tastes disgusting."

So go out there and try that thing you don't really like. Develop a taste for the old hatreds. Maybe you're right there at number nine.

All it's going to take is one more try and there you go - you've found a new love.


...Welcome to the comfort zone, Salsa.




Sincerely,
Anna Elizabeth

Saturday, November 27, 2010

for these things we give thanks

This week...

...is the week of being thankful.
(Although, every week should be a week of giving thanks, don't you think? We just pay particular attention to the things we're thankful for on the fourth Thursday of November. And everyone enjoys a little [or a lot] of turkey.)

What am I thankful for? Well. Many things.

Comfy couchs. iPods. Toothpaste. Pretty pictures of my friends. My friends themselves. William Shakespeare. (Ok. Think about that one for a minute. Shakespeare is...Shakespeare, which already constitutes gratitude, but he also came up with a bunch of fun everyday expressions that everybody uses: "Method to my madness", "in a pickle"...yep. Grateful for Shakespeare.) Balloons. Umbrellas. (they keep us dry+they're cute.) Cameras. Hot tubs. Family. Toy Story. Texting. Pancakes. Christmas lights. Kung Fu Panda. Swing Dancing. Legos. Disneyland. My legs. Spiral staircases. Tennis shoes. Indoor plumbing. My English teacher. Simplified sheet music. Vintage things. Sewing machines. Trampolines. Sleeping bags. Orange Sherbet. Haircuts. Mapquest. Clouds shaped like animals.

Have you thought of those everyday things? We all think of the big things; my family and their support. My health, my food, my house. But what about those small things that make you happy? That movie that always makes you laugh, or that flavor of ice cream that you love. Remember those things, too. What are YOU thankful for?

With love,
Caroline Grace

Monday, November 22, 2010

Greetings

Hello, it's me.

Anna Elizabeth.

I suppose I could tell you some deep meaningful things about me, but if you want that, head over to my personal bio (this should be coming later, sorry). As for now, let me tell you some seemingly meaningless things about me. Perhaps you'll get to know me better for it.

1- As I type this, I am wearing my Dad's sweater. It is large and navy blue and much too big for me. It is comfortable, though, and I wore it on a whim today - such a good decision on my part.
2- I'm also wearing a Prefect badge, because, yes, I have one.
3- I'm sitting next to the fire, one of my favorite places in my house. It is warm and cozy and makes me happy.
4- I'm not a big fan of Parmesan cheese on pastas. Don't know why, but I'm just... not.
5- I've always secretly wanted to be in percussion or drum line.
6- My left sock currently has a hole where the big toe goes. It's quite uncomfortable.
7- I'm double jointed in my thumbs. I feel kind of cool about this.
8- Today in Health, I learned I am an "Emotional Eater" This means I eat depending on how my emotions are. For example, if I'm in a terribly mood, I might turn to chocolate ice cream for comfort. But, I'm also largely a "Hyper...responsive" ...I think it is? Basically, I have really bad eating habits.
9- I LOVE FOOD.
10- I secretly paint. Not many people know this about me, but it's true. I love it.
11- I'm an avid doodler.
12- I can fake a pretty good British accent. One time, I did it for a whole week at a Leadership Camp. It was awesome. Now all the people on Lehi's Student Council think I'm British.
13- I still play make believe. You may think I'm kidding, but I'm not. My cousin and I play this game called "Lewis City". It's make believe for grown ups, and it's fun.

And now, I feel I should say something incredibly inspirational. However, I can't really think of any good Ghandi quotes off the top of my head, so I'll just leave you with this:

I hope you're having a lovely day.

Truly, I do. I hope today, stressful and busy as it might have been, was rewarding. I hope you did something that was meaningful. Maybe you served another human. Smiled at a cute boy/girl? Complimented someone. Scored really well on that test you've been studying so hard for.

Put a smile on that face of yours. Whether you think so or not, I'm sure you did something great today.


Much love,
Anna Elizabeth

Saturday, November 20, 2010

The Bouquet

Someday, a boy will give me flowers.

I just know it.

And then, I will pick one out of the bouquet and I will hold it up to his nose and say "Smell it, you handsome fool!" The conversation will go something like this:

HANDSOME FOOL: Here are some flowers, my darling.
ME: My dear, they're so beautiful! Did you buy these for me?
HANDSOME FOOL: BUY them?! *scoff* I picked these for you in a meadow, my love.
ME: (pulling one out of the bouquet) Smell it, you handsome fool!
HANDSOME FOOL: *sniff* Oh, how magical. You like them then?
ME: Oh yes, I do! I do! I love them.
(we hug)
ME (continued): *nervous, this is the first time I've said it to him* ...Aaand... I love you.
HANDSOME FOOL: Anna Elizabeth Lewis, I've loved you from the moment I met you.
(it promptly begins to rain and we kiss)

The end.

It will look something like this:


Much love,
Anna Elizabeth

Friday, November 19, 2010

the first of many

Welcome, lovely reader.


I'm Caroline,


and I'm Anna.
Today is truly a lovely day,
especially since you decided to read this.


We're ever so glad you stopped by,
and hope you'll come back often.


We are two girls who enjoy blogging,
as well as life. We enjoy it quite a lot.


We sing, we dance, we laugh,
and we make wishes and mistakes.
We dream dreams and appreciate
brightly colored balloons.


We like friends,
we like family,
we like church.
We relish in happy thoughts and
spontaneous adventures,


and we like you,
for reading these adventures.
We hope to inspire,
and to bring a smile to that lovely face of your's.


We know adventure is out there, so join us in our quest for it,
be it simple, fantastic, comedic, or somber.
Take your balloon and
hold on for dear life; grab your scarf
and goggles. Let's fly!


With love,


Caroline Grace
Anna Elizabeth