Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Bruschetta Chicken

So Justin and I are trying to use up the food we already have before we go and by groceries again. We figure that this is a good way to save on money, and not be wasteful! Plus, who doesn't have that can of spagettie sauces that has just been setting in the back of the pantry for months and months? Time to pull it all out!

Sooo... we had a lot of frozen chicken, a ton a spices I don't think we have even ever opened, and some left over mozzarella cheese! So I drizzled a little olive oil over the chicken, put it on a cookie sheet and baked it at 300 for about twent to thirty minutes. Meanwhile I cut up a tomatoe and some mozzarella, and pulled out the back pepper and garlic powder. After the chicken had cooked for 20 minutes, I pulled it out, turned it, and then put the cheeze, then tomatoes on top, them sprinked it all with some garlic powder and black pepper! Cooked it for about 15 more minutes, and vwala! yumminess!  

You could also sub in some of that left over spagettie sauce though for the tomatoes if you don't like tomatoes. Justin actually really doesn't like tomatoes, but I told him he could just tough it out since I love them! I'm such a kind caring wife. :)

Friday, June 25, 2010

New Design!

So out of things to do at work, I was forced to update my blog template this afternoon! I wanted something semi transparent, and this one the one I liked best. Weird skulls things though. Must say something about our society and our fascination with death. As a social scientist I'm sure I could try and read far more into that than necessary.

I've been kind of obsessed with spanish music lately, Julieta Venegas is probably got to be one of my favorites, but I really do love 'Tengo la camisa negra' by Juanes too. Mmmmm sweet loveliness.Probably due to the fact that spring and summer language classes are so intense, you get much more immersed into the language than in any other regular semester, but I'm really loving it. There is something lovely about being able to communicate in another language, not that I can yet mind you. Give me time. I have been struggling though to decide if I really want to take the summer term classes though. I'm signed up for Spanish and advanced writing, and I think the advanced writing class is seriously giving me an ulcer, but if I don't take it now, I don't think I will be able to take any more spanish.....decisions decisions.

Well this was a darling little rant of nothingness. I hope the world is well today!

Friday, April 9, 2010

something old.....

Mmmmmm. Sometimes the old classics are still just the best. We've been having a shout out here at work to old music today. Enjoyed some Luis, Ella, Doris, Debbie, Barbra, Gene, Judy........ mmmm mmm mmm.

And didn't they just dress the best?!? Yes please! Whatever happened to drop waist dresses and three piece suits?!?

I'm going to have to try some singing in the rain inspired dressing. :) After I make Justin watch the movie with me this weekend of course!

Ta ta for no!

Thursday, March 4, 2010

Rant: Life is great, the sky is blue, and people are silly!

What is on my mind? facebook asks... well let me tell you.
The class lecture I just got out of is on my mind. I've heard it again and again and again and again.......

Love is not enough of a reason to get married.

There are many people who you could fall totally, completely in love with, whom you should never marry! And really, if you really want to, you can fall in love with almost anyone by spending enough time with them and getting to know them. I'm not saying that ideal, but often it would be better than marring someone who you "love" who isn't good for you. Too bad our world doesn't see it that way.

These are the questions you HAVE to ask yourself when you are getting married....

Do you treat him/her well?
Does he/she treat you well?
Does he/she make you a BETTER PERSON/HUMAN BEING?!?!?!

(I feel strongly about this, can you tell? :)

I think we oftten have such fase pretenses about love and marriage, only to be shacked when we get married and realize that its not at all like we imagined. Its different, with the potential to be even better, or even worse than we could ever have imagined.

I don't consider myself a pssimist, or even a straight up realist. I consider myslef an optomisitic realist.

Don't expect people to change for you, but as much as you can, make your world what you want it to be.

rant out.

Monday, October 26, 2009

I've been trying to get down to the (bum bum) heart of the matter...

...and I think its about, Forgiveness. Forgiveness. Even if, even if, you don't love me anymore.

Shout out to eighties power ballads. I've found myself singing this song to myself a number of times over the years. Something about power ballads. There seems to be one for every mood and feeling under the sun.

I love what I'm learning. I'm so happy to have found that something that I'm so excited and passionate about, I actually want to do research, and want to get a Masters in it. It is exhausting but enthralling all at the same time. I may not make a lot of money from it, but I have found a new level of happiness and satisfaction in it that I have never felt or believed possible before, even in studying things that would make me filthy rich. This life is so so short. I'd rather have my life full of knowledge, happiness and satisfaction than money. I just hope that Justin can find something that makes him this happy too!

The downside of what I'm learning, is the new vision it has given me of the world. Knowledge is power as they say, and in my case, I'm finding that sometimes I'd almost rather be ignorant. I'm studying human development, human relationships. Familial and marital relationships are especially intriguing to me. I love doing research and learning about what makes relationships work, and what makes them fail. I've discovered a lot. A lot of fascinating, yet sadly accurate things.

For example, parental and peer approval of a relationship is especially significant for women in predicting relationship and marital satisfaction. For boys, peer approval has little influence on future behaviors, but again, has a significant effect on long term relationship satisfaction and devotion.

It breaks my heart. As Don Henley so profoundly put it, "I've been trying to get down to the Heart of the matter but my will gets week And my thoughts seem to scatter"

The heart of the matter:

Love of giving, without receiving anything in return: Good concept, good ambition, but in relationships, only good if both people in the relationship follow it. And if one party in the relationship EXPECTS endless giving, and is use to not having to reciprocate much in return, you have a HUGE problem. When a relationship is new, this is easy to do, but it WILL NOT SUSTAIN a relationship. It is like rowing a canoe from only one side. You won't go anywhere.

The people that love you want you to be happy: They don't want to hurt. They have shown love and unwavering loyalty in innumerable instances, and have earned your trust. It hurts to see their thoughts and good intentions so carelessly cast aside and rejected. It hurts them to see the people they love turn in to parrots instead of strong independent thinkers. It hurts them to see the people they loved treated poorly, or moving forward blindly. The good things in your life should enhance relationships with those individuals, not make them deteriorate. Studies have shown that, statistically, arranged marriages fare better than marriages for "love" and in the end "love" all by itself is a VERY bad reason to get married. Not that love isn't important, but that there need to be more meat, more give to a relationship than just love. Couples that reported having parents and family who approved of their relationship had greater relationship satisfaction and commitment, and lower rates of divorce and separation.

Since the people that love you want you to be happy, you shouldn't have to make excuses: We've all heard them, we all know them know them by heart. Life is hard enough without having to make excuses for someones behavior. Perfection is not expected. It is fine that you or they have problems, but you should not make excuses for problem behavior. Making excuses just shows that you are unable to see a problem for what it really is, which also shows your inability to look at things realistically in their present form and problem solve. This inability to see a problem as a problem and not an excuse can be in and of itself is the biggest problem of all. (These are not the mindless rants of a sad girl by the way, I have research and facts to back up everything I say.)

You should be able to think and decide things for yourself: Anything or person that tells you how to think, feel, and respond to events in your life, or thoughts and feelings you have is OUT OF ORDER. In the feild of family sciences we call it psycological control. True unselfish love should want you to follow your thoughts, ponder on ideas you have, and give you the opportunity to find peace, certainty and discover things for yourself. By not doing so, you are giving your agency away. Instead of trying to allow a Heavenly Father to move and inspire you, you are allowing a third party to dictate everything you do. That is SO WRONG. You should be independently thinking out things for yourself, and INDEPENDENTLY and privately consult those whom Heavenly Father has given stewardship over you. Namely; Heavenly Father Himself, your local religious leader, and YOUR PARENTS.

You need to be in a place to understand your Makers will for you: Now this one is not based on research, just my personal testimony. As a Mormon and a Christian, I truly believe that Heavenly Father wants us to be happy. I believe that he sends us new, personal instruction daily, hourly and even minutely. I've also seen first hand how loud the world is, and how easy it is to allow that small, pure voice to get blocked out by all the other loud voices of the world and the natural man. Failing to really listen, to put ourselves in a position where we can really hear his voice, results in heart break, pain, and inexplicable sadness. He gives us options, and asks us to bring them to him, to honestly ponder and pray about them. Blatant disregard for this pattern, and the paths He has laid out for us is like throwing the happiness he offers us in his face. A blatant disregard for his will and plan for us. He loves us, and wants us to be happy. If we want to be happy, we need to trust Him, and be honest with Him and ourselves.

He also has set forth a time and a place for all things. The beautiful covenant made when a man and woman marry are what make the spiritual things we do as a couple effective. Often, when this covenant is not present, when the proper order of things is not observed, we can mistake the feelings of the spirit for validation for things we shouldn't be doing. It is easy to get confused into thinking that since we are doing something good, other things we are doing that are not so good are okay too. Spiritual things before marriage are meant to be performed and sought privately, so that the Lord can speak to us privately, personally. Otherwise, as I've said, it becomes too difficult to differentiate between the spirit and our own intense emotions.

My heart is so sad. I have prayed and pleaded for peace and happiness, I want it so so badly. I want to support with my whole heart. I once met a man, who the very first time I met, I thought, "Wow. This man could be a leader of legions someday if he plays his cards right." I met a man who could inspire others to greater heights and bring out in them the very best and most they had to offer. I met one of the very best men I have ever met. i miss and am sad for him. But I still think he can be. I'm not praying for a change of situation, just the right situation. just changed eyes, deeper understanding, and a changed, more honest view of things. For greater trust and truer friendships, and a greater willingness to value more, appreciate better, listen better, and be better

Monday, June 15, 2009

I finally got a new phone! YAY! well "new" is a relative term, because it has actually had at least two previous owners that we know of, but that's just fine with me, it works great!

Turned 22 last week. Don't feel much different, but I'll keep you posted. We had some friends over for dessert and played some games on sunday night, so it was all good fun. Finished up the spring opera too this weekend. It was great, I think it couldn't have come together any better.

Highlite of the weekend though was the (insert drumroll here) behind curtain number three is........ a NEW VACUMME! (Wooo! Yee Ha! Hazah!) Yes, Justin got me a new vacumme for my birthday, and I think I'm in love. tay said it was the most reasonable gift she ever heard me ask for.

Well there you go. Not only am I a year older, but a year resonable..er too. :) How very nice.

Thursday, June 11, 2009

its always sunny on sunny

ok, so my name isn't sunny. The story is a bit fuzzy by now, but how it plays in my memory is when i was a freshman in college, my older sister, (or maybe it is some one else, i can't remember) thought it would be great fun to change my preferred name to Sunny, so all throughout my upper division scholastic career, I have been know as Sunny Perkins. I've finally learned how i can change my preferred name back to Heather, but by now its too late. Its stuck. Every time a teacher gets to know me, they tell me, your name suits you Sunny, to which I laugh and nod.

I've been very resistent to start a blog, cause i've always though, well really come on, what do i have to talk about? Ate fries with fry sauce today, sang a song, and took a test. woot woot. but at last i've caved. life is beautiful and ugly all at the same time, but i love it. and if anyone care to listen, i'll happily share it with you.

so the last thing to share is this list I made today. This is a list of things I would like to do. If anyone knows how to make them happen, I am happy to listen.

its always sunny on Sunny. :)


Things I would like to do:

Go Hiking

Go rock climbing

Go camping

Go to the zoo

Go to an aquarium

Learn Spanish

Taking a cooking class

Take an art class

Journal more

Travel to new places

Travel to old place

Go swimming

Maybe take a swimming class first though

Read books about the world that aren’t class related

Write letters

Play tennis

Go biking

Maybe I should get a bike first

Learn how to do a back flip

Spend more time doing things for other people

Make new friends

Keep old friends