What?!

Last week I had a great job interview.  After interviewing with one guy, the rest of the team came in.  I had applied online and each of the team members had printed off my resume and my application.  After introducing themselves, one guy handed me the online application I had filled out and said, "Why don't you look over your answers to these questions.  Sometimes the computer changes answers somehow."  I took the papers and looked through the answers, which were basic application things like name, address, education, former work experience.  Everything was correct until I got to this question:

Have you ever been convicted of a crime?   Y   N
If yes, please explain below:

It was marked yes!  I was almost laughing when I said, "Uh, I've never been convicted of anything."  The guy looked relieved and  said,  "We were wondering about that, especially because you hadn't explained.  We didn't how to bring it up."  Ha! I don't know whether I mismarked it online or whether it really did get changed somehow.  Anyway, they kindly offered to let HR know of that change in my application.

Trip to Wisconsin

Since we didn't get to spend either Christmas or Thanksgiving with my family, we took a trip out to Wisconsin last week.  It was kind of nice to travel when it wasn't so busy and plane tickets were half as much.  Here are some of the highlights of the trip.


Going to the cheese factory and store

Visiting Ben and Shannon and Macey
Introducing Brian to the Scoresby family slides, with some of Dad's mission slides added in.  Mom wanted to get out her mission slides, too, but didn't.  Somewhere around 1994 Brian fell asleep.
Visiting Emily, Preston, Lauren, Joanna, and Ben
Having a pool party at the Fairfield Inn and Suites (where we had a free night stay in a presidential executive suite)
Going to the Mall of America

Riding the SpongeBob ride in the MoA

Going to Gander Mountain and Fleet Farm
Playing Wii
Cross-country skiing

Snowblowing/shoveling the driveway three times


We had a lot of fun, and we appreciate Mom and Dad for hosting us.

Wisconsin

Here is a teaser from our trip to Wisconsin.  There will be more to come later.

Potato Cheese Soup

We've been having soup more often since it has been pretty chilly in Utah lately.  I have also been on a potato kick recently since they are cheap and filling.  Two pound blocks of cheddar cheese were on sale for $4 a couple weeks ago.  As a result of all those factors, we had this delicious soup for dinner on Sunday.  Not only was it extremely tasty, but it was quite pretty as well.  It is very rich and filling, and I could only eat a small bowl and a piece of bread, but Brian was able to finish two big bowls.  I modified the recipe, so this is my version.  The original recipe includes celery and normal salt.  I omitted the celery and used celery salt to get a little celery flavor.  It ended being celery-y enough for my tastes.  It also calls for swiss cheese and vegetable broth, but cheddar and chicken are what we had, and the results were delicious.

Potato  Cheese Soup

4 potatoes, peeled and quartered,
1 small carrots, finely chopped
1 medium onion, minced
1 1/2 c chicken broth
1 t celery salt
2 1/2 c milk
3 T butter, melted
3 T flour
1 T dried parsley
1/2 t ground pepper
1+ c shredded cheese

In large pan, bring potatoes, carrots, onion, broth, and celery salt to a boil.  Reduce heat, cover, and simmer until potatoes are just tender.  Mash mixture slightly.  Stir in milk.  In small bowl, blend butter, flour parsley, and pepper; stir into potato mixture.  Cook and stir over medium heat until thick and bubbly.  Remove from heat;  add cheese and stir until cheese is almost melted.  Let soup stand for 5 minutes.  Serves 6.

A New Year

Warning:  This is not a funny post.

I've never found New Year to be a very exciting holiday, yet it is becoming one of my favorites.  The actual celebration isn't what I like.  I remember having a lot of appetizer-like foods such as crackers, cheese, chips, pizza rolls, crab rangoons, and shrimp when I was a kid, but since I'm too cheap to buy food like that, we celebrated by drinking hot chocolate this year.  We didn't do the Hokey Pokey or the Bunny Hop, and we didn't set off fireworks.  Instead we watched Minute to Win It and some singers with outrageous hair styles at Times Square.  The reason I like the New Year holiday is that it is a chance to reflect on the past year and look forward to the year to come.  I like the saying, "may this year be better than the last."  No matter what the past, everyone can be hopeful that the next year will be better.  Some things happen that are out of our hands, but in some ways, we can shape the future.  Instead of making resolutions that I will break in a week,  I like to really look at things I want to do (or stop doing) to make me a better person.  I really like the New Year hymns in the hymn book (although we didn't sing them this year).  The first verse of Come, Let Us Anew says,

Come, let us anew our journey pursue,
Roll round with the year,
And never stand still till the Master appear. 
His adorable will let us gladly fulfill, 
And our talents improve
By the patience of hope and the labor of love,
By the patience of hope and the labor of love.

I also like Ring Out, Wild Bells, by Tennyson.  In the LDS hymnbook, only three of the stanzas are set to music, but the entire poem is great.  The poem describes better than I can in prose, the hopes of a new year.

Ring out, wild bells, to the wild sky,

The flying cloud, the frosty light;

The year is dying in the night;

Ring out, wild bells, and let him die.

Ring out the old, ring in the new,

Ring, happy bells, across the snow:

The year is going, let him go;

Ring out the false, ring in the true.

Ring out the grief that saps the mind,

For those that here we see no more,

Ring out the feud of rich and poor,

Ring in redress to all mankind.

Ring out a slowly dying cause,

And ancient forms of party strife;

Ring in the nobler modes of life,

With sweeter manners, purer laws.

Ring out the want, the care, the sin,

The faithless coldness of the times;

Ring out, ring out thy mournful rhymes,

But ring the fuller minstrel in.

Ring out false pride in place and blood,

The civic slander and the spite;

Ring in the love of truth and right,

Ring in the common love of good.

Ring out old shapes of foul disease,

Ring out the narrowing lust of gold;

Ring out the thousand wars of old,

Ring in the thousand years of peace.

Ring in the valiant man and free,

The larger heart, the kindlier hand;

Ring out the darkness of the land,

Ring in the Christ that is to be.

 

We wish you all a happy and hopeful new year.