Happy Birthday Goni!!!

Rexburg Happiness

Two theories:

1. This is a very, very mild winter and we are very blessed.

2. I was so frightened before I came here, people were saying things like:

"It feels like your face is going to fall off"

or

"Your nostril hairs will freeze"

or

"The wind makes you wish you were dead"

or

"No, no, no, you don't even understand how cold it is. I mean, really"

or

"You're going to have to wear three thick jackets, two layers of pants with long-johns underneath, four pairs of socks with heavy fur boots, a scarf for your neck, a scarf for your face, a good, strong hat, earmuffs, and a hood"

I think I was so scared, and so many people said so many things like this that it has just turned out to be a bit better than what I was expecting.

I'm guessing it's the first theory, because people were pretty serious.

Don't get me wrong... it's pretty nice and freezing, but it's not as bad as I thought it was going to be.

Last week it got down to -25 degrees, last week was probably the worst. This week is supposed to be grand... it's supposed to get above freezing!! Fantastic! The lows are still supposed to be in the teens, but that's okay!!

I'm staying nice and warm with my nifty hat. No worries :)

This was before devotional. I was uber warm and cozy!!

We had Elder Christofferson visit us and speak! It was fantastic.

That post will be coming shortly.

(Sorry for the Myspace-esque pictures.

Kind of conceded, I know.)

This is how not to stay warm.

Oh, and only nine weeks until this semester is done.

Don't get me wrong. School is going great.

But I am super looking forward to the summer :)

Mmm... Taters

Ok... if any of you are like me and had never had nor heard about tater-tot casserole, then this post is for you! If you have had it, then I guess you can just completely disregard this. Sara and Kayla had both had it before, I guess I'm just lame.

Mmm mmm mmm. It is delish. My mom gave me a recipe for it forever ago and I didn't try it until tonight. It is super easy and yummy. Oh, and I'm pretty sure it will clog your arteries quite nicely.

Ingredients:

2 lbs. ground turkey cooked, seasoned, drained (I just used beef)

3 two-pound bags tater tots

2 cans cream of mushroom soup

2 cans evaporated milk

2 cans cream of chicken soup

Directions:

Brown meat and place in large casserole dish. Cover with tater tots. Mix soups and milk together. Pour over top. Bake at 350 degrees for one hour.

I halved the recipe. And it actually turns out I quartered the amount of tater-tots (didn't mean to do that, but it was still bien).The three of us got super full from half of what I made. Sara says it is her new comfort food and I have to make it for her whenever she is sick. I had some corn on the side, and it's super good mixed in. :)

Later days.

First Step: Tolerance

My Developing World teacher brought this article to our attention a while ago. It's a "This I Believe" article. Pretty interesting. I really like his closing remarks, I think everyone can learn a bit from it... I know I sure can.

You can find the full article here.

"I have long believed that it is unnecessary to understand others, individuals, or nationalities; one must, at the very least, simply tolerate others. Tolerance can lead to respect and, finally, to love. No one can ever really understand anyone else, but you can love them or at least accept them.

Like Tom Paine, I am a world citizen. All human history is mine. My roots cover the earth.

I believe we should know each other. After all, our lives are all connected."

Your Bday Song

You need to check out this website.

Put in your birthday and it will tell you what song was number 1 on the billboards on your birthday! Isn't that exciting?? Mine was "Girl, I'm Gonna Miss you" by Milli Vanilli. Special, huh?