Kitchen Hands

So these past few weeks I've ventured into the kitchen. At first it was to just wash all of the new dishes and cooking things. Then it was to cook our first few meals (cold cereal, sandwiches, and boxed mac n'cheese). When I finally made it to the grocery store for real food was when the fun began.

When people have asked if I can cook, I always answer yes, and that I enjoy cooking. Which was completely true and still partially is. I know how to watch my beautiful mother cook and be her sous chef. But preparing a meal start to finish all by myself has been quite the challenge. Even planning the meals and getting the grocery list ready has proven more difficult than I ever remembered it being when I 'practiced' all of these types of things back in Young Women days. But I'm learning and getting better with just, what, two weeks of real cooking under my belt. It's actually a fun challenge and it keeps me busy while the job search continues - which is when I Really need to know how to be efficient in the kitchen since I won't have all day to get dinner ready. It is also very gratifying and fulfilling when I make something and Wes likes it and even has seconds :)

I now truly understand two things in life much better - why my mom always wears her apron, and why she never wears her diamond ring in the kitchen. I discovered that I do the exact same thing. Rings just get in the way and are annoying with the constant rinsing off the hands or dealing with messy things. It's much easier to just take them off and put them back on when the meal is all pretty on the table. And the apron - part of my wearing it almost anytime I'm in the kitchen is that my Grandma Nelson made it specially for me, and it's beautiful, and I love it. But I also tend to make messes in the kitchen, and the apron prevents it all from getting on me - who knew? Plus I just like feeling like a cute little wife while wearing my vintage apron, and it reminds me of my mom in the kitchen.

I may not be the cook my mother is, yet, but with the constant phone calls, questions, and practice I hope to be, someday. My hands are beginning to resemble hers, though, with all of the dish washing by hand. And this makes me happy :)

Together

Wes and I have now lived in South Bend for 16 days. Married for 35. We were in California and Mexico for our honeymoon. Drove through Wyoming, Nebraska, Iowa, and Illinois before arriving in Indiana. On the two day drive we saw a lot of nothing, corn fields, rolling hills, farms, and lots of green - match the description to the state in the sentence before ;)

But we made it! we love having a place to call our own. And it is our own - full of our furniture, pictures, and belongings. Not to mention our books. It didn't feel like our home until our books were in their places on our two book shelves. What really makes it home though, is that we're together. Knowing that when we go to sleep at night, we'll wake up right next to each other. together.

...

I wanted to start a blog as a way to stay in touch with all of our friends and family back home in Utah. So many of you want to hear about our adventures, well this is going to be the place to find them. No promises on how frequently I'll write - may depend on my job situation, which right now is still trying to be found - but hopefully posts will come often. Leaving home was hard - it's still hard to be in a place where Everything is different. But it is also good. and I want to share all the good things, and maybe the not so good things, with the people that I love and miss most.

So here's to reading and writing about Wes and I, together.