My Thankful Things

I know you're supposed to post every day, but being more of a pen and paper girl, I have all of my thankful things written in a notebook. Therefore I will be posting them in blocks on here.... It has absolutely nothing to do with me being lazy... Nothing at all..... *cough..*cough... So here is block two of my thankful things:
Day 4: I'm grateful for apple cider. It is divine! I'm also grateful for my dad Timothy Wayne Harris because he is just awesome! I'm especially thankful that he stopped by my work today and said hello. Totally made my day!
Day 5: I'm grateful for grape jelly packets. When combined with the warming tray at work, they make for excellent hand warmers. They are especially nice while one stands in a window all day. I'm also grateful for Kelsie Bruce because she let me borrow her jacket while we gallivanted around Salt Lake on a particularly frigid night.
Day 6: I'm grateful for wonderful friends. They bring such a wonderful quality and meaning to my life. I wouldn't be who I am today if it weren't for them. I'm also grateful for Natalie Jones. She is just an amazing person and she has this ability to make every person feel important and loved.
Day 7: I'm grateful for Christmas music. Yes, I did write this before reading the post by my friend Cheree who posted it for her Day 8 of gratitude. Even though it's waaay too early for Christmas music, there's no denying the warm feeling it brings to your heart. I'm thankful for my mom, Jill Harris. She came with me to the store at 10:30 at night even though she really would have preferred to stay home.
Day 8: I'm grateful for a country in which we can vote without fearing for our lives and where we have democracy. I say this because Nicaragua had their elections last week and all the missionaries, including my brother, were told to stay home for their safety on Monday. I'm so glad we don't have to worry about such things. I'm also grateful for my Grandma Matthews who continually reminds me that there is joy in serving others, especially family members.
There is so much to be thankful for!!

Gratitude is the Best Attitude!

As Thanksgiving fast approaches, a feeling of gratitude envelopes the nation. This is made evident by the many posts on Facebook which go something like this:

"This month is Thanksgiving so for the entire month everyday I'm going to post one thing I'm thankful for in my life. :) I challenge everyone to do this as well.... This whole month no matter how bad of a day you have instead of complaining on here write something you're thankful for. :)" (Courtesy of Kelsie Bruce)

Although I am a little slow in starting, I've decided to take this challenge. However, I've decided to add my own spin to it. There are many things in life I am grateful for, but I think the people in my life are the ones that make the biggest difference. Thus, each day I am going to post one thing and one person that I am grateful for. Because I missed days one and two, I'm going to do a little catch-up and put them on here. 

Day 1: I am grateful for cough drops. Disgusting though they may be, they saved my life when the smoke screen at the ballet tickled my throat and caused a coughing attack. I am also grateful for Ann Johnson because she invited me to come with her to said ballet. I hope she knows how much I treasure her friendship. She is awesome!

Day 2: I am grateful for medicine. Thanks to the medicine my doctor prescribed, I was able to function like a normal human being for the first time in a week. I am grateful for Heidee Miller because she encourages me to be my best and she reminds me to stand in holy places (aka institute!). She is always teaching me new things and offering insights.

Day 3: I am grateful for blankets on freezing cold nights. I am also grateful for Travis Harris, my brother. His example in serving a mission has made a difference in my life and in the lives of my family members. Today is his 20 month mark (:

So there you have it, a little taste of what I am grateful for. Of course, there are so many more things and people I could put, but that's what the rest of the month is for! Happy Thanksgiving Month everyone!

Don't you know? Mormons are sexy!

While watching a show today, my interest was peaked by a woman who tried to explain to the world why Mormons are modest. This was her explanation:

The truth of the matter is that Mormons are just sexier than regular people, so we kinda have to cover all this up (said while gesturing to herself). 

What can I say? She nailed it!

How do you say "I love you?"

Hello! It's been...FOREVER since I wrote last. But after receiving an email from my brother today, I couldn't help but share it. I know you may think your brothers/sisters are awesome, but I guarantee mine are WAY cooler. Here's a tidbit from Travis's latest email:
"IM A DAD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yes I am a father finally! And my kid is this cool Guatemalan named Elder Diaz. He also would like to write you and marry you eventually. Just so you know. You are very famous here in la mision Nicaragua Managua Norte. Everyone talks about Elder Harris's sister and how good looking she is! So hey! You are a hot ticket item. And remember it too."
So to clear something up really fast..My brother is NOT a dad. At least not in the traditional sense. Those of you who've been on missions know the term well, but for the less informed, to be a dad means to train a new missionary. After reading that message, I just about died of laughter. My face was all shades of red and my stomach hurt from laughing so much. I wish everyone could have a brother as awesome as mine. If you are ever feeling a little down and lacking in self esteem, just let me know and maybe I can have my brother shoot you a message. 
Luckily for me, I have TWO awesome brothers! On a particularly down day, Logan decided to cheer me up by sharing his new-found love of the guitar with me. 

My brothers are continually teaching me what it means to love one another. They are both amazing and I know you're all crazy jealous after reading this. Hey ladies- Travis gets home in just under 8 months, so mark your calendars because he'll be available! He's the one on the left in the picture. So the message of this little post is to remember to share the love and be grateful for your wonderful families!

Love them granola bars!

What a day! I had the morning off from McDonald's and so I did the usual day-off things: sleep in, watch a little TV, do laundry, lunch with Grandma, Target trip with Lexie. You know, the usual. It was shaping up to be a pretty great day. Of course, we can't have a normal day, now can we? On my way out the door, my little brother begged me to drop him off at his school for the 9th grade dance. Being the ever-so-loving (aka pushover) sister that I am, I said yes. Unbeknownst to me, a happy little white suburban was also in the process of leaving. Not two minutes from my home, I found myself following said happy suburban. Strangely, they didn't seem to be able to hear me begging them to go the speed limit from my car and they continued going ten under all the way into town. What should have been a ten minute drive took almost twenty minutes. Of course, by that point I was flipping out because there was no way I could make it to the school and work and still be on time. Enter solution. The corner. Yes, I am probably the most horrible sister ever, but I did in fact drop my little brother off on a random corner. The poor boy had to walk almost fifteen minutes (maybe more?) to get to the school. On the bright side, I got to work on time. RIGHT on time and not before calling my mom and telling her to call her son ASAP. Thankfully my brother made it to the school and home again safe and sound. What a relief!
Granola bars- gotta love them. My mom just loooves to buy granola bars. On any given day, we probably have a variety pack of granola bars just sitting up in our cupboard. So after going almost twelve hours without eating (thank you work), I was famished! A granola bar was the perfect solution. In fact, it's been the perfect solution for the last week or so. You know how in a variety pack there are one or two kinds that you prefer over the others? Well, that's how chocolate chip is for me when it comes to granola bars. I LOVE the chocolate chip kind. So naturally, I've been pretty excited that all I've pulled out of the magical granola bar box in the last week have been chocolate chip. I was really thinking it was something special and was about to share my good luck with my mom when I realized something. The whole box was chocolate chip! Needless to say, that was my blonde moment of the week. Gotta love them granola bars!

New Adventures Ahead!

In the words of an inspired young artist, "It's Friday, Friday. Gotta get down on Friday!" ...Yeah. Today promises to be a good one. Lots of cleaning, finally taking my final, and applying for lots of jobs. If you know of any jobs, give me a holler. I'm on the hunt! I'm sure you're wondering what happened to California. Don't worry, I'm still planning on it. It just might have to wait a year. As it turns out, I'm actually going to be staying in Utah, albeit in a different area. Sorry, you can't get rid of me just yet. On the other side of the canyon is a plethora of new adventures. Exciting! It's been so crazy trying to think of what to take with me and what to leave behind. I'd never really thought of that before. Thus comes the spring cleaning of my life. Lucky me gets to plunge into the world of sorting, tossing, and donating. It's a dangerous journey into the back of my closet, but I can make it through. I think. Should be interesting at the least. Right now seems to be the time for new adventures. With the semester over and spring/summer just getting started, there is that feeling of promise in the air. Congrats to my many friends who are graduating from college this week. How they survived that place is beyond me. I get to try it again in a year or two, but for now I'm just going to work. College and I didn't get along very well. Another crazy thing is marriage. I can't even begin to count the number of bridal showers and weddings I have gone to in the last month. And there are even more to come! Apparently there were some people listening to Elder Scott's conference address. Like I said, there is something about spring that promises a fresh start. Props go to my cousin who chose to make her fresh start by going on a mission. In less than a week, Summer will officially enter the MTC and start working on her Spanish. Looks like I'm going to have to find a new lunch buddy. New adventures. Aren't they the best?

Colorful Death by Baklava

Post? Yes, I think I shall. The requests are in: color festival, baklava making, and near death. But I think I'll throw in opening day for good measure. You ready for this? Okay, here goes nothing.
The Color Festival
In India they celebrate a holiday called Holi. Spring is welcomed in with a burst of color. Literally. Hundreds of bags of colored chalk/paint are thrown up in the air and, subsequently, a massive game of color tag breaks out. Of course, the holiday is usually celebrate by Indians in India. However, it has become a fun cultural experience for people all over. The diversity department at Weber State organized the one I went to with my friends. It was quite fun! It was also Erin van Komen's birthday and how better to celebrate it than with a giant, colorful party? Exactly. Fun, fun, fun! Note of caution to those planning on attending a Holi festival in the future: keep your mouth closed while the color throwing is going on. That stuff does NOT taste good. Just sayin.
Baklava Making
Mmm..Baklava! Don't know what it is? Know what it is, but never had it? Well, you are missing out my friends! It is..it is.. Well, I don't know how to describe it, but heaven-on-earth might come close. I had a project on the country Turkey and I needed to make a little treat to go with it.  Google informed me that baklava is actually a Turkish treat. I know what you're thinking, "Baklava is from Greece, not Turkey!" Well, friends, they're right by each other on the map. Same region, same treats. Yeup. Anyways..As tasty as baklava is, it is mighty expensive! For one little piece it costs a whole $2. Multiply that by the 50 I needed for my class and that's a whole lot of dough. So while consulting with my dear friend, Erin, I decided to make the baklava. That's right, we made baklava. And dang it is tricky! I couldn't have done it without Erin. She is mega pro. You have to work very fast or you have issues. It's also important to know how to work with phyllo dough. Yeah... Let's just say that it didn't all survive. But after a few mistakes and a whole lot of learning, we managed to pull it off. And it was tasty. VERY tasty.
Near Death
Let's play a game. How many times can Alex almost die in one week? Answer: two too many. Friday, I was on my way up to Weber State for a lil' party shindig when I had an oh-so-fun experience. Imagine going 65 on a highway with your foot on the gas pedal, accelerating to get up a big hill. Then imagine a car coming straight toward you in your lane. Scary? That doesn't even begin to describe it. With less than a second to react, I swerved into the next lane over (thank goodness nobody was in it!) and watched as the oncoming car narrowly avoided hitting the guy who had been riding my bumper. As if one near-death experience wasn't enough for the week, the very next day I had another. With a green arrow, I started to turn left from the highway into my neighborhood. I didn't make it very far before a white van blew through its red stoplight, nearly hitting me. Again I swerved, avoiding a collision. In both instances the speed was such that the impact would have left one or both drivers either dead or critically injured. What did I learn from this? A) Slow down going up the hill to Ogden and B) I'm destined to die by car accident (although hopefully not any time soon).
Opening Day
"There's only one Lagoon!" Aren't amusement parks the greatest? They are. It's especially fun working at one. Lagoon opened yesterday with fairly good weather and a decent crowd. Yours truly got to be one of the first to work the new roller coaster. You've got to love new rides. There are always a bunch of faults you don't recognize and little unexpected problems you don't know how to solve. But it was pretty neat to be one of the first people to work the new ride. Special!
There you have it. My little adventures. I'm sure there are more somewhere in there that I've missed. In fact, I know I've missed some. But general conference is on and I want to watch it. Thanks to the snow, Lagoon was closed. It's a little miracle that I'm extremely grateful for. Yay! Have a great day friends!