oxymoron.

Today I was selfishly-selfless.

I donated blood for the first time ever.
& honestly,
I did it because I kind of sort of maybe need to know my blood type for my mission papers.
but then,
I'm serving a mission because I want to bring happiness to the lives of others.
Another point for selflessness.

So basically, the good out weighs the bad, yeah?
& I could maybe save a life with the blood I donated?
or maybe this is justification for feeling guilty?

probably.

Chocolate cream oreo pie—shake.

#29 Pie shake from Sammy's

Sammy's is so iconically provo.
It's the kind of place in my mind that every college-town should have.
a little almost hole in the wall place, that's young, hip, uberly cool, and plays great music.
we were jamming to a playlist of michael jackson hits
while waiting for our food.
#noshame

I'd been here before but only for the burgers & sweet potato fries.
but, can you say delicious pie shake!
pie shake as in they put an entire slice of pie in your shake,
just ignore the calorie counts.
what are they always saying, you only live once?
holy! How did I go through 4 years of BYU without this delicious goodness in my lifeee?
oh sammy's we are going to be best frenss.
for. reals.

My home teachers just told me that they have 2 for 1 Tuesdays
best & worst news ever.

sacrament meeting pressure.

I feel like in singles wards there's this unspoken competition to give good talks in church.

there's an equation to the quasi-President Uchtdorf talk:
You have to have open with some funny anecdote or some story that makes you look really awesome.
Have to keep people laughing throughout the course of your talk.
Have to have some magic pebble of truth that makes everyone scurry and grab their journals
faster than you can spell M-e-l-c-h-i-z-e-d-e-k
& if you're really good, you can do all this while inviting the spirit.

I speak today.
I just don't want to give a talk that falls under one of the following...

The 8 talks you are doomed to hear in a
Singles ward

1. The "I-secretly-want-to-be-a-GA-talk"

2. The "I-wrote-this-in-Relief Society/Sunday School-because-I-forgot-I-was-speaking-today-talk"

3. The "I-read-the-dictionary-in-my-spare-time-and-will-now-tell-you-how-it-defines-prayer-talk"

4. The "I-am-now-engaged-and-am-therefore-an-expert-on-dating-talk"

5. The "yes-I-did-just-quote-C.S.Lewis-a-Disney-movie-and-Harry-Potter-all-in-one-talk-talk"

6. The "I-gave-a-spiritual-experience-without-mentioning-anything-spiritual-talk"

7. The "let-me-tell-you-a-mission-story-that-relates-to-nothing-I'm-talking-about-talk."

8. The "I'm-going-to-tell-an-inappropriate-joke-talk-and-make-everyone-just-a-little-more-uncomfortable-talk"

graduación

I graduate.
from college.
in June (I'm walking in April).

This is a once in a lifetime sort of thing.

So I had pictures taken for announcements and that sort of thing.
by the lovely Carolyn Carter.

Mexican themed. what else?

we'll be your lucky charms.

Pride & Prejudice

1. Armchair. 2. Opera Gloves. 3. Teacups 4. Drawer Chest. 5.Statue. 6.Wildflower Bouquet. 7. Blue Blazer. 8. Candles & Candelabra. 9. Journal. 10. Riding boots. 11. Velvet Sofa.

It's uncanny how similar the dating culture today is to the world of Jane Austen's Pride & Prejudice. It has become one of my favorite novels. I can't help but laugh at Elizabeth's snarky and witty comments or Mrs. Bennet's remarks about her nerves. I love that reading allows you to form ideas of what the author's world entails. It would be a dream come true to one day run off to the land that inspired the timeless classic. For now, I live vicariously through the 2005 and 1995 film versions of the book.

With every BBC booklist book I read, I'll be piecing together collages of what I envision the world of that book to look like.

horchata cupcakes.

I was in charge of treats for my a class and volunteered to bring cupcakes for a Relief Society birthday celebration. I knew for sure I wanted to make some kind of Mexican treat and margarita cupcakes were out of the question so... Enter Horchata cupcakes.

Horchata is a milk-like drink I grew up with made from rice & canela (cinnamon). It's authentically Mexican and all kinds of delicious. It also makes for a good flavor of frappuccino.

Horchata Cupcakes
(makes 36 cupcakes)

for the cupcakes:
3/4 cup salted butter
1 3/4 cups of azúcar de caña (it has an "hecho en México seal on it)
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 1/4 cups cake flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup Horchata (I used the Kerns kind, it's our families favorite [other than homemade of course])

for the frosting:
1 cup unsalted butter, softened (microwave for 20 seconds)
5 cups confectioners' sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup horchata

cupcakes:
In a medium bowl whisk together cake flower, cinnamon, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar. Add the eggs one by one, then the vanilla until combined.
Alternate pouring the flour mixture and the horchata into your sugar combination until well blended.
Preheat the oven to 350˚
Pour the batter into cupcake liners until 2/3 full. Bake for 20 minutes and let cool.

frosting:
Beat the butter with the confectioners' sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla in a large bowl with an electric whisk.
Slowly add the horchata.

Frost the cupcakes and then sprinkle with cinnamon.

adapted from JustJENN

Soy Chicana. vol. I

I have pork barbacoa wraps for lunch.

I pick out fiesta themed birthday cards.
(there's a piñata in that shopping cart)

I order Guate print shoes.


My Tía sends me home with homemade tortillas de harina.

& i love this song.
Calle 13 — "Latinoamérica"