Strep Throat, Nesting Instincts, and Hula Hooping Champ Pictures

Hey friends. Unfortunately, paradise is fleeting, and my wonderful life as of Monday went south fast, just like I wished for (oh wait...). I am pretty sick with strep, which is the worst while in school. I missed classes Tuesday AND Wednesday, and didn't really even feel well enough to go today, but law school doesn't permit a ton of absences. Soooo... I bucked up and went today. Luckily, I'm a planner / neurotic / type A, and unluckily I get strep just about every year, so I was well-prepared and had the antibiotics on hand (thanks Dad!) and was able to start a course lickety-split... still not feeling great, though. Mom told me to take a smaller dose than what I should have taken, but actually antibiotics don't speed up recovery, according to WebMD. Strep takes 3-7 days to get over, but antibiotics help you actually HEAL rather than recover (since strep can do some nasty things in the long-term) and shortens the amount of time you are infectious. Just FYI, for the next time you get strep.

Funny thing - while I've been sick, I have gotten a lot done around the house. Laundry, dusting, dishes, de-cluttering, vacuuming, sweeping, mopping, cleaning out the hamster cage, bathing the hamster (too funny), cooking (yes even while I'm sick), ... all but cleaning out the fridge, a chore I dread. I just think it's funny that I get that nesting instinct when I'm sick. Or maybe it's that I'm restless and I need mindless things to do to make myself feel better about not studying.

Being sick also means that I didn't get to go to the fair today (sad) and I have to cancel my double date for tomorrow (also sad). But I'm proud of myself for being able to recognize that I'm sick enough to make myself stay home. I guess I'm mature now.

Bedtime... it's 9:15 and I am waaay tired. :)

xoxo
S

PS - Pictures are up. To see ALL of them, go to law.byu.edu, click on the picture in the bottom left corner (of the hula hoopers), then click "View Slideshow. " So funny! (Thanks for pointing it out, Em!)

Winner!

Life is SO good!

Seriously! Life is amazing right now!

1. Apparently, I'm a pretty good negotiator. My partner Doug and I won the entire BYU Law Negotiation Competition this weekend. We'll be going on to regionals in November (in Provo, so lame! Last year's team got to go to California and every now and again it's in Hawaii!) and then if that goes well (cross your fingers!) we'll be going to Nationals in Orlando! Pictures to come.

2. I went to a CIVIL WAR RE-ENACTMENT. Seriously. No I'm really serious. Not joking at all. It was great. I loved it. Pictures:

Me with some Rebs (go Dixie!)

Me and Emily enjoying the battle

The whole group (Brad, Danielle, Union [yuck], Em, Union [yuck], Eileen, Steve, Lisa)

So that was a blast. We spent the afternoon up there enjoying This Is the Place. We also ate at Ruth's Diner (featured on Food Network), which was REALLY good - just don't try the brownie sundae!

3. The food plan is really working out! I've been clipping coupons (shock I know) and shopping based on sale items, which is really exciting. This week I'm making:

• Shepherd's Pie with Mushroom Onion Gravy (oh my goodness. and chock full of veggies! Zucchini, onion, bell pepper, carrot, potatoes, mushrooms, yummm...)

• Grilled chicken with rice and steamed broccoli (simple and pretty cheap)


• Stuffed Chile Relleno Casserole with spicy rice (mmmm... spicy rice.)


• Slow Cooker BBQ Ribs with grilled potatoes

These are all meals for 4+, and that grocery bill including food storage (frozen pictsweet veggies are on sale at harmon's right now, 1-lb. bags for $.69!), lunch stuff (I get deli meat... yum! so worth it, motivates me to bring my lunch), and peaches for peach cobbler (YUM), and the whole bill was only $100. I think $100 for 4 adults (I live with my brother and we always have guests for dinner) for 4-5 meals plus food storage, lunches, and snacks is really reasonable! (Am I wrong? Have I just been way overspending for too long?) If you want recipes, message me. I'm still working on this blog thing, especially inserting a link without just copy/pasting the link.

4. I have wonderful friends. Life without wonderful friends doesn't have to be terrible, but life with them is just amazing.

5. I made fresh 'sourdough' bread today. It was delicious. I brought it to school for kicks... two loaves gone in a few hours. Always makes a girl feel good!

6. I have a double date this weekend. I'm hooking up one of my freshman buddies with one of my law buddies. They are both super adorable and I'm hoping this will go somewhere great! (Not counting on it but it can't hurt to hope!) My date is an MBA who works with the FDIC. (I think.) I'm excited about that too!

7. I'm going to renew my temple recommend tomorrow, which is always exciting!

8. It's thunderstorming today. I love stormy weather.

Overall, things are wonderful. That's the update. Hopefully things won't go south fast.

XOXO,

S