Vignette

Question: why is "vignette" in my blog title?

Answer:
Practical Answer: definition of vignette: A brief evocative description, account, or episode.
Emotional--I am old fashioned, and I love words that become lost as time goes on! I first heard this word in Anne of Green Gables and have loved it ever since--sigh.

So some of the things in my blog may seem dull, but to me they are the threads of my life that make my life tapestry. Here are some of my life threads as of late:

1) I have been trying to run at least three-four times a week for the last couple months, which has been. . . good for this main reason: I love to be outside and look at the beautiful view we have in North Ogden. However, with all great views come hills--steep ones. When I go up the hills I walk, and then I run on the same streets a few times that are horizontally straight (the neighbors must get sick of me passing by three times in ten minutes and petting their dogs--it makes running worth it!)I still don't love running. at. all. I like petting the random dogs, looking at the view, and feeling accomplished after I come home. These are the ONLY things I enjoy about running. I hope this changes.

2) New Beginnings was last week, and I absolutely LOVE my laurels. My fellow young women leaders are amazing decorators. These 5 laurels are just amazing, and I love hearing about their prom dates, their schooling, feelings etc. I went to the temple with them a couple weeks ago where they did baptisms for the dead. There was such a wonderful spirit there. It was neat to think how much my life has changed in the past year, and how just a year ago I was doing baptisms and although I loved doing them, I felt left behind as most, if not all, of my friends had gone through the temple by that point. You never know when the next big turn in the road is. My life has changed so much in the last year--masters degree, teaching certificate, the end of schooling, marriage, a house, a move, etc. The Lord knows what we need just when we need it, and all our plans and tapestries are different, but they are a perfect pattern for us, even when it seems tangled and messy from the side we see.

3)Ben and I just received an additional calling: Youth Conference Directors. If anyone has ever been to Lava Hot Springs, feel free to give us tips of what to sign up for there! This will be a fun calling; starting the planning is always the hardest part.

4)We went to City Creek with my parents last week the Friday after it opened, and it was so fun to feel the energy there, fueled by thousands of people. It will be fun to go back when we have more time. There were people dressed up as flower pots who cleverly posed sporadically. How do people get jobs like these?!?


5)I learned how to make coffee from Polish and German business men at my dad's company meeting where I was in charge of the food. Apparently, instant coffee does NOT go in a coffee maker; it is like hot chocolate where you pour it into hot water. I will never forget standing in the kitchen for twenty minutes with my dad's business partner, a stake president, trying to figure out how to work the coffee maker, reading all the instructions, the Europeans coming in, daring each other to try it first, tasting it, and then teaching me the REAL way; they thought it was hilarious, luckily. Good thing they knew we were Mormon :)

It is the end of March, and I am SO excited because so many fun things are happening:

General Conference with Ben's family
Time with Ben's mom while the men are at Priesthood
going to the Conference center Sunday!
Sheree's wedding
Seth and Leslie's wedding in Idaho Falls
Easter (one of my favorite holidays)
Going to California with my family (minus Seth and Leslie)
Ben's Birthday
My friend Katie's baby shower
Seth and Leslie's Open House in Alpine
Tommy and Jamie's Wedding
Ben and Katie BYU Date

New Victories

This, my friends, is a miracle.

I have been experimenting with yeast for the last few months, making bread sticks and rolls, and to my dismay, each time the dough is supposed to double in size, mine increases by 1/8th. Today I decided that even though I wanted to master yeast on other bread products before attempting homemade bread, I could not wait any longer. So when I saw that my dough doubled every time it was supposed to, my heart leaped. I have had a few proud moments in my life, graduating from college, teaching high schoolers successfully, but THIS moment has made me proud of this:



This with homemade honey butter was heavenly. This was a small victory, and it felt different than getting an A on a paper after many A-'s, but I liked it.

On another note, this was my first sign of spring:



This made me happy and panic simultaneously. Ben and I have a yard + I have never been in charge of taking care of a yard = me scared. So my sweet visiting teacher, who used to live in our home, came and gave me a tour of the yard and what I need to do to prepare it for spring. I did my first hour of yard work in our yard today: it was more fulfilling then I thought it would be--weird how maintaining a home can be that way. Along the way, I discovered these small treasures in the front:





I have a feeling this is going to be a new but exciting learning experience for me.

Also, we are getting a new sister three weeks from today--exciting! Leslie Ricks will become Leslie Connors, and I got to go on a road trip (by myself) to Idaho to her bridal shower. Another small conquering of driving through fields and farm lands by myself for over five hours in one day. It was worth it! Yay for another sister!





Last but not least, Ben got his new iPad yesterday at seven in the morning with his dad. He loves technology more than anyone I know--and I reap the benefits! I have been hearing about this monumental occasion for a while now, so late Merry Christmas, Ben! He is bequeathing me his old iPad, which I have no idea how to work, so here's for more new learning :)Even though the knowledge I have acquired in the last few months has been totally different than the learning I was used to for multiple schooling and educational work years, I have found it surprisingly exciting, and although life is a slower pace, joy in the journey still is found.

With the Olsens

A few weeks ago, dear friends, Erica, Russ, and their sweet daughter McKenzie came up to Ogden to visit. They were so gracious to come all the way north to see what Ogden had to offer. We had so much fun with them and cute Kenzie, who learned Ben's name (he quite loved that). We went and saw Ben's family's llamas, walked down old 25th Street, went to a Mexican restaurant, and then visited at our home. The time flew by, but it was so fun doing something with them; they are seriously amazing.

Erica has been a best friend to me since BYU. We met freshmen year, had the same major and many of the same classes, worked at Special Collections together, went to devotional together, and had many, many chats together. When I think of BYU, I think of Erica because of all those memories :)I remember the first day of my new life in Ogden, I received a postcard from Erica: so thoughtful. I am going to miss these three when they move to Texas, but this friendship is the kind you know you'll have forever.

Curly Karma

I one time received this comic from a co-worker. How true it is!



I have just spent over an hour having this straightener on my hair. Yes, that says 404. That's degrees, Fahrenheit. That's the same temperature I bake my baked potatoes, transforming hard brown rocks to mushy goodness. This is one hundred degrees hotter than it took to bake my first cheesecake, caramel peanut butter swirl (shown below), this week. My hair gets so hot that it burns to touch it!! Oh, the sacrifices.



Sometimes I wonder. . . why couldn't I have been born in the Victorian Era or the 80s? This hair could have been accepted by humanity!





Instead, I grew up in "the straighter the better" mentality, which is great and all, but I never have had the time to have an hour and a half a few times a week to straighten my hair.

I remember when I was fourteen and my friends straightened my hair for the first time at GIRLS CAMP! It took four and a half hours (this was back in the day with straighteners didn't get as hot as your oven). Even after all that, it was still frizzy straight. I remember the second time when my friends and I watched Princess Diaries (fitting) when I was fifteen and we blew out three circuits in my house because they were using so many blow driers and straighteners. I remember the third time, a few months after that, when my friend IRONED, with a real iron, my hair on the carpet, which melted. Oh hair, you have gone through so much turmoil, just to fit in.

Remember my wedding day, hair? Remember how you looked when the stylist came?

Exhibit A:


Remember what you looked like when I came out of the temple, three hours after you got done?

Exhibit B:


Where did the curl go from Exhibit A? Maybe I am biased, but I think curly haired people should have EXCLUSIVE rights to have their hair hold curl when curled. Seriously. The injustice found in this world.

Other curly haired injustices are included here:

1. When I straighten my hair, the straightener turns off multiple times because it thinks to itself, "This is so dangerous. There is no way I can actually be used for this long; I shut off after twenty minutes, and you have to re-start me if you really want to dare using me longer."

2. When I straighten my hair, it rains or snows; thus, all my hard work flattens and frizzes with a few droplets. When I straighten my hair, I receive comments like "Your hair looks SO much better straight!" I say "thanks!" and think, "I wonder what they think of me the other 95 percent of the time with the curls? Why can't I have time to do this more often?"

3. Then I start thinking should I chemically straighten my hair? I realize I look like I fit in more with it straight, and I do like it straight; however, from the time I was a little girl, curls have been a part of my identity. I was the one called Curly Sue growing up. People look for me in crowds by looking for the curls. How would people find me otherwise? Most of the time people associate curls with a crazy personality; I don't think that's me, but I do think curls can have a classic elegance to them (although mine rarely find that), and that's what I try to go for. I guess the bottom line is--curls have become part of me. Even though my hair is stubborn, I have tried to embrace it, and although I straighten it sometimes for a different look, I will always picture me, the real me, with the curls--an appendage of me.

February Flurries

There's little white snowflakes dancing in the sky right now. I have a cold (another one) and am reflecting on my February.

So many things have happened in the Browning family this past year! Ben and I got married. Kristen and Josh had their baby in November! Spencer, Ben's youngest brother, left on his mission to Russia in November. Kristen and Josh left to Davenport, Iowa two weeks ago with their baby, Tate, to start chiropractor school! We miss them, but it sounds like a friendly place! Sam is doing great in his classes at BYU! We live about twenty minutes away from Ben's parents, who are now empty nesters now that Kristen, Josh, and Tate have moved out. It has been fun to do some double dating with them! What a great family I married into! Hopefully, we'll all be together soon and the Brownings can take a rest for a while :) !

I was able to babysit my dear friend Becca's little girl, Kate! They are in our ward, and we love them :) We had so much fun playing with a ball, hand puppets, and playing hide and go seek! Becca just had her baby Friday, yay! I am so excited for their growing family! Isn't she so cute in her little princess outfit!?

I have also been doing the usual baking and cooking. It seriously is one of the most satisfying things to do in my life right now. I love it. This is a pasta dish with doritos, YES doritos, refried beans, all types of peppers, onions, and, of course, cheese. It definitely had a spice to it--yum!


Last but not least, Ben and I gave our living room a make over! We went to a furniture store in Perry that was going out of business and got a love seat, tree and picture all at a good price! This way, people don't need to sit in a moon chair or DI chair when they come in. Yay! This is one of the rooms that we want to paint. I am not a huge fan of the mustard color on the wall--it just. . . doesn't work for me. I think we are going to paint this room a pale yellow! Someday. :) We love the colors in our new painting!
It is so fun making a house a home. I just gave the YW lesson a couple weeks ago on homemaking and how the most important part of making a house a home is making it a place where the Spirit can reside. Even with a living room makeover, this is not the most important thing to making our house feel like a home. Homemaking is a daily practice of doing the things that let the Spirit reside there daily. Sometimes I am in a rush to fill up empty rooms with decorations, repaint some walls, and get new furniture, and then I remind myself that although these things are fun and exciting, they are not what makes a house a home. I am so grateful feeling at home with my Ben regardless of empty rooms!

Fighting Against Tolerance

"Ours is the responsibility to keep our lights aflame and burning brightly, that they might shine for others to see and follow. With the decline of religion in our society, many people have come to feel that they are sufficient unto themselves and have no need of a higher power. Wrong. A loss of religious faith implies a loss of faith in anyone greater than oneself."

-President Monson

There are so many despicable things we see in the news that would evaporate if people understood this principle.

I am reminded of this quote every time I look at the news. People feel that they are not accountable to anyone except to their own selves. Tolerance is the fight we are fighting today. People tolerate everything, believing nothing. To those who tolerate it all--there are no boundaries: no right or wrong. It is easy to slip into the mentality of tolerate it all; people can choose what makes them happy. What we miss is that others' choices affect humanity, so we have to stand up. We must. There is a right and a wrong. Satan would have us believe that it is a myth, but we know better. I am so grateful for the Gospel, which reminds me of this principle, even when it seems easier to "tolerate and let go." Thank you, President Monson, for this wonderful reminder!

It's Nice to Know

I love my forever valentine.

It's nice to know I now have an eternal Valentine who happens to write the cutest, cleverest poems to me (who knew--the business finance major poet? What can't he do?). He was so worth the wait and more.



He even took me out for pizza (you probably already know that this is one of my favorites :) I love this place because you can choose different sauces for your pizza, and it leaves you with a little kick!



He even danced with me for an hour in our family room because we missed the Stake Valentines Dance last weekend. I loved our Browning Ball, but most of all I love my Valentine!

A True Valentine

When I think about Valentines Day, I think about my grandpa. I always have. After all, it was his birthday, and everyone who knew him, knows that he emulated LOVE in every way. Even his motto was "Live together in Love."

Last night, my extended Jones family got together and honored Edwin Boyd Jones for what would have been his 95th birthday. He passed away when I was ten, but he has made an impact in my life, nonetheless. We think of him often because his legacy was one that leaves people inspired and wanting to be better. It was so neat to be surrounded by cousins and their new additions to the family (almost). I think Grandpa would be proud of so many of the wonderful grandchildren (my cousins) that are doing so much with their lives.

My grandma tells the story over and over again of the ONLY time my grandpa ever got mad at her. ONLY. He came home from a church meeting, went to the freezer to get ice cream, returned, and said to Grandma in a stern voice "Mildred, it is absolutely unacceptable that we have no ice cream in this house. We should always have ice cream." (This is where I get my love of ice cream from--I am just carrying on tradition :)

I have had the privilege of transcribing many of his World War II journals. In so many of them, he talks about reading The Bible and The Book of Mormon. He always kept the faith. He was constantly serving at home and in the church as a sealer, patriarch, temple president, and regional representative. His example shows that life-long service in the church brings much happiness.

Here are some remarks from my Grandpa's 1978 journal about love:
"Being drawn together by service we should understand the family as no other people do. I gave it and give it and gave it until it was mine. Live as if each day is the last day of our lives and one day we’ll be right.
Winning in love is a good accomplishment. Rewinning it day by day is rebuilding, and rebuilding is creating a dominion that has at its base the essence of Heaven. The deepest tenderness a woman can show a man is to help him do his duty. Be good to her and treat her like a queen."

On top of all that, my grandpa had great hair although I don't think he would ever consciously think that :) Mitt Romney patterns his hair after my grandpa Here's a quote from the Boston Globe "Mitt and Ann agreed to wait three months to walk down the aisle. The wedding was held in two parts. On March 21, 1969, exactly four years after their first conversation, Mitt, then 22, and Ann, 19, exchanged rings in a civil ceremony in her parents' home. It was officiated by church Elder Edwin Jones, the man after whom teenage Mitt had patterned his hairstyle."

I happened to find his obituary, here: http://www.deseretnews.com/article/650792/Death--Edwin-Boyd-Jones.html Although it talks about many of his accomplishments, his faith and love are remembered best.

I always wanted to marry someone like Grandpa Jones. When I was little, I chose a star and called it Grandpa's star, and I would talk to it, pretending he was listening to every word or maybe I wasn't pretending. Because I live close to the cemetery where he is buried, I am able to go and visit his grave site, which has a very special spirit. However, now I get to go with an eternal companion who follows Grandpa's example in ways I never thought possible and does exactly what Grandpa said, "be good to her and treat her like a queen." Thank you, Grandpa, for helping me choose my Valentine.

The Baker's Dozen: Part 2

Here are more things "baking" in my life:

7. I am finally getting over a cold. This has many wonderful meanings: I can breathe, I can sing, and I can taste my food again--wahoo!



8. I have had an immense travel itch for the last few months. I want to go somewhere, just for fun! Actually, I would even settle for Saint George right about now. I have been thinking of my study abroad England experience. Oh the wonderful memories! My top current travel urges belong to to Boston/Washington D.C./East Coast. My family did go on an Alaskan Cruise last summer, which was fun; however, I am more of a museum/sight seeing person and Alaska had some pretty nature scenes, but it was cold. Really cold. I promise I won't mind the cold if I go to one of the places mentioned above because it'll be more worth it (for me, anyways)! :)



9. Because the Ogden Temple has been closed for renovation (for almost a year now), and we live in North Ogden, we are smack in between two temples. The Logan and The Bountiful Temples. Both are so neat and so different. Lately, we have attended Logan (we hit less traffic, obviously). This is the temple my grandparents were married in and where my grandma was baptized, and it's fun to think about them as I attend. We are excited for the Brigham City Temple to be finished (http://www.ldschurchtemples.com/brighamcity/) , and that'll be closer (only about a half hour away). Then soon enough the Ogden Temple will be completed (http://www.ldschurchtemples.com/ogden/); this is only fifteen minutes away! We'll be surrounded by temples, yay!



10. I am loving work because of the flexibility to cook/clean during the day while interspersing that with work from my computer. I do miss teaching though. I miss my students, and the fun learning environment we had together (as shown above :)I really did have the best students ever!



11. HeyTell is my new favorite phone App because Ben and I can leave verbal text messages or voicemails to each other, and it's so fun to hear his little whispering messages to me throughout the day! I seriously recommend everyone to get this app because it can be the most convenient thing when you're driving etc. Ben and I are in love! I mean, we are in love with the App. . .and each other, of course! ;)



12. I am loving this book by Bruce C. Hafen right now! When I worked at Deseret Book, I had multiple people tell me that this is the best book on marriage. I am beginning to feel the same way!

13. This baker's dozen, the thirteenth, is to confess that I ate two sugar cookies while baking them for my laurels tonight for mutual. The rest is for you!

A Baker's Dozen: Part 1

1. This is my favorite room in the house so far. Almost anyone nearby will tell you I have been on a baking/cooking phase, especially my husband. I have LOVED the liberty of having my own kitchen, kitchen aid, cupboard space, nice new kitchen supplies, and all those fun things that seem so precious compared to the limited space/cheap kitchen supplies of apartment, roommate dwelling accommodations. I have been baking many (too many) goodies lately, experimenting with pinterest/new cookbook recipes. Some favorites so far are soft sugar cookies, chocolate chip cheesecake cookies, caramel cheesecake, apple doughnuts (thanks Charlotte!), and oreo mud pie. I will have to post some recipes soon! The trouble with baking is. . . I, as the baker, feel entitled to make sure my recipes are not poisonous throughout the process, meaning I test-taste dough, right out of the oven goodness, an hour later (as it's still cooling), and a day later. I try all stages of the baked product, multiple times. This means LOTS of sugar in me, which means clothes are not fitting the way they used to--so tragic! Here I am, trying to sharpen my baking knowledge, and I am suffering the consequences. Although my husband loves my food, he is more disciplined in eating only one to two cookies a day. Therefore, as I am working from home. . . temptation surrounds me! I have decided that I can now only bake ONE thing a week unless I am giving/taking it somewhere. However, I have been experimenting cooking multiple fun dinners, which is less lethal for me. Some favorites are potato/broccoli/cheese soup, chicken divan, stir fry, tortilla soup, and many other chicken recipes (different variations)-- will post some recipes later. Here are some other things baking in my life:



2. Ben moved floors at work (his job is completely the same, but he's now on the first floor, and I think his new office is pretty snazzy looking. Plus, now I can visit him a little more easily if wanted; with how busy he is, I doubt I would get more than a three second visit :) He leaves at 7, takes no lunch break, and comes home at 6:00/6:30 lately. Good thing--he LOVES his job! :)

3. After Ben gets home from work, we sometimes watch The Cosby Show on Netflix to relax. That is, until it got taken off Netflix last week: TRAGEDY! Oh well, on to the Dick Van Dyke show. I know what you're thinking--The Cosby Show, really? Who does that?



4. My dear, dear friend, Kelsi is ENGAGED to an amazing man! Kelsi and I have been through a lot together up here in the Ogden area, and I am so grateful she found her prince, even though she will be moving to Wisconsin for his last two years of dental school :(



5. My dad just had his other hip replaced. He has had both his hips replaced, both his shoulders replaced, and has more energy than almost anyone I know on a daily basis. He is amazing!

6. We've had lots of fun recently getting together with good friends, going to a surprise birthday bash (that was awesome, Camille!), and having fun with Ben's side of the family :) We are so lucky to have such amazing people in our lives!

To Be Continued. . .

From Roommates to Roommate: What's Stability?

Amy
Rachel (X2)
Annie
Carrie (X2)
Jamie
Lindsay
Sara
Melissa
Shauna
Courtney
Erica
Charlotte
Caitlin
Anneli
Jen
Skye
Heather
Lindsey
Jolyn
Bre
Becky
Melody
Mikelle
Annie
Christine
Lindsey (G.)
Melody (C.)
Natalie
Chloe
Tayler
Pattie
Kelsi
Hannah
Kim
Ashlee
Sariah

This is a list of all the girls who had to put up with being my roommate in the last six years. My life has gone from adjusting to living with 36 different people at different times to ONE!

Let me tell you, it's been a change. There are so many things I have loved about it: the free reign of the kitchen, cleanliness, not being kicked out of the family room for boyfriends etc. This does not discount that I loved many of my roommate experiences. I had wonderful friendships, talks, and pure good times with so many roommates, but the constant change and transition from going from one to the next made it so I could never get too comfortable.

Is it possible that stability kind of scares me? No, not the stability of Ben--that comforts me a great deal. It is the stability that comes from buying our house in North Ogden. This implies we may be here for a while. You are talking to someone who hasn't lived somewhere for longer than a year and four months since she was fifteen years old (that's nine years of change). I have had all of my things in portable boxes and bins so at any moment I can move conveniently. I am at the point where I am more used to change than consistency. Then, I think of the things in my life that have been consistent through all of the change: the love of my family and the gospel. These things have been constant, and really, they are the only things that matter. This gospel is what is constant. The truthfulness of the PLAN of Happiness helps console me at all times no matter where I am. I guess it's time to settle down, :) and although it somewhat scares me, it also makes me feel excited to have a HOME. I have lived in many "dwellings" over the past few years, but they were never truly home. I am so blessed to finally have a home, a place where my heart can settle for a while. So, here's to the newest change in my life: stability. I am ready for this challenge :)

My Family is Growing Up!

This is the most recent family photo. I have spent lots of time thinking about my family has seemed to all grow up so fast and most of it has been in the last few years. Mike has been back from his mission for a year and a half and is studying at BYU-Idaho. Seth got back from his mission in September, is also studying at BYU-I and is ENGAGED! He is engaged to Leslie Ricks--I just love her, and is getting married April 7th (I am so looking forward to this):) Kim is at BYU-Idaho also(I am beginning to feel left out). Mary is a senior, still deciding where to go. I feel like all at once my family is growing up and all in the college phase (almost) right when I just finished. I had to do it all by lonesome. No fair. Just kidding, I am so happy for them. It has been fun to watch everyone grow and all be in the same phase :)I am so grateful for all of their righteous examples. Yay for family!

What's Been Happening...

Ben and I met in the Spring and were married October 14, 2011. He has been such a wonderful blessing in my life. He is always with me every step of the way. I couldn't ask for a more supportive, righteous, loving, and fun husband. He even survived our engagement through my student teaching (yes, we got married in the middle of my student teaching--we were that in love :) Speaking of, I loved student teaching. I loved my students, my cooperating teacher, discussing literature, hearing their comments-- everything! The only thing I did not like was the constant stress and time constraints, but I am sure if I taught for a few more years, I would get used to it (that's what all the veteran teachers kept telling me). I digress... Ben and I got married in the middle of my student teaching. I student taught until the middle of November when, for the first time in a long time, I was not involved in any education. Since then, I have been trying to accept the fact that I am done with my bachelors, masters, and teaching certificate and I can move on from the phase of education (in the formal sense, of course). It's been nice not having "homework" and "studying", but I miss the satisfying feeling you have after turning in a 30 page paper in a weird, partially insincere way.

Since student teaching, Ben goes to work every day at the bank as a Lending Operations Analyst (he's been doing this for a few years), and I have been finally able to concentrate on making our house a home. We are living in North Ogden, UT, which has a charm about it that I just love! It is nestled at the base/bottom of the mountains, has a great view, wonderful hard-working people with great values, and my favorite community grocery store! Note to everyone: North Ogden is much different than Ogden, even though the only addition is "North," it's totally different than you would imagine Ogden. In fact, we live twenty minutes away from Ogden. We have loved the opportunity to be in our home:

My favorite features are: the kitchen, the big family room, and the fact that Ben and I get to start married life here. Some things that we are going to work on, eventually, are the multi-colored walls, dings, dents etc. Almost every room is a different color. We have a hot pink room, a mustard yellow living room etc. Some of the colors we like and some...not so much. However, the view we have from the back of the house/our back yard makes up for any "color"ing.
Even more than the view, we love the people who surround us. We have amazing neighbors and love our ward. With the last snow storm, we had so many people come snowblow our driveway for us (we haven't gotten one yet...we forgot that we live on the side of a mountain :) We plan to get one soon. These people are so kind, and we are so grateful for their examples. I am in the Young Women organization right now as the Laurels Advisor. I am loving the people I serve with: the leaders and the girls (who happen to be many of my former students from student teaching). Ben and I feel like this is the place where we are supposed to be right now, which is why we came here in the first place. We are so grateful that we are living here, have found each other (after a very long search--at least, that's what it felt like), and have been making so many friends. This was a super long post, but how can you catch up on a few months?! I know--you can't!