I'm Not Good with Titles-So Enjoy :).

November 14, 2010.  Our friends Brent and Bridget are tying the knot today and we are so pumped for them-but we hate we couldn't be there to celebrate with them as they attended our tying the knot celebration.  Congratulations guys :).  Also, today is my friend Beth's birthday-so also hate that we aren't home to celebrate that-but now that we are getting older-I guess it isn't that big of a deal-but Happy Birthday Beth.  Today my sis-in-law Emily ran like a 13 mile marathon-which I think is wild-so Seth and I were excited for her to accomplish that (I don't think I could even run 1 mile-plus it is super cold here).  Another fun time is that today is the day before mine and Seth's three month anni :).  I get into the monthly celebrations (not that I buy gifts-but I like to acknowledge the fact that we were married three months ago tomorrow)-Seth on the other hand doesn't even want to think about it.  He is only about the annual celebrations-which is understandable for a guy.  One more thing to get excited about on this fourteenth day of November-Seth and I will be in South Carolina in 38 days-YES!!  I have started an official countdown and WILL remind our families daily about it-I'm sure they are already aware of this though :).

I find it fun how addicting this blogging thing could be-maybe not the actual part of sitting down and typing on the computer for like an hour-but the fact that anything that happens in our lives-Things I think of, things Seth may mention about his school/work/life, or even fun things that we are doing here I want to immediately get on here and let everyone know.  I am constantly wanting to let everyone know about everything that we see/do/think.  (So sorry family/friends who already know this aspect of me and get tired of).  I get so excited and want our families/friends to be so included in every part of our lives-that I constantly interrupt/overtalk them-even with the smallest things.  So-all I can say is it probably won't change and the only thing I can suggest is just try to overlook it if it gets annoying :).

Seth is still going on with this Bread Kick-which I can't complain about because I definitely have benefited from this passion of his.  I wish some of you could see how 'into' making bread he is-especially Mrs. Cynthia.  Seth is a very simple individual.  He gets satisfied by the most basic things and appreciates everything in life (which I LOVE about him).  He was so excited from our last purchase of bread flour and a container to store this flour-I felt like I had just given a little boy a Christmas present :).  So, to top it off this past weekend we did our weekly shopping and we found rye bread flour-Seth was like a little school boy again.  I didn't realize he loved darker bread so much.  We got the rye flour as well as molasses-so in our near future we will be trying out rye bread and pumpernickel bread. 

Seth's first run at Sourdough bread

First run at French bread

So here are two types of bread that we have tried so far.  Both were good tasting bread-but the Sourdough didn't taste like sourdough-it tasted like normal bread.  The french bread was a hard/crunchy.  Not moist-we later found out that we should put a pan of water in the oven while cooking the French bread.  But-I will have to start a 'brag moment' now.  We ate one loaf and made the other loaf into French toast Saturday morning.  YUMMMMMMMMMMMMM.....The end.  We had homemade french toast-with homemade maple syrup.  Our Saturday morning started off GREAT!

Had to take a picture of the syrup

Frying French Bread-Ready French Bread :)

Delicious.  

Maple Syrup:

1 cup water

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup white sugar

1 tbsp maple flavoring

Put water and sugars together in pan-bring to boil.  Add maple-stir-let simmer for few minutes.

Hope you guys can enjoy that as much as we did.  

I will again confirm how great of a church family Seth and I have made.  Everyone we have met we LOVE-so caring and generous.  Very hospitable and welcoming of Seth and I.  We've met a Great couple from North Carolina that have easily become lifelong friends (or I hope they feel the same :)-ha).  We have been invited to several homes for dinners and fellowship.  We are actually going to a couples house this evening for dinner and are looking forward to it.  With holidays rolling in-we were worried about what we would do for Thanksgiving-no worries anymore :).  We have planned a thanksgiving feast with Joe and Gina (our NC friends)-and have also been invited to several homes to join there Thanksgiving festivities.  So, no fears families-Seth and I will miss celebrating with you all of course-but we have wonderful friends here that have taken us in :).  I will also admit I had my first 'homesick' meltdown.  This past Friday-I just broke down and cried like a baby-poor Seth-he didn't know what hit him-hahahahahaha.  He thought he had done something wrong-so he just held me and apologized over and over-finally he realized what was going on with his emotional crazy wife.  He was super sweet and caring and eventually started joking to make me laugh-commenting that he could handle this ONLY about every three months!  We then went to our friends Jordan and Cari's apt and played games with them and another couple and all is well in the Cook household now :). 

I want to comment that I may complain about some things in Utah or say how much I miss home--but I don't want anyone to think that Utah isn't wonderful.  Utah is GREAT!  It is a beautiful place-Seth and I are loving our life here.  We are meeting so many wonderful people-growing daily in our faith (which we know wouldn't have happened at home)-seeing amazing/wonderful/beautiful sites that aren't back South-and LOVING married life :).

One thing I've come to realize-hopefully it doesn't sound bad-if so please overlook it and take it as a compliment-good thing :).  Being married and having to share the holidays and time with families was very difficult for me to think about.  I've never had to share my holiday time and I've NEVER been away from my family for this long-so I've been extremely spoiled in both of those aspects.  When we first started thinking of who to see when-I thought it was going to be the toughest thing to come to a compromise on.  I wanted to be with my family and Seth wanted to be with his-simple as that.  I began to plan which days to spend with the Sineaths and which to spend with the Cooks plus making everyone happy with the result-and then adding in a little friend seeing time.  It didn't take us very long to come up with a compromise that both of our families agreed to (or at least I hope they both really did).  So-the closer time gets for us to come home the more excited I get to be able to see my parents and Eason as well as celebrate Christmas with my hubs and his family :).  I get to wake up on Christmas morning and experience celebrating Christmas as a Cook and also go to my family and celebrate as a Sineath-I get both sides and am really getting pumped about this idea.  It almost is starting to feel as if I am getting two times as much celebrating as normal :)-I just wanted to throw all that out there because the whole thought process of this has been popping into my mind so much lately.  The end of that spill.

So-I'm getting tired of being on the computer and typing so I'm going to end with this.

-Again-Listening to Christmas music and loving it-listening more to Tran-Siberian Orchestra because thats the only Christmas music Seth is okay listening to right now.

-I am currently reading MiddleSex by Jeffrey Eugenides-interesting but strange-it was on a book club list that I read about so trying it out :).  Let you know later if I recommend it or not

-Our menu for this week consists of--Mexican Meatball Soup (sounds weird but it is quite yummy), Tacos, and Lemon Rosemary Chicken.  We are going to eat at a friends home tonight and another evening this week-so that should complete the menu.

-The final Harry Potter movie comes out next week-I was into the Harry Potter books-seen all the movies-so have to watch it to complete it all.  Seth and I are going to Salt Lake next weekend to see it and Seth is thoroughly pumped about it (NOT-haha I'm making him go).

-Last but not least-I will say again 38 days until we are seeing our families :).

Seth thinks it is crazy how much information I put on here-he just said,, "you are telling them what all we are going to eat this week?" So, hope it isn't to much for you guys :)-I'll hold back a little more next time-but again its the whole fact of wanting to include our familiies in every part of our lives :).

The Cook's :)

PS-I enjoy smiley faces-I would use the at the end of every sentence if I could.