Creation

Nick and I watched a movie together the other night.  I'm a huge Paul Bettany fan, so perusing through netflix, Nick found a movie called Creation and said we should check it out.

The name is a little misleading, because its not really about creation, in the traditional sense that is.  It's about the work of Charles Darwin: evolution and natural selection.  It follows his life dramatized, after the death of his eldest daughter. He is having trouble compiling all of his research and theory into a book because of all the opposition he is facing.  Particularly from his wife, who sought solace completely in religion and believes her husband is going to hell.  And a minister who has been a friend to the family for years, but punished Darwin's daughter in school for saying she believed in dinosaurs.

In the end, once he finished his book, he says his wife will have the final say in whether he publishes it or not.  But he says, before you destroy it, read it.  And she does.  And after so many years of prejudice and ignorance, she finally understands what he had been working on.  And she packages it to be published herself.  

The movie ended with a disclaimer saying Darwin was buried with full Christian honors, which Nick thought was slightly and disappointingly apologetic. I had a different thought.  It said to me, science and religion are not incompatible, people have just made it that way.

http://www.allmoviephoto.com/photo/2010_creation_dvd_big.html

I was reading a blog awhile back by a woman who had studied evolution at BYU.  Her husband had studied it as well, but was unable to reconcile evolution and God, and had since lost his faith.  She said she struggled too, but at the same time, recognized she didn't understand everything.  God has never revealed how the world was created, merely that it was.  Then why not by the natural laws we can now observe?

God has endowed his children with intelligence, the ability to observe and learn.  He has encouraged us in scripture and through prophets to attain as much knowledge as we can. To study, to discover, to impart wisdom.  We have large brains, capable of complex thought and reasoning.  Why then would God condemn us for trying to discover the natural laws by which the universe operates with the very intelligence He has given us?  No one denies the existance of gravity; we see physical evidence for it every day.  And yet people deny the existance of evolution, for which we have concrete evidence of as well.  The very fact that we need a new flu shot every year and continually stronger antibiotics is proof of evolution.  In the movie, Darwin didn't want to publish his findings for fear of upsetting the delicate balance set in place by religion, but still he could not deny what he could see with his own eyes.

I like how they portrayed Darwin's wife in the movie; she didn't believe her husband because she didn't understand.  She hadn't ever studied it, she had no desire to.  But once she read his research, and she had a better understanding, it became easier for her to see.  I think that is a common problem among religious people, they haven't studied the evidence for themselves, and so their ignorance becomes their prejudice, using faith and God as their reason, but doing so blindly.  They refuse to study anything about creation that isn't stated in the Bible, because to them, it is a sin.

Now, I'm not trying to be mean, or belittle anyone's faith.  I don't condemn anyone for relying solely on faith anymore than I condemn scientists for following empirical evidence.  Everyone has their own right to believe what they will.  What I have a problem with is the bigotry and arrogance of some people towards the sciences, particularly from the different religious communities.  There seems to be a lot of misunderstanding, animosity even by church members towards the sciences.  Think of it this way: remember Mr. Darcy and Ms. Bennett?  How did they start out, and how did they end up?  Once there is a mutual understanding between the two parties, differences can be reconciled, perhaps even solved.  Maybe I was just blessed with an ultra open mind, but I don't have any problem whatsoever believing in a benevolent Creator as well as evolution.

I don't understand everything, I don't know everything, but I do know that God expects for us to study things out for ourselves as well as have faith.  He's not going to command us in all things, or hand us all the answers.  Haven't we been encouraged to arrive at a conclusion or decision for ourselves and then ask if it is the right thing?  Seeking these things for ourselves I believe opens our minds for deeper thoughts.  One thing Nick wonders is, why is God a primate?  I know, that sounds funny.  But our physical form has been classified as primate.  So, once you start thinking about that, you start wondering about the evolution of God, how gods came to be, and why is this form, human form, considered the perfected divine form?

You see?  It's fun to wonder about these things, and keeping an open mind makes it possible to learn and wonder and discover more.  And there is absolutely nothing wrong with wondering.  It has made a lot of things, scientific and religious, possible.

Soooooooo, if you get the chance, check out Creation, besides the subject matter, the acting is phenomenal, probably the best I've ever seen from Mr. Bettany.

The Best cut of Beef

Nick had this silly idea to invite Will and Emily over for dinner last night and serve them something a little out of the ordinary, but not tell them what it was.  Until after they ate it, that is.  I myself was rather proud of what we decided to cook and wanted to tell, but I promised Nick I wouldn't.

Can you guess what it was?  I'll give you a hint…..*blows raspberry*

That's right, Tongue!

Now, I myself have never been partial to beef.  I was a chicken nugget Happy Meal kid.  And being raised on moose, how could I ever possibly like cow?  I mean, ewww.  But I am a sucker for trying new things.  After tasting the delicacy of yummy veal, I suggested to Nick we get a tongue sometime.  I know he likes it, and I was dying to try cooking it.  So while we were grocery shopping on Saturday, we asked the butcher for a beef tongue.

Prep for tongue?  A little complicated.  I can't believe I thought turkey was hard.  However, this dinner was completely successful.  I'll spare you the gruesome details, but suffice it to say, there is a whole layer you have to remove and it is extremely difficult.  Most people suggest boiling it first, but we didn't want to cook it at all.  We wanted to clean it and then roast it with onions and bratwurst.  We both agreed boiling it might toughen the meat.  Unlike other cuts, tongue has no fat.  So it needs a fat element added while cooking to give it moisture and flavor, hence the brats.

And with the aid of some coriander, fennel seed, rosemary and assorted peppercorn, I made a tasty beefy broth for everything to cook in.  Because our knives suck, and our knife skills are even worse, we ended up with stewing chunks instead of a whole roast.  No big deal, everything roasted together beautifully.  Two hours later, it was ready.  And with the left over broth, I made a fantastic gravy, which Nick and I agreed was probably the best dang gravy we have ever had in our lives!  If I could dehydrate it, put it in a package and sell it in stores, we would be rich and famous overnight.

Sadly, to Nick's dismay, Will and Emily hardly had any crazy reaction when we told them they were eating tongue.  They both had had it before, and enjoyed the way we had prepared (or at least they told us that, haha!)  But what have I got to say?  That was the best beef I have ever tasted in my life!!!!  It reminded me of moose actually because it was so lean and the texture was a little more spongy.  (Yes, I chewed up a piece and spat it out as well as blending it all up).  It soaked up the brat fat and became very moist and flavorful, just had to be the best dinner we have had.  And that includes veal!

I would highly recommend trying it for yourself sometime if you haven't already.  Just make sure you have a VERY sharp knife to work with when you are preparing it.

Thanksgiving

Pretty much turkeys are the dumbest invention ever.

Why can't the whole thing just cook the same?  That would be way too easy.

Yes, I admit it.  I made a terrible thanksgiving turkey.  But in my defense, I wanted to do a pork tenderloin or chuck roast.  It was Nick's idea to do the turkey.  But I figured with Alton Brown's sound advice, I could make it work.  For some reason though, a giant turkey takes much longer than two days to thaw.  Wish I had noticed that before Thanksgiving morning.

What's sad is that I had taken the time the day before to make this amazing brine.  And I am quite confident that had my turkey been thawed and allowed the 4 hours I had planned for it to brine, it would have been spectacular.  As it was, those 4 hours were spent thawing it.  Then it "brined" for an hour, then cooked for 5 (It wasn't thawed completely in the middle).  So while it tasted fine, it was dry as all getout, and the skin had turned to leather.

Fortunately, my dad and little brother joined us, and we had plenty of snacks and side dishes to get us through.  For instance, my dad makes a fabulous jalapeno salmon dip, and Phil brought yummy rolls, and we had lots of chips and chocolate.

So while the turkey burned away, we watched Brave.  It was pretty cute actually, kind of reminded me of a Brother Bear Freaky Friday combo with very over exaggerated accents, but it was still cute.  And my dad brought Tristan a lightup gear toy, which he loves.  His favorite thing to do with it though is chuck the pieces at your face…..not ok.  But at least he has fun, right?  Minus the bad turkey, the rest of the food was great and the company was as well.  It was a good evening spent together.

I'm not one of those people who will go on for the entire month talking about what I am thankful for.  But it is nice to have a season devoted to remembering and sharing blessings and gifts.  I'm especially grateful for my family, my little one with Nick and Tristan, and then my big extended family on both sides.  I have been blessed with great parents and siblings as well as amazing in-laws who have made me a part of their family.  I have an ambitious husband who works hard for us, and a darling little booger who keeps my life interesting.  I have clothes and food, and the internet!  Nick and I like to watch Bizarre Foods, and it's always amazing to me to see these other cultures and to realize, man, I am really privileged.  I have so much.  And while I am not grateful for the perpetual morning sickness and vomiting, and I glad that we are going to have a second child.  I know Tristan will appreciate it and be thankful to have a sibling.  But they better get along, because it's the only one he's getting!  Haha.

So, I hope you all had a Happy Thanksgiving!  Next year, we are going to do beef tongue or something, turkey is just way too difficult!!!!

Skinny Jeans

For years I have been trying to find the perfect pair of jeans.  You know, the kind that flatters your butt and goes right to your ankles.  Guess what?  I found them!

I went to Down East, because I remembered from my college days, that they sold discounted American Eagle jeans.  I was pretty sure I would be able to find the perfect pair.  And to my surprise, I did, two actually.  One needed to be rolled up a bit at the bottom, but still looks stylish, and the other, well, the other pair fits me like a glove.  I have never had a pair of pants fit so well!  Needless to say, I was pretty excited.

Then, I needed a pair of winter boots, you know, the furry topped trendy kind to go with my brand new stylish jeans.  And I found a perfect pair at Famous Footwear.  3 1/2 inch heels and a lovely tan color. Ah, this winter is going to be fabulous.

Of course, once I got all my neat doodads home to show off to Nick, I had a weird feeling in the pit of my stomach.  Like, oh man, I probably shouldn't have bought these.  I shrugged it off and told myself I was just being silly, I deserved a great pair of jeans!  I get tired of pajamas every day.

And then, something funny happened.  I woke up about a week later, after a very bizarre dream, and thought to myself, hmm, I think I'll take a pregnancy test, just for fun.  I bet you can guess where this is going…..

I thought it was the kind of test where you need to see a plus sign in the window for a positive.  So I took it, and was relieved to see only one line in the result window.  I put it down, not thinking much of it.  Then, I did a double take, and saw the key on the test indicating one line was in fact a positive.

Yeah, that's when I dropped to my knees and began crying hysterically over my new pants.  

Funny how things happen that you haven't planned for at all.

Luckily, I had concocted a while back a clever way to tell Nick.  I mean after all, I had to live up to how I had spilled the beans the first time.  In the style of Wimpy Kid, I drew on a T-Shirt "Big Brother" with Rodrick tormenting a sibling.  I put Tristan in it, and when Nick got home, I said, so what do you think of his shirt?  Nick was like, it's cute.  Of course he didn't get it…  On our way out to the grocery store at the front door, I decided to try and be more obvious. "Nick, why don't you read Tristan's shirt" I said.  He looked at it again, and laughed, "but he's not a big brother."  Nick thought it was just a hand-me-down shirt from one of my sisters I had dressed him in.  And I was like, "well, he's going to be."  That's when Nick's eye got big and he asked if I was joking.

Still in denial, I got another test a week later just to make sure.

Well there you have it, a new addition to the Davis family will be here next June!  Just in time for us to be moving out of state for a PhD program.  We're crossing our fingers that it is a girl, because I have been sick as a dog.  So incase you were wondering why we haven't been going to any family functions, there is your answer.  And it's probably going to be a few more weeks before I am brave enough to venture away from my handy dandy bathroom.  Yeay for babies!  Boy is Tristan in for a surprise, bahahaha.  Stay tuned for more updates!


Oh, and don't forget to vote for my fantastic salad poem on facebook starting tomorrow!(Dole Salad facebook page)!  I still want my honeymoon vacation!!


And to my facebook followers, What do me and a jar of creamy disgusting pasta sauce have in common?  We're both Prego!  Bahahaha, I'm so funny.

This is So COOL!

So I have some exciting news!

I was chosen as a finalist in the Dole Salad writing contest!  Bah!  I have no idea how many people submitted entries, but I am going to pretend it was 1,000 or more so I feel good about myself.

It's funny, Nick and I love to watch cooking shows on the food network, and we saw a commercial about the contest with Clinton Kelly and I thought to myself, hmm, that could be fun.  Of course, I was thinking there would be a bunch of varying prizes, from cash to travel.  So I thought even if I won us like $500, that would be fabulous.  I checked out the website and saw that the deadline for submissions was that very day.  Reading through the rules, I saw that I needed to write a 350 word submission about what salad means to me.  No problem, I love salad.  Except I haven't eaten it in over 7 years.  Hmmm, problem?  Nah, they said part of their judging criteria would be based on the emotional pull an entry had.

So I wrote up this lovely essay about if I were magically cured what things would I put in my salad.  I went on and on about avocados and tomatoes and catalina dressing.  And then I copied and pasted it into the submission box.  Not even the whole first paragraph made it.  I looked more closely, and at the bottom of the screen saw 350 characters.  Awh, man!  Not words!  Characters!  How was I going to write something fabulous in 350 characters??  I clicked on their little link to check out some examples.  One chick had written a love letter, and another a family recipe that reminded her of grandma.

Well, I thought, I can be way more creative than that.  I'll write a poem!  But I decided to write it in the submission box, so I knew exactly how much space I had.  Ten minutes later, I had typed out a little poem about missing salad.  Then, I hit enter.

I told Nick all about it when he got home and let him read it.  He told me it was amazing, like, he didn't think I could write like that.  Then he clarified he meant that in a good way.  Haha, it was sweet.  He said he thought I had a good chance of winning, but I thought he was just being nice.

Then, on Monday, I got a call from a weird number.  Hello?  May I speak to Sara Davis?  This is she.  Hi Sara, this is Erin from the Dole Salad contest, I just wanted to let you know you have been chosen as a finalist.  WHAT?!!

And here is the awesome part.  There are 12 finalists, and 6 end up winning the grand prize based on public voting on facebook.  The prize?  An all expense paid trip to Napa Valley California for a 3 day culinary learning experience and a meet and greet with Clinton Kelly.  Not to mention you get to stay in a nice hotel.  I called Nick to tell him right away, and he was like, I told you it was that good!!!!

So we're both pretty excited.  I mean, even if I don't win, it's still amazing to have been chosen as a finalist!  Its kind of validating for me, like, hey, I can write after all.  And if we do win, it will be like the honey moon we never had and we will both learn better knife skills.  I mean, how cool is that??

So!  Here is the deal.  From November 20th to December 11 people can vote for their favorite entry.  They can vote once a day while judging is open for three different entries.  But, if you love me, you can just vote for mine, hehe.

Here is where you can vote starting this coming Tuesday:
https://www.facebook.com/DOLESaladGuide?fref=ts

And the nice thing, you don't have to be a member of facebook to vote, so spread the word!  Help me and Nick finally go on our honeymoon!

It's Snowing!

Tristan has never got the chance to play in the snow.  He was too little last year.

Two days ago, we woke up to a big snow storm.  I'm talking giant feathery flakes that sparkled!  Tristan was completely mesmerized sitting in the windowsill watching them come down.  And then every time I took Korra out potty, she went nuts trying to catch them.  She was way to distracted to go potty, so it took a very long time standing in the freezing storm.

The next morning, our car was buried.  Which was fine, we decided not to go anywhere, just hang out and relax.  When Nick took Korra out for her morning walk, he let her off her leash in the yard and it was super funny to watch her bound around in the snow that was up to her shoulders.  She made little trails all over the yard, and her white fur blended right in.  I bundled Tristan up in his coat and boots, and we took him out and let him walk around in the snow as well.  He was very unsteady and unsure, but after he got to throw a few snowballs, he thought it was just great.  Nick also made a sledding ramp with a few of the neighborhood kids (which our next door neighbors angrily destroyed with a pole later that night…..), and took Tristan down in a sled.  We're not sure if he liked that or not.

I just love the snow, it makes everything look new and clean, not to mention it makes the outside smell crisp and wintery.  I sat in the window as much as Tristan just watching it fall.  And then I went and played in it with Korra as well.  I'm glad winter is finally here!  Summers here are just so unbearable (just because I'm from Alaska and the cold is my friend!)

nice hair, huh?

Bored

Life has been busy, and yet dull.  Sorry for not updating

Nick's life has been busy and hectic, with school, work, retaking the GRE, studying and all that.  And then me and Tristan have been sad homebodies.  Our "getting out" is going to the grocery store maybe once a week.  That's just the nature of being in school though, that's how it's been from day one.  And I'm ok with it, I don't mind hanging out at home.  Tristan and I have a lot of fun together, especially now that he is getting older and smarter.  And he enjoys his playtime with Korra as well, who is doing fabulously.  We gave her more room in her crate last night to reward her good behavior.  We'll see how it lasts, last time we did that she had a few accidents.

What else have I been up to?  Well, I try to cook different and interesting things to put on my cooking blog.  I wrote a poem for a writing contest sponsored by Dole Salad, and if I win I get to hang out with Clinton from What Not To Wear in California!  It's probably not going to happen, but Nick said it was a good poem, so I'll keep my fingers crossed.  It was supposed to be about how salad inspires you, so my poem was about how I miss salad and wish I could eat it.  It had to be done in less that 350 characters, so that was hard!

Tristan has been having a rough week.  He started out kinda grumpy, then got a fever and diarrhea, which was lovely.  On the bright side, he's been taking two naps a day, which means more time for me to get things done (and take a nap).

I guess the most exciting thing that has happened was yesterday while I was walking Korra, there was a  vagrant looking man on a bike roaming our complex talking to himself.  I thought it was a little creepy, so made Korra pee as fast as she could and went back upstairs and dead bolted the door.  He was knocking on our neighbor's door (the one's who a little disgusting) when I first went out, but just the walking unsteadily and talking to himself made me think he was maybe intoxicated.  About 10 minutes later, I looked out the front window and saw him standing in our parking garage smoking.  So I texted Nick, and he said I should call the cops.  So I did.  They came and questioned him, and apparently he was there visiting his daughter, so they didn't do anything about it.  It was still creepy, and I didn't go outside to walk Korra the rest of the day.  Nick ended up talking to him later that day to get him to stop smoking in our parking garage, because it comes up into the apartments, and you aren't allowed to smoke on the property anyways.

I can't wait till we can leave crummy south Provo.  It's just so dirty and rednecky, which is sad.  You'd think it'd be nicer because of the university.  But no, low cost housing attracts low people.  Ulgh, I hate that, because what does that say about me?  I'm just poor, I'm not nasty.  I still take care of myself and my home, I take pride in where I live.  And I take pride in myself, the people we live around seem to not care at all whether they are disgusting or not.  So like I said, I'm excited to eventually leave when Nick gets accepted to a PhD program or gets a job.  I can't wait to be around civilized hygienic people.

And that is our life right now.  Pretty dang exciting right?  Oh, wait, one more funny thing.  My dad came to visit the other day and brought Tristan a new toy.  It was a rocking horse, and we thought he would love it!  He also brought a little Alaska puzzle, and Tristan played with that right away.  The horse?  Well, that was a little scary.  We tried putting him on it, and he FLIPPED out, started screaming and trying to run away.  It was sooooo funny.  Haha, we think he thought it was alive or something.  If you pressed the button on it's ear, it would neigh and wag its tail.  He still won't go near it, so we're hoping with time and age he'll come around.  Otherwise hopefully subsequent children will get use out of it.  At least he loves the puzzle!

Play tent compliments of Auntie Becky

Making a mess

Being cute

Don't be fooled, he was throwing a tantrum