So its been almost a month since my last post. I came home for Whitney's wedding the first weekend of January and spent 3 weeks visiting friends and family. I was thrown an amazing coming home party, went to the 20th anniversary party and watched the Bachelor, Idol and Biggest Loser during many girl nights. During my visit home I decided not to return to Sweden because I wasn't happy and myself there. I made the decision to move to the other place I had talked about going to, Utah.
So yesterday I flew out here. Flying over the mountains during this time of year was breathtaking. It felt like I was in another world... the snow covering the mountains, frozen lakes and land... I'd never seen anything like it before. I've really learned to appreciate the beauty in our own country since learning about the differences and similarities between the U.S and Europe... So anyway Whitney picked me up and has been a saint helping me get settled. The apartment complex I'm moving into is awesome... there is free tanning, fitness center, hair cuts, manicures, pedicures and facials. I found out today that you only get one of the free spa service per month... which makes more sense. So there were problems with the room I was originally supposed to move into (basically one of my potential room mates had moved into my room...) luckily the leasing office isn't going to keep me in that apartment, because I would have been the roommate that got the girl kicked from the big bedroom to the smaller one. Then they sent me over to another room in another apartment. As Whitney and I walked up the stairs, we noticed a weird baby-like blanket hanging in the window. Uh oh... my new roommates were going to be freaks. We walk in and there are dirty dishes everywhere... gross. Luckily those girls were also breaking the rooms and had moved people in that weren't supposed to be there. The girl that told me the rooms were all full was this big girl in her full out PJs at 5pm, it was bizarre. So I decided to wait until today and I will move into a completely different room. Hopefully #3 is the lucky charm!
So last night Whitney and I went to Target to buy bedding for me (I only spent $25 on a full cute bed set... score)! Whitney has been amazing giving me extra blankets and pots/pans etc for my new place. But the best gift of all... the hot pink snuggie! I think she's crazy for giving it up but I'm not complaining! We headed to Macaroni Grille for dinner to see Jon and to check out my future employment. I'm pretty excited to get back into serving. All the people seemed way cool... and less of your usual stereotypical servers. I must say, Whitney and Jon's place is gorgeous. I had seen it over Skype but it just didn't do it justice. Whitney has the place decorated extremely well... it all coordinates beautifully. I'm really happy for them! So back to the evening... during Grays Anatomy we made Monster Cookies... I had never had them before and they are delicious! Here is the recipe (below)!
So to wrap up, I hope I am moving in today. Whitney is letting me borrow her car since she will be at work. I am going to explore the area and hopefully find cheap cups/plates/etc. I'm pretty excited for this new adventure, but I still get really sad thinking about not being in Sweden and not seeing Jonas every day. I know everything will work out how its supposed to... but it still gets me down sometimes. So I plan on writing about my experience out here... because as my aunt said, Utah is just as much of a culture shock as Sweden was... so I will write about it and hopefully keep entertaining many of you like before!
Monster Cookies:
Yield:3 dozen
Prep Time: 10 min
Cook10 min
Total:23 min
So yesterday I flew out here. Flying over the mountains during this time of year was breathtaking. It felt like I was in another world... the snow covering the mountains, frozen lakes and land... I'd never seen anything like it before. I've really learned to appreciate the beauty in our own country since learning about the differences and similarities between the U.S and Europe... So anyway Whitney picked me up and has been a saint helping me get settled. The apartment complex I'm moving into is awesome... there is free tanning, fitness center, hair cuts, manicures, pedicures and facials. I found out today that you only get one of the free spa service per month... which makes more sense. So there were problems with the room I was originally supposed to move into (basically one of my potential room mates had moved into my room...) luckily the leasing office isn't going to keep me in that apartment, because I would have been the roommate that got the girl kicked from the big bedroom to the smaller one. Then they sent me over to another room in another apartment. As Whitney and I walked up the stairs, we noticed a weird baby-like blanket hanging in the window. Uh oh... my new roommates were going to be freaks. We walk in and there are dirty dishes everywhere... gross. Luckily those girls were also breaking the rooms and had moved people in that weren't supposed to be there. The girl that told me the rooms were all full was this big girl in her full out PJs at 5pm, it was bizarre. So I decided to wait until today and I will move into a completely different room. Hopefully #3 is the lucky charm!
So last night Whitney and I went to Target to buy bedding for me (I only spent $25 on a full cute bed set... score)! Whitney has been amazing giving me extra blankets and pots/pans etc for my new place. But the best gift of all... the hot pink snuggie! I think she's crazy for giving it up but I'm not complaining! We headed to Macaroni Grille for dinner to see Jon and to check out my future employment. I'm pretty excited to get back into serving. All the people seemed way cool... and less of your usual stereotypical servers. I must say, Whitney and Jon's place is gorgeous. I had seen it over Skype but it just didn't do it justice. Whitney has the place decorated extremely well... it all coordinates beautifully. I'm really happy for them! So back to the evening... during Grays Anatomy we made Monster Cookies... I had never had them before and they are delicious! Here is the recipe (below)!
So to wrap up, I hope I am moving in today. Whitney is letting me borrow her car since she will be at work. I am going to explore the area and hopefully find cheap cups/plates/etc. I'm pretty excited for this new adventure, but I still get really sad thinking about not being in Sweden and not seeing Jonas every day. I know everything will work out how its supposed to... but it still gets me down sometimes. So I plan on writing about my experience out here... because as my aunt said, Utah is just as much of a culture shock as Sweden was... so I will write about it and hopefully keep entertaining many of you like before!
Monster Cookies:
Yield:3 dozen
Prep Time: 10 min
Cook10 min
Total:23 min
Ingredients
- 3 eggs
- 1 1/4 cups packed light brown sugar
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 12-ounce jar creamy peanut butter
- 1 stick butter, softened
- 1/2 cup multi-colored chocolate candies
- 1/2 cup chocolate chips
- 1/4 cup raisins, optional
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 4 1/2 cups quick-cooking oatmeal (not instant)
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper or nonstick baking mats.
In a very large mixing bowl, combine the eggs and sugars. Mix well. Add the salt, vanilla, peanut butter, and butter. Mix well. Stir in the chocolate candies, chocolate chips, raisins, if using, baking soda, and oatmeal. Drop by tablespoons 2 inches apart onto the prepared cookie sheets.
Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. Do not overbake. Let stand for about 3 minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool. When cool, store in large resealable plastic bags.
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