Blorange Bronco Breakfast imBibement. Boom.

This recipe is terribly simple, but also quite delicious. Sort of like Peyton Manning. I kid! I kid! Mr. Manning is one smart dude, totes obvi. I mean, the guy understands football. That's something I can't even begin to hope to have the brain juice to accomplish. But you know what kind of juice I do have? Orange juice. And you know what tastes darn good in a blender with a couple of handfuls of tiny frozen blueberries? Huh? You guessed it -- orange juice. If there's anything this recipe has in common with the Broncos, it's the fact that it's a winner.

Super Simple Superbowl Smoothie

Frozen blueberries

Orange juice

Combine. Blend. Pour. Drink. Cheer.

GO BRONCOS!!!!!! XLVIII!!!!!! WOOO WOOO WOOO!!!! YES WE CAN!!!!!!!

Bronco Bites part deux

We TDs are not particularly athletic. In fact, as a very young child, I told my mom my coach had cancer to get out of playing soccer (she discovered my deception after sending soup, the dear lady). And yet, despite our distaste for "the game" we are a fiercely competitive bunch. We'll hoot and holler and tussle over almost any competition we can devise. Cheeks bleed after a couple rounds of chubby-bunny, and don't get me started on the horror that ensues when board games are brought into the mix.

And so, armed with this knowledge, Charity threw down the gauntlet, and challenged us to a color-coded, game-day tournament. A culinary clash, with rivals engaging in comestible warfare. A Super-Supper-Bowl if you will. And so, miz. Sunshine, I see your punkin-dumplins, and I raise you PUDDING (with balls--like footballs, but more smaller and roundish, but I still deserve points for the balls).

Peyton's Puddin Smack-down

(Coconut tapioca with apricot sauce and blueberry compote)

Peyton Puddin (sweet and smooth, just like our guy)

1/3 c. small pearl tapioca

1½ c. coconut milk

1 c. whole milk

1 egg yolk

1/4 c. sugar

1/2 t. salt

1 t. vanilla extract (or seeds from 1 in. vanilla bean segment)

Add milks and pearls to a medium saucepan and let soak for 45 min to an hour. Stir in the remainder of the ingredients and cook over medium heat until pudding reaches thee texture of thick gravy (about 15 min). Pour into serving dishes, and chill.

Manhattan Apricot sauce (like New Jersey, but better?)

1/3 c. apricot spread or sauce (I used this stuff , but trader joe's has awesome apricot sauce too)

1 T. rye whiskey

1 t. sweet vermouth

1 dash rhubarb bitters

Mix well.

Sour Grapes Blueberries(?) Compote (Richard Sherman, I'm lookin at you)*

1/2 c. frozen blueberries

1 t. lime juice

Toss and let sit on the counter for 40 min. (Alternatively, microwave it for 40 seconds.)

  

*I definitely deserve extra points for knowing stuff about sports. definitely.

Bronco Bites

Color Me Orange (gnocchi) and Blue (cheese crumble)

Gnocchi

1 large yam

1 cup cream cheese or ricotta

2 eggs

4 cups flour

2 tbsp salt

A pinch of nutmeg

Cream wet ingredients together, then knead in dry ingredients. Add floured until dough no longer feels wet to the touch. Separate into four balls and wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate til ready to use. Roll dough into long pieces and cut or twist apart at 1 inch intervals for "footballs". Pan-fry with paprika or boil til pasta float to the top, reserving 1/4 cup water.

Crumble

1/4 cup shelled pumpkin seeds

1/2 cup blue cheese

2 large pieces stale bread

Combine in food processor or blender. Plus til fine powder develops. Toss with pasta and pasta water or sprinkle on top of pan fried gnocchi before serving.

Today is a good day.

We're celebrating a bit of an anniversary in the Tillemann-Dick clan. (If you're at all confused, this link might help clarify some things.) I can't say in words how grateful I am to the person who chose to preserve life in the midst of death two years ago today. That decision has changed my life and that of everybody I love for the waaay better -- especially that of a certain sister with a penchant towards strong opinions and delicious foodstuffs. Wherever you are, Thank You. Thank you so much.



To everybody else who might be reading this, please consider registering as an organ donor. Please consider asking your friends to register as organ donors. It's a good thing. I promise.

In fact, if you have any questions or concerns about registering as a donor, send me a note at nonitd@gmail.com. I would love to talk through any uncertainties about the registration or donation process you may have, I just need to know about them first. It's not exactly a pleasant subject to have a conversation about, but it's important.

Have a exceptionally lovely weekend.

Notes from Montreal

Howdy peeps!

This last week was an adventure. Really. It was very packed with experiences - and at times seemed really long. But mostly in a good way - if that's possible.

It all started when we met a referral from another investigator from another ward. We really didn't know what to expect, but even if we had I think we would have been surprised. Saif is from Afghanistan. He's been here for a little over a year  - and his French is really rough. But between his French and English, we were able to learn that he's totally into Jesus. Like, really, really into that guy. AND that he's read the Book of Mormon twice! In Pashto - for the first time when he was 8. Kind of cray, cray, eh? And, he's totally into the church, but.....We can't baptize him because the Taliban will kill his family if we did. Which is actually kind of a problem. So, we're allowed to teach him, but nothing more, for the moment. #investigatorproblems

I can now pray in 4 languages! And as I've learned to talk to God in Spanish, French, and Haitian Creole, our relationship has been enriched (I'm only kind of joking.) 

One funny thing about my mission is that I can count the number of times I've been door-to-door tracting on my fingers and toes. It's good, because we usually have more productive things to do. But, last week we had about 20 minutes between appointments, and decided to try to visit a potential. She wasn't home, but her cousin was, and after chatting for a few minutes and setting up another time to meet we decided to knock on some of the other doors in the building. Within 10 minutes we found a less-active member AND a young man who said he had been praying and reading his scriptures when we knocked on his door. We had our first real lesson with him on Saturday. He's cool. 

As I mentioned in my last letter, we feel very fortunate to have a good pool of people to teach. But just because we have people to teach doesn't mean things are always easy. And after reflecting and realizing that most of our investigators weren't budging, we decided to fast. Friday morning we went to sing with the old people and missed a call from an ami. An ami who had been a referral from a member and...well. It's rather complicated. But do any of you remember me telling you about that woman who a member had invited to recover in her home after a crazy operation? If not, that's ok. The details make the story a little more painful, but I don't have time to do justice to them right now. Anywayyyyy, we called her back. And she told us she didn't want to take lessons from us anymore. She was simultaneously  sweet and vicious. I haven't cried much on my mission (maybe 10 times. One being during our Christmas call, and most of the others after receiving Glorianna's painfully poignant mix of gruesomely nostalgic tunes last week.....Thank you, Noni. It was a good thing. I just miss you. A lot.). Anyway, I cried when Vilma dropped us. It wasn't awesome. And we were hungry. But we just picked ourselves up and continued to go to our appointments. Someone cancelled. Someone else cancelled. And we were pretty mopey. And then we went to the home of one of our favorite amis...and she wasn't there either. And we had had an appointment. And it was just rough. We were walking back to our car when she ran out of the house to get us (she had been putting her baby niece to sleep). So it was better.

Then that night, we had a lesson with one of the families we're teaching. The husband was having a lot of difficulty understanding the role of prophets, and we were struggling to explain in a way he could understand. And it was just ...rough. And then his wife was like "You girls were sent to us from God - and I want to be baptized. I wasn't sure for a looong time. And when the boy missionaries were here I was pretty sure your church was satanic. But it's not. Je veux etre chez-vous. I want to be baptized. As soon as I can be. And, Jerome, I'm setting an example for you. I know I was already baptized, but I want to be baptized by proper authority. And everything you girls have said has come from God. And I want all of the kids to be baptized. And Jerome, I'm setting an example. I hope you're paying attention. Sisters, please come back tomorrow while he's at work so we can pray for him. He needs to be baptized, too." And we were like " Uuuuuuuuut", but actually we were really happy and it was very challenging to temper our reactions. 'cause it was just kind of amazing. And then we went back and prayed for Jerome and had a lesson with all of the kids. When we asked them if they wanted to be baptized the super smart 15 year old boy was like, "Yeah. I really want to be baptized because it's like starting all over again. It's symbolic of the resurrection" and we were like: "Uuuuuuut"

And it was super great.       

And this is really incoherent, but I'm just struggling to write this morning. There's a lot I want to say, and not enough time.

Je vous aime - beaucoup. It's just too much. The love and fulfillment I feel when entire families agree to be baptized is only matched by the despair which rests in my heart when I think about being so far away from you. And when I listen to Noni's music and just wanna have a Fun Day.

All Hail the Pig King -

Hail.

Hail. 

Hail.

Fusion-y

It snowed last night in Denver. For those who don't live here, the combination of sunshine and a blanket of powder turns the landscape into a sparkling wonderland. Cascades of natural glitter rain down from overhangs and branches and the sheer brightness of things is otherworldly. Looking out the window my eyes open wide, straining to take it all in.

Days like today call for cookin. Food that'll stand up to the day, put hair on your chest, and take you home. This recipe was an attempt to simultaneously take both Premal and me back. The addition of spicy Indian chili power adds a kick to this traditional Hungarian recipe, and paneer stands up beautifully to the rich gravy. My nokedli--or spätzle--are multi-grain to mimic roti, the whole-wheat flatbread served with most meals in India. Club soda keeps the dumplings light and fluffy, despite the heavier flour.

Parikás Paneer with Multi-grain Spätzle

4 T. (plus more for frying) butter
1 lg. yellow onion (diced)
4 cloves garlic (diced)
4 T. sweet Hungarian paprika
1 T. spicy Indian chili powder or 1 t. red chili flakes (optional)
2 c. vegetable broth
1/2 c. sour cream
12 oz. mushrooms (sliced)
8 oz. paneer (1/2 inch cubes)

Sautee onion and garlic in butter until translucent. Add paprikas, and stir til roux forms. Gradually add the broth, stirring all the while, contents should resemble a thin gravy. Sir in sour cream. Fry mushrooms and paneer in batches, making sure not to crowd the pan, until golden. Add to gravy, season to taste, and serve over spätzle.

For spätzle

3/4 c club soda
2 eggs
1/2 t salt
1 c. white flour
1 c. whole wheat flour

spätzle maker or small cutting board and medium knife

Set large pot to boil. Mix soda, eggs and salt in medium bowl. Gradually add flour. Mix well. Dough should be very soft and sticky (almost a batter). Let rest ten minutes. Stir.

Here's the tricky part. If you don't happen to own a spätzle maker (but really, doesn't EVERYONE have one?) you'll need to make these dumples the old fashioned way. Take the cutting board and the knife and dip them in the boiling water. Place a large clump of dough on the board and thinly spread part of it all the way to one end of the board. Dip this end and the knife in the boiling water again. Then, using the back of the knife, scrape off thin noodles into the boiling water, re submerging knife and board along the way to prevent sticking. Let dumples boil for several minutes. Strain and toss with a little olive oil. (If this doesn't make sense, this video demonstrates the process pretty well--even if it's in German).  

Tree fruit stew over results of recent assembly

This past week marked the beginning of COMPOTE. The star-studded event attracts luminaries from across breeds. Tree fruits from this season assembled on E street's Cutting Board and The Stovetop to discuss the results of the 2013 harvest. A dozen representatives were present. They divided into small, working groups with inch-sized pieces repesenting Gala, Honey Crisp, Pineapple Quince and Bartlet families. Granny Smith was there to advocate for the needs of older apples while twin apples from the Dwarf family lobbed apples for minority rights. The Pear Group insisted apples were over represented, but leaned in anyway.

A myriad of issues were discussed, including but not limited to:

Spicing up your apple sauce
Maple Syrup: It's from a tree too
Compassionate Peeling
Avoiding Appearence of Apple: Apples and Over Representation in Preserves

and lastly,

The Challenges of Summer: Stone Fruit or Just Stoned

Near the end of the assembly, dried stone fruits made an appearance. In the last minute, the Colorado Apricots were, in fact, stoned. The Dried Cherries fill-in started out on a tart note. But in the end everyone thought they had the sweetest results of any fruit at COMPOTE.

Applications for next years COMPOTE will be considered starting at the end of August, 2014.

COMPOTE: Annual Report

COMPOTE's found our working groups achieved the best results when a wide variety of tree fruits were represented. Experienced fruit typically achieves better results. The more bruised they look, the sweeter they taste.

12 apples, quince, pears or large pieces of stone fruit, preferably of different varieties.
1-2 cinnamon sticks
2 star anise
4 cardamom pods
1/2 cup tart dried cherries
1/2 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup apple juice
1/3 cup maple syrup (optional)

Core and cut apples into 1 inch cubes. You can peel the apples if you want to. Place in pot with spices, apple and lemon juice. Cover and leave on medium heat for 8 minutes. When you return, the liquid should be bubbling. Stir and reduce to a simmer. Leave for 30 minutes to 2 hours, depending on desired consistency. Add cherries 10 minutes before removing from heat. When done, place in sealed jars. Cool, then refrigerate for up to a month. Eat with ice cream, cheese, yogurt, granola, oatmeal, pancakes or on it's own.

Notes from Montreal

Birthday Cake!

Howdy, folks! I hope things are peachy, though - from what I've heard - after two weeks of earth shatteringly frigid weather up north, y'all are experiencing some pretty nasty stuff down yonder. Stay warm. And Safe. And healthy (that last one is directed mostly at Charity, but it's for all of you). This week has been pretty packed. And while the temperature is definitely much higher than it has been, the results are less than keen. For example: as a result of the warming, melting, and freezing which has taken place of the last few days, entire parking have turned into sheets of ice. No joke. And the ice is thick. And there's really no way to find spots which aren't slippery - because everything is ice. Everything. It's....and adventure, to be sure. And it is only by the grace of God that I have not fallen on my face - several times. I have no idea how I've managed to stay vertical. It is maybe a not so small miracle. 

So...my companion and I are very blessed right now. We have a lot of people to teach. For missionaries serving in a fairly snobby suburb of Montreal, we feel tremendously fortunate. And our amis are really cool. And loving, and just good people. Occasionally we have a hard time understanding how we balance being friends while still teaching the gospel, but it works out. We also work with a lot of recent converts and less -active or returning members. For the most part, we just love all of the people we see. A lot. But no matter who we're teaching, one of the biggest difficulties we have is controlling time. It's. Just. SO. Hard. Our job would be easier if we had enough time to talk to our amis about everything that's going on their lives, help them with whatever they need help with, AND teach them the gospel, but there's just never enough time for anything.  

Everyone needs different things - Sometimes the goal of our visits is to teach new information, sometimes it's more about reminding people of things they already know. Sometimes the work is really hard, and sometimes - when my days are just so profoundly enriching and rewarding - I feel guilty for ever thinking missionary work was hard. . .

Ok. Time's up. Pour le vrai. I love y'all far too much. It makes my insides squirm when I think about it. You're just the very best. 

Until next week!

Planning vs. Postponing

If I were forced to create a daily itinerary for an upcoming trip (regardless of the destination) it would likely look something like this:

Day 1. Arrive (did I tell soandso I was getting in? eh, just cab it to the city, I'll find her later.) Wander. (I was sure I took down her phone number before leaving... Shoot.) FIND INTERNET CAFE (Read most recent Modern Love column. Find the number--or more likely send a panicked email to said friend with an approximation of my location). Reunite with old friend. Nap. Eat.

Day 2. Find a cafe. Order a cappuccino and baguette. Read... Isn't there a good shopping street or something?

Day 3. (Repeat "Day 2" schedule)

Day 4. Ditto.

Day 5. OMG I LEAVE TOMORROW AND HAVEN'T DONE ANYTHING! (Repeat "Day 2" schedule.)

Day 6. Depart.

Suffice it to say, planning is not my forte. Premal on the other hand thrives on programs. Everyday of a trip with him is a meticulously mapped-out adventure. Days start early, agenda in hand, and end not too late. We took a little trip to California over the new year, and put more than 700 miles on our little rental car over 5 days! We did basically everything you'd expect someone to do in NoCal. We hiked in Muir Woods, drank wine in Napa, meandered up Route 1, ate a sundae as big as my head at Ghirardelli Square and saw tons of friends and family along the way. It's great, but it can also be exhausting, and I'll admit to longing for my old aimless way of vacationing every once in a while.

What about you? Are you a planner or do you tend to be a bit flighty?
My solution for our next vacation? I'm going to plan a day of casual meandering. BOOM. Marital oneness achieved!

That nerd who turned into a super hottee

Clockwise, from top, center: Pistachios, Vanilla Beans, Prunes, Blueberries, coco nobs, raisins, hazelnuts, cherries, pecans, oranges, apricots, coconut sugar, sunflower seeds, white sesame seeds, ginger, pumpkin seeds. Center: Steel cut oats. 

You know that guy from middle school who was kindof dorky and wore glasses and you ignored him and now that your a grown up, you're like, he's hot and successful and really nice -- wow -- I was stupid for ignoring him? Oats are like that.

We're so used to them being served like flavorless mush, we forget how great they are. They are so fantastic, in fact, that I made a temporary shrine to them on my kitchen table which you can see above. What inspired this? Well, first is we've been a little down on our blog game of late and since none of the other sisters [MERCINA] are going to pick up their game [AHEM AHEM SNEEZELIBERTYKIMBERGLORIANNA COUGH COUGH] I thought I would do it. Secondly, I ate a lot over the holidays. I think I personally consumed over three dozen cookies. This is never a good idea. Especially when cOATs will be coming off soon enough and everyone will see the remnants of the cookie. So I thought, "I should take it easy on the sugar. Why don't I have some steel cut oats for breakfast?" But right there was the rosemary maple glaze my eternaboo had used the night before to cook. I thought, "I'll just cook them in there." Peeps, it was fantastic. Since then, I've been on a bit of an oat kick. Yoni left town, I emptied the cupboards and made an oat foodscape. You could say oats have kind of changed my life.  

So to kick-start your resolutions, I give you a few ideas:

OAT BASICS: 4 parts liquid to 1 part steel cut oats

risOATo
Sautée onions in a little butter. Add 1 cup steel cut oats. In another pot, boil 3 cups veggie stock and 1 cup white wine or beer. Ladle into oats, letting them absorb the moisture. When you've used all of the liquid, add some pecorino cheese and sautéed mushrooms

VARIATION: Sautée oats and onions and boil 2 cups broth, one cup beer and one cup apple juice. Ladle liquid into oats until absorbed. When done, add grated cheddar and chunks of apple and sausage. Serve with freshly grated cheese.

Steel Cut Oats with Maple, Sage, Dried Apricot and Pumpkin Seeds
Cook the rosemary with the oatmeal and add an extra pinch of salt. Either serve it with cream and extra maple syrup for breakfast -- it's really good -- or serve it as a side. I think it would be particularly good with beef or anything that is a little gamey.

Morning Oat Mixes: Dried cherry, Cocoa Nibs and Hazlenut. Blueberry, almond, cinnamon, dried ginger and brown sugar. Toasted Sesame, Coconut and dried mango. Apple compote, cream and pecan.

So enjoy your hotee (cereal) this morning and if you'd like, every morning. Seriously.

Notes from Montreal

Huzzah!

It's 2014! I'm old! But I'm alive! Despite having no heat in our apartment for three (!) days last week. Yerp. It. Was. Cold. Actually, to be a little less vague, things here got down to a toasty -39F last week....For any of you who can't even begin to comprehend what that means, I will translate: it. was. unbearably. frigid. Like 5 pairs of fleece-lined tights, two pairs of leggings, many socks, boots, toe-warmers shoved in boots, all covered by wool skirt kind of cold. Yeees. It got so bad that we had to move-in with some other sisters - which was actually really fun. So it's all good. We had a little New Years Fete (I know I don't have the accents, but I can't worry about those things at a time this); we popped some bubbly, shoved grapes in our mouths and made wishes (apparently its what all the cool kids down south do nowadays), popped some poppers, jumped around and sang some really delightful, really off-key French drinking songs. Happy 2014! I also made sure to shove everyone full of lentils, and took time to bathe my visage with apple water. So it should be a good year. We  spent New Years Day with one of our investigators and ate traditional Haitian/French soup. You should look up the recipe. It's independence soup - with squash and stuffs. You'd like it. 

Actually, this last week we were celebrating all over the place. I turned 22! :( But it was ok. My district threw me a wonderful party with the most exquisite blood orange praline cake. It was really very beautiful. And it was procured at the most amazing bakery! If anyone wants to visit, I'll take you there. It's called Rococo and I discovered it last week.

Oh, so - we teach an English class every Friday night. Well, last Friday night, we didn't teach. The other missionaries taught, but while we were at another lesson, we got a text from an unknown number inviting us to lunch the next day. After a little back and forth, we realized it was one of our English students. He invited us to meet his family and eat Moroccan couscous together. It was very unexpected, and a little strange because English class is supposed to be completely non-religious service. It takes place in the church building, but we are not allowed to talk about religion. And we also felt a little strange talking about religion with this lovely Muslim family. But they were totally into it! We talked a lot about both of our faiths, and they were really kind. They were also very surprised and touched to learn more about what we were doing in Canada as missionaries. The mother became teary-eyed as she explained that she didn't think there were other people like us in the world. Thought they are probably not going to join the church, they would not stop telling us that their impression of the United States was so very positive after meeting us. We're the only Americans or Canadians they know here!!!! They both worked with the UN before coming to Quebec, but now they only know other immigrants. Which is crazy. But it was great. The only problem was that they expected us to spend the ENTIRE day with them. And that just wasn't possible. So, after 2+ hours we bade them adieu and scurried off to our other lessons. 

Yesterday one of the members of our congregation asked us to meet him in the kitchen after church. He's studying food processing or something strange like that. He is a very nice person, and made me an impeccable, three layer black forest cake which was quite amazing. I don't think I've ever had so many special birthday cakes, but it was very dear. And very impressive. It was perfect. I'll send you pictures. Unfortunately the taste may not translate, but it was really, really good. The members here are crazy nice. Weeeeellllll, I love you so much! I have to run! But thank you again for all of your goodness and love! Tom sent me the sweetest book of pictures and memories and it just made me reflect a little more on how very much I love each and every one of you. Thank you for being so awesome.

Muchas smoochas!

P.S. One of the sisters from my zone in the MTC got into a terrible accident. She was serving in Tahiti and was hit by a car while riding her bike. She's been in a coma ever since, and I can only imagine how her family is feeling. People have been so kind about praying for us when we've been in similarly dire circumstances; if you could make sure to include Sister Rachel Taylor in your prayers that would be super. I love you all so much! 

D*mn the Torpedoes

A few quick thoughts:

1) I'm one of those awful people who typically just looks at the pictures on the blogs I "read."

2) I just ate an entire pineapple all by my lonesome. 

3) I am incredibly excited for what the new year has to bring. 

There's something magic about welcoming a fresh beginning surrounded by people you adore. We had a small silly party to ring in the new year, in our sweet little home. We ate peasant food, and played parlor games. No champagne was popped, and we almost missed the final countdown. It was not what one might call an "epic" night. But you know what it was? Perfect. 

Happy New Year everyone. 

May 2014 bring us all innumerable joys, adventures and triumphs.   

One final thought before I go. If you've recently hosted a party at your house, it's best to put away all of the bowls of peanut butter m&ms as soon as possible. 

Blurred Lines

"ugh. that chick was trippin' lizards, yo". . . Nothing.

"dewd, my belly does not have any food in it right now.". . . Nope.

"soooo when are we going to go do that thing we talked about that one time?". . . *crickets*

"where you been, man?"

"Just busy with some stuff and things"

"want to grab coffee?"

"I don't know. I have a dentist appointment next Tuesday, so I don't know if we'll be able to sync up our schedules"

"come on. we haven't talked in ages. you're usually free thursdays, right? let's meetup for a canolli or something."

...

"Sure"

Boom. Fraped.

Frape (not frappé) is a new word I made up last night after realizing that I'm terrified of becoming an overbearing friend person, a.k.a. a frapist. You can probably figure out its roots if you think about it. . . yeah. You get it.

I've been thinking lately about when being friendly and proactive in relationships crosses the line from appropriately thoughtful into uncomfortably persistent, and I've determined that I have absolutely no idea. Forcing the physical act of hanging out is wrong and nobody should do it. But what exactly counts as forcing? Four texts? A phone call? More than one email? For me, three chronologically distant yet consecutive texts feels pretty frapey -- because really, how many more can you send before the other person become so uncomfortable they reply, even though they really don't want to? After two, I pretty much understand that you've been over me for, like, four months already and the resulting shame that I didn't tire of your company before you tired of mine means I hate you forever and ever and I never want to see you again.

. . . I realize that this is probably not healthy.

For obvious reasons, yes, but some others as well. My eagerness to avoid engaging in non-consensual friendship means that I tend to just not get to know people unless they get to know me first. This is unfair, illogical, and I'm sure excludes me from many enriching relationships. But it's the case. The good (?) news is that I actually quite enjoy spending time alone, so this intense social dysfunction doesn't bother me all that much. However, on those rare occasions when I do shoot off the first communique, I quickly spiral into the above mentioned doubt-spiral and shut out people who I actually think might be pretty neato. Not productive.

I don't even think frape is bad, in the abstract. If you think someone is keen, of course you should put some real effort into getting to know them better! I probably wouldn't have any friends if people hadn't done that with me. But I just can't bring myself to. . . you know.

I don't even know what the point I'm trying to get across here is.

I think it's easiest to just associate with blood relatives -- if they think you're lame they'll tell you, but you still get to be buddies anyway because that's just the rule. (ok siblings? Ok.)

Because I don't have any other good conclusion, I'll leave you with the frapists' anthem, by Blondie:

Notes from Montreal

Yesterday I received three impossibly delightful packages from The Cookies, Momo, and Glorianna! Thank you so much! They were far too lovely. And they came at the perfect time because I came down with a very nasty flu-type thing last week. After a day of rest (I think I slept around 16 between yesterday and last night), I'm feeling much better. I'm not exactly healthy, but I'm much better.

And while it's never fun to be sick, it's particularly unpleasant to be sick away from home. But the people here are really kind and caring. Our investigators sent me special remedies and treats, less-active members called to make sure I was ok and to coach me on how to recover quickly, and members called to offer any help I needed. It was very heartwarming. Y'all should know I'm being well taken care of :) 

For much of last week, missionary work took the form of caroling. We teamed up with two of the other sisters and went around singing in four part harmony with our very own guitar accompaniment. It was a really special way to pass the days before and after Christmas. And having the time to visit those we recognized as being alone, and to spread a little holiday cheer through music, cookies, and the message of Christ's love was an amazing gift. A lot of the people we visited said we were their only visitors for the holiday season. We also put on two concerts at old folks' homes. It wasn't (isn't) easy being away from all of the people I love most - especially during the holidays, but it is gratifying to know that I'm using my time for good - and to see that being here does make a difference in others' lives. (We were so busy last week that we didn't have much time to help people shovel sidewalks during the day. Instead we adopted the habit of using the 30 minutes after our last appointments of the day to take part in night-shovelling! It was a little odd. But also probably good exercise.) 

Perhaps in an effort to repay us for our efforts to uplift and inspire, one of our friends decided to give us some pretty elaborate gifts. For my companion, the gift took the form of some saucy, spiky, sandals. And for me....A winter coat with a giant fur collar. As in, real. dead. animal. Hanging all over my neck. I didn't really know what to say - except...wow! and thank you! And that's faaaaar too nice of you. *Eeeep*. She's keeping it for me until I have a place to put it......

We're spending New Years with some of our investigators. They are also Haitian and apparently all Haitians eat special independence soup on New Years. It a French soup which Haitians weren't allowed to eat before winning their freedom. So it's kind of a big deal now. Imma make some lentils, too. Just to be sure :) 

HAPPPPEEEEE NOOOOOOOOOOOOH YEEEEEEEEEEEEEERRRE