Mint Brownies and Why Even Make Plain Ones?

After huge gaps in my journal for the past two years, I have begun again to write in the evenings.  It is amazing how much "stuff" comes to you when it just happened and not a week later.  I don't know if anyone will ever benefit from my journal but I love the memories and thoughts that it brings to mind when I go back and read the entries.  I have tried to be more reflective this time around and analyze my day.
That said...the week is too short and I need to get faster!  I am so easily side tracked.  When I had kids at home, it was easy to hurry and focus on what needed to be done because time was short.  They only took a nap for so long, were in school for so long, needed me to run them somewhere too soon....Hmmmm.  I know you hear me.
Highlights this week have to do with the title.   Brownies.  Those buggers are so chocolate.  I never get mint brownies at BYU because they are expensive and you can always make them at home...right?  Well, I never do but for some curious reason after consuming another yum in my life...JDawgs, we headed up to the Creamery with the intent of getting a brownie and sharing it.  Whoa.  Bad idea.  Game night.  We thought we could beat the system since we knew the ins and outs of BYU roads but not this night.  So we head to the Eyring to go the Acoustic Show and think...just maybe they have a brownie at the CougerEat.  Ha.  Just Plain Ole Brownies.  Man.  So I am watching this person dressed in a suit on a Friday night in the Wilk and wonder what he had been doing.  He orders and then before I know it, he is hugging Kim.  Who is this guy? I am wondering and he hugs me.  Just as his nose flashes by, I remember the face in Kim's apartment as we dated.  Good ole Tom.  The Japanese RM that ended all group prayers with Yosh!  We had a great visit for a couple of hours and committed to re-uniting the entire apartment when he would be down from Washington again in December. 

We spent Saturday morning at the temple with Dallin and Kira.  It was great.  There was a group of people singing hymns and carols in the cafeteria.  Unexpected.  Then we turned under the leaves that I had raked all week into the garden.  We worked up a sweat.  We had sweat dripping down into our eyes.  We examined our work at the end and wondered...did we do anything.  Still tons of leaves floating on the top of the dirt.  Man.  We headed to Farmington to play with the kiddies while their parents went out to dinner and Stake Conference Adult Session. 

We walked a lovely trail that goes behind Lagoon.  There were people everywhere having their family pictures taken.  It was a perfect day to walk in the leaves and look...just t-shirt weather. 
A highlight this week was my Costco find.  I have been wanting maps for the dining room table like we had when the kids were young and we would study it at meal times.  I saw a set of maps in Costco and grabbed them without really checking them out.  When I examined them at home, they were a set you put on the wall ( self adhesive).  Ahhhhh.  They weren't what I wanted.  I set them out to think about and the idea came.

Put them on the missionary wall and mark where everyone went.  If you click on the picture, you will see little diamonds marking the different places on the map.  Asia is the winner with the most dots.  I love it.  The map totally is out of place where I put it and that is the beauty of having your very own home.  I can do what I want.  It is a sweet reminder every time I walk past that my family has been all over the world teaching others about the gospel of Jesus Christ.  We will hopefully put many dots on that map!  Anchors away.

This wins picture of the week.  Winston did not want to wear his hat.  I don't blame him.  I mean...his buzzed hair looks so much better.  We bought this cute outfit in Hong Kong.  It was the only real thing that we bought....oh the shoppers that we are.  Love those kids. 

Just in...a picture of  Sister Chao who arrived safely in Korea!