Merry Christmas and Happy Cocoa!

Well, another Christmas has come and gone. We had a great time with the family. I think that the highlight of the holiday was my sister's interpretive dance to "The Twelve Days of Christmas." I love my family. In all the Christmas hustle and bustle both my Mom and myself had not yet been to see the lights at Temple Square. So, after a glorious day of doing almost nothing, I headed down to see the fam and take a trip to complete my holiday experience for the year.

The experience was a rather short one. The lights were pretty, but with 18 degree weather and no boyfriend to keep me warm our outing didn't last long. After the lights we had one more stop to make, after all no trip to Salt Lake is complete without a trip to Hatch Family Chocolates. We got in the warm car and as soon as our toes and imaginations had thawed, we started dreaming of pots de creme.

We pulled up to the store and it looked a little dark. I saw a sign that said that the store would be closing early for the holiday week and I feared we were too late. However, I was also determined not to be deterred by a sign and some dim lights. We got out of the car and were greeted by the very artsy and rather handsome fellow who had been standing at the counter. He had four cups of hot chocolate in his hand, which he offered us free of charge. The store was in fact closed. They had sold everything for Christmas, but there were four cups of cocoa left. We gratefully accepted the cocoa and went on our way. It was the most divine cup of hot chocolate I had ever had. I am sure that it was the kind they serve on the Polar Express. You know, the one that tastes like melted chocolate bars? It was perfect timing, just another magical moment in my life.

They happen every now and again, but usually it is at Disneyland; like when we got picked to be in the Disneyland parade, or those crazy moments when we never have to wait in line. This time is happened at Hatch Family and it was just as amazing as being at the Happiest Place on Earth. Thanks Hatch Family!

Growing Up On French Films

So, I have really hip artsy friends who like to watch foreign films. When I see them in my mind they are all very European when they watch these movies, they discuss cinematography and international issues. "My, look at these expansive landscape shots of Eastern Germany." "Oh, how I pity the plight of the lower middle class citizens in Luxembourg, have you heard what they are dealing with currently?" In my mind it is the pinnacle of intelligence and culture. Sure, I feel intelligent and cultured when I watch them as well, but mostly it is just reminiscent, like watching Disney's Beauty and the Beast.

When I was little we watched international films quite a bit. The first R rated film I ever saw was Ran. It is a Japanese version of King Lear that I saw with my family when I was 4. It was ok because it was Japanese, right? We watched French films the most. So, when I was over making chicken last night and heard that my friends had been watching Jean de Florette, I almost melted with fond memories.

I snatched the film last night and relived my childhood in one of the tragic and yet beautiful films I have ever seen. As I was watching it I thought, "Wow, I used to watch cartoons every Saturday morning and French Films at night. Now, don't get the idea that I watched them every night, but this really was how we rolled. I guess it explains a lot (thanks Hali). I am just inherently cultured. I may not be able to comment on the plight of those that live in Luxembourg, but I can certainly hold my own.

Malagasi Chicken

I cooked chicken last night. If my roommates are reading this they are probably thinking, "Gasp! Jennica? Cooking? You amaze me!" It isn't that I can't cook, it is just that I don't. I actually found myself to be quite comfortable with my hand in a bowl of raw eggs. However, I am pretty sure that I am considered a barbarian, or an apostate, daring to live in a Mormon world and not cooking. Whatever, that isn't the point of the story...

Point of the story is that you never know what you will learn when you go for dinner with your friends. First, I learned that sometimes you aren't just invited to dinner to eat,but maybe also to serve. I learned that couscous can be made from wheat or millet. I learned that Corny Collins looks awfully svelte in his straight-cut suit and dances better than everyone else, and that Montreal is a good place to learn French. And oh yes, I also learned how to make malagasi chicken.

We made almost 20 plates of that crazy chicken. When I say crazy, I mean that it is crazy good. The perfect combination of spicy and sweet. The whole night was, in all actuality, a good Samaritan project for the overburdened students who are studying like mad for their finals. Can I tell you how absolutely thrilled I am that I don't have finals? Well, I am. I love not stressing about homework and test. I love not having to stay up late to study and say no to my friends because I "have to do more reading." At the same time, I do miss learning. Yea, even structured learning. I miss being a part of the academic crowd. I guess I am not back in school for a reason though (at this point anyway). You win some, you loose some, no?

To those who are still in school...Happy Finals!

Guitar Hero and Nertz

NIMITZ! Last weekend was probably the most enjoyable weekend I have had in a long time. Friday night we all went to Tagg and Katie's after the most horrific counselor conference dinner ever and I had my first go at Guitar Hero. I like to claim that I am not a video game girl, but I think that if I had video games at my house, I would be so good at them. (and I wouldn't get much sleep) There were more video games Saturday night at Erin's. I suck at 007, but the only other time I have laughed so hard in my life is when we played Nertz and Tagg could never say it correctly. He would always shout "NIMITZ!" It was 2:00 in the morning, Monty Python was on in the back ground and there was sheer chaos at the card table. This is what life is all about, folks.

I guess that what this all boils down to is that I love my co-workers. Who'd have thunk that I would ever be spending my free time with the people that I spend my not free time with? But I do, and I love it.

I love Christmas and I love Eid al Adha (it's tomorrow)

For Hali...who inspired my first post since Halloween
Here goes...
1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate? Hot Chocolate, especially the flavored kind. Yum.
2. Does Santa wrap the presents or just sit them under the tree? Both. Variety is the spice of life.
3. Red or white lights? Who has red lights? That is ridiculous. It would make it like the red light district.
4. Do you hang mistletoe? We had this ghetto plastic sprig of mistletoe in our house when I was younger, I could sure use it now...
5. When do you put your decorations up? The second the turkey carcass is in the trash.
6. What is your favorite holiday dish? My mom's stuffing, and her Christmas pudding.
7. Favorite Holiday memory as a child? Our front room was massive with vaulted ceilings. One night before Christmas we would drag our blankets downstairs and sleep under the tree. The lights from the tree were so soft and they filled the whole room. It was like being under extra blankets. I loved that feeling.
8. Most memorable Christmas? When it snowed for 2 seconds in San Jose and we ran outside in our shorts and danced around, the year my Grandfather passed away and we found out right after opening our presents, our first welfare Christmas when we got canned garbanzo beans and used toys, the year my mom and brother went on a cruise and we celebrated with just the kids! Christmas on the mission when I got 3 surprise packages from a family in Utah that just loved sister missionaries. I love Christmas.
9. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? It happened gradually. First I asked my mom if the Easter Bunny and Tooth fairy were real. I told her I wanted to know about them, but not Santa Claus. I held on as long as I could.
10. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? Just one. It stinks if you open one that is no fun.
11. How do you decorate your Christmas tree? With absolutely everything we can find in our Christmas boxes.
12. Snow: I wish I could wake up on Christmas and be snowed in.
13. Can you ice skate? Yup, I used to go with the girl scouts every year.
14. Do you remember your favorite gift? My Dad made a play kitchen for me and my sisters. It was pretty much amazing.
15. What's the most important thing about the holidays for you? On Christmas Eve and Christmas morning nothing is wrong in the world. I treasure those few hours.
16. What is your favorite holiday dessert? Chocolate crinkle cookies, for sentimental purposes.
17. What is your favorite holiday tradition? Under-the-tree-gifts. We used to get locked in our room until everything was ready Christmas morning, so we gave each other gifts that we could open while we were waiting. We were 3 girls under 10, so mostly we just re-gifted stuff we hadn't used for a while or didn't want anymore. We still do it, but now we give dollar store gifts.
18. Which do you like best giving or receiving? Giving, there is nothing better than checking off someone else's Christmas list.
19. Christmas Song? Baby It's Cold Outside
20. Do you like candy canes? In my hot chocolate and to look at.

I Love This Country, and I Love Halloween

Happy Halloween to me!!! After many long years of tragically missing true Halloween celebrations, I finally decided that enough is enough! This year was my time to shine! It was time for me to celebrate in style. So I did. I attended several lovely parties dressed as America's Next Top Model(capitalizing on how pretty I like to say I think I am, but am not always completely sure of). To top it all off, last night we had a FABULOUS party at my house that was absolutely perfect. Dinner was pasta with pumpkin puree, garlic bread and salad. There was pumpkin cake and pumpkin cookies for dessert, and pumpkins galore to be carved. We watched "It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown" and I felt like I actually was in a pumpkin patch full of sincerity because of all the pumpkins in the vicinity.

As the little kids dressed in Freddy Krueger and Disney Princess costumes came knocking at our door, I reflected for a moment on how much I love America. I love that we live somewhere that we are free to dress up silly and run around asking people for candy. I love it. I love America and I love Halloween. I love the parents who stand at the sidewalk and watch their kids trick or treat, I love the crunchy leaves, the scary movies, I love glowing Jack O' Lanterns, pumpkin cookies, donuts and cider. I love it all.

There's no place like home

I have heard several times that we had best be our best selves at work because we spend more time with our workmates than we do with our families. So, they deserve(as do our families) to get to know and associate with the very best of us. Well, for me, that is doubly true. I don't have a family to go home to at the end of the day, so technically, my workmates are my family. I have worked in the UVSC PSS office for two years now. This place really has become my home. We go through everything together. I have seen the courtship and marriage of 5 coworkers, several pregnancies, moves, lots of drama and lots of joy. I love this place. I really do. My workmates have supported me through moving out of my mom's house, graduating college, buying a new car, breaking up with friends and boyfriends... these people have seen me at my best and my worst. They still accept me and love me. If that isn't family, I don't know what is.

How Nice To See Me

Work has been fabulous today. By fabulous I mean that I have been doing everything I can to avoid the mind-numbing task of entering info cards. One of the things that distracts me rather effectively is this whole blog thing. As I was perusing the local blogs I found a picture that reminded me a great deal of, well, me.



Her eyes are the wrong color and her hair is a bit long, but the face is just right. It captures everything that I feel today. And I am a redhead so it isn't too hard to match that part. Anyway a lady named Paulette painted this picture and I think that she is just stellar. Thanks for painting a picture of my hair and how I feel today.

Confessions of a Girl Wearing Leggings

I swore that I would never wear leggings. I always say that they weren't cool the first time around, so they definitely aren't cool the second time around. I remember being about 8 or 9 and my sister had to buy a pair of red leggings with lace on the bottom for a play. It was scandal in the Dorsey household. Dorsey girls did not wear leggings, and they certainly did not wear leggings with lace on the end. I went along with my Mom, scoffing at all the girls who wore leggings, but here I will admit, more than 15 years later, that deep inside, I knew that I would have given all my slap bracelets for a pair of leggings.

But that was just a pipe dream. I knew it would never happen. I had long given up on the leggings dream by the time they came "back into fashion." Part of me thought that grown up girls looked ridiculous in them, part of me thought that they were just an excuse to wear short skirts, and part of me was really miffed that I had missed the trend the first time around.

I stood my ground! I swore off leggings! And then, last night...I bought a pair. I will blame it all on Halloween. The leggings are a necessary evil. They go with my costume.

I am wearing them today.

Don't get me wrong, they are very cleverly concealed by my knee high boots, but in my heart of hearts, I know that I am wearing leggings. So ha! Let there be scandal in the Dorsey household. I don't care if I am a grown up girl looking ridiculous! I am wearing leggings. Take that Mom!

Free Cinnamon Rolls

Today I got a free cinnamon roll. I love my job. I presented this morning to the coolest kids ever at Timpanogos High School. Seriously, it was so much fun. When we got back to the office, we played a rollicking round of "what's on J.P.'s i-pod. I know, you are jealous. But do you know what the best part of all is?

Yesterday Utah Valley State College helped me add another member to my little family. That is right. I am the proud owner of a Samsung Upstage cell phone. It is my new baby. Between my cool phone and my car, I just don't know what to do with myself.

I love my new phone so much that I will show you a picture of it. You can tell me it is adorable later.



I have no idea how I landed this job. I work hard, but for the most part I feel as though I was placed here for the sole purpose of being blessed. I remember welfare Christmases, clothes that didn't fit and crying on the way to my best friend's house because I couldn't afford the gas to drive 3 miles across town.

And now, here I am, blessed more than I could ever imagine. Don't get me wrong, it is not like I am rollin' in the dough, but I certainly get by. This didn't just happen by accident. Hard work, determination, a little luck and lots of blessings. I am the luckiest girl in the world.

Doing Dishes...Almost

I had a date on Friday. I went out with my best good 19 year old friend Steven. I absolutely adore that kid. We went to Ottavio's and walked in behind a couple that had been greeted by the manager as they stepped out of their Bently. It was like Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous, and we were right behind the Rich and Famous. We sat across the room from them and I must admit that I spent a good portion of my time in that restaurant staring at the back of a rich man's head. I was curious. I didn't really learn anything. Oh, well.

We had a lovely meal, a man with an accordion strolled around and sang to delighted patrons, I ate more cheese that I had ever seen in my life and by the end were so utterly contented that we could have sat there all night and to just enjoy the atmosphere. But, we had a show to see so we asked for out checks and got ready to leave.

Now, I won't lie, I am a bit of a loser. I lose EVERYTHING. Most recently, it was my credit card. So, I had my check book with me. However, when I pulled my checkbook out, it was empty...and I was out of luck. Steven was a perfect gentleman and agreed to put my check on his card. So, we sent both checks away to be charged to his debit card.

When the waitress returned, she told us that his card had been declined.

Now we were both out of luck. I had this image in my head of the both of us in the kitchen washing the dishes of all the other people that had enjoyed the accordion players performance with us. Cleaning everyone else's cheesy plates. We both would have had to wash dishes for about 2 1/2 hours to make up for our meal.

And then, Steven to the rescue. He had his mother's credit card number memorized. They ran the number and we were free. I am sure she will be thrilled to see that charge. We left the restaurant and headed over to the show. Luckily, as we were both entirely out of money, we know the people who own the theater and we got in for free.

I am Michael Scott. I am the world's best boss.

I love my job.

We do a lot of data entry, and as you may suppose it is one of the most boring tasks you could ever imagine. So, as my employees seemed as though they might be getting a little loopy from the tedium yesterday, we had a data entry entering contest. The Ambassadors had 15 minutes to enter as many cards as they could. I told them that at the end of those 15 minutes, the winner would receive a fabulous prize! They were weary of my sincerity, but I assured them that it was, in fact, a real and fabulous prize.

They entered cards furiously, when the 15 minutes had expired, we had a tie. Rock, paper scissors would determine the winner. Best two out of three saw Chris as the victor.

I told him that he had won. What was the fabulous prize? An all expenses paid trip...to the vending machine!! I held out a dollar, proudly displaying the FABULOUS prize that I had promised. Cheesy. I loved it. I think I am so funny. Funny, when everyone else just stared at me. Michael Scott moment. I felt like I was tossing out candy bars and hitting students in the head. Remember that one?

I really do love my office, later that afternoon we finally received our long-awaited Utah Valley University tablecloths. They came on sturdy cardboard rolls. I took the tablecloths off the rolls and held them up for all to see. I felt like someone on a Zest commercial from 1989. You know, "Zestfully, zestfully, zestfully clean." I was.

Point of the story is that after the tablecloths had been admired there were three cardboard rolls just sitting there. It was late in the day and we all needed a break, so I tossed them to my co-workers and we had an all out sword fight in our office. It was amazing, and it is also a surprisingly good workout. I would highly recommend it.