On the hunt again...

The job hunt, I mean.

I have officially quit my job. He has never paid me and has not responded to any of my messages, so I quit. By quit, I mean I have de-friended him and have blocked him from viewing my profile. I hope the fact I only worked for him for less than a month doesn't reflect badly on my resume, but I can always explain.

After Wednesday of this week, Stephan is also going on the job hunt! The Math Lab has had to do some budget cuts and the most hours he was going to get this summer was five and obviously that wasn't enough so he's not working there this summer. At the moment, he is planning on working there in the fall. The only thing that would keep him from going back is if he gets a job that pays better, but we're not betting on that possibility anymore.

At this point, we're probably going to have to take what we can get. And I may feel like I wasted four years of my life to get a degree only to get a job that even a high-school dropout is qualified for. Yes, I know, college wasn't a waste. But I would like to put the knowledge I gained to use, and not just to say, "You want fries with that?" Yeah, I hate that joke about liberal arts grads.

I know life could be a lot worse, but that doesn't mean I'm happy about this. In fact, I have given myself permission to be upset.

Eight months? That long?

Last Thursday was our eight-month anniversary, but we spent it recharging the battery in Stephan's scooter and then making a trip to the grocery store for some basics we were running low on.

So, I guess you could say that we celebrated on Saturday by going to the temple and then eating at Yamato (best Japanese restaurant ever that is also inexpensive). Oh, and Stephan got his Pell Grant check in the mail right before we left for the temple. Yay!

Some of my married blogging friends (namely Rachel) like to put some random facts about themselves and their spouses around anniversary time. I think I shall do that now.

--When Stephan gets exhausted, he starts being very silly. When I get tired, I have no sense of humor whatsoever. This is one reason why serious discussions never happen close to bedtime.

--We both get comments on our "peculiar" manner of speaking. What's so peculiar about it?

--I love cherry pie, especially my mom's homemade cherry pie. Stephan doesn't like cherry pie...I will one day convert him. He doesn't like cherries--I don't like cherries by themselves, but in pie...heaven!!! Maybe he would like them in the form of a homemade pie...

--Stephan is the tallest in his family. I'm the shortest (not counting the niece and nephew here). And yet, 5'4" isn't particularly short, which should give you an idea of how tall the rest of them are.

--I have a hard time getting people to say my name the right way ("lah-ruh" rather than "loh-ruh"). Stephan's name gets misspelled a lot--it's said the same way as Steven, but it is spelled a unique way.

--We both love Japanese food. If he didn't like it, we wouldn't be married. True story. But he doesn't like sushi...that's okay, more for me ;)

April 16

Let's see, what is there to tell?

My father-in-law had his surgery last week, and it went better than anyone was expecting. In fact, he went home the day after! He was originally supposed to be in the hospital for a few days. He has the "best reverse lateral mohawk" anyone has ever seen (his own words, not mine) and he has been wearing his "I'm not dead yet" t-shirt. He'll be having surgery on his liver on April 22, and we're hoping that will go well too.

Yesterday, Stephan left his keys in his scooter's ignition while he went to work, and the battery died. I had gone up to UVU with him yesterday just for a change of scenery, so we got stranded. My in-laws were kind and came to rescue us and take us to their house so we could charge the battery. They also fed us. After the battery was charged, they took us back to UVU to put the battery back in and get home.

I may need to look for a new job. I know, I just got it, but the guy hasn't been paying me and he promised that I would be paid every week. I've been sending him messages about it, but I feel like he's avoiding me, so I may have to cut my losses and look for something else. As it is, I'm not doing anymore work for him until he pays me. Fair enough? I'm working on other freelance projects at the moment that I *know* I'll be paid for soon. I'm also looking for other kinds of jobs; I'm not too picky at this point, but I don't want to do food service if I can absolutely help it. I don't think I want writing to be my only occupation at this point--I can only write so much in a day before my brain fries. I think it should be more of a side thing for me--make sense?

In other news, Stephan has a Pell Grant! It's a good one too. We just need to figure out how to go get it...ha ha. And we should get a very nice tax return in the next few months. I think Heavenly Father is looking out for us, and I am indeed grateful. Even though I am really hating all the uncertainty right now, I feel calm because I know that it's all going to work out somehow and we're going to be all right. I guess we just have to pass through these trials for whatever reason. We just have to have faith that God will guide us through these trials as long as we are faithful to Him. I know He will.

The last few weeks

Okay, I only seem to update this thing about once a week or every two weeks.

I don't know where to begin here.

Things are going pretty well for us here for the most part. We're both employed now, although now we've had to re-adjust our routine. Stephan helps around the house a lot more now, not that he didn't before, but now he helps more. I'm still figuring out how to do housework and work. But, if Stephan can go to school, work, do homework, be a good husband, and help out with the house...I guess I can figure it out.

The weather has been seriously whacked out lately. Seriously Utah....what gives? It snowed today...on EASTER for crying out loud. Um, yeah, one of the top ten reasons I need to get out of this state as soon as humanly possible.

Not only am I employed, but my brother Craig has found a new job. For those who don't know (which is probably most of my readers), he got laid off from the border patrol last fall. He and Brittney moved in with our parents while he looked for work. He took security guard classes, and now he's got a job! Ask me how I feel about Obama reducing the number of BP agents on the border.

Summer is looking interesting for us. The most hours Stephan will be able to get at the Math Lab are five. Not enough, so he's looking for a different job for the summer. He may or may not be taking classes during the latter part of the summer, and it's looking more and more like we will not be able to go to the Slack Family Reunion in Nauvoo because of scheduling. I have mixed feelings about that. We're trying to think of fun things to do this summer.

My dad had surgery this last week to fix a deviated septum. My father-in-law is having surgery this week for something completely different. Read on.

Stephan's dad has cancer. He has what is known as leiomyosarcoma (feel free to look it up). He actually had a cancerous growth removed from his left arm several years ago (we affectionately call the remaining scar his "shark bite"), but it has returned now to the top of his head and in his liver. Brian (my father-in-law) is having surgery this Friday to remove the growth on top of his head and will have another surgery to remove the growth in his liver at a later date. While this is a very rare from of sarcoma, it is a slow-growing form and treatable with surgery. It doesn't, however, respond to chemotherapy, so no chemo for him. His oncologist is also one of the foremost experts on sarcoma, so we know he is in good hands. We are optimistic that all will be well. He was given a beautiful blessing today by their stake president.

So that's the end of my update. Later!

Officially announcing......

I HAVE A JOB!!!!!!!!!

And I get to use my degree for it.

Alright, alright, what is it? It's a company called Cirro Web Works; it specializes in internet marketing and SEO. What am I going to do? I'm going to be writing articles for the companies they do marketing for. I'll get paid for however many articles I write. The best part of this is that I get to work from home, so I don't have to worry about commuting or my schedule conflicting with Stephan's.

It's an interesting story how I came across this. I found the listing a while ago on Marketplace on Facebook. I told the poster that I was interested, but I didn't hear from him until Thursday, when he asked me if I was still interested. I told him that I still was, and we chatted for a while, and basically I got the job. And the pay is pretty decent.

I also did some freelance re-writing for another company called The Jump Manual. If you're into basketball, look it up online. I'm also transcribing a couple of YouTube videos for them. You see, the guy who is in charge of The Jump Manual, is married to one of the editorial interns I worked with at Intercultural Outreach. That's how I got that one. Yay for connections :)

So yeah, things are going well for us. What else is blog-worthy....

I recently joined a knitting/crocheting group in Orem. Of those two, I crochet, though I would like to learn how to knit if anyone wants to offer to teach me ;) I'm dabbling in couponing; doesn't hurt to save as much money as humanly possible considering how we are poor newlyweds. Oh, and our apartment looks much nicer because we have hung up more pictures. Y'all should come visit us :)

One year ago...

He gave me this:

And asked me to marry him. I said yes :)

And we did this for the first time:

(This picture was taken at a different time for a photography project)


And almost a month later, I got this:

If you couldn't tell, today is one year since we got engaged. And tomorrow is seven months since we got married :)

....and he got his ring too...

Life by chocolate

I have a confession to make. 

I bake desserts in order to de-stress. This is a recent event.

I know, this is not good for my health. Or my waistline. Although weight hasn't been a problem for me lately...getting married made me lose weight. Stephan's gained weight, though I am NOT complaining.

Growing up, my mom used to bake cookies (or some other dessert) on Sunday nights. I don't know if she still does since her kids moved out. My brothers and I used to fight over who got to help her, because the helper usually got to lick the beaters and the bowl *smiles*. I guess baking comforts me because it reminds me of the times when I didn't have to worry about money, finding a job, and running a household. 

Peanut butter chocolate chip cookies are a favorite around here. Stephan didn't get much in the way of these delightful cookies growing up because his dad and a brother are allergic to peanut butter (the poor unfortunate souls). I also got a Mrs. Fields cookie cookbook as a wedding present and I have been experimenting with a few of those recipes, which contain more butter than what should be legal. I don't care, they taste phenomenal. 

I recently discovered "The Pioneer Woman", which brings me to the reason for this post's title.

She has an entire section devoted to CHOCOLATE. I consider chocolate to be the nectar of a woman's life. One of the recent recipes she has posted is called "Life by Chocolate". The Pioneer Woman argues that chocolate is a life-giving elixir, none of this talk of "death by chocolate". I have to agree with her.

What is this? They are chocolate cupcakes. So, chocolate cupcakes...what's the big deal? They have Hershey's kisses baked inside. And the cupcakes themselves are so moist!

Tell me those don't look good to you. 

I decided I had to make these. 

So, late-ish on Friday night, I proceeded to baking these delightful morsels. I ended up not making the ganache frosting because I didn't feel like it, and it was getting really late. Without the frosting, they were amazing. Stephan had one and proceeded to kiss the living daylights out of me. Yes, he liked them that much. I might try the frosting next time.

Here's the recipe:

• CUPCAKES
• 2 cups Sugar
• 2 cups All-purpose Flour
• ¼ teaspoons Salt
• ½ cups Buttermilk
• 2 whole Eggs
• 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla
• 2 sticks 1 Cup Butter
• 4 Tablespoons (heaping) Cocoa Powder
• 1 cup Water, Boiling
• 18 whole Hershey's Kisses, Unwrapped
• Canned Pitted Cherries (optional)
• GANACHE
• 8 ounces, weight Bittersweet Chocolate
• 1 cup Heavy Cream
• 6 Tablespoons Corn Syrup
• 2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract

Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 18 muffin cups with baking spray.

To make the cake batter, combine flour, sugar, and salt. Set aside.

In a separate container, combine buttermilk, eggs, baking soda, and vanilla. Stir to combine and set aside.

In a saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add cocoa powder and stir to combine. Add boiling water, allow to bubble for a few seconds, then turn off heat.

Pour chocolate mixture over flour mixture. Stir a few times to cool the chocolate. Pour buttermilk mixture over the top and stir to combine.

Pour 1/4 cup cake batter into each muffin cup. Lightly set one kiss in the middle of each cupcake; do not press down.

(Alternately, you can add 3 canned, pitted cherries to each muffin cup before adding the batter.)

Bake for 20 minutes. Allow to cool for 5 minutes in the pan, then remove cupcakes and allow to cool on a baking rack.

To make the ganache, heat cream and corn syrup over medium heat. Chop chocolate and add to a bowl. Add vanilla to cream mixture, then pour cream mixture over the top of the chopped chocolate. Whisk together until melted, smooth, and glossy.

Dunk cupcakes in ganache. Allow to cool and set before serving.

**Note: I made the recipe almost exactly and came out with more batter than for eighteen cupcakes. It might be the size pans I have, however. And if you don't have buttermilk, that's okay, because you can pour a little bit of white vinegar (1/2 tablespoon to 1/2 cup of milk, I believe...look it up).

I've been trying, and you still can't see all of the instructions. Here's a link to the website:

Life by Chocolate--The Pioneer Woman


She also includes pictures of the cooking process.