Ha Ha I'm keeping it going!!!!!!!!

John Steinbeck eat your heart out. I told my parents that I started a blog and because of my inability to even write letters when I was in Iraq or on my mission, my dad chuckled and said, "That won't last." Well very true that I have struggled in my days to keep a record of anything. Even on my mission when on Sunday mornings an hour was set aside for the writing of journals I still failed to do so more than a handful of times. I like to think of myself not as a lazy person but rather, not having the words to express my life and feelings. Well, whatever the reasons I have had in the past for not writing I haven't seemed to run into a big problem yet with this.
Lauren's dad spent the last few days with us, and let me say that it was not nearly as bad as I had originally thought it was going to be. I spent Friday going a bit obsessive over our spare bedroom, taking 3 hours to place some footlockers with some quilts covering them so they look more like a shelf rather than footlockers. Then I had to go out a buy some shutters for the room because, and this is what my mind saw, the room looked more like an old world hut with a leather flap in the window to keep the wind out. So, after making myself sick over the whole ordeal we managed to get the room done and then make some ice cream in time for the our ward's ice cream social, being put on by the Young Women & Young Men.
This was my very first attempt at ice cream making. My dad has made ice cream for 20 some odd years and I recently, after having my dad poke fun at the fact that I didn't own an ice cream maker, bought one from the D.I. I then proceeded to make some flavors that I thought might be really good. The first flavor I came up with was Lime Margarita, I bought some margarita base from work and mixed that with cream and some sugar. It turned out really really good. It wasn't to tart, well for a margarita. It was really creamy and I thought that I had really done well with it.
The second ice cream idea came from my dad. He told me to do a cheese cake and then put out some raspberries for the topping. He did give me a couple of tips on how to make ice cream however, I failed to ask the specifics on how to make a GOOD ice cream. I whipped the cream cheese with some sugar and then added the cream. Some where in my adding the sugar and the cream something went horribly wrong, the cream separated into the lipid molecules and the sugars adhered to the cream and cheese molecules making a very very BUTTERY tasting ice cream. The fats all stuck together in big globs and the rest was a milky goo, and all together you got a buttery ice cream that was very interesting. I ate two bowls mixed with raspberries and then laughed at those that didn't like it. In my mind it wasn't very good either, but I made it so I had to stand by it.
The last kind I made was peach. I bought fresh peaches from Smith's, that was expensive 3 bucks a pound. Again, not knowing how and the little secrets you learn from years of practice with making ice cream.I didn't peal the peaches, I put them in at the begining and the all sunk to the bottom. All in all I think that I did pretty good for not knowing what I was doing. I did win three awards from the guest judges, our stake presidency and their wives. The Margarita got the, "I can't get enough" award, the Cheese cake got the "Did you buy it from the store" award, i think they were poking fun at me, and the Peach got the "Creamiest" award. I think that they just had to give an award to EVERYONE that made something. I had a fun time making the ice cream and I think that I will make a habit of making ice cream. Watch out old man I'm gonna make an ice cream that even you won't be able to touch.
Well the rest of the weekend came and went fairly uneventful. I went shooting Saturday morning with my little brother Jaren, J Dawg is what he like to be called, and Skyler, a kid that I work with at the Old Spaghetti Factory. I kind of sighted in my 7mm Mag. at least now you can see the shot on the target. The two boys didn't seem to like the 7 though I think it was a little too painful to really be lots of fun. Then we went down to the 50 yard range where we shot my Russian 9mm x 18mm Makarov. I love that gun, and apparently so did J Dawg and Skyler. We also took out my targeting .22 caliber rifle. That's a neat little gun. One of the most accurate guns I have ever shot.
After about 3 hours we were done, and almost out of ammunition. I worked that night while Mike and Lauren went to her nieces birthday party. From what I heard it was a bit over the TOP. Then we slept in a bit and went to church, Lauren had sharing time. Then after church it was time for Mike to go home. Not too bad of a weekend. We finished the night off over at Lauren's mom's house for dinner. Zach, Hilary and Cassidy were there along with Eric and Heather and Ella. Eric and Heather aren't in town a whole ton so we take all the opportunities we can to get together.
This week is going to be very fun. It is my Spring Break and so I have lots of things planned. Hopefully I can get everything finished. I will post pictures of everything that I can accomplish, if the weather agrees with me.