The Incubator

I have had an interesting semester with my health. Generally I get sick once a semester with a cold that lasts about a week, but that's about it. This semester was different though. The morning of my birthday I woke up with a sore throat and by the end of the day my nose was running, and I was coughing and sneezing. I woke up the next morning feeling miserable.

I drugged myself up and went to church meetings and then church itself. When my bishop realized I was sick, he kicked me out of church (which was only the second time I have been kicked out of church...Primary being the first). After realizing how easy it was to get out of church, I might fake sick when I don't feel like going.

After a week, I felt better but still had a cough that lasted for several weeks. Finally after four weeks of coughing and telling myself that I would get better the next day, I listened to my mother and went to the Community Care (my mom was about to come to Rexburg and drag me there if I didn't go on my own). My doctor told me that I had a mild form of pneumonia called walking pneumonia. He put me on an anti-biotic and a cough suppressant.

I started to feel better the next few days, but woke up one day feeling miserable again. I finally went to the Community Care again and tested positive for Influenza A (which is what the swine flu is under). I slept the next few days in my bedroom with the heat blasting because I had the chills. My room was 100 degrees. One of my roommates who is a biology major compared my room to an incubator and my pillow as the petri dish.


My roommates posted signs saying that I had the flu and to stay away. I felt like the diseased kid. One roommate sprayed Lysol in my face, and another roommate sprayed Lysol in the shower 30 seconds after I had gotten out (even though I wasn't contagious anymore).


A few weeks after I had the swine flu, I finally felt much better. After being sick for two and a half months, I have decided to do all I can to not get sick.

Billy the Blood Drop

This semester I decided to be involved on campus. I applied for a position as a manager of the Blood Drive, which is part of the Service Activities. I had been involved with the Service Activities program on campus two other semesters, and loved it, so I wanted to be part of it again. I had a phone interview during the summer and was extended the position.

The first few week of the semester I recruited and interviewed five others to be on my council. We met weekly planning and organizing the six day blood drive which would be held on our campus. Our responsibility was to work with the Red Cross and BYU-Idaho to coordinate the event. We only had a month to find roughly 800 people to sign up to donate blood and 30-40 people to volunteer at the blood drive.

We did everything we could think of. We sent our campus emails, placed banners and poster all around campus, announced the event in our classes, and had booths in a busy place on campus to recruit. I felt like a missionary again. I had to get out my comfort zone and talk to everyone about the event (contacting). I had to pass out literature (pass along cards and pamphlets). I had to stand by the booth and yell at crowds as they walked by (street preaching). I took phone numbers and names of friends of those who signed up (referrals from converts). I looked at past records to get information of those who donated in the past (Former Investigator Sheets). And I shared why it was important for them to donate (testifying).


After working to death, we finally held the event. Everything seemed to go pretty well. Not everyone who went to donate could. Some were deferred before they could even get to the chair, and some couldn't bleed enough while in the chair. So our goal was to get 490 pints of blood. Luckily we got 498!

This is my friend Kimball and me.

BYU-Idaho's Blood Drive is the largest blood drive in Idaho. This video is pretty much how we felt when it was over. After our last day, I went to bed that night and slept 11 hours.

Polygamous Dating

I wouldn't recommend it, unless you live in Colorado City, Utah. It is very awkward (and this comes from the King of awkward dating).

Just so you don't think I am one of the followers of Warren Jeffs, I didn't intentionally go on a polygamous date. Last Saturday was Guitars Unplugged, a concert performed every semester by students to showcase their talent. I really wanted to go because it is one of the best events on campus. So I decided to ask my friend, Rachel I knew from my freshman year who just got back from her mission. She said yes.

The night before Rachel gives me a call to tell me one of her mission friends came into town. Rachel wanted to know if we could go as a double if she found her friend a date. I said that was fine. But when I went to pick up Rachel, she pulled me aside and said the person she asked to go with her friend just canceled and she wasn't able to find a replacement. Rachel then asked me what we should do. After an awkward pause, I said let her come with us.

So I went to the concert with two girls, and paid for both of their tickets. I could tell Rachel felt uncomfortable with the situation. It would be difficult to try to entertain a date and entertain a friend all at the same time.

Afterward my roommates made plans to meet up with our dates and have a group date. I showed up last with my two dates. Everyone looked so confused. When the date was over, one of my roommates said, "So how was polygadate?"

Later when I relayed this story to my mom, she said,"I would count that as two dates so the next time your priesthood leaders ask about you dating, you can tell them you go on lots."

Maybe that is a more efficient way of dating. What do you think?

Called to Repentance

Like I mentioned in my earlier post, I really do love Brigham Young University-Idaho. But sometimes I HATE the culture that comes from living in a community that is largely LDS and attending a school that is 99% LDS.

Here at BYU-Idaho everywhere you turn, you are bombarded the dreaded M word...marriage. Students give presentations comparing dating to a free market economy. Professors announce engagements of their students in class. Ecclesiastical leaders give talks on dating and marriage and asking you about dating in EVERY interview.

When I first arrived this Fall, I had an interview with my Stake President who asked about my dating life. I told him I went on a lot of dates when I came home from my mission last winter, but didn't go on many this summer. He then said, "I expect by the next time I meet with you, you will be dating someone."

A few weeks later I went to the Temple and while I was waiting for my turn, and old-man temple worker struck up a conversation with me. When he found out I had been home from my mission for nine months, he said, "Oh, so you are practically married." When I said I wasn't, he then for the next five minutes felt the need to tell me why I should be married.

To combat the constant bombardment of the M word, I usually result to sarcasm and jokes about the matter. I did so to my roommate who is also my Elders Quorum president. Yesterday our priesthood lesson was on the New and Everlasting covenant of marriage. At the end, my roommate/Elders Quorum president then said, "There are some of you in here who make light of marriage and are procrastinating. You feel like you can wait and it will happen later. I call on you to repent of those thoughts now!"

I can't remember what else he said. But I felt pretty singled out. The next time someone harasses me about the M word, I will respond, "My mom told me to wait three years...do you want me to break the ten commandments and not honor my father and mother?"

Do you think that will shut them up?

P.S. I really do like my roommate. We actually have a lot in common (except I wouldn't call him to repentance on something like that).

D%!$@ Snow!

I HATE SNOW. I really do. Sometimes I wonder why I came to Rexburg in the first place. On the days that it is 20 below, I consider calling up my cousin Kim and asking to move in with her, and go to school in Nevada (during the winter, her cell phone number is number one on my speed dial). If I didn't like Brigham Young University-Idaho so much, I would probably do so.

But last Sunday night, my roommate looked out the window and informed the rest of us that it was snowing. I expressed my disgust to which he replied, "Don't worry Jordan. The snow will melt by July." His comment was not well received, mostly because I realized his comment is pretty much the truth. Rexburg's Winter lasts much longer then it does in La Grande, and it is much more cold.

Last Winter semester, my roommate wanted to open the window every night because he claimed to have a thyroid problem which would increase his body temperature. So every night I would bundle up in my pajama pants, thick socks, a sweat shirt, gloves, and three heavy blankets. I would still freeze every night. Of course I never said anything and just dealt with it.

So when I see a sight such as this one below, like I did last Sunday, I usually mutter a few colorful words and put on a coat.

Okay, Sunday wasn't quite this bad, but it will be soon!

The Great Outdoors

The good thing about being home for the summer for the first time in three years was the great outdoors. I was able to do few things I hadn't been able to do for a while. When the time was right, I went with family and friends to pick Oregon's huckleberry, or in other words, Oregon's gold:



This resource is so precious when you find a good picking spot, you don't share it with others. You safely guard the spot with you life, and carefully preserve the berries.


When the berries (gold) were washed, we would place a layer on a cookie sheet to freeze. When the berries were frozen individually, then we would measure an undisclosed amount into freezer bags. This process would help the berries from freezing together into one glob.



The berries would then be rationed out seven at a time, to preserve the joy all year until the next season.

Also, this summer was the first time for me to go backpacking. It was a short trip only staying one night, but it was still fun.



I thought this was a good view. The sun was about to go down. We started the trip a in the evening because of work schedules, so by the time we actually got to camp it was pretty dark.


Here is our arrival into the valley we were looking for:


How many Mormons does it take to start a camp fire? The entire camp, but Grace and I will take the credit.


One last thing. What would a camping trip be without some kind of joke. At one point we were separated because we weren't sure which path to take. I went one way and the rest of the group went the other. Luckily the path converged back together, but I arrived first. So I hid in the trees waiting for their arrival. This is what happened next:

All in all it was a good summer. I was able to visit all my siblings at one point and relax.

This is the Place

I want to share a little bit of church history the church doesn't want you to know. When Brigham and the Saints were traveling westward they actually intended to settle in Oregon, or in other words, Zion. But, on the way, the Saints stopped in Salt Lake City and because of fatigue, dehydration, and maybe a little delirium, Brigham said ,"This is the place." I am sure the Saints said, "Are you sure Brigham?" But the Saints were obedient to the prophet, so Utah became Zion.

I hope you don't take me seriously, I just have a lot of Oregon pride. This last July, I went to visit Josh and Brianne in western Oregon. While visiting I was able to go to the Portland Temple on the way down. When I met up with Josh and Brianne, we went to the Outlet Mall on the coast, ate at Mo's Restaurant, and spent some time on the beach.

This is why I believe Oregon was intended to be Zion:


Here is Mo's Restaurant, probably one of the best sea food restaurants on the Oregon coast:

I couldn't resist putting my feet in the sand:


Here is one last picture for the fun of it:


What else can I say, the picture says it all.

Recipes Upon Request

Okay Krissy, Kim, and Heather...and the many others who want these recipes. I finally got around to posting them. I hope you enjoy.

North Carolina BBQ:
This recipe was given to me by the Ortega's that I met in Southport, NC. They aren't native Southerners--Sister Ortega is from the Tri-Cities, and Brother Ortega is from New Mexico, but they learned the proper ways of Southern living while in North Carolina. This recipe was given to them by a friend.

First, the sauce:

1 gal Brown Apple Cider Vinegar
3 – 6 oz cans Tomato Paste
1 cup Crushed Red Peppers
2 ½ tbs Black Pepper
2 ½ tbs Red Pepper
12 oz Honey
2 tbs Salt
½ cup Worchester
½ cup Yellow Mustard
1/3 cup Sugar

Cook on Medium or High heat until all ingredients dissolve and then cool. Can be refrigerated for up to 1 year. This makes a huge batch, so you can cut the recipe in half. We cut the recipe in half and we still didn't use very much of it (and we fed roughly 12 people), so you will have some sauce left over.

Then put the pork in a slow cooker, with some sauce (you don't need a lot), and let it cook on low heat for 6-8 hrs. Shred the pork, and put it back into the slow cooker. You can add more sauce if you want to. You can eat it on a bun, but it is more common just to eat it off your plate.

Hushpuppies:

AKA amazingly delicious. To be honest, I don't have a recipe and most Southerners don't either. They just buy a mix, and add water. Then they make a ball and drop it into the hot oil. You can google search for "Smithfield Chicken N BBQ" which is a good Southern restaurant that sells hushpuppy mixes.

Baked Beans:

1 Large can Busch original beans (or two pork and beans, drained)

Brown Sugar

Ketchup

3 Strips Crispy Bacon

1/2 tsp dry mustard

Ground red pepper (Careful!)

Combine and bake in oven at 375 for an hour, or until the edges start bubbling. Oh yeah take the big chunk of meat out of the Busch beans. She said that's important.

Slaw:

Ingredients:
1 head of cabbage, cored and shredded (makes 12-14 cups)
1/2 tea celery seed
1/2 cup mayo
2 TB white vinegar
1 tea dijon mustard
1 tea sugar
1 tea salt and pepper
2 carrots, peeled and grated
1 small onion minced

Place cabbage in a strainer with a little salt sprinkled on top for one hour to release the unnecessary moisture. Rinse cabbage and pat dry with paper towel.

Toast celery seeds over medium heat until you smell a fragrance (roughly three minutes). Wisk seed and all other ingredients together. Pour onto cabbage, carrots and onions, and mix. Let chill for one hour.


Nanna Puddin':
(must be pronounced that way...)

Ingredients:

1 box Nilla Wafers

3/4 C white sugar

1/3 C All Purpose Flour

4 eggs, separated (that means you crack them and separate the yolk from the whites, not just 4 separate eggs...)
2 C milk (She said Fat Free Evaporated is the best, makes it richer... mmm)

1/2 tsp vanilla

5-6 medium, ripe bananas

Directions:

In large, oven-safe bowl layer Nilla wafers then sliced bananas, over and over again. With knife, poke holes throughout.

In saucepan over MEDIUM heat, combine flour and 1/2 C Sugar. Stir in 4 egg yolks and milk. Blend well. Stirring constantly, bring to boil. When it thickens, remove from heat and add vanilla.

Pour this pudding over the wafers and bananas in the bowl. (The holes allow it to seep down in...)

Beat Egg Whites and 1/4 C Sugar till fluffy. (She said there needs to be mountain peaks on top, whatever that means)

Then put this meringue on top of the puddin. Place whole bowl in preheated oven at 425 for 5 minutes or until "delicately golden."

Remove from oven, let cool, (I prefer it refrigerated) and enjoy.

Red Velvet Cupcakes:

2 1/2 cups (250 grams) sifted cake flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons (15 grams) Dutch-processed cocoa powder

1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 1/2 cups (300 grams) granulated white sugar

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 cup buttermilk

2 tablespoons liquid red food coloring

1 teaspoon white distilled vinegar

1 teaspoon baking soda

Cream Cheese Frosting:

4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature

4 ounces Mascarpone cheese, room temperature (or just use 8 ounces cream cheese)

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/2 cup confectioners' (icing or powdered) sugar, sifted

3/4 cup heavy whipping cream

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) and line 12 muffin tins (for large cupcakes) or 15 muffin tins (for regular sized cupcakes) with paper cupcake liners.

In a large bowl sift together the flour, salt, and cocoa powder.

In the bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the butter until soft (about 1-2 minutes). Add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy (about 2-3 minutes). Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the vanilla and beat until combined.

In a measuring cup whisk the buttermilk with the red food coloring. With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the flour mixture and buttermilk, in three additions, beginning and ending with the flour.

In a small cup combine the vinegar and baking soda. Allow the mixture to fizz and then quickly fold into the cake batter.

Working quickly, divide the batter evenly between the 12 (or 15) muffin tins and smooth the tops with an offset spatula or the back of a spoon. Bake in the preheated oven for approximately 20 - 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cakes comes out clean.

Cool the cakes in their pans on a wire rack for 10 minutes and them remove from pan. Let cool completely before frosting. Either spread the frosting with a knife or offset spatula, or use a large 1M Wilton open star decorating tip to pipe the frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting: In the bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the cream cheese and mascarpone cheese until smooth. Add the vanilla and confectioners sugar and beat until smooth.

Then, in another bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, whip the heavy cream until soft peaks form. With a large spatula, gently but quickly fold a little of the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture to lighten it. Then fold in the remaining whipped cream, in two stages. If the frosting is not thick enough to pipe, cover and place in the refrigerator until firm.

Makes 12 large cupcakes.

Note: If you want regular sized cupcakes, only fill the muffin tins about 2/3 full. This will give you about 15 regular sized muffins.

And that was our dinner! You can have herbal ice tea to go with it if you would like. Ice tea is also another Southern delight.

North Carolina BBQ

It seems to be a tradition that when we return from our mission, we make food for our family, that is native to where we served. So for this 4th of July, we decided to have an authentic North Carolina BBQ (although Heather wouldn't let us display the Confederate flag. She said it was like displaying Nazi items if we served in Germany). In North Carolina when you said BBQ, you mean pulled pork marinated in a unique vinegar based sauce. When we Western Yankees say BBQ, we think hamburgers, hot dogs, and anything else you put on a grill. In North Carolina, that is called grilling. So with the help of many family members, we had a North Carolina BBQ.

The Ortega's (a couple I met in North Carolina--someday I will blog about them) gave me the recipe for the BBQ sauce. The night before, my mom and I made the sauce, and the next day we put the pork into the crock pots to cook for about seven hours. Here is the finished product:

Also another Southern delight is the Hushpuppy. Most of us Western Yankees don't know what a hushpuppy is. Basically it is deep fried corn meal with other ingredients. You can put cheese in it, or jalapenos, or leave it plain. Then you dip the warm treat into honey-butter for a sweet taste. Next to the hushpuppies is the baked beans.


With the help of Heather, we had Slaw (not Cole Slaw. That's what we Western Yankees call it). Slaw is commonly served with BBQ and Hushpuppies.


From the look of the picture below, you can tell that mom made the Nana Puddin'. She topped it off with a few Banana slices and some herb from the garden for presentation (She reminds us frequently that it's not just about the taste, but also about the presentation. You can tell she watches Martha Stewart).


With Brianne's help, we have these Red Velvet cup cakes. I actually never had this in North Carolina, but these cup cakes are native to the South.


More important than the dinner itself, with all its fame and presentation, were the happy customers:


Thank you to all who helped make this dinner. It was a success because of your help.

Life on the Ranch

Part One: The Fence

Life on the Waite Ranch can be very interesting from time to time. Dad and Uncle Ronny run the show, and the rest of us tag along to help out. Every year we get together, round up the cows, and brand them. Shortly after we brand the cows, we then take them up to Starky to graze for the Summer.

Last month we did just that. Uncle Ronny, Aunt Gwen, Brian and Krissy showed up to help Mom, Dad, and I round up the cows and load them up in the trailers to take to Starky. We gathered around the 4-Wheelers and Uncle Ronny said, "What's the plan?" Over the years, we've learned that the answer to that question is: Chaos.

So we chased the cows with the 4-Wheelers and got them into the barn yard. Luckily most of the cows went in the right direction. There was only one cow and her calf that took off running the wrong direction. Uncle Ronny went after them with his 4-Wheeler going about 2 MPH. The cow and calf were running about 4 MPH. I don't think I need to do the math for you.

Once in the barn yard, we had to separate the cows into smaller groups. That was the job of "The Fence." Working for Dad and Uncle Ronny, we lose our individual identities and collectively become "The Fence." Uncle Ronny would say, "Fence, go here. Fence, go there." And we, the fence--Aunt Gwen, Brian, Krissy, Mom, and I--would run after the cows. Surprisingly the task went much better this year than in years past. The cows were loaded (somehow they fit) and taken to Starky. So job was complete....or so we thought.

Part Two: The Calf in the Mire

The next day was Sunday and somehow we realized we missed taking one calf up to Starky with his mother. So Dad comes in and says he needs my help and it would only take 30 minutes (which over the years we have learned to double or triple the amount of time dad tells us. Heather learned that one Summer when she came home to visit. Dad said he needed our help. He said we didn't need to get out of our PJ's and it would only take a short amount of time. Three hours later running in the mountains in our PJ's we were chasing t he cows back down the hill). So I knew it would take longer then 30 minutes, but I realized that meant I would probably get to miss most of church, so I was okay with that.

Dad said it would be simple. He said the calf was small, so we could catch it, tie it up, and he would stick it in the cab of the truck with him. He said the calf was this big:

But really it was this big:

So basically we had to tackle this calf to the ground and hog tie it. Somehow we shoved it in the back of the truck (because Dad realized it was a bit bigger then he first thought). Dad sat on the calf while I drove down to the house. We recruited mom to drive to Starky so both of us could keep the calf down. Dad gave mom only one instruction: Drive Fast! And fast she drove. So now image Dad and I in the back of this truck:

Now imagine mom flying down the freeway, while it's raining, with Dad and I holding down this large, angry calf. All of the sudden I feel my pocket vibrating. Sure enough, my mom was calling (and we all know mom likes to talk). The first thing she tells me is "I tried calling Reed, but of course he doesn't answer. He never answers when I call." Then she got to the point and needed to know how to get the truck out of 4-Wheel drive. We gave her the instructions and felt the truck go into neutral and the truck began to slow down...and slow down...and slow down...until the blinker turned on and we pulled off to the side fo the road. She jumped out and said she couldn't get it back into 2-Wheel drive, so Dad jumped in the cab and began to take off with me to hold down the angry calf alone, and mom on the side of the road. Mom was worried that Dad was going to forget her on the side of the freeway (and she would have never let him forget that if he really did forget her on the freeway).

Now that the truck was in 2-Wheel drive, mom began to fly down the freeway again. Eventually we made it to Starky and began to drive up the dirt road. Since it was rainy and wet, we couldn't drive all the way up, so we parked a little ways away from the gate. Dad shoved the calf out that back of the truck, and I grabbed the rope around his neck. Mom went ahead of me to open the gate (we should have down that first) and the calf and I followed behind. I told mom to hurry and she said she would run and get there before we did. Dad said, "You'll have to run faster then the calf." The calf took off running and drug me along. Both mom and I were slipping and sliding on the wet mud. If only we got this on film, it would have been a YouTube hit. I can't remember who got there first, but my guess is the calf. Eventually we got the calf in the right direction and to its mother.

The best part of the ordeal was I got to skip most of church. The Calf was in the Mire, right? I think mom and I aren't as excited about these experiences as Dad is. After this last experience, we posted this sign:

But so far no takers. Next we will try Craig's List.

The Teaser

Okay, okay, the long awaited first post has arrived. Upon several requests from my sister, Heather, and a few requests from others, I have decided to start a blog. I thought you had to be newly married, have children, or at the very least have a pet in order to blog (and I don't fit any of those descriptions), but I think living on the farm somewhat qualifies me for blogging.

So here I am. Later, when I get somewhere with high speed internet (my parents still have internet from the stone age), I will tell the story about the latest adventures of "The Ranch." But for now this will just be a teaser.