Let Us Be Dirtbags

Dirtbag: 

A person who is committed to a given (usually extreme) lifestyle to the point of abandoning employment and other societal norms in order to pursue said lifestyle; Someone who is seeking to spend all of their moments pursuing their lifestyle.

Personal interpretation:

Committing oneself to certain goals or experiences in order to find personal achievement and satisfaction.

So let us be dirtbags. 

After feeling some serious feels at a slam poetry night featuring The Asia Project, and reminiscing over old pictures, I realized that I'm not doing everything I can to make this last semester count. 

With only five weeks left in a familiar, mountainous playground, there are a lot of things that can't be left undone.

And so I've made a list. 

- Do a sunrise hike of the Crimson Trail

- White Pine

- Go rock climbing. MULTIPLE TIMES

- Go hammocking

 - Go to a Bee's game

 - Go DANCING

 - End of Year Bash

 - Lord Huron concert

 - CONQUER the 5.10's

 - Play volley at least ONCE a week

 - Have a bonfire

 - Bear Lake

 - Get a CHACO tan line

 - Get a PoBev shirt 

 - Go on a weekend trip to somewhere NEW

 - Spend quality time with real friends

How am I going to do all this and graduate from USU with acceptable grades?
How am I going to do all of this without my partner in crime?

Not sure.

But Dallin gave me the OK and I'm going to do what I can to make it all work.

Let's get things straight though. I'm not growing dreads or planning on living out of a van in the canyon. Rather, I am planning on committing myself to finding a more few adventures, a little more freedom, and some unforgettable memories before Texas officially claims us. 

So LET US BE DIRTBAGS!

Who's in?

(So you can feel the feels too.)

Home

For Spring Break this year, I flew down to Midland to spend 10 days with Dallin. It was probably the best thing I could have done. 

But the truth is... Midland is different. 

When the pilot announced our decent into Midland, my first thought was,

"This is where aliens come to draw in the dirt."

Here are the rest of my impressions of Midland: 

I've never been so lost in my whole life as I was during this trip. No mountains, no hills, just the flattest land you ever did see. Not to mention, most of the major roads seem to merge into an endless loop. It's a good thing Dallin drove everywhere, or we probably would have ended up driving in circles all day. 

People in Midland have money. Since it's a town built on oil, it's probably easy to believe that most of the people there have reasonable stacks on stacks of the green stuff. Because of this inflow of cash, the cars there are NICE. Most parking lots go truck, truck, truck, Camaro, Mustang, truck, VW Bug, truck, Mustang, VW Bug, truck, truck, and another truck. All of them probably less than three or five years old. 

We also saw a Lamborghini racing around the private airport.

Midland is also full of contradictions. On one side of a street there was a trailer park with older vehicles and a dog that really needed some love. But on the other side was a massive house, completely fenced in, with three cars and a boat in the driveway. 

When venturing about in Midland, you soon learn that the only things to do are shop, go to the gym, eat, or drink. Too bad the service at most of these establishments is truly the most terrible I have ever received. Butt cracks and bad meat, (Chipotle, I'm talking about you!!!), delayed customer service, and rude and short-tempered employees. It got to the point where if I received any sort of competent and complimentary service, I was willing to tip well above the recommended 20%.

Growing up in Utah, I'm used to seeing clusters of churches throughout town. But everything's bigger in Texas. Some churches are bigger than my old middle school, and others are rodeo churches where members of the congregation have opportunities to ride into the ring. 

And don't forget about the oil. 

Automated oil pumps dot the landscape, slowly pulling oil right out of the ground. In the middle of town, between stores in a shopping center, was a half-acre of land, fenced off with a well right in the middle. 

Walking through the airport also leaves no question as to what this town is all about. Signs like this plaster the walls.

But despite the oddities and differences of this "Hey ya'll" culture, I can't help but think of it as home. 

There are just so many endearing qualities about this place. 

Texans love America, and are proud of their great state, and their great nation. And that Texan accent? Who couldn't love that?

Sports are taken seriously. Some high school football stadiums could rival those of some colleges.

They have the best ice cream.

They know how to make a dang good burger.

And Texas is where my boy is. 

Wherever Dallin is... Is home. 

The Pros of a Rough Situation

Dallin is gone. It will be two weeks tomorrow, but it feels like much longer. 

My very Fukui family is a little less Fukui without him. 

BUT

Lucky for us, there are some pros in this rough situation. 

1. My mom and dad let me move back home. Some people might think of this as a con, but sometimes they laugh at my jokes.

2. Technology has advanced. Dallin and I can FaceTime, text, call, or Skype. And we do...
But I probably abuse my emoji and gif rights.

3. My mom makes me dinner. She even texts me when I'm at school to see if I'm going to make it in time to eat. 

4. I've learned how to remove cookies from my computer. The Internet is just too good. After checking Hotwire 1,000 times for tickets, their ads start to follow me. 

5. The time spent commuting to school is great for singing loudly and off key in a judgement free zone. 

6. My parents have TV. Like... Real TV. This could be a pro or con, depending on how you look at it. From an academic perspective, it's a con. But my sudden obsession over CHOPPED and my love affair with Parks and Rec reassure me that it's definitely a pro. 

7. I can make popcorn and run the microwave AT THE SAME TIME! This was quite the risk in our old apartment. I may or may not have shorted out the entire kitchen once.... or twice...

8. I get to spend extra time with some really great people. It's only been two weeks, but I've felt a lot of love and support from friends and family. And I'm grateful for them.

8. Dallin likes his job and the people he works with.

9. I leave for Texas in 30 days.

Spring Break can't come fast enough.

An Anniversary Announcement

It's been two years since Dallin and I got hitched. Two full years of inside jokes, pillow talk, and pure marital bliss. 

This past week has been extremely busy and so I thought that Dallin had completely forgotten our anniversary. I was expecting dinner and a movie, and that was going to be great. He has also been feeling pretty sick the last week so I was just hoping to get to spend some time with him. 

But that son of a gun is a hopeless romantic and surprised me with a fancy dinner and a night in Salt Lake. He also revamped an old Life game with tile pieces from events in our own lives. 

And finally... The last tile on the game...

Everyone. We are going to Texas. Dallin has been offered and has accepted a position in Midland, Texas. And he will be moving there within the next few weeks. Without me. 

I only have one more semester before I graduate from USU, so we have decided that I should wait to move to Texas so that I can get my degree.

So, this week we packed up our itty, bitty living space,

And moved it all back home to Tremonton, where we will both be, until we separately move to the Lone Star State. 

We even packed up and moved Herbert. 

He's adjusting well. 

I, on the other hand, am starting to dread my soon-to-be long distance relationship. It's a good thing though. Everything has fallen into place, and both Dallin and I feel good about this decision. And as my wise and lovely friend Chip says, "Good things aren't always easy."

These next few months are going to be rough, but as this door closes, another, Texas sized door is opening. So, with a lot of faith that this is what we should be doing, we are going.

Wish us luck.

A Gingerbread House Massacre

Craftiness and creativity are in the eyes of the beholder, or in the slightly delusional state of someone sick.

For a family activity over the weekend, Dallin's mom bought three gingerbread house-making kits. We all split off into teams and started crafting away, with Dallin and his older brother, Kevin, on my team. 

Everything was going pretty normal for the first little bit. Dallin was feeling sick so Kevin and I were working on putting up the house and starting to decorate it. We added peppermint stepping-stones, cotton candy snow, just your basic gingerbread house amenities. And then Dallin got ahold of one of the gingerbread men and started decorating it. 

That's when things started to get a little weird. 

Dallin made this: A speedo sporting pirate who is flipping everyone off. 

So Kevin and I decided it would be a PIRATE gingerbread house. We decorated the roof, made an "X" marks the spot, and stuck a skull and crossbones over the door, all while Dallin was working on his other gingerbread man.

We were ready for the next pirate, but instead Dallin gave us this...

A zombie gingerbread man, who is coming up out of the ground and eating a poor, defenseless gummy bear. 

According to Dallin, this zombie is a shipmate to the pirate, but he stole a piece of cursed gold and now will forever roam the earth as a zombie. But has no connection to Pirates of the Caribbean.

By this point, Dallin's mom had stopped calling our house cute, but Dallin and Kevin were on a roll, so of course the most logical thing to add next would be

Gummy bear heads on stakes. All along the peppermint walkway. With their decapitated bodies laying to the side. 

And finally, the piece de resistance, 

A "Ye be Warned" sign out front.

All in all, our house ended up looking like a Gingerbread House Massacre. 

But, hey, at least it's got some flare.

A Sukiyaki Special

Everyone. College is crazy and I apologize wholeheartedly for the giant gap between this post and my last. But to reward you for your patience, I'm going to share something very special with you....

The Recipe for Sukiyaki

Last year, Dallin's parents hosted a lovely little lady from Japan, and during her stay, she shared the very authentic and very delicious sukiyaki recipe. 

So let's mix up your holiday turkeys and hams and get a little merry with some sukiyaki!

Gathering the Goods

First you will need to visit an Asian market. 

Unfortunately, some of the ingredients are not carried in normal grocery stores. 

Once you are at the market, you will need to find the following ingredients:

Napa (which is a special kind of lettuce)

Green Onions

Whole Mushrooms

2 Packages of Broiled Tofu

2 Packages of Shirataki (also called yam noodles)

Thinly sliced beef or pork (having a butcher cut this for you will help save some time, as you want it pretty thin)

1-2 Bottles of Special Sukiyaki Sauce (I'm honestly not sure what this sauce is called, as the label is in Japanese, but if you ask, someone should be able to help you find it)

Rice (this can be found at normal grocery stores)

Note: The quantity of napa, green onions, mushrooms and meat should be added according to taste. For example, Dallin's family really likes mushrooms, so there is usually a fair amount of them. If anything, you want an equal amount of each. 

Getting Prepped

Napa: Wash the napa, cut lengthwise, then into pieces. 

Green Onions: Cut diagonally and separate the white ends from the green.

Mushrooms: Wash and cut in half. If the mushrooms are especially big, cut in half again.

Broiled Tofu: Open package, and before removing from package, drain and cut into squares.

Yam Noodles: Open package, and before removing from package, drain and cut into smaller pieces.

Note: The yam noodles will be slightly difficult to cut. Just do your best. 

Meat: This should already be sliced into thin pieces. 

Sukiyaki Sauce: Open the bottle.

Rice: Follow the directions on the package and start cooking it.

Add Some Heat:

Using either a wok or an electric frying pan, set your temperature to 400 degrees and add some oil. 

Once your pan starts getting warm, add the white ends of the green onions and sauté. 

Then add the meat and sauté again. 

And as difficult as it can be, try not to mix your ingredients together.

Add some sukiyaki sauce to cover and keep on cooking. 

Next, add your mushrooms.

Then, add the yam noodles.

Add the rest of the green onions, and some more sukiyaki sauce. 

Add the tofu.

And finally, add the thicker pieces of the napa. 

As you can tell, things can get a little tight with all the ingredients. The napa will cook down and you can continue to add it to the pan until you have your desired amount. Also, if your ingredients mix a little, don't worry too much about it. It takes some practice. 

You can also add more sukiyaki sauce at this point if you would like. Sample a mushroom or other ingredient to test the strength of the sauce. If it's too weak, add more. If it's too strong, add a little bit of water. 

Once the napa is cooked down... Voila! You are done!

Slap some rice into a bowl, add a little bit of everything from your pan, and enjoy! And if you're feeling extra adventurous, try to eat it with chopsticks. But beware. Table manners, sukiyaki, and chopsticks do not always mix.

Questions about the recipe, the ingredients, or the taste? 

Leave some comments below!

To the Mouses in these Houses

A Poem:

To the Mouses in these Houses

To the mouses in these houses, I have to be frank,

You're sudden arrival has left us feeling below rank. 

It's not that you mean to, I do understand. 

But you've taken our space, and that is not grand. 

Your scurries and munching are not quiet in the least,

Are you already eating your Thanksgiving feast?

I must ask you to leave, but that would be trite,

As you have made this your home, without an invite.

Please hear me out, it's not that we hate you.

You're small and you're cute, if I have to be true,

But we can't take no more! I'm drawing the line!

These houses aren't yours. Their his and their mine.

I'm begging and pleading, down on my knees,

"Please go away! Please, please please!"

To the mouses in these houses, my final request,

Is that you'll leave us alone and give us some rest.