The Missionary - Part Two

Last night I started preparing for the dinner.

"if ye are prepared ye shall not fear" - and as such I was determined to be ready.

I dont cook that much so I didnt know how long everything would take to do. But getting things done ahead of time seemed like the smartest option. Cause I would hate to have people show up and be no where ready for them. Because as lame as it is, I wanted this to turn out well, and to be impressive. I'm all about it being a casual thing, but casually impressive. 

So I cooked, baked, chopped and washed until I couldnt do it anymore. 

(FYI - chopping onions.. not fun. My eyes didnt appreciate it at all)

Then this afternoon I picked up the cause again.

I wasnt sure how the cooking part would actually turn out. But I threw it all into a pan and let it go.

And it smelled great.

And tasted good too. 

What is it you ask?

Philly Cheese Steak Baked Potato.

I dont cook often, but even when I refused to be domestic as a teenager I always asserted that I could cook if I chose to. And well, its true. I just didnt want to be defined by the classic stereotype of a mormon girl, where being domestic was all she was known for. But I guess the irony is, while I wanted to be so different and rebellious, in the end I am here, in the kitchen. But I like to think that it doesnt matter. It doesnt change me and I know that I'm defined by more things, and I will happily add cooking to the list of things I enjoy.

As I prepared and cooked, I thought about what Lauren Henrie said about the kitchen being cathartic. You cook and let your thoughts run while your hands stay busy. And at the end you look down and realize that you accomplished something great. Why wouldnt that be a good thing to do?

Dinner was fun tho. And I was surprised at how well it went. I expected alot more awkwardness seeing as we were all strangers. The only awkwardness occured at the very end when the missionaries gave their message - and part of that could be cause I had a guilty conscience about not giving Kellie a heads up that a message after dinner was standard. But during the actual eating, it was great. I looked around at these strangers and realized that I had reached out and people had reached back. The missionaries were hilarious and provided entertainment with their stories and personal quirks. 

(Kellie, Elder Ericksen, Elder Pierce, Ethan Hatch)

And just so you know Bonnie, they mocked me for being camera happy. 

So this picture and the one of the finished potato and topping came with serious mocking. 

Kinda worth it tho.

Funniest part of the event?

When Elder Ericksen broke the back off the chair he was sitting on.

Dont worry Sheila - he fixed it. 

But not before almost falling off it.

All in all, I'd call it a success.

As such all credit goes to my brother Ben.

He is awesome.