BoyinSuit

My Favorite Desserts - Day 19 of 365

I LOVE great desserts, but I'm usually not impressed with most I taste.  Only a few have amazed me.  This was not one of them.  I think my favorite desserts, in order, are:

1. Apple Turnover from Albertson's or Smith's (they get the flaking just right)
2. Ding-Dongs from D.Z. Akins in San Diego (to DIE for)
3. Cinnamon Rolls made with love by my mother (they are better than Cinnabon's)
4. Chocolate Cake made by my Aunt Wendy (family favorite)
5. Apple Pie made by my mother (crust is amazing)
6. Chocolate Cake from a box made by my brother (he makes it just right)
7. Peanut Butter Squares made by my Grandmother (fun texture and good memories)
8. Carrot Cake made by one of the clerks in the Utah Third District Court (only had once, but I ate about half the pan)
9. Oatmeal Cookies made by my high school seminary teacher (I used to make dozens with her recipe)
10. Churros from Disneyland (can't go wrong)

Canon SD940IS, ISO 800, 1/15 second, f/2.8

Impromptu Family Photoshoot

I recently shot an executive portrait of a candidate running for office and needed to rent some lighting for the shoot.  After I rented them, the candidate told me that we needed to push the shoot to the next day. 

With time and lighting on my hands, I asked my family if they would model for me so I could play with lighting.  My parents modeled for me in my living room.  When I asked my nieces to be models for me, they screamed in delight!  I had a great time watching two little girls ham it up for my camera.

My parents looking like they've retired.  Frodo jumped into my mom's lap for this shot.

Hannah, my niece to the right, farted while I was taking pictures.  This was the sequence of faces that I caught.

 

Three More Days of Freedom

It was all work today. Since Brian painted the baseboards yesterday, we measured and cut them. One thing that kind of annoys me about Brian is that he doesn't see the fun in everything. He'd probably say that it annoys him when I try to make everything fun, but isn't that so boring? I try to make everything fun because (1) it makes the time go by quicker and (2) why not turn something that isn't considered fun into an enjoyable experience?

My dad called me tonight at 8:45pm and I could tell that something was wrong since it would be 10:45pm their time. He told me that Mom's in the hospital again with an infection of some kind. I'll know more tomorrow. I really hope that she's okay and that her “getting sick DNA” didn't pass on to me.

New York Day 6

Brian and I woke up early to make breakfast for the family (standard pancakes, strawberries, whipped cream, and bacon). It was fun bringing a tradition from our family (Brian, Titus, and Me) to my family.

I wish Mom was there for church, but she's still in the hospital. I was interested in seeing how people would treat Brian and I (seeing as everyone knew I was the gay son of my father and I brought my partner to church), but I can't say I was surprised at how we were treated. Everyone who we talked to was welcoming, nice, and genuinely interested in saying hi to me and meeting Brian. I think Mormons can be the nicest people on the planet.

After sacrament meeting, Brian, Jennie, Russell, and I went to Rochester to visit Mom. We watched the first two hours of the HBO miniseries "Elizabeth I" with Helen Mirren because Mom really wanted to see it. It was nice being together, especially doing something that Mom wanted to do.

Mom complained that the lady sharing the room with her screamed all night. Mom held up some earplugs that the nurses gave and said that they didn't work. I took them and showed her how to use them so they would work. Being silly, she did this:

As we left the hospital, she told me not to put a picture of her on the internet. I immediately shot this one and thought it was too cute not to put up:

Lost Phone

After buying the Mika CD (which is awesome!), Brian I went to see "Freedom Writers" with my mom and her friends.

When we were outside the theater saying goodbye, my mother freaked out because she couldn't find her phone. It was freezing and I became annoyed. I looked through her purse and I couldn't find it. Finally, I called it and my mother's pockets started to ring. It had been with her the whole time.

Brian said, "I know how that is!" referring to how I do the same thing. I guess I am my mother's son!

Lost Phone

After buying the Mika CD (which is awesome!), Brian I went to see "Freedom Writers" with my mom and her friends.

When we were outside the theater saying goodbye, my mother freaked out because she couldn't find her phone. It was freezing and I became annoyed. I looked through her purse and I couldn't find it. Finally, I called it and my mother's pockets started to ring. It had been with her the whole time.

Brian said, "I know how that is!" referring to how I do the same thing. I guess I am my mother's son!

Fun Filled Day

Today was an awesome day. Because lots of things happened, here's a rundown:

7:00am

My mother asked me to go to church with Russell in Provo this morning. Remembering what I promised, I wore a suit. However, I didn't want to blend in too much... I've been reading GQ and they had a section on matching ties and shirts. One combination excited me so I tried it out today: pink shirt and dark tie. I looked fabulous!

8:30am

We pull up in front of Russell's house and I call him to let him know we are outside. He comes out and he looks... tragic. His shirt and pants are wrinkled, he's wearing past-their-prime tennis shoes, and his hair looks like a poofball. He looked like the poor kid in elementary school that always got teased.

As he approached the car, my mother pointed out the obvious. Russell got mad and went back inside the house. I put on the "older brother" mantle and talked Russell down. He put on nicer clothes, did his hair, but still "rebelled" by wearing the moldy tennis shoes.

Driving to church, the two of them argued over stupid stuff. I told them both to stop because they were getting on my nerves.

9:30am

As sacrament meeting ends, a guy comes up to me and tells me that my outfit it cool. He's probably sad that he can't pull off pink.

9:35am

Mom wants to go to Sunday school. I tell her no. She persists and tells me to go. I say, "Mom, I came for Sacrament meeting. I'm not going to another hour of church. That's the way the cookie crumbles."

She responds: "Listen to me! You will both go to Sunday school because I'm your mother and I'm asking you to go. Plus, I'm buying breakfast after church. THAT'S the way the cookie crumbles!"

9:37am

I'm sitting in Sunday School. I tell my mother they will probably mention gays.

9:57am

Gays are mentioned.

10:30am

We sit down for breakfast at Mimi's Cafe.

12:30pm

We arrive at a park for lunch. My mother and her two friends I hung out with on Wednesday are supposed to come.

3:00pm

So this "little" lunch turns into a ward picnic! At least 20 people come and enjoy themselves. I didn't know anyone, but it was fun to meet new people and talk to them. I meet Jeremy, a first-year BYU law student, and spend fifteen minutes picking his brain, asking him every law school question I can think of. I hope he didn't get annoyed with me.

3:47pm

Russell finds a rainbow bracelet and puts it on me. My mom sees this and asks, "Are you going to a parade?" Everyone laughs.

4:30pm

We drive to the house of an old friend of my mothers. She walks into the house and asks if anyone is home. Immediately, my mom's friend screams and embraces my mother. Laurie asks if we're hungry and Russell and I say no. She says they just finished roast and mashed potatoes. Russell and I say that we found more room in our stomach.

Laurie makes the best rolls known to mankind so my mom asks for the recipe. She spends twenty minutes explaining to my mother how to properly bake them and even gives me a bag of the delicious rolls!

6:30pm

We arrive at my grandparents and I find my grandmother making peanut butter squares for me. When I tell her that she doesn't have to, she says, "I know you like them and I thought you'd enjoy them." I love her so much!

7:30pm

My mom and I drop by my Aunt Wendy's to see her new kitchen. It looks great and we compliment her. It's cute seeing her so excited and Wendy deserves her new luxury.

9:00pm

I drop my mother off at my sisters house and thank for her the day. There's nothing like spending the entire day with your mother.

Dinner with the Ladies

I was on my way home from work when my mother called me and told me that I should spend time with her and her friends. Being the momma's boy that I am, I took the nearest freeway exit and found the "Relief Society Ladies."

I had so much fun with my mother, two other women, and one of the women's teenage daughter. We talked, we ate, and we laughed.

When I got home, I told Brian about the fun I had. He laughed and told me that he hung out with "the boys" tonight and saw "300."

I thought the contrast was funny.

Sofas by Becky

My mother is an amazing woman! She recovered our sofas and they look great! They look better than slip covers and they were made with love.

How does my mother know how to do this? She figured it out on her own and tried it. I'm so grateful for her.

Mom's Promise

My mother came to our house today for the first time. It was fun to give her a tour and show her all the work we've put into it. Throughout the renovation, my mother and I talked on the phone. Since she couldn't help (she lives on the east coast), she told me that if she ever came to Utah, she'd recover our couches.

Since she's here, she's making good on her promise. We went around to various fabric stores trying to find the right color, type, and amount of carpet. It was so Project Runway! I've got to learn how to sew.

Anyway, we spend the day together shopping and then recovering the sofas. I'll post before and after pictures when they are complete. They're looking fantastic!

Florida Day 7 - Going Home

I talked with my grandparents in Spanish today. It was really cool, though it was hard to talk to my grandpa since deafness causes his speech to be slightly slurred and he talks loudly.

Ben wasn't feeling well (his throat hurt so badly that he couldn't swallow anything) so we took him to the hospital. They gave him some antibiotics and told him that he would feel better soon.

After a quick lunch at a pizza place, we started driving to the Ft. Lauderdale airport. The drive from Orlando to Ft. Lauderdale is 3 hours and I was upset that Mom didn't tell me that I should fly out of the Orlando airport. It was fine and it turned out to be nice to just be with mom.

In the airport, I bought two magazines: The Economist and Cosmopolitan. I know, I'm a dork, but I just love the Economist!

When I got onto the plane, I realized that I left my ipod in the car. I was so mad but quickly got over it since there was nothing I could do. It did suck though since I had to fly across the country with no music.

As I sat there and watched people board, I saw a man with an unlit cigarette in his hand. When he saw the flight attendant, he said, "I can smoke on this flight, right?"

"No sir," she replied.

"Someone lied to me! Someone said I could!" he angrily responded and he quickly walked to his seat. The flight attendant and I met eyes and started laughing. Smoking on planes has been banned for over 30 years! I once thought that the no smoking signs should be removed because everyone knows that smoking isn't allowed, but I guess there are people who are dumb who still fly in the United States.

They did show a movie, "Take the Lead." While predictible, I thought it was really cute and enjoyed watching it.

Florida Day 5 - Driving to Orlando

We left the Miami/Ft. Lauderdale area and drove to Orlando where my Tia Lorena lives (actually, Kissimmee).

When we were younger, my family owned a Dodge caravan that we used to take our family vacations in. (We actually still own it and Erik is taking it to college with him in the fall). We never flew anywhere and even made Texas to Utah road trips.

A minivan provides a little more room than we had today. Ben, Erik and I crammed into the backseat of our Mitsubishi Diamante that provided almost no leg room to us. I enjoyed teasing Erik by being a brat, like just staring at him and having him yell, "Dad! Tell Jesse to stop!" I really wanted him to say, "Dad! Jesse is looking at me!" I stopped once Dad did yell at me for annoying Erik.

The weather in Florida is quite weird. Before I arrived, the weather reports said that it would be raining the whole time. Now I know that means that storms come and go and during the whole day, you can have strong rainstorms and clear skies.

We experienced the weirdness of the weather as we drove north toward Orlando. It started pouring and the windshield fogged up so badly that my Dad couldn't see the road. He kept on driving just so he wouldn't be hit from the rear. My mother, in a panic, took her shirt off and wiped the fog off the windshield. We laughed and laughed because the situation was so funny.

We took my dad to the airport (since he has to work) and then drove to Lorena's house. After we parked, I went to the trunk to take stuff out and saw my mother's credit card on the rear bumper. I don't know how long it had been there, but I know for a fact we drove all the way from the airport to the house with her credit card on the bumper.

Florida Day 3 - The Keys, Snorkeling, and Downtown Miami (plus a funny Mom)

My family wanted to go to the Everglades this morning, and since I already went yesterday, I got to sleep in while they did the tram tour.

When they got back, Mom, Dad, Ben and I left in a car because we had to take Ben to the hospital. He wasn't feeling well and needed to see a doctor because he couldn't swallow any food. Plus, he was really getting ornery and everyone wanted him to get better. While Ben and Mom were with the doctor, Dad and I sat in the waiting room and talked politics.

After our hospital visit, we started driving toward the Florida Keys. On the way there, it rained hard and I thought our trip to the Keys wasn't going to be great because of it. The weather did, however, provide for a funny story.

My father doesn't like to use his wipers on the road because, he claims, he can "see better" without them. We argued for a few minutes about how stupid and Mom gave him a reason he should have them on: "We're Christian!"

Huh?

"We're Christian so you shouldn't be selfish and keep them off." It didn't make any sense but it did keep us laughing for the next ten minutes.

The weather cleared up and became more beautiful the farther south we went. The drive on the one highway that takes you into the Keys provided for some beautiful scenery.

Mom made us laugh again when she looked at the water and said, "Are there alligators in the water? Is it salt or sugar water?"

We met up with Enrique, Elizabeth, and Erik who had driven separately and went snorkeling. We all had a good time and I thought it was pretty cool that I saw tons of fish and a blue manta ray.

After snorkeling, we went back to Enrique's house to shower and get ready to go out. By this time, it was 10pm and we ended up in downtown Miami at 10:45pm. As we walked around, I saw tons of people. It was also interesting to see lots of gay couples holding hands and groups of gays. I text messaged (or as Mom calls it, "Tex-Mexed") Brian and told him that Miami is becoming the new San Francisco.

We ate some Cuban food and got back home at about 1am. My Dad wasn't too enthusiastic by the end of the night, but neither was I. When I got home, I went straight to bed because I was exhausted. I had tons of fun doing tons of things today.

All Photos Here.

¡Habl con mi novio y mi mam!

I talked to Brian on the phone today. He was supposed to call at 8:00pm, but the phone didn'??t ring until 8:30pm. When I asked him why it took so long, he said that he bought a calling card from the tienda next to our apartment and the whole card was in Spanish. He had to translate the directions to figure out how to use it. I thought it was really cute. The card he bought was $5 for 5 hours, which is much better than the $10 I paid for a 30 minute card. It was great to hear his voice.

I told Brian to call my mom and have her call me.

Mom called about 5 minutes after I got off the phone with Brian. We spoke the whole time in Spanish and it was incredible, simply incredible. It brought such a cool feeling to my soul that I was talking to my mom in her first language. I can't really explain the feeling??it was just amazing. It was great to have her ask me questions and answer them. We kept talking and talking and I love it. She??s going to call me next Sunday.

Sara Bridge and Beth came over and we just talking and hung out. I had a great time.

Numero Uno

I got so frustrated in class today because I couldn't understand a Spanish concept. I got angry when the teacher wanted to stop the whole class and I think I mildly yelled at her to just move on without me. I said I'd catch up later. During the break, I asked Beth if I was rude and she said no. During the break, I figured out the concept.

I send a birthday card to Dad and Tanner today. I hope they receive it on time (though mail from Mexico is very slow). I also sent an email to Katy Pace because her birthday is coming up and I don't know her address. So far, I'm keeping up my 2006 birthday goal!

I sent an email to Mom asking her if she thought me going to El Salvador for spring break would be a good idea. I don't really want to go on spring break with people here in Mexico. I don't know why. I'd love to just go to SLC and spend my time with Brian, but that'd be gay.

I got a haircut today. Since I've cut my own hair for years, I forgot how nice it feels to have someone else cut it. I enjoyed it immensly, though when she asked me something about my sideburns, I assumed she asked if I wanted them trimmed. Well, she basically shaved them off. Normally, this would be okay, but it looks terrible with my beard. My hair and my beard are not connected!

I did homework in the computer lab and was really productive, more productive than when I do homework in bed right before I go to sleep.

On the way home, Austin and I had a great talk about culture. I told him that I'm glad I was born an American because I think we have the best culture in the world. He said I was ignorant by saying the US was the best. I told him that American's have a better standard of living than other countries, that American's are a loving and welcoming people, and something about our country makes us the most powerful in the world. Yes, there are problems, but all countries have problems. I'm glad I was born in the US because my life is better because of it.

The water situation, specifically the shower, is annoying me! I get hot water for 7 minutes and then the water turns lukewarm/cold. One time, the hot water lasted for 20 minutes! Why can't it just be consistant! Lately, it's been getting cold after 5 minutes. Oh, the memories!

FHE con el Mormones

I'm such a jokester in class and I love it! I wasn't usually the jokester in class growing up (except for that one Spanish class senior year). Today, during a break when everyone left the room, I erased one word of an example on the board and replaced it with "walrus". No one noticed until Beth read the example outloud and the teacher had a confused look on her face. I thought it was really, really funny.

My mother is so funny! She commented on my blog today! I love seeing my mother use technology because she thinks she can't do it but she can! Like the computer or cell pyhone. I never would have thought that my mother would ever comment on my blog. She's awesome.

Mam finally came home from Cancun today. She was visiting her daughter for her birthday. She graciously brought back two Cancun magnets: one for me and one for Austin. She reminds me a lot of Grandma Nix: she's so nice, treats us well, and likes talking to us.

While she was gone, I noticed that she recieved a letter with some old stamps on them. Today, I asked her if I could have them and she said sure! One of the stamps is a really old United Nations stamp.

Sara Bridge and I went to the orphanage today. I'm making it a seperate post because it's so long.

After the orphanage, Sara came back to my house because she wanted to go to Family Home Evening at professor Mayer's house (which is 2 doors down). One the drive home, she invited me to come and I told her I thought it would be fun. She was in charge of the lesson, but didn't have an idea of what to do it on. I suggested an idea, and she said, "Why don't you just help me teach it?" The former Mormon in me was honored and said yes.

We taught a lesson about giving of yourself. I said that most people can easily conjugate the spanish verb querer but have a more difficult time conjugating dar.

My biggest goal in going to FHE was to show that a gay guy like me can be spiritual and a good example. FHE was a lot of fun and I probably surprised a few Mormons.

When I came home, I told Austin about my day. After I finished, he told me that I sounded really gay in describing my time at the orphanage. I told him that anytime I'm excited about something, I do flame up. He laughed.

Me amo la computadora

I was bad today. I skipped 2 hours of class to get high... on the computer. I'm amazed at how good it feels to spend a long time in front of a computer screen. The reason I skipped class was because I needed to put pictures online. I was trying to figure out the best way to share them, so I paid for a flickr.com account and played with it today. I really like the program and am excited to use it. It felt nice to tell people about it and see them get excited. I love sharing pictures with people.

I did catch the last hour of class since Austin came to the computer lab to get me. He said that we were going over imperatives, a "hard subject" he said. When I sat in class, my mind became a sponge and I really understood the concept. Andrew said it was because my mother yelled at me in the imperative form. I laughed, but then when I thought about it, I realized that he was right. She always said, "Da me lo" (Give it to me). Even though my mother never taught me Spanish, her occasional Spanish phrases helped me today.

I called Austin a metrosexual today because he likes to groom himself and likes to wear nice clothes. His response? "Okay full-on." I thought it was really funny.

Mormon Church x3

My mother and I were going to go to church with Megan this morning, but when I woke up at 9am, I was in intense pain. I called Megan and told her that I couldn't come.

Three hours later, after some much needed "butt" maintenance, I picked up my mom from my sister's house. We went to the hospital to make sure everything was fine. My mom decided that she wanted to go to church, so she asked me to come along. Not having planned on going to church, I was wearing a tshirt and jeans. My mother said that no one would care.

Mom was trying to find a specific Mormon church that her friend attends. We had an approximate address and I thought I found the right church. Unfortunately, there is a Mormon church on almost every block so you have to know the exact address. We ended up going to two church buildings (taking the sacrament in the second church) before we found the right one.

After church, we went back to the hospital where I received a text message from a guy that Scott is interested in. This guy asked how he could get ahold of Scott. I called Scott to ask him if I could give this guy his phone number. Instead of being excited, Scott laughed and asked me why I was calling! I spent the next ten minutes trying to convince Scott that I wasn't playing a joke!

My butt hurt so badly that I went to an urgent care clinic to seek treatment. I leave for Mexico in less than a week and I don't want any problems!! The doctor told me to continue to use suppositories and not read on the toilet. I've been putting little white missiles up my butt every four hours, but I don't know if I can stop the reading.

Brokeback Mountain

I finally saw Brokeback Mountain and can't really say if I liked it or not. I was with someone who wanted to see it, but then decided during the movie that she shouldn't have come. I spent the whole movie super-sensitive to any bad word or sex scene on screen. I need to see it again for a unbiased opinion.

I did, however, enjoy the short story when I read it last month.

Watching a movie with a painful hemorrhoid is not very fun.

A Piece of Work!

My mother should get her own reality TV show because, as I say, she's a piece of work!

I left work to pick up mother at 5pm. When we got home, I told her to relax. She said, "I've been sitting on my butt all day. I want to do something!" Then the cleaning tornado started.

She cut up our philodendron to make more plants...


She cleaned a drawer in our kitchen...


She cleaned and organized our utility closet...


She cleaned and organized under our sink...


She cleaned our front door...


She cleaned up the living room...


She cleaned up our table...


She organized the pictures on our bookshelf and said, "Why doesn't Brian have as many pictures as you do?" ...


She cleaned our shelf with plants and kept saying, "These plants have seen better days." ...


She cleaned the dishwasher...


and she put Brian's presents, which had been sitting in the middle of the living room, in a proper place.

Brian came home and found the tornado working. When she told him, "I would love to clean rich people's houses," he joked that it was because of her heritage.

We went to PF Changs for dinner because I promised my mother two years ago that we'd go. I made a reservation, but when I got there, they couldn't find it. I told them the person that I talked to and waited for them to seat us. It wasn't a big deal but it annoyed me.

My mom really enjoyed all the selections that Brian made (especially their banana dessert). As we were eating, my mother commented on the amount of gays in the restaurant. We saw a gaggle of them at a table and my mother asked, "Are they friends or couples?" When I joked that she should ask them, she got up and started walking toward their table. Brian nearly slid under the table until he realized that she was pulling a joke.

Brian, Me, and my mom.

After dinner we went to my sister's house. Looking at their two-toned walls, Brian told my sister, "I've never seen two-tone done very well." After a long pause, he finished his sentence and said, "but yours looks really great!" We all laughed at his inadvertent pause.

Me playing with Carly.


My mother pretending to be a terrorist with a TSA luggage card.

A Bad Son

Mom, Russell, Jennie, and I were playing Ticket to Ride when Erik came to annoy my Mom about something. He started being rude and disruptive so I told him, in a stern voice, to leave Mom alone. He kept on whining and aggravating my nerves. As I yelled at him to stop, Mom firmly hit me on the shoulder and told me to be quiet.

I don't know why, but I've always hated people hitting me and cannot stand it. My annoyance level can go from 0 to 10 if you hit me. When my Mom did it, I turned to her and told her not to do that. We started arguing and it ended with my mother walking away into the basement.

The yelling was over and I was fine (my mood can change very quickly). Erik had walked away and I wanted to start playing the game again.

I descended into the basement to urge Mom to keep playing with us. She ignored me at first, and then started crying. She told me that I reminded her of an incident with her father when she was younger. They were at a store and her father blew up at her for doing the same thing. My grandfather was an alcoholic and had a strong temper. In that moment, I reminded my mother of her father.

I tried to say sorry, but she told me to leave her alone. "I need to be alone right now."

One of the worst things a son can do to his mother is make her cry. I can't even begin to explain how it felt to see her cry because of something I did. I needed to apologize, so I wrote this letter to her:

Mom,

I'm really sorry that I yelled at you. I see you as such a strong woman who can handle most things and I forget that you are still my mother. I know when Ben and Erik yell at you or tell you to be quiet, it hurts your feelings and makes you think they don't respect you.

Mom, I respect you immensely and think you are the greatest Mom I could have ever wished for. When we are hungry, you always give us food. When we see something we like at the store, you buy it for us. When we're sad, you cheer us up. When we want to play a game, you want to play it with us. When I want someone to talk to on the phone, you pick up the phone and talk to me. I wish every kid had a mother like you because you are amazing.

I'm really, really sorry for yelling at you. You didn't deserve that. I hate to see you cry because of something I did because it reminds me of when I was younger. I was a bratty kid and was awful toward you and Dad. There are things in this world that I can't stand--you crying is one of them. It's probably the worst punishment you could give me.

Again, I'm very sorry. I don't know why I blew up, but my response was highly inappropriate. I hope you'll forgive me and know that I'll never do it again.

I love you.

-Jesse