Bacon Wrapped Happy

It's been too long since I've written about my ventures in the kitchen. Finals are nearing and my life has gotten really hectic. It's not that I have intense finals to study for (my class load is actually rather light this semester), but I have a huge paper due for my persuasion class and...to be quite honest with everyone, I only have 4 pages written. It's supposed to be ten pages long, but I know that I will pull it out in the end. It's due on Tuesday. The stress in my life comes from...

DISCLAIMER: THE FOLLOWING IS A RANT ABOUT FINALS WEEK.

My school doesn't have a dead week. We don't even have a dead day. The last day of class will be Next Wednesday and my first final will be a week from today. This gives me no time to prepare for the grueling task that is finals week. It's not nearly as bad for me as it is for others. My roommate has two finals on Thursday (the first day of finals) and will not have any time to study for them. So she has to study for them this weekend. RANT COMPLETE

Back to a better happier topic. Last night, I was cooking a celebratory meal. Caine made a 92 on his Genetics test (a very big deal considering most people have to take Genetics more than once just to pass it). He swore that he wasn't going to do well, but I was correct when I told him that he would. I decided to try a recipe in my wonderful little cookbook for bacon wrapped chicken with tarragon. It was possibly THE most amazing thing I have ever put in my mouth that came from my own oven! The chicken also had green onion cream cheese rolled into it. Basically I had to use my rolling pin to flatten the chicken to a half inch think, salt and peppered, spread a little cream cheese, rolled it all up, wrapped it in bacon and stuck it in the oven for 40 minutes. It was so easy, and wonderful! The chicken stayed moist, always a fear when I bake chicken, and the flavor was phenomenal. I didn't have tarragon and honestly it was a little pricey when I went to buy it, so I used the dried Italian herbs I had on hand. They worked perfectly well if I do say so myself.

This week a lot has been on my mind. Mostly, I've been thinking about my family and how blessed I am to have them. I miss my brother and sister a lot more than I thought I would when I first left for school. I find myself trying to get a hold of them, but then I remember how busy they actually are with school and sports and practices and such. I'm staying in Belton this summer and I really think I will miss swimming and laying out with Olivia every day or making Caleb go get me a milkshake. I can't even really describe how much I miss my mom and dad sometimes. I think I get more homesick now because I realize what I'm missing at home. I'm missing all Mom's antics and Olivia's boy troubles, Caleb's ball games and playing tennis with my daddy. I value home more now than I did when I was younger. Mom put on her Facebook that Caleb and Olivia had been running around chasing each other like they did when they were little. I know I can't imagine how fast our childhoods have gone for Mom, but I think I understand a little. When I look at pictures of the three of us kids, I can't believe how much older Olivia looks. She's such a beautiful young woman. I hardly recognize Caleb sometimes because he's gotten so muscular and "manly." I still see him as a four year old running around with a football helmet on his head that was seven sizes too big, making him look like a bobble head.

I wish that I hadn't hurried through my childhood. I wish that I had fought less with my sister. I wish that I had valued all the quality time with my family more. But I can't change that now. All any of us can do is live for the moment and treasure the wonderful people in our lives. I know one thing, I'm going to play tennis with my dad as many times as I can for this summer, and every time I do, thank my Heavenly Father for giving me a family like mine.