Newness all around

Real life is back in session, and we're both adjusting to the fact that days spent playing frisbee, soaking up salt water at the beach, and relaxing in front of the TV have been supplanted by days where school, work, and homework are the modus operandi. This weekend has been a little bit like a reboot, with a few fresh starts for the new semester: new gear, a new do, and a new recipe with new people.

Last week, Drew picked us up some new BYU gear for the new year, and we sported it on Saturday to show some support for BYU's football team as they played Texas (unsuccessfully, I'm afraid, in spite of our efforts). Drew has a random assortment of mostly inherited hats, but it was definitely time to invest in one from his alma mater.

Drew's friend, Michael, also got a new haircut on Saturday, courtesy of yours truly. I cut Drew's hair regularly, mostly because every time he goes to a barber, I end up cutting it again anyway because he hates his new do. It's also free, he can watch Netflix while I snip, and I think I listen a little better to what he wants than a stylist with their own vision for his head. Well, Mike hadn't had a haircut since December, but at BYU, you have to comply with the Honor Code in order to take your tests, and the Honor Code says men's hair can't touch their ears or shirt collar. So he needed a haircut, but wanted to preserve his hard-earned locks.

So, Michael traded some of his many, many curls for a sleeker, Honor Code-abiding mohawk. By the end of it all, we had cut the equivalent of a small, furry animal from his head, and he was ready to face the Testing Center.

We spent Saturday evening at Dr. Hanson's house (the Director of the MPH Program at BYU), mingling with the new first-year MPH students, watching the football game, and eating together potluck-style. It was good to get to know everyone a little better and to think about how things have changed since I was the new kid at the potluck last year. We brought tasty apple muffins, made from this recipe. We had four apples grown and purchased in Georgia (and transported back to Utah during our roadtrip) in our refrigerator that were beyond eating plain, but perfect for baking. We had everything else on hand, too, so we whipped them up (pretty quickly, actually) and had them for breakfast that morning. We took the rest with us to the MPH dinner and they disappeared. While they were good, and clearly enjoyed by everyone, I think I'll try substituting oil with applesauce the next time I make them; it would eliminate the slight vegetable oil aftertaste and enhance their apple-ness.

For whatever reason, this weekend I've been more aware of newness all around me, in simple, little things. I'll try to be better from now on to see novelty in our days more often; having something, someone, or some experience to discover adds a lot of freshness and spice to life.  :)