Nirvana.

I got to see my mom today for the first time in months. She was picking up my car on her way to Utah. I also got to see two of my puppies (who aren't so puppy-ish anymore) and our friend Robb.

They gave my roomie and me a ride to Target. I wanted to get something for my dad for his birthday, and my roommate was in search of TimTams. For those who may be wondering, TimTams are delightful cookies made by Pepperridge Farms out of layers of chocolatey goodness. As though these wonderful little treats weren't close enough to ambrosia by themselves, my roommate's friend introduced us last night to something called a TimTam Slam. I don't know how easy it would be to replicate just from a description, but I'll try to give a general idea what it's like. You're going to need some hot chocolate. Bite off a bit of each of the ends of a TimTam, then put one of the ends in your mouth. Without using your hands, dip the other end of the TimTam into the hot chocolate and slurp some up through the cookie. The cookie will get all melty and soggy, so when you're done slurping, throw your head back and slam the cookie down your throat, pausing to chew somewhere in there. Once you're good enough, you should be able to do all of the slurping and slamming sans hands. I have yet to reach this level expertise.

My roommate actually managed to convert a 50-year-old lady in the cookie aisle to the idea. As we were leaving, she was tentatively putting packages of TimTams into her cart. Apparently she has a party tomorrow. Can you imagine a bunch of old ladies with their cookies and hot chocolate as described above?

This evening was our ward Christmas party, with dinner provided by the bishopric's wives. I will never tire of fancy cheesy potato stuff. Never. That is perhaps the most noticeable effect of my foray overseas. I'm like an addict.

The short musical program after the dinner was mind-blowing. I will never listen to "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" the same way again. I will always hear an echo of the mind-blowing-ness I heard tonight.

As a complete and utter sidenote, perhaps one of the greatest results of my mom's short visit was the gifts she brought me. Among other things, she somehow managed to find SoBe Nirvana at a Chevron. It's my favorite flavor, but it's nigh on impossible to find. It's kind of a mango-melon experience. I guess I'll have to frequent Chevron more often. For the record, I love my mom.

Listening to: Trans-siberian Orchestra on Pandora
Reading: Le Morte D'Arthur by Sir Thomas Malory