This is what I hope to be the first in a six-week series of the youth conferences I attended. I only went to half of my scout camps, but I went to all youth conferences.
The first one wasn't really a youth conference; I was only 12, and you had to be 14 to go on that year's conference. So our deacons quorum went downtown to see The Testaments of One Fold and One Shepherd. I remember Brother Morley coming to my house to pick me up in his Suburban. We were supposed to dress up (I'm not sure why), and I was wearing the suit that I had inherited from my then-uncle Wayne. (I think I got it because I was short enough and fat enough to wear it.) I think it was my first time wearing it, but no one said anything about it. It was a little too warm for a June night.
That's about all I remember. But the successive blogs will be more substantial.
Friday, July 31, 2015
Sunday, July 19, 2015
July 23
I'm going to remember what I can about the day before Pioneer Day. However, since I haven't really considered Pioneer Day as a full holiday, that will make it a little hard.
2014. My brother took my nephews swimming, but Nathaniel didn't want to go, so my mom took him with her as she went other places. She ended up going to Susanne's house to watch Bountiful's parade. After a full day of working at home, I announced to my family that I was going to go watch the parade, so they decided to come too, and David drove and I had to tell him which street to turn on. We were able to park in front of Nan's driveway. Then we met them on her neighbors' lawn; the boys were told they couldn't have the neighbors' food. At one point I went into Susanne's house to get popsicles. We watched the procession; some high school bands got to dress coolly, but some had to wear their hot outfits. The boys were eager to get the free parade handouts; my mom remarked that they hadn't been taught manners not to get in other people's way. After the parade, we went to a firework shack near Dick's Market, where my brother picked out a lot of fireworks to set off. We got some tanks and some ground blooms. We lit off the fireworks at Susanne's house; David almost got burned from waiting too long to throw the "flowers." When we left, Ya-ping wanted Nathaniel to ride in my mom's car, since his carseat should have already been in it, but in fact my mom had not used his carseat. On the way home, we asked him about his imaginary families and houses. I said, "Do you have any dogs?" "We do have dogs!" "Do you have any cats?" "We do have cats!"--a cat named Bottom. My mom beat me to the next question: "Do you have any birds?" "We do have birds!" This is my journal for the day:
"After work today, we went to Bountiful's parade with the boys. They don't understand how to watch out for other people. Then we did fireworks with them. Qi-en really is the cutest."
2012. My ward's FHE was in the Regency Apartment lounge, where we watched 17 Miracles. I sat on a loveseat, and later my future roommate Scott, whom I was afraid of, came and sat right between me and the other person. (Later our friend Carissa told me she found that hilarious.) When Levi Savage was publicly rebuked for not having faith, Scott said, "I couldn't do that." In the scene where the kid eats the buffalo chip, Michelle Sutterfield said "Sick!" and then when he was being threatened by wolves, she said, "Is that the same kid who was eating that thing?" I believe that this was the same night that our "horse" friends Kristen, Hanna, Carissa, and Amberly came over to our apartment, since we didn't have class the next day. They talked about Scott having rearranged our apartment, and they loved the blog I had made; they made my roommate Cameron read it. Then they went and brought back an old creepy dating book with weird pictures and wanted us to make captions for the pictures. One weird picture had a guy looking at the side of a girl's face. I had two captions that I thought were perfect. One was a line from I Want a Dog for Christmas, Charlie Brown: "'I'm trying to have an expression of looking to the future with hope.' 'That's all right, I'm just drawing your ear.'" For the other caption, I began singing "Trololo" because I thought the guy looked like the "Trololo" singer. Everyone laughed, but only Amberly knew what I was talking about, so I brought out my laptop to show them the YouTube video.
2011. This was a Saturday. I think this was the year I gave Allie a pink owl for her birthday. These are some anecdotes I copied and pasted from an old blog:
Rather, I think it looks more like the President of the United States of America:
I pointed it out to my parents, and even Allie thought it looked like Obama. My dad said he had thought the same thing.
2010. In the morning I got up and got ready to go home. As I was driving out of Provo, I saw people walking home after participating in the World's Largest Water Fight. That night my dad turned on the news and I saw the water fight on the news, and I regretted that I didn't participate.
2009. This is my journal entry for the day: "Today we were blessed enough to have our lesson go through with Anna Hamilton, although it almost didn't. Brad and Carey's lesson didn't go through. I guess they had an emergency." Anna lived in a single-wide trailer and didn't own much; this might have been the time we brought George Sabin with us.
2014. My brother took my nephews swimming, but Nathaniel didn't want to go, so my mom took him with her as she went other places. She ended up going to Susanne's house to watch Bountiful's parade. After a full day of working at home, I announced to my family that I was going to go watch the parade, so they decided to come too, and David drove and I had to tell him which street to turn on. We were able to park in front of Nan's driveway. Then we met them on her neighbors' lawn; the boys were told they couldn't have the neighbors' food. At one point I went into Susanne's house to get popsicles. We watched the procession; some high school bands got to dress coolly, but some had to wear their hot outfits. The boys were eager to get the free parade handouts; my mom remarked that they hadn't been taught manners not to get in other people's way. After the parade, we went to a firework shack near Dick's Market, where my brother picked out a lot of fireworks to set off. We got some tanks and some ground blooms. We lit off the fireworks at Susanne's house; David almost got burned from waiting too long to throw the "flowers." When we left, Ya-ping wanted Nathaniel to ride in my mom's car, since his carseat should have already been in it, but in fact my mom had not used his carseat. On the way home, we asked him about his imaginary families and houses. I said, "Do you have any dogs?" "We do have dogs!" "Do you have any cats?" "We do have cats!"--a cat named Bottom. My mom beat me to the next question: "Do you have any birds?" "We do have birds!" This is my journal for the day:
"After work today, we went to Bountiful's parade with the boys. They don't understand how to watch out for other people. Then we did fireworks with them. Qi-en really is the cutest."
2012. My ward's FHE was in the Regency Apartment lounge, where we watched 17 Miracles. I sat on a loveseat, and later my future roommate Scott, whom I was afraid of, came and sat right between me and the other person. (Later our friend Carissa told me she found that hilarious.) When Levi Savage was publicly rebuked for not having faith, Scott said, "I couldn't do that." In the scene where the kid eats the buffalo chip, Michelle Sutterfield said "Sick!" and then when he was being threatened by wolves, she said, "Is that the same kid who was eating that thing?" I believe that this was the same night that our "horse" friends Kristen, Hanna, Carissa, and Amberly came over to our apartment, since we didn't have class the next day. They talked about Scott having rearranged our apartment, and they loved the blog I had made; they made my roommate Cameron read it. Then they went and brought back an old creepy dating book with weird pictures and wanted us to make captions for the pictures. One weird picture had a guy looking at the side of a girl's face. I had two captions that I thought were perfect. One was a line from I Want a Dog for Christmas, Charlie Brown: "'I'm trying to have an expression of looking to the future with hope.' 'That's all right, I'm just drawing your ear.'" For the other caption, I began singing "Trololo" because I thought the guy looked like the "Trololo" singer. Everyone laughed, but only Amberly knew what I was talking about, so I brought out my laptop to show them the YouTube video.
2011. This was a Saturday. I think this was the year I gave Allie a pink owl for her birthday. These are some anecdotes I copied and pasted from an old blog:
- She wanted to play Apples to Apples. Which is strange because she doesn't really get what's going on. Anyway, when it was her turn to be the judge, her green card was "Nasty." Someone put "AIDS." She picked a different card, and then shortly after said, "I was going to pick AIDS but I had to pick this one. 'Cause we all know what that's like." My sister and cousin and I were all laughing hysterically, as quietly as possible.
- I discovered an entertaining website called "Not Always Right." I was reading this, and came across [a comic strip in which a mother asks for a "Playboy" for her son, but she really wants a Gameboy.] I had been reading some of the anecdotes aloud to my mom, and Allie insisted that I read this to her because it was funny. I told her, "I don't think you get it." So she told her herself. I still don't think she gets it. At least, I hope not.
- I turned on Hogan's Heroes. She said to me, "I wish this were Pollyanna." Then in the episode they brought in a small Nazi flag, complete with the swastika. She said something like, "I knew they were in another country. Australia!" This made me laugh, so she "corrected" herself: "Austria!" My mom caught on that she had seen the Nazi flag on The Sound of Music--hence thinking it was Austria's flag.
- I
was attempting to play "Linus and Lucy" on the piano. I thought I was
doing reasonably well with just the left hand, but then I heard her say,
"Mark you need to
fix thatdo better or you'll need to take piano lessons, too!"
Rather, I think it looks more like the President of the United States of America:
I pointed it out to my parents, and even Allie thought it looked like Obama. My dad said he had thought the same thing.
2010. In the morning I got up and got ready to go home. As I was driving out of Provo, I saw people walking home after participating in the World's Largest Water Fight. That night my dad turned on the news and I saw the water fight on the news, and I regretted that I didn't participate.
2009. This is my journal entry for the day: "Today we were blessed enough to have our lesson go through with Anna Hamilton, although it almost didn't. Brad and Carey's lesson didn't go through. I guess they had an emergency." Anna lived in a single-wide trailer and didn't own much; this might have been the time we brought George Sabin with us.
Saturday, July 18, 2015
Pioneer Day, 2012-14
A few years ago, I made a post about Pioneer Day, so I'm going to remember those that have happened since that time.
2014. In the morning I wanted to pick apricots so my mom could make something with them. Nathaniel wanted to help me, so I went out with him and he climbed on top of our swingset to reach the fruit. I put my arm around him, and he kept saying, "I got it! Wet [let] go!" Of course I didn't; I told him I would be very sad if he fell down. I came in with the colander full of apricots and said to my mom that some of them were a little green, winking that Nathaniel had picked some that weren't quite ripe. Preston said, "Did Baby pick them?" Nathaniel said, "I didn't know!" (Indeed, Preston had picked plenty of green ones himself the year before at the age of eight.) Then we went to a McDonald's in Salt Lake since the boys all like it for some reason. Franklin put his chicken nugget on his straw, and Preston followed suit, and they drank soda while eating nuggets. Preston said they should make nugget-flavored soda.
Then we went to the mall to go to the Lego Store. Nathaniel didn't bring shoes, so he had to wear Allie's girly shoes, which he wasn't too happy about. I carried him across the parking lot, and while I was doing so I asked him who was cuter, me or his dad, and he said me, because I was younger even though I had bigger legs. [I just asked him in 2015. He said, "That's a hard choice....It's too complicated. I think you because you're not as old as my dad."] We went to the Lego store, where there were bins where they could fill cups with Legos. He didn't like to get Legos from bins with Disney Princess covers, so he didn't get white flowers, but he got purple and pink flowers, since they weren't in Princess covers. There were some orange Legos with a Princess cover (Allie said, "The orange could be for the pumpkin carriage," and my mom said the covers probably didn't necessarily mean anything to do with princesses), so Nathaniel didn't get the orange ones, but he loved to get some clear ones, even though they did come from a Princess cover. Ya-ping tried to fit more Legos in Preston's cup by shaking the contents of one cup into another. I could have told her it wouldn't work, and indeed it made it worse. As she was doing that, David said, "This is where Preston gets it." David wanted to see whether Nathaniel wanted to fill up a cup or get a cheap set, and he wanted both, causing David to say, "That's not an option." Then we went to Chinese Gourmet to meet my grandparents for dinner. While we were waiting, we tried to get Ya-ping's niece to speak English, but she was too shy to do so. Susanne said she didn't know she could speak English. At the restaurant, it was the first time I ever had Mongolian barbecue. We came home and David's high school friend Preston Hawkes, for whom David's Preston was named, came over. I had been in my room playing on the Super Nintendo but I went out and gave him an update on what I was doing in life. Nathaniel loved talking to this big Preston; he was telling him he knew Chinese, but Preston thought he was talking about his knees. David said that Nathaniel was by far their easiest four-year-old. I asked Nathaniel to tell Preston how many moms he had; he didn't respond, but Preston said, "That's a lot. Anything more than one is a lot." David said that one day he just started talking about his new mom, which made Ya-ping ask David why he said that. They talked about their crazy friend Mike Bishop, and Preston said he was still Facebook friends with Mike's ex-wife. Preston talked about his younger brother being a jerk in public without knowing it, and he said he (Preston) didn't usually like to swear but he called someone a bad name. He said he would have to visit David when he was with his son, and David said they could take them to the Exploratorium. This is my journal entry for the day:
"Today I picked apricots and Nathaniel helped me. Then we all went to McDonald's and then to the Lego store. We went to dinner with G'ma and G'pa. Tonight big Preston came and visited. I'm going to miss those kids."
2013. I think it was a little boring, so I made a blog post about pioneers. (I could write a much better blog today.) That night I went running, and when I got back a bunch of people were lighting sparklers, so they invited me to do so too. We got on the apartment staircase to take pictures. (I found a picture, but I feel weird stealing someone else's picture.)
2012. I made this Facebook status: "I've never really thought of Pioneer Day as much of a holiday. However, I am grateful for my pioneer ancestors who went through such hardships and sacrificed so much, working 'with might for a cause that's right' to establish this great state of Utah." I spent the day looking at words in Isaiah in the Oxford English Dictionary and writing a paper about it for my Isaiah class. I hadn't been running in a while because I had knee problems, but I went that night, and as I was up on campus in front of the testing center, I looked out over Provo and saw aerial fireworks. Then I went home and drank Powerade.
2014. In the morning I wanted to pick apricots so my mom could make something with them. Nathaniel wanted to help me, so I went out with him and he climbed on top of our swingset to reach the fruit. I put my arm around him, and he kept saying, "I got it! Wet [let] go!" Of course I didn't; I told him I would be very sad if he fell down. I came in with the colander full of apricots and said to my mom that some of them were a little green, winking that Nathaniel had picked some that weren't quite ripe. Preston said, "Did Baby pick them?" Nathaniel said, "I didn't know!" (Indeed, Preston had picked plenty of green ones himself the year before at the age of eight.) Then we went to a McDonald's in Salt Lake since the boys all like it for some reason. Franklin put his chicken nugget on his straw, and Preston followed suit, and they drank soda while eating nuggets. Preston said they should make nugget-flavored soda.
"Today I picked apricots and Nathaniel helped me. Then we all went to McDonald's and then to the Lego store. We went to dinner with G'ma and G'pa. Tonight big Preston came and visited. I'm going to miss those kids."
2013. I think it was a little boring, so I made a blog post about pioneers. (I could write a much better blog today.) That night I went running, and when I got back a bunch of people were lighting sparklers, so they invited me to do so too. We got on the apartment staircase to take pictures. (I found a picture, but I feel weird stealing someone else's picture.)
2012. I made this Facebook status: "I've never really thought of Pioneer Day as much of a holiday. However, I am grateful for my pioneer ancestors who went through such hardships and sacrificed so much, working 'with might for a cause that's right' to establish this great state of Utah." I spent the day looking at words in Isaiah in the Oxford English Dictionary and writing a paper about it for my Isaiah class. I hadn't been running in a while because I had knee problems, but I went that night, and as I was up on campus in front of the testing center, I looked out over Provo and saw aerial fireworks. Then I went home and drank Powerade.
Sunday, July 5, 2015
July 6
I'm going to remember what I can about two days after Independence Day, July 6.
2014. After writing my blog for the day, I went to a ward prayer at the lawn of Regency Apartments. I stayed a long time talking with people. There was a nineteen-year-old girl who was a little awkward who asked why I majored in English language if I didn't talk much. One guy was wearing a flag tie similar to one I own, but I wasn't wearing it because the Fourth of July was over.
2013. We got up early in the morning in California to leave with my three nephews and my sister-in-law. We stopped at a rest area in the Sierras to eat breakfast. My parents had bought large Costco muffins but I didn't eat them. I had a throat problem, which meant I had to drink a lot, which meant I had to stop a lot. We stopped at a rest stop that I remembered from the previous Christmas Eve, and later we stopped at a really gross rest area, and Preston even said, "That bathroom was gross, huh Uncle Mark." The boys were good on the trip, but later on, Preston was teasing Nathaniel, making him scream. I looked back at Nathaniel and told him not to scream and he made an adorable face in response. My mom asked Preston not to make him scream. At one point I had facetiously said I stunk because I hadn't showered; Franklin said, "Uncle Mark's stinky," and Nathaniel said I was "inky." At one rest area near the Utah/Nevada border, I read a sign near a trail that said there were snakes and scorpions, and I wanted to see a scorpion. Nathaniel needed to stop near Tooele. As we were getting close, Sue called my mom and asked where we were. We had just barely arrived at our house when Sue and her family showed up--we were still unloading the car. Chancey came and was eating some of our grapes and giving them to Nathan; Jesse said to him, "Why are you eating their food?" Ya-ping shared the nectarines she had bought in California with Lisa and others.
2012. Apparently I took a French test. Some of my "horse" friends invited us to a surprise party for Scott Boyce, who was going to be our roommate in the fall. I was debating whether I wanted to go, since he scared me. My roommate Bryton and I did go over. Someone picked up Scott from his job at Red Robin because he didn't have a car and had to bike home. After he got there, someone asked if he knew what was happening; he said it did seem a little suspicious.
2011. I would have gone to my history and archaeology classes, but I don't specifically remember them.
2009. We had to go up to a meeting in Moscow, Idaho, to meet our new mission president. The Palmers introduced themselves to us and then let us ask them questions. My former, evil companion Elder LaPratt asked him, "If you could meet one resurrected person [outside of the Godhead], who would it be?" President responded, "I've always had great admiration for the Prophet Joseph Smith." Elder LaPratt always tried to make the mission president think he was a good missionary (and a good person), even though he wasn't. This is my journal entry for the day:
"The first thing President Palmer said to me was, 'Are you happy?' which is just what President Clark always said. That was an enjoyable meeting. I'm just sad about my lack of mission I have left. Then we helped Brother Presnell, visited A.P. Jones, had dinner with the Bartschis, and tried to figure out stuff for the baptism at FHE. I'm stressed with everything we have to do now."
2008. I don't specifically remember this day, but this is my journal:
"Today Leslie brought her kids to church, indicating her commitment. We had a really good lesson with her. She said she was feeling the Spirit and she accepted the Plan of Salvation in its entirety. But Elder Bramall didn't transition to me, and I can't interject. It's sad to think about how I know I never will be a good missionary, no matter what I do. I won't be a bad one, I just can't be a good one.
"I also tipped my bike over. It was really embarrassing. I have a scraped knee and a sore thigh."
2006. Surprisingly, I wrote in my journal this day:
"Yesterday I got my AP test results. I only got 2s, in Biology and U. S. history. I expected to pass the history. I feel like an idiotic loser. Things have been crazy around here. Everyone's here, and so is Ya-ping's sister Shu-hua. Preston and Allie are so cute, but today they have been ornery. Preston's hair is hideously ugly, but they won't cut it."
2014. After writing my blog for the day, I went to a ward prayer at the lawn of Regency Apartments. I stayed a long time talking with people. There was a nineteen-year-old girl who was a little awkward who asked why I majored in English language if I didn't talk much. One guy was wearing a flag tie similar to one I own, but I wasn't wearing it because the Fourth of July was over.
2013. We got up early in the morning in California to leave with my three nephews and my sister-in-law. We stopped at a rest area in the Sierras to eat breakfast. My parents had bought large Costco muffins but I didn't eat them. I had a throat problem, which meant I had to drink a lot, which meant I had to stop a lot. We stopped at a rest stop that I remembered from the previous Christmas Eve, and later we stopped at a really gross rest area, and Preston even said, "That bathroom was gross, huh Uncle Mark." The boys were good on the trip, but later on, Preston was teasing Nathaniel, making him scream. I looked back at Nathaniel and told him not to scream and he made an adorable face in response. My mom asked Preston not to make him scream. At one point I had facetiously said I stunk because I hadn't showered; Franklin said, "Uncle Mark's stinky," and Nathaniel said I was "inky." At one rest area near the Utah/Nevada border, I read a sign near a trail that said there were snakes and scorpions, and I wanted to see a scorpion. Nathaniel needed to stop near Tooele. As we were getting close, Sue called my mom and asked where we were. We had just barely arrived at our house when Sue and her family showed up--we were still unloading the car. Chancey came and was eating some of our grapes and giving them to Nathan; Jesse said to him, "Why are you eating their food?" Ya-ping shared the nectarines she had bought in California with Lisa and others.
2012. Apparently I took a French test. Some of my "horse" friends invited us to a surprise party for Scott Boyce, who was going to be our roommate in the fall. I was debating whether I wanted to go, since he scared me. My roommate Bryton and I did go over. Someone picked up Scott from his job at Red Robin because he didn't have a car and had to bike home. After he got there, someone asked if he knew what was happening; he said it did seem a little suspicious.
2011. I would have gone to my history and archaeology classes, but I don't specifically remember them.
2009. We had to go up to a meeting in Moscow, Idaho, to meet our new mission president. The Palmers introduced themselves to us and then let us ask them questions. My former, evil companion Elder LaPratt asked him, "If you could meet one resurrected person [outside of the Godhead], who would it be?" President responded, "I've always had great admiration for the Prophet Joseph Smith." Elder LaPratt always tried to make the mission president think he was a good missionary (and a good person), even though he wasn't. This is my journal entry for the day:
"The first thing President Palmer said to me was, 'Are you happy?' which is just what President Clark always said. That was an enjoyable meeting. I'm just sad about my lack of mission I have left. Then we helped Brother Presnell, visited A.P. Jones, had dinner with the Bartschis, and tried to figure out stuff for the baptism at FHE. I'm stressed with everything we have to do now."
2008. I don't specifically remember this day, but this is my journal:
"Today Leslie brought her kids to church, indicating her commitment. We had a really good lesson with her. She said she was feeling the Spirit and she accepted the Plan of Salvation in its entirety. But Elder Bramall didn't transition to me, and I can't interject. It's sad to think about how I know I never will be a good missionary, no matter what I do. I won't be a bad one, I just can't be a good one.
"I also tipped my bike over. It was really embarrassing. I have a scraped knee and a sore thigh."
2006. Surprisingly, I wrote in my journal this day:
"Yesterday I got my AP test results. I only got 2s, in Biology and U. S. history. I expected to pass the history. I feel like an idiotic loser. Things have been crazy around here. Everyone's here, and so is Ya-ping's sister Shu-hua. Preston and Allie are so cute, but today they have been ornery. Preston's hair is hideously ugly, but they won't cut it."
Wednesday, July 1, 2015
Patriotic treats
If you read this blog, you undoubtedly know that I only eat candy and desserts that are seasonal. Seasonal treats abound at other times of the year, but for the Fourth of July, they are a little more rare. You never know what to expect from one year to the next; and even if a particular seasonal candy is made from year to year, you never know what stores will carry them. They're very inconsistent.
Therefore, I'm going to remember the patriotic desserts I've had in my life. Here is some basic information about this list:
1) This only includes things that I have personally eaten. I saw some patriotic candy corn the other day, but I haven't had them, so they're not on the list.
2) Some things on the list aren't strictly dessert, so I could eat them at any time (e.g. pretzels), but they are still fun to include.
3) The list refers mainly to pre-packaged goods. I'm excluding most bakery items (like sugar cookies) because there are always seasonal bakery items. (I think of the Killers lyric: "Red, white, and blue upon a birthday cake, my brother he was born on the Fourth of July.")
Many of these treats predate my seasonal eating rules, but I still remember them. (For those of you who are wondering, my eating habits got started in 2003, but they have evolved significantly since then, generally getting stricter.)
My favorite priority is unique flavors, followed by unique shapes and/or colors. Individually wrapped candies with seasonal wrappers count, but they're my least favorite kind of seasonal things.
Patriotic popsicles. Red, white, and blue popsicles are the one thing I can count on from year to year. They are made by multiple brands, and they aren't always marketed for the Fourth of July, so they're always around. I can eat any popsicles during June, July, and August, but these ones are funner. One noteworthy variation is Dairy Queen's Starkiss, which is shaped like a star and is striped.
Keebler rainbow cookies. Keebler's M&M cookies weren't originally made with M&Ms but with their own brand of chocolates. They had ones with red, white, and blue candies in the late 90s. I had them in 2012--they were marketed for the Olympics but I used them for the Fourth of July. This year, they use real M&Ms and are available at Target, and there are both regular and chocolate varieties.
Summer Oreo O's. Back in the late 1990s, there was a cereal called Oreo O's that had brown rings with white spots on it. One year, probably 1999, they changed the white spots to be red, white, and blue. This is the only time I have ever known of a patriotic cereal. Oreo O's no longer exist, so of course the summer variation does not.
Sno-Balls. You know the Hostess Sno-Balls, the chocolate cake covered with marshmallow and coconut? They usually come in two-packs, but in 2001 or thereabouts a Hostess store carried a three-pack with a red one, a white one, and a blue one. That's the only time I've ever known of them doing so. Before Hostess went out of business, they would change the colors (such as orange at Halloween and lavender at Easter), but I haven't seen them do it as much since they were resurrected.
After 9/11/2001, patriotic things became much more popular, and there was an abundance of patriotic things. In fact, I think some of the things that are still around today may have got their start then.
M&Ms. When I was a kid, I always wanted them to make red, white, and blue M&Ms, but it wasn't a reality until fall 2001. Since then, they have come back sporadically. I know I've had them in 2006, 2007, 2013, and 2015, but this year they're only available at Target, whereas they've been available elsewhere in the past. They come in both milk chocolate and peanut varieties.
Marshmallow Peeps. They made star-shaped Peeps after 9/11. I can't remember whether they were plain or vanilla flavored, but they were white with blue and red specks. They came back for a few Fourth of Julys, but they quit making them because they didn't sell well. In recent years, they've made vanilla-flavored traditional Peep (chick) shapes with the red and blue specks. I don't quite get it. I mean, chicks are still an Easter candy, and what makes them think chick-shaped candy will sell better at the Fourth of July than star-shaped candy?
E.L. Fudge cookies. In 2002 or 2003, there were patriotic E.L. Fudge cookies. These were truly unique--most patriotic candies simply change the colors, but these changed the shape instead. The elves were holding flags or patriotic signs.
Vanilla ice cream. In 2003, my mom bought vanilla ice cream that was colored red, white, and blue--like Neapolitan except it was one flavor. That's the only time I've known of patriotic ice cream.
Goldfish. Goldfish crackers are made red, white, and blue. I first had them in 2004, and I've had them every year since 2013.
American taffy. The Sweet's brand makes peppermint-flavored white taffy with patriotic wrappers. I know we had some in 2007. They used to come in boxes and bags. This year I saw them in bulk, and I got one in my 5k goodie bag this year.
Animal cookies. You know those pink and white, kind of waxy animal-shaped cookies? They used to make patriotic ones. In 2007, I had ones where the frosting had different colors, so there were white, red, and blue cookies. In 2010 and 2011, they were only white, but they had red and blue nonpareil sprinkles. I haven't seen them since then.
Little Debbie brownies. On my mission, in 2009, I saw various Little Debbie treats with a patriotic theme, and I got brownies. I haven't seen them since then.
Tootsie Rolls. These aren't my favorite, since once you take off the flag wrapper, they're the same brown candy, but they're fairly reliable from year to year. Shopko usually sells them, although I didn't see them this year, but I did get one in the goodie bag I got from my North Salt Lake 5k this year.
Tootsie Dots. In 2010 and 2011, I saw patriotic Dots. There were two kinds of Dots, and each Dot had two colors, a red and white one and a blue and white one. The white parts were vanilla, the red ones were cherry, and the blue ones were blueberry. I'm sad that they don't make them anymore, because they were some of my favorite candies. (The red and white ones are still made for Valentine's Day and Christmas, but the blue and white ones aren't otherwise around.)
Tootsie Roll Pops. One of my favorite patriotic candies, usually available at Shopko, are Tootsie Roll Pops. The red ones are cherry, the white ones are strawberry vanilla, and the blue ones are blue raspberry. I like these since the white and blue ones aren't available at other times. I think I've had them every year since 2010.
Blo-Pops. I've seen these in 2011 or 2012, but this is the first year I've had them. The red ones are cherry, the blue ones are raspberry, and the white are strawberry lemonade (which are really good). I'm not a big fan of gum-filled suckers, but I like them since patriotic candies are rare.
All-American Oreos. I've only seen these in 2012, and I don't know whether they were for the Fourth of July or the Olympics. They were the golden variety, and the creme was blue and red. They were plain flavors. They weren't the greatest, but I'm always sad to see Fourth of July desserts go.
Star-shaped Marshmallows. In 2012, I was really excited to see star-shaped marshmallows, and they were red (really pink), white, and blue. Then I saw bigger ones. I've seen both sizes since then, but I usually get the big ones, since they're better for roasting, which is what you usually do during summer. However, I have occasionally used them on rare cold June days, since they allow me to have hot chocolate.
Pretzels. In 2013, I found pretzels that were shaped as flags, Liberty Bells, and stars. I haven't seen them since then.
Pop-Tarts. I first had patriotic Pop-Tarts in 2013. At that time, the pastry was red, the frosting was white, the berry filling was red, and the sugar sprinkles were red, white, and blue. I didn't see them in time in 2014, but in 2015 they're very different. The pastry is regular color, the frosting is blue with white star-shaped sprinkles, and the berry filling is still red. I think they've improved the flavor. (I'm not big on berry Pop-Tarts.)
Planters trail mix. In 2013 and 2014, I had patriotic Planters trail mix, made with peanuts, raisins, dried cranberries, red chocolate-covered peanuts, and blue and white chocolate pieces.
Patriotic Twizzlers. Walmart is the only store I've known to sell these patriotic Pull-and-Peel Twizzlers. Each strand is a different flavor; the white ones are lemonade, and the others are different berries. I've had them in 2014 and 2015.
Summer Ice Pop Tic-Tacs. Last year, there were red, white, and blue Tic-Tacs based on patriotic popsicles. The red ones were cherry, the white were lime, and the blue were berry. I haven't seen them this year. I have a feeling they may be the rarest of rare candies, so I'm lucky I got some last year.
Patriotic mints. At my 5k this week, I got a goodie bag with various mints. There was a dinner mint with a flag wrapper and some patriotic peppermint lozenge things. There was also a red, white, and blue striped candy stick, but it was some kind of fruit flavor and wasn't very good.
Caramel Cob. Caramel Cobs are basically large caramel popcorn balls shaped like a corncob. They put seasonal sprinkles on them. I had a Halloween one in 2012, and I saw patriotic ones in 2013, but I didn't have one until this year.
I always like seeing what will come out every year.
Therefore, I'm going to remember the patriotic desserts I've had in my life. Here is some basic information about this list:
1) This only includes things that I have personally eaten. I saw some patriotic candy corn the other day, but I haven't had them, so they're not on the list.
2) Some things on the list aren't strictly dessert, so I could eat them at any time (e.g. pretzels), but they are still fun to include.
3) The list refers mainly to pre-packaged goods. I'm excluding most bakery items (like sugar cookies) because there are always seasonal bakery items. (I think of the Killers lyric: "Red, white, and blue upon a birthday cake, my brother he was born on the Fourth of July.")
Many of these treats predate my seasonal eating rules, but I still remember them. (For those of you who are wondering, my eating habits got started in 2003, but they have evolved significantly since then, generally getting stricter.)
My favorite priority is unique flavors, followed by unique shapes and/or colors. Individually wrapped candies with seasonal wrappers count, but they're my least favorite kind of seasonal things.
Patriotic popsicles. Red, white, and blue popsicles are the one thing I can count on from year to year. They are made by multiple brands, and they aren't always marketed for the Fourth of July, so they're always around. I can eat any popsicles during June, July, and August, but these ones are funner. One noteworthy variation is Dairy Queen's Starkiss, which is shaped like a star and is striped.
Keebler rainbow cookies. Keebler's M&M cookies weren't originally made with M&Ms but with their own brand of chocolates. They had ones with red, white, and blue candies in the late 90s. I had them in 2012--they were marketed for the Olympics but I used them for the Fourth of July. This year, they use real M&Ms and are available at Target, and there are both regular and chocolate varieties.
Summer Oreo O's. Back in the late 1990s, there was a cereal called Oreo O's that had brown rings with white spots on it. One year, probably 1999, they changed the white spots to be red, white, and blue. This is the only time I have ever known of a patriotic cereal. Oreo O's no longer exist, so of course the summer variation does not.
Sno-Balls. You know the Hostess Sno-Balls, the chocolate cake covered with marshmallow and coconut? They usually come in two-packs, but in 2001 or thereabouts a Hostess store carried a three-pack with a red one, a white one, and a blue one. That's the only time I've ever known of them doing so. Before Hostess went out of business, they would change the colors (such as orange at Halloween and lavender at Easter), but I haven't seen them do it as much since they were resurrected.
After 9/11/2001, patriotic things became much more popular, and there was an abundance of patriotic things. In fact, I think some of the things that are still around today may have got their start then.
M&Ms. When I was a kid, I always wanted them to make red, white, and blue M&Ms, but it wasn't a reality until fall 2001. Since then, they have come back sporadically. I know I've had them in 2006, 2007, 2013, and 2015, but this year they're only available at Target, whereas they've been available elsewhere in the past. They come in both milk chocolate and peanut varieties.
Marshmallow Peeps. They made star-shaped Peeps after 9/11. I can't remember whether they were plain or vanilla flavored, but they were white with blue and red specks. They came back for a few Fourth of Julys, but they quit making them because they didn't sell well. In recent years, they've made vanilla-flavored traditional Peep (chick) shapes with the red and blue specks. I don't quite get it. I mean, chicks are still an Easter candy, and what makes them think chick-shaped candy will sell better at the Fourth of July than star-shaped candy?
E.L. Fudge cookies. In 2002 or 2003, there were patriotic E.L. Fudge cookies. These were truly unique--most patriotic candies simply change the colors, but these changed the shape instead. The elves were holding flags or patriotic signs.
Vanilla ice cream. In 2003, my mom bought vanilla ice cream that was colored red, white, and blue--like Neapolitan except it was one flavor. That's the only time I've known of patriotic ice cream.
Goldfish. Goldfish crackers are made red, white, and blue. I first had them in 2004, and I've had them every year since 2013.
American taffy. The Sweet's brand makes peppermint-flavored white taffy with patriotic wrappers. I know we had some in 2007. They used to come in boxes and bags. This year I saw them in bulk, and I got one in my 5k goodie bag this year.
Animal cookies. You know those pink and white, kind of waxy animal-shaped cookies? They used to make patriotic ones. In 2007, I had ones where the frosting had different colors, so there were white, red, and blue cookies. In 2010 and 2011, they were only white, but they had red and blue nonpareil sprinkles. I haven't seen them since then.
Little Debbie brownies. On my mission, in 2009, I saw various Little Debbie treats with a patriotic theme, and I got brownies. I haven't seen them since then.
Tootsie Rolls. These aren't my favorite, since once you take off the flag wrapper, they're the same brown candy, but they're fairly reliable from year to year. Shopko usually sells them, although I didn't see them this year, but I did get one in the goodie bag I got from my North Salt Lake 5k this year.
Tootsie Dots. In 2010 and 2011, I saw patriotic Dots. There were two kinds of Dots, and each Dot had two colors, a red and white one and a blue and white one. The white parts were vanilla, the red ones were cherry, and the blue ones were blueberry. I'm sad that they don't make them anymore, because they were some of my favorite candies. (The red and white ones are still made for Valentine's Day and Christmas, but the blue and white ones aren't otherwise around.)
Tootsie Roll Pops. One of my favorite patriotic candies, usually available at Shopko, are Tootsie Roll Pops. The red ones are cherry, the white ones are strawberry vanilla, and the blue ones are blue raspberry. I like these since the white and blue ones aren't available at other times. I think I've had them every year since 2010.
Blo-Pops. I've seen these in 2011 or 2012, but this is the first year I've had them. The red ones are cherry, the blue ones are raspberry, and the white are strawberry lemonade (which are really good). I'm not a big fan of gum-filled suckers, but I like them since patriotic candies are rare.
All-American Oreos. I've only seen these in 2012, and I don't know whether they were for the Fourth of July or the Olympics. They were the golden variety, and the creme was blue and red. They were plain flavors. They weren't the greatest, but I'm always sad to see Fourth of July desserts go.
Star-shaped Marshmallows. In 2012, I was really excited to see star-shaped marshmallows, and they were red (really pink), white, and blue. Then I saw bigger ones. I've seen both sizes since then, but I usually get the big ones, since they're better for roasting, which is what you usually do during summer. However, I have occasionally used them on rare cold June days, since they allow me to have hot chocolate.
Pretzels. In 2013, I found pretzels that were shaped as flags, Liberty Bells, and stars. I haven't seen them since then.
Pop-Tarts. I first had patriotic Pop-Tarts in 2013. At that time, the pastry was red, the frosting was white, the berry filling was red, and the sugar sprinkles were red, white, and blue. I didn't see them in time in 2014, but in 2015 they're very different. The pastry is regular color, the frosting is blue with white star-shaped sprinkles, and the berry filling is still red. I think they've improved the flavor. (I'm not big on berry Pop-Tarts.)
Planters trail mix. In 2013 and 2014, I had patriotic Planters trail mix, made with peanuts, raisins, dried cranberries, red chocolate-covered peanuts, and blue and white chocolate pieces.
Patriotic Twizzlers. Walmart is the only store I've known to sell these patriotic Pull-and-Peel Twizzlers. Each strand is a different flavor; the white ones are lemonade, and the others are different berries. I've had them in 2014 and 2015.
Summer Ice Pop Tic-Tacs. Last year, there were red, white, and blue Tic-Tacs based on patriotic popsicles. The red ones were cherry, the white were lime, and the blue were berry. I haven't seen them this year. I have a feeling they may be the rarest of rare candies, so I'm lucky I got some last year.
Patriotic mints. At my 5k this week, I got a goodie bag with various mints. There was a dinner mint with a flag wrapper and some patriotic peppermint lozenge things. There was also a red, white, and blue striped candy stick, but it was some kind of fruit flavor and wasn't very good.
Caramel Cob. Caramel Cobs are basically large caramel popcorn balls shaped like a corncob. They put seasonal sprinkles on them. I had a Halloween one in 2012, and I saw patriotic ones in 2013, but I didn't have one until this year.
I always like seeing what will come out every year.
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