. . . i'll have the chicken salad . . .

. . . with a side of memories . . .

. . . the year was 1979 - february . . .

. . . i was newly engaged

and home from byu

for a long weekend . . .

. . . hello? . . .

. . . how in the world

do you plan an april 19th wedding

{in ariziona}

when school ends on april 16th

{in provo}? . . .

. . . during that weekend,

my future mother-in-law

invited my mom and me

to a "ladies luncheon" . . .

. . . also invited were

my soon-to-be sisters-in-law

and gramma jenny . . .

. . . i remember the menu exactly . . .

• chicken ~ rice salad on a bed of lettuce •

• crinkle cut carrot sticks •

• the best homemade rolls i've ever eaten •

• raspberry jello salad with sour cream and pecans •

. . . everything was so delicious . . .

{even though i felt nervous and intimidated}

. . . we dined surrounded by sleek, contemporary, mirrored, red beauty . . .

{i guess i figured everyone grew up

with early american/traditional decorating,

like me}

l-r/clockwise: kathy, nicki, connie, debbie, gramma jenny,

mom romney, diane, me and my perm

. . . unfortunately, i don't have a photo from 1979 . . .

. . . this one's circa 1987 . . .

{eight years and three kids later}

. . . but, all these cute people

{minus connie/plus my mom}

attended that luncheon

where i first ate this salad . . .

. . . i HAD to get the recipe . . .

. . . which i

a} hand wrote

b} on lined paper

c} in cursive

d} still have the original

. . . i have since shared many times . . .

. . . here from a lovely luncheon at the wright house . . .

. . . here from a collection of

"what in the world am i supposed to do

with all the rice in my food storage?"

recipes from a homemaking night . . .

. . . yes, it was still "homemaking" at the time . . .

. . . and here in a {not so great} photo . . .

. . . remember ~ best foods mayonnaise and overnight chilling . . .

. . . try it . . .

. . . maybe you'll make some memories, too . . .

{please excuse blog neglect ~

i've been sidelined with a dumb upper respiratory infection . . .

why can't i just get a cold and get over it like normal people?}