Trish Hull is in the garden today!

Good morning, everyone welcome Trish Hull to the garden. I’ve placed some space heaters around for all of us to keep warm.  Coffee, hot cocoa, peppermint schnapps, Kahlua, Bailey’s are all on the table, with Christmas treats.

Mary: I know Trish from the Magna Library. She’s the manager there. If you’d like to read about her work you can read the Mysteries and Margaritas. However, today we’re just chillin’ (literally) in the garden. Please tell us a little about your growing up and a bit about yourself, Trish.

Trish: I was born In Los Gatos California in 1956. I have-had 2 older brothers, one died a few years ago of cancer. We moved around a lot as a kid and I lived in St. Louis, Atlanta, Albany Georgia, Lancaster Pennsylvania, and  Lincoln, Nebraska before coming to BYU and marrying a Utah boy and staying put. We have lived here in Magna for 30 years. Hmmmm I bet a psychologist could explain that. I really love all the places I lived however. I adored the south and would move back in a heartbeat. I also love, love, love the East. Boston, New York, DC.  Everywhere we moved we always went to a library first thing. I love to read and have always loved to read. My brother told me a story recently about playing a game with he and his friends and I played with a book in my hand.  I graduated from BYU in 1977, married in 1977 had 6 kids and then in 2000 went back to school to get my bachelors degree.  I now have 8 grandkids who I adore and love to babysit. (Funny because I hated babysitting as a kid). My husband is an engineer at ATK and I am manager at Magna Library and we both commute about 3 minutes to work.

Mary: Thanks! When you’re not at the library what do you like to do to relax? I know your daughter/daughters are trying to get you into running, tell us about that?

Trish: Read and read and watch a little TV. I love Blue Bloods, Good Wife, Big Bang Theory, and Sing-off.  My daughters want me to run a 5K race in the spring with them. Unfortunately I don’t run, so I have started going to the gym and can now run 1 mile without stopping. I hope to build up to 3 before the spring. It is really hard though. My lungs need some strengthening I guess. I have really enjoyed the gym however, surprisingly.

Mary: Do you have any family traditions? Any that you have started since you started your own family?

Trish: Oh my. Let’s see. We always get together Christmas Eve for a family party and exchange brother/sister gifts and gma gpa gifts.  We have Sunday dinner twice a month, because I was never really close to my siblings and have always wanted my kids to be close. We go camping every year a couple of times and have a condo In St. George we like to go to as a family. We bought some property up in Idaho a few years ago with a couple of our kids and are planning to build a cabin up there for the family. We just love to be together and I am so happy my kids actually like each other most of the time. So there is hope because my 3 daughters are all 2 years apart and when they were teenagers fought like cats and dogs.

Mary: Everyone refill their mugs and grab some more treats. So Trish, do you like to cook? If so what’s your favorite holiday dish, and can you share the recipe?

Trish: I am not a great cook and only cook once a week. We are all on separate diets. My husband eats almost no fat, my son is vegan, I am trying to eat healthy but love breads and chocolate and cookies.  So my favorite recipes are all desserts. I have lots of  favorites and this one is weird but once you eat it you fall in love with it. (Ask my sons in law) Fruit Loop Cookies:
Ingredients:  I cube butter
                        1 yellow cake mix (dry)
                        5 Cups of Fruity Tooties or fruit loops
                        1 cup chocolate chips
                        5 cups colored mini marshmallows
                         1 can sweetened condensed milk
Melt a cube of butter in the bottom of a cookie tray with sides. Pour a yellow cake mix over the butter and try and get it so there are no dry parts. Pour 4-5 cups of fruit loops over the cake mix.  Sprinkle about 1 cup of chocolate chips over the cereal, and then Pour 4-5 cups of colored mini marshmallows over the top. Drizzle one can of Sweetened Condensed milk over the entire mess until covered. Bake at 375 for about 12 minutes or until the milk is golden brown. 

Mary: Do you like to travel? If so, where is your favorite place? And where would you like to go if you could go anywhere in the world?

Trish: I love to travel but don’t do much. Last fall my sons and I went back east for a college tour trip and loved it. I have been to Paris and loved France as well. I learned I can spend money in any language even if I don’t speak it. I have traveled all over the US. If I could go anywhere I think I would love to go to Europe, then The British Isles, South America would be great- Chile and Argentina, Costa Rica. I would love to see the Middle East- Maybe go to Qatar for the World Cup _hahha-  China and Japan sound fascinating.  Have I missed anywhere? Do you think they have discount tickets?? So when I win the lottery you won’t see me for awhile.

Mary: Before we say goodbye and head for indoors and a warm fire, is there anything I haven’t asked, or you haven’t shared that you think is unique and interesting about you and the holidays?

Trish: No I really consider myself pretty normal. I feel really lucky to have the amazing family I have and that they love me. I am not a huge Christmas person. When I was a kid I did not like Santa, he scared me and it made no sense to me how he could get all over the world in one night and how he could fit all those toys into one bag. Plus we didn’t have a chimney so I figured he had to break into our house.  So as a Mom I did not perpetuate the myth. I told the truth about to Santa to my kids (I know I was the Mom everyone hated) . The funny part is some of my kids didn’t believe me.  One of my daughters told me “I know you don’t believe in Santa Mom , but he is real, I know.” Now I love  doing all my shopping online for Christmas and having the kids and grandkids over to party. One funny thing we used to do was try and trick the kids by putting fake names on the presents . One year everyone was a Disney villain, or a power ranger or a super hero. Most of the fun was making up the names and tricking them.

Thank you, Trish for joining us in the garden and sharing your holiday traditions. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed it.