Vacation Plans!!

Well, thanks to Cami and Jake, we are now booked for a Disney Cruise in January!! We are so excited. We could really use a vacation right now, so the timing is impeccable. We are really looking forward to spending some quality time with the Turpins-young and old-er. I think the little one's are looking forward to it too. See Cami's blog. We are so blessed to have family here and have the opportunity to do such fun family things together. So,we have to get down to business and book excursions and things. Is it okay if I start packing today?

Late birthday present.

It's funny how birthdays sometimes seem to go on and on. This week I was still getting gifts. My generous husband told me on the actual day that something else was coming in the mail. After a while, there was a cancellation from the first order, and then a re-order, but I finally received my stainless steel mixing bowl set with lids. I had actually guessed that is what the mysterious gift would be. I love them, and who doesn't love a late birthday gift. Funny how I am so excited about these, but they are certainly a good purchase. Durable, attractive, and very funtional with the tight pitting lids. These will get put to good use. Thanks honey. He knows me so well (or he was just listening the 20 times I mentioned that I wanted them.)

Making a list, and checking it twice

The chill that is obviously in the air now makes me a little giddy as I have mentioned before. I am excited so finally be able to pull out the pea coats, sweaters, and boots, a very welcomed change. And I think the holiday season has a way of making us all a little chipper. But there is something that is taking that feeling down a notch. I always get into this anxiety near October about Christmas shopping. The list making beings and I can't stop. I've seriously made dozens of lists with names, gift ideas, places to possibly get those gifts, websites to try. I can't stop. I like to get the shopping done before December even starts so I can actually enjoy the season. It's silly to keep making lists that all pretty much say the same thing. But if I can't, at the moment I have another idea, see the list I have previously made, I feel like I have to write another just to make sure I had it all down on the first one. I feel a little coo-coo sometimes. I don't know why I get so worked up so early. It's not what the season is about after all, but I suppose that's why it's good to get it done before the season begins. So that we can really concentrate on the true meaning behind this beloved holiday. I said it here first. I'll be done Christmas shopping by December 1.

35mm

KC and I both have automatic cameras that we can't seem to let go of. Even though, to me, there is no better way to take pictures besides digital. We just think they are going to be cool to show our kids someday. Everyone is digital now and I am a fan for sure. You see, we have been trying to finish a roll of film that was in KC's camera for a while to get it developed. He wasn't sure what was on it so we were excited to see. We took some here and there, until we finally heard that winding sound that used to be so familiar. We excitedly took it to get developed. I haven't dropped a roll of film in one of those envelopes for a long time. I went back a few days later pick it up. What a process it used to be. And all to see pictures not even knowing how they turned out. I would've taken 50 % of them again on a digital. How funny that this is how we used to photograph. Another inconvenience is all the space they take up. If I had to developed all the pictures I wanted to take, I'd not only be spending a fortune on film and developing, but it would take over my house. Now we have to use up the film in my camera. I'm pretty sure I used it a lot right when I moved here. Weird that only three and a half years ago, that was pretty normal to still be using an automatic camera. I'm always interested to see what they will come up with next in the world or technology. I am a fan of the new age technology, but I'm not saying that we should forget all about film. It's an art and the pictures are very good quality. Some people have a talent and should keep using the old, or I should just say, different way. I'll stick to what's convenient.

What? November!?

I can't believe it. The year goes by so much faster as an adult. Last holiday season seems like yesterday. Well, I'm not complaining. Bring on Christmas is what I say. But before we do that I'd better blog our Halloween fun. We started celebrating this holiday a couple weeks ago with a party with our friends, so this week seemed a little anticlimactic, but we managed to be festive. Last Saturday our friends Ben and Nikki invited us to a How to Host a Murder party. We got our character descriptions in advance so we could look the part. I was a spoiled and stuck up perfume company heiress, and KC was a war bomber pilot,. The setting was on a train in the 1940s. There were three other couples filling the other parts. We had a wonderful dinner and met some great people. We had fun finding out who the murderer was and occasionally getting into our given characters and accents. I tried to do my hair in the 1940's style. Man, no wonder the styles have changed. It's pretty tricky. I had never been to this kind of party before, so it was quite entertaining.

During the week sometime I was browsing the channels for something Halloweenish to watch. I came across The Blair Witch Project on Fox (edited) and couldn't help but watch a few minutes. I remember the buzz this movie made when it came out and the closest I ever came to watching it was The Blair Thumb:



That is just a clip of the greatness. Thanks to Lili, we have learned about all these ridiculous yet hilarious parodies of movies (there are many Thumb movies), made with thumbs as the faces of the characters. Before I knew anything about the Blair Witch, I had seen and quoted the Blair Thumb for years. Seeing clips of the Blair Witch Project, which was supposed to be crazy scary when it came out, only made me laugh like crazy. The thumbs were spot on the actual characters. It didn't have time to watch it all, but I am really needing to go to Cami's so I can see it on her Clear Play. It was quite amusing.



I also made some Halloween cookies with my little baking buddy. He is quite an artist. I was happy to put the cutters to good use. We had a lot sugary fun.




To finish out the fun, We went downtown for dinner and a Capital Hauntings ghost walk. We picked up some previously ordered Ruben and Pastrami sandwiches at Old Ebbitt Grill, a local favorite. There you go Cami and Mel. They were so greasy, but so delicious. We ate on a bench by the street. Much better than sitting in a loud crowded restaurant. Then we went on our walking tour that started in McPherson Square, near the White house. A guide took the 65 of us that showed up on a short walk, but long tour (a little over 2 hours) around Lafayette Square. She animatedly told stories about ghosts and spirits that have been seen, felt, or smelled (she said sometimes that how you can tell they are present) and the stories that led to their deaths. There were stories of affairs, missing heads, piano music coming from houses with no pianos, and on. I'm not really a ghost believer, but it was still cool to hear about the stories about the people in that very spot so long ago. It was eerie to think that they lived and died right there. I
t made me think about the past and how there were horses and carriages right where I stood. It was amazing to hear a little history about the area, and get bonus ghost stories. We ended with the White House and heard about many sightings of Abraham Lincoln's ghost. I would recommend it to anyone. It seemed like a lot of people were on first dates. It was funny to hear a little of their conversations, talking about general likes and dislikes, majors, and a lot of awkward silences. I think I even witnessed a little first pda for one of the couples. It is a good place to hold hands. I think the guy planned that. Clever. It was such a beautiful night and I was happy that the kids trick-or-treating didn't have to cover up their cute costumes with bulky coats.


Anyway, I am happy to say that we made the most out of Halloween. At least compared to last year. Now we can at least start dusting off the Christmas stuff, right?

I was lucky

Yesterday I did some major grocery shopping.I am attempting to start our food storage. It's really been getting to me lately. We have very limited space here, so I am trying to figure it out. Anyway, I went to Aldi to stock up on some things, plus the regular shopping I haven't done in a while. If you've been to Alid, you know that they don't give you bags. It is a discount grocery store. I try to remember my laundry baskets to help carry the loads in, but I usually forget any carrying devices. So I had a trunk full of groceries (that amazingly at Aldi never costs as much as you think it will). I backed into my landlord's driveway to make the unload a little easier. After a few trips inside I tried to start the car to move it back on to the street where I park. It was acting funny and wouldn't start, so tried again... and again, and again and again with no luck. Just a lot of clicking noises and the lights flashing on and off. I called the landlord to let her know why I was in her parking space and luckily she wasn't coming home that night (She stays at her boyfriend's sometimes). When KC got home, we tried the jumper cables, and no-go. We didn't think it was the battery because all the lights would come on inside, but we gave it a try anyway. We were planning on calling a tow truck first thing in the morning since we couldn't roll it to the right spot on the street with our little muscles. We tried to forget about our woes, and play some games with the Murphys. During game playing we eventually brought up the car and they ironically had the exact thing happen with their car a while ago. They tried a couple things and what worked for them was switching the battery, even though the gauge said it still had power. KC woke up and when straight to Wal-mart where they luckily had one in the back straight off the truck. He installed it and, voila! It runs. Thanks to the Murphys for their trial and error that led to the right answer, and saving us a lot of money. I felt so blessed that it decided to quit at my home instead of in the parking lot of Aldi with a trunk full of perishables.

Now their gone...gone...gone, whoa-oo-whoa-oa-oa

Title hint: Righteous Brothers. KC needed help, I thought others might too.

Well now the parents are gone too. I understand this happened a few days ago, but like I said before, I don't like to dwell on things as they happen. It makes me sadder. Instead, I wait until it's far enough removed that I can dwell on the fun things that went on. We had a smashing time together. The came over on Wednesday and planned to sleep over for their last night here in MD. Mom and I did some serious shopping. I have the best luck with her. For some reason, every time she is with me, I not only find a lot of things I love, but also in my price range. This is not an easy task. I refuse to buy things full price, or even half. We hit the jack pot when at a shoe store where we both found purses, there were two boxes with a clearance sigh saying $14.00 on top. Being a bargain shopper I had to look inside awaiting something hideous since nothing in this store was that cheap. To my excitement it was two pairs of beautiful size 7 cowboy, I guess cowgirl boots. We snatched those boxes right up without hesitation and made our purchases. Now that, my friends, is a steal. If you know me, you know my love of boots, particularly cowboys boots, and a bargain so I was in heaven. Okay, the boots are distracting me from why I am writing.

We decided to take them somewhere fun to eat that they wouldn't find back west. We love this Indian place called Tandoori Nights. I was introduced to it by a friend who I worked at the Hyatt with a few years ago. Her husband was one of the managers. We love it and use it as our special occasion type place. Or whenever we want good Indian food. It's in Virginia, and with the messed up DC roads, mixed with the drizzling rain, dad did a great job to get us there, with a little help from Garmin, his GPS unit. Dad has got from aggressive driving skills up his sleeve.

After a very satisfying meal in our own private room, we went home to watch an Alfred Hitchcock Mom and Dad had from Netflix, Notorious. I fell asleep in the fist 20 minutes, as usual, but finished it later and it is pretty good. I love any Hitchcock, especially on a rainy afternoon, which was the circumstance when I finished it.

Mom and Dad flew to Dallas for a conference and I am so proud of them for working so hard and doing all of this traveling for such a good cause. They have started a foundation a while ago promoting moral and family values that seem to disappear more and more each second. They work so hard at researching and doing all they can to help these values continue to exist in the world. I am so grateful to them and those who believe like them so when I have children, there might still be a world safe enough to come into. Thanks for being such good teachers and examples, Mom and Dad. We'll miss you.

By the way, the pic of dad is him with some White Castle burgers I gave him for his birthday. A little inside joke from our road trip to Maryland.

23 years old!

I've been hesitant to write this post because it means my birthday is really over, which also means Melody and the baby have really already come and gone. I have been looking forward to it for so long, it's hard to believe it's over. I guess I should dwell on the positive which is that we had such a fantastically fun time. Julia is an absolute delight. I even liked her few bouts of crying because it reminded me that they were really here to be with us. So Let's see if I can recall all the fun.

I went to meet everyone at the airport on Thursday evening. We went to Cami's to introduce the Turpin boys to their little cousin/niece. The little one's were so excited as you'll see in the pictures. Cami wrote more about their new friendship on her blog. We ordered Chinese for dinner and then Melody the baby and I headed to my apartment. The baby wasn't having it. She decided to cry louder than Melody claims she has ever heard. We made it home after a feeding stop in a grocery store parking lot where I purchased our traditional birthday cereal while the baby ate. The cereal has been a tradition as long as I can remember. My parents would let us kids pick out any cereal in the whole grocery store that we wanted. No need to look at the price or anything. This was very exciting since we ate a lot of oatmeal and cream of wheat, or store brand bagged cereal. A box of Lucky Charms or Trix was such a treat. We have come a long way from the younger days when Alpha-Bits was our birthday choice. Now I'd much rather have the ones we chose this year (see pic), or any hot cereal compared to any of those gross sugary ones.

So on Friday, the actually birthday we got up earlier than we thought (baby's decision) and got right to eating our cereal and getting ready for the day. We gave Julia a bath in my tiny bathroom sink, It was hilarious and she was a great sport. And even though we told each other no presents, we each had a small token to give each other. We went to pick up Lili who was staying at Cami's for lunch and a little shopping. Cami generously offered to babysit (her kids were home from school so she couldn't come along) and we went to Silver Spring to eat at one of my faves, Lebanese Taverna. We had a nice lunch of Mediterranean cuisine, shared a Jamba, when to a little market that I love and had a great time. Mom and Dad were at a conference until late in the night so we were going to save any family celebrations for the next night. We headed home and made a huge plate of nachos for dinner. What is more appropriate for my birthday. We were going to go to Ritas for a gelati, but Julia was not having fun in the car so KC, by his suggestion, when to get a couple of pints of Haagan Dazs for us to share. I LOVE the pineapple coconut, and KC prefers Sticky Toffee Pudding. It was such a beautiful night, Melody and I just sat on the patio and talked while we waited for KC to return. It was so fun to just relax and chat.



We went to sleep and when I woke up around 7:00 I was so happy to hear the Melody and Julia were both still sleeping. They didn't get much the night before. At about 8:40 they work up and we started on our birthday desserts for Sunday. We made a flourless chocolate cake with a ganache glaze, a Pithiver (pronounced pi-tiv-yay) with red wine poached apples and pistachio frangipane (shhh, we used wine and coffee in my kitchen that day). We decided we would make it a dessert buffet and also use the delicious fruits of the forest pie Molly gave me. These things have to be done in stages, so we finished what we could and went to Cami's to hang out with everyone. We went on a beautiful walk and then headed to dinner with the fam. That night we all went to Carrabas, one of my favorite places (it might be the fact that it's the place where I realized I liked KC, but the food just happens to be SO SO SO GOOD). Melody and I even each got a huge bowl of delicious ice cream with sugared pecans. What a fun night. We badly missed the family who wasn't there. That would have made it that much better.

On Sunday, Melody came with us to church, where I had hardly any kids to sing with. The baby was a hit though. I had a great time showing her off. We made some more progress on the desserts then all got much needed Sunday afternoon naps. We than did our finishing touches and headed to Cami's for dinner. We all ate way too much dessert. And Molly, if you are reading this, everyone was raving about the pie and I had to keep reminding them I didn't make it. Sarah Lee has secrets I just don't know. We played a couple rounds of Wakee Six, and Lili came home with us since I was driving to the airport in the morning. We had one final sleep over, and took the inevitable drive. I was trying not to think about them leaving until it actually came. It made me so sad to come home and see the pack-and-play still assembled. I can't wait to see them again (that includes you Lili, even though I have been talking about M&J the hole time). I'm glad Mom and Dad are still here to ease the separation a little. We had a fun time shopping yesterday and I'm sure there is more fun to come.

I love being with Melody. With out even trying, she has a way of making me want to be a better person. She helps me remember what is important and how I can improve. She's one of the kindest people I know. Someday we WILL live by each other and I can feel this happy all the time.

Many thanks to everyone for all the gifts, cards, and phone calls. I am so blessed to have so many wonderful friends and family. If you are still reading, you are a real trooper. This is slowly taking the place of my hand-written journal so I like to add a lot a details. Here's a cute video of Julia's cute voice and smiles. I've already watched it a few times and can't get enough. We love you guys!

Childhood memories

I just got babysitting where I took a nice walk. It is such a beautiful day today and I couldn't resist. Plus, I felt like I could use the exercise. So we went to a fun little park enclosed in tall trees. It had one of those turny platform things, which I love. It completely relaxes me, and the little one loved it too. Then I tried the monkey bars for the first time in probably 12 years, and I think I'll be sorry tomorrow. Those are so hard. I don't remember it being that hard when I was younger. There were more parts to the park that I remember from the playground in elementary school that I played on at every recess. I was so peaceful and quiet and fun at the park it really made me reminisce. Childhood was great, and I'm finally to the age where I really think about it as a time of joy. Until now, I think I've just been too preoccupied trying to get to an age where I am comfortable and settled to think about the past. I guess that's where I am now. I'm missing the days when my biggest disappointment was that my friend couldn't have a sleep over. And something as simple as going to get a Slurpee at the gas station made my day. I want to be like a child again for those reasons. I think that's the first time I've said that since all I've wanted to do was grow up. I remember begging my mom to let my shave my legs when I was 10 or something crazy. She let me beg for a while before giving in. I'm glad she prolonged my childhood as long as she did. I can't wait to relive it through my own kids.

A new fave

When I elipticize, I like to watch my online shows so I don't have to deal with changing channels, or moving the machine too far. The laptop can come wherever I want it. So, yesterday, I had caught up on all the shows I usually watch so I tried a new one I have been curious about, Pushing Daisies. I am totally hooked after only two episodes. It's so different from all these dramas that are so trendy. It's almost like you are reading a storybook with the exaggerated colors and clothing. Kind of like Series of Unfortunate Events, or Big Fish. There's even a nice sounding narrator. It's so entertaining and I'd recommend it to anyone. It's also probably the cleanest of the primetimes shows out there, so far. If you haven't seen it and want to catch up, you can watch it here, or the previous link. The acting is fantastic. It's not too corny, and not too overdone either. I love the chemistry they all have. It's so nice to see some new faces. And Kristin Chenoweth is on it and even sings! I love her voice. She is a great character for these types of shows. I hope this one lasts. With all the new shows, you never know what will get the boot. I think this is a keeper. Here is a picture to peak your interest.

Ahh...Monday

I usually don't like Mondays that much since they are the very beginning of a new week, but for some reason, maybe the fact that I'm done with work and it's only 11:00, or that this is the week my family is coming, or that it just means that last week is over, I'm okay that Monday is here. It was pretty busy week and it's nice to start a fresh new one. Here is a re-cap of last weeks happenings:

I babysat from Tuesday-Saturday, all for the same kids except Wednesday which was Jeffy and Ethan. I have been trying to find new ways to have fun with these kids I am watching regularly. It is two families combined. They are best friends so one brings her daughter to the other's house. Two of them are toddlers and just like to run around and steal toys from each other, but the other is a 5 year old boy, and he is always asking me for things to do. I asked him if he wanted to make cookies so we make banana cookies with frosting. He had a great time. The best part was when we were mashing the bananas with our hand he had to make sure to put on his plastic knight's helmet in case banana would squirt in his eye. So ever since then, he asks to bake every time. I was hesitant to start as I knew this would happen. His mom encouraged me to do it with him as much as I wanted. She doesn't min at all. So turns out this will be a regular activity which makes it much more interesting for him and me. The next time we made chocolate frosting for Graham Cracker sandwiches, and the time after that, blueberry lemon scones. He loves it. He even sits in front of the oven to watch them bake. We also had a fun time at the park. with a picnic. I tell you, pushing a two year old, and a five year old up a long, graduated hill in a stroller is no fun, but a great work out. They also helped me clean out my pumpkin and make the cake for the party.

Also, the other day it was raining really hard all of the sudden and I had a sudden urge to just go for a ride in the rain. I didn't have anywhere to go, I just love the rain. On the way to the car, even under the umbrella we got soaked, and 2 minutes later it stopped. So we decided we needed to stop at the bank, which is close to Ross. I actually felt like looking through the rack and found a couple things I liked. Sometimes I can't stay in there for 5 minutes without getting a headache. I just wanted to document my whim to take a ride in the rain and thank KC for going with it.
So, my friend Molly is due any day now and she loves Halloween. She decided to have a party before the little one arrives so she threw one last Saturday. It was fun to get dressed up. It has been years. I bought this cowgirl dress a couple years ago and have finally used it and gotten it out of my system. I even tried to get my hair to stay all big and curly like the Utah rodeo queens. They must use TONS of Harispray. KC hadn't been thinking about a costume much, so I gave him some chef gear and we called it a day. Of course after bobbing for apples, all my bright eye shadow and hair was messed up, but I was happy to be done with it anyway. We at a lot of food, had a pumpkin carving relay, had a caramel apple bar, and played Mafia. I made a pumpkin cake, phyllo ghosts (didn't turn out quite as I'd hoped), and wassail. Molly made some of her delicious traditional Chilly and pigs in a blanket that looked like fingers (the ketchup is the blood) and one friend even made "vomit fudge". It was quite tasty. I forgot to get a picture. It was a great time. Anyway, it now feels even more like the fall, and that just makes me excited.



KC was called to be the next Elders Quorum President. We have known for a while, but now it is all official. We has some great counselors that are two of our good friends. So I invited them and their wives over for dinner last night. We ate outside and it was lovely. This ward has it's fair share of challenges so I hope he's up for the task. I think KC and I will learn a lot from this calling and with the challenges will also be a lot of blessings. It is a little scary, though, that the last two bishops were the EQP prior. I think we'll move before that happens.

So that is our eventful week. I just want to add that I love slide shows. it makes posting lots of pictures so much easier.

As promised

Here is the Road show. Just a few notes. This was the first night that we used the mics, so I was a little unsure about what to do with it sometimes. Feel free to have a good laugh over that. And, the signs that people are bring across the stage just say things like: BYU summer bash, three months later, airpot security, 40 years later, and thing like that in case you were curious since you can't really see them on the video. We had to break it up into a few videos so I hope you don't mind waiting in anticipation for the next to start. We understand that some of the sound is hard to hear, and expressions are hard to see, but just use your imaginations. Have fun!

I guess I'll do a tag

I have other things to blog about, but I am at work and don't have my camera accessible, so I'll do a this little game Whitney tagged me to do:

What I was doing ten years ago: Well, I was about to be 13, so I guess I was in 7th grade. This might've been the time I had a big mosquitoe bite on my cheek and I was afraid all the cool kids would think it was a big zit. They laughed at me when I was trying to cover it up with makeup. I called them on it too.

What I was doing five years ago: I was a big senior in high school, and the Student Body Publicity Chair. I was probably busy planning a dance, or a spirit bowl. I was probably dating Kyle Robbins.

One Year ago: I was a few months into this photography job, and I think hosting the in-laws, which is funny because they just left a few days ago. I think a tradition it forming.

Yesterday: I trained a new employee, pre-made the enchiladas, and pear cranberry crisp for the missionaries during the hour between work and babysitting, babysat for 4 hours, baked the enchiladas and crisp for the missionaries, fed them and got a gentle lecture for not being more of a member missionary (it's funny how they can look so kind with their big smiles while they are reminding you that you can do a lot more as a member), worked out on the elliptical during The Office, and went to bed way too late.

5 snacks I enjoy: salt and vinegar chips, grape leaf rolls, chocolate covered fruits from Costco, bananas and peanut butter, Turkey Hill extreme cookies and cream ice cream

5 Things I would do if I had $100 million: Build a huge house with a ginormous kitchen with three ovens, an eight burner gas stove ,and all the counter space I could ask for, take a lot of vacations to tropical places, let most of it collect interest, I like to think I would lead a normal and frugal life (don't know if I could ever shop without looking at the price tag), of course tithing (that is so cliche, I know), I have a shoe weakness. I'd probably have too many with that kind of money.

5 Places I would love to run away to: My dream house, the future, a hammock on a deserted tropical island with my honey, Ireland, a cabin with three feet of snow outside.

Five TV shows I like: The Office, Clean House, Split Ends, Americas Next Top Model, Good Eats (and some I'm ashamed to say)

Five things I hate doing: Going into work on Monday finding out that nothing was done on the weekend and I have to pick up all the pieces, going to the Wal-mart customer service line, going to the MVA, paying for car repairs, thinking of the perfect gift.

Five biggest joys of the moment: My Kenny loves me, work is almost over, it's Friday, I have like 4 shows to catch up on online and I can't wait (it makes working out so much better), it's finally fall weather and my birthday is next week and the fam is coming. Mel and I are going to party!(That was like three in one. I guess I have a lot of joy right now.)

We've been simpsonized!

I found this on someone's blog who I don't even know, and knew I had to try it. KC has a special liking to the Simpsons, so the whole time I was doing it, I didn't let him look. When I was done, I showed him what we would look like as Simpsons characters. Although, the simpsonizing process is pretty exciting so I should've let him watch that part. Check it out here. I kept myself entertained for quite a while. KC was so curious to know what I was doing, and probably a little worried. I worried myself at how excited I became as they began to take on our characteristics.

Happy early birthday to me!

I forgot to blog about my early birthday present from KC's parents. I love it and KC got one too, luck him. I feel like my teeth are straight from the dentist every time I use it. And it times you in four 30 second intervals so you switch quadrants on each beep. No shortcuts with this toothbrush. Janice always thinks of the perfect gifts. Thanks Robinsons!

Fun with the Parents

It's weird sitting here in my empty apartment as KC takes his parents to the airport. We have all been in this little apartment for a few days and it actually seems big now that I'm the only one here. Well we weren't actually here the whole time they were visiting. They arrived on Thusday evening. They had some plans for us the next day so we got a good rest to get up and out the door on Friday morning. We drove to White Sulfer Springs, West Viriginia to visit the former U.S. Government bunker. It was very interesting. It was crazy to see that this place was active only 15 years ago until it was releavled. Now, when I think of 24 when they had to retreat to the bunker, I can understand better. It's cool to think that there are actually places hidden where you'd never expect. The Bunker was under this amazing, extravegant 5 star resort that we walked through. We stopped at the chocolate shop to look. I asked out of curiosity their prices. They started at $55.00/lb. Man, I need to get back into that business. Our guide for the tour, Traudi, was quite animated, enthusiastic, and very entertaining. It was a great and informative time, and I would recommend it to anyone.

So we went onto Charlottesville, our next stop and where we were going to stay for the night. We decided to eat in their historic downtown at an eclectic place called Rapture where I couldn't resist the crab and goat cheese nachos. This was not a Mexican restaurant, and had many other options. And what did I choose? But I was glad I did. it was delicious. We also stopped at a very cute little Gelato shop and I couldn't resist getting the sampler so we could try 8 flavors. We found our motel and all tried to get some sleep. KC, I know didn't get much. He and I have been coughing, sneezing and nose-blowing for days. Mine seems like a very mild cold that will run it course with only a few symptoms. Nothing a little nightime medicine and cough drops can't cure. KC's is far worse and we think it's just allergies. It was quite sad seeing how miserable he has been with these allergies. They seem to never go away, and I think with the air drying out a little, they are hitting hard. Our guests were so patient with out constant couging and sneezing. So after the little sleep anyone got, we had our continental breakfast and drove to Monticello, the home of Thomas Jefferson. This was also amazing and it was a very gorgeous day to enjoy it. Honestly, It was so beautiful. My favorite weatherbesides the fact that is completely ruins anything you try to do to your hair. Anyway, it's always so amazing to see historical places where you know they actually stood right where you are standing. Like Washington at Mount Vernon, Jefferson had very distinct taste and it's funny to see what a man would do if he were in charge of the interior decorating. It was a great day. We ate lunch at Panera, and headed back to Cheverly in time to hear the last hour of Saturday conference. The boys went to the priesthood session and mom and I had a good time talking and talking. We were invited to the Drapers for brunch the next day so I made my traditional cinnamon rolls since they had to sit in the fridge overnight. We had a good time with everyone Sunday morning with delicious breakfast casserole and the rolls. It's funny that I always just feel like making cinnamon rolls during conference and forget that I always want to make it a tradition. It's an accidental tradition I guess. We watched conference with a little Napoleon Dynamite on cable in between. KC's parents were so patient with the little seating and sleeping areas there are in this apartment. There's just enough room for an air mattress if we move the table and chairs. They were perfect guests and we are sad to see them go. But Christmas is right around the corner and we will get to see everyone. I can't wait. And since I can't decide of what pics to post, you get a slide show. Ta da!

I'm behind

I try to post things as they happen, but of course life gets in the way. Last weekend was pretty eventful. On Friday, we tried to plan a cast party for the road show (which will still be posted asap) but it ended up being a few of us that always hang out anyway. I made dough for grilled pizzas and everyone bough toppings they liked. We had it at our house. our landlord is always kind to let us use the patio and the grill whenever we want. I was a little nervous since I'd never done it before, but it turned out great. I thought we needed a little fruit so I roasted some plums and pears with rosemary. Very fallish, I must say. It was a fun night and the perfect weather.


We're pretty busy lately. I am working at the hospital and am also working as a regular babysitter fro some girls in the neighborhood. I'm not sure how much longer the photography job is going to last. I'm trying to make it until January, but I don't think I be able to. I need a change.

I can't say how excited I am for the fall. The chill in the air makes my stomach turn with excitement. I don't know what it is. Maybe it's the change and relief from the dreadful heat and humidity, or that it means Christmas is that much closer, but I love it. I am needing some pumpkins spice candles burning or something. Ooooooooo, I love fall recipes.

Last weekend...

...something pretty significant happened. We actually got rid of my first paid for and owned all by myself, car. A while ago we took it to get the emissions checked since it was time to do so. They gave us a list of what needed to be fixed so one morning we took in to a place, gave them a list and they told us our best bet was to cut ties with the car. I was a little taken off guard. This car has had it quirks from the moment I (my dad actually, but I paid him back in full) purchased it. But it still ran and by all means didn't seem like it should head for the junk yard. The idea really annoyed me at that moment. Going from finally taking your car to get fixed, to knowing it will never be. We could have done the work required but it was going to cost about as much as what I paid for the car 4 years ago. So the more I got used to the idea to more I was happy at the prospect of a new car and not dealing with the annoyances of the good one. It has taken me so many places not to mention driving me all the way from Utah to good old Maryland. I drove it to DC 5 days a week for a year, and other places in between. It has been a good car while it has lasted. We weren't sure to scrap it or try to sell it for parts since anyone who wanted to buy it to drive would get ripped off with us knowing they'd have to fork over a lot of money to actually drive it legally. Not to mention the dent in the drivers side door, making it impossible to open the back door unless it is open, and the passengers side back door, unable to be opened at all because of this: During the time we were deciding what to do with it, I got in a mini accident a while ago that actually gave us more money than we had anticipated it selling more, so we were content with just scraping it. And that is exactly what we did. All those memories were exchanged for $125.00 cash. It's nice to finally have it out of our way. I think the relief overcomes any sadness. Temporal things come and go. We must get on with our lives. We eventually found a replacement and are very happy with it. There's just something about my first owned car that will remain with me.This picture was taken the moment my dad and I drove up to Cami's house in Maryland. So much has changed since then.

HA!

Marie Osmond is on Dancing with the Stars. That should be interesting.

We won, we won!

Last Saturday was the road show. We, and four other wards participated. The theme was "Something funny happened on the way to the...". Ours was "... MTC". I was Judy, the main girl who can't decide if she wants to get married to Clifford (KC) or go on a mission. She decides to go, which upsets Clifford, and then bumps into the love of her life, Donald (also KC with a wig and glasses on) who she saw in a dream, and decides he is her mission. There will be a video posted soon so you can all make sense of this plot I tried to write. Molly did a great job writing the script, making props, choreographing all the dances, and, her husband put all the music together. Did I mention she is 8 1/2 months pregnant? I think she worked on something everyday for at least a month to get this together. She was the girl for the job too. I have found out where she likes to put her creativity to work. She also somehow managed to get a full cast together, even if she had to pull teeth to do so. We have been practicing every Saturday morning from 9-12 for a little over a month. It was all worth it in the end when we WON! All the wards got some sort of award. We got best choreography, BUT, we also got judges choice. Yep, we were pretty excited. It's funny how many times people told us how good they thought it was. I mean, this is a road show, right? I guess it was just a relative comment. When you compared it to the others, it was a little more put together. I think it's funny that it was still a hot topic at church yesterday. I mean, people couldn't stop talking about it. I, Frankly, am finished. It was fun, and now, done. Here are some pictures to give you a hint until the video comes. This is mostly for those involved, but look if you must.

Sentimental value

I find that I have a story about everything in my life. All the items I own have some significant meaning behind them. Even if it's just that I had never done something before and I wanted to give it a try. That's a story to me. Any time anyone comments on a picture on the wall, the earrings I'm wearing, or a piece of furniture, I feel like I need to give the whole story on why we bought it, what we were going to do otherwise, where I got it, or who I got it from. I love reliving the times that made me happy I guess. When KC and I bought our first couch together. I love telling that. Or that my landlord bought me these earrings that I always wear and they happen to be my birthstone and she didn't even know. She gave them to me for dog sitting. Or the periodic table of desserts I have on my wall. I saw it the first time I toured my culinary school and I had to have it. People don't usually care about these stories, yet I insist on giving all these details about normal everyday things. I think this is all coming to the surface as I sort through my pictures. I love looking at picture of things I've made, mostly because of the occasion and memories they represent. I think it's good for everything in your life to be valuable. That means you are spending your money and time doing the right things.

New blog

I have created a new blog to post the food sidebar entries so I have a record. Look if you like. I am catching up on all the past entries and other things I've made before the blog. You'll probably see a lot of repeats from this blog, but it's mostly for me, so sorry. I am not paying much attention to typos since I only care that I have it posted and not that it is all correct. I have a lot more to catch up on, but eventually it will be where I transfer the " Something we've eaten lately" posts. Here is it.

Eggless banana bread

So I went to the store specifically (well I needed to get them anyway) to buy eggs to make this bread. I was making dinner for a friend with a new baby and this is always a comfort food it seems. So I realized well after the bread was baked and cooling, that not one egg was used from the carton. Oops. I guess if you were a vegan you could eat this. Or not. I'm not sure of those rules. It probably just lost a little height. It actually is quite tasty and I guess a little less fat minus the yolks. Who am I kidding. It's practically cake.

One more thing...

I forgot to mention a huge, gorgeous, wonderful kitchen to put all of those things in. That is to come, eventually.

My kitchen essentials

We all have them, and with that party I catered fresh in my kind, there are some things I couldn't have lived with out for the preparation of that, or everyday baking for that matter. Here is my list:

Bench scraper--great for cutting bar cookies, portioning dough, scraping counters, and many other countless uses.Blow torch--the smaller more domestic versions of this great tool are most commonly sold for creme brulee, but I'm a fan of the big one. I have used it for meringue/baked Alaska, heating a knife to make a smooth cut, or caramelizing fruit garnishes, etc. I am very happy about this new purchase I've made. It has been an essential part of the kitchens I've worked in, and now it's in mine.
Cardboard cake circles--not only are these perfect for decorating desserts on before you transfer them to the final platter, but they make it easy to stack things to conserve space in the fridge. I need to always have these on hand.Parchment paper--we all love the function this have of making clean-up a breeze, but there are also many uses to it.Silicone baking mat--Man, I love this thing. Hardly anything sticks to it. I use it for everything from baking cookies, to caramelized sugar work.KitchenAid stand mixer--Of course!Off set spatula--This makes decorating and icing cakes so simple. It helps you stay in control.Apple peeler, corer, slicer--I don't use this very often, but when I want it, I'm glad I have it. Thanks to my mother-in-law giving me a Pampered Chef wedding shower, I got a ton of great kitchen gadgets.Cake turn table--It makes icing, cutting, and decorating a piece of cake. Ha!
Bowl scarper--a clean bowl in one fell swoop. Everyone should have one of these.
Many Silicone Spatulas--I hate running out of these, so I keep several with in an arms reach.
Powdered sugar shaker--A dusting of powdered sugar adds elegance to any dessert. Also great for cocoa powder dusting.Oh I better stop now. I could go on all day. And all these are revolved mostly around desserts. If I were talking about cooking, the list would be completely different. And I'm sure the list will grow over the years.

Small catering gig

A friend here in Cheverly asked if I do any catering. Her husband has been in Iraq for six months and she wanted to have a dessert party to celebrate his homecoming. She told me what she wanted and it sounded like something I could handle. I made up a menu of many desserts and their prices. Her choices included: Chocolate raspberry truffle cake, Chocolate dipped macaroons, raspberry almond shortbread bars, a fruit platter with Lemon curd dip, caramel cheesecake with an almond crust and cooked sugar decor, Coconut bundt cake with roasted pineapple, and a mango frangipane tart. I was able to do a lot of things ahead of time so I wasn't going crazy the day of the party. It was quite an adventure being as it was just me against these seven desserts, but with KC's help doing dishes and transporting the food, we pulled it off. They told us to stay and meet their friends. I knew a few people that were coming, but I didn't really want to stand around telling people I was the one who brought the food, so we just dropped off the food and left. Then, not wanting to deal with the sink and counters covered in chocolate and dishes, we headed for Mexican food and picked up some friends on the way to go with us. It was nice to not have to cook dinner after all that. It was fun to catch up on a few techniques I haven't used in a while. I have missed having chocolate under my fingernails. But I am happy to have my fridge and freezer back. I took a lot of pictures of the process since it really was my first solo gig and I probably won't say yes to a lot of things like this. It may seem like there are a lot of repeats, but I like a lot of different angles. Bon appetit!

Oh, what to do!

My doctor finally gave me the okay to get my tonsils out. It is to be scheduled at my earliest convenience. I thought this would be a day to be glad about, to finally get these ever-loving disgusting, infecting tonsils out of my throat. In the past couple of years I have had several bouts of strep throat and tonsillitis. My tonsils are now all mangled and are usually hurting on a daily basis. Not to the point of a soar throat all the time, but enough for me to notice and pray that it doesn't turn into something worse. I hate hate hate have throat infections. I know no one does, but the things that occur... I won't even gross you out with the details of my lovely times with tonsillitis. Let's just say it's not pretty. Anyhow, I have been putting off seeing an ENT for a while, but I thought now it was time to break down and live up to my word. That I want them out and will beg to get this done. I actually didn't have to beg. In fact, the doc said it was the best thing to do. I had been told earlier that this procedure was not done as commonly as it has in the past and you have to have more frequent and consistent infections for them to consider you for this surgery. It was almost too easy and now I'm second guessing. I feel like I'm signing my life away, like I'm deciding to go through all the pain when I can just decide not to do it. And I heard it is painful and the recovery is no picnic! Anywhere else but my throat, I could live without for two weeks, but the thing that allows you to talk, eat, even swallow and breath. I just don't know. Whenever I have strep I just can't wait for the day that I can swallow without bracing myself before I do so. This is something I have to walk right into. Wow, I'm sounding really wimpy right now, but I feel like I have a big decision to make. Yeah, people do this everyday so I shouldn't really complain and just be grateful to have the opportunity to improve my health. Anybody that had gone through this, words or encouragement, not horrific pain stories, are appreciated.

Weekend happenings

Well, KC is still working pretty long hours so I am keeping myself occupied one way or another. On Saturday I put up this cool new home for the little fishy we adopted. I bought it online the other day and I am so glad he if off the counter. The poor guy freaked out every time we did anything in the kitchen. He hated the garbage disposal the worst. This gives him room to really explore.

I also made this little contraption I saw in Real Simple a while ago. It's great, and makes finding my earrings so much easier. They'd get all tangled up together. Annoying!

We went to a Jazz Festvial, suggested by our friend Andrew. It was so so so crowded, but the music sure was good. We at at one of our favorites, Lebanese Taverna ( of course I got an order of grape leaves with our meal), and had mango and strawberry gelato after. It was a beautiful night too. We loved watching a little girl dancing right in front of us. She sure had great moves.

We are going to the DC temple visitors center for a fireside in about and hour. It's about DNA and the Book of Mormon. Should be interesting. Then it's on to another work week.

This is what happens...

...if you live in Maryland and don't refrigerate your baked goods. I usually store our bread in the fridge since we don't eat it so quick with just the two of us. It lasts quite a while that way. I wanted to see if we could just keep it in the cupboard and after less than two weeks, it looked like this. I have another loaf in the freezer and I'll be sure to keep it there until I know we are read to eat it up. It was pretty much unrecognizable.

Dessert gifts

I was looking through my pictures and noticed something. A couple weeks ago I had several occasions to bring gifts to people and so I decided to make everyone desserts. The first was a sugar-free, flourless, chocolate, mixed berry cake. It was for my friend Molly who is pregnant and has to cut down on her sugar, so for her birthday she got to eat a guilt free dessert. She shared with her family even though I told her to eat it all by herself. She reported it was good. I'm glad since I hadn't tried it before and it was sugar free and all.The next was a strawberry, mandarin cheesecake tart for our friends, the Frosts, who were moving. I hope they had time to eat it before they left.
I made some mini cheesecakes from the rest of the batter and brought them with me to see my friend Courtney's new baby at the hospital. I love mini tartlets. They are such a perfect bite after dinner. I've yet to bring them dinner. Oops.And I have actually made this about three times in the last couple weeks. This one was for Corrinne on her birthday. She mentioned before that she loved key lime pie. I remembered this and instead of making many for the whole party, I made one for her to eat all by herself. I wonder how she is doing on that.My landlord has commented that I'm walking out of the house with food every time she sees me.

Tag, we're it!

Amber Cottrell tagged me and 6 others to play this game of sevens. I don't usually do these, but Amber is so nice so I'll oblige:
A. List 7 habits/quirks/facts about yourself.
B. Tag 7 people to do the same.
C. Do not tag the person who tagged you or say that you tag whoever wants to do it.


1. I just bought an elliptical machine from craigslist. I love it. I absolutely hate working out and am terrible at it. I do like swimming, pilates and the elliptical machines at the gym. We have just enough space for it and it folds out of the way when I'm done. Matty helped me load it in his truck . It was pretty cool how he tied it up. We'll see if this pushes me into gear.

2. I love thinking of what to make for dinner. We do have waffles and eggs, or frozen pizza nights on occasion, but looking in my fridge at random food items makes me excited to see what I can make out of them. KC is always interested to see what I come up with. Sometimes it doesn't turn out so good, but he's always a great sport and very appreciative. Here's my latest concoction, stuffed spaghetti squash. It could've been better but was okay.



3. I love turning off all the lights in the middle of the day and watching Lifetime movies. KC knows not to flip the channel there because I get hooked. They are really getting big actors these days.

4. I have a weird habit of holding my breath as someone passes me in a hallway for fear of smelling them as they pass. I noticed this in high school, but I still do it on occasion. I didn't really know I was doing it, I just realized it one day. It's mostly when they are passing very quickly so there is a strong wind and it has their smell in it. Weird I know.



5. I have just remodeled my bedroom which is a big step for me in the decorating department. It's nothing special but I love that it is put together. We've had "your's mine and our's" furniture for a while, and now I feel like it's all just our's. It's helps to keep it tidy too. KC knows not to put any clutter on the new dresser.



6. I love waking up and going places early in the morning. The people at the grocery store are the nicest in the morning. I just like being awake and on the road while no one else. Not too early though, and not every day. Just on special occasions.



7. I have recently had an urge to see what it takes to be a beekeeper. It looks like such a nice calm environment to work in. Besides the bees buzzing around, you always see those people in a nice sunny field. I've actually reasearched this. Maybe it will really get into it during my mid-life crisis.



So this was really an excuse to tell about my elliptical, but it fit in quite well. I tag Melody, Molly, Mom, Matty, Ashley, Amber, and Whitney. That is, if you guys want to.

I blame myself

I have 20+ mosquito bites on my body from a couple hours outside for labor day festivities. Some of which are on my hips and shoulders. You tell me how that happens. The worst part is, I know better. I can't wait for the summer to be over.