Pumpkin

Okay, so I just discovered the joy of pumpkin... I had a big can of it and home and knew I wanted to attempt to bake something with them... especially pumpkin bread and pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. And now I am a fan! And the bonus is that Dave loves pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. :)

Anyway, so the only size can that the store had was this super massive 29 oz can of pumpkin. Most recipes call for about 1/2 that much at most. Anway, with this one can of pumpkin I made 3 (!) loaves of pumpkin bread and about 4.5 dozen pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. The good news- the cookies are so awesome! I'm not much of a cookie eater these days, but I've been averaging about 8 cookies a day. And everyone at Dave's work has been benefitting as well.

I love cooking for people- it's just so much better when there are people to enjoy my cooking as well.

Elephants!

I just saw elephants walking down the street. Apparently the circus still uses trains to transport their animals.

Before and After

Sorry guys, I didn't post yesterday. My goal to post everyday (Monday-Friday) has been ruined. I'll try to make up for it by posting extra this week, but I know it's just not the same. :)

This weekend I learned a lot about painting. And I learned it the hard way. I decided to paint an accent wall in our living room and kitchen (I picked the wall that wrapped from our living room into our kitchen). Dave and I had decided to do a nice bright green to spice up the living room and kitchen a little bit (well, I decided on green and then Dave and I agreed on the shade).

I learned:

*that just because you use painters tape, it doesn't mean that your lines will come out strait or that the paint won't seep below the tape and get all over the place;

* that there really is such thing as too much paint on the roller (and no matter how much rolling you do, it will still drip);

*that paint takes a while to dry- a long while;

*that dogs are very curious about paint;

*it is not nearly as much fun as it looks.

Next weekend I have a lot of touching up to do (mainly along the ceiling- got to fix those lines).

In other news... My siblings are moving the mainland this weekend! McKenzie, Doss, and Jamieson are all flying out on Sunday, September 28! How exciting! Jamiesion is going to be driving from Oregon to Minnesota so he's going to stop and stay with Dave and I the following weekend (October 4). We are so excited to have him stay with us!

Little Sneak...

So my bad habit (I've actually narrowed my "bad habits" down significantly) lately has been my love for soda.... sweet, carbonated, caffienated soda. The sight of a Mt. Dew can fills my tummy with warm thoughts.

Well, the thing is that Dave thought I had given up soda months ago and was so proud of me. Until last night. The truth came out.

At work we have a ready supply of cold Mt. Dew and Dr. Pepper for $0.30. That's awesome. And it's just a few feet away so it's almost impossible to resist. All morning long I can hear the echo of soda cans opening as my coworkers indulge themselves. So most days, I do too.

Dave noticed that the pile of change in the car was diminishing and asked where it was going. I tried to play it non-chalant and avoid having to answer (it is completely impossible for me to even half lie or tell "half truths" to Dave). Finally I admitted to having hundreds of sodas- at least one a day.

Sigh.... So if I seem grumpy next week, it's me giving up soda again.

I wrote a post in my head....

On the way to work and I have completely forgotten it. I remember that it was funny and witty though.

I have to go back to the dentist today. Yesterday the whole side of my jaw hurt so incredibly bad (the side where I had my crown lengthening done last Friday). So I called the dentist last night and he prescribed me stuff to get me through the night and I'm going in to see what's going on. Hopefully the pain will pass quickly or it will be easily fixable.

Dave rode his motorcycle to work today. According to the weather report today is going to be the last of the nice, warm days we'll have for a while. That means the motorcycle is going into storage for the winter.

It's going to be a quiet weekend, I think. We don't have anything exciting planned for ourselves. I hope you all have something fun to do. :)

A Calling...

So Dave and I got a calling yesterday. We were asked to join the Activities Committee at our ward. So we're going to be helping out with that. :) As far as callings go, that's a pretty awesome one! We'll have a chance to meet a lot of the people in our ward. The first project we are going to work on is a young married couples get together and then comes the Trunk or Treat for Halloween.

I'm pretty excited!

Katydid and Emergencies

So I walked out of our condo this morning and saw the coolest bug ever- a Katydid. It looked like a leaf attached to the wall next to our door. It was so awesome.

Otherwise it has been a slow, quiet day. I did the recertification for First Aid and CPR so now if there is an emergency, there is a higher likelihood of me being able to assist you. One cool fact- there has been a major update to CPR- It's called Continuous Chest Compression CPR and it only involves compressions- no more assisted breathing. I remember my brother, Jamieson, describing this to us a few months ago and everyone was like "you're an idiot" that's not how you do CPR. I guess it's one of the ways. (You'll have to take a CPR class yourself to get all the details about when it is appropriate to use it though).

Anyway, I guess it's a good time to send a reminder that it's always a good idea to have a 72 hour kit for each member of your family. (If you don't know what that is, look it up, because they are very handy). And if you are into that thing (especially in these times), it's an even better idea to have some food storage set up.

David's Birthday Extravaganza....

David is now 29. :) And what a celebration we have had. :) Saturday was the big day for celebrating (it's funny how work can really interfere with birthday celebration plans). We woke up early and went out to breakfast at our favorite breakfast place (Cracker Barrel). Dave's mom and brother, Alex, joined us. Then we were off to Snowbird where Dave got pampered and massaged. It was a beautiful day up at Snowbird- I think it was warmer on Saturday than it ever got when we were there for our honeymoon. I sat outside in a spot of sunlight and read my book and worked on my crocheting (I'm getting a lot better- almost all of my lines are the same length now). After Snowbird, when Dave was so much more relaxed, we went back to town and rented some movies and ate out our favorite Indian Restaurant (Royal India in Bountiful). I love how even though we were celebrating Dave's birthday, I feel like I was spoiled that day too! So we wrapped a good day with some relaxation. Sunday was more of the same, just relaxing and kicking back- oh and going out to dinner with my friend Katie at another of Dave's favorite restaurant's- Thaifoon. (Wow- he really got spoiled this weekend!).

And yesterday was the big day itself. Unfortunately it was a Monday too. Dave's coworkers decorated his cubicle and then took him out to lunch (how fun!). Dave requested Pot Roast and cupcakes for his birthday dinner and I swear it was the best pot roast I have ever made. I don't know exactly what I did, but I hope I can do it again someday- it was fantastic!

Last night when Dave was at his soccer game I snuck out and got some decorations to surprise him with. So it wasn't much, but it was a good wrap up to Dave's birthday. :) I hope that Dave enjoyed his birthday (I know I did!).

Katie

Last night Dave and I picked up my good friend Katie and we all went out to dinner at Thaifoon (one of Dave's favorite restaurants). It was so much fun (even Dave enjoyed it!).

I think the last time I saw Katie was about a year ago. It was so good to catch up with her and hear about her life in Washington, DC. And she finally got to meet Dave and hopefully get to know him a little bit better. It would have been good to see Matt (her husband) as well, but he'll be coming out for his own visit in the next few months.

I wish that we had more time to spend together, but it just means that Dave and I will have to plan a trip out to Virginia to visit them (that's okay with me). :)

Happy Birthday David!

Whoo hoo! You're 29! :) I'm so glad that you are in my life Dave, you are such a wonderful blessing. :) I love you so much. I love celebrating your birthday with you and trying to make this day as special and as wonderful as you are. :)

Hurrican Ike

My sister in law, Sima, and her family lives in Spring, Texas, which is about 10 miles north of Houston, towards which Hurricane Ike is headed directly. Should be interesting. The news doesn't sound good for people in that part of the country (what a big storm!).

My thoughts and prayers are with her and her family (although I'm not particularly worried and it doesn't appear that she is either). Sima, we love you!

Need more pictures (soon).

So the big thing about me starting a blog was that I wanted to put a whole bunch of pictures up so that people would remain interested (yes I was planning on bribing you all to come visit my page by using cute/pretty pictures). But I haven't really had much to take pictures of. Except Dave in his pajamas and Pookie sleeping. Or me being sick. So really, I was waiting for a good opportunity to take a bunch of pictures. Like this weekend.

So yes, this is another blog post without pictures (though I am tempted to put some of Pookie up, despite the fact that it might make me look like one of those weird dog owners).

This weekend is going to be good. Saturday we will celebrate Dave's birthday. That's going to be fun once we figure out what we are going to do. :) And I'm sure there will be lots of pictures on Monday to chronicle the event. :)

On Sunday I am going to meet up with my friend Katie. Katie and I went to High School in Hawaii and then came to Utah together. We went through college more or less together (although she graduated a few years before me- I took a lot more breaks than she did). And now Katie is living in Washington, DC with her husband. Here's a fun story for you- Katie's husband, Matt, is pretty much the very first person we met after moving to Utah. He was living in the dorms as well (in the building next to mine) and we all stopped to chat. And look where that got them. :) Anyway, Katie will be in town for a short bit and I am excited to see her on Sunday. (Yes, more pictures).

Unfortunately, before I get to the weekend I have to make it through tomorrow. Tomorrow I have to go in and get oral surgery done. Back in January or February I broke one of my back molars on a bagel (yes, really). When the molar broke, it broke below the gum line so the crown that we put on has pinched the gum ever since then. I just thought crowns were always supposed to be uncomfortable, but my recent trip to the dentist told me otherwise. Anyway- Friday afternoon I am going in for "crown lengthening surgery" which means they are going to make my mouth fit the crown better (I'll spare you the details).

Last Minute (I'm so bad)

Okay, okay, okay... I'm really really bad at this stuff. Dave's birthday is Monday (He's going to be 29) but we're going to celebrate on Saturday. I was going to get him a massage/pampering thing up at the Snowbird Day Spa, but Dave isn't quite sold on that idea. So I need help. I want to do something wonderful for him for his birthday and I don't really know what to do. I just want to make him feel special... so if you have any good ideas, please, please, please let me know. (or any ideas at all).

Sorry ladies...

But I have married the best guy that is out there. Yesterday I stayed home because I was too sick to get out of bed. Pookie loved having a warm human to cuddle up to all day but I was in pretty bad shape (stupid cold). Dave was so wonderful to me and took really good care of me- including giving me most of the bed so I could toss and turn, making midnight runs to get me water, and making sure I was comfortable. And he brought me flowers when he got home from work to cheer me up. :) I am so lucky. :)

Sick... blah

I caught Dave's cold (who's surprised?). This cold sucks so much it makes me feel bad that I wasn't nicer to him last week when he was sick. Oh well. Now I get to suffer this week.

The weekend was pretty quiet- went to the Woodbury's Endurance Motorcycle Race on Saturday. It was a 4 hour race- nice day, mid 70's, Dave and I didn't bring any sunscreen so we got so sunburned. About three hours into the race the chain on the motorcycle broke (no spare) so the Woodbury's were out of the race. Such a bummer to ride for that long only to end the race prematurely anyway.

Yesterday was another beautiful day out here- low 80's, little bit of wind, clear blue sky. I have noticed that the intensity of the blue sky depends on the temperature. On warmer days the blue looks more intense and on colder days it looks a little bit more watered down (a little paler). (I promise I have not been chugging cold medicine this morning just in case you were wondering).

Did the church/family thing yesterday. Had a chance to sit down and talk to two of my sister in laws that I don't talk to very often (Steph and Darcie)- that was so much fun. Nick and Darcie have decided to move to Arizona at the end of this year (December) so there's that.

It's going to be a pretty quiet week. Dave and I have to get back into the habit of going to the gym (this should be interesting with a cold).

I've got nothing

It's Friday afternoon and the end of the day can't come soon enough. I think I am getting sick from whatever Dave had. We'll see. Tomorrow is another motorcycle race to go to. If I'm sick then I won't go, but otherwise, it could be fun. It shouldn't be too hot so that makes standing by the raceway a lot easier (the first race we went to it was like 100 degrees out there- blah).

Last night I went out with my friend April. It was the first time we've hung out in like a month (sorry April!). I guess I'm finally starting to feel like going out again. We had lots to catch up on and she's always so much fun to be around. I think we're going to throw a Halloween party together and I am pretty excited about that. It will be so much fun. I think my sister is going to send us her Halloween costume from last year (she went as a bear). If it fits, Dave is going to dress up as a teddy bear... mwahahahahahaha. :) I'll definitely have lots of pictures of that.

I just wandered over to the Clark Planetarium to look at Telescopes. Dave is big into astronomy and it could make for some nice romantic nights out under the stars. I just got a crash course in the various types of telescopes (refracting uses lens and reflecting uses mirrors) as well as what to look for in a beginner telescope. So I've got some ideas brewing. I also learned that bigger isn't always more expensive...

I can already tell that this weekend is going to be too short. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend.

Forward Thinking

Today I just can't seem to live in the moment. It's only early September and I am already thinking/planning of things in October. I just seem to be getting ahead of myself...

The most exciting thing about September is that Dave's birthday is on the 15th (he's going to be 29!), which is a Monday, so we'll celebrate on the 13th. We're going to spend the day doing what he wants and we'll spend the afternoon up at Snowbird. (I have a massage booked for him). Oktoberfest is also going on up at Snowbird so it will be fun to wander up there and see what is going on.

Other than that my mind is already well into October- I'm looking forward to our trip to the Oregon Coast and to Halloween (one of my favorite holidays). I want to decorate our place and carve jack 'o lanterns already (but I'm holding out until October). As much as I want to decorate I have a hard time committing myself to it- it's only Dave and I that would see it and I know that Dave won't care. I guess that decorating will have to be something I do for myself. And Halloween costumes- yikes- I have to start planning those! McKenzie and Doss always have the best halloween costumes (I'm jealous) so I know I won't be able to top those.

I don't know- I must have a case of fall fever or something. I am so excited for the leaves to change colors, for the air to have that crisp edge to it, and to smell smoke from wood stoves in the air. It doesn't help that this week has been pretty cool- hovering in the mid 70's (if that).

Anyway, that is where most of my thoughts have been all day. If you have some fun Fall/Halloween decorating ideas, I'd love to hear them.

I'm a nerd, but I thought this was cool

So I was digging around on the internet for nutrition information (I have decided that Dave and I need to start eating more fruits and vegetables and less meat) and I came across this: http://www.mypyramid.gov/

It's a personalized food pyramid/menu planner. Looks pretty awesome. :) Anyway, if you are into that stuff or merely curious- it's kinda cool.

Never mind...

I was going to write about how Dave and I met with the Bishopric last night but it occurred to me that no one will find that particularly interesting. So now I am at a loss as to what to write. (On a side note it turns out that our home teacher-who we also had a chance to meet last night- is one of our next door neighbors and I think that's wonderful).

Dave is sick (sore throat) today. No good. I tried to be the good wife last night and ran to the store in my pajamas to get him some sore throat stuff to help knock him out. We discovered at about 3 AM (when Dave still wasn't asleep) that I had bought the daytime/non drowsy version. Oops. So Dave's tired as well as sick, but at least he could take the medicine again this morning. :)

I love three day weekends because this week is just flying by. It feels like a Tuesday but it's really Wednesday- how awesome is that?!

Our Weekend

This weekend was a breath of fresh air, let me tell you. Sunday a good sized storm blew in and hung around until Monday afternoon. There was wind, lightning, thunder, and so much rain. I really enjoyed myself. :) And I learned that Pookie isn't afraid of thunder and lightning. The storm blew in about an hour after church let out on Sunday (about 5 PM). Dave and I opened up the curtains and the windows and just watched the clouds and the rain come sweeping in. That night we had some spectacular lightning. It was a good storm. :)

This weekend for us was a pretty lazy one. I think that Dave was really happy to not have to get up and go to class or study. We just hung about at home and rented a lot of movies.

Yesterday we got a phone call from one of Dave's mission companions. Dave served his mission in Birmingham, England and one of his companions was John Connolly from Dublin, Ireland. We were more than excited to meet up with him and his family. :) Dave hadn't seen John for about four years and this was the first chance I had had to meet one of Dave's mission companions.

It was a great time- lots of good stories and laughter. I heard so many stories about Dave's mission- about the areas they worked, the people they knew, and some of the mischief that they got themselves into. And the good news is that someday when Dave and I finally make it out to Ireland we have people to see! :)

Hope you all have a great week. :)