Me and my girlies- hanging at Chili's!

So I am a slacker...

Not too much has happened since my last blog. Kind of a sad state of affairs, isn't it? I feel like I lead a really boring life right now- thus no blogging. Blame it on morning sickness (that strikes at night), or being exhausted after work, or that I am just plain lazy. Just a quick blurb about some fun things that have happened recently.

One of my old roommates, Chrissy, came for a visit. We were able to get together with Tina, Nicky, and Jessica for the traditional Chili's dinner. It was so wonderful to see my girls again! It was fun to see them as Moms. What a lucky girl I was to have had the chance to live with them and learn from them. They are a pretty amazing group of women. I am so lucky to have them in my life!

We had an ultrasound last week! It didn't happen with the best circumstances. We had a bit of a scare and ended up in the ER. Thankfully, the baby is doing well. I just had to go on bed rest for a few days. I didn't think it would be that bad....but I greatly underestimated how boring it would be. So the happy result of the ER trip was the chance to hear the baby's heartbeat and to see it moving around. I was so relieved to hear that whoosing sound! We are anxiously awaiting the 30th... we will find out if we will be welcoming Elijah or Aileah.

Pumpkin chocolate chip cookies

This is such a yummy recipe. I love pumpkin chocolate chip cookies... but not the chunky cakey ones you get in the store. This are just like normal chocolate chip cookies...with the delicious hint of pumpkin. YUM!!!
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
1 C. unsalted butter, softened
1 C. white sugar
1 C. light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 C. canned pumpkin
3 C. all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
2 C. milk chocolate chips
Heat the oven to 350. Spray cookie sheets with nonstick cooking spray or line with parchment paper.
Using a mixer, beat the butter until smooth. Beat in the sugars, a little at a time, until the mixture is light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs 1 at a time, then mix in the vanilla and pumpkin puree. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves. Slowly beat in the flour mixture into the batter in thirds. Stir in the chips. Scoop the cookie dough by heaping tablespoons onto the prepared cookie sheets and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the cookies are browned around the edges. Remove from oven and let them rest for 2 min. Take the cookies off with a spatula and cool on a wire rack.

Tom and Me plus...

BABY makes three! Tom and I went to the doctor's today and saw our baby's heartbeat! What a huge relief and blessing! Our baby is due on May 30, 2009! We are almost eight weeks along. I have been pretty sick this time around... we took that as a good sign since I wasn't with the other two pregnancies. We LOVE our CNM... she is awesome and I would recommend her to any and everyone! Just wanted to share our happy news! Keeping it a secret for a month was so so hard. Now we are safe to tell everyone who will listen!

I've Been Tagged...Again!

5 Things- Tagged by Lyndsay


5 Things I've Done in the Past 10 Years:
1-Moved out of my parents house
2- Had my first kiss
3-Got married
4-Rode the Rocket at Lagoon (YUCK!)
5-Graduated from the U of U


5 Things I Wish I Could Do Today:
1-Get out of debt
2-Quit my job
3-Go to Scotland
4-Have Tom up and flying
5-Be a mom

5 Foods I Wouldn't Want to Live Without:
1-Bananas
2-Pizza
3-Cafe Rio's Chicken Burritos (although we don't eat it very often)
4-Couscous
5-ice cream


5 Things I Would Do if I Were a Millionaire:
1-Buy a house
2-Go on a world trip
3-Get out of debt
4-Share money with my family
5-Get two new cars (one for me and one for Tom)

5 Places I Have Lived:
1-Orem, UT
2-Cutler Ridge, FL
3-Hunington Beach, CA
4-Dayton, OH
5-Fayettville, NC

5 Jobs I Have Had:
1-Preschool Teacher
2-Janitor
3-Daycare worker
4-Manufacturing
5-housecleaner... in high school

5 People I Tag:
1-Tina
2-Jessica
3-Chrissy
4-Tiffany (when your life settles down)
5-Valerie

I've Been Tagged
The "rules" of the game are as follows:
1. Post the rules on your blog.
2. Write 6 random things about yourself.
3. Tag 6 people at the end of your post.
4. If you're tagged, DO IT and pass on the tag.

Now, 6 things about me...
1. I hate/ am afraid of moths. ( I know, I know...but they are creepy!)
2. I get motion sickness... recently rediscovered as I have to ride the bus.
3. I want to own a used bookstore.
4. I wear a shoe size 6 and a half.
5. I do not ever, ever wear a swimsuit or shorts.
6. I really really enjoy eating peaunt butter... with chocolate is even better.

I tag:
1. Valerie
2. Tiffany
3. Jared
4. Lindsay
5. Liz
6. Dawnelle (you can email it since you can't blog)

My wonderful husband, Tom

My wonderful husband, Tom

I love Fall! I love the colors, the weather, the smells... basically I love everything about Fall! Tom and I were able to go up to the canyon yesterday. It is so beautiful right now! For some reason Fall always reminds me of when I was single and living in "The Party Barge". I had great roommates who taught me so much about myself and how to be a better me. And although I had so many great times with my girls I was so anxious to meet the man I would spend eternity with.

Enter Tom. We had known each other for about 9 months before he asked me out. We had been flirting with each other just for fun (we were both interested in other people at this point.) I am so grateful for that time we had to get to know each other as friends. Our first date was so much fun! He was so easy to talk to and be myself around. He started winning my heart on that first date! And the rest is history.

He is such a wonderful man and husband! I am eternally grateful to our Heavenly Father for allowing me the privilege of marrying my best friend. I could honestly spend all day everyday with Tom and be perfectly content. I love spending time with him. I am grateful for all he does for me... especially working a job he hates so he can help support us. I am grateful for his unconditional love and his easy-going attitude. I am grateful that he (for some reason) thinks I am beautiful and tries to get me to see that in myself more. I am grateful that he will someday be a wonderful father to our children. I will take great delight in seeing him hold our newborn... you see, he is afraid he will break little ones :) He makes me want to be a better wife, daughter, sister, friend and woman. I am so grateful for him. I love him the mostest of the mostest cuz he's the grandest of grandest prizes.

I have been inspired by my family's and friends' blogs... obviously! This is one of our new favorite recipes. Hope you enjoy it as much as we do.

Black Bean Lasagna Rolls

1 C (4 oz) shredded, reduced fat Montery-Jack cheese

1(15 oz) carton part skim Ricotta cheese

1 (4.5 oz) can chopped green chilies, drained

1/2 tsp chili powder (this makes it super spicy... HOT! I would cut back.)

1/8 tsp salt

8 lasagna noodles

2 C cannned no salt added black beans, drained

cooking spray

1 (15.5 oz) jar no salt added salsa

Combine first 5 ingredients, stir well. Set aside.

Cook lasagna noodles as directed on package; drain well.

Spread cheese mixture over one side of each noodle. Spoon beans evenly over cheese mixture. Roll up noodles, jelly-roll fashion, beginning at narrow end.

Place rolls, seam sides down, in an 11x7x1.5 inch baking dish coated with spray. Pour salsa over rolls. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until heated thoroughly.

My favorite photos I've taken

The Bicycle Fairy

Once upon a time (back in May) my wonderful husband and I were driving down the freeway, at about 70 miles an hour, when the back wheels of his truck decided to lock up and stop spinning. As you can imagine that was about the scariest thing to have ever happened to me. So... realizing he still needed to be able to get to school and work we decided to buy a bike for him. (This was not a visit from the Bicycle Fairy) In the two weeks he has ridden his bike he has lost 10 pounds. (Totally unfair... but he is a boy so I will continue on with the story.) I had toyed around with the idea of buying a bike for me. But I had serious doubts that I would use it enough to justify buying it. So we didn't get one for me.
Now... if you know me at all you know that I have struggles with my weight. I have been trying, unsuccessfully, to eat healthier and become more active. We did really well with working out every other day for about a month and a half. So when I heard Tom's weight loss I started to think about the bike again. I had mentioned to my family and a few friends that I was thinking about getting a bike too but wondered if I would really use it. Then one day I came home from work and sitting in front of my front door was a bike. I didn't think anything of it at first - I thought it was our neighbor's. But it sat in the same position all night and well into the morning. So... I have been visited by the Bicycle Fairy.
Tom and I went for a bike ride yesterday to see how long it would take me to ride to work. I haven't been on a bike in over 20 years but I thought, "How hard can it be? Tom does it every day." Boy... if I didn't feel bad about myself before I sure do now. I realize that I am not in the best shape - but that bike ride kicked my butt! We didn't even make it to my classroom. I started showing signs of either heat stroke or heat exhaustion and had to turn around. So my plans to ride to work everyday in order to get in better shape have been chucked out the window. I have a new and improved plan. I will still go on bike rides; just not everyday. I will stop by the Rec Center everyday on my way home from work to exercise in the beauty of air conditioning. Yay for the cool indoors. And Yay for the Bicycle fairy!

Timp cave

Two of sisters and I have been planning on hiking to Timp Cave for a year now. Unfortunately, Tiffany, my younger sister, crashed her bike a few days before our planned trip. She is doing well... but not well enough to make the hike. So, Valerie and her kids (Alex, Elisa, and Sabrina), Tom and I made the hike on Wednesday. The kids did such a great job hiking. We were worried we wouldn't be up to the enterance in time for our tour... but we were almost a half hour early! The cave tour is very cool! You actually go thru three caves and learn about the formations. It was fun to see the kids' reactions to the cave. I am glad we actually made it up this year. It is totally worth the sweating, huffing and puffing to see the beauty in the caves. How grateful I am for the chance to spend time in nature. ( Who would ever have thought those words would come from me?!) It is such a wonderful reminder that we have a Father in Heaven who knows us, loves us, and is aware of our triumphs and struggles. I am grateful to have a wonderful husband who patiently teaches me to enjoy more time in the great outdoors.

When life get too tough to stand... kneel

I don't know if I should blog about this but here it goes. Last night Tom and I had to go to the emergency room. We were pregnant for the second time this year. And for the second time we lost the baby. I have wanted to be a Mom for as long as I can remember. So,as you can imagine, it has been heartbreaking to lose two pregnancies within four months. I am not sure what Heavenly Father has for me to learn from this trial but I pray that I can learn from it and be strengthened. I know that when the time is right I will be blessed with a healthy pregnancy. It is so hard to wait. It makes me think of when I was single and wanting to be married. It was so hard to wait for the right time... but boy was it worth the wait. I have felt peace and comfort as I turn to my Father in Heaven at this time. Hope this isn't too much information for anyone... just needed to get it off my chest. I love you all. thanks for the support and love, especially at this time.

What a busy week!

Tom and I have had the craziest week ever... but it turned out it be pretty good. My sister, Valerie, and her husband, Robin, asked us to watch their three children while they went on a vacation to San Francisco. (We were not being selfless here- we are getting a new bed out of the deal.) So we packed up and headed down to Spanish Fork for five days. It was fun to see Tom with the kids because he is not used to being around children. He often doesn't really know how to interact with them. The curse of being the baby boy of the family, I guess. He did great though.
To add to the insanity we had to drive up to Orem for appointments, interviews, meetings, or visits every day of the week. We had a couple of doctor's appointments that made me worry quite a bit... more on that another time. But we got great news on Wednesday when Tom got a job offer from Macey's! He has been out of work for two and a half months. It is a huge relief, even though he will be taking a pay cut. He will be able to go to school and fly in the morning and work 2-10. It will be so hard to be apart for so long. I have loved spending almost every minute of the day with him for the last two months. I am truly blessed to be married to my best friend.
We decided to take the kids on a couple of hikes while we were with them. The first one we went on was to Cascade Springs. It was a beautiful stroll. Not really a hike because it is mostly a boardwalk that crosses small cascading falls. The kids really enjoyed seeing the fish,butterflies,and birds. The second hike we went on will fall into the "what were we thinking" file. The kids actually did great but it really took a toll on them. I found the Fifth Water Trail. It is a two mile hike up to hot springs and cool waterfalls. The hike up took a lot longer than I imagined... having never hiked with three kids before. The reward was well worth it once we got to the top. They loved the hot springs! We made it down in half the time. I was proud of them for making the hike.
On Friday we got to visit with Jessica, Tucker, and Korbin. We haven't seen each other in such a long time... even though we live only like three blocks apart. I am a terrible friend. We had a picnic at Nielsen's Grove park. It is my favorite park (Tom proposed to me there)-it is so beautiful. It was wonderful to catch up with them and spend time together. I am so lucky to have the wonderful friends that I do.
Well... that was a marathon blog. If you made it to the end Congrats. I will try to ramble less in future blogs ;)

A trip to remember

Tom and I have been wanting to get out of Utah for quite awhile now. Nevada doesn't count... that is practically Utah. So even though Tom is out of work we decided to pack up and have a relaxing vacation. We drove up to Portland, Oregon to see our friends, Chrissy, Seth, and Kimmie. My sister, Valerie, and her family were also vacation up there. So we spent a day with them exploring the coast. We had fun going to the Aquarium, the cold and windy beach, and the Tillamook Factory! It is a very, very boring drive up thru Idaho. We did have an adventure in the Blue Mountains just inside of Oregon when we got pounded with a snowstorm complete with thick fog! Snow... in June?!!!! I was a nervous wreck but Tom got us thru safely.
Oregon was so beautiful, so green. Tom and I had so much fun! Chrissy, Seth, and Kimmie took us to Multnomah Falls. We hiked to the top. That is sure not an easy hike. But it is one of the most beautiful places I have seen and well worth the effort! It was wonderful to see the Davenports again. It is fun to see Chrissy as a wife and doting mom! It was a wonderful trip. I will try to include some pictures soon... I am still learning all this high tech stuff.