Great News!

After looking for a new job for a year and a half...

I have a new job!!!!!!!!!

I can't even begin to tell you how long and hard I have been looking. Well, I'm sure you can 

probably imagine.

So as of December 27th, I will gladly say goodbye to my job at

America First Credit Union.

For the most part they have treated me well, but lately I have been hoping and praying

 to find a new job.

So what is my new job you ask? I will be working for the State of Utah at

The Department of Workforce Services.

That's a mouthful huh?

My position is called an Eligibility Specialist, which means I'll be helping people who apply for benefits like food stamps, unemployment, medicaid, and housing assistance. 

Sounds daunting, doesn't it?

I'm hoping that with all of the training that I'll be provided that it'll be a good fit. Out of all the jobs I've applied and interviewed for, hopefully since I got this job it means I'll be a good fit. With all the emotions I'm feeling- here are a few that I can name- excitement, happiness, nervousness, relief (that someone actually wants to hire me), hope. So all in all, I guess that means that I'm anticipating the change that things will be better.

I start January 3rd, I'll keep you posted.

Winter is here!

Today winter officially made its appearance!

This is a close up of the tree outside my house..

I woke up this morning to at least 4 inches or more of snow

As for last night, last night I celebrated my birthday with 10 of my closest friends.

We started the evening by having dinner at Iggy's grill, then it was off to the movies we went!

Can you guess what we saw?

It was by far the best Harry Potter movie so far!
There were some tense moments, some funny parts, and I was surprised how close to the book it followed.
I'm really excited for the 2nd part. I was curious how they were going to end the first part, and they did it perfectly! I don't want to give any details away, but you need to see it!

Now a little time for reflection
This week is Thanksgiving. Here is a list of things I am thankful for:

1) My husband. I love spending time with him and laughing with him. He knows the perfect way to cheer my up. There are moments that I'll have that I realize how much I love him and I feel like I need to pinch myself. He is perfect for me in every way and I can't imagine my life without him.
2) My job and Josh's job. I may not like what I do, but I am still thankful for employment, and Josh's employment. This time last year he was unemployed- that was the most stress anxiety filled time of our whole marriage. I am thankful to be past that point in our lives.
3) I am thankful for family. We've laughed together, cried together, and done everything in between. I'm thankful for my sisters to whom I have such a close relationship to.
4) Vacations. These keep me sane. I love to travel and to explore.
5) Warm weather. I love warm weather where I can sit outside and reflect about life. Winter is by far my least favorite season, but I think I would feel differently if I had the money to go snowboarding.
6) Food. I am thankful that I have enough and that I'm lucky enough to be able to cook and enjoy the food that I eat.
7) I am thankful for differences. As weird as that sounds, I'm thankful that not one person is alike. Everyone has different experiences. How boring would it be if everyone was the same? Had the same beliefs, likes, dislikes? I love talking to people and hearing their own stories and experiences.
8) Books. For the relaxation reading gives me and to be able to curl up on my couch with a good book.
9) Peace. To be able to think and relax. For my sanity, I am thankful for the solitude and the opportunity it give me to clear my mind.
10) Friends. You should be near the top of this list. I am thankful for friends who help me to laugh, have fun, and making good memories. You are awesome.

I know there are so many other things I am thankful for, but these top the list.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Halloween 2010

For Halloween this year, we were pirates! Our friend's Leah and Joel hosted a Halloween party this year!

 Josh was looking like a fierce pirate and I was acting all pretty :)

 Here are our hosts Joel and Leah as the Mad Hatter and White Witch. Their costumes were amazing!!!

 I had to work on Saturday, so here's me with 2 of my tellers, Chelsy and Alyssa.

 We carved pumpkins on Friday too, here's mine- a skeleton guy and kitty

Here was Josh's- a wolf. They looked really good in the dark, but I couldn't get a good photo.

Hope you had a Happy Halloween too!

Phoenix!

I met Josh in Phoenix, which I was totally excited to see him! It was nice to have a break from real life for a week, even though I had tons of fun in Florida, I really missed my hubby!

Now, the reason we were in Phoenix was because of Jaime's wedding! Josh's little sister got married!

 The she is with her new husband Chris outside the Mesa Temple.

 Joe and I had a battle of wills going on. I put a brownie on the end of his tooth pick and waited to see how long he would keep it on there.

Here's Jen and I torturing Joe with our kisses! It was pretty entertaining to watch him squirm!

All in all, it was a good weekend. We got to hang with Josh's side of the family and enjoy a bit of sun and warm weather.

But, there really is no place like home! After 10 days, it was really nice to come home. Not so much to return to real life, but it was nice to sleep in my own bed, cook my own food, and actually do laundry!

Playing catch up!

So here's a really quick rundown of why I haven't posted recently!

For October, I left the hubby at home and went to Florida with my sister Becky and her family, and my parents!

So, looking back through my photos, we had a major fail at getting a group photo!

Here's some of the highlights!

 Here's my niece and nephews by the Mickey statue at the Shades of Green Resort- where we stayed.

 At Epcot at the Morocco pavilion...meditating :)

 Gorilla's at the Animal Kingdom- I asked Josh if I could have one as a pet and he said no! Maybe one day...

 A toy soldier by the Toy Story ride in MGM

 Me on a roller coaster- I pretty much love them!

 We went to Cape Canaveral

See? I was there too!

 We went on a shuttle simulator and I thought they were going to shake me to death!

 We went to Cocoa Beach- here's my Momma and Daddy

 See? I was at the beach too! I didn't swim because I felt really crappy that day

One of our last mornings, Ratheyon hosted a free breakfast for our resort!

The next morning, I got into a cab at 4:30 in the morning, caught my flight to Atlanta at 6:30, barely made my flight there to get to Phoenix, and met Josh in Phoenix! That'll be the next post!

SoJo 5k

I'm trying to get back into running, but it hasn't been easy. Between shin splints and temperamental knees, it's been an adventure.

 Earlier this summer, my sister Karalee convinced me to run a 5k with her. Easy peasy right? Yeah, well not running consistently for 3 years, kinda hard when I can't even run 1/4 mile... but I did it! 

This past Saturday, along with my parents and sister, we ran the SoJo 5k, with pretty much by best time ever!

Kari and I ran together - I'm on the left- looking like I just rolled out of bed (which I did) and she's on the right (looking like to professional runner!)

I had to pass the finish and loop around a park before I was done. Right as we rounded the corner, my dad entered the finish! Not an intentional shot, but great!

My familia at the end. My Dad, me, Becky (she did the 1/2 marathon), my Mom, and Karalee

We missed you Livvy!

I just need to work on getting my other sister Olivia to run with us in the next one! Hmmm, what other 5k's can I do before the season is up?

Or I can just train for next year...As Becky would say, I think I've caught the running bug again!

Let's hope it stays around this time!

Oh and before I forget, this 5k marked another milestone.

 My dear, sweet Momma- this was her first 5k. 

Don't get mad at me for this!

My Mom this past year decided that she was tired of being overweight, so she changed her whole lifestyle.

She's lost 30 pounds or more the old fashioned way- she watched what she ate and worked out- like gritted her teeth and sweat the pound off work out.

I'm so proud of her, and she's still goin' and shedding that weight!

Here she is 1 year and 3 months ago at my graduation and here she is this past weekend:

  

You're an inspiration Momma, you look beautiful!

Love you

Mouthwatering!

I'm not gonna brag, well okay maybe a little...

Want to know what I made for dinner tonight?

It started with sauteing some asparagus - seasoned with garlic salt and pepper, with a splash of olive oil.

I got fillet mignon from the store- used a splash of olive oil, then tenderized with salt and pepper (it was already tender, but what can I say, I like my cow to moo a little bit and since I don't have a grill, stove top had to work) 

Hollendaise sauce, how I like thee... (My husband says I should only love him, so I 

REALLY 

REALLY

 like this sauce :) Love you babe

And this was the finished result. 

Fillet Mignon with asparagus, drizzled with hollebdaise.

The fillet was so tender and mouth watering, no steak knife was required. 

The asparagus was crunchy but tender at the same time, cooked to perfection. 

The hollendaise just tied the whole package together nicely.

What do I want to venture into next?? You'll just have to tune in to see!

Oh, p.s. I'm getting my hair cut tomorrow.

Here's the grand before shot:

I need something different, you'll see tomorrow!

What do we really eat???

I have started a new initiative the past week or so to be conscientious of what I am eating. It's a semi-diet, but more of a lifestyle change.

Before you read on, I just want you to know this isn't going to be a post of pro-organic this and that. While I think some things are good organic, I can't justify the price to myself when the un-organic product is basically the same.

Here's what I've been focusing on...Cutting out high fructose corn syrup and simple carbohydrates.

Sounds easy huh?

Well, I'm coming to find out it isn't!

Turns out high fructose corn syrup is in almost everything!

Take for example to 2 picture below:

 
Which do you think is better for you?
...
Did you guess the Greek? You're right!
The original yogurt contains high fructose corn syrup, as well as the 'light' yougurt contains that AND aspertaime. Neither one are good for you.

Whereas, the Greek doesn't have either one, is Gluten free, and is made from cows milk that hasn't been treated or any additives....uh...added.
(I know that sounds so educated coming from a college grad, but I couldn't think how else to say it.)

When I went up and down the grocery store aisles yesterday, I became rather educated. Most everything that is 'reduced fat' or 'fat free' has either aspertaime or high fructose corn syrup in it to enhance the flavor.

As for the simple carbohydrates- these are simple sugars that once ingested convert to glucose if you're lacking..or fat if you have enough glucose. So, I've cut out the sugary cereals, mac and cheese, white bread, and other things. Complex carbohydrates are still good though: whole grain breads, potatoes, and a few other things..

My meals now take more preparation and planning, but I'm feeling better about myself and I feel healthier.
Hopefully I'll keep it up.

If you have any recipes or food products that you like and are healthy, please share!

Polenta....

How I love Polenta! 

For those who don't know what polenta is. It has the consistency of grainy mashed potatoes. 

It is creamy, soft, and rich delicious goodness.

It melts in your mouth, and is very basic. It takes on the taste of what you pair it with, therefore it is versatile and goes with almost any type of food.

So, did you see the picture just above? I tried making polenta tonight. It looked nothing like the picture shown above. I didn't take a picture because it was such an epic failure, but it looked something like the picture shown below. Which one would you like to eat??? Yeah, I'd like to eat the top one as well.

 

So, anyone have a yummy polenta recipe that is edible? If so, I'd like it. 

Pretty please? 

Also maybe what to cook with it?

Eat Pray Love...

I went and saw the movie Eat Pray Love for the second time this weekend, oh how I love that movie! I started reading the book as well and I'm loving it! If you haven't seen the movie, it follows this sequence: Liz Gilbert 'Eats' her way through Italy, 'Prays' in India, and finds 'Love' in Indonesia. I definitely identify with her segment of Italy when she goes to her Italian language class. Here's a little excerpt:

"The interesting thing about my Italian class is that nobody really needs to be there. There are twelve of us studying together, of all ages, from all over the world, and everybody has come to Rome for the same reason- to study Italian because they feel like it. Not one of us can identify a single practical reason for being here."

I love this quote because it is SO true. While I was in Siena, I attended language, culture, and cooking classes at the Societa Dante Alighieri. One of the hardest and best experiences of my life. There were 4 other people in my class- all from different walks of life, but with the same idea. We wanted to learn Italian- eat, breathe, and live Italian, and it was SO worth it. 

As part of our learning, every morning we had to introduce ourselves and try to explain why we were here. The only person who had a purpose besides pleasure or school, was Sua Lucia- she was a nun from Korea who was here to 'studia la lingua del Papa' - to study the language of the Pope. She was my favorite classmate. Quiet, timid, kind, unassuming, and good. There aren't enough adjectives to describe Sua Lucia.

This was my class (l-r): Tomas from Germany, Sua Lucia (Sister Lucy) from Korea, Pasqualena from Australia, me from America, Laura our teacher, and Jake from Australia

Anyways, you'll probably be hearing more of this book as I read. I know my poor husband has heard so many excerpt he can't keep them straight. Oh how I love anything Italian!

On another good note, I discovered a website tonight that I'm in LOVE with! I discovered it from another blog I read by Kelle Hampton. Enjoy her blog here. Getting back to what I was originally talking about- there is a website called www.shabbyapple.com - they make dresses that are modest- all have sleeves and length goes to the knee. They are of the belief that dresses should not require a cami underneath or a cardigan. How refreshing! You wouldn't believe how hard of a thing this is to find- a modest dress that is chic at the same time! I need to do some online shopping! BTW, they were going to have a sale in SLC this past weekend but the rain cancelled it. Let's hope they have another sale/garden party! So go and check it out!

Overcoming fear...

Yesterday I began a process of overcoming one of my fears.

I have always been afraid and extremely intimidated by GUNS-

well anything that can be deadly actually..

So, yesterday we went shooting with friends!

(This is where I would insert a picture had I remembered my camera)

I was able to shoot the gun my husband owns- I believe it's a Springfield XD subcompact-it's black and has 2 safety's. I like that there are 2, that way you know it can't go off on accident- you have to be gripping the gun for one safety, and pulling the trigger for the other safety.

I was really surprised when I first shot it! It had a powerful recoil. Apparently not as bad as some guns, but it was still surprising. It surprised me so much that I yelled a swear word! Josh was beside himself laughing and I had to agree. Not many people have that reaction when they shoot a gun.

Once the first initial shock was over of how powerful this gun was, I buckled down and prepared for some target shooting. Surprisingly, I was pretty acurate. I was able to hit the bullseye and around it the majority of the time.

I'm excited to go shooting again. I know there's going to be a next time. I'm not afraid like I was. I guess it was fear of the unknown, and definitely becoming familiar with such a deadly weapon. I'm not saying that I'm going to go out and be the next Rambo, but I think if I was being threatened I could defend myself.

BBQ's

One of my favorite things about summer are the bbq's! Last night we went to one of Josh's friends house and had a bbq with good friends! Too bad I forgot my camera, so here are some highlights!

We had ribs! These aren't the ribs we had, but oh they were SO delicious!!!!

So here's a couple of highlights of the night..

Eating delicious food (IF you hadn't guessed that one already!)

Visiting with girlfriends while the husbands played poker outside

Laughing really hard every time Maren snorted :)

Setting off some pretty lame fireworks, but nonetheless having a blast with the sparklers!

The men came inside to play smash brothers, so the women went outside to play blackjack!

(Just guess who one?!?)

Grooved to ABBA while Jamie and Tasia gave us "I think you've lost it" looks!

Seeing a stray bottle rocket, Maren and I decided to set that off...

turns out you're not supposed to be holding the bottle rocket with your hands..who knew!

I was the one holding it, it shot out of my hands and exploded over the neighbor's shed.

That caused many a snort to escape from Maren

I was laughing so hard I cried, then had the hiccups for a long time after

We finally went home around 1am, it's bee a while since I've been out so late!

So much more happened, but I don't remember all the details..

Fun times!

So much time on my hands..

With Josh working the swing shift, it seems that once I'm finished working for the day, I have all of this time on my hands. There are 2 things that I have noticed so far about this extra time:

#1 It is bringing out OCD tendencies and I'm cleaning a lot or doing laundry

&

#2 I'm going shopping so I'm not stuck by myself at my house

From these 2 things I've concluded that #1 really isn't fun and I would like to spend my time doing something else. And #2- while it is fun, this could be a dangerous habit, seeing as I keep finding things to buy :) For example, I had a $10 shopping card to Kohl's, so last night I went and bought some jewelry. Now this example isn't bad because I only spent $4 of my own money. But I have this list of things I would like to buy or replace now that Josh is working again. Because of this wishlist, I'm sure #2 could become expensive and all over a bad idea to be doing this in my free time...ok well not all of my free time, but a girl does have to shop sometime!

So I need some hobbies. Any ideas? Cooking is one- but it really isn't all that fun to cook for just one person. I want to learn Spanish, but do I want to go back to school at nights since I have the time or teach myself at home? Has anyone ever tried Rosetta Stone? Or there's working out- getting a gym membership which would be good, but on the days where I've had a long, hard work day, do I really want to go and beat myself up after work?

One avenue that I really enjoyed this week: I've been making yummy, mostly vegetarian dinners! Here's on dinner that I actually had twice this week! (It was even yummier the second time!)

Mmmm, bruscetta!

I toasted the french bread

Combines fresh tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, and basil and 

let it soak in olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

It was DELICIOUS!!!

Jealous yet? I've decided to make it for a baby shower I'm throwing for my friend Heidi on Monday. I'm a little scared that people won't like it as much as I do, but then I'm kinda hoping they don't so there'll be more leftovers for me!

After this adventurous cooking, I think that's what I'm going to focus on...gourmet cooking! YUM!
If anyone has any other ideas for my spare time to be creative, you're a captive audience!

So proud!

Wow, I'm lame for not being on here in so long! Wow, this summer is going by quick! This weekend, we got to celebrate....wait for it.....Josh's graduation!!! In case you can't read what he's holding, he graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance from Western Governor's University.

I'm such a proud wife! Here are some other people that came to celebrate!

Me of course! We rock the sunglasses look quite well...

Josh's family, ok well 7 other siblings are missing, but there's his parent's and his sister Jamie.

Josh with my parents.

He is now officially a college graduate! Like me! I didn't have a blog when I graduated, so here's a picture of me:

This was taken about year ago.

Being back on the University of Utah's campus made me re-discover something about myself. I miss going to college. I am one of those people who love to learn. Not so much learning about things like math or science, but about people. People in history, different cultures, languages, and so on. I'd love to go back to school to learn Spanish, and I know I will once life calms down a bit. Or will I be waiting forever if I wait for that? We'll see what happens..

Flames..

Last night's dream had me in a panic.... There was a fire that was coming for my house. Firemen were trying to evacuate me, but I was panicking about getting all of my valuable things. I remember that in my haste I was trying to grab my wedding photos, clothing for my family, and food that we would need. I woke up feeling so happy that it was just a dream!

In other news, sorry I haven't posted for a while! Summer is in full bloom and I've been spending any moment I can outdoors. I went rollerblading with my sister Karalee this past week. I don't think I have been since I was in high school! Slowly but surely I became more comfortable and by the end it was such a good workout! Maybe this will be the workout I need to sculpt my legs!

On another note, I've been a reading machine lately! I just finished a book called Fallen by Lauren Kate. It's hard to tell you what it's about, but it's SOOOO Good!!! Nothing deep, but definitely entertaining!

Energetic food please?

Maybe it's because I work at a financial institution that is located inside of a grocery store, but all of my dreams last night revolved around grocery shopping and the shopping carts... Just a little weird!

Onto another note...I tried a new smoothie this morning. So to give you a little background, I have somewhat of an energy challenge throughout the day...my challenge being that I lack energy. So I have been trying to find good nutritious foods that a) satisfy my appetite so I'm not hungry 2 hours after and b) that will give me some good energy to burn, since I like to be out and about doing things while I can. I think my biggest frustration with my lack of energy is that I am a person that likes to always be doing something. If I'm not I feel like I'm wasting my day, and then I feel terrible because I feel like I need to 'Go out and seize the day!' See my dilemma???

So, if you have any smoothie recipes, or any nutritious energy packed recipes, PLEASE give them to me!!!! I'm an adventurous eater, so I'm willing to try just about anything...Case in point: My smoothie this morning was called the 'green eyed monster'. It was made with flax, spinach, banana, and milk. It wasn't bad tasting, but I wouldn't necessarily describe it as good tasting either. Kinda of bland. My hardest part was wrapping my mind around the fact that I was drinking instead of eating spinach. It might have been better had I had the ice that needed to go into the recipe, and if I had had a straw to sip it from. I think that would have offered me less time to pause and think about what I was drinking...instead of chewing and eating...

I believe the flax that I used is a good thing to add to any smoothie for added vitamins and fiber. I absolutely love strawberries, so perhaps I'll pick up some strawberries and peaches to make a smoothie? Sounds like an interesting combo, we'll see. Have a great weekend!!! I'll be stuck inside all day tomorrow at work :(

Movies!

I've made the realization lately that I really like movies. That's what my husband and I do for fun, we watch movies (we do other things too, we're not always couch potatoes!) I had this epiphany this week at work. As my employees were talking about movies and movie quotes, I realized that I knew a lot of them and if they were describing a movie or actor I could name the movie and actor. So, it seems whenever they talk about movies, I'm the first person they ask if they have a question..

So, I am excited and anticipating tomorrow to go and see Toy Story 3! I know it's a kids movie, but I grew up with it, so I just HAVE to go and see it right? See it through to the end?? That's what I'm going to tell myself  anyway. I'll give a report on it tomorrow- I'm going to it to celebrate my sister's birthday.

This brings me to another train of thought-how can one person have just one favorite movie? I have a favorite genre on movies, but as for having just one, there isn't one that sticks out in my mind. I LOVE romantic comedies! I know they are predictable, but they are funny, and they make you feel good in the end (most times). I don't know if anyone else reads this blog, but do you have a favorite movie? And if so, how have you narrowed it down to just that 'one'? I have different movies for different phases in my life, but not just one that stands out.

Disturbing..

I had an absolute nightmare last night. It's been quite a while since I've had one, and I can honestly say they scare the crap outta me! Who likes having nightmares anyway? That's the reason that I don't watch horror movies or anything disturbing- because of my insanely vivid imagination.
So onto my dream... Someone was trying to murder me last night. I know you hear about these dreams where you drown or have that falling dream that makes you come awake, but this one beats all of those out of the water..
It was dark and I was in a room with stream and all sorts of pipes- I'm thinking it looked a lot like a boiler room. It was really dark and I was fighting a person hand to hand combat style. I was all sweaty and bloody and so was he. He was choking me and I was gasping for air. At this point I remember the feeling of pure determination that he wasn't going to win. I was going to fight. Fight to survive. If that meant killing him, so be it.
At this point I woke up gasping for air, because I realized that I really hadn't been breathing.
This nightmare provoked other thoughts...should I take a self defense class? I think karate would a fun way to get in shape and learn how to defend myself. Has anyone else out there had a nightmare like mine? any recurring nightmares out there?

Ch Ch Ch Changes..

So I've decided to make some changes here! I've wanted to have a blog for a long time, and I thought my dreams were going to be a good topic, but it seems like my sub-conscious has another idea. I haven't been able to remember my dreams no matter how hard I try. So this blog will chronicle my dreams, but I'm going to write other tidbits on here.
Here's a random tidbit that I'm proud of. I have a herb garden on my kitchen window sill. And get this...IT's ALIVE and GROWING! I always thought that I would kill things, but it is extremely fulfilling that they are actually growing and thriving! I am currently nurturing: Basil, Thyme, Oregano, and Parsley. If I can keep herbs alive, maybe I'll be able to keep other things alive??? Perhaps an actual child one day? Okay, I'm joking about that, I know I'll be able to keep a child alive, plants are somewhat more fragile than a child...
Well, now that I feel the freedom to write other things on here, you'll be hearing a lot more from me! Cheers.

Pop quiz...can you name those herbs???

Happy June!

I know it's been awhile. Honestly I haven't had any memorable dreams until last night. It seems like I had all these crazy dreams at once, so I created this blog, then I don't dream at all. Is it too much pressure??? jk

So last night's was especially weird. It involved me, Al Gore, and Hillary Clinton- played by Amy Poehler from SNL! The couple things that stand out to me:

- Hillary Clinton said she was from Sandy, Ut and I could aspire to be just like her..and that Bill had been the governor of Maine before he was president....
- Al Gore told me I REALLY needed to do more about global warming... and last but not least..
- My whole dream was in black and white..

What does all this mean? I don't know, but I woke up entertained and that's what's most important. Have any of you ever dreamed in black and white?

I woke up this morning confused. I wasn't sure what day it was, what time of day, or what was buzzing under my head...

All I remember about last nights dream are 2 things..

Yeah, that's right. Ninja's and weddings. Not my wedding, but that's my favorite wedding picture so I wanted to post it!

So since I don't remember much about my dream, I'll tell you briefly about my day. I had work off yesterday, which was a very nice thing! I feel like all I do now is work, so it's nice to sit back, relax, and breathe. 

I went to lunch with my mom, which was delicious! If you haven't been to Paradise Bakery, you really need to try it!!! After lunch I went back to my parent's house and relaxed with my mom. It was nice. We started talking about her upcoming trip to Florida with one of my sisters and how my skymiles are about it expire...unless I use them! So, I might be going to Florida with them! We'll see what happens, I'll keep you posted. But for now....it's off to work I go! Talk to you later!