words of our tune

Bread

2012-02-05T14:35:00.001-08:00

So I've been exchanging bread recipes with a lady in our ward. I gave her our recipe and then she found a much better one. It's so yummy and doesn't take FOREVER to make, like mine, due to a 3 to 12 hour "resting" period. It's fast, so very moist and just fantastic all around. I wanted to share the goodness, along with my changes which I have found make it better, according to Michael and I that is.

No - Fail Wheat Bread

5 ½ cups warm water

~~2/3 cup honey~~ (1/3 cup honey or brown sugar)

2 tablespoons dry active yeast

~~5 cups whole-wheat flour~~ (4 cups whole-wheat flour & 1 cup rye flour)

2/3 cup canola oil

1/3 cup gluten flour

* 1 cup powdered dry milk

~~2 tablespoons dough enhancer~~

Combine the warm water, honey or brown sugar, and yeast. Let sit for 5 minutes until bubbly. Add the remaining ingredients, mix, and let sit for another 5 minutes.

Add the following ingredients and mix in a bread mixer, or knead, for about 8 minutes:

~~2 tablespoons salt~~ (1 tablespoon salt)

2 cups white flour

5 – 6 additional cups of whole-wheat flour (adding just enough; till dough pulls away from sides of bowl – dough should be a bit sticky, moist).

After kneading, allow dough to rest for 10 minutes. Turn oven on to warm for 2 minutes (but no longer) and place a shallow pan with hot water on the bottom rack. Grease hands, counter-top, and 4 to 5 loaf pans (depending on size). Form into loaves and place in pans. Place pans spaced evenly on the middle rack in the oven and let rise for about 15 to 20 minutes or until doubled.

Turn oven on to 350˚ F, leaving bread and pan of water in the oven while it warms and then bakes. Including the pre-heat time and baking time, bake for at least 30 minutes but no longer than 35 minutes.

Remove from oven, remove loaves from pans and place on a cooking rack. Brush tops with a little butter. Let cool. Enjoy!

* The original recipe does not call for any dry powdered milk but it's something I like to add.

Birthday Breakfast

2012-02-01T15:06:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday Michael!

Today is Michael's 29th birthday!

Since I have to teach this evening, we decided to do birthday breakfast instead of birthday cake, which is probably equal in sugar to cake, so it all worked out. Anyway, just wanted to post a picture of the birthday boy. Love this guy!

And the verdict is.... BOY!

2012-01-23T20:52:00.000-08:00

I'm not exactly sure what to write about, except that we are thrilled! We would have been either way of course, but it's just exciting to know.

For some reason knowing the gender of the little one inside of me makes him seem more real. I don't really know why, I mean, I've heard his little heartbeat a dozen times now, but maybe it's because he won't be referred to as "he/she", "baby", or just plain "fetus" anymore.

He! Him! Boy!

Thank you technology and baby boy for not being too shy!

(P.S. Don't let him know when he's older that I posted these pictures online, he might get embarrassed.)

The ultrasound tech said everything looked great as far as she could tell and that the doctors would double check everything.

And, as requested, the proof that he is definitely growing.

I'm already wearing maternity jeans, much, much more comfortable!

Time to plan and prepare! Mostly, I'm excited to start decorating and making boyish things...

Pickles

2012-01-12T21:00:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow marks 18 weeks and about a week left for you to vote on gender if you haven't already!

Every week I look at babycenter.com or another similar pregnancy website to see what's happening inside. It's just so exciting; like being part of a science experiment first hand! And I'm pretty sure I felt the baby move for the first time today, well first time that I was able to notice that is. Is it less exciting with number two and so on? I hope not.

Anyway, according to the previously mentioned pregnancy websites, the babe weighs about 7 oz. already, and from head to rump is 5 1/2 inches long! About the length of a pickle! I can't believe it, I'm growing a pickle... I mean a baby. How crazy is that? I'm so crafty ;)

Christmas and New Years

2012-01-05T08:52:00.000-08:00

Christmas Eve was:

Tutus

A wild Maddox white elephant game (stealing, trading, bartering & crying included).

Crazy hats

Coconut shells... and an iShuffle (which I miraculously ended up with at the end).

Toilet paper (which Ashley un-miraculously ended up with in the end :).

Lots of "girly stuff"

Justin Bieber

And Angry Birds.

New Years was:

Grandma Iverson's blue ribbon cabbages (that's a small one).

Games

and of course snowmobiling, movies and a stop in Oxford to visit Grandma Fisher, which I didn't manage to get any pictures of apparently.

It was so nice having Michael home for a whole week!

Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and New Years too!

Birthday Crepes and Christmas Ornaments

2011-12-13T09:34:00.000-08:00

Michael made me some birthday crepes for breakfast on my birthday this month, which also happened to be Fast Sunday. Good thing we're expecting again and I was able to eat them!

Yep, we'll be 14 weeks this Friday and everything seems to be going well so far. We've heard the heartbeat three different times and they say it sounds strong. As of right now our due date is June 17th. So now we begin the guessing game. What do you think it will be? Girl? Boy? We'll find out mid to end of January.

We also picked up a Christmas tree from Costco last week and we were pretty excited about it.

Once we took the twine off the tree, the boughs stayed up for a while because it was so frozen. It eventually looked like a pretty tree though...

We had to cut an inch off the top since it touched the ceiling.

Although the ornaments may be a little sparse I really love them. My ornaments are my grandma's and mother's old ornaments, some handmade. I love them.

I especially like the horses.

But our favorite is the lone sheep.

Merry Christmas!

Thanksgiving in Buffalo

2011-12-05T10:43:00.000-08:00

For Thanksgiving Michael and I went to visit my brother Quinn, sis-in-law Jamie and their fam in Buffalo Wyoming (a small town in northern-central WY). It was a fun little getaway and for Jamie and I it was really our first time doing all of the cooking, but I think it turned out great! We had a HUGE turkey (I think it was 26lbs) for us four adults and four kids. We even made Grandma's, grandpa's famous family stuffing recipe (that there isn't actually an exact recipe for) and all the other fixins'. Oh yeah, and they guys helped a bit too :)

This little girl is FULL of personality.

Best game ever.

The dogs wore each other out.

We also went for a walk/sledding. We went out to the police shooting range with Quinn, and I think this was probably the highlight of the trip for Michael, played with the kids, and relaxed... it was great!

I had some pretty good shots.

There were also some neat old planes so I took some pics for Michael.

Michael insisted that he killed "Crazy Eddie" at least 10 times.

Anyway, we had a lot of fun. Thanks for having us Quinn and Jamie!

Our Northwest Vacation

2011-11-06T09:40:00.000-08:00

Through five states and way too many gas stations, here's a picture synopsis, with some captions, of our trip.

Multnomah Falls

It was beautiful - and a great stop after an 11 hour drive.

Washougal, WA to visit Michael's Aunt Rebecca, Uncle Dane and family.

Lots of people + the group Pink Martini + Starbucks hot chocolate + a borrowed sign to capture Clara = Occupy Portland.

We ate. A lot. This is at Rebecca's favorite place to get dessert, Papa Haydn's. It was amazing.

The view from the Jones's backyard:

Pretty much we want to live here now.

We also attended three of the kids soccer games Saturday morning, learned a new card game and a trampoline game :)

Oh, and Lily went CRAZY here (yes, we brought her, cheaper to take her then leave her), she loved it. So many new smells!

Next was Mt. Rainier. I love driving and hiking around this place.

San Juan Islands, Seattle/Pikes Place

Michael's first ride on a ferry.

So this panoramic has serious flaws since we were on a moving ferry, but you get a feeling for what the San Juans are like from it I think.

Lily was scared of the seaweed drifting in the water... until she ate it.

At this beach I turned around to look at Michael holding a piece of kelp, which was everywhere. He called it whale sperm.

I think we should have a summer home here someday.

Pikes and the nasty gum wall.

Snoqualmie & North Bend

The Falls were so misty it felt like rain, and I looked like I had been walking in heavy rain by the end. They also had some cool old trains in North Bend.

Lastly, Spokane/Cour d' Alene to visit my old roommate Angie, her husband Sam, and their doggy Tundra who thankfully wore Lily out after hours in the car.

Didn't get many pictures here, unfortunately I was coming down with a cold that went full force the day we got home so it was a good thing we left a day earlier than planned.

Thanks for having us and showing us around Rebecca and fam, and Ang and Sam!

Fall

2011-10-01T19:06:00.000-07:00

LISTEN!

The wind is rising,

and the air is wild with leaves,

we've had our summer evenings,

now for October Eves!

Humbert Wolfe 1885 - 1940

Oh man! I love this season! Just some Fall happenings to share:

Hikes, in abundance, of course.

Pine Hollow with Christina and Juel (unfortunately Juel had to take off early).

How to get a Christina girl to hike:

Attach her to cousin Juel's two strong, beautiful huskies :)

Thanks for coming Christina and Juel!

One of our newest fav's - Cascade Meadows. I put together two pics, one from the beginning of the summer and one at the end. Look at all that snow!

In some places the grasses were thigh high!

It was really fun watching Lily jump like a rabbit over the grasses.

And of course, football games.

This was at the Utah State vs. BYU with friends Melissa and Daniel.

I had to represent, although I have to admit it was fun seeing BYU win this game.

It was a really good game.

Healing Field

2011-09-14T10:54:00.000-07:00

Michael and I attended a 9/11 memorial in Sandy. As expected, it was bittersweet and I was choking down a few tears. You could feel a sense of the great loss among the representation of so many flags but there was also a kind of reverence or harmony with others who were there, doing the same thing as us, reading the bios and showing their respect for those who were lost and for those who gave their lives helping and serving.

I only wish there hadn't been booths selling bracelets, books and flags with loud music playing - it was like a tourist booth at a cemetery - you just DON'T do that.

"This magnificent display commemorates the tragic loss that took place 10 years ago with a display of more than 3000 American flags—one for each victim."

"The 2011 Utah Healing Field Memorial will feature the dedication of a new, unique monument titled, Hope Rising. The monument consists of a magnificent 9ft-tall bronze statue that depicts the three firemen who raised the American flag at Ground Zero, after the attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City. This monument will stand as a permanent reminder of a day we should never forget. It will serve as a fitting memorial for those we lost in the attacks of 9.11, and have since lost in the war on terror. Most importantly, it will stand as a symbol of the hope we felt on a day we lost so many… yet stood together."

Presented by: LHM Charities | Larry H. Miller Family
IPM, Inc. | Ralph Dlugas

On each flag was attached a short bio of a different person, one for each of the 3,000 flags.

There were so many flags.

The bronze memorial along side the photo that inspired it. The memorial was made by a local artist in Kearns, UT.

It's titled "Hope Rising: To Lift a Nation"

Bear Lake

2011-09-10T09:56:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I've posted some of our recent adventures. Like many, we've been busy this summer, but we try to get out on the weekends. Our Bear Lake weekend was probably one of the highlights of Summer 2011.

We were lucky enough to stay at a cabin of our friends' friends on the East side of the lake. Not only was it nice to have a place to stay for free, but also, since the water level in Bear Lake was so high this year, there weren't any sandy beaches on the West side this year that I could see (the West side is usually where my roomies and I would go during college and there were a lot of sandy beaches on the West side to choose from then) but there were plenty on the East.

Well, enough talk. Here's our pics from the fabulous weekend. Thanks again to our friends the Allreds for sharing it with us and making it such a great weekend!

We did actually get in the water, but these were my favorite pictures. We really enjoyed walking down the beaches.

This was our view from the cabin. Beautiful!

We also spent some time at Bloomington Lake. A gorgeous glacial lake nestled into the mountains, rope swing included. It was SO much fun. The guys were definitely the show for the night, making sure everyone knew that 'the way to do it' was of course, to let out a long howling yodel while swinging out over the lake. According to the local crowd, Michael A. won the style points (yes, he's upside down on the rope), and Michael I. won the distance points.

What a fantastic vacation. On the drive home we drove through Logan Canyon and I so wanted to get out and play. I miss it. Maybe someday we can live in Logan again. Here's hoping!

So here's the deal

2011-09-09T08:56:00.000-07:00

Almost four weeks ago to the date, I had a miscarriage. The reason I am posting about this is to share our feelings, our perspective and to let those who knew about it, and those who didn't, know we have an optimistic outlook. I feel it's always better to share your experiences and be open so that others might learn or know or understand. I didn't know much that happened with a miscarriage, and I probably still don't, but I do think it's important enough to share my feelings about it.

To recap, four weeks ago we had a miscarriage. It was our first pregnancy and we were at 13 weeks when it happened. At 13 weeks you are supposed to be out of the "danger zone" (as I have termed it recently), so, like anyone who's had a miscarriage, we were surprised. I'll spare you from the details (if you want to know those you can call), but in short, I wasn't quite sure what was going on at first. It happened on a Saturday and as such we were only in contact with the on call doctors who talked with me throughout the day. From start to finish, from few symptoms to the actual miscarriage, it lasted from about 10am to about 11pm. Fortunately, everything went as it should have and I did not have to make an emergency room trip due abnormal bleeding (something the doctors told me about in case I did).

The next Monday we met with one of our doctors who talked with us and asked about the miscarriage. He decided not to do an ultrasound (although he still gave us the option) or a D & C (if you don't know what that stands for, like I didn't, this has nothing to do with scripture, it's a procedure to gently scrape the uterine walls free of left over tissue) since the events during my miscarriage went exactly how a 'textbook' miscarriage should go. He felt, because of how I felt and what had happened, that I likely had a complete miscarriage in which the D and C would not be necessary.

We feel (including the doctor) that although I was 13 weeks time wise, developmentally the embryo/fetus was no where near that according to the amount of tissue that I passed (sorry if that was too detailed for you). It's likely that there was little to no development at all except for the uterus. As to why it happened at 13 weeks, I like to think my body was trying to hold to it.

I (we) really feel that my body was doing what it was supposed to do and I'm glad that it didn't happen any later or with a fetus that was actually developing. I know miscarriage can be a very difficult thing for women, and men, to deal with. Sometimes I have felt guilty because I was not really upset. However, for our circumstances, we haven't been terribly distraught, probably due to our perspective and hope, but mostly we were only disappointed. It's hard to be pregnant one day and not pregnant the next without having a new baby in your arms. It's the excitement you had that is still there even after you miscarry, even though you know you're not pregnant anymore, that is hardest to deal with.
But even with that, we really are okay with everything that has happened.

I am not going to stop being excited. I am not going to stop pinning baby nurseries on Pinterest. I'm not going to stop preparing. We have faith and hope. Like I said, we are optimistic but it's just going to take a little longer than we had hoped.

The doctor told us we could try again after my next menstrual cycle. I have never been so eager for my period to come in my life.

A Call for Comments

2011-08-18T21:31:00.000-07:00

"Ollo!"

Apparently our blog has a comment malfunction. I really like getting comments and now I have no idea if you've tried to comment in the past. So, to fix this, I have changed our comment settings in hopes that it will now work. However, I am not super optimistic that my changes have made a difference...

Therefore, if you read this post, I would really appreciate it if you would tell me one of your favorite movie quotes or, if you can't think of one, tell me what your favorite type of toothpaste is and why.

I'll assume if I have no comments in a week from today that it's still broken and I need try something else.

Thanks for your help!

Madi & Rhyan

2011-08-14T20:23:00.000-07:00

This post is for you Jessie (aka momma Iverson). We took some pictures since you weren't able to make it. Unfortunately we didn't get pictures of everyone (my stomach took over my brain during the lunch-in) however someone, I think cousin Tiffany (?), has them:)

It was a beautiful day.

Ace of Parades

2011-08-04T09:43:00.000-07:00

Have you ever heard of "That Famous Preston Night Rodeo?" Well, even MORE famous than that rodeo is the famous Preston parade that precedes the rodeo, three nights in a row.
The parade is a pretty good sized parade, but it's still a "hometown" type parade, which are my favorite. In fact I think my favorite "hometown" parade was probably the Buffalo WY parade (I don't really remember why, but it just sticks out in my mind for some reason). However, the Preston parade is a close second. Maybe it's because of who you spend it with (since that's what I have pictures of from the parade) and that there are less people? Which means more candy and chocolate milk?

Well, whatever the reason, we enjoy them :)

Before everyone else arrived. You can see uncle Kurt's office in the background. Uncle Kurt was the parade's director this year.

Paul, Aaron and Tandy, and fam arrived just in time for the chocolate milk truck to come through.

Nora was REALLY excited! And her excitement paid off with a lot of candy being thrown her way. If you want candy at a parade, bring kids! Glad Michael captured her mid-air.

After the parade it was back to Mink Creek. We love this peaceful place and wished we could have stayed longer to enjoy the stress-free, quiet countryside visiting with family, but such is life.

We'll be back soon Mink Creek!

Tastebuds' Party

2011-07-20T11:44:00.000-07:00

The other day my co-worker made an AWESOME salad for taste testing at one of our classes. She apparently got it from another lady who used to work in the office and I, of course, followed suit and took a printout of the recipe for myself, along with a sample to take home for Michael, secretly hoping he wouldn't like it so that I could eat the rest of it. It WAS that delicious!

So here it is, I'm sharing it with all of you and if you make it and by some ridiculous taste bud malfunction you find that you don't like it as much as we did, well I'm sorry, but I don't think it will disappoint. I'll use the phrase Michael sometimes states that "it was a party in MY mouth". So refreshing! A perfect, filling, summer salad. YUMMM!!!

Southwestern Cracked Wheat Salad
1 cup cooked cracked wheat*
1 (4oz) can diced green chiles
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 medium red onion, finely chopped
1/3 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1 (15oz) can black beans, drained & rinsed
1/2 cup jicama, peeled and diced

Dressing:
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 gloves garlic, crushed

Combine dressing ingredients in a small jar or bowl and mix well. Mix remaining ingredients in a large bowl (if you like, you can add up to 2 cups of cracked wheat for more salad that's just as tasty). Pour dressing over salad ingredients. Mix well to coat and chill well before serving.

~ I think adding corn and topping it with some fresh avocado would be delicious as well! We served it with corn tortilla chips on the side. ~

* Toasting the cracked wheat enhances it's nutty flavor.

Toasted Cracked Wheat:

1 cup uncooked cracked wheat
1 tablespoon oil
1 1/4 cup water
1/2 teaspoon salt

Bring water to a boil in a kettle or small saucepan. In a separate, larger saucepan heat the oil over medium heat. Stir in the cracked wheat and cook, stirring frequently, until the grains are slightly browned and toasted, about 2 - 3 minutes. Carefully add the boiling water (it will splatter some, so be ready for it). Stir in the salt and return to a boil. Turn the heat to low and cover. Cook until the water is mostly absorbed and grains are almost tender, about 6 - 8 minutes. Turn off the heat, leave the lid on and let steam until tender; about 10 - 15 minutes.

Fourth in St. George

2011-07-06T09:47:00.000-07:00

I love the Fourth of July; it's probably my favorite holiday. Who can resist the fireworks, water fights, family and friends, barbeques and America the Beautiful? It's just great, and this year we met up with my brother and family at my parent's home in St. George. We spent a lot of time outside, in the water of course, and enjoying the festivities downtown. Here's what we did:

Making noodles with grandma

The driving range

Flip flop tan

Kali and Lily

Even at night it was still about 80 degrees

Small town parades are the best

Sand Hollow was probably the most fun

Kaelub

Even Lily dove in

Kyla likes to pose for pictures

We finished the night off downtown watching the firework show with every other person in St. George at a small park, probably more crowded than Sugar House! It was crazy. Fun weekend though. Hope you all had a great Fourth of July too!

Ma Doggy

2011-06-28T17:57:00.000-07:00

We never had a dog growin' up. I can understand why. There were six of us kids and we had a lot to do: soccer practice, school, scouts, friends, music lessons, etc. We were supposed to help around the house, but lets be honest, when you ask a ten-year-old to mop the floor, it only ever gets done half-way at best--and that's with someone standing over them pointing out all the spots they missed. Bottom line is the house was busy enough and mom didn't need one more mess to clean up or mouth to feed. Thus, no dogs.

However, despite my parents best efforts to ingrain in us that dogs were messy, annoying, stinky, and generally not worth the time; I have come to the conclusion, after getting one of my own, that dogs are messy, annoying, stinky and generally awesome. This is ma doggy: Lily

Sunbathing in the morning light.
Giving us this pouty face... which she has perfected, I might add. Anytime she wants food or to go outside and play. She just walks up, sits at your feet and gives you this face--bottom lip sticking out and all. Manipulator.
Game face--she's spotting birds.
Wet...
There's only one thing going through her mind right now: "I'ma dog, I'ma dog, I'ma dog, I'ma DOG!"
"Squirl!!"
Good roommate. That's Julia's brother's pup that we were dog-sitting for a couple days.
She can fly. That is a blue buoy on a rope that she loves to chase.
Lounging--this is how she usually sleeps.
Loves giving kisses.
And... Entitled, thinks she is a human and gets her own camp chair.

I'll take the mess, the annoyance, the stank; having a dog is awesome.

Dresses for Haiti

2011-06-15T16:07:00.000-07:00

Do you remember a while back when I posted about my mom's dresses that were being taken to Haiti?

Mom's Humanitarian Efforts

Well... here is a picture that was sent to her of some girls in Haiti wearing dresses made from the pattern she created. She didn't sew these ones but they are her pattern! Pretty cool huh!?!

My New Logan Canyon

2011-05-29T10:14:00.000-07:00

We got out for our first climb of the season yesterday with our friends the Allred's and it felt SO good to get back on rock! We went up Rock Canyon in Provo to a spot called "The Wild." It's a bit further up the canyon where there are less people, although it is a pretty popular spot, but it has some fun, short routes. I didn't realize how much climbing there is in Rock Canyon, and I think it might be my new Logan Canyon... just not as big, or as beautiful or... It's good none the less. Anyhow, I'll let the pictures tell the rest :)

Just arrived and looking at the guide.... for Red Rock Canyon in NV. Oops.

Good job Brittany! I think it was her first time climbing outside and she did great!

This little girl was really good... This will be our future daughter someday.

Brittany and Eli.

Michael telling stories.

Stinking cute little Eli.

Lily made a lot of new friends.

Michael Allred climbing "the Congo."

I don't know that we could have spent our Saturday in better way. I think this is going to be a good summer for climbing! I can't wait.

"How long can you tread water? Hahahaha"

2011-05-28T19:37:00.000-07:00

I'm beginning to think we may need to build an ark... it won't stop raining (hense the title of this post from Bill Cosby's Noah story)!

"And you got it rainin'
It's not a shower is it?
Ok Lord me and you right
'Cause I knew it all the time"

Well at least we were able to get in a little adventure in between, and during, the rain.

Yesterday we headed up AF Canyon to camp with friends again. When we left, it was dry, a little cloudy, but seemed fine...

It was pouring rain by the time we reached the campsite and we were drenched within a few minutes. However, at least one good thing did come of our deplorable circumstance... While we were pitifully standing by the fire under heavy rain, with umbrellas, feebly trying to warm ourselves, a guy (about my age) walked over to our fire and asked if he could join us. Of course we obliged, and introduced ourselves. We found out he was traveling from Virginia to California, wanting to make a change in his life and "turn over a new leaf" as he said.

Soon into our conversations he found out we were "Mormons" and started to ask about the church, a lot about the church... and he was told a lot. Of course the Book of Mormon was talked about, and how it is "another testament of Jesus Christ," of Christ's visit to his "other sheep" (John 10:16 And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd). Interestingly enough we found out he already had a Book of Mormon (he had bought one randomly with a bunch of other books on sale), but it was home in Ohio...

Well, after sharing, talking and soaking in the rain, he was invited to our friend's home to warm up, play games, and have un-soggy smores. While there he taught us how to play the game euchre(?), which we really liked, and which is apparently a big deal in other parts of country. He was of course given another copy of the Book of Mormon and our e-mails/phone numbers if he had questions, and we invited him to read it. He seemed very open and interested in learning. We're hopeful that he wasn't just being polite but that he might actually take the challenge in James 1:5 and ask God:)

It was an unexpected evening that we felt fortunate to be a part of.

It's so, so close!

2011-05-16T12:49:00.000-07:00

This weekend, just like the last two weekends, Michael and I gathered together with good friends and family around the campfire. We've decided to try and set our own record and see how many campfire weekends we can do in a row. We're pretty excited about our silly goal, but determined as well...

On our way up the canyon for the second night of the weekend, I was losing a bit of my enthusiasm as rain clouds drenched our windshield. "Wasn't it sunny a half an hour ago?" Man, are we ready to be done with this bipolar Utah spring weather already!

Luckily Michael wasn't as easily swayed, nor were our good friends the Balls. We met the Lyle his two sons, Jeremy and Nate up the canyon, and found ourselves a spot. Since it's early in the season, we decided on car camping at a camp site. However, after finding out how much spots cost now, we probably won't be doing this again. We'd much rather rough it than spend $16 a night + $6 for any additional cars! Ridiculous!

Soon after arriving, the rain stopped, the sun peaked through the clouds, we set up the tent and got the fire going. It ended up just being the boys and myself (the other ladies couldn't make it), but we thoroughly enjoyed relaxing in A.F. Canyon.

It was really a great weekend, productive (lots of spring cleaning at the casa!) and relaxing:) So ready for the Summer months-o-fun!

The first night.

Heading up the second night. Lily get's way excited... she just knows when we're going.

Michael and Lyle. (Still learning how to use our new camera. Sorry about blurry people and focused tents :)

Settin' up!

Jeremy

Still loves hatchets and knives.

Playing with camera settings... pretty good!

She thinks she's a human. Probably cause she's spoiled... we don't have kids yet ok!

Nate. He didn't like getting his picture taken.

Toasty mallows.

Playing with the camera again...

Reading Patrick F. McManus. It's an Iverson tradition. Maybe I'll post a story sometime.

Morning sunshine. It's really wasn't that cold at all... we slept in the back of Ruby the Subie and were really warm!

This is how funny Patrick F. McManus is...

Opinions, Fads and Facts...

2011-04-29T10:14:00.000-07:00

Last night Michael and I attended a nutrition class that I was really looking forward to by a local presenter about eating intuitively, and was based on the book Intuitive Eating by Evelyn Tribole & Elyse Resch... and about eating whole foods. I imagined it would be very beneficial for me personally and professionally. Unfortunately it wasn't quite what I'd expected.

The presenter had some great points. I love the intuitive eating concept of truly listening to your body, your own hunger & fullness cues, and about eating whole foods. Also, it's true that the word 'exercise' for some has a negative connotation, making some feel they've got to go to a gym, sweat it out, do something really hard and wear spandex in order to 'exercise.' Like the presenter said, this is not true. Exercise can be a hike, a jog through a beautiful park, playing with your kids, walking your dog, going for an evening bike ride with your spouse... even cleaning your house! Just find something you enjoy.

Another great point, health isn't just the physical, but also emotional, social, mental and spiritual. All of these are important to overall wellness.

However, there were certain concepts shared by the presenter that I HAVE to disagree with, and sitting still and quiet during this presentation was extremely difficult while internally I was battling my urge to stand up and shout!

Consequently, as a health educator, I feel responsible to help people know the most up to date, most valid and correct data and health recommendations. Therefore, since I felt it would be impolite and inappropriate to speak up during the class, I am writing this post to clarify, according to the best of my knowledge of current health.

First, whole foods are great, but just because you consider something a 'whole' or 'natural' food doesn't mean that it's going to be healthy for you.

The example: Butter & coconut oil. The presenter said she eats butter and coconut oil, a lot, that 40% of her diet is from fat (current recommendation is 20 to 35% of your daily calories from fat), and that they are 'whole foods.' Sure, butter and coconut oil may have some healthy properties, but they still have a good amount of saturated fat, meaning they can contribute to atherosclerosis, possibly leading to cardiovascular disease which is the number 1 killer in the U.S. Although this doesn't mean you need to eliminate butter and coconut oil, moderation is always a good thing, and limiting such fats is probably going to be beneficial.

Better options: olive, canola, grape & flax seed oils and other heart healthy oils. Also, tub margarines made with no trans-fats, such as Smart Balance, are great alternatives if your looking to cut back on saturated fats and cholesterol.

Next, evaporated cane juice, granulated sugar, brown sugar... sugar is sugar, sugar! Brown sugar does have a few more nutrients than your regular granulated sugar but your not using for the nutrients, your using it for the sweetness! So, get your nutrients from the 5 a Day vegetables and fruits, whole grains and dairy that you are supposed to be eating and stop worrying about sugar. AND, for your information, the agave nectar that you claim to be a much healthier and 'whole/natural' sweetener actually has more fructose in it that high-fructose corn syrup (read this article if you don't believe me)!

I felt there was too much promotion of the fad 'raw and whole foods' diets rather than the more doable current recommendations. Whole and raw foods are GOOD, but not everyone can and should afford to a diet of entirely raw foods, and like previously mentioned not all are the most healthy choices.

My advice: Stick to the dietary guidelines... Eat whole grains as much as possible, vary your fruits and vegetables, get calcium-rich foods, and go lean with protein. Limit saturated fats, and strive for healthier monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. And, MOVE YOUR BODY the way you enjoy to get exercise.

If you've made it to the end of this long post, thank you for reading and letting me vent a little. I hope you may have learned something from my rant. If you want more information, check out these websites:

MyPyramid.gov

WebMD Healthy Eating & Diet

Kids Health.ORG

Find healthy recipes at our Food Sense blog:

Cooking It's a Snap

2011-04-26T14:08:00.000-07:00

For Easter weekend Michael and I decided to get out of the crazy weather (sunshine, freezing, snow, sunshine, warmth, cold, rainy... seems to change every 10 minutes) here in Utah County, and head down to St. George to spend time with my mom. We arrived late Friday and spent Saturday and Sunday out in the sun:) Here's what we did:

Saturday morning we perused the St. George Art's Festival in Downtown St. George.

In the afternoon, Michael and I spent a few hours at the pool (the original plan was to make use of our new bouldering pad, and go climbing at Moe's Valley, a cool, seemingly hidden, valley of rocks and fun trails... but either we were too excited to get on the road or too tired Friday night that we both forgot our climbing shoes). The pool was really nice though, and we enjoyed i,t so much so that we forgot to take pictures.

Lily was all tuckered out from playing with her friends over at the Firehouse dog park.

Later in the evening, we went off to Cottonwood Cove Park. We weren't expecting to have as much fun as we did at this cool park with a very unique playground (not just for kids).

Michael was given some pointers for this contraption, and after a few minutes o'fun, he almost threw up his dinner.

Mom and I had fun on these flower pod spinning chair things... (?) They were pretty fun, but kind of hard to stop spinning!

Easter morning was very peaceful and we enjoyed church in my parent's ward. When speaking about being a disciple of Christ, a speaker quoted a short poem by Ralph Waldo Emerson that I've always really liked, it says:

"What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us"

It was an inspiring message he shared with us.

We then prepared and shared a small Easter dinner together before Michael and I had to pack up and head home. Short but sweet weekend/holiday getaway.

What's Your Fever?

2011-04-21T07:36:00.000-07:00

Michael finished the Salt Lake City Half Marathon Saturday with a time of 1:44:36, surpassing his time of 1:51:-- only a month ago. There are a lot of people who run the Salt Lake Half, which starts at the Olympic Bridge up by the U and ends at the Gateway Shopping Center. At the finish there are crowds of people cheering you on for your last sprint of the race. It's really fun, and Michael really liked the run.

Michael's view of running has changed since we started to train together for his first run, the Snow Canyon Half, a year and a half ago. He is getting the "running fever," and is looking forward to his next race (the Ragnar Wasatch Back Relay with a work group (so not fair, I want to run this one too)), has been looking up new shoes and running gadgets online, and said to me at one point, "I think I can call myself a runner now."

I'm working my way up on the mileage as well and Michael has been great motivation. You can never get enough of it right? A sister missionary at church gave great advice on Sunday, she said: "Don't take council from your fears, take council from your hopes." This is motivational to me as well; I think it's a great philosophy to live by.

Getting ice on his knee

Victory! (Rubio's hooked him up with free race entry and shirt that said on the back "Ask me how to get a free fish taco."

A little more than halfway down the picture...

Mmm... chocolate milk recovery

Good Job! (Sorry, no fun signs from Nacho this time around.)

Life is Beautiful

2011-04-19T16:16:00.000-07:00

After getting her tonsils out last September, my mom found out she had a type of skin cancer in her throat, and had to start extensive treatment with radiation and chemotherapy for about two months. During this time she had to deal with the symptoms of such treatment and was given almost all of her food through a tube to her stomach. Because of the treatment she almost lost her voice, can taste hardly anything, has no saliva, and lost a lot of weight (she's a size 6 now!), causing her to feel even more weak.

However, as some of you know, my mom had her PET scan a week ago to see if the cancer in her throat was gone. We are so happy to say SHE BEAT CANCER!!! Even though the symptoms haven't all gone away yet, and some won't, she did it! It's gone! Well, at least it's in remission and we hope it stays that way. My momma is one tough lady, and I'm so glad... but we had a lot of help too.

I want to say thank you to all of you for your concern and prayers. It REALLY did help. I truly am humbled by how much service was rendered along with the fasting and prayers. I know that it made a difference during her treatment (the doctors were surprised how well she was doing) and now her results and recovery. We are so blessed. We are so grateful for a loving Father in heaven, for his plan, which is beautiful and simple. And especially this time of year and always, for our Savior Jesus Christ, who lives, and made it possible for us.

Thank you.

pRojEcTs... large and small

2011-04-08T16:32:00.000-07:00

I've been asked to post my recent projects. So, this post is for my past year of "stuff" that I've been working on.

About this time, one year ago, I made a fun little skirt. Many of you have probably seen in this picture from Michael's graduation:

About the same time I made my new church bag, which is not so new anymore, but I still really like it. I think I need to make another. This was a little more work than I expected since you have to add all the iron-on-fleece inside and the lining... worth it though.

Between the bag and the next projects listed, I made four adult aprons and three children's aprons, which I don't have many pictures of... but here is a Christmas Day photo of a few of them:

More recently, I have been trying to make the place look a little nicer, and a little less country, which is the style of almost all the furniture that has been given to us. I'm not complaining, I am very grateful to have the furniture, but I needed to change things up a bit to hopefully make the country styled furniture less country. So, it's true... I painted again. Here's the newest look:

First, new pillowcases I made with fun fabrics for our decorative pillows:

I REALLY loved this fun bird vine fabric (KAS Austrailia Richloom Linen Blend in Amethyst).

I also used one of the fabrics to cover our standing lamp.

New paint colors:

MUCH better! The yellow walls from the previous painting weren't working anymore.

Also, I have been inspired by a new blogsite: www.modpodgerocksblog.com . They have some really fun and unique projects that they list daily... here's my version of mod podge rocks:

My Easter decoration. I don't love how the center turned out, but really like the fabric, mod-podged frame.

Oh, and I've had fun making these little flower pins as well. This was my St. Patrick's Day flower:

Sadly, I wish I had more projects to post that I would like to have had done, but they are still in the works... tunic dress, quilt, table/dresser runners, wall art... don't know if I'll ever have time to get them all done, especially since life always gets busier. And we don't even have kids yet! It's they way it goes.

Actually, he did catch a leprechaun ...

2011-04-01T13:55:00.001-07:00

... On Saturday March 19th, Michael ran 13.1 miles in order to catch this leprechaun:

It was Michael's second halfer and he did AWESOME! Michael was able to beat his first halfathon time by 20 minutes with a time of about 1:50 (I was a little slow catching the finishing pic).

The race was in Saratoga Springs and it was a really WINDY and cold day.

Luckily, Michael had two fantastic supporters to cheer him on at different points of the race. Juel, Michael's cousin, and I showed up around mile 4 holding a very empowering poster to boost Michael (and other runners) onward:

(however, I only got a pic of it after the race)

We had a few runners clucking their wings at us as they ran by...

At mile 8, we saw Michael again, looking pretty strong and still smiling. It wasn't till mile 11 that he looked a little tired. So, we made sure he knew we were still rooting for him with our next sign:

I'm not sure if there are very many half marathoners, if any, who get nipple chafing, maybe a few, but we did get a lot of cheers back for the sign anyways... one guy even flashed us with his taped nipples (yikes!).

As Michael came around the final corner and saw his time I don't think he believed it at first but took off for a last 50 yard sprint through the finish. It was great to be there and share the experience... I think I almost have as much fun cheering as I do running the half marathons! The next half for Michael is the Salt Lake in April and then we're running the Bryce Canyon Half on July 16th. Sign up and come run with us!

Leprechauns Day!!

2011-03-26T19:57:00.000-07:00

March 17, 2011

Since I was a kid, St. Patty's Day has always been known as Leprechaun's Day. Why? Cause that's when the leprechaun's come, of course!! It became tradition, in my house, to build a trap for the leprechauns so that we could catch one and get our wishes granted (or at least get his pot of gold, if nothing else). We quite enjoyed this tradition and it is one that my siblings and I carry out to this day. In the years past, they have posted about their various traps, and each year they get more and more elaborate. One year, one of my siblings made an Irish Pub that had a trap-door floor. Another year, we made a spring box... or a slide (I cant remember) that sent the leprechaun falling into a bear trap (the ones that look like big sharp jaws). Maybe they get a little sadistic... but we've been getting desperate. We've never caught a leprechaun. They always trip the trap, but all that gets left behind is their pot of gold. "Hold it right there!!" you might say "a pot-o-freakin-gold??? That's awesome!!" ...There's a catch. Its fake... It looks like gold but its really just foil covered chocolate coins. They MOCK US!!! So, you cant blame us for going a little overboard. So... this year, Aaron made a floating pub... or something like that. I couldn't quite make it out in the picture he sent me but the caption was "we've gone airborn."

As you must imagine, I couldn't be outdone. So this is what I did... I sent in The Jimmer. Who could resist "The JIMMER." Here's how I lured them in...
By the way, now would be a good time to give you some lessons on how to build a leprechaun trap:

Lesson #1: Leprechauns LOVE green stuff. So, if you're making a leprechaun trap, be sure to lure them in with all the green stuff that you can find in your house.

If there isn't any green stuff around, free autographs and pictures with Jimmer Fredette works just as well. Silly Tre'von Willis, no one can resist The Jimmer!
Then, when the leprechauns see that Jimmer is giving away "FREE HIGH FIVERS!!" they're trapped. They walk up to Jimmer, give 'im the good 'ol "good game man! you're my hero!" high fiver and the trap falls on them and they're stuck their till we find them in the morning.
For extra precaution, we left Lily on guard behind the trap to make sure they couldn't escape. She looks awfully ferocious. However, in the chance that the leprechaun's escaped both the trap AND the dog, we posted Jimmer at the exit (in full Halo gear and with two automatic riffles) to make sure they couldn't get away.
There has never been a better, more sophisticated, more fool proof trap made. It would've made Artemis Foul weep in awe.

...when we woke the next morning, things were different. We noticed that the leps (short for leprechaun) hadn't played their usual tricks: the milk wasn't green; there wasn't green, silver, and gold colored candy all over the house; the toilet water wasn't green; they didn't even leave behind a box of lucky charms! ...like I said, something was different. The trap was tripped, so we went to investigate.

Lesson #2: You must always assume that you've caught the leprechauns--they're extremely sneaky and devious; very fast too. Be careful with how you uncover the trap else he/she might escape.

Back to the story... the trap was tripped and there wasn't a noise coming from it. There was, however, the trip stick (the Jimmer high fiver) sticking out from under the trap, so we slowly pulled it out from under the trap... and thats when we saw it--lipstick... all over Jimmer's face. We threw off the trap--no leprechaun. Just a green, jelly bean covered cake that said "Pot-O-Gold" and a note beside it that read... "you got Jimmered..."
Dang leprechauns... I'll be waiting for you again next year.

Viva... VIVA... LAS VEGAS!! (sung in overexaggerated Elvis voice)

2011-03-23T22:01:00.000-07:00

March 10-12
Mountain West Conference Tournament
Las Vegas, Nevada

"Viva... VIVA... LAS VEGAS!!"

For two days straight, the little red bouncey ball in my head kept pouncing on these four little words. And the problem was that I kept singing them... in the most ridiculous variations of Elvis Presley impressions. Here's all the fun we had.

We pulled into SpringHill Suites in Vegas late Thursday night in great anticipation of the complimentary breakfast the next morning (I love complimentary breakfasts). The place was great; I've never seen a complimentary breakfast so packed. There was a line about 30 people long--it's always the waffles that holds the line up. Anyway, we grabbed a little extra because we knew we wouldn't be near civilization for lunch (a couple of apples, a banana, bagels, etc.). The BYU vs. New Mexico game was at 6:00pm so we had all day to play (climb) in Red Rocks. We drove about 20 minutes west of Vegas to Red Rocks Canyon where I was told, by a jerk of a park attendant, that they don't accept "plastic" for park entry fees. I angrily drove back to an ATM that charged me out the wazoo to withdraw some $. I was later informed that all Vegas residents are that cranky, even when they're happy--I just assumed that he was angry because he has a job that pays him minimum wage to collect park fees from a bunch of climbing bums, foreigners, and fat tourists all enjoying themselves and he has a mortgage on a house that is valued at less than 50% of what he is paying for it. I'd be cranky too.

Here are some pictures of Red Rocks:

This place is really cool. Massive red rock formations and endless climbing.

We found some folks that had already set up ropes so we climbed on them. It's a good thing too because we (I) quickly discovered how out of practice I was... as I struggled my way up a 5.7!!!!!! REALLY!!! I was climbing 5.10s in the gym the week before! What's up with the wussy 5.7 attempts outside??? I have a climbing motto that I got from my older brother, "Don't Suck." Well... Oops...
This is "Panty Wall" where we climbed. Not nearly as exciting as the name might imply.

After the climbing, I went to the BYU vs. New Mexico game--it was one of the best games I've been to all year. Jimmer dropped 52 points and laid the smack down on New Mexico. It was one of those games where you are jumping to your feet, to either cheer or yell at the refs, the second you sit down. Awesome game. BYU fans chanting until they drowned out the NM fans; even during their fight song--a little unsportsmanlike but still pretty fun :) It was a zoo of angry and elated fans. Awesome game. BYU moves on to the tournament championship game the next day.

The next day we fought for our complimentary breakfast again. There's something fun about a pack of tired and hungry people fighting over the last yogurt. Projectiles range from muffins and bananas to plastic forks. We escaped unscathed.

We walked the strip for a little while, making sure to stop by the M&M store. We also stopped by the Belagio. I love the water fountains--I could watch them for hours. Its incredible! We also went inside the Belagio and found some cool stuff. Cue the pics:
These were cool. The arches over me are made of water... but it looks like glass! Sounds like a good time for an episode of "Good Idea, Bad Idea."

Good Idea: stop and LOOK at the cool fountain arches.
Bad Idea: stop and TOUCH the fountain arches.

...me and several passers-by got a little wet...

Anyway, continuing on, there was also this very cool picture (it was huge) made of flowers.
And, there was a tasty looking, artistic chocolate waterfall.
This post is getting way too long so I'll just finish it up with this...

We went to the BYU vs. SDSU game that night; it was the MWC championship game... and we lost. My reaction...
It was lame... but at least we Jimmered New Mexico the day before. That's all I really came for. Winning the championship would've been icing on the cake, but oh well--you win some, you lose some. At least there was an awesome sunset when we walked out.
As we drove home, I turned to Julia and said, "what if you made a spoonerism out of Las Vegas?" after which I proceeded to sing "Viva... VIVA VAS LEGAS!!!" all... the way... home...

Last Game of the Season

2011-03-07T17:10:00.000-08:00

As part of Michael's job he normally has to work during all of the BYU basketball games, at the game, and has really long hours on game days. As such, Michael's co-worker's gave us a special treat for the last game of the season and gave Michael the game off. We invited our good friends Jill and Lyle Ball and their son Jeremy who turned 12 that day. It was a great treat we were able to give him for his birthday, and it was a ton of fun watching the basketball game, even though we were almost deaf after sitting right in front of the band (man those drums are loud)!

Whoosh!!!

Notice the drums...

Yep, relaxin' at the game.

The look of wonder and awe.

BYU won the Mountain West Conference

Jill, Lyle and Jeremy Ball

Jeremy is already a ladies man (p.s, Rachel, the cheerleader in the middle could seriously be your sister... she looks so much like you)

Ready, set, SNOW!!!

2011-02-23T21:09:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving and Christmas have come and gone, New Year's too, and even Valentine's Day... but none could compare to Michael's favorite holiday of the year. Snowfest. Yep, you probably didn't know it, but Snowfest happens to fall on the weekend of President's Day and lasts the entire weekend. We celebrate Snowfest up in Mink Creek Idaho(always pronounced crik no matter who you are) where the adventures are limitless. The festivities consist of games, sledding, eating, making "What'cha Got Ice Cream," watching movies, snowmobiling of course and new to this year, Finish style saunaing (Michael's uncle went to Finland on his mission). Everyone gathers at grandma's place and at Uncle Kurt's place for the non-stop party where it's almost a guarantee someone will get hurt, something will get broken (don't worry nothing serious, but we may need to start signing waivers before attending), and you will have a blast. Here's proof...

Getting ready to take off on the first ride of the weekend.

Really, really cool snow cave we stopped at.

Snow cornice at the top of the cave's opening.

Can't wait to visit this cave for climb during the summer!

One really happy snow-dog. Lily chased the snowmobile sledding shuttle up and down the hill.

Happy kids' sledding carnage.

Watching the onslaught of sledders.

I really like this nonchalant picture of Christina sledding... "yeah, it's just what I do" is what it says to me.

A New Favorite!

2011-02-10T16:26:00.000-08:00

When I'm off at work teaching "Menu Planning and Shopping" I often will talk with participants about trying new recipes. Most want to add new recipes to their pot since often times we all cycle through the same 14 or so every two weeks. I'll usually suggest having one "New Recipe Night" on their menu plan once a week or every two weeks, since trying more than that can be exhausting due to the reality that new recipes just take more time, sometimes use ingredients a person has never tried before, and unfortunately, they often make bigger messes because of the unfamiliarity.

Admittedly, I haven't tried new recipes every week myself... or every other week... sometimes monthly, but I am working on trying a new dish weekly as well. I guess you could say it's my new goal. That is as long as it doesn't cost us more money:)

This week's new recipe turned out to be pretty fantastic and I thought I'd share. It's from the Williams & Sonoma Salad cookbook (thanks Melanie!).

P.S. I didn't have any orzo pasta in the house so I used Acini De Pepe instead.

Chicken & Orzo Salad
2/3 c Pesto
2 T. White wine vinegar
Salt and freshly ground pepper
2 T. Olive oil
3/4 lb. Orzo pasta
1 lb. cooked chicken, shredded or in bite size pieces
1/2 lb. Cherry tomatoes
6 oz. Baby spinach

1. Make the vinaigrette
In a large bowl, whisk together the pesto, vinegar, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and a pinch of pepper. Gradually whisk in the oil until smooth.

2. Cook the Orzo
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add 2 tablespoons salt and the orzo. Cook, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking, until the pasta is al dente, according to the package directions. Drain, rinse under cold water, drain again. Add the orzo to the vinaigrette and toss evenly to coat.

3. Assemble the Salad
Add the chicken, halved or quartered tomatoes, and spinach to the orzo and toss gently to combine, then serve (we actually liked it better a little be warm).

Enjoy!

What is Your Celebrity Hairstyle?

2011-02-04T08:43:00.000-08:00

I have been debating whether or not to make some changes to my hair...go lighter? Go darker? Keep it short? Grow it back out? These are my musings. Recently I have found out there is a website to help people just like me with these extremely important decisions. You can upload your photo and try on different celebrity hairstyles. You can even change the color of your skin tone, lips and others. Michael has been out of town the past two nights and during my moments of boredom I have wasted a little too much time playing with my "celebrity hairstyles" and have found that I am more confused than before, but at least we can all get a good laugh from it. You can try it out for yourself at one of these websites:

http://www.instyle.com/instyle/makeover/
http://www.taaz.com/

The Angelina

The Underwood

The Parton

The Gaga

The Perry

The Obama

The Palin

The Rihanna

He's a super man!

2011-02-01T09:10:00.000-08:00

Michael woke up this morning a year older, wiser and even more handsome than he already was... today is Michael's 28th birthday! Here's a review for Michael's 27th year:

February 1, 2010, yep on his birthday last year, Michael started his first "real job" as he calls it.

February 14, 2010, our first Valentine's Day

April 2010 Michael and his brother Aaron walked the walk - (graduation, Michael finished Dec 2009)

June 10, 2010 we moved into our own place.

June 2010 went canyoneering in Southern Utah for the first time with the fam.

July 19, 2010 Michael got his first dog.

August 20, 2010 We had our one year anniversary.

August 2010 Michael got his second, and best yet, wedding ring (we lost the first in a lake in Idaho)

August 2010 Michael met his goal for work

September 2010 Michael, with buddy Shane, kayaked down the Provo River.

September 2010 Michael watches the Belagio fountains live for the first time

September 2010 Michael get's an iPad

October 2010 bought our new, used, Subaru.

November 2010 Michael "becomes handy" (see previous blogs)

November 2010 Thanksgiving in Alpine

December 2010 Michael got two new callings in church: ward chorister and stake sports director

December 2010 Michael gets a new macbook

December 2010 Drove to Houston and then Argyle for Christmas (we vowed to fly from now on)

Year 27 was GREAT and I think Michael's 28th is bound to be even better! Have a wonderful day Michael, you deserve it! Love you!

Cancer Update

2011-01-10T15:24:00.000-08:00

My mother is finally going to be done with treatment, hopefully for good, after 10 weeks of chemo and radiation. The doctor told her last week that she is doing very well considering the type of cancer she has and treatment she is going through. Thankfully she still has her voice (unexpected) and is still able to eat some food by mouth (also unexpected). The doctor also said he believes she will not succumb to cancer and will live to an old age. She finished her last chemo today and continues radiation until Friday. The radiation will continue to build in her body for two more weeks until finally it will start to decrease. The past week, however, has been the most difficult for her thus far and the effects of treatment are really starting to wear on her physically and mentally. This Sunday we are going to have a fast for her that she might have the strength to get through the next few weeks and that the PET scan in April will show that the cancer has gone into remission. We appreciate all of the prayers, care and concern that you have shown and want you to know that your faith has helped her to do as well as she has. Thank you.

A Lone Star Christmas

2011-01-06T17:09:00.000-08:00

Michael and I spent Christmas in Texas this year... I mean last year.... spending time with my brother and his family and all of Michael's siblings, nieces, nephews and parents. First, we drove to Houston. Not a drive I would recommend unless you plan for a stop-over... which of course we did not. We arrived late in Houston and spent a couple days with my family going to the park, eating (what else do you do in the fat capitol of the U.S.?) and playing Mexican Train and other fun games.

The next day, Christmas Eve, we drove four hours up to Argyle TX (near Dallas) to Michael's parent's place unbeknown to them (except for Momma Iverson since she found out about the whole plan accidentally the week previous). We gathered with Michael's siblings till the coast was clear (clear of Papa Iverson that is) and rushed to the house to surprise Michael's sister Christina . Then we all huddled around the Christmas tree until Papa Iverson showed up and was blasted with shouts of "Merry Christmas!"

It was a fantastic Christmas filled with family, games, gallons of homemade root beer, presents, love, treacherous roads, stinky diapers, a scary dog, Christmas stories, vomit and... we'll skip the rest.

Anyway, thanks to all of our family and friends, even those we didn't get to see this Christmas, we love you all and are so grateful for your love and friendship!

Gobble Gobble Turkey Squable!

2010-12-01T08:25:00.000-08:00

I can't let November pass without making some sort of Thanksgiving post...

This year Michael and I were to celebrate the holiday with my family. We decided to have it at my grandparent's place in Alpine make it easier for my mom since my parents are living there while my dad is working and mother is going through her treatment. After having all of our awesome traditional Thanksgiving dishes (my favorite being the yams, stuffing, and cranberry salad), my brother Quinn's in-laws came over for the blessing of Quinn and Jamie's newest, Kolton. Then we gathered together to have pie and desserts and all the yummy things the kitchen could hold, which was a lot, and then played rummy of course.

When the Thanksgiving festivities were done, we went home to get some rest for Friday. No, we weren't going shopping. There is no way you get me to wake up at 4 am to go shopping with the millions. BUT, I will get up early to go snowshoeing... which is how we spent our Friday. Unfortunately it was short since I was becoming deathly ill and completely lost my voice the next day, but we had a great time.Thanks to everyone for making Thanksgiving fantastic!

Pictures from the festivities, unfortunately none from snowshoeing. Sorry, posted a lot so family can copy them.

I was in charge of the pumpkin pies this year.

Shelby, mom and I.

Michael and I before the festivities.

Makayla is quite the character, especially for the camera.

The kids always love Michael

Afton, Gage and Chase holding lil' cousin Kolton for the first time.

BYU cousins Dana, Andrea and Jokke

Eating dinner

Kids Gage, Makayla, Conner, and Chase.

Lil' baby Kolton in his blessing outfit Grandma made for him.

Caught this candid shot.. Quinn, Kolton, Makayla, Mom and Dad

My mom is amazing, can you tell which one she bought and which ones she figured out on her own how to make?

The Cougars are Out

2010-11-23T18:43:00.000-08:00

Last weekend Michael's parents and siblings, Christina and Daniel, came out for a quick visit. We had a lot of fun with them perusing REI, seeing Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows, doing a little clothes shopping and, of course, going to the BYU football game where Michael was able to bring Steven (Papa Iverson), Christina and I down onto the field for the 4th quarter. It was a lot of fun watching the plays from the field, especially since BYU won, and Christina nearly caught a player who was barreling towards us! ;) For all the fun we had I somehow only managed one picture out of the weekend, oh well, at least it's a good one! Thanks for coming guys!

If you want to do something... do it.

2010-11-16T21:16:00.000-08:00

Michael and I watched this video, a "Best of Youtube," and we were amazed. What an inspiring story about how much one man's life was changed by deciding to just DO IT.

Home

2010-11-08T09:28:00.001-08:00

Now that I'm on the subject of home improvements I have to post on the status of our house.

When Julia and I found our place, we loved it. She had one condition though and that was "we have to paint." The place was perfect, but since it was in the basement and had little natural light, it needed to be lightened up a bit... From the moment we moved in, Julia was hunting down color swatches, books and websites--matching this color with that--comparing ten different shades of yellow or green or blue or orange or turquoise... etc. Finally, when the purples came out, I had to put my foot down. It was only after Julia had taken stacks of color swatches from Home Depot, Lowes, Sherwin Williams, Kwal, and any other possible paint source that we finally settled on a set of colors. We had the colors made; we tried them out; and we hated it...

Square one... We took the paint back to Home Depot and, after several more trips, finally got the color to where it was decent. Here is the end result... And we love it.

(Before)
(After)

(Before)(After)(Before)(After) - White cabinets with new bronze hardware--all Julia's idea = AWESOME. Also, notice the far left cabinet--we turned it into a display cabinet--Julia's idea also.

(Before)(After - a nice little accent wall)

2nd Bedroom (Before)

2nd Bedroom (After)

Master Bedroom (Before)

Master Bedroom (After - it's called Outback Green [greenish olive] with and oatmeal white below the chair rail--all Julia... she's good.)

Master Bedroom

That about sums up the virtual tour. If you'd like to see any more, you'll just have to come visit :)

Looking at all of this, I gotta say that I have one incredible girl. She painted pretty much the entire place... I taped a couple of spots here and there until we realized that when we took the tape off, it ripped off the paint layers underneath and ruined everything. So we stopped taping but Julia kept on painting. The place looks fantastic now and finally feels like home.

Next project, the stinking laminate shower...

Yes! I CAN!

2010-11-02T20:19:00.000-07:00

While I have been called many things in my time, no one has ever accused me of being "handy." In fact, I have always sadly considered myself as one of the least handy people I know. I don't enjoy wood work--I'm too impatient. If it can't be fixed with a big hammer or a good, quick 5-minute stare down, I might as well break it in my awkward attempt to fix it and throw it away. In fact, most of the time, I'm just good at demolition--that is, if it doesn't involve any more precision than hitting a bag of sand with a sledge hammer.

Ok, maybe I am not that neanderthal, but still I ain't never considered myself "handy" ...until today.

Yes, yes, my friends, I have finally begun to travel that long road to having all the answers, becoming all-wise, and being able to fix just about anything... as is any good future dad's responsibility to his kids. And, incredibly, it all began with a simple bathroom fan. I will remember this day for the rest of my life. This is my story:

We have... I mean had a really crappy, really loud bathroom fan. In fact, it was so loud that every time we turned it on, the people above us must have thought we were running a lawn mower in our bathroom. Please observe...
Finally, Julia and I were fed up with it and decided to do something about it. I gave it the good 5-minute stare down, searched online "how to fix a bathroom fan" and watched a youtube tutorial. I was convinced it would not be an easy job... being that all the tutorials showed me how to do it with plenty of attic space. About all I had was a 10 inch square space and no idea how to get the existing fan out without putting a hole in the ceiling.

Anyway, about seven trips to Home Depot later (ok, maybe more like three) I was convinced I could maybe do it with a lot of griping, some mumbling, getting mad and finally fixing it after I had broken something else in the process...

And, in actuality, I did break something--the old fan as I ripped it off its hinges which were nailed to a 2x4 supporting it. Not a huge loss since we were replacing it anyway. The following pictures illustrate a non-sequential series of events leading to the cleanest, most problem-free fix-it job I have ever done.This did require a little bit of drywall cutting--it was fun and surprisingly easy.
Finally, three trips to Home Depot later, $100, one hour, a few borrowed screws (because I didn't want to make it four trips), and whole lot of aluminum tape, I fixed the bathroom fan... and I was ecstatic.

I'm handy :)

Some Things Never Change...

2010-11-01T22:30:00.000-07:00

Home

2010-10-31T19:57:00.000-07:00

(Before)
(After)

(Before)(After)(Before)(After) - White cabinets with new bronze hardware--all Julia's idea = AWESOME. Also, notice the far left cabinet--we turned it into a display cabinet--Julia's idea also.

(Before)(After - a nice little accent wall)

2nd Bedroom (Before)

2nd Bedroom (After)

Master Bedroom (Before)

Master Bedroom (After - it's called Outback Green [greenish olive] with and oatmeal white below the chair rail--all Julia... she's good.)

Master Bedroom

Mom's Humanitarian Efforts!

2010-10-14T21:26:00.000-07:00

Go mom!

For those of you who don't look at my parents' blog...

Check it out:
http://maddoxtalks.blogspot.com/2010/10/on-road-to-recovery.html#comment-form

Tibble Nibbles

2010-10-08T16:22:00.000-07:00

Last weekend while the guys (Michael and friend Daniel) fished, I walked and took pictures around Tibble Fork Reservoir. It was a crisp Fall morning and it was so nice to get away for just a bit. I'm so grateful to live in such a beautiful place!

Does anyone know what kind of fish this is?

Rough Waters

2010-09-27T20:29:00.000-07:00

We just found out this past week my mother has cancer and it's been rough. We'll find out more this week about how far it has progressed and what to expect. If you would keep her in your prayers we would greatly appreciate it. Love you all.

We love you mom.

Pine Hollow

2010-08-15T22:19:00.001-07:00

This weekend Michael, Lily and myself went for a hike up American Fork Canyon. The hike is called Pine Hollow and is great all-year long. It's a two mile hike up to the ridge, which was our destination even though we weren't quite sure we'd make it since Lily has never done anything in a four mile increment, and two miles back. Lily, however, seemed to be just fine after getting a big drink a half mile in and loved it... and so did we. Here are some pictures from the short adventure:

On the way up!

View of Timp from atop the ridge.

A cheesy grin for the camera :D

I'm usually taking the pictures and, therefore, not usually in the pics... so I had to get at least one!

On the way down, Lily found the perfect fetching stick and decided to bring it all the way down the trail.

Probably one of the coolest little meadows... especially when covered with snow!

Another pic of Michael and Lily coming down the trail.

Lily was pretty tired by the end...

It's a fun hike! Try it out!

Oh, and I couldn't resist posting one more... BAT DOG!

The Uintas, Revisited.

2010-07-26T20:30:00.000-07:00

So, we may have missed out on the backpacking trip this summer, but we sure didn't miss out on our share of mosquitoes and mosquito bites. This last weekend, Julia and I headed for the hills and ended up in the high Uintas, near Mirror Lake. We were surprised how close it was and how much we loved it. It brought back some good 'ol memories of Iverson family reunions. Cool air, campfires, roasted marshmallows, tin foil dinners, the thick sent of pine trees and mountain air, and endless fishable lakes. Here are some fun pics to document the trip:

After driving around, looking for campsites for awhile, we decided to just pull off the side of the road like many others we had seen--great idea, especially since we had zero cash to pay for a campsite. So, we pulled off the side of the road and found a great spot and Julia made a fire while I set up the tent. Lily...

Side note: It's official, we're sticking with the name Lily despite Aaron's insistence that we name her Trail Mix and call her Mixie.

Lily thoroughly enjoyed herself until she got tired and cold... then she just slept. We ate tin foil dinners, which Julia prepared, and Lily was not at all happy that she didn't get any.

That night, I also showed Julia how to burn your eyelashes off... or at least come real close to it.
The next morning, we used our new Dragonfly camp stove to make breakfast. This is a picture of the stove:
Then we went for a hike around Mirror Lake:

Lily's first experience with water. Everyone was saying that this dog has so much energy that she would wear us out... she may just be a puppy, but Lily threw in the towel halfway around the lake. This is the last shot we got of her before she slept all the way home. If only kids were this easy... run 'em until they drop, tell 'em "shhh!" when they whine, take 'em outside to pee an poop, and then lock them in their kennel when your done :)

Cant wait till Lily is older and stronger so we can go exploring all the mountains. Many more trips to the Uintas to come.

A New Addition!

2010-07-21T13:59:00.000-07:00

As many of you know, and for those of you who do not, Michael and I have a new addition to our family...

We'd like you all to meet our new German Shorthaired Pointer: Lily

She is a lot of fun, a lot of work and we are excited for "ya'll" to meet her :) She is about 7 weeks old and loves to explore. She runs around, wobbles up and down stairs, loves to play in flowery bushes and sleeps a lot... We have started to call her Lily and it's most likely going to stick since we think it fits her pretty well and since she has started to respond to it a little already. However, we're curious about your thoughts for her name. We have made a pretty good list and it is posted on the side bar of our blog for you to vote. Understand, however, if the name with the most votes is not Lily there is no guarantee that we will change her name. In fact, we probably wont, but we wanted to share the name voting experience with everyone because it's pretty fun! Anyway, many more pics and fun adventures with Lily are sure to come. Love you all!

Before and After

2010-06-11T11:00:00.000-07:00

For the past few weeks Michael and I have been refinishing my mom's dining table, which I have been using since I was born, and it's finally done! Of course we still need to refinish the chairs, which is really going to be a pain since my mom put about 10 coats of white paint on all the dowels... Anyway, here are before and afters of the table.

This was the only pre-pic I could find... it's from Michael's birthday but you can see the table in the background.

This is the table now! We stripped the varnish and stain off, scraped multiple layers of white paint off, sanded every piece, stained the wood a dark color (Jacobean), and put several coats of varnish on.

What do you think???

A Memorable Weekend

2010-06-02T17:34:00.000-07:00

A year ago Michael and I decided to get married after spending Memorial Day hiking Lone Peak and enjoying spending time together on our day off. For this reason, we decided we'd better celebrate our one-year engagement anniversary and did so over the weekend.

We had planned to go backpacking in Bryce Canyon, however plans changed, and we found ourselves driving to St. George Friday night instead. The three of us, Michael, Christina (Michael's younger sister) and myself, arrived at my parent's home in St. George around ten thirty pm. Being tired from the drive and having a full day of hiking and visiting with family planned for the next day, we all went strait to bed.

The alarm clock buzzed at six thirty and, surprisingly, I felt pretty awake and alert. We got dressed for the day and Michael woke Christina up while I cooked up some scrambled eggs for breakfast. We left the house around eight and arrived at Zion National Park at nine, flashed our National Parks Pass, and entered the park.

This was Christina’s first time in Zion and we decided we would hike Angel’s Landing since we only had a short time in Zion and because it is a great introduction to Zion National Park. We moved up the trail at a steady pace and Christina was doing awesome for her first time up the steep climb (Angel’s Landing has a total elevation gain of 1,488ft in 2.5 miles). We continued up, twisting around Walter’s Wiggles, stopping at the lookout, and moving on to the chain ropes that lead to the top of Angel’s Landing. On our ascent we seldom had to pause for other people, even though it was becoming more and more crowded, on the popular trail and stopped a few times just to rest. We made it to the top a little while later, Christina quite relieved, and sat down to look at the awesome view of Zion’s dramatic landscape while we ate our granola bars and cheese sticks.

On the descent we vowed never to visit Zion during the summer season again, and especially not on a holiday. Our hike soon became long and frustrating with the stop and go and inconsiderate hikers. After the chain rope sections we finished the hike pretty quickly and jumped on a shuttle back to our car and drove home to St. George. We spent the evening with my mom, sister-in-law Michelle and Ronda and niece Kali making dinner, lounging in the backyard and just enjoying the day.

Sunday we went to my parent’s ward, went on a picnic at Dixie Rock and scrambled around on the rocks, played Mexican Train and watched a movie in the evening.

Monday morning Michael and I went out for a run and then took Christina with us to the pool for a short swim and home again to pack up and leave. On our way back to Alpine we stopped at the Northern portion of Zion National Park, the Kolob Canyons.

The weekend ended quickly but we had a great time and loved spending time with family.

Mommy Raphsody

2010-05-20T15:49:00.000-07:00

For all the wonderful mother's I know! Hope you enjoy this :)

Two Brothers' Walk

2010-04-29T11:54:00.000-07:00

"The sum of the whole is this: walk and be happy; walk and be healthy. The best way to lengthen out our days is to walk steadily and with a purpose."

Charles Dickens

One for Dale... such poise!

There's nothing inside... It's a scam! (joking obviously)

Tandy and I were trying to take this picture at the same time. Maybe we can put the two together?

Say "cheese!" Nora

We were surprised to find it was such a beautiful evening when the ceremony was over.

Ping! Did you hear that? A baseball game was going on at the same time.

Fun with Photobooth

2010-04-05T23:23:00.000-07:00

These are for you Erika. Sorry it took me so long to post them.

Michael the hobbit

I look like a bitter wife in this picture. Haha.

Momma and Papa Iverson and Christina with mushed faces... love it!

This one is great too. Such characters :)

Daniel and Melissa

I had a lot on my mind...

Christina will soon be starring in Avatar II

I love this pic of my mom, her hair is awesome!

Poor Nora, doesn't she look thrilled?

Another fun fam pic

Michael enterained Shelby, Conner, and Makayla

Haha...

Spring Snowshoe

2010-04-03T19:25:00.000-07:00

Being able to work from home occasionally is one of my job's greatest perks and since I was working from home yesterday, I decided to take advantage of the extra time available to me and go for a snowshoe with Juel and Dante.

We went up American Fork Canyon to Pine Hollow. A really beautiful trail any time of the year with stunning views of Mount Timpanogos. The snow was a little crunchy at first until we hiked a little deeper into the back country and into fresh, powdery snow.

Snowfest 2010!

2010-02-27T10:54:00.000-08:00

Valentine's Day weekend Michael and I went up to Mink Creek Idaho for the annual Iverson Family Snowfest! It was an exciting weekend and we had a blast with the fam, snowmobiling, sledding, playing games... As soon as we arrived we went out for the midnight right and hardly took off our snowclothes the rest of the time there. I didn't take a ton of pictures but here are a few.

On the top of "Mt Doom."

Favorite Read of the Week!

2010-02-10T23:24:00.001-08:00

Mark Remy's Rules to Run By at Runner's World

CrEaM of IvErSon SoUp... Condensed

2010-02-04T08:52:00.000-08:00

So much to blog in such little time! Sorry we have been a little neglectful since we have been so busy with all of our responsibilities and Michael getting his new job so I'm going to give you all a condensed blog today.

Happy New Year!
Michael and I decided to sleep in the tent in the 18 inches of new snow for New Years... Surprisingly, I didn't freeze.

A few weeks ago Michael and I went snowshoeing up Dry Creek Canyon with Michael's snowboard and a my cousins sled. After an hour and half we took off the snowshoes, jumped onto the snowboard and sled, and zoomed down the mountain, it was so much fun and we were back down in only a half hour.

Sorry, no pictures for that adventure but we did hike up the Primrose Cirque behind Timp where the views were pretty spectacular...

We received a package in January and we got into a bit of a peanut fight which turned into a peanut onslaught.

I tried to sweep them under the rug... unsuccessfully.

Michael let them know who was boss.

Finally Michael was able to corral them in the corner.

Michael is also teaching me how to snowboard. I got a pair of awesome goggles on sale the other day and we had a photo shoot.

Well that's all for now, I hope you enjoy the pictures and we'll try to keep you all updated from now on! Love you all!

Das Kristmas es güt!

2009-12-27T12:12:00.000-08:00

Well, dear friends, that time of year has come and gone... but now that we're all slowly getting back to reality, here come the posts :)

I'm gonna apologize to all those that did not get one of mine and Julia's ridiculous Christmas cards. I'm sure if you complain to us via the comments, you'll have one comin' next year. It was a bit of a last second thing... we were just taking it easy on a Saturday, when we jumped up and said "let's go snowshoeing! ...and lets take ridiculous Christmas card pictures!!" It was a wonderful epiphany and, as you can tell, we had a great time being as cheesy as possible--count on the quality of cheesiness getting better and better every year. We dream of having all our kids all dressed up in awful Christmas sweaters (in a cornucopia of Christmas colors with reindeer and other such things knit into them) and all of them pulling the good 'ol "two finger smile"--it'll bring tears to my eyes.

(Random picture that we took on the snowshoe hike up to the picture spot--we think we're cute too :)

Christmas was different this year--for once it was tranquil and easy-going. The day before, Julia and I drove down to her parent's place in St. George. Julia was sick with side-effects of an N1H1 vaccine. Ridiculous if you as me--giving free swine flu vaccinations just before Christmas so that everyone is feeling lousy on Christmas day. But, she started feeling better from the moment we arrived.

We spent the evening making gingerbread houses and watching Christmas movies--we were pretty miffed that we didn't get to watch Elf. Anyway, Julia's gingerbread house turned out pretty dang cool...Mine, however... was different... I made the Weasley's house "the burrow" :) It was my first gingerbread house ever.Christmas morning, we woke up late, had a delicious breakfast made by Madre Maddox, opened presents, went for a hike up Snow Canyon, and then went to see Avatar in 3D (AMAZING movie). Oh, I almost forgot to mention that about 2 months before Christmas, we bought our Christmas present: our brand spankin new iMac!!! YEYEAH!

Here's the brief story: the decision to buy a new computer came one evening as we both sat at our computers, typing, surfing, working, whatevering and we were both livid (maybe even almost yelling) at our computers for how slow and frustrating they were. For me, this had been going on for at least a year and a half. For Julia, I'm not sure. But the sad, expensive fact of the matter was that we REALLY needed a new computer... particularly, one that worked.

So, I had been planning, for a few years, on getting an iMac before I graduated in December 09. Then, Apple came out with their new version of the iMac, and I couldn't stop talking about the "introducing the new iMac" video, and how awesome it was. Soon thereafter, I was walking around the BYU bookstore and discovered that they were having some special, tax-free preview night ordeal and that I could get one of the brand new iMacs with a student discount AND zero tax... I gave up fighting against the urge to not purchase it and poof, we have one now! (Does anyone else hear O Fortuna! being sung in the background... ?)

(in Strong Bad voice) "Behold it's majesty and glory"

Here are some pictures from the whole adventure. The first one we got was actually a dud (it wouldn't connect to the internet) so we took it back to the apple store and they sent us home with two keyboards (compensation I guess).

This is totally awesome. The first time you turn on the computer, it opens with this really cool video that gets you all excited that you own one of these awesome machines. The euphoria totally neutralizes the fact that you just gave up an arm and a leg for it :)

So that was our Christmas... and it was güt :) Hope yours was swell too.

O, Little Christmas Tree

2009-12-17T20:40:00.000-08:00

About a couple weeks ago Michael and I noticed a Tree lot selling trees for $14.99. We decided that we could afford a inexpensive Christmas tree and later went to the lot. We found various misshapen, Sparse Pinyon Pine Trees, laying in piles against propped up two by fours... We decided to try our luck elsewhere. We saw another lot down the road a mile or two with trees that looked more like Christmas trees and less like semi-green, overlarge and flattened tumbleweeds. We pulled into the parking lot of Alpine Power Sports, who's owner was selling the trees for $8/foot, and were able to finagle a 5 foot tree for $25. We were pretty excited about our deal and straightaway brought it home and strung the lights on the tree and embellished it with handed down ornaments. O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree, your branches green delight us!

2009-12-06T21:07:00.001-08:00

This past Friday, December 4th, I turned 24. I can't believe how fast life goes by and also how quickly it changes.

This past year I graduated from college, started a new job, met an incredible guy whom I love and now get to call my husband, I have a new name, new signature, drivers license and social security card, and I ran my second half marathon... just to name a few.

I have been so fortunate to have great family and friends who have helped me become who I am today. I want to thank all of you who have supported Michael and I, now, and throughout our individual lives. We truly appreciate your friendship and love.

A few days before my birthday Michael informed me enthusiastically that not only was December 4th my birthday, but also National Cookie Day... I think we will be notorious as the cookie couple for life. He then told me that he was going to make me the most awesome cookie cake I could imagine. He was right. Homemade cookies, brownies and ice cream goodness were all crammed into one birthday cake. What more could a birthday girl ask for? Needless to say dinner and lunch for the next couple of weeks will consist mostly of salad…

After cake we drove to Pleasant Grove to see a Christmas lights display, which was pretty fantastic with music and dancing lights.

Michael then drive us up Provo Canyon and surprised me by taking me to a cozy little cabin at Sundance owned by his boss who let us use it for the night. We went hot tubbing under tall pine trees, and watched a movie by the fire. It was a fabulous night! Thanks hun!

JENGA!!!

2009-11-20T18:55:00.001-08:00

Aaron, Tandy and Nora came over last Sunday for dinner and games. We decided on Jenga and probably had our longest lasting game and tallest Jenga tower yet. I believe it was at least 35 blocks high, and Michael was soo close to making it even taller but disaster happened...

I never thought I would say these words...

2009-11-13T12:21:00.000-08:00

November 7th, I made a breakthrough and ran 13.2 miles...

As the title indicates, I never thought I would ever say those words... or make the following statement: I LOVE RUNNING!

The halfathon was awesome. Julia and the rest of the women started at around 8:30AM near the top of Snow Canyon--beautiful canyon on the northwest side of St. George. Here's the picture. The men were scheduled to start at 9:30AM but I took off about 10 minutes after Julia so I wouldn't be left in the dust by the all the men. I should mention that everyone is timed individually. When you check in and pick up your registration packet (t-shirt, stickers, energy bar, etc) they also give you a time chip that you tie to your shoe--as soon as you cross the starting line, a computer registers that you've started and similarly, that you've finished, when you cross the finish line.

Anyway, my early start turned out to be a great idea because I was flying by people almost the whole time--which, I might add, makes you feel pretty great :) Combine jamin' music, great scenery, and the exhilaration of flying by folks the whole time and you've got yourself a pretty fun run.

I passed Julia at about mile 4, but at about mile 10 I was dying and my pace dropped from about an 8 minute mile to about a 10 minute mile... it was pretty bad. Well... not so bad that I couldn't still kick up a little burst of speed to cook through a slow moving group... :)

I'll cut to the end. The whole race ended with one loop around a high school track with tons of people there watching and cheering. I was surprised that I felt as good as I did (despite my calves burning like whoa) and I was able to finish off the last stretch in a sprint... mmm... yeyeah! Then I went and waited and cheered for Julia to come in--great day, great run... I'm so glad I have a wife like Julia; otherwise, I never would have thought I could do this. She's amazing :)
Next up, two more half marathons next spring and summer in preparation of the full 26.2 miler to wrap up the season--YEYEAH!

Steak and Lentil Herb Soup

2009-11-11T19:25:00.000-08:00

Michael and I orderded food from the Community Food Co-op of Utah last month and we recieved pork chops, ground beef, chicken, eggplant, cabbage, lentils, bread, pears, apples, carrots, onions, and avocados all for $23 dollars, which my coworker worked out to be about half the price you would pay in the grocery store. Pretty awesome. Anyway... I had never cooked with lentils before and decided I had better try since I have about 3 cups of lentils. I was looking at recipes and found a simple recipe and another more complicated recipe with ingredients not commonly used in our house. I didn't want to buy these ingredients needed that I never use so I decided to play with two recipes to make one... and it actually worked fabulously! Michael and dad really liked this hearty soup and I thought it was pretty tasty and healthy too. So here it is:

1 T olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 lg onion, chopped (I used a yellow onion)
1/2 t ground, dried rosemary
1 lb steak (ground beef would work fine too) cut into small cubes
1 qt tomatoes w/juice
2 cups beef broth (or 2 cups water with beef base added)
1/2 lb yams, diced
2 celery stalks, sliced
1 cup lentils (we used brown lentils, any variety should be fine too)
3/4 t ground sage
1 t ground black pepper

2 cups beef broth or water (as needed)

Saute the garlic and onions until onions are tender. Add steak and rosemary. Saute steak in onion mixture until steak is almost done. Add the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil, simmer for 20 minutes. The lentils will soak up much of the juices; add beef broth or water if desired for consistency. Heat thoroughly again if needed. Yield: about 6 to 8 servings. Add salt and pepper to taste.

It's a BOSCH!

2009-10-26T10:54:00.001-07:00

So, the other day, Julia and I went to the Bosch store in Orem full of anticipation... to pick up our brand new Bosch mixer of course. K, I'm not sure that everyone really "gets" how exciting this moment was for the both of us--we were ecstatic. I guess most people wouldn't get all wound up, but we do. Here is a photo journal of the GRAND OPENING.

This was "a real nice feature." Sensible cooking? I have no knead for "sensible" cooking--I'm clearly improper, inappropriate, and senseless when I cook--haven't seen it since...
Cookie Paddles - Haven't used these before, but we straightway put them to work.
We cannibalized our old Boschs for their partsI'm a cannibal... rawr...
And I was pretty excited to test this cookie maker "of amazing-ness" out ASAP, so I threw on the cookie paddles and let 'er fly--two thumbs up.

Next, I made bread... Oh yeah, and we also picked up two huge buckets of white wheat at the Bosch store and made pure whole wheat bread. Yeah, we're domestic... AND sustainable!
...and we haven't bought a single loaf of bread yet :)

Winter is just around the corner... literally!

2009-10-09T09:44:00.000-07:00

Michael and I drove up AF Canyon last Sunday and watched as the rain changed to slush and then snow as we rounded corners and gained elevation on the Alpine Loop. It was so beautiful, I love the serentity the falling snow seems to bring and although I don't think we're ready for a foot of snow on our doorstep, we really enjoyed it and are looking forward to the new adventures we'll have this Winter.

HAHA.. I love it!

Pretty cool... I forgot to turn off the flash

An example of how to catch and eat snowflakes in your car...;)

Will the real Michael Iverson please stand up...

2009-10-08T08:37:00.000-07:00

So, I just want to clarify for anyone that might think that I had a rockin' overnighter in Vancouver with my buddies and wound up drunk and in jail--I'm in Utah and I've been here the WHOLE time. Story follows:

I received a call from G&G Iverson this afternoon (about 4ish) as I was driving to Provo to pick up my wife at a work conference. "Hey!" I cheerfully answered the phone. Grandma gets straight to business and asks me exasperately, "Michael, where are you?"--"Provo" I said. Grandma responds, "Are you with your wife?"--"I'm on my way to pick her up at a work conference in Provo right now" I responded... still cheerful. They cautiously confirm, "so, you are in Provo and you are picking up your wife?"--"yes..." I begin to get a little suspicious. Then Grandma and Gramdpa both begin talking. Apparently, Monday night they recieved a call from me (alegedly) crying and claiming that I was in Vancouver, that I had been partying with my buddies, I was drunk, and I had been encarcelated with my bail amounting to $3,700. Evidently, "I" told G&G not to tell my parents because I would rather tell them myself and asked them to get me out by sending me a moneygram totalling the amount of my bail... Well, G&G didn't tell me much of the details but they told me they began preparing a moneygram. Meanwhile, they also contacted several of the Canadian authorities who informed G&G that it was a huge scam and to cancel the moneygram, which they did promptly. I believe they were contacted a second time by the aleged Michael complaining that G&G hadn't sent the money. Well, you can imagine that G-ma told him where he could go with his scam and what he could do with the money that wasn't coming.

After hearing the story, shocked that I had been identity theftified, I told G&G thankyou for being such awesome grandparents that they would give so willingly if I really were in such a situation, and that in fact, I was really in Provo, that I had not been in Vancouver, and that all is quite well.

I have two feelings following this whole episode:

1) I can't believe that any blankety-blank bleepity-bleepin' PUNK would have the audacity to go after the goodness of my grandparents to get some easy money! They diserve nothing less than a few very swift--and painful--boots to the head and their nose on the wall of a very small jailcell for a few years.

2) Dang, I have two of the best grandparents ever. Love you Grandma and Grandpa. Thank you and I'm glad you got your money back.

Updates from Alpine

2009-10-08T08:35:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted anything on our blog yet, so I figured I'd make my mark; here's a little news from Alpine:

We received our first snow of the year this last weekend--no pictures, sorry--and this means that the G-rents and all will be migrating to the south, St. George, to wait out the winter. This also leaves the house entirely to Julia and I... not that it makes any kind of difference since we will remain in our walled-off portion of the house. It DOES mean, however, that we will get to park our cars in the garage... "and that's a nice feature." No more scrapin' snow and ice off my windshield in the mornin... or freezin my badonkadonk off for the first 10 minutes of my drive to school/work. There is a trade-off though and that is that we'll be snow-blowing the driveway everytime it snows--still, we won't complain.

Also, we have this fantastic hook-up with BYU allowing us to get into every football game... for free! HOT DANG! Actually, I volunteered to work with BYU ISP (international sports properties)--basically it's the athletics advertising agency. Anyway, I met the boss this summer through SumMedia and he liked me, so they have us [yes, I managed to get Julia in on this as well] be the gait-keepers at their corporate hosting tent before the game and during halftime. Basically, we smooze and make sure all the corporate partners that should be getting in the tent for a nice catered meal and snacks are getting in. It also means that we play bouncer to all the loser gubers that think they'll slide one past us by saying that their dad is the owner of "such n such" company. Anyway, they gave us really nice polo t-shirts to look all professional, they gifted us a couple BYU All-Sport passes (normally about $100 backaroos) to get in all the sporting events for free, they'll be purchasing us some pretty awesome BYU jackets since it's getting cold now, and there might be some compensation found in a pocket or two at the end of the game... :)

I promise, I didn't ask for any of this--I'm just happy to volunteer at the games, but they have been very kind and we are very happy to serve. I would love to work with these fellas should the opportuntiy arrise come graduation. Great place to be; great folks to work with--I feel much like a real releegious man I once knew who said "my life, eet's goood!"

Lastly, Julia signed us both up to run a half marathon in St. George on November 7th. Honestly, I prefer the Spanish pronunciation of St. George, St. Jorge! Anyway, then she went out and bought me some awesome running shoes to replace my old, worn-out, North Face, water shoes that I had been using for the past two years. They served me well, but I also had no idea how well REAL running shoes serve you when you're runnin for hours--THESE are FANTASTIC! And please celebrate with me; tonight I ran 6 miles... in 45 minutes, YEYEAH! And I actually don't feel like colapsing! It actually felt good! I even felt like I coulda kept going!

In summary, I'm blessed. I have the most incredible wife and (even though we're ridiculously poor) the most bless-ed life.

P.S. Julia has discovered the art of coupon-ing :) ... the end, until next time.

What was the purpose of this study???

2009-09-22T14:02:00.000-07:00

Oh, The Temptation

All is well in Zion!

2009-09-20T19:54:00.000-07:00

Two weeks ago Michael and I went down to St. George for the weekend. While we were there we stayed at my parents home and we also spent a few days in Zion National Park hiking and what not. It was a ton of fun, especially because it was Michael's first time in Zion.

2009-09-15T14:22:00.001-07:00

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WEDDING PICTURES!!!

2009-09-11T14:02:00.000-07:00

Wahoo! Our fabulous photographer Meredith Carlson has posted our wedding pictures! You can watch our slideshow at:

http://www.merephoto.com/michaeljuliaslideshow/

Thanks to all of you for making our day even better! Hope you enjoyed it!

Life's boring when it's not fun!

2009-09-09T22:32:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone! So we coined the term "Life's boring when it's not fun" when we were dating and it has stuck with us and kind of become a motto of ours. Now that we're married we have created a blog so that we can share experiences in our lives that make it enjoyable... or perhaps interesting, laughable and inspiring. Whatever the case, we hope you all will have as much fun following along with this blog as we have had in creating the story beind the posts.

For starters, here are some pictures from our honeymoon in Tahoe. We had a blast and hope to visit again as soon as we can. Love you all. Enjoy.

One last stop at the lake before heading home...

(sorry they really aren't in order)

Exlporing Sand Harbor by snorkel... and chacos.

Sand Harbor... beautiful harbor with crystal water and a lot of bouldas.

Michael was eager to get paddling, and had us cruising the whole time.

Chacos in the blue.

Near Emerald Bay

The sun was setting as we arrived the first day in Tahoe and the view was breathtaking, especially after the barren drive through Nevada.

Climbing at Fallen Leaf Lake. Excellent granite and hard climbs... we'll be back soon.

Yep, they have it all!

One of our favorites.. I don't really remember what happened but apparently Michael thinks it's pretty funny that I am kneeing him in the head.

Salt Flats, yep, Michael had us up to 113mph.

Kayaking towards Emerald Bay.

If you look through the lenses you can sort of see the different depths of the lake represented by the three shades of blue in the water.