FHE with Friends

FHE has never been so exciting! We had a great mind-reading demonstration by Gregorio the Great and his assistant, Maximus (did I get that right?) The twosome awed the crowd (the kids) which then led to a great paper airplane making lesson by BJ. The kids learned that without a plan and proper instruction, the piece of paper could not fly. But by following instruction exactly that they'd be able to create paper airplanes. The lesson was great - even if the focus of the kids was all over the place. They had a fun time!

We ended the night with apples, carmel, and paper airplane flying contests off the deck.

It was a fun Family Home Evening!

A fUn HaLlOwEEn PaRTy!

Making Carmel Apples

So last night we attempted Carmel Apples. That was fun. What I thought would be an easy project turned in to a mess. The carmel kept cooling before we had sufficient time to add the yummy toppings. We'd chopped up Butterfingers, pecans, toffee, and white chocolate. We were set. Greg and Dakota had unwrapped 14 ozs of carmel. I melted them (along with water and vanilla) on the stove top. We thought it would be simple. Not only did we find it difficult to get the toppings to stick, but we ran out of carmel. What we'd hoped would cover 8 juicy apples only covered 6. And we're not too proud about how they look. However...Greg was persistent enough to get some of the toppings to finally stick. And regardless how they look, we had a super fun time as a family. IZ was on the tunes while we danced and decorated the apples. Not to mention, they were absolutely tasty! We all had seconds!

Trick or Treat Street

Carving Pumpkins

Family Home Evening on Wednesday... First let me just say it feels great to eat again. As soon as Greg got home we headed out to Mi Ranchito for a quick dinner. Chips and Salsa sounded good. We all split a heaping plate of Chicken Nachos too. So, for $13 we had a filling sit-down meal. Not bad.

After dinner we headed home to carve pumpkins. Only a week until Halloween. We plucked, traced, and carved 4 pumpkins. We are Halloween ready, and have our pumpkins proudly displayed on the patio. It was fun family night.

BTW, Dakota personally drew the pumpkin face (not the frog) to the left. He wanted it to look scary but ended up cute instead.

A Mom and Son Project

Yesterday Dakota and I undertook a big project. We organized our Food Storage room. Greg recently put up more shelves for me. We'd gotten to the point where we had food lined up along the walls. Like every other room in our house, it was disorganized, and it bothered me every time I needed to find something.

So shelf by shelf we unpackaged, sorted by date, and organized. Dakota made countless runs to the garbage can with empty boxes. We cleaned it up and found a new home for all the food we'd just canned too.

When we were done, we felt a huge sense of accomplishment. Now we need to start on the "baby" room and the basement. Oh yeah, and the office. It never ends!

Running a Half with Angie and Tara

So I just decided to run the Snow Canyon Half Marathon with Angie, Tara, and Greta. Angie's birthday is coming up, and we usually try to spend our birthdays together. I have really missed them. Since they moved out to Mapleton, and we moved to Pleasant Grove, we haven't seen each other near as much as we used to. We were inseparable there for awhile. It's been waaayyy too long, and now that we are all into running, what better way to spend our time?

I am so excited for this. It's kind of spur of the moment for me too which makes it that much more fun.

Now if I can just find someone to lead the music in Primary. Erin is going to love me for this. Firs this, then San Diego, and then the month of December!!

Canning

For the last few weeks I've had the canning bug. I've been wanting to can, but I haven't had the time. Well, I finally found some time this past weekend. I thought I'd spend Saturday canning. Little did I know it would turn into a 3-day project. I canned Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. I still have unused pears and tomatoes in the cellar. I'm not sure what I'm going to do with them yet. Do I dare do one more batch? BBQ sauce? Pears in syrup? If so, not today. I need a break.

I'm happy with the progress though!

Strawberry Jam
Pear/Rasperry Jam
Raspberry Jam
Peach Jam
Peach/Rum/Raisin Jam
Peach Salsa
Peach BBQ Sauce
Spaghetti Sauce
Chili Sauce
Pears in Syrup
Salsa

A fun visit!

Last week mom and Cami flew in for the big event. We squeezed as much in as possible. Mom brought her clubs, but unfortunately the weather didn't cooperate. We attempted to golf on Thursday, but it was absolutely freezing out, and the wind was ridiculous. Dakota and I stuck out 9 holes, but it was only for mom. It was so cold. I thought it would never be over. We'd hoped to golf again on Monday after the competition, but that didn't turn out. The weather was below freezing, and we didn't even know if Hobblecreek (where we'd hoped to golf) would be open. So, mom brought her clubs, but we only got one round in. Next time.

Saturday was the big event. It was such a strange day. It was a much different experience from the NGA. We arrived 45 minutes late. That was the first challenge. We got lost using the map Greg had given me, so LuAnn had to walk us through getting to the high school. I missed the walkthrough and didn't have as much time as I'd hoped to really settle in and relax.

When I walked out on stage for prejudging, I was tense. I didn't feel comfortable at all. Sandy ran back after the first round and helped me with posing. I practiced and by the time I came out in my one-piece, I felt a little more confident. By that time though I think it was too late. I couldn't make eye contact with any of the judges.

During the break between prejudging and awards, Cami, Mom, Heidi, and I went shopping. We bummed around Macys, made a few purchases, and had lunch. I was still on my strict diet, so I picked at my boring bowl of lettuce and lemon wedges.

The awards ceremony was supposed to start at 6 p.m. It didn't. I don't think it officially started until around 6:45 p.m. In the meantime all of the "figure" girls were in their suits waiting to go out - thinking it would start at any moment. We were freezing back stage. With only one small little space heater and winterlike conditions outside (did I mention in snowed that day?), it was cold. The MC was a joke - half the time not knowing what to say or repeating himself. The night show dragged on, and I could sense the frustration in the audience.

At the end of the night I took 4th in the Medium Class and didn't place in Masters. I wasn't even in the top 5. I was absolutely heartbroken at first. I was proud of myself for such a huge accomplishment - for being there - for having the gutts to work so hard and then present myself on stage. Yet, I still felt a little letdown. I've gone over that day time and time again in my head since the event. I was too lean - too tense - too inexperienced. I'd dropped another 3 pounds form the NGA to the NPC which wasn't good. My "muscle" looked great, but I was too cut for figure - especially with all the controversy on whether figure should be more "lean" or "softer". The overwhelming feeling in the industry is that figure is going more "soft". I was anything but that. Not to mention I still have a couple of "troubled" areas that still need work. I'm finally in a place where I get it. I understand the voting and can move on. It just gives me more hope and determination to do better next year at the Emerald Cup should I do it.

Mom says the Emerald Cup is first class. They take care of the competitors. The NPC in Utah does not - at least it wasn't my experience for my first NPC show.

I am so thankful for my closest friends joining me for my special day. They know how hard I'd worked, and I know how much they love me. It meant so much knowing they were in the crowd supporting my crazy endeavor.

I've been asked what was the first thing I ate when I was done. I couldn't leave the competition fast enough. We headed straight to the Cheesecake Factory, and I had delicious stuff tortillas, corn cakes, and topped it off with an entire piece of white chocolate madadamia nutt cheesecake. I think I even licked the plate.

We spent Sunday in Park City. Cami had never been, so we bummed around Main Street and the Outlets before I had to drop her off at the airport.

Heidi turns 30 this year, so we had a little "early" birthday celebration on Monday night. We'd picked up the yummiest cupcakes from Dippidee for dessert. It was a night. I can't believe my baby sis is almost 30!

A Quick Trip to St. George

So a couple of weeks ago we headed down to St. George with the Chandlers. We barely got there and it was time to come home, but we enjoyed every minute we had on our mini-vacation.

The weather didn't cooperate with us on Saturday. This was also the day of the St. George Marathon. All our thoughts were with Colby as we knew he was out there weathering the storm (so to speak). It was cold, rainy, and windy - not exactly ideal running conditions.

The kids were anxious to get outside. When it cleared up we headed straight for the pool. The men played tennis, while Kris and I watched the kids swim. We did find a few minutes to hit the outlets, and I found the cutest new church skirt. Love it!!

Sunday made the trip though. We headed into Zions National Park and went on a nature hike. We walked along the riverbed along the steep rocks, found a cave, and took our time. The kids LOVED it. We loved watching them.

We hooked up Sunday night with the Allens for a quick dinner before we headed back. It was such a fun getaway. Too fast, but fun!