Jamming

It is finished.....unless I go crazy and do a batch of raspberry.

Millions of Peaches

I love peaches! My amazing father-in-law happens to be an expert in the art of growing food: tomatoes, raspberries, corn, squash, and my favorite: PEACHES! I have loved eating peaches for just about every meal the past week. Later this week will bring making peach jam and maybe even a cobbler into the celebration of peach harvest time. Peaches: just another reason that fall rocks!

Cooking with Mushrooms

I am not ashamed to say that I absolutely hate cooking. I hate timing things, waiting, making a mess, and then having to clean it all up. This opinion has left me completely clueless on how to make anything 'advanced'=different. I got brave this week and bought some fresh mushrooms at Costco planning on using them in some different dishes until I went to use them and encountered a problem: I have no clue how to prepare or cook fresh mushrooms. I just have to say that I love youtube when such problems arise. I had JD look it up and in a matter of seconds we had a lovely 2 minute tutorial on mushroom preparation such as did you know you shouldn't rinse them under water? I know that now. Youtube has also come in handy in cleaning shower drains and looking up intrathoracic procedures for closing PFO's. So here is to youtube....and fresh mushrooms.

Surprises are Fun

Today is Val's birthday, she is one of my best friends that I also get to work with. She likes being on my blog, so this post is dedicated to her- HAPPY BIRTHDAY VAL!

There were a few birthday surprises for Val this year. I made the banner above (much more impressive in person), and put some balloons in her yard. The best surprise was yet to come though: her sweet boyfriend flew in from Colorado to surprise her for her birthday-and I was in on it. The following pictures are of the surprise. Needless to say I ended up working the rest of the day.

Happy Birthday Grandma Speth

Great Grandma Speth turned 98 yesterday and her entire family celebrated with a birthday party which equals a gigantic family reunion. In her time she as seen horses turn to cars, trains turn to planes, the invention of computers, radios turn to televisions, World War 1, World War II, Vietnam, 9/11, and the list goes on. She is sharp as a tack, she even knows me, her great-granddaughter in-law. She lives by herself in her own house. She is an absolute sweetheart. In her speech this year she said she would see us next year and the year after and that would probably be it. We love her like crazy. Happy birthday Edna Speth!

Real Salt Lake/One Republic Concert

For any of you who don't already know.....I LOVE going to Rio Tinto Stadium. It is one of the most beautiful, wonderful stadiums ever built in my opinion. We went to the game last night against Sporting Kansas City, and RSL won despite some pretty dumb refs. There was an after-game concert featuring One Republic that we were also greatly looking forward to. To my great surprise and delight they let the entire stadium of people onto the perfectly manicured field for the concert. Just to be honest with you, I am not sure what was better: the game, winning, the concert, or standing on that field at the midline and touching the grass of that place; I am seriously leaning towards the last item on that list. It was a fun night with my sisters and JD.

Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious

Last night JD and I went to the Broadway Musical Mary Poppins. It was supercalifragilisticexpialidocious! It was seriously one of the best broadways I have seen. The sets, costumes, and music were all amazing. I loved the plot and message of the play, and it was just a really fun show to attend. We ate at the Garden before going to the show and I am pretty sure it was the first time that the roof has been open while I was there. A girl sitting next to us was celebrating her birthday and they gave her a balloon with a card to write a birthday wish on and let her release it in the restaurant, I thought that was pretty cool. All in all it was a great night spent with my favorite person.

Happy Roald Dahl Day!

Happy Roald Dahl day! I love Roald Dahl and all of his books including James and the Giant Peach, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, The Witches, The BFG, Matilda, Esio Trot, The Giraffe the Pelly, and Me, The Twits, Fantastic Mr. Fox, and the list goes on....I have grown up with and loved these books forever. I remember my mom reading James at night to us before bed and loving the BFG and his distaste for snozzcumbers but his refusal to eat children, and who doesn't know of the Oompa-Loompas? Thanks Roald for amazing books and memories!

"And above all, watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places. Those who don't believe in magic will never find it."-Roald Dahl

" 'Mrs. D, Mrs. I, Mrs. FFI, Mrs. C, Mrs. U, Mrs. LTY. That spells difficulty.' 'How perfectly ridiculous!' snorted Ms. Trunchbull, 'Why are all these women married?' "-from Matilda

Questions

9/11

For 9/11 we drove down to Salt Lake and attended Music and the Spoken Word, afterwards we went up and walked around the State Capitol building. It was nice being in a place of the Spirit as well as a place that represents the freedoms of this country on a day commemorating so much hurt and pain.

I was reading an article not too long ago that followed a kid who was born on 9/11. It was really humbling to realize that 10 years had passed since 9/11 and outside of that, how much the world has really changed as a result of that day. These kids don't know what it is like to not be at war, or that the only metal detector you used to walk through was at the airport not such things as sporting events and General Conference. Speaking of flying, you didn't used to have to strip down to nothing but socks, shirt, and pants and babies and toddlers weren't on the suspect list. They will never be able to greet a loved one at the terminal as they get off the plane. Terrorist is an everyday word now. Such places as Iraq and Afghanistan are always in the news.

I am grateful to be a citizen of a country that stands for freedoms and encourages opportunities of choice. Despite the changes that have happened, this country is still based on the founding father's goal of democracy and freedom. I am proud to be an American. :)

100

This being the 100th post on this blog I have decided to list 100 things that I love, they are in no particular order:

1. JD 2. Family 3. Gospel 4. Work 5. Scriptures 6. School 7. Temples 8. Prayer 9. Friends 10. October 11. Autumn 12. Cameras 13. Music 14. Oceans 15. Beaches 16. Flowers 17. Lamps 18. Books 19. Road Trips 20. Hot Chocolate 21. Leg Warmers 22. "Light" Sun Burns 23. Warm Summer Nights 24. Stars 25. Decorations 26. Blankets 27. Crafts 28. Cheesecake 29. Thinking Spots 30. Picture Frames 31. Crock Pots 32. To Do Lists/Lists 33. Adventures 34. Waterfalls 35. Hikes 36. Rivers 37. Wheat 38. History 39. Scrapbooks 40. Memories 41. Flip Flops 42. Swimming 43. Sunrises 44. Sunsets 45. Chirping Crickets 46. Hugs 47. Maps 48. Snow 49. Crunching Leaves 50. Piano 51. Helping People 52. Saving Money 53. Trees 54. National Parks 55. Disneyland 56. Oceanside 57. Cleaning 58. Projects 59. Blogging 60. Curry/Indian Food 61. Walking 62. Organizing 63. Talking 64. Teaching 65. Learning 66. People Watching 67. X-rays 68. Outdoor Concerts 69. Symphony Orchestras 70. Space Heaters 71. Fresh Fruit 72. Peaches 73. Faith 74. Sisters 75. Broadway 76. Feeling Better 77. Stretching 78. Primary Songs 79. Holidays 80. Cabins 81. Grandparents 82. On Time 83. Necklaces 84. Hoodies 85. Fireplaces 86. Real Soccer Games 87. Peace 88. Writing 89. Planning 90. New Beginnings 91. General Conference 92. 5K's 93. Volunteering 94. Free T-shirts 95. Coloring 96. Boating 97. Fishing 98. Trendy Hats 99. Fans 100. Changes to Come

I Love Fall

Labor Day Weekend

We had a fun weekend up at the cabin. We got to spend time with the Hewletts, watch fun movies like Sleepless in Seattle (had never seen it before) and Mary Poppins, swim, read, and just hang out. JD was able to take two tests before leaving which made way for an entire homework free weekend of bliss. On our way home we went to Tony's Grove. It was beautiful, the flowers were in full bloom and up to our waists as we hiked around the lake, I had never seen anything quite like it. It was nice going to a place that was so peaceful and beautiful, overall this weekend was a much needed change of scenery from the past few weeks. Now back to real life....and fall. :)

Autumn

My autumn has officially begun and oh how I love it!