the feast

This year's Thanksgiving was spent with my amazing girlfriends here in Connecticut. I am going to brag and boast about my friend Rhonda for a minute. Um, there are not words to describe her intoxicating creations with food. She is absolutely amazing and pretty much should have opened a resturant, like yesterday. I am so thankful for her hospitality and generosity. She's hilarious on top of all of that and an absolute delight to cook with and talk to. We decided to go traditional with our feast. I did the turkey, rolls and beans and Rhonda took on the rest with Joyce aside from Taurus's white chocolate pumpkin cheesecake (even typing that makes my eyes light up). Everything from the Brie and cherry puff pastry with apples to the Parmesan Cream Cheese Mashed potatoes was like an out of body experience to eat it was so delicious. I wish I could have that meal over and over and over. Thank You ladies for making this dinner in Connecticut special. Love you!

giving thanks

"Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today and creates a vision for tomorrow." — Melody Beattie

It's Thanksgiving Day and I am sitting here as I do each year thinking about all that I am thankful for. The list keeps getting longer as I ponder so I thought I would spare you and keep the list to the five things that pop into my head first when I sat down to think about it.

1. The Gospel of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. This Gospel is True. I know it, and I feel lucky to know it within the depths of my heart. It provides me happiness, peace, and understanding. That's amazing to me and the Gospel is facsinating. I can't learn enought about it.

2. People. This will include first and foremost my family. My ancestors, aunts, cousins, uncles, parents, siblings and thier posterity. This also includes friends..old and new and people who I don't know personally or haven't met in person yet, but admire from afar. I am influenced so much by brushing shoulders with others and I really am so blessed to know so many wonderful people all around the world. I have wonderful examples to follow.

3. Stability. In this economic time I have to say that I am extremely grateful to have a job, and one I enjoy at that. I have been fortunate to find families to work for who provide me a way to accomplish what I set out to do financially. I am also very thankful for my education. I love learning and I feel lucky to have had the opportunity to go to a University that expanded my mind and challenged me to get better at things.

4. Opportunities. I have been extremely fortunate to be provided with so many opporutunities to grow. Whether through traveling or jobs or school my opportunities have seemingly become limitless. I know that I am blessed to have this. I am blessed to have choice in the things that I do and a way provided every time I set my mind to do something. I find that remarkable and I don't know why I am so lucky.

5. Talents. Ok, so I am not going to sit and write here about my talents but I am thankful for them because they provide Me with a means to be Me. They define me. Talents help me help others which is the most important reason to be thankful for them. But they also bring light to my own life. I love working on my talents, trying to become better. The best is when I try something new and can forsee that I will have some talent in it. That's like a double bonus right there.

I hope you all have a Wonderful Thanksgiving full of Turkey, Family and Love. Everyone deserves that, and I am grateful for it! Below is a video put out by the LDS church in "The Spirit of Thanksgiving". Enjoy!

i'm so madly in love...

with THIS! Michael Buble you have done it again! This CD is full of icing on your cake, butter on your popcorn goodness and I pretty much want to marry it I like it so much!

lol

Every time I listen to this I laugh my bum off! So hysterical!

definatly a little spooky

Once upon a time there were two cousins. One dark scary Halloween night a witch cast a spell on them and they suddenly turned into pigeons. That's right...pigeons. They didn't know how to break the spell, nor how they ended up in that ghastly state but the witch had achieved her goal. Holly and Jessica were definatly the scariest, ugliest looking animals in all of Greenwich. As they turned the corner in Target, a little lady bug grabbed her mommy's hand and said, "look mom, they're scary".

As Holly and Jessica made thier entrance in Wilton, the crowd of monsters turned their heads...and laughed...hard.

The spell was only broken at midnight, by poisoning the witch with three and a half of Thing One's candy bar brownies and a caremel apple. Witches can't handle rediculous delicious goodness.

As Holly and Jess returned back to the cottage, there was a note on the mirror with five specific words in bold letters which read, "DONT EVER DO THAT AGAIN". This could only be referring to thier feathery state. Feathers flickered everywhere around the cottage as a reminder...that hanging out with witches who turn you into birds is an aweful idea.

Holly and Jessica remained the fairest in the land, jk, until next year atleast...

Hope you all had a Wonderful Halloween!

i heart halloween...

which is why I HAD to plan this little dinner for the kids that I nanny. The three year old has requested that I be and talk like a witch almost daily, so I finally decided to dress like one and perfect my cackle. I surprised the three kids and thier friend when they got home from school the other day. I opened the door in my costume and their mother escorted them to put on something festive. In the kitchen I was getting my brew ready, complete with rats and spiders floating around. Our special guest was Mr. Bones (pictured).

The menu consisted of some spooky items:
Goblin Guts (spaghetti and meatballs)
Bat Bread (bagels halved with garlic butter)
Vampire Teeth (corn)
Monster Salad (greens with tomato)
Eyeball Cupcakes
Spider Cookies
Witches Brew (sprite mixed with apple cranberry juice)

The best part was just seeing thier faces and when they were asking me, "Mrs. Witch...can I please have some goblin guts?"

I love love love doing things like this! Enjoy the pics!

i'm falling for autumn

The pics are self explanitory. There is no question my favorite season in New England.

i might have too much time on my hands...

It's either that or I am just really picky about how I do things lol. I caught myself putting these in the fridge a certain way the other day, according to vegetables and fruits and grains like rice or macaroni and cheese and then playdough, and to go further...by color. I also noticed how I couldn't put two items the same color next to each other, for example, oranges and cantaloupe. Some would say I am OCD. (Never mind that all the fruit and veggies have to be the same size) I am going to call it a quirk.

rhode trip

Last weekend my girlfriends and I took a little getaway to Newport, Rhode Island. First of all, WHY did I not know about this town before. It's wonderful. We had such a splendid time.

We went on a ghost walk, sailing, toured mansions and lighthouses and ate some incredibly delicious sea food and chowder. Love my life!

mega post

My dear readers. Please accept my apoligies for the long blogging sabatical. I am back to posting (I think) assuming I can continue to stay unmarried to my job. Yet, I will remain faithful to it.

Martianne and I had a great time driving across the States to get here. I am happy to say we made it with absolutely no issues along the way. Such a blessing! We made overnight stops in St. Louis, Nauvoo, Hershey, and New York. It was wonderful to see how great this country really is, as well as visit some church historic sights and friends. I've posted some pics below of the trip although they don't really do it justice. I treasure the precious time I got to spend with my sister and all of our talks along the way. Thanks Martianne for sacrificing a week away from six kids and your sanity during the 1500 miles of corn!
















Life in Connecticut is excellent. I am settled in my job and loving the kids that I nanny. Madeline, Andrew and Emily crack me up every day and thier parents are lovely. Somehow I feel like I was born to do this job. Even after ten years I am learning so much! I also love where I live. There are horses walking the trails in my neighborhood, Polo matches, and beautiful thick trees everywhere. Not to mention unacheivable houses all around...but atleast it gives me something to dream about. I will post some pics as the leaves start to change. It doesn't get more beautiful than New England in fall.

As to what else I have been up to...it seems I've spent almost every weekend away on roadtrips to a number of cities around. One thing I love about living in Connecticut is that it is so easy to get to other cities. New York, Boston, Philidephia are all so close!

eat this up!

If any of you love food as much as I do (not that I think it's really possible)...please do a favor and treat yourself to the movie, "Julie and Julia."

My former boss Stephanie Moore actually gave me the book and I read it last year in Aspen. Was so excited that they were making a movie that I relate to so much!...not to mention Meryl Streep is a sensation, as always. I have dreamt about going to Culinary School for years, and have signed up for several cooking classes in Manhattan already-I had to stop myself before I spent my savings. One day I will attend school officially for this hobby (if I can ever justify the thousands of dollars), and my grandest wish is to spend a summer in wonderful Italy touring it's different regions and living and cooking with grandmothers, whom I believe really own the secrets to cooking anyway. I am so so excited to just get back into cooking. I do cook about four times a week here in Salt Lake, but not near to the degree or passion that I desire. So what I mean by "back into cooking", includes cream and vanilla bean, truffle oil and arugula, prosciutto and melon, and so many many glorious creations. And...just like in the movie, I WILL blog about them.

Julia Child once said, "Find something you're passionate about and keep tremendously interested in it." I went to confrence last Saturday and listened to a woman by the name of Emily Brooks speak. You can find her blog by clicking here. Her passion is flowers. She talked about various events in her life that have refined her into the woman that she is. And she is an incredible woman. I was so inspired by her message, and her passion for life, for God's creations (flowers) that I came home and spent my entire Saturday night looking up cooking classes and thumbing through recipes, because cooking is MY passion. Her message was clear to me. To find what makes you, YOU and embrace it. Cooking, food, the smell of peppermint on lemon curd and the fact that I notice it, makes me who I am.

In short, I have some cooking to do so I am going to trade in my time with the computer for my love affair with peanut butter fondue with bananas and coconut covered marshmallows. Please comment and tell me about your "passions" and hobbies. I would love to know what makes YOU tick!

st. louis

I went to meet my friend James in St. Louis this weekend. We started out by taking advantage of a generous birthday gift. Two tickets to Cold Play! Thanks Julie and Chris! Cold Play was amazing in concert just by the way and a blast because it was at an outdoor ampitheater. Super humid in St. Louis though as you can tell by the pic! We went for pancakes after and got caught up.
Saturday was filled with a whirlwind tour of St. Louis. We went for a pic nic breakfast at the famous St. Louis arch, or "gateway to the west", to an art museum in Forest Park, The St. Louis Temple grounds, to a funky part of town with old record shops and vitnage stores (I loved that of course) and of course watched as many season four Office episodes that we could stay awake for!

James is an artist and it was so great to see some of his talent in person. Take a look at some of his work.
I am so lucky to have such talented people in my life. I am constantly amazed at my wonderful friends. Thank You James for being a fabulous tour guide! I need more weekends like this one for sure!

bear lake and a raspberry shake

Last month my ward held the annual Bear Lake activity. We had a great time despite the somewhat rainy weather. We were able to do a session at that Logan Temple and then head to the Bishop's cabin for games and a sleepover before our day at the lake. It was really nice to get to know people in my ward better and to just have a weekend to do nothing but fun! Of course we couldn't skip the famous Bear Lake Raspberry Shakes. Such Goodness!

While I am mentioning treats, have you tried this Chex Mix savour every bit, can't leave it alone for a second recipe? Sister O'Brian made a gigantic bowl of this and we couldn't stop eating it. It's way easy and sure to please your party guests!

Chex Mix Treat
Ingredients
•1 1/2 c butter
•1 c white kayro
•1 c sugar
•3 c rice chex
•3 c corn chex
•6 c golden grahams
•1/2 c coconut
•slivered almonds

Directions
1.In large bowl combine cereals, coconut and almonds
2.In saucepan combine butter, sugar and kayro
3.Bring to a boil and boil for 2 minutes
4.Pour over cereal mixture
5.Spread on wax paper till slightly dry to touch
6.Separate into bite-sized clusters

curve ball, some changes

What a whirlwind week it has been. I feel like I was picked up in a tornado, spun around a few times and put back on the ground.

I have some news. I am returning to Connecticut at the end of August. This week I got a call from my old employer who runs an a nanny agency in Connecticut telling me about an opportunity to work for one of her friends. Most of you who read this blog, know that I am a nanny by profession. At first I had dismissed the call, until I realized it was an answer to the prayers I'd been saying in the past month. Lately the future, particularly my economic future has been weighing on my mind. I was getting anxious at the fact that I will have student loans coming out of grad school and no gaurantee of a job, especially not in Utah where it seems that everyone wants to be a teacher. Last time I checked the districts out of curiosity there was nothing. Here in Utah I am working for an AMAZING family, so I kept dismissing the promptings that I need to really find something where I can save as much money as possible. I am making an ok salary, enought to pay my bills but there just isn't enough to put any sort of significant amount in the bank for savings and in this economy, it just makes me nervous. I'd been attending temple sessions, pondering, and praying in search for answers this past month. Monday evening I had a dream that I was talking to my old boss and she was telling me about some lovely families who needed nannies. Not even a joke I woke up to an e-mail from her asking me to call. That was Tuesday, and I interviewed with a new family that evening. After speaking with the family and working out logistics, and a couple of talks wih my parents and prayer, I decided to accept the position. It wasn't easy though, because the people that I work for in Utah are so kind, generous, and such examples to me. I will be sad to leave them. I have to be strong though and realize that I have done this before and still have great relationships with all of the families I work for. I love the kids I have been blessed to watch over the years with all of my heart. I also have to recognize the positive impact having a large savings will have on my future.

As for grad school, I will continue with my master's degree but will be switching to Early Childhood Education. My undergrad is in Human Development and Early Childhood so I feel like this will be a comfortable degree for me and one that I can build upon my experience. I don't know that I will be pulled away from nannying to teach pre-school. I am quite comfortable as a nanny, but it will be nice to have the qualifications and I am happy with being able to get my teaching certifications in Connecticut as it ranks in the top three states in the Nation for education.

As for the dream...I know it sounds random, but the next step after grad school will be Culinary School. The ultimate career goal for me is to have lots of little aspiring chef's busy in a kitchen classroom, and I am their teacher. Some day!

I am always amazed at the curve balls in life. The quick and sometimes not so quick decisions to make, and the answers to prayer we recieve. I am truely blessed, and very fortunate. With all of life's opportunity, I really do feel like, the luckiest girl in the world!

2 down, 48 to go!

A couple of weeks ago, I completed my third half marathon, second in the USA. I am one step closer to reaching my goal of running in every state in the nation. The Jackson Hole, Wyoming half marathon was well, quaint. I don't know that I would recommend the organization as most runners couldn't find the start line because it wasn't where the website said it would be, however, I would definatly recommend the scenery. There were about 150 runners and most of the race took place on a bike path which is set alongside the mountains and at a couple of points crosses the Snake River. I didn't train for this race as well as I would have liked, but I finished. With each finish it pushes me to do more, and to run harder. I enjoy that feeling so much! For sure I stopped for a Bear Lake Raspberry Shake on the way home and was glad I did it! Still deciding which race to train for next!

a little excitement

Ok, so this is not THAT big of a deal but I am finally headed to a different city for some play time. You know me...I am a travel bug and I get the itch probably more frequent than most. I am headed to St. Louis at the end of the month to visit a friend. I haven't heard a lot about this city, so if anyone has ideas on places to see, things to explore please comment and let me know! Hope you all are having a great summer!

some honest venting

Ok, this is mostly for my lady readers, because I know some of you are going to understand what I am saying and feeling. Let me preface by saying most things in my life are going well...so don't be worried that a couple things are weighing on my mind. I just feel like expressing what I have felt lately.

Do you ever feel like no matter what you do to improve it's not good enough? I have been feeling like this, especially when it comes to my own body. I understand that I am a child of God, I understand that my body is a temple. But do I love the body I was given all the time? Not so much.

I feel like my body is the one thing holding me back from my potential. I excercise nearly everyday, whether running, swimming, hiking, rollerblading or going on walks. I eat lots of fruits, vegetables and proteins. But it doesn't seem to make any difference. I usually only eat desserts on occasion, but it feels like I shouldn't have any. I gave up all types of soda and juice completely and only drink water. No matter what I do, my body stays the same or seems to be the thing that isn't great. Sometimes I don't like my body at all, and I get embarrased to see people that I haven't run into in ages. I want different arms, a new stomach, leaner legs, leaner everything and a more defined collar bone.

I sometimes am upset that I was given this body. I wonder why I didn't get the ballerina frame or the gymnast muscles, or the nice jaw line or the fast metabolism. But after thinking that, comes the guilty feeling that I should love the body I was given because it is healthy and God created it. I feel like I treat my body well, why can't it treat me well? Isn't this supposed to be a give and take relationship?

say what you will

about Michael Jackson's recent years, but I still think he's one of the most talented people that ever lived!

zions national park

Sometimes it's easy to take for granted our beautiful surroundings. These pictures are long overdue, but Camille and I had a great hike in Zions National Park. It's such an overwhelmingly stunning place and I am so glad we made the trip there. Utah's natural beauty is definatly something to take in and take advantage of.

thought this was awesome, and just thought i'd share

Stand By Me

bryce canyon

Camille and I decided to go on a little roadie this weekend to some of Utah's spectacular National Parks. I take for granted how extraordinary the state I live in is sometimes. The pictures may not do it justice, but it's worth a shot. Out-of-town-readers...next time you come to the USA or Utah, you must give me a shout and I will gladly take you here for some hiking and some of the most picturesque nature you have ever seen!

i love people...

I have a lot of thoughts swarming around in my head at the moment, but I will just share the main one for now. This past week I have been thinking about the people in my life alot. Well, actually I was inspired by a new friend who was telling me how he enjoyed people. And I can attest to you that this friend unconciously spends his days making those who cross his path happier and more confident. Some of the people I know, I have been friends with for twenty years, others...a couple of weeks. I have come to realize that I just genuinly love being around, meeting, entertaining, conversing with, and even watching people. When I lived in New York, often times while taking a Subway, I would watch the people that stepped on and off and wonder what thier lives were like. I love people because they are shy. I love people because they radiate joy and sorrow and excitement. I love people because they express emotions in general. I love my friend Shelly because she has an office voice and never fails to make someone feel comfortable. I love my friend E because she speaks with grace and intelligence and wears clothes to match. I love Camille because she doesn't ever quit at anything and can't talk and laugh at the same time. I love my dad's stunning perfect smile and how my mom wraps bundt cakes in clear celophane and ties cute bows around them and gives them away. I love Amanda's tell it like it is attitude, my boss Julie's sweetness, and Angeline's elegance. If you are not mentioned by name in this post, it doesn't mean that my love for you hasn't entered my mind, because as I think about all the people I have had the pleasure to rub shoulder's with in my 28 years, I am overwhlemed at how lucky I have been. I am so incredibly blessed with meaningful friendships, a loving family, engaging aquaintances and even strangers who influence me every single day.

i. love. people.

not to brag but...

I'm pretty positive I have the best mom in the world...and to confirm it, she was nominated and did recieve the "Mother of the Year Award". She's all over the TV, I'm so proud! Click HERE to watch my mom on Television.

How cool is that?

happy mothers day

to the greatest lady I know....

LOVE YOU MOM!

What should I make for Mother's Day Dinner?, I was assigned to dessert!

salt lake marathon and a new goal

I don't have pictures of me in the marathon because well, I was running (or just trying to finish rather), but I wanted to say that I had a great time running the 1/2 Marathon on Saturday in Salt Lake. This is only my second race. Last year I did one in China. But I learned something, I love to race! So remember how sometimes I get crazy ideas? Well, at about mile 8.5 I was thinking of some goals that I wanted to set. I got what they call, "runners high" and found myself just running freely and happily (it lasted til about mile 11 where I started slowing down and hitting my "wall", but anyways...my thoughts turned to doing more racing. I am still kind of young, pretty healthy and I felt strong. So, I have set a new goal to run a marathon in all fifty states! I am excited about it for a couple of reasons. 1. Because I love to travel and would like to see parts of the country that I haven't been to, and 2. Because it keeps me motivated and I have no excuse not to stay fit.

So, that's it! All I need now is some friends to join me in the journey, was getting pretty bored running by myself on Saturday. Hint Hint. Wink. Wink.

pretty unique, but pretty funny

I was recently introduced to The Flight of The Conchords from New Zealand. They are probably an aquired taste for most, because they use the kind of humor you have to you know..."get". It's not typical kind (just like The Office), but I have found myself laughing out loud several times while I watch thier stuff...these two guys are just so random. This clip is about how love is like tape, sometimes it breaks off or finishes before you are done with it. lol.