step into a little part of my life...

soup, cookies, and the best jeans ever

2012-01-30T09:11:00.003-07:00

i made this minestrone soup last week and it was delicious. i made a big pot and it lasted us throughout the week.

yesterday i decided to make meringues yesterday, mostly because i remembered liking them and there was only four ingredients. talk about time consuming. but they ended up so delicious, i'm talking eat 15 in one day delicious. they are fluffy, chocolatey, and chewy. they are so light you can eat a lot, hence the 15. this is also why i rarely make treats. here is the recipe.

now if you need some jeans, run, don't walk, to nordstrom's. they are considered jeggings but i don't think they are as light as jeggings. they are the comfiest jeans. i wear them constantly. the brand name is jolt and drum roll, they are only $40. on our annual christmas shopping trip, all of the girls got these jeans, they are flattering on everyone. don't mind my sunday night attire. or my face.

who else is excited january is almost over?!, worst month of the year by far. bring on february.

moving on

2012-01-12T19:40:00.004-07:00

in the past couple of years we have seen many of our friends move on and out of the college scene. it is always sad to see them go and i'll be honest, i'm anxious for our turn. just this week nate's cousin erin and her cute little fam moved to arizona. i'm so excited for all the great things happening to them. i've been lucky to have erin as a friend and a great example to me. they will surely be missed and we will especially miss seeing adorable little cora!

p.s. so far this hairstyle has been deemed the worst to grow out! here we go...

signing off

2011-12-31T23:00:00.003-07:00

Happy New Year 2011!

2011 was a wonderful year. i am really excited for 2012, so many big decisions to make but also great ones. i am so grateful for so many things in my life! here's a little recap of my 17 days off. (ya you heard that right, perks of a teacher). gym...everyday. yes. found the perfect little tree for the apt.

at school, in order to earn their christmas party, they had to earn a christmas scene. this was done by the whole class being good or just someone doing a good deed. i know, i'm not an artist, but my kids loved this, they thought it was the best drawing ever. ha

hanging with long time besties at the jazz game.

and so much great family time. bring on the new year.

apology letters

2011-12-09T13:51:00.004-07:00

couldn't help posting these...my class got in trouble in p.e. last week and had to write apology letters. these are their exact letters (except names), spelling errors and all. when nate and i read these we were laughing so hard. enjoy!

Dear ...
I am sory what hapend on friday i am very sorey. I was doing what I was sposto I was runing laps and everone started to play tage I was not playing tage. I was runing laps. I was doing what I was asposto. Love ...

Dear...
Sorry our class was dissorderly in Phys. Ed. We will be alot better next time okay, and have a good day. Sincerely ...

Dear...
IM REALY SORRY! HOW CAN I MAKE IT UP TO YOU? FROM ...

Dear...
I am sorry are class ruined your break hopefully are class will be behaved next time we come. And we could get a green card and you can go home and have a happy break no more yelling no more headches and no more lessons I am sorry and I am shere everyone is to. And next time we can get through everything faster and we can play fun games for awhile and i think that is funner than wasting are time.

Dear...
I am sorry we messed around last week. I promiss I will not join in on talking with them ever again, and I never did talk in P.E., I just said good job to my team. from ...

Dear...
I am sorry that we talked, played, goofed off and most of us ran laps. I promise that next time I will obey better. I should have done better. I am so so sorry. I wish I could go back in time and do what I should have. Next time I won't waste your time or mine. I hope you can forgive me. I really want to be able to have the privilege of P.E. I am so super sorry. Sincerely...

Dear...
Sorry ....about that. but I hope that your going to not make a fit and if i was you i will be nice. sincerely...

Dear...
I'm really sorry if I made you upset I'll try to make it up somehow. and I try to set good example everytim I come and I try to make you happy. Your freind...

Dear...
I am sorry the way I acted on friday. I will act beder this friday. I am sorry that I ruined your weekend. Next time I will act the best I can. I will choose to stay with the class and be good. I am sorry. From...

thankful

2011-12-07T08:46:00.005-07:00

i kept meaning to make a post for thanksgiving but it got away from me. i still need to document my feelings of thankfulness, because i am feeling so grateful for all that i have. (pic taken at temple square with nate's best bud.)

i am so thankful for my hub! he is such a hard worker. side note:it is definitely paying off, we have heard back from 3 law schools so far. it is exciting and fun that our future is completely up in the air!
my job. my kids are amazing, i really feel so blessed to be able to be with them everyday and teach them. (i do have a few new stories i will have to document soon, hilarious.) i love my job.
christmas season. i love this time of year. our house is decorated. we were able to go the first presidency's message in salt lake and it was wonderful.
the gospel. there are so many aspects i am thankful for right now. my heavenly father and mother, my brother and savior jesus christ, prayer, scriptures, and the spirit. i am a better person because of my testimony. i really can't put into words how thankful i am for it.
my health. from a year ago, i have come so far.
my family. i love both sides, so much.
this race. i needed something to motivate me and i found it. how much fun does this look? i am so excited.
our country. it is a privilege to say the pledge of allegiance everyday, i love this country.

there are so many other little things that i am thankful for. stop and think of everything you are thankful for, we really have so much. hope you all enjoy the holiday season!!

if you haven't seen this yet...

2011-11-07T21:05:00.001-07:00

watch it! i'm having issues uploading the video but click this link and watch it. seriously hilarious.

go HERE.

enjoy.

currently loving...

2011-11-04T07:58:00.003-06:00

i haven't listened to anything else since i bought this cd. i love coldplay, i have since i first heard them almost 10 years ago. their music just speaks to me. (cheesy, i know). this cd has a little different sound on some of the tracks, but overall it is just amazing. check out track 3: paradise, or track 10: princess of china featuring rihanna, i was pleasantly surprised when i heard this song and now i am obsessed with it.

as nate was studying for the lsat this summer, i got quite bored. one of my friends from school told me to watch grey's anatomy. well i did, all 7 seasons in fact. ha now i am watching the current season and i love it.

nicolitalia pizzeria...best pizza around. go for the thin crust, cheese. so good.

is there anything you are currently loving that i should be aware of?

long overdue

2011-11-01T17:35:00.003-06:00

i've thought countless times over the past little while to make a post; nonetheless, it hasn't happened. i don't have many pics, but i do have a few updates.

first of all halloween. i was dreading dressing up for work, mostly because i couldn't think of a costume. my awesome mil came in and saved the day with her suggestion. that's right, i was a baby. my students thought this was hilarious. it was definitely a hit with everyone. thanks to tay tay for the footie pajamas. haha

work is good. i love teaching, it is such a fulfilling job. i love my students, they are so cute. most of them give me a hug when they come and when they leave everyday. they also write me notes and draw me pictures. today i got halloween candy from them. ha they are just awesome. of course, some days are hard. mostly just exhausting, there is so much prep work that goes into teaching, it is ridiculous.

kids really say the craziest things. one of my students came in to class the other day and said, "Mrs. Quist I love Luke. (insert huge cheesy grin) He is just so cute!" one of my girls was crying in the back of the room and so i went out in the hall with her to see what was wrong. here was her response, "I told Shelly that I had a crush on Jack and Hayden told Jack!" i had to seriously contain myself from not bursting out with laughter. in the 3rd grade, we do rotations, this means i get to teach each 3rd grade class for 30 minutes on their assigned day. one day as I was teaching writing during rotations i told the class i needed all eyes on me. one boy shouted out as it was dead silent, "Tom said he's looking at your boobs." oh my gosh. i was shocked what had just come out of his mouth. the worst part is that i was wearing a pretty tight shirt. goodness. kids are great..or at least most of them. haha *all names have been changed.

nate took the LSAT to go to law school a month ago. he got his score back last week. he did amazing. i am so proud of him. it was crappy to have him study so much the last five months but it definitely paid off. it is hard not knowing where we will end up!

well i think that is all for now. hope everyone is doing awesome and i'll definitely get back to regular posting.

10 years ago

2011-09-12T19:03:00.002-06:00

september 11th, 2001 is a day i will forever remember.
i'm sure i won't forget that day and what i was doing but i decided i wanted to document it on the blog.

i was in 8th grade, 13 years old. i was riding with my brothers to school that day and we were running late (not something unusual). we were about to go out the door and my dad called my mom and said to turn on the tv. we all saw that one tower had been hit. i remember thinking, "what is going on?" I didn't really understand but i do remember being somewhat fearful. we then went to school and my english teacher turned it on, i think it was second period. i remember she talked to our class about how awful it was, she started crying because she had boys in the military. that night my dad talked to us about not being scared. it was definitely a life changing day.

this week i was speaking to my 3rd graders about 9/11 and i was quite emotional telling them what happened and how lucky we are to live in America. they all responded to a writing response, Why I Love My Country. it was quite touching to read some of their responses. i am so thankful to be an American and grateful for the opportunities i have in this country. i love that i get to say the Pledge of Allegiance with my students everyday. i am so grateful for those that fight for our country. i truly do love America.

also you really should watch this video. i watch it every year. i like it because instead of it just being sad and depressing, it really ties in the gospel and leaning on our Savior at all times. it also really focuses on the plan of salvation. watch it, you won't regret it.

my classroom

2011-09-08T18:02:00.003-06:00

here are the overdue pics of my classroom. it is a "city" theme.

this is the door in the hallway. everyone picked out their house that they wanted in our city. if you look closely there are castles, igloos, tents, skyscrapers, log cabins, mushroom houses, and traditional looking homes. the kids loved this. this is the back wall in the classroom. the skyline took a lot of time but i think it turned out pretty cool. road signs on the wall. my desk area. oh how i wish it still looked like this. haha this isn't very good lighting, but i needed something for my windows and i didn't want curtains. my mom and i saw this idea in a boutique in the riverbottoms. you cut strips of paper and then sew them together. this is me on my first day of school, so exhausted. i go home most days exhausted. so far teaching has been exhausting(of course), exciting, challenging, fulfilling, frustrating, fun, etc., etc. I could go on and on. ha I have some awesome kids and am so grateful for my job.

bits and pieces of summer

2011-08-31T07:21:00.005-06:00

my grandma got a cabin for all of my dad's side of the family. it was so fun to hang out with everyone. one afternoon i was taking care of the cute twins and they were getting hungry. so their great grandma mashed up banana after banana and fed them. it was so cute.
ryan shupe and the rubberband concert. i had no idea who they were, but after getting up on stage and listening to them jam out, i was singing their songs for the next week. beautiful bride, jaclyn. her wedding was great and i'm so happy for her. so my old boss has a sail boat on utah lake and told us to take it out. we met him at the docks and he showed us the ropes and sent us on our way. i didn't know if i would like it but nate has wanted to sail forever. it ended up being a blast. the worst part was we didn't move much until we noticed the direction other sail boats were going, so we followed them. also, we weren't moving at all and so us girls jumped in, then of course we started moving...panic and laughing attacks ensued. can i just say how sad we are they have moved to virginia... good ol' santaquin rodeo. it's a classic. love this girl.

and meet the newest member of our fam, sophie ann. she is absolutely adorable. she has dark hair and beautiful skin. i am so happy to finally have a niece live in the state of utah!

sophie over the weekend, loving her new found freedom.

school updates soon!

chopped

2011-07-30T18:03:00.003-06:00

i went from this...

to this...

honestly...i love it.

portland flip pics

2011-07-15T08:39:00.002-06:00

i forgot my camera and so we used the flip video. i love that i can make photos from my videos. this was after we went to the portland market and then found a cool outdoor place to eat lunch at. steal of the day was my hat, i love it and had been looking for one for a while.

fam photos

2011-07-01T09:26:00.005-06:00

it's crazy that our family could start out looking like this... 1989 1992
1994

2009

and be like this now.

2011
10 grandkids and counting. i love my family and am so glad families are forever.

p.s. how fun are these old family photos!

scenes from the weekend

2011-06-27T19:38:00.006-06:00

this doesn't even begin to show the beauty of this temple. it had some of the prettiest (if not the prettiest i've ever seen), temple grounds. nate looked dashing as part of the wedding group. portland was seriously so beautiful. we were so happy to be there to support some of our very best friends. saturday we spent the day exploring the city of portland. thoughts- we felt like "normal" people were the minority haha, dirty, and yet beautiful all at the same time. I didn't know there were rivers all over and it is so green, my camera doesn't do justice for the scenery. we had a great time at a famous bookstore, explored their saturday market on the water, and walked to our hearts content. we really had a great trip...until next time.

"rodeo"

2011-06-18T15:49:00.004-06:00

today i was pleasantly surprised by the song that got me to finish strong on my run. Garth Brooks- "Rodeo." i was literally sprinting through the chorus.

what songs make you run fast?

p.s. tonight i'm going to a real rodeo and i can't wait!

p.p.s. i guess judging by my last post that the hair choice is bad...haha i'll probably try it anyways!

procrastinating

2011-06-14T21:54:00.006-06:00

i decided to blog so i don't have to do homework...school is draining me right now, i hate summer school! i completely forgot to blog about this. hallie's blessing, such a precious little girl. we always have such a great time with our families. nate & anders= best buds if you haven't yet checked this out (pinterest), you really should. when i first saw it i thought, ah another place for me to waste my time, i really don't need that. but i really like it, it's quite fun to keep inspiration i see on the web in one place. although yes, it is still a time waster. if you decide you like it, make sure you follow me here. oh and while you are at it, please go here and tell me what you think. I am seriously considering the "chop the hair off, again." leave your honest opinion in the comments. thanks friends!

hope everyone is having a great week!

make these

2011-06-01T21:52:00.005-06:00

I made one of my best dinners yet last week. The vegetables were cooked perfectly, the chicken was tender, and the velvety-like gravy was incredible-top all that off with biscuits on top...ya it was that good. It really was not that hard to make either. Here is the recipe. While you are over there, make sure you follow this blog. Photo is from her blog.

I also made homemade poptarts. They were a lot of work, but so yummy. Here is the recipe and a few photos.

no title today

2011-05-10T18:54:00.001-06:00

went biking for the 2nd time this year. it was fabulous, except that wow i am not in biking shape. the weather was incredible on saturday though.

my mama is great and it was nice to spend time with her yesterday.

who wants to run this race?? i have been wanting to for a few years now and i think this year is the year. plus only $20, let me tell you that is cheap for a race. and it's far enough out, that there is still plenty of time to train!

sunless tan

2011-05-05T14:33:00.002-06:00

so i tried out my first sunless tan. i had uploaded before and after pics but i took the after pics too late and so you couldn't really tell a difference. anyways, i had a free coupon for a sunless tan and i thought hey why not. for some reason i envisioned a person spraying it on me, but no it was a machine. it was kind of gross. i don't think i would do it again, i literally had chemicals being sprayed on my body. and everytime i would shower i could smell the chemicals. it was fun to be tan for a few days though! have any of you ever done the spray tan? (maybe i went to the wrong place). and is it just me, but the older i get the more i worry about my skin and am cautious about the sun and the effect it has on my skin? although at the same time i just want my good ol' tan!

blogging is back

2011-04-28T22:53:00.002-06:00

school is over...for a week. ha but it is such a relief to be done with this last semester. throughout my blogging hiatus we actually did do some fun things. here are just a few... wasatch cup rugby game-go byu, they won again! went and met my sweet new niece hallie. celebrated this little guy's b-day. and what would a blog post be without a sweet pic of me at school. this is what you do when you are an elementary ed major.-do projects that elementary kids would do.

no time

2011-04-14T19:03:00.002-06:00

school is ruling my life...be back soon.

it's official

2011-02-28T21:07:00.003-07:00

this fall i will be a 3rd grade teacher at eagle valley elementary school (in eagle mountain). i am beyond excited!-not so much for the commute, but i can't wait to teach!

celebrations & such

2011-02-20T13:30:00.003-07:00

i couldn't have asked for someone better to share birthday's with all these years. end of january celebration for jenny's b-day. can't wait to meet their little one in august-yup they're expecting!
lots of love to my favorite guy in the world. p.s. anyone that is considering cutting their hair short-do it! I can do my hair in 10 minutes tops. have i mentioned that i'm loving it yet? ha.

what do you think??

2011-02-09T14:45:00.002-07:00

yes, i am taking a picture in the bathroom at school but i knew you guys were anxiously awaiting a pic. ha currently- loving it.

elder chuckie

2011-01-27T12:28:00.002-07:00

we thought it would be fun to send this to my little bro on his mission in our email this week. today is his b-day. i can't believe the baby of the fam is 20.

p.s. the hair is coming off soon. can't wait!

date night and a question

2011-01-17T13:53:00.005-07:00

saturday we went to a comedy show in salt lake with some friends. it was called the left field stand up comedy show. read more about it here. it was pretty good. some of the comedians were not good at all but other's were hilarious. sadly my weekend ended last night. shout out to all of you working on mlk day, i know how it feels. i also know that no one calls in about their insurance on mlk day either.

so i am thinking about chopping my hair off, i need honest opinions here blog friends. what do you think? this is probably my favorite look. or am i crazy and should i just go semi-short?

holidays

2011-01-06T18:50:00.003-07:00

christmas, new years, they've all come and gone. is it just me or did the break just fly by for those of us in school?! i won't go into too many details but here are a few pics.
my sweet, sweet, grandparents. they just don't get better than this. christmas eve jammies. cute bells on christmas morning. seeing these babes again and spending new years with all of my fam was so much fun! a much needed break, now back to the grind.

wow

2010-12-23T11:11:00.005-07:00

is christmas really in two days...?! I have been so busy, i feel bad that i am not more in the christmas spirit. last night nate and i stayed up late watching home alone 2. definitely one of my favorites! it got me feeling more in the spirit. this last month has flown by. i turned in all my big projects and had finals with school and now i'm back to working full time. it's hard to feel like i'm taking much of a break because I just work. i didn't take any pics at thanksgiving, but it was really fun. my favorite part was the ping pong games. i also think it is really neat that nate's family holds hands before we eat and sings a song-still don't know the words, but i like doing it. this was taken over thanksgiving break. i guess i need to take more pics..ha hopefully over christmas.
some things that i'm really grateful for this time of year:
1-My Savior, My Redeemer
2- A way to find happiness
3- Nate

p.s. sorry for not commenting lately on everyone's blogs, life has been so busy, i'll get back on that! Merry Christmas!!

twins!

2010-12-01T19:31:00.005-07:00

this trip was a blast. my brother john decided to come last minute which i was so grateful for, it was nice to chat and he drove home for us in a terrible snow storm. i would not have been able to make it on my own. anyways, it was so fun to be with my brother justun and his family. these boys were hilarious and are always fun to play with. 4 yr. old heath was the photographer, really he took more than half of these photos. meet ollie. i don't have a picture of just me and quinn but i held them both pretty equally. here are both of them. i could not get enough of them. john & quinn, me and ollie. it was so fun to stay up late, play games, and eat such delicious food. i love my growing family!

girls trip

2010-11-16T18:49:00.009-07:00

lion king on the strip..check cheesecake..check
pedicures & manicures..check

yummy food..check

hot tubing..check late nights, girl talk, and memories to last forever..check. this trip was so much fun and we all agreed we need to have girl trips more often!

welcome...

2010-11-11T10:19:00.003-07:00

oliver & quinn
yes, twins have entered the family. aren't they adorable!? i can't wait to meet them.

coming soon...

2010-11-04T10:54:00.002-06:00

can you tell we had a blast... more details to come!
and can you believe this is my 100th post, wow.

so excited

2010-10-21T13:17:00.003-06:00

to stay here this weekend and go to this when we feel like it with some of my favorite gals-my mom and sister-in-laws!
hope everyone enjoys their weekend!-i know i will.

Today

2010-10-13T11:23:00.005-06:00

Today is a good day. I got to exercise for the first time in a long time. It was so beautiful outside and the temperature was just right.
At the beginning of August I had to have some procedures done that made it impossible for me to ride my bike or do any exercise for that matter. It was super crappy and hard! And with school my life has gotten crazy and I have never found the time or had the motivation to work out. So today was real nice, even though running didn't feel too amazing because i'm out of shape(stop lights were my friends) I still loved it. So because this was such a great thing for me I took pictures of myself.

almost got it...ah good enough

Hope everyone is having a great day!

Wow...one month already

2010-10-01T16:20:00.002-06:00

Well the blog has kind of taken the back burner for now, especially since I'm already doing two other blogs for school. I have taken some pics but haven't uploaded them. Just a quick update with life:

School is still ruling my life. I really do love it though. It is so nice to finally take classes I actually enjoy.
I found out I will be doing my field experience this semester at Vineyard Elementary. For 3 weeks I will just go to the elementary school instead of college and teach and learn there. I hope those 4th graders are ready. So excited.
I feel like i'm on the verge of getting sick...I sure hope not. Hopefully this weekend in park city will help me get some much needed sleep.
Is anyone else excited for Conference? I love conference weekend.
I broke out in some weird rash last Sunday. Gross I know. It has moved all over different parts of my body-currently on my legs and parts of my arm. It is miserable. I feel like I'm always itching myself. haha
Nate's little bro just got his mission call on Wednesday night....Mexico City, Mexico. So excited for him.
Church calling is busy but I also love it. We have had so many people move into our ward in the last month or so. Guess that's what happens when you are a BYU student ward.
I currently have a love/hate relationship with Facebook. I get on my facebook probably 4-5 times a week and I never get on at work anymore-Which is actually really nice, I feel much more focused. Everytime I get on facebook, after I am done "looking" I then deactivate my account. So I am deactiving and unactiving my account all of the time. haha ridiculous I know.
Well I think that's enough for now. maybe i'll blog more this month.

Day 23-29

2010-08-31T16:19:00.004-06:00

This is long, school has taken over my life...

Day 23- You tube video- Maybe you have all seen this video. It is pretty great-although I didn't like it at first, but once I found out he was making money I was was all for it. HERE is the link.

Day 24- Where I Live- Good ol Provo UT. I actually really like it here, although I wouldn't want to spend my whole life here. It is really pretty and we are at most one minute away from either entrace to the freeway at Center Street. We love our apartment and our location!

Day 25- My Day in Great Detail

Well my days just changed with school added to the picture...so here's a little sample.

7:10 Wake up, get ready, eat breakfast

7:30 leave to school

8-11:50 School (oh and did I mention my first class of everyday is 2 hrs. 50 min long!?! shoot me already)

11:50 Leave school, drive to work

12:05-5 or 5:30 Work

5 ish Drive home

The rest of my night varies, I usually eat or fix dinner right when I come home, sometimes work out, do homework, read, sometimes watch tv.

9-10:30 go to bed

Well that was fun.

Day 26- Week in Great Detail

Monday-Thursday See above

Friday- I don't have school on Fridays but I usually have appts. plus I'll be going to the school most fridays anyways(education program=very busy). But then I'll go to work at 12, leave at 5. Friday nights vary-for example, last weekend we went out to eat and then to the byu women's soccer game. We usually do something pretty fun. :)

Saturday- SLEEP IN!! I sometimes ride my bike, clean the house and then just do whatever.

Sunday- Chruch at 8:30- ya you read that right. Sometimes I hate it but most of the time I love it because we are done at 11:30 which is so nice, plus our ward is great! We usually hang out for a little bit and then hang out with Nate's fam and have sunday dinner-always a good time.

And then somewhere during the week I usually see my parents or at least my mom which is always great. Our weeks are usually pretty crazy and we love the weekends!

Day 27-Worst Habit

I'm a procrastinator-no need to go into detail...ha

Day 28-What's in my Handbag/Purse

Can I just say I hate carrying these things around, I have never liked them, no matter how cute they are. I hate always carrying something. But it is pretty much a necessity. I carry my wallet, mint chapstick, mascara(because yes I do my mascara on the way to school in the morning or when I get there-bad I know), glasses, ipod, cell phone, gum, writing utensil, snacks(i always have something to eat in there), and floss(i hate having anything stuck in my teeth). I usually have other junk in there at any given time-like bills or other things.

Day 29- Hopes, Dreams, and Plans for the next 365 Days

I hope I can do good in my first year of the program. I also hope Nate can do well in his school(which I'm sure he will)-at about this time next year he will be taking the LSAT(law school). And I hope we are happy and healthy.

Days 18-22

2010-08-23T13:32:00.005-06:00

I will post day 17 tomorrow- I definitely have a few art pieces to show but need to take pics.

Day 18- My Wedding

It is hard to really express what my husband means to me, especially now at this time of our life. I really loved our wedding day it was everything I had ever dreamed of. Very classic in my mind, black and white. Here's just a shot of the room. Day 19- Talent- Playing the piano

Day 20- Hobby

Here are just a few hobbies: Cycling, working out, piano, cooking, reading, dancing.

Day 21- A recipe

Well those of you that read my blog know that I posts recipes occasionally. Right now one of my favorite things to make is a Banana Peanut Butter Smoothie. It is great for a pre or post-workout snack, breakfast, or anytime. I'm slightly addicted.

Banana Peanut Butter Smoothie

1 banana(I slice it and freeze it-I have like 40 bags of bananas in my freezer. ha)

1/8 c. all natural peanut butter(I get this at sunflower market-so yummy)

1/2 c. milk (I do either whole milk or almond milk)

Blend in a blender and enjoy, enjoy, enjoy. If anyone of you try it let me know if you like it!

Day 22- A website

I have to go with google on this one. I use it for so many things or for any questions I have, it really is awesome. I think it is kind of neat that most of our generation uses it for so many things. If I don't know something I just think, oh google it. I also love my gmail and my google reader for blogs. It is nice to be able to have most of the blogs I follow in one place and not have to open up a million windows!

Day 12-16

2010-08-16T09:06:00.007-06:00

Wow I got behind again.
12- Something OCD about: Germs(washing hands), locking our apartment, bed made.
13- Favorite Outfit: I'm a jeans and t-shirt girl all the way, although I love my workout clothes(weird I know but they are cute) and I like to dress up.
14-Favorite Shoes: It is hard to pick favorites. I really love shoes. But here are 5 that I wear the most often right now minus my running shoes but I love them too. 15- Dream House:
How about an apartment in New York City.. or a beautiful home surrounded by nature... or a sweet pad by the beach... let's be honest though, any where with this view every morning and I'm there.16- Song that makes you cry or nearly cry:
This is really hard because I don't cry too often, but there a few Christmas songs that I just love and sometimes I get emotional. Some days when I am a crier, a lot of songs can do it though.

Day 11

2010-08-11T11:28:00.004-06:00

I skipped day 10 because I don't have any old pics of me but I am getting some so that will be a later post. This pic was taken in february or so.

Days 6-9

2010-08-09T16:37:00.001-06:00

So I'm combining a few to get caught up! And yes I'm skipping day 5, I've never been one who has quotes I just love.

Day 6-20 Things I love(no certain order)

my hubby
cycling
working out-weights, running, swimming, tennis..etc.
family time
vacation
sleeping in
weekends
lake powell
ocean/beach
california
jazz games/new york giants games
music/playing piano
le tour de france
holiday's
my religion
my camelback water bottle
mint chapstick-i could not live without this
food!
clean sheets
reading a good book

Day 7- Photo that makes me happy(this is currently my desktop background at work.)
Day 8- Photo that makes me angry/sad- I miss this kid a ton!!

Day 9- Photo i took-one of my favorite spots we camped at in lp

Days 3 & 4

2010-08-07T23:58:00.008-06:00

Favorite TV Shows:
Not a big TV person but I do have a few that I don't usually miss.Pathetic I know-but I've probably only missed two seasons since this show first started. Not sure why I like this show so much but I do.
I also love all sports. NFL season, Jazz games, tennis, golf, playoff baseball, it's all great.
Books:
I love to read. I of course like sappy love novels, sometimes with a little mystery thrown in. I absolutely love this book. Of course I love cycling and Lance is my favorite. But even if it ends up being that he used steroids-he still beat cancer when the odds were so small and he has a great passion for life. I love this fun little series and I really loved the movies too.

Day 1 & 2

2010-08-07T11:08:00.006-06:00

Favorite Songs

This is really hard to decide because I love music and so many different songs.

My Wish- Rascal Flatts
Death and All His Friends- Coldplay(Really anything they sing)
Time of your Life- Green Day
Now We Are Free(Gladiator)- Lisa Gerrard
Human Nature- Michael Jackson
Thank U- Alanis Morissette
Bedshaped- Keane
OMG(loving this song right now.)- Usher
Give it Away- George Straight

Favorite Movies

I am not a huge movie person but I do have a few favorites.

Join Me for August

2010-08-07T10:58:00.001-06:00

AUGUST

I thought this sounded fun after I saw it on a friends blog. I will catch up soon!- Feel free to join.

Day 1 - your favorite song

Day 2 - your favorite movie

Day 3 - your favorite television program

Day 4 - your favorite book

Day 5 - your favorite quote

Day 6 - 20 of my favorite things

Day 7 - a photo that makes you happy

Day 8 - a photo that makes you angry/sad

Day 9 - a photo you took

Day 10 - a photo taken over 10 years ago of you

Day 11 - a photo of you recently

Day 12 - something you are OCD about

Day 13 - your favorite outfit.

Day 14 - your favorite shoes

Day 15 - your dream house

Day 16 - a song that makes you cry (or nearly)

Day 17 - an art piece (drawing, sculpture, painting, etc)

Day 18 - my wedding/future wedding/past wedding

Day 19 - a talent of yours

Day 20 - a hobby of yours

Day 21 - a recipe

Day 22 - a website

Day 23 - a youtube video

Day 24 - where I live

Day 25 - your day, in great detail

Day 26 - your week, in great detail

Day 27 - my worst habit

Day 28 - whats in my handbag/purse

Day 29 - hopes,dreams and plans for the next 365 days

Day 30 - a dream for the future

create your own

2010-07-27T13:49:00.003-06:00

i can't believe i have never posted about this. so last fall i decided i wanted some new shoes. this website lets you design your own shoes. i played around with it for quite a while and narrowed it down to two. my awesome mother-in-law picked one of them out for me for christmas. i love them, they are so comfy and i'll never see anyone with my shoes. i think they are only like $10 more than just buying a pair of their shoes.
i realize this is not a flattering shot, cankle... haha

even if you don't need new shoes it's still fun to play around with!

le tour de france

2010-07-20T11:37:00.000-06:00

the tour has been going on for a couple of weeks now. i've always followed it but this year decided i better watch it since it is the last tour for my fav-lance armstrong. i always respected lance but was never that big of a fan until i read his book. it's incredible what he has been through and just in general what a great person he is. he has won 7 tours! just think about it, 3 weeks of on your bike everyday(except for two rest days) riding at least 100 miles and much more than that some days. not to mention that the mountain stages are so grueling! i seriously have been getting up between 5:30 & 6:30 am and catching every minute. stage 8 was so painful to watch. lance was doing great, he was a little behind from a minor crash a few days earlier. him and another biker clipped pedals and armstrong crashed hard, he tumbled on the ground and got some good road rash. it happened right before an ascent. he then had to wait for a new bike to get started again. he tried to make up time but got lost on the huge climb. then, as if it couldn't get any worse, he is on a dead straight away and the guy in front of him just falls-don't ask me how he that happened. needless to say, lance is not in contention anymore. it was pretty hard to watch it happen. i honestly don't know if he could have won, but i think he would have got top 3 if it wasn't for all the bad luck. the tour is still very exciting to watch and i'm hoping for andy schleck to pull out a win. the tour ends on sunday and i'm excited to get my normal sleeping hours back.

thanksgiving point

2010-07-15T12:19:00.000-06:00

i always have a great time with these cute boys. i took a day off of work two weeks ago or so and we went to thanksgiving point. we walked through the dinosaur museum, ate lunch, watched a 3-d movie, and explored the rest of thanksgiving point. there are so many things to do! handsome boys.

rory likes to take pics with me. we took quite a few. after this one i looked at my camera and started cracking up at this face he made. he looks so hard-core.

all in all what a great day!

so much catch up

2010-06-29T13:48:00.007-06:00

where to begin.. we have been out of town so much lately and we are finally staying home on the weekends and i love it. even though we had a blast going lots of places it is nice to be home sometimes. plus i got a new calling that makes me feel like i need to be at our ward all the time.-i'm the 2nd counselor in the relief society presidency. it's been going good so far, it's a little overwhelming but it's already been a lot of fun to get to know the girls. i really love our ward. if any of you have gone to any really awesome activities let me know-i'm over them.

anyways back to some fun things. nate's birthday was this month. we didn't do much on his actual birthday but that weekend we stayed at little america and went to gateway. it was a blast. the view of the city on our balcony at little america. we watched the sunset. can't believe he actually took some pics with me. haha they aren't the best because we both had shadows on our face.

my wonderful grandparents had their 59th anniversary! 59 years-can you believe that, so crazy. they are so great together. one of my most favorite cousins got married. i'm so happy for her! here we are at her shower. the wedding. i still have a few more things to catch up on but i'll have to do another post.

again if you have any activites you really liked let me know! thanks!

little red

2010-06-23T12:38:00.005-06:00

this was our first time doing the little red riding hood bike ride, but it definitely will not be the last. it was seriously was so much fun! the weather was great, the scenery was so beautiful, there was amazing food, and it was fun to just have girls riding. plus they have a ton of different options for mileage so there were so many different types of bikers out there. we decided to do the 60 miler since we haven't been able to train very much. we stayed in a hotel the night before and decided that since we don't get to do that very often that we should stay up and drink dr. pepper, eat popcorn, and watch some shows. some of our biggest fans met us at the end and i proceeded to get us all creamie after creamie, and other delicious food too. we had a great time staying up in logan with them for a little while.

our awesome fans

the best part of the ride was this hill we had to go down. as i started going down the hill, i thought, wow this is a steep hill. i decided to not use my brakes and see how fast i could get going. i clocked in at 40.7 mph!! it was the coolest feeling ever, well once i got over the fact that if i crashed.... anyways if you are interested at all in biking, do this ride.

sin city

2010-06-11T12:41:00.005-06:00

before we made our way to sin city, we stayed in st. g and were going to hike zions but, that didn't happen. we still made it out to zions to go to some strange petting zoo and take random pics. our buds, harrison and amy.

this is the lovely hotel we stayed at. aria... it was so neat.

i could get used to this every morning. those curtains moved by the push of a button. if any of you watch bachelorette they swam at this hotel and she also moved the curtains. we got lucky because we are the only ones married and got our own private room with a king size bed. now nate wants a king size bed. haha thanks to harrison's lovely sis, we all stayed in a mini suite and had a ton of fun going to a show, eating out, & swimming.
My view in the morning.i also spent some time with my bro's family and my sweet little niece bella! all in all, great weekend.

i think i found my new favorite blog, i read back to the beginning of when it was started over the past two days at work. i love the way she is so honest about her feelings, and i think she is funny. plus her kids are adorable. check it out: runningmommy04.blogspot.com

powell/graduation

2010-06-03T16:07:00.008-06:00

Wow back to back posts for me. We went to powell a couple of weeks ago. It was a disappointing trip, the wind was terrible! The company was great though, and there were a few hours where it was calm and 90 degrees. perfect.

ah look a heart! Here is what we really came to powell for: Hole in the Rock.

My grandparents had read books about it and wanted to see it in person. It might not look like much in this picture but when you get a second you should read what it's all about here. The sunset was amazing, like always at powell. This stud graduated and was a speaker. He'll go on and do great things, he is a smartie pants.

Vegas post to come soon. Can't wait to get my bike ride done this saturday. This will be the 3rd straight weekend I've been out of town. I can't wait to have a relaxing weekend and just stay home...hopefully soon.

mini cheesecakesssssss

2010-06-02T09:36:00.007-06:00

I have been making these a bunch lately. I had two showers that I had to bring desert too and this was my go-to item. Although last night I was wishing it wasn't my go-to item after making 60 of these suckers. Thought I would share because they aren't too hard to make, they make a great presentation, and wow they are good.
These actually all looked pretty bad when they were cooling and I was getting worried. They sunk a lot, not sure why. But whip up some delicious whip cream and it makes everything better. I could eat spoonful after spoonful of this, and I did. Add some fruit and wala, not to shabby.

Here is the recipe if anyone is interested. But honestly, next time I make these I will probably look for a new one just for fun, even though I'm not sure if these can get any better.

Recent happenings

2010-05-25T13:14:00.009-06:00

Well I have been out of blogger land for a while and haven't felt very motivated to post anything. So let's see what have we been up to...
One of my dear old friends got married and I was able to attend the beautiful sealing with another dear ol friend. Had a blast staying up late and laughing our heads off. Smash Burger has become one of our favorite places. Definitely has won the best burger in town award. Go try it.

Made Banana Sour Cream Pancakes for dinner last night. I was a pretty upset that the hub had already taken them to work this morning when they were going to be my breakfast. Will hide them next time. You should try them too.

Went to lake powell last weekend only to get blown off the lake. The wind was ridiculous but I enjoyed a few hours of 90 degree weather before it came. Please be better next time wind.

Really trying to train for my 60 miler bike ride in two weeks but instead all I want to do is Yoga...

Although I still love my biking, mixing it up is more fun, don't you agree?

Heading to St. George/Vegas this weekend with friends and the hubby. Hoping to see some family and enjoy warm weather and a paid holiday!

new blog list!

2010-05-06T13:44:00.005-06:00

So a few months ago I came across a blog that would post about free samples and good deals on many various things. I found a ton more and today I just made a new blog list titled these help me save money...or just get free samples. I love getting free samples. I am getting one about once a week and when I get them I'm like oh ya I forgot about that. Anyways these blogs that I follow are mostly run by moms, these moms are a little crazy with the coupons and such. But I'm always so amazed when they lay out their groceries and show what they would have paid without coupons and then what they did pay. For example: http://www.savingmoneylivinglife.com/2010/05/publix-before-coupons-savings-9046.html.
By the way, this is the blog that started this somewhat fascination of mine. I thought I would share this in case any of you want to get free stuff occasionally and also I wondered does anybody really use coupons, like religiously?? And really save that much money doing it? I just think if I could shop like that I could save us so much money! Anyways blog friends please comment with any tips or if any of you actually do this!!

1st Tri

2010-04-28T10:17:00.004-06:00

Well I can now say it...I am a triathlete. My first tri was pretty much awesome. The swim was first and it was definitely my worst event. As you can see in the pic below I am getting passed. ha When I got in I starting swimming way faster then I had been practicing and got way out of breath fast. It's like I could never calm myself down and just enjoy it. So the swim was not good. Even Nate said he was worried about me finishing when he watched me swim. haha Biking was awesome. Definitely my strongest event. I got on the bike with a huge grin on my face and started passing people, which was great since a few of them had just passed me on the swim. The bike route also had the biggest hill I have ever been on, it was pretty miserable but awesome at the same time. After the bike came running. I found a running mate and we started talking which always helps me do better. We ran pretty much the whole way together, it was great to have someone push me. I ended up averaging a 8 min 30 sec mile which I was very pleased with. You finish up on a track which was cool.
Here are a few action shots:

I told Nate he had to take a picture with me since he supported me in my working out everyday for 3 months. He was cheering me on everytime I saw him.

Me and my sister-in-law did the triathlon together, it was fun having someone else there that I knew. She pretty much kicked my butt in swimming, she did awesome! At this point I think we were pretty tired.Final Results: 3rd place in my age group

Can't wait to do another one!

he's gone

2010-04-21T13:39:00.004-06:00

My parents house is sure going to be empty without this kid around...

losing/winning game

2010-04-15T09:04:00.003-06:00

So yesterday I get a phone call from my dad asking if I would like to go to the jazz game, 17th row, center court. Of course I say yes! I had to break the bad news to nate (there were only 4 tickets), he thought we should have flipped a coin and didn't think it was fair I automatically got to go. It was pretty funny. Here is us before the game, of course we were way excited because it was the final game of the year and a huge game. If the jazz win, they are 2nd or 3rd place with homecourt advantage, if they lose, 5th place no homecourt advantage. The jazz came out pretty strong considering they only had 3 of their 5 starters but the second quarter killed them. It ended up being a blowout and we left with over 6 minutes in the 4th. So the jazz will be playing Denver in the playoffs and I think if they are healthy they can beat them but I also think Carmelo could go crazy on them. If you can't tell I'm a huge jazz fan. Half-time was pretty neat, they did a spotlight on Larry H. Miller, hung a jersey and also are renaming the court the Larry H. Miller court. All in all it was still a fun night, even though I should have been studying for a huge test that now I'm stressing over. haha

Bella Boo

2010-04-12T18:13:00.002-06:00

I had a great time this weekend hanging with my little niece and her fam. Shopping and pedicures on Saturday, getting Bella a cute lil bikini. I can't get over this pic, what a chunk! I love babies in bikinis when they are fat, so hilarious. Next time we hang out I hope I'll be visiting them in sunny Las Vegas. Is anyone else so done with school!?!? I'm struggling to go to class and I have to keep telling myself, only two more weeks and then I'm done until the fall. Taking only one class this semester sounds easy but it is has been really hard to motivate myself and I'd almost prefer a full schedule even though I love my free time. Found out I got into the Elementary Ed program at UVU, very excited to finally take classes I like and feel like there is an end to school in my future.

Has anyone tried netflix? I just signed up for the 1-month free trial but I have a feeling I'll be keeping it. Last night I watched three movies and I already have one coming in the mail. Nate and I usually aren't movie people, we feel like it is a waste of money, and we never take our movies back. (Our first experience with redbox ended up costing $7 for one movie). haha Netflix is so cheap it's hard to resist though, and no late fees for us!

t r i

2010-03-29T13:09:00.006-06:00

Ya that's right, I'm signed up for a triathlon. I have been training for over 2 months now and it has been really fun. I still don't feel ready but I have a few more weeks. I've always been nervous to sign up for one because I worried about the swimming but I am really excited now that I have been training. The distances seem short, but put the 3 together and it is tough!
Swim-first pool triathlon8-lane 50 meter Olympic pool

Swimmers enter pool at timed intervals to keep pool crowding at a minimum.
Start at one end and zig-zag to complete the 400 meter swim
Bike
20 Kilometer bike course Ample Police support
UDOT closes down a portion of the course to traffic
Challenging and fun course!

All pics from ustrisports.com

Run

5 Kilometer run course
Last 400 Meters of the race are indoor
Your friends and family watch you cross the finish line seated comfortably inside the Utah Olympic Oval!

Anyways, thought I would share since I feel like I spend a lot of my free time training. Hopefully it will be worth it!

delightful weekend

2010-03-22T19:42:00.005-06:00

I just realized, as I sit here drinking my delicious chocolate milk (thought you'd like to know), that I always post after the weekend or about the weekend. Well here we go again. ha ha I guess that is when most of our fun happens. Well this weekend was a great busy weekend. All of the bros and their fams were in town for Chuck's farewell. He doesn't actually leave until the 24th of April but with all of the conferences and fast Sunday he had to have it now. The fun started on Friday when we were all able to go to the temple. It was such a neat experience to have our entire family in the Celestial room. Saturday we had an Easter egg hunt which was a blast. I got into it as much as the little kids. Sunday was the farewell, Chuck did awesome, it was pretty surreal when he was giving his talk. I can't believe he is old enough to go on a mission. Here is lil Scottie and his mama out getting some treats. Here are all the kids, it's crazy to see how big our family is getting. These kiddies are awesome. Now if any of you went to high school with me you probably remember my sweet car...okay maybe not. haha I drove a Mitsubishi Eclipse that had like 240,000 miles on it. Two of my brothers drilled holes into the muffler so that it sounded cool, loud, something. ha Also it had an awesome sound system. Anyways, all of us drove this car to high school. One brother is missing in the picture, but 6 kids, one car. And 5 of those drivers were boys so you can imagine how this car was treated. ha I still remember learning to drive it(it's a stick), thinking I was awesome with my sound system and shifting, being scared on big hills, killing it many a times, stuffing girls in there to go to games, the awesome beaded seat covers that my hair would get caught in, and trying to make out in this thing. (it's not a very roomy car.)haha Well the reason for this shout out is because my parents are getting rid of it since it is not needed. It's sad to see it go but I have so many awesome memories in this car, and well it's time. Anyways if you couldn't tell our weekend was awesome! Hope yours was too.

wow, time flies.

2010-03-15T08:41:00.004-06:00

Crazy to think two years ago I was getting ready for my very own wedding day right now. I couldn't have made a better decision. I'm not one to express my feelings too often, but I love this man more and more all the time and I'm so grateful that he is mine forever.

rugby

2010-03-09T21:56:00.007-07:00

This weekend was the Wasatch Cup at BYU. We go to pretty much all of the rugby and soccer games, they're free for us and are actually a lot of fun. One of Nate's best friends is on byu's rugby team and they played Utah. It was a big game and if I remember correctly winning the game takes them automatically to the sweet 16. Anyways, they won, which was awesome. We are totally wanting to go to the championship(road trip) which is always held at CAL-Berkeley. They won it last year and I think they can win again this year. Here is the field, it looked awesome considering the day before it was covered in snow. Group of friends holding the cup. The three boys, they are hillarious and I enjoy them being around, even when they eat all of our food. The joy of having mostly single friends. ha

yum yum

2010-03-04T16:22:00.005-07:00

So this past weekend I was really craving something sweet. I rarely bake and I don't buy treats either only because nate doesn't eat them and I know I'll end up eating all of them! Which I don't want to do. ha So I decided I wanted some delicious cupcakes and went in search for a recipe in blogger world. Don't you just love blogs, you can find anything! I saw a picture at this great blog and thought I'm so making those. Found the recipe from here and ended up halfing the recipe because of course I knew I would eat them all. It ended up making nine. Here is the frosting, which was so yummy. Vanilla cupcakes with vanilla buttercream frosting. They were even good enough that Nate ate 4 and I'm sure you can guess who ate the rest....Photo from jpcreativedesign.blogspot.com

partying

2010-02-22T19:03:00.005-07:00

We had some more fun celebrations this past weekend. If any of you love peanut butter, you have to try the dessert from Outback Steakhouse, it is so yummy. I'm loving my new Ipod. Gonna miss this kid when he leaves to South Carolina. Love this girl.

This was probably the best steak I've ever eaten. I'll never be a vegetarian, meat is too good. (yes my hub is in the picture but of course he's not smiling. ha) Park City is so pretty this time of year even though I'm so sick of the cold. It was fun taking random pics of the lights all over main street.

birthdays & such

2010-02-08T22:43:00.006-07:00

Recently we celebrated these two boys birthdays with a joint party. It sure was fun! I love hanging out with the boys they are so much fun.

Chuck turned 19.Anders turned 2! And we...like to take pictures. I can't ever get nate to take pictures so my nephews take pics with me instead. haha

two words: toasted marshmallow

2010-01-27T09:50:00.007-07:00

I don't know what it is but I love toasted marshmallow anything...especially the jelly belly toasted marshmallow. So after seeing this recipe from one of my fav blogs, I knew I had to try it. It was so incredible! Chunks of toasted marshmallow were in every slurp. You need to try this! Oh and thanks for the comments, loved them all.

snow cones

2010-01-21T21:50:00.003-07:00

These boys and I sure had a fun time playing with my new snow cone machine I got at my work party this year. I'm still working on my collection of flavors, all I have now is blue raspberry and strawberry. We sure knew how to put down helping after helping of snow cones even when it was snowing outside. Can't wait to eat one of these everyday in the summer! mmm...

So blogger friends...

2010-01-11T08:55:00.002-07:00

I decided nobody comments anymore on blog posts! I'm going to try and do better too but blogging is more fun if we all comment on each other's posts. So start commenting!! haha

holidays have come and gone...

2010-01-07T21:38:00.006-07:00

Well the holidays have come and gone. It was a great break from school and work and a wonderful time to spend with family and think of others and my Savior. There are so many pics I took and I couldn't pick just a few. This little unexpected gadget helped me get a lot of photos. It takes videos but then you can take still photos of the video. So neat...This was our tree at our apartment. Had this for breakfast Christmas morning. Homemade waffles and homemade ice cream! with strawberries. So delicious.Christmas Eve was fun to be with Nate's family and do their traditions. Nate's dad read Polar Express. All of us kids (6) made a big bed downstairs. It was pretty tight and people were kicking and getting too close to one another. It was a hoot. Then I wake up in the middle of the night and everyone had disappeared and found beds or moved to the couch. Noah..Noah...Noah....love this kid. The boys with their Christmas jammies. I could not get enough of little Scottie. He is always so happy and smiley. I took way too many photos and videos of him. ha Isn't he the cutest, most perfect baby ever!?

It was fun to watch the boys open up Christmas. My beautiful sis-in-law.

Rory with some sweet lego's. Lego's were definitely the gift of choice for some of the boys. I thought this was such a precious moment that I happened to catch on video.

Hope everyone had a good holiday!

5 down, 1 to go

2009-12-18T12:57:00.005-07:00

I can't wait for about 6 pm tonight. I will officially be done with school this semester. I actually really enjoyed school this semester since I was able to take a lot of classes about my major, elementary ed. Ya that's right, I'm going to be a school teacher. 15 credits about killed me since I still had to work 30 hrs. a week, but I made it! I'm also excited to hang out with both of our families and give some great gifts! Hope you all have a Merry Christmas!!

Thanksgiving...Bridal Shower

2009-12-05T22:42:00.003-07:00

We had my cousin Jessica's bridal shower and had lots of fun. Nate's extended family is really fun to be with! Me and Liz, I've loved this girl ever since me and Nate started dating so many years ago. Love these hot high school girls!
Thanksgiving was wonderful. I had such a fun time with my family. We stayed up til 2 & 3 o clock every night. We crammed in many fun, fun times, and of course lots of food and games. Can't wait for Christmas! Here's my dad and sweet little niece. Nate and I Thanksgiving night.

Weekend

2009-11-22T21:25:00.004-07:00

Nate and I with grandma. We had a great time celebrating Grandma Dorothy's 77th birthday this weekend! Here is grandma and Chrissy looking good.
Can't wait for Thanksgiving!! So excited to see 4 of my brothers and their families. I love this pic of Nate and sweet Bella when they came up for a fun visit just a couple of weekends ago.

2 years ago....

2009-11-12T11:12:00.005-07:00

The man of my dreams flew me to the top of a mountain and asked me to be his forever. What a beautiful moment...

Boo!

2009-11-08T21:54:00.004-07:00

Wish we would have got a pic before Nate changed his costume-this is later when the spandex are now down and the bra and stuffing is gone. It was hilarious. I don't think I'll be using the temporary tattoos again, they took days!! to get off. Seriously I scrubbed so hard. ha We had a great time with friends on Halloween!

Sunsets and such

2009-10-26T17:36:00.004-06:00

I was driving home from school the other night and saw this killer sunset! Times like these I wish I could stop on the side of the road and take pics. But I went for the car window instead. ha I was glad I had my camera.This last weekend was very, very busy. I finally got over a week long flu, played poker til 3 in the am..(I won!! Ya), played risk, flag football game, cousin fun, visitor from AZ, delicious breakfast, great seats at the disastrous BYU/TCU game, Park City, golf, and family hangouts. Not to mention our little hike to the hot springs up Spanish Fork Canyon. We went with four awesome people, it was my first time up there, it was pretty neat and very pretty but I can't say I'll be in a hurry to go back. Slime..ew.

Autumn Beauty

2009-10-19T15:07:00.006-06:00

I decided I really like the word autumn, I don't think it is used enough. I had a nice day last week with no work or school so Nate and I drove up the canyon and went to Park City. It was a beautiful day and I had been wanting to go for weeks to see the fall colors up the canyon. It did not disappoint. I took a few photos.
Even though I primarily wanted to see the red, orange, and yellow colors, the green pines were beautiful!I love the back of Timp. even more than the front. Plus I got a little of Deer Creek in there.I thought this pic ended up great...the colors are vibrant and I love the sun streaming in.

Fall Wishes

2009-10-09T15:31:00.012-06:00

Is there anything on your must have fall list? I always love shopping for the fall season and have tons of memories of shopping during this time of year!

I really want some zipper leggings. And can you believe I found them at Target for $12.99! I'm loving these fabulous clothing items and accessories. Check out this website for most of my finds.

Other wishes: I sure wish I would stop craving these..

I wish I could take a visit to this place..

And I really wish my family could all get together this weekend, I'm really missing everyone. Look at all those handsome bros..minus one, but he's handsome too.

Giveaway

2009-10-01T12:10:00.003-06:00

This is definitely one of my favorite blogs to follow. This is a great giveaway for $25. Check out her blog here!

Life as we know it...

2009-09-23T22:12:00.003-06:00

So I decided most people don't blog about the tough times going on in their life, we mostly just keep it happy go lucky. If only life was always that way. I don't think I'm necessarily the one to break the mold and talk about the tough times because really we are so blessed even in the toughest of times.

Some things that have been happening...
School and work continue to rule my life.
The cougs got destroyed, last time I take up a whole post on them. ha
The fam is all starting to get web cams and it is quite fun, especially since I now only live in the same state with one out of my five siblings.
Fall is in the air.. almost was sad to say goodbye to summer but it's time to move on.
Loving all the football, for some reason I am quite smitten with it this season.
We also changed wards which we are very excited about but pretty sad at the same time to say goodbye to those cute little nursery kids.
Sure do miss riding my bike and looking forward to a race.

Anyways that's about it, hope everyone is well.

Go Cougs! 1-0

2009-09-05T23:35:00.003-06:00

I was raised in a BYU cheering home and am now married to a huge Y fan and I am definitely one myself. Anyone who watches college football knows that tonight was a HUGE win and also a huge upset. I was sporting the white and blue tee and cheering like no other. Should be a great seaon!

He'll soon be a cougar

2009-08-31T10:15:00.003-06:00

Nate just found out he will be attending BYU this coming January! Although I really like the UVU, I have to admit most degrees look better coming from BYU and because Nate's dad works there he gets half tuition!! So I think we are most excited about that since school is so expensive. Nate has worked really hard at UVU and pulled off some amazing grades and I know he will do awesome at BYU. He'll soon be a cougar...

The Bro's Wedding

2009-08-26T19:30:00.003-06:00

So we have been so busy lately, it's crazy. Last Friday we had family pictures and Jenny's(sis-in-law) bridal shower in the day and then we had a big barbecue with Jenny's family and my family at my parents house. It was really fun and nice to meet Jenny's family, they are from California. Then they got married on Saturday and had a dinner and a reception up Provo Canyon, it was beautiful! The whole day was really great and of course fun to see lots of people.

The Girls at the temple

Nate and I at the reception.This past week I finished up with Math 1050 through BYU and then started at UVU the next day. My schedule is really crazy and Nate and I will only be home at night with each other once a week, so that stinks. It is a big semester for me, I'm taking 15 credits and the classes are all really important that I do well in them. I'm also doing my last big bike ride tomorrow, 67 miles. It should be fun! Anyways, that is our life right now!

i miss

2009-08-20T16:52:00.003-06:00

i miss you vacation and hubby. haven't really seen you this week..

tahoe

2009-08-18T10:19:00.004-06:00

Nate and I were lucky enough to go on vacation with his family. We stayed in Lake tahoe and grass valley and took a day trip to San fran. It was a lot of fun and we were doing things non-stop. I have to say my highlight of the trip was being able to see the kids I nannied. After spending a year of my life with them I still think about them all the time and really just love the family.

The fam at my favorite lookout spot

Nate and I at tahoe

Me, Noah, and Chrissy at tahoe

ulcer 2009

2009-08-10T19:23:00.004-06:00

Well we did it! The ulcer was amazing. I had such an awesome time. I got a flat on mile 6 which was definitely a little discouraging and added to my time, and we dealt with some insane wind on the back of the lake. But no complaining here. I really loved riding in groups and talking to other bikers, plus I usually don't get competitive with biking but I sure did with this. I love that feeling. I plan on signing up for this year after year. Finishing the 111 miles was such an awesome feeling! As you can see I was pumped crossing the finish line.
Here are the three of us, my mom(yes she's over 50 and amazing), sadie, and me.

Here's what i'll be doing tomorrow...

2009-08-07T21:38:00.003-06:00

Good ol biking for 6-8hrs. Hopefully not longer. ha Tomorrow is the ulcer, 111 miles on my bike. I'm a little nervous but I think it will be really fun! Hopefully no rain or strong winds or it could make out for a nasty ride. Wish me luck!

vegas...

2009-08-04T10:01:00.002-06:00

When we go to Vegas we just go to spend time with family. We pretty much avoid the strip entirely. Pretty hard to avoid the casinos when you stay in a hotel though. We went down for my little niece's blessing. I should of got a close-up pic of her in her dress because it was gorgeous, her mom made it. Anyways we had a fun time and I couldn't get enough of her.

Giveaway!

2009-08-03T11:47:00.002-06:00

There is a giveaway for this super cute recipe box! And I think you should all follow this blog, it is always fun to read and I especially love all the food posts, someday I will get around to trying out the recipes.

beautiful

2009-07-28T21:51:00.001-06:00

isn't this girl gorgeous! i just love my sister-in-law, we always have so much fun together. love you tay!

the bro is back

2009-07-28T21:48:00.002-06:00

well we had quite the eventful weekend. nate's brother josh got home from his mission. everyone was very excited and it was fun to start to get to know him. nate was really excited for him to get home and i think we all enjoyed the weekend!

i'm going to the market

2009-07-22T21:06:00.004-06:00

do any of you go here? i absolutely love it. most people say it cost more to eat healthy but they really have awesome prices! everyone should definitely check it out.

by the way, powell was great as always. a few things i did: swam a lot, played with the nephews, ate food, played games, and relaxed every minute.

other news, my bro-in-law that has been pretty much absent(mission) since i joined the quist family is coming home friday from brazil. Should be fun.

Always Needed Family Time

2009-07-13T20:43:00.007-06:00

Introducing my first niece,(finally I have 6 nephews) not the best pic but she is adorable!

Enjoyed this little guys 3rd birthday Nate and the birthday boy became fast friendsAnd I hung on to this guy. Such a fun time with family. Can't wait to spend even more time with the family in lake powell this week. yay!

Holiday...

2009-07-01T16:34:00.004-06:00

just found out i have friday off! plus I don't work thursdays..yay! i'm beyond happy. not sure what i'm going to do with this extra time but i'm sure i can find something. hope everyone enjoys the little break. don't forget how blessed we are to live in america.

My Passion

2009-06-26T19:13:00.005-06:00

I would really say biking is my passion. I just absolutely love it. I only get to go twice a week but it is very rewarding. This is our 31 mile ride we took, we went part way up payson canyon and that was really hard but awesome, especially on the way down. It was really hot though. It's just me, the bike, and the road. Gotta love it. If any of you bike you should train for the ULCER. It is August 8th and you go 111 miles. I'm pretty stoked!

My bike partner

Aren't they great...

2009-06-26T18:47:00.002-06:00

My sweet grandparents just celebrated their 58th wedding anniversary! They are so hilarious and just crack me up all the time. I'm so grateful I have taken the time to get to know them and see them on a regular basis. They are the kindest, humblest people I've ever known. They are both such wonderful examples to me. Also my sweet husband celebrated his 23rd birthday! Crazy to think we've been celebrating birthdays together since he was 17!

I'm addicted

2009-06-23T22:10:00.003-06:00

Well I'm officially addicted to this amazing smoothie! I love smoothies and always try different concoctions. I found this one on a website, (don't remember which one) and at first I thought that sounds weird but now I'm making it at least twice a week. In fact, I'm craving one right now.

ice

banana (if you have one)

pack in the spinach (I usually do 2 handfuls)

1/4 can of frozen concentrate orange juice

berries (I always do strawberries and then whatever else I have on hand).

1/2 c. yogurt (I don't really measure I just dump in what looks good).

tiny bit of milk

Blend it up and you have a splendid relatively healthy spinach smoothie, you really can't even taste the spinach! Enjoy.

Missing you

2009-06-15T23:08:00.006-06:00

There are days when I miss this place like crazy!

Not to mention some of the most adorable kids ever!

Summer!!

2009-06-02T20:09:00.007-06:00

Well summer is finally here. I decided one of the worst parts about being a grown up is that summer is never the same! I wish I could just hang out all summer and boat. School teacher here I come! Life has been pretty busy for us in the past two months. We ended a long semester and then started a new one the next week. I unfortunately will be going to school all summer long but Nate will be done in about 3 weeks. But we do have some fun things planned for the summer.My little bro got his Eagle Scout and graduated from high school in the same week.

My family came up last weekend and I finally got to see my newest nephew! He is such an adorable angel. I wish we lived closer. The same weekend my sister-in-law asked me to do a duathlon with her(run/bike/run) and I decided to go for it. It was so much fun. I bike on a regular basis but I don't run. There wasn't a ton of people entered but I did end up taking first in my category and 5th among the women overall! It was lots of fun.

We have also spent lots of time with Nate's family, they are so much fun! I was able to meet Nate's cousin, his wife, and their daughter and also Nate's aunt that live in Pennsylvania. It was fun to get to know them and we had a great weekend with them! Here is Taylor, Nate, and his cousin Matt.
This is the girls at a reunion we had on Sunday. Thanks for the pics Jamie!!And we had our first boating trip of the year, ah I loved it! I could write about more things since I haven't posted in two months but I think I've wrote enough.ha

Make these

2009-04-06T15:59:00.007-06:00

I made these over conference weekend for the 2nd time and they are so heavenly and very easy! Thought I'd share.

Blueberry Cheese Rolls

1 pkg. (8 oz.) refrigerated crescent dinner rolls
4 oz. (1/2 of 8-oz. pkg.) PHILADELPHIA 1/3 Less Fat Cream Cheese, softened
2 Tbsp. sugar
1/2 cup blueberries, divided
Make It!
PREHEAT oven to 375ºF. Unroll dough into four rectangles; firmly press perforations together to seal.
COMBINE cream cheese and sugar; spread onto dough rectangles to within 1/2 inch of edges. Top evenly with blueberries. Bring opposite corners of rectangles together; press together to seal. Place on ungreased baking sheet.
BAKE 11 to 13 min. or until golden brown.
Go to kraftfoods.com for the official recipe.

I’m Dreaming of…

2009-04-03T14:59:00.001-06:00

My Heaven on Earth!! Especially with all of this cold Utah weather. Come to me soon powell!