BOOKS FOR CHRISTMAS!?

Something to Smile About

I feel like my world has gotten so busy lately that I have forgotten to notice and appreciate the little things. You know, those little things in life that make you smile and remember how good life is? One of my New Years Resolutions is to take more time to cherish the things I love.  I'm going to try to post more pictures/videos of things that make me smile.  And, I'm going to do so without caring if my readers agree with my tastes or not.  Take that self conscious!  Whether it is food, music, decor or clothing I've always been pretty simple and easy to please.  I've always felt like my preferences are not refined enough to be of value. But the truth is: if I like it, that is all that matters.  It might even be a blessing to be so simple. I've also been hesitant to post some things because I know it is just a matter of time before my taste change.  But life is about living in the moment, not worrying about the future.  And so I hope to regain the joy I feel in simple things by recognizing them everyday and sharing them whenever I get the chance.   Stay tuned for a look through the world from my eyes.  I might share touching music, stunning photographs, funny images, beautiful decor, and anything else that makes me smile.  I hope you enjoy. 

Here is a little picture to get us started.  On this picture I appreciate the colors, the details in the text style and the theme of the rain.

Book Tree

Check out this festive decor at a library in San Fransisco

Happy Holidays

I know I have some "past due" posts that need to be published, but I just wanted to take a moment and wish everyone a Happy Holidays!

I feel very touched right now with feelings of gratitude and love.  I've seen some great acts of generosity this year around me and  read numerous stories about others.  It always gets me. I love remembering what great things we are capable of, all we have to do is put some effort in and recognize the needs of those around us.

I hope you all are enjoying the holiday season and were able to spend some time with family, friends or loved ones.  I also hope you were able to take some time away from the busy hussle and bussle of the holiday and remember the great reason for the season.  We are so blessed to have a Heavenly Father who loves us dearly and blesses us each and every day.  And to have His Son, Jesus Christ, who was born in that manger many years ago, lived a sinless life, taught all those around him, suffered, died and then overcame death so that we can all live again.  We are part of something huge, people!  Life is good.

We love our missionaries!

Our families' have been full of missionary buzz lately.  Sorry for the delay in this post, but term recent is all relative, right?

Brett's brother, Tyler, came home first. (Well, actually Brett's cousin Matt came home first, but I don't have any pictures of him... sorry Matt!)   Tyler flew into SLC and so we got to welcome him off the plane.  I  had only met Tyler a few times before he left on his mission but had heard so many great things about him that it wasn't like he was a stranger.   Brett's parents drove down to pick him up and so we all got to spend some time together that evening. 

That weekend we made a quick road trip to Baker to spend some more time together, listen to Tyler's homecoming talk at church and of course the boys had to take advantage of the chance to go hunting.  You can read more about the hunting adventure here.   Its been fun getting to know Tyler better these last few months!

Just as Tyler came home, Dekker, Brett's other brother, (pictured above) was finalizing his papers to serve a mission.  He just got his call, and has been called to serve in Russia!  I'm crazy excited for him and for all the adventures and experiences he will have!  It is crazy that we send these boys off for 2 whole years, but I know they are doing good work and making such a difference in the lives of others and themselves!  I respect missionaries so much!  For the short period of time that all 3 Smith brothers were home, they got in lots of hunting.  I probably won't post about Brett's Elk hunting adventures (since I wasn't there), but here is a picture of them all and the head of the Elk they got.

My brother, David, also recently got home from his mission.  Although we weren't able to be there for him when he got off the plane, we were able to make a quick trip to Portland and spend the weekend with the family.  

We spent Saturday driving along the coast and enjoying one of the many things I miss about Oregon.  Stay tuned for more details and pictures from that trip.  Overall we definitely enjoyed spending time with the family and getting to know David again. He hadn't changed too much except I swear he grew at least another inch!

I'm kinda bummed I couldn't talk him into coming to Provo for school, but I can't blame him.  I wouldn't pass Hawaii up either!

Pumpkins

For many, October means Halloween.  For us, October means Elk Hunting.  We don't have pictures of awesome costumes to show off, but I did manage to decorate a little bit.  Nothing too fancy, but they were fun to make. And of course they are pumpkins! 

These first pumpkins probably wouldn't have happened without the help of Brett's mom.  The fam was in town and while the boys went off golfing we went shopping and committed ourselves to actually making these.  Luckily, they are super easy to make.  Just a fabric square, a roll of toliet paper, and some embellishments (cinnamon sticks, ribbon, etc).  I tweaked them a little after taking these pictures, but you get the idea.

The next pumpkins are a product of a church activity.  We had a craft day and one of the stations was making these glitter pumpkins.  I wasn't sure about them at first,  I'm not much of a glitter girl, but they turned out cute!

The last pumpkin activity was the classic pumpkin carving.  We got together with our friends Steve and Maria and adorable baby Creedence. I'm not going to lie, Brett did all the work.

But I did get the traditional "take a picture of me so it looks like I helped" picture. 

And here we are showing off our hard work.  Maria actually did do all the hard work on hers, I was impressed!  And the reason Steve is unpictured is because he was busy feeding the baby, what a good daddy.  

And of course we had to get in our time in playing with Creedence. 

Of course, the carved pumpkin is long gone.  But what should I do with the other pumpkins?  Can I leave them as "fall decor," or has their time come and gone as well?  What festive decorations do you use in November? 

Summer catch-up

Utah has officially decided to make that dreaded transition from fall to winter.  Although winter has its perks, it is far from my favorite season.  And so I shall take a few minutes and reminiscence about the summer days that have come and gone.  I can't believe this was our second summer as a married couple.  Time sure flies! 

We did lots of fun stuff this summer, but didn't take pictures of nearly everything.  I've been meaning to write separate blogs for each of the following things I did get pictures of, but because it hasn't happened yet I'll just combine everything into one lengthy post.  I did a decent job of staying caught up on our adventures up to our trip in July, but after that I slacked a bit.

Enjoy the randomness!

I took a trip to Texas (can anyone say humid!) for my friend's wedding.  Tausha looked beautiful and I enjoyed the trip with Elise, Maria and baby Creedence.

Brett went on his yearly fishing trip and came back with about 3 pictures.  I sent him with the camera and specific instructions to take pictures, oh well.. some is better than none.  I'll take what I can get!  Here is my handsome hubby sporting the fishing gear. 

While he was gone I went boating with a bunch of friends from work. I tried surfing for the first time and had a blast doing that! And of course we also spent time tubing.   I think my "water activity" trumps his any day, but he might disagree.

Speaking of boating.  We went back at the beginning of the summer to celebrate a friend's birthday and I never posted these pictures.  We officially decided we want to buy a boat when we get rich. 

I am trying to "learn" more about the things Brett loves to do.  This summer we decided we would try to go fishing more.  Up until meeting Brett most of my fishing experiences were at places like fish farms (not sure what the correct term it) where I just had to stick my pole in the water and wait for something to bite.  I do really well with immediate gratification and not so well without it.  I was a little worried about how I'd liking fishing, it just can be so slow and boring if the fish aren't biting.  We only got out a few times, but I think it is something I could enjoy on the right day.  We didn't catch any fish, but still had fun spending time together.  Brett got bored at one point and used our left over dinner to catch crawdads.  At least I know we wouldn't go hungry if we were stuck in the wilderness!

Brett played LOTS of softball this summer/fall and I think he has found a sport that he can play for years to come without me stressing about him getting hurt too badly.  He did have one minor/major incident where his instinct kicked in and he slid into 3rd base.  Of course he was just playing in basketball shorts so his leg got pretty beat up.  I'm not sure the picture does it justice, it was pretty deep and full of rocks/dirt.  It took a while to heal but he toughed through the pain like a champ.  About a week after he did that I was feeling jealous of all the attention I was giving his leg so I decided to try and chop off my finger.  Okay, so maybe it wasn't that intentional.  I was making a cabbage salad for a ward activity while Brett was at work when the knife slipped.  Because he wasn't there there I had to doctor myself up at first.  I must say, I did a great job of not panicking, applying pressure and stopping the bleeding.  By the time he got home it had stopped bleeding and was all bandaged up.  I minimized the size of the cut when I was telling him about it so he wouldn't make me go get stitches (I probably should have) and although it was very sensitive for about a week, I made it through. 

In addition to softball, Brett rekindled his love for golf too this summer. He spent many days on the golf course and got pretty good.  I actually went with him once and drove the golf cart around.  I forgot the camera for that, but here are some pictures from the driving range.

Just before summer ended we caught an Orem Owlz baseball game.  It was a beautiful summer night, but it got cold and we so we ended up leaving early.  Nothing too exciting but I figured I should throw in a picture of Brett and I together... ya know, in case you forgot what we look like ;-).

Oh warm weather, how I miss you already!  Fall/Winter will bring good times too though!  We get to celebrate brothers and cousins coming home from missions, go on a vacation to Cancun, and of course celebrate the holidays.  We have lots of traveling planned this semester so I'll be sure to update on those fun times eventually. 

Darius and Brad

For my birthday (back in July) Brett got me tickets to Brad Paisley's H2O tour. We had to wait until September for the concert, but it was so worth the wait.  Two of our favorites were preforming at the same concert!  We love Brad Paisley (who doesn't?!).  He sings our wedding song, "Then." Any many other every day songs that just speak to us.  We also love Darius Rucker.  His voice is so easy to listen too and he has some great songs.   You may remember that we saw him in concert last year.  He was just hitting the country scene at that point, but you may also know him from Hootie and the Blow Fish circa 1990's. 

We got some misinformation regarding the details of the concert.  There were actually two stages with three artists preforming at each.  The first set started early and the second set (with Darius and Brad) didn't start until late.  We got there early (of course) and ended up spending like 7 hours there.  It was a blast though!  Brett dunked the guy at the dunk tank (multiple times), we dank some yummy smoothies, sat in the grass and enjoyed the great weather and got to let go and just relax.  There is something about being surrounded by drunk people that helps you loosen up.  It was a great show and the perfect present! 

Deer Hunting 2010

One of these things is not like the other:

I'll give you a hint:  Its a girl, she is wearing pink, not carrying a gun, not wearing a hat and smiling in the "hunting" picture. 

Yes, that's me.  No, I didn't photoshop myself into the picture... I actually went hunting. Shocking I know.  And, even more shocking, I mostly enjoyed myself.  I say mostly because we can't forget the last part of the last hunt in which my whole body decided it was done.  My ankles were tired from supporting my body down the steep hills and my hips were tired of supporting my body up the never ending hills. 

The highlights were:

• Seeing the beautiful mountains

• Spending all day with my awesome husband.  

• And I must admit I think he is pretty dang good looking in camo (disclaimer:  this only applies when we are in the forest, I still refuse to let him wear his jacket around town).

   

• Learning more about my husband and his interests.  I learned all about the difference in deer poop and elk poop.  I learned that a boy deer is called a Buck and a girl deer is call Doe.  I learned that animals itch their antlers on trees and the marks left are called Rubs (as shown below).

• Getting a good ole fashion workout.  See that meadow, not the first one but the second one, that is where we went next.  It is the little yellow spot in the middle of the picture with the fog above it.  This picture was taken about 2/3 way into the hike.  (If you look close you can see it in one of the other scenery pictures too)

And of course seeing all the deer!  We saw lots of Does, but we (read: Brett) were hunting Bucks.  I didn't get any pictures of the deer sadly, but we probably saw 10 or 12.  We did see one Buck and Brett fired a shot at it but the dang thing was running away down hill and he had to shoot standing up because of all the brush. It was a tough shot.  The excitement at shooting at something sure got my adrealine going though! It was pretty exhilarating. 

Later in the day we were driving back to the cabin and saw more deer.  We chased them for a little bit and that was pretty intense too!  We tried another hike after that but didn't see anything but cows.  Not quite as exciting.  All in all it was a good day.  I'm not sure getting up at 4:30 to go walk around in the woods is my favorite form of entertainment but I'm glad I was able to do it once and share the experience with my husband. 

Calling all Chefs

As alluded to in the previous post, I have a hard time keeping track of recipes.  I'll read about a new recipe on a blog and then make it and forget about it (or simply forget about it), or I'll write one on a scratch piece of paper after calling my mom and lose it in some random pile of paper, or on a rare occasion I'll make something from scratch and love it but never remember what I did.  And those realities are just not working for me.

Summer was great because while I was working full time and Brett had extra time to make dinner each night for us.  Now that he is back in school full time and working part time and I'm still working full time dinners are a challenge.  I try to plan the week and go grocery shopping on the weekend to save stress each night.  But as I sat down this weekend to do so, I felt like I was in a rut.  I could only think of the same 5 dishes and none of them sounded good.  Now I KNOW I can make more than 5 meals.  I'm sure of it.  But I forget them so easily.

I'm sure you are wondering what the point is of this post... and I'm finally to it.  I'm thinking of making a blog devoted to recipes so I have one place where I can go and look for ideas.  And not just ideas, but things I know we like and that I can make fast and easy.  A place to compile our little menu.  I think this might work for me! I'm pretty excited!  I just need to get over the hurdle of picking a name/web address.  My first thought was "K's Kitchen" but go figure, someone already has that blogspot address.  Sure, she only used it once, but it will forever be hers and I can't have it. *pout*.  And so I turn to you... help me think of a fun name for my menu blog.  And while you're at it, feel free to send me some recipes for this week.

Apple Crisp

My awesome coworker has an apple tree and "unloaded" a bag full of apples on to me this week.

I decided to take advantage and make some apple crisp.  YUMMY!

Because I had to call my mom to get the recipe and because I still need to figure out a recipe system so I stop "misplacing" recipes and because I still have enough apples to make 10 more dishes and because it is my blog and I can do what I want... here is the recipe in my own words. 

1. Peel and core 4 cups of apples.  Place in cooking dish.
2. Mix together the following:
• 2/3 cup Brown Sugar
• 1/3 cup butter
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/2 cup oats
• 3/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
3. Add mixture on top of apples
4. Bake at 375 for 30-35 minutes

Easy and Simple.



I am no chef and certainly no baker so its nothing fancy, but boy does it smell good!! Nutmeg and cinnamon always remind me of the holidays.  And it tastes yummy too!  Now I just need to get some vanilla ice cream to go with it. 

Those hours Kirsten doesn't remember....

Yes this is Brett, I'm finally breaking down and writing a blog. I thought the day would never come and that it was an insult to my manhood or manliness or what ever you want to call it.  I guess a year and a half of marriage and learning how important the blog world is to many people (both male and female) finally broke me down.

Anyway, on to the good stories!

Kirsten's last memory was going into the chair at the dentist office and so I'll pick up when she got out, because she has no idea what happened between 1045am and 2pm.  I'm in the waiting room and working on my homework when the door swings open and out wheels Kirsten in her new wheelchair. Her mouth is wide open and her mouth packed full of gauze, and there is zero, and I mean zero, expression on her face.  I say hi and ask how she's doing and she just kind of looks at me and groans. And I'm like, o dear this is going to be a long weekend. 

So I get some instructions from the dentist and Kirsten happens to be facing the other way in her wheelchair while the dentist is talking to me making sure I know what I need to do. Kirsten decides she wants to be in on the conversation and turns around in the wheelchair to try and participate in the conversation, but just mumble a bunch of jibberish.

At this point I wasn't super sure how out of it she was, but I would soon find out. We head out to the car and we've got to get her in the car. I help her stand up and she is just wobbling back and forth. I've got her around her waist and arm and get her in the front seat. The dental hygienist wished me luck on on our way we went.

In the car I started asking questions and she told me that everything came in twos and that everything was spinning. She then just babbled all the way home, and I really couldn't understand what she was saying. She seemed happy and that was ok with me.  So we pull into our parking place and I decide just to drive up closer to our stairs so she doesn't have to walk through an obstacle course, and as I explained that to Kirsten she got quite upset with me! She was very adamant that she could walk on her own, but I didn't buy it.

I put the car in park over by the stairs and she was so convinced that she was ok that before I knew what she was doing the door on the car was open and she was trying to get out. As she got her foot out of the car and tried to stand up, she just fell limp into the seat. It was pretty comical! She then proceeded to tell me that should could just stand up while I went and parked the car. I told her she couldn't and she argued with me. So I got her out of the car, and I'm physically holding her up and she is just swaying back and forth and it feels like she could just go limp at any time.  All the while telling me she can do it! So I let go of her really slow to see if she can and she tips over towards the car and I catch her.  This seemed to convince her that she needed help.

The next obstacle was the three flights of stairs. We walk over the stairs and I'm holding her up and she is walking in a zig zag pattern, totally out of it. We get to the first stair and she just kicks it with her big toe and doesn't even flinch. No pain at all. I couldn't believe it.  So she gets her foot on top of the step and I lift her up so she can get up the step.  She then kicks the next one, so I tell her " you need to lift you foot up really high so you don't hurt your toe" Okay she tells me. She then lifted her knee up to waist high just to get up a normal step! Too funny.  Fast forward ten minutes and we are at the top. haha. It took so long to get her up those stairs.

We come in the house and I ask her "Bed or Couch" and I get a "Couch" response. I get her to it and she just collapses onto the couch. It was like her legs just gave out.  One of Kirsten's conscious habits is to grab the computer when she gets on the couch, so naturally she tried to grab the laptop over and over and over, but couldn't pick it up off the floor. I give it to her and she just stairs at the screen for about three seconds and says, "I need to go to the bathroom" I'll let you all wonder how that went...

I got her back on the couch and told her that I needed to go and fill her prescriptions and get her some food and liquids. By food I mean pudding, jello, applesauce and yogurt. I left her staring at the computer and her not doing anything on it. I got all the stuff as fast as I could so she wasn't home destroying everything. The last thing I told her was, "the rule is no getting up and walking when I'm gone" I'm happy to say that she listened to that council. 

When I walked in I found her on her side on the couch out cold with the laptop on the ground upside down. I should have taken a picture, it was priceless.  She didn't move from that spot until 2, when I decided she should wake up so I could see how she was doing. I started the laundry, which was decently close to her, and she didn't wake up, did the dishes, no response, put some food in the microwave and that did the trick.  She started coming to.

When she woke up I went over and she was just starring at the clock trying to figure out how it was 2 in the afternoon when the last thing she remembered was being at the dentist at 830.  She was pretty much back with it at this point and doing good, but slept for another 3 hours.

After all of this I decided that my wife would be a terrible drunk.  She would be getting tipsy after just a little bit and it would be pretty comical.  I also realized how much caring for someone makes you love them.  I thought about all those long nights with my parents and all the parents in the world who care for sick kids or people and how they just can't help but love them. I felt that for Kirsten as she was lying there in her sick state. Love ya babe and look forward to many more sick days!

a loss of wisdom

In case getting my wisdom teeth out really does cause a loss of wisdom I figured I'd document the transition.  Okay, bad joke, I know.  But I'm still a little groggy so give me a break...

Here is a little time line: 

Thursday night:
Brett surprised me and took me out to dinner and a movie.  (awww, isn't he sweet!) Dinner was my "last good meal" before I couldn't eat solids for a while.  And the movie was to distract my mind from the "what if I die tomorrow" thoughts.   

Friday morning:
Sometime before 7:00am I was laying awake in bed because I was too paranoid about sleeping through the alarm.  The alarm went off at 7:00 and I had to take the first of two "sedation pills" that the dentist gave me. I slowly got ready for the day (minus eating breakfast, putting on make up, doing my hair or generally getting ready at all).  At 7:30 I took the second pill and began to feel a little dizzy when I moved my head.  Brett drove me to the dentist for my 8:30 appointment.

At the dentist office:
The immediately invited me back and I sat down in the dentist chair where the kind lady gave me another pill to dissolve under my tongue.  The last memory I have was her giving me another pill, the first one falling into my cheek, and me being aware enough to use my tongue to move it back.  I have a vague memory of thinking "there is too much stuff in my mouth!"  and feeling upset about it all.  But that is all I remember from the office.

My next memory:
I am laying on the couch in my apartment and Brett is asking me if I am okay.  I start crying.  It took  me a few moments to remember where I was, where I had been and why I felt funny.  Now THAT is a weird feeling.  Once I got over the initial shock I stopped crying and Brett helped me into the bed.  I decided laying on my ride side was not a good idea (I had two teeth removed from that side and only one from my left side).  I fell asleep in my bed and slept for hours.  Brett woke me up at one point, gave me some medication made me drink some yummy Sobe Lifewater (my favorite!) and then I was out of it again.

5:00 ish:  I woke up and was actually feeling awake.  I relocated back to the couch and convinced Brett it was okay if he went to his mission reunion.  He made himself some dinner and I ate a cup of pudding and jello.  I kept thinking he was making lunch, not dinner, but finally got it straightened out.  Before he left we examined my face and were surprised at the minimal amounts of swelling.  My tongue felt something weird on the right bottom side on my face and I was aware enough to determine the object to be a stitch.  Brett was convinced my mental status was functioning and headed out.

9:30- Over the last few hours I spent some time researching post-wisdom-tooth-extraction care.  I learned that the peak of swelling and pain isn't until 2-3 days post op, became anxious of what I will look like on monday and worried myself crazy about getting Dry Socket.  Right now I am feeling great:  minor jaw pain and some swelling and soreness on my right side near the bottom, I'm starting to feel hungry (for the first time all day) and am still pretty tired.  Over all, not too bad.  (knock on wood!!) 

9:45- My amazing husband is home from his mission reunion and I can officially go back to being overly needy. Good thing he loves me! 

We'll see what tomorrow brings. Also, I'll try and make Brett share his side of the situation.  Apparently I said and did some funny things on the way home from the dentist.

sorry no pictures:  I didn't think my swelling at this point was significant enough to document and like I mentioned at the beginning... I didn't get ready for the day so no pictures.

Spotlight: A Book Full

Get this. I won something.  You're jealous, I know.  :)

The Contest:
My amazingly talented friend/roommate Cassi Elton hosted a give-a-way on her blog.  She has some incredible talent when it comes to binding books and making the most out of every last scrap. 

The Goods:
I won a gift card to her shop.  Everything is handmade and super unique.  From simple yet adorable button earnings to intricate and beautiful flower notebooks. 

Her notebooks are all personally bound and full of character.  Did I mention she makes her own planner and folders?  She also does wonders with keys, playing cards, paper bags, jello boxes, the list goes on and on.  Head over to her site to see more!

One of my favorite features is that she has hidden pockets in most of her books.  Genius!  I snatched up one of the personalized notebooks and I can't wait to get it in the mail!

 FYI: I was not asked to write this blog and other than winning, I was in no way compensated for this post.  I just think she is pretty stinking cool.

I have a secret..

I have a secret that Brett doesn't know about.  And considering he only reads "our" blog when I tell him he should, I think my secret is safe on here.  You just have to promise to help me keep this secret....

Promise?  Don't worry, its nothing life shattering.  Okay? good! :) 

Lets start with a little history.  I'll keep it simple.  Brett HATES sour cream.  In general, he hates all things white; specifically mayo and sour cream.  Kirsten (that's me) LOVES sour cream.  In general, I love all things white; especially miracle whip and sour cream. 

Now for the current situation.  Last night I made mashed potatoes for dinner.  Brett was out cooking the fish/chicken on the grill so I was left alone in the kitchen as I made them.  Fast forward to the dinner table.  Brett took one bit of the potatoes and said "WOW, these are good" and then later in the meal "you should write down what you did, these are so good"  (yes, I have a habit of cooking yummy food and forgetting how I made it), he commented on them a few more times and then even requested that I make them again tonight to go with our ribs for dinner.  Now, I'm not trying to brag, I just couldn't help but giggle and bite my tongue as he said those things.

The secret: If you haven't guessed yet I'll come right out and say it.  There was sour cream (among other things) in the mashed potatoes.  I took advantage of him being outside and made them the way I wanted to.  I knew that if he saw me add the sour cream he wouldn't want to eat them, so I had to be sneaky.  I want so bad to tell him what my secret weapon was in making them so yummy, but I have grander intentions.  I plan to add sour cream to more recipes and then break it on him down the road after I have properly trained his taste buds! 

True Confessions: Life in the fast lane

True Confession number one: I speed.

Yes that is right, I said it.  I speed. More specifically I speed on the freeway, I make it a point not to speed elsewhere. But on the freeway, I speed.  I speed constantly, consciously and compulsively.  I've actually noticed myself getting anxious lately if I'm not going 9 miles an hour over the speed limit on the freeway.  Even more concerning is the compulsion I feel to still go 74 MPH even when there is construction on the freeway and the speed limit is only 55 (which is the WHOLE freeway from my home to work).  You see, I have this delusion that my behavior is completely appropriate, and even more so, that anyone NOT going that fast is ridiculous and needs to get out of my way.  After all, don't they know that is how fast they are supposed to go??  Obviously I feel entitled on the freeway.  I'm realizing this now.

I travel quite frequently on the freeway.  15 miles each way to and from work and then around and about for work everyday. (yesterday I logged 97 miles)   I'm kind of proud to say that I've never gotten a speeding ticket (or any ticket for that matter).  But that fact also plays into my delusion that my speeding habits are in the right. 

Now that I've confessed I wish to share my new resolution.  No more speeding!  Especially in construction zones.  Well, I should clarify and correct that statement.  I will stay within 5 miles per hour of the speed limit.  ( I do live in Utah, have you seen how fast everyone drives on the freeway??)  I know, it seems like a silly goal to promise myself to only go 5 MPH over, after all speeding is speeding. But trust me... its been hard.  My reasoning for this goal is multifaceted.

Some reasons, in no particular order:
1) Recently there have been lots of accidents around me, and yes... it scares me. 
2) Lately I've noticed I live my whole life in the fast lane.  I rush everywhere and am always in a hurry to get things done.  My goal to slow down on the road will hopefully help me slow down in life.
3) I've become increasingly paranoid about other drivers.  I have decided to take more control over my safety.   
4) I decided that I admire the construction worker who work all day long in the hot sun.  I couldn't do it.  And I want to obey the reduced speeds because I know they are for the safety of the workers.
5) Honestly, it scared me how tense I was beginning to feel when I couldn't go fast.  I was addicted in a sense.  I need to slow down.   

You should see me driving now! (Insert proud and cheesy smiley face here)  I'm usually in the right lane (as opposed to always in the left lane).  I take deep breaths to keep myself calm and reduce the desire to pass all the cars.  I even cringe as people pass me.  In true-to-myself nature I now am convinced that my new driving habits are the right way to drive and everyone faster than me is a maniac.  I know I know.  I am prideful and "always right". 

Overall my new resolution is going remarkably well.  I am sticking to it and actually noticing a change in other aspects of my life.  I arrive at my destinations less tense and more relaxed. By giving up my need to control how fast I drive, I have lost that inevitable tension that comes when I can't always control traffic patterns.  (The confession that I have a need to control everything will have to be addressed in some later post).  Its great.  I highly recommend it.  I don't plan on giving up my reputation for being on time.  I still value being on time to things but I find the two things unrelated and hope I can find an appropriate balance.

Conclusion:  It is good to learn to let go, to learn to slow down, and to remember what things are most  important in life.

On a side note, I couldn't help but thinking of this song as I contemplated my new goal. 






Does anyone else feel like life is some sort of race and you are rushing to "come in first"? What have you done to avoid those thoughts of competition and the need to always go go go?

Pass of all Passes

"Pass of all Passes"  That is the name of the new season pass for 7 Peaks, Trafalga, Orem Owlz, and Utah Flash.  The pass is good from now until NEXT labor day.  We usually buy our passes for 7 peaks anyway, but this just wraps all sorts of goodness in with the water park.  Unlimited mini golf?  What?  yes please!  Also, the price is CHEAPER.  Yes, cheaper.  ALSO... city deals is offering a limited time offer on these "Pass of all passes".   39.95 for one or 74.95 for two.  We couldn't resist!  If you are interested follow this link and then click on the 7 peaks logo to see the different options. 

http://www.citydeals.com/?ref=CDUMTIyMDQ3

Let us know if you get one and we'll play together!

Niagara Falls

We ended our trip by visiting Niagara Falls.  Remarkable.  Simply remarkable.  I always find God's creations so amazing.

We walked around to all the view points and rode the Maid of the Mist (a boat that takes you into the mist super close to the falls).  We also rode a Jet Boat that took us up and down some rapids and got us soaked!  And of course we took LOTS of pictures (and when I saw "we" I mean "me", and when i say "LOTS" I mean like 200, here are just a few).

ENJOY! (click on any to enlarage)

 

MAID OF THE MIST

 

Yes, we drove into that mist

  

And came out looking like this!

  

JET BOAT

We're in our swimming suits and ready to get wet!

This isn't us, but shows EXACTLY what happens

A pic of the pictures they took before we got on

They took this picture of us while we were out.  Look at those waves.  We are in the front right.