Adventure to Vegas

So... I went to Las Vegas last Saturday for a doctor appointment. It is about a 2 hour drive, and I was supposed to be there between 6:30am-8:30am. About 10-15 minutes past Mesquite I saw a St. George Express (airport shuttle service) van pulled to the side of the road, due to a flat tire. I knew most probably had flights they needed to catch to get wherever they needed to go for the holidays, so I thought I would pull over and ask if anyone thought they were going to miss their plane. Three people jumped in my car and we headed to Vegas.

30 minutes later... my car got a flat tire! Now I felt sort of stupid for offering them a ride... but they got out and we went right to work changing the flat to the spare tire. We got back in the car, and in a few minutes the St. George Express van passed us (we were going 45 mph..). Luckily, the van pulled over and the travelers in my car got right back on the van.

Overall, I was grateful they were there to help me change a flat tire! I could have done it (I hope) probably, but those people ended up being more of a blessing to me than I was for them!

Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow!

Snow here in St. George!!??? This reminds me of my wedding day... only even MORE snow! They even canceled school (1st time in 10 years) because how much there is out there. But honestly, there isn't that much. 3 maybe 4 inches the last few days. But out where Terrel & Janet live (Kayenta) there is a LOT more snow. Maybe we'll have a white Christmas!

A picture taken of my "backyard"

Mom & Dad Visit Beginning of December

My parents came down to St. George a little bit ago for a quick visit. We went to Zion Nat'l Park, Tuacahn's Live Nativity, and did some shopping. It was fun and I'm glad they made the 8 hour trip. :)

Here are some pictures of Zion
(we hiked Angel's Landing)

Here's a picture of Jesse & me (not the best...)

Jesse likes to get dangerous pictures... Once we were on the top he wanted to get a picture of the sheer cliff (I mean sheer). So... this is looking almost 1500 feet STRAIGHT down.

Here are some of the wonderful paved switchbacks.

Here we are waiting for the Nativity show to start.
(It was freezing... even for St. George!)

Here are my mom & dad

Thanks Mom & Dad for visiting! Come more often!! :) :)

Clouds on the Mountains

Jesse & I did get a few pictures in on Thanksgiving Day... but before we even arrived for dinner. It had rained a lot (for St. George) and there were some clouds formed right next to the mountain. I thought it looked pretty, so I had Jesse take a picture while I was driving.

Driving through Kayenta

What do we have in common?

Julianne Moore... Brendan Fraser... Ozzy Osbourne... Mindy...

We share the same birthday of course! (Today!) I heard it on the radio on my way to work this morning... and I thought I would share. :)
And yes... that is an old picture of me... maybe 3 years old.

My Sister is Engaged!

Congratulations, Rachel & Darrin! Rachel called me last night to tell me they were engaged! That's so exciting! I'm happy for you, Rachel. :)

Rachel & Darrin rollerskating

(If you know me, I'm 5'2"... and yes, my sister is tall. In fact she's about 5'9".)

Happy Thanksgiving!

We had a yummy Thanksgiving dinner over at Jesse's parent's house yesterday. There were a lot of people - Natalie + her family (8), Matt + family (4), Becca + family (4), Adam + family (4), Ashley & Kurt, McKay, TBird & Janet and Jesse and me (total of 27). Jesse and I made mashed potatoes.. and I thought we could make 2 types and with one try something new.

We had a really good time but forgot to take pictures! Hope you had a good Thanksgiving too!!

wok 'n' talk

My ward's Relief Society got together and planned an Enrichment activity that included dinner, and since I wasn't [too] busy with school I thought I would go. It turned out to be pretty cool and I am glad I went.

Instead of sitting at any table we wanted (usually by the people in the ward I actually know...) we drew chopsticks with different colored tips. The color you drew determined where you sat. We were served a teriyaki bowl (yummy!) and while we sat and ate, we were supposed to get to know the other women at our table. To help conversations... they had questions at each table in a little Chinese take-out container and everyone at the table had to answer the questions.

Some questions were simple, like "Movies: Scary -or- Happy endings?"

A couple I thought were interesting to ask of your fellow sisters at church, I will share my answers with you.

1. "Name a memory of your Mom and Dad." So I took it this means either funny, spiritual, etc. So here they are (I was under pressure and had to come up with stories fast): My DAD: When I was really young, maybe 6 or 7, my dad took me out to the local track to run a few laps (if you don't know my dad... he is passionate about running - he even coaches at my old high school). I decided I wanted to make him proud and run as far as I could. I ended up running 8 laps (2 miles) which felt like a marathon to me at that age. Of course my dad was proud. The next morning, however, I felt terribly sick and when my mom came in to check on me, she had a worried look on her face. She took my temperature and got my dad, who also looked worried. A few minutes later, a family friend, Mike Olsen, came over to join my dad in giving me a priesthood blessing. As soon as Mike and my dad left the room, I threw up all over my bed and felt 100 times better. I just remember the impression it gave me about the faith my dad had in priesthood blessings. My MOM: When I came home one day, either in high school or early college, I remember finding my mom on the computer. She was looking up items on eBay for her china collection (fancy plates and bowls..). She had me come and look at a few with her, when I heard that my dad was home. The look on my mom's face was priceless! A kid who's hand was in the cookie jar and was about to get caught!! She hurried up and closed all the windows, except her email window, and when my dad came up the stairs... things seemed a little suspicious. I have always thought that it was pretty funny.
2. "3 words that describe yourself." Not everyone will agree with all of these, but it was a little odd coming up with words to describe yourself in front of people you barely know.

• Quiet
• Genuine
• Athletic

Okay... not the best description of myself, but it was harder than I thought. Since I shared with you, post a comment (if you want) of 3 words that describe you! You will have way more time than I did, and I think it will be interesting to read what you say about yourself.

Election Results

This election wasn't completely disappointing...

Obama becoming the next president... Senate increases number of democrats... House increases number of democrats.

The only relief I felt was when I checked the results this morning for California's decision on Proposition 8 (banning gay marriage)... and it passed!

Just a funny cartoon I found

Blessing of Jackson Lewis

We went up north to see/participate in the blessing of Jackson Lewis - Adam & Sabrina's new baby boy. He is so darling! He's a really good baby, too. My camera wasn't working very well, so the first few pictures I took of the gathering afterward didn't turn out. But here are the pictures that did.

Belle & Jackson in their car seats

Terrel & Janet (Papa & Mimi) with Belle

Sabrina, Adam, and Jackson
(he was asleep, so I didn't want to have to wake him up just for a picture...)

On our way up we stopped and visited Rachel and Emily & Christian. Emily & her husband live north of Provo in Lehi and they were kind enough to let us stay the night there. They make excellent hosts! :) Rachel and her date, Darrin, Emily and Christian, and Jesse and I went to Macaroni Grill Friday night... We had a good time there and then we went to Emily's house to play games. We played "Ticket to Ride" which was really fun - Jesse wants to get it now.

The next day we went the rest of the way to Ogden, where Adam and Sabrina live. It was beautiful weather - a little sprinkle but perfect temperature. Terrel, Janet, and McKay were already there and we talked and hung out at Adam's house. Sunday, we went to church for the blessing and then Adam & Sabrina made lunch/dinner for those that came. A lot of Sabrina's family was there that I met, and also Sarah & Steele and their family. I am really glad we were able to come - we had a really good time. You have a cute little family, Adam!

Jackson Lewis - 8/24/2008

Congratulations, Adam & Sabrina! They had their 2nd baby - a boy - on August 24th named Jackson Lewis. He is darling! Visit Sabrina's blog to see pictures. :) We're going up to visit them this weekend for the blessing on Sunday. We're excited to come see your family!

Zion National Park

Jesse and I went to Zion on Saturday and hiked Angel's Landing. They say it is a "very strenuous hike - don't go if you are afraid of heights" which I now understand very well. Not only is it steep almost the entire way, there are parts you need to hold onto chains in case you slip. There are sheer cliffs to both sides in some parts!! Since hiking for the spa, I have become more accustomed to heights... but Angel's Landing is far more scary than any hike I am used to! But it was beautiful!!! I would definitely recommend this hike to anyone that doesn't have a big fear of heights (you could do it if you have a small fear like me).

Jesse was a little tired
and fell asleep on the way...

A couple from France took our picture near the top

Here we are at the top!
We packed a lunch to eat and
this is where we enjoyed it.

Amazing views everywhere you look (view from top)

Jesse

Shopping Trip to Vegas

Labor Day was a pretty fun day.. bike ride in the morning and then a few of us went to Las Vegas to get some shopping in. (Jesse hates shopping, so it's fun to get shopping in with people that like it!)  I went with Lindsay, Audrey, and Cody.  We picked up Becky from the airport, so she was with us for dinner and a little bit of the shopping.

Cody holding some clothes for Lindsay

We went to an outlet mall (they had True Religion, Banana Republic... and others) where I found some good deals.  Then we went to Fashion Show Place mall - they call it that because a fashion show literally comes out of the floors on some days (I haven't seen it yet, but it sounds cool).  (They had Forever 21... but by this time we were all tired and thirsty, so we left after this one store.) Then we went to the mall that is kitty-corner from the airport and went to H&M.  After we picked up Becky from the airport, we went to Forum Shops and ate at The Cheesecake Factory - yum!... My first experience at a Cheesecake Factory was completely different... and on our way out we stopped at Express.  

Becky & Lindsay in front of Express

Overall it was really fun and I got some really cute clothes, but it was also a long day and we didn't get back til almost 2am.  Thanks guys for shopping with me! You all have really good taste - thanks for the help.  :)

Here we are... ready to go home!

Labor Day Bike Ride

I took Berlyn on The Loop this morning - fun ride. She is much more brave than me! I need to work on getting over my fears in time for my mountain biking class that starts in October (yes, I said mountain biking class - pretty sweet, huh?)

Me & Berlyn - the trailhead behind us and to the left

I backed up and started over a couple times... but I made it down!

Berlyn scoping out the hill...

She made it look too easy!

Thanks, Ber. I had a good time!

Bag Tag

Lindsay tagged me. Show your purse and its contents... here it is.

small white purse from Kohls

No matter how big your purse, you fill it up. Here are its contents:

4 chapstick/lip gloss (if you know me, this won't surprise you), receipt, cards (library, health ins., Hollywood, etc), DSC parking pass that I'm supposed to have on my car, house key, both sets of car keys (found them!), Tylenol, gum, fizzy candy, wallet, Crystal Light 'on the go', change, Mexican money, flattened penny from Tillamook cheese factory (if you want to get me a souvenier... I will love one of these! Or foreign money - I collect both. Dorky, I know.), and earring posts.

Wow that was a lot of stuff in such a small bag. I should never get a big bag or I will fill it up completely! I now tag Angela, Bekah, Becca, Jackie.

Spinach Salad with Peaches & Pecans

I love finding recipes that are easy, simple, and delicious! Here's a couple I found on allrecipes.com. Since peaches are in season... it will taste even better.

Spinach Salad with Peaches & Pecans

(click on link to see recipe on allrecipes.com - by the way... I'm user mdawne2 and submitted the picture they have on the site for this recipe... :) )

INGREDIENTS:

• 3/4 cup pecans
• 2 ripe peaches
• 4 cups baby spinach, rinsed and dried
• 1/4 cup poppyseed salad dressing (recipe I used is below, or you can just buy one)
  

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Arrange pecans on a single layer on a baking sheet and roast in preheated oven for 7-10 minutes, until they just begin to darken. Remove from oven and set aside. (I didn't do this step because it is too hot in St. George to heat up my oven/house for just this...)
   
2. Peel peaches (if desired) and slice into bite-sized segments. Combine peaches, spinach and pecans in a large bowl. Toss with dressing until evenly coated, adding a little additional dressing, if necessary. (I drizzled it on top instead.)

Poppyseed Dressing
(click on link to see recipe on allrecipes.com)

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 cup fat-free creamy salad dressing (ie: Fat Free Miracle Whip TM)
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1/8 cup distilled white vinegar
• 1 tablespoon poppy seeds

DIRECTIONS

1. In a small bowl, whisk together salad dressing, milk, white sugar, vinegar, and poppy seeds. Chill until ready to use.

Camera Phone Pictures

These pictures are from my phone, so they aren't very good quality. I thought I would share them anyway.

This is opening day of Stephenie Meyer's Breaking Dawn
at Barnes & Noble on Sat, Aug 2

These 4 pictures are at Blue Lake Park in Portland, Oregon.

Hannah

Hailey

Veronica (I need to learn how to take pictures...)

David

Desert Tortoise

School started this past Tuesday, and all the Health Sciences moved over to the building behind the new hospital. Since there is a big patch of desert right behind the new building (Taylor Building), I wasn't too surprised to see some desert wildlife hiding out under one of the cars. This desert tortoise is the biggest one I have seen in St. George - about the size of a basketball (in circumference)!!! I guess he just wanted a little shade!

Trip to Portland, Oregon

At the beginning of August, my whole family (2 sisters, 1 brother, parents, brother- & sister-in-law, 3 nieces, 2 nephews - total of 12 plus Jesse & me) went on a family vacation/reunion to Portland, Oregon. Both my parents grew up there, so we also got to see some extended family (grandma, uncle, aunt, cousins).

We arrived on Saturday, August 2nd, and left the next Thursday. We went to dinner the first night and later played a game of Uno (and encountered a jolly drunk guy).

The next day we went to church... but our GPS system steered us in circles.. so we were pretty late. When we got there, they were speaking Tongan... Then we went to Blue Lake Park where my dad's side of the family was having the annual family reunion. We enjoyed potluck, visited with family we didn't really know (but were really nice and fun to talk to), played on the playground with the children, and went paddle boating. Our first paddle boat was broken, so I got a pretty good workout (Angela, Rachel, and I recruited Jesse from shore to help us back to the dock). Jackie & I exchanged it and took Hannah, Hailey, and Veronica, who never wanted to get off. I told Hailey we needed more money if we wanted to go, and I didn't have any more money. Hailey said, "I'll ask Jesse for more money so we can go on the boat." Smart girl. She even remembered to ask Jesse when we got back to the picnic area, but it didn't work out for her. After the park we went to Dick & Connie's house. My dad grew up with Connie, and they have stayed in touch. They had a really nice barbeque meal there, and we visited and played. While we were finishing eating, Hannah was playing with one of the cork hot pads and broke it. When I told her we needed to go tell Connie, Hannah said, "I don't want to. I want to take a nap." I thought it was kinda funny.

Monday, we went to the Oregon Zoo which was pretty cool. Some of the most interesting animals we saw were a bald eagle, a polar bear (who stood up and dove into the pool), and some cougars. We went swimming at the hotel pool when we got back, and enjoyed some relaxation time. We went downtown Portland that night and rode the Max train and did some shopping.

Me, Jesse, and Hailey taking a break at the zoo

Hannah, Rachel, and cousin Angela

Riding the Max - cousin Patience, Veronica, Hannah, me, and Hailey

Tuesday we drove to the Oregon coastline. On the way, sort of, we stopped at the Tillamook Cheese Factory. It is pretty tourist-y, but we were able to watch the machines and workers at work, sample some yummy cheese, and enjoy some tasty mountain huckleberry ice cream. The coast at Cannon Beach was beautiful of course, a little hazy, though. We built sandcastles & did some metal detecting while we were there. Water and air temp was pretty chilly at the beach, even though Portland was in the 90's that day. For lunch I got fish n' chips and homemade rootbeer - fish is definitely better when you're by the water and it is fresh. We got back pretty late, but I still enjoyed a little reading/relaxing time by the pool.

Heading to the beach

David tasting the homemade rootbeer

I made Patience and Hannah into mermaids...

Wednesday we hiked Multnomah Falls. One thing about Oregon is that there are tons of tall trees and everything is GREEN. We stopped at some factory outlet stores on the way back, and that evening we went to my Uncle Keith's house for a barbeque dinner. It was good to visit with everybody.

3 sisters: Angela, Rachel, & me

Keeping the kids entertained at the outlet stores... (Jesse: Mindy, do you have 2 quarters? I want them to like me.)

A lot of my family drove... and there was a lot of distance to cover. Here is Patience and Hannah sharing some music in the car.

At Uncle Keith's house - Tom & Jesse always start up interesting conversations...

Uncle Keith at the BBQ

Aunt Leslie & Angela
Grandma, Dad, Jeff & David

Thank you, Mom & Dad for planning a great trip! We had a good time and it was really good to see you and everyone!

Click HERE to see post/pictures on Jackie's blog
Click HERE to see post/pictures on Angela's blog