Stewart Falls

Yesterday Brandon and I headed up to Sundance to hike Stewart Falls. It was a beautiful day to be outside with blue sky and warm temperatures. The Sundance area is known for it's beautiful trees and scenic views especially in the fall when the leaves turn color. The hike was great! It's a little less than 2 miles each way and provides enough challenge to make you feel like you got a good workout with amazing views! I love to be in the outdoors, it's so peaceful and relaxing. I love that hiking is something we both enjoy and can do together. Brandon put me in charge of the camera so I hope the pictures look okay! Yesterday was just perfect- we slept in, went on a beautiful hike, shared a cafe rio pork salad, and relaxed in the evening while watching Miami take on Flordia State. Thanks babe for a wonderful day!

Closets & Cookies!

This past weekend I had two goals: master the chocolate chip cookie and replace the bowing and chipped utility closet doors in our family room. A few weeks ago Brandon made chocolate chip cookies that were to die for- perfect texture, moistness, chewiness, and shape! To be honest I was completely blown away and jealous because mine, in my opinion, always turn out below par. They have good flavor but the texture and shape isn't good. After an hour of some real hardcore internet research and 2 disappointing batches I finally got it! The secret? Well, I came up with a few. I used half real butter and half Smart Balance Butter Blend, I added a little more flower (1/2 c.), used fresh baking soda, and refrigerated the dough for several hours. I also made sure the cookie sheets were cool before placing dough on them and returned the dough bowl to the fridge when I wasn't using it. The perfect chocolate chip cookie and a chilled class of milk...how divine!

This is my "I think I did it face!"

Yum!


I wish I had a taken a before picture but you'll just have to take my word. The problem? the doors were bowed and you couldn't open them without one of them rubbing against the wall unless you pushed on it first. This was causing the edge to chip and peal which wasn't functional and didn't look good. Since we are hoping to buy a house in the next year or two we have been slowly fixing and upgrading things to improve the sellability of the condo(is that a word). If you know me you know I love watching HGTV and one of my favorite shows is Designed to Sell. They show you what fixes and changes to make in order to sell your place faster and for more money! This was a fairly easy fix and only required a few stops to Lowes, a few hours of painting, Brandon's handy drill work, and a little repositioning on the track. Walla! My one recommendation would be to sand the edges a little and wipe with a damp cloth before painting. By doing this it'll make the edges look cleaner when the paint goes on. My paint of choice is Valspar Signature Paint in a semi-gloss finish in Oyster at Lowes.

Some Things Take Time

Growing up my mom grew orchids in her bathroom around her jacuzzi tub by two large windows. They were purple and only bloomed once or twice a year. I remember always being amazed by their beautiful color, texture, and unique shape. Most importantly however, I was amazed at how rare a blossom was. One day I took a picture when serveral blossoms had developed and opened, and thought it was neat to be able to capture that many at the same time.

That picture hung on my bulletin board for several years as a quiet reminder that some things in life take time. When I struggled with school, feeling good about my body, or felt bad because I didn't have a testimony like everyone else at that time I would remember that picture. Was that flower less beautiful because it didn't have constant blossoms galore? No, in fact, orchids are considered beautiful because of their rareness and uniqueness. I no longer have that picture but rather a real orchid of my own. It has taught me patience and faith in times of struggle, self doubt, and heartache. Sometimes in life the best things come in small blossoms!

Changes!

We haven't posted in a very long time so I decided to update you on some recent changes/improvements we've recently had. First, I decided to leave Orem Family Dental where I have worked for almost 2 years and go to The Dental Center, which is just around the corner. It's a great place and I'm really liking the office and the staff! Change is hard for me so I'm still adjusting a bit but I'm getting the hang of things and learning a lot of cool stuff at the same time! They have a great hygiene department and we treat a lot of periodontal disease (gum disease). It's neat to see the patients disease state arrest and improve when I do my part and they do their part at home. It is remarkable to read about all the research that is being done these days which shows a strong relationship between the health of your mouth and the health of your body, links to Heart Diase, Diabetes, etc. (more to come on this topic in later posts). Keep flossing!

Another recent change has been getting new windows and sills! Our 30 year old metal frame windows were not energy efficient and the seal between the double pane in 2 of them was broken so dirt and water was able to get in between. Anyway, they are done and they look great ! Having nice windows is fabulous not just for the savings and the way they look but being able to see clearly out the window where you couldn't before because of the dirt and water between panes. We used Rocky Mountain Windows and Doors. They were a little more expensive but the type we selected combined with the way they installed them and the extra time they took to custom fit each one is quite noticable when you compare them to other newly replaced windows in the complex. I would highly recommend them.

A great view of Mt Timp
New crushed marble sills

TAG (per Jessica Farmer)

What is your current obsession? Making the perfect chocolate chip cookie. Brandon made the perfect batch a few weeks ago and I’ve been trying to duplicate it but I just can’t seem to do it. Seriously, I’ve been researching and cooking, and researching and cooking…I’m getting close.

What do you hate that most everyone else seems to love? Walking around barefoot. Silly, I know, but I have this thing about my feet feeling or looking dirty. You know that feeling when you walk on hard floor and little crumbs or dirt start sticking to your feet- it totally drives me crazy! I will usually go and wash my feet in the bathtub and put socks on. It’s probably because I’m a foot person meaning if my pedicure looks a little chipped or old, or if my feet look dry and cracked I don’t feel put together. Someone once told me you can tell a lot about a person by the way they take care of their feet. Do you think that’s true?

What are you wearing today? Maui Hard Rock Café Shirt and my David Kahn Jean Shorts

What’s for dinner? Papa John’s Pizza and Cinnapie (BYU football game tonight)

What would you eat for your last meal? The buffet at The Roof

What’s the last thing you bought? Groceries at Albertsons for dinner tomorrow

What are you listening to right now? Nothing at the moment but I’ve got Miley Cyrus’ new song Party in the USA in my head (yes, I’m 28 years old and downloaded Miley off of itunes for the gym and no, I’m not going through a midlife crisis)

What is your favorite time of day? The morning when the sun starts to come out but it’s still cool.

If you could go anywhere in the world for the next hour, where would you go? Home and visit my family and dog

What is a hobby of yours? Decorating and getting ideas for decorating!!! Candice Olsen is my idol!

What’s your favorite quote? “Some years ago I clipped an article on Commander William Robert Anderson, the man who first took a submarine under the North Pole from the waters of the Pacific to the waters of the Atlantic. It was an untried and dangerous mission. In his wallet he carried a tattered card with these words: ‘I believe I am always divinely guided, I believe I will always take the right road. I believe God will always make a way where there is no way.’” President Gordon B. Hinkley

What is your favorite color? Red

If you could be proficient at anything without having to practice it over and over again, what would it be? drawing

What is your dream job? I would love to own a flower shop

Describe your personal style? Sometimes sporty, but usually casual chic

What’s your favorite flower? Orchids

What are you going to do after this? Go to bed!

What’s your favorite fruit? Strawberries

What inspires you? People who press forward and prevail when everything else is against them. People who are humble.

Who was the last person you kissed? Brandon ☺

What are you currently reading? A dental hygiene textbook

Go to your bookshelf, take down the first book with a red spine you see, turn to page 26 and type out the first line: What changes in your body and life do you wish you could create within the next 12 weeks? (Body For Life)

What is your favorite sound? The sound of pouring rain hitting the roof and windows

What delighted you most today? Accomplishing my weekend goal of getting the closet doors to our utility closet replace, painted, and installed. Thank you for your help Brandon!

By what criteria do you judge a person? Loyalty and Trust

Did you laugh today? Yes!

What is a new year’s resolution that you have kept? Exercising on a fairly consistent basis.