Can you feel the love?

While we were in Washington for Thanksgiving, I had a surge of love from my uncle and cousin, David. We got to talking about when I get married (eventually). They both offered their services of marksmanship when I decide to get marriage serious with a young man. My uncle specifically offered to send a target that shows three bullet holes that can be covered with a dime. That's how good he is. My cousin also offered to show his guns and skills to my intended. How can a girl not feel loved as her family offers to defend her and protect her happiness in regards to the man she will eventually marry? I sure felt the love!

Oh, Happy Day!

As Thanksgiving Day is tomorrow, I wanted to take this opportunity to express my gratitude for a few things. First of all, I am grateful for my membership in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I am able to build my testimony, to grow closer to my Heavenly Father, my Savior Jesus Christ, and to try to become more like them. I am grateful to be preparing to serve a full time mission in Bulgaria, to share the gospel with the wonderful people there. I am also grateful for my family. We obviously have our ups and downs, but at the end of the day, there is a lot of love and we do have fun. I am so grateful for my friends and the wonderful influence they have in my life, the support they give me, and the fun we have. I am grateful to know that I am a daughter of God and the peace and direction that gives me in my life as I strive to become better than I was the day before. I love you all so much! Thank you for all you do!

I KNOW You Wanted to Know...

5 things I was doing 10 years ago

1. Freshman year of high school, but for me it was the last year at Lee Jr. High
2. First year of EARLY morning seminary
3. Anxiously waiting to turn 15
4. Loving Student Government class!
5. Moved across town

5 things on my to-do list
1. Wash my bedsheets
2. Check something for my mom
3. Help the kids after school
4. Start thinking about Christmas stuff
5. Mission Prep

5 snacks I enjoy
1. Sourdough bread
2. Peanut Butter M&Ms
3. Chocolate covered pretzels
4. Triscuits
5. Fruit

5 things I would do if I was a millionaire
1. Visit all my friends before my mission
2. Pay completely for my mission
3. Feed people
4. Pay for my parents to go on a vacation
5. Donate to good causes

5 places I've lived
1. Provo, UT
2. Woodland, CA
3. Florence, OR
4. Orem, UT (I know this is a stretch, but hey, 6 weeks!)
5. That's it

5 jobs I've had
1. Bagger at Raley's
2. Bakery worker at Raley's
3. DT RA
4. DT Desk Attendant
5. Provo High Driver Education Instructor

4 things I'm passionate about
1. My Family
2. Self-Worth/identity/etc
3. Personal Relationships
4. The Gospel

4 things I say often
1. "That's not what your mom said"
2. "That makes my heart happy"
3. "Bulgaria, but I don't leave until February."
4. "Girl, PLEASE!"

4 things I want to do before I die
1. Travel the world
2. Have quality relationships with my family
3. Serve missions
4. Visit all 50 states

4 things I want/need
1. Open communication
2. A vacation to Utah...strange, I know
3. A car to drive while I am in Oregon
4. The new Betsy Brannon Green novel

4 places I want to see/visit
1. Hawaii
2. Ireland
3. Australia
4. Africa

How about 4 TV shows I've enjoyed in the past 3 years
1. So You Think You Can Dance
2. Anything on the Food Network
3. One Tree Hill
4. Bones

4 things you don't know about me
1. I used to be a yellow, now I am a blue
2. I love crossword puzzles
3. I love me some me-time
4. I still sleep with my stuffed dinosaur that I have had for as long as I can remember.

Burnt to a Crisp

Our family has Family Home Evening on Sunday nights. This week was my turn to provide the treat. I decided to make s'mores. The small issue is that our stove is an electric one; it makes it a little tricky to toast marshmallows over the coils. I know it's not impossible-my wonderful roommates have done it in the past. However, it takes a lot of patience, which I don't have when trying to get the treat for 5 people at once. My mom thought that maybe we could use the oven and use the broiler and that would be great.

I assembled the grahams and then put the mallow. We put the rack on the top, and waited so patiently for the oven to heat up. I put the mallows in with the intention of toasting them and then pressing the chocolate in after it was out, and then the other graham on top. Oh, the best laid plans.

About a minute later, there was a unique smell and a little smoke coming out of the oven. The smoke detector went off. I quickly took care of that and went to the oven. When I opened the oven, flames flew up at my face, so I quickly closed the door.

"Um...dad? There are flames in the oven..."

The kids quick response was to jump up and see for themselves while I backed away to avoid the flames. My dad opened it back up, took the tray out and blew out the mallows like a birthday cake. They looked so special. I tried it again, making a few changes and had much better results. Derek ended up eating one of the original s'mores, and he liked it. a lot. Don't ask.

Here are a few pictures of the "s'mores":