Christmas 2010

Merry Christmas!  I hope everyone had a wonderful day and that we all took time to reflect on the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ.  I am thankful for Him, for His birth, for His life, and for His love and sacrifice for me.

I am also thankful for my family!  I was able to spend most of the day with them and it was wonderful.  We started out this morning with breakfast, the traditional "stair picture" and then opening stockings and presents.

I was happy that we didn't start until 8:30 am :-)  I think I have been asking for a later start time for several years now... we finally got it thanks to the fact that Hailey and Tanner needed to be able to wake up at their normal time and see what Santa brought them before heading over to mom and dad's house.  After opening presents, we all headed outside to play with the Christmas toys.  BJ had a cool remote control helicopter, Hailey had her very first bicycle, and Tanner had a remote control car.

I felt a little out of place, so I went back inside to get my Coach Pete bobblehead :-)

Merry Christmas Eve!

Today I joined Jen's family for their traditional Christmas Eve bowling.  I'm glad I was on a team with Jen and Brooke because we were all pretty horrible, at least our first game!  We all improved in our second game though... I'm sure we would have broken 200 if we had bowled a third (okay, just kidding).  Thanks Bradleys and friends for letting me join you - I had fun!

I spent the rest of the day reading, running a couple errands, & straightening up my house... nothing special, but nice to not be at work on a Friday!  Tonight, however, was great.  Pretty sure we started the best tradition ever last year with a dinner of king crab legs and prime rib for Christmas Eve dinner.  Tonight was at least as delicious as last year... I didn't even have room for any of the side dishes on my plate :-)

Merry Christmas everyone!  Hope you all enjoy the day tomorrow with family & friends!

Maaco Bowl

Congrats to my Broncos on a 26-3 win over Utah in the Maaco Bowl on Wednesday... they almost gave me a heart attack in the first quarter, but picked up their game in the second quarter and sailed easily to a win.  Great way to end the season boys!

The Help

When Jen and I decided to start a book club a few months ago, I really had no idea how much I would enjoy it.  I had tried to be in a book club before through church, but we could only read "safe" (typically churchy) books as not to offend anyone, and it really wasn't that exciting.

So far in our book club, we've read The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind, The Life of Pi, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, The Alchemist, and I just finished January's book, The Help.  I have really enjoyed all the books, and the discussions that we've had at different restaurants around town.  It has been so much fun to get together with friends once a month and have an intelligent conversation about the themes in the books, as well as just enjoy good company and good food.

Anyway, I just wanted to post quickly about the book The Help by Kathryn Stockett.  Within the first few pages, I knew I was going to love the book.  I know I've said before that my favorite genre is historical fiction, so this book about black maids working for privileged white families in Mississippi in the 1960's immediately caught my attention.  Hearing the perspectives of the different maids throughout the book made me both laugh and cry.  I couldn't put it down, reading at stoplights, in bed when I should have been asleep, even during commercials at the BSU-Utah football game :-)  The book truly touched me, and I am so happy Brooke picked this book for us to read, and am looking forward to the movie coming out next year.  I will be giving it 5 stars on Goodreads!

iRon

Received this from a friend and thought it was too funny not to share!

2010 Christmas Run

 

Yesterday was the annual Christmas Run... this may just be my favorite race of the year.  It is so much fun to see everyone dressed up and excited for Christmas.  Highlights this year were the abominable snowman (of course) the gingerbread man, and the guy that pulled a sled the entire race.  I decided to go with the elf hat!  I had a great time running the 2.5 mile course with Beki & Lance.  I always consider it a success if we can run the entire course without walking :-)

My parents were great and came down and took pictures (like always!) at the end of the race...

Ugly Christmas Sweaters

Tonight was our ward Christmas party... and we were supposed to all come wearing ugly Christmas sweaters.  I think Brooke, Andrea, Jen, and I sure did the contest justice - I know you're all jealous of our outfits!

Actually, I think we all looked pretty snazzy in our sweaters :-)

Sad News and Sushi

Last Sunday my stake was reorganized.  My ward was split, and I will be attending a new ward tomorrow.  My friends are all in the other ward, so I've been kind of sad.  Okay, really sad.  But I got a new dress and a new pair of shoes and I am now actually looking forward to going to a new ward and meeting some new people.  Maybe I'll make some new friends to bring into my already awesome circle of friends.

After the meeting last Sunday where the re-organization was announced, I went over to Lance's house for some sushi, potstickers, and fried rice.  Dinner was totally delicious.  My favorite roll had tuna, crab, avocado, and cream cheese.  Thanks Lance and Carsten :-)

Proud of Him...

In August, BJ graduated from Boise State with his technical certificate and advanced technical certificate in welding.  To celebrate this accomplishment, BJ walked in Commencement yesterday.  I don't think he was that excited to walk in the ceremony (especially since he is on crutches because he fractured his foot!)... I'm sure a big the reason he did it was because I really wanted him to.  I work at every commencement and think the ceremony is beautiful and wanted him to experience it, so was glad he took time off work to participate!  I love my little brother and am so proud of him.

Oh, and a shout out to Mandy for putting on such a wonderful ceremony!  It was perfect!

Guacamole and Christmas Lights :-)

Last Saturday, Mike took me to a fabulous Mexican restaurant in Kuna - El Gallo Giro.  I had heard about this restaurant from several people, so I was excited when Mike suggested that's where we go to dinner.  My favorite part was they made us guacamole right at our table.  It was completely delicious - I could have just eaten it by the spoonful :-)  My carne asada was pretty tasty too!  Afterwards, we drove around looking at Christmas lights and got hot chocolate.  Thanks for the fun evening!

Adjunct Professor

I can't remember if I've mentioned on here before, but this semester I taught a lab section of University 101 at Boise State.  I think that makes me an adjunct professor :-)  I like the sound of that!  I only had 11 students in my class, but we had a lot of fun together.  We covered topics on health, career/major exploration, financial management, emotional intelligence, time management, advising and using BroncoWeb to register for classes and check academic progress, how to use Blackboard, etc.  They did class presentations and wrote reflection papers on campus activities and workshops they attended and we usually had good discussions in class.  I even brought pizza in last week to thank them for being my first class :-)  Well, the semester is over, and I'm kind of sad to not have them in class anymore.  I don't know how any of them feel, and maybe it was more exciting for me because it was my first experience teaching a college-level course, but I will miss them!  I'm sure I will continue to bump into them sometimes on campus, and I wish them all well in their programs here at Boise State.

I won't be teaching in the Spring because I'll be gone a couple weeks during the semester for my trip to Africa, but I hope I get the chance to teach again next Fall!

Welcome to the Future

Love Brad Paisley and loved this video:

Fireplace Mantel

A couple of you have asked to see my new fireplace mantel decorations, so I thought I would post a picture here :-)  I got my fireplace last year after Christmas, so when I pulled out all my decorations this year, I realized I didn't have anything to put on the mantel.  A trip to Pottery Barn solved that problem!  I love all the mercury glass and it looks so pretty when all the candles are lit...  It's much prettier in person (with the lights dimmed and the fire glowing and the candles flickering!) if you'd like to drop by - I love visitors!

Empty Bowls 2010

It's been a while since I've posted, so some of these are out of order.  Beki and I went to Empty Bowls the day after Thanksgiving.  I picked out a blue and orange Bronco bowl.  I am looking forward to using it in a couple weeks when we watch the Broncos play the Utes in the LasVegas MAACO Bowl game.

Dessert Fondue

Yes, this is another one of those "repeat posts".  As with each year after the First Presidency Christmas Fireside, we had dessert fondue - who wouldn't want to eat this plate of deliciousness dipped in chocolate???  Definitely good times!

Lance, Jen, David, Carsten, Brooke, Brad, and Jared

I will have to do fondue again soon - I can't believe Jen has never been over to my house for a full fondue meal.  Winter is a good time for fondue because it gets dark so early and we spend a lot more time inside.  Maybe I'll shoot for fondue in February :-)

Polar Express

For my parents' anniversary, my mom decided to buy the entire family tickets to ride the Thunder Mountain Line Polar Express!  To be honest with you, I wasn't sure how much fun riding the train would be, but my mom was just so excited about it.  I was pleasantly surprised with how much I enjoyed myself :-)  We began the train ride in Horseshoe Bend, and from there we rode the train up to the North Pole (aka Banks).  On the train ride up, we had fun playing games, listening to an elf sing songs, and chatting with Mrs. Claus.  Once at the North Pole, we got pictures with Santa, ate cookies and milk, and visited Santa's Workshop.  On the way down we sang Christmas carols with the carolers, and even got to join in with ringing the bells for Jingle Bells.  Thanks mom (and dad) for such a fun adventure.  It was definitely a nice pick-me-up after a DEVASTATING loss by my Broncos to Nevada the night before.

Family picture with Santa!

Such a sweetheart - enjoying cookies and milk at Santa's workshop

Playing games on the train ride to the North Pole

Ringing the jingle bell

Carolers at the North Pole

Thanks for the fun ride mom and dad!

Beki & Me - Hanging out at the North Pole

Gingerbread Houses and Hailey's 3rd Birthday

I took vacation yesterday in part so I could make gingerbread houses with my family.  I know, anyone who's been following my blog for a while must be shocked :-)  The last few years I've done gingerbread houses with friends, so it was extra fun to be sitting next to my adorable niece Hailey as she made her house.

The whole gang was there, minus my brother who was out of town so he made his house earlier with his girlfriend Rachel.

My dad's cousin's daughter Gabrielle made a gingerbread house with us too in case you were wondering who was sitting on my lap :-)

We also decided to celebrate Hailey's third birthday since her birthday is on Thanksgiving this year.  I think she is just such a doll!  Happy birthday Hailey!

Proud to be a part of Bronco Nation

Thanks to Coach Pete and the Boise State football players!  This video chronicles 12-year-old Stephen Kinsey's trip to Boise.  He was granted a wish through Make-a-Wish and was Coach for a Day for the Broncos.

One-Track Mind

Mike and Me - loving the Broncos in their orange uniforms!

Yes, I know I blog a lot about Boise State football.  Football really is my favorite part of fall.  I figure a lot of my friends have pretty much "dedicated" their blogging to updates on their children, so I think I can bombard you all (whoever reads this!) with updates of my favorite college football team for a few months out of the year :-)

Well, last night was pretty much Bronco Dominance.  I was SUPER nervous that first quarter, where we had an interception, a fumble, and only 3 points!  Not to worry though, my boys came back... the defense was amazing and the offense picked it up too for a 51-0 win.  I'm REALLY hoping to jump TCU in the polls.  I know that Oregon, Auburn, and TCU all have byes this week, and I hope this shutout helps prove the Broncos case for a bowl bid.  Yes, I'm optimistic that we'll win our last two games.  I'll be cheering for Alabama and South Carolina to win out over Auburn.  I would love an Oregon-Boise State rematch in Glendale!

Trans-Siberian Orchestra

Trans-Siberian Orchestra sure puts on a great concert!  I went a few years ago with my family, and of course wanted to go again when Jared said he wanted to get a group together to go.  We had great seats right up next to the stage.  The special effects were amazing, with lights and fire and suspended bridges etc.  The concert made me excited for the holidays.  Looking forward to Thanksgiving next week and then decorating for Christmas :-)

Boise State Rakes Up Boise!

I tried a few years ago to organize a Rake up Boise team between the staff in my office, Admissions, and Financial Aid... I remember being disappointed that only a few people volunteered (in all fairness, there was a football game that day!), but we all had fun raking and serving those in need.  This year, I decided to cast the net a little farther and invited all faculty and staff to participate on a Boise State team.  I got a little better response (about 40 people), and had enough participants for 4 teams.  We all raked on Saturday morning, and everyone had a great time.  My team raked for just under 2 hours and we had 32 bags of leaves!  I got a call this morning from the resident at the house we raked - she went on and on about how it was the best raking job she'd ever seen - way to go team!

After raking for Rake up Boise, I spent another three hours raking my own lawn (including blowing all the leaves from the landscaping beds).  My wisteria still has some leaves, so I know I'll be back out for more raking later this year, but I'm happy to have the bulk of it done!

Princess Parking

Princess Parking Defined: Paying $10 a day to park in the Administration Building parking lot right outside our offices so that we don't have to park across campus in the lot where our permit allows us to park (the one we pay $342 a year for)

Not like I would ever Princess Park... unless of course it's freezing outside or it's raining and I forgot my umbrella or I'm wearing a new pair of uncomfortable heels or if I need to carry a lot of stuff into my office :-)

Today my excuse was that I had to distribute 60 giant leaf bags to different team captains for Rake up Boise this weekend.  I think that's a pretty valid excuse!

Still Undefeated

Boise State 42, Hawaii 7

Carsten & Me at the game

What Have You Been Up To?

We all get asked this question a lot and probably ask it a lot ourselves.  A month or so ago, a friend asked what I've been up to lately, and I replied with my default answer of "Nothing much, how about you?"  He responded with something along the lines that I should get out more.

Why would I have responded "nothing much"?  I feel like I'm always busy and have something going on pretty much every night.  Is it because I was too lazy to come up with an answer?  Or maybe because I wonder if when people ask this question if they really care what I've been up to lately or if that's just they way they are greeting me?  Well, it bothered me that I answered that way, and that my friend was probably picturing me sitting at home every night watching tv (not that I don't do this sometimes!).  The next time I saw him, I walked right up to him and explained that I didn't really mean "nothing much", that I really am a busy person and I told him some of the things I had been doing lately (i.e. watching BSU football, glass blowing, book clubs, etc).  We had a conversation about why people answer "nothing much" and he thanked me for telling him what I've been up to because he really did care to hear about it.

So my goal is to at least have an answer when someone asks me this question.  I don't have to go on and on about everything I'm doing, but maybe pick one or two things I've been doing.  Another friend asked me yesterday what I've been up to - I started to respond with my default answer, but caught myself and told him a couple things I've been doing.  I proceeded to ask what he's been doing, and we had a good conversation.

Prosciutto, Pear, and Blue Cheese Sandwich

I usually post good recipes on my recipe blog, but this one is just too good not to post here too...  The Prosciutto, Pear, and Blue Cheese sandwich recipe as found in the October issue of Cooking Light is FABULOUS.  I have probably made this sandwich five times in the last couple weeks.  It is fast and easy and so delicious (and only 324 calories).  I LOVE all the flavors together.  So here you go - a new recipe to add to your collection.  Give it a try!

Ingredients
8 slices 100% multigrain bread
1 T butter, softened
3 cups arugula
1 medium shallot, thinly sliced
1 T olive oil
2 t red wine vinegar
2 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto
1 ripe pear, cored and thinly sliced
2 ounces blue cheese, sliced

Directions
1.  Toast and butter bread.
2.  Combine arugula and shallot in medium bowl.  Add oil and vinegar and toss to coat.  Divide evenly among 4 bread slices, buttered side up.
3.  Top evenly with prosciutto.  Divide pear slices and cheese evenly among sandwiches.  Top each sandwich with 1 bread slice, buttered side down.

Happy Halloween!

I hope everyone had a fun Halloween... I did!  First, a couple pictures of my Halloween decor - I plan to switch this out to Fall decor tomorrow.

We had a low-key Halloween get-together at Jared's house Sunday night... with Costa Vida style salads and burritos.  We finished off the evening with a game and then delicious apples with all the toppings (caramel, milk chocolate, white chocolate, cinnamon sugar, heath bar, butterfinger, oreo, coconut, almonds, etc.)

Tim's "finger cookies"

Thanks Josh for bringing all the great toppings!

David, Tim, Jared, Jen, me, Brittany, Lance, Carsten, Emily, Russ, Jessica, Josh