Unforgettable

14 Years ago I went on a date I just can't seem to forget.

My date had flown in to visit his family for Christmas and had arranged for us to meet that night at Temple Square (his sister was singing in a choir concert).

Not wanting to make a bad impression I left two hours early, from Provo, to make it in to downtown Salt Lake. I ended up being stuck in traffic at the Point of the Mountain for an hour... as soon as I made it to an exit I started driving up surface streets. Well, I was 45 minutes late - and hey, this happened pre-cell phones - and I had no way to contact this guy who was sitting in the North Temple Visitors Center thinking he'd been stood up. Finally, I found a spot to park my car and ran - felt like I was in "Sleepless in Seattle" trying to get to the top of the Empire State Building. As I was running in, he was getting ready to walk out... wow... he'd been waiting!

So, we made it to the last part of the concert... met Mom, Grandma and sisters and we were off... the Christmas lights were beautiful!

Next dinner. We went to a restaurant where we were seated at a cozy little table for two overlooking all of Temple Square... so amazing! We were talking, enjoying the view and the food... when suddenly I hear a loud crack and a crash - half of my glass is standing upright on the table, the other half is shattered on the floor. The table, my plate, and myself are covered in pink lemonade and everyone in the very crowded restaurant is staring at our table. Not a very fun situation for a girl who does not like to find herself the center of attention :)

Finally, my date walked me to my car so I could drop him off at the parking garage to meet up with his family. You may remember I had been in a hurry, so I'd taken the first spot I could find - well it was on a hill and when I started my car it would not shift out of park... great... I asked my date if he could get out and push the car so I could get it to shift. He actually did and it actually worked. He got in the car and the short drive to the parking garage turned into several city blocks as, every time I wanted to turn, the roads were closed for construction. Finally, I dropped him off... drove home sticky and embarrassed... thinking I would never hear from this guy again.

He called me the next day...

Happy First Date Anniversary Handsome Hubby! Can I get you a glass of pink lemonade? ;)

So Exciting!

I am so excited... my profile on Mormon.org was just published!
If you'd like to take a look just go over to the button on my sidebar that says, "learn what I believe" and give it a click.
While you're there take a look around... there are so many inspiring stories!

Egg-less Cake

I kind of started panicking when I realized it's birthday season at my house. I don't have a ton of time for cake baking right now - so I was pleasantly surprised when I learned about this easy little trick. Here it is:

Go to the store, find a cake mix that does not contain eggs, peanuts, or tree nuts... verify that it wasn't processed in a plant with any of these allergens... buy it and take it home. Then when you go to mix the ingredients add the oil, but omit the eggs and water and instead pour in a can of soda (light colored soda in light colored cake and dark colored soda in a dark cake). When you bake the cake extend the cooking time by five minutes.

Honestly, it does come out very moist - so it's definitely a cake to leave in the pan or cook up as cupcakes and you'll want a frosting you can either pipe on or pour on to your cake - definitely won't spread.

But, it didn't take a lot of time... was very easy to make... and the kids loved it!

Me

So, this is me... the only girl in a house full of boys.
And what have I been doing this past year?

Plenty!

Aside from the full time, stay-at-home-mom basics... like, chasing after a one year old, being a taxi driver, teaching kids piano, church callings, soccer mom, learning coach, and... does the list ever really end?

I've been adding a few new things to my plate, just in case I wasn't busy enough already. Like...
learning how to cook without eggs.
eliminating all nuts from the house.
taking food dyes out of our diet.
slowly implementing an eating for autism plan.
and
trying to keep my home more organized and clean.

It looks like a lot of my life is revolving around the foods we are eating... and, now that I think about it, it is really true. Between the food allergies and the things I am learning about healthier eating with kids on the autism spectrum, I no longer have the fall-back of prepared frozen foods or grabbing take out. Basically, we cook from scratch and that takes a lot of time. It's good for us though - we are eating a lot more fruits and vegetables and hey... we love rice :)

Amazing how many things change in just a year.

The Man of the House

This is my Handsome Hubby!

I am so proud of him... and slightly jealous... he started working on his MBA this year and he's doing a great job! It's a lot of extra work and I miss having him all to myself in the evenings, but he's learning so many interesting philosophies and strategies that it's definitely worth the sacrifice.

We've been married about 13 1/2 years and it's interesting how we learn and grow together. In our wedding pictures we both look so young... and it amazes me that within just months of meeting we were married and experiencing life together. We've had happy times and sad times, but there's not anyone I'd rather be spending my life with. I think he's amazing!

Love you, Handsome :)