"All I Ask of You"

(That is Mike and my song and my brother, Rusty, sang it with a friend at our reception. You can hear it on my playlist.)
Happy 12th Anniversary to us! I love you, Mike!
We were married in the Seattle Temple on March 28, 1997. (Isn't he a hottie?)
I like the below picture because the electricity caused by our kiss made my veil fly up spontaneously!

My youngest brother, Aaron, is carrying my train. He's now a missionary in Jacksonville, Florida.

With Mike's parents:

With my parents:

How me met:

We met 10 months prior to our wedding. I had just returned from being a missionary in Dallas, Texas and Mike had just returned from being out to sea (courtesy of the Navy) for the last time. We met at the Young Adult Ward in Silverdale, WA. He was stationed in Bremerton and that was my home stake. We didn't know each other before my mission because he was baptized a couple months after I left. After dating for a couple weeks, Mike let me know he was pretty sure he wanted to marry me. I just laughed at him because I wanted to just have fun that summer, go back to BYU and finish my degree and I certainly wasn't ready to "settle down." We did have a lot of fun that summer and saw a whole lot of each other. In fact, my family went camping in Montana and he and his friends "happened" to stop by! I left for BYU at the end of the summer and Mike came to visit me 3 weeks later. That was the longest 3 weeks of my life! He came to visit me again the end of October and I took him to the jewelry store and showed him which ring I had picked out (which he promptly bought) and then we went out to dinner and a musical. Then I showed him where to take me (up the mountain overlooking the city of Provo) to propose to me, which he did down on one knee. He came to visit me a 3rd time in Provo that semester, during finals. He had to hurry and drive back to Washington so he could pick me up from the airport.

A funny thing that happened on our wedding day:

At some point during the day we realized some friends were staying at the same hotel we were going to be staying at that night. They were unaware of this and we wanted them to remain unaware, but it would give us away to have our "Just Married" decorated truck sitting in the parking lot. So Mike's friend, Keith, drove us in the truck to our hotel and dropped us off and then picked us up again in the morning. He then went out that night, driving around, alone, in a "Just Married" vehicle! I can imagine onlookers feeling sorry for the poor guy all alone and being "just married."

"I Enjoy Being a Girl!"

This is a song my sister, LaRene, performed in a talent show in junior high over 20 years ago - can you believe it's been that long, Rene? - and it came to mind when I was putting curlers in Brooke's hair for the first time last Sunday. This song is appropriate especially because Brooke loves to get pretty with curled hair and a dress.

And this picture was the Sunday before. I think it's a classic "Cindy" from The Brady Bunch.

Also, I've decided to add my post-title-songs to my playlist so you can hear the song I'm thinking of. I just added the last 5 songs. You just need to click the "play" button to start the music. I couldn't add the Primary songs though since they weren't on playlist.com.

"No One Mourns the WICKED"

Jessie, Mindy, Tonya, and me before the show.





Us Girls before leaving...







Tonya is making us have some fun in the the spinning doors...


I think Jessie is trying to hide!

"Wicked" was a fun show! No real big special effects, but a cute story with some unexpected twists. The music is catchy, so I added some to my playlist here on my blog.
The best part of the show was it was clean! They could have easily added some gratuitous scenes or language, but they kept it very family friendly. I appreciate that.
Thanks for the fun night, girls!

"Beans, Beans the Magical Fruit..."

(Yeah, you know the song!)

I've been looking for more ways to use beans since they are healthy and cheap. Here's another yummy crock pot recipe I found in the Reader's Digest. (It's really not as spicy as it smells either.)

Spicy Beans with Turkey Sausage
1 pound smoked turkey sausage, halved lengthwise and cut into 1/2-inch slices
1 can (16 oz) kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (15.5 oz) great northern beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (15 oz) black beans, rinsed and drained
1 1/2 cups frozen corn
1 1/2 cups salsa
1 large green pepper, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
1/2 to 1 cup water
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp. ground cumin
Stir all ingredients together in crock pot. Cover and cook on low 5-6 hours or until meat is tender. Serves 6.

Q&A

Here are some cute questions to ask your kids that I got off Lisa Robert’s blog. I started out asking Nicholas (age 7) and Zach (age 5). Brooke is a little young, but the perfect age to ask these questions would be a 3-4 year old. It’s interesting what your kids observe!

1. What is something mom always says to you?
Nicholas: Please.

2. What makes mom happy?
Zach: When we obey you.

3. What makes mommy sad?
N: When we fight.

4. How does mommy make you laugh?
Z: By tickling me.

5. What was your mom like as a child?
N: (a little frustrated) I don’t know anything about when you were little!

6. How old is your mom?
Z: 39 (nope, I’m 35 – just had to clarify that)

7. How tall is your mom?
At this point Nicholas goes off to pout after saying, “Zach gets all the easy questions!”
Z: An inch smaller than dad.

8. What is her favorite thing to watch on TV?
Z: Girl stuff

9. What does your mom do when you’re not around?
Z: Play basketball (I do go play basketball occasionally after they are in bed.)

10. If your mom becomes famous, what will it be for?
They all agree I will never be famous.

11. What is your mom really good at?
Z: Basketball (I guess he has basketball on the brain.)

12. What is your mom not very good at?
Z: Remembering to put a dessert in my lunch (oops, yes that was the big complaint of the day)

13. What does your mom do for work?
Z: Cleans the windows, toilets, and the house

14. What is your mom’s favorite food?
Brooke now wants to join in since Nicholas is done answering questions. She says: mush. (yep, I have Malt-o-Meal almost every morning.)

15. What makes you proud of your mom?
Z: When I have less chores than Nicholas

16. If your mom was a cartoon character, who would she be?
Z: Bugs Bunny (hmmm…)

17. What do you and your mom do together?
Z: Bike ride

18. How are you and your mom the same?
Z: We have the same skin and live in the same family

19. How are you and your mom different?
Z: Our hair is different

20. How do you know your mom loves you?
Brooke: she helps me be happy

21. What does your mom like most about your dad?
Z: His kisses

22. Where is your mom’s favorite place to go?
Brooke: On a date

"Let Us Oft Speak Kind Words To Each Other"

Are your kids like mine? They have a knack for arguing about anything.

Today I was giving the kids their daily vitamin and Zach says, "I only like purple vitamins. They rock! And orange vitamins don't." (Brooke was choosing an orange vitamin.)
And Brooke says, "So? I already have a rock!"

Ha! Top that, Zach!

New Recipe

This is a new crock pot recipe I tried the other day that I enjoyed. I got it out of the Reader's Digest:

Southwestern Chicken
2 cans corn, drained
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
16 oz. chunky salsa
1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

In crock pot, put corn, beans, and 1/2 cup salsa in the bottom, then the chicken, then the rest of the salsa on top. Cook on high 3 hours or low 7 hours. Sprinkle cheese on chicken when it's done. Serves 6.

Yum!