PAR!!!

Ok, I don't really know what "par" means.  I just know it has something to do with golf... 

One of the perks to living here is definitely the free golf course.  The carts cost a few bucks, but are totally worth it.  So Tim and I went on a date golfing!  It only took us 2 years to actually get out and do it...

To be honest, I'm not the best golfer.  In fact, the only golfing I had ever done before this date was miniature golfing.  And even that, I usually lose.  But we can't live somewhere with free golfing and not try it at least once.  Right?  Besides, Tim is a pretty skilled golfer and has lots to teach me.  So we went on a date.  And it was tons of fun. 

So after our date we decided the girls would like to try golfing too.  Lydia thinks her golf bag/set is actually a vacuum, but she was ok with it doubling as golfing paraphernalia for once.  We went to the putting green and had lots of fun.

Posing and Copycats

There's just something awesome about having an older sibling to copy.  For one, it drives them nuts.  And secondly, there's no need to figure out how to do anything on your own!  Brooklyn has her moments when she loves the camera.  For the most part, she's as shy as they come.  But you know, when it's just us, and she's getting super silly, she'll do anything to pose for the camera.

During those last pictures Lydia was watching Brooklyn intently.  Just like she is in this picture.  She's either thinking: "What in the world is wrong with Brooklyn?", or "How can I do that?  She is so cool!" 
I'm guessing the latter.

 Because it didn't take long before we had this:

I love it.  If only I had the same confidence in MY swimming suit!

I'm a Dreamer

Some little girls dreaming that they will grow up to be a star.  Some old men dream that they will soon be driving around in a little red sports car.

Not me.

For as long as I can remember (ok, since I got married... which is still almost as long as I can remember), I have dreamed of having my very own fridge with an ice maker.  Call me crazy, but there's just something about a lukewarm glass of water that will never be comparable a cold glass of water.  And by cold I mean, brimming with ice.  And sweating down the sides.

Yes.

THAT is a dream.

And I have to say, for someone living in the desert, I have been EXCEPTIONALLY understanding that our finances don't allow for splurges like refrigerators with ice makers.  But last week my dream came true.

I've finally come to the point with cake decorating that it only makes sense to have an extra fridge to keep those cakes in.  Don't get me wrong, business is not booming...  BUT, there is something super stressful about having to clean out my fridge EVERY TIME I get a new cake order.  Plus, I have a super huge wedding cake coming up in October, and I just HAD to have another fridge to store it in.

Anyways.  We did our research and found one on craigslist.  And then it sat in our garage for a week, begging me to clean it and bring it in the house so it could make ice for me.

I finally gave in.

So after lugging it from the garage, down the steps, and through the doorway that we had to take the front door off, I was hugely disappointed to find that the space for the fridge was 1 inch too small.  Yikes.  No turning back at that point though.  My hero, Tim, simply cut the counter top so the fridge could slide in.  He's great.  That's why I married him.

And a few hours later after transferring food, cleaning, sawing, re-cleaning, hooking things up...  well, it was in.  The newest member of our family.  And boy is she shiny and clean and tall.  And I will probably show her off to anyone that comes in the door.

You should have seen us oohing and ahhing over the first piece of ice.  Actually, it's probably best you didn't-- you would probably think less of us.   I almost did a little dance when I heard it plop down into the freezer.

Dinner was wonderful.  You know why?  Because I had this beautiful tall glass of ice water to go with it.

What can I say?  I'm a dreamer.

Domestic Guru

Do you ever get the urge to just be domestic?!  I know you do.

And so do I.  In fact, sometimes I just want to sew something, or deep-clean something, or even grow something that doesn't call me "mom."

We love planting our garden, and last year the beans grew and grew, and then shriveled and died on the vine.  Because, we learned, we don't really care for fresh, crisp green beans. Rather, I don't.  And there weren't enough to make it worth canning, so basically, they just took up room in the garden.

yes, these are my beans!

Since last year, I have collected a few boxes of pint jars.  So with all of this in mind, I planted double our usual crop of green beans. And the beans came.  And so I picked, and picked.  And when it felt like I could not possibly store another bean in my fridge, I borrowed a pressure canner and spent the day on the phone with my mom, trying to figure out how to can the "easiest thing to can."

I was shocked to learn that my gigantic bag of beans taking up so much room in my fridge, after snapping, only filled 7 pint jars.  What a let-down.  I was sure I would have at least 30 pints.   But no.  All of that work, for a measly 7 pints?  Then again, that is 7 sides for meals for our family.  Nonetheless, it was disappointing.

But we kept the canner a little longer, and I have spent some more time canning.  To this date, we have 27 pints of green beans.  I feel like a brand new mom, so proud of my little jars.  If only they were cuter...

I do wish the beans could keep the same brilliant green as when they are fresh.  Because let's be real, the canned beans look less-than-appetizing.  But truth be told, they taste great!

You know what was the best part?  The jars I collected actually belonged to my grandmother.  So while I was learning domestic skills, I kept thinking about her, and how she probably used the same jars to can some delicious apricots, beans, or jellies.  Very cool.


Am I domestic?  On most days, not so much.  But I do get these incredible urges to be domestic sometimes, and occasionally it even works out like I planned! 

The next great motivational speaker... ME?

Many of you know that I went to Young Women's Girls Camp a few weeks ago.  What you might not have known was that I was asked to present a 2 hour morality workshop for all of the Mia Maids (14-15 year old girls) while we were at camp.

Talk about STRESSFUL.

Talk about a LONG TIME to talk to bored 14 year-olds.

I had a few months to prepare, all of which was sorely needed, and here's what I've decided since then:

I think I want to be a motivational/inspirational speaker-- specifically for youth.  You know, a "John Bytheway" or "Sheri Dew" type.  Unfortunately, "Amber Shurtliff" doesn't seem to roll off the tongue quite the same way.

Don't let me fool you, the morality workshop went ok, but there was nothing amazing to it.  Through the process of preparing and preparing and preparing, I just realized that I really like combining the funny, serious, spiritual, inspiring, etc. 

AND feeling like I had a chance to help someone else want to make good decisions was awesome.

Can't you see it?  Me, the next big motivational speaker.

 

Here's the problem.  There are a few things that might stop me from this new ambition.

1. I loathe public speaking.

Problematic?  Yes.  The fact is, I don't like anything where I have to be in front of a group of people, whether I'm speaking or not.  Just the thought that I might have to be in front of other people makes me nauseous.   

2. I cry WAY too much.

...specifically when it comes to topics that are really important to me.  Often, these are spiritual topics.  On the upside, a bout of crying does bring the audiences attention back to you.  On the downside, my voice goes all squeaky and my nose turns red.

3. I don't have anything motivating or inspiring to say. 

 Let's face it, in my short 26 years, I haven't had any major upheaval, just normal life.  I get that you can take "normal" and still have inspiring stories, but in general, I seem to be lacking in this category.

So in all honesty, it doesn't look like I have much going for me in the way of becoming a motivational speaker.  I have the desire, but am lacking in the rest of the requirements.  Oh well.  Maybe it'll happen down the road.

In the meantime, I'll just be a blogger.  Be inspired :)

Utah Part 3-- The Wedding!

And last but certainly not least, the point of the entire trip-- the wedding!  

This was the crowning moment, but was not without it's companion wedding-ish activities.  We went to a great bridal shower for Camille, were able to be at the temple with her when she received her endowments, had a fun family dinner, and then finally finished things off with a wonderful sealing in the Oquirrh Mountain Temple.

The girls were super excited to get to be princesses for the day again!  And they spent much of their time outside the temple inspecting the flowers.

Lydia actually did a little more than look at the flowers.  I hate to admit it, but she was culprit that filled each flower with dirt.  But honestly, they did look like bowls waiting to be filled.  And who better to do the filling than Lydia?!

After all of the beautiful-ness at the temple, and lots of pictures, we headed back to relax for the afternoon before the reception.  With a few kinks in the mix (such as the bride and groom's car breaking down), we got through the afternoon and ready for the reception.  I'm not sure what company Camille's mom hired, but they transformed the gym.  It was amazing.  In fact, props to Camille's mom, who other than being so sweet, managed to plan an amazing wedding in a completely different state!

But without any further ado, here is the cake I spent the week creating.  Not perfect, but the biggest one I've done to date, and  I was very happy with the results, particularly because I made it all far from home. Thanks to Camille and Christopher for trusting me :)

We had a great time at the reception.  Good food, great company, and the girls couldn't get enough of the dancing!

We're just excited for Christopher and Camille.  And we're very happy to have Camille as part of our family!

Utah Part 2- Church History Museum

So for another fun thing, we headed to SLC with the girls to check out the Church History Museum.  I think I remember visiting there as a child, but haven't been back since and I was pleasantly surprised.  There were a lot of really amazing things to see, that of course, we couldn't spend as much time looking at as we wanted.  Something about our children being out of control...  I couldn't take the senior missionary sisters scolding my kids while I was enthralled by the exhibit any more!  So we moved on to the childrens area and it was great!

This trip was definitely worth making!  The girls had a blast and we didn't have enough time to satisfy them!  Recommendation from me?  Definitely!