Away In A Manger

Baby Jesus didn't even have a bed for his sweet head. We, on the other hand, in remembrance of the birth of Baby Jesus, got spoiled with gifts, presents, and the company of loved ones. I'm still trying to wrap my head around the generosity of others.

Adam's Christmas celebrations started with a department white elephant gift exchange at his work. Part of his gift was a Nerf gun...it was the first gift to be stolen so many times that it could not be stolen any more. At his whole company party, Adam won a spa gift certificate (Ashleigh assumes the win) and movie tickets (Ashleigh shares the win). Not bad, right? Then his CFO blasts Adam's department using his own giant Nerf gun against which everyone was defenseless. Next day, Adam's department all get Nerf guns and have a fight in the office for half of the day, practicing for when the CFO returns. Adam got a Nerf dart to the forehead, haha. This spiraled into Adam's gift idea for his whole family - Nerf guns for a Moore War.

At my office, I made "yummy yummy cucumber sandwiches" for a baby shower we had for a co-worker. Then at my work party, we got free food and bowling at Lucky Strike in Hollywood. The raffle prizes were a FlipCam (I know my mom could use), an iPad (don't know what we'd do with that), and a big screen TV (we'd definitely love). Luck was not in my favor, but Erin Wyche won the big screen and I felt like I won it too. Way to go, Erin!

Crouching Bengal, Hidden Peyton

Then after babysitting kitties for a few days and having lots of fun with them, we had a wonderful meal and delicious sweet treats and games at the Rix's home. I still want to steal Scarlett. Maybe one of the best parts of the night was while we were playing Christmas Charades and little Boston came into the room "disturbing the adults" and wanting to play. His dad told him to go in the middle and say, "Ho, Ho, Ho!" In his little voice, he did it and we all loudly cheered and clapped, prompting Boston to giggle hilariously, jump up and down, and charge into his daddy's arms. Sooooooo cute! So each of the kids got their turn doing the same. Hahaha.

Christmas Eve, we had a wonderful dining experience yet again at the Fawley home. More political conversation ensued, so I found myself preferring to do the dishes and chat with the women in the kitchen. Finally we were able to catch the men's attention and get them out the door to the Powalski residence for delicious coconut cake and Christmas carols 'til late in the evening.

Christmas morning, I got in the shower while Adam went out to the car to get my gift which I opened from the shower...he wanted me to open it then because I'm always cold when I get out of the shower. He bought me a comfy, soft, and cozy spa bathrobe which I really enjoyed upon shower exit. We then put PJ's on and returned to my parent's house. They made yummy breakfast which we ate before dad switched on the good ole video camera...a tradition while opening gifts. Unfortunately the battery or tape ran out, so not all of it made it on DV, but at least Adam made his first appearance there. The gifts were abundant and very generous. After some more time and chatting, we headed out to change and grab the gifts still at our place that we needed to take to Adam's family. So over the freeway and through the golf course to Grandmother's house we drove. There, I got to play a new card game called Sleeping Queens with the girls (Brooke, Gina, Lisa, and Andrea) which was really fun! We had more delicious and wonderful food to fill our bellies before opening even more presents. I was not expecting to be spoiled again - twice in one day. But there, I was showered again with the generosity and love of others. Adam's family got a kick out of the Nerf gun idea and the next day they had a nice big Moore War like we had hoped they would!

Sunday, we enjoyed a relaxing day at Church and then organized our presents and living room...feels good to do that! Funny side note - when I was teaching the 4 year olds a week ago, I was telling them about Mary & Joseph and the Star and the Innkeeper, etc. Their response - "What about Santa Clause?!?!" "Well," I continued, "Santa brings us presents to remind us of the greatest gift our Heavenly Father gave us - Jesus!" I'm not sure it stuck. But anyway, we also enjoyed a nice little visit from a very special friend (SDR) whom we hope to see again tonight!

Monday, we had a busy, busy day. I went to the gym in the morning while Adam went to the shooting range with his brother Mike. We all met at Adam's work for some fun ice skating with Adam's family, our Bishop and his boys, and Erin F. So much fun! Greg played goalie with all of his gear and let us try to score on him. Adam has some great video of Brooke which I'll try to get on here later. After an excellent time of freezing fun, we headed up the freeway to Oggi's for a nice big lunch before Adam had to jet off to referee in Huntington. The Moore Family visited with us at our place until it was time for Adam to leave. I jumped in the car with him and we were off again. Adam did an excellent job reffing, if I may say so, and even got to give out two technical fouls! That makes it exciting for me! He finds it humorous that I get mad when I hear the coaches or fans criticize the refs when he's out there. But they are wrong! Haha. The fans were actually great, it was just the coaches that irritated me this time. How do you think the athletes are going to improve their game if the coach tells them EVERY TIME that the ref was wrong and they didn't really foul? Lame. But what wasn't lame was that we got to visit the Bell & Parks Families afterward! Yay!! Mari & Matt, thanks for the meal! We had fun conversation, a little teasing, and played a game that Matt didn't win (apparently he always wins) and that I DID win (which is pretty crazy because I never beat Adam)! Yay!!! And Mari gave me a really cute ring that she made! Oh, and I can't fail to mention that their dog Denali is BEAUTIFUL! If I can't have Scarlett, I'll take Denali.

Now, the season is slowly passing, I've really missed my sister, Adam is back at work, I've been going to the gym every day (nice), we're still looking to buy a place, I'm looking forward to my new class and not looking forward to going back to my job. At least I'll be getting some help in the next few weeks. Megan, thank you!

Not sure what we're doing for New Year's Eve, but maybe New Year's Day Adam and I can paint pictures for each other like we did two years ago on New Year's Day before we shared our first kiss. I love him so much and of all the things I am grateful for, he and Jesus top the list.

Love, Family, and ThanksGIVING?

I'm really sad that we didn't take any pictures! San Diego was beautiful this Thanksgiving Day. The beauty is supplemented when you add the ones you love...and lots of good food! We enjoyed another Thanksgiving feast at the Rancho Santa Fe Clubhouse thanks to Grandma & Grandpa Moore. Lots of chatting, storytelling, and eating. I love listening to Grandpa Moore talk about his life. Unfortunately, this visit I kept asking about his life adventures that were his disappointments like Mr. Britches and serving in the Air Force. Oops! At least he could find the humor in my failed attempt to hear about the glory days. At dinner, Grandma & Grandpa Moore heard Adam & Mike's golf cart story for the first time...as if it's not hilarious enough, their reactions made the story THAT much better. They also brought out some other details I hadn't heard before. If you haven't heard the story, it's worth asking them about...if Adam can keep himself from laughing so hard he can't get the words out!

Something I realized this year is that I do an awful lot of "thanks" because I am very thankful and I know I am blessed abundantly. However, I don't seem to ever do much "giving." I don't know why it's so hard for me. I like to give time and lend an ear or a shoulder or a hug, but I'm really not a good giver when it comes to giving gifts or assistance that supports people other than in an emotional way. I kind of think gifts are a waste of money unless you know someones needs something...like giving someone bed sheets from their registry for their wedding. But random gifts I find difficult to do even though I love getting them myself...like Monday night when I got home, there was a beautiful Pointsetta from the Primary Presidency! So thoughtful, but why wouldn't I do that myself? So with Christmas approaching, I get anxious because I'm such a horrible gift-giver. I can't afford nice gifts for everyone, but I'm not sure I'd know what to get them if I could. I'm given so much and yet my note-taking skills suffer and I don't know how to reciprocate. 

Day 17...that stuff all came off

For an update on my hand...it's looking good. The doc says I don't have to go in for check ups anymore. I just have to keep putting cream on it and covering it until it looks as good at my left wrist. 
 

Adam and I went to the Clipper game when they played the number one team at the time, New Orleans. Blake Griffin and his team stepped it up for the big game and with a couple of showy dunks, they were victorious! What a beautiful game! Not to mention we saw some people we knew at the game...like my girl Emily from college and one of my favorite editors Armen! Armen also set us up to be on the mega tron...he snapped this picture, but missed the gold mine when we kissed passionately and the noise meter almost broke!

Yeeeaaaahhh!! Photo Courtesy of Armen K!

My mom and Adam have been sick as of late. Boo. Adam's sinus infection has been keeping me up at night. He's going to try a Neti Pot to see if it works. Thank you!! I love him. My mom, despite her sick bug, decorated the Christmas tree and living room with love and presents! The highlight - an awesome train that goes around the tree. The cats love it! And so do I! Thank you! I love her.  

She's on Fire

Literally. 

Monday November 1st, 2010 - I walked to Fresh & Easy with some coworkers, bought some Pumpkin Spice Soup (seasonal flavor!), and walked back to heat it up. It was a hot day, but the flavor sounded so good! Directions: Place container on microwaveable plate. Remove lid. Replace lid lightly back on container. Heat in microwave 100% for 3-5 minutes...what is 100%? Anyway...when I pulled the plate out of the microwave, it folded. The container of soup spilled all over my hand and wrists, jeans, and the floor. I thought I went to wash it off right away, but my coworkers say I stood there staring for a short bit, then I went to the sink for cold water. There was no ice in the freezer, a bunch of people helped clean up the soup...I wanted to help but when I tried to dry off my hands, they burned so painfully! John opened the burn gel for me and Rick gave me his frozen vegetables. I sat down in the kitchen since I felt weak and then I felt nauseous. Erin suggested I let her help me to the bathroom. There, she turned a small trash can upside down so I could sit by the toilet. My breath was short, my body started to really sweat, I was dizzy, and I felt like sleeping. A couple other coworkers called 9-1-1 and asked me questions - all of which I was experiencing - and that is when I realized this was worse than I thought. The LAFD checked me out and approved for Erin to drive me to the hospital in lieu of taking the ambulance. Erin spent the rest of the day with me in the ER until they released me and gave me prescriptions and wrapped my hands. First and second degree burns, a few days off work recuperating, and paperwork. Thank heavens that Workman's Comp is covering it! Hallelujah!

Day 1

Day 3 - so much better

Adam's Truck

To add to the insanity, Adam's truck was hit in a parking lot on November 3rd and my kitty cat Bailey was attacked by some crazy animal late that night. After her ER visit, she could barely walk and refused to eat or drink. Poor baby! On top of that, my grandmother is very very sick.

In attempt to preempt any questions:

1 - No Adam's accident was not a hit and run. He is in talks with the insurance company.

2 - Bailey got some pain killers and she is eating, drinking, meowing, cuddling, and recovering...

3 - My hands are getting better. My left wrist is almost healed - I'm guessing it will be close to gone by the end of the week. The back of my right hand looks gross, but like it's healing. I would give it maybe two or three more weeks of Silvadene cream and bandages before it goes away. That one might scar. My right palm is pretty much healed now as is my right wrist with the exception of a few small circles. The worst part is the itching and occasional stinging.

Day 5 - Skin doing weird things, but healing

Luckily I have had people to wash my hair and give me baths. My mom will be washing my hair tonight and feeding me delicious Chicken Tortilla soup leftovers. Soooo yummy!

Another positive note - I got a new calling teaching the Sun Beams, a.k.a. the three year olds, at Church. Not only is this perfect because I am studying childhood development, but also because I love kids! I taught my first lesson yesterday and it was about the sacrament. Basically, I tried to make sure they get it that when we take the sacrament every Sunday, we need to be quiet and reverent and think about Jesus. This was the gist of it and I tried to say the same info over and over in different ways and with games and a story. To finish out the time, I had them color a picture of two children reading the scriptures. It said, "I love to learn about Jesus." When they finished, the parents still hadn't come yet, so I told them if they sat nice and reverently, I would call on them and I would draw a heart for them on the back of their coloring page. As each one came up, I asked if they want a heart because they love Jesus or a smiley face because Jesus makes them happy. Here is the sweet part: this little boy Jake asked me to write on his paper, "Jesus, I love you." That made my heart flutter a sweet symphony reminder that we are to be as the little children. It was the most endearing thing. LOVE.

Oh! And Shane & Ashley Harder's sealing was so wonderfully beautiful! I loved seeing an easily excitable man like Shane get more excited and joyful than he's ever been! Congrats you two! 

It's Always Something, Right?

For the past seven months of newlyweddedness, there seems to arise from out of nowhere a huge expense that hinders us from our savings goal... I have mentioned this in my blog before. Last week I was thinking how nice it was that we had made it through so many crazy large expenses and haven't incurred any debt from it and how nice it would be this month to be free of a large expense. But wait, it's only mid-month...what's it going to be this time? Well, Adam's truck was making weird noises and a light went on that shouldn't have been lit. Adam did the right thing and took the truck in to the shop first thing Monday morning. Rats had gotten in the bottom of the truck and chewed up the wires. There is our big expense - almost $1000. When will it end? The holidays are approaching, we really want to get a place of our own, and who knows if my job will last past March.

On the positive side of things, we are really happy. My classes are getting to be very overwhelming, but I'm happy to be learning and I am looking forward to the possibilities it could bring. Adam is excited to start reffing and he loves his day job too. We got to attend a beautiful wedding reception for our friends Kate & Tucker who we are so happy for! Also provided us time to catch up with other friends we haven't seen in way too long. We have a change in our church callings coming up that are very exciting. Darci & Joanna visited me as we baked homemade pumpkin oatmeal chocolate chip cookies! I really have missed those wonderful women and the cookies turned out really well. Adam and I spent time with great friends carving pumpkins and playing with their kids. Well, I gutted our pumpkin, but Erin carved it because Adam and I didn't want to and Chris ended up carving Erin's - thank you, Erin!! It looks really good! I'll try to get the pics from Christina & Josh who hosted the fun night. I literally tried to walk out the door with Scarlett but Adam made me give her back, haha. But I really did have a good time observing the kids play and I was able to apply what I've been learning in class as I played with them. Adam and Hunter were a fun sight to see play fighting. Adam was sweating pretty good there at the end and Hunter has a really cute giggle. We also got to see Adam's brother Mike briefly as the Packers defeated the Vikings and finally, we made it to see my mom and dad briefly as well. Thanks for the shredder, Mom! Adam has already cleared up a good amount of papers!

When I got home last night, I tried a new quinoa recipe...meh. Not that great. Too lemony and after I made the dressing that is supposed to be mixed in, I decided by taste that the quinoa would be better without it, so I felt very wasteful. However, I am so thrilled that Adam's mom sent me the polenta recipe that she made for us last time we visited Santa Barbara! It was delicious and I hope I can make it as successfully as she did! 

A Case FOR the Mondays

In yesterday's blog I forgot to mention the funniest thing that happened over the weekend. You may not think it was funny, but if you were there - the timing was perfect for a nice long deep-bellied laugh.

Adam was irritated with traffic on the way to Uncle Carlos' house. We saw that in the far right lane, they were much slower and we saw two guys on motorcycles that looked like cops. Adam grew frustrated and expressed that he does not like it when people try to look like cops...especially in pairs or packs. I asked why they do it. He responded, "because they're morons." As he was finishing, I read aloud, "Funeral Security." Sure enough we passed them and saw a procession of cars including a hearse. The funeral is not funny, of course, but it was funny that Adam thought they were fake cops and he was not happy about it. Hahahaha...we had a good laugh...especially me. 

Light Pizza

I made another meal last night! The meat we bought for one of the other meals went bad...we kept thinking we were about to make the meal and then something would come up where we were going to eat at a birthday or a wedding or my mom's. So that recipe went away. But last night I did make a REALLY easy recipe. It's called Light Pizza and I really liked it! It was just a small whole wheat pita, pesto, fresh basil, tomato, and mozzarella. But I added pepperoni, so I'm sure it was more than just the 350 calories which the recipe estimates. I was still down two pounds this morning though! I think I had something bad for lunch yesterday though...maybe the hot chocolate, maybe the spinach, but my stomach was very upset. So Adam and I both didn't feel well last night, but we still managed to enjoy a Family Home Evening reviewing Elder Uchtdorf's latest conference address, singing a hymn, and going over our Patriarchal Blessings. All of it was very needed after the emotional week I experienced last week. My Heavenly Father loves me. I need to slow down and focus on what is important. Doing more won't help me get through these next two months faster. Just focus on what is best and let the Lord help me with the rest.  Mondays can be a really great day of the week if you let it!

And Happy Birthday to one of the greatest friends anyone could ask for - Jason Ohlwiler!

Jason & Ashleigh in Lake Powell 2008

Celebrations and Relaxations

After an extraordinarily long weekend last weekend, we made it through the week to another busy Saturday. Running around Saturday morning got us a little behind on our trek to Agoura Hills for Natalie and Blake's first birthday party at Uncle Carlos' house, but we made it and really enjoyed our time with Adam's extended family. They are absolutely wonderful and warm and we love getting to see them. We got Blake a laughing Cookie Monster (so funny) and Natalie a baby that makes sipping and cooing sounds. Extra perk - Grandma and Grandpa Moore drove up from San Diego, so we got to see them again! Aside from the great food (Karen makes killer fudge! Leigh Ann made the cutest cupcakes!) and cute babies, we got to hear wonderful stories about the 40's and 50's from those who lived in it. Basically Grandma, Grandpa, and Karen's grandmother. They talked about traveling and what Los Angeles and Las Vegas were like in that time. 

Karen & Natalie w/Baby we got her

Blake & Leigh Ann

The afternoon crept quickly upon us and we had a wedding to get to in San Clemente for my old synchro partner in trampoline, Rachel. She looked absolutely beautiful and it was really nice catching up with my old coach and finding out what's going on at the gym these days, where all the athletes are now, etc. I really appreciate how Adam can carry a conversation with anybody and he doesn't mind doing it. So finally, just before 10pm, we headed home - but not before filling a treat bag full of chocolate!

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Sunday felt so nice because we hadn't attended our home ward for 3 weeks! Adam taught Sunday school and the whole time at church was just really refreshing and renewing and spiritual - everything you know church should be. And we loved it! Then we got to see Adam's brother Mike and good friend Billy as their football teams battled each other in one of the most boring games in football - and I love football! But Billy's team came through with their first win of the season. On our way home, I busted out my bag of chocolates from the wedding. I told Adam he couldn't have any because I had told him to get a bag last night too and he didn't. So he started eating my candy. He had a dark chocolate Dove candy and it was horrible. I love Dove's dark chocolate candies and I tried one and they were REALLY bad! I tried to help him cover it with other chocolates, but it didn't work. His tummy got all twisted. So I cooked a simple dinner just to get food in our bellies and we rested. Poor man is home from work today. I told him he shouldn't have eaten my chocolates! 

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This week I am a little nervous as I begin my second Childhood Development class. I was handling one just fine but after looking at the syllabus for this class, I am wondering where in the world I am going to find time to do both! I am going to have to put myself on restriction - no mid-week activities and only a couple hours of events on the weekends. No more busy weekends through the end of the year. Sad face.

Miles of Fun and Miles to Go

We did quite a bit of driving this weekend, but all in the name of family, friends, and fun! Saturday morning Adam and I finally got to sleep in...something I've REALLY been needing and missing! By the time we got going, we took care of some errands (including buying a gift card at Coco's where we saw Steve Martin and his little band for some odd reason) and were able to meet Adam's brother Mike and cousin Kyle and my good friend Kim Bloom at Golden Spoon for some good ole socializing and fro yo. I had really been wanting to bake some banana bread too but by the time we got home, we had to pack for the rest of the weekend!

Late afternoon, we made it to Grandma & Grandpa Moore's place and they took us to a nice dinner. As Adam ordered the giant steak, I went for the fish tacos since we never eat fish at home. The waiter eventually layed a huge plate in front of me with three tacos, each with basically a whole fish inside it, a tower of coleslaw, and fries. After all of this healthy cooking I've been doing, there was no way I was going to eat all of that. Or even half of it! Next, on to Uncle David's girlfriend's Dancing With the Stars-type show. It was fun watching local San Diego celebrities dance with professional dancers. Shana did really well and after the audience voted, she and her partner (a Padres announcer / pre-game show reporter) made it to the finals! Unfortunately the chairs were really tight and Grandpa's long legs and back were really hurting him, so we left just before finals started. Uncle David was sure to call and let us know that Shana got second place! Her first dance was really dramatic, which I loved. The winner was a 69-year old woman that moved like she was 40 or younger! A crowd-favorite, of course!

In the morning, we met Grandma at her brunch club and were able to converse with her lively and wonderfully intelligent friends. They were all so sweet and enjoyable. The time was short however as we had to move on to make it to church in Lake Elsinore before Scarlett's first birthday party! The birthday celebration was pretty surreal. There were five of us from my high school. All but one of us are married, and three of them have at least one kid! It's amazing how quickly we grow up with just one major responsibility. But the celebration was fun and I got to feed Scarlett which I of course loved! Especially after Adam's football team clenched victory from the fingers of mine. Boo.

Birthday Girl

She's a good sharer

Kristin, Christina, Josie, Erin & their Babies!

Some more traveling and we finally made it home! Ahh...time to relax...no, wait! I still haven't made that banana bread! And why don't I prep the next healthy dinner since it's a crockpot recipe and it can cook overnight? Great idea! Wait...maybe I took on too much too late. When the banana bread went in the oven, I prepped the Turkey & Wild Rice Casserole crock pot meal and did all the dishes within an hour!

Ashleigh: "Adam, will you take the banana bread out of the oven?"

Adam: "Did you make brownies?"

Ashleigh: "No, it's banana bread. Oh no..."

That's right, the banana bread was brown through and through. Not crispy, but definitely burnt. I was so bummed! I had been looking forward to banana bread! All I can say is that the Turkey & Wild Rice Casserole better be good tonight!

Healthified Pizza

Thursday night's Healthified Pizza was really delicious and only 190 calories! Adam said he really liked it too! I think the texture was perfect and we rand out of chicken, so I used turkey which I think was a teensy bit dry, but it still turned out great! We just added some salad to the side and half a peach for a really yummy meal! Adam's weight by Saturday morning was down 12 pounds from where he started! And he starts referee training tonight! I sometimes find it hard to express just how much I love him. No word or deed could possibly express it enough. I think about our first child and how I could potentially love someone even more; it's mind boggling. And I think how my Heavenly Father loves me even more than that and I know that my burnt banana bread is really nothing to be upset about.

All Is Well, All Is Well

Though I've read it before, I am starting again to read However Long & Hard the Road by Elder Jeffery R. Holland. It seems lately that though I am generally happy, I have been challenged by various factors. When a new unforseen challenge strikes, my response has evolved into, "What this time?" "How do I go about this one?" "Will they ever stop coming?" The truth is, the challenges will never stop but the types of challenges will be different. Some exciting and some dreadful. I suppose I should be thankful that mine are somewhere in the middle. Elder Holland says in his book that no one in mortality is spared pain and sorrow and difficulty...but we must never let it get us down or discourage us. In my reading today, Elder Holland quoted two versus that particularly comforted to me:

"And ye cannot bear all things now; nevertheless, be of good cheer, for I will lead you along..." D&C 78:18

"...I will go before your face. I will be on your right hand and on your left, and my Spirit shall be in your hearts, and mine angels round about you, to bear you up." D&C 84:88

I have big plans. I know they are righteous desires. I often feel hindered from accomplishing them. I know all things in God's plan are according to his timing. He will go before me. He will lead me. He will send His Spirit. He will send His angels to bear me up. I've known His angels to bear me up in the past and they will again. I am thankful for my Heavenly Father and for the love He provides especially when I could be discouraged the most. All I must do is endure with a brightness of hope.

Thinking about work, the future, and my happiness, I experienced a confirmation of sorts today. One of my biggest displeasures with my current profession is the lack of hands on or even deffered positive impact on people. In my Child Development reading material for class, the book challenged me to think of times when I felt empowered as a child. I couldn't think of one single thing. Suddenly two experiences came to mind:

1 - When I was in fourth grade, my class was having a party in and outdoors. I think it was a fiesta of some sort. Anyhow, everyone was outside playing and I saw a boy fall and scrape his knee really bad on the black top near our classroom door. I knew exactly what to do and ran into the classroom to grab the first aid kit without really thinking. When I rushed back out to him, the teacher or a parent helper was kneeling by him and I immediately began to clean him up. She allowed me to proceed, cautioned me not to touch the blood with my hands, and I felt very empowered.

2 - In a similar situation only at home, I was playing with my sister and some of the neighborhood kids that were all older than me. One girl got knocked hard into tough and scratchy bushes and couldn't get out. While everyone else stayed to watch and wonder and stress, I immediately ran full speed to her house and calmly alerted her mother what happened and where to find her. She had some cuts and scratches, but was not in danger of major blood loss or anything. Later, her mother through a pizza party and thanked me for how I remained calm and helped. Again, I felt empowered.

The moral is that I feel most happy and empowered when I am helping someone who cannot help themselves in a way I can. I think childhood education could offer that satisfaction in my work as I help children learn, grow, develop skills, and problem-solve.

Veggie Polenta

On a side note...my healthy recipes experiment had its first flop. The Polenta I made was not tasty. Bland would be the word. It certainly looked tasty, but no where neared the delicious Polenta Adam's mom made us in Santa Barbara! I'll have to get her recipe! The recipe I made was only about 190 calories and the vegetables were cooked just right...tender-crisp...but the meal was not the best. Good to know! One night of leftovers and on to a new recipe!



Just remember Hymn #30:
Why should we mourn or think our lot is hard?
'Tis not so; all is right.
Why should we think to earn a great reward
If we now shun the fight?
Gird up your loins, fresh courage take.
Our God will never us forsake.
And soon we'll have this tale to tell - 
All is well! All is well!

qui·noa [keen-wah, kee-noh-uh]

Quinoa:
noun - a grain high in nutrients traditionally grown as a staple food high in the Andes

noun - a tall crop plant, Chenopodium quinoa, of the goosefoot family, cultivated in Peru and Chile for its small, ivory-colored seed, which is used as a food staple. 

Broccoli Quinoa, Chicken, & Greens

Yes, I went with the Quinoa dish last night. I kinda of got a late start because I went to get gas on my way home and had a neat little missionary experience, so that took a little while. I ended up getting home just before this time because he got to work two hours of overtime! I say "got to" because he loves his job and loves the extra pay. So it's a win-win!

It took me about an hour to make dinner...I don't think this dish takes nearly that long to make, but I experienced a few distractions AND I'm still learning, so I prep slowly. In the end, I paired the quinoa with some lightly bbq-seasoned chicken and a side salad. Of course, I always dig into my dinner too quickly, so when I remembered to take a picture I had to take a picture of Adam's plate because he is more patient than me. When he finally got to eat, he said it was really good! WIN! And shhhh...he even licked his plate. I'm excited for leftovers! Oh, and this dish...just the quinoa part...is about 160 calories. But I was missing the sun-dried tomatoes. It was good without it anyway. If you haven't tried quinoa, try it! It's a better alternative to rice and you can do a million combinations with it!

Pesto, Presto!

Still no pictures for "Ashton's Big House" yet, but they'll come someday!

On to new topics, my darling, handsome, strong husband was told by the doctor that he needs to lose weight. Adam's hamstring has been really bothering him too, so he knows the doctor is right. So in an effort to be a good wife, I spent a long time looking up healthy recipes and organizing them into a meal calendar. I didn't account for leftovers though, so it's a good thing we only bought the first scheduled week of ingredients. It's already Thursday and we've only made one of them!

Healthy Pesto Pizza

Unfortunately, I get home after Adam and due to an event we had scheduled on Monday evening, he graciously made one of the dishes before I got home from work! And it was delicious! I didn't think to take a picture of the final product until after I chomped a giant bite out of my leftover Pesto Pizza on Tuesday night. Thanks, Honey for making it!

The picture looks blurry because I had to increase the size 50%. And I took it on my phone's camera. Anyway, Adam also made a nice salad and we shared a banana on the side as well. The pizza alone is supposed to be approximately 280 calories, so I think we did pretty well on this one! Whole wheat crust and everything!

It's my turn to cook tonight so I'm thinking I'll either make the Polenta or Quinoa Pilaf. I'm excited! Both recipes require ingredients that we couldn't find at the neighborhood grocer, so I looked online to see where Quinoa and Corn Meal might be sold. Fresh & Easy is where I found mine! But I hear Trader Joe's has them too. Not a bad deal for corn meal though - I got a big bag for $1.99! I'm really hoping Adam loves Quinoa because when I was visiting my sister in Arizona, I tried it for the first time and I loved it! It's a grain (or seed, rather) that cooks like rice, tastes good, and has protein! Although this recipe is much different than how I ate it at my sister's (with a little honey and peaches), I am interested to see how it tastes with broccoli and chicken!

Already this week: Adam has lost 6 pounds! I wish I could lose it that fast! But I am down one pound myself!

Ashton's Big House

I took a few days off last week to fly to Arizona with my mom to visit my sister and her family in Arizona where they just moved to last weekend. The purpose was to help them move in and/or take care of Ashton while they unpacked their boxes. I vaccuumed, but I pretty much just played with Ashton. He is SO cute! And so loving and sweet...quite a good boy. He didn't fuss much...at least when we were there. I was on potty patrol the whole time. The first time he saw me there was Wednesday morning and not more than five minutes later he had to go potty. His dad got up to take him but he said, "No, I want Ashleigh." So pretty much the whole 4 days I spent in Arizona, I took Ashton to the potty about 2 dozen times or so. 

Day 1 - Mom and I took Ashton for a walk while Jess was at work. Adam D. said the park was right before the school. My mom was the one who heard the directions and we ended up taking a right before the school instead of walking straight and seeing the park right before the school. So we walked around and around and around in the HOT desert community until we found a park. Not the park but a park. It was hot and we got exhausted pretty fast. Thank goodness we had water! Then we decided to drive to town to a Verizon store because my mom's phone wasn't working. They were no help. My mom wanted to give Jessica's car a good wash though so she found a car wash and without knowing it would take that long, I think we waited over two hours for them to complete the ultimate wash. That is a LONG time for a three year old. It was long enough for me! But Ashton was pretty good, we stopped to share an ice cream cone from McDonald's, and we finally made it home to his Mommy. Yay!

Day 2 - Pretty much went shopping the whole day it seems...I don't quite remember. We got some cute decorations for Ashton's bathroom...in his new big house. Every time we were out he mentioned his new big house. :) Ashton helped Mommy wash the dogs in the backyard. I think I recorded some cute video of my mom playing with Ashton this night...I'll have to try to get it from her.

Day 3 - We took Ashton to the kiddie pool. We had a LOT of fun and the water felt nice...almost chilly compared to the heat outside the pool. I even got goosebumps. We stayed for a really long time. We all had pruney fingers and toes. Later that afternoon, we got together to head to the community water park - free for residents, but guests cost a small price. I didn't bring my swimsuit for this occasion. I didn't think we'd be staying long and I was pretty tired so I was just going to read my book. I ended up not being allowed in because I didn't want to pay to get in so I could just sit and read. So I found myself lonely and desperately missing my Adam as love song after love song played on the speakers. I guess I discovered my limit of time I am able to spend away from my husband - three days. That's it.

Day 4 - Our plane wasn't due to leave until 4pm so we went back to the waterpark in the morning. This time my mom stayed back to read. I had a wonderful time playing with Jess and Ashton in the pool. He's so much fun, has an extensive vocabulary for his age, and he says he loves things when he sees something he thinks looks neat. I love that tower. I love that bucket. I love that slide. I love that fill in the blank. So after a couple hours of good 'ole pool time, we went back to Ashton's big house, took showers, packed our bags, and off we went to the airport. Ashton fell asleep during the car ride so we didn't get to say goodbye to him but we DID get to kiss his precious head. The SkyCabin guy told my mom and I how much of a pleasure it was to help such beautiful women, Mom almost forgot her credit card at ESPN Zone airport version because our plane was boarding, and some drunk Saints fan sat next to me on the plane ride getting his pre-party on. I pretended to sleep so he wouldn't bother me anymore but anytime I opened my eyes in the slightest he had something to say. He asked to take a picture of my wedding ring since he had one specially made for his wife and it looks "exactly the same, that's insane." Finally my dad drove up to the curb at the airport to pick us up and there was my handsome husband in the passenger seat with him! Hallelujah! I missed him so much!!

 

I love that!

It's only been six months?

Time goes by fast when you're in love! ...And when you keep yourself busy! September 12th marked the first 6 months of Adam's and my marriage. What did we do? We enjoyed church, taught Sunday School, Adam witnessed the conferring of the Melchezidek Priesthood upon Danny North, we went home and cuddled taking a nice long nap, had dinner with my folks and the amazing Fawley Family, then socialized in celebration of Erin Rix's 1/4 Century Birthday! Her baby Scarlett is gorgeous. We also got to wish Matt Brown well as he prepares to embark on another military journey to the Middle East. I would say it was quite a wonderful day!

This is a pic from an old game.

In good 'ole American fashion, we remembered the tragedy of 9/11 with great thanks for the freedom we enjoy by exercising that freedom and viewing a quaint patriotic display at the USC v. Virgina football. Great 50-yard line tickets courtesy of the Timpke Family. :) The band was great and the rockets red glare, but the game was pretty slow and neither team played very well. Let's just say I was happy to sit in the cold because I LOVE football...but c'mon guys, give us a better show. You barely pulled it off and had a couple of quarters where every other play you got a penalty. Costed you a goal too. Four hour game? 

USC fans, be not offended, but I'm really glad I didn't go there. Broken beer bottles left in the middle of huge walkways where crowds in their flip flops walk through? Not cool. And campus safety did nothing when I told them there were shards of glass sitting in right in front of the busy student store! I guess I'm just happy for the more safe and intimate atmosphere I experienced at Pepperdine. But you're right - we didn't have football.

Speaking of school...I start up again this week..at SC! Saddleback College, that is. I feel like I haven't been to school in forever! Do I remember how to study? Will Childhood Development be that hard?

And Adam starts playing ball again this week!

In The Beginning...

I never thought I would have a blog, but as the day is long and my work is done, and I've had the most I can take reading other people's message boards and playing online games...so here I am trying to think what I should blog about. Therefore, I am starting with the basics.

I know I'm interested in sports, working with children, finding cute modest clothes at a decent price, the ocean, my family, eating, things that are purple, budgeting, being creatively organized, and being a good Latter-day Saint to the best of my ability. Things I am interested in learning more about are cooking, sewing, gardening, and other old lady things. Please don't take offense if you like those things...I'm just starting to be interested. And I guess I can only say learn "more about" cooking since I know nothing about sewing or gardening. But eventually I would like to be able to make dresses for myself and my little girls should I ever birth any.

In the interest of being held accountable, I will share my current goals and how I am working toward them.

1 - Buy a home. Adam and I have constructed a budget that includes all of our monthly expenses including tithing and saving. We are reworking our budget to include longer term payments like insurances, car registration, general car expenses like oil changes, and things like that. At the end of each month, we add up our expenses and if we underspend in any of our pre-determined categories, we put that money toward outstanding car and student loans. Getting rid of debt is number one to purchasing a home. 

2 - Career Change. After four years or so of television production and 20 hour commutes each week, I'm pretty burnt out. I started getting burnt out two years ago and began investigating how to go about obtaining a teaching credential. I have passed the CBEST and have a CoC, but no time to invest in an academic program since my commute takes a huge toll on me every day. The thing about teaching is I would be in a career where I feel like I'm actually influencing people directly in a positive way. TV is a lot of negative influence and ALL indirect. Every job I held up til TV was working with children and I love them. I love instilling confidence in them that they CAN do things and I help to show them how. I got to do that a lot coaching gymnastics. So, my next step toward getting a teaching credential is preparing myself to have time to get one. I just enrolled in two early childhood education courses that will get me halfway qualified to teach at a preschool. If after next Spring I can get a job as a preschool teacher somewhere close to home, then I could finish a credential program within two years.

3 - Add to the Family. Yes, that means having a baby. Or two. Or a dozen. Okay maybe not. But if we continue working toward goal #1, we will be well on our way to #3. Not to mention #2 would give me valuable experience instructing children AND when my kids are older and in school, I can return to teaching and have the same schedule as them - including summers and holidays!

Finally, I would like to be able to post great pictures of fun activities as I attend them. This requires me to be better at taking pictures regularly...with a camera that flashes only every third shot. But it's doable! Chances are my blog will touch on the things scattered throughout this post. How am I doing so far?