Day 03 — A favorite photo

I loved this weekend. I love my husband, and I love this picture

Day 02— An accomplishment I am most proud of in my life and why

Hmmm... I almost didn't want to write today for the subject I had no interest in. To say that I am PROUD  of one of MY accomplishments.... well it seems to be more work to come up with one then I felt good about, with my lack of a degree, and my desire to try and then fail nearly almost ALL of my recent hobbies.... but I can say that I am most proud my family. I am proud to be the mommy to a rambunctious, happy toddler. I am proud to be married to such a determined man. I feel my greatest accomplishment in my life thus far is my family, even if I had all that other stuff. Nuff said.

Day 01 — Something you are OCD about

Having my toenails painted. Its a must. I am not always great at maintaining a beautiful new coat of paint, but they must be painted! My mom was alway a believer the a girls' gotta have a really great red, which I too am a strong believer of, however I alway think a girls' gotta have a really great purple. I lost my favorite purple when I lent it to a friend, and havent been able to replace it just yet. But until then, I am happy to go on with my favorite reds.

Sleeping baby

I am certain I have used that title before. However it's my slot to write. I have discovered something about myself while blog surfing. I am a terrible writer! I love to blog, and I LOVE to post sweet pictures of Henry, but when it comes to my blog, I'm not so great. Often times I feel I have nothing grand to contribute to my blog so why write, however I have been inspired by a friends blog and am attempting to blog everyday for the next 28 days. Here are my subjects to make it a little easier to come up with something to say..... (thanks for the idea Cami!)
Day 01 — Something you are OCD about
Day 02— An accomplishment I am most proud of in my life and why
Day 03 — A favorite photo
Day 04 — Something I crave
Day 05 — Top 10 pet peeves
Day 06 — Something I bought recently
Day 07 — Something I want to buy
Day 08 — A favorite song
Day 09 — A favorite movie
Day 10 — A favorite food & recipe
Day 11 — A favorite book
Day 12 — A favorite quote
Day 13 — What did you do today??
Day 14 — Your dream house...
Day 15 — Next 3 on “Bucket List”
Day 16 — A favorite Youtube video
Day 17 — A habit you wish you didn't have
Day 18 — My comfort food
Day 19 — A hobby of mine
Day 20 —Your favorite Christmas tradition
Day 21 — Something I am afraid of
Day 22 — A photo of my family
Day 23 — 20 of my favorite things
Day 24 — A place I love
Day 25 — A child I love
Day 26 — A person I love
Day 27 — An art piece I love
Day 28 — Hopes, dreams and plans for the next 365 days

March 17, 2011 - 4 Years Married, Eternity to go

I am so grateful for my sweet husband. We celebrated 4 wonderful years of marriage this week and I spent much of the week reminiscing all of the amazing memories we have shared together. I did this for two reasons, 1. of course because March 17th marked 4 incredible years, and 2. because we are moving to SLC for the summer and I have seized this opportunity to ORGANIZE! (more to come regarding our move, and my organizing skills..or LACK THEREOF) I have been able to dig through 4 LARGE boxes filled with amazing pictures, and trinkets and packages. For those that don't know, let me share our story just bit. Josh and I met when he was 17, and I 16 in our high school seminary class. A bit cliche? Well...we did. We were awkwardly paired up for a rousing game of scripture battleship. He teased me for cheating and I him and we became friends instantly. We were both dating other people at the time (as much as you can be "dating" someone in hs) and Josh was preparing to graduate, begin college, and then not long after leave for a mission. However, we were inseparable. We spent a great deal of time emailing, chatting, and visiting on our walks from seminary. Well, my sweet best friend left on his mission to the Philippines with the agreement between us that if I would date, and may or may not be around when he got home. About 3 weeks into his mission I knew I would be here for him when he got home. We wrote, I cried every night for the first year and after 2 long, faithful years he came home to me. We were married 7 1/2 months later and in our four years we have moved across the nation, have completed a bachelors (well he has), have made it halfway through grad school, have an incredibly beautiful son, and are still so much in love.
I was surprised to find that Josh wanted to plan our anniversary evening and I was happy to let him do so. He arranged for a babysitter (Thank you Heidi!) and I met him at school after his evening class ended. We then walked through the city a bit and ended up at Old Ebbit Grill for dinner. For those that dont know Old Ebbit Grill it is Washington DC's OLDEST saloon, and said to be among several Presidents favorite. There was a bagpiper just outside the restaurant, which although it was very loud, we enjoyed it very much. (it dawned on me that we have spent 3 of our 4 anniversaries in DC - Cool huh...) The food was wonderful, the restaurant was an experience and the company could not have been better. Thank you for 4 incredible years baby. I love you forever, with everything that I have and am.

So Blessed!

I just felt the need to express my gratitude I have for my family and friends! I felt so loved on my birthday with everyones thoughtfulness. I spent the saturday before my birthday with my husband and sweet little boy in Washington DC exploring the American History Museum, and having lunch at Ben's Chili Bowl! I was then dropped off only to be surprised by some friends with a party! It is fun to share a birthday with a close friend and we enjoyed our party the thoughtfulness of our friends! On my actual birthday we visited Mt. Vernon for just a bit in the morning after my sweet husband made me breakfast, enjoyed a relaxing afternoon, and an enjoyable dinner with some shopping afterwards. My sweet husband gave me some sneakers that snap up the side...(I have LOVED this style of shoe for 3 years or more, it was amazing he remembered!) and an adorable mustard yellow shirt, both from one of my FAVORITE stores: H&M. My mom, dad, and sister gave me a Red LeCreuset casserole dish. I had written MONTHS ago how much I LOVED these dishes and would someday collect them in all colors and sizes. I love it! My sisters sent me my Brighton Bracelet. It is engraved "Embrace the Journey," which has been my motto for life lately. I look at this bracelet EVERY time I visit the mall. I have wanted it for probably a year now! I am just so amazed and feel so loved to know that the people around my care so much about me. My mother-in-law bought my coat that I wear every day now, and sent me a gift card to our favorite ice cream place! My dear friend Kate sent me a package with the works! She sent valentines, some adorable art work for my birthday with party favors and confetti, and a cute green and white scarf for St. Patrick's Day which just happens to by my wedding anniversary. I LOVE YOU ALL! Thank you for making my birthday one to remember. I truly am so so so blessed!

Yummy!

This recipe is from one of my favorite recipe blogs.... It was SOO Yummy! I NEVER cook with pork because I havent had the best experience cooking with it, but this I will definitely do again! The meat was so tender and yummy. SO GOOD!


Brown Sugar Spiced Pork Tenderloin*Makes about 2 1/2 pounds of pork tenderloin, enough to serve 8 adults*

Rub Ingredients:

2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 pork tenderloins (2 1/2 lb. total), each tenderloin cut into two chunks
2 tablespoons olive oil

Glaze ingredients:

1 cup packed dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons finely chopped garlic (about 6-8 cloves)
1 tablespoon tabasco sauce

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a small bowl, stir together salt, pepper, cumin, chili powder, and cinnamon, then coat the pork with the spice rub. Heat the oil in an ovenproof 12-inch heavy skillet that is ovenproof  over medium high heat until the oil is hot and rippling. Brown the pork, turning, about 4 minutes total. Leave pork in the skillet. If you don’t have an ovenproof skillet, brown the pork in a skillet and transfer it to a foil-lined baking pan (like a 9X13-inch).

Stir together the brown sugar, garlic, and Tabasco and pat on top of each tenderloin. Roast in the middle of the oven until a thermometer inserted diagonally in center of each tenderloin registers 140, about 25 minutes. Let pork stand in the skillet at room temperature for 10 minutes. The temperature will rise to about 155 while standing. Slice on the diagonal and serve, spooning the sauce from the skillet on top of the pork.