Happy Halloween

Our first Halloween as a married couple turned out to be perfect! Jesse had a rugby game in the morning against Weber State. It was such a great game and Jesse had some awesome tackles and runs. This game is unreal and a total free-for-all. I had my new candle warmer on while we were gone so when we got home our apartment smelt like vanilla. I made us hot soup for lunch while Jesse got ready for the day. We then went to the store to get things to make this amazing caramel corn that my friends made for me once. While we were out and about we picked out a pumpkin. It weighed in at 25 lbs. It started raining when we were out which made the night in our apartment even more cozy. I love when it rains and I can get in my sweats and lounge. Being out in the rain is another story. For dinner we made margarita pizza. Jesse carved the pumpkin and I watched because, to be honest, I hate getting the pumpkin goop on my hands. The pumpkin turned out awesome. I baked the pumpkin seeds with cinnamon and sugar and then made the caramel popcorn just in time to eat them while watching Hocus Pocus (my favorite Halloween movie). We even had some trick-or-treaters at our apartment and their costumes were so cute. We enjoyed passing out candy. I would say it was s successful Halloween.

Jesse battered and bruised from his game

Our pumpkin before:

Jesse took the carving very seriously

Exhibit A of why I didn't help carve:

So proud of the Nightmare Before Christmas pumpkin face

I took some credit

Yummy pumpkin seeds

Happy Birthday Pops

So I'm a little late on the draw but I wanted to give a shout out to my amazing dad. His birthday was a week and a half ago. My dad is the hardest worker I know and will ever know. He has always provided for our family to the fullest. I have had a wonderful life thanks to him. He is a great example to me. He honors his priesthood and puts his family first. He is strong and has raised us to be strong individuals. He has accomplished so much in his life and is still so humble about it. He is level-headed and smart and I know that I can go to him for anything and he will give me the most logical advice I could get. There is so much more that I admire about my dad.... I could fill a whole novel on it. He has raised me to do the right thing and get an education and work hard in life. I'm so glad my siblings and I have such a great dad to look to throughout our lives.

Camping

I bet most of you thought you'd start reading about how Jesse and I went camping in the canyon, but you are wrong. We bought some really nice mummy bags and a tent with our wedding gift cards and I have been wanting to go camping forever. It got cold fast here so we haven't been camping. Our sleeping bags are good in 0 degree weather, at least that's what the advertisement said, but to be honest I don't want to test out whether that is true or not. So my romantic husband set up our tent and a fun night of camping our living room. It really was such a fun night. We rented Letters to Juliet, which was so cute, and we drank cherry coke and enjoyed our new camping gear. I can't wait to really use all of it outside when it warms up.

Jesse is loving his new mummy bag

loving our night in the tent

our view from inside the tent

Waste Not, Want Not

I have been settling into this cooking duty nicely and needless to say I have been getting inspiration upon inspiration of dinner ideas. Being poor is a frustrating thing when it comes to grocery shopping. It kills me to spend a lot of money on groceries each week and then something always goes to waste in the fridge. I realized we had the following things that would go bad soon in our fridge: a head of lettuce, yellow squash, zucchini, and celery. These things were left over from previous meals and it was making me cringe to know that they would waste and be money down the drain. Just then it came to me. Lettuce wraps! I never understood how people could just make up their own recipes out of thin air, but I actually experience it and I feel so accomplished and successful.

Ingredients:

1 yellow squash

1 zucchini

4 sticks of celery

1 head of lettuce

2 handfuls of cashews

2 chicken breasts

Teriyaki sauce

I diced the veggies into tiny pieces. I marinated the chicken in Teriyaki sauce during the day. I diced the chicken in little pieces. I washed the lettuce head and separated it. I got out our never-been-used wok from our wedding which I've been dying to use. I threw in the marinated chicken and all the veggies to cook. I also squeezed in some more Teriyaki sauce. I chopped the cashews and threw those in as well. A little while later a masterpiece came together. Jesse and I inhaled it and decided it is a "make often" dish.

Yum

Nickel City

Jesse worked all day on his birthday so when he got home that night we had to celebrate and go out with a bang. We met up with a bunch of friends at Nickel City in town which Jesse had already said he had to do on his birthday. I don't think any of us were expecting this place to be so addictive and fun. The night was a blast and I concluded that it's a good thing I'm not a gambling woman because that night I sat in front of the Pharaoh game and plunked two bags filled of nickels into the machine just hoping to get tickets. I didn't want to try any other game this one had me addicted. After Nickel city we went back to the girls house where Jesse and Kira blew out their birthday candles and we ate cake. The party didn't end there. . . we stayed up until one in the morning playing animal games. The night was eventful and think we got a little delirious at the end. Jesse laughed til he cried and simply cried while being the host of Mafia. It was a great night to say the least.

Me and the birthday boy

They have their game faces on ready to challenge each other to a basketball competition

me and the bride-to-be

Exhibit A of addiction setting in

the outcome of addiction: awesome prizes

why they chose to blow the candle out toward each other no one will ever know

trying real hard

really hard

Happy birthday to one of my dearest friends, Kira, and my best friend and hubby, Jesse.

Happy Birthday Love

Happy 22nd birthday to the best husband! We woke up today and I made Jesse French toast before his rugby game. His game went well and his team is is getting better and better each game. He came off the field with a battle wound: a cut right down his forehead between his eyes. After the game we went out to lunch with my uncle Bob and the boys. Now Jesse is working at the BYU football game until 8. I'm going to get take-out Chinese food (his request) and pick him up from work. We will eat at home and relax for a bit and then go to the nickel arcade in town with friends and then have cake after. It's been a busy birthday for Jesse.

I love this half of the year when we are the same age again! I love Jesse for so many reasons. He is definitely the better half of us and is everything I'm not. He is a great example of what I'm striving to be everyday. He is helpful and always serving others. He is a friend to everyone, especially me. He supports me in all I do and keeps me level headed. He definitely is a miracle man for being able to put up with me for eternity. We all know nobody else would have been able to do that. I love you Jess, happy birthday!

Conference Weekend

This weekend was eventful and one event was Jackie and Andrew's engagement party. The party was a success and looked pretty too. Here are pictures of the set-up:

The cooking staff below:

The dish staff below:

The rugby players using great teamwork to break up the frozen juice:

The honorary couple:

The hostess and her g-parents:

Some candid shots of the guests:

Before the party I cooked a delicious meal with the help of Jess. The idea was pure brilliance. We chopped zucchini, squash, and sun-dried tomato sausage and grilled them. We sauted them and threw them over penne noodles, drizzled some E.V.O.O. over the top, and sprinkled mozzarella to top it off. it was yummy.

A couple of weeks ago Jesse and I bought an antique rocking chair from a garage sale for $4. They obviously didn't know what they had. We took the chair apart, painted it to match our apt, and Jesse put it back together. It is the cutest addition to our apt.