Birthday Fun!

Well, I am officially the big 22! Man, Quincy and I are getting old! hehe! Just thought that I would let you all know about my birthday...it was pretty much the best...having a husband is WONDERFUL! I mean....my husband is WONDERFUL! As is having a sister....( I will get to that!)
So, from about 6:30-4:30, nothing much happened...except for getting about 10 "Happy Birthday" phone calls at work! That made work a lot better! For the past couple of days, Cody has said that we are going to dinner, he didn't tell me where, just said, in quite a joking voice, "Just be ready for a romantic candlelit dinner". If any of you know Cody...well, then you just laughed a little, didn't you?! Anyway, so I got off work around 4:30 and we drove up to...MIMI'S CAFE!!! MMMM....French Onion Soup calling my name! We started to walk up to the door, and long story short, AMANDA, IAN, and MEGGIE were there to greet us! I was so excited! And, they came bearing gifts, including the massive cake that you see above. It was not only massive, but amazing. For those of you who are wondering... if you have ever had the chocolate cake at P.F. Changs, it is pretty much amazing. Then, there is the chocolate cake at Magelby's, pretty dang amazing as well. Well, take these two cakes, and PUT THEM TOGETHER! That is like DOUBLE THE AMAZINGNESS OF CHOCOLATEY YUMMY IN MY TUMMY! Yep, probably the best birthday dessert ever...(sorry mom! but thanks Amanda, and Ian and Meggie of course!)
We continued dinner, then opened presents! Woo-hoo! Tis the season for...Book of Mormon aids! What?! Well, I have been wanting to find a better way to study the stories in the BOM and Bible, so, my considerate sister bought me some books to help me! I am so excited to use them! Then, I opened Cody's gift (which, he told me on Tuesday that our new apple computer, ((which is absolutely amazing and I can't wait to play with my pictures on it, so by warned if you are with me at Christmas, you will be in photos!))was my Birthday gift, so I wasn't expecting anything....Dun Dun Dun...
JUICY COUTURE VELOUR PANTS!
Ahhhh...sooooo comfortable....ahhhhh....aren't you all jealous?

O...P.S. We had some help eating the cake! Daniel and Katie came over, so if you need witnesses to the wonderfulness...ask the lovebirds! (O, and Katie bought me "God wants a powerful People" by Sheri Dew, so I will let you know how it is! It is by Sheri Dew, so what could be wrong!?!? She is amazing!)

Merry Chirstmas to me...Love MOM!

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ME....FROM MOM!

I was shopping at "The Quilted Bear" in Provo...and if you haven't been there you need to go! It has all sorts of decorations, and tons of them are seasonal. I saw this and just had to have it as an early Christmas present. I seriously feel like a bad wife...we have no Christmas in our house WHATSOEVER! It is rather depressing, so...Thanks MOM!

Christmas Parties!

We had such a fun weekend...as you can see! We had THREE Christmas work parties...First, United Way, then, Sage Creek Salon, then, RAPID WASH!!! We must have missed the memo on when the TRIANGLE H APARTMENT Christmas Party...maybe Cody accidentally threw it in the garbage...guess we'll never know! Ha! Anyway, the Rapid Wash Christmas Party was by far the BEST! We had such a fun day...and boy was it an all day event! First, I went up to Amanda and Kevin's and watched the kids while they picked out details for their new house. We had so much fun....taking a bath, doing Grandma Bev's Christmas puzzles, eating "cheese and quakers"...all sorts of fun stuff! (despite Meg getting bopped on the head...first by a football as Ian was yelling "Go DEEP MEGGY...GO DEEP!" then by a suitcase that Ian was pulling, then by the door right before their bath...it was quite the traumatic experience!) Following babysitting, Amanda and I went to Katie's Bridal Shower. It was great...we had a ton of fun!  The boys, in the meantime, were trying to pack up the kids and get them to the Delta Center...we didn't hear any horror stories, so it must have gone okay!  We met them at the Delta Center to watch the BYU vs. Michigan basketball game.  It was so much fun!  Following, we went to Cody's all time favorite restaruant...yep, you called it...CHIPOTLE!  Yum Yum!   Overall, we have had a really fun weekend.

Movies, Movies, MOVIES!

That is pretty much what our weekend consisted of, movies and eating, as always!!!! On Friday we went to Rumbi Island Grill with Laurel(Cody's mom). It was yummy! They have sweet potatoe fries...which sounds weird, but they are scrumpsious! Then, we rented WE ARE MARSHALL. It was a major tear-jearker. My mom told me that she cried the entire movie, so I figured I would only cry about half...my mom has a soft heart! But, lo and behold, my eyes were either welled up with tears or I was gasping for air the entire movie! It was great, but definitely don't watch it if you can't handle a little, or a lot, of sadness! (Some good cuddle time girls...unless you start getting his should a little TOO WET...he might start to shy away a little!)
Saturday we took Laurel to the airport, and RUSHED back to see the Ohio State vs. Michigan game. Okay, Okay, so Cody watched the game while I slept in a very akward position on the couch next to him. I have this thing that even when I know that I am going to nap for the entire game, I don't want to go into bed to sleep, because then I am not "spending time" with Cody. Lame newlywed thing I guess! Anyway, we then went grocery shopping, the usual Costco visit, and then to Olive Garden. We shared a meal, Five CHEESE Ziti...mmmm mmm good! Then, we went to "Dan in REAL LIFE" at the Provo Towne Center. Once more, quite the tear jerker...only if you are as emotional as my mother and I! But, we loved it! Cody even enjoyed it quite a bit! There were really funny parts, and it is so true to real life happenings it is CRAZY! We recommend seeing this one in the expensive theater!
Today, Sunday, was a lazy day...just the way we LIKE IT! Cody cooked up some mean steak, and Daniel (Katie Fiance) brought us some AMAZING brownies! He said that they were out of a box...but he had to have done something to them, they were delicious! The picture above isn't QUITE how they looked, but they tasted as good as these one look! Thanks Daniel!

Tis' the Season

Tis' the Season....For NINTENDO Wii!! Yes, we too gave into the new Christmas Fad of the Nintendo Wii. However, in a very different way. We were sent to Target at 8am this morning to buy a Wii for a relative, (I can't say who....you never know who will read this!) and we decided to buy one for ourselves as well! But, we are going to hold onto it for a while, until people get desperate to buy a Wii for their kids....and hopefully make a little money when we sell it! Nintendo has already said that they are not going to be able to keep up with the demand this season, so we figure that we might make quite a profit! If any of you are desperate, you know who to come to! (For a pretty penny!) It is our first investment as a couple, and it will probably be a pretty good one...we'll let you know! If you haven't heard of it or played it, it is quite entertaining! The controllers are wireless, and it is completely interactive. You can bowl, golf, play tennis, all while having to actually swing the controller how you want the ball to go! This game console has been used lately to help senior citizen's stay healthy-supposively it is better on their joints than regular exersize! Crazy huh!?
We have had a fun weekend. On Friday we did quite a bit actually. Our first activity was the exchage of cash. What?!!? It was honest cash, no worries! It was funny though....we had about $1500 in CASH at our house, and Amanda and Kevin were at a restaraunt in Orem and had our payment for the month of laundry duty with them. So, I loaded the cashola in my purse(which was a little obvious!) and we headed up to meet them. We passed the cash to them, they passed a check to us...but to anyone observing, it probably looked a LITTLE suspicios! After the exchange, we went to California Pizza Kitchen for some Tortilla soup. Yum Yum! It is in the University Mall, so of course, we went shopping afterwords! Cody is/was/will be forever on a mission to get me to wear color. Ever since hair school, I have been a black and white woman! Anyway, he really would love it if I would expand my horizons a little, so I told him that if he picks out clothes for me to buy, I would wear them! By the end of the night I had an ADORABLE outfit from PACSUN. I don't normally shop there, but it is really cute...and it has color, so it made us both happy!
Following shopping, we went to our new favorite dessert place....Pudding on the Rice! There are tons of different flavors of sugary, yummy rice pudding from marshmallow(cod'y fave) to pumpkin pie, to amaretto(my fave). It is such a fun treat that we have learned to love!
Saturday was Yule's (cody's grandpa) birthday! 80 year old and going strong! We went to his birthday party at Riverside country club and had a great time. A few of his siblings were there, and it was fun to hear stories of when he was younger. They told about how he would play hide and seek with his younger sister, but he would hide her in places that she couldn't get out of and then never go and Seek her! Sad! They also told about how he loved to get his back scratched. He would say, "I will tell you a story if you scratch my back while I am doing it". Then he would tell a story that never ended! He is really funny, a ton of personality in that amazing man. We ate some absolutely delisious halibut, but best of all was the CAKE! Straight from Magelby's! Mmmmm! MMMM! I could die eating that cake, if you have never tried it, I highly suggest to do so...soon!

The BEE Movie

Yep, we went to the BEE Movie this past weekend. Here is our Review:
Though we both love Jerry Seinfield, this movie somewhat disappointed us! There were definitely funny parts, such as when the bee continuously slams himself into a window repeating, "This time? This time? This time?" As if he is going to get through the glass at some point if he just continues knocking himself into it! There were other funny parts as well, none that I can quote directly. However, the plot itself was rather weak. The bee sues the "humans" for selling the honey that they are making...yeah... It doesn't really have a good motto. Toy story, for example, is all about Friends, Beauty and the Beast is about loving people for who they REALLY are....The Bee Movie is about suing humans...? Anyway, there were a 3 and 4 year old on our right side, and they were continuously saying, "Let's go!" However, the 8 year olds on our other side kept quite the entire time. So, bottom line....we were the only adults without children there! hehe!...the real bottom line is that I wouldn't suggest going with younger children, and if you have older children, be prepared to leave the theater "somewhat entertained"!
This week was a GREAT week at the Salon! I was booked both nights that I was working, and some of my favorite clients came in. It is always better when you make some money and enjoy yourself at the same time! (All too often I enjoy myself at the salon because I am reading a book....therefore...not making money!)
Speaking of reading...and of Bees...
I am reading "The Secret Life of Bees" right now. It is a very interesting book. It is set in the 50's, during the civil rights movement. There hasn't been very many happy events in it, but sadly, I have come to realize that I LOVE depressing books! I don't know if it is the fact that I realize how GOOD my life is, or if I just like to cry! (I am sure that Cody would tell you it is the latter!) Out of the three Twilight books, I enjoyed the second one, the one where Edward is gone and Bella is depressed, the most! Weird, huh?! I am also a HUGE fan of Jody Picoult books. If you have not experienced her yet, I would recommend to do so! I breeze through her books, they pull you in on the first page! The first book that I read was "My Sister's Keeper". It is amazing! However, I WARN YOU, it is depressing, just like all of the other books that I love! So, if you want to get pulled into a book that you can't stop reading, or stop crying over, this is the book to read!

Cook Like Me!!!

So, I know that all of you probably get a LITTLE bored on our blog because definitley have a lack of pictures, but we have no children. Cody claims that when they come along, he will begin to be a little more active in the picture-taking. So, give us a few years, and our blog will be more exciting! But for now....read on if you want to know a little about our weekend!
Besides being contacted by many heavily disgruntled family members for PRETENDING that I was pregnant, it was a very eventful weekend! For our first dinner on Friday night, yes FIRST, we went to Chipotle with my mom. It was wonderful, as always! Then, we went to Cody's cousin's reception at Little America Hotel in Salt Lake. There was a huge chocolate fountian calling my name...but I held back! I only had one macaroon(which have recently become my favorite cookies. If you want the best Macaroon ever, you need to go to Thanksgiving Point in Lehi, UT. Yummy!) Following the reception, Bert(Cody's dad) took us to a Sushi restaruant. It was called "Tokyashi Sushi 4 U!" Talk about HIGH quality! hehe! In Cody's words, "That place looked like a pile of crap from the outside!" But, on the inside...pretty much amazing Sushi! I have never had sushi before, but Bert has had it many, many times. It was so fun to learn all about what he knows about it. He has been to Hong Kong, and has paid hundreds of dollars to get sushi. He said that this sushi at "Sushi 4 U" was better than the stuff in Hong Kong! Amazing, huh?! And in the heart of Utah! Anyway, I had California Rolls and California Crunch Rolls to start with-and loved them! Then I had some sushi with actual fish in it, and I was surprised how much I liked it! I don't know that I would order it much on my own, but if I am with someone who wants to order it, I would eat another bite or two! It was a really fun experience, despite the fact that it was our Second dinner!
Saturday wasn't too eventful, except for my hunt for pumpkin-shaped cookie cutters. I cannot believe how many places do NOT have them! I went to Target, Willams-Sonoma, and even a ghetto Family Dollar! My search for Halloween cookie cutters will continue on Monday...! That evening Cody, Bert, and I went to Happy Sumo for dinner-yes, another Sushi restaruant! However, we only tried one weird thing-Seaweed Salad. It was sooooo good! I want to go back and get more! We also had coconut-crusted halibut that was absolutley to DIE FOR! Then, for dessert, we had Tempura covered vanilla bean ice cream with chocolate syrup and whipped cream! I have all of your mouths watering...don't I?!?!?!
One last food story, then I am done. Tonight was Bert's last night here, and he brought us some AMAZING things from the asian market. He brought us dried egg noodles and E-Men noodles. That kind of sounds like AMEN noodles! They must be DANG good! hehe! We cooked the dried egg noodles and they tasted homemade, seriously! Straight out of a package and all! But, the biggest surprise of all that he brought us was a Rice Cooker! It is Zojirushi brand, and it is wonderful! I guess that it has to cook rice pretty good to be from an asain market. It is so great, the best rice I have ever had, and there is literally NO cleaning. The rice comes right out and leaves NO residue whatsoever! If you want more info, let me know!
Last thing-seriously! Okay, so I have been tagged like 3 times now, and I have noticed that a few others of you have been as well. So, I wanted to start a new "Tagging", but we will call this "Cook Like Me!" I will put down a recipe that I absolutely LOVE, and then I will name one person from each side of my family that then needs to put a recipe on their blog. They will, in turn, name two people from each of their familes...Here is a GREAT recipie!

SANTE FE CHICKEN SOUP

1/3 cup brown rice(uncooked)
4 portions chicken breast
1 lime, halved
2 tsp. taco seasoning
toritilla chips
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 onion, chopped
1 can diced green chilies
6 cups chicken broth
4 Tbsp salsa
1/4 cup sour cream
2 Tbsp cilantro, chopped

1)Cook brown rice according to package directions. While the rice is cooking, cut chicken breasts into bite-size pieces and place in a dish with the lime juice and taco seasoning. Let marinate for 10-20 minutes. Then grill chicken until cooked.
2)Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add galic and onion, saute for about 8 minutes. Add Cooked rice to the pot and saute for 3 minutes. Add green chilies and saute for 2 more minutes. Then pour chicken broth into the mixutre and bring it to a boil. Add chicken to pot and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 25 minutes.
3)Break tortilla chips and place on bottom of bowls. Spoon soup into each bowl and garnish with a few more brocken tortilla chips, salsa, sour cream, and cilantro!

This sounds like a tedious recipe, but it wasn't actually that hard-and it is SO SO good! Perfect for a cold day when you need a zesty meal!
The two people that I would like to "Cook Like" are Misti Pearson and Erika Sadler! This will be fun-I am excited to cook like you all!