Intensity

Regular readers will recall reading that I really lucked out with my MBA team last year. Really a great group of friends. However, I'm about to give you, the loyal reader, a rare look into that group's inner circle. That's right, I'm going to break the unwritten code of silence.

I guess you could say Scott McClellan has inspired me to speak out.

The BYU MBAs in my team (I'm including myself) are very driven, even for things that "don't really matter." Among things that fall into this category are:

• Grades/GPA/Class Rank
• Linkedin connections
• Scholarships
• Church callings
• Number of kids
• Behavior of kids
• Internship (company, location, salary)
• Go-kart racing

I could go on, but you get the point.

Two of my teammates ended up getting internships at the same company in Connecticut. Their managers made the mistake of taking all the interns out to race Go-karts as a team building experience. Given the title of this post, I'll let you guess which two in the photo below were in my team.

BYU MBA = INTENSITY!

Note: This post is totally tongue-in-cheek and I just fabricated a story to go along with this photo I had fun doctoring. See the original photo here. But don't they look tougher with black eyes, a neck brace and sling?

You need this recipe

If you know me, you know that I'm not that picky an eater (a dozen years of boy scouts will do that to you). Nevertheless, I still appreciate good food.

Like my mother's almond joys
strawberry rhubarb pie
ice cream
and a number of other delicacies

Or Lisa's molasses cookies
cranberry chicken
chicken bow tie pasta

But tonight's meal was exquisite and you all need to add this recipe to your repertoire:

CHIPOTLE CHICKEN TACO SALAD

The recipe was gleaned off this blog.

Lisa whipped it out in about 30 minutes (I was giving Sophie an overdue bath), and it was delicious. Lisa did tweak the recipe a little, so you'll have to check in with her on those changes (but I think we just bought some prepared bbq chicken breasts rather than follow the "from scratch" recipe). You'll probably want to be really conservative on the adobo sauce, unless you're like my grandmother and find masochistic joy in eating food so hot it makes you cry.

My compliments to the chef!

"Wow, your stomach is HUGE!!!!"

Tonight we walked (correction: Bryce and Sophie walked. I waddled. Minor detail.) down to the park behind our house. While we were pushing Sophie in a swing a little girl - I'm guessing she was about 7 years old - walked up to me and said:

"WOW! Your stomach is HUGE!! What is IN there?!!?"

And I said, "A whoooooole lot of food."

Her eyes got really big and then she walked away.

And we cracked up.

Good night!

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Engaged!!!!!

I am just so excited about this that I have to post about it!! So I just found out that my dear, dear friend, Melyn, just got engaged to an awesome dude and they will be getting married this November! I seriously screamed and did a celebratory happy dance when I heard the news! Melyn is one of the most fun, talented, beautiful, kind, hilarious, creative, extraordinary people I know and we are so excited for her!! Congrats Melyn & Kyler!! Cannot wait for the big day!!!!

Melyn & other dear friends in Boston at a Christmas Party, 2004Melyn gets sandwiched while playing an intense game of foosball...How I adore these people!
Melyn and Jodi - both wonderful friends and former roommates

Melyn is a VERY talented designer and was so so so kind enough to help with my own wedding. This pic was taken very soon after I saw the complete transformation she created for my wedding reception. I told her that I'd decorate for her reception if she wanted... it might be stickers and pinatas, but Melyn, for you I would!!! :) Think of the possibilities!! How about cream puff-filled Fenway-park-shaped pinatas?!?! Congrats Melyn!!! We nub ya!!!

Just Because I Think She's So Adorable

A few recent pics of the little Miss - just b/c I think she's so adorable...

One of Sophie's favorite places to hang out is her closet. Have no idea why. She will take her baby doll and various other toys in there and just have a grand old time singing away and talking to her toys. It is hilarious. This day she decided that all her balloons (birthday presents) should go into the closet with her, so here she is hanging with bright colored rubber...

Love that little smile.

Last week we discovered this awesome park that has a small water area with a waterfall and paved lazy-river type thing. Sophie loves to play in the water and I think it's fabulous to get to dip my feet in, as well.

This girl is on a MISSION for something!

Smiling her hilarious underbite smile with a little girl we met at the park. Isn't it great how fast little kids make friends? All it takes is about 3 minutes and they're best buds. These two were really cute together.And seriously, I am DYING over this swimsuit. I think it is the cutest thing EVER!!

That's all folks - catch you later!

Denver

This weekend we met up with some friends from Bryce's MBA program and were able to go to the Denver Temple! We tag-teamed with Sheri & Eric and it was great - the timing was perfect and I think the kiddies even enjoyed themselves, too! We met up at 8:30am, handed Sophie to Sheri & Eric, attended the temple, then switched and took Sophie and their kids around noon.

While Sheri & Eric were in the temple, we took the kids to Belleview Park - a place that another MBA friend (who is from Denver) told us about. Google maps gave me faulty directions, but thanks to yet another friend (who, incidentally, will also be in the MBA program this fall, but is currently living in Denver), we were able to track the park down. It was a great find - complete with a shallow creek that runs throughout the park, a miniature train and a petting zoo! Sophie and Paige loved the creek and little Will was happy as a can be to sit on my lap and take it all in. Sadly, I have no pics of the water, but rest assured the girls LOVED it. But the highlight for sure was the train ride. We should have taken one with the 3 kiddos but alas, it didn't happen (sorry Sheri!). Some pics of the glorious train that Sophie has been talking about all day today...

Paige, me, & Sophie get ready to zoom away; behind us: Jason - Bryce's college friend who navigated us to the park and then met us there to hang out for a bit - and Will.
We highly recommend the Belleview Park! If you're in the Denver area and have kids with you it is definitely worth checking out!

Grandma Beth

Today my dad's mom passed away. She was my last surviving grandparent and it feels so strange to not have any living grandparents anymore. My Grandma Beth was one super lady and I am so glad that I was able to grow up so close to her. We had Sunday dinners at my Grandma and Grandpa's house just about every single Sunday. And they were AWESOME. I'm talking food galore. And that doesn't even begin to describe the dessert options. It was at Grandma's house that I learned to love sweet potatoes with marshmallows and 7-Up mixed with orange juice. And you have to drink it through a Red Vine licorice stick-turned straw. Absolutely mandatory.

I've been searching through my pics and the only pics I have here of her are ones taken back in March when Marci, Melissa, Sam, Sophie and I went out to Texas to visit. I am so glad we were able to take that trip and see her one last time before she left us. These are pics of the great-grandkiddies playing a game with Grandma. It was so adorable.
Since we lived so close to my grandparents they were a part of everything growing up - my baptism, Grandparents Day in elementary school, 8th grade honors night, high school graduation, talks in church, all our birthdays, holidays and the little just-for-fun days in between. We would have special sleepovers at their house and Grandma was the one who came to stay with me when my parents were with Marci in the hospital for one of her surgeries when we were smaller. I never appreciated it as much as I do now that my little girl lives far from both sets of grandparents.

My Grandma was a sewing and knitting wonder! She was constantly making what we lovingly refer to as "Grandma Slippers." She kept a drawer in her house stocked FULL of these slippers and anytime we needed a new pair, or just needed a certain color to update the wardrobe, we could go pick out a pair to take home. I don't remember a time in my life when I have not had at least one pair of Grandma Slippers in my closet. I think I have two in there right now. Bryce loves the slippers, as well (he has his own pair - the perks of marrying into my family). She was also a remarkable seamstress. Lots of the dresses I wore as a wee one were made by her. I haven't called home to confirm, but I am about 99% sure that these matching dresses Marci and I are wearing in this pic were made by her. Are they not so cute?!?

My Grandma was a wonderfully kind, giving, caring person with a fun sense of humor and a great love for her family. I am proud to be her granddaughter and to have my own daughter share her name (Sophie's middle name). I will miss her but am glad that she now gets to be with Gramps again. I'm sure they're having a great time catching up on the last 6+ years. We love you, Grandma!!

Happy Birthday, Dear Sophie!

Today our little baby girl turned TWO! I still can't believe it. We now mark time in years instead of months. And she has so much hair now that calling her "Baby Girl" really doesn't fit anymore (though of course I still do...). AND, this also means no more free flights. Bummer. I've had a few oh-wow moments today watching her and realizing how much she's grown in the last 2 years. Pretty crazy. It's been quite a ride this young one has taken us on these past 730 days since she was born, and we wouldn't have missed it for anything!

June 2006

June 2007

June 2008

(she was REALLY REALLY REALLY excited about the candle...)
Happy Birthday Dear Sophie, Happy Birthday to you!!

What did you say?

Have you ever said something only to realize as soon as it leaves your mouth that it can be interpreted another way that makes you blush? Well, that's never happened to me.

Ok, well maybe it did this afternoon...

On my bike ride home from work I saw a red fox walking along the railroad tracks. I of course got very excited and pointed to the fox so the biker behind me would see.

I also saw a biker coming towards me and thought for sure she would like to see it too. So when she got close, I yelled "check out the fox."

I don't know what went through her head, but immediately I realized she'd probably report me for harassment the first chance she had.

Open mouth-insert foot-chew vigorously.

So tell me all your fun stories in the comments section.

ER = Everybody's Favorite Place to go on the Weekend!

Perhaps I should just let these picture speak for themselves...
Sunday night Sophie had her first trip to the ER. We say "first" b/c we're quite sure that it won't be her last. Given her very, ahhh, spirited nature I have a feeling we'll be visiting the ER again at some point...though hopefully not anytime soon!

So, we were at someone else's house and Sophie was running around with Bryce. She tried to turn a corner that proved to be quite slippery and wearing only socks she didn't have much traction with the floor... Soooo, down she went and smacked her head right on the corner of a wooden stair. Next thing we know, there is blood everywhere, gushing down her face and all over Bryce's white shirt. Long story short, we got the bleeding to stop and then took a trip to the ER (we were pretty 100% she was going to need stitches).

Bryce - being the brilliant guy that he is - thought to bring his laptop and The Jungle Book DVD with us to the hospital. Sophie doesn't get to watch much TV so it's a BIG treat when she does watch it and she looooooves the songs on Jungle Book. So, when they were ready to stitch her up, Bryce plugged that baby in and pushed Play. The doctor and her assistant told us that they wanted to wrap Sophie up baby-burrito style in this big white sheet to make sure that she couldn't move around while they were needle-and-threading. So there's my little girl, laying on the table, looking like a mummy all wrapped up in this white sheet and the doc's assistant is in position prepared to hold Sophie down and strong arm her into keeping her head still. And....

... Sophie did not move the entire time.

As soon as The Jungle Book turned on she was in a total trance. Laughing at Mowgli and Baloo and King Louie, loving every minute of it as they injected whatever it was to numb her head and then proceed to sew her up with three stitches. The only time Sophie cried was when the doctor's hands blocked her view of the laptop (which Bryce held up the whole time).

I believe the quote from the doctor's assistant was, "I have never seen anything like this before."

By the time we left, both the doctor and her assistant were agreed that they would be submitting a request for a DVD player in next year's budget.

And that concludes our weekend excitement! Sophie is doing great with her stitches. She calls the band-aid on her head her "sticker" and hardly seems to know it's there. That's my tough girl! We have to go back on Friday to get the stitches removed and already know what entertainment we'll be taking with us...

Day Trip

This last weekend we decided to turn our feet south and explore the Colorado Springs area of CO. We made three stops - well, actually four stops, the fourth was rather spontaneous - and had a lovely day of it!

Stop #1: Garden of the Gods.

Sophie and I at the Visitor's Center (that's Pike's Peak in the background)

Sophie thought this buffalo statue at the Visitor's Center was the coolest - giddy'up!
Bryce and I in front of just one of the amazing rock formations within Garden of the Gods.
(I think this picture is better, but there's a random person in it.)

Bryce and Sophie attempt to hold up Balanced Rock - what strength! Superman would be impressed

Ta-da!

Sitting on a ledge on Balanced RockI really truly did try to heave myself up onto the ledge, as well, but my massive belly is making things like that just a biiiiiit difficult these days...So we drove around the Garden of the Gods park for a bit, did a little rock climbing (perhaps I should say climbing of the rocks b/c what we did was a far cry from rock climbing!), enjoyed the scenery, then hopped in the car and drove to stop #2...

Stop #2: Manitou Cliff Dwellings

Native American Indians once lived in these preserved dwellings carved into the sides of mountain cliffs. They were mighty impressive and Bryce was giddy as a school boy to get to actually walk through them!

The outside...The inside...

While there, we also got to see some Native American dances which Sophie loved

At the end of the dancing performance, they invited all the kids to come up and participate in a dance with them. Sophie jumped right up and ran up on the stage with all the other older kids. It was too cute. Basically, they just all held hands and walked around in a big "S", but Sophie had a great time!However, her favorite part of the Cliff Dwellings BY FAR was...
the ROCKS.

Lots and lots and LOTS of rocks.

Everywhere.

(ps - those of you looking for belly shots... here ya go)

One happy girl.Then, back into the car for us for our third stop...

Stop #3: Air Force Academy

I'll let Bryce take over on the story-telling for this one. He knows wayyyyy more about this place than I do. I did think it was a beautiful - and ENORMOUS - campus and enjoyed seeing Bryce so excited about all the aircraft we saw.

Our first stop after entering the south gate was Thunderbird Airmanship Overlook. It looks out over the runway, and must be much cooler when there are lots of planes moving around, or anything moving around for that matter. However, they did have a couple of planes on popsicle sticks. The first is a T-38 painted in thunderbird-esque colors (there's no bird underneath, see here).

On the other side of the overlook, we just stared at perhaps the ugliest plane ever built, the A-10 warthog. However, if you're in a tank and you hear the grunting of its nose mounted cannon, it's probably the last sound in the world you want to hear. One of the benefits of this plane being so unique is that it's easy for me to remember that GE aircraft engines makes the engines on this plane. Because that's where my dad has worked for 30+ years, I'm spelling out GE in sign language just for him. (Actually, if the other plane on display were actually a real Thunderbird, it'd be an F-16 Falcon with GE engines too).

Sophie peeking through the window of a ________ (don't remember what this was, it's just the cockpit sitting on the floor though)



We didn't take pictures of the F-4, F-15, F-16 and F-105 on display on the Terrazo, nor of the B-52 on display just outside the north gate. When Sophie saw it, she said "that's a big, biiiiig, plane.

This is a "strenuous path" from the chapel to the visitor's center. The only thing strenuous about the path is that it's at like 6500 feet elevation! (You actually break 7000 feet driving on I-25 out of Colorado Springs!)



This is the interior of the protestant (upper/main) chapel. There are also Jewish and Buddhist chapels on the lower level. On display outside the synagogue was a 200+ year old Torah found along with 37 others in a warehouse in Eastern Europe after WWII. Also, the tiles on the floor are imported from Israel and were a gift from the IDF.


Our final stop was the Castle Rock outlets that we passed on the way down and decided that we should definitely stop at on the way back. Ahhh outlets. Good for the soul! There was a Children's Place outlet and we found a few items that we needed for the little dude (he will now have pants to wear with his onesies - hooray!). And then, of course, my favorite... the GAP outlet. Sophie was mostly cooperative and we found a smokin' deal on pants for Bryce, as well as a semi-smokin' deal on a super-smokin' shirt for Bryce! And me? Well, I looked around, surveyed the deals on the other side of the store and thought, "I will see you all again, my pretties, once I'm holding this baby in my arms and not my insides!!"

And that, ladies and gents, was the weekend. Well, almost. But we'll save the real exciting stuff for the next post. Stay tuned...!