Thankful

I really wanted to take the opportunity I have to say how thankful I am for all that I have right now.

I am so grateful for the power of the priesthood and the opportunity to have it in my home. I am grateful for family who will answer their phone and get up in the middle of the night to help my husband give me a blessing because I feel like I am at deaths door. And I'm thankful for finally being able to sleep through the night.

I know that prayer works, whether it's me saying a prayer or those prayers that have been said on my behalf. It works. I have received so many blessings because of prayer. For that I am thankful.

I am soo thankful for my friends. I have the kind of friends who would drop whatever they were doing to help me out. And they do ALL the time.

I am grateful for my family, immediate and extended. My entire family is amazing and always willing to help me out.

I am grateful for trials. Even ones that come completely out of left field (now Heavenly Father... that's not saying I want anymore. I hope you can agree I have enough on my plate right now. Right?) I'm just saying... I know they make me a better person.

I'm grateful for my husband. Without him I don't know where I would be. He is amazing. He is my everything.

Thank You Colbie Caillat

For writing words that I feel.

I try so many times
But it's not taking me
And it seems so long ago
That I used to believe
And I'm so lost inside of my head
And crazy
But I cant get out of it
I'm just stumbling

And I'm juggling all the thoughts in my head
I'm juggling and my fears on fire
But I'm listening as it evolves in my head
I'm balancing on one fine wire

And I remember the time my balance was fine
And I was just walking on one fine wire
I remember the time my balance was fine
And I was just walking on one fine wire
But It's frayed at both the ends
And I'm slow unraveling

Life plays such silly games inside of me
And I've had some distant cries, following
And their entwined between the night and sun beams
I wish I were free from this pain in me

And I'm juggling all the thoughts in my head
I'm juggling and my fears on fire
But I'm listening as it evolves in my head
I'm balancing on one fine wire

And I remember the time my balance was fine
And I was just walking on one fine wire
I remember the time my balance was fine
And I was just walking on one fine wire
But it's frayed at both the ends
And I'm slow unraveling

And I'm juggling all the thoughts in my head
I'm juggling and my fears on fire
But I'm listening as it evolves in my head
I'm balancing on one fine wire....

--Colbie Caillat, Fine Wire

mmmm...

I would just like to brag for a moment.

I am a good cook. Maybe not the greatest.
But a good one.
I have been whipping up meals lately on whims without a real recipe.
And they seem to be turning out pretty well.
At least my husband eats them and gets seconds.
This makes me feel accomplished and feminine.
I like cooking.
I like eating even more.
Perrrfect combination if I do say so myself :)
Maybe not so much for my thighs
Bragging over.

Troy and I rotate Sunday dinners with our families. This past Sunday was my mom's Sunday and there is this recipe that I have been dying to try on this blog.
And I knew my mom would have all of the ingredients since she is well...my mom and seems to have all things food at her house.
So I offered to cook if she would offer up her ingredients.
A deal was made.
So I made this...
(I had to steal the photo since I'm not really the type of person who takes pictures of my food.)

Spinach Chicken and Pasta Salad with Teriyaki Viniagrette

it was divine.
Reeeally easy to make.
And not to mention healthy!
All of the major food groups in one bowl.
Troy even liked it aside from the fact that he wouldn't eat any of the fruit because
"fruit does not belong in salad."
He's weird I know, but I still love him.

The only thing I would change in this recipe is add more chicken and maybe omit the parsley.
I'm not so much a parsley person.
I think you should give it a try. It's a wonderful meal for summer.
Oh, and it makes a lot. I mean A LOT.
be warned.

Spinach Chicken and Pasta Salad with Teriyaki Viniagrette

*Plan Ahead: the pasta needs to marinate in the dressing for at least an hour.*

Dressing:
1 cup canola oil
1/3 – 2/3 cup bottled teriyaki sauce (I used 1/3 cup but you may want to add more depending on your taste)
1/3 cup rice vinegar
1/3 cup cider vinegar
6 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

Salad:
16 oz. bow tie pasta, cooked al dente, drained and cooled
1 bag fresh spinach (9 – 10 oz)
6 oz. craisins
2 (11 oz.) cans mandarin oranges, drained
1 (8 oz.) can water chestnuts, drained and slivered
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
4 green onions, thinly sliced (white and green parts)
1/4 cup sesame seeds, toasted
6 oz. honey roasted peanuts
2 cups cooked chicken, tossed with 2-3 tablespoons teriyaki sauce

In a blender, combine all the dressing ingredients and blend until well combined and smooth. Mix about 1 cup of the dressing with the cooked pasta in a large bowl and marinate for at least one hour (Judy has left this step out many times with still great results). Combine the remaining salad ingredients in a large bowl. Just before serving, add pasta and toss. Add dressing to taste and toss. Serve immediately.

Recipe Source: adapted slightly from Judy C

I stole the recipe from this here blog.

woot woot!

So for our anniversary Troy and I are staying close to home and using the money we would have spent on airfare (sp?) and going shopping! I'm pretty excited! We're staying HERE and I'm pretty stoked. mmm... spa....

skin writer

I am a freak. Ok... I am not a freak. My skin is freakish. I have what's called "dermatographia" have you ever heard of it? I never had. It literally translates into skin writing. I've had it for...umm... since junior high? And was officially diagnosed with it about 9 months ago. It's not anything serious. Basically it just means that whenever you get scratched your skin releases histamines and welts and looks like you just got in a fight with a cat. I just have freakishly sensitive skin. According to wikipedia about 4-5% of people have it. So lets see.. there are like 6 billion people in the world...that means I'm one of about 3 million people in the entire world who have it. guess i'm lucky?

so are you curious to see what dermatographia looks like? EN-joy.

mine is luckily not this bad. I can still "write" on my skin it just doesn't puff up that bad. I'm just getting so annoyed of it lately. I was shaving my legs today and my legs looked like they had gone completely exorcist for about 10 min.
I'm sooooo pale these days and the pink inflammation is like neon on my white skin. I want to be tan again because when i was tan it wasn't as noticeable. But i don't want skin cancer either. tough call. I know that skin cancer is way worse than freakish skin. But I just really want it to go away. Too bad there is no "cure."

Sad face.

my dad

My cousin Courtney shared this Youtube video with me. It's of my dad and my uncle. They used to make computer games together when I was little. My uncle owned the company Access Software and they made these detective games starring my uncle as Tex Murphy and my dad was his "boss" Mac Malden. It's just a short little clip... but it was crazy to hear my dads voice again. Isn't technology great?

find it here.

P.S. my dad is wearing a fake nose... his nose was not that big and ugly!

can't think of a cool title...

I've been meaning to post for awhile. Troy and I went to a Jazz game over a week ago and I have pictures but it's been a test week which means everything that has nothing to do with my two tests (that of course were on the same day) was temporarily put on hold. This also includes making dinner (my poor starving husband) and laundry (poor starving naked husband).

Our house is in shambles right now. there are random note cards scattered about the living room since Troy's finals week is next week and I had tests and random other things since we seem to live on our living room couch when we have a test week. I do my best studying on the couch with the tv playing in the background. Not at our desk in our office...weird. I suppose its because the chair is uncomfortable and I get lonely.

and today i will not be posting Jazz pictures for two reasons
a) i'm too lazy to upload them. blogger takes forever.
b) I read this article this morning and haven't been able to get it off of mind.

It's the perfect words to match how I feel. It's well said/written and I (obviously) agree with it.

just read IT.
It's written by an LDS man (former mission president) who also happens to be a former U.S. ambassador. And I believe those are pretty decent credentials.

and just in case you don't end up reading it here are my two favorite points from the article..

"What has happened to civility in this country? I did not vote for Obama but we, the American people, did. I consider myself an American, not a Utahn. I served 23 years in the United States Air Force and repeat the Pledge of Allegiance to one nation, under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all."

"Finally, my religious faith believes that governments are instituted of God for the good of the people -- all people, not just the rich and privileged! We are often reminded of our duty to care for the less fortunate. I therefore find it odd that the residents of this state are so anti-Obama"

I shall now resign from my soap box.