Painting Away

This semester I've been doing so much painting. I've loved it. I am doing a series of paintings on the Great Salt Lake. I've been intrigued by the contour line of the lake's perimeter and how it is constantly rising and retreating. The paintings are meant to reference that concept. I've done 30 of them and am nearly done with the series. It's been a lot of fun to paint again. The whole summer was consumed with wedding plans, and I never even picked up a paint brush. It's wonderful to get back into it. Here are a few of the paintings:

Phase 10

I just have to brag a little bit about Josh's come-back victory last night: Josh and I played a heated game of Phase 10 last night with Abe and Meg. Josh was behind from the very start. At one point he was 2 or 3 rounds behind the rest of us. Things did not look good for him. I'm not sure quite how this happened, but somehow Josh caught up to us and was in second place, behind Meg, with just one more round to go. It was a tense final round, but Josh pulled away with the victory! That's my man! ....(I tied for last place with Abe.)

Taking a Breather

We made it through some very busy weeks of school, and now we are anxious to relax this week during our Thanksgiving break. It will be so nice to take a little breather before we finish up these final weeks of the semester. We can't wait to spend Thanksgiving with the Hawkins family, and to spend time with the Clarkes as well. (And of course, we're totally pumped for the game on Saturday!) What a great week!

It's on at dawn!!!

This Saturday, November 24, 8-2 BYU play 8-3 Utah at Lavell Edwards Stadium. The kickoff is at noon! If I already didn't love my in-laws enough, they went and scored a pair of tickets for Laura and me. It's going to be amazing!!! Click below for a little recap of last year's game. In case you missed it, all you really need to see is the last play. Becky, please don't show this to Hema... junior or senior. Beck is the man!!

A beautiful thing!!

Every once in a while something so beautiful comes along that just has to be passed on. Such was the case with the mullet. Barry Bonds' trainer said it best when speaking to Barry about steroids, he said, "This stuff will change your life." Granted, what you are about to see isn't steroids, but it's every bit as addicting. Don't believe me? Check out the link for yourself, and meet the conchords... revolutionists of our day. Click here to laugh (This is an amazing music video about our time and our issues. These guys hit it right on the head.)

Thanksgiving 2006

As Thanksgiving approaches, I've been thinking of where I was last year: Across the ocean in New Zealand. I remember really missing my family at this time - espcially as I got the many emails being passed around from my extended family about the details of the Thanksgiving meal. It became quite comical. I heard all the deatils about who was bringing the mashed potatoes, the pumkpin pie, and other delicious dishes, even though I wouldn't be there for it. They were just rubbing it in! My mouth would just water as I read the emails. I shared my holiday meal with Jane. With no hope of a traditional meal, we opted for Pizza Hut. I'm grateful I'll be home this Thanksgiving and to be spending it with the Hawkins!

No One Likes Bad Soup

Last night I set Josh up for disaster. I knew I'd be on campus til late, so I asked Josh to put together an easy clam chowder for dinner. He followed the directions perfectly, but I think it was a bad recipe from the start. And bad clam chowder is something you don't want anything to do with! Poor Josh. I totally set him up. Next time I ask him to make dinner, I'll give him a good, tried-and-true favorite, not a new, mystery recipe!

Despite the bad soup, however, Josh busted out some killer garlic bread. I just planned on having french bread with the soup, but Josh slapped some butter and garlic on the loaf and threw it under the broiler. Yum.

My Cute Husband

This picture is nearly a year old, but I love it. Isn't Josh handsome!? Last December the Hawkins had pictures taken with the whole family, then each of Josh's siblings had several pictures with their spouses and children. Since Josh was single at the time, he just got tons of sweet solo shots taken.

Our little friend

Leafy, the leaf bug. Found outside our apartment. (Thank goodness for the bug catcher we were given at out wedding dinner). A true friend. Lover of lettuce, grass, and parsley flakes. Given to Logan, who cared for him diligently. Died after 3 weeks in captivity. May he rest in peace.

Home Cookin'

Things started out rough as I learned how to cook! Josh was very patient as found out time and time again just how hot our oven is. Now we can look back and laugh at these stressful moments in the kitchen. After much practice, things have improved:








Sunday
Roasts:

So simple,
So good!







Pizza: A big hit with Josh! An even bigger hit when we made a few alterations: wheat pizza dough, ham, pineapple and mushrooms!

Sunday Dinner with Marie and Jae: lemon pepper chicken, garlic mashed potatoes, squash, and green beans.






Last night's new recipe, Chicken Fettucine Cacciatore: Yum. Honestly, I don't even know what "Cacciatore" means, but I'm guessing it's defined as 'really yummy pasta'. Chicken, pasta, diced tomatoes, brocoli, green pepper, onion, garlic, a little seasoning, and Voila!

Que Linda Pareja!!

Pretty much anytime you and your wife have a picture in sombreros, it just needs to be shown. This is from a vacation Lar and I went on with my family to Mexico this past summer. The people of Mexico loved us and wanted us to stay, but unfortunately, we had to come back and start school. Mexicans on the street flocked to us in these sombreros. We felt "one" with the people.

Portion Control

One morning I sat down for a nice healthy bowl of chocolately Cocoa-Roos, part of a well-balanced breakfast! That's how I am, I like to start my mornings off the right way. Well, Lar decided to join me with a nice big bowl of her own. Here is her bite-sized portion (literally) next to mine. Needless to say, her day wasn't as energized as mine...

While Josh Was Away

After much peer-pressure from my sister and I, Logan reluctantly agreed to wear his little bee costume from years ago. He put the sting back into Halloween.

While Josh was back in DC with Jess and Sterling, I had some fun of my own! Marie and I dressed up as janitors for the Tueller Family Halloween Extravaganza!