He's in!

This cute note was delivered yesterday to my work.  Cheesy I know, but I thought since I never post, I would let you all know that Stu got into the dental school in Utah.  Weird to think that we will still be in Utah but very exciting to know that he will start Dental school this fall.   

I wanted to call each of you personally but I didn't want to seem braggy.  However this seems pretty braggy  as well.  Stu took a whole day to figure out how to tell me, I couldn't think of how to tell you guys.  Sorry!

Missouri: Kansas City, Independence and Liberty

Elliot and I drove to Kansas City, MO for the weekend a few weekends ago.  We've been wanting to see the church sites while we're here, and so we drove to Liberty and Independence which are just outside of Kansas City.  We had to make a detour on the way there to get Noodles & Co... I've been wanting that so badly. :)  It was such a fun drive, just the two of us, and a great weekend.  

 Saturday we went to Liberty Jail.  It was so neat to be there and learn about the prophet and his time in the jail.  It was so small, especially for 5 gown men, and they said it was so cold.  The cold here is different than Salt Lake, because it's so humid, so it really gets to you.  I can only imagine being there through the long winter months.  

You can see the rope and the men inside.  It struck a cord with me, as Joseph's brother had a baby while he was in jail.  The wife came to bring the baby to see him one time (from Nauvoo which must have taken them days of travel).  When they arrived they wouldn't let him come up to see his son, so the baby had to be lowered down to him in the jail.  Can you imagine taking your brand new baby to see their daddy in jail, and having him lowered down?  They also used the rope to get in and out of the jail when the guards would let them out to talk to their lawyers.

Here you go Danielle, you wanted a baby bump shot.  Although, this isn't just a bump anymore....

This is the front of the jail.  When Joseph arrived he'd been in jail I think already for a month, at another location.  But when he arrived at Liberty, many men were standing out front and the guards, and he sweetly said "Good afternoon gentlemen".  A sweet attitude even when going to jail.

We drove to Independence on Sunday and went to the visitors center.  It was neat to see the how the saints lived and survived.  Amazing.  This is Elliot's sister who is expecting 2 days before me.  We met them there since they are in Iowa for her husband Jordan's schooling.  You can see their little boy on the left, Walker.  Her second is also a boy.

This is the plot of land, not owned by our church anymore, but it was dedicated as the plot where the temple will be built.  We don't own it yet, another church does, but this is the plot of land.

This is the crazy temple that the Community of Church calls their temple.  Anyone can go inside, but it was closed on Sunday.  BUMMER!  I wanted to see it so bad.  Isn't it crazy.  Not the prettiest thing I've ever seen.

It was a very neat trip.  I was talking with El, have any of you ever been to any of these sites?  I couldn't remember talking about them ever with you guys.  I really want to go to Nauvoo before we move too!  That must be incredible.  Have any of you been there?  

Oh hey ladies!

So we're back from the fantasy life that we've been living, but in my mind I'm still there!!!  Here are some pics...

Marsh and I with the Hollywood stars

Mims and my mom buying ourselves birthday presents!  I tell you those two are the FUNNEST ladies to go shopping with!  I would try on a huge pair of maternity pants and they would both freak out at how "daaaaaarling" they were :)  I hope I'm like that when I'm a mom/grandma!  

If you look reallllllly close on this one you can see the Hollywood sign :)  I had never seen it before!  Have you guys?

ST THOMAS!!!!

2 pregos.  I was SO worried about getting the "pregnancy mask" that I was hiding under this hat the whole time.  Then you know me, by day 3 I was so annoyed that I was whiter than when we arrived, the hat came off and I scorched myself!  haha it was worth it.  And luckily I didn't get the mask :)

Brothers!

Seriously?  LOOK at those beaches!!  It was honestly the most beautiful place I've ever seen!

Bump watch!!  That was before these trips... I swear I'm even bigger since then!  I'm such a baby too, I went to a ballet class on Monday and have been complaining about my back ever since... This baby doesn't even weigh one pound yet and I'm complaining about my back!!  I'm toast.  

POST MORE PICS LADIES!!!  I want to see Ethan and Laurie loo!  I want to see preggo Les and everything else going on in your busy lives!  xoxoxo

Happy Birthday Danielle!

Wishing you a very Happy Birthday!  Wish we were all gathered around a cake like this, singing to you.  Enjoy your day!

Much love Danners!

Pasta Recipe!

Hey girls....  So I thought I would post something really quick. So this recipe I got from allrecipes.com and Drew's mom makes something similar so I thought I would give it a go.  It's super easy and way good too!

So here it is.......

Ingredients

• 1 (12 ounce) package bow tie pasta
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 pound sweet Italian sausage, casings removed and crumbled
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1/2 cup diced onion
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 (28 ounce) can Italian-style plum tomatoes, drained and coarsely chopped
• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley

Directions

1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook pasta in boiling water for 8 to 10 minutes, or until al dente; drain.
2. Heat oil in a large, deep skillet over medium heat. Cook sausage and pepper flakes until sausage is evenly brown. Stir in onion and garlic, and cook until onion is tender. Stir in tomatoes, cream, and salt. Simmer until mixture thickens, 8 to 10 minutes. (here i don't add the cream until some of the liquid of the tomatoes evaporates, other wise the pasta will be soupy)
3. Stir cooked pasta into sauce, and heat through. Sprinkle with parsley.

So some things really quick.  You could easily half it but I do the whole thing because I love left overs.  2nd, I didn't use a whole pound of italian sausage. I think I used like 3 links(sorry if thats gross).  Then I didn't use a whole pound of pasta but probably like a half a pound and then 2 garlic cloves instead of three.  Also I don't think I used the whole 1 and 1/2 cups of cream either.  More like 3/4 cup.  Okay so maybe I did half the recipe but I did use 2 cans of tomatoes.  I like my pasta more runny then not!  

Anyways, love ya gals!

Rach

Snowcation

 As a couple of you know, the snow never stopped coming here last week, and then it came again this week. It's crazy though, because it makes the ENTIRE city stop... and I mean stop.  All of the public schools have been off for 2 weeks.  El and I were both off most of last week.  It was the best staycation ever!  I haven't been with him that much I swear, since our honeymoon, and it was the best!  Even though it was freezing, we just loved hanging out, and not doing much.  I baked and cooked a lot, cleaned my house, and El studied, but it was so much fun.  Here are a few photos of the snow we received just the first night!  It was crazy.  This is a lot for Utah, but for Oklahoma, it's unheard of.  We made all sorts of records, including last night, which was -31!  Yes, you read that right, -31.  But it's supposed to be 70 next week, and I can't wait!
 

This is our back door.  It was so deep. 

This is me trying to walk to our car that first morning.  It was past my knees!

And here I am trying not to get blown away, don't mind the hair.  But this picture shows how high it was on the truck tires, and almost to the bottom of the windows of the house.  Crazy! 

The best part was one night we finally went out to eat.  (ALL of the restaurants closed here.  ALL of the them!  So we went to the Waffle House.  It was both of our first times ever there, and we heard we needed to try it while living in the south, so we did.  It was hilarious.)  But when we were driving there, it was 4 days after the storm and finally snow plows were driving around, but none of them knew what to do.  They wouldn't let the plow part touch the ground, and they plowed it into the center of the roads instead of toward the sides.  They're nuts!  We thought we would apply to be snow plow drivers next snow storm, and show them how it's done.  Ha!  It was pretty funny.

My prescription for anti-depressant living

So I was reading through one of my favorite design books this morning by Jonathan Adler. You've probably heard of him-or not. He is actually a potter, turned potter/designer. His book is hilarious and has a fun take on design. I have to share on of my favorite quotes from the book:
Your home should be like a good dose of Zoloft
A chic home isn't one that is filled with uncomfortable furniture and art that you don't understand. It's a home filled with things that you love and that make you happy. Coming home should be an antidote to the trouble and traumas of everyday life. It should be like hearing your favorite song on the car radio, a first kiss, running into your ex-bofriend and he's fat, being the 100th caller. It shouldn't feel like Sunday night, doing your taxes, eating fiber or getting your teeth cleaned. I'm here to tell you that good home decorating can be the equivalent of years of therapy.

Here is Jonathan with his husband Simon Doonan and their dog Liberache. They are so funny!

These are a few of my favorite rooms he has done

The bottom 2 are his home in Greenwich Village

Love it!