Date night pie

For Jared's and I's date night, we decided to make a cherry pie. It was so easy and delicious! I thought pies were so hard to do (they sell for $3 a piece in the restaurants), so I thought it would take years. Nope. It took just 5 minutes prep and 40 minutes to cook. I used the Jiffy pie crust mix, 2 cans (21 oz) cherry filling, and a pie tin. I wrapped the crust in foil so it wouldn't burn. That's it! It was the best date night ever and so cheap. Biting into the cherries was the best part. Maybe next time, we'll add icecream to it!

The woes of exercising

Why is exercising so HARD?!?!?!?
I started exercising 2 days ago (wish I could say at least a week) and I am already pooped out. My legs are sore, I woke up with a Charlie horse. I just feel slumpy, but even worse, I feel like the one on the right when among friends:

I used to exercise all the time before I was married. I loved it. Why do I always have to drag myself out the door before going?? I think the movies and snack food, like peanut butter crackers, fun fruits and the desire to chill/talk with Jared have replaced my love for exercising.

Thankfully, Jared has started to exercise. I think he is noticing the big bump I have on my abs (no, I am not pregnant). He kicks me out of the house, while he stays indoors and does his g-ball exercises. He loves it. It involves a basketball-looking ball and you swing it all around you in a, supposedly, graceful manner, and call it exercise. I, on the other hand, enjoy the outdoors and prefer to feel good about myself by hitting the pavement and seeing how far I can go. Last night, after I was done, I was proud at how far I had gone. I estimated it to be about 1.5 miles, running without stopping.

So, in the end, (the next day), I feel pretty good about myself. I feel like I've accomplished something. Granted, I have been hobbling around today and I moan when I pick up Sam, but it's the feeling inside. It's that pat-on-the-back feeling good. I think I will keep doing it.

Kindness pays

We have house sat and watched a dog named Bandit for our friends, Dave and Sharon, while they went to Cabo for a week. Dave is a friend of Jared's and also a pilot, so when they take trips, we watch their dog, checking up on him 3 times a day (orders from Sharon), sleeping with the snoring dog in the bed at night, make sure robbers don't attack the house, graffitied, burnt down, taken over, ect. We have done this for about a year and have never gotten anything monetary from it, just the occasional dinner, their friendship, use of their jacuzzi, big screen t.v, satellite, king-sized bed, etc.

Since having Sam, it has been harder for me to lug stuff 10-15 minutes from our house for a week or less. It is just inconvenient and I like staying in our own house. Man, did Jared get an ear full of complaints this last time, me complaining about never receiving anything ever for gas, etc. Woe was me. I told Jared, once more, that this was the last time we ever did this and that they were so ungrateful, etc. (I just feel bad for Jared putting up with all my complaining!)

We packed up on the last day and go home.

She calls us the next day, telling us she has a present and to come and get it. We were able to that day.

We show up and had about 30 minutes of conversation, us catching up on each other's lives. I am looking around the room for some form of present, like a box of chocolates, towels, etc. Then she pulls out a $100 dollar bill and starts going off about how much she appreciates us and how we deserve this and on and on...

...I was shocked. All this time I had been complaining to my what seemed like my punching bag of a husband who took it all with love and consideration. In the end, we were rewarded with a present with more than I ever thought we would get!

100 dollars is:

-10,00 penny candies

-26 gallons of gasoline

-our cellphone bill for one month

-one month of food (about) for us

-50 buckets of ice cream

-94 redbox movies (including tax)

-a trip to SLC

-4 date nights for us

In the end, I realized how sometimes in the day-to-day view I only saw, I didn't see the value in helping someone because "I want to," but because "I have to," and sometimes blessings don't come right away, but sometimes a year later.

General Conference

On Conference day, we had Rachel Judd and her son, Tyler, over so Sam and Tyler could play together. Tyler is 10 months old and tried to "play" with Sam.




















Rachel looking at our pictures from Hawaii and Jared watching Sam.






I loved President Eryings talk of unity. He talked about how we need to look for similarities in others who believe differently than us. He said that children of God have more similarities than differences. I think it is a call for us to love those of other faiths and to treat those differences with respect and love. He used the term of being a "peacemaker" when talking to other individuals, whether it being our spouses, family, friends, or nonmembers. I have seen many marriages decline due to the pride of one or both spouse always wanting to be right and never seeming to agree.
I thought he spoke to me on the criticizing of others. He said we should always speak good of one another. He said, "I can promise you a feeling of peace and joy when you speak generously of others... You will feel unity...it will be because the Lord will let you feel his appreciation for choosing to step away from the possibility of sowing seeds of disunity." I have felt both the feeling of peace come as I have spoken well of others and the feelings of regret and disunity as I have spoken unwell of others. I resolved to change my view and to always seek and look for the good in each one of us (including myself) and to be a "peacemaker."

Sam's bedroom

For those of you who haven't seen Sam's bedroom, here it is:

Sam loves being on the changing table.

He loves having his diaper changed.

(I just think he likes to be naked!)

This is the scary futon.

I am in the process of rotating out all of Sam's clothes.

It's a big ordeal with him constantly changing and growing!

And Jared got to decorate his room!

(The only room in the house he can hang up all of his airplane pictures!)