Life Lately: September

We celebrated Heb's birthday.  I threw him a pizza party at his request and made funfetti cupcakes (one of his favs).  It sure is different with kids.   Remember our party last year?

I've been singing in a choir.  Our Visiting Teaching conference in our ward is coming up and I was asked to sing.  I can't tell you how much I've missed singing.  It just means that I need to get out and sing in our regular choir but Sundays are one of the few times I get to spend time with Hebs so...yeah, it doesn't happen.  I am, ahem, singing a solo too.

I taught another of my jewelry classes last week at the bead store.  The projects that the students made turned out great! And I seem to be getting in the swing of teaching.  I have another class coming up next month.  I went to a big bead convention and spent way too much money but have been making some projects that I love. Here are a couple.

We took our first trip of the year to the farmer's market.  Yes, I know it's September.  Saturdays have been pretty busy lately. We bought apples and baked an apple pie.  That's when I knew it was fall.  We took it to Sunday dinner with the Scharman's and we enjoyed every bite.  I may have figured out the secret to getting the perfect consistency for apples.  It's all about slicing them up, covering them in sugar and letting them sit for a half hour.  Tons of water comes off and the sauce comes out perfect.  See, pie advice in a post, just what you needed.

Heb is still working on designing the satellite and serving with the scouts.  They've started a biking merit badge. 

We are excitedly preparing for our vacation to Outer Banks at the end of the month.  I've been dying to get to a beach town.   We have rented a cute vacation home with some friends and I'm looking forward to enjoying the beach. We are hoping to make a stop to see some old friends from Logan, yay!!

Our Leo is 10 months old and crawling all over.  He's standing too and loves to play games with us like hide and seek.  He's quite the personality.  He loves popcycles, he must be my child.  I've written much more about him over on his blog, drop your email in a comment if you want to view. 

So that's what we've been up to. 

Gentri and Julia

I want to make mayonnaise from scratch right now.  Do I particularly care for mayonnaise?  Not really but when Julia Child describes it, I want to whip some up.  

I just finished listening to "My Life in France," one that I really enjoyed (I must add though that I much more enjoyed listening in the car over reading the book.  I'm not very good at meandering reads.).

I love Julia Child.  I may not love to cook, but I love her story, her passion and her whole attitude. 
Julia was so completely enthralled with French cooking.  She was insatiably interested in everything having to do with it. Her perspective on the world was refreshing and uplifting to listen to. 

Here are a couple quotes from the book that I thought were particularly good. 

“Remember, 'No one's more important than people'! In other words, friendship is the most important thing--not career or housework, or one's fatigue--and it needs to be tended and nurtured.” 

Has there ever been a truer statement.  There is nothing more important than people.  Everything else can wait.

“I don't believe in twisting yourself into knots of excuses and explanations over the food you make. When one's hostess starts in with self-deprecations such as "Oh, I don't know how to cook...," or "Poor little me...," or "This may taste awful...," it is so dreadful to have to reassure her that everything is delicious and fine, whether it is or not. Besides, such admissions only draw attention to one's shortcomings (or self-perceived shortcomings), and make the other person think, "Yes, you're right, this really is an awful meal!" Maybe the cat has fallen into the stew, or the lettuce has frozen, or the cake has collapsed -- eh bien, tant pis! Usually one's cooking is better than one thinks it is. And if the food is truly vile, as my ersatz eggs Florentine surely were, then the cook must simply grit her teeth and bear it with a smile -- and learn from her mistakes.”

 Such good advice. 

“You never forget a beautiful thing that you have made,' [Chef Bugnard] said. 'Even after you eat it, it stays with you - always.” 

This is so completely true.  There is so much joy to be found in creating. 

“...no one is born a great cook, one learns by doing.”

If she, in her later 30s, discovered her love of French cooking, why can't I continue to discover my passions?  Being passionate about something makes me feel alive but it takes bravery to pursue. 

“This is my invariable advice to people: Learn how to cook- try new recipes, learn from your mistakes, be fearless, and above all have fun!” 

The curse of the PP

According to Heber, his church pants are cursed.  As he said, "the curse of the piddle pants."

On Friday we picked up a pair of Heb's dress pants that have been at the cleaners for a while.  Ok, so it took him a few weeks to get them there and a couple to pick them up.  Heber and I have never been very good at drycleaning things.

For the second time in a row, Leo has leaked all over his newly cleaned pants.  The first time was weeks before that led to dropping them off at the cleaners and the second was just this last sunday. 

We were sitting in church and I looked over and thought, my those pants look wet.  Leo has been drooling alot lately but that couldn't be it, right?

Oh no.  It was leakage.  Leakage in a very unfortunate location for Heber.  It may have appeared that Heb had had an accident.  He. He.

So now we are sending them back to the cleaners.  I'm waiting on the edge of my seat to see what happens next time he wears them.  

It's a good thing Leo's so cute.

Here's a shot of them together working on climbing stairs.

Seven

It was our anniversary last week.

In seven years we've:
- Had one baby Leo
- Moved 2,000 miles
- Visited three continents (Europe, Asia (both in Turkey) and South America(Peru))
- Experienced one Turkish bath
- Lived in three houses (an apartment, a condo and a townhome)
- Survived Logan winters and East coast humidity
- Had our car stolen and miraculously returned
- Graduated from college with 3 bachelors degrees and 2 masters degrees (whew).
- Acquired one table saw (in the garage)
- Worked at  more than 12 jobs (between the two of us)
- Spent countless evenings with friends (all across the country)
- Visited Oregon three times
- Joined an Irish dancing team and Heb took up the guitar
- Watched every episode of the Big Bang Theory
- Had so many fun adventures (San Francisco, Las Vegas, Williamsburg, Gettysburg, Monticello.......)
- Had only one car accident (stupid fender bender)
- Acquired more computers that people in our family (5 - one from work, a netbook, an old laptop, my new laptop and a desktop - not counting the 2 desktop set ups that were given  to me and regiven ages ago)
- Laughed and talked together
- Loved each other even more than the year before
- Experienced ups and downs but done it together

Marrying Heber was the best choice I ever made.  It's been good.

Christmas 2005

Putting in some stairs in our first apartment.

Heb's undergraduate graduation

Waiting for Leo.  Fall 2011

Ephesus, 2010

Night hike to the Wind Caves

Celtic Dancing 2011

San Fran, 2006

Sports

I am not a huge sports fan.  Never have been.  In fact, there have been times when I wondered why so much effort and emphasis is placed on sports, especially in college.  Of course, ALL of the years I was at USU, our football team was pretty dismal.  There was one season where they didn't even score a touchdown (let alone win) for four games.  No touchdowns.  Wow. 

This weekend, the USU football team beat U of U.  Did I watch the game?  No.  Did I really know it was happening until chatter started on facebook? No.  But, when I saw that USU had finally won after 12 years of losing, I felt proud.  I felt quite the camaraderie with my fellow Aggies all over the world.  I even broke down and watched some sports center to see the highlights from the game.  And in that moment, I wished I was there in the stadium watching the game, as we did so many times before.

Us at a football game in 2008.

I guess I can see that sports bring unity, spirit, pride.  You aren't really going to celebrate an excellent research project or an aced test...no, the broader community is brought together through sports.  I guess that makes sense.

Perhaps people need something to root for, to get behind together.  When you root for a team, you are a part of something.  Well, today I am rooting for my team.  Way to go Aggies on the win!
 

Unexpected Days

Yesterday was one of those really unexpected days.  You know, the ones that take you on an adventure.

I was home and Leo and I were just hanging out. I hopped on facebook and saw a post from an old Logan friend.  He's a pilot that, due to a flight change, was in DC.  I commented on the post and said that we should all get together next time he's in town.  He says, "If you can make it out I'd love for you and the little guy to join Heber and me."

What?  They're arranged to have lunch?  I call Heb and 10 minutes later I'm on the road. 

We met and had lunch at Eastern Market.  It was a quick bite but it was so fun to see a friend from the old days. 

Leo and his buddy

Leo had a friend drop by today.  Zach and Leo spent the afternoon drooling, playing with toys and eating peaches. 

I don't know why I love the pictures of Leo with his little buddies.  They always crack me up.