At Home on the Farm

Over the weekend, I took a little blog vacation while the DH and I visited his sister and brother-in-law. They live outside Hermiston, OR in a town called Stanfield. It's beautiful country. They live on the outskirts of town with proporty along the river and plenty of space for the chickens to roam and to have orchards and more garden than anyone I've ever seen without having a full-fledged farm.

The area is surrounded by fields of hay and alfalfa. They grow tomatoes, potatoes, squash, cucumbers, raspberries, peppers of all sorts, apples, and pears. While we were there, we spent most of the time just enjoying each other's company, but we also got some time out in the garden. I enjoyed picking rasperries (at least sort of) and was reminded of how poorly I do it. My mom used to go out after I said I'd picked all the raspberries in the back yard and then come back with half again as many as I'd picked in the first place. I love being out in the garden and seeing everything growing. I think I could really enjoy the rural life in a lot of ways. Then I think about all that work. I'm not one to shirk the work, but I'm no good at bending over picking weeds, thinning vegetables, and harvesting produce all day. I was good for more than an hour, but not for the day and certainly not long enough to be of great use out there.

I think I'd be most comfortable as the one taking care of all the produce when it's brought into the house. I had a great time last night cutting watermelon and canteloupe, grating zucchini, cleaning berries, making more zucchini bread, and trying out a new mini-cobbler recipe with some raspberries. Today, I'm looking forward to processing some tomatoes (after eating a few of them). I'd be happy to make a nice lunch and dinner and lots of yummy treats for anyone with the stamina to work all day in the garden. Doing that, I'd feel right at home on the farm.

Annzy's Visit

I had the rare pleasure of my sister Annzy visiting for the weekend. She showed up Thursday evening and we played until she left on Sunday afternoon. The highlight of the weekend for me was disecting Julie & Julia. I'll post more on that another day, but it was great to talk to Annzy about it and think about the movie and its message.

I also loved shopping with Annzy. She's a pro! We enjoyed U Village, the Phinney Ridge Farmer's Market, Pike Place Market, K-Mart, and the grocery store. Every trip was better with Annzy there. Of course, the best was the trip to K-Mart. It's always an adventure there. We discovered that the Martha Stewart line seems to be going out. That's a bummer. We also found silly gadgets that we discovered we couldn't live without. Who knew? I'm not sure how I survived until Saturday without that meat thermometer that I picked up.

It was super fun to hang with the family here and see how excited the nephew was to have Annzy there to show off his stuff to. He's such a great kid! I was fascinated by his interest in rocks (and the brother's ability to answer the tough questions). It was like a Geology test that I would have flunked. Good times! The Brother passed with flying colors, though.

The final highlight was making Onion Tartlets with Annzy. We got the Farm Chicks cookbook for her at Powell's when we were there a few weeks ago and the cookbook is loads of fun. We had brunch with the family, so Onion Tartlets seemed like a good choice for that. Even though they may sound wierd to some of you, they really taste wonderful and are a good savory addition to any menu. They were pretty easy and super yummy. We all agreed that bacon bits could be a welcome addition to the recipe, but they were great without too.

Annzy! Send me the recipe! I must post it here for my bloggy friends to try!

Twilight Fun

While the nieces were here, we headed to the peninsula and went to the Hoh rain forest, Rialto Beach, and Forks.

Anyone who has read the Twilight series of books knows that the story takes place in Forks, WA. It's a little hole in the wall town, but still fun to go see.

I'm happy to go to Forks, but mostly because I really like the rain forest and beach and Forks is on the way.

Enjoy this lovely little spoof on Twilight if you have time for it:

Weekend Away...

This weekend was the DH's company picnic. His generous company pays for everyone to travel to Portland and puts everyone up in a hotel for one night. So, Saturday morning, we headed South to Portland. It took us just over three hours to get there and traffic wasn't too bad. We went to the picnic where we enjoyed the heat, had very good food, played some games, and enjoyed a lot of good company. We had a really nice time, but finally gave up when we were just too hot. At that point, we went and checked into the hotel and had a rest in the air-conditioned room.

That evening, we went with the Stahl's to shop at Powell's Books and then out to dinner. We had a great time at Powell's and didn't quite break the bank. The DH and I both found a couple of books we wanted. Annzy called at the most opportune time and even she got a book in the process. it was actually kind of funny. She wanted a cookbook that she didn't know the name of. She gave me a brief description that I gave to one of the people there, who quickly handed me the exact book she wanted. I love a bookstore where the people working there actually know the books.

We then went to dinner at Clyde Common, recommended by one of our Mathlete friends. It was a really great choice and all four of us were very happy with all the food we had. My only regret was that we were too full for dessert. I guess that's not exactly a problem though.

We got up and had to get breakfast before heading out of town, so we went to get the best breakfast around at Mother's Bistro. Fortunately, we beat the rush and were able to enjoy fantastic food again.

Of course, it's good to be home again, but we had a great time on our mini-excursion.

Holiday Weekend

Last weekend, the DH and I took a much needed vacation. It was my birthday, so I told the DH that I really wanted to visit Granny (my paternal grandmother) for my birthday. She lives in Idaho Falls, ID, so it took some planning, but we got to have a great visit with her.

We started our vacation by flying to Boise. I got to visit with my old friend Rochelle (who I've known since 4th grade) and then we had dinner with my friend Andrea (who I've known since I was 2) and her husband. After dinner, we played games with Andrea, Ben, and my parents. It was a wonderful way to spend a day.

On Saturday, we celebrated my birthday by eating cake and ice cream for breakfast. I did some sewing and then we went to Five Guys for hamburgers (YUM-O!) for lunch and headed out to the freeway to go to Idaho Falls. We got there around 6:00 and went to cousin Aaron's house for a nice BBQ dinner with almost all the Turner clan. It was great to catch up with Aunt Beth and Uncle Bob and see what all the boys and their significant others are up to. After dinner, we went to Granny's place and visited for a couple hours before heading back to Aaron's for a few fireworks and a good night's sleep.

On Sunday, Aaron made Abelskivers for breakfast before we went back to visit with Granny again. It was such a delight to talk to Granny, hear her stories, and enjoy her great attitude. I don't know many people who just turned 93 who are so pleasant to be around. I'm very thankful for such a wonderful example in Granny. After that short visit, we headed back out of town, but on the highway instead of the freeway. Our next stop was Craters of the Moon National Monument. The DH had heard about it and really wanted to go. The nicest surprise about the trip was how green and lush everything was and we loved seeing all the wild flowers. It's been an unusually wet spring in Idaho, so the flowers are in bloom much later than usual. We explored the lava flows, cones, and tubes and met a lot of nice people along the way. If you're ever planning to drive to Yellowstone or Teton National Park, it's definitely worth the detour to see Craters of the Moon. From there, we headed to Sun Valley where we checked out the town and spent the night.

On Monday, we drove up through Galena Summit where we saw a spectacular view of the Sawtooth mountains. It really was an amazing view. From there, we went to Redfish Lake and took a turn about the lake and tried out the fishing. The fish weren't biting, but I didn't care. It was so lovely and peaceful that I enjoyed myself entirely without caring about the fish. From there, we headed through Stanley and Lowman and then over through Garden Valley to Hwy 55 and back to Boise. We had a great visit with my brother and sister and their kids and then went to bed tired. It had been a great drive around the southern part of the state.

On Tuesday, I finished up my sewing and we had lunch with the whole family before heading back to Seattle. I was reminded why I miss Idaho and the DH was introduced to new landscapes that he really enjoyed as well. On our last day in Boise, we started planning our next road trip. We think the next one might be in southern Utah. We'll see!

My Fun Weekend

I realize that it's been a few days since my return, but I still need to catch up on the fun weekend I had last week.

It started with a flight to Salt Lake on Wednesday evening and then a drive to Springville to visit Camille and her brood. It was great to see all her kids. They're growing up into such great people.

On Thursday morning, we left Springville for Provo and the BYU Women's Conference. I had some trouble sitting for long periods of time in the stadium seats, but other than that, it was really wonderful. We heard some great, uplifting presentations and went away from the day spiritually full. That evening, we went to Jason's Deli for dinner and then to the Scera Playhouse to watch Thoroughly Modern Millie. It was such a fun show! Diana's father-in-law did the sets, so we got comped tickets and it would have been worth it even if we'd paid full price. It was a little different from the movie and just as fun. It was also great that Ann joined us for the evening.

On Friday, we had more Women's Conference and I also spent the middle of the day with my old friend Browynn. We were best friends during our freshmen year at BYU while we were both totally engrossed in the music program there. When we were in school, we'd meet up in the main lobby of the HFAC and then wander over to the CougarEat for lunch and laughter. For this day, we just met at a local restaurant and then spent a couple of hours remembering those days and catching up on what we've been doing in the interim. Browynn has six (yes, six!) kids and lives outside Lehi now. We talked of struggles and joys and everything in between. I had such a nice time, I almost didn't want to leave. However, I knew more fun people were waiting for me back at BYU. We finished off the Women's Conference that afternoon and then drove up to Heber City in the canyon and checked into a condo there and then went out for dinner. We talked and laughed and had a great time staying up too late.

On Saturday, we stared with an early lunch at the Zermatt resort and then went into Park City. Ann, Camille, Karen, and I went for pedicures, then met up with the rest of the ladies at the outlet malls. We took a break for a movie (the forgettable Ghosts of Girlfriends Past) and then went back to the outlets until they closed. After that, we went to dinner and then back to the condo for more talking and laughing.

On Sunday, we ended our stay in Heber with a huge buffet brunch at the Zermatt resort. It was the best meal I've had in ages. We really enjoyed it, too.

Then we drove down to Salt Lake and walked around temple square. It was gorgeous! The flowers were beautiful and we got a bit of a break from the rain while we were there, so we could really enjoy it. Then Shannon, Gwen, and I were off to the airport and had to bid the Dixon women goodbye. It was sad to leave, but we had such a great time and I was really missing the DH by then.









While I was waiting for my plane in the airport, I was sitting by a window when a huge storm rolled through. The rainbow at the end was beautiful! The picture doesn't quite do it justice, but it was a wonderful end to a great weekend.

Watermelon, Finally!

We had a VERY busy weekend, but lots of fun none the less. We went to the temple with the ward on Friday night, visited with a bunch of our friends afterwards until late in the evening, and then had a short night.

Saturday morning, we got up and headed Southeast to Hermiston. On the way there, I crocheted around this blanket:

The DH chose the fabric because it's for his grandson, due to make his entrance into the world in October. He kept hounding me about getting it done in time. It was a piece of cake.

We got to The DH's sister's house around 4:00 in the afternoon and got to see the outstanding watermelon's and canteloupe that Gus found for us at a farm. We also got to take a tour of his vegetable garden and see (and taste) some of the great produce he's growing. That evening took Gus and Shannon out for Gus' birthday and ate wonderful Thai food. Mmm!

On Sunday, we went to church with Gus and Shannon and then hung out with them and helped prepare for the birthday party. Gus smoked three chickens and gave us one of them to take home with us. They were SO good! We had a really nice time at the party and got to hang out with their wonderful friends and family. After the party, we left with watermelon, canteloupe, frozen chickens, eggs, one smoked chicken, green peppers, and leftovers from the party.

On the way home, I crocheted around this blanket:

I chose this fabric and I think it will be fun for my co-worker's little boy due later this year.

We got home pretty late on Sunday night, so we were totally beat on Monday morning, but it was worth it to have some quality family time.

Mama Mia!

I'm in Boise right now, for a quick trip to see a movie with the girls. I guess it's a pretty expensive movie when you think about it that way. Let's not think about it that way. It's also a trip to see my cute nieces and nephews, eat home-grown tomatoes, and see Mama Mia.

The trip to Boise was quick and easy. I ended up sitting next to my doctor on the plane. It's so very odd to see people completely out of context, but my doctor is pretty cool and it was a fine flight. When I got to Boise, Mom, Whitney, Annzy, and I went out to lunch for pizza, pasta, and salad. The food was yummy and the company was even better. As long as we were out, we thought we might as well check out Lee's Candies and Anthropology. Then we headed out to the movies.

Mama Mia! was exactly what I was expecting, and I really enjoyed it. The story is basically a bunch of ABBA songs tied together with a plot line. The story is sweet and the characters are all two-dimensional and the music (if you like ABBA) is great. What really makes this movie work is that it never takes itself seriously. From the very beginning, it's fun and funny. Everyone does a lot of singing and dancing and it works, as long as you aren't looking for Oscar worthy performances. Meryl Streep did a great job with the singing and the dancing and the acting. She's so versatile, it's just amazing. Pierce Brosnan, however, CANNOT SING. His singing was almost painful to hear, but it just worked with the humor of the movie. Then, the credits were hysterical. All the main actors were in the super glitzy 70's type costumes singing the ABBA songs and hamming it up. Priceless!


We also ended up seeing Penelope later that evening on video. It's another movie I can highly recommend. I think it was in the theatres for about 10 minutes, but the movie was great. It's also appropriate for almost any age. Even Brooke (at 3) seemed to enjoy it.

Today, we're hanging out and I'm working on a little project. I'll post pictures later. Oh -- and the best part of the trip comes later this afternoon when my mom makes my all-time favorite dinner. I'm really looking forward to that.

The Peninsula

While Aimes and Annzy were here, we took a quick trip out to the peninsula. We started with the ferry crossing from Edmonds to Kingston and then drove all the way out to the Hoh Rain Forest. I think it's one of the most interesting and beautiful place I've been. Our world is such an amazing place!

This is a pictureu of the amazing foliage. Even the plants in the water were beautiful.
Then we went to Rialto beach. It's pretty far North and not like a California or even Oregon beach. Close to the water, there is course dark sand, then above the surf line, there are small round rocks. The other amazing thing is that the drift wood is made up of whole trees. Most of them were a foot or two accross, but some were three to five feet accross and 20 or 30 feet long. I can only imagine the weather that coughs those trees out of the water. It also reminded me of the book Snow Falling on Cedars. It may have been the mistiness of the evening, but I couldn't get that out of my head.
On Sunday, we went to Hurricate Ridge in the Olympic range. The drive was a small winding road and the view was really nice the whole way up. When we got to the top, it just got better. I think we picked a good time of year too. There were flowers in bloom, snow on the mountains, and lots of green.
We had a lot of fun and I'm still catching up on my sleep. Aimes and Ann, you can come visit any time!

Brush With Fame

While Amy and Ann were here, we took a road trip. I'll post more about the whole adventure later, but this post is about our brush with fame.

When we stopped for lunch in Forks, WA, we stopped by the place with a line before finally deciding on Mexican. As we were going into the restaurant, another big car drove up and a bunch of adults and kids got out. Then who do we see, but Mario Batali! (He's a chef on the Food Channel with his own show and often appears on Iron Chef.) He was even wearing his signature orange crocks.

Mario and his party sat at the table next to ours while we ate Mexican food. It's the closest I've come to meeting a real celbrity.

A Happy 4th of July!

It's been a really happy (birth)day, full of fun activities. We started off with presents -- super fun! The DH got me a few gift certificates, some lovely jewelry, and two beautiful pieces of pottery. He did such a great job of finding things that I love. I'm impressed, especially since he was acting like he didn't know what to get me at all, and didn't need any of the ideas that I gave him. He's a reall keeper, that one!

The DH and I and Annzy and her friend Amy made our first stop of the day at Mae's Phinney Ridge Cafe for breakfast. We did take a detour past two other breakfast places that were closed, but Mae's has great food, so we won in the end. We had great service and great food. Maybe next time, I'll even try their famous cinnamon rolls.

We then headed down town and went to the Pike Street Market before heading to the Mariner's game. We had a lot of fun at the game. The weather was great and we all got a little more sun than we needed. Our red noses are really cute. The Mariner's even won, which is only a little unusual these days.

After the game, we met Colin, Sam, and Max for a yummy dinner with birthday cake (and other yummy treats) for dessert at Gordon Biersch before heading to the Indiana Jones movie. We all like the movie (no matter how outlandish and impossible the plot may get).

We then ended the day by watching fireworks on Elliot Bay. We didn't know where they were going to be, so we didn't select the best place for watching, but we were able to move to where we could mostly see them. The good news is that we know exactly where they are now, so we can get front row seats next year. Then, when we got home, we found flowers from Bop and Beep on the doorstep. Fantastic! Those are the flowers in the vase that the DH gave me.

Now it's late and I'm off to bed. It's been a lovely birthday!

At the Beach

After a night and part of day in Portland, the DH, Annzy, and I headed to Cannon Beach, OR for fun with the family. The first thing we did when we arrived was have Pizza with the family and then later that evening we went to the beach and had a bonfire and s'mores. I loves me some s'mores!

On Thursday, we hung out at the beach and took pictures in the awesome shirts that Kinsey made. I liked the Pit Tournament T's she made for the adults, but the tie-dies for the kids were fantastic! She did such a nice job and you would think they were professionally done at a T-shirt shop. We then spent some time in town while most folks went to the Tilumook Cheese Factory and to the Flight Museum. We didn't want to watch chease being made. That evening though, we had a big birthday bash for my Dad, who turned 70 this year! How did that happen? It seams old, but he doesn't act that old at all. It was fun to have everyone together to celebrate his birthday and Whitney and my Mom worked together to put together a really cool book with notes from all of us and fun picutres. It was a wonderful gift and turned out beautifully. My Mom had something for each of us as well. She had shirts made up for each of her kids that said "Mom likes me best" on them. It was great! She also made re-usable shopping bags for us.

On Friday, we played on the beach some more and went into Seaside with Mackenzie and Abby. We decided that Seaside wasn't all that great, but we enjoyed our Bee Bop lunch. We also had fun playing Cookin' Mama with the neices and nephews and playing in the pool. It was a little cold for actually playing in the ocean. We'll leave that to tropical locations.

On Saturday, it was really more of the same. We had great food, more fun, and enjoyed the company of the family. We were also lucky that the first rain of our trip didn't fall until Saturday evening. The rest of the time was beautiful. Saturday also included the annual Robertson Family Pit tournament. I remember learning to play Pit at Granny's house (my paternal grandmother) when I was pretty young. The adults played frequently and I loved it. We would go back and forth between the yelling version of the game and the silent version. Good times! The worst part was that Jason won AGAIN! It's like he has some secret weapon. He got the trophy and the rest of us left empty handed. Until next time.

Then on Sunday, we packed up and went to Camp 18 for breakfast. It was really fun and the food was good -- and there was more than enough of it. The cinnamon rolls taste great and they're almost as big as a dinner plate. WOW! We then bid goodbye to the Robertson clan until we see them next time.

A good time was had by all.

Home Again, Home Again, Jiggity-Jig

We spent five days with my entire family at Cannon Beach on the Oregon Coast last week. It was great fun and we had a nice break from the daily grind. It's funny how I'm always so glad to get a way on vacation, but then so glad to be back at home sleeping in my own bed. Although we've been home for a few days already, we've been so busy that it's been hard to get back to regular blogging.

One of the highlights of our trip (for me at least) was our breakfast in Portland on Wednesday morning. The DH and I drove to Portland Tuesday evening, spent the night in the Marriott by the airport, and then picked up Annzy when her flight came in on Wednesday morning. The three of us then went to Mother's Bistro & Bar. OH MY!!! I ate the best bisquits and gravy I've ever eaten. Mother brings breakfast to a new level and that level is fantastic. I think the DH loved his walnut pancakes too. Instead of sprinkling walnuts on top, they mixed them into the batter. The pancakes were dense with them. He loved it (and I didn't even taste them, since I don't eat walnuts).

After breakfast, we went to Powell's Books to peruse the aisles. I bought David Sedaris' new book (but I haven't read any of it yet) and the DH bought a couple of books and even read them when we were at Cannon Beach. I was very happy that he had a good bookstore experience and was entertained by the books later that week. Yay for bookstores! Annzy also picked up some good stuff, including an America's Test Kitchen cook book.

After that, we went to the Hawthorne District and then to Trader Joe's and headed for the beach. We were almost the last to arrive, but we got there before dinner time and not too long after check-in time, so I thought we did well.

More about the beach later!

Funk-O-Mart

Yesterday I spent some time exploring more of the city of Philadelphia. I started with another lunch at the Reeding Terminal Market, this time with no creatures in sight. I ate at Delilah's, which is down home southern food. The mac n cheese and the cornbread were both fantastic.

I walked down Market Street to go see some of the historical sights in Philadelphia and on the way, I saw the FUNK-O-MART on the other side of the street. If you're in the market for more funk, this is the place. It's actually a record store specializing in '60s and '70s vinyl. I just thought the name was hysterical.

I also went and saw the Liberty Bell, the 2nd Bank of the United States, and Independance Hall. I'll write more on those later when I can download my pictures. For now, just think about how much more funk you have now that I've shared this with you.

All-Natural Appetite Suppresant

I'm here in Philadelphia this week attending a conference. It's the Society of Technical Communication's annual event and it's in our constitution's birthplace this year. The city is really pretty cool and I'm staying at a hotel that's right in the middle of things. It's a great location. The block between the hotel and the convention center houses the Reading Terminal Market. It's a lot like Pike Place Market with lots of interesting shops and such.

Today for lunch, I took a detour into the market. I always enjoy the frenetic energy in public markets and this one did not disappoint. I really did enjoy the fish mongers, bakers, and candy makers in the market.

Since it was lunch time, I decided to sit down at the Down Home Diner. I sat at the counter and ate grilled cheese with a side of fried potatoes. Now here's where it gets interesting. I'm eating my sandwich (and it was yummy -- all gooey cheese on delicious whole-grain bread) and looking forward at the wall below the pass-through window by the soda machine and what do I see, but a little old cockroach. Just yuck. I mean, I know it's a big ol' market and all, but I did not need to see that. I wasn't very hungry any more after that.

Cabbies

I made a quick trip to Washington D.C. for work this week and there were some very entertaining moments. The best were the two cab rides I took, to and from the airport. I was staying in Silver Spring, MD and flying in and out of Dulles, so it was about a 30 mile trip each way.

The cab from the airport on Wednesday was driven by an older gentleman who was a native of India. He drove a very clean and well-kept cab and was also very well-dressed himself. When we started out on the drive, he told me all about the big news for the day -- the Oil moguls on trial in Washingtong! He talked about the price of gas hitting $135/barrel and American Airlines starting to charge $15 per bag on domestic flights. All were an outrage. He went on to talk about how cab fares have not risen in years and that it's close to impossible to make a living at it now. I have to admit that I felt for him. He was driving me all the way to Silver Spring and would have to drive the return trip empty. The trip was almost 90 minutes, so I got quite the earful.

On my return trip to Dulles, I was driven by a gentleman from Camaroon. He started the drive by asking if I was familiar with African music. I'm not such a world music aficionado so I said no. He then told me that he would play two CDs for me and find out which one I like best. The first CD was all in French and it was pretty good music. Jacques told me the name of the artist, but I couldn't quite understand the name. The entertaining part of this music appreciation adventure, however, was the commentary. I got the whole back story on every song. One song was about how every woman and every man in Camaroon want to be with a white man or woman. Another was about a woman who's husband left to work in another country so she put a lock on her knees. Another was about a priest who goes to France and starts to do all kinds of things preists shouldn't do. The last one was about how a man needs to be busy working and living and loving or he will get depressed. I then heard the first two songs of the second CD, but didn't have a chance to vote since we got to the airport in only 55 minutes.

I feel like I got a very cultural diverse experience going to the nation's capital, even though I never saw much more than the airport and a two-block section of Silver Spring. Adventure -- it's just a cab ride away!

Weekend Recap Part II

The rest of the weekend was spent shopping and eating and playing games. We had great food at Hattie's in Midway (I have to recommend the Swiss Onion Cream Soup) and a wonderful pizza place there too. I don't recall the name of the place, but Annzy and I shared a salad and a pizza and loved it.

We spent a good deal of time at the outlet mall and I ended up with a couple of sweaters, a jacket, and a couple of t-shirts. I still can't believe we were there for over four hours, but it's true. We all had tired feet by the time we were done. Annzy stayed and hung out with us for quite a bit of the evening and I'm so glad she got to have fun with us too. Family rocks!

I think the games were my favorite though. We played a really fun game called Sleeping Queens and then played a game that Diana and her family are working on called Catch and Release. I'll let you know when she get's it marketed and on the game store shelves. It was really fun and I'm sure it would be a hit.

The saddest part of the trip was leaving. I had such a great time with a wonderful group of women. The only thing that took the sting out was knowing I'd be back with the DH in only a couple hours.

I drove down the canyon by myself and was amazed as always at the beauty that is in that area. I love the Wasatch mountains and miss them when I don't get to see them often enough.

Weekend Recap Part I

My weekend started with a flight to Salt Lake. The flight was great because I sat by two fabulous ladies from my stake who were on their way to the Women's Conference as well. We had great conversations and it made the time race by. Then I picked up a rental car and headed to Camille's house. She and her three girls were all waiting up, in spite of the late hour. It was 11:30 by the time I got to their house. The men were all sleeping soundly, but I got to reconnect with the girls for an hour or so before going to bed. Camille's girls are all fabulous. It's been way too long since I saw them last and they are all growing into amazing women.

On Thursday, we went to the Women's Conference and met up with Camille's mom, sister, cousin, and other cousin. They're a great group of women that I had a blast with all weekend. The first thing we did that day was listen to Sheri Dew. She was actually the best speaker we heard the entire time and she was the first one of all. I find her to be very inspiring though. She has a no-nonsense way about her that just works for me. We also heard a bunch of other speakers and had a yummy lunch.

After the conference on Thursday we had Annzy hook up with us for dinner at a great little Mexican place on Center St. in Provo. Yummy! Then we went to see Baby Mama. I'll have to post my movie reviews separately, but I will tell you that one of the funniest things about the movie was watching certain people sleep through it.

On Friday, we went to more of the conference, but I skipped the middle presentations. The first presentation was by Sis. Beck (the General Relief Society President) and she gave a really nice talk about making sure that your home is a refuge. I like that idea a lot since I really enjoy being home. The later presentations were by a couple talking about marriage and then Pres. Monson. Pres. Monson's talk was sort of like a lot of his talks. He told some good stories, but it was nothing that really spoke to me.

During that time I was skipping sessions, I did some work that was on deadline for Friday and then shopped at the BYU bookstore. I didn't mean to spend as much time there as I did, but it was for a good cause. I bought the DH new sciptures and had to wait almost an hour for them to get printed with his name. They're really pretty. It's a quad with green leather cover. lovely!

That evening, we had dinner at Red Robin and then saw Made of Honor. After that, we went back to Camille's mom's house and laughed and talked and played games. It was great fun!

Taking Off

Last weekend, the DH ditched me for the opening day of fishing season and this weekend I'll be ditching him for BYU Women's Conference and fun with a bunch of girls. I'm flying out tonight and will be coming back on Sunday. I missed going to this the last two years in a row because our stake women's conference conflicted with the date. This year, I told them I was leaving either way, so we better have ours on a different weekend.

I can actually take or leave the women's conference, but it's a great opportunity to hang out with some of my favorite women. Camille was my best college roommate ever and we've stayed close all these years. I love her entire family as much as I do my own and always enjoy spending time with them. It's especially fun to spend time with just the women. I have just as much fun with Camille's mom and sister as I do with her, so we're bound to have a great time.

I'll report on all the details when I return!

Third Trip in Three Weeks

Rager made a comment about all of my posts ending with talk about sleeping in my own bed. It's true. I've been traveling a little too much and when I'm away, I dream about my own bed.

Now I'm in Anchorage. The good news is that this is, again, personal travel. The DH's oldest son turned 29 yesterday and we flew to Anchorage with his younger son to take part in the big surprise. We just showed up at the restaurant he and his wife and daughters were going to for his birthday dinner. It was a wonderful surprise and we had a really good dinner at Benihana in downtown Anchorage.

This morning, I ate reindeer sausage for breakfast. Seriously. it was pretty good, too. Now we're hanging out for the rest of the weekend in Alaska. It's my first visit to the state and I think it may not be the most beautiful time of year, but I'm still in awe of the mountains here. BEAUTIFUL! I thought Provo had the best mountain view, but I think Anchorage wins--especially since it has water on the other side, which is a special bonus.