Twenty-three

A few weeks ago I turned 23. The day before that, I heard Taylor Swift's song 22. And I laughed because that is not at all how 22 was for me. This is just my opinion, but maybe that song should be called "16". But I suppose there are far more single and wild 22 year-olds than there are married and tame, such as myself.

This tree in our yard bloomed just for me on my birthday :)

Anyway, here is a jumble of thoughts about how I feel about where I am in life and things I have learned.

I love that I have come to appreciate the outdoors so much. I find so much joy when I am in the mountains, among the tall trees.

I have come to appreciate simple clothing style. Some of this has come from breastfeeding and being a mom. But putting on jeans, a zip-up base layer and moccasins is just the best. And it just makes the occasional excuse to dress up all pretty even more fun.

I love being a mom. Bridger is a true source of joy. I'm not perfect at parenting but I put my heart and soul into it.

Getting married to Nate is bottom-line the best decision I have ever made. I am expanded and strengthened because of him. Pulling in close to him every night to talk about our little family, our dreams and ideas is my favorite.

Less is more. Having fewer possessions has been so freeing for me. I try to only bring things into my own that are meaningful, useful or beautiful.

Bring a raincoat. Being prepared with the right equipment in every situation makes it all run smoother.

Thinking back to when I planned to travel the world and be a business woman and not get married until I was at least 25...sometimes I have a little wanderlust and wish I could just skip over to Switzerland for a week. But the thing is, the things that bring me joy, bring me more joy when I share them with my family.  I'm glad I married young. Becoming the woman I want to be has been facilitated by my sweet husband. He constantly encourages me to experience more and learn new things.

I am so happy with the life I have. I am truly blessed. Here's to an awesome year! Bring it on 23!

Birthday Surprise

I came home from work on Friday to find Nate with my bag packed for a night away! So sweet. Our cousin-friends Scott and Ericka had a 2 bedroom suite booked in Midway and they were sweet enough to let us join in on the fun.

We had fun shopping at the outlets in Park City where I picked out my birthday present--a new maxi dress of course. (Dress pajamas. I can't get enough). And Nate bought clothes for himself for the first time in like 50 years.  Also, I got a robe I have been wanting for a while. You know you are pregnant when you get super excited about a bathrobe. Pathetic :)

We explored Park City a little bit and found a place to eat--The Eating Establishment. Apparently it's been featured on the Food Network. Fancy. With the waiter's advice, I got their veggie burger....with bacon. So so good ;) Then we ate junk like Swiss Rolls as we watched a movie later that night.

It was so nice to sleep in and just enjoy having no plans. We ended up exploring downtown Midway which is really cute and quaint. We happened across an estate sale. I should have taken a photo of the house. I am pretty sure it was built by pioneers. It looked something like this:

Midway is full of sweet old houses like this one.

I really wanted one of these hurricane lamps! And I don't think this stove was for sale, but isn't it rad??

We also happened across a used bookstore, ReBook. I got If You Give a Moose a Muffin, Arthur's Nose and The House that Had Enough all for less than $5. Sweet!

Thanks for a lovely birthday weekend to my husband and S & E! :)


P.S. Also, Nate got me these amazing chocolates from Amano Chocolates. They are so pretty, it was hard to eat them! But they are DELICIOUS!

22

Happy Birthday to Me!

A list of 22 things I grateful for on this 22nd birthday of mine.

1. Sweet little baby kicks in the morning when I wake up.
2. My husband. It will just embarrass him if I elaborate. So I won't.
3. My fantastic family.
4. Also, the loving family I married into. I really scored in that department.
5. The Gospel of Jesus Christ.
6. Temple marriage.
7. The joy of being barefoot in the summer.
8. Watermelon.
9. Cheesecake.
10. Cake pops.
11. My education.
12. Quotes like this.
13. Articles like this.
14. Birthday packages.
15. Good reminders like this.
16. Our teeny little apartment.
17. The big box of baby clothes in my closet. We are so blessed.
18. The other box of baby blankets in my closet.  Can't wait to cuddle him in those!
19. My new bathrobe :)
20. This video.
21. The past 22 years of happiness.
22. The potential for an eternity of happiness!

Sam's Creamy Pasta Sauce

When I was single and living with my lovely roommates, Sam would often whip up a creamy pasta sauce for everyone. I remember it being really easy, so I tried it last night and it was easy! This is perfect for a college student or anyone else who likes easy recipes with few ingredients.
(Sorry for the crummy phone photos, my camera is in Yellowstone with Nate.)

Here's how to do it:

First, put on your fancy apron. Isn't this Anthro one adorable?! I kind of want to wear it all the time. Thanks to Leigh Anna for such a fabulous birthday gift for a wanna-be cook!

What you'll need:
1 package of cream cheese
1 can of cream of chicken
1 can of milk
1 can of creamed corn
garlic salt to taste
pepper to taste

Here's the easy part:
Dump it all in a pan and let it come to a boil.
(I used a wooden spoon to cut up the cream cheese so it would cook evenly. I bet it would be better to already have your cream cheese at room temperature.)
Turn back the heat to let it simmer.
Stir with a whisk to get the chunks out.
Simmer until creamy!

I used rotini noodles simply because that's what we had, but I think angel hair is would be best. I also grilled some chicken that I added to the sauce after it was done.

Enjoy your finished product in a pretty bowl with apple juice.

And hopefully you are not eating alone like I was last night.
This is the last week of Nate's geology field camps! Wa-hoo!

P.S. I just ate these as leftovers for lunch today and I think it might be even better a day later!

Birthday week: Polaroid!

After hours of relentless hints, I begged Nate to let me open my birthday present early. He was so excited to give it to me. (And rightly so, he may not be able to get anything this cool for me for awhile ;) He had packaged it so nicely in brown paper and yellow string, but I was too excited to take time for a photo. But when I opened it, I found my dreams were once again fulfilled by Nate. A vintage Polaroid camera and film. I won't say how much it cost, but let's just say we are eating sandwiches for the next while.
There are only 10 exposures, so we are carefully planning each one. Well sort of. This camera is a little tricky and we already took two accidental shots. One that actually turned out kind of cool, and the other of our ceiling.

These don't scan terribly well, but it gives you an idea! I love this camera!

People I Love: Leah

Leah Stoutamire

(Leah is on the right, Lissa on the left)

Leah is one of my oldest and best friends.

We survived several years of Girls Campy and Youth Conference together.

We gained testimonies of the Gospel of Jesus Christ together.

We learned the meaning of laughter together.

Leah can make anyone laugh.

She has always been right there when I really needed a good friend.

She is one of the best people I know.

I honestly don't know who I would be without her friendship.

Happy birthday Leah!