Our First Snow!!!

October 27, 2009

It's snowing! Winter is officially here, well at least the weather is. It's been snowing ALL day and it's rather cold, brrrr! I made some bacon potato soup to warm us up. I'm starting 2 classes this week. I finished up my last class last Tuesday and did great, thankfully. Steve is still
working hard in his classes.

Last night we surprised Dave, Steve's dad, for his birthday. We invited them over to look at our new daybed, but secretly it was just a trick to get him over. We invited Rob over too, then waited for him to come inside w/ the lights off. As he walked in we all yelled "Surprise, Happy Birthday!" We made a chocolate cake w/ Swedish fish as a trim, since Dave loves to fish. We had ice cream and sparkling cider w/ the cake; it was great! Jeff came over just in time to sing to him, but had to leave shortly. We then played a couple games of Pig Pile, our new favorite game.

More condo updates....

Well, I've been busy all day cleaning and organizing our place. We got a daybed on Tueday, so we've put it together Wednesday after I got home from work. We also went and picked up a desk at Steve's parents. Then today we've been working on putting the guest bedroom/study room together. We've put up pictures and have been putting things away. We also just got some cute purple drapes, at Savers for $3 bucks each ....love it! Here are some pics.

Blessings of Temple Worship

Just thought I'd share this! Yesterday after work, Steve met me at the temple to do initiatories. We had to wait 30-45 minutes to get in, but it was definitely worth it. I picked up the scriptures and started to read where it opened up to, which was in the book of Abraham. I was reading in chapter 3 about Kolob and then turned the page to the facsimile no. 2. I usually just skip this part and keep reading, but I decided to read it for some reason. As I was reading it, I really started to understand it's message. All of those diagrams and symbols are basically talking about the temple. As I was sitting in the temple it really hit me of its symbolism; it was like my own little epiphany of the temple while is was in the Temple! http://scriptures.lds.org/en/abr/fac_2

I then went and did the initiatories. I had a name, Maria Diaz, which was from Spain from 1555! Talk about waiting a long time to get your work done! I also had one from South Africa, which was a first for me as well. It was pretty busy so we went kinda slow getting done, but it was nice taking our time and enjoying the Spirit in the Temple. Steve and I got done at about the same time so it was ok.

We then went home. Steve worked on some homework and I got caught up on emails. We then had our scripture study together and talked about what I read in the temple. We had a really good discussion again. Man I love the scriptures and the Temple!

Lagoon!!!!!

October 18, 2009

Yesterday we went to Lagoon w/ Steve's family. We decided to go there to celebrate October birthdays...Stacie, Diane, and Dave. We didn't get up there until 3:30pm or so. Steve and Dave were trimming the bushes in LuDean's yard and I was working on my paper.

When we got there we met up w/ everyone and hit up some rides. Since it's October they decorated for Halloween and called it Frightmare. They've added a lot of new rides since we were last there. Steve and I actually had our first official date at Lagoon...it kindof took us back in time just over a year ago, June 2008. We reminisced at the good times we had last year and how we just couldn't stop talking (surprisingly weird for a first date I know).

We stayed until 10 pm. We went on plenty of rides and watched the Hypnotist show; it was really funny! It took us a 45 minutes to get out of the parking lot though, which was a little frustrating. After ward we stopped by to see Stacie/Phil's new townhouse. It looked great! Overall it was a great day and I think everyone had a lot of fun. The weather was great, the company was great, what more could you ask for?

BBQ Crockpot Chicken

So while writing my paper I decided to make some BBQ Chicken. I didn't have chicken broth, so I just added a little water, and instead of cayene pepper I put in pepper spices, which gave it a little "zing." It actually turned out really yummy. I just cooked up some rice and poured it over it, along w/ some veggies as a side dish. I put the chicken in frozen on high for like 3 hrs and then shredded it right before eating it. Also.....I used what I had, which was only 2 chicken breasts, 1 can of tomatoes, 3/4 bottle of bbq sauce, and just spices. Check it out!



BBQ Crockpot Chicken Recipe


Ingredients
* 3 large chicken breasts (I use frozen)
* 1 bottle barbecue sauce
* 2 cans of tomatoes ( oregano basil garlic flavor)
* 1 large onion chopped
* 1 tsp garlic powder
* 1 tsp cayenne pepper
* chicken broth to cover chicken

Directions
1. put all ingredients in crockpot on low and cook for 8 hours
2. uncover for last hour to let sauce reduce and thicken

Changes....

October 12, 2009

What a week this has been! It's been busy but good to get things done. I think I'm starting to get this blog thing down, kinda ;) So, here's the week update.

Tuesday, I had the entire day off! I usually have class on my day off, but we switched to Wednesday since our teacher was out of town. So, Steve and I decided to get some errands done after he got home from school. We went over to the DMV and got his license renewed and mine officially changed to Utah, I know finally! I had to take a written test, but luckily it was open book. We then went on the other side of the building to switch my plates. While doing this we switched the title to my married name, took my dad off and put Steve on. It only cost us over $200 but we got it done!

Wednesday I got off work early in order to get to class in time. We actually got done w/ class early too, so Steve and I got to spend some time together. My class is just about over, I basically need to finish my paper and do the final next week. Steve's classes are also going well. He's been getting bogged down w/ one class in particular, so we decided it would be best to w/drawl from it. This way he can keep up w/ his other classes and not affect his gpa. The class isn't a prereq for other classes, so he can pick it up next semester no problem.

On Thursday after work, I went w/ Eve to Institute again and then volleyball. It was a lot of fun, like normal and we won. Steve invited Rob over and cooked up some steaks on his new BBQ.

Friday after work Steve surprised me w/ dinner. He had bbq'd chicken and made rice and corn; it was really good. We had dinner, then watched our favorite show, "Medium." We then headed over to Home Depot and got new locks for our main door and door knobs for our pantry, utility closet and laundry room. They look sooooooo much better! We also picked up a coat hanger, which we hung up by the front door.

On Saturday, Steve went up w/ Rob to the cabin to help chop wood. It's getting rather cold up at the cabin, so we're getting ready to winterize it. While he was gone, I worked on more research for my paper. After several hours I was done, so I went and picked up some groceries. When Steve got home we hurried and changed and made our way over to the temple to do initiatories.

On Sunday we walked over to church, just around the corner. It was our first time at our branch for the full block, though we didn't attend Sunday School. After sacrament meeting we have Relief Society/Priesthood, which was great. We then went to a new member meeting where they explained more on how things work. Steve and I will now be home/visiting teaching partners!!! Since our branch is so small and most are just married couples, they decided to do it this way. So we will be going together to visit 2-3 other couples. We then went to talk to the branch pres and ended up talking to him for about an hour. He also extended a call to us to be Branch Missionaries together! We are excited for this new call. Steve and I will not only be able to spend time w/ others in the branch, but w/ each other as well!

After church we made lunch, then went on a drive up to Guardsman's Pass where we got engaged 1 year ago. It was a beautiful drive full of fall colors and winter snow! The further up we went the cooler it got and the more snow we saw. We stopped by the spot where we got engaged, took a couple pictures, then got back inside since it was really cold! We then drove back down and took some more pics. We saw a moose w/ her baby and a snowman that someone had made.

We then stopped at Dave/Joann's. While we were there we invited them over for dinner, then hurried home to make dinner. We cooked up some steaks, baked potatoes and some fresh veggies. After dinner we had cookies and ice cream, then played some games. It was fun to have them over and for them to see our new updates. Earlier this week Steve put up our cupboard in the bathroom and coverings for our lights in the kitchen, both look great! Later that night I was feeling pretty sick to my stomach. Ironically Steve felt the same the night before. We're both feeling better now.

This morning I got stuck in traffic due to an accident on I-15 so I was late by 1/2 hr. Then Steve hurt his knee while at school. He somehow twisted it and pulled it out of socket. He had dislocated it 2 yrs ago and has been doing pretty good since then, but this morning really hurt, so we're going to get him into a doctor to look at.

Well, I hope all is well. Thanks for all your love and support. Love ya lots!

Penny and Steve ;)

Coupons!

I love coupons! I just went to Alibes and got all this for $35, which was a total savings of $115! It's great when you add coupons to store deals. This is what I got:

-2 Aunt Jennie Pancake Syrup
-4 Nestle cookie dough
-2 Welch's Juice
-1 Potato finisher
-1 Salad finisher
-4 boxes Pop Secret popcorn
-2-Aunt Jennie pancake mixes
-2 Sugars
-1 box Zataran rice
-4 boxes of pasta
-2 boxes Life cereal
-14 boxes Quaker chewy bars
-1 box glad cling wrap
-2 bags chocolate chips
-1 5lb bag of potatoes

Condo Updates

So we've be en making some updates on our condo lately, so Ithough t I'd share some pics w/ you.Here is the living room before we painted. This room and the second bedroom were the only rooms w/out the ugly peanut butter paint.

I wanted to add some color but nothing drastic so we did a light tan and a slightly darker tan for an accent wall behind the couches. This is the accent wall. We exchanged some of our wedding gifts to get these pictures.

The Kitchen, before and after......painted

green

Fall is Here

October 5, 2009

Well, I finally decided to start a blog. I figure this would be easier for all to not only hear what's happening in our lives, but also to see pictures as well. I hope this will be the best way to stay in contact, especially since everyone doesn't use Facebook ;)

As you can all tell, the weather is definitely changing. We are offically into fall! It has been quit cold these past couple days, even Steven has mentioned it's cold. Despite the colder weather, we've been staying busy with school and work. I had my midterm last week, which went really well luckily, and now only have 2 more weeks left. I need to get going on my huge paper that's due at the end. Steve has been staying busy as well, tests and tons of homework. He's still liking this semester better than last, but the amount of homework he gets isn't his favorite.

Steve had Thursday and Friday off from school, so I decided to switch my day off and have Friday off with him. Though it would have been nice to just relax, we had a lot of errands to run so we did that instead. We had to get both of our vehicles' oil changed, then I had my emission and inspection test done, along w/ putting on winter tires. We also went and took care of a cd that matured, and getting a signature guarantee in order to change my investment accounts to my married name (yes, I'm still working on that). We also went and picked up my title for my car in order to change my plates to Utah and get the title in my new name, put Steve on and take my dad off. I'm also going to finally switch my drivers license to Utah w/ my married name as well......big changes!

After that we hurried home to change and go to my mission reunion in Pleasant Grove. We left around 6 pm but didn't get there until around 8 pm. There was a football game going on at BYU vs Utah State so there was LOTS of traffic, which stunk. The reunion was really great though. There were a lot of missionaries I served with; it was great to see everyone and chat. We stayed a couple hours and chatted while we could, until we got kicked out ;)

On Saturday we slept in, and then watched conference. In the afternoon we were actually able to attend conference at the Conference Center. We luckily got tickets from our Branch President. We just rode the trax down to Temple Square, which made travelling a lot easier. It was a great session and neat to be so close to the Apostles. When we got back, we ate some soup that I had put in the crockpot (broccoli potato soup, yumm!). Steve then went to Priesthood w/ his dad, brother Jeff, and friend Rob while I stayed home and cleaned up. Afterwards, they showed up and I made popcorn while we watched Harry Potter on cable.

On Sunday, we watched conference again of course. It was nice to listen to the prophet's word and just feel the Spirit. My cousin Corinne and Jarom showed up in between sessions and we visited for a while. They had been here for the weekend from Boise for family events and were just on their way back home. After the second session of conference, we had my old companion, Sister Britney McPherron Graham and her husband Joe come over for dinner and games. Since Steve just got his BBQ a couple weeks ago, we decided to do a BBQ. Steve cooked up some hamburgers, hotdogs and chicken. I also put together a vegetable tray w/ dip. After dinner, we frosted sugar cookies w/ orange flavored frosting and put candy corn on top. It's a traditional activity my family has done since I was little (I love it!). We then played some games and chatted. It was really fun to have them over and catch up.

Steve and I have also been trying to put some finishing touches on our condo. We put up pictures, finally, in the living room and in our room as well. We also put up drapes in the living room. On Thursday I also went w/ Eve to Institute and then played volleyball w/ her single's ward. Since I'm not in the ward I had to get permission by our Branch Pres to play. It's definitely worth it though; I love volleyball. :)

Well, I hope all is well. Keep us posted. Love ya lots ;)