Just Me!

Accountability

2011-03-28T10:33:00.001-07:00

The time has come for me to be accountable to the many (5) followers of this blog. I am going to be working on my health and will be posting my results on here every two weeks. I will be including those unflattering, eye opening pictures t0 go along with it so that myself and others can see the progress. Just the thought of putting up pictures of my entire body is embarrassing and that means anyone who just happens to google across my blog can see ME and what I really look like and that is the thought that is helping me stay motivated. As my cute little niece says I am going to be "straight" for Lake Powell this year!!!

"No Spell Check" Project

2011-02-12T16:40:00.000-08:00

I was able to spend quite a bit of time in Seattle with my family over the holidays and loved every minute of it. Of course being the cool, single aunt I wanted to give all my niece's and nephews the best gifts and spoil them but, me like too many others are just making ends meet. Then the thought came to me of something I could give all of them that would not cost me a thing. I wanted to write each of them a letter with my love and testimony of the Gospel and my Savior. Well being in the business I am in I never got the time and we are not talking about writing the same letter to all 14 of them so it never happened.

I have now made it a goal for this year. I got off to a slow start but now that the first few have gone out and I have started to hear about the excitement and surprise, I think I may expand my list and include everyone I know. Technology has made it so the only thing we really receive in the mail anymore are bills and advertisements. The fun of going to the mail box and finding a personal letter from someone other than Ed McMahon just doesn't happen. So please be surprised if you go to the mail box one day and discover a letter from me to you. Know that I love you, think of you and pray for you!! Oh, and please look past all the spelling mistakes :)

Pure Love

2011-01-10T09:44:00.000-08:00

I have a wonderful friend named Brooke. She had the opportunity to speak in our sacrament meeting yesterday. It was a fantastic talk and there were many important things said that pricked me and I knew I needed to act upon them. The extraordinary thing is that they blended so well with the other things I wanted to work on this year. The spirit is a marvelous teacher, especially when we are listening and are willing to act upon the promptings and feelings we receive.
Brooke made a comment about her "service muscles" and how they were small. Brooke and I served in the relief society presidency back in our young single adult days and I know that her service muscle are not as "small" as she claims they are. Service was not the only element of the talk that got my attention the other big thing was Charity. This is something that I decided on my own to work on this year. I am not talking about the "casserole" kind of charity, as Sister Sherri Dew refers to it in several of her talks, but the kind of charity that "suffereth long, and is kind, and envieth not, and is not puffed up, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil, and rejoiceth not in iniquity but rejoiceth in the truth, beareth all things, believeth all things hopeth all things, endureth all things."(Moroni 7:45)
One of my resolutions is to practice a smaller part of charity until it has become a true part of me and then I will add another small part on to that and so on and so on. The first part I am going to tackle to is " not easily provoked".
As I was driving from Washington to Utah I had 14 hours to thing of how I wanted to accomplish this. I have prayed for more patience and for opportunities to practice. Wouldn't you know it the next day I am on my way to work and the roads were slick and a car pulls out right in front of me so I have to apply the breaks and hope to maintain control of my car and stay on the road. There was plenty of space behind me but he chose to cut me off. That started it and that little feeling was all Satan needed to get me to see everything else in a negative way. That same car then pulled up to a stop light where we were both turning right. There were no cars this time and he sat and waited until the cars that were a mile down the road had passed before he turned. I instantly started making loud comments and waving my hands in anger and that's when the thought came to me that I had a long and challenging road a head of me.
Most of the people, all 5, that follow this blog don't live in the area and are not here to witness whether or not I change or improve, but I am hope that it will be evident in the post that I write of my experiences trying.

And Christ hath said:

" If ye will have faith in me

ye shall have power to do

whatsoever thing is expedient in me."

Moroni 7:33

Give and Take

2010-07-21T17:04:00.000-07:00

It has been said that the Lord giveth and he taketh away. He can do it with may things like talents, money, people and lets not forget love. Of course I am talking about my relationship with Brett. The Lord did bless me, for a time, with a loving man who thought I was beautiful, smart, funny, (need I go on) and then He decided it was no longer necessary and that I needed to work on a few other things. I don't know the reasons, and believe me I have asked, but I have to trust that He knows what is better for me and that some day I will understand. I have to have patience that my time for marriage and family will come. I have to have faith and hope that I will be able to make the correct choices to let my heart heal and properly move forward. Most of all I need to be proactive and get back out there and continue to improve myself to become who I need to be for when I do meet that someone. Brett was a stepping stone and I am truly grateful for the "issues" he helped me overcome. He helped me become a better me and if we could all do that the world would be a much better place. I have had a small sample of what a loving relationship could be like and I so look forward to the whole enchilada!!

I am a BELIEVER!

2010-04-16T17:40:00.000-07:00

I have no doubt that we have all heard the stories of how couples met and fell in love. I know that after my marriage and divorce that I was a sceptic on Love and finding someone of my own. I see my friends and others around me dating, finding people they are wanting to spend time with and get to know, or even getting married. At the beginning of this year I was thinking here we go again! Another year alone with no interests and no dates. I finally gave in and decided to focus on my career and improving myself. That is when everything started to happen! All about the same time I was offered my new job I was also starting body boot camp which has been more fun that the name implies. I was about to start changing the outside of me as well as the inside.

As is almost everyone now a days I am on Facebook. We all have those friends who we add to our friends that we do indeed know from some point in our lives but that we never talk or send messages to. There are many of mine that fall into that category but one particular has found new meaning in my life. His name is Brett and I had the biggest crush on him in high school. He had a girl friend at the time and we were friends but it never went anywhere. I did manage to ask him to one high school dance and we had a blast. It was our first and last date!

As in my last post my life has changed in many ways the past few months and I was always updating my status on Facebook which happen to catch the attention of Brett. He had been through some changes in his life too, so he decided to send me a email to catch up with a friend. I was of course surprised to get his message but excited at the same time. I had looked at his page before but had never tried to make contact. I just figured he was married had a family and a life in Spokane. In his message He asked me how life was and what I was up to. I was polite and answered and didn't expect to hear back with the answers to my questions for him. Brett responded and informed me that he too had been through a divorce and that the circumstances were very similar to mine. He gave me his number and told me to give him a call if I ever wanted to talk. I told him because of the new job I was so busy that I didn't even talk to my friend at the moment so I gave him my number and told him to call me. He did and we talked for over 3 hours. The minute I heard his voice I was instantly taken to back to high school and memories of him. The voice was the same, very familiar and it was very easy to talk to him. When we finally decided to hang up he asked if he could call me the next weekend and I said sure. The days that followed were filled with lots of flirty text messages. When the next weekend rolled around Brett called and we talked again for several hours. We both knew that something was starting to develop but didn't know where it would go because of the fact that he lived in Washington and I lived in Utah. I joked and said that my bosses would not let me go and that he would have to move down here if this was going to turn into something more. He began to toy with the idea of moving down here so that he could have a better support system for when he decided to go back to school. I thought if he we continued this way on the phone for 3 almost 4 months until he gets here and then try to answer all of the questions and concerns that I had that it could potentially be a waste of time if nothing were to happen. That is when I had the idea to go and visit for conference weekend. I told my new bosses of my plan and they were so excited for me that they gave me Monday off so I could take my time coming home and spend two full days with Brett and the boys. When I mentioned the idea to Brett he was excited but nervous just like me. I never had any doubt from the minute that I decided to go that this was the wrong decision.

I hit the road Friday night at 5 p.m. and drove through the night and got to Spokane at 5 a.m. After a good nights sleep I got up and went and met Jacob and Cody. I was given a tour of the city and was introduced to all of Brett's friends. We then went grocery shopping to buy ingredients for pizza. I told Cody I would teach him how to make pizza. We made the dough and I showed him how to through the dough in the air to stretch it. We followed that with sauce, cheese, and toppings all of which were put on by Jacob and Cody. We all had fun and the pizza was delicious!

Sunday morning I was the first one up so I went in the front room and turned on conference. As everyone else started waking up they slowly started coming in the front room. The boys looked through their Easter baskets and we had a small egg hunt. After conference was over we all went for a bike ride around the neighborhood. Spokane is a beautiful city reminds me of a combination of Seattle and Salt Lake. Sunday night, after the boys were in bed, Brett and I had the chance to ask some of the questions that were on our mind and talk about some of the concerns we both had. It was a wonderful experience to be able to sit and talk freely with out worrying if the other person was going to answer back or just sit and stare at you and say nothing. When I left on Monday morning Brett and I knew that there was something that was worth working on and soon after he made the decision to move down to Utah.
We are loving the experience of getting to know one another again even if, for now, it is over the phone. We are making plans for the future and it looks very bright. I thank my Father in Heaven for the blessing of bringing Brett back in to my life. He even comes with a bonus, 2 wonderful boys that I am looking forward to getting to know better.

Festival of Colors 2010

2010-03-31T17:30:00.000-07:00

It is that time of year again where thousands and thousands of people flock to the Krishna temple in Spanish Fork to celebrate the Festival of Colors.

This is me and my friend Lyndall waiting for the fun to begin. People will often walk by you and say you are to clean to be there and throw a hand full of powder at you. This is what we looked like at the very beginning with very little color!!

The sad thing is that the count down was not even close. We still had an hour before it started and we were looking like we belonged in a circus!

I don't know what happened in this picture but it looks like lyndall is screaming at the colors creeping out of her bag.

This is a shot of the temple and the crowd that had started to gather as the countdown grew closer.

People just could not wait and started early.

For a big group of college students (BYU) they didn't follow directions very well and had a hard time counting down with the band on stage.

This is what it looked like as they counted down 3,2,1....... The colors started flying and people were pushing, at first it was beautiful but then.......................................

It started to grow darker..................................................................

and darker.......................................................

Until it almost looked like it was night time. It was cramped, hard to breath and very loud!!

Last year I was late and was only able to see the colors from the outside and wondered what it would be like to be in the middle of the crowd. I found that out this year and now that I have experienced it from both perspectives I am content and will probably not go back next year. I am to old for that kind of crowd!!

If you want to see a video of what it looked like I found this on YouTube. Someone other than myself was willing to sacrifice their camera.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKVemFU7FoI&feature=related

This is what we looked like when all was said and done!!! You turn almost BLACK because the colors just mix together!

Just one of many Changes

2010-03-23T16:11:00.001-07:00

Most young chefs stay at a particular place for a maximum of 3 years. The more you move around the more you learn and grow. If you really make this profession your life can be very exciting. I have never been one to follow that rule. If I find a place I like I get comfortable and stay for as long as I can. I worked at my last catering company for 9 almost 10 years. I worked with the same executive chef who has been there for 11 almost 12 years. We worked so well together that he called me his second wife. Most of the time we fought like we were brother and sister but could also complete each others sentences. He and I had telepathetic skills!! We were an amazing team along with the other prep chefs in the kitchen. They were my second family!
Back in February, after being back in Seattle for the fourth time in four months, I was debating on whether to go back to Seattle or back to school. I just had a feeling like I needed to tweak something in my life. Honestly I was leaning toward Seattle, but he Lord had a different idea. I have been attending a singles ward since back in July and I knew that is where I needed to be. I was thinking it would be a great way to meet people to start dating and living my life again after my divorce. I believe that was true but it also put me in the path of a person that I needed to meet as well. His name is Hal Porter. Hal or Brother Porter is the high council Representative over our ward and just happens to own a catering company. When I found this out I approached him and introduced myself to him as a fellow caterer and thought that would be the end of things. In late January I was given a new calling that required me to go to ward council. In my first meeting I ended up sitting next to Brother Porter. He kept looking at me through the whole meeting and asked my what my last name was. I wondered what was up and when the meeting was over he asked me if I would have a minute to talk with him about non-church things. We met in the hall and he asked my if all chefs had a certain attitude. I said yes and that most of them have huge ego's and feel very entitled. Hal then told me that they were having a hard time finding a head chef that fit their business and then asked me if I would consider taking the position. I said that I would and I did. As soon as he asked me to talk to him I had a feeling like something was about to happen.
I went in a week later and talked with Hal and his wife who run the business together, took a tour of their kitchen and met a few of the employees. I expressed interest and they said they would have an offer for me at the beginning of the week. When the phone call came I was excited but knew what had to happen next. Three words that most employers don't like to hear- two week notice! My bosses face went from shock, to fear, then to panic. It was a very emotional two weeks and my last day was the hardest. I knew I was making the right decision but hated leaving at the same time.
I have now been at my new place for two weeks and am really loving it. The Lord has blessed me with so many wonderful things and get this, all I had to do was ASK!

Christmas in Seattle

2010-01-18T20:33:00.000-08:00

This year I was blessed with opportunity to go home for Christmas. Thanksgiving came and went (also spent in Seattle) and after a few crazy, busy weeks at work I was once again on a plane heading for Seattle. Two times in less than a month. This was a record even for me.

I was excited to be back and even more ready for all of the family traditions that I usually got to participate in over the phone. First up, baking day. I am sure this is a day that many families have and I just would not be the holidays without. This year my mom decided to try at least 4 different kinds of cookies that are not usually the list. Tuesday morning we wake up, we load up the car with boxes of flour, sugar, sprinkles, red hots, frosting, cookie cutters, cocoa powder, butter, nuts of kind and then we packed the kids. This year instead of cramming all 13 of the grandkids in to grandmas little kitchen, Carrie offered up her home and double ovens. We all have experience the pace that is set when there is only one oven and 6 or 7 sheets of goodies to bake. This really sped up the process!!!!

The older kids were a big help. Alex and Tessa were there until the end mixing and scooping, rolling and cutting, chopping and measuring all with a smile. The younger group,which was being supervised by Miranda, just wanted the sugar cookies to be done so they could frost and sprinkle. Tami made a comment a few hours into the project that I just kept on going and going. This is my job. This is what I do day in and day out. I work until that last thing is baked and put away and this was no different.

We had our traditional Christmas eve dinner of beef and chicken enchiladas, which some of my siblings are growing tired of and wanted something different. They all took pity on me when I said this was another thing I was looking forward. We had almost everyone in the same house laughing, talking and enjoying the season. These are the times you always knew would come when you were a child. Everyone grown up with kids of their own in one place for Christmas, I love the feeling and it is even better than I thought it could be.

My nephew Alex loves to cook. I had decided before I left Utah that I wanted to have a cooking day with him. I wanted to think of something fun and different that I could make with him for his family. My friend and boss at work says that his girls love to make gnocchi. I thought that was fantastic idea (Gnocchi are potato dumplings).

The first thing I did when I got home was google "gnocchi boards" to see if any local stores had them in stock. I was in luck, the sur la table in Seattle by the pike place market had them. I asked my dad if he would not mind stopping in and picking one up on his way home from work. He said "send me a text to remind me." So I did and it is a good thing to because when he got to the store he had no idea how to pronounce the work gnocchi. If I had not sent him the text he would have been wondering he store for a while. He ended up showing the sales clerk the text and she knew right away what it was.

I gave Alex the gnocchi board Christmas morning and told him that I wanted to make it with him one night before I left. No one in my brothers family has had gnocchi before except for his wife so this would be a new experience for them all. I showed Alex how to multi task by making the sauce and a salad while the potatoes were cooking. We went through all the steps to make, I must say was nice and light gnocchi. It was a wonderful opportunity to be able to share my love of food with Alex and share the evening with my brother and his family with out all of the other nieces and nephews running around. Since I don't live up there I feel like I have not been able to be a part of their lives and get to know the as thy grow up. My brother has wonderful kids and I know he could not do it with out Carrie. I must say all of my siblings have done very well with their spouses and families.

My learning curve....

2009-11-20T22:35:00.000-08:00

Starting in the month of September I, along with two of my friends embarked on a journey to learn to love our curves. Now you may be asking yourself- what is the best way to learn to love your curves? The answer my friends is to take a Belly Dancing Class.
Last summer at a singles activity we had a demonstration on how to Hula. My friend and I had so much fun learning that we decided we wanted to continue learning . I tried to find a class but my searches kept coming up empty. I did come across a belly dancing class offered by UVU in their community classes. I sent an email to my friends and with in the next few weeks we enrolled.
The first day of class was a CRAZY day for all of us. My friend Brooke is a school teacher she teaches first grade. My other friend Lyndall works with troubled teens and does home visits on Tuesday nights. As for me very rarely are Tuesdays busy or crazy for us at work but this week was the exception. I waked out the door at 5:15 and there was still some cleaning up to do. I told everyone at work that I had paid for the class and was not going to miss it. Brooke and I live in the same apartment complex and decided to carpool to American Fork. The class started at 6 and we were fighting rush hour traffic to get there. Needless to say we were all late to our first class.
Our teacher we awesome! Her dancer name or stage name is Halima and boy can she move. There were women of all ages, shapes and sizes in the class and we all clicked within a matter of minutes. We started right in with learning how to do figure eights. First front to back and then back to front. You learn to isolate muscles you didn't even know you had. It was just as much of a work out for your brain as it was for your muscles. We also found out on our first day that at the end of the class there would be a dance recital were we would have the opportunity to perform. Of course we were all excited about the performance that is personally one of the reason I took the class was to become more comfortable with myself and learn to be confident and sassy! As the weeks went buy I found it easy to learn the steps to our routine and the girls in the class said it was easy to follow me so they wanted me to be in the front. Usually being the tall one means I get put in the back, so this was a switch.
I was grateful for the family and friend that came and supported me. It was an unforgettable experience and now that it is on youtube everyone can see it. I plan on taking another class and learning even more. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HA9cvXegMTU

Autumn Colors

2009-10-11T21:11:00.000-07:00

My favorite time of year is Autumn. I can't wait to get the camera and head up to the mountains to take in the fresh crisp air and the breath taking colors. I decided this year to take my backpack with a few things (water snacks sweatshirt, and camera) and do a little hiking since I had gotten off work a little early and it was one of the warmer fall days. Adam from work, who is a hard core cyclist, told me that the colors up at squaw peak were fantastic and that if you continued up the canyon you would eventually end up coming out of Hobble Creek Canyon in springville. I had driven up to squaw peak before and continued up to the rock canyon overlook but never continued, so I made my mind up that today was the day to go all the way. There were so may beautiful spots and I was not the only one taking pictures. Once you got off the paved road it became dry and dusty. My car looked like it belong in a car wash commercial because of all the dust. I started with my sunroof open but quickly closed it due to the dust growing on the dashboard. I am grateful for 4 wheel drive because there were a few parts that were so bumpy and dry that it gave me comfort and confidence to go it alone with out the fear of getting stuck. I ususally end up going after peak week but hit it just right this year. Two days after I went the first snow fell up at the higher elevations. I must say that Utah has had some stange season this year, but they did produce some magnificent landscapes.

Risotto Madness

2009-08-28T22:28:00.000-07:00

I am often asked, "what is your speciality?" To be honest I don't like that question. I like all food and don't necessarily focus on one thing, but when people ask me what I like to make I will always answer RISOTTO. It is delicious and you can do so much with it.

I personally like to cook for other people and not just myself. I had offered my friend Romeo a risotto cooking lesson when I finally got settled in to my new apartment. The time came and we set a date. I mentioned it to my friend Brooke and she started inviting more people who wanted to learn. When the day arrived we had a total of 12 people invited to learn how to make risotto. We were supposed to start at 6 but these things never start on time. I had gone all out and made flank steak, southwestern chicken breasts, chile verde sausages, home made sour dough bread and roasted veggies! Everything was ready to go at 6 but we finally started at 8 and started to eat around 9.

I took my camera out of the bed room because I wanted to take some pictures but I was too busy cooking. Ben picked up the camera and started shooting pictures for me. Brooke saw how much fun it was and decided they were going to have a contest to see who could take the best and coolest picture. In my opinion Ben won, but they both had fun in the process. It was a night full of good food, good friends, and lots of laughter!!!

Life on my own, again!!

2009-08-28T22:09:00.000-07:00

Well it is official I am the lone Johnson in Utah. JayLynn and Jake are now in Washington and I am left alone. I have to admit that I miss the kids and talking with Jay at night when she gets home from work. She was staying with me while she finished out her 2 weeks at her job. It was the closest thing to a roommate that I am going to have for a while.

I am now living in Orem and I love it!!! I am closer to work and that means I can start riding my bike again, closer to the singles ward and all of my single friends. Life is GOOD!!! Even with Jay and Jake gone I still have a great support system. I live in the same complex as my friends Brooke and Amy. We spend quite a few nights out in the hot tub and the pool relaxing. We have been making all sorts of new friends that also live in the apartments. With school starting at UVU and BYU this week there have been a lot of new move in's! We met a very nice young man named Ben one night while soaking in the hot tub. He is a lot of fun and likes to cook so we invited him to a risotto party at my place. A few days later we met another nice young man named Kyle. He is going to UVU and was a swimmer in high school and was giving me all sorts of great swim workouts. I plan on using them to get in the best shape of my life.

Work is trying at times but because of the great friends I work with we all support each other to get through the day with smiles on our faces. Even thought we see each other all day long we still enjoy getting together and watching movies, playing games and of course eating. We had a nacho libre party a few weeks ago and I decided I would live the rest of my life happy and content if I never saw that movie again. It is one of those movies you love to quote but d0n't NEED to watch over and over. Adam is a big time cyclist and Marco is a runner so they both wear STRETCHY PANTS (said with a Spanish accent) that is the big joke right now. I realize that I was blessed to have Jay's family down here with me but that is was time for them to go and me to move on with my life. I have been equally blessed with the new family of friends that I have been given to uplift and support me in their absence. I only hope I can do for them what they do for me.

When Love Returns to a Broken Heart

2009-06-26T23:54:00.000-07:00

After a person has been divorced it takes a while for the heart to heal enough to be ready for love again. I have often wondered how long this would take and when it would happen. I will say I knew it was going to have to be someone special to make my heart feel love again.

Before you get to excited and want to know who he is I need to say that the Lord is in control. He knows what we need, who we need and when we need it and if we do our part in following him and trying to line our life with his, then blessing will be poured out upon us. I am truly grateful for the Savior and the Atonement in my life. It may sound so easy to place your yolk upon him and let him bear the weight, but it is not. I now know that this can be done and that it is not easy but worth all the effort, tears and pain. Without all of those things we can not truly appreciate and savor the blessings, Joy and Love that follow.

My life is changing right now. Jay and Jake are moving back to Washington. I have been wanting to move out for a while but have been very comfortable and somewhat happy. I had been having a desire to start attending the singles ward, but struggled with leaving my calling in the young women's program in my family ward. I felt as if I was being selfish and letting the Lord down. After prayer and careful consideration I decided to talk to my bishop about going to a singles ward. I explained how I was feeling and what was going on at home and his reply was " if that is what you feel you need to do, you have my support."

I called my friend Brooke and found out which ward she attended and went to check it out. It felt so comfortable in her ward, like I had been attending there for a while. So many people who have had hard things happen to them just like me. Brothers and Sisters from all over the world, it was like a big singles melting pot. I felt like I was home, like I belonged there. Brooke introduced me to several people and friends in the ward, but there was one that stood out. His name is Denise and he is from Nigeria, Africa. Now the only black people I have ever had any contact with were in culinary school and they were lets say a little rough. Denise is different and I could tell instantly just by shaking his hand and introducing myself. I have gotten to know Denise very well over the past few weeks and it is still mind boggling to wrap my head around our relationship. Now don't go crazy and think by me using the word relationship that Denise and I are anything but friends. We are friends and only friends but, the connection and level of friendship we share is truly sent from the Lord. I believe it goes back to what I said earlier about the lord knowing what and WHO we need in our lives.

Denise and I have has similar experiences in our past marriages. If anyone has experienced what we have then they would know for themselves how it feels to live through something like that and come out alive but very altered. It messes with your emotions like you can not comprehend unless you have lived it. I believe that is one reason we have such a strong connection and understanding of each other. In the past three weeks we have spent more time together that I have spent with any of my other friends. When we talk it is so natural and easy. He makes me feel as though I am important, special and can share anything with him. A man that truly listens and responds. The first thing he says when he sees me is always a compliment of some kind and it is always heart felt and sincere. I am not self conscious around him because he places more worth on a persons inside than outside. He truly tries to live life by improving not only himself, but also anyone who he comes in contact with by leaving them a better than he found them. Denise is so intelligent, blunt and straight forward and has brought out a better me. He has helped me to open my heart again so that I know that it is ready for love again.

I am grateful for his friendship and the things we have been able to share with each other. The Lord knows what he is doing, all we have to do is have faith, hope and do the work and we will be blessed.

A Night Out.....

2009-06-04T16:02:00.000-07:00

I feel like a single mother of three right now. Jay and Jake both work nights and so I spend a lot of time with the kids. I enjoy the time with them but at the same time I am still single and need to get out more. On May 30th there was a awards dinner for the "best of state" winners. As in years past we entered and came out victorious. This is our 6th time winning and Ron and Mary have always gone to accept the award. This year we were so busy with events that Mary and Rachel had to work so Mary asked that Adam and I go and accept for the company, what an honor and a great reason to buy a new dress. Then came the news, Mary asked that Adam and I wear our chef coats, she wanted us to stand out and believe me we did.

They have the winners for each catagory go on to the stage in a group and give every one fake medals. Then they hurry you back stage and take your fake medal and have you stand in line for the real one. Following that there is another line to have your picture taken then it is back to your table to finish you dinner.

Working for a catering company you get picky about food. We had eaten at the salt palace before and were not expecting great things that night. It figures that just as it is our turn to go up and recieve the award they put our dinner on the table. By the time we got back it was cold and gross instead of just gross. There was some great entertainment and several local celebraties and lots of laughs from our table. I had a great time and was glad Mary asked me to go. Next time I hope I get to buy a new dress and find a date.

My new adventure Network Marketing.......

2009-06-04T15:36:00.000-07:00

I know we all have had "those" people who have said, "come to this meeting I have something I want to show you." Well I have turned in to one of "those" people, not that there is anything wrong with those people. I have found out recently that it is an exciting busniess. If you were wondering why I decided to do this, let me share with you a little about it. The name of the product is Mondelis. Monde in french means world and the L I S on the end stands for Leading, Internet, Society. Now I know all of you have something to do with the internet or you would not be reading this blog. I am willing to bet that most of you reading this have purchased something on line in the past 6 months and I am also willing to bet that a good percentage of you have played some sort of video game in the past year. There are so many people on Facebook that if it were a country it would be the 5th largest in the world. The internet is part of everyday life for the majority of people all over the world. Well Mondelis gives you the opportunity to create income with the internet, games and shopping.

I did all of my Christmas shopping online this year because I was so busy. I wish I had know about Mondelis then because I would have been able to shop with a discount at many of the stores I purchased things from. With the rising gas prices there is also a great gas program that can get you 25$ a month for going to the same gas station to fill up.

I like Mondelis because it is not a pill, lotion, magic drink or a soap. I don't have to keep an inventory in my garage that will take me forever to sell. The online games that will be a part of Mondelis are sold online, at video game stores and other everyday stores like walmart, target, and best buy. They are out there and people who play video game will have no trouble finding them and downloading them so they can play. Why not get a piece of the pie.

I figured this would be a great opportunity for me personally as well. This is a chance to get out there and meet people, force myself to be more sociable. I am setting goals and working on reaching them. It is a great overall experience for me. If this is something you would like to learn more about go to http://www.mindolamay.mondelis.net/ and look around. There are weekly conference calls and webinars to help with learning and growing your business. It really is quite fun. Check it out.......... You never know you might become one of "those" people yourself and love it too!

Color in Spring

2009-04-09T20:23:00.000-07:00

I love the Amazing Race. Call me a fan, obsessed, crazy whatever. I remember an episode from last season where the contestants, who were in India, had to run through a crowd of people throwing colored chalk at them, to retrieve an envelope. I thought what fun that would be. Well come to find out that it was a celebration to bring in spring for the Krishna's. Some friends and I decided to go and participate. What an experience!!!! There were so many people we had to fight to buy the last few bags of color. We were lucky!! They light a big bonfire and the color throwing begins.

(great video of it on YouTube look up festival of colors 2009- Spanish fork,UT)

When I got home bubba usually calls out my name and like clock work he did until he saw me. I was then that the tone in his voice changed to a "I know it's Mimi but she is colored with color" tone. It was cute.

Seattle Fun!!!

2009-04-09T16:46:00.000-07:00

I always enjoy going to Seattle to visit my family. Since I am living with Jay and Jake right now I get to do alot of things with their kids. Well Tami, Chris, Chelsea and Cassidy picked me up from the airport and decided that it was their turn to have fun with me. The girls were so excited to spend the day with me and show me all of their favorite things to do in Seattle.

We started off by having lunch at the Rainforest Cafe. I have never eaten there but have looked at all of the great things on the outside. The hostess sat us down right by a group of gorillas. Chelsea loved it but Cassidy was not too sure. The lights would start flashing and you would hear thunder and all of the animals would start to making noise and moving. It was a great atmosphere!!

Next we went to the girls school and I got to meat their teachers and see their classrooms. They were so excited and had been looking forward to this all week.

Finally we ended up at Pike Place Market. This is one of my favorite things to do. I remember going there while in culinary school with the rest of my class and just walking around looking at produce and trying new things. I am surprised at how well the girls know their way around the market. We both have a favorite spot to visit first and that is the Doughnut Booth!!! It is a little 10X10 booth with a machine that presses the mini doughnut batter out of a device into the hot oil with a arm that flips it over half way through and pops it out into a tray. They are always fresh and they come plain, cinnamon & sugar, powder sugar or the favorite SPRINKLES!!!! It costs about $2.50 for a dozen and you just walk down the market with brown bag in hand and see the sights. It is a tradition. Another thing that is just so Pike Place is the beautiful flowers that are there. They have dried flowers year round but when the flowers are in bloom, like right now it is tulip season, there are fresh flowers everywhere. It is a feast for the eyes and perfume for the nose. We decided to get a bunch for grandma as a surprise!!!

They have a really cool pasta booth where you could buy everything from normal pasta to fruit pasta to CHOCOLATE Pasta. Way cool!!! Yes I am a food nerd!!

Tami had a camera she thought I would be interested in buying from her and she let me take it for a test drive while I was home. I fell in love with it and had a lot of fun shooting pictures of all of the kids with their cousins and at Pike Place Market. Here are just a few of the tons that I took. Enjoy!

What happens in VEGAS........

2009-02-26T22:47:00.001-08:00

Things have been a little crazy since my last post. I catered Brad & Ericas wedding reception up in Seattle. It was fun and crazy all at the same time. When I got back to work we were busy getting ready for a "wedding" in Vegas at the ICA/Catersource convention. The party was for 1300 people and it was a fake reception. We had dozens of sponsors that wanted us to do our best to spotlight their food or product and convince the thousands of others caterers there to purchase and use in their own businesses. NO PRESSURE!

We were staying at the Hilton which is where the conference was being held and working in their kitchen. Working in an kitchen that is not your own is stressful enough, but then throw in chefs from other companies that have volunteered to help prep and our own event staff that know a little about helping in the kitchen, and it can make the situation worse. We had two and half daysto prep about 85% of the food for the event which was on Tuesday night.

The menu was a "his" and "hers" type of theme. They each had their own appetizers, speciality drinks, desserts and action station menus. There was a fake bride, groom and wedding party. They would wander around and mingle as if it were a real reception. It was fabulous. The room was beautiful and we had plenty of food and no one went thirsty. I think that means it was a success.

I will admit I was dreading the trip. I arrived at work at 4 a.m. on the 22nd we packed the food we had already prepped and hit the road by 6 a.m. We arrived in Las Vegas by 12:30 ready to unload everything we had brought. After a tour of the room where the party would take place and the kitchen we would be living in the next few days we ate a quick lunch and got right to work. We finished at about 6:30 and had dinner reservations for 8:30. At about 11:30 we were in our rooms hitting the sack having to be back in the kitchen by 7 a.m. the next morning.

Monday morning the alarm goes off and I get out of bed, hit the shower and walk down to the kitchen. We had a quick continental breakfast and pulled out the knives and went to work. Luckily we were ahead of schedule so Kalli, Adam and I were able to go out and enjoy a little of the strip. We hit M&M world (to get the kids treats from Vegas) and the Coke store. Took out picture with Elvis and Micheal Jackson and my favorite color M&M the green one.

We needed to save out feet for Tuesday night so we decided to head back. We saw a photo booth and could not resist so we squished ourselves in it and made a memory. Tuesday rolls around and we are in the kitchen again at 7 a.m. ready to begin another long day. We had chefs from all over the country helping us prepare and cook that day. The event started at 7 p.m. and was supposed to wrap up at 11 p.m. The chefs were told to leave after we had broken down our stations in the back which we finished up at about 11:30 p.m. The rest of our crew were there until about 2 a.m. They were up again at 8 a.m. ready to load the last of our things and hit the road to head back home.

The event was a success and proves to me that I am blessed to have a skill that can take me to any kitchen any where and be able to do my thing. I am also grateful for the wonderful team we worked with. It was not possible without all of them. We are more like a family and I know this experience will be with all of us for a long time.

I was able to take a few pictures in the kitchen but none the night of the event. I am also in charge of a section of our work blog. I am sure there will be more pictures there. www.culinarycrafts.com click on the blog link.

Mixing wild rice pancake batter

Scooping the pancakes

Flipping the pancakes on the grill to cook

Kalli scooping 1300 Lamb Burgers

Seperating butter lettuce for
Pork Wraps

Work Christmas Party

2009-01-21T13:33:00.000-08:00

This year we went to soldier hollow for a few hours of tubing. What a wonderful experience. I had so much fun. It was a pleasant evening and not too cold. The tube tow rope is a fantastic invention. The one thing I don't like about tubing is the walking back up the hill and being so tired that it is almost not worth the ride down again. The tow ride up the hill was an enjoyable one with a quick little hill at the top to make sure you get out of the way before the next person pops over. My friend Kalli and I made a train for our first run down and it was so slick that night that they told you to dig your heels into the snow to start slowing yourself down so you would not run into the fence at the bottom. When the time came to dig my heels I did and Kalli was blanketed in a soft white powder. Since Jake works with us the kids were able to go and they didn't even wait for supervision. Once they saw how the whole thing worked they were off!!!! Kalli and I made a train with Riley once and then Kaley and I made a train. We had so much fun I can't wait to go again.

A Year Of Change

2009-01-11T17:10:00.000-08:00

As in years past and just like everyone else I have set some resolutions for the year. I have not had much success in years past but would like to change that this year. I have been through many different challenges this past year and have grown from each of them. With some of those challenges came with lots of tears and heartache others many, many tears and endless nights of prayer. Then there are those that included all tears, heartache and prayer. My family and friends could not have been a more of a support of blessing during the past 12 months. I am truly blessed and thank my father in heaven for them every night.

I have made a list of things I would like to change this year and I figure it would be better if all of those people that have been a support to me knew what it was that I wanted to accomplish so they could once again help and support me in their own and unique ways.

So here is the list.......

Attend the temple at least once a month

Get healthy (given)

Be more outgoing and social (single adult activities)

Serve in my new calling to the best of my ability

Complain less and compliment more

Look for more opportunities to serve

Share my testimony at least once a month

Stay out of debt and become more financially stable

Organize and expand my emergency preparedness

Be ready to own a home by the end of the year

Start gathering my family history

There you have it. I know there are always things that I will add or some of the things that I have forgotten to put down, but these are the important ones. I feel a great sense of hope about the year ahead of me and am excited about what I have accomplished so far. I again thank everyone who has helped and touched my life.

The lord knows what we need and also who we need.

Santa Claus did come

2008-12-27T15:53:00.000-08:00

This year I had to opportunity to play Santa. Things have been a little tight for many people this year, including my sister's family. I have been blessed and wanted to help her family so they were able to have a Christmas this year. They have helped me so much this past year it was the least I could do. I told my sister that she and Jake were in charge of the stocking stuffers and I would do the rest. It was so much fun picking out the gifts for each kid. Jake and I stayed up too about 1 a.m. assembling all of the gifts. I was the one who could not sleep on Christmas eve because I could not wait to see the look on their faces when they woke up.

I may have gone a little overboard but everyone got at least one thing that they asked santa for. I did all of my shopping on line because I was at work the majority of the day and so tired when I got home that it was easier to look at a computer screen than wander the stores. It was a wonderful way to shop, I may do it that way next year. There is one funny story about one of the gifts I got for Bubba. It was a Elmo Live doll and it came in a box all by itself. Jaylynn had put the box in my room not knowing what it was. I had picked it up and put it on my bed to open it and I heard Elmo talking to me. He said, "Elmo just wants you to know that Elmo loves you." Then he blew me two kisses. I started to giggle and hoped that he had not done this while the kids were around. As I started to peel the packing tape off the box Elmo repeted what he had just said. When I opened the box it was full of foam peanuts and elmo was no where to be seen, but when I started to search for him he started to talk again and the pile of peanuts started to move. (by this time I was grining from ear to ear) When I finally located Elmo in the box he was upside down and backwards. When I turned him around to see if he survived the journey this is what I saw...................

I started rolling and immediatly screamed for Jaylynn. We both started laughing and I knew we had to take a pictue to share with everyone. Elmo has a line that says" Look no cavities!!" I giggle every time because I have a picture of elmo with teeth. It was just as funny when I hit elmo's foot and he threw up all of those peanuts. Priceless!!!!

Santa brought me an elipitcal for Christmas. I am so excited to use it. I just hope the excitement stays after I am sore when it kickes my butt.

I hope all of my loved ones had a Merry Christmas and has much Happiness and Health in the new year!!!!

Crazy Christmas Time!!

2008-12-27T15:03:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas

I don't have pictures at this time of year because I spent all of my time at work. I sleep, wake up and go to work then come home, eat and then go back to sleep. Almost the entire month is spent working and sleeping. My co-workers/friends become my family for the month and we have some good times while getting our work done. I will have to remember to take my camera to work with me next Christmas so I can have proof of what happens.
This year our rush started on a Monday the first day of December. That also happens to be my birthday. I think the best gift I received was to have my day start at 3 a.m. This was for sure the longest birthday I have ever had. Unfortunately the majority of it was spent at work. I was able to go to dinner with my sister, Jaylynn and her family. We went and had Mexican! My favorite!!!!! I opened a few gifts and then went to bed around 10p.m. The rest of the week was about the same, in to work by 4 and home around 4 or 5.
In the catering business there are bound to be mistakes when you have the work load that we have during the holidays. As long as everyone does their job to the best of there ability everything should run smoothly, yea right. It happened for the most part that way with only a few bumps along the way. First there was our bakery manager, she had some problems with
some of the recipes not turning out and instead of telling some one above her that she had ruined them she tried to hide it. In a small kitchen with 8 staff members something like that is hard to hide. We had to let her go in the first week of December so we could focus on our own work and not have to focus on cleaning up other messes that we didn't know about.
Then there is a new secretary in the front office who's husband was helping in the afternoon in the kitchen doing dishes. The office manager came back one morning, during the second week into our madness, and asked to speak to one of the owners. The tone in her voice sounded urgent and of importance. We later found out that our new secretary was taken away by a bondsmen because she had skipped a bail hearing for some fraud charges. Come to find out later her husband was later arrested. We were loosing people left and right.
Last but not least we have a lock on our refrigerator out side because of some theft problems we have had. It is my job to go out side and make sure all of out events have the proper menu items on their assigned shelf. I was out one morning doing my job and the executive chef decided to change the combination on the lock. Instead of just changing it and leaving it on the side of the door he actually locked the door with me inside. He thought I was inside and had finished what I was doing out there. I was freezing inside and was glad that I had my cell phone in my pocket. The only problem, I was in a metal box with no reception. I tried banging on the door and pushing it as far as it would go hoping that someone would hear me and let me out. I could picture my co-workers/friends out there laughing and thinking this was hilarious. I was not laughing. I decided to turn off the fans in the fridge hoping that would allow me to get a signal on my phone. It worked and I called one of the bakers, she didn't answer so I called the executive chef and he didn't answer. I thought I was stuck until someone finished a project and needed to put it outside. I said a silent prayer for some help. Then I heard some noise out side like someone was moving things around. I pushed on the door a few times and then heard the noise of the lock being undone. It was the chef he opened the door and said, "I didn't know you were in there. I thought you had gone back inside. " I was relieved to know that he had not done it on purpose and was not outside the door laughing at me. I was cold, but we all had a good laugh when I got back inside. We all survived to see another Christmas.
We are blessed to work for such a great company and have not only a great work relationship but a wonderful friendship. I am so fortunate.

Finding a Happy Place

2008-11-09T18:38:00.000-08:00

When life is just too much to handle and I can't make it to the temple to relax and let go, I like to get my hands dirty and paint. This is my happy place. This is the lastest project that I have completed.

What a witch!!!

I have a few more projects to go.

These are just a few of the things I have to finish. I still have valentines day from earlier this year to finish. By the time I buy my next house I will have more than enough decorations to make it a home for every season.

My Little BUDDY!!!

2008-11-01T14:35:00.001-07:00

This is my nephew Kade. He is such a fun little boy. I have been off and working from home this week and we have been doing lots of things together. He sleeps in my room almost every night, he knows I will let him watch a movie until he falls asleep. I can not tell you how many times I have seen Cars or Finding Nemo.

He is going to take after me and become a Professional Chef or a Baker. Just look at the decorating skills. He knows how to use a piping bag..................

and just like me he has to taste everything he is making.

Pumpkin madness

2008-11-01T13:14:00.001-07:00

This year, just like every year, we went to the local pumpkin patch and everyone picked out the pumpkin that was calling there name. This year at the pumpkin patch the weather was a cool 34 degrees and a snowflake would land on your nose every once in a while. The day we carved our pumpkins was warm, sunny and 70 degrees. That's fall in Utah for you. This kids could not wait and once Jake got the tops off the kids dove right in.

Even Kade, the little boy who hates to get food on him, was so excited to get the guts out of his pumpkin.

Jake has taught the girls well, so they are pros at gut removal.

Finally the finished product!!!!!!!

Riley doing an imitation of her pumpkin.....

Bubba picked and alien this year.

We had several of the neighbors and trick-or-treaters compliment us on the number of jack-o-lanterns and how well they were carved!!!!

Happy Halloween!!!!!!

Dont Mess With Me!

2008-10-27T14:07:00.000-07:00

This is me in all of my scooter get up. It is about 40 degrees in the morning and this is what keeps me warm on the 30 minute commute to work. I would not want to run in to me in a dark ally dressed like this. Be afraid be very afraid.......

Sometimes I wish I lived in the movies. I know that if I did, when I took my helmet off and shook out my hair.............................. It would not look like this!

My days are numbered!!!

2008-10-11T17:25:00.000-07:00

The days of me riding my scooter are almsot gone.

This is one of the best & most fun investments I have ever made. The first helmet I purchased let me feel the wind in my face but also the bugs in my teeth. If you have ever been hit by a bug going 40 MPH it is not a pleasent experience. I once killed a bug with my boob, boy did that hurt but I bet the bug died happy!! I decied to upgrade. I also have bought my first leather jacket. I never in my wildest, and I mean wildest, dreams thought i would own a leather jacket. I even bought leather gloves. The only thing missing is the leather chaps. It is getting chilly in the morning and the only thing not protected is my legs and chaps are sounding pretty good at 5 a.m.
I love to see the look on peoples faces when they see me on my scooter. I have had men (with their wives in the car) give me a thumbs up and a big grin of approval.

Where do I Begin

2008-10-09T18:05:00.001-07:00

I really don't know why I decided to start one of theses. I guess I think this will help me get a social life so I have more pictures and things to write about. Let's call this the "First day of the rest of my life!"