Ed Week & My birthday! (pics only)

Chococo Salad....... (I made it up)

Today at lunch I had this "brilliant" idea for a Salad.  A salad with Chocolate and Coconut.....I call it the Chococo Salad!  It's a healthier way to enjoy Chocolate.  (I know I said I didn't care about healthy and I still don't but some people do)

To make this Fabulous Salad you will need: Greens of your choice.  (I used Spinach & a Variety Mix) Mounds and/or Almond Joy (I used one of each bar) Chocolate and Coconut Syrup and fruit if you desire.  I liked how the fruit brightened the salad as well as add to its deliciousness.

 Mix the greens and put on a plate.  Cut the candy bars and put over the top.  Then drizzle the chocolate and the coconut syrups over the top.  You can eat like this or add some fruit.  I thought the pineapple was a good choice with the coconut and the berries made it look better and was wonderful too.

It tasted yummy!  I am feeling pretty good about my creativity today.  I bet we will see a salad similar to this one day.  I use to order "melted cheese" on my fries and that was before Cheese Fries. (I didn't get credit for that but I should have)

Yummmmm!  Be brave and give this a try.....it really is yummy!  Larry and Kimi both tried it and they liked it!  Of course I liked it.....it's Chocolate and Sweet!

FuN....FuN

Today Pam & I planned to play and have fun and FUN it was!  I drove to her house and we went to lunch at Art City Trolley.  We wanted something healthy.....really Pam wanted something healthy.  I should care more but......well.....I don't care much.  We both had salads and oh my crud they were delicious. (I tried Pam's)  I wouldn't mind going again sometime and trying another kind.  YUM is a good expression for them!

Then we wiggled over to Lisa Clement Shaw's house who happens to live really close to Pam.  I went to school with Lisa and so it was really fun seeing her and visiting with her at her house.  I think we kind of surprised her when we rolled up on our wiggle cars.  Little note about wiggle cars....they roll best on smooth, flat surfaces!  The road had little rocks on it and it was really hard to get them to go.  We had to use our legs like the little kids do.  It was too much of a work out for me.  Oh besides not caring about eating healthy, I really don't like to exercise any more either.  I'm pretty sure I'll live as long as I'm suppose to regardless so for now I will have my rebellious attitude.  I really am enjoying my life and that's most important.....right?

The time flew by.  I didn't think I'd stay for more than a few hours but it was a bit over 4 hrs by the time I left.  It would be so fun to live closer to Pam.  Pam is so much fun!  I am really glad that Braxton and her son....Kyle suggested we be friends.  They are smart boys and we are both very happy about it.  I borrowed some pictures of Pam's ancestors so I will need to return them and will get to see her again.  I love Pam and today went as planned---Very Fun and Much Laughter!  If we want to have fun....we need to plan it!


While enjoying our salads I came up with one of my own that I plan on making.  I will call it the Chococo Salad.  I will post about it later!  

How Firm is Your Foundation?

I loved the lesson in Relief Society today.  Cindy presented it very well....in fact so well I felt like I should write some of my thoughts down.  One of the thoughts she put on the board was this: "The hardest as well as the easiest times in life can be a blessing."

It kind of boils down to our perspective and our attitude.  When things are tough we have a choice to work through it with the best attitude we can muster up or let it get us down.  God allows bad things to happen so we can get closer to Him.  It's our choice though but as we work through are challenges we become stronger and more refined.  The thought came to me that our trials aren't just for us either.  We all learn and grow from each others trials.  Just recently I was involved with a friend who was going through some hard times.  She chose me to share those trials with me and I know I was able to help her pull through. But, by helping her it helped me.  I felt very close to my Heavenly Father and I know that He talked to her through me.  It was truly a blessing and I am stronger because of her trial too.  Funny how that works.

It was brought up that sometimes we need to let others serve us.  Oh my heck that is so hard but can and will be a blessing if we swallow our pride and let it happen.  Just the other day a friend of mine was telling me that I should relax and sit back and bask in what others thought of me.  This friend said I probably had no idea how good I was or how important I was to others.  That made me think.....it felt good....but is really hard for me to believe.  I want to believe it though at least just a little.  Why not in fact.  Other's are so important to me why not have that reversed?

We talked about "foundations".  In building, foundations are essential in holding a building in place and makes it strong and immovable.  We each have our own foundations that we build upon throughout our lives.  Our foundations are strengthened as we read our scriptures, serve others, pray, go to the Temple, read the Ensign and follow the teachings of the Prophets, etc.  At times are foundations are tested and might not be as strong as maybe it was yesterday.  It's okay when this happens.  Through the test our foundation will get stronger.....we might even be able to help someone else strengthen theirs in the process.

The story of the wolves also came to my mind.  We all have wolves inside of us....and the one we feed is the one that will be strong.  If we feed the wolf of hatred it will become stronger.  But if we feed the wolf of love it will become stronger.  I have learned that attitude is everything.  Our minds are so stinking powerful.  Our thoughts are so stinking powerful.  If we allow ourselves to be bugged by others we will continue being bugged and it will pull us down.  If we allow to be scared we will find reasons to be scared.  If we think about the positive things we will notice more positive things.  Feed the right wolf....if we aren't happy we had better think about the wolf we are feeding.  It's never too late to make a change and something we will continue to have to do as we live this life.

Trials are for our good and the good of others!  We need to learn from them and not allow them to keep us down.  I remember a teacher in Roy saying he was glad when a trial came because he knew a blessing would be following it.  Try not to focus on the trial but work through it and look forward to the blessing.  Stay close to Heavenly Father.  Pray more and be sure to read the scriptures so that Heavenly Father can answer your prayers.  Smile......it's hard to be sad or upset if you are smiling.  I know that for a certainty because I have consciously worked on that and it works!

Write down the good things happening in your life.  Just the other day I received this text from Cindee at Larry's work:  "U look very pretty today.  Not a day over 39." :)  That was a good thing that day!  It made me smile!  It wasn't a big deal probably to Cindee but it was a Big Deal to me.  Do those simple little things for others too.  I have a gratitude book and I write down one thing a day that I am thankful for.  You could write down more but one works for me.  It helps me think about the good going on around me..There is so much good...not so much bad.  Focus on the Good!

"Crazy for You"

I really enjoy "Plays" and "Nights Out" with the Ladies.  I was invited to go see "Crazy for You" tonight by Heather.  We had such a great time.  We went to dinner first at some really good Mexican Place....It was Yummy!

The play was really good.  We laughed a lot.  Not just at the funny one liners but about everything around us.  The theater is small and it's very easy to see most of the people.  One lady refused to change her expression at all.  That was hilarious to us!  There was also a family and the kids were sitting on the front row on the floor.  The youngest wasn't loving the play (I bet he was around 10) and was restless and so funny to watch.  He looked around at everything except for the actor that was dancing and singing right in front of him.  Oh my gosh he was so funny!

 I sat between Heather and Tami and couldn't help but laugh at Tami.  There were a few times that she was "surprised" by the acting and her responses were hilarious.  Heather and I laughed so hard I thought we might have tears running down our legs soon.  It was so refreshing to be with all these wonderful ladies.  I was so happy that they thought of me when one of their regulars couldn't make it.

I will admit by the time I got home my head was hurting. (it was late and I was tired)  I'd do it again tomorrow though if given the chance.  So Stinkin Much Fun!!!     (thanks Heather& Barbie)

Braxton wasn't Boating with us

Braxton was boating in Bear Lake with some of his friends and ended up ripping his hand up. I guess he was holding onto two tubes that were in the water together and let go only when his hand split.  I got a call while we were on the boat asking for insurance information.  Then he sent me a picture of what he had done.  Yuck....my tummy flips just looking at it.  He ended up with 12 stitches and continued boating with his friends.

Boating

Larry didn't have to work today and so we went boating.  We have to schedule it on the calendar or something always comes up and we never have time to go.  We texted the kids a week ago and Justin & Natalie and their family were able to come.  Mya and Parker love boating which thrills me.  I think all the kids do but today it was especially fun listening to Mya talk a mile a minute because she was so excited.  I mentioned that we would plan on coming again on the 24th and Mya instantly said: "We'll be there!"  I love boating!

We had some extra room today and so we invited Heather and her cute boys to go with us.  It was fun having them enjoy today with us.  I love this family so much!  I'm so glad that we have become so close to them over the past few years.  They are truly "blessings" in our lives!

I love the Captain of our boat!  I love sitting by his side and watching him. (I still get butterflies in my tummy)  Larry is such a great guy and enjoys our family as much as I do.  We have been blessed with some really great kids and very cute grands.  They all make my heart smile!

The weather was perfect today and the time flew right by.  Heather and I left a little early since she invited me to go to a play with her.  Larry stayed a few hours longer with the others and continued to have a great time.

I am so thankful for our boat!  It's something we have always been able to do as a family.  It doesn't matter what the ages are because everyone can have fun and enjoy being out together.  We got our first boat when we only had a few kids and Larry had bartered for it.  In the early years of the business Larry did a lot of trading and that's how our first boat came to us.  We have up graded a few times since but I believe we have finally got the last of our boats.   I am just glad we have it.  It's so fun for me to see us all together and to enjoy the ones that can come when we go.  LOVE IT!