Sky Country

The fam is headed Montana for a few days!
Our yearly adventure as a family.
It's an outdoor enthusiast dream. Luckily, grandpa built a cabin so we can take showers now and sleep without being eaten alive by mosquito's or BEARS!

I love Montana for so many reasons:

Stars.
Raw.
Rugged.
Beautiful.
Quiet.
Majestic.
Clean.
Open.
Fresh.
Refreshing.
Authentic.
Wildlife.
Serenity.
Vivid.
Crisp.

Behold for yourselves:


I will update my summer posts when I get back, but until then have a great weekend!

My Old Man Tiger-Pooh

This is a funny little post because it's about my old bird Tiggie. He's really old. He has been in my life since I can remember and was even several years old when we got him. He bit one of us when we first got him and so we named him Tiger the people eater...and we've had him for over 25 years even after he bit us. He can do the cat call but never learned to speak. He is a yellow cockatiel. Most birds of his type only live for a span of 12-15 years so he is ancient...he is blind, arthritic, and can't stand to well. He gets around like an old man...BUT he sings, eats and still poops just as good as the rest of them. He recognizes my dad's voice and is depressed when they leave town. We joke that he is just going to be twinkled to heaven cause he is so old. Wouldn't surprise me. Anyone who knows me, knows my dear bird Tiger. I cant wait to see him in 2 days....it will be a sad day when I fly home and he's not around, but until then meet Tiger!

Wings

A few weeks ago, I was able to attend a book signing at the King's English Bookstore in Sugarhouse, UT to meet a new author Aprillynn Pike. My sister-in-law did some graphic decals and stickers for her and told me to come to the event. I'm so thrilled she did! I went and picked up her debut novel Wings and just finished it! It is adorable and just a fun read!

When I first met the author she was just starting to get the book on shelves and get it off the ground. She is a friend of Stephanie Meyers of Twilight Fame and signed with Stephanie's agent at Harper Callings. Her and her husband were so adorable. You could see in both their eyes the hope and excitement that their little family's life was about to change.

Well, I just looked on the New York Times Bestsellers List and her book is currently #1!!!! I remember asking her husband how he feels about . His whole face lit up and he replied something along the lines of how thrilled he is to see his wife so happy and that he could never give her more happiness than what she is experiencing now, living a dream. It was so sweet. What an amazing support. In less than two weeks the Aprilynne made it to the rank of a New York Times Bestseller. What an accomplishment! I got a first edition signed copy for myself and a few other friends and would say that this book will probably keep doing really well. It's inside the teen relm, but it still is a great story! I would expect this to take off like Twilight really soon!
Here is a synopsis of the book from the author's website:
Aprilynne Pike's best-selling debut, WINGS, is the first of four books about a seemingly ordinary girl named Laurel who discovers she is a faerie. When Laurel is thrust into the midst of a centuries-old battle between faeries and trolls, she's torn between a human and a faerie love. In this extraordinary tale of magic and intrigue, romance and danger, everything you thought you knew about faeries will be changed forever. Available now from HarperTeen.

Here is me and the author Aprilynne! Congrats!


Just seeing how she has accomplised this as a mother of 3 children really motivates me to start writing! It seems like so much fun (and hard work I'm sure!) Well, Gotta go cause I'm going to write a book ;-)

A Cake after my own Heart

I recently fell upon a dear friend's blog, Lori, from Oklahoma (she did my makeup for Prom when I was in High School and gave me my first job at a snowcone shop). I was so thrilled to see how her beautiful family has grown. I always admired her! She was one of those people that just glows with loveliness and from the looks of it she hasnt changed one beautiful bit! She had the cutest Parisian Birthday Party for her daughter and it was one of the prettiest parties I've seen! I mean look at that cool cake! I've never seen anything like it! Vive la France!

Let the New Moon Countdown Begin!!!!

Free Food at Oprah.com!!!

Oprah is feeding America! This is a great deal and you MUST download this today, but you can use it until the 19th!!! Hurry!

Get your free coupon here

While I was supposed to be sleeping...

I haven't been sleeping very good the last few nights. We found out Andy is deploying to Afghanistan in August. I am too emotional to write about it right now, but sometime between midnight and one this came to my mind so I wrote it down and saved it for a post. It's just a little thought from yours truly: ME!

To dream isn't just closing our eyes, it's opening them and making every moment come alive!

Picnic Frock GIVEAWAY!!!!

Picnic Frock GIVEAWAY!!!!

Create

I found this truly inspiring. I know I've been posting a lot of videos lately, but this one really got to me. I'll post more updates, but if not it's because I'm busy trying to think of something to create :-) I'll follow up soon!

House is my Vicodan

Ha ha ha this is hilarious! Have a great weekend!

Pass the Truth Along....

Pass the truth along. I found a video that comes from the source and is true and right. It comes from the LDS people. It brings me hope. I love being an Mormon. Honestly, it is so much fun and the joy and peace I have in my life comes from what I have learned about Jesus Christ, not to mention the awesome jello recipies I get from activites(Mormon's make a lot of jello for some reason)!!

I always like to say, if you want to learn about science, you dont go to a history professor, correct? If you want to learn about astrology you dont ask a chicken farmer? Or if you want to learn about Fashion, you dont ask a garbage man (unless he makes clothing out of trash bags ha ha). If you want to learn about Mormons, go ask a Mormon. Basically what I'm saying is go to the source. I would hope that the people of the world can know that what we stand for is goodness and honesty. There is nothing strange or currupt about what belive. In fact, you will find, the the more you understand our teachings, the more you understand Christ and His Gospel. It is beauuuuutiful.

Recently, the church has been hit from all sides of the media and producers and directors, who think they understand what we know. Let me be the first to tell you, being one who studied journalism in school, the MEDIA is usually scewed and purposefully wrong in order to 'stir the pot' one might say. I think that the media has it's purpose in some cases, but I also believe that in movies, television, magazines...they tend to be far from the truth, and usually without context or explaination. What is left, is a false public opinion and a currupt light on what people think we really believe. Let me just tell you a lot of what you see on TV and on the big screens isn't always true. There are a lot of false and to be honest, hurtful teachings out there.


Let me share with you my love of temples and of my faith. There has always been temples on earth as long as the gospel of Jesus Christ has been established (since the beginging of time). We can look at examples in the Bible and in the New Testiment of how God's children went to temples to learn and to pray to our Heavenly Father. There is nothing wierd and nothing strange about what we belive, it comes from God. Everything we do as Mormon people can be found in the scriptures that prophets of old have written. We revere temples as sacred, and as such we dont throw it around because it would only get trampled on by the world. Let me give you an example. Think of something, perhaps a prized possesion, a best friend, a family member that you hold dear. Would you ever throw it in the mudd or disrepect it or them? I sure hope not.

I love temples. The temple is where I married my husband in a small LDS ceremony and where we belive we can be together even after death. This gives me so much hope!! I go to the temple to pray and to feel peace in my life. I find direction in my life by going there. It is a beautiful place of peace.


Here is a video that comes from the source. It is truthful and it is right. It is not from an antagonist. I hope this is informative. Here is what we believe:

Yummy!

I am so excited to make these this week!

Temples

For those of you who might have some questions about why Mormon's build temples, I would refer you to this beautiful video. 'Throughout history, the Lord has commanded His people to build temples. Temples are literally houses of the Lord. They are holy places of worship where individuals make sacred promises with God.'

He's Got a Name!

Chase Weldon Carson!

{picture via Chris and Chrissy's blog}

Welcome baby!

Chris and Chrissy Carson just welcomed their second child into the world, my little 9lbs 3 oz 21 inch healthy baby nephew. He still remains unnamed, but we've had all kinds of ideas. My brother likes the name Wiggie (an inside joke between him and I) and my awesome friend Caren says Carenelious sounds great. Together Caren and I came up with the name Ceasar Carenelius Carsonius Carson, but somehow I dont think Chris and Chrissy would approve. Whatever they name this precious little boy, he is certainly a handsome little guy! After Monday's stress, it is sure nice to recieve this good news! Welcome baby boy Carson!

Some days...

Some days hurt more than others. That's why I posted this picture. I'm not ready or even close to popping vicodin to take away the pain like Dr. House does (if you know me you know I love this show), but yesterday hurt a little bit, ok a lot and this picture helped relieve the pain. It makes me laugh. In life, you can prepare and brace yourself for a fall, and even when you try to avoid it, it is still painful. That is kinda how yesterday was.

Here's a little update of the last 48 hours or so. Sunday night I got home around 12:30 am from a beautiful and joyful trip to Oklahoma. I love my family more than anything each and every one of them. The weather was increadibly sunny and bright, spring flowers were already blooming. We laughed and enjoyed every minute of my 2 day trip, but I was excited to come home to see Andy. He was already sleeping when I arrived cause he had been through an intense drill weekend. I kissed him on the forehead and went to bed as well. About 2 hours later we get a call from Andy's brother Eric letting us know that their dad had just had a stroke and was in the hospital. It was scary and it really REALLY felt like a dream cause we were both really out of it. That night was followed by follow up phone calls and restless sleep. Andy got up at 6:30 to get ready for school and his carpool buddy had slept in so he came back to bed and decided to sleep a little longer. At around 9:00 I realized my alarm never went off so we both jumped out of bed, he left for school and I texted my work letting them know I would be taking a sick day because I was exhausted and we were going to visit my father in law in the hospital as soon as Andy got back from school. After he left about 20 minutes later, I felt like I needed to go into work and at least get a few hours and then Andy could meet me in SLC and we'd ride up to the hospital together.

As soon as I got to work, I started writing my weekly report for the previous week, and Dr. Woodward came into my office. He had heard what happened with my dad in law and asked me about it, then said, "There's more bad news I have to tell you." My heart sank. He proceeded to tell me about how the project they had planned for me wasn't going to happen and that they were going to have to let me go. He went on to say he wanted to let me know and that he was very sorry and he didnt like it. His appology was sincere and I felt it. I appreciated it and I started to cry. If I dont sleep I tend to be more emotional and this set me off the top. "Well at least I'll have the afternoon off to visit my father in law in the hospital" was about all I could say. About that same time, Andy called to tell me he was driving up and that we could meet. It provided a window for Dr. Woodward to leave and for me to break the news to my husband. We had been wondering if something like this was going to happen, we just didnt know when. I tried preparing myself for it, but it still is emotionally hard to handle. I went to the meeting and they told us all about unemployment. I drove home in a transe and we packed up our things and drove up to Ogden to visit Fred (that's my dad in laws name). He's recovering well, and still has lost dexterity in his hand, but he was smiling and doing his best to hide the worry. He teared up a bit, but we're so glad he's alive and he's going to recover just fine.

You know the saying, "When it rains, it pours." It felt a bit like that yesterday, but as Andy and I were saying our prayers last night the greatest comfort came with peace in my heart and mind. It's going to be ok. The Lord knows what is going on in our lives, and he will heal any wound or any fall no matter how hard. The pain will go away and today is already looking brighter than yesterday. I can only take it one day at a time, but there's better days ahead.

Counterproduction

We got a treadmill 3 weeks ago. I ran on it today. I also ate my favorite hershey's almond kisses while I treaded along. We need some type of motivation!!! Right?? Right....?? Oh my!

Good 'Ol School Days

For the last 8 years Andy has been trying to get his bachelor's degree. He has had many interruptions, 2 Marine Corps deployments, a church mission to Taiwan, and a few other obstacles. It has been a long road...ok an eternally long road at times, but the light is at the end of the tunnel for us and we couldn't be happier. This weekend however, I'm realizing how much I'm going to miss it. As long as we've been together one or both of us has been in school. Recently, it has been soooo much fun having Andy in school believe it or not!!! We have received some serious perks of which I'm so grateful for!!! Let me just say that FREE comes as a very welcomed word right now as we budget and plan ahead for the future, stretching every penny as far as we can. Last semester, since Andy is in the accounting program, Ernst and Young invited all the Jr. Core students and their family members to a huge concert. We got tons of free bees and the band signed CDs afterward...talk about awesome!

Wed night this week, we ate a free dinner at the Tanner Building.

Just last night, we went to the BYU Ball. The event was called, "A Night Under the Stars" and the only things we paid for were the blisters on our feet from dancing so hard to jazzy tunes from the live band. It was blast!! It was a free night of fun!! We got to dress up and eat yummy catered food, dance to a live band, enjoy patisseries, and I even got a rose at the end of the date. It was so great. I think I'm going to miss these nights of fun.

Beautiful Spaces for Kids

I love the vibrant and creative designs of this French designer, Camille Soulayrol. Her children's bedrooms are beautiful. I especially love the one with the alphabet board! What great ideas!!!

Happy Quote

"The world needs dreamers and the world needs doers. But above all, the world needs dreamers who do."

From "Simple Abundance: a Daybook of Comfort and Joy", by Sarah Ban Breathnach

You Magnify Every Beautiful thing Valentine!

This is what we found for my mom for Valentine's Day! A little Magnifying Glass Necklace. I saw someone wearing it and asked them where they found it! Luckily I could help my dad and we got it online!!! Have a beautiful Valentine's Day!

Tornado Tot

Today at work I was checking the CNN front page and OKLAHOMA TORNADO was one of the top stories. I immediately clicked on it to find out a tornado was headed straight to my home town. A TORNADO IN FEBRUARY!!!

I hurried and called my mom, my dad, my friend Kristin (her phone didnt even ring), my brother, and my sister in law answered the phone after I called her twice. I guess the tornado had hit a few miles away from them and she and my niece Kate were in a closet with a wind up radio listening to the storm. She had just been told it was ok to come out for a second, so she grabbed snacks for Kate and was back in the closet when I called. I was so worried about everyone and she told me that everything was ok and that she had talked to my brother a few minutes ago but the power was out everywhere. Throughout our conversation I could hear my cute little niece just babbling away and making happy little squealing sounds. It was so cute. She was just happy as could be hanging out with her mom in a closet with a wind up radio. Thank goodness they are ok. The tornado was only 2 miles away from their house, their cars got severe hail damage and lost electricity for a while. 3 homes were destroyed and 3 people died in southern OK from the storm. Here is a video about it: http://www.koco.com/news/18683254/detail.html. I'm so happy hear their voices and little baby Kate playing with her momma.

Driving Home Scare

Today as I was driving home, I called my sweet Andy to tell him I was on my way. He had already arrived at home and was starting to prepare dinner. He asked me how much longer until I arrived and I told him that traffic was really good so I'd probably be home in at least 10 minutes.

"Great, I'm so excited to see you!!!" he said.
"I'm excited to see you too," I told him.

He had been gone all weekend at drill, so it was nice to know he'd be home when I got there.

I got off at our exit and started headed towards our neighborhood. We live really close to the freeway past a stone company, and some fields, a train track and there's our house. The speed limit is only 25 mph so I was going relatively slow minding my own buisness, singing to the radio, and looking towards home. Then all of the sudden I see someone running frantically just off to the side of the road waving their hands like a crazy person. It actually startled me and I thought they must be flagging someone else down so I just kept driving hoping everything was ok. At first that person was a small object and upon getting closer and closer and as he kept running and waving his hands in the air, I realized it was Andy!!!!!!!!!!!! He was running towards me in the mud (it had rained all day). I swearved off to the side and he was smiling so big. I was so confused, not sure if everything was ok or not, but he just had this HUGE smile on his face. In disbelief, he opened the door and kept smiling so big.
"WHAT IN THE WORLD???" I asked him.
"I told you I was excited to see you!!! I just couldnt wait any longer!!!" he said.

All I could do is laugh all the way home (1 minute). He is unfailingly the sweetest/funniest person I know. I'm so glad he was ok, more than ok, he's crazy!!!!

Ramblings of a military wife

Can you spot his beautiful smile??? This was the first time I saw his face in 7 months!!!! I love how he is not even listening! I was crying a lot at this point.


When Andy signed up for the Marine Corps (almost 7 years ago), they told him his contract would consist of going in for training (Drill weekend) ONE WEEKEND a month TWO WEEKS a year. Well, it has turned into 4-5 days a month, and 3 1/2 weeks a year. This has been a real big pain, especially because he is in school, and that is why he signed up for the reserves, NOT ACTIVE DUTY, so that he would be able t balance them both!!! Because of this insane scedule, he misses a lot of school work and I just have to say, He is one increadible person. He made it on the Deans list in the BYU Accounting school and for BYU in general. He manages time more efficiently than anyone I know, and I am in awe of his dedication (one of the reasons I married him, other than he has a beautiful smile, tenderness, and kindness that I didnt find in other boys that were even older than him).

When he is gone for several days in a row sometimes I become very sad again, almost like when he was in Iraq for months and months, however, my mind gets into that grove again and I begin to accept the fact that he wont be home anytime soon. It makes me so a tad bit frustrated when I hear wives say, "I miss my husband he has been gone for one or two days." I'm like COM'ON! You can totally do it, it's two meazly days, not 365!!! For heavens sakes, he's not taking a m-16 automatic machine gun with him on his trip and he's probably out camping or on a buisness trip and he probably has a cell phone to call you!! Everyone has their right to miss their husbands and sometimes we just have to make the best of it. I think life is all about perspecitive and experiences. I've learned never to assume, and alawys be grateful, so amist this ranting, I would like to honestly say that when I meet other wives that have done this, and some that have their husbands never come home, I am humbled and thankful beyond compare. There is a bond there that I can't explain. They understand, they've been there, cried there, stood there, and walked there.

At church, there is a beautiful military wife whom I love dearly. I just love her and I love her for how she is so full of light and gratitude. She walks tall and with faith. Her husband has been gone to Iraq for several months and we have this increadible bond and are able to have deep and meaningful conversations about life and it's perspectives. She has that glow about her that starts about a month before you know your man is coming home and huge tears of joy just swell up in my eyes when I hear her talking about his homecoming. One night this week, I asked her, 'Do a lot of women say to you that they dont know how you did it with him being gone?" She replied with a "Yes". Then it seems to be a common thread that they continue to say, "I could NEVER do it." I'm not so sure if I agree with that. I do believe that it is a emotional response and a kind respectful one, but we dont give ourselves enough credit as women and what we are capable of. When you have no other choice than to DO it, somehow you do!!! If more of life's experiences were Do it ones instead of I dont know if I could ones, think of what we could conquer!!! It doesn't mean it is easy, I had my fair share of crying, depression, saddness, and sometimes I still do, like today, but once it is over, as it will be with my dear friend Amy Jo, you look back at how this experience makes you grateful that he is only gone for 2 or 3 days and that those few days are really nothing in a year, and that 365 days are nothing in a lifetime, let alone eternity. There is such a grater perspective that even I can't comprehend...but I'm trying!! Then I think about my grandma who survied after my grandpa died almost 10 years. What an icreadible woman. She never failed to be greatful or smile. I need to be more like her...That is a whole new story for another day perhaps, but this weekend I am going to try and be happy and realize Sunday isn't that far away....

How to run a marathon 101

So I asked my dad on the phone what I needed to do to run the marathon on May 16th.

Me: Dad what do I need to do to prepare?
Dad: Run

Wow, what a concept! This comes from a man that has run over 25+ marathons, iron mans, and you name it.

So today (Saturday), I ran 5 miles, next Saturday 6, follow Saturday 7 and so on and so forth until the day. I'm running dad! :-) LoL

Molten Mess!

I made chocolate molten cakes on Sunday. When I took them out of the oven they looked like this:




Sorry if the pics are blurry, they were taken on my cell. THEY MIGHT HAVE BEEN MESSY BUT THEY WERE SOOOOO GOOD! We ate them with Vanilla yogurt (cause we had no ice cream and it was too cold and snowy to leave) and frozen strawberries. That last one looks like a face on purpose! Ha ha!

Here is the recipe! It's really REALLY easy!

Chocolate Molten Cakes:

4 squares BAKERS semi sweet chocolate
1/2 C butter (one stick)
1 C. powdered sugar
2 eggs
2 egg yolks
6 tbs. flour

Combine all ingredients. Mix until sugar and flower has dissolved. Heat oven to 425.Place in small buttered ramakins or creme brulee dishes (muffin pans work great!!) Fill batter just over half way into cups(they will rise just look at those pics!) . Bake 15-20 minutes or until top is semi-firm. Serve with whatever goodness you would like!!!

Happy Quote

I believe in Manicures. I believe in Overdressing. I believe in Primping at leisure and wearing Lipstick. I believe that Laughing is the best calorie burner. I Believe in Kissing; Kissing a lot. I believe in Being Strong when everything else seems to be going wrong. I believe Happy Girls are the prettiest girls. I believe that tomorrow is another day, and I Believe in Miracles.

-Audrey Hepburn

26.2

It's official!!! I've signed up and paid up. May 16, 2009 will be a day I die, or a day I will complete a dream. If I have a choice I will live my dream to run a marathon with my dad. The training for the next 3 months will be intense but I am determinded to do this!!! I love my dad and he is my inspiration and it has been my dream to run this for several years! He has been running for years now and is slowing down a bit, so before he stops completely I have to run a marathon with him. What better time them now!!!! On my way home from my mission in France, I was contemplating goals and what I wanted to accomplish when I returned home. It's been several years and life has a way of speeding by wayyyy to fast. This one is for you dad! I LOVE YOU!!!

Sweet Treat!

Cannelle et Vanille created these beautiful macaron cookies. Wouldn't they be cute for Valentine's Day treats?!

AMERICA'S SONG!!

Hurry and get your i-pods out and download America's song from Oprah's website for free!! It's only available to download for 24 hours. You can't beat this free download. The song features a compilation of such incredible artists such as Bono, Faith Hill, Seal, and more and is a great way to feel the power of this great nation wether your an Obama fan or not!! It's an awesome song so check it out and dont forget to download it for free until tomorrow at 5pm! Happy Martin Luther King Day and thanks Oprah!!!

Found one!

I think we found THE one. 3 bedrooms, 1 out house, 5 chickens, a wine cellar, no AC, no heater. Former owner, Marie Antoinette. OH did I mention that a garden comes installed on your roof? I wonder what the pricetag is on this baby????



this is from our trip to France last May when we went back and visited my mish.

French Cottage

So, with the housing market being really REALLY low, and Andy getting really REALLY close to graduation and full-time employment....we've been thinking about houses. We are looking for a modest home more than likely in SLC area, something small, something practical. We're not certain that we're going to buy right now, but we'd have to be pretty dang stupid not to take advantage of some incredible deals!!! We just started thinking about it so nothing is certain and with all this thinking, I start dreaming...someday, when we know we're going to stay in an area for a long time, my dream is to build a little French cottage somewhere with some awesome gardens. Here are some pretty examples I love.

No Matter What!

Sometimes when I have some really long days, I know that when I get home and see his face, it is always better! No matter what!!!

Pink Petal

I am in love with these beautiful Christian Louboutin Petal Sandals. They remind me of the spring that is all too far away, but even if it was spring, I really dont think I would still have the $1,000.00 to buy them. Nice try...

Fuzzy Wuzzy Was No More

My dear sweet hubby, Andy, decided to try an experiment over the holiday. Now, to preface this, I must let you know that in the last year he has had to cut his hair EVERY week for the Marine's from a zero to one inch fade, shave for school, and keep himself very well groomed. When Christmas break came around...Andy came completely unhinged. He was FREE for two weeks to let his hair grow out and go crazy on the facial hair. The first week wasn't so bad, but by week 2...this is what had become of my baby (which really isn't that bad if you know people that grow this in one day, but for him this was as gruff as he gets)... This was taken on Saturday, and on Sunday this is what happened. I arose at around 8:30 to start getting readying for church which starts at 9. Andy had already woken up early to prepare his Sunday school lesson. He told me he was going to shave all of his man beard off so I expected my baby-faced hubby back. I was very excited. As I came around the corner to see him, I thought I was either still asleep or my eyes hadn't quite focused right. There was still facial hair and my husband looked like a Spanish Conquistador. He had shaved everything but the chin and the upper lip. I screamed cause it scared me so bad. It was not a normal look for him. He just sat there and smiled. It really threw me off guard when I saw him and realized it was far from gone it was worse. I made him shave that off but then he came back having only shaved the chin off. So back to the bathroom he went with my blessing only to come back AGAIN with half of the upper lip portion shaved off...What a nut...needless to say after much persistence he shaved it all away and went to church as the sweet shaven boy we all love and adore so much.

Galette des Rois

Today is a very special day in France. It's the day they celebrate when Christ was presented to the Wise Men by sharing a cake or pie called UNE GALETTE DES ROIS, or The Galette of the Kings. There is so much symbolism in this patisserie (pastry) that it's hard to know where to begin, but let me try and if you can read in French here is a great website where I retained my information. The French celebrate this day offering a yummy, flaky, almond paste filled pie that contains a special hidden surprise inside. This little surprise is called le feve (or a dry little bean). In olden days, we're talking back in the time when the Christian Crusades were going on, the feve is placed inside this pie-like creation and whomever received the special feve in their portion was given a crown and was honored king or queen of the day. Today, the feve is no longer a dry little bean, as times changed, so did the surprise and it has become a little ceramic or porcelain figurine. There are so many different kinds, you could have a little feve that looks like Darth Vader or another that looks like Sleeping Beauty. Some are little pieces of a Nativity scene, and others are more traditional like the feve I bit into when I was in France, a little person that looks like a traditional French peasant. The person who gets the little feve still is honored king or queen for the day. The pie is sliced and shared with everyone, except for one piece which is set aside for family members who are absent or missing from the table, such as a soldier fighting far from home (I really liked that part). There's so much more to it, but that is just the basics of a tradition I love. There is a really great recipe on Canelle et Vanille for a Galette des Rois.

2008 Turner Year in Review

This year has been a crazy one! I can hardly believe it was a year, felt more like a blink and VOILA it's suddenly 2009 before I can even figure out what happned. Nonetheless, I would like to thank all my beautiful friends and family for helping me get through what was probably one of the toughest and most glorious years of my life. I hope to look forward in 2009 with a greater appreciation for so many people in my life...Thank you!!

SO with no further adieu here is my top 10 year in review (no rhyme intended ha ha), it actually is mingled with the last two years, but time is really just a moment to me...


10.Sending Andy off to train to leave for Bahgdad Iraq May 2007, while I finished teaching the most increadible MTC district of missionaries in the world who got me through the first three months....
9. Meeting Andy in Washington D.C. for the most beautiful 4th of July celebration combined with my two best buds from my mission...
8.then living with my beloved grandma (mom's side) while she battled her last few months of cancer...I miss her and revear her so much. What a life lesson I learned and how much I think of her courageous battle every day...Andy came home for a 10 day leave and she passed away right after he came home. He was there holding my hand at her funeral. I needed him then and she knew it. He left for Iraq...
7. I went home to Oklahoma for the holidays and meet my beautiful niece Kate for the first time....she was in a little basket sleeping, so my first words to her were, "OHHH it's a baby in a basket" as I saw her cute little face. What a joy she is and what awesome parents she has. I was able to see Andy's face on the computer screen for the first time in 2 months and last time for 7 more months until he came home.
6. Moving out on my own to Draper, Missing Andy and having a hard time getting to sleep cause it was so cold when they refused to turn the heat on or supply warm water, then having the city 'evict' me and getting out of that horrid place legally and moving out in less than 2 days..thus...
5. Moving in and living with my Grandma and Grandpa Carson while Andy was in Iraq and watching A.I. every night, hoping David Archuletta would win!!!!! We shared a lot of laughs, and I will be forever grateful for the chance I had to be with them.
4. Missing my friends that got laid off or left The Foundation and surviving the wrath of a mean and unruley supervisor who should learn how to treat people as humans.
3. Finding a beautiful town home in Lehi Utah and having my mom come help me get it ready for Andy to come home. We had a blast together, but I sure miss my grandparents and our nightly shows together....
2. Ankle surgery to remove an osteocondroma (bone tumor)
1. ANDY COMING HOME FROM IRAQ (May 1st, 2008) and seeing his beautiful face and smile for the first time in MONTHS. It was a moment suspended in time...I will never forget the joy in my heart when I saw him marching up with 130 other Marines who were on US soil...THAT was the highlight and blessing of my year, let alone LIFE! Spending the most beautiful holiday season with him and being together at long last with friends, family, and all those who helped me through it!!!! What a year it has been. We each have our own stories to write, and I hope yours is scripted with joy! Happy New Year!!!