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!!!