Enough Cotton Already!

While going for a walk at Lagoon Trail this is what we discovered- a butt load of cotton! You may have thought this was in May with the "May Snow" we had, but unfortunately its the dreaded allergy fluff. Hence the rest of my walk I couldn't breathe, which also equals side-ache city! Oh how I loathe this stuff.

I couldn't resist putting this picture in. Kristin and I were walking up Farmington Pond and we always see this steep hill with logs kind of like steps. We decided to explore to see where it led. It was pretty anticlimactic when we got to the top. It was just a flat dirt area...boring! I guess I don't know what I should have expected in the first place. I made it down the mountain before she did and I turned around to see her on all fours. I was laughing pretty hard, she got up on her feet before I was able to get my phone out to take a picture of her full on down on the ground. But this still kind of captures the struggle she was having getting down the "slippery" hill.

Bong, anyone?...

Are you wondering what is in this polka-dotted bag like my mom did?

Well my mom was doing yardwork in our front yard and found this hidden in one of our bushes. So she asked me and my sisters to take a look. That's when we educated her a bit about Bongs. My mom called the cops and one came to check it out. He said the drugs that were stashed with it weren't anything too exciting, just a little Tobacco mixed with a little Black Mamba Spice. I asked the cop if he would either frisk me or my mom to give our nosy neighbor accross the street something to gossip about, but he didn't have much of a sense of humor. Anyway, who knew Farmington, UT could be that exciting?! :)

Serendipitous Concert

Last night I went to a local band concert where Bryson and Kylee were opening for a band. Their band's name is Serendipitous. When I first met Kylee she was still in Middle School, it's crazy she is graduated and all grown up (Kylee is Patrick and Cara's youngest sister). These two performed so well together and Bryson was fllippin amazing on the guitar, and he has an awesome voice. It was really entertaining to watch, too bad he leaves on his mission in a month because I would love to go to more!

(Click to make bigger)

(Me & Cara waiting for the show to start)

(basically my sisters Meg & Cara)

(Kevin, and Kylee in the background adjusting wardrobe:) )

Just when I thought I was too tired for more excitement, on my way home I ran into a HUGE traffic jam. It was stop and go traffic (mostly just stopped) basically from the beginning of when I got onto the freeway. I was so tired (I had almost fallen asleep on my way to the concert-but don't tell anyone), but I had my music to keep me awake as I sang along. Then all of the sudden my music started fuzzing out (and it was a CD) so I knew something wasn't right. Then the lights in my car that show the time, and my speedometer started dimming. It seemed to me my battery was going out, and fast. So I hurried and turned off my AC, rolled my windows down and started signaling to try and make it in the right lane. I also said a quick little prayer asking to just help me make it home before my car decided to die on me. I'm betting you are expecting me to say how miraculously my prayer was answered and I made it home. I hate to disappoint, but....NOPE!!! I guess the Lord was busy with something more important- or he was up for a bit of entertainment (I'm thinking it was the latter). Well, seeing how "Utah drivers" aren't the most polite it took me a while to get my way over, I was in the middle of getting to the very right lane when my car DIED! So my car was kind of angled in a way where I was in both lanes- awesome! Since my window was rolled down I was getting some choice names and words thrown in my direction. Then these two guys came running out to help me. I tried to get my car in "neutral" but it wouldn't go. Even the guys got in and tried, with no such luck. So they got some jumper cables and were able to get my car to start up long enough for me to get into the emergency lane.

Since I had just been with Kevin I tried getting a hold of him, but no answer (later to find out his phone died...great timing eh?). So I called my dad, which I didn't want to do (I was only by Cabella's at this point, which is a 45 min. drive from our house). He told me to sit tight and he would meet me with a new battery. I'm pretty sure I could obey that since I didn't have much option. I thought I could maybe get a nap in while I waited- that idea was QUICKLY shot down. Can I just tell you that it still gets a bit chilly at nights in June? My window was stuck down, but luckily I had a scrub shirt in my back seat (I had left it there because a few weeks before there was radioactivity on it that I was letting decay before I brought it in the house) so I put that over me. There are also a bunch of JERKS that would make comments to me as they drove by. It was also very loud with a ton of trucks that would drive by with their air breaks hissing at me constantly.

An hour went by and a cop pulled over a car behind me. Then he proceeded to frisk the guy! Wow, doesn't get much better than this folks. But a few minutes later my dad showed up to my rescue. While I held up the hood and shined the flashlight he scraped away at the "decroded piece of crap" and installed the new battery (I've had to go through new batteries so much I could be a pro). Then we were both lucky enough to get to sit through more traffic, to find out over an hour later it was because they had the freeway down to one lane- I HATE CONSTRUCTION!!! I was getting really tired and once I got through the construction I was struggling to keep my eyes open to get home. I honestly don't remember half of my drive home, but luckily I made it somehow. Just to recap, I left Cara's house at 9:45 and didn't get home until 2:30am (which usually only takes me 50 min. to get home from her place). It's a good thing I love Kylee and that their performance was so good, otherwise it wouldn't have been worth it!

(just to give you an idea of what I got to watch as I sat there waiting to be rescued)

79 and Counting

This sweet lady, my Grandma Allen, just celebrated her 79th birthday June 10th. I've blogged about her before because I look up to her and love her so much. How can you not with this contagious smile of hers?? The top picture I captured while my uncle Ken, me, Kristin, Stacy, Steve, and my dad came walking in with Spongebob Square Pants birthday hats on all our heads. She was a pleasantly surprised. I hope when I'm 79 I will have accomplished as much as she has in her life, man I love her. Happy Birthday Grandma!

Back to BYU days...

So I was cleaning out some of my old BYU college papers, books, etc and came across a sonnet I wrote for one of my Humanities classes. Here it is for your entertainment:

TONGUE-TIED

.

If love is sweet and easy, tell me why

that when the "right one" finally comes around

I try to speak, but can't utter a sound

My tongue is tied, and he just slips on by.

.

I see a girl whose confidence abounds;

She talks and flirts without a second thought

executing Love's ensnaring plot.

The man, he only hears the Siren's sounds.

.

Why do the men seem only tuned to hear

those fake and flirty, flighty empty words,

while here I am so full of words sincere

Because my tongue won't move, remain unheard

Whose job is it to change for love to bloom?

It must be both to have a bride and groom.

.

And there you have it. It had to be about love, and I know the last two lines are pretty cheesy- but I had to fulfill the correct format. Anyway, this actually applied to me back in the day when I wrote it. But as I was reading it again after several years I realize almost nothing has changed. I feel like I'm still that girl who truly cares for a guy genuinely, but they seem to overlook me for the fake girls. People always tell me not to care what people think and to be myself and let a guy know when you like him. However, I feel like more times than not it backfires on me. Plus, I am always terrified of their reaction or not even remotely feeling the same way. Wow, now that I shared way more than I had originally planned I will put this post to a close. Hope you enjoyed it! :)

Stacy's 23rd Birthday!

My sister, Stacy, turned the big 2-3. It was a pretty relaxed birthday celebration by going to Olive Garden, then coming back for some cake, followed by watching a movie of her choice, "Only You." It was crazy how young Robert Downey Jr. was in the movie! Time flies I guess.

Stacy and her main squeeze, Steve

Kristin and I decorated her bedroom door so she could wake up to a surprise. We got Spongebob party hads, then dangled Nutrolls and Reeses. We also put up a poster that came with the birthday card we got her. It is a Twighlight one (an inside joke). It was a two-sided poster, one side with Jacob, the other with Edward. We put up Jacob cause we tease her that she is on TEAM JACOB (she says he's way better looking than Edward- but who doesn't think that? Even though I don't think either of them are even cute). If you look closely you can tell that she has a Hannah Montana poster on her door as well. Steve (my brother) and I put that up on her door a long time ago as a joke and she still hasn't taken it down.

Kristin and I found this sweet shirt of Twighlight. On the front it says "I can't change how I feel, Please don't make me choose." We saw this and had to get it for her. Then on the back of the shirt we took it upon ourselves to do an iron on saying "Guilty Pleasure" You can't tell but they are sparkly letters :) The whole "guilty pleasure" thing is an inside joke as well. Stacy told us that she likes watching the movies and that it was her guilty pleasure...hence the shirt.

This is a collage of her opening up other gifts we got her. We got her 'The Hunger Game" book and another book series on tape (can you tell she likes to read?), her favorite chapsticks, and a PedEgg (those things that scrape off the nasty crustiness on your feet and heels- which she tried and says it actually works!)

Below are just some more pictures of us celebrating her big day. I can't believe she's 23, which means I can't believe my own age!

Say "No" to Gambling

This last weekend was a lot of fun. I didn't work Monday, so I went down to Provo that early afternoon. A bunch of friends were wanting to go camping, but seeing how the weather wasn't so promising they decided on going to Wendover. If you are ever thinking about going to Wendover- TAKE THE FUN BUS!!! (AKA "Le Bus") It is such a steal of a deal! It only costs $15 round trip. On your drive there they serve you drinks and play games like Bingo with prizes. Then as you get off the bus they give you a $5 voucher to use on slots or whatever you want. Plus they give you a free pass to a buffet there (usually $25 to eat there) which I totally took advantage of and ate my money's worth! So it feels like they are paying you to go! (ha ha , I'll keep telling myself that anyway) I gave myself $20 to play around with and our whole group got the same table to play Black Jack. Of course I was like the only one who didn't win any money that night (except Michelle, who lost $30). Dustin was lucky and won $200 or more! Anyway, it was more entertaining just watching them play on the table (oh, plus from the fun bus you get a free beverage in the casino--What's up Virgin Pina Colada?!). So it was really fun. I know I know, we aren't supposed to gamble, but I didn't go there expecting to win and just pretended I had spent money on dinner and a movie. Seriously though, it was WAY more fun than dinner and a movie! Everyone needs to experience the "Fun Bus" to Wendover once (at least!) in their lives. Here was our group:

(Patrick, me, Michelle, Roman, Heather, Brad, Alicia, Danny, Rachel, and front center showing off his winnings- Dustin)

Fun Days at Work

At work we had GE training all week. We had a designated guy helping us with any questions we had about our scanner or computer system. Then he did an overview of all our software and all the options that were available with the upgrade. I love my job, I think it is so fascinating how the body works, as well as the scan that we do on the human body. I thought I would show you a few pictures of the scans I get to play around with at work. Don't worry, the patients names are left anonymous!

This first collage above is of the same male patient. The top left is the CT portion where we can change it to show muscle and skin as well. If you look closely at his chest you can see that this patient has a port. Then the bottom left is another picture of a CT. My favorite is of the skeleton! In the blue color you can kinda see the heart and liver, and then in red you see some intestines. That is why when you get a CT sometimes (depending on what they are looking for) they make you drink oral contrast. It is to give the Radiologists better images of your intestines (otherwise your "guts" wouldn't be showing as well). Then the far right picture is of the CT scan fused with the PET (Positron Emission Tomography...not some sort of "animal" scan like I get asked).


This next collage above is of a woman. The picture on the left is also a fused scan of the CT and PET. Usually if someone has a cancerous spot it is bright orange in the area. If you look at the heart in this picture you can see a little orange- but that is normal for the heart to have uptake. So the bottom right picture is kind of my favorite. The outline of her body reminds me of the old "Cootie" toys I used to play with as a kid (those little plastic bugs/cooties with the Roley poly bodies). Anyway, if you don't know what I'm talking about don't worry about it. But it still cracks me up when I see heavier women scans when the bra and waistband elastic squeezes and turns their bodies into "Cooties."


Before we start our patients we ask them for a history of surgery. You wouldn't believe how many times we have asked female patients this question, and they don't bring up 'Breast Augmentation'. Really??! You don't think getting knocked out to get bigger jugs in the SURGICAL ROOM is a surgery? I'm pretty sure they have to cut you somewhere....Anyway, This picture above is what we call "Mickey Mouse." This is when you can totally see a woman's fake boob job. The black space in the middle is where the lungs are, and the gray blob in the middle of the lungs is her heart. Then you see the two gray symmetrical round "ears" above- silicone!:) This one is mild compared so some in the past where you see perfect cirlular Mickey ears. So for any of you women out there with fake boobs, if you don't tell us...WE STILL KNOW, the pictures don't lie! :)

Creation TIme anyone?

So my mom had to teach about the 'Creation' to a bunch of 7-yr-olds and wanted me to help her with some visuals. I drew what she kind of wanted for each day and this is how it turned out (my sister, Stacy, helped me color numbers 3, 4, & 7...it took me a while to get 5 & 6 done). Don't look too closely at the Zebra, I struggled thinking what they look like for some reason.

(You can click on numbers 4-7 to zoom in, but it wouldn't work for 1, 2, & 3)

Almost one year!

My brother, Steve, had a birthday in April. You know what that means? He has almost been out on his mission for a year, come June. I couldn't be more excited about that thought! He sent this picture of himself in his "sweet shades" pulling a bit of a 'Blue Steel' face. This guy cracks me up so much! I'm just hoping this next year goes by a bit faster than this first one did cause I sure miss him. Nobody can get a laugh out of me like he does.

For his birthday I sent him this little package that he took a picture of for me. It is an edible 5x7 greeting card cookie. They print off your design on the cookie, as well as print it off on a card. I ordered it online from Ediblesinc.com. I've used this company before and love it. You can upload the pictures you want on the cookie as well as type your own message, choose the boarder designs, color of gift box, and stamped charm that is sent with it. So for any of you out there struggling for gift ideas, this is a fun way to switch things up a bit. I hear they are yummy too. So check out this link Ediblesinc.com, they have cookies for all sorts of holidays and occasions. If you create an account they email you coupons to use that usually saves you $5-7. Wow, I should start charging for these little ads I'm promoting :)

Mo Bettah Steaks

My family and I are obsessed with Hawaiian shaved ice! We get these at a place called Mo Bettah Steaks in Bountiful (and I'm pretty sure our family alone is keeping them in business). I hear they have one in Salt Lake as well. But they are so amazing, but you have to remember to ask for the "snow cap" version which means they drizzle sweet and condensed milk on top! It is so yummy, and they don't chince on the flavoring either. So anyone around this area...you might want to check this place out!

Mother's Day Pavlova

So for Mother's day my sister and I took charge of making dinner for my mom. We made these individual quiches that were made from the larger sized muffin tins. The cool part about it was that I made crepes before, and then you line the muffin tins with the crepes then fill them with the quiche mixture. They were very tasty. The picture above is the dessert I made. It is called Pavlova. It is kind of like a fruit pizza- except BETTER and even a bit healthier (if you even care about that mumbo jumbo, which I don't. But know others might). The crust is made with egg whites and sugar and a few other ingredients. It tastes kind of like a roasted marshmallow...HEAVENLY!!! So if you want to take a crack at it yourself here is the recipe for this amazing Pavlova (servings: 8-10):

INGREDIENTS:
- 1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1 Cup granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon raspberry vinegar or red wine vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 1/4 cups heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons light brown sugar, packed
- 2 kiwi fruits, or other sliced cup of fruit
- 10 strawberries, or raspberries or blackberries

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350

In a mixer fitted with a whisk attachment (or hand mixer), whip the egg whites, cream of tartar and salt in a clean, dry bowl until foamy. Add the granulated sugar, cornstarch, vinegar, and vanilla and continue whipping until stiff, smooth and glossy, about 8 minutes more. On a sheet of parchment paper cut to fit a sheet pan, use a pencil to draw or trace a circle 9 inches in diameter. Line the sheet pan with the parchment, pencil side down (you should still be able to see the circle). Spoon the egg whites into the circle, using the back of the spoon to smooth the top and sides of the disk. Bake in the center of the oven for 10 minutes, then reduce the heat to 300 degrees and bake until the meringue has puffed up and cracked on the top and the surface is lightly browned, about 45 minutes more. Turn off the oven, prop the oven door open, and let the Pavlova cool in the oven at least 30 minutes, to room temperature.

Whip the cream and brown sugar together until stiff. Spoon it in the center of the cooled Pavlova and spread out to within 1/2 inch of the edge. Arrange the slices of kiwi and berries how you like. Use a serrated knife to serve. ENJOY!!! I know I did!

Let them eat cake

Being the perfect mom that Cara is and always tries to be, she took it upon herself to make 5 different cakes for her son, Tucker, who wanted an 'Avatar' themed birthday party. Not from the new Avatar movie, but from the Television show. Cara wanted a cake for each major 'bending' power (for anyone familiar with the show...) with the different symbols from the show including: Wind, Earth, Fire, and Water. Then she wanted just the face of the famous Avatar character- Aang (the 'air-bender'). She was really stressed out about having to do all of this, so I offered my help (don't know how much help I ended up being). So Cara was in charge of making and frosting the cakes, and I was in charge of decorating the tops of the cakes with the different symbols and characters from the show. It took quite a while, but I think the end results were worth the work.

Here we are being official with Cara sportin the apron and me with the "hair net" (close enough, and yes that is an old school bandana...don't worry- I'm bringin' it back:) )


One cake down, 4 to go....

The Final Five!

A little up close shot of each, you can click on this collage to enlarge. These cakes were seriously cooler in person! Pictures don't do it justice

They were a big hit at his "Karate" party

Cuttin' the cake


This made me want to start baking and decorating more, in some weird way it was a nice stress relief for me. But I guess that is the case for me if I'm drawing or doodling on anything!