thursday... two days before saturday?

how did i forget to post this?!

(not so) wordless wednesday with 4 baby d "firsts"

6 days old... first time to Church.

First Track Meet (checking out ladies of course!)

First BYU game: Women's Soccer!

First time on the swing :)

Simple Chicken Enchiladas

Over the last three weeks Jon and I have been trying really hard to save money and get healthy.  To do this, we have made a few simple changes.
1.  Eat mostly whole wheat.
2.  Eat out only once a week.
3.  Make home-cooked meals instead of ready-made meals.
4.  Eat more yogurt.

These all seem like very random things, but hey, it's a start to getting healthier and eating at home = saving money, so it's all good.

We found a favorite and easy go to recipe since we started eating healthier.  They are 30 minute chicken enchiladas.

What you'll need: 6 whole wheat tortillas, 1 can cream of chicken soup, 1.5 cups precooked chicken, .5 cup sour cream,  1 can enchilada sauce, 1 cup shredded cheese

Preheat the oven to 350* and while it is heating up mix the cream of chicken soup with the sour cream in a medium sized bowl.  Using a 9x13 pan lay out your 6 tortillas side by side.  Using half of the cream mixture, put a little in each tortilla in a line down the middle.  Even divide the cup and a half of chicken into the tortillas.  Then roll them.  Using the second half of the mixture spread it over the top of your cute rows of tortillas.  When it looks nice and creamy pour your small can of enchilada sauce over the top.  I like to make sure it gets in the corners too.  Then spread the cheese over the top and slide it all in the oven for 30 minutes.

As you can see, this recipe is very simple and does not take much prep time.  I like to serve it with corn or green beans and a small green salad.  Jon doesn't even put salsa on them and he is the salsa king.

So... give it a try.  Or better yet, come over for dinner some time and I'll make them for you.

totally threes thursday! ..i think we've got a bit of a trend going..

one vid i just found literally an hour ago and fell in love with.. meaning i love born this way by lady gaga and this vid = a parody of that song + her as a performer... LOVE IT. just read all the lyrics.. so clever hahaha.

secondly, byu is so creative. now, we all know that emily's version of 'firework' is the best one out there...

but i have to admit, i do love this music vid/parody that byu's divine comedy did. check it out (:

oh, and just because i can post this and know it will be appreciated by at least 1/3 of the people who are a part of this blog..

NAME THAT MOVIE.

+10 bonus points if you can quote the exact line that is being said at this moment...

no words.

Screaming at the Top of your Lungs

I don't know what the deal was yesterday, but even with my day off all I felt like doing was screaming at the top of my lungs.  Not singing or cheering, or anything like that.  Just screaming as loud and hard as I could.  So, during my shower that's exactly what I did.  Lucky for you, I did not record that.  But, I have a couple great examples of temper tantrums that express the way I was feeling.



So... if you're ever just having an off day, just try screaming as loud as you possibly can.  It's theraputic.  I promise.


Maybe I need to buy some of this stuff. From the video it looks like it really works.

One of these days...

Remember when I said one of these days I'd remember to actually post on Monday? Yeah, I'm still working on that mantra. Once again, I haven't gone to bed yet so it is technically STILL MONDAY.

Also I may need to change my day to Musical Monday, because I realized that's my trend. Like today, 4 songs that I am OBSESSED with right now (Really 5 songs-but I'm not posting "Dog Days are over" because I know you all know it already) They are all completely different & non mainstream, but there's a good chance you've heard some/all of them.

Hopefully you will find at least one of these songs new & enjoyable :)

'The Golden Age' by "The Asteroids Galaxy Tour"
Her voice is freakin adorable! Love


'One Day' by "Matisyahu"
A Jew that sings Reggae Hiphop Rock. LOVE him and this song.


'Rolling in the Deep' by "Adele"
Her voice is to die for & her song writing skills are incredible. She is currently breaking records that Madonna set :)


And last but NOT least

'The Cave' by "Mumford & Sons"
WOW!!! I first saw these guys perform at The Grammy's. To die for. AMAZING live performers. Marcus Mumford (the lead singer) is a total sweetheart &, not to mention, GORGEOUS. Love this song, OBSESSED with this band. (& literally as I typed this, their song played on TV!!! YAY!!!) Another one of their songs I recommend that is way more popular is 'Little Lion Man'



That is all. Now I will listen to these repeatedly until my surgery in 6 hours :)

om nom nom... cars.

I have been on vacation and couldnt think of anything better/cuter than this. 

(second) Cousin Faith chewing on some hot wheels 

(notice that the wheels are spinning as she gnaws on them!!) 

three things.

something you should watch if you're feeling nostalgic:

(edited & created by one of my BYU friends)

* * * * * * * * * *

something you should watch if you want to see something awesome:

(one of the girls who just left wausau as a reporter wants to work for QVC.

the following clip is the most awesome audition tape i've seen)

* * * * * * * * * *

something you should watch no matter what:

(courtesy: jason mraz)

Four years ago tomorrow...

this happened.

I look back, and that day is just a blur to me.

But I remember the day after vividly.

Two of the victims of the massacre graduated from my high school. I didn't know them personally, but I know that Erin Peterson and Reema Samaha were two beautiful girls who touched a lot of people. I know this because I had heard of both of them. Erin was on the women's basketball team. Reema was involved with the theatre program. I had see her perform.

The shooter in this massacre also graduated from my high school years before.

The day after the tragedy, we gathered as a school in the football stadium to hold a memorial for the people who had died.

That day united us.

Tomorrow will mark the four year anniversary of the shooting.

Please keep the families of the victims in your heart.

But most importantly, never forget the precious life you have.

tickle me thursday TRIFECTA

a little bit of baseball...

a dash of byu's hbll library...

and a side of babies everywhere...

what more could you want?!

wordless wednesday: the reason for all the fever/crying/nonsleeping craziness...

Weird Old Mini-series

This weekend with all of the wonderful snow Jon and I decided to stay in and find some new shows to watch on Netflix.  We had run out of episodes of Burn Notice you see, and therefore needed something to fill our TV time.

Enter, The Stand, by Stephen King.  I could not recall ever seeing it before, but Jon remembered the opening shot and was very excited to watch all four of the hour and a half long episodes.  Half way through the first one I did remember the series.  Not only the series, but the nightmares I had of Abigail singing What a Friend We Have in Jesus.

So I'm not saying that I recommend watching The Stand this week, but rather recommend going on Netflix and finding some awesome 90's mini-series you watched as a kid.



And just to show that I have good taste in mini-series also, check out this one.  Taken, by Steven Spielberg.  It wasn't from the 90s but it is probably my favorite mini-series of all time.

Mean Girls

I have a confession to make.

Growing up, when I was in elementary school, I was a brat. I talked back to my teachers, thought I knew it all, & was sent to the Principal's office about once every couple of weeks. Even still for the most part, I tried really hard to go out of my way to be nice to my classmates...except this one girl. Her name was Lisa Martinez, and for some reason I didn't like her. I would say mean things & ignore her if she was around. On occasion I would have a moral epiphany (at the age of 7) and try to be nice to her. It never lasted long.

One day while in class, I started crying, & put my head on my desk. My teacher, Mr. Ridley asked me to come up to his desk, put a chair next to him, and had me sit there. Ridley always took me under his wing and treated me like his own daughter. After class ended he asked if I was OK, but never asked what was wrong. Looking back on it, he probably knew, seeing as how I missed the entire previous week of class. My brother had just recently passed away, & I was really sad about it.

The next day Lisa started crying in class. I didn't know if she was mocking me or trying to get attention (or was actually really sad-that thought didn't cross my mind), but I let my annoyance with her build. When school was over and we were walking out she was behind me & I turned around & slapped her as hard as I could, then ran away to drill team practise. Mr. Ridley showed up, and I expected to get chewed out, but I wasn't. He said something that I have long forgotten, but it turned a light bulb on for me, and I felt awful. He had Lisa with him, and long story short I ended up crying and apologizing.

When anyone asks me what my regrets are, this one is always first to pop up. How mean I was to Lisa Martinez. I have no idea how it affected her or what she was going through in her life, but I remember all of my bullies, & it kills me to know that my face must come up when she remembers hers. This led me to be the exact opposite in middle & high school. Every time I saw anyone getting bullied, I immediately stuck up for them knowing that I would then be tortured along with them. And I was. But that's OK.

Me telling you this story was sparked by how angry/boggled I am by people who post mean things on this girl from UT, Nichole337's YouTube. She posts videos of herself singing, and people just rip her to shreds. OK, she doesn't sing the best. OK, she's obsessed with lobsters. OK, she may be a little awkward, but WHY OH WHY does that make the majority of commenter's feel the need to destroy any self esteem this girl has left? What I LOVE about her is she keeps posting despite having more dislikes than likes on all of her videos. So, it warmed my heart the other day when while watching 'Holly's World', Nichole was on it!! I don't care what anyone says about Holly, she is a good person.

I look up to both of these women.

So, when I see girls friending Nichole on Facebook, just to write mean things like this...

... don't get mad when I save & send it to everyone on your friends list that has your last name :) Hopefully one of them happens to be your parent, & they can teach you some manners.

tornado warning.

let's be real here.

no sooner had i walked in the door of my apartment (after driving home from ohio),

i got a phone call from this girl at my station.

"oh hey. can you come in to work and go find a tornado?"

so yes. i did drive for ten solid hours, go out looking for storm damage

and then do two live reports during our 10PM newscast.

^ here is a picture i took from my car.

i don't know if it's a legitimate funnel cloud, but it looks real.

also: here's a link to my live report.

check it out. overall, an interesting sunday.

spontaneous? i think so.

true statement!

okay so i'm a day late and a dollar short.

FORGIVE ME!

eggs+avocado+tomato+cheese=....

Om nom nom. BEST BREAKFAST/MEAL EVERRRRRR <3 thanks mom!

after wednesday COMES THURSDAY

the next day is FRIDAY

SATURDAY comes afterwardsss

i love jimmy fallon. + stephen colbert. just watch this through the end. trust me. it just gets better and better hahaha (:

wordless wednesday

Having a Fur Baby

Sorry this is going up a day late.  With managing the store while my boss is out of town and driving down to P-Town for some fun time with the girls I didn't get around to this until this morning.

My challenge for this week is to get a fur baby.  It could be a hamster or a mouse, or any animal really, but from my experience they are great companions.  So, without further ado, I present, my fur babies.

This is how Star really feels about my blogging.

Star's favorite lookout position in the house.

Our new puppy!  It was just born Tuesday morning and we'll be picking it out in the next couple weeks.

Aren't they so cute?!?!

touch the rainbow.

okay. i know we've got a few cat fans out there.

this one's for you.

in other news, we had more thunder snow last night.

in case you missed it, here's what thunder snow looks like:

(courtesy of my friend phil

who works at the enemy tv station down the street from me)

swiss chard experiment??

So I've had this Swiss Chard sitting in my fridge for the last two weeks with an idea of what I wanted to do with it, but because we were at the end of the month (and at the budget limit), I couldn't get the little extras I needed to go along with it.

Today we did the grocery shopping, and I got mozerella cheese, balsamic vinegar and a lemon to add to my SC. I added all my new ingredients (since I had skimmed over different recipes, and those three things seemed to be the reoccurring ingredients) into the skillet that already had the Swiss Chard and cooked it under low heat (with lid) for a few minute until it started to look like cooked spinach.

Add some tomatoes and tuna on a tortilla and viola!

Yum food.

This week, go and try a new food... and like Anna always does, 

try going without a recipe and winging it :)

correction.

Not all Chinese are bad singers.

In fact these ones are good.

I love this song.

Its super catchy.

Plus now I want to go to Beijing.

This is the song welcoming the athletes to the Beijing Olympics.

This is what it means.

Dawning of another morning filled with refreshing air.

The air has changed; but emotion still scents like tea.

My doors are always open, ready to embrace you with a hug.

A hug to know you better, for you'll love this place.

Wherever you're from you'll be our guest so just be at home.

We have agreed to meet here, we'd like to welcome you.

The Evergreen at my place is quite legendary,

sown on the old Soil for memories to be cherished.

Strangers, old pals are our guests so just be at home.

Whether newcomers or re-visitors, we sure have lots to chat.

Welcome to Beijing, we built these all for you.

Flow with charm, refreshed and energized.

Welcome to Beijing, lets take a breath beneath the sn.

Let's set our new records on this soil.

My doors are always open, we're open for the world.

Time flies with youthful smiles, all waiting to greet this day.

Under the sky, everyone be our guest, so just be at home.

Nice scenery with smiling faces, are all awaiting there for you.

Welcome to Beijing, touching you this melody.

Let's excel and try our best.

Welcome to Beijing, dreamers are forerunners,

Miracles, for those daring to try.

Welcome to Beijing, we built these all for you

Flow with charm, refreshed and energized.

Welcome to Beijing, let's take a breath beneath the sun.

Let's set our new records on this soil.

Welcome to Beijing, touching you this melody.

Let's excel and try our best.

Welcome to Beijing, dreamers are forerunners,

Miracles, for those daring to try.

My doors are always open, we're open for the world.

Time flies with youthful smiles, all waiting to greet this day.

Under the sky, everyone be our guest, so just be at home.

Nice scenery with smiling faces, are all awaiting there for you.

Welcome to Beijing, we built these all for you

Flow with charm, refreshed and energized.

Welcome to Beijing, let's take a breath beneath the sun.

Let's set our new records on this soil.

My doors are always open, we're open for the world.

Time flies with youthful smiles, all waiting to greet this day.

Under the sky, everyone be our guest, so just be at home.

Nice scenery with smiling faces, are all awaiting there for you.

Welcome to Beijing, touching you this melody.

Let's excel and try our best.

Welcome to Beijing, dreamers are forerunners,

Miracles, for those daring to try.

Welcome to Beijing, we built these all for you

Flow with charm, refreshed and energized.

Welcome to Beijing, let's take a breath beneath the sun.

Let's set our new records on this soil.

Welcome to Beijing, touching you this melody.

Let's excel and try our best.

Welcome to Beijing, dreamers are forerunners,

Miracles, for those daring to try.

Welcome to Beijing, touching you this melody.

Let's excel and try our best.

Welcome to Beijing, dreamers are forerunners,

Miracles, for those daring to try.

*translation provided by my Chinese TA.