Temple Square

On the last day in Utah we took the girls to see Temple Square. It was a beautiful day and the grounds were blooming with spring flowers. Our first stop was the Conference Center. We were able to walk right in and with a guide, tour the inside. It is truly an amazing building. We started off by seeing the conference center auditorium which can seat 21,200 people. The shear size of this room is spectacular and to see the different sizes of the 7,667 organ pipes up close is incredible. The choir seating can be lowered into the floor and that space can be turned into a stage for performances. From the top seating area of the auditorium to the podium it measures the length of a football field. Our guide then took us through the halls and different levels of the building. On every floor their were paintings or sculptures depicting a variety of scenes and people that are familiar to LDS members. Some of our favorites were: the original Book of Mormon paintings (these are the pictures that you see in the front of the Book of Mormon). The glass water fountain with glass designs hanging high above. The Halls of Prophets which has pictures hanging up of every Prophets and Apostle that has ever been since the restoration of the church. The Gallery of Presidents has bronze busts of each LDS Church president resting on individual pillars on the Conference Center's balcony level.





The etched windows and granite stones are really beautiful. The roof of the conference building is landscaped with 3 acres of grass, hundreds of trees and fountains . Twenty-one native grasses are growing to conserve water and showcase local foliage. The landscaping is meant to echo the mountains and meadows of Utah.
We had a wonderful time walking the temple grounds and seeing the recently remodeled visitors centers. We saw the tabernacle and heard the lovely music playing in this building. We explained to the girls that this building was where they used to hold general conference. They noticed how small this was in comparison to the conference center. The we really enjoyed are day of being on Temple Square.

Tiffany Gradauates from BYU

On Friday we attended my sisters Convocation for the School of Family life in the Ballroom at the Wilkinson Student Center. There were about 500 graduates present. We listened to Randal Day speak to the graduates about the importance of their degree and the impact it will have on the family. Afterwards we took pictures of and with our newest college graduate.












We got together with my cousin Brandon and his fiancé Sarah to eat lunch at the pizza factory. We all went back to Tiffany's apartment to play eye toy and sing star on the playstation. That evening we ate at Sakura Japanese Steak House and Sushi Bar. My sisters and I tried some Sushi. We had spicy tuna rolls and Alaskan rolls. It was really good. I never thought I would like raw fish so much. Our girls loved watching the chef cook right in front of them. Ashlyn and Autumn thought it was awesome. Aubrey freaked out every time they lit up the grill with fire. It was a great evening.

Brigham Young University Spring Comencement

This past Thursday my sister Tiffany, along with 6,000 other students walked into the Marriot Center for commencement. It was really amazing to see all those students who have worked so hard for 4 or more years. We had the honor of hearing Elder David A. Bednar speak . He was great and gave the graduates 3 points to follow now that they are done with this phase in their life. We took pictures in the freezing cold weather. It looks sunny and warm, but it had snowed just a couple hours prior to the pictures.











That evening we got together with family and friends for dinner at the Mayan and had a nice time visiting and enjoying this great moment in my sisters life.

Kylee's Birthday Luau

We attended Kylee's(our niece) luau birthday party on Saturday and had a great time. There was 24 other 8 and 9 year old girls all enjoining the fun too. The girls played pass the coconut, musical towels, learned to hula, played limbo, sticker tag, and a coconut tree pinata to bust open.


Aubrey loved the birthday cupcakes and refused to get her hands messy. So she used only her mouth to eat the cupcake, which ended up getting covered in frosting.

Happy Birthday to Two of our Favorite People

Happy Bithday Kylee and Aunt TIffany! We hope your day is the best day ever. We love and miss you dearly. We wish we could be with you on your special day. Here is a video of the two younger girls sharing their Birthday Gift to you. (they were supposed to have two videos one for both of you we only made it to Tiffany and you will see why.)

Ashlyn's Gymnastics Spring Olympics

On Saturday afternoon Ashlyn was in a Spring Olympics for Gymnastics. Its an hour of watching your child perform the different skills that they have been learning this winter. At the end of the performance each child receives a ribbon for showing off their great abilities. Ashlyn did a great job considering she has only gone to four classes.

My little cousin Logan

On Friday after Ashlyn got home from school I was going through her school work when I saw this darling writing about her 18 month old cousin Logan.

My little Chocoholic!

Everyone that knows my little Aubrey knows that she is a Chocoholic. Well this afternoon we were at the nursery getting some plants and they have a basket of candy that they let the girls pick a small piece of chocolate. I unwrapped it, handed it to Aubrey, buckled her in her car seat, and drove 5 min. to our house. When I pulled into the driveway I looked in my rear view mirror and this is what I saw...










She enjoyed that tiny piece of chocolate so much that it put her right to sleep.

Marsh Creek Teachers Quorum 2008

This is a music video I made with my Teachers Quorum for a combined activity. Enjoy!

Happy Birthday Mom and Grandma!

Today is my mom's birthday. It's hard to be away from her, because I miss her so much. I want her to know how much she is loved and appreciated. I wish we could be with her on her special day. This poem is dedicated to my mom and the grandmother to my children, on her birthday.

As a child you walked before me,

To lead by example.

As a teenager you walked behind me

Looking out for my back and being there when I needed you
As an adult you walk beside me

So that, as two friends, we can enjoy life together..
Happy Birthday, Mom

Relieved, Excited, and Grateful

We heard through family members, and friends that if you bought airline tickets with the companies that have gone bankrupt, the credit card companies are crediting accounts. So I called this evening to find out why my credit card company gave me the run around and has such a long process for getting back our money.

When I spoke to someone from our credit card company she saw that there was a credit to our account for the full amount that we were charged. YEAH!!! What a relief followed by excitement and gratitude. We double checked by looking at our account online and did in fact see the full amount credited back to us. What does that mean for us now? A search for flights. Maui here we come!

Crepes with Strawberries and Chocolate Ganache

After watching how easy Chef Nathan Lyon at the Santa Cruz boardwalk made Crepes with fresh strawberries and Chocolate Ganache(a fancy word for sauce) I decided to try to make some for my family. It was really easy and my family loved it. I just used my favorite crepe recipe, cut up strawberries(any fruit that goes well with chocolate would be wonderful)with a little sugar to make a syrup, then made the Chocolate Ganache(sounds hard but it is easy) and topped it off with whipped cream.

To make the Ganache you will need 80z. of your favorite chocolate and 8oz. of heavy whipping cream. Break or chop chocolate and place in a bowl. Bring cream to a boil and pour over chocolate. Wait a minute and then whisk. Leave the ganache to cool to room temperature. At this point, the ganache can be poured over cakes as a glaze or used to dip items. It can also be whipped and makes a great filling and frosting. Any equal amounts of chocolate and cream will work.

Recipie taken from: http://members.tripod.com/~ChocolateFantasy/recipie/ganache.htm

Vegatable Garden

We have been wanting to plant a vegetable garden since we moved into our home 2 years ago. Putting in the backyard took priority the 1st year and last year we were busy with baby Aubrey, but now we are ready.

On Saturday we prepared the side of our home next to the dwarf apple tree by pulling weeds, leveling the ground, building a planter box about 12x6 and filling it with dirt. Now its already for the veggies I will buy on Tuesday. We want to plant tomatoes, zucchini, squash, cucumbers, bell peppers, pumpkins, and maybe carrots, corn and green beans. I am going to let the girls plant some flowers so they can have there own plant to take care of, plus the flowers will help bring bees to pollinate. I hope it will be plentiful.

Frustrated, Mad, and Bummed.

We awoke this morning to find out(via e-mail) that ATA Airlines filed chapter 11 bankruptcy(we thought we were safe when we heard about Aloha). What does that means for us... our flight to Maui is no more, not to mention we are out a lot of money. I have been on the phone with ATA and my credit card company to get some answers on if we will be able to get our money back. After a a couple hours, several phone calls, and a huge headache I have filed a dispute claim with my credit card company in hopes of a refund(however there is no guarantee). Pray that we get a full refund.

On a happier note we are still determined to go to Maui in July and have been looking at flights on other airlines. The downside is the cost. Everything we have seen is $200+ per ticket more than what we bought our tickets for. If any one sees any great deals on flights to Maui June 25th -July 20th let us know.

The moral of the story is: Book your flights with what you hope is a reliable airline or just don't fly!