Vacation Day in SLC

Michael and I decided to do a little sightseeing in Salt Lake City on Saturday. We've been wanting to do this for a while, and check! Another thing off our bucket list. Overall, it was a fun-filled day of church and Utah history. First attraction site? Capitol Hill.

#1 Capitol Building

Michael didn't know I was taking this picture, but I think it's super "fierce." Top model status.

Michael's BFF - Abe Lincoln

Michael was getting pretty fancy with that camera. He calls this one "Industry."

Spirituality runs in the family!

#2 Lion House

A quick tour of the Lion House. Little fact for ya, did you know that Brigham Young was named the "Lion of the Lord?" Or, did you know that he had family home evening every night at 6:30 pm. Yep. He rang his own doorbell to get all the kids together for family prayer and discussion, and he even invited the local dignitaries if they were currently with him for a government meeting of sorts. FHE is hard enough in a family of regular size. Can you imagine FHE every night with a family his size?

#3 Church History Museum

The COOLEST part of the trip in my opinion was finding this is in the Church History Museum. I've always heard the story that my great, great.... grandpa Carter was the first man to plow a half acre of land in Utah, but I didn't know it was official. William Carter was acknowledged by Brigham Young himself and earned a trophy for it!!

Read for yourself!

You Go, Gramps! 

And might I add, thanks for passing down the good looks :) I think I see a family resemblance?

#4 Church Library

We looked up some more family history stuff and heard some awesome stories as written in church members' journals.

#5 Red Iguana

To top it off, we had us some Mexican delicacies at Red Iguana. Not exactly a Utah historical site, but it definitely is a big name among the SLC locals. Their speciality? Holy "Mole." Michael, ready to chow down.

Funnest, cheapest vacation day ever! I love Salt Lake City, and I'm so grateful to be a Mormon. I'm grateful to look up to our incredible pioneers who sacrificed so much and we so incredibly steadfast. 

In our lovely, Deseret...

A Lesson in Brotherly Love

I'm a little embarrassed to share this story, but I hope it can help in some way or another.

A funny thing happened to me the other day. I was walking back to the office after a quick trip to Harmon's where I threw together a quick salad bar lunch. Now this isn't just any salad bar. It is my favorite treat of the week! I crave my perfect combo of balsamic dressing, quinoa, edamame, turkey, feta and a scramble of other vegetables.

So as I walk back with salad in-hand, I happen to pick up a sandwich sample at a nearby restaurant. I never say "no" to a free sample, and my friends can attest that I have innate radar for free food. So now, with sample and salad in-hand, I pass a homeless guy who recently was begging for food at an Italian food cart. He spotted me and asked "Do you want that?"

I thought, he meant my little sample so I said, "Sure! You can have this." I hand him the morsel of a sandwhich, which I already took a bite out of.

"Cool. Thanks!" But instead of leaving, he just stayed, staring at my salad. "Do you want that?" pointing to my salad. "Oh. Um. Yeah. I want this. But you can have that," I said, smiling and pointing to the sandwich in his hand. "Ok. So, you want that?" "Yeah. Bye!"

I walked away chuckling at the fact that a stranger actually thought I might not want the salad I just made a special trip to get. But then, did I really need this salad as much as that man? So maybe I would have been a hungry for four hours until I got home. That man is probably hungry all the time. And who am I to pat myself on the back because I was so generous to give him something that didn't cost or mean a thing to me.

"For inasmuch as ye have done it unto the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me."

I definitely would have given my salad to the Savior if He had asked me. I hope I would give it to Him without His asking for it!

The whole event reminded me of this video. Michael and I watched this for FHE before Christmas, and I will never forget it when Michael said, "I hope our kids are like that." In reality, I hope I can be more like this little child. Hope you enjoy it! Hope you can find somebody to help this week. :) I know I will.

Snail Mail

I got a happy surprise in the mail today, and I don't mean you, Geico bill.

There she is! That little munchkin is getting her degree tomorrow! I so wish I could be there to scream and shout her name as she walks the walk, shakes her principal's hand and switches her tassle from kidhood to adulthood. Graduation is a weird tradition. Tassles, robes, cords - I blame the Ivy League for that. 

I couldn't help but share a little shot of her and Cade at my graduation years ago. Hahah. Look at those young guns. 


Speaking of announcements... Cade and Kass are pregnant!! It just went viral on Instagram and Facebook today. Congrats you two soon-to-be-parents! So excited to have a new member of the Carter family!!

Crawfish Boil

Welcome to Payson, UT. There may not be a traffic light in sight, but it is the only city in Utah with a little slice of Louisiana right in the midst of it all! Boudreaux's Bistro is a southern jewel that transforms the eating experience into a Zatarain's commercial mixed with a Princess in the Frog escape. I like to call it "food voodoo," and their food is scruuuump-tious!

The menu includes but is not exclusive to Mr. Crawfish. He's not an oversized shrimp, as I naively assumed. He's a shellfish all his own. And he was just overnighted from Louisiana 24 hours ago! I think he's fitting in just fine over here in the great Mountain West. Well, except for the fact that he was killed quickly after he made the big trek. Anyways, he is oh so tasty! Personally, I could only manage to eat one. Yep, count 'em. I could only crack the head off of one crawfish before I said, "I'm done." I just felt so... bad. I mean, look at that face! Instead, I ate some alligator sausage and shrimp etouffe just fine. Yum!

Hey there party people! Do you spy the Payson High School band in the distance?! haha. I have to admit their snappy jazz music really added to the ambiance.

Did I mention the Probst family (parents and all) were the ones who invited us? So fun. Probsts, you're welcome for the perfect family picture. We'll photoshop your daughter in there somehow. Meaning, you'll have to buy Photoshop for me.

Manliest Day of the Year

For Father's Day this year...

Michael stayed home with his sick wife to make sure I was ok

He made me pancakes with chocolate chips

He watched movies with me all day long

And he is just the best guy I could ask for

Our kids are going to be pretty darn lucky to have him as a dad

But for now, I'm not sharing

Eat Happy: Chicken Tortilla Soup

Happy Belated Friday! I actually got off of work 7 hours ago and could've blogged about this sooner, but when I got to my lovely front door, I realized something. Michael and I forgot about the key swap this morning!... Well, Front Door, it was nice knowing ya. I'll just sit here patiently on the grass slope (looking ridiculous), do some reading, watch a show on Hulu and wait...

For this week's happy eating, it's actually healthy. I stumbled upon this recipe years ago when I was in high school babysitting for a close family friend. Usually when I babysit, I skip dinner and just snack on all the kid food! Goldfish, Fruit by the Foot, Pirate's Booty and could it be that the kids ate Kraft Mac 'n Cheese and I can steal the leftovers? But this time, I slurped and chomped on taco soup as the kids dreamed soundly in their beds. Kid food's go nothing on this stuff!

First things first, the MVP of this stellar, down-home soup are the beans, ranch style beans to be specific. Do not settle for the plain ol' pinto.

Some people use cookbooks. Some people use PowerPoints. Potato, Po-tah-to.

And in less than thirty minutes, dinner is born.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

2 T Olive oil

1 lg. onion chopped

2 medium carrots chopped

2 T minced garlic

3 C. Lower sodium chicken broth

1-14 oz. can diced tomatoes

1-15 oz. can ranch style beans (undrained)

1-15 oz. black beans rinsed and drained

1 C frozen or canned corn

1 t. cumin

½ t. black pepper

½ t oregano

½ t chili powder

1/8 t paprika

2 C chopped cilantro

2 cups of chopped cooked chicken (can used canned chicken)

Heat olive oil, carrots and onion for 6 minutes or until the onion is tender. Add chicken broth through spices, increase heat to bring the party to a boil. Reduce the heat and cover. Once it's all marinated for a while, add the chicken and cilantro until they are heated through. Finally, serve it up with avocado, more cilantro, limes, tortilla chips, cheese, sour cream or anything else that tickles your fancy.

Happy Eating!

Independence Day Countdown

One month from today, people.

The beach is calling my name and I can't keep ignoring it! It's so rude of me.

Fourth of July... come here faster! 

Wishin' I Was Fishin'

Apparently, Utah proclaimed June 2 as free fishing day - no licenses required! So, we did it. Scratch "fishing" off our summer to-do list!

Thankfully, we had a lot of company because it was the 50 mile trail race around squaw peak that day as well. Can you believe that? Fifty dang miles of running! That's cray. These little kids came up to chat with us, and they said their grandma was running it. Sorry future grandkids, but I'm going to be the "fat 'n happy" grandma who takes you to Chuck E. Cheese and makes cookies everyday.

  

I don't know which part of fishing I like better, the ice cream or the casting... and I say casting because I definitely wasn't close to catching anything.

Four hours later... we caught not one, but TWO fish! Go Michael. You are such a man.

I apologize for the awful picture, but it was seriously ten o'clock at night, and I forgot to put the flash on my camera.