The Snow Storm Part 2

Because of all the afore mentioned snow we have been able to do some excelent snow man building. My brother started on Saturday and made the mommy and then started the daddy snowman. I joined him to finish off the family and make the kid and then the baby. Enjoy!

The Snow Storm.

The state of Washington has been hit this week by one of the biggest snow storms in recent history. I was coming back wednesday morning from Utah and working most of the weekend so my parents suggested that I stay in a hotel up by the hospital so I could walk if i needed to. I stayed in the Crowne Plaza from Wednesday morning until this morning (Monday) working and watching the snow come down for hours and hours. Here is a picture of my view from last night. That is I-5 you are seeing. I was a little nervous about getting home when I saw that I-5 was completely covered. Thankfully my Daddy loves me and he took the train up to the city and came to my hotel to make sure I got home safely. I would like to say that normally I am much better in the snow but Seattle is built on all sorts of hills and they are completely incapable of driving in it and of clearing the roads. Oh yeah we also had freezing rain on Sunday morning so that makes things interesting.

Chistmas Party!

So I was back in Utah and we had a Christmas Party. It was so much fun and we had some great white elephant gifts. Some so good they had to be captured on film.



Melissa ended up with this amazing blowup, spikey, bouncy ball. It held about 10 minutes of fun until.......

it popped! So sad for Melissa.

Kristina loved fishing for candy canes!

Amelia went for the bustier night light, good times at Amelia's house!

And the best present of the night goes to ...........

Melissa's Ode to the Office with a stapler in Jello. Hartley and Seth worked as the great team they are and got to take it home.

We had a great time and hope to see you all there next year!

Update

So yesterday I completed the longest, most painful leg of this silly journey to get a bachelors degree...I took the final for the independent study class I have so lovingly described in previous posts. Now I just need a passing grade on this thing which I think I mamaged. But in all seriousness I may be having my very own tommy boy moment as in "A D? I got a D! I passed!". I didn't put a lot into my studying for this final but I feel that I got a decent grade. At least that D!

Finding Blessings in the Unexpected and Sometimes Irritating.

So the last few months have been a lesson in finding blessing in unexpected ways and being reminded that when you are where the Lord wants you He makes sure you are taken care of. Lets start with the fact that my car is getting old. It will be 9 years old here soon and now has over 98,000 miles on it. It has been a great car, and I love it but as time goes on you have to get some things fixed and it seems that in the last 6 months all of those things have needed fixing. In September I put literally thousands of miles on my car. All were fun, but they add up. Part of all those miles was driving myself to Utah and back one week and this is where the fun begins. The trip was great, the car was fine. I got back to seattle on a saturday and was starting at my new job on Monday. Sunday I spent a lot of time at the hospital with Grandpa and everything was hunky-dory. then on monday i head up to seattle from auburn. As i am getting on to I-405 from SR 167 my instrument panel goes out. Well this had happened before and it was no big deal the car still ran. So i'm driving thinking it will come back at some point. Well i have some extra time so while driving on I-90 i get the idea to pull of and see if i can restart the car and fix the problem for now. Well at the light on the off ramp i turn off the car and she wouldn't turn back on. sad, i know. I had to wait for a tow truck and pay lots of money to get her fixed. But she was back. Then my car got side-swiped while parked at my grandparent's house in a gated community. Nice, no note, no way to find out who did it, i'm stuck covering the cost through my insurance company. then i got new tires and shocks and then just this this last week another problem came up. I had noticed recently that my car was not picking up speed as fast as i would like it too. So last tuesday i had my dad ride in the car and asked him what he thought. He said it was the clutch and that i needed to get it in soon to get it fixed. It just so happened that i was leaving out of town and could have it in the shop on thursday for as long as i was gone. No problem i thought, its still running pretty well and i just have to drive to and from work on wednesday and i'll be golden. Not so fast...I made it to work, no issue, then in the morning i noticed it was harder to drive than normal. but it was cold so i attributed it to that. Safe and sound i got home from Swedish just in time to finish packing and drive to the dealership to get it fixed. Well that is when the fun started. Have you ever tried to drive a car in neutral? I don't suggest it. i pretty much couldn't go any fast than 20 miles and hour and at one point thought i wouldn't make it. this would be a problem because i had a plan to catch. Well i made it and left the keys and my problems with the trusted folks at Bowen Scarf Ford in Kent. A couple hours later at the airport i got a call that my clutch was completely burnt out and that they had to push it in to the bay it wouldn't move from where i parked it. Ooops!

well you may ask where are the blessings? Everywhere. I made it home safely from Utah, driving all by myself. Then i did miss work but nothing too important and they were very understanding. I wasn't near the car or in the car when it got side swiped i was safe. and this last time the car didn't break down on I-5 or in the parking garage at swedish. it waited for me to get to the dealership. Sometimes we have to be reminded about the ways in which the Lord is watching out for each one of us. I learned this lesson very vividly throughout my mission. I learned of His awareness for each and everyone of us, but I think in the last few years i have forgotten them somewhat. I also know that when we are doing what He needs us to be doing He takes care of the rest. Its not always easy, and it may feel like you can't see the blessings but they are there. He promises us that He will always be there sharing the burden, helping us along the way home. At Christmas we get to remember the Savior and all He has done for us. I love Him so much, and feel overwhelmingly blessed and at times unworthy to have the testimony and knowledge i do.

Massages Are A Must!

I got a weekend off finally and got to come down to Salt Lake and get some good friend time in. Part of every trip back to Salt Lake that I make is to go to my favorite eyebrow waxer (you may think that anyone can do this but no, i only like to trust my eyebrows to Suzanne at waxing gurus. If you need someone she is the best!), and to get my hair done. I had managed to get these appointments scheduled within the first 24 hours of my arrival. Let me add at this point that it has made the trip so much more enjoyable. Along with my eyebrow maintainance i thought getting a massage might be a nice treat. Oh ho was i right my friends! now it has been 3 years since my last massage. I always think of getting one but then i decided that i don't know where to find a good massage therapist and i don't want to trust my back to just anyone. Well I know that I love Suzanne at waxing gurus and i have had excelent service there between eyebrows and airbrush tanning so i thought i would give her therapist a shot. And was i right. Her name is Julie and she is the best! Super sweet and thoughtful. The room was warm, and she was patient with my horribly tense back. i have knots on top of knots i think. I would like to add at this point that I did have a very long day before this and had not slept, except for on the plane, in over 24 hours. Also my car almost didn't make it to the dealership and my luggage was 9 lbs over weight that morning and my night at work and been a very emotionally draining one. I was a mess. Well after all the work she did on my back using some great visualizationd techniques and some expert hands my back is feeling better and i believe that i am completely converted to a monthly massage. After 8 years in healthcare and a mission that involved uncomfortable amounts of kneeling and biking my back is a disaster. And since i am only 26 (for 2 more months) i should really take better care of it.

So my advice to all of you, if you can get a massage, and drink lots and lots of water!

Where Am I Going to Live Next Month?

This is the great question on my mind right now. Everything seems up in there air! My plan has been New York in the New Year but that doesn't seem to be working. Partly due to the economy and partly due to the fact that NYC is a popular destination there is only one travel assignment that i have been able to find in the city and that is with several companies. So i have decided to start looking around for other options. Right now i'm still waiting on NYU and I'm in for a job in North Carolina, and six in California. We'll see what happens. Feel free to make your own prediction as to where i'll be next month!

Christmas Parties and Appetizers

The holiday season has arrived and the parties have started. Last night I attended a Christmas party with my parents that was hosted by some friends in our ward. Normally I'm not one to want to hang out with my parents at an adult party but having seen the pictures from last year which included my Dad dancing with a blue feather boa, I felt the desire to experience this party first hand.

Part of the party was bringing an appetizer or dessert. I took on this responsiblity for my family and made these yummy little bites called Sweet Chicken Bacon Wraps. Sorry no pictures but they were delicious and here is the recipe.


Sweet Chicken Bacon Wraps


1 ¼ pounds boneless, skinless, chicken breasts (about 4 breasts)
1 (1-pound) package sliced bacon
2/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 Tablespoons chili powder

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
Cut chicken breasts into 1-inch cubes.

Cut each bacon slice into thirds.

Wrap each chicken cube with bacon and secure with a wooden pick.

Stir together brown sugar and chili powder

Dredge wrapped chicken in mixture.

Coat a rack and broiler pan with nonstick cooking spray.

Place chicken wrap on rack in broiler pan

Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minute or until bacon is crisp.


(from the kitchen of Melanie Bowers)

They are quick and easy and everyone loved them, especially the men. So I hope this can be helpful, and thank you Sister Bowers for the recipe!

Back to the party. Being in room full of people you have known for many years, some since you were 8 years old, acting silly is quite the experience. And I have to say, Mackenzie your Dad rocking out to the walkman he got in the white elephant gift exchange was hilarious. And becareful there is a new knife at your Dad's house that is very sharp. Don't want you to hurt yourself. Also Tina your parents added lots of laughs as contestants on the newly wed game. I think they only got 5 or 10 points. but they said that that was better than they thought they would do. And they also won an old kitchen sink. Nothing says Merry Christmas like really bad white elephat gifts. All in all it was a fun evening that kept me laughing.