The Best Birthday Present Ever

My birthday was last Monday. Happy 25th to me! Unfortunately, Brett had to leave the day before to go back to New Jersey, so he gave me my presents early. He walked in the door with two HUGE Williams-Sonoma boxes. He got me a pizza stone, a pizza peel, a calzone maker, and a pizza cookbook. It was awesome! I'm so excited to use them when we get to Oregon. And on top of all of that, he let me get tickets to go and meet Giada de Laurentiis! I have seen lots of famous people on accident (Jason Alexander, John Lithgow, Dustin Hoffman, Jodi Benson, etc) and lots because I paid to go see them or knew where they would be (Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick, Bernadette Peters, Brian Stokes Mitchell, etc), but I honestly don't think I have ever been as star struck as I was to see Giada. I know, I'm dorky, my big moment is to meet a famous chef. But I just love Giada.

She was so small and cute! She really is a tiny little thing. And she is sweet as can be. She fawned over Noah and asked if he was about a month old. When I told her he was only 2 weeks old she was surprised that I was out of the house. Then she asked, "Is this your second?" "Yes." "That's why." Then she gave us big smiles and thanked us for coming. I stood around like a goof afterwards and took a bunch of pictures. Unfortunately, these were the ones that turned out the best. Needless to say, I got some awesome birthday presents this year.

Today is Brett's birthday and we got an awesome surprise for him today too. He had a second to last dentist appointment today to see if his gums have healed enough for his last appointment. They gave him the ok and then told him to schedule his last appointment which would probably be on Thursday or Friday (which means he can't come home until at least Monday and possibly not until next Friday). But when he talked to the scheduler she said, "Do you have time right now?" He said, "Are you kidding?" and sat right back down in the chair. So he's done! And he has a flight scheduled for Friday night. He'll even be home in time for Kennedy's birthday on Saturday.

So we'll officially be leaving Texas next Tuesday, a week from today, and heading to Oregon to start our life with the Coast Guard. We are so excited! We have definitely gotten some wonderful birthday presents this year.

Happy Birthday to Me

I have had a great birthday this year!  I turned 24 years old and am very happy.  Since my last birthday I have had a baby and graduated from college, both of which I am very proud of.  On Saturday Brett and I went out and dropped my ring off to be re-sized.  My fingers are still 1 1/2 sizes bigger than before I got pregnant, and I'm sick of not being able to wear my pretty ring.  I get to pick it up later this week.  On Saturday night, Carol, Jamie, Chris and Brenda took me out for my birthday dinner while Brett was gone for the Priesthood session of General Conference.  We went to Happy Sumo and I had some awesome sushi.  Afterwards, I went to Williams-Sonoma and bought myself some awesome birthday presents including an ebelskiver pan.

I am excited to try and make these filled pancakes.  You can fill them with basically anything: fruit, chocolate, Nutella, peanut butter, etc.  I also bought a new cookbook that I had never seen there before.

It is an awesome cookbook with all kinds of recipes that will be so fun to make with kids and that I think we will all remember and love.  In fact, Brett made me one of the breakfast recipes for my birthday on Sunday morning.  We watched Conference and in between sessions we took a walk to the duck pond and had a picnic in the beautiful weather.  We went to my cousin's house for our monthly family fireside later in the evening and had dinner.  All in all I had a wonderful birthday!  Thanks to all that made it special and wished me a happy birthday.

Cuisinart Food Processor

I just ordered a 7-cup Cuisinart food processor from Williams Sonoma. It's my first Christmas present from my mom. I have been drooling over this thing for years, as Brett can attest. It chops, slices, dices, makes pie dough, and does a million other little chores that I am going to love.

I have several recipes that can only be made in a food processor, including Swedish Almond Cardamom Stars, a kind of cookie that I am planning on making for the holiday season. I am thrilled that this is coming soon!

I will post pictures of Texas when we get back, and Kennedy's first visit to Santa!

Let's Try This Tagging Thing

My aunt Sheryl tagged me in her blog, so I am going to tell you six very random things about myself, and then tag six more of you, so look out!

1. Williams-Sonoma is my favorite store in the world: It is my toy store. I love to go there and just look around, try not to buy the $250 food processor that I've been wanting forever, go to their classes, try their samples, get cookbooks, and learn about great products and food. It is by far the best place to go for kitchen stuff because they guarantee everything in the store. If anything breaks or doesn't do what they say it will they will take it back, no questions asked and no receipt, and give you another one. It sounds too good to be true, but I tried it and it worked!

2. I am addicted to LOST: Seriously. I love that show and I really hate that they are only doing half seasons now. It's the only show I can't miss. I even missed the finale of American Idol this year, but I stress if I miss LOST.

3. My cat is more like a dog: She needs tons of attention, tries to get out the door whenever possible, comes when she is called, begs, fetches, goes on a leash, sleeps with me, and more.

4. I have always wished that I could dance: The only time that I really feel jealous about a skill that someone has that I don't is when I watch incredible dancers. I have a real respect for men and women who can dance their hearts out.

5. I love my class on 17th century French literature and art: Most people think that this class sounds horrible when I tell them what it is on, but it's great! Instead of writing a paper we are translating a play from French to English in groups, we have to include a researched critical introduction and we are getting it published. It's so much better than a 10-15 page paper! It's really interesting.

6. I ran 11 minutes today: After starting this week with only being able to run for 3.5 minutes, I ran a full 11 minutes today! I am on my way to my skinny jeans.

Alright, these 6 people are tagged and need to give me 6 random facts about themselves:
1. My aunt Jana - she and Loren crack me up, so we need more from them
2. My friend Blair - I've known her since 3rd grade...seriously
3. My sister-in-law Kaisa - they are always doing such fun things and I love seeing pictures of Jonah
4. My cousin Katie - we need more info on this blog!
5. My cousin Kelli - 2 months is much to long to wait for a post!
6. My friend Melissa - they have lots of fun stories, and I want to hear more

Here are the rules:
1. Link to the person who tagged you
2. Post the rules on the blog
3. Write six random things about yourself
4. Tag six people at the end of your post
5. Let each person know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog
6. Let the tagger know when your entry is up

My Provo

I am stealing this post (but tweaking it for my own Provo purposes) from my friend Noelle (in Columbus) who stole it from her friend (in Austin). So though I am being completely unoriginal (as well as typing with only one hand due to the kitty who believes that she has been attention starved and wants to make her own comments on the blog) I thought that this was kind of fun. I think that most people feel that the city in which they live is boring because they have done everything that there is to do. This questionnaire gave me a chance to look at Provo a little bit differently and find the things that I love and the things that I want to try. Feel free to steal this from me and do it for yourself, even if you live in Provo you'll probably come up with different answers!

My Provo

Age: 23

Occupation: Student/Mom

I've lived here for: 3 1/2 years

I live here because: I came for school and am graduating in December. We're here until Brett finishes school and a year of residency and then we'll be off to grad school, hopefully in Atlanta or Philadelphia.

My neighborhood: 4 blocks south of BYU campus

My favorite restaurant: Gloria's Little Italy, India Palace

If you go to this restaurant, be sure to order: Anything at Gloria's, Chicken Tikka Masala at India Palace

My favorite museum: The MOA on BYU campus. They have a huge selection of fantastic art and artists for a college campus and get lots of traveling exhibits as well.

My favorite tourist destination: LaVell Edwards stadium is probably the closest thing (other than BYU itself) that people would travel to Provo for. Football games are really fun! (See previous post)

Best insider spot: Sub-Zero Ice Cream. So creative! They actually freeze the cream right there in front of you and it is absolutely delicious. I think that Gloria's counts as an insider place too.

My favorite area: The Riverwoods. It has a Williams-Sonoma (my favorite store in the world), Tucano's and Happy Sumo, Color Me Mine, lots of cute baby stores, and more! Plus it is a really pretty shopping center.

Best place to go shopping: Riverwoods is pretty good. Other than that I usually go to University Mall.

When you visit, don’t forget to pack: Some kind of outdoor gear like hiking boots, fishing pole, skis, or anything else that will help you have some serious outdoor fun.

But leave room in your suitcase for: See's Candy

The one local cuisine you should try when you’re in town is: Fried cauliflower at Lon's Cookin' Shack. I know it sounds weird but Brett and I love it!

The best way to get around: From our apartment, if you're going anywhere other than BYU then car is the way to go. The pedestrian/car relationship here is a little bit scary.

If I had to describe this city in one word, it would be: University. Seriously. For a city that is not that huge, there are a very disproportionate number of schools and students. And with UVSC becoming UVU yesterday, this will only get worse. Plus you have two streets that intersect that are called University. Confusing.

I tell my friends to stay at: Since we don't have room in our apartment anymore the best place in one of the many Marriotts that abound in Utah and in Provo.

The one thing most outsiders don’t know about this city is: The 4th of July parade is insane. People start camping out 2-3 days before. It is crazy. I'll be sure to post when I see the first camper out there. I've been keeping my eyes peeled.

They say “Virginia is for lovers.” So fill in the blank: Provo is for DTRs. If you don't know this phrase you have obviously never been to BYU. Defining The Relationship. You can walk around Provo any day of the week and see a couple having a discussion about where their relationship is going.

What do you want to do that you haven't done in your city yet? Go to The Herb Shop and eat a full meal at Chef's Table

Is there anything else within an hour or two that's a "Don't miss it?": Temple Square in Salt Lake. Especially during Christmas.