A Bright, New Season

When I took my Valentine wreath down off my front door, I wanted to find something new and fun to make for my front door for Spring. I did a search on Pinterest and found one that I fell in love with. It was bright and cheerful and reminded me of a sunflower.

For me, this not only represents a new season of the year, it represents a new season in my life.

Bright Yellow and Lime Green Ribbon and a Styrofoam Wreath Frame

Cut ribbon into 13" strips (which I later cut on the diagonal so they wouldn't fray)

Start tying the ribbons around the wreath in square knots

And keep on goin'... and goin'... and goin'...

Then scrunch them together as tightly as you can, aligning the knots in a circle

So bright and beautiful in the sunshine!

It makes me happy!

Purty Purple Pansies... er somethin like that

My friend at work brought this in one day and I could not stop looking at it. Something about the combination of the colors was just perfect. I still love looking at it!

Everything Happens for a Reason

Sometimes it's difficult to keep this in mind, but it's a good reminder.

My 15 Seconds of Fame (well, more like 12)

A few years ago, Rylan and I had the opportunity to "audition" to be extras in an upcoming Liken the Scriptures movie called Daniel and the Lions. Liken had made several movies prior to this one and Rylan and I loved them. They are all musical in nature, but each one tells a scripture story in a fun and entertaining way. I think Rylan's favorites are the first one, Nephi and Laban, and David and Goliath.

So we drove down to Provo and took a tour of the studio. They unfortunately didn't need as many youth as adults, so Rylan wasn't able to have a part, but I was able to be an extra. I got to miss a day of work and get paid for doing it. We shot for a total of 12 HOURS that day for just ONE scene.

It was really fun to go to "Hair and Make Up" and costuming. I had bangs at the time and since they didn't want bangs on any of the women (that wasn't the style back then, you know) they had to work them into a very tight French braid.

The funniest guy on the set cracked us up all day. His name was Jeff. I got my picture taken with him. He was the biggest HAM ever. If you've seen any of the Liken movies you will definitely recognize him. He always has one of the best roles. In Daniel and the Lions, he was the king's assistant who wanted to catch Daniel praying. He had his own little gang who followed him around. One of the best scenes was when he climbed up this ladder up to spy on Daniel through his window, where he was praying inside. He ended up falling backwards on the ladder (written in the script) and messing up his glasses... and he made the goofiest faces ever. If you watch the movie you'll know the scene.

As far as my 12 seconds of fame, you can see me walk across the screen from left to right during the marketplace scene. Then you can see the back of me standing at the "SOCK shop." I made lots of friends that day and had a blast. I'd love to do it again sometime!

Here's me just being my own silly self.

Mamma Mia!

Okay so I'm one of those people who "will never eat sushi!" YUCK! Who wants to eat raw fish? I mean, really?!

Well... that's what I thought anyway, until I TRIED it! And I really liked it! I think it's something I would have never tried had I not been taken out on a date to Tepanyaki where I was offered a bite of my date's sushi roll. I remember it was called "Unagi Maki." And I remember being terrified to put that bite in my mouth. Well - he knew how to prepare it for perfection. Just a touch of Japanese mustard, called wasabi. And can I just say Oh. My Gosh. As I chewed (probably with my eyes closed, preparing for the worst and hoping I wouldn't spew) I realized the flavor combinations were delicious, and it was refreshing and super good!

Since then I have tried a few more places and a few more sushi items. I like the rolls with a variety of ingredients like avocado, cream cheese, crab, shrimp (usually cooked in tempura batter), flying fish eggs (tiny little eggs sprinkled on top that pop in your mouth as you chew), sesame seeds, cucumber, the sauce they put on top (mmm!), many different kinds of fish, but my favorite is Unagi (oddly enough from my first experience with sushi). Unagi is eel. And it's usually cooked just a tad so it has that delicious flavor and texture. Mmmm! Mmmmm! I also ask for a side of tempura sauce - it's not quite as salty as straight soy sauce, but it gives it just a little extra factor of numminess.

My favorite place (until it can be dethroned by someplace else -- to this day I have not found any place better) is called Sakana, over in Jordan Landing. And my favorite roll... ladies and gentlemen I give to you...

The Mamma Mia

 

I'm A Public Nuisance and A Menace to Society

So for a few minutes once in a while on a Saturday afternoon, I will stop by PetSmart for a little while to watch the dogs get groomed (as mentioned in a previous post). Today was a day when I really needed a few minutes of "happy." I find that when I'm standing there watching I actually smile and feel joy. It actually makes me laugh out loud most of the time!

Today I saw tiny dogs and HUGE dogs and sipped on my Jamba Juice (the best flavor, Orange-A-Peel) and snapped some pics of the ones that were extra cute to me, when all of a sudden I hear, "Ma'am, Ma'am... we have a no-picture policy. You're welcome to stand here just as along as you want, but you can't take any pictures. We don't know what you're going to do with those pictures, and we just can't have you taking pictures." I felt so dumb. So these will be the final shots of the puppies at PetSmart.

Just check these puppies out...

I mean, really? Could you BE any cuter?

"This is so humiliating."

This little guy was shaking like a leaf. His owner was trying so hard to calm him down. He was the cutest thing ever. 

You could tell this dog was an old pro at getting groomed. Calm and composed the entire time. 

So I promise from now on, no photos at PetSmart.

It's A Beautiful Thing...

BEHOLD...

The Red Robin Tower of Onions!

It's a beautiful thing.

Mmmmm-mmmm, good!