Hump Day for Harry

Monday, June 15th, was a special day. It was the day I finally got over my Harry Potter hump. You see, I reluctantly began reading the Harry Potter series the summer of 2001. I was immediately hooked, but then I moved to Chicago when I was half-way through book 4 and I got distracted and never finished. So a few years later, I decided to try to finish book 4, and I couldn't get into it for the life of me. Fast forward several years, and I find myself married to a HUGE Harry fan. So this last February I decided that I needed to start reading something to get my mind off of work and to sleep better at night, and why not Harry? It took me 2 months to read the first 3 books--not bad because I was still working fulltime, and it didn't take much reading at night to get me sleepy. Then it took me 2 months to read the first half of book 4--I reached the elusive half-way point (of the book and the series) on our flight home from Alabama. Then it only took me one week to read the second half of book 4--a miracle! I read book 5 in like 2 weeks. And then I read book 6 in less than one week--I hurried to finish it so that Scott and I could see the movie on its opening weekend. (It was a bit of a let-down because they left out so much and because my sister-in-law accidentally ruined an important part of the book 50 pages before I got there--oh well.) And now I'm taking my time reading book 7. I have less than 100 pages left, but I really don't think I want it to end. I'm sure Scott will be relieved to finally be able to talk openly about the book without me freaking out thinking that he's ruining something for me.

So here's a picture of Scott in his awesome sleeping mask. I was a nice wife and didn't read at night for the first year of our marriage because Scott can't sleep with the lamp on. But I abandoned my niceness in February, and fortunately we were able to find this life-saving sleeping mask at Bed Bath & Beyond. Isn't Scott cute? :)

Viva Harry!!

Dis-uh-ney World

Our computer crashed a few days after we got back from Alabama and Disney World in June, and it took us several weeks to get a new one. So now it's time to catch up on blogging...
Scott and I flew to Alabama to visit his sister Shannon, her husband Jason, and their 4 fabulous kids. A few days later, we all drove down to Disney World together. We had Jeremiah and Hannah in our (Jason's) car with us, and we really loved hearing Hannah's adorable voice talking excitedly about "Dis-uh-ney World." We had a wonderful vacation and were so glad to be able to spend so much time with Shannon and fam. The only thing we didn't miss when we arrived home was the humidity.
So here are some pics of our adventures:

Scott and I took the kids bowling on the military base while Shannon attended Jason's graduation. It was Jeremiah's birthday.

Aubrey doing her "cheesy grin."

Katie posing with Hannah. The ball weighed almost as much as Hannah. :)

Jeremiah and Katie climbing a tree on the base. Brave kids!

A picture of the Gross family. Super cute!

Our third day in Alabama, we took a trolley tour of downtown Montgomery. I believe this is the church where Martin Luther King, Jr. preached.

Scott and I loved all the time we got to spend with these adorable kids!

We saw this in Georgia on our way to Florida. Too bad it was too early in the day for lunch.

The military hotel we stayed at was great. We swam in the pool every night, which felt amazing after the hot and humid days.

Disney World Day 1: Magic Kingdom

Scott and Jeremiah on Thunder Mountain.

Katie LOVED Thunder Mountain!

Hannah and Scott waiting to get splashed by Splash Mountain.

Scott and I took Hannah and Aubrey to the Haunted Mansion. At least they didn't cry...

Disney Word Day 2: Animal Kingdom

Katie and I were getting ready to get wet.

Scott and Jeremiah got soaked!

Talk about soaked! These fountains were a life saver for the girls who were too little for many of the rides.

A drenched Aubrey doing her cheesy grin. Scott had her do it so much that all he had to do was say her name and she would automatically do it. Funny!

Disney World Day 3: Epcot Center

While the boys spent half the day meeting Star Wars characters in Hollywood Studios, we girls got to eat lunch with the princesses in Norway.

I had to get in the pic with my favorite princess--Cinderella.

One of my favorite parts of Disneyland/World--chocolate-covered bananas!

The whole gang watching the light show and fireworks.

Scott and I had two fabulous roommates at Disney World.

Aubrey was pretty happy to be back home. Gotta love that cheesy grin!

Our New Addition

Well, Scott and I would like to announce...
that we are now a double Mazda family. I finally bought a new car today--just one day shy of the 2-month anniversary of my Civic's violent kidnapping. After spending a lot of time these past two months looking for cars (and avoiding looking for cars), I finally decided on a 2000 Mazda Protege ES. It is silver like my old Honda, and it actually reminds me quite a bit of it. It only has 76,000 miles on it, and I ended up paying $39 less for it than I received from my insurance company. So far it seems like a really good car, but only time will tell. Scott is excited to have his car back to himself so that he isn't stranded at work all day. I'm excited that I finally found a car that I really like, and I'm especially excited that the driver's window and the speedometer/odometer actually work.
So here are some pictures that I took in the dark tonight:






This last picture is of the baseball Mickey antenna topper that I bought at Disney World in June (pics coming). I had one on my Civic, and I'm just glad this one finally has a home. Now all I need is a new Cubbie bear...

Lovin' The Fresh Herbs

In the last several days my herb garden has really taken off. I have had tons of basil, parsley, rosemary, and chives. I have enjoyed using some recipes and also my imagination to use all these herbs. I have made a Rachel Ray recipe for pesto using parsley. I have always thought that basil was the only herb for pesto, but the parsley pesto turned out to be really good. On Tuesday night I made a pasta sauce using my fresh basil and rosemary. I have made tomato based pasta sauce many times at home, but never using fresh herbs. The pasta sauce was super yummy and the only difference from other times I have used it was the fresh herbs. Until now I haven't ever really been sold on the use of fresh herbs, but I am a true believer now! This spring as Mary Ann has already posted we planted a few things. I decided to plant some herbs because I have heard that they are really easy to grow. They are really easy and can be grown in planter boxes and the like. So I highly recommend growing your own herbs and enjoy the culinary benefits.

More Change Than Expected

Well, before I blog about our fabulous trip to Alabama and DisneyWorld, I thought I should give an update on a couple of unexpected changes.
First of all, when I woke up the day after I ended my job I made a spontaneous decision to drastically cut my hair. I had been thinking about doing it for awhile, but I thought I would wait a few more months before actually going through with it. It ended up a little shorter than I thought I asked for (9 inches off the back), but I actually like it. And I loved having short hair for our hot and humid vacation.
This is my attempt at taking my own "before" picture.


And here is my new do, after a long day of errands and a fun evening of roasting hot dogs and marshmallows with co-workers. Not quite as cute as when I left the salon, but you get the picture.




And now for the next big change in my life. I am getting a new car, but it was NOT my idea. My car was stolen the night before we left on vacation--right from my covered parking stall in our condo parking lot. Don't ask me why they picked my 1998 Honda Civic when they had their pick of numerous nicer cars. We didn't discover it was missing until a half hour before we were supposed to leave for the airport when I sent Scott to get my sunglasses out of my car. I was so stressed getting ready for our trip that I didn't even call the police until we were on our way to the airport. My car was recovered the next afternoon in Taylorsville. All they told me was that the ignition was punched and it was undriveable. My sister went up a couple of days later to check it out for me, and it looked horrible. The insurance adjuster declared it a total loss because it would cost as much to fix it as it was worth. Scott and I and his dad stopped by to see it on our way home from the airport on Monday. It was really depressing. The morons did way more damage than was necessary, and they took several worthless personal items. I am most upset that they took my little Cubbie bear that I had hanging from my rear-view mirror. I bought that at my very first Cubs game after I moved to Chicago. Sad. As much as I complained about the quirks of my car, I really loved it. I bought it 8 1/2 years ago, and I only once had to do a major repair. It took me across the country a couple of times, and I just have many great memories in that car. May it rest in peace.
Well, here's a few pictures of the damage.





I'm now looking for a new car with the $4000 I got from my insurance. Any suggestions on what I should get? I'm thinking not a Honda.

The End of an Era

Well, today was my last day at the job that I have had for just over 4 years. For those of you who may not know, I am starting my own private practice. I have been working as a mental health therapist (social worker) for a non-profit agency that mainly helps victims of abuse and trauma. It has been an incredible journey of growth and healing for both me and my clients.
As the end of my job was drawing nearer, I found myself reflecting on my experiences. I have been so blessed to have incredible co-workers and amazing clients. My co-workers have become some of my best friends and have supported me through some of the darkest times of my life. I'm really going to miss them. I'm also going to miss most of my clients, although I must admit that I am feeling relieved to have a break from their trauma. I have had the privilege of working with some of the bravest, strongest people in the world. You can't imagine the horrors some of my clients have suffered, but they have chosen to be survivors rather than victims and to rely on the Savior for ultimate healing. I have felt honored to be a small part of their healing journey. My life will never be the same.
So as I let go of the past with sadness, gratitude, and joy, I look forward to the future with hope and faith that can dissolve my fears. I really have no idea where this new path is going to lead me, but I feel peace and intend to find joy in the journey.

Can't get much better than this!

Here are a few random pictures of our fun past few days. Friday night Scott and I watched my niece and twin nephews. We took them to our ward party and laughed hysterically as they swung at a pinata (or "peeyata"). Too bad we didn't get any pics. On Saturday we spent a total of 5 1/2 hours watching baseball. We first went to Scott's nephew's game.


(These are of Matt pitching a couple of weeks ago.)

Later we went to a Salt Lake Bees double header. We missed the first 3 innings because we went to dinner at my favorite Thai restaurant (Thai Siam), but we figured we'd get plenty of baseball in. I was quite pleased to discover that they had Snowies at the ballpark. I judge a baseball stadium's quality first by its ambiance (you can't beat Wrigley Field) and second by its concessions. I was not disappointed on Saturday. Yum!

(We got excellent seats for a great price, thanks to Scott's County employee discount. I'm trying to forget all the fees that basically canceled out the discount.)

(Jumbo sunflower seeds, cotton candy, AND a Snowie? I was in heaven!)

On Saturday afternoon before the Bees game, Scott and I also did a session in the Jordan River temple. It was our first time there together, so I had to get a pic.


Sunday we got to have dinner with my family. The highlight was when my 8-year-old niece stated in all seriousness, "If you marry your brothers, your kids will have lots of arms and legs and two heads."
Tonight for FHE, Scott and I went with our friend Carla to get pedicures--Scott's first--so I had to take more pics.



(Scott liked his pedicure and even let them put on clear nail polish. He was quite surprised that all the workers were Asian. Where has he been?)

We then headed to Red Mango for frozen yogurt. Scott says I'm obsessed with it. I agree. I absolutely love it!


It seriously can't get much better than this! :)