utah randomness

Posted on August 12, 2013 by tara

We did a whole bunch of fun things on our trip, but some of them aren’t big enough to dedicate an entire post to, so I’m just going to mash them all together right here!

My in-laws watched Kaya so that Michael and I could go work in the temple together. I LOVE the Jordan River temple, and it was such a blessing to be there with my best friend. We finished up pretty late (it was nearly 11pm), but it was so peaceful to sit together outside in the cool night air and gaze at the temple.

Here we are in front of the temple together (it was the best we could do to take a photo ourselves), and here’s Baby Bird at dinner just before that. She’d rather eat the table than the food! (Although we did let her try a little Chinese food, and she seemed to like it!)

My dad in-law found the best way to spend $6. That’s right. The shirt. Spongebob swag all the way!

We had a fun dinner with one of Michael’s friends/coworkers, and then we met up with some of his old mission buddies at the Provo temple. He finally had a mini “mission reunion”, which he’s been longing for for a few years now. Kaya was cranky and more than ready for bed, so I just walked her around temple grounds while Michael chatted.

_MG_8777 We ended our trip with a visit to our former Institute teacher, Brother Bowman! It was so good to see him and his family and have them meet Kaya. We left for the airport straight from their house, and it really was the perfect way to finish our adventure in Utah.

friday favorites

Posted on August 9, 2013 by tara

It’s Friday, but since we came home in the middle of the week, it feels more like Tuesday (and because Michael has meetings this weekend, tomorrow will probably feel like any other weekday, too. But that’s okay). Mostly we have just been enjoying being at home again (I’m not sure coming home has ever felt this good, but I don’t know why it’s so invigorating this time). We’re back to the laundry, the dishes, the cooking, and a million other messes, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything.

We’re back to peanut butter sandwiches…… and puppy cuddles at the end of a long day. Our carpet is back to (almost) new because I finally steam cleaned it yesterday! I didn’t even think it was that disgusting until I saw what it looked like after I finished!And now we’re off to play with friends! Happy Friday everyone!

home sweet home

Posted on August 7, 2013 by tara

We’re finally home from our trip out to Utah! The wedding was beautiful, we went some fun places, and made some great family memories. Hopefully I’ll be recapping everything and sharing my photos in the next few days, but here’s a little sneak peek (our first photo in front of the temple as a family of three)!

We took a redeye flight back to Virginia at 1 am on Tuesday morning, and then visited with my parents for the rest of the day before driving home. We finally drove into town around 11:30 pm. Our internal clocks still seem to be on Utah time (which is strange because after my last trip out west, I had no trouble at all adjusting either way).

on the last plane home!

A certain four-legged someone didn’t do so well without us home… Thankfully, Ben and Brittany (who were puppy-sitting) are probably two of the most patient people ever and went above and beyond to help us take care of Jax. We ended up boarding him at the vet (after he chewed through his crate and a few other things…), and I was so excited to go pick him up this afternoon. He is definitely happy to be home.Kaya is also loving being back in her own space and playing with her own toys. This is the first time that we’ve come back from a trip where I can definitely say that she knows this is our home and is happy to be here. It’s so fun to watch her enjoy everything she loves again.

nine travel essentials

Posted on August 6, 2013 by tara

Tuesday Topics this week is on “nine travel essentials” and since we are just getting back from our trip out to Utah, I’m excited to share a few things that we found useful (especially with a 10-month old baby)!

1. Some kind of GPS. We used the maps on our smartphones all the time when we were out west. I’m not so good at following directions when people just tell them to me, so I love that the GPS has step-by-step instructions.

2. A snack for the road or flight. We always seem to be driving at lunchtime, so we usually bring something to tide us over until we get wherever we’re going. When we’ve flown, I like to bring granola bars as a snack (especially when it’s early in the morning)!

3. Books/magazines to entertain the baby and yourself (especially when flying).

4. Baby bibs, spoons, sippy cup/bottle. Pretty self-explanatory, but for some reason I was so worried I’d forget these things before we left.

5. A water bottle. I have a pink Nalgene that went pretty much everywhere with us on our trip. It was especially appreciated when we were walking around the zoo for about three hours!

6. Comfortable walking shoes. (Photographing a wedding in heels is not the most comfortable thing ever…)

7. Sunglasses and sunscreen.

8. A camera! It shouldn’t surprise anyone that this made it on my list 🙂

9. A travel buddy! Having a buddy makes juggling a baby and luggage a whole lot easier. And of course, having Michael around made everything about a thousand times more fun 🙂

Linking up with Tiffany and Lauren!

whole wheat chocolate chip muffins

Posted on August 2, 2013 by tara

If you’ve been reading this blog for awhile (or talked to me for even 5 seconds in person), you know I have a HUGE sweet tooth. So when I found these muffins a couple years ago, they became a breakfast staple in my kitchen.

Only trouble is… muffins aren’t exactly a healthy breakfast item (it’s kind of like starting the day by eating a frosting-less cupcake, am I right?)

I’m not saying these are healthy either, but after making these quite a few ~~million~~ times, I’ve come up with some great modifications, like cutting the sugar in half and using applesauce in place of margarine and eggs. (And the best part is, I think they’re even better than the original recipe!)

1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp (heaping) cinnamon
2 tsp baking powder
1 cup oat flour* (just grind up some old fashioned oats in your blender)
1 cup whole wheat flour
4 TBSP margarine
1 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/2 cup milk
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

(*For a denser muffin, omit the oat flour and use a total of 2 cups of whole wheat flour. Usually, I have to add a tiny bit of milk when I do this.)

Stir dry ingredients together well. Add wet ingredients and stir until just combined. Fold in chocolate chips. Let sit for about 10 minutes to allow the grains to soak up the moisture. While waiting, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Fill muffin cups to the top and bake for about 20 minutes or until golden brown.

ENJOY!

throwback thursday

Posted on August 1, 2013 by tara

I can’t even believe this was only five months ago (February 25th)… look at my sweet, TINY baby! No matter her size, she’s always had the best smile.On a more current note, my brother (in-law) Kevin is getting married tomorrow! We are so excited for Tori to join our ~~crazy~~ family. Stay tuned for wedding photos!

Michael and Tara

It's Us!

Monthly Archives: August 2013