Fly like an Eagle!

Today, Brad and I had the privilege of attending an Eagle Court of Honor out in Edgewood, NM.
Some old family friends of mine from back in California live out here, and their oldest son, Justin, was getting his Eagle Scout, so I was invited!
I'd never been to one before, so it was pretty neat.
It was also so fun to see the Delora family again after so long!
They moved from Cali years ago, and the last time I even saw them was 2005!
I'm sad I didn't get a picture of the whole family, but I managed to snap a couple shots at the end of me with two of the Delora kids.


Lindsey Delora and me
Lindsey and Justin, and some random Eagle scout in the background
Me and Justin



It's so weird to me how grown up they all are!
I remember watching Telletubbies in the mornings with them when my mom would drop us off at their house before school.
Although I hated Telletubbies, just for the record.

For those of you who followed my link to freebie site Mysavings.com, when you sign up for their website, you can choose to get an email with new daily freebies in your inbox.
I would highly recommend it, since you get to see the new stuff everyday without having to search it out. :)

Mexico Nuevo

Brad and I arrived here in New Mexico on Monday evening.
Right after we got here, a really sweet thunder storm started.
It was so nice!
We did a tiny bit of unpacking, and just kind of relaxed, drove around with Brad's dad Gary, his wife Rachel, and her two daughter, then got some Wendy's with everyone.
Unfortunately, later, when we were getting in bed, my throat started to get scratchy.
I figured it would be alright in the morning, but when I woke up, I could barley talk or swallow without some serious pain!
We think it was probably the air conditioning that did it, since I haven't slept anywhere with air conditioning in... a long time.
It escalated throughout the day, and then on Tuesday night, I laid in bed for about 2 1/2 hours unable to fall asleep, until I broke down crying.
Every muscle in my body ached, I dreaded having to swallow anything, and I was freezing cold in a 75 degree bedroom.
Brad came in and gave me a blessing and I fell asleep soon after.
Luckily, my fever was gone when I woke up, and my throat was starting to heal.
My muscles still hurt a whole bunch, but today everything seems to be doing better.
Hopefully my throat will be ok enough to eat hamburgers tonight!

Besides apparently having the flu, it's been nice here so far.
The weather is perfect and there's a pool close by!

Brad and I are both still looking for jobs, but Rachel has been trying to think of little odd jobs we could do that they could pay us for, like babysitting and yard work, so at least there's something.

I'll probably take pictures of the area later this week, so be on the lookout!



Just a quick tip:
ALWAYS check Walmart.com for free samples.
They put one or two new ones up everyday, and they're usually really good and useful things!
Today they've got a free sample of Zrytec, tampons, natural sweeteners, pull-ups, sunscreen, Prilosec OTC, Aveeno hair care products, Garnier wrinkle cream, bodycology products..... And more! :)
I spend a lot of time searching for free samples during the week, and I make sure to always check Walmart first, because the samples come in just a couple weeks, and they're always good quality.

Other freebie websites I like:
Swag Grabber
My Savings
Free Grabber (a lot of the samples on this site tend to be the ones on Walmart)

Cuz I'm leaving on a ....

Well, Brad and I did the blunt of our packing today. Hopefully.
We made two trips to storage, and will only need to make one more trip tomorrow.
Woo!
Here are some pictures of today's packing/cleaning process.


This isn't even half of it! But I think Brad was annoyed at me for taking pictures. Lol.

So much junk, so little time!
I have to explain this picture.
I made Hamburger Helper on Wednesday? night, and for some reasons, while I was letting it simmer, it way overflowed over the top.
I was in the other room, so I didn't even notice until I heard the sizzling sound.
Brad was sitting right in the living room and should have seen, but he was on his computer in his own little world as usual. I love you honey!
Anyway, it was DISGUSTING!
So disgusting, that I procrastinated cleaning it up until today.
Gross, I know, but I didn't want to wipe it up while the grease was all goopy!


Anyway, I went to the park with my friend Ana around 4:30, which was a lot of fun, but when I got back, Brad was sick!
His stomach was hurting and he was all nauseous.
:(
When we made our second trip to storage, he was just dead.
After he helped me move a super heavy box into the unit, I had him sit in the car while I unloaded the rest.
Then, we had to stop at the store to pick up some cleaning supplies, so he waited in the car for me.
When we got home, I put him to bed.
Poor baby.
Brad doesn't seem to ever get sick, and I feel sick all the time, so i'm actually kind of glad to be able to repay the favor.
Of course i'm not glad that he's not feeling well, but you get the point.
Hopefully he'll be better by tomorrow.
We've got more packing and lots of cleaning and a 4 hour drive!
:/


I hope you all have been checking Fabulous Fun Finds blog!
There is an INSANE amount of giveaways this week!
And so many cute baby things, I can hardly stand not having a baby!

I Hate Packing

Brad and I officially started packing today.
Maybe it's just because I never EVER moved for 18 years, but I HATE packing and unpacking.
I think I mostly hate it, because it reminds me that i'll soon be moving, which I seem to loathe even more.
I'm definitely a "stay in one place for my entire life" kind of girl.
It just bugs me to decorate my home and clean it and live in it and everything, and then just up and leave.
Anyway, we packed up some baking dishes and some random things we had on some shelves and took them over to our storage unit today, along with our DVD bookcase and DVDs.
We plan on taking at least one box down there a day so we won't have massive packing to do right before we leave.
On that same kind of good time planning note, we've been working on our thank you cards! (This is for my parents who are always on my case about getting them done.)
Martha Stuart says we have a year to send out thank you cards, so I don't see what the big rush is, but whatever.
On Sunday we decided to each fill out three a day, so we should have them all written up in no time, hopefully.
Then we'll need to buy all those stamps.
Ugh.
We're so poor.

In other news, I have officially taken action in losing weight.
I've been complaining about it for months now.
All I want to do is get back down to my "color guard weight" and that's about 15 pounds away.
Ahh!
It should be alright though.
Because of my month long candy fast last month, I haven't been snacking on sweets too much anymore, and because Netflix is absolutely amazing, I can watch tons of different work out videos online!
So for now I'm just doing one half hour video a day, since that's all I can handle for now, but i'm hoping to get up to a cumulative of 2 hours a day.
Luckily, I lose weight pretty easily.
I just never seem to have enough motivation to actually do it!
Today is only day two (day three if you count helping our friends move on Saturday) and i'm already feeling pretty sore when I have to walk up the two flights of stairs to get to our 3rd story apartment.
Within a month I should be down at least 5 or 6 pounds, so by the end of the summer, hopefully i'll be happy with my weight.

For all you mommies out there, Fabulous Fun Finds is having a week long Baby Shower Blast!
Basically, there are tons of giveaways every day, so be sure to check back there often in the next few days and send in your entries!
There is some seriously cute stuff.
I wish I had a baby!
I entered this giveaway anyways, since it would be a nice gift for someone else!
Of course, any of these would be nice gifts, but what's more useful than a 3 month supply of diapers?!

When it rains, it... looks fabulous?!

If I had a porch, I would SO buy one of these!

Arnold Palmer aint got NOTHIN on me!

Well Brad and I had an exciting day!

We found out yesterday that our friends Mark and Lauren had to move out of their apartment since it flooded and they ripped out the wall.
Crazy!
Anyway, we helped them move everything from one apartment to another one for a good chunk of the day.
Afterwards, they treated us to some shaved ice's from Snoasis as a thank you.
Freaking delicious!
I was starting to wonder when Snoasis would be open.
Their shaved ice's are super tasty.
Later, after Brad and I had rested for a little bit from all the moving, we drove out to Riot Zone in Rigby to go Mini Golfing!
For Valentines Day, I gave Brad this vase full of little valentines that have different things we could do together written on them, and the last one we picked said it was my choice, so I chose Mini golf!
It was a really nice weather, so today was the day.
Anyway, we got to Riot Zone, got out little clubs and golf balls and hit the course!
Obviously, Brad beat me, but only by 21 points, so I don't feel TOO bad about myself. Haha.






We stopped at KFC on the way home and got some of the new grilled chicken with some biscuits and sides.
Of course now, we're on our laptops and watching TV, and i'm just going crazy.
It's always so hard for me to just stop after going and going all day!
Well, that was our day!
Haha.
Sorry this post was so scanty.
My hands are tired!
:)



Oh, I bought this a couple weeks ago because I just thought it was so cute!
Some people are so crafty.
I wish I had a room full of scrapbook supplies so I could do this stuff for myself.
Here's hoping we win the lottery!

Amazooooooon

How AWESOME is this?!
http://www.amazon.com/wishlist/universal/ref=cm_wl_uwl

I know, doesn't seem like a big deal, but I spend a vast majority of my time meandering through Amazon.com and adding things to my wishlist.
Then, every once in a while, when i'm feeling spendy, i'll randomly buy something from my list.
Anyway, Amazon has implemented this new thing called Universal Wishlist, in which you add a button to your browser toolbar, and when you're on some random online store, you can press the Amazon "Add to Wishlist" button, and it will add the item on the page to your wishlist!
You can type in the price, choose the picture (if there are more than one picture options on the page) and even add notes.
SO fun!

Goin' to the temple and we're...

Brad and I had a pretty good day.
After not falling asleep until after 4 (we just weren't tired!), we didn't get out of bed until 3!
The wind has been SUPER crazy, so I woke up a lot while we were sleeping, which was probably a factor in why we slept so long.
Later in the day, we headed down to the Distribution Center to buy temple bags!
Brad's been using a ratty old backpack, and I finally got my own temple clothes, so we went and bought some matching bags.
Shortly after, we went to the temple to do some sealings.
Apparently our ward was supposed to be there at 5, but everyone was told 6, so we ended up split up into different wards.
Unfortunately, Brad and I weren't able to do too many sealings because the "blacking out, getting dizzy, ears ringing, going pale" thing started to happen again.
Anyway, overall, it was a nice, slow day.
Not that most days aren't nice and slow for us! Haha.

Here's a tip for all those out there that menstruate.
This website is geared more towards young teens, but I LOVE going here for free tampon/pad samples.
I think there's nothing better than free feminine hygiene products.
Anyway, if you follow this link and order the sample, not only to you get tampons and pads, but there was a sweet little surprise I discovered when mine came.
A coupon for an entirely free box of Always Infinity Pads.
And ok, this sounds so commercial like, but that's a 6 dollar value!
Also, i'm not a big pad girl, but if I were to wear them more than tampons, I would definitely buy this kind.
I tested the absorbency with some water, and holy cow!
Anyway, I apologize to any of my male readers. Lol.
And here's the link finally!

Banana Bread!

Brad and I both love Banana Bread, and this particular recipe happens to be my favorite (considering I kind of made it. Well, I took a basic recipe and added my own twists anyways).
Granted, i've only made it twice and I tweaked it both times, but it's still the best i've ever tasted!

Kim's Banana Bread

Ingredients:
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 eggs, beaten
3 mashed bananas
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tbsp vanilla extract
(Optional- chocolate chips or nuts. I made this recipe first with 1 cup of chocolate chips and it was super yummy, but I made it again without them and it was just as good)

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees, unless your oven is insane like mine is, in which case we have to lower everything by 100 degrees, but for most of you out there, 350 actually means 350.
Add ingredients in order listed in a large mixing bowl and combine. It's easier if you stir as you go, by the way.
Grease a basic size loaf pan with melted butter or cooking spray, whatever you usually use.
Sprinkle some cinnamon sugar in the bottom and on the sides of the pan.
Pour the batter into the loaf pan and sprinkle the top with some more cinnamon sugar.
Bake for 1 hour, using the toothpick in the center trick to make sure it's fully cooked.
Remove and let cool for about 10 minutes.

A lot of people generally say banana bread tastes better the second day, but I have to say, this stuff tastes good from when it comes out to a few days later!
Also, when I was looking around for recipes and whatnot, I found a lot of people that add sour cream to their banana bread. Apparently it makes it really, really moist, but since Brad and I didn't have any sour cream, I haven't experimented with this yet.
One more thing for any banana bread newbies out there, use bananas that are VERY ripe. Almost black, you know?
:)






P.S. Anyone else up for a strawberry themed party?
Because these all sound DELICIOUS!
Pulled Pork with Strawberry BBQ Sauce
Strawberry Bars
Strawberry Lemonade
Savory Strawberry Salsa

Future Hostess

So, I spent a vast majority of the day perusing this blog http://www.hostessblog.com/
There were 191 pages of blogs, and looked at every single one of them.
There are SO many things that I bookmarked, you would not believe.
There is some seriously super cute stuff that this woman posts, so I just want to share some of my more favorite finds:


The author of the blog made these herself. So perfect for a Halloween or Twilight themed party!


This is SO expensive, but how sweet would it be to take a trip to the beach and bust this out of your trunk?! Make some smores, warm up... I just think this is so freaking cool!

These "crinkle cups" are so unique and fun! They're made out of porcelain, so don't be fooled!


I've been in the market for a bag EXACTLY like this one for a very, VERY long time. Unfortunately, I need to find one just like this for less than $65. Ouch.

These are so cute is almost hurts me! Haha. Cute little spring colored tumblers with insects on em. I just want to pour some lemonade in them!



The last item I wanted to post in here wouldn't let me insert a picture for some reason, so here's just a link. Some people are so crafty! I wish I was!

Can you hear the people sing?

Brad and I always tend to change our plans.
Such is the case with Flagg Ranch Resort in Moran, Wyoming.
For quite a while now, i've been having a lot of doubts about going.
Would we like it?
How would it conflict with the start of next semester?
Is church really an entire hour away?
No Air Conditioning? Really?
Could Brad and I really enjoy life living in an employee dorm?!
Anyway, a few weeks ago I mentioned my doubts to Brad and since then, we've been trying to make up our minds about whether we should go or not.
We began to think of places we could go otherwise, California, Pennsylvania, New Mexico, stay in Rexburg, etc.
Well, finally last night I had Brad and myself sit down and write out our pro's and con's for moving to Flagg Ranch and moving to New Mexico and living with Brad's dad.
We compared our lists and discovered that the con's were vasty overwhelming the pro's for Flagg Ranch and the the pro's were vasty outweighing the con's for New Mexico.
After emailing his dad and finding out just what the living situation would be, we made the decision.
New Mexico!
We've been applying to some jobs down there online for the past week or so as a precaution, so hopefully we hear back from something soon.
We'll still be leaving on the same day since the new couple will be moving in right after we leave.
Hopefully everything works out, but i'm not too worried.
This actually feels right in comparison to Yellowstone.

In other news, I finally decided to try some super easy homemade caramel that I keep coming across on all the cutesy blogs I read.
Basically you take a can of sweetened condensed milk, boil some water, stick the can in the water, and let it simmer for 2-3 hours in enough water to cover the can by at least an inch.
Then turn the heat off and let the can sit in there for a good 40 minutes.
Take it out, open it up, and enjoy the caramelly goodness!
Brad and I sliced up some apples and dipped them in the caramel as a late night snack.
Yummy!
(Make sure you check on it every half hour or so. The water will be steaming off, so you may have to add more water as time goes on.)

By the way, i've got this SUPER yummy banana bread recipe i'll have to post on here later.
I think it's super yummy anyways.
Lol.

Ok, and in case you weren't watching the CES Fireside on Sunday night, Brad was on TV!
He was in the choir, so if you want to look it up in the LDS archives, that'd be cool!
Speaking of the fireside, which was given by Elder Bednar....
He was in our sacrament meeting on Sunday!
Elder Bednar I mean.
He was sitting up on the stand and spoke to us about marriage (of course. Lol.).
Then everyone went up and shook his hand afterwards.
It was AWESOME!
Two apostles down, 10 to go. (I've already shaken Elder Hale's hand.)