Steve's day of birth, Zions and the Grand Canyon! (Long post)

Steven Michael Murray is 31!

So much to tell about in so little time... Stevens birthday week was CRAZY! We had a lot going on but it was a lot of fun too so we definitely can't complain. It started off on Tuesday October 26th when I planned a surprise dinner party for him that night. It was so much fun! We had a total of 12 people that came which was plenty (I had to make dinner for all of them!!!) It was a huge challenge but totally worth it in the end! Steve and our friends had a great time which is all that matters to me.

For part of Steve's birthday present I got him a few new games to play and after dinner we played one of them. It was a fun game (Liars dice if you have ever heard of it)? It is an easy game to play with a big group of people and super fun! Below are some pictures of the day.

This was Steve's birthday cake that I put together in a hurry. I think it turned out perfect though! Steve loved the mountain bike theme (of course)!

We ate at the ping pong table (Steve's idea) because it was the only thing that would fit all of us!

The birthday boy!

We sang happy birthday to Steve and he blew out his candles, but as soon as they were out they lit themselves back up again! I did't realize it before, but I had bought the trick candles instead of the normal ones and trust me... I did NOT do it on purpose. I was worrying

about the fake little wood trees catching on fire! Luckily they did not.

For another one of Steve's birthday presents I got this picture framed for him. It was a painting he had purchased from the artist directly a few years back that he really liked but had not ever gotten around to getting it framed. It's really neat in real life because you can really see the texture. It's very bumpy and rough.

ZIONS NATIONAL PARK CABIN TRIP!

These are always so much fun and this time it was really special because we got to celebrate Steve's birthday again with his family. The picture below is his birthday cake there that I made. Steve's mom had told me before hand that this was Steve's favorite birthday cake as a kid because the eyes of the ghost were on fire and he thought it was so cool! I tried to re-create it, I'm sure the original was much cooler!

(Boy and girl ghost per Taylyn's request)!

During this trip we played a lot of board games as usual. It was so much fun to just be able to relax after a crazy week and have fun. The board game that we played most this trip was killer bunnies, and boy did we have fun killing some bunnies!

The costume Halloween party at the barn was fun too! We had a great time dancing and playing. (I especially enjoyed the dancing)! I love to dance and I don't get the opportunity to do it very often.

Don't worry, Steve lost! But he sure did put up a good fight, it was a close game!

The Grand Canyon

On the drive home from Zions, Steve and I randomly decided that we wanted to go to the Grand Canyon. It would add about 3 extra hours to our drive home but we decided it was worth it!

I am so glad that we went there. It was so beautiful and such nice weather. We went on a little hike and took a bunch of pictures. I loved breathing in the fresh air and I can't believe how big the grand canyon really was! It was 11 miles across rim to rim. No wonder they can't build a bridge over it! (But it sure would cut our drive time down when we go back and forth to Utah if they could)!

The end!

Circle K moment again

I guess I have only posted 1 of these so far... I suppose I'll let you have another. Don't get too excited nothing beats watching a beer robbery in action and then riding of into the sunset straddling handlebars on a bike. I have already told you I work in the ghetto. A few weeks ago I was walking over to circle K to get yet another Dr. Pepper and noticed there was about 4 cop cars in the parking lot. I looked around naturally curious what the heck was going on and I noticed a man sitting on the curb being questioned by the police. The man was very sweaty and dirty and as I walked past them into the gas station I realized I had seen him before. One day earlier this same man had come into the office where I worked and asked for a glass of water and an air conditioned room to sit in for a while. I'm pretty sure he was homeless. We felt bad for him so we did what he asked and he stayed sitting in the lobby for almost an hour after that. I have no idea what he did to get the cops called on him but the store clerk that day told me they had found him sleeping behind the dumpster there at Circle K a couple of times before.

That same visit as I was waiting to check out in line the guy in front of me was with his son that looked to be about 11 years old. When it was their turn to pay for the items the father asked the son if he could borrow some money to pay for his cigarettes that he couldn't afford apparently. The little boy took out some cash and sadly handed it to his dad. Then the boy paid for his own candy and they left. I can't help but feel incredibly bad for all of these people who are struggling right now. My heart goes out to the homeless man, I have no idea how he came to be without a home and most likely family as well. I have no idea why the cops were questioning him or what he did. I feel so bad for that boy with that kind of a father as an example to him and can't help but feel incredibly grateful for my loving supportive husband and family. I am so lucky to be at the place I am at now, I think I am too happy. Something is going to go wrong just because nobody can be this happy!

So that was my somewhat depressing circle K moment for today. Just so I don't leave you on such a negative note let me quickly tell you about a crazy pill popping patient that has been scamming doctors, pharmacies and her insurance company lately including the doctors I work for! The funny part isn't that she is crazy, or a compulsive liar or even addicted to pain killers. It's the lie she told us the other day that had me laughing. She told us first that her husband flushed her pills down the toilet so she needed to fill them early. Then when we where not giving in and filling her prescription she told us that she had "just forgotten" but she is actually leaving town tonight at 5:30 to go to a wedding in Utah! (how do you forget something like that)? She told us she is going be out of town for a few weeks and they do NOT have pharmacies in Utah so she can't fill her prescription there. "In order to find a pharmacy in Utah" she said "you have to drive more than and hour and a half." I laughed since I know Utah very well and asked her what city she was going to. She said Ogden. Has anyone ever been to Ogden? It's like the 2nd or 3rd largest city in Utah. That made me laugh. Sorry Ogdeners, no prescriptions for you I guess?!?!

My sissy's having a girl!!!

My sister is having a baby girl and I am so flippin excited!!! This will be the first grand child for the Cook family and I can hardly contain the amount of happiness that it brings me every time I remember Alli is pregnant! I can't wait for this mini Alstin (Alli-Justin) to be born. She is going to be beautiful and if Justin has anything to say about it her favorite store to shop at as she grows older will be Deseret Industries! It will be phenomenal! Epic!

I CAN'T WAIT!

Black Bear 2010

Last weekend was our 2nd annual Black Bear cabin trip in Valecito Lakes, Colorado (close to Durango). This trip was such a blast. It's sad to think that it's already over, we had such an amazing time but it was such a different cabin experience from last year. Last year was all about fly fishing and four wheeling. This year was all about mountain biking and zip lining! We went with a bunch of our friends, total there was about 12 people at the cabin with still plenty of space! I just love all of the people that came with us, they were a blast to hang out with all weekend!

This is the cabin from the front with the wooden carved Black Bear to let you know you have arrived!

This was our group that came this year to the cabin!

Steve posing with his amazing new mountain bike.

These guys were crazy! They went on a 21 mile bike ride through some of the back country of Durango. As you can see here they were pretty wiped out by the end of it!

Steve Humble, Steve Murray and John Heiner during the 21 mile ride.

Husband posing by the bear skull.

Beginning of the trail.

The zip lining was so much fun this year! We had 2 engineers on this trip with us and Steve Humble brought all of the stuff needed to make a zip line. It was so much fun I can't believe it actually worked! As the days went on and people got more and more comfortable with the zip line they got closer and closer to the pond that you were supposed to go over. A few people got wet and if you see pictures of the pond below you can tell it looks super gross and why anybody would want to get wet in it is beyond me. But they did, and they loved it!

Ben was the first to try out the zip line.

View of the back of the cabin and pond scum lake!

Steve and I as we watch them set up the zip line.

Steve chopping down that pesky tree that was in the way of the zip line wire.

John hacking off the branches of the tree to set up the wire.

Husband getting off the zip line, It was pretty high off the ground!

Me zipping over pond scum lake.

Probably the coolest shot of the trip. Dave looks awesome here!

So this was our trip! It was amazing and beautiful and I would love it if we could continue this fun vacation tradition every Labor day weekend to come!

Belated Utah trip!

Jessica and I at the top of a waterfall!

Our Utah trip this summer was so much fun! We had such a great time with friends and family, it made us miss home very much.

Some of the highlights from this trip is just spending time with our families. We really do miss them and enjoyed the time we had with them. My personal favorites were all off the outdoor activities we had the opportunity to do. Repelling, mountain biking and hiking. Below are a bunch of pictures from the trip in random order. I wish I would have got more of the families. Next time!

Some of my friends!!!

Besties. (I miss them).

Repelling down a waterfall

Some of Steve's friends from high school. It was so much fun to see them and meet some of them for the first time.

My talented husband, holding the camera and taking pictures while riding.

This was a beautiful trail with an amazing view overlooking Park City.

I loved everything about this ride (except the crashing part).

Steve took lots of pictures of me riding. He was so proud!

I miss the City of Park.

The only picture I got of any family! They look good don't they! And we just found out they are pregnant!!! I'm going to be an Auntie for the first time on my side of the family! So excited right now!

We did so much on this trip, but not quite all we could have done. I was there for a little over a week and it was not enough time. We need to make a trip back soon!

The end.

Goals

Lately I have been crazy motivated. I don't know what sparked my productive ways but I am happy this energy is here and I am not giving it back anytime soon (I hope.) I have been trying to be better at certain things like working out, eating healthier (this includes being better about not cheating and eating gluten) and being a better wife and dog mother. (Yes... I said dog mother!) I have been trying to play with Weston more and take him on more walks and jogs so he doesn't turn into a fat dog. I really don't want to be one of those pet owners who has an obese dog and has to give him insulin shots for diabetes which is really common in dogs that are not in shape.

A few Sundays ago I made Steve sit down with me and write out all of our personal and combined goals. We came up with a lot of really good goals and my plan is to print them on on fancy paper and frame it in our bedroom so that every day we can look at those goals and remind ourselves what they are!

One goal that I made a little while ago and has been working out GREAT for our little family is a food calendar. Steve told me that growing up in his house his mom would put together a food calendar every month and whenever he had a question about what was for dinner that night he could look at the food calendar to find out. I though that was a great idea mainly because I am terrible at making dinner every night. I needed some motivation and planning the food out for the entire month is kinda fun. I spend 1 day looking up recipes and planning meals for the rest of the month and that makes it easier for me when I go to the grocery store. I can get everything I need pretty much all at one time (unless it's perishable). It also helps save money as well because I'm not just guessing while I'm in the store what I will need the rest of the week.

Now even though this food calendar has been working out great I don't make dinner every night still. I only make dinner every Sunday and Wednesday because we will usually have leftovers for a couple days and we like to go out to dinner on the weekends most of the time. It has really been a lot of fun coming up with dinner ideas. I found this one blog called just-cook-already.blogspot.com they have had some really amazing recipes that have all turned out good so far. I especially liked the Zuppa Tuscana soup from Olive garden that somehow tastes exactly like it! Yum! I am posting that recipe and a quiche recipe from the food network that we also really enjoyed!

zuppa toscana

6 to 8 servings
Ingredients

• 1 lb ground spicy Italian sausage (remove casing and crumble)
• 1½ tsp crushed red peppers
• 1 large diced white onion
• 4 Tbsp bacon pieces
• 2 tsp garlic puree
• 10 cups chicken broth or 10 cups water with 5 cubes or teaspoons of bullion
• 1 cup heavy cream (I will only use 1/2 cup next time)
• 1 lb sliced Russet potatoes, or about 4 large potatoes (unpeeled and chopped into bite size pieces)
• about 4 cups of kale (roughly chopped)

Directions
1. Sauté Italian sausage and crushed red pepper in a large pot. Drain excess fat, refrigerate while you prepare other ingredients.
2. In the same pan, sauté bacon till fat is rendered and add onions and garlic for approximately 10 minutes or until the onions are soft.
3. Mix together the chicken bouillon and water, then add it to the onions, bacon and garlic. Cook until boiling.
4. Add potatoes and cook until soft, about half an hour.
5. Add heavy cream and cook until thoroughly heated.
6. Stir in the sausage.
7. Add kale just before serving. Delicious!

Spinach and Bacon Quiche

Ingredients

• 6 large eggs, beaten
• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
• Salt and pepper
• 2 cups chopped fresh baby spinach, packed
• 1 pound bacon, cooked and crumbled
• 1 1/2 cups shredded Swiss cheese
• 1 (9-inch) refrigerated pie crust, fitted to a 9-inch glass pie plate

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Combine the eggs, cream, salt, and pepper in a food processor or blender. Layer the spinach, bacon, and cheese in the bottom of the pie crust, then pour the egg mixture on top. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes until the egg mixture is set. Cut into 8 wedges.

Frenaissance

I recently had the opportunity over the fourth of July weekend to go spend it with some of my BFF'S. We have known each other since Elementary school and it was such a blast to go spend the weekend with them in San Diego! Right now my friend Shannon lives there so we got to stay with her. It felt really natural being with Shannon and Jessica again after so long. We haven't been together the three of us in a while. I really enjoyed just being a dork and catching up with them. Here are a TON of pictures from our little trip. (Pictures are out of order a little bit.)

We had an intense kick ball tournament go on... Don't worry, my team WON!

These 2 pictures below are the only pictures from the entire trip of just us 3 together. We could not get serious for them at ALL! It was fun though!!!

Jessica on the Left, Shannon on the right and of coarse that's me in the middle.

Jessica's cousin Tasha was there on the trip with us. Super fun and nice girl, glad she came!

Day trip to sunset cliffs. Super cool! Maybe even cooler than La Jolla???

Shannon and I. Gotta mention real quick because I am obviously wearing a jacket in this picture that it was so nice to wear jackets and jeans! It was 50 degrees colder in San Diego than in Arizona. Steve can we move there?

Balboa park is always fun!

We watched the fireworks on the fourth of July from a park overlooking the city. So pretty!

So funny story about the picture below... Just as the fireworks where starting the sprinklers came on and started getting everyone wet. Jessica thought fast and grabbed some bowls we had for our picnic and put them over the sprinkler heads to stop from soaking everything. She kept shouting as she was doing it "I'll save the day", and she did. Just as she finished covering up the sprinklers Shannon's Ipod (which was playing an America songs play list at the time) started playing Miley Cyrus's song Party in the USA and this HUGE group of high school kids standing next to us in the park freaked out and started jumping around, dancing and singing to this song. We joined in too, it was totally random and fun. Who doesn't love spontaneous dance parties??? After the song was over all the kids where cheering and this one girl from the group came over and asked if we could play it AGAIN! And we did.

The fourth of July also happens to be Shannon's birthday so we had a little party in the park before the fireworks. HAPPY BIRTHDAY SHANNON!!!!!!!

Dinner Saturday night at a yummy Thai restaurant.

Day at the pool

Trying to touch sea creatures

The End! I had a lot of fun last weekend but I'm am so happy to be back home with Steve!