Tomato Vines and Wreaths

Part of my summer fun was attempting a garden.  Other than managing to kill a dill plant, a cilantro plant, 5 things that were supposed to be french style beans, 5 lettuce plants, and 30 some promising cilantro sprouts, I had WILD success with a tomato plant

The plant first came to me at less than two inches tall.  This picture doesn't really show it, but it comes up to my shoulders as is, and is only limited to that height because I had to start weaving the new growth around itself at that level to keep the weight from breaking the vines several feet lower.  Before I started to do that, the plant was over 7 feet tall.

Don't they just look so tasty!

I've found that I want to decorate some room in my house with all of the colors on the spectrum of a growing tomato.  Dale has gotten a little jealous of how much time and care I've given to this tomato vine of mine, but I say he's just lucky I didn't name it and bring it into the house!

I've gotten about 5 bright orange cherry tomatoes per day (this variety is ripe at orange) since July.  As Utah fall usually does, we've had two days of snow in the week before Halloween, and my sweet little plant didn't survive it.

I picked all of the remaining tomatoes to ripen on the counter,

Then stripped the vines of their soggy leaves and made this:

I'm not sure what I think of it.  One year my mom cut vines off of our concord grape plant and told all of us to make wreaths for our teachers as holiday gifts.  That's where I got the idea to not completely get rid of my porch garden buddy quite yet.  I am going to keep it up, but the question is: for how long?  If it is just creepy, then I'll probably take it down between Halloween and Thanksgiving.  If it is received as awesome and neutral enough then I will keep it around and dress it up for each of the holidays until the week after New Year's.  I don't think it is quite the feel I'm going for for Valentine's day.

Let me know!

My husband: The game designer

If it hasn't already become clear at this time, my husband likes to play games.

For example, when his sister and nieces were in town last month, he set up a Hogwarts Tri-wizard Tournament of lego games for a party.  He had one where the girls made potions, another where they fought a dragon, to reach the center of the maze they played this one.  All adults were headmasters of different magical schools (Dale was the headmaster of Dermstrang, wearing a Russian Dermstrang sorting hat), the kids had to compete in the tournament.  In this picture you can see the girls having their names burned in the Goblet of Fire.

Nope, this wasn't a birthday.  It was just a day that he got to see his family. 

If you recall in March Dale got 3rd place out of 25 original board game maker finalists at a national convention called SaltCON.  At that convention, Dale met several different publishers, one of whom gave him a request to send a second draft of his game once he had refined it with their recommendations.

Fast forward to June, Dale submits his second draft to Griffin Games.  Three weeks later, what does this picture look like?

If your answer was SIGNING A CONTRACT WITH A PUBLISHER, then you are correct!  A full professional contract with an advance, a percent of all gross revenue, and ultimately, a promise that on August 1, 2013, Cheesonomics by Dale Tolley will be coming to a store near you!

Side note: On my graduation day from graduate school, my mom gave me a great idea to buy a gift for Dale.  I chose a pen and engraved it with "To our success, love Alana."  We've used that pen to sign job acceptance letters, applications to things that mean a lot to us, and now contracts for published games.

This weekend, we made 6 prototypes of Cheesonomics to send to China, Chicago, Oregon, and Arizona.  This included a LOT of cutting and gluing.  But to see the sweet look on his face, it's worth every inch of it.

27: The year in which I explore my identity

I had a birthday last month.  It came and went with the usual excitement that comes of of noticing yourself and feeling that you're special on that one day.

After realizing that the first birthday had come where I no longer felt that it was cool to identify with my college years, I've had to re-assess what I consider to be my developing identity.  At this juncture, a lot of my current identity can be illustrated in this video:

1. I made my own birthday cake.  It's not perfect, but there is a certain mastery there that I have developed.  The first round stack birthday cake I attempted was in 2004 and it was presented in crumbles.  It was still tasty, as a box cake with pudding added is pretty hard to screw up.  This year's mode not only retained it's shape, but was EXTRA moist and delicious as I have learned to communicate with my oven.  Still to learn--the secrets of getting frosting to stick to the side of cakes.
What this reveals about my identity:
-I am a student of the arts of cooking.  I say student because I definitely acknowledge that I have a lot to learn.  I love it, I feel it is a recreational activity as well as a daily requirement to feed my family, and although what I make isn't always pretty, 95% of  the time it's tasty as hell.
-I am capable, resourceful, independent, and frugal as well as whimsical and trivial.

2. I look like hell.  I had just finished a full day's worth of emotionally draining, hard work.  The cake is also missing the frosting lettering that I would have done if I had had an afternoon off to work on it, and still kind of wish that I had taken the time to do for myself.  I am in my pajamas and generally ready to let my body have what it wants: lounge time.
What this reveals about my identity:
-I work hard, I am busy often, but I still make it a point to complete the rituals of celebration because I feel that treating yourself like a human being is vital.
-I spend most evenings in PJs, recovering from the work day

3. Dale sings to me and I laugh and make eyes at him.
What this reveals about my identity:
-I love my husband.
-I like my husband.
-I am a woman and he makes me feel powerfully feminine.
-We have fun together.

On a daily basis, these are the aspects of my identity which I feel the most.  Of course I have more that I define myself by--I'm saving up to purchase a harp, I talk WAY too much, I read novels excessively, I love to collect art and decorate my apartment, I am honing the professional skills of helping people, I fiercely miss my family of origin--but those are all not day-in-day-out activities.

I have, of course, had more that defined me in years past, but--as I said--27 is no longer an age to define yourself by being a successful single adult, flirtatious, or histrionic.  There was a lot of insecurity which being happily married eliminates.  Now that I know what I am and what I am no longer, that leaves me with a void in the years ahead of me. 

I want to be:
Patient
Intelligent, but know how to curb the expression of knowledge for times when it will amplify a conversation among equals.
Richly celebratory.  I want to have regular, big celebrations of life.  I want to travel with my husband.  Locally and abroad.
Professional.  I have chosen to be a social worker and I am learning from my professional superiors that there is a lot that I can learn from them.
Loving.  I intend to be a family woman.
Spiritual.  This will take soul searching of the adult variety.  Not merely actively participating in the rituals of Christian Scholarship, but allowing God to answer questions.
Positive.  I want to laugh more.  Not from the shallow deconstruction of another at their expense, but laugh because the world is optimistic and there are things to learn.
Excited
Restful--Anxiety in hand.
Anxiously engaged in service
Responsible--more active and reliable in my current opportunities for involvement.

I could keep going.  There is always the dynamic and colorful concept of what you'd like to be and I'd love to keep on exploring it, but if I continue then the concept will remain just that--inconcrete and unobtained.

This is a good start though.  I'll have to check in on my next birthday and see how things have developed.  It looks like a good list to describe an admirable adult, and makes looking forward to scarey numbers like 38 or (heaven forbid) 42 a little more hopeful.

What do you think you'd like to enhance in yourself in the coming years?

Yellowstone 2

The week after having completed the Wendt Family Reunion, Dale and I drove 4 hours north to Yellowstone park.  There we met Dale's parents as well as his brother and brother's girlfriend.  For those of you who recall from this post Dale's family has a generous friend who has shared access to their Yellowstone mansion cabin with the Tolleys on a regular basis!  I was getting over the sniffels, and it was just a normal 2-day weekend, so the brunt of this visit was lounging in the luxury of the fully stocked 3000 square foot, polished pine, vaulted ceiling marvel that only narrowly meets the definition of a cabin. 

On such a casual weekend, the only picture I grabbed was this: Dale eating s'mores and getting marshmallow in his beard.  Any weekend where family from three different states gathers is worth noting. 

What is also worth noting is that this place had a community recreation building that included a pool, spa, sauna, and racquetball court.  I availed myself of all of them.  I can now say I am someone who can play racquetball.  Or at least HAS played racquetball.  I found that with the bouncy ball and 4 walls to hit it off of, the best thing to do was swing wildly whenever it came to you.  The more wild your swing, the more likely it was that the ball would hit one of the walls before bouncing again.  And with this strategy I held my own against 3 grown men. :)

We came, we built fires, chopped wood, watched movies, and played games.  I think this is ideally what weekends are for: traveling as necessary to hang out with family.

The first Wendt family reunion!

What do you write for all the world to see about your first sibling level family reunion?  First time where  because Christmas and Thanksgivings are no longer a given that we all attend, and where we can't wait for one of us to get married to have an excuse to spend all of the money to travel, we had to plan to get together for no reason at all other than to see each other.  What I can say is: it. was. awesome.

Alana, Dale, Nanette, Eric, Jeremy, Heather, John, Liam, Noelle, Nathan, Brooke, Jonah, Ellie, Amber, Scott, Annabelle, Jack, Madlyn, Ian, Alex, Naomi, Andrew, Joseph, Alanna, Mari, Felicity, Xavier, Pamela, Carter, Rita.

Check out that impressive list.  Breathe it in.  Thirty of us have grown from the original 2 adults and 6 children.  The last time all of us siblings were in the same room was at my wedding 3 years ago.  With all of the kids married now, it took Jeremy saying "hey, lets get together!" and over 6 months of planning to pick a weekend where everyone was free (possibly the most difficult part), choose a location (second most difficult) then lodging, entertainment, transportation and food all more or less fell into place.

For those of you who don't know my family, I understand that that may be the end of your interest in this post.  For those of you who are long lost friends, enjoy the photos!

We swam (at the Lehi Legacy Center.  It's basically a mini water park that is actually a public pool.  We spent TWO of our 5 precious afternoons there)

We had the traditional reunion barbecue complete with spontaneous baseball game (what you see here is my nephew with a broken leg being helped to run around the bases by his dad while my brother in law narrowly "misses" him with the tagging ball.  It was really great to help the kids learn the sport and then for the all adult game (boys v girls, of course) where it was equally as non-competitive and awesome).

We hiked (also two of our 5 afternoons) all through little cottonwood canyon and up a mountain.  Ian and Alex were troopers taking 7 kids ages 12-2 on a two mile hike up a mountain! 

We also played games every night, went to the new City Creek Center and Temple Square, played in parks, had a talent show, and cooked great meals together.  (I know what you're thinking--a talent show?  But it was actually really awesome.  Every family had something to contribute and with a supportive crowd who share a base of inside jokes, it was epic).

When I was a teenager in LA I used to love having guests so I had an excuse to be a tourist in my own town.  I had no doubt that LA was a world class and amazing place.  I still carry that knowledge with the kind of confidence that borders on snobbery in it's fullness.  Having to find activities for a family of 30 to enjoy and then doing them helped me own an idea I had only noticed before.  My home, where I've lived for 2 years in the city and 5 years before that in the suburbs, where I began and nourished my budding marriage, is pretty dang great!  We've got mountains, temple square, nature, and a lot of really great family friendly public areas that welcome children and adults alike.

I think it also finally feels like home for me because now I have memories in it with all of these great people.  I love each of them so much.

For those of you who notice that only Johnny is representing the Jeremy Wendt family: Jeremy, Heather, Liam, and Noelle couldn't attend.  Jeremy's baby girl is seriously ill and could use all the prayers you have to offer.

Bryce Canyon Road Trip

 Did you know that other than Alaska (which is basically a block forest) and California (which is the size of two Utahs), Utah has the most national parks of any other state in the union?  It's true, a proud Utahn and the internet told me so.  Well, Dale and I are well on our way to having accomplished all of them. 

For your viewing pleasure, I present my husband, my brother-in-law, and my brother-in-law's girlfriend on the floor of a natural marvel.

This is what that natural marvel looks like from up above.  "WHAT THE HECK IS THAT?" you may be asking yourself.  That is one of the many eroded valleys of Bryce Canyon in southern Utah.

Bryce Canyon is a geological marvel.  See those spires in that canyon?  That's what's left after the rain, thunderstorms, and wind have eroded the loose earth off of the land that you're standing on.  The first must-do activity is to see all of the outlooks on the totally great public transportation they have at this park, and then hike down in the canyons, among the spires.  That's what you see in the first picture.  All of the orange and red rock is so lovely.  I highly suggest it.

Next must-do: camping.  We chose to do so in a tipi.  No kidding.  We rented a campsite with one already set up for us.  This was our first Dale and I hosted camping trip and I got to use our new dutch oven.  Dale had to work hard to build fires and light coal.  I felt totally back-woodsy!  The accommodations there are pretty amazing.  All of it--hotels, camp sites, tipis, RV areas--are part of the same business.  The great part of that is, if you sign on to use the camp sites, you get access to all of the amenities of the ritzy hotel.  We slept in the tipi and ate at the tipi, but all of our other non-park time was spent in hot tubs, pools, comfy game rooms, and luxurious showers.

Last must-do, but DEFINATELY not least.  Go to the stargazing activity put on by the park lodge after sunset.  It starts with one of the park rangers telling campfire stories of how the local people explained constellations and used the sky to teach their children.  The park ranger has been doing this for a decade and is exceptionally good.  Then, after about an hour or so, you follow the group out after sunset, walk back to where there are 6 high powered telescopes.  You tell them the type of marvel you want to see and they show it to you.  I saw several globular clusters, a supernovaed star that was turning into a black hole, a galaxy, craters on the moon, mars, and --best of all-- Saturn, it's rings, and 5 of it's moons!  It was A.M.A.Z.I.N.G.  I would go back JUST for this experience.  We want to find our local astronomical society to get access to more high powered telescopes again.

We managed to "do" Bryce Canyon in one three-day weekend.  And I would happily do it again.

Dance Recitals and Rugby Games

On Saturday Dale and I went to the Rio Tinto statium in Salt Lake City and watched our Alma Mater BYU tackle the national champoinship in Rugby!

Gwen is the one on the far right with her arms out.

We also went to my 4-year-old niece's dance recital.

Both were intensely fun for different reasons.

Rugby won me over from my luke warm interest in football after the first 15 mintues.  Why?  No time outs.  The ball is always live, the clock is always running.  If a guy gets tackled, he releases the ball strategically to one of his team mates who then keeps running to the goal until the other team steals the ball somehow.  Two 40-minute quarters and a 10 minute half time.  That is a game I can commit to.

The dance recital was for ages 3-18 and had almost 20 different performances of eight different age group teams.  I really liked picking a favorite among the dancers--usually the one with the most stage presence which to me usually means the most talent--and watching that one person through out the performance.  I especially liked it when this person ended up being a girl who was a little chubbier or not the prettiest girl.  This was perfectly entertaining until a 15 year old girl caught me watching and then it all of a sudden felt really creepy.

The BYU Rugby team has 30 players on both strings and represents 8 different countries on the team.  Our favorite player was a guy from South Africa who played the kicker position.  He was so intense to watch prepare and he didn't miss once.  The guy we came to support was a previous companion of Dale's from his LDS mission in Slovakia and is from England.  Lots of different Polynesian countries represented, as well as Europe and Africa.

The level of coordination among the young dance teams was awesome.  Our girl Gwen did two different dances and I think she was one of two best people on the team.  In the picture above, you can see how she is going full out on the choreography.  There are 3 other girls showing various representations of the arms out move.  If you can't see how this is adorably entertaining, I question your humanity.

Rugby people watching included education on the difference between a Euro mullet and a hick mullet.  There were plenty of samples of both varieties to provide in-depth analysis.

Dance Recital people watching reminded me of synchronized swimming meets as a little kid.  Elaborate costumes, schillacked hair dos, kids learning fine motor skills, and teens in the best shape that they are likely to be in for the rest of their life.  It made me want to start a synchro league around here!

My 3rd Anniversary

I don't know if you've noticed, but I just finished a lot of posts in a row.

6 months ago, my husband sent me and my two sisters an email guaging interest in a concert together and suggesting Disneyland as well.  From there it blossomed into the last 8 posts of this blog. They are the individual highlights of how my husband and I celebrated our third anniversary.

We danced the night away

We hiked Vasquez Rocks

We went to the beach and made stops on the way

We did 20 attractions in 10 hours at  Disneyland

We experienced Coldplay at the Hollywood Bowl

We touched a giant and climbed a mountain at Sequoia National Park

We experienced small town California.

I just had to add in that we went to Tommy Burger.
The taste of my childhood in burger form

All of that in 8 days in So. Cal.  We got to spend two days visiting the homes of 4 members of my family and go on adventures together.

And there's still so much more.  

Thank you, honey, for planning such a fantastic trip for us, and for coming with me to celebrate 3 years, and ring in the 4th of many more years together.

Small Town Central California

My sister and her family recently uprooted from Los Angeles and moved to Three Rivers, California, population 2,600.  Visiting that town was just as fun as any day at the beach with my Dad.  Why was it so great, you might ask?


Well, let's start with roadside stands of freshly picked strawberries.  6 baskets for $10.00.  We ate them ALL that day.

How about the next fact: when you live in a small town, you can afford to buy and keep a HORSE!  My sister has a horse.  We got to groom, feed, ride, and play with her. (the horse, as well as my sister)

Next is also produce related, but many of you know what I'm talking about: Avocado stands.  6 avocados from an avacado farmer's front step.  You leave $4 in a can and take a bag of double fist sized avocados.  Yes, we ate all of those that night too.

Lastly, my sister's new home has a river in the back yard.  Guests sleep in a luxuriously made air mattress on the deck under the stars with the sound of the river all night long.

It's also 2 miles out of Sequoia National Park.  We stayed for 3 days and could have stayed another week enjoying new and exciting things each day.  Rafting, exploring the National Park, playing in the river in the back yard... 

I've experienced small town Montana, small town Wyoming, small town Idaho, small town Kansas, small town New York, even small town Oregon.  Small town California has the charm of the others, but all on it's own.

Sequoia National Park

Yup.  That is a grove of some of the largest organisms on the earth.  If you look close at the base of the tree on the right, you'll notice my mom and myself posing together.  Mice: normal tree as I am: that sequoia.  Yup.  I did just pull out the SAT lingo in this post.  That is the only way I have to express the feeling of standing in that grove.  Let it blow your mind.

Sequoia National Park has all of the wonders of other national parks (Yellowstone, Yosemite, Glacier, etc) like wildlife, rivers, rock formations, mountains covered in pine trees... but it also has these redwoods.  There is way more to do and see than we could do in an afternoon, but it was well worth the trouble to go.

Dale and I also climbed the last 400 feet to stand at the top of a mountian the size of Mt. Whitney.

That was exhilarating.

We also saw a mother bear and two cubs playing in a tree and unbelievably huge boulders forming the path of a river. 

My first REAL rock concert

This is how excited we were.  The people in the picture from--right to left--are Dale, me, and my oldest sister. 

This is why we were excited:

This, my friends, is the Hollywood Bowl.  (I'd like to take a moment to highlight that we are seated only 6 rows behind the people who pay for private family booths).  A natural amphitheater, it began hosting musical performances in the 1940s.  My dedicated parents took me and my 5 siblings to performances at the Hollywood Bowl to hear such greats as John Williams, Julie Andrews, and anything patriotic on the 4th of July.  They also have lesser known classical/jazz performers like Kristen Chenoweth and lots of other people whose names I don't remember, but their symphony performances and fire work shows never fail to incite wonder.

Dale found out early that while I have been to tons of musicals and classical performances, I the extent of my experience with live rock is limited to dark basements and crowds of no more than 50 people.  This concert is what started my Husband's planning our whole 3rd anniversary trip.  It was awesome.

We saw Coldplay perform live.

WE SAW COLDPLAY PERFORM LIVE!!!!

COLDPLAY!!! Chris Martin!  In Hollywood!  We were there!  He walked 30 feet away from me!  I don't even have the words!  Or I have the words, but they babble so much that you would be annoyed by how much my mind was blown by Chris Martin's energy and the songs I've only ever half appreciated on the radio.

The show started with a really awkward man-hating 70's chick duet.  Then a good group came on, techno-ish, but they played at least one song that I would purchase if I could remember their name.  Then... the true rock stars appeared.

I wouldn't have been able to explain to myself before this experience how a musical performance can be choreographed to have such energy.  The words "animal magnetism" come to mind for the gutteral enjoyment of this event.  It delighted so many of my senses at once that I am immediately a die hard Chris Martin fan.  Do not speak ill of him around me. 

The Hollywood Bowl encourages people to come with a picnic before hand (to make waiting for the show more fun).  We went classy and brought hummus and pitas with chocolate chip cookies (taste).  The above picture shows one moment of the constantly changing laser show, as well as 2 of the 4 jumbo screens showing close ups of the performers (sight).  The music was suprizingly familiar so that I knew all of the words--Coldplay has a huge amount of successful singles (sound). I could feel the beat in my chest as well as the mass of bodies dancing around me (touch).  I don't remember any distinct smell, and that perhaps is the best thing I can say of a rock concert with 15,000 dancing bodies in such close quarters.  I credit it to the outside arena.

When it's all said and done, my husband gets me to try things that I otherwise would never try.  I'm lucky that he is such an adventurous, indulgent man.  I love you, baby.  Thanks for the memory of this night.

How to make the most out of your Disneyland trip

How long since you've been?  The last time Dale and I experienced the Land was the weekend he asked my father for my hand in marriage.  (sigh!)

I cannot go any farther into this post without thanking my sister: 

Nanette was INTENSELY GENEROUS enough to use her access as a Disney employee-spouse to get Dale and me in to a free day at the happiest place on earth.  Once inside, the three of us experienced

20 attractions in 10 hours!!!

She-yeah!  Star Tours, Space Mountain, Buzz Lightyear Astro-blasters, Splash Mountain, The Indiana Jones ride, Pirates of the Carribean, the Haunted Mansion, The Tiki Room, Jungle Cruise, The Blue Bayou (!!!!), Big thunder Mountain, Billy Hill and the Hillbillies, Michael Jackson as Captain EO, Aladdin the Musical, the King Arthur Carousel, the Jedi Training Academy, California Screamin', Soarin' over California, the Tower of Terror, Toy Story Midway Mania, and the Sorceror's Workshop.... that was more than 20 and there are still more things that we saw, did and LOVED!

How does one do this, you ask?

1. Go on a Monday (or any mid-week day).  On the weekends it is so crowded that you'll be lucky to get onto 4 rides and enjoy what my parents lovingly termed "the line ride" for 90% of your trip.

2. Get there RIGHT AT OPENING!  In the first hour of our trip we did 4 rides because we were waiting at the rope for the rides to open.  And these were 4 BIG rides.  Four of the most popular rides at Disneyland!

3.  Use fast passes.  Your ticket can be scanned at many of the biggest rides of the park to provide you with a line cutting card at a later mentioned time.  Once you pass that time, they work all day.  Study up on which of the rides have fast passes and plan how you will attack the day. Each ticket can hold up to two fast passes at a time, so you can have line-cutting privileges only 30 minutes apart from eachother!

4. Use single rider.  If you're all grown up enough to sit alone on a ride, ask if they have single rider spots.  You ask the attendant at the line entrance if they have single riders, then they let you go to the front of a line immediately (like a fast pass).  You are then used to fill the seats that are left empty by uneven groups who wait in line to sit together.  I think it's FANTASTIC.

5. Going with Adults makes it easier.  Before you judge me.  I acknowledge that children make Disneyland magical all on their own.  All I want to point out is that as 3 adults we were able to wait in line at one place while another adult ran to get updated fast passes and join us in line later.  You get some dirty looks sometimes for getting your sister/spouse in line with you, but no one stopped us from doing it.

6.  Study a map and show schedule before hand.  When we were on the way to our dinner reservations (30 min early), my sister noticed we were passing by the Golden Horseshoe Stage and knew that a Billy Hill and the Hillbillies show was starting in the next 3 minutes.  We grabbed a seat and laughed for 30 minutes straight.

7. Don't be afraid to try something silly.  As we were passing by things that were happening, I ended up dancing with the French Market Band, we walked into the animation studio in California Adventure and did some voice overs of Jaffar and Vazzini, and you're never too old to get excited to take a picture with Captain Hook.

That's all the secrets I have from this trip, but they were secrets that worked.  Follow them and you too can have a picturesque experience much like ours.

Ocean

When is the last time you saw something that beautiful?  When my Southern California friends come to visit me in Salt Lake City and experience the view of the Rocky mountains from my porch, they remind me that I have a pretty amazing natural wonder at my fingertips too, but the beach stands alone in it's awesomeness.  The waves and vastness of the beach can definitely compare to a soaring mountain peak, but where the beach leaves the mountains way behind is in the sound of roaring waves.

I hear that people are afraid of things like the ocean because of their power, their vastness, the fact that they are teaming with life, but I love them.  I thought that the feeling of being alive and blown away by something like this was something everyone would experience and want.  I'm coming to learn that my connection with and ability to love the beach and the ocean are not universal human traits.

I can't go to the ocean and not get in.  I love the feel of the sand exfoliating my feet in the crash and tow of the surf.  I love the warmth of the south west coast waters even in the beginning of the summer.  I love how there are hundreds of people there who love it as much as I do every time that I go.  I love, I love, I love.

What do you love about the ocean?  If not the ocean, what's your favorite natural wonder?

Hot spot

Recognize this place?  If you don't then I am letting you in on one of the most awesome hippy-beach-bum secrets of Southern California. 

Hidden Treasures is a retro-second hand store in the city of Topanga Canyon.  If you're going to go there, it includes a FREAKING SWEET drive through the Topanga Canyon from the Los Angeles Valley to the Malibu Beach.

Topanga Canyon city is a stop sign in between two other places, but this shop is on the north east corner of that stop sign.  That treasure chest to the right of my crazy face totem pole has any item for 75 cents!  To the far left of the shot, you see a rack of second hand Tutus!  Once you go inside you can find things like this:

And this!

EVERYTHING is authentic.  That hat was probably purchased in the 1920s and has just sat on some movie lot storage for almost a century in perfect condition.  I highly endorse going there and trying on every rediculous thing you see.  I actually did buy something, too.  But not nearly as much as I wanted to.

Vasquez Rocks

Yes.  Yes they do.

Do you recognize this silhouette?  It's featured on a recent car commercial that airs on prime time TV currently.  Sheldon Cooper would know it as the place where Captain Kirk defeated the Gorn.  I know it as I came, I saw, I CONQUERED! 



Doesn't look all that intimidating you say?  Well how about...

Yup!  Those folks down below are my dad and his wife Rita

NOW!!!!  Okay, maybe I just thought the whole experience was cool, but you can too!  Historically it's the hideout of this intense wild-west-era highway robber, Something-or-other Vasquez!  I could see how he could hide in the crags and crannies of these rock formations and it pick his pursuers off one by one as they searched this honey comb of a hideout.  The only thing is, Vasquez must have had a good stomach, cause climbing up an almost 45-degree angle is a little more intimidating than I thought at first glance.

Bottom line.  We had fun.  In general: a great date/double date spot for a Saturday afternoon.  I highly recommend it.

Are you ever too old?

Dale and I went to an adult singles dance two weekends ago.  Yup.  There's a picture of us trying to capture the moment in extremely poor picture lighting in a dance hall that also works as a basketball court.  My hair was frizzy, my make-up was sweating off.  In a nutshell: it was AWESOME.

Favorite quotes of the evening;

"That is a 40 year old man with a tucked in shirt and khakis and he is just going full out in this song.  I may never know what it feels like to be that free."

"This song makes me want to jump!"
"But jumping is for dumb kids."
"Aw... We may not have been friends growing up.  You would have thought I was dumb and I would have thought I was awesome."

There was a live band--eight guys who were really good together--and everyone who was there WANTED to be there.  Everyone danced whether they knew how to or not. 

The last dance I attended was in 2008.  It's been four years and I had some dance moves to get out of me.  I danced to every song.  I even did the electric slide.  Twice.

Dale danced with me the whole time.  Mostly to keep me from being asked to dance by other guys, but whatever got him out there made me happy.

Best of all, it was the first time I've danced with my Dad since my wedding day in 2009.  Here's to married couples going under cover in singles activities.

Newlywed Easter

Well, we've been married for (almost) 3 years now, but it still counts as a newlywed Easter cause we're still figuring things out.

On Friday night:
We had a date to Target (after a walk through down town and dinner at Cafe Rio !!!) to choose candies and treats for the other's Easter basket. 

On Saturday afternoon:
We sat out on our sunny porch and read the story of Easter, from Palm Sunday to the exhortation to "share the good news," including passages from each gospel. (I learned something new this year: Christ's miracle of raising Lazarus from the dead occurred DIRECTLY before the triumphal entry into Jerusalem.  How's that for a teaching moment to help his apostles believe that He was capable of a Resurrection for all mankind?)

On Saturday evening:
A date with another couple to dye eggs, then taking turns assembling and hiding your spouse's Easter Basket in the house while the other hung out behind locked doors in the bathroom. :)

On Sunday morning:
Church, with a child chorus, congregation member prepared speeches on Christ's Resurrection and Atonement 2,000 years ago and how it can be immediate for us now as we use it, and a young-couple's Sunday School discussing how to use the Atonement to change and grow.

and, of course, Easter baskets :)



On

More to read

I LOVE to cook.  I think the women of the blogosphere have a greater affinity to cooking than most other adults in the world, given the crafty nature required when blogging.  Two weekends ago when my husband was out of town I started taking pictures of the yummy meals I was making--they were all the ones that he doesn't like, and don't get to cook much for that reason.  It kept going because I really do make beautiful meals and it seems a shame to make something so beautiful without an image to make it last.

A couple of times every month I put up a google search for "What to make for dinner tonight?"  I end up with the same sites that don't give me much variety of ideas and times to work on.  So, I made a blog to post my pictures, ideas, and recipes on!

http://thevarietyoffoods.blogspot.com/

I'll be posting new dinner ideas about 3 times a week.  You can search the site for time that you want to spend preparing your meal (10 minutes, 20 minutes, etc), or varieties of foods you feel interested in (mexican food, salads, holiday favorites).  I just got started, but it'll accumulate fast, as I really do like cooking, and sharing what I make.

Please check it out and enjoy!

Pampered

Of the many kinds of women in the world, I am one who likes to be pampered.  I can work hard, but I can also accept the hard work of estheticians and massage therapists at a healthy clip.

Today I went to a student spa.

I got a facial

 

A manicure


And a pedicure

I was super excited that my co-worker Lynda got to come with me to do all of it!

Don't judge us, yo.  The spa isn't a place to get all glammed up for.  It's more like a "just got out of the shower" kind of joint.

My sister and I used to go to get pedicures monthly before the recession hit.  It's a great self maintenance kind of activity.  Since I have now discovered facials, I've decided that they improve upon pedicures exponentially.  Mary Kay has ruined the perception of a TRUE facial for the masses.  Yes, a facial does include rubbing a series of facial products on your face, but that is not why it is awesome.  A SPA facial is when you enter a room with lowered lights, soothing music, and the sound of a waterfall in the vicinity.  It includes things like COMPLETE physical relaxation, a heated mattress for comfort, a steamer for the pores, and all aforementioned facial products rubbed onto the face, kneck, shoulders, and upper chest by a pseudo-masseur.  Seven layers of pre-cleanser, cleanser, exfoliant, masque, moisturizer, toner, and re-vitalizing cream applied via massage for over an hour of pure pampering treatment.  Add the aromatherapy oil treatment to begin and end and it's an almost transcendent experience.

It also comes with a skin consultation, which is a special treat for me.  I grew up believing I had the worst luck with my skin because of a serious acne problem.  Well, time cures all ills and now when I am assessed by a professional, it feels so nice to have someone ooh and ahh about my small pores, hydrated features, and lack of blemishes.  If this only lasts for a few years, I am going to enjoy it!

And the last reason why I am a pampered wife today:

Truly, I am a fan of who I married.

And the winner is...

The last several months have been especially political in my home.  My husband has had an inexplicable desire to watch all of the 20-something (and counting) Republican Presidential Primary debates.  We're both impressed by Romney and Paul, nauseated by Santorum and Gingritch.

In addition to the (seemingly endless) televised debates as part of our lives, the President of the LDS church we attend encouraged all of the congregations in America to go to their local caucus meetings and participate in "the most grassroots form of government in this country."

I'd never been to a caucus meeting before.  I didn't know they were open to the public, or what happened in these meetings.  I did know that from the day I'd gone to the Utah State Capitol with my Introduction to Social Work class, I have had a dream picture of myself as having an influence on what happens in government.

It's true:

Leslie Knope has been my personal hero ever since I saw my first episode of Parks and Recreation. (I want to be her)

I collected applications to law school during my senior year of my undergrad. (but opted out when it seemed like a career in the law would preclude options of me having children until I was 30)


I write letters to my representatives, I vote, and I daydream of going to the public observation section of the State Senate and listening to the day's debate, but I've never had a catalyst to do anything more, as much as I love that dream picture of myself.

Well, with Dale's support after a long day of work, we went to our local caucus meeting.  Anticipating that the meeting would be dull, I spent the first 15 minutes constructing this out of playdough that happened to be in my purse:

I'm pretty impressed with that feat of modeling skill :)

Due to the encouragement of the world-wide leadership of the church, the meeting that had 4-8 attendees at the 2 year's previous meeting, this year had 50-60 attendees.  And that was just for our precinct!  The elementary school where we met hosted another 3 dozen precincts for the local area of Holladay and Cottonwood Heights. 

For those of you who have known me for any great length of time, you know that I like to participate. 

This is a dangerous compulsion to have in a political caucus meeting.  A meeting where public officers and delegates are nominated and voted on from a local pool.  A meeting where a tendancy to raise one's hand leads to actual commitment to and participation in local politics.

The group was a little shy at the beginning, so nominations were scarce.  That is when I raised my hand and said "I'll do it."

I'm only 26 and entirely ignorant to local politics, so it would be pretty arrogant to think I had a chance at a delegate seat, but I think getting one's foot in the door is a good way to start for a kid just out of graduate school with passion but no practical knowledge. 

That's right, on March 14, 2012 (after loosing the vote for the Vice Presidential seat) I was elected to the position of Secretary and Treasurer for the Cottonwood 4th Republican Precinct of Utah!

Muahahahahaha!

You mean me?

I think I have become one of THOSE people.

There are many different categories of THOSE people, but it's the strangest feeling when you realize that you are engaging in a behavior that is naggingly familiar.  You think about it every once in a while until you realize: it's familiar because you used to make fun of people who were like that.

THOSE people who say FELD instead of FIELD.

THOSE people who can't talk about politics without YELLING

THOSE people who sip their hot cocoa and can't keep from making a slurping sound EVERY TIME

Perhaps I'm too sensitive, but I think we all have some behavior that we witness among large groups of society and feel is especially odd.  When I first came to BYU, I remember seeing people who were eternally peppy.  People who owned a lot of pastel clothing and not one black shirt.  People who just HAD an un-ending supply of seemingly meaningless ideas for activity that you would never have thought of, but when you engaged in it, ended up being a lot of fun.

My husband and I paid off all of our outstanding debt in the last month.  Student loans, car loans, DONE! 

Life is too short to let something like that pass us by without celebrating, but we wanted to stick to our budget and not spend a huge amount of money.  Combine that with the fact that it's too cold outside to have many really exciting or beautiful out-door metropolitan wonders outside of Temple Square, and that the mountians don't have quite the same draw as the beach as far as celebratory picnics go...


We went to the grocery store and decided to join in and celebrate the Oreo's 100th birthday.  We had a party with Classic Oreos, Double Stuff Oreos, Blonde Oreos, and peanutbutter.  And it was a blast ;)

When I considered THOSE people back at BYU, I didn't realize that with enough time under the same circumstances as they had been raised that I would become one of them.  That I would understand it.  And REVEL in it!

Gala! Another evening to be in love

Dale and I are continuously reveling in the exciting things that come of being a professional among professionals.  One such excitement came last week when my boss came to my office and asked if I would like to attend a gala for the Alzhiemer's Association on the upcoming Friday. 

Now, we at home have been watching a lot of Frasier re-runs lately, so I know that a gala is basically the closest thing you're going to get to re-living prom as an adult.  To say my interest was immediate is to put it mildly.

My mind swiftly ran to plans for beautiful dresses and dance steps and hair styles!  I seriously had to leave work an hour early because I was so excited and couldn't get any work done.

I googled what the dress standard was for "black tie encouraged" and scanned through dozens of pictures of gowns and ettiquete articles.  I called all the friends I had who had grown up in Utah and still had access to wardrobes including evening wear.  I tried out options for my hair.  I googled the location of the gala, researched past annual events by the Alzhiemer's Association, and every step got me more and more excited for my night as a princess.

My sweetheart Dale was excited for a upper crust professional evening out, and even practiced dancing steps with me as I deliberated over which dress to wear and whether or not this one made my knees look chubby, or that one didn't accentuate my bust enough.

The evening arrived and my prince escorted me on his arm and opened doors.  As a fund raisier there were two big auctions, both of which were FAR out of our price range, but we got to see the excitement of a scottish terrier sold for $1150, and a lovely painting for $2,000.  The hors devoirs were superb.  The table was beautifully set.  The band was lively.  And I got to dance with my husband.  And that was the best part.

SALT Con

The sun was suspiciously cheerful for a February in Salt Lake City.  It's as if the sun knew what pressure my Dale was under and had come out in full blast to spy on his final preparations.  Boxes secure, packaging well built, inventory complete, Dale and James drove to an otherwise inconspicuous hotel in one of the lesser noticed corners of down town.  This was the time and the place where they would reveal their creation.

Yup!  Dale presented his own self-made game down town last month!  Our college friend James Harper flew back in town to help Dale present and prepare to negotiate.  We loved having him stay with us, and it was a great support for Dale as he took a big step toward living his long-term dream of being a game-maker.  I COMPLETELY respect Dale for progressing his interests in the midst of a full-time job and all other adult responsibilities to the point that he gets noticed by the professional game making arena. 

If you check here and scroll down to the entry on January 9th, you  can see Dale's name printed as one of the finalists in a competition of original game makers to be noticed and reviewed by publishers from all up and down the Western United States. 

It was really a lot of fun.  I left work early on friday to catch up with Dale and James as they presented, and then soak up what fun there was to have at a board game convention!  There were booths advertising and selling new creations, a free library of games (hundreds of them!) to check out and play, tournaments to enter for prizes of free games and such, and at least 400 other people who wanted to play, teach, and learn about games that most people wouldn't find on shelves at Target.  It was a great place for Dale.  He ended up getting 3rd place out of the 25 people who had submitted games!  Better than that is the professional exposure and feedback he got as a contestant.  I really am so proud of him for pursuing his interests like this.

And the best thing for me?  Dale found a half a dozen other guys at the convention who live in our apartment complex and love games (almost) as much as he does.  They're making a schedule to have man gaming nights 2 or 3 times a month.  Dale now has people to play his more...intense... games with.  Sigh!  And I don't have to!

theory Y management....maybe the stepford wives had it wrong

My new job involves working in a long-term medical community of ill and elderly people.  I love it.

I first applied for this job the week I got layed off in November.  I interviewed for it the following week.  They contacted me to start the first week of January.

50 beds worth of work had been without a social worker for over a month. 

On my first day, I met my co-social workers Angie and Linda.  Angie laughs at anything.  Linda likes to tell jokes.  Awesome first impression.  "We are SO happy to have you here" they told me over and over again.

On my second day I met the rest of the group.  The recreation department, 3 unit managers, the director of nursing, the administrator, the billing department, the maintenance managers, 3 care-planning managers, the medical office manager, and dietary department.  We all crowd into a room half the size of my bedroom every morning at 9:30 am and review the day's happenings.  They say you have to laugh to keep from crying, and that is as true in medical communities as anywhere else.  My team and I laugh a lot.  "You fit in really well with us, everyone is enjoying you."

Every time I show them that I already know how to do something, or I take care of something that they had gotten used to being behind on in the 30 days they went without a social worker for my hall, they say again "We are so happy to have you here!  Isn't she great?"

I'll be the first person to let you know how great I am, but really, I don't usually elicit a response like this.

I keep wondering if there was a meeting before my first day where they were all told to tell me the same thing.

Acting on the chance that there wasn't such a meeting I keep trying to locate the leader of the kindness committee and see how they positively motivate and reinforce performance so seamlessly.

The whole situation would seem really Stepford if I didn't absolutely love my job as a part of it.  There's usually a hostile take over before a person suddenly feels perfectly content with their situation.  To be honest, if there's a dark secret here, I don't really want to know what it is.