Random

Well I guess its time for my semi-annual blog update:)

My sister Vannessa and I did a triathalon in September! It was hard but it was also a lot of fun. It was really fun training for it too; Adam and I went swimming and biking together a lot and that was really cool to do as a couple.

I got a new job a few months ago and that has been a really big blessing. I am able to be with Adam more and don't feel nearly as stressed out as I was. I am teaching now so it's definitely a change. But I am really enjoying it, and I think I will enjoy it even more once I have everything figured out.

Church is keeping us pretty busy- Adam is Young Men's President and I am Primary President. It seems like there is always something going on between mutual, cub scouts, primary program, and all the Sunday meetings and lessons, but it's pretty fun. My favorite part of it is when the primary kids wave or smile at me or ask me to sit by them in sacrament meeting.

It seems like a lot more must have happened since the last time I posted anything, but I can't think of anything too noteworthy. We are just staying busy and enjoying being married.

CINNAMON RAISIN BREAD

Adam and I love to cook. For a while we've been meaning to post recipes and pictures of some of the fun new things we've made since we got married. I secretly hope that Bobby Flay or Michael Simon happen across our blog and invite me to be on Food Network with them. Or at least let me taste their food. This recipe is actually pretty easy to make and it is so good. When it was a few days old, we used the bread to make French Toast. They were probably some of the best French Toast I have ever had.

If anyone tries this recipe, let me know what you think of it or if there is anything you would change about it.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups + 2 Tablespoons milk
1 cup warm water
3 eggs
1 1/4 cups white sugar, separated
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter, softened (the original recipe called for margarine)
1 cup raisins
8 cups all purpose flour
2 Tablespoons melted butter
2 Tablespoons ground cinnamon

Warm 1 1/2 cups milk in a small saucepan until bubbles form, then remove from heat. Let cool until lukewarm.
Whilen the milk is cooling, dissolve the yeast and 1/2 cup sugar in warm water and let sit until frothy. Mix in the eggs, 1/2 cup butter, salt, and raisins (tip: if you soak the raisins in some hot water first, they plump up. This will prevent them from soaking up the moisture from the dough and causing it to dry out the bread). Stir in the cooled milk. Gradually add the flour to make a stiff dough.

Knead dough on a lightly floured surface for a few minutes. Place in a large, greased mixing bowl. Turn the dough once so it is all greased. Cover with a damp cloth and allow to rise until double (I think it took about 2 1/2 hours).
Roll out on a lightly floured surface into a rectangle that is about 1/2 inch thick. Moisten dough with 2 Tablespoons milk. Mix the ground cinnamon with the remaining sugar (3/4 cup), and sprinkle it over the dough. Roll up tightly- the roll should be about 3 inches thick. Cut it into thirds and tuck ends under. Place loaves into well greased 9x5 inch pans. Lightly grease the tops of the loaves, and let rise again for 1 hour.

Bake at 350 F (170 C) for 45 minutes, until tops are lightly browned and sound hollow when knocked. Remove loaves from pans and brush lightly with the remaining butter. Let cool before slicing.

SO BLESSED

The florist who did the flowers for my wedding, Brittney at http://simplybeautifulfloral.blogspot.com/, called this morning to ask me to send her some pictures from our wedding, so she could show off the beautiful flowers she made on her blog. I had a lot of fun looking at all of my wedding pictures and remembering how much fun our wedding day was.

I have heard so many people say that marriage is hard and a big adjustment at first. We've been married almost 4 months now and I still haven't figured out what the hard part is. I just think it's been fun and wonderful so far. I'm sure it mostly has to do with the fact that I have the best husband in the world. We have so much fun together and he is so thoughtful and so kind. He loves me so much and makes me a better person.

Looking through all the pictures and thinking about how much I love Adam was making me feel so blessed. I feel like I have everything I ever wanted and more.

So, while I was feeling so blessed, I saw a link on Brittney's flower website to her adoption blog. She and her husband have been trying to adopt a baby for quite a while now, and it just broke my heart that they haven't been able to yet. It made me feel so bad that I have everything I could ever want, and these two good people want something so badly but haven't been able to get it. I just wish there was something that I could do.

Take a look at Brittney and Morgan's adoption blog http://morganandbrittneyadoption.blogspot.com/, and keep them in your thoughts and prayers.

And, just for good measure, here's a couple pictures that I was looking at this morning :)

Watching Megamind in 3-D on our Honeymoon

At the Outlet Malls in Park City on our Honeymoon