New Blog

Adam and I have a new website! Check it out. That's where we'll be posting all of our news from now on. Hopefully I'll be better at keeping it current than I have been at this one.

You will also see a link to our adoption website! We are super excited about it and hope you all take a minute to read it. And please tell anyone you know who might be interested about it.

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

Our wedding day was perfect. We put everything together pretty quickly, but it all worked out just right. Even though we only gave people about 2 weeks notice, almost all of our family was able to come. The weather was better than we could have hoped for on a November morning. We were able to use the caterer, photographer, and florist that we had originally wanted even though we gave them such short notice. The sealing was beautiful and all in all it was a wonderful day!

Our First Thanksgiving

Today was our first Thanksgiving Day as a married couple. We are grateful for many things and both feel very blessed this year. For one, our sealing this November was a highlight which has enriched our lives. It has been a delight moving from our first date, to dating, being engaged and now coming full circle and starting a new relationship as a married couple.

What would the day be like without a few dishes to pass the time? We reminisced about last year's feast; Mandie and I worked Thanksgiving Day last year but still got together before I had to drive home. Mandie had made a delicious homemade apple pie.

Mandie made everything while I was asleep and before I returned home from work.

Squash Soup: baked butternut squash ran through a food mill for texture before finishing on the stove top

Turkey Breast: soaked in a brine overnight and baked in cast iron cookware

Bean Green Casserole: blanched fresh green beans to keep them crispy and greeny were baked in a cast iron skillet with a fresh mushroom rue

Caramelized Onions with Gratin Potatoes: sliced with a food mandolin to get really thin slices then baked

Sides: Honey Glazed Carrots, Cranberry Sauce, and Dinner Rolls

Key Lime Pie: freshly squeezed key limes were added to heavy cream and sweetened condensed milk... it tasted like delicious sweet-tart ice cream on a graham cracker crust

Banana Pumpkin Pie: baked bananas and sugar pumpkins were blended together and finished with a meringue topping .. I was a bit worried at first but wow it was delicious.

Quote of the Day

"Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for."

I read this on my little sister's blog and thought it was very fitting for Adam's and my situation. Sometimes I feel so frustrated that we have to wait to get sealed that maybe I am forgetting to stop and enjoy just being with Adam. Even though we are not married yet, we still have a lot of fun and love to share with eachother! He makes me so happy! And it is true, our relationship was once something I only hoped for but never thought I would really have. So maybe we can just enjoy being with eachother and being in love. I know it won't be too much longer before we can get married, but until then, I still love every minute with him! Here are some of the things we have been up to lately.

Riding Bikes! Well, really, I have only ridden once with Adam, but it was so fun! Adam bought me a bike frame and put together this cute little white road bike. And bought me a pink and white helmet. What a sweetie. We rode up Provo Canyon and I think I did pretty well for my first time. Adam really loves to bike and I am so excited that I can share that with him now. I will be a pro before you know it!!

We saw Lion King at Capitol Theatre with the whole family. I love musicals and thought it was so fun. Mary Poppins is coming this time next year, I am already getting excited for that one.

Here we are at the Manti Temple. I had never been to this temple before, so that was a really neat experience. I love our little day trips and adventures.