Relief Society University Super Saturday

This past Saturday I put on a rather big event for our Relief Society. It was a kick-off for the Relief Society University Challenge that would help the sister's focus on life-long learning and growth. The day was more of a mini-conference and it went surprisingly well.

Our Program of Events:

9:00 - Welcome; Opening Hymn: Improve the Shining Moments

9:15 - Life-Long Learning: Introduction to RS University by Annalee Strub

9:45 - Journal Creation (taking composition notebooks and covering them in scrapbook paper)

10:00 - Brunch Break (breakfast casserole, make your own parfaits, fruit, mini muffins, cranberry juice)

10:30 - Favorite Books (5 min presentations by various sisters sharing their favorite books)

11:00 - Hymn Study (Two sisters gave 15 min presentations on a favorite hymn)

11:30 - Panel Discussion: Making our Homes into Spiritual Havens Where Learning and Growth can be Facilitated- Led by the RS Presidency

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My presentation went really well and the sisters seemed genuinely interested in learning about dendrite growth and how our brains learn. 

The journals were a hit! Some sisters thought it would be great to bring them back and display them at our graduation ceremony a year from now. Here is a pic of mine that I made the night before as an example:

Brunch was delicious, if I do say so myself...as I made it. On a serious note, those casseroles are the way to go if you are feeding a crowd! Super easy to make!! I made them the night before and then re-heated them the next morning. The make your own parfaits were also a hit, I provided yogurt, strawberries, blueberries and granola. The mini muffins were made from a Krustez box mix, but they were super moist and delicious!

The rest of the morning went really well. The ladies shared some really great books and the hymn presentations were wonderful and really brought the spirit. The panel discussion was totally off-the-cuff but it looked like we planned it ;). 

The Details:

I went with an apple theme (thanks Melissa!), kind of a vintage school look. So I created little apple favors using cupcake liners and ju ju hearts (thank goodness for Valentine candy!). I think they turned out pretty cute. :)

Six Years of Wedded Bliss

On January 5th we celebrated our 6th wedding anniversary! I can't believe it's already been 6 years! 

In honor of the special day, here are 6 things about my wonderful husband that I didn't know on my wedding day:

1. Even though he is allergic to dogs, he loves Godiva.... a lot! The two of them spend a lot of time together and have a cute bond. Alexander is Godiva's go-to person for cuddles. They do this thing where he will sit on the floor with his legs spread apart and she immediately goes and sits 'in his lap'. She claims that spot and if I try to sit there she will literally push between Alexander and me to wedge herself in "her spot". 

2. Little kids love Alexander. I always thought babies and little kids think men with facial hair are scary, but that doesn't seem to be an issue with Alexander. He keeps the kids in front of him highly entertained in church with a series of silly facial expressions. He is very discreet, so people probably don't even realize it's him but watch carefully and you will see him wiggling his nose like a rabbit and moving his eyebrows up and down.

3. Alexander is an amazing teacher! I'm not even saying it because I'm his wife. He has been teaching Gospel Doctrine ever since we moved to KC and I still hear comments every single week about how much people enjoy his lessons. Also, I was privileged to see him give a lecture on Anglo-Saxon and Germanic women at school and it was nothing short of masterful. A perfect combination of interesting stories, good humor and intellectual comments. 

4. He treats everyone with kindness because he has a great deal of empathy. He doesn't want anyone to feel demeaned, left out, embarrassed, etc, because he has felt all those things himself. He goes out of his way to ensure people are treated with respect and kindness, especially if other people are not. He is a favorite of the young men in the ward because he validates them as people, conversing with them about the things they enjoy and are interested in when so many other adults just kind of push by them or try to "get-through" a conversation.

5. Alexander is a fantastic missionary. He is very open with his religion. One of the first things people learn about him is that he is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, aka Mormon. He strives to be a perfect example of his faith so that everyone is left with a good impression of the church and Mormons in general. He is not afraid of what other people will think about him and is always willing to answer any questions without being offended. I also can't think of a better person to ask questions of, he knows all the answers and can phrase them in such a way that people understand. He has deep religious conversations with people online and has become their go-to Mormon. During the 2012 presidential campaign he was kept very busy clearing up misconceptions about our faith.

6. If he thinks something will make me happy, he does it. He never eats the last bite of anything unless he has confirmed with me that I don't want it. He will always defer to my choice of restaurant, movie, etc, insisting that all he wants to do is "make me happy". He makes me lunch when he is not at school. He takes the dog out late at night. He will do all manner of silly things to try and make me laugh. He would rather go without than see me sad. He spoils me rotten!

To celebrate our anniversary we went out to eat at Brio (kinda expensive for pasta but really good) and browsed the shelves at Barnes and Noble. We also found that we bought each other the exact same card! How random is that? It is just another testament to how perfect we are for each other!

Also, as a point to how Alexander spoils me, he bought me a brand new diamond wedding ring to replace the one I lost when we moved to Kansas City. He was very insistent that it be an exact replica but he actually upgraded me to a bigger diamond than I originally had, which is pretty amazing considering my track record...It is a beautiful ring and I feel very undeserving. 

Auf Wiedersehen 2012!

The following is one of my typical, rambling stories. I'm recording it here to remind me of my blessings later.

............

On New Year's Eve it snowed. A lot. There was a lot of talk at the office of skipping parties but I was determined we were gonna go to one. We were so excited to be invited to a party! I never get invited to parties, for reals (usually I have to throw the party). I proclaimed that being from Utah, my dad had taught me all about driving in the snow and my car had good tires, so I was ready.

Soon after the snow started, as seen out the break-room window at work.

The snow kept coming down all day but that evening we got all spruced up and headed out. Our complex had been plowed and salted, so it wasn't too bad, however, once we got onto the main road it was a different story. Kansas City is all hills, up and down, and I happen to live at the top of a hill. The road goes down on either side of our complex. This means you can't see the road very far in front of you. As we crested the hill, we immediately saw cars lined up on the side of the road, and not just a few. I soon realized that these cars were either attempting to go up the hill and failing or had not been able to stop going down the hill because the roads were not plowed. Some cars were actually stuck in snow banks on the side of the road. Lovely.

We proceeded ahead with caution and successfully avoided a car who had been trying to drive up a side street but had instead rolled down back into the middle of the road, in my path. In the meantime, my car was fine. No slips or slides or anything. I was feeling pretty okay about it but got an impression that I needed to turn around and go home. I rationed that I was NOT going to miss the party and I was a good driver and I hadn't had any problems so far. Again, the thought persisted. "Yes, you could easily get to the party, but you may not be able to get home, after midnight, on this road, with these people." Hmm, I'm not stupid and this thought pattern made sense. I deflated, my new year's plans crushed, I decided to turn back home.

Once the decision had been made I started to worry about actually getting home, remembering the people on the side of the road who couldn't get up the hill. I was rather concerned that we would have to be towed up or something. In changing our course, instead of actually turning around, I drove in a big square so I came was coming up the road to my house from the opposite direction. As I was sitting at the red light getting ready to give it my all in getting up the road, a plow truck turned onto the road, right in front of me. He plowed the path right to my complex! I felt this lovely, sweet feeling of confirmation that I had done what I was supposed to do and that the Lord had provided a way to help us get home because we listened to him.

I know this might seem like I'm making a big deal out of nothing, but at the time I really felt immensely blessed and I knew the Lord was watching out for us.

We arrived back home to a house devoid of much food (we had just gotten home the day before and hadn't had time to hit the store yet) but I made do and decided to try my hand at fried ravioli (using some I had in the freezer). We also chomped on the white chocolate popcorn I had made for the party. It was a dang good batch. I felt bad for everyone at the party who couldn't taste it. We rang in the new year very quietly, just the two of us playing the new board game we got for Christmas (Spontuneous, which is seriously so much fun!!). Being snowed in isn't so bad when your best friend is with you. :)

So much happened in 2012, I'm excited to see what 2013 brings us! :)

Christmas Card and Our Top 10 of 2012!

Since we didn't send out many Christmas cards this year, here is the card and letter we sent out. Enjoy!

Our Top 10 of 2012! (In no particular order)

10. Visiting our family in Utah for 2 weddings and a  farewell (sounds like a movie title!)

9.  Alexander’s parents visiting us in January

8. Giving Annalee’s parents and brother, McKay, the big KC tour of church history sites and BBQ.

7. Participating as tour guides  for the Kansas City Temple Open House

6. Hosting our annual holiday parties for St. Patrick’s Day, Halloween and Christmas

5. Annalee graduating from her calling in the Young Women’s Pres. to a calling in the Relief Society Pres.

4. Dancing in the torrential rain at the Irish Festival and watching the jousting matches at the Renaissance Festival

3. Alexander presenting his paper at the Diastole Conference and receiving a graduate teaching assistantship

2. Being able to attend our beautiful, new temple that’s just 20 minutes away (rather than 3 1/2 hours)

1. Celebrating our 5 year wedding anniversary (going on 6 years in Jan 2013!)

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year!

Christmas is my absolute favorite time of year! I love everything about it (except maybe the snow!). I started up the Christmas music in October and waited anxiously for the socially-accepted time to put up Christmas decorations.

We started our celebrations off with a boom right after we got back from Thanksgiving. I had my decorations up in record time and we kicked it all off with our famous 2nd annual Ugly Sweater & White Elephant Party. We had such a blast!

On December 21, we had a little family party with our little tiny family of me, Alexander and Godiva. We opened a few presents and played a little bit before finishing our packing for Arizona.

Godiva got to spend Christmas with her furry friends at our favorite boarding place. We always feel so guilty leaving her there, not knowing if she really enjoys it or not. I think we were feeling especially bad this time to leave her over Christmas (not that she knows the difference, but still...). We had a little answer to our prayers when we arrived at the boarding place. Godiva was whining and couldn't wait to get out of the car, at which point she ran right in, said hi to the managers and ran right to the cage doors to play with her friends.   (This is a play-all-day facility, with separate kennels for nighttime.) She didn't care one iota about me, she just couldn't wait to play. Since this is the first time she had ever done that, I stood and watched her for a bit. She immediately met up with a black lab about her same size and started running laps. The owner said that the dog's name is Gracie and that she is always there when Godiva is there and they are inseparable. I thought it was cute that Godiva had a best friend. :) It also made it much easier to leave for a week and not worry.

We set off bright and early on the 22nd headed toward sunny Phoenix. The flight was a bit rough and uncomfortable, but we survived. Alexander had hurt his knee (I think he tore a ligament but that's another story..) a few days earlier so it was a bit harder on him with the cramped conditions. When we arrived in Phoenix we were met up by Alexander's dad, Peter, and step-mom, DeeAn. They took us back to their new home and fixed us up a nice lunch. I then went with DeeAn to do some Christmas shopping for less-fortunate families in their ward and I think I was actually pretty helpful (some teenager girls are probably really happy I was there...).

The welcome feast that Peter laid out for us

Close up of the beautiful tomato salad, complete with rose petals

The rest of the week was filled with really good food, fun company and great entertainment. Peter and DeeAn completely spoiled us. Peter is an amazing, gourmet chef and I became his sous chef that week.  Peter made sure we had a good breakfast each day and we never had less than 10 people for dinner so we were kept busy. (As an aside, on Christmas day I went to work in the kitchen at 2:00 and didn't leave until 7:00 when dinner was served!)

Here are the highlights of our week in Arizona:

• Amazing food made by Peter
• Attending both Sebastian & Bethy's ward as well as Peter & DeeAn's to watch their ward Christmas programs (6 hours of church and I wasn't even doing anything for my RS calling!)
• Going to The Nutcracker ballet on Christmas Eve
• Going to The Hobbit with Sebastian and Bethany
• Seeing Les Mis at the Fork and Screen (dinner with the movie!)
• Visiting Alexander's mother's headstone in the cemetary
• Hanging out with Robert and Natalie and their cute kids
• Chatting on the phone with my family back in Utah
• Visiting the Musical Instrument Museum
• Spending time with Grandma Alvord
• Contemplating the art at the Marshall-LeKae Gallery owned by Peter and DeeAn
• Singing at the top of my lungs in the high-ceiling rooms of the house when no-one else was there (fabulous acoustics!)
• Getting a phone call from my missionary brother Tyler on Christmas Day!! 

We arrived home late on the 29th to a snowy Kansas City feeling like we had fully used up that week. It was so good to spend time with the family there in Arizona, as the last time we were there was for Seb & Bethy's wedding in Sept of 2011.

So grateful for everyone who made this holiday so special! We are truly blessed! :)

Giving Thanks

We were so blessed to be able to visit our family and friends in Utah for Thanksgiving this year. Last year we spent the holidays at home with friends, which was wonderful, but there is something truly magical about being home with your family for those special occasions.

We arrived on Monday to a much warmer Utah than I expected (thank heavens!). Tanner and Karianne graciously picked us up from the airport and then took us out for breakfast. I hope they know how wonderful that was! We had been up since 3:30 KC time and 6 hours later I was starving! 2 packets of airline peanuts were not going to cut it.

Other highlights from the week included:

• Lots of time catching up with Mom and Dad
• Cooking with my mom and sisters Thanksgiving morning
• Going out to dinner with Melissa, Zuke, Lisa and Nathan
• Black Friday shopping with Melissa, Annie and Whitney (that was fun!!)
• Getting my hair done with Natalie and Alexander at a surprisingly good salon for a surprisingly low price
• Taking Natalie shopping for new clothes for a special occasion 
• Spending 3 hours on silly little cornucopias seen on Pinterest. (it was almost a Pintrosity, but I persevered and figured it out)
• A fun photo shoot with Melanie
• Chatting with Natalie about her missionary's return
• Going out to dinner with Mom and Dad
• Hanging out with Melanie in my old college apartment (It was weird how much it was the same 7 years later! There were some things that had been in there since my time like a sunflower oven mitt and a banana chair!)
• Eating lunch with Tara and Jaclyn and catching up on the VitalSmarts gossip
• Going to Carter's homecoming talk
• Decorating the Christmas tree with Mom

I had so much fun with everyone!! I was so sad to leave, it's always a bit heartbreaking saying goodbye to my mom and dad. I'm so grateful to have such a wonderful and supportive family and such loyal friends who still want to spend time with me even though I'm terrible at keeping in touch. I know there were people I didn't get to see and I wish I had! Next time I will try to see more of you so that we can catch up! :)

Fun Pics:

Natalie is hiding between the manequins

Some of the gang Thanksgiving day. I was there, just off to the Left ;)

Our beautiful Thanksgiving Pies (complete with all the Black Friday ads)

Some of our photo shoot photos :)

Melanie: doesn't she look hot?

True Foodies

In early November my BFF, Melissa, flew out to Chicago for the CMTA conference. She is an active group leader for the Charcot-Marie-Tooth Association (for the neuro-muscular disease both she and her daughter have). The conference was an awesome opportunity for her.

The trip was also an awesome opportunity for us to get together. It was fairly easy to justify the 9 hour drive up to Chicago when we are normally 19 hours away from each other, so on Saturday morning I jumped in the car and headed up. The weather was gorgeous! It was a sunny, warm 75 degrees and I happily wore my capris. I arrived at the hotel in time to rest a little bit before going to the CMTA recognition banquet with Melissa. It was neat getting to meet her new friends and learning more about the disease she endures.

After the conference concluded Sunday morning, we found a nice restaurant. I did a bit of research that really paid off and found Weber Grill. The food was fantastic! I had a Black Angus Meatloaf that just melted in the mouth, we some yummy mac and cheese and mashed potatoes. Seriously delicious! I also splurged on a Passionfruit Lemonade that was divine!

My Meatloaf:

Here is a pic of Melissa eating her Crab Cake (which she said was amazing):

After lunch we hit the road and headed back to Kansas City. Unfortunately,  we were following a storm line and I spent 6 hours fighting strong winds and heavy rain. I guess that's what I get for such a nice drive the day before. Despite that, we had a great 9 hour catch-up conversation. It reminded me of the good ol' days and weeks spent on a tour bus for choir tour. :)

Monday was full of random Kansas City sight-seeing. We went shopping at Crown Center and ate at our favorite restaurants. We had Chinese at Bo Ling's and we took Melissa to eat the best of KC Barbecue (in our opinion) at Fiorella's Jack Stack. Oh how I love that food! I always get the BBQ Baked Potato with burnt ends. Yum! 

Okay, so, the potato doesn't look particularly good, but it really is. Trust me!

On Tuesday we finished up our tour with some good ol' American cuisine at BRGR. If you go you MUST try the white truffle tator tots and the onion straws. They aren't messing around there. The strawberry shake wasn't half bad either. ;)

Mine is on the right and is called a Mangia burger, complete with Parmesan crisp

White Truffle Tator Tots, Onion Straws, and Classic Fries

Melissa enjoyed a chocolate Oreo and I had Strawberry :)

Thanks Melissa for visiting us and giving us an excuse to go on a "best of KC foodie tour".  We loved having you visit and hope you come again soon! We'll even let your husband come with you this time ;).

To all the rest of you, consider this an open invitation. We have a guest bed waiting and some gourmet food to share.  :)