find joy in the journey

dinner & the mob museum

Scott and I don't usually go out ON Valentine's day.  But this year it fell on a Wednesday night, which meant that all of the kids' usual activities were cancelled, AND there was no school the next day so we decided, why not?  Recently, a lot of our dates have been dinner and done.  Nothing too exciting or creative or adventurous.  Honestly, it's been survival mode for quite a while and any kind of night out, no matter how simple, has felt like a real treat!

I decided it was time to mix things up a little bit.  Make things interesting!  So I came up with a date night plan. A few days before Valentine's I called Scott on the phone and asked him out.  Yep, I asked him out just like we were dating. "Hey, I was wondering if you have any plans Wednesday night?  Would you like to go out with me?"  He was a little confused.  Even more so by the fact that he was sitting in the backyard and I was calling him from inside the house.  Like I said, just keeping things interesting!

Dinner

I looked up Italian restaurants on Yelp and came across this little place.  Trattoria Italia.  I was recently talking to a friend who shared her desire to go to more mom & pop restaurants. But that's really hard to do in Vegas because everything is a chain!  We don't have many of those little, original, homey-type restaurants. 

But this place . . . it fit the bill. By definition, "Trattoria" is a small inexpensive, authentic Italian restaurant that serves simple, yet delicious meals and wine. Upon entering the restaurant the thing that immediately tipped me off that this was going to be a good experience was the staff.  We're talking real-deal, authentic Italian, accents and all. And there was just this overall vibe like everyone is working hard because they care about the place.  It is 100% family run and they opened their first restaurant 40 years ago in Sicily. 

As you can guess, the food was amazing.  The fried mozzarella balls are a MUST for your appetizer!  Caprese salad and garlic knots to dip in olive oil also got us started.  When trying out new Italian places, I typically go for lasagna.  If they can make a good lasagna, I'm sold.  Scott also chose his favorite - fettuccine alfredo.  We were both very, very happy.

I've never been to Italy.  But Scott has and he said that this food reminded him of everything he tasted and experienced in Rome.

And then there is the dessert case! We were much too stuffed - I seriously could not even think about food.  But it all looked so good and I did not want to miss out so we decided to come back later for dessert.

Part 2 - The Mob Museum

The idea for this date was conceived when I saw an event posted on Facebook -- free admission to The Mob Museum on Valentine's Day for all Nevada residents.  I'll take free!  This is a place that has kinda/sorta been on my list of places to see in Vegas, so this seemed like the perfect opportunity.  And nothing goes with the mob quite like Italian food. ;)

Part of my desire to visit the Mob Museum is that it's a pretty cool looking old, historic building.  It has undergone extensive renovation, but places like this just don't exist much in Vegas. I loved these post office boxes that lined the main lobby.  Originally built in 1933, it was the Las Vegas Post Office & Courthouse.

As far as the exhibits . . . meh.  Somewhat interesting, but not super exciting for me.  Let's just say that we're really glad we visited on a free day!  Also, I would be leery of bringing kids because there is language in some of the displays, as well as graphic photos (i.e. photographs of mobsters lying in a puddle of their own blood or tied up and disfigured after being thrown into a lake).

That being said, it was different and unique and we got to take our own mug shots!!!

After visiting the Mob Museum our bellies had settled enough so we returned to Trattoria Italia and chose a few desserts to go.  We plopped into bed with this box, turned on the olympics, and just enjoyed.

A happy Valentine's Day for us!

the fantasy suite

Scott and I just celebrated our 17th wedding anniversary this weekend. We typically do a little something to celebrate but every couple of years Scott decides that he is really going to do something.

On Monday he took my request . . . a nice dinner, maybe on the Strip . . . and took it from there.  He did a great job of planning and I just wanted to share some of my favorite parts!

The "surprise" //  Life was busy BUSY this week so I hardly had time to think about our Friday night date other than a fortuitous shopping trip that allowed me to score an ah-mazing dress on clearance which needed to be my anniversary date night dress.  

One morning we were chatting about the upcoming events of the week and I mentioned that I had a LuLaRoe party Saturday morning. Scott paused and got that "hmm" look on his face.  The jig was up.  He had planned an overnight date for us and while it could still work out, it wouldn't be a surprise anymore because we would have to make different plans for Saturday morning.  Darn.  But, yay!  An overnight date!  

The hotel //  One of the bonuses of living so close to the strip is that we have a wealth of fantastic hotel getaway options just 15 minutes away.  Scott picked me up at 5pm on Friday - I was ready to go with an overnight bag.  We arrived at the hotel, parked in the parking garage and began walking in.  I quickly noticed that he didn't have a bag with him.  Ahhhh, this man has something up his sleeve!

Sure enough, we walk into our suite at the Palms and enter the "lounge" portion with a big semi-circle couch and huge windows with view of the strip. On the coffee table I see an ice bucket filled drinks and strawberries.  (The scene totally reminded me of something from The Bachelor.  We are fans.)  THEN I noticed the rose petals which led to the bedroom and finally the bed where a box of Ethel M chocolates were waiting.  

We're totally on the Bachelor!  Except he's only dating one girl.  And we're not dating, we're actually married.  But still dating.

The dress // This is aside from the actual date but I have to tell you about my dress.   So I was supposed to be ready to go at 5pm on Friday - dressed & decked out.  And of course Friday was one of those crazy days where I was running non-stop all day.  Truly.  The day  included getting a bunch of LuLaRoe orders ready for shipment, preparing for my Saturday morning pop-up & packing my 900 piece inventory into the van.  AND an afternoon trip to the fabric store because that ah-mazing dress I found on clearance needed some alterations to make it Mormon ready.

I raced in from the fabric store at 3pm and started sewing like madwoman.  The leg slit was too high, the cutouts on my chest were too wide/open, and the back was too low so I needed to add fabric. Spandex, stretchy fabric no less.  Let me just tell you that when I tried that dress on at 4pm I was pretty darn impressed with my skills and what I was able to whip out in an hour!  With the addition of some fashion tape I was good to go for a hot date on the town.

The dinner // We ate at a French restaurant on the 56th floor - Alize.  Scott mentioned our anniversary when making the reservation so we got one of the nice tables next to the window..  The food was great.  There was the chef's tasting samples -- don't ask me to remember anything that was placed in front of us but it was all good.  As was the meal - a cheese & dried meats platter (cheese!), potato gnocchi, porcini mushroom consumme, filet mignon, veal wellington, and an amazing creme brûlée.

The date card //  When we sat down at the table I noticed a little platter holding a gold key.  Hmm, that's curious.  The host handed me a notecard and after a quick glance I exclaimed to Scott, "We got a date card from Chris Harrison!!  Should you choose to forgo your individual suites, you may use this key to stay as a couple in the fantasy suite."

No, that's not what it said . . but close!  

At the end of our meal they brought us a small wooden chest.  With a turn of the key we found inside a little chocolate dessert with a Happy Anniversary message written in chocolate.

The morning // How about this sunrise view?

We wished that we could have stayed longer and lounged until checkout at 11am, but we had responsibilities to get back to.   We were out of there at 8am and stopped at a neighborhood restaurant for breakfast on the way home.

While it was short & sweet it was a wonderful getaway.  Conversation was great as we were able to discuss things about home, family, & work without the distractions of family & work.  I loved digging deeper into Scott's experiences at his new job (which he is loving) and making plans for things we need to be more diligent about at home.  There's something about being a neutral location, where the stress is minimal, and defenses are down that allow for great conversation, connection, and understanding.

I sure love spending time with this man.

Tonight, on a random whim he pulled out his big box mementos from his mission to Australia and laid it all out for the kids to see.  He told stories and shared insights.  He told the kids that sometimes you might hear people say years later that their mission was the best two years of their lives.  And that always makes him sad because, really? . . . you haven't had anything else wonderful happen to you since your mission?  He told the kids that yes, when he was 21 those years had been the best two years of his life.  But since meeting their mom (me!) life was even better and has continued to get better every year since.

Seriously, am I not the luckiest?

And he goes on painting dates with me!  This was Saturday night's masterpiece.  

Although, I'm not so sure we were in the same class . . . . 

february stories

Back when both of our parents came for Payton's priesthood ordination weekend we had a big breakfast at our house before church.  Sausage, bacon, fruit, pancakes.  Scott makes THE best pancakes!  Seriously, so good. And he looks pretty great in an apron too.  :)

He also grew his hair out to epic lengths and achieved this pretty amazing flip on the back. It was a pretty big topic of conversation in our house in February.  Payton referenced this hair flip on his love note to Scott -- "I love dad's hair . . . from the side."  And Scott apologized for his hair laziness on his love note to me.  He has since had a haircut.

I love it when the kids vacuum out the van.  Pretty nice to have a few in-house car detailers.

I bought these wooden arrows from a local shop called Amber's Umbrella and then gave them to myself for Christmas.  Ha!  Anyone else do that?  Anyways, I finally got them up on the wall and I LOVE love them!

Anna decorated this box at home for her Valentine's Day class party.  Oh my, her creativity just blows my mind sometimes!  The 3D elements, the sun rocking out with headphones, and even starburst wrappers turned into bows!  And I love that it looks like a 9 year old made it.  Simply adorable!

Our first family bike ride!  Now that we all have bikes we'd like to do this more often.

On Valentine's Day morning we had our traditional Love Day breakfast.  Chocolate chip muffins, strawberries + kiwi, ham, and orange juice.  The kids got a small heart shaped box of chocolate, a small gift (under $10), and a coupon for an ice cream date with mom.  I loved that Valentine's Day was on a Saturday this year so we could really enjoy our breakfast and family time together!

And a Valentine's Date for us!  We had really late dinner reservations so we killed time by getting dessert first at Sweet Addictions (ice cream cookie sandwiches!), Target for miscellaneous toiletries, 7-Eleven for gas and a soda, Williams & Sonoma where I bought a cheese grater, and finally to dinner at a fish house.  It was probably the most random date EVER but we had a great time and just goes to show it doesn't matter what you are doing but who you are with.

On February 21st we drove up to St. George for the day.  Jenn's daughter Alyna was going through the temple for the first time and we wanted to show our love & support on her big day.  It worked out so nicely that St. George is only a 2 hour drive -- so glad we could be there!  Plus, we had never been inside the St. George temple so it was a treat to get to see this beautiful building.  Built in 1871, it definitely has a place in church history.  And if all that wasn't enough, after the temple session we met up with Jenn's family to watch Alyna open her mission call -- she will be serving in Sao Paulo Brazil for 18 months!  Talk about a BIG day!

Sadly, I didn't get a single photo of any PEOPLE.  Ugh.  But we had a wonderful time.

I DID get a photo of the Waffle Truck and the waffle that I ate on the drove home that night.  I may need to take a look at my priorities.  :)

On the bright side, we got to see the Habels again a few days later when they returned to Vegas for their flight home.  They stopped by our place for a short visit -- Anna showed Belle & Josie how to make rubber band bracelets with a  fork, the boys holed up in Conner's room to talk boy stuff, and I got to show Jenn the updates to our house since the last time they were here 2 years ago and have a little debrief on the big event/changes happening in their family.  So weird that my best friend has a daughter going on a mission!  Guess it means that we are getting old!  :)

One last story for February . . . I've been working hard at my LuLaRoe business!  I plan to share a post all about it very soon.  It has been a lot of work the first month and a half just getting everything set up and rolling but now I'm feeling good and know what I need to do.  Here is a photo of me after a big party - the back of the van is a MESS, but a happy mess because it was a successful party.  I really should have taken a photo before I left -- haha!  Noted for next time.

paint night date

Sometimes you just need to branch out and do something different on date night.  We are not art buffs, we don't draw, I can probably count the number of famous artists I know on one hand . . . So the idea of a date night spent painting is something totally outside of our norm!

We knew it would be fun whether our paintings turned out beautifully or whether they ended up in disaster.  Low expectations.

But you know what?  We ended up loving it!  

For one, the paint night was held in a restaurant so we got to order food and drinks to sip & snack on while painting.  Mmmm, queso. 

Although Scott got a little excited and grabbed his paint water cup - when he meant to grab his soda - and took a big drink!  We were laughing about that all night long!

We signed up for a Mystery Painting which meant that we did not know what the final painting was going to look like!  The instructor guided us step by step through the layers of paint and blending and structure, but we didn't know what the final product was until it appeared on our canvases.

We thought this was so fun!  With no "master painting" to compare yourself against there was little pressure.

This also allowed much room for interpretation which Scott took full advantage of.  

I'm sure this is something we will do again.  Like I said we enjoyed it so much.  Especially Scott - he was totally in his groove and per his request I bought him a bunch of art supplies for Christmas!

Deals for these painting parties show up on Groupon and Living Social all the time. Be sure to snag one and give it a try!

family home evening // our family's birthday

The Monday before our anniversary last month, I realized that it would be a great opportunity to celebrate our family's birthday for Family Home Evening.  Throughout the day I started telling the kids, "You know, our family's birthday is this week -- it's the day that mom and dad were married!"

At first they looked at me kind of strange.  But then they got it and thought it was a cool idea.

I pulled out our wedding video (originally on VHS and converted to DVD by my mom - thanks!) and we watched that.  Holy cow, we were so young!  And our parents and brothers were so young!  The kids thought it was so funny to see their uncles as teenagers and little kids.

I baked a "wedding cake" - nothing fancy, just a Betty Crocker mix from my cupboard - and added a raspberry layer just like our wedding cake.  I also gave Anna the job of crafting a bride and groom for the top of the cake.  

Popsicle sticks, cotton balls, and washi tape.  They are a little interesting, but it occupied her for an hour.

Then we cut the cake - wedding style - and fed it to each other while the kids looked on.  

(Ya, I'm wearing a fleece blanket as a skirt.  I was cooold.)

During the lesson portion of Family Home Evening we taught them that the person you marry is the most important decision you will make in your life.  This decision is a long time away for the kids but it is important to make choices, goals, and set standards now that will prepare you to find the right person and to be smart (and in tune with the Spirit) enough to know who is right or wrong for you.  It was a great discussion.  This is a great quote by Bruce R. McConkie:

"The most important single thing that any Latter-Day Saint ever does in this world is to marry the right person, in the right place, by the right authority."

I also pulled up an article from The New Era that was full of questions and answers regarding temple weddings.  We were married in the Oakland California Temple.  Because temple weddings are quite a bit different from weddings they see on tv and because they will not be able to attend a temple wedding themselves until they are young adults and are worthy of a temple recommend . . . I thought it would be good to talk about some of the things that are different so they can know what to expect, and they can understand why we do things different.  We are married and sealed in temples by priesthood authority for time & eternity -- it is an ordinance and sacred covenants are made.

A few questions like . . . 

How much does it cost to get married in the temple?

What do we wear to our temple wedding?

Who can we invite?

Can we exchange rings in the temple?

How long is the temple ceremony?

And simple reminders that traditions like throwing rice or decorating cars is not appropriate on temple grounds.

You can read the full article HERE.

I think it was a great lesson and they were attentive and had lots of questions and it opened a new level of awareness and understanding.  Overall it was a great family home evening and I think we will continue this tradition every year!

super summer theatre & a picnic

Red Rock Canyon.  Outdoor theater.  Monty Python jokes.  Picnic.  And a cool summer night (thanks to being in the canyon).

This was the recipe for one perfect date!

I've known about the Super Summer Theatre for quite sometime and always thought it would be fun to go.  When I saw that they were showing Spamalot, and knowing my husband's appreciation of all things Monty Python (he does own a set of coconut shells), I thought this was the perfect opportunity to give it a shot.

So we packed up a picnic and headed into the desert

No, this is not where we picnicked - a little too dangerous if you ask me.  I just thought that it was beautiful so I had to take a picture.  

The theatre is in the Spring Mountain Ranch State Park which is shockingly green and cool compared to the city.  We have the nearby spring to thank for that.  Yay for water!

The stage is perfectly positioned on the east side of the lawn so the sun sets behind you.  With this huge grassy lawn, and the mountains right behind us, I thought it was a great venue.

I love that they divide the lawn right down the middle -- chair seating on the right, and blanket seating on the left.  First come, first serve.  We chose blanket seating and definitely feel that is the way to go.  Always.

I spy Scott . . . 

There's that handsome guy munching on some cheese and crackers.

Speaking of our picnic . . . isn't this spread just beautiful?  

No PB&J, potato chips, or Oreos here.  We seriously felt so grown-up munching on our selection of fancy meats and cheeses.

Our dinner included wafer crackers and sliced baguette, genoa salami and prosciutto, smoked gouda and colby jack cheese, dried pears, fruit salad, and some toffee peanuts & chocolate coconut almonds for snacking.  (Earlier in the day we took a little trip to Sprouts - love their bulk bins!)

And we were stuffed!  

We also used the blanket, bag, and picnic dishes that my mom & dad gave us for the homemade Christmas this past year.  Aren't these glass containers so pretty?  I believe they are from Cost Plus.

As for the show . . . it was great!  We were both very impressed with the quality of the actors, music, sets, costume, lighting, really everything.  Not to mention the venue and the view.  With tickets at just $13 each it was a total win.  Shrek is playing next month and I think it would be really fun to bring the whole family.  But with a slightly less fancy picnic.  How about a couple of pizzas?

Like I said, what a great date!  I loved that we could arrive early and casually lounge and eat and visit for an hour or two before the show began.  I'm so happy we did this.

Note to self:  Next time bring a bigger cooler for more drinks.  And pick up two cushioned stadium seats with backs.

the morning date

This is the second time that we have done a date like this (number one HERE) and I have to say that this is one of my very favorite recipes for a great date.

Take one Saturday morning, add a morning walk/run together.  Shower.  And finish off with a delicious breakfast out.

It was a beautiful morning out.  Just the perfect temperature.  We used my Couch to 5K app to run intervals around the neighborhood.  We even passed another couple from our ward out for a morning walk.  See, everybody's doing it!  :)

After a shower we left the kids with instructions to clean their bedrooms and bathrooms (wah-ha-ha!) and headed out to breakfast.  This place was new to us and it did not disappoint.  We ordered the french toast, Meat Lover's scramble (potatoes, eggs, sausage, ham, bacon, and cheese) with biscuits and gravy, and a single stack of their red velvet pancakes with chocolate chips and cream cheese.  

All that food was not just for me.  We shared.  And it was delicious!

Oh man, we were stuffed.  I saved the red velvet pancake for the end because it was pretty much like dessert.  And when I couldn't finish the rest I carved the remnants into the state of Nevada.

Pretty good, right?

from the weekend

The weekend started off great with straight A report cards from Payton and Anna.  I always let out a big sigh of relief when we reach the end of another trimester.  Conner is on quarters so I will also be breathing a sigh of relief when the grade books close soon.  Keeping up on everyone's assignments, projects, & tests is a lot of work!

Friday night Scott and I went out on a much needed date.  Life is busy, I tell ya.  His work is demanding and stressful.  Sometimes I feel like we don't really get to see/acknowledge each other until the weekend comes.  Friday . . . Oh hey!  There you are!

We ate dinner at Texas de Brazil - bring on the meat!  And then wandered around the shops at Town Square.  There was a wall of tv mirrors in a shop called Artifact along with a lot of other cool re-purposed stuff.  Then he took me to Yogurtland because he knows I love it so much (he does not).  It was just what we needed.

Saturday morning at 7:45am Payton was my grocery shopping buddy at Winco.

Anna and I walked to the park to practice her soccer skills.  I couldn't believe what a beautiful day it was.

Scott trimmed the fronds on our palm tree . . . it looks so tall all of a sudden.

I needed to go to Costco for a few things so the whole family came along.  Scott was really good and didn't throw anything "extra" into my cart.  If you've been grocery shopping with your husband you gotta know what I'm talking about, right?  The kids brought their own money to buy treats (ice cream or churros) and I scored a win on some stretchy bermuda shorts for Anna.

Anna had her first soccer game and she was SO good!  She started the game a little timid.  And then out of nowhere she scored a goal!  That was an instant confidence booster.  For the rest of the game the coach put her in a defender position.  Each time the ball came close to the opponent's goal she got to boot it out of there.  

The game ended at 6pm and so we decided to go out to dinner to celebrate Anna's game win and the good report cards of the previous day.  Freddy's has become our Burgerville substitute in the desert -- steakburgers, hot dogs, fry sauce, and frozen custard.  Plus it has a red retro decor similar to Burgerville. But it's no replacement for those delicious seasonal berry milkshakes!  Mm-mmm!

Later, Anna and I ran over to the church so I could put up a new Relief Society bulletin board.  It was time for a new look.

Then we all cozied up in the family room to watch Catching Fire.  Such a great movie.

Sundays are pretty uneventful around here.  We wake up, putter around the house all morning, sometimes I work on Project Life, we go to church, come home and make dinner (funeral potatoes, ham, and asparagus today), squeeze in a phone call to our parents, and then it's time for bed.

I did snap this one photo of Conner washing the dishes this Sunday.  Love that he is so helpful and rarely complains when we ask him to help around the house.  I definitely scored with this teenager.

 

around here

We are wrapping up our vacation in Maui and it has been won.der.ful. I seriously think this is the best place on earth. The beaches, the sunshine, the smells, delicious food, the slower pace . . .

On day one I had the most amazing 80 minute massage that worked out all the kinks in my shoulders. I have been pain free all week -- it was just what I needed.

Scott bought a new pair of Maui Jim's. His equivalent of a "massage".

Finally, on our 3rd trip to Maui we decided to drive the road to Hana. We drove home the "back way" and both agree that the 2nd half of the drive was the best part. Black sand beach, bamboo forest, Waimoku Falls, and then the pretty drive through grassy hillsides and lava fields.

When in Maui you must purchase banana bread from a secluded roadside stand. Always.

This morning we went on a sunrise whale watching trip. It was a great way to spend a beautiful morning. (We're wide awake at 6am anyway with the time difference). We saw lots of humpback whales and several calves practicing their jumps!

Sitting by the pool is always a great adventure in people watching. Right? I especially loved the old guy who sat next to us strumming on his ukelele and singing a long. He was good and it was fun to hear -- it added to the Hawaiian ambience. But when he started playing "Like a Virgin" I just about died!

I read The Secret Keeper by Kate Morton -- GREAT book. And now I'm halfway through Ender's Game.

Scott also read Ender's Game and some Star Wars books.

We ate Hula Pie at Duke's, drank several lava flows, and plan to finish off our second box of Melona bars today.

On Sunday we attended church in the brand new LDS chapel in Lahaina. It was a beautiful building and pretty fun to watch the deacons pull a few of the visiting young men from the congregation to assist with passing the sacrament.

Love drinking a glass of POG each and every morning.

The sunsets here are simply gorgeous. Just stunning. Looking forward to another beautiful sunset dinner tonight.

Aloha!

15 years

Seriously.  Are we old enough to have been married 15 years?

15 years

It feels so quick, yet so long at the same time. There are a lot of memories contained in 15 years of growing a marriage and a family. We have definitely changed and grown from the 19 and 22 year old babies that came out of the Oakland Temple that January day.

Looking back to that day, and knowing what we know now about relationships & the reality of raising a family, we realize that we were so so so clueless.  Ha!  How much did we really know about each other after 7 months of dating/engagement?  How many pieces of advice on how to manage a lasting relationship flew right over our heads . . . simply because we had no frame of reference?!  It's kinda scary / lucky to think about the leap of faith that comes when you join your life with someone else's -- for eternity.  

But we did it with hearts in our eyes, a gallop in our step, and high hopes for our future and the family we would create. And I have to tell you, that it has been pretty amazing.  My life is more full and rich than I ever could have imagined.  We are blessed with 3 fantastic kids who are so great in large part due to the fathering, comedy, and structure that this man provides.

We watched a short video clip recently about love.  How do I love thee? by Jeffrey R. Holland - watch it HERE.  And it reminded me that the basics in love & marriage really are the most important:

• Show your love -- demonstrate it in words & actions
• Think and say the best of each other
• Love your spouse as Christ loves us

Read the full text of Holland's speech HERE

15 years.  He takes good care of me, and still looks at me with stars in his eyes and reminds me often how madly he loves me.  Love ya, babe.  

How about we celebrate with a trip to Hawaii?

We're calling this our "golden" anniversary -- 15 years on the 15th of the month.  Pretty cool, eh?

 

the built-in baby-sitter

As a parent there are many little milestones you look forward to.

When the baby sleeps through the night

The completion of potty-training

When you can go on an outing and no one needs a stroller

Each of these milestones bring with them a new found freedom for the entire family.  And a welcome sigh of relief.

In our opinion, though, the milestone that beats them all is when your child is old enough to baby-sit the younger ones.  Oh yes!  The built-in baby-sitter!

Conner has been babysitting the kids for a while now and can I just tell you that it is so so so wonderful?!  We have the freedom to go out on a date whenever we feel like it, whenever the idea strikes. And no longer do I have to worry about forking out a bunch of cash after a night on the town.  

It's a total win-win situation.  The kids love when we go out because it probably means they get to eat corn dogs, fish sticks, or Velveeta shells & cheese for dinner.  And the best part is they get to watch a movie or play the Wii while we are away.

See, no sad face here as we are heading out the door.

Conner has been very responsible with the kids.  No problems so far.

There was that one time the home alarm went off.  But that was all my fault.  I mistakenly set it to "away" rather than "stay" on our way out the door, so the motion sensors were activated.  Yep.  Felt pretty bad when I got the phone call from Conner and heard that Anna had totally freaked out.  But he handled it wonderfully and was able to enter the code to turn the alarm off.  He only called me about it because Anna insisted (I think she was afraid the police were going to show up.)

Bottom line . . . having a built-in babysitter rocks. You should get one too! 

(these photos are from a date in September, celebrating my birthday a few days early.  We ate dinner at BJ's restaurant and then went to the Crepe Shack for ice cream crepes and a game of Scrabble.)

marriage is good

Recently Scott and I had the chance to attend a Saturday evening adult session of Stake Conference.  I was pretty excited because 1) it was going to be an evening out for just the two of us, 2) I got to curl my hair (a break from my standard summer hair-do: messy ponytail), and 3) I got to wear my new dress from Soel Boutique.  I just loved the creamy colors.

Much of the meeting focused on marriage counsel, advice, tips, lessons.  I took many notes.  Scott put his arm around me and squeezed me tight.  And we both left the meeting with a lot of insights -- about ourselves and about each other.

We headed to the Cheesecake Factory for appetizers and desserts and discussed the talks, we went over my notes, made lists, and had a really good conversation.

I love that he is smiling in this picture -- and he didn't even know I was taking a photo at the time

One of the talks touched on Marriage Models.

You've heard of the "Emotional Bank Account", I'm sure.  It's the idea that you can make deposits and withdrawals from your relationships.  And that you should make a conscious effort to make more deposits than withdrawals from your spouse's emotional bank account.

Another marriage model stemmed from the questions -- what is important to you in your relationship and what do you need?  A marriage therapist (I don't remember his name) identified 10 things that are most commonly listed as needs in marriage:

• Admiration
• Affection - expression of care, security, comfort
• Conversation
• Domestic Support - having domestic, household needs provided for
• Financial Support
• Family Commitment - spouse involvement in education & development of children
• Honesty & Openness
• Physical Attractiveness
• Recreational Companionship - doing things together
• Sexual Fulfillment

I think the key to a successful marriage is simply understanding what your spouse's needs are.  Being aware of what they require to feel loved and fulfilled.  And then doing your best to meet those needs.

Over appetizers Scott and I each made a list of our top 5.  Of course most of our needs were different.  And that's okay.  That's what makes life interesting, right?  We were able to discuss each point and what that means to us individually and as a couple.  It was a great exercise and I highly recommend sitting down with your spouse and doing something similar.

Then I ate this.  White chocolate caramel macadamia nut cheesecake.  Yum.

And I was thankful for marriage, for all that it teaches me, for the way that our relationship has grown over the years, and for the opportunity to spend my life (and eternity) with him.

Marriage is good.

There is a song on Mindy Gledhill's new album that I just adore and each time it reaches the chorus I can't help but smile and be thankful for us. 

If life's a picture show

I want to sit with you on the back row

In the film projector's glow

While we kiss on the lips as the credits roll.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

Listen here

random sightings date

Our date started with a plan.  Hang some pictures in Scott's office followed by Italian food for dinner.  There just happened to be some rather odd sightings in the middle that I couldn't help but document.  You'll see.

Scott's company moved into a new building a few months ago so he's still getting his new office put together.  I decided it was necessary that we update his family photos from 2007 to the present day.  And he needed to hang his shiny new MBA diploma on the wall.  Just a few little things to do, but it was fun to visit his office after hours.

How many computer screens does he need to get the job done?  Apparently the answer is 3.  

And then there's the soda fountain.  This was Scott and his boss' pet project.  Getting this thing installed in the break room (with Diet Pepsi) is one of the best things that has happened all year.

I was also pretty excited to visit his office and finally see my photography work on the walls.  I had spent some time earlier this year taking photos of the various properties they manage.  The photos were enlarged and mounted for display throughout the office building.  I have to admit, they look pretty darn good!  

Now comes the part with the random sightings.  

1) Breast Augmentation Giveaway.  FYI, it's on August 28th at 7pm.  #onlyinvegas

2) Just a couple of teenagers, hanging out on the side of the road with a headless, armless, one-legged mannequin.  #happenseveryday

Good times.

Scott took me to dinner at The Bootlegger Bistro.  Apparently, it is a Las Vegas staple.  The food and atmosphere were great.  And how can you possibly go wrong when a lounge singer is involved?

you and I

On our trip to Kauai this spring the inflight movie was "Parental Guidance."  It is about a pair of grandparents who come to watch their grandchildren for a week while the mom and dad are away on a business/leisure trip.  It was so fitting!  

But in this movie, the mom is super nervous about leaving her kids with her parents and she can't bring herself to leave.  So the husband leaves to attend to business and she stays and frets over every little thing (schedules, meals, discipline, etc.).  Each day she tries to leave, but just can't bring herself to do it.  

Finally, on day 3 or 4, her wise mother grabs her by the shoulders and says "Go.  Go be with your husband.  Some day all of the children leave and it will just be you and him."

Ahhh, I loved that sentiment! You need to invest in your relationship.  Because someday, really, it will be just you and him and hopefully you still like each other!

I'm so glad that we took the time to getaway, just the two of us.  It was such a great trip.  We just enjoyed ourselves so much and felt so connected in our relationship as parents, partners, and friends.

Taking these trips and spending this time together is an investment we are committed to making so that when we reach the "you and I" stage (about 11 years from now) we are still just as connected and still best of friends.

I sure love this man.  He treats me well.

(enjoy the video)

max brenner

There's nothing like good chocolate.

Saturday night Scott and I went on a date to Max Brenner.  I love this place!  This was our second visit (see the first date here) and we kept with the same routine -- dessert, dinner, dessert.  With desserts this good, seriously it's the only way to go!

I highly recommend the churro fondue.  It makes a great appetizer.  ;)

The fondue dishes are adorable!  We actually have two sets in our cupboards.  // Their chocolate is finger-lickin' good.

Now, Max Brenner is mostly known for their chocolate -- but their food is pretty darn good too.  I tried the macaroni & cheese tonight and it was so so good (+ bacon + fresh marinara + tomatoes + a little breaded crispiness on top).  I will definitely get it again.  It's easily big enough to split with someone.

See those blocks resting on the ledge above our heads?  That would be solid chocolate.  

The only negative part of the restaurant would be their glasses.  They are so small, and Scott was in constant need of a Diet Pepsi refill.  See?

For second dessert we had the banana waffle

Now that I've had both of these desserts twice (and they are delicious) I think I need to branch out next time.  I really want to try their hot chocolate (but not in July) and sometime I'll have to sample a salted caramel milkshake.

For the rest of our date we wandered around the Forum Shops, visiting the Apple Store

And admiring the high-fashion window displays all the while wondering if people really shop there.  So much $$$$! I especially loved this window at Louis Vuitton

Next time we have some family or friends come to town, we'll need to visit Max Brenner again with the adults.  Serendipity is great for the family & kids, but this is a place that the adults will really appreciate.