Dinner Up the Canyon

Last night, we got together with some friends and had a barbeque "up the canyon".  It is so great to get together with these people.

The husbands

The wives.  (It looks like I should have combed my hair.  What in the world?) 

Three little girls all born weeks apart. 

More little girls.  

Notice, I didn't get any of the boys because they were out exploring the whole time.  The little girls were easier to keep track of.  

Fun night (said with enthusiasm without the use of an exclamation point. :) ) 

Fun Weekend Trip

This past weekend, we took our kids to Wendover, Utah/Nevada

If you know anything about this town, you will wonder what we were thinking, as it exists mainly as a gambling town.  However, several friends (ok, one friend) have told us that is fun quick get away even if you don't gamble.  Knowing that it might be a total bust, we made a reservation at one of their hotel/casinos and drove the 2 1/2 hours there.  

We stopped at the Bonneville Salt Flats on the way.  Way cool.

Here we are under "Wendover Will" in West Wendover.  Dentist husband's grandpa designed this sign.  (Since I only got the feet, imagine a huge waving cowboy).  He worked for Young Electric Sign company and "invented" the waving cowboy.  Most of the things in old Las Vegas were designed or at least worked by this Grandpa.  

Inside one of the airplanes used in the movie Con Air

The Enola Gay hanger.  It is currently under renovation.  The Enola Gay is the airplane that left for Hiroshima with the first atomic bomb on it.  The Wendover airfield was a training airfield in WWII and where the atomic bombs were put together and then flown over to Japan.  At one point, it was the biggest airforce training facility.  

Behind us is the Utah/Nevada state line.  The casinos literally start at this line.  Kind of hilarious and silly.  

The trip ended up being really fun.  The hotel we stayed at had a wonderful pool and four hot tubs and we also found a yummy Mom and Pop Mexican restaurant--Trinos. We also saw "Night at the Museum II"  at the local theatre, which also doubles their only DVD rental store.   And, because the casinos do such great business, our hotel hardly cost us a thing.  This trip was a major bargain.  

Oh and for you "I can't believe you took your kids to a gambling town" people, we did have a serious discussion about how gambling is bad, etc.  

Dang Good Hummus

This is an awful picture, I don't know what happened, but anyway, this is my favorite hummus recipe.  I make it weekly in the summer and everyone loves it.  Notice it has no garlic in it because I am married to a dentist who doesn't want his patients to smell garlic breath on him, so I can't cook with garlic or onions except on the weekends.  

Dang Good Hummus

2 cans (15.5 oz) cans garbanzo beans (S&W are best)
1/3 cup garbanzo juice (drain the rest)
1/4 cup lemon juice
3 Tbsp olive oil 
1-2 tsp sesame seeds 
11/2 tsp salt 
1-2 tsp cumin 

To be mixed in:
3-4 roma tomatoes – chopped
1 jar artichoke hearts – chopped
1 can (2.25 oz) chopped olives

1. Blend garbanzo beans, garbanzo juice, lemon juice, olive oil, sesame seeds, salt, cumin, and garlic together in a blender until smooth – don’t over blend.
2. Transfer hummus to a bowl and mix in tomatoes, artichoke hearts and olives.
3. Serve with toasted pita (triangles for a party) or corn chips.

Highlights from my Boulder Trip

(Me and siblings just before leaving for the rehearsal.  I didn't get any other pictures that day or night) 

I went home for a fast trip to participate in an alumni choir concert.  The two choir directors from my high school are being forced to retire due to budget cuts.  They started teaching in 1972 and to honor them, an alumni choir concert was put together.  So, all day Saturday, about 450 old students spent the day rehearsing and then performing under these two amazing men.  It was a magical day spent singing under these two outstanding directors and reminisce with family and friends.  Some highlights:

--Arriving late Friday night and being with my brother and sisters without spouses and children.  We all slept in our original bedrooms.  (My sister still insists on sleeping in an absolutely dark bedroom.)  

--Reading the local newspaper while eating breakfast (something I did all growing up).

--Sharing a bathroom and getting ready to go with my sisters.

--Immediately running into old friends once I got to the school.  It was so fun to see everyone.  (Hi Max, Hilary, Brian, Patrice, Laura, Brad, Paula, Jonathon, Jason, Mandy, Talise, Ben, Geoff, Matt, Eric, Mike, Amy and probably a few more that I have forgotten)  

--Singing familiar songs in my old high school's auditorium and realizing what great choir directors they really are.  I didn't "get" what I had back then and wish I had.  

--Learning my high school friend was on The Today Show.  Watch it here.

--Meeting Kirby Shaw and actually talking "music" with him.  

--My mom seeing an old high school friend of mine and exclaiming, "You have gained too much weight!"  He handled it with grace and we all had a great laugh about it.

--Discovering one of my old high school friends is a patient at my husband's office and has been for several years.  (Obviously, my husband takes patient/doctor confidentiality very seriously.)

--Staying up way too late reminiscing with my siblings.

--Going to church the next day and seeing more familiar old friends.

--Getting a short but refreshing nap on the airplane in preparations for being a mother and wife once again Sunday night.  

I love going back to my past and reliving the fun.  Such great times.  

Going Home

I'm headed home for few days to reminisce about my choir singing days with my family and about 300 plus others.  I love Boulder. 

When Your Day Turns out Nothing Like You Planned

(This picture has nothing to do with this post but I think blogs are boring without a picture thrown in every once and awhile.  This was from m brother-in-law's wedding.)

Yesterday, I woke up with plans to get my car cleaned, take my car in for its emissions test, grocery shop, clean out my mud room, return books to the library, clean my kitchen and have a yummy dinner waiting at home for the family.  

Well, that is not what happened.  

Instead:

Took my car to be cleaned.  They couldn't fit me in that day.  (I want a full inside detail since toothsome #3 spilled his chocolate milk all on the back seat and I found melted crayon on the floor.)  

Went to the grocery store

Took my car in for its emissions test to be told it failed due to an electrical problem with one of my brake lights.

Took my car to the Honda dealership and was told it would take the rest of the afternoon to fix it.  

Spoke Spanish to the nice courtesy van driver who took me and my two kids home.

Cleaned out my garage and finished clearing out all of my flower beds.

Went with dentist husband down to the car dealership to pick up my car.  We were all hungry (Dentist Husband had a very full, no lunch day) and so we stopped at Barbacoa.  I love eating out but I really had GREAT plans for a sit down at the table meal, so some of the fun was taken away.  

Dentist husband ran to a Young Mens activity and I got everyone ready for bed, watched American Idol and read Mrs. Frisby and Rats of NIHM to everyone.  

Took a shower and watched an old rerun of King of Queens.  

Still a full productive day, but I not what I planned.  Today, isn't going much smoother but at least I started it with ZERO expectations.    

Another Favorite Love Song--The Luckiest by Ben Folds

My Attempts to get 2 year old cousins looking at the camera at the same time.

My brother in law got married this weekend.  No, I didn't get even try to get even one picture of the happy couple.  They had a professional following them around all day.  

Instead, I tried to get pictures of my two nieces (both age 2) with my 2 year old where both were looking at the camera at the same time.  No, I would never be hired by Kiddie Kandids.  

Almost

I thought if I added my five year old in the picture they would look at the camera--not so.

I even even remember what I said to them to get them to do this.

Anyway, it was a fun full weekend.  

My New Favorite Love Song

I

My Hometown Made the News for Something besides liberalism, Mork and Mindy and football

Check this out.  Pretty cool.  

Dentist husband surprised me

18 red roses arrived at my house with the following note:

Nice job on the publication Home Slice.  You should be very proud except pride is a sin and you write for a church magazine now.  Ah, what the heck, have some pride.  You're a great mom and Happy Mother's Day. 

I LOVE YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

(Extra punctuation added for your reading pleasure.)

Dentist husband

(Dentist of Light)

Yes, he calls me Home Slice sometimes and he knows how much I can't stand the excessive use of the exclamation point.  Also, ever since we heard Thomas Kinkade declared himself the "Painter of Light", Dentist husband and I joke that he is the Dentist of Light.  

Needless to say, it was a fun surprise.  I love this man.  

Money Saving Tip

On May 11th, the price of stamps goes up again, from 42 cents to 44 cents.   If you buy the Forever Stamp now, it will save you 40 cents a sheet once the price goes up.  I have been stocking up on them for the last few months.  No a huge savings, but still with this economy. . .

May is Here

My older siblings always talked about how May is a dreaded month.  I never understood until I had school age children.  Here is list of the "big" things happening in my life in May.  This excludes cleaning up a house, making food, etc.:

--Pre-school end of the year program

--Pre-school Magic show

--1st grade Bike rodeo

--1st grade program

--3rd grade final book reports

--Teacher appreciation week 

--School carnival

--Nephew's baby blessing

--Brother-in-law's wedding (this takes ups two days)

--A quick 48 hour trip to Boulder (just me-not dentist husband and the kids) to sing in an alumni concert

--Neighborhood clean-up

--Planting of my flower and vegetable gardens

--Last day of pre-school

--Final days of elementary school

Oh the things to look forward to this month.  I think I will take a long nap once it is all over.

Here is the link

The article I wrote is on-line.  Here is the link.