Sweet Summertime

Could there be anything sweeter than days filled with picnics and pool excursions? I am so glad that winter has disappeared for a while. We have a full agenda of fun and friends ahead of us.

Grow it Yourself

I teamed up with a couple of my close friends at the Community Garden this year. It's going to be a lot of work but I'm already salivating over the thought of peas, beans, melons, tomatoes, beets, lettuce, leeks, potatoes, corn, pumpkin, peppers, eggplant and more.

So Long, Farewell

I had to say good bye to one of my childhood friends this week as she prepares to move her family to Boston. Rebecca and I have been friends for nearly 20 years! When we were in Jr. High school she moved away for a couple of years to Arizona and I remember sobbing dramatically before she left. This farewell was less teary, but I still felt a pang of emptiness as we departed. I really hate good byes.

At a Mad Hatter's Tea Party a few years ago, Rebecca is standing next to me second from the left.

Breakfast before Boston with the same group of friends.

Holi: Festival of Colors

When I was a freshman in college I had a boyfriend from India that would charm me with exotic tales about festivals and wedding celebrations in his country. I could listen to him talk for hours as we gobbled up egg curry and ate it with our fingers. (His fingers always had the lingering delicious smell of spice.) He told me about the Holi festival where people would run around throwing powdered dyes at each other. It sounded like so much fun. I was thrilled to find out that Utah has its own Holi festival at the Hare Krishna temple in Spanish Fork. I went to the festival with my adventurous friend, Megan and we joined thousands of young college kids to throw dyes into the air and at each other. My pictures don't do the event justice, since I was reluctant to take my camera into a multi-colored war zone. My best recommendation is to google the event or check out a video on YouTube.

BEFORE: Wendy and Megan



AFTER: Even my boogers had turned magenta.

Valladolid and the World's Longest Car Game

After paying an outrageous $50 for the toll road to Chichen we decided to take the long way back to Cancun and stop by the colonial town of Valladolid. We got there right at twilight and strolled around the charming town square. I was extremely impressed with the maintenance of the city center. It was spotless and all the buildings had fresh bright paint with lovely white borders. There were delicious food stands and a waterfall and romantic conversation chairs through the plaza. I'm seriously ready to move there!

Throughout the day we had been playing car games with our friends. One game in particular involved naming famous people, (Ernest Hemingway for example,) and then the next person coming up with someone who's name started with the last letter of the previous name, (i.e. Harrison Ford.) We played the game on and off for 8 hours before I grew weary and ran out of "F" names. I thought the game would end soon, but the three competitive attorneys in the car kept things going for over four more continuous hours!! The little villas we were driving through had dozens of speed bumps and the lack of street lamps sent us flying through the air as when we missed spotting them. There were literally over 55 speed bumps on our way home and it became this awful nightmare of a ride as I endured what felt like the world's longest commencement ceremony with random names being called out as we bounced along the back country. Needless to say, I quickly figured out why somebody would be crazy enough to pay for the toll road.

(P.S. After a day of hiking, swimming, and exploring I felt awesome but did not look so hot. I really hate this picture. Ugh.)

Cabin Getaway and Henna Too

Few things bring me greater joy in life than spending time with dear friends. (Right now the only thing I can think of to top that list would be spending time with my family.) I feel so blessed to have friends that I can rely on for soulful conversation, friends that helped when I moved, friends that I can count on to help watch Persephone on occasion, friends that are loyal and love me with all of my flaws. Here are some pictures from a fun overnight cabin trip with two of my closest friends that I have known for nearly a lifetime.

We applied henna art in the evening and then wrapped it in tissue to dry overnight. We were all pleased with the finishing masterpieces that lasted a couple of weeks.

Breakfast at Road Island Diner

The lovable Julia and Megan

We all jumped in a cold mountain lake the next morning. Julia was the only brave enough soul to keep swimming long after Meg and I rushed for our towels.

Pre-lake Smiles

Birthday Bash Part II

Persy and Gabe had a combined birthday bash to celebrate the milestones of one year and 30 years. Really, Gabe deserves a post all his own, but I was having so much fun at his party that I neglected to take pictures of all the guests. We met with friends and family and had a large pot luck get together at Liberty Park. We had a great time hanging out with some many close friends. Here are a few pictures of Persy opening her gifts.

Chick Flick with Fangs

I participated in the "Twilight" frenzy by going to a midnight show with my friend Rebecca on Thursday. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves!


Here we are sporting our glow in the dark fangs!

A Day on the Farm

Persy and I had a very fun day yesterday meeting up with friends at Wheeler Farms. Wheeler Farms is a free historic park with farm animals, and large grounds for running and having a picnic. We also took a little tractor ride around the grounds. Persephone was a bit fussy without a nap, but I'm glad I discovered this fun place so I can take her when she is older. This picture shows two of my close high school friends Rebecca and Megan. It is just wild that we're "all grown-up" with children of our own now!

Happy Hike

On Saturday, we spent a couple of hours up the canyon with some dear friends. The weather was perfect!

How to Live a Long and Healthy Life

(The short answer to this post is apple cider vinegar, but the long answer is a little more complicated.)

I met a new member of our local church congregation last week. Her name is June and she is an extremely upbeat and energetic 84 year old. When I went to visit her she had been working on her Spanish. She also showed off her large garden and told me about all of the things she still wants to learn. She's proud of the fact that she does all her own gardening and even continues to mow her own lawn. I was amazed when June told me that the only pill she takes is a calcium supplement for her teeth. When I asked June how she manages to stay so healthy, she exclaimed quite simply that she owed her health to the Lord and Apple Cider Vinegar! She then enthusiastically brought out her vinegar and showed how she applies it directly to any aches and pains she may have. My friend, who had been complaining of cracked feet from her own gardening work, came with me to visit June. June told my friend that the vinegar would soften her cracked feet and then took off the girl's shoes and began massaging her soles with the vinegar! (Now that, is service!)

I had to share this story because I have been thinking about June all week. What an amazing woman! My own grandmother is an inspiriation as well. She will be turning 90 this year and is still actively involved in the community. She was recently honored by the Springville Museum of Art for all of her charitable contributions over the last 25 years. She has been purchasing paintings for donation each year and the collection has built up to fill an entire wing of the museum. The picture above shows a James C. Christensen piece that I love from her donations.

My grandma and June have much more than old age in common. They are both farm girls that really know how to work hard. They both do gardening that gives them good exercise. They're actively involved in their communities and churches. They stay social and they keep their minds active by continuous learning. Here's hoping we can all live to such a ripe and happy age!

Perfection Found

One of my most popular posts had to do with my quest for the perfect cinnamon roll recipe. I am happy to report that the search is over and I have the gooey flavorful recipe here for all to enjoy! This recipe is curtesy of my friend Megan, a happy mom and wonderful chef.

Meg's "Sin"amon Rolls

2 Pkgs. yeast
1 tsp Sugar
1 Cup warm water

2/3 Cup Sugar
1 Cup warm milk
2/3 Cup melted butter
2 tsp. salt
2 eggs- beaten

6 1/2 -7 1/2 Cups Flour

Filling:
1/2 Cup melted butter
1 1/2 Cups Brown Sugar
3 3/4 Tablespoons Cinnamon

For Pan:
1/2 Cup melted butter
1/3 Cup white sugar

1. In a small bowl dissolve 2 pkgs of yeast, 1 tsp. sugar, and 1 cup warm water. Set aside.

2. In a Large bowl, mix 2/3 cup sugar, 1 cup warm milk, 2/3 cup melted butter, 2 tsp. salt, and 2 beaten eggs. Stir well and add in your yeast mixture.



3. Slowly add 6 1/2 -7 1/2 Cups flour. Make sure not to add too much flour. Lightly flour your hands and knead dough for about 8 minutes. In a large, lightly greased bowl set dough aside to cover and rise until doubled (approximately 1 1/2 hours.)

4. Punch dough and let rest for 5 minutes (I love this part! :)

5. Roll dough on a lightly floured surface into 15 x 20 inch rectangle. Brush with 1/2 cup butter. Mix together 1 1/2 cups brown sugar and 3 3/4 Tablespoons cinnamon and sprinkle liberally over dough.



6. Roll dough and pinch to seal edges

7. Cut into 12-15 slices. (Note: I like to use string or dental floss to make this job easier.)

8. Coat the bottom of a large cookie sheet or 2 small cookie sheets with 1/2 cup margarine and then sprinkle 1/3 cup white sugar on the bottom of the pan. This gives the cinnamon rolls an amazing carmal-like coating on the bottom!

9. Place rolls close together in pan and cover. Allow 45 minutes to rise.

10. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes, or until golden brown.

11. Frost when cool



Frosting:
6 oz softened cream cheese
1/2 Cup butter
3 Cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon salt

Showered with Love

I've had a couple of showers this month with friends and co-workers. I have been amazed with how generous everyone has been. It has been a blast to see everyone and introduce Persy. Gabe and I are very, very blessed to have so many people that care about us. (Note: I also had a wonderful shower from my dear book club friends and I foolishly forgot to take pictures. Thanks to Sharon for hosting!)



Melia and Julia



Shower with girlfriends at P.F. Chang's



Rebecca and Melia



Some library friends Eboni, Abbie, Dane (Not all of my library friends are shown because I know some of them are potentially blog shy.)



Big Balloons from library shower

Wendy and Gabe at a Naming Ceremony

Wendy and I had a wonderful experience the other day that I thought would be fun to share with all of you. Two close friends of ours had a baby just a couple of weeks ago, and they named him Campbell. Jared and Sade, each of whom attended law school with me at some point (though not the same law school) invited us to take part in an important event in the life of their families. Sade's father is from Nigeria, and it is customary when a new baby is born in their family to have a naming ceremony. Wendy and I were lucky enough to be invited to this special occasion.

As you can see, several of the people at the ceremony were dressed in traditional Nigerian clothes. Both Jared (pictured above) and Sade's families were there. Though we have met Jared's family on a couple previous occasions, we were finally able to get to know Sade's family as well. The ceremony was conducted in Yoruba, a language spoken primarily in Western Nigeria. Fortunately, the professor who conducted the ceremony did a great job of explaining what he was doing beforehand in English, because my Yoruba is a little rusty. :)

At the end, we all got the opportunity to participate in the ceremony by bringing a name for Campbell. Each person who brought a name stood up and told everyone what the name was, and what it meant, why they chose it, etc. It was an amazing experience to see so many people united together, some family and some friends, to celebrate a new life in the world. Though I am not sure whether it was a religious ceremony per se, it was a very spiritual experience, and Wendy and I were both deeply moved.