Gingerbread Party

Our friends Gina and Cody Ballard held their 2nd annual Gingerbread house party for family home evening. We went and had a great time. There were a ton of people there, some just to have fun and some with a healthy spirit of competition (John). John came up with our most ingenious idea of something truly southern: a trailer home. While we tried to make it very back-woodsy with a wood-pile, some old tires, and scrap metal on the side, I think it turned out very cute, homey, and inviting. John's favorite part is the satellite dish on top.

The group hard at work (Angie and Donnie Appleman intently working in the background)

Victoria, John and our future home

The masterpiece

Phantom Weekend

John and I took a quick trip up to Fayetteville, NC to visit our friends the Browns and attend a performance of the Phantom of the Opera. John had never seen the production but grew up with the music. He has always wanted to see the Broadway production but as is always the case, his family went to see it while he was on his mission. I had seen it when I was 6 with my family but I could hardly remember it. So, I asked John if we could take a quick trip during my finals week to visit some friends and surprised him with tickets to the Phantom. We really loved the show and had a great time visiting the Browns.

Lisa and I; Kevin, Lisa, me, and John

A night at the Opera

Nursing News

This week I was inducted in the international nursing honors society, Sigma Theta Tau. I'm not really sure why this is an important thing to do but one of my teachers asked me why I hadn't applied for acceptance into the society and when I asked, What for? she said, Because it is very prestigious! And then she made sure I applied.

Inductees from our class: Edurne, Bessie, Meia, Bucola, Summer, Kristi, Donna, me

The inductees

My Pediatrics clinical group: Camille, Kristi, Ms Cunningham, me, Stacey, and Wes (missing is Summer)

October is festival time!

Tonight John and I went to the Ogeechee Seafood Festival in Richmond Hill. We had a great time looking at the vendor booths and eating seafood. We had grits and shrimp, fried shrimp and hushpuppies, low country boil, elephant ear, and (drum roll please) deep-fried snickers. The deep-fried snickers was the best part, kind of hard to describe but very good. There were also oreos, reeses peanut butter cups, cookie dough, twinkies, and cheesecake all in the deep-fried variety. It was awesome. The weather was even fall-like today! Overcast and only 51F, doesn't sound cold but it was! The weather has been really beautiful recently and its been starting to feel a lot more like fall.

John in his deep-fried glory eating deep-fried snickers!

Last night we went down-town to the Greek Festival. This was a little smaller-scale but it was really fun. We had greek food from the vendors, listened to greek music and saw some greek folk dances. We ate salad, gyros, spanikopita, and baklava, the food was yummy!

Last weekend we went out for dinner at the Texas Roadhouse. We had lots of fried and fattening food in true southern style so we decided to take some pictures. It was real good, I love me some fried chicken.

This is how we're going to look if we keep on eating southern fried food!

A Very Magical Weekend

This weekend John finished his ER rotation and had 4 days off so instead just sleeping around at home I skipped school and work and we went to Disneyworld!! Our good friends the Browns had gotten us really cheap tickets through the military and we got a great deal on a hotel, so off we went. We had it all planned out so that we could see pretty much everything in all 4 parks in 4 days.

Day 1: Disney's Hollywood Studios
The first day we went to Disney's Hollywood Studios. We got there before the park opened with plans to see everything. Well, we saw just about everything and we were so tired at the end of the day. Our first two rides were the Rockin Rollercoaster and the Tower of Terror. We were both so dizzy and in shock after those two that we had to take a short break before continuing on to our next ride. The Rockin Rollercoaster was great, it was in the dark and like a really wild car ride with loops and spirals. The Tower of Terror takes you through the twilight zone and up to the thirteenth story, shows you how high up you are and then drops you and bounces you like a ball. It kind of gives you an awful feeling of impending doom. I'm glad I went on it but I will never go on it again. Our favorite ride was the Toystory Mania. It was like going through a fast-paced 3D carnival and we got to compete against each other. That one was a little more my pace.
We saw two great stunt shows, one based on Indiana Jones and another on car chases. Both were really fun to see and gave us some time to sit down in the shade.

Victoria, Mr Incredible, John

Day 2: The Magic Kingdom
Day two we went to the Magic Kingdom, which is more or less like Disneyland in California. This was a fun day a little more relaxing since John and I have both been to Disneyland and we weren't concerned about seeing absolutely everything. We went on Splash Mountain and I got completely soaked, which was new. And we went on the Buzz Lightyear ride, which was a new ride since we've been. It was a fun day!


Day 3: EPCOT
EPCOT was one of our favorite days. We didn't worry about going on all the rides but we saw a lot. EPCOT is made up of two sections, one that focuses on the world and its future, and the world showcase. We went on Soarin', which is a ride that simulates hang gliding over California. It was really cool and when we flew over the orange groves we could smell the oranges. I felt like I could stretch my toes and touch the water. We also really liked Turtle talk with Crush, an interactive show where Crush (sea turtle from Finding Nemo) talks to the kids and they can ask him questions. After a few rides we toured the world showcase. Several countries were represented with buildings, shops, rides, and videos all surrounding a lagoon. We stopped in Canada and watched the video that dispelled all myths of year-round snow and sled dogs. We stopped in France and got some pastries. We saw the China video and went on the Spirit of Norway ride in Norway. We also saw the miniature village in Germany and went on a boat ride in Mexico. The highlight of our EPCOT day was our dinner in France that night. We decided to have a special dinner at the Bistro de Paris, complete with authentic french food and servers and cooks from France. Dinner was great and we spoke french to our server all night. Afterwards we saw the laser light and fireworks show on the lagoon.


Day 4: The Animal Kingdom
Our last day at Disneyworld was at the Animal Kingdom. The best part of the Animal Kingdom was the shows. We loved the Finding Nemo musical and the Lion King Celebration. Both were really unique, Finding Nemo had actors on cables holding fish puppets and the Lion King show had acrobats, dancers, and singers. We had a fun time on Expedition Everest rollercoaster, Dinosaur, and the Kali River Rapids. We loved the safari, we were able to see a lot of exotic animals closeup in a natural habitat. We also saw a parade that had lots of cool floats made like animals. We wished we had more time to spend there but the park closed at 5 and we drove home that night. We would have liked to have gone on more of the nature trails to see more animals. I loved the atmosphere at the Animal Kingdom, it was themed in a lot of exotic places like India, Africa, and Nepal, we felt like backpackers traveling the world.

Victoria and John with the tree of life

Temple day

This weekend we went to the temple with our friends who were going for the very first time: Jerry Boyles, and Harry and Dallas Fougeron. John and I barely made it in time, even though we left really early, we were sitting in traffic forever! Not only that but we had gotten the wrong address online for the temple so when John's iphone map told us that we had arrived there was no temple in sight. So we drove around with no idea where we were and then all of a sudden, there was the temple. We sneaked in just at the very last minute when we thought for sure that we were going to miss the session. We were so glad that we made it. It was so neat to be in the temple with our friends and so many people from the ward. It was a special day!

Welcome Home Elder Alan!

This past Friday John's younger brother Alan returned home from a 2 year mission to London, England. John hadn't seen him in 2 years and we wouldn't be able to return to Utah until Christmas, so when we found out that Alan had a short layover in the Atlanta airport we decided to make the trip up to see him. We expected to only be able to see him for an hour or so but we didn't expect his flight to be late... we ended up only being able to see him for about 10 minutes! Just long enough to get a spicy chicken sandwich at "God bless Wendy's" (Alan hadn't enjoyed his staple Wendy's food for 2 years!) and then run him back through security. Family is really important to us and we were really glad that we were able to see him even though the visit was short. It was long enough to get pictures and send then home saying "we saw him first!" Welcome home Alan, we're proud of you!

Alan with dad and mom Colver back in Utah, several hours after we saw him in Atlanta

Alan and John

A Wendy's Reunion after a two year absence

Ward Boating Party

This weekend we had a ward boating party out at Ft McAllister. There was a lot of food to eat and fun to be had. We had a great time playing Bocce with the Applemans and then out on the Hutcheson's boat. We went out on the boat with the Applemans, the Fougerons, Donald Hutcheson, and Jess McConnell. It was so fun. We got out wakeboarding and kneeboarding. Donnie and Angie even jumped in the water in their clothes since they hadn't planned on going swimming and didn't bring their suits. It made me want to buy a boat... someday.

The gang riding down to the boat dock: Dallas, Don, Donnie, Jess, John, Jerry, Angie, me

John wake-boarding

Victoria wake-boarding

Drive-in movie with the Ballards

This weekend we went to the drive-in movie theatre out in Hilton Head with the Ballards. We saw Transformers II. We had a really fun time, it was a great idea! First we went to Outback for dinner and then drove out to Hilton Head Island for the movie. The "theatre" had a big concession that smelt like funnel cakes and reminded me of being at the Fair grounds. I love that smell. We had a great time as always, thanks Cody and Gina!

The Concession

John and Victoria in front of the big screen

Having fun at the drive-in

A Greek Weekend

This weekend I decided to have a greek theme for all our meals. I hate buying something for a specific recipe that I don't normally buy, then not being able to use for anything else, and ending up throwing it out because it goes bad. So I picked three recipes that used similar ingredients (in this case plain yogurt, pitas, and feta cheese) that I could use throughout the weekend. Friday we had greek pizzas that were really yummy and a fun change, Saturday we had Gyros with Tzaziki sauce (its a cucumber dill sauce that you can dip plain warm pitas or really anything in), and then Sunday a little more formal grilled fish (I omitted the olives). I thought it was a great idea and it worked out well. It was a nice change from our routine meals and well worth it!

Greek Pizzas

Ingredients

• 2 whole pita breads (6 inches)
• 1 teaspoon olive oil, divided
• 4 cups torn fresh spinach
• 2 tablespoons chopped green onion
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh dill
• 4 tomato slices, halved
• 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
• 1/8 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper

Directions

• Place pita breads on a baking sheet. Brush each with 1/4 teaspoon oil. Broil 6 in. from the heat for 1-2 minutes or until lightly browned. Turn pitas over; brush with remaining oil. Broil 1-2 minutes longer.
• In a microwave-safe dish, microwave spinach on high for 1 to 1-1/2 minutes or until wilted; drain well. Add onion and dill; mix well.
• Top each pita with four tomato pieces, half of the spinach mixture and half of the cheeses. Sprinkle with oregano and pepper. Bake at 450° for 7-9 minutes or until cheese is lightly browned. Yield: 2 servings.

Gyros

Ingredients

• 1 cup (8 ounces) plain yogurt
• 1 cup diced peeled cucumber
• 1 teaspoon dill weed
• 1/4 teaspoon seasoned salt
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1-1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1-1/4 pounds lean boneless pork, thinly sliced
• 6 pita breads (6 inches), halved and warmed
• 1 medium tomato, chopped
• 2 tablespoons chopped onion

Directions

• In a small bowl, combine the yogurt, cucumber, dill and seasoned salt; cover and refrigerate for 6 hours or overnight.
• In a large resealable plastic bag, combine the oil, lemon juice, mustard, garlic, oregano and thyme; add pork. Seal bag and turn to coat; refrigerate for 6 hours or overnight, turning occasionally.
• Drain and discard marinade. In a large skillet, stir-fry pork for about 4 minutes or until juices run clear. Stuff into pita halves; top with cucumber sauce, tomato and onion. Yield: 6 servings.

Greek Grilled Fish

Ingredients

• 8 tilapia fillets (4 ounces each)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 cup plain yogurt
• 2 tablespoons butter, softened
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• 1 small red onion, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup pitted Greek olives
• 1 teaspoon dill weed
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

Directions

• Sprinkle tilapia with salt and pepper. Place on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray.
• In a small bowl, combine the yogurt, butter and lime juice. Stir in the onion, olives and seasonings. Spread down the middle of each fillet; sprinkle with feta cheese. Broil 3-4 in. from the heat for 6-9 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork. Yield: 8 servings.

Paula Deen's Orange Brownies

This is a really yummy, moist orange brownie-like cake. There's no chocolate, it's just a brownie consistency. John really liked them, although when I made them I did a cream cheese icing with orange juice instead of milk and some orange zest added.

Ingredients

nocoupons

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
• 4 eggs
• 2 teaspoons pure orange extract
• 1 teaspoon grated orange zest

Glaze:

nocoupons

• 1 cup confectioners' sugar
• 2 tablespoons orange juice
• 1 teaspoon grated orange zest

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Grease a 13 by 9 by 2-inch pan and set aside. In a mixing bowl, stir together flour, sugar, and salt. Add butter, eggs, orange extract, and orange zest and beat with a handheld electric mixer until well blended. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 30 minutes, or until light golden brown and set. Remove from oven and pierce top of entire cake with a fork.

Glaze:

Combine all ingredients in a bowl, stirring until smooth. Pour glaze over cake. Cool cake and cut into squares.

Cream Cheese Frosting:

• 1/2 stick butter, room temperature
• 8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
• 4 cups powdered sugar
• 3 tablespoons orange juice
• 1 tablespoon orange zest

Beat the butter and cream cheese with a hand mixer until fluffy and light. Add the powdered sugar and beat until combined. Add the orange juice and zest and beat until thoroughly combined.

What to do with a million blueberries

Getting all these blueberries I've been able to experiment with a bunch of recipes. Here are our favorites!
My favorite way to enjoy these berries is to eat them in vanilla yogurt with granola sprinkled on top, it's the best breakfast. We also had some amazing blueberry pancakes, the berries were so juicy they popped when you bit into the pancakes.


Fresh Blueberry Cream pie

1 graham cracker pie crust
1 8oz package of cream cheese
1 small tub of cool whip
4C fresh blueberries

Whip softened cream cheese, beat in cool whip. Gently fold in blueberries and pour into graham shell. Refrigerate 1-2 hours or until set and serve.


Sasser's Blueberry Cobbler

1 stick of butter or margarine
1C sugar
1C self-rising flour
1C milk
2C blueberries or fruit of choice (drain if canned)
Cinnamon, optional

Melt butter in an 8X8 pan. Mix sugar, milk, and flour, pour on top of butter in pan. Sprinkle fruit on top, do not stir. Sprinkle with cinnamon if desired. Bake 350F, 45-50min or until browned. (I had my doubts but the cake does bake up and the fruit ends up on the bottom, very cool.)


Blueberry Sherbet

1C sour cream
3/4C sugar
1Tbsp lemon juice
1/2tsp vanilla extract
3C fresh or frozen blueberries, thawed

Blend all ingredients in a blender until smooth. Press through a sieve to remove seeds and skins. (I didn't bother doing this and it turned out well but I think next time I will so that it will be smoother.) Pour into individual 1/2C servings and freeze for 6 hours or longer. Remove 30 minutes before serving. (It freezes really even, I was surprised, 6 hours gave it the perfect consistency and we didn't have to let it soften at all.)


Fresh Blueberry Pie

1 9in graham cracker or single baked pie shell
3/4C sugar
3Tbsp cornstarch
1/8tsp salt
1/4C water
1T lemon juice
4C fresh blueberries, divided

In a large saucepan combine sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Slowly add water and lemon juice, stir until smooth. Stir in 2 cups of blueberries. Bring to a boil and cook for 1-2 minutes or until thickened. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature. Spoon remaining berries in crust and pour cooked mixture over the top. Cool and refrigerate for 1-2 hours or until chilled. Serve topped with whipped cream.

Berry Trifle

1 angel food cake, prepared

1 package of white chocolate pudding, prepared

1 small tub of cool whip

blueberries (or other fruit)

Rip the cake into bite-sized pieces. Fold cool whip into pudding. Layer cake, pudding, and then berries in a trifle bowl or other bowl. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Deep Sea Fishing

This week John and I went deep sea fishing in the Atlantic with Vince Reily, a member of our ward. I was really excited to go but we were worried about getting seasick and so we took a bunch of motion sickness medicine before, the only problem was that it made me so drowsy. The ride out to the reef was really rough but I still had a hard time staying awake, especially since we left at 5:30am. Overall we had a great time and caught a bunch of great fish. We had to throw some back because they weren't big enough so we came home with a red snapper, a king mackerel, and two sharks. When we got back to the dock there was a shrimp boat that was just getting in. They had some huge shrimp that we got for our first low country boil that we had with the missionaries that night. The next night we had red snapper, baked with a little olive oil, lemon juice, lemon pepper, salt and pepper. It was so good, a really soft texture. I never thought I'd like fish, but I love this stuff!

Blueberry Heaven

This year John and I found this great little U-pick farm in Midway that grows Christmas trees and blueberries. Kind of an odd combination but we decided that we would go pick some yummy, fresh blueberries. We actually had a such great time together and the blueberries were so good that even though we picked 2 lb the first time around we went back for more! They were really cheap too, only $1.50 per quart. We had to drive about 45min to get to this farm, it's in the middle of no where, and its just an older couple who wanted a fun place for families to come pick berries. They even have their picking on an "honor system" so you can come pick anytime and just leave money in a box. It is such a great place, we loved it. We've of course loved having fresh blueberries and I've had a lot of fun making lots of different recipes with them. For those in Georgia, it's Brewer's Christmas tree farm in Midway. In December they have winter festivals where you can go cut down your own tree too.

Happy 4th of July

To celebrate Independence day this year John and I hosted a barbecue. We had our friends Dallas and Harry Fougeron and the missionaries over. John made burgers and hotdogs on the grill that the missionaries gave us. I made some really yummy homemade fries from a recipe that my mom gave me, and sauteed vegetables like John's dad makes. I also made some blueberry sorbet from all the blueberries we picked. It was a great meal! Afterwards we went with the Fougerons to Hutcheson Island to watch the fireworks over the Savannah River. We had a great time!

John, Elder Barnes, Elder Howard

Dallas, Harry, me

Dallas, Harry, John

John and me at the fireworks

Happy Canada Day

July 1st in "Canada Day" when we celebrate Canada's birthday. Sometimes its hard for me to remember because its obviously not celebrated in the US (just like Canada does not celebrate Independence day, a US holiday) and I had to work a 12 hour shift, so it was a busy day. I'm usually good at remembering important days for everyday up to it and then forgetting completely on the day of. But when I got off work I checked my voicemail and who did I have a message from but Lily Brown wishing me a happy Canada day. Thanks girlie!

Happy Birthday to John!

Happy 26th birthday to John!

Surfing Tybee Island

Today John and I went with the YSA out to Tybee Island Beach where Justin Kidd, a PA John knows and member of our Stake Presidency, taught us how to surf. Not many people probably know this but I have dreamed of the day I would learn to surf.

Gidget was my hero. I loved the movie and I wanted to be just like her.

I was really nervous, looking up information on rip tides and thinking of sharks and drowning. But there was nothing to be worried about. But just for your information, if you ever get caught in a rip tide where a strong current pulls you away from the shore and you can't swim against it, you should swim out of the current by going parallel to the shore and then swimming back at an angle so you don't get caught in it again. About 100 people die every year from getting caught in a rip current, I read all about them.



So John and I had a great time, we're a little banged up but it was definitely worth it. The water was really warm, I could have stayed out all day but we were getting burnt to crisps! We both got up standing on the board, we just couldn't get the pictures at the right time. The waves weren't very big and it was pretty shallow. By the time we would catch the wave we'd only have a short ride to until we hit the sand or got pummeled by another wave. We didn't see any sharks but we did see dolphins swimming just off the shore! What a great day and I got to fulfill one of my lifetime dreams!

John catching babies

For the past month John has been doing a clinical at a OB/GYN clinic in Hinesville, GA. It's been really great for him because they don't have any other students or many employees to help and so he gets to help in a lot procedures. He gets to do a lot of different things like 1st assisting in the OR and performing routine OB exams in the clinic, but the most exciting thing to do is deliver babies! To date John has helped deliver 11 babies, 5 c-sections and 6 vaginal, and he still has a week left in this rotation. The most exciting deliveries have been a couple when the doc let John do the delivery all by himself! Apparently there's nothing to it, what do you think girls? The only stressful part for John is when he "catches" the baby, they're so slippery! It's amazing to me that he's delivering babies everyday, I can't even imagine seeing childbirth! At least now I know if we get stuck on the side of the highway he can deliver our baby and if we make it to the hospital he won't pass out.

Victoria's trip to Canada

Right after my last final at school I ran over to the airport and left for Canada for 2 weeks. I left so quickly so that I could make it home in time for my best friend Amy's wedding. I had 3 connecting flights and I narrowly made my flight in Atlanta because my flight from Savannah was late. I was the very last person to board the flight and they had already given my seat to a stand-by person without realizing it. I was let on the plane, confusion ensued and a lady was asked to gather her belongings and leave the plane. I felt bad but I was glad it wasn't me who got kicked off the plane. My plane arrived in Kelowna at 11pm, 2am Eastern time, only to find that my bag had missed the flight in Atlanta and wouldn't be in until the next day.
My first day at home made up for the madness though because we had a girls day at the spa as part of Amy's Bachelorette party. After that I had barbecue with my family at Sunoka beach. My nieces and nephews came down from Vernon so it was nice to get a chance to see them. The weather was freezing and the wind was blowing but I guess it wouldn't be a true Northcott barbecue unless we had bad weather. I had fun all the same and warmed up playing soccer with Eliza.

Me and Eliza; family around the fire; Ethan of course is super cute be he would only let me take a picture of his mean face; me, Kadu, and mom

It was really nice to be home. I got to go hiking and out to lunch during the day with my brother Geoff and then at night I went to Amy's bridal shower. I also got to have some nice talking time with my dad while we did some yard work. Shannon actually surprised me and came home a day early so that was really nice too.
The day of Amy's wedding was beautiful and not too stressful. We got our hair and makeup done in the morning and then changed, got pictures and ran off to the wedding. The wedding was held at the pavilion at Skaha lake. The most stressful and slightly funny part of the day was when Amy was ready before everyone else and she was worried that we would be late for the wedding and everyone would think it was her fault. Well she was absolutely beautiful and the wedding went smoothly, except for the icy wind that was coming off the lake the entire ceremony.

Amy and Brandon Davidson wedding pictures

The reception afterwards was at the Summerland Resort on Okanagan lake and it -was really nice. Amy's new brother-in-law gave a hilarious best man's speech starting out "Fornication!...For an occasion..." He was quite the entertainer. Amy's sister Kate gave the other speech and it was really thoughtful and heart-felt. After a really good dinner we had dancing. I had a great time dancing with all my friends from highschool. It's been a long time since I've seen or even talked to any of them but they were still my friends, not as much had changed as I thought.
I so glad that I was able to go to Amy's wedding. We've been great friends for so long and I can tell that she's really found someone special. She is so happy and full of life, Brandon is a wonderful guy.

The next day my mom and I took off on a road trip to Manitoba to see my Granddad. It took us two days to drive there but it was a beautiful drive. I had forgotten how beautiful Canada is but I was reminded as we went through the Rocky mountains and across the Prairies. We saw a lot of wildlife and hardly any cities. On the side of the highway we saw a mama black bear and her cubs, moose, a pheasant, deer, antelope, mountain sheep, and a hawk. We also saw buffalo but there more farm animals than wild.

Beautiful British Columbia

When we got to Winnipeg we spent the first two days when my Grandpa and Grandpa Moore. They're are my oldest brother Patrick's grandparents but I grew up calling them mine as well. I have a lot of good memories of summers we spent out on their farm in Stonewall, Manitoba. With them we went to where Grandpa grew up in Caleida (which consisted at the time of a grain silo, a post office and a couple houses, now it's not much of anything), his parent's graves in Manitou, the air museum where he restores plane in Winnipeg, and the dinosaur museum. Then Shannon flew out and we spent 3 days with Granddad, my mom's dad. My grandma died before I was born so he lives alone in an assisted-living type place. He was just tickled to have us there and he was ordering us around and finding things for us to do before we even got through the door. I knew he was glad to have us there because he was singing his deedle-deedle's like there was no tomorrow. My granddad is a great sassy old guy but he has a hard time getting around now. We took him out for a couple of drives, one to my grandma's grave, and he took us out for dinner one night with my aunt Jackie, Aunt Denise, and cousin Rachel.

Granddad doing the gallon challenge--Chug! Chug! Chug!

Grandma's grave located in a cemetary at the corner of Waverly St and Chevrier Blvd in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
She died of breast cancer 26 years ago.

Me and my mom at Lake Louise plus pictures of the Rockies outside of Calgary, Alberta. We couldn't believe that it was still frozen, when it's not it's this gorgeous creamy seafoam color. I have great memories of camping in Banff and going hiking at this lake.

When we got home from our long road trip I had one last day before I flew back to Savannah. I spent some time with my little brother Phil and went shopping with my mom. We had to make sure that I had a stock of all my favorite Canada candy. For the record, and just in case you ever go to Canada, the best candies are Smarties, Crunchie bars (sponge toffee dipped in chocolate), wine gums, and Mackintosh's Toffee.
I had a great time seeing my family and especially spending so much time with my mom. It was so nice to go back to where I come from and be reminded of who I am, I didn't realize how much I'd forgotten my roots until I went back. It had definitely been too long.

Shannon, Geoff, and me; me and my mom; me and Granddad; me and my dad; me and Granddad

Halo-fest 2009

coming soon

I Dream of BYU Creamery Icecream

I found this article a few months ago when I googled my name just for fun. This article was in the Daily Universe at BYU when I used to work at the Creamery. They ised to make the icecream right there in the store, it was pretty cool. Today I'm craving BYU Creamery icecream, so I wanted to make a tribute. Here are my top flavors at the Creamery, in no particular order because I can't decide!
What are your favorites??? (If you've never had icecream at the creamery then you can just say your favorite flavor.)

1. Coconut Joy- coconut icecream with almonds and a chocolate swirl
2. Graham Canyon- graham flavored icecream with crunchy candied graham and chocolate pieces
3. Roasted Almond Fudge- chocolate maple flavored icecream with almonds
4. Strawberry Sundae Crunch- cheesecake flavored icecream with strawberry and graham cracker crust swirls
5. Ernestly Chocolate- chocolate icecream with caramel and marshmellow swirls and chocolate caramel cups

YUM! I miss you BYU creamery icecream!!

Sweet Creams: BYU Creamery a Campus Landmark Since 1949 By Michael Moss - 30 May 2007

Photo by Claire Monson BYU Creamery employee Victoria Colver serves up a bowl of mint chocolate chip ice cream. The Creamery features unique flavors with names referencing BYU icons like LaVell Edwards. Ice cream comes in many containers, cups, cones and cartons; but on BYU campus, ice cream comes in three-gallon white buckets. "It's part of the BYU experience, buying ice cream from the Creamery," said Kacie Thompson from Preston, Idaho, who works at the creamery near Deseret Towers and whose favorite flavor is "Strawberry Sundae Crunch." The BYU Creamery has been a part of the BYU campus for decades since R. Phil Shumway began the first BYU Creamery in 1949, and offers students high-quality ice cream at low prices. Any ice cream connoisseur will appreciate the unique flavors such as "LaVell's Vanilla," "Marrion Berry" and "Bishop's Bash." There are currently four creamery locations, including the Creamery on Ninth, one at Deseret Towers, Wyview and Wymount. The Creamery on Ninth boasts an atmosphere reminiscent of a '50s diner, which lends to the creamery charm, said Creamery on Ninth employee Janae Holt, from Yucaipa, Calif. "It's fun to sit in here with friends," Holt said, whose favorite flavor is "Raspberry Cream Cheese." Creamery ice cream is unique compared to other store-bought ice cream, because it is all produced on BYU campus at the Dairy Products Laboratory located at the creamery near Deseret Towers Like a normal manufacturing facility, the lab contains a number of large tanks, a conveyor belt and many other devices all shining with polished chrome. However, it's what is in those tanks that makes children merrily chase after ice cream trucks and dentists cringe and reach for fluoride. One tank holds 3,000 gallons of liquid sugar, weighing over 25,000 pounds. Several tanks hold hundreds of gallons of ice cream mix. Every Monday the lab goes into full production, producing all the ice cream mix usually needed for the week, around 2,400 gallons, said Jerry Pingel, production manager for the Dairy Products Lab. Those 2,400 gallons of mix become 4,800 gallons of one of the creamery's 50 flavors of ice cream, seven flavors of sherbets and four flavors of sorbets, Pingel said. Going above and beyond the BYU campus, the lab produces all the ice cream for the LDS Welfare Service. Large quantities of chocolate and vanilla are kept in the back of the lab at temperatures 20 degrees below zero, waiting to be delivered to welfare storage facilities. "There's no cutting back for church welfare, they get the really good stuff," Pingel said.