A Month of Travels, Part 1: Idaho

For me, December = traveling. But not just normal holiday travels. I usually travel for weeks every December, several years included moving across the country. This year was no exception. Minus the moving part.

Last month, Stuart and I were on the road for nearly three weeks! For Stuart, three weeks was too long. An eternity. And for me, it was almost too long. But I got to be present for several unforgettable events that I am so grateful I didn't miss.

First, I flew to UT with my dear Deborah:

She was an angel and helped me with Stuart at the airport an on the planes. If I could afford to pay her I would because she was like my nanny. She and her family helped so much with this trip and made it go smoothly. Thank you!!

We spent a night in UT and got to see family. Sorry. No pictures of UT.

Then we rented a car and spent four days in Idaho to be at our dearest Brittany's wedding. But lucky for me, two of my good friends were also graduating that weekend and I got to be there for the graduation, the wedding, the parties, and even stayed with Jared's grandparents! It was very eventful.

First, here are the handsome graduates from Brigham Young University-Idaho. I am so proud of you guys!!!

Sincere cheers to the graduates, and to their friends and families who supported them through it. Here are some of the best pictures, with some of the best people I know:

"Congratulations, daddy!"

I love you friends!! Thank you for letting me tag along for your special day. Congratulations!

The next day was the wedding and reception. Deborah and I are just so mad, but we both forgot our camera's during the sealing at the temple. :( But here are some from Deborah at the reception that night.

Their first dance as a married couple and they were singing to each other. I cried!

"These are the moments I thank God that I'm alive. These are the moments I'll remember all my life. I've got all I've waited for... And I could not ask for more."

It was seriously the sweetest reception I have ever attended. They are SO in love.

And I love my new "brother-in-law." Just look at that clown in the background.

Congratulations, Brittany and Zac. It was such a beautiful day to watch from the sidelines. I love you!

Unfortunately, I didn't get any pictures with the great-grandparents. They housed us, fed us, let me drive their car, and they watched Stuart!! Such giving and loving people. It was truly a memorable weekend.

Happy Birthday Dri and Sydnie!!

This week 2 dear friends of mine turned one year older! And might I add they must have gotten wiser too, judging from recent chats with these girls. They are the cream of the crop. I am so lucky to call them my friends. I love you Dri and Sydnie!

One characteristic I really admire in Dri is her ability to adapt and have a positive attitude in a new place. Just look at that smile! She is so happy and upbeat, even though she is far from home, far from family, and making a new life in a new culture. Dri, you inspire me to be a pioneer and to do it with a smile on my face.

Oh Sydnie. Happy birthday, mija! :) This is the most recent picture I have of you, unless I swipe one from the inter-webs... This was the last time I saw my Sydnie. I admire Sydnie's sense of humor. This woman can make me laugh harder than almost anyone on the planet. If we could hang out every day, I wouldn't need to exercise. I would burn through all my calories laughing the day away with you, Syd. I miss giggling with you. It's an out of body experience.

Happy birthday, amigas! I love you!

Happy Birthday Dan!

I have wanted to start this "tradition", if you will, for a long time: giving a shout out to my peeps on their birthdays. I got the simply lovely idea from a friend's blog. There is no better time than the present! Lucky me because I have a birthday to celebrate today! And so I start a new tradition, in hopes that I don't forget anyone's birthday in the future. ;)

(this is the ONLY digital picture I have of you, Dan. Sorry!)

Dan is one of the best friends I have ever had, and I am SO glad he was born. He is a fiercely loyal friend and an excellent listener. He shares wise advise and nerdy jokes. He was one of two friends who flew out to my wedding and here he is at our reception DC.

Thank you, Dan, for your friendship and HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Temple Visit with Deb

Dear Deborah,

I am so pleased that I was a part of your special day. Your first time to the temple! THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU! You are glowing with heavenly radiance and I love you. And your parents are adorable. Thank you Tom and Susan for sharing your daughter with the world! And especially with me.

The temple is like the yellow brick road: it leads you Home. It is the closest place to heaven on earth and I feel honored to have been there with you. I'll go with you any time. I hope you remember that day - remember the promises you made and the promises you received - and return often. With me. Or without me. :) Just go often.

Thank you. I love you. And did I mention I like you?

Congratulations!!

Deck the Halls

Following Ondricek tradition, we decorated our home for Christmas on December 1st! Nate's birthday. Happy birthday, Nathan!!

( I LOVE this kid!!!)

This is our fourth Christmas married, and we still don't have a proper tree. We never have. We are always moving over Christmas. This year, we decided these mini fake trees would do as our tree shrine. We are simple people and we already owned these from our wedding reception. Christmas weddings are convenient like that.

That's the baby Jesus above the trees. After all, he is the reason for the lighted shrine. :)

Thank you to our wedding planner, Rebecca! We owe you most of our holiday cuteness. And thank you to Liz Kershiz for giving me the beautiful star that adorns our tallest tree. It is perfect.

Jared's family had a tradition growing up. Every night in December, they opened a wrapped Christmas book as a family. They read the book all together and placed it by the fireplace with all the other decorations and piles of books they were reading. Each night the Christmas book collection grew. When the month was over and the decorations put away, they wrapped the books in wrapping paper to be stored and ready for the next year. I LOVE that my in-laws always have holiday themed books in the front room for enjoyment. Our little collection is currently just 2 books, but one day it will be at least 31!

What holidays books would you recommend for this tradition or just to read this reason?

Taking Risks

Look at my little guy. He's taking risks and being daring and I am so proud of him!

It's taken him a long time to try walking, and I think it's because of his cautious and observant personality. However, taking risks is also a good thing. We need to take risks. Trying risky things helps us try new things, and consequently learn.

My little son is taking risks, trying new ideas, and learning new skills. He came up with this invention on his own. And LOVED it for 30 minutes straight. Up, down. Up, down. Up, down. And a new skill is born.

Life and Death

I've been thinking about life and death lately. A heavy topic. I know.

Two beautiful friends at church just had two beautiful babies in the same week. I got to see both moms and both babies in the hospital. I teared up meeting both of the babies - such beautiful little souls just starting out in this world. Birth is one of my most favorite events of which to be a part. A bit weird? Maybe. But heaven and earth are so close in times of life and death. Especially when death is a possibility when giving life. Birth is beautiful, unpredictable business. I thank heaven that both of my friends and both of their babies only experienced the birth part, and avoided the possible death. Did I mention that they are BEAUTIFUL babies? Ugh! And I don't even have pictures.

But, there is also a little birth going on in my home. WHAT?!? I don't know? What do you call the birth of a bulb? Sprouting?

I digress. This beautiful little creation has been growing so well on my window sill the last 3 weeks. It was a gift, so I don't know what flower it is, but we love it anyway. We are not prejudice against different flowers at my house. :) Check out this growth in only 20 days!

Amazing right? It is doing so well with just water, sunlight, and loving cheers from it's fans. Grandma Virgie (on Jared's side) says that plants grow best when given lots of love. "Whisper sweet nothings in their ears," she said. I will do whatever she says. She has a back yard vegetable garden the size of Rhode Island, so grandma knows best!

If only my sweet nothings had worked for this little fellow. The circle of life has claimed this mini-rose plant from my potted garden and I am in mourning. This little love was a surprise "I LOVE YOU" gift one afternoon from my dear husband. He is the best! I potted it, kissed it, and lovingly placed it outside. It thrived, bloomed and rebloomed for seven months! Then it suddenly started losing leaves and dying, even after I brought it inside from the cold! I thought maybe it felt the stress and contention at home. Maybe it did. But I think I found the real murderers! Do you see them?

I think these TINY white spiders and their deadly webs killed my beloved rose plant that my beloved gave me! Everywhere these little life-suckers spun a web, the leaves or buds died! I first wiped their webs away and removed the diseased leaves. They came back. Then I wiped again and sprayed with white vinegar. They came back. Then I was worried that if I kept the plant inside, they would make themselves comfortable in my house. So, the plant (almost completely dead by then) and it's inhabitants were moved outside to the winter temperatures. Any ideas of what those little homicidal maniacs are?

And so is life. As one little life died on my window sill, another has taken its place and thrives.

Wish List

A few weeks ago Jared and I got a broken (but fixable) Wii for FREE on craigslist. I mentioned it to my sister-in-law and she said that I should have it on my wishlist for the family. Well, we still got the free, broken Wii and Jared is going to fix it. (I LOVE having a fix-it kind of husband, by the way.)

But that conversation got me thinking about a wishlist. Jared and I always share wish lists because we are TERRIBLE at knowing what to get each other. We're not the gift-giving type, that's for sure. I used to keep an ongoing wish list for when the cash flow increased and I could afford a little treat. My wish lists are usually things I need but can wait to get. Or wants, that are also practical upgrades. But this time around, I am thinking big. Like, someone put our down payment on the home we are going to buy. Well, not that big, but at least bigger than usual.

So, here it is. Our wishlist for those who are interested, and for my Mister O, who can always use a hint.

Stuart doesn't need anything except a never-ending supply of diapers, but he is getting bored with his current set of toys. He is now 15 months old and so anything for that age would be great! Some examples include Discovery educational toys (below). And he also loves anything to do with animals and music.

Here are a couple things our family would enjoy, especially Jared. First, a pizza stone. Jared LOVES pizza. Loves pizza, even more than me sometimes. If we could make better pizza at home to save money, he would be a doubly happy husband.

Ticket to Ride is an awesome game for anyone who hasn't tried it. We love this game and would play it very, very often if we owned it.

So, on to me. It is easiest to think of items to put on my wishlist. :)

First, I need more make up. I use MAC, shade N4.

I really could use some black, dress shoes for church. All of the below styles would be awesome: boots for the cold weather coming, kitten heal for a little fanciness, or just plain flats to replace my current THRASHED pair. Size 8. And size HUGE calves. I have what they call "wide" calves. Makes a girl feel good, huh?

I don't know if this game would be for me or Jared or the downstairs neighbors. :) I played this game at a friend's house and am IN LOVE. I especially like the 80's tunes. Those that have known me for a while know I used to dance all the time. I love dance, grew up in dance classes, going to youth dances every month, and dancing is my preferred method of exercise. So, this game would rock my socks, get me moving again, and maybe lose weight?

I am not going to picture this, but I need new bras. I am still wearing nursing bras because they are the only thing that fit. I don't like underwires and I don't know my exact size. I don't know. Maybe "used-to-be-34D-but-now-I-am-not-nursing... "

Whoa giant picture below!

Last, but not least, is a very needed item. A 2012 daily planner. I have one a lot like this right now. But I would also like one that has a week view, with quotes or pretty images. Quotes are nice to make me laugh, think, or try harder.

And there it is. Thanks for looking.

What's at the top of your wishlist this year?

Squash soup

So Amanda always reminds me that I never put anything on here, which is for the most part true.  So in breaking with tradition, I thought I'd share this picture of my lovely family enjoying dinner the other night having Marcia's famous squash soup. Stuart loved it so much that we couldn't feed him fast enough!  So we came up with this equation...
Stuart loves soup + Stuart loves straws = Picture perfect opportunity.
I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Deep Down, Underground Root Cellar Soup

I think I found a new favorite soup, and it's made with Celery Root! It reminds me of my family's Butternut Squash soup, but with a creamy celery taste. I LOVE CELERY. I never knew celery was so flavorful until Jared and I discovered plain braised celery (so simple, right?) and have never looked back. We even ate nothing but braised celery for dinner once. This soup is much better, combines a greater variety, and still has a ton of that delicious celery taste. Check it out!

Deep, Down, Underground Root Cellar Soup

(Celery Root and Potato Soup)

Emeril Lagasse

• 3 slices thick-cut apple smoked bacon, diced
• 1 leek, white part only, diced
• 1 cup diced onion
• 1/2 cup diced parsnip
• 1/2 cup diced celery
• 1 tablespoon garlic
• 5 cups peeled, diced celery root (from a root about 1 1/2 pounds in weight)
• 1 large baking potato, peeled and cubed
• 6 cups chicken stock
• 1 3/4 teaspoons kosher salt
• 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
• 2 teaspoons finely minced fresh rosemary leaves
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon cider vinegar
• 2 tablespoons snipped fresh chives

DIRECTIONS

Set a 4-quart saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the bacon and cook, stirring frequently, until crispy and fat is rendered, about 4 minutes. Remove the bacon using a slotted spoon and transfer to paper towels to drain. Remove 1 tablespoon of the rendered bacon fat and set aside for another purpose. Add the leek, onions, parsnips and celery and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic to the pan and saute until fragrant, 45 to 60 seconds. Add the celery root, potato, stock, salt, pepper, and rosemary to the saucepan and bring to a boil; reduce heat to a simmer and cook until the celery root is very tender, 45 minutes to 1 hour.

When the celery root is tender, remove the saucepan from the heat and puree the soup using an immersion blender (or in batches using a bar blender), until smooth. Stir in the heavy cream and cider vinegar. Finely chop the reserved crispy bacon. Taste, and re-season the soup if necessary and serve, garnished with the crispy bacon and snipped chives.

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I have never cooked celery root but I loved it. I didn't strictly follow the recipe however, like I often don't. I left out the bacon completely and substituted the following:

• butter instead of bacon drippings
• half & half instead of heavy cream (which is so not necessary for it to be delicious, but it is creamier)
• coconut vinegar, not cider vinegar

Do not over salt, either. It doesn't need more salt than in the recipe.

I also used homemade broth from our baked chicken this week and chives from my dying garden. It tastes SO WONDERFUL!

Stuart's first steps!!!

I am so proud of my little prince. He is brave and learning so much. He started practicing walking all on his own last night. I didn't even have to prompt him. He just came walking to me!