Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Winter Cleaning...Not Spring Cleaning.

When Scott and I moved from Dub J, we were working until the day that we moved, therefore a lot of boxes got packed and were labeled "stuff." We have an extra bedroom so we just shoved all the boxes into this room and decided that eventually we would go through them and organize. We found the motivation when some good friends of ours offered us a desk, and we realized we had no place to do it. Poor Scott has had to do his homework all semester on our kitchen table which is round and can only fit 4 people with 4 plates. so he didn't have a lot of room to spread out his stuff. Plus he would have me coming in and out, distracting him, so we are excited to get this desk where he can leave his stuff and not be bothered. This is what the room looked like in the beginning...
And there were also an exercise bike and a chair in the mess. It was hard to walk through.
It took 2 days, many costume changes (which we found along the way), and lots of garbage sacks to get through this mess.
That is my hot husband!

We packed the closet full of labeled boxes. And below is the room almost finished. We will be putting a desk under that window. It's so great, I keep going and looking at it cuz I haven't seen that much space in the room since the day we moved in!

Our Chrismtas

We had such a great Christmas! The weekend before we were able to spend 5 days in Salt Lake and Logan. We got to go to many family parties, eats lots of amazing food (Scott's favorite part), spend quality time with the ones that we love, see old friends, and get to hold 2 amazingly cute babies (my favorite part).

Christmas day we didn't open presents until 1 p.m. because we got this huge blizzard and Scott was taking care of our friends house here in Price and he had to go and shovel their walks. We both had bad colds and just stayed inside and watched movies, took naps, and ate food. It was a pretty good day. We were blessed with some great presents as well.

Our traditional Christmas breakfast, they were yummy!
Santa remembered to fill the stockings, he even remembered the orange.
The mess!
This is what I asked for. I'll bet you can guess what my new years resolution is...
Scott reading the instructions to my new scale.

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

I'd rather be where I was a year ago.



A year ago today we were getting onto a huge ship to set sail for the Mexican Riveria. I highly recommend a cruise for a honeymoon. We had to wait for 2 months after we were married to go on our honeymoon because of school but it was so fun to go to the warmth of Mexico from the snow and cold of Salt Lake. And I wish I was away from this snow again. What a fun trip!

Monday, December 8, 2008

A great/horrible weekend

This past weekend was a much needed break from work. We got to go to my parents house and spend the weekend. Saturday I finally got to see Twilight. I really liked it! I thought that it was less cheesy than the book, so that was a bonus. I also got to go to my parents ward Christmas party. This is the second year in a row that I've gone with then without Scott. Scott's old job in SLC called and asked if he could work Saturday so he worked a long day while I played...poor guy. So at the party, I'm not sure that one person came up to me and said hello without looking at my left hand first to make sure that I still had a ring. Kinda funny...and still happily married.

On Sunday we were able to witness our beautiful nephew being blessed by brother. It was so special! And then after, I spent the rest of the day sick as a dog. I got the stomach flu and it was SO bad. There are many great things that we had at the brunch that I won't be eating for a long long time. I can't remember the last time I had the stomach flu but I forgot how miserable it is. And the fear that jumped into my head...morning sickness is not as bad as the flu right? I am not pregnant, I promise (sorry for all the disappointed fans a.k.a. parents) but I have this fear now that when that time does come that I will be as sick as I was yesterday...for many days, or weeks, or months. Am I logical in having this fear? Someone please reassure me that it's not as bad as the flu.

Monday, December 1, 2008

YAY for insurance!

The first 8 months that Scott and I were married we didn't have any insurance. It was awful to say the least. I hurt a tooth a couple days after we got married and just finally got into a dentist today to have it checked out. I thought my tooth was cracked...the diagnosis: I had a bottom and top tooth that were hitting each other at a weird angle which was zinging the nerve everytime I bit down. So the dentist shaved them both down a little and said that that should do the trick. Also, no cavities, which I was surprised about. That's always great to hear! Now we get to have Scott go in next week. So grateful for insurance!

I also made a doctor's appointment. I've been having this weird thing with my shoulder where it will twitch when I lay down. It's so weird and I want to make sure it's nothing serious. I had to go to the doctor several times after we had just gotten married and that's when you realize how much it really costs to see a doctor without insurance. Man! No wonder they are rich! I'm just so grateful that all I have to do is go and pay a small co-pay now.

Saturday, November 29, 2008

Week in review

This week has been crazy! I've been busy with work, trying to get evaluations done on my whole team and Scott has been busy with school and getting ready for finals. The VP of the company that I work for came into Price on Wednesday and we had a 2 hour meeting with him about how we can improve our branch. That was pretty overwhelming, but good. I'm lucky to have such great bosses. We even spent 30 minutes of our meeting time watching the lastest episode of The Office just because. It was freakin awesome! I also had to have a 1 on 1 with him, talk about under pressure. I'm glad it's over with and all in all it went really well.

We also got a new niece in our family, BriLynn. She is definitely a part of her family, she looks just like the other kids. It's been over 6 years since either side of our family has had a baby girl so we are so excited to meet her and have her as part of the family!

We got to spend Thanksgiving here in Price. Scott's professor/friend and his wife invited us to have dinner with them. It was great to spend some time with them, they are 2 of the best people you could ever meet. They have taken us under their wing. I chose to work the evening of Thanksgiving and the day after. They are both paid holidays so if I work them I make 2 and 1/2 times what I usually do. It's something that we couldn't pass up, so we stayed in town.

I am now in day 5 of an 11 day working streak. I've had to trade some shifts around so that we can go home this weekend for Jonah's blessing. We are so excited to see how much he has grown. We are hoping to go to Temple Square while we are in town to see the lights.

Among other news, I found out something disturbing today. Apparently Price has scorpions. Luckily we haven't seen any yet but it makes me nervous to think that they are around. Apparently at the local Wal-mart, a worker saw 2 just running down an isle in the store. NOT comforting. I'll stick with my potato bug problem anyday!

Sunday, November 23, 2008

100 things I am thankful for

In honor of this time of season, I thought it would be appropriate to share the things that I am thankful for. I know that 100 is a lot, but I think it's good to think about the small things along with the big ones that make life so sweet. (This does not go in order of what I am most thankful for, it's just as it pops into my head.)

  1. My loving husband, who constantly shows me unconditional love. (Poor guy had never seen me after a football game when BYU has lost to Utah, and he STILL loves me.)
  2. My parents- The most supportive and loving people I know.
  3. My dog. Oh how I love my Cosmo.
  4. My siblings- I seriously have the funnest siblings in the world.
  5. My nieces and nephews- They are the ones that make life interesting.
  6. All other family members...you know who you are.
  7. Friends- That's a broad group, but I have some amazing friends!
  8. The Atonement- without which I would be doomed.
  9. My apartment- Though small and old fashioned, it is a roof over my head.
  10. A furnace- This time of year, that's important!
  11. The true gospel of Jesus Christ- The knowledge of all I need to know to get through this life with peace.
  12. A loving, forgiving Heavenly Father.
  13. My cute primary class!
  14. A great ward.
  15. Gas being under $2.00 here in Price.
  16. Movies.
  17. Books.
  18. Having a job that supports us.
  19. The opportunity I had to get an education.
  20. Food!
  21. A healthy body, for the most part.
  22. Temple blessings.
  23. The priesthood.
  24. Many, many, many shoes.
  25. Clothing
  26. A marriage that will last forever.
  27. My scentsy candle.
  28. Memories of trips with my family.
  29. Disneyland
  30. The ocean.
  31. The mountains.
  32. Trees
  33. Paved roads
  34. A car that is currently running smoothly.
  35. Prayer
  36. The sacrament.
  37. The chance to travel.
  38. My computer.
  39. The internet.
  40. Photos.
  41. Indoor plumbing.
  42. Modern medicine.
  43. Water heater.
  44. Washer and dryer.
  45. Having my church around the corner.
  46. My wedding ring.
  47. 2 functioning eyes.
  48. 2 functioning ears.
  49. A nose that can smell.
  50. A tongue that can taste.
  51. The sense of touch.
  52. Blankets.
  53. My pillow.
  54. An alarm clock.
  55. A cell phone.
  56. A Walmart in this small town.
  57. Music.
  58. An amazing ancestry.
  59. Joseph Smith.
  60. President Monson.
  61. All kitchen appliances.
  62. A Sunday dinner with my family, with games after.
  63. Being able to live in the USA.
  64. Having some food storage.
  65. My braided money tree a.k.a Gene.
  66. Cruise ships.
  67. Paper.
  68. A DVD player (and no we do not have DVR or TIVO, we are living the poor college student life still, it rocks!)
  69. A great boss.
  70. Awesome co-workers.
  71. Toilet paper.
  72. My tooth brush.
  73. Sunshine.
  74. Moonshine.
  75. Rain.
  76. My rice cooker.
  77. My $15, practically new microwave that I got on KSL.com, that can pop the perfect popcorn.
  78. Gum.
  79. Water.
  80. Loving people that invite us to Thanksgiving dinner when we have no other place to go.
  81. Holiday pay at work.
  82. The Office (the TV show).
  83. Living in a democracy (hopefully that doesn't end soon).
  84. Babies- Gotta love their cute hands and feet and squeaky noises.
  85. A blow drier.
  86. Hair straightener.
  87. Remote controls.
  88. Comfy soft slippers.
  89. Hot chocolate maker.
  90. Rainbows.
  91. Su Casa.
  92. Snow, when I'm inside and don't have to go anywhere.
  93. A kitchen table, which we didn't technically have our first 6 months of marriage.
  94. Guitar Hero...I rock!
  95. The Book of Mormon.
  96. Temples...and having 14, soon to be 16 within a 6 hour drive of my house.
  97. The holiday season.
  98. All 4 limbs.
  99. BYU football!!!
  100. Home.
If you got to the end, that's pretty amazing, because I probably would have skimmed it. It's an amazing time of year, don't forget how blessed you are to have so much!

Saturday, November 22, 2008

This post is for you

I know that University of Utah fans were buying shirts that were contradictory to this year's BYU football theme. The theme and the BYU t-shirt of the year reads "The QUEST". Utah fans made shirts that said "The QUEST is over!" Little do they know that they are 100% wrong. They obviously don't know the meaning of the quote. The quest is not to be undefeated, or to go to a BCS bowl, or to win the MWC championship...OR to beat the Utes. The Quest, as defined by an incredible man name Bronco Mendenhall, is making boys into honorable men. Teaching a team of football players the power of honor, tradition, spirit, service, character and morals.
4 years ago there was a decision to be made by a man named Kyle Whittingham. Both Utes and Cougars held their breath as they awaited his decision on whether he would take the head coach position at Utah or BYU. I think that both sides prayed that they would get this man as their coach. He chose Utah, and BYU has benefited ever since. We in turn got a man that was behind the scenes of BYU football, a defensive coordinator. What did he know of being a head coach? More than we all expected. He has made honorable men out of his players that serve the community, serve the Lord and live worthy lives. He does not put up with arrogance, misbehavior, or anything that would tarnish the name of those that left such a great legacy at the university. We win. As BYU fans, we have won. I would rather have him as a coach than have an undefeated season. He is a man of honor and is just good.
So thank you Kyle Whittingham, for choosing the right team, because we as Cougar fans and the BYU football program have all benefitted from it. Thank you for giving us that gift.

Sunday, November 16, 2008

That game up north

This is the week. The week full of excitement, rivalry, smack talk and most of all...anxiety. It is rivalry week. If you don't know what rivalry I'm talking about then you don't know me very well. I've very nervous and my pride is on the line. This week I will be cutting ties with some friends for a week (and maybe more if my team loses). It is better to not be friends for this week than to hear smart alec remarks and lose friends. (Or say the smart alec comments and offend friends). Through the years it has gotten into an ugly rivalry rather than a fun one where personal attacks are made about character and beliefs rather than teams ability. Can't we all just get along and get back to the smack talk of solely teams? I think it's good that I'm here in Price where the rivalry isn't as heated. Maybe I would handle a loss a lot better down here.  And while we are on the subject, my personal opinion is that neither team is that good this year. We just play really crappy teams! Both teams win over teams that are bad and I honestly feel that we are both heavily overrated. I think that if either of us make it to a bowl game, either team will be slaughtered, but we shall see...May the better team win!

Friday, November 14, 2008

The infestation of the potato bug

We have been lucky that we haven't had to worry too much about bugs here. Our windows are doubled up so they can't get in very easily. I think in the 6 months we've been here, we've seen a total of 8 spiders (all big ones) in our house, but that's not too bad. We've seen a few crickets (that are big, incredibly ugly, and appear in the weirdest places) but they don't scare me like spiders. And now we are finding potato bugs all over. Baby ones. They don't scare me, but I just have to shake out everything that I put on the floor because they are everywhere! I even found one in an article of clothing that I was wearing and I don't know how it got there. I can't find the source but hopefully I do soon, I'm tired of wearing slippers everywhere. But like I said, it could be WAY worse.

Monday, November 10, 2008

And this is his story...

About 3 and 1/2 years ago I was in a place in my life where I had just finished at SLCC and had decided to take the year off and just work. I was tired of school and I just wanted to play for a while. I was in a great single's ward, I was attending tons of activities and having so much fun. That summer of 2005, my sister told me that she was finally breaking down and buying a puppy. She had gone and picked out this puppy but he wasn't old enough to come home yet. They went and visited him every week. One week she decided to invite me to come and see this adorable Shih-tzu puppy. We went to the home in Holladay, and there were 6 puppies, 2 girls and 4 boys. The 2 girls had already been picked and one of the males was the one that Michelle had chosen. That left 3 boy puppies, a black one, a brown one and a white one. They were the cutest things in the world. They could wag their tales and were starting to show their personalities. I held each one, and played with each. I dreamt about getting one. As I looked over the 3, I knew there was something about the white one that was different. He wasn't the cutest of the batch but he reminded me of my dog Bandit that I had growing up. I instantly fell in love with "Fred" and when leaving after meeting him I whispered in his ear that I promised to come back and get him. I went home and discussed the matter with my parents. My dad was instantly opposed to the matter. They already had one dog, Lady, that was my brother's that he wasn't able to take with him when he got married. My mom didn't say much about the matter, so I let it drop. When Michelle brought Murphy home, I went with my mom up to their house to see him. My mom fell instantly in love and I asked her if I could see if Fred was still available. The breeders had put an add in the paper the week before and had told me that the dogs were usually sold within a few days. So I called my dad at work, and he didn't answer so I didn't get the chance to beg him again. So my mom gave me the final go-ahead to get the dog, saying that all the other kids had gotten a pet. I called the breeder and all 3 puppies were still there, so I told her that I would be there later that night to pick him up. I had a canning assignment with the ward so I went to that for 4 hours, anticipating the time that I got to go over and pick him up. When I got to the house, he was in a big tupperware storage container, all clean and groomed. I looked inside and he got so excited. I'll never forget the way that he acted when I saw him. He tried to jump up and wagged his tail furiously. From that point on, I knew he would be an important part of my life. I named him Cosmo. I took him home, he had hiccups the whole way, and when I got there, my mom fell instantly in love. My dad tried to dislike him for as long as he could, but I think he loved him from the beginning. It's hard to not like a ball of fluff that is clumsy and wants to play all the time. Lady on the other hand had an adjustment, she hated him from the get-go. But Cosmo was never afraid of her. He was a pound and 1/2 when I got him and Lady was around 60 pounds, and Cosmo would constantly egg her on to play. They were best friends for 3 years.

I knew that when it came to getting married it would be something to think about. I promised my parents that when I get this dog that I would take him when I left. When Scott and I started dating, he knew that we were a packaged deal and when we got engaged, he looked for places that would take a pet. We finally came to the conclusion that we would stay in the apartment that he was in. We weren't allowed to have Cosmo live there but he was able to come and visit once in a while. It wasn't a big deal, he was only 2 miles away at my parents, where he was the spoiled dog. I knew that it was best for the time. He still continued to wait up in the hall for me every night for the first few months I was married. It was very confusing to him. He was used to sleeping in my room.

When we got the inspiration to move to Price, the hardest thing about the whole move was not being able to take the dog. We've been here for 6 months now and that's still the biggest trial of being here. I can talk to my mom on the phone, and my friends. But I can't do that with Cosmo. It's a struggle to go home every 3 weeks or so, and spend time with him and then have to leave. He knows the routine now and one time I was packing and he walked into my old room and let out a cry. It's rough on the both of us and I can't leave my parent's house without crying because it's so hard to leave him. Scott understands this struggle that I'm having and has been so compassionate and kind about it. He never complains about going up to West Jordan and in his spare time he is constantly looking for a new place to live where we can have Cosmo. I'm lucky to have great parents who love him as much as I do and take special care of him. I know it will he hard for them the day that we finally get to take him. Cosmo has morning cuddle time with my mom, after my dad gets up to get ready for work. Cosmo is instantly on their bed, laying on my dad's pillow. And each night when they go to bed, my dad calls Cosmo up. He's been a blessing for all of us, showing us unconditional love and comfort when we need it. I know that some don't understand the concept of loving an animal so much but I'm grateful for that opportunity.

It's a sad day...

on the last home game day. It's always sad to walk away from Lavell Edwards Cougar Stadium and think that it will be another 9 months before another home game. I was lucky to get to go to 3/6 home games. I was hesitant about applying for the position that I have now because my schedule would be Tuesday-Saturday. But luckily one of my co-workers traded me a shift so that I could go to the last home game. Hats off to the Cougs that are now 18-0 in home games. That is phenomenal! Let's hope for 2 more wins in the regular season!

Thursday, November 6, 2008

A much needed day off


Yesterday was the last day of a 9-day working streak. My house was a mess, I was exhausted and I haven't been feeling so good. I feel like I've been coming down with something so I've been downing the echinacea and Vitamin-C. I got a good nights sleep and got up this morning and got to work on cleaning this messy house. I worked and worked and worked and about 5 I got showered and dressed and ran some errands for an hour and came home and got back into my pj's. I'm not feeling so good again. I hate being sick and I'm going to Salt Lake tomorrow so I've got to get feeling better. But I have to say that my house is really clean. I love it when it's that way. I can just sit back and relax and then I hear the buzzer of my drier in the background. Seriously I don't mind doing laundry, it's the folding it that gets me down. And then I remember that I still need to prepare my lesson for Primary on Sunday and pack. So, does the list of "to-do" ever end? That is the question.

In other news, I'm disappointed with the election this year but I am genuinely curious as to how the next 4 years will go. The nation is changing rapidly and I'm constantly seeing signs of the time. I wonder how many more signs I will see in the next 4 years. It will be interesting to see...

Friday, October 31, 2008

Happy Halloween!

Here is my super hot husband on Halloween. Any guesses on who he is? Would you make a comment to him about the way he is dressed? Well, not one person said anything to him today about the way he was dressed. Not his boss, or his teachers, or our friends. The people that see him on a regular basis, did not say A WORD. So after I got off of work, I went over to our neighbors house. Scott was already there and when I walked in, I said "Hey Charlie" and our neighbors comment...? "Does she always calls you that when you wear that shirt?" Therefore, we believe that no one really realized that he was dressed up as Charlie Brown. He wore short pants and that shirt....and anyone that knows him knows that he is a good dresser. We laughed a lot about it, I'm super glad that he really doesn't care what other people think.

I, on the other hand, dressed up as an Audio/Visual Technician. So basically I put on Scott's black clothes and walked around with tools. I love Halloween, but I hate dressing up. And my boss required that we dress up. So, I had to come up with something. I'm not about to pay for something that I'll only wear once, at least not at this point in life where we are trying to pinch pennies. So we made due and the day is over. Did you guys dress up? What did you dress as? Please post pictures on your blogs so that I can see!

Thursday, October 30, 2008

Preserve Marriage

I don't know why I get so nervous to tell what I believe in, I guess I don't want to offend people. But part of the challenge of these days is not being afraid to tell what you believe and what you stand for. I don't live in California but I do support the effort to vote YES on proposition 8. We need to save the sanctity of marriage. It starts with same-sex marriage and then where does it end? Where will they ever draw the line? Will prostitution become legal? What about polygamy? What will they teach our children in school?

I got this video from Lena's blog. I think it's important to know the repercussions of what is happening in our country. Take a look at this video...


Monday, October 27, 2008

I miss the Castle of Cheese.

I've had a hard time since leaving Su Casa, with the Mexican food craving. I worked there a month shy of 10 years, it was my job through high school and through college. It was not only job but a place where I met some really great people and made some great friends. So, Scott is patient with my attempt to make Mexican food any chance I get. Sunday I made fajitas, with rice and black beans. It was mighty tasty (if you don't compare them to Su Casa fajitas.
So, since moving here, I've thought of the pros and cons of not having to work at the restaurant anymore.

Pros:
  • I don't come home with the smell of the food penetrated in my hair and clothes. I was constantly doing laundry!
  • I don't go in each day wondering how much money I'm going to make. Having a steady paycheck is way nice!
  • I don't have to deal with certain customers that no one liked to wait on. All Su Casa employees know exactly who I'm talking about.
  • I don't have to deal with the drama and greediness of some of my co-workers. Enough said.
  • I don't have to sweep and mop floors at the end of a closing shift.
  • I don't have to touch other peoples napkins and dishes. For being a germaphobe, I'm surprised I lasted so long.
  • I don't have to deal with the catcalls of the cooks. They obviously didn't know the meaning of sexual harrassment.
  • I don't have salsa splatters on my shoes.
  • The sore muscles, I always had knots in my shoulders.
  • I don't have to laugh and the dumb jokes like when I ask if they need anything else they say "Just a wheelbarrow to get me out of here." If I had a nickle for everytime someone said that to me and I had to laugh....
Cons:
  • I miss my regualr customers. I miss the Lynches, Briggs, Mark and James, Sandy and Jean, my mom and Sue, Amber and her kids, and many others.
  • I miss having cash on hand. Having small change all the time.
  • I miss the hustle and bustle of running around on a crazy night, trying to get everything done.
  • I miss having access to free soda, which should probably be in the pro list, but I'm being honest.
  • I miss the food! I could live off that food.
  • I miss the religous banter between Kevin (the LDS bishop) and Miguel (the JW).
  • I miss the birthday parties, mostly the birthday cake that Angie would buy, always chocolate!
  • I miss the fun times with Shannon and Amber. Remember when we got the fire department to come after we closed and I was still inside in the bathroom with all the lights out. You guys deserted me. WOW, that was a night for the books. I haven't laughed so hard in my life.
  • I miss the pictures that we would draw on the chalkboard for Kevin, where we should have been drawing advertisements.
  • I miss a job with so much personal interaction, not just with customers but with co-workers.
  • And most of all, the biggest con of no longer being at Su Casa is my friends. I miss Marcia, Jeanette, Angie, Valentine (the stubborn old man dishwasher that spoke no English and was mean to everyone but me), Shannon, Emily, Stephanie, Chris, Deanna, and most of all Amber.
Working there is a chapter of my life that is over, but it helped me grow in so many ways and I met some amazing people. And I don't think I'll ever get over the cravings.

Sunday, October 26, 2008

Read with caution: This is about politics and it is long.

So I've gone back and forth as to whether I should write about this topic. And not wanting to ruin relationships along the way, I've put it off for a long time. This is something that's been on my mind for quite some times and I think I would feel better if I got it all out. If you are liberal, I'll tell you in advance that I totally believe in everyone having their own opinion and I'm up for any comments that you want to send my way, but you should also know that it probably won't change my opinion.

I've come to this election year thinking about how I'm going to vote. I've known from the beginning how I would vote, but I think that this year is the most important year to get your facts right and to invest some time in learning about each candidate so that a informed decision can be made, not only for our president but also for local leaders.

Speaking of the presidential vote, I've really struggled with the idea of having to vote for McCain or Obama. I was a Romney supporter, not just because of his religion but because of his standard. I thought that his views went along with mine and he was someone that I think could be trusted in the white house to think about the best benefit of our country and the people. As the debates went down for the Republicans, I lost a lot of respect for John McCain and the way that he was so condescending towards his opponants, I wish he would have told me what he wanted for this country and how he can make it a better place for all of us instead of pointing out the follies of the other candidates.

And then it came down to the democrats. We had Hillary and Obama. And my first reaction was "anyone but another Clinton in the white house." And when it came to finding out both of their policies, Hillary was looking a whole lot better than Obama. He scares me. I've listened to him talk and he is so suave and very convincing...(when he is reading from a script). And I think that people are getting sucked into his charisma. It is so easy to get sucked into his speeches and think "wow, he's pretty good." But then I snapped out of it. The policies that he stands for do not go along with my personal values. He wants change in this country...so did Hitler. Hilter was one of the most suave, believable men that has ever run a country and he was an evil evil man. The policies that Obama wants to introduce to this country are socialistic. He belongs to a party that believes in a "freedom of choice" but if he becomes president the only thing that people will be able to choose is if they want to kill their own child before they are born, and the freedom to marry anyone they choose. We will most likely end up with socialistic medicine and higher taxes.

Speaking of "freedom of choice" I think that this is one of the most disturbing things about Obama. This is a quote that he made about that subject:
SENATOR OBAMA: I've got two daughters, 9 years old and 6 years old. I'm going to teach them first of all about values and morals but if they make a mistake, I don't want them punished with a baby. I don't want them punished with an STD at the age of 16, you know. So it doesn't make sense.
So, you can't use the excuse that other political leaders have said that "I believe that women have the freedom to choose, but I would never personal do this." Because he believes it's a punishment to have a baby. He would not make his girls have to go through that. That should say something right there about his personal believes on abortion.

Another thing that bothers me is that when he was in the Senate, there was a bill trying to be passed in the state of Illinois called the "Born Alive Protection Act of 2000". This act basically says that if there is a boched abortion, where a baby is born alive, that it should be treated as a human with all the rights and should be given medical care. Obama denied this bill. He voted against it. On this site there is the tesimony of 2 nurses that work in a hospital in Illinois that went before the Senate to testify of what has been happening. And even after hearing these testimonies, they still voted against it. Now, I did go on Obama's website to a section about "facts" and this was addressed, and in there he said that he didn't vote for it because there was already a similar law in place. If that is the case then why is this awful thing (which you can read on the site) happening in hospitals! It is the most heanous thing that I've ever read, and I've been haunted by it ever since I read it. So...reader beware, but I think it's important to know.

One last thing that I don't understand about it is that how come liberals believe in a woman's right to end her own child's life, but they don't believe in the death penalty? Now, that's just a mystery for me.

So, my vote has come down to what I will NOT vote for. I will not vote for someone that has no sensitivity to life and family values and wants a government that will make the decisions for the people.

I will not voting for someone that I particularly like, but I do like his running mate. I think that Sarah Palin is a sharp cookie and her decision to go against her doctor's advice to abort her Down Syndrome baby makes me have a lot of respect for her. She has an imperfect family which I like and I think she can bring a lot of good things to the white house. And though I am not the biggest fan of McCain, I do respect him for his values and his willingness to put his country first. And I think that he's the better man to lead our country.

Now, that I've said my part, if there are any Obama supporters reading this, I would like to know what it is about him that draws you to vote for him? I'm saying this out of pure curiosity. I really don't understand the draw and I'd like to know what the appeal is, so feel free to comment.

Sunday, October 19, 2008

Best year of my life!



I can't believe that we've hit the one year mark! When we were dating and engaged the time seemed to go by so slow and here we are a year after we knelt at an alter and made sacred covenants to each other and our Heavenly Father. I know that there might be more than one person in the world that you can make a life with, but I know that Scott and I were meant to be together. We both had experiences before we met where I almost changed wards but didn't because of a feeling that I needed to stay where I was. And he was debating whether to move to West Jordan for the summer or to stay in Price and decided to move. After we were married I told him about how I had gone on a temple trip with my cousin Laurel in the beginning of May 2006 and in each temple I prayed for the experience to meet someone great and to get married (which was nothing new to my prayers). It was in the beginning of May 2006 that Scott felt impressed to move to West Jordan for the summer. Everything fell into place. We had our ups and downs and a breakup, of which my mom and Laurel knew wouldn't last long, but turned out to be good for the both of us and our relationship. And in the end we were able to be sealed together forever. There is a lot that you learn in the first year of marriage about each other. And it's amazing how much love can grow. I feel so lucky to have Scott, I've never known anyone like him and I knew it was right, there was no hesitancy in my decision to marry him whatsoever. He is an amazing person with an amazing heart and I'm so excited to see what's next in life for us. Scott, you're my favorite person in this world, you're my everything, my best friend, and thank you for giving me a year of growing experiences, teaching me so much about life and love, constantly trying to make my life better and happier and always giving me unconditional love.

Friday, October 17, 2008

Seriously disturbed!

So here I am. Yes. A naive woman who has lived her life in Utah. I'm sitting in my cute little naive apartment going through the ads that come on Tuesdays (my favorite mail day) and that's the only time I get coupons...so I'm looking through at the coupons and there's soap, children's Tylenol, checks, candy, random weird stuff like ugly ultra-supportive back supporting bras, and this add.
Anyone else disturbed? Yeah, I figured.

Let's move on, shall we? In less disturbing news, I get to go home this weekend, it's been over a month since I've been home and it's the longest time without seeing my dog. Judge all you want, but until you have a dog as your best friend for 3 years that is there for your in all your ups and downs, you will not understand. But I'm really excited to see Cosmo. Scott went to Salt Lake a couple weeks ago and Cosmo got all excited and gave him a kiss and then went to the window to look for me. And since I'm going home, I thought I would bring this:
No, this is not my garbage. Yes we do have a landfill here. This is recyclable stuff from a 3 week period when I decided that I might as well take this stuff to my parents since they have a recycle bin that gets emptied weekly. It started out with water bottles and evolved into anything recyclable. And you have no idea how less often I have to take out the garbage. Yea for saving the world!

MISSING

HELP!!! I'm sorry to bother all of you faithful readers...the 5 of you that are nice enough to read this blog, but I just wanted to put up a missing sign of sorts. The BYU football team has gone missing! They disappeared after their bye week the end of September. There have been imposters playing their games the last 3 weeks. If you could keep an eye out for them, that would be great. I'd like to see them back to play the rest of the season, cuz these replacements are not doing so hot. Ya know I'd even be happy if they were found before the last game of the regular season. So what are you sitting around for? Get lookin!

Thursday, October 16, 2008

All by myself

Well, here I am. In Price. By myself. And Scott is across the country in Connecticut working a convention. We knew he would have the opportunity to make this trip about 6 months ago. And we knew then that it was over the weekend of our first anniversary. Yes, we made the very grownup decision to be apart on our first anniversary for the sake of progressing. We were presented with a blessing that was much needed and we made the decision that we can't pick and choose our blessings. Especially when that blessing will pay our short-term loan for this semester. We had no idea how we would be paying it. Even with my raise, there was no way we would have enough, and then Scott got the email asking him to work this week for sure. We are richly blessed and we have had to make sacrifices and have faith in order to receive them. And I had my breakdown, and I cried A LOT when we decided and I've cried A LOT in the last 24 hours, and I'm sure it won't be the last time I cry this week, but it was the right thing to do and I don't regret the decision. And I made the decision that any other adult woman would if she can't be with her husband on her first anniversary... I'm going home for the weekend. I need some mom time. And some Cosmo time. And I'll be darned if I'm stuck here in Price by myself on Sunday.
And just so you know, Scott told me he wouldn't go if I didn't want him to. And at first I was tempted to tell him not to, and I know he would have stayed without a word. But on the brighter note Scott is taking me for to dinner, yummy sushi, on Monday when he gets back. And year old frozen wedding cake from our wedding for dessert! Yum!
So girls, any advice on what I can do to keep my mind busy while he is gone...that is without a mall, a decent theater, or Walmart (we have one, I'm just tired of walking around there, how sad that that's entertaining for me).

Monday, October 13, 2008

A little early for Christmas

I hate how there is already Christmas stuff at the stores and after Halloween FM100 and Kosy 106.5 will start playing Christmas music non-stop until Christmas. Does anyone else see how commercialized this holiday is? Well, I'm not sure what it is, but I have been dying to put up my Christmas decorations ever since the weather has turned cold. I want to put up Christmas lights and put up a tree. My work is doing a competition food drive, each as a team. So I had to wrap a huge box to put the donated food in and that could have been part of it. Also we got out our Back to Basics Hot Cocoa Maker for the first time this season. Scott loves hot chocolate and when he was working long hours for Webb he would come home and that's what he wanted so I would try and have a hot cup of frothy cocoa ready for him. It's our favorite appliance in the wintertime. Plus we have 3 cans from the dry pack of hot cocoa mix. If you like hot chocolate, this machine is amazing. It heats it to the perfect temperature and froths it as it comes out. SO GOOD!! And to top everything off, I bought this candle that smells like some cider spice smell.  It smells really good and makes me want to put on Christmas music.  Does anyone else feel those urges or am I totally out of my mind? 

Thursday, October 9, 2008

Election Time

Is anyone else scared for this election coming in November? There is so much at risk. There are moral values at risk. There is freedom at risk. There is national security at risk. There is financial security at risk. I'm seeing the signs of the times. There is so much that could and probably will go wrong in the next 4 years, and it's so scary! I'm seeing people worship other men, hanging on their every word and thinking that they can save the world. Does anyone see something wrong with that? We have entered the fight of our life. A fight against evil, a fight against immorality. (And sorry for the dooms day speech).

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

A man of God

I love conference weekend. It's a time to refresh and be counseled on what we need to be doing better in our life. I am constantly becoming aware of the little and big things that I need to improve on whether it's me seeing those flaws in myself or others that feel they need to tell me, but I love that only Heavenly Father and his elect can judge me righteously. He is the only one that knows my heart and knows my true strengths and weaknesses.

But back to conference, I just want to say what a great prophet we have here on this earth. I think that it's been a transition for most to get into the habit of saying "President Monson" instead of "President Hinckley". I love President Hinckley and all he did to progress the work of the Lord. He taught us all a lot. I've learned that each prophet has his purpose and his time. The pioneers needed a "Brigham Young" to get them to Zion. And I know that President Monson is the prophet now to help us saints progress even more. He will bring a different kind of strength to us followers.

I don't have many personal stories about prophets, but my grandparents had an experience a few months ago that I think tells the kind of man that President Monson is. My grandpa was in a nursing home for a little while, recovering from an illness. He was only in there for a month or two but he hated it there. He would cry when my grandma would leave him at night. Just some background on him, he had a stroke 11 years ago and has lost most of his speaking skills and his ability to walk very well. He was not a member of the church when he had his stroke. After he went through some rehab he was able to come home but he still couldn't move around well or talk well, it was really frustrating for him. But he made the choose a few years after his stroke that he wanted to be baptized, so he's been a faithful member ever since. While he was in the nursing home, my grandma, 2 aunts and 2 cousins came to the center on a Sunday for Sacrament meeting. As they were in the meeting, President Monson walked in unexpectedly. He was invited to give a few words and then he went to mingle with the people in the center. He is a frequent visitor of this center in Salt Lake, and he always ditches his "secret service" (which they get frustrated with, my friend's dad is one of them) to have some time to mingle with these people that are so close to the veil. He drives his own car there and home, no escort. Anyway, President Monson sat and played a song on the piano with my aunt after the service, it's a song that almost everyone knows on the piano that two people play. He was playing the bottom and she was playing the top. He kept scooting over towards her, practically shoving her off the bench. Finally my aunt nearly fell off the bench and he said "You know why I did that right?" She said no. He said "Because I think I would do better playing the top hand and you playing the bottom hand." My 2 cousins went up and talked to him and after a while, one of my aunts went up and said "You guys need to let him go, you are wasting time" to which he replied "they are not wasting my time, I am wasting their time." At this point my grandma asked if he would come over to my grandpa who is in a wheel chair and meet him. So he went over and shook my grandpa's hand, and my grandpa just sobbed. He's so sensitive to the spirit, and he knew just like I do, that he is a man called of God.

Saturday, October 4, 2008

I've been tagged

I have to tell you that it's been really hard for me to move here. I have had to make friends, and that is not an easy task I've found here. I work nights so enrichment is out and I'm in the Primary, so I don't have a chance to go to Relief Society. We've become friends with a few couples in our ward but doing couples things doesn't get the girl talk out. Work is not the most social atmosphere, and I'm not sure if it's a small town thing or a young adult thing, but girls here don't like to listen, they only like to talk, and my opinion is that friendship is a 2-way street. So the first real friend that I have here is Carrie. She is one of the coolest, nicest, best people I've met here and I'm so glad to call her my friend! She knew Scott from way back when (when he was here at school after his mission), they were in a play together "The Man Who Came To Dinner". Anyway...she tagged me so here we go!

3 favorite last purchases:
-Groceries (not that that's my favorite thing to purchase but I don't get to shop for much else.)
-My vacuum. (this would be the most exciting thing in many months, and that's sad.)
-Office supplies for my desk at work. (Again, not so exciting to me, but we there isn't much else.)

3 favorite movies
-Pride and Prejudice
-Pirates of the Caribbean (all 3)
-Multiplicity (not my absolute favorite, but the funniest movie I've seen in a long time!)

3 things I haven't done yet
-I haven't left the continental US.
-I haven't had kids.
-I haven't been to Disneyland this year (or last year, or the year before, it's practically a sin!)

3 things I couldn't live without (I'm going to follow Carrie's lead and not do the obvious things like Scott, family and church)
-Indoor plumbing (that includes a working toilet and shower).
-My computer with the internet.
-Chocolate of course!

3 favorite dishes
-Homeade chicken enchiladas
-Mom's spare ribs with scalloped potatoes
-Stir-fry

3 favorite TV shows (currently)
-Friends
-The Office
-The Biggest Loser

3 last places I've traveled to
-Mexican Riviera
-St. Louis and Carthage Missouri
-New York City

3 favorite desserts (I can't believe they are limiting me to 3, that's ridiculous!)
-Leatherby's "Tracy's Peanut Butter Cup"...can we say HEAVEN!
-Mom's homeade double layer chocolate cake and homeade Oreo ice cream.
-Cheesecake

3 things I would buy if money weren't an issue
-A house
-Clothes and shoes
-A blue BMW sedan

3 wishes
-To have my dog living with me
-To be able to pay off our debts in the next year
-To start a family soon

3 people I tag
-Amber (this is to see if you are keeping up with my life :) )
-Amy Dawson
-Joy Bailey

Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Some more good news!

This probably isn't a big deal to most of you, but this is huge in the Westwood home. Since I've changed schedules, I've pretty much given up football season, which is my favorite activity of the year. Down here if you want TV you have to either get Dish Network or cable through a company called Precis (which is what we have). I heard on the radio this week that Precis now has the Mountain channel, which is what most of BYU's games are broadcast on. So the other day I went through the channels that were not on my memory and there it was! On channel 8 is the Mountain channel which means that I can now tape the games and watch them when I get off of work. I had been keeping ESPN on my computer at work and I would watch the scores, but this is WAY more fun. I'm so excited that I don't have to miss football games this year! Woohoo! And Yay for BYU being #7! Hopefully they keep it up and bust the corrupt BCS.

Saturday, September 27, 2008

The Office + The Biggest Loser= AWESOME


I've been waiting for some good TV to come back on. Summer TV is really dull and I don't have time for it, but I really enjoy a few shows that start in fall. The season premiere of The Office was on on Thursday and they did a contest at work for a weight loss challenge. This episode could not have been premiered at a better time because starting last week on the 22nd, my work decided to start a "Biggest Loser" contest. There are only about a dozen people signed up, only one being a man. We are doing the contest until November the 22nd which is in the week of Thanksgiving. They are giving whoever wins a $50 gift certificate (we're not sure where to). Being in management, and obviously needing to lose weight, I have to set the example and do it. I'm actually really excited. I think that I can stick with it and I really want to lose this weight that I've gained since being married. The first week is always the hardest for me. It is that week that pretty much determines whether I can stick with it or not. Trying to limit the sweets, controlling portions and not eating after a certain time are the things I'm adjusting to and that will make or break this challenge for me. I've exercised 5 times this week and I can feel a huge difference in my energy level and I just feel better. I was really good at maintaining my weight before I got married. I know I could have lost some, but I was content with staying at that weight, but then when I got married things changed. I had chores to do that took up time, instead of exercising, I learned to cook and wanted to make really good tasting (therefore fattening) food to please my husband and I ate with him. We ate out, we ate late, and we ate whatever looked good. Since we have moved here, we don't eat out anymore, I rarely cook since I'm not home at night and we are busy! Scott has lost quite a bit of weight because of the change in life and now it's my turn. 

I would appreciate comments on this post so that I know I'm not the only person in the world that struggles with this horrible, constant battle. But if you are really skinny, please don't post how you are blessed to be able to eat whatever you want and not have to exercise and you never gain a pound, we might not be friends after if you do. :)   

Oh, and back to The Office, the episode is hilarious and met my expectations of funniness. Yay for Jim and Pam! 


Monday, September 22, 2008

A day off!

It's so weird to be home on a Monday, but it feels so great! The weekend was so crazy at work. I was basically thrown into my job and left alone to figure it out. They didn't mean to do this, it was by accident, but alas I had to figure things out there. I'm actually at a point where I enjoy going to work, it's so different than anything I've done before. I have to work hard and do a lot of paperwork but I really enjoy the challenge. I've finally found my niche here, it's so good for me, and I'm the happiest I've been since moving here. The company is that I work for is having a big open house on the 1st and my parents are coming down for that, which I'm really excited about. This will be the only time that the public will be allowed to come inside. I'll post pictures, it's a beautiful new building, probably the prettiest in Price.

Sunday, September 21, 2008

Princess test

I made Scott take the princess test (thanks Lena for the GREAT idea!) and he is Pocahontas. It's kinda a relief that he's her and not one of the girly princesses.


You Are Pocahantas!
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Free-spirited and wise. You have a strong passionate spirit that touches and changes all who know you. The wisdom and common sense that you have is really what guides you through life. Even so, you also have a very playful side that loves adventure and excitement.


Which Disney Princess Are You?

And then me made me take the test...


You Are Cinderella!
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Dignified and hard working. With a gentle and soft-spoken manner you have something many people don't. Patience. Even through the moments of heartbreak you're still able to hold onto all of your hopes and dreams. Bide your time; your dream will come true.


Which Disney Princess Are You?

I was actually tied between Cinderella and Aurora, why they gave me Cinderella I'm not sure. I'm pretty stubborn.

Saturday, September 20, 2008

Jonah

He's here, and I finally got to meet him! Jonah is so cute and I love everything about him. He's really squirmy and really hard to hold, it was kind of weird holding a new born again. It's been a long time. But he is full of personality and really sweet. He doesn't cry hardly every. Joey and Rhonda deserve such a good baby. Here are some pictures of him. Ali-Jo is holding him in one picture. She is always holding him and loving him.


P.S. How great is that BYU team! Way to shut out Wyoming! I love BYU football!!!!

Thursday, September 18, 2008

Home Sweet Home

I'm home! It was so nice going to Salt Lake for training and it was good to see what happens at corporate, but being there gave me a whole new appreciation for the center down here. I was really excited to come back and see my co-workers (good small town people) and to start my new position. I'm really excited about the work that I'll be doing, it's been a long time since I've been this excited about a job. And Price is starting to grow on me. We'll see how I feel after doing my job tomorrow by myself.

Saturday, September 13, 2008

The Quest: Tradition Spirit Honor

BYU deserves the shout out today. 59-0 over UCLA, home of the Norm Chow offense. Way to shut out the Bruins. It was an entertaining game (and I have the tomato red sunburn as a souvenir) filled with lots of scoring and a lot of cheering. I loved that this game was a win from the whole team, no one player dominated the game, everyone participated and contributed to the win. It is rare that you get to watch a game like that. This may be my last game for the season since I will be working Saturdays now, and I'm sure glad I went. Beside it being extremely hot, it was so much fun. I hope that this sends a message to the Pac-10 and the BCS that we are for real. GO COUGARS!!!

Thursday, September 11, 2008

Remember that dreadful day

7 years ago today was a day of national tragedy. We were brought together as a nation, for that one day it didn't matter if we were black/white, republican/democrat, religious/atheist. We all felt the impact. Unfortunately that unity was short lived. People were quick to forget that gut wrenching feeling that came from watching the disturbing images of that fateful day. As I've watched the video again today on TV I am reminded of how horrific and evil that act of terrorism was.

A little over a year ago, I had the opportunity to go to NYC with 5 of my friends from my ward. We only went for 4 days. The first day we were there, we went to Midtown to get tickets to Wicked. As we tried to find our way to the theater, we came upon this fire department. I took this picture as we passed. An honor to their brothers, fallen on that day. (This station is probably 15 miles away from the WTC.)














Later that day, we did some touristy things, we went to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, went to Wall Street, Macy's, and Serendipity, but we knew our trip would not be complete without paying our respects to those that lost their lives that fateful day. The WTC is just across the way from Wall Street, and like the rest of NYC it is bustling with business men, locals, and tourists, it's SO noisy. As you walk up to the area this is what you see.















Even with all the noise, there is a peace on these grounds. It is a sacred place where many lost their lives. At the time that we were there, they were still working on making the memorial. It was just a big piece of land with cranes. An empty void that can never be filled again.














As you walk around the gated area, there are pictures and memorials to those that were lost.



















It was a sacred experience. It made me even more proud to be an American, to live in a country with freedom. Let's hope that not everyone will forget that this is still "one nation under God."

Tuesday, September 9, 2008

The family name is secured for another generation

At 1:19 a.m. this morning I received the phone call that I've been waiting for for a month. Jonah Clinton (NOT after the former president) Marks has made his debut into this world. He was born September 8th around 11:15 p.m. (45 minutes shy of his oldest sister's birthday) weighing in at 7 lbs. 5 oz., 19 inches long, with inch long curly light hair. And their family is finally complete.

My grandparents have 34 grandchildren, only 3 of which are males that have the last name Marks (the Marks family makes girls). And Jonah is the first male of his generation to carry the name Marks.

It's been 7 years since the last baby on my side of the family and so it will be so fun to have a baby, especially a boy, in our family. The last boy in the Marks family was Nick who is 12. So, I'm just glad that Jonah is here safe and that everything went well in the delivery. I have to wait until next Monday to see him (when I go for my business trip, hehehe, I feel so grown up saying that) so this week will be really long! My parents are going to meet him today and will take pictures. I will post those later.

Wednesday, September 3, 2008

We have great news!

Okay, I can see what's running through your minds already...no we are not pregnant. I've been with my job for 2 and 1/2 months now and I got the job thinking that it would be temporary until I found something that I could use my degree for. About a month ago, there was a position open that I applied for at my work that would put me a step up. It was a $.40 raise (which isn't much but every little bit counts at this point). Unfortunately I wasn't offered that position and I was so frustrated that I wasn't moving up anywhere. So a few weeks ago they let us know that they were hiring for a 2 Team Lead Supervisor positions. Our company is growing fast and they are constantly hiring new people and they are needing a lot more management to handle it. So yesterday I had an interview with my boss and today I had to do a phone interview with corporate in SLC. And then this afternoon they offered me the job! So this position has a 30% raise, which is such a relief to us! They let me know that my education played a huge factor. It feels nice to be getting into a position that is not entry level. This is the first promotion that I've ever had and it's a great feeling. My boss told me that from the moment she first met me that she knew I would be going places in the company, so that's always encouraging to hear. I get to spend 4 days in Salt Lake City training, so it will be nice to get to be home for a little bit. Unfortunetly my schedule will be changing to Tuesday thru Saturday. In the business we are in, it's a 24/7/365 job and so all Team Lead Supervisors have to work 1 weekend day. I'm just glad that I'll have Sundays off. But I only get to go to one more football game this season, so that's kind of a bummer. We just feel really blessed that everything is falling into place.

P.S. I'll be in charge of 10-15 people on my team and we have to come up with a team name. Anyone got anything witty or fun? I'm open to suggestions...

Tuesday, September 2, 2008

Victory Victory Victory


Last Saturday was my one of my favorite days of the year...opening game day for BYU football. It was so fun to go there and be in the crowd, enjoying the atmosphere. Unfortunately for me, it was 97 degrees outside and about half way through the 1st quarter I thought I was going to pass out because I was so hot. So for a quarter and a half I watched the game from under the stands on the big TV on the south side of the stands. The rest of the game was a blast and there's nothing like the rush of a touchdown. The final score was 41-17, but BYU definitely has some things to work on. Let's hope that they do better this week and not turn over the ball so much. And just as a side note, if you ever go to a BYU home game, you have to have a cougar tail. Scott had been looking forward to this treat for a long time. It's a donut over a foot long and about 3 inches wide and an inch tall that has maple frosting on it. They are divine! Scott went down at half time to buy us one and they were all out under our stands, so he went all around the stadium looking for one and finally found one on the opposite side from us. What a great husband! And it was so tasty! We'll be getting another one next time for sure.

After we were done at the game we drove to Fairview to Scott's grandparents cabin. It was so nice down there. It rained a lot and it was so great to be in nature and visit with family. We had some yummy roasted hot dogs and s'mores.
Scott was able to do a lot of homework, and he enjoyed doing it somewhere besides home. Besides the bugs, it was great!













On to other things, tonight Scott cooked dinner and we made stir fry. We just kind of winged it and it was so good! It was a really cheap dinner and tasted great. We are loving that combination! I took some pictures to make you all jealous. This was the first time Scott mentioned something being "blog worthy" and I totally agreed. We used frozen vegtables except the zuchini which Scott's Aunt Li Ling and Uncle Rob contributed to us. It was good stuff!