Chili Cook-Off

There's nothing like entering a chili cook-off and winning 2nd place when you are crippled. ha ha That's what happened on Saturday though; we had a multi-stake YSA chili cook-off activity, and I didn't really consider changing my plans to enter it based on the fact that I couldn't stand up straight. A friend tried to convince me to not do it, but another friend (who knows me very well) told her "good luck telling Shanna 'no'."

I was surprised when I walked (er, hobbled) into the cultural hall (from a bathroom break) to hear my name announced as the 2nd place winner - the winner of a $75 gift card to Maggiano's. Yum! If I hadn't have already been up, I would have sent someone else to claim my prize. However, I was up, so I continued the what seemed like forever walk up to the front. I can't actually take all the credit though - I have to thank Jenny for the recipe (a white chicken chili that is fabulous!) and both she and my roommate Lisa for going to the grocery store for me while I slept.

I must say, my chili should have won first place, because the chili that won wasn't very good (I tried it). Oh well, first place was a gift card to the Cheesecake Factory, and I already have a gift card there anyway. Now I just have to figure out who to take with me to Maggiano's - just as soon as my back issues are finished!

Now, here's what you'll all want to try for dinner tonight:

White Chicken Chili

Ingredients:
2 (15 oz.) cans Great Northern Beans, rinsed and drained
1 large onion, chopped
1 stick unsalted butter
¼ cup all purpose flour
1 3/4 cups chicken broth (1 14 oz can)
2 cups half and half (or 1 cup milk and 1 cup half and half)
1 teaspoon Tabasco – or to taste
1 ½ teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
dash cayenne pepper
two 4-ounce cans mild fire roasted chopped green chilies with their juice
1 whole rotisserie chicken shredded – white and dark meat
6 ounces grated Monterey Jack Cheese – about 1 ½ cups
½ cup sour cream
Garnish – fresh cilantro sprigs

Directions:
1. Drain beans in a colander and rinse.
2. Cook onion in 2 Tablespoons butter over medium heat until the onion is softened but not brown.
3. In a heavy pot melt 6 Tablespoons butter over medium low heat and whisk in flour.
4. Turn heat to LOW and whisk constantly for 3 minutes making sure it doesn’t turn brown.
5. Stir in onion and add broth and half and half, whisking constantly.
6. Bring mixture to a boil over medium heat. The mixture should be thickened. If it is too thick add a little broth or water to thin it.
7. Stir in Tabasco, chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper.
8. Add beans, chilies, chicken and cheese.
9. Cook over medium low heat for about 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
10. Adjust salt and pepper to taste.

(I adjusted the seasonings a little to make it a little spicier).

Serve with sour cream, cilantro, and tortilla chips (if you prefer) on the side. Enjoy!

Straight Up Now Tell Me...

Thanks to Paula for being the inspiration for my title of this blog (ha ha) I mentioned a couple weeks ago that I was having back problems. Well, they were getting better, my chiro was helping, and I was on my way to being 'normal' again without being in any pain.

Well, Wednesday morning I woke up in excruciating pain for some unknown reason (and I do not even move in my sleep, so I'm pretty sure it wasn't some weird flailing about I did in my dreams). I went to my primary care dr. that afternoon, who basically told me I had bad luck, gave me a 500mg prescription of Naproxin, and a few samples of Soma muscle relaxers. The result? Nothing. Nothing has helped. I can't walk straight, I can't stand up straight, it hurts to sit, stand, crawl, stretch, cough, sneeze, and even laugh. This is as straight as I stand - seriously.

I went to a new chiro yesterday and he said he sees this all the time and that I will get better. Um...when? I felt a little better when I left there yesterday but nothing huge. And as the night progressed, it got continually worse. I have a pretty high pain tolerance but this just doesn't seem to be anything that I can kick right now. So that's it from me, your crippled friend.

A Lillywhite Engagement!

Wow, its finally happened. The streak is over. A Lillywhite is engaged!! Don't worry, there's nothing that I've been hiding - its not me - its my brother Ryan. Congratulations to Ryan & Laura. They will be married in the SLC temple on May 16 and I couldn't be happier for them.

I think I knew from the very beginning - I mean how could you not when you felt comfortable enough to cut your nylons with a pocketknife in the middle of your little brother's mission farewell at church - while she is sitting next to you the very first time you met her?!? ha ha I'm excited to finally have a sister-in-law. I always told my brothers they needed to marry cool girls, I and I most definitely approve of Laura! Let the fun begin...

Here's a pic of the happy couple in San Diego, just prior to the proposal:

Happy Valentine's Day

A good fortune from a cookies I ate today ...

"The current year will bring you much happiness."

And my personal favorite (I actually got this one a couple weeks ago):

"There's a good chance of a romantic encounter soon."

Hooray for Valentine's Day. And thanks for the flowers (you know who are)!

Finally, its over!

I'm not a huge tv addict, but I have definitely felt the pain of the writer's strike over the last 100 days. Hooray that its finally over! Now the question is, when are the shows going to be back on again? Here's what I've found so far...

LOST (which is thankfully still on right now since they had 8 episodes filmed before the strike began)

Damon Lindelof is eager for some answers. An executive producer of ABC's mystery serial "Lost," he should learn this week what his show's future holds as it closes out its fourth season.

"Lost" has been back on the air just two weeks. But the strike meant a planned 16-episode shooting schedule was halted after just eight episodes were shot. Fans braced themselves for no more this season.

"But we very much want to come back and do as many episodes as possible," said Lindelof, who then listed a few issues that first need to be settled.

"How many episodes can best serve our story? And what are the production realities?" He noted that the shooting facility in Hawaii, 2,500 miles from his Los Angeles office, had been shuttered since Thanksgiving. The crew has dispersed, the huge cast has scattered.

The first new post-strike episode of "Lost" could possibly be ready for broadcast the week after episode eight appears, he said. There likely would be three or four more after that.

Could there be even more?

"I'd be surprised if the network wanted to air episodes deep into the summer," he said. But if all the pieces fell into place, "Lost" fans would be blessed: "I don't see why we couldn't deliver all eight remaining episodes."

That kind of zeal should warm viewers' hearts. Lindelof and the rest of TV's creative community seem delighted to be back.

Almost as delighted as we are.
(http://www.cnn.com/2008/SHOWBIZ/TV/02/12/hollywoodlabor.viewer.ap/index.html)


The Office

Comedies will be able to return to air the quickest with new episodes, in as soon as four to six weeks. NBC's "The Office," for one, had one script ready before the cast walked out at the start of the strike. The show hopes to have five to 10 episodes starting in April or May.
(http://www.courant.com/entertainment/tv/hc-showstatus.artfeb13,0,6214897.story)


Grey's / Private Practice

Four to five new episodes of the ABC hit "Grey's Anatomy" and its spinoff "Private Practice" are being prepared for April and May; both shows have been picked up for the fall season.

Etc.

The latest thinking on Jack Bauer's strike-interrupted season on Fox's "24" is that it will just wait until January 2009 to try again. Producers didn't want to present a fraction of the shows it had done without being able to present 24 in a row as usual.
(http://www.courant.com/entertainment/tv/hc-showstatus.artfeb13,0,6214897.story)

Many hit series (such as ABC's "Desperate Housewives" and "Grey's Anatomy," as well as CBS' "CSI" trio) will be back this spring for what's left of the current season, with anywhere from four to seven new episodes.
(http://www.cnn.com/2008/SHOWBIZ/TV/02/12/hollywoodlabor.viewer.ap/index.html)

Hooray - I can finally start filling up my DVR again :)

I Want to 'Stand a Little Taller'

As many of you, I was very inspired by President Hinckley's funeral services on Saturday. Everything about it was incredible (including the tears that streamed down my face almost through the whole thing - so much for me not being a crier...) I especially loved President Eyring's talk. I want to be like President Hinckley has counseled us to stand a little taller every day of our lives by doing our best.

I also want to very literally stand a little taller ... I jacked up my back again on Saturday at the gym and am walking like a pregnant 80-year old! I went to a new chiropractor (mine was out of town) on Monday and he didn't do much. I have a hard time sitting still for very long and when I get up out of my chair it takes quite awhile; then I have to 'straighten out' before I look semi-normal. Hopefully my regular chiro can help me. I wish I were in UT to go to my dad's acupressurist so he could put the little magic beads behind my ear and make it all go away.

So here's to 'standing a little taller' in every sense of the phrase!!

The Soup Nazi

Ok so I'm not going to yell "no soup for you!" like the Soup Nazi on Seinfeld, but I sort of feel like I'm going to get that name since over the last two days I've managed to make four different kinds of soup and freeze it in quart-size ziplock baggies so that I can have some ready-made meals for the next month. I'm not sure why I got the sudden urge to pre-cook meals, but I'm sort of hoping it will take some of the guesswork out of figuring out "what's for dinner." (or lunch...)

The thing I hate about cooking is that I can't make anything for one person - hence the fact that my freezer is full of 20+ baggies of frozen soup. I'm hoping that if I eat one kind each day, I won't get so sick of it like I do when I make something and then have the same leftovers every day of the week ... I guess this time its just having the same leftover every day of the month. So we'll see how this goes. I'm a little bit afraid that its going to do something funky when I defrost it and then all my hard work is going to go to waste. I hope that's not the case! So, Taco Soup, Tomato Basil Parmesean, Chicken & Wild Rice, or White Chicken Chili - which one should I eat first? ha ha

January Randomness

So what HAVE I been doing in January (obviously NOT blogging)? Just to name a few, in no particular order:

1. Trying to figure out which half marathon I'm actually going to run (oh and trying to figure out a training schedule so I don't die in the process).
2. Watching football.
3. Celebrating birthdays.
4. Planning baseball trips for the summer (just bought my ticket for Seattle over Memorial Day).
5. Resisting the urge to buy music off of iTunes (successfully).
6. Tracking my life (ok my financial life) on Quicken.
7. Wondering if I should give up sugar again for an undetermined amount of time.
8. Watching movies - "27 Dresses" being my favorite (I think I love James Marsden).
9. Wishing the writer's strike would be over so The Office would come back.
10. Counting down the days until January 31 when LOST returns.
11. Breaking hearts left and right (hey if that's what people want to think, I've decided to let them go right ahead).
12. Remembering how much I love my space heaters and electric blanket.
13. Staying away from the mall - I haven't bought any new clothes all month!
14. Discovering a new flavor of ice cream - Chocolate Nutty Moose Tracks (the light kind - because I'm sure after all that chocolate and peanut butter and nuts, saving 50 calories makes a HUGE difference, right?!?).
15. Thinking its time for a blog makeover (obviously not enough to do something about it, but its a thought).
16. Getting information about my 10 year high school reunion and trying to decide whether or not I should go.
17. Reconnecting with old friends on Facebook.

That's all for now (not all that I've done, this is far from a conclusive list, but at least its an idea). I can't believe I'm leaving it at 17 - its such a random number and I don't like doing things that seem unfinished. But hey, its a new year so I'll just go with it. And I'll try not to continue my absence from the wonderful world of blogging.

Dean's Birthday

Dean was in Utah for his birthday, but I convinced him to let us take him to dinner when he returned. So we all went to Eggspectation and enjoyed dinner together. (and no, not everything on the menu has eggs in it...)

And from the other end of the table ... gotta love those awkward dinner table pictures:Then we went back to my house for what was probably the most delectable cake I have ever had in my life. I'm not saying that because I made it, but because I ordered it from Cold Stone. Yellow cake sandwiched between layers of cake batter ice cream with cookie dough chunks mixed in, covered with a chocolate ganache and topped with chunks of cookie dough and chocolate shavings. Absolutely, positively, delicious. I can't remember what someone said after he made his wish and blew out the candle ... I think it was a line from "Sixteen Candles" but it was apparently pretty funny (sometimes I hate not being the one taking the pictures!!):

After cake, we played Dean's new game of 80's Music "Scene It" and called it a night. Happy Birthday Dean!

Becky's Birthday

For my roommate Becky's birthday, we celebrated at Ledo Pizza. We had one table that was separated from the group, but the noticed that the couple sitting at the table at one end of our group was Becky's friend from work, so we nicely asked them if they'd be interested in switching tables. They obliged, and we were all able to sit together. We had a LOT of pizza.
The night in and of itself was something of a miracle, because the four of us roommates all actually went in the same car, together, for the first time since Lisa moved in August! Better late than never, right?!? I made Dave take a picture of the momentus occasion. Its hanging in our living room right now, purely as incentive to all of us to take more pictures together since none of us like it! ha ha Happy Birthday Becky!

What? I'm Not Perfect Anymore? (ha ha)

I haven't ever hated the dentist like most people do (hygenists who should have been hair stylists with the way they talk, now that's another topic). Here's how it usually goes: I go to the dentist, they clean my teeth, take x-rays and put flouride on them, then the dentist comes in and says one of a few things to me ... "You have perfect teeth." "Gorgeous." "You make me sick." "You don't make me any money, now get out of here." Then I get my free toothbrucsh and floss, and that's it. 30 minutes, and I'm done for the next six months.

Well today he came in and started poking around and said to the hygenist "you told her about this little one right?" To which she responded "No, I wanted you to confirm first." A little WHAT?? Yup, a little cavity. He said its really nothing, just a tiny dot, that he couldn't even really show me it was so small. He said they'll pretend its a sealant, and if I ever join the Peace Corp, he will still tell them that I have perfect teeth. No rush to get it filled, but I scheduled it for next week. How cool is this though - he does all his fillings with a laser! I have always wanted to see how it works - I guess now I will get to by no choice of my own. Oh well I guess I can't have perfect teeth forever.

To Blog Or Not To Blog?

That is the question I have been toying with back and forth. I know I haven't posted anything since Christmas (on this blog at least). Those of you who know me well know that it most definitely isn't because of a lack of excitement in my life, or a lack of anything noteworthy to blog about. It simply stems from the time factor. And not having very much of it. So, my apoligies for not keeping my blog more up-to-date. I have quite a few posts in que, but I have to sit down and download my pictures before I can post them. Patience is a virtue, at least that's what they say. Whoever 'they' is...

Merry Christmas!

I don't have to dream of a white Christmas this year, because we most definitely have one! Here's a shot of Ryan, his girlfriend Laura, and me earlier today - we were sick of waiting for Matt to come so we could take a picture to send to Josh! Its a really bad picture, but I love the view out our back door with all the snow!Christmas has been very relaxing this year - which has been very nice. We were able to talk to Josh (on a mission in Canada) this morning and open our presents and then basically hang around the house and eat food (and more food - isn't that what vacation is all about?) ... I've been reading a couple good books and working on mastering my Dr. Mario skills.

Laura joined us for Christmas dinner, but before, we had to snap a few Christmas photos. First, one of the kids ... And then one of the fam (minus Josh of course):

That's about all the excitement from here ... hope everyone has had a very merry Christmas today!

Wizards Game: Courtside!

I'm a very lucky girl. Last week my friend Cubbie called and invited me to the Wizards game. Darci (her sister) had 4 tickets to the game that night, and she said they were pretty sweet. If your definition of "sweet seats" is $325 2nd row, Courtside seats at about center court, you're right. You know you've scored when the usher says "all the way down" when she looks at your tickets. It was amazing. I don't think I will ever be able to go to another NBA game because I've been that close now!

The court seemed so small when we were that close! We could actually hear the players talking to each other on the court. Wow. Incredible, simply incredible. Thanks Darci, Cubbie, & Jimmy for letting me tag along! What a night.

Why eBay is still in Business

I wouldn't usually post something like this but maybe its the delusion that I was trapped in at the Post Office tonight. Yeah, there is a post office here that stays open until 9, and I had to pick something up that the mailman tried delivering on Saturday but I wasn't home (or didn't hear the door for...) so I had to take the lovely notice to the post office and pick up my package. Luckily for me, I also had to mail my cousin's Christmas present, so I figured I could take care of it all at once.

I got there about 8pm, and knew I was in trouble when I had to wait for a parking place. And then I saw the line inside. Luckily, the line was just for the do-it-yourself machine. So I walked up to the take a number stand and took a number - 08. And then I noticed what number they were "currently serving" - 66. Yeah, I'd be there for awhile. A 45 minute while. Thank goodness for the bench that two other funny ladies and I were able to share while we waited.

About 10 minutes before my number was finally called, this girl walked right in front of us, pushing about 6 boxes with her feet that were covered by her pink terry-cloth pants that were pulled over her shoes and still hanging about 8 more inches on the floor. She plopped herself down right in front of us and proceeded to continue her telephone conversation, while she dropped her big winter coat, hat, and purse on the floor. To complete the visual image of this girl - she couldn't have been more than 20 years old, had long frizzy hair (that though it looked like she hadn't brushed it in days surely couldn't have been the case since she had a hairbrush that looked like she'd had it since 1990 sticking out of her purse), wirey glasses, a blue sweater that looked straight off of the shelves of a bad thrift shop. and about 6 address labels that she was ready to put on with the roll of tape which was also in her purse.

Ok I am the meanest person ever. I love people watching. And this was people watching at its best. So her conversation went a little something like this ...

"What? You can't find her? You searched for her? She has to be listed! Let me spell her last name for you ... aahhhhh ... ok go to my email and look for the one that says 'you have one eBay item # blah blah' and her address should be in there ... ok you got it, what is it? (she then wrote it down on the address label) ... ok I will call you later and tell you everything else, but thank you! I love you so much, I don't know what I would do without you, I think you just saved my eBay career ... up until this point I have 100% positive feedback and I would just die if that got ruined!!"

Wow. She then proceeded to address and tape up the rest of her boxes while she waited for her number (which I'm pretty sure was right after mine). The two ladies I was sharing a bench with and I were trying not to laugh or look at each other, it was just such a sight to see. Luckily for me, I had been oon and off my phone, texing people, throughout this whole experience, so it wasn't odd when I got my phone out and (after turning it on silent of course), proceeded to take a few pictures of her.

This is our little friend digging in her purse for her tape, I think ... if you look closely you can see the purple brush sticking out. Good for her that she had no qualms about plopping down on the floor there. I do not think this is her first visit to the Post Office for eBay.We were a little afraid for this box on top since it was in really bad shape when she drop-kicked it into the Post Office. But lucky for her, she had tape to take care of everything!

I think this is my personal favorite, which I didn't get a good shot of. It caught me totally off guard because it was so RANDOM. Just after she finished packaging everything up and before she was called up to the counter, she reaches into her purse again and pulls out perfume and proceeds to spray herself all over with this perfume (which I'm pretty sure was an old Victoria's Secret perfume that has long since been discontinued - it smelled like the old Amber Romance). WOW. I so wish I would have gotten a better, less blurry picture of that one!

I'm pretty sure I coughed as I walked passed her since the stench was so strong! Honestly, what about perfume do people not understand ... one MAYBE two sprays is more than enough!! You don't need to spray the whole bottle. Anyway, as I waited for my turn, all of a sudden she says to me "oh my gosh your shoes are so cute!!" Ok. I was wearing these maroon ballet flats with some maroon corduroy pants - which she noticed very quickly and then proceeded to ask me if I'd bought the shoes first or the pants first and then how in the world did I match them up because they were like a perfect match and she just couldn't believe that. I told her I didn't even know they matched. Crazy eBay girl was trying to strike up a conversation with me! Just then though, "Number 8" was called and I was off to the counter to be helped. Finally!

I couldn't help but take one final picture on my way out though ... I think she was pulling her hair into a ponytail here, at least that's what I'm hoping she is doing. And I hope that this is the last of my crazy eBay Post Office experiences! I must say though, I got more than I bargained for when I walked into that building tonight. And I don't think I was the only one looking on ... at least I hope not! Next time you go to the post office, leave the perfume at home!!!!!

Christmas Deals

I'm sure most of you have finished your Christmas shopping by now, but just in case you haven't (or need to get a little something extra for yourself), I found this site today that has tons of great coupons on it - http://www.flamingoworld.com/retail

My personal favorite is the Melting Pot - you get a free chocolate fondue just for signing up for their "Club Fondue" (which basically means they will email you stuff - you don't do anything, except maybe try out some fondue)!

Christmas Card Time Already?!?

Its officially that time of year again ... time to send Christmas cards. I'm kicking myself for not starting on this sooner because I am not sure how creative I'm going to be this year. Too bad I can't just recycle the little message that I sent out last year. I thought it was pretty funny ...

(a la “Deck the Halls”)

‘Tis the season for Christmas letters.
Blah-blah-blah-blah-blah, blah-blah-blah-blah.
They’re as boring as a holiday sweater.
Blah-blah-blah-blah-blah, blah-blah-blah-blah.

So can I make this more exciting?
Blah-blah-blah, blah-blah-blah, blah-blah-blah.
That’s my goal with this year’s writing . . .
Blah-blah-blah-blah-blah, blah-blah-blah-blah.

I have gone on lots of great trips –
And can’t really claim those virgin lips.
Italy, Malta, Canada, & Mexico –
Kissing a few boys does not make me a ho!

Two baseball stadiums in one long day –
In one place I cannot seem to stay.
Socializing, financial planning, church & working out –
Life is always busy – no time to pout!

Hard to believe its been four and a half years –
But I love Virginia, so I’m staying right here!
I travel home every so often –
Being with my family is too much fun.

If you’re ever in Washington DC –
I’d sure love for you to come and visit me!
So I share my blessings from heaven –

And wish you the best in 2007!!

Cross your fingers that I can come up with something creative for this year - its no fun to just get a Christmas card with a signature on it. I won't do that to you, I promise! I just hope I can keep that promise ...

Holidays = FOOD

Time for the holidays ... and you know as well as I do that means time for holiday eating. Crap. Literally - holiday food is crap, it is not good for you in any way, shape, or form, other than the fact that it tastes so darn good. I think that I have found the perfect holiday diet though - who's on board with me? :)

HOLIDAY DIET

The following diet is designed to help you cope with the stress, paranoia, depression and delusion that builds during the holidays...

Breakfast:
1/2 grapefruit
1 slice whole wheat toast
8 oz. skim milk

Lunch:
4 oz. lean broiled chicken breast
1 cup steamed spinach
1 cup herb tea
1 Oreo cookie

Mid-Afternoon snack:
The rest of Oreos in the package
2 pints Rocky Road ice cream, nuts, cherries and whipped cream
1 jar hot fudge sauce

Dinner:
2 loaves garlic bread
4 cans or 1 large pitcher Coke
1 large sausage, mushroom and cheese pizza
3 Snickers bars

Late Evening:
Entire frozen Sara Lee cheesecake (eaten directly from freezer)

RULES FOR THIS DIET:
* If you eat something and no one sees you eat it, it has no calories.
* If you drink a diet soda with a candy bar, the calories in the candy bar are cancelled out by the diet soda.
* When you eat with someone else, calories don't count if you do not eat more than they do.
* Food used for medicinal purposes NEVER count, such as hot chocolate, brandy, toast and Sara Lee Cheesecake.
* If you fatten up everyone else around you then you look thinner.
* Movie related foods do not have additional calories because they are part of the entertainment package and not part of one's personal fuel. Examples: Milk Duds, buttered popcorn, Junior Mints, Red Hots, Tootsie Rolls.
* Cookie pieces contain no calories. The process of breaking causes calorie leakage.
* Things licked off knives and spoons have no calories if you are in the process of preparing something.
* Foods that have the same color have the same number of calories. Examples are: spinach and pistachio ice cream; mushrooms and mashed potatoes.
* Chocolate is a universal color and may be substituted for any other food color.
* Anything consumed while standing has no calories. This due to gravity and the density of the caloric mass.
* Anything consumed from someone else's plate has no calories since the calories rightfully belong to the other person and will cling to his/her plate. (We ALL know how calories like to cling!)

Now THAT'S what I'm talking about ... ha ha. Not really, but it did make me laugh, so I thought I'd share!

DC Temple Christmas Lights

Tonight I was able to go to the DC Temple Visitor's Center for the lighting ceremony of the 450,000 Christmas lights on the temple grounds. The event is put on by the Church's Public Affairs office in DC, and is hosted by Elder & Sister Marriott. This year, President Boyd K. Packer presided and spoke at the event. Much to our surprise, Elder Oaks was also there. I have to admit, I was a little awe-struck when Tyler and I turned the corner and saw Elder Oaks there talking to a couple missionaries, and then just meandering around the Visitor's Center mingling with people. It was incredible to be in such close quarters with so many amazing people. The Spirit was so strong and Christmas is officially here! I absolutely LOVE this time of year.

Thanksgiving Turkey Trot

What's a more festive way to ring in Thanksgiving morning than rolling out of bed at 6:15 to head downtown DC with the Nelson family clan & gang to run a 5k Turkey Trot? I can't think of anything so that's exactly what I did this year. Darci & Cubbie's family was in town and a few of us joined in their group to run in the SOME Turkey Trot for Hunger. It was right downtown DC near the Jefferson Memorial Tidal Basin.

Thanksgiving morning this year couldn't have been more beautiful. It was a balmy 60-degree+ morning, gorgeous leaves on and off the trees, and happy people ready for a pre-Thanksgiving feast jaunt around DC. I was prepared for cold weather, and quickly got hot in my running pants and long sleeved shirt underneath my t-shirt. Oh well it was just a 5k, so it was fine.

This was a very low-key "race" if you can even call it that. There were some hard core runners, as there always are, but for the most part it was "normal" people out for the event. Other than this guy (who, by the way, I started taking the picture before the lady grabbed his butt) -

I ran with Cubbie and Emily and a couple blocks into it, realized that my left shoe was untied, and before I could stop and tie it, I tripped and landed on my hands and knees in the middle of the road. Nice job. My knees were hurting so we walked a bit, then kept on going. Luckily my pants didn't rip, but they are pretty worn in the knees now. Oh well, nothing like breaking in a brand new pair of running pants like that huh?! Once I finished running, I looked at my knees - my right one was skinned a bit, but my left one had a bit more damage. It was bleeding a little so Cubbie and I went over to the first aid station and cleaned it up (it was not really that bad but what else were we going to do while we were waiting? Plus it made the first aid people feel needed!) What's an event for me without a physical issue right? ha ha

Here's a pic of Darci, Cubbie, and I pre-race. I didn't have my camera after the race, so I'll have to get those pics from their sister. What a fun way to start out Thanksgiving morning!

Top 5

These are a few of my favorite (amusing) things in the last week or so:

5. Falling asleep on my couch Saturday night after watching The Office from Thursday night because I was just too tired to walk to my bedroom (all of 50 feet away down the hallway).

4. Watching The Office. That show absolutely kills me.

Lester: How long have you known Ms. Levinson?
Michael: Six years and two months.
Lester: And you were directly under her the entire time?
Michael: That's what she said.
Lester: Excuse me?
Michael: That's what she said.
Lester: Ms. Levinson told you she was your direct superior?
Michael: Uh, wh-why would she say that?
Jan: Can we just move on to another question?
Diane: No wait, I don't understand. Who's on record on saying this?
Lester: With all due respect, I'm in the middle of a line of questioning. Now Mr. Scott, what did you say Ms. Levinson said? Regarding your employment status with respect to her corporate position.
Michael: Come again? That's what she said? I don't know what you're talking about.
Jan: Okay, if I may, he was just telling a joke before, so can we move on to another question?Lester: Oh, are you sure?
Jan: Uh, yes.
Lester: Can you go back to where this digression began?
Deposition Reporter: [reading off paper] Mr. Schneider: And you were directly under her the entire time? Mr. Scott: That's what she said.
Michael: Well, delivery is all wrong. She's butchering it.

3. Sitting behind our bishop and his wife during our ward talent/no talent show and hearing their comments ("wow, that was awkward...") all night.

2. Near the end of a lesson, having your home teacher reach into his pocket and pull out his harmonica and proceed to play a medley of "Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing," "Army of Helaman," and "Come, Come Ye Saints." Wow.

and last but certainly not least, stolen from Jenny's sister's friend:

1. They were playing a game for FHE. The game was some sort of word guessing game kind of like "I spy." Her little boy (he's about 6 or 7) said, "I'm thinking of a word. It starts with "F" and ends with "uckers." She and her husband just sat there and couldn't say anything. Then he said, "Do you give up?" "Uh huh." "It's Fuddruckers!" They just about died and that pretty much ended the game.

ha ha ha

Navy Football Game

I love sports - that is no surprise. Now that baseball season is over, I have to focus my attention on other sports. That's why when I caught wind of the Navy-Northern Illinois football game this weekend, I was all ears. I love college football, but haven't been to a game since last year when we trekked up to Boston for the BYU-BC game.

On Saturday, we went to Annapolis to the Naval Academy for the game. It was great. The stadium was a lot smaller than most college stadiums I have been to, and it was definitely quieter as well. It was fun to be there for the jet fly-over (I haven't ever seen jets fly that low over a stadium), and then to see all the Midshipmen on the field (in full uniform of course) was quite the sight. We didn't think it would be very cold when we left that afternoon, but what we underestimated was how cold it would get when the sun went down! We didn't actually stay for the entire game so that we could get back to a ward activity, but we were ready to go (translation: find a Starbucks for hot chocolate) when the time came since we were frozen. We did figure out that standing was a bit warmer, since your butt wasn't touching the freezing bleachers!

The game was fun though - and Navy ended up winning. They definitely had some random things at the game though, and I'm not just talking about over 300 high school cheerleaders performing for the Half-time show. Apparently their mascot (even though they are called the Navy Midshipmen) is the Goat - and on the sidelines was this sign, a favorite of ours, that read "Give 'Em The Goat!" Not really sure what that means, but we thought it was funny. Then the favorite was this song that they sang, called "The Goat is Old and Gnarly." Wow, that's an interesting one. It was fun to hear the band playing "Anchors Aweigh" every time they scored a touchdown though. And yes, they did push-ups after the extra point kicks too.

Here's a picture of us just before we left (we actually went with a group of about 12 people, but since we left early this is the only pic I have) - it is really dark since the flash didn't kick in because of the bright lights on the field. Oh well. We had a great time!

Ben's Birthday Beach Party

Today is our friend Ben's birthday. A long time ago, we decided that we wanted to throw him a birthday party, but knew that if we didn't do it as a surprise, he'd never go for it. So we planned a surprise party - knowing full well that with the magnitude of it, it would never stay a surprise. Ben loves the beach, so a beach party it was. We turned our house into a beach house ... Complete with an umbrella and beach chairs in our living room (sorry, no sun lights though):We hung celophane fish from the ceiling and put Ben's face on a surf dancer's body. We hung a water wall in the kitchen. Katie's first graders drew pictures of fish and we plastered those on the walls, along with a few collages of random pictures of Ben.
We did another water wall downstairs (after the palm tree garland stopped) and hung out beach "scene setters":
We had a giant picture of him right by the front door for everyone to sign - this was also the picture that was on the invitations (no that is not a sundress, it is Jenny's skirt and hat that he is wearing - I told him as soon as I took the picture that it would be blackmail. Little did he know how many people we'd send it out to!):Who even knew we had this much beach stuff around the house?!? (ok we didn't ... but thanks to Darci and Katie and Russ we were able to put together a pretty good collection)
What party would be complete without food? Cubbie created two of the most amazing cakes I've ever seen - one of a soccer field and ball since Ben loves soccer:And the other of a snow-capped mountain climber since Ben loves hiking - this cake is complete with a hiker (Hans Solo action figure), footprints all the way up the side of the mountain, and snow melting off the mountain top. (not to mention how amazing it tasted!!) Since everything else was beach-themed, we had beachy/boardwalky food - hot dogs, nachos, goldfish, popcorn, and caramel apples - all served in the little red-and-white-checked paper trays. Of course we had to sing to the birthday boy and made him blow out some candles - We had a great turnout - all in all there were about 70 people there, so I'd say the party was a success. Of course we have a ton of nachos and hot dogs leftover!
Here's Anne, Katie, and me. Anne, how is it that we have a picture together yet we didn't really even get a chance to talk?!? (stupid hostess duties...) Jenny (the mastermind behind this whole party) and me ... from the smiles on our faces, this must have been much before the end of the late night ... ha haWhat's a good party without sticky, gooey, yummy caramel apples, and a fun friend like Cubbie to eat them with?!?And last but not least - here's the Party Planning Committee with the Birthday Boy himself -Special thanks goes out to the Jenny, Darci (especially for the awesome pineapple coconut cakes that are not pictured), Russ, Costco, my iPod (and Katie's docking station) including, but not limited to The Beach Boys, Bob Marley, "Blue Crush" (both the movie and soundtrack), Shaggy, "50 First Dates" soundtrack, Israel Kamakawiwo'ole, Jack Johnson, Becky's bedroom (which became our storage place for all our regular house decorations), and everyone who helped celebrate with us. Happy Birthday Ben!

Missonary Blog

I've converted my mom to the blogging world - well hopefully anyway! She thought it would be a great way to keep our family (extended) up-to-date on Josh's mission without posting on our family website every time she gets pictures or letters or something from him. So, I spent a little time tonight and created a blog for her, and gave her a few hints on how to do it. I really like how it turned out! Hopefully its not too hard to keep it updated. http://elderlillywhite.blogspot.com/

Ice Cream Friday

My brothers call it "Slurpee Friday." I like ice cream more than slurpees (though I do love them too). At any rate, thanks to Melissa for tipping me off on this ice cream quiz! I knew I loved chocolate for a reason ...

You're Chocolate.

You embody the perfect blend of sweetness and seduction. You personality is just as luscious and irresistible as chocolate ice cream. You have a flirty, melty attitude that's easygoing and delicious. You appreciate luxurious, extravagant things, like the way ultra-soft fabrics feel against your skin. Some people want to hog you all to themselves, but you find ways to make everyone feel special.



Happy Friday - go out and eat some ice cream today!