Happy Birthday-

My soon-to-be nephew has a birthday!!

THIS YEAR:

He learned how to crawl- even though he already knew how to walk

He got in a fight with the cement- and won

He took his love of horses to a new level

He thought about learning to fly- but decided he'd better not

While his mom tried to pour him a drink- he said to himself- "No, I think I'll just drink it like this, thanks"

And at the end of it all he enjoyed some relaxation time- in his little brothers car seat

This little guy is a incredible bundle of fun. He has such a wonderful little personality. He is always trying out new things and exploring his options.  He is super creative, can make a game out of anything, and has the best giggle (if you can say giggle when referring to a boy). 

We love him so much!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CODY!!

Driving:

So I have been trying to be more consistant in all aspects of my life lately and today it paid off, that's right, while driving. Two times I was driving in my lane diligently, during traffic. Both times the lane next to me I saw car after car pass me, the drivers with smug smiles on their faces. But I stuck in my lane, hoping it would pay off. And it did. Both times my lane then passed by the other lane, so far that I passed all those smug people and even people who had been in front of me to begin with. I did not have a smug smile on my face, no, it was in my heart. Normally I am a fickle driver, changing lanes here and there, (this is not the same as when you are on a small highway and you switch from the slow lane to the fast lane to pass and then back to the slow lane, which Chad would attribute to my fickleness, and I would attribute to good drivers ed classes, that is what you are supposed to do after all)

But in other driving thoughts, I just want to vent about things I do not understand. More than once I have been driving in the fast lane minding my own business, no one is around... not for miles, all the sudden a car enters the freeway, there is noone in the slow lane, not behind them or in front of them, no big deal right? But for some reason, unknown to the entire world, this car decides not to stay in the slow lane, no, they decide to come into the fast lane, where I was happily driving. They come in front of me and then BAM we're going 60 mph on I-80 (It's 75 mph here). What is up with that?? I do NOT understand.

Blast from the Past

So when I was driving today I was listening to the radio and what came on- Drift Away...not the version by The Nylons, but that got me thinking you know. I miss listening to The Nylons..I mean seriously good times were had listening to that band. So as Gaston would say, the wheels in my head where turning, and I started thinking of lots of awesome bands I used to listen to all the time and now don't for some reason. To name a few: The Cranberries, Simon & Garfunkel, Yes, They Might Be Giants, Lifehouse, Enya, Boston, Van Halen, and I have missed a bunch good techno and ratpack songs here and there. 

I guess the problem is I have been relying on the radio to give me good tunes lately. And might I say that it has not been meeting standards. I don't know if you've been watching this season of American Idol, but Randy and Simon both mention (as they are doing the "theme nights" 60's-70's-80's..etc.) that they think the industry doesn't make songs/music as great as they used to. And I for one have to agree. I just feel like I have to flip my radio dial all the time, but give me a tape, CD, or ipod with the above mentioned bands and I won't be doing much song skipping. I am guessing that many of these bands songs were unappreciated at their time of creation, and so perhaps the songs I dislike on the radio now will be "classics" in 30 years...I guess we'll see. For right now though, I going to listen to my blasts from the past, and love every minute of it.

Sleeping problems...

My body has decided that it lives in Hong Kong, where it is night time when it in morning in Salt Lake. It started a week ago when I got back from California. I was completely exhausted (I am not sure why because I slept normal amounts while there) so I tried to get an hour or two of extra sleep the next couple days. Must've been a bad idea because then I started not being tired the following evenings. To the point that the last two nights I wasn't tired at all until about 7 or 8 am, I laid there in the dark bored out of my mind so I ended up spending my time checking my emails, looking at wedding stuff, or reading. This is insane!! That is the time NORMAL people wake up. So last night I didn't go to sleep and I am not going to squeeze in some zzz's between 7 and 10 like I did the past two nights. NO I say!!! I am going to tough today out, tired and all. Hopefully I will zonk out at somewhere around 10 or 11 pm like a reasonable person and get back on track. Wish me luck, seriously...I need it...I do not in fact live in Hong Kong, so these hours really just aren't working for me...

Macaron Update

Americas Test Kitchen version was total disaster!! The cookies well just looked and tasted weird. And the frosting just tasted like butter. I am sticking to the Martha version and trying to see if I can't either change a few things or follow the directions a little better this time around.

Sweet Tooth

I have what you would call an enormous sweet tooth. In recent discussion with my niece we actually decided that all my teeth are hankering for the sweets. And pretty much all the time.

So I am addicted to Parisian Macarons! It all started with a trip to the Ferry Building in San Francisco, and a little place called Miette. I instantly fell in love with the soft chewy texture and delightful flavors. So I thought I'd try to recreate it. And evidently I am not made for this. I first tried a recipe from good ol' Martha Stewart- Parisian Macaroons. I failed. The texture was too much like a meringue, stuck somewhere between when you put it on a pie and when its those crispy "cookie" things. And evidently I didn't let the eggs whip long enough in the frosting, because it ended up pretty runny and lumpy. So I tried another recipe from Americas Test Kitchen- Best of 2008. I will add the recipe later if they turn out. So far the dough is well, paste. Not at all like the easily piped dough from Martha Stewart. So I did the drop method. I heard this works so we'll see...