Spring Break 2010

I celebrated my Second Annual Spring Break in Phoenix. The weather was perfect (70-85 degrees). The tree in front of Jeff's house was in bloom. I apparently missed the best part of the bloom but it was still beautiful. Jeff's house is looking amazing. The roof is on, the stucco is on, and now thanks in part to me most of the insulation is up. I am in constant awe of Jeff. The fact that he has nearly doubled the size of his house doing most of the work on his own dumbfounds me. I honestly think there is nothing in life that Jeff couldn't do.



This is the view from Jeff's new master suite. The mountain in the background is Camelback.


We returned to La Piazza del Forno in Glendale. The pizza was even better than the first time that I visited. I hadn't noticed the sign below before.


The trip to Arizona wouldn't be complete without a hike. We hiked Camelback. I had only been up the West side in the past. This time we hiked from the East to the West side. We even met Camelback Jack on our way up. This guy has to be in his sixties or seventies and he hikes the East side (most difficult) three times each day. I hope that I am that agile when I am sixty.



Diesel joined us for the hike. He slowed Jeff down a little, otherwise I would have totally been left in the dust. Diesel is a total chick magnet for Jeff. Almost every girl that we saw on the trail commented on how cute Diesel was. Diesel has even learned to drink straight from Jeff's backpack.

The wildflowers were breathtaking. I couldn't resist getting lots of pictures. My favorite is of the pink flower in the midst of the spiky cactus thorns.











P.S. My eye twitch disappeared during my trip to Arizona. I think I was in desperate need of some R&R. Hopefully it does not make a reappearance anytime soon.

P.S.S. I continued with my training schedule while I was in Phoenix. I ran along the canal three days and visited a gym for my long 2 hour run one day. I must be crazy.

Michael Buble

I went to the Michael Buble concert at the E-Center on March 31st. I have been to a lot of concerts but this was definitely in my top 5 of all time. The stage was simple. The concert was about the music and Michael singing the music. It wasn't about dancing, a moving stage, or background graphics. There were no extreme costume changes. He came out in a tux and he stayed in it. The big band was at the center of the stage, not hidden to the side or below like you see with other artists. Michael Buble was one of the best entertainers I have ever seen. He was able to make every member of the audience feel like he was serenading them individually. If Michael was to come again I would go in a heart beat.




P.S. I hope that when Michael does come again that he doesn't come to the E-Center. It is possibly the worst venue in Salt Lake. Parking is an absolute joke. I had read online that parking would be $10. All of the signs driving up to the parking lot said $10. We get to the kid taking money and he asks for $15. We corrected him. He said we could pay $10 since we saw the sign. The 40 minutes it took to get out of the parking lot didn't make me feel any better about the situation either.

Coming soon...to City Creek

I was walking downtown the other day and caught a glimpse of sign that made me smile. The Blue Lemon is coming to the City Creek Project. Over the past few months the City Creek Project has really started to take a form. I love the design. I can definitely see myself spending more time downtown once it opens up. I am thrilled that the Blue Lemon is coming and that I won't have to drive all the way to Alpine for the scrumptious tastes the Blue Lemon offers.

Wing = (Winter +Spring)

Did you know that it is snaning today(snaning =snow + rain). The little tastes of Spring that I have been given make the in between days unbearable. Spring in Utah is just a big flirt, you get a little taste of Spring and then it is taken away from you. I am so ready for Spring to stop flirting and just stick around.

Saturday was a beautiful day. We had a Relief Society brunch up in Park City. The menu was amazing ...pesto tomato cheese croissant sandwiches and a blueberry mango and candied ginger salad. Roxy was the menu planner and she is seriously a rock star in my book.

When I got back to Salt Lake I went on a scooter ride down to Gateway to return a few items. I continued my journey to the downtown library where I picked up a classic to read in all my spare time. It is now sitting on the pile of books next to my bed. Then I visited 3-5 motorcycle shops on State Street in search of a helmet. It was quite the experience. I finally found this helmet at one of the least scandalous stores. I'm looking forward to using it all Spring and Summer if they ever decide to stop flirting and stick around.

Wasatch Back Ragnar Relay

I signed up for the Wasatch Back Ragnar Relay at the end of January. I have been busy training for the Salt Lake Half Marathon in April and the Ragnar in June. (I'm also doing the Women of Steel Triathlon in May). I'm starting to think I got myself in over my head. I am Runner #11 for my team the Hairy Breeks. Here is a little info about my legs. Wish me luck!

Leg #1
3.7 Miles described as "VERY HARD"
On my first leg I will have beautiful views of Pineview Reservoir but I will also be climbing approximately 900 feet in 3 miles. I googled how to calculate the incline because my estimates have been nowhere near 900 feet. I will have to train on the treadmill at 5.6% incline. I don't even know if the treadmill goes that high.

Leg #2
5.5 Miles described as "MODERATE"
I think they have adjusted a few legs of the race. When my team first decided who would be what runner, this leg was over 7 miles long. I will get great views of Rockport Lake and run through Wanship.

Leg #3
5.4 Miles described as "VERY HARD"
They also shortened this leg. It used to be over 7 miles also. I actually enjoy running downhill. I am excited to run through Deer Valley and Park City.

KEEP CALM AND HAVE A CUPCAKE

I made coconut lime cupcakes with white chocolate frosting last night. They were so yummy. Check out the recipe here. They reminded me of Spring and I can't wait to make more than just a short appearance.

I love cupcakes. Who wouldn't want to eat a cupcake sitting on this adorable stand like the one below. (Just as clarification. I did not actually make any of the cupcakes on the stand below. This is just a picture I found on line.) A special thanks to my sister-in-law, Collette, who bought the cupcake stand for my mom, which means that I have access to it. I served yummy lemon cupcakes from it for my flatmate, Emily's birthday. It was definitely a hit.

THE RETURN OF...

THE DOMESTIC GODDESS.


Feast your eyes upon the scrumptious Spiderman cake I made last weekend. In light of the recent economic downturn and feeling a little under- recognized / appreciated / valued in my current profession, I am considering quitting my job to become the female version of The Cake Boss (aka the Cake Goddess). My little brother, Scott, says I have some mad skills.

I wasn't sure Spidey would turn out. I used a Devil Food Cake mix and added buttermilk like the cake doctor recommended. I even greased and floured the pan but Spidey did not want to come out. His top fell off a bit but I put him in the freezer for a couple of hours and with a little extra frosting he turned out just fine.

I have been feeling a little more domestic lately. For Christmas I got the Pioneer Woman cookbook and I love it. I cooked the lasagna last week and it was honestly the best lasagna I have ever made. I also recommend the Migas recipe. Whenever I tell people about the cookbook they always ask if it is a Mormon cookbook. I explain that it is just about a woman who feel in love with a cowboy. My favorite response has been "well wouldn't hat make it the cowgirl cookbook." Whether she is a pioneer woman or a cowgirl, I highly recommend her website. Check it out, it may bring out the domestic goddess in you.