Red Bean & Rice

So I was looking for something new and easy to do with smoked sausage 

(If you've never tried it the lower fat Turkey Kielbasa is really good)  I found this recipe on allrecipes.com which is a great site for new recipes.  I have found several keepers on that site when I've looked at a piece of meat and been bored with my regular recipes.  You can put "smoked sausage" in the search box and recipes will start coming up with that ingredient.  The thing I really like about the site are the comments by people who have tried the recipe.  They often make really helpful suggestions like "It was good but a little on the bland side so I added more garlic".  This is the recipe for "Red Beans and Rice" that I tried this week. I adjusted it a little to make it go far enough for my family so the recipe I'm posting is different than you'll find on the site.  This fed 7 people.

Red Beans and Rice

1 package smoked sausage, sliced in rounds

1 onion, diced

1 green pepper, diced

1 tsp garlic

2 8 oz cans of tomato sauce

2 15 oz cans of Kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1/2 tsp oregano

6 C water

3 C white rice

1. Bring water to a boil.  Add rice.  Let boil hard one minute, lower heat to low. cover with lid and cook on low for 20 minutes.

2.  Place sliced sausage in large skillet.  Fry on medium high til browned nicely, about 5 min.If you use a regular sausage instead of a lower fat one there's quite a bit of grease in the pan.  I took a paper towel and blotted up most of the oil.  Then and add diced onion and pepper & garlic.  Sautee til soft.  Add tomato sauce and beans & oregano and simmer for 20 min.

3. Serve red beans & sausage over rice. (or next to rice if your ages 5-10)

Really liked it:

Mark, Jamie, Carly, Mason

Thought it was ok but ate it...

Samantha and Rachel

Didn't like it AT ALL

Jacob (big surprise eh?)

The leprechaun plan: still on the drawing board

At the store in the evil checkout lane where gum and candy abound at child eye-level:

Mason: ooohhh look a new kind of skittles

Me: no

Samantha: ohhhh tic tacs! I love tic tacs! *shake- shake- shake*

Me: no

Jacob: Ohhh! look a 2 foot long pepperoni stick!

Me: ugghh and NO!

Mason: Ohhhhh look... my favorite gum

Me: no

Mason: oh yeah!!! If I catch a leprechaun I am going to wish for all the gum and candy in the whole entire world!!! and you can't stop me! Ha! *insert: evil grin and rubbing palms together *

Me: If you catch a leprechaun you MAY have all the gum and candy in the whole entire world. No problem. I won't even try to stop you. *insert sigh of relief I can finally say yes!*

Another day, Another leprechaun plan:

Mason: Mom, if I catch a leprechaun I changed my mind what I am going to wish for. I am not going to wish for a thousand million bucks, I am going to wish for #1. to transform into all the Bakugons and have their powers #2 to be able to turn into any of the transformers and #3 have all the superhero powers in the universe

so he's been thinking... money isn't everything.... POWER is everything.

he continues...

so then if you asked me to get the mail and I went to the mailbox and a bad guy shows up and tries to steal me I would say "DARTH VADER POWER" and then I would be like "It's Choking time!" (He simulates raising his hand and with it he raises a pretend choking bad guy into the air)

hmmm... should I be worried?

I also found him poking into the wall in his room with a tack. There was a little hole there (There are ALOT of little holes in that room) and he is digging around, chipping off drywall making it bigger.

I say, "what are you doing?" and he informs me "this is just the kind of hole a leprechaun would live in and I'm trying to catch one. I think I could stab his jacket with this tack and then I would have him. I think I almost got him!"

LEPRECHAUNS BEWARE. THIS BOY IS NOT GIVING UP UNTIL YOU ARE HIS!

He is determined.

He is devious.

He is 5.

The saddest story....

I was working at school today.   It was writing time.   I was helping a child with their story.  

They are supposed to follow this formula:

Two (sentences) beginnings.

Two (sentences) problems.

Two (sentences) fix-its.

The child tried to follow the formula but when your story starts with talk of jail; I'm pretty sure it's mostly problems.  I wish I had a fix-it for this child.  

My Daddy was late getting out of jail.  We waited for him.  I was sad.  I was crying.  Finally he came out.  I was happy. 

Next to this child are children writing these stories...

I love my mom.  I like my mom.  I didn't give her flowers.  I was sad.  I did give her flowers.  I was happy.

and

I got a new dog.  He is cute.  He sleeps a lot.  I am sad.  He waked up.  He plays with me.  I am happy.

Those are the kind of problems 5 yr olds need to deal with.  Some kids start out with such a hard road.

sad. sad. sad. 

A little holiday desperation turns out to be a good thing.

My Easter menu was:

Ham

Rainbow Jello

Easter Rolls

Christy's glazed carrots

strawberry bottom pie

baked potatoes

I became disenchanted with the idea of baked potatoes on sunday morning... A little last minute for menu changes.... I KNOW!

I couldn't do mashed potatoes with no gravy...

Mark had suggested on Saturday twice baked potatoes~ but with working on the rolls, pies and jello I knew I would not have time or energy leftover for twicebaked potatoes. ....

He then suggested scalloped potatoes but the answer for me was the same... time, energy...making a white sauce, blah blah blah.. layering...

Carly suggested funeral potatoes but nobody likes them but the adults and Carly......

I had settled for baked but that just seemed to boring for a holiday dinner.....

what to do?????

I decided on a whim to make something up.....

I have a recipe called "speedy spuds" I copied from my college roommate, Sharla, back in Harmony house, Rexburg Idaho. In that recipe you melt 1/4 C butter/margarine in a 13x9 pan. Next, you fill that pan up with sliced potatoes, skin on. You sprinkle them with season salt and stir them up to get the potatoes evenly coated and put them in the oven at 400 degrees. You have to stir them every 20 min or so and they take an hour or so to get done. I knew I couldn't do that because I would be at church and couldn't stir them every 20 min. I didn't want to cook them when I got home because we didn't want to wait that long to eat.... hmmmm... I saw 2 little unused boxes of cream in the fridge.... I got an idea......

I call them "Desperation Easter Potatoes"

I scrubbed and sliced 12 medium potatoes.

I put them in a large roasting pan (like a lasagna pan, bigger than 13x9)

I sprinkled them with season salt and poured one pint of cream over it all.

I knew I was taking a chance with my holiday dinner by trying something completely new and untried, Something fiendishly easy and quick.

but seriously folks, how WRONG could it be with a pint of cream in the equation?

I mixed it all up and covered them with foil and set the time bake setting on the oven.

I cooked them for 2 hrs at 350 degrees, stirred them up after church and let them cook for 30 more minutes so 2 1/2 hrs total. They were SOOOOO good. Some were well done and crunchy, all were tender and yummy. Everyone loved them and they will probably be our Easter potatoes every year. They go really well with ham.

It was lovely to sit down to a dinner that everyone loved. I got NO looks, NO groans, No sad sulking and staring at dinner plates, NO hubby grumbling about trying out a new recipe on him. In fact all I got were compliments after compliments. Jacob even admitted the carrots weren't terrible. That's something.

kung fu master in the house

Me: Hey Mason, Hurry up & get your shoes on because I'm leaving!

Mason: Not without me because then I would be home alone....

... and then the bad guys would come.....

...but that would be okay because I'm GOOD at kung fu.

He winks at me and walks upstairs.

Confident.
Not in a hurry.

Where's MY global warming?

Ahhh...  my first bouquet of  spring flowers brought to me by Rachel & Jacob & Mason on Monday!

Now it's Wednesday.... (actually it's Thursday by 30 minutes)

This is what it looks like outside.

This is what I found on the white board in the hall as I started up to bed.  I'm not sure which of my disgruntled, cold, stuck in the house today, winter weary daughters drew this but I think she speaks for all of us....

sigh

3.5 inches and still falling. 

 brrrrr......

Valentines for the *Recess Lady

"Mom... come look what I made for you.  It's a valentine just for you!"

It was a bright spot in one freezing hour on the playground.  

He is the sweetest boy.

Holy Week FHE idea...

Every year for the past 4 years we have been inviting over a family with children and performing this play together to help us all understand these events from Jesus' last week and prepare us for Easter. The children pick parts written on slips of paper and dress in simple costumes, (towels, robes, belts, etc) We use simple props and I tell the children to simply act out the play as I, the narrator, read according to their parts. There are a few speaking parts and I have those written on paper that I hold up. It's fun.

We do have a little lesson before about palm leaves & their significance in the "Triumphal entry" using this article from the friend. We make palm leaves from green construction paper. Google "Palm leaf craft" and there's lots of ideas out there. I should have posted this a little earlier.... Let me know if you do it and how it works.

The Last Days of Christ’s Ministry

adapted from “The Last Days of Christ’s Ministry,” Friend, Apr 1983, 48

SCENE 1: Actors needed: Narrator, Jesus, 1-2 blind men/women, 1-2 disciples , Jews in the crowd (optional) (have bandages wound around eyes of “blind men/women”. They are begging on street. At appropriate time in narration; Jesus notices, He walks to them, Jesus unwind bandages & heal them)

Narrator: Jerusalem was in a great uproar. People were crowding into the city for the most important feast of the year, the celebration of the Passover. Although it was celebrated every year, this particular feast was especially exciting. Everyone had heard about the great prophet Jesus and wondered if He was the promised Messiah and if He would deliver them from the Romans.

Many faithful people believed in Jesus and were anxiously awaiting His arrival at the feast. However, some were afraid for Him because Jewish leaders had vowed to put Him to death if He came.

Jesus and His disciples were on their way to Jerusalem. Jesus knew of the awful trials, suffering, and death that awaited Him. Even though burdened with this knowledge, His love and concern for others led Him to notice two blind men.

When they pleaded with Jesus to restore their sight, He blessed them, and immediately they could see.

As Jesus continued toward Jerusalem, He paused on the hill overlooking the city and thought of the many times He had tried to teach the people. He wept because so many of them had not listened. Jesus loved the people and knew that they could be happy if they would only follow His teachings.

SCENE 2: Actors needed: Narrator, Jesus, 2 apotsles (they need some kind of coat/robe), donkey (can be stick horse or person pretending), crowd of Jews with palm leaves and coats, 1 angry Sadducee, 1 angry Pharisee

Narrator: Turning to two of His Apostles, Jesus asked them to go into a nearby village. He said,

Jesus: “Ye shall find a colt of a donkey tied, whereon yet never man sat: loose him, and bring him hither” (Luke 19:30).

Narrator: When the Apostles brought the animal back, Jesus mounted the colt and rode it into Jerusalem. Some of the people knew that the prophet Zechariah had promised that the Messiah would come riding on a young donkey. When they saw Jesus coming, they rushed out to meet Him. Many laid palm tree branches in His path; others put their coats down before Him. This was a custom reserved for kings. They were proclaiming Jesus as their king. They thought He had come to deliver them from the Romans, but He had far greater blessings to offer. He would make it possible for them to be freed from sin, to live after death, and to be able to return to Heavenly Father.

Jesus entered Jerusalem with hundreds of people following Him. They shouted,

Jews: “Hosanna: Blessed is the King of Israel that cometh in the name of the Lord” (John 12:13).

Narrator: This greatly angered the Jewish leaders. If Jesus became the king, they would no longer have their powerful positions of leadership and wealth.

SCENE 3: Actors needed: Narrator, Jesus, 1-2 moneychangers with tv trays/ small tables set up with coins to be overturned, jews attending the temple, pharisee #1, Pharisee #2 (these can be combined if you are short people)

Narrator: Later, when Jesus entered the temple, He saw the money changers cheating the people who came to make offerings. Jesus could not let such things happen in His Father’s house. He cast out the money changers and overthrew their tables, saying,

Jesus: “It is written, My house is the house of prayer: but ye have made it a den of thieves” (Luke 19:46).

Narrator: People in Jerusalem crowded into the temple to be near Jesus. They wanted to hear His teachings and have Him heal their sick. While He taught the people, Jesus’ enemies tried to trap Him with their questions. They hoped to get people to stop following Jesus. One Pharisee asked;

Pharisee #1: “Is it lawful to give tribute [pay taxes] to Caesar, or not?” (Mark 12:14).

Narrator: If Jesus said yes, the people would be angry, for they hated to pay taxes to Caesar. If Jesus said no, he would be imprisoned by the Romans for opposing the law. Jesus answered;

Jesus: “Whose picture is on the money?

Pharisee #2: “Caesar’s”

Jesus: “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s” (Mark 12:17).

Narrator: Because Jesus’ enemies had been unsuccessful in trapping Him with that question, they asked Jesus another:

Pharisee #1: “Which is the great commandment in the law?” (Matt. 22:36).

Pharisee #2: “Yeah! which one?

Narrator: There were so many commandments in the law of Moses that no one had been able to decide which one was most important. Jesus’ enemies were prepared to argue with Him no matter which commandment He chose. Jesus answered,

Jesus: “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment.” (Matt. 22:37–38.)“And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself” (Matt. 22:39

Narrator: He had given the perfect answer, Even while these men were trying to trap Jesus, He loved them and was trying to teach them the gospel. Just as he loves us always. He only wants us to repent and come unto him.

Signs of spring?

It's almost gone.  There's only enough for one more mug.

That means winter's over right?  

The Fiddler has fiddled, The curtain has closed, my girls are home....

Gorgeous Golde:  She had lots of lines in lots of scenes and parts in 4 songs.  She was very nervous to have such a big role but she did great.  This is her 4th and final play at the junior high.  It's been a good thing for her.  She's grown a lot.  We don't know what the future will hold at the high school next year.  She would like to continue doing plays.  We'll have to wait and see what's in store for her.

Beautiful Bielke.  She only had one line "we're going on a train and a boat and a..." but she made the most of it.  She was in a lot of scenes with the family as the youngest daughter.  Every time she came on stage, Mark would look at me , squeeze my hand and say "I can't get over how cute Baby Rachel is up there!"  (That's what he calls her all the time)  She just sparkled up there, smiling and making the most of her moments on stage.  

My girls.

Grandma Donna was in town for the wonderfully timed blessing of our newest niece, adorable little Callie Marie, there in her dad's arms.  That's Matt, Mark's brother.  Kei was still here so we had quite the Bocanegra party at opening night.  We took a whole center row at the junior high.  Matt has 6 kids.  They all came and all of ours were there too, except Jacob who had seen it that morning on a field trip with his class.  He opted to go play with a friend instead of going again.    Samantha Grace sat next to me.  OY VAY! you've never heard such chair squeaking, such wiggling, such talking throughout! 

I love this picture of cute little Kei laughing with her 2 uncles after the play.  Abby, my sis-in-law, noticed and we just had to get a picture.  It just made us both happy to see it.  Isn't being with family the best!?!!

Carly with her Tevye.  During the scene where they sang "Do you love me?" they end by walking around and sitting on a bench together with their backs to the audience.  She lays her head on his shoulder and he puts his arm around her.  I guess Mark was a little uncomfortable with all the "do you love me" talk and the arm around the shoulder because at that point, he shouts from the audience "Hey! That's my daughter! Get your hands off her!"   He got his own laughs from several rows in front and behind us.  

This was the first play for the boy who played Tevye.  He had a huge part and he did it really well.  He was on stage almost every scene.   Told you about the beard.... 

My Mom was able to come up from Southern Utah for closing night.  She drove up while we were all in school and surprised the girls.  They were so excited.  Mark and I were able to find a wonderful friend to watch our youngest 3 and we went with her.  When Samantha Grace found out we were going again she said earnestly "I'll be glad to go again.."  I smiled and said "nope! just dad and I and grandma!" 

 It's amazing the things I missed the first time with all the distraction provided by my darling daughter, Samantha.  I loved going again for closing night.  They did even better than they did Friday night.  It was wonderful.  The theater was packed.   On Closing night, the cast received a standing ovation and their drama teacher/play director told them it was the first standing ovation she's had at their junior high in 20 years.  They were pretty proud of that.  

So... life is getting back to normal at our house.  The girls will be home more.  Right now they are wistful about the end of the play.  It's hard to let it go.  

Cooking with Kei: Pani Po Po

Kei (say it with me "K-E") is my niece. She is a freshman in college in Oregon. This girl is an amazing cross country track star. She runs 50-70 miles a week and goes through ALOT of tennis-shoes. At least 2 days a week she runs 12 miles for her training run. That's a half marathon. I am so amazed every time she talks about her training schedule. Just listening to her is enough to get me winded.

She came to visit us along with some of her other family for her spring break.

She grew up in Hawaii where Mark's sister lives with her family. Laurie went to college at BYU-Hawaii, married a local Hawaiian boy, and has never looked back. I went to BYU-Hawaii after I graduated from BYU-Idaho, formerly known as Ricks college. I had just met Mark the summer before. Mark drove me to LAX when I left California.

When I touched down in Hawaii, his sister Laurie picked me up from the airport with her hubby, Hank. She greeted me in true Hawaiian fashion, with a lei placed around my neck and a kiss on each cheek. They let me, a stranger who was falling in love with her brother, stay in their home until I got a dorm room which ended up being about a week or two. They took me snorkeling at Hanauma Bay. Laurie took me to her Aerobics class. They loved me from day one without any reservation and I fell in love with them & their 1 yr old daughter, Kei.

During my 4 months in Hawaii, I had a great time, had lots of great experiences but the most important one was getting to know, really know, Laurie and Hank and little Kei. Without that time they would have always been Mark's long-distance relations in Hawaii. What I would have missed. We've had to get to know the kids long-distance, watching them grow up in pictures and letters and phone calls but we had a strong foundation to build on.

Now that Kei is on the mainland for college we've had the blessing of having her visit twice. It's been so fun. She is planning on coming to Utah next year for school and we are very excited for her to be closer in just a few short months.

On her most recent visit I asked her to teach me how to cook Pani Po Po.

I had never tasted Pani Po Po but I had heard about it for years and years from my mother in law and heard Laurie talking about making it for this event and that event. I HAD to try it.

Here we go!

The most important ingredient in Pani Po Po is Coconut milk. It's expensive! $2.99 a can. Kei says it's only 79 cents on the island. There it's a staple, here it's a novelty.

Kei is the oldest cousin on Mark's side of our family... Carly is the oldest cousin on my side.

You need to butter the pan to prevent sticking!

Pinch off pieces of dough and roll them in your hands to form shape of a ball.  You can use frozen roll dough or make your own. I used a favorite dough I use for cinnamon rolls. (The recipe will be at the bottom)

Beautiful. Let rolls rise about 20-30 minutes in draft-free place. I like to set my oven to warm for 10 minutes and then turn it off and slip rolls inside. When I do this my rising time is less, more like 15 min.

Kei is left-handed. Opening cans with our "right-handed" can opener was very difficult and Uncle Mark took GREAT pleasure in teasing her as she tried. (Did you even know opening cans was difficult for the left-handed? I had no idea...)

Whisk together:

2 Cans coconut milk

1 C sugar

6 T cornstarch

1 C water

in a saucepan. You will not want to make this too early or you will have to keep stirring it or the cornstarch will cause it to get clumpy and it won't turn out right.

Pour half the sauce over risen rolls. After our rolls had risen they were all touching so Kei took a knife and gently separated them so the sauce could get between them and to the bottom.

This is what it looked like before baking....

don't forget to keep stirring remaining sauce periodically while rolls are baking

Bake at 350 degrees for about 20-25 minutes. Check bottoms for doughiness. It takes a little longer for these rolls to cook than plain rolls. Then put saucepan full of remaining sauce on stovetop. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and cook til thickened. It should resemble a gravy. Pour over baked rolls while warm.

If after you pull one or two out and start eating, you find that they are still a little doughy, you can put them back into the oven for 5-10 minutes. That..um... sort of happened to us. They still turned out great though.

Look at these happy faces!

you know they were good warm but I liked them better cold the next day. Kei advises you keep them in the refrigerator if they last more than a couple of hours as the coconut milk will go bad if it sits out for a long time.

My Cinnamon Roll dough recipe:

#1. mix 1/2 C warm water, 4 1/2 tsp yeast & 2 T sugar

Set aside and let work till yeast is foamy.

#2. MIx 2 C cold milk, 1/2 cup oil, 1 egg and 1 small pkg. instant vanilla pudding.

#3. Mix yeast and pudding mixes together.

#4. add 1 tsp salt and approx. 8 cups flour. Add 3 C flour, mix well & then add flour 1 cup at a time until you have a stiff dough. (It will be a little sticky but not too bad)

Oil a bowl and place dough inside. Place bowl in 1-2 inches of hot water in sink with towel covering and let rise 1 hour or until doubled. Punch down and form into rolls/cinnamon rolls/whatever! When I make cinnamon rolls and regular rolls I usually just let them sit about 10 minutes and then bake 15-20 minutes at 350 degrees. This recipe doesn't have to rise for an hour after forming rolls and it always turns out great.

Happy Anniversary to us!

  

This is the guy I married 17 years ago today.... 

The picture was taken about a year after we were married.  Look how skinny he is! I used to be skinny too. you could say we've... um... Grown together.... Yeah, that's it!

We celebrated by going to dinner at one of our favorite out of the way places.... "Daltons" in Payson.  They have great homemade bread w/dinner, served with a yummy herb butter and a sweet honey butter, dinner salads with almonds and craisins  & great dressings that taste homemade.  Their onion rings are the best!  They usually have live music on week-ends but sadly for us, the guy was just wrapping up his guitar chords when we came in and sat down and we were there early... around 5.  Thought that was odd. 

They are a little pricier than say "Olive garden" but lucky us... we had a gift certificate to use.  We went all out... drinks, appetizer, steaks, Mark even got dessert.  We had the gift certificate you see. 

Mark said "It's nice being Patty and Paul".  These were good friends from our early married days in California that we used to go to dinner with a lot.  They always ordered everything and a side of som'in extra to go with it.  For drinks they ordered a soda AND a shake.  We didn't get quite that crazy tonight...

But we did feel indulgent as we got whatever the heck we wanted without a care to the downturn in the economy ......  Did I mention we had a gift certificate?

We talked about the kids and life and work and how we'd marry each other all over again.  (...and this year we meant it!)

I know I tried to be extra nice to him & unselfish all day when we were together and I felt like he was trying to do the same.  At dinner,  Mark listened better than usual.  Not once did I see the vacant, glazed, "Oh crap is she ever gonna stop talking?" look come into his eyes.  I know his cell phone buzzed a time or two and he DIDNT answer it.  

so, no big gifts... no big plans....just a quiet dinner & us.  

Couples survey....

How long did you know each other before you started dating?

Met him briefly when I was 14 (he was 17) at a stake youth conference. Thought he was funny and nice but did not know I just spent a couple of hours with my future husband! We met again when I was 19, just graduated from Ricks College with my Associate's degree. We knew each other about 6 weeks before we started dating.

How long did you date before you got married?

10 months

Who asked who out?

Kind of ambiguous. He was hanging out with a good friend of mine and we were all hanging out together with my sister and doing group activities. One night it happened just the 2 of us could go and then it was just the 2 of us the rest of the summer and on to forever....

How old were each of you?

When we met: I was 19, he 22. When we married: 20 and 23

What about pets?

None. We happily agree there never will be. There was a brief stint with some hermit crabs...

Did you go to the same school?

Not unless you count that at different times we both went to Yucca Valley High School but not at the same time. His family moved from Yucca Valley the same summer my family moved there.

Are you from the same home town?

Yes! Yucca Valley, CA but as I mentioned above; not at the same time but met through a mutual Yucca Vallian. Thanks David!

Who is the smartest?

It's even I think. Booksmart: me , Street smart: Mark, computers :Mark People: Mark

Who is the most sensitive?

ME, all the way. 

Where do you eat out most as a couple?

Olive Garden, The Broiler Grill, Cafe Rio, Los Hermanos, Tucanos

Where is the furthest you two have traveled together as a couple?

We were in Hawaii together, got engaged there but did not travel together.....

Minnesota twice: Walker; Leech Lake area

San Francisco: honeymoon

We traveled to Atlanta Georgia for a chemDry Convention sans kids, except Samantha who was in utero...

Who has the worst temper?

Me. He is very calm. Never yells but is frustratingly logical....

Who does the cooking?

Me generally but he loves to cook and does our Thanksgiving Turkey most years and likes smoking, grilling and most of all Dutch Oven cookoing. He's good at cooking for large groups and has had a lot of practice with boy scouts and church youth group activities.

Who is the neat-freak?

HIM!!!!!! don't get me wrong I like a clean house but definitely HIM!!!

Who is the most stubborn?

wow. big toss-up. pretty equal. Mine is pretty passive aggressive stubbornness and there's no budging him when he thinks he's right but he will listen (I love that about him) and if I can show him he's wrong he changes in an instant so maybe it's me because I'm not as good at letting go, even if I become aware I'm wrong.

Who wakes up earlier?

Mark. He is such a happy morning guy.

Where was your first date?

In Palm Springs. We went to a movie at the mall. "Dying Young" with Julia Roberts. We didn't really like it. Then he took me to a "real haunted house" where some atrocious crimes happened. I dont' know if it was his storytelling or what but he really had me freaked out as we walked around the house. I think it was all a ruse to get me to hold on to him tighter. Then he took me to a gay bar called Daddy Warbucks. I thought they'd card me as I was only 19 but he said they weren't worried about me.... It was quite a sight! Big bike-looking dudes clad in leather dancing cheek to cheek. We didn't stay long. He just thought it would be funny to go and it was.....

Who has the bigger family?

me. 6 kids in my family. 3 in his.

How long did it take to get serious?

We thought we had the perfect summer fling. Neither of us wanted to get serious. We had other goals/plans than getting married. When I left at the end of the summer to go to college in HAwaii it got serious really fast. We wrote letters every day, I called him collect (he asked me to) every night from my dorm. (his phone bill was crazy, around $6-700 a month: pre cell phone and competitive phone rates) He flew over in October and proposed. I said yes. He came back for Thanksgiving. His sister had lived in Hawaii for years and commented "I've been trying to get him to come visit for years! you're here 6 weeks and here he is!"

Who eats more?

HIM!!!!! How many of y'all have seen that man eat???

Who does the laundry?

Me.

Who’s better with the computer?

When we got our first computer I knew more. That quickly changed. He is willing to put in the time and I just get frustrated. He solves all my problems. I love that he's willing to do it so I dont' have to.

Who drives when you are together?

Always him. I have no issues with that.

Where were you married?

The Las Vegas Nevada LDS Temple

Carly's Man Plan...

Carly has a plan.

It involves this man.

She's a fan.
First, she'll zap herself a few years older.
Then, she'll convert David Cook into a nice Mormon boy.
Next, he'll go on a mission.
Of course, she'll wait for him.
Finally, they will get married in this place...

They'll have 5 kids and he will sing her to sleep every night....


He's pretty rich now with his platinum record soooo she's pretty sure there will be a mansion for the 5 kids to run around in.....
A good plan... no?

It's SpRinG!!!!!!

April Fools...............

(yes.  It snowed TODAY)