A Happy Anniversary!

Today is my and Brad's 22nd anniversary. I can't believe it's been that long since we officially tied the knot. He's my best friend and my one true love and even after all these years, the sight of him and the sound of his voice still warms my heart and brightens my day. It's been twenty-two really great years. We've had our ups and downs but I wouldn't change any of it because all of our experiences have made us who we are today. I love our boys and our life together. Here's to another 22+ wonderful years to share. I'm sure the best is yet to come

Bye bye April

I can't believe that April is already over. I've been so busy at work this past month that the time just flew by. Zack has been gone now for almost 7 months and Bo has been gone for just over 5 months. The time is going by quicker now than at first but it still feels like they've been gone for so long. I can hardly wait for Mother's Day this year. It's definitely going to be my best Mother's Day yet. Getting to talk to each of them for a whole hour - just getting to hear their voices again. What better present could a mom ask for.

Scooby Doo, Where Are You?

Winston has become a HUGE fan of Scooby Doo and wants to watch it almost every day. He'll walk around the house saying "Scooby Doo, where are you." He also likes to pretend that he's Shaggy and I'm Scooby Doo and he'll say, "Let's go hide," and we'll go hide from the ghosts. Then, after hiding for a little while, we'll run out to go catch the ghosts. I love his imaginative mind. He makes me feel young and brings so much happiness to my life. Thank heaven for little boys!

Can't Wait for SUMMER!

So, as soon as I posted that I'm back and going to try and resume a normal routine, I get sick. I mean really sick. I've had pneumonia and strep throat together - at the same time. I wouldn't recommend this to anyone. I was too sick to even sit at the computer. I've been on antibiotics since last Monday and am finally feeling mostly better. The doctor said that the exhaustion that I feel should last for approximately 2 weeks so I only have about one more week to go before I finally start feeling back to normal again. Hopefully. Anyway, that leads me to the title of this post. I can't wait for warm weather. The first day of Spring has come and gone and we still have snow and cold. I'm convinced that warm weather will bring good things to my life - especially good health. I love warm weather activities: boating, early morning runs, playing at the park and hikes up the canyon to name a few. I'll be glad to put all of this sickness behind me and get back to enjoying life. THINK SUMMER!

Cool Castle in Germany

One of the towns that Bo gets to teach in is Aschaffenburg and they have a beautiful castle there. Bo sent us a couple of pictures of the castle he recently took. It's winter there now so it's not as picturesque as it can be. I went online and found a couple of pictures of the castle during the summer months. It's really beautiful and I'm already looking forward to touring the countryside with Bo when we go to pick him up when his mission is over.

White Chocolate Berry Pie - Way Yumm!

So, last Friday, Brad had a staff meeting and he was assigned to bring dessert. He wanted to bring something delicious and unique to impress his coworkers so of course I went online to find a recipe. I came across a recipe called White Berry Pie and after reading through it, decided it sounded really good. The original recipe didn't make that much filling so I decided to modify it a little and below is the recipe I came up with. Brad's coworkers absolutely loved it. I had to make another one over the weekend so that I could have some too. It's quick and easy to make and tastes even better than it looks - and it looked so delicious! I know this one will become one of our family favorites in the years to come. Hope you enjoy it as much as we did.

WHITE CHOCOLATE BERRY PIE

INGREDIENTS:
12 ounce bag of white chocolate chips, divided (reserve ½ cup for topping)
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese,
softened
1 1/4 cup confectioners' sugar
1 cup whipping cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon confectioners’ sugar
1 quart fresh strawberries, hulled
1 (9 inch) graham cracker crust
1 teaspoon shortening

DIRECTIONS:
Place the chocolate chips (less the ½ cup reserved for topping) in a microwave-safe dish. Cook for 1 minute on high in the microwave and stir thoroughly. Continue to heat and stir at 15 second intervals until the chocolate is smooth. Set aside to cool slightly.

In a large bowl, whip the cream until stiff peaks are just about to form. Beat in vanilla and sugar until peaks form. Make sure not to over-beat, cream will then become lumpy and butter-like. (Chill the bowl & beaters in the freezer ahead of time)

In a medium bowl, cream together the cream cheese and confectioners' sugar until light and fluffy. Quickly stir in the warm, melted chocolate until smooth. Fold in the whipped cream until completely blended. Spread the mixture evenly in the bottom of the graham cracker crust. Place the berries, point side up on top.

In the microwave, melt the remaining ½ cup of white chocolate chips along with 1 teaspoon of shortening, starting at 15 second intervals and stirring after each time until smooth. Drizzle the melted chocolate all over the berries and pie and then sprinkle with confectioners’ sugar. Chill for at least 2 hours before serving.

Variations: Can use milk chocolate in place of the white or drizzle with milk chocolate. Can also use sliced strawberries to cover the entire top of the pie or mix it up with whatever berries you like.

Hello Again

I've been a little out of sorts since my father passed away and just haven't felt like blogging. I'm beginning to get past that now and don't feel quite so emotional all the time. It's time for me to try to get back to some of my normal routines but bear with me if some of my posts don't make sense. This experience has changed me in ways I'm still discovering and dealing with so we'll just have to see how things go.

Photos from Japan

It's been great to hear from Zack about all of the experiences he's having in Japan. A few weeks ago, Zack emailed us a few pictures from where he's at in Tokyo.
Pretty sunset with Mount Fuji in the distance.
A shrine they visited.
The doors to the shrine. Beautiful detail.
Zack said he was feeling nostalgic and just had to buy a Kit Kat bar and a Dr. Pepper - his favorite snack before he left on his mission. I love the Japanese characters on the wrappers.