Enjoying the Warm Weather

It was crazy warm last weekend so we went on a hike in American Fork Canyon. We were originally going to hike mount. Timp. but there was too much snow at the top so we decided against it until next year.

My Parents Came to Town!

My cute niece Camilla was loving me this day for some reason so I couldn't get enough of her! She usually never goes to anyone except her mom and dad so I ate up every minute she would actually spend with me.
My nephew Weston in a power ranger get up. He was in heaven with all the boy toys Tiffany had at her house!


My beautiful mother and I, I hope I look as good as she does when I am her age! I got to do some really fun things with my mom while she was here. We went to a play called Snooty and the Beast which was hilarious, and we got to go to some delicious restaurants like the Melting Pot and Ruby River Steakhouse.


The blonds in the family. Cherie and Amber couldn't make it because they were both really sick.
My cute parents! They came up a couple weeks ago and spent about 6 days in Utah. My dad went hunting with Sean and Todd my brother in laws. They shot some huge mule deer in Wyoming.
We celebrated my niece Savannah's 9th birthday at Tiffany's house. She got a Nintendo DS game, a messenger bag, and tons of candy. Todd, who served a mission in Jamaica, made his amazing Jamaican jerk chicken and coconut rice for the occasion.

Doing the South Beach Diet Again

Zack tells me that I talk way to much about my health on my blog but I am so boring I have nothing else to blog about, pathetic I know. I have been doing pretty well on the diet so far, I just tried this awesome recipe that my friend Cammy gave me so I thought I would share it.

Raw Pancakes

1 cup raw unsalted almonds
1/2 cup pine nuts
1 cup chopped apple
2 bananas
regular almond milk (you could use normal milk I am just trying to cut back on dairy) enough to give the batter a little bit thicker consistency than normal pancake batter

Blend the ingredients together in a food processor until it is smooth and the right consistency. Spray a nonstick frying pan with Pam and pour batter into pancake shapes. Cook until both sides are browned and it is cooked through. Spread sugar free strawberry jam on top and enjoy!

You could half this recipe and it would be a better amount. They are really filling and I could only eat 1 so I froze the rest of the batter but I don't know how well it will do after being frozen so I would just half it.

The Wellers

We went to Music and the Spoken Word on Sunday. I love listening to the Tabernacle Choir live the acoustics are amazing!

Afterward we walked around temple square and enjoyed the nice weather

This is on our hike in the Canyon
We went to Cirque de la Symphony at Abrovonal Hall. It was such a cool performance with excellent symphony music and Cirque de Solei performances combined.



I don't really know why I threw this picture in but I love otter pops and I love pictures so why not
We went hiking in American Fork Canyon and then cooked dinner over a fire.


Seriously this is my new favorite place on earth!!!!


This last weekend Zack's parents came into town for four days. We had a blast but our time together was too short as usual.

Moses Lake

Everett was so tan it was unbelievable! He is the tannest one year old white boy I have ever seen!
We sat around our fire pit until one in the morning just chatting. It was fun but now I see why my sisters always go to bed so early, kids do not let you sleep in the next day.


The boys went fishing at 4:30 in the morning and behold their bounty! Zack caught the biggest salmon. It was as tall as Weston and weighed about 12 pounds I think. Sean smoked some of it an battered and fried the rest it was amazing.
I was so happy Zack got to come down and be with me and my family. He left right after work on Thursday and drove through the night. He dad to leave Sunday afternoon, so it was a short trip but worth it.
Sean's company had their annual Aquatic Center party while we were there. They rent out the entire pool so you get it all to yourself. They had the most amazing food, I could not get enough of it.
We were all gathered around watching everyone boogie board and surf. I really wanted to go but I got to chicken with the big crowd.
Vivianne and Weston eating snow cones at the pool party.
The Merrell girls minus Cherie. Wish you could have come!
Camilla warming up in a towel.
Violett......I love this little baby!
The kids got in trouble and had to do wall sits. I thought it was pretty entertaining.




I had to bribe Vivianne to let me take this picture. She is shy and does not like attention to be brought to her, which is hard not to do look how beautiful she is. I was trying to take a picture of her long hair because it is almost to her bum and it is all in perfect ringlets (naturally), but she wouldn't cooperate.
Savannah, Ella, and Addy. They would swim for so long and not once get out of the pool and the water was pretty cold too. I could only stay in for 10 minutes and then I would have to lay on hot cement to warm up.
Amber's in-laws the Jenks built a swimming pool in their yard, so we would go swim for at least 3 hours a day. It is a lot fancier than the irrigation water I grew up having to swim in.


They built a little kiddie pool on the side which was the best idea ever.

I love going home so much. It was quite the adventure with 12 kids under the age of 9 running around like wild Indians. That is the great thing about living on a farm it makes it possible for them to do that without having to worry about them too much. I had a great time and I can't wait to go back, I miss home already!

So I wrote the rough draft of my Rwandan trip and then decided it was way to personal to post on the internet. It is not complete yet and is already 18 pages long (double spaced). I am long winded when I start writing.

I am heading back to my home town tomorrow bright and early and I am so EXCITED! Moses Lake doesn't have much going on but the summers are fun there and I plan on enjoying every minute of it.

I don't have much going on but I did get in a little car accident last Saturday. Nothing to serious but it was really annoying. I had just gotten off work and I was starving because I hadn't eaten all day so when Zack picked me up we went to Alberto's which has the best 24 hour fast food Mexican you will ever have! While we were in the drive through line we got rammed by a truck enough to jolt me forward quite a bit. The guy was completely intoxicated and could barely stand up when he got out of the truck. While he was trying to convince us that he did not in fact hit our car the trunk was already smashed in like that, I called the police. When the police showed up his girlfriend got out of the car and started puking everywhere because she was so drunk, and then they started to walk away as if nothing even happened. The police stopped them and gave the driver the sobriety test where they have to walk a straight line and touch their nose and stuff and I was doubled over laughing at the buffoon because he failed with flying colors. The driver got arrested on a DUI charge, our car was smashed in, and I was still hungry. Two hours later we were able to leave and I finally got my burrito. I am almost glad he hit us in a way because otherwise he would have driven to his home in Ogden (no offense but of course he lived in Ogden) while being so drunk he could not stand up. Maybe our little incident prevented an even bigger accident, I am really trying hard to look at this in a positive light can you tell?

Tanorexic?

I read about this in a magazine once and I don't know if it is a word they made up or an actual name of a disorder, either way I have it. I love the sun. I love being tan to the point where it is harmful. My sisters constantly remind me that I will end up looking like their older sister and a leather handbag, and my favorite is everyone predicting my cancerous death. I cringe when I hear these things and I really do worry about them but I genuinely have an addiction.

I have made headway in my recovery from this addiction. I now only allow myself to get in a tanning bed before a beach filled vacation, or a big event where I absolutely need to look my best. Or at least limit it to 13 times a year. I also have not suffered a major sun burn yet this year!!!! That is a major accomplishment for me. I know I have pasty white skin that burns easily but I still trick myself into believing I can stay in the sun for 6 hours on a jet skii in arizona with no sunscreen and be fine. I wasn't fine just so you know........worst sun burn yet. I still hurt just thinking about it.

I now can go lay by the pool for 20 minutes and go inside knowing I have had enough for one day, until I build up a better base tan that is. I also can put sunscreen on, I know it is weird but that stuff repels me. It will block my precious tan that I so desprerately seek. It has only taken 23 years but I can now put it on all by myself. Zack literally has had to tackle me and rub in on my skin on numerous occasions.......I am that crazy........but I am recovering that is all that matters. I will soon be tanorexic no more.

I just pray that plastic surgery gets more affordable in my old age!!!!!!!! I really don't want to look like a leather handbag.