SOOO OverDue!!

Disclaimer: it is very late, and although i can't sleep, i am actually quite tired...I will not be counting (nor should you) the # of errors made in this post)

I am afraid that blogging has merely become something I do to help me when I can't sleep at night...on nights like tonight. Nights, that I obviously have not had very many of lately.....since it has been a ridiculous amount of time since I've updated. I guess i got kind of bitter after I tried to get creative with my template and just ended up ruining everything-- but I am recommitted! I miss writing things down (even if it is only short captions explaining my photos) and since I have also fallen out of the habit of actually writing in a journal I must, must become a better blogger.
So, here is the much needed update (I am writing this for my posterity only--- since I know anyone was did stop in and read my "wrinkle in time" has completely forgotten about me in my hiatus.:)
Things I have been filing my time with- in no real order:

1. A trip to San Diego!! This trip was actually hard for me in a small way. Of course it was wonderful to see friends and family (especially my new nephew Crew) for the first time I felt just the smallest bit removed.... like I didn't quite belong in my beloved El Cajon/San Diego. I guess the fact that I have lived away for the better part of the last 10 years is finally starting to take its toll..... I am going to think about this some more....maybe expand on it later.

2. 4th of July with Rachel and her family in Idaho Falls!! Rachel had to get her tonsils removed and since the word around was that it just awful we went down to help out. SOOO Fun!! They just moved to Idaho Falls just a few blocks from the zoo and a huge park where they have a pretty awesome parade on the 4th. We also met up with some friends of ours from Spokane that were also visiting family there and found what could very well be the best place to catch "the biggest fireworks show, west of the Mississippi"!! Very fun!!

3. Anna staying with us for 6 whole weeks!!! Anna (my 15 year old sister) came back up with us from our visit in Sd and is braving her first summer away from home. We have done all kinds of fun things trying to make sure we are keeping our teenage visitor entertained... hopefully a success. It has been soooo special to have here her and really...to get to know her better. She was like 5 when I moved away to college so we've had some much needed bonding time!! She is also staying to watch Ella while I go with our Stake to Girls Camp this year (next week in fact) I feel sooo much better leaving Ella with someone she knows and is comfortable with!!

4. Annual Cabin trip. Every year (for 3 years now) Jared has a group of his college roommates up for a weekend out at the cabin. Very fun! We just need a couple of them to get married!! Any single women out there intersted in getting in on next years trip....? I am serously recruiting for them at this point! (See the picture of the eligible bachelors posted below---all but 2 of them are totally available...just let me know!!)

5. Wild waters. We got season passes to our "not quite as cool as San Diego's soak city, but just perfect for us" water park. We have gone a ton and love love love it.

6. Triathlon Training!!! Yes, I'm signed up and on the 10 day countdown for the Coeur d' Alene Triathlon!! .9 mile swim, 24.9 mile bike and 6 mile run!! I think i saved the best for last on this one, because this is what I have been spending most of my time doing over the last 2 months. I've put in about 1 1/2 hour workouts 6 days/week and its kicking my butt. I know what your are thinking... "She must be losing a ton of weight with all those workouts" yes--- thats what I thought too. BUT NO!! The grand total to date? 3 lbs..... Come to find out, after a 20 mile bike ride i seem to justify eating just about whatever I can get my hands on.
next time....right? I will post pictures upon the completion of my event (August 8th) Given that I actually complete it!!! HA!!!! So That the latest and the greatest!! Now for some pictures!!

I've done dumb things before...

I just did a very dumb thing. I really shouldn't even be allowed near anything that requires any level of programming....as I usually just find a way to ruin it. I was kind of sick of the whole green and red paisley backround I had on my blog, but since I totally could not remember how I got it there in the first place....of course I just started pushing buttons, clicking links, and responding "yes" whenever possible as prompts come up--trying to get it off there.
So dumb.
I just erased all the links to all of my cute friend's blogs. Now what am I supposed to do at night when I can't sleep? Is this pretty much the same as deleting the entire address book of your phone??
Someone help? How do I get it all back so i can continue my blog stalking??
This reminds me of the sad, sad moment I had flying home from 4 amazing weeks of backpacking through Europe....I was soaking in all the once in a life time experiences we had while flipping through the 300+ pictures on my digital camera---when I decided that I should find out what it meant to "format your disk" Dumb, dumb, dumb. I nearly threw up as I watched all 300+ pictures silently disappear into formated disc land..never to be viewed again.
SO dumb.

Really though...can anyone who reads this poor, pathetic plea for help please leave a comment so I have your blog address and can add your link to my blog again!!

Can I rephrase that?

I just have to correct myself on the swim lessons! It is so, so fun to play in the water and sing little songs with ella--even Jared gets in on the fun! But, I guess I'm just laughing at myself for what I was expecting...like ella is going to be pulling off the back stroke at 13 months!! Technical skill is out of the question- but she loves it and we do get to spend that time playing with her so all in all its a good deal for less than 5 bucks a lesson!!

Swim Lessons and Easter!!

They have these pinwheels set up outside of the hospital where Ella was born right now. One of those pinwheels was for her!! It was pretty cool to see these all set up especially at Easter time, since she was still in the hospital for her first Easter.

Ella's first Easter Egg hunt

Sunday morning

Showing off her Easter bunny
I love this little rocking chair. It was Jared's when he was little!

First day at swim lessons

She loves the pool!!

Swim lessons are fun...but lets be honest...kind of a waste at this age. At least she will be used to the water so we can swim at Nana's house this summer!

Who would have known?

One of my goals lately has been to expand my cooking skills (Taco night is getting old and there are only so many ways to make chicken and rice). So I turned to our ward cookbook for inspiration and decided to try a pulled pork sandwich recipe that they served at a ward picnic once---it was amazing!
The recipe calls for a "well marbled pork butt." Right....I definitely have never bought any items of this nature before but I am confident that someone in the meat department will know what I need.
At our brand new Winco Foods grand opening there were several people working in the deli and meat area, so when I spotted a "Ham butt" I thought it prudent to just verify that this was indeed what I needed. Two women working at the deli stand told me it probably was, because, "Ham is pork, afterall." But they referred me to a very smart looking man, dressed in one of those butcher type aprons-- he seemed a good source. I asked, "Is this "ham butt' the same as a "pork butt" that I would need for a pulled pork recipe. He said, "NO- I don't think so, because this is a "ham butt" Let me show you what you need" He then directed me down to another section of the meat dept. but on the way, he stopped to ask another smart looking man in, yet another one of those butcher looking aprons. HE said that the "ham butt" was not what I needed but that I could find a "pork butt, over there" and he pointed to the bottom section of yet another section of this meat department.

SO, thinking that I would find a meat labeled "pork butt" and not "ham butt" (because I now understand that there was in fact a difference), I thanked the men and headed over. Upon arriving at this section I found several pork items. "Pork loin steak, top pork loin roast, pork shoulder....(surely this was not what I needed as I was looking for a pork butt, not a pork shoulder) and the usual Pork chops, pork ribs.....etc. Both of my helpful butcher looking men were gone...so i decided that it must be the pork loin roast - and I was on my way.

Now, I am home from the store and I am looking at the recipe once more. "well marbled" ? I decided to just google this one, since I do not know what well-marbled means when referring to pork butt. As I read through the different descriptions and definitions of well marbled pork butt, I learned that pork butt is actually a piece of meat that is cut from the shoulder....so... who would have known that "pork butt" is actually "pork shoulder" (not any of the 4 helpful, smart looking people in the meat dept. at Winco Foods)

I feel like I should go back to Winco (well I have to go back to get the right meat anyway) and let all four of those smart looking meat workers know what I found out.

New pictures. Quick update

Bad hair day

Yes, of course we had a bounce house for her 1st birthday....what? what about that is ridiculous?

This picture requires no explanation

Cousins, Parker and Tenna

First Piano lesson

Four generations!! Sooo cool!

Things are great! Ella is so fun these days! She crawls all over and gets in to everything. Other than trying to keep my act together as her mother, I am busy working 3 days a week and serving with the Young Women as the YW secretary. I love being with the girls...but it does make me miss my little sisters! I am hoping that Anna will come hang out with us for a few weeks this summer. They asked me to go to girls camp this summer and work as the 3rd year girls leader. It sounds silly, but it seems so weird to be going to camp as a leader. It has been more than 10 years since I went to girls camp...but it seems like yesterday!! I don't feel like I am old enough to be a leader...most of the time I forget that I am supposed to be sitting in the front of the room with the other leaders...and not back with the girls. I guess that is just how like goes. You grow up without even realizing it...and then all you can hope is that you actually paid attention back as a youth so that you have something useful to say when it is your Sunday to teach!

the moment I've been waiting for...

the moment I've been waiting for is this very moment. this very moment that I have to myself to update my blog. I know life can, and will, only get more complicated going forward. OK...seriously, I will find that moment I've been waiting for....but my sexy husband just came and told me I have a surprise waiting for me downstairs....something that I must look into immediately.
moment I've been waiting for to be found later. But for now, heres a quick picture from ellas first birthday on Wednesday. it was a great day!