Father and Sons Campout

Hyrum and I had a fun father and son's campout together. The mountains here look just like Utah. This campout was on the other side of the mountain from Santa Fe'. I found out that Hyrum loves to wander and explore, eat jellybeans, and throw rocks in the river. We saw someone catch a fish with a fly rod, and Hyrum wanted to "see that fish again". He reminded me all night about the fish. We ate hot dogs, Hyrum's favorite, for dinner and roasted mallos over the fire. I taught Hyrum to twist the rod so the marshmellow wouldn't burn.

I told Hyrum to eat the mallo while holding the stick. He didn't figure out he could hold the stick higher up to get to the mallo. Check it out...

Pet Lizard

Yep, you read it right...as of a few days ago, we have a pet lizard. He actually lives in our fireplace, but that classifies as a pet, right? We spotted him the other day when Dave heard some scratching noises and saw something move in our fireplace. I guess the little guy likes the big logs and rocks to climb on, and he's probably not complaining about the warmth either. Hyrum loves to sit and watch him. He really doesn't do anything but just sit there. If you rattle the glass he'll run and hide. He dissappeared for a few days and then we saw him again so who knows how long he'll stay. I asked Hyrum what he wanted to name him and he said, "dizard". For now we'll enjoy our little "dizard" and hopefully Hyrum won't ask for anymore pets anytime soon!

Life after BYU...

Since we made our blog public we've made contact with lost friends and you've asked where we're living and what we're up to so I thought I'd post a little update on our family. After graduating from BYU Dave decided to switch careers and pursue his hobby instead of his degree. This took us to Payson Utah where we lived for almost 2 years while Dave went to violin making school down in Mt. Pleasant, Utah. He trained under a well-known maker named Paul Hart. What was supposed to be a 3-4 year program ended after only 2 years when Dave heard about a job opening for a Bass Restoration Specialist at a shop in Albuquerque New Mexico. Never having worked on a bass, Dave was offered the job and we moved our little family (which now included our 1-year-old Hyrum) to Albuquerque. Dave now works full-time restoring basses during the day and making his own instruments from his shop here at home in his spare time (which isn't much now that baby William has joined our family). What a blessing it has been for us to be here. While we miss family and friends back in Utah, we have grown to love it here in New Mexico. We know that we were guided here for a reason and that the Lord has a specific purpose for us. It's amazing to look back and see how intimately involved the Lord has been in our lives. Events that seemed small and insignificant at the time, when pieced together, have made the puzzle of our life complete (up to this stage at least). We look forward to keeping in touch with more of you and hope that you'll also let us know what you and your families are up to.

5 a Day!

As a dietitian, I'm always thinking about my own eating habits and how I can make them better. I was going to set a goal to eliminate sugar from my diet for one whole month, but then decided instead of focusing on what I can't have, I should focus on what I can and should have. So for one whole month I'm going to try to eat a combination of at least 5 fruits and vegetables everyday. I realized that this month is may and "5 a day in the month of May" is quite a catchy phrase. I thought I'd be fun if you'd like to join me in my pursuit to eat healthier as you try to get your 5 a day in the month of May, so I've posted some information in my "Healthy and Happy" section of the blog about fruits and vegetables. I even included a yummy fruit smoothie recipe. If it helps you can keep a 3x5 card with you to tally up your fruits and veggies. Just make a mark each serving you eat. I'm excited to focus on this goal and hope that you are all exicted too!