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!

13.1 Miles...and Loving Every Step of the Way

Today we reaped the rewards of 9 weeks of training as we ran a half marathon together. This was Dave's first half marathon and the farthest distance he's ever gone. It was awesome (to say the least). Beautiful scenery, perfect weather, the one you love most at your side...we couldn't have asked for anything more. What a feeling of accomplishment to cross the finish line knowing we had met our goal. We averaged between 8.5 and 9 minutes per mile, finishing under 2 hours with a time of 1:57. There were several people in our ward who ran which made it fun to have others to cheer for and others to cheer us on. Hopefully this is just the begining of many races to come!

Finish line video coverage to be posted shortly!

Lessons my mother taught me

On April 6th I remembered and honored my mother who passed away 6 years ago. I reflected on the things she taught me and thought I'd share them with you. This list barely scratches the surface of who my mother was and the legacy she left for me to follow. I miss her dearly and want to remember/honor her by making these things a part of my life.

• Put others over self, ALWAYS
• Magnify your calling
• Do little, unexpected things to tell your children you love them and (this also helps them to recognize their individual worth)
• Develop your talents (even the ones you didn't think you had)-sometimes this involes doing things outside of your comfort zone
• Get involved in school, church, community
• Work hard, ALWAYS
• Be prepared-in all aspects of life
• If you're going to do something, give it your all
• Never, never, never give up!

Let's Celebrate

Last week we celebrated Hyrum's two year birthday...can you believe he is that old! As of late, Hyrum has become obsessed with garbage trucks and it just so happened that his birthday fell on garbage day. When Hyrum heard the gargabe truck his face lit up as he enthusiastically said, "GARBAGE TRUCK"! We went outside to watch as the garbage truck drove by and the garbage man honked and waved. How did he know that it was Hyrum's birthday? That was probably the highlight of the whole day for Hyrum. When Dave got home from work we took Hyrum to the mall and let him ride the carousel. We topped off the day with garbage truck birthday cake (my first time decorating a cake...it's definitely an amateur job). Hyrum has brought such happiness to our home and we look forward to all the years to come. Enjoy the celebration pics and the video clip!