Business w/Pleasure

On my way home from Tuesday's work assignment I decided to check out the Halloween decorations at Disneyland.



In the evening I met my visiting teaching sister at Balboa Island.

It was a perfect place to discuss the VT message.

Spotlight

Here is my Primary Project for the week.


It didn't turn out quite as well as I hoped but it was a good learning experience. If this one goes missing, I will know how to do it better next time.

Sunday Dress

Last week I found this dress at Nordstrom Rack, but it wasn't quite garment standard. So I bought two and took them to a tailor to see what she could do.

Here is what she did. Notice the neckline and the length of the dress compared with the doorknob. She added 9 inches.

The tailor was so excited about the project. I think it was probably a refreshing change from the usual pants hem.

I'm looking forward to wearing it to church.

Fun Food

Earlier in the week I was telling Margie that I was nervous about one of the dinners I planned because it involved frying. I haven't fried anything in years so I was afraid it was going to be a flop. Margie shared my hesitation but encouraged me to at least give it a try and I'm so glad I did. These chicken tacos were so good and fun I decided to take a picture of the leftovers. I don't think I can ever order a crunchy taco from a restaurant again. I know they're not a smart choice to eat before going for a run, but I gotta have a little fun. :)


While I had my camera out, I took a picture of the soft chocolate cookies that followed post-run.

Hope you had some fun food today too. :)

Gardens & Sharing Time

Saturday I went to Roger's Gardens with a girlfriend. It is only 10 minutes away and neither of us had ever been so we decided to check this one off our bucket list together. This place is gorgeous. It felt like Disneyland. They are decked out for Halloween right now and it was really inspiring to see so much creativity on display.

I have been enjoying my new calling as a Primary counselor. I get to do a Sharing Time lesson once a month or so. Last month I made these and played a fill in the blank game on the chalk board with different props for the week's theme, "Reading, Watching, and Listening to Wholesome Things Keeps my Mind Clean".

Can you tell who inspired my character?

Next month, my lesson is on prayer. I found this cute story in an old Friend issue from Mom and decided to make it into a story the kids can present during Sharing Time. I was pleasantly surprised to see how well they blew up on the copy machine.

I know the artwork for this story was done on a computer. It has peaked a curiosity in me to learn how to draw on a computer. I love this stuff. Primary is my outlet to use my artsy talents.

Corn Roast

I went to the Tri-Ward Annual corn roast tonight. I am struggling to say it was awesome, because I am talking about corn, but when you combine it with the friendly faces and gorgeous weather, it was about as awesome as a ward activity can get.

When I arrived, I found my visiting teacher and said hello but it didn't feel right to tag onto her family so I found a good spot to sit and watch. I purposely arrived 40 minutes late hoping it would make it easier to blend in, but it took a lot of courage to sit alone for the first 30 minutes I was there.

After awhile, one of the primary girls recognized me and came and sat by me. It was really sweet. Then her brother joined us and eventually I got to introduce myself to her parents. It was awkward for me to socialize with the other families because they all had their kids to tend to which gives them a common thing to focus on but eventually I did visit with quite a few people in the ward.

My favorite highlight was towards the end of the night. I went to get a marshmallow to make myself a s'more and one little boy looked up at me and excitedly said, "hey" recognizing that he knew me and we roasted marshmallows together.

It was really fun and absolutely gorgeous. I'm a little rusty on my socializing skills just because I don't get to socialize as much as I used to, but as the evening went on, I was feeling the swing of things a little more. The people in our ward were all so friendly. I'm so glad I went and that I have a calling in the primary.

I heart L.A.

I was in L.A. twice this week for hearings so I thought I would try to snap a couple photos. The Disney Concert Hall is just kitty corner from the courthouse.

Here I am with Mr. Lincoln. A little out of focus, but it was nice of the stranger to take a moment out of her day to take my photo.

I think these palm trees are cool just because they are classic L.A. to me.

Finally, I haven't photographed food in awhile, so here is a photo of Wednesday's dinner, Chicken Saltimbocca and Orzo with parmesan and basil. Really good but I'm a little embarrassed to admit I never knew Rice-a-roni wasn't made with rice until I cooked this dish. :)

Lovin Labor Day

I've been busy, but haven't been taking photos, so I snagged this one of our sort of "last supper" of Labor Day weekend. (Burger is topped with pepper jack, bacon, and guacamole. :)

The biggest highlight of the week was Bryce, Trina and their gorgeous girls came to visit. I think it has been four years since I've seen them. They are a beautiful family.


Labor Day weekend activities included: biking, running, haircut, shopping, Primary meetings, Sharing Time prep, games with Mom and Dad, cooking, a little house hunting, and just enjoying gorgeous California. Love it.