Don't Worry We're Alive

Wow... yes it's been awhile.  Chris and I are alive and doing well.  Let's just say life got in the way and blogging has been put to the side.  Between Christmas and New Years some things went down that I'm not going to get into but we are starting to finally feel back to normal.

Quick run down of what has happened lately:
1.  Chris was released back in February from the bishopric and was called as the young men's president

2.  I was released as a young women's adviser and now teach gospel doctrine.  For reals, hardest calling I have ever had.  I swear I have never prayed so much in my life and I have come to really love the scriptures.  I am still trying to understand why Heavenly Father wants me there, especially me being 25 and teaching people older and wiser than me but for now I am enjoying it.

3.  For Valentine's Day I got Chris TaeKwonDo classes so he is doing that now and is loving it.  Twice a week he goes to a strength and conditioning class and then twice a week his TaeKwonDo class.  It's something he's wanted to do ever since he was a kid so I'm happy to make his dream come true.  Plus, Chris doesn't really have many hobbies so this is a great one for him.

4.  Since the end of January I have been assistant coaching a middle school girl's softball team with a good friend from high school that I played softball with.  I love it.  The girls are so sweet and goofy.  It's kept me busy and has given me something to fill my time with.  It's great being back on the field and it's very rewarding too.  Plus, I see this as my void to not being in young women's anymore.

5.  We have been DJ-ing a lot more lately.  It's a great way to make some extra money but it's also a great way to make connections in town.  I love that we get to do it together and we have fun.  This month we DJ-ed two weddings and a young single adult dance.  We also learned a new line dance to a song called "Fine China" by Chris Brown and taught it to the YSAs, they seemed to like it.

6.  I'm super excited because I will be going to Girls Camp again this June as the assistant camp certification specialist.  I had such a great time last year and feel honored that the stake asked me to come again.  I guess I did something right.  So basically after softball ends girls camp mode will kick in and I'll have to start getting ready for that.

That really seems to be it.  We're both looking forward to the coming months.  This May is our 5 year Anniversary!  Where the heck did the time go?  We're looking forward to it.  We've got some fantastic plans to celebrate.

So as you see we haven't fallen off the earth, just have been a little out of touch with life but are back on track.  Next post won't be so far away and hopefully some pictures.

Giving Thanks

This year for Thanksgiving we literally didn't have a set plan until the Monday before.  For months it was, we're going to Crystal River to Chris's grandmother like last year.  However, things changed and we decided to stay in Tallahassee.  We kinda didn't want to drive so we told Chris's sisters and mom that we're staying in town.  Chris's mom decided to stay too so she came over.  We decided to also invite over the Bell family. 

Monday I called Alisha and we planned what each of us were going to bring and make.  Neither of us had ever made a turkey so Chris and I thought we'd try this guy off Tharpe (Smoklin' Los; that little smoker trailer a little ways after Old Bainbridge) because Chris's mom usually would get a fried turkey from him.  Well, Chris called and they stopped taking orders on Saturday... dang it.  Well, Chris and felt confident we could do it (most of that confidence came from pinterest and reading different recipes).

Wednesday night came and Chris was the soul chef for the turkey.  He prepped it and we opted for the low and slow method.

We used two different recipes.  We used one recipe for all the things stuffed in the bird (which was a pear, a apple, onion, and rosemary.  We added a few baby carrots around the outside) and then one recipe for the cooking time. 

The MAIN thing I was not looking forward to was the giblets.  YUCK!  Thankfully they put them in a bag.  So Chris is trying to get all the giblets out and he pulled on the neck but then he could not for the life of him find the bag.  Seriously!  Had no idea where it was.  So he just didn't worry about it and continued to prep.

Thursday morning I went and ran the Turkey Trot with the fabulous Maggie Anderson while Chris went and played football.  Chris's mom came over early just to watch the turkey and make sure the house didn't burn down while it cooked.  The turkey finished while she was there so at least we had a finished turkey. 

Also in the morning I set the table.  Check it out, it's a little different from two years ago.

 

I even made little name tags for the four Bell children.  The kid's table was set right before dinner so unfortunately no picture, but they got to sit at our coffee table in the kitchen on pillows.  They were so excited that they barely ate anything but liked sitting on the pillows.

During the cooking I totally realized that this Thanksgiving was TOTALLY non-southern.  For reals, there was no collard greens, no mac & cheese, no chicken and rice.  I started to feel bad because those are things Chris really likes.  I then remember, "Oh yea, Alisha and I planned it all and we're not southern so of course we're going to revert back to what we had in our childhood."  Oh well, everything was still SOOO yummy.

I made mashed potatoes, cornbread muffins, green beans, gravy and this ABSOLUTELY delicious pumpkin trifle.  Alisha made this fabulous sweet potato casserole, rolls (actually made by Chance), stuffing, jello salad and three kinds of pies; pumpkin, rassleberry and pecan.  We ate and ate and ATE!  Then we took a little break and then ate dessert.  I had a little of all the desserts, so worth it!  Here's a picture of the finished bird!

 

It was so moist and really good.  Chris did a wonderful job.  For his first time making a turkey I was quite impressed.  Soooo.... guess what Chris found while carving the turkey?  Oh yeah, that pesky bag of giblets.  Chris's mom was like "oh yeah it's usually in the head region."  Crap.  Oh well, it was in plastic and I think they know this happens a lot so the bag must somehow be okay to cook and then eat the turkey.

 I think the Bells really enjoyed themselves as much as we did.  The kids LOVED playing the Wii.  It was so fun watching them.  We played a few games and watched The Rescuers Downunder.  We had some good Hudson snuggle time and like I said, ate A LOT and yet still had lots of left overs.

All in all a great Thanksgiving.  I'm happy we decided to stay here; it was so fun spending the day with Chris's mom and the Bell family.  I have a feeling next year is going to be just as exciting!