On this wonderful Sunday evening, we decided to make some self-portraits of each other. Then, we colored pages from our coloring books we got in our stockings for Christmas. We had fun with the pictures of each other. I am a horrible at drawing so Spencer's looks nothing like him. And Spencer claims that I am wearing glasses but it looks like I have super hero mask on instead. We had a good laugh at them.
Spencer's depiction of me:
I guess I am a super hero with a massive neck. Ha!
My Depiction of Spencer:
I don't know what's up with his nose. When Spencer saw it, he said, " Why do I have a butt for a nose?" Haha!
Then we colored from our Peanuts coloring books. While doing so, we got a nice break by talking to some awesome friends, Terance and Trevor! We are glad they stopped by to say hi!
Spencer's Pictures:
My Pictures:
It was a nice relaxing activity for Sunday all the while listening to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and the Piano Guys.
Today, Spencer and I decided to start a little challenge. Because of my insulin resistance, we are always on the look out for new, low carb recipes. It's not an easy task. There are quite a few recipes out there that aren't... well..... the most delicious. We have been beating the few we have found to death lately. It seems like we just rotate through the same 20 or so recipes.
So, this week we decided we would try new recipes all week. Then, as we were shopping, I guess I got a little excited and said we should try a new recipe every day for a month! I think it will be a fun challenge, that will help us find delicious food while spending quality time together in the kitchen.
So, each day from August 20, 2012 to September 20th, 2012, we will be looking for new recipes that are under 30 carbs (since that is my limit for blood sugar reasons)
If you happen to stumble on any good recipes, feel free to share it with us! 30 carbs is the limit, so it makes for fun searching. We love to try new things! We will post each recipe with it's original source, so if you are feeling adventurous, you can try them too!
Here is what we did for Family Home Evening tonight. We went through our pictures and made a collage. We hope to print them out soon and hang them in our living room.
Click picture to see a bigger version of it.
Also, we have discovered that we really don't have that many pictures of us. Do you have any ideas for fun pictures?
This weekend we took another trip to escape the monotony of Rexburg, Idaho. Freedom Wyoming, which has 214 people (and like 10000 cows) could be our weekend haven. The drive lasted about an hour and a half and this is what we saw.
It was a beautiful drive!
Lisa, my mother-in-law, takes awesome pictures of flowers, so I thought I would take a crack at it. Here is what I came up with.
After grabbing the key from Aunt Bonnie and Uncle Reed, we entered our new home for two days. It felt like we went back in time through many different eras. The bright orange carpet and the furniture reminded us of the 70's. The logs, old pictures and the outhouse brought us back even further. We enjoyed exploring the timeless treasures that were found all over the place. For example, we found a record player. It took us about 10 minutes, working together, to get it working. They also had an 8-track player and about 20 different cartridges.
Old Telephone
BB Gun
Another old telephone
8 Track Cartridge
That night, we decided to go for a little walk up the road. As we were walking by a pasture, a herd of cows took a particular interest in us. They must not have seen people that often because they all came running up to stare at us as we passed by. It was kind of creepy and funny at the same time. A horse in a nearby pasture did the same thing. Apparently, we look like we are from out of town.
Saturday, Bonnie and Reed took us on a drive around the vast town of farms. It was a pretty sight to see. There were plenty of beautiful cabins and farmland that stretched for miles, all the while seeing the mountains in the background. It was really cool!
While on the drive, we even found a street with our name on it! It was named after one of Spencer's relatives. His family has a lot of history here.
Later that afternoon, we took a walk around what I guess you would call "downtown Freedom." The Main street has just a few buildings on it, only one of which seemed in use: The Post office. Everyone has to go and pick up their mail everyday since it is so small and there are not mailmen to delivery it. It was built in the early 1900's.
These are the few buildings we saw.
This must have been a hardware store.
Street Corner with the Church, a very old Gas station and The General Store
The Church building was built in 1889. Spencer's great great Grandpa was the first bishop of this ward.
The Gas station had these really cool, old gas pumps. It even still had a price on it: 42 and 9/10ths of a cent for a gallon. I wish gas would be that cheap today! Think of the money we would save! Yeah, in our dreams.
This road is called the State-Line road, so we have one foot in Idaho and one foot in Wyoming. Like in the movie, "Walk to Remember", we were in two different places at once!
Some other cool things we found around the house, are these little signs with cute sayings! I would use some of those even today! I should make them for craft time one day.
This was on the bathroom door: "If you have to go, Don't stand and yell, just cross your legs and ring this bell."
You make due with what you have!
Haha, this one is just funny!
This would be good if you have a few kids, especially teenagers. "Don't Rush me! Take a number"
So true!
I could see myself saying this in the kitchen.
"Do something. Lead, Follow, or Get out of the way."
This cabin is so cool, it even has an outhouse! I remember my dad saying he had to use one until he was 5, so I took these pictures just for him! The funny thing is, the outhouse has two seats, one for boys and one for girls! Or... two could go at once! lol....
Overall, we had a great weekend away from home! It is always fun to go back in time!
So we decided that we wanted to get out of Rexburg and go somewhere that was different. It was more of a journey to regain some of our sanity. We left Thursday afternoon after Spencer got of work. We talked all the way down there while viewing the beautiful mountain landscapes of Utah and Idaho.
Since Grandma Judd was gone to a funeral, we had the house to ourselves for the first night. We through a huge party, inviting all the people we knew: Spencer and Me. Yeah it was awesome. We went to Chick-fil-a for some dinner and then settled down to watch a movie. Do you guys remember the old Disney movie, "Cool Runnings"?
The DVD was a little scratched so it actually took us 3 days to get through the whole movie! Ha, every time it started to skip, we just turned it off and returned to it the next day and for some reason it would play better. Such a fun movie!
Friday was a fun adventure! After getting some amazing breakfast ( I am now addicted to the Great Value pre-cooked sausage patties.) We headed down to Provo to visit one of Spencer's cousins and her baby Matix. We had a great visit with her! She is such an awesome woman! And we had fun playing with Matix. He is a very happy little 6 month old. Such a cutie! For some reason, we did not get a picture with Ashley! (because we all know babies are more important.... just kidding!) But, we promise she is awesome!
We then drove by the Missionary Training Center and the Provo Temple! Since I served my mission in Uruguay and went to the Argentina MTC, I was surprised to see how big the Provo MTC was. Maybe some day we will make it there together, if we serve a Senior mission. The Temple was very beautiful. It was super busy, especially with missionaries. I think one weekend, we should take a trip to Utah and temple hop to all the ones in Utah Valley. There are like 7 temples with in an hour of each other! Soon to be 9! How lucky are they!?
We returned home to wait for Grandma Judd's arrival back home. We had a delicious dinner and then talked late into the night. We love talking to her! (We forgot to get a picture with her so here is one from the wedding, her with Spencer)
Saturday, We had no idea what to do, so Grandma took us to the movies. Of course, I had to pick Madagascar 3! It was.....interesting to say the least. I have to admit my favorite part of the movie was seen in the commercials where Marty starts singing Circus Afro. Yeah, I know, I'm a child at heart.
We went to visit Spencer's Aunt, Allison who has a crazy, very energetic dog named Luigi. We helped her snap beans before taking off for home. We talked to Grandma some more then ended up playing a game called, "Ticket to Ride!" We hope to get that game soon! It is a lot of fun!
Sunday we attended Church with Grandma Judd. It was Fast Sunday. I got to help out with her lesson by talking about a quote from President Monson.
In an address to Relief Society sisters, President Thomas S. Monson shared thoughts about how expressions of charity strengthen the ties of sisterhood in Relief Society:
“I consider charity—or ‘the pure love of Christ’—to be the opposite of criticism and judging. In speaking of charity, I do not at this moment have in mind the relief of the suffering through the giving of our substance. That, of course, is necessary and proper. Tonight, however, I have in mind the charity that manifests itself when we are tolerant of others and lenient toward their actions, the kind of charity that forgives, the kind of charity that is patient.
“I have in mind the charity that impels us to be sympathetic, compassionate, and merciful, not only in times of sickness and affliction and distress but also in times of weakness or error on the part of others.
“There is a serious need for the charity that gives attention to those who are unnoticed, hope to those who are discouraged, aid to those who are afflicted. True charity is love in action. The need for charity is everywhere.
“Needed is the charity which refuses to find satisfaction in hearing or in repeating the reports of misfortunes that come to others, unless by so doing, the unfortunate one may be benefited. …
“Charity is having patience with someone who has let us down. It is resisting the impulse to become offended easily. It is accepting weaknesses and shortcomings. It is accepting people as they truly are. It is looking beyond physical appearances to attributes that will not dim through time. It is resisting the impulse to categorize others.
“Charity, that pure love of Christ, is manifest when a group of young women from a singles ward travels hundreds of miles to attend the funeral services for the mother of one of their Relief Society sisters. Charity is shown when devoted visiting teachers return month after month, year after year to the same uninterested, somewhat critical sister. It is evident when an elderly widow is remembered and taken to ward functions and to Relief Society activities. It is felt when the sister sitting alone in Relief Society receives the invitation, ‘Come—sit by us.’
“In a hundred small ways, all of you wear the mantle of charity. Life is perfect for none of us. Rather than being judgmental and critical of each other, may we have the pure love of Christ for our fellow travelers in this journey through life. May we recognize that each one is doing her best to deal with the challenges which come her way, and may we strive to do our best to help out.
“Charity has been defined as ‘the highest, noblest, strongest kind of love,’ the ‘pure love of Christ … ; and whoso is found possessed of it at the last day, it shall be well with [her].’“‘Charity never faileth.’ May this long-enduring Relief Society motto, this timeless truth, guide you in everything you do. May it permeate your very souls and find expression in all your thoughts and actions."
Sunday Night, Spencer's Aunts, Uncles, and cousins came over to celebrate a birthday! It was so much fun! We had a great time talking and eating awesome food! It was a great way to end a great weekend! We left Monday morning to come home. We both were sad to leave. We hope to go back very soon!
