Lunch with Girlfriends

Its hard to move to a new place, without knowing anyone, when you are used to having constant friendship interactions. In Washington, I was very active in my church and had many friends who I would meet up with for coffee dates, play dates for our kids, church activities, girl nights, game nights, pretty much anything and everything!

Then I moved to Utah…

I was lonely for a long time. Whether self-inflicted, or just out of shyness, I’m not sure. My sister Jamie always told me that I just needed one friend: a gateway friend.

I met my gateway friend Lindsey in spring of 2015 when both of our boys were on the same baseball team. Her husband Jeremy was the coach. Aedan excels in all sports, and even though this was his first year playing baseball, he and Lindsay’s son Braxton became instant friends, and the two best players on the team. This led to a friendship between Lindsey and I. She also happened to live in the same neighborhood I did, even though we were both playing at a different cities rec league. Once we found out we live in the same neighborhood, she started inviting me to join her at our HOA pool. We hit it off, and basically spent every single day in summer at the pool together, where she introduced me to many many of her friends. One of her friends, Nicki, had a similar story to me. We had both moved to Utah from out of state around the same time. Lindsey met her, AT A YARD SELL: that’s how friendly Lindsey is!

Anyway, the three of us really hit it off and spent nearly every summer day together at the pool. When September came and our neighborhood pool had to shut its doors for the season, I was really wondering what the heck we could do to still get together often!

Thus our weekly lunches were born. Every week, usually on Tuesdays, we get together at one of our houses for a lunch and girl time. I enjoy it immensely! I look forward to it every week. I highly suggest you start a weekly lunch with your girlfriends too. It doesn’t cost you any money, like going out would, and you get much needed girl time!

So anyway, to get back to the point of this post within the context of my vegetarian week….

It was my week to host our lunch. I made a fresh loaf of bread, and homemade butter. A veggie salad with boiled eggs. And we also ate my leftover Egg Drop Ramen Veggie Soup. Lindsey brought guacamole! We had a fantastic time, as always! Nothing better then a good meal, and good friends! Try it out!

Ciao!

Veg Week: Day Two

Lets dive right into day two of my Vegetarian Week!

My meal plan for the day: Click the links for recipes!

Breakfast: Mocha Shake

Snack: peaches and handful of pistachios

Lunch: Weekly Lunch with my Girlfriends!

Dinner: Fajita Quesadillas with Roasted Brussel Sprouts

How I’m Feeling: Wow! I woke up with a ton of energy! Either I slept really well or this veggie thing is already making a difference. I guess we’ll find out tomorrow if the trend continues. Usually on a normal day, I wake up begrudgingly and walk immediately to my coffee bar. Today, I jumped to start on my day’s  to do list and got a ton of stuff done by 9am! I was really impressed. I wasn’t hungry at all today. I got my house all cleaned and a loaf of bread made early, because I had my weekly lunch with my girlfriends planned. Today was my turn to host. I always have a wonderful time, and I look forward to it every week. I normally hit a wall around 2pm, but today I kept going without a slump at all! I certainly hope this continues. Its amazing what I can get done around my house when I am full of energy. Dinner was fantastic. I might sound totally crazy when I say this, but I’m completely addicted to brussel sprouts. I pretty much cooked that entire pan just for me and didn’t willingly share with my family. I just want to eat them all! So delicious! I wasn’t hungry after dinner! That’s a first for me! Can’t wait to see what tomorrow brings!

Ciao!

 

 

Goals for 2015!

“If you don’t have goals, you aren’t growing. If you aren’t growing, you’re dying.” -Anthony Robbins

“Where there is no vision, the people parish.” Proverbs 29:18

I am a notorious list maker, planner lover and goal maker. If I don’t have something to look forward to, or work towards I go insane. That’s probably why at the beginning of every year I set out to write my list of goals for the coming year. It’s incredible what happens when you write words down, and think on them throughout the year. Honestly, everything I wrote last year happened. I am writing my list publically this year to prove that words are powerful!

My goals for 2015:

1. I would like to run at least a 5K race, if not longer races. EVERY MONTH. On the months where weather doesn’t permit, I will run an indoor 5K at my gym.
2. Up my writing on and off this blog. I have a passion for writing, and I want to spend more time in that. Specifically, I want to blog about food at least twice a month.
3. As the chef of the family, and the caretaker to everyone’s health, I have decided to implement “meatless Mondays” as I dabble in Vegetarian cooking. I have had some great friends and family who are vegetarian come forward with some incredible recipes. I can’t wait to start this! And this will coincide with my food blogging as well! If anyone has any good recipes PLEASE comment! I am SO new to this, I need help.
4. I want to get my photography business off the ground here in Utah. Click here to see my Facebook page! Since the move, I haven’t had any sessions nor have I even thought about it. But I’m ready to get back to another passion of mine.
5. I am dying to get back to school. Since we aren’t considered “residents” of Utah until we’ve lived here a year, it’s been a long wait. However, I should be able to return to school in the fall, and get this associates degree DONE with for good!

 

What are your goals for 2015? Have you ever had the experience that what you write come true? Make some goals! You will be amazed what that does for you! Wishing you a fantastic 2015!

 

Happy Birthday Aedan

To my sweet boy:

Every woman is forever changed when her first child is born. She is no longer just a woman; she is a mother. When I had you I was just a girl, not yet a woman. Honestly I had no way to prepare for your impending arrival. I had no idea what was really coming. You arrived only 5 days after my 18^th birthday. To say I was naïve would be an understatement. To say I was utterly clueless would be an understatement. To say that I was a complete idiot would be an understatement.

But here is the beauty of it: you changed my life in every possible way. I had to grow up, and fast. I had to work extra hard to graduate on time and with good grades. I had to get my priorities right. I had to not only be a teenage girl, but I had to learn to be a woman, a mother for you. Your dad and I had to learn to grow up together, in love.

I often think about what my life would be like if I hadn’t gotten pregnant at 17. I’m sure by now I would have my college degree. I would probably be traveling all over the world. I’m not even sure if your dad and I would have been together. But I never want those things more than I want you. I am so glad you came into our lives, because your dad and I really are perfect for each other, though at the time we might not have seen that. We’ve been together now for 9 years! All thanks to you!

You are so smart, so talented. I look at you, and I swear there is no way I made you. You have such joy always, and you are so patient. I see a leader when I look at you. Every time there is a chance to help someone you do it. I can always count on you to help me with your sisters, or with some house work. But I’d much rather see you play: football, Legos, running, video games, Pokémon, or rough housing with friends. You have never-ending patience when it comes to your sisters, especially little Corah June, whom you’ve always been so gentle with since the day she was born. You have a natural curiosity for everything, and I hope it never ends. You are smarter than your years. Every day I am impressed by you and proud of you.

I can see you in the future; though it breaks my heart to see it. You will be such a good husband, an incredible father. An amazing leader of men. Maybe a college football star? Maybe an entrepreneur like your dad? I wish you could be my little boy forever though. You are really growing too fast.

Thank you for being my sweet boy. Thank you for making me realize everything I’ve ever wanted from life. Thank you for making me grow up. Thank you for making me love your dad. Thank you for making me the woman I am today, I am so grateful. I couldn’t be who I am without you.

Happy 8^th Birthday to you Aedan. I love you more than you could ever know.

The day we found out you were a boy

two months old, chillin in your crib

Five months old, my sweet boy

That face! Six months old

Daddy is home from Iraq and finally gets to spend time with you. 8 months old.

Christmas time in 2007. 1 year old.

Just me and my boy. 1 year old.

Two years old

Driving with papa, two years old

that sweet face, two years old

First movie theatre experience, 3 years old

First day of preschool, 3 years old

Loving your sister Morgan, 4 years old

4 years old

You are the best big brother in the world, 4 years old

On your 4th birthday

Fishing with daddy, 5 years old

First day of 1st grade, 6 years old

6th birthday

7 years old, that smile!

1st day of 2nd grade! Getting so big now!

You love your seahawks! 7 years old.

I love you so much Aedan, you will be my little boy forever.

 

A Vineyard Wedding

Just an hour until sunset, I can no longer see the sun as it’s behind the old growth forest; this gives the sky an orange cast that’s almost too perfect. To the left I can see the endless vineyards rolling …

Summer: a paraphrase

I haven’t blogged since July. That’s so sad. My laptop died a heroic death, but unfortunately it took everything with it. I’ve always had a passion for writing. It gets all my ideas out of my head and helps me keep my sanity. Im not to keen on the desktop though, but I guess I need to get over that. So much has happened since July: So incredibly much.  I honestly don’t know where to begin.

To save all the hassle of writing up all the blogs I should have in the last 3 months, I am going to paraphrase.

JULY: Florida: 4^th of July. Many days at the beach. Mini golf, the kids first time ever. Sam’s birthday. Dave Matthews Band Concert. Art museums, yes I’m that girl. St. Augustine. Gater farm. Clearwater. Incredible white sand beaches. I don’t ever want to leave. Meeting old army friends. Shark teeth. Back to our new home in Salt Lake City: Settling in. MY SISTER MOLLY HAD HER BABY!!! A beautiful baby girl named Zoey. School started so early for the kids. Girls started Kindergarten. Since when is that okay? Pool time with Corah while big kids are at school. She had a hard time adjusting to being without her siblings.

AUGUST: I started training for my half marathon. Intense. In awe with the mountains, every day. Corah turns two. Wait, what?! My lovely friend Tiphani came to stay with me for two weeks! We took full advantage of the Utah sun and outdoors while she was here. Hiking. Beaching. Crafting. And silly drinking game nights. Enjoyed every minute and cried like a baby when she left. Continued to soak up summer sun. Talked with an old friend. Magic. Lavender fields. Still training every day for that marathon. Kayak on the lake.

SEPTEMBER: Football season starts. Are we the only Seattle fans in Utah? Apparently not. Still training. My kids are settled in school and have friends now. Makes me happy. I don’t get to go to Canada to see my new niece, so sad about that.  Flag football starts for Aedan. That’s entertaining. I get some much needed alone time. Heart break ensues. #41.  Sam started a new job at Morgan Stanley. So proud of him! Dave Matthews has his own wine? Why didn’t I know about that? I have too much free time. Grey Street. Fall décor. More Seahawks games. More training.

OCTOBER: Its already October? How? Kids are out of school for a month. We’ve been playing. Reading. Walking. It’s still warm here? This is so weird. Flag football ended for Aedan. He loved it. Sam and I have been having nightly walks together after the kids go to sleep. Works wonders. Sky full of stars. I still have too much free time. Looking into going back to school. My half-marathon is in 3 days!!! I leave for my brother’s wedding in Virginia in 5 days!! Excited to see my family! And to be at a wedding that’s on a vineyard… Wine does equal happiness.

We have packed so much into a short amount of time. Not only was it a lot of activities, but it was a lot of life changes. A lot of heart changes, a lot of up-rooting and rearranging my entire life type changes. Damn it was a summer.

I will write more, I promise. I’ve missed it too much.

What Im going to miss about Washington

Recently, I wrote a blog about Why we are moving to Utah: It kind of felt like a bash Seattle session. While I am more than ready to leave this state behind, there are many things I will miss about living here.

The children and I moved to Washington from Illinois in 2009 while Sam was deployed to Afghanistan. We were preparing for him to exit the army life and start his civilian life by getting into school. Literally a week after Sam got home he was attending school. Sam’s dream college since his boyhood was University of Washington. This is the ONLY reason we moved here. We knew all along that we wouldn’t stay here. We have definitely enjoyed our four years, and we will miss many things about our life here.

1. Coffee: Yeah, I said it. Seattle is the coffee Mecca. We created the coffee culture in America. I won’t be able to find a coffee shop on every corner. I will have to travel quite the distance to get my coffee in Utah. In fact, I might just open up my own coffee shop! I will miss the many amazing coffee shops available to me. If you are looking for a great one check out Anthem Coffee in downtown Puyallup.

2. Rain: Yes, more controversial statements. Hate on me all you want, but I love the rain. I love the gray skies. I love the smell of the air after it rains. It’s refreshing. It makes EVERYTHING grow. It is so green here because of all that lovely rain. Rain Rain Rain. I will miss you.

3. Forest: I will miss looking out my front door and seeing a forest. We live right by the Swan Creek Park which is 290 acres of forest. It is absolutely gorgeous. Huge evergreens all around you. Stunning. I definitely won’t be getting that in Utah. Time to get used to desert plants.

4. Mt. Rainer: The main reason I am in love with this area. It is taller than most of the mountains in Utah. It is so massive that you can see it from all over the west side of the state on a clear day. Ridiculous.

5. Mild weather: It’s almost never too hot or too cold here. Even though we are very north, we have the Cascade Mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west, which keeps us in a mild state of weather year round. The summers here are incredible.

6. Hipsters, the Creative culture and laid back attitude: oh, Seattle. You really have my heart. The west coast is famous for its laid back culture. Seattle takes it up a notch. Literally, anything goes. No judgment. We invented hipsters and I love it. Also, what city has more creativity in it? We invented grunge! Many big businesses call Seattle home: Starbucks, STRIDELINE, Amazon, Jones Soda Co, Zillow, Nordstrom, Zulily, Microsoft, Eddie Bauer, Costco, Zummiez and many many more!

7. Local farms and the ability to grow nearly everything in my garden: I love love love Local farms. Everything grows here! My garden grows so well I have a hard time keeping up with the eating part of the growing season. I also almost never water my garden because of the rain. Brilliant.

8. Seattle Seahawks MANIA: After being season ticket holders for 3 years, its going to be sad to go to a city without a football team! How depressing! We will rep the hawks no matter where we go! But I will miss that hype the city gets when we go to the Superbowl again next year!

9. Most of all, MY FRIENDS: I came here in 2009 not knowing anyone. I got plugged into church and met some of the nicest people ever. My kids went to a Christian private school and I met even more amazing people. I worked two different jobs and got to know even more people. Then I went to TCC and met even more people! My children have so many friends here! I have been blessed by so many incredible people. I have learned so much from you. I will cry knowing I am leaving you behind. I am thankful that I have had the opportunity to meet you all. We will miss you all so much! And just so you know my new house a guest bedroom! Please come visit me!

Tiphani and I

My fellow MOPS leaders

The birthday twins and their best friends, Grace, Lexi and Tanner

The Moser and Talkington family are now bonded for life ❤

We will Miss you Seattle! You’ve been so good to us! Ciao! Until next time!

What Memorial Day Means to Me

A lot of people see Memorial Day weekend as the start to summer! Many people are firing up the grill, going to the park, or going to the lake. Still others are taking advantage of store sales or spending time doing absolutely nothing.
For the few of us who have had loved ones in the military, or who served themselves, Memorial Day is something completely different.
Sam left to Iraq a mere three days after we were married. He had only been there a few months when his best friend died. He witnessed things that no 18 year old young man should ever see.
Every Memorial Day I am vividly reminded of how close I was to losing my husband. It was almost 7 years ago that my husband sustained many injuries do to an improvised explosive device while on a raid in Bagdad Iraq. If the vehicle was less than a foot closer to that bomb, Sam wouldn’t have his legs today. He likely would have bled out and died on scene.
So when people tell me, “Happy Memorial Day,” of course I am polite and say Thank You, but deep down I know this is NOT a happy day. This is the day when mothers of killed soldiers are reminded that their boy is not coming home. This is the day when widows feel their loss most deeply. This is the day when families of the lost soldiers visit the graves of their beloved.
Please take this day to HONOR those who have fallen. Please take this day to say a prayer for the grieving families. Please take this day to visit a national military cemetery. Please take this day to teach your children about the sacrifices made for them. Please take this day to donate to the Military Order of the Purple Heart or the Wounded Warriors Project. Let’s put action behind our words. Let’s give honor where honor is due. “We might not know all the names of the fallen personally; but we know their sacrifice intimately.” – Pastor Brandon Stewart.

Here are some images to reflect on.

All of the above photos were taken from GOOGLE images from search: Memorial Day National Cemetery.

Family Time in Moving Chaos

Family time is important for any family in any stage; however, during a chaotic move with huge looming transitions, I think family time is even more critical. Samuel has had a business trip every weekend for the last 3 weeks, and to have him home this weekend means a lot to us. Every Friday night there is NO social media, NO blogs to write, NO homework to do, NO deadlines to meet, NO calls to make. Our family gathers around the table like every other night, except this night, its PIZZA! I have invented MANY different ways to make pizza. Ever heard of the pizzadilla? Well, it’s incredible. I’ll blog about it later! Everyone looks forward to it all week (Especially me, because it is my cheat meal of the week!). After dinner we play together and chat while I clean the kitchen. After that its MOVIE night! But this isn’t your average family night. We make a fort! We make beds on the ground! Popcorn is always involved. We all cuddle in and watch a movie as a family. Thankfully Corah is getting old enough to hang for most of the movie before she has to go to sleep. A few weeks ago, she even participated in making her own pizza. It was mostly pineapple 😉 We are trying to keep this important family time EVEN while moving. It’s been interesting, but it has really kept us close as a family unit. It also helps us to make sure we always have something to look forward to after a stressful week! What family traditions do you have? Do you have a “family night” once a week too?

Why are we moving to Utah?

Why are you moving to Utah? I get that question about three times a day. I try my best to answer that question, but there really isn’t a short answer.

We first visited Utah in 2011 for a wedding, and were completely impressed with what we saw. The mountains surrounding Salt Lake valley are so impressive. I was in awe! Mountains have always been my favorite type of scenery. While we were there over the weekend, everywhere we went the people were friendly, and everything from shopping centers to neighborhoods were impeccably clean. From that day, we decided we would come back to look into communities for a possible move someday.
In 2013, we finally made it back. We spent Sam’s Spring break in Salt Lake City. It was then that we decided for sure that Salt Lake was the place for us. You see, here in Seattle, we are known as the crazy family with four kids. Almost no one has more than two kids in this area. I get comments almost EVERY day about this: “Are those all yours?” “you’ve got your hands full!” “you must be crazy!” “Oh, I could never handle that” “blah blah blah blah.” While in Utah, for the first time ever, we got comments by complete strangers about how lovely our family was, how well behaved our four children were, how blessed we are! Finally! People that understand our values! We instantly knew this was the place for us. Every shop and restaurant we walked into, our large family was welcomed and our children weren’t seen as burdens. Seattle is a beautiful place, but it isn’t as accepting of large families.
Our final trip to Salt Lake was in March of this year. This trip was to look at specific neighborhoods, schools for the children, and homes. We were successful at every endeavor! Our new home is in a fantastic community called DayBreak in South Jordan, Utah. Located just 30 minutes south of Salt Lake City, this community was named community of the year in the WHOLE of the United States in 2012. It is really ALL inclusive. They take care of your front lawn, we get free internet, running trails, pool, splash pads, gym, and community center. We live a very short walk away from a lake that we will have free access to kayaks and paddle boats. We also live a short walk to the light rail that can take us directly to the airport and to downtown Salt Lake. Not having to commute by car is a HUGE bonus. If the I-5 here in Seattle has taught us anything, it’s that we absolutely hate traffic. The children’s elementary school is less than half a mile from our house and is rated very high! We are absolutely in love with this neighborhood and so excited to be able to raise our children in such a family friendly environment. Not to mention the house is GORGEOUS. I literally cannot wait to move. 3,000 square feet of pure bliss! Our home here is only 1,200 square feet. Talk about some much needed breathing room.

So here are the main reasons we are moving:
1. Family Atmosphere in Utah: the Mormon culture in Utah is very accepting of large families. That carries into every aspect of life, not just in the church. We are not Mormon and will not convert, but I respect them and their choice of religion. I love the culture they create, and they are wonderful people. They have some of the same values we hold, certainly more than the carefree, anything goes attitude of Seattle (which also has its perks, NOT trying to hate on Seattle right now)
2.Cost of Living: Everything in Western Washington is SO expensive. Everything from food, to utilities costs an arm and a leg. We are getting approximately 2.5 times the house in Utah for only a few hundred dollars more than what we pay here. We also pay about $350 a month for our utilities here and we expect to pay not much more than that in Utah even with the extra 1800 square feet. We also won’t have to pay for Private School anymore, since the public schools in Utah are leagues above the district we live in currently. That alone is $700 a month in savings! We cannot afford to live in this area anymore! Salt Lake is way more reasonably priced.
3. Sam’s Business: Sam’s business is taking off! His Strideline Sock in Spokane has been a huge success. He is about to launch his Salt Lake City Sock, and his Denver Sock. He also has plans to do a Phoenix sock. Salt Lake City is the most central to all of these cities. His success is greatly linked to his ability to travel to these cities. Eventually we want to have a presence on the East coast as well; Utah is a lot closer to that than Washington. Click here to get to Strideline-Spokane’s Facebook Page.
4. Financial Industry: Sam is only a month away from graduating from the Foster Business School at the University of Washington with his Business Finance degree. That is the ONLY reason we moved to Western Washington in the first place! This has been Sam’s dream college since he was a boy. His degree will give him so much opportunity. Believe it or not, Salt Lake is the new New York City in terms of the financial industry. Most of the big banks have moved to Salt Lake because of the ridiculous cost of living in New York. Sam will have SO many banks and investment firms to potentially start a career in.
5. Mountains and Outdoor Living: So Washington also has this, but definitely not to the degree of Salt Lake Valley. We are so ready to explore new territory!
6. Winter and Summer: Yeah, Washington definitely doesn’t have this. We want snow, like a lot of snow…like 8 feet of snow. Call us crazy, but we LOVE winter. Western Washington shuts down when two inches hits the ground…pathetic! Oh, and summer, that would be nice too. It is SO mild in Washington that I have been caught on more than one occasion wearing a light jacket in July. Also pathetic!
7. It is our Choice: this might sound rude, but no one in our extended family has EVER lived in Salt Lake City. Finally we can tread our own path and make our own way! We are so ready for this new adventure!