Cream Vanilla Yogurt

Many of you know I typically make my own yogurt (thanks to my mom) and one of the reasons I like it is because I think it's healthy and you can control the sugar that goes in.  It's really creamy and delicious.  Well, I am in temporary housing at the moment with not a lot of storage space, and so my yogurt making 'machine' is in storage. So I haven't made yogurt in a while.  I love yogurt, and had a coupon, so I bought some at the store last week.  It is Yoplait band.  I never buy Yoplait.  It's a big 32 oz. container.  The flavor is Creamy Vanilla.  (It was that or plain and I was feeling like vanilla - I guess I could have added my own vanilla and sugar, but I just bought the Creamy Vanilla.)  This yogurt must have 500,000 grams of sugar in it.  Something is addictive.  I have been eating it with strawberries each morning.  I can't get enough. It's like eating ice cream.  I don't know what they put in this stuff, but I can never buy it again. 

Ok, really only 32 grams of sugar per 8 oz. serving.  Geez.  What's worse, 32 or 500,000??  That's a lot of sugar!

It Feels So Good

It feels so good to be outside in the warm sun!  I went on a bike ride yesterday and it was a beautiful sunny day.  I rode 21 miles and could have gone longer, but my seat is not quite used to the bike seat, so it was good the ride ended when it did! 

I can definitely tell it is getting warmer and I live in the wetlands of north Salt Lake because there are many more bugs out than there were a couple weeks ago on the same trail. I guess I have that to look forward to when I go home to visit next week! 

I rarely buy cereal and I never buy the kids sweet cereals, like Reese's Puffs.  Mainly because they are so expensive and they don't last long.  Well, last week I did.  And I have eaten more cereal faster than my dad would have ever let me as a little kid.  I can't believe it myself!  The whole box is now empty.  Since Saturday morning.  It's Tuesday morning.  See, there's a good reason I don't buy cereals like this.  

Patience is a Virtue

While I am looking for a job, I am living in Utah.  I attend two religion classes and generally go to the firesides down at the Institute at the UofU.  The past couple weeks the lessons seem to be centered around the topics of personal revelation.  In my Tuesday night class this week, we studied Elder Uchtdorf's talk, Continute In Patience, from the April Confrerence.  There were a few parts that I liked and wanted to share.

I learned that patience was far more than simply waiting for something to happen—patience required actively working toward worthwhile goals and not getting discouraged when results didn’t appear instantly or without effort.

There is an important concept here: patience is not passive resignation, nor is it failing to act because of our fears. Patience means active waiting and enduring. It means staying with something and doing all that we can—working, hoping, and exercising faith; bearing hardship with fortitude, even when the desires of our hearts are delayed. Patience is not simply enduring; it is enduring well!

The children of Israel waited 40 years in the wilderness before they could enter the promised land. Jacob waited 7 long years for Rachel. The Jews waited 70 years in Babylon before they could return to rebuild the temple. The Nephites waited for a sign of Christ’s birth, even knowing that if the sign did not come, they would perish. Joseph Smith’s trials in Liberty Jail caused even the prophet of God to wonder, “How long?”

In each case, Heavenly Father had a purpose in requiring that His children wait.

Every one of us is called to wait in our own way.

Some day I will look back on this time in my life and know what Heavenly Father's purpose was in requiring me to wait for a job!  In the mean time, I am learning about humility and growing closer to the Lord.

Hiking

I went on two great hikes this weekend.  We are having great weather here and I have the sunburned arms to prove the sun was out today.  The waterfall is at the top of Adams Canyon.  The other is the top of Grandeur Peak.  They were both awesome!

Ghost Town and California Trip

Does anyone read this anymore?  I feel like I'm talking to an empty cyberworld!  Well if there is someone still there, here are a few pictures from my recent trip to California.

Day trip to Napa Valley with Carrie

hiking the foothills of stanford

Alcatraz

Sausalito

Point Lobos

downtown San Francisco

the view out of my hotel room on my trip to San Fran the day before mom and I drove there

this was our delicious lunch when we were in Napa

posted this one for Carrie! - Pebble Beach on the 17 mile drive

It was a fabulous trip!  Full of adventure and first time experiences!

Weekend Adventures

This morning I was going to go on a bike ride with my roommate.  I have been looking forward to this all week as today was a Saturday with good weather!  I got all ready, went out to the garage, took hold of the handlebars to wheel it outside, and low and behold!  my back tire was flat.  completely flat.  I was so sad!  I guess I ran over some stuff on my last ride that punctured a hole.  So I won't be riding for a little while.  =( 

And last night I had just about the most fun on a Friday night that I've had in a LONG time.  It was so great.  I went snowshoeing with my friend's friends - at NIGHT.  We went up Big Cottonwood Canyon and then trapsed through the wilderness blazing new trails and pausing at clearings to see the beautiful mountain views.  It was just awesome.  And hopefully I'll get to go hiking again next weekend somewhere.  It's national park week and you get in to all national parks FREE!

Why does warm weather spark a cleaning mode in people?  I cleaned out my car, fixed my little break light in the back windshield, tidied up my new snow chains so they'd fit back in the bag, organized my closet, and started the laundry. 

Random.  I just looked out the window... there are lawnmowers working outside...and I just saw an old blue TRACTOR drive down the street.  WHAT?!  I live near farmland with horses, but didn't think I'd see a tractor drive though my suburbia neighborhood.  Add that to the ice cream truck that came by the other day.  If I hadn't turned into a Dryer's ice cream snob (thanks to my roommate), I'd have gone out to get an ice cream bar!  But I'll just wait til Kari brings home more from work. =)

I just love the outdoors. By the way if you haven't seen it, check out Jason Mraz on Sesame Street.  He loves the outdoors too!

What's in a name?

I was talking to my sister on the phone yesterday when her almost 4 year old daughter came up to her and said 'this is for you Liza.'  She apparently was playing some sort of pretend game, but we laughed that my sister was not 'mom ' at that moment. 

So Liza asked Skye: What's mommy's name?
Skye: Liza

Liza: What's daddy's name?
Skye: Jeff

Liza (at my prompting): What's Aunt Emmy's name? 
Skye: I don't know.

Liza: What's Aunt Carrie's name?
Skye (enthusiastically): Carebear!!

Liza: What's Uncle Wally's name?
Skye: Wa Wa

We aren't sure where Wa Wa came from, but it was funny that the only name Skye was confident about from her aunts and uncle was her Aunt Carrie's where Carrie' is Carrie's real name.  I think she was really thrown off that my real name was not Emmy because I'm not sure she has heard me called Emily too often. 

Then Liza tried to get Will to say 'Aunt Emmy.'  It didn't quite happen.  But soon.  Real soon.