Movie Review - "A Time for Drunken Horses"

I balled like a baby during this movie. It's the story of a brother's love and sacrifice for his family, particularly for his crippled brother that is in great need of an operation. He becomes the head of his household after the death of their parents and exemplifies all the qualities of a true hero. He is so selfless and loving and I'm sobbing even as I write this, thinking of how realistic this story actually is.

There is so much suffering and sorrow in the world. Comparing myself to them and "counting my blessings" seems selfish of me. Deep down I want to help children like them, it would be a true blessing to do so. I have the compassion for it, but do I have everything else it would take to "become" the next "Mother Teresa" and help those in direst need?

This is a must see! It received Best Film Award at the 2000 Cannes Film Festival and many other awards on top of that AND it's currently on Netflix. I'd love to hear your thoughts after you watch it.

An Evening of Christmas Classics at the Sowbys

Tonight the Sowbys held their annual musical gathering for Christmas (it's been going on for 18 years - minus the time they were on their 3 missions). They are the sweetest couple that I met when they were serving their mission in Virginia. Not long after they left Virginia, they were called to Washington, DC to serve a mission and I was in their ward then as well. What a blessing it is to know this wonderful couple. Here they are:

I want to be just like them!!

 Tonight's gathering was wonderful! Family and friends gathered in their newly built house and sang beautiful choir music and watched a dozen or so performances. There were performances on the piano, violin, glockenspiel, harp, ukulele (me), and voice. The best part is when Bro. Sowby pulled out a suitcase full of kid percussion instruments, and everyone sang Jingle Bells while the kids stood up front and played.

Here's a pic of me with my brother's ukulele. His is much nicer than mine (maybe someday I'll upgrade).

It was a happy, fun, peaceful, beautiful, spirit-filled evening. I told them that they now need to invite me every year!

Overhead shot of me singing/playing "Silver Bells" at their house.

And now you get to hear my song. This was my first public performance on the ukulele (I didn't get a recording at the event, so recorded it when I got home). The arrangement I found was in a really low key, but I made do.
p.s. They have the coolest house. It's a dream come true for their grandchildren with a dress-up room and stage, a playroom in the basement, and a kids' bedroom. Yet at the same time, it's extremely classy. If I had a house of my own, it would be just like theirs.

Joulutarina (Christmas Story)

The touching story of how Santa Claus came to be Santa. I saw this Scandinavian film with my mom this weekend at BYU's International Cinema and fell in love with the story (I cried at least 4 times!). We got home and bought it right away and it will now be a yearly tradition for me to watch this. I know that we don't celebrate Santa Claus at Christmas, but this story beautifully shows the Christlike love that happens in the life of Nikolas as he overcomes tragedy and turns his life to one of complete selfless service and giving. The cinematography is breathtaking. "Christmas Story" is one not to be missed.

Every Promised Blessing

"I feel sorry for any man who hasn’t yet made the choice to seek an eternal companion, and my heart weeps for the sisters who haven’t had the opportunity to marry. Some of you may feel lonely and unappreciated and cannot see how it will be possible for you to have the blessings of marriage and children or your own family. All things are possible to the Lord, and He keeps the promises He inspires His prophets to declare. Eternity is a long time. Have faith in those promises and live to be worthy of them so that in His time the Lord can make them come true in your life. With certainty, you will receive every promised blessing for which you are worthy."
-Elder Richard G. Scott, "The Eternal Blessings of Marriage

I'm planning my Relief Society lesson for tomorrow on "Bringing Up Children in Light and Truth." For someone that does not yet have children of my own, I recognize that I have a very different perspective from most of the sisters in my Relief Society. I am not the only single sister, but am 1 of maybe 5. As I have been praying and pondering over this lesson the last few weeks the thought "every promised blessing" keeps coming to mind. I think of all of my beautiful, talented, spiritual, amazing single girlfriends, and my heart weeps with Elder Scott as I realize the vast number of them who have not yet had the opportunity to marry.

Then I remember: Isaiah 55: 8-9
"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts."

And I feel comforted in the words EVERY PROMISED BLESSING, with our Heavenly Father's timing always in my mind and heart.

And then I think, maybe I'll put this quote (from Elder Scott's talk) on my mirror as a daily reminder/pep talk/challenge to me to be worthy of those promises. "Eternity is a long time. Have faith in those promises and live to be worthy of them so that in His time the Lord can make them come true in your life. With certainty, you will receive every promised blessing for which you are worthy."

So future hubby and kiddos, mom's thinking of you, and she knows that as she stays worthy and when the timing is right, she will receive YOU! And she can't wait!!

It Snowed It Snowed

We had a big snow storm yesterday and it's absolutely beautiful. It reminds me of this little ditty that I love.



Someday I may learn to love driving in the snow...but probably not.

Just Another Saturday Afternoon

I love Saturdays. I especially love Saturdays like today. Although I have hours and hours of homework to do, I'm eating well and catching some good entertainment.

I will forever be grateful for this girl

The One and Only Sara Sargent

 

for introducing me to this

Dinner in a Pumpkin.

 

Doesn't it scream FALL! It's amazing!

 

And I'm watching this little gem

 

I hope everyone else is enjoying their Saturday afternoon as much as I am. 

I Am a Princess

 I am a princess, I am brave sometimes, I am scared sometimes, sometimes I am brave even when I'm scared. I believe in loyalty and trust. I believe loyalty is built on trust. I try to be kind. I try to be generous. I am kind even when others are not so generous. I am a princess. I think standing up for myself is important. I think standing up for others is more important. But standing with others is most important. I am a princess. I believe compassion makes me strong. Kindness is power. And family is the tightest bond of all. I have heard I am beautiful. I know I am strong. I promise. And when I promise something, I never ever break that promise. I am a princess. Long may I reign.

Nice to see and be inspired by the everyday princesses.

You'll Be Missed

Out of all the phrases in the English language, this has got to be one of my least favorite: "you'll be missed." Really? What does that even mean? Who exactly will be missing you? How about something with some more emotion in it like "we'll miss you." Try that one on for size next time someone you care about is leaving. Then they'll know that YOU will miss them and it will make them feel better knowing that YOU cared enough to tell them that from your heart.

p.s. What makes me even more upset is that when I tried to find a picture of a handwritten note with the phrase "you"ll be missed" on it I found this!!!

Way to commercialize the personality out of humankind! (Palm of hand to forehead).

Good News

 

Mom introduced me to this movie today. It should be called Great, Fantastic, Excellent, Stupendous, Wonderful News, not just Good News. That's how much I loved this movie! It's fun, with catchy music and great dance numbers. Once again I'll have to hand it to these old movies to make my day. I really should start finding more movies like this rather than settling for what Hollywood has produced these days. I'll give it 4 out of 4 stars!

Mimi's Birthday Celebration

Last weekend we celebrated Mimi's birthday as a family. Fred and his crew came down from Rexburg to celebrate with us. We had a fun night together in the cool autumn open air of our backyard.

Master Griller Fred

 The Spread

 Dessert - S'mores

 Listened to some Nat King Cole on Eric's record player.

 Sammie, Cammie, Phil & McKenna

 Eatin' time

 One of the centerpieces

 We had strawberry, vanilla, zebra, gingerbread, caramel & Jumbo marshmallows. It was awesome!

 Roasting mallows

(Sammie, Adj, KK, Fred, Dad)

 Double bunny ears (You're so sneaky, Sammie)

 The JUMBO mallow was bigger than KK's mouth

 However, Fred's mouth was bigger than the mallow

 Best night!

 Alex ate a lot of mallows. He loved them.

 Getting it all over my face

 Dad is reading a "scary" story :)

 Fire!

 This is Alex's favorite toy at our house.

 Another pic of sweet Alex.

I Don't Want Sunbursts or Marble Halls...

I JUST WANT YOU! So hurry up and find me!

Grad School Part Trois

Yes, it's the 3rd time I've started Grad School and 3rd time's a charm! Well it better be. I love studying Special Education at Westminster College. I love the classes, the readings, my classmates, the campus, and the gym. The campus is so small and sweet and I can get internet access both outside and inside anywhere on campus because of it. Yes, that gets me excited! The library is so small that I can actually find things quite easily, and they have tons of new movies that I can rent for free. The gym has a pool, rock climbing wall, and lots of workout equipment.

The drive isn't that bad. I don't love it but since I listen to books on CD it at least makes it interesting. So far I've listened to "The Hobbit," "Joey Pigza Swallowed a Key," "A Tale of Two Cities," and now I'm listening to "David Copperfield." The narrators have the most interesting voices as they are reading for different characters, especially the narrator for David Copperfield when he reads the dialogue of the women. So funny.

I should be student teaching by next Fall so will get done fairly quickly. Because of that I am really trying to enjoy being a student again and most especially am loving the subject matter I am studying. I like some classes over others and enjoy learning about anything having to do with Special Ed.

So it's great and I am going to make it this time, I know it!

Quick, Easy, and Healthy Meal & Snack Ideas

Years ago I went to a Relief Society activity about healthy living and got a great hand-out with healthy recipe ideas. I can't personally vouch for any of these recipes (except for the Pear 'wich - it's awesome on a whole wheat wrap!), but now that I'm posting them I may just try a few. And here they are...

BREAKFAST

 

 - Omelet (300 calories) cook 1 tbsp diced onion, 3 tbsp diced red bell pepper and 1 oz chopped turkey in 1 tsp trans fat free margarine. Add 2 egg whites; cook until set. Eat with 1 whole-grain crisp bread such as Wasa, 1 cup skim milk and 3/4 cup berries.

- Broccoli Cheese Frittata (400 calories) saute 1/2 cup broccoli in 1 tsp olive oil. Add 1 whole egg plus 2 egg whites, beaten. Add 1 oz shredded reduced-fat cheddar. Cover and heat until top is fully cooked (about 5 minutes). Serve with a piece of whole-wheat toast spread with 1 tsp trans-fat free margarine.

- Bacon, Egg, and Cheese Muffin (500 calories) Scramble 1 larger egg in 1 tsp margarine and place on a toasted whole-grain English muffin spread with 1 tsp margarine. Top with 1 slice cooked turkey bacon and 2 tbsp shredded reduced-fat cheddar. Serve with 3/4 cup berries, 1/4 cup low fat vanilla yogurt and 12 oz skim milk steamer.

- Easy Egg Sammy (300 calories) 1 oz reduced-fat cheddar, 1 sliced hard boiled egg, 1 tomato slice and 1 tsp light mayo on a whole wheat English muffin

- Smoked Salmon Breakfast Wrap (350 calories) 1 slice reduced fat Monterey Jack cheese, 2 tsp reduced-fat cream cheese, 2 slices red onion, 2 slices tomato, 1 oz lox (salmon fillet) rolled in a whole-wheat tortilla. Serve with 1 cup strawberries.

- Ricotta Wrap (350 calories) 1/4 cup plus 2 tsp nonfat ricotta, 2 tbsp silvered almonds, 1/2 cup berries and 2 tsp honey in a whole grain wrap such as Flatout multigrain flatbread

- Waffle Sundae (450 calories) 1 medium apple, sliced and sauteed in 1 tsp canola oil with a pinch of cinnamon, 1/2 cup lowfat plain yogurt, 2 tsp maple syrup and 4 tsp chopped walnuts on 2 Kashi GoLean original 7 Grain Waffles

- Yogurt Crunch (350 calories) 5 oz plain yogurt, 4 walnut halves, 3 tsp All-Branl 1/4 cup granola and 3/4 cup cubed melon

- Cinnamon Raisin Museli (500 calories) 2/3 cup old-fashioned rolled oats, 1/3 cup high-fiber cereal, 1/4 cup raisins and 2 tbsp silvered almonds combined, topped with 1 cup nonfat milk and dash of cinnamon.

- Fruit Parfait (450 calories) Mix 3/4 cup nonfat ricotta, 1/2 tsp almond extract and 2 tsp brown sugar. Layer with 2 tbsp silvered almonds, 8 dried apricots and 1/2 cup high fiber cereal (Fiber One/All Bran). Sprinkle with cinnamon.

- Fruity Cereal (400 calories) 1 cup Kashi Good Friends, 1 cup skim milk, 2 tbsp walnuts, and 1 small chopped apple

- Sweet Hot Cereal (450 calories) 1/2 cup oatmeal, 1 tbsp silvered almonds, cook with 1/2 cup vanilla soymilk. Add 1/2 small chopped pear. Top with another 1/2 cup vanilla soymilk, 4 tsp sunflower seeds and 2 tsp brown sugar.

- Bar, Banana, and Latte (500 calories) 1 breakfast bar, 16 oz skim milk steamer, banana

- Creamsicle Smoothie and Almonds (400 calories) 1 cup nonfat vanilla yogurt, 1/2 cup 100 percent orange juice and 4 ice cubes, blended. 18 almonds.

- Dunkin' Donuts Sandwich (300 calories) 1 Dunkin' Donuts Egg White Veggie Flatbread sandwich; small skim milk

- Jamba Juice Meal (300 calories) Jamba Juice with oatmeal with real fruit topping (blackberry-blueberry)

 

LUNCH

 

- Pear 'wich (650 calories) 3 tbsp almond butter, 1/3 large pear sliced, 1/8 tsp cinnamon on 2 slices whole-wheat bread or whole-wheat wrap; 1/2 pear

- Spicy Chicken Wrap (650 calories) 3 oz cooked chicken breast, 2 tbsp raisins, 1 tsp mustard, 1/4 tsp curry powder, 1 pinch cinnamon, 23 lettuce leaves, 2 slices tomato in a whole-wheat wrap; 1 cup crudites with 1/4 cup hummus

- Cheese and Crackers (600 calories) 2 Laughing Cow Light Original Swiss wedges, 13 whole-wheat crackers, 12 cherry tomatoes, 7 walnut halves, 5 dried figs

- Goat Cheese Wrap (550 calories) 1/4 cup each sliced mushrooms, onions, red bell peppers and summer squash roasted with 2 tsp olive oil at 350 degrees until tender. Add 1/2 cup greens, 2 tbsp goat cheese and 2 tbsp balsamic vinaigrette in a whole-wheat wrap; a side of 1/2 cup chickpeas, 1/4 cup (combined) diced bell pepper and celery, 2 tbsp chopped red onion, with 1 tbsp balsamic vinaigrette

- Egg Salad (600 calories) 2 eggs plus 2 egg whites, hard-boiled, chopped, mixed with 1/4 cup chopped celery and 1 tbsp reduced fat-mayo; 1 slice low-fat cheddar cheese on 2 slices of whole-wheat bread; 1 orange dipped in 1/2 cup plain low-fat yogurt with 1 tsp honey

- Hearty Veggie Stew (600 calories) 1 1/2 cup tomato soup, 1/2 cup black beans, 1 1/4 cup corn (fresh or frozen), 1 tsp chopped cilantro, 2 tbsp light sour cream

- Tangy Turkey Pita (550 calories) 3 oz turkey break, 5 olives, 3 tbsp feta, 2 tbsp each diced cucumber and tomato 6 spinach leaves, 1 tbsp olive oil and 2 tsp balsamic vinegar in 1 whole-wheat pita; 1 large orange

- Turkey, Brie, and Pear Melt (550 calories) Place 2 oz turkey breast, 1/2 pear (sliced), 1/2 cup arugula and 1 oz Brie on a whole-wheat wrap. Heat until Brie melts, 1 minute. Add 2 tsp light raspberry vinaigrette, then roll up and serve with 1/2 cup zucchini slices, 1 tbsp dressing and remaining pear half

- Turkey Avocado Sandwich (550 calories) 4 oz turkey breast, 2 slices tomato, 2 basil leaves, 1 slice part-skim mozzarella, 1/4 avocado (sliced) on whole-wheat English muffin; 15 baby carrots, 2 tbsp light Ranch dressing

- Roast Beef Sandwich (500 calories) 3 oz lean roast beef, 2 slices tomato, 1/4 cup greens and 1 oz cheddar on 2 slices rye bread with 1 tbsp light mayo mixed with 1 tsp horseradish; 15 baby carrots

- Beef and Swiss Roll-ups (400 calories) 2 cups spinach, 1/c cup grape tomatoes, 1/4 cup slices red onion tossed with 1 tbsp balsamic vinaigrette; 3 slices roast beef individually rolled with 3 slices low-fat Swiss; small whole-grain roll

- Shrimp Salad (400 calories) 10 cooked shrimp, 1/2 avocado sliced, 1 tbsp silvered almonds, 2 tbsp each diced red onion and carrot, 1 tbsp prepared sesame dressing tossed with 2 cup greens; 3 whole-grain crispbreads

- Chicken and Pasta Salad (400 calories) Toss together 3 oz chopped precooked chicken breast, 1/2 cup each diced tomato and cucumber, 1/4 cup reduced fat feta, 1 cup cooked whole-wheat pasta and 1 1/2 tsp balsamic vinaigrette

- Stuffed Shells - Amy's Stuffed Pasta Shell Bowl, 1 1/2 cup combined spinach and arugula tossed with 1/4 cup chopped celery, 1/2 cup grapefruit or orange sections, 2 tsp chopped pecans, 1 tbsp olive oil and 1 tsp vinegar; 1 whole-wheat roll

- Quiznos Sub Sandwich (550 calories) Quiznos Honey-Cured Ham and Swiss with mustard (no mayo)

- McDonald's Meal (500 calories) McDonald's Premium Southwest Salad with Grilled Chicken with 1/2 packet Creamy Southwest Dressing; Fruit and Yogurt Parfait (with granola)

 

DINNER

 

- Steak Tacos (450 calories) 3 oz flank steak cooked in 1/3 tsp olive oil, 1/3 cup guacamole, 3 tsp salsa in 3 corn tortillas; 2 cup greens and 1 chopped tomato with 10 sprays salad Spritzer

- Fish and Fries (400 calories) 4 oz cod rubbed with 1 tsp olive oil seared (2 to 3 minutes per side); 12 sweet potato fries baked as directed on package; 1 1/2 cup sliced cabbage tossed with 2 tsp reduced fat dressing

- Sesame Beef (450 calories) 4 oz cubed beef tenderloin rubbed with 1 tbsp Asian sesame dressing, grilled over 1/2 cup brown rice topped with 2 tsp sesame seeds; 1/2 cup snow peas sauteed in 1 tsp olive oil with 1/4 tsp each minced ginger and garlic

- Salmon Special (500 calories) 3 cups spinach, 1/2 clove chopped garlic cooked in 2 tsp olive oil; 3 oz salmon grilled (3 minutes each side); baked potato, 2 1/2 tsp light sour cream

- White Bean and Salmon Salad (600 calories) Top 3 cup greens with 1/2 cup canned white beans (rinsed and drained); 1 can (6 oz) boneless skinless salmon (drained); 1/4 cup each sliced mushrooms and shredded carrots; 1 tbsp dried cranberries; 1 tsp unsalted sunflower seeds; 2 tsp olive oil; 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar; and 1 tbsp Parmesan

- Chickpea Pasta (550 calories) 1/3 cup chopped onion, 2 cup chopped zucchini; 1/2 red bell pepper, chopped and 1/2 cup chickpeas sauteed in 1 tbsp olive oil; 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar and 1 tbsp Parmesan

- Stuffed Tomato (450 calories) Seed 1 large tomato. Fill with a mix of 3 oz chopped precooked chicken breast, 2 tbsp light mayo and salt and pepper. Toast 1 whole-wheat English muffin, then top with 1 tsp olive oil, a sprinkle of garlic powder and 2 tbsp Parmesan

- 'Shroom Burger (650 calories) 1/2 cup onion sliced cooked in 1 tbsp olive oil; 1 tbsp hummus, 1 grilled portobello, 1 oz Swiss on whole-wheat bun; 1 cup green beans (steamed), with 1 tbsp almonds and 2 tbsp Parmesan

- Chicken Pilaf (600 calories) 3/4 cup cubed cooked skinless chicken mixed with 1 1/2 cup cooked whole grain wheat pilaf, drizzled with 1 tbsp olive oil; 1 cup steamed cauliflower with 1 tbsp lemon juice and 2 tbsp fresh parsley

- Lemon Chicken (600 calories) 4 oz boneless, skinless chicken thigh rubbed with 1 tbsp lemon juice and 1/4 tsp black pepper, baked until cooked through, over 1/2 sliced fennel and 1/4 cup chopped onion, cooked in 1 tsp olive oil and 1 tsp lemon juice with 1/4 cup shredded lowfat cheese; 1/3 cup sliced mushrooms cooked in 1 tsp olive oil, and 2 tsp light sour cream on a baked potato

- Bean Nacho (650 calories) Top 20 corn tortilla chips with 1 cup canned black beans (rinsed and drained) and 1/3 cup each diced avocado, shredded lettuce, diced tomato and reduced-fat Mexican cheese. Place under Broiler until cheese melts, about 3 minutes. Top with 2 tbsp each light sour cream and salsa.

- Tomato-Turkey Stew (500 calories) Cook 3 oz ground turkey. In medium sauce pan, heat 1 1/2 cup zucchini sauteed in 1 tsp olive oil, 1/3 cup canned white beans (rinsed and drained), 1/2 tsp oregano. Top with 1 oz smoked Gouda.

- Pork Quesadilla (550 calories) 3 oz cooked pork tenderloin (broil 10-12 minutes), 1/4 cup shredded lowfat cheese and 1/4 cup salsa folded in a whole-wheat tortilla, heated; 1/4 cup each chopped tomato, bell pepper, black beans, and corn with 1 tsp olive oil, 1 tsp lemon juice and 1/8 tsp cumin

- Veggie Pizza and Salad (650 calories) Whole wheat pita topped with hummus, pesto or pizza sauce and your choice of veggies (tomatoes, zucchini, peppers, spinach, onions, etc.), 1/4 cup part-skim mozzarella, salt and pepper. 2 cup mixed greens, 1/2 red pepper (sliced) and 1/2 cup cauliflower tossed with 2 tbsp reduced fat dressing

- Burger King Meal (550 calories) Veggie burger with cheese, lettuce, tomato and ketchup; garden salad with 1/2 packet Ken's Light Italian Dressing

- Wendy's Chili and Salad Meal (400 calories) small Wendy's chili with a side salad tossed with 1 packet fat-free French dressing and 1/2 order mandarin oranges

 

SNACKS

 

- String Cheese ( 100 calories) 1 part-skim mozzarella string cheese with 1/2 cup cheery tomatoes

- Turkey and Cheese Roll-up (100 calories) 1 oz sliced turkey breast, 1 oz sliced reduced fat cheddar rolled up

- Cottage Cheese with Tomatoes (100 calories) Top 1/2 cup halved cherry tomatoes with 1/2 cup 1% cottage cheese; sprinkle with black pepper

- Hummus Bites (150 calories) 6 whole-wheat melba toasts with 2 tbsp hummus

- Pita Wedges Dipped in Tzatziki (150 calories) Slice one 5-inch whole-wheat pita into fourths.

- Pear and Yogurt (100 calories) 1/2 pear sliced, 1/2 cup nonfat plain yogurt mixed with 1 pinch cinnamon and 1 tsp honey

- Apple with Honey and Tahini (200 calories) Slice and apple in two. Spread halves with 4 tsp tahini mixed with 1 tsp honey

- Apples and Almond Butter (150 calories) 1 cup apple slices (1 small apple), dipped in 1 tbsp almond butter

- Chocolate milk with nuts (150 calories) 1 cup light chocolate soymilk, 13 pistachios

- Popcorn Mix (150 calories) 100 calorie pack microwave popcorn, 2 tbsp dried cranberries

- Cereal Trail Mix (200 calories) 1/2 cup bite-sized shredded wheat, 2 tbsp dried cranberries, 2 tbsp silvered almonds

- Dried Pineapple with Walnuts (100 calories) 1 oz dried pineapple (about 1 ring) with 3 walnut halves

- Stuffed Dates (150 calories) 3 dates each filled with 1 tsp light cream cheese and 1 walnut half; sprinkle with cinnamon

- Granola Bar - 1 Kashi TLC granola bar (honey almond flax)

- Graham Crackers (100 calories) 1 sheet graham crackers, 4 oz skim milk

- Orange Spritzer and Almonds (150 calories) 8 oz orange juice mixed with 4 oz sparkling water, 7 almonds

- Cheese Plate (200 calories) 1 skim string cheese, 2 whole grain crackers, 1 cup grapes

 

If you make one of these recipes and like it, please let me know so I can try it as well.

Harvey & Rabbit

Friends - What would we do without them?

I'm going to brag on myself for a minute...

For almost a month I have been FRETTING about my score on the Praxis II: Elementary Content Knowledge test that I needed to pass to start grad school. I have been obsessive about checking the Praxis website each morning to see if I passed. But this morning I didn't check it and I didn't check it all day...until right before I was about to go to bed. I had a thought that I should at least check it. And the scores were in and I was SO nervous to check it. And then I SCREAMED! 183 out of 200!! I dominated that test! Minutes later as I was reading more about Praxis test scores I discovered that I qualified to receive the Recognition of Excellence Award! The qualifying score is determined by the top 15% of candidates who took the test in previous years. For someone who has felt average most of her life, this is a big deal! I am grateful to Heavenly Father for blessing me with this passing score. I TRULY could not have done it without His help. A weak thing has become strong.

And NOW I feel better about starting grad school in ONE week! Woohoo.

Pooks in Cahoots

Today my best friend Ashley and I participated in the Cahoots Duo Challenge at Soldier Hollow (a 2002 Olympic site). I very much like that it was called a challenge and not a race because we felt less pressure and walked most of the way. As part of the challenge we had to come up with a team name and team flag. After thinking for about 5 minutes of ridiculous names that we could use we decided on Pooks. You're probably wondering what Pooks means so I'll tell you.

Once upon a time Ashley and I lived together in Maryland and also worked together so subsequently carpooled to work together. Our office was in Virginia and was about an 18 mile drive...which took us about 45 minutes to an hour one-way! You're thinking, "fun," I know.  Belief me when I say I don't miss DC traffic and this puny Utah "traffic" that people complain about is nothing. Anyways, after a long day at work we really hated getting into the car to face the traffic, but we did it because we very much wanted to be at home and not at work. Here's where Pooks comes in. After an hour into the drive we'd get to our exit and then only 3-4 lights separated us from the pains of traffic to the ease of home. The most prominent light we would almost ALWAYS get stopped at was called Pooks Hill Drive and everytime we got to that light we would say, "Oh Pooks" because it was a long light. Then we just started saying "Oh Pooks" instead of "Dang it" for example. We felt that having to overcome obstacles during this challenge would produce a few "Oh Pooks" moments. And interestingly, when I googled Pooks I found out that in the Urban Dictionary it means inseparable best friends...how fitting. There is also a lodge in Belize called Pooks Hill Lodge (and if you know me, you know that I really want to go to Belize).  When we checked in this morning and they asked for our team name and we said Pooks, the man chuckled and repeated the word Pooks and then chuckled again.

Before you see all of the notch above awesome pictures from the Cahoots Duo Challenge, I want to thank my dad for taking all of these pictures. Ok, here we go.

Last night we had to put our flag and shirts together. It was fun making them, but took so much longer than we expected.

Almost done. Doesn't it look great?!

There's our little beauty

Team Pooks shirt

Check-in line (took us a while to get through)

Mini-photo shoot just moments before the challenge began

Don't you just love our flag?! Ashley's creative mind worked this one out.

Team Pooks Good To Go

They had this mini-cam on a remote control helicopter. It was recording our group before the race. 

We were walking along having fun singing "You'll Never Walk Alone"

There we go up the muddy hill. See us on the far right..in last place. That was intentional for sure.

the first obstacle...

mud pit - and guess who slipped right in, what a surprise!

Ashley almost lost her shoe!

Pooks doing what we do best, help eachother.

 Eek!

Walk on, walk on with hope in your heart.



Soggy shoes. Over the course of the challenge we laughed at the noises our soggy shoes were making.



Time for another mini-photo shoot

Strategizing for the next obstacle

This was so much harder than it looks. It was even difficult just getting up.

 

 

I couldn't hold on any longer, I felt like I was about to fall forward.

Ta-da!

 

This happened so often - us standing in the wrong order

so exhausted...

NOT!

Shock Attack!

Doing so well.

Hmm, I wasn't really thinking that there was an actual charge, well I was wrong. Just after this picture I lost concentration and we touched the wire. Result: both of us jumped back from the shock running through our bodies. We couldn't stop laughing in disbelief afterwards.

Adrienne: Ok, you climb on my back and then I'll try to pull myself over.

Ashley: But if I step on your back then I'll get the flag dirty.

Ashley: Turn it around like this.



 Ok, here we go.

Way to go Ashley! 

Adrienne: Oh Pooks, how in the heck am I going to get myself over this?

I ended up swinging my leg up on the top ledge and then pulling myself up. It was pretty painful.

Wall number 2.

I totally know how to do this...like a boss.

Honestly, after just being shocked and then having to get over this wall, we were pretty spent, but we DID it. That was one of the biggest victories for us.

Walk on, walk on with hope in your heart, and you'll never walk alone. (If you're wondering why I keep quoting the song, "Never Walk Alone," it's because it was the theme song for the event. Yes, they really did have a theme song and it was so fitting and I thought about it several times during the race). I'm so glad that I did not have to walk alone, but that I had Ashley with me. And truly she has walked with me in so many ways in my life, I love her for it.

After the wall we went to a crazy net climbing apparatus, which we do not have picture documentation of, but really it was a little anti-climatic anyway. Here we are jogging (the only time that happened all day thankfully) and Team Lost Boys are checking out our AMAZING flag. They had a flag similar to ours where each team member wore part of the flag.

 They can't get their eyes off of our flag. I think they were jealous of how awesome it was. In fact, at the end of the race Ashley overheard them talking about a flag that was similar to theirs but much more intricate with lots of different fabrics. That made us feel good, thanks Team Lost Boys.

The next obstacle was so much fun, despite the fact that we had to wait in line for at least 20 minutes. In that time we became friends with Team Collective Bargaining Agreement, a husband and wife team, that helped us on this challenge.

We had to crawl through these tubes that were halfway submerged in muddy water. The people in front of us helped by steadying the other end of the tube and keeping it somewhat afloat. Here's Ashley waiting in anticipation.

And here I'm chanting, Pooks Pooks Pooks!

It became popular to just throw yourself through rather than crawl through, so we decided to try it. Ashley ended up getting some mud in her mouth I think. 

I got mud in my mouth and all over my face!

Do you like my new 'stache?

I love this picture! I think Ashley is spitting out mud. 

After the first one, we had to go through 2 more. The teams in front of us helped by connecting the tubes together, so that's what we did as well.

Hey Sneaky Peeky, I see you!

I really don't know what is going through my head right here. Maybe it was the bats...ok there were no bats.

Helping our friends

Getting a helping hand from Ash

I kept falling down because the ground was so uneven and muddy

Having fun

Muddy Mudderson

Still smiling - that was fun!

We knew this would be slippery so Ashley suggested that we get a running start to help us out.

We did it in one try!

The back to back. We were really looking forward to this one because we had "practiced" beforehand.

Encouraging eachother

Laughing the whole way through.

splash-down

slipping on some mud

don't worry, I'm ok

WE

WERE

FEELING

SO

SOGGY!

BUT...

(Team Pooks Is Good To Go)

Next was the zipline. Since dad had to leave and the line we were waiting in was a half-hour long, we didn't get any more pictures of us at obstacles.

 And this is what we looked like when we went on the zipline.

Ok, so it wasn't so graceful.



And here are some pictures of some of the other obstacles (which we happened to skip because our energy and drive was depleted after waiting in the zipline line for so long).

We were more than happy to skip the large wall!

Happy to skip this one as well.

Was just fine skipping the wheelbarrow in the mud obstacle.

Final photo shoot and we're still smiling!

POOKS!

And here's were we laid our flag to rest (after crawling through a mud pit). Unfortunately the water had effected the velcro on our flag so we had to remove the safety pins from our bibs to pin our flag together. I really was so beautiful hanging up there. We'll miss our Pooks flag. We don't feel the same without it's soft velvety protection that it provided the entire challenge.

And here we are. It's all over!

We won! Well we didn't, at least we got these cool medals. (It really did feel wrong not having our flag/capes on).



Thank you, Ashley for being crazy enough to be in Cahoots with me and for making the Team Pooks experience the best it could ever be!