Photography Class 2

Last class, my pictures were the first to be shown and he told the class they were a good example. I then found out that it was the class that got to pick the best photo, and sadly none of mine were chosen. It's ok. This week's assignment was about aperture. So I needed to get a picture of an object where the background was clear and then the same picture where the background was blurry. I took pictures of a lot of things.... but for some reason I chose to photograph this little Buddha that my old roommate Natalie gave me as a good luck Christmas present one year. I am just trying to be original. Which let me just tell you.... my last pictures for class, I think I was the MOST original. For the action picture where the thing in action was supposed to be moving, the one I did of the ride at the fair.... I am the ONLY one who didn't take a picture of a waterfall. Anyway, here are my Buddha pictures for the assignment.

Hungry Girl Party

I had never heard of this before I was invited to a party, but Hungry girl is a series of cookbooks that take your every day favorite recipes and they are made a little healthier by adding splenda instead of sugar for example. This was not a party to sell anything... just to eat yummy treats without feeling too guilty. Plus it was fun to get a bunch of girls together to eat before the Relief Society Broadcast. It was great food, got to see some good friends and meet some new ones. It was a pleasant evening. I made the Sassy Salsa Pumpkin Soup. It was TASTY and super fast and easy to make. Here is the recipe.

Sassy Salsa Pumpkin Soup

4 cups chicken broth
1 can pure pumpkin
1 can black beans
1 cup sweet corn
3/4 cup salsa
1 Tablespoon minced garlic
1 Teaspoon Chili powder
1 Teaspoon Cumin

*I also like to add sausage although the recipe doesn't call for it.*

Mix it all together in a pot over medium heat on the stove, after everything is mixed nicely together, bring to a boil and then to a simmer. Your done.

Scrapbook

I used to scrapbook almost every picture that I took starting in middle school. You can imagine how many scrapbooks I have seeing how many pictures I take. The scrap booking is not that great, partly because I was young and didn't know what I was doing, partly because if I took the time to do all the cutesy scrapbook stuff it would take me forever and I would never be caught up with all my pictures. So I retired from scrap booking when I discovered I could make books of my pictures online in less time and less money. I felt good about this decision.

Last Valentines day, I know Brent was starting to think of a gift for me early... which made me think of what I could give him. I wanted to do something thoughtful since I think guys are hard to shop for and because Brent is so thoughtful. So even though I had retired from scrap booking, I decided a really great and thoughtful gift would be making him a scrapbook of us. Not only is it full of pictures, but I included a story of how we met and fell in love and inside jokes and stories of our adventures and so on. If I was going to scrapbook again, I was going all out, so I did. Then I remembered why I retired from scrap booking. It takes SO much time and it is SO expensive to buy all the cute stuff to enhance your scrapbook.

I decided to call it Four Seasons and a Road Trip, because I told him (before we started dating) that is a good amount of time to date because you see all sides of the person and such. Obviously when I gave him the book in February it was not complete because we did not gone through all seasons yet. It had everything up to that present time and I told him that I would add to it until we got engaged and then the book is done. Obviously I am still waiting for that moment as well... so I am still adding to the book. It is starting to be a big book. Since I have been working on it lately... I thought I would post some of the pages on here. Not all of the pages are my favorite, I like how some turn out more than others... but the book all together is fun and it will be great to look back on when we get older and have kids. Here are a few pages from the book.

Photography Class

To help keep me occupied while Brent is so busy with school and work, I decided to take a night photography class this semester at UVU. It is on Thursday nights from 6:30-8pm. It actually is only a month long class, but hey... it's something. I have already looked into other classes I can take too. Not only will this help keep me a little more busy, but photography has always been something I have loved and wanted to learn more about. So I bought a new camera and the class is teaching me how to use it. I decided it would be fun for me to post my assignments for the class on my blog. I warn you that this weeks shots are not that great. But it was only the first class and I am still learning. Now that I have said that... the assignment was action shots. The first one had to be where you freeze action. My friend Rob dressed up and let me take pictures of him cracking his whip (which he loves to do all the time anyway). Second one, we needed to have everything still except for the thing that is in action, which in my photo is a ride at the fair. The third one we need to have the object in action be the thing in focus and the background blurry... which I struggled with the most. I ended up making a paper airplane and spinning around in a circle because my paper airplane wouldn't fly. The winning picture of the class gets the picture blown up for free to a 11x14! I don't think I will win this week, but my goal is to win one of the weeks. Lets hope I do better with next weeks assignment.

Homemade Pizza

First off, Happy Fall! Today is the official first day of fall. My boss got treats to celebrate. Even though I love fall, I have a hard time saying goodbye to summer. But you have to.

So as I have joined the blogging world, I have come to find many other awesome blogs that I love to read and get idea's from. One of those blogs is "Little Birdie Secrets". They blog about crafts, clothes, cooking and so on. I have copied a couple of recipes off of this blog, one of them being homemade pizza! The picture looked so good and it sounded so easy. I decided to give it a shot for last nights dinner for Brent and I and it was a success! Brent ate half of the pizza. I think we agreed on the fact that it was the best homemade pizza that we had tasted. I seriously recommend it.

Here is the recipe:

15-Minute Pizza Dough Recipe

2 1/2 c. flour
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 cup hot water (120-130°, use a candy thermometer for accuracy if you're not sure)
1 Tbsp. Rapid Rise or Bread Machine yeast
2 Tbsp. olive oil

Preheat oven to 500°. Mix dry ingredients together. Add hot water and olive oil. Mix for five minutes (I use my Kitchen Aid mixer with the dough hook, but you could do this by hand, too). Let rest 10 minutes. Press dough on pizza pan, pizza stone, or jelly-roll pan. Bake at 500° for 3 minutes. Take out of the oven and cover with toppings. Return to the oven and bake 8-10 minutes more. Makes one large pizza (16-18 inches).

Told you it was easy. Now for some great toppings.

BBQ Pork Pizza Recipe

15-Minute Pizza Dough recipe
1 tub Lloyd's Hickory BBQ Pork (or similar prepared BBQ meat)
2 c. shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
1 Tbsp. sugar
1/3 bunch cilantro, chopped

While your dough is resting, caramelize your onions. Place sliced onion in a frying pan over medium heat. Add sugar and cook for several minutes, stirring occasionally. Your onions are ready when they become tender and a little sticky. Heat your meat according to the package directions. After baking your dough for 3 minutes, cover the crust with the BBQ meat. Cover the meat with mozzarella cheese. Using a fork, separate onions and spread over pizza. Sprinkle on cilantro. Return to the 500° oven for 8-10 minutes. EAT!

Utah State Fair

This last Friday night again was not a date night with Brent. He had to take a test. Thankfully, instead of spending the night home a lone, my friend Desiree was kind enough to invite me to go to the fair with her and Chuck and they were going with Abby and Jared. I debated if I wanted to hang with two married couples... but they are all cool and I am good friends with them all... so I was over it and would rather be with others than a lone.


I had not been to the fair since I was probably in middle school (except for the one time in college when my friends wanted me to go with them to see Lonestar perform at the Ventura County Fair... which we just went to the concert and left and I didn't even know who Lonestar was), but from what I remember of the fair in middle school... it is exactly the same today. I mean... I swear they have all the same rides, all the same haunted houses, I bet even a lot of the food booths were the same. Anywho, it was fun. We didn't really go on many rides (I actually didn't go on any) but let me tell you what we did do...

We ate some wicked greasy food



We caught the end of the Boyz II Men concert.


Saw the Bear Show


Also the Shark show



We tried to go to the petting zoo, but sadly it had closed, so we just took pictures outside of it


I ran into a group of people from my ward. I got excited so I walked over to say hi. Here is how the conversation went:
Me- "Hi guys! I see we have a group of ward members here at the fair! How fun!'
Guy 1- no response
Guy 2- "Oh hey!"
Girl 1 - "Ya, WE're on a date!"
Me - "Ok, umm cool, I just came over to say hi"
Girl 2 - "What are you doing here?"
Me - "Umm, what are you doing here? Why do people come to the fair"
Girl 2 - "Ya, well, you are holding a camera"
Me - "Are we not allowed to take pictures at the fair?"
Girl 1 - "Where is Brent?"
Me - "He is taking a test, I am here with some other friends"
Girl 1 - "Ok, well, nice... chatting with you, we are going to go"

I was just trying to say hi and people have to go and be all awkward and weird about it. It is not like I was trying to steal their dates or anything. After this weird run-in, we watched part of a hypnotist show and then I was craving a smoothie so we all got smoothies. Yum! It was a pretty fun night. Thanks Desiree and Abby for letting me tag along on your double date. :o)



P.S. Do you ever notice that the stuff they sell at the fair is the most RANDOM stuff? I mean, who says- "I can't wait until the fair comes around again so I can buy a big blanket with flying dolphins on it... or that unicorn one was pretty cool too...

Designer Jeans

My life is not that exciting lately, Brent is back in school and I don't see him much anymore and because I have been dating him so long I don't have many friends to hang out with, my roommates are always busy and the rest of my friends are married. What am I to do? So I am blogging about why I like designer jeans (again, I guess you could call me high maintenance if you want) also I am testing out my new camera.

So here we go. Top 10 reasons why I like and buy designer jeans:

#1 - They last forever!

#2 - They are stylish and cute, down to the small details that you won't find in other jeans.

#3 - They are comfortable.

#4 - They fit you like jeans should (which I never found in cheaper jeans)

#5 - They have cute designs on the butt pockets.

#6 - Because they actually fit the way they are supposed to, they make me look thinner.

#7 - They look nice enough that you can dress up or down with wearing the same pair of jeans which also means you wear them more therefore getting your money's worth.

#8 - They come in all sizes unlike a lot of trendy stores that only carry petite sizes so normal size girls feel really fat.

#9 - The inside of the pockets always have cute patterns. Even though other people can't see it, the fact that I know they are cute makes me happy.

#10 - You know what they say.... the more expensive the jeans, the better they make your butt look. :o) (No I did not make this saying up, I have heard it from many and I think it is true)

Dance Party

This weekend Brent was doing homework... really... ALL weekend. So I had to find other things to do. Thankfully my roommate Tina wanted to see a movie with me, and a couple other girls in the ward (well Becky Kimball who actually lived in Santa B before her family moved to Utah moved out of the ward, but I wish she were still in the ward). After our movie it was pretty late, like 11:30pm or so. We were getting dropped off and I was ready to get in bed, but then we saw spot lights in the air. We were not sure where they went, but the girls were hoping it lead to a dance party and they wanted to find it. I was going to skip out, but they told me to get my butt back in the car because my boyfriend was studying. I had no excuse, so I got back in the car. We did not find where the spotlight was coming from (although Brent later told me it was from 7 Peaks because he did follow them one night and found them) but we did end up at a dance party! The dance party was at the Riviera, me and Tina's old stomping grounds! So we got out to check out the scene. We were the oldest ones there by far, and I can't even remember the last time I went to a dance. It was kind of fun for 10 minutes or so. Here is what the party looked like.


What kind of party would it be if you didn't have a place to get your picture taken!



Good clue it is a mormon party, tables of water and soda!


Good Times. Thanks girls for making it so I was not home a lone on a Friday night! :o)

Grandparents Day

So I know I just blogged about Sister Day which was over a month late... but today REALLY is Grandparents Day! My roommate just told me... so I looked it up and here is what I found:

The impetus for a National Grandparents Day originated with Marian McQuade, a housewife in Fayette County, West Virginia. Her primary motivation was to champion the cause of lonely elderly in nursing homes. She also hoped to persuade grandchildren to tap the wisdom and heritage their grandparents could provide. President Jimmy Carter, in 1978, proclaimed that National Grandparents Day would be celebrated every year on the first Sunday after Labor Day.

So there you have it. Happy Grandparents day! To my parents who are now grandparents and my grandparents. I have been blessed with amazing grandparents! My grandparents on my mom's side have both passed away... but I remember writing letters to my grandma and learning from her and I was pretty young when my grandpa pasted away... but I knew he was a very loving and caring man who had done a lot with his life and they both raised a great family. I am very lucky to still have my grandparents on my dad's side still around. I remember asking my Grandpa Mills about his childhood and he enjoyed telling me stories of when he was a kid. He is a brilliant man that was a teacher (along with many talents and hobbies), so he would always be interested in how I was doing in school and what I was learning. My grandma is one of the most caring people I know. When I am around my Grandma Mills I feel like the most important and special and loved and cared about person in the whole world. She has that special gift and has always told me how proud of me she is and how much she loves me. She has sacrificed so much and taken care of so many people.... she deserves a special award. I always feel so uplifted when I talk to my grandma... she always looks on the bright side of life and makes the best out of even the worst situations. She amazes me and I strive to be more like her everyday. Man... I am so blessed to have such an amazing family. Sometimes you forget until you start writing it out or telling someone about them. Thank you to my grandparents for being amazing and teaching me so much. I love you!
P.S. I wish I had a picture with me with my other grandparents... but I can't find one. :o(

Sister Day

In May I blogged about my mom on Mothers day. In June I blogged about my dad on Fathers day, but apparently I missed August 5th... which is Sister day! I can't miss that one so I will just post a month late. I actually didn't even know there was a Sister day, I just googled it right now. But I am glad there is, because I love my sisters and I want to tell each of them how much I love and appreciate them. I am so lucky to have 3 older sisters that were always there for me and showed me the way. I have always looked up to them and tried to follow in their footsteps. Growing up, in school I would take classes they would take, request teachers they would have and do what they would do because I wanted to be just like them. And now I am seeing them all as wives and mothers and want to continue to follow in their footsteps because they are all amazing women.

Kristy (my oldest sister) and I didn't always get along growing up, but regardless... she always took me under her wing if I needed her. I wrote her all throughout her mission and ever since she moved to Utah... we have become closer than we have ever been before. I can't tell you how nice it has been having family near by, I became a little less homesick. She has supported me in everything I have done, been there for me to talk to through my accomplishments and my trials and invited me over for dinner, has helped me with craft projects that I want to take on, always made sure my birthday was celebrated even though I wasn't home and all my friends were busy (welcome to having a December birthday) and I have had the opportunity to have a close relationship with her kids, my nieces and nephew which I love very much. I have always admired her strength and seen how she has grown to be a better person over the years as she got married and had kids. She is an amazing mother and homemaker and I hope I can learn a lot from her when I start my own family. I have also tried to serve her and be there for her when she needs me, but I feel like I can never do enough in return for how much she has done for me.



Lori (next in line) was always a fun older sister to play with and talk to. She would always be there for me to talk and would always relate to what I was going through. Lori has always been a very cheerful and optimistic person and really outgoing. Everyone knows Lori and everyone loves Lori. She loves life and stays active and busy and doesn't like to waste her time, she always is living life to the fullest, which I really admire. I have tried really hard to be more like that. She is also an amazing missionary. I have never seen anyone talk to more people about the gospel and bring people to church like she has. She has an amazing gift and it shows in her countenance. Lori also brought out my love for traveling and adventure. She got our family out to Hawaii (for her graduation, and my family hardly traveled) and it was one of the best family vacations we have ever experienced. She also took me, her little sister with her to Costa Rica for two months with no plans and just took the trip as it came. Through that trip we became closer and learned a lot about each other ( and I learned a lot about myself) and had one of the most amazing vacations of our lives. Lori is a truly amazing person, and now it has been really fun to watch her as a wife and a mother and I love to see how she has grown and how happy she is to start a family of her own, and what an amazing family they are.


Last we have Jamie, the sister right above me. Jamie has always been so loving. I was really close with Jamie in high school. I was a freshman when she was a senior and whenever she would see me around campus, she would stop and introduce me to all of her friends and she would hug me and kiss me on the cheek. It was a great way to start high school. We spent a lot of time together driving to early morning seminary together, our bedrooms were right next to each other in the attic of the garage, we worked at the same job and we actually hung out together too. We had a lot of common interests and just enjoyed each others humor and company. Something that Jamie is very good at is making me feel really good about myself. She was always the first to give me compliments and tell me how pretty I am even when I didn't always think so. It always meant so much to me. I admired her for that, and for always seeing the good in people and being a peacemaker. She is incredibly smart and talented. I always wanted to do what Jamie did. I wanted to sing as well as Jamie, I wanted to dance like Jamie (we tapped a little together, she taught me), I wanted to be artistic like Jamie. But Jamie is way too talented. I realized I would never be able to catch up. But she always encourages me anyway... which I appreciate. Jamie is also a wonderful wife and mother and I love the humor she finds in her little boy. Can't wait to see baby #2 in December!


I could go on and on about my sisters. They are all so beautiful and wonderful in their own ways and I have learned so much from each of them. Although I am my own person, I have learned a lot from my sisters and I think a lot of who I am is because of them. They are my best friends! And I feel blest to have them in my life and know that I get to be with them forever. I hope that I will be as great of a mother as all of them are and I hope as we all get older, we just become better and better friends. Thank you Kristy, Lori & Jamie for all that you have done and continue to do for me. I love you! Happy (Late) Sister Day!