A beautiful day at the temple.

It was such a beautiful day spending it with these amazing young women. Our young women have had the privilege to receive permission to attend all of the LDS temples in Utah. When I found this out, I decided that I really wanted to make this happen. I listed the temples out and calculated the distance. There are a couple that four hours away…those were going to be the ones that we would really have to plan out our schedules to make it happen. We chose the Monticello LDS Temple to be the first one that we attend and today was the day.

Bright and early this morning, we left for the Monticello temple to perform baptisms for the dead. Finally after traveling for which seemed liked forever, we arrived.

We were treated like were so important…the real red carpet kind of importance. Actually, it was even more amazing than that!!  We had the privilege and opportunity to listen to a member of the temple presidency as he bore a beautiful testimony of the Savior.  I cannot even describe how I felt as I listened to this sweet man as he testified of service that our youth were performing today.   

 

After the baptisms, we headed back to Moab for a delicious picnic lunch.  I love spending time with they girls.  They truly make me smile and they bring so much happiness into my heart.  I am so grateful for the opportunity to serve with them and to be a part of their lives.  I truly am blessed. 

As we were about to leave Moab, a thought—no, it was definitely a prompting—came to mind that we needed to pray for safety as we traveled home,  All of the youth were already in the vehicles but there was such a strong prompting to pray.  Chris, our young men;’s president, called everyone back out f the cars and called on one of our twelve-year young men to offer the prayer.  He asked our Heavenly Father for protection as we made the long trip home. 

Everything was going as planned except, I missed the turn off and we were about 30 minutes off of our path.  It was just so much fun listening to these young women and sharing stories with them.  Anyway, we were about an hour away from home, when I felt this amazing sense of peace.  As I felt it, I was pondering the reasoning for this incredible feeling that I was experiencing.  I wasn’t sure why I was having this moment until everything took place.  We had just come around one of the mountain bends, when I noticed two trucks pulling camping trailers.  I was traveling in the fast lane and they were traveling in the slow lane so that meant that there was an empty lane between us.  I went to pull over into the middle lane when I felt like I needed to stay where I was.  At that moment, I glanced over and noticed that the tire on the rear driver’s side was coming off.  (Note:  we are traveling at about 70 miles an hour at this point.)  I begin to slow down a tad bit but the tire flipped off the truck and bounced away from us. It was like we were in a bubble—it should have hit us.  The driver was trying so hard to keep the truck and trailer from flipping over when the rim came off towards us.  I felt like everything was in slow motion as the rim came towards us.  I swerved and we missed getting hit by the rim.  If we would have been hit, the rim would have went through my passengers side window and hit the young woman in the passenger seat and traveled back and hit the young woman in the back passenger seat.  The rate that we were driving and the rate that the rim was coming towards us, we would have some pretty serious injuries.  But, the thing was…I did swerve but I wasn’t the one that was in control of my car.  I felt like someone was driving for me.  After we missed getting hit by the flying rim, we were hit by the cover on the bearings.  The truck and trailer finally came to a stop and I pulled over in front of them and stopped.  I felt this amazing peace as I was sitting in the car (trying not to let my tears flow).  Finally, I got out and checked my car and there wasn’t any damage. We had been completely protected. 

For the next several minutes, we talked about the feelings that we felt.  I had this amazing sense of peace as I testified to these sweet young women that we had been on the Lord’s errand and He had protected us.  I am so grateful for the sweet words of a twelve year-0ld when he pleaded with the Lord for our protection a couple of hours prior to this incident.  We witnessed it first hand.  We truly had been protected.  I am so grateful for all that took place today.  I know that we were extremely blessed and I am so happy to know that we are all ok. 

~Michelle 

Pickled jalapeño carrots for breakfast!!

I struggle with figuring out what I can have for breakfast each morning and I get completely frustrated having the same things over and over.  So, this morning, Vieve and I decided to venture out and share a delicious breakfast burrito.  When were on our way to pick it up from the local Betos, I remembered that they also served delicious pickled jalapeño carrots. Aw…my mouth started to get really excited to be able to taste these delicious carrots. 

Pickled Jalapeño Carrots for breakfast…don’t mind if I do!

I am not sure that it would be considered a perfect delicious breakfast but for me…it truly was.  Every bite was simply delectable!!!  What is so hilarious is that they hand them to you in a little baggie with a huge jalapeño in it.  Aw…delicious!!!

~Michelle

It’s about to get wild around here.

The second Thursday, I have the privilege and opportunity to spend a couple of hours with some of my dearest friends and my mom teaching them how to create three different cards.  We have lots of fun creating and making mistakes and creating some more.  Spending time doing what I love with people that I truly care about is sweet happiness.  I love it. I love to watch them create.  I love to laugh and giggle with them.  Tonight, we created three fun baby cards using the stamp set  Wild Wonders from CTMH . Oh, the paper is Baby Cakes also by CTMH.  I love this stamp pad and this paper is so much fun!!  Look how adorable!!

the trio of cards

a monkey

a hippopotamus

and a giraffe!!

I am so glad that I have wonderful friends that love to create cards with me.  They truly bring smiles to my heart and soul.  I look forward to this night each month.  Come join us, I am sure that you would have lots of fun.

~Michelle

Aw…I love delicious food!!

Tonight as I was driving home from work, I started thinking about what I wanted for dinner.  Nothing seemed enticing until a though popped into my head…Hu Hut!.  Last month, I had gone out to dinner with my family to a delicious place…a place that I was kind of hesitant about going but since I was with family, I knew that I really couldn’t go wrong.  Hu Hut Mongolian Grill is located in Spanish Fork and it is simply delicious.  You create your own Asian stir-fry  adding only what you want.   Aw…it is simply delicious!!  I usually had meat and veggies but there is so much more to choose from.  It is awesome.  Anyways,  I really wanted to eat there tonight so I called my parents and invited them to go with me. 

Aw…it was simply delicious.  My heart and tummy were so happy.  I am so glad that this place popped into my thought process tonight.  I was able to eat lots and lots of delicious veggies!!!!  Aw….I love delicious food and I am so happy.  My tummy is content!!

~Michelle

P.S.  If you need someone to go with you sometime, pick me.  I love that place!!!

I created my very own stationary!!

I love paper.  I love notebooks.  I love pens.  I love cute things. I love writing letters but most stationary doesn’t have lines and I have to have lines because it drives me crazy when my handwriting is not straight.  So…I was thinking of all these wonderful things that I love when a thought popped into my head.  So, I started to create.  I printed off a bunch of papers using different colors for the font and cut them into the most perfect size.  I then dropped them off at KINKOS and they glued them together.  (I had no idea that they could do that…this could be way too much fun).

Viola!!!  I have my very own stationary pad!!!  Isn’t this pad simply adorable?!   Every time I look at it, I just smile.  I know that I am silly but….hey, little simple things bring a smile to my face and heart.  Aw…I am excited to write some letters on it.

~Michelle

Cookie Dough Cupcakes

I love to bake but like I have said many times before that I don’t like to bake just for myself. Having 24 cupcakes or 4 dozen cookies or a huge pan of brownies in my house would definitely put me over the edge until they were all eaten. The problem with that would be that I would be the one eating every single one of them. So, since my new assignment in our church, I have the opportunity to relish in amazing excitement on Monday evening and make treats. I love it. I am get so excited when I start thinking of the possibilities that I can make for my sweet young women for their Tuesday night activity. I absolutely love it. 

When Vieve brought delicious looking treats into work today, When I tasted them, I knew that I needed to make some for tomorrow evening.  The girls will love them.  I just know that they would.

They were really easy to make and they truly taste like cookie dough.  DELISH!!!

Want the recipe? 

Cookie Dough Cupcakes

1 box White Cake mix
3 eggs
1/3 cup oil
1 cup milk
1/2 cup sour cream or plain yogurt
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup mini chocolate chips

Cookie Dough Frosting
1 1/2 cup butter, softened
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/3 cup flour
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 pinch salt
2 TB milk
2-3 cup powdered sugar
Mini Chocolate Chips (for decoration)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line pan with cupcake liners. In a large bowl, combine eggs, oil milk, sour cream and vanilla extract until smooth. Stir in cake mix and chocolate chips. Fill cupcake liners 3/4 full and bake for 15-20 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Cookie Dough Frosting: Beat butter. Add vanilla extract, flour, brown sugar and salt and beat again. Add in about a tablespoon of milk, and 2 cups of powdered sugar. Add more milk and powdered sugar, until you reach your desired consistency. Pipe onto cooled cupcakes and top with mini chocolate chips.

Tomato Soup gravy and homemade meatball with mashed potatoes and corn!

Last night when I was getting ready for bed, I was thinking of I wanted to have for dinner today.  A delicious (well, I think it is delicious) meal popped into my head.  It is one that my mom makes—tomato soup gravy and homemade meatballs with mashed potatoes and corn.  I know that it seems weird but let me share something with you, it is delish!!!  I almost called my mom and asked if we could have it for Sunday dinner but I pushed that thought away and finished getting ready for bed.  When I woke up this morning, I started thinking of that scrumptious dinner.  I kept thinking that I wished I would have called my mom and made the suggestion of having it for dinner. 

Anyway, this afternoon when I walked into my parents kitchen, I smiled!!!  A huge smile!!!  Guess what we were having for Sunday dinner?  Aw…I was so excited and this definitely makes me happy!!

During dinner, I asked Mom a zillion questions of where this recipe came originated and how it came into our family.  She said that when she was 6 years old, she and her family traveled to California to stay at her Aunty Ruby and Uncle Mac’s home for vacation.  One evening, her aunt Ruby made this for dinner and they absolutely loved it.  She taught my grandma how to make it and when my mom grew up, my grandma taught my mom.  Mom has been making it for our family for as long as I can remember.  Isn’t it awesome how things such as recipes are passed from one generation to the next?  I absolutely love it!!

~Michelle