An Apostle's Easter Thoughts on Christ

I have always loved Jeffrey R Holland, but this was one of my favorite talks of all time. I am humbled to think that it was nearly a year ago that CJ and I had the incredible opportunity to go to the Holy Land and walk in the literal footsteps of Jesus Christ. I cherish those memories, thoughts and feelings as I contemplate this Easter weekend.






Have a wonderful holiday!

Pretty Please...

Dear Mr. Easter Bunny:

Please, please, please bring us a new camera this year. I know that I've been careless and ruined 2 cameras in less than 8 months, but I've changed...I promise.

Really. I have.

Love,
The C*K*J's


PS...Would it be too much to ask for some peeps in my Easter Basket, too? I really, really love them...especially once they're about 4 days stale. Yum! Disgustingly Delicious.

camera phone pictures suck...but it's still worth the post!

Imagine my delight to find a lovely little package, perfectly wrapped with a happy spring ribbon, sitting on my porch this morning!

As if the pretty little package hadn't brightened my day enough already....what was INSIDE the pretty little package was sure to do the trick.

Oh my heavenly, homemade, rich, chocolately oreo truffles, hand-dipped in my favorite chocolate.

Although she had told me about these little truffles...never could I have imagined just how incredible they really are. Quite possibly my new favorite guilty pleasure.

How did I get so lucky?

AND, to top it off... can you believe that I am supposed to be HER visiting teacher.

Ha! Man, did she get the short end of the stick!

thanks g!

***

(Poor CJ...if it wasn't for this blog post, he may never have even known that these little lovelies ever even existed. I can't make any promises that there will be anything but crumbs left by the time he rolls in tonight! Sorry Love!)

April Fools Day

We have been conspiring with our young women on a little trick that we could play on the boys ever since we learned that April Fools Day would fall on a Wednesday, our regular youth activity night. Actually, truth be known, we'd been conspiring for longer than that...we've been plotting ever since the YM lost a friendly competition several months ago and had to bring cinnamon rolls and milk for the YW the following week. They were apparently not too hip on losing (especially to a bunch of girls) and decided to make cinnamon rolls with cayenne pepper, chili powder and salt instead of cinnamon and sugar. We graciously (of course) laughed it off knowing that we would get them back at some point. Well, April Fools seemed like our perfect opportunity. As we discussed plans for our activity with the YM leaders, I quickly volunteered that the YW would provide treats to enjoy as we gathered together before going to tour the Utah Food Bank....

Homemade Oreos, the PERFECT treat...

ESPECIALLY when we filled them with the nastiest, pastiest toothpaste we could find!

We strategically made a big platter full and placed just enough of the good ones (yummy, cream cheese frosting filled) on top for the YW to take, eat and enjoy. Ladies first, remember? The girls then continued to pass the plate around to the rest of the YM and even a few members of our bishopric who also happened to be around. Classic! Several of the boys took 2 and 3 cookies, but unfortunately caught on before consuming very much of their first one. Sadly, one of the bishopric members (kind of an older gentleman) seemed a little confused and maybe not wanting to hurt our feelings, continued to take eat it... all the while, the look on his face clearly expressed what he must have been thinking...

"This is the strangest cookie I have ever eaten"

...look perplexed, check out the cookie again...take another bite

"I wonder what is making it taste so minty"

...wheels are turning, still trying to figure out that familiar taste... take another bite

"The frosting sure is sticky and I kind of feel like I might gag...but the chocolate cookie is just good enough to warrant yet another bite of this strange tasting cookie"

Oh my was it funny. It was just what we had hoped for.

Once they all figured it out, they were very good sports (even the bishopric) and just for that... we shared some yummy, toothpaste-free cookies with them and all had a good laugh.

***

However, I am now thinking that we need to be watching our backs. I'm not quite sure what these people are capable of.

~Celebrating SpRiNg~

Hip Hip Hooray!! Spring officially begins this weekend and I couldn't be more ready! It will be warmly recieved with 70+ degree temperatures. Never mind the fact that it will quickly drop nearly 30 degrees in just 48 hours... (actually, that's pretty typical Spring weather in Utah) But in the meantime, let's just celebrate and bask in the first 70's of 2009!

Just a few other things that I am celebrating right now...

* Less haze and more blue skies

*Not having to wear a big heavy coat everywhere I go

*Early church and lazy Sunday afternoons

*Pedi's and Mani's with the girls. I've said it before, but there is nothing better than having friends that have known you since you were 12 (or even younger) and love you anyway.

(Shan, thanks for bringing your camera and letting me highjack these pics. love ya)

MJ, Shannon & Beckie (who flew in from Denver to make this day happen)

Sari, Kari & me

*meeting even more of the gang for lunch after our manis and pedis

*flip-flops (especially with freshly painted toes)

*popcorn really starting to pop on the apricot trees!

*Having our Young Women's New Beginning program successfully over with

*Sitting outside on the patio eating carne asada tacos at Lone Star Taqueria. yum.

*Seeing my Dad seeming more and more like himself again

*the tulips and daffodils slowly starting to make an appearance

* getting home and eating dinner while it is still light outside

*being able to sleep in a teeny bit longer since we "sprang forward"

*massages with my sister and nieces. love them.

*coke slurpees

*evening walks

*my new necklace charm

*having an "almost there" kitchen and being able to cook real food

*knowing my lease is up soon and I get to start looking for some new wheels

*yummy amish friendship bread from my visiting teachers

*knowing that its time to get out and start playing in the dirt

*the grass is looking a little more green and a little less brown

*and of course... my much anticipated girl scout cookies arrived.

Happy Spring!

It's time...

I am anxiously awaiting the knock on my door from the cute little girl scout that came around selling those dang little cookies again this year. She promised that she would be back to deliver all my favorites the first week of March. It looks like I better get the treadmill fired up.

By the way...

If anyone is looking for a yummy dessert recipe using girl scout cookies.... this one is so incredible - not low calorie, but really, really incredible. Thanks Gina, for introducing it to me.

{ENJOY}

I can't wait!

another whole week has gone by...

Another week has gone by and my heart continues to be full of gratitude. It has been a week of ups and downs, lots of emotions and prayers and most importantly PROGRESS!!! Dad is now home from the hospital and doing well. He still has a long way to go, but he has an incredible attitude and more determination than anyone else I know. He has committed to be 100% obedient to the things his doctors, nurses, technicians and therapists tell him and ask of him to ensure a full recovery. And if any of you know my Dad...you know that he understands "exact obedience". We all continue to be shocked at how fast this happened and so incredibly thankful for modern medicine, amazing doctors and medical personnel and for the miracle of getting it caught and taken care of before he had a major heartattack. I believe in angels and I know that they were watching over, protecting and steering him these last few weeks.

I had originally just planned to keep my "hearts" blog layout up just through Valentine's Day...but considering that February is American Heart Month...it still fits! And who knows, I am so thankful for healthy, happy hearts...I just might leave it indefinately! :)

************

On another note.... in between all of my back and forth travels to "The U.C." this week to spend time with my Dad and my family, I managed to sneak in a night with our youth where he came to speak and perform at an amazing fireside:

He was incredible, so gifted in reaching the youth (and all of us) with an incredibly powerful message in a way they understand. I was amazed that he could have them laughing hysterically one minute and just a second later, silence would fall as he would share his testimony or speak of gospel truths. There wasn't even so much as a single whisper...which with a group of teenagers, is almost unbelievable. It was truly one of the best firesides I have ever been to. I highly recommend buying his latest CD and if you ever have the chance to hear him speak or perform....DON'T MISS IT! I'm so glad I didn't...it was just what I needed this week!

my thankful heart

My heart is so full of gratitude tonight after a long day of praying, waiting, sitting, pacing and praying some more. My Dad has made it through surgery and did great. He ended up having a quintuple (yes...5) bypass and the doctor said that his left ventricle artery, one of the most important, was indeed 100% blocked. The doctor continued to say that his great health and active lifestyle saved his life and will also help him and serve him well during the recovery process. He didn't finally get out of surgery until a little after 7pm tonight so it was a very long day. It was nearly 8:30 pm when we finally got to see him. Although he was still on the ventilator and not yet "awake"... I'm confident he knew we were there and felt of our love and gratitude. Truly, prayers were answered today...the angels that my mom had dreamt about were with him and also with us.

I am so thankful for the incredible power of prayer. I am so thankful for my family and friends and for the kind words of encouragement that I recieved today and for the many prayers offered on our behalf. I can't wait until my Dad is ready for me to give him a big huge bear hug. But, in the meantime, I'll continue to whisper in his ear and tell him just how much I love him and just how proud I am to be his daughter.

HEARTS & VALENTINES DAY

It was not the Valentine's Day that any of us were planning on. CJ and I had grand plans of a lazy day working on home projects, I needed to update the blog with pictures from our trip, we planned on getting takeout from our favorite Thai restaurant and maybe making a yummy homemade dessert. You know...a quiet day together. Mom and Dad had also planned to lunch at their favorite Mexican restaurant, Mom was going to make her traditional heart shaped sugar cookies with each of our names written on them and of course Dad had set plans to watch the BYU game. Everyone else had plans of their own too, I'm sure. Its amazing how quickly you'll drop anticipated and looked forward to plans when someone you love needs you. My mom called on Friday night with word that my Dad had been having a few chest pains, had gone to the doctor, done a stress test and they were concerned that he had a blockage and wanted him in early Saturday morning for an angioplasty. This was a relatively minor, minimally invasive surgery to open things up and they expected him to be home later that day or Sunday.

We're talking about my DAD. My Dad that even in his 70's he goes to the gym and works out almost every single day (he was working out on Wednesday when he first noticed chest pain and blew it off as heartburn...he was also back at the gym on Thursday afternoon working out before finally deciding he better check in with his doctor). This is my Dad who was a college athlete and has been a runner his whole life. My Dad who cliff dives at Lake Powell, waterskis, parasails, golfs and is always up for an adventure. My Dad that hiked to the top of Mt Sinai with CJ and I only 8 months ago...


This is my Dad that was out snorkeling with us all day in Cozumel less than 2 short weeks ago, my Dad who on the cruise, when there is a ridiculous amount of food available to eat almost around the clock, ordered grilled salmon almost every single night and ate big green salads for lunch. (Sure he ate plenty of desserts throughout the week...we all did) This is my adored Dad who takes better care of himself than most 30 year olds I know and has always been in great health.

Saturday morning turned from routine and minor into shock and fear as we learned that he would need open heart surgery with atleast a quadruple, maybe even quintuple bypass. The main artery in his heart is 100% blocked and 3 to 4 others are partially blocked. The doctor essentially told him that he should be dead and that his healthy lifestyle and probably divine intervention are what has kept him here with such minimal heart function. Isn't it appropriate that the medical intervention he needed to fix his heart and continue to keep him here came on Valentine's Day? A day that is all about hearts and loved ones. My mom and I have joked that he has been so active with apparently very little proper function in his heart...we better watch out once they get him fully functioning again. Now, we really won't be able to keep up.

Dad has been in the hospital all weekend where he's been monitored and is stable and feeling good. We spent Saturday afternoon in the waiting room making big glittery posters and giant cards with the little kids to help brighten his Valentines Day and cheer up his room. This morning, in just a few short hours, they will come and take him in for what is expected to be a 5-7 hour surgery to fix him up so that I can have my Dad for another 20 years. My greatest fear as I have gotten older and have struggled with infertility has always been that my children won't have the chance to really get to know and be loved by their incredible Grandparents on this earth. I am asking for anyone who may be reading this to please say a little prayer for my Dad that all will go well with his surgery and that he will have a quick and speedy recovery and be able to fully return to the life he loves and all of the people who love him.

Dad and I on my wedding day. He was the one who sealed CJ and I

The family just before the holidays.

*

And one of my very favorite pictures of me and my Dad...

There is nothing better than the safety and security you feel with your parents arms around you...

... even when you're a "thirtysomething"

The Best Two Years...

CJ:

Thank you for an incredible two years. Thank you for your love, patience, hard work, character, compassion, faith, consistency, integrity, open mind, optimism and most of all for making me so dang happy.

(and thank you for an amazing vacation and kickstart to '09)

I love you and I can't wait for all the years ahead.

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!

love. your lucky mrs.