getting ready & going home!

this weekend jordan and i are heading to vegas. i am so excited. i havent been home to vegas since the wedding. today i planned to clean the house so that when we got home we wouldnt be cleaning for 5 days. i cleaned the bathroom and it was a WRECK-i seriously should have taken before and after pictures... while cleaning the bathroom i was doing dishes that have been sitting in the sink all weekend. [we had a lot going on-not to mention i got SUPER sick on sunday night] while doing the dishes i was trying to get rid of some oil that i made dinner with earlier this week. we dont have a garbage disposal so i had to put it in the trash-i failed at that (dont ask how) and got it EVERYWHERE. i finished the dishes then attempted to clean that mess up that i made. i got it as clean as i could but i still think i feel a film and i washed it about 5 times. i got a little more organized and threw some more stuff away. wedding gifts are still cluttering me. i want to keep everything but some stuff is just in the closet collecting dust because 1-i got 7 others or 2-i just really wasnt a fan. im going to give some of it away but the other stuff is going to be donated. the house is looking pretty good but since i have been cleaning ALL day-im done..until tomorrow. until then...

here is a request per my sister in law. orange chicken. (but it really tastes like chang's spicy chicken)

whats in it:
2 lbs boneless skinless chicken (cleaned and cut into small cubes)
1 cups-2 cups of flour in a zip lock freezer bag
2 eggs (beaten)
½ teaspoon of salt
½ teaspoon of pepper
oil for frying

orange sauce:
1 ½ cups water
2 tablespoons orange juice
¼ cup lemon juice
1/3 cup rice vinegar
2 ½ tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon orange zest (grated)
1 cup packed brown sugar
½ teaspoon ginger root (minced)
½ teaspoon garlic (minced)
2 tablespoons green onion (chopped)
1 teaspoon of fresh ground chili paste (you can find it on the "ethnic foods" isle of most grocery stores)
3 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons water

how to do it:
heat the oil in a large pan over medium high heat. while the oil is heating set a plate next to the oil with paper towel on top to drain the excess oil off. then prepare the chicken. combine flour, salt, and pepper in the zip lock bag. dip the pieces of chicken in the eggs, once covered place the pieces of chicken in the bag. close & shake the pieces until completely covered. if the oil is hot-CAREFULLY drop a few pieces of chicken in to cook. (dont overfill otherwise it will take forever to cook) the chicken pieces should be a lightish brown color. if you are worried that the piece is not cooked enough cut it open and check whether its still pink. i left my pieces in the oil for about 7-12 minutes depending on the size. once the chicken is complete (or if you feel risky and want to start while the chicken is frying)-start the sauce. in a large saucepan combine 1 ½ cups water, lemon juice, orange juice, rice vinegar, and soy sauce. Blend well over medium heat for a few minutes. Stir in brown sugar, orange zest, ginger garlic, chili paste, and onion. Bring to a boil. Combine 3 tablespoons of cornstarch with 1/4 cup of water and mix thoroughly. Slowly stir cornstarch mixture into sauce until it thickens. Pour sauce over breaded chicken. Enjoy-its DELICIOUS!

sunday. rain coat necessary. (failed to post sunday)

today i woke up dragging. i am now guilty about it-i woke up wishing that i did not have a calling. some sundays i just want to lay in bed and do nothing. as i laid in bed at 8:15 knowing i would need to be ready by 9 i realized if i didnt get up i would miss out on taking the sacrament. its pretty much the highlight of my sunday considering it is the most sacred of all "church" ordinances. jordan often reminds me "you know why you dont want to go-so get up". i got up rushing to get ready and head out the door. upon sitting down in church, i remembered i had forgotten all the things i needed. crap. plus it was pouring and i didnt have a coat because i have a twisted reality that its summer. [wyoming just hasnt realized it yet haha] the speakers actually were very good. [they usually are when youre frustrated & desiring more] the first young woman was a sister to one of our nursery boys. he is such a sweet sweet child and is super smart-i saw that i was an attribute that was taught by parents. this young lady was beyond her age in maturity and was so sweet. the next woman spoke on the talk given by Jean A. Stevens in this Spring General Conference, called, Become as a Little Child. in this talk she speaks of a little 6 year old boy named Liam. Liam had become very ill and suffered from a aggressive brain tumor. he had to be subject to radiation treatments but hated the way the sedatives made him feel. he was sure that if he could only hear his fathers voice he would be able to go through the treatments without a sedative. with words of encouragement from his father-he completed all 33 treatments required. while listening to this it took me back to a place in which i was so blessed to be a part of. a dear friend of mine in high school was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor that shocked ALL of us. as she was given a short time to survive she became more positive and more happy (if that was possible her being the happiest and most hyper person ever). she loved life before her struggle and ENDURED until her last day. i cherish that final evening dear to my heart. as she laid in a coma surrounded by her loving family and tons of friends filling the room and floor-they asked for a moment alone. hymns were sung, goodbyes were spoken, and the family had a moment of prayer. soon after steph left us here to do the work given by our Heavenly Father. she may be gone but so often I am reminded of her beaming smile, her blondish hair, and her "stickly" body. she smiled through all the struggles, pain, and strokes. i love her for that. i will ALWAYS cherish that. today she reminded me that i need to LOVE every moment of my life. steph helped me turn this rainy, begrudging day-into one full of thankfulness and happiness. i am so grateful for the talks today. i am also grateful i was able to spend time with fam damily. reese and steph came up for kyles patriarchal blessing which was awesome. he is a great kid and will do great things in his life. im am so thankful today. my heavenly father truly loves me.

and the award for best decision goes to-bryce harper.

i have been thinking a lot lately about certain things. for instance-the idiotic things people say, the uneducated things people say may be a little nicer, the opinions people speak but have no ground for saying those things, and lastly that its graduation time for the class of 2011.... oh and we (my family) cant say a word without getting our heads chopped off, even if it is the truth and even if its honest-its wrong either way.

that being said-my baby brother would be graduating this year. instead he took a risk-passed his GED, and enrolled in college 2 years before any of his classmates/peers would see the inside of a college classroom. he has one year of college under his belt & is currently an employee of the washington nationals after being the number one draft pick overall in a draft class a year older than he was... so many times i have read & heard people say:

"i cant believe a parent would even allow their kid to drop out of school?"

"well you have to remember he is still only a kid, hes only 18 you know?"

"he's just immature"

bryce & the so nevada bulldogs (11 or 12 maybe?)

judge all you want and say what you will but you think about that cousin of yours, brother, sister, daughter, son, etc. that is 15, 16, 17, or even 18 years old... he/she does not look, talk, speak, stand, play, etc... like bryce. lets be honest-when i was 18 i wasnt as mature as he is. im 23 and cant stand that i am so far from my mom and dad. (granted bryce does miss our dog & my moms cooking but who WOULDNT?!) bryce for some reason has always been "older" and more mature-yes, he may seem "immature" playing pro ball but lets also remember that the majority of those players are averaging 28-30. for his age & stature he is MATURE. while most kids his age are preparing to graduate, having parties, leaving home for the first time- he has started his life doing the one thing he has ALWAYS been passionate about. when we were younger, on friday night, when he knew there was a game on saturday he would get completely ready and walk in the living room saying he was ready. my dad would tell him "bryce the game is in the morning". bryce would get bummed and go to sleep with his glove, ball, and uniform... he loved it then-he loves it now. so when he came to us with the idea of moving forward sooner...it wasnt about his family letting him do it-it was about him doing what he loved as soon as he possibly could. bryce always seemed to be big for his age. at age 7 other parents would say "he cant play with my johnny-hes too old". my mom would break out his birth certificate (that she had to start carrying because of this one reason) and show it to the umpire, so he could play. so my parents decided he would play up an age. at 7, he play with 8 or 9 year olds and it seemed to always stayed that way. it appears to be that way now... and will be for most of his career-God willing. he may goof off and have a good time-thats not immature thats loving what you do. my dad worked hard in the vegas heat EVERYDAY since he was a young kid. (my parents are two of the hardest working people i know) they always told us-find something you love and make a career of it. you dont want to wake up one day hating your job-it will make for a miserable life. bryce took that literally. he loves what he does and is having fun doing it.

so to all those who are graduating this year... congratulations and good luck on all your future holds-take what my parents used to tell us kids, to heart. i promise it will make life easier.

to all those who think negatively of my families situation... please tell me everything you remember about your junior and senior year-it wasnt about what you learned in classes (if you say yeah right... youre lying) i bet 99 out of 100 people will say i remember something this person did, what i did, what i wore to prom, where i went, etc.... those last two years usually dont mean much unless your bill gates/steve jobs smart.

to my brother... im proud of you. you graduated with high honors in my eyes-you achieved more than i ever have and more than i ever could have imagined my little toe head brother could have achieved. with your desire and attitude about life-you will go far. stay straight, on the well beaten narrow path, with family & God by your side and nothing will hold you back. i love you brother!

jealousy.

seriously this internal struggle of jealousy is taking over.

i cannot manage to shake it at all.

jealous of everyone-including you that is reading this. yes you.

for what you may ask-everything. everything you are, have, and seem to be.

i miss my best friends, my mom, my dad, and my brothers. they usually set me straight.

HELP!

suzie home(recipe)maker

tuesday (and for the past few weeks) i have been craving tomato "bisque" soup. i was looking online for recipes and just could not find one that seemed like it would be good, easy, or inexpensive. most called for 4 lbs of tomatoes or for fresh sprigs of herbs. not that im against all that but it becomes expensive if you dont use it all-or if you dont eat all the food. so i decided to make my own. it turned out pretty good and jordan really liked it-of course i did too.

this is a photo of what mine looks like-its a day after...but super yummy!

Tomato "Bisque" Soup

what youll need:

1/4 cup of oil
1 teas of dried basil
1 teas of dried thyme
1 teas of parsley
1 tablespoons crushed garlic (i used 2 tbsp actually but i LOVE garlic jordan didnt mention it being to garlicy and he always tells me if it is so any where between 1 & 2 tbsp is perfect)
1/2 teas of crushed red pepper (more or less depending on heat preferance)
2 carrots chopped finely
2 sticks of celery chopped finely
1/2 onion chopped finely
1 teas salt
1 teas pepper
3 tablespoons of cornstarch
3/4 cup of vegetable, beef, or chicken broth (i used vegi because its vegi soup)
1 14.5oz can of diced tomatoes (do not drain
1/2 cup of water
3 12oz cans of crushed tomatoes
1/4 cup of cream

how you do it:

in a large pot, on medium heat, heat a 1/4 of a cup of oil. once warm, add basil, thyme, parsley, crushed red pepper, and garlic. allow ingredients to become aromatic [it should only take a few minutes]. add in carrots, onions, and celery-cover to allow the vegetables to become soft. stir every few minutes to ensure nothing burns. once soft add in tomatoes, salt, and pepper. allow to come to a boil. once boiling stir in cornstarch-put all of the ingredients in a blender or use an immersion blender to liquify the base for the soup.

once all the ingredients are blended to your preference, add in the 3 cans of crushed tomatoes. allow the soup to boil for about 20 minutes. taste the soup to make sure it doesnt need anymore salt or pepper, then add in the 1/4 of cream and mix.

i served my soup with a sour dough & swiss grilled cheese. so yummy! i hope you enjoy it!

i would say cut the recipe in half if youre cooking for 2... we have a TON of leftovers and yeah-it will waste.

my visit to the east-side (of the country)

so let me start by saying i didnt take enough photos but i am assuming that it is because i had way too much fun. i had some great laughs with my dad, my brother bryce, and my mom-then some with my brother bryan. its so nice to know that i can be with them and its like i was never away. the inside jokes that we have will always be there & knowing what makes each other laugh makes it that much better.

alright so i left on friday around 6am and was SICKER than i have ever been. we had to leave 3 hours before the flight. i was nauseous and didnt get any sleep because of it. i tried everything. i got up out of bed and started to get ready-i was completely ready and puked all over my outfit. [sorry tmi i know] i changed and left for the hour and a half drive to the airport. i got sick 2 more times on the way. i got to the airport with just enough time to get on the plane. i flew from billings to denver. then denver to baltimore. on the flight from denver to baltimore i had a PSYCHOPATH sitting next to me. i got on the plane, still not feeling well, and she was in my seat. i kindly told her she was in my seat, she moved and seemed extremely perturbed. i sat down and put my arm rest down. after doing so she told me "oh no you will not be doing this today". i started to get mad and said "i paid for my seat and it will be down". she tells me that it doesnt matter she doesnt want it down. i told her just because im young does not mean i will back down to her. i put it down she put it up. so i scooted as close as i could to her, turned on my lil weezy, and blasted it so she could enjoy it also. i got a kick out of annoying her after her disrespect towards me. after my eventful & oh so pleasurable flight to baltimore-i saw the plane to hagerstown... haha. i was totally not looking forward to the 45 minute flight there.

it is as small as it looks

i was literally sitting behind the pilot and could have touched the control panel

the view was absolutely gorgeous though!

i got to hagerstown and my mom picked me up from the airport. we went to the apartment and dropped my stuff off, changed, and we headed to the game. the game was against lexington. bryce has a very good friend, delino deshields, who he played ball with when he was younger. it was fun watching them together. these pictures are from sunday-which was mothers day. bryce worn pink cleats [custom by under armour] and swung a hot pink bat with moms name on it. i loved it.

these pictures make me smile

they were cracking up with one another

a look at the full view

bryces sweet shoes!

 

 

i really had a great time at the games. it was beautiful weather! it was nice to finally be in warm weather. i enjoyed the games along with the food and the laughs with my dad.

the field is kind of old. this is a picture of the guys signing autographs.

a sweet spider web at the field

the people in those seats were thinking i was taking pictures of them

bryces sweet stache haha

my dad goofing off while we were driving if you notice he is sitting EXTREMELY close to the wheel

sweet mullet-he had a sweeter stache

we nicknamed him "gator" wonder why?

chick-fil-a the best thing that happened to my life

my favorite photo to take at games... thanks to my dear friend NEOMI!

i kept it fresh while at the games.

while in the dc area my dad and i visited Antietam Battlefield. it is said to have been the bloodiest battle in history. the area in which it is-is beautiful! we werent able to stay very long because we had a game to get to and we had a late start. it was still a great sight to see and i would recommend it to anyone! its unbelievable.

bloody lane. with a stonewall.

old cannons in the fields

the road was so beautiful.

the burnside bridge was a place in which the troops walked through a fire wall to attack the opponent. CRAZY.

the field was beautiful-in the distance a super cool wall.

upclose of the wall

harpers ferry-the troops walked 70 miles to fight. 70 MILES! from the ferry... love the name :)

horses for my mom

upclose of the cannons

the field literally went on for miles! so pretty & so green!!

for some reason i love roads with green around it. it reminds me of a good country song. haha

this sign cracked me up. we laughed for about 30 minutes about it.

when we got back to the apartment my dad said look at that cat-i said thats not a cat its a rabbit. when actually it was both. it was hilarious they were having a cowboy stare down in the yard. i tried to get a picture of them both but only caught the cotton tail! haha

thursday night was jersey shore dollar beer night. i thought it would be so fun but in reality it sucked. everyone was rude and talking crap about ALL the players. i had a realization that the east coast is extremely fair-weather. its sad. i have never experienced it so bad!

bryces jersey shore name: the big chill.

a better one.

love night games-the lights, the smell, the sounds, they all give me chills

the following friday we headed to south carolina to see bryan play. the first night had a rain delay until 9:40pm. CRAZY. the storm was extreme. it was pouring with lightening and thunder. while on rain delay we left. my mom and i took my dad to the hotel and we headed to get starbucks and cupcakes. while in starbucks they had a short and everything turned off. we got "free" drinks and asked the guys if they wanted cupcakes. we got one a red velvet-then paid for the drinks. it was funny-no one was out because the weather was so terrible! they lost that game. saturday was the same type of weather-that game was delayed for a few hours also.

the stormy weather...

on a REALLY good hair day

this was a picture of a guy at saturdays game-those shorts were crazy-next day saw him and his son, his son was wearing a hat exactly like this.

my toilet paper machine had a ganster lean.

bryan putting up espn on friday

hes so good at this hahaha

soon after they took it down-gave up the lead. bad luck (baseball superstition)

i had a wonderful time with my family and was so sad to leave them. i cant wait to go play with them again!!