This past week, from Arkansas

Hello friends and followers. I am writing to you from a borrowed IPad in Arkansas. So not only do I have only one trustworthy hand to type with (that being my non-dominant hand, as it were), but I also have no real keypad; compensated by an over active and usually not entirely useful auto correct. I just wanted you to be aware that this update comes to you by way of no small effort from me. You want to know what else has required no small effort from me this past week? - brushing my teeth, left handed - washing my hair, left handed - doing anything with my hair besides leaving it to hang all slipshod off my head - baking, cooking, and cleaning( which is really all I was planning on doing while Shannon was at work this week. I came to visit her so that we would both have company while our husbands were out of town. I was planning on being her housewife for the week. Being a housewife, pretend or for real, is much more challenging with only one useful hand.) - everything else that would be difficult to accomplish with ones non-dominant hand I suppose you might like to know what happened to my right hand to render it useless. Well...I'm not really sure, but it hurts, not really the hand so much as the forearm, but as they are intimately connected, I cannot properly use one without the other. I've been told that it might be carpal tunnel, which is not very exciting news. I have not been to the Dr. To have it officially assessed. I'm still debating on whether to go get it checked out or not. It seems to be getting better, until those moments when it seems like its getting worse. Better or worse, it leaves me with not much to do,alone,in someone else's house, with only one useful hand. I did make left handed scones the other day! They were just as delicious as right handed scones. You wouldn't even be able to taste the difference if you had tried them yourself, just ask Shannon. So there it is, what I've been up to. Phil is in NYC learning about his new job, I think he's enjoying it. More on New York next week after I arrive there. For now Arkansas is Freaking Hot, but nice, and I am having a very good visit with my long time best friend, when she's not at work... Oh and we are all anxiously awaiting the arrival of Baby Brokering! Any time now...seriously.

Operation Chocolate Cake, results

Success!

Rainy day. Operation Chocolate Cake. Bird in the Apartment.

It's a rainy day here in Salt Lake.
I know right! I wasn't sure it was possible either. Fact: It does rain in Utah.
It has been rainy (if not actually raining) sense I woke up this morning.
What does one do to entertain themselves during a rainy day in Utah.
Bake a chocolate cake of course!
Specifically this Chocolate Cake.
Of course there's a reason my usual recipe would not suffice.

I was at the State Wine Store the other day picking up some Port for our hamburgers; (Bobby Flay's "Blue Cheese Sirloin Burger with Red-Wine Onion Jam") (Yes I bought a bottle of Port for the purposes of dressing a burger. Please, Don't knock it till you've tried it.) when I deiced we would probably need a good beer as accompaniment. This required a decision on my part, as the selection at this particular store was only Imported or Local brews, none of which I was familiar with. I was weighing two options and finally went with less familiar (barley wine) more local (brewed right here in SLC) option and with 10.4% alc. by volume I figured I was getting more bang for my buck so to speak. ie: according to the all reliable Wikipedia:
" Current Utah law sets a limit of 3.2 percent alcohol by weight (4 percent by volume) in beer sold at grocery and convenience stores and at establishments operating under a "beer only" type license"


The burgers were delicious that night, the adventurous brew, unfortunately was not. Between the two of us I don't think we drank over 3oz. It was...strong. 
So with two bottles of this "beverage" on my hands and an entire rainy day ahead of me, i embarked on operation Chocolate Cake, aka don't waste the beer you probably paid too much for. (thank you to my friend Sigrid for the heads up on this recipe)
It's cooling now, I'll let you know how it turns out.


On another note, what does one do when a bird flies into their kitchen? 
Obvious suggestion would be to not leave the door wide open as to invite them in, but its too late for that. 
In my own personal experience (30 minutes ago to be exact) I was rendered completely terrified both for my fate and that of the birds, mumbling confused profanities under my breath until the equally terrified and confused (I'm certain of this of course) creature found its own way back out the door which is now partially closed and thus less welcoming to bees, man eating (sized)flies, and birds all of which have wandered into my home at various times. Perhaps I should invest in a screen. 





P.S.
Bobby Flay's Blue Cheese Sirloin Burger with Red-wine Onion Jam was probably the best burger I have had in a number of years, however it does not hold a candle to the Lurcat burger available at Bar Lurcat in Minneapolis, MN...and apparently in Naples Florida (though I have never been to that location)

P.S.S
If you didn't know about Smitten Kitchen (where the Chocolate Cake recipe came from)... you do now, one of my favorite places to find new recipes, check it out!

Enlightening documentary: The Real Roots of the Emergent Church

I read the book of Colossians just before watching this video, I would encourage you to do the same.
Colossians 2: 2-8 specifically
"... I tell you this so that no one may deceive you by fine-sounding arguments."
"See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world, rather than on Christ"

Matthew 23:24
" For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect- if that were possible."

2 Timothy 3:5
" having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them...(7) always learning but never able to acknowledge the truth."

Christians, read the Word! be aware of what it says, Know what it says. Examine the scriptures to know if what is being taught is true. (Acts 17:11)

Comments and discussion welcome.

How we got here: Part 2

Apparently Im only allowed so much space for each post. I was on a roll with what is now "How we got here: Part 1" and then I could't upload any more pictures. ... so here we are Part 2

Hey! If you haven't read Part 1 go back and fill yourself in or you will miss out on the suspense!
(yes I am aware that I let the suspense drag on for far too long, and that by this time most of you have lost interest or faith in my returning to finish this thing. Take heart! I have returned, and will finish this thing, today!...I hope.)
Anyway, where were we...
Ah yes. Our trailer looked like this:

I made this picture extra large so that hopefully you can tell that the trailer tongue is riding literally 3" from the concrete. 

this is where Sack-boy and I waited for Phil to drive 30 minutes to pick up a new trailer and haul it back.  In the Outlet mall information office.

This is where we settled to camp that night as we did not make it quite as far as we wanted that day.
Not sure if I mentioned it or not but we only made it 70mi from Denver before we stopped.

This was not too bad of a place to stop, the bathrooms were clean and much to my surprise in the chill of the early morning, heated. There was a river just downwind of our campsite that lulled us to sleep in our open air tent. We decided it would be best to leave the rain fly off because of how moldy it was after Phil took it out last. (...all is forgiven, but certainly a lesson learned, nobody likes falling asleep to the sounds of nature and the smell of thick must.) Here there was also plenty of space between campsites, which we learned by experience later on in the trip, is a necessary commodity when lodging on non-wooded terrain.

Next Day we made our way to Aspen. Besides the outrageous price on gas, $5/gal, Phil was immediately convinced that we should live there because the bus drivers were courteous to us on the road. Apparently it's the little things with him. I was a little harder to convince, I mean, besides the fact that this was the most beautiful place that either of us had ever been our entire lives. This sign is what did it for me.
Im still not exactly sure what it means, but im convinced that there is a large hula-hooping community in Aspen and drivers are to be aware that they often utilize the crosswalks.













If those things are not enough to convince you to move to Aspen, CO, or at least visit; maybe these views we captured on our hikes will.
Day 1 went something like this

Day two began rather early. 3:45am to be exact. We wanted to catch the sunrise from Crater Lake which was just under a 2 mile hike from the parking lot at the base but around 1300' in elevation. It took us about 50 minutes in the predawn darkness with only our headlamps to light our way. The previous afternoon took us an hour+ to reach the lake. I think something about the possibility of being attacked by bears and or mountain lions could have made up the difference for our speedy ascent. (Remember how I had been sick just two days before this, well my fever had left me with a very unpleasant amount of sinus fluids, which rendered my breathing capacity at about 30% for this high altitude adventure, not to mention the fact that my insides were doing their monthly dance. Just note that I do not recommend an intense hiking excursion under either of those circumstances, let alone both of them at once.) Our fears were proven unnecessary, as we did not encounter one creature on the way up,  and whatever state of uneasiness, breathlessness, or bodily discomfort we were in once we got there ...it was SO worth it.

Aspen CO everyone, Go there!

 Our last adventure before moving in day, was to camp at Arches National Park in Utah. 

When we arrived we were flabbergasted at the # of people who had obviously copycated our great idea. We made the decision at that point to not go to Arches all together, and save the experience for another time when we can really enjoy it. Not that we don't like people, we just don't like crowds of strangers in our photographs.

 We camped just outside of Moab instead.  

Nothing says no worries camping trip, like all your earthly belongings camping next to you  in a UHAUL

This was the night that we discovered that camping at a public sight in the dessert kind of sucks. We fell asleep to the sounds of the river, the crickets, the frogs, and our neighbor camper snoring as if he was tucked right in with us in our two person tent. Also, breathing in copious amounts of dessert sand whilst battling a sinus cold...not cool.

What was cool though, was the Not crowded park that we went to to take our sunset pictures. 

Dead Horse Point State Park, Utah.

We woke up bright and early the next morning, surprisingly rested, considering our snorry neighbor and the blazing moonlight that made 1am seem like dusk.

Headed straight to Salt Lake City, through the stark wilderness that is Southern Utah, we were altogether exhausted, excited, and unsure of what exactly we would find once we got there.

So far, I think we like it.