september

S E P T E M B E R

knocked my socks off, and here's why.

(lots of pictures... beware.)

september was for hikes with friends to pretty lakes...

who let me come to their house after to pick a bouquet 

of fresh roses from their garden. (swoon) 

^^they looked so pretty in the passenger seat and later in a vase by our couch. thank you maddie! 

 september was for the occasional rainy day which of course meant 

trips to home depot (my favorite store) + crafting/painting days. 

(since i can't afford to buy us a rifle paper co. sign, i decided i'd paint one like it myself)

september was for making a "cracker cake" for one of my cute patients, who spent her 16th birthday in the hospital vomiting into a bucket. :( so naturally i had to throw her a party. 

september was for finishing my nursing residency with several of my friends from the U. 

...and of course we never could take sim lab seriously. 

(heidi gifford i hope you're reading this: phone in sim lab rings..."HOUSEKEEPING!" ;) 

haha, still laughing about that.)

september was for buying pretty ribbon to decorate our glass jars.

september was for starting a new journal. and writing lots.

september was for celebrating grandfather's 90th birthday!

he is officially the youngest 90 year-old i've ever met.

and never ceases to amaze me.

september was for reading Elizabeth Smart's book. i also got to attend a book group about it where Julie Valentine, a Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner, spoke about her efforts/research to protect women and men who are victims to rape. i would definitely recommend this book.

september was for making jars and jars of raspberry jam with mom.

september was for long bike rides, runs, and more hikes.

^^seriously though, i love these girls more than they'll ever know. 

september was for campouts. full story of our adventure here.

september, you're going to be hard to beat!

dear october, 
we've started out on a rough patch. 
...sore throat, fever, chills, aches and all... 
but i'm willing to give you another chance.

xo

m

pumpkin pancakes

fall is here

and pumpkins are out!

this is a fall recipe you have to try!

P U M P K I N

P A N C A K E S

with apple juice syrup

2 eggs, beat. 

stir in 3/4 c. of pumpkin. 

add:

 2 Tbsp. sugar

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/4 c. applesauce

1 1/2 c. flour

stir in 1 1/2 c. water, or a little less if you want a thicker batter.

apple juice syrup

1 c. sugar

2 Tbsp. corn starch

2 c. apple juice

2 Tbsp. lemon juice

Boil for one minute and watch thicken.

 ^^honestly, this "pancake pen" is one of my favorite things in my kitchen. it's so easy to use, eliminates the mess, and you can keep pancake batter in your fridge for a quick breakfast-on-the-go the next couple days. find one here at Williams-Sonoma for $9.95!

enjoy!

xo

m

adventure weekend

you guys!!!

september is  r o c k i n g  my world!

if you haven't gone camping yet, this is the month to go. trust me.

the leaves are changing, the temperature is perfection, and the mountains are unreal.

bry and i decided we'd plan another 

A D V E N T U R E

W E E K E N D

because, why not?

three people this last week asked us if we ever work. (haha)

the answer is yes. full time, matter-of-fact.

we just like taking advantage of the free moments we have together. 

work hard, play harder, right!?

so we packed our backpacks full of warm clothes + snickerdoodles and licorice (you know, the necessities), put on our hiking boots, loaded the four-wheelers with our camping stuff, and we were off on our adventure. 

losing light fast. 

we probably should’ve left a couple hours earlier… oops!

ten minutes up the dirt trail I saw something black in my headlights and slammed on the brakes… what i thought was just a big black dog at first, i realized quick that a black bear was standing on the trail right in front of us.

this was my face

:O

this was bry’s face

:D

i just sat there in fear thinking, at least I have a humongous helmet on my head in case he attacks. Or, maybe I can offer him a snickerdoodle?

luckily we spooked him more than he spooked us, and he disappeared off the trail.

...kind of scary, but both of us were also pretty stoked to have seen a bear in utah.

 we sped right past him and one hour later, we reached the top of the mountain to set up camp in the pitch black. the stars were incredible.

  

as we were setting up our tent, here’s how the conversation went.

“shhhh! bry did you hear that!?”

(munch, munch, MUNCH getting louder and closer)

“um, what the heck is that?”

(listen some more and shine our headlamps on the noise)

Two glowing eyes.

“bryyyyyy.” (me=terrified.)

then all of the sudden, “MOOOOOOOO”

both of us start laughing.

"okay, phew. just some cows."

yep, you guessed it… the rest of the night we listened to a chorus of cows “moo-ing,” farting, and munching on grass while we sat in our tents and laughed ourselves to sleep.

in the morning, what we thought was maybe a few cows, turned into a herd that circled around our camp. probably thirty of them.

but how is this view to wake up to!?^

on a sidenote: the first question bry asked me when i woke up was, "did you eat a squirrel for breakfast?" i guess brushing my teeth would've been a good thought. :)

We had the best morning exploring, and on the way down the mountain I was literally 

S Q U E A L I N G  in excitement because of how pretty everything was. 

seriously, screaming with happiness. things like that make me so, so happy. i know, i'm a little dramatic about that kind of thing.

 life-size bobble heads^^

after cooking breakfast, bry went to help our brother install sprinklers in his backyard, and i couldn’t stop staring at the mountains…. so i decided installing sprinklers was going to have to be a man's job that morning and hopped on my bike to go out for a ride. :) ahhhh, so pretty. 

i can't get enough.

an hour and a half later, i decided i should probably shower and brush my teeth. J

to finish off our perfect day, golf at Wasatch Mountain Lake Course with my in-laws sounded just about right.

 ^isn't she the cutest!?

i wish every weekend could be like this one. unfortunately for the most part, weekends usually involve work, doing laundry, getting caught up and organized, and sleeping in.

but cheers to good, one-of-a-kind weekend adventures.

it's not too late... plan a weekend trip and go!

xo

m

J-Dawg Sauce

J-DAWGS

my husband has told me about a place in provo called J Dawgs.

i've never been, but apparently the sauce they put on their hot dogs is amazing.

here's a copy-cat recipe i think you'll love as much as we do.

J Dawgs Sauce

3/4 cup ketchup

3/4 cup brown sugar (or a tiny bit more)

1/4 cup honey

1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

1 teaspoon soy sauce

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

Combine all ingredients in a pan and heat until almost boiling.  

Remove from heat, cool, and serve over grilled hot dogs. 

Serve with your favorite toppings

xo

m

campout

W I L L O W

L A K E

a campout was on the menu last week

the recipe called for: 

the best company (✓)

tin foil dinners (✓) {recipe below}

wildlife watchin' (✓)

log carryin' (✓)

s'mores (✓)

beautiful scenery (✓)

scary stories (✓)

two-man tents (✓)

moon-lit hikin' (✓)

moose findin' (✓)

...take all those things, mix them together, and we enjoyed campout heaven.

^can't get much better than these two gorgeous girls.

^^prettiest destination

^^our men :)

 ^^my girls, gail and linds 

 ^^not a bad view in the morning

now if you want to hear our favorite tin foil dinner (TFD) recipe, here it is... 

and believe me when I say it has evolved from several failed attempts. 

Meg and Bry's Favorite Tin Foil Dinner

1. first, cook one pound of ground beef, and set aside.

2. second, sauté in some olive oil:

one medium onion (cut into large slices), mushrooms, and garlic

you can add other veggies here if you want... (broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, etc.)

3. third, add two cans of cream and mushroom soup to the sautéed veggies

and mix all together. sprinkle some garlic salt on top.  

4. add the beef to the mixture, and let simmer for 10 minutes.

5. while everything is simmering, cook 2 potatoes (we just poke holes in them and put them in the microwave for almost ten minutes). Cut them up into chunks, and add them to the mixture. Take off heat and let cool.

6. Use at least a couple layers of tin foil to wrap up all the goodness. (Tip: Wrap them in a way that is easy to unwrap once they're really hot from the fire)

7. Put them in the freezer until you're ready to use. 

8. When ready to use, throw them in the coals of a fire and wait for them to warm up. 

this recipe will not disappoint.

xo

m