Survivin' polio

The other night, this guy

 opened his mission call. Congrats to him on being called to the Melbourne, Australia mission. Yay!
And also on surviving a car crash the next night. I'm happy to report the cousin is alive and well!

Anyway...while we were at the "opening the call" party, my uncle Thom mentioned a 5 mile relay race he would soon be running in order to promote the fight against polio. Of course we asked to tag along. What we didn't know however, is that we were going to be the stars of the show! There were a bunch of high school kids running the other 5 miles in the 10 mile relay, but for running the first leg of the race, we got plaques, a t-shirt, the works! Here are the pics to prove it...



Jake, setting the pace





XL was the only size of shirt they had left. Ohhhh yeahhh

The husband, finishing first!



Sprinting to come in close behind!





Famous.



 Because my uncle was a polio survivor, he was asked to participate in the race. Jake had a great grandpa who survived and I'm related to both of them, so we were all recruited to run. The old guy

 ran the whole 5 miles himself, and we were there as moral support for the last 4 miles of the race. 4 miles isn't much, but it's 4 miles more than we ran the day before. Half marathon, here we come! ohhh I love summer!

T.G.I.F!

 FRIDAY The word that is music to my ears.

I have been looking forward to this moment since the last time it rolled around 7 days ago... The time when my homework is completed {until tomorrow comes around...but I'll deal with that...tomorrow.. } work is finished and the gym has been crossed off my list. Life is GOOD! So now it is free-time. *sigh*

And today, my free-time has consisted of surfin' the web. I have been obsessed with cooking/decorating blogs and today, while looking at different C/D blogs, I stumbled upon the best site EVER!

Pinterest.com

Have you heard of it? You must immediately check it out! ......... (I'm waiting....) ............

Best site EVER, right?? One thing you might not know about me is this: I LOVE random awesome things of life. A dear friend of mine,

 
Kaylee Hess



wins the prize for best wedding gift ever. She gave Jake and I a book called:

"The Book of Awesome" an awesome book, filled with life's awesome moments. AWESOME! :)

So anyway, back to what I was saying...this pinterest bizz is filled with all sorts of links that take you to some of the coolest things people have spotted out on the web. Isn't 2011 WONDERFUL?! Just when you think that someone couldn't come up with anything better...they do.

Once when my cousin Mike and I were kids

This be Mike.

we came up with a  Grandiose plan to make a roller coaster that went backwards. We thought we were the most brilliant kids on the earth. And we were.... until 2 years later we discovered that Six Flags beat us to the chase. Dang!

Anyway...back to my web searching discoveries...I've found some of the most wonderful things. Things that mustn't go unshared!! Please indulge...



LOVE
http://pinterest.com/pin/14047667/



http://pinterest.com/vein_of_noir/photography-love/

http://frostedhappy.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2010-07-29T04%3A50%3A00-07%3A00&max-results=5



Dirt Cheap Decor
http://dirtcheapdecoratingdivas.blogspot.com/

This site was filled with all sorts of awesome decorating ideas. Like the before and after pics of her bedroom:

BEFORE

AFTER






  http://www.sallyhansen.com/products/nails/nail-color/salon-effects-real-nail-polish-strips



No-Bake Nutter Butter Nutella Pie...umm...YUM?!!!
http://thepioneerwoman.com/tasty-kitchen/recipes/desserts/no-bake-nutter-butter-nutella-pie/

I loved this, because It reminded me of my own kitchen.... (50 points for the person who spots the matching item in each of our kitchens!)





Her Kitchen....






And mine

 



 THE MULFORDS



And although there are a million other things I could post, I will leave you with one last. It is the recipe to a DELICIOUS pie I made for my Mother-in-Law's 50th birthday celebration. 



Mama J and the hubby



Okay, so the only bad thing about 2011 is that people have copyrights. No picture was available for this AMAZING pie... looks like I'll have to be baking it again soon and this time I'll try to remember to document the act! :)

But here's the link, just in case you can't wait....

http://www.laurenslatest.com/?p=1126

And would you look at that? I've successfully filled my free-time and it is now coming to a close. The husband will be awaiting my arrival at the...

very very soon. 
All I have to say is....T.G.I.F!
Enjoy your weekend, my friends!



Friends make the world go round...

Life has been BUSY!

I hate using this statement, because you say that and people are like "yeah...tell me something I don't know..." I guess it's just the way life is in the 21st century, but lately I've been trying to find the joy in the busy times of life. This last Saturday was definitely one of those days that reminds you why life is worth living.

First of all, Jake and I have made it a goal to run at least four 5Ks this year...I know it doesn't sound like much, but hey...we had to start somewhere! :) So yesterday we ran our first of the season. It was a 5K/10K run for a little baby named Mason who was born with a heart defect. The race ended up being a huge success, with almost 500 people showing up to run! I wish I had more details on how much money was raised, but I know they definitely benefited from people's generosity! Kudos to everyone who participated! Which includes my hubby. I'm proud of the big lug...he finished in 28:30, but could have ran it a lot faster if it weren't for his slow-poke wifey. I finished in 29 minutes...obviously not record timing, but I shaved about three minutes off my time so I was pretty proud of myself! All in all, it was a good time. The endorphins were blowin in like wind in Chicago and I was lovin' it! :) Unfortunately we didn't have the camera, so I will try to find pictures and post those at a later point in time.

We have a couple of other runs that we're looking into doing this summer, let me know if you want to join us!! 


The Dirty Dash in SLC, June 4
http://www.thedirtydash.com/default.aspx


Heaton family first annual 5K, sometime in June
(Believe me, this is an event (or sight) you won't want to miss!!)

Lavendar run in Mona UT, July 9
http://www.utahrunning.com/events/race/ref/Run-Through-the-Lavender-5K

Run the Redrock Relay in Zion, Sept ?
http://redrockrelay.com/moab/the-info/


If you have not ever ran a race before...do IT! It's so exhiliarating and is one of my most favorite things ever!

Saturday night was my dear friend Chelsey Wilkinson's bridal shower. I'm so happy for Chelsey! Congrats, my friend! The shower was in Provo, so Jake and I drove down to the city and the festivities began! Chelsey's shower was a lot of fun and it was so great to re-unite with all my roomies. It's crazy how quickly life can change! Not too long ago we were all single and sexy and now...we're almost all married...and still sexy! :) I love these girls! Here are some cute pictures from the night. And a little shout out to Kelsie Christensen for the awesome photography! Here's her etsy website..she does some amazing work, you should check it out!

http://www.etsy.com/shop/earthbyelsie
 

After the shower Jake and I hung out with Sadey and Spencer. There's something about being with a best friend that just relieves all cares in the world and is medicine to the soul. I had the greatest time of my life. And Sade, I know how much you wanted a little shout out, so here's to you.

Sadey Kindt

 The friend that brings laughter to any situation. TRUE, fall on the floor, gut-wrenching, tears streaming down your face, unable to catch your breath, never a better time in your life--laughter. I love you, girl! :)

 After a night of fun-filled friendly get-togethers, my life felt a little more complete.

Friends truly do make the world go round... to all my friends and family, I LOVE YOU! Thanks for all you do! :)

ValentiMe's Day!

Yesterday was Valentine's Day. Or as Jake would call it, ValentiMe's day. If you call it Valentime's day, raise your hand! (Okay, sorry, I've been in class for the last 6 hours...)

Anyway...the few days preceding Vday, I got the baking itch and scouted out some delicious goodies.

Here's what went down:

Fudgy Brownie Cupcakes

http://thepioneerwoman.com/tasty-kitchen/recipes/desserts/fudgy-brownie-cupcakes/

• 1 Stick Butter (1/2 C.)
• 3 Whole Squares Baker's Chocolate
• 2 C. Sugar
• 1 Tsp. Vanilla Extract
• 4 Whole Eggs
• 1 C. Flour
• 2 Tbs. Cocoa Powder
• 1 C. Chocolate Chips

 

Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 350F.

Melt butter and baking squares in a microwave safe bowl. In the mixing bowl, cream melted butter and chocolate mixture.

Add in sugar and vanilla and beat until fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.
Add in eggs, beating one at a time.

 Add flour and cocoa powder and stir just until combined.
 Fold in chocolate chips.

Fill a muffin tin with muffin liners and fill each liner about 3/4 of the way full.

Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until brownie is set. The top will be a bit crunchy and the insides will be fudgy.

Frost if desired with your favorite frosting. I used "That's the best frosting I've ever had" submitted by MissyDew on tasty kitchen.
http://thepioneerwoman.com/tasty-kitchen/recipes/desserts/thate28099s-the-best-frosting-ie28099ve-ever-had/



*Also, make note that if you use a smaller pan you will also need to use a lower baking time. Common sense? Unfortunately not for me that night. I have vowed to make them again...and make them edible this time!

ENJOY!

Late night rambles...

One thing you must know about me... when I have homework, I get SOOO many other things done! I cannot even begin to tell you how clean my house gets, how wonderful dinner tastes, and how many friends get attended to, when a blank piece of paper is sitting at the desk, awaiting an essay.

Tonight, at 11:30pm, is one of those nights.

I wanted to post a few pictures of some fun things that have happened in the recent past.

First of all, the Jazz game.

My dear friend Jody and her new hubby Eric

invited Jake and me to a Jazz game a couple of weeks ago. True, I know nothing about sports. False, I dislike them. I enjoy watching a good game of ball when it involves friends or family. Which is why we went to the Jazz game

and also why we attended the superbowl events

Is it obvious that we love food??

Butterbeer cupcakes in honor of Harry Potter :)

Go Green Bay! Woo!

Just Dance....c'mon, you know you want to...

For a fun lover like me, this was a gooooood time all around! The football cake, brought to you by the one, the only, S-I-L Torrey Woolsey. And the butterbeer cupcakes? Kudos to Aunt Holly! They were DIVINE!!

All in all, life is good.
I guess I'll go clean my kitchen now....wait, I mean...write an essay?

sigh...

Heaven perhaps?

I don't know if it's legal to post a picture of a treat that you can't even recognize, but maybe the fact that only one little tiny corner of heaven is left, proves my point that this is worth trying. Mmmm!

and I completely understand that this is a terrible quality picture. All the photographers out there are probably sliding off their seat with a cringe, but the camera is MIA and it would take too long to go and find the hubby's iphone. So. This is what you get. Apologies granted.

Also, for the record, the hubby and I did not devour this ourselves. I took it to work. I promise!


Anyway, for any of you who would like to join me in a little taste of deliciousness, here's the recipe. Feel free to drool!



Photo courtesy of soufflebombay @tastykitchen

 Chocolate PB squares

• 1 pound White Chocolate
• 1 cup Peanut Butter
• 1-½ cup Chocolate Chips
• ½ cups Heavy Cream

Line your pan with parchment or waxed paper, leaving an overhang. (You can also use foil, however you will need to spray it with cooking spray.)

Melt the white chocolate in your microwave for about a minute; stir until the chocolate is melted and creamy. Add in the peanut butter and stir until blended and smooth. Spread the mixture into your pan. Refrigerate for 15 minutes or until a bit firm.

In a saucepan, combine your chocolate chips and your cream and heat over medium high heat until melted and smooth, stirring constantly. Pour/smooth over the peanut butter mixture.

Chill for at least 3 hours or overnight. Later, lift out the candy and cut into small squares.

*For a Valentine's Day treat, adorn with cutesy sprinkles or edible jewels and glitter!