Brownie in a mug WIN.

I'm sure many of you have tried some form of cake or brownie in a mug. But I bet you haven't tried this one! If you have, you already know how amazing it is.

It seriously took me no more than five minutes. I did make a few adjustments from some of the comments made. I used milk instead of water, added 1/2 Tbsp more of cocoa, and 1/2 tsp of vanilla. I mixed all of the dry ingredients and slowly added them to the wet ingredients, mixing with a fork in a large mug to get all the lumps out. I ended up having to add a little more milk until the mixture was shiny, but probably wasn't more than 1tsp.

Off to the microwave you go! I started at 50 seconds, and then did increments of 10 seconds until it was not so glossy on top, which ended up to be around 1:20. I added a little vanilla ice cream and this hit the spot perfectly! Not to mention it was super easy clean up as there was literally no mess.

You can't really see the actually brownie in the picture, but it was extremely moist and wasn't dense at all. I'll need to stock up on cocoa powder for the future!!

Let me know what you think!

Dreams vs Goals

Many of you know that I played the piano growing up. I LOVED it! It was always my dream to play in Carnegie Hall with my family sitting in the front row. Now, many years later, that dream was just that. A dream.

A little background.

My mom said that when I was little I would always be playing on the piano. Unfortunately, the teacher my sister was seeing only took students when you turned 8. So. I waited. After taking piano lessons from her for a few years (I think), my grandpa took me to a lady in his ward that taught piano lessons when I was in 6th grade. She currently wasn't taking any students, but after playing that piano for her as kind of an audition, she was able to squeeze me in. I can't remember how many years I ended up taking piano lessons from Tina, but I learned as much as I possibly could. And I loved every minute of it. I have so many songs ingrained in my memory thanks to her. After learning everything she could teach me, I moved onto a different teacher. And I learned even more. It took me around 6 months to learn two pages of the song below, which amounts to a measly 45 seconds. Granted, I was never able to play it this fast. And probably never will. After taking lessons from him for a few months, we took a break for the summer. Upon return, my parents decided to take me to a college professor that a friend recommended. I only went to her for a few months because I was still in high school and the demand was too much for me to handle. I mean come on, how am I supposed to have a social life in high school when I am expected to play the piano for at least 5-6 hours a day?? (Total wish I could have changed my mentality there...) Yeah, so that didn't last very long. Unfortunately, after leaving her, I didn't go back to any teacher. I just. Stopped. 

My dream that I wanted so badly to come true ended. If you were to ask me to play any of the songs that I learned so many years ago at the level I was able to play them at, I'd laugh and then go cry quietly to myself in my closet.

I think the kicker in this story is that my grandparents paid for most of my piano lessons. And what do I have to show for it? A lousy version of Claire de Lune and Mary Had a Little Lamb. (I don't think I'll ever let myself go for letting them down.)

Moral of the story. If you have a dream, make it a reality. Make it a goal. And don't ever give up. Because if you stop, you're going to wake up 10 years later and think "What have I done?" It's not worth it to give up on something you love so dearly. 

So dig your feet in a little harder and show the world that you can. And that you will.

Bountiful Baskets

Recently, my Co-worker told me about Bountiful Baskets. And then I read on Facebook more about them from someone who uses it. So I figured I'd give it a try. You never know what you are going to get, aside from pure yumminess. Here is what I got today! And I'm so excited to do it again :)

1 pineapple
1 honeydew
7 bananas
7 tomatoes
1 green onion
6 GIANT potatoes
3 yellow zucchini
1 cucumber
1 head of lettuce
1 head of cauliflower
1 box of mushrooms
2 stalks of celery

Also, this time I opted in for their sourdough add on and got 5 20oz loaves of sourdough bread.

They request that you volunteer every 6-8 weeks since this is a non-profit gig. And to be honest, I'm really excited to go volunteer! I can't wait to use all of this goodness and do it again! You should join in on the fun! Go to their website and see where the closest location is to you. (there are TONS)

My husband

I just wanted to make a quick post about my husband and how grateful I am for his strong testimony in the gospel. Often times when we are sitting in Sunday school, I will follow along and occasionally, I might answer a question or read a scripture. John on the other hand, participates as much as he possibly can. Not only am I grateful I married sometime who isn't afraid to speak in public, but I married someone who has an unshakable testimony of the church. Everyday I learn something new from him, and every Sunday (if not more throughout the week) my testimony is strengthened by him. I like to think it's from going on a mission, but I know it's from how he was raised; to read scriptures, attend church and seminary, have family prayer, and most of all, respect his parents. I'd like to think it also helps that his dad has worked for the church most, if not all, his life. I'm just so glad I have someone (in the flesh) to help me through when I have doubts our questions that need answering and discussion. I'd be lost without him.

Film vs Digital

Yeah, it's nice having a digital camera to take pictures. But there is something so simplistic and natural about a film camera. I love the depth that you get from your roll and how "perfect" they look. Yes, they might have scratches, or film spots, but that's the beauty of it all. And it sure does teach you patience, not being able to see the image right away. I'm hoping one day I'll have my own dark room to develop my own film instead of having to run down to Walgreens. One day...

A friend of mine offered to have her husband look at John's broken computer in exchange for me taking pictures of their little family. Since I no longer have a digital camera, I knew it was time to break out the film again.

These are some pictures I took tonight when we were out on a short walk looking at the sunset. I hope you enjoy and can see the character that film photography brings! [If you click on the picture, you can see a larger, better image ;)]

(None of these have been edited and are straight from the camera)

Mumbo Jumbo

As I sit here on my lunch break eating left over macaroni and cheese with hot dogs, there are so many things going through my mind! So get ready for a cocktail of missteps and randomness and just plain life.

Do you fit in or stand out? I had a hard time with that one in high school. I wanted to fit in with the "cool kids" only to find out that they weren't true friends and would drop you like a rain drop falling from stormy skies during monsoon season in Arizona. So I went the majority of my high school existence without real "best" friends. Sure, I graduated with acquaintances and people that I grew up with and would say "hi" to in the halls. And some people I thought were my best friends went and hung out with their group of friends that I didn't really click with. Do I regret being alone? Eh. Regret is a strong word. Would I do things differently? Who knows. If I had any advice for my high school self, it would be to say sorry to those I burned bridges with, to not care about the "cool kids", and to really think about the choices that I would want to make and how they would effect my future family.

Do you ever get so filled with love that you can't stop smiling or you just want to scream at the top of your lungs? Yep. That has happened quite frequently the past few weeks. I LOVE MY HUSBAND SO FREAKING MUCH! Words cannot express what a blessing and an answer to prayers he has been. Heck, writing this my eyes start to well with tears of joy and happiness. I don't think he will ever know how much I truly love him. I don't think I can even comprehend it.

Do you ever wonder why things happen to some people and not to others? Yeah, me neither. I have to admit, that I LOVE Glee. And if you don't, then that's fine. I won't try and shove it down your throat. But I'm sure if you listen to the radio or watch the news, or have Facebook or Twitter, you've learned that Cory Monteith who plays Finn Hudson died this past weekend. How? Heroin and alcohol lethal combination. I sat thinking to myself, "How the heck are they going to continue Glee without such an important character? They just killed Rachel's last relationship so they could bring Rachel and Finn back together." I can't even imagine what Lea Michele is going through, his real life and on-scene girlfriend. To lose your loved one so suddenly and out of the blue, right before taking your relationship to the next step (moving in) would just be so devastating. What hits home is that Cory was the same age as my husband. That sent me into a loop of "What would I do if John died tomorrow?" and totally freaked me out. I always wonder, and I'm probably going somewhere very bad for wanting this, but why couldn't someone who doesn't contribute much to society have died instead of someone who has brought so much light and laughter and love to millions of people across the globe? I know it's WAY above my pay grade, but sometimes I wish things were different.

Do you ever feel out of place? When I lived in Arizona, I was used to seeing girls wear tank tops and way-too-short shorts, and pretty much nothing. I was used to not very many people being LDS and not being able to talk about your ward at the grocery store. When I moved up to Utah, BIG change. It took me a while to adjust to seeing everyone dress modestly and talking about your singles ward and that cute boy who went on his mission to who knows where. I liked it. I didn't feel like I was an alien visiting some other planet. At my last job, maybe 7 people weren't LDS, so at work I got used to talking about my ward and general conference, etc. Well, since moving up to Heber and working in Park City, HUGE change. It's just like I'm back in Arizona, minus the scorpions and the blistering heat and the nothingness deserts. All the girls needed a little more yardage on their bodies, smoking is pretty popular (but oh so extremely disgusting), and I had to explain to a few co-workers what a mission was and what a ward is. I was so used to living somewhere where everyone knew what I did on Sundays and what it meant to be Mormon. Adjusting is difficult and I kind of don't want to.

Do you ever look up to people and wonder "Why couldn't I have been as smart as you?" As the CEO of the company I work for (which maybe has 20 employees, and that's being generous) was doing some training in my department, at the end I asked him how many businesses he has owned. Roughly 14. When he was 20, he turned his first business into an $80 million company. When he was 23, he turned his next business into a $100 million company. And he doesn't even have a high school diploma. That takes work. Maybe I'm just too lazy..

Do you ever want my blogs to end? Yeah, me too. Too-da-loo!

Changes

Why hello there! These past couple weeks have been SOO life changing! Where to begin, where to begin....

About a month ago, I wanted to move back down to Arizona. Why would I want to leave the beautiful Utah weather and my great job and my incredible in-laws? Because I missed my family. Yes, we have John's amazing family up here. But it's a little different watching your husband's nieces and nephews grow up and not being able to see your own. I had started looking for jobs and trying to plan things out. John was a little skeptical. Mainly because he hates the heat. But who doesn't?? I wasn't too excited about moving back to 120 degree summers that lasted for 9 months. Okay maybe they only lasted 8 months. Anywho, I digress. My brother in law works for GoDaddy and was going to help me get a job there. We would move back in with my parents until we got on our feet again. I was pretty set on moving down there, but John, not so much. So instead of trying to convince him of moving somewhere that he wasn't completely sold on, I decided to start praying and asking my Father in Heaven for some guidance. I decided to put everything in His hands and whatever He knew was right, I would be okay with.

Well, a few days after I had starting planning our move (Friday), John's friend posted on Facebook about an x-ray job that just became available up in Park City. It is for an orthopedic clinic inside the Park City hospital. He called and set up a job interview for the following Tuesday. All weekend, I kind of put planning our move on hold. Come Tuesday, I was EXTREMELY nervous. The job interview was more of a job shadow, and would work with the techs and do some x-rays to see if he would be a good fit. He went in at 7:30 am and was done around noon. 

The whole morning while I was at work, my mind was on this job interview for John. I had a hard time focusing because I was just so nervous.

Noon rolls around and I finally get a call from John.

"Everything went pretty well! I feel really good about this."

I was so very happy! But me being the realistic person I am, didn't get my hopes up too high. He had felt this way about many other jobs that he had applied for, and they all went nowhere.

He left the hospital and came to pick me up for lunch. We had a nice talk about how things went and what it was like working there. He was really hopeful that this would actually work out. We finished our lunch and I went back to work. About 30 minutes after I had gone back to work, John calls me.

HE GOT THE JOB!!!

I was smiling from ear to ear. This is exactly what we needed! I immediately call my mom and dad and sister and let them know about the great news.

As far as moving or who would commute etc, we didn't really have a plan, but would just play it out by ear. I would continue to work at CirclePix and John would commute to work in Park City until we got some debt paid off and found a place to live up near Park City.

That night, I went home and started looking for jobs up in Park City for myself. There was one job in particular that stood out. It was for a company called Pearl Couture. They make leather and fresh water pearl jewelry by hand. The position was for a jeweler who would make the jewelry in house. It paid pretty well and was different from a dead end desk job. So I applied! 

The next morning (Wednesday) I received a phone call from their hiring manager to set up an interview! I was ecstatic, yet so nervous at the same time! I was to go in for an interview that Friday afternoon and test out the position to see if I liked it and if I would be a good fit. So that night, I went home and started looking for places that we could live in the area so that we both didn't need to commute such a long way. I found a few apartment complexes and I was going to go look at Friday after my interview.

Friday rolls around and off I go to my interview. I arrive at my destination and eagerly wait inside. Apparently it was a group interview, which I wasn't too excited about because I don't do well in those settings. The owner brings us into his office and explains things a little bit, then takes us upstairs to try out the jewelry making part. We go and I LOVE it!! It was fun because it was creative and I loved working with my hands. We go back into his office and he offers me the job, and I accepted! Things were just coming together was too easily. I was waiting for something horrible to happen, because this was just seamless.

From there, I went to the apartment complex to check it out and take a tour. Instantly, I feel in love.  They are on the very edge of town, so you get a lot of the fields and mountain views instead of the city view, which I absolutely love! The big kicker as to why we would move here and no place else was the fact that they allowed pets. I signed some papers and placed our deposit so they would hold the unit, and we would come up in the next week to finalize the papers.

I put in my two weeks at CirclePix. It was very hard. I had been working there for over 2 years. Everyone there was family. I had made many friends and grown so much over the course of my employment. Not to mention that it was an excellent company to work for. If anyone living in southern Utah County is looking for a good job, go apply!! I was very scared about starting at a new company. What if they were a horrible company to work for? What if I didn't get along with anyone? What if? What if? WHAT IF?!!

My last two weeks flew by and before I knew it, it was time for us to move and for me to start my new job. Moving went smoothly, and my first day went great! I wouldn't say that it went smoothly though...

I arrive on my first day a few minutes early to fill out paper work and get things all organized and whatnot. I go upstairs and start making jewelry. When I came in for my interview, they had 3 people making jewelry. When I started, there were 9, plus me. Quite a difference! Anywho, I loved it! I had a lot of fun and got along pretty well with my new coworkers.

Towards the end of the day, I noticed that the owners started calling people in one by one to talk to them. Part of me was hopeful. 

"We are getting raises for sure."

While the other part was not so hopeful.

"Am I going to get laid off on my first day??"

Soon enough it was my turn to go talk to the owners. A little background, the owner (David) started Dye Ties, which is their main business, 2 years ago. They make head bands and hair ties. 3 months ago they purchased Pearl Couture from the original owners in Georgia. When I walk into his office, he starts explaining about how they made a mistake and miscalculated things. Blah blah blah.

"I am going to lose my job on my first day. What kind of company is this?? Don't cry Caren. Hold yourself together. Things are going to be alright."

"I'm sure you're worried that we are going to let you go. We don't want to be that kind of company. We like you and were impressed in your interview. How would you feel about moving into our accounting department for Dye Ties?" (David, the owner)

Whewww!! I accepted the position reluctantly, but didn't leave finding another job out of the picture. Now that I've been in this position for two weeks, I can honestly say that it was for the better. I love my job even more, my days fly by in an instant, and the girls I work with are awesome. Change really isn't so bad, right?

Nothing has ever come together so perfectly in my entire life. Most of the time I have to fight for something to come together and to work. I knew that since everything worked so seamlessly, we needed to stay in Utah rather than move to Arizona. I knew that was the answer to my prayers.

So the moral of this very long and drawn out story, is that prayer really does work!! Sometimes it isn't so noticeable what the answer might be, but you'll get an answer eventually :) Never give up, never surrender....on saying your prayers.

(If you know what movie that is from, you can be a part of the cool peoples club.)