Spring is almost here!

The Irish

2010-03-28T22:15:00.004-06:00

So in celebration of St. Patricks Day I decided to make corn beef and cabbage. I don't know what possessed me to do this since I would rather have just about any meal but meat, potatoes, cabbage and carrots and the fact that all of these were combined in one recipe was never something that was appealing to me. But I found the recipe online and it had great reviews so I made it anyway.
The recipe was actually quite yummy but one night for dinner was good enough for me. I doubled the recipe because I was having company over and thought Jake would like the leftovers for his lunches. These are all just minor details of the dinner experience but where the real story lies is in the preparation for this meal. Some of you may not know this, but I have this fetish with cooking with beer. Maybe is just makes me feel a little bit edgy sometimes. I don't really know. But it always seems to bring in lots of flavor. So it should be no surprise that I chose the recipe that asked for a good beer to soak and brine it with. My experience with alcoholic beverages has been somewhat limited. My first and last drink was when I was about seven. My Dad was a casual drinker and enjoyed a good beer after work. I thought that I might enjoy this too and asked for a sip. He gave me his mug that would chill in the freezer all day in preparation of this nightly ritual. I could not wait to try this mysterious drink and when the liquid hit my taste buds I thought my life would be over. Never in my life had I tasted something so horrible, except potatoes and other vegetables in my opinion and I am sure that I made an unforgettable "bitter beer face". I sprinted to the sink across the room and spit it out like Old Faithful in Yellowstone National Park. My Dad almost peed his pants from laughing and I couldn't quite understand why my Father would want something every night that was so distant from my Orange Hi-C box drinks and Nestle Quick. Needless to say that I haven't had a beer since and so I needed some advice in picking out something with a good flavor (if that really exists with beer).
The great wisdom came from Sonja, a co-worker of mine. She let me know that a dark beer would be preferable and that she recommended a brand called Guinness. I had never heard of this brand but saw that Smith's had some on sale in their add and I would hit up the grocer that weekend. Well this all happened on Wednesday, which happens to be the night of Young Women's. At our activity we learned how to write talks for about a 1/2 hour and I spent the rest of the night playing Rock Band and singing Beat It by Michael Jackson. I have the best calling in the world! Well during my rock and roll debut my phone received a text message. One of the YW let me know and I asked her to tell me who it was from. She replied "Sonja".
Now Sonja has never sent me an inappropriate text message before as I am somewhat of her boss and she is a very professional person. However, as the YW read the text she said, "I have a Guinness in my fridge and can bring it for you tomorrow". The YW was much more knowledgeable than I and she obviously knew this brand of beer and gave me one of those parental looks. The one that says, "Lyndzi, do you want to try and explain yourself". I was so embarrassed. Here I am singing like a rocker in front of all the youth and trying to reason why my co-worker was bringing me a can of Guinness. I was so embarrassed. Luckily they trust me and know that even though I was singing in a rock band that night, at least I wouldn't be getting plastered at the office.

My biggest weekness besides chips and dips

2009-11-18T20:59:00.007-07:00

I have been dreading the day but knew it would be here soon. But all summer I could feel it coming. First is started with a weakening around the knees and then a soft thin spot on my boney but. I tried to ignore it but in the back of my mind I knew that all good things must come to an end and then it happened. I knelt down to pick up my car keys and "RIP"! A slight hole in the knee! Another favorite pair of jeans gone. These aren't just any jeans either. They are the pair that you know you look good in. The kind that fit your curves just right and in my case make me look like I actually have hips and a but. The kind that are broken in and meet your every need that you ever had from a good pair of jeans. I don't know who came up with the low rise boot cut with the two tone thread color but whoever did was sent by angels. Yes some say that diamonds are a girls best friend but I beg to differ. I think it is a magical pair of jeans.

You women know what I am talking about. You search store after store after store. Trying on the skinny jean, the flare jean, the distressed jean, the blue jean, the washed jean, the dark navy jean. You look for hipster, boot cut, low rise, boyfriend, straight leg. The pockets with white thread, blue thread, buttons, rhinestones, and stitching patterns. The long, the short, the regular. You ask yourself, "Will I wear these jeans with heels? Will I wear these jeans with flip flops?" They must be so versatile. Will they look great with a hoodie and sneakers but then when I don't have time to wash them can I dress them up with heels and a cute classy top? THERE IS SO MUCH PRESSURE!!

And so you keep on searching the mall, checking for color first, then cut, then price tag. You try on the cheap ones the expensive ones and the in between ones, praying that the expensive ones aren't it. You continue trying one pair after another, after anotherand with every pair you try on you must readjust and tuck the garments back down to your knees and zip them up and fix your shirt and then your hair and prepare yourself for the mirror as if you had been in them all day. You check the length, and then the side shot and then the deciding factor shot, the biggest dressing room moment.... the but check. You akwardly turn your torso backwards to the mirror while keeping your hips pointed forward and during this crisis that would appear to men to be a Yoga exercise routine, you try and check out your rear and see what everyone else looks at when your back is turned. Somehow we think that by turning at this weird angle our rear will look perfectly normal and that this is how it will always be looked at. You hit every store, even the ones for young 14 year old girls and irronically the only ones you like are the ones with the highest price tag and you ask yourself, "What in the H--- does the $88.00 jeans have that the $19.99 ones on the clearance rack don't!? Are they not the same material with the same similar fabric layout"? Do they not both have functioning pockets in the front and the back? Are they not both blue and the right size and then you decide, No! No, they aren't the same jeans and you need the $88.00 jeans and it takes all your will power to walk out of the store because the one pair that fits you right and makes your but look cute and your legs look slim and your man turn his head when you walk by him are too much for your checkbook and so you are so proud of yourself and how strong you were.

So you go home that night and you can't quit thinking about those jeans and you begin to justify spending the $88.00 because the right pair of jeans do so much more than cover you up and keep you modest. They must be a great quality to endure all that you put them through and they must make you feel attractive, youthful, sexy and beautiful with an instant boost of confidence in each step because you know that whatever magic the mass producing Tailor who sewed them did was worth every penny. And if any of you even pretend for a minute you don't think about this, you are lying to yourselves and I know deep down that you really understand why I did the unthinkable today.

Yes I didn't just buy one pair of ridiculously expensive, unrealistically priced and loaded with little fraying distressed marks all over them, which made them looked used pair of jeans but I bought TWO OF THEM! AAAAAAhhhhhh! What was I thinking? Not one but two!

Yes, I got the coupon this morning and printed it at work with toner that isn't even for my personal use. I saw the buy one pair and get one half off. And I totally had control over that but then the e-mail coupon gave me $25.00 off my next purchase which was just too much. I turned to my little ten key calculator and ran some quick numbers and I decided that this was a bargain. It was a deal that overall was still too overpriced for a pair of jeans. But I broke down, I gave in and I spent my lunch break speeding to the mall and saw this moment as the high lite of my week. The moment in which I would make the big purchase and all this emotion is triggered by this so called fabric called "denim" that if correctly cut and tailored can make a girl feel so good, so irresistible and so confident all at the same time. Would I do it again? I would tell you no, but then I would be lying through my teeth. Yes! Yes, I would and it was so worth it. Every dime and I will wear them for the next week straight. So until my boney but and knees wear holes in these pair I am safe and I will have one more year of sanity because there is no greater comfort from something so materialistic then the perfect pair of jeans!

Los Ninos Playing Monkeys on the bed.

2009-11-09T20:28:00.009-07:00

Elsmore/Boyakin Family Reunion

2009-11-09T20:16:00.003-07:00

Since we don't have our own little ones we thought we would share the ones that our important to us. Here are all our nieces and nephews, or as Jake calls them, "los ninos".

Grandma Lucy Irene Garner Mortenson

2009-07-03T05:50:00.002-06:00

Today is one year since Grandma’s funeral. Jake and Brodi are gone on a dirt bike riding trip so it is just Cleo and me here alone. Last night I prayed before I went to bed that God would give me comfort and protection while they were away. I feel that he might have sent Grandma to do that. So here I am at 5:00 AM on Friday morning putting this down as a journal entry because I feel it is important to record this occasion.
I woke up this morning after a dream that I had. I don’t remember all the details but it was a holiday and I had seen everyone but Grandma Irene. In the dream I wasn’t expecting her and had doubts that she would come. Maybe this is because she had passed away. I’m not sure and dreams don’t make sense so I won’t try and figure it out. However, she did come and I saw her and ran upstairs because I had no gifts for her. I did however find something and scrambled to wrap this gift. The item I was wrapping were the scriptures she had given me the day I got baptized when I was eight years old, 20 years ago. Now this was interesting because I have another set of scriptures that I use more often than these but these were the ones that Grandma gave me. Well she caught me wrapping her gift before it was done and I begged for her apologies because I didn’t know she was coming. She took me in her arms and embraced me and just held me why I sobbed and let her know how much I missed her. I was so sorry and I loved her. This was uncontrollable sobbing in the dream and the first time that I have cried like that since her death. The emotion I was feeling in the dream caused me to wake up. I laid in bed staring into the dark after the dream. I felt her presence with me. I felt her around me and I said a silent prayer in my heart to her that I was grateful that she lived her life so that I can see her again. I will be able to expect her to come and we will be able to embrace each other again. This is so comforting to me.
This week I found a picture taken of Grandma Irene, Mom and myself all at the Ogden Temple the day I got received my own endowment. This picture is so important to me because it is my glimpse into the eternities. Some may remember the words I spoke at her funeral. I felt they were beautiful. I studied and prayed and prepared that talk more than any other time in my life. I had many compliments on the talk and many people requested for me to speak at his/her own funeral. I didn’t know how to respond to that. Although this was flattering, I am telling you that it was not me speaking at the funeral that day. I was filled with the Spirit of God and guided in my words by my Grandmother. I bore testimony of His Gospel, the resurrection, the plan of salvation and that I was sure that Grandma would be awarded the gift of eternal life. The peace I felt was because of her righteous life. I know where she will be. I know where she is now. Families are eternal and so is the relationship I have with Grandma.

Pickup Sticks

2009-06-26T22:45:00.011-06:00

This weekend we are helping my parents build a deck off the back door. So far we have only done the demolition stage and we threw the boards into a pile on the grass below. The pile was just temporary because we needed to move the boards to a better location and stack them up too. So as I peered over the deck I saw this....What does this picure remind you of? I thought to myself, this reminds me of the a game that I played as a kid (yes, I have always loved games). It was a giant game of pick-up sticks! How cool was this going to be? So as my Dad and I completed the moving task, we took turns picking up 2x4's while trying not to move any others. It was great and hilarious. I learned that 2x4's are much more difficult than little plastic rainbow colored sticks.

To all you Dads out there...(Like Dads really read these blog things anyway)

2009-06-26T22:10:00.007-06:00

Yes, these wacky pictures are my Dad. The thing that he has taught me best is to never grow up and don't forget how to be a kid again. He teaches this by straight example too. I love that about him. He is so young at heart and care free. He always has a good tease up his sleeve and a great sense of adventure. He is my hero and I love him. Although we don't say these three words to each other very much, he shows me by his simple yet meaningful acts. I just want to share a few things he has done these past few months that said to me, "I love you Winzo".

1. Helping me me rip apart and tile my kitchen. I know that it was a lot of hard work and that he was in a lot of pain yet somehow he manages to still stay goofy and pleasant the whole time. (It also could have been the beers but I will give him the benefit, JK). But he made working on such a big project a great time.

2. Calling me on Thursdays and saying,

"LYNDZI!, Do you know what day it is? That's right, its Thursday and you haven't talked to your dad alllll week. You should be ashamed of yourself." And really I should because I get so busy and forget the great people that I miss.

3. Watching him with my husband. There is no greater expression of love than to get teased and ganged up on by the two best men in your life. Boy do they love sharing this past time. I don't think there is anything they enjoy more.

4. When he makes me homemade raspberry ice cream because he knows it's my favorite.

Yes, he is a sweet kid for sure.

The Kitchen

2009-06-26T22:08:00.002-06:00

The Kitchen is almost complet and pics will be coming soon..... We just have a couple more coats of paint and a little mudding and we will be finished. Oh and we need to lay the carpet for the stairs. But I like to keep you in suspense.

The Kitchen Remodel

2009-05-06T07:46:00.015-06:00

We knocked out this part of the wall and moved the electrical panel to the storage room in the basement.

This is the wall from the living room.

Where did our stairs go? Jake moved the stairs forward 3 feet to give us more space in the dining area.

Here is the new tile after it was laid. That was a workout for sure.

Before the tile was laid and after all the old tile was torn up. It was a mess!

We sold our stove, microwave, and kitchen sink on KSL.com and then replaced them all with new ones that we also purchased from KSL.com. I love KSL.com.

Spring Time

2009-05-06T07:23:00.003-06:00

I just want to say that I am loving this weather. Everything is so green and lush and it just gets me all excited to start planting and digging in the dirt. As for our garden, things are starting to spring up. So far we have planted Raddishes, onions, peas and cabbage and they are popping up and Jake makes fun of me because I ask him to come take a walk out to the garden so we can see the plants progress. We also planted grapes and raspberries. MMMmmmm, raspberries! they are my absolute favorite. Thanks for the starts Mom and Dad.

Somthing Smellys Going On.

2009-03-08T20:07:00.006-06:00

There are times that I just have to sit back and laugh at my crazy ideas and be grateful that I have a husband that is so willing to go along with them. This weekend I somehow talked Jake into filling the back of his truck with "crap" literally. We have mentioned before that we are planting a garden and what do gardens need? That right, manure. No garden could be complete without it. So we ventured off to a guy's house in Sandy and I watched Jake nervously watch this unknown man with a tractor load three big scoops of poop into our truck. It was super gross and steam was coming out of it. This was fresh stuff and you could smell it the whole way home. But the really good part was jumping in the back of the truck and shoveling it out into the garden. I had to put on a mask just to make it through the whole ordeal. Man, am I a nut or what? Hopefully the smell will go away soon!

The Family

2009-03-08T19:51:00.002-06:00

This week for our Young Women's activity we discussed "The Family, a Proclamation to the World". As I sat and discussed what my divine role as a woman was with them and that God has a plan for me and a purpose for my existence, I can't help but be humbled. I am so grateful for my family and to have the opportunity to start my own. It may be taking longer than some wish, but I promise, that it will happen. Never in my life have I felt such an important role in Heavenly Father's kingdom and never have I felt that being a virtuous woman can be so powerful. So thank you Midvale East 6th Ward for helping my testimony grow as hopefully I help yours.

This aint Mayberry!

2009-02-09T21:57:00.002-07:00

Tomorrow is the big day when Jake tries to get out of a ticket that was issued to him for driving an ATV inside city limits when Jake wasn't even driving! Ugggh. Then the officers reply was "this ain't Mayberry". Did I mention the ticket was cited in Midway! The next best place for the Andy Griffin show? Good luck babe. You'll need it.

2009-02-09T21:38:00.005-07:00

25 random reasons why I love Jake!

1. He has great hair

2. He makes me laugh every day. Even when I am too ornery.

3. He skips around naked.

4. His smile

5. The way he poses like a nerd in any photo.

6. That he builds stuff.

7. When he hears a door squeak and he has to fix it so it fits right. Even if it is at someone elses house.

8. That he hates Dandylions in our yard.

9. That he plays games with me even when he doesn't want to.

10. The cute look he gives that says I love you without saying it.

11. The way he yells for Cleo by saying, Beeeast, where are you?

12. The cute grin he gets when he starts his truck and hears the motor go vrooom.

13. When he calls me on his lunch just to tell me he loves me.

14. How all the young men in the ward love him.

15. How all the young women in the ward love him.

16. Don't tell him this, but I do like it when he teases me.

17. When he pretends to be mad and stomps down the hall, trying not to laugh the whole way.

18. His beautiful eyes! Whew!

19. When I am stressed and he knows to ask, "Are you ok?"

20. When I get mad at him and he forgives me anyway.

21. I love that he looks at dirt bikes on KSL everyday but won't ask to buy one until he sells his other two.

22. I love when I ask him to let Cleo outside and he always tries to get her to go out even though he knows she won't go for him and only for me.

23. His sense of humor.

24. His testimony.

25. That he has a nickname for everyone.

Good by Yota

2009-02-09T21:08:00.004-07:00

This week we sold our little Toyota and it was a sad goodbye. It was the first car we bought when we got married and it has been an old faithful. Despite the mismatched shell, paint chips, cut out rims with black rust preventing paint and the fancy gray racing stripe, it was a true beauty. May its new owner love it as much as we did.

Cleo the Witch

2008-11-02T08:47:00.011-07:00

As you can tell, Cleo loves her Halloween Costume! Jake and I found her laying at the bottom of our bed the next morning. I guess running to the door everytime a trick or treater came really wore her out.

We are off to see the Wizard

2008-11-02T08:34:00.002-07:00

This Halloween my branch dressed up like the Wizard of Oz. It was a lot of fun. We had Dorothy w/ her Toto, the Tin Man, Scarecrow, Lion, Wizard, Munchkins, a couple wicked witches and a the good witch of the North. I was the yellow brick road. It was a lot of fun.

Winters comming!

2008-10-20T21:16:00.001-06:00

Winter is just around the corner so Jake and I have decided to prepare a garden next year. We are getting excited. Right now it is under construction. This year we made attempts to grow corn, peas, carrots and Melons in the flower beds. The peas and carrots were great, the corn a little slow, but the melons! They are delicious cantelope and I have never had better. Jake keeps saying that I grow such nice melons. I just keep rolling my eyes. Here is the harvest left before the frost.

Lyndzi Also Sings

2008-10-20T20:55:00.000-06:00

Yes, it is true. Whenever I am in a slump spiritually I try something new to lift my spirits. This time I joined a choir of 364 women. The name of the choir is We Also Sing and it has been such a boost for me. The choir not only sings with the spirit but it is truly amazing to see what ordinary women can do together with the spirit of the Lord. We have a theme this year in that we shouldn't "drop bad fruit", whether that is by speaking gossip or harsh words. Yelling at our children or spouses, or just removing ourselves from situations that don't build others up. In other words, we are trying to quit being catty women and strive to be more charitable and build strong and healthy relationships by eliminating bad fruit in our own thoughts and actions.

It has been one of the most amazing experiences. If you want to come to our concert, we perform at the Tabernacle at Temples Square on Saturday, Nov. 1st. There are two performances at 5:30 and 7:30 that evening. The show is free, but you do need tickets. You can get them off http://www.lds.org/events/ConcertsNovember2008.pdf

The long awaited Titan

2008-10-20T20:10:00.000-06:00

The day finally came when Jake searching night and day for almost two months was over. After lots of low ball offers and comparisons we found our Nissan Titan. Jake even made a list of Dodge, Chevy, Ford, Toyota, and Nissan to see which truck had the most torque, horsepower and space for his buck. We even took a car seat to the dealer to test for kiddy room. (No, we are not expecting, just planning for the future). We had our friends from Chico's Autos looking at auctions and Jake was on KSL every morning and twice at night looking for his Truck. After a long wait we finally found one and Jake just loves it!

Its a case by case basis

2008-10-20T19:45:00.000-06:00

Stair "case" that is. I know, you can totally tell who I married. Jake is loving his new job an learning a lot. This month they have started sending him out on his own to jobs throughout the valley. He is currently framing and building a couple staircases for a 10 million dollar home in Park City. Most of the stair cases he does cost more than our home! But we don't care because it means that we are employed. This last week he remodeled a stair case in the 1st counselor to the presiding Bishop's home. His wife came and took lots of pictures and said that they would go down in church history! Jake thought that was pretty cool. The pictures of this house are from Park City. The waterway is goes underneath and between the bridge that separates the home from the master suite. It's pretty fancy!

Lyndzi's Birthday

2008-07-14T21:33:00.000-06:00

I know it late, but better than never I guess. Last month was Jake and my Birthdays and boy was it fun. I have a great husband who made me breakfast in bed and got me a couple presents to open too. That night we went to a Murder Mystery that was a living scene from The Princess Bride and we were amongst all the characters including the Six Fingered Man and Princess Buttercup. We were quite skilled and solved the mystery for ourselves and as a reward we won discount tickets to the next mystery. It was a lot of fun. That Sunday we had a BBQ and a highly entertaining Birthday candle blow out. Thanks everyone for coming.

My Hair Cut

2008-06-06T08:29:00.000-06:00

As some of you may know, my Grandma is ill with Cancer and isn't expected to make it much longer. Although this is sad news to our family, I find comfort knowing that my Grandma is a good woman and that if I live worthy, I will find her in exaltation. So in honor of her and to help with my grieving process I donated my hair to Locks of Love. So here are the pictures of the old and new do.

The Suspensful Church Calling

2008-06-05T22:42:00.000-06:00

This last Sunday Jake received a phone call that the Stake President would like to meet with him and I that afternoon. Jake was in a panic that he was going to get another calling because he loves the Scouts and he didn't want to be released. Jake just couldn't live if he couldn't go camping every month. This last weekend they went to Morgan for their camp out and despite the huge war wounds and bloody scabs, Jake was beaming because his team won in a game called "Man Hunt". Yes, he was so proud that he and another leader were really sneaky and never got caught. Anywho, so as all of you know, Jake couldn't think of another calling that would be more ideal. What else gives you the opportunity to act like a kid all the time and that is what Jake loves to do and does best. So we took a walk to the Stake Center for the appointment. When the Stake President asked if he would be the Assistant Priesthood Leader for Girls Camp, he grinned ear to ear. Excited that this would mean that he could be in the Young Women now and you guessed it, more camping!

Birthday Surprise

2008-06-05T22:32:00.000-06:00

Tommorrow is my Birthday and Jake has locked me in the office while he is wrapping a present. So I thought I would use this time to let all of you know what is going on in our little world. Jake has started working for Bishop Woodcraft. He is building Fancy staircases. He seems to really like it and he even got his first raise today. Whoo hoo! They are also going to reimburse him for mileage too so I am super excited. This week he is working on a home that is 15,000 square feet and it has 5 staircases and a 5 car garage! Crazy. The house is almost 7 times the size of ours. He is building in North Salt Lake and loves the view from the top of the Mountain. You can see all the way out to the Great Salt Lake.

Like Father Like Son.

2008-05-11T22:55:00.001-06:00

Hairy chests are the best!

2008-05-11T22:50:00.000-06:00

What happens when you get a bunch of good looking brothers together? A few arm wrestles, a bunch of laughs and a lot of sexy and hairy chests waiting to be modeled.

Mother's Day

2008-05-11T22:37:00.000-06:00

Mother's Day was busy and full of family. We took lots of goofy pictures. Everyone was in town for the wedding and so it made for great catching up with Rhett, Betha and Chad, Travis and Emily, and sweet Janee. We wish them safe trips back. Jake and I are so greatful for our Mothers. They are wonderful women and it was great to visit with both of them. The weather was beautiful and we couldn't have asked for a better Mother's Day. Thanks Mom!