Friday, January 7, 2011

Date #2: Movie of Her Choice


Tonight's date was to watch the movie of my choice. :) We watched Cars, thanks to TJ's jump drive and our new DVD player (thanks, Mom). We didn't plan ahead for dinner, so to my stomach's dismay, we had Panda, which just tastes so wonderful it's hard to remember how bad it hurts my stomach.

I never realized before that our female star, Sally the Porsche, has a tattoo on her bum that Lightning McQueen comments on. TJ smiled at that part. :)

I super love the Italian cars - they kept me laughing (and thinking of you, of course, Kiri). I especially loved at the end when the Ferraris came in and both of them fainted. Ha.

Creative show, especially the flies. A fun date, just home with my wonderful husband.

Saturday, January 1, 2011

Date #1: The Cookie Hunt

Our first date out of the jar was a cookie hunt - a search for the best cookie in the valley! :) We did some research about the best places to go and came up with three choices.

Stop 1: Over the Top
I actually read somewhere online that this is the best cookie in America! This is a cookie spot right here in South Jordan - just across from Cafe Rio. Naturally, we picked up a salad to split and then walked over for our first cookie.



There were two little boys in front of us; I loved watching them look through all the cookies to decide which one they wanted to get (it took them forever, there were just so many appealing options!)

Over the Top's theme was about going too far; they make delectable cookies and add candy bars on top, for an unforgettable experience. :)



We ordered milk chocolate Twix to split. I really liked it. The consistency was very unique - TJ pinned it by saying that it felt like a sugar cookie, which was very different. The Twix on top was wonderful and it was so big that it was perfect. Yum!

Stop 2: The Dough Girl

We were actually looking for a place called Ruby Snap, but it turns out they changed the name. :) This little cookie spot is set up to be from the 50's and all the cookies are named after different girls.

This place was definitely the best at being unique; they had chocolate cinnamon mint cookies, dark molasses with sugar, sweet potato with cream cheese, and a number of others that were equally interesting!




Big bonus here is that they'll let you sample as much as you want! We tried several different cookies that were great and ended up getting Margo - chocolate cinnamon mint.




To their credit, I have never had such a unique cookie in my life! TJ loved the mix and loved the mystery of how they made it. The flavors were not ideal for me; my mouth couldn't figure out whether the dough was chocolate or cinnamon. :) For me, Over the Top was better, but TJ definitely prefers Margo!


Stop 3: Kodiak Cakes

I don't know what it is about cookie places, but according to Google, this place is called "Ben's Cookies." :) I guess the new thing is changing your name.

Okay, first we must say that a big downside to this place is that it's in the middle of The Gateway, which means we spent 15 minutes finding parking. We both said that this would seriously dock our rating of their cookie - like anybody wants to pay for parking to grab a quick cookie! We finally found half of a spot and took it, praying that we wouldn't get a ticket, and ran to the store.

The theme here was the wilderness and bears - who knew there was such a thing as a Kodiak bear (not me). Anyway, it was a cute little shop, but after the different options at The Dough Girl, this one didn't seem to have such incredible offerings. I do have to say, though, that looking at a bunch of cookies lined up and smelling the sugar and chocolate in any cookie shop just does something for me. :) I'm drooling looking at these pictures.

We each got out own cookie here, which we felt justifiable since it was the cheapest spot ($1.85 each). TJ got a snickerdoodle and I got lemon with powdered sugar.


Oh my gosh - these are the best cookies we've ever had in our lives. They were the perfect mix of soft in the middle but a little crunchy on the outside and the flavors were out of this world. I wish I had gotten a snickerdoodle (TJ said it was the best one he's ever had), but I certainly didn't have any issues finishing every bit of mine!


The Winner: Kodiak Cakes
The winner for us was definitely Kodiak Cakes, in spite of the drama finding parking. It was a fantastic date and we had such a fun time driving to each little shop, enjoying the ambiance every place offered, and savoring all the sugary bites we took. For me it was definitely one of our most enjoyable dates yet.

The Date Night Jar


In spite of all the advice we were given about continuing date night after we were married, we haven't made it as much of a priority as we should. So, to revive things a bit, I made TJ this "Date Night Jar," filled with ideas of different dates that we can do; some of them seasonal, some of them with other couples, some of them serious, and others just plain fun. The plan is to draw 4 or 5 at the beginning of every month and then choose which nights we'll do each of them. I'm so excited about it! (If you want the Word files that I typed up with the ideas, let me know and I'll gladly pass them over!)

Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Because She Is a Mother

"She broke the bread into two fragments and gave them to her children, who ate with eagerness. 'She hath kept none for herself,' grumbled the sergeant.

"'Because she is not hungry,' said a soldier.

"'No,' said the sergeant, 'because she is a mother.'"

-Victor Hugo



Over the past few days as I've reflected on Christmas and the generous gifts my mother gave us I've been thinking of the many other things my mom has given me over the years; certainly life is enough to deserve life-long appreciation, but she's also given me so many things that were important to me like a homemade pumpkin wedding cake, the wedding dress of my dreams, a trip to Spain for graduation, decorations for every birthday, countless cookies and more love than I'll ever know. Today I am grateful for a loving mom, whose care for me surely goes beyond what I'll ever know.

Tuesday, December 28, 2010

He Gave Me the Sun


For Christmas, TJ gave me the sun - in the form of a pass to the tanning salon. I am ecstatic. My intention is not to get tan but rather to feel the sun - it makes such a difference with Seasonal Affective Disorder. I went yesterday for 8 minutes and it was so, so wonderful. It was a very thoughtful gift and one that I will certainly enjoy for a long while.

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Stress

1. One of my employees is out all week.
2. My second employee is working half their normal hours this week.
3. I have a 10 page paper due on Thursday night.
4. I have a final in Stats tonight.
5. I have about 120 pages of textbook reading to do by Thursday night.
6. I have a group of people coming to the house tomorrow night.
7. For those of you who know the Christmas presents I'm making, you understand why this is on the list.

I have the accompanying headaches, stomachaches, and tears that come with it all. Cross your fingers for us - TJ has finals too.

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

A Few of My Favorites

My husband
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread
Warm and gooey chocolate chip cookies
Newbery books
The piano - especially the full grand pianos that can explode with sound
The chidwinks - BuMu, Bopper, and my Little T
My little man - Clark
School
Business
Elder Holland
Cards - the kind you make and read
General Conference
Thurn and Taxis
Authentic Spanish accents
Clean sheets
Sunshine
A good workout
Christmas
Shopping for other people
New clothes
Sunsets
People that make me feel wonderful
The Cosby Show
Ross
All my family. My Milar family and my Morris family. Every one of them (over 40 and counting).
My Management class
Being with Emily
Sally Zollinger
Diane Petersen
BYU
My dear Tamara