Rodents

Disclaimer: I wrote this post a long time ago, but never shared it because I was so grossed out about the issue. Now that the issue has been cleared up for a couple months, I think it's safe to post... Enjoy!

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So it's been a while.

Things got crazy with finals, graduation, moving, house issues, and job interviews. Lots has happened since I last wrote, and I'm not going to write a 50 paragraph long post to tell you all about everything. I just want to share the most dramatic part.

Our new house [we're renting] is really nice. It's amazing to not have to hear the neighbors singing opera upstairs, or to have to worry that our audio is going to wake up someone's baby. It's nice to have a two car garage all to ourselves! It's a little bit older than what we are use to [was built in the early 90's], and it has a few issues. But the pro's outweigh the cons so far.

I'll just come right out and say it: we have mice.

Ahhhhhhhh! Ewwwwwwwwwwww! Go ahead and say it. Disgusting! I know right? When we got here, I started cleaning out the cupboards and drawers to prepare to unpack the kitchen, and my mother-in-law who was helping was the one to recognize the terds. I've never really had to deal with mice, so the realization that they were in my new kitchen just about sent me to hysterics.

We disinfected everything, and scrubbed until we couldn't scrub anymore. 409 is my best friend as of late. And then we bought some traps. We set the traps with peanut butter.

The next morning, the traps hadn't gone off. Nothing happened for two days. And then I said, "Maybe it's just a really smart mouse, and it's licking off the peanut butter without getting caught..." I said it mostly as a joke, because mice have tiny brains right? They aren't smart enough for that! But, apparently, we had a smart mouse, because the traps were licked clean.

So off to the store went John, and he bought the "professional" kind, that are super sticky. And that's how we caught our first mouse.

We reset the traps and haven't caught anything since. But we are still quite paranoid. I'm So paranoid that I'm actually seriously considering getting a cat. I've never been a fan of cats, but if I have to choose between mice and cats, it's obvious I'll choose the latter.

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P.s. We did not get a cat. We ended up catching three mice, and then we went down into the creepy basement and blocked off all of the holes to the kitchen. And we may or may not have put poison down there too. I think they are all dead now! Woohooooo!

Homemade Pasta + Veggies + Family = :)

I mentioned in my last post that my sisters came down to visit this past weekend. The deal was this: I help Vanessa design an amazing resumé, and she'll teach me to create a culinary master piece. See she is attending culinary school, and she's a pretty awesome cook.

So after our hike on Saturday, we came home and began the long and arduous process of making homemade fettucini. We received a pasta maker as a wedding present, but had never attempted to use it. With Vanessa's help, we brought it out to play.

It started out like this:

Eggs are surprisingly sticky!

After a short drying period, we moved on to the next step. We used the pasta maker to flatten and cut the pasta:

Above is a photo of our state of the art pasta drying facility.

We also made four cheese tortellini with mushrooms:

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!

We cooked the pasta and created delicious garlic bread [made out of the kind of bread Aladdin eats] with tomatoes and basil:

We also sautéed fresh zuccini, squash, green peppers, mushrooms, onions, and garlic. And we made alfredo sauce to go on the pasta.

The Final product:

Can you say AMAZING!?

I wasn't sure if homemade pasta was going to be worth all the work, but oh ma gosh it totally was! The texture was perfect. The taste was delectable, and it was fresh as fresh can be. Next time we are going to try and make it whole grain!

Dogs are Cute.

My sister Valerie has a pup named Ace:

He is the sweetest, cutest, funniest pup. Plus he is very obedient. My baby sisters came to visit this weekend, and they brought Ace with them. We took them hiking. It was lots of fun!

Recent Happenings

I have a really amazing immune system. I hardly ever get sick. John will get a cold or the flu every so often, but I never catch it. But somehow, I've caught something that he hasn't! It's insane. This never happens. I just have a minor cold, it's not too terrible, but I hate feeling under the weather.

I've been laying on the couch all morning, wishing I had an appetite. I'm pretty bored, so I decided to give a quick update on recent happenings.

Sometimes I like to take pictures of John when he is starting to get tired at night:

On Presidents Day, we went with my cousins on a hike to an old indian campground. We missed the main trail, and spent like 4 hours on what was supposed to be an hour long hike. We went all the way around this giant hill/mountain, and then all the way back, and then we just went up the side and made our own trail.

This hill/mountain was basically made of sandstone/cliffs. The ground crumbled beneath our feet and we accidently created rock slides! It was a tough trip, but it was more of an adventure that way. When we got to the top, there were no indian ruins. Just a flat area where we think they might have lived... It was fun anyway!

I may or may not be really sore. I haven't hiked like that in a looooooong time.

Also, watch this video, it's really cute:

Web Designing

I recently finished another web design project. The process went really smoothly, and I really nailed the design. The client chose my first mockup, and didn't ask for any changes! In our last phone call he said, "It looks like dynamite!"

I'm pretty sure that's a good thing...

Here is the mockup:

A huge improvement from their old website, don't you think? [They changed their name recently from Budget Inn & Suites to St. George Inn & Suites.]

If you want to see it in a browser, click here. The slideshow won't work yet, because that is something that the programmers set up later on. Also, none of the links will go to anything, because I'm only in charge of designing the look at feel of the website, so I just have to design the homepage.

Notice the picture for Free High Speed Wi-Fi. That's John. He's going to be famous! haha.

Better Late Than Never

I went up north earlier this week, to visit another of my very best friends before she entered the MTC. It was soooo good to see her, because she has lived in Virginia for a long time. So naturally I hardly ever get to see her [if only I had a private jet...].

John had to stay home because of work. I was gone on Valentines day, so we agreed to celebrate it after I got back. We both aren't huge on Valentines Day, but I like to set aside some time to celebrate the love we have for each other. Our love day lasted for about two days. Yesterday, John brought home a dozen roses. The best part is that they were on sale! We decided that from now on we'll always celebrate a few days late, that way we can take advantage of all the sales!

I had to work on some freelance website stuff, but after I finished we watched a movie together. Side note: John has been in this weird habit lately of going to bed early, and waking up early! When I say early, I mean early. Like he wakes up at five A.M, and wants to go to bed at like 8:30 p.m. It's insane!

I designed a card to give him a while ago, but I hadn't gotten around to printing it. Today, I did, and it turned out well:

The flowers John got for me. :]

The card quotes one of my favorite Mumford & Sons songs: Sigh no more.

Lyrics:
Love, it will not betray you
dismay or enslave you,
it will set you free
to be more like the man [or woman]
you were made to be.

There is a design,
an alignment, a cry
to see the beauty of love
as it was made to be.

I believe that love is a very powerful thing. The love that John and I have for each other does not tie us down. The love that I feel from him sets me free. It gives me confidence and motivation to be a better person. I think that is what love is all about. It's a beautiful thing that sets us free to become more beautiful people. And I feel lucky to have found it, especially at such a young age. Jaunito truly is the best husband a girl could ask for!

I love John. <3

Healthier Already

It's been three weeks since John and I cut most dairy and meat from out diets. We now buy soy milk, or almond milk. We eat cheese. We have eggs occasionally. But for the most part that is it. We avoid all processed foods. We buy a lot of things organic, and we eat whole grain bread and whole grain pasta. Oh and lots of fresh fruits and veggies! The thing that surprises me most is that avoiding meat and dairy is not that hard!

I remember when my brother Mark was vegetarian, so he still ate all sorts of dairy. I use to think he was crazy! I couldn't understand how he could live without eating meat. When I tell people about our diet now, they say things like, "Wow, I wish I had the motivation to do that," or "I couldn't ever go without meat AND dairy!" But I'm telling you, if I can do it, you can to!

Part of the reason it's not so hard is that we haven't cut the stuff completely. We still have meat maybe once a week. And if I feel like going out for ice cream, I'm not going to have any guilt afterwards. Because I feel like a little bit isn't all that bad.

Plus, we've been cooking everything from scratch, and making up our own recipes that are actually quite amazing:

Whole grain pasta with garlic, zucchini, red peppers, spinach, and tomatoes.
Topped with a little parmesan cheese!

Lettuce, spinach, cucumbers, sliced almonds, mushrooms, tomatoes, and carrots.
Topped with feta cheese. Avocado on the side.

I'm not trying to force any of you to try this diet. But I am going to tell you what has happened to us in only three weeks:

• John has lost 10 pounds.
• We feel healthier.
• I'm not as tired.
• I'm getting enough fiber!
• Yesterday I went to the doctor to get blood work done for my thyroid. I also had them do tests to test my overall health. I haven't found out the results but I'm pretty sure that they'll be good.
• Perhaps the most exciting of all: Before I went on the diet, I was taking pills to slow down my heart rate. My resting heart rate has been in the high 90's for the last 4  or 5 years. I took the medicine to try and bring it down. Around the time I started this new diet I stopped taking them. And guess what my heart rate was when I had it checked yesterday!?!? 72 beats per minute! I couldn't believe it! I got so excited, and I made the nurse check again just to be sure. Her second check was 80 beats per minute [probably because I got so excited].

Food is the cure! It makes me angry that the FDA recommends so much more meat and dairy then what is actually necessary. I can get my protein and calcium from other foods that are healthier for me.

Ok. I've ranted long enough. But seriously, try eating less meat and dairy. It will do wonders.

Once There Was a Snowman

The snow has arrived! So John and I decided to make our first snow man together. Isn't he just adorable [the snow man]? Too bad John can't make a natural face in photos... ;}

Also, I'm officially working at Studio West Photography! :]

More of todays photos: 

Todays Outfit

Sometimes I get dressed in the morning, and I look in the mirror and I think, "Hey I like this combo!" I love it when I make a connection, and I combine my clothes in a new and exciting way.

That happened this morning. What can I say, I love complimentary colors:

Well, I'm off to learn some exciting stuff at a photo studio. Wish me luck! :]