Summer Adventures.

My mom has been allergic to poultry for 20+ years. That means no turkey, chicken, real eggs. I CANNOT EVEN IMAGINE! She told me once I would probably die if I had that allergy, because chicken is the substance of my diet. Well she recently had an anaphylactic reaction (which I would never ever recommend to anyone) and it reversed her allergy! Not even kidding. She went in to the allergist for a routine check up, and they discovered this phenomenon. So we had a Thanksgiving in June a couple of weeks ago, and she got to eat turkey for the first time in over 20 years! And may I recommend Thanksgiving at other times of the year?! It was great to be able to run to the store for needed items, and to have a lot less pressure in regards to time—since we didn’t eat until everyone was off work. Well, everyone but my dad that is. He currently works the night shift, and had to be at work. So we took dinner to him.

Getting ready - Maddy, what long legs you have!

Oh, I see--they're really Aunt Jenny's legs as she swings you back and forth and gets a really great workout!




I’m so grateful for my dad, and for the strength and love he offers. We celebrated Father’s Day with some delicious grilled stake, grilled corn, and baked potatoes. I found a fabulous new recipe for stake marinade. Feel free to try it out—and thank you to Kraftfoods.com for supplying it.  The recipe is:

2 tsp each brown sugar, garlic powder, and onion powder
1 tsp coarse ground black pepper
1 Tbsp vegetable oil

Mix everything but oil together. Brush steaks with oil. Sprinkle seasoning mixture evenly over both sides of steaks. Press gently into steaks to secure.

A couple of Saturdays ago Kirsten was going to a baby shower at the Cracker Barrel restaurant. Danielle and I were inspired by this and decided to go the same day. Maddy was such a big girl, eating with a fork all by herself. She was concerned about me in a hat, so I ended up turning it backward and she realized it really was me.


I’m in the stake young women presidency, and we had girls camp last week. It was an incredible experience that was another testimony of the Savior’s love and mindfulness. After months of planning and preparation, everything came together in a way that confirmed the Savior’s hand in our lives. I am so grateful for His love, direction, and care. We had a lot of fun, as well! The stake leaders formed a shout band for skit night. We received encores a couple of different times throughout the rest of the week. Remember girls: “ONE HEART! ONE SOUL!!”


Our first encore performance

Happy independence! I had a very non-traditional 4th of July. I had an Italian dinner with my mom, sister, and brother-in-law. I heard a song on my way that perfectly summed up my day. It talked about an all-American Saturday night with French this, Mexican that, Italian this, etc. I love the conglomerate of life!