The Feeling of Accomplishment

Do you ever have days where you just want to feel like you got something done? That's how I have felt all week! I mean, of course I have been taking care of and teaching Alyssa. That's important! But I just want to feel like I've accomplished something...something besides housework. I think this blogging experience will give me that feeling.

Memorial Day Weekend was a WHIRLWIND of fun! We started with a great deal of pomp and circumstance. Erik walked in honor of receiving his Master of {Disaster} Science {and Management} degree. [When you experience pomp and circumstance with a two-year-old you start to wonder what the need is for so much hoopla! Never mind that, though.] Alyssa and I were the proudest daughter and wife there!

Where's Waldo? Thank goodness for the hat!

 This is kind of how commencement went...

As in Alyssa and I spent most the time listening from the grass outside the stadium + it was freezing with that nice 20 MPH wind!

              

I present Erik J. Archibald, MS, EIT...anyone want to hire one of those? 

There are about a million pictures. Basically Erik looked awesome with his hat thing and his bow tie. What a stunning graduate!

The convocation school ceremony was very nice. I even captured a movie for your viewing pleasure...

I am so proud of Erik and all the work he does to be awesome at school! One summer + one semester + one thesis = Masters Mission Accomplished!

Bread Pride

I've been working a long time to get good, whole wheat bread. My mom tutored me a bit when I still lived in Provo, but I was just struggling. I was partially convinced it was the store bought wheat flour. It doesn't have fresh gluten so the networks just don't form. And so I was gifted a wheat grinder for Christmas. That has made quite a bit a difference and I just love freshly grinding my wheat from a can. :) I toyed with a few different recipes, but none of them were quite as easy as my mom's recipe and so I went back to it and I have tried and tried and tried to get good bread. Sometimes it is good, but maybe the crust is a little burnt. Sometimes it just falls flat when I put it into the oven. Sometimes it is really dry.

But today I present to you my proudest creation of bread yet:

They are tall, they are browned, they are beautiful! And the inside is even better. Mmm so soft and delicious. I have already eat half of a big loaf...by myself. That is my weakness with homemade bread. I overeat the first day and then don't eat it for another two weeks.

My secrets? I did not put plastic wrap or a towel over the dough after I had formed the loafs. I sprayed them with a little bit of canola oil and then put them in the oven with the light on and let them do their thing. This prevented the falling flat issue. I also turned down my oven and raised the rack. And I did add 2 tablespoons of gluten for good measure even though my wheat was freshly ground...it might be contributing to the slightly chewy texture. But I would rather have soft and chewy than fall apart flakey and dry.

I'd like to thank Alyssa for adding all those tablespoons of flour. It was the perfect amount outside of what I measured. She is truly a budding baker!

Alyssa Play

It has taken awhile but we are getting to the point in our household where Alyssa will find something entertaining and play with it quietly for awhile. I love watching her because it is always something different each time. This time she decided to put all of her Little People and Little Animals on her Book of Mormon. And then she would take them off and make a train and then put them back on again.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=epcPSht_G58

(Having video troubles today!)

The thing about these moments is that once she knows I am watching, all is ruined. But I just have to watch every now and again.

Alyssa and Mommy

I love moments like these.

[A good time brought to you by hungry bellies and stick pretzels!]

Post 101

I was going to celebrate my 100th post, but that was so last week!

Oh well.

Alyssa and I had a girl's night when Erik went to the Fathers' and Sons' camp out. After helping Erik by 15 dozen eggs, 5 gallons of milk, 15 lbs of bananas, and 8 gallons of orange juice he dropped us off at our friend's for some grilled cheese and a frozen yogurt trip.

In the meantime we took some pictures. B is much more willing to acquiesce to my request for pictures than Alyssa. He was even telling me whose turn it was for a picture. "Now it's Wyssa's turn!" But Wyssa could care less!

Mother's day was great! I got birthday cake pancakes for breakfast and a blender and frying pan (it's blue and white and nonstick. COOL!). Unfortunately I did not leave the chapel fast enough after sacrament meeting to obtain my bar of chocolate. And sadly I precariously perched the GLASS blender jar in the dish rack and it fell and broke after only making a batch of banana milk and some delicious smoothies. But the good news is that I will probably be able to get a plastic replacement. Thankfully Alyssa is still alive. Her presence makes me a mother and has no monetary value, just lots of smiles and love and cuteness.

Good thing my motherhood is defined by this shattered blender jar.

Erik swept it up for me. I was kind of in shock and rather sick after the event.

And in other good news I also got a free potty seat from freecyle for Alyssa. It has Elmo on it. She's in love.

Hold you!

It has been rainy and humid. Alyssa's hair is like a dream come true.

You see, I slept in sponge curlers for 45.3 % of my child hood hoping for perfectly curly hair. It didn't every really work, but it apparently it altered my genes and now my child has curly hair! And I never have to brush her hair! I know that was my mom's nightmare with me but it is one that I do not currently face!

Anyway, hold you! Alyssa used to say "huhvwa" when she wanted to be held. That has now come full circle and is "hold you"! She likes to be held and since we always say "do you want me to hold you?" the act of being held is "hold you".

The plague left. Just in cause you were concerned. And I am grateful!

And finally my favorite part of today was taking a walk in the parking lot with rain boots on and jumping in all the puddles...well not me, but Alyssa. I was the supervisor and the car-watcher-outer person. I thought about how fortunate we are to live in a place with really poor drainage. It makes a 2 year-old's day!

Also, if you see my camera charger, please let me know. Thank you!

Prayers are answered, of this I am certain!

I went running at the park with Alyssa one morning. Afterwords we were playing in the sandbox and I took off my sticky heart rate monitor. I put it on the stroller and went watching Alyssa play. We eventually left and I put everything in the car.

We drove 10 minutes to Walmart to do our shopping. I got there and had the sinking realization that I had not seen my heart rate monitor upon packing up our running garb. I pulled the stroller out of the car, searched it over...nothing. I looked under the seats, in Alyssa's blanket and car seat, in my purse, and in all of my little compartments hoping it was there.

Nothing.

I had to go back to the park and I hoped with all hope that I would find my heart rate monitor. I jumped back in the car and said a prayer, fervently applying all my faith that God knew exactly where my heart rate monitor was and that He would help me find it.

Ten minutes later I arrived at the park and saw a little black pile in my parking spot. Relief flooded over me and was completely solidified when I hopped out of the car and held my not-broken-squished-or-run-over heart rate monitor in my hands.

I am so grateful God heard my prayer and helped me find my heart rate monitor.

Let my athletic heart training continue.

watch and heart rate monitor, happily reunited.

[I am being completely serious. I know God answered my prayer. President Monson said: "Not a day has gone by that I have not communicated with my Father in Heaven through prayer. It is a relationship I cherish—one I would literally be lost without. If you do not now have such a relationship with your Father in Heaven, I urge you to work toward that goal. As you do so, you will be entitled to His inspiration and guidance in your life—necessities for each of us if we are to survive spiritually during our sojourn here on earth. Such inspiration and guidance are gifts He freely gives if we but seek them. What treasures they are!" 

I add my testimony to his that God hears our prayers and helps us even in the small and seemingly insignificant and slightly materialistic things. He knows what is important to us and He helps us if we will but ask.]

Saturdays o' Fun

A brief rundown of the last 3 Saturdays.

The Scouts had a fundraiser run and pancake breakfast. We rocked the trail with our jogging stroller. Erik was helping Alyssa fjord streams and straddle ponds. They were an awesome team. We caught up to the walkers once we were off the trail and ran with the awesome Kelleys who also took on the stroller trail challenge.

My running has really improved. I retired because I was having horrid cramping near my heels. But then I started again because once you start you just can't stop. I did a little research and found out that someone had a similar cramp and got a shoe that hugged their heel better. So I started tying my shoes tighter, and voila! Magic. No more pain.

Two Saturdays ago I ran the farthest and longest I have ever run. I ran 1 hour and 4.1 miles. One Saturday ago, sans stroller I ran 1 hour and 4.5 miles. My training program? Heart training. I'm going to write a book someday. It is revolutionary. I am starting my 4th week of exercising five days a week alternating between running and biking but keeping my heart rate in zone 3...or maybe below zone 4.5 depending on my mood. [I get kind of angry when my watch is beeping at me.] I have improved immensely. The Lord looketh on the heart...it's true even when it comes to physical fitness.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and other religious groups around the Delaware and PA area had a day of serving in the park. We went to Lum's pond and raked the forest and picked up garbage and pulled staples out of picnic tables. Alyssa and I made sure the play ground was fun and safe. It was a hard job (cough cough), but we enjoyed serving.

After serving in the park we headed over to Ag Day at the University of Delaware. We ate delicious bbq sandwiches and kettle corn. We saw cows and sheep and even the UD blue hen. Alyssa got a green balloon and enjoyed eating chips and popcorn.

I asked Alyssa to show me her chips. So she opened her mouth and showed them to me. Not quite what I had in mind, but hilarious nonetheless.

Have you ever...

felt scared to live because you might break a rule?

That's how I describe living at West Point. Erik had a conference for resiliency and infrastructures at in West Point, NY and I was scared to death the whole time!

We stayed in a hotel right along the Hudson that was just inside the guard tower of West Point. But I was scared to leave the hotel, scared to walk on the sidewalks, scared to leave, and scared to come back. I was so worried that someone was going to yell at me and tell me I couldn't be there, you dirty civilian!

But slowly I became less and less scared and right before we left we drove all around campus and saw the Cadet Cathedral and the football field and all of that jazz! West Point is a pretty intimidating place. The buildings are made of stone and brick and the edge along the Hudson looks like a fortress! I kept singing "A might fortress is our King!" I went on a run with Alyssa and that same line played over and over again inside of my head to the rhythm of my feet.

Inside the Cadet Cathedral...a big organ

Outside of the Cathedral with My Dears

Alyssa and I did some sight seeing. We spent an hour in the car each morning while Alyssa took a nap. Alyssa LOVED the choo choo trains that ran on both sides of the river. We could here their horns from our hotel room and she would go crazy to see them each time she heard the toot! We saw a big train with lots of cargo boxes and garbage and recycling in it during our run. She was very enthralled!

We went to a light house called Stony Point. It was quite deserted and when we got to the top where the light house is and I noticed an extinguished fire and a tarp I got a little nervous that a homeless man might be lurking so we cut our hike short and went back to the hotel. On the way down I started putting my wallet and my keys down my shirt so that if he went for my purse I could grab Alyssa and start running! I always get so psyched out about the silliest things.

I had to snap a picture really fast before I got attacked by the hobo.

There is a bit of patriotic pride that really gets my heart beating when I see all of the great men and women who are training and fighting for our country. I would never be able to do what they do and I am so grateful for all they give! They live intense lives, but they are lives that are good and devoted to the cause of freedom! It gives me hope that America will make it through this darkening world as a bright light of freedom!

Easter and General Conference

Easter was a nice, relaxing day. I finished a dress for Alyssa and a skirt for meself in the nick of time. I kept thinking of that talk that President Uchtdorf gave and he talks about the best uses of our time and admonished against staying up late to make the perfect hair accessory for our child for Sunday...in my case it was my skirt...but it all turned out very well.

We are grateful for the Savior's resurrection and that He still lives today! We love watching the Bible videos ("Jesus Moomies"). My particular favorite is the story of Jesus appearing to Mary. She does not know right away that it is Him, but as soon as He says her name she knows! It reminds me that the Savior knows our names and He loves us very much. He is calling to us and we just have to choose to recognize Him and rely on Him.

The following weekend was General Conference. It is amounting some grand traditions! We always want donuts on Saturday morning so we always try to make them 30 minutes before it starts. Maybe next year we will start in advance...hint...hint. But all in all they were still delicious fried bread!

We set up our full size tent in our office room. We wanted to be like King Benjamin's people from the Book of Mormon who pitch their tents towards him when he gives his GC address. Alyssa thought it was pretty much the best thing in the world and sat through pretty much the whole first session. 

For the second session Erik developed a movie projector using an old LCD computer screen and an overhead projector. It was like watching conference in a movie theater. (Don't be too jealous because now there is a overhead projector permanently set up on Erik's side of the bed and it makes it very difficult for me to make the bed...) Alyssa drew some pictures on Elder Nelson's face. No disrespect intended.

We are grateful for General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints! It is such an inspiration to hear the prophet and apostles and other general authorities of the church speak. I was definitely inspired and have been enjoying the sweet tones of their voices everyday since. We have a great work to do in building the kingdom of God upon the earth. The work is in our homes, it is through our callings, it is amongst our friends and peers! We must be anxiously engaged and the time is now! Yipppeeee!

The Plague

We have the plague. At least that's what diarrhea feels like when you have a two year old. It is the pits. You walk around wondering what infected you. That unknowing of what got you is what is so scary. You wonder if you ate something bad and you think maybe you should throw all the food in the fridge away. You wash your hands obsessively. You stay away from all human life and hope that this, too, will pass.

Other than that the sun is shining and nap time started at eleven am.

So we're all good.

And besides, I get to read books all day long with my favorite lil' red head. That sure does beat grocery shopping!


[I'm thinking this is not something should be readily post about. But, hey, if you are willing to read my blog, I am just going to have to tell you how it is. That's our life.]