Up in Flames

Aren't these cupcakes beautiful and yummy looking? We thought so too! Thank you so much Dani for leaving these for me on my birthday! You really are so sweet to remember and make time for the little things :) Abe and I were able to enjoy these delicious cupcakes...or at least a few of them...before going up in flames in our oven. Not wanting them to dry out or go bad, I decided that sticking them in the oven would be the smart thing to do. Well, one night after returning home from our night class in Salt Lake around 11:00, Abe decided that he was hungry and was going to heat up some fish sticks. Him, distracted at the kitchen table with his appetizer of chips and salsa, and me on the phone with my mom, didn't think to check the oven before he began pre-heating it. Suddenly, a sweet smell of cupcakes drifted past me and it took me a while to figure out what was going on. When I looked up and over at the oven, I saw smoke pouring out of all four burners on the stove. I ran over, opened the oven door and discovered that our oven was up in flames. Abe, not knowing what else to do, grabs the pitcher of lemonade on our counter and throws it into the oven, distinguishing the fire and leaving a sticky mess all over the kitchen floor. We immediately threw open the door and windows and began fanning the smoke detectors, praying that the sprinklers wouldn't come on and thankfully they didn't. Once we were sure that the fire was taken care of and we had a moment to look around, we realized there was ash all over our house; it had even made its way to our bathroom and bedroom in the very back of our little apartment. Thankfully the mess was much easier to clean up than either of us expected and we look back at this almost disaster and laugh. I think next time we'll keep the cupcakes in the microwave :)

A Much Needed Change

Few of you may be aware of the most recent change in my life...I've cut my hair! After a long time of debating whether or not I was going to go through with it, I've finally decided that it was the right thing to do. I needed something that was going to give it more volume; something that would actually motivate me to try and do something with every day. So I cut off 4 inches! Now, when looking at the picture please keep in mind that this will take some getting used to when it comes to styling. You wouldn't think it would be that hard, but it never looks the same as when they first cut it and style it in the salon. Overall, I'm happy that I did it and Abe reminds me often how much he likes it too :)

Road To Recovery

Just for a quick update...Abe is doing great! He was released from the hospital around 5:00 Wednesday evening and boy was it great to be home! That night we both crashed; we went to bed at 8:00 pm and woke up at 9:30 am, 13 1/2 hours of sleep!! It was fabulous. Mandi was SO nice and drove all the way from Salt Lake just to drop off some dinner, which was delicious! He's still pretty sore, which is expected, but for the most part is feeling much better. It's nice to have him back to almost his normal self :) In the meantime, I'm enjoying all of the spare time I get to spend with him!

Hospital Sleepover

What started out to be a normal day of work and classes in the morning and afternoon turned out to be a very interesting, inordinate and rather scary evening. Abe started having stomach pains Sunday night, but he was sure that it was just trapped gas that would pass in due time. This morning, however, the pain was actually worse and nothing we did seemed to make it any better. We tried a hot bath, hot cocoa, a hot pad on his stomach and even some gas-ex. When I noticed that he was walking funny and he started complaining that the pain was becoming more intense, I finally was able to convince him that we should probably take him in to have it looked at. Sure enough, acute appendicitis. They sent us over to the ER, did a CAT scan and found that his white blood cell levels were 2-3 higher than they were supposed to be. They took him into surgery and finished the procedure within 25-30 minutes. It wasn't until about an hour and a half later or so when the doctor came to get me to take him upstairs to his room. Here is a glimpse into the world of Abe on drugs:

The first thing he asked me was if they had told me how much everything was going to cost.

When I asked him how he was feeling, his response was "high". He then went on to tell me that they had given him some pretty "sweet stuff".

Although he would make eye contact with me while I talked to him (or at least most of the time) his right eye wouldn't stop wandering.

He must have asked me 10 times what time it was.

When I told him that I was going to stay with him over night, he said, "That's fun! We can have a sleepover in the hospital!"

Before surgery, he asked the surgeon if he could save his appendix so he could look at it. Sure enough the surgeon put it in a bag and showed it to him and Abe wouldn't stop talking about how it was "red and yellow and squishy like cartiledge...but in a bag".

He kept looking at the little monitor he had to wear on his finger. At times he would just stare at it for a long period of time, wiggle it around a little bit or tap it on his leg and then leave it alone...all with a very perplexed look on his face.

When the nurse came in, she said that he would be back up and in school again before he knew it and his response was "boo".

When I went to go step out of his room for one minute, he made sure to inform me that he wasn't going anywhere.

Anyways, you get the gist of it. He was definitely out of it. If I think of any other funny things that were said I will be sure to let you know. But just to show how sweet and wonderful and totally caring he is...

One of the first things he told his family as they came up to visit him was to make sure that I get something to eat because I haven't eaten all day. I explained to him that I had just eaten a sandwich from the cafe and he was satisfied with that answer, or at least for the next 30 min. or so. Since then, he has asked me probably 8 or 9 times if I've eaten anything yet or if there's anything that he can get for me. He even insisted that I put my sweats on that Jake and Nissa SOO kindly brought from home so that I would be more comfy.

After all that he's been through and all of the pain that he's feeling, he's still so concerned for my well-being before his own. What a sweet heart! I feel terrible that this all had to happen to him, but I am so grateful that they were able to catch it before it got any worse. I am so blessed to have him in my life! I have no doubts that he will have a fast and healthy recovery.

White Chicken Chili

We just finished a very delicious dinner and I thought I would share it with y'all!! Thank you Nissa for introducing us and sharing the recipe :) The recipe:

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed
1 med. onion finely chopped
1 T. oil
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
3 cans white beans, drained and rinsed
1 can chicken broth
1-1/2 can chopped green chiles
1 t. salt
1 t. oregano
1 t. cumin
1/2 t. pepper
1 C. sour cream
1/2 C. heavy whipping cream

Saute the chicken, onion and garlic in oil until the chicken is no longer pink. Add beans, broth, chiles and seasonings. Bring to a boil and then simmer uncovered for 30 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in sour cream and whipping cream. Serve and enjoy!!

I meant to take a picture...making a new dish isn't quite so scary when you know what it's going to look like...but it was gobbled up before I could even grab the camera. That's how good it is!! I hope you like it as much as we do.

Living Life in the Fast Lane

Wow it has been WAY too long since I've written anything and a lot has happened since the last post. First of all, and my excuse for not posting in so long, our camera broke and what good is poorly written post without any pictures? More importantly, however, Abe and I have both started back up at school again...finally. While it's great to be back in school and actually feel like you're worth something :) our life has changed quite a bit from what we were used to. I have been overwhelmingly overwhelmed with the fact that I can't be the BEST everything. I want to be the best student, the best employee, the best sister and daughter, the best friend, the best den leader and the best wife; instead I'm just MODERATELY good at everything and it really bothers me. I just keep telling myself...who IS perfect?! Anyways, life is good and we have been so blessed, that I am sure of. Now that we have a new camera, I'm hoping to be posting some pictures soon so stay tuned and be patient :)