Table for Eight

I am SO excited: today is my first day back at BYU after a very very long break. (My last class was in April--before the Survivor Caramoan finale!) I love BYU. Absolutely everything about it.  So I'm really happy to have school begin today. I hope wherever you are today, it's a great day. Much love. Sidenote: This is an "old" photo taken last year on my first day of Fall semester at BYU. Elder Meehan took it. And, we heard from Elder Meehan late yesterday--so I thought I should repost it. (Psst: All's well in Indiana. He's doing great. Yayhoo!)

Yesterday while we were out shopping for school supplies, we happened upon this this little fella: University of Utah Gnome And with just one quick glance, I knew what I had to do-- message our friends Liz and Whittney and tell them I couldn't wait for fall football season and the rivalry between The University of Utah (Utes) and Brigham Young University (Cougars) to begin. Translation: I told them to watch their backs--because this guy was gonna kick that gnome's can this year. BYU Cougar mask. What is it about athletic rivalry that makes grown women (moms!) TP each others' homes, stick plastic forks in their lawns, and plaster our teams' merchandise ALL OVER one anothers' porches? I have no idea. But I love it. And I have Liz and Whittney to thank for that--because they are the ones who gave our neighborhood the "Spirit Of Prank." I mean I wouldn't admit this to them, but I'm not really that invested in any one spo...

It's not too often that our family goes hiking, but this weekend we took advantage of the beautiful fall weather and hiked Y Mountain in Provo (the Y on the mountain representing B- Y -U). It was a perfect day--not too cold; not too hot. And the colors on the mountain were beautiful. I'm so glad we went. Oh! And after the hike, we went to BYU's creamery (on 9th) and had 16 scoops of ice cream! (I know, gluttons. But it was SO good.) Jay, at the entrance to the trail. It's about a 2 mile hike. The whole clan--pre-hike. Zu, Lu, Papaya, and Jr. just as we begin. Dave and Zu making their way up the trail. (You can see the Y on the left.) Lu and me--at the top. Taking in the view (and taking a breather). Sitting atop the Y. (There have been some wildfires in the valley, so the air-quality is a little off.) And this is random, but here's our a quick pic of our Sunday dinner. Can you tell I'm a bit of a...

Fall in Utah is incredible. It seriously makes me so happy. The colors are changing on the mountains, leaves are falling, football is starting, Allred Orchards is selling my favorite apples and peaches, the mornings are crisp--but not cold, and the kids can still play outside without shoes. I love it. And to celebrate, I'm making a pumpkin wild rice soup today. (I know, CrazyTown over here. Can you tell I'm over 40? Making soup tops my list of exciting things. Ha! If it makes you feel any better, making soup topped my list of exciting things when I was 30 ... and 20, too. ABCs of me, baby.) Happy Labor Day to you and your family. Safe travels if you are heading out to boat, camp, fish, etc. (Our fam? We are staying here, boating--if the rain lets up, eating soup, and BBQ'ing. Period.) ******* (c) MommyApolis.com, 2012. Pumpkin Wild Rice Soup Ingredients: 3 carrot, sliced 3 potatoes, peeled and cubed 1/2 cup wild rice, rinsed 1 tablespoon oliv...

The ducks at Oquirrh Lake near our home. Well, I made it to my first day of class at BYU... thanks to friends with jumper cables and a battery charger. (Thank you Janae/Jeff. XO.) And ... it was a great first day of classes. I really liked my students and am looking forward to fall semester on campus. BYU is so close to the Wasatch Mountains; it is amazing: Y Mountain (my view from the faculty parking lot). In other news, our kids learned to make their own lava lamp on Tuesday--and it was way cool. (The internet is crazy-awesome. Seriously, what did we do without it? ) Jr., Zu, and Bam at the start (It's a combination of cooking oil, water, food coloring and Alka Seltzer tablets.) Freeze-frame of the lava lamp. Groovy baby. Papaya. ***** PS: Our daughter Bam taught herself to make this bow bun yesterday from a post on Pinterest. Isn't it cute? If you have long hair you have to try it. Bam's bow bun.

I'm in the middle of a grading-frenzy! (BYU grades are "due" tomorrow at noon.) Be be back soon. Hope you are out having fun, enjoying SPRING! *** (c), CBS, Monty Brinton, 2011. PS: Survivor tomorrow night. Woo hoo!

BYU, Provo Utah. (Where I teach.) It's Finals Week at BYU--woo hoo! That means two things: graduation AND lots of grading. Be back to blogging soon. *** PS: Survivor tonight. What are you thinking--who's our next jury member going to be? I'm thinking Leif.

NYC on NYE. (We spent our NYE in SLC.) If the first week of 2012 is any indication of what the whole year is going to be like, then I think I may need to add an extra multi-vitamin to my regular health routine. Why, you ask? Well, because for the first time since I was "in the game," I haven't known what day of the week it is. (Sidenote: You don't have access to watch/calendar in the game, so even though you are able to count the number of days you've been playing, you really do start to lose a sense of traditional time.) In other words, life has been pretty busy. Here's a sampling of the insanity  this week's schedule: 1. Work out. Working out will always be a mental mountain for me to climb. BUT, after preparing for Survivor, I know how much it can change your life. SO, I will do it even when I don't want to. Period. That being said, I can barely walk, climb stairs or sit down this week--as a result of increasing my weights. ...