Table for Eight

I take the Easy Road when it comes to caramel apples. Dave and I have been talking a lot this past month about the notion of "EASY." In part, because my experience on Survivor taught me that taking the "easy" path in nearly every scenario is not a good thing (you gain muscle when you struggle--and that's a good thing in the big picture). And in part, because Dave is reading a book where the first chapter is entitled, " The Pursuit of Easy Things Makes Men Weak ." Kinda hits ya in the face like a ton o' bricks, right? Here all this time, I was thinking EASY was a good thing (Easy tests? Love them. Easy workout? Even better.) But it turns out I was wrong. We NEED resistance in life in order to build our strength and character. Now, that being said, this notion of "easy = not-so-great"  doesn't necessarily apply to all life-situations. Like, take caramel apples. In this instance, taking the EASY road actually i...

Ree Drummond's (Pioneer Woman on Food Network) Chicken Fried Steak (and broccoli). Dave made it for us last night and it was awesome. (And messy. Holy deep fryer.)   I'm affectionately dubbing this summer my "Chicken Fried Summer." Why, you ask? Because I think my post-Survivor way of coping with transitions, stress, etc., has been to EAT. Anything and everything! Sour gummy worms? Don't mind if I do. Chocolate cake? Sure. Green olives and chocolate cake?  Uh ... okay, sure! The overeating is kinda (emphasis on KIND OF) funny for someone who starved on an island in the Philippines for 39 days last year, but work with me: I'm doing the best I can. And when I can do best er , I will. Promise. In the meantime, I'm just trying to begin a regular exercise routine to balance out the extra food intake AND love myself as I journey through this phase. And even that hasn't been super easy for some reason.  (For those of you w...

Our oldest two daughters: Bam and Papapa. (I think that's paint on Papaya's hands?)   Well, cellphones totally change camp for ME ... because thanks to Bam and Papaya's leaders, I was able to SEE how they are doing after just their first day of camp. Woo hoo! Thank you, Caisa, for hiking up the mountain to find cell service. It was so cool to hear the kids were there safe and having a ton of fun! (Funny, after Survivor--where we are completely sequestered from communication/media for basically 2 months--I can barely go a few days without getting an update on our kids. I mean, I will wait if I have to, like with Elder Meehan's mission updates, but overall, I just like knowing where/how all the bambinos are doing. Yanno?) Papaya and a friend hula. Our ward/congregation Young Women. PS: Oh, how I LOVE the funky socks. Camping is way more fun when you have funky socks!   Shalom!   Bam and her ju-jitsu friend hula. Young Wom...

A memory of a not-so-really-really-good day: Brandon's exit. Survivor Caramoan. (c) CBS, Monty Brinton, 2012. One of the greatest "take-aways" from Survivor--for me--has been recognizing how truly fortunate we are I am to have my basic needs (shelter, water, food, freedom to choose, etc.) met on a daily (even hourly) basis. I mean, I think I was always a grateful person. Well, at least I hope I was. But since Survivor, I'm the kind of person who literally thinks, "How awesome is this toliet?" every time I walk into a bathroom now. Or the kind of person who wants to say out loud, "This water is crystal clear ... no diarrhea-fest today!" And I'm not being sarcastic. I literally mean it, "We are so blessed to have clean water and toliets." Anyway, my point! When your basic needs are met, life is so good. And then ... on days when you have your basic needs met AND  EXTRA amazing things happen, life is REALLY REALLY ...

Thanks Nae and Whitt. I love my new shirt. I am so thankful it's the weekend: this has been one helen of a week. BUT, the sun is shining--both literally and metaphorically. And it looks like our family is going to come out of this challenge stronger than we were before. So I'm taking a deep breathe and just being sincerely grateful the major stress seems to be behind us. (Until the next major stress. Hahahahaha.) Happy June 1. PS: I'm thinking I will post my Survivor Finale pix. under the "Survivor" tab on the blog come Monday. I heart Survivor and am always happy to answer questions about it OR to talk about it (if you run into me in Target--ha ha), but I'm feeling like it's a good time to start the next chapter of our lives ... post-Survivor. Hugs to you and yours. --Dawn PPS: Thank you to all of our friends/family for loving us during this super-stressful week. We were showered with dinners, treats, presents, and help with our kids....

Our dog, Harriet, asleep Survivor Finale' weekend--IN MY PARENT'S BED! We had no idea. Apparently our kids set this up--and Harriet didn't object. Sorry, mom and dad! I hope you all had a great weekend.  We di d! It was our first weekend without Survivor-related things in t hree+ years. (For reals : I was originally cast fo r season 21 /22, so w e've had Survivor in our lives for a looooonnnngg time ! ) I heart Survivor and the blessing it's been in our lives so very much , but it just feels so good to come back t o life as we know it . I have never loved doing laundry or dishes more. And I really mean that . So, until Tuesday, have a G REAT DAY . Much love to you and your s .   *****   PS: For all my friends and family who've been "worried " about us/me, please know , for every criticism someone has shared related to Survivor, I ' ve received at least two supports/love in kind. (Take that, internet c yber-bulli...

A Survivor fan made this Photochop and I love it! Well, tonight's a WAIL of a night for me on Survivor. I know yesterday's blogspot was a little focused on my stress o ver it all ... b ut today's a new day and I'm feeling really good about it all. So, r est assured I'm going to make it thro ugh-- laughing all the w hile. (W ith may be a few tears--I'm not a robot , afterall!) Thanks for all of the words of encourage ment and kind emails. T hey've helped me keep i t all in perspective. PS: I did get to talk with Jeff Prob st yesterd a y ( yes, I'm a name dropper now) , and he made me feel much better about how tonight will all pan -out. (Did I mention that I heart CBS and Jeff Probst and Mark Burn ett and the crew?) PPS: My friends and I will be wa tching t he epsiode tonight with Tootsie Rolls in hand. We're going to take some photos using t hem and post to Twitter once my cry-fest begins. (It will all make sense tomorrow. Pr om...

(c) Iyanla Vanzant, 2012. I love thi s q uote. Do esn't it just fire ya u p?     H ave a beautiful weekend!

(c) LaughingSquid.com It's hard to believe that more than a decade has passed since the 9/11 attacks. Like so many of you, I remember the details of that day so vividly. It was such an unbelievably horrible day.  Nearly 3,000 people lost their lives that day. Three thousand people.  That's 3,000 fathers, mothers, children, aunts, uncles, grandparents, civil servants. And 3,000 families left with sorrow and loss and grief. It's just so hard to imagine HOW something like 9/11--or any major war/conflict/genocide-- happens. HOW and WHY do people, groups, nations ... go from being frustrated and angry to actually causing physical harm to those they are frustrated and angry with? (Yes, I'm ending the sentence with "with.") It seems impossible.  It's something I don't relate to at all: that kind of anger and intolerance. And yet, if I'm honest, the more I look at my own life, the more I realize that I don't always respond to situati...