Pumpkin Picking

We just LOVE October.  I can't believe it's almost over :(  For the 3rd year in a row we picked pumpkins with the whole Clark family!  It was perfect weather and very fun to watch the kids choose their pumpkins.  We got our pumpkins on Oct 15th and just carved them this week (Oct 26th) and post will be up soon on that one.

The whole gang!

What ya got cookin??

I think I've posted food before, but hey, we do eat everyday right???  Here are a few things we've been cooking lately...

• Stuffed zucchini - This was a great recipe thanks to pinterest!  Especially since they are easily found and we had tons this summer...  This recipe has fresh diced tomatoes, garlic, onion, red potatoes and cheese all stuffed into the zucchini.  Yum!  We loved it.

• Zucchini bread - okay so we made enough of this to run out of sugar and flour, guess that was a lot!  I even did some freezing so we'll have some for later when the weather gets cool.  (Yeah cool... I'm totally in denial still)
• Steak & Potatoes - one of my favorite meals always.  But this time we used a grilling pan and it turned out very good still :)

• Cake Balls!!! - I don't have pictures, sadly, but our dear friend Shayla came and gave some good demonstrations.  We're excited for more "Cooking with Shayla" soon.
• Cookie Monster Cupcakes for our nephew Sam's 2nd birthday - he loves cookie monster so this was a hit!!!  Took me awhile to find those large white chips, but now I have a yearning to learn how to bake and frost it.  Yum!  Not going to help my figure....

So fun!! I'm getting good huh? I bought some frosting tips last weekend too so that's up next :)

Freezing Football

My dad and brother-in-law Justin flew into town for a quick trip to see the U of U vs. ASU football game on Oct 8th!  What a fun idea!!  So we joined them on their adventure.  They came a day early so we all could spend time together with grandma... somehow I missed those pictures though, sad.  We took grandma around the mall until she was "pooped" and wanted to go home, what a first!  I guess we wore her out.  We had dinner at Texas Roadhouse while watching the D-backs game on the screen.

We met up the next day and took the UTA Trax downtown to the Rice-Eccles Stadium.  It was my first time on the train as well as for our visitors!  Although, David takes it everyday.  It was a good idea so we didn't have to worry about the traffic (the ride back home was very scrunched but, it worked).

The game was FREEZING!!  So, the week before was like 80 degrees outside (I was in shorts) and now this week it hit down below freezing and highs of 40's in the daytime!  Weather is sketchy here but we were hoping the news was right (sunny) - which it wasn't.  I wasn't as prepared as I should be but it has been years since I was at a stadium.  It sprinkled on and off the whole game but we survived with hot dogs and hot chocolate!  We only had 2 official seats (and two standing) but we were lucky to have seats together most of the time.  I rooted for both teams, partial to the U for my hubby and to ASU for my childhood.  I think we all were just happy to be there.  ASU won and we quickly went back, grabbed grandma and headed out to dinner again.

It was a great weekend!  And very nice to have visitors come and spend time with us.  Let's do it again soon!!!

Blog Book!

I finally printed my very first BLOG BOOK!  And it came in the mail two weekends ago and I've been having fun looking over those first posts back in 2009.  It was the easiest thing ever so I think we'll be doing it again this way.  It basically just spits out the blog into a book format with small pictures throughout as they were posted.  Sweet!!  What a way to journal :)

This first book is just for my entries from 2009 - 2010 until marriage.  "My Journey So Far..." Blog Book.  I'm excited to keep doing these throughout the years.  I could have done a lot more in-depth book and format each page, etc, but this book looks pretty similar to the blog and I'm good with that.

Peanut Butter

So I have a confession.... I have absolutely LOVED peanut butter all my life.  I even scoop out a spoonful and just eat it right off the spoon if I can't ignore the craving.  The other day I realized how much peanut butter I've really been eating and it's made me sick!!

• Captain Crunch Peanut Butter Puffs - I've been eating these every day since January 2010.
• Peanut Butter & Jelly Sandwiches - I've had this for lunch for the last 8-10 years (give a few days here and there for bagels or tuna or something...)
• Peanut Butter & Honey in a tortilla - When I get hungry in-between dinner and bed I usually bust out this as a little snack!

If I eat the above almost every day that's like 3 meals - - - I'm getting way too much peanut butter!!!  And besides the above I also love peanut butter cookies, desserts, granola bars or even pb ice cream!!

Well, now I'm not eating any peanut butter.  I can't believe I didn't realize this earlier!  I feel sick every time I think of eating any of these snacks.  And I can't believe I'm sharing this with the world.  Doesn't it just make you feel a bit rolly?  Here's to a new peanut butter "free" me - a little healthier too.  Not sure how long this will last but I'm sure my insides are happy.

NOTE: I do eat fruits and veggies and take a daily vitamin so don't worry about my eating habits too much :)

Religion

** Story changed a bit so I could share**

There's an employee I've been working with who is taking a medical leave for health issues... And this week another employee (apparently a friend of the sick employee) who came to me and said:
Friend of employee: "I know what's wrong and how to help __ (said person) get better!! And I just need you to help me encourage them to do this, okay??"
Me: (Hesitant to even answer as all is private) "What?"
Friend: "They need to go to CHURCH!!!" and more details of how it will make them better...
Me: speechless... then kicked in to employment law and more info you don't need to hear.

Maybe you don't work in HR all day long and go to trainings about Employment Law, but there are certain rights and do's and dont's at work and that "friend" just crossed the line on many of them.  He's encouraging A TON of people at work to do this and I had to quickly STOP him.  We can't try and persuade someone to go to church or any religion as that would make a hostile work environment.  Can you imagine if the employee felt like their job was in jeopardy because they weren't attending a certain religion???

Anyway, I'm still shocked!  And still trying to help the "friend" understand because yes, I'm LDS too, but it just can't happen.  I went on a mission, I knocked on doors, and sometimes examples are all we can be.  If someone approaches us, we can share, if not, we can't.  Especially as managers, HR, or really anyone with influence that would jeopardize your and their job.

And I'm laughing because WOW, even though you aren't in HR, it seems pretty normal that you can't harass people on all sorts of subjects - medical, sexual, gender, race, and religion is one of them too.  And I also thought it was funny because yes, church is wonderful, but it doesn't always FIX or SOLVE problems.  It helps us bear our burdens but it can't take them all away, sometimes we're meant for those trials. And there's a lot more than just church.  I can see where he's coming from as in support or something, but blanket statements like that get us into trouble religiously too.

Another day in HR... I get more and more crazy things daily.

On a side note but fairly relevant - I'm very excited for General Conference!!

Interviews

( I was thinking this post title could have been about me interviewing for new jobs... if I had any interviews... since there isn't anything out there in HR now... but nope, it's David, probably a happier topic for sure, ha)

David is becoming popular for dental school interviews!!  Wahoo!  We're excited to see what else may come down the line.  So far he's got 2 that he is or has interviewed.

Louisville Kentucky - David flew out over Sept 16th to visit the school and have a couple interviews.  He was very impressed and we're hoping something struck them so that they want to choose him.  So I'm sort of biased but I'd totally pick him :)  The area is pretty, has Broadway shows, and everyone there is really nice.  At least that's what I've found out.  As far as the school they treat everyone so nice and gave David a full day of activities and meeting students, interviewing, etc.  I could be happy there, although I had never thought about Kentucky.

Marquette Wisconsin - This one is coming up on Oct 10th.  Should be good as well, although a much cooler state.  I guess I'll need to get more boots and cute coats.  I can be optomistic right? ;)  David is flying out there and leaving me again. 

David leaving.... That part totally sucks for me.  But I just "barely" survived last time and hoping I'll do better this time.  I did see a scary movie while he was gone and that did it for me - had to walk around and look for boogie-monsters that night.  I also slept with a pillow in David's place and a maglight right under it.  (First time alone since marriage, that's allowed right?  And I lived alone for many years before, wow...poor me).  He doesn't "enjoy" it either but is probably too nervous or excited and he gets a nice hotel or the couch as he did last time.

I'll have to have him take pictures next time - for me espcially as I don't get to go on these trips right away.  We put in a lot of applications so our budget only affords one person until we narrow it down.  Anyway, we're still waiting anxiously but definitely getting closer to the big find out date (12/1 or spring 2012).

Good luck David next week!!