After the rain and joined by friends!

Lynette with all of the kids taking turns for rides.

Mike and Sydney were spending time next to the campfire. Mike slipped into the water while fishing earlier in the evening.

As we were packing up to head home, the four of us thought our neighbors would never chance it out due to the rain so. Once the Van Fleets arrived we were joined by the Lord's and Megan and the kids! We are lucky to have such a close neighborhood and we all enjoy spending time together when we can.

The fire pit was built and assembled by Jared and Micah the day before we went up to set up camp. How nice it was that once the rain stopped we could keep warm by the fire.

Kylie and Kaci spend the afternoon collecting "salad" for dinner.

Dinner was great! If I have said it once let me say it again - this group of people is great! There was a great dinner and great company.

RAIN RAIN GO AWAY!

I would LOVE to post pictures of the camping trip during the rain, however, it was raining so much that I was stuck in my tent alone (Micah, Jared, Braxton and Kylie were M.I.A) that I was not about to tempt to run to the truck to document this experience!

I was sitting in my tent, snuggled into the covers, listening to the rain pour down, reading a good book when ALL OF A SUDDEN I noticed that the tent was slowly creating small puddles from the drops of rain that had somehow entered my tent!

That was it - - - -> I ran to the outhouse because my bladder was about to BUST. I had no communication with Melissa to even know if the missing husbands or the kids had returned! I then ran for cover in the only place that would be WARM. I sat in Micah's truck running the heater when Melissa came to join me.

Braxton had been returned to the safety of his tent, however, Micah, Jared and Kylie were still missing! Melissa and I were done - it was time to call it quits and head for home!

Just as we were about to go in search the three dripping wet campers showed up. Due to Micah's assurance that there was to be no rain his one and only sweatshirt was SOAK and WET and he had no pants to wear!

By popular demand it was decided that we were going home! Down came the tent, away went the food and the truck was PACKED!

Just as we were about to call it quits the rain stopped and the Van Fleet family came to spend Sunday afternoon with us! We had planned that since the neighbors would not be able to join our camping trip that we would spend Sunday afternoon together at our camping spot and have a dutch oven dinner.

Fishing before the RAIN!

Micah and I went camping with the Redington Family over Memorial Day weekend; what an adventure this was going to be, right?

YEA RIGHT! The first night was awesome, just after going off to bed in our 5-star tent it began to rain. No big deal it was just a little rain - No worries!

The following morning we awoke and saw some dark clouds to the Southeast of us. I was assured not to worry that the weather report that I had seen was incorrect. We enjoyed a good breakfast among friends.

Shortly after eating it began to sprinkle a little - Again I was assured that it would pass us by. So Micah and I took a short walk between the willows and went over to a nice fishing spot.

This camping spot has it all; lush green grass, surrounded by large trees, an awesome fire pit, a first class outhouse, lots of room to roam, fishing spots, chirping birds, NO mosquitoes, and some it warms up a nice place to use an inter tube to float down stream!

Our Camping Trip!

Meet Braxton, Jared, Tregan, Kylie and Melissa; these are the neighbors who thought it would be a great idea to go camping - with Micah and I. Silly neighbors camping is not for city folk!

So as I mentioned Micah and I decided to go camping with our neighbors. Micah packed the truck Friday night with anything you could possibly need for a camping trip.

Tent- check
Bed (OK so it was a blow up bed) and bedding - check
Food for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks - check
Clothes after a day you tend to smell less then friendly - check
Supplies such as; toilet paper, cooking equipment, bug be gone juice, and etc.

The truck was completely loaded and there was no extra room! If did forget something did I mention we were 4.9 miles from town?!?!?!?

Saturday afternoon Micah dropped me off to sit with Roma and he was going to met up with the Redington family and set up camp. At 8:00 o'clock Micah came to pick me up and take me back up to our camping site.

During our drive up it began to rain. I again asked Micah for reassurance that it was not going to rain. After all, I had his handy tandy phone in my hand showing rain and thunder & lighting for the forecast. " No, No, No it is not going to rain. We are going into a canyon and the rain will just skip right over us!"

When we pulled up I was greeted by my little friends Kylie and Braxton who were already looking as if they had been camping that whole week. They were determined to share with me every detail of our new adveture . . . first stop - the Outhouse!

I must say Micah and Jared put in a lot of wrk to make this place tip-top! I was amazliing surprised that the outhouse was not to scarey - still there was a small part of me wondering what lives down there!

It was after 9:00 o'clock when I showed up, however, what I was able to see what beautiful! The area they cleared away was breath taking, the sound of the nearby river was memorizing. I was looking forward to the morning!

The Ultimatum!?!?!?!

So today, Micah and I joined the neighbors for a Sunday chit chat session when to my surprise Melissa gave me an ultimatum!

This is exactly how it goes:

"Tanya, you have two choices! You can either go camping with us or be my sub for my primary class??!??"

What do I say? - - - - -> "Of course I will go camping!" I can not believe that just came out of my mouth!

I am a city girl - I prefer to have all the modern essential in life such as; running water, a toilet that flushes, food that stays fresh in the refrigerator and a bedroom that has four walls made with drywall and a window of glass!

Tanya + a tent + bugs + no running water + no flushing toilets = TROUBLE - BIG TROUBLE!

Camping is not something that I would think of as fun or entertaining. In fact, I do believe that I could count on both hands the amount of times that I have been camping.

For the sake of having to teach to primary children I am willing to rough it! Melissa's Uncle has a place up near Hyrum that we can use to camp out on during Memorial Weekend.

My only request when camping - running water, flushing toilets and a place to wash my hair out! Guess what!? This place has running water; its the river that runs through the property. There is also a toilet; did I mention that it has a tree growing through the?

Oh the things I will do for neighbors! Stay tuned - I am sure the best is yet to come!

Utah Youth Village Training - Complete!

Micah and I have completed our Utah Youth Village training and are now First Aid and CPR certified!

Now what? We are still waiting the results of our background check! Since Micah and I spent that 18 months in California helping with Jerry the process takes a bit longer then the usual three to four weeks!

However, we have been talking with our Consultant Casherie and they have a 17 year old named Sam that they would like to place in our home the first or second week of June. We have been given the approval from the director at UYV, but we are hopeful the results will be back before that.

We will keep you posted!

Update: Our training at Utah Youth Village

"Help one child ~ Help a generation to come."

Micah and I have completed the first five days of a nine day training period. We both have really enjoyed attending the classes and learning all that we have in those days.

UYV has an amazing program they use to aid in the treatment of the children they have. The techniques they have taught us will not only be useful working with the children within the program, but also when we have children of our own.

Micah and I have yet to decide what population of children we would like to work with, but we do not want to limit ourselves with one group: girl vs boy; 6-10 year old, or teenagers. So we are going to keep our options open - we have been asked to consider helping children who are sexual reactive*.

* Micah and I do not know all the details of sexually reactive children, but we have started to research the issue and found this:

Though there is no rigid profile of the sexually reactive child, there are some characteristics that are found most often in these children, and include:

• A history of sexual abuse.
• Acting out with children younger than themselves.
• Has a knowledge of sex that is beyond their age level. (Ex: Vibrators, dildos, condoms, etc).
• Simulates copulation with dolls, toys, other children, and even animals and adults.
• Appears to have little or no age-appropriate fear of strangers.
• Has no sense of boundaries, modesty, or privacy where their personal physical space is concerned.
• Often acts in a flirtatious or promiscuous ways that are not age-appropriate.
• Uses coercion, bribery, or force in what would appear to be otherwise normal sex play with same-age friends.
• Sexual contact with other children appears to be more adult in nature than age-appropriate.
• Demands secrecy, and makes threats of harm if the acts are disclosed.
• Lies or manipulates when confronted with knowledge of the sexual contact.
• Uses objects, violence, or weapons during a sex act.
• Touches children and adults inappropriately, and in public (breasts, vagina, groin, buttocks). Excessive masturbation and exposure.
• Sexualized themes during play and conversations, including drawing, painting, and playing with dolls and dollhouses.

Utah Youth Village is looking for concerned people who want to be foster parents. Earn an income working with kids in your home. We have a 40 year tradition of helping children throughout Utah. We are looking for motivated and caring couples to provide structured foster care in their homes.
Training and 24 hour support provided.

Happy Mothers Day!

Just wanted to share some photos of my mom for Mother's Day~ as you can see I only could find a few pictures! My mom and I both dislike having our pictures taken so it was hard to find one that is just the two of us :P Hope you have a great Mother's Day Mom! Love you, Me

Another year and Another car accident

You read that right! Just a few days ago was the one year anniversary of my Tahoe accident in downtown Salt Lake City. So it was 4:30 this afternoon and Micah were on our way to our Utah Youth Village training . . .

We stopped to get a treat for the car ride and then were on our way to the freeway. We stopped at the red light and were the fourth or fifth car from the light. The light changed to green and the blue van in front of us took its time moving; just as the van drove off there was a loud THUNK to the back of the truck.

The best way I can describe the feeling of movement is when you have one of those dreams where you are falling and you suddenly awake! I looked over at Micah and asked what just happened; I seriously thought I was waking up! Before he could answer he was pulling over to the nearby parking lot.

To make a long story short - it was Micah's Sliverado verses a Ford F150. Micah dealt with Sir Stupid - who openly admitted to Micah and I that he was not paying attention. As you can see the damage to Micah's truck was not to serious looking, however, when Micah and pulled away to go back home to exchange trucks I pointed that his gas gage was reading EMPTY and the warning was showing LOW - - - VERY ODD since he had filled up the day prior and was at 3/4 a tank when we left home at 4pm.

So we have the truck at the repair place and they estimated $1850.00 in damages . . . and hopefully we find that there is not more damage then they found already. So for now, Micah is driving a 2009 Chevy Impala.

May Days 2009

I am so exciting! We can finally say so long to the snow and hello to the flowers.

My parents came into town for a few days and we had a great visit. The night before they left they took Micah and I to the store to get some color for our yard. Nothing makes for a great Spring and Summer then fresh cut grass, the scents of fresh flowers blooming, laughter of small children and the smell of a sizzling Bar-B-Que.

Exciting news to share about a new adventure in our life!

Micah and I are looking into becoming protector parents for an organization called Utah Youth Village (UYV); www.youthvillage.org. What does that mean?

Micah and I are attending the training for two weeks (5/5-5/9 and again 5/12-5/15) to become foster parents for children who are having a difficult time living in a group/foster home. Most of the children within this program have been removed from their home for a various reasons and although they were placed in a group home the difficult time they are having requires them to live in a home where they have more one on one time adjusting to life. The ideal situation within this organization is that the parents, family members or guardians can take a year to get their act together and regain custody of the minor – during that time they will spend time in our home.

Micah and I will receive the training to help this children adjust, learn skills for the future and over all give them a home life they may be lacking in their own home before being placed with UYV.

Combing Tanya's Favorite Recieps with Micah and Tanya's Blog

I have decided to combine my favorite recipe blog with our personal blog. Let's be honest; trying to keep up with two blogs is too much and those that read our personal blog would rather go to one website then go to a second site. So there you have it; Enjoy!

One year anniversary of my accident; I really miss my truck!

I know this is such an odd thing to blog about, but the truth is that this accident is by far the worst thing to ever happen to me. Knock on wood!!

First of all, I could of seriously hurt someone else! I can't even begin to understand how my poor Mom felt having to hear the whole incident in California, via my cell phone!

Not only did I have an accident that was totally my fault, but I am so thankful that I was okay. Put aside the stitches, the pump to my head, and the bruising and swelling from the seat belt I was lucky I did not lose an arm or fingers, that I didn't have an head damage from being knocked around in the truck from tipping over and rolling on the top.

Rock Springs, Wyoming

This is the Broadway Burger Station. The menu reads:

Welcome to Rock Spring, WY! Rock Springs, WY is located in Sweetwater County in southwest Wyoming between Evanston and Rawlins along Interstate 80 near Green River. Rock Springs is on Bitter Creek.

Rock Springs got its start as a coal-mining town. Coal-mining brought many immigrants to the region in the 1860's - 1870's. The nickname "Gateway to the West: is very well earned.
Many pioneers and exploration groups crossed the Rockies and others traversed the Green River. Original wagons ruts and trails can still be seen here.

This old-fashioned town got its name for the natural springs that used to flow through rocks located in the vicinity of Springs Drive.

Located at 432 Main, there is a building that used to be the butcher shop where an employee named Robert LeRoy Parker gained the "Butch" portion of his alias "Butch Cassidy," otherwis known as "the outlaw."

Left to Right: Landmark - a coal miner pulling a horse carrying coal, the local train station and Micah's mission apartment is on the left side.

Above Left to Right is the old Firehouse, the entrance to Rock Springs and a train kart.

Micah had to work in Rock Springs so I tagged along, after all, I have never been there and I thought I would like to see one of the many places Micah served his mission.

Cokeville, Wyoming

Micah and I made a trip to Cokeville, Wyoming today.

A gentleman that Micah taught during his mission was having a benefit dinner. Alan was diagnosed with Lung Cancer and the whole town came together to hold a dinner and auction on his behalf.

During Micah's mission he met Ida and Alan Beck in Cokeville, WY - they were local farmers. Micah tells the story so much better than I do, but I will do my best to recap the details I can recall. Micah and his companion Elder Meyers came to the Beck home and began to talk with Alan; during their visits Alan decided to take the missionary dicussions, quit smoking and even placed an unfinished pack of cigarettes in the cabinet. I can remeber getting a letter from Micah during his mission telling about Brother Beck and how much he enjoyed teaching him.

What an amazing experiencewe had while we were in WY; Micah and I both grew up in a small town in California, however, this town is something special. In 2000, there were 506 people, 166 households, and 125 families residing in the town - I found this fact on Wikipedia!

Micah has thought the benefit was being held at the church and to our surprise when we pulled in there was no one there, so Micah decided to drive through town - all four streets and we came across something happening at the high school. The parking lot was full, kids outside playing in the front lawn and people standing in line to get in. Micah and I found that we are in fact in the right place and let me tell you - people noticed that we did not belong!

Please meet Roma!

I know this is not the best photo quality; however, what can you ask
for when you use the web cam that is built into your computer!?!?

Everyone meet Roma, she is an 88 year young lady I sit with on Saturday's from noon to 8:00 p.m. She currently lives in an assisted living home on Ogden - as with anyone when you get older you need a little extra help. So I sit with her on Saturday's or when the family asks - she needs some help eating, and getting around, but she has been quite the example in just a few short weeks. The last two Saturday's I have been reading to her from her 1983 journal, and let me tell you- she wrote nearly every day or every other day and always gave you a weekly overview if she missed days.

Pineapple Upside-down Cake

My neighbor is doing some yard maintenance and came over to airate(?) our lawn the other day and I think all neighborly help should be rewarded with 'friendship dues'. So I went to the cookbook cabinet; yes a cabinet - I love cookbooks so I have a whole cabinet dedicated to cookbooks and recipes. I found my handy Betty Crocker cookbook and decided to make a Pineapple Upside cake to say thank you!

It was super easy to make and smelled oh so yummy too!

Congratulations to our friends the Roeseler's!

Nick and Kandi had their baby girl Zoey Nikole on April 13th.

Can't wait to meet her you guys - Even if Micah went without me!

Peanut Brittle

Micah asked for Peanut Brittle for his Birthday, so I honored his request.

1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp water
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup water
1 cup light syrup
3 tablespoons butter
1 pound peanuts

Butter a 13x9x2 pan or cooking sheet. Combine 1 tsp water and soda with vanilla in a small cup and set aside.

Combine sugar, water and corn syrup in a large sauce pan. Cook over low heat stirring occasionally; heat to 240 degrees. At 240 degrees add peanuts and stir occasionally and heat to 300 degrees.

Remove from heat and add water, baking soda, vanilla mixture and then stir. Spread mixture into pan and be sure it is thin and let it set up until hard. Then brake into pieces.

Micah's Latest Project

As you can see Micah has been working in the garage lately. The top shelf he made was a baby gift to our friends Nick and Kandi.

The second row of photos is Micah working on additional shelves for my parents new house. My mom liked the first one so much (it was the size of the top photo) that she requested two more shelves; one with two drawers and a third with one drawer.

In addition to those projects he also created two cat poles for my parents house. Once he gets out there in the garage and has a project there is no stopping him!

April's Fool

Micah and I were sitting down for dinner when we heard the door bell ring - Micah went to the door to find these balloons as baby bottles at our door.

Earlier that day, I had seen an April Fools post by my mom that her husband was her third cousin - so I thought to myself what would be a funny for April Fools . . . so I posted 'We're Havin a Baby!' on my Facebook account.

Little did I know that one of my neighbors was going to play along with me, Thanks Sadie!