how many people does it take to make a cake like this?

Five.

A big thanks to four very talented ladies.  Mel for being the fondant master, Jenn for being the talented artist that she is, LeeAnn for her frosting skills (and letting us use her home), and Jodi for being so kind to let us use her left over fondant and giving me the idea to do a specialty cake.  It wouldn't have turned out as well as it did without you all.  Good team work!

And even though I look much more excited than Gordon in these pictures, he really was excited.  And surprised.  And he loved his cruiser cake.

she's crafty...she's just my type (beastie boys)

I attempted (with success) my first Do It Yourself project this past week. I could tell you all about how I pondered the idea of this DIY project, but it would be much more entertaining for you to hear about it the way my husband experienced it.

My DIY project in the words of my husband:

I received a phone call that went like this:

Jessica: How much fabric do I need?

Gordon: I don't know.  What are you making?

Jessica: Those boxes for the windows.

Gordon: Well did you measure the windows?  How wide, long and deep are the boxes?

Jessica: I don't know.  Look at the instructions I printed off.

Looked at the instructions...

Gordon:  These instructions don't have any dimensions on them.  And it doesn't say how large her window is.

Jessica: Well I just want to know how much fabric I should buy for these windows...I'm just going to buy a yard of this fabric.

Gordon: Okay, but how wide is the fabric?

Jessica:  I don't know.  I'm just going to buy a yard and a half to be safe.  Thanks, bye.

Well, I had way too much fabric.  And Gordon couldn't believe I didn't do any measuring beforehand.  I could have only bought like 20 inches.

But it all worked out.  And it was a fun project that Gordon got to do with me (and he didn't even know he would be helping).

My next project is in the works.  And this time Gordon knows he's going to be helping.  And I'll measure before and bring the instructions with me when I go to buy the supplies.

The corner still needs something...I already have ideas.

They require trips to thrift stores and a lot of luck.

if at first you don’t succeed, try-try-try again

I wanted to give up. Everyone else around me picked it up so quickly. Given most of them had done it before and just needed a little refresher. It was much more difficult than I anticipated.

Hold it a certain way.

More tension.

I wanted to give up.

But then I got it. And people keep telling me it looks really good. (People are nice)

So I’m going to finish it, and maybe even make others.

I learned how to crochet today at work. It’s for a service project we’re doing for low income moms.

Am I domesticated? Not quite but I’m much closer than I was this morning. My mother-in-law would be so proud.

24 on the 24th

It’s Gordon’s golden birthday today!

Here are 10 reasons I love Gordon.

1. He makes me laugh. All the time. And I love to laugh.

2. He is trusting. I trust him. No doubts, no second guessing, just whole heart trust.

3. He lives worthy to hold the priesthood and take me to the temple.

4. He is a happy person. I have never heard him say he’s had a bad day. He doesn’t even complain. And if he does (which seriously is rare) he’ll apologize immediately and stop talking about whatever was causing him to complain.

5. He loves me for me. And he tells (and shows) me everyday.

6. He can cook. And it’s dang good. Hello, what’s not to love about that.

7. He is adventurous. And from the stories I hear from his childhood, he always has been. I’m just glad I get to be his side-kick now, instead of a stuffed animal monkey.

8. He is smart. Like I’ve said before, this runs in the family. He will research the heck out of things before he makes a decision. All that research pays off because he seems to know something about everything. He’s my own personal Google.

9. He is willing to do things he doesn’t really enjoy just because I want to. Running in our neighborhood (someone might see him), watching 80’s movies, listening to my kind of music, eating foods without high fructose corn syrup and hydrogenated oils, taking care of two dogs he didn’t want in the first place…there’s more but now I’m beginning to feel a little bad.

10. He is my husband. My eternal companion. The one I share my secrets with. The one I share my doubts with. The one I will begin my family with. The one I turn to when I need anything. The first person I tell when something good, bad, sad, unbelievable happens to me. The person I share my life with. My best friend.

oh how he loves floats...rootbeer, sprite.  so that was his cake.

Happy Birthday Gordon! I love you so much!

RIP Goldfish #1…or were you #2?

3 Christmases ago I attended my work’s annual company Christmas party. There was a white elephant exchange game at this party. And that night I left as the owner of two goldfish (bowl and food included).

Yesterday Gordon and I were getting ready to go on our run when I noticed Briggs sniffing something on the floor. I couldn’t tell what it was right away, but once I got closer I realized it was one of our goldfish. He had jumped. out. of. his. fish. bowl. When Gordon went to pick him up, he started moving a bit. Gordon put him back in his fish bowl, did a little fish CPR (which is where you move the fish back and forth so water gets in its gills). I may have started crying at this point. I get attached to things I care for. Too attached I think. And these were the first fish I had ever owned.

Well the fish started swimming around slowly, gained some of his vibrant orange color back, but kept coming back to the top of his bowl gulping for air. We didn’t know if that was a good sign or not.

We went on our run, came back and he was still alive. Things were good.

But later that night when I checked on him he wasn’t swimming anymore. He was floating on top of his bowl.

So we’re getting a new goldfish tonight. A companion for goldfish #2.

Goldfish #1 had a good life. 2 ½ years of love and care.

He was a good fish. I’ll miss him.

This is a picture of our new fish, Mo.

He's got a little black on his top fin and on the top of his head.  Like a mohawk.

#2 is happy to have a companion again.

Update: Mo died 5 days after this post.  And then #2 died the next day.  Sad times.

jessssss

Lately this is my favorite way of hearing my name.

The little man (our cutie pie nephew) is learning how to say everyone’s names. He’s been saying mine since our snowmobiling trip in January.

I exaggerate the ‘ssss’ so he’ll like saying it.

I can’t hear my name enough these days!

rough day at work

I received this picture from my husband Tuesday morning. The message that came with it said: Just driving to work!

A few hours later I received the next picture with a message saying: Work is seriously rough today. 

Do you see why I’m jealous and bitter?

Tuesday he got paid to go snowboarding. And have a BBQ in Snowbasin’s parking lot. Paid to snowboard. And eat delicious BBQ food. Oh, and he went on his new, free snowboard.

Okay, my jealous and bitter feelings only last a moment.

He has wanted to work where he’s working for a long time.

He is happy. And he deserves it.

But the picture messages are a bit much.

life's tender moments

Tonight I held a close, dear friend of mine while she cried.  And I cried with her.  I have never done that before.  Held someone while they cried.  It was one of the most tender moments of my life.  I felt her loss.  She just lost her grandpa.  He was like a father to her.

What great comfort we both share in knowing that families are eternal.  She will be with her grandpa again.  She knows that.  And I know that.  Comfort.

I think I may be part Irish...on my mum's side

Mostly because I think this taste real good.

It just wouldn’t be St. Patrick’s Day without eating a little corn beef and cabbage right? Thanks to a dear Irish co-worker, some of my co-workers and I ate it for lunch. Yum! And now my taste buds must wait another year to enjoy it again…

nice and warm

Today I wore a dress without leggings or tights.

And I ran outside without a million layers on.

Bring on spring.

A+

A couple of Sundays ago, while at Sunday dinner with Gordon’s family, we were given an assignment. This isn’t a new thing for us to get assignments from Gordon’s parents. In the past our assignments, or homework, have been to calculate a budget for the board game CashFlow we had been playing, or read and do whatever assignment went along with the Dave Ramsey video Financial Peace University that we watch some Sundays. Usually the theme to these assignments is money management/how to make our money work for us type things, but this assignment was much different.

The current topic lately in the news, at church, pretty much everywhere is emergency preparedness. In light of all of the natural disasters that are going on around the world in Haiti and Chile, there has been an urgency to get you and your families prepared for such disasters. I know we have been doing extra things to make sure our family is prepared (well as prepared as we can be). Adding to our food storage, home storage, etc. Our recent preparation is thanks to Gordon’s Mom’s new assignment: put together an earthquake bag for under our bed. This bag should contain clothing, shoes, and a flashlight. Gordon and I went a step further (mainly because this was easier and pretty much already done) and we updated and put our 72 hour backpacks under our bed. These backpacks have been down in our basement in a closet ever since we moved into our home. Let’s be real…who is going to run down to their basement, get into a closet, in the middle of a natural disaster?!

Although they look absolutely hideous and I hate having things under our bed, I feel much better knowing that they are there.

I love having such great in-laws who care so much about us and give us these assignments. We think they are silly in the beginning and tease Gordon’s Mom about them, but we really do like them. And getting rewards for doing them is always a bonus!

thirty

My sister-in-law, Melanie, is turning the big 3-0 today!

Here are 5 reasons I love Mel.

1. She is a great older sister (in-law). She has set the bar high in her family and is such a great example to all of us.

2. She is an amazing mother. Her life is dedicated to her family, especially to her little man. Once again, setting the bar high.

3. She is smart. I swear she knows something about everything (I think that runs in the family).

4. She has a strong, unwavering testimony. Mine has grown from hers.

5. She is a positive person. Not everything goes perfect in life, and through the tough times she sees there’s a brighter side and is grateful for what has.

Happy 30th Birthday Mel! We love you!

my boy is seven

My boy is seven.

It seems like only yesterday we got this little guy…and now he’s middle age (in dog years of course).

I’m sure if he could talk he would tell you all he had a wonderful birthday full of delicious treats, lots of attention, a nice long sunny walk, and lots of kisses (from mom). He got a new collar and play toy that squeaks in three different places. Life doesn’t get much better.

Happy Birthday Briggs! We love you!

like a kid again

When I was 5 years old a movie came out that changed my life. Disney’s “The Little Mermaid”. This movie paved the path to me becoming a singing sensation…well at least in the Fraga household growing up I thought I was. I performed the hits “Part of Your World”, “Under the Sea”, and “Kiss the Girl” from this movie for my family over and over again. Like a concert. Then when I was 8 years old Disney released another movie, “Aladdin”, of which I would own the soundtrack on cassette tape and sing its hits “A Whole New World”, “A Friend Like Me” and pretty much every other song on that tape. And then my singing career would come to an end at age 10 after the release of Disney’s “The Lion King” because let’s be honest Disney’s movies/music haven’t been the same since then. Yes, I also preformed the hits “Circle of Life”, “I Just Can’t Wait To Be King”, “Hakuna Matata”, and “Can You Feel the Love Tonight”.

For those 5 years my house was like a Broadway theater. And last night all these memories came flooding back to me as I listened to these songs (minus the Aladdin ones) while figure skaters performed at Disney On Ice - Worlds of Fantasy. My friend, Katherine, got 3 tickets for her birthday this month (no, she's not turning 6, but 24) and decided it would be a fun girl’s night. It was! I think we all were 5 years old again.

something's wrong with Charlie

We love Charlie. His sweet demeanor, playfulness, laziness, adorableness makes it hard not fall in love with him immediately.

He wasn’t his normal self a couple of weeks ago. My sister, being the good mom she is, took him to see the vet. X-rays were taken, tummy medicine was given. But still he wasn’t Charlie. So she broke down and took him to the animal ER (Oh, the horror of those trips). The ER vet told her he had something 6 inches long stuck in his stomach. He would have to operate to get it out. There really wasn’t a question whether or not to do it (her pocket book begs to differ, I’m sure).

The surgery was a success. Charlie is back and recovering quickly. 5 inch long incision on his tummy and all. What a champ!

So what was stuck in his tummy? A sock. My sister’s sock. You can bet she won’t be leaving those lying around the house anymore.

The workers at the vet loved Charlie. 

During his recovery stay, they let him eat lunch with them in their breakroom,

made him smell all pretty,

and sent him home in this adorble bandana

(which wasn't there for long...Skyler and Jason said it wasn't 'manly' enough)

livin' on saltines and gatorade

I was sick this past week. Real sick. Like 103 degree fever (that I couldn’t break), body aches, can’t keep anything inside me sick. For 5 days I was like this. I can’t remember the last time I was sick. Like most people, I hate being sick. You miss out on so much being sick. Yoga, running, favorite tv shows, General Relief Society President of my church speaking to my stake, church, being social…

What I didn’t miss out on, though, was noticing how much my husband cares for me. Early morning grocery store runs, late night grocery store runs, cooked for me (which isn’t any different than any other time), checking up on me several times a day while he was at work to make sure I was getting fluids, eating something, feeling a little better. He took the dogs on their walks alone, took Abbi outside in the middle of the night. He made sure I was as comfortable as I could be, had everything I wanted and needed, and most importantly, he didn’t complain once while I complained with all my whininess. He rubbed my back often and told me he was sorry that I was sick.

Yes, I know I am so blessed. Gordon is the man of my dreams, and then more. I just keep falling more in love with him everyday. He makes me want to be sick again…

strange things happen on our runs

In our attempt to enjoy the beautiful warm weather (funny that in the winter going into spring time you think 50 degrees is warm, but in the summer going into fall time 50 degrees is cold) my sister-in-law, Jodi, and I decided to run outside yesterday. Running outside is so much more enjoyable than running around and around an indoor track at our gym. Time goes by much quicker, and I get a much better cardio workout (love those hills).

I’ve decided that when we run outside, the weirdoes come out. I’m pretty sure we will both forever remember the flashing incident last summer. And although not as memorable, I’m sure we’ll both remember the cop that stopped us, asked us if we had found any money while we were running (which we hadn’t; like Jodi told him “we’re just not that lucky”), then gave us a very weird smirk as to suggest to us that he was kidding and possibly even flirting with us…And to think, we both thought he was going to tell us something worthwhile, maybe even to help us stay extra safe. That is what cops are for right?

By the way, he was a legit cop. He was in a city police car with all the markings, had a partner following him also in a city police car with all the markings, he didn’t get out of the car or anything, and we had seen both of their cars earlier on during our run. We play it safe…I’m equipped with pepper spray and know how to use it.

so much better in person

Last Monday I practiced yoga and abs at my in-law's house with my sister-in-law, Jodi, and her boyfriend, Trevor.

It was good, but not as good as the real thing. Live. In person. In a classroom setting with mirrors all around you. No 1990’s dvd in the living room.

Monday night yoga is my favorite. Kathy, the instructor, kicks my butt (and abs and legs and arms...) each time. I love it.

I’m a yogi for life.

the most important meal of the day

Breakfast of course. During the week I never eat breakfast at home. I can’t seem to wake myself up any earlier than necessary, so there’s never time for breakfast at home so I just take something and eat at work. It’s never anything fancy. Usually just fruit and yogurt, or oatmeal. Today was different. Today, Gordon made me breakfast. On a weekday. Whole wheat English muffin, Morningstar sausage patty (its fake meat & the only sausage I like), fresh cut up peppers, and an egg. Egg muffin sandwich. It was scrumptious.

Thanks husband. You are the best.