Friday, March 25, 2011

Healthier desserts

Those who know me well know that I love desserts, especially chocolate.
Eating a lot of sweets definitely does not help me maintain my weight but the thought of giving them up forever often feels daunting and impossible. 

Ever since Amy shared with me her awesome recipe for pumpkin chocolate chip cookies I have been experimenting with lots of other recipes/combinations to make desserts (or snacks) healthier.
I wouldn't exactly call them health food but healthier food.

Time for me to get back to Weight Watchers, but if I can have these when I'm back where I want to be and a few pumpkin cookies on the way success will be that much sweeter!

Brownie recipe here.

Sunday, March 20, 2011

The whole wide world

 
It seems today that the count down begins...
...suddenly my time with this young lady is limited.
 
Time with her living under my roof, needing me in a daily pack your lunch, 
help with school projects, take me to the store kind of way that is. 

I suppose it always has been limited from the day she was born 
but somehow turning 16 begins the countdown. 

Being 16 means new freedoms and privileges
as well as greater responsibilities...

although it seems that she's been so very responsible for a long time already.

I truly hope we will always be close friends.
She has worked so hard, learned so much and come so far.
I am confident that she will continue in the same path and in doing so 
will discover a whole wide world opened up to her.

 HAPPY BIRTHDAY JENNIFER

 I love you!

This video was supposed to post with this... oops

Thursday, March 10, 2011

The rest of the story...

I can't tell you exactly how long Mark has had this philosophy on where Christian was going to be called on his mission but it seems like it's been a very long time. 
This is how it goes:

Mark was living in Minnesota when he got his mission call.
Straight down the US as south as you get from Minnesota - Louisiana, Baton Rouge.

Aaron went the the next country down, Mexico
as far South as you can go, Tuxtla Gutierrez.

Robbie when to Southern Brazil, 
to Santa Maria...
  
So Christian would of course be heading to Southern Argentina, 
or possibly southern Chile.

He totally hit the nail on the head!






The mission map is on the right.

We're not sure what to make of it all
except that maybe Heavenly Father is logical too...
or just has a great sense of humor
actually we are sure that both are right.

His  mission is quite large and diverse. A transfer by bus can take up to 24 hours.
Some transfers are done by plane. It includes very nice areas as well as very poor areas. 
Wind and mud are fairly constant throughout the mission, although the desert of Patagonia only gets 5" of rain annualy. He needs to bring a sleeping bag with a liner for his bedding and will likely stay in apartments as nice as our home to a 6x8 foot hut. Patagonia has animals not found anywhere else on the earth. Charles Darwin spent some time in Patagonia and said it was one of his favorite places. Temperatures in his mission range from 110f to 10 below. The Southern areas have a lot of snow, little sun in winter (our summer) and almost constant sun in the summer (our winter). There are beaches, mountains and desert, big cities and tiny villages. He will be speaking Spanish. He leaves July 6th.

Last night was fun, loud, joyful and completely amazing.
I feel incredibly happy and blessed
and a little hungover today.
I think I am going to take a nap.

Life is oh so good!

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

The call has arrived!

I can see it...
It's sitting on the countertop...

waiting

waiting for family and friends to gather tonight
waiting for it's recipient, 
Elder Christian Burton Zimbelman to arrive.
So that's what I'm doing too....
waiting
and that's what you'll have to do too...

Until tonight!

*Neuquen, Argentina*
reports to the MTC July 6th
Mark had it pegged... I'll post the story tomorrow.
WOW!