Did you hear?

Shawn Johnson will be in the upcomming season of Dancing with the Stars (Season premiere March 9).

So fun!

Valentine's Weekend

Friday afternoon - I attempted to make one last batch of jam, this time from the Strawberry Puree that I've had for the past few months. I'm not sure if it was because it was puree and not the actual full strawberry, but it turned out more like strawberry syrup (bummer!)

Friday evening - Brant and I made homemade Valentine's cookies and frosting...which didn't exactly turn out the prettiest (in fact, maybe I'm embarrased to include this photo) but when Brant announced he was done with icing his cookies, I couldn't help but smile when I turned and saw his artwork...Can you tell which cookies he did? Here's a hint- one of them has to do with airplanes.

Saturday afternoon - Mama Harrison was in town from Texas and took us all out to Tucanos for Valentines (yum!). Then we hit up the road to Heber for a nice early evening drive (wish I had taken a pic to show pops the good times he missed).

Sunday morning - Kyle and Amanda were in town from Vegas and came over for breakfast (it was nice to know that I could actually use that strawberry syrup for waffles...) P.S. If you live in the Vegas area and get the chance, pick up a bag of Nutty Guys candy/ nuts- it's what Kyle is up to as a distributor down there.

Sunday evening - My cousins Jenna and Chelsea that are going to BYU dropped by for dinner and brought a surprise visitor- my Aunt Julie from Georgia! Julie's getting ready for an upcomming marathon (I was almost embarrased to bring up that Brant and I will be running in a 5K next month. So puny compared to a marathon!)

Week One - Completed

When I was around high school age, I felt like I needed more general discipline in my life. I even kind of fantazied about enrolling in a bootcamp (I didn't necessarily want to join the military, just wanted to complete the bootcamp. I guess call me crazy).

And then, for the past couple of years, I have heard about various fitness boot camps going on in the area. I loved the idea of them, but didn't really get a chance to enroll.

Until now.

And it rocks.

I actually bid for this bootcamp online (making it a fraction of the price it normally is) and started this past Monday. It's 30 training days - 5 days per week - one hour per day.

After seeing photos on their website, Brant was a little worried about my enthusiam to do such a thing. Rest assured- this bootcamp is a franchise and has a few different locations throughout Salt Lake and Utah County. The location in Utah County (Pleasant Grove) has a female instructor that's a little less intimadating (she doesn't wear the camo and boots at least), but is just as motivating.

During your entire first week you get to wear a 30 pound vest (they call it hell week where they even let you do these really special excercises that leave your muscles tired for a loooong time...and then you graduate at the end of the week and no longer have to wear the vest).

I'll keep you posted on the progess.

Some advice...

Don't fix it unless its broken!!

Last December (about a week before Christmas) I let my dentist convince me to replace three of the silver fillings I had on my upper teeth with white ones. He said that it was probably a good time to do it since in the xrays he could see build up starting to form on the inside of the filling. It had never bothered me before (meaning that I had never had pain in those teeth), but he had been trying to convince me fore a year and a half to do it before I finally took the bait.

Good idea?

I think not.

This morning I got back from having my second root canal done as a result of those fillings (something about the new fillings being too deep and aggravating my tooth). This root canal wasn't on the same tooth as the first root canal, but the one next to it. And just my luck- the Endodontist thinks that I may have one more tooth that will need a root canal just to get back to the original state my just perfectly fine teeth were in before my primary dentist started all the re-doing of the silver fillings nonsense.

So. Don't fix it unless its broken (i.e. causing you pain the first place). AND- if you need a dental procedure (or any medical procedure for that matter) go to a specialist like an Endodontist and not just a general dentist.

Good grief.

One of our favorite things to do

Is to host (or go to) dinner parties- not big fancy ones, but in my defination usually include 4 to 6 people. It gives me the opportunity to work on my culinary skills, as well as catching up and socializing with friends. Last night my old roomate Dene (DuH-nAy) and her husband Mike came over (and stayed for 4 hours!). We had soft shelled tacos (tacos are my fad lately), CremeBrulee courtsey of Dene, and shared lots of thoughts and good discussions (hence the 4 hours- we didn't even get to the dough and baking of the Valentine's cookies we had planned).

Topics we talked about:

(1) Extreme hiking survival stories (like this one)

(2) If our spouse passed away, would we want to die with them (haha- thanks to Dene for that topic. Such a morbid conversation!)

(3) Thoughts on financially supporting children in college

(4) Bridge engineering (Mike is graduating with a masters in Civil Engineering this year).

(5) Working out (I start my fitness bootcamp today and it will last for the next 30 days).

(6) Other fun topics that have slipped my mind at the moment

Ironic

I saw this on DVD for the first time while making a second batch of jam tonight. Did anyone else find that some parts of this movie are extremely similar to the BYU/ BYUI scene (as I remember it)?

It was a cross between making me laugh and wanting to throw something at the TV (from the decisions and commets the characters in the story were making).

Midnight Madness

That's what the Macey's grocery store in Provo called their 4 hour sale this evening. And let me tell you- it was MADNESS. I'm all about making a buck stretch (especially when it comes to groceries) but when pretty much everyone in Utah county is at the same grocery store at once, I want out....I escaped with only 1/3 of the things I had mapped out to get before hand (all the grocery carts were taken and its all I could hold in my arms)- but that was enough for me.

P.S. The next (free) Savvy Shopper class is going to be Tuesday, February 17, 2009 from 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM at the North Orem Macey's. I have an extra ticket if there's anyone out there who's ever wanted to go to a class like this (and that lives in the Utah County area- these classes fill fast. Like within 12 hours. And I just want someone to sit next to). This super savvy shopper woman teaches you how to save an average of 50-80% over retail prices using coupons. I went a couple years ago and it was worth it - and they sometimes give away cool free stuff (like a canned food rotator for your cupboard).

Weekend Highlights

Saturday Evening - ate at Chuck-A-Rama. For some reason, I hear people often refer to it as "up-chuck-a-rama" but I don't know what they're talking about. I'll say it loud and proud- I LOVE this place!

Saturday Night - finally went and saw Twilight. It was definately better money spent than on Paul Blart Mall Cop that we watched earlier this week (I think Paul Blart was made for Redbox).

Sunday Evening- had Rissa and John over for dinner. I made pulled pork tacos in the crock pot (Brant helped with the tortillas that we made from scratch). Chalk another one up for this domestic queen :)

(Since everyday is kind of like a weekend for me now, I don't have nearly as many exciting things to post about when the actual weekend does come around...)

Ta-da!

With my friend Joleen's help last night, I was finally able to make jam! This batch was raspberry. Next week's batch will be blackberry. Yum! (Don't mind the ribbon bows that badly need to be cut shorter...)

Our (un) successful trip to The Price is Right

Monday, January 26:

5am (Mountain Time) - Kristen wakes up to finish last minute details for the day's trip and gets ready
6am (Mountain Time)- Brant wakes up & gets ready
6:30am (Mountain Time) - left for SLC airport
10:30am (Pacific Time)- arrive at LAX airport
11:30am (Pacific Time)- arrive at CBS studio for the 1pm taping
11:40am - Find out that people have been waiting since 4am that morning to stand in line for the 1pm taping. Continue to stand in line for arrival passes for the next (and last) 4pm taping.
1:00pm (Pacific Time) - CBS starts calling numbers to start processing for the 4pm taping.
1:45pm (Pacific Time) - Still waiting for our number to be called.
1:46pm (Pacific Time) - CBS announces that there is no seats left in the studio.

What the heck?! We had gotten our 'tickets' from online. I knew that it wasn't confirmed seating and that you had to be there early. But 4am??? Thanks a lot CBS - next time try giving out less tickets so people don't get their hopes up.

2:00pm - (Pacific Time) - regroup and think of how to kill time before our 7:30pm shuttle and flight back to Salt Lake.
2:05pm - (Pacific Time) - find a nearby movie theater and watch the next movie showing - "Paul Blart- Mall Cop"
2:45pm - Wonder if this was the best way to spend our time in LA and use of $19.95
4:oopm - movie (finally) ends. Spotted a Johnny Rockets and grabbed some dinner
4:45pm- shuttle back to LAX and flight back to Salt Lake
11:00pm - (Mountain Time) - arrive back home in Orem.

Our worhtless 'order of arrival' passes

Oh, well....You win some, you lose some, right?? At least a day is the sun is a day won! (so great to get out of the cold and snow for a day!)

**For info on how you too can get free worthless tickets to the Price is Right, visit here

Weekend Highlight

Watching this year's Miss America televised live from Las Vegas. I headed over to Rissa's place since she gets cable and the TLC channel it was on (Brant was on a trip- I don't think he minded that he missed out on this...) So fun to eat, gab, and do our predictions (Rissa called Miss Indiana out as the winner from the start- and I predicted that Georgia would place in the top 2. We were both right).

Last year, the Miss America Organization gave out $340,000 in scholarships (about the same given out this year- and this was just at the national level. Even more is awarded at the local levels).

Love it.

Congratulations Salt Lake City

For being rated the #1 fittest city in America by Healthy Living

Hair Cutting Time

(No before photos- only after)

So stoked

For my Ball Home Canning Basics Kit to arrive this week. Until then, I'll be in the kitchen continuing development of my limited domestic skills. We also just today ordered a replacement piece for our bread maker that was lost during our move. Next after canning jam- making bread from scratch with our new wheat grinder and improved bread maker... yee-haw!

Hearthside Slippers

On Saturday night Brant and I went bowling at the local alley (his bro AK that's going to BYU met up with us and brought some of his friends). Never mind that Brant and I tied with the highest score of 119- on the next lane over I noticed a super cute girl with the most darling shoes/ slippers I have seen in months. After she said she got them from LL Bean (I asked as she was leaving) I hurried home and got online to find them.

So sad that they are all sold out (in my size)!

Upcoming Event

Sitting in the studio audience watching lucky/ wild people win fantastic prizes on The Price is Right! We're not holding our breath that either one of us will be picked to 'Come on Down' but are still excited to go!

P.S. I've joined Facebook (my world is now complete) and am having a hayday finding old classmates and roomates/ mission buddies/ friends. If I haven't found you yet, come find me! I'm under Kristen Wilson Harrison.

HGTV Dream Home Giveaway

I was visiting here and came across this sweet giveaway: a home in Sonoma California with all the inside decor. Go here to enter (once daily until February 19th). And if you win, we get to live with you :)

Tonight

I christened my shiny red Kitchen Aid.

By making home-made butter.

What a mess it left over!

Other domestic things I accomplished this week: cooked potato soup (which we ate in bread bowls), cooked quiche lorraine, cooked home made chili and cornbread, and made a casserole. Look at me go!!

I have NOT sat around and watched soaps. Well, maybe I did once this week.

Did you Know?

Tonight, our analog TV that we get about 4 chanels on (2 of them in Spanish) went from looking like this
to a crystal clear reception with 20 more chanels - after we hooked up our TV converter. Who knew that you didn't have to wait until the switch over to digital in February to install the converter to get a good TV picture now?? (we received our government issued credit and have had our converter for a few weeks now). Oh, the simple things in life. Thanks for the tip, Sugi!

Almost done unpacking

Moving from the north to the south side of town is more work than I anticipated! We really don't have much junk, but I still made a couple goals for this last little while of our apartment living.

Resolution #1: Purge all items from our possesion that we haven't used in the past year.

Resolution #2: To avoid any clutter for the remaining duration of our apartment living, not to purchase anything that isn't necessary for basic survival.