Three Years

Three years ago today I was in a state of complete shock. After eighteen months of living a sheltered, scheduled life I was suddenly thrown back into the real world: I was home from my mission!

My mission was one of the greatest times of my life. I met some absolutely AMAZING people and my testimony of the Savior was strengthened in ways I never could have imagined.
I fell in love with Heather Bray and her family the first time I met them. I had been out in the mission field just one week when the bishop sent my companion and I over to meet them. Her husband, Loren, was at work when I took my parents to meet them. The reason both of our faces are red is because we had been crying at saying goodbye.
Adam was one of the most amazing miracles I experienced as a missionary. My companion and I had been praying for someone to teach when he called and said, "I would like to be baptized. Can you teach me everything I need to know so I can be baptized in two weeks?" The experience truly taught me that the Lord ABSOLUTELY answers the prayers of the faithful.
The McCormick boys - Ivan, Krys, and Donnie - were the last people who were baptized before I returned home. The boys had had a tough life, but they were resilient. Krys (in the blue and white shirt) had the sweetest spirit and such a desire to learn the gospel; Ivan (in the green shirt) was incredibly intelligent and had a great understanding of everything we taught; Donnie resisted the gospel at first, but deep within he truly had a desire obey the Lord's will. All of the Elders serving in the Lafayette Ward, along with a member of the bishopric whose name I've forgotten, were there to support the baptism.
All the missionaries in my "Go-Home" group got to attend the temple the night before we were released. It was a great way to finish!

I will always be grateful for the experiences I had on my mission, it was an eighteen months I wouldn't trade for anything. On the other hand, the past three years have been amazing. In three years I've had the opportunity to complete my school work, make amazing friends, work at a law firm (and decide against law school), and start writing a book. I truly believe that all these experiences were enhanced by or happened because of my mission. I can't wait to see what five or ten more years will bring!

The Sundial

Growing up in the suburb of Alpharetta, my family rarely ventured downtown. We would go downtown for Braves Games or once in a great while to attend the Fox Theater, but we would go straight to our event and then leave immediately after. If we went out to eat before one of these events, we ate at in Alpharetta at places we frequented like Olive Garden or Red Robin, that's kind of the suburban family lifestyle.

The mid-twenties single lifestyle, however, is totally different. It is fun to branch out and try fancy and funky restaurants with my friends - restaurants that are one of a kind and have actual chefs. I don't splurge at expensive restaurants too often, but Tuesday night I REALLY splurged at The Sun Dial.

For those of you not from Atlanta, The Sun Dial is located on the top three floors of the Westin Peachtree Plaza, the tallest hotel in the western hemisphere. The tables sit on a conveyor belt of sorts that rotates along the outside edge of the circular restaurant, allowing diners a 360 degree view of the city. To get to the restaurant, diners ride an exterior glass elevator (my friend KayLa did not know this and she does not do well with heights) and the view is exquisite! When we first stepped into the elevator, all we could see was the hotel across the street. After a few stories, the hotel across the street disappeared but there were several skyscrapers still blocking the horizon. Just a for more seconds, however, and all of a sudden all of the other buildings disappeared and we could see EVERYTHING!

Not a great picture, but this is when the elevator was about halfway up.

Once we arrived at the restaurant, the view was unbelievable! I have always loved how green Atlanta is and from the top Atlanta was like a sea of trees with just a small smattering of buildings and trees. We could see all the Atlanta landmarks and into the suburbs. The funniest thing, though, was the fact that there was a grasshopper clinging to the outside of one of the windows. A grasshopper, how do you think he got there?

The lump in the background is Stone Mountain
Turner Stadium looks so small.

The view was not the only thing that made the night enjoyable, the company was great and the food was DIVINE. Two of my friends from the ward, Ben and Tina, moved to Atlanta in May or June and Ben left today to return to BYU-I and Tina is going to Ukraine for a semester abroad. They each had a goal of truly experiencing Atlanta, so we went to the Sun Dial as a final adventure before they left.

Tina, Sara, Ben, and myself waiting in the lounge before we were seated (Mira took the picture and KayLa had not arrived yet)

Mira has more pictures of the food, I will post them when I get them, but it was beautiful and delicious.
We did not order a full meal, that would have set us back about $75 or more a person. We ordered appetizers (as entrees) and dessert. It was a difficult choice, but I ordered shrimp cakes (above) with fried green tomatoes and watermelon salsa. Sometimes seafood cakes can be too dry, but these were perfectly moist and the flavor of cilantro and onion mixed with the watermelon was unexpectedly mouthwatering.

If you are ever in Atlanta a want to go out for a fancy desserts, the desserts are well worth the $8 and you don't have to have a reservation for a table, you can order them in the lounge. Between the six of us we had four desserts and we all tasted each others. Mira and I shared the Chocolate Royal which was a layered chocolate mousse with vanilla streusel and dark chocolate ganache. We were a little worried it would be too heavy, but it was fluffy and melted in my mouth. Of the four desserts we ordered, Tina's Vanilla Bean Creme Brulee was probably the best (I still liked mine best though, if that makes sense, because I am fully committed to chocolate over vanilla). Just thinking about it makes my mouth water.

It was practically a perfect night with friends and a great way to say goodbye to Ben and Tina before each sets off on a new adventure. So, if you are looking for someplace chic and unique to eat in Atlanta, I highly recommend the Sun Dial (please don't judge me for my stupid pun, I couldn't resist)!

ROAD TRIP!!!

I LOVE a good road trip and will jump at most opportunities to take one. My good friends John Murphy and Rachel Parker were married in the Orlando, Florida Temple on Thursday and I really wanted to be there so my friends Jenna Kimble, Laura Bain, and I piled into the car and headed down.

We left Atlanta on Wednesday afternoon after Jenna and Laura got off work and arrived in Orlando around midnight. A seven hour drive really isn't bad when you have good company. Jenna serenaded us with her ukulele, we played the license plate game, and we rocked out to James Taylor and The Beatles. We spent the night with Rachel and her family. The next morning we all enjoyed talking to Rachel and helping as she got ready for her big day.

The Orlando Temple is absolutely beautiful inside and out!

Waiting for John and Rachel to come out of the temple -
somehow I missed the black and white memo.

The happy couple coming out of the temple.

I love the way Rachel is looking at John in this one.

With the beautiful bride.

Jenna was the one who set them up!

John and Rachel were married at 9:30 so we were done by about 11:00 (their reception was not until Saturday back home in Atlanta). We didn't want to just turn around and go home so we headed over to Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure. I wouldn't recommend going the week before the summer season starts (several rides were closed for maintenance, the park is only open until seven, and just about every eighth grade class in the state of Florida was there celebrating middle school graduation), but we had a great time and got to ride most things we wanted to ride at least once. Plus, I love people watching at places like that! I am fascinated by the way people interact with each other, the kids who think they can outsmart everyone else and cut in line, and the little things people do when they think nobody is watching. Our six hours in the park provided lots of entertaining people watching!

Jenna's friend Michael lives in Gainesville so he drove down to hang out with us for the day.

Jenna wasn't sure if she was tall enough to ride Men in Black.

Laura and I waiting for the Spider-Man Ride - Everybody looks cool in 3-D glasses!

Jenna and Laura waiting in a line.

By the time we got to our hotel Thursday Night, we were all exhausted. I don't know what time Jenna and Laura fell asleep but I fell asleep around 10:00. We woke up in the morning and went to the temple then headed out at about 11:00. I had such a great time, I am always game for a mini-vacation!

General Conference

It's that time again - General Conference! For those of you not familiar with the LDS Church, every six months (the first weekend of April and October) we hold General Conference instead of our regular Sunday services. Conference is broadcast worldwide from Salt Lake and we receive instructions from the Prophet and other leaders of the church. I love General Conference and look forward to it each year.

The speakers are not assigned topics, they each pray about it and select a topic but there always appears to be a theme. This year the majority of the speakers spoke on the importance of home and family. At least three or four mentioned that attending church classes should supplement not replace teaching in the home. Several speakers also quoted from the Proclamation to the World. In a world where the family unit is crumbling it is so important to remember that the family is the most important foundation influence in a child's life.

I love when General Conference falls on Easter because we have the opportunity to hear the prophet and apostles share their testimonies of the atonement. So many of the speakers bore powerful testimony of the Lord's love for us and the fact that we will live again because Jesus Christ suffered for our sins, died and the cross, and was resurrected. I know this to be true and I love hearing other people who also know it to be true.

General Conference really makes for a perfect weekend; my testimony is strengthened each time and there is nothing more important that that!

Grandma Roos

As today is Saint Patrick's Day I feel it is only appropriate to write about a person by the name of Margaret Lorraine Teresa Francis Dooley (Roos). Okay, so Roos might not be so Irish, but it was her married name.

Grandma is probably the one person I am most like: I inherited her stubbornness, her love of books and history, and her Irish temperament. People often see the picture we have on our wall of her in her mid-twenties and immediately comment that I look like her. I always take it as a compliment.

Grandma truly lived the American Dream. She was born in Butte, Montana on 14 May 1921. Nobody really knows what happened to her father (she was told he went out to buy a pack of cigarettes when her mother was eight months pregnant and never came back, but due to other facts we've found that story doesn't exactly hold water) and her mother spent many years as an invalid before dying in 1937. Grandma was mostly raised by her older sister Mae and Mae's husband, Hanks. Grandma had a love of learning and a strong desire to get out of Butte and see the world, so she decided to become a military doctor. Her brothers, like most people in Butte, were mine workers but one sold everything he could to pay for her nursing school tuition. She wanted to apply for med school but was turned away because she was poor, an orphan, and a woman.

After completing nursing school, Grandma joined the Army and headed for Heidleberg, Germany where she was one of the many nurses who cared for General Patton in his final days. It was in Heidleberg that she fell in love with one of her patients, John Keith Roos, a young officer from Utah; they were married in 1948 in Salt Lake City.

Both Grandma and Grandpa returned to school at the University of Utah using the GI Bill and Grandma received a degree in English. They had only one child, my dad, and they settled into a split-level home in a friendly neighborhood Murray, Utah. Grandma was the quintessential 1950's housewife as well as an amazing military officer's wife. She never worked outside the home, but she managed the household as a pro. She was an amazing cook! She was not a fancy cook, but she made killer versions of all the standard comfort foods: meatloaf, spaghetti, tuna casserole, and cream potatoes with peas. Desserts were really her specialty: Devil's Food Cake, Creme Puffs, Turtle Cake, and Cranberry Muffins with Caramel Sauce. When we lived in Utah we ate Sunday Dinner with them each week and she ALWAYS made dessert.

Grandma was never a person to just casually like somebody. If she liked you, she LOVED you and considered you a dear friend (if she didn't like you, then that's a different story - I said in the beginning she was STUBBORN). She was an amazing mother and Grandmother because I always knew how much she loved me, no matter what.

I could go on for ages about Grandma, but it's late so I guess I have to draw the line somewhere. As I said earlier she lived the American Dream. She began her life as the daughter of a poor immigrant family working in a mining town and she completed her life living in a comfortable et modest home with a husband who adored who and friends who would have done just about anything for her - what more can one ask for? Grandma left an amazing legacy in the world and I hope I can live up to it!

A New Approach to Blogging

I really want to be a great blogger and have a blog people feel is worth reading, but I often get stuck in a rut. I either think I have nothing exciting to write about, or I start a post but never publish it because I can't make it perfect. But from now on, no more excuses!

I am a big believer that we our shaped by those we love. Parents, siblings, friends, co-workers, extended family, teachers, etc all help to make us who we are. I feel like I sometimes fail to express gratitude or even recognize those who have helped me reach where I am now. From now on, whenever I think I have nothing to write about I am going to write about someone who has touched my life for good (I don't believe in cyber-bashing, so I pledge to say only good things about the people I write about). Hopefully my readers will feel like this is a blog worth reading.

Devil's Food Cake

I am determined to perfect this cake. My Grandma Roos was famous for her desserts and Devil's Food was one of her specialties. She used to make this for my dad, her "Little Keesie" all the time and it is one of his favorite desserts. The problem was, my Grandma always made the cake as a surprise so nobody ever watched her make it. When she passed away nine years ago, we thought the recipe was gone with her. About two years ago we found the recipe on a card in her recipe box and a few months ago my mom joked that if I really wanted my dad to make me a wooden shoe shelf (because he spends all his woodworking time making toys for the grandbabies) I should learn to make this cake, so I decided to try.

Some recipes are easy - you just do what it says. This cake is not one of those recipes. If the water is not the right temperature, it won't turn out; if the oven shelf is in the wrong position, it won't turn out; if the butter and sugar are not perfectly creamed, it won't turn out. These are all tricks Grandma had perfected but never shared because she never taught anyone to make the cake. The boiled frosting isn't any easier. You heat egg whites, corn syrup, and sugar over a double boiler until the sugar is dissolved (under cooking means grainy frosting and raw egg white, overcooking means all the unpleasantness of burnt sugar), then you have to beat it until it is just the right consistency (not long enough makes it runny, too long and it becomes a giant marshmallow).

I have made this cake three times so far. It gets closer each time, but I still haven't perfected it. I made the cake for a Stake Relief Society Meeting last week and it was okay, but not great. It was a little dry and I had to ice it before it was completely cool so the peaks on the icing were saggy. Thelady in front of me in line looked at the cake and (without tasting it) said, "Who would put Fluff on a chocolate cake. That's a little disgusting." I just had to bite my tongue.

If anyone would like to be a test dummy with this cake, let me know. If I eat all of my practice cakes I will end up shaped like it!

A Perfect Saturday

Woke up, made homemade bagels, went on a walk with my mom and Anastasia, made new friends (and by that I mean I waved awkwardly at Anastasia's friends in Russia as she was Skyping with them), made a Devil's Food cake, and enjoyed an amazing Stake Women's Conference. It was a perfectly relaxing without feeling overly lazy. Top it off with a great Fast and Testimony meeting, a nice "family" dinner with the Gregorys and a kids from the ward, and the Oscar and it was an almost perfect weekend.

Dear Winter

Dear Winter:

Thank you for visiting this year, but you can go now. I enjoyed the January snowfall and the February snowfall, but it is now March and I don't want anymore snow.
Tell Spring that everyone in Georgia is anxiously awaiting her arrival.

Sincerely,
Rachel

So Proud!

This little lady is one of the loves of my life (she's making a funny face in the bottom picture and has chocolate all over her lips, but it's my favorite recent picture of the two of us). When I found out I was getting a niece, I could not wait to teach her everything I know. Over the last two years I have taught her love frosting and jello, the art of great water fight, and how to sound like a snake.

I have been proud every time she has learned a new trick, but tonight topped it all! Ensley doesn't really like bedtime, so Lisa and Evan have a rule that if she gets out of bed her babies go to timeout for the rest of the night. Tonight, after about an hour and a half after putting her to bed, Lisa went to check on Ens and found her reading a book with a flashlight! Lisa wasn't pleased, but Ens never got out bed. She was obeying the rule.

Now, I may not have "taught" her this trick, but I am sure she gets it from me. Maybe it can be taught telepathically or something because I don't know how many times I stayed up with a flashlight (once my mom even found me hiding in the walk-in-closet because it had better light). I can't wait to see what this girl comes up with next!

I can admit to being wrong

I am not very good at being wrong. I know that most people dislike being wrong, but I REALLY hate it! It has taken me fifteen years to admit that giving up piano lessons was a mistake, but I have recently admitted to it. I feel regret every time somebody asks for a volunteer to play the piano at church or when I see someone sit down to play just because they enjoy it.

Now that I have admitted I was wrong, I have decided to fix it. I started piano lessons to day and I am so excited. I don't ever plan on being a concert pianist, but I will be happy if I can play a hymn in church when needed. I'll let you know how it goes.

Conference Weekend

This weekend was amazing! For those of you not familiar with the LDS Church, this weekend was general conference weekend. Twice a year (the first weekend of April and the first weekend of October), instead of having regular church we have an international conference broadcast from Salt Lake (the church headquarters). Over the course of the two day conference, the Prophet and many other international church leaders speak to the world and give us council that we need for today. None of the speakers are given topics, they each pray about it to decide what they Lord would have them say to the world.

My parents, several friends, and I spent the weekend at the cabin because we have a satellite dish and can watch it on TV. I love being up at the cabin and it is nice to watch Conference there because there are so few distractions. There were several quotes I loved and want to apply to my life:

"We don't need to know more, we need to do more of the things we know to be right." -Elder David A. Bednar

"Don't intend to be the one to help, be the one to help." President Thomas S. Monson

"Learning and teaching are not optional activities in the kingdom of God." -Elder Osguthorpe

Yellow Daist Festival

Stone Mountain Park hosts the Yellow Daisy Festival the second weekend of September each year. It is a HUGE arts and crafts show with hundreds of different artists who bring everything from hot chocolate mixes to woodworking.

Growing up, I went every year with my mom, my sister, and our friend Denise. My mom bought Christmas gifts for her parents and my dad's parents every year - things like an old PO box turned into a bank or hand-carved drop-baskets with the Nativity scene carved into the top. We have also acquired a lot of stuff for ourselves over the years including carved picture frames, dolls, and holiday decorations. My favorite part is seeing the types of things people come up with.

I haven't been in Georgia in September since I graduated high school and my mom and Denise haven't been to the Yellow Daisy Festival since then either, though I'm not sure why. Well, this year we started talking about it back in June so we were really exciting to go yesterday. We saw some really fun ideas like swings made out of old, cut tires. They even had different designs-a classic seat swing, a rocking horse, and a hammock-style swing. My favorite idea, however, was turning old windows into shadow box tables and bulletin boards. I have been redecorating my bedroom and looking for a unique wall hanging (pictures to come of my bedroom once I am done). I also wanted a jewelry box, but haven't found anything I liked. This booth solved both those problems. I now have a unique, artsy wall hanging and instead of a jewelry box, I found something better.

My beautiful wall hanging. That's a real window frame, glass panes and all, with a fabric covered bulletin board hinged to the back. I love it! I think it has a timeless look to it.
My jewelry keeper. The slats hold earrings and their are hooks on the side and bottom (it's hard to see them in the picture) for necklaces and bracelets. I love it because it is different without being strange or tacky.

My mom also found several fun things. Here are my favorite treasures she found.
It has a bear, so we clearly needed it. We need to find pictures to put in the large letters and my dad wants to try to make a frame for it, but we already know exactly where we want to hang it.
We had to buy this for my sister. Anyone who knows her will agree that she simply needs it, there is no other explanation.

Labor Day Weekend

I never fully appreciated three-day-weekends until I started working a full-time job, but now I think they are AMAZING! We spent a great weekend as a family at the cabin. My parents and I left after work so we arrived early in the evening; Lisa, Evan, and the kids left after Evan got off work and it's about a five hour drive for them so they arrived around midnight.

Poor Swiper put up with lots of "love" from my favorite two-year-old. Ensley carried her around, smothered her with hugs and kisses, rocked her to sleep sing lullabies, and chased her through the house the entire weekend. We tried really hard to save her, but Ens kept insisting, "Kitty wuv me! She want to pay wif me!" Ens tried really hard to be gentle, but she's two. We were constantly reminding her not to pull the tail, not to "hug" her too tightly, and if Swiper went into her kennel it was "nap time." Despite all the abuse, Swiper was so good with Ens. She never once snarled or clawed, even when she was being dragged out of her kennel by her tail. I see a life-long friendship being formed.

Receiving a little "love."
"Wock-a-bye, Kitty, in da twee tops. . ."
Best Friends.

Just a few minutes ago Ens called my mom crying. She was so upset she could barely talk but she kept saying, "I miss the kitty!" I think Lisa and Evan may need to get a cat eventually.

While Ens was chasing the cat, my mom, Lisa, and I had a very productive weekend. We have spent the last several months trying to make the cabin our own. While we love the way it was decorated, there were two main things we knew we wanted to change. The TV cabinet was literally falling apart and the kitchen table just didn't fit with the rest of the decor and was a little too big for the cove it sits in. We have a small kitchen my parents have had there entire marriage that has been sitting in our basement for the last several years and our friends the Gregorys gave us their old armoir because they had redone their living room. Both the table and the armoir are really nice pieces of furniture, but the finishes were a little dated so decided to paint them. I wish I had before and afters, but I didn't think about it until after we had started painting, so I will just have to post before and afters of the room. The armoir was originally a white-washed color and the table was a dull brown.

The old dining room table in the middle of the kitchen with the island in the alcove.
We switched the island and the table, then we painted the legs and chairs to match the curtains.
The old TV cabinet that could barely support the weight of the TV.
The newly refinished armoir. We are going to sand the edges a little to give it a distressed look, but we wanted to wait a while to make sure it is completely dry. Also, the door handles really are even, but one door is open slightly.

I am so pleased with the results; I think they really enhance the look of the room.

We didn't spend the entire weekend painting; we went to church on Sunday, we were able to see some friends of ours who have a cabin about two miles from ours, and we had a bonfire. Ens is a huge fan of s'mores (she gets that from me), but I'm not sure how much of her s'more actually made it into her mouth.


My little man is getting so big. He is a generally happy baby and he loves to talk and flirt with anyone who will talk to him.

I love it in Blairsville. If it weren't for that pesky job I have, I would spend every day up there.

Swiper

My mom has been wanting a cat for a while, so yesterday we got one and she is TROUBLE. She is so cute but she is into EVERYTHING. She has already gotten herself stuck in several small places and taught the dogs who is boss. We named her Swiper (from Dora the Explorer because he is my neice's favorite character).

John and Sara Preston

I want to congratulate my cousin Sara and her husband John who were married on Thursday. Wish I could have been there, I love you guys!

Bearadise

This is my new favorite place on earth. In June, my parents bought a cabin in Blairsville in the North Georgia Mountains. I looked for a picture of the cabin from the outside but I guess we don't have one. I LOVE this place. The cabin came fully furnished and it is completely decorated in bears. If I could, I would spend all my time there. It has an amazing screened-in porch which looks down over the yard.

The porch is great during sunrise and sunset. Ensley loves to swing on that swing in the back. We've rocked her to sleep a few ways out there (Will is happy anywhere in the cabin as long as he is being cuddled).
The fire pit is another on of my favorite parts. We build a fire almost every night when we are up there and I don't even want to think about how many s'mores I have eaten in the past two months. Ensley likes "cooking" marshmallows and eating the chocolate, but the concept of s'more's hasn't quite set in yet. The pit is also nice to just sit around and talk. My brother and his friends built the best fire a few weeks ago, we melted 3 glass bottles in about 15 minutes. I took a group of friends up this weekend and we all sat around the fire talking until 2:30 in the morning. I don't know what it is, but fire pits bring people together.

I'll post more pictures of the cabin soon, I just need to get them off other people's cameras. If anyone wants to come out and visit, we'll go up there. There is tons of hiking, river rafting, and other outdoor stuff to do there. Like I said, it is my new favorite place..