30 before 30

I made this list over 3 years ago.  It has changed a little, but it has been SO much fun to have this list!  I am so proud of all I have accomplished and all the FUN I've had!  

Here's to turning 30 in TEN days!!

1-Take the kids to Disneyland                                                 
DONE HERE
2- Run a ½ Marathon                                                               
DONE HERE
3- Have another child                                                              
DONE HERE
4-Do the Dirty Dash or some kind of Mud Run                      
DONE HERE
5- Go to the Festival of Colors                                                
DONE HERE
6- See “Wicked”                                                                      
DONE HERE   
7- Make a food using one ingredient I've never heard of.       
DONE HERE
8-Go to “The Forgotten Carols”                                              
DONE HERE
9- Master a song on the piano                                                  
DONE HERE
10- Buy new kitchen cabinets                                                  
DONE HERE
11- Get new living room furniture                                           
DONE HERE
12- Read a classic novel                                                          
DONE HERE
13- Do a DIY project                                                               
DONE HERE  and HERE
14- Do a day of service                                                            
DONE HERE
15- Go to the Hill Field Museum
DONE HERE
16-See the 2 headed lamb at the Daughters of Utah Museum
 DONE HERE
17- Invent a new recipe                                                          
DONE HERE
18- Do SOMETHING with our cement pad.                           
DONE HERE
19- Take the kids to the beach                                                
DONE HERE
20- Try a new food (a fig perhaps)                                          
DONE HERE and HERE
21- Try at least 3 new restaurants                                            
DONE HERE, HERE, HERE, and HERE
22- Update the main bathroom                                                
DONE HERE
23- Make a quilt                                      
DONE HERE
24- Finish my Personal Progress (for the 2nd time).  
DONE HERE
25- Get new bedding for bedroom .    
DONE HERE  
26- Try a challenging recipe                      
DONE HERE and HERE
27- Re-learn how to do a back-flip on the trampoline
DONE HERE
28- Write a children’s book (just for my kids)
DONE HERE
29- Go on an over-nighter with just Darin        
DONE HERE
30-Go to a show at Tuacahn                           
DONE HERE  


And, I know it may be unusual, but I loved this list so much, I made a 40 before 40 list--and I'll be posting it soon!!

Evening In Excellence -- STAND in Holy Places

Last night we had Evening in Excellence.
I’m the Personal Progress Advisor so I was really involved with this one.
I was in charge of all the decorations, I helped with the program, and helped make the food.

The theme was “Stand in Holy Places.”

So, we did a shoe theme.
I was really happy with the way the decorations turned out.

A BIG HUGE THANK YOU to....

 Rick, for donating all of the boxes!!  

 Kristy and Jess for loaning some of your shoes!

 Heather for watching my kids during the event!

and Darin, for taking care of the kids while I cut shoes!

This was our backdrop.
I think it looked cuter than the picture shows.
See all those shoes?
No…that wasn't a cricut!
That was hours of me cutting out individual shoes.  (I did over 70).

Oh, and that chandelier?
I cut that out by hand too!

For the centerpieces I covered shoe boxes with wrapping paper and placed a black high heel on top.

The shoes again…because it was a lot of work!

Some of the Stake Leaders.

The food table.  We had 7 different soups, salad, rolls, and dessert.

I made a pumpkin coconut curry soup.  Yum!

The program/menu.

I made a shoe for each girl to take home.

And here is the stage.  I like how this came together too.

Two of the girls doing their parts.  

 

Aren't these girls BEAUTIFUL!!?  I LOVE THEM!!!
Such an amazing group of Young Women!!

Three and a half years ago, when I was the Young Women’s President,
I told the girls that I’d get my award for the second time.  

I finally did it!!

It was fun to get my award with one of our favorite babysitters!!

I finally got #23 checked off my 30 before 30!!

#18- Do SOMETHING with our cement pad.

I got another thing checked off my 30 before 30.

18- Do SOMETHING with our cement pad.

After some discussions, we decided that the cement pad would be a good place to grow some grapes on a pergola.  

At the beginning of summer we went to a wedding reception that had a steel pergola.  We both LOVED it!  We brainstormed some ideas and took it to our welder....and luckily for us we have a welder in the family (Darin's brother, Chris), and he MADE it for us!!

He did an AWESOME job, if I do say so myself!!

I especially love the custom letters and grapes.  (D and H for Darin and Haylee).

And that thing is a BEAST to move!!  
Thanks for everyone's help moving it (Nate, Chris, Jon, and Rudy).

THANKS A MILLION 

Chris for making it for us!! 

 
WE LOVE IT!!!

#4- Do the Dirty Dash

Another 30 before 30 accomplished!

THE DIRTY DASH!!

It was SO MUCH FUN!

I laughed so hard.  I really have the best family ever!

I ran the race with my awesome brother Rick, and my two fantastic cousins McCall and Blake.

They really are all SO fabulous to have run this with me!

I think we need to make this a family tradition,

and hopefully we can get more of the family to join in.

And a special thanks to our photographer Darin (who has committed to running next year).

And a special thanks to my mom for cheering, making our banner, and watching my kids!

On to the pictures!

McCall, Rick, me, and  Blake

Aren't those mountains BEAUTIFUL!?

Coming down the slide!

My mom made us this awesome poster.

I LOVE this photo!  Just wish those three guys weren't there.

Running through the awesome poster mom made!

One last awesome group shot.

And if you want to see what the dirty dash is like...check this out!

I Got My Fig Fix!!

When I was in 3^rd grade, our Librarian read the book, “The Sweetest Fig” to us.  I LOVED that book!  The illustrations are beautiful, the story is well written, and it has a fun twist that I wasn’t expecting as an eight year old.

That was back in 1993, and since then I have wanting to try a fresh fig--almost 20 years!  

Well, Monday morning there was a knock on the door, with a zip lock back of fresh figs!  My sister bought a box from Costco and she kindly shared them with me!

We tried some raw, and then I found a recipe for “Blue Cheese Soufflé with figs and honey” so we decided to give that a try.  I’ve also wanted to make a soufflé for a long time, so this was a perfect time.  Let me tell you—they aren’t as difficult as people lead on.  The only hard part is getting a picture before it falls.  They are gorgeous right when they come out.  These pictures don’t do it justice.

So, here are some pictures of our fun with figs!  Thanks Heather for providing the figs!

My first fig!

The Blue Cheese Soufle!!  For the recipe click HERE.

Reading "The Sweetest Fig" and eating figs before bed.

#6- See “Wicked”

After 6+ years of waiting, and watching (what seemed to be) EVERYONE else going....

I FINALLY saw WICKED!!!!  

I was a little worried that it wouldn’t live up to my expectations, but is surpassed them!!  

Oh man!  It was SOOO good!! 

  I LOVE Kristin Chenoweth and Idina Menzel and was worried this cast wouldn’t compare,
but they were FABULOUS!!  Alli Mauzey as Glinda was hilarious!  

We were all in tears laughing so hard!  SO cute!!

We (my parents, my sister Heather, my SIL Heather, my SIL Kristy, and I) 

went out to dinner at the Olive Garden, where I “hoarded” all the food (ha ha) before the show.

Then we got a little pre-show photo.

And an after show photo with my tear washed make-up.

Oh, and also, check out these DARLING shoes with cookies
that my sister made us a few days before the show!

  SO CUTE!!  Thanks Heather!

Thanks Kristy for the tickets, and thanks Dad for lunch!
And thank you to Darin for watching the kids,
and then letting me come home to a sparkling clean house!

#2- Run a Half Marathon!

 Yes!  I did it!  That one feels good to have done!  A few months ago my friend Jana started training me for a half.  But a little while in she threw out her back L and we stopped running. 

Last week my sister in law, Kristy, convinced me to go up to Wyoming and run the Star Valley Half.  I debated, but finally gave in and did it (even though I hadn’t been running for almost a month).

Kristy’s sister (who is also my friend), Jess, (who is actually the one that got me started on this whole 30 before 30 thing), ran the race with us!

Kristy, Jess, and I all started out together, but then Jess and I finished it together.  Jessica is pretty much amazing (as in she runs two halfs a year) and she was WAY too nice to me!  She went at my pace the whole time, with a few exceptions when she got in the zone and got far ahead of me.  Then, when she saw that I was WAY behind her, she stopped and walked until I caught up! 

Mile 12 was pretty hard (ok REALLY hard), and I was barely hobbling along.  Then, right as we came around the last corner to the last stretch, the crowd started cheering, my power song came on, and I pushed the last stretch a little too hard—and I am REALLY sore today!

Posing for a picture on the left, then feeling light headed, and lost my balance on the right.

After the race we went back to the Bott cabin (more like the Bott mansion—it is huge and gorgeous!)  Kristy watched my kids while I took a long bath in their HUGE tub!  It felt SOO nice! THANK YOU KRISTY!! But I felt bad because Ben and Darin went golfing and got back before Kristy got to take a bath.  So I got a long bath and she got a quick shower.  Sorry Kristy!

We took the kids over to the pond for a little while, packed up, then headed home (with a stop on the way for some sushi).  It was a quick trip, but a fun one!

THANK YOU BEN AND KRISTY FOR EVERYTHING!!  

YOU GUYS ARE THE BEST!!