Can I please just take a second and tell you about one of my more recent "Favorite Things"? This is something I'm pretty passionate about.... so pay close attention. This may or may not change your life forever.
So a couple months ago, I went with some friends to visit two lovely, elderly people. One of whom was named Alice. While chatting with Alice, our discussion led to WinCo (a grocery store in Idaho Falls, ha exciting conversation yes?) I told her that I loved WinCo and she of course agreed and mentioned that WinCo was great because they carried Steel Cut Oats. I nodded and agreed, "Yes, yes, that is great!" Truth be told, I hadn't the foggiest idea what steel cut oats were. Yet, for some reason, that snipit of conversation stuck in my mind for a long time. So they next time I went to WinCo, I thought to myself, "Alice seems to be a pretty smart lady, I'm going to take her word for it and check out these steel cut oats." So I bought myself a small bag of steel cut oats.
The biggest mistake of the night was that I only bought a small bag. THEY ARE AMAZING!
So I don't know if these have been around for forever and I've just been out of the loop, but if you don't know anything about them, keep reading....
Here's what they look like. Mmmmm
Steel Cut Vs Rolled Oats
I'm a big believer in oatmeal, it's my favorite quick, cheap, healthy breakfast. I think it tastes good too. However....
Steel Cut Oats
What Are They: Unrefined whole grain groats that have been dried and cut into two to three pieces by steel, rather than being rolled. Nutrient Information: Rich in B-vitamins, calcium, protein and fiber. Taste/Texture: Nuttier, chewier taste and texture and they aren't mushy at all, like rolled outs tend to be. Toppings: I like to put in a tsp of honey and call it good, unless I have berries or bananas on hand, in which case those go in for sure. My roommate just introduced me to the idea of putting in a tablespoon or two of ground flax seed as well, you can't really taste it, but it ups your nutrient value and I find that it's more filling that way too.
But you can put in whatever you want: Milk, brown sugar, raisins, almonds, cranberries... whatever!
If you haven't yet, try them! I promise after one bite you'll be saying, "Ohhhh so this is what oatmeal is supposed to taste like!"
Oooo this picture gets me everytime
Disclaimer: After trying these you'll probably never go back to eating your good Ol' Fashioned Rolled Oats, so you'll probably have a pantry/food storage containers full of them. Not to worry, those kind of oats are still good for use in oatmeal cookies, I can't really imagine making cookies out of steel cut oats cookies... hmmm but I just might have to try that one out!
So I've kind of, sort of been falling behind on my blogging assignment...whoops! I think of things to blog about all the time, but do I write them down?? No. Do I forget them almost as quickly as I think them up? Yes! Am I going to work harder at being better at this blog thing? Yeah man! In the mean time this random post'll have to do to fill my post quota.
Sock Tan Lines
Today, I realized that I have sock tan lines, yeahhhhh!!! This excites me because:
1. It means that the sun has shone long enough in Rexburg to add a little color to my skin and
2. I have spent a sufficient amount of time enjoying that sunshine outside while doing things that would require me to be wearing shoes i.e. playing tennis, running, bicycling, pulling weeds etc. Meaning I got a tan from doing more than "laying out" wahoo!
Road Signs
Today, I also went on a nice run. It's a four mile loop that I have run with my roommates. It's out in the beautiful back country full of fields and a gorgeous view all the way around. A lot goes through my mind while I'm out running. It's a good time to think. I really like to plan out my life and kind of evaluate myself and make sure I'm at where I want to be at.
For the past couple of months I've been thinking long and hard about my future and where exactly I want to go with it. While I was running this was weighing heavily on my mind, and I was just really confused about what step I should take next, or what direction I should be heading.
Just as I was about to give up on this issue for the moment, and give up my running and start walking, I saw four road signs up ahead.
This is neither the road nor the signs that I saw, but I didn't have my camera with me on my run (silly me) so this'll have to suffice.
The first sign reminded me of a phase of my life I went through when I was 17.
The second one immediately clicked in my mind with a phase I went through when I was 18.
The third sign was actually kind of humorous the way it represented a phase I went through when I was 19.
The fourth sign represented a phase I went through at 20 and had just finished up.
All right in a row and all seeming completely applicable to my past.
There was one more sign a little further up the road. This was one that I didn't have a time of my life to relate to. Not yet at least, but it was definitely something that could be the next phase in my life.
As all this was clicking in my head I kept on running (uphill during all this might I add). Finally the road leveled out again and I looked up to find the next road sign only to see that I had reached the temple, my last "road sign" if you will.
I'm sure this is pretty confusing to read, especially since you know neither the particular road signs nor what I correlated them too, but let me just say that it was SUCH an eyeopener and an answered prayer for me. I had seen those signs dozens of other times, but today I saw them completely differently and gained so much because of it.
So if any of you are in Rexburg and want to accompany me on a four miler I'd be happy to point these signs out to you and explain myself with them, it'd just take too long and be too confusing to write here :) So get out those running shoes, and let's go!
Broken Bikes
And to finish this post off, I have a sad story. Remember the story of my beloved bike? Well, I took my bike out on Saturday morning to help with a service project and then to visit my friends at the Homestead. It was a beautiful morning and a great bike ride. Then first thing Monday morning I hopped on my bike to ride it to Spanish class because I was running late and that blessed bike gets me there in no time! Except this time, my poor little bike could hardly even putter forward. I wish I had pictures, to demonstrate the damage done, but they're just too, too sad.
Refer to this diagram to better understand the damage done :)
The handle bars were pushed completely down backward towards the frame, the forks were all twisted and mangled, when I leaned the bike over-a ton of dirt came out of the handlebars, the front skewer and the front rim were in awful condition and the front wheel was barely hanging on. It was sooo sad!
I have no idea what happened to it between the time I left it on Saturday to Monday morning. I'm guessing that somebody borrowed it and had a bit of an accident on it. So I hope whoever it was is in better shape than my bike!
Our lovely Miss Aldean Smith passed away last week. We met her about six months ago while visiting one of Rexburg's rest homes. We fell in love with her immediately!
After hearing her tell us about how she decorated the shelves all by herself about 5 times in one sitting, we realized that she probably had dementia...
She had two sweaters, a PeptoBismal pink one, and a dark sparkly blue one.
She'd always wear 3 or 4 different bracelets and she'd tell us the story behind each one. So we decided to make her a rainbow one and give it to her, but when we'd ask her wear she got the rainbow one she'd get kind of confused and make something up.
She loved to touch our hair and our clothes, she often complimented our appearences. After her passing, I found out that she was known for being an amazing seamstress and made clothes for her sisters and nieces. Maybe that's why she loved touching and looking at our clothes?
She'd always tell us that we were "As nutty as a fruitcake" or that we were "Tupid" haha
We loved having "let's see who can smile the biggest" contests with her
She hated it when we blew in her face... whoops :)
She loves her mother and talked about her often
She beat boxed..da duh da duh.. see the following clip:
She loved to "kick us out" and pretend to smack us... she was a little bit violent :)
And that's Aldean for ya. We sure do love her and will definitely miss her!
Last Saturday, June 18, Kim and I celebrated "Fitness Day". Just because we can.
This is Said Kim and myself
For Fitness Day we wanted to participate in fitness, support fitness, watch fitness events etc... so here's what we did :)
> I ran a 5k (about 3.1 miles) while Kim supported her Sister-in-law at her Volleyball game
> We helped set up the "5k Wellness Walk: Commit to be Fit" at the school, sponsered by the wellness center and the Food Services Student Board of Directors(That's me)
> We watched Claire and Hannah dominate in their soccer game
> We cheered on the 100+ people who came to participate in the 5k Wellness Walk and hydrated and fed them after they finished.
>Bike ride around town
>Bike up to watch the baseball games
> Swam laps for about an hour
By then we were pretty tuckered out and were needin' some good "Fitness Day" food. Here's what we came up with:
Tomatoes
Bell Peppers
Garden Noodles
Mixed with Spinach and Onions
All mixed in and cooked with eggs.
We called it our Fitness Frittata. And it was delicious! And that ladies and gentleman, was our Fitness day. It was great! However, to top it all off, we went to Sammy's and got one of these bad boys:
Peanut Butter Chocolate Cupcake Shake. Guilt-free, we deserved it!
So here's the thing, Saturday wasn't even National Fitness Day, we just made it up, so don't worry you didn't miss it :) You can have your own and go fitness crazy as you "Commit to be Fit", be sure and let me know how it goes!
Love, Noelle
P.S. I'll be in Logandale for the month of August and will be needing some running/work out buddies :) Start training, and I'll see ya in six weeks!
Do you remember that slogan/cereal/commercial from our younger years? I remember hearing "Gotta Have My Pops" and thinking, "not me, corn pops are gross!"
However, today, I can't help but catch myself thinking, "Gotta Have My Pops!" Not the corn pops cereal of course, I was thinking more along the lines of this particular pops:
Pops, Popsi, Poppo, Father Dearest.... Dad Just a few of the names I've given to this lovely man
Being Father's Day, there has been much talk in my apartment and at church as to why we each love our dad's, and why we each happen to have the greatest dad on earth. However, I've been thinking about it a little bit differently. Today I have considered and thought about the evidence that I have to prove that my dad loves me.
Let me tell you, I could write a book full of proof that I have that my dad loves me, for which I am so grateful. Maybe one day I will. Stories, experiences, conversations, quiet deeds, lessons, acts of service etc.
Even though I'm hundred of miles away from my dad on this father's day I am so grateful to have him in my life! I love him quite a lot, and I know one thing for sure,I've gotta have my pops!
10 Things You May (or May Not) Already Know About Myself
1. I almost never paint my fingernails. Always the toes, but the fingers only on special occasion.
2. I didn't attend school my 6th grade year, I did an online schooling program called Odyssey. This could possibly be the reason why the idea of taking an online class makes me queasy.
3. I have/remember my dreams almost every night. A dream journal has been started, and my roommate Keri has graciously agreed to interpret them for me :)
4. I absolutely loved Powderpuff football in high school
5. It has been my dream for quite some time to intern in Washington D.C. or New York City
6. I love garlic. In high school I would come home after school and roast an entire head of garlic in the oven and then eat it plain.
7. I ate my very first hot dog ever about two months ago. I regret to inform you that I've eaten some since then as well.
8. My teeth chatter like crazy if I'm even the slightest bit cold.
9. I read this talk by Elder Holland a little over a month ago, and I do believe that it changed my life!
10. I don't like Crest toothpaste one bit. Colgate all the way! This particular kind is my toothpaste of choice
Well, how'd you do? Learn anything new? Find anything in common? Discrepancies? Surprises? Hope so :) Have a great day!
Keri Rich, Claire Salmon and I spent our Saturday morning hearing comments such as the following:
"You Rock!" - Old guy with glasses and Hawaiian shorts
"Come finish it for me!"- Old guy
"That way?"-Old man
"Thank you!"- A guy with a heavy accent
"GRRRRMMMMAMMMAAAWWWW!"- A nice young man with a lot of energy
"Do you guys have any morphine??"-Old man
"Now that's inspiration!"- Old man referring to our sweet dance moves.
And my personal favorite:
"Look how fast I'm going!"- Hispanic man said with a cute accent
We also heard several, "You're awesome!" 's and even more, "You're the best cheerers so far!"
Any guesses as to how we three ladies spent our Saturday morning? See if you can guess from a few pictures:
So our morning started at about 6:15 am. Claire was the drill sergeant in charge of waking us up.
I wasn't very happy about being awake so exceedingly early, until I found out that lovely Claire had made and packed German Pancakes for our breakfast once we got to our destination. That put me in a good mood :)
After breakfast, we crashed. I'm sure we were a sight to see: Three college girls passed out on some random Rexburg street corner. It was cold :( and it even started raining on us!
Then things brightened up and we got our groove on, right in the middle of the street, for about 3 hours!
Poor Keri :)
And then we crashed...again, but in a more comfortable place.
Ok, if you haven't guessed, we spent our Saturday morning as volunteers for the Teton Dam Marathon. We were in charge of standing on a street corner all morning and cheering runners on as they ran past us. We were located at mile 25.5 out of a total of 26.2 miles, so we were right there near the end. Despite the early hour and our grumpy beginnings, we finished out strong and had so much fun cheering on the runners as they ran by. We jumped, kicked, danced and yelled our hearts out. I'd be willing to bet we burned just as much calories as those runners... ok well maybe not quite as much, but we were movin like crazy!
By the end of the race, we were worn out and our throats were raw, but we had a blast! Good thing it was National Be Outside day, because we were outside all morning. It was great!
Also, I made it a goal, if I'm in Rexburg next spring, to run the Teton Dam Half Marathon. That's 13ish or so miles.. with a little training that's totally doable!! I can just imagine the feeling of accomplishment I'd feel, ahhh bliss. There were so many elderly folk out there running; if they could get out there and do it, so could I! The only thing that throws me off is that you have to pay like $45 to participate. Pay money to run... what?? Minor details, minor details. Running a marathon is on my bucket list, so $45 or not, it must be done!
My lovely roommate Hannah Salmon finished the half!
The half marathoner and I!
Salmon Sisters
Soo... half marathon next spring? :) Who's with me?
Ok, so if you don't recognize my title, you clearly haven't seen Tangled enough times. Time to whip it out and watch it yet again!
In any case, here's a quick reminder:
I have recently purchased an aluminum stainless steel water bottle. I take it everywhere in hopes to up my daily water intake. I have recently been reminded of some of the MAGNIFICENT things that good ol' H20 can do for us. I found the following list here, but there are even more reasons all over the web. Check em out, I promise they'll have you reaching for a tall glass of water in no time.
1. Weight Loss: Drinking water helps you lose weight better then anything else in the world. Water flushes down the by-products of fat breakdown. Drinking water can also reduce hunger and acts as an appetite suppressant so you’ll eat less. Water has zero calories. 2.Have Healthier Skin and Look Younger: When your skin is properly hydrated you will always look younger. Water helps to replenish skin tissues, moisturizes skin and increase the elasticity in your skin.
3. Natural Remedy for Headaches and Migraines: Water helps relieve headaches and back pains. These are sometimes caused by dehydration and replenishing your body with water can help. Although there are many other reasons contribute to headaches and migraines, dehydration is the common one. 4. Better Productivity: Your brain consists of 90% water so drinking more can improve your productivity at work and in doing other tasks. It helps you think better, be more alert, and helps make you concentrate a lot better.
5. Better Exercise: Drinking water regulates your body temperature throughout the day. You will feel a lot more energy when performing exercises and water also helps to fuel your muscles.
6. Helps in Digestion and Constipation: Drinking water boosts your metabolism because it helps your digestive system work properly. Fiber and water goes hand in hand so that you can have your daily bowel movement.
7. Less Cramps, Sprains, and Injuries: Proper hydration helps keep your joints and muscles lubricated, so you’ll less likely get cramps and sprains.
8. Less Likely to Get Sick and Feel Healthy: Drinking plenty of water helps fight ailments like the flu, kidney stones, and heart attack. Water mixed with lemon is used primarily for ailments like respiratory disease, intestinal problems, rheumatism and arthritis etc. Drinking water also improves our immune system.
9. Relieves Fatigue: Water is used by the body to help flush out toxins and waste products that the body doesn’t need. If your body lacks of water your heart will need to work a lot harder to pump out the oxygenated blood to all cells. Same goes for the rest of your vital organs, your organs will be exhausted and so will you.
10. It Puts You in A Good Mood: Water makes your body feel good and gives you more energy. Your body will communicate with your brain and tell it that it’s happy.
June 9th, 2011: In just a few short hours, this girl (the one in the wagon) will be graduating from Moapa Valley High School. While that girl ( the one with the ultra-stylin jacket) will be sitting in Rexburg contemplating the fact that just two years ago she was the one in the cap and gown.
Do I look different?
While we were walking, my cap flew off and I had to chase it down.... Jonathan had some problems with his too, so once we got back on the stand we helped each other out :)
Two years. That seriously blows my mind. At times, high school seems like it was just yesterday. Sitting on the stand in front of all those people, trying so hard to not be nervous about having to give my little speech. While at other times, it seems like it was forever ago. I don't really remember the events of that day very well at all... we went to some grad party somewhere afterward maybe? Either way, day's like these require some serious contemplation and personal analysis.
What have I accomplished in the past two years? What have I made of myself? How have I changed or improved? Have I made a difference in somebody else's life? Have I lived up to my potential? You know... questions like that.
I do know one thing for sure, these have been two of the greatest years of my entire life. I have had an insane amount of fun, met the most wonderful people, and have learned many great things. Looking back at the past two years, I feel pretty satisfied with how they've turned out.
So to my dearest little sister and to all whom graduate tonight, be excited. Be SO excited, because it only gets better from here! Congratulations!!!
1. FHE: My Monday's would be rather drab with out them.
2. This girl named Courtney in my Business Stats class. I wouldn't be able to bear that class without her!
3. Claire Ruth Salmon.... :)
4. Tennis. Tennis. Tennis
5. Memories and Pictures. And memories that come from pictures
6. Toothpaste. Can you imagine where we'd be without it?
7. My Mom!!!! x1,000,000 and my FANTASTIC Pops too :) And the fact that they've been happily married for 30 years and 1 day! Yay! Gosh I love them!
8. Hair. I rather enjoy having hair.
9. Emily Call Robison and Taryn Elise Leavitt. Even though they're so far away, they continuously brighten my day.
10. Eggs. So versatile. So delicious. So cheap. So quick and easy
This is just a random picture that brought back great memories of working at Tiffany's in High School... we got pretty creative with the roast beef:)
That is the title of one of the conference articles I read this week.
(Apparently, one of the perks of being the relief society president is that you get your very own copy of the Ensign each month, yeahhhh!) I've been loving reading my conference edition this past month and having it all to myself to mark up and write in. I find that if I take it to the gym and hop on the elliptical or a stationary bike, the time passes so quickly when I'm reading, it's so nice!
Anyways I've been thinking a lot about this talk, "LDS Women are Incredible!" by Elder Cook, especially today during my meetings. We had a great fast and testimony meeting today. So many incredible people got up and bore sweet testimony of their savior and of the gospel. I was especially touched by some of the things said by the women in our ward. As I listened to them speak I couldn't help but think, wow I am so fortunate to be surrounded by such inspiring, young women.
Then in relief society, I had the opportunity to teach the lesson. As I got up to stand before the sisters in my relief society that I have gotten to know through the years and even more so this semester, I couldn't help but feel in awe of how special and wonderful each of those sisters are.
As I watch them interact with each other, not only on Sunday's, but throughout the week as well I learn so much. In his talk, Elder Cook talks about being able to "observe the quiet example of a young lady living the gospel." I feel like I get to do that every single day, at home, at school, everywhere I go!
So pretty much I just want to second Elder Cooks declaration of, "LDS women are incredible!" But particularlly those in the BYU-I 31st Ward Relief Society 2 :) But maybe I'm a little biased...
The following are pictures from some of our various Relief Society activities this semester. Maybe they'll give you a glimpse of just how amazing these ladies are.
Relief Society "Girls Night"
Christine, Careshmeh, Sherilbug and Leslie at our opening activity
Andrea, Claire, Kim, Kaitlyn, Celisse, Leslie and I
Relief Society going away party for Steve
Indexing/Family History Lunch
We all made and ate dishes from our ancestry. Yum!
So...today I was thinking about one of my GREATEST memories today.
The summer right after I graduated high school and right before I left for college, I had the opportunity to be the CTR 6 Primary teacher.
These were the three lovely ladies that I taught. Elise,Kyra and Ally. Each Sunday was an adventure for sure :) SUCH a great adventure. I found some pictures I took during our time together, and I just HAD to post them. So I picked some of my favorites, enjoy :)
This one reminds me of Claire :)
Haha this was a lesson on holding grudges and forgiveness
This was during a lesson about Missionary work. We role-played King Lamoni (Ally) and Ammon (Elise)
Missionaries!
So pretty much, I totally miss being in the primary and being able to see all these awesome little kids whenever I want. I'm sure Rexburg has tons of little kids hidden somewhere in married housing and what not, but I haven't been able to find too many.
However, last semester Holly Garlick and I discovered one way to semi-fill this void in our lives.
Every Tuesday morning from 8-10 we had the opportunity to volunteer at the Rexburg Government Funded Preschool.
BEST two hours of my week pretty much. I wish I had pictures to show you how adorable these kids were, but unfortunately we weren't allowed to take any. Julissa, Adelaide, Yurie and Jackson were the names of some of my favorites. We got to have dance-time with them, play out in the snow, read books, listen to the lessons, and much more with them every morning. It was such a good experience. If you're in Rexburg and you need volunteer hours or you just miss playing with little kids, look this up, you won't regret it :)
Me and Molly!
And what kind of Aunt would I be if I wrote a post about little kids and didn't even put up a picture of my most favorite young'un ever!
