thanksgiving 2019.

Thanksgiving has come and gone.  The kids had the best time being able to see both sets of grandparents during the break, and I think they definitely wore out our guests!

We had snow coming in little fits and bursts throughout the week, and now our mountains are nice and beautiful.  My favorite thing about winter here is how pretty the mountains look with all of the snow.

(My second favorite thing about winter here is that our garage basically turns into a giant refrigerator, which comes in pretty handy when our actual refrigerator runs out of space for all of our food.)

As far as the dinner went, it was a pretty relaxing Thanksgiving, honestly!  I made the cranberry sauce and the gravy on Tuesday, the stuffed mushrooms and macaroni on Wednesday, which just left the turkey, potatoes, and edamame for Thursday.  I didn't make any new dishes this year (always a dangerous thing to do when you have guests to impress!), so everything was pretty familiar.

(Except for the cheese plate I assembled Thursday morning, which I had never really done in earnest before!  But I thought it turned out well enough.)

Now we have lots of leftovers, which normally gives me lots of anxiety because I try really hard to lower our food waste.  Most of the leftovers get eaten just fine, but those dang mashed potatoes.  Historically, we are terrible at eating our leftover mashed potatoes, and they usually end up thrown away.

EXCEPT THIS YEAR!  Today for lunch I made "Waffled Mashed Potatoes With Scallions, Bacon, and Cheddar" from the Serious Eats website.  It's basically a baked potato waffle, and it is a GAME CHANGER.  I can't even explain what a relief it is to not have to dread leftover mashed potatoes anymore.

It may sound crazy, but I'm already thinking about next year's feast.  There are one or two new recipes I have saved that I want to try out in August or September next year to see if they will earn a spot on my Thanksgiving menu.  In the meantime, I'm just thinking about all of the mashed potato waffles in my future.

our first scandinavian festival.

We finally got to see what Scandinavian Days is all about.  Our participation was pretty low: just fireworks, a parade, walking around to the booths, and eating up all of the festival food for us.  But we had a great time!  Lots of events happen in the county during the summers, but it's especially nice when it's in your own town.

Theo was really hamming it up at the parade, and this was probably the first parade where he actually cared or made an effort to grab some of the candy.  Meanwhile Vivi served up all the glares and bored looks you could possibly imagine.

At one point during the parade Jon was like, "This isn't... super... Scandinavian?"  Haha.  And it's true, basically all of the parade "floats" are not related to anything Scandinavian.  Mostly for local businesses, pageant winners, and various school clubs and teams.  It was fun to see lots of our neighbor teens in the parade, I dorkily called out to each one I saw and waved like a madwoman.  

But then!  We saw a couple of people dressed up as Vikings and this AMAZING dog-wolf-dog!  We happened to see them after the parade and got to take a couple of pictures.  When we asked about the breed we were told "he's mostly wolf," so we like to say we met a wolf.  He was very nice!  A good wolf.

We ate so much good food, including the county-famous Turkey platter and the spiralized/ribboned/tornado potato.  Honestly, it's just a dang potato that is cut prettily and deep-fried, but for some reason it's special!

Anyway, yay for the Scandinavian Festival!  We are big fans and can't wait until next year!

a tale of two januarys.

I knew that once all of the holidays were over and just the cold was left I'd be thinking about "winters" in Arizona.  While that ended up being true, I was surprised to find that we have all weathered the colder temperatures here much better than I expected (minus that one day our heater broke, but whatever).  And so, I can't say that my pining for Arizona during this time of year has been that strong, save for one aspect I was really missing last month.

I was remembering what I call The Great YA Fantasy Binge of 2017, which began in January of that year.  I read so many books in those two weeks outside on a blanket in our yard that was always at its best during Arizona winters.  The sad realization that I'd never be able to comfortably read outside in January again hit me, and I was really missing our old home and yard.

Theo and I in our yard, January 2017.

And then, what do you know: the snow on the south side of our house melted and the sun made mid-30 degree temperatures feel closer to the 50s.  It was like a visit from The Ghost of Arizona Winters Past (hiya Dickens reference #2!!) and a peek into Spring.  Theo broke out the sidewalk chalk and I took up a lawn chair and began what has turned into The Great YA Fantasy Binge of 2019 (more about that later).

Theo and Vivi in the driveway, January 2019.

It has since snowed again, the chalk has disappeared, we have a snowman in our front yard, and Spring seems a long ways away again.  But we had that one beautiful, sun-warmed week where I didn't really miss Arizona all that much anymore.  I'm nothing if not a cherisher of the little things brought on by favorable weather.

(Like these little footprints! 😍)

i come alive in the fall time.

It's possible that autumn isn't as great as I make it out to be.  Maybe the leaves aren't that beautiful and they are truly just dying and that's that.  Maybe getting excited about making baked goods is silly because you really could make those treats any time of year.  Maybe I don't look as good in sweaters and tights and jeans as I think I do.  Maybe October isn't more special than other months.

But the thing is, I've just emerged from ten years in a place where autumn does not exist.  When the calendar says it's time for a change but the weather does not, you feel frozen in time while everyone else you know is moving forward.

The truth about our move from Arizona to Utah is this: my driving factor in wanting to do this was Theo.  I knew it would be good for him, and already this has proven to be true.  But I also wanted to do this for me.  I wanted to get out of Phoenix, to stop feeling like I was dying in a place I found so unremarkable and miserable.  I knew it would be good for me, too.

It looks and feels like October outside!  Opening the door of a preheated oven is no longer something to dread!  I can read Theo picture books about autumn and the colorful leaves and point outside our windows to show him that his stories are based in reality, not fantasy!

Autumn is better than I make it out to be.  It's even better elsewhere than it is where we live!  But where we live right now is perfect.  It's everything I've been missing.


(Now, here are some dramatic pictures to go along with a dramatic post!)

the last two months.

We've lived in our new home for just shy of two months, and there isn't a whole lot we don't love about it.  Was it love at first sight?  Well, this is what we saw as we approached the front door:

Pretty 😍-worthy, if you ask me.

We have twice as much house as we've ever had before, so it feels like we live in a mansion.  We also have stairs for the first time since having children who are mobile, and while we don't need to worry about Theo around stairs anymore, the travels of Miss I-Refuse-To-Play-In-One-Spot required the purchase of a baby gate.

We have a picturesque front yard (see above) with a big ole porch for sitting, and a big enough backyard for a garden and a running space for Theo.  Speaking of garden, I'm already more successful as a gardener in two months here than in 5+ years of attempts in Phoenix.  (It helps that my dad, Master Gardener Extraordinaire, lives around the corner to help me when I need.)

And the kitchen, holy carp, the kitchen.  It is massive and amazing and I can't believe it's mine.  I'm crazy excited to give it a few sexy upgrades over the coming years, but for now it is perfect and I'm having a lot of fun working in here.

(Also, for the sake of keepin' it real: I cleaned and tidied the kitchen as much as I wanted for the purpose of taking this picture.  It is never this tidy.  It took me a stupid long time to realize that kitchens that are actually used are never 'gram-worthy.  I'm onto you, influencers!)

It's the beginning of September, which finally means cooling temperatures and autumn just around the corner.  It's been a long decade of waiting for this again - full of infuriatingly hot days, desperate longing, and endless complaining.  But no more!!  Instead of depressed, I become giddy thinking about sweaters and hot chocolate to comfortably indulge in, Halloween specials, and baking baking baking.  (I've already done an insane amount of baking so far and made quite the dent in my frozen butter supply!) We've safely said goodbye to 90-degree days for at least another eight months, which is the exact opposite of where we've come from.  Good effin' riddance!



Just about everything these past several weeks has been perfect, save for one thing that happened last month.  Jon was laid off from his job, and though it has been stressful since that time, we have felt cautiously optimistic all the same.

(I've also felt like setting Jon's ex-boss's house on fire, but those feelings have passed.  I've now moved on to wanting to send him an exploding envelope full of glitter.  You know, taking the high road and all that.)

Regarding the whole ordeal, I mostly have been thinking about how this all would be going if we still lived in Arizona.  I'd already be at my peak complaining time because of the unrelenting heat, and given how things went with that house, we would probably also have something else to repair.  It's just nice to know that with our move here, the recurring problems of (1) the house breaking down on us and (2) my complete inability to cope with desert-living are gone and can't make unexpected life changes even harder to deal with.

We are happy here, and we are happy with what we have.  And happy to be rid of that idiot boss.  Good effin' riddance.

our next stop.

In 2017 we made quite a few trips up to visit my parents in Ephraim, Utah.  And at some point during the year we asked ourselves "what if we lived here?"  It kind of started out as a joke, and my answer was a resounding HA HA VERY FUNNY.  Then over time the answer morphed from "no" to "okay, i admit there are some positives" to "wow, look at Theo thriving, what if we could give him a life here?"

When we visited last March we casually drove past some houses that were for sale in our price range.  They seemed nice enough, but we did not love the neighborhood.  We left Ephraim realizing that the area we'd want to live in was out of our price range, and I thought it was probably time to put the entire idea away.

Skip ahead a few weeks: we were living in the middle of our water damage disaster and feeling really annoyed that our house had turned on us again.  Then my mom called us and said that someone in that out-of-our-price-range neighborhood was moving and they would consider giving us first dibs on their house.  Also, the price was exactly right.

Soooo, we're moving!  It has been a deeply stressful month: worrying about whether or not our offer on the house would be accepted, trying to get our house fixed up and staged, and wondering if it would take very long to sell our house.  But everything is somehow magically working out and we have about one more month left before we move to Utah.

In the meantime I'll be busy packing, probably tiring of my own signature, preparing to live in a small town without all of the city amenities, and doing my best not to get too excited about the change in climate, even though it's far too late for that.

Check it:

Good riddance, Sweltering!  I will never ever ever miss you as long as I live.


And also we will getting ready to live close to family!
Like, REALLY close to family.
Did I mention our neighborhood is also the one where my parents live?  (😳)

Look how happy that cheese is going to be.
Also, peep the mountains we'll see when we exit our house.

This is going to be a fun ride.

break in utah.

Jon spent two weeks in California for work, and instead of confirming my suspicions that I'd fail excellently at being a single parent, I loaded Theo into our car and we drove up to stay with my parents in Utah.  It was a nice break and it was fun to see Theo explore in a new environment.  Here are some snaps taken from our time up there:

STAY AWAY FROM THE GRASS

did not hear as much piano banging from theo as i'd expected

ate (dove face-first into) about half of granpa's ice cream

I got to re-live my summer chore of picking raspberries from the garden.  This time around there weren't buckets and buckets to be picked (my back was thankful for that) but there were bees, so that was new.  As I was picking I was thinking about all of the raspberry-picking-wisdom I've come up with.  You want to know my tips for picking raspberries?  Of course you do.

1. Don't pick the berries until they are dark.  Like, they almost look purple dark.  It can be hard to tell in direct sunlight, but the darker the berry the better.
2. Get into the bushes.  Berry clusters are everywhere so be thorough.  It's sad to discover you missed one after they are already shriveled up.
3. The prickly needles are everywhere except the leaves and the berries.  Lift a branch to check for berries using the leaves and you won't get poked.
4. The berries should just pop off.  If you're pulling and the whole branch is coming toward you, the berry isn't ready.
5.  Pick up the ones that fall on the ground!  They are too precious to waste.  A little dirt won't hurt.


I also checked the chicken coop for eggs nearly every day, which is a new chore that wasn't around when we all lived back in PA.  I have a slight fear of birds (and the chickens were molting so they looked soooo insanely freaky), but I have come to love and covet the fresh eggs my parents get every day, so braving the chicken army was worth it.  (Seriously, they could turn on you at any time.)


Anyway, now the three of us are back home together again.  Jon and I were looking forward to a glorious reunion between Theo and his dad, just like the one that happens every afternoon when Jon comes home from work and walks through the door.  But like, times a million.  So even though Jon came home Friday night, he and I planned for him to sneak outside the next morning just after Theo woke up and then Jon would come in through the door and Theo would shriek with delight and they would hug and it would be the teariest, heart-meltiest thing ever.  Right?

Wrong.  It was much more traumatic than that, by which I mean Jon was traumatized by the experience of Theo being the opposite of crazy-happy-excited and needing to warm up to Jon before allowing his dad to hold him.  Luckily they were pals by the end of the night and all was right in the house.  Whew.

Jon has vowed never to leave us again, haha.

while we were out.

We recently just got back from a long trip up north to visit my family.  Theo and I were up for about a week and a half before Jon joined us for Easter weekend.  Though he can't communicate the most effectively, I'm pretty positive Theo had a blast.  I thought there would be a sort of rough warming up period between him and my family members, but within the very first minute everyone was cracking each other up.  He ate up all of the attention and I think a part of him knew he was basically royalty.

Trip adventures included a night in Vegas (I want to live in the Bellagio, or at least the Hermès store), my very first BYU volleyball game (my theory that the team I root for always loses whenever I go to games in person is still solid), "awwww"-ing all of the brand new baby animals in the fields (I named the smallest and cutest ones "Theo"), sneaking Theo the tiniest bit of frozen yogurt (already hooked), eating wayyy too much Easter candy (and buying even more when it went on clearance), and dying over my mom's new hardwood floors and kitchen countertops (so jealous).

Japanese Garden Art Installation at the Bellagio.

BYU Volleyball shenanigans.

in the middle of telling a riveting story.

(week before) Easter outfit, clearly thinking church is the greatest.

It was a grand old time and it was hard to leave.  And it's even harder to get Theo back into Arizona's time zone and his old nap/sleep routine.  He is all mixed up and subsequently the parentals are pretty tired.



Postscript: referring to myself as a "parent" is like, still the weirdest thing in the world.

hi again.

It's April, did you know?  Somehow we got here and I'm not exactly sure how.  Suddenly all of the tv shows are ending for the season, and we're on that line between warm and freaking hot weather.  I mean good grief, I'm still trying to get used to the whole being married thing over here, sometimes that fact un-sinks in.

Anyway, April.  Last weekend, to be specific.  It was Easter and my brother's birthday and all the Hoods went to Ephraim for the occasion.

Ephraim is actually not bad looking.  In January in was all white with snow, but this time the ground was visible and I actually saw what the place looks like.  It's pretty green!  (Not PA-green, but you know.  It's not brown.)  The best part is probably the mountains.  They're right next to the town and apparently allow for lots of camping and fishing, which we couldn't do because of snow.  On Saturday we drove up the mountain as far as we could.

Oh yeah, Jon has been growing out his hair.  It's an adventure in and of itself, and he goes about with a certain giddiness that he hasn't had since the beard catastrophe of winter 2011.  There's not exactly a definitive haircut date... back in October we'd said that he'd grow it out until the baby came, and that ship sort of sunk, but Jon insists that his hair stay until a baby comes, so.  If you ask me though, I say a hair cut will come around mid-May.  (For the record, we've tried tying it up into a ponytail... most ridiculous thing I have ever seen.)

Moving on, a couple of snowball fights took place on the mountain.  I stayed away from the snow mostly, with the exception of an unfortunately-aimed snowball that my mom threw at me and a tiny bit of exploring in deep snow that resulted in the old snow-inside-the-sock problem.

Watch out for Brigham's special backstabbing move:

The rest of the weekend was spent driving around looking at all of the baby animals that have been born recently, eating at restaurants in other towns, playing video games, and having entire conversations where every other sentence starts with "remember when _________ did _________?" which we actually do a lot when we're all together.

The end.  (I'm rusty, still trying to remember how to do this.)

winter in phoenix.

...looks NOTHING like this.  Pretty much since Thanksgiving the highs around here have been in the seventies, with the exception of last week when it got down to the chilly sixties and this week when it's going to flirt with the nineties.

On the one hand, it's great.  These winters are like the great pay-off for making it through the summers.  Plus I can feel my face on a daily basis, so.

On the other hand, if it's this warm in January and February, I am definitely anxious for what July and August will be like.  Planning vacations during the high-heat - starting now.



And now, for your enjoyment, a puppy with a snow beard.