ADVENTURES IN THE U.S.A.

'Star Wars (John Williams Is The Man)' a cappella tribute medley - Corey...

2011-08-23T22:44:00.000-07:00

John Williams is totally the Man!

Star Tours: Darth Vader goes to Disneyland

2011-08-23T22:42:00.000-07:00

Love Darth Vader vs. Disneyland!

Mercy's Arms

2011-08-21T10:59:00.000-07:00

As I was preparing my Sunday School lesson today I was reminded our merciful the Lord is to us. We have been blessed to have the Holy Ghost to guide and direct us in all our decision making. I have some interesting decisions to make right now and needed that good reminder. As I was preparing this lesson, this song came on. I love the words and the reminder for me to be humble and listen to the Lord's will.

The mighty fortress walls
I have built around my foolish heart
How they crumble and they fall
As I surrender all
To mercy's arms

Bathed in holy rain
Cleansed from sinner's bitter stains
Only love remains
And I'm forever changed
By mercy's arms

[Chorus:]
Sweet the surrender
Sweet the embrace
Sweet the forgiveness
To one forever undeserving of his grace
Safely encircled
Rested and warmed
Sweet is the taste
Of love that awaits in mercy's arms

In the light, the life, the way
Is the key unlocking every chain
Sin is lost and freedom gained
The price was paid
By mercy's arms

[Chorus]

When I reach my journey's end
How I hope that He will call me friend
And reach out for me again
Forever spend
In mercy's arms

Bev & Suzanne dance to Michael Jackson!

2011-04-07T22:39:00.000-07:00

I am breaking all sorts of rules, but I needed to share this... at least it's not facebook!! Enjoy a little dancing by the girls!

Volkswagen Commercial: The Force

2011-02-03T20:35:00.000-08:00

I can totally see my nephew Isis doing this.... :)

Brad Paisley - Online

2011-02-02T21:08:00.000-08:00

My life right at this very moment!!

Sugarland - Stuck Like Glue

2011-02-02T20:27:00.000-08:00

Freaking hilarious video!!

Christina Perri - Jar of Hearts Official Video

2011-02-02T20:24:00.000-08:00

New favourite song.... Check it out!

Ice Hockey...

2011-02-01T21:38:00.001-08:00

Ok so I am going to be a thief and post a link to my sister's blog about our Ice Hockey exploits!! She says it so much better than I could.

http://glooart.com/blog/?p=3763

Enjoy xx

Future Suggestions...

2011-01-18T21:12:00.001-08:00

What to do? Right now I am trying to make plans for the future and I am not sure what to do. If you have any suggestions, please let me know.

Gratitude Quotes!

2010-11-27T12:56:00.000-08:00

At this time when Americans stop and reflect on what they are thankful for, I have been doing some of the same. I have posted on different things that I am thankful for, but I found some nice quotes that help remind of the blessings that come into our lives from giving thanks.

"Gratitude is our most direct line to God and the angels. If we take the time, no matter how crazy and troubled we feel, we can find something to be thankful for. The more we seek gratitude, the more reason the angels will give us for gratitude and joy to exist in our lives." Terry Lynn Taylor

"Feeling grateful or appreciative of someone or something in your life actually attracts more of the things that you appreciate and value into your life." Northrup Christiane

"Not what we say about our blessings, but how we use them, is the true measure of our thanksgiving." W.T. Purkiser

"God is glorified, not by our groans, but by our thanksgivings." Edwin Percy Whipple

"A single grateful thought toward heaven is the most complete prayer." Gotthold Lessing

"Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow." Melody Beattie

"Be thankful for each new challenge, because it will build your strength and character." Author Unknown, from Be Thankful

"We can always find something to be thankful for, and there may be reasons why we ought to be thankful for even those dispensations which appear dark and frowning." Albert Barnes

"If a fellow isn't thankful for what he's got, he isn't likely to be thankful for what he's going to get." Frank A. Clark

"When asked if my cup is half-full or half-empty my only response is that I am thankful I have a cup." Sam Lefkowitz

"Thanksgiving, after all, is a word of action." W. J. Cameron

"In everyone's life, at some time, our inner fire goes out. It is then burst into flame by an encounter with another human being. We should all be thankful for those people who rekindle the inner spirit." Albert Schweitzer

"Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it." William Arthur Ward

(Quotes found on http://www.wow4u.com/qthankfulness/index.html)

Post Thanksgiving Cooking...

2010-11-27T12:50:00.000-08:00

Today I needed to do some cooking for my visiting teachers... I decided to make pumpkin rolls... One worked, one didn't. So not impressed when the cake sticks to the pan! Now I need to think of a recipe that include pumpkin cake. Any ideas? Maybe a pumpkin cake truffle? If you have any suggestions please feel free to share. I am excited to do some more cooking tomorrow with Bev. I am thinking of making some Chicken Cabonara, but I will see how inspired I am. xx

Thanksgiving 2010

2010-11-26T10:29:00.000-08:00

When you take a moment to stop and reflect, life is interesting with its twists and turns. I was planning on spending Thanksgiving with Suzanne in Montana, but the weather intervened. So in the end I went down to Nephi and spent the day with Rex and his family. We had such a fun day. The Thanksgiving food was amazing. I love stuffing! After we chatted and then the games began. Yes my competitive side did come out. We were playing 5 crowns and we had to keep playing until Rex wasn't winning! Yes I was pushing this issue. Then we played spoons. I was the one who walked away with an injury. Jacob hit my fingers a couple of times and they got a little jarred. Yes it is a little swollen, but not too bad.
We watched some movies, played the new Game of Life, and chatted. It was a really fun, relaxing day. It was just like hanging out with the family. They are all loud and obnoxious, just like us. It was great.
I was thinking back to last year and how nervous I was to go meet Ben's family. It ended up being such a nice Thanksgiving too. Even though I am not American, it is a great time to stop and think of what we are thankful for. So much in life changes, but this summer I have learned how to communicate better. I have also learned how thankful I am for great friends and amazing family. I was watching Anne of Green Gables and I was reminded of a nice saying, "Tomorrow is fresh, with no mistakes." I think this is a great way to view life. If we let others have their mistakes and forgive them and ourselves our mistakes, then life would be a whole lot better and happier.

Disappointment!

2010-11-24T21:53:00.000-08:00

This week there was supposed to be the biggest blizzard Utah has seen in years. Suzanne and I canceled plans to go to Montana for Thanksgiving, stayed inside, and waited... We waited and continued to wait. There was snow up in Logan, Jasmine has plenty of it, but we didn't get hardly any. So all the plans went by the wayside and there was a light amount of snow and absolutely freezing temperatures.
I did not go outside today. I don't want to be out and playing in -15 C weather. As much as we all know I love cold weather, NOT, that is just ridiculous. So I continue to be a hermit today. I got lessons planned all the way till Christmas, even got some review packets for the children to take home over the Christmas Break. I have a few more books to read over this week and then I will be so nice and organized.
Even when the weather disappoints there are plenty of friends who come through. I am heading down to Rex's place for Thanksgiving Lunch. Then I will see from there. I have had a bunch of other offers, which is always sweet to have great offers. Who knows, maybe the weather will warm up a little, to at least be bearable!

The Small Things in Life

2010-11-22T18:58:00.000-08:00

I was reminded today to stop and smell the flowers. Somebody pointed out to me that I am so focused on trying to figure out the big picture, that I forget to look at the small amazing things in life. I decided to make a little list of the things that I am grateful for.

* Amazing family who love me and do such wonderful things for me.
* Nieces and Nephews who are so happy to see me. They love me no matter what I do or say, and are always excited to see me.
* Friends who always keep me busy and smiling.
* A great job.
* Money to pay my bills and have fun.
* Children at school who want me to be happy and care about what I do.
* Fabulous visiting and home teachers.
* Church.
* Temple.
* A car that works.
* Wonderful warm winter clothes.

There are a lot more, but this is my small list for the day. Maybe we should all stop that think about the small things and what we appreciate in life!!

My Thoughts on Love...

2010-11-20T22:50:00.000-08:00

This is my thoughts in love today... please feel free to skip over this... I am more putting random thoughts down from my head!

I told someone the other night that I love to read Trashy Romance Novels. Well I love more just romance novels, minus the trash. I have been able to accept that I am in fact a sappy romantic at heart. Yes I am waiting for Mr. Wonderful or Prince Charming to show up. Yes I want to have someone to come home to at night and talk to. Someone who cares what I think and wants to listen to me, even when I am being a little crazy :)

Tonight I was watching The Lake House. Yes I love that movie, and yes I can separate reality and fantasy, just so that you are all aware. There was a quote in this movie that I really loved. Kate and Alex have been writing and they finally agree to meet. Kate waits for hours and Alex doesn't show. She writes this to him and the dialogue follows.

Kate “You weren’t there. You didn’t come.”

Alex “I don’t understand. Something must have happened. I’m sorry, I’ve got two years Kate, we can try again.”

Kate “No Alex its too late. It already happened. It didn’t work.”

Alex “Don’t give up on me Kate, what about Persuasion you told me they wait, they meet again, they had another chance.”

Kate “Life is not a book a book Alex and it can be over in second. I was having lunch with my mother at Daily Plaza. A man was killed right in front of me he died in my arms and it thought it cant end just like that in valentine’s day and I thought about all other people who love him waiting at home who will never see him again. Then I thought what if there is no one, what if you live your whole life and no one is waiting, so I drove myself to the lake house looking for any kind of answer and I found you. And I let myself get lost, lost in this beautiful fantasy when time stands still but its not real Alex. I have to learn to live the life I have got please don’t write any more don’t try to find me let me let me let you go”

It is true that life is not a book. You can not live the fairy tale life, but can't we hope for it? Do we single ladies have to settle for crap, or can we hope that someone will give us all that we want, dream, desire, and most importantly deserve? Once Kate realizes that Alex was the man at daily plaza she writes this to him.

Kate “Alex, I know why you didn’t show up that night. It was you at daily plaza that day it was you, please don’t go just wait please don’t look for me don’t try to find me, I love you, and its taking me all this time to say it but I love you. If you still care for me wait, wait for me, wait with me, wait, wait two years Alex, come to the lake house Alex, I am here.”

Often we let our fears stop us from doing our best in a relationship, or stepping out of our comfort zones to go after what we want. I think we can all say we have done this. If we didn't let our fears hold us back we could say I Love You so much sooner and with more confidence.

I want someone who will do anything to be with me. Who would be willing to wait two years just to see me. Is that too much to ask? Don't get me wrong when I talk about this I want to be this person for my man as well, it is definitely a two way street. But right now I am tired of having my heart broken. So tired of rebuilding life after someone carelessly shatters your dreams. I know I am not too picky when it comes to love and men. When I love I give my whole heart and would do anything for him. Why is it too picky to expect the same back?

I have seen some wonderful examples of love in relationships and marriage. My parents were great. Do I think they were perfect? No. But they showed me how it could be. Do I want a little of the romance in my life? Yes. Have I had it before? Yes. Do I miss it? Yes. I just hope that I can figure this whole thing out and have a little of the happiness back in my life.

My Two Boyfriends...

2010-11-20T22:39:00.000-08:00

Some recent snaps pf Thomas and Luke. They are still so cute, and I will miss them while they are in South Africa. They are so constant in their love for me. Not a time goes by that one of them doesn't leave me a surprise. Usually something white and projectile :D

Life Catching Up!!

2010-11-20T22:11:00.001-08:00

I thought I would write a little something and tell you all what I have been doing. The last few weeks have been so stressful for me. You know sometimes when life just catches up with you. I had a huge test to take, papers to write, and assignments to do. Plus lessons to prepare, observations to have, a social life to have, sick family, and much more.

This year is my 3rd year of teaching and I have to meet several requirements in order to get my permanent Utah license. I was stressing about taking the Praxis last Saturday, and was struggling to know how best to study. I came to school on Friday and asked Rex to give me a blessing. It was such a nice blessing and I am grateful for the direction that the Lord can give us in our lives. I felt calm and peaceful about the test. I took it on Saturday morning and it went well, at least I think it did. I have a month to wait for the results.

After taking the test I went and had Red Robin with Lindey for lunch. I love my family who take care of me. I had to then prepare an assignment for my ESL class I am taking. These classes will allow me to receive an endorsement for teaching students whose first language is not English. It is giving me lots of ideas about how to be a better teacher and when I am done I will get a pay rise and it will make me more marketable. All good things!! But the class is rather full on and takes lots of my time. I am enjoying it, but will be happy when I have some time back to myself.

Along with this I have to finish my portfolio for teaching. This is essentially writing 8 essays about my teaching and what I have learned. This takes lots of time and keeps me busy. So all these things have been freaking me out. I also need to have some formal observations done by people at work. Trying to figure all these things out has been stressful.

James has also had his chest surgery and Isis had his tonsils out. Two of my babies in hospital is sad! But they both seem to be doing better. Along with all of these stressful things there have been lots of good things going on too.

I am planning a trip to Montana for Thanksgiving with Suzanne (depending on the snow). We also had a girls night on Sunday. Nothing like Men to bring us women together. If any of you have ideas for how we can find some decent men, willing to commit, all us girls would love to know. Although I have had some people telling me recently that it is my fault that I am not married. Obviously being too picky. I have decided that you can not EVER be too picky. Do I want to be with someone for eternity who I kinda like, or who annoys me, or worse ~ doesn't love me?? I think not!

We also watched Harry Potter this weekend. Yes it was long. I did enjoy it though, which was a little miraculous. I did suffer for it today. Bev and I went out for a chicks day. We went to lunch with Rachel, told funny stories and talked about boys, then went shopping, and got pedicures. It was great, but I came home and promptly fell asleep for 2 hours. I didn't want to wake up!!

With all this other stuff going on, I have been catching up with old friends and trying to move on and find happiness. I have come to realize there is so much I can work on to improve myself. Happiness comes from within and from self reflection and change. I have been doing a lot of reading and trying to improve my communication skills. I like to think I am better, but there is always more I can work on.

Now that I have had my personal little rave, I am going to sign off... Hope you are all well. Love and miss you all back home, or in other parts of the world xxx

Halloween 2010

2010-11-20T21:59:00.000-08:00

What is a Halloween party without a butterfly??

This year was a fun year with lots of good times. I had a Halloween party with my class. One of my parents organized the party and we had a blast. Eating lots of doughnuts. The kids loved that I was able to play the game with them and have some fun.

For school I was dressed up like a princess. I got to have parent teacher conferences that night in my old bridesmaid dress. Fun times.

The next night I went out dancing with Rachel and had a fun time flashing back to the 80's. Yes I have that much make up on. I mean what is the 80's without lots of makeup, jewelry, and big hair.

Last of all we had a big party up Hobble Creek Canyon on Saturday night. It was all the singles from around our area. Us girls had a blast, with lots of wings between us. Suzanne, Mark, Rachel, Krista, Ben, Mike, (Sara was there for the photo and party too), and I all drove up and had lot of fun dancing. After we had the mandatory dinner at IHOP and then went to Ben & Mike's house to watch a movie. I was impressed that I was able to stay awake through the whole movie. Suzanne promptly fell asleep on the couch and Mike went to bed... So finally I got to see Gone in 60 seconds.

This year was a little different then last year, but I am so glad for my amazing friends who are always there for me and help me have so much fun.

Love to you all xx

Pumpkin Chocolate Cookies in the Middle of the Night!!!

2010-10-19T20:57:00.000-07:00

I woke up this morning at 12:30am and couldn't get back to sleep. What an annoying occurrence. So while I was counting sheep backwards, trying to roll my eyes back into my head, and pleading to get some sleep. I thought of ideas that would use the pumpkin I had in the fridge. I started looking online for different ideas. There are so many fabulous recipes, in fact I found a new one that I want to do next time I make a roast. I had to settle on an old time favourite, well old time since I have moved to America. Choice was made, all the ingredients were put out on the counter and I tried to get back to sleep.

This morning I got up and made the wonderful pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. Amazingly yum if I do say so myself. Also so easy. I had it made and cooked in 20 minutes and a dishwasher unloaded and loaded too. I took a bunch to work for Rex and shared with a few other people too.

For those in the pumpkin mood here is the recipe. 1 packets of spice cake mix, 1 small tin of pumpkin, chocolate chips. Mix all together and then bake for 13 minutes in a 350F oven. So good and so quick. If you don't have spice cake mix you can use regular cake mix and then add fabulous pumpkin spices. Good luck with the cooking.

The Soon to be World Famous - Candice's Pumpkin Roll

2010-10-17T22:24:00.000-07:00

Tonight was the annual Pumpkin night at Suzanne and Kim's house. I wanted to try something that I had not created before, so the crazy online search for recipes began. I found trifle, cookies, and so many other recipes it was hard to decide. I opted for a pumpkin roll. For those Aussies, this is a Swiss roll, but with a pumpkin based cake and a cream cheese icing filling. It took me total about 20 minutes to make this divine dish. I didn't take a photo, but I am sure that I will make it before the end of the month again :)

It was delish.... So if you are interested I am putting the recipe up. Seriously this was one of the easiest and yummiest desserts I have made in a long time. I found it on allrecipes.com

When I bought it to Suzanne's, Daryl asked me if this was my world famous pumpkin roll? After I tasted it, I decided that it would become a tradition and world famous too.

Enjoy xx

Granny Kat's Pumpkin Roll
Prep Time: 20 Min
Cook Time: 15 Min
Ready In: 55 Min
Original Recipe Yield 10 servings

Ingredients
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1 cup pumpkin puree
3 eggs
1 teaspoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup confectioners' sugar

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9x13 inch jelly roll pan or cookie sheet.
2. In a large bowl, mix together flour, sugar, baking soda, and pumpkin pie spice. Stir in pumpkin puree, eggs, and lemon juice. Pour mixture into prepared pan. Spread the mixture evenly.
3. Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 15 minutes.
4. Lay a damp linen towel on the counter, sprinkle it with confectioner's sugar, and turn the cake onto the towel. Carefully roll the towel up (lengthwise) with the cake in it. Place the cake-in-towel on a cooling rack and let it cool for 20 minutes.
5. Make the icing: In a medium bowl, blend cream cheese, butter, vanilla, and sugar with a wooden spoon or electric mixer.
6. When the cake has cooled 20 minutes, unroll it and spread icing onto it. Immediately re-roll (not in the towel this time), and wrap it with plastic wrap. Keep the cake refrigerated or freeze it for up to 2 weeks in aluminum foil. Cut the cake in slices just before serving.
Nutritional Information
Amount Per Serving Calories: 316 | Total Fat: 14.1g | Cholesterol: 100mg

The Laser Saga continues...

2010-10-14T23:07:00.000-07:00

"Candice what is that lady talking about?" Isis asked me this morning. I proceeded to tell him about how Mummy and Candice were talking to the lady about getting some laser hair removal done. "You mean they are going to shot you with a hand laser all over?"
Isis is a very visual child and was extremely excited by this prospect. After all was said and done I am getting my arms lasered and my Mo... I don't have much of a mo, but seriously, I am so excited about them arms. Finally!!

What real Americans are like!!

2010-09-19T14:55:00.000-07:00

What a place the state fair can be!! Yes I went there this weekend, and I was able to take Uncle Neil and Auntie Martha with me. There were people eating whole turkey legs, chocolate dipped bacon, corn dogs, funnel cakes, funeral arrangements, animals, arts & crafts, pig racing, auctioning animals, Latino culture fest, and so much more that words can not describe. So in order to make it more memorable, I am going to do a picture post. Enjoy the slide show of this wonderful tribute to American culture. Just to help with the visuals, Uncle Neil ran up to several of these people and asked if we could take photos, just so we could have picture evidence. He also grabbed my arm at one point and said this is how he pictured America. So glad they both could experience this =)

Why all the meetings??

2010-09-09T20:25:00.000-07:00

This week has been a week of meetings...
Sometimes I feel like school is like church... as many meetings as we can possibly call. I have learned about diabetes, Praxis tests, observations, collaboration, and a million other things. I am sitting at home and wondering where this week went. Then I realise that most of it was spent in meetings. I have many more to come, which gives me a lot to be looking forward to. On this flip side I have been having a great week of teaching at school. The kids have been great and we have been working hard to get some great things happening. I also got a great order of books and will be getting some more in a week. I love books and they make me happy. I also have a fab night planned tomorrow for Marj's birthday. Can not wait!

Cooking Bearnaise Sauce

2010-09-07T20:07:00.000-07:00

This afternoon I went and spent some more time with Nicky and the twins. I love being there. It's great to catch up with Nicky and get some baby loving. The boys were cute today. While we were there, Nicky and I were talking about cooking and what we have been cooking. So I decided to cook again. I cooked yummy chicken, friend onions, and friend potatoes. I put the onions on top of the chicken, topped with avocado, and then a yummy Bearnaise sauce. I have to say it was rather amazing. The sauce has a nice lemon tang to it. I don't have an exact recipe, but it goes something like this. Egg Yolks, water, lemon juice, butter, salt, and pepper. Put all the ingredients in a double boiler, except for the butter. Stir with a whisk and then add the butter slowly until the sauce thickens. Enjoy!

The Summer of 2010

2010-08-15T19:34:00.001-07:00

This has been an eventful Summer for me... Where do you start with what happened??

So this has possibly been the fastest summer of my life, even while being the slowest!! I thought I might do a little photo entry to show what I have been up to!

Event #1 ~ Mum was here for 3 months. She was a heaven sent. We had lots of fun hanging around at home, Logan, Arizona, and Nevada. Mum came out just as school was finishing up for me. The kids loved meeting her and enjoyed having Mrs. Bailey signing all of their year books =) Half of the kids coming around had no idea who she was, but none the less loved it. Mum also helped me through the Ben break up. She made sure that I was alright. It was hard (and I am not going to post all the gory details), but I am still happy for the amazing time I had together with Ben.

Event #2 ~ I finished my first full year of teaching school!! YAY! I loved this year and can't believe how much I have learned and am excited for this new year and all the adventures that will come with only having a class of 24.

Event #3 ~ Logan for Barfuss Memorial Day games! We hung out with all the Barfuss family for a fun day. The Capareda's drove all night to make it there. Auntie Kay had broken her arm earlier in the week and just got out of surgery, but she was not to be deterred from spending time with family and games ;) Mum started a bean bag fight, and we even saw her running... It was an amazing sight to see.

Event #4 ~ Mum and I went on a nice 2 week road trip. We started it off with a great trip to the Grand Canyon. Even though we both had been there before, it was still so amazing and breath taking to see it all. We spent a week with the Capareda's in Phoenix. We were able to play a bunch of games, eat some great food, and catch up with friends. I went to dinner with a bunch of the old gang and went to visit an old friend Chad. He had a big night of games and dinner, which was a blast. Mum and I also spent 5 hours floating down the Salt River in Phoenix. It was a hot, fun day. We went with my friend Shane and his wife and friends. I think Mum may have moved in order to get in and out of the tube, but she left Shane and I do the rest. She floated down attached to us and enjoyed the day. Even though we had plenty of suncream on, I still managed to get a nice burn on both my legs.

Event #5 ~ After Phoenix, we went to Vegas. We had a 5 days by the pool. When I say 5 days by the pool, it was literally that. Mum never left the resort, and I left to get some more books and some groceries. It was possibly the most amazing and relaxing fun week of my life. The view was amazing in a desert, and the tan was even better.

Event #6 ~ My cousin Mel married by best mates brother, Todd. It was a beautiful day and ceremony. A lot of the family was there and towards the end of the summer they had a lovely reception before they headed out to Australia.

Event #7 ~ Thanksgiving Point Dinosaur Museum. Jasmine, Isis, Phoenix, Mum, and I went and learned a lot about dinosaurs. Mum and I feel asleep in the 3D movie, obviously it was very exciting. Isis switched into high gear teasing. When we saw this huge shark, he leans over to Phoenix and says "That is going to eat you!" Can't imagine where he would learn to do something like that.

That was a brief run down of the summer for me. I loved having Mum here and spending lots of time with Jasmine and the family up in Logan. After Mum left I caught up with lots of friends that I had not seen much over the summer. All in all a pretty good summer. Hope all is well for you.

Love Candice xx

Happiness Is...

2010-06-12T22:10:00.000-07:00

Happiness is spending a day outside with the sunshine and family.

Mummy to the Rescue!

2010-06-11T22:07:00.000-07:00

Summer is finally here in Utah. Well its supposed to be, but today was 15 C and raining all day. What the?? I have finally finished school and there is no real sunshine to go out and play in. Life has been a little rough over the last month for me. Ben and I broke up, school finished, other life changes, and making lots of fun choices. There is a lot going on. I have discovered that often in life there are a lot of things to gripe about or get sad, angry, frustrated, ticked off, and annoyed about, but Mum is here and there is so much to be grateful for.

I have so many fabulous things in my life. I have wonderful family, great job, place to live, fabulous friends, car, job, so many things that I need and want. Heavenly Father has really blessed me and that is a great thing to be happy about.

President Monson gave a great talk on gratitude, Finding Joy in the Journey. He said "Our realization of what is most important in life goes hand in hand with gratitude for our blessings."

I hope we can all look for things to be grateful for, even when life seems hard.

Preparing to be a Princess!

2010-04-15T20:30:00.000-07:00

This weekend is Phoenix's birthday party. She is so excited, so I have decided to get into the theme. I bought a crown so I can get all dressed up as a Princess. I am going to wear my blue bridesmaid dress and curl my hair all up! It will be lots of fun.

I have painted my nails, got the dress, hair curlers, and jewelry. Party here we come!

Spring Break - What to do??

2010-04-12T18:08:00.000-07:00

After a long time coming... I finally got to have a week off! In order to ease into having time off, I started with a fun Friday night of Ben time. We went off to Steve and Hannah Adolfson's reception. It was a bit of a drop and run, I had a mission reunion to get to. We were late for the ELM reunion, but it was great. Sister Wheelwright filled us in on BYUH and all that was going on there. President took the time to teach us. It was great to take a step back in time. It was so much fun to see Nicky, Katie Lee, John Farr, and all the others there. President and Sister Wheelwright were excited to meet Ben. President gave him a little bit of a talking too, making sure he was a good man =)

The rest of the week was a bit of a blur. Ben's sister, Maryanne, and her family were in town. I was also babysitting Isis and Phoenix. There was General Conference to watch followed by some fun Easter celebrations. It snowed on Sunday morning, so a snowball fight was in order. I caught Ben unawares... Maryanne wanted us to all scooch in for a photo, so I had a snowball in my hand, waiting... waiting... waiting... when the time was right, I put it down Ben's top and rubbed it into his chest =) He was surprised that I did it, but then he stopped and realized that he should have expected it from me. It was a fun morning and Ethan and Hugh made a cute snowman.

Later that day John and Vicky came over with their girls. We had a great roast dinner and an Easter egg hunt for the kids. They were just in heaven. On Monday we had a failed snowboarding attempt. We got up the canyon and they were closed! Argh! Luckily they gave me a refund on my board rental. So instead of exercising, we went to Pirate Island Pizza. The pizza was yum and we had lots of fun in the video Arrrr-cade! The competition was on! Ben and I had to have a rematch over the car racing game. He won the first game and then tried to offer me a bit of a handicap. I was not going to take it! He still won and my level of competition was increasing. Ben was kind enough to let Hugh win a race against him. It was a real fun night!

We took all the kids bowling Tuesday. The boys were trying to see who could bowl the fastest ball. I think Ben won (21 miles per hour), but this meant they were not bowling properly. Thus my win over Ben, did not cancel out from the night before :) By the time were were done with 1 game I needed to take Isis and Fi Fi home. It was after 11pm and they were exhausted! We were up bright and early the next morning to get ready to head up the mountain again. I got some real empathy for Jasmine and Nick and why there are always late. I got the kids all ready, but everything took so much longer. So I was running a little late.

The snowboarding was fabulous! I went up twice, and spent the rest of the time with the kids. Maryanne was kind enough to look after the kids while I went up the mountain. They had a blast drawing and playing, but were definitely ready to go at the end of the day. Hugh and Ethan both had snowboarding lessons and loved those. I ran into a couple from Freo up on the mountain too. Ben was being the man, he boarded from the top of the mountain to the bottom in 5 minutes. He loves snowboarding and is really amazing! Yes I can be proud of my man.

The rest of the week was spent playing video games and polly pocket princesses. Isis was loving the chance to play video games with Ethan. Phoenix was holding her own court. Ben, Mike, and Maryanne were all playing with her, telling stories, singing songs, and ust giving Phoenix all the attention in the world. She was in complete heaven! I have never seen a 4 year old command so much attention. I was relegated to dishes duty. Phoenix is in love with the handsome prince Ben, I am not as cool as he is =)

On Friday night, Ben came over to watch Planet 51 with the kids and I. Near the end Jasmine and Nick got back. The kids were so excited to see them, but they still stayed here for the night. Marj came down to spend the night, I have missed my Ginger Midget. Too much time away!! We had Nicky's baby shower in the morning. I was stressing a little, but everything worked out great. Lots of people, great food, friends, and presents for Nicky and the babies. It was a great way to spend the morning.

I said good bye to the kids and Marj, Rachel, and I headed to the Provo Bridal Fair. That was a fun and interesting day. Then I finally got to have a date with my love. We went out for dinner and watched a movie. It was real nice to spend some time with Ben, by myself. This last week was a blast and it was great to get to know his family better. I could not have wished for a better week off. Now I am back to the real world. Teaching! I am counting down the days till the Summer. Mum has decided to come and visit, which will be so much fun. I have a lot to be thankful for and so many exciting things to look forward too.

Love to you all, Candygirl xx

Listen to candice bailey1979s Playlist

2010-03-29T23:02:00.001-07:00

Creative Cooking Treats

2010-03-29T21:36:00.000-07:00

So I decided to try and cook a few new things... I realized that I have been cooking the same things over and over, cause they are easier and I am used to doing it. So a few weeks ago I started cooking new things.

First trial - Banoffee Pie... I volunteered to make a pie for Pi Day here. I wanted to make something new, something that the Americans haven't tried. Banoffee Pie here I come. I boiled 2 tins of Sweetened Condensed milk to turn it into to toffee. It didn't come out as think as I wanted, so I cooked it on the stove with some golden syrup. It turned it into a real nice toffee. I put some toffee in the bottom of the pie crust, layered with lots of sliced bananas, and then more toffee on top. I whipped some cream and then melted chocolate over the top of the pie. Success #1. It was amazing if I do say so myself, and so easy. Everyone loved it and so simple to create!

Trial Two - Chicken Alfredo...I got a recipe online that used cream cheese in the sauce. I thought I would use this as the basis for my sauce. I cooked the pasta and grilled a chicken breast that was seasoned with garlic and onion salt. The sauce was made by melting butter and then the cream cheese. Once I had that I added some garlic salt, and I was supposed to use milk to thin the sauce down. I was not sure if my milk was still good, so I used cream instead! Yes it is already a fat feast, but it was great. I thinned the sauce with cream and added some pepper and herbs. I mixed the sauce with the pasta and the cut up the chicken on top. Yum! Fat Fest? Most definitely. Unhealthy? I can still feel my arteries hardening. Worth it? For Sure.

Trial Three - Ben had the unhappy job of house painting tonight, so he missed the yummy dinner I made for my roomies. I cooked my own Philly Cheese Steak Sandwiches. I cooked some hot chips and made some nice side salads (good to have something healthy). Then I cooked onions and green capsicums. Once they had caramelized, I cooked some thin steak. I added garlic, salt, and pepper, and mixed it all together. Then I melted on top, cream cheese and white cheddar cheese. I put them into a fresh baguette.

I love that I am thinking of different things to cook. I have forgotten how much I enjoy cooking for people. Also it is really cathartic for me. It is the way that I release my artistic talents, I guess. So as I keep thinking of different things to cook, I will let you know how they all go.

Twins are everywhere!

2010-03-29T20:38:00.000-07:00

So Nicky is having twins and I am in the process of planning her baby shower! It is so much fun to have something exciting to plan for. Maybe I will have some other things to plan for in the near future??

It seems that everywhere I go, I see Twins. On Saturday night at Chillis a couple walked in with twins in little capsules. I was definitely getting a little clucky. I also found out that another friend is having twins too. I think there must be something in the water in this town, twins all over the place.

Besides seeing twins everywhere I have been snowboarding a few more times. I went last Friday night and finally started to feel like I was getting better. I went down the mountain twice, which is better than I had done before and I went down in 40 minutes rather than almost 2 hours. That was the exciting end to the story, but getting up the mountain was scary. The wind was storming and it was snowing. I was holding on for dear life and closing my eyes. Ben was being so cute, he was trying to calm me down and help me think of how to get off the life with out falling over. The first time up I managed not to fall, then second time I was not so lucky. My bum is still sore from the fall on the ice. It was quite a fun time. I still spend a lot of time concentrating and trying to figure it out, and when Ben talks to me I block him out. If I stop thinking and start listening to him, then I fall over! It is getting to be lots of fun, I can say that I am somewhat disappointed that the season is over. If I had another month, I think that I would really be getting somewhat decent at this.

Besides snowboarding I have not been doing too much. Work has been really busy. Rex was sick for 2 weeks, so I had to take over his class as well as my own. That was rather stressful, but he is back, so that is one thing off my chest! I am excited for Spring Break next week. I am going to be babysitting Isis and Phoenix for a little while. That is going to be fun and really busy! Ben's sister and her family are coming into town for a holiday too. It's going to be a busy week, but nice to take a break from school.

Well I will go back to my event planning... wishing and hoping =)

Love you all xx

Snowboarding - The art of falling & getting back up, all the way down a mountain!!!

2010-02-27T21:50:00.000-08:00

Last night was the first time that I had the chance to ever go play in the snow!!! I finally sucked it up, and Ben took me to go night snowboarding at Brighton park. We got there and I really wanted to chicken out. The weather was nice, meaning not too freezing cold, and it was not snowing, but there was lots of fresh powder on the ground.
Ben gave me a quick run down on how to do it and we got up the ski lift. On the lift I was not really scared of the height, so hoped that I could over come that and enjoy the mountains. As we were getting off the lift I was all ready, Ben had explained exactly how to do it, he has missed out one important fact that I did not know. As you get off the lift there is a small slope to get out of the way, and as to be expected I got off, screamed, and rolled down the hill. Coming up quickly behind me were 3 other boarders. They ditched so they didn't hit me, and were really nice about the fact that I was learning.
I got all buckled in and then came the big obstacle, standing up! WTF?? Ben did it like it was nothing, I have no arm muscle, or really muscle anywhere, so I was writhing in the snow trying to do it, even had some men yell from the lift something about my nice butt in the air. Got to love that encouragement. Anyway I finally figured a way to get up and as long as there was a slope, I could do it.
Now I knew I was going to fall over a lot, but I don't know that I was really ready for how much time I was going to spend in the snow. We went down a small slope and I fell, got up, fell again, got up fell again. Ben was trying to show me the different ways to steer, and I just kept falling over. I was wondering if I was ever going to get up and stay up for more than 30 seconds. Amazingly I did manage it. Not too often. Ben was really patient with me. He was encouraging the whole time, and not getting impatient with me. I was so scared I was going to fall into the trees or off a cliff that it really did take me forever to get down the hill. I had one nice long run, where I was finally getting it, but then I fell over and psyched myself out. I started to chicken out again.
When I fell I twisted my knee. I was worried for a minute that I had hurt myself, but I was able to get up and keep going. I had to tell myself repeatedly that I can do this. Lots of positive self talk. Ben never once forced me or tried to hurry me up, so it made it a lot easier for me to do it at my pace. I got up and kept going, after another one of my many falls, I had just stood up when a skier came flying down.
She was new to the slopes too and instead of ditching to not hit me, she ran straight into me. I went down with a ski pole to the face and goggles, and her ski twisted in my board and twisted my knee the other way. She was profusely apologizing and asking if I was ok. I could not answer, because I wasn't sure. When you have lots of people asking, you want to cry, but I had my back to her, her friend, and Ben, so I just waved a hand and said I was ok. After a minute, I realized that I was not really hurt too bad did I get up. The last section was harder, because I could not master the heel steering, I kept falling over to stop myself heading into the trees.
People all along the way were really nice. They would slow down to ask if I was ok when I was on the ground. One time I fell backwards and just about killed myself. It was all rather funny. I was quite proud of myself all in all. I didn't cry once from pain, frustration, annoyance, or any other such emotion. Ben was so supportive the whole way down for me. I know he was champing at the bit for wanting to get out and have fun. He has not been boarding all winter long, but he was great! Even when I had to stop and sit, because my calves were burning up.
After many more tumbles and several videos taken by Ben we made it to the bottom. I ended up unhooking my snow board to walk the last little bit. My calves and every other part of my body were feeling like jelly. It took me a little bit to get down, but I got to the bottom. Ben went on another run, and I went to the car. There was one last hill to get down, and I about wanted to cry. I said to the guy next to me, how in the hell am I supposed to get down, but I managed. Once I had my board and boots in the car I went into the lodge to get changed. I almost fell over trying to change my pants. Legs = Jelly + small confined space = a long, hard time getting changed. When I took my pants off, I about died when I saw my knee. There was a massive lump and bruise forming on the right side, and a little swelling and bruising on the left.
I was worried that I had done some real damage to my knee, but I could move it fine and it didn't hurt when I moved it, so I figure it's just some bruising that will go down. Here is some video of what the bruising looks like on Saturday night (24 hours after the fact).

After all this fun and good times we went to go get some dinner. I was not feeling too good. I was tired and coming down off an adrenalin high. So Red Robin at 10:30pm at night, it was. We came home and both were worn out. I have not slept so good in a long time. I woke up a few times, aching a little, but all in all I was ready to go to bed.
When I woke up this morning I was able to get up and get out of bed with out too much difficulty. My legs were not too sore, my back was probably the worst. I knew that I would be sore, but I thought it would be worse. I was definitely doing things slower than usual, but I managed to make it through the day quite nicely. With all the fun that I had, we are going to head out again next weekend. I figure the more I do it, the better I will become, and the more Ben can go :) The goal is to learn this heel thing so I can more around from side to side and eventually learn how to carve in the snow. Also I need to learn to better overcome my fear of heights and speed combined, that way I can really learn to love snowboarding. I did enjoy the rush and fun when I was upright and moving, so I think it is something that I will like. You should all give it a try sometime...

The Big 31

2010-02-04T21:27:00.000-08:00

I arrived back from Australia to the wonderful, cold place of Utah. The trip was not too bad, a little vomit from Isis, but all in all a nice flight. Ben was there to pick me up and that was all that mattered. We got back into life quite nicely, starting back at work in Monday.
With a week of work under my belt, Ben and I drove to L.A. for Sean and Ambers Wedding. It was such a fun week. I can not tell you how much I enjoyed catching up with Carla again and all the Chitwood clan. Ben survived meeting them and their references to Tud and all things Australian. It was such a nice break in weather being in California. Ahh I do miss the summer of Australia during the winter time here.
Before I realised it, my birthday was quickly approaching. Ben and I went out for dinner at Tuccanos, YUM!!! Then on Saturday began the naughty couch incident. Ben and Mark tried to move my couch into the basement and it would not fit!! Not once did the boys get frustrated, but I was a bit upset. Finally after a break to Red Robin, Ben, Marj, and I decided that we needed to return the couches. So I was back to step one. No couch!
To cheer myself up we had a little get together of friends. It is so fun to see people that you have not seen in ages and catch up. After the party, Ben and I caught up with Maura and Mike for some In & Out. Nothing like a late night snack to get you started!
On Sunday, the official day of birth, I went to church, took a nap, and Ben came over for the night. We watched movies and ate dinner, lots of fun stuff.
So I have officially been kicked out of the Y.S.A. and I feel totally fine about it. Well I will continue to update the blog with more events and some fun photos.

See you around. x

The noises you hear in the Geriatric Section of the Hospital!

2009-12-28T03:58:00.000-08:00

Last night we went into see Nanny in the hospital. There are so many old people in her section making great noises! The lady next to her lifts her leg and farts, then comments ahhh that feels better. Nothing like being 90 and being able to do and say just what you want. Then as we were leaving this old man in another room lets out the loudest burp you have ever heard. Mum and I were cracking up! Then before we could walk any further he lets out several more. I guess once you have got to that age, it's about comfort and not what sounds you can make. I defy any of my brothers to compete with these old people!!

Centipedes not allowed in the Shower!!

2009-12-23T06:23:00.000-08:00

Have you ever had an Alien moment? Well I had one of those tonight after I got out of the shower. I had just taken a nice relaxing shower, washed my hair etc and was felling all nice and clean. As I was brushing my teeth I looked over into the shower to make sure I had not left any hair in there after washing it. (Mum is not used to having someone in the house with long hair again.) I looked in and saw what I thought was the hairball from hell. Then stopped and thought I did not empty out my brush in the shower. It is NOT possible to have left that much hair.
As I looked in the shower closer I realised that it was a centipede coming up out of the drain. I about screamed and then gagged at the thought of taking a shower with a centipede. I mean really, I can do with out any Alien moments. No gross creepy crawly things coming out of the shower drains. Ughhhh!!! Anyway I decided that it looked dead so I could just wash it down the drain, before Mum took her shower. I turned on the water and it came to life. No it was not dead and started to crawl further out of the drain.
At this point I am questioning whether I can call my brother Jeremy and get him to come over and get rid of this thing. You may laugh, but men are very good at getting rid of insects and other creepy crawly things. It is on the job description of things they must be able to do.
I decided to approach Mum and see what she wanted to do. She turned on the shower to try and wash it down, instead we burned and drowned it to death. Did you know that dead centipedes go still. So here I am trying to move it with a shampoo bottle to get it closer to the drain. It is so stiff now that we realise we are going to have to remove it ourselves. I decdied this was the time to beat a hasty retreat and put clothes on, before outside was going to become an option. Mum came to the rescue and got some cardboard. She had the door propped open and she threw it outside.
Needless to say she ran some more water down the drain before she got into the shower. The hot water also ran out during her shower, all at the cost of not shower with a centipede. Now the main question that still remains, is when did the centipede make its appearance??

2009-12-17T22:38:00.000-08:00

Sitting here getting ready for bed and enjoying the feel of clean sheets and 5 blankets keeping me warm. I am packed and for once feel like I have packed light, the only problem is that I have a suitcase full of stuff for other people. It now looks like I bought everything but the kitchen sink for 2 weeks at home. At least I have plenty of room to bring chocolates and other such fun stuff back.
This week has been busy running errands and making sure that I have everything I need. Sometimes I just forget how much stuff I need to sort. I have had my personal chauffeur taking me around. Can I tell you how amazing Ben is? Well I am going to anyway. He has driven me around to all these different places just to be nice and spend time with me. He is the best!!
Tonight he bought me a pink Santa hat. He saw one the other day and was on a mission to find me one. We finally found one. It is cute and I will be a happy pink elf on Christmas Day. Watch for the photos. I get to work a half day tomorrow and then head home to clean up and fly out. I am so excited. I can't believe I am finally coming home. It has been a year and half since I was last there. The other fabulous part is that its Summer and I get to go swimming and get a little brown.
The sad part is that Ben can't come with me. UPS is of the devil as far as I am concerned right now. Well not really. Its a good job that pays nice and has benefits, but it means that he could not come visit with me. But luckily for Skype I will not turn into a complete basket case from missing him =)

The rest of Thanksgiving...

2009-12-02T21:02:00.000-08:00

Cars are an amazing invention... but they can also cause stress and cost lots of money. Ben's car had an issue on Saturday, so we did not make it to Santa Cruz beach, but we did in fact make it to the beach. We spent a fun afternoon with Joe and his family. Once we knew what was happening, we loaded into the mini van and headed up the coast.

The beach was beautiful. Walking along the sand made me homesick, as did the lovely fresh smell of the salt and water. I can not wait to head home for some of that beautiful smell. We played a little on the beach. Ben's great family beat a hasty retreat and let us watch the sunset. I honestly can't say that anything could have made me more content or happy at that moment. Man of my dreams cuddling up to me as we watched the sunset... That has to be just one of those amazing life moments.

Afterwards we headed to the Oakland Temple to see the lights. The temple and grounds were beautiful. I was also able to catch up with Undram, from the mission. She is wonderful and it was great to see her. We then headed back to the house and got ready to leave early the next morning.

I had the best Thanksgiving.

Santa Cruz beach.... part 1

2009-11-27T22:50:00.000-08:00

Isn't it always nice when someone you really like wants to do stuff to make you happy. Ben is taking me to the beach tomorrow, cause he knows that it will make me happy. We are going to go out tomorrow with his sisters Alisa and Marianne, and Marianne's family, stopping on the way through to visit his brother Joe's house and then cruise on out to the beach.

We are hoping to walk along the beach, maybe build some sandcastles with the boys, check out the boardwalk, and maybe even go on some rides. This is sort of a preparatory time, getting used to being at the beach for Christmas time. I am so excited, even though swimming is not on the agenda... The smell of the salty air, the atmosphere of the beach, Ben.... ah Heaven.

Anyways time to sign out.

Candice xx

Ceres here we are!

2009-11-26T07:20:00.000-08:00

After 12 hours on the road, Ben and I made it to his home. It was actually the shortest road trip I have even taken. I really think it was the company, best I have ever had. Carla I promise he only beat you by a tiny, tiny bit. I have never sung as loud and proud with anyone, but you!! The weather is really nice here compared to Utah and I am so thankful for a little bit of a reprieve.

The family that I have met so far are really nice. There was nothing to be nervous about. Yet in saying that, here I am waking up at 6:30am cause I am still nervous. Ahh the joys of life.

Being Thanksgiving it does give me moments to pause. I am really thankful for my wonderful family who support me in all that I do. You are all the best. I am thankful to my Heavenly Father for helping me find peace and happiness in this crazy world. He also opens so many doors for me to get to be places in life that I want, and that will bring me happiness. Thankful for a wonderful man that treats me so amazingly well. Friends who are there just to call and make sure that life is good.

Love to you all xx

What to Wear??

2009-11-24T17:42:00.000-08:00

You know men really don't know how much effort we put into things. So I am in fact going to California. I have since run to the store for snacks for a 13 hour road trip, present for the family for letting me crash the party, and new tee shirts to look great. Did I also mention that I died hair on Saturday night too? No, well I did.

I am now in the midst of trying to decide what to pack. If Ben would call me back then I could figure out how formal their family is on these days. Don't want to be under or over dressed. Well the suitcase calls me.

Wish me luck!

2009-11-23T23:03:00.000-08:00

While I am just being a happy little blogger.... California for Thanksgiving or not? What do you think? Will Ben be able to get the day off work? All these very important question will be answered tomorrow and I will know what I am going to be doing =)

Grr the Visa Process sucks!!

2009-11-23T22:14:00.000-08:00

Tonight I was sitting there crying and trying to figure out if I was going to have to decide on going home for Christmas or staying here for the foreseeable future. I do not like this process that I am going through. 2 hours later and I had answered all the same questions in 15 different varieties and assured the American Government that I have not been involved in, assisted in, associated with, or plan to support; terrorism, racism, genocide, drug dealing, or prostitution - I think I may be ok. I mean I just want to stay here for a little while to teach children. Should it really be this hard for people wanting to stay here legally?

I could really go around the block and get a greencard for $25, but when you do it legally they harass you. I have permission from Immigration to stay and teach in the US, but if I want to be able to go anywhere out of the country I need a visa in my passport. I can only get this out of the country though. Which means I have to leave, and run the risk of them saying they are not going to give me my visa. Grrr!!

Anyway I have an appointment booked for when I am in Australia. So please feel free to keep me in your prayers. I mean I would like to come back and stay for now in the US. I do have a little motivation for wanting to be here right now.

2009-11-23T22:10:00.000-08:00

Ladies and Gentlemen... I am back!

Dearest Family and Friends,

I know it has been several months since I have written a big email. Don’t worry I am not going to make the epistle 10 pages long or anything. But I will give you a little update on what has been going on.

As most of you know I am back at Santaquin Elementary teaching year 5. I love it. I love the students that I have and the teachers I work with. We got a new principal this year, so there were a few teething problems, but besides that life is great. My class is a little different that what I had last year, so I am enjoying the challenges that it is bringing.

I have been really busy with life outside of school too. I have moved to South Provo and started attending a family ward out here with my friends. I love the change of scenery. It is also nice to have a different calling. I am teaching Sunday School to the 15-18 year olds every second week. It means I can relax for one week and then work hard the next. It is fun getting to know them and enjoying what they have to say.

This has been a little less stressful than previous callings. I do love having something to do. I have also been really lucky to have some friends come and visit me. Over Conference weekend I saw Bec my cousin and her mum Laurel. We went to a lovely dinner at Olive Garden with Jasmine too. Bianca Lekias also ended up spending a fair while with me on her big trip. We got up to some fun things. We organized for Bianca to go shooting with some of out friends. As you can see it was lots of fun. There were some gun totting crazies there, but they were the ones w

ho bought the guns to play with,

After this fun time we got all dolled up for an 80’s night on the town. Before we went to the party we had to go watch Ben play football, so we rocked up all done up, with Suzanne, at the football field. Needless to say its been awhile since we have had that much attention… I mean really we looked fabulous. I don’t know what they were staring at. It was a great night of dancing and karaoke. I know this will be hard to believe but I was the quiet one that night. Except for one song!

I have really enjoyed living close to Suzanne and we have been doing some fun things. She has been organizing fun games night, and yes the girls are still the Trivial Pursuit Champs! It is so nice having friends that close. My new room mates are also awesome. One works full time in PR and the other is a law student.

There has been some other good things going on. We had a fun Halloween experience. A bunch of us dressed up like Alice in Wonderland characters. I was the white rabbit, but I refused to wear a bunny suit. That was a great night. Jasmine came down with us and Phoenix danced the night away until midnight. She was the hit of the show. The hay ride at the end was a little much, she was tired and said she just wanted to go to bed. That was the time we decided to call it a night. Well sort of. We had to do an IHOP run and Walmart run too.

That was also the night I officially started dating Ben. A lot of you know about him. But I will give you a quick run down. Ben and I were in the same ward for 2 years. Over the spring and summer I was the Relief Society President and he was the Elders Quorum President. This meant that we had to talk to each other. As this happened we realized that we had a lot in common. So we have been seeing a whole bunch of each other over the last few months and decided that we do like each other, so we are dating. He is a great guy and has survived meeting Jasmine twice. So that makes anyone a real man in my opinion. Not only has he survived that, but these last few days Nathan and Lisa have been here with the kids. Ben survived this with flying colours too.

It has been great having Nathan and Lisa here. I have loved seeing them and the kids. We have done some shopping, eaten out, and went up to Logan to chill with Jasmine and her family on Sunday. It was so nice to have a big family group, laughing and joking and just enjoying it all. I am so excited to come home at Christmas time and see everyone.

That is another one of the big parts of my exciting news. I have got permission to stay again here and keep working. I am still trying to work out some of the Logistics. How to be able to travel home and be allowed back in, but it will all come through.

I hope all is well for you all. I look forward to hearing what you are all up to; work, babies, family, school, and anything else.

Love to you all,

Love Candice xox

Erik Weihenmayer - Blind Man Climbs Everest.....

2009-04-05T12:23:00.000-07:00

There are some people that have amazing trials through out their lives. In fact we all have things that we struggle with, but how we face them will sculpt our lives. I was privileged to listen to a talk given by Erik Weihenmayer. He is an amazing person and had great insights into life and what we can accomplish.

Erik went blind at the age of 13. He was somewhat bitter. But as time progressed, he became more accepting of his trials.

Sunday fun!

2009-03-29T13:19:00.001-07:00

Last night I was up late, yes burning the candle at both ends. Watching movies and hanging out with a boy. That is good right? Today was a fun day at church. We had combined meetings all day. Nicky was teaching Sunday School ~ with a lot of help from someone else, who had lots to say. I love church.

During Relief Society one of our friends Julie was so enthralled with the lesson that she was practicing her signature for when she gets married. Then offering suggestions for Nicky's new signature. It was just one of those days when we struggled to focused.

I am sitting here waiting for Nathan to come over. He just flew in from Phoenix and needs to buy a new suitcase... Ahh the joys of traveling. I am excited to get out and do some more traveling. Suzanne, Cheri, and I have been planning our Alaskan Cruise. Fun fun!! Then off to D.C. for Nicky's wedding and maybe an Arizona trip. Life is great :D

Saturday and Sunday in Vegas....

2009-03-28T14:51:00.001-07:00

Saturday was amazing in Vegas. We woke up, after minimal amounts of sleep, and headed down the pool for some sun chasing. Bikini on, chase bed, hot tub, and chasing the sun around. It was over 70 degrees Fahrenheit and it felt so nice to have the sun on my skin.

We decided after a few hours of fabulous laziness to go eat some yummy In & Out. I have never seen a line like that before. You have all the fans from all over, who were here for the basketball, lining up.

So filled with food we could go out for some more adventures. Nicky, Rachel, and I went all over the strip. We went on a Gondola ride, with a singing driver. He was hilarious. Had an Italian name, but was raised in France.

We had a bit of a hard time trying to find Nicky her Vegas souvenir. We parked in the MGM grand and totally could not find an exit from the Casino. Seriously the are built to keep you trapped inside and lose all your money there. We finally got out and raced to a little tourist trap for some fun Vegas memorabilia.

We got back to the hotel and met up with Marj and Kirsten to get ready to go out for the night. We decided that we were going to go find this Thai Restaurant. It was half an hour away from the strip, and when we got there, it was a take out. So off we went to Macaroni Grill. Dinner was great, even if it was getting later.

We drove back to the strip and headed out to a club. We met my friend Britt and his friend to go dancing. The club was so packed and there were sweaty bodies all over the place.

We had a good time dancing till 3am. Coming home the feet were sore, but it was well worth it. We had to be checked out of the hotel by noon, and Nicky and I wanted to go to church. We stopped by a YSA ward that meets at UNLV. It was fun.

Nicky and I then went to the hospital to meet up with Amber Kohntopp Waldren. Her baby was in hospital, while they were out visiting with family from Georgia. It was great to meet her hubby, but so good to catch up. I miss my wonderful friends from the mission that I don't see often.

We all drove home and had a fabulous trip back to Utah. We left behind the warm weather and came back to the chill. Ahh well life in Utah is great.

Vegas Baby!!!! Friday Night - The Truth about Wouded Wilderbeats

2009-03-20T21:09:00.000-07:00

I was sitting at the computer waiting for my phone to ring... Marj called and she was there to pick me up. Marj, her friend Kirsten, and I were on our way to meet Rachel and Nicky in Vegas. We drove down to Cedar City (a small town of no consequence in Southern Utah.) We were having a bikini stop. After bikini's were purchased, we made it for dinner. Lets just say that white trash was out en-force. The group behind us had a huge fight with table slapping, storming off, yelling behaviour. Oh is was quality and then she came back for more.

The trip down was not too long and when we saw the lights of Vegas the excitement just grew. We struggled to find our hotel and after driving around the strip a bit, we were all checked in. The hot tub closed at 11:00pm, so we were devastated. We wanted to get the bikini's out.

Rachel and Nicky met us at the hotel after watching a BYU basketball game. We decided to head out on the town and see Vegas. A guy Kurtis, that i met online, came and was our tour guide. He is freaking hilarious and drives a hot mustang.

We all went through the Bellagio and waited for the water fountains to come on. Apparently they are not on after 1 am. 'Sigh'. We wondered around and stumbled onto a very drunk English Man. He proceeded to give Kurtis advice on what ways he could hit on me. Needless to say it was a hilarious conversation, but still a little embarrassing. We have been laughing about it since then. Kurtis gave me some ideas about real life in Vegas.

We went out for dessert at 3am which was great. Through out the whole night, we found different men who we totally would hit on if we were in the mood. Well not really, they were all the scary looking men. Marjory ended up with a midget in her pocket. We were all very jealous. Kurtis introduced us to the term Wounded Wilderbeasts. They are the girls who are staggering around, dressed up, looking all lost and waiting to be picked up. There were 1,000's of them wondering around the strip and casinos.

We came back to our hotel and Kurtis and I just chatted for awhile. Then before I knew it, it was 5am, which is 6am Utah time, and it was was time for bed. We had 5 of us piled into a Queen bed, pull out couch, and cushions on the floor. Needless to say when my head hit the pillow I was gone...

2009-03-06T21:48:00.000-08:00

The day has finally come that I have decided to go online and tell my stories all in one place. I hope one day to be able to have such blogging skills as Jasmine or Nicky. I admit that I am an amateur, but I do have lofty goals. I am sitting here with Suzanne and enjoying some fun Friday night with the Dark Knight and online boys. Yes right now my world has sunk to that level that I have been meeting boys online.

Do not freak out about it. I have been on more dates in the last 6 weeks than the last 2 years in Provo. I have met some great people, I have also met some scary people too. Life is good for me right now. I am loving my job teaching 5th Grade at Santaquin Elementary. The class has 29 students and they keep me really, really busy. We have a few weeks left and then we are down to one term left. I can not believe that I have been teaching for this long already!! CRAZY!!

Well I am going to be keeping this spot pretty active once I can figure it out a bit. Love to you all

Candygirl xx