checking things off.

guys! i finally did my triathlon! the goal first crossed my mind while watching my 80 year old grandpa compete in the st. george senior games. it was so inspiring to watch him, in his frail state, swim, bike, and then finally cross the finish line running. AT 80!!!

... that was in 2007. 

HA! so yes, this has been on my to-do list for 7 years. and on labour day, i finally finished. 350 yards swimming, 12.5 miles biking, and a 5k. woo!

we're all so happy to be posing in our swim-wear. 

here i am, waiting to start. i was mainly thinking, will everyone laugh at me if i plug my nose when i jump in?

then at the end of the bike and run. if you think i look extraordinarily happy it's cause I WAS! i felt so happy and accomplished. you know sometimes, in special moments, when you feel like you're really living life to the fullest, getting the most out of what heavenly father has given you? this was one of those moments. i'm so grateful for my healthy body, and for my recent desires to be active. for this time of my life where i've had the chance to cultivate new hobbies and talents. i'm grateful to have the opportunity to compete in these kinds of races and to live in a place that offers them, that i was born into a family of adventures/lovers of life, for good weather, for swimming pools, my blue bike, for music that pumps me up. i'm grateful for it all and i know to whom i should offer my thanks.

i did the race with a bunch of extended family, and my dad and sister. it was a blessing training and racing with them. my family has always been my biggest cheerleaders. part of my joy upon finishing was brought by seeing my dad and sister finish.

and here's the whole tri crowd. from left to right, my uncle, me, cousin kenzie (whose influence helped me to sign up, train, and actually DO the race, thanks kenz), sister paige, dad (or roy orbison?) cousin davis, and cousin maddy.

some other things i've been checking off:

- conquering a headstand

- getting a NEW JOB!!! (more information forthcoming) 

- hiking "the living room"

- eating at spitz (a new salt lake city favorite)

- trying a fried oreo (A+++++)

the key to true joy.

last night my dad was boppin' around with a picture and an old book of poems. when my mom asked what he was doing he responded: 

"i'm doing an activity with courtney." 

??? 

this guy! 

he then proceeds to tell me to "listen to this poem while looking at this picture."

between the dark and the daylight,

when the night is beginning to lower,

comes a pause in the day's occupations,

that is known as the children's hour.

i hear in the chamber above me

the patter of little feet,

the sound of a door that is opened,

and voices soft and sweet.

from my study i see in the lamplight,

descending the broad hall stair,

grave alice, with big brown eyes,

and edith with golden hair.

a whisper, and then a silence:

yet i know by their merry eyes

they are plotting and planning together

to take me by surprise.

a sudden rush from the stairway,

a sudden raid from the hall!

by three doors left unguarded

they enter my castle wall!

they climb up into my turret

o'er the arms and back of my chair;

if i try to escape, they surround me;

they seem to be everywhere.

they almost devour me with kisses,

their arms about me entwine,

till i think of the bishop of bingen

in his mouse-tower on the rhine!

do you think, o blue-eyed banditti,

because you have scaled the wall,

such an old mustache as i am

is not a match for you all!

i have you fast in my fortress,

and will not let you depart,

but put you down into the dungeon

in the round-tower of my heart.

and there will i keep you forever,

yes, forever and a day,

till the walls shall crumble to ruin,

and moulder in dust away!

- henry wadsworth longfellow

after the "activity" my grandma mentioned she wished it was like that always. my dad said "it is! in our memories." which in turn brought to my mind this quote from jesus the christ:  

an important element in this splendid elucidation of the truly blessed state is the implied distinction between pleasure and happiness. mere pleasure is at best but fleeting; happiness is abiding, for in the recollection thereof is joy renewed. true happiness is lived over and over again in memory, always with a renewal of the original good; a moment of unholy pleasure may leave a barbed sting, which, like a thorn in the flesh, is an ever-present source of anguish. happiness is not akin with levity, nor is it one with light-minded mirth. It springs from the deeper fountains of the soul, and is not infrequently accompanied by tears. have you never been so happy that you have had to weep? i have.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

"god organizes us into families so that we can grow up in happiness and safety, and so that we can learn to love others selflessly - the key to true joy." ain't that the truth?

11. perfect the ultimate sunday dinner.

last sunday i decided to finally buckle down and make that sunday dinner i'm always talking about.

the menu:

- lemon & garlic roast chicken

choice ingredients: rosemary takes food to the next level. and coarse kosher salt should be put on everything. plus it makes me feel legit putting handfuls pinches of it here and there.

the chicken, the lemon, the rosemary, the garlic. missing is the bbbuuttteeerrr!!!

i apologize for the quality of this picture, but i had to document that i actually had my hand inside a chicken. and ... it was too much.

the before ...

and the after. what a beauty!

- fresh lemon limeade

- roasted vegetable medley

made up of produce mostly picked from our garden. not pictured are the beets, carrots, and onions which really brightened things up. i think this was the best dish. i have a thing for veggies right now.

- twice baked potatoes

- and a chocolate souffle for dessert

i had the most fun making this. and BOY WAS IT GOOD! 

the help:

- my sous chef, dad

i can't put into words my love for this guy ^^^ i mean, he spent his whole sunday (even skipping his nap) helping me with my goal. don't get me started on how talented he is and how he can and DOES just about anything he wants. and then he teaches me. thanks pop.

the table:

the take-back:

- well, i learned that cooking a big, fancy meal is harder than it appears. i think i was cooking for 4 hours straight. the other hard part is making sure that everything is done and hot by the time your guests show up. let's just say that i need some practice with time-management. 

overall it was a great experience and i had a lot of fun. and really, that is all i wanted anyway. that and the chocolate souffle.

7. buy a scooter.

guess i won't be fulfilling number seven of my 25 things list. 

i just don't know whether to be mad or feel so loved.

music monday.

last sunday, right after i threw a temper tantrum about not being able to pass my current level on candy crush, my dad told me he had a song for me to listen to and that "this is what your future husband will say to you someday." someone like you by van morrison:

i've been searching a long time

for someone exactly like you

i've been traveling all around the world

waiting for you to come through

someone like you make it all worthwhile

someone like you keep me satisfied

someone exactly like you

i've been traveling a hard road

baby looking for someone exactly like you

i've been carrying my heavy load

waiting for the light to come shining though

someone like you make it all worth while

someone like you make me satisfied

someone exactly like you

i've been doing some soul searching

to find out where you're at

i've been up and down the highway

in all kinds of foreign lands

someone like you make it all worthwhile

someone like you keep me satisfied

someone exactly like you

i've been all around the world

marching to the beat of a different drum

but just lately i have realized

the best is yet to come

someone like you make it all worthwhile

someone like you keep me satisfied

someone exactly like you

my dad always has special songs for me. i remember him singing me lullabies when i was little; james taylor's sweet baby james and joni mitchelle's the circle game. and for paige it was joni mitchelle's a case of you and van morrison's brown eyed girl.

on the day i graduated from high school i  found a note taped to my cap and gown; all it was were the lyrics to carly simon's love of my life and a "love, dad":

i love lilacs and avocados

ukuleles and fireworks

and woody allen and walking in the snow

but you've got to know that

you're the love of my life

from the moment i first saw you

the second that you were born

i knew that you were the love of my life

quite simply the love of my life

i love lucy and pumpernickel bread

the statue of liberty and standing ovations

and falling into bed

but get it through your head that

you can drive me crazy

you can drive me anywhere

here are the keys

just do as you please

it may not always be easy

but you're the love of my life

my heart is riding on a runaway train

you are the love of my life

through all the pleasure and pain

from the moment i first saw you

i knew it right away

i knew that you were the love of my life

simply the love of my life

you are the love

the great love of my life.

he also makes like dadcourtneypaige theme songs. one to the tune of skyline's school song and another to be sung to steely dan's gaslighting abbie:

flame is the game;

the game we call gasoline alley*.

it's a luscious invention for three, 

courtney, paige, and me ...

*we sang this on trips to the gasoline alley arcade on early fridays. my dad would meet up with paige and i after school and we'd spend the afternoon with pac-man and paperboy. <<< the good life.

i attribute a lot of what i like to my dad (movies, good food, family, jokes, ice cream), but my appreciation for music MOST DEFINITELY came from him.

here are some more songs that remind me of him.

happy monday!

#tbt.

maybe my favorite picture of all time.

i remember this morning. my dad had just returned from business trip baring gifts. he put those ^^^ little stuffed puppies under our pillows (did paige have a pillow at this age?) to find when we woke up. BEST morning.

that time i went to st george (for the 1,659,954th time).

it never gets old, that st george; even when it is rainy and maybe the coldest you've ever been while visiting, and the heater in your condo is broken, and there aren't any movies to see, and your normal travel companion is in italy.

it's STILL great.

- the five hour drive from salt lake, talking to dad the whole time; never gets old.

bffs

- these red rocks and hiking in canvas tennies; never gets old.

$1.50 at thrift town. beat that!

- getting a lime glacier from larsen's; never gets old.

although i can never seem to eat the whole thing ...

- exploring the white rock amphitheater; never gets old.

actually this is the first time we've done this.

and here's a picture of my white hair to finish things off.

sticking to my word.

27 years today.

a happy anniversary to these two love birds.

one of my favorite quotes on marriage and family comes from the family: a proclamation to the world:

husband and wife have a solemn responsibility to love and care for each other and for their children. "children are an heritage of the lord". parents have a sacred duty to rear their children in love and righteousness, to provide for their physical and spiritual needs, and to teach then to love and serve one another, observe the commandments of god, and be law-abiding citizens wherever they live. husbands and wives - mothers and fathers - will be held accountable before god for the discharge of these obligations
the family is ordained of god. marriage between man and woman is essential to his eternal plan. children are entitled to birth within the bonds of matrimony, and to be reared by a father and a mother who honor marital vows with complete fidelity. happiness in family life is most likely to be achieved when founded upon the teachings of the lord jesus christ. successful marriages and families are established and maintained on principles of faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work, and wholesome recreational activities.

i'm grateful i was raised in a home where my parents loved each other and showed it; where the principles of the gospel were lived and taught.

thanks for getting married.

father's day gift guide.

for the fathers in your life:

if i could get my dad to wear this tie i would consider father's day to be most successful. the tie bar has a great selection of ties, and for cheap!

like 15 years ago, avon started selling soap on a rope; i've never seen my dad so excited about an avon product. thomas sires fish soap would create the same reaction, i'm sure of it.

my dad always has a dopp kit. isn't this jack spade just perfect! and since his birthday last week, he'll need something to carry around all the l'occitane products i got him.

every dad's a grill master right? how bout making your dad a nice burger for his day, or getting him a burger press.

the gardener comic book. genius.

for a chocolate stash all of his own, mast brother's chocolate bars are pretty manly.

history buffs run in my family. why not feed the obsession and get your dad a book on his favorite subject.

the classic father's day coupons. did this all the time in elementary school, until i moved on to dollar store presents for my dad. i think he still uses the little glasses screw driver kit i gave him years ago. you better believe this makes me very proud; and for only $1! kate spade has cute prints charming printables.

and as per usual, i have store suggestions:

the art of shaving 

{at fashion place mall and coming soon to city creek}

the gym

{at city creek, maybe a one-day guest pass?}

randy's records

{for the music aficionado}

global indoor golf

{the ultimate man cave}

hbdad.

that guy, he's my dad. 

one of my favorite memories was about 6 years ago in an albertson's parking lot. i was wild/crazy that night and was running as fast as i could then jumping up on the cart and riding it around. when we got to the car my dad smiled at me and said, "courtney, you're a girl after my own heart, just like david was after the lord's heart." 

i loved that moment.

happy birthday to my dada who knows me perfectly and loves me perfectly.

favored fall facets by mr mark.

papa mark.

{papa/knower of all things/king of cheesy jokes/loves life}

1. college football

2. hoodies

3. lisa's homemade soups

4. driving up salt lake's canyons and seeing the fall colors

5. halloween and thanksgiving

**dad, you are one of my most favoritest people ever. and that there picture is probably the greatest picture ever taken.

{image.}

i enjoy a good soup as well. luckily my mom has the special talent of making the perfect, cold weather soup. white chicken chili, minestrone, taco soup, loaded baked potato, YUM!

go ahead and make this, because there's a storm a brewin' and loaded baked potato soup will fill your soul with goodness.

loaded potato soup

2 large baking potatoes, peeled and cut into cubes (about 1 1/3 pounds)

2 tsp butter

2 tbsp flour

2 1/2 cups milk

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1/2 (8 ounce) carton of sour cream

3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1/3 cup chopped green onions

3 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled

place potato in a large saucepan and add water to cover. bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat to medium, and cook 20 minutes or until potato is tender. drain and mash, set aside.

melt butter over low heat; add flour, stirring until smooth. cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. gradually add milk; cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until thickened and bubbly.

combine potatoes, milk and salt and pepper. cook just until thoroughly heated (do not boil), add sour cream.

top with bacon, cheese and green onions.

happy soup season.

favored fall facets by aundrea.

aundrea.

{comedic relief at the office/well of administrative knowledge/useless banter companion}

{she is apparently a big foreigners fan too.}

5. fall clothes!

4. driving into the mountains to look at the beautiful colors.

3. putting in the SPRING bulbs!

2. the smell of newly-sharpened pencils {can you name that movie?}

1. THANKSGIVING!  {my favorite holiday}

**aundrea makes my days at work seem like a night at a comedy club. unfortunately, we are the stuck-to-the-deskers and these moments are few and far between {walking to the mail room, mid-day chat about randomy to keep us awake}.

the picture above depicts another favorite from my list.

byu football.

my dad gets this really weird giddiness about him as fall rolls around. like a kid on christmas. the reason, football season. he has been a season ticket holder for 29 years {please see the original 1984 national championship shirt i am wearing in the photo above}. he is the most loyal fan i know {well, him and his brother lynn}. all through those tough crowton years, through heat and rain and sleet and snow. you'll never see them leave a game early {unlike half, no, MORE than half of the fans at this year's byu utah game}, and when they do see people leave they always yell to them "it's not over till it's over", then site the miracle bowl.

so naturally, i am a byu fan.

and for me fall = byu football, cougar dogs, the imperial march, "rise and shout the cougars are out", and being squished between 62,000 other fans.

i love it.

weekend time is here.

happiness and cheer.

{image complimnets of here.}

look at this picture of sister and father with their weekend mustaches on

and

have a good weekend.

the eagle and the bulldog.

if you glance to your left, you will see that i have added a new LOVE.COM.

the eagle and the bulldog

my mom {and dad's i guess} new blog. isn't that a great name? who likes it? raise of hands.

take a look because my mom will take any opportunity to post the lovely photos she has snapped over a fun weekend.

what can i say, i have a fun family. it's true. really.