Valley fair amusement park

We got to go to an amusement park! Our office won some competition and this was our reward! It was basically like Utah's "Lagoon." It wasn't huge but we had a lot of fun! Jared and I had not been to an amusement park together and it was a great experience.

Here we are on an extreme swing! It was huge and awesome! You'd get to the top of the pique and your stomach was in your throat! I love that feeling!
(Hap, Jas, Felisha, me, & Janelle) Mike and Felisha enjoying the day.

The boys playing hacky. They play ALL the time!

Brynlee and I. Brynlee is saying cheese and clearly enjoying her cotton candy.

Funnel cake! Believe it or not neither Jared or I have ever had this scrumptious piece of heavenly fried, artery clogging, dynomatic desert! We LOVED it to say the least. It was the highlight of our week (name that movie?).

All in all a very fun filled day with lots of thrill rides, blood curdling screams, sun burns, fatty foods, and people watching. Oh, come on, you can't say you don't do that at amusement parks!

Minne scenery

This is what I see when I go on walks: Our apartments and down town St. Paul in the background.

Minnesota has A LOT of vegetation and gardens are not in short supply!

So, all the little fuzzies you blow when you make a wish, I swear they end up in Minnesota! They're gathered up everywhere, along the sidewalks and just floating through the air - apparently they can travel up to 500 miles in 1 day! Just ask chacha (or Kara).

A bridge by our temporary home. I have never seen so much water!

We also see lots of trains and old train tracks.

Basically just another day and another walk along the streets. I like St. Paul.

Crock pot granola

It's official! I am a Utahish house wife. I am posting blogs about cooking granola in a crock pot. It's strange, really, to think of myself that way..I kind of like it. Anywho, this is some yummy granola that I made in my crock pot and I thought others might like the idea.

What's in it?
1. 5 cups oats (just regular quick oats/rolled oats/oat meal)
2. 1 cup flax seed
3. 3/4 cup coconut flakes
4. 3/4 cup slivered almonds
5. 1 stick butter (melted)
6. 3/4 cup honey
7. 3/4 cup dried cranberries
Really you can add anything you like or take out what you don't. These are my preferences. I don't actually ever measure anything so if the measurements seem really off to you feel free to change it up!
Mix everything (I leave the cranberries out until the last 30 mins).
Cook on high for 4 hours, stirring frequently (about every 15 minutes) and vent by sticking a wooden spoon under lid. This isn't clumpy like trail mix granola, its more like cereal. I love it with milk. I think for it to clump you have to add A LOT more butter and honey. Oh, and if the cranberries are in the whole time they get really hard instead of chewy.

After the 4 hours and a lot of stirring (if you don't stir enough it'll burn) and when it's golden brown, dump out and spread on a piece of parchment paper. let cool and dry out, stick it in a zip lock or sealable container! You're done! Enjoy!

I have this for breakfast nearly every morning after making it! I really like it and I think it's pretty healthy aside from the stick of butter;)

The zoo

I love the zoo and there is a HUGE one here in Minneapolis. We were there for hours and still didn't see everything! We'll be back.
Here's Brynners looking at the prairie dogs. They were one
of her favorite and she didn't want to leave them.
Brynlee feeding a goat. She is such a dare devil and not scared of anything!

She didn't even flinch when the goat ate out of her willing fingers. Anisten clearly having a good time!

Emery is waving to the most awesome grizzly bear ever! He just swam back and forth in front of the glass for the 10 minutes we stood there in awe of this large and usually scary animal and looked like he wanted to play.

And a final pic for you animal lovers. Doesn't this monkey look so cute with its long white mustach?

Definitly another visit to the zoo soon!

Memorial Day

What a wonderful and sentimental holiday. Today is a day to remember all those brave men and woman who have served to keep this country free. I cannot express in words my gratitude for them.

I have always been patriotic and tend to shed a tear or two when I hear the Star Spangled Banner. I love to put my hand over my heart, look at the red, white, and blue flag and say the words of the pledge of allegiance. I don't know if I have really done that very often since elementary school but I think it should be done more frequently.

I personally want to thank everyone who has served our country and fought to keep it free! I can't stand to think where we would be without our service men and women. Freedom surely is not free!

In my naive way I truly wish there was peace world wide. But it cannot be so. For I know it will, in fact, only get worse with wars and rumors of wars. I pray in my heart that we will not lose our freedom, and that peace will last much longer in this great country. I also feel more strongly than ever that we as a people and human kind (not just Americans) need to pull together! That we can spread hope and charity to those without.

“Freedom is not worth having if it does not connote freedom to err. It passes my comprehension how human beings, be they ever so experienced and able, can delight in depriving other human beings of that precious right.” -Mahatma Gandhi





"I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under GOD, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."

BBQ

So I had wrote a whole post about our BBQ and put comments by pics but for some odd reason it erased everything. So now you get just pics and use your imagination of what I could have said on this post. Or go to Rindyfamily.blogspot.com to get the scoop from the Rindy's.

Stuff to do in minne

I really like minnesota. It's a fairly green place and the temp has been pretty mild. Not too hot and not too cold, just my style. Some rainy days but I like the rain!
So "what," you may ask, "is there to do in the twin cities of minnesooda?"(I'm working on my accent.) Well, a few things (besides working 24/7 which is pretty much what Jared does). Yesterday the ladies and babies went to the children's museum (all of us except Felisha and Bryners because Brynlee is a lazy bum and slept til freakin noon!). It was really fun to see the girls exploring and being inventive!
Here is Afton loving the water and little balls floating in the water

Anisten with the cutest grin ever! I think she might actually be starting to like me!

Bailey (sorry Janelle I'm not sure how you spell her name) with a Charlie Brown character.

Emery playing in the water. She loved just getting her hands wet and then going to the air dryer and drying them and back to the water again.

Ha ha Tara being a dead turtle. Oh this was really funny to me!! Tara as a turtle...just funny.

So, the Charlie Brown picture - well there are charlie Brown statues and characters everywhere all over down town St. Paul (which is where we live). We think the writer must be from here. I haven't researched it but I think thats the deal. I'll take some pics and post at some point

Mostly keeping busy with work at the moment and still settling in a bit. I haven't even driven here yet. I just happen to always catch a ride with someone, which is pretty nice because the roads and freeways here are numerous and crazy!

I'll try to keep ya'll updated on what's going on out here but not much to report for the time being.