BEST Engagement EVER

Since we just celebrated Labor Day last weekend, I thought I would share with everyone how Collin proposed to me last year over Labor Day weekend! I have to say that it was pretty SPECTACULAR! Sadly, I do not have any documentation of the day. There seemed to be a whole bunch of people taking pictures of us and recording the moment, but when I contacted anyone of them about getting the pictures and videos, they all said they didn't have any. So, I am afraid that it is lost forever... :(

I am going to go ahead and apologize in advance for making this story feel like one giant run-on sentence, but I just do not know how I can shorten it up anymore.

Anyways... Let's get back to the important part of the story, how Collin proposed or actually, prior to Collin proposing. Now, before Collin and I began dating in February 2013, the Las Vegas valley YSA Wards had a friendly competition called "Mr. Las Vegas" (or something like that). Each ward was to pick one guy to compete in the final competition held at Palo Verde High School sometime in March or April (I don't remember when exactly they ended up having this competition...) Collin never attended the Temple View YSA Ward's Family Home Evening. NEVER. I, however, tried my best to attend every week even though it was WAY out of my comfort zone to go. THE ONE WEEK I DON'T GO... COLLIN ACTUALLY ATTENDS! The week that he attended and I didn't, was the FHE where our ward selected our candidate for the Mr. Las Vegas competition - which Collin had decided to compete for.

You can imagine my frustration after we started dating... things could have taken off a lot sooner if I would have attended! Just kidding... I really don't care... However, this was probably a blessing in disguise, because Collin disclosed some information that I probably shouldn't have heard anyways. One of the questions he was asked during this friendly competition was, "How would/are you going the propose to your future wife?". Needless to say, he revealed his entire plan of how he'd eventually be proposing to me. 

After we did start dating and things gradually became more and more serious, Collin became more and more paranoid - thinking that someone may have revealed to me what he had revealed to the ward at that activity. All that I could get out of anybody was that when the question was asked, "Why should we choose you as our candidate?" he replied by saying, "Well, I have a six-pack." While he pulled out a six-pack of Cokes and set it down. Funny, right? Collin definitely has the six-pack of the Coke variety down.... I'm still waiting on those abs though.... ;) Just kidding, Collin is perfect :) Perfect for me anyways....

Nobody I talked to about that night would tell me about how he mentioned how he'd eventually propose to his future wife/me (he just didn't know it yet...).

So.... Let's get to the good part of the story. How Collin proposed to me. Over Labor Day weekend last year, Collin's family, Collin, myself, and a few friends of ours all went to Parowan, UT where Collin's parents own a small house. Going with a few friends up to Parowan each year for at least one weekend, was something Collin tried to do. Over the course of the weekend, we did everything that they usually do together while in Parowan. Attended "Off the Cuff" in Cedar City, went shooting, and ate at La Villas Mexican Restaurant. My favorite part (of course) was Saturday, August 31, a.k.a. the BIG proposal. 

I had a pretty good feeling that Collin and I would be getting engaged that weekend. People were constantly lying to me and I just pretended to be oblivious.  I also knew my family was coming to the barbeque on Saturday, and figured that was a little odd that they'd be joining us...

So here is what we've all been waiting for... how did Collin propose to me?

Collin's uncle Steve is a pilot. Uncle Steve and Aunt Sandy both flew down to Parowan in a small plane to assist Collin in his GRAND proposal. When Steve and Sandy arrived, Collin invited me to go for a little ride in the plane around Parowan. He was nervous. Collin thinks he is smooth.... we get into the car to go drive over to the Parowan Airport and I look right at Collin's pocket and BAM! There is a big box poking out of his pocket. Why did he put it in his right hand pocket?!?! Oh, well... I hurried and looked away, but the damage had been done... he saw that I noticed that box in his pocket. What he didn't know was that I was looking for some kind of sign or indication that he was proposing, well, I definitely found my evidence!

Upon arriving at the airport, Collin, myself, Steve, and Sandy all loaded up into the plane and began our take off. Uncle Steve then asked Collin if there is anything specific in Parowan we'd like to fly over and Collin said he'd like to fly over his Uncle Rick's barn. Here it was, I knew that any second now, we'd be officially engaged. As we became closer and closer to the barn, I could make out the words that were written out on in it. "WILL U MARRY ME". They asked me to read it to them, and I couldn't through all of my tears. Next to the barn were both of our families, waving and cheering us on. I think Uncle Steve even shed a tear. 

We flew around Parowan a little longer, while we waited for our families to drive from the barn over to the airport. When just about everyone was there, we landed, got out, and then Collin got down on one knee and officially proposed! :) 

We then, all headed over to his family's Parowan house for a barbeque. It had been overcast most of the day, and everyone "in the know" had been praying that we'd be able to at least get this proposal done without any rain. Just as the barbeque was beginning, the rain started pouring. I am not talking about a drizzle, I am talking about a DOWNPOUR. Everyone stuffed themselves into the tiny house and got real cozy. 

The day had truly been a blast!

Happy Pi Day!

Since math and pie are my two favorite subjects... I thought I would share my favorite pie recipe in honor of  3.14, Pi Day! I love pie! I love it so much that I served it as my dessert for my wedding. 

A Special Thanks to my dad for making the Peaches and Cream pie on the top of my               Pie Tower. It was delicious!

Also, to my Sister-in-law Jessica, for making my beautiful cake (or in my case, pie) topper and for decorating my pie tower for me. It was beautiful! 

There are two things that my dad is King of making... and pie is one of them. So I have decided to share his recipe to my favorite pie. Lemon Sour Cream. I will not be giving a recipe on how to make a homemade pie crust because ain't nobody got time for that in this house... or I may just be lazy...

Here is what you need:

3 Cups of Whole Milk

1 Cup of Sugar in the Raw

4 Heaping Tablespoons of Corn Starch

3 Egg Yolks

1 Tablespoon of Butter

1 Cup of Sour Cream

1 Teaspoon of Vanilla Flavoring

Zest of 1 Lemon

Juice of 1 Lemon
Pie Shell

I started by preparing my pie shell. I bought one of those pre-made pie shells that you unroll and bake in your own pie pan.

I unrolled the dough, pressed it into my pie pan, and decorated the edges a bit with my thumb print.

Next, I took a fork and poked holes all around the bottom of the pan and around the sides.

I then followed the directions for cooking time that was listed on the package and baked it in the oven.

Now it is time for the custard!

Since I made this pie at home by myself, I knew that I would need everything prepped ahead of time so that the custard didn't get burnt in the process.

First, I measured out my 1 cup of Sugar in the Raw, and 4 heaping Tablespoons of Cornstarch into a bowl and mixed them together

Next, I separated the egg yolk from the egg whites into two bowls....

I then took 1 Lemon and a cheese grater, using the "fine" part of the grater to make a Lemon zest, You don't want there to be any white. Make sure you only grate the yellow part of the Lemon!!

I then cut my lemon in half and juiced it.

(You could use more lemons for the juice and zest if you'd like, depending on how strong of a lemon flavor you want... I wish I would have done 2 lemons.)

Finally, I measured out my 1 Tablespoon of Butter and 1 cup of Sour Cream.

After prepping everything, I was ready to begin making the custard.

Start by measuring out 3 cups of Whole Milk and pouring it into a medium sized pot on the stove at a medium heat. Stir in dry ingredients (sugar and cornstarch) with a wisk.

Continue to wisk. When custard begins to thicken, turn the stove down to a low heat and scoop out a few tablespoons of thickened custard into the egg yolks. This will temper the eggs so that they will mix in smoothly with the custard.

Add in the egg mixture. Once the egg is mixed in well, then add the sour cream and butter.

Once you have completely mixed in the sour cream and butter, add the teaspoon of vanilla,  your lemon zest, and your lemon juice. Once it is completely mixed in, it is time to fill the pie shell.

Place pie in the fridge for 1-2 hours to chill. And then you have a yummy Lemon Sour Cream Pie!

Pasta-Free Spaghetti

Earlier this week I got a new kitchen gadget. What is it?? A Spiral Vegetable Slicer!! The specific one I purchased was the Paderno World Cuisine A4982799 Tri-Blade Plastic Spiral Vegetable Slicer. (Mouthful, right?) Anyways, it was about $40 on Amazon.com and has over 2,000 reviews with 4 1/2 stars! This is something I have been itching to buy over the last few years, but never did... Well, now I can say that I have one!!

This is the first recipe I have tried using my Spiral Vegetable Slicer, so I started with a simple one. Spaghetti. I really wish I could say that the sauce is home made.... but I was too hungry and maybe just a little bit lazy.

I started out by sauteing half of a medium sized onion (chopped), and about a handful of mushrooms (also chopped) in a pan on medium heat. This is certainly not required, but I like mushrooms and onions so I added it.

While the mushrooms and onions were in the pan, I got out my 'spiralizer' and began making zucchini "noodles". I used 2 small-to-medium sized zucchini for this recipe.

Back over to the pan, when the onions were translucent and the mushrooms were cooked through, I poured a 24 oz. jar of Prego Traditional Pasta Sauce into the pan and turned the heat down to a low-to-medium temperature. 

Once the sauce was heated through, I added in my zucchini "noodles", and allowed them to simmer on a low heat until the "noodles" were nice and soft. 

This recipe was SO EASY, DELICIOUS, and took less than 30 minutes! I plan on making a home made pasta sauce soon, so that this meal is even healthier next time.

I have always struggled with maintaining my weight as long as I ate wheat products, so I avoid anything with wheat as much as possible. This dish is Vegan, wheat-free,  and gluten free. I'm so glad that I have this now so I can eat my spaghetti and not worry about the weight gain!

1 Year Later

Today Collin and I are celebrating 1 year since our first date! I really can't believe it has been a year! So much has gone on SO quickly! To celebrate, we decided to repeat our very first date, but added in a couple of things too.

First, we went to see The Lego Movie at the Galaxy Green Valley Luxury Theater. BEST IDEA EVER!! We loved the movie, and the seats were extremely comfortable.

Next, we got onto what we actually did for our first date. Casa Don Juan and the New York, New York Roller Coaster!! Both places were INSANELY busy last night, but what can we expect on a Saturday night?!?!? The food was delicious; however, Collin and I have a problem with filling our stomachs with the free chips and queso cheese dip and then not being hungry enough for our meal.... So we ended up taking the majority of our meal in a to-go box. Oh well, more for later, right???

Here are some pictures from last night :)

Next stop, the New York, New York Roller Coaster! The strip was unbelievably busy - just like usual.... and we got tired of the traffic so we ended up parking clear out behind the Exalibur. It was a little bit of a walk over to the New York, New York... but really wasn't that bad. When we rode the ride last year, it wasn't nearly as busy so this time we had to wait a little bit, but it was totally worth it! I get SO nervous on Roller Coasters and Collin doesn't help AT ALL!! This time his phrase was "You know if this cable snapped we would be the first to go since we are in the back". Can you believe that boy?!?!? Turns out everything was okay and I'm glad we went...

And here is the comparison from last year to this year!

I couldn't be happier with the man I chose to be my eternal companion. He's truly amazing and has done so much for me. Happy 1 year Collin. I love you!

Refried Beans

As many of you know, I have lost A LOT of weight over the last few years and the secret to my success? A Whole Foods, Plant Based Diet (or what I like to call "The Beans and Greens Diet"). Today, I am going to teach you how I make the (Refried) Beans in my "Beans and Greens Diet". 

Being a newlywed, I try to save money anywhere I can (and that DEFINITELY includes my energy bill) so I make Refried Beans with a Crock Pot! Here is what you need:

Crock Pot

2 1/2 Cups Dried Pinto Beans

7 1/2 Cups Water

Salt

Pepper

Pour your beans and water into your Crock Pot, add the salt and pepper (I just poured the salt and pepper in there until I thought it looked like enough), and stir it together. Turn your Crock Pot on HIGH and your beans will be ready in about 5 hours. If you plan on being gone all day, you can place the Crock Pot on LOW and it will take about 7-9 hours. 

To check the beans, taste them to make sure they are tender, but not falling apart. Once the beans are cooked, allow them to cool. (I only let mine cool for about 30 minutes) However, the longer you allow the beans to cool, the more liquid they will absorb and the creamier they will become.

After you have allowed the beans to cool, pour them into your blender and add a couple of scoops of the liquid. Blend until creamy. I added more salt and pepper to taste in this step. Then there you have it! Homemade Refried Beans!

I like to eat mine heated up in a bowl with a couple scoops of Salsa or Pico De Gallo, or put them in Romaine Lettuce and eat them like a grain-free, wheat-free, and gluten-free taco!

About Us

We're just 2 kids livin' in the big city, hoping to make it into a small town someday.....

Collin and I met in August of 2012 when he was assigned to be my sister and I's home teacher. I really didn't have any opinion of him the first time we met... he was just an average dude to me. It wasn't until January of the next year when he hit on me at a ward bowling activity and I pawned him off on someone else that I even considered MAYBE dating him. It was my New Years Resolution (so to speak) to get on more dates and I figured with Collin "Eh, I guess I could get a good time and a couple of cheese burgers out of this guy" that I decided to go for it. Well, after several good times and many more than a couple of cheese burgers later, Collin and I have been married for almost 4 months and together for almost a year now. Crazy how things work out, right??

Collin and I's first date was a blast! We ate at the restaurant Casa Don Juan and then headed over to the New York, New York hotel to ride the roller coaster. I am not much of a roller coaster kind of gal, so let's just say that I was a bit nervous..... :/   He caught on to this and just added to my nervousness. He made a couple of snarky comments like "Man, maybe we shouldn't have eaten before we came to ride this roller coaster!" and "Don't worry, they took out the loop... Ooops... uh-oh looks like they added it back in...". Needless to say.... I said, "Collin, you are an idiot!".  And that is when he fell in love with me...

Collin and I dated for 6 months, were engaged for 2, and have been married for almost 4 months now.

We were married in the St. George temple on November 2, 2013. Seriously the best day of my life!

We have thoroughly enjoyed being married and living in our own place. Our ward is awesome and our apartment is great. We even got a real Christmas tree! My family is pro-champ at finding Christmas trees in under an hour. This year we found 3 all in an hour (which includes leaving the house, finding the tree, and driving back). Like I said... champ, right??

We just celebrated our first Valentines Day together this last week. We didn't want to be in too big of a rush on actual Valentines Day after Collin got off work, so we stayed home Friday night. I made Collin his favorite fast-food Dominican dish called a "Yaroja" (pronounced: ja-ro-ha), basically the Dominican Republic's version of  Carne Asada Fries. We drank Martinelli's Sparkling Apple Cider, and then watched the movie "Casablanca", which happens to be one of Collin's favorites.

 Our BIG Valentines date was celebrated the next day by eating at the Italian Restaurant "Bootleggers" and seeing the show Jersey Boys here in Las Vegas. It was AMAZING! 

Please excuse the fact that they took this picture as I was beginning to blink, but it's the only one I have!!

February 23rd marks 1 year since our first date, and we plan to do the same thing we did then, Casa Don Juan and the New York, New York Roller Coaster. :)