Called to Serve

Dave and I have only been in the ward a couple of weeks and yet we already have callings. Now, I know this is standard in most wards when new people move in but our ward has nearly 800 people and most members have to wait months before they receive a calling. And to boot, we spoke in sacrament meeting last Sunday. Crazy!

What, you ask, have we been asked to do?

Ward Missionaries

Dave is the Assistant and I am teaching the Gospel Principles class.

We're excited! It will be fun and good practice for when we head out as full-time missionaires in a couple of decades. It's also a great opportunity to force ourselves to get to know people in our HUGE ward.

In the Thick of Things

We've just finished the first run through of the Draper Temple Cultural Celebration dress rehearsal. Everything went very well!

Here are some fuzzy pics taken on the Blackberry.





Can you beleive this event has over 6,000 cast members tonight and we'll have another 6,000 here tomorrow night with the Oquirrh Mountain Temple District. This is the biggest event the Conference Center has ever seen.

Just a few more minutes and we'll start the show again for the second run through. If you hurry and come down you can watch it from the Balcony (and for this event those are the best seats in the house).

It's been a fun night but I have been going a little crazy trying to make everyone happy and missing my husband who is at home sick. Poor thing.

See you at the Conference Center!

Persuasion

Jill's blog post reminded me that I wanted to share a funny story about my sweet husband.

The other night we watched the newest version of Persuasion by Jane Austen. Dave really got into the movie and by the end of it he was sitting on the edge of his seat coaching Anne Elliot and Captain Wentworth.

"Just kiss her!"
"Tell him you love him!"
"Come on! Just do it!"

I have never seen Dave so into a movie, not even his action adventure favorites. It was absolutely hilarious! You should have seen it.

Caught

A few of you faithful blog readers have totally caught me. Lately, I have made all my blog posts on one day but then changed the date on the post to make it look like they came from earlier in the week. I know, it's horrible and I'm sorry for cheating like that. But I can, so I do.

I want you all to know that I have very good intentions to keep you up to date on my life. However, several things work against me.

First of all, we don't have the internet at our house. We'll get it eventually but haven't yet.

So, all my posting has to be done at work on my lunch break or at my parents' house. That has been very difficult as of late because of this...


The Temple Dedication Celebration for the Draper Temple and Oquirrh Mountain Temple has consumed every moment of my work day and often gone well into the night with rehearsals. My poor husband has hardly seen me this week and next week it will be even worse.

Don't get the wrong impression here, I have thoroughly enjoyed working on this project, it has just kept me very busy for several months now. But it all comes to a close next week and YOU are invited, sort of.

Dates & Times:
Friday, May 29th at 8:00 p.m. MDT {Draper Temple}
Saturday, May 30th at 7:00 p.m. MDT {Oquirrh Mountain Temple}

Locations:
Conference Center (tickets required)
Tabernacle on Temple Square (no tickets required)
Your Local Stake Center (no tickets required)

So, clear your calendar and head on down to one of the venues listed above to enjoy the first Temple Dedication Celebration held in the great state of Utah in over a century.

A Couple of Favorites

Before you read on, I just have to THANK each and every one of you for all the wonderful wedding gifts we received. We are deeply grateful for your thoughtfulness and generosity and have had a lot of fun organizing them in our house.

That said, I wanted to mention a couple of gifts we received that I have absolutely fallen in love with.

The Kitchenaid Egg Slicer


It hasn't seen an egg yet but it has sliced through many a strawberry. It's cool and fun to use and makes perfectly-portioned strawberry sections. Get it. Try it. Love it.

The Sign


It says, "HUFFAKER" and quotes Gordon B. Hinckley, "Be true to who you are and the family name you bear." This an amazing gift and one that we will keep forever. It's also a plus to me that it has both my married and maiden names on it. Beautiful!

Masterful Birthday Cake

We celebrated Mom's birthday one day early with a big party at our house. In honor of the occasion I made her the traditional birthday cake.



Isn't it lovely! I baked it in my Pampered Chef Big Batter Bowl, flipped it upside down, covered it in chocolate frosting and then the coconut frosting, and topped it off with fresh strawberries. Beautiful and a fun alternative to the regular square or round cakes and Mom loved it! Just one word of caution...This took twice as long to bake so make sure you have the time available before you start.

One Lucky Man

Dave and I were eating dinner last night and in the middle of the meal I blurted out, "Do you know how lucky you are?"

You see, we were enjoying a wonderful dish of homemade enchiladas and just the day before I whipped up the most delicious steak marinade. How many newly-married men eat so well as does my Dave? He is truly blessed to have such a culinarily creative wife.

I won't bore you with pictures today (someone recently told me I have been going on and on with photos - but I like them!). Instead, I'm going to share with you my top secret recipes so you can amaze your loved ones as well.

Sunday Steak Marinade
- Black Pepper, coarsely ground, to taste
- Salt, to taste
- Onion Powder, to taste
- Garlic Powder, to taste
- Sage, to taste
- Ground Mustard, to taste
- Olive Oil, just enough to wet the seasoning blend

This should make a nice seasoning paste. Spread evenly over your steaks and let them sit for 10 minutes. (Be sure to cover the meat and refrigerate it if you don't grill it right away.)

During the marinade time, cut up some of your favorite vegetables (potatoes, carrots, peppers, onions, etc.), toss them in olive oil with salt and pepper (and any other spices that suit your fancy), and roast them in a 425 degree oven. With a temperature that high it only takes 15-20 minutes to cook them through.

Now is your chance to let the hubby help make dinner. Send him out to the grill to cook up the raw meat. While he is out becoming one with the BBQ, sneak yourself some of that chocolate you have hidden in the back of the pantry. He'll never know. Or you could tear up a head of lettuce and tomatoes for a salad. You choose.

Enjoy one of the best steak marinades you've ever had with healthy vegetables and salad!


Monday Enchiladas
- Ground Beef
- Kidney Beans
- Frozen Corn
- Sour Cream
- Flour Tortillas
- Tomato Sauce
- Taco Seasoning
- Cheddar Cheese, grated
- Lettuce
- Tomatoes
- more Sour Cream

This one has a few more steps so hang on. Cook up the beef on the stove then add the beans and corn. Stir in a couple of heaping spoonfuls of sour cream to the hot mixture -- I think this was the secret ingredient to the meal.

Take a tortilla, sprinkle on some cheese, then a good serving of the meat; roll tightly and place in a greased baking dish. Repeat this for all the tortillas or until the meat is gone.

In a separate bowl mix the tomato sauce and taco seasoning. I buy my taco seasoning in the big Costco jar so it's hard to say how much I used but if I had to guess I would think it was the equivalent of two envelopes. You may also want to add a little water to thin out the liquid. Pour it over the rolled enchiladas, drenching them through and through. Add some more cheese to the top, cover with foil, and heat it up in a 350 degree oven.

While it bakes, tear up some more lettuce and tomatoes (or use whatever was left over from last night's steak dinner). Once the dish is heated through, serve it up with lettuce, tomato, and sour cream to garnish. Again, you have made one memorable yet simple meal!


Now, see if your family really appreciates how great of a cook you are by cleaning up the kitchen after dinner. Don't be afraid to use the "I've slaved in the kitchen all day just for you!" line. It usually works. Unless you are married to Dave -- he often finds a way out of kitchen duty.

I couldn't help it, I had to add just one picture.
Photo Credits

Wedding Photos

Our wedding photo CD finally came! This girl seriously did such a great job. Now all I have to do is find the time to print off the pictures, organize everything I've collected, and frame and/or scrapbook the memories. I promise it will all get done...someday.

Mother of the Year

We have always known that we have a pretty amazing mother. As long as we can remember she has been dontating countless hours of service to the elementary school and city, making us peanut butter sandwiches for lunch and wonderful home-cooked meals for dinner, supporting us at nearly every single cultural and sporting event, etc. etc. etc. She really is wonder woman!

So, we were all very pleased to find that she was named the Woods Cross City Mother of the Year!

Congratulations, Mom! You deserve it!

A Lunch of Laughs

Jennie brought her two toddlers downtown today for a picnic on the Main Street Plaza. The kids had me laughing the whole time as they set out to discover Temple Square.

What to Wear

Dave's cousin is getting married this weekend. YEAH!!! I was reading through Andy & Jessi's wedding website this morning and had to laugh at their comments on "What to Wear."

* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

We have had quite a few people ask what to wear to the wedding so we would like to make some suggestions in the hopes of making your lives a little easier.

My (Jessi) dream/wish would be for everyone to wear something that they have always wanted to wear but haven’t had anywhere to wear that particular attire to. For example:

Men: If you have an orange suit, as seen below, just sitting in your closet begging to be worn, wear it to our wedding. Maybe your favorite color is purple or green but where could you possible sport a purple or green suit? Let me give you the answer, our wedding. Maybe baby blue brings out the color in your eyes but you can’t wear your baby blue pants and sports coat just anywhere…let that anywhere be Jessi and Drew’s wedding. Rock a Zoot Suit, you know you want to

Ladies: I’m pretty certain that some of you have a fabulous poofy prom dress that you look at every once in a while that’s hanging in the back of your closet. Pull it out, dust it off, and rock it like you’ve never rocked it before. Say you love the movie “Grease” particularly for the brilliant wardrobe selection…go rent yourself a bright-colored, made-for-dancin’ til you drop dress and parade it to our wedding. Have you ever seen a dress/outfit that you looked at and LOVED but could not for the life of you figure out where you could possibly dawn that dress/outfit to? Well, here’s your chance, ladies

The point that we’d like to make is that we want our guests to be comfortable and to have fun with themselves. Please feel free to wear bright colors, foofy dresses, crazy suits, rockin ties, etc. to our special event. Think about how wonderful pictures will be with all shades of the rainbow being displayed on a lovely spring evening.

Now of course we know that not everyone will want to use our ideas but we’re telling you that it’s fine with us no matter what you decide. You will all look amazing and we simply cannot wait to share this with you! See you soon!

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That being said, I know exactly how I am going to dress Dave but I have no idea how to dress myself. Bright colors I have, poofy prom dresses I don't have. I may have to take a trip to the store to find the perfect combination appropriate for the occasion. This oughta be good!

Celebración del Cinco

In honor of Cinco de Mayo, Megan and I visited the local taco cart on the corner of South Temple and 400 West in Salt Lake City. Can you say YUMMY!!! We bought tacos de carne asada and I spoke in Spanish with el dueño de la tienda de tacos. If you are downtown I highly recommend you stop for lunch at Tacos de Hildago--and they're cheap!

Photo Credits

It's May!