Laughing All The Way

Wow how time flies! We have been so busy with work and school I haven't had time to post all of the fun things we have been up to! Brady is almost done with his classes (finals week is next week!) and he is so excited to be moving on to his last semester and will be graduating! :) YAY! 
 I have been busy with work, planning lots of events for the college and preparing for next semester. I have been blessed with the greatest job in the world, I love what I do! 

We are loving every minute of our time here in Logan and at USU, we are truly "laughing all the way" as we try and soak up every minute of our lives because we don't know what will be around the corner. But whatever it is, I am sure we will love the next stage of our lives.  

We wish all of you the happiest of holidays!

Love - Brady and Natalie

Girls Weekend

This past weekend was a blast, I went to Park City with my Vykelle friends (high school drill team), we shopped at the outlets, laughed, cried, stayed up way too late, and ate more junk food than we have in a long time, but it was all worth it! Thanks for a great time girls (and to Katie for sharing your fabulous cabin!)

In Memory of Steve Jobs

Steve Jobs: How to live before you die | Video on TED.com

This Weekend in Collage

This weekend Brady and I went down to be with our families, we had a great time. Brady went golfing with his dad and brother-in-law at Thanksgiving Point! I went shopping, had a girls night out, and laughed until I cried (literally) with my sister and mom! It was truly a glorious weekend. We only had one minor mishap, Brady's car decided to die on us (it is currently being fixed and hopefully it won't be too expensive!) We will find out more details soon. Fortunately, Brady's dad decided to be kind and loan us his car until it is fixed.  Hope all of you are having a wonderful fall as well! 

Peach Pie

Just a short note about one of our new favorite things this fall: eating Peach Pie! We go crazy over it and can't seem to get enough of it! If we could, I think we would eat it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. It is like a party in your mouth. Obviously, we love so many other things about fall; i.e. the leaves changing, the cool crisp morning air, and pumpkins everywhere you look; but peach pie is definitely at the top of the list. Happy Fall!!!

My mom's famous peach pie

9/11

This post is a day late but yesterday it hit me what 9/11 really means. I was in high school when it happened and it didn't really affect me. I was young and didn't realize what it all really meant. Yes, it was a sad day when it happened, but I didn't realize the effect it would have on our nation and every single person here in America. As I watched the news specials yesterday, with the videos of people in NY, I could not stop crying. I saw this video below and it made me realize how fragile life is and how fragile freedom is.  We have been at war for 10 years now and who knows how much longer it will go.  Lives have been lost and families are missing their fathers or mothers.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=afo-WsiR7Zc&feature=player_embedded

School is definitely back in session, my work load has increased a lot! I don't mind though, I really love my job and thought I would share with you some of what I do. Other than making sure the dean is on track, I get to plan events for the college. We had a BBQ for all the new faculty we hired this year. This is one of my favorite events because they have so much energy and are so excited to be here!  Another thing with school starting is I rarely get to see Brady, he is so busy with school and work.  At least we have Saturday's together!

 

A Light on the Hill

Our college has started a new tradition here at USU called A Light on the Hill.  During the ceremony, students met department heads and faculty in the college. Dean Allen gave a great speech on learning new things, getting out of your comfort zone and becoming the person you are supposed to become.  All the students were able to light a candle during the speech. It was a really great ceremony and was so cool to see all the lights on the hill lit up.  I had so much fun planning it and am already starting to plan the one for next year!

Social hour with cookies and lemonade. Photo courtesy of Ted Pease

Students lighting their candles. Photo courtesy of Mark McLellan

Dean Allen addressing the students. Photo courtesy of Mark McLellan

Old Main, isn't it beautiful! I get to work here everyday!

25 Years Old!

I celebrated my 25th birthday this past weekend, crazy! I can't believe I am already 25!  My fantastic husband, Brady, planned the best birthday anyone could ask for!  First, we went to Bruges Waffles in SLC, they melt in your mouth (and of course, mine was stuffed with dark chocolate) :)  Then we headed up to Park City and shopped at the Tanger Outlets for the rest of the afternoon. We had some extra time and decided to go on the Extreme Zipline, it was awesome (see video below)!

eating a Bruges waffle with dark chocolate, blueberries and whipped cream (you are seeing the aftermath)

Riding on the lift to the zip line

He then surprised me with dinner at Cucina Toscana in SLC where my best friend Tonnie was there waiting for us. Oh how I love her! It made my whole day to see her! (And by the way, Cucina Toscana is the best Italian food I have ever eaten!)

Tonnie and I at Cucina Toscana eating yummy ravioli!

And the surprises were still not over! We then checked into our suite at the Little America Hotel in Salt Lake City where we were greeted with chocolate covered strawberries! We spent the rest of the night swimming in the pool and relaxing in the hot tub.

Thanks babe for the best birthday! (I might have to turn 25 again next year!) ;)

Macaroon Cookies

We have recently been having a lot of potlucks in my office and everyone brings such yummy food! I wanted to share a yummy Macaroon recipe that is delish! My dear friend and co-worker, Kristen Munson, brought them. Enjoy!

http://www.joyofbaking.com/CoconutMacaroons.html

Coconut Macaroons:

4 large (120 grams) egg whites, at room temperature

1 cup (200 grams) granulated white sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/2 cup (60 grams) cake flour, sifted

3 cups (300 grams) un-sweetened shredded coconut

In a heatproof bowl, placed over a saucepan of simmering water, whisk together the egg whites, sugar, and salt. When this mixture is warm to the touch, and nice and creamy, remove from heat and stir in the vanilla extract, flour, and coconut. Cover and refrigerate for about two hours, or until firm. 

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C) and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. 

Place small mounds (heaping tablespoons) of the batter on the parchment-lined baking sheet, spacing several inches apart.  Bake for about 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown.  Remove from oven and let cool on the baking sheet for about 10 minutes and then place on a wire rack to cool.

Makes about 2 dozen Macaroons.

Happy Birthday Lucy!

This is my first shot at doing the blogging world! Kind of exciting! The reason i started this today was to pay tribute to Lucille Ball, today is her 100th birthday! You may think this is a weird reason to start a blog, and it probably is, but Lucy is one of my all time favorite people. She was creative, smart, happy, and inspired me when i was younger to be better. So Lucy, here's to you, Happy Birthday!