cookie bake off

We mixed up some plain ol dough and went at it with whatever we could get our hands on to enhance the flavor...or something like that. Simply amazing. One thing Brett has tried to educate me about is the science of baking a big cookie. It must be soft and doughy on the inside. Umm well that didn't happen this go around. He got after me for not taking them out when he told me too. So he relished in the fact that he found one doughy center and than kept the rest of the unbaked dough to himself to put to good use for later.

And in case anyone is wondering; the pool closes at ten ;)

It's all about the food

didn't you know that's what sports are good for? Get with the times.

So with The Nuggets on vacay I have filled my time with other silly nonsense because nothing compares to my love for basketball. However in the moment I'm able to forget about it and have some fun! In between soccer, baseball, and football I've been able to forget for a moment that my precious Nuggets may not be able to get it together this season. So for now I enjoy the other stuff.  But what good would the other stuff be without the food.

Well like I mentioned we did the whole sports thing. We were looking forward to nachos and it never happened! Out Of Control!

So after one of our excursions out we hit the hot-tub and than we decided the best way to top off the evenings events would be to partake in nachos. Not ballpark equivalent but still legit.

staying up late - eating nachos - discussing mindless matters; only one way to sum it up. endless summer is still around HUA!

u bake nite

Best recipe ever for pizza dough! My dad played/coached softball in Barnwell and they always made this with dry ice root beer. Too bad we didn't think of root beer to chase our pizza with but heck it stood its ground. It was amazing! We had fresh garden tomatoes with fresh basil and spinach and well you get the idea. Delicious!

{u-bake pizza}

1 tbsp dry yeast

1tsp sugar

2 tbsp liquid oil (i used evoo)

1 tsp salt

2 1/2 cups flour

Dissolve Sugar and yeast in water. 

Stir in oil and salt.

Make well in flour and pour in liquid.

Knead until smooth; divide into two portions. 

Bake at 425

let the races begin

So I'm pretty sure I've always been bad at Mario Kart but I was kindly reminded recently at one of our gatherings. I could just blame it on the boys but really it was all me. I really do stink at playing. Bummer, eh? Okay well it was partly the boys fault...they didn't tell me who I was! lame right?

working hard

or hardly working...such is the life during endless summer time. 

{i asked for a smile and this is what I got} 

The Real Deal

So last time I was together with all of the crew was in January right before surgery. It was long overdue and we loved every minute of it. I can't seem to get enough...Lance thought it would be a genious idea to snag a photo of our faces in a circle. He said he's never been a part of one and it's been a life goal or somewhere along those lines; as you can tell we went along with it. Can't believe summer is coming to an end.

Holla Holla

Oh brother!! I know I know I've been in a blogging coma for a bit. But it's because well remember my last post? Well the wind died down and the sun came out!! So in honor of today being the longest day...and the start of summer I thought I'd post!

I thought I'd share this lil gem with you. As you well know I love Ellen and she introduced me to this video. Oh it made me laugh. And than it made me think of some of my recent adventures.

I went to the Summer Jam a few weeks ago with Rachel. It had been rainy but we were hopeful it would hold off until the end of the evening. (the concert was outdoors) Well no such luck...I'm not sure if the universe was on our side that night or not but I think it's for the best that we didn't stick it out even though it was a down pour. We had some good laughs because we realized we were a little old to be in attendance. Between the girls that were dancing in the rain in nothing but a string bikini {when she just shouldn't have} to the ankle monitors and the cloud of smoke resonating over our heads it's for the best that we bailed early. The smell of weed was getting to be a lil much...

Home from Neverland

Lance says I'm growing up; and I gather this is a statement one would like to hear. I was more than happy to take it as a compliment. I'm glad that I'm recognizing that there of course are always sacrifices to be made but the end result because of said sacrifice tastes sweet. Now that recovery is over for the most part and I'm beginning to piece together my life - ah ha moments are all around. Don't let the gloomy forecast get you down...there are silver linings all around!!

Sunrise Service

 

For Easter nothing huge went on in my world. But it wasn't just a typical weekend. Not only was it Easter weekend but the opportunity to listen to General Conference made it all the sweeter. There was so much to take in and learn. On Easter Sunday at the Red Rocks Amphitheater they hold Sunrise Service. Rachel and I decided to get up just a few short hours after hitting the pillow; at 4:00!! We had fun enjoying the calm of the morning and taking part. We skipped out before the sermon but overall it was beautiful and wonderful to realize that so many people can come together to learn of Jesus Christ and feel of his love. Which is just what we continued to do as we listened to General Conference.

Hope you all had just as wonderful an Easter as I did; minus the Chinese Easter dinner! ;)

let me tell you

My friend always will listen to me, will take naps with me, laugh at me, tell me when I say something dumb,  come up with gay raps from those dumb things, go places with me, and best of all - he makes me feel loved without ever asking it of him!

This is Lance...have you met him? If not you should get right on that. No but really he's a nice addition to the Anderson household this last year. Pretty much he's new competition in the 'Dad's favorite' {of the single status that is} category...fyi I think I'm losing!

Watching Lance play Bop-it Extreme 2...he was wiggling his hips and really into it! It got a genuine laugh out of me so it's most definitely blog worthy.  Thus the post. He's makes up for the lack of brothers in my life at the moment. But I don't see them moving to Colorado anytime soon...so Lance will do.

Also great news! I get my cast off tomorrow...only to get another one on! But I'm proud to say I lasted an entire week without getting this one wet!

And the Nuggets won! And I spent the afternoon watching curling. Anyone else into that?? I find it really fun to watch and the men's US has a fine looking bunch of boys so maybe take a gander...just sayin ;)

Don't mind me

So Tawna! I love you...and I wish you were here to celebrate with me.

Alright onto more pressing matters of my mind...I have always had this knack for if things are feeling like they are out of control or uncomfortable for me I bake/cook. Well it's SO hard to get around these days and the kitchen is the last place I should be. I can't believe that I have taken a handful of things for granted! It makes me human I know but still although much easier this time around I continue to fool myself into thinking I can do more than able. I forget that something as simple as well-actually anything that I have to get out of bed for {so everything but sleep!} is hard. However it isn't so bad once I realize sleeping helps pass the time...and sleep helps your body heal. Literally...did you know that!? I think it is so cool that our bodies know how to put us on the mend. I am beginning to feel like being alone is normal. I have trouble talking to others because I am socially inept! My Dr not my foot dr but my gen dr is so nice I love her and she met with me shortly after my last surgery. She told me texting and facebook is not a means of communication for one in my situation. It tricks my brain into thinking that I'm actually social but in reality I'm in my own world. I start to ignore and begin to lose patience and get bored quickly while others are over. So I began to notice that happening as of late. It is frustrating because I am a social person I love talking with people. It's a LOVE! But at the moment I have no enjoyment from that or anything else for that matter. I enjoy playing suduko in bed while listening to my ipod on shuffle. So now that I really have let you in more than the norm for me I figure what's it going to hurt. I'm grateful that I have individuals in my life that acknowledge me and love me and genuinely show interest. Whether I know it or not I feel it! PS how does one feel about St George, UT...they have an In n out so it can't be that bad right? Just throwin it out there!

anyone for an update?

I have a new cast on...and I'm now afraid to shower...this could present a problem.

But on a non hygiene related note it's Valentines day and someone loves me...and I love that they know me so well!

Livin' on a prayer!

Just sayin I love my friends esp friends who will pour pop rocks
directly into ones mouth. Makes your brain
rattle! I love the driving range, I love my new hair and I think that
some people take life waaaay too srsly!
Live a lil and learn to breath and let live - trust me it works! It
has been half time show for far too long and I'm
ready with my game face on to have surgery! Whoa did I just really say that?

Follow through

So when someone tags you on their blog is there a time frame of following through on your end. Or can it just be done when you want? I piddle around a lot these days...on other peoples blogs and avoid posting anything on mine. However seeing as I love Alexa I'm going to follow through now rather than later.

So here it is-in no particular order 10 facts all about me. If disinterested you can skip down to my top 10 list of things that make me happy. And if you don't want to read about me than what are you doing on my blog?? Just sayin'

When I was a youngster I would go to my grandparents dairy farm. I loved everything about it and there were times we were told not to do certain things. Well I didn't listen one of those times and afterwards I learned that sometimes it is best just to listen. Parents on occasion really do prove to know more than kids. Case in point; we would swim in the canals during the hot summer days and it was so much fun! But than there were the ditches used for irrigation. We were to avoid them because if the water was high and moving fast enough you'd be gone in a flash. Well it looked fun - and I just wanted to test the waters out. So I got in and can I tell you if I could've been out faster than I got in heck yes I would have. Unfortunately I was a good half mile down before I even was able to attempt to pull myself out. Holy scary - but the biggest bummer wasn't that I could have drowned but that it scuffed up the bottom of my favorite swimsuit! The one my mum told me not to wear while in the canals. Ha so lesson learned. I never got in the ditch again nor did I ever speak of it until now.


I guess that knocked off more than just one fact about me, wouldn't you say? I mean obviously you know now that I didn't listen very well and defied my elders. So we'll move on to say number four, sounds fair, eh?


I'm scared of needles and to attempt to overcome that phobia I donated blood regularly every 8 weeks for 18 months. Umm yeah and that whole cure me of my phobia-it didn't work.


So now what number are we one? 6? Sounds good to me!


I love my handwriting and I used to be so ocd about having it perfect that after taking my notes in my classes - if I'd messed up I would rewrite them in their entirety to ensure they were pretty to look at.


I got in a car with a stranger once when I was about 7. Scary, right? Umm thinking about it today ABSOLUTELY! But at the moment nah. I was just happy to get a ride to swim team. And to call him a stranger isn't the truth. I knew him but I didn't know how I knew him. He knew me but I couldn't place him and to this day still can't figure out who he was. But hey at least I wasn't late to swim practice!


We went to Vail as a family one summer and stayed in the condos that had the most amazing pool and driving range behind us. I loved it, what I remember of it anyways. But all the condos looked the same so I walked into what I thought was ours. Yeah it wasn't. Wanna know how I knew? Because there were ash trays all over and it smelled like beer. I looked around the place for a few minutes until a lady saw me and asked if I was lost. I told her I didn't think I was but seeing her confirmed that I was in fact lost. She helped me find my way home. Another moment for a mother to panic - eek.


I think these above stories can count as ten facts proving my ability to not think things through. So moving onto the next list.

My top 10 things I love!

I love pretty much everything!

Let's see I love Burts Bees chapstick and have since about the 8th grade! LOVE IT! 9 times out of 10 I always have one on me.

I hands down love to be in the kitchen baking and cooking! It truly can make things seem so much better. I really love trying new recipes and love it even more when I love how it turns out!

I love CD's over iPod any day. There's just something about that ownership it gives me.However I do like that I can watch movies on the go from a teeny screen ;) ha ha

I really love to read; and even more so if I get to do it with someone. Whether in a book club or reading with children or having someone read to me. I love it in all way shapes and forms. Even on CD! ha ha

I love to snuggle up with a nice thick quilt and take naps! It is the best remedy to bad days.

Gilmore Girls. Need I say more??

I love nail polish! I am an OPI snob and own too much for my own good. I paint my nails as often as possible and love it even more when I opt for a salon pedicure! Doorway to my SOLE here I come! {if you live in the Denver area it is the best place ever! It's at Cherry Creek}

I have grown to love my scars. Wanna know why?? Because it's okay to have silly looking battle wounds from surgery. Because it's a daily reminder to evaluate things I take for granted. Like walking for instance!

I love my friends! Even the ones that come for a moment and then blink they're gone. I love the ones that were there and pop in and out of my life. I love the new ones I make and I love be able to recognize that friends are a gift to bless our lives! They will if we but allow it! They are proof that my prayers are heard!

And last I love kids! I think they are brilliant and wise and funny and loving! What joy they bring to my life!!

and to now tag some others...let's see in no particular order I love these girls, I love their blogs, and more importantly I love their friendship!

 But now I'm too tired to link and tag you girls so go ahead and grab a tag and join in the fun! I'm pretty sure you all know who you are! You are the ones that survived this post ;) No but really quick Jenn, Kell, TawnaKins, ChelseyMichelle, Gina, Andrea, Jeane, Lori, JessV, PhillyJess, And well come one come all join in on the fun. Cathy, Tiffany, Brenda, you guys get the idea. I love you all and now share some facts with me about you! LOVES*

What would you think if I sang out of tune?

I've been wondering what it is exactly that makes it so easy for me to not want friends.
Is it that I found myself in recovery mode in my bed for several months? Or is it who I am but try to overcompensate for it by being that friend? You know 'that' friend. I'm sure we all play that card at times. Don't get me wrong, I love socializing - that is at least I thought I did. Until that ill fated day arrived where I was drugged and just out of surgery. I all of a sudden was very choosy of who I wanted to interact with and let me tell you; it was a limited circle. And those that were there I treated down right horribly. That's how I view it anyways. It makes me sick when I have flash backs to the hospital and the things I said to others and the way I responded. My attitude has been sorely affected. It has been a long recovery process; one of which I'm still undergoing. I know that jumping into this next surgery may make it worse but hopefully it won't get the best of me and I can nip this silly attitude in the butt. I blame it on many different sources but who am I kidding...I choose to respond to the circumstances. I am the one that enables the affect things have on me. Hopefully I can continue to recognize my shortcomings and build a stronger mechanism within to allow for a more submissive attitude. Either way I knew going into these surgeries that it would change me. I'll do whatever it takes to ensure I don't let this opportunity to be a stronger and better me go to waste. Until then know that I love life, perhaps there are moments I dislike but overall LOVE is the name of the game. I hope you all are well! And enjoying this festive holiday season! Love to you*

And a quote to leave you with...I used to read up on Maya Angelou all the time while I was in high school and something I read of hers once has always stayed with me. Perhaps it will do the same for you. "I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel."

a picture is all

So Contagious

Ever heard of Acceptance? They are based out of Seattle. I happened upon them recently and they are growing on me day by day. Their lyrics call to me. I love them! One song in particular is So Contagious. It is kind of fitting at the moment of things that are taking place in my life. So if I intrigued you perhaps check 'em out. I feel like my life has at times been a lil crazy to say the least and that things are spiraling out of control. Funny thing is I always have control over my sight and how I view things. SO I guess I just lost focus for a time. I found this picture a while back I loved the way it made me feel. How does it make you feel?
It brings me to the next thing I want to share...I made a trip to the Denver Art Museum!! Something I've been wanting to do since moving here and it's never happened. They extended an exhibit I really wanted to see so I made the trip! Best decision ever peeps! I love art and I love the feelings that it can evoke and the emotions that come through. Don't you?

It doesn't take a genius for peeps to know I love Red Robin. No matter what RR is always there for me in the best and worst of times. I know I can always count on them when it matters most!

Anyways long story short I went the other day with Rach. I got the usual...turkey burger-hold the mayo with a side of mustard and cut in half and of course a side salad! yumm!

We're sittin there and Rachel said the most hysterical thing ever!


Rach "So what are you eating?"

Steph "Their turkey burger."

Rach "Oh is that like their vegitarian burger?"

Steph "No, it's just turkey."

Rach "oh ha ha ha oops" Duh

I love you Rachel hands down it was too funny!

Ouchies = no bueno

So have you ever noticed that what we think are some of the most complicated questions have the simplest solutions? Well peeps I fo sho have. I learned so much just in this short lived night. When I was younger I fell down a lot. Not my fault I am sure I was totally less accountable on all counts. But not the point at all. I would always find a need for a band aid in these times of need. They helped cover the hurt and help mask the pain. Perhaps not always doing away with the problem but in the end it would eventually dissipate. These times of blood shed taught me something that I am just barely figuring out. Although blood was spilt and not always of my own free will that band aid fixed it. That band aid eventually had to come off though, right? I hated when that day would come. It was always dreaded and painful and momentary but it was still inevitable. I couldn't avoid it forever. What to do...rip it off quickly and have pain for a moment or slowly endure it and spread it out. LAME peeps it's okay to spread love-but pain? Como que pain? I don't think so, no argument there. Here I am at the moment thinking I experienced something similar to this. I ripped that band aid off this weekend and it was empowering. It may have come slowly initially but then I thought what the heck why not?! Off it came and I broke free. It was a moment of freedom. I loved it!

A special thank you to the DJ who perhaps helped enable it; through the good and the bad tunage He was there for me. Thanks for some amazing girls who danced the night away and for a one of a kind playa to watch over and protect us. It made it safe for me to realize the wounds are healing and it's time to get over it! Loves*

feelin inspired

I think that people always serve a purpose in others lives. I honestly believe that because we all have weaknesses they are made strong by others strengths. Life is all around and it encompasses us and it is here to teach us. Let's not forget how to have emotion and learn to let go and move forward.