the Graham Cracker House

How much I love teaching Sunday school? Not just any Sunday school class- but MY Sunday school class.  I get to teach the beloved youth of the Miller ward (all ages, 12-17) every Sunday. 


Basically, I love teaching.  I love teaching the gospel, and, I have found,  I love teaching teenagers.  I'll admit, it has always been my dream to be a seminary teacher.  Since I haven't gone through CES training, this is more likely to be an "early-morning" type of seminary calling than "released-time".  Yes, I have thought this through, yes I am still willing to do it.   


I learn much from preparing the lessons, and enjoy the challenge of coming up with creative ideas to teach them, interesting tid-bits, testimony building experiences, and attention grabbing openers.  Since it's a smaller class, we get to eat homemade bread when learning about Christ being the bread of life, we play games with church pamphlets and candy, we have lessons outside on picnic blanket when it's warm, we sing songs to memorize scriptures. (see the seminary teacher coming out already?).  We make gospel learning fun. 


Some of my favorite lessons recently have involved a young recent convert in our ward.  He is an awesome 12 year old, wide open to learning.  Since he doesn't have a bible I give him my old one to use during class.  This book of scripture has been nicknamed "the one with all the answers"  because I used it during seminary.  He'll answer a question and say "I knew it because you wrote it right here" oh yeah. woops.  Or when I ask him to read a verse he'll say "can I just read the underlined parts?"  Since I've forgotten what the underlined parts are- the answer is usually no.  These students keep me on my toes!  And I love it. 

What a privilege to enjoy yet another trip to Washington to witness the marriage of Molly and Quinn in the Seattle Temple.   Since I am a LIST person, I will attempt to describe our trip in a series of lists.

THINGS I MADE:  a wedding bouquet (this I was very proud of.... I've never "done" flowers before,  with Molly's help she and I  came up with a custom bouquet- very lovely), a "toss" bouquet (which- ironically, didn't get tosssed), two boutineirs, endless of amounts of white bean dip, spinach dip,  and creamy berry spread, and meatball glaze,  and I like to think I helped contribute to des-stressing my mother-in-law and creating a calm environment.

ADVICE WE GAVE:  conserve water, shower together!! (an all time favorite).  Actually, I was asked to e-mail some advice for Molly's bridal shower a month ago.  After long amounts of thought (I've only been married 18 months myself) I came up with what I believe to be an important groundwork for all married couples. Communication is cruicial, listening is lovely, bear in mind the basics (FHE, prayer, etc.), savor sticky notes, and goals are great!  Cheesy, perhaps, but a nice starting point for many conversations and explanations.

FOOD WE ATE: marshmellows, bananas, cookies, and rice crispy treats dipped in a chocolate fountain; crostini and breadsticks dipped in a variety of dippity dips for dipping, peach punch, quiche, sausage balls (my new fav.), meatballs, fast food only once, some great home cooked meals, a male-made breakfast, a wedding brunch, and most all of the orange and red m&m's

WASHINGTON TRADITIONS:  Bjorn and I managed time to get our favorite (non-caffinated) treats from crusin' coffee one evening.  Yummmm.  tastes like home.  And a tiny, windy, trip to tugboat park

FAMILY MEMBER WHO HAS GROWN THE MOST:  Brookelyn of course!  She is 9 months old and so big!  not chubby big, but just bigger than last time we saw her.  She is a very pleasant baby and full of smiles (though you do have to work for them) and loves to eat.  Bjorn helped her try the chocolate fountain, and then ice cream the next night! Should I be worried for our future children?

DECORATIVE ITEMS USED:  branches, beads, m&m's (only the ones in the color scheme of course), flowers (red carnations, white roses, and more), vases, water dyed blue, lights strung around the entire place, greenery, white fabric with subtle designs, and the mirror on the mantle wins the prize for best decorative decision.  

notice the wedding bouquet?

AMOUNT OF TIME I SPENT DRIVING:  too much!  We got a rental car this time, but  I was the only driver on it (chepaer that way).  Which meant I  got to drive everywhere.  This included a couple trips to and from Seattle, and more than a couple trips to and from Anacortes.  I'm thankful for the backseat drivers for making these trips adventerous! And I am truly grateful for the family for thinking of us, and helping make our trip more convenient.

This may be a bit belated... but I don't know if I can adequately describe how amazingly perfect our  week-after- Christmas was!  My parents Christmas gift to us kids was for everyone to spend a week staying at a condo near Snow Basin, UT and skiing at the resort.

this is how we spent our lunch breaks- exausted!

 The Condo itself was a treasure!  It had enough room (comfortably) for ALL 11 of us.  (don't ask to hear KC's side of the story, she might tell you differently).  There was beautiful rustic wood furniture, and yummy smelling fancy soaps, not to mention, everything we needed in the kitchen!  It was a great place to relax, play games (the ipads were in constant use), we got wi-fi, and of course the HOT TUB.

Erin and Madeline

Snow Basin itself really is the hidden gem of utah.  With three gondolas, and a high speed quad, the lifts were pretty great (expect for the super slow Porcupine lift that froze my bum off and ripped the backpack... but we won't talk about that).  The lodges were exceptional.  Elegant carpet, fluffy dinning chairs, huge wood tables, and a large fireplace in the center of every lodge.  Most ski resorts have a nice main lodge, and tiny second-rate lodges for the others.  Snow basin had three incredibly perfect lodges.  Only one was a wee bit crowded, so we just shied away from that.  Since we didn't even know how great they were- we ate our lunch in the car the first day. Sad.  But after that we packed the food in backpacks and met up for lunch at the one of the upper lodges.

One reason this resort has been updated more than other resorts we've been to lately was because of the Olympics in 2002. This spot was chosen for the Men's and Women's downhill ski event, so they were given a ton of money to make it nice. Which they did.  Being the brave souls we are, we SKIED the downhill track. It is extremely steep to begin with, but a whole lot of fun to speed down after that.

Spending time with the FAM was delightful. Bjorn (and the other in-laws) faired fairly well.  We had classics like a charades night, semi-old traditions of monopoly on New Years Eve, and a new traditions of "share what you've learned". I love our family!

Twas Fantastic.  We're hoping to do it again someday.

As the year has ended, we'd like to send our sentiments with a small tribute to 2010:


Best Movie: The Importance of Being Earnest is the funniest movie we've seen all year.  Nothing else has made us laugh that hard (Tangled is a close second).  


Worst road in the wintertime:  Baird Avenue.  Our car likes to DANCE on it.

Worst place to visit in July:   Arizona  "because it was hot as Hades and then some"-B


Best vacation:  Snow basin for a WEEK ! (more on this to come)


Worst Recipe tried this year: Simple Paella- in a crockpot.  "a waste of perfectly good shrimp" -B


Best haircut:  when Coleen got bangs


Best game:  we've probably had the most fun with Ticket to Ride.


Worst game:  "Whenever Bjorn beats me too many times in a row" -C


Best Book (read this year): Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows 


Worst movie: Harry Potter and the Triwizard tournament. "Because it was nothing like the book"-C 


Worst feeling in the world:  not remembering who is teaching your Elders Quorum lesson- during Sunday School


Best ski resort:  Snowbird (for the time being) 


Worst snow storm:  "they've all been good, I like snowstorms" -B


Best shooting range:  the one up Parley's canyon run by cops.  


Worst car crash:  none.  we fooled you :)


Best Bike trail: Pipeline/Copperhead in Millcreek canyon



 Worst Medical experience:  The Dentist.  Tied with.... deciding on new health insurance


Best run in with the law:  When Coleen got pulled over by a policeman on Christmas Day


Best Ski wipe-out:  Tie between the time Bjorn crashed into a bank "skiing backwards with a camera while trying to videotape my wife" and the time he "crashed into powder at full speed and landed on my pole which bent around my rib cage".  


Worst place to get a zit:  armpit


Best method for navigating a corn maze:  kiss at every dead end, back track a lot, laugh a ton, and have no idea where you are headed 61% of the time.


Worst nursing care moment:  "my patient's ostomy leaked all over me while I was holding him" -C


Best concert:  Salute to Youth in Abravenal Hall (8 year olds performing concerto's!)


Worst cooking disaster:  "I was adding flour to the kitchen aid and the attachment wacked the cup out of my hand, it hit the carpeted floor and exploded like a pipe bomb, sending flour EVERYWHERE" -B


Best home decoration purchased:  "the brown basket that took me 1.5 hours wandering up and down the aisles at Michael's to decided upon" -C


Worst way to lose sunglasses:  "I turned around on the sailboat and the lifeline knocked my glasses into the ocean"- B


Best foreign country excursion:  Vancouver to Seattle cruise


Best dessert:  Raspberry cheesecake bars


Best Museum:  the Railroad museum at the Union Station in Ogden


Worst Christmas song (the ones that got on our nerves):  I'm dreaming of a White Christmas, and Have a Holly Jolly Christmas.   


Best ski lodge:  Needles or John Paul (at Snowbasin)








Best 4X4 trail:  Arches National park off road trail  "we went OVER a boulder... I didn't know our car could do that"- C 






Worst yoga pose:  "anything that puts all my weight on my knees.... I'm getting old!" -C


Best pool toy:  inflatable blue crayon from Wendy's kids meal (thanks Ma)

...is how we entered our first ski season.  After a warm up day at Alta's free run last month, we hit the real stuff with a trip to Snowbird this weekend.  The day was, to put it plainly- incredible.  The near perfection I  have been imagining all summer. I say near because the temperature was still a bit chilly for me (most ski days are) but I take what I can get.  

Bjorn and I love romping around the resort, and completely wore ourselves out.  We are getting old!  We took full advantage of our lunch break, and were pleasantly surprised to find ibuprofen in my ski pants (left over from last season) to save our aching joints and muscles.  Yes, it may be painful at times, but it's just too much fun.  My body forgets that it hurts until afterwards.  My main problem was when I skied averagely, I was cold, and when I skied aggressively I was pleasantly warm, but my knees began to throb.  See the dilemma?  I'd oscillate back and forth between the two styles all afternoon (once I figured the phenomenon out).  


We remembered our camera and got a couple pictures of spinny-backwards skiing.  Then Bjorn started down this strait, flat, trail backwards, video-ing me skiing in front of him.  The next thing I knew he hit a snowbank and tumbled to the snowy ground!  It was hilarious! Sadly, the video wasn't on for that part.  


Stay Tuned for more news on the ski front! 

I haven't been to the Energy Solutions Arena since I was about 10 years old.  Back then, it was the Delta center.  So when Michael and Stephanie told us about a BYU basketball game happening there, I eagerly convinced Bjorn we should go (he's not the hugest sports fan).  Chis, Mick, and Steph met us at our apartment, then we carpooled (through much traffic) to downtown Salt Lake.  Luckily, we automatically have a great parking spot because Bjorn attends LDSBC and can park there anytime.  On the way, Mick and Steph told they us they had forgotten their tickets!  Not at our apartment, but in American Fork.  Sad day.  they asked around and tried to see if there was any other way they could get in- but no such luck.  They ended up watching most of the game on a screen at a store in the Gateway, and the last half at Deseret book.  The 3 of us, meanwhile, met up with Chris's friend and cheered enthusiastically and tried to figure out what's going on in the game while sitting in the student section (with annoying people behind us).  The friend suddenly said his Dad works there (as an usher... or seat finder... or whatever they're called at Basketball games) and found some good seats for us.  So at half time we moved down to the front section and had a blast until the real owners of the seats showed up. whoops.  The friends dad, however, then kindly showed us to the media table.  Still on the first level, but back a little ways.  We were sitting in tall chairs, with a table in front of us, and name tags like "Thurl Bailey".  Bjorn asked "who is Thurl Bailey" and none of us had any idea.  We had heard the name and figured he was someone special..... but couldn't place a finger on it.  Michael told us afterwards that he is a famous NBA player who played for the Jazz. I found out later that he was a convert to the LDS church later in his life, with a neat conversion story.  According to wikipedia he is currently a "broadcast analyst" for the Jazz- and we were sitting in his seat!
Also- while glancing through the team roster in the program (conjured by above mentioned friends Dad) I recognized the name of player #12.... he served in my mission!  I read his Bio to be sure.  Yep. He's the one.  I wish I could say I played basketball with him on the mission, but the fact is, I didn't.

After the game (which we WON... I guess I could mention we were playing against Arizona)  We made it through the traffic back to our place, and had dinner and games and a good time with everyone.

When I started this blog I vowed I would write REAL things.  Not just our vacations, our promotions, our triumphs, but the hard decisions and the not so easy REAL stuff that goes on in life.  Truthfully, not a lot of hard stuff has happened to us (yet).  But I do feel the need to share my embarressing moment of the month:

At the mall on Saturday I happened to find (though we weren't looking for it) an amazing dress at an amazing price that I just HAD to have.  After I tried it on, Bjorn agreed, and I happily took home my prize.  I wore it to church the next day, of course.  Even though the temperature had dropped to almost freezing and it was a short-sleeved, knee-length dress (hence the on sale pricing).  but I threw on a coat and some warm tights and we were good to go.  Our church building however, is not always completely heated first thing in the morning.  I wore my coat during sacrament meeting, but since I was TEACHING Sunday School I kinda sorta wanted to show off my new dress.  Luckily I found the thermostat in our room so I cranked up the heat and took my coat off.  We dove into the lesson and I didn't think much of it 'til my whole body felt very very warm.  I was happy to be all warmed up, and the lesson was going well.  The Bishop even came into our class and participated.  As everyone left (I was feeling quite warm by this point- ready to turn the heat down) the Bishop came to me and said "you can adjust the thermostat over there you know..."  I nodded thanks and wondered why he would be telling me such things.  When I finally took a glance at myself, I realized why.  Since warming up I had been sweating profusely, and had HUGE sweat stains around my underarms (we're talking- 6 inches in diameter!).  I was so embarrassed!  Needless to say, I put my coat back on and wore it the rest of church.
 
"Women's vanity- stupid ridiculous vanity" -Nobuko H.

As the month of November comes to a close we would like to make a small list of what we are most thankful for. Here it goes:

my incredible and beautiful wife.
our eternal marriage
this glorious country with it's many freedoms
living the gospel of Jesus Christ and being able to teach it to others
many opportunities to serve those around us
being close to so many temples and being worthy to enter them all
skiing
my collection of bags and purses that my husband lets me keep 
guns- lots and lots of shiny, nice, pretty guns
the ocean (especially as viewed from the Washington coast)
four wheel drive in the ice and snow
our caring families who are strong in the gospel and are professional worriers
a cute little house
v8 splash 
a comfy bed
hot chocolate
lingerie
great coworkers who are always wiling to help out, and make night shifts bearable
a really good job and easy going boss
disneyland
a useful skill set
my wonderful husband who helps with dinner and housekeeping
meat
our financial stability and understanding of financial principles
my wife
my book club friends, who have been around for a while 
movies when it is time to escape reality for a while
the precious babies I get to take care of at the hospital
road trips
sweet potatoes
ksl.com
living close to my siblings
candles
family ski days
flowers
a clean bathroom
slow cooker
great yoga instructors
mistletoe
picture frames
full magazines
Suzy the Xterra

Earlier this month a young couple we are becoming friends with (yea! friends! with us! in Salt Lake!) ended up in a predicament.  They sold both their cars to get a nice one, and as luck would have it, the new car got wrecked.  Fixable, luckily. But now they were down to zero cars, with two people working two different jobs and one attending school.  We found out about their situation when we had them over for dinner one evening.  We tried to think of a way we could help drive or carpool, then realized hey- we have 2 cars!  After much deliberation and convincing they agreed to borrow Bjorn's beat up truck until their vehicle was repaired.
I admit it wasn't easy at first, arranging our schedules and adjusting to one car.  But it was possible.  And we were glad to do it.  Bjorn ended up driving me to work most days (an early morning on his part). And sometimes I stayed late at work waiting for him to get out of a meeting, but it wasn't a big deal. On one such instance I ran into an old friend as we clocked out at the end of our shift.  I explained I wasn't going to the parking lot because my husband was coming to pick me up.  She offered to drive me home, saving me an hour wait at the hospital. So kind!  Plus, we got to some chit-chatting and catch up.
I imagine, and I am sure, that good things have happened her since that small deed, and hope the trail of kindness continues to wind through the lives of many.

I had a darling surgical patient the other day, a one year boy with Down Syndrome.  He woke up from his surgery without much pain and was a joy to take care of.  His mom was very attentive to him and his needs.  She had been waking up during the night for MONTHS to feed him his formula through a tube, (this surgery helped to fix that).   I was impressed by her love, care, and genuine concern (as I am with most parents I meet).
This little one had mastered a few "skills" (besides looking so dang cute).  He could give hi-fives when someone said "give me five", he could say mama and dada, though he couldn't even sit up on his own.  I walked into the room a while after his admission to discuss his feeding plan for the night.  I told his mom, "the order says eat at five, so at five o'clock we'll start the clears..."  I looked down in the crib and this little boy had his hand up to give me five!  He had heard the word and was eagerly awaiting.  

Is actually in October :)

Not from DI, not hand me downs, not from KSL.com, not even Craig's list, not free.  No sir. Our new pieces of furniture were actually BOUGHT at an actual furniture store.  Startling, I know.

Our old round corner couch (that didn't even fit in the corner, and Bjorn had to saw a chunk of it and then cover with fabric to fit in in our house...) finally broke about a month ago.  One of the cushions was sat upon too hard, and the board/spring beneath broke. So we had one sinky spot and four semi-good spots to sit on. This new development- along with the fact that we got it from DI, two weeks before we got married just so we would have somewhere to sit in our bare apartment- warranted a new couch to be bought.

We were saving up to buy new ones for Christmas anyway, so now we have an early Christmas present!  After several stores, several trips to internet, several salesmen, and several headaches, we finally found a comfy set we loved for a good deal.  They are microfiber in fabric and "oyster" in color. We LOVE them! They are almost too nice sit on, and look too good to be in our apartment.  I am enjoying looking for some colorful pillows/throws to spruce it up even more.

Yes, it was a big decision, but I have no regrets, and we are glad to be headed into our next stage of life.

Our "getaway" this month was a quick stent to Park City.   It was supposed to be solely a movie viewing... but we couldn't stop trying to find a good deal on a hotel to justify staying longer.  Bjorn found one and a couple weeks later we checked into Holiday Inn one Friday evening.  We played in the hotel pool and enjoyed our picnic dinner (I try to make these getaways as cheap as possible... so instead of going out for dinner, we brought subway sandwiches and picnic-y side dishes.  Yes, in a cooler. :)  The film that night was Warren Miller's "Wintervention".  A super sweet ski movie.  Actually, it wasn't as good as last year's, but we got free passes to the Canyon's for going (along with free granola bars, goggle cloths, and some pins and stickers advertising the Canyons).  Which is basically how this whole thing got started.  We love cheap/free ski stuff!

The next morning we ate breakfast at the hotel, watched TV (an exciting adventure for us because we don't at home), used the gym, pool, and hot tub (again).  Not wanting to go back to reality quite yet, we moseyed down main street and stopped at a park.  It was wonderful to really get away.  I love taking time away from the world and just being with my husband.  I hope we are always able to make room for these trips in our life.

Perhaps we shouldn't have waited so long to get home.... because when we got back and started checking our e-mails and voicemails, we discovered our church building had been burned that morning.  Bjorn had quite a few calls from the ward leadership trying to get things organized to tell everyone where to meet the next day.  It was a sad event, but seems to have an end.  The man who broke in and burned it was arrested, and we have another building to meet in for the time being.  Here is a link to the news story. 

I know this is out of chronological order- but I have to mention how much we enjoyed spending Conference weekend with Kacy and Maren.   (recently remembered  because I just uploaded my pictures).

I would have LOVED an older sisters house to hang out at (even if she was married) when I was a freshmen at BYU, and I hope Kacy and Maren (my adopted sister) enjoy coming up here as much as I would have.

It was great to have girl time, someone to make peanut butter treats with, just people visting us in our little apartment (which doesn't happen too often).   The college girls bravely rode the bus and trax up to SLC all by themselves, I was proud.  We then carried on the Murray tradition of eating crepes for breakfast, and the newly established Graham tradition of attending at least one session one temple square.  Someone must have been living righteously, because although we were planning on doing the standby line, someone from the stake gave us 4 tickets to the exact session we were planning on attending.  It was a wonderful and fulfilling experience; sharing it with family made it that much better.  I especially love hearing the testimonies of the apostles and hearing their JOY in living the gospel.

We stayed up "late" with games and desserts... making me feel as if I were in college myself again.  Sunday afternoon we all went down to Wendy's to watch the last session of conference on a real TV (we had watched the ASL version on our internet for the other sessions).  Along with some real good food compliments of Chef Wendy and the Sunday Dinner Club.

Okay Bjorn AND myself... but nobody has ever spent 4 1/2 days in Salt Lake City just to visit us.  Apparently, his parents (and sister) love us.   They flew down from WA Friday afternoon and started thier touristy tradition (his mom loves to do EVERYTHING there is a to do in any town she visits).  It had been over 10 years since they'd been to Utah, so there were plenty of attractions to hit: temple square (including museum, conference center, JS movie, etc.),  Bingham Copper Mine, BYU football game, introducing them to our favorite ice cream (SubZero), walking around BYU campus, welfare square, DI, air force museum... and of course the boys went shooting and the girls went shopping.

For me the most memorable moment was the BYU Homecoming game.  I hadn't been to a football game since 2008, and even then I wasn't too thrilling of an event.  Granted, that could have something to do with the fact that I was on the phone with Bjorn half the time as we were "long distance dating" during that semester.  At that time of life  I didn't go to the games with any friends as they all seemed to be glued to "significant others".  Overall, the last few games I went to were not much fun at all..  So I was understandably a bit nervous to bring my in-laws to a sporting event I hadn't enjoyed lately.  Not to mention BYU's losing streak.  What was I thinking?!?  However- entering Lavell Edwards Stadium brought a grin to my face.  The GOOD games, the GOOD times, the GOOD memories all came back.  What a lively environment!  And the game turned out to be amazing!  Besides the fact that BYU won, we made some good plays, and the whole thing was enjoyable to watch.  Great weather, no sun in our eyes, the cougar marching band (with my sister in it), the traditions, the students, the cheering, the hilarious opening prayer...... Maybe BYU is trying to lure me back? Regardless, I am and always will be a supportive alumni.



Most importantly, we enjoyed some Graham family favorites such  as cooking breakfast together (well, 2 of the crew),  playing board games, and birthday traditions.  Thanks family!

namely, the funny comments that come out of their mouths.  When you're stuck in a stressful situation see a different set of people everyday, who knows what you'll say next!

These are from a few chucklers from yesterday:

SCENE:  Toddler is making whiney noises.  a lot. over and over. she wants ice cream. loudly.  Mom ignores her.  Grandma tells her to stop.  Grandma tells her stop again. Then Grandma turns to me and says "You tell her to stop".
Me: "uh....."
Grandma:  "do it!  she'll listen to you!"
Me: [thinking it's not really my place to be disciplining here] "can you please stop... thanks."
Girl stops whining.

The power of being a nurse?  Maybe it was the princess scrubs.....  I didn't know I had it in me.  Now if only my own future children will obey so promptly.

Second best quote was from a young mom who said to me "I like you.  You make lists".  I was writing down some of her questions on the white board.   It made me smile inside.  And I think we bonded.

A while back, two people I don't know very well, did something nice for me.  It wasn't extreme, but I know they went at least a little bit out of their way to pick us up/drop us off at the airport.  I was extremely grateful for the small act of kindness, and could not think of quite the right way to repay these generous souls.  I thought of baking a loaf of bread, but I am still fairly new at baking bread and it doesn't always turn out perfect, and it's kind of dense, and what if they don't like it..... but in the freezer that day I spied the solution: bananas.  The perfect idea was formed: Banana bread.  I made two batches of banana bread (a classic recipe from my mother which I know is good) and two somewhat cute and crafty thank you cards.  I was proud of myself for creating such substantial homemade items (bread and cards).  The kitchen smelled wonderful, and I was tempted to save a loaf for my husband and me.  But I was excited to share as well.  Of course I worried all day about the almost-burned spot, how to wrap them so they still look cute but you can tell what it is inside, whether these people even like banana bread, or if they have allergies to fruit?  I finally faced my fears and just delivered them.  Two loaves of bread. One apartment complex.  Two families.  Done.  And you know what?  I felt great.  I hadn't done a simple service like that in a very long time.  Perhaps since getting married all my service has focused on my husband (not a bad thing), but it honestly felt GOOD to get outside myself and put in some work and effort to really do something for someone else, outside my family.  I truly felt a warm tingle start to spread across my body and a smile across my face and concluded: I need to do this more often.

Here a few pix from our Murray clan photo shoot.  Look at how much we've grown!
Location:  Anacortes, Washington
AUGUST 2010