Pennsylvania and New Joy-see

Howie got to come along with me on a business trip to Pennsylvania.  He actually served his mission in Pittsburgh so, PA was nothing too new for him.  But, he had never been to Philly before so, we made it a point to go there...twice.

We wanted to try one of the best Philly Cheesesteaks in town so, we ventured over to Pat's King of Steaks and Geno's Steaks to see what all the fuss was about.  These two places (which are right across the street from each other) have been on just about every food show known to man.  The original plan was to get one sandwich from each place and split them, but once we got there Howie only wanted to try Pat's so, we both got one from Pat's.  Howie got disgusting cheesewhiz on his.  Ew.  Too rich for me.

I'm a Philly Cheesesteak with provolone and dill pickle kind of girl.  Mine was delicious.

Philly Hard Rock Cafe!

So, I'm a reality TV junkie and I love the show on Style called Jerseylicious.  I know, I know.  The cast is a tad on the dramatic side.  But, it's entertaining to me.  The show takes place in a salon called the "Gatsby Salon" and it's in Green Brook, NJ.  Since we were headed that way I decided to look to see how far away it was.  It was only an hour!  So, I booked an appointment in hopes to meet some of the cast.  Much to my excitement, Monday October 24th just happened to be a cast day!  They didn't have the whole cast there, just two of the main characters.  But, I was so excited!

Here is me, Doria (from the show) and Denise (she cut my hair).  Both cast members were fully booked so, I couldn't get in with them (shucks).  But Denise was really sweet and I was able to ask her a lot of questions about the show.  I'm sure she gets it ALL the time.

And here I am with Tracy!  She was the number one person I wanted to meet.  I was so happy she worked that day.  She is one of the shows main characters.

It was so fun to meet them.

The last day we were in PA we drove back to Philly again.  We didn't get to see enough of the city the first time we went.  We managed to fit in a lot of stuff.  First we stopped off at the Liberty Bell.

Swung by Benjamin Franklin's resting place.

And raced up the "Rocky Steps".

After that we were headed home.  The trip was short, but sweet.

Oh, and check out that Philly skyline from the top of The Rocky Steps.  Pretty cool.

Fall Is In The Air

I went up Millcreek Canyon today by myself while Howie slept.

It is absolutely gorgeous right now.


Tomorrow morning we leave for Pennsylvania.  Yet another business trip I get to take this year, but this time Howie gets to tag along.  I can't wait to see New England in the Fall.


I hear it's beautiful this time of year.

Family Fall Photo Shoot

We had our family photos taken recently.  It's about time!

I love how they turned out so far.  There are more, but my sister hasn't gotten around to editing them all.  I'll post more when I have them.  But, until then here is a little sneak-peek of some of my favorites:

Witchapalooza!

This past Saturday was Witchapalooza-Girl's-Night-Out at Gardner Village.  It was a fun way to kick off this festive Halloween season.  We enjoyed a lovely lunch/early dinner and then it was on with the show.  The show this year is called 'The Taming of The Brew'.  It was pretty funny.  We all enjoyed it.

Others in attendance, but not pictured, are my cousin Chelsea and my sister Sheena.

We had to get a picture with a witch.

Genelle would probably not be happy that I posted this picture of us, but it was the best one we took on the bench.  Good thing she doesn't read my blog.  Hehe.  We were twiners with our shirts.

Last weekend we were blessed with a wonderful General Conference.  I'm always happy to sit at home all weekend in my pj's and listen to the words of our General Authorities.  We are so lucky to have such strong members of our church to give us guidance.  I have come to rely more and more on their words and teachings especially with our new callings in our branch.  I am now the second counselor in the Relief Society.  I'm still getting used to it and learning everyone's names (i'm almost as bad as members of our congregation when it comes to remembering names!).  But i'm thankful for the calling and the opportunity to serve them.  They have such strong testimonies and I love hearing them share them each month.  They have become a great strength to me and I'm lucky to know them.

Forget Me Not

President Uchtdorf gave an amazing talk during the Relief Society Broadcast this last Saturday night.  If you missed it, watch it here.

Highlights for me:

"Never stop striving for the best that is within you."

"If you will only allow his divine love into your life it can dress any wound, heal any hurt and soften any sorrow."

"You are destined for more than you can possibly imagine."

"...And I do know now I was never forgotten.  And I know something else.  And as an Apostle of our Master, Jesus Christ, I proclaim, with all the certainty and conviction of my heart and soul, neither are you.  You are not forgotten.  Sisters, wherever you are.  Whatever the circumstances may be, you are not forgotten.  No matter how dark your days may seem.  No matter how insignificant you may feel.  No matter how overshadowed you think you may be. Your Heavenly Father has not forgotten you.  In fact, he loves you with an infinite love."

Thank you Francis.

I will.

The Fair

Today was a good old time at the Salt Lake Fair!

At The Fair, It's all about the food.

We didn't try any of this strange stuff, but it was fun to look.  Scorpion anyone?  How about one dipped in chocolate?

We rode down this massive slide.  I couldn't wipe the smile off my face as we went down it.  I seriously felt like I was 7 years old.

Frozen banana dipped in chocolate and rolled in nuts.  Sounds good to me!

I've never tried a funnel cake before so I told Howie we had to try one before we left.  It was sugar overload at The Fair!  It was mighty tasty.

A good time was had by all.

9.11.01

I can't believe it's been 10 years.  Today I am reflecting on that day and the people that lost their lives.  I'm so glad I've already documented my 9/11 story.  It's neat to be able to go back and read it.  I came very close to being caught up in the middle of all of that and I can't help but think that there was a higher power involved.


I am so proud to be an American.

Gambling in Wendover, NV

Yesterday we celebrated my youngest sister's 21st birthday by taking her to Wendover.

I'm a big loser.  I lost $60.

My Mom playing the $.01 machines.

Here's my sister livin' the gambling dream!

She went home $80 richer.

Lucky punk.

My sister-in-law Cheryl, Grandma Van Cott, and brother Jason.

The only person I didn't snag a picture of was my Dad, but he was present.

A great time was had by all.  We gambled at the Rainbow Casino and indulged in their Dinner Buffet.  Mmmm, cheesecake.  We all were big losers except for Miranda who walked out with $80.

I hope we didn't spawn a future gambling addiction.