An Arizona Wedding

Two weeks ago Robert and I went down to Phoenix/Mesa/Glibert for one of his best friends weddings. It was a perfect little weekend getaway. It had been a long time since I have traveled, and although it wasn't anything crazy, it was a perfect weekend and wedding.

I had been to Phoenix a few times for soccer tournaments-which meant that over a two day period I played 4-5 soccer games, slept, ate, and hung out at the soccer fields. So I hadn't really even been to Phoenix. To my surprise, Mesa was actually really green and beautiful. I would say it's comparable to Vegas, but much prettier.

They can even grow citrus trees because it rains more! There were a plethora of them around the temple grounds. Speaking of, the temple in Mesa is probably one of the most unique and coolest temples I have ever been to.

Nathan was a mission companion of Robert's and after spending more time with him, I completely understand why Robert's favorite time of his mission was when he was companions with Nathan. They are like two peas from the same pod. Robert was also the most handsome groomsman out there. :)

 The reception was in Allies backyard and they did a wonderful job. It was beautiful  They had fajitas for dinner and a popcorn bar which are probably two of my most favorite foods in the world. I am pretty sure Allie and I can be friends now. We were able to spend a lot of the day and most of the reception with Robert and Nathan's mission president and his wife. It was such a good experience being able to talk and get to know them better. Robert has most surely been blessed with such great people in his life.

After all of the festivities on Friday Robert and I enjoyed a Saturday on the town! We went to Sprinkles (too much frosting for my taste, but still absolutely delicious!) went to Tempe Town Lake, did a temple session and looked at some of the coolest homes I have ever seen.

Yes, my toe is black. Turns out, whenever I run over 13 miles, my toes turn black.

Three cheers for awesome weddings!

I heart food

So let me just be real. I love food, probably too much. Cooking it, eating it, playing with it (bad habit) and ruining my clothes with it (yep, still a 5 year old).

During school Robert would always beg (really, though) me to let him cook so that I would have more study time, but I always declined his offer- not because he doesn't have mad cooking skills but because I find cooking therapeutic. There is just something about making something, not only edible, but absolutely delicious out of random things in our pantry that I found so profoundly satisfactory. So at the end of a long day, the first thing I want to do is whip up a nice well rounded dinner for my dear rubbertoe and I.

And in honor of my food obsessed brain today (and making a bomb.com meal tonight) , here are a few of my favorite go-to dishes. Are they healthy? That's relative. Do I have a major sweet tooth? No. Do I love ethnic food and spice? Yes. With those precautions, here you go- a list of my favorite foods that I think everyone needs to try because they rock my world:

My favorite well-rounded, feel-good, "clean"  meal:
Last week my sister and I were talking about how much we love well rounded meals when we feel clean, light, and satisfied afterwards, so this is mine!

• Salmon. There are a few recipes that I like, and I always seem to go back to my mom's marinade or a nice herb crusted salmon. 
• Mashed Cauliflower. My sister(s) Micah and Collette first taught me how to make this, and I make it differently every time. I did find a similar recipe that I have used a few times and enjoy. Mashed potatoes go well here, too.
• Spinach Salad. 
• Jim Lahey's No Work Bread. My sister and I found this recipe a few years back in my cooking bible How to Cook Everything by Mark Bittman. I have finally figured out how to use Robert's sourdough start (yes, his Christmas present) with it, and let me tell you, it makes a KILLER sourdough artisan bread. Divine.

Go-to Desserts:

• Cherry Slab Pie 
• Deep Dish Cookie Pie I 1/4 this recipe and it was perfect for Robert and I (and probably a 3rd person). I also found that you could probably cut the sugar down by about half and still have it be too sweet. 
• Pierre Mineral Water + Crushed Ice + Stevia's Flavored Sweetners

Breakfast-ish:

• Peanut Butter-Banana Bread This was a Cooking Light recipe I found a few moons ago. I ended up cutting down the sugar down and adding more banana because bananas are so sweet. 
• Peanut Butter Cup Baked Oatmeal We literally have this for breakfast 5 times a week. 

Main Dishes:

• Homemade Indian Naan
• Sopa Tarasca (Bean and Tomato Soup) My sister first introduced us all to this soup from NPR's Kitchen Window at our Christmas Eve Palooza. Rocked my tastebuds.
• Tomato Basil Creme Pasta

And so there it is. A list of my favorite foods that may or may not make me want to weep because they are just that good.

Happy Sunday!

Graduate.

Last Friday Robert and I graduated from BYU-Idaho with our Bachelors.

It was a very long last semester, and I am proud to say that Robert and I both did better than we could have hoped! The last four years have been more than an adventure, and honestly I didn't think I would actually ever see my graduation day. Yes, it's cliche- but it really feels like it was just a few days ago that I was in a teal cap and gown, heading off to my new big adventure- college. Yet, here I am a college graduate, happily married and ready to begin a new stage of life. 

Over the last four years I was blessed to have opportunities that many people aren't given. BYU-Idaho has given me more opportunities than any other school could have; the professors have greatly impacted and changed both mine and Roberts life. We will forever be grateful to professors who took a sincere interest in Robert and I and who were always cheering for us and pushing us to our potential. 

Three cheers to graduating and taking a new big step in life!