Sorry. . .

Ignore the weird background. I have been trying to make my own custom background and it's been giving me a lot of guff, so the new background will be up shortly. (And by shortly, I mean in a few days or something. :)) Until then, you might just wanna read all my posts on google reader. . . :)

Movie Review: Australia

Dallin and I just finished watching the movie Australia. It kinda stunk. I was so disappointed too! I figured with Hugh Jackman and Nicole Kidman it would be a great movie, and all the previews laid it out as such. But alas, it was not. So here are my beefs with it.

1. Nicole Kidman bugged me. She was whiny and needy and kinda over dramatic throughout the whole movie. Not her best film.

2. The story was so scattered. It was a 2 1/2 hour long film, but it probably could have used about 5 hours to piece the whole thing together. It just felt choppy. It didn't flow. It was as if all of the sudden some piece of the story would get thrown in out of no where, but you had to piece it together.

3. It could have been a sweet story! It seriously had the potential to be an amazing movie. And it was a very interesting plot but, like I mentioned above, it was just incoherent.

4. The filming was weird. I didn't like it at all. It felt disjointed. Kinda like the storyline!

So looking at this list now, it doesn't seem like there was much I disliked, but really, this movie is probably not worth your time. One thing I will mention though- the little Aborigine boy was an amazing actor. He was great the whole time. At the beginning of the movie I couldn't really understand him, but that was because I just needed to get used to his accent. Other than that, he did a great job. So, unless you RedBox the movie (which is what we did) it's not worth your money, and definitely not worth 2 1/2 hours of your life. This movie definitely put Australia way down under!

Happy Birthday Dallin!

Today is my wonderful husbands birthday!! He is a quarter of a century old today too :) Quite the monumental age, eh? Here are some facts and fun things about him (and some of the MANY reasons why I love him! :))

-He's a very talented and diverse musician. He has been playing the violin since he was 3, has been playing the piano since he was 8 (I think. . . ) and taught himself how to play the guitar. But that's not all! He also has an amazing voice. The kind that makes me go weak in the knees when I hear it. Love it.
-He's so determined. When a task is put in front of him, he'll do whatever it takes to accomplish it.
-He is one of the hardest workers I know. I suppose this goes along with being determined, but he works his tail off during the summers and in all of his classes during the fall and winter.
-He's a neat freak. :) He hates clutter and junk and messes. Luckily, I am pretty much just as much of a neat freak, so we go well together. :)
-He's so helpful. He almost always helps with the dishes after dinner and he just does all the little things around the house, which are such a huge help to me.
-He always compliments me. He's such a sweetheart and I always feel so good about myself when he's around. I always know his eyes are on me, not on any one else.
-He's so incredibly thoughtful. He always thinks of me first. He's totally selfless in this relationship and I am so grateful for that.
-He's super handsome. :) And he works out almost everyday, too. Such a macho man I married :)
-He's my best friend in the entire world and I am totally and completely in love with him. I am so grateful for the amazing man that he is and for the great example and support he is to me.

I love you, and Happy Birthday hon!!


(Check out that blaze! You could get a sun tan from that thing! :) That is, "A Cheesecake Named Desire" ice cream cake from Cold Stone. YUM!)

Holy Hail!!

Saturday's weather: Sunny, not a cloud in the sky, 70 degrees. B-E-A-UTIFUL! You couldn't find a patch of grass in any of the parks because so many people were out basking in the amazing weather.

Sunday's Weather: Snow. Yup. You read right. Snow. And lightning and thunder too. Interesting to say the least.

Monday's Weather: More snow. It never sticks. But still. It's snowing. IN MARCH. *sigh*

Tuesday's Weather: Oh hey! Even more snow.

Today's Weather: HAIL. So much hail! It goes crazy and then subsides and then there are hail balls the size of Sixlets! (Now you're craving Sixlet's, eh?? Good stuff those Sixlets.) And then it subsides again.

When I first looked out my window, it looked like this. . .

. . . And our porch looked like this. . .

And then it started going CRAZY again! Weirdo weather.

Yup. Caught some video footage. Just ignore my dumb commentary :)

Stupid Rexburg weather cannot make up its mind. Ever. 2 summers ago, right before I left to go home for Marcus and Ashley's wedding, it snowed. Snowed in June. June 1st to be exact. By noon there were no traces, but still!! JUNE! I am so glad we are outta this place in a little over two weeks. Pasco, here we come!!

View of Tri-Cities from Badger Mountain

Sunset over Rattlesnake Mountain

Any Jacob Fan's In The House??

So. . . I finally watched Twilight. And I will tell you right now, I didn't love it. In fact, I really didn't even like it that much.

Cheesy.
Cheap.
Bad acting.

I will admit, they cast Charlie perfectly. And Carlisle and Esme and Alice and Emmett and even Jessica. But everyone else? Kinda suffered. Jasper looked like a deer in the headlights the entire movie and Edward. . . oh Edward. I wonder if Stephanie cringed as she watched him? I did. Oh, and I liked Billy and Jacob too. But seriously folks? Did you feel like the whole movie was just totally disjointed? (Kind of like this post?) It was like they knew everyone had read the book already, so they could make it as choppy as possible and no one would care because their beloved Edward was on the screen. But really, Rob isn't so much a favorite of mine. When I thought of Edward, I thought of a perfectly sculpted body (hello, that's how he was described!) with an overwhelmingly beautiful face. Rob's face looked pained almost the entire movie. I never felt the strong connection that was supposed to be between him and Bella. It wasn't there for me at all. Oh, and Bella-- her voice was just a little too deep, her mannerisms were just weird and not natural and I just felt like they totally killed the book. It made me sad. Really Sad!

One more thing that totally bugged me? The Cullen's house! WAYYY too modern. I dunno, but the "big white house" that Stephanie always described just made me think of like an old victorian home on the outside, totally classic with beautiful woodwork inside. I mean, obviously they had modern things in there too, right? But totally modern with all the angles just wasn't working for me. Anyway, sorry for those of you who actually could stomach the movie, I just wasnt a fan. I don't think I will be going to see anymore of those films in the future. I much prefer the little movie I have in my head with my Edward and my Bella and my Jacob and my Reneesme, etc. (Disclaimer: I didn't hate it as much the second time I watched it. It was actually kind of enjoyable the second go-round)

So anyway, the title of my post- Are there any Jacob fans out there? Or should I just say, are there any Taylor Lautner fans out there? He's a cute kid. Love the smile. Well, I found him. He's actually attending BYU-Idaho under the fake name of "Shane Welch". :) Ok, that's a total lie. But, our good friend Shane really does look like he could be Taylor Lautner's Twin. Need some proof? Here it is!

Our Beloved Taylor!

Our Beloved Shaner!

I told you! They could be twins! Or at least brothers. And all you young single ladies-- he's single and available. :)

Happy Birthday Hillary!!

Today is the birthday of my amazing sister-in-law, Hillary. I don't think there are enough good things I can say about her, but I will try and list just a few. :)

1. She is incredibly gorgeous. If you've seen her, you know it's so true!
2. She is so dedicated to whatever she puts her mind to. Example? She has never missed more than 4 days in a row exercising, even when she had Colton! Amazing? I would say YES! :)
3. She is sooo talented. Everytime I hear her play the piano, I regret not sticking with piano lessons when I was younger. She's just awesome.
4. She is an amazing mother. I see her with Colton, and I see all the love she has for him, and I am so impressed.
5. She is so patient and loving. We've been in multiple situations where she could have run her mouth off about someone, but she didn't. What a great example!
6. She keeps up with all the boys. :) Seriously! This summer at Priest Lake, she was one tough cookie on those tubes. And this winter, snowmobiling? She was such a studdette. :) She definitely holds her own.
7. She's so fun to talk to. We have had some awesome conversations and I can't wait to have more with her, because everytime we talk, I have so much fun (hopefully she has fun sometimes too :))
8. She's so genuinely good. Over Christmas break, I seemed to always stumble upon her while she was reading her scriptures or the Ensign, or when she and Blaine were saying their morning prayers.
9. She motivates me to be a better person just by her example.
10. She's my only sister-in-law in the Calaway family (that's near my age. Don't worry, I'm not forgetting Janelle :)) And I am so grateful for everything she does. She is selfless, humble, fun, beautiful (inside and out) and is an amazing friend and sister. I hope this day is super special and I hope that Blaine and Colton treat you super special!! We love you Hill!!

Ooohh. . . Another Giveaway! :)

My good friend, Meghan, is hosting a giveaway right now! She is an amazing photographer and has talent oozing out of her. Check her out here and enter to win a free photo session! She lives in the Salt Lake area, but is in the Tri-Cities right now until the 22nd of March, so if you are in need of some sweet photos, contact her asap! And enjoy her great photography!

Attention: Mother's With Girls Wearing 3T

Enter this sweet giveaway over at Make it and Love it! Ashley is so talented and so creative, you will love all of her stuff! It's only open til Wednesday, March 18 at 11:59 (Mountain Standard Time), so hurry over and enter to win!!

Just When You Thought It Couldn't Get Any Better. . .

It gets better. This talented lady just started a food blog. And it made my day. Seriously. It made my day. She recently visited our Stake Relief Society Enrichment activity a few Saturday's ago, and won my heart. She made this amazing sweet pork with cilantro lime slaw that was sooo good! She also sent me her cook book today and I am dying to try all the recipes inside. If you want a copy, just give me your email address and I will forward it to you. She's got mad skillz in the kitchen, so you won't want to miss out on this opportunity! :) Hope you all enjoy! Happy Cookin'!

(Image via Google Images)

Tagged!

I just got tagged by my amazing sister-in-law and namesake, Ashley! :) So, here are 5 things you might wanna know about me!

5 Things I like about you (Ashley H):
1. You always dress so dang cute! I love stealing cute wardrobe ideas from you :)
2. You're always so much fun to be around and make me laugh
3. We can talk about Twilight like it's nobody's business all the live-day-long :)
4. You're an awesome friend and sister and you are a great representative of the Ashley Henry name. :)
5. You make my brother so happy and that, in turn, makes me so happy! Love you Ash!

5 Things I was doing 5 years ago:
1. Getting my license
2. Trying out for 10th Avenue
3. Attending PHS
4. Finally dating, since I was 16 :)
5. Doing Track & Field

5 Things on my to do list for today:
Well, since it's almost the end of the day, I'll list my to-do's for tomorrow
1. Read the Visiting Teaching Message
2. Go tanning at Panache! ($30 for a month of unlimited tans. . . oh yeah!)
3. Make some more wheat bread and jam for my v.t. sisters
4. Go running
5. Enjoy time with my husband! I have to store up time now, because when summer hits, I will most likely never see him. :)

5 Things I would do with a million dollars:
1. Buy an Acadia, mine and Dallin's new favorite SUV!
2. Put money away for our future kids
3. Take a SWEET vacation with Dallin
4. Take a SWEET vacation with Dallin and both our families :)
5. Go on a serious shopping spree. I love shopping. :)

5 Places I have lived:
I haven't lived in 5 places. . . My life is so boring! I guess I will list where I have lived though.
1. Pasco, WA
2. Rexburg, ID
3. Edison, NJ (with Tara and David for a month one summer)

5 Jobs I have held:
Man, I don't think I have worked in 5 jobs either. That's pathetic.
1. Bindery worker for my Dad
2. Dental assistant
3. Nanny

5 Things I want to be doing in 5 Years:
1. Have my degree in something
2. Have a mini-me or mini-dallin
3. Learn to play the piano
4. Be fit and active
5. Own our own business

5 People I tag (Or anyone else who has the inner desire to do this):
1. Tiffani H.
2. Rachel H.
3. Karen J.
4. Jan B.
5. Elise T.

Pure Deliciousness Ahead. . .

So, I love cooking. It's one of my favorite things to do. I hate trying to decide what to make though. But, other than that, I love it. :) And adding my own flair to a recipe just makes it that much better. Who doesn't love to make a recipe theirs? So, I am sharing a new favorite of mine that I just created. Spicy Chicken Taco Soup. You will need-

2 Large Chicken Breasts
1/2 of an Onion (chopped)
1 Tsp Olive or Vegetable Oil
1 Can Black Beans
1 Can Pinto Beans
1 Can Kidney Beans
1 Can White Kidney Beans
1- 7 oz Can El Pato Tomato Sauce (Yellow Can)
1 Can Red Enchilada Sauce
Tapatio
Taco Seasoning

In a large frying pan, saute onions in oil until slightly browned. Dump into large pot. Add all the cans of beans and sauces to the pot. Turn heat to med-high and let boil for 20-25 minutes. While the soup is boiling, cook your chicken in a frying pan with some Taco Seasoning to flavor. Cook it until it is almost done (A little pink in the middle) and then cut it up into small pieces and throw into the pot. Add about 1 tsp of taco seasoning to the soup and, depending on how spicy you like things, lots of Tapatio! (We love spicy things in this household) Let simmer for another 10-15 minutes and then serve with sour cream, shredded cheese and cilantro. (The cilantro adds this amazing flavor to it, trust me. So good!) Another wonderful addition is cornbread and honey-butter! YUMMY! Dig in and enjoy!

Oh, and check out a couple of great giveaways at this ladies blog and also over at We Chirp! Some super awesome stuff for some super awesome ladies! :) Have a fabulous weekend! Off to try some new recipes, yum!

The more I see of the world, the less inclined I am to think well of it.

I just finished my absolute favorite movie. For about the thousandth time. It has humor, romance, wit, wonderful characters, wonderful actors and, above all, it's wholesome entertainment. If you couldn't guess the movie by the quote in the heading, it's Pride and Prejudice. :) Oh yes. I am a P&P junkie! And not the new one. Oh no. NOT the new one. Kiera Knightly drives me NUTS in that movie and does not do Elizabeth Bennett's character justice. Jennifer Ehle on the other hand. . . I just love her. And Colin Firth. Seriously? Amazing. And Mrs. Bennett. Dallin can't stand her. And truthfully, neither can I. But that just proves she's an amazing actor. However, out of courtesy to Dallin, I watch this movie whenever he's not in the house. Otherwise I get mocked. Ok. I don't get mocked. The movie gets mocked. Or, more importantly, Mrs. Bennet get's mocked. Either way, I just try to spare him the obvious pain of watching it. I have to say though, everytime I get to the end of the movie and Mr. Darcy turns to Elizabeth and says, "My dearest, loveliest Elizabeth" my heart melts. And my stomach does back flips. How romantic can you get?! I am so serious when I say that too. Everytime. So sweet. I love it.

On a completely different note. . . The quote I chose from the movie is one of my favorites, because I often find myself thinking the exact same thing these days. All I seem to hear about is the awful state our nation is in and how our economy is in jeopardy. It gets me scared. And worried. And frustrated. But yesterday, I was blessed to have an experience at church that just shows how aware our Heavenly Father is of us. In Relief Society, we had an excellent lesson about having a positive attitude. I think I have a fairly positive attitude, but these days, I find myself worrying incessantly about our situation in the world and wondering how we're ever going to make it. After the lesson, we had 10 minutes to bear our testimonies. When the first woman got up to speak, I was overwhelmed by this feeling of admiration for her. And the same thing happened when the next woman got up. And the next. And the next. I couldn't sit there any longer. As I got up to bear my testimony, I looked at each of the girls in our ward and I had the thought come to me, "The next generation is going be so blessed, because of the future mothers in this room". Wow, right? Such a powerful statement. And, it was exactly what I had needed to hear. For the past few weeks, I have expressed to Dallin, my fears of raising children at this time of uncertainty. It seems the outcome of this nation is going to be bleak. But as I stood in front of those women, this overwhelming sense of peace flooded my whole being. And as I looked into their faces, I marveled at the purity and goodness of each sister. Never in my life have I felt the spirit in such a way as that. I wanted to tell everyone that there is hope for us. That our situation is not bleak, but it is beautiful. We just have to open our eyes and see the beauty. And we have to let the light of Christ fill our hearts.

I wanted to stay in that moment so much longer. I wanted to hear the testimonies of everyone. I wanted to savor that sweet, sweet spirit that filled the room. But most of all, I wanted all my sweet children who are just waiting to come into this world to know that their Mother loves them even though they're not here yet. And that for once in her life, she feels like she is finally ready to raise a righteous generation. And that she knows she can be a great mother someday. And she can't wait for those sweet spirits to enter her home. It was truly a tender mercy that I will not soon forget. I am so grateful that I belong to a church where truths are taught and where I am able to find calm amidst the storm and a reprieve from the constant waves bashing against my spirit. I know my Heavenly Father loves me.