Lake Powell!

LAKE POWELL!!!!!

We had a wonderful time! Wave runners, speed boats, tubing, skiing, hiking...it was fantastic! Here's a few pictures I snapped with the new, freaking awesome camera I got for my birthday (thank you dear).

Here are Emily and Casey, Blake's little Bro and Sis. They were a blast to have around! I love Emily's expression here!

It was early morning when Dell (Blake's dad) wanted to go solum skiing. Blake and I rolled out of bed, jumped in the speed boat, and I'm glad we did! Look how gorgeous the lake looks. I snapped these fantastic pics right as the sun was rising. They were so beautiful (and really show off Dell amazing skiing abilities) I had to include a few.

We hiked quite a distance to a land bridge from our house boat. In the picture below you can see Blake and I taking a snap shot. Below that how small Blake's grandpa looks on top of the cliff we hiked to, he's the little tiny bump at the very tippy top.

It was SO fun. I'm so glad Dell invited us. The houseboat was nice a comfy, the lake warm, the weather perfect...Ah...I'd love to go back right now!

Battle of the Bulge

My husband laughs when I say this, but I'm going to say it anyway. My "Battle of the Bulge" sometimes feels as hopeless as JRR Tolkein pitting a bunch of ignorant Hobbits against all the evil of Mordor, including an army of daemon-like Oarks, an all seeing eye, and a wizard gone wrong. Don't get me wrong, I've had success on diets but do I really want to eat celery and flavorless, cardboard-like, rice snacks for the rest of my life? NO, especially considering the fact that I'm ever so fond of cooking.

Anyhow, lately my battle has become less of a battle and more of a passive resistance...really passive. I've considered going back on one of the plethora of diets I've tried, but I'm really not feeling it. So I've decided to try a different approach. Instead of focusing on losing weight, I'm going to focus on being healthier. Rather than making a temporary diet change that lasts six or seven months, I'm going to attempt to make a lifestyle change. I guess my focus is going to be less of, I want to lose weight, and more of I want to feel good about myself and feel healtier. The following idea isn't something I came up with, actually it's the way a friend of mine (a dietitian) eats. I think I'll give it a try:

1-I can eat what I like, as long as I meet the following criteria:

a. Eat a carbless Breakfast-Since school started I haven't been eating breakfast. This wouldn't be so awful if it weren't for the fact that by lunch time I'm famished and will eat anything I can get my hands on (which is typically something unhealthy). I mostly don't want to resort to bagels and muffins (hence the carbless), I need to find something a little healthier to start my day.

b. Eat five servings of fruit/vegetables a day. If it's eight o'clock at night, and I'm craving something sweet but I've only had two servings of veg for the day I'd better belly up to a nice big bowl of the green stuff! 'Cause I can't eat my ice cream till I've met my daily quota.

c. Drink three 24oz water bottles/day.

2- It's really difficult to find time to workout when I'm at work or school from eight-seven, so I'm going to keep things nice and easy. Continue my three days/week but up my workout time from 20 minutes to 25 minutes and incorporate some weights on my elliptical machine.

So that's it! Bring on the epic battle of the bulge, I'm anxious to see what happens with these few guidelines.

Hide your kids, Hide your wife!

Okay, this is seriously funny. I know at first you'll be like, "Seriously, Lish? This is NOT funny."

Have a little faith. Watch these two youtubes, in this order, and you will laugh.

The first one's a legit new report.

Newsreport ONE

Don't forget to watch this one.

Newsreport Remix

I'd be afraid if I was the guy who broke in...

Narcissistic Walt and Non-Competitive Alisha

Walt Whitman is among the first American poets. It's true, he's pretty much the shiz of poetry, almost every American poet since Whitman can't help but draw from him. Unfortunately, if you read his work, "Song of Myself", it's hard to avoid how much he really adores himself. Annoyingly so. I cannot deny his genius, but can't help but comment that reading "Song of Myself" was somewhat excruciating (seriously Walt? Over a hundred pages of prose dedicated to yourself?...then again, what is a blog if not a overtly lengthy self reflection?).

One phrase did stick out to me. "...battles are lost in the same spirit in which they are won" (yup, that's it. Out of a hundred pages I connected with twelve words...not say the rest wasn't interesting, the passage about "twenty eight men bathe by the shore"was an adventure...just not applicable to me). Anyhow, back to analyzing how this phrase affected me. I'm not really a fan of competition. I suppose this originates from my supressed perfectionism that insists I want to be the best or nothing at all. I remember in high school debate I'd be so torn up about getting second place, while my coach and peers were congratulating me, I was contemplating quitting...bizarre! Whitman points out that it doesn't really matter if you win or lose, it's the "spirit of the battle" that teaches you. I would be better off taking chances, pushing aside perfectionism, and delving into the battle (even if it means last place!!) than standing safely ignorant on the sidelines.

What battles am I avoiding now? Couldn't say, but it's something to think about...

Book Review: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

The Girl with a Dragon Tattoo and The Girl who Played with Fire

Larson Steig

 

Ah...What to say? Well...it's definitely a fascinating murder mystery with a very unexpected twist. I couldn't put it down BUT this is definitely PG13. I won't spoil much to say it deals with women, the way they're treated, and this culminates in a specific character who's a victim of sexual abuse. It's pretty candid about her abuse and extremely descriptive, so if that doesn't appeal to you don't read it! I personally find the feminist theme quite compelling. It also takes place in modern day Sweden which I found equally interesting. Compelling enough that I picked up the second novel in this trilogy,  The Girl Who Played with Fire. I wasn't as impressed by this second novel as the first. The first one's plot revolves around cracking a murder mystery that's several decades old, it's quite unique. It's uniqueness is largely lost on the second novel. It's quite interesting but not as believable or as unique as the first. I'll definitely have to read the third novel (the second novel leaves you hanging!) The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets Nest...I have a feeling it's all about conspiracy theories (shout out to Trevor!).

Random Tid Bit-The author, Steig Larsson is from Sweden and has a unique Swedish view of the world. But even more interesting is that fact that after submitting these three books to the editor he passed away. Given the editor had to work without Larsson's guidance, what we see may or may not be exactly what Larsson intended.

September 2, 201

Wedding Pictures!

Since January Blake and I have been unable to find our wedding picture disc. We tried contacting our photographer (several times), she replied and said she'd send another copy but never did. I was beginning to worry that I'd never see my pictures again....Then a couple weeks ago I was rummaging through a bunch of junk, trying to figure out what to DI when I found a stack of CDs. They were all junky burned ones, I almost tossed it without going through them when a little voice inside my head said, "No, take a minute, look through them." And voila! Here they are!

Lemon Shortbread Cookies

My newest creation! I made this last night at my family's house and it was a big hit. A little sweet, a little lemony, and absolutely delicious. I love citrus, it adds unmatched freshness and aroma. This recipe is a great way to lighten up this really decadent cookie. The ingredients are simple. The method is simple.
 

Cookie:

3/4 pound butter (yikes, it's a lot! Three sticks...what can I say? It's shortbread.)

1 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

Zest and juice of one medium lemon

3 1/2 cups flour

Glaze:

Juice and zest of one lemon

1/2 cup confectioners sugar

2 T milk

Preheat the oven to 350. Cream the butter and the sugar together in a mixer with the paddle attachment. Give it plenty of time to fluff and combine. If your butter's frozen or refrigerated pop it into the microwave to soften but be careful not to melt it.

Add the salt, zest and lemon juice (it should be about 1-2 tablespoons of juice) and mix till well combined. Add the flour slowly with the mixer running. By now you should have a dough that creates a ball around the paddle, but it is still a little dry. 

Dump the dough out onto a floured surface, pull it into a ball and roll it out to desired thickness-I usually do just over a 1/4 inch thick. Cut to desired shape, I do a simple two inch circle using a cup. Handle/roll the dough as little as possible. Remember whatever thickness you choose, it will spread a little thinner as it cooks. Cook 15-20 minutes until the edges just start to turn color. Depending on the thickness/size of the cookie it may be longer or shorter, so keep an eye on them.

Whisk together the ingredients in the glaze until the sugar dissolves. This glaze is very thin, and basically soaks into the warm cookie, so don't be alarmed if it seems thin. When the cookies are done, removed them from the pan to a cooling rack. Once they're cool enough to handle without crumbling apart, but still warm, you're going to glaze them. You have two options. If you want them lightly glazed simply dip them into the glaze. If you want them extra lemony (like me) pour the glaze over the top. Allow the glaze time to soak into the shortbread.

Smell them! It's amazing! Enjoy warm or cooled.