Definit & Young Sim

If you haven't heard these guys you really should! This is my younger brother Sean and his buddy Simeon; they make some amazing music together. You can check them out at itunes.

*picture taken by moi.

getting sucked in

Why do I do it? Am I THAT desperate for money that I would risk my health, gamble my own money to try and win? I never thought of it as gambling but in a way it is, and I don't like that.

I mean honestly the odds of winning are like 1/1,000,000 or more. Why do I think I will win?! The truth is, I probably won't so I need to stop trying. It's not doing me any good.

I mean think about it. They tell you that in order to get a few game pieces you need to order a LARGE drink, LARGE fries, 10 or 20 pack Chicken Nuggets, Hashbrowns, etc. People, including me, are risking their health for some stupid game pieces that will have no use to them. Again, I can say that because I've been doing it. Grrr...why do I get sucked in!

Think of all the money people are spending just for a chance at winning big. It's sad. Reality has hit me and I'm not playing anymore.

Yeah, I'm talking about this...

ta - da!

There aren't that many pictures of me and Ryan. Why? Well, he doesn't like having his picture taken and I don't like the way I'm looking the majority of the time, so we never take pictures of us. We're always the ones behind the camera.

While at Mabey's Pumpkin Patch last week our friends got this shot of me and Ryan together. I think it's the first we've had in a few years. Sad, I know. But I love this picture!

one more...

...along with the fun colored pumpkins at Mabey's, they also had fun shaped pumpkins. This was one of them. Just think of the fun things you could make out of it.

An Alien
A Skull & Cross bones...

Isn't Ryan cute!

Shopping for pumpkins

Last week Ryan and I went with our friends, and neighbors, the Fromm's, to a pumpkin patch in South Jordan. Mabey's Pumpkin patch.

Silly me forgot to bring my camera. (I stole Lindsey's pictures from her blog)

I know! What kind of photographer am I?! I need to get a smaller one so I don't have to haul my big one everywhere. But I really wish I would have brought it. It was a beautiful field full of all kinds of pumpkins.

Red, white, green, orange, and itty bitty striped pumpkins. So cool!

As soon as we got there we took a few pics of each other and then climed on the tractor for a hay ride around the field. Coleson loved it! (he's the cute little dude sitting on my lap.)

Then it was time to get the wagon that Coleson pulled and pick out our pumpkins. We ended up getting a couple bigger ones and a whole bunch of little ones all for $10. I highly recommend everyone going there.

All in all it was a great night. Especially ending it with a few games of 'Rummicube'.

Good times! Thanks Fromm's! You guys are the best!

Brian, Lindsey w/Amelia, me holding Coleson, and Ryan.

Coleson so proud of his wagon! Me in the background checking out a pumpkin.

Lindsey took this beautiful picture while we were on the hay ride.

Our loot!

GRRRRR!!!

My hard drive crashed last week. Gosh! I'm frustrated. I've got people looking at it, and thanks to my brother Shane who was able to come to the rescue to assess the issue. I'm crossing my fingers that pictures and programs will be retrieved, especially for my clients' sake. AHHH!

Confessions of a food-a-holic

Growing up I was always the fat kid. Ok, not fat just a little chunkier then the others. I wasn't always this way. I think I started using food as my comfort when I hit 3rd grade. Before then I was normal size (I think) - except for height - I was always the taller one.

Food became a major source of comfort for me when I was nervous, anxious, stressed, sad, whatever. It continues to be this way today.

However, there was a time in my life where that was completely opposite. A time where food meant nothing to me, except that it was "evil as in the fru-its of the de-vil - evil." (name that movie)

I was a Senior in High School. I was determined to graduate skinny. And I did.

The reason why I write this confession is because just yesterday Ryan was driving with my oldest sister to work. Somehow I became part of their conversation and Megan said something to this effect,

"Shannon was always a good example of losing weight. She motivated me to lose weight, she was really driven at one time".

Yes, I was really driven and determined to lose weight. But in no way was it a good example of how you should lose weight.

I didn't eat. Plain and simple.

Ok, I lied I did eat. Here's what my food consisted of...

Monday: 1 carrot stick
Tuesday: 1 celery stick
Wednesday: 4 slices of plain bread
Thursday: 1 Carrot stick
etc, etc...

Yeah, pretty bad, I know.

Before I started this my friend Lisa would come to the choir room each day as lunch started and we'd go to the cafeteria together for lunch. However, once I stopped eating I would hide from her. I knew she'd come in, but I didn't want to tell her that I wasn't eating because she'd be mad. So, I hid from her so I didn't have to go and eat. This continued on for a few months.

I remember my sister Caiti crying to my mom one day because she was upset that I was losing weight and getting skinnier. I didn't know if it's because she wanted to lose weight too or what...but she was upset. My mom told me this after she had talked to her. She said, "Caiti is sad because she wishes she could lose weight like you" or something like that. My reaction was confusion. I didn't understand why she wanted to lose weight like I did because I knew I wasn't doing it right.

One time while I was at home with Mom and Dad they had asked me if I wanted something for dinner from Taco Time. I told them to get me a taco salad. They did. I went down in my room to "eat" it. Obviously nothing went into my stomach. I would chew the food and then spit it out before swallowing. Then I sneaked outside to throw it away in the big garbage bins in the carport.

Again, this went on for a few months. I lost a lot of weight. About 40-50 lbs. I looked good!

I remember I stopped getting my period and that really freaked me out. So, I slowly started eating again, but I wouldn't put anything in my mouth that had fat. If I wanted some ice-cream I'd get fat-free sorbet. But I still didn't eat much.

I continued to lose weight. I remember standing in front of the mirror with just my bra and underwear on and I could see my ribs. I loved the feeling of it - but I still knew it wasn't right.

There! I said it. I think to this day my family members still think I was a "good" example of losing weight, but I wasn't.

To this day I still have a hard time eating certain things. Butter is one of them (although I now only use it while cooking, if I'm not using Olive Oil, and it has to be unsalted) Regular Ice-cream (I prefer frozen yogurt, although I do still eat some ice-cream when I'm really wanting it), melted cheese (it has to be crispy for me because of the look of all the oil in it - can't do it). I can't make cookies with crisco or butter, I have to use apple sauce (which is a better alternative anyway).

So, there you have it.

Conference Cinnamon Rolls

Growing up, my Mom would make homemade Cinnamon Rolls each and every Conference. It was tradition. I've tried in the past few years to follow that tradition and make Cinnamon Rolls for me and Ryan.

However, they've never quite worked out. If you know me, you know that I'm not the best at cooking or baking, specifically anything that has to do with making bread. I can never seems to get it right.

Last year I went to NC to visit my sister and her fam. She's always been an amazing cook, and baker. She and bread get along GREAT! She taught me step by step how to make her famous pizza dough. I watched in awe as she got the dough just right...soft like a baby's bottom. More from NC here.

Waking up Sunday morning I was up and ready to take on the challenge of making home-made Cinnamon rolls. Sure it would have been easier to just buy the rhodes rolls or something, but I wanted the challenge. I had to prove to myself that I could do it.

So, I start making the first batch after following a recipe online. I realized after I made the dough that it called for 'instant yeast', I only had regular active yeast. Can't they just be the same? I knew the dough wasn't going to be good for the rolls so I opted to try a second batch rather then use that first one; this time finding a recipe for Active yeast, not instant.

Here's the outcome of it. What do you think?! Let me just tell you...they were DE-LISH! The cream cheese frosting was to die for! I'm proud of myself. I think I'll sing the "proud of you song". :)

I don't get it.

{This post is strictly my opinion - I don't mean to offend}

For the past few months now I've wondered and pondered something.

I like knowing why people do what they do. I remember back in my college days in my psychology class our teacher wanted us to watch people for a week and then write a paper on it. We had to watch them as they interacted with people, or maybe they were alone; but studying their every move.

I personally loved this assignment! I'm a people watcher. I like to understand why people do the things they do. I remember sitting in my choir class one day looking at the cliques going on. I studied them. I found that together they were loud, abnoxious, and didn't talk to anyone but themselves. But once they broke apart they seemed completely lost, quiet, totally insecure. Did they really need each other that bad to survive?

This brings me to my point of this post. After looking at a few different posts by different people on Facebook one day, I got upset. I don't recall what exactly they said but it was something about the church and how that person doesn't believe in it anymore, or how a person who used to go to church now drinks, etc, etc.

I immediately IM'd my friend Kristine. I just needed to vent. "I don't get it!" I told her. "I don't get how people who were always faithful in the church have now turned away and brag about drinking, smoking, living up the life they've been missing out on." I just don't get it! And it kind of makes me mad how they like to flaunt it.

What happened?! What happened in their life that was so bad? I really want to know. I'm not out to judge anyone or anything like that but I'm just curious how it all happens. Why do they do what they do?

Before I met Ryan I knew this guy who had had an affair while he was married. We talked about it one night and he told me that he was mad that he was ex-communicated because of it, and had fallen away from the church. This was my thought process...

"What?! You're mad because of something YOU participated in that wasn't right? You're mad that the church doesn't tolerate that? Really?! WOW! No one forced you to do what you did. You made the choice."

I've had my share of bad choices in life; things I regret for sure. I know first hand how the Atonement works and have seen it work many times in my life. Because of this and many other things I could never deny what I know is true. Never!

I am so grateful for the plan of happiness. I am grateful that we're not alone here on this earth to battle our daily challenges. I'm grateful to know that at the times I feel the most alone, I'm not. I'm grateful to feel my Heavenly Fathers loving arms around me when I need it.