Cooking School

Pho- pronounced "fu"... yeah like the beginning of the F word is a "a Vietnamese dish consisting of broth, noodles made from rice, a few herbs, and meat. It is a popular street dish, and the specialty of several restaurant chains. The two main varieties are chicken pho and beef pho.

Last week we took a cooking class at the new Harmon's in City Creek with a group of our friends. Let me start by telling you that I'm not a big fan of Asian food since my food poisoning hospitalization my senior year of high school. I'll never be able to eat at P.H. Changs again...

I've only had pho one other time and I only drank the broth- basically beef broth. But since we were cooking with friends and paid a lot of money for the class I had to give Asian food another chance. I'm not going to walk you through the process but it took over 2 hours and 10 people later we had a pretty good meal. I'll never make it at home or order it at a restaurant but it made for a fun date night. Along with the pho we made papaya salad and fresh spring rolls. If you haven't been to the new Harmon's it's definitely worth the trip.

Codee and the boys rolling up the spring rolls. And cute Tam and Dave washing up.

 

Our friend Aaron (the pho-king) who just graduated from culinary school was our chef. Doesn't it look delish?

 

Merry Christmas!

 

We want to wish all of our family and friends

a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

 

Love,

Codee, Rachel

Togo & Zola

November

I've said it before and I'll say it again. "I'm going to to start blogging more." Well here it's November and my last post is from March. I really do want to blog more. I miss writing. I miss the outlet. And I haven't scrapbooked in forever so I need to make sure I'm writing life down because it's going by way too fast.

We've officially put off buying a home for at least 6 more months. Our rent was drastically increasing every month because we were out of contract and with the holidays approaching we didn't want to move into a house in the middle of all of it. We resigned the lease on apartment on Wednesday. It was a little bittersweet. Since April, I've spent around 2 hours a day looking for houses and it's been really weird to just stop cold turkey. We put our first offer on a house the end of May and by the end of October we had submitted a total of 9, maybe 10 offers, I can't remember anymore. And for some reason it just never worked out. I only cried over 2 houses and it was at my point of total frustration and over houses that I really wanted. So we'll start looking again in the spring. Aside from frustration and wasted time I really am grateful that we do have a roof over our head and a place to call home. I know I will be sad when we move one day because it's been so fun having our first place. And let's face it- I'm seriously going to need therapy when I'm not a 60 second walk from Target and Cafe Rio.

Moving on... We had a HUGE accomplishment in our house this week. After 2 years of training... Zola can finally rollover! Here's the proof!

 

In other news... Codee has become a piece of furniture in our dining room. He is glued to his books every night! I will be so glad when his junior year is over! But I'll even more happy when he graduates in a year and half.  ;)

 

Blogger won't upload my photo of him studying  :( 

 

As for me... it's busy season at The Wood Connection so I'm spending 50-60 hours a week at work. And I'm still doing monthly segments on KUTV's Fresh Living. Here's one of our recent segments that was one of my favorites.

 

This Way To Halloween | KUTV.com#.UGtZrYrh0KY.blogger

So we'll see how long I can keep us this blogging streak. Let's hope it's longer than just one post every 8 months.

The Search Is On

Where does time go? Seriously? How is that Codee and I have been married for almost 2 years? How is that I've been graduated from the U for 3 years? Wasn't I just cheering for the SL Bees last week? And when did the time come that we were old enough to buy a house?
That's right... Codee and I have started the process of becoming home owners! SCARY!! We've only been looking for about a month now and are still in the early stages of this long process but here we go...
If anyone has ANY advice we would love to hear it.

LIFE LATELY

Life has made some small changes lately so here is an update to what blog followers I have left.

We went to Vegas for New Years to see our friends Seth and Kirie. People always ask what exciting things we are going to do in Vegas but to be honest we do NOTHING and it is freaking fabulous! We sleep in, make dinner, go grocery shopping and maybe get a Redbox. But we have the best time! Isn't Kirie the most adorable pregnant girl? Can't wait for Petri to get here!

Codee started the Engineering program at the U this semester. I am so proud that he has come this far and worked so hard to get where he is. When I see his homework it looks like some sort of ancient code. He will graduate in Spring 2014.
Isn't he adorable on his 1st day of school?




















Since Codee is now going to school full time (he has always gone to school "full time" but now his classes are in the day) he is working a new job at UDOT. He is now working as a construction trainer. With day time school means less hours at work equaling less money. So we are now living on a student budget. Hasn't been too bad so far but if anyone has anyone cheap date ideas please send them my way.

My job has slowed down a little since our busy season ended but work is still crazy as ever. I seriosuly love my job! I love what I do. And I love the people I work with. I wish I was better at showing my appreciation sometimes but I am truly happy where I am right now.

Why Hello...

Hello....
It's been a while since I last blogged.
June? Really?
I know I'm pathetic.
I'd like to promise that I will get better about blogging but I don't think I will.

I've realized something today, and it's that I don't always appreciate the blessings in my life. And it's sad that it took a scary event to slap me in the face.
With it being the week of Thanksgiving and Thanksgiving is one of my FAVORITE holidays... I really needed a wake up call.

Codee is in his second season of snow plowing Big and Little Cottonwood Canyons. (Kind of a scary job, the Discovery Channel covered a documentary on them last year. It's pretty intense) Now to brag on my husband for a minute... there is a reason he plows the canyon, because he is one of the best. They have special avalanche trainings if a situation ever occurs and they have to wear avalanche beacons every time they go up the canyon. What wife wouldn't be a little nervous?

Last night was the first snow storm of the season and Codee was scheduled to go up at 9 p.m. On the way up the canyon his truck began to slide. Knowing he wouldn't make it up the canyon he was able to turn around and head back down the mountain... As he turned around, he lost traction and began to slide. He was fish-tailing back and forth down the canyon all the while picking up speed. Up ahead there was bend in the road and with no contol of his truck, he thought for sure he would roll down the side of the mountain. He prepared to take the truck off the cliff, but with a moment of luck, was able to put both of his plows down and barely steer the truck into the side of the mountain where he crashed into a ditch. Very shaken up he was able to call another driver to come help pull him out of the mountain. The other driver began to slide when he got to Codee's truck and between the two trucks they were blocking off the whole road. Only one car slid off onto the shoulder and deputies were able to slow down other cars just in time.
It's honestly a miracle that no one was seriously hurt, including Codee who could have went off a cliff.

I am so thankful for Codee and that he works so hard to provide for us. I don't ever want to imagine being widowed at 25. I know I need to make the time to thank those who mean the world to me. I am so grateful for the amazing life I have and wouldn't trade it for anything.

1 YEAR ANNIVERSARY

Yay we've got one year of marriage under our belt! I can't believe its already been a year, it seems like just the other day we were saying our vows. According to Codee it seems like 5 years... but in a good way. Normally I would find this a little offensive but he assured me its because he's always felt like we belong together.

I feel like we've accomplished a lot our first year. Living together has been a lot of fun. We've learned to work out finances and budgeting, cooking, keeping up household chores and communicating more effectively.

So to celebrate the occasion we took a weekend trip to sunny St. George. The weather was perfect and we had an amazing time not having any agenda. My boss let us use his condo the first night and we booked a hotel room for the last 2 nights. We did lots of shopping and relaxing. We also bought tickets for Grease at Tuacahn.

Water for Elephants at the dollar movie




















Grease Lightening!





















Relaxing!


We saved the top tier of our wedding cake for our anniversary. And it actually tasted really good. It was wrapped in 3 layers of saran wrap, 3 layers of freezer paper and tinfoil and it made it through the year in our freezer.

Before...


After...
We did NOT smash cake in each others face at our wedding so we figured we had to at least do it on our anniversary.


After...


Even Togo and Zola got a piece...

PIGEON PROBLEM

Last week we had a bit of a pigeon problem...

After work on Monday I was walking up the stairs to our apartment and when I got to the last set of stairs there was a group of pigeons sitting on our door step and the railing by our front door. And one of them had RED EYES!! Aaahhhhh!!!
I had scream and yell to get them to leave! The week continued...

Tuesday... PIGEONS
Wednesday... PIGEONS
Thursday... PIGEONS
Friday... Pigeons

Saturday morning... a nest appears in the corner of our doorstep. Really pigeons?! You can't build a nest here! So we threw it away.

Sunday morning... an EGG! Yes a freaking pigeon egg!
I was freaking out at this point. It's bad enough that every day I come home I have to shake my keys like a mad woman and yell at the top of my lungs just to get them to leave. But now an egg?!?!?! You've got to be kidding me!

Sunday Evening... a new nest starts to form around the egg. Ugh!

Monday morning... mother pigeon sitting on the egg.
At this point I get evil looks from the red eyed pigeon every time I get near my door. The mother and father pigeon would only fly away about 15 feet every time I yelled at them. So annoying!

So I was telling my friend Allison at work about my problem and she told me her Grandpa used to raise pigeons. So she called him and he said just to throw it away. So I had Codee throw the egg and nest away before I got home from work.

I kinda felt bad... a little like a home wrecker. I took away their pigeon house and destroyed their baby. Sorry dear pigeons...
But you freak me out with your red eyes and the way you flap your wings at me when I come home. The next step was to shoot you.

The pigeon problem is finally over... they havent been near our front door all week. My mother-in-law joked that it could've been a stork leaving something else on the doorstep. Haha!



(please ignore that I still have a snowman door mat from Christmas)

EASTER

We had Mariah over one night before Easter to have dinner and dye Easter eggs. Mariah chose Chili's for dinner where we stuffed our faces with 3 different appetizers and each got our own entre. Never been so full in my life!
We came back to our place where we dyed some pretty rad eggs and listened to Justin Bieber.




Mariah's Beeber Feever Egg




Togo's egg!


Zola's egg!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CODEE!

Codee turned 28 on Saturday! Happy Birthday Love!

We had the plan to go golfing on his birthday but the snow storm had other plans. Other plans included Codee snow plowing the canyon Friday at midnight until 10 the next morning. And then going back at 10 that night until 6 a.m. Sunday morning. NO FUN!

In between that time he got a few hours of sleep and we drove up to Logan to have dinner with his family. We went to the best pizza place in Logan... Fredrico's. Right next to the Utah State campus.



Sunday, all he wanted to do was watch The Masters. So being a good wife I just let him do his thing. Haha! But I did take him to Cheescake Factory that night for a delish dinner.

YEARS OF WAITING

Growing up I couldn't wait to get my own place so I could decorate it how I wanted to. My mom would never take my designing tips growing up because our styles were completely different. Now that I'm married and have my own place she loves my style. (Funny how that works out.)
I've spent the last 3-4 years buying decorations and other home decor items for the time when I'd have my own place. Everything from dishes to pictures frames. And now it is finally coming together. I still have a lot of work I want to do and I know when we get a house one day things will have to be moved around but for now I'm having fun FINALLY getting the opportunity to do things my way. I really like black and white decor. One day when we get a house I'll have colored walls to make everthing POP.
Codee thought he'd do a lot of the decorating when we got married but c'mon... us women wait years to do this. And I was not about to have a camo couch and elk antlers on the wall. Maybe if we ever have a cabin I'll take those suggestions into consideration. ;)
I've spent the last year and half looking for lamps. I know right... lamps! But I am so in love with this lamp I bought 2 of them! Even though only 1 has a place right now.





















I made these frames with scrapbook paper and wooden frames from my work. I love the way they turned out and I found this metal "FAMILY" sign at Real Deals.



They sell these box signs at Gardner Village but I was so stoked when we started carrying them at my work and I could use my awesome discount.


"Kissing the War Goodbye" is my favorite photograph of all time. I LOVE LOVE LOVE this picture!

VALENTINES

Since Valentines was on a Monday this year we did things a little different. We planned on celebrating on Wednesday night because Codee has school till 10 o'clock on Mondays and Wednesdays are the only not he doesn't have class. But the stupid snow rolled in on and Codee spent the night in a plow truck.
So Friday we finally went out to dinner to our favorite restaurant Market Street (seriously to DIE for). And Codee gave me the cutest handmade card! And an all day trip to the day spa. Yes, I'm a lucky girl. But of course I forgot my camera so you'll miss my snazy outfit I wore that night.

But I do have some Valentines crafts pictures to share. Right after the Christmas tree came down, up went the Valentines. This was probably my next favorite holiday to decorate for next to Halloween.

TOP 10 OF 2010

NUMBER 10
Fun Times with Mariah
We always look forward to our time with Mariah. We've loved watching her grow this year (and not just taller.) We've been to Bees games with her, had craft nights, worked on homework, been to the science fair, coached her softball team, went to the Christmas Carol play and and who can forget the Justin Bieber conecert! And so much more. We love this girl to pieces!





















NUMBER 9
Honeybee
This is was my 4th year being a honeybee. I love going to the ballpark and I love a good baseball game. And I get paid to go! This year was extra special because after getting married I didn't get to see Natalie as much so it was something that we could still do together.


NUMBER 8
Crafting
My crafting skills have definitely come a long way this year. I started an etsy store and crafting has become my new #1 hobby. I've started teaching demonstrations and doing craft nights with my family and friends. I hope 2011 is an even bigger craft year for me.














NUMBER 7
Vacations
We went to some fun places this year. The Hoover Dam, Vegas, Colorado, Bear Lake, Midway.












NUMBER 6
114th South
Codee has been working on the new 114th South interchange for the past couple years. And his segment was finally finished in October.












NUMBER 5
No More Math! Well math classes that is...
Codee took his LAST actual math class this last semester. Differential Equations. Although he'll have tons of math to do throughout his major he has finally reached the highest level of collegiate mathematics.



















NUMBER 4
Wood Connection
My job has been a been huge blessing in our life. I started the end of February and I absolutely love it. I love going to work everyday. I was so unhappy with my work situation until the Wood Connection came along. My overall career aspirations are a bit confusing now but I can honestly say I love my job and I'd rather be doing something I love than be doing something I went to school for and hate it.


NUMBER 3
Zola
Although Zola has become "the big bully" in our house, she instantly became part of our family when we brought her home. She makes us laugh everyday. Zola and Togo couldn't live without each other and our the best kids we could ask for.














NUMBER 2
Home Sweet Home
Apartment hunting was the biggest headache for the first half of the year. We looked at sooo many places! Our apartment now is perfect and has become our "Home Sweet Home". It's been so much fun having a place of our own.


NUMBER 1
Getting Married
I can't believe we've been married for 6 months already. Our wedding day has definitely been the best part of our year. The best decision I've ever made is making my best friend my husband.

Giving Thanks

Thanksgiving has always been one of my favorite holidays. I have so many blessings in my life and so much to thankful for. I love taking the time to reflect on what I have in my life.

The number one blessing in my life is CODEE. He is seriously my best friend and I am so lucky to have him as my husband. I know I've said it before he honestly saved my life. He treats me so good. He works hard for us and the life we together. And I am so.. so thankful for him and for everything he does. I would truly be lost without him.

I am thankful for my JOB. I LOVE going to work everyday. How many people can say that? I love what I do. And I love the people I work with. Employment is still a hard thing to find these days. I was talking to the owner of a business we do work with and he just laid off one of his workers that had been with him for 17 years. I am so thankful I have a stable job and that it's something I love.

I am thankful for CODEE'S JOB. The benefits are awesome. The work is busy and I don't have to worry about him being laid off. Sometimes the hours he work aren't the greatest. But I'm just grateful we both have jobs.

I am thankful for our FREEDOM in this country. The troops who lose and risk their lives everyday for our country. God bless our troops and their families.

I am thankful for FAMILY. My parents, my seester Natalie. Codee's parents and siblings. Both of our grandparents. They are our support system, the ones who love us and are always on our side. I am thankful that we now have our own little family.

I am thankful for our APARTMENT. Yes... our apartment, our HOME. I love our little love nest. Half the time its a complete mess but I love that it is "our place". A place that we can call our own.

I am thankful for TOGO & ZOLA. These little monsters bring so much happiness into our lives. Yes they poo on the carpet and drag out all 30 of their toys everyday. And Togo never eats out of the dog bowl he wacks it out of the bowl and all over the floor and then eats it and leaves a mess. And they start a fight at 3 a.m. But these little terrors complete our little family.

I am thankful for MARIAH. We love this little girl so much. We have so much fun with her. We love doing things with her and helping her with her homework. She makes us laugh all the time. For instance...
Mariah: "How do you wake up Lady Gaga?"
Us: "How?"
Mariah: "You POKER face"
We LOVE her!

These are just a few of the things I am thinking of and grateful for this year. Always be sure to take the time to think of things that YOU are grateful for in your own lives.

And here are a few of my thanksgiving crafts...