Since I've been gone.

People are kind of crazy sometimes {hold the kind of}. Just throwin' that out there.

So since i have last blogged, here's what i've done-

• watched a very intense, very disappointing, very sad, football game at BYU's football field.

• took 3.5 hours to get home to Orem when it normally takes 2.
• ate some pretty darn good home cooked meals
• spent at least 36 hours in the advanced darkroom.
• watched 8 hours of conference
• updated my photo blog's look. i think it's pretty. 
• Saw on FACEBOOK AND NOT FROM THE INDIVIDUAL that Melissa Q is engaged! {my roommate last year!}
• thought about going scuba diving.
• saw Ashleigh's belly. it's not even big yet. sigh of disappointment. 
• got new car mats 
• drank a dr P.
• had fries at 5 guys {my VERY favorite fries}
• got a glitter kiss tattoo on my neck. haha {the kind you put on with water}
• dollar store run

• walmart run. had to buy CR2 batteries for my NEW camera! :D :D :D  {do you realize that these batteries are 5 bucks a piece??? and i need 2 for my camera!} have you met the newest addition to my camera bag? meet goldy. she works like a babe.

This is my new camera. i need to
get a strap for it now.

• learned some awesome moves for swing dancing. craved to go swing dancing but couldn't cause i was locked in the darkroom. 
• finally feel like a BFA photo major instead of just BA art major. 
• got to know the people in my major a lot better. it's crazy how well you get to know each other when you're all crammed in a nearly pitch black tiny room sniffing photo chemicals that may or may not be good for your liver. 
• ate a lemon poppy seed muffin during a photo guild meeting. 
• helped change the name of photo guild to.... the 18%ers. get it? we're getting 18% gray shirts that say 18% on them and aprons that say "photographers do it better in the dark". pretty cool. if you get the 18% gray part, i know you have knowledge of photography. if not, don't worry about it. you can google it if you really want to know.
• used a mono rail 4x5 camera with paper negatives with an ISO of 5 with the cool vintage style black cloth and such. i feel like i came out of the movies aristocats when i use it.

• watched Hawaii 5-0 and ANTM. 
• forgot my conference notes at home. :'( this is sad cause i was going to quote some of my favorite lines from conference for ya'll.
• got stoked about a SECOND temple in provo!!

• came home to logan.

I saw this on facebook and loved it!
I love the castle temples the most and this
statement is so true!!

and now.... I'm going to bed. night ya'll.

and thing #3 about Ashleigh for my niece {or nephew}- She’s a good listener. :D

Recipe Wednesday- Potato Leek Soup

As a little girl i would eat this delicious soup that came in a little container kind of like the cup of noodles. It was called potato leek soup. and guess what, sad story, they don't make it any more. so i, being the smart girl i am, decided to make it for recipe wednesday even though i have never had it homemade before. :D

{i will take this moment to make sure you know what the heck a leek is. because none of my roommates did. It's a giant looking green onion. only a lot more mild.}


i thought it would take forever but decided that even though i got home from working in the studio after nearly 8 hours!!!!, that i'd still make it. Count your blessings, readers.

3 tablespoons butter
3 leeks, thinly sliced*
1 medium or large onion, chopped
6 – 8 russet potatoes, thinly sliced {i used half red potatoes and half russet, because i LOVE red potatoes...and i had some left over from last week so i needed to use them}
3 1/2 cups chicken broth (or enough to barely cover potatoes) {i used 4 cups}
1-2 cup heavy cream {i used 1.5}
salt to taste
black pepper to taste

1) Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat then add onions and leeks. Cook, stirring, until onions are limp and just slightly brown. {it looks like A TON of onions and leeks, do not fret little ones, it'll be okay}

2) Add sliced potatoes to saucepan then pour in enough chicken broth to just barely cover the potatoes. Continue cooking over medium heat until potatoes are tender. Using a potato masher, mash and stir potatoes until desired consistency is reached. As you mash the potatoes and the soup thickens, turn down heat and stir frequently with a large spoon to prevent scorching on the bottom. {true story!}

3) Add 1-2 cup of heavy cream and salt and black pepper to taste. Cook 15 minutes more over low heat, stirring frequently, then remove from heat and serve.

 

Notes: *Make sure to clean leeks and slice only the white and light green part of the leeks. **You don’t need to peel the potatoes as the peels add to the rustic texture of the soup. But make sure to scrub them and such.

to add some more flavor you can add a sprinkle of bacon bits. Ya know, to make your man happy. I've heard recently that bacon is more of a mans best friend than dogs are..... is this true??

p.s. here is another fact about ash for her youngen-

   #2 She made you her priority when she could have just been worried about finishing school. But, she cares more about you.  

Thought Thursday: A niece for Brianna :D

Sorry about this being on Friday.... i had a million and a half things going on yesterday. Not kidding. it was probably the busiest day of my entire semester thus far. Do you want to know what i did? 

Well after school i stayed for a few hours in the studio. but guess what. when i go to rewind my film it didn't rewind. wanna know why? because the film never got unwound. so the entire time i was shooting, none of the film was getting exposed. joy. I think the world is out to get me when it comes to photography. i never seem to have much luck with things working out the first time. 

then, I did Betsy a favor and went on a blind date doubling with her and another kid. he's a wonderful son of God.... but i think i'm for sure done with blind dates now. i haven had 3, and all 3 have been extremely awkward guys. 

Then i spun around in cirlces while leaving a message for Taylor. to Which i got a text from him saying, "hey i'm at work, in your message you sounded drunk, are you okay?" haha. yeah Taylor, i was just spinning around in circles. NBD. 

then i worked on my project for 3 d design. it is ridiculously time consuming. just saying.

then i went on a walk and had a nice talk with my friend Cameron. To which i went to powder Puff football with Betsy Allison Garin Eric and myself. to which i came home and decided to go to bed. 

there were no breaks in between any of the above things. none. 

so do you remember how ash and i have a name that we both want to use for our first born son? If ash has a boy first then she gets the name. SO, I will be praying for her to have all girls till i get married and have a boy first. {if you could all pray with me it'd be appreciated}

My vote is cast as it being a girl. Go vote. {on the right hand side} and she's going to have red, curly hair with blue eyes and would look adorable as a kindergartener with glasses. :D 

Melissa Q and I were at walmart the other night and i went and looked at the baby clothes and was awwing over all the little new born stuff. I don't think there has ever been anyone that has wanted Ash to have a baby more than I. Seriously, since she graduated high school i've been telling her she needed to get married and have a niece for me. 

Ashleigh wants a boy. I think Nathan said he wants a girl though. If it's a boy, no matter what they name him, Q, Em, and I are calling him Bill. get it, because of their last name? Who can say that they have a theme song? My nephew will, that's who. 

to my future niece {or nephew}- the start of 100 things you need to know about your mommy is here. Some of these will be serious, others will just be random things you should know.

1- your mom is the most beautiful girl there ever was. inside and out. 

don't you agree??

and in other news, i have a new place to add to my kissing list- On a sail boat. :D 

you remember my kissing list right? if not here it is.