Delish....

one of the things I love about summer is so many things are in season to make yummy salads. i made this one for dinner tonight and it was soooo good, so thought i'd share. side note:hate, hate radishes and avocado and it was still great without.

Mexican Chopped Salad with Honey-Lime Dressing

yield: Makes 4 servings

Ingredients
Salad

* 2 1/2 cups chopped romaine lettuce
* 1 can (15.5 oz) black beans, rinsed and well drained
* 3/4 cup chopped seeded tomato
* 3/4 cup chopped peeled jicama
* 3/4 cup fresh corn kernels, uncooked (or frozen or canned)
* 3/4 cup thinly sliced radishes
* Half a ripe avocado, diced
* 1 red bell pepper, chopped
* 1/4 cup crumbled reduced-fat feta cheese


Honey-Lime Dressing

* 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
* 1/4 cup olive oil
* 2 tbsp honey
* 2 tbsp finely chopped fresh cilantro
* 1 garlic clove, peeled and minced
* 1 tsp chopped jalapeño pepper (use canned for less heat)

Preparation

Toss all salad ingredients in a large bowl. In separate bowl, mix dressing ingredients. Pour dressing over mixture and toss again. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Kick off the Summer.....

Summer is officially here and it got kicked off in a great way with our Pulley Family Reunion. It was just w/our immediate family, my mom, dad, all 9 of us, spouses and all the nieces and nephews. We figured it has been almost 6 years since we've all been home together at the same time, so needless to say we were all so excited!!

We all packed up the cars and headed up north to the Uintas, to this place called Reid Ranch for the reunion. It was so great, our whole family was able to stay in this huge lodge that had it's own swimming pool and sports court. They had archery, horseback riding, archery, a lake with paddle boats, canoes, etc... and much to the relief of many of the parents, no t.v.'s, no reception for cell phones, no internet, etc.... plus, they took care of all the meals and cleaning. We had campfires every night, where some of the families were in charge of different activities and crafts for the kids. It was seriously so much fun!

At the risk of sounding cheesy, I feel so lucky to have been blessed with the family I have. I love that when we get together, it takes 2 whole days just to get settled down enough to finally talk, I love seeing my brothers and sisters as moms and dads to their own kids, I love that being single, I have a chance to really have quality time w/my cute nieces and nephews, I love that our "in-laws" are just like other brothers and sisters to us, I love that we have a special voice that we revert to when just us girls are together, I love that all of my family are such amazing examples to me, I love that we can make my mom cry by having the grandkids sing a simple primary song, I love that we can laugh, talk, dance like nobody's business when we're together and most of all I love that I can't imagine my life without every single member of my family!

Happy Father's Day Dad!!

so, as I'm sitting here missing my fam on this day, thought I would do something a little more productive and write some of the things I love about my dad. happy father's day dad!!

*i love my dad's frugal ways and thrill of a good deal. this has definitely been passed down, you guys know it has, as much as we laugh about saying "guess what i got and it was only 7.99!" , we know deep down how excited we are to score such a deal.

*his love for adventure and the many adventures he's had that i'm still finding out to this day. i love that my dad was willing to take us kids along on business trips and showing us the sights that i'm sure he had seen a million times, but making it seem like it was all new to him.

*his amazing sense of direction. i'm not kidding, it's eery, he could be in any city, anywhere and find his way around. well, let's not be too generous,there's always san antonio :) really though, this must be a gene that skips a generation, b/c i defnitely did not inherit this.

*his ability to roll with the punches and to accept challenges as they come without complaining

*my dad has the memory of an elephant. no lie! he can remember the most out of the way facts from years ago like it was yesterday. he is smart and i mean walking textbook smart. i think that's what made travel with him so fun. it was so cool hearing all the stories of history from my dad, almost like having your own personal tour guide.

*his many ways of saying i love you. whether it's asking how the car is running, how it feels to have another day off (which he constantly reminds me of), or just saying it straight, i know my dad loves me and i love him.

onto, another subject, figured while i'm on a roll, i'll keep on going. so i hit up 2 movies this weekend. to celebrate our last staff mtg., my friends janet and judy and i went to see "UP!" don't want to give away the plot, but just have to say it's a must see. weird, b/c i'm not real big into the animation movies, but this one was so cute and different than i expected, i even cried in it! there are some great quotables in it and i just loved the message.

then my friend margaret and i went to see "the proposal" last night. i really liked it, funny and plus what's not to like about a good romance and with ryan reynolds, (even better). plus, i went into it with no expectations which always helps. kind of like with dating recently, but that's a different story. but the most embarrassing part of the night happened during the previews. so, this preview comes on for this really freaky horror movie and i absolutely cannot stand scary movies, so i was looking down trying to not listen b/c those things just stick in my head and the music was getting scarier and louder, when all of a sudden this man tried to cross to pass in front of me to get to another seat and i totally shook and screamed a little bit, b/c he came out of nowhere, couldn't even see him in my peripheral vision and it just caught me off guard! well, the poor guy, he was this cute little old man and he ended up turning around and going into another row instead. i felt so bad, but he left so quick didn't have time to explain.

Patio Makeover

most of my fam and friends know that i have been on the hunt for patio furniture, oh since about last year. The problem is we have a nice sized patio, which means lots of room to fill, but patio furniture is so dang pricey! and i'm sorry but i just refuse to spend that much on something that's going to get all beat up anyway. well, i've been scouring craigslist and have found some things here and there, but they're always gone by the time i call. so, then i found these great lounge chairs (bonus, they recline all the way and came w/the cushions) for super cheap. my cute friend nicolle lent me her truck for the day so i could go and pick them up. then, i stopped by world market (one of my fave stores) and spotted this little number which fit perfectly under the lounge chairs. it's amazing what a little bit of color can do to lift your mood. seriously, i love it, i think b/c it's the view i see right outside my window. now, i realize our patio is not going to win any hgtv contest for looks, we still need a table and umbrella to spruce things up, and something to block our neighbors direct view into our patio and vice versa, notice the tarp and wine bottle of our neighbors, lovely! any suggestions? but trust me it is so much better than before.

Watch this, it'll make you want to dance.....

so, I haven't quite mastered the whole post a video on the blog thing, let's be honest, i was just overjoyed that i could post some pics. anyway, i spotted this on a friend's blog and i loooooved it!! oh how i would've loved to have been there when it was happening. enjoy!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQ3d3KigPQ

Flossing 2+ times a day/electric toothbrushing keeps the Dentist away......

So, today I had a cleaning appt. with my Dentist and while I know this is a bit of an overshare, I'm proud to report that this will be my 6th consecutive visit w/no cavities to report!! Seriously for a while there it was so frustrating, could've put a healthy down payment on a new car for the price i had to pay for gum surgery, crowns, etc..., etc... The funniest part of my visit came as I was walking out to the reception area. There was a lady who was trying to step up to the desk right as I was walking in front of her, so she stepped back trying to avoid me and fell right into the lap of this other man who was waiting on the couch. I wish so bad my words could do it justice. It was like comedy of errors!! I felt bad for the lady, but she survived the fall, I think was just very embarrassed.

G'day Mate!!

Excuse the rather lengthy blog I'm sure this will be, but just want to get everything down so I don't forget anything:

I just got back from one of my favorite trips ever: to New Zealand and Australia. I was lucky to have gone w/2 of my really good friends, Misty and Alison. It was the perfect mix of amazing places w/awesome company.

So, here's a recap of our little adventure:

First stop, Auckland, New Zealand: We went to the top of the Sky Tower (the tallest structure in the Southern Hemisphere at 1,076 feet!) The views were beautiful and looking out we could see people being strapped in to bungee jump off the top, no thanks!! Seriously, no desire whatsoever. We also hopped on a city bus tour to see some of the sights. From Auckland, we drove out to Rotorua, went to a Maori Village and watched the guys perform the "Haka" dance. It was so cool to hear about some of their traditions, it's such a cool culture. On our way back we had the chance to do the funnest thing, we went on the Zorb. What it is is this gigantic ball with a smaller ball inside. Basically, you slide into the small ball, they spray some warm water inside and then push the ball down a very long, steep hill. Honestly, I was a little freaked out at first, but once we got going, it was so much fun!!

Next stop, Christchurch, New Zealand: I loved this town so much!! Hands down, it was our favorite of the whole trip. Everywhere you look: green! tons of parks, gardens and really cool architecture. Plus, overall in New Zealand, I just really, really loved the people. Everyone was so incredibly helpful and friendly. Having said that, I was this close to buying a book to translate all of their little expressions, seriously, there were times I had to ask 2,3 times for them to repeat what they had said :) We ended up going on this Lord of the Rings tour while we were there (a little crazy considering I've only seen the 1st movie and fell asleep before it ended). But it ended up being soooo cool! The scenery was so beautiful and it was cool to hear little secrets about the filming of it and how they chose locations.

Next Stop, Sydney, Australia: I was surprised at how huge Sydney is! I loved Darling Harbor and the area by the Opera House. It had some really beautiful parks and neighborhoods, but it was a little too big for my taste. One of our first plans when we booked our trip was to climb the Sydney Harbor Bridge. I know I'm being a copy cat of the Amazing Race, but after I saw them do that, I was thinking, I have to do that. We had to put all of this gear on and attach to this cable to do it. The views were amazing from the top and it was really cool to hear the history of the bridge.

Last stop, Brisbane, Australia: Of the 2 towns, I liked Brisbane better. It seemed like a smaller, quieter more authentic Australian town, and the bonus is it's only about an hour and a half from the Gold Coast/Surfer's Paradise. We ended up taking a train there and we're able to do a little shopping and walk along the beach. Another favorite stop of our trip was going to the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary. We were able to hold a koala and feed the kangaroos. On our last day we went to church at the Brisbane ward, and then were able to see the temple since it's right next door.

Oh and by the way, have a new favorite airline: Qantas. Oh my gosh! The best customer service, the flight attendants were so stylish in their wrap dresses and the male stewards were really handsome and manly, so rare I know. The seats were so comfy and they had this feature called Seat Chat, where you could send text messages or talk to other passengers using your remote. Too bad the only other people I knew on the flight were right next to me :) So funny, b/c on our flight we were sitting right behind this huge group of kids from a dance group in Australia who were coming to perform at Disneyland. It was so cute to hear how excited they were about seeing America for the first time, probably how we were about flying into Australia. Classic quotable: one of the girls looked out the window and was like "oh look they have a Mcdonald's, we'll for sure have to go". I was thinking you're in luck chickadee b/c they're everywhere. Then another one of the girls was looking down at an aqueduct somewhere around Inglewood and was like "I think that's where they filmed Grease". I was trying so hard not to laugh!