Silent "G"

Here in The Basin (the area of Utah where Roosevelt is located), many things are different than in the big city. I'm sure I could go on about the many things, but for now I'm talking about the silent "g."

What is the silent "g" you ask. I'm referring to the letter "g" that appears at the end of words following the letters "i" and "n." You see, in The Basin, that "g" is apparently silent. We don't go shopping, walking, camping, fishing, hunting, etc. We go shoppin', walkin', campin', fishin', huntin', etc. It cracks me up and it was one of the first things I noticed about the Basinites once I started spending some time out here. And truth be told, I've started talking like that, oops, I mean talkin' like that. Guess I'm startin' to become a local. :) But, it drives me crazy when I find myself talking like that. Ha!

The other day I was talking to a co-worker and was telling her about Ryan going hunting. She actually corrected me and said to me, "It's huntin', not hunting." I just had to laugh.

1 Year of Wedded Bliss!

One year ago on September 26th, Ryan and I were married. It's hard to believe that it has already been a year! I love him more than I did on that day and look forward to all the days ahead! He is one amazing man and I am truly blessed to be his wife. Of course, not all days have been perfect, but it's been a fun road and one in which most days are absolutely wonderful. Even the hard times and challenges of learning to live with another person and consider their needs have been good. That's probably all part of the newlywed stage. :) But, I hope that never changes. I get to journey through this life with my best friend and love of my life. Life is good!

Below are some pics from year 1 (in no particular order).

The 2 of us in our matching shirts at Ryan's company's summer picnic

Our first time going to the races. At the Vernal race track. It was tons of fun!

Just smoochin' after Elyssa and Rob's wedding ceremony. :)

At the Rockies game. Ryan's first Major League Baseball game.

Lower Falls in Yellowstone National Park.

Birth of the first nephew on the Tall side of the family in November.

Jazz vs. Nuggets game and the Jazz won! Yeah!

Goofing off at the beach in So Cal.

Me and my man enjoying the beach at sunset.

Pumpkin Pancakes

Here are the ingredients as listed in the recipe. What I actually used, if different, is listed in parenthesis.

1 cup whole grain flour
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ginger (I didn't have ginger, so I used cloves)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup light vanilla soy milk (We don't drink soy, so I used 1% milk with a bit of vanilla extract)
2 scoops vanilla protein powder
1 5-ounce container Greek vanilla bean yogurt (used regular vanilla yogurt)
3/4 cup canned pumpkin
2 extra-large egg whites (used 1 whole large egg)
2 tablespoons butter, slightly melted

In a large mixing bowl, combine the first 7 ingredients and set aside.

In a blender, combine the soy milk and protein powder and blend for 30 seconds. Then pour into a medium bowl. To the protein mixture, add the yogurt, pumpkin, egg whites, and butter and mix well.

Add the liquid mixture to the dry ingredients and stir just until moist. Do not overmix the pancake batter.

Warm a griddle or skillet over medium-low heat. Spray with cooking spray. Ladle the pancake batter onto the griddle, using 1/4 cup batter for each pancake. Let each pancake cook for 2-3 minutes per side.

Yeilds 8 pancakes. Per serving (2 pancakes): 376 calories, 21 grams protein, 53 grams carbohydrates, 10 grams fat.

These were yummy! I asked Ryan to rate it 1 to 5 stars and he gave it 5. :)

I must give credit where credit is due. Got this recipe from "Skinny Chicks Don't Eat Salads."