Remember September

This post is my "Ode to September" (remember how I'm trying to catch up on some of the happenings around here?).  First stop, my garden...

 Sam and I LOVE baby tomatoes, the sweet cherry kind, the mini pear shaped kind, romas, you name it. Do you ever wonder what to do with all of your garden tomatoes? My Mom told me to roast them in the oven for a couple of hours and make the most amazing tomato sauce ever- so that's what I did- It was fabulous!

 September also brought a wonderful suprise- I was able to meet Jennifer and her kids for the first time.  Here's the story- try to follow (remember my family tree is VERY complex!).  Most of you know I'm adopted, right? So I was doing some family history research on my birth-family's line on Ancestry.com and saw another woman that was researching the same line as me.  I emailed her and itroduced myself as a biological descendent of that particular ancestor.  I asked her how she was related.  Well, she replied back saying that her kids she adopted (D, O, and A) are also related to that ancestor and that she was doing some family history research for them so when they were old enough to be interested, they'd know about their roots.  I was like "No way- I was adopted from this birth family as well!"

Long story short, we realized that D, T and O's birth-mom is MY birth-mom's 1st cousin. Not only that, but they were also adopted into a Mormon family and they come out to Utah every year to visit family. Yes- they came in September and I got to meet them! D and I hit it off- she told me she was excited to have an older cousin from her birth-family that was also Mormon and knows what it's like to be adopted.  She is so sweet. It was fun to meet O also (D's half brother)- he had fun throwing a ball around with Sam at the park.  I didn't get to meet A this time (O's twin brother) because he couldn't come out this trip, but it was so great to get to know them and start a fun relationship with them.

 Next stop- Timpanogos Caves: Chari and Chase (newlyweds!!!) came with us to the Timpanogos caves and let me tell you it was QUITE the hike! I was totally laggin' the whole way up to the entrance, but it was way fun to be with them and the lack of oxygen to my brain was worth the view!

 Yes, I'm taking this picture of Sam and Chari from this far behind- I thought there was a shuttle up to the caves for some reason... pah haah haa!

 Right when I reached the top and was gasping for breath, I almost got knocked down by someone trying to give me a big hug- It was my cousin Jenny from my Checketts side! (September was a cousin reunion month!) It was sooooo good to see her- I can't even tell you. Her mom, my Aunt Marianne, is my Dad's sister- some of you know, my Dad died when I was 19 so I cherish any contact I have with his side of the family.  Plus, my Aunt Marianne is basically my Dad in female form- she's hilarious!

 Inside the caves! It was so worth the hike- behold one of many amazing stalagtite treasure troves!

 HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!!! Sam and I celebrated our 3rd year anniversary on September 6th- I can NOT believe it's been that long but in a wierd way it feels like we've been together forever.  I made him one of our favorite breakfast dishes, "Dutch Babies" aka German Pancakes... Do you like his beard? It's not necessarily my cup of tea, but he's still a handsome bloak if your into the Idahoan woodsy look...

 Yummmm dot commmmm!!!! I like mine with a dollop of sour cream or yogurt and some fresh strawberry preserves.  This time we were lucky to have the best yogurt in the WORLD to go on top...

 Have you jumped on the Greek Yogurt band-wagon yet? Well if you didn't jump on "The Greek God's" brand, you're totally depriving yourself! I crave this stuff like ice cream and it's SOOO good for you! I've tried other Greek Yogurt brands and they were honestly kind of gross so I was a little hesitant to try this one.  Let's just say we buy it in bulk now! Honey is the best flavor too. (Thanks Julie for the recommendation!)

 Before we left for our Anniversary adventure, Sam had to check on his teams... happy anniversary to me... ;)

 One of our stops was Bridal Veil Falls in Provo Canyon, I thought it fitting for the occasion.  It was beautiful!

 Then we went to Robert Redfords resort, the Sundance just to look around.  Sam loved the doors on this convention room.

 We decided to go back to a restaurant we went to on our first Anniversary in Midway/Heber (between Sundance and Park City).  Tarahumara- their Mexican food is DELICIOSO y MUY AUTENTICO- si, si!! If you're ever in Midway, check it out!

 I like taking pictures of food :) above is my meal! I had fish (I forget which kind) with a mango salsa on top- YUMMERS!

 Sam had some smothered pork enchiladas which were fantastico!

 Of course, Sam had to check the score at the restaurant! Notice how I stratigically placed him facing away from the TV- which didn't exactly work... I guess when there's a will there's a way!

 Next we were craving some naughty DESSERTS! We decided to try these puppies at the Zermatt Resort in Midway.  Sam got this Lemon Tart which he bit into before I could take a picture.

 And I got this Chocolate Bon Bon thing...

 How could I refuse?!!!

After all that Sam humored me with my anniversary wish to paint pottery at Color Me Mine pottery studio.  I have wanted to do this FOREVER! Basically you go to the studio and select a piece of pottery to purchase, then you get to use the studio paints to decorate it however you want.  There is a studio fee to pay for your share of paints, but we went on a "family night special" and only paid $3 each to use their paints.  Once you're done, they fire it for you and call you when it's time to pick it up.

Not only did Sam humor me, but he totally got into his design.  We're both kind of artsy/creative people so when we're in the zone we really focus and get into our projects. 

We decided to paint oversize mugs for each other as our gifts to use for ice cream bowls. I love having a handle when the ice cream makes the bowl freezing!

 I decided to go with a Greek theme (since that's the most masculine thing I could think of as far as decorated ice cream bowls go AND maybe I was on a kick from the Greek yogurt I had for breakfast...) The one I painted for Sam says "SAMMY'S ICE CREAM VESSEL FROM HIS GODDESS OF LOVE" ;) too cute, right?  And the one Sam painted for me says "DEVANIE LOVES ICE CREAM AND SAMMY!" I know- awesome!

and as a little suprise for the inside when you take your last bite, I painted a Grecian Harp for Sam to discover and Sam painted- well, you can see! I love that he put polka dots on it for me.  These are pictured before they were fired so the colors seem dull here.  I'll have to show you what they look like for real some other time.  All in all, it was such a FUN date for our anniversary and I think it would be fun to design some commemorative pottery every year!

Flashback: July & August Highlights

So, like every blogger out there, I have gaps in my posts.  It may look like all I ever post about are trips to California, but there were some really great things that happened in between and since our last California trip.  Instead of posting a million pics, I'll just pick some highlights :)

 Our landlord is a horse breeder so we always have cute filly's and colts running around.  This little filly has such a great personality; she loves people and as you can see, she's not shy at all:

 Our friends the Ririe's came over and we took them to see the horses. Little Hannah stole a kiss!

 From baby horses to baby kittens- what's not to love about Mr. Butterscotch?  Our friends Aaron and Tiffany's cat had quite the liter! We call her (the cat) the teenage mother because she was not even a year old when she had her kittens... poor thing!

 Ethan and Porter loved their new kittens, as you can see, Butterscotch is getting used to Ethan's hugs!

 Next stop- camping in Idaho! I sometimes forget how beautiful Idaho is- probably because I usually just remember how FLIPPIN' FREEZING it is! This trip was a good reminder of Idaho's enchantment.  Well, we went camping with Sam's Dad and his lovely wife Diane and some of her kids.  They are a fun bunch and we had a great time!

I love it when I get to drive (and yes, I love posing for pictures too, Sam humors me- bless his heart!)

We camped right along this creek and Sam also reaped of its' bounty...

Well, it was bountiful with these little guys... but he was proud!

 The kids got a big kick out of Sam cleaning his catch.  I still don't know why he threw the dead fish head in the wading area the kids were playing in... go figure!

Sam and his dad, Bing! Aren't they two peas in a pod? If you observe them together it doesn't take too long to realize they were cut from the same cloth. P.S. I loved how blue this lake was- even more stunning in person for sure!

The creek flowing from the lake; I kept looking for beavers cuz hey, why not?

Sam treated me to tickets to Broadway's The Lion King when they came to Salt Lake.  He accidently got them during a Thursday at 2pm and couldn't get work off so I got to invite Tiffany! We had a blast... Ladies Night! Well, I guess day ;)

 My cute Grandma Fran wanted to see me and I missed my Seattle peeps! So, we split the bill and I went to the "Emerald City"

 Had to stop by Ivar's fish and chips! I love this sign and I wish I had one in my house for Sam because he LOVES to eat everything ALL the TIME!!! hahaa ;) 

Um, yah- DELICIOUS!!! Of course I fed some fries to the seagull's- it's tradition!

My Aunt Marti Call (my Mom's sister) was my lovely hostess for a few days- I always love seeing her because my Call relatives are very special to me! It was my Uncle Adrien (Marti's husband) who told my Birth-mom about his Sister in Law, Marilyn (my mom) who wanted to adopt a baby (me!).  If Adrien hadn't been my Birth-mom's Doctor, I wouldn't be Devanie Checketts Roberts today!

 My cute Grandma Fran and her boyfriend Glenn.  They are so sweet together- they met in a grief support group at their church when both of their spouses died.  They took me to dinner at this swanky restaurant with a gorgeous view!

 This is the birth-family, folks! From left, my brother Kelsey, sister Montana, Birth-mom Carla, me, brother Ian.  I love spending time with them and am grateful I have them in my life! We went to the Seattle Zoo together one afternoon.

 I saw a lot of this though- elephant butt.  Makes me feel better about myself... hahaa!

 I missed my Halls Lake buddies SO much so I was thrilled when they all got together to hang out with me one night.  When I lived in Brier, WA these were my homies! Well, they still are ;) It's crazy because we pretty much all got married within a couple months of each other. Maybe it was something in the water- I guess it does rain a lot in Seattle...!

Back to Idaho! Sam and I went for a weekend to see some fam. His brother Dan is building another house on his property. It's funny becuase the neighbors tease him that it looks like he's building a church. Dan just says, "Yah, you wanna join?" He slays me! Well, when we were there, Sam helped him out with some framing

  Kinda looks like a church, just think Barn-style instead! I think it will look really cool when it's done, Dan always does a great job.

 Last stop: This is the Place Heritage Park, SLC, UT.  Sam's brother Dan's company restored a barn that burnt down at the Park.  He needed some emergency work done to get things wrapped up, so since we live here and Dan lives in Idaho, Sam went over to help him out.  He looks so woodsy and craftsman-ish... I kinda like it! ;)

 This is the barn halfway done, it's in the original style from the 1800's. 

And of course, me! And guess what, I'm not all the way posing here people- I totally helped! It was actually fun to feel all carpenter-ish.  Who knew?!

p.s. I'll do one more flashback post soon to catch up, so stay tuned!