Chicken, Tomato & Corn Salad and a game of Murder!

When I woke up this morning I had no idea I would be eating Chicken, Tomato & Corn salad for dinner, followed by a suspense-filled game of Murder!

My hubby was out with his hunting friends so I was hanging out by myself when my sister called me and invited me to dinner. She made a fabulous Chicken, Tomato, & Corn salad, which was really healthy and very tasty!

After dinner, she asked if I wanted to stay and play a game of Murder! Her kids seemed super excited to play so I decided to try it out. Basically, each person draws a card and whoever gets the specific card, in our case the "draw two" Uno card, is the Murderer. Then, you turn off all the lights in the house. The goal of the murderer is to touch each person. When each person is touched, they are out of the game. The goal of everyone else is to "catch" the murderer touching someone else. Then, you run to a certain location, in our case the laundry room, and yell out who the murderer is.

I had a chance to be the murderer a couple times and I sucked at it! But, when I wasn't the murderer, I had so much fun faking out my sister and her kids by chasing them like I was the murderer. Twice during the game, I was laughing so hard I almost peed my pants! And, I got scared a couple times and screamed at the top of my lungs.

I had such a good time and was bummed when I had to leave. Thanks H for one of the funnest nights I've had in a while! I'm up for Chicken, Tomato, & Corn salad and a good game of murder anytime!

Inspirational Reading

I've just finished reading two books that I think everyone should read if they get a chance.

What is the What by Dave Eggers is about a boy (Valentino Achak Deng) who was one of the Lost Boys of Sudan. Although I had heard the term "Lost Boys" before, I didn't realize the trauma and suffering they experienced at such young ages. It's amazing the experiences people have outside of the U.S. and that most people in the U.S. have never heard these stories. We live such a cherished life. It's hard to appreciate it until you learn about the difficulties people have in other countries. I love living in this country and these books made me appreciate it even more. All of the proceeds of this book go to the Valentino Achak Deng (VAD) Foundation, which is building schools in Sudan and helping Sudanese immigrants in the U.S. obtain college education.

A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier by Ismael Beah is about a boy who survived the civil war in Sierra Leone only by becoming a boy soldier. It recounts the trauma of Ishmael running from the rebels, being threatened by village people who were fearful that he was a boy soldier, to actually becoming a boy soldier who thrived on drugs and killing the enemies who killed his family. He also talks about how UNICEF withdrew him and many other boy soldiers from the war, which they weren't happy about. And, how hard it was to rehabilitate into "normal" society again. Fortunately, he had an uncle alive who took care of him after he withdrew from the war. But, it wasn't long until the war came back to him again. I'm amazed at the strength these boys had to maintain some sort of sanity amidst the insanity. Click here to learn more about the book.

Both of these books inspire me to be more grateful for the comforts of my life and my family. If you get a chance to read them, maybe they can inspire you too!

Happy Birthday Makayla!

Happy 3rd Birthday Makayla!

I can't wait to celebrate with you on Saturday!

We love you,

Aunt Heidi & Uncle Erik

Halloween 2009

I had a FANTASTIC Halloween this year. It was very busy but I got to spend it with family, which made me very, very happy!

First, I started the day off with Victoria's baptism. She was so gracefully beautiful and I was in awe at how much she's grown. I was so happy to be there to support her and am jealous of my little sister's beautiful family! I only hope that I can be as lucky as she is! :)








Later in the day, while Erik and Geir were at the soccer game, I went trick-or-treating with Makayla and Annie. Makayla was Snow White and Annie was Cinderella. They were both so beautiful and princess like. It was fun to see how excited Makayla was to go up to the door and get candy. She is growing up so fast!







Afterwards, Erik met me over at Heather's house so we could do some more trick-or-treating with my nephews. Erik dressed up as Beaker so he and Torey could be Beaker together. Austin dressed up as a strikingly look-alike to Harry Potter and Dallin dressed up as the cutest dragon I've EVER seen! I had so much fun hanging with the kids. It makes Halloween worth while because otherwise, it's one of my last favorite holidays. Thank you kids!









The night before Halloween, Erik and I went to a friend's Halloween party. I went as Beaker (he gets around!) and Erik went as a Mexican Luchador wrestler.








Overall, I had a fabulous holiday! But, I realized the only thing that really makes it fabulous, is spending time with family and friends. Thanks to everyone I had a chance to hang out with! I love you all very much! Until next time...