Roskas!

Red Lobster vs. The Spaghetti Factory

2012-01-20T13:55:00.005-07:00

One of the local students wrote a compare and contrast paper so that Drew and I could decide where to celebrate our anniversary. We celebrated 8 years this week and based on what the student wrote we chose to have dinner at Red Lobster.

Coke products, sweet lemonades, and water are options at both locations.

You know bread is a big selling point for me and these cheddar biscuits were yummy!

I think this should have been a selling point mentioned in the paper. How many places offer fresh pepper AND sea salt?

My Webelo Cub Scouts - (H-Man)

2012-01-11T08:53:00.003-07:00

As part of the Communicator Badge the Webelos are asked to write about one of their den meetings for a newsletter, website, or newspaper. Today we are publishing the writings of one we will call H-Man. Enjoy!

"Dear Sister roska,

the den meeting were we did different kinds of codes was very fun. we talked about different kinds of codes and how you can make different kinds of codes. Brother roska was there and he told us a story from his mission. He was with his companyin at a restaurant. They were finished there diner and the people working there said hand me your plate so i can clean it. But in a different language that meant hand me your butt so i can clean it. And that is what we did."

Roska's Pottery is Back

2011-11-22T15:42:00.004-07:00

Drew has been working very hard on his pottery this Fall. He will be selling most items and you will be able to view them at roskaspottery.blogspot.com starting sometime this weekend. I hope you'll take a moment to look over what he's made. Maybe you'll find a holiday gift for yourself or a loved one.

Updated Family Photo

2011-10-31T10:49:00.004-06:00

It has been years since Drew and I have had an official "family photo" taken. If we're both in a photo it's most likely taken by one of us with an arm outstretched hoping both of our faces will be in the frame. Some photos turn out and others just don't. This weekend we took an opportunity to have someone else behind the camera and get all of us in the picture.

Our family: Hama, Drew, and Goliath

Happy Halloween Everyone!

LXD

2011-07-29T14:41:00.004-06:00

I'm a bit speechless. This is incredible. I love the music and the movements. I love that people share their talents.

This is not the appearance they made on Wednesday but still super cool. Check it out.

The Coolest Amputee

2011-07-22T11:21:00.004-06:00

In the category of "Prosthetics under $10" this tortoise wins first prize.

I saw this young man in the news today and had to chuckle. It's probably a great conversation starter for him to pick up on the lady tortoises. The news piece calls him an ATT All Terrain Tortoise and mention now that he can get around he's eating like a pig. How funny?!

Introducing Discovering Delicious

2011-07-06T14:36:00.002-06:00

This is a small snippet to let you know about my new blog "Discovering Delicious".

I have always enjoyed food but I haven't always been open to new flavors like I am now. A few years ago I started watching food shows on local public television and found that I really enjoyed seeing what new things they were creating and how I wish I had smellivision. (Someone can start working on that for me.)

I've made a lot of new recipes and am adding to the "keeper" file that started with childhood favorites from my mother and neighbors. I often think, "You know who would like this..." or "I should share this with..." This is a way for me to share my bounty and help keep me organized. So, if you are interested in seeing what new flavors are being produced in the Roska home, check out Discovering Delicious.

Denver, CO

2011-06-03T14:59:00.000-06:00

Imagine the following scene playing out in our living room after work and before scouts one evening.
Hama: "Hey Drew, would you like to go see a soccer game? Mexico vs. New Zealand."
Drew: "That'd be cool."
H: "I found discount tickets online and they are playing in Denver next week. Let me know if this is something you would seriously want to do."
D: "K"

The next morning at work I receive a text message, "Let's go."

So we told our bosses, booked the flight, hotel, car, and bought soccer tickets. The next week we headed to the airport, flew to Denver, stayed a couple of nights, and enjoyed our time away from the norm.

In the short time we had to prepare and plan everything I found a "Real Pirates" exhibit by National Geographic about the Wyhdah, an honest to goodness pirate ship. The wreckage was discovered off the coast of Cape Cod and pieces were going to be on display in Denver. It did not disappoint. The only complaint I have is that we couldn't take photos inside the exhibit.

They had some really cool pieces on display for us to view. The Wyhdah's bell, cannons, guns, sword handles, socks, dishes, human remains, and of course pirate treasure. There were a few pieces on a table covered with glass and holes for your fingers to touch the treasure.

After exploring the Nature and Science Museum we ate a delicious lunch at a restaurant recommended by the gift shop cashier. Thank you locals who know good food!

And afterwords walked it off at the Art Museum. There was almost too much to handle - two buildings, a total of 8 floors, and SO much to see. I'll pick 3 that I liked: American landscapes (no surprise), the wild west of horses, cowboys, broncos, and buffalo, and the woven bamboo baskets.

Drew liked the totem poles and the one in the above photo was unique, just like my Drew. I was really impressed with the places we visited, there were several activities throughout to help children learn and play. There was a spot to dress like the old west, so minus the flip flops and glitter toes I was stylin' - old school.

If that wasn't enough for one day, we finished it off with an epic soccer game. Let's just say we were not disappointed. The skill level of Mexico's players was amazing, the game was intense and we won, and the crowd surrounding us was boisterous and fun-loving.

The fella sitting next to Drew didn't even hesitate and started up a conversation in Spanish. Yep, he's my Mexican lover and it's more pronounced with his summer tan.

The photo of the two of us is blurry but I love it anyway.

That's right we won 3-0! Awesome game from start to finish.

The next morning we woke up and got ready and checked out. We were able to participate in a session at the Denver temple and feel of the loving spirit that resides in the house of The Lord.

It was windy but the warmth felt good compared to the 60 degree highs in Utah. We ate lunch at Maggiano's and we've already planned a stop in Vegas this winter to enjoy some more of their delicious food. It may be a good thing that it's not in Utah because I may want to visit too often... one more is never enough...

After a little shopping we were on our way to the airport to return again to good ol' Utah. Would I go back? Yes, there were a lot of things that we didn't have a chance to enjoy. Driving through downtown was beautiful. They have so much architectural interest and good food and we didn't have a chance to visit the U.S. Mint. It was booked 2 months out. Would I vacation again that quickly? Maybe not. I really enjoy the anticipation factor of vacation. I like planning where we'll go and what we'll see and getting excited for it almost as much as actually vacationing.

!Fiesta Pinata!

2011-05-19T11:13:00.008-06:00

Thank you to all who were able to make it to Fiesta de Mayo 2011. It was fun to see you and eat with you and laugh with you. Many distances were crossed so you could come and we appreciate your support in our fun. So here are a few snapshots of the pinata.

(Warning: I have imagined thoughts to go along with some of the youngest faces.)

Logan looks a little hesitant in the first photo. "How is hitting a dinosaur going to get me candy?"

Alden: Gotcha!
Oh you want to see that again?
I'll go Jedi on ya!

Tyler and Ethan going at it.

*I laugh at the Ethan photo because my dad is a photographer but has no camera. However, BOTH of my brothers are caught with a camera in their hands...and...who is on the other side of this photo? Oh yep, that's Hama. Chuckle*

Drew certainly likes to tease. I think with Anna and James getting older they'll get more and more of his tricks.

Maybe next year Mason will take a whack at it. For now he'll just stick out his tongue.

The aftermath!

2011-05-19T10:50:00.008-06:00

The hunters become the gatherers!

It's raining candy from the dino's leg. I imagine Logan is saying, "Look Mom, CANDY!" Logan tends to take after Kristi in the candy excitement.

Does this look familiar to anyone else? What is it with the head of the pinata?

If grandpas can't stuff your pockets full of candy or quarters what are they for?

Sure I believe it's for Brynner...

The real explanation of the dinosaurs' extinction.

Next year's invitation, perhaps??? (As read by Frau Blucher)

I'd love to hear some caption ideas for this one.

New Yummy

2011-04-17T14:38:00.002-06:00

A while ago I was reading my friend's blog about stir-fry and keeper recipes. I share her excitement about a new recipe that is not only delicious but worthy of making it into the rotation. She was right about the Sweet & Nutty Stir-Fry from the American Heart Association. It tastes so good, is made of many staples of our pantry/refrigerator, AND lead me to try another new keeper recipe.

Because I made the Stir-Fry I had leftover red cabbage and with some cooked chicken I already had in the fridge I whipped up an Asian Chicken Salad Sandwich (I opted for poblano pepper instead of jalapeno but that's an individual call). Super easy and tasted great! When I do it again, I would wrap it in a wheat tortilla or a pita. Oh and I don't layer things all pretty, I mix it all together cause it tastes just as good. :)

So thanks to Melanie for the heart-healthy, vegetarian delight and the motivation to try another keeper.

Drewimony

2011-04-14T14:23:00.003-06:00

In a previous religious congregation there was a young lady, newly married, who would often volunteer to speak about her husband and what a good influence he had been in her life and lovingly brag about him. We kindly called them a Jake-a-mony. Today it is my turn to bloggingly brag about my Drew. I brag about him at home all the time. He may be sick of hearing it.

Yesterday Drew had his final observation for the semester. His supervisor came to the classroom where he was teaching Algebra and graded his performance and gave him a 97%. That is out of this world good!! All of his sane professors love him and have great things to say about him. I love hearing the praise of those who teach him and those who he interacts with at the valley schools.

It's been a wonderful experience for the both of us. He is finally learning that he can attend college, do well in college, and graduate from college. He should know after this semester he can do ANYTHING. As for me, I am learning to hear, "Hama, you were right." :) Heavenly Father and I always knew he could do it. That's why I filled out his application for USU.

Mom's granola and more

2011-04-01T14:43:00.003-06:00

For work today I decided to make and share some of Mom's granola. I don't know how many of my family enjoyed it growing up but I have always, and still do, LOVE cereal and milk. I enjoyed warm granola out of the oven last night and will enjoy granola and peaches for a treat this evening. (And thanks to Drew for telling me how yummy it is. Love you!)

The "and more" part of this blog relates to candy. I have always, and still do, LOVE chocolate. With Spring around the corner and candy on sale I bought a few varieties to put in Grandma's candy dish on my desk. I chose Reese's Peanut Butter Cups for Drew, Hershey's miniatures for the co-workers, and Kisses with Almonds for me. (Not to say that I'm going to eat a whole bag of candy myself but that I prefer to have the Kisses in the mix.)

So my friend Julie was saying how delicious the Kisses with Almonds are and I started to tell her that they remind me of St. Patrick's Day. When we were younger my mom would celebrate the holidays and for St. Patrick's Day the "leprechauns" would bring us candy in gold wrappers or dye our sugar green, etc. Well, most recently I remember waking up to the leprechauns gift of Kisses with Almonds. No matter what time of the year it is the with almonds version is wrapped in gold and easily attainable by the mom leprechauns.

Recipe for Granola:

4 Cups rolled grain (this includes any mixture of oats, barley, wheat and rye)

1 Cup coconut (I don't add this because of my family but it is delicious if you like coconut)

1 Cup toasted wheat germ

¼ C butter or margarine

¾ C honey (you can also use molasses or karo syrup)

1 teaspoon vanilla

Thoroughly mix together; spread on a rimmed cookie sheet and bake at 300 degrees for 20 minutes. Stir occasionally while baking. After cooking add any or all of the following:

· Sunflower seeds

· Almonds or pecans

· Sesame seeds

· Raisins or dried currants or other dried fruit of your choice

My blue shoes.

2011-03-16T11:49:00.003-06:00

I realized today that my shoes are approaching 7 years of service. I rarely think of the age of my clothes because...well...because I don't like to. If I looked long and hard I could find the oldest piece of clothing I have and still wear and I imagine it would be 12 years old or so. This approximation does not include my party sweater with whimsical dog and cat image that I wore in 6^th grade. With anything that has been serving for so many years, my shoes have a story.

I owe these shoes to my dear, sweet, burly husband. He is, and always has been, a fan of shoes. He appreciates a good pair for himself but rarely ventures to purchase them. For me, on the other hand, he will drive an hour away, in a car with no air conditioning, and a lousy starter for one pair of cute, pale blue shoes. He will buy those shoes and an unexpected red pair and then push-start the aforementioned car with no air conditioning out of the store parking lot, just so my feet will be adorned with springtime color and style.

Drew, thank you. Thanks for the shoes, for the memories, for the laughs, and for making me feel special in my assortment of footwear.

Caption Contest!

2011-03-10T14:56:00.004-07:00

I found this picture while ordering prints and I think it needs a good caption. Bring out your best material and let the captions begin!

Let this day be marked...by dirt , two hairs, and a nickname.

2011-03-03T08:24:00.004-07:00

This day I feel gratitude marred with some sadness. I am grateful that my headlights showed the path ahead, I am grateful that the brakes worked as needed, I am grateful that there was no harm to me, the car, or...Bambi. I have never struck an animal in my 10+ driving years, even with my late night drives through the canyons and my summer job of driving 8 hours each day. Never, until today.I had dropped Drew off at work this morning about 6am and was on my way home when there was a deer in my headlights. In about 3 seconds I slammed on the brakes, thought back to my driver's ed course where they tell you to brake until you're going to hit the animal and then let off the brake so your car will not (this is my phrasing) scoop up the animal and throw it through the windshield, disregarded this thought thinking I'm not that close or going that fast, and then...bump.

The doe did not fall, it did not limp, there was no blood, but yes there were tears. I watched her finish crossing the street and wait on the grass, I saw headlights a mile behind me and turned on my hazard lights to warn this new driver that there was a deer in the area, watched the doe cross the street back to where they came from, and let the car pass me while I slowly moved forward.

As soon as I bumped the poor thing I immediately started to tear up. I've always had a tender heart and tears come easily but I had hurt (Drew says bruised, if anything) this creature and I couldn't do anything to console it. So today will move forward like any other day but let it be marked that today is the day that I hit a deer.

Heidi, this one is for you...

2011-01-12T19:58:00.002-07:00

Today I clocked out of my workplace for the final time. How did it feel?
1. Normal.
The time clock read "Have a good day!"

2. Really exciting.
People ask me if I am nervous because I don't have another job lined up yet. Last night there were multiple stories on the news about how hard the job search is. For a moment I thought, maybe I should stick it out for a little longer. Then I remembered the words confirming that this is an act of faith. I know that this is right for me and for my family and I've had peace about my decision from the beginning. So no, I'm not nervous. I am really excited to see what life will bring.

3. Slightly frustrating.
I quickly realized the people that I didn't get to say goodbye to today that I really wanted to visit with for a few minutes. My last day was a lot more hectic than I thought it would be and I didn't have nearly enough time to say thank you to everyone I wanted. So even though I clocked out for the last time, I know it won't be the last time I ever step foot on the soil.

Hama's Birthday Celebrations!

2010-11-18T20:14:00.001-07:00

For my birthday Gromo sent me on a scavenger hunt through her living community to find clues for where my present was hidden. Emily thought it was a great idea so I decided to do it for her, I have always had a problem surprising her on her birthday but this time she really was. I gave her the first clue at our house and she had to find the place PeeWee Herman would buy his sweets. The place she was off to was PeeWees Sweets. There I had it set up that she had to figure the order of my preferred fudge, if she got it wrong she had to find people to sing her happy birthday...it just so happened the day I did it there was a parade so this wasn't a problem, here is some video from the first stop.

Next she was off to the most vain store in the mall. Vanity, I had purchased two shirts and a hoodie. They placed one of the shirts in a selection of other shirts and she had to pick the one I liked the most.

After that I sent her to Dave's apartment to play tetris, she has always told me how good she is but I had never seen it. I told her she had to get to level 5 but she kept going until she got to level 9.

After that I sent her up the canyon where we first kissed and then she went to Melanie Madsen's apartment to put together a puzzle.

On the back of the puzzle it had a treasure map. It sent her to look for booty in our garden where I had buried some presents. I think everybody involved had as much fun as she did.

Drew is Ok. Phew!

2010-09-09T20:07:00.005-06:00

Today while I was at work Drew called me with this sobering news:

Drew: "Hama. I broke my foot."

My response: "How did you do that?"

D: It was an alligator! In the toilet. I tried to scare him off with my toes but instead he saw them as bait and bit it. BUT it was a toothless alligator and so instead of getting all cut and mangled he rolled and twisted it and broke my foot.

M: (Uncontrollable but quiet laughter) "I'm sorry I can't come home and hang out with you."

I love that my husband wants me to come home and spend time with him. I love that he is so imaginative and continues to make me laugh. I hope you enjoy this as well.

Also if you have an appropriate picture of a toilet alligator I would love to post it. (I know I may be asking for trouble so please note the word "appropriate")

Pioneer Day in the SLC

2010-07-28T13:25:00.006-06:00

Drew and I headed to Salt Lake this past weekend to visit with family.

Brad and Tahnie have a new baby as of 7-7-10. I'm glad she has an easy to remember birthday plus she is super cute and cuddly. On Friday Drew got to go fishing with his dad and Brad fished with Brynner.

On Saturday we went to the Pioneer Day parade. My mom's family is kind enough to camp on the parade route to get us a good spot in the shade. Thanks Family!!! It was a ton of fun to get together and see the floats and marching bands and bagpipes. The rocky-road brownies were a big hit. Almost as big as the mustaches in support of the motorcycle cops who we love!

And just like that a packed weekend full of fun and seemingly not long enough was condensed to 2 paragraphs. I'm sorry I'm not chatty today but at least I made it to the top of the blog lists and Drew can take a turn posting. Muwah ha ha.

New way of life = clown pants fitting like clown pants

2010-05-23T21:54:00.002-06:00

Most of you are aware of the life style changes Emily and I have made... hence the last 6 or 7 posts about the low calorie food we are eating. I have been on a study for Icon H&F for the past 9 weeks. They gave me an elliptical and said eat right 6 out of the seven days and workout 5 days a week for no less than a half hour. We have really made a big effort in not eating out, avoiding soda and making my exercises count. I have lost 40 pounds in 9 weeks! And I really do feel a lot better. I am about ten pounds away from my high school weight and all the clothes I have left from high school fit again. I have really enjoyed all the healthy food we are eating and I look forward to reaching my goal weight of 260. I will try to keep you all posted on the progress!

Because My Mom Asks...

2010-05-19T21:20:00.002-06:00

"Have you tried any new recipes lately?"

Well, YES we have. Thanks for asking. To be completely honest my mom only asked me once but it was in the lull of not trying new recipes and it made me think that I should.

Sunday morning I made Cinnamon-Oat Pancakes for Drew and I. This recipe says it will make 20 pancakes and they are really filling. The serving size is 4 pancakes for 296 calories and that sounds really reasonable but on my 3rd pancake I was thinking, "I don't know if I will finish this one." Good thing they are delicious and it really wasn't hard to finish it. This is listed as a recipe to freeze and we did have plenty of leftovers. I love homemade frozen pancakes and waffles. It means a warm breakfast in a hurry!

I used half all-purpose flour and half wheat flour. This may have contributed to the filling factor but I really enjoy the flavor of the wheat flour. Also, we don't have a standard size food processor. We were given a 2-cup capacity food processor for our wedding so I simply used it only for the one cup of oats and then whisked the chopped oats and dry ingredients together before adding the wet ingredients.

Sunday evening Drew made Pasta with Bacon and Peas for us. This made a lot of pasta and had a fresh taste. Growing up I didn't like spaghetti sauce and would eat my pasta with cheese only. Having this dish took me back to the delicious taste of naked noodles enhanced with a fresh lite sauce.

We used bagged pasta like every other day and we chose not to buy shallots and used half a yellow onion instead. If I were on my own I would reduce the quantity of all the ingredients and make it to my own needs but as is easily served 6 with 361 calories each serving. Drew told me the leftovers were tasty as well.

I'd love to hear if anyone tried these or if they can recommend any recipes.

"I feel so blessed..."

2010-04-29T21:07:00.003-06:00

Recently I have heard many of my good friends use these words, "I feel so blessed..." I think it has stood out in my mind because I don't feel that I use this phrase very often. I know that I should try to express the gratitude I do feel, even if it is for little things. Thank you to those around me who do use this phrase and remind me that I have things to be grateful for.

I am so blessed...

because I have people who love me. I love my family and friends. They teach me about all that is good in this life. Thank you.
because I have a job that provides for our needs. Lately there has been a lot of talk about the economy and cutbacks and I have been so blessed that our needs have been met.
to have a husband who works hard in his current profession, as well as in school for his future profession. He has been awarded a scholarship for next year and this evening we went to a reception to recognize those students who stand out. We met his benefactors and he had his picture taken on stage with his advisor and this benefactor. I was teary eyed because I was so proud. Thank you.
because I have a body. I am reminded of this when I tear connective tissue in my back and have trouble walking, sitting, sneezing, etc. Once I have recovered I have all I need to move and function independently.
because there are people around me who are kind enough to pick up notebooks from the floor or do my dishes or take me to the doctor/pharmacy when I hurt myself and can't do these things. Thank you.
to enjoy the freedoms of this great nation. Many people have fought and died so that I could be here today. Thank you.

I am so blessed to have a knowledge of the gospel of Christ. This has given me strength and gratitude that nothing else could. I am so blessed to know that this is not the end and that Christ has redeemed me. The people that I love so dearly on this Earth will be with me always and life will move forward. Some days the routine becomes so monotonous and never-ending that I can't imagine life being any different but the reality is we can still be moving forward if we continue to have faith and rely on the Lord for hope. I am so blessed...

Easter Weekend

2010-04-06T20:39:00.007-06:00

Drew and I headed to Salt Lake for Conference and Easter Weekend. Drew's dad, Dave, made a place for us at his home and let us stay with him. It was a first and it was a lot of fun. We had made plans with my brothers to have Friday night dinner at Gromo's and it was nice to get together and laugh.

Saturday between conference sessions Drew and I took Anna to lunch for a belated birthday celebration. She's a fun girl and man can she run! Drew told her she had 2 minutes to play before we left the play place and she was zipping between the slide and the stairs, making her way through the tunnels and down the slide as fast as she could to make the best of the last 2 minutes of play.

Mom, thanks for hanging out with me on Saturday night. You are a source of strength to me. Thanks for cheering me on.

For Easter Sunday Dave had purchased a turkey and I was informed on Thursday evening that I would be in charge of cooking said turkey. Thank heaven for the invention Reynolds Oven Bags. Drew helped me rinse the turkey and put it in the bag and in the oven and PRESTO delicious turkey! We had a delicious spread and great company.

I thought I had forgotten the camera but found it before leaving on Sunday so here are a few pictures from Sunday afternoon.

Julie is excited for the camera. Alden loves the wooden spoon and Anna has a new shirt.

WHAPAPOOIE!!!

Pronounced Wha-Pa-Poo-Ee and NO this picture was not posed it is an action shot.

Recipe Request

2010-03-28T18:56:00.003-06:00

Drew and I started watching "Everyday Food" on public tv a few years ago and for our anniversary or Valentine's Drew ordered a magazine subscription for me. That's been a while ago and so I have about 2 years worth of their magazines and I really have enjoyed a lot of their recipes.

In January they publish light recipes because of the demand for "a new year, a new you" mentality. This seemed like a good place to start when Drew said he needed some low fat, low cal food. So many people asked for the pizza dough recipe that I figured I'd post the link.

As we find more recipes we like we'll post links or type it up to share with others. I hope you enjoy these as much as we have.

Whole Wheat Pizza Dough: Approx 300 cal per serving. Bake 450 for 18-20 minutes. *We've made thinner crusts and baked for only 15 minutes.

Sweet and Sour Pork Stir Fry: 294 cal per serving before rice. I used fresh brocolli steamed.

Spice-Rubbed Turkey Breast with Roasted Carrots: 425 cal per serving. The carrots were a big surprise. They turned out sweet and not too soft but SO yummy. The turkey was moist and even though the yogurt dip was good it wasn't needed.

If anyone trys the recipes let me know what you think or what you may have done differently. Also if you have a light recipe to share we'd love to hear it/try it. Thanks.

Roska Version 2.0

2010-03-27T18:12:00.004-06:00

Recently Drew was chosen to participate in a "treadmill study". I place this in quotations because Drew is one of the few who is not using a treadmill but an elliptical trainer and while they call it a study it seems to me they are more of a test group or search for testimonials. But as long as Drew keeps up with the requirements we'll be able to keep the machine free of charge. Score!

So currently we are working on Roska Version 2.0. We are becoming more active and conscious of what we eat and in turn becoming more healthy. It's been a really positive change in our life. Because we are trying to eat more healthy it has us trying new recipes. One of our first healthy meals was a low fat, low cal sweet and sour pork. It was good and really filling. We've been using whole wheat pasta and homemade whole wheat pizza dough. It's a small change but the whole wheat makes it so much more flavorful. It's been fun to plan together and cook together.

These are our homemade whole wheat pizzas with grilled chicken, peppers, spinach, and a few artichokes. MMMMmmmm. These are personal size pizzas but we had leftovers for lunch the next day.

Roska Life

2010-03-08T08:58:00.004-07:00

I have been thinking lately about how much I look forward to the weekends. But it hasn't really occurred to me why I look so forward to the weekend and why I dread them ending.

This weekend started off with dinner at Texas Roadhouse. We were first timers and apparently there is a right and wrong way to eat at the TRH. We showed up with out calling ahead (our first mistake). They gave us a number and told us to watch the number board and that would let us know when it was our turn to sit. The paper they gave us had an estimated time for being seated, and it said we should have been seated in 35-45 minutes (this was our second mistake). An hour and ten minutes later we finally saw our number on the board...at this point we were starving and couldn't get food fast enough. We went in and handed them our ticket, thinking all the while it was our turn (our third mistake). We were only on deck! We waited another 10-15 minutes to get our table and after we got some food in our stomachs we felt better. We had talked about not tipping because of what we went through but our waitress ended up being a girl in my major so that didn't work out so well. All in all the food was good and we did enjoy our time together.

We went home and I suggested we watch Star Trek. Emily was really excited about this but I knew as soon as she took the couch it was all over. She made it to when Spock does the Vulcan death pinch on James T. Kirk and she gave up and said she was going to bed. I thought alright the couch for me. I probably didn't make it past her getting in bed and I was asleep and woke up when Spock was meeting Spock.

Saturday we got up and read scriptures and I made chocolate muffins. We cleaned up a little bit and hung out until noon, we went out and we looked for a recipe organizer but to no avail. We then went to Big 5 and bought Emily some new shoes, me some punching gloves and sweat bands for my wrists (for mowing this summer). We tried to find our nephew Tyler a gift for his birthday and we really wanted to do something other than Star Wars. In the Madsen Family Star Wars is what Star Trek was for me growing up and they own just about everything when it comes to Star Wars and we have purchased many a Star Wars toys for them for their birthdays and Christmas but we wanted to do something new. But after contemplating many different things we ended up buying him Star Wars Lego's! (Shhh...it's a secret to him until Saturday.)

We then went shopping for groceries and decided we wanted to go to a movie. We called some friends and finally convinced Dave Burgess into going with us. We went and saw Sherlock Holmes again and wasn't disappointed. Afterwards we went to Best Buy and I bought a surround sound system! I had saved money for one and felt the time was right. Dave and Emily helped install it and as soon as we get a replacement for a missing wire I am sure it will be awesome!

Sunday we had Dave and our downstairs neighbors over for dinner and we made homemade pizzas! Emily found a recipe for homemade wheat crust and it was delicious. We sat and talked then we watched the amazing race and the undercover boss show.

We both had exciting news to share. Emily was called to be the assistant to the Girls Camp director (that is an Office reference for those of you who watch). And she is uber excited about it, she walked around the house talking about how she is going to Girls Camp. My good news was I received a scholarship that will cover pretty much all of my tuition and fees for the next year, so while Emily was walking around saying she is going to Girls Camp I was walking around saying I got a scholarship!

This morning I got up and was sad to have such a great weekend over with and I realized that all of the fun things that I did this weekend was with my best friend. She is what makes things so much fun. I wasn't sad that a great weekend was over but I was sad that she had to go to work and I had to go to school. I look forward to my weekends because that is when I get to spend my time with her. I would have never been able to get the scholarship without her and how much she has supported me through school. Thanks Hama for being my best friend.

Anna, It’s your birthday. Happy Birthday Anna!

2010-02-25T16:58:00.004-07:00

You don’t have a facebook page yet, at least not that I know of, so I’ll blog about you instead.

The day you were born I was attending Utah State University and I was so excited to have a niece. Sure James is the oldest but there’s something special about girls. I used a dry erase marker to write the date, your name, and weight on the mirror at the end of the hall so everyone would know you had arrived.

You are now 7 years old. You are spunky and I love that about you. You are bright and fun-loving. You are also very thoughtful. You draw pictures for Gromo and you tell me about funny things that happen. You’re quick to say thank you and include others.

Happy Birthday Anna Banana! We can’t wait to hang out with you sometime soon.

Fun weekend!

2010-02-14T09:56:00.006-07:00

So Emily and I decided we wanted to go down for the weekend to Salt Lake. It has been quite some time since I had been down and it was everything I remembered; a few bad accidents on the drive down with the disappearance of any kind of snow as soon as we hit Brigham City, the ability to walk around without a parka and spending time with our wonderful families.

Okay so I may have had ulterior motives for going to Salt Lake, namely an ice fishing trip with Brad and my Dad, which for me was the highlight of my weekend...that and In & Out Burger and our dinner date with Granny! So our fishing trip started off with a call from Brad asking where I was. I think for the first time ever he was waiting on me to go, I could tell he was very excited. When we started off for the day my dad told us a story of when he took 2 year old Brad to Strawberry reservoir probably sometime in November or December before the lake froze but there was snow on the ground. One may ask themselves why somebody would take a child so young to a place that is so cold with snow on the ground. It was all because my Dad wanted another pole in the water, you can have kids fish off of your license which allows you another pole. When my dad got there he parked his white pinto with two tires on the snow and the other two on the road allowing enough room for people to get by. After unsuccessfully fishing for a couple of hours he took Brad back to the car and as soon as Brad got in he fell asleep. My Dad tried to maneuver the car out of his parking spot but ended up sliding down a hill about 50 feet before almost ending up in the lake.

At this point he was stuck and wasn't going anywhere. He was worried about how he was going to get out especially since he had Brad with him. He decided he was going to walk to the marina to see if anybody was there. He left brad in the car and left the car running so he would stay warm. He got to the marina and nobody was around there wasn't a payphone so he couldn't call for help. So he walked back, he got back to the car about 45 minutes later and Brad was still asleep.

This is where he panicked and was getting desperate, about this time he looked down the road and saw a jeep coming down it, he said he has never felt so relieved in his life. He told the driver about his situation and asked for help, the guy in the jeep said no problem drove down to where the car was, attached a chain and according to my Dad pulled them out like a sack of potatoes. My Dad tried to hand the guy a 20 but he refused, my Dad then crumpled the twenty in his hand and threw it in the car and said you better take it, you just saved my life. Moral of the story: don't drive a ford pinto. He also told us a story with the moral being never run around in dirty chones!

We had such a fun time! As always there was a lot of horsing around, my dad and I had a foot race to my pole because he was going to huck a snowball at it. We laughed a lot and it got me excited for fishing this summer.

We Took Emily's Granny out for dinner on Saturday night and it was great to hear all of her stories, she has lived such a bountiful life and she has the best stories ever. We listened to her talk about working at Hill Airforce base and how her husband decided to become a dentist. She talked about living back east for a while and moving back to Utah. She showed us a book her brother illustrated and some of the paintings he has done over his lifetime. There was one I was particularly fond of, it was a painting of two codgers down by a river, she said her brother painted it when he was twelve! She is the most active 88 year old person I have ever heard of! She is an inspiration to the whole family.

Tonight's Special

2010-02-08T18:31:00.003-07:00

When I mess up a recipe by adding too much of this or too little of that or burning it all Drew helps me feel better by telling me, "It's just Hama pizazz."

Tonight we will be serving Pizazz de la Hama. I decided to try a new recipe from my BFF and beloved sister-in-law. I managed to burn bread crumbs, set off the smoke detector, not be able to turn it off, and fill the house with smoke. However unlikely it is, I will probably spill the sauce all over the oven, under cook the pasta, and give my family food poisoning.

All in all I think it's pretty funny and I'm glad I had some extra time to deal with all the Hama pizazz stinkin up the house.

surrounded by great parents

2010-01-28T13:55:00.005-07:00

So I must premise this with I know I am far from being an expert and with that said here we go.

After being in the schools for two weeks and really getting to be with the kindergartners I have really been able to see what a great job all of you are doing with your children. I always knew my nieces and nephews were smart (and this includes the Madsen kids) but I never understood just how smart. I have always been around kids that are able to sound out words written on a piece of paper OR work on a puzzle I would have thought too hard for them to understand. But after getting into the school and seeing them at the half way point of kindergarten I am truly amazed at what you have accomplished.

We were working on simple sentences last week and we were trying to get the children to tell us if they were complete sentences. We have one kid in my class who can read and the rest either ask him or one of us for help and that's OK, in fact they all, for the most part, are where they need to be. But with that said you all have managed to accomplish this before they ever started school. For me it has really been a testimony of the importance of a stay at home mom. I know that it's not possible in all situations but it really does make a difference for the children.

One thing that I learned this week was the power of silence. We talked in my psychology class about how teachers are quick to bail out the students. What I mean is when a child is asked a question and they look at us and shrug their shoulders hoping that we will bypass them or if they say "I don't know" totally anticipating us to move on. We talked about how if a teacher will sit in silence and not accept the "I don't know" response the students will answer. I was testing the students the next day on their math and would ask them to write a number. I found that even in kindergarten they have picked up on the shoulder shrug and they know it works. I stood my ground and sat there waiting for a response...sometimes waiting for several minutes until I got one, and I was really surprised at how often after waiting for a real answer the students would get it right. I am sure this is common knowledge to parents but it was an eye opening moment for me.

This is for those who are not on facebook. Last week I had one of the children come back and work on his alphabet with me and as he sat down he said, "I know who you are." I was a little taken back by this, so I said, "Oh yea, who am I?" He then said, "You are an actor." I was taken back a little further, I replied, "Really! What have I acted in?" he then said, "You are the guy in Toy Story Two who takes Woody away." For those of you who haven't watched Toy Story 2 in a long time, here it is I hope you get as big of a kick out of it as I did! I am Al from Al's toy barn!

And I thought I loved you then…

2010-01-15T13:30:00.000-07:00

Six years ago today I married Drew in the Bountiful Temple. It was one of the best decisions of my life. He is my best friend. When we got married I thought I couldn’t feel more love for anyone than I did on that day but I have been repeatedly proven wrong.

It has meant the world to me to have him in my life and to share life experiences with. Each day brings new joys and new struggles but we enjoy them as a team. I love being a part of Drew’s team.

Drew you helped me finish college, you’re supportive in any challenge I take on, you’ve helped me become a better person, you are so patient with me, and you know how to read me like closed captioning. Thank you for being mine!

6 years of bliss, 5 Fiesta de Mayo parties, 4 bishops, 3 vehicles, 2 apartments, 1 happy girl.

I love you and Happy Anniversary!

Daily Thoughts: Tar

2010-01-12T19:30:00.003-07:00

Jan 13 EDIT: I am experiencing this with some co-workers that are not in my department or have ever been friends with but they are within earshot. I hear their conversations and they create a negative environment and I don't feel like I am standing for something if I am sitting and doing nothing. Any help you can offer would be welcome.

Back in the day of photography and not digital creations there was a Mormon Ad that had approximately 3 sets of hands and tar flowing as the gossip is passed from one person to another. Why is this a popular practice? Why is it popular to speak unkind words of someone you may or may not know?

I know at times in my life I have been guilty of this practice and I will not deny that but it really bothers me. How can I remove myself from the situation if I can not physically move away from it? If it bothers me to hear acquaintances talk poorly about others I don’t know, what does this derogatory talk do to those who do know and love us?

Are others’ faults an easier topic of conversation than speaking highly of others? If we were to contemplate the positives about others would it be easier for us to think and speak kindly about ourselves?

These are today's random thoughts. I don't intend to be preachy and I do welcome any suggestions on how to remove myself from gossip.

Well, the weather outside is frightful...

2009-12-12T17:11:00.003-07:00

But the tree is so delightful.

Last night Drew and I went to pick out a Christmas tree. We had such a positive experience at Lowe's when we were moving we thought we'd look at trees there. Nada. Then Smith's, Nil. Drew suggests we aren't finding one because we're not listening to Christmas music. So we start "The Elf" soundtrack and off to visit the locals. Approx 300 South, Blah. Frustration sets in as we head to the outskirts of town. There's a new lot in a rocky area off the highway. TA DA. We found it. We found two and had to narrow it down! We set up the tree last night and decorated it this morning. Check it out.

Today has been non-stop snow since about 10 am. That would be fine but it means that Drew gets to work again. It's great that he's working but this is my day off and we can't hang out. That stinks. Here's our view from the front door. I know you're jealous.

what's really new.

2009-11-17T09:23:00.010-07:00

It has almost been a month since Emily last posted about "what is new." A few updates to those last posted updates. Emily and I ventured down to Ephraim and spent Halloween with Andrew and Kristi. I felt good about myself when Ethan pushed Emily aside and yelled "Drrrrreeeeewwww!" I was also impressed with all of Ethan's costumes.
I love how cute they are together.
What do ya do with a scurvy pirate? Here is Ethan trying to be the hump in a camel. Not to take anything away from the lovely ladybug pictured above. This was my favorite costume.

She pushed that thing all over the place. We really enjoyed ourselves, thanks for a great weekend. Emily and I dressed up but I felt dumb because none of the other guys were dressed up but I still had some fun with it. As you can see I have been growing my beard out for the winter. I froze last year and decided it would be good if I did. Here is an updated picture of it.
I was accepted into the special education program and I am signed up for a full schedule this spring. I was asked to apply for a job in the landscaping department but if I get the job it means I get a government contract and I would have to change my major and go into something in the field, more than likely it would be sports turf management. If you have an opinion please post it because I haven't decided yet on what I want to do.
We also had Aaron and Julie come down for a weekend and we got to take Anna and James out for their birthdays. We did our new tradition with the nieces and nephews of lunch and clothes. It was interesting to see what appeals to kids. They have started selling clothing with a toy attached. And apparently it is what sells. I couldn't get James to look at much without the toys, the toys are stupid and probably wouldn't last more than five minutes but I guess it's the same appeal as a happy meal! After lunch we drove out to Weston Idaho to see the great American Tradition! It probably was one of the coolest things I have ever seen and is now here for your enjoyment. The video doesn't even come close to doing it justice!

The Latest and Greatest

2009-10-22T17:34:00.001-06:00

Since my last post I travelled to see the Relocated Logan Clarks in their new home. I had a blast and only wish I could have stayed longer to play Rescue Squad and go to the park and spend more time with my BFF. The drive wasn't too bad and it was great to come home to the hubby.

Drew passed his math test! That and the background check are the only things that hadn't been completed when I posted last. We're very excited and hope to hear soon that he has been accepted to the Special Education program. 4 semesters to go. :) Props to him for sticking with it and not giving up. I know some days that is a big battle.

Drew also has been making very scrumptious cookies lately, been doing my dishes, and has not let me open ANY birthday presents. I think he loves knowing something I don't. Well, to him I say, "I know something you don't for Christmas." HA-ZAH! (Sorry to mention it before Thanksgiving.)

My dad is coming to Utah for work and I'm excited to see him. It will be the first time we get to hang out since he his return to the US from Iraq. I look forward to visiting with him and my dear Granny.

We continue to work hard and have been truly blessed by the Lord. I will never be able to express my gratitude enough for the blessings he gives everyday.

For My Dear Julie

2009-10-15T20:50:00.003-06:00

Julie, thanks for your kind poke to blog once more. Some people, like myself, prod others to blog in more blatant, "when are you going to blog again???!" ways.

We have moved. Thank you to those who helped us. I know I was a little crazy but everyone really helped me feel less crazy. We had planned on having about 2 weeks to make the move and clean up our basement home. Well...the blue carpet disappeared, which is REALLY nice, but it kept us from moving upstairs for about 10 days. Cleaning an apartment you've lived in for 5 years is the pits and I told Drew that we won't move again. Our landlord seemed pretty happy about that. ;) I know one day we will move again but I know if I can, I'll move as little as possible.

We purchased a new RED couch. I love it and it was worth the wait. Last week we hung our painting and cleaned up the back bedroom. This week we (mostly Drew) cleaned up the garage and I love parking our car in there!!! The last thing to do is hang up our photos and we'll be done! (I wish I was one of those people who could set up my home in 3 days but I hesitate about too much. Oh pues.)

Other things that have kept us busy:
- Drew has applied for the Special Ed program. We should know in November that he is accepted. (If you notice, I used positive projection, not "if he was accepted" but "that he is")
- We are working, working, and working.

Well, I suppose that's about it. Much love to our family and friends!!!

We’re Moving!!!

2009-08-20T16:45:00.000-06:00

When: Sometime before September 15th
Where: Upstairs and to the back
Why: Because we can. :)
Bigger windows, a garage, our own patio, blue carpet…

We will be posting more blogs either selling or giving away items we don’t need. So stay tuned to the same Roska time, same Roska channel.

Drew's Birthday

2009-08-14T16:52:00.002-06:00

28 years ago today the love of my life entered this world. I'm so grateful to have him in my life. He has made it a brighter, funnier place for me and I'm so thrilled we found each other.

He opened his present at 6:30 this morning and was excited to find out that he now owns adjustable weights. Although not as excited as a truck. ;)

Thanks for a great year and Happy Birthday. I hope 28 treats you well. MUH!!

And I thought an A- in Stats was a good feeling!

2009-08-09T17:25:00.004-06:00

Emily and I have been trying to figure out a way to pay off our car before we went full term. We had come up with several ideas in the past but the money wasn't ever there. Finally after paying off a couple of other things we were able to get enough money together to pay it off. We made a special trip down to SLC and found one credit union in Centerville that was open until 3 and we payed it off. I have never spent so much money and felt good about it. The rest of the afternoon we would look at each other and smile. I kept asking her; "Guess what?" Em: "What?" Me: "We own our car!" Such a good feeling, I would recommend it to anybody who can pull it off!

I'm a big boy now!

2009-08-05T15:09:00.003-06:00

So for all of those who read this and are up to date on my situation with my arch Nemesis Stats 1040. I woke up and was very excited to see that I got an 88% on my final (class average was a 76%) this gave me an overall score of 90.59 which is an A-!!!! This means two things. 1st off I can finally say I have an associates to go along with my art minor. 2nd is that I can now apply to my major in the fall, which means I should be able to start my classes on the spring! I want to throw out a huge thanks to Emily for helping me and encouraging me along the way!

Foul Mouths and Aaron

2009-08-03T16:10:00.003-06:00

When Aaron was on his mission there were some foul mouthed youth who liked to say some dirty words in English as the missionaries passed by. Aaron taught them the mother of all curse words:

Booty.

Today I realized that if we could change the foul language from those around us to the word "booty" it would be pretty booty funny. Of course we'd have to change the substitute word often so that pirate treasure wouldn't get a permanent bad rap.

Feel free to leave other substitute word options in the comments.

Growth and Learning

2009-07-30T21:20:00.003-06:00

One thing I felt strongly about my college education was that I learned how to learn. I know that may sound weird but looking back at high school I feel like I floated. I took some challenging classes but because it was the natural flow, and that's what my friends were doing. Most of my elective classes were easy A's.

I expected my college courses to be the same. I knew there would be some classes I'd have to study for and memorize facts but I wasn't ready for the application factor of college. I have to thank Dr. Jean Lown for breaking me out of this. During class I expected that she would discuss what was in the book, like every other teacher had. Instead she would bring in newspaper articles and would talk about current events. This really frustrated me at first but then I came to realize she was showing us that what we were reading and learning was REAL and could help in life. Whoa! What a concept.

That really had a point, but I don't know if I can make the connection. Drew is in a Statistics class right now. Tomorrow morning is his final exam. (Hooray and Good Luck!) It has been exciting to watch him stretch his learning capacity. When he started college he was fearful to take ANY math class. Luckily he had a great math teacher that first semester. Math has been a rough road but the last 2 semesters I've watched him blossom. He has overcome the dragon that looms about. He will still become frustrated on occasion but overall he has been successful and one of the best parts for me is to watch him help others understand. It allows for his confidence to grow and it's a great review tool.

I may have learned how to learn in my college experience but in the time that Drew has been in classes I have learned how to teach. He likes to tell people about the first time I tried to help him with math homework and what a disaster my candy bar example was but then he will tell people about how much better I've been since. I really had to learn how to adapt to his learning style and not just assume he could read my thoughts that lead me to say something or conclude something.

I marvel at how much we can progress in such a small amount of time. As I type this, I think to myself that I may be guilty of not taking notice of the progress made in recent years or months. This can be applied at home, at work, in any skill being developed...

Temple Open House

2009-07-29T21:55:00.004-06:00

On Saturday the 25th we started the day by attending the Oquirrh Mountain Temple open house. We've been watching the construction as we visit Drew's brother who lives nearby. I really liked the intro video before walking through. It was a good reminder of the basics. If you have the chance to go, do.

Inside the temple I was really impressed by the simplicity of the design but the grandeur therein. I'm glad that we were able to share this with Brad, Tahnie, Brynner, and Gromo. The need for temples is because of family and it was nice to be there with our family.

Kamas Pioneer Day Parade and JUICE

2009-07-28T19:58:00.005-06:00

Just in case one parade in a day isn't enough we went to TWO! Thanks to Brad and Tahnie for inviting us to view the Kamas parade. It felt a little more like home and the scenic drive was a definite plus!

This particular float was a local pizza place grilling on the trailer and then offering samples along the parade route. Pretty cool.

After the parade we headed to Heber to get some eats at a more well known pizza place. The big hit for Brynner was his juice, just not in his sippy cup. He would look at Dad and ask, "JUICE? Pwease." And once his cup was empty, it became "Mah, pwease. JUICE!" After a couple successful drinks, he decided once the juice was gone he could show that by flipping the cup upside down. He ended up with some juice on him but mostly in him.

Salt Lake Pioneer Day Parade

2009-07-27T20:49:00.004-06:00

It's a family tradition to attend the 24th of July parade. This year was the same. Some uncles and cousins camped out to snag a prime spot in the shade. Thank you!

I thought I'd share some pictures.

I thought this float was fun. The ship, the sails, the water, and the words are all quilts.

Andrew, Kristi, Logan and Gromo. Love you all!

One of my uncles doing a crazy show that only happens once a year for this event.

We did some more fun things this weekend but I'll post those in the days to come.

La Puente, I love you!

2009-07-26T21:44:00.002-06:00

Oh yeah? If you love it so much, why don't you marry it? (Small child joke, sorry)

A few years back Drew and his family introduced me to La Puente, a Mexican restaurant on State Street . Upon recommendation I tried the small combo. I was most hesitant about the chile verde burrito included. This was never something I had growing up and until recently I have not been one to try new things. Verdict: Most delicious! It's my favorite part of the combo.

Maybe 2 years ago, they had a large fire in the kitchen and the establishment went down in flames. I was devastated. I have since tried several chile verde burritos, but have not been impressed. It took some time but they rebuilt and I have dreamed of returning once again.

We had a chance to do that this weekend and they are as delicious as ever! I was fulfilled, as far as good burritos are concerned. Plus, we were serenaded by a wonderful live performer. If you have a chance to go, I recommend the combo platter. Thank you La Puente.

Tender Mercies

2009-07-21T14:11:00.002-06:00

For no one particular reason I have been having a rough couple of days. I apologize to those who have interacted with my grumpiness. This afternoon I was headed back to work after having lunch at home with Drew when I noticed the mailman had come. There was a small package from a dear friend of mine. She has always been a wonderful influence in my life and has been on my mind recently. The small package included a ceramic ladybug and the music of "You are My Sunshine." Never before have I enjoyed the song "You are My Sunshine" as much as I did today.

I'm grateful for her and her ongoing love and encouragement. I am grateful to my Heavenly Father for being mindful of me and for His ability to show His tender mercies in various ways each and every day.

Computer Safety

2009-07-19T22:08:00.002-06:00

When Drew and I bought our computer it came with a free trial of Norton. Now that has expired. I would like to know who or what service you use and who you'd suggest.

*Also, I am a cheapskate like my brother so I'd like something with a low cost.

Please, please comment. Thanks everyone.

Open Invitation

2009-07-18T20:50:00.002-06:00

Drew and I went to Bear Lake this afternoon. We love going and the weather has been perfect for it. This year the water level is high so the water is fairly shallow pretty far out. I don't know how everyone else feels about it but I like going out far but still being able to touch the bottom. It's also nice for small children.

As much fun as we have going together for a couple of hours and throwing the frisbee to each other, we also love going with friends or family. We like to share our fun with others, so if anyone wants to go to Bear Lake with us, let us know. We can plan a time to go or to meet there.

Drewimony

2009-07-17T11:19:00.004-06:00

I wanted to give thanks to my Drew for making me happy. This week has offered many opportunities for me to laugh. He is a very funny person and I love it when he makes me laugh. Anymore I find that my good hearty laughs come because of Drew. Whether it be something he has done, something he finds funny, or the telling of his work woes. He has been really good at helping me feel better about myself when I've had a rough day. That means the world to me and so to him I say, "Thanks for all of it."

Accepting a Challenge with a Story

2009-07-16T14:25:00.000-06:00

My brother has challenged anyone who would like to participate, to blog about a topic each day for one month. I found this to be a good opportunity to share a story about him.

It's been 10 years ago that I came home from a month spent in Chicago with some family friends. (Thank you Tony and Claudia!) I have fond memories of that experience but one memory I share with my mom and my brothers is the airport pick up afterwards.

I had flown on Delta Airlines as a young girl and once again had the chance to fly with them again. I thought it would be fun to ask for a pair of pin on wings from the flight attendant. So coming off the plane I had these wings pinned to my shirt. Andrew and Aaron came to the Salt Lake airport to pick up my mom and me to take us home. We were greeted by my brothers with some cheap plastic leis and then as innocent as can be Aaron lifted up my lei and pointing to my upper torso exclaimed, "Hey, you've got...things." Needless to say we all had a good laugh about it.

July 4th!!!

2009-07-04T22:41:00.004-06:00

For the 4th this year Drew and I decided to stay local. We love the July holidays and Cache Valley does a good job in celebrating them. There are a lot of cities within a normal Salt Lake job commuting time, WITHOUT the traffic.

We got to see and feel fireworks on the 2nd AND the 3rd!

Today, the fourth, Drew's older brother Brad and his family came to celebrate with us. Thanks for coming Brad and Tahnie. After they arrived Drew and Brad were able to nab a prime spot on the parade route while Tahnie and I got the goodies together. You can't beat rice krispie treats and homemade pasta salad. Mmmm... They're a couple of Roska favorites.

This was Brynner's first parade and one of our favorite parade handouts were these small American flags. I love America!

Tahnie likes the parade flags too! After the parade we walked to the nearby city park for some grilling and stuffing our grills. I would say it was the BEST summer food I've had in years. Brauts, chips, watermelon, cherries, and pasta salad. Below Brad is lovin those cherry fingers.

One of our favorite moments of the park was when a random youngster came over and started to eat one of our hot dog buns. It was purely innocent and not a problem for us but when Brad and Tahnie, then Drew, noticed we had a stranger among us, he just looked like a deer in the headlights. More than anything I think he was embarrassed to find out that wasn't his family or their buns. To that family I say, "Stick around a minute more and we'll fill that bun and make you a plate." Thanks for the memory.

Other moments of laughter included watching two young boys fight with one another the way Brad and Andy used to do. It's so funny that as young people we fight, poke, and name call our siblings as if they were the enemy but as adults we poke and name call in jest because now they are our best friends. Since we had the already had the giggles Brad had to show us his cherry-stained teeth. I know it may not sound funny online but it was!

In other news: We have PEAS galore. They are fresh and delicious and bountiful. Drew is thrilled to see the garden producing.

Strawberry 2009

2009-06-19T17:10:00.005-06:00

So we went fishing at Strawberry for our annual June trip. Emily and I took Friday off so we could get ready to go and so I could take my Stats test ( I got 90%!!!!!!! take that stat nerds!). After I was done with the test, and Emily had made another batch of rhubarb crumble bars, we split for Heber. I couldn't help but think of my stupid brother who went right past the exit for Heber and ended up in Wyoming on the beautiful drive up there.

All week long everybody talked about how wet it would be, the first night we got a little rain but nothing too heavy. I bought a new spin cast pole, the kind the professional bass fisherman use and I found out they make it look a whole lot easier than it really is. After I had spent more time untangling the line, Emily came and got me and we headed back to the cabin to find Gale and Jessica waiting for us and it was like we didn't miss a beat! I had so much fun with them and wished we lived closer to them so we could hang out more. After my cheeks were sore from smiling and laughing they left and Emily and I locked ourselves out of the room. I had to pull the screen down and Emily used me as a step stool and climbed in the window. The next day was beautiful and we had tons of fun fishing, we each caught 2 fish. Brad and Emily caught a rainbow each so we were able to keep one each which is more than enough. It wasn't as successful as last year but we had a lot fun.

Loving Life

2009-05-30T11:20:00.003-06:00

This morning I woke up at about 6:30 (that actually, is sleeping in for me) and laid in bed for 20 minutes before I got up and decided to go water our garden. I am so proud of our garden this year. We have 26 tomato plants, two 25 foot rows of peas (I counted on one plant and we had over 20 pods starting to form), we have eight bell pepper plants, four eggplant plants, two cucumber plants, a row of herbs consisting of rosemary, basil, and we think thyme, but we are not sure, (we forgot to label them) and finally two rows of lettuce. I would show pictures but we have a bit of a weed problem that is being taken care of with killzall.

After watering I decided to sit out on the porch and enjoy the birds. Emily and I bought porch chairs that I love. After sitting for awhile I went and bought the newspaper and read it on our porch. Emily brought her bowl of cereal out and we sat there and enjoyed the cool morning. After we brushed our teeth we walked to the farmers market and bought rhubarb and spinach and the worlds best churro. We left after a little while and walked to the library so Em could check out some books.

I talked her into Slurpee's from the Sev and we walked and talked about life and how much we enjoy Logan this time if year. I know for me I complain a lot about the Winters and by the end of it I am ready to move but the Spring always make me fall in love with Logan all over again. I was excited to buy rhubarb because it reminds me of Grandma Henderson's house. She would go out there and pick a stalk and eat a little bit of it as it was. I could only get through one bite before it was too much for me. I am going to make a rhubarb cobbler with it and I couldn't be more excited.

As hard as my job has been these last few weeks I wouldn't trade it for the world. I can't imagine being indoors all day long and I enjoy watching those watching me from their desks with that look on their faces that say "I wish I was out there." I love my wife, she is so supportive of me and she makes me feel like I can accomplish anything (even if it takes me seven years). I love to see her face light up when I accomplish something she is proud of. I know if my accomplishments were on paper she would stick them on the fridge. I can't imagine living in a large city where people are always on the run and don't stop to enjoy a robin hopping around your garden eating all the worms that have come up from watering. I love our little apartment, I love the fact we are five minutes away from "downtown", I love to walk by the little old grandmas in the front yards pruning their flowers and I love life.

5K #2

2009-05-28T21:47:00.004-06:00

My brother Andrew and I participated in a 5K this last weekend. We both did better than last year. Andrew cut 10 minutes off his time and I improved by 5 minutes. Hooray!!!

We still look like nerds at the finish line. That's inevitable.

Fiesta de Mayo

2009-05-08T12:53:00.004-06:00

We held our annual Fiesta de Mayo party on Sunday the 3rd. I used to call it our Cinco de Mayo party but it rarely, if ever, lands on the 5th. It was fun to have my family come and participate. We love having them here and we're grateful that they'd make the trek and contribute to the eats. MMMmmm...I think it was the best food this year! Here are some of my favorite photos:

Fiesta Bingo

Pinata Smashing, etc...

Young Ones.

Path Between Trees

2009-04-22T13:52:00.003-06:00

Drew and I went to the Logan Galley Walk last Friday. Here is a picture of the unexpected addition to our growing art collection. We saw this original oil painting in an auction and decided we loved it enough to place a bid in the last 30 seconds of the auction. I'm glad we did.

Update on Drew's Coke Fast: It's been 38 days since his last soda.

Petunia, Manure, Coke, BINGO!

2009-04-10T12:29:00.004-06:00

On March 17th we attended the unveiling of a memorial at Utah State University. Meet Petunia, Curt's prize winning pig.

The artist did a really good job and Drew and some of the Madsens were able to put some texture on the ribbon and in the ear. I was so surprised to see Curt's boots on the right. They seemed so perfect.

Drew was able to get some manure for our garden from a farmer friend. He and Dave were able to till it into the dirt and our garden looks fantastic! I'm sorry we don't have any crappy pictures.

Drew has been Coca-Cola free for 26 days. I'm so proud!!! (This actually includes ALL carbonation.)

Lastly BINGO! We had some time before the memorial mentioned above so we played Bingo. The kids loved it and it was a big hit with the adults as well. We had so much fun that we took it to Salt Lake over conference weekend and played again.

Ken had a "defective" card. You gotta watch out for that one.

Thanks Brad and Tahnie for the great Christmas gift!

"Issac, you're not supposed to say "What the Hell." Mom, Issac said "What the Hell."

2009-03-26T12:02:00.009-06:00

That quote came from Braden at Tyler's birthday party a couple of weeks ago. After Donna got on Braden for saying it, Uncle Dusty (seen here in his purple Jedi in training suit) blamed his wife for teaching them the phrase, she just happened to be in the other room. The Madsen's are huge fans of Star Wars which makes it really easy to buy the kids birthday presents. Tyler got this over sized storm trooper head that changes your voice so you sound like one. Here we have the lovely Sarah trying it on for us.
This is what I wanted to get Tyler for his birthday but Emily said it was a bad idea. This is a picture of all the snow we got the first day of Spring break. From what i understand nobody else really got any. I was so bored I cleaned the oven. Emily will have to take a picture of that and post it.
I have wanted to get a Jazz hat but I am not sure how you are suppose to wear them now, they are to big and I don't like the fact that the brim doesn't bend. And last but certainly not least it has been ten days since my last coke, I sniffed but I did not inhale! So nuts to you guys (Brad) who thought I couldn't do it!

MISSING

2009-03-20T10:47:00.005-06:00

UPDATE: Thanks to all who read this and searched for my brother. He was found this morning walking in remote Wyoming. He has no signs of hypothermia and was not disoriented. His wife and children continue to take care of him and we hope to talk more often.

Name: Aaron

May answer to: Accounting Nerd or AJ Cool

Last seen/heard from: New Year's

Identifiable features: Scar on chest from "hole in heart"

May be found somewhere in Wyoming

Please call or e-mail Aunt Hama if you have seen this person.

Thank you.

**For anyone who is genuinely worried, Aaron is not missing. I just miss my brother.**

My name is Drew Roska and I am addicted to Coca-Cola

2009-03-16T12:15:00.001-06:00

So after a long time of fooling myself thinking I could stop at anytime, sneaking out in the middle of the night to enjoy a 20 oz passing out after having too much sugar, I have realized that I have a problem and I should work on it now. It all started at such a young age, my mom always had a six pack of diet coke in the fridge, I would wait until she left and I would sneak one out and drink it as fast as I could, the bubbles running down my throat always gave me a little tickle.
In my early teenage years I would go to miniature market on the way home from school and I would buy a 20 oz. and drink it before I got home. I would then chew a piece of gum to hide the sweet smell of coke goodness from my parents. Later I discovered the SUPER BIG GULP from the 7-11 down the street and found myself in coke heaven. I tried to give up the addiction while on my mission but when I would get offered a cold one dripping with condensation I couldn't help myself. some of my companions would scoff at me but I didn't care, all I could think about was the cold syrup running down my throat. OK so all joking aside I absolutely love Coke and this is going to be harder than I can imagine. I am not just giving up coke I am trying, no going to give up all carbonation. Emily and I have come up with a plan to keep me motivated and I will keep everybody up to speed on my progress.

Yea for another round of mobile uploads!

2009-02-26T10:06:00.012-07:00

Here are a bunch of random pictures I have taken with my phone over the last several months:
Emily and I went for a drive last week and we spotted a ton of deer in Smithfield and this one wanted to investigate. This is probably the cutest pirate ever!
Emily and I went to lunch and the fries were not the best so I made a fry sculpture.

We went to sizzler the first night of our trip to San Diego and all the food was gross so I made a face out of the mashed potatoes, butter and sour cream, a lemon wedge and some garnish. I thought he was pretty awesome and Gromo couldn't stop laughing.

This is Tyler and he has to be the funniest kid ever. I put my hat on him and he gave me the look of "Really?"

These fish were caught out of Bear Lake by a friend of mine. He was going to take me up there to ice fish but it didn't ever freeze over:(

A Shout for Posts!

2009-02-20T16:22:00.002-07:00

Some people are shouting for new posts. Well here you go. I have now made it to the top of your lists. HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA ha ha ha ha

But for reals-eees: Drew received a 98 on one test and an 85 on the other this week. I am so proud of him. He's put up a good fight this semester and I am so happy for him. Well done sir!

Five Years Strong and One Fun Week in San Diego

2009-01-22T12:50:00.008-07:00

Drew and I went to San Diego way back in December but it was kind of our BIG celebration for our 5th wedding anniversary.

WHOA 5 years, you say?! Yep, that's right, it has been the best five years ever! I apologize for taking so long to post about San Diego but considering our anniversary was only last week, I feel like I'm on top of posting. Thanks for patiently waiting for my favorite pictures.

This is the view from our penthouse 2 room suite in Las Vegas NV. We arrived in Vegas after an awful snow storm in Southern Utah and 9 hours driving total. Argh. The lady at the front counter told us it would be a 45 minute wait for our 2 reserved rooms. Double ARGH. But after watching people gamble their life earnings away we were bumped to a mini suite (normal room) and the grand 2 room suite. 1 dining/living area, 2 bedrooms, , 3 tv's and 4 bathrooms later we were thrilled to have a balcony view of Fremont Ave for only $10. Thank you Expedia!

The next day we headed to sunny San Diego. It was nice to be in California but the part of town we stayed in had a flare of Vegas. ;) A little joke for mom and Drew. Mom got a little friendly with the locals but really Big Boy offers yummy treats and a good place to stretch the legs.

Sea World is one of my favorite attractions, it may have something to do with the motion sickness of roller coasters. This year we fed the dolphins and touched sting rays. Very cool.

Drew enjoyed showing his fierce inner polar bear. Kids, don't try this at home.

Ethan inspired us to take an interest in the local history of firemen and fire fighting memorabilia. I'm really glad we took his advice, this was a fun look at the city's history.

Look: Drew and Hama wearing fire fighter helmets.

Another attraction we missed out on last time we went to Cali was the USS Midway. It was one of our favorites last year for the food and conversation but this year it was the ship and the planes carried on board. Drew says one of the tour guides was hitting on my mom but I don't know if that's true. I loved all the touristy photos we took including the below. Drew made sure we each had a turn sitting in the plane and making machine gun noises. He keeps me young.

Because of the Christmas season we were able to see "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" put on by the Old Globe Theatre in Balboa Park. The performance was amazing and really put me in the mood for Christmas. This was a real highlight.

All week the weather was perfect. It was so much warmer than Utah and the sun was out most days. We went to Coronado Island on an overcast day to check out the beach and the hotel. I love being together.

When San Diego heard we were coming they said,"Hey we've got Swensens coming. We better get a parade in here and make it a good one." Really though, our last night there we were sent off with delicious food, fireworks, and a parade of lights on the water.

Happy Anniversary Drew and Hama!

Merry Christmas!!! (Only a few days late...)

2008-12-30T14:50:00.002-07:00

This year Drew and I got snowed into Logan for Christmas. It was a very leisurely Christmas morning since we don’t have any children. We slept in and watched previously recorded Christmas concerts on the BYU channel, had hot chocolate, and then emptied our stockings. I’m so glad that we have The Bob’s as such good friends. After dinner they let us come over to their house and play a game while their family was visiting. Thanks for being our friends!

The other Christmas miracle this year was our tree. Because we went to sunny San Diego for about 10 days (Post Pending) we didn’t want to buy a tree, just to have it dry up, and fuel a fire in the apartment. This wasn’t a big deal until we found out we would be in Logan for Christmas. But, thanks to a very kind co-worker, we had a tree. She had decorated a live tree and given it to a very good friend of hers who was leaving Christmas Eve and won’t be back until after the New Year. Because it was going to be garbage in the street, we adopted the tree and were thrilled to put a few of our own ornaments on it.

What a weekend...well 5 day weekend

2008-12-03T10:11:00.011-07:00

So most of you were a big part of our weekend so all of this isn't new but I want to go over some highlights. First off I want to mention how great my fishing trip was and that I was grateful for Dave Burgess and his willingness to come with me. He made a fine net boy and it was nice to have someone to talk to. Here are some pictures of the catches and from what Gromo and Dave Roska had to say it was good eats! This one was the smallest one.

This one was the medium.

And this one is bigger than Alden or Logan!!!

After fishing we went back and we ate dinner with Papa Clark at Cafe Rio it had been a while since we had eaten there and it was pretty good. Afterwards we went bowling and I sucked it up but Andrew and Kristi did pretty well. Ethan was funny to watch and we all had a good time.

Next day was Thanksgiving and we went to Ren and Susan's house (that is Tahnie's mom). Dinner was great and we went back to Brad's had pie and watched Hancock...it was okay but not what I had expected. We split and then went and hung out with the Clark Clan where we watched "A Christmas Story" and played games. It was really nice to see everyone.

Friday we did the shopping in the early morning and we got some great deals! I am very excited for all the presents we got. The rest of the morning Emily and I slept. We got up went and hung out with James and got him some birthday presents. It was really nice to be with him and see how much he has grown up. We then had a Chinese themed dinner were Aaron almost burnt down the kitchen! (Sorry no pictures) That was really awesome. We watched Kung Fu Panda which was really fun and we all hung out on Gromo's bed.

Saturday we went to Brynner's birthday party which wasn't as good as it could have been because the little guy had an ear infection and was pretty upset the whole time. After we left they took him to the doctor and they found the problem, he was a lot better after that. We gave him a little boat and from what Brad says he likes to try and sink it. I am just glad he plays with it. We went and did some more shopping and found more presents and we headed home. It was great to be around so much family and get to enjoy a little piece of everyone.

Drew is A Wesome

2008-11-21T16:22:00.001-07:00

'Nough Said.

Most quoted Roska ever!!!

2008-10-28T12:03:00.004-06:00

So the reason why I am doing this is because over the years we have gotten some pretty memorable quotes out of Elliott. And I don't want to lose any to forgetfulness. Now this disclaimer is for Elliott or the American badness! Look dude you know as well as everybody who reads this that you have some great quotes and they should not be forgotten, so be proud of who you are and I love ya! If you have any quotes you can blog them yourself or send me an email and I will post them. Here are some of my most favorite.

All of these were said while playing catch phrase:

Word: Tunnel.
Elliott: rhymes with funnel with a T

Word: Bath tub gin
Elliott: You do it on your honeymoon it's romantic... (All of these are said while he is motioning his hand this is supposed to help you get it.)

Word: French-Indian War:
Elliott: Brad! Where did you serve your mission
Brad: France
Elliott: All right.

Word: Scotch
Elliott Buttersco.... come on guys butterscot...

These are just random memories I have of the kid:

Elliott and Kent came over to spend the night and Curt had come over to hang out. Everybody was razzing everybody and there was a lull in the razzing and Elliott out of no where and said; "fine why don't I go outside and freeze myself!"

Brad and I took Elliott to priesthood for his first session, before we left he asked two questions first was if he could bring his digi-draw and the second was if we could stop at Reams and buy some candy before we went. After the 2 hour session we were walking out and only in Elliott fashion he says at the top of his lungs, "Man how long were we in there?" Brad and I vowed never to take him again.

Brad took Elliott and Kent to an amuesment park that had bumper cars and slick track racing. Brad Kent and Elliott were racing along with some other kids when Elliott slammed his car into another kids car. The guy running the ride gave him a warning. Elliott proceeded to hit the kid again and the guy gave him another warning and once again Elliott slammed the kid and the guy told Elliott to pull over Brad was coming around and saw Elliott throw his helmet into the drivers seat and ask the guy, "WHAT KIND OF BUMPER CARS ARE THESE???" The guy then pointed out where the bumper cars were and hopped into that line.

Brad and Tahnie I know you guys have a lot of these and I don't want to claim all of them so send them to me so I can put them on or put them on your blog!!!

Emily's story: When I met Drew's family for the first time Kathy offered me a drink. I chose grape juice. Someone mentioned it probably wasn't cold enough and the little helper he is, Elliott went to the freezer grabbed a handful of ice and dropped it in my glass. The rest of the family went nuts but I didn't think anything of it.

Now I realize how unsanitary that was. He was young and...well...Elliott. I love him.

Confessions...

2008-10-17T22:05:00.004-06:00

First off: A buna buna is a motorcycle according to our nephew Ethan. But Drew still needs to get on it before someone else does. Hint hint.

Now for the confessions. Confessions are mostly personal and I don't mind that you read this. I hope you do and that makes me more accountable for my actions.

The other night I was trying to sleep and started to think of my family and friends, as I often do. Then I realized that I don't do much more than that. I think of you often, wonder how your life is going, if there's anything new and exciting, or something that troubles you that I don't know. I am so sorry.

I have let distance between us grow in my life. I realize for some it's a physical distance that I let myself justify the lack of contact, for others that live in my own neighborhood it's simply mental. I make excuses or put it off until another day. This year I want that to change. I want to say more thank you's and I'm sorry's and be more honest.

Now I've confessed. Now everyone knows. If you ask me how it's going I promise an honest response, so be prepared for more than a monosyllable answer.

Buna Buna or Bust

2008-10-14T15:04:00.001-06:00

If you'd like to know what this is about leave comments. I think Drew needs a kind nudge to get this blog up and running.

P.S. We're alive and well. Thanks for reading.

No Alcohol Needed

2008-10-03T12:02:00.006-06:00

These look like some fun pumpkins but we don't need alcohol to be fun people.

This is a stab at Drew saying we are a boring married couple. Let me name a few of the wildly fun things we have done in the last week or so.

We walked to a local restraunt and had doughnuts and hot chocolate for breakfast. Then we made our way to the gardener's market and mingled with the local growers. We made people at church laugh. We have tried two new delicious recipes and shared them with our friends. We upset the baseball fans at Iggy's and this weekend we get to meet our brand new niece.

How awesome are we?!

Note to our readers: I didn't plan on Drew posting again before I placed my rebuttal so I'd appreciate it if you'd comment on his pictures. I am impressed with his camera phone. It's way better than mine.

It's time for another exciting round of Drew took that with his cellphone camera

2008-10-03T10:00:00.010-06:00

So I must admit that with these first few pictures I have never been a big stop and smell the roses kind of guy, I have never even really paid much attention to any flowers. With this landscaping job I have had my eyes opened to a wide variety of plants and flowers and there are a few I would like to incorporate into my landscape. These first set of picture are called obedient flowers. You can bend them in the middle so it looks like they are broken but then you can stand it back up and it is like nothing happened. I took these because we found some bumble bees that had spent the night on them.

I also liked these different flowers the first one is called a flax, most people let this grow and about half way through the summer it dies but if you cut it back to the ground you can get a late blooming and it is just as good as the first one.
The next ones are called asters they come in a variety of colors and if done right they will take over a large area.

Here are some pictures I have taken of wild life. The picture of the fox I took while golfing with Brad, the others I have taken while at work.

Why are married people so boring?

2008-09-23T15:53:00.005-06:00

So Emily and I have had the opportunity to Have my friend Dave Burgess over to our house several times since he moved up here and I have come to the conclusion that we are boring. I would say that he ends up falling asleep while with us about 3 out of 5 times he comes over. And the odds increase the longer he stays. Now in our defense Dave isn't very good at staying awake through anything, I have watched him fall asleep during a temple wedding several times. But I do feel for the most part we are boring.

We usually sit by ourselves at church, I think it's because we are considered the old grumpy couple and we really have nothing in common with the younger folks in our ward... they should have a ward for those of us who waited until they were 24 and need 6-7 years to finish our bachelors. I have considered trying to keep up with the current fashions but I am pretty sure I would look terrible in skinny leg jeans, plus I need things to flow off of me when running to the bathroom (this is a common Roska boy problem). The white rimmed glasses would make me look more like a bug than I already do and red is as about as bright as I will go.

I have also considered joining some sort of league but I have found I am not willing to give up some of my favorite shows to be a part of said leagues. I want to put in a very minimum effort but I want really good results. Does anybody have any ideas for us and no, I am not willing to give up The Office, Earl, Heroes, The Big Bang Theory, The Biggest Loser, AFV or Wrestling so that is pretty much Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday mornings.

Dont cry for me Argentina

2008-09-02T12:31:00.003-06:00

I must make this request before I blog. I don't want anybody telling me how bad this sucks. I already know. I had to take a test this semester before I could take Stats 1040. I took the test several times and studied as hard as I could but I wasn't able to pass it. I needed to get into stats so I could apply for my major this semester and since I did not get in I am not able to apply for a full year so I have to take a year off of school. So I am taking this semester off and I will return in the spring and take a full load of classes and I will then take stats in the summer and take the following fall semester off as well. It's ok I feel fine it was hard to accept but I am willing to take it. It means I have more time with my wife and we get to go on another vacation this winter so it will all work out. so if you must cry I understand but know we are both doing well and we look forward to the time together

Mountain Lion....Perhaps...

2008-07-29T14:11:00.005-06:00

Emily: Hmm..My lip is burning.
Drew: My whole nose is burning.
Emily: Did you touch it after chopping the green pepper?
Drew: I must have.

(5 minutes later)
Drew: This REALLY hurts!

Drew puts ice on his nose and cheeks. It's a little messy, his face melts the ice.
Running water...
Emily: Maybe you should try milk.
Silence...

Emily walks to the kitchen to find Drew with his face in a bowl of milk.
Drew: It's not working very well.
Emily opens the fridge: Yogurt or sour cream?
Drew: Huh?? Sour cream.

Finally Drew has some relief from the physical pain. Too bad they watched that History channel special about large cats and Emily can't stop laughing.

Old but not forgotten....

2008-07-10T13:27:00.004-06:00

The news is old but not forgotten, my car was old but not forgotten, and I am getting old and I'm reminded by my mom that my age is not forgotten. Thanks mom! ;)

This happened nearly one month ago but I need to share. Pictures will follow.
The funniest thing happened on my lunch hour...

Drew picked me up and we decided to go to the Old Grist Mill for lunch. Mmmm. As we entered the store our upstairs neighbor call Drew on his cell phone and stated "There are a couple of guys from a scrapyard checking out your red car in the driveway. Can I give them your phone number?" So when he hung up Drew relayed the message and said "500 no less?" Well yeah I'd love to have $500 but it doesn't run and I know it's not worth that much. The guy called and offered $100 and Drew used his negotiating skills to get more but in the end the guy had $200 cash and that's what he could give us for it.

There was talk of is that a good deal? will I be able to give up my TercelEZ after all this time?could we fix it and sell it for more? In the end we decided it wouldn't be realistic to keep it. We won't be able to fix it. Donating it would give us $0 cash. We called him back after about 10 minutes debate and told him he had a deal. We forgot about lunch, went home, cleaned out the car, took a few pictures, and said goodbye.

Drew and our friend, Dave, let me get in the driver's seat and drive the length of the house and grass while they pushed behind. The guys came, hooked her up, paid us the cash and took her away. I like to think they don't mind giving us 200 because they are going to fix it and sell it for more. That way she'll remain on the streets, with the wind whipping her hood, where she belongs. Car heaven.

It wasn't easy and I cried. I'm sorry that all of you couldn't take a moment to feel the steering wheel or the gear shift between your fingers. Or that we couldn't go to the Sev and get Super Big Gulps and pile in like we were taking an adventure. That would have been the proper goodbye. It was a great car and it took us a lot of places. (Mostly the Sev. cause she could take us there herself, no steering needed.)

PS Tomorrow is 7-11 and there should be free slurpees at your local Sev. :D

all in a week

2008-07-06T18:47:00.009-06:00

So since Emily is no where to be found in the blogging world it looks like Drew must take command and try to keep this thing updated. For those of you who don't know I have taken up working outside and I have quickly realized how difficult it is. I guess some of the perks is that I am learning a lot about different weeds and bugs and I am getting a great tan! I have actually started to use the camera on my cellphone for things other than goofy pictures of me and my wife. Here are the stories behind the different pictures.

BO-JANGLES

Is my little mouse friend I found string trimming at south farm. He was no ordinary mouse, he wasn't afraid of me at all he maybe ran 2 yards away from me before turning around and staring. I watched him try to jump up on a step but he was a little too robust for that so to try to scare him into it I threw a little rock at him... it was an underhand throw and it hit him in the butt. He then started running on his side in a circle before stopping and kicking his little leg. I thought to myself there is no way I just killed this mouse. I didn't even throw it hard enough. So I poked him with the string trimmer and he kicked his leg some more, I did it again and kicked more than he stuck out his front teeth. I went back to what I was doing and turned to check on him and he was sitting on his butt with his two feet in front of him just watching me. It was really weird. I wanted to show my boss how cool he was and poked the string trimmer at him and he stood up and grabbed the edge. I pulled it back and poked it at him again and got the same result. My boss thought he was weird too. We went to break and came back and couldn't find him so I went back to string trimming and didn't see him until the end of the day. I guess my boss didn't see him when she ran over him with the lawn mower... poor Bo-Jangles I was able to take a picture of him before his accident. This is in memory of my little friend.

Horned caterpillar

We were pulling weeds around these ornamental shrubs and we found this caterpillar. He was really cool. They mostly hang around tomato plants and do damage to those but since we didn't have any we couldn't justify killing him.

Memorial for Curt

A couple years ago Emily and I lost a very good friend in the USU rollover accident. They have recently commissioned an artist to make a memorial for the 8 students and professor who died in the accident. Curt raised pigs in High school and won several awards for doing so. So in his memorial they have a prize winning pig with ribbons on it. The artist is doing an amazing job and trying to get the families to participate in the memorial so he had family members come and add texture to the ceramic tiles that will later be cast in bronze. We added texture to the pigs ear and the ribbons. One of the tiles was completely finished when the parents came to visit, according to the father the tractor that was in the tile was the one and only tractor the young man hated. so the artist didn't hesitate in taking it out and starting over on the tractor.

Those were the days

2008-06-08T20:20:00.002-06:00

Emily and I have had the opportunity to spend time this weekend with Andrew, Kristi and the always entertaining Ethan. Watching the little tike this weekend has made me think of the good old days.

We were at the ever popular Pepperidge Farms outlet and as we were leaving there was a big puddle in the parking lot, all of us adults seemingly bypassed it without a second glance. Ethan on the other hand made a beeline straight for it just as Kristi did her ahhahah he pulled back and continued on.

Later we were fishing and the kid was all over the place, throwing rocks in the water gradually getting larger and larger until he was told to tone it down, he then would find a stick and start splashing and the splashes would get larger and larger until he was asked to tone it down, he then would run around and get closer and closer to the water until finally falling in and getting his pants wet.

Later we were watching Finding Nemo at our house it was on one of the local stations and every time a commercial would come on he would freak out and say I want to watch Nemo. And every time we would have to explain commercials (tivo has ruined the kid!!!)

All of this made me think back to when I was a kid and I was the kid running around splashing in puddles. I remember when I was in grade school and it was winter and everything was covered in ice. All of the kids were outside sliding on the ice. I wasn't talented enough to slide on my feet so I went on my butt. I guess it's a bad idea to slide on your but when wearing corduroy pants. I tore them to pieces. I remember it being so exhilarating until I realized what I had done to my pants.

It also maybe me think of Saturday morning cartoons wrapped up in my Grandma Henderson quilt still in my whity tighties with a big bowl of marshmallow maties watching tiny toons, teenage mutant ninja turtles and the all time classic looney tunes. Not the Saturday morning crap they have now.

My point is we get to caught up in our everyday lives to "do work" on a puddle that needs someone to jump in it. We don't stop to see how big of a splash we can make with rocks, sticks and sometimes our pants. I think we could make our lives easier by stopping and watching a line of ants march back to their home, playing a game of eye spy next time we are waiting for a bus or in a room sitting with 20 people in awkward silence or maybe even stopping to pick up a seeding dandelion and blowing on it until they are all gone. ( I call it job security)

Camping Treats

2008-06-05T15:53:00.002-06:00

I would like our readers to suggest some of your favorite camping treats. Drew and I love to go camping and I have a few good camping recipes but I'd like to hear some of yours. What do you find easy or especially tasty in the wild outdoors?

Old News

2008-05-28T13:23:00.007-06:00

I haven't said anything about the 5K in April. I'm sorry if it's boring because it is old news but it is something I'm proud of and enjoy remembering.

April 19th I participated in my very first 5K. One of my co-workers found the event and I knew that if I was going to be serious about it I needed a training partner. I invited my brother Andrew to train with me and convinced Aaron it would be a fun birthday celebration.
I really enjoyed training with Andrew. Sometimes I forget how funny he is and how much he gets my humor. One night at the track we decided that the right side of my face is more attractive than the left. Hear me out. This particular evening when we went to jog the direction had changed from the other days. (Clockwise vs. counter-clockwise) This particular night the boys playing basketball and tennis on the inside of the track intentionally threw balls in my path. One nearly hit me in the head. I knew those boys were just making an excuse to say hello and be noticed. We decided that the only thing that had changed was the view of my profile and thus we concluded that the left side is much more appealing to the young men. ;)

The week of I was really bummed to find out Drew had to work that morning and that he would miss the main event but I knew he was proud of me too. It was a great surprise when I reached the finish line and my co-worker told me my phone rang and that she had answered it. She said Drew called, was going to ride my bike, and should be here really soon. I had a sip of water, rested my legs for about 60 seconds and as soon as he was within an eyes view I headed back down the street turned into the parking lot and back through the finish line. I saw him and he saw me and I told him how excited I was that he could be there to see me finish. Too bad I told him the truth. All the same it was super sweet of him to do all he could to be there for me. Thanks Drew.

parades...who knew they could be fun!

2008-05-16T16:05:00.003-06:00

I never got into the whole parade jazz and so when Emily would tell me how much fun they are I wouldn't get as excited as she would. But I do have to admit they can be fun if you follow a few simple rules for making them fun.

1. Always look to see who owns the float or (in most cases up here) who owns the truck pulling the boat trailer. Once you know who it is you must enthusiastically cheer their name and be excited like you are here to see them. This will guarantee you lots of candy or tooth brushes or Frisbee's.

2. Always have a cute kid with you who has mastered the little guy wave. The more kids you have the better the results. Make sure they are dressed nicely cause kids in whitetrash overalls will not work.

3. No matter how cute the girls on the floats are, do not wave unless under the age of 12. Otherwise you just come off as a creepy fat guy. Smile and give the head node.

4. Sit at the front of the parade, the people on the floats or boat trailers have not learned how to conserve the candy so they give it out more plentifully.

5. Don't ever leave candy in front of your seats. People think you have had enough so they will not throw as much. Once you get a plethora of candy hide it behind the your seat.

6. Don't give kids bags to put their candy in. It looks tacky and don't let them run into the streets after it, people get turned off by that and will probably not throw a second handful.

7. Find some shade, you don't want to sit through a 2 hour parade with no shade but make sure you are visible to the paraders, it's very important.

If all these steps are followed properly you will get a lot of free stuff and your trip to the parade will be a happy and successful trip.

I know I'm lucky cause...

2008-05-16T09:43:00.005-06:00

Drew makes me laugh. It's a lot of little things he's done in our time together that keeps things enjoyable. From the very first day we met he's had me rolling on the floor laughing. This month it was because he was on the floor that I was smiling.

Drew decided one day that if he blocked the doorway then I couldn't return to work after my lunch hour. It worked. I called my co-worker to tell Drew to move and my plan backfired when she told me what a slow afternoon it was and how I should stay home. It's nice to know that after all our time together Drew still wants to hang out with me on a weekday afternoon. I love that he did it and that he continues to threaten to do it again.

Last night we went into our yard and flew $3 basal wood airplanes with wind up propellers until the rubber bands broke so many times we could no longer repair them. It was great fun and a good reminder of how good the simple things are. Tonight we're going burnin' with Andrew and Kristi. (It means we'll go up the canyon, start a fire, and roast hot dogs and marshmallows.) It's one of our all time FAVORITE things to do. Hooray!

Too much sugar

2008-05-01T09:52:00.004-06:00

Emily and I have had the privilege of being so close to Andrew and Kristi these past 4 years which means we also had the chance to watch Ethan grow into the little man he is now. This weekend we had them over for dinner and Ethan was a little hyper. He was also in a singing mood.

The one I have on my cellphone has a little more of him and Daddy barking. As soon as I figure out how to post it I will.

For the Love of Pots

2008-04-15T11:23:00.004-06:00

One of my favorite things about Drew and his pottery is getting to know other potters, their styles, their strengths, and their personalities. The Ceramics Guild held a pottery sale and Drew and I took the opporutnity to invest in other talented artists.
Tom Knight:
I'm grateful for their differences and that there is much to choose from and at the same time it made it hard to choose.
Cory Brown:

Visiting Artist

2008-04-08T08:41:00.008-06:00

One of the things I will miss about the ceramics department is the visiting artists. The ceramics department gets to have a wide variety of visiting artists because we're able to pay for them with our guild sales. The latest visiting artist was Mark Hewitt. He is potter from North Carolina and he supports himself entirely from what he makes. I was really impressed with him and his abilities. I missed a class just so I could sit through all of his demonstrations. He is very talented and his pots are very expensive. In an eight hour shift he make over 200 mugs at which each mug sales for 40-50 dollars.
He makes these large potting jars at which he sales those for 8,600 dollars and he can make 20 of those in a week. My favorite thing he made were these ice tea vessels. He used less than a pound of clay to get it about 12 inches high the walls on the pots are no more than a few pieces of paper thick! I also like these plates he made here are some pictures with a slip added to them so when they're fired they come out the color he prefers. The amazing thing is he uses hardly any clay for his projects. He mad a couple of 1 gallon pitchers with almost 2 pounds of clay. To get an idea of how hard this is, this semester we had to make 12 inch cylinders with 4 pounds of clay, most of the students could not do it and at times I struggled with the assignment; now imagine him throwing well over 12 inches with 2 pounds of clay and making it large enough to fit a whole gallon of water in it. All I can say is that I was amazed! For our assignment in class we had to make 2 foot jars, here is the one I made not as good as Mark Hewitt's but I haven't been doing this for 20 years either... Sorry to say it but this is the only way anybody can see my 2 foot pot. I pulled it out of the kiln this morning and it has cracked out the flame was too intense and it wont survive, I will be making more this summer.
Sorry if these pictures are not crystal clear I had to take them with my camera phone.

Roska's Pottery

2008-03-22T13:00:00.005-06:00

It's up and running for anyone to see. Visit http://www.roskaspottery.blogspot.com to see what Drew will have for sale starting Tuesday, March 25th.

Feel free to look and drool but the bidding will not begin until Tuesday morning. We hope you like it and if it works well we might do it again.

It's Official

2008-03-12T17:07:00.003-06:00

We will be holding the Pottery Extravaganza on March 25th - March 31st. Please have your bids in by 7pm. There will be pictures and measurements available. If you don't live in Logan (or Utah) we will arrange for shipping. Thanks for your love and support! This is the best selection so far!!!

Please post a comment if you never have before, so if you have any trouble we can resolve it before the 25th. Thanks again!

For those of you who need eye candy

2008-03-03T18:48:00.003-07:00

Here are some pictures of my latest work!

I Need Input...From Our Readers....If there are any...

2008-02-26T08:37:00.006-07:00

This semester I am taking the intermediate wheel throwing class again and I am about to have a huge problem. Just after spring break we will have our first critique of our work. This will include over 95 pieces I have made so far and Emily and I have no room for them in our house. Last time I took this class we had Emily's graduation hoopla and we sold them there. Since I am not graduating soon and it was hard enough to get everyone there last time we decided we might do an online silent auction from our blog.

We have several readers that live outside of Utah and we'd be more than happy to ship them where ever. (All of the old potters have mastered shipping them through the mail.) Since this is my last semester doing ceramics in school and since people have asked how to get some of my pots, we thought this would be the easiest way to do it. But I need to know what people think. I think we would probably put the pieces online for 2 weeks let everyone bid on what they liked and close it out and go from there.

I don't want people to think that this would turn into a blog where we ask you guys to buy stuff all the time, I just don't see any other options. I do have the option to put them into the Ceramics Guild sale but I have to mark them up a lot more than I regularly would because they keep 30%. And for you guys outside of Utah you're kind of out of luck. So let me know what you think and if you have any suggestions. I will also post pictures of what I have made once I get them glazed fired.
And for those of you I promised to make you something and never got it to you, I don't want you to think I forgot I just huh... So I forgot. shoot me an email and I will take that into consideration;)

Fishing,quilting,eating,rollingover and tons of elk

2008-02-15T10:52:00.011-07:00

Last week I went fishing on Saturday morning with a friend of mine and we caught a tons of fish. This crazy old guy told me I needed to try a spinner on my line as the weight, it seemed to work well for him and I was amazed at how well it worked for us. We caught over 30 fish (most of the perch)and my buddy kept most of them. Emily stayed home and put together a quilt with the leftover fabric from the one she made for Brynner. I really like it and called dibs but I know how artist work and if they dont want to keep something or had other plans for it there is no conviencing otherwise. It was a beautiful day one not meant for staying home and watching the Dew action sports tour or sking at deer valley so we split. We went to Iron Gate Grill for dinner and afterwards we decided to drive up to Hardware Ranch to check out the elk. Half way up we watched a very young couple roll their jeep.(a week after we watched a girl get a nose job by slamming her car into a van) After running up and checking to make sure the couple was okay and seeing them dangle from their seats I instructed them to stay where they were(nobody found it funny but me.) A couple of other people stopped and we rolled the jeep back over and found that the young man had a small cut on his hand and the young girl was fine. Both were a little shaken up but nothing serous at all. Emily went and got a blanket for them and the young man took it and said thanks and wrapped himself up. (I don't think she'll stick with him for long) The young mans dad was up looking at the elk and came down about 15 minutes after it happened. The Jeep was still running so they decided he was going to drive it back down the canyon so Emily and I finished our trek up to the elk and it was awesome here are a couple of pictures we took.
and here are some of just the elk we got lucky and saw two of them fighting!!!

Dear Future Self,

2008-02-07T16:42:00.002-07:00

The other night I was rummaging through a bunch of papers and cards that I had kept. There were a lot! That's not the point. I found the answer to Aaron's question.

Around my birthday I mentioned what I need to do before I'm 25. Aaron was intrigued and asked what it consisted of. I really didn't think I had a list but I was mistaken. I found a letter to myself of what I expected my life to be at 25 years old. It makes me laugh because I realize now how old I thought 25 was.

"The year is 2008 and you are now 25 years old..." I asked myself about dates with my husband, my one child, my dog Happy, and my cottage in the country. I remember writing this letter (I have the Swensen memory) and being conservative in writing about only one child. I would like a child but I don't think it will happen by my birthday. I want a dog but the only reason I'd name him Happy is because of this silly letter. Besides my "cottage" in the country won't allow for a pet.

Drew and I had a good laugh about it and I thought I would share with all of you.

My Pole in the Water

2008-01-25T17:37:00.000-07:00

Drew took me ice fishing only after days and days of begging him. ;) This was the first chance I had to try out my new pole from Christmas and the first time I had actively participated in the fishing of ice fishing.

I got a couple good bites on my line and fought with one fish, only to have him "Houdini" on me and jump off the line at the last minute. Cause I was so popular with the fishes Drew asked me how far my line was in the water. As I pulled it up to show him it caught the eye of a beautiful trout. Apparently he followed my lure up into the hole. I looked down just in time to see him flop his body around and dive back in the water.

I didn't get any fish that day but I consider it successful. Neither of us got wet and the fish were biting enough for hours of excitement. Not to mention the scenery was amazing.

Beauty Salon Weekend

2008-01-25T17:26:00.000-07:00

Aaron and Julie came to visit us not too long ago. It was a nice surprise and a good chance catch up. We went to the store, played games, and had a steak dinner. Julie and Anna both got makeovers.

On Sunday they came to church with us. It was good to have a crowd that day because we received a new bishopric. Thanks for coming!

Finally!

2008-01-14T18:09:00.000-07:00

Emily and I had the opportunity of going to my best friends wedding last month. I have known Jake since the day we walked into the lunch room at Granite Park Junior High, one lanky and the other stalky. We were rejects from all other social groups so we sat at our own table and we ate lunch together everyday all through our senior year. Jake and I went through a lot together; high school football, nick names, English reports, awkward dating years, missions, Dave Burgess, Mike Zito, Granite High, my first date with Emily and much more. Seeing him get married was awesome we had a chance to meet his wife when they came up to visit family in Logan. She is very nice and suites Jake very well. We're happy for the both of them and wish them the best of luck.

Why Drew can't own a nintendo

2008-01-14T17:45:00.000-07:00

As of Christmas Emily and I were introduced to the world of Guitar Hero. Well the rich man's version. Brad bought himself Rock Band for Christmas this year and Christmas day we rocked out. I don't remember doing anything else at Brad's that day and we really didn't need to. The game is very addicting and had Emily not had to work the next day we would have played all night long. Brad also invited us over on new years to celebrate so I invited Dave, Jake and his new wife Allison and once again the night was spent rocking out if Emily wouldn't have come down stairs and interrupted our jam session I wouldn't have realized the new year had begun. I like rock band more than guitar hero because you have the opportunity to play the other instruments and another big difference is you get to sing. Amazingly enough that is one of my favorite parts, I can't sing well but the game or the other players don't seem to mind. Josh Huff recently allowed me to borrow his PS2 and I have yet to return it. The game is so much fun and for a guy like me who always wanted to learn to play an instrument this is the next best thing.

I want a whopper and a small drink

2008-01-09T09:45:00.000-07:00

For those of you who don't know this I was a T.A. at school in SLC that was a school for people with disabilities. I spent 2 years there and loved every minute of it. I have been a little nervous about my degree for a while and I have always wondered if I will be able to find work. I am taking a Special Education class this semester, it's a requirement for all teachers and I fell in love with it the first day. It brought back so many memories of my time spent at the School in SLC. After which I went to my ceramics class and listened to all the foul mouth people I associate with on a daily basis. And I thought to myself that this will be what I deal with for the rest of my life if I stick with ceramics. So unofficially I am changing my major to special education but I will still get a minor in art. I think they will go hand in hand. I figure this will help me interact with my younger brothers a lot more:) It doesn't mean that I will be up here for any longer than I planned I just might have to take a few summer classes. As it sits now I have almost enough for an art minor. Now I just have to do the Special Ed classes. I will always do ceramics and maybe later in life go back and get a BFA in ceramics but for now I think this is the best course for me and my family. The title is from my days at this school, we had to teach the students how to purchase food from a restaurant. We spents weeks teaching these kids a song that would help them order. And that is the first line in the song. I was so impressed when they all got up to the cashier and sun the song and paid on their own. I will never forget that day and how it helped me shape my life.

My apologies

2008-01-04T16:47:00.000-07:00

I feel like our blog has hit a spot of Blah. We haven't posted for almost a month and I apologize. I complain about those who don't update their blogs and I have become one of them.

In an effort to make this post interesting, I will include the following: We had some leftover turkey from the holidays and Drew opted to make a delicious Chicken Jambalaya from the Better Homes and Gardens cookbook. I know several families have this cookbook and I would recommend it.

O Christmas Tree

2007-12-12T19:12:00.000-07:00

Here's a picture of our tree and to go along with it a story or two. I have not had a chance to play Drew's game yet and now seems to be perfect.

What Christmas memories do I have? One of my favorites to laugh about now is "gambling" for a time. Andrew and I used to play simple card games like go fish or gin to decide what time we would wake up on Christmas morning. He always wanted to sleep a little longer and I couldn't wait to be out of bed. We'd start with a happy medium like 6 am and move in 10 minute intervals. If I won we'd wake up earlier and if he won we could sleep in. Really I never slept Christmas eve and made myself sick with anticipation, I still do. It's time I enjoyed spending with Andrew.

I remember getting my first bike on Christmas. It was pink and the padding had an ice cream cone print on it. I loved riding it everywhere I could, while it had its training wheels. The day I had my dad take them off was the day I stopped riding. I later taught myself on that pink bike coasting down my driveway, walking it up the Searle's driveway, and once again coasting down their's and the sidewalk in between. I was so stubborn and I'm sure I hold the record for the longest time it took to learn to ride a bike.

Drew and I were at the grocery store a week or so ago and I started to cry in the cookie isle. This time every year Mother's Cookies puts out the frosted cookies in holiday shapes. Growing up I always remember my dad having some in the Tercel. Since we never took that car as a family I know it was his secret stash, his major award to himself. The year my Dad was alone in Magna I knew he wouldn't buy them for himself, so I created a plan to secretly give him those cookies and a gallon of milk. Just what Santa ordered. When Andrew and I visited him he already had a gallon of milk and so I didn't include it. Of course as an adult I realize if I had bought it, he would drink it. Anyway, we were late leaving his house and it ended up being around 10:30 or so when I finally had purchased the cookies, driven back to his house, rang the doorbell, and then hide. I know my dad was a little upset to have a suspected visitor that late but I hope he was happy to see his major award. Those cookies now remind me of what it means to give.

Things I learned from Grandma

2007-11-30T17:15:00.000-07:00

This morning I learned that my lovely Grandma had passed away and I'd like to share a few things I learned from her.

Always have a tissue handy. Who says you need pockets!
There's nothing wrong with putting half a slice of bread back in the bag.
You can make someone feel like the most important person by remembering their name.
You don't need a reason to wear a dress or a nice piece of jewelry.
Offer popsicles and they will come.
Do the good ones twice. A good joke never gets old.

I will always cherish the time I spent with her and Grandpa and I'm so happy that they are united once more in their best form. I love them both!