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We spent a weekend in L.A. recently and enjoyed every minute of it. After the plane ride, Mike showed me his old neighborhood, where he lived till he was 9, in El Segundo. We strolled through Olvera Street and stopped for some excellent Mexican food, although Lucy wasn't crazy about the lime. Another day, we went to the Farmers' Market where Lucy was very serious about pony rides, and we sampled local Pain au Chocolat and Breakfast Quesadillas and saw some amazing fingerling potatoes (thought of you, Dad!). We then took fresh peaches and walked down to the beach and enjoyed the sun and the sand. Oh, and we shopped and shopped and shopped. . . first in the fashion district (blocks and blocks of fabric and textile stores!) and then at H&M. We got a little somethin' for daddy, mommy, and baby. We saw some beautiful architecture (pictured here are the Disney Concert Hall and the Union Station.) We didn't eat a single cupcake, however, even though I know there are ple...

I picked up the new Salt Lake Magazine which features the "Best of the Beehive" this month because, well, I love lists. . . and this has a list of Utah's Best Dining. . . and, well, I love dining. Then to my surprise as I was flipping through I saw a big full-page portrait of Rebecca Vernon a friend from our Roosevelt Ward days. No, she's not a premier Sushi chef or all-star restaurateur, she was one of the highlighted people in the article titled "Meet the Yummies." What are Yummies you ask? Young Urban Mormons. The article was introducing some mormon hipsters who are changing the stereotype and the look of mormons, albeit slowly. . . Rebecca, or as we used to call her, Rock-star Rebecca, is the perfect example. She's 32, single, and has style and talent to knock your socks off. She plays drums and bass in two different bands in clubs on Saturday night (one of which just signed with a Swedish record label!) and then goes to church Sunday morning. She fo...

Our little Lucy just turned one, so here are some things I know about one-year-olds. . . One-year-olds love balloons. . . . and cousins and friends and Great Grandmas. . . . . . and they love presents and wrapping paper and ribbon . . . and birthday cards . . . One-year-olds DO NOT like candles . . . . . . so they may seem dubious at first . . . . . . but they soon realize they like cupcakes . . . . . . a lot . . . . . . which is good 'cause there are a lot of them . . . . . . 'cause one-year-olds' moms think a birthday party is a really good excuse to stock up on things they themselves like, like cupcakes and izze soda . . . . . . oh, and one-year-olds definitely love their dads . . . . . . even if they're going through a mommy phase . . .

Jake and Jesse in the Crystal Cave at the Library. Jake and Sam in the Snowflake Olympic Fountain at the Gateway Shannon and Jake riding Trax. . . One of the reasons I haven't been blogging is because my sister and her family all came in to town from Odessa, Texas and we were incredibly busy having fun. We were going every minute. . . in another month, another sister and her fam will be coming from Virginia! I'm so excited, I love hosting and having family! Here is a list of "Fun Things To Do With Kids In SLC" I put together for them: Antelope Island - Take a picnic, see bison. 45 minutes each way. . . annual bison round-up in November. $9 per vehicle. This is the Place Park - A glimpse at pioneer life: churn butter, card wool. $8/adults - $6/children (3-11) Hogle Zoo - Mountain lions, tigers, bears, oh my! $8/adults - $6/children (but two are free cause we have a membership!) Temple Square - Walk the beautiful grounds, look at the beautiful bridal couples (there ...

Sunday was Mike's b-day and instead of making him a cake, we made home-made s'mores! Ever since trying table-top s'mores at a restaurant in Dallas last fall I've been wanting to recreate them and I think we succeeded, they were AMAZING! Seriously, I'll do it again and again. I owe the success to Martha Stewart for the fantastic recipes. The marshmallows were a little involved, calling for things like a candy thermometer and unflavored gelatin, but I just followed the directions and it worked. . . here's the recipe . (I did one batch vanilla as called for in the recipe and one batch coconut where I substituted coconut flavor instead of vanilla extract and then also sprinkled the top and bottom with shredded coconut) For the chocolate we melted down a big bar of chocolate (thanks, G, that 11 lb bar has come in handy!), added a tablespoon of heavy whipping cream and spread it on wax paper till it set again. We wanted it to melt faster than a hershey's bar, a...