2 Years Later and I'm still trying to impress my husband. 

You would think that after 2 years the drive to impress your husband would die down. To some extent it has (there are many days my husband comes home to see me working in the office in my sweats...sorry babe). However, trying to keep up on a mountain biking course is a different story.

I've only gone mountain biking with Ryan once before, and I told you how that went HERE. However, this time, I had high hopes it would be different. I was confident coming off of my last experience that I could handle this. Under normal circumstances, I probably could have.

We should have heeded the warning signs of the ominous clouds in the distance. We didn't, and hoped that we could get through the course quickly.

One-way trail. This was of course the easy part.

Happy before the rain started.

Needless to say, we got caught in the storm and the slippery roots and rocks were not kind to me. I fell at least a 1/2 dozen times and at one point I yelled "Ryan, can you help me?" -- Ryan leisurely came to my aid, only to be surprised to find me tangled up in my bike, with my bike lying on top of me. Yes, I was stuck. I fought back tears that time as I picked myself up and kept going. We finally got out of the course and I had plenty of bruises to show for my effort. But I have to admit-- I came out feeling tough and proud of myself.

A little wet, and a little dirty.

This dirt is covering up my red leg full of bruises to come. Yes, 2 weeks later and they still hurt!

Ps. See those hard-core bikers in the background? Yeah, I'm not that hard-core.

 I will say, I would love for Ryan to have a real mountain biking partner. I have so much fun trying to keep up with him (when I'm not falling flat on my face) but I don't think his inexperienced wife is what he's looking for when he wants to hit the trails.

Relief Society Spotlight. 

Just in case you guys didn't know this stuff about me ... I thought I'd share.

1. Where are you from, and how long have you lived in Chicago? I am from Bakersfield, Ca (no, not Baker, that desert town in Death Valley with the large thermometer that you see on I-15 driving from CA to UT). I've also lived in Sacramento, Orange County, Utah and Minneapolis before moving to Chicago 1 year ago.

 

2. Who is your significant other, how did you meet, and what do you do for a living? Ryan Merrill. We met at BYU-- I first knew Ryans cousin and his roommate before I met Ryan. We went a few group dates (not as each others dates) before we found each other and started dating. The other twist to our story is that we were in a long-distance relationship for a year before we were engaged. My day job is that I am a professional networker--I manage a network of 50 Global Recruiting Execs for super big super global companies. I help them connect with each other to learn best practices and share knowledge on future trends, etc. I organize meetings so they can establish trust and relationships that leads to intimate conversations and dialogue. I work from home and travel occasionally.

On our Honeymoon in Tahiti

 

3. What do you like to do when you have free time? Running, biking, blogging, travel, exploring, shopping, chatting with family and friends, taking pictures, cooking, baking, eating, mountain biking, reality tv, mutual, reading the news, etc.

 

4. Where are your favorite places to eat and go to in Chicago? I love this city -- one of my favorite things to do is go to concerts in Millennium Park. We take a picnic and enjoy diverse music under the gorgeous Jay Pritzker Pavillion. We love to eat -- but I'm the type of person that always likes to try new things, we are always at a new place. Some favorites include: Spacca Napoli, Meli Cafe, anything in Greek Town, Cafe Babareeba, Xoco ...

 

5. Do you blog? If so, what is your blog, and what are some of your favorite blogs/sites? (You guys know this one)

One of my favorite things- smelling peonies. On Mackinac Island

 

6. What is your favorite book and movie? Favorite Book - depends on the mood I am in. I love Devil in the White City -- Chicago is such an interesting city with so many compelling stories on how it became what it is today. I also love The Guernsey Letters and Potato Peel Society. Movie: Do TV shows count? Friends.

 

7. What was the best thing you did this summer? I had such a great summer. It's hard to nail down the best thing -- my favorite thing was being in the LA temple doing sealings with my family who was all together for the 1st time in 3.5 years. Another favorite was exploring Mackinac Island and taking a step back in time.

 

8. If you could visit any place in the world, where would it be and why? Jerusalem, I can't wait to visit there and walk in the same places our Savior walked. And Italy - because I am going there with my husband in October!

 

9. What do you think is your greatest accomplishment to date? (Ok, I personally don't like getting asked this question ... I always come up blank) but my answer is: I always try to share my testimony of the gospel with others-- striving to be a good example, and a good friend.

 

On a run in Keystone, Colorado

10. Who is something inspiring that you've recently read or heard in the scriptures, or a talk at church, from the ensign, etc?  Let us have gratitude for our friends. Our most cherished friend is our partner in marriage. This old world would be so much better off today if kindness and deference were daily a reflection of our gratitude for wife, for husband. --President Monson.

Lake Geneva, Wisconsin

To celebrate Ryan's last 1/2 day Friday, we took a little road trip to Lake Geneva. The message of this trip was "The Joy in the Journey". We definitely got caught in Chicago holiday weekend traffic on Friday afternoon and a few inches of rain on Saturday so we just enjoyed spending time together :)

Lake Geneva is this cute little Lake Town in Wisconsin -- lots of history and a quaint downtown district. We stayed at this awesome resort on Lake Delevan and Ryan was wishing he had his golf clubs.

View from our Balcony (yes, we had a balcony and rocking chairs outside our room!)

Lake Delavan

Kissing on the dock.

Cute downtown.

Gorgeous Sunset.

 We had dinner at Popeyes and enjoyed a walk around the lake and some ice cream for dessert.  A perfect summer night.

This place was themed to the max! Great food though.

Yes, I am a hot mess and have a weird smile, but its ice cream on a hot summer night ... does life get any better?

Remembering 9/11

US Flag on the Wrigley Building in honor of 9/11.

We turned on the news this morning and watched a portion of the 9/11 Ceremony taking place at Ground Zero. It was humbling and sobering to watch -- and participate in the moments of silence for those who have fallen.


I, like many others, remember where I was when I first learned of the attack on 9/11/01. I also remember the way our country came together and prayed unto God like never before. It was an experience that unified our country and shaped many generations to come.

I loved reading President Thomas S. Monson's remarks on 9/11 in the Washington Post this week. An excerpt:
Our Father’s commitment to us, His children, is unwavering. Indeed He softens the winters of our lives, but He also brightens our summers. Whether it is the best of times or the worst, He is with us. He has promised us that this will never change...If there is a spiritual lesson to be learned from our experience of that fateful day, it may be that we owe to God the same faithfulness that He gives to us. We should strive for steadiness, and for a commitment to God that does not ebb and flow with the years or the crises of our lives. It should not require tragedy for us to remember Him, and we should not be compelled to humility before giving Him our faith and trust. We too should be with Him in every season.To read the full article, click here.

Another moving tribute to 9/11 is the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, along with Tom Brokaw, Music and the Spoken Word, which pays its own homage to the unforgettable events of September 11, 2001.

Happy Anniversary!

Two years ago I made the best decision of my life and married my best friend, Ryan Merrill in the St. George Temple. It was the best day of my life and one that I will always look back on with a smile on my face and in my heart. We have learned so much about each other in two years and continue to grow closer and deeper in our relationship. I love every second I get to spend with this handsome man and look forward to many MANY more years in our future!!

I love you, Ryan Merrill!

Da Bears.
Teaching the next generation about Football.

I am a leader in our church's Young Women's Organization, for women 12-18. This includes preparing lessons for Sunday instruction, as well as planning weekly activities on Thursday nights. These are incredible women and I feel so blessed to get to work with them!!

One of the other leaders husbands is a security manager for Soldier Field -- which means we have a sweet hook-up for games. His brother-in-law who owns the company gave us AWESOME tickets and a parking pass for a pre-season game against the Browns!! We got there early and got to see the stadium, as well as practice from first row. It was so fun!!

My sweet Young Women.

Yes, I bought a Bears shirt for the game!!

Jay Cutler. Also known as Kristin Cavallari's ex.

Knox- we saw him get a TD.

Kick off.

Team Huddle. Those are some big boys.

D-FENCE

Action shot-

Touchdown!!

We had such a blast at the game. The girls loved it and I tried to teach them the few things I know about Football. It was also one of the hottest days of the year that day --- 100+ with the heat index and no breeze through the stadium. We just sat there sweating. It was gross. We drank lots of water and made the best of it though!!!

My favorite activity yet.

Refreshing. 
Isn't it so refreshing to try new things? I love it. Especially when it's in my kitchen. I was talking to a girl friend the other day about how sometimes it just feels great to be in my kitchen alone trying a new dish, dessert, etc. There is something almost therapuetic about me and my kitchen tools and creativity. Here are a few things I tried last week:

Raspberry filling.

Buttercream frosting- (over vanilla cake and raspberry filling).

My next level of patience will come when I learn how to actually frost a cake!

My next feat was: Neapolitan Style Pizza! I would love to figure this one out ... I love pizza. It was pretty good but not perfected-- just yet. 

Rolling out the pizza dough!!

I bought fresh sliced mozerall at the store vs. shredded.

Genoa Salami and Mozerella

Margherita Extra, anyone?

What do you like to do to relieve stress and express a little creativity??

Sunday Evening Walk. 
One of the best things about Chicago in the summer (ok, any time but winter) is how fun it is to take a walk in the city. There is so much vibrancy in everything around you ---

It's also amazing how quickly blocks turn into miles. We walk SO MUCH. It's awesome.

Sunset by the river.

I LOVE all of the flowers downtown! The city does an amazing job of planting seasonal arrangements.

L Train over the LaSalle Bridge.

OVO

Our first Cirque Du Soleil experience at the United Center  and it was a great one!

I love this circus tent.

We found discount tickets for Ovo and jumped at the chance to go. It was a perfect summer afternoon activity as it was super hot that day. After, we found a great Thai restaurant and ate outside on the sidewalk -- have I mentioned how much I LOVE outdoor eating? Whether it's picnics, patios or sidewalks, I just can't get enough.

Love love Summer.

Wow, can't believe it's September 1. Where does the time go?