boo!!!

funny, and a little frightening. wouldn't you say? this is the closest i've ever had to glamour shots. it kind of looks like deb from napolean dynmaite helped me out here. it is actually a visa picture i had taken for back in the days when i'd travel to china. the "photographer" wouldn't let me smile in the picture. i was told that smiling changes your face structure. go figure. one thing i can't blame them for all is all the lipstick i applied that day. i'm not really sure WHAT i was thinking while liberally painting that bright red substance on my lips. nonetheless, it is with great mirth that i post this lovely picture for you all to see. i'm always grateful for a good chuckle. i thought you all might appreciate it too.

the lights are on, and somebody's home...

my brother, lance, happened to be in salt lake city this weekend. i loved getting to see him. he stayed at my house on saturday night. he got to my house and went to bed before i made it in. i've been living alone for the past couple of weeks, because both my roommates just got married. when i come home at night, it is usually to a dark, empty house. when i got home on saturday night, i was pleasantly surprised. although lance was not awake when i got there, he had left the porch light and a light inside on. all growing up, my mom and dad used to do this for us. i didn't realize the impact of having somebody who cares for me do something as little as leaving the light on meant. it brought back a flood of warm memories. having a home filled with love and people who care for me is something i always had growing up. i will forever be grateful to my family for providing such an enviroment...and most recently, i'm grateful to lance for reminding me of it.

bacon grease

my grandma della used to brush bacon grease over the top of her rhodes rolls to give them an extra special flavor. since we were making rhodes rolls as part of our sunday feast, and we had bacon grease, i decided i'd carry on the family tradition. while the brushing of the bacon grease was going on, my friend ryan said, "erin, that is the last thing i would expect YOU to do."

what can i say, the big city is changing me. i'd like to believe i'm a little less uptight about a few things. bacon grease being just one thing on that list...

i don't think i'll ever be able to make rolls like my grandma did. however, just trying to recreate her masterpiece brought back some wonderfully nostalgic memories.

peek-a-boo, i see you...

i promise i'm not hiding. i know it's been awhile. i also know how some of you worry when i don't write. so, i thought i'd give a quick update. over the 24th of july i went with my ward on a pioneer trek. i had a bad attitude about it at first. (mostly i didn't want to wear the pioneer skirt, and most of all the bonnet, that my mom made out of drapes when i was in young women's and we went on a mini trek.) however, i donned the apparel and my bad attitude and i got on the tour bus to wyoming for 2 1/2 days of walking. as we walked and walked and walked...just like the primary song says, my love and respect for my pioneer ancestors grew. i'd always recognized that they had done a great thing but i don't think i ever really realized HOW great. i had one of those "ah ha" moments as we pushed our handcarts. my testimony of the pioneer's sacrifice for their families, both present and future, and most of all, their God, grew and became solid. how grateful i am for the sacrifice of those who went before me. their love for me motivates me to be better and do more. although my attitude changed and my heart softened as we walked the desolate plains of wyoming, my attitude of bonnets did not change. while i recognize they are functional, i just couldn't force myself to put the bonnet on my head. much to christian's dismay, it hung around my neck the whole trek.

another big event - the sabey family reunion! (see picture above.) christian and i headed to island park for a few days of sabey family fun. meeting family always gives perspective. while i teased him about the perspective it gave me, it really was a delight. his aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents are all really good people. they are very comfortable to be around. (i assume that playing the spoon-tied-to-a-piece-of-yarn-and-weaving-it-up-and-down-each-other's-clothing game naturally lends itself to being comfortable with each other. ask me about it later...) we ate, played rook, ate, played jeopardy, ate, talked, ate, went to the first homestead in island park, and ate some more. christian's parents called to talk to everyone. they are on a mission in south africa. it was fun to watch the excitement of everyone as they got the chance to talk to president and sister sabey. the whole weekend was a good experience. on sunday we had a testimony meeting. i really appreciated the spirit i felt as his family bore testimony of families and of our Saviour. i also really appreciated having grandparents around. christian's grandpa burns and grandma elaine were an absolute delight. it was really special watching them interact with each other and with the rest of the family. there is something very calming about having grandparents around. it made me miss my grandpa reid and grandma della, and grandpa pete and grandma amy. it also made me grateful that i had the opportunity to grow up near them and have a close relationship with them. i look forward to being with them again someday. is this the part where i am supposed to say something like, "family, isn't it about time?" i think i am and i think it is. i am really looking forward to the petersen family reunion. i love spending time with my fam, both extended and immediate.

last but not least, i've been on my bike a whole lot....and i think a whole lot might be an understatement. two days ago i rode my bike 140 miles. that was a first. my friend, jessie, and i rode the first canyon of lotoja. we wanted to prepare ourselves for what is to come. we felt pretty good...until the last 20 miles. at that point, i'm not sure what didn't hurt. we knew we had to keep eating, but it was a chore. our backsides hurt, our hands hurt, our backs hurt, our toenails hurt, and jessie's lungs even hurt. i am not ready for the big 206 miles now, but i am getting close. mentally and physically, i'll be ready on sept. 12th. until then, if you can't find me, i'll probably be on my bike somewhere.