As of late...

Jer and I have had a very busy past couple weeks and are so excited for Thanksgiving break in Santa Barbara! Here is a little update of what we have been up to:

 My Tiny Tots had a little performance at Provo Towne Center Mall a couple weeks ago. They are improving so much! AND sometimes they actually listen to me, which is progress. :o) Here they are dancing to "I saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus"

 This is one of my jobs as a teacher for 3-5 year olds. I sit in front of them and do the moves in case they forget. Another thing I learned from the studio director which has worked wonders is having felt stars with each of their names on it as place-holders for dances.

 Last weekend were the Dancesport Championships which meant Jer and I both pretty much lived in the WSC the entire weekend. In addition to competing in my own events, I was there to watch and video my students compete in their event (which included Jer :o)) We ended up with 4 spankin new trophies that are looking nice and tacky up on top of our TV at the present. Above is my hair for my Saturday competition done by my good friend Becky. Pretty awesome.

 We snagged a place in the Amateur Ballroom final and placed first in Pre-Championship Ballroom. In the photo we are dancing Amateur Smooth which we placed 3rd in.

 

Below, is a photo of Jer competing up to the Silver-level waltz (I attempted to post the video but it wouldn't load :o( ), he and his partner made it three rounds which is awesome for competing up! In his class competition (bronze quickstep) Jer placed third! He did such a great job! I'm such a proud teacher considering there are at least a hundred couples competing in that event. Third out of 100? Not too shabby.  

 Here we are at Katie's concert for Wasatch Chorale, we had a lot of fun that week spending time with my Dad, seeing our Grandma and going to this wonderful concert. So, there you have it, a little update on our lives. I've been resisting posting more recipes because I don't want to look like I'm copying Julie and Julia but maybe I'll post some sweet Thanksgiving winners this next week. :o)

This Recipe Just Screams my Dad's Name!

Here's another Cooking Light Recipe that is quick and fairly easy. I'm loving all these awesome, healthy recipes! This took me a little over 30 mins to make mostly because I hadn't thawed the chicken beforehand so I cheated and thawed it in the microwave first. The sauce is full of flavor and so light! Which I love because I normally don't love eating pasta because it feels so heavy after you eat it. The reason I say this reminds me of my dad is because he loves a good lemon sauce with linguine, or really, any type of pasta, he often makes creations of his own at home which are always really delicious.

Chicken with Lemon-Leek Linguine

Ingredients

• 6  ounces  uncooked linguine (I used whole wheat)
• 4  (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
• 1/2  teaspoon  salt, divided
• 1/4  teaspoon  black pepper
• 1/4  cup  all-purpose flour
• 3  tablespoons  butter, divided
• 3  garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 1  leek, trimmed, cut in half lengthwise, and thinly sliced (1 1/2 cups)
• 1/2  cup  fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth
• 2  tablespoons  fresh lemon juice
• 2  tablespoons  chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Preparation

1. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain; keep warm.
2. Place chicken between 2 sheets of heavy-duty plastic wrap; pound to an even thickness using a meat mallet or small heavy skillet. Sprinkle chicken with 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper. Place flour in a shallow dish; dredge chicken in flour, shaking to remove excess.
3. Heat 1 tablespoon butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook 3 minutes on each side or until done. Remove chicken from pan; keep warm.
4. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic, leek, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt; sauté 4 minutes. Add broth and juice; cook 2 minutes or until liquid is reduced by half. Remove from heat; stir in remaining 1 tablespoon butter. Add pasta to leek mixture; toss well to combine. Serve chicken over pasta mixture; sprinkle with parsley.

Halloween

We had a very busy but fun October! Here are some of the things we did: Above, is a photo of our pumpkins we carved, Jer printed some outlines from the internet. Carved pumpkins and make caramel apples with out good friends the Bready's from our ward.

 For Halloween, I dressed up as a doctor and Jer was a patient. :o) We had a fun couples party at my parent's condo clubhouse. We played lots of fun games and ate Halloween treats.

 October also brought Mollie and Elliot's sweet baby twins Grant and Paige. This is Katie holding Paige, I don't have the pictures of Grant :o(

Jer's family has a tradition of having "Halloween stew" each year and eating it out of these pumpkin shaped bread bowls from great harvest. We had the Bready's and the Mantell's over for Stew.
In addition to these fun Activities our schedules have been full with bridal showers (I have 5 friends getting married in December!) school, and work. Jer and I love married life more and more each day and we are getting really excited to go to California for Thanksgiving, it will be a much needed and welcomed break. An updated post to come with photos from the Tiny Tots' most recent performance. :o)