Celtic Woman

Last night Jared and I drove to Kansas City for a fun date night. I got an unbelievable last minute deal on half price tickets to see Celtic Woman at the Sprint Center. It was amazing! We had floor seats on the 7th row center section. We got to Kansas City about 5 or so, so we parked and looked around the adjacent Power and Light District. You need to check this place out! It has tons of restaurants, a movie theatre, 2 other theatres and an outdoor stage. There is a "upscale-retro" bowling alley and lounge called Lucky Strikes and even a kids area. We decided to eat at Ted's Montana Grill (great steak, chicken, and bison--did not try the bison by the way!) As we were seated I saw that the girl sitting at the next table was actually the violinist/fiddler from Celtic Woman!!! Seriously, there she was just finishing her meal with one of the band members. Crazy! You would think they would just cater in or something. After we ate dinner, there was an art show going on, so we walked around for a bit looking at the different works. Then I had to have some frozen yogurt from a place called Yummo (and it was!) It was a little self serve joint and you got a cup for $2. Great. We went over and picked up our tickets at will call and went in for the show. This tour is called Isle of Hope. It was so beautiful and so were all of them! There was hardly any talking in the whole show and none at all in the first half. So you really got your money's worth on the music. They did all their usual well known songs that they do, and then they had some new one relating to the theme of "Isle of Hope" about immigrants coming to Ellis Island, one was incredibly moving about a 15 year old girl coming over from Ireland. Also a new one called O, America. They also did their versions of contemporary songs like "Field of Gold" by Sting, "True Colors" by Cyndi Lauper/Phil Collins, You'll Be in My Heart by Phil Collins, "There Can Be Miracles" by Mariah Carey and "Have I Told You Lately That I Love You?" I love their version of You Raise Me Up. My favorite was the 1st encore, "Spanish Lady". If you haven't seen them, check out one of their dvds or watch for them on pbs. They are also going to be on Good Morning America Tuesday, June 30th at 8AM.

The girl's first day at grandma's and this is what I get when I open up my e-mail. What is going on there anyway?

Hotel Grand-Ma

Yesterday my mom and dad met us in Springfield to pick up their darling grandchildren. They are staying with them until the 4th. Now I am here in my own personal fortress of solitude. Until Jared gets home! Thanks grandma and grandpa! Have fun Madison and Gabrielle!

Brace Yourself

Here is Madison fresh from the orthodontist. She chose the lilac and rose colored bands. She came home with a goodie bag chock full of flossers, wax, t-shirt, and lots of macaroni and cheese. I thought that was hilarious. She got along just fine today. The real pain will probably kick in tomorrow. She was so excited to finally get her braces!

More Pictures for Grandma

Here are a few more pictures of the girls (a one dog!) for the grandparents. We took these before we left for St. Louis.

Father's Day Weekend

We had a fun weekend-- Father's Day and Madison's last weekend without braces. They go on Monday!

Friday night we christened the new grill and grilled some chicken marinated in a mesquite marinade with lime. I did not get a picture because it was done so fast! While it was grilling I put together the salad to go with it! YUM! The girls gave Jared their Father's Day gifts a little early- the original Star Wars trilogy on dvd. We did a little Old Navy shopping and then to Coldstone (thanks to my neighbor who gave us a $25 gift card!!) Then we felt the need to walk that off, so we walked around the university before heading home.

Saturday we got a few chores done before driving to St. Louis with the girls. Once in St. Louis we stopped by Union Station for a bite to eat first and then went on over to the Scott Trade Center for the Mormon Tabernacle Choir & Orchestra at Temple Square concert. We were so lucky with our seats! Madison and I sat together on a side (but close) seats and Gabrielle, Jared and an investigator from our ward had floor seats. I only took one picture while they were entering. I did not want to be one of those rude people who take flash pictures all through a concert. This is the first time any of us had seen them in person and it was really fantastic. People talk about how they are as one sound and it is true! It was fun to watch Mack Wilburg, the director. The concert also included announcer Lloyd Newell from their weekly broadcast Music and the Spoken Word. We also enjoyed the talented musicians that make up the orchestra. The highlight (for me) was soloist Alex Boye´singing songs in the section "Songs of Faith and Hope". The program was so rich and diverse. It was definitely worth the drive there and back!

Sunday in Primary our family was the "spotlight" family. We told a little about ourselves and then the girls played two songs on their flutes. It was so quiet in there when they were playing it was amazing! After church Sunday we spent a relaxing Sunday afternoon watching some golf and doing some more grilling! We grilled a Hawaiian pork tenderloin and potatoes. Our other neighbor came over with some ribs as well. And we had the banana pudding squares for dessert. We love you Jared! You are the best! We hope you had a great weekend! Here are a few pictures!

Father's Day Dessert

I made these for Father's Day. I made them Saturday before we left for St. Louis so they could be all chilled and ready to go for Sunday, but we ended up sampling them before that. Jared wanted something with not a lot of calories, but still tasty. These only have 120 calories per serving (about a 2 inch square). It was funny that Jared got out a tape measure to cut them and make sure he was staying on track with the calories. This is a great summer dessert for those who like banana cream pie.

Banana Pudding Squares

35 Reduced Fat NILLA Wafers, finely crushed (about 1-1/4 cups)
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) margarine, melted
1 pkg. (8 oz.) PHILADELPHIA, 1/3 Less Fat than Cream Cheese, softened
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 tub (8 oz.) COOL WHIP Sugar Free Whipped Topping, thawed, divided
3 bananas, sliced
2 pkg. (1 oz. each) JELL-O Vanilla Flavor Fat Free Sugar Free Instant Pudding
3 cups cold fat-free milk
1/2 square BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Chocolate, grated

COMBINE crumbs and margarine; press onto bottom of 13x9-inch dish. Refrigerate.

MIX cream cheese and sugar in medium bowl with whisk until blended. Stir in 1-1/2 cups COOL WHIP; spread over crust. Top with bananas.

BEAT pudding mixes and milk with whisk 2 min.; spread over bananas. Top with remaining COOL WHIP and chocolate. Refrigerate 3 hours.