Summer & Tyler

The kimono I'm wearing was the actress' in The Last Samurai. It's gorgeous and has been sitting in the garment bag unloved ever since I got it for Christmas a few years ago. It worked out that it saved my procrastinating self from spending a small fortune on a costume this Halloween.

Life couldn't get much better than it is right now. Really. My legs are draped over my hubby while he's reading a book, Roca is laying at our feet, and we are relaxing after a perfect day.

I love animals and I love this site. I am definitely going to get my Squee fix from now on....what better pick me up than to see a new cute, furry, animal every day of the week?!

Click HERE to see what new little guy they have today.

My favorite things list for this month is getting quite long already, so I thought I'd get started a bit early...

I know, it does sound gross, and may look gross and slimy to you, but Ty introduced it to me this year and I am hooked! It is so good and a little sweet, not slimy at all. We tried making it at home and it was a serious no-go...mission failed. Apparently we bought the wrong kind of seaweed. Yuck. Anyways, the best place in SLC/Utah counties to get this is Oh Sushi (Go Sushi online or in any directory), a little hole in the wall off 3200 S in SL. We just went this past Sat with my friend Diane and her new "friend." :) Just don't get the ice cream...we weren't impressed except for the plum flavor.

I've raved about this over the summer, but now that it's getting colder it is even more of a treat. With cocoa powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and some milk and Stevia (a natural sweetener) I'm in heaven in the mornings. It has 1/4 the caffeine that a cup of coffee (I'm super sensitive to caffeine and don't drink soda for that reason) and for those curious about the WoW (Word of Wisdom)...I have found that it is a common drink in South America among members and missionaries:

"Every member I knew in Argentina and the missionaries drank mate and it absolutely did not affect temple worthiness. In fact, the missionary president had a single rule - missionaries could drink yerba mate in tea form but not out of the traditional bombilla because the latter form was considered a time waster (as traditionally people sit around chatting and passing the bombilla from person to person). "

From Wikipedia: The yerba mate plant is a shrub or small tree growing up to 15 meters tall. The leaves are evergreen, 7–11 cm long and 3–5.5 cm wide, with a serrated margin. The flowers are small, greenish-white, with four petals. The fruit is a red drupe 4–6 mm diameter.[2]

The only thing that I hate about it is that it seems to be a natural diuretic...not so cool when I'm at work-so don't say I didn't warn you! :)

& make sure you use hot, not boiling water, otherwise the flavor becomes quite bitter.

5 Day Pads

Sounds like some weird new female hygiene product doesn't it? Not the type you may be thinking of, but these little tubs are the most amazing thing since sliced bread. I heard about them on the radio a few weeks ago and I got curious and did my research. They've been around for YEARS...like, back in my mom & grandma's day. I like to think I don't sweat...more like perspire right? Seriously though, the most I sweat is like a little bit of glistening on my face when I work out or on a hot day, so the main reason I thought I'd try these is that I hate...no, abhor white deoderant getting my clothes, and the clear stuff burns and drys me out.

These are insane! No wetness, no body odor, no icky white stuff, and I can go a couple days without it at all. They are comparable to clearasil pads or acne pads with the clear liquid. They even have a 5 day guarantee:

The 5 Day® Money Back Guarantee:5 DAY®*'s proven ingredient will help keep you dry and odor free all day. Use daily for 5 days, and if not totally satisfied, send your receipt for a full refund to Numark Laboratories, Edison NJ 08818

You can find them online at drugstore.com or Amazon.com

Rainbow Sandals

If you don't know about this company and you live in California...you must live in a cave. These are the hands down best sandals I have ever owned and cannot be without them! I lost mine down the Provo River this summer, and I thought I might shed some tears. Retail, they run about $60...I think I may have gotten ripped off when I got them last, but they have an outlet store in San Clemente and Ty and I stocked up on sandals for half that price. To me though, they were worth every penny. The company is very eco-friendly and make these to last.

Classic Thong Sandals Guarantee
* Our Warrantee is for the Lifetime of the sole. As long as you haven't worn into the next layer of the sole from either the top or bottom*

You can check out what they cover or don't cover here: http://www.rainbowsandals.com/guarantee.aspx

I finished this short, easy read in a couple of days last week before passing it on to my mom during our short visit with them over the weekend. This is an outstanding book for anyone, believers or not. For those of my friends and family that are interested in gaining knowledge to what we really believe, this book will answer many questions you may have, and will give you a greater sense of understanding with many issues that are highly misunderstood. One major thing I've dealt with lately is that people, aka...the majority of other Christian sects, don't believe that we fall into their group or definition of being Christian. "Mormons" or people belonging to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints believe completely that Jesus Christ is our Lord and Savior. I've found that this "gossip" among other Christian churches have gotten our beliefs turned so upside down that it's no wonder people think we're crazy or belong to a cult. I don't blame them! Many of the literature out there on our church is distributed by those not affiliated with our religion or is based on secondhand information. Tyler made a great point in that if we were honestly interested in Judaism, we wouldn't seek out the truth from someone who "used to be Jewish for a short time." Obviously their opinions and facts would be skewed depending on their reasons from departing from the faith. We would go directly to legitimate sources and hopefully you would too.

Anyways...long story short... Tyler and I would be happy to do our best to explain or answer any questions you may have or had. Seriously, not an inconvenience at all--email me- summert07@gmail.com or Ty- lebruf@gmail.com and we'll do our best.

I have more copies of the book too that I'd be happy to pass along...

Love you all!

I am soooooo excited for this! I just bought tickets and a bunch of us are going tomorrow night. I haven't been to a real "going to a concert just for me" since Jr. High when my boyfriend took me to see Boyz II Men. :)

Oops..just forgot, I did see Jimmy Eat World--one of my favorite bands, but this is a huge milestone: I guess this is the the first concert I have ever paid for on my own accord...wowzers!