A husband who cooks? Check.

I don't remember having it on "my list," but having a man that can cook is very nice. Kenneth cooks. He is a chef. He doesn't do it often, but I love it when he does. I usually just step back and tell him to make me whatever he wants. It's always amazing. He makes things like artisan breads, risotto, french omelets, and chocolate souffles. You thought I was kidding about him being a chef, didn't you?

This year for Mother's Day he decided to mix up some old and new things. The old being the traditional French omelet for breakfast seasoned with fresh chives and tarragon.

One new thing is the artisan bread. For lunch we had some slices of his artisan wheat bread toasted, with a little olive oil drizzled on and some Creminelli Casalingo salami.

For dinner he made a pancetta bread. Pancetta is like bacon, so you know I love it. Seriously, the bread was so good. Then we had gnocchi with an Italian sausage sauce. Come on, bacon and sausage in one dinner? Are you kidding me? Heaven.

For dessert we had a mango ginger white stilton cheese on Anna's orange flavored thin cookies. Tasty. You might be wondering where's the chocolate? Jennifer can't have a holiday about herself with no chocolate. You would be correct. Friday we stopped by Pirate O's in Draper and picked up some Amano chocolate and some Tim Tams. I am now in love with Tim Tams. I was already in love with Amano chocolate as we have experienced it at Pizzeria 712 and Communal restaurants. This was the first time that we bought it in bar form though, very nice.

Needless to say I am pretty spoiled when it comes to my meals on Mother's day and my birthday. Now if he would just do it more than 2 times a year.;)

Fall Break 2009

Here's the thing, this post is not about the kids Fall Break, it's about me and Kenneth. We were able to go to Cedar City for a couple of nights over Fall Break.

We had free tickets to see The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Abridged. It was definitely the funniest play I have ever seen. It was three guys acting out all the parts. It was laugh out loud funny.

The kids were able to spend time at their cousins this week. They were able to sleep over for two whole nights. They had so much fun. I'm glad that they were able to do that and so grateful to my sisters for watching my kids.


We stayed at The Stratford Court Hotel, which is right downtown. We were able to get a great deal from Priceline.

We ate at The Pastry Pub two times, I'm sure that place holds a lot of college nostalgia for people. It was better than fast food.

Friday we stayed in bed all morning, wink, wink, nudge, nudge, no really we read in bed all morning. Beautiful.

Later we went for a drive up the canyon.

We stopped at lava flows, drove to Navajo lake, and drove to the top of Brain Head. It was a lovely outing. Then we took a nap, went for takeout, ate in bed while watching Slumdog Millionaire. That bed was my friend for sure.

It was just such a wonderful weekend. So relaxing, rejuvenating and reconnecting. Thanks to Colleen for the link to the theater tickets, thanks to the families who took on my kids, thanks to Kenneth for running away with me, thanks to Vanessa for the food recommendation, and thanks to me for getting it done, it was soooooo worth it.

March Birthdays

Kenneth and I have birthdays 5 days apart. Mine is the 14th and his is the 19th. This year I turned 35. I had the best day. First Friday night we went out for Indian with Kenneth's sister, Eden. So yummy. Then she spent the night and some of the next day with us for some birthday celebration. We went to a late breakfast at IHOP. The kids loved it and I love pig, also stuffed french toast. Then we went to see Bedtime Stories. Such a cute movie. We went to dinner at my favorite, Zinn Bistro.
After dinner we hit IKEA to pick up my birthday bookcase. It was truly one of my favorite birthdays ever!

Kenneth turned 37 this year. I made him his favorite aebleskivers for breakfast. They were stuffed with berries, cheese, or two flavored cream cheeses. They were mighty tasty. He had to work on his birthday, that's never fun. I tried to make it better by taking him out to lunch at Gloria's Little Italy. That is very good food. I made him his favorite raspberry soda cracker pie for his dessert. He then spent the rest of the evening talking to his family. I think it was a pretty good day for him.

I had so many lunches and dinners out with friends and family to celebrate my birthday. They were all amazing and so fun. Thank you to everyone who made my birthday this year one of the best.

Alien Eyes

Last month Kenneth had his first appointment with an eye doctor. Kenneth has always had pristine eyesight and is now paying for all his bragging about that fact by having black spots appear in his vision. Not cool. What is cool though is him getting his eyes dilated. When you have your eyes dilated a couple of really cool things happen. First, your eyes look totally crazy, like an alien's. Second, you can poke yourself in the eye and not feel it because they numb your eyes. I kept begging him to poke himself in the eye and he refused. He eventually did touch his eye, but wouldn't poke. Anyone that has ever had to have eye drops or put contacts in knows how tough it is to do it without blinking. When your eye is numb it doesn't care what is coming at it because it can't feel anything. So you can just sit there and poke yourself in the eye without blinking. Very cool.

Brain Head Weekend

Over Labor Day weekend Kenneth and I went away to Brian Head. We love Brian Head. We spent part of our honeymoon there and I think we imprinted on it, because we are always drawn there when we want to get away. Unfortunately, it's been quite a while since we have been there, 11 years to be exact. We stayed in a studio condo which is perfect for us. It was pretty nice and had everything we needed.

Friday night we went to dinner at this cute little restaurant in Cedar City called Garden House. Our one complaint is that we were told it would be 1/2 hour wait, yet it was an hour wait. We had a play to make at 8pm and we were seated for dinner at 7:15. Our waitress knew we had to be fast so she was super fast. We inhaled the good food and made it to the play no problem. We went to see Taming of the Shrew at the Shakespearean Festival. It was really well done. They had it set during WWII Italy. It was so funny.

Saturday we spent some time at Cedar Breaks which is right next to Brian Head. It is gorgeous and gives you a taste of Bryce Canyon without having to actually go there. The weather was gorgeous that day. We then headed down to In-N-Out Burger in St. George. Neither of us had ever had a burger there and since we had heard such great things from this blog we decided to give it a try. I must say, I don't know what I was expecting, but that was not what I was expecting. I think we stepped back in time. The employees were SUPER nice. Can you say Pleasantville? The food was simple, yet delicious. It is strictly a burger joint in the purest sense. We both got a cheeseburger, animal style, fries and a shake. I just looked at the nutritional info on their website for what I ate and I feel a little sick. We headed back up to Brian Head, but on the way decided to stop and get a movie from Hollywood Video. While I looked for a DVD I sent Kenneth over to their Game Crazy to ask about a Wii fit. They had one. So happy. We took our booty and headed back up the mountain. We decided to go for a swim before dinner. I don't think I would have been able to eat anything else after my 1200 calorie lunch if I didn't some kind of physical activity. Did you know that the Olympics make you think you can do things that you can't actually do? I am not a swimmer. I can float on my back and that's about it. I decided that I was going to swim for 5 minutes straight without stopping. 5 minutes, that's it? Yep, just 5 minutes. I can do that, right? I almost died, not literally, but it was hard. I did backstroke and some other easier stroke on my back. I don't like my face in the water. The next day I was sore. The athletes make it look so easy. After swimming we went to this restaurant that was recommended to us. It is called Milt's Stage Stop. I will include a review of said restaurant later. It was cold and raining by this time. We went back to our condo and watched Lars and the Real Girl. It was good, but I would suggest reading this review.

Sunday we went down to Cedar City to Sacrament meeting. It was a wonderful meeting and quiet as well, amazing. We decided to just hang out at our condo for the rest of the day. We read, napped and ate. It was lovely. It rained most of the day, a perfect day to stay in bed. The weather was definitely not as bad as it was in Northern Utah.

Monday we went up to Brian Head peak to take some pictures. It was about 30 degrees. It helped me remember that I am not ready to be cold just yet. It was such a great weekend. Totally refreshing and great bonding time with my #1 love. If you and your spouse haven't been away together for awhile I would highly recommend that you do it. It's worth the pain of arranging babysitting, accommodations and traveling. So worth it.

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways...

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight
For the ends of Being and ideal Grace.
I love thee to the level of everyday's
Most quiet need, by sun and candle-light.
I love thee freely, as men strive for Right;
I love thee purely, as they turn from Praise.
I love thee with a passion put to use
In my old griefs, and with my childhood's faith.
I love thee with a love I seemed to lose
With my lost saints, --- I love thee with the breath,
Smiles, tears, of all my life! --- and, if God choose,
I shall but love thee better after death.
~Elizabeth Barrett Browning

I think that this is one of the most beautiful poems every written. I dedicate it to my love, Kenneth. Happy 14th Anniversary! Everyone said we were crazy to get married at ages 10 & 12 and to start having children right away, but we showed them. Here's to being stuck with me for eternity. That's okay, since I love you eternally.

*pictures taken at Crater Lake July 26th.

MASH Game

I saw this on Katie McCaul's blog. I used to play this game so often as a kid, okay I was actually 20. I would be honest sometimes and other times I totally rigged it so that I would end up with all the "right" things. The only one I rigged here was my crush. On everything else I chose some real, some funny, and some real funny stuff. I still ended up with mostly real life and logical things. I don't think my six kids are going to all fit in my BMW though and I don't know where we are getting that sixth kid.
		I will marry Kenneth.
		After a wild honeymoon, We will settle down in Oregon in our fabulous Mansion.
		We will have 6 kid(s) together.
		Our family will zoom around in a Blue BMW.
		I will spend my days as a Mother, and live happily ever after.

My Kids Favorite Dad

I asked the kids what their favorite thing about Kenneth was. Here are their responses. Theron is in Canada so I will add his reply later.

Sophia - He gives good hugs.
Dylan - He does TKD with me.
Orion - Playing games on the XBox 360 with him.
Ian - He's funny.

Since he gave me 5 reasons to call him a father I will give 5 reasons why he is a great one.
1 - He is very creative with his hugs. The kids always know that they can count on him for a squeezy, tickly, or other inventive type of hug.
2 - He is good at playing games with them. The kids would sit and watch him play or play with him all day and night if they could.
3 - He is really good at leading our family in prayer, scriptures and FHE. I'm so grateful for that.
4 - The kids know that they can ask him anything and he will know the answer or be able to find it. He is a great teacher whether it's TKD or shooting or school stuff.
5 - He is there for the kids at school, church of extra-curricular activities. He supports them in what they do.

He's been a dad for a while now and I can say that he is getting better at it all the time. I am crazy about him and the fact that he is always willing to learn how to be better than the day before. Love you, Father of My Children.

My Guy

What is his name? --Kenneth Ian Rawlings (Handsome)
How long have you been together? --Married July 20, 1994
How long did you date? --We're still dating, baby. Before we married? We knew each other 9 months.
How old is he? --36 years old
Who eats more? --He does, he's a man.
Who said I love you first? --He did.
Who is taller? --Kenneth, unless I'm wearing really high heels and he's slouching.
Who is smarter? --We are both highly intelligent people. He has the higher IQ, but I chose to marry him, so I think hands down I'm smarter.
Who does the dishes? --Me always. I even do them on my birthday and Mother's Day.
Who pays the bills? --He does.
Who mows the lawn? --Evergreen of Utah lawn service.
Who cooks dinner? --Jennifer Lynn Rawlings or our slaves. He cooks on my birthday, Mother's Day, and helps on Holidays.
Who kissed who first? --Me, I was tired of waiting. Poor little RM.
Who asked who out first? --Kenneth. He almost passed out, but I think it paid off for him.
Who proposed? --Kenneth. On the couch at my brother's house.
Who has more siblings? --I do, 7 sisters, 2 brothers. He has 4 sisters, 1 brother.
Who wears the pants? --Since he refuses to wear a skirt I guess he wears them more that I do because I at least wear a skirt on Sunday. Honestly, we have a pretty good balance.

I'm tagging two people: Kristen Case and Jenny Doberneck.

Happy Birthday to Handsome!!

Happy Birthday to my handsome Kenneth. Also, his name means Handsome so it's redundant to say handsome Kenneth. Obviously this is a picture taken before he was mine. He belongs to the snake here, I'm pretty sure. This is when he was on his mission. I believe this is his pet snake and look at that wicked cool hair. He's so hot.

He is no longer a year older than me, now he's two years older. Kenneth is 36 today. He's a wonderful man, which I have covered in a previous post. All I want to say today is that I'm so grateful that Kenneth was born and survived his childhood. I feel so blessed that we were led to each other and that we have created this amazing life together. I'm grateful for every single year and look forward to at least 62 more. I want to reach that 75th anniversary.

My Man

Here are some reasons why Kenneth is the love of my life.

--He's way hot!!
--He's super smart. I love his big brain.
--He's funny, he makes me laugh all the time.
--He laughs at kids shows, he laughs hard.
--He's a great provider for our family.
--He has really good taste in TV shows, movies, music and books.
--He never stops learning new things.
--He introduced me to incredible foods that I didn't even know existed.
--He's a wonderful father.
--He's fun and interesting to talk with.
--He's shy when I'm staring shamelessly at him.
--He has great taste in a wife.

I am incredibly in love with this man.
Happy Valentine's Day & Happy Anniversary, My Love.

My Music Savant

Kenneth has this amazing ability to know songs and artists. It's pretty cool. There's this station that will tell you every artist and title after the song, Kenneth can do the same thing. He can do it after the first few bars of a song, a lot of times even before the vocals start. He's amazing. Sometimes he can tell you the album name and the track number. Last night we had to go run some errands. When we got back we ended up sitting in the garage for another 1/2 hour playing Name That Tune. He has the most trouble with my oldies songs and artists: James Taylor, Howard Jones, Patsy Cline, Chicago, Bob Marley. He also has problems with my Jazz & R&B music: Harry Connick Jr., Joss Stone, Alicia Keys. He knows that he doesn't know them though, so he guesses them when in doubt. He even knows music that we don't own. You really should play with him sometime. It's fun. You too will be amazed and proud that you know my music savant.