25TH BIRTHDAY CHALLENGE: ONE YEAR LATER

Last year for my 25th birthday, I made a list of goals I wanted to accomplish within the year. I had a wonderful year and loved having these goals to keep me occupied and to challenge myself. Although not every goal was accomplished, I learned so much about myself in the days I spent exercising, exploring San Diego, and trying to fulfill myself in both mental and spiritual ways. So, let's check in and see how I did... I'm pretty darn proud of myself! Oh, and cheers to 26! Let's see what this year has in store for me!

• send a hand written note to someone once a week
• I actually did pretty good with this task! Not all of them were handwritten, but I tried to text, call, FB message, e-mail, someone every week with just a fun memory I had about them, or just to see how they were doing. It was really fun, and I hope to continue with this! 
• participate & journal a 3-5 day juice fast/cleanse
• So, this did not happen. I am planning to do a cleanse in December of this year though after the holidays. 
• take an overnight trip somewhere in Southern California
• Does Carlsbad (ahem-- my parents house) count? We could NOT justify spending money on a hotel to get away when our own bed is right here in the city near everything. We did discover a lot of San Diego this past year, and you can see some of our favorite places on this list.
• read the Book of Mormon 3 times 
• I'm really sad about this one, but I only read it once. I need to be better about reading my scriptures on a more regular basis. I am going to start a new rule-- I cannot read my book until I read my scriptures! We will see how this goes and if I am a more dedicated personal scripture reader.
• eat & journal a list of favorite local San Diego restaurants 
• Yes. Yep. Done & done. I could eat my way through this city! Here is our growing list of favorite San Diego restaurants. 
• host a dinner party once a month
• This is another success! Whether it was with friends, family, parties, or as simple as hosting the missionaries, I was able to accomplish this goal. But, really? I can think of ANY and EVERY excuse in the book to host a party! 
• complete & journal 5 exercise "challenges" 
• This was one of my favorite goals to accomplish! I participated in two Jillian Michael's exercise programs (30 Day Shred & Cardio Crush). I started stretching again every night, and have noticed some flexibility come back from my years of dancing. I also did home yoga for a couple of weeks and really loved that. I still do some of the moves in my nightly stretches. And, my most accomplished was running and finishing my first 10K in July!
• practice new photography/Photoshop techniques
• I don't know if I really improved, but I can see a difference in my photos from the past year. I'm gonna chalk this one up as a success!
• bake a pie from scratch 
• I am hoping to accomplish this goal sometime this Fall. I am dying to bake a pie, but this summer has been too hot for the oven, and I just lost track of time!
• attend the temple once a month
• We were pretty good with this one as well. It might not have been every month, but it was every 4-6 weeks or so we got a temple date in. 

COCONUT ALMOND GRANOLA

Last Fall, after living here in San Diego a couple months, my friend Lela introduced me to her family favorite coconut granola. Ever since my first taste, I have been making up a batch every two weeks or so for Derek and I to crunch on. I like to use Lela’s recipe as a base, and then add as much or as little extras to my batch.  A couple Christmases ago, I made a yummy cinnamon cranberry granola for gifts, and it was a major hit. Using that as inspiration as well, this recipe for coconut almond granola came to be. This recipe is not exact, as I very rarely measure, but the mixture of sweet coconut and spicy cinnamon and nutmeg give this granola such a wonderful flavor. The added crunch of almonds, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, and caramelized cranberry turns this into a breakfast staple. Paired with Greek yogurt, berries, and a drizzle of honey, this delicious granola parfait has become a go-to in our house. So, turn those ovens back on (it’s September after all!) and pull out the spices that remind you of all things wonderful and get baking! 

YEAR ONE & DONE (RESIDENCY)

[taken last August during this visit from his family]

Since last year I wrote a quick residency update, I thought it appropriate to celebrate the one year mark of this journey. In June, Derek became a 2nd year resident and graduated from the intern program through Scripps. Rather then participating in all fields of medicine (radiology, ER, OB/GYN, general surgery, pediatrics) and podiatry, this year, he is only working on feet. He is absolutely loving it! He is doing more and more surgical cases on his own, seeing his own patients, and becoming more independent within the healthcare systems for both Scripps and Kaiser. Yes, the hours are still killer. I don't expect him home earlier then 9:00 most nights, and it's a rare occasion when no add-on cases are scheduled and we can spend an evening together. Luckily, with the addition of four new interns, his weekend and holiday call schedules for the year haven't been too demanding. We enjoy two weekends a month to play, and explore our beloved San Diego. We have been able to enjoy our summer trips to the beach and taking some time off before he becomes a slave to Scripps Mercy for the Fall. In the end, we will look back on our residency years and miss it, just like I sometimes miss our years being in medical school. I have loved every stage of life we have been in together these last four years. From our cheap little date nights in medical school, too the cold winters in Michigan being snowed in, to today, where the hours may be long, but there is always time for a beach trip every few weeks. There is always time, you just need to find it!

EVERY DAY, I LOVE YOU S'MORE

I probably mention this every holiday, but Derek is the hardest human to shop for in the history of shopping. It's a rare occasion when I can land the perfect gift for him, (like Imagine Dragons tickets last Christmas) so when our anniversary came around last week, I decided to gift his tummy with one of his favorite treats, s'more bars. We also have a tradition of making cards for each other, and I couldn't pass up the somewhat corny phrasing of my card. This year, Derek's card was a little bit racey (it's okay, we're married) and not totally blog worthy. Oh men. Insert eye roll here. They are all the same. On that note, enjoy these s'more bars. I guarantee you will love them s'more & s'more, every time you make them. 

WHEN THREE SMITHS COME TO VISIT

As a prequel to my post last summer, Derek's family came to visit us in San Diego this past weekend. I guess our plea of great food, beach days, and a trip to the famous zoo was more then enough to convince Trina, Kevin, and Whitney to spend a couple days with us in the city. We were all treated to one of the best zoo days in our book with all the animals being out and active in the cooler weather. The pandas gave us all quite the show while chomping on bamboo, while the elephants cooled themselves in the water and dust. We dined at only our favorite locations, and even took a trip down memory lane for Kevin when we found a local Italian restaurant in Old Town he had eaten at 18 years prior. He was happy to report that the pasta was just as good as he had remembered, (and had been dreaming about for years!) and the charming patio was perfect for a cool night under the stars. We woke up to some great waves on Saturday and spent the entire day boogie boarding. We all came out a little pink and sore, but it was totally worth it! On Sunday, my brother Dallin spoke in church before leaving on his two year mission for our church. It was a wonderful meeting filled with family, and friends (18 school friends came to support him!) and just a great day all around, ending with a super moon sighting. This weekend will be hard to beat, but I think another trip to the city we love so much is in the books for next Spring. Hopefully we got the Idaho good ju-ju and will be blessed with countless more great zoo days and waves for days.

BBQ CHICKEN PIZZA

Years ago, my Dad (an amazing BBQ master) perfected the art of making pizza on the grill. He has taught a slew of church ladies, youth, and countless others the secrets of the best BBQ pizza. When Derek and I were newly married, and enduring hot summers in Arizona, this was one of our weekend favorites in the summer. It involves little prep, a lot of fresh produce, and only a couple quick minutes near a hot BBQ (rather then baking it in the oven!). Recently, this pizza and a big salad has become a Friday night favorite as we wind down from a busy week to enjoy dinner and a long list of favorite recorded cable TV shows. Whether entertaining a crowd with mini versions, or simply having a family pizza night, this recipe is sure to knock your socks off and keep your house cool, while enjoying a delicious homemade pizza.