Something I Found Interesting

I couldn't help but think of Ned when I saw this. There's something about the way he cried. Mostly, I just think this is a special thing and that I miss my bro.

I hope one of us tells Pres. Hafen about this if he hasn't heard about it yet since he always was such a fan of Archuleta's singing.

Santa Claus Came To Las Vegas

This year Papi got to assist Santa by filling in for him during the Ward Christmas party. He was very appreciative of being on team Santa and he also appreciated that only one child cried. Although, he did say several of them had very soft little voices.

My first car review

Hey guys i posted my first car review. Here's the link- http://burnnturn.com/?p=68

OUR DIRTY DASH QUEEN REIGNS SUPREME!

elise, you are beautiful! this picture is worth a thousand dollars! i can see now that it was a real good thing you cleaned the bathroom after you showered.....talk about one dirty kid!

CONGRATULATIONS!!!

I Dirty Dashed it.

To learn more about how I got this dirty please read my blog, Lisel's Easel.

in honor of Andrea Jagodzinski

Dad completed a 25 mile bike ride last weekend in under 2 hours.

Way to go Dad!

Joe & Julia

made eternally official July 30th.

they are a beautiful couple

and I couldn't be more happy for them!

Check it. Penguins on the honeymoon.

"It's Time" (acoustic) by Imagine Dragons

Imagine Dragons "It's Time" from The Occidental Saloon on Vimeo.

"It's Time" (original)

"It's Time" (live June 11, 2011)

For Grandmama & Grandpapa Meservy

April wrote this song about Grandma and Grandpa Meservy. I love it. Enjoy!

My whole house is great TOO...

Warrior 100k

I thought this was pretty rad. Former Pres. Bush and wounded servicemen went on a 100k bike ride.

Mormon Messages

I saw this and liked it too much to not share it. The background music is a song called "All About Your Heart" by Mindy Gledhill. It was written, as I understand it, specifically for the woman in the film (a friend).

Mom Forgot To Call Me Back.

story of my life.

My Current Top 10 List

1. Peace Like A River by Leif Enger
2. Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card
3. To The Rescue: The Biography of Thomas S Monson by Heidi Swinton
4. The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Luiz Zaffron (a couple unnecessary paragraphs containing sex scenes)
5. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
6. No Apology: The Case for American Greatness by Mitt Romney
7. Silence by Endo Shusaku
8. U.S. Constitution by James Madison
9. John Adams by David McCullough
10. The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexander Dumas
**The Book of Mormon**

Mitt Romney Announced Yesterday His Involvement In The 2012 Race

Official website

Mitt Romney Central Fan Site

Sweet short film

The Butterfly Circus 2009
Uploaded by xavi10m. - Classic TV and last night's shows, online.

We are just debutantes but...

Friends and family: we have started a blog and you can stay updated on what we're up to by going here:

http://willandkristenmeservy.blogspot.com/

Much love, Will and Kristen.

Sometimes love can be tough...

Ode to Elise

A couple weeks ago we celebrated 22 wonderful years of Elise, the greatest sister (in law) that anyone could ask for. Dennis and Mara were able to make the trek up to Utah for the celebration, and it was wonderful to have the whole family there to celebrate the birth of this beautiful, intelligent, and ever-lovely girl. Anyone who has ever met her knows immediately that she radiates love--and she is loved right back! Happy birthday Elise! To celebrate we went to a local restaurant - Communal - for amazing gourmet food on Friday night, and Sunday everyone came over to our house for BLTs and birthday brownies.

birthday brownies (great outfit Elise):

the family:

Just for kicks - here's one more of the gorgeous birthday girl!!!

Best Book in Ages: To the Rescue: The Biography of Thomas S Monson

I loved this book. This is one of the best books I have read (especially recently). It is inspiring and filled with amazing stories, great poetry, and hilarious anecdotes. Furthermore, it is a testimony of Jesus Christ and His servent, Thomas S Monson, who I know in my head and in my heart to be a real prophet of God.

The final portion of the book covers some of the truths he has taught--
*"When God speaks and man obeys, that man will always be right"
*"Whom the Lord calls, the Lord qualifies"
*"Decisions determine destiny"
*"When you are on the Lord's errand, you are entitled to the Lord's help"
*"Your decision to think right, choose right, and do right will rarely if ever be the easiest course to follow"
*"You do not find the happy life--you make it"
*"The power to lead is the power to mislead, and the power to mislead is the power to destroy"
*"Good habits...are the soul's muscles; the more you use them, the stronger they grow"
*"Life is like a candid camera; it does not wait for you to pose"
*"The door of history turns on small hinges, and so do people's lives"
*"As we look heavenward, we inevitably learn our responsibility to reach outward"

Mom and Dad are both reading it now and they have both commented on how great it is to me individually.

Happy Presidents Day!

Talk segment given by historian David McCullough at BYU (2005). McCullough wrote the award winning biography John Adams.

Two Easy AND Delicious Recipes

1. Sweet N' Sour Chicken

*my apologies for not having a picture of this recipes. I refuse to make food without a pic or a good recommendation. So I give this a 4.2 stars recommendation.

Ingredients:
4 chicken breasts
1 C (roughly one jar) apricot jam
1/2 C dried onions
1 C Italian Dressing ( I prefer Kraft's Zesty fat free Italian dressing)
1 Bell pepper (preferably green, yellow, or orange)sliced
1 can chunked pineapple
Half an onion sliced

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix jam, onions, and dressing together. Slice raw chicken into small chunks. Pour half the dressing mixture over the chicken. Cook for 15 minutes. Add sliced bell peppers, sliced onion, and full can of pineapple (no juice) and the rest of the dressing. Cook for another 15 minutes.

Serving size: 6

2. Beef & Mushroom Lasagna



Ingredients:
1 can Campbell's Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup
1/4 C milk
1 lb. ground beef
2 C Prego Fresh Mushroom Italian Sauce
9 cooked lasagna noddles (wheat is great!)
1 C shredded Italian-blend or mozzarella cheese

Directions:
1. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Stir soup and milk in a small bowl until smooth.
2. Cook beef in skillet over medium-high heat until well browned, stirring often to separate meat. Pour off fat. Stir in Sauce.
3. Layer 1/2 beef mixture, three noodles, and 1 cup soup mixture in 2-qt. shallow baking dish. Top with 3 more noodles,remaining beef mixture, remaining noodles and remaining soup mixture. Sprinkle with cheese. Cover baking dish.
4. Bake 30 mins. or until hot. Uncover baking dish.

Serving size: 6

Who needs school when you've got the Bahamas?

So. At long, long last the newlyweds are posting (applause). Thank you Elise for the gentle nudge to let the family know what we've been up to - which, in a little more than two months of marriage, is a lot! Here follows the main business of the last month and a half:

- Will is taking more than 17 credits, and is studying his brains out. Math, science, and Russian - he is busy busy busy. Except, of course, when certain distractions arise (i.e. the call of the netflix free trial).

- Kristen is very busy as well, as she is currently writing her honors thesis on Women Writers in 16th Century France, and studying for the GRE (grad school exam), as well as putting in her application for the French Masters Program at BYU. Fingers crossed that all goes well!

But enough about school. We just got back from a cruise a couple of weeks ago! We skipped the first week of classes (and freezing temperatures) to go with Kristen's family on a 3 day cruise to the Bahamas, and then spend the rest of the week in Orlando going to (drum roll please)...HARRY POTTER LAND, the Kennedy Space Center, and DisneyWorld. Yes, we are living proof that dreams do come true. It was an incredible vacation, and we loved every bit, even if we had to spend the next two weeks frantically making up missed school work. Totally worth it!

Will in his snorkeling gear in the Bahamas. We saw a shipwreck and some jellyfish (whoever said January wasn't jellyfish season lied)...!



Here we are on the cruise ship, about ready to get off in Nassau, the capital of the Bahamas. In the background you can see the huge Atlantis hotel. That's right; we went to the lost city.



Nassau. A SWEET horse and carriage. The city was dirty, crowded with cruising tourists, and surrounded by the most beautiful blue waters you've ever seen. Best part of the day was when Will found a HUGE conch shell for only $3. It's now on display in our bathroom.



Will searching for live conch shells in Cococay, the other island that we went to, while being camera-stalked by Kristen:



HARRY POTTER LAND!!! Will and Kristen in front of the crimson Hogwarts Express (can't you just see the excitement on our gleaming faces???).



Just hanging out in the Boar's Head in Hogsmeade drinking up our fair share of butterbeer. Mmm...



Here we are in front of Cinderella's castle at Disneyworld, wearing our "Happily Ever After" pins they gave us! Though Disneyland was awesome, both of us agreed that Disneyland takes the cake...but it was still a great day.



Now that a super fancy honeymoon, cruise, and theme park frenzy are behind us, we are the most spoiled newlyweds in history. But don't worry - now it's back to the regular grind for us.

Funniest thing i've seen in years!!

Good Books, Good Looks

Anybody else think the little girl in this advertisement resembles mom in her youth?


Go. Read. Learn.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ASWINI.

He's only 18 years away from 40. But we Love him. Happy Birthday! We were glad we could celebrate together.

I LOVE COMPLIMENTS

My step-cousin david clark called yesterday to express condolences about marco. he reminded me of how i took him to his first post-mission dance at byu and helped him reaclimate to civilian life! i told him i had kids at byu now and he asked if my daughter was there. "Does she look like you?" Unusual question from a guy, I thought.
"Yes, she really does," I answered. "Except more of a brunette than blonde."
"Then she's a knock-out! Cause you were. And she's gonna have no trouble at BYU!"
I relayed this lovely message to dad and was gratified to hear him tell me "that's what I've been saying, honey!"
By the way, David Clark formed Synergy International Inc. (synergyii.com) which is the oldest energy saving company in America--30 years old this year. They show utility companies how to save money during peak usage hours so that utilities don't have to build as many power plants.

Intro to Art and DRAWING

So after ceramics class last semester, I am on to my next art endeavor: a drawing class! This is both my wildest dream and biggest fear.

For our first assignment we drew self-portraits. And to be completely honest I am not sure it is as good as Will's portrait of me that turned into John Lennon, but at least I thoroughly enjoyed making it.



Mom do you like it as much as you liked my ceramic mask? ;) love ya.

Sweet poem I heard on the radio today.

Diagnosis
by Sharon Olds

By the time I was six months old, she knew something
was wrong with me. I got looks on my face
she had not seen on any child
in the family, or the extended family,
or the neighborhood. My mother took me in
to the pediatrician with the kind hands,
a doctor with a name like a suit size for a wheel:
Hub Long. My mom did not tell him
what she thought in truth, that I was Possessed.
It was just these strange looks on my face—
he held me, and conversed with me,
chatting as one does with a baby, and my mother
said, She’s doing it now! Look!
She’s doing it now! and the doctor said,
What your daughter has
is called a sense
of humor. Ohhh, she said, and took me
back to the house where that sense would be tested
and found to be incurable.