The Reader's Digest Version

So, this is going to be about as bad as when I write in my journal (you know, the synopsis of the past 1-2 years). Jon and I have been working hard and playing hard lately. Here are some pictures to prove it.
Jon has talked about maybe going to helicopter school some day, so he went for a helicopter ride and even got to drive it a little bit. He said it was fun, but probably not for him. We'll see.

I got back from spending 3 weeks in Boise and did a little spring triathlon the next day. I had an absolute blast. It was super cold, but a ton of fun!
That afternoon after the triathlon, Jon and I headed out to the desert west of Salt Lake to shoot guns and ride his dirt bike. It was a lot of fun.
A few weeks ago, my friend Anita had her 30th birthday party. She is honestly one of the most fun party planners. She had a henna artist (as my leg is displaying above..it has now faded off), a belly dancer and Indian food catered by Himalayan Kitchen.

Most recently, we went camping this weekend. We headed out with our friends the Warr's to a little watershed area that was only about 40 minutes away. We gathered firewood (as shown above) around the area. Jon had to drive with his head out the window for several miles on our way back to the campground. It was super cold, but we had a blast...it was so great to just be outside.

Well, there you have it: a 30-second synopsis of our lives in the last month. We hope you are all doing well!

Congratulations, Jarom!

For those of you wondering what my brother Jarom is up to, he just got accepted into the Navy's nuclear program today! We are so excited for him. He will begin training with them as soon as he graduates next spring (2010). The program is incredibly competitive. 70% of those who turn in an application are not even offered an interview. Way to go, brother!

Adult Things

I can't believe I am saying this, but I am so excited about food storage! I never thought this would be exciting...I must be becoming a big kid. Whatever the reason, we decided to start a food storage in our laundry room. It may not look like much, but our big bins of flour, sugar and rice hide some stuff, and we are just getting started. There is something so peaceful about following the admonitions of our church leaders! :-)

After reading this, Jon wanted to add an addendum:
For the record, there's not enough for anyone else...so get your own food storage!

Sushi-Making Magic

Jon and I took a class at Sur la table today to learn the basics of making sushi.

Here I am working my magic on the sushi:


Here is Jon's lovely sushi, and him proudly holding his product with a cookie:
Overall, we learned a lot, we had a lot of fun, we are excited to make it at home and we ate TONS of sushi. For the first time in many months, we can both say we are honestly NOT craving sushi.

Rockets Blazing in Denver

Maggie and I made run to Denver the weekend of Valentine's Day to visit Caleb and Tami and their 4 boys. We had a FANTASTIC time and only wish we could have spent more time there!

Before our trip to Denver we made a run to the hobby store to pick up some model rockets... we figured piecing the kits together would be a fun exercise for everyone (which it certainly was). Unfortunately we had several engines which were duds and wound up losing one rocket after our night launch. Despite these minor issues... I think all would agree our launches were smashing successes!

Below are some of the pictures of our rocket launching experience:







Our trip also included a trip to a pottery painting place (Crack Pots) where we were able to show off our mad pottery painting skills. Pictures of those masterpieces will be forthcoming :-)

All in all it was a fantastic weekend. Thank you Caleb and Tami for having us!

Christmas at Valley Vista

The whole Zimmerman family was able to be together for several days out at my parents' house. Please forgive me ahead of time for all of the pictures, but I don't think there is any other way to capture it...so, here goes:


My brothers Gabe and Jarom always like to take goofy redneck pictures. My brother Gabe labeled this picture as the two of them protecting Jon from wolves. In regards to these same brothers, they always give each other gag gifts for Christmas. The picture below is of the bunny suit Jarom gave Gabe for Christmas. The little boy staring is my nephew Jude. He was not amused.



My parents live on quite a few acres, and my dad decided to make the ultimate sledding hill with his cat, as pictured below.



We were able to fly down the hill. The pictures below are of my nephew Silas after he flew down the hill and did a face plant into the berm at the bottom.




And, of course, no Zimmerman outing would be complete without going shooting. My two nephews Elias and Isaac got .22 rifles from my parents for Christmas, which they are pictured shooting. The last picture is of me shooting clay pigeons.




As you can see, we had a lot of fun being together. We hope you all had just as much fun!

Homemade Christmas Gift

My sister sent this to me. I thought it was hilarious. Once Jon sees this post, it may be erased within a few hours...so, hurry up and laugh at it, too!

My dear friends,

Somewhat embarrassing to admit, I'm not getting an annual bonus and Christmas is tight this year. I will be making bedroom slippers for you all as gifts. Please let me know your sizes. You'll most likely agree that it's a splendid idea, and should you wish to do the same, I've included the instructions below.

How to make bedroom slippers out of maxi pads:

You need four maxi pads to make a pair.
Two of them get laid out flat, for the foot part.
The other two wrap around the toe area to form the top.
Tape or glue each side of the top pieces to the bottom of the foot part.
Decorate the tops with whatever you desire, silk flowers (this is most aesthetically appealing), etc.

These slippers are:
* Soft and Hygienic
* Non-slip grip strips on the soles
* Built in deodorant feature keeps feet smelling fresh
* No more bending over to mop up spills
* Disposable and biodegradable
* Environmentally safe
* Three convenient sizes: (1.) Regular, (2.) Light and (3.) Get out the Sand Bags.

I've attached a photo of the first pair I made so that you can see the nifty slippers for yourself....

Awaiting your response. It's crucial that I get the right size for each one of you.