27 is an odd year

I have been very remiss at updating our blog posts! But thanks to Candace & her sweet, gentle, reminders always gets me to post (as quickly as possible). Let's see...what is up with us? Well on the 3rd of September I turned the ripe odd age of 27. I say odd because it's a really odd number (both verbally & mathmatically) I'm fine with turning older, but 27 is different, it's late 20's....& I just can't wrap my head around the fact that I'm now in my late 20's.....odd, very odd.
Ryan made sure I spent my birthday weekend in style. Weds. we had a party with our friends
& I stuffed myself so full of food that I didn't even want to have breakfast the next day (Can you say Pecan chicken, dutch oven potatoes, corn on the cob -from the garden, pesto bread, garlic bread, cinnamon rolls, cheese cake & home made ice cream cake)!!! Thursday (my actual birthday) I had lunch with a bunch of ladies from the ward & that evening Ryan made me shrimp fetticunne alfredo & we watched Prison Break (if you aren't addicted to it yet, START NOW!). That evening my parents came up & we spent the weekend eating really good food & enjoying relaxing and having a great time together. I haven't had one on one time with my parents since I was two! So it was really great. I recieved numerous phone calls, e-mails & birthday cards - it was wonderful!!
Ryan's up next (September 26th) & this year it is the big 3-0!!! So watch out for that!
Other than getting older we have both been really busy with work. I'm working as a legal secretary for the defense lawyer in town and I'm learning a boatload!!! It's so exciting to do something new & learn more how our justice system works. I'm full time so my weeks are full & my weekends fly by!! Ryan is loving his job at the Ag Research Center. Currently he's been working on the upcoming land managment retreat this upcoming week. He's been creating their work packets & hand outs . His bosses are loving everything he's doing for them. We are still crossing our fingers that they will decide to hire him permanently!!
With my Dad here last weekend he & Ryan did work out in the yard (I think Ryan loved having the company) We have a new rock pathway & a fire pit - so once the burn ban is lifted we will be out in the back roasting marshmellows!! Ryan is also reffing again this year & just had his first game today, sadly nothing much has changed Burns lost 20-0.

3's of Me

You've been tagged; so you are supposed to fill in the 3's of You.At the end, choose 3 people to be tagged.If I tagged you, it's because I want to know more about you. Have fun!

Three names I go by:
1. Baby (That's what Ryan calls me)
2. NowNow (That's Tiffany's version of my name)
3. Mike/Mitch/Paul/Chell/Sis. Steineckert (all nicknames of mine)

Three jobs I have had in my life:
1. Waitress at Applebee's
2. Student Secretary Assistant in the Advancement Office at Southern Utah University (I had that job all four years of college - it was great!)
3. Drama Teacher (It's when I learned that I CAN'T teach)

Three places I have lived:
1. West Jordan, Utah
2. Cedar City, Utah
3. Burns, Oregon

Three favorite Drinks:
1. Water with a Lime (try it, you'll never go back to lemons again!)
2. Orange Julius (especially with my secret ingredient)
3. Lemonade - it has to be the good kind with the perfect blend of lemon/water & sugar

Three TV shows that I watch: (on DVD because we don't have TV)
1. Gilmore Girls
2. The Office
3. Man V. Food (if you haven't seen it yet, it's on the Travel Channel ...I'm totally addicted!!)

Three top places I have been:
1. San Fransisco, CA (An Orchestra memory that will remain forever!)
2. Oregon Coast (It's hard to pick one place!)
3. New York, New York (it's hard to remember that there is a whole state outside of that city)

Three of my favorite restaurants: (It's really hard to pick three, this is a sampling of the top 3 I like to go to when we're in UT, because Burns....doensn't really have....anything)
1. La Puente - Their salsa & Chili Verde has yet to be beat!
2. Buca Di Beppo - Their macaroni rosa was so close to tasting like my grandma's I almost started crying!
3. Purple Turtle - Their burgers are great, but the onion rings are FABULOUS!

Three things I'm looking forward to:
1. Having Children
2. Retiring with Ryan
3. Cookie Dough

Three people I tag:
1. Shelley
2. Jamie
3. Greg

A Weekend...

I'm a little slow getting these pics up, but it was a pretty busy weekend at the Steiny home! I went on a fabulous overnighter with my friend Heidi and spent too much money on things that I didn't really need - BUT everything I bought was on sale ....so that's okay, right? For breakfast we went to this awesome crepe place - pesto in crepe's are really, really, yummy! Then walked around downtown Bend - there is so much down there! It was really fun & we promised to do it again!
Saturday Ryan participated in two softball games and like the supportive wife that I am I sat on the sidelines & took pictures. Ryan's team didn't win (they were up against high school baseball coaches), but I think everyone had fun. After the game we went to a big BBQ and then drove home through a cattle drive (they were moving the cattle to a different field. Ryan thinks I'm crazy for taking pictures of it, but how many people can say they were surrounded by cattle in their car?
Two big updates on my side of things. I was released from being Enrichment Leader and was put in as first counselor in the Primary presidency (crazy!). Also I just recently landed a gig as a legal secretary for a law firm in town - new experiences are kind of exciting!

Our Summer Part 2

The Music Man went really, really well. With the exception of the non-airconditioned auditorium I think everyone really enjoyed themselves. My cast really got it all together and really showed Burns/Hines how great it is to have the arts in our community. My cast & crew put in so many hours and I am so grateful for the hard work that they did! I wish I had better pictures, but ...I was already taking illegal pictures so - I didn't do too bad. I just wish I could have gotten a shot of the boys band. My costumer was able to get the vintage (1970's) marching band costumes from the high school. Our community LOVES the high school and when they saw those uniforms again they couldn't help from clapping.
I'm glad that I did this - I miss the theater so much I get choked up when I think of it - so many good memories.
I'm also grateful to Ryan - he was a trooper - he filled in last minute for the barbershop quartet and ROCKED the part! So many people kept commenting on what a good singer and actor he is - I already knew this - but I'm glad that others in the community were able to see his amazing talents. I love you Baby and Thank you for helping me, listening, loving & supporting!!

Our Summer Part 1

It was a really fun, busy, crazy, hilarious, jam packed, etc. month of July for us at the Steiny house! After our trip to Utah my sister, Jeanette, and our nieces Tiffany (2 years) and Katrina (1 year on August 8th) came up to stay with us for three whole weeks! We had alot of fun (and Aunt Michelle learned how unbaby proof her house is). We swam at the pool, hung out with friends, went to yard sales, made some yummy food and ice cream (can you say blueberry cheesecake?), worked in the yard, BBQed, story time at the library, read tons of books, took short naps & giggled, cried, smiled, kissed & sqeezed! It was alot of fun and I hope we make it a tradition!! We just won't do it the same week that Aunt Michelle has a show!!!

The Count Down Begins

Music Man is going to be performing next week!!! (July 24th & 25th for those of you who would love to see some community theater.....that's really far away!). I feel like I've been working on this show (I'm directing it - CRAZY WOMAN THAT I AM!!!) for years and on the other hand I feel like I've been working on it for three days (the reality is about two months). We are in the final stretch of rehearsing where we are starting to run through the entire show. It's hot, I'm stressed and feeling the pressure! There hasn't been a musical community theater production here since the 80's (they cut drama from the high school and that ended that - glad to keep our losing football team though!) and I think everyone has really high expectations...can I meet those? The Dr. Lewis quote has been boring into my brain over and over "If a show goes well the audience congratulates the actors. If the show goes badly the audience blames the director." - AAAAAAH!!! I feel like my brain has been fried and is fizzling out of my ears & my cast - they need encouragement, excitement, pep, wise words from their director who is wondering how the captain of the Titanic felt before they hit the iceberg.
Now, to make things clear I understand that not everything can be perfect and my cast is trying their hardest (community theater isn't suppost to be perfect-that's what makes it fun to go to) and I think they have made really good strides and have improved greatly. I know that the show will be fine and people will like it and others will hate it and life will go on, but two questions:
1. The director encourages the cast - who is going to encourage the director?
2. Has anyone else poured their heart, soul, time, effort, money, sanity into a project and wondered right before they finished "what the hell did I get myself into" and wondered if they are going to get out alive?
Anyone?
Now, don't get too worried about me. I'm mainly venting for my own stress relief. There is nothing like a challenge with something that you are not fully proficient on to point out all of your weaknesses (I only took two directing classes in college and directing a musical vs. play are two greatly, large, different, furry monsters).
Oh boy do I have weaknesses!!!

Our Summer Trip!

I'm very late at posting this, but better late than never right?
We were able to have a fabulous whirl-wind vacation in Utah and brought back a few souviners!
We celebrated my Mom's birthday with a delcious dinner at Johnny Carino's and some yummy French vanilla birthday cake! We played at the new playground at Majestic Elementary and watched Katrina walking and Tiffany talking (and singing - the reptoir includes: "The Itsy Bitsy Spider", "Jesus Wants Me for a Sunbeam" & "Old McDonald's Farm E-I-E-I-E").
Tiffany & I (Ryan was there too, but I don't think I would admit it) went to East High and got some "High School Musical" pics. You can buy a map for a buck and it will show you every locker, room & hall that they used in the movie. I touched Zac Efron's locker!!!!
We then headed to Bear Lake with Ryan's family & had a blast. Minature golf, dinners, pools, hot tubs, tubing in freezing cold water, suckers, games, singing & learning that carcinogens produce cancer and you DO NOT want to get "Dumping Disease" (My sis-in-law Jana is studying for her registered dietician test and I helped her with flash cards).
We came back for the fireworks & popcicles! It was Caiden, Katrina & Tiffany's (first time she wasn't too scared to watch) first firework show. For those of you who are wondering why you are looking at a brightly lit ladder. We found that lighting the fireworks atop a ladder provides a more entertaining effect as everything sprays down instead of just popping off the ground.
We also got to meet, for the first time, Ben & Ruth's little one - Cooper James Shelton - so sweet!! He really enjoyed the motorcycle noises that Ryan made...very soothing sound for a Shelton boy.
We had so much fun in Utah we brought some of the party back with us. Jeanette, Tiffany & Katrina came back up with us and will spend a few weeks up here.
More pictures to follow!!!