Ward Family Photos Slideshow August 23, 2009

Last week the entire Ward family descended on Utah and we had a fabulous time.  One of the definite highlights was our family photo shoot with Justin Hackworth Photography.  After you get a glimpse of some of these photos, you’ll definitely see why we highly recommend Justin.  He’s awesome to work with and produces unforgettable photos, no flash required.

On Tuesday, we picked Stephanie up from the airport and drove to downtown Provo to Justin’s studio for the first round of individual/couple pictures.  Then we piled in the car and Justin led us to this industrial park where we took the remainder of our photos.  It was perfect!  Here’s a sampling…

Aren’t they unbelievable?  If you can’t get enough, click here to see a slideshow of some of the best pictures from the photo shoot with Justin Hackworth.

Batman by Mark Wilburn… Like You’ve Never Heard it Before…

This totally takes me back to a past life.  Allow me to introduce Mark Wilburn, my previous co-worker at Tom Lee Music in Vancouver, a music store on the west coast of Canada.  We worked for several years side by side utilizing these Clavinova Yamaha digital pianos to the max.  You have GOT to see Mark’s rendition of Danny Elfman’s Batman theme.  You will NOT be disappointed, but you may want to purchase a Clavinova when it’s done. 🙂

Isn’t that UNBELIEVABLE?!  You should hear his rendition of Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, Indiana Jones and Harry Potter.  Unreal.  Go Mark Willyburn!!!

It Doesn’t Get Better Than This August 12, 2009

In a matter of days, the entire Ward clan will descend upon Utah.  This is some of the tomfoolery you can look forward to.

Photo c/o Kai Wong Photography

Herb Garden and Homemade Pesto Recipe August 9, 2009

Recently I had a lunch with a girlfriend at Flour Girl’s and Dough Boys in American Fork, Utah, and had their pesto, mozzarella and tomato sandwich on a baguette.  It’s definitely one of the tastiest things on the menu!  Upon returning home, I still wanted more pesto, so Tim and I decided to plant an herb garden so we could make our own pesto.

We headed out and picked up some herbs from Highland Gardens and Home Depot and brought them home.  Included in our to-be herb garden were sweet basil, lemon thyme, Greek oregano, rosemary and purple sage.  We rolled up our sleeves and got our hands dirty by planting our herb garden as a family home evening activity.

We also discovered the authentic way to make homemade pesto.  Would you like the recipe?  It’s simple and absolutely delectable.

• Bunch of fresh sweet basil
• Few cloves of garlic
• 1/4 C pine nuts
• 1/4 C Parmesan cheese
• Tablespoon of olive oil

1.  The trick to make pesto the authentic way is to not use a blender.  Instead, chop a some of the basil with a knife, gradually adding more basil as it gets cut.  Also, fresh basil is best!

The trick to authentic pesto? Cut it the old fashioned way!

2.  Add the garlic and pine nuts, chop some more. Add the Parmesan cheese, chop some more.

3.  Add the olive oil and mix it all together.

For best results, serve on a baguette with balsamic vinegar, fresh tomatoes and Parmesan cheese sprinkled on top.

For best results, serve on a baguette with balsamic vinegar, fresh tomatoes, and Parmesan cheese

Enjoy!

Quick Ginger Update August 2, 2009

So Friday morning was a little traumatic.  As I put Ginger in the car to take her to the vet to be fixed, I accidentally locked her and my keys and purse in the car!  ACK!  Talk about freak out!  Thankfully the firemen up the street came to the rescue and unlocked the car in a jiffy.  I always knew living next door to the fire department would come in handy!

As I left her at the vet, I have to admit that I was an emotional basket case and felt on the verge of tears.  My dear life coach, Lisa, says, “See?  You’re already a mother.”

Thankfully, everything went super smoothly.  When Tim picked up Ginger at five, the “nurses” told him some stories about the day.  They said that Ginger did NOT want to be there, did NOT want to be touched and did NOT want to go under.  The gals there are wonderful and love animals and said, “All we wanted to do was to hold and snuggle with her but she did not want that!”  That’s Ginger for ya.  Fiercely independent through and through.

Tim picked up the kitty carrier to say hello and said that she recognized him immediately — “it’s you!” — and was so happy to see him!

When I got home, Ginger was walking around, albeit gingerly (no pun intended).  She’s been laying low the last couple of days but is still doing the silly things Ginger always does, like sweeping around her kitty litter.

Tim and I both thought that she would be more out of it — hiding, walking funny from the drugs — but we saw none of that.  The incision was also very small, so they took excellent care of her at the Saratoga Springs Animal Hospital.  I highly recommend them.

A Return to Love

One of my favorite books is “A Return to Love” by Marianne Williamson.  While I can’t find my copy of A Return to Love anywhere, I recalled this week that I did copy some parts that resounded with me in my journal.

As I’ve been re-reading these thoughts from A Return to Love about faith, they have resounded with me and I hope they will resound with you, too.

Here’s an excerpt from A Return to Love:

What if we truly believed there is a God–a beneficent order to things, a force that’s holding things together without our conscious control?  What if we could see, in our daily lives, the working of that force?  What if we believed it loved us somehow and cared for us and protected us?  What if we believed we could afford to relax?

The phyical body is at work every moment, an array of mechanisms with a brilliance of design and efficiency our human efforts have never begun to match.  Our hearts beat, our lungs breathe, our hears hear, our hair grows.  And we don’t have to make them work–they just do.  Planets revole around the sun, seeds become flowers, embryos become babies, and with no help from us.  Their movement is built into a natural system.  You and I are integral parts of that system, too.  We can let our lives be directed by the same force that makes flowers grow–or we can do it ourselves.

To trust in the force that moves the universe is faith.  Faith isn’t blind, it’s visionary.  Faith is believing that the universe is on our side and that the universe knows what it’s doing.  Faith is a psychological awareness of an unfolding force for good, constantly at work in all dimensions.  Our attempts to direct this force only interferes with it.  Our willingness to relax into it allows it to work on our behalf.  Without faith, we’re frantically trying to control what is not our business to control, and fix what is not in our power to fix.  What we’re trying to control is much better off without us, and what we’re trying to fix can’t be fixed by us anyway.  Without faith, we’re wasting time.

Externally, the universe supports our physical survival.  Photosynthesis in plants and plankton in the ocean produce the oxygen that we need in order to breathe.  It is important to respect the laws that rule the phsical universe because violation of these laws threatens our survivial.  When we pollute the oceans or destroy plant life, we are destroying our support systems and so are destroying ourselves.

Internally, the universe supports our survival as well–emotionally and psychologically.  The internal equivalent to oxygen, what we need in order to survive, is love.

–Marianne Williamson, A Return to Love

Have you read A Return to Love or any of Marianne Williamson’s work before?