Healthy Snack!

I recently learned about these tasty healthy snack alternatives. They are soooo yummy, even my kids love them!
I'm a big fan of making healthier choices when ever possible, especially when it comes to snacks for my kids. They are still growing and their brains are still developing, and I would hate to do anything to hinder that. Not that I'm perfect and never feed my kids McDonalds or candy. All I'm saying is that I'm trying :) So when I came across these I was pretty excited because they taste so great. I love that they use sea salt. I've been trying to use sea salt when ever possible ever since I learned about the affects regular salt can have on your skin. I did a post about this a while back.

The information below is taken from their website:

It’s time to throw out the junk food and start making smart snacking decisions! popchips are the all-natural chip like you’ve never tasted before, with all the flavor and less than half the fat of fried chips.

If you’re looking for a healthier snack for kids, popchips is your go to snack.  Take them along in all outdoor activities, pack them in lunches, and feel healthy while indulging. 

product overview
popchips are an all-natural chip like you’ve never tasted before. never fried (unhealthy). never baked (undelicious). popchips start with wholesome potatoes, we add a little heat and pressure, and pop! it’s a chip. the only thing added is a flavorful blend of seasonings for a snack so crispy and delicious, you won’t even notice it’s (we hesitate to say) healthier. thanks to the magic of popping, popchips have all the flavor and less than half the fat of fried chips.

Just pop over to Whole Foods,

Safeway, Jamba Juice, Target

and other fine retailers.

Our Weekend Getaway!

Sean and I just got back from an amazing weekend at our cabin. As you all know it was our 6 year anniversary, so we thought it would be nice to plan a few nights away, just the two of us. I put together a video of our weekend, it's not that kind of video you sicko's :) 

Here's the card Sean got me.

NOW FOR MY VERSION OF THE STORY!

Read Sean's version HERE.
 As some of you already know, Sean and I both graduated from high school in 99, and we both went to Butler Middle school. The crazy thing is that I went there for 7th and 8th grade, and he went there for 9th grade. We barely missed each other! I met my best friend Brenda in 8th grade, and her and I stayed in touch after I moved. She would always tell me about the new guy in school, "Sean Escobar". He was pretty popular among the ladies :)  So, that name was very familiar to me. Yes, Sean and I met briefly a couple of times but never really hung out back then. I thought he was so good looking though, and WISHED I could get to know him a little better if you know what I mean :)

So, I guess I don't really count those times back then as being the first time we met. It wasn't until that night at his house that we REALLY met for the first time. I had been home from my mission for 5 months. I was dating a lot, it was fun at first, but then I got tired of it really fast. I just wanted to meet my husband. I was sick of it all. 

Just two nights before I met Sean, I remember praying my heart out to God, and pleading with him that he'd lead me to my husband. I was so ready to find him, get married and start a family. I even wrote about it in my journal, so it's so cool to look back and see how my prayers were answered. 

Like Sean said, our mutual friend Brenda was in town. I was hanging out with her and these other girls in the picture below.  We went out to eat at Bonzi, which has now become mine and Sean's favorite place to eat.  Every time we go there I'm reminded of the night we met. 

Here is a picture we took of that night.

So anyway, after we ate there, we went and stopped by Sean's house. I knew who he was, but I didn't know if he would remember who I was. I instantly had an attraction to him, but didn't think much of it since he was on a date :) I thought this girl was his girl friend. So we were all hanging out for a bit, his date left, he was going to meet back up with her later. Sean and I talked about our mutual interest in Network Marketing, he was trying to get me in his business, I was trying to get him in my business, haha. We always joke about that now, but anyway, we exchanged numbers for "business purposes" :) 

I still have the piece of paper he wrote his number on.

The next day Sean called me and asked me out on a date.  I was excited, but not too excited.  I thought he was just a player since I knew he was already dating this other girl.  A few days later I was all ready for our date. Sean picked me up, we walked to his truck, and he opened my car door for me!  Those kinds of things are such a big deal to me. I had dated so many guys who never thought to do that, and I was always so disappointed.  Sean was definitely earning some brownie points there :) As we were driving, Sean's dad called and needed him to stop by for something. So since we were right there, we stopped by his parents house. I got to "meet the parents" on our first date! They were really nice, we visited with them for a while, then left. By that time it was getting kind of late, too late to go to any restaurants or movies. So we went to the Wendy's drive through then back to his place to watch a movie. We had a great time!  I hate to admit this... but we KISSED on the first date!

When Sean dropped me off that night I wasn't planning on seeing him again. I still thought he was just a typical guy, not ever taking relationships very seriously. 

The next day I get a knock at my door, and there he was holding a huge bouquet of flowers. 

*sigh*

It was all over from there. At that point there was no turning back,  I was head over heels for him. I know!  Sounds crazy, but it was literally 2 dates later and we were talking marriage. Wow! I still can't believe it.  I will always remember our conversation that night, I have it all written down in my journal, practically word for word.  I'll spare you the details on that, it's probably WAY to mushy for you, but for me, it was absolutely PERFECT!!!

We thought it would be wise if we waited a while before breaking the news to everyone. We knew what people were going to think, so we kept it to ourselves for as long as possible...  A WEEK! Yes, everyone thought we were nuts, but Sean and I had no doubt that we were perfect for each other. We instantly started making wedding plans. 

We met April 23rd, and 3 months later, July 31st got married. Everything about Sean is just perfect for me. Now that we're coming up on 6 years together, I'm reminded of these precious memories and how meant to be it all is.

I've shared these videos before, but for those of you who are new here, you might like to take a peak.

THE STORY OF US

This weekend Sean and I are celebrating our 6th wedding anniversary, so I thought this would be the perfect time to share our story, hope it doesn't get too mushy for you :)  I asked Sean to kick it off for me by telling you all about the first time we met. It was so fun for me to read what he wrote and go back in time a little and reminisce about the beginning stages of our relationship.

Here's what he wrote:

I remember the first time I met Crystal was actually my Sophomore year of High school.  I was hanging out with Brenda and a few of our mutual friends and we stopped by Brenda’s house for something.    This beautiful girl was headed out the door with a guy.  I remember thinking, “oh man, that girl is so hot!   Too bad she's headed out with some lucky guy.”  I know that sounds pretty shallow, but keep in mind I was 16 at the time.    Brenda briefly introduced us to her best friend from another school named Crystal, but Crystal seemed to be in a hurry so I didn’t get to know her then.   I never forgot her face though, its like it was permanently imprinted in my mind.   I hoped that at some point in the near future I would bump into her again.  That opportunity never really came.   I know I probably could have asked Brenda to set me up or something, but I actually remember her heading out that night with an older guy and thinking, “probably out of my league.”

Fast forward 7 years. I had been home from my Mission to Virginia for about 2.5 years.  I was dating up a storm, keeping my options open,  trying to be picky and making sure I knew exactly what I want in a spouse.   I was burned out truthfully.  The dating scene seemed brutal, not many girls really fit what I was looking for.  I wanted a girl that was drop dead gorgeous,  but was also down to earth and spiritual.  I know I was asking a lot.  That combination seemed to be scarce as I was playing the dating game.  I went on soooooo many first dates.  I figured why would I go out with them again and waste their time and mine if the spark isn’t there,  or if I sense something is off.   I’m not so conceded that I think I was the perfect match for anybody either.  I know that many of those girls probably never wanted to go out with me again either, that’s the dating game.    

So I believe it was April 23^rd,  2004. I was on a date with a girl that one of my best friends set me up with.  I had been out with this girl once before and didn’t see it going anywhere, but my friend convinced me to just hang out because I wasn’t doing anything else.    So we were at my house when my phone rings.  I answer it and it's my old friend way back from 9^th grade,  Brenda Drollinger.   She said that she was in town from San Diego and wanted to drop by and say hello with her girlfriends.  I asked, “who is with you?”  She said Erica, Jana, and Crystal.  Well, when she said Crystal,  for some reason I had it in my head that it was our mutual friend Chantelle, so I figured I knew all 3 of her friends coming over and was excited to reconnect since I hadn’t seen them since High School.    I can’t imagine what my date at the time was thinking! Lol  She’s probably thinking, “what a jerk, I can’t believe he just told them to come over.”    Like I said, I never saw that going anywhere,  just being honest.   After about 15 minutes the doorbell rings and I welcome my 4 friends.  There is just one thing off, Chantelle is not the 4^th girl to enter my house, it's that girl that I remember being all ga ga for way back in Sophomore year of high school.  I was like “Oh Yea!!!!!”     So we visited at my house for a while and I discover that Crystal is single,  that Crystal is working in my industry of Network Marketing,  that Crystal is a Return Missionary.   In fact I do remember Brenda saying that Crystal just got home from a Mission to Germany and my response was, “You were a Missionary!!!!”  All of the girls erupted in laughter because I was so shocked and of course they could tell how much I admired that.   So were are all visiting for about 30 minutes and my best friend and his date and my date decide they have seen enough! Lol  They said to me, “hey we’re gonna go over to Niki’s place and you can just pop over there when you are done here ok. “  I was like, “you bet, by all means!”     We all visited for a while longer and then Brenda and the girls said they had to take off.   As they were walking out of my driveway to take off,  I wanted to make sure that this wasn’t going to be the last time I was going see my dream girl for another 7 years!  So I asked Crystal for her # and she gave it to me.    When they drove off,  I felt like I had just won the lottery!  I was so glad that I had taken Brenda’s call, what if I hadn’t!  I also had a very amazing feeling, like I knew that God had just sent Crystal to my doorstep.  See, finding my eternal companion was my #1 priority.  I made it the highlight of every one of my prayers.  I was trying to live a very honorable life so that when I met my soul mate she would also be attracted to me and I would be worthy of such a blessing.   I remember feeling this sense of “well that is how it was supposed to work out.”  I know it sounds far fetched, but I knew I was going to Marry that girl.  In fact, that night I called my friend Garrett,  the one that had set me up on that date and I said something like, “Dude, could you believe Crystal?”  and his response was “I know!  You are going to marry that girl.”  and then I countered, “I know, I knew it right away too!”   

Sure enough, it was meant to be.   Within a matter of 3 dates or so Crystal and I were talking about our future plans to get married, it felt so right, more right that anything I had ever done in my life, felt so natural.    I often think about how funny it must be for our mutual friend Brenda to think, “How did that happen, I really didn’t mean to set those two up. “  lol   Well I think she is really lucky, I can’t think of anything better than to set two people up and have them fall in love and be as perfect for each other and make each other so happy as Crystal and I do.  I really hope to do that someday, to play a role in a relationship like that.   

What Can I say other than I am so grateful that God is in charge and listens to prayers.   I am so happy and can’t imagine my life without Crystal in it.  Now we have these unbelievable children together and it just really sends things over the top for me.  It’s like every day I am reminded in some way that God did me this huge huge favor.  I look in the eyes of Lily and Oliver and I know today, just like I did the day that we met, that it was meant to be.

-Sean

Aw, he makes me melt like a popsicle on the 4th or July :) Stay tuned for my version of the story, and some pictures.