Seasoned Greetings!

Seasoned Greetings! Last year we had experiences that "pushed and stretched us beyond anything we felt capable of handling." Little did we know, that Alisyn would be literally getting pushed and stretched this year. We are so excited to be expecting and obviously that is the highlight of our year. And most likely next year's as well. Our baby seems to like to high-five me a lot. Or he/she just doesn't like it when I am squishin' on him/her!

It has definitely been the most stressful year, but oddly enough, the most blessed and peaceful. I have officially started my own company (Speednut Fabrication) and have been blessed to be quite busy these past few months. It amazes me how willing and able the Lord is to bless us and pour out His love to us. We are so grateful for the blessing of our family and friends. The happiness and joy you all bring us is super awesome (and so is the forthcoming beef ;) ). We wish you all the very best this Christmas season and love you all!

we're having a baby {due april 17}!


life is so good!


with all our love,
eric, alisyn, & forthcoming baby sorensen :)

January 2010

warm & cozy new year - 2010!!!

wishing you all a wonderful year full of endless possibility!!!

29 Things I Love...

...about this guy (in no particular order, and trust me there are more than 29, so many more)!


I love his...

1 - Loyalty to God, me, himself, his family, his friends, his commitments
2 - Childlike demeanor
3 - Patience
4 - Excitement for life and humor
5 - Dedication
6 - Outstanding work ethic
7 - Muscles and body and devastatingly good looks!!!
8 - Love for speed
9 - Passion and drive
10 - Smile
11 - Gentleness
12 - Cooking and help around the house
13 - Voice, the sound of which makes me happy and calm
14 - Way with children...even though he often spoils them :)
15 - Worthiness
16 - Priesthood Power
17 - Blue Suit and quirky fashion
18 - Facial hair
19 - Knowledge
20 - Ability to fix anything...modern MacGyver
21 - Activeness...camping, wakeboarding, snowboarding, 4-wheeling, hiking, building, fixing, etc
22 - Willingness to try new things
23 - Daredevil dreams and tendencies...
24 - Arms around me, hugs, and snuggle time
25 - Selflessness, he's got your back
26 - Easy-going nature, ability to make others feel welcomed and comfortable
27 - Story of how we met
28 - Willingness to support me in all I do, strive to do, and dream of doing
29 - And I love that he's mine, ALL MINE!!!

Happy happy birthday, babe!!!

February 2010

Leave It To The Groundhog

Do you think Punxsutawney Phil's handler is best friend's with a meteorologist?

How do you celebrate Groundhog Day?

E & I watch Bill Murray's "Groundhog Day." Super original, I know. I'm actually looking forward to it. Popcorn, snuggling, corny humor = good stuff!!! Happy {almost} Spring to you all!

*******

Dear Self:

More often than not, introspection is a rather nerve-wrecking experience for me. I delicately tuck things away, hoping they might just vanish like smoke, somehow work themselves out, or at least get so lost in the clutter that I no longer need to acknowledge them. But inevitably they reappear, despite my protests, forcing me to face them with bared teeth and an iron fist.

I do not like to confront myself.

And the reason is this: confrontation causes frustration. Because rather than seeing what little progress has been made, all I see are the failings, shortcomings, long lists of needed improvements yet to be checked off. Or even worse, I uncover something festering that will morph into a monster beyond my control. Scary. Those are the things that really should not go unchecked.

Obviously such thinking {and behavior, or lack thereof} is counterproductive and against my religion. A very deep and dark lord desires to impede me with frustrations and an overwhelming feeling of losing control. I know this. So why do I sub-comb? Self-defeating question. Better left unasked. How do I overcome? Much better question. And for you, the answers are apparent.

Though a little extra nudge and affirmation is always appreciated. And so it was last night as I talked with my visiting teachers. one of them is new and anxious to "know about me." So I told her the basics. Being a wise woman, she then asked the probing characteristic questions that actually teach you about someone, rather than just things about them. Huge difference. And she knew it. So I obliged. Stories that exemplified who I am and the choices that affect why I am that way. Situations that illustrate why I choose to be the type of person that I am. A very healthy self-awareness devoid of pride. It was invigorating. It was healing. It was true. My intelligence feasted on that truth and lifted me up. I recognized worth. I recognized Godly love and acceptance. I recognized "me."

I am not one who shall be easily torn down and led to believe that my meager efforts are fruitless and devoid of direction. That my all, or even partial offering, are not good enough. I am not one who listens to depreciating voices coated with disdain and deceit. I am better than that. I know I am.

March 2010

by rebecca lopez

...though hope is frail
it's hard to kill...

daily dose of happy

ever heard of Goober? it's peanut butter and jelly all in one jar. {who has time to open two jars these days!?}

well, today's daily dose of happy is that my hair sort looks like Goober. e cut and dyed the ol' mop for me and wow, talk about welcoming spring! dye = blond. my hair takes dye so interestingly...doesn't matter the color on the box, it turns light reddish blond. cute. it makes me happy.


SPICY WEBSITE LAUNCH!!!

the time has come, friends! we just wanted to share our excitement with you because we are officially releasing our website:

myspicydesigns.com

whoop whoop! about time, eh!? thanks for sticking with us as we ventured through the world of html to create this comprehensive site. we have created product categories to ease and inspire, utilized a shopping cart that allows simple drop and click purchasing, and developed what we hope to be a fun, creative, and easy customization process that allows you to make your very own statement!!!

so enough rambling, take a peak into the spicy world of our creations, follow our blog, and heck, maybe even buy a product or two! and as always, thanks for your support and encouragement!

love, steph & al

spicy designs
make a statement!

April 2010

today's stream...give oh give!

who invited ants-on-a-log? the concept grosses me out, though i distinctly remember eating it as a child. seriously. celery. peanut butter. raisins!? so weird.
this is the year that i must renew my driver's license. wow. ten years sure goes by fast! i'm dreading the process for some reason. just another thing on my to do list, i suppose. {though they allow you to set up an appointment now...no more waiting in a ridiculous line for 2 hours, wahoo!}

i could really use a va-kay. anyone else on that boat?

we're working on putting together a little weekend getaway to st. george-ee-oh. perhaps glide through zion's. just get away, ya know? so need to get away!!!

lovin' this sunshine though. well, the sunshine on saturday. yesterday and today are a little sketchy, but at least it's a pleasant temp. i keep propping the door open at work so that i can enjoy it. hate being stuck in a box on gorgeous days. seems like a waste and it makes me feel tired.

my oldest niece is borrowing my dtf formal for prom this saturday. how nuts is that!? way. i sorta freaked out for a moment when she first asked me about borrowing it. sometimes i feel so old. thursday won't help. she'll look stunning in it though. we are pretty much clones of each other...though i daresay she's a bit skinnier than i was. her mom = sewing genius, so i'm not worried about any needed alterations.

and after all that, i'm still just sitting here at work.


daily dose of happy

blessed, beautiful springtime

upon being 26


well, i have been subconsciously building up for this moment for the past 364 days, and at the shockingly early hour of 2:00 a.m. this morning, it happened. i turned 26 years old. {though my birthday cake at lunch, provided by the loving kitchen staff, had 48 candles on it...not sure what that was all about!}

26.

what does this newly bestowed number mean to me? i have no idea. it's been a point of ponderance all day. so i'll live it up until i know. happy birthday, to me.


april 15

26

still alive
lovin' it

april 21

four years ago...

...now we make delicious meals together and snuggle in bed.

and of course, what is a four year celebration without snow?

april 23-25 mini vay-kay

dear life,

you're awesome and i love you, but seriously sometimes i just need you to back off. seriously. BACK. OFF. but since you refuse to comply with my simple request, i did what any overwhelmed woman searching for sanity would do, i left you. and it was wonderful. and as much as i shouldn't say it, i didn't miss you one bit! but now i'm back and we will continue along together, as always. but oh! i should leave you more often! and here's why...

May 2010

cinco de mayo

i do believe sister-friend was the one who started us on the observation and celebration of cinco de mayo. we would invite friends over, eat mexican food, and watch the three amigos. this year was no different. although this year we added an extremely necessary element {how could we have missed this!?} and raised the party intense level to a 9.75. oh, yes! this year we smashed a pinata!

the grande burro!!!

no, he's not crazy, he's just excited about cinco de mayo

filling up on nutrients before the smash

s & baby z lovin' the site of flying candy

al's excitement level = 10.5

a very excited deb

nick and his loot

steph the wild burro

how do you cinco de mayo?

pound cake

some things in life truly are all about the process, not the product. in my life, this holds true for cooking and cleaning. though having a sparkling clean toilet is nice, it's not the actual sparkle on the toilet that is the end-all for me. it's the physical labor involved in creating the sparkle that opens the floodgate of true, personal satisfaction. and the reason is this: the process does something for me as a person, it releases stress, it creates harmony, it allows me to relax and re-evaluate. a step back, if you will. and it seems, especially as of late, that a step back is often what i need in order to create fabulous "end-all products" in other areas of my life.

such was the case today whilst i slaved over camp materials awaiting organization and distribution. my brain reached a point of non-productivity due to overload and a quickly surmounting lack of motivation. i needed to step back, so i pulled out my recipes of delight compilation and found a pound cake recipe i've been longing to try. i spent a completely transcendental twenty minutes mixing flour, eggs, sugar, vanilla and butter together. what a heavenly combination.

the process was rejuvenating because i didn't have to think about anything, just add this to that and mix together. my mind wandered. i delighted in my sense of taste and smell. i marveled at the chemistry involved in baked goods. i smiled as i thought about the loved ones i would get to share this tasty morsel with. part of me became the process, which in and of itself was a success.

i was a key ingredient in something beautiful, delicious, and that brought joy to others. i was part of an important process which created an end-all product that was worth the mixing, scraping, and the heat.