Oh hi.

Other options for the title of this post were, "It's been 2 years and I'm back!", or "Where in the world are the Barlows?", or "Do blogs even still exist?".

I think blogs are still a "thing"? I'm just gonna dust off this old thing here.

I got out of the habit of writing when we moved to the Bay Area. I had tons of free time but put my blog on the back burner. It was a hard move for me so I just didn't write. I still miss Provo at times but life is good, really good. A lot has happened in 2 years for this Barlow crew!

A short recap is: 

>>> we moved to the East Bay of Northern California

>>> Mr. Barlow temped at Google[x] working on the Google Glass Project

>>> Mr. Barlow commuted 3-4 hours a day to work

>>> I started nannying and teaching Seminary, doing Faith in God for the Activity Day Girls and taught youth Sunday School

>>> we got pregnant, found out our addition was a little boy, long live the Barlow name!

>>> we moved to a house in Oakland, right down the hill from the Oakland LDS Temple

>>> Mr. Barlow's car was broken in to 3 times in 2 weeks, everything was stolen on the 1st break-in 

>>> Seth Jacob Barlow joined our family July 10th, 2014

>>> Seth J. cried a lot, pooped a lot, did not sleep a lot, was kissed a lot and cuddled a lot

>>> Mr. Barlow's contract ended on the the Glass team suddenly 

>>> moved home to LA and lived with the Barlow Parental units while we job searched

>>> Mr. Barlow got a job at a tech start up in San Mateo, the peninsula side of the Bay

>>> I got a job as Resident Manager for the apartments we live in [Beth & Adler, if you are reading this we owe you our 2nd born child]

>>> now we live in San Mateo and Mr. Barlow's commute is a 7 minute walk from our apartments

>>> Seth J. finally learned how to nap and is still working on sleeping through the night

We really have been taken care of by the Lord, family and friends. It feels like it has been a long 2 years and a lot of moving. I told Mr. Barlow we are not moving for at least 2-3 years! I hate packing. So much.

I want to write more. I think Cat wants me to write more. At least I found 2-3 old comments on this dusty blog asking me to. Here you go Cat, because I love you and China is so far. Thank goodness for your VPN and Google Hangouts.

ALSO I HAVE BEEN HOME FROM THE WISCONSIN MILWAUKEE MISSION FOR 5 YEARS TODAY?! WHA??? I remember not taking my tag off until I went to bed even though I was released from being a missionary several hours before. I miss my Wisconsinites. I get so excited when someone brings up Wisconsin or I see something Wisconsin related. Or someone mentions cheese. Sconnies, I love you. I miss you.

And here is Seth J.'s newest trick as of today! Standing in his crib! The little stinker finally figured out how to get up. [Taylor, this video monitor has been a lifesaver, thank you!]

"Sittin on the dock of the Bay..."

good news minute.

mr. barlow and i are packing our bags and moving to the Bay area!

it is a sudden change and came out of left field. 

but we are excited for the adventure and here is the tale...

mr. barlow got an email from a Google recruiter on a Friday afternoon saying they matched his resume up with a job and wanted to interview him that coming Monday [Presidents Day].

[side note: jacob applied for a Google Fiber position months prior just for the fun of it but never heard anything back from it.]

Monday came and he interviewed via Google Hangout and then had 3 more Google hangout interviews later that week. one was a group one where they had to sell each other on Gmail, Android or a Chromebook so they could test all their knowledge and skills about Google products.

they called him back the next week and offered him a position!

for what you ask? we have no idea!

he had to sign a non disclosure form and we still haven't been told the product he'll be working on.

here's what we do know...

he has to be in Mountain View, Ca to train on Google Campus for about 3 weeks and then he'll be working out of the San Francisco office.

oh ya, at the end of this month. in 3 weeks.

that is all.

we are taking a huge leap of faith [not much info to go off of!] but it feels right to the both of us and an adventure will be fun.

especially where it is warmer then we are currently. 

we are definitely going to miss our family and friends in the Utah Valley. 

it has been a blessing to call this place our home for the past 1.5 years. 

any guidance for the Bay area would be greatly appreciated!

also in my last welcome back post i realized how ungrateful i sounded for my former job.

i want it to be known i was very grateful for a good paying job where i learned a lot.

it also helped me to push my Photoshop skills!

[i hate sounding so rude, i apologize.]

welcome back/hello again/where did i go?

HELLO!!!

the last time i updated my blog was 9 months ago. [no pregnancy or baby was had]

i was extremely busy with work and wanted nothing to do with my computer when i was done for the day.

hence my blog got sorely neglected.

i was doing my editing job from home [working in your pj's is awesome, btw] but sitting at my computer for 10 hours a day = not so fun.

spending those 10 hours in Photoshop making people look completely different also was not so fun.

i never had the opportunity to do my own photography and if i did i didn't always enjoy it like i use to because of the time i had to spend editing for my job.

i sound like a downright complainer. sorry.

mr. barlow told me, "your job is sucking your soul out."

so with mr. barlow's encouragement and support i quit at the end of 2012.

HALLELUJAH!

at the beginning of 2013 i was unemployed and that lasted for about a week! 

[we are SO lucky that mr. barlow still has an awesome job with Imagine Learning!]

my aunt is a kindergarten teacher and has 29 kindergartners. 

they approved her for another Instructional Aide - THAT'S ME!

i work 2 hours a day in her classroom and help the ESL kids with their reading and writing. 

it really is awesome. i love to see them understand and finally get it.

now i have time to do my own photography and editing, it is so refreshing!

i have time to help teach kids.

i have time to blog, catch up with friends, have lunch dates with mr. barlow.

i have time to run. [well, once the snow goes away.]

i am one lucky lady.

[mr. barlow gets a huge thank you for his support of my crazy working hours to quitting to being unemployed and now being a really part time worker.] 

  

cheers to more adventures and more blogging to come!

crunch wrap supreme

my friend whitney told me about this recipe and since mr. barlow and i dont 

frequent taco bell we thought we'd give the look a like a try.

oh man! it was good.

mr. barlow wanted to make sure his looked exactly like a crunch wrap!

i went with the easy way.

it was delish.

do yourself a favor and try it.

now.

thank you team lawter.

recipe here >>> taco wrap deluxe

Provo City Center Temple Groundbreaking

have you heard of Portal?!

"Fast thing goes in fast thing comes out." - GLaDOS

i would not call myself a video game player in the least.

ask my sisters. then ask my husband. 

BUT..

mr. barlow would call himself a video game man.

he teaches all about the types of games, the different systems and how to use a controller.

AND i didnt ever know a video game had a story. they do. its cool.

my little sister in law hannah was trying to get us to play Portal with her right after our wedding but i sadly turned her down.

mr. barlow cannot pass up a deal and he got Portal 1 & 2 for like $10!

a steal one would say.

it is the funnest and funniest game!

i am kinda obsessed.

and this come from the girl that doesnt play video games.

love her mother

this is sweet.

i ran 8 miles today.

almost made it to utah lake. couldn't of done it without kim and her stories.

now my body is going to get some much deserved sleep.

cinco de mayo!

we celebrated our cinco de mayo outside in the sun watching BYU Rugby!

very fitting for the holiday i know.

but seriously, rugby is so interesting to watch!

we went with the Lowrys from our ward and Matt played rugby in high school.

he did an excellent job at explaining all the rules to us!

BYU is pretty bomb at rugby. 

they played against UCLA on saturday and dominated.

BYU [103] - UCLA [27]

it was a beautifully fun day.

we gave Mountain West Burrito a try that night to commemorate the holiday.

it was delish.

raspberry oatmeal cookie bars

jacob & i were assigned to the treats for Barlow FHE a couple Mondays ago and i wanted to make something fruity.

i got this app [for android] and found this recipe on there >>> all recipes 

it was delicious!

the recipe you can find online here >>> Raspberry Oatmeal Cookie Bars

i doubled the recipe for the FHE and i also added cinnamon to the oatmeal mixture.

and i added cream cheese to the top!

i found those little additions in the reviews part.

pre baked cookie bars!

i just randomly dolloped [is that even a word?] the cream cheese everywhere. 

[it is, just looked it up in the dictionary.]

baked raspberry oatmeal cookie bars!

and you can try it with any fruit you'd like. so yum!

southwest pasta salad

pammy jo black, her sister brittany and mama black came over a couple sundays ago for a 

little meet mr. barlow/catch up/goodbye lunch before pammy jo went to Jerusalem for the summer. 

i wanted to make something that could be made the night before since we had our lunch date right after church.

it turned out awesome and it could totally be a side dish to a party or a main lunch dish.

i found the recipe here >>> Southwest Pasta Salad

some things i changed were using red and green bell peppers and i forgot the chives!

i also added little cubes of pepper jack cheese.

and there is chicken in mine as well!

i just grilled some chicken breast with spices and shredded it.

i didnt use the dressing from this specific recipe because i didnt have the ingredients.

and i wanted a creamy dressing so i thought, "hey the cafe rio one would be good!"

so this is the dressing i made for the pasta salad >>> Creamy Lime-Cilantro Dressing

i googled a lot of the knock off recipes and i decided to go with this one bc i have no idea what a tomatillo is! 

[this sauce is also so yum on tacos!]

we all really liked it! i had it for lunch again the next day and it was still so good.

broccoli cups

instagram food photography isn't that great but trust me these are delicious!

my sister in laws and i started a food/craft blog [barlowbakingandbits.blogspot.com] 

together and heidi is the genius behind this recipe. 

i made them the other night and mr. barlow couldn't stop eating them.

i took that as a good sign!

You can use reduced fat cream cheese and reduced fat crescent rolls to make it a little healthier. You could also substitute the broccoli for any vegetable you or your family like. We eat it as a main dish, but you could easily serve them as appetizers. 

Ingredients:

1 (3 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened (or neufatchel cheese)

2 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted, divided

1 tablespoons minced chives

1 tablespoons milk

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

1/4 teaspoon garlic

2 cups cubed cooked chicken

1 1/2 cups cooked broccoli

1 (8 ounce) can refrigerated crescent rolls

Directions:

In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese, 1 tablespoon butter, chives, milk, garlic, salt and pepper until smooth. Stir in the chicken and broccoli. 

Unroll crescent roll dough and separate into eight triangles; press triangles into greased muffin pan to make a cup shape. Spoon 

about 1-2 Tablespoon chicken mixture into each cup. 

Bake squares at 350 degrees F as directed on crescent roll package or until golden brown.

Number Of Servings:4

Preparation Time:20 minutes

baked pesto ravioli with chicken

i think it was my sister in law heidi who first had this recipe then it was passed onto mama barlow then to my other sister in law amber and now to me!

and i prob missed a couple barlows it was passed to in there somewhere.

i first tried it at our girls weekend in Branson and now i am hooked.

i want it again right now as i type this.

leftovers are really good too!

and if you are feeling fancy serve it up with a caesar salad and garlic bread.

INGREDIENTS

2 lbs. cheese-filled ravioli, fresh or frozen

1 lb. cooked chicken breasts in 1/2 in. slices

2/3 c. chicken broth

2 c. zucchini, cut in 1/2 in. rounds

½ c. red bell pepper, chopped into 1/2 in. pieces

½ c. chopped scallions

½ c. store-bought basil pesto sauce

½ t. kosher salt

½ t. pepper

1 c. parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS

Spray one 9 X 13 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Transfer to baking dish and bake at 350 for 1 hr.

tomato basil bisque

this is from my sister in law holly!

i am not sure where she got it but it is the bomb.

best tomato soup i've had.

i love eating it with a pepper jack grilled cheese.

it just makes me happy and warm inside.

this recipe makes a good amount so invite some friends over!

use butter or olive oil for saute'

1 large sweet onion, diced

2 stalks celery

2 carrots

3 tbsp butter

3 tbsp flour

1 tbsp fresh basil or 1 tsp dried

1 tbsp minced garlic

2 15 oz cans tomato sauce

2 14 oz cans chicken stock

1 tbsp sugar, or to taste

2 14.5 oz cans diced tomatos, chopped

2-3 cups heavy whipping cream

1 bay leaf

salt & pepper to taste

saute' onion, celery, & carrots in butter/olive oil. add garlic & basil, cook till basil is aromatic, just a few minutes. add salt & pepper to vegetables as they saute'.

transfer to stockpot and ass tomato sauce, chicken stock and sugar. cook for about 20 mins on medium heat, stirring often.

make a roux with the butter and flour and add to soup.

puree all the soup in blender till smooth, return to stock pot, add diced tomatoes and heavy whipping cream, bay leaf and more salt and pepper to taste.

simmer on low for about an hour. remove bay leaf before serving.

oh hello may!

aren't you pretty with your sunshine, green grass, and puffy clouds?

6 months. half a year. 182.5 days.

here we are.

happy newlyweds!

half way to one year.

we celebrated by going to church, mr. barlow doing his home teaching, and me taking a 3 hour nap!

we also made a delicious dinner and watched modern family all night.

we are pretty romantic huh?!

oh hi husband.

i love you.

we celebrate in style!

obvi that means some Martinellis.

i love me some marriage.

ANNOUNCEMENT!!!

[no we are not pregnant.] 

even though the knot.com is trying to get us to join thebump.com [see below!]

we have a calling at church!!!

mr. barlow and i are teaching the CTR 5 class!

they are so cute. and rambunctious.

they are ages 5 & 6. and we have 12 of them.

wow.

this sunday was our first time with them and i would say we survived!

we taught about the healing power of the Priesthood and we asked the class if they had ever gotten sick..

one little girl raised her hand and said, "i take medicine that makes my poops really big!" 

what can we say.. we love our class!

"The Laborers in the Vineyard"

this is a good talk by Elder Jeffrey R. Holland..

it really stuck with me when i heard it in conference.

i have listened to it a couple times since.

his words are strong. his testimony is strong.

this talk helps me a lot to remember the power of the Atonement.

"Which leads me to my third and last point. This parable—like all parables—is not really about laborers or wages any more than the others are about sheep and goats. This is a story about God’s goodness, His patience and forgiveness, and the Atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is a story about generosity and compassion. It is a story about grace. It underscores the thought I heard many years ago that surely the thing God enjoys most about being God is the thrill of being merciful, especially to those who don’t expect it and often feel they don’t deserve it."

"I do not know who in this vast audience today may need to hear the message of forgiveness inherent in this parable, but however late you think you are, however many chances you think you have missed, however many mistakes you feel you have made or talents you think you don’t have, or however far from home and family and God you feel you have traveled, I testify that you have not traveled beyond the reach of divine love. It is not possible for you to sink lower than the infinite light of Christ’s Atonement shines."

"Whether you are not yet of our faith or were with us once and have not remained, there is nothing in either case that you have done that cannot be undone. There is no problem which you cannot overcome. There is no dream that in the unfolding of time and eternity cannot yet be realized. Even if you feel you are the lost and last laborer of the eleventh hour, the Lord of the vineyard still stands beckoning. “Come boldly [to] the throne of grace,” and fall at the feet of the Holy One of Israel. Come and feast “without money and without price” at the table of the Lord."

"When we realize that death is only one of the steps that the children of God shall take throughout eternity, and that it is according to His plan, it robs death of its sting and brings us face to face with the reality of eternal life."

- President George Albert Smith

(Teachings of G.A. Smith Ch. 7 “The Immortality of the Soul”)

"Sacrifice"

"Many years ago this conference heard of a young man who found the restored gospel while he was studying in the United States. As this man was about to return to his native land, President Gordon B. Hinckley asked him what would happen to him when he returned home as a Christian. 

“My family will be disappointed,” the young man answered. “They may cast me out and regard me as dead. As for my future and my career, all opportunity may be foreclosed against me.”

“Are you willing to pay so great a price for the gospel?” President Hinckley asked.

Tearfully the young man answered, “It’s true, isn’t it?” 

When that was affirmed, he replied, “Then what else matters?”

"Sacrifice" - Elder Dallin H. Oaks, GC, April 2012

[Gordon B. Hinckley, “It’s True, Isn’t It?” Tambuli, Oct. 1993, 3–4;Ensign, July 1993, 2; see also Neil L. Andersen, “It’s True, Isn’t It? Then What Else Matters?” Ensign, May 2007, 74.]

for moms & dads!

this first video is a tribute to mothers.

warning: it will make you cry.

at least mr. barlow and i did.

its for the Olympics and not only am i now excited for them but i am excited to one day be a mother.

and this video will give you some giggles.

heres to you, mr. barlow in about 10 years!