Country Bacon Potato Salad

This is a FABULOUS recipe for potato salad that my neighbor in Spanish Fork, Utah gave me. I could sit down and eat the whole bowl!

4 cups red potatoes, whole and unpeeled (~1 1/2 pounds)
6 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled*
6 hard-boiled eggs, chopped
1/2 c. green pepper, finely-chopped
1/2 c. onion or one bunch green onions, chopped
1 c. Miracle Whip (or more to achieve the desired consistency)
salt and pepper

Cook potatoes in boiling water just until fork-tender. Don't overcook. Cut into chunks. Cook eggs in boiling water until hard-boiled. Peel, slice and cool. Mix Miracle Whip with salt and pepper to taste. Combine all ingredients. Chill before serving.

*I use the Hormel pre-cooked and crumbled bacon (NOT bacon bits) that you can buy at the grocery store or in bulk at Costco.

Here's a handy tip if you're taking the potato salad to an outdoor event . . .

Take a 9 x 13 glass pan and a smaller pan that will fit inside of the 9 x 13 pan (like a bread pan maybe). Put the smaller pan inside the large pan and fill the larger pan with water, keeping the smaller pan centered. (Maybe put a little water in the smaller pan just so it will stay weighted down in place.) Remember - water expands when it freezes, so don't fill the larger pan all the way with water. Freeze for several hours. Take the pans out of the freezer for a minute or two so you can pry the smaller pan out of the ice block. Put the larger pan back in the freezer until you are ready to leave the house with your yummy dish. Serve the salad from the smaller pan which is kept nice and cool by the ice. :)

Home Sweet Home

Dave built this home in 2000 and also built a 3000 square foot shop next door. He sure loves that commute, not to mention being able to come home for lunch! I love that he's just a few feet away.

Here are some pictures of the backyard. Our next door neighbors on both sides are quite a ways away and we enjoy the privacy.















View from the back door looking to the left. You can see our next door neighbor's house in the background.

View from the back door looking to the right. Our other next door neighbor's house is behind the lake and trees.

.................................................. This is the neighbor's house across the street.

Opryland Hotel

Gondola Ride at Opryland Hotel in Nashville.













This was WAAAAAYYY freaky . . . There was a woman dressed up as a vine. She would walk around and strike different poses.

Tennessee River

One of the favorite activities of the summer has been boating on the Tennessee River. The kids love riding this inflatable behind the boat. Tyler is a natural dare-devil, but Sydney was a little nervous. Tyler had a lot of screaming going on behind him! Once they fell off for the first time and she realized that the worst thing that could happen is that they get WET, Sydney relaxed and had a great time.

Welcome home

After the wedding and the honeymoon, it was time to load up the moving truck and drive 1700 miles across country. Whew! What a trip that was! If ever there was a "trial by fire" for Dave, that was it! But he came through it with a great big smile on his face and nothing but love for his new family (including two dogs!). What a wonderful man. When we made it to St. Louis, I didn't feel like I could drive another mile. The kids and I got a hotel room and got some rest and Dave plowed through the rest of the way home with the truck and the two dogs. The next day when the kids and I arrived at our new home, this was the greeting that was waiting for us!

Here are a few pictures from our drive cross country . . .

Beautiful rock formations in Southern Utah.














And later that same day . . . Snow in Colorado.


The next day . . . NEBRASKA.

This was my view in front of me . . .

And this was usually the view behind me . . .

Look out, Lance!

One of Dave's favorite hobbies is biking. The man can seriously ride. He's unstoppable. In this picture, he is preparing for a ride with his cousin, Stacy. Right now Dave is training to do a 100-mile bike ride, which he does every fall.

He has gone clear to the Alabama/Tennessee state line on his bike. He has also biked the Natchez Trace Parkway.

Dave has hooked me up with a sweet bike seat for my mountain bike, along with rear view mirrors, a helmet, a headlight and taillight and last but certainly not least, a pair of well-padded professional biking shorts. The farthest I have gone so far was eight miles. He says I'm a pretty fast biker, but of course he's referring to the DOWNhill portion of the ride. I'm actually quite slow when it comes to any sort of an incline. (Isn't there a lower gear than 1?!) My favorite ride was when we biked to Sonic, got a large peanut butter fudge shake, and then rode home. I really have my eye on a tandem bike (a two person bike) so that I can sit behind Dave with my feet up on the handlebars! hee hee.

Country Boy

This is the picture that started a wonderful love story . . .

I found Dave on a singles website by sheer coincidence (yeah, right--it was completely orchestrated by a loving Father in Heaven). I had been single for nine long years and had dated many men, but they just didn't measure up. After a very difficult first marriage, I was not interested in being married just for the sake of not being alone. I had come up with quite the list of character traits that I wanted in a husband. Some of the items were "MUST HAVEs" and some were "WOULD BE NICE TO HAVE". Not only does Dave satisfy EVERY item on the list, but he comes with additional character traits that were beyond my wildest imagination. He is my living proof that good things DO come to those who wait!

Allow me to turn the clock back to 1990. I first met Dave at a singles activity at church. I thought he was a super sweet guy, but I was headed out the door to serve a full-time mission in California for 18 months. As he tells the story, he was pretty taken with me that night.

Fast forward to 1992. I'm back from my mission, but I'm involved with someone else. Dave remains a great friend and we see each other at various church activities from time to time. In 1993 I get engaged. Dave takes my engagement photo. Dave also attends my wedding. At that time I thought of him as a dear friend and was unaware of his feelings for me. He knew I was marrying the wrong guy, but remained silent and supportive in the sidelines. Over the next several years, I keep in touch with Dave and send him a Christmas card when the holidays roll around each year. (By the way, he still has those cards!) Right before I got divorced, he got married. He and his wife invited the kids and I over to their home for dinner. We talked about old times and had a wonderful evening. That was the last time I talked to or saw David Rivers until October 2007, when I saw that familiar picture online of my good friend, Dave.

Wedding Photos

Our Wedding Day

Our Wedding Day

April 12, 2008

David and Taunya Rivers are excited to announce the birth of their brand new blog! Please visit us often ... either IRL (in real life) or on-line ... to see our latest family photos and find out what we've been up to!