Sometimes where we live just blows our minds...
(Besides the fact that he's a cutie batootie of course... :))
Picture a FREEZING cold morning (it's been brutal over here on the East coast). Brian's getting ready for work, and I'm realizing that I don't have the address for one of my clients--the album I was supposed to be mailing that morning so she would get her order in time to butter up her in-laws with a great Christmas gift. (Sounds like an oversight, but I had her old un-married address, just not her NEW one). Then I realize, with a sigh of relief, she mailed me something, and her address would be on the envelope. Then I realize, with a gasp of dread, that I threw the envelope away and Brian (being the very dutiful guy he is) probably took the trash out the day before.
I believe the exact words Brian heard were, "Crap. You took the trash out yesterday didn't you?"
Him (wondering if this was some bizarre, that-time-of-the-month trap I'm sure): "Yes? Wasn't I supposed to?"
Me (laughing despite myself): "Yes...thank you. It's just that I was dumb and threw away the envelope with my bride's address on it. Now shipment will be delayed a day while I wait to hear from her. Ah well."
He finished getting ready for work, I sent him on his way, and then turned on our light and started booting up the computer to email my bride asap. A few minutes later, I hear our front door opening. "What did he forget?" There stands a FREEZING cold Brian with the missing envelope in hand, telling me "Now...turn off the light and go back to sleep! :)". I know he was cold cuz the big thank you kiss I planted on him about chipped his nose off. :)
When you find a guy who will think to root through the recycle dumpster for you in freezing temperatures, I'm going to go ahead and say you've found a keeper.
I'm telling you...it's like Christmas 24-7 around here with this guy! Love you Bri! And thanks again... the client is THRILLED! And so am I, to have you!
Oh...and in case you're interested, here's the cause of the cute-ness:
And I haven't posted since Halloween. I'm not sure where the past month and a half went. Is anyone else in disbelief that Christmas is in 12 days? Coming WAY too fast. Brian and I have big plans for the next week. We've got a lot of Capital City Christmas stuff to get in before we head off to South Carolina for a week! So I figured I better at least try and update the blog a bit before all the new photos come flooding in!
Thanksgiving break was lovely. The highlights?
*Hanging out with all the people I love most in the world... Bri-Bri, parents, and sisters. Who needs anything else when your biggest fans are all gathered around?! :)
*A delicious Thanksgiving meal. It had been a few years since I'd had my mom's traditional turkey dinner, and my-oh-my. I aspire to her level of chef-pertise someday, but doubt it will happen. Delish.
*A heated mattress pad
*Two adorable little one year olds jabbering away, toddling around, shaking their bums to music, and hamming it up (Every time you tell Londyn she has beautiful eyes, she looks at you and starts slowly batting her eyelashes! Tre is more of the rugged type, climbing to the top of step ladders and shaking them while he hangs on for dear life if the climb wasn't quite challenging enough. Man...the stories I could tell about those two....)
*Hale Center Theatre's Christmas Carole and dinner at the Mandarin after (only the best play and best restaurant EVER)
*Snow, snow, snow. There was LOTS and I'm so glad I got a taste of it during the Christmas season. I am definitely a white Christmas sort of gal.
*Eating lots and lots and lots of gluten free bread, rolls, english muffins...you name it (my parents always go a little hog wild at the gluten free store near their home when I come in town... I'm a wee bit spoiled. Against the Grain has the BEST baked-that-day breads...)
*Temple lights... beautiful, peaceful...COLD!
*Seeing a few friends and loved ones (although there's never enough time to see everyone in our short visits... we loved seeing those of you we DID get to see)
*Getting to see the world's best doctor, and actually having her order some tests that might do some good. Hallelujah! Hope is alive :) One day, with her help, I am fully convinced we'll get to the bottom of my weirdo-ness.
*After Thanksgiving shopping. Brian and I have carried on my family's tradition of going every year we've been married, but it was really fun to get to do it with my family again! And we got some killer stuff. Packing it all wasn't fun...but... worth it.
Could go on...but won't. It was a great two week break, that was over too fast.
Friday night, was Brian's work party. Holy Hannah. That's about all I can say. Picture a hoity-toity resort rented out. You enter by walking down a red carpet, then promptly get your picture taken green-screen style (we were in Times Square). Then the rest of the night you mingle with 1700 other people (lots of which are a little tipsy), and eat about everything you can imagine (well...if you're not gluten-free that is). There were, I think, 5 different rooms. A big ballroom, with dancing, a huge bar, an Asian bar, and a mashed potato bar. A lounge with live jazz music and cigar rolling (got our use outta that one as you can imagine). An outdoor big white tent, with a big gas fire, smore roasting and hot cocoa. A Las Vegas room, with a buffet and tons of gaming tables. A NYC room, with a huge Christmas tree, a hot dog and pretzel stand, and salsa dancing. It was an adventurous night, and just fun to be all dressed up, and out with my boy.
Saturday was the ward party: A Night in Bethlehem, and the gym was completely transformed. I got to work at a storefront selling jewelry with the young women to the mary-and-joseph clad people and Roman soldiers.
Throw in a few wedding album orders that I'm working on for Christmas, a sub-for Santa project, a business photo shoot & web redesign, mutual, Brian's busy work schedule... and you've got all the makings of a hectic holiday season :)
Goal of the week: Get in the true Christmas spirit while we're out and about the next few days seeing all the beauty DC has to offer.
Hope you're having an amazing holiday season so far!!
My little munchkin was sad (something about being forced to color his hair?)...
So I had to change him....
Into a happy, good little munchkin...
In time for our costume party. (He still refused to sing the Lollipop Guild song during the costume judging, but I give him props for finally going along with the costume.)
We had to paint the Emerald City orange...
and give it a bit of a spooky flair.
I had to refrain from throwing my magic wand (and scissors) through the wall about half way into making fun Halloween presents for the other little munchkins in the land ...but other than that, doing a fun Halloween craft was kinda a fun way to spend the day.
Then there were Glenda's favorite snack to prepare... (even though the smell apparently repels munchkins. Still deciding if this is a bad thing or a perk. He he he. I'm so kidding. I love my munchkin.)
And we threw in some delicious pumpkin munchkin grub for good measure.
The Haunted Ghost Tour earlier in the week has us tremblin' like the Cowardly Lion (ok...not really scary...at all. But fun...), and the ward party last week was fun too. Let's be honest...mostly cuz I won THIS:
Ha ha ha. Apparently my soup is to die for (or at least worth a little trophy the size of my pinky. Ha ha ha. Bragging? Nope. Ok. Maybe a tiny bit. :) I mean...did you SEE the awesome trophy? I'm just sayin... ha ha ha.).
All in all, a fun Halloween!
We hope all of your weekends are incredibly spooky. :)
Friday morning we left bright and early and headed to Shenandoah National Park for our annual fall camping trip along Skyline Drive. Our car was loaded to the max (yes, we're over packers, but you have to remember we're packing for COLD COLD nights), but we somehow still made it up the "mountain" (yes...mountain in quotations) and found ourselves a BEAUTIFUL campsite at Mathew's Arm. It was everything we would want a campsite to be: tons of trees (all changing colors), not too close to neighbors, not too close to the fluorescent glow of the bathroom (but close enough)... yes, we were thrilled with the campsite.
When we were picking the site, we saw a big ole pile of bear doo doo (probably should have been our first red flag...well, second; the first should've been the ranger lecturing Brian when we checked in about food and toiletry storage. But we knew we were headed into bear country and weren't too worried about it.). We thought it was pretty...cool? (Yes, we can occasionally be middle-schoolers.) We also thought it was pretty cool that we were secluded enough that at dusk two deer (a mama and her baby) spent about 5 minutes just strolling right through our site, round and round. Must be all those dense woods we surrounded our tent with.
But by the next morning, Brian and I were discussing how all the features of our campsite that made it a killer camp site, also could've made it...well, KILLER. :) Here's what happened. After spending a windy night at the campfire, making smores and chatting, we headed to a very cold bed. Brian drifted off after not too long, exhausted from the work week. I was struggling. As I lay there awake, I thought I heard footsteps approaching from the direction of the woods. "Hm--a little weird for someone to be out there, but whatever floats their boat." But as the noise got closer, and closer, and CLOSER, I realized they were some pretty heavy footsteps, causing lots and lots of not only leaf rustling, but also twig and branch snapping. "Hm--a little creepy, but we knew there were bears in the area, so I'm sure he'll just head over to the edge of our campsite to his favorite latrine location and.... WHOA buddy. Why are the footsteps now inches from our tent and stopping?!!!!" I grabbed Brian's arm, and he awoke in time to hear the steps moving along right outside our tent and pausing again (for WAY too long). For the next 15 minutes or so (felt like FOREVER), we listened and flinched and about had heart attacks as what we can only assume was a black bear made his way around our camp, and our tent multiple times. Finally, we heard the footsteps leave, but guess who spent the rest of the night hyperventilating every time the gusty, gusty wind rustled our tent or dropped a leaf on us? :) It was crazy scary. Scary enough that we scrapped our plans for night number two, and drove home late Saturday after a day of hiking.
But guess what we saw on the drive home? (such a cherry on top moment...) We're cruising along Skyline Drive, when the car in front of us stops, and we see a big black bear in the middle of the road. Then out pops a cub... and another cub. They all scampered across before I could get my camera, but we were so excited! It was the first time either of us had seen a bear in the wild, and they were RIGHT there. Much better than having them lurk around outside our tent. Much better. :)
All in all, such a fun camping trip, even though we're exhausted today. There's lots of pictures! Enjoy!
Not surprisingly, we didn't come away from this weekend with a single picture (I don't know how you parents out there get anything done at all besides keeping your children alive and well. You are seriously our favorite super-heroes!) It's honestly too bad, because the pictures would've been so entertaining. If we had taken pictures, these would've been them:
*Our apartment completely covered: couches covered with sheets, bookcases covered with blankets to conceal temptations, floor covered with toys and torn up magazine pages, bathroom floor covered with diapers, bedroom floor covered with makeshift beds.
*Little Samantha smiling and bouncing at me saying, "dYah! dYah! dYah!" when I went to get her out of her crib every morning and after naps (cutest thing ever...she was always so excited!)
*Madison (not LITTLE Madison, "Big Girl" Madison) soooooooo excited about painting her nails and toenails "pretty princess pink" (First thing out of her mouth when she popped out of bed the morning after we promised her we'd paint them: "I stayed in bed all night! We get to paint my toenails!" and into the bathroom she ran!)
*The stick collection (mama, baby, and friend) that Madison lovingly found the perfect home for during our walk (a very large sidewalk crack that they didn't quite fit in... I'm hoping bikers are paying attention as their tires pass that way :))
*Samantha laughing her head off at the playground in the baby swing, turning every one's heads
*Madison discovering the joy of Go Fish (and creaming me and Brian all 50 trillon times)
*Samantha letting out one of her big ole banshee squeals at random moments (at Wendy's, in the car, and especially during sacrament meeting) sending me into hysterical giggles.
*The looks on people's faces at church when Brian and I suddenly had 2 kids. Half of them didn't recognize us with the children, and the other half were just confused.
*Brian and I collapsing onto the air mattress in our front room every night and immediately going unconscious.
*Snuggling up for a movie that Brian and I enjoyed just as much as the girls. Seriously, Enchanted ROCKS.
All in all, a fun, adventurous weekend. The girls were adorable, and broke us into pseudo parenthood gently (although, going from zero kids to two in one day is quite challenging in and of itself). I so wish we had pictures, because honestly...you probably haven't seen two more adorable girls. Loved having them. But we will say this... holy cow, you parents out there are awesome. And... to answer the most asked question of the weekend... no... we're not baby hungry. I think we're too exhausted to be anything else right now! :)
TWO WEEKS AGO:
*Cleaning day was a lot more fun--I finished cleaning, and then picked up my mom from the airport!!! The next 10 days were filled with rainy walks (seriously...got caught at Fort Ward in the rain, and just kept doing laps. looked like we'd jumped in a lake!), fall pedicures, doing family names at the DC temple, old town shopping (where someone hit my car, but we won't get into that...), yummy food (I loved showing off some fun new recipes, and my mom loved taking us to every possible gluten-free friendly restaurant in the area...thanks mom!), summer weather (fall weather all of September and then my mom comes to town and...wham...90s!), autumn shopping, late night chats, doctor visits (so awesome that I finally got in for my endo appointment and test when my mom was in town... having a buddy at the doctor's is definitely the way to go! not so awesome was the test where I got my blood drawn three times and a shot given all within the course of an hour, but even that was fine with my mom there! you would've been so proud of my maturity :). and life is good!), mini-golfing, Clue playing...I could go on and on. It was just all out FUN! I was a bit depressed as I cleaned yesterday, I will admit (cue the cheesy song Memory from Cats...).
Must be Amber Autumn & Bri Bri's favorite time of year. How do I know?
Well, there's this:
Ok...so we didn't actually see the saltwater cowboys (sad day), but we DID see the wild ponies. Right there by the road as we drove into Assateague Island, and right by the boardwalk as Brian went back to the car for chairs. Really cool.
Saturday, we were supposed to meet some friends at the beach for a day of fun. We followed their directions, and 3 1/2 hours later ended up at the other end of the island (about an hour away from where they were...hmmm...I know we're kinda dorks, but when people start sending you fake directions you start to wonder. ha ha ha). It actually worked out fabulously, though. A romantic, fun little get away for two. We spent the day playing and reading on the beach, and then drove down to meet them at the beach they were on (Chincoteague Island). They were packing up for dinner, so we decided to ditch them to explore the new beach at sunset. So pretty.
That night, we strolled the little beach town, and tried desperately to find me something gluten-free to eat that wasn't seafood... ended up at Food Lion Grocery Store, buying a microwave Pad Thai dinner to make in our microwave. Ha ha ha.
Such a fun weekend. Relaxing, sunny and beautiful. We're ready to go back!
Sometimes you just need to take a break from work, and callings, and life and...frolic! Brian and I had hit that point this weekend, and were so glad to have time to enjoy doing our thing.
The weekend highlights were probably the picnic at the waterfront in Old Town (my hoity toity lunch meat/cream cheese wraps bombed, but the gourmet salad and chocolate covered strawberries were a hit :)), and visiting the National Arboretum. Throw in a baptism Saturday morning (love it when they are scheduled for 10am instead of mid-day), an intense jog Saturday afternoon (had to work off the Red Mango from Friday night) and a homemade pizza and movie night Saturday... all the workings of a great weekend.
Now here we are, back at Monday, refreshed and ready to dig into the craziness of yet another week!
Hope you enjoy the Arboretum pictures. It was lovely. Simply lovely.
...I would be a good car. The kind of car who laughs in the face of Amber's car-debilitating aura, and continues to run anyway. The kind of car who dislikes the idea of shops and body shops. The kind of car who starts when it's supposed to start.
Apparently, our cars are not the kind of car I would be lately. At all.
Yes, believe it or not, Brian and I spent a good few hours in a car shop Saturday. For a totally new and unrelated issue (no, not related to me killing his battery, or my car overheating, or a mechanic driving my car into something....it wasn't even related to--dare I say the word--acorns). We went to run errands Saturday and his car, cute little Soph, wouldn't start. After talking to my dad (I swear, he should start charging us by the hour), we knew it was either the starter, or the battery. But after I killed Brian's battery a couple weeks ago, my dad had me go get the battery tested, and the guy that did the testing said it was great. Apparently he's a good little tester man in the same way our cars are good little cars...because after the shop spent lots of time replacing the starter (and wanted to charge us over $300), the car was working (or not working) exactly the same as before. It was then that we were informed we needed a new battery too. And then that we had to start haggling to have them put back in our old starter, because we now weren't confident it was ever bad. Finally, after lots of time and stress headaches, we were back home with only a battery charge and installation fee. Sigh. I swear.
Good news is, it motivated us to go mini-golfing as a stress reliever that night, and found the most romantic-y course (oh la la...I know...). And...I made friends with a bunny. A tiny bunny the size of a chipmunk. So it was all worth it.
Ok, so the new business blog tie-in is going great. There's mushy, inspiring, fun stories galore. The only problem is, until I build up a following I am running out of Wedded Bliss moments for Wednesday posts! So, I'm calling on all you happily married friends and siblings out there! Please please please send me cute/funny/heart warming/realistic/whatever-your-heart-desires moments from your marriage if you have a spare second. I know you're all happily married... :)
I really appreciate the help, and am so grateful to those of you who have already sent them! Thank you!
Stories and a snapshot photo can be sent to my email (info@snweddingbooks.com). Thanks again!
In other news... remember the car saga of last week? Weeeeeeeeell. My car was all "fixed" by Thursday. Went to pick it up...still overheating. Turns out they had to replace the fan motor on top of the fan itself. Picked it up Saturday to find (get this) they had driven little Miss Tink into something and scratched up the fender really nicely. I was...tickled pink. :) We called it to the owner's attention, and he was really great about it. She's in his body shop of choice today getting some work done. Sigh. My luck with cars lately is unbelievable. :) Good news is, she's no longer overheating... :)
Sweetest husband EVER. A Vera Bradley for my Indianapolis souvenir (who knew I deserved a souvenir from his business trip?). I didn't even know Miss Bradley existed, but I am in love. So...me. :)
Also so me...having the hubbie back. ALLELUJIAH!
I'm beginning to think I might, just might, emit a negative aura. If not, explain to me how in the world it is possible to kill not one, but two...yes...two...cars in one day.
My Monday morning started at 5:45am with taking Brian to the airport, and in the ensuing 12 hours I managed to make both of our cars undriveable. How'd it happen? Well, it all begins with a whoops, and ends with a little bolt. Let me take you back to that lovely morning 4 days ago. You'll probably be amazed at how simple it was for me to wreak havoc on the transportation section of my life.
Dropped Brian off at the airport bright and early, came back, parked the car...didn't turn off the lights. Oops. Went out a little later to move him to a shady spot, and found the battery dead. I figured that was ok; I'd just jump him when I got home from driving the girls to girls camp.
Drove the girls to said girls camp. The hour and a half drive up was pretty uneventful (and gorgeous...love Maryland farm land!). The 2 plus hour drive home was full of traffic. About 2 minutes from getting home I noticed steam coming from under my hood. Then noticed my temperature gauge was off the charts. WHAT?! Called my dad (who's a genius at cars among other things) and he walked me through some diagnostics (yes, I had coolant...no I didn't see dripping...no, the radiator fan wasn't turning...) and then told me not to drive the car til I took it to a shop.
Thus began the process of trying to find an honest mechanic. Thank goodness for the internet and reviews. As we speak, Tink is sitting in a shop that I feel oh-so-good about having her radiator fan replaced, and being pampered with an oil change. According to my friendly neighborhood mechanic, Tom, he found a 10mm bolt lodged in the fan. Apparently it was either dropped, or flipped up in there flukishly and mucked things all up.
Best part was, when I called Brian to tell him I'd killed both the cars, the phone died. Kiss of death, I tell you. Kiss of death.
Ironic time to post that title, since my hubbie is outta town :( Love you Bri.
Anyway...ahem...ahem.
Something New has launched its new business blog called "Flaunt It". It's a lovey-dovey-ooey-gooey, oh-so-fun blog all about flaunting blissful couple-dom.
Here's the post line-up:
Mishaps Make the Memory Mondays (funny wedding stories)
Wedded Bliss Wednesdays (real-life couples share warm fuzzy stories and moments that make being married rock)
Forever? Fridays (proposal stories and ideas)
If this sounds like fun (and believe me...it is...), I'd love for you to follow along, submit stories (LOVE for you to email me stories), invite friends, and just ENJOY! :)
www.snweddingbooks.blogspot.com
Well...it's official. My poor parents had 4 weddings in 4 years! And we all survived!
My baby sister, Meg, got married to her honey Daniel on June 22, and Brian and I were in Utah for a bit of celebrating. The bride was gorgeous, the weather was beautiful, the groom was sweet... all in all, a great day!
Congratulations to the newlyweds!!!
And we miss everyone already (and golfing, and eating at the Mandrain, and playing with the babies, and...well...you get it!)
Here's some photos (although, somehow as always...most seem to be of the babies...who are getting more and more mobile, and harder and harder to catch on camera!)
A delicious, homemade gluten-free cinnamon roll. That's all. Just happy. :)
(The recipe is on my gluten-free blog if there are any gluten-free people out there!)
Have you ever had a completely delicious weekend? A perfectly timed, much needed, absolutely rejuvenating three days? Aren't they THE BEST?!! Brian and I were lucky enough to experience one this memorial holiday, and it was exactly what the doctor ordered. May was complete madness, but as we laid on a blanket on our apartment grass with two good books it all just...melted away :).
Bri: "This is delicious" (yes...he used the word delicious...)
Amber: (in complete awe) "When was the last time we even had time to sit down together, let alone lie in the gorgeous weather for a good hour with a good book?"
Why the break? First, our auxiliary presidencies were both out of town. He he he. No meetings...no fundraisers...no chauffeuring (all of which we LOVE, simply LOVE mind you, but it was still a nice break). Then there was the fact that Brian got a short day on Friday and no work on Monday. Beautiful. (I'm starting a petition for all you wives out there...mandatory 3 day weekends every week for working husbands. Who will sign?) Anyway. Onward.
We started the weekend with our first married BBQ. We finally got Brian's birthday grill! Two delicious eat-outs were in order over the weekend: Shish-ka-bobs (steak, yellow pepper, zucchini, mushrooms, tomatoes, onions...oh my.) and then hot dogs on Sunday. The squash was picked up at a fun Capitol Hill Market we spent the morning at Saturday. So fun.
Throw in some Redbox movies, a drive in the pouring rain, and some Slurpees...and you pretty much have our weekend. Until Monday. When we visited Monticello, Thomas Jefferson's house, and then spent some time bumming around University of Virginia. Old historic houses and buildings. Loved it. Also loved the fact that on the drive home we happened upon James Madison's Montpelier. Drove right up to it and took a picture. Double whammy.
All in all, a great weekend. Now...back to reality... :) Which isn't so bad. :)
So clever. :) Riiiiiiiiiight. Anyway, we've got a new business website up and running! I'm pretty excited about it. If there are any facebook or blog pages pointed to the old blog, please feel free to update. And if any of you happen to see anything wrong with the website, or have any suggestions seriously...don't be shy! I'd rather hear it from you than from some crazy bridezilla girl! :) Actually...I shouldn't say that. I haven't encountered one yet, and even if I ever do, I love my job!
www.snweddingbooks.com
Here comes wedding season!!!!
I'm telling you, we did our second anniversary right, taking a bite out of the Big Apple (although, with how exhausted I feel today, I'm wondering if it didn't take a bite out of us!). We had a blast. That really sums it up. A blast. It was incredible.
We drove down Friday, and jumped right in, going to dinner and a Broadway show. Not just any Broadway show... Wicked. AMAZING. I was a little skeptical, because everyone had talked it up so much...but it did not disappoint. Definitely the highlight of the trip. We finished off the night at Times Square.
Over the next 2 days, we ate lots of yummy food (NYC is a Celiac's dream), and meandered (in fast mode) around the city seeing anything and everything our hearts desired. Here's a few of our adventures:
*Happened on a fun flea market in Greenwich Village, and couldn't resist strolling and strolling and strolling through it in the gorgeous weather.
*Explored 5th Ave, with it's shops, St. Patrick's Cathedral, Rockefeller Plaza, the NBC store, the NY Library and Bryant Park.
*Avoided our usual pattern of vacation catastrophe: no one got sick, the weather was gorgeous, we didn't lock any keys anywhere, our car didn't die, and our luggage hung out with us the whole time. A new record!!!
*Laid on a blanket in Central Park for awhile (watching adorable dogs, and people who sooooooo aren't afraid of PDA), and then wandered over to Strawberry Fields and the Dakota.
*Rode the subway lots (and were very disturbed by a 12 year old couple who could've taught us a thing or two about the birds and the bees...ewwwwwwwww).
*Checked out Grand Central Terminal (Brian loved the old fashioned ticket windows, and decided he would love to ride a train into the city some day, arriving at Grand Central...so I think another trip to NYC is in our future! :))
*Took a quick peek at Madison Square Garden and ESPN Zone
*Stayed in a Long Island City hotel, and were sooooo blown away by our room...2 of the 4 walls were completely windowified (he he he...Wicked reference...couldn't resist). It was awesome...not that we were ever there, with our 1:30a.m. nights!
*Walked the Brooklyn Bridge, and again loved it.
*Climbed the Statue of Liberty (and enjoyed a pretty boat ride to Liberty Island...my boy loves boats...)
*Cha-chinged around the Financial District, getting up close and personal with Wall St, Ground Zero, a pretty fountain (yes ooga, I thought of you!), the bull, Trinity Church and the Battery.
*Walked blocks and blocks and blocks out of our way for a gluten-free cupcake and oatmeal cookie from a totally gluten-free bakery.
*Thought we'd try the Empire State Building at sunset...on a Saturday...in May... and got to experience waiting in line for 2 hours with the hundreds of other people who had the same idea :). But it WAS a gorgeous view!
*Learned that next time Amber will wear sneakers until she arrives at the Broadway theatre, regardless of how spastic that would look with nylons and a dress...cuz heels in NYC create quite the collection of blisters.
*Strolled crazy-packed Canal St, avoiding any vendors who wanted to take us in shady warehouses (I just wasn't brave enough without you mom :)). But we did buy a bag from a nice, reputable dealer...
*"So, uh, Brian...I've never been kissed at the Empire State building... So, uh...I've never been kissed in St. Patrick's Cathedral..." ha ha ha. Enjoyed being kissed for the first time at various famous sites (he he he...yes...we're dorks, and not the PDA type, so they were short smooches)
*Toughed through the drive home late last night by singing along to the Wicked songtrack (number 15 is the best...). I'm telling you, you know a vacation was good when you are sooooooo tired driving home, that your emotions are all over the place. I was bouncing from slapping Brian for honking at a guy who nearly ran us off the road, to suddenly finding myself singing nonsensical songs, to gushing about my love for Brian and the last 2 years, to being annoyed at Brian's reaction to the millioneth toll booth, to... well... you get the picture. I'm not entirely sure I was entirely awake during some of those moments...but I'm a firm believer in 2 people in the car awake at all times so I figured if my lips were moving, it counted... A comedic ending to our little trip.
And what a trip it was! Come to think of it, not a bad two years either!
(There's lots of pictures! Sorry! I did cut it down, but we were busy!)
So. We are what some, ok many, might call... anti-social. In the two years we've lived here, we've entertained non-family members maybe twice. We like to blame it on our busy schedules and tiny apartment, but really, I think we've just come to the conclusion that we're lazy. Either that, or we just like being around each other so much that we don't think to invite others along. ANYWAY...anti-social. So, as you can imagine, we were pleasantly surprised by ourselves the first week of May when we "entertained" not once, not twice, but thrice. Tuesday and Wednesday we had a couple different sets of good friends over for dinner and games, and had tons of fun. Thursday I had a friend who wanted to make gluten-free bread over for a "lesson". All in all, probably more non-family people in our apartment that week than we've had our whole married life. :) It was a super-fun, and super busy week. Come to think of it, May has been an insanely busy month as a whole. I feel like I'm just now catching my breath...and gearing up for the continuing craziness. :) I know you guys know what I'm talking about, so in honor of all of our crazy busy lives, I think an ode of sorts is in order. Or maybe just a song. By the end, you'll be more updated with our lives than you ever wanted to be. "The First 12 Days of May". You know the tune. (Ah hem, ah hem... ready? Just be glad I'm not really singing this...)
The first 12 days of May were chuck-full of activities, including:
a reeeaaaaally big churchy. (Climbed the bell tower...)
Yes, the first 12 days of May were chuck-full of activities, including: 2 wedding book reprints (ready to strangle my printer), and a really big churchy (the Flowermart was fun!).
The first 12 days of May were chuck-full of activities, including: 3 hours of babysitting (cute little girl in our ward), 2 wedding book reprints (new samples are on the website), and a really big churchy (I'm so stinkin' scared of heights sometimes).
Whew, the first 12 days of May were chuck-full of activities, including: 4 tubs of goodness (notice, the sample size is already devoured)
3 hours of babysitting (loved playing outside), 2 wedding book reprints (hopefully third time's a charm), and a really big churchy.
The first 12 days of May were chuck-full of activities, including: 5 hours of cleaning (a neighbor's apartment...), 4 tubs of goodness (who knew freezer jam was so easy?), 3 hours of babysitting (played Cribbage while she slept), 2 wedding book reprints (new printer is in the works), and a really big churchy.
The first 12 days of May were chuck-full of activities, including: 6 bucks worth of carwashes (and a couple hours of scrubbing), 5 hours of cleaning (return home, and MAN...mine needs it too...), 4 tubs of goodness (and 4 cups of sugar...yikes), 3 hours of babysitting (what are the rules for Cribbage again?), 2 wedding book reprints (and diving into the next one...), and a really big churchy.
The first 12 days of May were chuck-full of activities, including: 7 friends a movin' (we miss you terribly Val, Dustinn, Bradshaw, Olivia, Robin, Charlie and Eliza), 6 dollars for a carwash (next day, pollen coated), 5 hours cleaning (can hands get perma-pruned?), 4 tubs of goodness (for use on homemade GF bread, waffles and anything else Brian can reasonably justify), 3 hours of babysitting (she talks while she falls asleep...love it), 2 wedding book reprints, and a really big churchy.
The first 12 days of May were chuck-full of CRAZY, including: 8 hours of fundraising (5 of those were filled with spaghetti), 7 friends a movin' (think we chase them all away?), 6 dollars for a carwash (Tink was happy for a minute), 5 hours cleaning, 4 tubs of goodness, 3 hours babysitting, 2 wedding book reprints, and a really big churchy.
The first 12 days of May were chuck-full of activities, including: 9500 MacAurthur is a bad address (but we did eventually make it to the company picnic), 8 hours of fundraising (gotta get the Young Women to camp), 7 friends a movin' (but they all have Utah connections), 6 dollars of car washin', 5 hours cleaning, 4 tubs of goodness, 3 hours babysitting, 2 wedding book reprints and a really big churchy.
The first 12 days of May have been completely nutty, including: 10 days of not working out (doctor's orders...no I'm not pregnant), 9500 MacAurthur is a bad address (picnic at the water treatment plant?), 8 hours of fundraising (car wash in the rain tonight?), 7 friends a movin', 6 dollars car washin', 5 hours cleaning, 4 tubs of goodness, 3 hours babysitting, 2 wedding book reprints and a really big churchy.
The first 12 days of May have been as long as this posty... 11 types of flowers planted (cute balcony)
