Smoochin in the 'Zaleas

Ok...so before we pick this picture apart too much...

(i.e. Brian trying not to laugh, Amber thinking "I don't know what to do with my lips" in a very Forrest Gump type voice, hair frizziness galore, Amber's chameleon shirt--how blendy! (Although, I'm personally digging it...floral is the "IT" thing this spring didn't you know?)...and most importantly, WHY are they kissing for the camera anyway...??)

...yes, before we do THAT, let's focus on what's really important here. The background. Look at those gorgeous azaleas! They peaked a week or so ago, and we ran to our friendly neighborhood park for pictures. (The park itself is amazing...it's an old civil war fort with tons and tons of trees. Add azaleas to the mix, and ...sigh.) They come in every pink, purple, red and white imaginable, and are definitely one of the (few) perks of living in a moist, sticky climate. Love them.

I'm sure more pictures of flowers will be headed your way soon. We're in the process of beautifying our balcony, afterall...

The Big Ole 29!

Ok...so he turned 28. But he's agreed to just pretend he's one year ahead so I don't feel like a cougar. (He also waited patiently until Monday to celebrate his birthday. I know...his birthday was the 12th, but he was out of town. No amount of me saying, "How could you do that to ME?" could get him to change his business trip...ha ha ha. So, we improvised. He got a portable Coleman Roadtrip Grill to make up for it... or, I guess, he WILL get it when it finally ships in mid-May. Holy bad wife alert!!!! This is sounding worse and worse, so I'll just stop... )

Regardless of how old he is (or when exactly his birthday is) don't we all feel pretty lucky to have him? :)

I love you Bri, and can't imagine life without you. Happy Birthday!

Growin Like Weeds

Look how big they've gotten!!

Londyn is 100% girl: so cute, so fun, so smart and with the perfect little melodramatic moody streak. She dances to Miley Cyrus with her little head, has eyelashes that would make anyone completely insanely jealous, and has become quite the cute little mommy's girl.

Tre is 100% boy: so expressive, so cute, so hilarious. He refuses to sit down (you should see him go stiff as a board when you try), has a smile for absolutely everyone who greets him, talks and squeals through grocery stores, and is probably one of the best snugglers EVER.

Man I love my little nieces and nephew.

As for me and Bri...I'm up to my ears in brides (luckily no bridezillas) and Bri's business trip to Denver went really well. Life is good!!

Our Easter Bunny Might Be Senile

The items that were missing Easter morning?

So, Brian gave me The Hunger Games for Christmas, and I LOVED it, flew through it, and as soon as I'd waited forever for my hold at the library to come in, flew through the sequel, Catching Fire. It took me awhile to convince Bri to boycott Sherlock Holmes for awhile and give Hunger Games a try, but when I did he was hooked (Must be the underlying love story :)). He could NOT stop reading it. He'd get home from work, and I'd say, "So, what do you want to do?" He'd respond, "Well, we could play a game, or go on a walk or...I don't know...read." He was set to finish the book right before Easter, which gave me the perfect idea for his Easter basket. Catching Fire! It would be perfect for him to take on his two week business trip to Denver. So I speedily put in the order with Walmart...er...I mean...mailed my letter to the Easter Bunny, and waited for Easter morning.

Flash forward to the night before Easter. I'm having a craving for hot dogs like a mad woman (look what Disneyland has done...), and we go to the last store we can think of to see if they have the magical gluten-free buns. They don't, and we're bummed...but really, I'm more bummed thinking about the fact that Brian's book never arrived, and now he won't have it for Denver. We're walking out of the store, and Brian's looking especially blah, and blurts out, "The crappy thing about this is that I ordered some of these buns online for your Easter basket and they were supposed to be here by today! It would have been perfect, but they didn't come and now you won't have them!" Too cute. And I must admit that I was almost relieved. At least the Easter Bunny forgot BOTH of us. It would be tragic to be on his naughty list alone!

Luckily, the rest of Easter went a little better: It took us both an insanely long time to find our baskets considering how small our apartment is. In fact, we were so involved in wondering where in the world they were, that we didn't even take pictures. Conference was good (...Brian's little doze was well placed and in his words, "Delicious"...); the walk around Fort Ward after was awesome (we're in full-blown Spring here...60s-70s, sunny, gorgeous); and our spiral honey ham, creamed onions and potatoes, candied yams and yogurt jello were scrumptious if I do say so myself.

All in all, we loved Easter! We found ourselves grateful for the true meaning behind Easter, grateful for springtime, grateful for family and friends celebrating far away, grateful for each other... and even grateful for a somewhat senile Easter Bunny who was fair enough to forget both of us! (And yet still leave us feeling spoiled...)

Blizzards...made of cherry blossom petals!

Ok...so to all you lovies in Utah, that probably wasn't very funny. But I couldn't resist! :)

Here's some pictures from this year's Cherry Blossom Festival!