The Newlyweds

The BIG 3-0 is more fun in the BIG APPLE

2012-01-16T14:01:00.006-05:00

So, I realize that I haven't blogged about the holidays yet. Blame it on my mind getting ancient, old and unable to do all the things it once did. Ha ha ha. Decrepit, I tell you what. :) I'll get it done eventually, I promise. But first...

Imagine the scene: Wednesday night. I've spent the day deep cleaning the apartment (finally and ewwww) and am exhausted. I'm vegging on the couch when Brian gets home from work, and goes in to change. I'm feeling pretty proud of myself for the heart-sy, cute-sy, "I-love-you-and-your-hard-week-at-work-will-be-ok" decorating surprise he's just found on the bathroom mirror. Yes, at that moment I'm pretty sure I'm about the best surpriser this world has ever known... yes sir, I may be almost thirty (cringe), but I've still got it... in fact, I'm basically a teenage girl... best surpriser EVER. And then... the usurper emerges from the bedroom. He's holding an envelope, and saying something about, "Happy Birthday!". I'm saying, "But it's not my birthday yet. You really want me to open this now?"

Somewhere in the middle of ripping open the envelope, squealing with delight, and being whisked off to an amazing birthday weekend in NYC, I went ahead and handed over my sash and tiara to the new Queen...er...King of Surprise.

He had an adorable "I have a crush on you" card. He had flights departing Friday morning and returning Sunday. He had Wicked tickets. He had a 4 star hotel in Midtown Manhatten. He had plans for shopping sprees. He... had me at "Hello". :)

And the best news? Between Wicked, Phantom of the Opera, gourmet gluten free meals, red velvet cake, designer bag shopping at Century 21 (hello best store and prices ever), finding a birthday outfit at the GIANT Macey's on 34th, walking around town, chilling in Times Square, drooling over the New York vibe of our hotel and the yellow lily bouquets in the lobby (I know they brought them in just for me)... somehow amidst all of that, I was distracted enough to not think about the big 3-0. A birthday miracle. :)

What a birthday. What memories. What a hubbie.
PHOTO SLIDESHOW HERE

The Un-Announcement

2012-01-01T13:25:00.003-05:00

The first major lesson we've learned in 2012? Don't word a bullet point on your Christmas card like this: "Something New continues to grow, keeping Amber busy". Shockingly enough, not everybody knows what "Something New" is, and pregnancy rumors will abound. :)

Totally unforeseen boo boo on my part. Completely hilarious upon reflection.

Please spread the word. Something New sells wedding books, and there is no bun in this oven. :)

And Happy New Year!

Expect the Unexpected

2011-11-18T13:52:00.006-05:00

A couple of day's after Brian and I returned from Boston, my mom arrived for her long awaited visit. As is usual with me, I realize looking back that some of the funnest memories came from totally unplanned, unexpected moments. In my life, I truly am beginning to not only expect the unexpected, but to crave the lasting memories and fun that going with the flow brings.

Don't get me wrong. We did plenty of the planned and expected, and loved every minute of it. Long, brisk walks in Fort Ward enjoying the leaves that waited to peak until my mom arrived; walking through neighborhoods in our area enjoying the gorgeous houses; making a planned trip to the National Aquarium so my mom could see the dolphins Londyn adored; shopping at both malls nearby, H&M, and of course, Home Goods; watching a Friday night movie with pizza; being spoiled rotten with delicious dinners out at both nearby gluten free restaurants; munching on candy and goodies galore; FINALLY getting to show my mom the black squirrel that's moved into our apartment woods and is constantly discussed, and much swooned over, via cell on my morning walks; CVS runs, and Magruder trips.... all expected, and all so lovely.

But this trip, I think the most memorable moments came from the unexpected moments:

Seeing my mom as a convict. (Seriously...look at that mischevious little line-up grin. She's loving it! Starting to wonder if she was born for life on the lam) Me and my mom have always been into watching crime shows together, so the Crime and Punishment Museum tickets I got for a steal on Groupon were a blast.

Getting lost on our drive to Harper's Ferry, WV... only to see the most gorgeous color, and beautiful scenery of her whole trip. Or maybe of our lives. We haven't quite decided yet. All three of us were blown away. We borrowed some farmer's fields and fences for a photo op. I'm sure they don't mind. Farmers are nice as a rule, right? :)

Harper's Ferry was breathtaking too, by the way, but we expected that.

Setting up our Christmas tree. Beginning of November. Yes, I went over to the dark "pre-day-after-Thanksgiving" side. It was too tempting to have my mom see it, what with all the ornaments she's shipped over the years. And guess what? I'm LOVING having it up early, and have even snuck in some Christmas music here and there.

Spending a full day washing and waxing my car. Never expected to do this with my mom in town, but with the weather she thought it was a great idea, and we quite enjoyed each other's company while I learned just what a workout a full Turtle Wax can be.

Finding a See's Chocolates in the mall around the corner. NO WAY. Two boxes later...

Seeing hundreds (if not thousands...seriously) of crows migrating right over our heads on an impulsive walk to Safeway. The sun was getting ready to set, the moon was almost full, and it was...magical. For lack of a better word, magical! 15-20 minutes of amazement. It was just one of those moments I think we'll always remember. And now I know why crows are always found in autumn decorations. Never understood this while living in Utah... but now... boy howdy!

Boy do I love my mom and her visits. COME BACK MAMA! I'm not sure I can wait the few weeks til Christmas! :)

The British are Coming!!! The British are Coming!!!

2011-11-02T12:37:00.003-04:00

Ever since we've been married, I've been wanting to get Brian to Boston. He loves boats, water and history, and after making some awesome memories in Boston with my girlfriend, Kristy, the fall Bri and I got engaged, I couldn't stop thinking about how much my boy would LOVE beantown. This summer, we decided this fall was THE fall, and this past week the much anticipated trip finally arrived!

I'm betting the Bostonians wished Paul Revere was still around to hang a couple lanterns and warn them we were coming, cuz boy did we take the town by storm! In our 3 days there, we saw tons of history, fall color and RAIN. We were bundled up, freezing, and trying to stay dry, but didn't let it slow us down. Some of our favorite highlights...

*Isabella Gardner Museum: they wouldn't let us take photos, but talk about an awesome lady. She spent her life collecting antiques and art, and then designed a big, Venetian Palace, complete with an inner courtyard, to house it all in. Amazing exhibits, all hand designed by an amazing lady in the early 1900s. (Speaking of Venice, early Bostonians were obsessed with Italy. It's so fun to see all the Venetian and Pompeian architecture around the city! Happy second honeymoon to us!)

*Tour of Fenway: Yep...Bri was in heaven touring the oldest ballpark in America...despite the cold and rain. Let's just say he was the last one out of the press box, and the last one off the green monster. Really, really neat.

*The Freedom Trail: old burying grounds where we met Ben Franklin, John Hancock and Mother Goose, Paul Revere's house, the USS Constitution, Bunker Hill (our walk up the hill led us to the cutest park), the Old North Church, the site of the Boston Massacre, and lots and lots of other historic sites, all crammed into a full day of walking all over a picturesque city. So amazing.

*Salem: Yes, we did Salem the Saturday before Halloween, and YES it was WILD. The rain kept us from doing the planned walking tours all over, but we still saw lots of old houses, lots of witches, lots of lines for bathrooms, the Salem Witch Museum and the House of the Seven Gables. Happy Halloween to us.

*Harvard: We pretended to be brilliant overachievers, and soaked in the gorgeous leaves and buildings for a couple of hours.

Add a yummy dinner by the harbor, lots of good food, hot chocolate galore, catching the "T", strolling through a park in the pitch black to find some duckling statues, praising the inventor of Hot Hands, and pondering with each other about why the outspoken Boston men weren't catcalling in their oh-so-distinct accents like they did with Kristy and I.... and you pretty much have our trip all summed up. :) As usual, the best part was just being around each other for 3 days straight. A little smidgen of our photos are below...

Hope you all had a very Happy Halloween! Now...bring on the holidays!

Apples... Get in Our Tummies!

2011-10-11T17:41:00.009-04:00

We decided to do our apple picking this year at the first farm we ever picked apples at. How romantic, right, to revisit the farm where we have the fondest memories. Good ole High Hill Farm. So we loaded in the car, braved the awful traffic for a 2 hour drive, and finally arrived. Gorgeous setting... but the apple trees... looked...like...this:

Damper, damper. Luckily, there was an even bigger orchard just down the street, so we gave it a try. Lovely.

Rows and rows of apples...

Great views (I mean...look at that bum! wink wink)...

Delicious spoils...

All in all, very quaint. And scrumptious. Happy fall everyone!

Dun Dun Duuuuuuuuuunnn...

2011-09-19T22:09:00.003-04:00

My sister, Carly, tells the story like this: "I call to tell Amber that I'm coming to visit with the 2 kids the next day, and 2 minutes later... an earthquake hits! Watch out!" Ha ha ha.

I personally think the earth was as excited as I was by the surprise visit, and just couldn't contain itself. :)

We had an absolute blast during their stay. So fun to get to know, really KNOW, 2 year old Londyn and baby boy Britton and have some good times with the sis.

Some of the highlights:

*Londyn meeting the meerkats.

*Britton's smiles.

*Being called Aunt Um (or maybe more Ahm...wish you could hear her say it) all week.

*A very long car ride from Baltimore in rush hour traffic, with mommy following behind us in another car, and Londyn starving and tired. Doesn't sound like a highlight? It was. The distracting conversations were priceless. The best: teaching Londyn about panda bears eating bamboo, and hearing her repeat it the rest of her stay. "Pandas eat bamboof!" "Mama...pandas eat bamboof!" "Uncle Bye Bye...pandas eat bamboof."

*Watching Londyn wait and wait and wait for her Uncle Bri Bri to get home from work. When the lock would turn, she'd gasp. When the door would open, she'd run and give him a hug, and exclaim, "Mama...Aunt Um...He's here! He's here!" You should've seen Brian's smile.

*Of course the excitement over Brian returning home was only amplified by a ga-jillion after he got in the pool with her one evening. Cutest...thing...ever. And she was fearless, getting thrown in the air like a dolphin "that goes whoosh". Her and Uncle Bri Bri were best little friends from that moment on. If she was having a 2 year old moment when no one could do anything for her, including make her dinner, Uncle Bri Bri was allowed to make her mac and cheese. If she wanted a movie put in, Uncle Bri Bri could always pick the right one. Adorable.

*Getting into the city just early enough (and I mean barely early enough...running to the museum...) for a free planetarium show featuring the Sesame Street characters. Elmo caused awe and wonder.

*Watching Londyn make friends at Fort Ward (and everywhere we went really...), and leaving cute little Henry with a big, unexpected smooch. On the mouth!

*Watching Londyn's excitement over the dolphin show at the National Aquarium. We had to go up to Baltimore to pick up a car, so we decided to spend the day with the fishies. Her excitement over the jumps was contagious.

*Surviving a hurricane. Nothing but rain, really. :)

*Asking Londyn every time we got in the car if she needed help getting in her seat, fully knowing the answer, but just wanting to hear her say, "I got it...I got it."

*Aunt Um and Loo dance-a-thons. Her favorite song: The second on this playlist. My favorite part: Her singing along to "I love you, I love you, I love you" and adding an "Aunt Um" on the end. Then there was the moment she first heard the "Hey Mamas" in the background, giggled, and ran to the bathroom door where Carly was in the shower, knocking and saying, "Hey Mama!"

*Experiencing a 2 year old with IMPECCABLE manners. You can't do anything, big or small, for that girl without her saying, "Dank you Aunt Um!" and getting crazy excited. The best was the last night they were in town. Her dad joined us, and so we told Londyn we were going to blow up another big girl bed just for her. Part way through pumping, we heard her excitedly say, "Dank you MUCH Aunt Um! Dank you MUCH Bye Bye!"

*And last, but not least, fun fun adult time during the few hours when both kiddos were asleep. Clue, trivia, Boggle, watching Carly scarf Milky Ways, and laughing our heads off over everything from vocabulary to nothing at all. Good good times.

Come back Cookleberry. Come back Loo Loo. Come back Brittanica! We miss and love you!

Virginia Beach Taught Us...

2011-09-13T17:54:00.004-04:00

that if we took out a personal ad, it would have to include the following:

* We love oceanfront hotel rooms, with stunning ocean views

* We adore waking up to see the sunrise over the Atlantic (as long as we can do it from our room, and promptly collapse back into sleep immediately after!)

* We get warm & fuzzy about long walks on the beach, especially when they are lit by a full moon

* We are capable of making new friends (scary, stalker-ish, bird-esque friends, but friends just the same. As long as "friend" can be defined as someone who approaches, stares, opens his mouth as if to eat you, and refuses to leave. Did I mention he was scary? Never been scared of a bird before... but seriously.)

* We are passionate about thinking that long walks on the boardwalk aren't too shabby either (skiball deficiencies and chain smoking crowds excepted)

* Curling up with a good book in a fantastic lounge chair, under a somewhat-wind-resistant umbrella for hours on end, and occasionally stopping to search for our lost shakers of salt are what we really crave.

* Winning our affections might require a little competitive spirit: Cheeseburger in Paradise, and Burton's Grill have completely won our gluten-free-friendly hearts. We are completely, madly, savoringly in love.

Yes, Virginia Beach taught us a lot about ourselves... if you're willing to put us up in our cozy hotel indefinitely, we are yours forever. :)

Enjoy the photo video of our beach weekend at this link only if you like cheesy beach songs, and don't mind swimsuit & smooching shots and white pasty bodies. Before you throw up in your mouth a little, just remember...you've been warned.

Shakin in our boots

2011-08-23T17:43:00.005-04:00

After all the years of earthquake training in the Utah school system, years of practicing jumping under our desks and standing in door frames in preparation for the big one that's bound to hit someday, I had never experienced a real earthquake. Until today. Brian hadn't either. We'd both felt little tremblings and rumblings, but today we experienced a bonefide certifide quake. A 5.8 to be exact, with an epicenter a couple of hours south of us, and tremblings felt clear through New England. I must say, I'd be perfectly fine if we never "experienced" one again.

I was home on my computer, and my first thought: "WHAT is my upstairs neighbor doing?" But when the shaking got worse, and before long the whole apartment was shaking and shifting, my second thought: "Earthquake, or is DC getting bombed and I'm feeling it?" Either way, I was terrified. When things started falling off the walls and the shaking continued, my thoughts slowed down, and I had to work to not panic. That's when I guess the years of training kicked in. I headed for the pantry door frame, then quickly realized that getting squished by all of our canned corn and beans in the worse case scenario probably wasn't ideal, so I stumbled over the shifting floor to the bathroom door frame. Little did I know, an hour and a half north, Brian was huddled under his desk at work (image = priceless). The shaking felt like it lasted forever (I later heard a report saying up to two minutes). When it ended, I pow-wowed with our neighbors (I did manage to shakily throw on some clothes first, unlike one of my neighbors who was in her cute boy short undies and a t-shirt...I'm telling you...that's how scary the shaking was), stayed a bit at one of their apartments (she was babysitting 5 kids, and was a bit shaken up), and tried to call Brian and family. At first I thought I couldn't get my phone to work because my hands were shaking so bad...then I realized the lines were jammed. 4 hours later, they still are.

Quite the crazy and scary experience. I'd venture to say that between this, and the bear circling our tent last year, I've had my two most frightening experiences ever while living in good ole Virginia! But hey... I guess we've picked up a few more memories and stories to tell, eh? :)

All safe and sound here... and praying for no aftershocks. :) Oh...and Brian got off early, and I've finally stopped shaking so I suppose all is well! :)

I feel snazzy

2011-08-16T17:26:00.002-04:00

I was so excited to see THIS yesterday, that I had to share! After a couple of years of designing wedding albums, and running a website, and renewing business licenses, for some reason this made it feel official. I'm a small business owner! (Who works at home in her pajamas, but never you mind that :)).

Woo woo for being featured on thebrideandgroom.com!

Mood Boosters

2011-08-12T14:51:00.018-04:00

Well, there's good news and there's bad news. The good news is that I'm no longer ticked and that fall is right around the corner! The bad news is that I know fall is on its way because Tink has some new acorn dings. Yep. Acorns. In early August. Ha. At this point, you just have to laugh. I've found a good shop, and Bri assures me we'll have a garage soon. When that day comes, Tink will be going in for a full-blown pampering session and her bum injuries and accessorizing acorn dings will all be good as new. So on that note...

Back to the good news. The good mood magically appeared shortly after my last post. Or maybe it wasn't magic at all. Could've had something to do with this:

But if the stylin', GQ-esque toddler fashion wasn't what did it, I guess it could've been snuggling with a cutie-batootie boy:

Or maybe watching the two most adorable kids ever loving the gifts from Auntie Am and Uncle Bri Bri?

Or maybe I just get a kick out of seeing my 2 favorite little maniacs get that mischievous look in their eyes...

If it wasn't the monkeys, though, I guess it could've been the view from my bed at Bear Lake:

Yep, my summer trip to Utah was much needed and much, much, much enjoyed! Only thing that could've made it better: Brian being there. I think I maybe, kinda, sorta, might have found time to miss him a bit amidst all the camping, and playing and family fun. Maybe. Possibly. Ok...my dixie camping cup would probably say I definitely did:

I hated to have him absent on yet another Utah trip, but at least he had a good excuse. A long weekend out to South Carolina to visit his family and see our cute niece Sienna's baptism! He enjoyed himself immensely, and was thoroughly entertained by the three little Palmer Princesses... even though I don't have all his pictures to prove it.

(Hmmm... Alisha, Brian's sister in the back, isn't technically the third "little Palmer Princess" I was talking about... but since I'm working with the photos I have, we'll go with it. Ok Princess Alisha? :))

Morale of the story: I think we might be closely related to some of the cutest kids EVER. While this is slightly disturbing (I mean really...do you think it's fair that the bar is set that high? :) We are bound to disappoint someday...), it's mostly just loads and loads of mood boosting fun.

I usually don't blog ticked...

2011-07-13T20:45:00.003-04:00

in fact, I honestly usually don't get ticked. Not really my thing. But today is SUCH an exception. Brian came in from work to tell me that my car has been hit AGAIN. And AGAIN no note. Apparently, that's the norm here. Hit someone's car, and hey...that's a-ok. Sometimes I have a problem with humans.

That means that in the 3 years we've been here, we've had 7 different incidents where we've had to have my car repaired...and guess how many were our fault. None. Zip. Zero. Zilch. That's 4 people hitting my backside. 2 freak episodes with acorns. And one nasty run in with vandalism.

Morale of the story: Don't move here. And if you do, bring a clunker.

Whew. Sorry. I suppose everyone needs to vent once in awhile. And I'm going to try to not even feel bad about it. We'll leave that to the people that hit my car. Ooops...wait. Nope. They don't either. :)

Every Weekend Should Be A Loooong Weekend.

2011-07-06T09:38:00.004-04:00

Seriously. It would make for a much happier Amber and Bri Bri. :)

Brian was off Friday and Monday for the 4th, and I must admit that we partied. Flat out, no holding back, spoiled rotten PARTIED.

It started Friday with a trip to King's Dominion. Absolute BLAST, although, I will say that an amusement park at 29 is...exhausting. Not quite what I remember from my teenage days. Yes, by the end of the day we were motion sick, headachy, leg achy, hungry and trying to keep our eyes open... but it was so worth it. I think the best part of the experience was breaking out of our shells and riding some pretty intense coasters--those of you who know me well, know that I don't normally do coasters... let alone scary coasters. I just never have. So imagine my sense of triumph when I lived through The Volcano. Seriously...check out the link. So what if mid-ride I was yelling at Brian, "I swear, if this ride doesn't kill you, I'm going to!!!" We survived, and I'm happy to report no bodily harm has come to him. In fact, I think he got thanked for taking me out of my comfort zone. Brian has a video on his phone...I'll have to try to load it later.

We also rode the Anaconda (where we almost had our necks ripped right off), Flight of Fear (where I got so motion sick that for an hour after I paused at every trash can, but luckily never used one), and many others. Our streak on the coasters ended in the evening with a big wood coaster called Grizzly. We thought it would be mellow compared to what we'd done, but instead we got our brains scrambled. Poor Bri was messed up to the point of being done. :) ANYway...between the coasters and the killer water park (seriously...the Tornado...so fun)... what a great day.

Monday, we started the day at the pool. Had a little BBQ, and then headed to join hundreds of thousands on the National Mall for a Capitol Fourth.

We were on the west lawn of the Capitol Building, and the concert, featuring Josh Groban, Little Richard, Steve Martin and others was a ton of fun. The fireworks were pretty (although partially blocked by a big smoke cloud because of all the humidity), and I found myself telling Brian, "Ya know...one day in the not-so-distant future and we'll be watching this on TV saying, 'Can you believe we used to live THERE and go to THAT?'" Fun fun fun.

Now Brian is back to work, I'm back to designing books... and life is still good. Just not AS good. :)

Hope you all had a very Happy Fourth of July! Go America!!!

A tender mercy is...

2011-05-31T16:28:00.005-04:00

*Loving every minute of a hike in Great Falls on the Billy Goat Trail and living to tell about it. (We were seriously scaling boulders like we were billy goats, and there were a few moments when I wondered...).

*Gearing up for my hubbie to be gone all the time working with the young men (rumors were flying that he was being considered), and then receiving the BEST CALLING EVER instead when we got called in for an interview: Youth Sunday School Teachers. Working with the youth: check. Doing it together: check. Getting to teach & feel like we're making a difference (which is something I actually love, as long as it's not adults): check. Getting a break from the intense callings of our last ward that required lots of evenings away from home: check. Perfect: check. So excited: check. Inspired bishop: check.

*Getting to sit together during all 3 hours of church. Love those 5th Sundays.

*Returning home after church to see the neighbor that has been keeping us up ALL NIGHT EVERY NIGHT with a blasting TV loading up a moving truck. We couldn't help but celebrate with a little dance once we were respectably inside our apartment.

*Finally getting ahold of the right technician who could get my business website back online. After 4 days of it being down, and countless other technicians assuring me it was deleted forever and there was nothing they could do, I was beginning to panic. Then, whala. Miracle.

*Finding a new brand of gluten-free hot dog buns that taste so normal, even Brian is impressed.

*Walking in the bathroom to find that Bri has fixed the plug in our tub. It's been broken for months, and occasionally my sore joints crave a soak! (I'd tried and tried. He is self-admittedly NOT a handyman, so I was pretty dang impressed.)

*Discovering that I can make phone calls from gmail. After over a month of having really spotty coverage in and around our apartment, it was getting hard to be patient as t-mobile fixes the tower problem. Finding that I can still harass my family whenever I want to definitely helps.

*Spending a long weekend together, enjoying the pool opening, a night at the movies and just being us. Heaven.

I know more than I know anything that Heavenly Father is always blessing his kids in ways too numerous for us to count... blessings tiny, big and everything-in-between. Some days it's just easier to see the tender mercies than others. Like this weekend...and man-alive, are we grateful!

Lessons we learned in Disneyworld...

2011-05-24T17:07:00.002-04:00

We learned lots of other things too: dancing at a pier in Downtown Disney to a live band can be very romantic...Amber is like a two year old when getting in a cold pool (20 minutes later she might be fully submerged...maybe)...Florida is definitely pony-tail appropriate & ONLY pony-tail appropriate (hot...wet...hot)... Amber can't bring herself to let Brian kill an oyster for a pearl souvenir--wanted to, but just couldn't...we might prefer Disneyland over Disneyworld...after a Disney vacation you need a vacation from the vacation...

But maybe the most important lesson: coming back to reality is tough! Yo Ho Yo Ho, a pirate's life is for us! Until next time Disney, thanks for the memories and fun!

How to get excited for vacation Amber style:

2011-05-05T14:24:00.008-04:00

Step One: Load cheesy Disney music on your playlist (You are so benefiting...lucky lucky ducks!)

Step Two: Buy a cute, new swimdress (Even cuter with the halter strap attached)

Step Three: Buy 90 degree appropriate clothing for not just you, but your husband. And then make sure he has loaded more than one pair of shorts and one tee in the suitcase.

Step Four: Do laundry so you have something to pack, and deep clean the apartment (Mom always taught me you gotta come back to a clean place). Huh. Somehow this one keeps getting put off.

Step Five: Instead of step four, watch old Disney commercials online.

My fav:

Cheesiest for your viewing pleasure: (WHAT in the world?)

Step Six: Make reservations at Tony's (Lady & The Tramp themed restaurant), the Coral Reef (a restaurant with aquarium walls) and the Rainforest Cafe...gluten-free goodness, here I come!

Step Seven: Constantly barrage your husband whenever he walks in the door with the "Guess where we'll be in 7 days? 6 days? 5 days?..." game. (Believe me...you'll stump him every time :))

Step Eight: Blog about it. Then repeat. :)

How do YOU get yourself pumped? The countdown is ON!

How to spend a gorgeous spring weekend...

2011-05-02T13:00:00.009-04:00

*Ooh-ing and ah-ing over all the pink frills and pretties at a baby shower for a good friend. (Congrats to Brooke and baby Olivia! Can't wait to meet her!)

*Golfing in perfect 60 something degree weather with a view of the monuments (there are perks to your wife being at a baby shower, although he'd never openly say that :)).

*Braving the crowds to see the National Arboretum's Azaleas.

*Getting in a few good smooches (yeah yeah...you're probably grossed out...but it's what we do :) MWAH)

*Walking gorgeous, forestry trails that have sudden bursts of colors from the azaleas randomly mixed in.

*Strolling a more controlled, orderly garden of azaleas (that P.S...cost $2million a year to maintain. WHOA buddy... thank you generous (and WAY too wealthy) flower donors!)

*Admiring the state flower (and tree) of Virginia--the dogwood. You should see them in pink...beautiful.

*Celebrating a 40th birthday at a good friend's Luau, and reconnecting with friends who have moved out of the ward.

*Finding out at stake conference that WE'RE moving out of the ward. 3 wards in our building have now become 5, and we were one of the "lucky" winners who got booted out of our ward and will be joining a different ward... and we'll be moving back to a 3-6pm time slot (kinda a bummer...but we're hoping to make the best of it. I'm sure it happened for a reason...some reason... :))

*Getting your bumper all scratch and gouged by a landscape truck (ok...don't recommend this one... at all. Should I really be surprised, though? Poor Tink seems to be on a 6 month cycle. Soooooooo ready for a garage. But at least my knight in shining armour is taking care of dealing with it all...love that kid.)

*Chatting about anything and everything Disney related in a vain attempt to get even MORE excited for our upcoming vacation (like THAT's possible).

WELCOME SPRING!!! YAYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!

Eggs-tra Memorable

2011-04-25T11:11:00.005-04:00

So, I'm always telling my brides that the mishaps make the memories. I don't like to see them bridezilla-ing about the little things that go wrong on their big day, because I honestly think that the little "oopsies" always end up making the best memories (for example, our wedding video that played at our reception and said "Amber & Brent (my dad)" instead of "Amber & Brian"...hilarious...we still laugh...). If my theory holds true, Easter 2011 will go down in the books as extra special and extra memorable.

Memory Worthy Event #1: Opened my eyes at 6:30 a.m and realized a smell had woke me up. And not a pleasant smell. More of a really-really-really-burnt-tuna-melt smell. Nope...wasn't Brian. :) It was our apartment. Those of you who know me well, know that I have a freakishly good nose--got it from my mom. We're talking...I can smell things seconds before a pregnant woman can (yeah...it's bad). But when Brian woke up, he smelled it too so I knew we were in trouble. He stuck his head out of our apartment, and our stairwell smelt AWFUL. Now, we've had neighbor's snoring, and neighbor's squeaking, and neighbor's talking, and neighbor's fighting filter into our apartment before, but NEVER neighbor's smells. Yuck. Brian propped open the building door, we opened every windnow we have and went crazy with the Lysol, and I spent the next 3 hours at church terrified that the drunken neighbor who passed out with a tuna melt on the stove in the wee hours was still out-of-it, and was going to burn down our apartment (and I wouldn't even be there to grab my honeymoon oil painting).

Memory Worthy Event #2: Full of paranoia, I was leading the way to the car so we could leave for church. I heard a crash. Turned around to see Brian looking down at what used to be one of my cute, dressy dinner plates. Broken into bits in the parking lot. At least the young women's treats hadn't been unwrapped and put on it yet.

Memory Worthy Event #3: I was talking to my parents on the phone, wishing them a happy Easter. As I talked, I was pushing the sides of my tuna-melt-fighting spring candle (my BURNING tuna-melt-fighting spring candle) down into the already melted wax with a popsicle stick, trying to even things up a bit. WHAM and splash...just like that, I had wax splattered all over the carpet, the counter and ME. Face...hair...shirt...arms...hands...covered. That was fun to get off. But at least I smelled like a Lily/Peony/Flower Market mix. :)

E
Memory Worthy Event #4: We're dying away at our eggs, when suddenly the cup of blue dye is down for the count (it was me...clutzy things that go on in our apartment are always me...except for the plate episode...:)). The dye is getting closer and closer to the edge of the counter...I'm containing it with my hands and screaming, "Grab the dish towel...grab the dish towel...it's gonna get our carpet!!!" Brian brings me ONE sqaure of paper towel. I'm screaming, "No No No! The DISH TOWEL. The DISH TOWEL." He comes back with 3 squares of paper towel, saying, "Dish towel? Dish towel? What????" He's all in a fluster, running back toward the paper towels as I'm screaming, "The CARPET...grab the DISH TOWEL on the OVEN!" He brings...the dish towel. But too late. The dye has started trickling under my arms on to the carpet. Luckily, by the time I'm scrubbing our capet with stain stick, we're laughing. He never said, "Who is THAT clutzy?" and I never said, "Really? One sqaure of paper towel?" :). But we DID comment on how our poor carpet had had quite a blue, waxy day. :)

Memory Worthy Event #5: We're winding down our day with an inspirational Hallmark movie after watching the Cowboys get kicked off the Amazing Race (NOT a memory worthy mishap, just plain crappy). Suddenly, a crash SO loud I jumped out of my seat (literally). Brian is laughing his head off because his wife went balistic over thunder... but the laughing stopped when CRAZY hail started pelting our building. I'm thinking, "Great...this is gonna be the acorns of 2009, except now we have 2 nice cars to worry about..." But it all turned out ok...I think...Brian checked the cars this morning and said they were fine. :)

Quite the memorable holiday, right? Not so memorable, but still great events:

*A great Easter program at church--amazing music and messages
*A cute Easter dress from my parents

*An AWESOME Easter bunny who filled our baskets with all kinds of amazing and thoughtful things
*A scrumptious Easter dinner of spiral ham, au gratin potatoes, fresh beans and fruit salad
*A satisfied 3 year craving for my favorite Marie Callender Lemon Sour Cream pie. I found a knock-off recipe, altered it to be gluten-free, and delighted in the deliciousness that followed. Even Brian was astounded. Heaven. I tell you. Heaven.

The possibilities are endless

2011-04-13T15:29:00.010-04:00

*It's possible that I haven't updated in long enough that I don't even know where to start.

*It's possible that yesterday was my all-time-favorite boy's birthday... and we might have celebrated it in the happiest place on earth. Possibly involved an apartment set up like the Pirates of the Caribbean Ride, a Mickey cake, a Disneyland gumbo meal, and a pirate treasure hunt for presents. Also possible that I promised my parents video, so you now have to suffer through it.

What's impossible is to express how much I love the birthday boy.

*It's possible that our pirate adventure of yesterday has us oh-so-excited for our upcoming vacation. Very possible that we need some fun couple time... away from doctors, work responsibilities, church responsibilities, and just day-to-day life. Possible that we're going to enjoy each and every second of just the two of us, doing whatever we choose to do. Very possible that we'll drop off the face of the earth, and our cell phones mysteriously won't work while we're gone. I'm just sayin...possible. :)

*It's possible two of my favorite people were in town for not-long-enough a couple of weeks ago.

It's possible that they were here during the cherry blossom festival, but that I was wearing mittens.

It's possible that it didn't matter a lick, because while we went to the arboretum, zoo, Carlyle House, tidal basin, Fort Ward, temple and American History Museum, our favorite times were quite possibly sitting around in the apartment chatting and chatting.

It's possible the two people in this picture are still very much in love 3 years in.

It's possible the National Arboretum is one of my favorite D.C. spots.

Also possible that my parents brought a pound of gluten-free See's chocolates fresh from Utah...we're not going to say what happened to the chocolate, but it's possible that neither they nor Brian had ANY, and by the end of their trip the box had 2 pieces left. Possible we have mice problems. :) It's possible I cried like a 2 year old when they left, and still haven't quite recovered. :)

*It's possible that Brian talked more sports than he has in a long time last month when one of his favorite people came in town on business. Possible that he had a great time, and enjoyed the crab cakes (that he never gets because I won't go anywhere near them) immenseley.

*It's possible that we might be moving in a couple weeks (and unfortunately I don't mean back to Utah). We've been looking. We're hoping not to, but we'll see.

*It's possible that we watched an apartment in our complex (not our building luckily) burn the other morning. Possible that it scared me to death, and has me catalouging exactly what I would grab first if we caught fire and I had any time. Possible that you'd see a crazed lady running from the burning building wearing nothing but a robe and her wedding ring, with an Italian oil painting under one arm, and a chest full of souvenirs under the other--everything else...replaceable.

*It's possible that I've made peace with my round brush. Too early to be definitive, but possible.

Like I said, the possibilites are endless...but so is the list of things I (and I'm sure you) have to do! So for now... possibly, probably, am done!

The long and short of it...

2011-03-31T09:23:00.007-04:00

So, after some recent health issues (yes, in true Amber fashion where my life problems always seem to be of my own making, my body is still finding new and exciting ways to attack itself and keep me on the edge of my seat...honestly, it's kinda humorous...in a sick sort of way--no horribly bad pun intended), my once long and luscious hair (ha ha) has been trending more and more toward stringy stringy blah blah (I have no idea why Chitty Chitty Bang Bang has been in my head lately, or what it has to do with my hair, but wasn't that a great movie?!).

After months of sporting the flippy, bun-ny ponytail look, and being unable to wear my hair down, I figured what's the point in keeping it? Saturday I bit the bullet, gritted my teeth, went into a cute little salon called Frizzled feeling somewhat frazzled (oh dear...can you tell I didn't get enough sleep last night? this writing....sheesh), and a few highlights and big ole piles of hair later, came out looking like... well...this:

If you ignore the unmade bed in the background, not too too bad (although we're still working on styling it ourselves... not "ourselves" as in me and Brian, although that WOULD be fun... "ourselves" as in...I guess...me and my many personalities? Round brushes are a nightmare invention, by the way...) Honestly, I spent the first couple of days swinging wildly from LOVING it to BAWLING my eyes out. :) (Poor Brian...if you see him anytime soon, he deserves an extra big hug for all the many things he deals with.) Now, here we are a little under a week later, and overall... digging it! It's fun to have a "style", and be able to wear my hair down again. I tried my natural curl with it yesterday, and the wavy layers were pretty darn fun!

So, that's the long and short of it (sigh. dorky dorky dork dork.)

Now I've got to run in and jump on the air mattress taking up our entire living room floor. :) That's right... my parents are in town, meaning my three all-time-biggest fans are under one roof. It's an Amber love fest, and I am one happy camper. :)

Bracket...shot.

2011-03-17T16:02:00.002-04:00

Louisville going to the championship with Duke...Duke winning. Not so much. Day two, and my bracket is already toast. Sigh.

Even WORSE... when Brian and I compared our brackets after filling them out completely independently, they were IDENTICAL from the final 4 on. I just called him at work knowing he'd want to know the horrible Louisville news, only to find...he CHANGED HIS PICKS LAST NIGHT! Louisville was no longer going that far in his mind. So, I'm not only a loser...I'm a loser who's hubbie was so sure she was a loser that he changed his picks once he knew they were the same as mine! :)

The GOOD news is that maybe now he'll still have a chance to win his work pool. The winnings from his football win were a fun little addition to our vacation funds :). As for the Johnson family pool... lost cause. I don't think Brian Johnson had ever won until he married a certain athletic goddess who creamed everyone in the football competition last year. Ah-hem... luck? I think not. Picking teams based on mascot, colors and geography is totally legitimate. :)

Did I mention... we're going to Disney World in May?!!! :) I guess everything is ok in the world. :)

The Scent of Stargazer Lilies Reminds Me Of:

2011-02-18T12:56:00.001-05:00

*A surprise late night scavenger hunt my senior year of college with clues that led me to all our special places (a park where we picnicked, the lot where he picked me up from skiing class with a hot chocolate every week, our favorite star gazing location, a playground where we spent part of our first date, the location of our first kiss); one of his best friends popping out from behind a bush in the darkness when I couldn't find the next clue and was getting a little nervous about being alone in a mountain park at dark (thanks Jeff for being a great surprise trailer); my favorite flower, a lily, in a variety I wasn't too familiar with (stargazer) waiting at each location with the clues; finally being led to the Bombay House, a restaurant I'd always wanted to try, to have a cute, dressed up boy waiting with a smile and a vase for the lilies; the gorgeous, fragrant bouquet that resulted and filled my apartment with yumminess for a couple weeks after; the butterflies that fluttered around in my tummy for days whenever I caught a whiff.

*A flowery hospital room, and the feeling I got when he walked in a few hours after surgery with a bouquet of stargazers and irises (and the friends and loved ones who contributed to making the room so flowery and fun with their visits-I am truly blessed); him sitting with me while my mom left for a quick shower; him telling me I looked cute (and me later looking in the mirror and finding out just how nice that was of him--I had two tampon strings coming out my nose and taped to the side of my face. Yep. Cute.); the kiss on the forehead when he left. Almost made the surgery all worth it.

*One of four gorgeous proposal bouquets that changed my life forever.

*A beautiful wedding, where I decided against my favorite flower because of color and theme, but was luckily smart enough to pick my favorite boy.

*Anniversaries and special moments where lilies are always involved.

*Our future, and thoughts of a blond, curly haired little lady toddling around (Didn't take long into our dating drama for him to agree on Lily. When it started reminding me of him, and him of me, I fell even more in love with the name.)

*And most recently, a gorgeous bouquet of stargazers brought home out-of-the-blue the week before Valentine's, just because he knew I was having a rough spell. His Valentine gift was great too, but the just because bouquet... super great. :)

Yep, I love the smell of stargazer lilies in the morning when I'm just waking up and it's the first thing to hit my nose; in the afternoon as I'm busy with 101 household & business tasks; at night when I hear my boy coming up the lobby stairs and feel a little jump of excitement in my stomach... pretty much anytime.

Announcement: It's a.....

2011-02-15T11:48:00.004-05:00

2011 Nissan Sentra S!

Aspen White; Charcoal Interior; lots of fun fixin's. Bri's in love. :) I think he finally understands my affinity for Tink.

He's still working on a name for his new baby. Don't you worry...we'll keep you posted.

It was bitter-sweet, and quite emotional saying goodbye to Soph. She was around for all of our dating and newlywed life, and lots of memories were tied to her 138,500 miles.

Man, did I used to get excited when I saw her pull up to the curb at my parent's house when we were dating! And we won't even mention the time Brian almost drove her (and us) off a canyon cliff because I leaned over and pecked his cheek. A-hem. :) Yep, she was a good little car, and our new little nameless beauty has some big shoes to fill... but so far, she's doing a great job.

Could not be more excited for my boy. He's like a little boy in a candy shop. His first ever new car. It was a long time in coming. When he got his big-boy job out of college, he opted to save for my ring and our upcoming marriage rather than splurge. But now, it's finally his turn! And man, is she CUTE!

Welcome to the family... you. :)

And Happy Valentine's Day to us, and all of you! Hope it was great!

I don't recommend...

2011-02-10T15:17:00.002-05:00

Haggling with car salesmen, doing your taxes and deep cleaning the apartment all in one day.

Enough said, right? :)

But if you ARE going to, maybe make sure the salespeople aren't jerks, your husband didn't work in 4 different states in 2010, and you haven't skipped a couple of weeks of cleaning.

Definitely enough said. :)

Which is Sweeter?

2011-01-14T12:55:00.004-05:00

These...

Or the fact that I came home to find them waiting for me after mutual on Wednesday night.

Me: "How cute!! You went and got me gluten free cupcakes?!!! Where did you find them?"

Him: "I made them!"

I vote for option #2. :)

I could rave about the insane pile of presents he gave me, but 2 things pretty much say it all:

First, see the gorgeous pewter and turquoise damask paper behind the cupcakes. My gifts were wrapped in that. (Those of you who know me well, know how I am about cute paper and anything paisley or damask. Seriously. I took 15 minutes to open each gift, just so there was no ripping :))

Second... well... just look at this surprise.

Enough said. I may be an old lady, but I'm a spoiled, happy old lady with a hubbie who knows me WAY too well.

OH...and somewhat random, but along the same lines... thanks for the new gorgeous and oh-so-versatile foot ornaments mom and dad! Aren't they beautiful? (I know some of you out there will appreciate them. I'm not even that big of a shoe person, and I'M in love:))

A Carolina Christmas

2011-01-13T13:46:00.003-05:00

We spent Christmas in South Carolina this year, and it was lots of fun. Pretty good that I can say that, seeing as how it was my first Christmas ever away from my family and I missed them! We must have been having fun!

The highlights:
*A gingerbread house marathon using Brian's mom's famous gingerbread. We made a ski lodge with a reindeer over the door, and a ski lift.
*Nieces, nieces, and more nieces. Have I mentioned I love my little nieces? They made everything so much fun. Miya (3) is going to be a ballerina when she grows up, and randomly enters rooms at the funniest moments, dancing and twirling, with her eyes half shut. Cracks me UP, and kept me quite entertained--she was pretty much glued to my side while we were there, and I couldn't have loved it more. Sienna (7) is an artist, and I was more than once impressed with her drawing, 3D castle coloring and jewelry making. Sweet heart. Lila (1) is so sweet and smiley, and the same age as little Tre and Londyn, so she was like a taste of home. Love her "no, no, no, nos"! Kinsey (1) is a hilarious, cute little ham, who loves smiling, and laughing, and teasing, and flirting. My favorite Kinsey-ism was watching her twirl herself around to music until she was so dizzy she staggered, with her eyes glazed, around the room. Just LOVED hanging out with all the nieces.
*Gluten free yummy-ness. Brian's mom took me out grocery shopping when I arrived, and we were stocked up with all kinds of yummy things for me to eat. I even found a gluten-free cracker that I'd never tried before that was scrumptious. Yay! I get crackers again!!
*I single-handedly jinxed South Carolina. Who says it doesn't snow there? I'm telling you, when you have a Utah girl who loves snow as much as I do visiting, anything is possible :) (Remember Virginia and snowmeggedon last year? I'm telling you...it follows me...)
*Games, games, games. Brian's family is big on games, and it was fun to play some I haven't played in awhile. (I think Beyond Balderdash may have been my favorite...)
*Zoo lights. The lights themselves were good, but the fun part was having little Miya and Sienna by my side, explaining all the animals, and posing like their favorite... the Meerkats. (Yeah...picture THAT one! :))
*A fun Christmas Eve program, with nativity and singing and...possibly my favorite... a chime playing adventure.

All in all, a Merry Christmas!!

I hope yours was merry and that you're enjoying 2011 so far! CRAZY!!

Merry Christmas from D.C.

2010-12-19T21:55:00.008-05:00

Sometimes where we live just blows our minds...

(National Harbor & Gaylord Resort)

(The Botanical Gardens Railroad through the Wonders of the World, and

carvings of the monuments out of plants)

And sometimes, we blow the city's mind...

MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM OUR HOME TO YOURS!!!

Why do I love my husband?

2010-12-16T14:02:00.002-05:00

(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:

Mid December? WHAT?!!!!

2010-12-13T17:12:00.002-05:00

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!!

Halloween is a fun time here in Oz...

2010-10-29T23:16:00.012-04:00

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. :)

Traditional Halloween Scary-ness

2010-10-26T16:41:00.004-04:00

(Pause the music, and give it a second to load! :) As for the 5th blood sucking character... Just some guy we picked up around the streets of our current home-town. :))

Click HERE if it doesn't load...

Personalize funny videos and birthday eCards at JibJab!

Bear Encounter

2010-10-17T10:52:00.004-04:00

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!

Alive and kickin'...

2010-10-12T13:06:00.003-04:00

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! :)

Happenings

2010-10-06T13:18:00.009-04:00

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...).

*Bought the cutest outfit for Little Lady Number 1 (no...not an announcement. anyone who has seen our apartment size can tell you that kids are not an option til we move. but couldn't resist. add it to the hope chest stack.) Doesn't it look just like little Lily? (yes...I guess the cat is outta the bag. her name is Lily. I figure if Brian and I have been calling our firstborn daughter Lily since long before we were married, I can announce it without it being any weirder than it already is :). sorry to spoil the surprise, but those of you who have known me since I was a teenager, probably wouldn't have been surprised anyway. we'll get you with the middle name, how's that? :) )

THE LAST LITTLE BIT:

*Started into fall food with pumpkin stew (YUM), and stuffed peppers (YUM). Love the calories this time of year. The pumpkin from the stew was so delicious that we cut it up and served it as a "banana squash-esque" side with the stuffed peppers a few nights later. Holy Yum.

*Watched General Conference, and LOVED President Uchtdorf's talk (CLICK TO LISTEN)

*Became obsessed with magenta-y purple and royal blue together after creating a gorgeous wedding book using them (I'll post the sample on the business site after her wedding, but seriously...stunning colors.)

*Got Brian's car back from the shop. Took it in for an oil change and state inspection, got a call saying our last oil place had put a temporary plug in the oil pan, and we needed a new one. The bill was HUGE. But apparently the temporary plug was a really dangerous situation, so we just are feeling blessed that Bri and Soph were kept safe on all their long long long drives to work. Yes...in case you haven't noticed, our cars HATE Virginia.

*Put together a cute video of my Young Women to introduce them to their pen pals in Maine. Seriously...my girls are all so stinkin amazing. The youth of today ROCK. Not a single one of my 7 girls have 2 active parents in the home, and a lot of them come to church on their own. Yet they are still such amazing, sweet, solid girls. It's a tough calling (sometimes I feel more like a chauffeur than a leader, and it's really really really really busy), but so worth it. Love them. Just love them.

IN THE NEAR FUTURE:

*This weekend may make or break whether Brian and I ever have a little Lily. :) We are babysitting a three year old and an almost one year old for our good friends Thursday night-Sunday night. They are the cutest girls...but I must admit, I'm a bit terrified of Friday when Brian will be at work! :) Wish us luck...if you never hear from me again, you'll know why. ha ha ha.

*If we DO survive that, then we'll brave the bears next weekend with some fall camping in the Shenedoah Mountains. Perfect. Just perfect.

HAPPY FALL!!!

Favorite... favorite...favorite

2010-09-21T16:07:00.005-04:00

Must be Amber Autumn & Bri Bri's favorite time of year. How do I know?

Well, there's this:

And of course, this (two FABULOUS hours in Home Goods):

And I think I hear some guy in a Gamecock's shirt saying that I can't forget the best part of the season (sacrilegious if you ask me): the fact that football sounds are drifting through the apartment providing lovely background music for 99.9% (ok...more like 80%) of everything we do. And "John Beck's Fan Club" is dominating the league (Brian's Fantasy Football team).

Sigh. We're in heaven. And have decided that our mutual obsession with the season is a sign that we are, like, totally, oh-my-gosh, MFEO. :) ha ha ha.

Now...we're just waiting for the leaves to get with the program...

Saltwater Cowboy

2010-08-16T14:40:00.003-04:00

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!

We No Longer Own Anything White...

2010-08-12T13:20:00.002-04:00

Might have gotten a little busy with work lately. Might have let laundry be the first thing to slide. Might have seen our "whites" hamper completely overflowing and decided to do a big ole batch. Might have had everything in there from Brian's dress shirt, to work out tees, to...well of course all our unmentionables. Might have somehow lost my mind and decided to throw in a teal swimsuit cover-up at the last second (cuz it wasn't quite crowded enough). Being new, it might not have ever been washed before. Might have bled a bit, even with the stinkin cold water. Might have opened the wash and thought of the Jolly Green Giant, the Hulk, a grassy field...and a million other very GREEN things that I probably shouldn't associate with our "white" unmentionables. (Side note, might have been a little disturbed that some things were much greener than others, and some things weren't green at all. That kind of water circulation does not sit well with a germ-a-phobe.) Might have gone crazy with the Chlorox in a re-wash frenzy. Might have bleached almost all the green into oblivion and saved almost everything (even the bathmat Brian helped dye blue in last week's laundry adventure.) Might have celebrated while folding laundry until Brian held up a pair of my newest unmentionables and proclaimed, "Whoa! Elphaba!"

This is all hypothetical of course...

Frolicking in the Flowers (and trees...and columns...)

2010-08-09T14:03:00.003-04:00

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.

If I were a car...

2010-08-02T16:10:00.010-04:00

...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.

Totally unrelated (but would you expect anything else of me?): remember my favorite commercial ever...the Old Spice one? Check out this spoof by BYU:

Calling all my happily married peeps (did I just say peeps?)

2010-07-28T10:40:00.002-04:00

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... :)

Isn't She Lovely?

2010-07-23T11:40:00.003-04:00

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!

Kiss of Death

2010-07-22T11:41:00.003-04:00

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.

Lovey Dovey Ooey Gooey

2010-07-14T17:39:00.003-04:00

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

Gotberg Girls are All Hitched!

2010-07-05T18:38:00.003-04:00

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!)

Nothing says happiness like...

2010-06-11T14:10:00.002-04:00

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!)

What a Weekend

2010-06-03T21:52:00.003-04:00

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. :)

Something new for Something New...

2010-05-27T19:57:00.002-04:00

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!!!!

For the first time...I feel....WICKED

2010-05-17T12:18:00.004-04:00

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!)

On the 12th Day of May

2010-05-12T12:02:00.005-04:00

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)

10 days of not working out (dumb pulled lung, or deep chest muscle thing), 9500 MacAurthur proved to be fun (Bri showed off his sporty. Quote of the day: "Johnson! You're really athletic for a white guy), 8 hours of fundraising, 7 friends a movin', 6 dollars in carwashes, 5 hours cleaning, 4 tubs of goodness, 3 hours babysitting, 2 wedding book reprints, and a really big churchy.

And finally, the first 12 days of May honestly just about killed me (he he he...but in a fun? way), 12 days to plan NYC (happy anniversary trip this weekend!), 11 types of flowers planted (love the violets...they smell scrumptious), 10 days of not working out (I blame Jillean Michaels...but as of today she's back), 9500 MacAurthur picnic, 8 hours of fundraising, 7 friends a movin', 6 dollars in carwashes, 5 hours cleaning, 4 tubs of goodness, 3 hours babysitting, 2 wedding book reprints, and a REALLY BIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIG CHURCHY!

Whew...bet you're glad that's over. Honestly...so are we. :)

Smoochin in the 'Zaleas

2010-04-29T16:35:00.007-04:00

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!

2010-04-21T14:27:00.004-04:00

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

2010-04-18T20:23:00.008-04:00

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

2010-04-05T12:39:00.005-04:00

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!

2010-04-05T12:00:00.001-04:00

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!

The Wizards got Avada Kadavra'ed

2010-03-29T15:56:00.003-04:00

Who says you have to be in Utah to see a Jazz game?

So fun.

But a word of advice...if you ever go to the Verizon Center for an event, take the metro. For heaven sake's take the metro. We unfortunately did not, and it was a very...frustrating? hair losing? u-turn inducing? first-quarter missing?... experience. :) Sometimes you just gotta love D.C.

OMGoodness.... I totally married my BFF.

2010-03-21T19:22:00.004-04:00

So, the past few days I've been thinking... and I've decided that it rocks to be married to your best friend. Not that I didn't know this--I did. But sometimes the fact that it actually happened to ME (the girl who was terrified of marriage, couldn't quite get her act together, and spent 7 years determinedly pushing away the best guy ever) still makes me stop and go "Huh. How'd I get that lucky?" Our life isn't perfect, but as long as we're together it always feels pretty dang good! :)

I'm not the type to tell people what to do... have a low tolerance for self-righteousness. Who am I to know what's best for people, afterall. But if I may... I humbly submit the following suggestion to any single people out there: Marry your best friend. You won't be sorry. :)

Here's some of my evidence. I'll title the list "Like, reasons why it's, like, totally sweeeeeeeeeeet to be married to your BFF":

*When you have a basketball game early in the morning, you always have a cheerleader in the stands (it may be a poofy-faced, exhausted cheerleader whos hairy legs might not look that great in a mini-skirt...but he'll be excited to be there!) Then, later in the day, you get to experience a surge of adrenaline watching his game on the edge of your seat. (Brian's last game was so intense! I came home with sore back muscles from all the tension. I thought the wife next to me was going to have her baby right there on the stage..."GUARD NUMBER 42! He's always WIDE OPEN!" She was bordering on hyperventilation.) Yep...it's b-ball season around here, and both our teams are into tournament play. My team just won the first round, Brian's first game is pending. LOVE LOVE LOVE the fact that we have similar interests. Makes b-ball season so fun! (Although, we won't talk about March Madness. Our picks have proven...maddening.)

*When you have a horrible dream about ex-boyfriends being mean to you, you can wake up, roll over, laugh hysterically and think, "SUCKER!!!! I ended up soooooooo much better off." :)

*When you're sitting in a really good, but really long, ward conference, and the stake president starts telling a story about the "little woman"... and you wonder if your ears have fallen asleep, because it really sounds like he said it in an Elmer Fudd voice....no...there it is again..."little woman", with the "l"s like "w"s... you can turn to the BFF and explain the situation, and they'll help you listen for it again. Yes...there it is: Elmer Fudd "little woman"...."and then the widow woman took her last myte of meal, and gave it to him..." If it's your BFF next to you, they'll laugh with you at your mistake, and even giggle with you the 50 billion more times the speaker manages to say "widow woman" during his talk.

*And while we're asking for lightening bolts to head our way (we really aren't irreverent people... we've just had a bad week...), when you somehow are so tired during evening prayers that you get an uncontrollable case of the giggles for no reason at all, they'll probably just join right in. Sure it'll take you 20 times longer to get a decent prayer going, but at least you won't be singed alone. :)

*When you have a doctor's appointment you're not excited about, you can say "Yo dude...wanna come watch me get poked and prodded?" And they'll say, "Love to." (Hopefully not because they are a crazy sadist, but because they know you don't want to be alone)

*When you have a week where you don't see each other for a couple of days in a row until 9pm, and then some weekend work comes up, BOTH of you can melodramatically act like it's the end of the world because you don't get to be playing.

Could so go on and on. But we'll stop there. The spoken of guy just shut his computer, and I'm antsy to hang out with him. But my parting advice (since I know you all live by my word as you would the Bible... :))...marry the best friend. (Or enjoy being married to the best friend for you married lovies.) Makes life so much fun.

Don't Pinch Us!

2010-03-17T12:02:00.001-04:00

Happy St. Patrick's Day everyone!!! Don't forget your green.

Personalize funny videos and birthday eCards at JibJab!

We Want to Go Back...Immediately!

2010-03-11T14:54:00.003-05:00

Have you ever heard of a disease that involves wishing it were exactly one week earlier, sighing when unloading suitcases, feeling a bit sinky in the stomach, and humming "Yo Ho Yo Ho" at random, weird moments? If so, please let me know what I'm afflicted with. :)

We had an awesome time in Disneyland last week, and hated to leave. Brian was as much of a kid on the rides as I thought he'd be, and it was a blast to see him introduced to the magic. The rides were spectacular (Pirates especially...you can't beat the feeling of walking into that building the first time of the trip, and smelling the smell of...Pirates. If you've been, you know what I'm talking about. It's...magical!), the food was YUM YUM YUM (Disneyland really is the happiest place on earth for a gluten-free girl), the hotel room was awesome and a couple blocks away from the park, the company was great (thanks again Mom & Dad), the weather was perfect for standing in lines (which were actually pretty short), the firework show was awesome... it was just all around fun.

We did have a couple of mishaps (as usual...but they were actually pretty mellow for us). Mom got sick on Wednesday and was in bed all day. It worked out alright because Brian and I were at the Price is Right all day. No we didn't get called on stage, yes it was fun to experience, and no we'd never do it again. :) We were glad we went, but after standing in line since 6am, we weren't as excited as we probably could've been at the 1pm taping. :) Also, do I look like a drunkard?! In our little 12 person at a time interview, the lady before me said she was a bartender. The interviewer then came to me and said, "And here's one of your best clients. So what do you do when you're sober?" ha ha ha ha. I had to giggle (which probably didn't help matters). You can look for us on April 1st (we were part of the special April Fool's Day show, which was pretty cool I must admit). The only other glitch was the rain on Saturday that closed down the swap meets. We still managed to find some stylin sunglasses and a t-shirt for Bri, though...so all in all, not too shabby.

I would reminisce more, but that doesn't seem to help the Disneyland Withdrawal Disease, so I'll just let you enjoy the pictures! :)

Yo Ho Yo Ho...a pirate's life's for me... :)

Wheeeeeeeeeeeee!!!

2010-02-27T11:31:00.002-05:00

So, I hate that this video shows only me...but the best part of it is the background noise. Hear that screaming? :) That would be Brian. :) I can't WAIT to see him on the rides at Disney. The little 5 year old girls will have quite the competition. :) He's pretty darn cute.

Last night we got to go snow tubing with Brian's company at Liberty Ski Resort in Pennsylvania. It was really fun. I'd recommend it, even though by the end I was a popsicle. Literally. Red, frozen and drippy (nose). Maybe go on a day when the wind isn't crazy enough to have 3 semi-trucks tipped over on the side of the highway. :) But still...we had a blast. Anyway, here's the pictures!

We're going to Disneyland!

2010-02-23T15:02:00.005-05:00

Amber and Brian, you survived the worst snowstorm the D.C. area has ever experienced (except for maybe during George Washington's lifetime, but that was before official records)... What are you going to do next?!!!!

WE'RE GOING TO DISNEYLAND!

Yep. One week from today. Let the countdown begin!

I honestly can't wait. My family and I used to go every few years when I was growing up, and since the day I met Brian and found out he'd never been Disney-ed I've been so excited to introduce him one day. Baby, prepare to be amazed and enchanted! :)

Soldiers

2010-02-22T17:04:00.006-05:00

So, did you know that Brian and his roommates used to call themselves the "Freakin' Soldiers", and wherever they dwelt was affectionately dubbed the "Soldier Dome"? (Lest after following this blog you mistakenly think that Brian is the only one who got the dorky end of this marriage stick... :)) Yep. Soldiers. Gave that Destiny Child's song "Soldier" a whole new, magical meaning for me when it came out. Sigh. The memories. :)

ANYWAY. As usual, I digress. To the point of this post. Brian and I went with some of our best chums, the Jacksons, to see some REAL soldiers a couple of days ago (sorry Bri, but with the exception of maybe Wade, you guys aren't quite real soldiers). Terra Cotta Warriors to be exact. So cool. Here's the story:

The first emperor of China (we're talking around 200 B.C.) was a little nutty and paranoid. He built hundreds and hundreds of castles throughout his kingdom, and slept at a different one each night because he was scared of being assassinated. He set harsh laws, and harsh punishments. From most accounts...nut case. But he also did some cool things...like unite the empire, set up a common money and measurement system, build roads, and HAVE HIMSELF BURIED WITH THOUSANDS AND THOUSANDS OF LIFE-SIZED WARRIORS! He wanted to be protected and pampered in the afterlife, so he had soldiers, and archers, and entertainers, and...a whole empire's worth of terra-cotta people buried in his underground tomb. 15 of these life-sized soldiers were on exhibit at the National Geographic Museum, and it was really mind-boggling to see. Archaeologists have been excavating the site since it was discovered in the 1970s, and the exhibit had some cool artifacts too.

They wouldn't let us take pictures in the exhibit, but here's one I googled (the ones at the beginning of the post are with a replicate soldier...but I still think he's kinda cute :)). Yay for getting to experience living in a place where we can get our occasional dose of culture-ization! :)

And for those of you who are in the mood to learn and see even more, click HERE.

My Valentine

2010-02-18T13:40:00.004-05:00

Good thing we found each other, cuz from where I'm sitting, our personal ads look a little...scary?!

M/28 yr/D.C

F/28 yr/D.C

Click here to view "funniest ad in quite some time"

Yep. There's someone perfect for everyone!

Hope your Valentine's was as fun, dorky and full of looooooooooooove (yep, dorky) as ours!

We love you!

Sang "Let it Snow" one too many times this holiday season...

2010-02-08T17:13:00.004-05:00

The weather expert people are now saying 10"-20" more for some areas tomorrow. WISH US LUCK!!!!!!!!!

Hunkered Down

2010-02-06T18:18:00.004-05:00

hun·ker (hngkr)
intr.v. hun·kered, hun·ker·ing, hun·kers
1. To squat close to the ground; crouch. Usually used with down: hunkered down to avoid the icy wind.
2. To take shelter, settle in, or hide out. Usually used with down: hunkered down in the cabin during the blizzard.
3. To hold stubbornly to a position. Usually used with down: "As the White House hunkered down, G.O.P. congressional unity started crumbling" (Time).

Yes, I would say this weekend we are hunkering down (see definition #1 and #2) and the big ole storm the newspapers around here have dubbed everything from "Snowtorious B.I.G" to "The Curse of Snowbama" is hunkering hunkering hunkering down (see definition #3). That pretty much sums up life here at the moment.

Phase 10, Monopoly, Sort it Out, Ticket to Ride, The Lost Symbol, digging out our cars (attempting at least--plenty more work ahead tomorrow) OH...and did I mention no electricity (i.e. heat, stove, shower, HEAT...) from 4am to 4pm today........ that's been our weekend.

It's been kinda incredible and fun to be here for the worst storm DC has seen since 1922. 28-30 inches. This storm started at noon on Friday and is just now letting up at 6pm Saturday. Stormageddon is not joking around...and this is coming from a Utah girl, so you KNOW it's gotta be serious! Here's some pictures of the craziness! Stay warm, and don't take your nice hot showers for granted! :)

Old Lady Alert

2010-01-19T16:56:00.005-05:00

See Amber. See Amber age.

See Amber age while being spoiled.

(For those of you wondering if Brian spoiled me...yes. The answer is yes!)

See Amber age while being spoiled and enjoying gluten-free goodness.

See Amber age while being spoiled and wishing on enjoyable gluten-free goodness.

See Amber age while being spoiled, and seeing the wishes made on gluten-free goodness come true. :)
28 isn't so bad. I think I'll survive...I think... :)

Our 2 Little Ladies Star in "What's in a Name?"

2010-01-11T13:00:00.003-05:00

(Disclaimer: This blog post in no way states that the involved parties are liable for children anytime in the near future. No plans, expressly written or otherwise, are in the works. The writer is not responsible for mental disturbances caused by the reading of this post. Names have been changed to protect the innocent, and maintain some semblance of surprise. Please keep you hands and arms inside the ride at all times...)

So, I think I must just be posting this because I am trying desperately to avoid taking down our Christmas decorations. I honestly can't think of another reason, because I promise at the end of it, you'll think/know that I'm nuts. But for whatever reason...here we go...

Those of you who know me well know that I've had my first two little ladies named since I was a teenager (yes, sometimes I am such a girl). Lucky for me, when Brian came along all those years ago, he quickly jumped on board, fell in love with the names, and whala. Our little pseudo family was born. Middle names were eventually added, hope chests began to fill with things that "will look so cute on Little Lady 1" or "will be perfect for Little Lady 2", and when we talk of kids it's not "when we have our first girl", it's "when we have little lady #1". Yes, the first two girlies are named and part of our little family.

Well, the last month or so, I've been having this recurring nightmare. Over and over. It's always the same. Picture this: One of my dearly beloved friends/family (that would be you) steals one of our names. I proceed to calmly tell them that the name has been dibbed since the 90s, and they proceed to tell me that they know, but don't care. I calmly tell them that's not very nice, and people don't just do that to each other. They say they don't care. I try to explain the sentimental meaning behind each name. They tell me that not only are they naming this one "Little Lady 1", but...wait for it... they are having twins, and will be using "Little Lady 2" as well. This is where I snap.

Those of you who know me well also know that I am not a violent person. I can't even let Brian kill a spider, let alone do it myself. So, imagine my shock when I go totally WWF Wrestling on them and beat them to a pulp. It would almost be comical if I wasn't so upset... I just go...ballistic. And I must confess, even the sweetest and most loved of you out there haven't escaped my fury. (Alisa, I fear I...death dropped you or something! It was definitely Hulk Holgan-esque. And Carly, your poor face was quite carpet burned when I finished the good-cop bad-cop routine with you. And that's just the beginning...don't get me started with the rest of you. It's awful. Kinda comical, but AWFUL!)

But perhaps the worst part of the whole thing is that I wake up feeling...crushed. The violence has luckily worn off, but I just feel...deflated. Like my dreams have been dashed. Worried that it will happen in real life. Really affected. (Yes...some times I really am SUCH a girl. Can anyone out there relate?). Brian doesn't understand it, but tries to help. He's told me that our friends/family aren't evil and love me. He's told me I'm being crazy, and it won't happen in real life. He's laughed (probably not his wisest move). He's cried (ok, he hasn't cried. But if I get to look crazy in this post, he might as well too :)). Nothing works. It takes me a good few hours to snap out of it, and then I can look back and laugh. Almost. :) Off the charts on the crazy scale yet? Yes?

Well, that's really all. I hope it's provided a good...laugh? Your daily dose of fear? Something! But I guess the moral of the story is, please don't crush my name dreams anyone. Or, I might just...crush you? :)

Why?

2010-01-06T16:28:00.003-05:00

I just don't understand it: why did "Christmas break" go so so so fast? I mean, it was three whole weeks.

Three weeks of sleeping in. Two weeks of spending full-time with my boy. Three weeks of being spoiled rotten. Three weeks of seeing family and friends we hadn't seen in way too long. Three weeks of constant taste-bud satisfaction without counting a single calorie. Three weeks of zero responsibility. Three weeks of snuggling the cutest babies around. Three weeks of snowy winter weather. Three weeks of movies, and games, and more movies, and games (some of the reviews: "Sherlock Holmes" was a lot of fun, we LOVE "Up", and if you haven't played "Sort it Out" it's a super fun board game). Three weeks of flannel sheets and heated mattress pads. Three weeks of being introduced to new fun things, like Cribbage, and Wynco and Vampire Diaries. Three weeks of my favorite restaurant EVER (we made it to the Mandarin twice!). Three weeks of... just pure fun!

Hm. So why'd it go so fast? I just don't get it! :)

Here's some of our favorite pictures from the trip. We hope your Christmas was fantastic. And Happy 2010!!

My Sweet Thing & The Festival of Lights

2009-12-14T07:26:00.007-05:00

Yep, that's my sweet thing, helping me make...sweet things? :) (Keith Urban's new song...one of my favorites...)

We did our holiday baking Saturday. I guess it's officially tradition now. We always did it with my mom growing up--some of my favorite holiday memories are of baking all day (fudge, spritz cookies, sugar cookies, wedding cookies, peanut brittle, toffee, gooey caramel bars, etc, etc, etc....it was an all day shin-dig), and then delivering the delicious looking plates to neighbors that night. Brian and I decided to give it a go last year, and had a riot...so this year, we baked up a storm again, with a slightly modified "menu" (I just don't think some things would be the same gluten-free and didn't want to experiment on neighbors and friends :)) We made chocolate cookies with peppermint frosting, melt aways, caramel corn, fudge and divinity...and had lots of fun doing it. Brian was a dish washing extraordinaire--I think the record was the same pan washed 5 times throughout the course of the day. (It was kinda fun to run to the sink with the offending saucepan and say, "It's baaaaaaaaaaaaack" in my best, "You really really want to wash this pan because you think I'm incredibly cute and not at all obnoxious" voice...)

But perhaps more impressively, I was taking care of getting some cookies in the oven, and turned around to find he had expertly frosted and sprinkled the chocolate cookies! They looked better than the ones I'd done!! (Between that and him expertly dying my hair on Tuesday... hmmm... :) ) We wish you were all nearby so we could bring you a plate... both because we love you, and because the leftovers are wreaking havoc on our waistlines! Please say this picture tempts you into traveling the many miles to DC to save us from our pre-holiday binging!!! ANYONE?!!! No takers? Darn. We're in trouble.

Last night we kicked the festivities up a notch at the Washington DC Temple Festival of Lights with our good friends the Jacksons. Gorgeous. It was a really foggy, misty night, and the lights and temple looked phenomenal. If you're in the area, you HAVE to go!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE! We hope you have an amazing holiday season. And for those of you in Utah...watch out... here we come! :)

Finally...a date night.

2009-12-05T21:06:00.008-05:00

Ok. So I shouldn't say finally. We do pretty well at making sure we spend lots of time together--chances are, if you see one of us, you see the other. In fact, some people have begun to wonder if we're the first ever male/female set of conjoined twins. :) Ok...so I made that up. But I wouldn't be too surprised (if they thought that, not if we WERE the first ever set...I WOULD be pretty surprised by THAT). But with all the hustle and bustle, and holiday travel, and online shopping (I've become a hermit), and ward mission stuff, and ward marriage class (no...we're not in therapy, although that would be a good story. Everyone in our ward is supposed to take the class, and the last 7 weeks it was our turn) we were just feeling like a lot of our time lately hasn't been out and about with each other...so out and about we went this Friday. Which brings me to the Top Ten Reasons to Visit the National Harbor at Christmas time:

#1-The big ole gorgeous tree overlooking, well, the National Harbor. :)

#2-The fun parking adventure. Ok, actually parking was a breeze, or could've been. We knew we weren't supposed to pay the outrageous Gaylord Resort parking price, so we headed into another garage, then decided to u-turn and see if the other garage was even cheaper (which is about where Brian said, "Oops...there's a police man behind me"), then saw a meter and u-turned to take that spot only to find it was more expensive than the garage (this is about where I said, "Um...isn't that the same police man?"), then u-turned to head to the other garage, then found that the other garage was the same price but farther, then u-turned to go back to the original garage (I was giggling too hard to point out the policeman...who was obviously in a very Christmasy, no-ticket mood), then missed the turn in to the other garage and u-turned... ANYWAY. You must try it.

#3-The first and only Peeps & Co store. We highly recommend spending the $6 it costs to fill up a tiny bag of Mike and Ikes. The green apple and raspberry ones are to DIE for.

#4-The Sizzle Meter in the Peeps store. Apparently Bri is "Smokin'" and I'm "Fiery"...ah cha cha! youch!

#5-Walking up to the Gaylord Resort and totally feeling like you're sneaking in illegally because there's no WAY someone as un-posh as us can go in THERE... it's PHENOMENAL! All the hotel room doors face out into an indoor atrium that has trees and a creek and little Old Town looking buildings... awesome. And it was DECKED out for Christmas, complete with a glass, 7,000 pound tree hanging from the ceiling.

#6-The choir at the Gaylord.

#7-The indoor fountain show set to Christmas music. Kinda like a little mini-Bellagio shin-dig. Really cool.

#8-Watching the little kids in this picture shriek, and I mean SHRIEK, with delight every time the fountains shot up. As soon as the water died down, they'd get as close as they could, and go into spasms the next time it went up like they were totally shocked it would do that... :)

#9-Walking along the pier you can pick up some pretty good looking boys, like this one here...

#10-Hmm....well...that was anti-climatic. I really only have 9 good reasons...didn't plan that one out very well, now did I. But uh... go. Just go. :)

Also, totally unrelated side note (which I know is totally unexpected coming from me...a random interjection?! NEVER!!) I recommend the DC temple in the first snow storm of the year. Beeeeeeeeeautiful.

Double the Fun

2009-12-03T17:52:00.005-05:00

Whew...this post is a little late in coming, but everything around here (including the list of things to get done) seems to be doubling! I used to have one piece of paper with things neatly listed: "Order Brian's Christmas presents... Make doctor appointment...Make dentist appointment...Send out Christmas cards...Get visiting teaching report in...yada yada yada ya..." But, due to some recent events, I've started a second sheet of paper, and the listS seem to be growing instead of shrinking! List number two includes things like, "Send in contract for wedding show...Order brochures for wedding show...Fix SN blog... yada yada ya." Yes, come Jan. 2, I will be exhibiting in my first ever Bridal Extravaganza at the Grand America in Salt Lake. I am super excited, and a little nervous, and a bit scared of failure...but mostly just super busy. The days are flying by.

ANYWAY...on to more important things.

My list isn't the only thing doubling around here... Since August, the number of mine and Brian's nieces/nephews has doubled!! Yes, before then we had Sienna (smart little cookie who gives amazing hugs)...

Miya (2 year old ballerina and concert singer extraordinaire)...

and Kinsey (smiley little baby with the chubbiest, most lovable thighs you have ever seen).

Then, WHAM little Londyn joined the mix (feisty little thing with eyes that twinkle when she smiles)... ...followed shortly by Tre (baby prodigy who was able to roll himself over from the second he arrived) ...

...and NOW...announcing the arrival of adorable little baby Lila!!! Isn't she sooooooooo cute?! (She's Sienna and Miya's little sister, in case you were wondering!)

Not bad for 4 months work, eh? A big thank you to all our siblings for doubling our fun!! :)

That being said, you can imagine how Brian and I spent our Thanksgiving holiday in South Carolina. With four cute, entertaining nieces, there was never a dull moment! :) We played games, watched jungle gym tricks, threw footballs, watched singing performances (if Miya EVER loses that sweet little chipmunk voice I will bawl my eyes out), and snuggled lots. We had a good time with the grown-ups too, and enjoyed lots of good food and some gorgeous weather.

And of course, there was more than enough football. I spent Saturday with the boys at the Gamecocks vs. Tigers game, where (thanks to my good luck...ha ha) South Carolina won their arch rivals for only the third time in like 12 years! (And I got quite the nasty, half-face sunburn). Then that night the Cougars took out Utah (barely, but we won't complain). Not bad as far as football goes.

So, a big thank you to Brian's family for all the fun! We really enjoyed ourselves and appreciate all you did for us.

Whew...this has gotten long, and my list is probably growing longer as I type, so I'm off! But we hope you all had a very Happy Thanksgiving! And don't forget...Santa's elves are now officially watching!

It's beginning to look a lot like...

2009-11-24T22:55:00.002-05:00

CHRISTMAS!!! Today was one of those days that was busy from start to finish. My legs and back have that "been at Lagoon" all day ache. But I'm not complaining. It was a really fun type of busy. First, I plugged in the tree that Bri and I decorated last night. Isn't she so pretty and sparkly? :)

Then I put up our Christmas garland:

And when the house was sufficiently festive, I set to work making my first ever Thanksgiving dinner. We get to go to South Carolina to visit Brian's family for the holiday, but with the gluten-free stuff, we figured we'd make everybody's life a little easier and pack a dinner for me. On the menu: Herb roasted turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, candied yams, green bean casserole, biscuits, yogurt jello and blueberry cheesecake. Everything was homemade, and I have to be honest...I went into it feeling like I had NO idea what I was doing. But after lots of calls to my mom, it all ended in a pretty yummy feast, if I can pat myself on the back a bit. I was excited to have done it! And Brian was thrilled about his "manly rite of passage". :)

It really was quite scrumptious, and worth the achy legs...and calories. :) Happy holidays everyone...thanks for humoring me. :)

Today I'm thankful for:

1-Flights to South Carolina, and missing out on the 11 1/2 hour drive back in traffic (thank you Danna and Larry!!)

2-A mom who's creative, and taught me to love to create. She's a gourmet cook, does amazing holiday decorating, and came up with some of the most incredible ideas for school projects! :) She definitely passed her love of creating on to me. I'm nothing compared to her, but few things are as fulfilling to me as creating something...whether it's a meal, a Christmas tree or a holiday garland. It makes me so happy. Thanks mom for teaching me to let my imagination fly!

3-A husband who does dishes. All the time. It is rare I ever touch a dish. I'm always grateful for that, but never so grateful as I am today :). What a mess!

More exciting news...

2009-11-16T18:50:00.006-05:00

Saturday was a crazy day! Not only did this little guy come along (couldn't resist the chance to display another cute picture)...

...but also... my littlest sister, Meg, got ENGAGED! Pretty exciting stuff, right? A big congratulations to her and Daniel! We look forward to seeing the "oh-so-sparkly" ring and giving Daniel the 3rd degree at Christmas! :) Love you guys!

Our first nephew!

2009-11-16T11:54:00.006-05:00

Introducing Tre Jayden, mine and Brian's first and only nephew!

Halee had little Tre early, early Saturday morning, and I woke up that morning to Brian saying, "Meet Tre" and leaning over me with his cell phone displaying the cute picture above (Doesn't he look happy?). We both oohed and ahhed and laughed about the fact that someone in one of our families actually had a boy. We're so excited to have a nephew!

We love you little Tre, and can't wait to meet you in a month! And hugs and kisses to the mom and dad. You sure did make a cute little guy.

Today I am thankful for:

1-Family. I get to go home in one month and see my cute new nephew and niece and I couldn't be more excited! Let the countdown begin.

2-The advances in gluten-free cooking. Really weird one, I know, but you have NO idea how excited I am when I go in a store and see a Betty Crocker brand, gluten-free devil's food cake mix. Sometimes it's nice to not have to do EVERYTHING from scratch. :)

3-Friends. Heavenly Father has always seemed to surround me with people who lift and inspire me--in West Jordan, at BYU, and now here in Virginia. I'm so thankful that I've always had exactly the friends I need placed right where I need them.

Proudest Day of My Life

2009-11-11T12:29:00.005-05:00

So, I think our bad luck streak is long over. Tink is back from the shop and looks fantastic, but perhaps more impressive-- check out this Scrabble board:

Yes, with words like "wrongest" (which I really didn't think was a word, but Mr. Webster disagrees and it scored me the bonus bingo), "archives" and "wooded"... let's just say Brian didn't stand a chance! :) baaaaaa ha ha ha. (Ok...so for all you Scrabble players out there who are laughing at our pathetic board, just realize that usually when we play, everything is clustered in the middle, and we're trying to build off words like "the" "dog" and "an". :) This beautifully spaced board was quite the accomplishment. And that high score...unheard of for us! )

And that is your current edition of "When 2 Dorks Collide". (Hmmm...maybe it's time to change the name of the blog. What do you think? The Newlywed thing will only be true a little longer, after all.... hmmm. Wait for it...wait for it...)

OH...and one more thing. My good friend is doing a special thing on her blog in honor of Thanksgiving. Each day, she's posting three things that she's grateful for. Her blog has been making me so happy every time I read it, and leaving me feeling so warm and fuzzy (ok...that was cheesy, but true. That's the only way to describe it...), that I thought I'd end each post I make this month by following her lead.

So, today I am grateful for:

1-The founding fathers and their wives. Random and weird, but I've been reading a lot of history stuff lately, and my usually average patriotism has been given a big boost. I can't believe what the founding fathers, and even more so their wives, sacrificed to establish America. Go Adams and Washington!

2-The upcoming holidays. Who doesn't get an extra surge of happiness when they realize they're humming along to a Christmas tune while they shop?

3-An amazing husband who provides for me materially, emotionally and spiritually. I melt when he leaves for work at 6:30 a.m, exhausted but not complaining, and then celebrates (seriously, celebrates) when he gets home and hears I had a crazy unusual morning and was able to sleep in til 10. Boy did I ever luck out with him! :)

Our Boo Fest

2009-11-01T19:41:00.005-05:00

A little childish, but that's what we're all about around here... (Brian's amazingly creative idea!)

Apparently I find unibrows IRRESISTIBLE. :) (Ok...so actually, weird side note, Brian has the most PERFECT eyebrows EVER. While we were dating, we constantly had this conversation: Me: "So...tell the truth. Do you pluck under your eyebrows?" Him: "No." Me: "Come on...it's nothing to be embarrassed about." Him: "I don't." Me: "You soooooooo do. Nobody's eyebrows are THAT perfectly sculpted. Who taught you? Your sister?" Him: "Whatever Am." Now that we're married, and I'm around him pretty much 24-7, I can attest to the fact that his eyebrows really ARE that perfectly arched naturally. Weird, drawn out moral of the story: we're keeping our fingers crossed that our kids get his eyebrows. :))

Yummy yummy pumpkin stew...

And finally, what do you dress up as when you're going to a couples' Halloween party, and your otherwise amazingly good sport of a husband pouts like a 2 year old when he's told he has to dress up? :) Charlie and his favorite angel.

I get a gun, and he just has to embellish his everyday work outfit a bit. Win win. :)

Kinda Scary...

2009-10-26T13:10:00.005-04:00

But I guess that's what Halloween is all about! So.... HAPPY HALLOWEEN EVERYONE!

Try JibJab Sendables® eCards today!

He he he...honestly...still cracking me up like 5 times later... :) Love our moves. So... dorkily us? :) And the best part...we had all those photos on file; didn't take a single one for this video. SPOOKY how photogenic we are, isn't it? :)

Ooga Boogas

2009-10-19T15:33:00.007-04:00

Have you ever seen the movie King Kong? Well, the Big Apple must have felt a little bit of deja vus this week... Ooga Boogas took over the city! And the Capital too!

Yes, my friend Emily and I are Ooga Boogas (quite possibly the only 2 under the sun, although she has children now so I suppose there ARE little 1/2 spawns running around), and yes, we even had a stage of our life where there was a secret handshake/chant (and NO I won't tell you how old we were when all this was going on, because high schoolers really should be more mature than that :)). ANYWAY...point is, Ooga was in town this week, and you can imagine the fun two crazies like us had! With a whirlwind trip to New York, lots of girl time, and site seeing around the capital, it couldn't have gone faster!

Funny moments...let's see...

*Amber getting terrified about a pigeon standing RIGHT on the edge of the empire state building...then realizing they fly. (In all fairness, it is REALLY high up there!)

*Having lots and lots of people do double takes as we sat on a bench overlooking a gorgeous fountain in NYC and took a cheese ball break. Seriously, is it THAT weird for 2 grown women to be eating cheese balls? I guess it WAS a rainy, gloomy day and they ARE pretty neon...but still.

*Amber's hair getting caught on the button of a man's coat as he tried to exit the metro, and him frantically trying to untangle himself. "I hope I can get off the train...I hope I can get off the train..."

*Emily's Mary Poppins umbrella. Practically NOT perfect in every way!

*A waiter who insisted on making us take a giant bite of our pizza while he took a picture...over...and over...and over....until the whole restaurant was watching. At least they had gluten-free cupcakes!

*Realizing after viewing the pictures below that someone needs to pull out their GhostBusters gun and go to town on me and that coat! What was I thinking??? :)

*Introducing Emily to Gilly, Penelope, and the Lawrence Welk Show (if you don't know what I'm talking about...seriously...you have a date with Hulu and some Saturday Night Live skits RIGHT this second).

I could go on and on...but I won't. I'll just post some of the best pictures of the gazillions taken this week, and say I miss you already Booga! Thanks for coming!

When it rains acorns...it pours

2009-10-11T19:36:00.006-04:00

So, I can't really vouch for the saying "When it rains, it pours". Seems to me that sometimes it just sprinkles (at least in Utah...I guess in Virginia it usually only pours, but all this is distracting from my point...). But I CAN tell you this: if acorns start falling from the sky, WATCH OUT...(yes, run don't walk, to the nearest exit) cuz life is about to go from amazingly good, to just...good?

It all started with acorns attacking on Wednesday, and finally ended (we hope) with a trip to the emergency room this afternoon. But there was oh-so-much in between...

We'll start at the beginning. If you know me at all, you know that I love my car. You also know that I hate dings. It's really that simple--love my car, hate dings. It's not neurotic, it's just...ok...so it's bordering on neurotic, but whatever. So, I take really good care of her. I opt to park away from other cars and get in a bit of exercise, I take the extra bit of time to find good parking spots...I'm careful. It's just how I am. One of my quirks. So, imagine my dismay, when I went to go somewhere Thursday morning and discovered about 10 dings on Tink's hood. "WHAT in the WORLD....." In 5 years, she's only had 1 ding. 1. So, this was catastrophic. What could have happened? I turned detective, spinning around, looking at the trees above me, picturing the little evil squirrels I love so much jumping down onto my car, having some kind of weirdo dance party... Or maybe it was that idiotic car wash I took her through, with those big mean brushes... Then I found the culprit. The horrible windstorm the day before had knocked tons of acorns (yes cute little acorns) out of the tree above my parking spot, and launched them like little missiles right at Tinky. I couldn't believe it, and I'm not going to lie, I cried just a bit. Yes, tears. By Friday morning, I was determined to be ok with it, at least for the weekend, because Brian and I were off for a fun-filled weekend away in Philadelphia. I was going to put it out of my mind. Yes, our suitcases were at the door, we were ready to go, I was happy...and BAM. Brian returned from taking out the garbage.

Him: "Uh...Am....shoot. I don't know how to...um... jeez...uh..." (hugging me)
Me: "What's wrong?"
Him: "Uh...I don't think we'll be leaving as soon as we thought."
Me: "What's wrong?" (trying not to start hyperventilating)
Him: "Well...your car..."
Me: "Tell me..." (really hyperventilating as I pictured the whole oak tree crashing down on Tink)
Him: "I went to take the trash out, and I noticed a smashed beer bottle by your car...so I went to look, and someone had thrown it into your car, cuz there's a big dent on the side,,,"
Me: "Are you serious?" (ready to slug him if he was kidding, and willing to forgive the oak tree if I could just get my hands around the neck of the obnoxious drunken teenager...)
Him: "Yes."

So, out we went and sure enough...nice dent in the door of my car. I couldn't believe it. Then I decided to look the rest of the car over, and to my horror (yes HORROR) the front panel of Tink was completely collapsed in as well, like someone had taken a bat to her, or thrown somebody into her. Sigh. Again, tears. This was getting to be unbelievable. I pulled it together, we took pictures, talked to management (worthless), called the police (apparently things like this are common enough that they don't even come out. You just file an online report. Sick world we live in!), filed a report, yada ya.

Again, I tried to put visions of car shops out of my head, and we got in Brian's car and headed to Philadelphia. But believe it or not, we're not through yet. The punches, they kept right on comin.
Friday night, Brian started coughing. A couple hours later, he had on sweats, and every blanket he could find but was still shaking. Then his head started killing him. About 3am, he woke me to tell me he was going to get some drugs. After pumping some Advil, he was able to sleep for a couple of hours, and actually felt well enough to site see all day Saturday. But by Saturday night...
his throat was killing him, and he was feverish, and achy. By this morning, he was just really, really ill. So we ex-nayed our Sunday site seeing plans, and started the walk to our parking garage to head home. I was relieved when we made it to the car--Bri was sick enough that walking there was almost too much for him. And I was worried about my safety--I had begun thinking I must have done something seriously wrong, and a lightening bolt might just be headed in my direction. :) Ah, safely in the car. The horrors over...

I slid in the driver's seat, and once Bri was nicely delirious in the passenger seat, I started the car....or tried to. Yes. I tried once...no start. Twice...no start. Three times. Nope. Can we say, "Dome light?". At this point, I just had to laugh hysterically. Honestly. After tracking down a nice guy for a jump (and ticking off a lot of people in the parking garage as we blocked their way doing it), we were on the road.

Half way home, Bri broke his half-out-of-it silence and requested I take him straight to the emergency room. We spent a few hours hanging out there, him in a mask and gown, and he was finally diagnosed with bronchitis, and possibly "the flu". He's been given drugs, and should be on the mend soon. But for now...passed out. :)

Quite the past few days, eh? :) I just thought I'd share the comedy of it all. And tell you all that I love you... you know, just in case an enormous pink hippo comes careening out of the sky and lands on me or something. At this point, it seems quite possible! ha ha ha. I always think that the mishaps make the memories, but seriously... ????? :)

The good news is, we still managed to have a great time in Philadelphia (on Saturday at least :)) and see some pretty cool things. And our life is still pretty stinkin good I suppose :).

Here's the pictures!

Men & Ice Cream

2009-10-03T18:15:00.002-04:00

So, tonight me and some of the girls I visit teach are getting together for an ice cream party while the boys are at the priesthood session of conference. I was debating over which toppings I should take to go with my vanilla ice cream, and asking Brian what he thought--and then I started telling him that I'm not really a toppings kind of girl. 9 times out of 10 I'll choose plain vanilla ice cream.

That is when Brian made the most profound, astute and hilarious comment of the weekend (well...ok...some of the general authorities might have him in the "profound" and "astute" categories...but still...it was priceless):

"You like your ice cream like you like your men."

Me: "What?!"

Him: "Yeah...you like your ice cream like you like your men. Vanilla, straight... with very little on top" (at which point he ran his fingers through his oh-so-lucious hair).

Who wouldn't crack up. Seriously.

Some girls might like a tall drink of water, or a fancy shmancy bowl of some Ben and Jerry's concoction... but I'll take my hilarious scoop of vanilla ice cream anyday. :)

Baltimore & The Big Apple...orchard

2009-09-29T13:30:00.005-04:00

So, we learned a couple of things this weekend.

First, (and perhaps most importantly) don't ask Brian to pull a face like a jellyfish, or this is what happens:

Second, I must not be as cute as Brian is always saying I am (I know...I know...we're all shocked :)). If I was, this guy definitely would not have rejected me (yes, rejected by the huge, ugly, monster-like fish of the tank...over and over and over...he kept looking through the glass sticking his lips right there, but the second I'd lean in, he was history...):

Yes, it was an educational, fun and busy weekend. Friday, I met Brian at his work, and we spent the evening exploring Baltimore. It's a pretty cool city--Brian loved it. He's quite the harbor/water/boat/ocean type of guy. I really enjoyed it too, but I must admit: Old Town has ruined me. I don't think I'll ever love another city again. :) After sight seeing, we spent some time hanging out with the fishies, and birds, and frogs, and sharks (sooooo creepy), and dolphins (who performed in an awesome dolphin show) at the National Aquarium. It was really, really cool!

Saturday was a tradition day for me and Bri. I LOVE traditions--I guess I'm a sentimental kind of gal, but there's nothing quite like that nostalgic feeling that hits you when you're smack dab in the middle of a tradition. I think that's been one of the funnest parts about being in year 2 of our marriage...we've started recognizing the things that will probably be OUR traditions. (I say "probably" cuz a tradition can't be forced...that just defeats the purpose, don't ya think? They should just...happen!) Some of them have carried on from our families (i.e. pumpkin stew on Halloween), some of them were started years ago when we were dating (i.e. flicking the porch lights when one of us is driving away), and some of them are just things that we've done and loved and want to keep doing...like fall APPLE PICKING!!!

We tried a new farm this year, which turned out to be a good thing. It was closer, and right as we were finishing up and heading to the car, DOWNPOUR for the rest of the day! We got in all the picking we wanted to, and even found a couple of perfectly shaped pumpkins. :)

Yep...somehow I just think that romantic autumn walks through an orchard is something we'll be doing for quite a while.... :)

Oh, and did I mention, it's been officially fall for a week now?!!!!!! HAPPY AUTUMN EVERYONE!

Paddled our Bums Off

2009-09-21T14:40:00.003-04:00

Or, I guess, pedalled our bums off. Either way, my bum is history. :) ha ha ha. Right. Don't I wish. Anyway. I digress...

Saturday was a gorgeous day in D.C--sunny, cool breeze, perfect temperatures. So, we decided to check a fun outdoor activity off our list. A fun hour of paddle boating around the tidal basin was just what we needed. It was really, really neat--even if my bum was a bit sore the next day. :)

Checkin off the list...

2009-09-15T22:19:00.007-04:00

So, Brian and I have this list of things we want to do while we're in the area. It's HUGE! So much to see and do in DC and the surrounding cities! But we feel like we're finally starting to scratch the surface. This weekend we checked off the Old Town Farmer's Market, and... Ben's Chili Bowl. :) Apparently it's famous. Obama ate there, which is apparently saying something? And a sign behind the counter proclaims that Bill Cosby eats there for free, and that it's been "Black Owned and Operated since 1953." It's a landmark, and they are supposed to serve up the best chili dogs anywhere. Brian thought they were pretty tasty. I enjoyed their Sprite immensely. :)

We decided to try them out because we were in the area doing the 9-11 National Day of Service with a group from Brian's work. We got to help garden at a house for homeless women with AIDS. It was pretty weather, and fun to work outside a bit for a good cause. Me and Bri had our very own section that we were in charge of (hopefully his coworkers don't think we're "special" now, what with all the congratulatory high-fives, and "Ooooo...look at those roots! Good job babe!" comments that were going on :)) We were asked to pull out all the clover ...and also a really really pretty ground cover that had purple flowers. I was a bit sad about it, actually, because I think it looked better before we started, but the owner wanted it gone...so gone it was. :) From wild English garden to... nicely mulched mound? :) Brian managed to think to snap this picture with his camera phone. I was feeling pretty proud of myself at the moment--I pulled out one of the roots of this plant, and stuff just kept coming. Before I knew it, I'd unearthed a big ole bush of purple-flowering stuff. Yes, they call me Sheera Warrior Princess. :)

Let Fall Begin!!!!!

2009-09-14T13:25:00.004-04:00

So, by this point we all know how giddy I get during the fall. Well, fall is pretty much, almost, kinda officially starting here in good ole Alexandria. The weather the past week has been breezy, in the high 60s and 70s, and a couple of trees are loosing their leaves (ok...so...it's mostly the ones that are trying not to die, but still...there are leaves on the ground). I am getting sooooooooo ready to put up my fall decorations tomorrow after cleaning day! Hip hip hooray!!

Brian added to my insanity with a genius idea Saturday morning. He told me we were rolling out of bed early, and heading to Old Town Alexandria to browse the farmer's market. Now, you have to understand, if I'm a crazy person about fall, I'm only slightly less crazy when it comes to Old Town. The houses are revolutionary period, and something about walking the streets just...feels fall-y! Brian and I are both crazy about it. (In fact, we've decided that with our first $5 million we shall buy a fall home in Old Town. Yes, that's the plan. Ha ha ha ha.) So, a farmer's market to kick off autumn in Old Town was perfect!

The peaches are to DIE FOR, and the asian pears...oh my. :) Let the season begin!!!!!!!!!!!!! (And please remember, these pictures were taken early in the morning, before a shower...ha ha ha. Who am I kidding? I'm not photogenic anytime of the day. But that's ok...it's practically fall!!!)

This little guy was clinging to Tink when we left saying, "I want to come too! I want to come too!" Sorry little stick man. No such luck.

There was an art festival going on, so strolling through it holding my boy's hand after picking out the fruit was a treat too. :)

Our booty. Well, you know, booty as in "what we got" not as in...well. Anyway.

Useless trivia of the day (that's actually kinda cool): The farmer's market in Old Town is thought to be one of the nation's oldest continually operating farmer's markets. People have been selling their goods there since 1753!

Lucky 7

2009-09-10T15:44:00.003-04:00

What do you do with 7 Johnsons all under one roof for an entire Labor Day Weekend? EAT, PLAY, SITE-SEE, EAT AND SITE SEE SOME MORE! That's what! And technically, we weren't all under one roof I suppose...Brian's parents were kind enough to get a hotel nearby so we didn't have to go through the embarrassment of asking 4 adults to share our "spare bedroom" (read, "living room/dining room/kitchen, complete with a queen blow up air mattress" :) Thanks Danna and Larry!) Talk about a fun, busy weekend! 7 lucky ducks, spending our extra time bumming around the awesome sites and sounds of the nation's capital!

Brian's brother Scott, his wife Alisa and baby Kinsey were new to all the sites, so it was a blast showing them around and seeing their reactions to everything. And Danna and Larry took us out to some scrumptious meals at the end of the long days, which was very appreciated! We saw the monuments, a couple of the museums, Old Town, the Archives, the Library of Congress... and just enjoyed being around everyone!

Oh, and can't forget the biggest highlight for the boys...watching BYU win the number 3 team in the nation on the hotel TV! Go cougars!!! (And I'm sure Brian would add, "Go cable".)

Thanks for making the long trek out Johnsons! We really enjoyed having you!

Here's some of the pictures!

Finally toured the Nation's Capitol

2009-08-31T22:26:00.004-04:00

Did you know that if you're talking about the city it's "CapitAl" and if you're talking about the building it's "CapitOl". And there's your useless trivia for the day!

Here's the pictures! (Thanks to Brian the photographer :))

Ripped from the Headlines

2009-08-13T14:56:00.014-04:00

Washington, D.C—An Alexandria couple, married barely a year, spent almost the entire month of July on opposite sides of the country, much to the astonishment of onlookers.

“I cried myself to sleep every night on my giant pillo’,” Amber, 27, said. She left her husband in D.C for a family reunion the beginning of July, and didn’t return until the beginning of August, after her sister’s first baby was born.

“She was a mess without me, but you gotta do what you gotta do,” Brian, also 27, responded. “If you’ve met her sister Carly, you know you don’t cross her. Ha ha ha. Kidding. It was important to us that Amber be there.”

The question commonly asked by ward members, friends, and family during the month: “Do you miss each other?”

“Life just isn’t the same without your other half,” the couple responded when asked the same question by our reporter. Rather, they sang it. In unison. While a rainbow appeared overhead, and butterflies swirled in the gentle breeze.

All joking aside, the couple confirms missing each other. A lot. "A lot would be an understatement." But they decided to make the most of their time apart, and found various newsworthy activities to keep them busy and happy.

What did they do with their 25 days of single-dom? Since inquiring minds want to know, we report below, in this special “Ripped from the Headlines” feature.

TOP 10 HEADLINES FROM WASHINGTON DC, July 10-Aug 3:

• Newlywed has Affair with a “Real Witch”, and Enjoys It

(Shhhhh...no one tell Bri that I told you he likes Harry Potter. But he does. Says Half Blood Prince was "Fantastic." :))

• Grown Man Pretends He’s a Tiger…Thrice

• “Goliath” Tomato Looks More Like One of David’s Pebbles
(Yeah...Brian got to harvest our one tomato, and it was a little...little. :) The plant itself is freakishly tall, though...taller than me. Hm. Ah well. We enjoyed our expensive little tomato.)

• Local Man’s Hard Work Pays Off When He’s Dubbed “Deputy Champion”
(He he he. Honestly. It's a real title. Brian was appointed "Deputy Champion" over some committee at work. We're not sure what it means to be honest, but I have a new pet name for him! And as embarrassing and cheesy as the title is, I'm pretty darn proud of him.)

• Study Shows Hours upon Hours of Star Wars is Survivable

• Man Escapes Starving and Boredom Thanks to the Kindness of Friends
(A big thanks to the Jacksons and Manns who had Brian over for dinner and fun!)

• Air & Space Museum #2 Receives Rave Reviews

• Man Traumatized After Meeting the ‘New Girl’ at the Hair Cuttery

• Correlation Between Charity & Loneliness? Splits with the Missionaries, Babysitting for Enrichment, and Helping People Move Have Never Looked So Good!
(In all fairness, Bri's always a giving guy. One of the things I love most about him. But WOW was he crazy good while I was gone! :))

• The Local Dish: Food at the National Museum of the American Indian, ‘Good, but Pricey’
(In Brian's words: "I mean, if I pay that kind of money for food, I don't want to be in a cafeteria like setting, ya know? And then having two older ladies sit down next to you, right next to you, and having them chat and chat, and ask lots of questions, and trying to eat, but they want to chat..." Hm. :) Well, at least I know my husband doesn't go for older women. :))

TOP 10 HEADLINES FROM WEST JORDAN, UT, July 10-Aug 3:

• Travel: A Visit to Londyn Provides Photo Ops Galore

• DC Woman Gets Extra Holiday
(Who doesn't love fireworks twice a year? And another excuse for a fun family BBQ. Utah does it right with the whole 24th of July thing, I tell you what!)

• Pedicure Sales Surge Unexpectedly-Economists Praise Expected Babies

• Woman Tours England in 7 Days in a Motor Home

• Rousing Game of Tennis Sparks New Hobby
(Thanks Kristy! It was a blast, and now Brian and I have bought rackets and play all the time. What can I say...you're a trend setter!)

• Crazies Take Over Local Restaurants for Hours: Rumored to be Loud, and Looking for Steak & Pie

(These girls were all in the ward I grew up in, and have been lifelong friends. What a blessing!)

• Water Skiing at 27 Could be Hazardous to Your Health
(Bear Lake was a BLAST! But seriously... what happened since last time I waterskiied?! My back suddenly decided it was old, that's what!!)

• Woman Wins Big at Casino

(Nobody panic. I'm not a total heathen. Yet. :) It's just a fun 2 person card game my dad taught me. We played for hours. And I won...one of the times. :) Now Brian is equally addicted. We love it. Thanks Dad!)

• Something New Débuts in Utah
(Brochures-check. Advertising-check. Exciting-check. :))

• Gluten Gurus Showcase their Expertise
(Seriously...had to give a shout out to my parents, who not only put up with a gluten-free diet for 3 weeks, but who went above and beyond the call of duty educating themselves and taking care of me. They scoured cupboards, and pots and utensils before I came, and I think they're stocked up with gluten-free ingredients and snacks to last a lifetime. They are even better than me at times about cross contamination... I had to laugh the first time my mom yelled, "NNNNNNNNOooooooooo...don't put that knife back in the peanut butttttttttttttttter!!!!!!!" Thanks guys. You're the best, and I love you!)

I See Londyn...

2009-08-04T14:20:00.006-04:00

Dear Londyn,

Thank you so much for deciding to show your cute little self the day before I left Utah. I loved getting to see you, and snuggle with you, and talk all kinds of cutesy baby talk at you! And me and Brian are so so excited to have a new niece. Especially one that's so darn gorgeous, and has the sweetest little cry ever. I know I said I was going to try to fit you in my suitcase, but...well...the pizza kit took up a lot of room, and I think Mommy would've strangled me. So I guess I have to settle for seeing you in a few months at Thanksgiving. Be nice to Mommy and Daddy until then, and remember your Auntie Amber and Uncle Bri love you way too much!

Details:

Londyn Alysse Brown (not sure I spelled Alysse right...aren't I horrible? It's said a-lease...)

*7 lbs

*20" long

*Perfectly healthy in every way

*Lots of dark brown hair

*Decided to show her spunk by being delivered in a position the doctor had never seen in his 28 years--lips first, upside down. They almost performed a C-section, but decided to let Carly give it a try. Success! (Causing all the nurses on the floor to applaud her as she was wheeled by on the way to her room. You go Car!!). Poor little Londyn was pretty beat up that first day. I've never seen a baby so black and blue... and with a blistered oh-so-puffy eye... and her lips were hilariously HUGE. I'm not posting pictures of it, because it seriously looked so painful it made me sad. But by the next day...whala...the pictures above (actually, the last 2 pictures are from later on the first day...you can still kinda see the lips and bruising, although they'd gone down a ton). Amazing how fast babies heal.

*Cutest little muffled cry you've ever heard

*Perfect little miniature of her mommy when she was a baby

*Oh-so-loved by everyone who sees her! :)

Pretty Pedis

2009-08-04T14:16:00.002-04:00

My awesome mom decided to extend our pedicure wedding tradition to include "a baby is coming" as well. So me, mom and all the sisters went for a bit of pampering. The nail people got a huge kick out of trying to put Carly into labor with a foot massage, and doing a different flower on each person's toes. We were quite pleased with the oh-so-bright results. Now the question is, which foot is mine? :)

Bear Lake

2009-07-26T22:28:00.003-04:00

Goodness...I feel so out of the loop! I haven't had a chance to read any of your blogs lately, and I miss not knowing what's going on in your lives. But don't you worry...when I return, there will be a marathon!

I'm in Utah at the moment, enjoying some time with my family and waiting around for my first niece on this side, little Londyn, to be born. Carly is due the 28th, and I'm hoping and hoping and hoping she's on time! It would be awful to miss the big event!! But I'm sure she'll come...and I'm excited! What a blessing to be here. I've hated missing out on all the showers and baby prep, but getting to see her cute little self in person just might make up for it.

I've actually been here for two weeks, and while I miss my husband terribly (Bri Bri, where are you?), I've been having a really good time. I came out early so I could go to the annual family reunion/trip to Bear Lake. Every year since I was about 13 all the aunts, uncles, cousins and cousins' kids on my dad's side have gotten together for a week of camping, boating, water skiing, sand castle building, jet skiing, eating WAY too much of my mom's gourmet "camp" food, and card playing at Bear Lake. So fun. I'm not a huge sun and water person, but I love being there relaxing with the family, playing games and enjoying all the cute little cousins (who had all grown up so much! I swear...miss one year of Bear Lake and one Christmas party, and they all suddenly look like little adults!!!). This year was a ton of fun--I got in a bit of water skiing (which made me realize I'm older than I used to be...), and in our late night scum games with all the cousins, I managed to maintain the position of "Queen" for quite some time (just the way I like it...just ask Bri...he he he....) Anyway, it was a lot of fun, and I'm bummed I didn't have my camera. Duh Amber, just duh.

Don't you worry, though...you'll be seeing plenty of pictures of Londyn!!!!!!!!!!!! Hopefully soon! (Come on Carly...what are you waiting for? :) he he he he he)

Something New: Custom Wedding Sign-in Books

2009-07-07T16:08:00.004-04:00

What's the point in having a blog if you can't shamelessly advertise yourself once in awhile, right? :)

So, I've started a little business and thought I'd shout it from the roof tops. After all, word of mouth is very important, and I figure that if all 3 of you who read this blog maybe say something to someone you know...that's potentially 6 people who know about my endeavor, and 6 is better than none! :)

After designing my own custom wedding sign-in book, and then designing my sister's, I had a few people comment that I should start a business, and I thought, "I DO love doing it..." The next week I found myself walking out of the court building with a business registration, and then out of city hall with a business license, giggling to myself like a school girl (funny how "grown up" moments always seem to prove how not grown-up I really am! :)).

Anyway, if you're interested or know someone who might be, feel free to take a peek! I'd love to meet the bridezilla in your life! :) (It IS all about the bride after all! Although, speaking of bridezilla, I must admit...it's kinda a scary industry if I think about it too long. What if I come across that girl who's completely insane, and rips my head off for using powder puff pink instead of powder poof pink? Or who thinks I'm trying to steal her fiance because I used a picture of him in their sign-in book? Or who beats me over the head with one of my custom sign-in books simply because she's in the midst of a "I can't find a tux small enough for my poodle Fifi to wear in the line" melt down, and I'm the closest one around? He he he. Ok...I'm sure you guys don't know any people like that...right? :) And even if you do...the bride is always right. Gulp.)

http://www.snweddingbooks.blogspot.com/

Sesame Street & Barry Manilow & Aretha, Oh My!

2009-07-06T16:00:00.005-04:00

Wanna know what we did for the 4th of July? Do ya? Do ya? Ok...so, you're probably not that curious, but you get to find out anyway cuz we're pretty excited about it! :) The little video clip below will fill you in on how we celebrated the holiday in the nation's capital:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zmrzo5yPX6E&feature=fvst

Yes, we decided to brave the crowds (hundreds of thousands if you believe Mr. Jimmy Smits), and stake out a seat on the lawn of the Capitol Building for the big concert and fireworks display that's broadcast nationwide every year. We figured being in DC for the 4th of July was a once in a lifetime thing and by golly, we were going to take advantage of it. So glad we did. The highlight for Brian was seeing Barry Manilow sing Copacabana, and Aretha Franklin sing Respect (pretty awesome I must admit!). As for me, I got quite the kick out of the gang from Sesame Street singing with Natasha Bedingfield. :) Then there was a video message from President Obama wishing Sesame Street a happy 40th birthday...I can't lie; at that point the whole thing started feeling like a strange dream... :)

Then, there were the fireworks, lighting up the Washington Monument:

The night just kept getting better and better. When it was all over, we fully expected it to take a good few hours for us to get home. We packed up, and joined the mass of people heading for the metro stop. When we reached the escalators that take you underground, our fears were confirmed. There was a line just to get to the escalator that takes you to the train. Somehow, though, Brian led us in another way, and soon we were fighting the crowds through the turnstiles. When we reached the platform, a train headed our direction was just pulling up, and we jumped on. This was turning out awesome! After getting back to our car, Brian made the wise decision to use the carpool lane to get us home, and we whizzed by all the backed up traffic, arriving home 40 minutes or so after the concert ended!! What in the world?! The night was meant to be. That's all I'm sayin! :)

Happy 4th of July everyone! Hope yours went off with a bang! :)

Halee & Trever's Big Day-June 22

2009-06-29T15:06:00.004-04:00

Brian and I were in Utah last week for my sister Halee's wedding, and we had a ton of fun. We headed out Friday, and the wedding was Monday, so it was great to be able to run around doing last minute wedding stuff with the happy bride in the days before the wedding. And it was fun to be able to be part of the Gotberg family tradition the Saturday before the wedding: all of the girls (Mom, Me, Ha, Car and Meg) go get pedicures. We take up all the seats in the salon, and without fail, my dad shows up midway through with a camera. :) Unfortunately, I don't have those photos, but trust me...it's fun and funny and crazy and memorable and everything in between.

ANYWAY, the wedding went well, family and friends came out in droves (we loved seeing you guys!), the bride looked gorgeous and happy, and I managed to keep my bridesmaid dress free of chocolate until the last 30 minutes...so all in all, it was a success! :) Here's some pictures of the big day, compliments of Brian. (Yes...not only did he manage to run around the reception center with me checking on the food, and the gifts, and the guests...but somehow, he also managed to think to take pictures. I came away from this weekend reminded yet again that I have an amazing husband. :))

A big CONGRATULATIONS to Halee and Trever! Thanks for letting us be part of your special day! We love you guys!

What we've been up to...

2009-06-16T16:01:00.007-04:00

I realized yesterday that I haven't really had a post saying what we've been doing with ourselves for awhile. And that made me stop and think, "Huh...what HAVE we been up to lately?" And that's when I remembered the library book sale we accidentally found a week or so ago. Fill a bag of books for $3. Needless to say, reading has been the relaxing activity of choice around here for the past little bit. :)

I guess there was the "Salon Night from Down Under" too. I wanted to get my hair done for Halee's wedding this weekend. She usually highlights and cuts me, but I didn't want the bride to have to worry about it the day before her wedding. So, I called around and was aghast...yes...aghast (I hope that word works here) at the prices. So, I decided I'd highlight it with an at-home kit, and then just go get it cut. Let's just say, the results were not good. I think Halee summed it up best when I called her panicking an hour after.

"Orange? Like a tiger?"

Yes. Orange like a tiger. Luckily, she's a genius, and told me how to mix up and apply a toner. Now I look fairly normal. But I WILL be waiting for her to cut my hair when I'm in town this weekend. And I'll never be doing a hair-at-home night again. To top off my spa night, I decided to do a facial too, with a new "Smooth Away" system. You rub a little pad all over your face and, whala...no hair. So...can I just say ingrown hairs galore, and leave it at that? I'm going to show up at the wedding looking like a teenager, zit-faced tiger. Sigh. :) At least the epsom salt foot soak went well (it's supposed to help with my magnesium levels with the whole Celiac thing)... so I guess the pampering night wasn't a complete disaster.

Hovering Round the Grand Canyon

2009-06-10T16:14:00.002-04:00

http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&VideoID=42410662

Ok...so, random...but have any of you out there seen the motorized wheelchair commercial with that "Tom Kruse" guy that says, "Where will you go next with your new chair?" and then shows two elderly people in their electric wheelchairs right on the edge (I mean, right on the edge) of the Grand Canyon?

Does this make anyone else crack up every time they see it, or is it just me? :) Seriously. I hold it together for most of the rest of the commercial, but when the Grand Canyon flashes up, and I start imagining the elderly ladies power-chairing right up to the edge of the cliff...I lose it. That's all.

Ode to Costco

2009-06-04T16:42:00.003-04:00

Concrete and dark, yes, but beautiful too,

Without you, without you...what would we do?

There's many, oh so many things, we've learned at your feet,

I.E: buying T.P only once in the first year of marriage is sweet.

Without you we'd never have known about Bri's stacking skills,

And our wallets would have far, far fewer bills.

Alas, without you we would have set a very low bar,

for exactly how high our linen closet shelves are.

Yes thanks to you Costco, our backsides are well pleased,

And we've also experienced the joy of the world's most scrumptious cheese.

Our Growing Garden

2009-06-01T10:32:00.004-04:00

Impatience (that glitter when the sun hits them), Marigolds (I'm not a fan usually, but these ones were so bright and happy!), some cool fuzzy things with neon tips (ha ha ha...yeah...I'm a pro-gardener, can't ya tell?), a Yellow Sweet Pepper (yum, yum, yuuuuuuuum), and our pride and joy: an Azalea shrub. I highly recommend over-buying dirt if you decide to plant a tomato plant...the leftovers are such a great excuse to go crazy! :)

A Big Day for Tink

2009-06-01T10:21:00.003-04:00

Tink's Utah registration expired yesterday, so she got a little wardrobe change. She's officially a woodland fairy now. I'm not quite sure how she feels about it, so we tried to be gentle... :)

Last Day of Tutoring

2009-05-28T18:08:00.000-04:00

National Zoo

2009-05-28T17:54:00.006-04:00

I got to spend yesterday morning at the National Zoo with my visiting teacher and her cute girls. (Much better than this morning, when I spent all morning at the DMV :)). I've been to the zoo a few times, but it was extra fun to be with a three year old who was sooooooooo excited about everything (I think she liked the statues and interactive displays even more than the animals :)). Cute little Megan.

I also got some killer looks at the Giant Pandas. The cool weather had all the animals out and about.

These little guys might be my favorite, though. Alpacas. I'm just sayin, if I had to be an animal...:)

Our Little English Garden

2009-05-28T16:48:00.008-04:00

Ok...so it's not English...at all...except for the fact that we speak English--does that count? :) But it just sounded so quaint, I couldn't resist. In any case, it is a garden...kinda. Ok, so it isn't much, but it's ours! :) Peas, and tomatoes, and "johnny pop ups". :) I must admit, we are pretty proud of our peas.

Our balcony doesn't get much sun, so please keep your fingers crossed that we get veggies! Yum yum.

Time flies when you're having fun...

2009-05-26T15:56:00.007-04:00

My parents and Meg came for a visit this last week, and boy did it FLY by. I loved every minute of their stay, but hated how crazy fast the week went!

Mt. Vernon was a blast as usual.

This next picture is perhaps my favorite of the trip. I've dubbed it "My family the Westerners". If you look closely, you can see the squirrel that my dad and Meg were stalking. Yep...squirrels cause quite the commotion when you're not used to seeing them all the time! :) This game went on for a good 5 minutes on the lawn of Mt. Vernon, causing other tourists to stare and laugh. (You can imagine...two adults sneaking on tiptoe across the lawn after a squirrel, cameras ready...and another adult standing off to the side taking pictures of them. People thought we were all nuts :)) I had the time of my life looking on--I love my family!

The museums were fun, as always, and we had a great time shaking things up a bit and seeing the monuments at night. They look awesome all lit up.

Ford's theatre and the house where Lincoln died were highlights. It was incredible to hear the whole story as we sat in the very room where the assassination happened.

Old Town is always a blast.

And Arlington Cemetery was extra cool this time around. There was a funeral going on, and we got to see (and hear) a 21 cannon shot salute. Very thought-provoking.

The Library of Congress was gorgeous! I'd never seen it before, and couldn't get enough. It was one of Meg's favorite parts.

And then, there was the highlight of the site seeing. Saturday morning we all got to go in the White House! A friend of ours squeezed us in at the last minute, and boy was it cool! We weren't allowed to take in cameras, but seeing the rooms and the historic furniture, and just...well...it was surreal. So glad I got to experience it, and so glad I got to experience it with all of my favorite people (minus Halee and Carly of course...sorry girls...we missed you!).

Anyway, couldn't have asked for a better visit. The Gotbergs brought amazing weather with them (Seriously...it had rained almost every day in May until they came. Then they showed up, and poof: clear, beautiful and sunny, 70's, and no mugginess the whole time. Good thing...you think my family isn't used to squirrels--you should see them in humidity.) They spoiled us rotten, too, with meals and groceries and all sorts of things (seriously, our pantry is exploding). But best of all, they were just here...seeing our life, playing Yahtzee, and making lots of fun memories. My family rocks. That's all there is to it!

Here's some more of my favorite photos!