Keeping Up With The Joneses...

help

2011-03-06T20:02:00.000-08:00

Ok, obviously I am having a little trouble making the picture fit that I am using as my background on top. Anyone know how to fix that?
Thanks!

Highlights

2011-03-06T19:58:00.000-08:00

All right, it has been a while. But in my defense, my camera broke on Christmas Eve, so of course I turned to my phone as a backup, but then, thanks to Verizon, I lost all the pictures on my phone! Grrrr. So I got a new camera, like a responsible mom and now I can catch up on the last...five months or so.

Christmas was great! I went to my mom's in Colorado and stayed three weeks, just because I could. It was the first time (and possibly the last) that I didn't have work and/or school to get back to.

Now it's March and Teague is 5.5 months old. He is such a little sweetie. Not much of a sleeper, but he has a happy, mellow personality to make up for it.

Brecken is completely potty-trained and I could not be more proud! He's enjoying preschool & doing great.

Also, side note: I have decided to make my blog private, so if you're interested in my (very) occasional post, send me your email address and I'll add you to the list.

Baby Teague Finally Arrives!

2010-09-30T18:03:00.000-07:00

A mere EIGHT days late, Teague finally decided to make his entrance into this world on Sunday, Sept. 19th. My water sort of broke around 8:00 am on Sunday morning, but no contractions...what? So after a couple hours, we went to the hospital where we spent another few hours hanging out. Literally: I walked laps around the hospital, took a little nap, had some visitors...nothing was happening. It was very strange because it was so unlike my labor w/ Brecken. At 4:00 my midwife decided to check me out and she consequently fully broke my water (did you know there are 2 layers to the amniotic sac?). That definitely got the ball rolling. The contractions were legit, but manageable for the first hour and a half and then we got really serious. When he was ready, he was definitely ready. When I thought I couldn't take it anymore, I asked for an epidural, but by then his head was coming out and it was, indeed, time to push. Teague was born at 7:04. So to recap, that was 8 hours of nothing really, and 3 hours of labor/pushing. I have to say, the recovery was SO much easier without an epidural and I felt a lot better quickly after his birth.

Here's our little angel. He looks a lot like Brecken, not so much like Tim or I. Stats: Teague Garten Jones weighed in at 8 lbs, 3 oz and 20 inches long. The midwife commented on his rather long hands & feet and suggested that the reason he was so comfortable inside was his super thick umbilical cord. Why rush out when he was so well-nourished?

Two days in the hospital due to Group B Strep, but we had excellent nurses (Miryam!). A week and a half later, Teague has already surpassed his birth weight. What a champ!

2 Weeks to Go

2010-08-31T21:12:00.000-07:00

Tim & I finished off the month of July by going to see Weezer at the Mid-State Fair. They were fantastic, as always.

Which brings us current to today. I have (roughly) 2 weeks to go until this little man makes his appearance. I am seriously huge, but carry it all in my stomach, which makes it so that (as my mother-in-law pointed out) my stomach actually precedes me into a room. It's like it is its own entity. I'm surprised there aren't moons circling it or something. But as uncomfortable as it is, I am in no rush to get him out. I'm glad to have a couple weeks to get myself and my house ready, plus really focus on Brecken. So my next post will probably be in a couple months and be all about the new baby. Yeah!!

Vegas, Baby!

2010-08-31T21:05:00.000-07:00

To celebrate my very pure and wholesome sister's 21st birthday, we decided to take a little girl's trip to Vegas, of course. Are we trying to corrupt the one genuinely good girl in our family? Apparently. But it was her choice, she'd been dreaming of it for years.

We had a great time, seeing the sights, working on our tans at the pool, going to some shows, and, most of all, being together. I would have to say that being 7 months pregnant in Vegas makes it a different and not altogether more pleasant experience....

Master Disaster, as they say

2010-08-31T20:53:00.000-07:00

In June, all my wildest dreams came true...sort of. I FINALLY graduated w/ my master's of science degree in Psychology. But, alas, it was an anticlimatic sort of event as I still had to finish out the summer quarter to be really done. On the plus side, I learned that a graduation gown is pretty much the only article of clothing that can camoflouge me being 6 months pregnant. I might also point out the yellow Honor cords I am sporting...

I also have to add that I was very unimpressed w/ how Cal Poly ran their graduation ceremony (that is, the smaller, program specific one). Tim & Brecken ended up missing the whole thing! Which, by the way, I am still mad about. Luckily, as I post this now (at the end of August), I am officially finished w/ grad school and so it is much easier to say that, in retrospect, all the time, energy and sacrifice was worth it.

Probably the best part of my graduation was that my mom and youngest sisters came. It was so fun to have them and so nice of them to make the trip all the way out here. I think they had an awesome vacation as they traveled up the coast and Brecken, Tim & I really enjoyed them.

I feel I have a lot of people to thank for helping me make it through these last couple years, which were so much harder than I ever would have imagined: Tim, of course, for being endlessley patient with me; Brecken, for being a resilient child; Julie, for helping me raise Brecken and being my go-to babysitter; Amy, for donating her summers to Brecken & I; and all my other babysitters (Sara, Melissa, Heather, Vanessa, etc.). Thank you so much!

Trip to Colorado

2010-07-05T22:17:00.000-07:00

May was an emotional month: I lost the diamond out of my wedding ring, Brecken turned 3, and my sister graduated from high school. But saddest of all was that my Grandma passed away. This necessitated a trip to Colorado, which turned into a week-long affair in an attempt to make both the funeral and the graduation. I was thrilled that Tim was able to take time off work and come with us and even more excited that I got to see all my family at once (which hasn't happened in forever) and spend a week with them, even though it was for a sad reason.
Here's Brecken loving every second of the plane ride.

We managed to have quite a bit of fun on our trip and see some old friends. We visited the Denver Zoo w/ our good friends from college, Meg & Dan and their two children. We also got to eat at Cafe Rio (woo-hoo) and meet Lindsey & Robert for dinner.

And, of course, the happy part of our visit (and the LONGEST graduation ceremony I have ever seen in my life): Congratulations, Bre!

Seriously, the ceremony was over two hours, complete with fireworks and almost a full hour of musical numbers. Might I add that there were only 100 graduates in the class?

Brecken Turns 3!

2010-07-05T22:04:00.000-07:00

Much to my chagrin, Brecken experienced the joys of Chuck E. Cheese at a young age (thank you, Gilen) and LOVED it. Thus, we decided to celebrate his 3rd birthday at said germy location. He had a great time, but I learned something: who gets stuck eating the gross, over-priced pizza? Not the party-going children who are having too much fun to sit down and eat, but their bored/stressed-out parents.

Overall, he had a blissful experience. And I guess it was worth it because he still talks about his birthday party at Chuck E Cheese, even now, two months later.

It's a...

2010-04-23T10:21:00.000-07:00

BOY!!!!!!!
I cannot believe that I am having another boy. I totally convinced myself that this was a girl. But the good news is, I already have an entire boy wardrobe and Brecken can have a roommate. Plus, Brecken is going to love having a little brother. So, I'm sure it will be perfect.

In other news, here is something super cute Brecken said to me yesterday, "Mommy, you tend [pretend] to be a good tomato and I'll tend to be a bad tomato."

Catch Up (again)

2010-03-28T22:26:00.000-07:00

Sorry it's been so long, I really am still alive (barely, it feels like). So let's see what we've missed in the last couple months.

This picture is for my mom: Brecken in his cute church outfit.

So in January, we woke up one morning and our bedroom was flooded! Bummer! Luckily, we're pretty experienced w/ floods, so we could take care of most of it ourselves. The worst part was having to live in the living room for 2 weeks.

In February, we had the pleasure of a visit from our good friends from Wyoming. Lindsey (one of my best friends from college), her husband Robert and their adorable daughter Emma stopped by on their road trip/vacation. It was so fun to see them!

Last weekend was our annual Primary Easter Egg Hunt and my in-laws were kind enough to volunteer their house for our entire ward to enjoy their beautiful yard. We even had real live adorable rabbits and professional photos. Plus a total of 425 eggs. It was great!

Thanks to my wonderful counselors: Kate, Kelsey & Lora who helped make it all possible!

Brecken does not just look serious in this picutre. His mouth is completely stuffed w/ candy! I guess if one piece is good, 10 at a time is better.

On your mark, Get set, Go!

Good News!

2010-03-28T19:32:00.000-07:00

And the most exciting news...I'm pregnant! This was taken today and I'll be 16 weeks on Tuesday, so almost four months now. I've stopped throwing up, which is awesome because I never stopped when I was pregnant w/ Brecken. And the first couple months of this one were pretty rough; but I've got good medication (thank heavens for Zofran) and I know how much worse it could be, so I'm trying to be grateful for how good I do feel. And I'm gaining weight like it's going out of style: my scale says I've only gained 6 lbs so far, but as you can see, it's all in one place (and I'm not sure my scale is telling the truth).

Snow Trip

2009-12-25T20:45:00.000-08:00

So in order to make up for the fact that I didn't get to go see my family this Christmas, we headed to the snow to give me a little taste of home. We took Brecken and Tim's mom, Julie, up to Sierra Summit for a day of skiing & snowboarding. It was Brecken's 1st time, of course, and let's just say he took a while to "warm up" to the whole thing.

If you turn your sound on, you can hear Brecken screaming all the way down the bunny hill while I run alongside saying, "Isn't this fun??"

Overall, it was a great trip. It was fun to get back out on the slopes, it makes me feel young & cool again...that is until I slid 100 ft down a sheer ice face of the mountain. It was pretty scary because I could not stop, no matter how hard I tried to dig in my edge and it was pretty steep. At one point as I slid down, I couldn't see anything except a little edge that I was headed for. I didn't break anything, but I'm a little sore.

Secret Santas

2009-12-25T20:41:00.000-08:00

We just want to say a heartfelt "Thank You" to our Secret Santas (I hope you're reading this)!

We loved having Secret Santas, awaiting your knock every night and hopefully giving you enough time before we opened the door. I loved that each night's gift was related to a scripture about the "real" Christmas story and the way you gave us a tree the 1st night and adorable little ornaments each night after that was so creative. Thank you so much for making our Christmas so wonderful!

Santa

2009-12-25T20:37:00.000-08:00

Brecken had a great time at our ward Christmas party and he was so excited about Santa that he sat on his lap twice!

Fall is in the Air

2009-10-18T20:51:00.000-07:00

Tim & I both had Monday off, which was awesome, so we took Brecken to Avila Barn with some good friends. We went on a hayride, picked pumpkins, fed the animals, went through the hay maze, and ate tasty treats.

Family photo op.

Here's Brecken picking just the right one.

Got a little tired after all the hoopla.

PG-13

2009-10-18T19:22:00.000-07:00

So, this picture is a little gross, but I had to show off this crazy bruise I got from my gallbladder surgery a couple weeks ago. I was excited to get it out b/c my gallbladder has been making me sick for a year now, but the timing was not ideal because I had the surgery on Friday and then classes started on Tuesday and Wednesday I started my traineeship (I now have 2 part-time jobs, full-time school, and, of course, a 2 yr old). Anyway, the first 2 weeks were pretty rough. I was super tired and definitely sore, but I am all healed now and feeling great. Not only that, I can eat fat with wild abandon (well, not really, actually, but at least I won't spend a weekend puking my guts out if I have some olive oil).

P.S. They had to pump my stomach full of gas, hence the swollen look. I do do the occasional sit-up.

Party Like it's 1999

2009-09-20T20:32:00.000-07:00

Due to a temporary setback, I currently have no photos, but I've been excited to tell about our concert last weekend. Tim & I went with Chris & Emily up to Sacramento, where we stayed with our friends Cliff & Kim. Trevor & Kiwi also went up. We got to go to the temple on Saturday morning (it had been so long!) and even though we almost didn't make it, they squeezed us in at the last minute. The temple was followed by a delicious lunch at Olive Garden where Elizabeth met us. Shopping at the nearby outlets ensued and then it was time to head WAY out to the amphitheater to see Weezer & Blink 182 in concert!
We were surrounded by drunken 16-22 year olds in the middle of nowhere, but the music was fantastic. I consider myself a bigger Blink fan, but I have to admit that Weezer put on a better show. They were awesome! I really did feel like I was in high school again (except that I didn't buy a band T-shirt and I wasn't trying to impress anyone). We stumbled in sometime after midnight with our ears still ringing...just like the old days.
We hit IKEA on our way home, so all in all, it was the best possible weekend.

Time Out

2009-09-13T20:39:00.000-07:00

No picture for this little doozy, but Brecken gave both Tim and I a time-out today! He made me sit in his room with the door closed and he put a sticker over my mouth so I couldn't talk. It was hilarious (though he was very serious about it).

P.S. For those of you about to call my work on me, I swear I have never taped his mouth shut in any way. He doesn't even get time-outs in his room.

Road Trip

2009-08-30T21:48:00.001-07:00

Ok, so I'm really playing a little catch-up here: My wonderful sister, Amy, stayed with us for a couple months this summer as my own personal nanny. She was fantastic and it was so fun to have her here. I definitely miss her!

So our big vacation this year was a super long road trip. Just Tim, Brecken, and my sister Alyssa and I. Alyssa replaced my other sister, Amy, as my nanny. She was great fun to have around and reminded me of what it's like to be 13. I also miss Alyssa's sweet little face. But I digresse. So we drove to Las Vegas on our first day. Here's a picture of the van, which we were lucky enough to be able to borrow (pretty sure my Civic wouldn't make the trip). In this particular photo, it was broken down, awaiting a tow truck next to Circus Circus. It was a big bummer that we missed our scheduled lunch at Cafe Rio w/ Chris & Emily, who were also vacationing in Vegas at the time.

We stayed at the Luxor in Las Vegas and had a great time swimming (it was stinkin' hot) and went with Chris & Emily to see a show (Mystere), which made me want to take gymnastics.

After Vegas, we went to Utah, where we checked on our house and saw Tim's Aunt Cary & Uncle Steve, whom we love staying with, and we also saw my old friend from college, Adrienne, which was great.

From Utah, we headed on up to my hometown of Afton, WY for my 10 year high school reunion. I can't believe it's been 10 years! I still feel like I'm in high school half the time. My mom met us up there and we had a great weekend. I showed Tim all the sights and saw lots of old friends. It was like a real trip down memory lane (complete with a hometown parade involving rodeo princesses and 5 yr olds driving four wheelers). It was so great to visit my old ward, the house I grew up in, and my dad's grave, but the best part was definitely having my mom come up and spend time w/ Brecken!

The high school reunion activites kicked off w/ a 5K run, which Tim & I did. It was really fun to run w/ some old high school friends through a gorgeous canyon. However, it was only 47 degrees at the start of the race!

I really think Star Valley is one of the most beautiful places on earth and here is a little sample of why. It was so great to go back "home" and it was also good to realize that I've moved on in my life (in some ways).

We stopped through Boise on our way home and spent a couple days with Tim's Aunt Joni & Uncle Gene, his cousin Shannon & her family. We did more swimming and ate great food. Brecken was an unbelievable stud of a traveler, I was super impressed w/ how well he did. We ended up going 2200 miles in 8 days. Whew! We only had a few emotional break-downs (and let's just say they weren't all Brecken), so that's pretty good.

Tri for Fun!?!

2009-06-21T21:20:00.001-07:00

Two weekends ago, Tim & I went up to Sacramento to do a triathlon with my good friend, Elizabeth, and her friend Danielle. It was called Tri for Fun, allegedly followed a week later by the "Tri for Real." However, I felt that the one we did was, indeed, as real as it gets.
It began with a half mile swim. That's right, a HALF MILE. Now, the problem is, I am not a swimmer and I almost died in the lake (yes, lake). Let me tell you about swimming in a lake: there is no bottom to touch when you breathe in too much water and no wall to rest on when you get tired. There is also the added bonus of swimming through seaweed, which, frankly, is a very unsettling experience. Tim, of course, did awesome on the swim and rather than waiting for me, went on ahead to swim with the elites and finish a half hour ahead of me. Luckily, Elizabeth and Danielle were much nicer and had a chance to dry off, change, eat a quick snack and work on their tans while I doggy-paddled through the lake.
The swim was followed by a 16 mile bike ride, which was quite nice. A little difficult at the end, but not bad. The event culminated with a 5K (3.1 mile) run, which took place on a nicely soft, sandy trail. I thought the run was great, but then that was my event. Overall, I would totally do it again and now I know what I would need to do to train better.
Elizabeth & I showing off our awesomeness.

Somewhere there's a magazine missing its centerfold. Thanks, Elizabeth & Danielle. I know you probably could have ended faster, so thanks for waiting for me!

San Francisco Girls

2009-06-21T21:10:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, my sister-in-law Emily, her sister Ashlynn, our good friend Heather, and my sister Amy (and myself) all went to San Francisco. Unfortunately, I did not take my camera, but if Emily ever emails me the pictures, I will post them.
We visited the Museum of Modern Art, went to the Wharf, did lots of shopping, ate tons of good food (not the least of which was at the Stinkin' Rose), went through Chinatown, experienced various forms of public transportation, and overall had a great time!

Catch Up

2009-05-10T22:12:00.001-07:00

I temporarily lost my camera cord during the move, so it's been a while, but here's the cliff notes version of the last couple months:

We celebrated Brecken's 2nd birthday. I can't believe he's 2! We had a nice party with lots of friends and cake. He is growing up into a little man right before my eyes.

My birthday happened to land on Easter this year and we had a great combo holiday. For my birthday, Tim and I went to Carmel - alone. I had never been and we had a great time driving down Highway 1.

At the beginning of April, we moved from our tiny, dark apartment into our new house (Chris & Emily's old house, as Brecken called it for the first month). We absolutely love it! It's a 3 bedroom, 2 bath and it feels so roomy. Not to mention the washer & dryer and fenced backyard. There's actually room for all our clothes in the closet. Plus, we have great neighbors! :)

Brecken's 1st Official Haircut

2009-03-08T13:35:00.000-07:00

BEFORE

Here is my beautiful baby's flowing golden locks before Friday morning. And...

AFTER

And here he is during the traumatic event. I told the nice lady, "I really love his hair long, he just needs a trim." (This was our first time having a professional cut instead of me fighting him w/ the scissors.) The nice lady whipped out her scissors of death and began snipping. "Oh, it's just not laying right. He has wings. I'm going to take a little more off." And voila! All of his curls are gone and I am very sad. He looks like a big boy, not a baby, and I miss his flowing golden locks.

On an unrelated note, for those who appreciated my chocolate chip flax-seed cookies Fri night, I actually use ground flax meal rather than the unground seed.

And on another note, Brecken has learned how to climb out of his crib. Which he does with startling regularity. I just keep putting him back in it until he falls asleep, which he always eventually does, but dang! That's a lot of work.

Romance is in the snow

2009-02-18T20:13:00.000-08:00

To celebrate our 5th anniversary (and Valentine's Day), we went snowboarding in Tahoe. We stayed in Sacramento w/ our good friends, the Zimmermanns, who so graciously watched Brecken during the day while we took advantage of the fresh powder. It was awesome! It did take us a couple hours to "warm up" our skills, but by the end, it was all good.
Unfortunately, Brecken got really sick with croup that night and we had to go home early, which really bummed me out. Nonetheless, it was a great way to celebrate.

Snow? No...

2009-02-18T10:08:00.001-08:00

So a couple days ago, I woke up and couldn't believe my eyes. Snow! In SLO! I was so excited, I bundled up Brecken and I myself and we ran outside in our pajamas. Only to find that it wasn't actually snow, but copious amounts of hail that had accumulated from a storm. I knew it was too good to be true. It also goes to show that I don't do my best thinking in the morning, since it probably hasn't snowed in San Luis since the 1940s or something.

The Big 5

2009-02-09T09:46:00.001-08:00

Tim & I just celebrated our five year anniversary on Saturday. On one hand, I can't believe it's already been five years. On the other hand, it's hard to imagine a time when he wasn't in my life. Tim is an amazingly patient, easy-going husband. And he is an awesome dad. Tim's not perfect, but he's perfect for me!

Happy 50th Birthday!

2009-01-27T21:26:00.001-08:00

Today is my mom's 50th Birthday! Happy 50th Birthday, Mom! In a crazy twist of fate, it is also my grandma's birthday (yes, my mom was born on her mom's birthday and it happened to be the same day as her great-grandma's birthday). Happy 80th birthday, Grandma Bishop! I really wish I could be there with you guys.

Christmas in Colorado

2009-01-11T21:20:00.001-08:00

Here's Brecken on Christmas morning on his adorable rocking horse from Grandma Garten. It makes horsey noises and moves its head up & down. He loved it!

This Christmas we went to visit the Garten family in Colorado! It was so fun and I was so happy to see my family! I had all these mental images of Brecken playing in the snow for the first time with wonder and awe, but alas...despite the fact that it was a mere 3 degrees when we landed in Denver, there was hardly any snow! I was bummed about that, but the rest of the trip was fantastic. I got to see all of my family, except my sister Amber & her husband, Nick. We really missed them.

My brother, Jordan.

My sister Anya and her husband Adam.

We had a great Christmas and it was fun to travel. Brecken was a great traveler, but not a big fan of Santa.

Cute Random Pictures

2008-12-20T21:19:00.000-08:00

Here's Brecken practicing for his modeling career. We wanted to showcase his cute church outfit.

Brecken trying out his rain boots in our recent inclement weather.

Family Pictures

2008-12-14T22:06:00.000-08:00

We had Kiwi take our family Christmas pictures and here are some of my favorites. Brecken is rather difficult to photograph, but they turned out super cute!

On an unrelated note, can I just say how excited I am? The longest week is over: finals are over, my big project at work is done, and I'm over the stupid stomach flu/cold. Yeah!!! I am really looking forward to taking it easy for the next couple weeks. And we're going to Colorado for Christmas to see my family. I can't wait. HAPPY HOLIDAYS, indeed!

California Fires

2008-11-16T17:01:00.000-08:00

Here is a picture of the brush fire that started on Friday morning. Our house is down this burning hill and across the street, so they evacuated us & turned off our water on Friday in the late morning. We weren't really in any danger, the fire wasn't super close, but the air was filled with smoke and you could actually see the flames of the fire as it spread down the hill. It was pretty crazy. Luckily, we were able to get back into our house by that evening.

Funny Story

2008-11-13T20:38:00.000-08:00

Ok, so I don't have any pictures for this story b/c Tim wouldn't let me take any. But here's the story: Tim was bent over on the ground picking up Brecken's dinner, which, as usual, was more on the floor than in his tummy. Meanwhile, Brecken grabbed the nearly empty milk jug out of the recycling bin, walked over to his daddy, and poured the last few drops of stale milk down Tim's plumber's crack.

Happy Birthday, Tim!

2008-11-10T19:47:00.000-08:00

On Monday, we celebrated Tim's birthday (actually, we celebrated it all weekend). Tim & I got really wild & crazy and went to a Death Cab for Cutie concert. It was a good concert and we haven't been to a concert in forever, so that made us feel cool. Unfortunately, we didn't feel quite as cool when we were both tired by 10:30 p.m.

Barack the Vote!

2008-11-04T20:05:00.000-08:00

Yeah!!! I am so excited about the election. Now, I realize that many of my dearest family & friends (including my own little Red husband) are Republicans and are probably feeling sad right now, so this is not meant to rub it in. I am just thrilled that for the first time in my relatively short voting life, the person that I voted for won! Yeah! And to all my fellow Obama supporters: WE DID IT!

Happy Halloween!

2008-11-01T10:42:00.001-07:00

Here's our cute little dragon posing for his Halloween picture. He's not really into modeling...

Grandpa Jones helped us take Brecken trick-or-treating. He was a little nervous and he kept wanting to go inside people's houses. He was uncertain as to why people looked so weird, but he liked picking out candy for his basket.

Here's my adorable little dragon helping "clean up" before the festivities. We went to Matt & Gilen's for pizza and then all the kids went out together. They all looked so cute! Brecken was stinking adorable.

We also had fun at the ward Trunk or Treat on Tues. Brecken was super tired, though, so he was very quiet the whole time. He even layed down on the gym floor during the Parade of Costumes, so we cut it short and went home.

Celebrating Fall

2008-10-13T23:01:00.000-07:00

Today to celebrate the "holiday" and the beautiful 85 degree weather, we went to Avila Barn (which has a petting zoo and lots of treats). Brecken loved the animals and Tim & I loved the fudge!

In other news, I have been "tagged" (thanks, Camie) and, thus, must post 7 previously unknown facts about myself, so here goes:

1. Brecken doesn't call me "mama," he very clearly (and loudly) calls me "Arya."
2. I have run 2 marathons: Kansas City, MO 2003 and Logan, UT 2004.
3. I am obsessed with my split ends. I can spend hours looking for split ends, literally.
4. I like creepy TV shows, such as Dexter and The Sopranos.
5. I have been married for 4 1/2 years.
6. Tim & I were married in the Denver, CO temple.
7. I have moved 11 times in my life, not including college (17 times if you count college).

Now, I get to pick 7 people to tag, who have to post 7 unknown facts about themselves. My choices are (drumroll, please): Elizabeth Z., Carolynn C., Amy V., Kiwi A., Vanessa S., Lindsey W., and Brooke J.

The Ride of the Century

2008-10-01T20:13:00.001-07:00

So, I don't know how anyone else spent their Saturday, but we...rode our bikes 100 miles! Yes, that's right. 100 MILES! On Sept. 27, Tim, his brother Matt, and his dad Ernie, and I all completed the Lighthouse Century. The course runs along the California coast, up Highway 1 past San Simeon & Hearst Castle up to Piedras Blancas past the lighthouse and back. It took us 9 very long hours and we were so tired & sore afterwards! But it was exhilirating and we had a good time.

I'll post some better pictures later...when I get around to it.

Sleepless in Seattle

2008-09-06T21:40:00.000-07:00

Tim and I took a little vacation to Seattle. I had never been there and we have family & friends we could visit. It was beautiful! I loved the greenery and the mountains right next to the water. It was so pretty.

We went hiking, went to Pike Place Market (where we saw them actually throw fish), rode a ferry, went to the top of the Columbia Tower (taller than the Space Needle--and cheaper), went to the Science Museum, went to an island, and had lots of good food. It was a perfect vacation...except that traveling threw off Brecken's schedule and he got back at us by giving up sleep altogether.

We saw our good friend from Laramie, Mike, his wife, Claudia, and their adorable baby, Michael (or "Mikito"). It was really fun to reconnect with them.

Here is my dear friend, Gwen Bushey. She is an excellent cook, hostess and hiker. We picked blackberries by hand at a local organic farm, which made me really appreciate the work that goes into getting fresh produce. It's kind of a dangerous process.
We also stayed with Tim's sister, Alyson, and her family, the Sweetnams. Thanks to Alyson's Korean roots, we got to eat authentic Korean food, shop at a Korean market, and watch Korean soaps (shockingly, even more cheesey than American ones). I found out I like "Milkis" (soda plus milk: 2 things I don't normally like that taste really good together). And Kacy, Michael & Bailey were so great w/ Brecken!
You will notice Brecken is looking very alert after snacking on the local berries. He's such a good boy, but a much more difficult traveler than he used to be. He screamed for about 30 mins. straight on the plane (which was delayed an hour and a half), much to the joy of our fellow passengers.

Beach Time

2008-08-04T21:51:00.000-07:00

Here's Brecken enjoying some beach time. This boy loves the beach. Mostly the sand. Nice shades.

The Last Goodbye

2008-08-04T21:27:00.000-07:00

I can't believe that summer has gone so fast...and that Amy is leaving.
She's been my nanny all summer and I honestly don't know what I'll do without her. As it turns out, good help is hard to come by. Almost as hard as quality childcare. She has seriously been a lifesaver. I am so sad to see her leave. Thanks a million for all your hard work, Amy!

Here we are hiking Bishop's Peak, Amy's favorite pasttime. :)

Garten Family Visit

2008-08-04T21:15:00.000-07:00

My mom and two youngest sisters came to visit us. I had a great time! They loved going to the beach, so we went almost every day. They were even brave enough to get in the water, which was impressive because I thought it was freezing. I was very sorry to see them leave.

Brecken's 1st Steps

2008-08-04T20:56:00.000-07:00

Anya's Wedding

2008-06-23T20:29:00.001-07:00

My little sister Anya (she's only 16 months younger) got married on May 24th to Adam. She looked gorgeous in her dress and we had fun going to Colorado and seeing my family.

And here we get a good view of my brother-in-law's artistic leanings as a backdrop to my beautiful sister's dress and my two youngest sisters.

HAPPY 1ST BIRTHDAY!!!!

2008-05-09T21:27:00.000-07:00

Brecken celebrated his 1st birthday on May 1st. His golden birthday was his first birthday, crazy. He is one year old now, which seems amazing. It's gone by so fast, but at the same time I can hardly remember a time without him in my life. What an amazing baby he is.

He had party cake, chocolate cake and mint ice cream. Shockingly, he likes chocolate!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

2008-04-14T14:02:00.001-07:00

On Saturday, I celebrated my 27th birthday! Oh my gosh, I can't believe it. I actually feel kind of old! Tim, of course, had to work, as he is in the final lap of tax season, so...we went out to dinner and on Sunday night we had a few friends over for cake & ice cream. It was really fun. I just can't believe I'm 27.

P.S. A word to the wise: do not marry a tax attorney if your birthday is April 12. It's not the best timing. Other than that, they make great husbands!

Trip to Orangevale

2008-04-14T13:56:00.000-07:00

In March, I went to visit one of my favorite people, Elizabeth (and of course, Tommy & Jason). We had a great time. Jason did not really know what to think of a wild man like Brecken. Brecken sort of terrorized Jason by taking his toys and talking loudly at inopportune times. But I'm sure in a couple years, Jason will appreciate my party boy, right?

Baby & Me Swim Lessons

2008-04-14T13:53:00.000-07:00

I decided to take a Baby & Me Swimming Lessons class with Brecken. It's about time to start working on his water skills if he's going to be a water polo player like his dad. He loved the water! And I had a great time, too.

Amy's Visit

2008-04-14T13:50:00.000-07:00

My sister Amy came to spend her spring break with us in San Luis. We had a great time because she is such an adorable sweetie. She was very patient about scheduling her sight-seeing around Brecken's naps. We loved having her and I am trying to convince her to come back.

Our New "House"

2008-04-14T13:48:00.000-07:00

So, we've finally spread our wings and left the nest...again. We moved into our own little apartment. It's definitely a step down from our beautiful house in Utah, but it works. And besides, brown shag carpet and popcorn ceilings aren't that bad.

It's a humbling experience. :)

Watching the Elephant Seals

2008-04-14T13:44:00.000-07:00

Brecken and I went for a little hike with some friends to see the elephant seals during their prime mating season. There were tons of them! Brecken liked the hike, but didn't care about the seals that much.

Brecken's First Trip to McClintock's

2008-03-09T22:03:00.000-07:00

Love those ribs!

2008-03-09T21:56:00.000-07:00

Brecken's Four Teeth

2008-03-09T21:37:00.000-07:00

Happy Anniversary!

2008-02-14T21:52:00.000-08:00

We just celebrated our anniversary on Feb. 7. We have been married for four years! Can you believe it? I feel like I've definitely grown up in the last four years. And we've had some crazy times (lots of moves, buying a house, having a baby, leaving our house, marathons, one bike century, many vacations)...but it's been great. And it's just beginning. Here's to eternity, Babe.

2008-02-14T21:48:00.000-08:00

Brecken's crawling like a champ and has four teeth now!