Sunday Best

Don't forget

2010-12-13T11:57:00.002-07:00

All of our happenings are found over at

sundayfam.blogspot.com

Don't forget to change your link!! See you there.

We're Moving

2010-08-10T22:40:00.004-06:00

Yep, we are moving again. But don't worry. It's just our blog that is moving this time. I am finally updating my email address to my married name and figured its about time to get a better (even if its somewhat uncreative) blog address for our family while I'm at it.

So here we go...all the SUNDAY BEST posts will now be found at

sundayfam.blogspot.com

We'll see you there!

Palisade Camping Trip

2010-08-10T21:43:00.004-06:00

So I'm not always the best at taking pictures when there are lots of fun things going on. However, I was able to get a few snapshots of our Sunday Family camping trip to Palisade State Park. Thanks everyone for making it a great time. I have you to blame for the 10 pounds I gained from all the delicious food we had. :)

Best Place on Earth

2010-07-31T18:26:00.008-06:00

We just got back from:

While we were there, we camped,

played horseshoes

ate WAY too much (the entire car behind us was filled with food)

went on the traditional Treasure Hunt

caught a squirrel using this

(don't worry, it wasn't harmed)

canoed

and hiked through the meadows

Those are just some of the reasons why its the best place on earth. I think that makes nearly 20 trips to good ol' Marsh Lake.

Best Pictures of the Weekend

2010-07-29T00:24:00.001-06:00

90th Birthday Party

2010-07-28T09:02:00.000-06:00

Let me introduce you to Max.

He is my soon-to-be 90 year old Grandpa. He is the only Grandpa I have ever known which means he holds quite a big place in my heart. I have so many fond memories with him.

On July 24th, we held an early birthday celebration in his hometown. It was a treat. And when I say treat, I'm not just talking about the delicious strawberry shortcake (his favorite!) we had.

It was a treat to celebrate his life through the pictures and decorations.

It was a treat to see all 5 of his children gathered together, along with many of his grandchildren. We missed all the other cousins who couldn't be there!

It was a treat to celebrate the day with him!!

Down on Grandpa's Farm

2010-07-26T22:29:00.007-06:00

Over the weekend I got to take Brandon to my Grandpa's farm in Aberdeen, Idaho. Man, how I love that place. I spent lots of time there as a kids. Memories of tractor rides, harvesting potatoes, riding horses, treasure hunting in the old house, playing hide and seek, working in the garden, being in the Aberdeen Days parade, and four wheeling are just a few of my favorite memories of his farm.

I remember talking to my friends as a child and thinking how much they were missing out if they didn't have a grandpa who lived on a farm. I loved all the time on the farm! Although the farm has changed quite a bit since then, I was able to capture a few of my favorite things so I can always remember Grandpa's farm.

I love this old truck!

the gas tank we would fill up the four-wheelers with

the famous tractor

the cute little house

the potato cellar where we would stash all the potatoes

I love this pillow and check out the print of the couch!

Max and Ilene

the big mirror that all the girls always use to get ready

the swing

the barn

beautiful serene sunset

Ok, you are probably sick of pictures and reminiscenses. So I'll be done. The end.

The Weekend Begins-Picnics and Poop

2010-07-25T12:03:00.008-06:00

Because we had the Friday off for Pioneer Day, we just had to do something fun. We decided to stop at Lava Hot Springs on our way up to Idaho. Justin, Katie, Emme, Sarah, Hollie and Michael all thought that was a pretty good idea too.

Picnic #1-our pre-swim lunch on the back of the car

swimming away

Justin and Brandon had to show off how mocho they are by jumping off the highest platform

the proof

and now, for the grossest part of the entire trip. I was sitting on a towel, basking in the sun. Justin and Brandon were goofing around like they always do when all of a sudden, I felt a sort of water balloon 'pop' on my leg. I was a bit confused because to my knowledge, I didn't think they had any water balloons. I looked down only to discover that a water balloon had not 'popped' on my leg but a seagull had just flown overhead. Enough said. (Warning...Graphic picture below)

I just about lost my lunch over that and had to clean it about 5 times. It was Dis-gus-ting.

After swimming, we cleaned up nicely to head to my cousin's wedding reception. We were starving as swimming makes you feel, so we had picnic #2-on a little grassy spot by the Blackfoot Wal-Mart. Gotta love it.

All of us at my cousin Jason and Heather's wedding reception.

a splash of blue

2010-07-20T23:15:00.003-06:00

We have been so busy lately that I really haven't had much time for projects. However, our room was needing a splash of color. Its still a work in progress, but this SPLASH OF BLUE has definitely brightened things up. I didn't want to spend any money on decorating, so this is what I came up with:

framed scrapbook paper

moved the blue end table in to use as my nightstand

made this blue accent pillow out of and old pillow I had and some fabric I got at a thrift store

viola!

things we've enjoyed lately

2010-07-20T22:51:00.005-06:00

long summer night walks
sandwiches on the porch
symphony at Abravanel Hall
trip planning
reading good books
dyeing hair
orange dream bars

summer get-togethers

2010-07-05T17:00:00.004-06:00

It seems like most of our time lately has been spent getting together with people for one occasion or another. Some of the snapshots...

{The family I nannied for was here. All the nannies got together to reminisce...}

{Me and Nicholas doing karate kicks. He is not little anymore!}

{And him playing his baby violin.}

{Phineas looks out of it in this picture, but I can't believe he is 4 now!}

{Brandon and I at the 4th of July Kaysville water parade. We wore our swimming suits because we knew we would end up being drenched!}

{Justin, Katie, Emmeline at the parade}

{Andrea and Dean are in town from Pennsylvania. we did a session in the Salt Lake temple and had a riot stuffing our faces at dinner and chatting the night away. Can't you live closer??}

Here we come...

2010-06-26T00:31:00.002-06:00

We've saved our pennies. We've hoped it would work out. And it did. In the fall, we'll be leaving on a jet plane to visit these places:

We are so excited to visit Brandon's mission, my Germany, and a few new places on the way!

Not that BIG of news

2010-06-23T19:42:00.004-06:00

Hello out there. I realized in my attempt to let Brandon tell you about HIS exciting news, it might have seemed like we had bigger news. I didn't want to steal his thunder and thought he should be the one tell you about the great new job he landed. I am so proud of him and how hard he works for us.

He also built us a cute little garden while I was in NYC and I can't wait to eat the tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers!

Lately we've been busy with lots of get-togethers. We had an early 4th of July BBQ a few weeks ago which was a lot of fun! I wish I had more pictures! I love taking pictures but sometimes forget to whip the camera out. Hopefully I'll get better. At least this night I got some of the Sunday clan.

me and Kate

the yummy food. I think this is my all-time favorite meal

Roasting our GIANT marshmallows over the grill

Kate and Sawyer

This summer is going way too fast. We can't believe its almost July!

Catch Up Post

2010-06-10T23:00:00.003-06:00

First, I have to say Happy Birthday to Em. Isn't she gorgeous? She was always the older, more perfect sister. She always had boys after her, got perfect grades, amazing runner, scholarships galore and even though I got jealous sometimes (or lots of times), I would not have chosen any one else to be my older sister. She always watched out for me and because we were the oldest girls, we got to experience a lot together...XC, DECA, college roommates, same crushes on boys, 2 marathons, same major at college which meant lots of classes our senior year (remember our impromptu answers in Bryson's class?), graduating together, visiting New York City for the first time ever (and not realizing how much that place would play significant pieces in our lives), and marrying awesome tree-climber husbands who bring out our best and spontaneous selves. You are the best!

Second (not that my husband is 2nd by any means) but I just have to say how happy Brandon makes me. When I got home from NYC, he had planned this grand scheme at the airport to be wearing a black tie, black suit, sunglasses with a sign to pick me up and flowers. He knows me all too well. Because my flight got in an hour early, he didn't quite have time to get it all together. He told me about it and I made him take a picture anyway.

For Memorial Day, he made me breakfast in bed, planned our first hike of the summer, and got all the stuff for Tin Foil dinners and a campout in our backyard.

I got to go to a girl's weekend with Brandon's mom and sisters. It was fun to hang out and stay up late and chat. We had Halle take this picture in the morning which explains a lot.

My little brother Marley graduated. We weren't able to attend the ceremony, but we threw a pretty cool party for him after. Sorry no pics.

Brandon and I felt like kids again as we got to go to my company's Lagoon day. It was awesome! My company rented out the entire park. Yeah, that means we could walk on any ride all day long. We loved the roller coasters and just hanging out. We have so much fun together.

Brandon also built a garden while I was gone, but I'll let him tell you about it and tell you some other exciting news....

The Finished Product

2010-06-06T20:12:00.003-06:00

So I didn't have a camera while Melissa was in New York so I didn't get a chance to post a pic of our finished entertainment center. Thought you all would like to see how it turned out.

Just a reminder of what we started with.

So New York

2010-05-30T00:51:00.006-06:00

{I am sitting here in the JFK airport waiting for my flight. I thought this would be the perfect time to finish up blogging about my trip since when I get home I will just want to spend time with Brandon. The trip ended so awesome! Kyle was home the last day so it was fun to hang out with him. I loved all the girl time I got to have with Em. She is such a classy and sophisticated girl...but oh so fun. Here goes...}

You know you're in New York City when:

*You visit the LDS temple and its right next to retail stores.

*You see penny cabs lined up in the park waiting for customers.

*There is section of Central Park devoted to chess lovers. (I'm so glad I learned how to play chess before I came. Em and I had a very fun game.)

*It's 12:30 am outside, but you would never guess it because of all the people out.

*The price for a 1/2 gallon of ice cream is $7.89. Good thing it was on "sale"

*You see lots of famous movie sites like carriages and The Plaza from Home Alone on your way to the store

*You find the best things at a Saturday Street Fair. Fried oreos? I didn't try them, but I was tempted.

*You see lots of street performers, including this young little boy.
*You get to eat Chinese food at Riverside park (as to avoid the raccoons at night in Central Park)
*You get to indulge in a sinful dessert at home because Max Brenner is just not worth the hype

Thanks Em for such a memorable time! New York City is awesome. Until my next visit...I'll remember all the "SO NEW YORK" moments...xoxo

I'm in Europe...I mean New York City

2010-05-27T21:54:00.007-06:00

So a lot of people asked me before I left what I was going to do during the day while Em was working. A few months ago when this opportunity came up, I was jobless. I figured that I could look for a job from my computer in NYC just as easily as I could in Utah. So I decided to come and knew that the girl time at night would make it all worth it.

Since I am no longer jobless, I have been able to get out and explore quite a bit. This may seem weird to go out alone, but what's a girl to do when there is so much to see here? Besides, I got used to doing things alone when I was in Europe. I would much rather be with someone, but oh well. I wasn't going to let it stop me. (The only tricky part is trying to take a picture of yourself as you will see below).

Speaking of Europe.

Today I went to the coolest place ever! It is called the Cloisters. It is an extension of the Metropolitan Museum of Art and its completely dedicated to medieval European art and architecture. It is way up at 190th street, but with a just a hop on the subway I was there.

And I felt like I was in Europe.
It was amazing.
It was so peaceful and serene.
A nice break from the hustle and bustle of city life.

My favorite part was the inner courtyard.

My other stop before the day was over was a trip to Bow Bridge in Central Park. This is the famous spot that Brandon proposed to me exactly 2 years ago today. The only missing today was you babe! I will always love this spot! Thanks for asking me to marry you.

Em and I did some more shopping. We are up to 8 H&M visits. :) We finished the night with a visit to Alice's Tea Cup. We were a little disappointed after all the hype we heard about it, but we tried New York style scones. It downpoured as we were walking there so it was quite a relief to get inside. I don't have any pictures since I left my camera card in my laptop. Its kind of ironic because it actually turned out to be very memorable. Between the let down it was, the very undecorated place (which it received great reviews for), and amazing scones that weren't so amazing, we actually enjoyed the quiet place to ourselves and out of the rain.

A Guide to NYC and Sandra Bullock Sighting

2010-05-26T22:10:00.009-06:00

Hello there. It's me again. Are you sick of NYC posts yet? Well, too bad if you are because I've got a feeling this won't be the last one. You see, I've got a husband back home and I know he'd want to see what I'm doing in the Big Apple every day. So, if you're tired of NYC, come back next week... But, if you want a girls review of the city, then stay tuned for my take on a Manhattan vacation.

1. When its hot, suck it up and just buy the smoothie. Brandon and I discovered the yummiest smoothies near Wall Street last time we were here. Today was a very very hot and HUMID day. It was well worth it. It will be the perfect complement to a little picnic at...

2. Visit City Hall park downtown. Isn't that just charming? It has a fountain and everything! There are lots of shaded benches. Take advantage of the seat when you can get it!

3. Be on the lookout for celebrities. We are 99% sure that Sandra Bullock was sitting across the way eating a sandwich herself. See the girl in the pink shirt? Even if it wasn't her, it looked pretty dang close.
4. Don't rush off too quickly. Enjoy the jazz band playing live music right in the park. It was very charming.

5. Visit Trinity Church. It is the one on National Treasure.

6. NYC is full of lots of random things. Don't get too caught up in the touristy things to notice this:

It is a very random, tiny little courtyard nestled right between 2 skyscrapers. I love that there is even a real painting to make it more homey.

7. If you don't have time to walk the Brooklyn Bridge (but if you never have, you MUST do it), go the South Street Seaport food court for a pretty amazing view.

Take a few pictures, or a lot.

And to get those pictures, you might have stack up all your purses and shopping bags to get just the right angle:

8. If you are a lover of One Fine Day like me, you might enjoy seeing the Circle Line:

9. Don't expect your hair to be perfect. The humidity just makes it go crazy. And there is nothing you can do about it. Oh well.

Things I love about NYC so far

2010-05-24T20:36:00.009-06:00

~Central Park. I could never get enough of this place. I have spent lots of time there and still, every time I go I find new places to explore. Emily and I had a delightful Sunday walk in the park at the Conservatory Gardens. I snapped a few pictures of some cool spots.

~AMAZING food. Its a good thing the lifestyle here forces you to walk a LOT. There is so much good food everywhere. Not to mention that Emily is quite a gourmet cook herself. Check out the dinner she made for us on Sunday:

and the blueberry french toast for brunch:

and eating scrumptious HUGE cookies from the famous Levian Bakery:

~Bike rides. Its so awesome that Em and Kyle have bikes. There is nothing like riding along the river as the sun is setting and feeling the cool wind against your face. We rode along the Hudson tonight and ate a picnic dinner on a pier overlooking the city. It was magical and romantic. Oh wait, maybe not the romantic part since Brandon wasn't here. But you get the idea.

The Cost of Winning

2010-05-23T20:32:00.004-06:00

3 days without a wife.

Well, I don't mean to steal any NYC thunder by making a post and everyone is excited to see Melissa's new NYC post but thought I'd make a post anyway.

First can I say I have such an awesome wife? I've always known that but now that she is gone I didn't realize how much I need her and how much she has changed my life for the better. (Do I hear a Wicked Musical song in the background?) Anyway I know some people think its dumb to (in sacrament meeting or on a blog) to let everyone know how much their spouse means to them but I want everyone to know how much I love my wife.

I really wanted to share with everyone this book I read. I've actually read it three times it is so good. It is a quick read and it has really changed my life.

It is called "The Cost of Winning: Coming in first across the wrong finish line"

It is written by Dean Hughes, husband of Sister Kathy Hughes, former General Relief Society President. He is an English Professor at BYU. I taught him and his wife (or they taught me) at the MTC when I taught Senior Couples when they went on their mission after she was released.

I won't give away too much of the book but basically it was written mostly to the LDS population about how to differentiate between "Mormonism and Christianity" and how both of them are good but that we sometimes lose the focus of being Christians by being Mormons and putting programs before people.

The title speaks volumes about how we race to be the best mom, the perfect spouse, the best gospel doctrine teacher, the best bishop (or aspire to be one) and how we "have" to do a billion things and lead these crazy lives to be the "best we can be!" at the cost of being better than others. What I love the most is how he shares how he learned these things the hard way and went through these things himself which makes it very non judgmental and very far from being "holier than thou"

I've probably given too much away already (even though you have to read the examples he uses) but my favorite chapter is called. "Looking Good vs. Being Good" He uses the example of people getting up in testimony meeting and share only their good experiences and the best part of themselves and we all sit in the audience and think we aren't as good as that person and get depressed about our imperfections when in reality they have just as many imperfections. It is very easy to get caught up in not necessarily in what the Jones have in our culture but what the Jones do. He teaches us that what matters most is who we are and not what people think of us or think we are.

Anyway that is just the tip of the iceberg of this awesome book. You could easily read it in a day and it is a book that has been very life changing for me and felt it was important to share with the people that I love and care about.

I would be more than happy to let anyone borrow it anytime or you can buy it on Amazon. I think its around ten buck (7 bucks plus 3 or 4 for S&H) Make sure you click for the other prices through Amazon otherwise they sell it for 18.

NYC Day 1 & 2

2010-05-22T21:45:00.008-06:00

My sweet husband let me come and have a girls week with Em in NYC. We are having a blast! I've been here just a few days and we've already done lots of talking, shopping, laughing and eating delectable things. Gotta love girl time.

Recap...
Day 1:

-Long nap after a 5:45 am arrival.
-Picnic in Central Park with Em
-Bike ride to drop off clothes for the Block Party/Tag Sale (pics below)
-Dinner at Shake Shack in Madison Square Garden-the most fun place to eat a hamburger. We had the most amazing shake called the Concrete Jungle-chocolate, bananas, and peanut butter. Its tradition to make a wish as we throw a penny in the fountain. I'm excited for mine to come true.

-Walk through Times Square

Day 2:

{Have a "Little Manhattan" moment as we rode our scooters to the market and saw this cute little bakery. I wanted to eat everything in there}

{I saw this lovely little city garden. I guess I have no excuse for not having a garden. If these people can do it, so can I}

{Next stop was the Stake's Block party aka Tag Sale. I love garage sales so how appropriate that this happened to be the same weekend I was here. I love doing "off-the-beaten-path" things when I travel. This was definitely one of those. I found a dress, coat, books, and shirt for $5}

{The Grand H&M tour officially began. Did you know there is like 7 here? We made it to 3 today. I'll visit more next week...}

{It's probably good you weren't here for this one Brandon...we went into the most girly store EVER! Pink walls and jewerly galore!}

{We saw the first ever mobile cupcake shop. Cupcakes are so BIG here!}

Speaking of cupcakes...
After a full day, we came back to enjoy pesto chicken wraps (thanks Amanda) and amazing chocolate cupcakes Em had made.

More to come...

sunday post

2010-05-16T21:49:00.004-06:00

I just realized we haven't posted in over a week. I guess life is catching up to us :) Between visiting with lots of friends and family, working on our TV stand, working, making Guest Books, and getting our garden ready, we've been busy.

I'm excited to visit the Big Apple at the end of this week to see my very cosmopolitan sister. Its kind of fun that it will be the exact time of year that we first went together to NYC right after we graduated from BYU. I only wish Brandon was coming along. It will be the 2nd anniversary of our NYC engagement.

Man I love my wife's business

2010-05-07T14:16:00.002-06:00

Okay, I'll be honest. I love working with Melissa on Guestbooksbymel.com First of all I'm so proud of her for being successful at it and it is so much fun!

We had talked about how the website improved sales but people really couldn't get a good grasp on how the book actually looked inside so I decided to make an electronic guestbook that you could flip through the pages.

This is how it turned out.

http://www.guestbooksbymel.com/E-Book/E-Book.html

Don't forget to flip the pages by dragging the corner. Oh and turn the sound on as well.

Let me know what you think.

Brandon

Party in the house for Cinco De Mayo

2010-05-05T22:29:00.003-06:00

Nothing is better than getting a FREE brand new tent on Cinco De Mayo. We may or may not have had a little party in it to celebrate. How convenient that it fit in right inside our living room.

Gotta love the free section on KSL classifieds. Bring on the camping season!!

"FREE" Entertainment Center project update

2010-05-01T23:38:00.004-06:00

We had lots of fun today. You know why? Because we got got our entertainment center nearly done. Remember that free piece of furniture I carried home on Wednesday? Well, Brandon and I drew up the plans, got all the stuff at Home Depot and built it all. (Ok, so Brandon did most of the building, but I like to say I was the project manager and creative designer)

Ready for the pictures?

1. What we started with

2. My contributions

3. Putting the back in

4. The master builder at work

5. The finished project...well almost finished. Doesn't it look good considering we did this all by ourselves?

6. We decided to use it as a TV stand for now. We are still deciding on the color, but we'll we take a break at least for a few days.

Yeah! That was fun. We LOVE projects! :)

Call me crazy

2010-04-28T18:16:00.004-06:00

So, if you read my earlier post today about catching the refinishing bug, I said that it probably wouldn't be the last project I ever did.

Just a few hours after I posted, I was outside and I saw a piece of furniture down the street on the curb. I thought it might be free, so I walked to check it out. To my delight, it was free. I thought maybe we could turn it into something useful. I didn't want any of the cars to snatch it up before Brandon got home from work, so I decided to carry home.

Maybe I shouldn't have done that. I had to stop every 10 feet or so. Luckily it wasn't too far from my house. I'm sure everyone driving by was getting a grand kick out of watching me carry it home.

So this is it...

Obviously, there are no drawers and shelves. Hence, the patriotic paper. We ripped off the paper and have this...

Now for the hard part. We aren't quite sure what to do with it. Maybe a TV stand? The little openings at the top would be perfect for a DVD player/VCR. We are thinking about adding some shelves on the very bottom. Maybe some cupboard doors? We don't want to spend too much money fixing it up, but we do love projects and so we like the idea of making it ours.

Any suggestions?

$3 End Table Project

2010-04-28T11:02:00.004-06:00

I found this end table at a thrift store for $3. It was quite ugly, but I had grand visions. I knew it would at least be a good 'practice project', but it turned out much better than I thought. If you are thinking about redoing furniture, I recommend using a spray primer instead of a brushing it to avoid strokes. However, even though I didn't know this until the end of the project, I was able to smooth it up. I used Krylon's Ocean Breeze spray paint as the last coat.

I have definitely caught the refinishing bug.
I have a feeling this won't be the last project I ever do...

We did it!!

2010-04-24T17:08:00.003-06:00

This morning we accomplished one of our 2010 goals: Run a 1/2 marathon together. You might wonder why we aren't out celebrating...well our knees are quite achy so we are having a very slow day.

Here we are getting pumped before the race begins

Us at the finish. It felt so official with the medals!

The course was awesome. We ran through the Tulip festival, golf course, along the Jordan River Parkway and finished back at Thanksgiving Point.

operation: project color

2010-04-17T20:33:00.003-06:00

i have been craving COLOR lately.

maybe because it's spring or maybe it's because all of our walls are tan and so is our couch. don't get me wrong. i love our walls and carpet. it's just that our little home needed a little sprucing up.

it all started with the orange table. i thought it would be fun to have a colored table. it turned out brighter than I thought, but i liked it. I just didn't like it with the rest of our warmer color decor.

we have had a big empty wall above our couch for a while. So I decided to add some color and do something that would bring in the orange.

this is how it turned it out.

it was a rather simple project after I learned its worth spending a few extra dollars to get it how you want. i am always looking for the cheaper option, but in this case, it was worth just buying the already-made canvases.

I love that our house is just a bit more springy now.

employed

2010-04-16T16:26:00.000-06:00

As of yesterday, I am officially employed. I leave my 5 month sabbatical with mixed emotions. I have loved my time off. When I first heard that there was a good chance I would be laid off, me being a "list person" made this super long list of things I could do with my time off. The list went like this:

Visit friends
Spend time with relatives
Make some crafts
Get a pedicure with my gift certificate
Make dinner
Visit with grandpa/help my aunt
Make pillowcases and sell on Etsy
Do a major campaign for Guest Books by Mel
Work out
Compile and label 2009 photos
Volunteer at the hospital
Go to temple at least 2x a month
Do extra things for my YW
Send out Christmas cards
Organize cookbook
Work on t-shirt quilt
Find a new job

I am proud to say that I accomplished all of these. I even had time to do a few other things:

Start the SO FESTIVE! blog
Cook dinner almost every night
Babysit my niece and nephew for a week
Learn to coupon shop
Refinish some furniture
Move and reorganize an entire house
Sleep in :)
Learn to make homemade bread
Have weekly get-togethers with a good friend
Train for a 1/2 marathon

But after 5 months of not having a specific schedule, I was ready to find something. I feel like I should be contributing financially to my family while I still can. After much much looking and searching, I have found the perfect job for now.

I will be working for Overstock.com in their HR department. It's just a part-time position which I couldn't be happier about. I can be working and still enjoy the summer (if it will ever come)

To celebrate...we had a little bbq last night. The first of the season. It was delightful.

our favorite thing lately

2010-04-09T01:08:00.004-06:00

Are we nerds or what? Had I realized this game was so fun, I wouldn't have resisted playing it for so long. Brandon taught me about a week ago and let's just say we've playing at least one game every night.

Tonight we played a few more than one...hence the reason for being up so late. Our minds are so invigorated we can't fall asleep so we are working in the office.

I have yet to beat Brandon, but my before the end of my life, I WILL say to him
"Check mate"

angry...

2010-04-05T12:07:00.004-06:00

update: we bought mouse traps last night and have already caught 2. i hope there aren't any more lurking around house.

i usually don't get angry very often. but today i am. i can feel the anger eating at my soul. and right after General Conference. what a shame.

i am so angry because of this...

a mouse.

it all started last monday. i heard some rustling in the kitchen but didn't think much of it. as soon as i came out of my room, i saw a little mouse scurry behind the cupboard in the back of the dishwasher. i was paranoid for a day, but didn't think much of it. there was no sign that our visitor was back..until today that was.

the Easter bunny came on Saturday. In the EB's efforts to be healthy, he/she only put part of the delicious candy in our baskets. he/she thought by that it might be nice to have a stash for a later event (especially since you can't buy this stuff whenever you want)

well, i was just putting our easter basket candy away. i decided to put the remaining stash of candy in the cupboard for the tbd special event. when i pulled out the bag of candy, i saw some holes in the bag. i thought they were from me. then i realized that these holes looked like a little critter had gotten into them. and i was right. see all the remains of on chewed-on packages.

this is a bad picture, but you can see the nibble marks on this package of Reese's eggs. urghh!

i am furious.
not only does that mean our visitor is back, but he contaminated all that precious easter candy which now has to be thrown away.
and its not like i can just rush out to the store and get some more of those Reese's eggs, Hershey eggs, and starburst jellybeans. they are probably all sold out.

i am so angry!!

from dismal to delightful...

2010-04-04T22:25:00.003-06:00

this is a picture from the park across our street.
although it is beautiful in its own way, it was not helping us to feel very springy.

to remedy that, and put us in the springy mood, we colored some easter eggs.

and even had some visitors.

we felt much more cheery.

i just love spring colors.

and to top our weekend off, we got to go on a refreshingly long run right before General Conference started in prep for our 1/2 marathon at the end of this month.

I am feeling much more delightful. The snow may still keep coming, but my soul is rejuvenated after all the inspiring words we heard. I loved that conference was on Easter and to be reminded of the wonderful Atonement of our Savior. Sunday will come...and so will the sunshine.

Buble In All His Glory

2010-04-01T12:51:00.003-06:00

thoughts: amazing!! such a fun concert. energetic and lively. his songs are so much better live. i can tell he really loves what he does and has a blast doing it. i'm so glad we got to go. we loved the opening band (Naturally 7) just as much. they are an A capella group from NYC. Maybe that is why I loved them so much.

before: we had so much fun together!

during:

after:

enjoying the romantic snow storm

Can't wait

2010-03-31T11:48:00.000-06:00

for tonight. I'm going to see Michael Buble in concert with Brandon.

Thanks babe for the Christmas present. I'm proud of you for thinking of getting tickets on your own and suprising me--for that is very hard to do.

For my Mom...

2010-03-25T12:27:00.006-06:00

Today would have been my Mom's 58th birthday. My sister Kristin sent all of us a very sweet email challenging us to do something today in honor of our mom. (she's the one on the left)

She was known for having a secret stash of m &ms, taking meals to people, celebrating birthdays and holidays to the fullest, being spontaneous, staying up late with us to play games or have sleepovers in the family room, bargain shopping, leaving notes and treats on our pillows, helping in our classrooms, our watching one of the many hundreds of soccer games/track meets.

Something Brandon and I will be doing tonight is here.

In her honor, I decided to try my hand at bargain shopping. She always found the greatest deals and loved sharing them with others. So here I am, telling you that you can find some amazing deals at Smith's this week!! I got all of this:

5 lbs. flour
3 lbs. hamburger
Ritz munchables
4 bottles Classico pasta sauce
2 bottles Apple Juice
8 Powerades
2 Healthy Harvest pastas
1 lb. butter
6 lbs. pasta
bananas
2 Toblerones

for $22.34!!

The total should have been over $60.

Thanks Mom for teaching me how to do it. I only wish you could be here so I would have a shopping partner.

xoxo. love you forever.

he made me do it

2010-03-24T08:58:00.005-06:00

So I like to think that I am a classy person. But who says one cannot be classy and a great bargain shopper? At least I hope you can be both. Let me explain.

Last week was Brandon's birthday. I asked him what he wanted or how he wanted to celebrate and he told me that we should just save our money for something bigger. But in my festive-you-can't-NOT-celebrate-a-birthday mood, I was determined to find a way to celebrate it. Afterall, a birthday only comes once a year. In my mind, its a shame to not celebrate a birthday and make it a very special day. I can recall 2 birthdays in my life when it went quite the opposite. On one of them, I had to sing happy birthday to myself over a twix with a paper candle in it. I vowed I would always make birthdays special from that day forward.

Brandon's birthday this year was no exception--even with a small budget.

So here is what I did. (Brandon told me I had to blog about this to show everyone that celebrations can be done on a budget when you get a little creative).

First, I signed up for the Red Robin e-club--using Brandon's spam account so he wouldn't know about it. They sent him a coupon for a free gourmet burger and fries. Since I was new to their club, they also sent me a $3 off your next purchase coupon.

Brandon's meal- $Free
My meal- $4.30 with tax

This is Brandon saying "BOO-YA! We just spend $4.30 for dinner!"

See these delectable ice cream treats?

Free! Yep, Iceberg gives free shakes on your birthday (you have to show ID) and I registered with Coldstone to get a free ice cream as well.

Then, it was off to Blindside.

Great movie and it was at the Dollar Theater in Salt Lake.

So grand total for dinner, dessert, and a movie --
$7.30!!

Whoever says a birthday can't be celebrated on a budget is sorely mistaken. Not only was it cheap, but very memorable!

happy birthday brandon

2010-03-18T13:47:00.006-06:00

why i love this guy:

we have fun together

he makes mean spudnuts

he moved all of our stuff and let me do the organizing

he is so good with kids

he writes me love notes

he is a worthy priesthood holder

he helps me with crazy projects

he is thoughtful. i told him I was thirsty and when I went to get in bed, I noticed this goblet on my end table.

there are many other reasons why i love this guy. but mostly I'm just so grateful to have him in my life. To the best year so far...

our GREEN celebration

2010-03-18T13:27:00.004-06:00

First, it was breakfast. Green oatmeal + green banana muffins

Then, it was getting decked out in leprechaun attire.

Then, it was saying to our husbands, "Kiss me, I'm Irish." Because we really are.

And then, it was time for a grand celebration. St Patty's Day + early birthday celebrations for Dad and Brandon

Our very green dinner.

And if you think it looks good, you should have tasted it! Especially the green mean machine.

The cake was even green. Oh, and the candle. Brandon showing us his amazing candle-blowing skills.

What a fun day! And today is Brandon's birthday. We love having all these fun things going on!

happy st. patrick's day !!

2010-03-17T11:41:00.003-06:00

we love green.

we love St. Patrick's day.

We already had green muffins and oatmeal this morning. To brandon's delight, i didn't put food coloring in the orange juice :)

And tonight we will be having green chicken tacos. Yummy!

we {love} free stuff

2010-03-15T12:53:00.003-06:00

I'm not a way good coupon-er, but considering I got all of this free last week, I'm off to a good start.

You know it's ready when it bubbles

2010-03-12T21:21:00.006-07:00

No, I'm not boiling water. Brandon is a Cafe Rio Tortilla making machine. Check it.

The Beginning

The Middle

The End-The bubbles will always let you know!

Bon Appetit!

Lemon Poppyseed Recipe

2010-03-11T18:55:00.002-07:00

From my post last week, a few of you wanted the lemon poppyseed cake recipe. Here it is. I'm kind of embarrassed to admit how easy it is. Now you know that I am not a gourmet cook. Oh well! :)

Lemon Poppyseed Cake

1 lemon cake mix with pudding
1/2 cup oil
1 cup warm water
1/4 cup poppy seeds
4 eggs

Mix well. Bake in bundt pan for 30-40 minutes at 350. Let it cool for about 5 minutes and then turn over onto a serving plate.

For the glaze, just mix 1 cup powdered sugar with lemon juice until you get the consistency you want.

ACT Prep Classes

2010-03-09T14:43:00.002-07:00

My friend Amanda started a business called College Fast Lane. It specializes in helping students prepare for college with ACT classes and College Prep classes.

I will be teaching some ACT classes in a few weeks. If you know of anyone interested, let me know! Compared to many of the other ACT prep classes out there, it is a great deal--$110 for 4 weeks of instruction + 2 practice full-length ACT tests.

$2 St. Patrick's Day craft

2010-03-08T08:13:00.001-07:00

I made a $2 St. Patrick's Day craft, but I posted it on my other blog (SO FESTIVE!) and don't want to write it again. If you want to see it, check it out here.

Rebuild Chile

2010-03-05T15:13:00.002-07:00

As you know, last Sunday an 8.8 earthquake hit Chile. This was bigger than the Haiti earthquake that hit in January, so you can imagine the damage that took place.

My older brother has started a non-profit called Rebuild Chile to aid in helping to rebuild this country. Brandon built the website. I am so proud of all work they have put into this to help the people they consider family. There are many different service opportunities.

If you would like to contribute or give any feedback, please check out the website at

rebuildchile.org

From the Kitchen...

2010-03-03T14:37:00.003-07:00

lemon poppyseed cake dusted with powdered sugar + lemon glaze

can't wait to eat it tonight at our enrichment activity!

MARCH

2010-03-01T06:59:00.000-07:00

March is a big month. An exciting month you could say. It seems like we are celebrating all month long. Celebrating what, you might ask?

Pie Day, St. Patrick's Day, Brandon's Birthday, Nicole's Birthday, my Mom and Dad's Birthday, and getting ready for Easter.

I'm excited. Can't wait. Don't forget to check out the So Festive! Blog all month long for details of some of the festivities...

introducing...

2010-02-28T17:22:00.002-07:00

the newest called Primary teachers. we are so excited to have this opportunity to teach together!

Our Impressions of Holladay so far

2010-02-27T21:23:00.002-07:00

We LOVE it! Sure we miss Provo and all of our friends there, but so far we are loving it.

Brandon gets home so much earlier which gives us plenty of time to actually do something at night
the Mountains are gorgeous! we have such a beautiful view of Olympus Peak right from our back yard
we have a nice park with tennis courts, baseball fields, and paths right across the street from us.
there are a ton of bikers! we went on a run this morning and i can't even tell you how many bikers we saw. it seems to be a very active place which we like because then it helps us to be more that way.
our ward is very friendly. last week was our first week and so many families came up and introduced themselves. its nice to feel so welcome here.

2010-02-25T20:22:00.002-07:00

We are loving the Olympics! We aren't usually big TV people, but have just about watched it every night! Our favorites have been Speed Skating, Luge, Aerials, Alpine Skiing, Figure Skating and even Ice Dancing was pretty cool. And I think we have even memorized all the commercials.

18 Months and Counting

2010-02-23T22:09:00.005-07:00

Brandon planned such a fun outing for our 18 month anniversary today. We drove to Park City, which is now conveniently just 20 minutes away.

We made an inaugural stop at World Market. Wow! We had such a fun time perusing. We loved all the colorful things and random gadgets. We treated ourself to some Dutch Stroop Wafels.

Then we went to the Outlets and found Brandon 2 super nice work shirts for $25!! One was even from Banana Republic. We had a great time getting away and enjoying the snowy mountains and crisp air.

To many, many, many more month anniversaries...I love you, Brandon!

Thrift Store Decor

2010-02-22T10:42:00.005-07:00

Did I ever tell you that I LOVE shopping at thrift stores for decor?

I love it so much that I have to make goals to not even step foot in the store because I can always seem to find something there that would be 'perfect'.

I love buying decor at thrift stores because a)it is SOO much cheaper than buying it at a craft store. In fact, I think I have only a few things in my house that were actually brand new. b) many times it becomes a fun project and I love projects.

Well, I'm proud to say that I have not been decor shopping since January.

And in my most recent trips, I found some fun little additions to our house.
Ready for this?

Before

During-my husband is an expert spray painter now.

After

Do you think it's too orange? The color was supposed to be a paprika (redish-orange), but it turned out a lot more orange than we thought. We are still deciding if we like or it we should redo it. I like it, its just that everything else in our house is warm colors so I don't know if it fits.
***

Found this beauty for $3. I am still thinking about painting it a fun color, but after my last attempt and getting an orange table, I am going to take my time deciding which color would be best. But for now, it does an amazing job at keeping my purses off the floor, but oh so convenient right by the door.

***

We needed some extra light in a few places and we found a set of 3 matching lamps for super cheap! The only problem was...

they were an bronze color that didn't really match our style.

Never fear...spray paint is here!

That's all for now.

House-Warming Party

2010-02-20T22:05:00.004-07:00

We decided to throw our a House-Warming Party tonight so that our families could see our new place. Ok. Mostly it was just an excuse to get together and have good food.

Love these girls... I miss not being in Provo with them.

Stan, Lynette and Brandon

The party wasn't complete without a Dance Party. Sawyer and Halle were the stars of the floor.

Dad and Michael also came down after their Simplot trip. Way to go Mike on your 10 second PR!

Our First House Guest

2010-02-20T14:21:00.004-07:00

was this cute girl and her parents! Thanks for coming! We miss you. *In case you are wondering what she is wearing, it is Brandon's Russian hat. Cool huh?

Current Debate in Our House

2010-02-15T18:16:00.002-07:00

OLYMPICS vs. NBA

Which is better? Which is better talent?

I say Olympians are more talented. I mean come on, these olympic athletes are training all day long for sometimes a single event.

NBA stars practice and have rigorous training, I'm sure. But since its not an individual sport, if they are tired, and don't 'show up' for a game, their team can still win.

Olympians get one shot at making their dreams come true.

The gene structure of Olympians often passes down from generation to generation. I can see Olympians teaching their children, and their children, etc. But how many NBA players are fathers and sons, then grandsons, etc?

It seems like Olympians would be more the type to go out and teach their children because they are not in the lime light. Whereas NBA players are so popular, so in the media all the time that they don't seem as much like family people.

I don't know. What do you think??

Motherhood Lessons Learned So Far

2010-02-09T20:18:00.002-07:00

#1. Don't consider yourself being on time simply by being out the door. You must remember that getting the kids in the car, making sure you have everything, etc will also take time.

#2. Shower before the kids wake up. I should have known this. I thought I would be able to squeeze in a shower this afternoon, but ha! I was wrong. I won't even tell you what time I got around to showering today.

#3. Don't keep goodies around the house. Now, my sister-in-law was kind to make sure there was lots of good snacks for us, but having Doritos, Oreos, cookies, peanut butter M&Ms, ice cream, and lots of other good snacks around is dangerous! Being at home all day long makes it so tempting...which brings me to my next lesson.

#4. Brush teeth often. This will help you resist those urges for treats. Just knowing they are there makes it really hard not to think about them.

#5. Don't try to keep a clean house. It's nearly impossible. I have a new respect for mothers who do have a clean house. I think it will be much easier to save the stress throughout the day and just do a pick-up at night.

#6. Enjoy the simple things. Its easy to get caught up in the things that don't matter.

#7. Seeing your husband with little kids can do great things for your relationship.

#8. Get outside at least once a day. That little bit of sunshine goes far!

It made me smile seeing this....

2010-02-07T21:30:00.000-07:00

This week Brandon and I are house/baby sitting for my sister-in-law and her husband. When they asked us a while ago, I was so excited! Halle and Sawyer are super cute and they were the first neice and nephew I ever had so how I could I say no?

Well, this week will be an exciting adventure-a glimpse into motherhood that will either make us want kids soon or want to wait 5 years :)

As we pulled up Saturday night to begin our adventure, we saw this on the front porch...and it just made me smile!

Stay tuned for our adventures this week....

home sweet sunday home #2

2010-02-06T22:26:00.004-07:00

Since some of you were asking...

I didn't get a chance to get pictures of the whole house yet or a video of home #2, but these pics will have to do. I'm excited to try out some new decorating ideas, but that will have to come later.

On Friday night, Brandon and I were thinking of something to do and instead of cruising our new town we switched bedrooms! Lame huh? Yep, sounds crazy since everything was nice and settled. We moved our bedroom to the smaller room (including smaller closet), but we are so much happier! The room just seems more cozy and together then the other one. Plus it is much closer to the bathroom and is quieter and darker. We will use the other larger room for a office/craft/project/guest room--so please come and visit! :)

Here are some pics of our new place...

Thanks Andrea for the cute SUNDAY letters! They go so well on the mantle.

our dining room and guitar. haha-haven't touched that since Christmas. hopefully be able to practice more now that we are settled

our small bathroom, but it will do

our bedroom. small, but oh so cozy!

the living room

and the kitchen where i will be whipping up many culinary masterpieces...or at least attempting to!

goodbye Provo

2010-02-01T19:37:00.004-07:00

Things we'll miss {in no particular order}

free cable (hence the reason for me blogging tonight. brandon wanted to watch one last Jazz game before we go TV-less)
the 5 minute walk from the Temple. I've been able to go weekly since i was laid off. How I have loved being there often
the curvy brick path to the front door
our wonderful ward
the young women
Burgers Supreme $1.25 hamburgers after 8:30
walking to BYU basketball and football games
our young couple friends
friend FHE with Brandon's best friends and old roommates
a bathtub
spontaneous game nights with Justin, Katie, Emmeline, Sarah and Hollie

things we look forward to:

being closer to our friends in Holladay
a garage
a big yard
a 10-minute commute to work (one of the biggest reasons for moving)
a 2nd bedroom/office/guest room
exploring a new place together
being only 20 minutes from the Park City Outlets (anyone up for a shopping trip?)
a better? market for job searching

Bridal Fair Bonanza (that was Brandon's title)

2010-01-31T20:57:00.004-07:00

So before I post the pics from the big event, I have to give credit to my amazing husband for pushing me to do this Bridal Show. I was hesitant to do it because of the money and time commitment it would take, but Brandon was insistent that I do it to see where my business can go. In fact, I think sometimes he is more excited about the business I have started than I am. He is constantly thinking of new improvements and gets so excited to see success. Its such a blessing to have someone who cares about my interests and supports me 100% of the way. Especially since we were moving at the same time as getting things ready, that meant that he didn't get home cooked meals and a clean house for almost 2 weeks. I am lucky.

Ok, so here are the pics you have wanted to see...

This was my side of the booth. We shared it with www.budgetforcake.com.
It's kind of sad that once its all set up, it doesn't look like that much work went into it, but let me tell you. It was a TON of work, but the fun kind of work that gives you excuses to go to thrift stores and craft stores to put the perfect display together.

Actually, most of my stuff came from thrift stores and with a little spray paint or fix up, they added just the right touch. Some pictures of the details...

And a cheesy me picture right before the show started.

Brandon actually enjoyed himself (don't tell him I said that). He almost gave up going to the BYU vs UofU game because he was liking it so much. He was so great talking to people and helping me to be confident and assertive.

I am so happy we did it and overall, I think it will be very successful. Thanks Stan, Lynette, Jessica and Halle for coming! But wow! I am glad it is over and we will be able to finally settle into our new place this week. Stay tuned for pics of our new abode...

check it out...

2010-01-27T12:55:00.000-07:00

2 Things to Check OUT...

1. The Wedding Festival (info here) on Friday and Saturday
2. Guest Books by Mel will be featured on Affordable Utah Weddings on Friday.

Post #3-Last Sunday dinner

2010-01-24T20:21:00.005-07:00

Wow! I did 3 posts in one day. I probably won't blog again until we are all settled in our new place and we get internet hooked up. So to hold you over, all you faithful "Sunday Best" readers, here is 3 posts for your reading enjoyment. Here is post #3 and keep scrolling down to see the other two.

Today Brandon and I had our last Sunday dinner in our provo apartment. It was very memorable. Since all of our furniture is moved out, we had no choice but to have a crockpot picnic in the middle of our kitchen floor. Candles and all.

We are going to miss this place. Serioulsy, considering we were newlyweds when we moved in, this has been a place of experience, learning, growing, and lots of memories. Not to mention how spoiled we were to have such a nice place to start our life together. It's hard finding a place to live after living here.

But we have come to learn that it is not about how nice your place is that makes it a home. It's about the people, the memories, and having each other that makes it a home.

Post 2: CIA reunion

2010-01-24T20:14:00.004-07:00

My cousin and her husband Jen were in town last week from North Carolina. Emily, her and her sister Becky and I started a club when we were younger called the CIA which stood for Cousins in America. Since we lived across the country from each other, we made a club complete with matching stationary for us to keep in touch. It was fun to see her again and spend time with some of the other Allens. She summed it up best when she said had some realizations about the Allen side of the family:

We are loud.
We are talkers.
We are oversharers.
But we love it.

Post 1: our first move

2010-01-24T20:01:00.005-07:00

This is Connie. I worked with her in Beehives. It was only for about 4 months, but wow! I am so blessed to have spent that short time with her. She is such a spiritual giant! She has so much wisdom and really knew how to use life experience to relate to our little Beehives. She reminds me so much of my mom. She always had treats for one thing, but she had such a special way at looking at things and keeping things in balance and perspective. I love how Heavenly Father continues to put people in my life who can make it feel like my mom is not so far away. Connie was one of those people.

Well, her sweet boys and husband offered to help us move all of our furniture last Monday. If I was a teenage boy, I don't think I would want to spend my day off moving. But they did it so happily. And then they made us dinner that night so we wouldn't have to worry about cooking. I hope we can always remember their examples of selfless service and devotion to the gospel.

Now for some pics of our first move. I am sure I won't be taking pics everytime we move, but it was a sentimental day since its the first time we've done this. How ironic. It hadn't snowed in months and the day we chose to move, it snows.

guilty...but i have an excuse

2010-01-21T21:30:00.002-07:00

So I made a goal for myself to go running 3x this week so I can get in shape for a half marathon in April.

Well, with all the packing and back-and-forth trips we have been making to Holladay, I have not worked out once. AND, the worst part is that we have been eating what I call 'road trip' food--which of course is fun for a day, but after 3 days of living off bananas, crackers, and Wendy's $1 chicken sandwiches, I am ready to eat a nice big hearty meal and lots of fresh salad.

So tonight I told myself I was going to go after Brandon's basketball game. But oops, as I was starting to get ready, I realized the only running attire I have is running shoes. No shorts, socks, shirts, or other necessary items.

Does that mean that I shouldn't feel bad? I have a good excuse right? :)

one more thing...

2010-01-17T22:38:00.002-07:00

How could I forget to mention in the updates probably the most exciting thing that has happened in the last 7 months?

BRANDON GOT HIS TOOTH! FINALLY!

No more removing the retainer to eat, etc. We can finally make out again! No pictures for this post...you will have to see him in person to get a glimpse of the new pearly white :)

Sunday Update

2010-01-17T17:55:00.006-07:00

Remember when I only used to blog on Sundays? I'm not sure where that goal went. Well, its a Sunday evening and how appropriate to give a little update of what we've been doing.

1. Packing.

2. Cleaning

3. Dejunking. Can I tell you how much I love dejunking? It is probably one of our favorite activities. Lame, I know. But we love that clean, empty, organized feeling.

4. Job searching. I am still full-time jobless, but amidst the search, I am having fun doing some part-time gigs. This week I'm teaching some ACT prep classes with College Fast Lane. I have also been doing some wedding guest books. I signed up to be in the Wedding Festival on January 29 and 30th so if you are going to be there, look for my booth!

5. Playing games. Brandon and I have really been getting into games lately. When I was in Germany, there was a family who loved games and often my Sunday evenings would be spent at their house playing fun games like Thurns and Taxis or others. I am so happy that Brandon and I have become game people. Yep, the two of us love to play games. Our favorites right now are:

and Sparkle.

and Settlers of Cataan. I avoided this game for the longest time, but now I LOVE it.

6. Completing our Provo Bucket List

We are excited for our move and the new adventure that awaits us.

Outing

2010-01-11T11:43:00.004-07:00

We decided to take a break from the typical Saturday doings and have a little outing.

We wore these fancy shoes.
We saw this on the scoreboard.

And got really excited! (red eyes and all)

The pro looked like this.

And may or may not used this a few times.

All-in-all, it was a perfect Saturday afternoon date.

Oh Christmas Tree

2010-01-02T14:31:00.003-07:00

(OUR CUTE PROVO APARTMENT IS FOR RENT starting NOW! For more details, click here and if you know of anyone needing an apartment by BYU, please let us know!)

What is it about Christmas trees when they are all lit up that makes them so MAGICAL? I would leave one up for the whole year if I could, but then again they probably wouldn't be very special anymore if I did.

It's tradition to sleep out to the lights of the Christmas tree at least once, and Brandon and I did the night before we had our own Christmas morning.

Now that its a new year, I figured I should probably take the tree down, but I got a little sad. Maybe because Christmastime is so wonderful. Or maybe because this will be our last Christmas in our first apartment as Mr. and Mrs. Sunday. Anyways, I wanted to sleep by it one more time, but since we had already started packing some of our stuff, there was NO room on the living room floor.

Then my husband had a grand idea. Take this tree

and bring it into our room. Why is it that I always get sick on New Years? I had a terrible cold and wanted a nice soft bed to sleep in, but that didn't stop us from sleeping to the tree lights one more night.

Yes, Brandon plopped the tree right in the middle of our room. Oh, so magical.

And now, to a HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Sadly...

2009-12-29T12:23:00.002-07:00

features: washer/dryer, utilities included, wireless internet, backyard, hardwood kitchen floor, dishwasher, close to the Provo Temple

We will most likely be moving in the next month or so to Salt Lake to be closer to Brandon's work. We hate to give up our cute little cottage apartment and wonderful neighborhood. If you know of anyone who is looking for a steal of a deal and a super cute apartment in Provo, let us know soon!

So this is Christmas...

2009-12-29T11:48:00.005-07:00

December flew! We did so many fun things this year and capped it off with an amazing Christmas! We had so much fun this last week that we didn't get a ton of photos, but we'll give you a little taste of our Christmas season...

Celebrated St. Nicholas Day on December 6th by attending a German Sing-along at the Provo Tabernacle and finding presents in our shoes

Made yummy Christmas goodies with Sarah and Katie. Even Emme helped :)

Celebrated our 16th month anniversary on December 23rd doing sealings at the Bountiful temple with Brandon's family and then being treated to a delectable dinner at the Mandarin. Thanks Grandma and Grandpa Levy!

Have a candlelight Christmas Eve Dinner with the Kings. My dad did this...
I guess i know where I get my desire to have things presented well.

Spend Christmas night with the Sundays playing games and watching movies

Went snow-shoeing with a huge group of people up Mueller Park the day after Christmas

Ate way too much food including these cute cookie cups Kristin and Blaine made:
Saw lots of extended family And Loved, Loved, Loved being with my entire family...look how big we are getting!!

4th Advent and it's Christmas Eve!

2009-12-21T02:08:00.004-07:00

Ok, so yes it's 2:00 am in the morning. And I can't sleep. So I'm blogging. Cuz what else should I do this late? Since Brandon and I are going to be with family on real Christmas Eve and Christmas, we wanted to do our own Christmas together. Just the two of us. And it has been so fun so far.

So for our "Christmas Eve" we had a candlelight dinner of twice-baked potatoes and brown-sugar glazed ham. Brandon even got dressed up in church clothes again because he knew how much it would mean to me to have a special fancy dinner. And now that I'm looking at this, it is making me hungry :)

Justin, Katie and Emmeline came over to celebrate 4th Advent. We played a very competitive game of Settlers of Cataan and may or may not have eaten a whole bag of Lindt balls.

We had lots of fun trying to get the 'perfect' family photo by the Christmas tree.
And then we wrote our letter to Santa, burned it, and sprinkled it on the snow. I don't think Brandon is quite comfortable with this tradition...yet
Well, I best be off to bed so that Santa can come.

christmas outings

2009-12-14T23:33:00.002-07:00

we've been lucky to have some fun Christmas outings these last few days.

we got to go to the Mormon Tabernacle Christmas Concert with Natalie Cole. Incredible.

we made gingerbread houses with the Sundays on our 3rd Advent night.

and we visited a Nativity Showcase in West Jordan. This family has over 360 Nativities and they have started a project where they hire people in Africa, South America, and Asia to make nativity sets and then this family sells them. All of the profit goes directly to helping women get an education and helps the artisans provide for their families. The nativity sets are so amazing! Click here if you want more info.

Sorry...no pics. we forgot our camera. :)

Our Car

2009-12-06T17:43:00.005-07:00

Well as most of you already know from our blog. We got into a car accident. We didn't happen to have a camera during the trip or we weren't really in the right frame of mind to take pictures of our totaled car but I ended up getting a few pics from my phone when I signed the car over to the wreckage yard. So here is our sweet old car which we are going to miss dearly.

Here's good-bye to the 626!

They estimated it would be $5-7k to fix it and it only was worth about $1,500 and so we decided to total it. It sure was a good little car.

Here's hello to our new corolla!

We researched and looked for cars for about 3 weeks (thanks Bro. King and Michael for letting us borrow the civic) and found this little corolla. We have really enjoyed it and hope it stays in the family for years to come. We better hurry though if we want our teenage daughter to be able to drive it. (Again, many of you keep thinking we are announcing things due to little comments we make. Sorry again this isn't an announcement)

a new blog...check it out

2009-12-01T22:53:00.003-07:00

Hey. So I came up with an idea today while Brandon was working late.

The idea is this: since I love hearing new ways to celebrate holidays--including traditions, activities, etc, I was decided to start a blog dedicated to just that. You can check it out here at festiveholidays.blogspot.com.

So if any of you out there have fun holiday traditions that you think others might like, send me an email or leave a comment. It will be our way of spreading holiday cheer and festiveness. Because who doesn't love being festive? We will start with Christmas for now, but I could see this being a fun place to collect other holiday ideas as well.

I have shared a few ideas already and will add more in the next days to come. Become a festive follower, share your ideas and spread the word! The only rule is that your ideas have to be simple. We are all too busy during the holidays to do way elaborate things. I can't wait to hear your traditions and ideas. Happy Holidays!

A New Christmas Tradition

2009-12-01T10:20:00.002-07:00

When I was a nanny in Germany, I was introduced to the Christmas tradition of Advent. On each of the 4 Sundays before Christmas, you light a candle on the advent wreath(or 2 for the 2nd Sunday, etc) and do a Christmas thing. The wreath signifies eternal life and the candles signify the light of Christ. One of my favorite memories of Christmas in Germany was gathering in the living room and singing Christmas songs while the Advent candle was burning. They didn't have a real Advent wreath (the thing that you put the 4 candles in) but it was still just as magical. I love that the purpose of celebrating it is to remember the true meaning of Christmas.

Well, even though I promised not to go thrift-store shopping for a whole month, I DID. But I have a good reason. I was with my family the day before Thanksgiving and we were dropping off a load of junk when everyone went inside. I knew I couldn't buy anything and I was going to prove to myself and you that I wouldn't. But then, I saw it.

It was something I had been searching the internet for.

It was something I had been searching all the thrift stores for.

But I hadn't quite found what I was looking for. Until, that is, the day before Thanksgiving.

It was a...drum roll please...an advent wreath! And it was only a few dollars. It was way better than anything I had seen online and was classy and not cheesy. So I broke my promise (with Brandon's permission of course) and bought it. But all for the sake of a new family tradition.

And I couldn't be happier. Not that things make me happy. But sitting in our living room this past Sunday with the tree lights sparkling, the advent candle burning, sipping hot chocolate and eating apple streusel muffins, and reading a Christmas story from the Ensign with my sweetheart was magical. And there are still 3 more Sundays to do it. Wow. I'm excited.

Even if you don't have an advent wreath, its really fun taking a moment to stop and reflect on the true meaning of Christmas.

so thankful

2009-11-29T22:37:00.005-07:00

for Brandon. we've been through a lot lately and I'm glad to have him to do it with.

for my cute niece Emmeline

for my dad making an amazing Thanksgiving brunch of pumpkin french toast. and yes, that is ice cream on the table.

for an amazing Thanksgiving Dinner with extended family

and that it is officially the Christmas season! now I don't feel bad for listening to Christmas music and putting up the decorations. :) what are some of your favorite christmas traditions?

i need your help!

2009-11-24T08:37:00.005-07:00

I entered my THANKS blocks (don't remember them? click here) into Michael's crafts "Homemade Holiday" craft contest. The more ratings a craft receives, the better chance it has of winning. If you liked the THANKS blocks and want to vote, click on the following link. It will only take a few seconds, and you can get all sorts of fabulous craft ideas while you are there.

http://www.michaelscontest.com/uploads/1440

(just scroll to the bottom of the picture where it has the snomwan outlines and you can click on 1-5 snowmen, depending on your rating)

"THANKS" mucho!

Recent Bargains

2009-11-18T14:26:00.005-07:00

I've got an obsession. And its got to S.T.O.P now! I love searching the local thrift stores for good buys way too much. I'm making a goal to not go to one for a whole month. Its just so hard to resist good deals like this...and why do you care about them? Maybe you don't so you shouldn't read this post. But if you do, if you are like me and love seeing what good deals people find, it gives me hope that I can be that lucky person who finds a bargain. And today was jackpot!!

$1- craft pumpkin

$1.50-fruit bowl

$4-sign

$2.00-frame & candle holder

$1.50-halloween serving tray--perfect for our spudnut parties

$1.50-BOO tea light holders

+an easter egg dyeing kit and super nice wire wisk (sorry, no picture)

and...for the finale...WE BOUGHT A CAR!

We found a great deal through the LDS church. We are very happy to have found one and to have one less thing to look for. You'll have to wait and see it..

surgery update

2009-11-13T12:15:00.003-07:00

Some of you have asked. The boy I married sure keeps our life exciting. Besides the tooth injury and surgery that happened earlier this summer, he just got ear surgery. He has a hole in his eardrum that has had 2 attempts of being fixed. We are crossing our fingers that the third time is the charm. He had to get a chunk of skin taken out over his ear and then they grafted it inside his inner ear over the whole. That is as many details as I can handle.

Brandon is recovering well from his ear surgery-despite the fact that it took a lot longer than expected. We were in the hospital for 8 hours yesterday. I don't know how we will ever have kids. I got so nautious listening to the doctor and being there that I had to leave 3 times or I would have puked.

We are having a great time just relaxing, sleeping, watching movies, playing games (Scattergories and Life are our new favorites) and being together. Thanks for all of your prayers and support.

Recent Pics

2009-11-07T16:15:00.002-07:00

From our recent Spudnut Sunday...we made 109 spudnuts!

Brandon's grandparents came down from Oregon to visit. It was really fun spending time with them. Aren't Halle and Sawyer adorable?

Our Halloween night...inverse trick-or-treating

Confessions on a Friday

2009-11-06T13:36:00.005-07:00

1. i smell like onions. i made a delicious omelet yesterday for brunch and all i smell is onions and I am pretty sure it is me. does this happen to anyone else?

2. i am wearing capris and sandals and i LOVE it. don't get me wrong, i am excited for snow and the holidays, but me and no sun is not a good combo.

3. pedicures are uh-mazing! i had a gift card to the aveda spa for a foot relieving pedicure. can i say wow? it was so relaxing being pampered for over an hour. thanks to omniture for treating me to this.

4.i love cheap, but classy home decor. and i will admit, i find lots of it and thrift stores. last week i went to 4 DIs. i found this for $1

and this for $1 (a very sophisticated and classy tv remote holder if i might say so)

and this for $5 (at big lots-another favorite store!)

i couldn't resist this basket. it just makes me smile. and i think that brandon is loving that my shoes are a bit more organized.

5. i can't wait much longer until this hottie gets home and we can go on a date together. car shopping is NO fun and way too stressful. i'm excited to take a break and have some fun.

Our Scary Halloween

2009-11-02T09:24:00.004-07:00

(I had to post something happy. This is from our mostly-annual King family Halloween Hoorah)

I find it so ironic that the morning of Halloween I told Brandon that I wanted it to be a memorable day that we spent together. That it was. And so I have learned my lesson that I will never want a day to be memorable again...let me explain.

Around 1:30 we left our house and picked up Sarah to go up to Kaysville to hang out with my dad and little brother. We were having a great old time when about 3300 south, a red jeep cut us off, causing us to swerve to miss hitting it. It caused us to lose control and spin 3 circles, finally being stopped by the cement barricade in the median of I-15 and facing oncoming traffic . It happened all too fast and is such a blur, except remembering that all I kept saying was "Oh my gosh, Oh my gosh" as we were spinning. I just kept waiting for another car to run into us or for us to crash head-on into the median. You know how you always hear people say that there whole life flashed before their eyes? Well, I think I experienced that. All I could think about was not having Brandon or Sarah in my life and that there was nothing I could do about it. It was the most difficult feeling to not be able to stop the car or rewind time to make all of this not happen.

When we finally did stop, I saw Sarah sit up from the back seat (she had been covering her face to not see what was happening) and Brandon still sitting next to me. I asked if everyone was okay and we were. Our car looked terrible and had to be towed away. However, all of us walked away from the accident without one single scratch or bruise.

We are afraid the driver of the jeep did not even know what he caused. He just kept on going. But two very nice people stopped immediately after witnessing the entire event and waited with us to make sure they could make statements on our behalf. One man even collected all the dirty laundry that had toppled out of our trunk. We were all shaken up pretty bad from it, but they waited until we were calm and the highway patrol showed up.

Brandon said he always wanted to ride in a cop car and he got his chance as the patrolman drove us to the next exit where my dad picked us up:)

I have replayed this over and over in my head and all I can say is that I think that we definitely had angels protecting us. I know that our work is not over here and we still have great things to do. I am so grateful that we are all safe and alive. I am grateful for the fresh perspective I have on life and to be reminded of the things that really matter. Life can change in a second. I hope I can always treat others kindly so that if something ever did happen, I would never regret how I treated them.

Our Halloween did have a happy ending. We chilled with my Dad and Michael and even did some inverse trick-or-treating where we took candy to people. And we had a very fun and successful Spudnut Party yesterday. I'll post pictures soon.

For now, we are in desperate need of car buying tips. Yep, our car is not-salvageable. Where do we even start looking?? We are clueless when it comes to car buying.

Hot Spudnuts this Sunday!

2009-10-30T13:32:00.003-06:00

It's time for the

2nd Annual Sunday Spudnut Sunday

this Sunday, November 1

at Brandon & Melissa's apartment

anytime after 8:00

{leave a comment with your email if you need directions}

craft of the day

2009-10-29T19:39:00.003-06:00

here it is.

what meant to be a quick project, turned out to take all day.

but that is okay.

Diane and I had a blast crafting. we even cut and sanded the blocks ourselves.

added some paint, cute fall paper, mod podget (i love this stuff!) and viola...

a little Thanksgiving craft to spruce up our house.

it's snowing

2009-10-27T10:44:00.001-06:00

it's my first 'lazy day' since being laid off.

and it's snowing.

i might just turn on a christmas movie and do nothing.

just because i can.

:)

So long, Omniture.

2009-10-24T14:26:00.004-06:00

Yesterday was my last day working for Omniture. That means:

So long to the green walls that filled the office.

So long to the Omniture name badge that I swipe every day to get in.

So long to those green billboards on I-15—even if people didn’t always understand them.

So long to the green gift baskets that were always fun to get.

So long to my voicemail message that says, “Hi, you’ve reached Melissa Sunday with Omniture”

So long to some of my co-workers.

So long to handing out green Granny B’s cookies at career fairs.

So long to my first real place of employment.

Back on September 15th, Adobe announced that they were going to buy Omniture for $1.8 billion. Cash, that is. Wow. That's a lot of money. So ever since that eventful day (which ironically just minutes before the announcement I had just texted my friend saying how slow and uneventful it had been recently) I along with many others have been wondering what that would be for us..for me. I had been warned that HR is a prime department for layoffs since there are usually a lot of redundancies. But I still thought that maybe I would be lucky and make the cut.

But I didn't. But you know what, I am just fine. I have sensed it coming for a week or so now and I couldn't be more excited for the new door of opportunities that has just opened. I have to admit, the 10 minutes before I found out I was super nervous...like I was finding out something that would change the rest of my life. I had deep, deep pits in my stomach and it took me back to my high school DECA days when I was waiting to hear if I made it to Nationals. I don't get super nervous often, but I was yesterday. But then as soon as I was told, I felt excited. IS THAT WEIRD? I guess I'm excited about having the ability to try something new, to have a new change that will stretch me and help me learn new things. And okay, the severance is a really good package, so I can't complain. Especially right before the holidays. I am excited to do things that I can't usually do during the day--get together with friends, finish some overdue projects, be a better wife and homemaker, and have some time to reevaluate things.

As I drove away for the last time, I got all nostalgic as a flood of memories came over me. I thought about

-the park right across the street where I would make phone calls to friends and walk on lunch breaks

-the hidden hill (as I called it) where I would slip away for much needed naps or to get a summer tan

-the subsidized vending machines where you could get Ice Cream Snickers bars for 45 cents--boy did Brandon love my job for that reason

- the people who helped me be successful in my first real career job

-my recruiting team-members who I had a blast with at the bowling alley eating Costa Vida and doing the Cha Cha Slide.

I guess that's life. We are privileged knowing people and having experiences that will shape us and help us be who we really want to be.

So long, Omniture.

What do chicken and websites have in common?

2009-10-21T21:41:00.005-06:00

Absolutely nothing!

But that's what's been occupying the Sunday's time the last little while. Melissa and I bought 40 pounds of chicken last week and I had tons of fun butchering it up. It had quite the transformation after I was done with it. I'm kinda weird I know.

The 40 lbs. Box

The Fat

Isn't that pretty?

The freezer full

The websites

A lot of you have probably wonder where I work or what I do. Well, that's because my job description changes about every two weeks. First I was a seminar presenter and then I was over the sales department, then I was over the marketing department, then I was the IT guy and made videos for the company and recently am over website design and our Internet Marketing packages. (There are only 4 employees of this company including myself) I have learned so much since its a small startup company and my favorite thing I have learned is how to build websites. Here is the website I built for the company which explains who we are and what we do. It's an accounting firm that specifically helps small business with their accounting, taxes, and setting up their business. You can check out the website at:

www.letssucceednow.com

Since learning how to make websites I have created a website for Melissa and her wedding guestbook business. You can see her website at:

www.guestbooksbymel.com

And I am currently working on a website for my dad's company and hopefully someday for Nicole's Photography business as well as Jessica's (my sisters) business's. If you need a website let me know, cause I'm starting my own website business!

13 and counting...

2009-09-26T16:39:00.002-06:00

This week Brandon and I celebrated our 13-month anniversary. We try do something every 23rd day even if its something small. Brandon sure outdid himself this time. I came home exhausted and found this on the door:

In case you can't tell what it is, its a Halloween decoration for the door. I have already admitted once that i LOVE holiday decorations, but I thought it was so thoughtful of him. We had seen it a few weeks ago and I told him I thought it was cute. He remembered that I liked it and the thoughtfulness was what I loved the most.

Then I walked into the kitchen and found this:

I have a stash of cards and he had searched through all of them to find the perfect one.. It says 'liebe' on it which means love in German. I made this card with my good friend Jen while I was in Germany. He wrote a love note and again, my favorite part was that it was so thoughtful.

We have had so much fun being together lately. I am so glad I married him. He is so thoughtful and I know would do anything for me. This was us last night after ordering delivery pizza for the first time in our marriage. It was a big night! And our whole order only cost $5! Can't beat that for 2 pizzas and a cinnapie.

LIFE!

2009-09-23T10:19:00.006-06:00

Well, I know I haven't posted in a while and I always do video posts but this one is only 6 minutes and I told you months ago that I would post it.

So for my Russian film class I had to make a movie for my final and of course it was in Russian. I enjoyed it so much that I decided to translate it and add subtitles. It took me months to getting around to doing it and I am so glad I did. I thought long and hard of what to do my movie on and listening to conference I heard the talk by President Monson, "Finding Joy in the Journey" So I made a movie on that theme. Life really is great and we should always remember to find joy everyday. The title of the movie is "Life" Let me know what you think!

The Only Good Part

2009-09-20T14:49:00.004-06:00

of the BYU Game on Saturday was having our family come over for a pre-game BBQ. And wow. Brandon made some amazing BBQ.

look at this cutie. she is a doll!

i must not have got the memo to wear blue. what was i thinking?? maybe that's why they lost. :(

I admit...

2009-09-17T18:50:00.005-06:00

I am a SUCKER for crafts and house decor. Especially good deals. Here are a few of my recent good deals...all of them together for under $10!

black shelf

harvest pumpkins (I LOVE FALL!)

vintage pot of flowers...adds the perfect amount of color to the bookshelf

although i'll have to wait until next year, i thought it was adorable!

'Or So She Says Giveaway'

2009-09-13T16:08:00.004-06:00

My cute sister-in-law Jessica has a blog called OR SO SHE SAYS that gives a daily dose of great ideas related to parenting, cooking, recipes, holiday ideas, etc. Every Sunday they have a guest blogger and they invited me to be their guest today. So, if you want to, you can check out my post about wedding tips. After doing 3 in my family in the last year, I learned a few things. :) There is also info about a GIVEAWAY for a free Guest Book by Mel. If you are getting married or know someone who is, have them visit the Or So She Says site and get directions on how to enter the Giveaway. The winner will be announce Monday, September 21st.

afton, wyoming

2009-09-08T20:24:00.003-06:00

labor day weekend was filled with lots of good things...a visit to Afton Wyoming,food, family, a baby blessing, a hike to Intermittent Springs (pics below), family pictures, an awesome BYU game, and a spontaneous bike ride that ended up at the grocery store.

check out this tough lady...and the water was COLD!

Part 2: NYC days 4-8

2009-08-30T00:00:00.001-06:00

{day 4}--this is a long one!

we got to do so much on Saturday thanks to Em and Kyle who took us around to all of these cool places that most tourists don't get to see. We visited Battery Park at the edge of Manhattan while waiting for our ferry to:
Governor's Island! We took a 15 minute ferry ride and I tell you, there is something about being on water that is so fun! after being in the loud city, it was nice to have a few hours of peace and quiet..and a great view of the Statue of Liberty and downtown Manhattan.

our tummy's were getting hungry, but em and kyle new the perfect place to remedy that. but on the way, we saw

this is for you, Dad--a home Depot NYC style :) and

the flat-iron building.

now back to eating...we ventured to the Madison Square Park to the famous Shake Shack!

there we ate scrumptious hamburgers and shakes while sitting under the magical lights with a perfect view of the Empire State Building. then Em spared some pennies and we all got to make wishes in this fountain...
then we were off to Grand Central Station. I remember when I was little. With 7 kids running around, sometimes my mom would say, "Do you think this Grand Central Station?" My mom would have loved to see the real thing. I thought a lot about her there...While we were there, we saw the whisper room and the kissing room.

the last adventure for the night was taking the Roosevelt Island tram. It felt like taking the Snowbird tram, only instead of going up a mountain, we rode over the river taking in the breathtaking view of the city by night.

the four or us enjoyed some Junior's Cheesecake. Best I've had since Germany.

on the way, we got to see Serendipity.

2009-08-29T00:58:00.000-06:00

{day 5}- OUR ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY!

we did most our celebrating on Friday night, but today was still very special and memorable. Em and Kyle made us this delectable brunch:

we went to church in the same building where the Temple is. I loved the meetings there! I loved the diversity and learned so much. I am amazed at the strength of the members there.

on our way to church--how often do you get to take the Subway to church?

After church, they surprised us with a crockpot anniversary dinner in the park. It was much cooler than their apt. then we got some time to take a walk through the park and go to Bow Bridge once again.

this time, we both had rings :)

{day 6}

2009-08-28T10:00:00.000-06:00

Biked through Central Park to take a row boat ride.
All that was missing was a crab singing "Kiss the Girl"

the view from the secret cove we found

after that...headed off to do some shopping at you guessed it..H&M. Brandon came home with more clothes than I did!

and we got some great deals on Canal Street! We were pretty good at bartering if I do say so myself!

NYC has amazingly cheap jewelry stores. Em met us after work because as much as Brandon is beginning to like shopping now, jewelry shopping is so much fun with sisters.

The Young Wives Club had their first meeting at a very Metropolitan soccer game. It was unique sitting on a field in the middle of the city watching soccer while cabs sped by. It was fun girl time while the boys enjoyed playing.

We thought about bringing orange slices for the team since that is what a young wife should do, but since we didn't we resorted to the next best after game treat..

RICE TO RICHES
(amazing rice pudding)

{day 7}- so ARTSY!

2009-08-28T01:32:00.000-06:00

Day 7 was our museum day. We had gotten all ready to do a session in the Temple just to find out that it was closed. Bummer! So instead, we did some museuming:

Ok, so this wasn't really a museum, but artsy nonetheless.

How is this for artsy?

If the Guggenheim doesn't cut it, how about the Met?

If that still isn't good enough, we did one more thing. We WON lottery tickets again for "In the Heights" a very hip-hop style musical based on a neighborhood in uptown NYC. It was hard to compare after seeing Wicked, but it was still very good.

We played games one last time with Em and Kyle.

{day 8}

2009-08-28T00:00:00.000-06:00

since you are probably tired of all these NY posts, this will be the last one. to wrap up our trip, we did these things to end on a bang!

Times Square

Street Vendor food. brandon LOVED the gyros and philly cheese steaks and the smoothies!

biking along the Hudson and saw the place where the final scene from You've Got Mail was filmed.

One last museum: the National Museum of Natural History. So cool!

free swimming at Lasker pool in Central Park.

One final trip down Canal Street and Wall Street.

Farewell New York! Thanks for a great time!