Last Weekend...

It's our last weekend in Utah, so we decided to drive up to Bear Lake for the day. We floated in the lake, and enjoyed some sun-- it was a wonderful and relaxing day! On our way out, we stopped at La Beau's for their famous Raspberry shakes. Nobody makes shakes as good as theirs. YUM.

We leave for Alabama on Thursday. We're sad to leave, but we're very ready to move into our new house and get settled. Our stuff has been out there for 2 months, so we are ready to stop living out of a suitcase, and have all our own stuff!

It will take us 4 or 5 days to drive out there, so we'll be spending 4th of July with my grandma in Arkansas. She is very excited for our visit. She's been trying to talk us into a visit since she moved there from California several years ago. So, that will be fun.

Alabama, here we come....

Girls Camp (in the rain)

I just got back from Girls Camp. I was one of the leaders, and we camped at Camp Woodland, near Morgan. We had 30 teenage girls, and it rained all week! What an adventure.
Our 3 biggest tents leaked really bad the first night, so we frantically tried to move everyone’s stuff up to the lodge, without all the bedding getting too wet. Whew! It was quite a night! But we finally got everyone up there, and got their stuff dry by the fire. Then we read them some bedtime stories. That part was fun.

I was the camp cook, so I cooked all the meals. Luckily, all the girls liked the food, except one girl. She didn’t like anything! Everyday, when I was prepping the meal, she’d come over to me and say “I don’t really like chili” or “I don’t really like onions”, or “I don’t really like eggs”. On the last morning I was cooking hash browns and she came over to me as I was putting salt on them. She said “Um, I don’t really like salt”. I had to laugh! In fact, just thinkingabout it makes me laugh!

Camp was great, but I am exhausted. It was a lot of work! But it was fun to spend time with all the girls, and get to know them better. They really crack me up.

It's good to be home, and to be DRY.

Museum of Contemporary Art, La Jolla

I visited the beautiful La Jolla location of the Museum of Contemporaty Art, San Diego yesterday. The location is stunning! Overlooking the water, the views are just incredible.



I loved the installation pieces- especially the ones by Tara Donovan and Cornelia Parker, and Nancy Rubins. (see photos below)

Gluten-free bliss!

I found a pizzeria here in San Diego that has gluten-free pizza..... it's a dream come true!
REAL PIZZA!
(Anyone that has food allergies will understand this!) If you're in the area, check it out: http://858brickoven.com/

California Dreamin'

I arrived in San Diego a few days ago, where Jack has been for two weeks. He's busy with his acquisitions class, which last a total of 4 weeks. Me, I'm basically on vacation, although it is kind of a lonely one, because his class and his studies take up most of his time.

But it's beautiful here--yesterday I went on a 2 1/2 hour walk around the Marina. Our hotel is close to everything, so I can walk everywhere. After my walk, I swam in the pool, then made some dinner before Jack got out of class. Today, I'm off to the gym, and to do some laundry.

It's been sunny, and in the 70s- perfect weather as far as I'm concerned!

On Sunday we went to church, then visited my cousins Kristy and Vance, and their two adorable girls. Next Sunday is Mother's Day, and my cousin Melinda invited us to their house for dinner. (they live about an hour from here) I'm always excited to see the family, and play with all the kids!

My parents, and my aunt and uncle, will be driving down and camping nearby, so it will be nice to hang out with them too. And one of these weekends before we leave, Jack and I are going to do a dive trip out to one of the Channel Islands... I can't wait! It's too bad that we couldn't bring our kayaks with us... our hotel is just steps away from the bay. Oh well. There are plenty of fun things to do around here!

bye-bye (snif) house

I drove away from our house today, for the last time. All the boxes are packed and loaded on the truck. I've been so sad the last few days, thinking of all the wonderful times we've had in this house. It's been 4 great years, and it's hard to leave. Bye-Bye Utah. Hello Alabama!

In a few weeks, we'll be Alabamians... (is that what they're called?)
Our next Air Force Assignment, a new place, a new ward... a chance to make new friends and experience a new place. It's always an adventure!
It's sad to leave old friends, but I have to admit, that I LOVE decorating a new house every 4 years! And we get to see all parts of the country, so that when Jack retires in just 9 years, we should know exactly where we want to settle, and build our dream house. (This also means that we'll get to settle in one place before our kids start high school, so we won't have to make them change schools-- that would be awful.)

So, I fly to San Diego tomorrow, to be with Jack. He's attending an acquisitions class, and I can't wait to spend a few weeks in CA, and to be with my honey. I can't wait for walks on the beach, visits with my cousins, and some really good Mexican food...
I heart California.

bye.

Today was my last day at IKEA.
It was a sad day, and I cried like a baby.

I won't miss my hour long commute, or the "mock turtleneck" t-shirt and ugly shoes....
but there are a lot of things I WILL miss.

I won't miss putting away racking, moving heavy furniture by myself, or going up and down ladders all day.
I WILL miss the smell of grapefruit at breaktime, "Fried Friday", and watching Noah eat entire bags of Doritos in one sitting.
I won't miss Commercial Team Meetings, or doing PEs, or getting up at 4:30am everyday.

I WILL miss good friends, and the fun we had while working our butts off.
We have laughed, and we have sometimes cried... but it's been great.

Spring Envy

Last Saturday was beautiful and sunny, and we were anxious to spend our first "Spring" day outside! We were ready to take out our kayaks and head to the lake... but it turned out to be a very windy day, so we changed our plans. (It's not fun to paddle into the wind)
Instead, we bought some kites and headed to the park by our house. It was perfect kite weather...warm, but windy. It was a nice, relaxing Saturday, and we had a great time!

On the MOVE...

We found out a few weeks ago that Jack was selected for a special training, in residence. He is very excited about being selected! The school is in Montgomery, Alabama.
This means... we're moving! We'll be leaving Utah sometime in July. We have rented a house there, in Prattville, about 10 miles from Montgomery. We will be there 1 year

I have given my notice at work, and will be there through the end of March. I'm sad to leave-- I have really loved my time at IKEA.

In mid-April we will be headed to San Diego for about a month, where Jack will attend an aqusistions class, and I will enjoy some time with my family. I have cousins that live in San Diego, LA, and the OC. My parents will also drive down for a visit) It will be nice to spend time with them, and to enjoy the beach, before we move. We'll return home the end of May, and have about a month to get our house SOLD.

Luckily, the movers care of the hardest part- packing up all our stuff, and moving it out there. We just have to drive out in our cars.

It's another adventure, and we can't wait!

Happy New Year!

We had a quiet evening at home New Years. We watched the ball drop in NYC, drank sparkling cider, and marvelled at Dick Clark's ever-young appearance.
On New Years Day we watched the Rose Parade on TV, then went snow shoeing in Weber canyon. The fresh snow was beautiful, and we had a great time! (Jack of course, is a marathoner, so I had a hard time keeping up with him.)

So, it's the 11th today, and we finally took down our Christmas tree last night. It was a few weeks later this year, but we're always a little sad when it comes down.

I already miss the twinkling lights. I love their cheerful greeting as I stumble out of bed and am getting ready for work when it's still pitch black outside.

It's this time of year, after all the fun of the holidays, that I start dreaming of some nice tropical beach somewhere. I need sunshine in my life. Maybe it's time to plan another scuba trip...

Bond. James Bond...

We went to my work Christmas Party on Wednesday. The theme was "Casino Royale" so we decided to dress up as James Bond-ish, high-rollers from the 60s. I found a great vintage evening gown, and a vintage tux for Jack (at this great store in Salt Lake, Decades). Jack's mom had a fur stoll that belonged to Jack's great grandmother-- it completed the outfit perfectly! We ate a delicious dinner and played some Blackjack with fake money. We had a great time!

Here we are, posing in front of our Christmas tree.

Thanksgiving with the fam

We spent a wonderful week at the beach in California, camping with all of my extended family.

We had a great time! The weather was great- warm and sunny, except for a small storm that passed through. We spent time on the beach, and rode our bikes all over the sleepy little beach town that we love. We sat around the campfire every night, looking at the stars, and listening to the sound of the waves crash against the beach. For me, that is pure heaven!

My cousin has a brand new baby- Ella- it was so fun to hold her and let her sleep in my arms. She is just so cute. I even got to change a few diapers!

We had about 70 people for Thanksgiving dinner. I made a HUGE batch of stuffing (with Craisins, my secret ingredient) and the biggest pot of gravy you've ever seen! Jack and I also made dinner for my cousins one night- an entire meal of Middle Eastern foods, in honor of our trip to Israel and Egypt this year. Everyone loved the hummus, kebabs, and Israeli couscous.
But the vacation is over now... We're back home now, and back at work...

Holiday time!

We love the FALL.
We love sweater weather, and the changing colors.
We love all the holidays, and time spent with our family.

Here are some of our favorite family traditions:

Birthday Parties- a full day of celebration, ending with a nice dinner and a homemade cake.
Oktoberfest- We eat bratwurst and sauerkraut, potato pancakes and spaetzle.
Halloween-Going the Pumpkin Walk in Logan, walking around and drinking hot chocolate.
Thanksgiving- Camping at the beach in California with all our extended family- a full week of food and fun with all the cousins!
Christmas Eve- Going out for Mexican food, and watching "The Christmas Story" multiple times.
Christmas Day- Cooking a fancy six-course French meal, and eating for hours!
St. Patrick's Day- all food gets dyed green!
Valentines Day- all food gets dyed pink!
Pioneer Day- We cook a Dutch oven dinner in the backyard, and even make fresh butter in a jar.

The adventures continue...

We just celebrated our 5 year anniversary. Five years of wedded bliss!

In July we returned from a trip to Israel, Jordan and Egypt. Wow. What a trip! We started in Jerusalem where we stayed with some friends. We loved seeing the Old City, the Garden Tomb, and the Garden of Gethsemane.It was wonderful to see these areas, and imagine all that has happened there.What an incredibly moving experience!From there, we drove about 4 hours to the Red Sea, where we crossed into Jordan.(On the way we stopped at a resort on the Dead Sea, where we floated like corks in the water!)In Jordan, we stayed in Aqaba, and did some scuba diving in the Red Sea.The colorful coral and fish were amazing!We returned to Israel, then flew to Egypt where we spent 5 days.(Sadly, they lost Mandi's luggage on the way, and she had nothing but the clothes on her back for 5 days!)We spent a day and a half in Cairo, where we saw many tombs, temples, and the pyramids of Giza.It was unbelievable! We then took a short flight to Luxor, where we saw more some temples, and the Valley of the Kings. Then it was a train to Aswan, where we saw the High Dam, and the Unfinished Obelisk.When we got back to Cairo,we were able to pick up Mandi's luggage (They found it!), and we spent our last day lounging by the pool, relaxing from our long, HOT trip!

Mandi is still working in Visual Merchandising/Interior Design. She really enjoys the creative process, and working with so many great people. In June, Jack reached his 10 year anniversary and was promoted in May. He will be working here in Utah for another year or so, then he'll be resassigned to a new job. Personally, I hope we go to D.C... but we'll see where they send us!

On the home front, we have decided to pursue adoption. After 5 years of heartbreak and frustration, we feel like it's time for us to adopt! We have filled out stacks and stacks of paperwork, been fingerprinted,interviewed, etc. And now, we wait...

We can't wait to have a little baby of own!