Jepsen Family

The woes of online shopping and a long torso.

2012-01-25T14:20:00.003-05:00

I am beginning to understand the allure of online shopping. It is NO FUN going shopping by yourself. Especially if you are as unsure about making purchase decisions as I am. I need another voice, another opinion.

My first attempt at online shopping was from my trusty tall apparel store. It resulted in this adorable blouse, this tank, and this dress which upon arrival was clearly made for someone larger chested than I, but two out of three's not bad. If I could, I would probably buy all my clothes from Long Tall Sally because they usually fit me well and their customer service is fabulous. But, they have a rather limited selection.

After a trip to the mall that left me mostly empty-handed and missing my mom & sister as shopping companions, I decided to turn back to the internet. Summer is coming, and last year I wished I'd had more summer dresses. I got an email from Ruche (lovely stuff there) saying that they added a section of longer length items. Score!

I ended up purchase this dress, which is actually by Downeast Basics. A cute, neutral dress for summer with 43 fabulous inches from shoulder to hem, which is exactly my dress length limit.
It came in the mail today!!! I love getting things in the mail, don't you? I raced upstairs and put it on. Then I stood in front of the mirror and thought, "Hmm. . . something just doesn't look right about this." I wanted to love it. The color was good, the detailed top was very cute, the length was okay, but it just seemed weird. Like I was wearing a little girl's dress.

After a little tugging and tucking I figured out the problem. You see how the line where the top and bottom come together lands at the waist? It was not doing that on me. It was hitting at least 2 inches above the waist. If I tugged it down to my waist, the dress looked fine. If I tucked it up so it was just under the bust, it looked fine. I tried adding a thick belt, which helped, but I did not want to always have to wear a belt with it. I had discovered the culprit: the torso.

You might automatically think that my height comes from my legs. Actually a good deal of it comes from my torso. I learned that from swimsuit shopping. I love Lands End swimwear because they offer long torso options. This online purchase revealed that the same problem is always going to limit my dress options - a sad realization. Maybe this will motivate me to try my hand at sewing my own summer dresses. We'll see.

Now I have to trapes back to the post office and pay to return the dress I have been so excited about. This is my big woe of online shopping. It just hurts to pay to return things that didn't work out.

Halfway through January . . .

2012-01-19T11:18:00.002-05:00

. . . and our Christmas tree is still up.

I'm sure I'm not the only one who has lofty plans about all the holiday crafts I'm going to do during the holidays, only to find that it is too busy to get anything extra done. So, I decided to keep our Christmas up during January until I can finish a few holiday projects that will be packed up with the decorations.
That way, I'll have some new decorations next year, and I won't have to pull out the boxes again to put them away (or stare at Christmas decorations all year that never got put away)

Here's what I've been working on:

I saw these pine cone topiaries and knew I wanted some. I happened to have a bag of pine cones in the closet, so that was my first project. (FYI, I didn't spray them gold, and I used a glitter paint instead of real glitter so it wouldn't flake off.)
I also wrapped one in moss and another in green fringe. The fringe is actually our favorite (it's not quite as bright green in real life).
With the brass deer I got for my birthday, I think it will make a great wintery woods look.

I've been finishing up the yarn I had and almost got 2 more scarfs done.
I'll tuck those away in my gifts box.

My current project is an advent calendar. I've been working on this cute embroidery of Santa and his reindeer. It's the most detailed embroidery pattern I've ever done and I think it's turning out great. I may blog the finished project later this month, or wait until I pull it out next year!
You can buy the pattern here.

Even with all these wintery things around, it just doesn't feel like winter anymore. Still no snow for us, and it has been sunny and relatively warm lately. I'm ready for it to actually feel like winter, or just become spring already!

I couldn't resist the tulips at the store yesterday. Don't you just love tulips?

And this little guy is definitely ready for spring.
Welcome ladybug!

NYC Part 1

2012-01-09T11:05:00.001-05:00

We stayed and John and Audrey's (cousins) apartment on Roosevelt Island while they were in CA/UT for the Christmas break. They have a cute new baby, Weston. We're glad we were able to see them for at least an hour or so before they flew out.

On Christmas Eve we decided to wander around the Rockefeller Center area.
We saw the public library where they had a Gutenberg bible on display along with many other artifacts - including the original stuffed animals of Winnie the Pooh, Piglet, Eeyore and Rabbit.
The architecture is incredible. It's worth going to see the reading rooms. It almost seems wrong to have computers in rooms like that :)

We also stopped and walked through St. Patrick's Cathedral.

When we passed by Radio City Music Hall we decided to see if they still had tickets to the Rockette's Christmas Spectacular show. They did! After picking up our tickets, we went to dinner at Via Brasil. The food was wonderful, and it was neat to be surrounded with people speaking Portuguese.
The Rockettes show was AMAZING! If you're ever in NY around Christmas you should try to see it. After each scene we thought we'd seen the best, and the next would just amaze us more.

Finally, we walked around the tree at Rockefeller Center. It is so big!

Our final stop that night was to see the Christmas decorations at Macy's. They were incredible. Since it was Christmas Eve, the store was especially busy. I don't know how anyone could actually shop in crowds like that.

Nick took this video and we had to laugh because by the time he was done, about 10 more people had gathered to take pictures/video as well. He's such a trend-setter ;)

Christmas day was a little strange this year. We had already opened most of our presents, but we did have stockings full of candy. After church we opened a few small presents and spent the afternoon on Skype.
We were both more homesick for our families than any other year we've been away for Christmas, and we also missed having Daphne around.

We spent our anniversary braving the rain to check out some fun stores. We stopped at the FAO Schwartz toy store. It was really fun. We especially liked the gems/minerals section. It is so exciting to watch them break open a geode and see what's inside!
We also ran into the real Lego Indiana Jones and had to take a picture with him for Dallan and Ryan!

They have a "make your own muppet" section, and sell incredibly high-priced Etch-a-Sketches. Yes, the price tag says $1,499.99. It was next to the Barbie Foosball table priced at $24,999.99!
They are, of course, famous for the piano featured in the movie BIG.
Here's a demonstration of the piano for you:

A sampling of the shop windows on 5th Ave. decked out in festive themes.

We liked these pretty pigeons camped out at the subway.

NYC Part 2

2012-01-09T11:01:00.002-05:00

After taking a few days for Nick to get some work done, we ventured down to the financial district.
We rode the Staten Island Ferry to see the Statue of Liberty. Next time we'll probably go onto the island, but it was all so crowded, we opted for the ferry view.

We didn't stop to see the large bull statue, but we did find a small financial museum. I thought it would be fun for Nick and I would be totally bored, but it was just the right size to keep us both interested without being too much.

Nick had to take a work call for a bit. How fitting.

We reserved tickets to see the 9/11 memorial and museum, but were a little late getting there. It was really confusing to know where to go, and the lines were super long. We decided to save that for another trip as well. But here's a shot of the progress they're making on the new buildings.

We stopped and ate at a local diner where Nick got his New York Cheesecake. But this one had no crust at all, which was a little much, even for him.

Just when our vacation was beginning to get a bit stale, our friends Jaclyn & Jon joined us for New Year's weekend and livened things up.
We spent one day walking through Central Park and eating at Serendipity. They stopped early in the day to get our name on the list because it's a 3-4 hour wait to get in. Crazy, no?

We waited for maybe 20 minutes outside Serendipity to get in. It is a very eclectic restaurant.
The food is so-so, but the frozen hot chocolate is VERY good!

To end the day we walked around Chinatown and Canal Street. Chinatown really is like being transported-so interesting. Canal St. is where you can pick up all your counterfeit goods.

Happy New Year at Times Square!

2012-01-03T20:05:00.010-05:00

Nick and I were able to spend Christmas in New York (look forward to future posts).
Our friends Jon & Jaclyn joined us for New Years, and we braved the cold and the crowds to experience New Years Eve in Times Square!

We heard that once you get a spot on Times Square, you aren't aloud to leave and come back-which is true. That means hours with no food and no bathroom breaks. We prepared by wearing clothes with lots of pockets and packing them with food to see us through.
Jac and I also made sure to sport the traditional 2012 glitter glasses!

There were NYPD officers everywhere. Here is one of their "home base" streets. It was fun to hear their New York accents. They were very kind, even if none of them seemed to know where to tell people to go.

We got there at 2:00 and after about 30 minutes walking all around the blocks to find a place where they were letting people in we made it to a decent spot on 48th and Broadway. We had a straight shot of the ball and weren't too far from the stage, even though we couldn't see it.

The areas filled in quickly after that, so we're glad we got there early.

Here are the views of the crowds in front of us and behind us:

And there we stood for 10 hours . . .

The middle picture below shows our actual view of the ball. With our new camera, we were able to take some great zoomed-in shots as well.

The final countdown!

The traditional New Years kiss.

Here's a breakdown of the good and the bad about our New Years Eve in Times Square:

The Good

warm weather
friendly people from all over the world
playing cards
plenty of time to play around with our new camera
great view of the ball
friends to talk to and share memories with
enough room to sit on the ground once in a while
once-in-a-lifetime memories
experiencing the excitement of the countdown with so many people

The Bad

standing for 10 hours and walking for 2
bad directions from cops
the advertisement screen directly behind the ball
practically no entertainment - maybe only 8-10 min of videos/performances each hour
everyone around you somehow having pizza delivered and not knowing how to get some

Christmas Mix 2011

2011-12-15T10:11:00.004-05:00

I'm mixing things up a bit this year with my Christmas music post. Instead of posting about entire albums, this year I took the new music I found and created my own mix cd. I have placed links to Amazon so you can listen to samples by clicking on the artists (only one link per artist). ENJOY!

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas Michael Buble
Christmas Once Again Hilary Weeks
Holly Jolly Christmas Michael Buble
The Man With The Bag Lee Ann Womack
Bring Me Love Marie Digby
All I Want For Christmas Is You Michael Buble
White Christmas Lee Ann Womack
Coming Home For Christmas Kristy Starling
California Christmas Brooke White
Celebrate Me Home Kenny Loggins
The Season For Romance Lee Ann Womack
Winterlove Parachute
Cold December Night Michael Buble
Patapan/O Come, O Come Emmanuel Mindy Gledhill
Ring The Bells Hilary Weeks
O Holy Night Mercy Me
Silent Night Michael Buble
Is There Room? Hilary Weeks
Happiest Christmas Michael W. Smith
Little Soldier Mindy Gledhill
First Lullaby/Silent Night Hilary Weeks
Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas Michael Buble
Forever Christmas Eve Lee Ann Womack
What Are You Doing New Year's Eve? Lee Ann Womack
Auld Lang Syne Street Corner Symphony

Date Night at Brookside Gardens

2011-12-06T11:20:00.005-05:00

We went with our friends Jon & Jaclyn to see the Christmas lights at Brookside Gardens. They have a nature theme, since they're a garden.

Inside the greenhouse they had many beautiful tropical plants and arrangements of poinsettias. It was also a nice place to warm up for a bit.

Afterward we had hot chocolate at home with some peppermint stir-sticks Jac had made. Yum!

Mom's Visit: Birthday fun!

2011-12-02T22:00:00.000-05:00

It was so much fun having my mom with me on my birthday this year! We finished putting up the Christmas decorations, then went to the Temple. It was nice to get to introduce her to some of the people I work with there. When we were coming out, the Christmas lights all turned on.
It was a little startling, but very pretty!

We did a little birthday shopping, then picked up some Chinese take-out from China Taste, and come Great Wall of Chocolate cake from P.F. Chang's. Yum!
We had to get proof of mom actually eating real Chinese food. Then we got laughing about something and Nick' snapped a shot that captures just how alike my mom and I are.

I got some great birthday presents this year.

My reaction to the biggest present $100 iTunes card! SWEET!

Then it was time to head back over to the Temple for their first night of Christmas lights. Yup, they turned them on special for my birthday ;)

Finally, it was time for cake and a Christmas movie.
The perfect birthday!

Mom's Visit: Sewing Group

2011-12-01T22:32:00.004-05:00

Today we ran errands, then enjoyed my friends from the sewing group. Mom made t-shirts for us to make ruffle scarfs. Erin had been making felt flowers that day and suggested we made some to accessorize our scarfs. It was a great night!

Me, Jaclyn, Erin, Thais, Mom

We glued the flowers onto hair bands which are easy to put around the scarf, and also look very cute in your hair.

We'll all just have to coordinate so we don't all wear them to church on the same day :)

Mom's Visit: Gettysburg

2011-11-30T22:28:00.000-05:00

We started out the day with some exercise. My friend Jaclyn has been exercising with me every Wednesday and Friday for several months, so mom joined us. Today we tried a yoga video.

Then it was off to Gettysburg. It was C O L D and got dark too early. We sadly didn't get to spend as much time outside the car as we would have liked. But it was still a wonderful experience.

Here we are with President Abraham Lincoln.

My favorite part of the Visitor's Center is the Cyclorama. It really gives you a sense of the battle and helps you connect to the men who were part of it.

The Battlefield.

Little Round Top.
A Regiment from Maine, lead by Colonel Chamberlain "fought the most famous engagement there, culminating in a dramatic downhill bayonet charge that is one of the most well-known actions at Gettysburg and in the American Civil War". Wikipedia
After watching the movie "Gettysburg" and coming to this site again, I want to learn more about Col. Chamberlain. An incredible leader.

Our last stop was the National Cemetery. Unfortunately it was really dark and cold when we got there, so we didn't stay long. There is such a peace and spirit there.

"Every name . . . is a lightning stroke to some heart, and breaks like thunder over some home, and falls a long black shadow upon some hearthstone."
Gettysburg Compiler, July 7, 1863, on the killed and wounded at Gettysburg

We of course stopped at the gift shop where mom found a "dream box" with her name on it. May all your dreams come true! I liked the top hats.

On our way home we stopped at some Outlet shops and bought a few things. It was decorated so beautifully for Christmas.

Mom's Visit: Big shopping day!

2011-11-29T22:44:00.003-05:00

We did some big shopping today. Christmas came early for Nick and I since we went out and picked up our present - a Canon T3i!

We went back and forth a lot between Nikon and Canon, but this is what we landed on in the end.
Now we have a lot to learn about how to use it.

We had planned on Gettysburg today, but it was raining so instead we went shopping at Tyson's Corner. We spent 5 hours there and still only saw about 2/3 of the mall - it's big.

Here are our purchases. I found some great new exercise clothes and mom found a skirt and 2 shirts. We'll probably do some more shopping this week. We do love to shop - especially at Christmas time :)

Mom's Visit: Lancaster County, PA

2011-11-28T23:31:00.004-05:00

Today was a trip to Lancaster County, PA. This area is known for the Amish and Mennonite groups that live there. The landscape was beautiful farm land.

We stopped at a lot of cute stores and browsed through amazing quilts. Too bad we could never afford to buy one of them!

We did find a store that was selling "dog bone" pillows just like mom makes.

Of course, what everyone wants to see in Amish country is the horse and buggy. It was neat to see so many people using them. They also had a lot of children on scooters with wire baskets.

After several failed attempts at catching a photo out the car window, we finally caught some, along with a man plowing his field with his horses.

We ended the night with dinner from Cafe Rio, and we finished the movie Gettysburg in preparation for our trip there tomorrow.

Mom's Visit: Christmas Tree

2011-11-27T23:56:00.005-05:00

After a nice day at church, and an afternoon nap, we ate stuffing and put up the Christmas tree!

How do you like our "6-foot-tall" Christmas tree? Yeah, it's a little on the short side.

Trying to make the tree look taller - we just look silly.

Oh no - who did that?!

Mom looks pretty guilty to me.

Our star is heavy for our little tree, so it always takes some Jepsen magic to
get it standing up tall.

The finished product.

All aglow.

Mom's Visit: Monticello

2011-11-26T21:26:00.008-05:00

Taking in the views during the 3-hour drive:

Walking up to the home:

Thomas Jefferson's burial place. He wanted to be remembered for three things.

Author of the Declaration of Independence
Author of the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom
Father of the University of Virginia

He had an extensive garden and spent a lot of time experimenting with grafting and breeding various types of bushes, vegetables, and other plants.
The grounds of the house are very beautiful, even at this awkward time of year.

The house is fascinating, because Thomas Jefferson himself was so fascinating.
His real love was for science and education, and that shows in every part of the home he built for his family.

The weather vane on the roof is attached to a compass on the portico so that he could tell the direction of the wind by simply looking out the window. He kept extensive records of the weather.

It's all in the details. Everywhere you look there is an interesting detail in the design or decoration of the home.

Jefferson was inspired by his living for 5 years in Paris and added many new architectural designs to the home when he returned.

I wish we could have taken photographs inside. Our guide said that 60% of the furniture and decor was original. There are so many inventions and works of art. It was really neat to see those things in person.

Jefferson designed the home so that all the workings of the home were underground. This also helped each room in the home to have an uninterrupted view of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

An underground tunnel connected the two wings of the underground portion of the home. One wing was used for cooking, the other was for keeping the horses and carriages. Every detail was thought out, from how to collect rainwater to how to get the food from the kitchen to the dining table without it getting cold.

After a beautiful day touring, we stopped at the Tastee-Freez. It was like going back in time, especially getting to see the locals interact with each other. I forget that you don't have to go very far south before people start having accents!

We gave thanks . . .

2011-11-25T22:32:00.004-05:00

Once again Nick and I were blessed to enjoy Thanksgiving in Philly at the lovely Rombola home. We feel extremely blessed to have cousins who live close enough to share special occasions with.
Most of my pictures were candid, so you'll catch the spirit of our evening together :)

Tony and Candy are always perfect hosts!

The beautiful table setting.

Alex and Katie were the kitchen elves, cooking and cleaning for the crowd.

I always knew Nick was an angel, now you can all see his halo!

Candy and Bethany setting some more plates.

Madeline, aka The Great Cracker Snitch!

David and Nick can usually be seen just like this, deep in conversation. Sorry about the haze - turkey drippings will drip . . .

Gigi and Dolphin watching holiday shows and checking out the toy sales.

The gang enjoying pumpkin pie and chocolate tart - yum!

One final think to be grateful for:

Look who came to visit!!! Our week of adventures begins tomorrow . . .

Book Reviews: The Journey Home, The Christmas Wedding

2011-11-17T10:40:00.004-05:00

The Journey Home by Michael Baron

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This book was one I randomly picked up. It dealt with an interesting comparison between Alzheimer's disease and amnesia, going back and forth between two different character's stories. It was interesting, and the end definitely makes you think. I was surprised at how much food plays a role in the story. Maybe it's because I'm a picky eater, but food just doesn't speak to me the way it seems to speak to others.

The Christmas Wedding by James Patterson

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

One of the interesting things about reading a book is getting to know different types of characters. Most of the personalities in this book were very different from myself, and it was interesting to experience life through their lens.

I was drawn to this book by the picture on the cover, and it threw me off to find it was about a 54-year-old woman getting married to someone who wouldn't even know he was marrying her until the day of the wedding. It was pretty clever, though, and I enjoyed the story.

Book Reviews: Winnie the Pooh and Because of Winn-Dixie

2011-11-17T08:00:00.002-05:00

Dear me. It's been many months since I've posted a book review. I have been reading. A bit. Remember my goal to read 11,000 pages in 2011? Well, I still have 4,701 pages to go and only 46 days to get there. Yeah, that means I have to read at least 102 pages a day for the rest of the year. Hmmmm . . . I guess you can expect a lot more book review posts if I can stick to it :)

Winnie-the-Pooh by A.A. Milne

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I can't believe I had never read Winnie-the-Pooh. If you haven't, you should. It is so clever and fun! It was rewarding to get to know the real characters and not just the cartoon version. A must-own and a must-read for everyone in my opinion.

View all my reviews

Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The more books I read by Kate DiCamillo the more I fall in love with the way she tells stories. It is beautiful the way she takes so many characters and ties them together by revealing what they all have in common. When I finish one of her books, I feel like I know myself a little better than I did when I started. This story shows how we all have sadness and love in our lives, and both of these can bring us together, however different we may be.

View all my reviews

What do you do on Thursdays?

2011-11-15T11:35:00.004-05:00

We SEW!

A couple of months ago, some friends and I started a sewing group. We meet every Thursday night for about 2 hours and work on projects. It has been really motivating for all of us to finish projects, and it's a great time to chat!

Here are the girls: Vanessa, Me, Thais, Erin

I have made progress on some quilt blocks I started back in high school, and have made it through two big piles of mending (pictured here).

Erin has gone pillow crazy and has come up with some great creations, like these for her boy's room:

Vanessa made the cutest Red Riding Hood costume for her baby girl (sorry, no picture), and has also made some warm fleece hats.

This night Thais was working on a crochet table topper. She is now in the process of making her first skirt, and it is really cute.

I'm going to try to be better at taking photos of our projects to post in the future.

On a side note, Thais's mom sent these cute t-shirts for Thais to give to some of her friends.
Yeah BRASIL! (Thais is from São Paulo)
How cute are those shirts? Mine is a little on the short side, but perhaps I can add a band to it one of these sewing nights . . .

Long lost cousin found in Pennsylvania!

2011-11-11T09:00:00.000-05:00

Dad & Dedee spent last week driving across the country doing family history research. They spent some time in upstate New York, and my plan was to meet them up there. The October snow storm messed up those plans, but we got lucky when they found a cousin with information on the family in Lancaster, PA.

They drove down to talk with Sue and I was able to meet them there. It will be great to have another contact with more insight and stories about family ancestors! After a nice visit with Sue at her yarn shop, we enjoyed a yummy steak dinner and parted ways. It was so nice to see family, even if it was only for a few hours!

Sue, Dad, Dedee

Sue, Dad, Me

Taste of Fall

2011-11-09T09:13:00.000-05:00

One day while grocery shopping, Nick decided to buy one of a variety of apples so that we could do an apple tasting.
We have always been Fuji apple people, but what if there was a better tasting apple out there?

Here's the line-up of the apples.
From left to right:
Home-grown by a friend at the Temple, Honey Crisp, Fuji, Macintosh, Cortland, Gala

Once they were all cut and laid out on plates, we realized we should have invited some friends over to help us - that was a lot of apple for two people!

And the winner is: Honey Crisp!
Best. Apple. Ever.

And the loser is: Any apple with a mushy texture (Macintosh, Gala, Cortland).
We like 'em crisp.

Happy Halloween!

2011-11-07T09:00:00.003-05:00

The Young Women were in charge of the ward Halloween party this year, and they asked me to create a photo backdrop - with a budget of $15. Thanks to Martha Stewart I was able to come up with some ideas using paper. My friend Jaclyn was a life saver as we spent several hours folding, cutting, gluing and drawing. Nick found a great tree branch outside we used to hang some paper lanterns.
Here's a shot of the backdrop. I haven't seen the pictures they took of us in front of it yet. Hopefully it turned out okay. The rest of the decorations were really cute. The leaders did a great job of transforming the gym.

I especially liked the way they placed crows above these lights!

Last year we learned that in our ward, most of the people dress up, grown-ups included. So, we decided to finally join in the fun. We went as Peter Pan and Wendy.

We can fly!

Virtual UPB Concert

2011-09-23T16:54:00.002-04:00

As I mentioned in this previous post, my dad is a member of Utah Premier Brass. One thing I miss about living so far away is not being able to attend his concerts.

Lucky for me, UPB had the chance to perform live in the new BYU Broadcasting building (which I hear is amazing). It was broadcast on Classical 89, which has live online streaming. It was fun to "attend" one of his concerts from so far away.

It also gave me a chance to play around with various computer programs in order to record it and provide you with this lovely tidbit of the concert, if you're interested. Unfortunately, we didn't think to record it until part-way through the first song, so I missed the title of this one.

Another great concert, Dad!

Happy Anniversary To One and All!

2011-09-19T15:56:00.009-04:00

September is a month to celebrate the amazing additions to my family.
The in-laws!
Both my brother and my sister were married in September, so it is a month of anniversaries.

Celebrating 10 wonderful years this September (actually this very day):
Jennifer & Joseph!
Anyone who knows Joseph would tell you it doesn't take long for you to feel right at home around him. He brings just the right amount of spunk to our family, and compliments Jenn's silly side perfectly.

Joseph is a great tickler. He is the only person on the planet who can actually tickle my sister - a feat I never thought possible.

He takes great care of his girls and certainly knows how to keep 'em happy, even when it means participating in girly outings.

He is a trooper with the kids.
(I'll let you think that smile stayed on his face all night long while Owen threw fits for hours!)

Here's to Joseph - happy husband, fabulous father, and all-around great guy!

Celebrating 8 wonderful years this September:
Matthew & Kristen!
I like to take a little credit for these two getting together, but it was really written in the stars! Kristen fits so well into our family it's hard to believe she hasn't always been a part of it.
There is no woman who works harder or loves stronger.

I have her to thank for every encounter I've had with a swimming pool in the last 8 years.*

She plays hard and is competitive. She is the reigning queen of croquet.

I would never let anyone else practice medical procedures on me. The perfect IV every time! (Well, unless you're Matthew . . .)

Something else I love about Kristen is that she loves my mom. Those two in a giggle fit equals high quality entertainment!

Here's to Kristen - wonderful wife, amazing mother, and all-around great gal!

Happy Anniversary To One and All!

*Fun fact: Every in-law in our family was on their high school swim team, and all the boys home taught their significant other at one time or another. Interesting, no?

Utah Trip Part 5

2011-09-17T11:43:00.004-04:00

While I was in Price, I worked on scanning in photos from Grandma & Grandpa's photo albums (see the bookshelf on the right?) The project took over a good portion of mom's house, but it was a lot of fun to look at all the photos. I almost got through all of them - next trip, I guess.

The kids were very excited for Uncle Nick to come play with them.

I think this was a game where Nick would try to sneak up on Dallan without getting bopped on the head with the dog bone pillow. Who knows :)

We got Kamdyn a Dr.'s kit for his birthday. Everyone had their hearts checked out.

Two happy boys!

Mom and I enjoyed Sunday dinner at Matt & Kristen's. YUM!

Dallan wanted to build a really long straw contraption so he didn't have to reach for his cup!

Kamdyn celebrated his birthday on the 24th. Here he is trying to show me that he's 3!

I was able to go watch Dallan in a couple of his swim meets. The kids looked so tiny in the pool. Here he is with Grandpa Fozzy getting some last minute tips.

Dallan and his swim buddy.

It actually rained quite a bit while I was there (unusual for Price in July).
When I lived at home and it would rain, mom and I used to hop in the car and go drive through puddles. This was the perfect storm for that.

Unfortunately for mom, the sidewalk sags in front of her house and she always ends up with a lake. This was one of the biggest lakes I've seen there.

When the water dries up, she is always left with layers of dirt from the hills covering her sidewalk. I forgot that the dirt in Price cracks and curls when it dries up.

I always loved playing with these when I was a little girl. I think they are so cool!

Gettin' in shape

2011-09-12T20:50:00.004-04:00

As I approach 30, and after two straight years of living a completely sedentary lifestyle, it is time for me to get in gear and start getting back in shape.

Today I started a water fitness class - woohoo! When I was young, my dad took me to Las Vegas to visit his Aunt and Uncle. Ever since Aunt Nancy took me with her to her water aerobics class, I have wanted to do one. This summer Kristen and I went a few times, and I found that I really like water workouts.

I am starting out with the abs and glutes class. It's good times, let me tell you. I have no muscles anymore : ( I feel right at home with all the old ladies!

I am posting a video sample of one of the ab moves we did. If it looks awkward watching her do it out of the water, trust me, it's even more difficult when you're floating in water with your arms out to the side. My favorite move of the day was the side bike, although I couldn't seem to go backward on my right side. I felt (and probably looked) extremely uncoordinated.

P.S. My ultimate goal is to end up with arms like Susan Foster!

Utah/Colorado: Part 4

2011-08-28T11:24:00.009-04:00

First of all, a quick report on this week's weather adventures.

The earthquake came on Tuesday just before 2:00. It lasted 15-20 seconds and we definitely felt it! Nick was at the office and was evacuated for 30 minutes while they checked the building. I was in the Temple, where we went on with business as usual while they checked the building. There was no structural damage, but 4 spire tips did fall off. They chipped of pieces of stone as they went down, and put a couple of small holes in the roof, dented a van, and chipped some cement. You can hardly tell just looking at them from a distance.

This weekend we also had Hurricane Irene. It was a bit uneventful, although they did cancel church in anticipation of possible power outages. We ended up with around 24 hours of constant rain and spurts of strong wind. It was amazing to watch the huge trees swaying. Today it is windy, but settling down.

Okay, back to the Utah trip! Nick was able to fly out for a week. We got to see all of my family, and also attended my 10-year class reunion. It was fun to see some of the classmates I haven't seen often, if at all, since high school. Unfortunately some couldn't make it, and it definitely would have been more fun with them, but we still had a good time.

I didn't take very many pictures, sorry Ady. This is all you get.

Me, Julee, Diane

Kortne, Laura, Julie, Paola, Hyrum, Amy, Me, Diane

After the reunion, Nick and I drove to Breckenridge, CO to meet up with his family for the Jepsen Family Reunion! Nick's dad has 6 brothers, and we get together with them and their families every other year for a fun adventure.
Here is is the condo we stayed in.
I didn't take a great variety of pictures, and sadly there aren't many of the rest of the family. We'll do better next time.

These pictures are from our bike ride. It was very relaxing - all downhill, peaceful and gorgeous.

I didn't take any pictures of the family softball game. That is a tradition every year since Nick's grandpa was a huge baseball fan. Nick hit a home run and I actually hit the ball pretty well every time I was up to bat!

With the change in elevation (and being completely out of shape), I was really winded every time I had to run bases, so I knew I couldn't make it on the big hike they had planned. Instead, I spent the morning walking around the fun shops and art galleries downtown and doing a little shopping. In the meantime, the rest of the family went on a hike up Quandary peak
elevation 14,265 ft.
They said it was a hard hike with steep, rocky trails and very little oxygen, but it was worth it for the view - and the goats.
Along the trail, they met up with a bunch of mountain goats, who would follow them along and get pretty close. Aren't they cute!

Sorry about the eyes-closed picture, Nick, but it's the only one that showed how the clouds would cover one side of the peak, and the other would be clear.

Utah Trip: Part 3

2011-08-22T11:59:00.004-04:00

One of the Z's favorite summer activities is the Dinosaur Park in Ogden.

You are greeted by some cool robotic dinosaurs. I think Dallan's first reaction, with eyes wide, was, "wow, that is so awesome!"

This poor baby was none too happy about someone littering in her habitat.

Scary dino-adventurers.

Exploring.

A really dark wooly-rhino that you can barely see.

After you've looked at the inside of the museum, they take the dinosaurs outside.

You never know what's waiting just around the corner.

Nothing's better than a picnic in the shade on a hot day!

Well, the kids might say filling their shoes with sand was more fun :)

If you've never been, check it out sometime!

Utah Trip: Part 2

2011-08-20T21:08:00.005-04:00

The week of Kamdyn's surgery I stayed a week at my sister's house. I loved spending time with the kids and hanging out with Jenn.

The boys played a lot together, so Emmy was my special buddy.

She wrote me lots of notes.

We made silly faces.

She showed me how she waters her garden (the flowers on the rug).

Check out how this girl walks around the house:

The best were her snuggles. She let me sleep in her bed, and every morning she would come into her room and snuggle with me and Bunny.
A couple of mornings I pretended to be asleep and she didn't want to wake me up by opening her closet doors, so she banged on her toy pans until I "woke up", then she would quietly open her closet. Silly girl :)

Here she is snuggling with Grandma and Bunny.

Did I mention that the boys played together a lot?
They built Lego action men.Tried to beat Grandpa at checkers.
Played Guess Who with Uncle Nick.
Cooked in Emmy's kitchen (Kamdyn's favorite place).
And ran around the house until they looked like this!

The food is always good at Jenn's house!

Our fabulous chef making home-made mac & cheese.

Star Wars pancakes for breakfast.

Or ghosts, or starfish, or the most amazing octopus (sorry no pictures of him, he was gobbled up too quickly).

Also not pictured were the smoothies. YUM!

Thanks, Jenn, for hosting all of us!And, you, Joseph, for showing up on the last day ; )

Don't ask why this is the only picture I have of him. I guess scout camp made him a little crazy.

Utah Trip: Part 1

2011-08-18T11:36:00.007-04:00

I've been avoiding blogging because I was in Utah for a month, and it's so much work to catch up, but I'm officially ready to tackle it.

First up was Kamdyn's heart surgery. He was born with a hole in his heart, and it was slowly getting larger. They did open heart surgery at Primary Children's Hospital in Salt Lake.
He was very brave. The saddest part was seeing him ride away in the wagon with a big grin on his face, then see him only hours later in the hospital bed, all tied up with tubes and wires feeling really bad and not knowing why.
They had a bit of a scare the first night when his throat swelled and he stopped breathing, but once they got through that night, he was ready to get out of there.

They released him 48-hours after surgery and boy did they ever have a tough time keeping him down once he got back home. There was an instant change in his energy level with the increased blood flow.

Here he is showing off his incision the day he was released.

About two weeks later it was healing quite nicely.

Birthday Celebrations!
All three of the boys have birthdays in July, and we got to celebrate with Dallan and Ryan while we were all together. What better place to go than Chuck E Cheese's!

The birthday boys were SO excited!

Dallan and Grandma playing air hockey.
Ryan and Grandma shootin' hoops.

Owen making sure mom was watching him ride the roller coaster.
Emmy riding with a puppy.

The adults had fun, too! Jenn and I had a virtual jump roping contest.
She was the winner.

Present time!
Dallan loved his Etch A Sketch.Everyone likes to help open presents.
Ryan's favorite candy bar!
Checkin' out the secret code book.

4th of July!

Dallan had me folding swan paper airplanes for him, and he wanted to see if one could swim.

We did sparklers in the front yard, and I wanted a picture of Dallan holding two up. This was the first picture.
Then I tried to get him to open his eyes, but he was convinced that his eyes would get burned and he started to cry.

Some birthday picture, huh?

Happy Fourth of July!

2011-07-04T23:13:00.002-04:00

Happy Independence Day, from Washington, D.C!

We have amazing family and friends . . .

2011-06-25T14:12:00.004-04:00

A couple of exciting things have happened to people we love. First up is Nick's cousin Candy (aka Sydney) and her husband Tony. The Mormon Tabernacle Choir has been touring along the East Coast recently, and they were able to attend in their hometown, Philly. You can see them in the video clip and read their comments in this article from the Church newsroom:

Mormon Tabernacle Choir Shares 100-Year Love of Music With Philadelphia

Next up is my super awesome friend and Nauvoo roomie, Tiffany. If you pick up your July Ensign you'll get to read a short story written by her. You can also access it online here:

Two Cities and a Tender Mercy

Tiffany is also the author of Zion National Park. Way to go, Tiff! She has had some amazing, and some crazy, experiences working as a National Park Ranger. I look forward to the day when she compiles them into a memoir :)

It's good to have friends.

2011-06-11T21:57:00.003-04:00

It is starting to feel more like home here now that we have made some friends we actually socialize with.
Several weeks ago Nick and I went to dinner in Rockville with my best east-coast buddy Thais and her husband Dan.

Today I spent the afternoon wandering Old Town Alexandria with Rosalind who works on the same Temple shift with me.

We visited the Torpedo Factory Art Center, then bought some treats at Candi's Candy Shop.

A Beautiful New Discovery - Brookside Gardens

2011-06-10T17:00:00.006-04:00

Who knew that a mere 3 miles from my house was a gorgeous, 50-acre display garden? Bonus - admission is free! I went today with my friend Debbie (who is shy and didn't want to be featured on the blog).

There are several gazebos to find shade.

Some bright azaleas.

We wanted to see the rose garden, but were a little disappointed. It seemed that they were between blooms. The ones that had blossomed were turning brown, and the new blossoms were just forming. Better luck next time. Here are a few that were still pretty.

The water features were very calming, as was this view:

I don't remember what these flowers are called, but these are the tallest ones I've ever seen-I liked them :)

If you want to really appreciate the next group of pictures, you may need to click on them for a larger view.

These were strange:
My favorite part of our walk was all the wild life. I don't usually like bees, but there were the largest bumble bees I've ever seen swarming all around the blossoms. They were amazing to watch.
There were also butterflies all over. Seeing a butterfly in Utah always seemed like a really amazing thing, because I just never saw them that much. You might have to search a bit to locate them, but there is a bee or butterfly in each of the next pictures.
This one was my favorite!This one was for you, Jenn - a pretty dragonfly.
There were turtles in the aquatic garden:

Finally, we had to beat the heat (it was around 95 degrees during our walk) and stop at Rita's for an Italian ice. Yum!

Book Review: The Great Good Thing

2011-06-07T12:32:00.001-04:00

The Great Good Thing (Richard Jackson Books by Roderick Townley

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I thought this book was super clever. The author explored a concept I've never read a book about - what happens to the characters in a book when you close the book, and how do those characters affect your life? He links these characters into the Reader's life and dreams in an inventive way. The idea of it is a little complicated at first, but once you catch the vision, it's an interesting story. I especially enjoyed the first few chapters as he describes the characters exploring the pages of their book. It explores how important books are (especially in our youth), and how the characters can impact our lives for years to come. It's the kind of book that makes you want to share your favorite stories with your friends and family.

View all my reviews

Memorial Day Weekend - Day 4

2011-06-06T09:47:00.006-04:00

We started out our last day with a metro ride to Foggy Bottom, and a bit of a walk to go kayaking in Georgetown.

Georgetown is an amazing neighborhood to explore. Lots of great architecture and fun shops. Under the Key Bridge, you'll find Jack's Boathouse.

For $14 we enjoyed an hour of kayaking on the Potomac. Pictures couldn't capture how fun and how beautiful it was.

After we cleaned up from kayaking, Kim, Nicole's friend from high school, picked us up for lunch. She took us to Ray's Hell Burger in Arlington.
Yum!

Next, we went to Arlington Cemetery. We saw the iconic Iwo-Jima memorial, listened to the music from the bell tower, and walked around the cemetery.It was a beautiful way to spend Memorial Day. Seeing the flags on the rows of white headstones was touching. It was nice to spend a quite moment reflecting on our military and all they do for our freedom.

To end the day, Kim took us to her favorite memorial at the Pentagon. I didn't know about this memorial, and once you understand the meaning behind the design, it is personal and moving.

The area of gravel has 184 floating benches, one for each person who died there on September 11.

Here you can see the difference in stone where they re-built after the plane crashed through the wall.

Each bench has the name of someone lost, along with any family members that may have also been on the plane with them. Each of them has their own bench in the park. This particular bench was a family with the parents, and two daughters. She was the youngest person who died - only 3 years old.

The benches are placed in rows, one row for each year from 1930-1998, the years the oldest and youngest person were born.

As you stand at the bench, you know how old that person was by what year the were born. The direction their bench faces is also symbolic. When you stand looking at their name, if you are facing the Pentagon, you know they died while working there. If you are facing away from the Pentagon, the direction the plane flew from, you know that they were passengers on the airplane.

It is an incredibly sobering and spiritual memorial.

Thank you, Kim, for showing it to us.
And thank you, Nicole, for coming to visit. It was a wonderful weekend.

Memorial Day Weekend - Day 3

2011-06-05T15:30:00.000-04:00

After church, we visited the Temple to take some pictures and explored the new exhibit at the Visitor's Center.

The world's largest dandelion ; )

Look what's hiding in the bushes!

The new exhibit is all about the Church's welfare program. They always do a great job setting these exhibits up. At the end they had an interactive screen where you could type in ways to give service and look at other people's ideas.

Nick wanted to take a look at these church-grown raisins, only to find out they were attached to the base - oops!

We enjoyed watermelon.

And we froze blueberries.

Nicole and I went to see several monuments that night, but I don't have any photos. We thought about going to the PBS concert at the Capitol, but it was too hot and crowded.

Memorial Day Weekend - Day 2

2011-06-04T14:23:00.007-04:00

On day 2, we explored more of the Outer Banks and drove back to Maryland. It was only about a 5-hour drive.

Nicole got up to watch the sunrise. Unfortunately, there were clouds along the horizon, but it did create a strange line of light and color.

There were sand crabs everywhere, and they were much bigger than the tiny one we saw Friday night. No walks along the beach at sunrise here.
We think this one looks like the face on Pringle's chips.

One crab came out of his hole and then couldn't find it again. He had to search a bit to find an empty hole to inhabit.

Here is a sampling of the beautiful beach houses along the shore. They are so amazing. I now understand the appeal of owning a beach house.

Bodie Island Lighthouse

At our next stop, we got about this close before we had to run for bug spray.
2 of the 13 mosquito bites I got on my legs in only 2-3 minutes. Man did they swell up and itch like crazy.

But, armed with bug spray and itch cream, we finally got to see the lighthouse up close.

Jockey's Ridge State Park
Up over this hill are some amazing sand dunes. We didn't explore them too much, or walk across to the other coast, but we sure had a great time.

It felt like we were entering another world.
We spent a couple of hours breaking in my new kite.
(A Prism Snapshot 1.2.)

On our way home, we stopped at a big farmer's market we'd passed on the way there. We got a bag of peaches, strawberries, blueberries and a watermelon. YUM!

Memorial Day Weekend - Day 1

2011-06-01T21:38:00.009-04:00

I was feeling bad about missing Memorial Day weekend at home this year. It has always been one of my favorite holidays, and we never miss decorating the family graves. I felt so blessed when my friend Nicole decided to come for a visit that weekend. We had such a great time together - giggling, talking, singing and making many great memories.
I have been wanting to go on a road trip, so we decided to drive down to the Outer Banks of North Carolina. I'll try to keep the commentary short so you can mostly enjoy the pictures.

Emily-Kate, a friend from BYU, was gracious enough to have us stay at her house in Norfolk, VA Thursday night. It was great to see her and her boys. Thanks again for being such a wonderful hostess.

As soon as we crossed the border into North Carolina we saw a Christmas store. Since trip-based ornaments are a tradition, it was a great chance to get them bought first thing. It was an interesting beach-meets-Christmas store. LOVED the furniture, though. It was amazing. Here I am at the 'beach' with Santa.

Our next stop was Roanoke Island Festival Park, where we saw lots of beautiful flowers.

Roanoke Island is the site of the first English settlement in America.

We visited the ship Elizabeth II to see what it was like for the settlers on their journey.

Nicole didn't see this sailor sitting in the corner and he gave her a start when she almost stepped on him!

Feelin' the breeze aboard ship.

Fun grasses that grow in the marsh.

A nice view from the ship's window.

The Roanoke Marshes Lighthouse. We didn't actually tour it, and it is pretty tiny as lighthouses go.

The rest of the park was not what we expected. We thought there would be more about the settlers, who mysteriously vanished and were never seen again, but it was mostly about the Native Americans on the islands. We made the best of it, of course.

She reminded me of Mother Willow from the movie Pocahontas.

Nicole performing her Native American circle dance.

Me learning the art of turning wood.

Tourists with shrunken heads!

A cape fit to meet the Queen in.

Nicole sporting her skirt over a "bum roll". She's always up with the latest in fashion. Watch out Drizella and Anastasia!

A plaque for Virginia Dare, "first born of the English in America".

Since we got such a late start getting there, we decided not to drive back to Norfolk, and instead found a Comfort Inn on the beach. It was so nice to spend the evening walking in the sand, finding shells, and listening to the waves.

We ate dinner at The Dunes Restaurant.

Nicole had a trio meal with shrimp, crab and scallops.

I had . . . . drum roll please . . . . Mahi-mahi.
Yes, I ate a fish other than halibut, and I liked it well enough to eat at least a third of it. That's great progress for someone from my family :)

Here are a couple of videos of the ocean and our first sighting of a tiny sand crab.

It must be spring!

2011-05-23T12:14:00.003-04:00

Remember Mr. Goose? He must have been announcing the arrival of new little goslings. Our front lawn has been overrun by these adorable families for the past week. There have been as many as 5 families at one time, with anywhere from 4-20 goslings for every pair of geese. It has been amazing to watch them grow.

Magazine Monday: game storage & gold leafing

2011-05-23T11:46:00.004-04:00

As I've probably mentioned before, I am a sucker for multi-use furniture. This pile of games had been moving from living room, to bedroom, to dining room, and I was sick of looking at them. It was time for a solution.

Welcome Target storage bench! Now we not only have a place to put up our feet while we're watching TV, but our games and blankets are now tucked nicely away.

I have seen gold and silver leafed pieces a lot in magazines lately, and it looked like a fun thing to try. I've been needing some artwork to hang on an empty wall, and fell in love with some flower prints from IKEA. They have been sitting in a drawer, unused for at least 6 months. It was time to give them a home.

I bought some cheap frames at IKEA, and the gold leafing supplies at Michael's.

The plastic fronts of these frames were not removable, so I started by taping off the edges.
I applied the tacky primer and let it dry, then it was time to start applying the leafing. That was a fun process, but brushing off the excess was a mess.

I love the textured look of the layers of gold. After several coats of sealant, they were ready to hang on the wall.I was too cheap to buy a mat, so I turned over the paper lining that came in the frame so it was white, then used some gray and brown ribbon from my stash to create a sort of mat to hold the print.

Voila!

Book Review: I Capture the Castle

2011-05-16T12:37:00.000-04:00

I am falling way behind in my reading goal, so look forward to many new book reviews in the weeks to come. *Hopefully!*

I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was a great book. I loved the way it was written, through the narrator's journal. She was so honest, and I could relate to a lot of her inner dialogues and discoveries. It made me notice more of the world around me, the details of my own life and how I fit into it all. This is a great one to add to your to-read list.

View all my reviews

My friend Mr. Goose

2011-05-14T11:33:00.003-04:00

This was the most exciting thing that happened yesterday.

A goose from the pond across the street landed on the roof and squawked for 30 minutes.
He was very cute - and loud.

Is my life exciting or what?

Book Review: Betsy-Tacy books 1-4

2011-05-11T16:53:00.001-04:00

The Betsy-Tacy Treasury by Maud Hart Lovelace

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

These are super fun books, and I look forward to following Betsy through the rest of the series. Maud Hart Lovelace captures what it is to be a little girl, from the ideas, the imagination, the friendships and play. It reminded me of memories with my friends growing up and made me want to write down my own experiences.

I would recommend these books to any friend.

View all my reviews

HAPPY BIRTHDAY NICK!

2011-05-09T14:10:00.007-04:00

To my fabulously handsome husband on his birthday:

I love you for giving me piggy-back rides . . .

I love you for pretending to be a cheesy zebra . . .

I love you for letting me drag you on trips . . .

I love you for reminding me to apply sunscreen when we're outdoors . . .

I love you for loving my family . . .

I love you for waiting in line to take pictures with Diego just because, well, why not? . . .

I love you for going with my to Disney on Ice - twice . . .

I love you for your awesome snowman making skills . . .

I love you for being so smart and working so hard - and for totally rocking that robe . . .

I love you for being my fellow dart frog . . .

I love you for enjoying the rain . . .

. . . and the snow . . .

I love you for wearing a sweater at least once,
even if it was just long enough to take this picture . . .

I love you for all our adventures together . . .

I love you for giving the best hugs . . .

. . . and so much more!

Birthday kisses to you!

And of course Happy Birthday from Daphne, who looks forward to you coming home from work every night!

Spring has practically come and gone.

2011-05-06T12:13:00.001-04:00

March and April were incredible months for spring blossoms here. In March we had the cherry blossoms come out.

During the first weeks of April these beautiful trees sported their large flowers. They were everywhere, and in every shade of pink.
Those are now mostly gone and the bushes are starting to blossom. I have honestly never seen such full, bright bushes. The hot pink bushes are literally fluorescent looking.

These are along the driveway of the Temple.

This is a typical site driving through neighborhoods.And these are the fluorescent pink bushes. They amaze me every time I see them.

I have always enjoyed spring, but out here it may just take the cake as my favorite season. The trees are all leafed out and I am reveling in opening my windows to see the beautiful trees. We have such a great view here I hate to think of having to give it up someday (since we're renting).
The trees outside our bedroom.
The tree outside our kitchen.
The view from the living room. My favorite!
Last night Nick and I sat on the porch and watched two small brown rabbits hop about on the lawn. It doesn't get much better than that.

Back from a hiatis . . .

2011-05-06T11:46:00.010-04:00

When will I learn that taking a break from blogging only leads to such a back-up of pictures and posts that it seems impossible to catch up? Oh well.

It has already been two weeks since our trip to Utah for Grandpa's funeral. These are the only pictures I took. I'll have to get actual photos of the funeral from my sister, since she was amazing and made sure to capture the whole event.

Here's Kamdyn handing me a traditional Dart family snack of Tootie Fruities in a cup.
One good thing that came of this trip was being able to play with him and see him before he has his heart surgery this summer.

If you're not afraid to hear my terrible singing and guitar playing, or our forgetting that our camera does not take vertical shots, you can watch this video of Kamdyn leading the music. He has always been a musical dude. He also graced us with a vocal solo-singing at the top of his lungs with a lotion bottle microphone. It's a shame we missed filming his awesome dance moves.

Nick having a turn with Dallan's guitar.
Mom being silly.

Mom laughing at her silliness.

Goodbye, Grandpa.

2011-04-22T18:21:00.004-04:00

After a long struggle, Grandpa Hassinger was finally able to leave this world. He has been ready to go for weeks, but his body was hanging on. Mom, Aunt Layna and Uncle Floyd have been tirelessly taking care of him the last couple of weeks. He always said how grateful he was to have family to take care of him, and I know Grandma has been smiling down on you - so proud of your love for him and each other.

Of all my grandparents, I had the most personal relationship with him. It was hard to be so far away and say my goodbyes over the phone. He has meant so much to me, and I'm going to miss him tremendously.

I love you, Grandpa!

Book Review: Fireworks Over Toccoa

2011-04-22T08:58:00.000-04:00

Fireworks over Toccoa by Jeffrey Stepakoff

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I picked this book up from the library solely based on the cover photo. I was drawn to the photograph. It looked so magical with the the fireflies in the field. I was not disappointed by the story and wouldn't be surprised if it is picked up as a movie in the near future. I thought the story was interesting and captivating. I also liked that it was inspired by research on the history of fireworks. If you do decide to read it and are at all interested in avoiding the love scene, I'll tell you to skip pages 149-155. I didn't find the story to be affected by skipping it.

View all my reviews

Doug's Mission Call

2011-04-20T20:47:00.005-04:00

Nick's brother received his mission call today!
He will be serving in the Brazil, Maceio mission.

We are so excited for you, Doug! It looks like a beautiful city to serve in.
Maybe we'll come visit you :)

Photo from www.picsfrom.com

DISNEYLAND - again

2011-04-15T12:56:00.006-04:00

I took a short video of the World of Color show before it got too wet for cameras, but I couldn't get it to upload. It seems my sister was able to. Here's a link to her post (for myself if no one else). It was incredible how they projected images on water spraying out like a fan.

Last Disney Post

You can also see the entire 30-minute show on YouTube HERE. It's not the same as being there to experience it, but it still amazes me.

DISNEYLAND

2011-04-12T14:03:00.011-04:00

My sister's family invited me to come along on their vacation to Disneyland! I couldn't pass up the chance to see family, and since I don't remember when my family went it was my chance to experience the happiest place on earth :)

I didn't take a ton of pictures, so I'm just doing one long post, and if you want to see more (and you should, the kiddos are so cute!) I will put links at the bottom to my sister's blog posts.

Ready to explore the park!

The awe of carousels! (I love that O has the same look as Em)

My riding partner on Dumbo.

Emmy was enthralled during the Nemo submarine ride.

The girls stood in line for almost 2 hours to see some princesses. Emmy was in heaven.
Goofy - finally a character taller than me ; )

I couldn't seem to get away from nation's capitol.
Apparently Abraham Lincoln was one of Walt Disney's heroes.

We also stood in line forever for the Toy Story Mania ride.
The kids loved it.

Can I just say how cute it was that Ryan wanted to ride with me a lot? I'm going to soak in any affection I can get from him before he's too cool for that stuff.

Em being silly wearing her Jesse doll's hat.

The World of Color show was amazing!Although we did get wet, Wet, WET!

Besides Disneyland, we also went to:

Ryan was showing me his lego smile :)

This place really was amazing. Everything was made out of legos. I would see a seagull sitting on a street lamp, or a duck in a pond, and it would take me a while to figure out they were made of Legos.
They have a mini USA area where they have re-created different cities out of Legos. The kids thought it was the greatest thing.

Jenn & Joe with the NYC skyline.

They had a Star Wars section which Joseph & Ryan got excited about.

Lego Darth Vader

DC Lego style

Building superheros - Ryan's was great, I couldn't figure out how to put any of the pieces together.

This dragon was one of my favorites of the Lego creations.

They had a lot of great kid rides. One was a driving area where Ry got his Driver License. Isn't his picture awesome? We laughed ourselves silly over that!

A huge thanks for the amazing trip!

For more pictures, hop over to Jenn's blog posts
(I'll continue to add links to the days as she posts them)
Disneyland - Day 1
Disneyland - Day 2
Legoland & the Beach
Disneyland - Final Day

Hair Cut

2011-04-05T12:00:00.000-04:00

Anyone who knows me, knows that I am constantly changing my hair.

Long. Short. Long. Short.
This time I decided to keep it long, but try a style I've never done before.

I forgot to take a before picture, so here is a recent wind-blown look:

The new do:

The after photo doesn't really capture it well either, but that's all I have time for. It's off to Disneyland for me. You can see more shots of the new haircut in all the photos from my trip when I get back!

Jepsen's Visit Continued

2011-04-02T23:36:00.008-04:00

It's been a week since Nick's parents left and I'm finally posting the rest of their trip. We had a great time with them. Here's a re-cap of the rest of their week.
SUNDAY:

The Washington, D.C. Temple is always a must-see.

MONDAY & TUESDAY:
They visited Candy and Bethany and their fabulous families in Philadelphia.

Madeline & Marisa preparing the table.

Candy & Bethany preparing the food.

The Paynes

I assume this guy is some sort of Philly mascot, but I don't know any details :)

The Liberty Bell

Independence Hall

WEDNESDAY:
We went into the city for some site-seeing.

The Holocaust museum.

It's cherry blossom season!The thousands of trees around the Tidal Basin were beautiful, but we thought they'd be prettier if it was warmer outside.

THURSDAY:

Visiting Nick at his office.

The Library of Congress.

Who could pass up finally getting to watch the BYU basketball team play? That is one thing we miss out here.

FRIDAY:
Some exploring closer to home.

We went to see a friend's art on exhibit in downtown Bethesda. We also saw this amazing Comic store and had a great time exploring there.

Next we went Duckpin Bowling here in Silver Spring. It's like regular bowling, except the pins are shorter and the ball is much smaller and lighter.The pins don't knock each other down like in regular bowling, which makes it much harder to get a strike. Nick was the first to get one.

Book Review: Blood on the Moon

2011-03-26T10:47:00.001-04:00

Blood on the Moon: The Assassination of Abraham Lincoln by Edward Steers Jr.

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I thought this was a well-written book about Lincoln's assassination. It went into just enough detail, but was still readable. My intention was to read the book and visit Ford's Theater. Unfortunately, I got distracted and never got a chance to finish the book before I had burned through my 2 renewals at the library. I would pick it up again to finish the last couple of chapters someday.

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Jepsen's Visit Day 1

2011-03-19T22:58:00.003-04:00

Nick's mom and dad are visiting for the week. Our first stop was Gettysburg.Alan and Marisa in front of the North Carolina Memorial statue.

Little Round Top, an important high ground for the Union.

The National Cemetery. It is a humbling place.

We look forward to many more adventures in the coming week!

Bookcase Video

2011-03-11T10:48:00.002-05:00

I love this video - probably because I feel like I rearrange my bookcase at least once a month in the hopes of finding the perfect way to store/display them.

Enjoy!

Magazine Monday: Photo and Scarf

2011-03-07T22:00:00.004-05:00

A couple of weeks ago we got a delivery I haven't shared yet. Our friend Eeva posted on her blog a beautiful picture she took of the mountains in Utah. She was kind enough to share the photo with me. Nick and I decided to try something a little risky and had it printed on a 36 "x 52" canvas from CanvasPop.com. I should have taken a picture during the day with better light, but here is the print. It looks much better in person than it does in these photos. I love all of the colors it brings to the room.

Every time I see it I feel like I'm home.Instead of doing housework on Saturday, I got addicted to crocheting this ruffle scarf. It was really fun and easy to do. It did take me the whole day - I watched 3 Disney movies and 5 episodes of McLeod's Daughters. By the time I was done I felt like I exercised because my arms were sore by the end of the day!

P.S. The link above is to Eeva's recipe blog. She is a fantastic baker, and takes incredible pictures of her baked goods. If you want yourself a yummy treat, hop over and find her recipe for pretzel bites. Mmmmm....

El Baile del Perrito

2011-03-06T21:57:00.003-05:00

During my once-a-month stroll through Facebook, I saw a posting of this video. It's a must-see!

Read more about the dog, Carrie, here.

Wait, did I read that?

2011-03-02T17:14:00.004-05:00

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I was browsing through my goodreads account, particularly the "books Emily loves" section and came across this book.
Apparently I really liked it. The only problem is that I have no recollection of having read it, or what it was even about. I guess it will go back on my "to-read" list.
Does that ever happen to you?

Magazine Monday: Oranges, Doilies and Chicken

2011-02-28T17:16:00.003-05:00

This week's post is a random combination of my latest projects and finds.

First up, oranges. Nick and I came across this beauty at Shoppers the other day. I couldn't figure out a way to capture it in a photo, but these cute glass jars have little notches on the sides perfect for a no-slip grip. I can't wait to eat up the contents and find something fun to do with the jars!

My friend Thais is an amazing crocheter, and helped me learn to crochet these doilies/coasters. I found the pattern on Pardon My Chaos. Unfortunately for us, I have no clue how to read crochet patterns, and Thais only knows the vocabulary in Portuguese. But we figured it out and I love how they turned out!

Finally, chicken. I thought I would share this recipe I found almost a year ago in Real Simple magazine. It is one of our very favorites and is filling, but light. Yum!

Spiced Chicken with Coucous Salad
RealSimple magazine
Serves 4
25 minutes

3 Tbs. olive oil
4 6-ounce boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 Tbs. paprika
2 tsp. ground cumin
Kosher salt and black pepper

3/4 cup couscous
3/4 pound cherry or grape tomatoes, quartered
1/4 pound snap peas, thinly sliced crosswise (about 1 cup)
1/2 cup torn fresh basil
1/2 tsp. grated lemon zest
2 Tbs. fresh lemon juice

Heat 1 Tbs. of the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Season the chicken with the paprika, cumin, 1/2 tsp. salt and 1/4 tsp. pepper and cook until browned and cooked through, 6-7 minutes per side. Transfer to a cutting board.

Meanwhile, place the couscous in a large bowl. Add 1 cup hot tap water, cover, and let sit for 5 minutes; fluff with a fork. Add the tomatoes, snap peas, basil, lemon zest, lemon juice, the remaining 2 Tbs. of oil, 1/2 tsp. salt, and 1/4 tsp. pepper and toss to combine.

Slice the chicken and serve with the couscous.

Book Review: Rapunzel's Revenge

2011-02-24T12:35:00.002-05:00

Rapunzel's Revenge by Shannon Hale

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This was the first graphic novel I've ever read. The style is definitely different than what I'm used to. I thought the story was fun, and it was certainly a quick read. (I hesitate to count it as reading 144 pages because it's mostly pictures.) I enjoyed it enough to pick up the sequel when I get a chance.

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As a side note, for some reason it really bothered me that her hair looked like sausage links rather than braided hair. It's my only complaint!

Happy Valentine's Day

2011-02-14T16:18:00.003-05:00

First of all, an I Love You to Nick :)

Now for some of the other loves of my life. I never would have thought being an Auntie could be so fun. I love my niece and nephews so, so much! They are the cutest ever.

Magazine Monday: Reversible Bag

2011-02-07T19:58:00.002-05:00

Today's project didn't come from a magazine, but hey, it's something. A friend of mine just got a sewing machine and wanted to start to learn, so I am teaching her. Our first project was a reversible bag. All mine needs are large buttons on each side. It was so fast and easy I may make another one later this week!

A few random items.

2011-02-05T17:24:00.000-05:00

I am learning why everything shuts down here with only a few inches of snow. It is WET, WET, WET! I took this first picture of our winter tree:
Here is the same tree with another two inches. The poor branches were hanging on for dear life.
It's pretty crazy when you see the humongous trees with their branches sagging like that. Many branches, and some entire trees, couldn't handle the weight. Note to self: Never park the car under a tree when it storms.

Daphne likes to eat snow :)

Now on to some fun new World Market purchases. Have I mentioned that I love that store?

As part of their rewards program, I earned myself some extra cash to spend in the store. These are my bold new curtains for spring and summer. I'll post in a couple of months when I officially hang them.

The color scheme was inspired by this butterfly sticker display I made:

Up next was the unexpected purchase. I have admired this Sullivan chair every time I go to the store, but I was not in the market to buy one right now. However, I found out that they were being discontinued. There were only two left in the store and they were on sale, so I brought it home with me. $200 well spent, I say. It brightens up our living room and provides a place to sit other than the couch. I was a little nervous about going with the blue, but I like it. What do you think?

Chinese New Year

2011-02-03T11:15:00.002-05:00

2011 marks the Year of the Rabbit, so we thought we should celebrate in honor of Daphne. Plus, it gave me a good excuse to display our Chinese/Japanese trinkets.

The current decor of the dining room.

Fortune cookies will be waiting for us after our Chinese take-out tonight.

Stone figures one of Nick's friends brought him from China (most of his friends are Asian).

Chinese lantern from Chinatown in San Francisco, Geisha figurines and Geta from my trip to Japan. Chop sticks are from a local store - why didn't I buy chopsticks in Japan???

I drew the Chinese character for good luck with a sharpie on some grass paper and the cherry blossom tree is a greeting card I found.

I found this fabric at JoAnn's and stretched into some canvas frames - cheap, quick and easy to change.

These are fabric squares I bought in Japan, but haven't known what to do with them. I think they'll be my next table runner project.

Are any of you celebrating the Year of the Rabbit?

Magazine Monday: Fruit wall hangings

2011-01-31T17:40:00.005-05:00

This week's project was inspired by THIS blogger.

I have been working on sprucing up the kitchen. I bought a 3-pack of flat canvases, painted two of them gray, and used Mod Podge for the first time ever.

They were really fun to make, super fast, and I think they turned out great. My only dilemma is whether they look a little too 'country' for the space. I'm not really going for that look. I'll let them stay until I get some other decorations up and see what I think. I may use the same technique, but with different subject matter. Who knows.

I have another project waiting in the wings for that light fixture :)

In other kitchen sprucing, I have been making a trip to the container store each month to pick up some organizers a little at a time. I could spend WAY too much money in that store!
We don't have an abundance of cupboard space, and we're trying to work on food storage, so we added 4 GORM shelving units from IKEA, figuring they'll be useful in a garage or basement someday. The only problem is that it is all open shelving, so I want it to look as neat as possible.
It is still a work in progress, but here are 6 finished shelves:

Recipes on top, pasta, rice and oats all on display (love that those containers are only $2 or less!), and the breakfast shelf.

I was hoping for some rotating can shelves, but the price was right on these and we can store so many more cans now. Yippee! Up top are dish towels and snacks.

We can finally hang our brooms and the plastic bag holder to make room for our recycling basket below (couldn't get it in the picture).

Book Review: The Sea of Monsters

2011-01-28T10:00:00.000-05:00

The Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Greek mythology is complicated, and I like the way this series makes it easier to understand. After I finished The Lightning Thief, I wasn't in any hurry to read the rest of the series, but I liked this book even more than the first. It got me excited to keep going with the series.

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Fun winter video

2011-01-27T12:32:00.001-05:00

I definitely want to try this some day!

A few not so recent house projects

2011-01-26T20:24:00.000-05:00

I have been half-working on several projects, and hopefully I'll finish some by the end of the week. Until then, here are some of the things I've done around the house in the last 2 months.

Our place doesn't have a coat closet, and when winter hit I had to find a place to store everything. Since we use both the upstairs and downstairs doors, I couldn't hang them by a door, so I settle right in the middle on the landing of the stairs. With some command hooks and a couple of boxes I already had on hand, we have a handy winter wear corner.

There are times when I want my bookcases to look like a magazine, with beautiful books stacked in neat little piles, interesting trinkets and pictures tucked among them, and plenty of negative space to balance it.
But, let's get real. My bookcases are there to store books. Still, I find myself rearranging them every few months hoping for a neater presentation.
This month I tried turning my paperbacks to create some neutral area.
If any of you have tips for arranging a full bookcase to look neater, I welcome your suggestions.

Someday I'll have my dream floor to ceiling built-ins and have my dream magazine-worthy bookcases.

Next was finally tackling the "bag of bags" sitting on the kitchen floor.
While my sewing machine was set up after New Year's, I experimented with making a hanging bag like my mom's. I wish I'd made it a little larger, but it looks much neater than before.

Now all I have to do is hang it :)

It's finally here!

2011-01-26T17:06:00.004-05:00

I have been waiting all winter for a real snow storm (meaning more than 1/2 an inch). It started this afternoon and we're supposed to get 5-6 inches. Hooray! It just hasn't felt like winter without it. I mean really, January 26? It's about time! And it's beautiful.

Welcome snow!

P.S. It is also thundering. That's right, thunder + snow. Nick said the weather report said to expect "Thunder Snows". Curious.

Magazine Monday: Ping-pong pick up

2011-01-24T12:00:00.001-05:00

When I saw this idea in a magazine last week, I knew I had to try it out.

My family could all tell you that I did not enjoy picking things up and doing chores growing up. The only way my mom could get me to do it when I was really young was to make it into a game. I wish I could say I have matured in that area, but I would be lying.

Here is the game:

1. Buy some ping pong balls and write a chore on each one.
2. Gather the family, set the timer for 30 minutes (or however long you think you'll need), then have everyone pick out a ball from the bowl.
3. When you are done with your chore, you pick out another ball, etc.
4. When the 30 minutes are over, everyone counts their ping pong balls and whoever has the most wins a prize.
5. Enjoy the rest of your day with a clean house.

Fun, no? I've got my bowl of chores all ready to go.

You can bet that if you looked through our windows this Saturday, you would find Nick and I running around the house doing as many chores as possible trying to win the prize ; )

The Final Farewell

2011-01-23T20:46:00.002-05:00

We said goodbye this weekend to our old car, Max. He has been sitting in our garage for months waiting for the new year, so we could donate him. I hope the Red Cross treats him well. As you can see, the car was still in great shape both inside and out. If only the engine still looked as good : (

Farewell, old friend.

Book Review: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader

2011-01-22T20:19:00.001-05:00

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C.S. Lewis

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Chronicles of Narnia series is a literary classic for good reason. This particular book is great because there are several short adventures as they sail to each new island. I am always amazed at how substantial life-lessons and Heavenly guidance are weaved into these books. I feel renewed, loved, and ready to change my life in simple ways when I finish. After reading this book, I feel more content to be myself - the person God intended me to be - and not anyone else I may admire or envy.

P.S. If you're wondering, my suggestion is that you skip the movie and just read the book.

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Battling the Blues

2011-01-18T10:02:00.005-05:00

Although Winter is one of my favorite seasons, January can be a tough month to stay upbeat, what with the cold weather and lack of holiday festivities. With the Temple closed for maintenance and YW canceled due to weather for a couple of weeks, I have been spending too much time alone with myself.

But, after a long weekend with Nick home, I am feeling much lighter - and motivated to finally get going on projects and chores I have been putting off.

Here are some of the things that helped me get over my New Year Blues:

I got this beautiful alabaster pear for Christmas, and on a sunny day when it catches the light it shines. The picture doesn't do it justice.

Nick came home Friday with some beautiful roses. They smell amazing! They fill the room with the smell of summer. Thank you Nick and your friendly metro flower vendor :)

A refreshing stir fry dinner. Our first healthy meal since the holidays.

Trying out some crazy new noodles. They are a marriage between ramen and macaroni noodles. Wavy, super long, thick straw noodles.

The bulbs I planted on New Years Day have been growing an inch every day and have started to bloom!

I think I'll start making planting bulbs on New Year's a tradition.

FHE dessert. My favorite part of brownies is the shiny, crusty top layer. Isn't it beautiful?

And who can resist brownies for breakfast? Mmmmmm.....

Finally, if you are also battling the blues, hop on over to iTunes and buy yourself this album. It will make you happy - I promise!

Book Review: Snow Treasure

2011-01-12T12:15:00.001-05:00

Snow Treasure by Marie McSwigan

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

In fifth grade, I went through a phase of reading every book about WWII I could find. I am always inspired by the stories of those who stood bravely for what was right, and risked or lost their lives in doing so. Reading this book again took me back to the days when I was a little girl, imagining what it was like to live in Norway and be part of a secret smuggling plan. I think anyone can get caught up in the adventure of this book.

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