the tibbs

My Latest Obsession

2012-01-27T22:12:00.001-08:00

This is what I do all day - take a bazillion pictures of this little guy with my phone. I can't help myself when he's having a Kodak moment every five seconds. Here are a few of many.

P.S. I can't believe he's two months old. It is so unfair how fast time goes.

Graham's Newborn Pictures

2012-01-11T14:52:00.000-08:00

I'm a little behind on posting these (December was a crazy month), but here on a few of the pictures from Graham's newborn photo shoot. Gina Guthrie took these at our house, and I think they turned out really well. She was amazing to work with, and seriously took about a million pictures. He started to get hungry and fussy during a few of the shots that I really wanted to turn out, that didn't as much as some of the others (the one of him in the Utah hat and shoes that my mom made, and the one of him in the basket with the blue and yellow blanket that she also made), but I guess you can't expect a one week old to cooperate all the time! I hadn't realized how much he'd changed, but looking back on these now, he really has. It's so sad because I want him to stay a newborn forever (not sure I should admit this but I nearly cried when his umbilical cord stump came off - but I'll blame that on the hormones instead of me being a crazy mother. Though I am totally afraid now of how I'll act when he starts kindergarten - or worse, when I go back to work in a few weeks), but I admit that it's also so fun to see him grow up. He smiled at me for the first time yesterday and it melted my heart.

I was telling my sister today how I used to hate when people said things like 'I love you more everyday,' as if the days prior they didn't love them as much as they could have. But I get it now...I really love Graham more everyday. I loved Graham as much as I had the capacity to love the day he was born, but somehow my love for him has gotten even deeper since that day. It's like in 9th grade science class when you learn that the universe, which is everything, is expanding....it shouldn't make sense because you'd think that something would have to expand into something else in order for it to get bigger. But somehow, it just works. So my love for Graham is like the universe. One cheesy metaphor for sure, but that's how I think of it.

Graham's Blessing Day

2012-01-11T13:27:00.000-08:00

We blessed Graham on New Year's Day at Dave's mom's house while we were in Utah for Christmas. Here are a few pictures of his special day:

Dave did a wonderful job on the blessing

Graham and Great-Grandpa PhelpsHis sweater vest that I ordered off Etsy was still too big for him, but we made it work. And a big thank you to my mom for making his pants!Cute cousin Monroe taking care of him...she's such a good little mommy.We had to get a few pictures outside in the crazy-warm January weather. I couldn't believe there wasn't any snow the entire time we were in town! Stephanie and Graham taking a lunch breakAunt KarAuntie Ange (as she calls herself) and Uncle RonnieGrandma BeckyHe slept just about all afternoon, but he did wake up for a minute so Angie and Karlee could get a few pictures of those big blue eyes I love so much. Aunt Katie & Maddie, and Uncle MasonGrandpa RonSome of our Hyer familyAnd after a long day of partying, Graham got into his monkey jammies and relaxed.

I just love having this little boy in our family - I have no idea how we ever got along without him!

Graham's Birth Story

2011-12-02T16:39:00.000-08:00

I really meant to blog about Graham's birth long before now, but that was before he was born and I was oblivious to how time consuming being a brand new mommy can be. He'll be a week old tomorrow (already!) and I can honestly say the past week has mushed into one big blur of feedings, diaper changes, feedings, outfit changes, and feedings. I love it though. As hard as it's been at times - particularly the breastfeeding 'stuff' - I'm loving my new role as Graham's mom. Running around the house in sweats all day in my post-pregnancy squishy body with no make-up on, feeling lucky if I can fit a shower into the daily routine - he is absolutely worth all of it.

Anyway, I thought I'd better hurry and take a minute to write about his birth before I forget some of the details. So, here goes a long blog post.

Angie and Ronnie came to visit for Thanksgiving weekend and were really hoping Baby Tibbs would come while they were here. I truly didn't think we were lucky enough to make that happen and expected he'd probably end up coming after I was 2 weeks past my due date. So I planned to make Thanksgiving dinner and spent the week before they got there working my tail off to get all my nesting projects finished before they arrived.

Cooking Thanksgiving dinner - two days before Graham was born

Dave on Thanksgiving

Angie, Ronnie, and all the food we made. We were proud of ourselves.

We all stayed up late on Thanksgiving and did a little midnight Black Friday shopping. Angie and I headed to the mall and Ronnie and Dave were assigned to Kohl's to pick up a Sonicare toothbrush. I was exhausted from cooking all day and my feet ached like crazy but we had fun. The next day, Angie and I took off all afternoon and hit up more sales, met the boys at Red Robin for what would turn out to be my last meal before the delivery, and went back out shopping until 10:30PM.
When we got home, Angie washed her hair and said she did it because she had a feeling I'd be going into labor that night. It was about midnight at that point and I told her not to count on it, because I didn't feel at all like I was getting close to that at all. So we went to bed at about 12:30AM. At 2:30AM, I woke up with cramps. I didn't think anything of it at first, but then when I realized they were coming and going, peaking in intensity and then subsiding, that something 'real' might actually be happening. I got up, grabbed What to Expect When You're Expecting and read the section about labor signs as I hid in the bathroom so I didn't wake Dave up. When all my symptoms pointed to this being the real deal, I woke him up to tell him I thought I was having contractions and that I was going to shower, but that he didn't need to get up or anything...yet.

So, I showered and shaved my legs (as a small courtesy to the nurse who'd have to hold my leg - though I'm sure she probably wouldn't have noticed or cared either way), got out and tried to at least do my hair as the contractions kept coming and got more intense. I woke Dave up who timed them coming about 7 minutes apart and lasting for a minute, and we decided to head off to the hospital. We woke up Ronnie and Angie to tell them we were leaving and said goodbye to our Winston bug, and left our house for the last time as non-parents.

Up until this point, I was undecided whether or not I wanted an epidural. But on the way to the hospital, I realized how exhausted I was from shopping all day and sleeping only two hours and decided there was no way I could go several more hours (at least) with my contractions getting more and more painful and already being so tired.

We checked in to hospital at about 5AM and found out I was dilated to a four. I told the nurse and midwife that I wanted an epidural and they made me wait a little to see if I could get my labor to progress a little more. Then we had to wait for my blood work to come back from the lab, and that seemed to take forever. My contractions were felt almost entirely in my lower back and it was pretty painful. I cried. Dave rubbed my back and was great at reminding me to breath like they'd showed us in birthing class. He was a great coach.

I finally got my epidural when I was dilated to a 6.5 and moved into my labor and delivery room at around 8AM. I fell asleep for a little bit and Dave watched TV until the midwife came in to break my water. After that, I could kind of feel the contractions again and wasn't happy about that. Come to find out, after they broke my water I moved from a 7 to a 10 in about an hour and the contractions had been coming really close during that time. I was so glad I couldn't feel all them more than I did. Once I was dilated to a 10, the midwife had me wait for a little while until I felt the need to push so I wouldn't be pushing longer than necessary. So Angie and Ronnie came in the room and hung out with us for a little while, until we decided it was time to get things moving along.

After 45 minutes of pushing at 12:59PM, baby Graham came into the world. It really was love at first sight - and by far the most amazing moment of my life. It's true that you can't really describe how incredible it is to have your baby placed on your chest for the first time. I'd heard that before but experiencing it myself was the only way I could fully understand it. It was the most joyful, sacred experience ever and I instantly knew that he was meant to be with Dave and me - in our little family forever.

I had planned on it only being Dave and I in the room, but last minute I decided to have Angie stay in the room and take pictures of the baby's first minutes. I'm so glad because she was able to capture moments that Dave wouldn't have been able to catch because he was helping with the delivery. Below are some pictures.

Our first family photo - best moment of my life

6 pounds, 14 ounces

My boys. I love this picture.

Skyping with Karlee

Aunt Angie and Graham

Uncle Ronnie

Graham in his newborn hat that the hospital gave us.

Family

Grandma Becky and Graham

Day two - watching TV with dad

Getting ready to go home!

So tiny...and he has the cutest little cry too; it's hard not to love his mad face.

Making my 'official' hospital exit

Our last picture at together at the hospital

My darling friend Elease made this sign - it was a fun surprise when we got home.

Winston meeting Graham

A quick side note about his name - I literally had no idea when we got to the hospital what we were going to name this little guy. I was still hoping for River (which Dave wasn't a fan of, and I know most people aren't and that's fine - I still love it) but when I saw him, the name just didn't fit. I admit it. I never thought a brand new baby, who is puffy and swollen could really 'look' like a certain name, but they really can. Graham just fits. I can't even imagine him being named something different.

It's been a busy week coming home and working on adjusting to our new life. But I am so happy - I love my little Graham, and I love Dave for being such a great dad. Obviously I considered that he'd probably make a good dad when I married him, but he has far exceeded all expecations I had. We are also beyond fortunate and grateful to have my mom here until next Saturday to help us out...I have no idea how we'd manage it without her.

I'll try really hard to keep posting pictures of him. If it takes awhile, I hope I don't look like I'm not wanting to show off my cute baby - I just probably can't find time to make it to a computer as often as I'd like!

Graham David Tibbs

2011-12-02T16:18:00.000-08:00

Graham David Tibbs

November 26, 2011

6 pounds, 14 ounces

20.5" long

The Baby Suite

2011-11-16T18:51:00.000-08:00

Alright, it's not exactly a baby suite like the one in Father of the Bride Part II (which is still probably my favorite baby room of all time) but I'm still so excited about it. This has been my project for the past several months and it's finally done!

So, without further ado...Baby Tibbs' room.

A co-worker of mine made this adorable sign that was attached to the baby present they got me on my last day of work, and it was too cute not to hang up.

I'm so excited to rock him in this chair.

I'm planning on putting some of his newborn pictures in the frames above the crib. I know it looks a little silly without them right now, but just pretend they're already in there.

And just for kicks, a few pictures of his cute little closet. Let's see if I can keep it as organized as it is now in a few months.

Now, what should my next project be?

Best and Worst Pregnancy Comments From Strangers

2011-10-24T18:30:00.000-07:00

I've been waiting my entire pregnancy for a stranger to come up and touch my stomach for the first time. I'm not saying I was looking forward to it by any means, but everyone always acted like it was inevitable and I've been surprised that it hasn't yet.

However, what I wasn't really anticipating but have enjoyed are the thousand comments I've received from strangers about my pregnancy. Fact: people are a million times more likely to tell you exactly what they think when you're pregnant than any other time, for better or worse. I've loved it - even when I may have been slightly offended for a minute because they've made for some pretty hilarious memories.

More often than not, people are very nice to the pregnant lady. Actually, I think everyone TRIES to be nice to the pregnant lady (even if they end up failing miserably by saying the absolute wrong thing) but no one is flat out trying to mean (or maybe I just hope that's the case). My theory: people like babies. I think they notice I'm pregnant and conclude that I must like babies too, and therefore am probably a nice person, thus they feel more inclined to be friendly and talk to me. And I like it. I'll miss that about being pregnant. I've made more 'friends' with otherwise random strangers who I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have talked to had they not started a conversation with a baby question or pregnancy comment.

So, before I forget some of the comments I've gotten, I thought I'd share some of my favorites (and least favorites, but memorable and laughable nonetheless). I already wish I'd been writing these down a lot sooner than now, because I know I've already forgotten some of them.

- "CONGRATULATIONS!" (being yelled from a car as it drives by)
- "You've got something cooking!" Then proceeding me to tell me exactly what types of pads I should buy for after the delivery. In case you're curious, Always Overnight, according to this lady. But wait for them to go on sale because they can be expensive.
- "It's a boy (or girl), isn't it?" Lots of experts out there who can tell what I'm having (or so they think) based on what my stomach looks like. The best is when a guy guessed wrong and ask, "Are you sure? Maybe there's twins in there and the other is a girl." Um..no, I've had multiple ultrasounds that show it's a single boy...but I really am so sorry you aren't the gender physic you thought you were. Really.
- Looking at my stomach: "Whoa, you due any day now?" (when I'm 5 months pregnant). When I say no, he came back with "Wow that's going to be a BIG baby!"
- "You look fantastic, by the way!" Sweet lady as I'm getting on the BART last weekend.
- "How's your boy doing?" OK, not really a 'stranger' comment - but one I get often from the nice ladies at Subway who know me entirely too well, because I'm there entirely too often.
- I'm dropping off my wedding ring to get cleaned at the jeweler. I say I'll be back in a half hour to get it. The guy behind the counter then, yells (you know, those people that just yell everything they say and everyone in a 1-mile radius can hear them - that type) "If you don't have your baby between now and then!" (6 months pregnant at the time)
- "Wow you're due in a month? You're still so tiny!" It's nice to hear those comments to balance out the you-look-like-your-about-to-burst comments.
- "Was it planned or was it a surprise?"
-Possible homeless man (not positive he was homeless, so I'll try not to sound like I'm judging him; but he WAS standing outside McDonald's just hanging out...) who shouts out "I can tell what you've been up to!" as I walked by. So many comebacks I should have said to that and didn't...I hate when you think of those after the fact!

Too fun. I'll take awesome comments like these any day. Way better than having random people try and rub my belly.

A Face Only A Mother Could Love

2011-09-22T16:56:00.000-07:00

For all those who wonder what our baby will look like...here's a sneak peak.Hilarious. Thanks Karlee.

30 Weeks and Counting

2011-09-21T17:07:00.000-07:00

I seriously can't believe I'm going to be a mom in ten weeks. If that isn't the scariest thought in the world, I don't know what is.

Now, I get a lot of grief from people when I mention how nervous I am over this whole ordeal. Maybe all those who are already parents forgot how frightening it is when you're getting close to having your first baby, knowing you're about to face the biggest life changing experience of your life. But I'm telling you, this moment is scary. I know I'll 'figure it out' like they all say, but still...how can you really ever be prepared to be 100% responsible for a little human? And with all the messed up people in the world who blame being the way they are on their parents or upbringing, I can't help but be purely petrified that my parental abilities might not be good enough. That said, I really am excited at the same time. I am so anxious to meet this little guy. November 29 seems like so far away when I just can't wait to hold him and see if he looks like Dave. I hope he does.

I've been pleasantly surprised at how much I've enjoyed being pregnant. I must be lucky, because it's not nearly as miserable as I was under the impression it would be. I've been fortunate to not be sick, to still feel like I'm getting enough sleep and to be able to move around fairly easily (at least up until this point - we'll see how the last few weeks play out). And it is so much fun to feel him move! I mean, as I write this, he's playing karate kid and I can literally see my stomach twitch with each kung fu kick.

Maybe I'll post a pregger picture one of these days. Not because I really feel all that cute right now, but because everyone tells me I 'need' to. We'll see -no promises though.

Laying Out

2011-09-12T19:28:00.000-07:00

Winston's favorite pastime this summer. He just can't seem to get a tan though.(Yes, I really said something that cheesy). I sure do love this pup...even if he's caused me a world of stress the last couple weeks for doing something that landed him in 6 weeks of doggie rehab classes. I'm really hoping he takes this whole baby joining the family thing well. If anyone has any great advice on how we can make him NOT hate the baby, feel free to share.

Baby Shower

2011-09-12T19:06:00.000-07:00

Baby Tibbs got spoiled rotten at the 3 showers he had when we went out to Utah. I was only 24 weeks at the time which is probably a little early for showers, but it was my last time going out to visit the great Beehive state before the baby gets here. Unfortunately I only have pictures on my camera from my first shower here, but I loved them all. I can't believe how generous everyone was, especially the hosts who went to so much work to put them together. Thanks everyone!

Me and the soon-to-be grandma

You two totally were asking to have this put online by taking it and not erasing it off my camera...
All kinds of good stuff...this little guy is going to be one well dressed child!

Mom and me again

Just me, having an internal mini-panic attack thinking, I can't believe I'm really going to be a mom. It became so real once I started getting presents!

Stan Co. Fair

2011-09-12T18:56:00.000-07:00

This year we learned that as Central Valley California residents, you're expected to go to the Stanislaus County Fair every year and love it. In Utah and Arizona, it seems like I never heard much about the county fairs - only the state fairs - so this was new to me. It was a pretty fun fair, I have to admit, and I'm sure we'll be back next year.

I really wanted to ride the ferris wheel. We were in line and then I saw the sign that says no pregnant women allowed, and I almost ignored it, but then I figured if the ride worker didn't let me on I would feel like a big dork. And a bad mom, which would be worse. Needless to say, we got out of line. So baby boy, I'm already making sacrifices for you. You can show me you appreciate it by going on the ferris wheel with me in a few years.

Best looking guy at the fair, I must say. Lucky me.

Fourth of July Post...Just a Few Months Late

2011-09-12T18:41:00.000-07:00

I know these catch up posts aren't all that fun for everyone else, but I'm doing it anyway because I'll probably never print these pictures to scrapbook, and at least this way they're going on record somewhere.

This was a fun holiday for us because it was just a couple days after I'd broke the big news that we were expecting to our families. I love the Fourth of July...especially in Utah. Nothing beats being home with friends and family for the festivities. Even if (and I can't believe I'm admitting this), the Kaysville parade doesn't excite me quite as much as it used to, it's still fun to keep the old tradition of going to it alive. I'm so excited to have a little boy to take to it next year!

Angie, Mommy, and the prego

Getting ready to watch the DHS fireworks in the Hyer's driveway.

My favorite 2nd mom and sis

The Williams 'twins'...don't they look like they could be siblings?

My boys...the only picture I got at the parade before the camera battery died. Dave wasn't feeling very good so he went home not long after this. Poor guy.

Lake Powell 2011

2011-08-30T21:12:00.000-07:00

It's always a good time in Lake Powell. We were lucky to be invited by our friends, the Tuellers, this year. Dave and I haven't been for five years - two weeks before we got married, so we were excited to go again. I love it there.

The guys...Greg, Dave, Ronnie, Daniel, Mike, & Shane

Happy anniversary to us - we hit the big five year mark when we were there! Mama, Karlee, & Lexie
Karlee & Daniel

Angie mastering the kneeboard

Dave tearing it up on the wakeboard

Ronnie and Angie I already miss running around with greasy hair and no makeup. Why do vacations always go by so fast?

Birthday Boy Dave

2011-08-29T22:23:00.000-07:00

Happy birthday to the love of my life who turned 28 today. He sure is getting old but I love him anyway. It was a pretty uneventful day, unfortunately, since we both had to work. But we tried to make the most of it by going to lunch at Baja Fresh and getting a cake at the grocery store after work. Remember the days when I used to make cakes? Yeah, I'm not that good of a wife these days (I can use the pregnancy excuse for that too, right?). It was just so much easier to buy one. Anyway, then we ended the day by watching Dave's current favorite --yes, DAVE's favorite--Monday night tv shows, Design Star and Bachelor Pad.

The birthday boy got an accessory for his favorite toy - 3D glasses for his tv. Here he is trying them out for the first time. So stylish. Hula dancing in 3D...he was glued.Winston kept starring at him. He couldn't figure out why he had that thing on his face.Happy birthday Dave! I love you like crazy.

Everyone Pray for Dave

2011-08-08T17:04:00.000-07:00

because his crazy, hormonal, emotional wife is getting more annoying by the minute. He's handling it all quite well so far, but he's still got + or - 16 weeks to go.

Maybe we'll look back and laugh at it all?

I Love My Boys

2011-07-12T18:50:00.000-07:00

All three of them!

Dave and I are going to be REAL parents (not just dog parents) in a few months! (I think this is old news to everyone by now, but I figured I needed an official blog announcement) Little boy Tibbs ETA is November 29. We are thrilled...I don't know anything about little boys but I'm excited to find out all there is to know. I'm 20 weeks along today and it's crazy to think I'm halfway through with this pregnancy, though I feel like I've been pregnant forever at the same time.

We didn't tell our families the news until we were out in Utah for the Fourth of July because we wanted to tell them in person. Though I still think my mom is a little mad at me for not telling her sooner, the surprise was worth the wait. I'm so glad I got to see their reactions.

The best part about being pregnant is definitely maternity pants. Man, they are sooo ugly in the stores but as soon as I finally talked myself into trying them on, I never wanted to take them off. I may never go back to non-elastic waistbands. The worst part about being pregnant? To be honest, none of it has been truly awful. Being tired in the beginning wasn't fun though. I seriously slept anytime I wasn't at work...it was crazy. The weirdest part about being pregnant was definitely that Diet Coke made me sick during the first trimester. That was my first hint that it was a boy...because a girl would have liked Diet Coke.

Dave is excited but doesn't show it by looking online at baby stuff constantly like I do. He acts all tough and impartial to the whole thing until you get him in front of the ultrasound monitor, and then he totally melts. It's really sweet. But then we walk out of the office and I'll say something like, So, are you excited? and he'll shrug and say something like, Sure. And then he'll talk about how expensive babies are for the next half hour. I guess I should have expected that.

We get asked what we're going to name him all the time. This is a tough question right now because we haven't decided yet. I love to think we'll have our minds made up here soon but I have a feeling he might be born before we figure that out.

Anyway, I'm done rambling now. I just thought I'd play a little bit of catch up since I haven't posted anything about being pregnant until now. I really am enjoying it but I can't wait for him to get here!

There's a Place Off Ocean Avenue

2011-05-30T20:20:00.000-07:00

...where Winston runs free and we can escape the normal grind. Thank heaven for a three day weekend. I was more than ready to get out of Modesto for a few days and do something fun so we took off to Carmel for a couple nights.

Fisherman's Wharf in Monterey

I love this next picture for some reason...my boys are cute.

We took Winston to Carmel Beach and he absolutely loved it.

We were supposed to go to Hearst Castle but the highway was closed 25 miles from our destination, with a 3-4 hour detour. So, we decided to do 17 Mile Drive instead. We stopped at Pebble Beach for a round of golf....ok not really, but we saw the golf course and gawked at the huge houses along the way.

The Lone Cypress on 17 Mile Drive

Ocean breezes...so cold!

Along the Pacific Coast Highway

We walked around Point Lobos State Reserve. I'd definitely recommend it - lots of really cool look out points along the coast.

Now, back to reality [sigh]. But I'm looking forward to our next getaway to Utah at the first of July!

Feeling Obligated to Update

2011-04-28T19:20:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I don't even know why I have a blog because we are so totally boring. I know it's not fun for me to only update this thing to say how lame we are, but honestly - we go to work, we come home, go to sleep, then go to work again.. But I'll stretch and try to come up with something to talk about, but I can't promise it will be exciting.

We just ordered a couch and I'm anxious for it to get here, but I'm also paranoid that it's going to be exactly what I want. Ordering big furniture pieces scares me to death because it's not like they can be returned easily. But, at least we're making progress on furnishing our house, slowly but surely. It's so expensive, I can't get over how fast all the costs add up! And unfortunately, how many times I buy thinks and then look at it for ever afterwards wondering if I really like it as much as I thought I did. It's exhausting. Someone should come just do it all for me so if I get tired of it later, I can't blame myself.

I'm so ready for a vacation - and I'm missing our Utah/Arizona peeps. We'll be in K-Town for the Fourth of July though so I better see some of you then.

I'm excited to watch the royal wedding tomorrow. Re-runs, not the actual thing at 1AM. I know there are lots of haters out there but it's so fascinating to me. I don't know why.

I've especially liked this season of American Idol. Go Casey.

Dave's in Dallas right now. I prefer when he doesn't have to travel but I think he'll be doing it a little more of it in the coming months.

OK that's it. I've thought as hard as possible and that's all I have to offer right now.

Homeownership and Other Usual Stuff

2011-03-28T20:18:00.000-07:00

I'm an awful blogger without a good excuse for it. We haven't been up to anything all that exciting lately and I didn't ever get the urge to post anything. Let's see...we work, come home, watched the Bachelor on Monday nights until that ended, clean the house (which really is a lot more work than cleaning an apartment - all you homeowners who warned me were right), and a few home DIY projects. Dave's learning how to be a handyman. He learned how to install ceiling fans and that was quite the accomplishment. Here he is mowing our lawn for the first time...yay for Kodak moments! He's thrilled that I made him stop to take a picture - don't let that fake smile fool you. I took a sewing class for a few weeks so I could make some things for the house. Before I took the class, the last time I'd used a sewing machine was in eighth grade and I got a B-. So, I was probably a bit over my head when deciding to make drapes for our family room, but I did it anyway. I'm not posting pictures of them yet because I want to wait until the room is finished...and that might take years. Sorry. If you're dying to see them, you'll just have to come visit! Speaking of visitors, we have had a few people come stay with us lately, including one of my best buds Kristen and her daughter, and my mom and Karlee last weekend. I have pictures from Kristen's visit but their on my other laptop so I can't upload them. And I have one picture from my mom and Karlee's visit but I look gross in it so it's not getting posted. Karlee said I 'bug' for not posting it, but come on, we all know that no one posts their worst pictures on their blog...right? Other than that, work is busy, life is good, and there's not much else to talk about. But at least I have a blog post for the month of March now and I can cross that off my to-do list.

Achy Breaky Lungs

2011-02-17T20:28:00.000-08:00

After two weeks and counting of being sick with all kinds of aches, pains and more mucus than I knew I could possibly contain, I felt I should share my experience to educate others on sickness prevention: Learn from my mistake.

My Little Love Bug

2011-02-13T20:59:00.000-08:00

Winston got to open his Valentine early because I was too excited to wait until tomorrow.

He loves opening presents.A love bug and some treats...he was happy.He might be spoiled...but I can't help myself.

Nurse Becky Says...

2011-02-04T17:12:00.000-08:00

If you have the flu, make sure to drink lots of liquids. Hey, I'm just following orders. I love you mom!

Winston's New Brother

2011-01-30T20:49:00.000-08:00

No, I'm not pregnant. But Dave does have new son. His name is Vizio and he is 55" wide. Here's his birth story:

Anyone who knows Dave knows he loves watching TV. It's how he relaxes and enjoys his spare time. I don't fully understand it because I've never been the type to sit on the couch and channel surf, and honestly I was amazed when we first got married how long he could watch sports on Saturday.

We bought our first TV when we got married 4 years ago with Target gift cards we'd gotten from our wedding. It was only $80 because it was the last of the tube TVs they were selling before flat screens took over the world. It's been a good little tv but it was just that: little.

For over a year, we'd been putting money aside for the little tv's replacement; a massive flat screen that Dave could be proud of when he watches sports. And then yesterday, the anticipated day finally arrived. We went to Costco and picked out Dave's new baby.

A guy in a sports hoodie watched with obvious envy as we loaded it onto our cart in the store. He told Dave to 'have fun' with it and Dave just glowed with happiness. People in line were talking to him about it and he just said how he'd waited a long time and worked hard for this purchase. It was so much fun to watch because this guy never wants things. Shopping for him is always hard for that reason but it makes it so much better when he gets something he really likes.

There's never been a prouder TV dad. He's had perma-smile from ear to ear all weekend.

The Befores

2011-01-11T17:25:00.000-08:00

I've been asked to post pictures of our new house. As you can see, it's still very empty; going from a two-bedroom apartment to a five-bedroom house was a big difference! These aren't all that exciting, but hopefully as I get furniture and decorations I can update with new pictures.

The view from the front door - living and dining room

The stairs, and hallway to the bathroom, garage, and someday officeThe garage - my favorie part of the house!A closet big enough to fit all our clothes

Our little backyard that was over-watered for months

The kitchen

Dave's room (aka family room)

We love being homeowners so far. I wish we could pick it up and move it to Utah or Arizona along with our jobs...Modesto itself may not be all that great but there are things we like about it here!

Blog Drought

2010-12-14T11:53:00.000-08:00

I really do have good intentions of blogging more often. I'll use the excuse that I'm back at work as of the end of October and haven't had as much surfing-the-Internet time. I'm working at the Gallo Center for the Arts (a non-profit performing arts center in downtown Modesto) now as a Marketing and Public Relations Manager. I LOVE my job. It's almost weird how much I enjoy it because I swear work isn't supposed to be this great.

We should close on our house tomorrow and I can't wait. I lie in bed thinking about it at night because I'm so excited and I can't sleep. It's going to be a big empty house for awhile because we are upgrading from a 2 bedroom apartment to a five bedroom house with an extra living and dining room that we have nothing to put in, but I don't mind. I'll post pictures eventually.

Karlee got married...I should post pictures of the wedding sometime too. I can't believe baby sis is a wife.

We'll also be in Utah for Christmas so I fully expect to see all of you Utahans while we are there! Pray that the weather is good for us on the drive out. I'm nervous about that.

Our Next Long Term Commitment

2010-11-09T15:37:00.000-08:00

Ok it's not official yet, but we're in contract. It happened so fast and I'm totally nervous, but it's exciting at the same time. Cross your fingers for us that the following weeks go smoothly.

Cake Decorating Week 5 - Happy Halloween

2010-10-27T20:03:00.000-07:00

Usually I make Halloween cookies in October but I haven't had time with my NEW job and all, so I improvised my tradition and made a festive cake in class today instead.

I mixed airbrush design with colored frosting, just for fun.

I can't believe today was my last class already. It was so much fun and I can't wait to do a fondant class sometime in the future.

Cake Decorating Class Week 4 - Baby Shower

2010-10-21T19:58:00.002-07:00

I know I said I was going to make a zoo or Halloween themed cake in class this week, but turns out I am not fast enough to make a 3-tiered cake and a zoo cake in the same day. So, here is what I finished in class yesterday:
It took so long and looked a little more messy that I would have liked when you look up close, but I used the better-tasting buttercream frosting that was a lot more soft than what I've used before. I think I'm a lot more about the cake being not as cute as long as it tastes good. That's why I'm not totally on the fondant bandwagon yet. I'm sure I'll get there at some point though.

Hopefully I'll have pictures from Heidi and Trista's baby shower soon. It turned out darling and I really need to show-off how talented the girls who planned it are. I want to be just like them someday.

Cake Decoratng Week 3 - Random Rainbow

2010-10-19T14:58:00.000-07:00

I'm a little late with this - my laptop charger broke so I've been MIA online for the last few days.

I had no idea what I wanted to do when I showed up for class last week. I kind of wanted to practice piping flowers but when I got to class, my teacher wouldn't really show me how to do much because he said we were doing that the last week of class. He also suggested I make a rainbow with the airbrush and I almost said something like, 'No thanks, I'm straight,' but I didn't want to offend him so I did the rainbow. Nothing special.

This week, I'm going to make something with zoo animals or something for Halloween. I've been baking cakes all day for my class and for a baby shower on Wedesday, so my kitchen is a disaster. I'm going to attempt a 3-tier cake for the first time...wish me luck.Random thoughts to go with my random rainbow cake: the Katy Perry cd that I bought today [yes, I am old school and still buy cd's - deal with it :) ] smells like strawberries inside - which I thought was such a cool idea. And, I have a 3rd interview on Thursday for a job I'd really want if I was offered it. If I don't get it though, I'll keep on loving my life as wannabe baker.

10.10.10

2010-10-10T22:00:00.000-07:00

10 things I did today:

Woke up in Phoenix, AZ at Kristen's house.
Watched Teen Mom.
Ate lunch at La Grande Orange in Arizona.
Drove through my old stomping grounds in Tempe.
Stopped to visit Riette but she wasn't home, so I left her a note on the back of a receipt.
Saw a person asleep on the side of the road on Lemon Street and also a shopping cart - oh, the memories of our old neighborhood.
Finished reading 'The Help'.
Nearly missed my flight, due to being so absorbed in reading 'The Help'. After sitting at the gate for 45 minutes, I looked up five minutes before the plane was supposed to leave and I realized I was the only one not on the plane. I think they'd even been calling my name and I didn't hear it. How embarrassing.
Made spaghetti for dinner.
Watched Desperate Housewives.

All in all, a pretty typical day. I loved visiting Arizona and wish I could have stayed longer to visit everyone I would have loved to see! Next time...

Cake Decorating Week 2 - Race Track

2010-10-06T19:58:00.000-07:00

I had high hopes for this class. All week I was planning on being super creative and making either a drive-in movie theater or a car dealership with my little toy cars. Then last minute, I decided not to be so ambitious and go with a regular old race track with a stadium around it. But as I started working on the stadium, I realized that the cars were as big as the stadium and I couldn't handle the thought of it not being to scale. So I made the stadium into part of the track and here were the results:
The frosting was way too soft this time around so it was very hard to work with. If you look close, you can see the cars sinking into the ground. Oops.
Definitely not my proudest cake, but hey - that's why I'm taking classes.

The Phelps Bunch

2010-10-05T22:29:00.000-07:00

This post is overdue - but last month over Labor Day weekend, Angie, Ronnie, Daniel, and Karlee came to visit us. I had to meet my soon-to-be little brother-in-law before the wedding coming up next month so the whole fam (minus mom) decided to take a road trip out here. It was so much fun...we took a tour of the winery, went into San Francisco, and just hung out. Dave and I sure are lucky to have such a great extended family on both sides.

Playing with the paper airplanes and monkey we collectively won after playing 'Deal or No Deal' for an hour at Boomers.

Six Eyes Angie, anxiously awaiting the tour of the glass plant at Gallo Winery.

The Williams

The [almost] Willeys

Daniel and Karlee, excited to be in San Francisco

Angie and Ronnie on the Alcatraz tour boat.

Daniel and Karlee so interested in the Alcatraz tour. This was probably the only time they weren't all over each other the entire weekend.

AlcatrazChinatown Trolley

BART trip home after a long day...

Can you tell whose engaged and whose been married four years?

Favorite 'you had to be there' moments that won't make sense to anyone, but I don't want to forget them so I'm adding them anyway:

Angie's fascination with the BART station gate, where you put in your ticket and the little doors open up so you can walk through. She was like 'Aaaawwww, fancy!' and the rest of us pretended we weren't with her, because it was embarrassing. Then when we were exiting the station and the machine doesn't return your used ticket (because it's used up, obviously), and Angie stands there and says, 'Oh my heck, you guys. My ticket is gone! It didn't give it back!' and we had to explain to her that she no longer needed her ticket, and that she should get through the gate before the doors closed on her. I love Angie's airhead moments.
Dave being picked out of the crowd for a street break-dance performance trick, where they did a flip over him.
Standing in line for the dang trolley and nearly missing our reservation for the Alcatraz tour, and finally taking a taxi to make it. Then being in the same situation on the way to dinner at The Stinking Rose and paying a limo driver to take us downtown.
Sharing a limo with two ladies from Vegas - one of whom was an aspiring blues singer. She sang to us, per Ronnie's half-joking request. She was great, it was just kind of awkward.
Daniel eating garlic ice cream at dinner with me and we both kind of liked it.
Winston being scared of Daniel's electric razor, and eating/destroying it while we were touring the winery. Naughty.
Us: "Let's go over to Fisherman's Wharf." Angie: "Why? What's a wharf? It sounds like 'wart'."
Karlee being upset that Winston got the blue monkey we won at Boomers. She wanted the pink one for herself. Sorry Kar.

Ah, good times. I can't wait for them to come back again.

Cake Decorating Week 1 - 100 Acre Wood

2010-09-29T21:54:00.000-07:00

My first cake decorating class was tonight. I used an airbrush for the first time so it almost looked like a real, old-school, store-bought cake...except not that professional, of course. I still have LOTS to learn.

(A big thanks to my favorite 2 year old Anna for letting me borrow her toys for the display.)

Old Ball Game

2010-09-28T23:49:00.000-07:00

Look whose the sports fan in the family now....

Cute Liz, one of the Laurels I am so lucky to teach at church, asked me to go to an A's game on Friday. It was so much fun to get out and have a girls night. I really do enjoy going to baseball games, but usually by the 6th inning I am so over it. That was not the case this time - we stayed the entire game and I didn't mind at all. It was kind of fun to watch the die-hard fans, who kept cheering their hearts out even during the 9th inning when we were losing 10 to 2. Bless their hearts. That is what we call having true faith, girls.

Brittany, me, Corrine, and Liz in our matching outfits. We're cool like that.
Corrine and Liz. These girls are great. They told me all about what high school is like nowadays and I tell you - I am now terrified to have children. When I do, they will probably be home schooled because high school is a scary, scary place.

Thanks again for the invite Liz! Heaven knows Dave needs a Friday night to himself every once in a while so he can mentally prepare for the Utah game the next day without me whining about being bored.

2 1/2 Visitors

2010-09-28T23:41:00.000-07:00

Ryan and Melissa, our wonderful friends from Arizona who we miss so much, surprised us last week with a spontaneous decision to come visit us for a few days. I absolutely loved it. Melissa also gets to be a stay-at-home wife right now (though she has a much better excuse than I do because she's 30+ weeks prego) so when Ryan had to go to Oakland for work, she came along so she could play with me. We went to lunch, did some shopping at the world-famous Vintage Faire Mall (aka Forever 21 and The Children's Place) and just hung out. Here are some pictures we took after lunch at El Sol right before they started their long drive back home to So. Cal. Come back soon Ryan and Melissa - I can't wait to meet little Miss Grow.

[Gag me with a spoon - I hate how I look in these pictures but everyone else looks cute, so here you go.]

As a reminder to all, the Tibbs Bed & Breakfast is open to anyone who wants to come stay with us!

When life gives you lemonade, don't try to pour it back into the lemon.

2010-09-25T16:41:00.001-07:00

I haven't had a 'real' job for almost two months now. And while I really am looking for a new one, I can't help but love the time I've been unemployed. Yesterday I got asked, 'So what do you do all day?' and I responded honestly with what keeps me busy these days: taking Winston on walks, sleeping in, reading books, making cookies, taking cake decorating classes, etc. It's pretty fabulous. Of course I feel bad that Dave is at work all day while I'm at home laying out at the pool, but I can't help that the economy sucks right now...right? I figure it's just better for me to live it up while I can before I find a job.

Your Love Is My Drug

2010-09-19T19:13:00.000-07:00

I thought it was the caffeine I was attached to - but I've switched to this and I still could drink a 12-pack in a day. I can't help myself. What do they put in this stuff that is sooooo good?

The Flat

2010-08-30T11:54:00.000-07:00

Welcome to our humble home.

Entry Way

Kitchen/Laundry Room

Living Room

A massive bathroom we could do cartwheels in (but haven't actually tried to do so)

Guest bedroom where you can stay if you visit us

Our bedroom - and the empty frame reserved for a wedding picture that I have yet to order....

My cute photographer assistant who followed me around the house as I took pictures.

Old Man Tibbs

2010-08-29T13:28:00.000-07:00

Happy birthday to my fantastic husband! Dave is 27 years old today....which really does sound SO old to me. I remember when my dad was 27. Weird!

Dave's not one for taking advantage of all the perks that come only once a year with birthdays. (like not having to clean, getting to pick the appetizer at dinner or the movie we watch, etc) so I have to kind of force him to let me spoil him. I decided that we'd try out a steakhouse in town called Tahoe Joe's for dinner last night to celebrate. I also attempted to make him a birthday cake with fondant frosting and completely failed. All I could do was laugh after I'd worked on it for literally hours throughout the day and it still looked like a play-dough disaster. At least it supports my argument that I really 'need' to take cake decorating classes.

Don't worry Dave, the cake's sad appearance is certainly not a reflection of how I feel about you.
Happy Birthday!

Monterey Bay Excursion

2010-08-25T18:15:00.000-07:00

A few weekends ago, Stephanie and Kristjan were in Southern California and I had the spontaneous idea that we should drive down and see them. Unfortunately, we couldn't find a babysitter for our baby boy, so we didn't get to go. I was pretty bummed out but Dave promised me that we could take a day trip to Monterey instead. I guess I wasn't too sold on the idea until we actually got there and I realized how amazing the city is! It kind of reminded me of a Park City, UT on the coast - outlet stores, boutiques, neat restaurants, etc.

Dave Tibbs, Dave Tibbs, by the sea shore

Dave adding even more random information to his brain's database of 'stuff' knowledge at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Just me
Dave and a whole lot of fish
Jellyfish - I had no idea they were this beautiful!

Flamingos standing on one foot the way my mom, sisters, and I do when we're relaxing

Dave learning some more

The jellies and me

My cute merman

Kristy & Kristen's Awesome Adventure

2010-08-16T20:06:00.000-07:00

My friend Kristen from Arizona came out to visit last month and of course, I am just now blogging about it. It was so much fun to see her again...we were co-workers at ClickSquared and she really was BY FAR the best part about work. We had so much fun going to lunch together and sharing an office - it was so hard to leave that behind when Dave and I moved!

We went into Emeryville the first day to try out a cupcake place I'd heard good things about. The next day we went into San Francisco where we hung out on the pier, went to lunch at Bubba Gump Shrimp Co., and got stuck in traffic for hours which nearly resulted in Kristen missing her flight home. I kind of wanted that to happen though, I won't lie.

Forrest's Shoes and Chocolates

We let Dave tag along because he's cute and kind of fun sometimes too. ...and no, I'm not pregnant though I look like it in this picture.

I love you Kristen! Come back soon!

Legal Advise Update

2010-08-16T18:44:00.000-07:00

Thanks for all the suggestions regarding our neighbor and the whole leash fiasco. It ended up that I did over-react a little bit - once we gave the leash back to him he was totally normal again. Phew...I did NOT want to go to small claims court over a leash. I don't think we'll be best friends with him any time soon but at least the worst-case scenario didn't play out and I can go outside again without being afraid of running into him.

My Favorite Number

2010-08-15T17:27:00.000-07:00

Once upon a time, I played soccer [hilarious and totally unbelievable, right? It's true.] At some point in the season, I decided that my jersey number #4 must be my lucky number because I scored one goal in my very last game of the season. It made sense at the time...

Anyhoo, 4 is still my favorite number. And Dave and I are celebrating our 4th anniversary today. So I excited about this year because the 4th year is bound to bring us good luck, just like my soccer jersey brought me. Well, actually I hope we're a lot more lucky this year than I was in soccer, but hopefully you can appreciate the connection I'm trying to make here.

Happy Anniversary Spousie!

Legal Advise Please

2010-08-03T09:06:00.000-07:00

We have this neighbor that loves Winston. Every time we see him outside, he is so excited to see him, pets him, and gives me some obedience tips for how I should train my dog (I'm already that parent that people see and think, wow, she really should [blah, blah, blah] her kids...awesome). He's a nice guy and I have a feeling he's pretty lonely so I've always been happy to stop and chat with him for a minute, even if he starts telling me about his hernia or some other TMI topic.

Yesterday, he insisted on letting me borrow a 'softer' leash that he got from LL Bean awhile back for his dog that has since passed away. I wanted to be nice, so I let him bring it to me and tried it out. He wanted me to borrow it because he said it was a much better leash than what we had and it would be better for training him. I gave in and took the leash.

As soon as I'd agreed to try it out (for the sake of not wanting to offend him), he proceeds to tell me that if Winston chews on it or we lose it that he'll take us to small claims court to recover the damages. At this point I really should have been like, 'On second thought, thanks but no thanks,' but of course I didn't (those of you who were on the Mexico cruise will understand what I'm talking about - I could barely turn down the entrepreneurs on the beach selling their family's heirlooms either).

Then this gentleman sees Dave this morning on his way to work and reiterates to him that he will take us to small claims court if we lose or damage the leash. Now I'm scared.

I know I need to give it back to him but now I'm all paranoid that I should take pictures of the leash before returning it or even having a witness watch me hand it back to him in good condition. I'm probably overreacting but I'm a little nervous because we really don't know this neighbor very well and you always hear about crazy things people do for money. I hope he isn't one of those people but hopefully you get what I'm saying.

Anyway, please feel free to leave any legal advise here. Or if I'm getting anxious over this for nothing, go ahead and tell me that too. I'm inviting all comments on this one.

Fire on the Fourth

2010-08-01T16:56:00.000-07:00

Again, here's another late post. Nothing too exciting - just a few pictures from our Stadium of Fire adventure on Independence Day this year. I was in Utah for about three weeks and made sure I was there for the Fourth of July weekend because there are few things I love more than the being home for my favorite holiday. Dave also flew back out to join in the festivities so he didn't have to celebrate all alone in California.

A still-single Carrie Underwood charming the crowd

My mommy and me
Ronnie and Angie
Dave taking a second to take a couple pictures with me before Carrie got on stage.

Naturally, he had to sport his fan hood to LaVell Edwards Stadium.

I didn't get a picture of the rest of our group - but we were also there with Ronnie's sister and parents. It was really fun - I miss hanging out with family so much!

I Covet

2010-07-30T11:50:00.000-07:00

I just bought bedding but I'm already wishing I had bought this quilt from Anthropologie instead. Don't tell Dave.

Clarification

2010-07-28T11:35:00.000-07:00

I'm not really one for expressing my deepest feelings to the world via blog. I figure it means a lot more for me to tell Dave how much I love him to his face than to write twenty reasons why I love him or why he's the greatest husband ever and post it here for the world to see. Hopefully I haven't made it seem like I don't like my husband very much by not doing these things, but if I have made it look like I don't adore Dave, let me take a minute to make it perfectly clear how I feel about him. After this, I'll go back to my old ways of expressing these feelings I have for him to him and not publicly for everyone to see because ultimately, that's how I think it should be. But just this once, for the sake of not looking like a hateful wife, I'll let you in to my head about how I really see David Stephen Tibbs.

He can drive me crazy sometimes. Examples:

When he loads the dishwasher, he never scrubs all the food off the plates first so the dishes still come out dirty once they've been washed.

He tries to flush weird stuff like floss down the toilet.

He can get so angry when the Utes play bad that he starts hitting the couch and throwing the remote around the living room (as Winston and I run to the bedroom to take cover)

He gets so embarrassed when I sing and dance in the car and someone in the vehicle next to us sees me.

When I tell him about my day and I mention spending money in anyway (such as, 'today I went to brunch with Riette!'), his first question is 'How much did you spend?'

He rolls his eyes when I tell him to help me with chores as soon as he sits down on the couch to watch tv.

HOWEVER, I also love the things that drive me crazy about him because:

He helps me do the dishes because he knows I hate to do it and he appreciates when I cook him food.

He's SO smart, but when he flushes floss down the toilet it reminds me that he isn't perfect, which makes me a little more worthy to be his wife.

So many people aren't passionate about anything in life and I love knowing that Dave can feel so strongly about something (even if I don't really understand it). I love that Dave is so loyal to his Utes through the good times and the bad.

He totally sings and dances in the car too...don't let him fool you, and I love when he can let loose and not take life too seriously.

He wants to be a great provider for our little family so he is very careful in the way that we spend our money so that we can avoid financial difficulty.

When he rolls his eyes at me, I can almost see our future kids giving me that same look (like, 'Uh - Mom, you are sooo annoying), and it reminds me how great of a dad he is going to be someday.

I would marry him a zillion times over again, because there is no one else I'd rather spend the rest of my life and eternity with.

So there. Now no one can ever say that I must not like Dave because I tease him on our blog and never brag about all the millions of great qualities about him. I love him more than anything and would never want to be anywhere else in the world than right here in Modesto, California, with him. He is a fantastic husband (still learning a lot of course, but I still think he's great) and I will stick around for as long as he'll have me.

The New Mr. & Mrs.

2010-07-20T20:31:00.000-07:00

I just love weddings - especially when it's for a close family member. Stephanie and Kristjan got married in June and it was so much fun to have the whole family together for the occasion. The happy couple definitely had an few interesting challenges to making it to the altar (oil spills and some crazy sickness that put Kristjan in the ER the morning of the wedding), but I must say that in the end, it the most stunning wedding I have ever been to. And Stephanie...[insert gasp here]...she was honestly the most beautiful bride I have ever seen. I think I caught myself starring at her a few times that day.

The Bride and GroomThe SiblingsCute J. Tibbs familyJeff and MonroeMe and My Sexy Groomsman

The Reception at The Grand AmericaMen in Black

Steve, Stephanie, and DianaThe Bride and the Flower Girls

Father and SonMy Whitney (I still just love that we married brothers)I love this picture...

Dave and Grandma Shirley

Us and the Mitchells - we had a sleepover in the Grand that night in the room Stephanie and Kristjan didn't end up using

Congratulations again Kristjan and Steph! We love you guys and are so glad you found each other.

Yosemite National Park

2010-07-20T19:59:00.000-07:00

We moved to Modesto over Memorial Day weekend and decided to take advantage of one of the many day trips near the Central Valley - Yosemite National Park. It was beautiful and I really want to go back when we don't have to drag Winston bug with us. We couldn't leave him alone in our hotel room to bark all day at the people who walk past our room. He couldn't go anywhere in the park that wasn't paved, so that drastically limited the trails we could go on.

Three more posts to go before I feel caught up on what we've been up to the past couple months....

We Cook

2010-07-18T23:11:00.000-07:00

Dave and I have a fabulous hobby that I hope continues throughout our lives. We took two culinary classes before we moved from Arizona and I absolutely love it. Last time, I learned how to not burn off my hands trying to cut a jalapeno. Lifelong lessons like that are so worth the cost of the class.

Mexi-Crusin' 2010

2010-07-18T21:31:00.000-07:00

Long overdue, but here are pictures from our graduation cruise to Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlan, and Cabo. It was so much fun and just looking at them as I uploaded them made me miss our friends and realize I am already so ready for another vacation.

Cruise Highlights:

- Tamra ordering Mac n' Cheese every night.

- Eric saying 'Is that the ocean?'.

- Melissa's sweet dance moves that made her sick.

- Dave and his hatred for my sun hat.

- Danielle kneeing the zip line guy in the crotch.

- Ryan 'stealing' from the market and having the security guard follow us.

- Tanner starting 'Would you rather...' on the road trip and asking the most random questions ever.

- Laying out, eating too much, and actually having time to finish two books I'd started but hadn't finished.

- And of course, the electric fiddler...

Can't wait for our one-year reunion trip to Fiji you guys! (Just kidding - unless you're up for it. In that case we're totally serious).

Kristy Tibbs Photography

2010-07-09T21:59:00.000-07:00

Not really - Winston and I were just playing around in our hotel room when we first got to Modesto. He's a great little model. I love him - I can't not be happy around this face.

The Day Dave Became a Man

2010-07-09T19:03:00.000-07:00

I am two months behind on this post. But better late than never, right?

WP Carey Graduates, 2010. Can you find Dave?

Dave's mom, my mom, and Karlee came into town to attend the ever-exciting commencement ceremony. We had so much fun while they were here. I could shop with Diana all day, everyday - but I don't think Dave would be ok with that.

It was a bittersweet day as well because we had to say goodbye to all of our MBA friends in the program who we have gotten to know really well over the last couple of years. I guess the point of going to school was so all the guys could get jobs, which they did and that's great, but it's so not fair that the jobs weren't all located in Arizona. I totally wanted us to buy houses on the same street and live happily ever after together.

Happy graduation Dave! I'm so proud of you.

And the Worst Blogger Ever Award goes too....

2010-06-20T20:51:00.000-07:00

Me.

I'm sorry. I've never really felt behind on this thing until lately. I'm working on catching up.

Right now I'm in Utah enjoying the opportunity I have to work from home and spend time with family and friends. Dave is working hard at Gallo and meeting lots of new friends in Modesto while I'm away.

We're moved into our apartment now and we were so excited to have our first visitors, John and Rachel, come see us. It was Rachel's birthday so here are a few pictures of our celebration.

The birthday girl and her hubby.

Oreo ice cream - I didn't have a cake. I felt bad, but we'd just gone to Olive Garden and ate ourselves full, so it worked.
Me and Rachel got pedicures to celebrate - this is us showing off our stylin' toes.

We love you two! Come visit again anytime and good luck in DC! We'll come visit you next.

Monroe's Birthday

2010-06-20T20:38:00.000-07:00

I love being in Utah with family. My cute niece Monroe turned a year old this weekend and I was so happy to be able to go to her party. Isn't she the cutest thing? I totally hate that I'm her least favorite aunt but in my defense, it's hard to compete with Stephanie, Erin, and Cheslie when they get to see and spoil her a lot more often than me. Oh well.
Whitney did such a good job as Monroe's party planner. It was a 'sweets' theme - she had made all kinds of yummy foods and adorable decorations. It was SO cute.
Taking her new baby for a walk...

Happy Birthday Ro Ro!

The Wonderful Land of Modesto

2010-06-03T18:06:00.000-07:00

I'm behind on posts - my apologies to our faithful blog followers (aka - my mom and spammers in China).

I can't find my camera-laptop connector thing, so I can't upload any pictures from my camera from the past couple of weeks. It may have been packed up by the movers or I might have just lost it; either way, I'll have the issue resolved by next week after our things arrive and will post cruise and Yosemite pictures soon. Until then, here's my picture-less post with an update of what we're up to.

Right now we are living in the DoubleTree until the movers get here. It's been a pretty good week to be honest - I only had one meltdown last night for no apparent reason (this is a huge improvement from when we first moved to Tempe and I cried almost daily for the first week or two). As for my boys, they are doing well; Winston is terrified of the hotel elevator but loves going 'buh-bye' with us when we decide to get out and take a drive around the town. And Dave, whose start date was pushed til next Monday, is totally content because we have a tv with cable in our room. He's easy to please. We took a daytrip to Yosemite National Park on Memorial Day (pictures to come), and have been trying to get to know the area a little better. Our cars arrived today and we should get the rest of our things tomorrow.

Modesto has much to offer - Subway's restaurants on every corner, active train tracks (good for smashing pennies on), a Costco....what more could a person want? Alright, probably a lot. But seriously I do think we will like it here. I just have a feeling this little place might wear on me a little bit. Come visit us anytime!

Communication

2010-05-25T15:47:00.000-07:00

I asked Dave to find a place to keep the Garmin that my mom gave him for graduation, so he put it next to the couch on top of our basket of blankets. I told him, 'No, you need to put it away.' So he was like, 'Uh, fine,' and took it upstairs. A little while later, I found it here in our guest bedroom. Maybe I need to be more clear as to what 'put away' means next time.

MBA Roast & Toast

2010-05-03T10:57:00.001-07:00

Lots of inside jokes that only the MBA students understood, but it was still fun to get all dressed up one more time before we really become true adults with jobs, without any more good reasons to get dressed up anymore. Have I mentioned that I can't believe we're really to this point in life already? It came so fast!

Why husbands need to listen to their wives.

2010-04-23T21:26:00.000-07:00

He didn't order graduation announcements like he was supposed to because he doesn't recognize completing 18 years of school as 'that big' of an accomplishment. So I made my own and sent them to our families without his consent. Take that, spousie. Graduation is a big deal, I am proud of you, and I WILL show you off to everyone whether you like it or not.

I Should Make a Paper Chain

2010-04-18T22:04:00.000-07:00

We'll be cruisin' down the Baja of Mexico this time next month. I almost started packing today because I was so excited.

Graduation in T-27 days - the day Dave becomes a real adult. It's a little scary to be honest.

We Love Apartments

2010-04-12T21:26:00.000-07:00

This is where we'll be living in Modesto. We hope to buy a house at some point, but for at least the first six months we're there we'll be living it up in another apartment. But it is an upgrade from where we are now so that's exciting.

I'm going to go miss Arizona. I'm not ready to move.

On a lighter note, when I turned in my resignation letter at work, they asked me to stay with the company until the end of July. I'll be working remotely from California. So I'll be employed for a little bit longer and that's good. I think I'll enjoy working in sweats everyday for a few months.

Four Years Ago

2010-04-06T09:43:00.000-07:00

It was dark and raining.

We'd just eaten at Pei Wei.

The car was parked in the handicapped parking space outside the restaurant.

I had blue Velcro shoes on from my surgery a few weeks earlier.

Dave handed me a fortune cookie as we walked to the car.

It said 'Someone who cares about you has an important question.'

And then he got down and asked me to marry him.

I said yes, of course.

And now we're an old married couple with a dog baby and lots of student loans to pay off.

It's been a good four years...I'm glad I tricked him into marrying me.

San Francisco Day Trip

2010-03-21T19:34:00.001-07:00

Dave and I were in Modesto this week looking for a place to live (oh, we are moving to CA in June for those of you who didn't know - I guess I haven't made that announcement on the blog yet). We found an apartment on our third of five days, so on our 'free day' we decided to go into San Francisco since I hadn't been there. It was a really cool city - I'm excited to go back when we live nearby.

Dave on our boat tour around the bay

Golden Gate Bridge

I wanted to see where the Full House house was in the city, but unfortunately we never did. Darn. Maybe next time.

Alcatraz

Under the Bridge

Chinatown

As far as the move goes, I'm torn. We've loved Arizona and I really hate the thought of moving again. I feel like we just got here and I'm not ready to leave. But the job opportunity for Dave is good so I'm excited for him.

Arizona Road Trip

2010-02-28T21:34:00.000-08:00

Dave finished his second trimester and had last week off of school, so I took a few days off of work and we went up to the Grand Canyon, Sedona, and Jerome for a couple days. It was a fun little getaway - we hadn't seen the 'must-see' sights in Arizona yet, so we figured it was a good time to go.

Jerome - an old mining town that is literally on the side of a steep mountain. One of those 'diamond in the rough' places - we would have never known it existed except for we happened to drive through it when we got lost driving to Vegas over Christmas. It used to be the fifth largest city in Arizona, but now it only has 450 residents. Legend is that this entire town is haunted...and I love it.
The Haunted Hamburger in Jerome - home to the best hamburger I've ever eaten

Enjoying our food. Seriously, this hamburger was unreal. I might have to make the 2 hour drive up to Jerome again to eat another sometime.

Dave eating his BBQ Hamburger - it had an onion ring on it. I'd never seen that before but it looked yummy.

We stayed a night in Sedona - it was beautiful and the weather was great. Apparently Brad Paisley and his family were in town while we were there but I didn't get to see them...bummer.

Sedona's Holy Cross Chapel

And this here, had to be documented. We went on a hike to 'Devil's Bridge', which is a rock formation arch that you can walk across if you're really brave. It drops down about 150 feet or so. Dave was so nervous, but he conquered his fear and came out on it with me. He is terrified of heights so this was a big deal. Maybe now he'll be brave enough to go on the Wicked roller coaster at Lagoon with me? We'll have to try that next.

So brave.

My Utah Man

Hiking in Sedona

Eating dinner at Casa Bonita in Sedona

We also went to the Grand Canyon for a day - and it was FREEZING. Don't go to the Grand Canyon in February. Next time, we'll be going in June when it's warm and we can actually hike down below the rim.

Fact: I love rocks. I loved my geology class at Dixie during my freshman year. So naturally, I loved the Grand Canyon.

Look, an Oompa Loompa. Oh wait, that's just me wearing three hoodies because it was so cold.

We are so sexy.

It really was incredible to see the Grand Canyon in person. Pictures just don't do it justice.

We had a lot of fun and now we can look forward to our next trip in May - MEXICO!

Diets Suck

2010-02-11T20:16:00.000-08:00

One of our clients at work who had an ad in the Super Bowl catered Famous Dave's for us as sort of a thank you gift the day after the big game. It was so sad because BBQ foods sounded so incredible and I couldn't eat them (still on this dang diet). Since I couldn't eat it, I did the next best thing and brought some of it home for Dave to eat because I like to live vicariously through what he eats.

This picture still makes me hungry. Check out that chocolate cake...oh my.

I don't know if he appreciated as much as I wanted him to.

Even Winston got to taste some of the chicken and ribs. I was jealous.
I know, I know, I can't stand when girls blog about their diets and what foods they do/do not eat either, but this is a little funny. Or at least it will be when I can eat good food again.

Super Bowl Sunday

2010-02-11T20:07:00.000-08:00

Our friends Brandon and Andrea had a party for the Super Bowl this year. It was a lot of fun - as it always is when we all get together. I seriously don't know what we're going to do when we don't have them to hang out with every weekend! Only a few more months until all the guys graduate...but I can't think about it anymore or I'm going to cry.

These pictures aren't great - but I figure a bad picture is better than none.

yummy treats

boys watching the gamegirls not really watching the game and hanging around the food...

We love you guys!

Little Vacation

2010-02-11T10:47:00.000-08:00

We just booked a two-day getaway to the Grand Canyon and Sedona. I can't wait.

Sweet Dreams

2010-02-02T15:59:00.000-08:00

I keep dreaming about cupcakes - no joke, it's happened several times the last few weeks. I can't wait until I can eat one again.

Counting down days until I can buy this cookbook and even more, when I can actually EAT the finished product.

Can't wait...

2010-01-21T10:35:00.001-08:00

...to be on this in 4 months! Granted that's still a long time, but I'm still counting down days.
Maybe I should go back to school so we can have another excuse to go on a graduation trip in two years.

Random Stuff

2010-01-21T09:50:00.000-08:00

This one is for my mom. She told me that I don't update my blog enough, which is true but I don't have a whole lot to post about right now. So I decided I'd just go through my phone and upload a few recent pictures so I'm at least posting something.

My shopping cart pet peeve

I walked outside today and this is what I saw. Why people can't just carry their groceries home from Food City, or take back the shopping cart after they push it all the way home is beyond me. I once saw a 20/20 about shopping carts wheels lock when they leave a certain perimeter from the store - I wish Food City would invest in that. Oh well - I guess the abandoned shopping carts are just part of our apartment living experience.

Dave enjoying his school break

Lucky for him, he had over a month break from school so he had plenty of time to do his favorite thing...hang out on the couch with Winston and his laptop. He also helped out a lot with laundry, cleaning, and running errands over the break which was so nice. I'm bummed he's back in school now because I really liked having a stay-at-home spouse to do those things while I was at work.

Winston - just because

No real story to this picture - he's just cute when he brings all his toys with him to bed at night.

2010 Goals and Wishes

2010-01-05T12:08:00.000-08:00

New Year Resolutions

Attend this place at least once a month, and make Dave come with me:

Drink less of this...even try to not drink ANY of it until our cruise in May but that is NOT a set-in-stone goal. I reserve the right to change my mind any time and most likely will.

Finish reading this:

New Year Wishes

(because I'd be setting myself up for failure if I made these resolutions)

Purchase this:
...and this:

Have one of these:

Look like them:

...but without giving up this:

Wishing all of you a wonderful 2010!!

MBA Christmas Party

2009-12-16T08:50:00.001-08:00

Our second and last MBA Christmas party was last weekend. I can't believe Dave's going to be finished in a few months! I don't know what we're going to do when we can't use the 'we're-poor-college-students' excuse anymore. We've never known anything different.

Thankful for Utah

2009-12-01T15:03:00.000-08:00

It felt like it had been ages since Dave and I had been back to Utah (for him, it's almost been a whole year; for me, six months). We were finally able to go back up for Thanksgiving weekend and it was a great trip.

Celebrating birthdays...my mom was nice enough to make my favorite birthday cake for me.

Spending time with these crazies...ok, not all of them are crazy - just one or two of them.

(We did see the Tibbs too but I never got any pictures of us)

Going to movies, thanksgiving dinner at Little America with NO cleanup required...

And watching a Utah game that even I got into...but was quickly reminded why I don't like watching intense sporting events. They stress me out too much - I get that gut-twisting feeling that I hate, and then when we lose I'm mad because the anxiety wasn't even worth my time. And then Max Hall says he hates me because I'm a Utah fan (I take back when I felt bad for him in last year's game when he threw like twelve interceptions) which offended me a little, I won't lie. So - please remind me next time a game is on that I should just stick to my old ways and avoid watching it. My emotions can't handle the roller coaster.

Anyway, we can't wait to see all you Utahans again in a couple weeks!

New Moon Premiere

2009-11-24T20:18:00.000-08:00

Last Thursday, Riette and I went to the New Moon premiere at Scottsdale Fashion Square. We had special passes to go to the 9:30PM showing instead of the 12:00AM which was great considering I had to work the next day and going to bed at 3:00AM just doesn't happen now that I'm old.

As for the movie, it was pretty good but to be totally honest I wasn't as big of a fan as most people I've talked to. But don't get me wrong, overall it was a lot of fun. You really can't go wrong seeing an adolesent-targeted movie on opening night, where the vast majority of the audience is female, over the age of 20, and who all giggle/scream like sixth graders when Edward comes on screen.

Birthday Boy Part 2

2009-11-23T20:07:00.000-08:00

Hello, my name is Winston Buggie. Today is my birthday and I am two years old.My mom made me take a bath so I could be clean for my party. I like baths until my mom washes my face and brushes my hair when I get out. I got to wear a special badge for my birthday. It was a little itchy but my mom thought I looked cute wearing it so I had to keep it on for a little bit.I was so excited that my friends Riette and Alisha came to my party!My mom made these cookies for me. I'm not really supposed to eat sugar but because it's my special day, I got to eat one anyway. My mom helped me blow out the candles on my cake. I didn't get to eat any of the cake. But my mom and dad and Riette and Alisha liked it.
This is me and my cool Dad. My mom loves us SO much!

I'm a pretty spoiled pup but I can't help that my mom and dad are obsessed with me. Some people say they should really have kids because it's not normal to have dog birthday parties, but my mom says she will always love me this much - no matter how many kids she has.

Birthday Boy!

2009-11-23T10:28:00.000-08:00

My baby is TWO! Where does the time go?

Don't let that face fool you - he loves his birthday.
Stay tuned for pictures of the birthday bash we're having tonight.

25 going on 13

2009-11-19T09:45:00.000-08:00

If I were still 24 today, I might write a pouty post about my birthday and how I'm OFFICIALLY old. I'd whine that I never thought I'd be so old and not have any kids, or that I'm now halfway to fifty, or a quarter of a century old. I'd joke about how I told my mom I wanted a black birthday cake to mourn my old-ness. But I'm not 24 anymore - so I'm not going to write any those things.

Because today I'm 25, and I think I'm now a little wiser and grateful to be alive to celebrate another birthday. This might be a little deep and Dave will think I'm lame for writing something like this on our blog, but lately I've been thinking a little deeper about stuff. And even though I do feel like ancient sometimes (like a few weeks ago when I chaperoned at the YM/YW tri-stake dance - that made me feel really old), I really am grateful that I'm able to celebrate 25 years of living today.

And how could I not be excited it's my birthday when Dave gave me the biggest, baddest, cake decorating toolbox ever? I'm freaking out. I can't wait to use it.

Oh and he got me this Brad Paisley cd...I love Brad Paisley.

I'm also going to see New Moon tonight. See, so although I'm 25, I'm still 13 at heart.

I do wish Dave wasn't out of town today - but overall I'm a very happy birthday girl today.

This is you last reminder.

2009-11-17T14:34:00.000-08:00

If you want a Christmas card, leave your address here.

Feliz Navidad! (I know it's early to be saying that but my Christmas decorations are up...so that gives me the right to do and say all things Christmas from now until Dec. 26th).

Private Bloggers

2009-11-16T12:27:00.000-08:00

Nothing makes me feel more left out than when I go to look at your blog and I'm denied. Can we be friends?

I know tags are SO 2007...

2009-11-11T10:58:00.000-08:00

but I was tagged by Angie, and I'm bored, and I haven't posted in awhile for awhile (bad excuse - but I have nothing exciting to say!). So here it goes. You don't have to read it. But this will keep me occupied for a few minutes so I'm excited about that.

What are your middle names? Me - Phelps. Dave thinks I'm ridiculous for legalizing my middle name to be my maiden name but I like it and I swear that it's not weird for girls to do that. His - Stephen
How long have you been together? About 4 years.
How long did you know each other before you started dating? About five years if I'm doing the math right. We met in 2000.
Whose siblings do you see the most? Neither! We live so far away from everyone. It's sad.
Do you have any children together? Just Winston bug. He's our baby.
What about pets? The word 'pet' just never seems to fit Winston. I consider him to be our child more than our animal. Yes, we are THOSE crazy dog people.
Did you go to the same school? Yes - same high school, same college.
Where do you eat out most as a couple? Hmmm...that's hard. We go to a variety of places. I think lately Chipotle might beat out everywhere else.
Where is the furthest you have ever traveled as a couple? Spain
Who does the cooking? I usually do. I used to hate cooking but now I love it. Dave is my guinea pig.
Who is more social? I honestly don't know - that's hard. If we can base 'more social' on the number of Facebook friends we have, Dave wins. But he can stay home and entertain himself for long periods of time and I can't do that. I need interaction. And I use more cell phone minutes calling family/friends...so who knows. I think we're probably even on the social level.
Who is the neat freak? Again this one is hard. I'm nuts about having the coffee table dusted and the kitchen counters wiped off, but he can't stand 'stuff' being out.
Who is the most stubborn? Why is this tag so hard? I don't know who is more stubborn. I'd say him, but I think he would say me. I think it just depends on what we're being stubborn about.
Who wakes up earlier? It depends - he gets up earlier on Monday and Wednesday for school but I'm up before him the rest of the week.
Where was your first date? We went to a Grizzles hockey game and to the Training Table.
Do you get flowers often? No comment...this is a sensitive topic. :)
Who sings better? Dave is AMAZING. You should ask him to sing 'Party in the USA' for you next time you see him. He's a great performer.
Who does the laundry? Me. I'll make him fold it on occasion though.
Who is better with the computer? Dave - he can do crazy things in Excel that are way over my head.
Who drives when you are together? Usually Dave but we take turns sometimes. He likes when I drive for some crazy reason.
Who picks where you go to dinner? Honestly, I think it depends. Usually we just go where our friends have decided to go already. If it's just the two of us, Dave likes to go somewhere quick and easy so he can get back home to his football games and laptop sooner. I like to go wherever I'm craving - which could be an hour drive away and I'm fine with that.
Who is the first one to admit when they are wrong? I cave first even when I really am right. :) I don't like arguing.
Who wears the pants in this relationship? I think we trade the pants. Some days I wear them, others he does.
Who eats more sweets? ME. I can't get enough sugar. There's no such thing as 'too sweet.' Sugar is my best friend & worst enemy.
Who cries more? Me for sure. It's obnoxious - I bawl in every YW lesson, anytime I watch even a remotely sappy commercial on TV, etc.
What's your best day together? I really like when we travel together. Those are good days.
Where did you honeymoon? Puerto Vallarta Mexico - it was very fun.
Favorite date night? We did a culinary class a few months ago and I loved that. I'd like to do more of those. It's fun cooking together.
Favorite TV show to watch together? The Office, Modern Family
I tag: Rachel Zinke because she needs to update her blog BIG TIME.

Awesome Halloween Party

2009-10-30T13:07:00.000-07:00

My friend Danielle definitely knows how to throw a great get together. Last week, she had a Halloween party and it was basically the highlight of the year. Her decorations were insanely adorable, the dinner smelled and looked terrific, and I confess I ate a caramel apple she made that was to die for. It was even worth the 4 days that I didn't lose weight on this dang diet. I don't know how she does it but I'm glad she does! It's so much fun having such a should-be professional event planner for a friend.

Tell me these decorations aren't amazing and that you wouldn't kill for those brownies...

Dave and me - we were going to go as Taylor and Kanye but that caused quite the battle over whether or not Dave putting brown makeup on was racist. So I gave up and we went as this...

My fellow fairy friend Jocelyn (aka Tinkerbell). She is probably one of my best friends. I love her.

Turkey Legs, Fried Snickers, Funnel Cakes Galor

2009-10-20T10:06:00.000-07:00

AZ state fair : good times + good eats (or so I heard) + good friends + GREAT people watching.

I've never seen Dave eat so much but I think he enjoyed himself. He also won Winston a stuffed animal, and the pup appreciated it. We got to ride on the big slide so I was happy.

All and all it was a great night. I hope we're still in AZ next year so we can do it again.

Nothing New...

2009-10-15T10:05:00.000-07:00

I really have nothing to post about. But I'd really like if the rest of you who have blogs would update them so I have something to look at while I'm at work. I know you have something exciting going on in your lives...please share. I'm bored.

Christmas Cards

2009-10-06T13:08:00.000-07:00

Yes, I'm already thinking about these because I need a count of how many I'm going to have to send. If you want a card - leave a comment with your address. I promise I won't publish it for the world to see.

Potentially My New Wednesday Night Addiction

2009-09-28T13:59:00.000-07:00

I've only seen one episode, but it was hilarious. Except for that Phil, the dad in family with three kids totally reminds me of Dave and I can't decide how I feel about that just yet.

Karlee vs. the Softball

2009-09-13T09:06:00.000-07:00

And I thought I'd be the first in the family to get reconstructive surgery.

Little KP had quite the accident two nights ago when she was playing in an all-night softball tournament. She got hit in the face with the ball as she was running to first base and as you can see, it did some pretty serious damage to her mouth. She had to go into surgery immediately because her upper jaw was broken and all her teeth on the left side had literally fallen into the middle of her mouth. I won't post all the gruesome pictures (if you want to see those and the whole story, see Ronnie and Angie's blog) but here's one just to give you an idea of the damage one little softball can cause:

So far, it sounds like Karlee's been taking things well - her spirits are high and she's been making jokes and having a great attitude about it. I feel bad I can't go visit her but I call to check in enough to drive her, Angie, and my mom all crazy.

09.09.09

2009-09-09T11:13:00.000-07:00

Today deserves a blog post. Maybe I'll try to write 9 thoughts to commemorate today - the big 09-09-09.

1. We're going to a Cardinals game on Sunday - my mom, Angie, Ronnie, and Karlee bought Dave tickets for his birthday. We're excited - it will be our first NFL game!

2. My sunburn still hurts from boating. I hope I don't peel. That's so gross.

3. There's a Dr. Phil on tonight about called 'Conception Craze'. It's about a lady who is obsessed with becoming a mom and her husband won't let her get pregnant...hmmm, sounds familiar. Should be a good one.

4. Dave is tutoring at the school now - he made a little extra $$ yesterday which was great.

5. Our contract with Verizon ends next month and I'm considering changing service providers - any advice?

6. We need to go to the dentist and don't know of any good ones in AZ. Ugh.

7. There's a great need for a Cafe Rio in Scottsdale. Right next to Sprinkles cupcakes would be nice.

8. Someone at work just mentioned the old tv show 'Kids Incorporated'. I loved that! What the heck happened to it? Was Fergie really on it? I had no idea...

9. Microdermabrasion - how can I get my insurance to pay for it? There must be a way...

No Laboring Weekend with the Peeps, Etc.

2009-09-08T16:50:00.000-07:00

Very few, if any, things are better than 3-day weekends.

Friday - Dave and I attended a cooking class in Scottsdale (this was my anniversary present). It was so much fun. Now I am officially an expert calzone maker and Dave is an expert pizza chef.

Saturday - Went to the Zinke's house to watch the BYU game. For those of you who know the outcome of the game, I don't have to tell you that the game didn't turn out the way Dave had hoped. But chillin' with our friends is always a great way to spend the weekend so I don't think either of us can complain too much.

Sunday - Ate dinner over our our friends Matt and Elyse's house. Elyse made some awesome grilled cheese sandwiches and I've been craving another one since then. Very fun.

Monday - We went boating with our friends Lee and Hannah and Hannah's family. This was great - I haven't been to a lake forever. I forgot that the sun here in AZ is a lot more intense than it is in UT so we both burned, and my arms and back are about to fall off from wake boarding/tubing but it was all worth it.

Our friends here are the best. I don't know what we'd do without them. They've become our second family since we've moved.

How about we all just build houses together on the same street, and live happily ever after? I don't think I can handle saying goodbye to all of you when school ends and the boys get real jobs.

One Year Older

2009-08-29T22:19:00.000-07:00

Or shall I say, one year 'more vintage'. That sounds a lot better. No one likes old things, but everyone appreciates what's vintage.

Happy 26th birthday Pumpkin Pie! I wish you a great year that includes graduation, a sweet job offer, and another winning Utah football season (because we all know that's what REALLY makes you happy).

My Husband the Model

2009-08-27T16:42:00.000-07:00

Proof here - last page.

http://wpcarey.asu.edu/mba/upload/MBA_Brochure.pdf

Isn't he cute? I'm glad he's back in Arizona with me now. I kinda missed him.

Happy...

2009-08-17T10:00:00.000-07:00

to us!

I can't believe how fast the time has gone. I'm a lucky girl.

Washington DC

2009-08-02T20:54:00.000-07:00

Dave and I were able to visit Maren and Ryan in DC a few weeks ago and we had so much fun. Washington DC revitalized my faith in the East Coast and I found out that it's really just New Jersey that I'm not a huge fan of (not to offend anyone who lives in New Jersey - I'm sure there are better parts than where we were staying).

DC Temple

Washington Monument

Cute Maren and Ryan

I thought this picture would turn out cute but really it's just awkward.

Gotta have one of these pictures. Doesn't it kind of look like he's also smashing the man a little bit too?

Obama's house

The Capitol...apparently this is NOT the same thing as the White House, which was news to me.

Palmyra, New York

2009-08-02T20:39:00.001-07:00

Just playing catch up on pictures I should have posted a few weeks ago and didn't. These are some of the pictures from out trip to Palmyra that we took one weekend while I was out in New Jersey with Dave.

Palmyra Temple

View of the sacred grove from our car. It was pouring on us so we couldn't get one while we were actually in the grove. The weather wasn't so good and kind of made for a less than spectacular experience; although it was still neat to see.

The Hill Cumorah pageant - we only saw the first half because it started raining and they cancelled the show. Huge bummer. We were not happy.

Dave outside the Book of Mormon publication site. He's all matchy-matchy with the car...cute.

Last Artifact of the Day - The Museum

2009-07-25T13:55:00.000-07:00

The Museum

It seemed appropriate to select the actual home where all the unique treasures we've shown on this blog have been found as the final Artifact of the Day. So here it is - the 'museum.'

Winston and I are heading home today. Maybe once I get home I'll actually post about the rest of the things we've done while we've been here - Palmyra, Washington DC, etc.

This has been by far the most interesting experience of my life and I definitely won't forget it anytime soon. I do wish Dave was coming with us though - he's still here for a few more weeks. Poor guy - wish him luck. :)

Artifact of the Day (Friday) - Last Supper Sculpture

2009-07-25T13:44:00.000-07:00

Last Supper Sculpture

This is on my nightstand. I consider myself a religious person - but waking to Jesus and the 12 apostles every morning is just weird.

Artifact of the Day (Thursday) - Gemini Wall Art

2009-07-25T13:41:00.001-07:00

Gemini Wall Art

This is a bad picture of an even worse piece of art. That's really all there is to say about this.

Artifact of the Day (Wednesday) - Brother Monitor

2009-07-25T13:30:00.000-07:00

Brother Monitor

Maybe I'm just a moron, but I thought Brother only made 'P-Touch' label printers - I'd never seen a Brother monitor until I got here. So I did a little research and found that Brother does not currently make computer monitors, so this is in fact, an artifact from the past.

Or not....

2009-07-23T09:39:00.000-07:00

I really don't want to make my blog private so I'm temporarily changing my mind. I'm just going to keep the posts hidden until I've approved them. Hopefully this keeps the spam issue under control.

My apologies for the overreaction. I just about freaked out when I saw that my blog visits all of a sudden went from literally 1,400 to over 9,000 in one day. I know Dave is super cool and all, but I don't think he has THAT many friends (kidding).

So for now or until the Spammers scare me again, this blog will remain public.

Going PRIVATE

2009-07-22T11:38:00.000-07:00

I never thought I'd do this but I think the time has come. Don't get me wrong - I'm flattered that the 'Artifacts of the Day' have been attracting new people to our blog, but I'm not a fan of all the SPAM comments we've been getting. Some I can tell are legit, and that's great (I love new blog buddies) - but for those who are leaving comments wanting me to sign up for free satellite or leaving comments in Chinese that I can't even read... I have to say, you're freaking me out.

My blog is not that cool Spammers. Find someone else to harass.

For everyone else - please leave your email address and I'll invite you to our brand new private blog. Please don't be embarrassed to leave your info if you check in occasionally - heaven knows I'm checking out your blog too - and I really would love to keep in touch with all of you.

Or, if anyone has any ideas on how I can ban the Spammers from our blog without going private, by all means - share the knowledge.