I will be better about posting

I am not going to give up on blogging. I plan to post more later tonight but thought I would at least sign in and try to get motivated.

Pay Checks*Petunia Pickle Bottom*Singing*Sewing*Bangs!

I do not think it's necessary to buy high end baby items. I did think it was reasonable to buy a Petunia Pickle Bottom diaper bag when I found one in Washington DC at the Nordstom Anniversary Sale for a VERY good price. I told the girl who sold it to me that you would never find this good of a deal on this bag in Utah because Utah is "saturated with lots of Mom's". She didn't really follow me, but she smiled and gave me a courtesy laugh! The bag has already proven to be worth every cent, and it was much less than the best eBay prices. I love it, it's the backpack style in blue green and white; it looks just like this photo, in different colors. It is functional and timeless. It's a water resistant material and super easy to clean. We love that it's a backpack and Andrew wears it almost as much as I do!

I AM EMPLOYED!

I spent a few months or so in April/May/June looking very diligently every night on Craigslist for an ideal part time job I could do from home-that was NOT SALES. I didn't think it existed. I applied for a lot of jobs and one day I got a phone call. The woman said she was calling to set up an interview for the part time position with the "non-profit". I said, "great!" I didn't remember applying for it, and didn't think it was what I was looking it for. WELL, after 2 interviews, one which was me and a panel of 8 smart and aggressive women business owners I was hired. I am the Salt Lake City Chapter Administrator for NAWBO (The National Association of Women Business owners). It is a 15 hr. a week position, most of which can be done from home. It's been great so far and I got my first pay check last week:-) It feels good to be back in business!

In other news in an effort to reclaim a post baby "normal and progressive life as an individual" not only as a mommy, I decided to pursue developing some new personal interests and maintaining some others. I say "not only as a mommy in lieu of not just a mommy because being a good mother is the greatest and most difficult thing a woman can do with her time! Anyhow back to what I have been doing outside of trying to be a good mom-I took skiing lessons at Snowbird this past winter, which was really great. I might be able to keep up with Andrew after a few more seasons of practice. I am now taking sewing lessons at Joann's Fabric store and I tried out for a local choir! The sewing classes are going really well. I will post some pictures of my projects soon! I am using the sewing machine my Mom gave me for high school graduation. It's been sitting for 9 years but it will be used now! I always wanted her to teach me how to sew, but we never got to it. Elizabeth, my teacher at Joann's it just wonderful, however. My mom would really like her! The choir I tried out for is called The Salt Lake Choral Artists and I will be singing 1st Soprano in the Women's Chorus this season. The audition was difficult, but it feel SO good to know that I will be participating in organized singing again! I hope to improve this year and to be part of the more selective choirs they have throughout the next few years.

My hair got extremely thick when I was pregnant. I was told it would "fall out" 6 months post baby-it didn't! SO on Friday of last week I got half of it shredded out and got some bangs! I also got it colored. I am really pleased with how it turned out, and it feels SO good to have half as much hair! We saw my grandma at my cousins wedding reception over the weekend and she loved it too. It was her first time meeting Gwen, it was a lot of fun! Above is a pic of the three of us (and my new hair).

New York New York

After celebrating our 2nd wedding anniversary (pics to come soon) we headed for New York/DC for 10 days to visit Andrew's three sisters and their families and other friends and family. We had a really nice trip and loved spending time with our family and friends. As seen above we are at the Shake Shack a popular burger place in NYC. I was ready for a 2nd burger after my first, but exercised some restraint, they were good though!! We planned for the trip and we were happy with how smoothly thing went. We didn't over pack and as a result were able to get around the city with ease. Gwen did wonderfully and loved all of the visual excitement and energy the city had to offer. She loved everything about New York, even the subway because she had her trusty headphones with her.

Adam and Liesel hosted us our first 5 nights-they are such amazing hosts, we loved staying with them! Adam is putting on a finger puppet show in this picture as Andrew does his "cookie monster" voice along his side. Adam was a fabulous puppeteer and Andrew can do a very convincing Cookie Monster impression.

Andrew took this nice picture of the city from Governor's Island, you will notice how sharp the colors of the city's skyline are, which are accented by the red ferry docking areas. Andrew takes beautiful pictures, we just need to work on getting more of him!

Gwen had a lot of fun playing with aunt Liesel and Daddy's sunglasses while we waited in line to see Michael Jackson, I mean get the ferry back to Manhattan.

While we were in New York it was "Restaurant Week." This means a lot of regularly expensive restaurants have prices that are affordable, which usually include an appetizer, entree and dessert for a fixed price that is a fraction of what it would normally cost. We went to an Italian place with our friends Rachel and Scott. It was really good and the company was even better. We can't wait for them to visit us for a ski trip in Utah someday. Here we are in Times Square on our way to the restaurant.

Other highlights in New York included our attendance to a Yankees game. The new stadium is amazing and our seats were the best in the house (thanks again Mike and Jen). We were on the 5th row right behind home plate. We also got to have dinner in this ultra nice restaurant below the stadium. It was a once in a life time experience. We forgot our camera (but later found it in the diaper bag!!), so we bought a disposable camera and will post the pics from the game at a later time. We had a bbq at Scott and Erin's one night which was really fun. Scott and Andrew took the bbq up to the roof of their building and made some steak. The bbq they have is miniature and on wheels but it proved it can compete with the most over sized bbq around. We also were lucky to be able to join Scott and Erin on the Sunday they blessed Lucy. It was a beautiful meeting and lots of relatives were able to be there.We gathered at Scott and Erin's apartment after the service and enjoyed a fabulous meal together. Our next post will detail our many adventures on our trip from NYC to DC and chronicle our time with Casey, Meagan and the boys!

Happy Birthday America

We spent the 4th of July in Idaho this year. We had a lot of FUN spending time with my cousins in Driggs, Idaho and with my family and friends in Pocatello. Gwen is VERY sensitive to loud noises. Andrew bought these ear muffs for the race track, we use them all of the time for other things though... e.g. vacuuming, movies, taking naps in loud places, and parades! This was at the 4th of July parade in Victor, Idaho. After the parade we had breakfast at a cute place called Teton Twist. We then headed to Swan Valley for their world famous Square ice cream!

The population sign behind me reads a little over 800. Andrew and I really enjoyed our visit to this quite corner of Idaho (close to Jackson Hole, Wy).

Cousins!







Gwen and Courtney cuddled up to enjoy the firework show in Pocatello. My brother Adam and Sister-in-Law Brandi host a fun party every year. It was a success again this year but it was COLD and RAINY. Gwen absolutely loved the firework show. We couldn't even get her to blink she was so ecstatic about it!

Gerber Cheeto Face

It is fitting that my child would LOVE a cheese-based snack food.

Gwen's Blessing

Kimmie made Gwenny the most beautiful blessing dress AND Andrew gave her the most beautiful blessing! It was a wonderful day (December 28, 2008). We had a fun gathering after the blessing at Andrew's parents house. The food was amazing and we had so many friends and family to share in the special day with us! Adam and Liesel (Andrew's sister and our brother-in-law) were here from New York. My brother Adam, his wife Brandi and their two boys were also able to come from Pocatello for the weekend. My Aunt Julie and cousin Lindsey were also in town, so we had a fun group. The antique button on Gwen's dress is one that Kim took from a dress of our Mom's. My aunt Pennie's final touch was the elegant blanket she made that you can see behind Gwen. It was so special to have this gift from Aunt Pennie, she always makes us feel so loved in our dear Mother's absence. And last but not least, my dear friend poofy took these beautiful pictures for us.

My Faithful Green Rocket

As many of you know I spent the last 9 years driving the above pictured automobile. I LOVE this car. Last week I sold this car. We purchased a beautiful black Honda Pilot, which I am very pleased with. We had no use for my green rocket upon purchasing the new car and decided that our best option was to sale it. I listed it for the KBB recommended price and we were happy, and a little shocked that we were able to sale it for exactly that, even with the 212 K miles!! The sale of my green rocket put us in a position to buy some new furniture for our living room and dining room. We purchased our home last August and have slowly furnished it over the past months. We are really happy with the way the living room/dining room have come together!

You will notice Anderson Cooper on our new TV reporting the death of Michael Jackson today. Mounting the TV to the wall was a stressful task (mostly for Andrew, but watching/assisting can be stressful also!). After some careful calculations we determined the right spot for the TV. I can now get the dishes done and watch Oprah/Ellen at the same time! The TV can swivel around in many different directions.

The table is our favorite piece. Andrew comforted me when we left rocket with her new owners by helping me to picture our table as rocket in a new form. The table will be with us for many years and happy memories will be made while we gather as a family and with friends around it. It pleases me to know that the table came in part because I finally let rocket go!

I like pears!