2009 Birthday Celebrations

This past weekend Kevin and I celebrated our birthdays (his the 23rd and mine the 24th) by taking a Riverboat ride up the Potomac from Alexandria to Georgetown. It was a lot of fun. We got to see some of the sights and grab dinner, and head on back down. It was really fun, but cold on the way home because it was dark and windy. (O.K...one of the pictures I MAY have forgotten to un-zoom the camera, but we both have pretty eyes, so I put it up!)


































Tonight we also celebrated Kevin's birthday. There's a seriously funny story behind this picture that nobody's gonna find funny because nobody was there, but it brought me to tears from laughing so hard. So...I've been super busy lately, and haven't had time to go to the store, so I told Kevin he wasn't going to have any candles on his cake. He told me that I could scrounge up candles from around the house and light those. I said I probably had enough (27!) to light because I collect candles, and they really are all over. He said if I lit three that would be good enough because 3 cubed is 27. So I found three, and lit them. I sang to him all by my lonesome, and told him to blow out the candles. He took a big breath in and blew really, really hard. He blew out only the middle one. I busted up laughing because there were only three, and they were really close together. He said he was so focused on blowing out the middle one that he couldn't get the other two. I was still laughing while he started to finish blowing out the other two. He took another big breath, blew, and missed both candles entirely. He took one more, and blew out...only one candle. Only on the fourth breath did he blow out all three, yes count them, 3 candles! I told him it was a dang good thing he did not actually have 27. Good grief!!! Well, that's all for today. I get to open my presents tomorrow. Goody!!

I got my pictures!!!

I finally got my CD of pictures from the photographer, and am so happy that I finally get to start printing some out. It's about time!!! Here's a little preview for all of you.

Like there's not enough on my plate already. Now this?

On top of not having my stupid countdown clock working (10 days 22 hours BTW) I chipped a tooth today biting down on a very yummy cracker. That can't be good right? So here's the thing. I already have a dentist appointment set up on the 15th of August to have a root canal (on that tooth I might add. Maybe it's a sign...). Do I leave it until then, or go in earlier and see if they can file it a bit? It doesn't really bother me, I just don't want to lose it completely. Now I'm nervous. WHAT SHOULD I DO?!?!?! 

Am I dead yet?

So...I've added a countdown to help me remember when I'm getting married. Because, you know, I could forget. I've been to told to update my blog. Here you go Dad. Wedding plans are just about done. Thank goodness! I've been busy with so many things, but for the next 2 days I've got nothing to do (Sssshhh. I don't want Kay finding out I'm not doing anything) because I need Kay's help with what I've got left. Getting married is really hard sometimes. At least if you live in Alexandria, Virginia. Alexandria is probably the worst place to live. They take all your money in really random ways, and make things difficult to do. For instance: our marriage license. We are getting married, technically in Montgomery Country, Maryland, because that's where the temple is. Well, the temple sent us our application for marriage in MoCo (you know, Montgomery County-stay with me now people) to be filled out and notarized by a clerk of the court in Alexandria. We go in one Thursday afternoon on Kevin's lunch break to do this thinking, of course, that there wouldn't be any problem. But as Kevin points out so often, with things involving him, there's usually a problem. So, we go, and the lady says we need to make an appointment with Mr. So and So and here is his contact info. Kevin calls and the man says he only has next Thursday open. Goody. We get to wait a week. Meanwhile, the temple calls me wondering where our marriage license is, because we're getting married in three weeks, and they want to make sure they have it. I explain to her the situation, and and tells me that I should consider driving the application up to the courthouse in MoCo so that they have plenty of time to mail over the license to the temple. She calls back a few days later and says if I'm driving the application to the courthouse, then I can just drive the license to the temple. Fine. Keep in mind I have a 2 year old with me during all of this. So we go back the next Thursday to meet with Mr. So and So. He looks at my license to make sure I actually do live in Alexandria, like I claim, and goes back to sign and notarize it (all of which took 5 minutes. We needed to make an appointment for that?). Friday I drive the application to MoCo courthouse. She looked at the application and told me I could've mailed this in. I said to make sure we had enough time, I decided to drive it up. She then proceeds to tell me that if that was the plan, I could've just walked in at any time and done this because all she's gonna do is take the info off the paper, put it in the computer, throw the paper away, and hand me my license. Seriously?!?! So she didn't check my I.D., ask if the marriage was consensual, make sure Kevin was not my brother, blah, blah blah. Evidently they care less in Maryland than in Virginia. Who knows.

So my dress comes in on Thursday (I should have it already, but that's another story in and of itself) and Kay comes in on Wednesday. Then all shall be right in the wedding world. I haven't been sleeping well at night lately. I don't know what it is. I don't know if it's the prospect of getting married, or what, but-I woke up about 2 weeks ago and noticed that I had, for the first time EVER dark circles and bags under my eyes. Clearly I will have to see to those before 11 days and 22 hours from now. But who's counting...

Falling Water and Kentuck Knob

So Saturday my roommates Kathryn and Corinna and Corinna's co-worker Jocelyn and I went up to Pennsylvania to see the architect Frank Lloyd Wright's homes. It was a lot of fun to see how the houses were built right into the mountain side and incorporated the land around into the home itself. When most people would see a huge boulder in the middle of where they would like to build a house, they would say it's a problem, but Mr. Wright said it was a challenge. In the Falling Water house he used the boulder as the center-most part of the house, and it's completely built around the boulder. It was awesome!

This is the front door of Kentuck Knob. The house is completely made of stone with flagstone on the floor throughout the house. He said it made it so that you could have warm feet and a cool head. I touched the flagstone with my foot-it was cold, so whatever.

We weren't allowed to take anypictures inside, but it was really cool.

Proof that the house is made of stone-an 18 foot drop off from the living room.

Two views of the land where Kentuck Knob is built. These pictures don't do justice. It was BEAUTIFUL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Falling water from afar. It's amazing just to see it.

There is a terrace off every room of the house.

This is a plunge pool where the residents (when they still lived there) dipped every morning as a nice way to wake up. Talk about brisk in the winter!

The four of us in front of the house-literally. The lady taking the picture didn't try to get the house in the view. Oh well!

Ugh...Life

I suck. There was this whole thing that was really funny that I was going to blog about, but none of the links were working, so now nobody gets to find out about it. I get to keep this secret all to myself and laugh. People will look at me funny because I'm sitting around laughing-all by myself, and nobody will know what to say. Poor Kevin. Trying to help me over Facebook IM, and everything. Oh the patience of that man. He's amazing. Trust me though-it was good. It was from the Onion. You would have liked it. 

Engagement Photos in the Cherry Blossoms

So Kevin and I went and took our engagement photos this morning, and since he's at the priesthood session of conference, I actually have time to update my blog. If I don't do this now, nobody will ever see these photos (except for those of you on Facebook or if you receive an invitation). So now is as good a time as any. It was so windy this morning, but we had to get it done this morning because the Cherry Blossom Festival is currently going on, and today was the big parade downtown and we needed to do it before the hoards of people came. I didn't put all the photos up, just a few of my favorites. We had a good time, even though I was freezing!

Murder in Margaritaland

So this past weekend my two roommates and Kevin all participated in a Murder Mystery Dinner hosted by one of our friends from church. It was titled Murder in Margaritaland. It was a lot of fun. Kevin was a wealthy old man named Thurston Howard III. He had a girl friend who he bought everything for, and tragically, that was me-Candy Cotton (does this sound like real life at all...?). My roommate Kathryn was Izzie Islander-a local girl in love with the bartender and Corinna was Sgt. Lord-the friend of the man who owned Margaritaland. We had a ton of fun. My character was cheating on Thurston with the bartender-who got murdered, and Kevin was a prime suspect seeing as how my infidelity was exposed. Alas, it was neither one of us but it was the life guard of the resort. Thank heavens I got to keep my Thurston (and also his money!).

The 4 of us: Izzie Islander, Candy Cotton, Thurston Howard III and Sgt. Lord

Candy Cotton

Candy Cotton and Thurston Howard III

Thurston Howard III

"Oh Thurston, I need you, I want you, oh baby oh baby"

What a cantankerous old man

Chatting it up with Kylie Cocktail

Hearing the final results



The entire group

I won for best costume. My prize: a margarita cup

Kevin's gettin' hitched

So it's now officially official. Kevin and I have a date. He called the temple today and set the date.

AUGUST 1st. Yay!!!!

We're getting married at 1 o'clock in the afternoon in the Washington DC temple. All are invited to come on out if you so desire. We'd love to have anyone and everyone.

There will be a reception afterwards with tons of dancing (and yes that includes Kevin!). Kevin knows that he has to dance, so with that said-watch out. Thank you all for all your support and love. Hope to see you there!!!!

Why is life so busy?

Why is it that I only seem to have time to blog once every 2-3 weeks? If it is even that often? My life is crazy busy and I don't even do that much. I work (granted I do work a ton-I'm gone from the house 11 hours Monday-Friday!) but then that's it. My church calling doesn't keep me busy, my school work doesn't keep me busy (because I don't have any yet), and yet-I still don't have time for anything. And now I'm trying to plan a wedding. Sheesh. Where does the time go? Life is crazy. But fun.

My Christmas Vacation

Christmas and New Years has come and gone. I've been so busy with things, that I haven't been able to catch everybody up on my life. Aside from the engagement that is. Kevin came home with me for Christmas this year, and we had a lot of fun. We spent three days with my mom, and three days with my dad. It was short, but sweet. Here are a few pictures of that trip.

Here is what Kevin did almost the entire 4 hour flight to Denver. He was awake for about the first and last 1/2 hour. I was bored.

Here is Kevin with two of my nephews, Tanner and Brayden.

My family decided to have a Sudoku tournament. It was with my dad, two of my brothers-Mo and Chris, and also me and Kevin. My dad kicked everybody's butts.

New Years Day I went to the temple in DC and low and behold, my best friend from college who is currently serving her mission in the Baltimore, Maryland mission was at the visitor's center!

Corinna, Celeste and Kathryn at the temple to see the beautiful lights.

Kevin and me in front of the temple