More from the BBQ

My cute friend Meghan sent me more pics from the BBQ, and I couldn't resist sharing!

Memorial Day BBQ

I forgot what it was like to have a free Monday!!! Sleeping in, hanging out, laughing a lot, teasing each other, playing games, rocking out, eating food....seriously, what a great day!

In honor of Memorial Day, Seth and I decided to host an 'everyone is invited' BBQ at our place! It was so much fun!

We had all kinds of "meat" ranging from burgers to hotdogs to brats to turkey dogs to veggie patties to vegetarian dogs. Seriously, we have some awesome friends with awesome taste! Everyone came and contributed to build a fantastic feast, complete with outdoor sunshine and a little indoor guitar hero. We seriously have some talented friends, I'm thinking we need to actually start a band (or just become groupies of the people already in bands!)



It was also fun to bring friends from all different walks of life together. I had some coworkers, we invited all sorts of people from our ward, and our friend Kelley that we know from Washington, DC even came up from San Diego for the affair!

After everyone left, Seth and I just got to sit and bask in gratitude for friends everywhere (even if you couldn't come!). For whatever reason, lately I've felt really....I guess just homesick and just missing family and being with family. Nothing really can ever replace family, but it's nice to have friends who can be our local families and celebrate the holidays with us. We really are just so blessed. And lucky.

Also, I just have to note that I'm a rapper in hiding. I may need a little work on my hand movements (I believe they were described as a "pregnant mouse") but dude, I've got some hardcore rapper talent.. Seth says I might not make it in the bid'niss, but what does he know, this white girl has got some mad skills just waiting to be discovered.

American Idol....LIVE!!!

Tonight we got to go here:


To see this:


And these two talented boys:


And caught a glimpse of all of these huligans:


Which is one of the very few reasons why I could possibly like living here:


At about 3:25 Seth emailed me a link to last minute american idol tickets. We signed up MONTHS ago, and when we signed up I kept saying "wouldn't it be cool if our batch was the last batch that gets to go to the finale?" Well...we were!! Last last last last minute. We had to be there by 4:15 PM to pick up the tickets. I had to get from point A to point B:
View Larger Map

which is about 14.8 miles in Los Angeles Traffic. Ohhh so of course I got permission from work, wrapped a few things up, and went on my adventure in the car!

Thanks to directions from Heathy & Seth, and encouragement and excitement from the Parentals, I made it to the theater, and we were able to park right next to the theater so i wouldn't have to walk very far (still kind of on light bedrest...). We made it we made it!! (Okay, so seth picked up the tickets and I maybe didn't make it until 4:25, but still it was a Los Angeles Miracle! AND, there was another earthquake while I was driving, which makes traffic worse for some reason...so it REALLY was a miracle!)

We got into the theater and were on cloud 9! It's so cool! The music was thumping, and while I'm still never sure if I have gas or if the baby is moving, I'm pretty sure our little fetus leapt in the womb as we sat down in our seats. Seth said he/she is a little rocker and was banging on the drums already :) Our seats were the 2nd row on the balcony, which was a perfect view--far enough removed that i could stay seated and close enough to see everyone!

As you can probably tell from my writing, I'm still on cloud 9, and still just so excited. Once in a lifetime experience!! AND, Seth still made it to Bishopric meeting!! Gotta love it People, Gotta love it!

Earthquake!

Last night we experienced our first earthquake! I feel like since no damage was done, and no one was hurt, I can be a little excited about this one....so please indulge me.

Seth was playing the piano (which did not cause the earth to quake), and i was just about to head upstairs...when there was a little shake shake shake, and then another little shake shake shake, and then our mirrors kept shaking for a little bit. We stopped and looked at each other...and then I continued upstairs (bathroom break!) and Seth went outside to hear if it really was an earthquake.

Our neighbor, Beth, came out to tell us it was indeed an earthquake. I came back downstairs to call the parentals to tell them the news! I mean, it is my first "real" earthquake (meaning....I didn't make it up in my dreams and insist i felt it for weeks...)

Later that evening, Beth came over again to offer a flashlight to us--she's a very nice neighbor! We talked a bit about the whole "earthquake" thing, and Beth gave us some good advice, like "Don't run outside like you just did--look what could fall on you!" :)

The interesting thing is that on Friday and Saturday night, whenever Seth got into or out of bed, I kept waking up thinking it was an earthquake. And last night I kept dreaming about how we didn't have any food storage in the house and that maybe we should try to be a 'little' prepared (little...because our kitchen is LITTLE and storage space is non-existent).

Maybe the next earthquake will be scary and cause problems, and I'll be sad about it. But these little harmless guys are kind of cool--and a good reminder about what we need to do to be prepared!!!

The Tale of the Belly Button Gorge

I noticed last night that my belly button is spreading...into a deep "innie" gorge in the middle of my otherwise very round and symetrical baby bump. This gorge...it's not pretty, people.

I had my appendix out (laproscopic) when I was 15, and ever since have had a cute, but very deep innie "E" shaped belly button. The "E" is now bold and wide and is about 26pt instead of the usual 18pt.

So this begs the question: how does one prevent the belly button gorge (BBG) from ruining an otherwise perfectly cute preggie shirt?

I just tried putting scotch tape over the BBG. It's helping a little bit, but when i move it makes a crunchy tape sound. This might be cause for awkwardness.

Any other ideas??

Followup: After 1/2 day, my scotch tape had clouded up over my belly button (imagine a mirror after a shower). Not pretty, people.

Coupon-ing--is that a word??

My grandpa Larry was a master coupon cutter. He used to give us coupons when we came to visit. Yeah, some grandpas give quarters, others hand out gushy kisses, but this grandpa gave us coupons. It was awesome. Oh Larry, where are you when I need you???

Calling all cool/crazy couponers!!

So maybe we took a look at our "Food Expenditures" and maybe the number made me gasp, several times in a row.

Just looking into ideas and thoughts, but if anyone wants to call and explain this whole "I saved $285 dollars at the grocery store and only spent $0.25!" I'd LOVE to hear the deal. Seriously.

I'm pretty sure I'm not ready to go buy 10 newspapers (I have an aversion to the feel of newspaper...it grosses me out and I won't touch them if i don't have to) but if there's a way i can print coupons online or something...I'm all for it, and all for saving money!!

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mothers day to my wonderful Mother!!!

I'm just beginning to understand all the sacrifices you made for me and all you continue to do for me. I'm so grateful for all the things we share.

Loves to you Mommy!

Milk or Dark?

So anyone in our family knows that there’s a 50/50 divide in the family for Chocolate preferences. And it’s a big deal. You’re either Milk, or you’re Dark. I happen to be Dark.

Whenever I would start dating someone, I’d tell them I had a very very serious question to ask them, and that it would make a HUGE difference in our relationship in the future. I’d get very serious, and then pose the question “So, do you like Milk Chocolate, or Dark Chocolate?”

Each time I’d get a different response. There were the diplomats who explained they liked both (errr, wrong answer, don’t sit on the fence!), the vauge “Mostly Milk, sometimes Dark”, and then there was Seth who said “I like fruity dessert, not chocolate dessert”.

Well, I thought it might take a few years to figure out what the baby likes…but I found out today!

Good Friend and Co-Worker Emily bought me treats because she’s nice like that, including a Chocolate Bar from World Market (pictured below). I was saving it for a rainy day, and today was the day. I took a little square…and even though it was Milk Chocolate, I really needed chocolate.

I took a bite. And the baby jumped up and down with joy—this was exactly what he/she wanted! (okay, that’s just what my brain pictured…) He/She was so excited that he/she MADE me eat the rest. In one sitting. A HUGE chocolate bar for my ¾ ounce baby—that’s LOVE :)

So….for all you milk chocolate members of the family can know that our baby is on your side. Milk chocolate (with toffee and caramel) for this little peach-sized baby!!

Ultrasound Pictures

I LOVE the baby's profile in these pictures. I've had bad dreams my whole life about my baby's nose...that it would be big and scary. But so far I'm just seeing a perfect little ski jump nose! (Maybe if we're lucky the baby will get Sammi's nose! I LOVE sammi's nose...do you think it's close, sammi??) When we were in the ultrasound, I had to hold myself back from yelling over and over "it has your nose seth, it has your nose!" I was VERY excited about it.

The baby had the hiccups during the ultrasound, which was also fun. It waved at us and was kicking around. Seriously, maybe ultrasound pictures might be boring to anyone but the parents and grandparents, but there's something about seeing it live that I just LOVE--it makes everything more real. It's a good thing I don't own a sonogram machine, or I'd spend all day every day watching cute little peach-sized baby.

Fifty Nifty!

visited 41 states (82%)<

I thought this was a fun idea....I wrote every state, and then if I'd been to that state I wrote something memorable about it!

Alabama

Alaska

Arizona – (The most memorable visit was the first time I flew out to meet Seth’s family in November 2005 for Thanksgiving. Can you believe it's almost been 4 years since the Johnsons became a part of my life?)

Arkansas

California – (First came when I was 5 and wasn’t tall enough toride the rides at disneyland! Now that I'm here I still can't ride the rides for different reasons!)

Colorado – (Most memorable…the Democratic National Convention…also the most stressful. Seriously, amazing to see the convention floor, not so amazing to sprint across the city to deliver tickets.)

Connecticut – (You have to say it connect-it-cut very quietly and quickly. That’s what we did when we were driving through in October 2005 on our way to the Boston Singles Convention)

Delaware – (How many times have we driven through delaware on ourway to NYC from DC? I cannot count. But you know, it's a pleasant state.)

Florida – (My first flight ever was a flight to visit Heathy in Florida when I was 18! We saw alligators and played at the beach and went to disneyworld...and i got my first 2nd degree sunburns ever, and held live sand dollars.)

Georgia -- (The Atlanta Airport is a mess, but the air feels wonderful. I feel like i've been to another part of georgia, but let's face it, I don't remember.)

Hawaii – (Honeymoon!!! Hawaii smells SO good. I mean, SOOOO good. And guava in Hawaii is unlike anything else.)

Idaho – (Born and raised, people. Born and raised. The cool thing about Sugar City is that you can lay down in the middle of main street at midnight and there's just no danger...or so I thought in high school.)

Illinois – (My first trip to Illinois (and this will not be the last mention) was the great family drive across the country in 1994 AKA the trip that never ends AKA GFTATC 1994… We drove through to see Amy, Wade, and Jimmy in Chicago!!!) (I also have to mention that some of my favorite memories are visiting mom and dad in Nauvoo, IL. Oh, I miss Rendevous in Old Nauvoo, especially "Willingly, because we have to!"...it gets me through many a workday.)

Indiana – (GFTATC 1994. Also, the Great trip across the country with Kyle in 2005)

Iowa – (Lots of flooding, lots of levys during the GFTATC 1994. This is also where we went a LOT during the Rendevous in Old Nauvoo period).

Kansas – (Kyle and I stayed with Katharine Lecheminant in Kansas during the great cross country drive of 2005. It is a Looooooongstate!)

Kentucky – (Part of the GFTATC 1994. I have a distinct memory of Louisville and an Arbys. Or Maybe a Wendys.)

Louisiana

Maine

Maryland – (Oh BWI, oh Potomac, oh DC Temple in Kensington. I love MD, esp the rolling hillsides. Maybe the coolest house in the world is in Potomac--they have "Mini Georgetown" in the basement, complete with street lamps, store fronts, an airplane (yes, an airplane), and cobblestone floorings. It's AMAZING and SO FUN.)

Massachusetts – (Destination: Boston Singles Conference. Seth and I were not single—we were a couple. Note: Couples shouldn’t go to singles conferences….as they are actually meant to widen the pool of potential people to date. Awk-ward!)

Michigan – (Can I remember anything about michigan, other than the college we went to (of which I do not remember the name…help me out here sisters!)

Minnesota- (awwww minnnnesOtah. I remember the drive during the GFTATC 1994. Biggest mall in america? How could anyone forget a rollercoaster inside a mall?)

Mississippi – (I woke up early in the morning when I was visiting Heather in Tennessee so I could drive with her to drop jimmy off in their stake, which included a small corner of mississippi. I woke up long enough to look out the window so I could say I have both seen and been in the state of mississippi).

Missouri – (I remember Liberty Jail and the RLDS temple most clearly)

Montana – (Is it true that Montana doesn’t have speed limits? I heard that once. My roommate Britta and I drove though montana on our way to Cowley Wyoming to see our friends Chris, Casey, and Joe. Awwwthe good ole days of college road trips! And how can I not give an honorable mention to the many trips to West Yellowstone for thePlaymill? It’s funner when you know the actors…and yes I said funner get over it.)

Nebraska – (Seth, I believe we stayed in nebraska during the not-as-great trip across the country in 2008??? I was traumatized, it’s hard toremember.)

Nevada – (Mmmmm First trip to nevada was on the trip down to Daniel’s wedding. Second was to visit Cara duing the break of October 2007. Yay for the bellagio fountains!)

New Hampshire

New Jersey – (Mmmmm just take a good whiff! Can’t say I’ve stayed in NJ, but the drive has some great rest stops along the toll road. Thank you NJ!)

New Mexico

New York – (I heart NY. I miss it being close. My favorite trips were: 1. With Emmy during the summer when we found the outdoor street festival and 2. Our last trip up in August 2008—one word: Lulu!) 3. The first trip, Seth took me up for my birthday so we could try to get into wicked and it was SOOOOOOOO Cold, and was all we could do to stay warm. AND i wore "cute shoes" instead of "comfy shoes". I learned my lesson. But it was our first big road trip and I love the memories we have!)

North Carolina – (Yay for Cara to fly all the way to DC, only to decide the next day to take a roadtrip to North Carolina with strangers! Rob, Kayleen, Steph, Cara, and I hopped in the car and drove down to stay with Kayleen’s aunt. Anyone remember the name of the city that we kept talking about?)

North Dakota

Ohio - (Our FAVORITE trip to Ohio was on the not-as-great drive across the country in 2008. It was so fun to see the DeMordaunts and stay extra long to see the dairy and hang with the kids and fam!)

Oklahoma – (GFTATC 1994. I believe the song was sung at least 7 times.)

Oregon – (Mary and Jeff’s wedding trip 2000. Ontario smells funny.)

Pennsylvania – (Philly trip with Brad Green 2007. So much fun to just play all day with Seth)

Rhode Island – (It’s small. 2005 Boston’s single conference)

South Carolina – (Charleston!! The great Tammy Seth & Jane trip of 2007! Ze Cherman Bakary haz itz rootz in ze karolinas, peepol)

South Dakota -- (GFTATC 1994. Mt. Rushmore. “Camping” inside the van, mosquito netting and all. Dad had the Club on the steering wheel where my head was supposed to go...it was very uncomfortable. I just remember we were ALL trying to sleep, but it was WAY too hot, and we kept talking and laughing and thinking it was too funny (okay, i was 11 and thought that and kept talking and laughing...sorry Family!))

Tennessee - (I had a conference in Nashville when I worked at CUA, and got to fly out a few days early to see Heathy and family! We had all sorts of fun, and then i stayed in a fun suite in nashville close to the grand ole opry!)

Texas - (The-company-that-shall-not-be-mentioned used to have it's headquarters in Texas, so right after we got engaged I flew out for "training". It was so fun to eat at SeaCatch with Lauren, the steak restaurant with Dewey and Lauren, and enjoy the heart of Texas) :)

Utah - (The first memories I have of Utah are of Angie's house and Grandma and Grandpa Nelsons. I remember sitting up on the dashboard in the tiny car with all 9 of us crammed in waiting to show up at Thanksgiving dinner! I also remember the time we all got the fake lips to wear when we walked into the Mackay's house. Yay for family trips)

Vermont

Virginia - (Ah, Virginia. The first was the GFTATC 1994 when we went to Richmond, and set off alarms and got chased by scary people. The second was when I moved to Arlington. I LOVE Virginia. It's where we fell in love, where many friends till live, and where we created memories that will last forever. My favorite monument in VA has to be Iwo Jima, but a close second is the Air Force Memorial.)

Washington (state of) - (Kennewick, the great tri-city area. It's where I saw the church sign that said "don't like the way you were born? get born again!" I still laugh.)

Washington (District of) - (D.C. changed my life. The White House, the Capital, the Cherry Blossoms, the Free EVERYTHING, Ruth's Chris, the Mall...oh there are so many memories! I LOVE DC.)

West Virginia - (Mountain mama....I loved camping in WV, Hiking in WV, and even going to an authentic West Virginia Family Reunion (not my own...and seriously, they would introduce themselves as "i'm cousin to so-and so, and we're also 2nd cousins once removed and she's my sister in law, too!...no joke) the adventures...).

Wisconsin - (Cheese! Cheese cheese!)

Wyoming - (Cowley Wyoming has got to be among my favorites. Longest drive across the state ever, but gets a person where they're heading! :))