Wednesday, December 29, 2010

oops

Both Brett and I kind of completely spaced that today is our wedding anniversary. I did remember last night before bed but today we only remembered when my dad wished us happy anniversary. It's been three years! The best three years of my life too!

Picture from May during our Yuma/Moab trip.

Saturday, December 11, 2010

Shock

When I first heard this performance I was flabbergasted at the talent. I mean of course he is good he plays the organ for the mormon tabernacle choir! But this performance was amazing and the best of the christmas concert that year!

Monday, December 6, 2010

By the weeks

 I figured I'd show a few pictures of me through pregnancy so far. Most of the pictures are random ones that are still in the camera but 2 are actually posed 'look at my belly' pictures.
Back in June - Not Pregnant Thus you don't need to see my belly.  Yes Brett regularly looks that angry for pictures. It's nothing against you.




July- About 4 weeks pregnant. This was pre-'puke for an entire weekend straight' so I actually got a bit skinnier after this. Thankfully that only lasted one weekend and I feel very blessed at the fact.

My birthday-13 weeks- I think I actually look pretty prego in this picture but it is really just the shirt and poor posture. I bought the shirt rather early in pregnancy thinking it will fit for months. Well it still fits but it's too cold to wear it now. Oh well, it was on sale. I do have a picture from a few seconds later that much better represents my size at the time but I like this one. My face says "Brett you spelled my name wrong on my birthday no-bake-oreo-bars, we've been married 2.5 years now!" and his says "I know how to spell your name I just ran our of room so I left out a few letters. Don't be so sensitive."         





November- 22 weeks- This was before Thanksgiving
December-24 weeks- This is after Thanksgiving. Again there is a better picture a few seconds later where I don't look so scary white but JD looks best in this picture. (P.S. look Mom I'm wearing the maternity pants you keep asking me when I'm going to start wearing. My belly is almost big enough to hold them up now!)
The last few days I feel like I can almost see my belly growing, although I still have a ways to go I know. I am pretty sure Thanksgiving helped me look the part of being pregnant. Our little girl is still kicking away but thankfully not keeping me from anything like sleep. Brett's felt her kick a few times. And she really doesn't seem to like to sound of one of my professor's voices because she kicks and wiggles all through one of my classes but not so much the other one.

Monday, November 15, 2010

Things are kicking in.

So my official due date is 19 weeks from today (meaning I'm not having a baby 19 weeks from today right?). And the pregnancy is coming a long. Over the last month or so I've thought I might have, maybe, could have felt a kick but never anything for sure or consistent. But yesterday during sacrament there were two girls unhappy with the waist band on my skirt. But I wasn't kicking anyone over it. I've felt plenty of 'that was for sure a kick' ever since, normally when something is pushing on my belly. I would agree with the 'it feels like popcorn popping' statement. And although I wouldn't really say 'I'm showing' much this little girl is starting to take up enough space that a full bladder or stomach has no place to go but out. I'm sure soon enough she'll start moving in the outward direction too.

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

New Blog Name At Last

I've finally gotten around to putting up my new blog name. The majority of people who read my blog will not be surprised but for those of you who don't talk to me as often... Yes I'm pregnant. I'm 20 weeks along, I'm due March 28, it is a girl, I feel great... I think those are the typically questions I get asked. There is one think I'm surprised about with pregnancy. I used to see ultrasounds or widgets of 'what your baby looks like now' and get pretty freaked out. They just looked like aliens to me. Now they look cute and adorable to me(in a 'I hope they grow out of that slightly E.T. look' sort of way of course)! I still won't but one of those widgets on my blog but I may post an ultrasound picture or two.
But alas, I've devoted enough time towards the 'mother' part of my self descriptive blog title and now I must get back to the engineer part and do some homework.

P.S. Please make grammar/spelling comments on the blog title and blog description so I can fix them. That means you Sarah!

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

I might be an adult but..

Last week a new dog came into our possession. We were never sure if we were going to keep the dog. It has a ton of energy and isn't of good of a listener as JD (our old new dog) is. But he LOVES to fetch and Brett thought he was a trained bird dog and really wants a bird dog. We'll there were a few issues. My sister really didn't like the new dog and we are still living at her house. And the new dog over powers JD and so I was in a constant state of turmoil wanting to be fair to both dogs. Well for these reasons and many more we decided the dog had to go. So yesterday Brett was going to take the dog in. But we failed and placed an add in the paper instead. Then last night JD started favoring one of his legs which I blamed on 'the other dog' (which is the only name we ever gave him) so I decided he goes now. Today Brett came home at lunch to help me take him in. I started crying at the thought that no one would claim him and he would be put down. Brett said we could wait a few more days but I decided I had to be an adult and go through with the decision. So we got the shelter and the lady took some pictures of 'other dog' and asked us a few questions about what he could do. As we were talking my phone rang and it was someone calling about the ad in the paper. The lady thought it was her dog so we waited at the shelter. It turns out it was her dog and everything turned out happy. She didn't even have to pay the shelter fees since he wasn't processed yet. And she even paid my mom for the damages the dog did to her chickens. So although I went to the shelter ready to be an adult and watch sad things happen, I got to leave with a happy ending.

~Now if only my homework would have a happy ending and finish itself.

Thursday, October 7, 2010

Name for this phobia

So I've developed this phobia and I want to know the name of it. I am scared of the remote possibility that while driving down the street with my windows down a passing car will flip of a rock, it will fly in the window, hit me in the temple or eye, and cause me to black out, or lose an eye, or even die. This fear strikes me often while driving but I've always suppressed it and have never rolled up my window as a result. But I can see how fears of stuff like that can be debilitating.

Also, I've decided on a new blog title. It's coming soon and it's a good one.

Thursday, September 30, 2010

Big changes

September is ending. September means the start of a new school year for kids, the start of a new degree for me, the start of a new job for Brett, and both of our birthdays. For some reason I was dreading this birthday. I officially feel old and I think it is because Brett was this age when I met him and he was old.

This year is set to be a big one, lots of changes that reinforce 'I'm old'. For example, today we are buying a house (we are suppose to close today at noon) and there are more big changes to come this year.

In less big news, today is apple pie day for me. Last Tuesday I picked 2 1/2 bushels of apples with my mom and today we are making the filling for apple pie that we can freeze and use all winter. I also promise to post my sister's apple cake recipe that you asked for Joannie! But if you want some really good apples it is a U-Pick place on York Road between Park and Jameston road. They have 4 kinds of apples but the honeycrisp and sweet 16 are the best for eating. A mix of all 4 make an out of this world pie. (I believe it was $10 a bushel)

Thursday, August 26, 2010

Windows 7 was not my idea.

So about a month ago I put windows 7 on our desktop. Come to find out our wireless internet adapter didn't work with windows 7. Thus our nice new(ish) desktop was pretty useless. Well with school starting I finally cracked down and got the desktop working. No more postage stamp sized laptop screen for me. Does that mean I'll blog more... probably not.

But as an update:

This summer we've camped with family and friends, enjoyed the outdoors, got a dog, worked, worked, worked, and even starting looking at houses. I've now started my master's work here in town and work 20 hrs. a week at the INL. Brett is working construction and LOVES the fact that he is done with school.

Now that you are updated wait another 2 months for my next post (no promises).

Thursday, June 24, 2010

Nationals

Since Sunday my husband has been in Kansas City for Skills USA national championships. He is the framer/carpenter on a four man team. They finished their 'laundry room' structure today and tear it down tomorrow (bit of a waste I know). Here are some pictures he texted me.


UPDATE: Brett's team took ...? I'm not going to tell.

Friday, June 11, 2010

The danger of incidental personal use.

The danger of incidental personal use on work computers is I can check my email but not blogs so I don't check 'em nearly as much (okay at all really). But I got off work early today and FINALLY hooked our desktop up to the internet.
So here are some of the pictures from Europe but.. Brett lost our camera mountain biking so I lost pictures from Paris, Yuma, Grand Canyon, and Moab...

My last post in Europe was THE DAY! the entire reason I was there, to have my paper reviewed. I survived and I'm actually almost done with all the actions. That night we went to Sokol's restaurant. We saw the place in a brochure and decided between John and me that we wanted to go. So we invited the other intern who of course came and then also invited my boss. Now my boss is like up there in ICSBEP and he ended up inviting a bunch of other people along. SO we had quite a few people but I don't have pictures of the whole group. This was my dinner. There is boar, deer, and pork along with Rools, something else, and something else. I thought I'd never remember but I have already.
This here is heaven on a plate. They call it creme (cream? can't remember how it's spelled) cake.
THE LAST DAY (of work). This is the last benchmark we went through the stack in the background are the ones we already finished!

This was they day I found the rockin' jewelry store I talked about a few posts ago. We also found the dragon bridge. Evidently a dragon protects Ljubljana.

That night for dinner all I wanted was a Crepe but the place we got them before was out so they sent us to Cafe Romeo which was actually more of an upscale bar. But the food was great. I ordered a Tuna something or other. Everywhere they had tuna this and that on menus so I decided I had to try it.
IT WAS AMAZING! Totally ruined tuna fish from a can for me. The glass in the back was fresh squeezed lemonade, amazing. I forgot to take a picture of the heavenly crepe. It was filled with nutella and coconut and had a strawberry sauce on top.

The final day in Slovenia was a tour of their TRIGA reactor. This is the reactor building. Evidently it is a Slovenian architectural landmark so if they ever decommission the reactor... they are going to have problems. The architect also used a mushroom cloud as his inspiration... I'm not sure that helps public opinion of nuclear energy.
After the tour, which was rather eventful but I won't share that here, it was back to the city. John and I rode the funicular to the castle, here are views from the castle tower.

We also wandered through other cool old buildings that day. And I spend A LOT, A LOT of money of chocolate, honey, and jewelry.
Finally my last day in Slovenia arrived. And I headed of the Paris (and graduated although I wasn't there for that.)

So since Brett lost the camera this is where it ends... except the day after he lost his camera we went on a five mile hike (THANKS SO MUCH TO OUR DEAR, DEAR FRIENDS WHO CAME WITH US) and found the camera. So... Paris..
Here is the hotel at the airport (the airport is HUGE, I NEVER want to go there alone)
Once we dropped off our luggage we jumped on the RER and then METRO and ended up at Notre Dame
The place was packed and the pigeons were suicide bombers.
Then we wandered along the Seine and ended up at the Louvre. We didn't go into that either.

(This is my taking a picture into the glass pyramid)

Another Metro ride and we were at and wandered down Avenue des Champs-Élysées. Ending in the Arc de Triomphe

Finally we made it to the Eiffle Tower.

Two of our group went to the top but I did not. I went and got gelato with my boss and his wife. These two scoops were 9 EUR which was like 11-12 dollars! But it was so, so good.


Finally the long awaited expensive french dinner. I have pictures that my boss took of all the food but they're on my work computer so I can't share them yet. Breif overview.. I used over 25 pieces of silverware during that meal.
Dinner was by the sacre coeur basilica so we wandered around there after dinner, spend more money on souvenirs and headed back to the hotel.
The next morning we headed to the airport for our 11:00 flight. We got on the 11:00 fight and then sat there for 2.5 hours waiting for our take off slot. The Iceland volcano didn't interfere too much with our route but since a lot of other flight were taking our route to avoid the ash it pushed back our take off time. About 13.5 hours later I landed in Salt Lake and gave my husband a bit fat kiss.

Now that same husband is annoyed because we are suppose to be backing the car to go to the cabin and I'm blogging. I guess Yuma/Grand Canyon/Moab will have to wait... Oh and I'm skipping on proof reading and spell check. Hope you make it through this.

Saturday, May 29, 2010

I apologize.

I am in the process of coming up with a new blog name. But in the mean time I apologize to any of you (i.e. my sister) who was bothered by the apostrophe in the previous blog name "THE UTAH MARSHALL'S". I'm not sure why I put there and I am terribly sorry if it bothered the grammar monster inside of any of you.

Monday, May 24, 2010

Home

I did make it home from Europe... and then made it to Yuma... and then made it to the Grand Canyon... and then made it to Moab... and then made it home... and I'm now working on packing up the apartment to move to Idaho (our REAL home). When that happens I'll have to come up with a new blog name. And hopefully you'll get to see some more Slovenia/Paris/Arizona/California/Moab pictures.

Friday, May 7, 2010

Slovenia, Last morning

So I missed blogging yesterday and now it's 4:00 AM and I'm busily packing to catch the shuttle to the airport. Thus.. not time to blog about yesterday.

Back home it is 8:00 pm and I'd be in graduation right now if I were home... I wore my Utah shirt to bed last night to celebrate.

Thursday, May 6, 2010

Slovenia Day 6

Today was our last working day. We finished all our work and tomorrow we are going to be touring a reactor facility here in slovenia. This evening I finished all my shopping needs and requirements. I finally found something for Brett and I am very, very, very excited to give it to him because I think he will really like it a lot. I also found the most fun jewelry shop. I think it might be even better than the jewelry shop my sister found last month back east that she is still raving about. All the jewelry was handmade and about as funky and fun as can be. There were lots of glass, wire, and stone designs that I LOVED LOVED LOVED. I bought some earrings and a glass ring but the ring already broker. I am going to go back tomorrow to see if I can exchange it. However, being made of glass I'm sure the next one will break too and I rather continue wearing the broken one than get a perfect one and live in fear of it breaking. We'll see what I decide to do.

We went out to dinner at a cocktail bar but the food was amazing. I have some pictures but I'm too tired and will post them tomorrow with the pictures of the tour.

Wednesday, May 5, 2010

Slovenia Day 5/ The Big Day

~6:00 (first and not the important, if you are unsure I use the '~' sign to signify approximately. during this meeting there was some russian gentlemen who were confused by the use of this symbol because to this it means of the same magnitude not approximately. approximately would be the double '~' or the wavey equals sign as I call it.)

Today was the day that my evaluate was under review. I am still alive. There were a lot of comments and it took nearly two hours to make it through but someone said it was good for a first time evaluator so hopefully not all hope is lost for me. At least my mentors haven't told me I'm not allowed to come and work for them anymore (...yet). I didn't cry during any of the comments, I had after all threatened to be the first person to cry, but my core body temperature did rise a little bit (not enough to be noticeable by others though). In summary, it was not an enjoyable experience and I have threatened to not come back next year BUT I think time will lesson the pain and I will come back next year if they let me.

This evening we are going out to a authentic slovene restaurant so there should be pictures of that later..

(also not important... I tried doing spell check for the first time in a long time on my blog.. it highlighted almost everyword I THINK because it is spell checking for slovene words and not english words.)

Tuesday, May 4, 2010

Slovenia Day 4/Work & Working Dinner







Today was work all day again but this evening we had a 'working' dinner in Bled. It was so beautiful up there.
Bled has the only island in slovenia and it has a church on it.

There is this castle on the cliff on the lake shore.

The surrounding area was so lush and green. It was rainy still so we couldn't see the alps in the background but it was still gorgeous. I was sure to touch the water in honor of my sister who has to touch every major body of water she ever comes within 100 miles of (even if it means sleeping in the car at the new hampshire airport just to touch to ocean).

We ate at Vila Bled which was the Vila of former Yugoslavic President Tito. I didn't get many good pictures of the Vila.

In the room where we ate there was a large mural of WWII for Yugoslavia. Some parts were a little bit more graphic and didn't set quite the right ambiance but they were proud of it.

The food was quite good. These were the appetizers. The seafood cocktail (bottom) was not to my liking. Once I tried the tentacle I was done with that one. The moxarella balls were to die for though.

The dinner and dessert were delicious but we never got to the buffet table at the right time and they were always out. The desserts the completely ran out of so what you see above is not what was on the menu.

In other food news. At Brett's requrest I tried Doner Kebaps twice.
This is the man shaving the meat.

These are the two doner kebaps. They were both quite tasty. I couldn't however find the Ula Dag which is the drink Brett asked me to bring back for him and his brother. I have grown very fond of the Shwepps Bitter lemonade. It's delicious.

Last night we went out for dinner.
I had risotto and apple strudel. Both were very good
Tomorrow it is more work.