On December 23d, I was invited to a "Festivus Party" at my friend Phil's house. I was not going to go but at the last minute I decided to go with my friend Elaine. My hair has been doing this thing lately where if I don't wash it EVERY DAY then it looks SO OILY on top. Elaine previously had watched a YouTube video about how to apply hair powder to make your hair look less oily. She applied some hair powder in my hair that smelled like honey suckle and I was good to go!
We drove over to Annandale. It was a COLD and WINDY night. There was NO WHERE TO PARK where Phil lived and we had to walk a couple of blocks.
In case you are not aware Festivus is a holiday that was started on the TV show Seinfeld. you can read all about it on the Internet I am sure. I think that most people have forgot about that or don't really care. Elaine and I brought some pretzels because on one episode Kramer says these "pretzels are making me thirsty" and we put a post-it by them that said "pretzels that will make you thirsty" We also brought some rye bread, Jerry in one episode steals a marble rye from an old lady...don't worry he gets his comeuppance for it.. We put a post-it by that that said marble rye that Jerry stole from an old lady. We also put some dip out and said " don't double dip" because George double dipped at a party once.
Justin was there and we had a nice time talking with him and other people.
It was really nice of Phil to invite us!
Friday, December 31, 2010
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
party
In December Justin and I had a white elephant gift exchange party ( I like to have one every year).
We planned it for December 18th. Several people said they were already out of town then which surprised me. I thought wow it must be nice to take THAT LONG of a vacation since most people want to be gone Christmas and New Years when they go....
We did have about eleven people show up though. I guess no one wanted to be the first person there so the first people started coming about an hour after the party started.
I made monkey bread which Justin LOVED!!!! I mean LOVED... :) and I made peanut butter fudge that one person there thought was soap... Elaine brought sausage dip that she put in tortilla chips, Kelly brought a nut mixture and devilled eggs with sausage in the mix DELICIOUS!!!
We had a great time doing the gift exchange here is what everyone got:
Katie: got a calendar that says "porn for women" It has men fully clothed doing household chores or just simply listening to women. she also got a cute notebook that says keep calm and have a cupcake. She remarked so much about how she liked it that I don't think anyone wanted to steal it from her.
Jason: got a re-usable bag from a funeral home. It said funeral home and crematory but at first I thought it said funeral home and creamery I thought wow where is that, that is an interesting combo for a business. He also got a clock. No one stole it from him Justin did kind of want the clock but changed his mind.
Amy: got a "fuzzie wuzzie" which is a fake snuggie, but it got stolen from her by her roommate Shelly. So she ended up with a Monopoly card game.
Phil: got tic tacs with a catapult but they got stolen from him by Kelly he ended up with a copy of "leading the charge" a book that Justin's dad wrote about Orrin Hatch If you would like a copy please let me know.
Shelly: stole the "fuzzie-wuzzie" from her roommate Amy, which got stolen from her by Justin so she then got some church books and two seasons of CSI and a season of 24 which got stolen from her by Carrie. She ended up with a candy bar and some antlers.
Patti: got The Office board game which was stolen by me, (of course) and ended up with a Davy Crockett lunch box that I had tried to sell to antique stores, and on ebay and on Craigs I hope she has better luck.
Justin: ended up with the "fuzzie wuzzie" and it could not be stolen anymore times. He has all ready used it a couple of times.
Elaine: got a scanner that might or might not work... Harry took it home with him to see if it does, we have not heard back from him.
Paul: got the seal shaped like a candle that he left there. Justin put it on the heater in his dining room and it almost melted but I saved it...and I saved myself from cleaning up melted seal.
Carrie: stole the church books and DVDs from Shelly.
Kelly:stole the tic-tac catapult from Phil
Harry: got a cool homemade pottery that is a stein or cup or mug. He also took the scanner home
Keli: I got a book called Breathe Right which Eric stole from me and I took The Office game.
Eric: got the book Breathe Right.
After the gift exchange some people stayed and we played Loaded Questions then Justin went to bed.
more people left and Kelly, Eric and I talked until 1Am or so...
It was a really good party :)
We planned it for December 18th. Several people said they were already out of town then which surprised me. I thought wow it must be nice to take THAT LONG of a vacation since most people want to be gone Christmas and New Years when they go....
We did have about eleven people show up though. I guess no one wanted to be the first person there so the first people started coming about an hour after the party started.
I made monkey bread which Justin LOVED!!!! I mean LOVED... :) and I made peanut butter fudge that one person there thought was soap... Elaine brought sausage dip that she put in tortilla chips, Kelly brought a nut mixture and devilled eggs with sausage in the mix DELICIOUS!!!
We had a great time doing the gift exchange here is what everyone got:
Katie: got a calendar that says "porn for women" It has men fully clothed doing household chores or just simply listening to women. she also got a cute notebook that says keep calm and have a cupcake. She remarked so much about how she liked it that I don't think anyone wanted to steal it from her.
Jason: got a re-usable bag from a funeral home. It said funeral home and crematory but at first I thought it said funeral home and creamery I thought wow where is that, that is an interesting combo for a business. He also got a clock. No one stole it from him Justin did kind of want the clock but changed his mind.
Amy: got a "fuzzie wuzzie" which is a fake snuggie, but it got stolen from her by her roommate Shelly. So she ended up with a Monopoly card game.
Phil: got tic tacs with a catapult but they got stolen from him by Kelly he ended up with a copy of "leading the charge" a book that Justin's dad wrote about Orrin Hatch If you would like a copy please let me know.
Shelly: stole the "fuzzie-wuzzie" from her roommate Amy, which got stolen from her by Justin so she then got some church books and two seasons of CSI and a season of 24 which got stolen from her by Carrie. She ended up with a candy bar and some antlers.
Patti: got The Office board game which was stolen by me, (of course) and ended up with a Davy Crockett lunch box that I had tried to sell to antique stores, and on ebay and on Craigs I hope she has better luck.
Justin: ended up with the "fuzzie wuzzie" and it could not be stolen anymore times. He has all ready used it a couple of times.
Elaine: got a scanner that might or might not work... Harry took it home with him to see if it does, we have not heard back from him.
Paul: got the seal shaped like a candle that he left there. Justin put it on the heater in his dining room and it almost melted but I saved it...and I saved myself from cleaning up melted seal.
Carrie: stole the church books and DVDs from Shelly.
Kelly:stole the tic-tac catapult from Phil
Harry: got a cool homemade pottery that is a stein or cup or mug. He also took the scanner home
Keli: I got a book called Breathe Right which Eric stole from me and I took The Office game.
Eric: got the book Breathe Right.
After the gift exchange some people stayed and we played Loaded Questions then Justin went to bed.
more people left and Kelly, Eric and I talked until 1Am or so...
It was a really good party :)
Thursday, December 16, 2010
field trip
So last Friday night I was at home browsing FB and I saw that Alex Summers had taken her brothers Chris and Dylan to see Washington Redskin player Chris Cooley at an art gallery where he sells his art that HE makes in Leesburg, VA. Chris Cooley is Justin's FAVORITE Redskin. He graduated from Utah State and I got him a Chris Cooley jersey for his birthday in November 2010. Justin has been wanting his autograph now for sometime. I called the gallery and asked them if Chris Cooley would be there at all the next day. They replied that he should be there between two and four.
The next day I told Justin that we HAD to go to Leesburg. WE HAD TO. So we drove up to Leesburg and went to The Cooley Gallery. It was so wonderful to see Justin's eyes light up and smile when he saw Chris Cooley. We went in and looked his art and the art that other local artists had made that is also for sale there.
I bought Justin a Chris Cooley mug/stein/cup type thing for Christmas he picked out one with the handle it is signed by Chris Cooley and looks very very very cool. We were told that the mug is fully usable but Justin is just going to use it for display. I said maybe it would look cool with some Redskin pens in it or something like that.
Justin and I got to talk to Chris Cooley and we got Justin's picture with him. We had a nice time walking around historic downtown Leesburg. We checked out a biker bar that we will have to go back to on Justin's motorcycle. We went to a thrift store where Justin got several shirts and a pair of pants and I got lots of goodies.
WE HAD A GREAT DAY IN LEESBURG,VA!!! I am now ready to go back again.
The next day I told Justin that we HAD to go to Leesburg. WE HAD TO. So we drove up to Leesburg and went to The Cooley Gallery. It was so wonderful to see Justin's eyes light up and smile when he saw Chris Cooley. We went in and looked his art and the art that other local artists had made that is also for sale there.
I bought Justin a Chris Cooley mug/stein/cup type thing for Christmas he picked out one with the handle it is signed by Chris Cooley and looks very very very cool. We were told that the mug is fully usable but Justin is just going to use it for display. I said maybe it would look cool with some Redskin pens in it or something like that.
Justin and I got to talk to Chris Cooley and we got Justin's picture with him. We had a nice time walking around historic downtown Leesburg. We checked out a biker bar that we will have to go back to on Justin's motorcycle. We went to a thrift store where Justin got several shirts and a pair of pants and I got lots of goodies.
WE HAD A GREAT DAY IN LEESBURG,VA!!! I am now ready to go back again.
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
field trip
Justin and I had the chance to go see the lights at The Washington DC temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. We went with a couple that is in Justin's ward Shawn and Marcia. They are both converts to the church. There are a lot of converts in the mid-single contingent of the church. Justin drove his jeep down and we were able to see all the BEAUTIFUL lights. I left my phone/camera at Justin's him and Shawn took pictures I am still waiting for them to be mailed to me.
We were able to see the last little bit of a bell choir from another church in Arlington,VA they played "we wish you a merry Christmas" it was really cool. Marcia, Shawn and I walked around and looked at nativity sets from all around the world. Justin sat and waited for us on a comfy couch. Justin did take a picture of a nativity set from Hungary where his sister is serving a mission. We saw nativity sets from Mexico also where his brother is serving. I wish I could tell you which one was my favorite or most interesting but they all were unique in their own way. There were beautiful Christmas trees that people in different places around here had decorated and put on display. AND OF COURSE THE TEMPLE!!! " I love to see the temple I am going there someday"
after the temple we went over to White Flint mall and went out to eat at Dave and Busters we didn't play any games but we had a great dinner. Justin enjoyed showing us where his step-mom lived when she was in this area and where he went to the movies as a teen and where he had worked at PF Changs when he was a teenager.
We drove back home and dropped Shawn and Marcia off and went back to Alexandria.
we are so lucky to have a temple in driving distance from our house even though it is a bit of a drive and through a lot of traffic at least it is do -able some people even in the US have to travel for HOURS or even a DAY to get to the temple. anyone that lives near one is LUCKY
We were able to see the last little bit of a bell choir from another church in Arlington,VA they played "we wish you a merry Christmas" it was really cool. Marcia, Shawn and I walked around and looked at nativity sets from all around the world. Justin sat and waited for us on a comfy couch. Justin did take a picture of a nativity set from Hungary where his sister is serving a mission. We saw nativity sets from Mexico also where his brother is serving. I wish I could tell you which one was my favorite or most interesting but they all were unique in their own way. There were beautiful Christmas trees that people in different places around here had decorated and put on display. AND OF COURSE THE TEMPLE!!! " I love to see the temple I am going there someday"
after the temple we went over to White Flint mall and went out to eat at Dave and Busters we didn't play any games but we had a great dinner. Justin enjoyed showing us where his step-mom lived when she was in this area and where he went to the movies as a teen and where he had worked at PF Changs when he was a teenager.
We drove back home and dropped Shawn and Marcia off and went back to Alexandria.
we are so lucky to have a temple in driving distance from our house even though it is a bit of a drive and through a lot of traffic at least it is do -able some people even in the US have to travel for HOURS or even a DAY to get to the temple. anyone that lives near one is LUCKY
Monday, December 13, 2010
field trip
THE UTAH STATE AGGIES CAME TO TOWN!!!! all the way from Logan, Utah to Washington DC to play the Georgetown Hoyas.
Justin went to Utah State and he got his bachelors in political science from there. We went to an alumnai lunch at a restaraunt called Clydes in Washington DC and they had a brunch buffet set up it was really nice. We sat with the Pococks from my ward. There was a man sitting by me that had flew in on the red eye from CA to see the Aggies play. Justin really enjoyed walking around and telling people that his dad was Lee Roderick who works at Utah State in the political science department. We also talked to Tyler and Kristen Cooley ( Chris Cooley's brother) I exchanged emails with Kristen and told her that I would send her some recipes and craft ideas. Orrin Hatch came and Justin was excited to see him since his dad has wrote almost three books about him.
We walked over to the Verizon Center where we sat REALLY far up and had a fun time cheering on the Aggies....even though they lost by 20 points:(
It was a really fun day though.
Justin went to Utah State and he got his bachelors in political science from there. We went to an alumnai lunch at a restaraunt called Clydes in Washington DC and they had a brunch buffet set up it was really nice. We sat with the Pococks from my ward. There was a man sitting by me that had flew in on the red eye from CA to see the Aggies play. Justin really enjoyed walking around and telling people that his dad was Lee Roderick who works at Utah State in the political science department. We also talked to Tyler and Kristen Cooley ( Chris Cooley's brother) I exchanged emails with Kristen and told her that I would send her some recipes and craft ideas. Orrin Hatch came and Justin was excited to see him since his dad has wrote almost three books about him.
We walked over to the Verizon Center where we sat REALLY far up and had a fun time cheering on the Aggies....even though they lost by 20 points:(
It was a really fun day though.
Saturday, December 11, 2010
field trip
Carrie and I had a great day in College Park, MD recently ( right now when Justin is reading this he is saying COLLEGE PARK THAT IS IN PG COUNTY!!!) Justin works in PG county and has seen it's seedier side. BE ASSURED that this museum that we went to was just fine.
After a nice drive with no traffic ALWAYS A PLUS in this area. We arrived in College Park. Carrie and I spotted a "disco turtle" outside one local business a turtle sculpture all adorned with disco mirror ball pieces. We were confused about why the building supply place needed a disco turtle outside their building until we realized that we were in The University of MD territory. Justin asked me why I did not stop there and get a magnet. I said that I can always go back there another day to get one. :)
We arrived at The Aviation Museum and were greeted by an elderly gentlemen and a really bored black guy ( I over heard him say he was BORED) the first guy showed us around some and then we were left to explore on our own.
Some of the neat things that we saw were:
a life size ROBOT of one of The Wright Brothers I have never seen a robot that looks this real. He could move and talk it reminded me of a Buffy episode where she is a robot and I thought they can't make robots that look that real...well THEY CAN!!!
we saw lots of old planes
we were able to climb in one plane and take pictures and move the wings etc.
we were able to play some video games
we could dress up like aviatrix ( I think that is the feminine term for aviators)
we made some aviation art work.
and all in all we had a great time.
I got myself a magnet and a little pink plane and I got Justin a plastic cup and a little blue plane.
on the way home we stopped at IKEA!!!! it was my first time going to Ikea. I now want to buy almost the whole store.... and have lots of decorating ideas.
After a nice drive with no traffic ALWAYS A PLUS in this area. We arrived in College Park. Carrie and I spotted a "disco turtle" outside one local business a turtle sculpture all adorned with disco mirror ball pieces. We were confused about why the building supply place needed a disco turtle outside their building until we realized that we were in The University of MD territory. Justin asked me why I did not stop there and get a magnet. I said that I can always go back there another day to get one. :)
We arrived at The Aviation Museum and were greeted by an elderly gentlemen and a really bored black guy ( I over heard him say he was BORED) the first guy showed us around some and then we were left to explore on our own.
Some of the neat things that we saw were:
a life size ROBOT of one of The Wright Brothers I have never seen a robot that looks this real. He could move and talk it reminded me of a Buffy episode where she is a robot and I thought they can't make robots that look that real...well THEY CAN!!!
we saw lots of old planes
we were able to climb in one plane and take pictures and move the wings etc.
we were able to play some video games
we could dress up like aviatrix ( I think that is the feminine term for aviators)
we made some aviation art work.
and all in all we had a great time.
I got myself a magnet and a little pink plane and I got Justin a plastic cup and a little blue plane.
on the way home we stopped at IKEA!!!! it was my first time going to Ikea. I now want to buy almost the whole store.... and have lots of decorating ideas.
Thursday, December 2, 2010
field trip
I went hiking on Sat. in Arlington,VA. My friend Carrie set up the hike. Carrie, myself, Spike and six or seven guys went. We hiked at a place called Windy Run or something like that. we started out and it was like every other hike that I have been on in Northern VA where there are houses in this case BIG house on one side and AMAZING nature on the other side. Then we went down some STEEP steps that were built into the hill and no more houses. there was a waterfall that came down by some rocks and we were right by the Potomac River. we hiked over lots of rocks down and up more steps and saw another waterfall. It was a great hike I had no idea that something like that even existed in Arlington,VA While we were hiking I saw some women rowing a boat crew style and on the way back you could see The Washington Monument in the distance which was kind of cool.
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
holiday
Thanksgiving 2010 Justin and I were invited many places.
Weds. night we were invited to of to a pie night at Heidi's in Fairfax, VA I made an EASY banana cream pie. We went over to Heidi's townhouse. It looks great and was decorated nice. We had a lot of YUMMY treats.
Thurs. we went over to Carrie's in Alexandria, VA she had two tables set up. They were decorated nice and she had cute place cards for all of us. I kept mine and Justin's we went around the room and said what we were thankful for for different letters of the alphabet.
here is what I remember we said
G-I don't remember what Justin said.
H- I said hats because they are so cute and I love to wear them
P-Justin said he didn't know
Q- I said I loved how quick my brain thought of things
Y- Justin said he was thankful for Yankee's because they won the war and slavery is bad and we should all be equal.
Z- I said my grandma, Zettie Mae Arbutus, who went by Boots.
those are the letters we got when we went around the room.
After dinner we headed over to Angela's house. she had two or three tables set up and a LOT of people over there. We were full from Carrie's so we did not stay.
We then went over to My Aunt Diane's house. in Fairfax,VA we chatted with my family for about two hours.
we were so tired and so full after that, that we headed back to Justin's
he took a nap and I watched a Charlie Brown Thanksgiving, a special about the Peanuts gang on the Mayflower and Elf.
then I went home.
I am so grateful for the gospel of Jesus Christ in our lives and how much it has changed my life. I am so grateful to live here in VA even though I do miss Utah it is nice to have so many single friends. I am so grateful for my friends and family. I hope everyone else had a HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!!!
Weds. night we were invited to of to a pie night at Heidi's in Fairfax, VA I made an EASY banana cream pie. We went over to Heidi's townhouse. It looks great and was decorated nice. We had a lot of YUMMY treats.
Thurs. we went over to Carrie's in Alexandria, VA she had two tables set up. They were decorated nice and she had cute place cards for all of us. I kept mine and Justin's we went around the room and said what we were thankful for for different letters of the alphabet.
here is what I remember we said
G-I don't remember what Justin said.
H- I said hats because they are so cute and I love to wear them
P-Justin said he didn't know
Q- I said I loved how quick my brain thought of things
Y- Justin said he was thankful for Yankee's because they won the war and slavery is bad and we should all be equal.
Z- I said my grandma, Zettie Mae Arbutus, who went by Boots.
those are the letters we got when we went around the room.
After dinner we headed over to Angela's house. she had two or three tables set up and a LOT of people over there. We were full from Carrie's so we did not stay.
We then went over to My Aunt Diane's house. in Fairfax,VA we chatted with my family for about two hours.
we were so tired and so full after that, that we headed back to Justin's
he took a nap and I watched a Charlie Brown Thanksgiving, a special about the Peanuts gang on the Mayflower and Elf.
then I went home.
I am so grateful for the gospel of Jesus Christ in our lives and how much it has changed my life. I am so grateful to live here in VA even though I do miss Utah it is nice to have so many single friends. I am so grateful for my friends and family. I hope everyone else had a HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!!!
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Justin Birthday day Two
On Justin's real birthday which was Mon. November 15th 2010. We went out to dinner at The Melting Pot in Arlington,VA The Melting Pot is a chain and I went to the one in SLC before with Elaine but we did not have the whole meal.
We arrived at The Melting Pot and they were DEAD. The only other people that were there were also celebrating a birthday.
When you go in your order a meal for two ( or more)
you start with cheese, you pick from a variety of choices, I let Justin pick everything because he was the birthday boy!
for our first course we got Spinach Artichoke cheese the waiter came out to the table which has a burner on it and put a metal bowl down and put garlic, spinach and artichoke and shredded cheese in our bowl. He then brought out a variety of stuff for us to dip in the cheese.
for our second course we had salad, we got to choose from a variety of salads, Justin got a Cesar salad, I got some sort of California salad with craisins and a vinaigrette.
for our third course we had an assortment of meats to dip in a broth type thing we also got so many different sauces and such that I was to confused and thought that the meat just tasted fine when we cooked it in the broth.
for our fourth course dessert we got a flaming chocolate turtle which was chocolate, caramel, and chopped pecans that they flambeed at the table.
we got many things to dip in the chocolate and Justin got a piece of cheesecake with a candle in it.
I had to sing him Happy Birthday because at really nice restaurants I have learned they don't sing Happy Birthday to you. My cousin Kristen said that she heard that they don't because they don't want to "disturb the peace" I guess if someone is having a romantic evening.
I did sing to Justin though and I got him a large singing card that sings a song "happy birthday friend" his friend Tom got him a hymnal from the 1940s because he joined the choir..and when I went to buy the card they had a little Frankenstein on clearance for 2$ so I got him that too, he sings The Monster Mash.
We went back to Justin's where the Redskins lost to the Eagles...
other than that it was a good birthday.
We are not all done with our birthday for 2010.
We arrived at The Melting Pot and they were DEAD. The only other people that were there were also celebrating a birthday.
When you go in your order a meal for two ( or more)
you start with cheese, you pick from a variety of choices, I let Justin pick everything because he was the birthday boy!
for our first course we got Spinach Artichoke cheese the waiter came out to the table which has a burner on it and put a metal bowl down and put garlic, spinach and artichoke and shredded cheese in our bowl. He then brought out a variety of stuff for us to dip in the cheese.
for our second course we had salad, we got to choose from a variety of salads, Justin got a Cesar salad, I got some sort of California salad with craisins and a vinaigrette.
for our third course we had an assortment of meats to dip in a broth type thing we also got so many different sauces and such that I was to confused and thought that the meat just tasted fine when we cooked it in the broth.
for our fourth course dessert we got a flaming chocolate turtle which was chocolate, caramel, and chopped pecans that they flambeed at the table.
we got many things to dip in the chocolate and Justin got a piece of cheesecake with a candle in it.
I had to sing him Happy Birthday because at really nice restaurants I have learned they don't sing Happy Birthday to you. My cousin Kristen said that she heard that they don't because they don't want to "disturb the peace" I guess if someone is having a romantic evening.
I did sing to Justin though and I got him a large singing card that sings a song "happy birthday friend" his friend Tom got him a hymnal from the 1940s because he joined the choir..and when I went to buy the card they had a little Frankenstein on clearance for 2$ so I got him that too, he sings The Monster Mash.
We went back to Justin's where the Redskins lost to the Eagles...
other than that it was a good birthday.
We are not all done with our birthday for 2010.
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Birthday Day 1
Justin turned 38 on November 15th 2010. we celebrated for four days.
Starting on Friday we had a big party at his house where it seemed like fifty people were there. It was standing room only...except for the lucky people that got to sit on couches an chairs ( like me) :)
I got Justin a Chris Cooley jersey he is a Redskin that is not LDS but he lived in Cache Valley went to Logan High and went to Utah State. He also got some fake tattoos from Mili, a card from Carrie, and a gift bag full of fun stuff from Kelly. His parents in Logan sent him a care package full of food, BOM chess and some money.
I made spinach and artichoke dip, I tried to make cake balls and found out that you can't use chocolate chips with those and a really cool snake cake. Justin's friend Tom came over and made pico de gallo and sausage balls that I need to send the recipe out for them...they are SO GOOD! Elaine brought her sausage dip in wontons, Katie brought some DELICIOUS DIP with apples, Carrie brought a veggie platter, Mili brought wings, Kelly brought some meatballs with sauce and other people brought some random things like Nutty Buddy bars and chips.
The party went really well people were there until almost midnight :)
we decided to have it Friday night because Sat. his ward had their Thanksgiving party that night and Sunday they had a fireside and Mon. is FHE.
Starting on Friday we had a big party at his house where it seemed like fifty people were there. It was standing room only...except for the lucky people that got to sit on couches an chairs ( like me) :)
I got Justin a Chris Cooley jersey he is a Redskin that is not LDS but he lived in Cache Valley went to Logan High and went to Utah State. He also got some fake tattoos from Mili, a card from Carrie, and a gift bag full of fun stuff from Kelly. His parents in Logan sent him a care package full of food, BOM chess and some money.
I made spinach and artichoke dip, I tried to make cake balls and found out that you can't use chocolate chips with those and a really cool snake cake. Justin's friend Tom came over and made pico de gallo and sausage balls that I need to send the recipe out for them...they are SO GOOD! Elaine brought her sausage dip in wontons, Katie brought some DELICIOUS DIP with apples, Carrie brought a veggie platter, Mili brought wings, Kelly brought some meatballs with sauce and other people brought some random things like Nutty Buddy bars and chips.
The party went really well people were there until almost midnight :)
we decided to have it Friday night because Sat. his ward had their Thanksgiving party that night and Sunday they had a fireside and Mon. is FHE.
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
field trip
Justin and I went and visited The Franklin Delano Roosevelt Museum in Washington DC in November 2010. I am still trying to visit all the monuments at night so all my pictures came out dark since I don't have a really nice camera. The monument was built in the 1990s and this is my first time visiting it. Justin visited once when he was here as an intern when he went to Utah State.
The monument is split into four "rooms" each representing his four terms as president of the USA.
For a long time the only statue of him was the large one that you can see Justin standing beside when you look at my pictures on FB. People with disabilities specifically people with wheelchairs were not happy about that and they petitioned until there was a statue built showing that FDR was in a WHEELCHAIR for his presidency advocating handicapable people everywhere. My aunt Gail said that she thinks that Franklin would be MAD if he knew about that statue because he did what he had to do to HIDE his wheelchair and some people did not even know he HAD a wheel chair...
there was a statue of someone listening to a fireside chat which is what he did gave talks over the radio. there were statues of people waiting in a bread line. There was a statue of Eleanor. there were lots of quotes and engravings and lots of waterfalls. there was a HUGE statue that I mentioned before of Franklin Delano Roosevelt and his dog Fala. We were going to stay for the interpretive program but Justin got distracted because he saw two foxes run across The National Mall... I did not even know there WERE fox in DC... which should not surprise me since I saw a fox right by Justin's. That is OK we can always go back and here that another time :)
I am glad that we went to this memorial it was not that crowded as it was in the high 40s that night. Everyone down there that night was white and looked kind of wealthy...
I am grateful that we live so close to a memorial for such a wonderful man and that his wife did so much to help women. I look forward to going to another monument at night soon.
The monument is split into four "rooms" each representing his four terms as president of the USA.
For a long time the only statue of him was the large one that you can see Justin standing beside when you look at my pictures on FB. People with disabilities specifically people with wheelchairs were not happy about that and they petitioned until there was a statue built showing that FDR was in a WHEELCHAIR for his presidency advocating handicapable people everywhere. My aunt Gail said that she thinks that Franklin would be MAD if he knew about that statue because he did what he had to do to HIDE his wheelchair and some people did not even know he HAD a wheel chair...
there was a statue of someone listening to a fireside chat which is what he did gave talks over the radio. there were statues of people waiting in a bread line. There was a statue of Eleanor. there were lots of quotes and engravings and lots of waterfalls. there was a HUGE statue that I mentioned before of Franklin Delano Roosevelt and his dog Fala. We were going to stay for the interpretive program but Justin got distracted because he saw two foxes run across The National Mall... I did not even know there WERE fox in DC... which should not surprise me since I saw a fox right by Justin's. That is OK we can always go back and here that another time :)
I am glad that we went to this memorial it was not that crowded as it was in the high 40s that night. Everyone down there that night was white and looked kind of wealthy...
I am grateful that we live so close to a memorial for such a wonderful man and that his wife did so much to help women. I look forward to going to another monument at night soon.
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Holiday
I waited WAY to long to get a costume. I had a million ideas...OK not a million but a few
1. I thought I would be a colonial lady, I looked at thrift stores for anything that looked like it could be like a colonial lady I found nothing and colonial lady costumes online are EXPENSIVE!!!
2. I thought I could be a mummy but IDK I just couldn't find the fabric and I wanted to use the fabric I had for something else.
3. I thought that Justin and I could be Charlotte's Web that I could be a spider and have a web that said SOME PIG and he could be pig.
There were no Halloween activites in 2010 so Justin and I did not go anywhere together dressed up.
Halloween is also my sisters FIFTIETH birthday. So it is my sisters birthday AND I have to confess even though Halloween was on the Sabbath I LOVE HALLOWEEN! I don't consider it Satan's holiday or anything silly like that I just have fun dressing up and getting free candy.
Spike and I drove to Harpers Ferry. I dressed up as some kind of weird pimp hat/fairy /witch... I need to get a costume MUCH sooner in 2011..SERIOUSLY!!!!
my nephew Alex dressed as a cowboy with a real cap gun. my nephew Mark was Darth Vader, while we were trick-or-treating the Darth Vader costume came all apart and I had to tuck and re-tuck in his cape at every house so that he would not be naked Darth Vader.
My lives in Elk Run Estates which are well Estates... so we had to drive to a neighborhood in town. My sister drove around in her SUV and waited for use while we went. We got a lot of chocolate, some big M &Ms, some cheese and crackers, a black plastic skeleton and lots of bowls where you could take "one" A lot of people at these houses had gone all out dressed up and had their yards decked out with all kinds of spooky stuff.. If you live in this neighborhood you have no choice but to celebrate Halloween...one house had Ghostbusters the song playing really loud.
While we were walking to the houses I looked over and saw the Harpers Ferry LDS chapel!!! :) I am glad I now know where that is, so in the future when I am at my sisters I can just go to church there instead of driving back to my building.
After we were done, we drove through Charlestown that was nice they have a cute little town I love to walk around little towns and check out the little shops.
I ate a lot of candy, Justin ate a few big handfuls, and I gave the rest to Bowman and Tenney who had a lot of fun divvying it up.
I know, I know... I went trick-or-treating on the SABBATH!!! but don't look at it that way look at THIS way I went trick-or-treating with my NEPHEWS on my SISTERS birthday :)
Saturday, November 20, 2010
storytime
Keli, Kumen and Beth October 2010Kumen came to town in October for his wife Paula's cousins wedding. He had a very tight schedule but he was able to fit in seeing Beth and I. Beth, Justin and I met him in Sterling,VA at The Sweetwater Tavern. We ate some food and enjoyed talking. It is always nice to re-connect with people. Kumen is one of the few people I know that has no interest in having a FB. So it was like the olden days where we had a lot of catching up to do. When you see someone you have not seen for awhile that has a FB you mostly say things like " oh yeah I saw that on FB"
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Field Trip
In October 2010, Justin's sister Angie came to visit from CA. She took me out to eat in Georgetown. BUT what she was really here for was to go to her HS reunion.
In some of her free time between re-connecting with old friends Justin took Angie, myself and her friend Liz out on his boat.
Justin and I left Gravelly Point in Alexandria,VA which is right by National Airport. we drove the boat from there to Georgetown in DC we picked up Angie and Liz and drove back to Old Town Alexandria we docked the boat and walked around Old Town. It was a REALLY nice day. Then we got back in the boat and we drove back to Georgetown dropped the ladies off and Justin let ME drive the boat back. I GOT UP TO 24 MPH!!!! and drove behind some MUCH BIGGER BOATS!!!! I still feel VERY COOL JUST THINKING ABOUT IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!! if the boat was not winterized I would be asking him if we could go out this weekend!!!
Later that night after Justin took a nap we went to a really cool cocoa bar. There is a place in Alexandria that sells just hot chocolate and speciality chocolates it was SO YUMMY!!! I want to go back there soon for sure! I got a lavender and pistachio flavored chocolate and a chipolte cinnamon chocolate. I RECOMMEND THIS PLACE FOR SURE!
it was a good day :)
In some of her free time between re-connecting with old friends Justin took Angie, myself and her friend Liz out on his boat.
Justin and I left Gravelly Point in Alexandria,VA which is right by National Airport. we drove the boat from there to Georgetown in DC we picked up Angie and Liz and drove back to Old Town Alexandria we docked the boat and walked around Old Town. It was a REALLY nice day. Then we got back in the boat and we drove back to Georgetown dropped the ladies off and Justin let ME drive the boat back. I GOT UP TO 24 MPH!!!! and drove behind some MUCH BIGGER BOATS!!!! I still feel VERY COOL JUST THINKING ABOUT IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!! if the boat was not winterized I would be asking him if we could go out this weekend!!!
Later that night after Justin took a nap we went to a really cool cocoa bar. There is a place in Alexandria that sells just hot chocolate and speciality chocolates it was SO YUMMY!!! I want to go back there soon for sure! I got a lavender and pistachio flavored chocolate and a chipolte cinnamon chocolate. I RECOMMEND THIS PLACE FOR SURE!
it was a good day :)
activity
me accepting my prize
the pre-party
MEIn April of 2010 my ward had had a big giveaway of clothes and I had gotten a perfect dress, turquoise on top with big puffy sleeves and HUGE bow in the back it had a white skirt part that was white and BIG. I came up with the idea that I wanted to do a "trash this dress" photoshoot where you go to places where you would not wear a formal and pose for pictures. I asked my friend Britney to cut the ugly turquoise part off of the dress and to just leave me the white skirt part or to put elastic in it. She returned it to me and said she did not have time.
So in October 2010, Justin's ward had a thrift store prom, I thought I HAVE THE PERFECT DRESS!!! so I went to The Goodwill in Alexandria and bought jewelry to go with the dress and went back to the nanny house to get dressed. I took the dress out of the bag and it was CUT like the top part was cut off the bottom!!!!! and she had not put elastic in.. LIKE AAAH! so she really just did not have time to put elastic in aaah! and the thrift store prom is starting SOON.... I tried all sorts of things
1. to safety pin the bottom together and wear another shirt.
2. to wear the top that now had a big cut up the back where the zipper had been as a jacket....it did not go across my boobs...
3. I tried to see if I could pull it together as a grunge girl from the '90s with another outfit ( the prom said dress like 70,80,or 90s)
I called Elaine and she said that she had a dress for me that she thought I could wear she said she had been to the thrift store in Falls Church and gotten an extra.
I drove over to Elaine's house and Marissa was there.
Elaine was wearing an orange dress the most amazing shade of orange you have ever seen.
Elaine had gotten Marissa a dress covered in sequins and the top part was all kinds of different colors of sequins.
My dress was bright blue and just fit me and very 80's.
we then drove over to Stacey's where their was a make-up/hair party.When I walked in all the girls shrieked because they had wanted to buy my blue dress but could not fit in it....always good to feel skinny... Elaine got her hair done in a big bouffant by Robin. Marissa had a big hair 80s updo. Julie and I curled my hair and then Robin teased it up and I made it BIG I said I was going for the look that I could be in a hair bands video... I think that I achieved it.
When we got over to the church we were about an hour late and they had just turned the music on. The lights were still on. I said we have to turn these lights off I mean it is awkward enough to be at a dance but now the lights are on. Someone said I don't know how I said that I would figure it out.
there was lots of fun 80's and some 70's and 90's music to dance to.
a very very creepy 51 year old man tried to ask me out several times. this guy had met me a few other times and I thought WOW really? when I have big hair now is when you ask me out??? I told him NO NO NO NO NO. He could not understand why I said no. When I got home I looked him up on FB and realized that he had twin sons that are 24. If this guy EVER asks me out again...or even talks to me... then I am going to say to him Hey I was thinking of asking one of your sons out is that cool? Then he will most likely say well he is to young for you...and that is when I will say... WELL HOW DO YOU THINK I FEEL ABOUT YOU ASKING ME OUT!!!!!!!!!! I mean they are closer in age to me than you....hahahahahhahahahahahhahahahahahhahah..... This guy also asked out my friend Katie and said the same things to her that he said to me
1. that he is upset that people in Justin's ward in their 30's all hang out together and he feels like they kind of exclude him and don't want to date him... I thought WELL IF I WENT TO THE 18-30 ward then I bet all the young people would hang out together and not want to date me either...they would think of me as an OLD woman...
2. that our church does not care enough about divorced people and shuns them and should basically be telling people it is OK to get divorced and support divorce... I see our church doing that the same time that they support gay marriage....
ANYWAY
there were prizes at the end of the night
Elaine won for best orange dress and best 70s dress
Marissa won for best use of sequins
I tied for best blue dress and best '80s
YES THERE WAS ANOTHER GIRL THERE WITH BIG '80s hair and THE SAME SHADE DRESS..............................CRAZY!!!!!
I won a seal candle.
all the presents were from the thrift store.
Elaine was happy that all the dresses that she picked out won
I think that I am going to give away my seal candle at a white elephant party that Justin and I are having in December.
After Elaine said that we should all go to Ihop.
twelve of us went.
I joked and asked if the guys were going to pick up the tab. AND THEY DID!!!! I was not expecting that because I shared a plate of food with Elaine!!!!
Marissa and I drove back to Elaine's
I drove back to my nanny house. I went to bed at about 3AM
my bosses BF came back very late that night too...dude must have closed the bar down....hahahahahahah
So in October 2010, Justin's ward had a thrift store prom, I thought I HAVE THE PERFECT DRESS!!! so I went to The Goodwill in Alexandria and bought jewelry to go with the dress and went back to the nanny house to get dressed. I took the dress out of the bag and it was CUT like the top part was cut off the bottom!!!!! and she had not put elastic in.. LIKE AAAH! so she really just did not have time to put elastic in aaah! and the thrift store prom is starting SOON.... I tried all sorts of things
1. to safety pin the bottom together and wear another shirt.
2. to wear the top that now had a big cut up the back where the zipper had been as a jacket....it did not go across my boobs...
3. I tried to see if I could pull it together as a grunge girl from the '90s with another outfit ( the prom said dress like 70,80,or 90s)
I called Elaine and she said that she had a dress for me that she thought I could wear she said she had been to the thrift store in Falls Church and gotten an extra.
I drove over to Elaine's house and Marissa was there.
Elaine was wearing an orange dress the most amazing shade of orange you have ever seen.
Elaine had gotten Marissa a dress covered in sequins and the top part was all kinds of different colors of sequins.
My dress was bright blue and just fit me and very 80's.
we then drove over to Stacey's where their was a make-up/hair party.When I walked in all the girls shrieked because they had wanted to buy my blue dress but could not fit in it....always good to feel skinny... Elaine got her hair done in a big bouffant by Robin. Marissa had a big hair 80s updo. Julie and I curled my hair and then Robin teased it up and I made it BIG I said I was going for the look that I could be in a hair bands video... I think that I achieved it.
When we got over to the church we were about an hour late and they had just turned the music on. The lights were still on. I said we have to turn these lights off I mean it is awkward enough to be at a dance but now the lights are on. Someone said I don't know how I said that I would figure it out.
there was lots of fun 80's and some 70's and 90's music to dance to.
a very very creepy 51 year old man tried to ask me out several times. this guy had met me a few other times and I thought WOW really? when I have big hair now is when you ask me out??? I told him NO NO NO NO NO. He could not understand why I said no. When I got home I looked him up on FB and realized that he had twin sons that are 24. If this guy EVER asks me out again...or even talks to me... then I am going to say to him Hey I was thinking of asking one of your sons out is that cool? Then he will most likely say well he is to young for you...and that is when I will say... WELL HOW DO YOU THINK I FEEL ABOUT YOU ASKING ME OUT!!!!!!!!!! I mean they are closer in age to me than you....hahahahahhahahahahahhahahahahahhahah..... This guy also asked out my friend Katie and said the same things to her that he said to me
1. that he is upset that people in Justin's ward in their 30's all hang out together and he feels like they kind of exclude him and don't want to date him... I thought WELL IF I WENT TO THE 18-30 ward then I bet all the young people would hang out together and not want to date me either...they would think of me as an OLD woman...
2. that our church does not care enough about divorced people and shuns them and should basically be telling people it is OK to get divorced and support divorce... I see our church doing that the same time that they support gay marriage....
ANYWAY
there were prizes at the end of the night
Elaine won for best orange dress and best 70s dress
Marissa won for best use of sequins
I tied for best blue dress and best '80s
YES THERE WAS ANOTHER GIRL THERE WITH BIG '80s hair and THE SAME SHADE DRESS..............................CRAZY!!!!!
I won a seal candle.
all the presents were from the thrift store.
Elaine was happy that all the dresses that she picked out won
I think that I am going to give away my seal candle at a white elephant party that Justin and I are having in December.
After Elaine said that we should all go to Ihop.
twelve of us went.
I joked and asked if the guys were going to pick up the tab. AND THEY DID!!!! I was not expecting that because I shared a plate of food with Elaine!!!!
Marissa and I drove back to Elaine's
I drove back to my nanny house. I went to bed at about 3AM
my bosses BF came back very late that night too...dude must have closed the bar down....hahahahahahah
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Field Trip
After the open mic night Justin and I went to the open mic night. We went to The National Harbor in Maryland. We walked around by the marina, looked around the shops and lots of other fun stuff. We ate at a restaraunt called " Rosa Mexicano" Brad had recommended it to me. They made us guacamole right at the table. IT WAS DELICIOUS!!!!! we ordered some food and they brought us the food and I thought um...wow this looks NOTHING like what I ordered or what Justin ordered I am so confused???? Justin was like what is this??? I said IDK maybe this is the way they do things here??? So we just started eating. It was good...THEN our waitress came over to us and said that THAT WAS NOT OUR FOOD!!!! that the other dude had accidentally given it to us BUT it was NOT OUR FOOD!!! it was another tables food. She was like I was shocked you were eating it. I thought well you put it in front of us... IDK???? So Justin kept his,BUT I got our enchilada's which were delicious. The food we accidentally got was good too. We wanted to buy one of those things that you make the guacamole in but I just looked it up online and it was 40$ and that is WAY PRICEY!!!
storytime
Keli an Justin reading the book
Keli and Justin again!In October 2010 my ward and Justin's ward combined had an open mic night. Justin and I came up with the idea that we would read a kids book out loud. I did this once in Lewiston,Utah and it went over well. I picked the book Piggie Pie. It is a story about a witch that wants to make Piggie Pie, she goes searching on Old MacDonalds Farm for Pigs and encounters The Big Bad Wolf. I wont tell you anymore. You can just go and get the book yourself:)
Justin read all the parts where no one was speaking. I read all the speaking parts. It was SO CUTE!!! and SO FUN!!! we are still getting compliments and comments about it :)
to bad I can't make a living being a storyteller!
Field Trip part two
So after Cox Farm, we headed up to Harpers Ferry,WV to visit my sister and her family.
My Sister and Brother-in-law own 30 acres. My brother-in-law. has cut some trails so Justin had a lot of fun driving his motorcycle around on the trails. Their property is really cool while Justin and I were riding we noticed an old rock wall. We found out from my brother-in-law that it dates back BEFORE the civil war and it was part of the roadbed, like the rocks were to say this is the road, kind of like there are shoulders now. How cool is that, what a neat thing to have something like that on your property.Justin was nice enough to Nicholas and Jocelyn and my nephews Alex and Mark on rides on his motorcycle. The kids had a lot of fun playing together on all the land that my sister has.
My brother-in-law also has a train room and a music room so we had a fun time exploring that stuff too.
It turned out to be a nice time. Jocelyn said the only thing that was not good about the day was that we had to leave to soon. Nicholas said he looks forward to coming back.
My Sister and Brother-in-law own 30 acres. My brother-in-law. has cut some trails so Justin had a lot of fun driving his motorcycle around on the trails. Their property is really cool while Justin and I were riding we noticed an old rock wall. We found out from my brother-in-law that it dates back BEFORE the civil war and it was part of the roadbed, like the rocks were to say this is the road, kind of like there are shoulders now. How cool is that, what a neat thing to have something like that on your property.Justin was nice enough to Nicholas and Jocelyn and my nephews Alex and Mark on rides on his motorcycle. The kids had a lot of fun playing together on all the land that my sister has.
My brother-in-law also has a train room and a music room so we had a fun time exploring that stuff too.
It turned out to be a nice time. Jocelyn said the only thing that was not good about the day was that we had to leave to soon. Nicholas said he looks forward to coming back.
Field trip part one
Nicholas, Jocelyn,Justin and Keli with the freepumpkins we got with admission.
Nicholas, Justin, Jocelyn and Keli posing at Cox Farm
Centreville,VA
In October 2010, Justin and took our friend Angela Roundy's children to Cox Farm in Centreville,VA.
Cox Farm is THE pumpkin patch in Fairfax County so it was very crowded. we went in and there were tons of fun things to do here is what we did
1. Keli, Nicholas and Jocelyn went down the slide.
2. we all went on the hayride. it was a long line but so worth it. All along the hayride there were cut outs of different people and things and at one point the wagon stopped and aliens came out. We also went on a bumpy road and that was fun, went through a dark barn with cool glow and the dark stuff and we were stopped by some trolls and had to play a game with them before we could move forward. One of the neatest things were just before we went back to the beginning we went through some water and they stopped in the middle and acted like we were stuck.
3. We also went through a corn maze. They had so many cool features to this corn maze I can't even BEGIN to tell you how cool it was just that you HAVE to go!!!
Justin is not a fan of crowds or lines so after all of that we left. I think that Nicholas and Jocelyn and I could have stayed all day. BUT we had more fun things to do that day which I will tell you about in PART TWO!!!
field trip
One day when Bowman and Tenney had NO EXTRA CURRICULAR activities planned I took them to Ft. Ward museum and park in Alexandria,VA.
It had a little museum that we went in and looked at cool civil war stuff and bought stuff at the gift counter they did not have a gift shop just a gift counter.
I got a magnet, Tenney got a little handkerchief doll and I forget what Bowman got.
The park had picnic tables and a playground and a road that you could drive around or jog around. They also had a re-built fort with cannons.
It was really nice weather and it was cool to see all the stuff. I would like to go back one day.
It had a little museum that we went in and looked at cool civil war stuff and bought stuff at the gift counter they did not have a gift shop just a gift counter.
I got a magnet, Tenney got a little handkerchief doll and I forget what Bowman got.
The park had picnic tables and a playground and a road that you could drive around or jog around. They also had a re-built fort with cannons.
It was really nice weather and it was cool to see all the stuff. I would like to go back one day.
Monday, November 15, 2010
General Conference
For the October 2010 General Conference, Justin and I had a party.
I made invitations and passed them out to people in my ward and then went to Justin's ward and passed them out there.
I then made it an event on Facebook.
Then Justin invited like 100 people.
Then it got sent out on a listserve to like a million more people.
Then I freaked out!!!!! I had all these images of tons of people I did not even know showing up at Justin's and there not being any room.
Russell told me that would be OK because when the extra people came that he would make room on his lap for cute girls or that would make cute girls want to snuggle with him.Russell also said that people could lay on his bed if they wanted.
...............................
the day of conference I went there and made some orange rolls and a breakfast casserole both were very good.
Lots of people showed up with lots of REALLY GOOD FOOD!!!!
I ate WAY TO MUCH!!!!!
It turned out great we watched conference on the projector and we had stuff to entertain the kids. In between sessions Justin gave the kids ride on his motorcycle.
For Sat. Conference Justin and I listened to that together at my moms house. I really enjoyed conference and want to re-read all the talks.
I will also post the recipe's soon.
I made invitations and passed them out to people in my ward and then went to Justin's ward and passed them out there.
I then made it an event on Facebook.
Then Justin invited like 100 people.
Then it got sent out on a listserve to like a million more people.
Then I freaked out!!!!! I had all these images of tons of people I did not even know showing up at Justin's and there not being any room.
Russell told me that would be OK because when the extra people came that he would make room on his lap for cute girls or that would make cute girls want to snuggle with him.Russell also said that people could lay on his bed if they wanted.
...............................
the day of conference I went there and made some orange rolls and a breakfast casserole both were very good.
Lots of people showed up with lots of REALLY GOOD FOOD!!!!
I ate WAY TO MUCH!!!!!
It turned out great we watched conference on the projector and we had stuff to entertain the kids. In between sessions Justin gave the kids ride on his motorcycle.
For Sat. Conference Justin and I listened to that together at my moms house. I really enjoyed conference and want to re-read all the talks.
I will also post the recipe's soon.
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
party
Elaine took a melon baller and made dents in these cucumbers and puthummus in... I think I ate this whole platter.
LEMON SNICKERDOODLES!!!!
ELAINE AND KELI!!
SAMOA CHEESECAKE BARS!!!
chocolate chip cookie dough wrapped in a pie crustElaine and I had a cookie party in September 2010. We spent almost all day on Sat. getting ready for it. We had people over Sunday night after church. We had about twenty people there for it. Here is what we made
1. we served cherry tomato's and cucumbers with hummus, not cookies but a good option for those people that don't want to eat all cookies. I had never had the combo of cucumbers and hummus but WOW so good!!!
2. we had lemon snickerdoodles when I used to work at The Retreat in Springville, VA this lady used to come around and sell lemon snickerdoodles, I LOVED them so I went online and found a recipe. I will send it out soon.
3. I will also send out a recipe for samoa cheesecake bars which were way good.
4. Elaine made chocolate chip cookie dough wrapped in a pie crust.
5. We also had the most amazing sausage dip that I am still begging Elaine for the recipe! AMAZING!!!! that was another optin for non-cookie eaters
we served milk to drink ( of course )
people sat around and talk I gave some trivia and gave out some random food storage that a former roommate of Elaine's had just left there...which turned out to be expired but oh well we got rid of it...
it was a great night.
field trip
me at the ww2 memorial in DC Sept. 2010In September on the same day that my friend Ambur and I went to Ben's Chili Bowl in DC we also went to the ww2 memorial. I wanted to visit it at night but I also wanted to visit Ben's and Ambur said it was not a good place to go at night. So we went during the day.
The day we chose to go was Sept 11th and it was PACKED. very nice weather and lots of people. This is a new memorial. Just built in the 2000s. President Bush actually helped them push through a lot of red tape to get it built ASAP. because ww2 vets were dying. It has two sides one about the war with the pacific like japan and the phillipines and another about europe. the atlantic side. Ambur and I had a nice time walking around and even met a ww2 vet and gave him a hug :)
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Field Trip
Half-smoke at Ben'sMy friend Ambur and I went to Washington DC to try a famous restaurant there "Ben's Chili Bowl" it has been open since the 1950s and you can read all about it on wikipedia. Bill Cosby and President Obama have both been there and both have had the half-smoke above that I got.
There is a sign that says that Bill Cosby and President Obama can eat there anytime that they want for free.
The place was PACKED Ambur and I sat at the bar, the food was good but it was not the best thing I have ever had in my life...
there were about a million people working there...or at least 25 most of them were doing NOTHING like seriously nothing.. I suggested to Ambur that maybe they are family members or friends because they are not doing ANYTHING and I hope that someone would not pay them to just stand around because I don't think the place needs any more atmosphere.
Field Trip
On labor day my boss asked me to work :( so I made the best of it and took the girls to The National Harbor in MD. it is right across the bridge from here only one exit away off 495.... It was a nice day and the girls had a good time crawling all over The Awakening statue. If you don't know what that statue is, it is a statue of a man coming out of the ground so there is his head, his knee, a arm and a foot. There were a lot of other people there, so it was almost impossible to get the girls pictures alone on the statue.
We walked out on the pier by the boats and looked around. I noticed that they had a boat gas station there. I told Justin so if he ever wants to go over there and get gas he can.
They had a children's museum expo, they are in the process of building a children's museum there so right now, they have free activities every weekend and in the summer every week for the kids to do, lucky for us on the day that we went it was all about bugs, the girls spent a LOT of time making antennae and bug masks for themselves and their dolls and stuffed toys that I let them bring and walk around with.
We ate some fries at Elevation Burger.
We went and looked in some stores, I was not feeling good AT ALL and I am very sad to report that I did NOT get a National Harbor magnet... you know I was sick if I did not get a magnet. I thought it is only an exit away I can still go back and do that one day.
We walked out on the pier by the boats and looked around. I noticed that they had a boat gas station there. I told Justin so if he ever wants to go over there and get gas he can.
They had a children's museum expo, they are in the process of building a children's museum there so right now, they have free activities every weekend and in the summer every week for the kids to do, lucky for us on the day that we went it was all about bugs, the girls spent a LOT of time making antennae and bug masks for themselves and their dolls and stuffed toys that I let them bring and walk around with.
We ate some fries at Elevation Burger.
We went and looked in some stores, I was not feeling good AT ALL and I am very sad to report that I did NOT get a National Harbor magnet... you know I was sick if I did not get a magnet. I thought it is only an exit away I can still go back and do that one day.
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
holiday
This year for labor day I was able to go to my family reunion in the Northern Neck of VA. Kilmarnock and White Stone,VA..
I went to church at the branch that is down there. I went there once a few years ago when I was here on vacation. I was amazed to see how much the branch had grown. They now have a chapel and WAY more members. I made some friends in that ward and they were still there it was nice to see them and I hope to go back and see them soon.
I drove over to the family reunion after church and this year I had a great time. I think one of the things that enhanced my great time was that I am friends with so many of my family members on FB so even though I don't see them that much I still know so much about them from FB.
I spent a lot of time talking to my cousin Jennifer and that was nice.
My cousin Bill took me out on his boat and that was nice.
It was a really nice night to bad my boss made me work labor day and I had to go back to Northern,VA that night.
I went to church at the branch that is down there. I went there once a few years ago when I was here on vacation. I was amazed to see how much the branch had grown. They now have a chapel and WAY more members. I made some friends in that ward and they were still there it was nice to see them and I hope to go back and see them soon.
I drove over to the family reunion after church and this year I had a great time. I think one of the things that enhanced my great time was that I am friends with so many of my family members on FB so even though I don't see them that much I still know so much about them from FB.
I spent a lot of time talking to my cousin Jennifer and that was nice.
My cousin Bill took me out on his boat and that was nice.
It was a really nice night to bad my boss made me work labor day and I had to go back to Northern,VA that night.
Field Trip
On the same night that Elaine and I went to "Ray's Hell Burger" we also went to the Iwo Jima Memorial in Arlington, VA. In reality it is called the USMC memorial. I want to tour all the DC monuments at night and see them all lit up.
I had just finished reading "Flags of our Fathers" which is a book written about the men in that photograph which became that statue, which is an AMAZING BOOK that I recommend BTW.
Elaine and I liked walking around the monument there were a lot of people there and several tour buses were coming and going, full of people that were actually paying to see the DC monuments at night.
I read Elaine some info on the monument and we had a nice time walking around.
I had just finished reading "Flags of our Fathers" which is a book written about the men in that photograph which became that statue, which is an AMAZING BOOK that I recommend BTW.
Elaine and I liked walking around the monument there were a lot of people there and several tour buses were coming and going, full of people that were actually paying to see the DC monuments at night.
I read Elaine some info on the monument and we had a nice time walking around.
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
field trip
me with my " Hell Burger "In August 2010, Elaine and I went to "Ray's Hell Burger" in Arlington,Va. It has become famous locally because President Obama and VP Joe Biden went there.
It was really hard to find because I think we were expecting a more impressive storefront. We found out it is in a tiny strip mall and the sign is so small you can not see it from the street it just says etched on the window Ray's Hell Burger"
We each got a burger, which was good, but it was SO HUGE! I could not finish mine. We also got some sweet pototo fries and drinks.
field trip
I took Bowman and Tenney on a bike ride/picnic in August 2010 along the GW parkway in Alexandria, VA they said that they had rode bikes there but only as far as Belle Haven Marina.That is not far from them. It was so beautiful and peaceful riding a bike along a bike path right by the Potomac River. Bowman complained A LOT about everything and anything that she was bored... and this that and other stuff...she was so annoyed about everything. I said there is not going to be that much more good weather left in 2010 and we need to take advantage of it while we can.
We stopped for a park at a place called Morningside Park.
We made it all the way to Mt.Vernon which is COMPLETELY COMMERCIALIZED NOW...they have a food court and two gift stores there now. I got the girls some fries and some nachos. There mom said that they are allowed the fries but no nachos in the future.
We rode back much nicer ride back and went home. That took up most of our day. It was really cool
I look so forward to being a mom and a wife and doing fun stuff with my husband and family.. I am a bit scared of how much more commercialized Mt.Vernon will be in the next 10-15 years though...
We stopped for a park at a place called Morningside Park.
We made it all the way to Mt.Vernon which is COMPLETELY COMMERCIALIZED NOW...they have a food court and two gift stores there now. I got the girls some fries and some nachos. There mom said that they are allowed the fries but no nachos in the future.
We rode back much nicer ride back and went home. That took up most of our day. It was really cool
I look so forward to being a mom and a wife and doing fun stuff with my husband and family.. I am a bit scared of how much more commercialized Mt.Vernon will be in the next 10-15 years though...
field trip
I took Bowman and Tenney to the Reston Animal Park/zoo whatever it is called in August 2010.
Score for me they had never been there either. I think that most of the nannies that have had them have gone towards DC and this is west of DC in Fairfax County.
I spent about 50$ taking them there( of their moms money) I never realized how expensive it is to take kids places...WOW.
we paid for
admission
a bucket of feed
bottles of milk
and we got a stuffed snake
I was going to give the snake to Justin and wrap it around his jeep but the girls fell in love with the snake and named it Scarlett so I let them keep it. It now lives on Tenney's bed with two tigers.Every morning she spends WAY to long winding it up in a circle of posing it INSTEAD of getting ready for school so MAYBE it DOES need to go and live at Justin's for a bit..
I understimated the time that it would take for us to get from my moms house in Chantilly to Reston so we missed the hay ride by about 5 minutes... that sucked but the girls had so much fun feeding the sheep and goats the feed. Some of those animas were AGGRESSIVE like they ripped the feed bucket right out of our hands. we went around and saw all the other animals they had ducks,rabbits,parrots geese, monkeys, horses, a porcupine stuff like that. There is more to see on the hayride but we missed it. Bowman had a lot of fun feeding the pot-bellied pigs with a bottle. I think that was the highight of her trip. Tenney really liked feeding the lambs and kids.
we were the last ones out of there, it took us awhile to pick out the right stuffed snake, it is a brown one named Scarlett.
Score for me they had never been there either. I think that most of the nannies that have had them have gone towards DC and this is west of DC in Fairfax County.
I spent about 50$ taking them there( of their moms money) I never realized how expensive it is to take kids places...WOW.
we paid for
admission
a bucket of feed
bottles of milk
and we got a stuffed snake
I was going to give the snake to Justin and wrap it around his jeep but the girls fell in love with the snake and named it Scarlett so I let them keep it. It now lives on Tenney's bed with two tigers.Every morning she spends WAY to long winding it up in a circle of posing it INSTEAD of getting ready for school so MAYBE it DOES need to go and live at Justin's for a bit..
I understimated the time that it would take for us to get from my moms house in Chantilly to Reston so we missed the hay ride by about 5 minutes... that sucked but the girls had so much fun feeding the sheep and goats the feed. Some of those animas were AGGRESSIVE like they ripped the feed bucket right out of our hands. we went around and saw all the other animals they had ducks,rabbits,parrots geese, monkeys, horses, a porcupine stuff like that. There is more to see on the hayride but we missed it. Bowman had a lot of fun feeding the pot-bellied pigs with a bottle. I think that was the highight of her trip. Tenney really liked feeding the lambs and kids.
we were the last ones out of there, it took us awhile to pick out the right stuffed snake, it is a brown one named Scarlett.
field trip
I took Bowman and Tenney on a scavenger hunt in Old Town Alexandria in August 2010.
you start at The Christmas shop where you pay 4$ for a map you can either do a scavenger hunt about George Washington or one about John Carlyle, you can also do both for 8$. We did both.
We walked all over Old Town Alexandria in the HOT sun looking for different historic buildings and then reading little signs or facts on them. The girls did very well on it.
We ran into another tourist group four times. There is a TON to see and do in Alexandria, esp. old town... the thing is the girls get new nannys EVERY year... so they have gone to ALMOST if not EVERYTHING...Bowman gets so bored like WE HAVE DONE THAT!!!! WE HAVE BEEN THERE!!! it will be a challenge to me on the days that they are off school to find places they have not been or to make the places they have been different or exciting.
They had not been on the scavenger hunt so that was fun. We also went in a lot of stores also and looked around when we were done.
After the scavenger hunt I brought the girls a prize for completing it and sticking with it. They asked for silly bandz. I thought sure ALL KIDS LOVE THEM... so I bought them each a pack... they have never worn them ever or even used them... and I thought all kids loved silly bandz I guess we learn something new every day.
you start at The Christmas shop where you pay 4$ for a map you can either do a scavenger hunt about George Washington or one about John Carlyle, you can also do both for 8$. We did both.
We walked all over Old Town Alexandria in the HOT sun looking for different historic buildings and then reading little signs or facts on them. The girls did very well on it.
We ran into another tourist group four times. There is a TON to see and do in Alexandria, esp. old town... the thing is the girls get new nannys EVERY year... so they have gone to ALMOST if not EVERYTHING...Bowman gets so bored like WE HAVE DONE THAT!!!! WE HAVE BEEN THERE!!! it will be a challenge to me on the days that they are off school to find places they have not been or to make the places they have been different or exciting.
They had not been on the scavenger hunt so that was fun. We also went in a lot of stores also and looked around when we were done.
After the scavenger hunt I brought the girls a prize for completing it and sticking with it. They asked for silly bandz. I thought sure ALL KIDS LOVE THEM... so I bought them each a pack... they have never worn them ever or even used them... and I thought all kids loved silly bandz I guess we learn something new every day.
field trip
Justin and I took his boat to Pohick Bay Regional Park in Lorton,Va August, 2010.
When we got there, I sat up the tent and air mattress and made our campsite look really good. i can tell that we are beginning campers, so I walked around the campsite and looked at other peoples set ups to see what we could do different and better in the future. I have been buying more flashlights, because it is never fun to be in the dark and the next thing I think I want is one of those shelters, that you put over your picnic table with mosquito netting to keep the bugs and animals away from your food.
Justin got there Friday evening and we went out for a little ride in his boat, his boat was not working well but it was still nice to be out on the water on such a beautiful night.
Sat. I got up and found out over the night most of our food had been stolen... I reported it to the campground and they said that it was squirrels or raccoons... I NEED ONE OF THOSE SHELTERS!!!! seriously... I took a walk over to Gunston Hall and had fun looking around in the gift shop. I walked back and Justin was just getting up.
We ate some then took the boat out again. When we are out on the boat it is like we are in a whole other world... like people talk about things I did not even know existed. We learned from one guy that there is a little beach called "pomonkey" and we found out there is a waterfront restaurant where you can drive the boat right up to it and they will send a water taxi out for you. I WANT TO GO THERE!!!! that is now one of my goals, to eat at a place where you BOAT to it..
the boat was not working well, so we did not have a long ride, we went back to our campsite and got ready and drove down to Occoquan,Va and ate at waterfront dining at a place called Madigans.
We went back and relaxed in front of the campfire and had a nice night.
I am hoping that each and every one of our camping experiences gets better and better as we learn more about the outdoors and things like that.
Nebraska day 3
Wow I am just getting around to writing this NOW...
so we woke up in South Bend, IN and I had begged Justin to stay in a hotel that had a continental breakfast, we woke up so late though that we missed all the good stuff, all though we did get to have some cereal :)
We drove and drove and drove and drove and drove and drove and drove and drove and drove and drove .... all the way from IL to PA was toll roads we probably spent about 50$ in tolls...If we had to get off to go to the bathroom or to go get gas we had to pay a toll to get off and a toll to get back on.. It was crazy. We kept asking how many tolls until we get back to the Washington DC area... and kept getting different answers... I had this horrible thought that what if we just went from some toll road in PA to MD to the Greenway to the Dulles toll road to 495... must have been the fatigue sitting in..
Justin drove a lot and we talked and talked and planned things and stuff like that.
PA was really pretty we both said it would be fun to go back there one day
we stopped in MD and got a sub at a place that said they had the best steak and cheese subs and it was pretty good :)
We got to my moms house unloaded all the stuff, then we drove the car back to the airport, then I dropped off Justin in Alexandria and drove back to my moms..
WE MADE IT!!!! WE DID IT!!! we drove from NEBRASKA TO VA!!! and we got my stuff...
now...I just need to get my stuff from Utah...
so we woke up in South Bend, IN and I had begged Justin to stay in a hotel that had a continental breakfast, we woke up so late though that we missed all the good stuff, all though we did get to have some cereal :)
We drove and drove and drove and drove and drove and drove and drove and drove and drove and drove .... all the way from IL to PA was toll roads we probably spent about 50$ in tolls...If we had to get off to go to the bathroom or to go get gas we had to pay a toll to get off and a toll to get back on.. It was crazy. We kept asking how many tolls until we get back to the Washington DC area... and kept getting different answers... I had this horrible thought that what if we just went from some toll road in PA to MD to the Greenway to the Dulles toll road to 495... must have been the fatigue sitting in..
Justin drove a lot and we talked and talked and planned things and stuff like that.
PA was really pretty we both said it would be fun to go back there one day
we stopped in MD and got a sub at a place that said they had the best steak and cheese subs and it was pretty good :)
We got to my moms house unloaded all the stuff, then we drove the car back to the airport, then I dropped off Justin in Alexandria and drove back to my moms..
WE MADE IT!!!! WE DID IT!!! we drove from NEBRASKA TO VA!!! and we got my stuff...
now...I just need to get my stuff from Utah...
Saturday, August 28, 2010
Nebraska Day 2
we woke up at The Hartigans house at around 7ish. The Hartigans were nice enough to put out all kinds of food and drinks for us. I am beyond grateful for that.
we drove through Nebraska past the sight of my wreck until we got to St. Paul. we loaded up my stuff and just like that we drove off.
we drove and drove and drove we drove through Iowa...BORING... we drove through Illinois, and we drove into Indiana. We stopped for the night in South Bend,IN I found us a pretty good hotel and that was our day of driving..and driving and driving and driving...
and driving...how lucky I was to have Justin as a travel companion...very lucky indeed..:)
we drove through Nebraska past the sight of my wreck until we got to St. Paul. we loaded up my stuff and just like that we drove off.
we drove and drove and drove we drove through Iowa...BORING... we drove through Illinois, and we drove into Indiana. We stopped for the night in South Bend,IN I found us a pretty good hotel and that was our day of driving..and driving and driving and driving...
and driving...how lucky I was to have Justin as a travel companion...very lucky indeed..:)
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Nebraska day 1
Justin and Keli on one of the planes to Nebraska :)I worked for most of the day I then left and sat in a ton of traffic to go and pick up Justin, I picked him up and we sat in a ton of traffic to get back to my house.
Brad and Christina gave us a ride to the airport. I felt that we were on the Amazing Race... that is not a good feeling when you are at an airport. We were the last people to get on the plane. It was one of those little planes.
we flew from Dulles to Rochester,NY my firt time to go to NY... and IDK that it really counts BUT I did get a magnet. :)
we flew from Rochester to Chicago we were on the same plane so it was not hard finding our flight in Chicago.
we flew from Chicago to Omaha, we RAN to our plane, I thought for sure we were going to miss it when we got there the plane was running late so we were able to buy dinner.
We arrived in Omaha, got our rental car, Justin was smart and got us an SUV... I thought we could do a full size car... thank goodness for Justin being smart and getting us that car :)
Brad and Christina gave us a ride to the airport. I felt that we were on the Amazing Race... that is not a good feeling when you are at an airport. We were the last people to get on the plane. It was one of those little planes.
we flew from Dulles to Rochester,NY my firt time to go to NY... and IDK that it really counts BUT I did get a magnet. :)
we flew from Rochester to Chicago we were on the same plane so it was not hard finding our flight in Chicago.
we flew from Chicago to Omaha, we RAN to our plane, I thought for sure we were going to miss it when we got there the plane was running late so we were able to buy dinner.
We arrived in Omaha, got our rental car, Justin was smart and got us an SUV... I thought we could do a full size car... thank goodness for Justin being smart and getting us that car :)
we spent the night in Belleview,NE at my friend Erin Hartigan Cowles parents house. They were wonderful to us when we arrived they had a warm pizza for us, great conversation and comfortable beds to sleep on.
I am so grateful for good friends..and their parents and siblings!
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Field Trip
My ward went to Lake Anna in VA at the end of July.
it is about an hour and a half from here. My bishop has a house there and invited all the mid-singles in our ward to come down for the day.
I rode down with three guys, John, Harry and Paul and one girl Courtney.
The bishop has an amazing summer home right on the lake. I spent the whole day out on the Lake. The bishop has a really nice boat and I was able to go out on it twice. I went tubing both times... I was terrified but I held on so tight and did not fall off so I did well :)
The bishops daughter Stacey was nice enough to take me out on the wave runner several times during the day, each time we went on really long rides and explored different parts of the lake that she had found, she showed me the state park, the power plant ( which makes the lake warm) , the gas stations, the islands, and the restaraunts that you can drive up and dock your boat and eat there.
I was able to go out so many times on the boat and the wave runner because so many people there just wanted to sit around on the dock or to play Nerts....they asked me at one point if I wanted to play Nerts I said no I did not drive over an hour to play cards or sit on a deck... I thought well that is kind of rude but I did not...I came to have fun!!! but I guess for them sitting there playing cards is fun...some other people played frisbee, I did not play that either...
at about six pm we left to go back home.
It was a great summer day and I am so glad that I went. ... even though I did not ever get in on a game of Nerts...
Saturday, July 17, 2010
field trip
the waterfall
me by The Potomac River
Spike and I walking across the bridge
When I was about nineteen, some friends of friends said that we were going to go hiking, we went on a short hike to a waterfall and and then swam by the waterfall and had a picnic. I thought then I want to do this stuff more as in all the time.. I love the outdoors. I love being in pretty places and I love just doing things.
The other night Victoria and I went back to the same place. We left after work and picked up Spike. Because of all the traffic and detours and it took us awhile to get there.
When we did get there, it was almost dark, we started walking to the waterfall and we saw one foreign guy he said it was about a 5 minute walk. We then saw some people in bathing suits coming they said we just had to go up a big hill and down a small hill.
The walk consisited of walking on more or less a gravel road through a forest and this time there were not houses on one side. There were trees on one side and water on the other. The walk was so pretty so many places we could have taken pictures.
we had to walk over concrete structures to cross the water twice, instead of a bridge. I am glad that Spike did not pull me in.
When we got to the waterfall it was even prettier than I remember and Victoria and I were there all alone because it was late. The view of the Potomac River was amazing.
The water was not cold at all so we got in there were a lot of rocks so sometimes it was deep and sometimes it was not. Spike followed us everywhere and had to do a lot of swimming which he does not like....he likes to play in the water just not swim.
we walked back to my car just in time to not have to use flashlights..
on the way back I read some info about the park, local residents saved it from becoming a housing development in the 1970s. There was also a sign that said that we should not swim in the water, because it is called Scotts Run and that that water contains a lot of germs and sewer run off..I am going to pretend I did not read that sign... like all the other people that swim there...
The other night Victoria and I went back to the same place. We left after work and picked up Spike. Because of all the traffic and detours and it took us awhile to get there.
When we did get there, it was almost dark, we started walking to the waterfall and we saw one foreign guy he said it was about a 5 minute walk. We then saw some people in bathing suits coming they said we just had to go up a big hill and down a small hill.
The walk consisited of walking on more or less a gravel road through a forest and this time there were not houses on one side. There were trees on one side and water on the other. The walk was so pretty so many places we could have taken pictures.
we had to walk over concrete structures to cross the water twice, instead of a bridge. I am glad that Spike did not pull me in.
When we got to the waterfall it was even prettier than I remember and Victoria and I were there all alone because it was late. The view of the Potomac River was amazing.
The water was not cold at all so we got in there were a lot of rocks so sometimes it was deep and sometimes it was not. Spike followed us everywhere and had to do a lot of swimming which he does not like....he likes to play in the water just not swim.
we walked back to my car just in time to not have to use flashlights..
on the way back I read some info about the park, local residents saved it from becoming a housing development in the 1970s. There was also a sign that said that we should not swim in the water, because it is called Scotts Run and that that water contains a lot of germs and sewer run off..I am going to pretend I did not read that sign... like all the other people that swim there...
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