Lucy is the New Boss and Finn is the CEO

Finn is Finny.

2010-02-02T23:50:00.002-05:00

We are having so much fun watching Finn grow. He officially has two little chompers and eats LARGE helpings of everything! Rice Cereal, peas, beans, avocados, carrots, salmon... he doesn't discriminate when it comes to food.

We call him Finny way more than Finn, and we have decided that he is spoiled ROTTEN.

(Thanks Grandma:))

FINN (my little man)

2009-09-02T02:01:00.003-05:00

Our family is growing! WELCOME to Finn Bradford Allen, born on July 17th at 1:31am. He weighed in at 8lbs 8oz and we are so happy he is here safe and sound.

Lucy is finally accepting her "demotion" from only child. It has been a dramatic process filled with a few tears (both from Lucy and me), but we are working out the kinks and the tantrums and are on our way to a BEST BIG SISSY of the year award.

Life is good!

We are stuck on boy names.

2009-07-10T17:15:00.000-05:00

I am feeling pretty much moved into the house and ready for the baby to not be camped out in me anymore! I think he knows that we don't have his name picked out, so he is giving us some time to make sure we know what we are going to call him.

We have had a list of maybe names for a while now and just can't decide on one.

Our list:

Finnley (Finn)

Keller

Harrison (this is Lucy's favorite, but she would call him harry)

Owen

Marshall

Wilson

William

Quincey (Quinn)

Liam

Any suggestions? I know my mom doesn't like Finn. When I told her we were thinking Finn or Keller her response was, "Oh, I like Keller."

I still think of names I like, like Oliver, James, Claude... nothing seems just perfect.

Maybe I will have to see his face to know.

The countdown begins.

2009-06-09T21:09:00.003-05:00

I had another ultra-sound yesterday and the tech said the baby is already six pounds! I have heard that babies grow about a pound a week for the last month. That means that if I go all the way to my due date he will be 10 pounds.

AHHH!

It wouldn't be completly odd for me to have a 10 pounder since I was 9lbs 3ozs and my little brother was 10lbs 5ozs. Let's hope not! I will die!

Too Busy for words... pictures will have to do.

2009-04-01T11:31:00.002-05:00

I'm getting too big and pregnant (it's a Boy) to deal with toddler dental floss disasters... seems like when Dad is in charge, there are many "quiet messes". The best one yet involved a big container of bread crumbs. Or in Lucy's words... "dirt"

The volcano has been erupting A LOT. If we can't get out of here on our flight to Hawaii I will be MUCHO ANGRIDO!!

Alaska celebrated it's 50th b-day.

HAPPY NEW YEARS!!! Celebration on the town square.

We bought a house! We will move in the middle of May! YIPPIE

Numero Dos On The Way

2008-12-25T00:58:00.005-05:00

We are expecting a little monster in July and we couldn't be more excited.

Lucy has been asking for a brother or sister (depending on the day) for a few months now.

When I asked her if she thought the baby was a boy or a girl, she said she thought I had a snake in my tummy. I thought about telling her that actually, the snake put the baby in my tummy... I'll wait a few more years to break that news to her.

Merry Christmas!

Happy Halloween

2008-11-02T01:27:00.002-05:00

I promised I would post pictures of my little chicken...

We had so much fun, and Lucy was super motivated to walk all around the hospital parade when she realized there was candy being handed out around every corner.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

Alaska is treating us well!

2008-10-28T02:08:00.003-05:00

This is a picture of Bradford and our dinner for about 10 nights! We love the fresh salmon for eating and Bradford has found a new favorite hobby! I have a great recipie for salmon cakes, and salmon casidillas! MMMM.

We went to the State Fair in Palmer. It was a nice day to see all the animals, eat fried cheese curds, ride rides and people watch. I thought the people watching was good in West Virginia, I had no idea! All thoes hockey moms and Joe six-packs... hey Sara!

I must be getting old. I always remember thinking that adults were so cheesy when they would talk about how fast time goes, but here I am saying that phrase... a lot! It is amazing when I realize that we are almost through October and approaching the holidays. I just got my big Aveda shipment of all out holiday packages to sell as gifts. They are very beautiful this year with yellow, red and black hand stamped paper boxes from Nepal. We will be putting up our display November 2nd, along with the salon tree and holiday decorations.
I am excited for Ozarks open house this coming Saturday! Ozarks is a great antique store here in Anchorage that always has beautiful little treasures. It is dangerous for me to go there because I can always find something I "need".

Lucy has her mind made up that she wants to be a chicken for Halloween. She says, "My be a chicken for Halween, please!"
She has the funniest phrases lately. Her new favorite toy is a lizard that she calls a wizard. It is a little red lizard that she got at her friend's birthday party as a little favor five weeks ago. It is now missing all of it's legs and soon, I fear, will loose it's tail too. Luckilly I think those grow back.

We went to Ronnie's Sushi a few weeks ago and she was amazed at who was sitting next to us. She looked up at a man with long hair and a beard who was walking in and with big eyes looked at me and said, "Jesus!"

She has been telling me that she wants a little brother. Wonder who prompted that? ...Bradford?

When she tries to get Bradford's attention she doesn't yell daddy, she yells, "BRA-FERD!"

I promise to post pictures of my little chicken.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN, bock, bock style!

Trip to Fairbanks...

2008-08-04T22:30:00.000-05:00

July in pictures...

2008-08-03T18:36:00.004-05:00

July in Anchorage was been pretty depressing. No sun, lots of clouds and tempratures in the 40s and 50s make for grumpy Alaskans!

Luckilly, we have had some beautiful days the past week. Maybe August will make up for a wet June and July.

We were able to get out of the state of gloom to visit Portland. We met up there with my family to enjoy time together and celebrate Ashley and Dustin's marriage! It was so fun to see everyone and slow down a little with the fam.

Ash and Dustin are the cutest couple ever...

Lucy was the center of attention! AND spoiled by "Puppy"

The Allens came to the reception, It was SO nice to see Dantzelle, Brad, Anna, Corinne and Allen!

Lucy, cousin Katie, Me and Bradford

All the ladies at the Snyder's House.

We visited the new Aveda institute in downtown Portland... it was very nice

The Boys enjoyed fishing and golfing in the sunshine!

Lucy Myreel as she enters the "terrible twos"...

2008-06-14T01:34:00.004-05:00

So I think that so far, being a mom is awesome. I have tried to enjoy each day with my little squirt. I wonder if I will learn to understand the phrase "terrible two", or if it will all turn out to be a myth just like having cracked bleeding nipples from nursing. Not that I don't think some moms do have that unfortunate misfortune of bloody boobies... but so far pregnancy, labor, newborn world and toddler days have all been less 'by the book' than I thought they would be. All things considered, I feel really lucky that Lucy is pretty easy going and very fun to hang out with.

This morning when I went in to wake Lucy up she was in a foul mood and she just buried her face in her pillow and told me ..."nooooooooo, momma. nooooooo"

I knew how she felt, because I didn't want to get out of bed either... but the day was starting and we needed to get up. The whole morning was a struggle and included her first real tantrum. Rolling around on the living room floor and covering her face while she yelled toddler jargon obscenities at me which included but were not limited to, NO, MINE, SAD and GO OUTSIDE.

It was an interesting morning to say the least and hopefully not my introduction to the terrible twos! Bedtime tonight was an hour earlier and hopefully that will cure the morning meltdowns!

My excuse...

2008-06-13T14:14:00.003-05:00

So, I have been really lagging with the blog posts.
This is my excuse...

www.megallensalon.com

Come check it out and I will update you on everything while I highlight your hair.

HOLY COW!

2008-01-31T02:32:00.000-05:00

Well, it is official! I am a business owner.
I just got word that my offer on a space for a salon and spa was accepted and I will have a key to start the renovations next week!
I am starting a salon and spa blog
www.megallensalonandspa.blogspot.com
to keep an online look at the progress of the space...

Happy New Year!

2008-01-03T01:48:00.000-05:00

New years in Alaska is really anti-climatic! It gets dark here at three o'clock every day in the winter, and then watching the ball drop at eight o'clock on the east coast... you might as well go to bed!
We did stay up to ring in the new year... just barely though. (we are getting old)

As for New Years resolutions, I've decided that I am done setting myself up for failure. I had good intentions of sitting down and writing out every last detail of things I would start doing, things I would STOP eating and drinking... ect. And then I realized that my list is the same every year and I am still a procrastinator, I'm still chubby, I am still unorganized and I am still lazy. I think this year I just need to embrace my habits and maybe just learn to love myself the way I am.

I did get to the gym today, along with the rest of Anchorage. There were so many people with good intentions! I loved seeing them be able to check off one thing on their new TO DO list of 2008.

We had such a wonderful Christmas with our family in Maple Valley, Washington. All of my husband's siblings and spouses were there. It was the first time ALL the siblings were together in eight years I think. We really enjoyed seeing everyone and it was especially good to see the five little cousins all play together. Lucy had a blast, and she was inspired by the three cousins older than her to start walking! YAY!

My new favorite you tube video...

2007-11-29T03:20:00.001-05:00

Get ready to laugh and be confused at the same time! I love this girl, and I can't get these lyrics out of my head!

...stomp once for Brittney...

The SCOWLing Princess...

2007-11-27T00:59:00.000-05:00

So, Lucy figured out how to move her eyebrows... DOWN! She has been giving everyone dirty looks, and I mean everyone! Everywhere we go people get frowned at by little miss scowl! I actually thought it was quite funny until today when we were at JC Pennys Portrait Studio and the photographer was practically standing on her head to try to get Lucy to crack a smile. Luckily she got a few good ones, but there were far more frowny proofs than smiley ones!

Hilarious!!!!

2007-10-20T22:00:00.000-05:00

We were playing with my new macbook and found this feature on the camera....

A short video I took yesterday.

2007-10-20T01:46:00.001-05:00

Anchorage ACES

2007-10-20T01:15:00.000-05:00

We went to a hockey game last week and had a great time. Lucy was mesmerized by all the action and by the little men gliding around on the floor. Sometimes I just wonder what she is thinking when she is experiencing something for the first time. I mean, how weird would it be if you didn't understand the concept of ice and you saw people skating. Not to mention the ice was PINK for Breast cancer awareness month. It was pretty freaky even for me! The crowd was exactly what I would expect at a hockey game in Alaska... and I will stop there! he he...

Moved in for ONE MONTH!

2007-10-19T18:46:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow it will be our month mark for being moved into our house here on P street. We love our neighborhood, our neighbors and now that we got a storage unit, we are loving our house too! We have a lot less square footage than our last house and I am somewhat of a pack-rat, so we have lots of "stuff". Hmmmm, does anyone have a better sounding word than pack-rat for people like me? I don't think it is fair to put that label on myself, since I am a lot better than I used to be. Plus, I have really managed to get somewhat organized and I am pretty clean... I just have a lot of clutter. I am a really good stacker. You should see my workbench in the garage, just give me a shelf and I can make a lot of stuff fit up on it.
So, anyways, back to P street... We live a couple blocks from the inlet, and Anchorage has this fabulous trail system that runs all through the city. We have access to the Coastal trail and all the connecting city trails as well. The city grooms them for Xcountry skiing in the winter and they are a great place to walk, run, bike and roller blade in the summer. The scenery here is so amazing, some views look fake! These are pictures taken at the park a couple of blocks from our house on the coastal trail. All the neighbors are telling us how much fun it is when this lake freezes. The city maintains it as a ice skating rink and they even put fire-barrels out to warm up your hands. I want to get some ice skates!

We have really settled in quick. I can't stand living out of boxes, so I was moving at warp speed to get them all unpacked... All my JUNK!!! he he. We are really loving our neighborhood and we are all ready for visitors... So, put on your fleece hat and your down coat and come visit us on P street!
.

Lucy turned 1 yesterday!!!

2007-10-03T19:42:00.000-05:00

It is getting COLDER

2007-10-01T16:37:00.000-05:00

So we live in Alaska. Nobody told me that fall, which is usually my favorite season, only lasts one week. It is true... I was just starting to notice and enjoy the colors a few days ago and now all the leaves are on the ground. And it is cold and rainy. The locals are all telling me that the first snow fall is usually the third week in October. Hmmmm, I guess I better go buy some skis.

We are HERE!!

2007-09-25T13:07:00.000-05:00

Well, it has been an amazing journey from D.C. to Anchorage, Alaska. Bradford graduated from his residency at Bolling AFB and we headed West to see family... and then WAY up north to AK.

We had a great last weekend in D.C. before we left. We said our goodbyes and then took a few days to relax before we hit the road. Lucy was in UT with her Mimi and Puppy (thanks again Mom and Dad.) After a nice weekend of eating out at all thoes "non-kidfriendly" resturaunts and a great room at Hotel Palomar in Dupont Circle, we were ready to paint "Alaska or BUST" on our trusty 1991 Volvo Wagon and head directly for Kansas City.

We got to Kimball's cute house about 17 hours later, just as the sun was coming up. It worked out nicely as he was getting out of bed, we jumped in. After a few hours of sleep we saw the city, met neighbors, took the Volvo in for a check up, got locked out of the house, ate at a great dumpling bar and went shopping at a Vintage Clothing store called Boomerang... whew! We only had 24 hours with K, so we had to cram it all in! It was a great stop, and I really liked KC.
The next morning we got up and drove to UT. About 17 more hours in the car we thought Kansas would never end! We were happy to pull into Heber and see our sweet Lucy asleep at Mimi and Puppy's house. We caught a few hours of sleep and then woke up to spend time with my family.

We had to leave Heber earlier than we had hoped because our ferry plans changed. We stopped in Layton for a yummy dinner with Graham, Emily, McKay, and the twins. We all went to a Real soccer game and then Bradford, Lucy and I headed for Pocatello.

It was great to see everyone in Pocatello. We always love going to Pokey to see family and visit our old turf.

Ok... I need to go to bed, so this entry is TO BE CONTINUED.

Good Night!

Lucy misses her daddy.

2007-08-05T20:40:00.001-05:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-D8Y8uSBhZA

Lucy loves Mimi's house

2007-08-02T20:39:00.000-05:00

Lucy is in heaven with the dog, Boris, and the kittens, Stinker and Skid. She gets all excited when they are in the house. She is trying to learn to be soft and gentle with them. Her little hands just seem to SQUEEZE when they make fur contact! Run kitties, RUN!

En Route.

2007-08-02T08:52:00.000-05:00

Happy August to everyone! Lucy and I are in beautiful Heber City, Utah right now with my family. We came out last week to spend a little time with Mimi and Puppy (that's what we call my parents instead of Grandma and Grandpa). We are having a blast, and Lucy is adjusting quite well. Ashley, my sister was in town for the first few days I got here and we scored tickets to the demolition derby in Heber. We were really excited to go and decided to dress for the occasion. We went to DI (which is like Utah's Good Will) and picked up our outfits. We were MistyLou and Treasure for the night and Ash's friend Skyler aka Earl came with us. It was a blast. Gotta love Heber!

I am headed back to DC next Wednesday to drive back with Bradford. My mom (Mimi) offered to keep Lucy so she won't have so much driving time from VA to AK! Thanks Mom!

Well, I am going to try to occasionally update the blog en route. If nothing else, we will take lots of pictures along the way and write all about it when we finally arrive the end of the month.

Happy friday the 13th

2007-07-13T06:33:00.000-05:00

This month, it is so sweet that we had 7-7-07 and friday the 13th all in one week! I pretend not to be superstitious, but I think I really am. I guess you would call people like me an optimistic superstitioninst! That sounds so scientific. I think I need a black cat.

Ten days and counting!

2007-07-12T13:45:00.000-05:00

I was hoping to write a good, juicy entry today, but I hear Lucy stirring in her bed. It seems that naps are very short lately and there is never enough time to just sit down at the computer and get caught up. We are good here, all still alive and well. I started to panic a little when I passed the wall calendar this morning and realized the movers are coming in TEN days! AHHHHH! I still have two jewelry shows between now and then and we have a list a mile long of "things" to do before the 23rd... My next blog entry I'll probably be in panic mode, we shall see. But for now I will just say, HELLO and post these really cute black and white shots I got of Lucy yesterday.

Road Trip!

2007-06-20T05:24:00.000-05:00

I am wondering if I will have East Coast withdrawal in a couple of months when we move to Alaska. I am pretty sure there will be a long list of things I miss about this area, I am just hoping there will be enough new, exciting things about Alaska that it won't be a huge disappointment. We went on a road trip last weekend, up to Boston. It was so amazing, and it really hit me how lucky we are to have so many big cities close to us.

We drove all the way up I-95, taking a small detour to drive through New York City, which was a huge adrenaline rush! I was driving while Bradford navigated and we saw The Statue of Liberty (which we call the statue of bolivity, thanks to my little bro. Eric), Ground Zero, Radio City, Central Park and The Empire State Building. It was a whirlwind and actually seems like a dream now.

We got to Boston feeling a little cranky and tired and checked into our hotel. This was the view from our window, so we quickly lost our bad attitudes! The next morning we headed out to do part of the "freedom trail". Which is a walking tour through downtown Boston. My favorite stops were the old cemeteries that had tombstones all the way back to the 1700s! They were amazing!

After lunch, we headed to Gillette field to see a USA Soccer match against Panama. This game was the main reason Bradford wanted to go to Boston! The stadium was HUGE and USA won, so everyone was happy. Bradford kept getting really funny looks when he would yell things out in Spanish. It was so funny to see people's reactions to this crazy Gringo cheering in Spanish!

This is the main Quad at Harvard. We spent a couple of hours walking around the campus and neighborhood. It was just like I imagined, all lush and green with tons of old brick buildings. I even felt smarter when I was there.

Another thing I loved about Boston was the parks and public gardens. They were so well maintained and clean! Lucy enjoyed lunch in the shade more that once on this trip.

2007-06-13T09:40:00.001-05:00

By far the best shopping district in Richmond, Virginia... Carytown! And the best store in Carytown... Heidi Story. Aside from being able to by my jewelry there, you can find really cute and affordable "up and coming" designer's clothing and bags. Heidi, the owner, teaches sewing classes all week in a room right there in the store. I miss Carytown since I have moved to DC, and that says a lot since I have Old Town and Georgetown about ten minutes away.

June Rewind!

2007-06-12T07:01:00.000-05:00

Somehow we are almost half-way through June and I haven't posted once for the month. Lucy and I started the first month of summer in Atlanta with the Allen clan. We flew there with Kimball and met up with Dantzelle, Brad, Grandma Lewis, Delon and Larry and Myreel at the semi-annual BSA meeting. Dantzelle was receiving the Silver Antelope award for all her service in scouts, and of course our trip was filled with site-seeing. We toured the MLK sites, the Carter library and saw the laser show at Stone Mtn. It was a great to see everyone and explore Atlanta. Kimball and I stayed a few extra days and toured the Coke factory, CNN and the Olympic Plaza. It was such a blast to see family and spend some extra time with Lucy's favorite Uncle. Congrats to Dantzelle for her achievements in scouts, she is such a "celestial-ebrity"!

Lucy and Uncle Kimball

Me and my "sugar bean"

At the Coke factory

Stone Mountain ... Ode to our Confederate Soldiers!

Lucy at the Coke factory, right after the 3D movie!

Brad and Kimball in front of the home Martin Luther King Jr. grew up in.

This is the Church where Martin Luther King Jr and Sr both preached

The CNN Center.... Where is Anderson?

Uncle Kimball comes to the District...

2007-05-26T10:33:00.000-05:00

Kimball, Bradford's brother, is here visiting from Cali. He is actually homeless right now as his stuff is all en route to Kansas City, MO. He is in the middle of a big move from San Jose to KC. We are having a blast seeing all the sites and eating tons of good food.

On friday, we started the day with a staff led tour of the Capitol which was way cool and then Bradford and Lucy went home for naps and Kimball and I went to The Holocaust Museum. After the extremely sobering few hours in the museum we met Bradford in Georgetown for Thai food at Bangkok Joes and then headed to the DAR to see Damien Rice. What a great concert. We were all surprised at how Damien totally "rocked it". His Albums are so chill, but live Damien is really different!

Yesterday we went to Old Town Alexandria for a picnic and shopping and then saw Arlington National Cemetery. There are thousands of Harleys every where with all the POW MIA flags blowing in the wind. It is cool to see all the Vets here for Memorial day. On the way back home we stopped at our favorite Mexican restaurant, Los Tios, for some spicy dinner. MMMMMM.
We are having a blast with Kimball.

2007-05-22T09:23:00.001-05:00

The fam on Mother's Day

This is my booth at the Squidfire Show in Baltimore

The show was at Mt. Vernon Square, it was a great location

A big ship at the Inner Harbor

Little miss Sassy!

2007-05-22T09:00:00.000-05:00

Between the jet lag from our trip back home and jumping right back into reality, the month is almost over before I have even realized it started! I had such a great time with my family in Hawaii. Lucy got sassy while we were there (thanks to the constant attention and occasional sugar that Mimi, Puppy, Papa, aunt Ash, uncle Eric and uncle Chris gave her.) Luckily she lost most of the attitude once we got home and back in our routine.
I returned home on wed. the 9th and made jewelry like a mad woman for my show in Baltimore on sat. the 12th. The late nights paid off as I had my best show ever! It was nice to have such a great show and to have Bradford and Lucy there with me. We stayed the night downtown and enjoyed Mother's day the next day by sleeping in and then having brunch on the water at a cute Cuban restaurant. We went to a flea market for some treasure hunting and then hit the road back to DC. It was a nice weekend.

Hawaii...day seven (I think)

2007-05-06T13:42:00.000-05:00

Yesterday afternoon started with a forty minute drive into the big city of Waikiki with an accidental detour to Hickam AFB. OOPS... stay right on the 99. We eventually made it to Pearl Harbor and jammed our brains with WWII history in the museum. We watched a movie about the events that led up to the war and then took the ferry across the bay to the memorial above the USS Arizona. It was a very sombering experience to realize that almost 1200 bodies were below us.

After the boat ride back we headed over to the Aloha stadium. On Saturdays and Sundays there is a "swap meet." Which is basically a big market with lots of tourist junk to buy. We were disappointed that there weren't any good, handmade treasures mixed in. Overall it left much to be desired. We were glad that we hadn't made the trip around the island just for the swap meet. We had hoped to make it all the way into downtown, but with a tired, cranky baby and a hungry teenager, we headed back to Hale'iwa, the little town by our condo to eat and shop. I am sad that we only have two more days here in Hawaii, I don't want the vacation to end!

What day is it...

2007-05-05T14:53:00.000-05:00

Lucy's new nickname here in Hawaii is "pickle". My dad started calling her that and it seems to have stuck. We are having an awesome time here at Turtle Bay, on the North Shore of O'ahu. It has been very relaxing and fun to be with family. We are going to venture out to the commercial side of the island and explore Waikiki this afternoon. We are hoping to find a few open air markets and some fresh sushi. MMMMM. I will take lots of pics. Aloha!

ALOHA! from Meg and Lucy...

2007-05-03T22:42:00.000-05:00

The last few days have been full of firsts for Lu. The first time her toes touched grass she freiked out! The texture really scared her and she still is very hesitant to touch it. The next morning we got in the pool and she was really insecure and held onto me really tight. She was slow to relax, but after about twenty minutes she finally started to have a little fun. Puppy (my dad) taught her how to blow bubbles and Uncle Chris entertained her by going under water and then popping up. We took a little break from the sun and had a popsicle on the patio. After nap time, we headed down to the beach and Lucy was amazed by the sand and waves. We sat up on the beach and let the waves touch our toes. We are having a such a wonderful time in paradise with my family... if only Bradford could be here, then it would be perfect!

Me, Ash and my Mom

Papa Marshall catching some Hawaiian rays at the pool

Jake and Lucy sitting in a tree...

2007-04-28T07:56:00.000-05:00

Our good friends, Josh and Val, from dental school are here visiting this weekend from Kentucky. They found out they were pregnant with Jake the same week we found out we were prego with Lucy. It was so fun for me to have someone to compare bellies with and now we finally get to meet the little man that was behind the bump! We both left Richmond after graduation, them to KY and us up here to DC and this is the first time we've gotten together and introduced the babies. We love having them stay with us and it has been quite entertaining to watch Jake and Lucy flirt. These bath pictures will be some serious black mail in about thirteen years!

What a great weekend!

2007-04-23T21:14:00.000-05:00

Although being Lucy's mom and Bradford's wife are my favorite titles, a weekend away was so fun! I headed down to Richmond early Saturday morning to sell my jewelry at an art show at John Tyler Community College and then stayed the night with my good friends Marcus and Turia. Sunday morning I had another show in Richmond, Spring Bada Bing, at the Marquee. Both shows were great. I sold lots of pretty things, saw lots of good friends and ate lots of tasty food. What more can a girl ask for? I did miss my little sugar bean and my hunky hubby, but they got along just fine without me and we all love eachother a little bit more after some time away!

Is it Thursday already?

2007-04-19T13:57:00.000-05:00

Every week starts with feeling like it won't get started and then, all of a sudden, it is Thursday! I have been so busy getting ready for my two jewelry shows this weekend. I will be selling my pretties at 'Fool for Art' at the John Tyler Community College in Richmond on Saturday and then at the annual Richmond Craft Mafia's 'Spring Bada Bing' on Sunday. I have made a lot of new pieces and I am excited to get some feedback from shoppers and other artists.
Last Saturday, I set up my booth at Adams Morgan's up and coming Western Market. It was FREEZING cold, but a lot of pieces found good homes. I sold two brooches, four pairs of earrings and a bag. I will try to get back up there a couple more Saturdays before we head across the country to the big AK! It is going to be so sad to leave this area now that I have made so many contacts for markets and shows. Hopefully it will be a smooth transition into the art scene in Anchorage. I did discover some talented ladies have already organized a Craft Mafia... The Anchorage Craft Mafia! Hopefully they will view me worthy to join once we get settled.

Anchorage AK, here we come!

2007-04-12T21:48:00.000-05:00

Well, we got our #4 pick on the list of 38 bases. We are really excited about moving to the vast wilderness of Alaska! I have almost always lived in the states at the bottom of the alphabetical list (Wyoming, Utah, Virginia, Washington) , so I guess it's time to move up to the top! I am excited to find out more about the area and start making plans to head back to the western half of the country... I guess AK counts as the west.

video of Lucy

2007-04-09T20:14:00.000-05:00

Little miss Sunshine

2007-04-07T12:14:00.000-05:00

What a great movie! We watched Little Miss Sunshine tonight.What an honest movie! So full of reality and truth. I hope I can be a parent who always instills good values and tolerance into my children's lives. I think one of the best virtues is to have an open mind and be accepting of everyone.

We woke up to SNOW!

2007-04-07T11:59:00.000-05:00

OH MAN!... what a bummer to wake up to snow! I was planning on setting up my jewelry at the western market, but it was canceled because of the weather. Hopefully next week will be nice, I am going to try again to participate. It is a small market up in the Adams Morgan area that goes through the summer from noon to dark on Saturdays. www.DCwesternmarket.com

Our Treasure Hunt...

2007-04-03T21:55:00.000-05:00

Lucy and I made a trip out to our favorite thrift store this afternoon. It was worth it because we found this whole set of mushroom containers. I squealed when I saw them. I think Lucy is really learning to enjoy treasure hunting at the young age of six months.

Blooming Trees make me Happy!

2007-04-02T20:57:00.000-05:00

Bradford, Lucy and I went for a run and a picnic this evening over at Haynes Point (a park right by all the monuments.) It was so beautiful to see all the cherry blossoms. Yesterday was "peak bloom." I wish the blossoms would last longer, but we will enjoy them while we can.

Monument Avenue 10K

2007-04-01T18:48:00.000-05:00

Well, we ran the Monument Avenue 10K in RVA this weekend. We met up with our good friends, Marcus and Turia Pope, and all headed towards the start line about 8:20 am. It was a great morning, the weather was nice and we saw lots of old friends from Richmond. Our friend, Sarah Stearns, watched Lucy while we ran and then met us after the race at Monroe Park just across the finish line. I saw them at about mile 1.5 and again just after the mile 6 marker. It was such a nice burst of energy to see them cheering on the sidewalk! I made my goal to run the whole way. I ran at a pretty slow pace, finishing in 67 minutes, but I felt really good at the end. Bradford ran it in 48 minutes, which met his goal of running it in under 50 minutes.

We stayed with our friend Cheryl, who is always so accomadating and hospitable! We always love staying at her beautiful house out in the "country" of midlothian. Saturday night we met up with the Thompsons at Joe's Inn for their famous Speghetti A La Greek. It was great to see them and catch up. We couldn't belive how big Ava and Elizabeth have gotten.
We were also able to meet up with our friend Tara and her two cute girls, Marleigh and Marion at Baker's Crust for brunch on Sunday.
It was a great weekend of running, seeing friends and good food!

TWO TEETH in two days!

2007-03-30T11:39:00.000-05:00

Lucy has two little teeth on the bottom! The first one popped through yesterday and the second one just made it's debut this afternoon. She has done surprisingly well for how bad I can imagine that feels to have little sharp teeth break through your gums! OUCH.
She is such a happy girl, I don't think anything could make her cranky for too long.

Me and my little "sidekick"

2007-03-27T22:42:00.000-05:00

I snapped this picture of us the other day. I thought it turned out pretty good for just holding the camera out and clicking the button.
I am so happy I get to stay home with my little sugar bean! We have a lot of fun during the day. I don't know what we do all day long but we stay busy just hanging out!

Lucy's new doll

2007-03-27T22:09:00.000-05:00

I got Lucy this doll today and she was really into her! It is really the first toy I've seen her "prefer." She was reaching past all her other rattles and various colorful little trinkets and grabbing for the doll. Maybe because it is new, or maybe it will stick. I think we need to have a naming contest for her. Anyone have any suggestions?
OH!!! Lucy hit a big milestone today... she rolled from her back to her tummy! Yay.
She has started sitting all by her self now too. Only for a few minutes and then she topples over, but she actually seems to have good balance.

Don't get pinched

2007-03-17T08:46:00.000-05:00

I am going to the airport later today to pick up Bradford. He has been in Atlanta for a dental conference. He better remember to wear green today, or he is going to get pinched! He has been gone since Wednesday, so I am really excited to see him. He came home a day early for our anniversary.
Lucy is wearing her green! I got her this little "kiss me I'm Irish" outfit a couple of weeks ago.

Happy Anniversary to US!

2007-03-16T23:49:00.000-05:00

It is officially St. Patty's Day, which means Bradford and I have been married six years. My, how time flies. I was trying to remember each year past and what we have done to celebrate. I do remember our first. We were driving across desolate Wyoming to Cheyenne for me to take my cosmetology boards. That was a long trip of icy roads and strained eyes, trying to keep a lookout for moose and elk!
Our second, we were living in our little North Hayes house in Pocatello, Id. We probably splurged and ate real noodles instead of Top Ramen to celebrate.
Our third, hmmmm.... I guess we were in our little Richmond cave of an apartment. Most likely went out to dinner at somewhere in the West End. Maybe Olive Garden or Chilis?
Our fourth, we had bought a house downtown and ... wow this is boring! I'll stop.
Anyways, this year we are going to A La Lucia, an Italian restaurant in Alexandria and then going to the movies. We will probably see Breach, it looks good and has been getting good reviews. My friend Sonja is babysitting Lucy for us, and we are very happy to have a "date night" for our anniversary! Hopefully this one will be more memorable than the last few. That's why you keep a journal!

from 0 to 75 in one week (degrees that is)

2007-03-13T12:01:00.000-05:00

WOW! Spring is here. Lucy and I just got back from a run outside. The sun is out and it is so nice. I sure hope it stays like this because it is wonderful not to have to go to a musty gym to workout! Don't get me wrong, our gym here on base is amazing, but I just love being outside.
We have a running path that parallels the Potomac River and you can see the Washington monument, The Capitol Building, The National Cathedral, The Jefferson Monument, The Pentagon and last but certainly not least, Reagan airport! It is like a running tour of downtown Washington D.C. When Dantzelle, Bradford's mom, was here visiting she kept asking me to "pinch her" because she couldn't believe she was seeing all those sites just out our back door! I hope our next base has a good running path. We should know where we are headed in the next few weeks. I am getting a little anxious to know where we are headed. It could be anywhere from Japan to Arkansas! Our top three choices are 1. Spangdahlem AFB in Germany, 2. Croughton AFB near London England and 3. Menwith Hill AFB in Northern England.
Hopefully we will get one of our top choices! The highlighted bases on the maps are all the bases that need dentists, and ALL the spaces need to be filled. A few of the locations make me a little nervous, but I know wherever we end up we will make the best of it. (Minot or Little Rock, here we come!!!) he he he.

Fun Weekend...

2007-03-12T11:14:00.000-05:00

On Friday night the young women and leaders from our previous branch in Richmond came and spent the night. We had such a great time. We stayed up until 2am making jewelry!
I taught a crash course in jewelry making and we all let our creative juices flow in my garage.
The young women, Sylvia and Ashley were so fun to have and were awesome at designing jewelry! It was fun to see Turia, Tara and Rachael too!
Saturday morning they all stayed here at the house and babysat Lucy while Bradford and I went out on a "tourist date" and rode the elevator up to the top of the Washington monument. We had tickets before we knew the young women were coming and had just planned on taking Lucy with us. It was nice to be kid-less for the morning and we took full advantage of the situation and went out to breakfast together at Starfish Grill, a little restaurant in the Capital Hill area. The food was so good and we could actually enjoy it rather than hurrying to eat and go for Lucy's sake!
We got back to the house and the girls packed up and went to the temple to meet the young men for their annual temple trip. It was a beautiful spring day, hopefully they had a good time.

This is my favorite age (every week I say that!)

2007-03-11T21:46:00.000-05:00

Well, Lucy is a little over five months old and time is flying by. She is such a smiley, happy girl. She is constantly cracking me up with the new things she is learning. Her personality is really funny and sweet. She seems like she is going to be very social because every time we are around other people she is a little ham.
Today she woke us up with a new sound. She was saying Ba over and over again. I wonder what goes through their little heads when they learn how to form their lips into new sounds.
I really can't believe how quickly she has passed through so many stages. She rolled over really early, at about three and a half months and then started grabbing for objects after that. Now she is so busy all the time. She loves toys that are noisy and she is really into her feet. She is has really good balance when she is sitting. She can sit on her own for a few seconds and is strong enough to sit all the way up from a bent over position after she has been grabbing and sucking on her feet.
I am loving being a mom. I feel so lucky to be home with Lucy, watching her grow and develop every day!

Dy-nasty Glasses... just in case you were wondering

2007-03-09T15:37:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, I posted my list of treasures I found at Unique Thrift Store. The dy-nasty sunglasses that I mentioned are SO comfortable! I think they will have a permanent spot in my purse. They will replace my long-loved last thrift store found pair that are getting so loose they fall off my head. May they rest in peace, they served me well. (especially considering they were only 10 cents at the old Catholic Thrift store behind my house in Idaho)

Little Sausage fingers that are OH SO BUSY...

2007-03-08T15:29:00.000-05:00

Lucy has just started grabbing for everything!
I will be holding her facing front and everything we walk past she will reach for. Today she discovered how to throw her toy or pacifier. We were at my favorite thrift store on our weekly treasure hunt and she was constantly dropping or throwing something out of the cart. It was cute, but it got old real quick! We found some real good treasures though. A couple of sweet vintage scarves, some clothes for Lucy, some awesome red DYNASTY sunglasses (the big old '70s sunglasses, lovingly coined die-nasty because of the car Bradford's Mom used to drive while sporting them) and we found a couple colored drinking glasses. I am really into amber colored glass ware, I don't really know why. It's just one of my things.
So all in all it was a pretty successful thrift store morning.

Snow Day.

2007-03-07T23:23:00.000-05:00

The weather was pretty today. We had powdery snow all day long! I have had a little "cabin fever" since we have all been a little sick. I had to get out of the house, so I went up to Baily's Crossroads and ran a few errands. Boring stuff, but it was nice to get out of the house.
I bought a new vacuum. I had a revelation that I am getting old and a little too into the "housewife" groove because I was all excited about my new purchase and spent almost an hour sucking up every piece of dirt in every corner of my house. Oh well, I will embrace the new me... just someone please stop me if I start doing things like alphabetizing my spices!
Bradford has had a long week so far with projects and papers he has coming due soon. He is actually here tonight, yay! He gave Lucy her bath tonight and I can't help but post this picture.
She seemed really happy to spend some time with her daddy.

I guess I'll jump on the blog wagon.

2007-03-05T16:30:00.000-05:00

I get sucked into other blog sites and always think to myself... "I should really start one of those."
Well, here I go. Hopefully I can not only do this for my own journaling purposes but my friends and family will be able to know what's going on with our little family.

This picture was taken right before Christmas.
Our little family... my sexy hubby Bradford, Me and our little girl Lucy.