abbylovesdewey

Last Chance Lake, Utah

2011-05-29T22:02:00.000-07:00

One little boy's dream--dirt. Lots of it.

The construction site of Luke's parents' lake house is toddler boy heaven. Dean is voting to forgo the landscape plans.

2011-05-29T21:48:00.000-07:00

Cycles of naptime, waketime, snacks, meals, and bedtime--punctuated by lions, tigers, and bears, lots of scraped knees, scaling the Everest of counter-tops and Kilimanjaro of stools. So much of life is defined by small everyday routines. I really love all of this--even when it feels like all I've done in a day is feed, change diapers, chase down a toddler, calm a baby, put shoes on, take shoes off. It's amazing the amount of satisfaction and bliss it brings.

Into May

2011-05-15T20:14:00.000-07:00

April 2011

2011-04-25T20:51:00.000-07:00

cookies in the sun,

growing pounds and inches (literally one of each a week),

chasing rabbits in the garden,

exploring,

and doesn't this lettuce look amazing?

Carolina Beach, April 2011

2011-04-06T21:31:00.000-07:00

Enjoyed a quick trip to the beach with Luke's parents. Dean ate donuts, ice cream, sand, and raspberries. He chased seagulls, stared an alligator in the face, and stuffed the towels in the toilet. Maddux stuck to his strictly milk diet, filled A LOT of diapers, and slept. I am vowing to get Luke and me in more pictures--these boys are going to think they grew up parentless!

Brothers

2011-03-30T21:56:00.000-07:00

Highlights:

Dean prying Maddux's newborn fist open and placing a toy motorcycle in his tiny palm.
Watching Dean lie down next to Maddux and explore his little fingers and toes, pat the top of his head, and take interest in this new little wonder.
When they are both napping at the same time, and in particular when it is on either side of me.
When they are both awake--I love my little boys!

Lows:

Dean deciding that now is an ideal time to practice his theatrical terrible twos tantrums.
Taking Dean's cars away when he threw them at Maddux. What can I expect though when he's grown up playing with a rough and tumble dog and playing means throwing? And Dean just likes to throw things. Anything, anytime, anywhere.

Good thing he's cute!

p.s. Maddux doesn't really sleep on a laundry basket. promise.

Maddux!

2011-03-20T21:41:00.000-07:00

Maddux Ray Christiansen

born March 12 @ 6:59 a.m.

6 lbs. 8 oz.

19 1/2 in.

Surprise! Maddux decided to show up three weeks early! Our original due date was April 2nd. I was already dialated 3 cm. at my 36 week appointment and at my 37th I was 4 cm. The doctor was sure I wasn't going to make it to my next weekly appointment. I continued to feel cramping and pressure throughout the day so I actually went and bought diapers, did some laundry, and packed a bag. Luke and I went to the hospital around 4 a.m. and Maddux showed up just before 7 a.m. Once I was at the hospital and had reached 7 cm the doctor thought I would have another 1-3 hours to go. Having had Dean come pretty fast I knew differently. 15 minutes later I called the nurses and doctor back in, I was ready to push. The delivery was pretty fast and easy and then Luke and I got to snuggle in and enjoy our baby boy. We had breakfast brought in and Maddux nursed for over an hour! After that we moved out of the delivery room and into the recovery room where there was a nice hot bath waiting. Soooo nice.
Maddux is doing great--he's eating, and pooping, like crazy and putting on weight. He's already lost his umbilical cord stump and has his "big boy" belly button. I am amazed at how much easier this recovery has been compared to the first time around with Dean. I've only had to take a couple Tylenol just a few times. I had no idea recoveries could be like this! Honestly the worst thing has been my inexplicable chapped lips--but I'll take that any day! I don't even feel as knocked-out tired as I thought I would, but honestly I'm probably just used to less sleep anyway.

Dean has been great. He hasn't minded me holding or nursing the baby and loves to look at him and point out his nose, ect...The hardest thing is when I have to tell him that I can't pick him up--he isn't too crazy about that.

Dean is convinced that where there is a mouth there should be a pacifier. Maddux isn't too sure about that.

I was pretty relaxed and laid back with Dean as a baby, but I love that I am even more so with baby #2. I haven't cracked open a baby book, or stressed out about a nursing schedule, or about any other little thing. One benefit to babies close together is how easy it is to get back into "baby mode."

Sweet Maddipie. We are crazy in love with him.

Welcome Rylee!!

2010-07-14T11:37:00.001-07:00

My best friend Megan and her wonderfully talented husband Ryan welcomed their gorgeous daughter Rylee Hannah Smith earlier this week. I am so excited for them and can't wait to meet this adorable little baby!

Megan is incredible as evidenced by so many things that she is and does. She gave birth to a beautiful girl and is now having to fight a hard fight against Leukemia. She amazes me with her strength. Please keep her in your prayers. I love you Meg!

Birthday Bash!

2010-07-12T13:37:00.001-07:00

The heat was so intense and we have no AC here at Camp Equinunk. That really doesn't affect much, we just spend most of our days at the beach on the lake. Not so on July 5th. I picked up Dean's cake and watched as the merciless sun heated our room and melted the frosting into gooey globs. Celebrating a day early suddenly seemed like a grand idea--so we jumped in the truck and found a park in beautiful Callicoon on the Delaware, NY.

This is where most of the cake ended up.

I had ordered an all blue cake---the bakery handed me a cake with yellow, pink, and purple flowers----I just piled berries on top and figured Dean wouldn't care!

Happy Birthday to the best thing in our lives! Everyday is better with him around!

California Roadtrip--May 2010

2010-07-09T20:24:00.001-07:00

He's had Enough!

2010-03-22T23:17:00.000-07:00

Poor baby. The week after driving out to CA we made him take another trip to Vegas. He's a champion traveller, but even he has his threshold. Finally, this is how I resorted to entertaining him----taking videos and then playing them back for him to watch.

The Turf is Always Greener When it's Under Someone Else's Drink

2010-03-22T23:11:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we went to Las Vegas for Utah State's Lacrosse game (Luke is the assisant coach). The toys I brought to entertain Dean just weren't as exciting as what everyone else had. It was hard to keep him in one spot!

Highlights

2010-03-22T22:13:00.000-07:00

It's late, I'm tired---so I'm going to be pretty cryptic, but lots of pictures!

A few of the memorable happenings of late:

Day after Christmas Dean sat up on his own

Sat up, fell down, and scooted all through January and most of February

Feb. 27 he started to really crawl!

Now he is all over the place and starting to figure out "furniture cruising"

We also went on a few trips to escape the Logan winter.

Christmas afternoon we took off for Zion's National Park.

We took a detour on the way back and stopped by an old ghost town.

Nothing to do with the trip---I just can't take enough pictures of this guy!

Dean and Stubbs--best buds.

The Sundial Bridge, Redding, CA in March.

Dean letting Luke take a break from driving----'cause obviously he knows what he's doing.

Union Square, San Fransisco, March.

Golden Gate.

San Francisco in the background and one tuckered out baby.

Ironstone Vineyards, Murphys CA, same trip...

Las Vegas last weekend watching Daddy coach the Utah State LAX team.

2-14-2010

2010-02-15T11:52:00.000-08:00

I have always loved Valentine's Day, but I've loved it mostly for the candy and card making and not for schmoozie dates and being someone's "Valentine." That's changed sinced being with Luke. Since it is his birthday the day has taken on special meaning for me and has become less about chocolates in envelopes and more about trying extra hard to show Luke how much I love him. Of course since Luke is a true Romantic he always manages to make the day all about me instead. Sometimes our Valentines are more low key, a new book with a poem written by him for me on the inside or smuggling ice cream cake into the movies, and some are bigger---a surprise puppy---and I love them all. This year was extra special. I thought we were just going out for dinner on Saturday night, but Luke reserved a room for us in the Peery Hotel in downtown Salt Lake and instead of keeping our reservations at the restaurant beneath, Christopher's, we decided to order room service instead---room service was from Christopher's anyway and how often do you get to eat steak on top of a nice fluffy, white bed? That wasn't the important part---it was nice, but not what Valentine's Day is all about. It was about getting to spend some time together, just us. Dean got to hang out with Grandpa and Grandma Christiansen. Oh, don't worry, he had a grand time---he was strolled all around the boating expo to concourses of adoring onlookers. We picked him up later that evening, but for those few hours it was so nice to leisurely eat steak, chocolate covered strawberries, and to just be together without any interruption. That is the ultimate gift---time with Luke, time with the only man for me.

Big Boy Bath

2010-02-01T17:03:00.000-08:00

The Youngest Groomsman

2010-01-03T21:10:00.000-08:00

On Dec. 18th Luke's brother Ty married a completely wonderful girl, Mackenzie---we love her and are so excited to finally officially get her in the family. The wedding was amazing with lots of highlights including Dean joining the wedding party in walking down the aisle at the ring ceremony and standing with all the other groomsmen.

From left to right: Josh, Luke's dad, Ty, and Luke.

Dean, his adoring grandma (even though you can't see her, we'll get more pics up as soon as we get them, maybe even one of me) holding him. It took Dean about an hour to decide that he was done with the bow tie and even sooner than that for him to ditch the jacket, but at least we got a few shots while he had it all on!

Four Months Old

2009-11-10T14:18:00.000-08:00

Dean is a loud, smiley, lovable 4 months old! I can see a ridge of teeth on top and bottom (although I guess that doesn't necessarily mean they're about to pop out), he's grabbing his feet, putting everything in his mouth, and talking to us like crazy. Oh and there is nothing he loves more than to stand and jump (with a little steadying from us).

Missing Megagail

2009-11-10T13:55:00.000-08:00

So we haven't posted for a loong time and as I was about to start catching up I saw this picture of my best friend Megan and decided she needed to know just how much I miss her! Megagail is what we called the orchard inbetween houses where we always met up (mostly before we could drive, but it has always remained a special place). I miss those summers meeting up on bike or canoe and later taking off in our volvos. Megan, there is no one like you, you are the best, and I can't wait to see you again!
The above is a pic. from a visit back in May. Looking at it I found some other pregnancy pictures that I never posted, even though I was asked. So even though they are irrelevant now, I was feeling sentimental (or something!) so I decided to post anyway--just for the heck of it---mostly for the record I guess.

Eight months.

One of the only profiles I posed for.

Two days overdue. Dean was such a punk---guess he was just too comfortable.

Dean Craig Christiansen

2009-07-14T11:26:00.000-07:00

Here he is!!! Sorry it took awhile to post.

The perfect baby, except from midnight to five am.

Dean was born July 6, 2009 at 5:39 pm. 7 lbs 9 oz, and 19 inches. Everything went smoothly and the doctors and nurses were all great. We're grateful for how well everything went. Neither Dean or Abby had any complications, and the labor went rather quickly. 5 hours.

Photo Tag

2009-03-31T17:19:00.000-07:00

The tag: post the sixth photo from your sixth photo file and blog about it. And then tag six others!

So this is a photo from our trip to Cordoba, Argentina over a year ago. We were living in Buenos Aires and would explore the country by bus whenever we could. This particular trip we took the red-eye bus there and back to avoid the extra cost of a hotel. It was a spontaneous trip, we packed Luke's backpack and took off.

We arrived early that morning in the city of Cordoba, second largest in Argentina, and found a place that while not serving breakfast yet still had medialunas dulce (sweet croissants) and juice for us. After that we explored the city seeing all the old churches and monestaries---it is a beautiful city!

For lunch we took another bus up into the hills so that we could see some of the smaller towns. Cordoba is in a foothill region that reminded me alot of Sonora, CA where I grew up. It was so nice to get out of Buenos Aires----to fresh breezes, green grass, to a place more rural. The town we went to wasn't that far away, but it took us three hours to get there because the bus literally stopped at every person's house to let them off--even if it was just 20 feet from the last stop. But we finally got there, walked around the few houses, found a place to eat, and caught the next bus.

Back in the city we walked around some shops, found a delicious place to have dinner, and then jumped on the bus back to BA and got arrived home the next morning.

It was a wonderful, spur-of-the-moment trip that we'll always remember!

So now I tag: Megan, Alli, Whitney, JP, Lee, and Lissy.

18 - 3 Slaughter

2009-03-29T15:22:00.000-07:00

Saturday was another great game. Poor Winthrop was slaughtered with Luke helping by putting up 2 goals and 3 assists. This pic is from a different game---my camera ran out of batteries yesterday, but you get the picture. I actually started to feel sorry for Winthrop and hoped they'd score a little more, but they just couldn't get anything past our defense, and obviously our attack was doing it's job.

Other than that not much going on this weekend. I worked a cocktail/auction party for the Republican Party of Rockbridge County----I'm a Republican, but even I will admit that that party was looong and boring.

And we've started to hear back from law schools---acceptence letters with a scholarship offer always makes for a good day! We probably won't be making a decision for a while though, we're still waiting on several schools.

Oh, and the dryer in our apartment broke down, but it's actually kinda nice----I've got a lot of laundry to do, but I'm just going to have to think about it later!

Knights Win 7-3!!

2009-03-19T19:56:00.000-07:00

Today SVU played a great game against Carlton (from Minnesota, I think). The team really worked together and Luke got the job done as middy moving the ball up the field. And now I'm going to brag---not only is this a fabulous picture, but seeing Luke continue running the ball despite the body and stick checks was even better. I just love his expolsive action out on the field! He's only got a few more games left in the season, I wish there were more, I can't get enough!

And as a funny side story somehow I got the button on my back jean pocket stuck on the bleachers---it took me til the end of the game to get it unwedged. I seriously thought I was going to have to stay there. Okay so it's not that funny---but it seemed so to me stuck like super glue to that one spot.

P.S. Ali LaVanway---I was so excited to see your comment and I have no idea how to get to your blog to comment back!!! Plus I need an address, ect...How are little Ezra and Willa doing? I don't allow drive-by comments---you've got to be accountable to responses!

Key West

2009-03-16T14:26:00.000-07:00

For Spring break we were lucky enough to go to Key West, FL with some of the greatest friends, Tawni and Micah Platt. Luke's sister Ali is living there on an internship so we were able to hang out with her and have her show us all over the island.

Our first night and the town was on fire! Yeah, everyone's smiling, but it was pretty sad when 3 stores on the historic street burned. Ali pointed out all the best places to go, especially where to test out all the variations of Key Lime Pie and the best beaches.

Mangrove Mamas on Cudjoe Key---we were actually staying on Cudjoe, a couple keys down, or up, from Key West.

Stubbs of course loved the ocean. I'll always think of this little corner of Key West as Sandy Dog Beach. The Platts were so patient to travel with our pup---even when he's chill he still takes up a lot of the back seat.

Frozen key lime pie dipped in chocolate! Nothing else needs to be said.

One Key Lime is never enough.

Our front yard. It was a beautiful week of sun and doing absolutely nothing but what we felt like. Going to the beach, eating dessert, exploring just about every street of Key West, and spending time with friends and family.

Afterwards Luke and I drove around Miami. We checked out law schools, neighborhoods, got a taste of the traffic, and ate at some amazing Argentine restaurants. After sampling the chorizo Luke gave them his approval. One even doubled as a grocery store and we loaded up on alfajores---delicious cookies. I decided that I could be completely happy living in Miami---the mix of cultures, the warm weather, being able to go camping in the keys whenever I wanted...the whole drive back I just kept thinking of all the reasons I like Miami--or Southern Florida in general. Luckily we stopped and visited my parents otherwise I think I would have been grumpy leaving the warm lushness for cold VA.

Luke's mom and sister met up with us in Miami--we really only saw them for one night, but it was a good time.

Oh, and we're six months pregnant. A surprise, not planned. We've been keeping it quiet for a while, but now I really can't hide it anymore---so there's our announcment!

Dewey and Micah go to the Bar

2009-03-16T13:52:00.000-07:00

Key West is known as party central of the universe (according to the pamplet in our rental) so our experience couldn't be complete with out a visit to a local bar for some sort of mind-altering substance. Salsa! Peppers of Key West is a salsa bar specializing in anything from banana salsa to stuff so hot it will strip the varnish from a table. The boys weren't about to pass that challenge up so they sampled salsas working up the heat index until they made it to the hottest. Above is their "This is hot face!" Below is the actually tasting of it---it's so hot that they were only given a drop on a toothpick and told not to get any on their face, fingers, or table.

The after effect. Yeah, they're real men who don't react too much, but there was sweat on their foreheads. This salsa has made many others vomit after a drop---so our boys reaction is admirable.

Tawni and I just laughed and watched. I tried the banana salsa which was really yummy!

Snow

2009-03-01T21:16:00.000-08:00

It snowed today. Its pretty, but cold---grrrr. We're heading to Key West the end of this week, so I think we'll survive.

LAX

2009-03-01T17:48:00.000-08:00

Saturday Luke had a Lacrosse double-header, they lost, but Luke played really great, agressive games--it was fun to watch him let loose and eventually end up in the penalty box! He's number 14, and no, those guys weren't able to stop him.

He had some furious runs down the field (he was playing middy). His dad caught one on film so I'll post it as soon as he sends it our way.

All I can say is don't get in his way! His family flew into town to watch and it was awesome to hang out with them this weekend--especially the free food part.

The Gift That Keeps Giving....

2009-02-15T19:02:00.001-08:00

...and giving, and growing! Last Valentine's Day Luke surprised me with Stubbs, 15 lbs of an energetic puppy with loads of attitude. And a year and 100 lbs later he is still every bit a punk! This is the puppy who will grab something come find me to make sure that I know he has it and then run off or who will steal the couch as soon as Luke or I leave. He'll squeeze out of the small back window on the truck to join Lacrosse practice, burst into the gym when he gets a glimpse of people on the court throwing the ball around, drag me (literally) when he sees a rabbit, and enjoy flip flops and hot salsa all in one sitting. I love this dog! I love the way he gets excited every time I come home and the way he'll curl up next to me and fall asleep. I adore his snoring! I love taking him walking, swimming, boating, and camping (he keeps me toasty warm). He's even fun on road trips and city-exploring. I love that Stubbs is my dog and how much he exuberantly shows me affection.

So this year for V-day/Luke's birthday we waited until Monday to celebrate (we had to work Sat. night). I surprised Luke with a yummy ice cream cake from Coldstone which we then smuggled into the movie theater to enjoy while watching Taken. That is definitely the best movie treat!

Quick Update

2009-01-27T19:20:00.000-08:00

So....it's been a while...a long while! But here's an update. We spent Christmas in Salt Lake, with a quick trip to Las Vegas for the BYU Bowl game--lotta fun. We ate a ton of Mexican 'cause Luke and I always have to stock up whenever we get the chance. All the snow was actually really fun--We were only there for a week and I wasn't the one who had to shovel the walk! I was sort of missing snow this winter, my thinking being that if its going to be so horribly cold I might as well get snow to make it prettier...

We played a lot of STUMP, a game made up by Luke's little brother. In STUMP you're given a category and you have to try and think of a question to stump everyone else. One time I got Math for a category---yeah, I sort of sneakily switched categories on that one!

From Salt Lake we flew back to NC, drove up to VA for a couple days of work, and then went back down for a week at my parents' house. That was a nice, relaxing week too, especially since for some of it my nephews and nieces kept Stubbs busy with pretty constant play time outside. I think some of them would have slept with him if they could! It was really wonderful to get to see all of my brothers and sisters, now that we're all over the place it makes it harder to all get together.

School, lacrosse, and work have all started back up. Luke's getting ready to take the LSAT in Feb. and he's turning in applications to law schools and a few grad. planning schools.

Stubbs is getting bigger--he's at or over 100 lbs. and still full of puppy energy (he turned one in Dec.). Lately he's jumped through a screen and found a box of XLAX--yep, lots of trips outside that day! We absolutely love him though, even if he does think our toothpaste is the best treat in the house.

So that's where we are now. The Lacrosse season starts this weekend with a tournament in Atlanta, GA. I won't be able to go because of work, but I'm excited for it all to start.

Oh, and we just passed the 3rd anniversary of our 1st date! We went to an Italian restaurant in Staunton, VA (which Kemp and Whitney will be interested to know is now some kind of computer store. They were part of the group date).

Flaming Gorge

2008-11-25T16:43:00.000-08:00

So Thanksgiving break officially started for me today at 5:15 p.m. What does that mean? A break from homework to curl up on the couch and look over last summer's pictures. I decided to post a few from our camping trip at Flaming Gorge---a lotta fun and fireworks! Luke and his brother Tyler decided to continue a Roman Candle war from the previous night and attack their little brother Josh while he was wake boarding. Their Dad had no sympathy and only drove Josh closer and closer to them. Luke deciding that the shore was still too far and conspicuous, swam out to submerge himself with only the fireworks above water. This is the brothers as they burst up and suprise Josh (he'd kill me if I knew I wrote it, but you should have heard Josh yell! But it's okay he later grazed Luke's head with a candle as Luke took his turn out on the wake).

And here he is winning the height and distance jump contest he had with his brothers! Actually I don't think this is the winning jump, I don't think I caught that one, and I have to admit the wipeouts were just as much fun to watch.

Stubbs, grumpy that he had to stay on the beach (Luke's mom and sister in background). He would have too much fun trying to get on the wake board with whoever was out.

The water was gorgeous! Visibility down to 20 feet in some parts of the lake.

After destroying one buoy, caught terrorizing the second.

Stubbs and his cousin Maggie (Josh's dog). It was an amazing sunset. We had one end of the lake practically to ourselves, the location was great, the weather was stormy on and off, but still got in a lot of fun. And sitting out the wind storms in the tent wasn't half bad either! Ali, Luke's sister, and I made banana boats--bananas, chocolate, and marshmellows all wrapped up in tinfoil and cooked on the coals--it was our nightly ritual. And being able to come straight off the boat to dirt-biking was awesome. I'm anxious to go again!

Stubblefield

2008-11-17T23:18:00.001-08:00

It's been awhile since we've posted pics of Stubbs, he's changed a bit.

We thought he was done growing till we saw his dad in Reno. He's a small bear. Stubbs is coming up on the century mark, and shows no sign of slowing.

But he's very much still a puppy.

Sarah 2012!

2008-11-17T23:08:00.000-08:00

As promised, Mooseburger Helper. It was very good. Viva la Sarah!

The Road

2008-11-06T11:15:00.000-08:00

Last night I finished reading Cormac McCarthy's The Road. I picked it up when I had a few extra minutes in the afternoon and ended up skipping my homework to finish it. I didn't want to put it down its that engrossing. And scary, and suspensful... Its really well-written, the author is a Pulitzer Prize winner. I'd recommend it if anyone wants a good read, that doesn't take long to get through, and that makes you lock all your doors while you're reading! I'm just gonna say--I hate basements, and we need more canned peaches. Cormac McCarthy is Lukes favorite author and he'd wanted to read it for a while, but I stole it before he started...last time that happened he never got to finish (it got left on a bus, by the way it was Killing Che, and we left it in Rosario, Che's birthplace---I mean when we were reading it we were seriously hiding the binding from the Argentines! I got to finish it, and it was really interesting also--an account of the CIA and the Bolivian gov't hunting down Che).
The Road comes out in theatres this November, I'm really interested to see how they make it and what it ends up being rated.

Sarah Palin Rally!

2008-11-03T13:16:00.000-08:00

Last Monday Luke and I went to a Sarah Palin rally in Salem, VA---that's the advantage of being in a battleground state, the rallys come to you! It was worth the freezing cold and long lines (there were thousands of people there). You don't see it in the picture but the opposite stands of the football statium were completely full too.

And here she is! Everyone was chanting "Sarah, Sarah!" waiting for her to arrive, I don't think I've ever experienced that much excitment over a VP candidate. It was awesome to hear her talk, she was so energetic and charismatic, but more than that it was nice to believe in a candidate. It was defintely worth ditching class for!

We couldn't resist buying some Mooseburger Helper while there (pictures to come) and that's what we'll be eating election night! Now if we could just find a moose...

Feasting at the Country Club, Every Weekend!

2008-09-30T16:06:00.000-07:00

Yes, we frequent the Lexington Golf and Country Club quite regularly, in black slacks, white shirts, and ties...in the form of waitstaff for weekend banquets. Its turned out to be a great job for me and convienent second job for Luke, who works at Radio Shack. We make great tip money---'cause the food is gormet and everyone drinks up a storm, get to eat whatever we want, and get to take home all the pretty floral arrangements (I'm most excited about that part). It's also a great job during college 'cause it convinces you to stay in school---after finishing at 2 am taking down the room and then putting it all back up for a different occassion there's no way I would want to have to do this for the rest of my life! But we've got down all the different formal table settings (the coffee cup handle points to 5 o'clock), and its interesting getting to see how the kitchen functions. If I ever do become a chef I'll definitely specialize in pastry, and Luke's a perfectionist when it comes to meat---how about that for a restaurant, cake and steak! Yeah, we waited a wedding last Saturday and I was most excited about the cake, Luke brought home brisket...

We Graduated to a U-Haul

2008-09-19T18:29:00.000-07:00

So previously every time we've moved across country we've been able to fit everything in the back of the truck, but this time we had to get a U-Haul...it feels so different almost restrictive 'cause now we have all this stuff (which I obviously really enjoy--the bed, couch, table, ect...) but stuff is such a bother! It's so different than living out of a duffel bag, I might prefer that, but like I said I REALLY like my stuff...So all that aside we made it out here with trailer, motorcycles, dog and all, pulled up to our house after midnight and finished unloading at 3 am. I hated all the furniture then---do we really need a couch, a mattress, I can sleep on the floor! But sitting in a nice comfy chair now---yeah, it was worth it. But then again at the end of the year when we move again...
I don't know where all these random thoughts are going, I'm just waiting for Luke to get home from work, and I'm avoiding homework.
Oh, I'm in a yoga class--I love it, but now I have a mat, blocks, and a yoga belt---more stuff!

Adventures of Abby and Luke

2008-09-10T19:05:00.000-07:00

This is a fun internet toy. It makes you grateful for where you've been, but also anxious to go travel. See how well you know us. Who's been and lived where?

2008-09-10T18:36:00.000-07:00

California!

2008-08-08T21:55:00.001-07:00

Luke gave me the best suprise ever--a trip to California! Not only did we get to visit my grandma who I love so much, and not just because of her de-licious apricot jam, but my sister too. We drove, explored, slid through (literally!), shopped, and dined our way through San Francisco. Then we hit up my old home town of Sonora, and saw a few friends, but not nearly as much as I wish we had had time for. But I did introduce Luke to Calaveras Big Trees--a park dedicated to the Sierra Sequoia.

This is the tree where cars used to drive through. Now it's the perfect picture frame.

My favorite place! We visited my old home and I got to enjoy my orchard.

And my old house! The new owner plans to have it be a health retreat/spa. Of course I plan on buying it back when I am quite a bit richer....

Luke is the best husband ever, I LOVED my suprise!

Afternoon at Delle

2008-07-31T09:56:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Luke and I spent the afternoon riding at Delle. I am getting much better on trails and finding my balance on the whoops, but Luke is the one who did all the real riding and jumping!

Tagged

2008-07-27T15:27:00.000-07:00

I was tagged by Alli and so now its time to divulge 8 little known facts:

1. Luke and I have driven across the country 4 times and we love it--especially taking detours to places we want to see. We ran out of gas in Colorado once because the stations in Kit Carson were all out and we were clueless that the next town lacked stations at all.

2. In 2002 Luke and I were at the same BYU vs. U of U football game--even sat in the same general section. We even both almost joined the Air Force (Luke was accepted to the Air Force Academy).

3. Luke is a wonderful poet and writer.

4. I love spicy Mexican food--especially good salsa and flour tortilla chips. Also I am on a quest to find the absolutely best chicken taco. So far I'd say El Jardin in Sonora, the oh-so irresistable lemon-chicken taco, and the taco at the Salt Flat Cafe in Wendover, UT are up there.

5. I actually like to fold laundry, especially when its warm.

6. Luke first said that he wanted to marry me when he saw my off-roading skills on an ATV, now I'm learning to ride a motorcycle and I prefer it.

7. I like to let my nail polish wear off instead of wiping it and re-applying.

8. I like the banks of rivers--the South Bank in London, Puerto Madero in Buenos Aires, or the Ben Salem Wayside Park in Virginia.

Yes! I do love Luke!

2008-07-02T21:11:00.000-07:00

So we decided to start a blog, and this is it! We've actually been meaning to do this for a while, 'cause its a great way to share photos and news--enjoy!