Silly me!
Kirsti, Kyle and Sarah
Sarah and Ben
Ben and Elise
Evil Kirsti

The crew, drinking butterbeer
At the bookstore:






The morning after... Big Book Feast!!

My family is full of lovable dorks. I'm maybe one of the biggest. I LOVE that part of us, and we are all very comfortable in our dorkiness. So, since book 7 of Harry Potter has been so eagerly anticipated by nearly every member of our family, we decided to do it up right, complete with costumes, hotel rooms, and an all-night book party.

All the family (minus parents, julina, tamara) came to St. Louis and we checked into two lovely, fancy hotel rooms near the bookstore. We swam, quizzed each other on previous H.P. facts and trivia, then went to dinner. At dinner, we all voiced predictions for how the story might turn out. Conversation got quite impassioned and loud. We probably scared our waiter and most of the tables near us.

We then headed to the Masonic Lodge to get into costume. Some simply wore t-shirts in honor of the night. Others, myself included, went all out. As follows:

Me: the dingy, ditzy fortune-teller Professor Trelawney
Elise: Aurer and hair color changer Tonks
Beckie: T-shirt wearer
Steven: T-shirt wearer
Sarah: loony Luna Lovegood
Kirsten: Evil, vicious, dark Bellatrix LeStrange
Kyle: Harry Potter!
Joe: himself. Scary.
Ben: random Hogwarts student.

We went to a street festival at the bookstore down the street from my home, then ended up at Borders, where our books were reserved. Once all our books were in hand, about an hour after midnight, we all headed back to the hotel rooms and began reading the epic finale to this great series. It was PERFECT. When morning came, everyone woke up and began reading some more. Most of us finished the book by the end of the weekend. All of us loved it immeasurably. The rest of you? Dorks or not, I hope you get a kick out of the photos.

Moving Around...

This is true of my life in two big ways. First, Noah is moving a TON these days, and it is so surreal to feel this little life IN MY INTERNAL ORGANS!! He is pretty mellow, still, and I can't exactly call it "kicking", more like "bumping". It's pretty cool. I want Joe to feel, but it's still a bit early for that for us.

The second "moving around" involves our apartment. We are still in the Masonic Mansion, but it's time to make room for the baby. Since I have so little time before I have to go back to school, we are taking these days to get the apartment carefully, thoroughly rearranged for baby so that when November comes, we won't be doing it hastily and half-as-good. So, for the past few days, our dining room has been 86'd, replaced by a living room. The old living room is now a roomy, breezy bedroom for Joe and I. And the old bedroom is now a dumping ground for all the crap we still have to do. Good thing I still have next week!! Because that last room will be the baby's room, with a project space on the other end. PHEW!!! Lots of work! But a great opportunity to really go through our stuff and get rid of some things, pack other things, and give our cute-but-familiar apartment a little facelift.

So. Since I don't want to bore anyone with just TEXT, I'll leave you with some totally unrelated photos of my old roommate and friend April's bridal session back in May. Reason being, I am about done with her June wedding book, and will post some of those in a day or two! Enjoy... (I LOVED some of the locations we found for these.... Like a fairy tale!)

All except the red door photo were taken in Forest Park, St. Louis. LOVELY!

I've Been Tagged. Twice.

It's nice to be thought of.... and a GREAT distraction from the things I REALLY ought to be doing, i.e. LAUNDRY from the trip, rearranging my house, getting dresses for the day, post-processing photos, etc., etc. So distract away!!

***TAG ONE FROM KATIE***

A - Attached or Single: Attached to a curly-headed hunk named Joe
B - Best Friend: Katie, my sis Beckie, Genny... can I choose six more?
C - Cake or Pie: Birthday cake, chocolate with white frosting and sugar sprinkles.
D - Drink of Choice: this summer, it is cherry limeades from Sonic. YUM!
E - Essential Item: Pink cell phone... Rolaids. My pillow.
F - Favorite Color: Turquoise, red, green or orange. Depends.
G - Gummi Bears or Worms: Neither, really.
H - Hometown: Columbia, MO, but living in St. Louis, MO.
I – Indulgence(s): NAPS!!!!! Toblerone chocolate, art supplies. Cute maternity tops.
J - January or July: July-- FREE FROM WORK!!!!! (though my July was a whir and blur!!)
K - Kids: First one is nudging me from within as I type. Hi, Noah!
L - Life is incomplete without: Joe, my crazy family, beautiful things, books, truly great music.(loved your answer, Kate)
M - Marriage Date: September 17, 2004. Going for three years... I think we'll make it! *wink*
N - Number of Siblings: six. Five sisters and one brother.
O - Oranges or Apples: Lately? Granny Smith apples with slices of cheddar cheese or cream brie.
P - Phobias/Fears: Losing my baby, morbid death scenarios, Losing someone I love.(Kate-- I've been having scary stairs dreams lately!! What IS that??)

Q - Favorite Quote:

"When you come to the edge of all the light you have, and must take a step into the darkness of the unknown, believe that one of two things will happen:
Either there will be something solid for you to stand on,
or you will be taught how to fly." --Patrick Overton

R - Reason to smile: Baby kickin'. Friendships that last beyond distance. Harry Potter book 7. Redecorating my cozy little home. Little, perfect baby clothes. Pink streaks in my hair. Misouri's GREEN GREEN GREEN (and 82 degrees!). Two more weeks of freedom.
S - Season: Fall-- apples, sweaters, pink cheeks, hay rides, pumpkin patches, brilliant trees on my street, smell of leaves burning, new woolen scarves, marching bands at football games, that achingly sweet nostalgia that always comes to wash over me.
T- Tag Three: I tag Kirsti, Joe, and Jaime.
U - Unknown Fact About Me: I hate Japanese Anime (animated cartoons) and Manga (comic book cartoons). HATE it.
V - Vegetarian or Oppressor of Animals: Medium-Rare, all the way. Sorry, Cow.
W - Worst Habit: Not completing projects; Making nice neat piles, but never going back to sort through them. Procrastination.
X - X-rays or Ultrasounds: Ultrasounds. We get one at every doctor's visit!! Hi, Noah!!
Y - Your Favorite Foods: Double-stuf Oreos, apples and cheese, mozzerella caprese, potato skins with ranch, bing cherries, homemade cookies and cake, medium-rare sirloin.
Z- Zodiac: Cancer. Year of the snake.

**************************************************

***TAG TWO FROM TERINA***

Rule #1: Remove the blog site at the top of the list below, move all the blog site names up one, and add yourself to the bottom.

LDS Writers Blogck (Connie S. Hall) Tristi Pinkston, LDS Author Lords of the Manor Life as a Military Wife My Little World

What were you doing ten years ago?
I was 20, dating a boy 13 years older than me, working at Galaxy Diner, fighting with my roommates Melanie and Meri, trying not to flunk outta BYU, getting a second tattoo, getting over Mark, hanging with Cindy and her green Mazda, thinking I knew SO MUCH about the world. Wow.... all part of the journey to who I am now. I wouldn't trade it.

What were you doing one year ago?

I was relaxing after our trip to Europe, working feverishly on lovely scrapbook pages, on a creative high, trying to get pregnant, loving naps and the non-responsibility of summer.

Five snacks you enjoy

1. Peanut M&Ms 2. Red grapes with regular pringles 3. Double-stuf Oreos 4. Apples with cheese 5. Popcicles

Five songs you know all the lyrics to:

1. Make a Man Outta You--Disney's Mulan
2. I Still Believe-- Miss Saigon
3. Bohemian Rhapsody-- Queen 4. Come What May- Moulin Rouge 5. Complicated- Avril Lavigne

Things you would do if you were a millionaire:

1. Buy a cabin in Bear Lake or in Provo Canyon or in the Tetons. 2. Pay off student loans. 3. Buy my parents a dream home in Nauvoo. 4. Pay off siblings' student loans. 5. Save the rest for traveling.

Five bad habits

1. not enough exercise 2. wasting time on the internet 3. procrastinating 4. eating too much sugar 5. not completing projects

Five things you like to do

1. take photographs 2. sing in good choirs/groups 3. go to markets/festivals/fairs 4. make art 5. take naps

Things you will never wear again

1. sleeveless things 2. bikini 3. high-waisted jeans 4. black vinyl pants (in da club!) 5. mini-skirts

Five favorite toys

1. my Canon 20D 2. My iPod 3. our computer 4. my cell phone 5. puzzles

Where will you be in ten years?

In a farmhouse on at least 10 acres of beautiful green farmland in Missouri... lovingly refurbishing our home a bit at a time, between 3-5 kids, all perfectly mischievious and brilliant, spending time on our porch with our friends and family, having time to really enjoy each other because we don't watch too much t.v., play too many video games, or waste too much time on the computer... I'll be 40, contemplating writing a book or going back to recertify as an art teacher... Joe will be 38, happily finished with all his advanced schooling and working in the job of his dreams. We'll have the bunkhouse finished in the barn, so y'all are invited to come spend a week with us, wading in our creek, fishing in our pond, or just sitting on the porch with us, enjoying the fireflies as the summer nights draw to a close.

Ahhhh......

Sarah R. Melody Sarah L. Steven Jewlia

You're tagged.....

Finished. *Sniff*

So, I couldn't help myself. I read it all. Finished it about midnight.

It's like getting a beautiful cake, then eating the whole thing at once. What will i get to enjoy tomorrow? The memory???

And I don't get a new book in this series EVER AGAIN.

So I cried a bit for that. And cried a bit in several other places. Would have cried longer and louder, if I had been alone in my home. But I felt sheepish, so I kept it contained.

VERDICT? Damn good finale. Totally gripping end to the other six books. Draining, exhausting, emotional, and PERFECT.

I need to go ponder it some more before bed.

We're Comin' Home!

WHEW!! What a trip!!!

We leave today from Las Vegas to drive through Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas on our way back to Missouri. Should take about 23 hours or less, but we'll be stopping in Albequerque, NM overnight, so we'll take two days total.

Pictures to come!!

In the Good Ol' Midwest...

Before Joe and I head out West, I thought I'd post a few pictures of our trip to Indiana to see my two sisters Elise and Julina.

Joe, myself, and my other sis Beckie loaded up her car and drove the 4 hours to a small town called Crawfordsville, where Julina lives, to experience some midwest-ness and small-town-ness. We LOVED it! We took country road drives, watched billions of fireflies make their magic, ate ice cream and hot dogs at a classic old ice cream stand... we walked the town square, ate at local cafes, and really got immersed in the simple life. Julina also took us to Bloomington, IN, another small town, but this one was a college town, so we got a more funky, eclectic experience-- eating at a vegetarian restaurant, shopping at funky shops, and taking in some sales at the local mall. (I bought baby clothes. It begins!!)

{This is Julia with her grumpy old dog Butler... }
Our last 24 hours was spent in the big city, Indianapolis, where Elise lives. We got to see her fun old apartment, an impressively huge Masonic cathedral, and a fun downtown shopping district, among other things. We picnicked by the river in a beautiful city park, and really enjoyed getting time with our two far-away sisters.

As we left to go back home, I made sure that we stopped to take pictures of my future farm house (or the closest look-alike I have ever found.) ... It might be a bit obsessive, but whenever Joe and I are on country drives, I am always ogling the farm houses, and loving each one. It's rare, though, when one that COMPLETELY fits my dream comes along. This one is it.
Real Estate Agents: THIS is what I want. Only, make it in Missouri, if you please.
*sigh*

And last but not least.....
See you soon!!