It's All Good

I honestly don't have much to say right now. I mean, I started a post that was about the weather, if that tells you anything. (Although I'm not certain I think the weather is such a dreadful subject, I know it seems desperate if I'm willing to write an entire post on the topic.) However, I kind of like updating this old thing these days, so here I am.

The past few weeks have looked something like this:

Going on some walks with this guy.

Seeing "Race" at the nice theater in Providence.

Gorgeous skies.

Spending a couple hours with this face...

...and this one...

...and this one. (Wade-O desperately wanted my phone)

From one of our walks out by the golf course.

Beck before the time-change, we woke up to this bright and brilliant sunrise.

Aaaaand a bit of this face. (Brooker, you make me think of Animal in this photo! #compliment)

Life is pretty good, you know? Including work (since my last post I seemed a little down-trodden in that respect).

Andy and I keep busy with work and church callings (he: YM 2nd counselor. me: RS 2nd counselor). We've gotten out in nature as much as possible the past few weeks, most frequently for Andy to get back into the photography thing. (He's had the itch to get back into it lately, and I support that decision. He has a BA in photography, after all, and he's quite good at what he does.) Mostly, we drive around the west part of Cache Valley and he gets out and takes pictures while I sit in the car and read. (Currently reading The Lake House by Kate Morton, and ohmyheck, it's a good one!)

Spring Break is just over a week away, and I'm super excited for that--not only because it's a weeklong vacation from work, but also because I get to meet my sister-in-law Sadie for the first time. (Sadie has been serving a mission in the NH/ME area since Sept. 2014, so she wasn't around when Andy and I met and fell in love and got engaged and married lickity-split. I "met" her via Skype on Mother's Day and Christmas last year, plus she sends fun pictures and videos of herself and her companions from the mission; she's straight-up delightful and funny and I can't wait to meet her in person!)

So. Yeah. All is well. 

welcome spring?

Looky what I woke up to this morning:


It makes me feel sad. Really, really sad. I hear that spring has actually sprung in most locations south of here. But I haven't given up hope!!!

If we stop talking of the weather, life is pretty terrific. I'll write about pleasanter topics very soon. Watch for it. :)

Everybody's Workin' For the Weekend

That song is in my head. And, darn it all, so is an image of Chris Farley dancing. (You're welcome for sharing that little slice of heaven, by the way...)

Last week (as soon as January fled and February presented itself), winter reared its ugly head, and Idaho weather reminded us (its lowly inhabitants) that it can do whatever it wants, whenever it wants.

Let me elaborate: last Wednesday (2.2.11), it was -18* Fahrenheit when I went to work. NEGATIVE EIGHTEEN, people! (That's -27* Celsius for those who were wondering.) It warmed up to, I think, 4* that day.

I've survived well enough; I live in a nice townhouse with working heaters. I own lots of blankets, sweaters, gloves, scarves, etc.--I bundle up appropriately and survive the subarctic temperatures.

Mostly I feel bad for my knuckles; they have cracked and occasionally they bleed. Poor, poor knuckles. (FYI: medicated lotion, although helpful, stings horrendously. Just ask me. I know.)

So yeah...I haven't exactly been thrilled with the weather of late.

However...last Thursday, Handsome Rob and I left for Zion, and the drive was truly glorious. The skies were blue, the sun was out, the heater was on, and I enjoyed some truly stunning vistas right there on I-15.

lovely winter

ah...breathe it in!

How can I hate winter when it presents itself so beautifully?

I spent some time on Thursday with Vance and Janie. Oh, that cute little girl has adopted a cheesy little grin. Behold:

What a sweet, silly girl...

I also got to play with Marshall and Kaylee (and visit with Janel and Abby). I sure love my babies!

Marshall and Jane playing with packing peanuts
(or snow, as Marshall liked to call it)

I love KayleeBug's crooked smile

On Friday, I headed to L-town to visit Aaron & Amy and their brood of boys. First on the agenda was a date with Seth. (I took him to lunch for a birthday date...almost a month late.)

Seth is one picky little eater, but he loves fries and ice cream, and he loves to play, so we went to McDonald's. (Note to self: if you ever take your other nephews/nieces to McD's, make sure you've eaten before going; if you go hungry, you'll end up eating something there, and it's...well, it's NOT satisfying!)

I missed Seth's birthday party, so I asked him about it. Our conversation is as follows...

Me: "Hey Seth. What did you get for your birthday?"
Seth: "Handy Manny fruit snacks."
Me: "Cool. I heard you got a robot." (This is true, my folks gave him a robot.)
Seth: "Did you hear what I said? I got Handy Manny fruit snacks."

Oh, to be 4 again...

Anyway, despite eating lunch at McD's, we had a fun little date, Seth and me.

Seth loves juice boxes

Seth loves ice cream
(Seth giggled good and hard over this picture)

Seth loves cars
(his Happy Meal toy was a real hit)

Later that day, I also got to smooch with and nibble on Emmett, in all his rotund glory. (Yes. My lips were planted on his juicy cheeks for minutes at a time. It was truly stellar.)

And don't think I didn't steal a kiss or two from Jackson.

I know, I know. Three boys in one day. (If only I could get that kind of adoring attention from fellas my own age. I may just figure it out one day.)

Hello, handsome!

His cheeks are so inviting!

Jackson: Upclose

I love this SethFace

Fattest. Tigger. Ever.

I stayed the night at Aaron & Amy's and chillaxed some more with the crew. Then. I got a massage. Oh, how I wish I could fit a weekly massage into my budget! (Aaron and Amy gave me a massage by Joleen Cullens for Christmas; she's got magic hands, is what!)

Saturday evening, I saw the BYU Ballroom Dance Company perform at BEHS with ma and pa. Wowzer! They are incredible! And, apparently, they are Undefeated National Standard Formation Team Champions. Every year since 1982! That says something profound, don't you think? I mean. WOW!!! It was definitely an enjoyable evening with my folks. And? To make it even better, there were a couple of older ladies who sat right in front of us, and after each routine, they would clap (loudly!) and yell "Yay!" with gusto. I kind of loved those ladies...

Anyway. That's what went down in Utah.

I love making memories...

dream a little dream...

this picture was taken tuesday evening
just after shoveling our (forever long!) driveway
in gale-forced winds that chilled us to the very core
[THIS WAS 5 DAYS AGO]

aaaand here we have hawaii
(hello from diamond head!)

methinks we chose a most excellent time
to bid adieu to north-of-zion
and say ALOHA to the pacific!!!

hello, monday...

This is the view from my office window:

It seems the elements are keeping my clients at home. I can't say I blame them...

It's all good, though. In two days I'll be in Zion chillin' with my family. And in three days, I'll be chillin' with my family and eating Thanksgiving dinner! And in four days, I'll be wingin' my way across the Pacific, where I'll perch my little self on lovely, sunny beaches in Happy Hawaii!

Bring it, Monday! (Famous last words...?)

Update (5:46pm)...
All of my clients canceled today.
Every. Last. One.
Because of the nastiness of the weather.
In the meantime, I worked on my "what to pack for HI" list.
Also, I went down into the crawlspace for Chris.
Because of the nastiness of the weather.
Chris is cold, and I found her winter gear.

BEHOLD:

I should've counted all her scarves...

(Can you tell Chris likes pink?)

i like my life...

Man, oh man...I hate it that I've gone nearly 2 weeks without posting. But at the same time...I've been kinda busy and having fun, so I won't beat myself up too much over it.

the Ginabean turns 28:

Mm-kay, so first off, my birthday came and went, and I'll have to tell you all about it. Because it's worth mentioning. (We experienced every season in one single day up here in North-of-Zion. Happy birthday. To me.) A group of my good buddies met up and we went to Mesa Falls. Even though it was early and the weather didn't look promising, we went. (My friends are so adventurous!)

Proof that we saw a bit of sun that day...

Along the way...

Lisa, Moi, Brooke...

Brent came along.
He made me do this pose.
He called it the Marky Mark...

A change in the elements...
(SNOW! Humbug!!!)
Looks like Jeanna wasn't too thrilled about it either...

Me and Keri...

When we got to the lower falls, I thought I'd snap a few pictures of Brent at the water's edge. Long story short: I fell in. For reals. But it was only my left foot and my right hand (because Skyler was there to save me from my death). Skyler really is a good fella; he gave me an extra sock he just happened to have in his backpack, then he took my wet shoe and dried it out as well as he could. (I later found out he actually gave me the sock off his foot! Who does that?! I felt bad afterward. Geez!)

Brent at the water's edge...

Skyler taking care of my wet foot situation...

The socks...

The entire group at the upper falls...
In no particular order: Lisa, Heather, Natalie, Beth, Cameron, Tara, Brookie,
Brooker, Skyler, Keri, Jeanna, Taletha, Bryan, Brent, Gina, Matthew, Chris

On the drive home, we bumped into very inclement weather.
Seriously, a blizzard. On my birthday.
I'd like to never say "It snowed on my birthday" ever again!
(This picture does the blizzard no justice at all!)

That evening (after the blizzard passed) we had a BBQ at Jason and Lisa's place. We grilled kabobs! So. Delicious. Approximately 300 people showed up...even a few people I didn't know! I felt oh, so loved, and I was content to enjoy a grilled kabob (or two) for my birthday dinner. YUM!

Bro. Kocsis workin' his magic at the grill...


SOFTBALL!!!

Our softball game was canceled on May 24 due to rain. Lots and lots of rain. But we played that Wednesday (5/26), and we totally won! Also, Brooker snapped a few pictures. (Thanks, Brooker!)

Up to bat...

Me and Brooker in the dugout...

Team huddle at the end...
(Do you like the attractiveness of our shirts? I sure do...)

Quick trip Home...

This past Friday morning, I went home to visit with the fam. It. Was. Stellar. I spent lots of time playing with Janiebug. And you know what's awesome? Abby puts Jane's hair in pigtails now, and it might just be the cutest thing I've ever seen. Seriously.

Also spent some time with Mom and Dad, Brent, Abby, Goose, Janel, and Marshall. I even talked Dad into making some Dutch Oven potatoes Saturday. (Oh MAN, Dad's Dutch Oven potatoes are some of the most amazing things in this wide world!)

A few pictures of my quick trip home...

Pretty little Jane...

Teeth!

She's totally asking for it (getting her little cheeks kissed off)...

Like father, like son...

Gramma helped Janie do a little dance.
While it was happening, this made me laugh till I cried...

shine...

Yesterday, it snowed. That's right, it was May 6th, AND IT SNOWED! So I live in SE North-of-Zion; snow happens whenever the heck it wants. It's not really a shock, but it's totally a bummer. (Every time it snows after about mid-March, it makes me weepy...)

But today? TODAY THE SUN WAS OUT! Oh, and it was glorious, is what!

Look at that baby shine!!!
(Fear not: I didn't look into the sun while taking this picture; just aimed the camera and click!)

Since I had the day off, I decided to take advantage of the sun; after doing a session at the Temple and running a few errands, I totally waxed my car. All by myself. Again. (This just seems to be my lot in life, it seems.)

This is me sans makeup.
(That's how you know I mean business!)

I got my dad to agree to help me wax my car last time I went home for a visit (a couple of weeks ago). Alas, it was raining that weekend. (Of course it was! Ugh!)

Anyway, I totally waxed my car. And although it takes me longer to wax my car than it takes you to wax yours, and it tuckers me right out, and also I'm certain that my lil biceps are bound to hurt on the morrow...I totally feel a sense of satisfaction knowing that I made my car look all shiny and slick. All by myself. (You're welcome, Gina!)

Look at that baby shine!!!

The real bummer is that I can guarantee some sort of storm (be it rain, hail, or snow) within the next 24-48 hours. It happens every time I wax my car, didn't you know? I can't think about that, though, or I get annoyed.

At least today was lovely...

Moving on...

Whilst beautifying my car, I totally wore shorts. To trick my legs into tanning. And you wanna know something neat?! My one pair of shorts...well, they actually fit! (I didn't even try 'em on last year, because I knew it'd make me feel pudgy, and who likes to feel pudgy? Do you?)

The One Pair of Shorts...
Are they even in style any more?
(Not that it'd stop me if they weren't...)
(All I ask is that you don't judge the alleged girth of my hips in this picture!
It's a weird angle, okay? Anybody's hips are bound to look massive from this angle!)

Anyways...my legs, they don't really like to tan. And they haven't seen the sun since last July at Huntington Beach.

Do you remember when this happened?
I do. OUCH!