jerseyversary!

in an (almost) unprecented move, i will blog twice in one day. (scroll down, you'll see it) may 16th was officially my jerseyversary! i was planning on blogging then, but you know how life gets busy. :) so, for you in no particular order i present "things that are different since moving to jersey"

1. my idea of what constitutes a "garden": (i literally find myself saying "let's go sit out in the garden" -- sad, but true. oh, and lindsey -- i HAVE a fuschia plant! )

aforementioned fuschia
bird bath i got at bird-in-hand

herb garden
2. "oh, that's what rain boots are for!" (seriously, you NEED rain boots here. okay, not HERE as in the photo, but here as in new jersey.) a few weeks ago it rained for about 3 days straight. the roads flooded. the schools closed. we had to find a really creative route to drive alan to the bus (bus wasn't running). in utah you see them and think "cute rain boots! why in the world would anyone buy them?" (rain boots, coincidentally, are also very, very handy to wear, for example, when you are still in your jammies but want to go outside to see why mom is taking pictures of the "garden")
(you can also wear them with a ballerina outfit or princess dress to go outside in a pinch)

3. i know the real meaning of “humidity”. when you walk out of your house after a rainstorm in the summer thinking it might have cooled things off a bit, only to realize that you have essentially walked out into what seems to be the climate of the deepest Amazonian jungle, but is, in fact, your front yard – THAT, my friends, is humidity.

4. i find myself referring to the beach as “the shore”. that’s just weird. but that’s new jersey. why not experience it for yourself? 60 seconds of tranquility. it's like a little zen escape in the middle of your hectic day. use it often and use it well. (oh, and you're welcome! :) )

that’s all i can think of today, folks. but check back -- i may come up with more! but for now, why not enjoy some recent photos? (and commentary, of course. i can't just NOT comment)

me being amish with janae in lancaster

amish scooters
(for kelli, jess, and possibly ryan -- wheel in the wheel in the wheel in the wheel in the way in the middle of the sky...) for the rest of you: ooh, pretty windmill.

cydney tries her hand at milking (and gets extremely grossed out in the process). jenn's back there too, but she's not showing her face!

and now, in the cutest picture category:

the look on his face is priceless!

hadley has now officially become a "fishergirl" and caught her first fish!

and finally:
look at my little mud puppies who fell in the mud! hadley's face is the best (click to enlarge).