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).

I've Been TAGGED!

i've been tagged by bluegirl to come up with 7 random things about myself (perhaps just what i need to light the ol' blogging fire). so, without further ado:

1. i LOVE dr. pepper and recently (sadly) switched over to diet...the weird thing about my dr. pepper love is that i HAVE to drink it out of a glass, with ICE. no drinking from the can or bottle and no drinking it if there is no ice around. the friday & saturday before mother's day, a bunch of women from our ward (i think around 30?) went on a mini-vacation to lancaster county, PA. i heart the sweet amish women running a sandwich shop at Bird In Hand for having ice cold cans of dr. pepper and ice for me! they also make a fantastic ham sandwich.

(okay, i need to interject here...i obviously can't just flat-out list 7 things, i go rambling off in several directions, so bear with me!)

2. i love cute little notebooks. i'm pretty sure i always have. i never know exactly what i am going to write in them, and they are seldom dedicated to one sole purpose, but i can never resist buying them. i confess that in the past 2 months i have bought at least 4! maybe someday i can come up with a relly good use for them...something purposeful and meaningful and lovely. i welcome all ideas and suggestions.

3. i have been craving those salted nut roll candybars...you know the ones -- bright red wrapper, salty peanutty goodness wrapped around a layer of caramel and yummy white something or other. they are nowhere to be found here in the garden state, so i would love someone to send me one! (nudge-nudge) yum.

4. i hate planning menus and grocery shopping (but love to cook, oddly)recently, however, 2 things have revolutionized the way i look at grocery shopping. seriously. my ipod (there is nothing better than grocery shopping at night with your own personal soundtrack) and reuseable grocery bags (it's so nice to load/carry in/unload just 4-5 bags rather than 20).

5. i have a thing for lowercase letters and parenthesis. (no, really!?) i just like the look of the lowercase letters...everything is so even and nice. and parenthesis? (come on, do i really need to answer this?) they provide such a nice aside for things that pop into my head but don't fit into the sentence per se.)

6. i will be participating in "mind over madness" -- a summer solstice celebration featuring mass yoga sessions in the middle of times square. i'm so excited! (still looking for a committed yoga buddy to go with me!)

7. the thing that drives me mad more than anything else, the thing i find the most insufferable, the thing that i can't STAND is -- having a stuffed-up nose. (kinda anti-climactic, huh?) seriously. i hate it. which leads me to number 7 1/2 on my list: i'm a hardcore nasal spray addict. shocking, isn't it. i'm a junkie. especially with these blasted new jersey allergens getting to me. the worst part? i don't even WANT to quit. so there.

so, continuting this hallowed blogiverse tradition, i hereby tag: sisters honna and linny, anonymous ruby, and menacing tourist. :) love you guys -- blog away.