Picture Post!

I imagine Marina will update this with things of more substance, but for the time being, I'm posting some photos of our recent activities!

Trip to the Cincinnati Zoo

At the sign at the front (as opposed to the back?)

I wish I was a parsel tongue. Mr. Burmese here would've had a heyday.

I imagine the Cheetah was not happy with being disturbed for a quick photo-op.

ROAR.

Day Trip to Kirtland

Nicely framed shot. We are not in it. We looked GREAT, trust us.

The Newell K. Whitney store. Pretty neat history here.

Trip to the Wright Patterson Air Force Base Museum


Some how "BOOM" doesn't quite do this justice. Zoom in for an idea of what I'm talking about.

In this hangar there were quite a few amazing planes. This is a dim shot of an SR-71 Blackbird. Absolutely amazing history.


Murphy's Law explained.

And last but not least, a candid of Fletcher looking off into his future of sleeping and eating.

Rockin' the Beard

November 25, 2008 - Day 38 of ye olde beard. My face is warm, fuzzy and happy. Like a blanket.














*Note - Steve wrote this. Not Marina. Although, he was tempted to write it under her username. Move along.

The newest member of our family

We adopted the newest member of our family today! He is three years old, and absolutely adorable! His name happens to be Fletcher (he was already named that!!!)

And yes, Fletcher is a dog! But shhh! He doesn't know-- he thinks he's a baby!
The only question remains-- what the heck kind of dog is he??? We will take any suggestions/guesses/etc.

499 Hours and 8 Minutes Later...

It's been awhile since our last post! We've had a lot of fun and stuff since then. I know Marina wants to write about it all, so I'm not going to steal her thunder. UNLESS she doesn't post in 1 day. Consider yourself warned, wife! Post upon thine blog!


EDIT -- Ok, I'm just kidding. But I was bored, and it was fun to write. I rest my case.

My new favorite sport...

I have a new favorite sport. What is that, you might ask? Garage Sale-ing! 

Now, some of you may not recognize it as a sport. This is unfortunate I say. It requires skill, determination, and hard work.  

How else would I have gotten 5 pairs of really cute shoes for $2.00. That is $.40 per pair. Skills.

How else would we have gotten Steve an apple laptop circa 1991 for $1, and looked on eBay and seen the same laptops selling for over $300? Skills. 

If you do not possess these skills, I ask you, nay, I beg you, hone them. They are useful skills, and it is a very useful sport.

Handbag Giveaway!!

Do you love handbags?? Thanks to another friend's blog, I found a giveaway where they are giving away a handbag every hour for 24 hours on October 15th!!  How cool is that? Its worth a shot, huh? handbagplanet.com Check it out!  I had such a hard time deciding which I liked best! 

Stephen's Snippets

Hello All! Just a quick note - I started a new page that I'm calling "Stephen's Snippets". Kind of a silly name, but at least I can remember it. Head on over for useful/entertaining/time-wasting links.

That is all. Move along.

What to do if you get pulled over

I have been pulled over twice (now three times!) and gotten 2 tickets. Someone else I know (cough, cough) has been pulled over 11 times and gotten ONLY ONE ticket. Yes folks, only one. How you may ask? By following these guidelines:

1. Pull to a safe spot as quickly as possible—slowing down and using your turn signal will signal to the officer you see them and are looking for the safest place to pull over.

2. Place your driver’s license and registration on your dash or lap—if you have your driver’s license and registration ready before the officer has gotten to your window. If you are unable to get them before the officer gets out of his car, wait until he gets to the window and tell him where these items are located. Keeping them in an envelope for easy access would be best!

3. Place your hands on your steering wheel while the officer is walking up—there are no “routine traffic stops” and if the officer can see your hands while he walks up, he will know you aren’t reaching for anything (like a gun!) and he won’t reach for his.

4. If you are stopped at night, it is a good idea to turn on your interior lights.

5. Avoid any sudden movements

6. Be polite! I cannot underestimate this! None of us like being pulled over, but the nicer you can be the better. “Yes, sir”

7. Answer only the questions asked. You don’t need to elaborate, just answer clearly and briefly! Don’t talk unless responding to a question by an officer.

8. In my experience, crying doesn’t help! It may get you a lesser ticket, but it’s never gotten me a warning!

I got pulled over in a speed trap of a town coming back from the beach. The speed limit dropped from 55 to 35. Oops. Additionally, I couldn’t find my registration for the longest time. When I did, the following conversation ensued.

Officer: Did you know it is a misdemeanor in the state of North Carolina to not have your registration signed?

Me: Oh! I’ll sign it right now!

Officer: That would be considered a felony, ma’am. You are not Stephen.

Me: Doh!

AND I STILL WALKED AWAY WITH ONLY A WARNING! BOO-YAH!

Steve-O's Update

It's been awhile since I've written, so here's a few random tidbits of things I've found interesting lately.

- Google released a new browser, called Chrome.  I love it.  It is still in really early beta, but it has the potential to really modify the browser scene.  Check it out here.

- My NCAA Football allegiance is about to be tested!  BYU is 2-0, as is ECU.  Both BYU and ECU had some terrific wins this week.  This article kind of sums it up.  Check out #3 and #5 specifically. Since I started college at BYU, and will end up finishing at ECU, I think it'll be an interesting season!

- Hurricane season!  We had a 'close call' this weekend with Hurricane/Tropical Storm Hanna.  It turned out to be a non-event for us in Greenville, which kind of made me sad.  For me a big tropical storm or a hurricane is kind of a must-have experience while on the East Coast.  If anyone is interested this blog is really interesting, and always kept up to date on tropical weather happenings.

Not much else new for now.  Hope everyone is happy!

The Husband Tag

Thanks Elise!

1- Where did you meet? In line at Taco Bell, the Saturday before school started our freshman year.

2- How long did you date before you were married? We dated for about a month after we met freshman year. Then he broke up with me to get ready to serve his mission. I was heartbroken, so I dated everyone I could find that year. We finally became friends again, and wrote his whole mission. Then I went to Romania. We became boyfriend and girlfriend online on Oct. 7, 2006 while I was in Romania. I got home December 14^th, he came down December 15^th, and we were engaged December 17^th. We got married March 17^th.

3- How long have you been married for? Almost a year and a half!
4- What does he do that surprises you? He can be super serious and business-like at work, and turn around and be super goofy and fun with me.

5- What's your favorite feature about him? His smile and his sexy man-hair.

6- What's your favorite quality about him? That he is really sweet and sensitive in a manly way, and that he is easy to talk to. Also he always does the dishes and helps around the house! Also, he is so supportive of my dreams, and moved across the country to help me realize them!
7- Does he have a nickname for you? What is it? Right now it’s “Jelly Bean”, when we first got married he called me “sweetie-pie, honey bunch, bundle of love”
8- What's his favorite color? Blue

9- What's his favorite food? I think he just likes food in general!
10-What is his favorite sport? Baseball

11- Who said I love you first? He did - of course!
12- When and where was your first kiss? September 5^th, 2003 under the tunnel by the Marriot Center at BYU

13-What are your favorite things to do as a couple? Travel, cuddle, watch movies, try out new restaurants, play board games, and go to the beach!
14-Do you have kids? How many? Not yet...hopefully when we are both done with school.
15- What's a hidden talent that he has? He has an amazing voice and plays the trombone.

16- How old is he? 23. We actually have the exact same birthday.

17- What's his favorite type of music? His music tastes are pretty eclectic, and is willing to listen to almost anything!

18- What do you admire most about him? He is such a hard worker, and does so much to provide for us. He actually still works for a company in Utah remotely because they didn’t want to let such an amazing worker go!

19-What's his favorite past time(s)? He loves current events and the weather, reading, watching movies, and taking pictures.
20- Do you think he is going to read this? Yes

I tag Emily, Colette, Brooke and Sarah!!!

Stand Up Lines

I've been listening to this station on XM in the car - its called Laugh USA. It is just standup comedians all the time. I found this one guy, who is the most hilarious deadpan comedian. His name is Steven Wright. I decided to post a few of his really funny one-liners:

1. "Did you sleep good?" "No, I made a couple of mistakes."

2. I was reading the dictionary; I thought it was a poem about everything.

3. I like my dental hygienist. I think she's very pretty. So when I'm waiting in her office I eat an entire bag of Oreo cookies. Sometimes she has to cancel all her other appointments.

4. I have a box of powdered water. I never know what to add.

5. I installed a skylight in my apartment. The people who live above me are furious!


That's all for now!

Wrightsville Beach

Can I just say, I LOVE the beach? It makes me so happy! The first time we went Steve and I were so sunburned, we were crispy and couldn't move for three days, but now I am finally getting tan(ner)! Something living in Phoenix for 18 years couldn't do. (You just generally avoid the sun there!)
This by far was my favorite beach so far! (Aside from parking being a nightmare, that is). The sand was the perfect texture for Steve to make sandcastles, and just generally relax! We went with our good friends the Stinsons-- you can just tell how excited Morgan was to relax!

He's a second year in the MFT program. I just keep thinking.... "That's going to be me in a year!"


We tried to write our initials the other way.... that didn't really work out so well though........


Our cute friends and neighbors the Stinson's!
What a perfect day!

Best Husband Ever!

I have the greatest husband! I was having a really rough day today, and he was so sweet! I started to cry and he asked, "You want to cuddle?" and wiped away my tears. And then he took me shopping! He bought me 3 shirts and a skirt, and then took me to Sonic for a slushy! He totally made my day!

Time to Read

I need your help! This summer I have the blessing/curse of having extra time on my hands before starting an insanely intense Master's program. Everyone in the program tells me to get my fill of pleasure reading now, but I am stumped as to where to start! What is YOUR FAVORITE BOOK???

A Washington D.C. Fourth of July

(It's okay if you call me a slacker for posting 4th of July pictures nearly three weeks after the Fourth of July!) As of 11:00 PM Thursday July 3rd night we still didn't have plans for the Fourth of July weekend, but we randomly decided to spend the 4th in Washington D.C., since I have never been there!

We left about 7, and we were in time to catch the end of the parade. After the "Vietnamese Americans", the "Showboating Americans", came two of my favorites....

the "West Virginia Diary Farmer Americans" with their Dairy Princess complete with four of her attendants dressed up as COWS! (I would NOT want to be her attendants!) and the Hare Krishna Americans.

We spent the rest of that day and the next exploring D.C.! (The pictures are in no particular order)


Funny story-- when I was 15 I was OBSESSED about becoming an FBI agent! I loved the X-Files back then (Don't ask). However, I realized that a dislike of blood, and an inability to even hear gross stories would probably preclude me from that field.

And the fireworks show with the Washington Memorial in the foreground was amazing! What a great way to celebrate the Nations Birthday!


Side note-- I thought their license plates were really interesting. I didn't realize that Washington D.C. doesn't have it's own government-- the only government they have is the National government, and don't have separate representatives. Thus the "Taxation without representation!"

Orlando Adventure

At the end of June, we were invited to go spend the weekend in Orlando, Florida with my sister Elisa and her husband Josh. They had gotten a timeshare for the week to celebrate Josh's graduation! (Congrats Josh!)And so, Steve and I jumped on the opportunity to spend some time with them, and enjoy the sighs in sunny Florida!

Amazingly enough, Steve had never been to Florida. He has been to most of the 50 states with the exception of a few like Louisiana. Amazingly enough, I HAVE been to Louisiana! It's one of the few states in the South I have been to!

I absolutely love Disneyworld and anything associated with Disney since my Grandfather was one of the original nine animators for Walt Disney. He was the first of the "Nine Old Men" as they were called. (His name was Les Clark if you want to look him up!)

If you'll notice, Steve and I are wearing the same color shirt everyday. This was in fact an accident. The first day, Steve, Josh, and I walk out of our rooms and realize we are all wearing red shirts and khakis! Only Elisa was the odd one out! The next day Steve and I both reached for Maroon. By the third day, we decided to match just to be funny!

Disney's Hollywood Studio's

The passes we bought allowed us to go to two different parks on two different days, as well as one of the Disney waterparks. Since we got a bit of a later start the first day, we decided to go to Hollywood Studio's. The last time I went to Disneyworld was when I was 14, and one of the favorite things I remember doing was riding the "Tower of Terror" ride! It was even better than I remember it, thanks to Fast Passes, since we didn't even have to stand in line!

While we waited for our time slot, we went and watched the "Block Party Parade!" It consisted mainly of lots of the newer Disney and Pixar movie characters such as Toy Story, Monsters Inc., the Incredibles, and a Bugs Life. It was a lot of fun, and it looked like so much fun to be a dancer in the parade! Forget graduate school, I want to go be in a Disney Parade!!!

Next, we met up with one of Steve's mission companions and his Family. Adam Zern, or "Zern" as Steve calls him lives near Disneyworld and has season passes, so he joined us along with his beautiful wife Sarah and their daughter Emma. (This picture was obviously taken later in the day!)

After meeting up with them, we decided to watch the Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular! Adam told us about how they choose "extras" from the audience to participate in the show, and boasted that even when he has friends from out of town, he ALWAYS gets picked as an extra! Well, he didn't dissapoint! (Probably had something to do with the batman shirt!) Here he is with a couple of the other extras on stage.

Later, they performed a couple scenes from the Indiana Jones movies, including the marketplace scene, and they decked them all out! He is the one with the blue turban on the far right!


We had such a fun time with Sarah and Adam, and loved exploring the park with them! The best part is that we timed everything just right so all the rides we wanted to go on didn't have lines! (Thank goodness for fast passes and afternoon rains that clear the park!

This is us "waiting in line" for the Tower of Terror.

To end the night, we went to the light and water show Fantasmic! It's a really high-tech light show that tells the story of Mickey in the scene from Fantasia "the Sorcerer's Apprentice" (A favorite because my grandfather worked on it!) Fantasmic basically chronicals Disney Movies through Mickey's dreams, with a few twists in-between!After the show we ran back to the Tower of Terror, and rode it twice without any lines! I probably would have ridden it at least one more time before close, but Steve had had enough! (I am one who would probably ride the teacups until I am sick)

It was a great day, and a great way to start out our Orlando adventure!!!

A bit more laid back...

The next day we decided to have a bit more relaxing day. One of the really cool things about the timeshare we were staying at, is that they have certain amenities for owners. They let you play miniature golf, ride paddle boats on the lake, rent bikes, and more-- for free!!!

Since we had gotten rained out on our paddle boat adventures a few weeks before, we decided to take the paddle boat for a spin. However, they made us sign a waiver that we wouldn't sue them if we were dismembered or maimed in any way. Apparently someone had seen an alligator earlier in the day! Although we didn't see any alligators (to my relief and dismay) Steve did have his hand bitten off by a shark!Fortunately, it was not a real shark!
We also played their pirate miniature golf, and to get me back for the shark, he put me in my place!

I forgave him though. :)

To end the day, we took a nice drive around Orlando, ending at the beautiful Orlando Temple!