The Big Easy

These pictures are so not in order...grrr blogger...but here are some pictures from our adventure to New Orleans for New Years.

These are our friends Elsa and Chris...Chris and Alex were in pilot training together and also were roommates at one point. Chris lives in Mississippi now and his gf Elsa was visiting so it was nice to meet her and hang out with them.

 This was on the 30th when Alex and I got there. It was a better time to be on Bourbon St. because there weren't as many people but there was still a lot to check out...see the man in the bottom right lunging for the garbage can and almost missing. He wasn't having a successful night...or was he?!

 Morning of New Years Eve we did some exploring...NOLA is such a beautiful city and I hope to go back soon and do some more exploring, shopping in the little shops all around and eating the fantastic Cajun food.

The was on the 30th... Alex bought me a rose from a man in a wheelchair (I made him haha) and then bought me this awful drink called a Hand Grenade aka lots of sugar and some booze. Headache city but man it was a fun trip!

I think next time we go I want to take our parents...it would be a blast :)

My 30 'Things'

I read someone else's 30 things and I thought it was be interesting to see if I could come up with 30 things about myself that not EVERYBODY knows....hmmm, we'll see how this goes...

1. I'm super slow at putting pictures up on here or Facebook. Pictures usually sit on my memory card until I can't fit any more on there.


2. I often talk to myself....a lot

3.I absolutely hate the "C" word...if you don't know what I'm talking about, it refers to a women's body part but I find being called it is very degrading.

4. Some people have a fear of throwing up...not this girl! Ever since I was little, if its going to make me feel better, I'll do it. It's just one of those facts of life things that happens sometimes and I just deal with it. Don't get me wrong, I DO NOT do it on a regular basis but like I said, if its going to make me feel better, why not?

5. I've become quite the germ freak over the past few years. Maybe it's because I spent some time in some fraternities in my college days or because I moved to the city for a while and saw some pretty gross stuff...Idk but I have 2 bottles of hand sanitizer in my purse, a few in my house and a giant one on my desk at work. I have the wipes in my car and I ALWAYS use them after coming out of a store or public place.

6. I love doing laundry! I love the sorting, washing, drying, hanging/folding...the catch is I'm very anal about how it's done. Ask my husband, he thinks I'm crazy. I like things folded a certain way and if they get folded otherwise, I'll refold them (again ask the hubs). I may be OCD but whatever.
7. I know the words to a million songs, probably the artist as well and around the time it came out. My mom says if I had applied this skill to school, I'd be a doctor (yeah right!)

8. I love kids, and kids usually love me. I have rarely found a wee one that doesn't like me and have been called the "baby whisperer". That may sound weird and a bit creepy (maybe) but it's true. My friends have always called me the "mommy". I like to take care of people and am always worrying about everyone else. As of now, I don't have any kids of my own but I hope to someday and for the time being I love babysitting, play with and visit my friend's kids and the best part is I can give them back. haha!
9. I want to get better at photography...I'm waiting for my husband to buy me a sweet digital SLR camera. I have a nice digital one and a point and shoot but I really like the quality of DSLR.

10. I really miss my grandpa...he was my best friend and its still hard to think that he's not home, sitting in his chair, watching CSPAN and sneaking chocolate.
11. I clean when I'm angry.

12. I hate feeling unsafe and I kind of do where we live. I don't like that feeling.

13. I eat chocolate every day. Not a lot, but probably a piece a day. It keeps me sane :)

14. I get horribly car sick unless I'm behind the wheel, especially in the back seat. I've gotten better as if gotten older but it still happens from time to time.
15. I only have 2 piercings and they are in my ears.

16. I have a hard time parting with clothes. Even if I don't wear them any more I always find a reason for keeping them. I need to go through my closest this week and I'm dreading it...

17. Even though sometimes I complain that I work most weekends (at least one of the days) I really don't like sitting around all that much. I get that from my mother, always have to be doing something.

18. I find it nearly impossible to leave Target without having made some sort of impulse purchase.

19. I don't know if I could never not work...I often think about what I want to do when we have kids and from talks we've had I think hubs would like it if I stayed home but I just think I'd go stir crazy. Maybe I'll change my mind...

20. I love to organize and clean, but I'm hopelessly messy. Especially when it comes to my car.

21. My mind never stops wandering and I get side tracked a lot.

22. Along with wanting to get better at photography, I also want to get better at editting it (aka Photoshop efficiency)

23. I love baths but rarely think about taking one.

24. I detest doing the dishes.

25. I could watch/listen to Chelsea Lately for hours.

26. Fear of failing often keeps me from trying new things.

27. I can almost always find something to be nervous or worried about. Not my favorite character trait.

28. I want to learn to knit and crochet.

29. I love reading but sometimes I loose myself too far into a book and when I'm finished with it, it takes me a long time to get over it. Take the last Twilight book, Breaking Dawn, for example. I got so engrossed in it that when it was done, it took me a couple months to want to read again. Granted it was a looooong book but I had a hard time, when I let my mind wander, from thinking about it. Right now, I'm taking a break from reading my favorite section of the bookstore, romance novels (no, not the dirty ones!) and am reading George W. Bush's book, Decision Points. I'm really enjoying it (on my new Kindle ;])

30. I used to be a person that let people walk all over me so they would like me and I let myself be used but after being in a sorority in college, I changed. I'm not longer that person and at times the complete opposite, I'm too hard. Nowadays, if you burn me, you have a fat chance at gaining any respect back. I tell people what I think and don't take shit. I'm learning to be a little more in between than too soft or too hard but I think it's going to be a loooong work in progress.



If you'd like to list your own 30 Things, please do! Leave a comment and include a link to your post so I can come and read about YOU, too.

Wow...always playing catchup

Well here I am playing catch up again...its been a crazy holiday season! Thanksgiving, Alex's training, the end of fall semester for work and my masters and LOTS of traveling in the month of December.

 This are my 2 best friends here in NM, Tina and Emily. We had Thanksgiving at Emily's casa with lots of friends :) We cooked all the food, it was fun!

 I got to go home to Washington for Apple Cup...it was a surprise to everyone but my mom and Mirielle. Haha my daddy almost cried it was pretty cute :) I got to hang out with my sister who is now at WSU and see her dorm and what not. It was great to be home!

 This is a group shot from our Spirit Squad Christmas party. We did ugly sweaters, cookie decorating contests, silly games and white elephant gifts. It was way fun and these girls are so silly.

 I graduated with my master's in December and it was a great feeling! After 2 years of soooo much work, it finally paid off and I'm glad it's over haha.

 Alex missed the actual graduation ceremony because of work and I didn't think he has going to get to come at all. But he, my mom and my dad were very sneaky and he "showed" up at dinner after the ceremony. It was an excellent surprise and I was so glad he got to be there with my family. We did the Dallas aquarium and Dave and Busters and other fun stuff.

 For Christmas vacation, I drove to where Alex is going some training and we went galavanting all over the southeast. For Christmas we went to Florida and it was a blast. New Years, we hit up New Orleans with friends and had such an awesome time!

Here is Miss Gabby and her first ever Christmas stocking :) so adorable!

I will post New Orleans pictures whenever I get them downloaded....

Road Trip #2: Flagstaff, AZ, etc.

Alex and I decided since there wasn't too much going on for either of us at work that we should take a little trip/week vacation. We found this great timeshare/condo renting place in Flagstaff, Arizona (2 hours north of Phoenix). We had an amazing time. It's beautiful there; reminded us both of Washington and the PNW in general. We went hiking, sight seeing, eating, drinking, etc. etc. It was really great to get to spend some quality time together since we've both been very busy lately. Here are a few pictures from our adventure, hopefully I can narrate them all.

 in the kitchen of our condo making some breakfast

 Gabs lounging by the slider to the deck

 there was a nice park we took Gabby to quite a few times

 this is the mtn we decided to climb the next day...

 Gabby was pumped there was snow on our hike...she LOVES playing in snow :)

 making our way up the mtn

 it was gorgeous up there

random pic in the middle of our hike documentation but we went to this brewery for lunch on the first day

 stopped for a rest and a picture

 ADVENTURE DOOOOOG!!!

 yep, we were pretty high up there

 grabbing a little break from the wind...Gabby ducked out of the pic for some reason

 the summit of Humphrey's Peak

 I DID IT!!! (Alex didn't take a picture of himself, we went one at a time the last little way)...it was seriously cold up there and the wind was blowing soooooo hard. it was a really long way up and a really long way down. i was "done" with a about a half hour left on the way down. i think i recited the Lord's Prayer and Psalm 23 about a million times and did a very dramatic "Thank you GOD!!!" when we got to the meadow. BUT we did it and it was a great experience.

 the next day with very sore bodies, we went to the Grand Canyon National Park...it was seriously awesome...here are Gabby and Alex checking out the first stop on the South Rim

 the Watch Tower on the first stop was really neat

 Canyon

 It was so gorgeous. Better than I even expected

 beginning of sunset...the sunset was quite magical :)

 the next day we went the site of the 2nd largest and best perserved meteor crater in the world. it was a BIG hole in the ground

 that's our tour guide, Eddy

 the next and last day of our trip was spent around Flagstaff. we went to the Lowell Observatory and saw some neat stuff. This is where Pluto was discovered....in the evenings they have "star gazing". We got to look at the Moon, Uranius, and Jupiter with 4 of its moons. Here I'm view Jupiter.

 Alex checking out Jupiter

 On our way home we went through the Petrified Forest National Park (per Momma Hill's request) and it was pretty incredible how all this land and things of the land have been perserved.

Petrified Wood

This was a great trip and our first vacation as married people :) Can't wait for the next one!

Road Trip: Tucson, AZ

This past weekend we both had a little break from work so we decided to pack up and drive to Tucson to see Alex's friend John and his girlfriend Lisa. John and Alex were in pilot training together and have remained good friends. They hadn't seen each other in a little over a year and after spending the last 3 years together most of the time, I think they kinda missed each other haha. The boys did a lot of golfing while the girls (Lisa and I) did a lot of shopping. I got a TON of my Christmas shopping done. It feels great to not be stressed about it. Gabby got to come along and had fun playing with Lisa's dog, Daisy.

Anyways, it was a super fun weekend and we hope to have John and Lisa come visit us soon. Unfortunately I have no pictures to show for this weekend :( Maybe I will from our next adventure.

Why I love the End of October/Early November....

SPORTS!!!! There are so many different things going on...the end of College Football, mid season NFL, start of the NBA, end of MLB and the beginning of College Basketball :) It makes my heart happy. Not only am I good and busy at work but ESPN and other sports channels are really all that get watched at our house this time of year (besides the occasional shows that we watch regularly; GLEE, Parenthood, Chelsea Lately and Grey's...ok the last 2 are just me lol.

Tonight is the first game of the World Series between the SF Giants and the TX Rangers! I'm a huge Rangers fan (I will always be a Mariners fan too, just a little angry with them the last few years and my 2nd team took over). I've got my MOOSE CLAW shirt all ready to go and I'm pumped! GO RANGERS!

My next thing to look forward to is the College Football end of season and playoffs. YAY!

I love FALL!!!

On Sunday we were able to go to the local pumpkin patch. We went with 2 other couples; Matt and Emily and Matt and Rachel. Matt and Rachel's little guy came along as well. It was a ton of fun. We walked around, got snacks, watch the pumpkin cannon and went on a hay ride where we got to pick pumpkins. Afterwards we went to Matt and Rachel's house and carved our pumpkins! They are all set up on the porch now :) Enjoy the pictures....

 Pumpkin trail

 Us in front of the pumpkin mountain

 Emily and I...Alex was being a goober and right here I think I'm telling him to stop being a dork before he drops my camera.

 Matt and Mr. L

 Matt and Emily

Alex getting ready to pick our pumpkins

We are very excited for Halloween this weekend. Some people from Alex's work are having a party so we are dressing up and getting ready to have a great time!