Love him.

Andrew and I have really been into Late Night with Jimmy Fallon recently. He is absolutely hilarious! From a spoof on The Hills called "7th Floor West" to Slow Jamming the News with his great band (the Roots), Jimmy always delivers a laugh. Too bad it's on so late! Let's just say we've had to adjust out schedules a bit to accommodate.

I Love Fathers.

Will one day be the best dad ever :)

My wonderful dad--love him so so much!

The Dana (father-in-law of the year)

Happy Fathers' Day to all the amazing dads in my life!

Happy 23rd.

I just wanted to wish Elyse a Happy Birthday! Hope you have the best day! Sorry it's not sunny out today.

I don't remember when I took this picture, but I definitely caught her off guard when I did--hope she doesn't mind I put it up.

Aw, Nuts.

I have always hated raw nuts--unless they have chocolate around them, I won't eat them. However, within the last couple of months I have come to adore raw almonds. I had some at work (while no one was watching) and decided I actually love them!

Not to mention they're very healthy--lot's of fiber and omega-3 (good) fats! I keep 'em in my purse and they hold me over through the day.

Where the heck is Wisconsin?

So, I spent the last weekend in Madison, Wisconsin attending the American Holistic Nurses Association conference (I'm in a holistic nursing class this spring--hence, the trip).

Before, during, and after the trip I had one question plaguing my mind: where is Wisconsin? Anyone who knows me well knows I'm absolutely clueless when it comes to geography. However, after asking at least four people at the conference, I realized nobody really knows where Wisconsin is! I got answers like, "um, I think it's like by the big lakes...", and "the midwest". I finally looked at a map when I got back, and for your info the great state of Wisconsin is by Minnesota and Michigan.

Anyway, the conference was interesting, to say the least. Holistic nurses often practice "complimentary" healing techniques that involve auras and chakras. So, you can guess the kind of people that were there! However, holistic nurses also emphasize stress relief, self-care, and relaxation, and for that I was grateful!

Most of all though I was SO SO happy to come home to this cute guy :)

With my classmates outside the capitol.

Wisconsin is famous for its cheese, cream, dairy products, etc. I found this sign in an ice cream shop and thought it was pretty hilarious.

My pal Whitney and I by a lake we walked to...pretty picture!

Flowers at the Farmer's Market downtown.

Getting down at the drum circle night! ha

A Hundred Dollars?

I could buy a three legged dog from Victorville. Sorry, inside joke for my sister Katie and any others who were on that Mead trip in '01.

No we haven't joined the club yet, but we were further coaxed since the 3G is now only $99--hello! Anyways, once they're available on Verizon, consider the switch made.

P.P.P.S. Elyse really didn't react that crazy when I shaved my head. I might've embellished the story a little bit just to tease her.

Buzz, etc.

I just want to add that I really am not as shallow as that post made me sound! I still love my husband and think he is adorable :) So, please, don't judge too harsh.

Buzz.

Andrew here. So last week I shaved my head after months of Elyse begging me not to. The initial shock lead to a period of silence on her part, but now she loves it. Elyse however, made me promise to never do it again because she loves my curls too much.

Was I the only one to see the potential for a striking resemblance to Christian Bale or David Beckham? Except that I'm still working on the growth of facial hair.

Addendum by Elyse: I never said I "love" it. But, he's still cute of course.

Addendum by Andrew: She loves it.

Way to be, Jenna!

Yay, Jenna! You're done with high school. I've got to admit, I wasn't sad to see it go and move on to college. And even though in all the speeches they talked about all you've been through--the exams, homework, etc.--let me just warn you...college is much harder! But, it's also much more fun and pretty cool (but expensive!) to grow up and become an adult. You're already taller than me, so you look older already. Keep being amazing and as your school motto says: "keep flying higher." ha!

Really, we are proud of Jenna, and it was fun to be here to watch her graduate--even though it was very long and they had way too many speakers. But, we endured it all because we love her :)
Jenna will be starting at BYU in the fall with a full-ride scholarship (mom & dad are happy), and will be graduating again before we know it!

Andrew & I with the glowing white graduate. Those robes are hot.

Lots of people.

Ashlyn & I waving for the camera before dinner. She wore pigtails for the first time and I LOVED it. So cute.

The fam. Minus dad (photographer), Tim & the kids (at home--they didn't want to try to endure a whole graduation), and Ty & Carissa, who are in Colorado/Seattle this summer for an internship. We missed you guys! And apparently, the graduation wore Brennan out.

Happy Birthday Ashlyn!!

My ADORABLE niece, Ashlyn, turned 1 recently and we went to the Thanksgiving Point petting zoo to celebrate. She is such a fun, sweet-spirited little girl, and we are so glad to have her in our family! Happy Birthday, Ashlyn.

Andrew and I, amazed after seeing all the neat animals!

Ashlyn joins the rest of the family in her love of ketchup!

She got a little tired after a while...well, she is only 1 after all!

Jace, unaware that the baby cow is about to lick his head.

They had a fake jail and we told Jace to make a mean face. Pretty scary...

Canarie Prints.

So, I'm branching off from Andrew's print company and creating my own--specialized in more feminine designs for stationary, recipe cards, etc. So, check it out here! Remember--it's a work in progress :)

Random facts.

So, we're not dead. Sorry it's been so long since a post. We're just busy with school and work and all that great stuff!

As I've mentioned before, I'm in a Holistic Nursing class for the spring. We go to different "alternative" doctors, herbalists, etc. and learn new ideas that we don't really hear about in traditional nursing school. Some of it is a bit much for me; but, some of it seems pretty legit.

Well, we had a pediatrician come talk to our class the other day and he brought up some really interesting stuff. (Disclaimer: he is an actual MD and seemed very knowledgable. Most of what he told us was from his own personal research.) Anyway, he brought up the topic of ADHD and Autism. Apparently, both of these neurological disorders are linked to an omega-3 fatty acid, particularly known as DHA. In the last trimester, a baby's brain begins developing RAPIDLY. The coatings of the nerve connections begin to form and are formed from fatty acids (DHA). Often times, neurological disorders can be caused by low intake of DHA by the mother during pregnancy. Most women should get about 500 mg/day--however, they only get about 40-50 mg/day! Women should continue taking DHA during breastfeeding and give supplements to the child up to 2 years old, as that is the time of most rapid brain development.

This particular pediatrician has actually treated several cases of ADHD and autism using DHA supplements. It takes longer to work than Ritalin; however, it's usually a permanent cure, rather than a suppressor of the symptoms of the disorder.

So, all pregnant women, get your DHA! It also doesn't hurt to take it as an adult when you're not pregnant. It can help improve memory, critical thinking skills, etc. You can get DHA by taking fish oil pills or drinking fish oil straight. You can get it from most health food stores. Anyway, just thought it was an interesting bit of info that most people don't know!

Happy Birthday to you.

Just wanted to say HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my lovely, wonderful, amazing husband who I love SO much! He turned the big 2-4 yesterday, and we celebrated with a little indoor skydiving. Pictures or video will hopefully follow!

Pretty Recipes.

So, for a class I am taking this Spring semester called Individual Studies--or something like that--I am assigned to spend 6 hours a week studying and learning something of my choice. It's supposed to emphasize "lifelong learning", which I am totally down with. For my learning, I am going to organize my recipes from my mom, grandmas, mother-in-law, etc, which I have been meaning to do for a long time. I'll also practice cooking some of the stuff occasionally for Andrew's benefit :) But, before I could begin, I of course needed a totally fab recipe card! Andrew saved the day, as always, and created me this cute little number with my insightful help. I am so much more excited about the daunting task ahead now!

PS--I also helped design my own stationary...I think I want to start my own line! he he. I'll call it Jane Austen, it's my font of choice.

Shredding.

So, on a whim I bought this workout DVD called "Jillian's 30 Day Shred" off of Amazon.com--Jillian being the intense trainer from the show The Biggest Loser. One of my friends had tried it and loved it, and since I hadn't exercised in about a year, I figured it was time to get started again! The DVD has three 20-minute workouts--easy, intermediate, and advanced. I started with the easy and it kicked my trash! Andrew started laughing at me and I challenged him to try it. So, he did and it also kicked his trash. I was pretty happy about it. So, he has become my workout partner! We've been going strong for like eight days, which is pretty big for me! I'll let you know how shredded we really are in 30 days :)