Brandon and Celeste are engaged!

I woke up this morning, to this great news:

So I then proceeded to comment on or "like" pretty much every picture of Celeste and Brandon on Facebook. Because that's pretty much the same as giving them big hugs from across the country.

Welcome to the family BSting.

(PS...  Do you like how Celeste's sideways picture matches the one she typed? :D I sure do!)

Spotted! Opossom encounter.

As I pulled into our parking lot just barely, I saw the most outrageous sight! A real life opossum.

I recently (as in the last 10 minutes since the spotting) learned some very interesting opossum facts that I thought I would share.

1. I always that they were possums, but apparently there is an o in front.
2. I wasn't sure it was an opossum that I spotted, but google image confirmed that what I saw was indeed an oppossum.
3. Google image also made me glad that I did not go chasing after Mr. Opossum for a photographic opportunity, because apparently they can be angry creatures.
4. I don't have to travel to Australia to see this Marsupial, because apparently they are in New Jersey, which I was completely unaware of, and therefore quite surprised to see, as it scurried away from my headlights.
5. Opossums are slow and scurry is giving it more credit then is this creature deserves. Waddle is definitely the word we are looking for here. A fast waddle though.

It was a very exciting moment, believe me.

Pinning all the day

My computer is so crammed up, that I'm having a hard time getting any pictures onto it. I'm having some real trouble blogging about our great weekend in Pennsylvania, featuring Marian and her horse show.

While I work out those troubles, here are some favorites from Pinterest.

Mormons in Utah, Snooki in Jersey, ha! (source)


home inspiration (i'm currently on an ottoman search) (source)


all SORTS of great clothes/hairs inspiration (source)


And SO many awesome wedding ideas, that we might just have to renew our vows so I can plan another one! Or just flood my soon-to-be-sister-in-law (Jeff and Demi are engaged!!!) with awesome ideas in her pretty colors. (source)


And lots of great quotes/words to live by. I agree whole heartedly with this guy. (source)

I highly recommend Pinterest. But, I should warn - it's very addictively awesome.

Ruff Riders.

Paul and I sometimes talk about what we would've thought of each other had we met at a different time in life - mostly, had we met in High School. I always say that I would've been intimated by his popular, football lineman, tough guy self. I'm sure he would've been confused or embarrassed by my tuba playing, anti first kiss self, but maybe would still think lacrosse was cool. Overall, we are lucky we met when we met, because who knows!

But today Paul recovered a newspaper article from his high school days, and, I think I just might have had a  crush on this "Ruff Rider". I think this is a pretty cool thing that he and some friends did. It's always rewarding to feel like you've done something significant that has made a impact. I'm proud of this high school Paul!

Also, I think we can conclude that, although his enthusiasm has become quite extreme lately, he's always been a bike-loving and earth-saving dude. I'm a fan.

(Paul is on the far right, unfortunately he wasn't riding the Powder Puff the day the photo was taken, the Banana seat is a good choice too though.)

Robert Bower / Post Register Skyline High School students are fighting back - by riding their bikes instead of driving expensive gas guzzlers. Several dozen Ruff Rider students staged a protest Wednesday by pedaling their way to lunch spots on Skyline Drive and Broadway Avenue in Idaho Falls. The students say riding a bike also is good exercise and Earth-friendly.

Skyline High School student Eric Davis was sick of paying high gas prices - so he gave up driving and took up biking. Along with students Paul Frandsen, Chris Beard, Brady Hodges, Bracken Hodges and Derek Grinnell, he formed "The Ruff Riders."

Their uniform for the past week has been a white T-shirt with the motto "Screw Gas; Bike Fast!" splayed across it. In protest of high gas prices, they have been biking everywhere and plan on continuing to do so in the summer.

Since he picked up his bike a week ago, Davis has driven only when he has left town. He bikes to any place in town. There have been days, he estimates, when he has biked 25 miles.

The group's members see biking as not only a way to save money but also a way to help the environment and keep them active, Frandsen said.

Teacher K.C. Jones inspired the group. Jones teaches a combination field science and English class. In the class, Jones said, he teaches conservation ethics and he and his students talk about environmental issues. Though Jones didn't help them come up with the idea, the students said his class made them think about what they could do to help the environment.

"Mr. Jones has definitely made us ecologically conscious," Frandsen said.

The fact that the students were even thinking about what he teaches in class made Jones happy.

"As a teacher, you can test knowledge, but you never know if you are having an impact until students try to do something with that information," he said. "Even if it was a combination of things including the high gas prices, this movement is proof that they do care about the environment."

On Wednesday, the bike rack in front of Skyline was packed with a hodgepodge of bikes. There were streamers, horns, banana seats and baskets jumbled in the pile. The Ruff Riders have been recruiting for their cause.

The group made an announcement over Skyline's intercom at the beginning of the week and asked students to ride with them. On Wednesday, they estimated that about 30 students had joined them.

Kylee Cooper joined the group Tuesday.

"It really helps when someone leads the way," Cooper said. "When there are a lot of people doing it, you don't feel so weird riding your bike to school. Plus, it's definitely a lot more fun than driving."

Reporter Kelsey Dayton 

I could really go for some red rock and blue water right now...

Lake Powell is on my mind.

My family is there now - and this is the third trip I've missed since moving here to NJ.

Crossing my fingers that I can make it there in August!

:)

PS - Family, be safe! 

why lacrosse changed my life, again.

My team made it to State! For the first time, ever!
Hooray for them! So great!

The first round was today, and although we fought hard, we lost.

 It was a really great season. 

Coaching that team really kind of changed my life in a way. You see, New Jersey is where I live now, but I wouldn't exactly call it home.

When we moved here, I sure enjoyed the hot weather and beach (shore? because that's what they say around these parts) for the first month or two, but soon the sunshine left me to the rudeness that is winter. With cold weather came another terror. The day after my birthday, some kind of horrible disease entered my life slash body and kicked my butt real good. What started as a wretched cough, ended up as some kind of walking pneumonia and pleurisy that hurt real bad and made life overall more difficult than it should be, for way longer than is humanly possible to deal with, or so I thought. I don't think I ever blogged about it because no one likes a whiner face, but now is the appropriate time to tell you that life was kind of hard! Sick, far from home, and cold. How rude!

Come February I finally recovered (that's right folks, about four months of sick sick sick), and I randomly looked at lacrosse coaching positions, I found one that was relatively close by. I applied, interviewed, and was hired on the spot.

And guess what! The past three months of my life has been so different. Not only do I not have constant pain and coughing (hallelujah for that, and knock on wood). But, I was able to do something I love, be outside, and the most important thing - be a part of something.

It helped me find my place here in New Jersey. It made me feel like I had purpose and reason for living here. I loved being here for Paul and supporting him in his PhD program, but I needed something for me, and this was the perfect fit. I have such a passion for the sport (the very reason lacrosse changed my life in the first place, it was the deciding factor of where I went to college, and guess what- that's where I met the man of my dreams!) I love having the opportunity to pass on that passion to these girls who have so much potential.

Hooray for the small things that really make our lives sweet.



photo credit: A. Laki and MK. Thanks homies, I know you hate the finger gun. haha

Wedding Day! Eric and Kimberly Carruth :)

I woke up on Eric's wedding day to a beautiful sunrise over my favorite mountain - Mt. Olympus. 

I sure miss living in its shadow. 

Eric and Kimberly were married at the Mt. Timpanogos temple. 

Chelsey stole my camera for a minute, and I found this beauty on the SD card. So lucky! 

A pretty much perfect spring morning.

The ceremony was lovely as can be.

Paul was nice and took over video camera responsibilities. 

Plus he looked hot hot hot in the black suit/skinny tie combo. 

My mom's sisters, minus two (we missed you Cya and Alicia). There are also two brothers, and my mom! Yep - 10 kids total, people!

And that's my beautiful grandma who birthed them all. 

The newlyweds! Oh wait, that's my mom and dad. They love each other so much. 

It should be noted that Brad made me take this picture again with his aviators on.
Also, Chelsey is ANTM.

And the newlyweds make their grand appearance!

With subsequent smooch fest.

I loved her veil. 

Celeste hugs her big buddow.

While we waited for pictures, we took some of our own. 

These are my beautiful sisters who I love as much as you can imagine.

The following two pictures are probably the best of the entire weekend.

Celeste and the B Sting (aka boyfriend Brandon) are a great combo. 

Eric shows off his bling.

Then I loved on the mountains and my husband some more.

Highlight of the wedding luncheon (held at The Gathering Place, in Gardner Village)

was Eric singing this song to his new wife.

Of course it made me cry, did you even have to ask?

The happy head table (watching Kimberly's parents, which is why they are absent).

PS- That punch tasted like pink starbusts (thumbs up!)

The garden area was real nice too. B Sharp and C enjoyed the swing.

So did the newlyweds

Eric just loves that girl so so much.

Fast forward to reception time at The Old Meeting house, where we happily reunited with lots of great people, including favorites: The Shoells.

(Kami was one of the many people who informed me they read my blog all the time, and I had no idea because they have never commented. I think that is called stalking, which I'm okay with, but also enjoy knowing who's out there, so I guess the choice is still yours friends/stalkers. coughcoughmylacrosseteam)

We (kindly) decorated the get-away car. 

Paul, of course, added his own specialty.

And that about sums it up.

Hopefully their hired, professional photographer actually took your more traditional pictures, because I obviously failed in that category.

Maybe I can put up some great videos of the day? I'll look into that.

I pretty much loved every second of Utah and family, I think my cheeks got way stronger because of the smiling I did. :)

We went to Utah and Chelsey graduated.

We went to Utah on the best weekend possible (except having to miss two lacrosse games), because Chelsey graduated from the U, Eric got himself married, and Sunday was Mother's day. 

We arrived late Thursday night and the next morning, I went out to breakfast with the family (Paul was collecting with Camie) to celebrate Chel's graduation. We ate at the Black Bear Diner and the breakfast was delicious. 

Please look at her shoes. Awesome.

 Yes yes yes!

U of U grad in the house. 

PS: Besides my family, I decided the thing I miss most about Utah is the mountains. New Jersey is just too flat. I couldn't stop taking pictures of those things, you just wait.

iPhone in England

Remember how our camera died on one of our day trips? Here are a few iPhone pics to fill in what we did that day!

The river Ouse

Stocks at the Lewes Castle

View from the top of the Castle

The place where Thomas Paine wrote "Common Sense" (in Lewes). 

The bus we took to Brighton

The pier at Brighton

Fish & Chips on the English Shore

Our friend/tour guide Jess

Chicken and Chips...

Authentic Fish & Chips

And flying over Ireland on the flight home.

Up next: Our event-filled weekend trip to Utah!