tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33675424338268692022024-03-05T16:16:08.759-08:00Ben & AllysonAllysonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11660256837175961982noreply@blogger.comBlogger44125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3367542433826869202.post-39284287204516435042013-05-13T00:08:00.000-07:002013-05-13T00:08:06.203-07:00Some serious milestones<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This past month has been full of a lot of hard work and we've all hit some pretty big milestones. </div>
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<i>Me:</i> After about 7 years, I've finally finished all the classes for my bachelors! We moved just before my last semester of college and I've been slowly working on finishing for the past 3 years. One last push through April and I finished my last class! WooHoo! </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBAbCiyGlOw-Jp_7SbHPcs-u4iunuqBIIhuDxQQrAN1Sn9AaGYviL3ojR5BKZQlIGaldTqbzqeIgcNl8o0uRvEhpnqs6eiiDnB6fS-51oXaavL7J0SF99JmXvad_1-HSoyQcxjWqpeUhGo/s1600/DSC01794.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBAbCiyGlOw-Jp_7SbHPcs-u4iunuqBIIhuDxQQrAN1Sn9AaGYviL3ojR5BKZQlIGaldTqbzqeIgcNl8o0uRvEhpnqs6eiiDnB6fS-51oXaavL7J0SF99JmXvad_1-HSoyQcxjWqpeUhGo/s400/DSC01794.JPG" width="400" /></a><i>Ben:</i> Ben finished Law School! When we started, I seriously never thought it would end. Now, Ben graduates in a week. Then it's on to The Bar (and the prep class), work, and Real Life! How did that even happen? Crazy. He has worked so hard over these last 3 years and I'm so proud of him. </div>
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<i>Liam:</i> Liam turns 7 months tomorrow (what?!?) and he's grown and learned so much this past month. On his 6 month birthday, we joined some friends for a tour of the Jelly Belly factory. We had a little picnic afterwards and Liam surprised us all by pulling himself up to standing on our soft cooler! This is seriously his favorite thing to do! </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Liam and his new BFF Leo. They were way too interested in the jelly beans to look at the camera.</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ_CLgjQSj7NB3Uii1BEALejJPdF09Cq3XCs8xtA9C5Z2krsPRO1T-sQ5zIzwN5Qeg09Bwawyyn3vKdJHwhwjHn3VI4IT4-7DtM7KDNx4L7_GJoMN7tiHCBz-ox6qi1dILOYwU9LOe44pL/s1600/DSC01845.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ_CLgjQSj7NB3Uii1BEALejJPdF09Cq3XCs8xtA9C5Z2krsPRO1T-sQ5zIzwN5Qeg09Bwawyyn3vKdJHwhwjHn3VI4IT4-7DtM7KDNx4L7_GJoMN7tiHCBz-ox6qi1dILOYwU9LOe44pL/s320/DSC01845.JPG" width="320" /></a>When we got home from church two Sundays ago, we put Liam down and he suddenly started crawling! Now there's absolutely no stopping him. It's funny though. Even though he's completely mobile now, he still would rather stand up. He'll crawl over to Ben or me and stop just as soon as he can reach our hands and then stand up and walk (holding on to us, of course) the rest of the way. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDvYVVsayJvO8y-R90WKLSY03hUCNN5RtsGQw8O5rmofc5GwOmBGhMlCNblXfaSAsYVZl0LQIF88Wr2c4e5IV55neKx6c0pgEjMDV4I9nSKnvajDFJIrkTLOtDpVu7mbpct1Imuev7hL9b/s1600/Silly+Liam.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDvYVVsayJvO8y-R90WKLSY03hUCNN5RtsGQw8O5rmofc5GwOmBGhMlCNblXfaSAsYVZl0LQIF88Wr2c4e5IV55neKx6c0pgEjMDV4I9nSKnvajDFJIrkTLOtDpVu7mbpct1Imuev7hL9b/s320/Silly+Liam.JPG" width="320" /></a>He's such a fun and funny little guy. I love seeing his personality grow. The other day we decided to let him try his first solids - homemade applesauce - and he absolutely loved it! He's already learned that "mmm" is the proper response as he eagerly grabs for the spoon at each bite. He's even started working on a "good food happy dance" just like his mom... :)</div>
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Allysonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11660256837175961982noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3367542433826869202.post-66929917749068381682013-03-13T20:03:00.001-07:002013-03-13T20:03:36.041-07:005 months and two tiny family additions<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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So, I forgot to post anything when Liam turned 4 months old. We celebrated by going to the doctor and getting shots. No fun, but necessary. :( Liam did much better with the shots this time - of course he cried, but he wasn't out of it for a whole week like at his 2 month appt. <br />
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At 4 months, Liam learned all kinds of things - he perfected rolling over front to back and back to front as well as grabbing and manipulating objects (it's so funny to watch him pull his binky in and out of his mouth). Just yesterday, we welcomed two tiny additions to our family.... Liam's first two teeth!! They're still just little buds - sharp little buds - but I can't believe he has teeth already! He's growing up way too fast. :) <br />
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He turned 5 months today and he's just as happy as ever. He loves to laugh and show off his adorable dimple. :) He's constantly moving and trying to get somewhere ... standing up whenever he has the chance and walking around if you hold his hands! This little guy is going to be unstoppable pretty soon here! <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Showing off his new teeth.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Just working on my one-legged push-ups."</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Look how cute I am!"</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Now watch me eat your face!"</td></tr>
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<br />Allysonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11660256837175961982noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3367542433826869202.post-72903593785824962982013-02-04T16:07:00.000-08:002013-02-04T16:07:56.065-08:003 Months (plus a little) Already!Seriously. I cannot believe how quickly this little guy is growing and how fast the time goes. Somehow, it was three weeks ago that we celebrated Liam's 3 month birthday. We got all dressed up... and went to church! Between Primary and Young Men's, Liam is quite the little celebrity and during singing time he makes his rounds through all his "girlfriends" in the primary presidency. It's so funny to see all the teenage boys fawning over "Twisty" (Ben's fault - he told them Liam's name was going to be Twisted Black Dragon of Death and the nickname seems stuck :P ). He makes hardly a peep during sacrament meeting and loves the hymns and just looks around trying to take it all in. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This was at our ward Christmas party - I walked in to see a big group of the young men clustered around Liam. SO cute! </td></tr>
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We were lucky enough to have Grandpa Wright visit a couple weeks ago and we decided to take a four generation picture while everyone was looking so sharp. <br />
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Liam is becoming quite the talker, babbling on and on. He laughs now... especially when he's being tickled... and it's the cutest thing. And like his mom, he is proving to be quite ticklish! He keeps getting taller and, while he's gaining a pound every month (11 lbs, 7 oz and 24.5 in at his 3 month check up), his weight seems to be dropping off the charts. So for the past 3 weeks Ben and I have been on a special diet, cutting out all of my allergens (dairy, eggs, soy, corn, and we added gluten to the list just to be safe), to see if that makes a difference. Ben's so sweet and decided to support me by eating the same things that I'm eating. It definitely makes things easier for me! It's hard to tell (we'll know better after his next weigh in), but it seems to have made a difference. The spitting up has virtually stopped and that is such a relief!<br />
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In other news, he's rolling over now!! He's been rolling for the past couple weeks ad while he can make it over most of the time, sometimes he can't quite get over and he gets really frustrated. Also, he's started sitting up "by himself" (when propped up) and when you pull him up from lying down to sitting, he immediately stands up. It's so fun to watch him discover so many new things every day!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is the "I'm so cute and innocent" face :)</td></tr>
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<br />Allysonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11660256837175961982noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3367542433826869202.post-22767040460864107122013-01-07T15:10:00.001-08:002013-01-07T15:11:56.055-08:002 Months and Christmas<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/65840376@N05/8352483568/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Liam - 2 mos by Allyson Nielsen Designs, on Flickr"><img alt="Liam - 2 mos" height="281" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8327/8352483568_3a76c9314e.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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I can't believe how fast the time is going with this little guy. We are so in love with him and I can't imagine life without him - it really feels like he's always been a part of our family. I love that feeling!<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/65840376@N05/8351420477/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Liam - 2 mos by Allyson Nielsen Designs, on Flickr"><img alt="Liam - 2 mos" height="224" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8072/8351420477_cd242d5661.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Two month stats: 10 lbs, 6 oz and 24 inches! Liam is quite the string bean! Every time he starts to get chubby, he stretches out again. He's out-growing clothes faster than I can keep up! I love his little personality - and it's stronger every day. He smiles all the time and loves to sit up and look around. When he finds something interesting (which is just about everything) he focuses super hard and takes it all in. It's adorable the way it makes him go cross-eyed.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/65840376@N05/8352481938/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Liam - 2 mos by Allyson Nielsen Designs, on Flickr"><img alt="Liam - 2 mos" height="224" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8498/8352481938_07fcdd2260.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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A few days after we celebrated Liam's 2 month birthday, the three of us got on a plane and headed to Montana for Christmas with my family. Liam did great on his first plane ride and he loved meeting his Grandpa for the first time. We had a wonderful time in Montana: Christmas, fun and games with the family, Liam's blessing, and all kinds of outdoor adventures. Here are some of the highlights:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7Cq8DA6qOUkMKXkG0kljyGXZWhkGT9IhFAEA3rnY9x65l9S9soWdqT5TungAFc7UHEjV2liChSbTZ_ygw7mAkFOZuIEIElKYSefTzOPEqkTtH1UMNnbR8gFfe_730ktdtLjrz00P-aS6g/s1600/DSC00219.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7Cq8DA6qOUkMKXkG0kljyGXZWhkGT9IhFAEA3rnY9x65l9S9soWdqT5TungAFc7UHEjV2liChSbTZ_ygw7mAkFOZuIEIElKYSefTzOPEqkTtH1UMNnbR8gFfe_730ktdtLjrz00P-aS6g/s400/DSC00219.JPG" width="224" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">We all dressed in fun outfits for Christmas eve. <br />Liam's was the cutest. </span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Liam was helping me make pies for Christmas Eve <br />and Daddy decided to be a creeper ... :)</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Liam was quite the little helper - <br />showing Grandpa all the places that needed vacuuming. </span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Christmas Eve spread - take one </span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Christmas Eve spread - take two </span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Christmas morning we took our traditional family pic <br />before racing down the stairs to see what Santa brought. </span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">We got lots of presents (Thank you everyone!!)</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Nate and Ben decided to dress up like elves before going snowshoeing.</span> </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">The chicken coup was invaded by a giant hummingbird... </span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">...or maybe the chickens were just kind enough <br />to lay a special Liam-sized egg.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Liam discovered that toes can be fun to play with. </span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Liam enjoyed some good snuggles with Grandma...</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">...And some good conversation with Grandpa. </span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">My big little brothers played "squish the sister." <br />Thankfully, I wasn't invited to join in. </span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">The boys went ice fishing and caught some delicious trout. </span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDsjVTz-SnYwtV5Pn7lLjAhn_dzkQyXxAzL2fEXBsqDutfr73Zw4ziZ9B3hyEfLM45HT8f06Zi5BwrbIbP6IyeisDJBw2CChk4W-pv5bsCezuzsx_hQiXhpqHttktmh2nTvDE_Zz9n5B2D/s1600/DSC00752.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDsjVTz-SnYwtV5Pn7lLjAhn_dzkQyXxAzL2fEXBsqDutfr73Zw4ziZ9B3hyEfLM45HT8f06Zi5BwrbIbP6IyeisDJBw2CChk4W-pv5bsCezuzsx_hQiXhpqHttktmh2nTvDE_Zz9n5B2D/s400/DSC00752.JPG" width="224" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">We took some family pictures. </span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhfSfnRnn0ztJ2QuqEFGgCX9ZjRsHMTtitJSe7D92pO8kLSwx8DReV12_g78o93x9vBIj1ucYAuv-0bxJjVraiGyGyCUmg8MToVRlWrtqYyQ_nQZKbcLkdVER17XxphZESuYDplSghwEpH/s1600/DSC00944.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhfSfnRnn0ztJ2QuqEFGgCX9ZjRsHMTtitJSe7D92pO8kLSwx8DReV12_g78o93x9vBIj1ucYAuv-0bxJjVraiGyGyCUmg8MToVRlWrtqYyQ_nQZKbcLkdVER17XxphZESuYDplSghwEpH/s400/DSC00944.JPG" width="224" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Ok, a lot of family pictures...</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzBxGs56wN98QTVHi-avcXIAESbDUZcAlrACajmIqI8MWK5EiE2MDN9p2dN_Jz1Kcn4Kxe5vODwNvdVaqhNF5IcTp_6wsrllZNrS0AcU7vXFjcn0uMF0asFzwKfh-wzaMUGeDm3qtt68OP/s1600/DSC00793.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzBxGs56wN98QTVHi-avcXIAESbDUZcAlrACajmIqI8MWK5EiE2MDN9p2dN_Jz1Kcn4Kxe5vODwNvdVaqhNF5IcTp_6wsrllZNrS0AcU7vXFjcn0uMF0asFzwKfh-wzaMUGeDm3qtt68OP/s400/DSC00793.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">But Liam was more interested in the train.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqJ7i2pL6l9IMN9pPc9xSp19ZI1V67q4g0c1K0ccU-Vx9tKDpWxgLzaoCObg5YGxaE2n8ktRaswjiY_qRMJ_UOrl-21xzDnXKRvgxD0xkmfrFBtMKy6AYd0U3iFsh5kFxfxh17SGqty4LJ/s1600/DSC00632.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqJ7i2pL6l9IMN9pPc9xSp19ZI1V67q4g0c1K0ccU-Vx9tKDpWxgLzaoCObg5YGxaE2n8ktRaswjiY_qRMJ_UOrl-21xzDnXKRvgxD0xkmfrFBtMKy6AYd0U3iFsh5kFxfxh17SGqty4LJ/s400/DSC00632.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">We went for a drive and saw a herd of Big Horn Sheep... </span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8ORDtP731otGmo0G9FB98vp96Nu_gpSJKPuOQnRHsbPI9Jf3EJyNkvG3KcRzAgOhs0sGyQSUI5c5BDo9AYchIhAOk1wxuftVB_FxqurRF3Q7CwkOXCNU0hl9iMrf8_ljZyl_-rhXKgdB3/s1600/DSC00651.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8ORDtP731otGmo0G9FB98vp96Nu_gpSJKPuOQnRHsbPI9Jf3EJyNkvG3KcRzAgOhs0sGyQSUI5c5BDo9AYchIhAOk1wxuftVB_FxqurRF3Q7CwkOXCNU0hl9iMrf8_ljZyl_-rhXKgdB3/s400/DSC00651.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">...another herd of Elk...</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuhgmfZMxeljH-bDPI0NLnq-np8B9f6CSVb4HuNyUKJ-YyZy4PLvia2W9tVwst3yFl3TLXk7o1sx-xbfzTJajLJrzhb4JTdRndGa8NB7ip82tuoIhaPpHjs3ka_DIc3qjnTNMZyVuZ5kxS/s1600/DSC00705.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuhgmfZMxeljH-bDPI0NLnq-np8B9f6CSVb4HuNyUKJ-YyZy4PLvia2W9tVwst3yFl3TLXk7o1sx-xbfzTJajLJrzhb4JTdRndGa8NB7ip82tuoIhaPpHjs3ka_DIc3qjnTNMZyVuZ5kxS/s400/DSC00705.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">...a cow Moose...</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5iqNvbjTP-Xl1e7HDlx-c9cEmDfbwTfELfUl5gjkodvas-5BehWlXAcCz9rXjK7RawNGvjMvmPYhnipWcpeNJRsa3zDAwxyXZY4-coewtD6NPzjoHAylI3bhWBd0Pv9lY7q6OTUzpn7je/s1600/DSC00722.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5iqNvbjTP-Xl1e7HDlx-c9cEmDfbwTfELfUl5gjkodvas-5BehWlXAcCz9rXjK7RawNGvjMvmPYhnipWcpeNJRsa3zDAwxyXZY4-coewtD6NPzjoHAylI3bhWBd0Pv9lY7q6OTUzpn7je/s400/DSC00722.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">...and White Tail Deer...</span></td></tr>
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<br />Allysonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11660256837175961982noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3367542433826869202.post-50185268966068578372012-12-07T13:57:00.001-08:002012-12-07T20:30:40.999-08:00Our Birth Story and PicturesPlease tell me I'm not the only one who does this: I get started writing a blog post and before I finish it, I get distracted (there's something I want to look up, a certain picture I want to find for my post, or there's <a href="http://pinterest.com/allysonnielsen/">Pinterest</a>...) and then I don't manage to get back to my post that day. The one day turns into a couple and before I know it, a few weeks or even a month has gone by and at that point it's just embarrassing to post that one update that is now so old. <br />
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I usually don't end up finishing or posting it at that point. This one is a different matter. I had planned on posting Liam's birth story while we were all still in the hospital, but well, I didn't finish writing it... <br />
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Who's Liam you ask? Oh yeah. I had a baby. In October. So I'm finally getting around to finishing that post. Who knows - maybe I'll go back and finish all of the dusty, half-written posts sitting in my drafts folder. Probably not, but you never know. :) <br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/65840376@N05/8136983744/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Liam by Allyson Nielsen Designs, on Flickr"><img alt="Liam" height="268" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8330/8136983744_b02db2eda1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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For those of you who came here solely for the pictures, scroll down to the bottom. And now for the story...<br />
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<b>Our Birth Story</b></div>
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Let me start by saying that when I was pregnant, 1) I was probably *a little* crazy, and 2) I figured that I would probably go past my due date, so I planned to stay as busy as I could to either induce labor or forget that I was over due. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not 24 hrs before Liam was born. We might be a little crazy...</td></tr>
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On Friday (Oct. 12) I managed to keep myself pretty busy, putting the finishing touches on some upholstery and design work I was doing for a client. Ben and I figured it would be our last real date night for a while, so we got dressed up and went to see a friend (<a href="http://www.dennyholland.com/">and his art</a>) at a gallery awards reception. When we got home it was still fairly early so we decided to watch a movie. I started having contractions during the movie, but they were so irregular (and honestly didn't hurt as bad as I thought contractions were supposed to hurt) that I didn't even tell Ben until a few hrs later when they seemed to pick up a bit.<br />
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We hurried and packed all the last minute stuff in my hospital bag, just in case, and went to bed (it was about 1am). I tried to sleep, but that didn't work for very long, so I woke up Ben (about 3:30am) and we started timing the contractions. They were getting longer and closer together until about 5am, when they sort of stopped so we went back to bed and I was able to sleep, uninterrupted, for 3 hrs. When I woke up the second time, things picked up right where they left off with much stronger contractions (some lasting over a minute).<br />
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Just before 10am, I felt like I had to go to the bathroom and I made it to the toilet where my water broke (no mess - yay!). I then took a nice long, hot shower. The contractions were right on top of each other at this point, but they were shorter than they had been earlier. I kept telling myself I had plenty of time. Pretty soon though, I started feeling a lot of pressure and an urge to push, so we jumped in the car and hurried over to the hospital. Luckily it's only 2 blocks away - I don't know if I would have waited so long otherwise. We got there at about 12:30pm and I was rushed upstairs in a wheelchair. I was completely effaced and dilated to a 5 (at first they thought it was a 7).
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The rest is really a blur to me, but I labored for a little while in the bed (so they could get their 20 min. of fetal monitoring) and on the ball (the ball was amazing!) while the nurse tried to ask me questions between contractions. Ben was a champ though and took care of all of them, and pretty soon I was [really] ready to push. I think I ended up pushing for an hour and it definitely wasn't fun, but I was able to actually sleep between pushing contractions. After what seemed like forever, he crowned and then Ben got to catch him!<br />
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They put him on my chest immediately and everything seemed to stand still. Such a perfect little person. He started nursing right away and I don't know what to say other than that it was truly amazing. <br />
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It really was such an amazing experience for both Ben and I. I'm so glad we took the Bradley classes and took time to prepare for a natural, drug-free childbirth. We worked hard and it was everything I could have hoped for - honestly better than I expected even!<br />
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Liam Edward arrived at 2:49pm on October 13. He weighed 8 lbs 7 oz and was 21.5 inches long. He's such a happy little guy and is just full of smiles. Currently, he loves reading books with Daddy (A Christmas Carol anyone?) and playing the piano with Mommy. He's also a great sleeper. And did I mention that he's positively adorable? See for yourself...<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/65840376@N05/8251029775/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="DSCN8404 by Allyson Nielsen Designs, on Flickr"><img alt="DSCN8404" height="300" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8201/8251029775_15bf60e359.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<br />Allysonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11660256837175961982noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3367542433826869202.post-48828305966836637872012-09-20T13:34:00.002-07:002012-09-20T15:30:08.608-07:00Update: 36 weeks and counting!So, like usual I've been pretty terrible at updating this blog. At least right now I have an excuse! :) I feel like I've been so busy the past few weeks trying to get everything squared away and ready for Baby Liam to come join our family. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxXflgnlqaR8cYCdHCugDfsuWrLP5zko2mZ30dO-ZxvWb88NEgxfsK5Xk41g3dacNroDfTgT6kXg1zVYTnffMJlkhVQ2MgZS70TZ3RuJcswY93diuz448_lel3GUg6NqYPX2Amxh0HdG5p/s1600/preg.+35w+5d+side.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxXflgnlqaR8cYCdHCugDfsuWrLP5zko2mZ30dO-ZxvWb88NEgxfsK5Xk41g3dacNroDfTgT6kXg1zVYTnffMJlkhVQ2MgZS70TZ3RuJcswY93diuz448_lel3GUg6NqYPX2Amxh0HdG5p/s320/preg.+35w+5d+side.jpg" width="196" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">35 weeks 5 days</td></tr>
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Tuesday, Ben and I had our last birthing class. It was kind of bitter-sweet. We've really enjoyed the class and getting to know the other couples in it, but it will definitely be nice to have our Tuesday nights back! (more on that in a minute) Yesterday was my last day of work, and boy does it feel good! Knowing that, at least for the next few weeks, I can sleep in if I want is such a great feeling! This past Sunday we had the Primary Program at church (I'm the Primary Pianist) and it was fantastic! We've worked so hard all year and I'm so glad I was able to be part of it. I was kind of worried when they originally planned to do it in October! Also, a couple weeks ago, Ambyr threw me an awesome baby shower. It was so much fun and everything turned out so beautifully! (pictures coming soon!!)<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4C2aHsNvNI-aENd9E-aTNypttse-LhPvzDTOIrvS6LbnVA5Xbr_c9v4FMuCtq-EdDPCIXe7LHwo6uVjRuvInEK1hjwqFMRpEYWW4L652w8d1Od4JGIoltz_uvPwnhmq3WXBTDWy82ps2m/s1600/preg.+35w+5d+front.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4C2aHsNvNI-aENd9E-aTNypttse-LhPvzDTOIrvS6LbnVA5Xbr_c9v4FMuCtq-EdDPCIXe7LHwo6uVjRuvInEK1hjwqFMRpEYWW4L652w8d1Od4JGIoltz_uvPwnhmq3WXBTDWy82ps2m/s320/preg.+35w+5d+front.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">35 weeks 5 days</td></tr>
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Back to the birthing class. I've had the <a href="http://www.bradleybirth.com/">Bradley Method</a> recommended to me pretty much my whole life and when the time came to think about birthing options, I did a little bit of research and Ben and I decided that we did want to try out the Bradley Method. The class is a little bit more invloved than most birthing classes - it's a 12 week course! We lucked out and found one that was being taught in 9 weeks - 2 hrs every Tuesday night for 9 weeks - and went for it. The class was awesome! The main idea behind the Bradley Method is for both the husband and wife to be fully educated in the whole birthing process and have the husband or "coach/advocate" do just that: coach and advocate for the wife who is in labor and shouldn't be worrying about other things, all the while focusing on deep breathing and relaxation. We learned so much and I know that it has helped me to feel calm and excited about labor, rather than being nervous. Short of actually experiencing labor and delivery (which will happen soon enough!), I feel like I know as much as I can know about it and I feel totally prepared. Ben has also mentioned how much he enjoyed the class and how empowered he feels as he's able to discuss things with our doctor and help me prepare for a smooth delivery. <br />
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In a nutshell, I would <i>very highly</i> recommend the <a href="http://www.bradleybirth.com/">Bradley Method</a> to anyone that will be having a baby, whether it's their first or fourth! <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAPPwJbXfFPjAw-QGQ9-chRodLr65ldo2rbTRSt8Q-78kERuhvV0et4OPQ8am0DyLYuTJAqeBrBMoKbzGRNT0NvSyFlYanRqHSh_gckrWj16czRMkqaKHaQMZUk5QqvZKK2KXLl7xgBm_5/s1600/Mini+Golfing+at+Tahoe+-+Ally.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAPPwJbXfFPjAw-QGQ9-chRodLr65ldo2rbTRSt8Q-78kERuhvV0et4OPQ8am0DyLYuTJAqeBrBMoKbzGRNT0NvSyFlYanRqHSh_gckrWj16czRMkqaKHaQMZUk5QqvZKK2KXLl7xgBm_5/s320/Mini+Golfing+at+Tahoe+-+Ally.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">...and a random pic from our Tahoe trip last month...</td></tr>
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<br />Allysonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11660256837175961982noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3367542433826869202.post-56227539413887263162012-07-03T09:40:00.000-07:002012-07-03T14:17:53.678-07:0025 Weeks<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoSeo2IPJiLxfT22DCv7Yh7mmF2JJAYbwno0rHtWgTtGOOOQWbc2_yaMG0S_173Vf8KoVpOJ2AwhPqSnjnq4fc_mifIqK8I4rwHWKutrTgdaCWlSuaFIfOC8QtINlVjHnyhaqV5_aJN-bY/s1600/25+weeks+-+side.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoSeo2IPJiLxfT22DCv7Yh7mmF2JJAYbwno0rHtWgTtGOOOQWbc2_yaMG0S_173Vf8KoVpOJ2AwhPqSnjnq4fc_mifIqK8I4rwHWKutrTgdaCWlSuaFIfOC8QtINlVjHnyhaqV5_aJN-bY/s320/25+weeks+-+side.jpg" width="263" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: white;">At 25 weeks, I feel like I'm finally starting to look pregnant (to other people - I've been feeling pretty big for a while now). :)</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">He's started a new "trick" lately. Instead of just kicking and rolling around, it feels like he's rubbing a hand or foot back and forth in the same place... and it tickles like crazy! He must realize that it gets a reaction out of mommy because he seems to do it a lot. :)</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">I love how active he is. I'll admit, it's a little overwhelming </span><span style="background-color: white;">thinking that he'll probably be this crazy after he's born as well, but it's just so amazing feeling him kick and turn flips. I can't wait to play with those tiny little hands and feet. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD1W2F38jNY-IGMvjtC1fqgJVPfmtPMBfS2mHSMe1T7BY-h5AaIxFvlMWbLqwCjG1hC6zIXvKX9-fpyQZZBymJEEkPr9XHqqUgE-3cAlz8GTIKN0RNH_Nb_Fz54lgd_cynQ6UonJ3fW7MD/s1600/25+weeks+-+front.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD1W2F38jNY-IGMvjtC1fqgJVPfmtPMBfS2mHSMe1T7BY-h5AaIxFvlMWbLqwCjG1hC6zIXvKX9-fpyQZZBymJEEkPr9XHqqUgE-3cAlz8GTIKN0RNH_Nb_Fz54lgd_cynQ6UonJ3fW7MD/s200/25+weeks+-+front.jpg" width="161" /></a><span style="background-color: white;">In the meantime, it looks like I'm going to have to start buying maternity clothes pretty soon! </span>Allysonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11660256837175961982noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3367542433826869202.post-66185214322455935472012-06-03T22:51:00.001-07:002012-06-03T22:51:22.832-07:00Off the GridSo, it's been a while... Working for an accountant during tax season means coming home from work with my brain fried and the thought of doing anything is a little too much to handle. That means blogging is the last thing I think about. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_YjS_TrGx2uDHu9f0F1fEghVPy5GBiu6T_xKydLyg0yT14Bp89GAl8JAwEzU3FL889I3HH2O0gsrznX_kKRqHDFlOcjCCVdeHiO4nLCgiT6O6vuQmDUFRDxgablrG7KuN5rDHgl6vVQ4R/s1600/19+weeks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_YjS_TrGx2uDHu9f0F1fEghVPy5GBiu6T_xKydLyg0yT14Bp89GAl8JAwEzU3FL889I3HH2O0gsrznX_kKRqHDFlOcjCCVdeHiO4nLCgiT6O6vuQmDUFRDxgablrG7KuN5rDHgl6vVQ4R/s320/19+weeks.jpg" width="229" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This was a couple weeks ago (at 19 weeks)</td></tr>
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Well, I'm back... and with a little announcement! This October, a super adorable little boy will be joining our family! We already know he's going to be an active little one. His movements have graduated from little flutters to genuine kicks... and they seem to be constant! (2-3/minute most of the time!) Ben was able to feel him kick yesterday and that was really fun for both of us. :)<br />
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In other news, Ben finished his second year of law school and I lived through tax season working 6 days a week during my first trimester! To celebrate (and since Ben's internship doesn't start for another week), we've been taking a number of mini vacations. <br />
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Two weeks ago, we decided to go on a two day camping trip and spend some time hiking in the mountains. Well, one "disaster" led to another, and pretty soon we were back in our living room building a blanket fort, but not before we cooked and ate some delicious tin foil dinners in the mountains while fending off smoke and mosquitoes. Our hike turned into a cuddled up read-aloud session (you know, the kind where you sit up all night reading...) of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Enchantment-Orson-Scott-Card/dp/0345416872">Enchantment</a> by Orson Scott Card. <br />
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Then this past week, we drove down to San Luis Obisbo to visit one of Ben's law school buddies and check out the amazing farmers' market they have each Thursday night. It was a wonderful and relaxing vacation, spent swimming and watching Star Wars, in which I forgot entirely that I had a camera until the drive home. We turned the 3 hour drive into something closer to 8 hours as we slowly wound our way up the Pacific Coast Highway, stopping at all the beaches and just enjoying the scenery. We stopped at <a href="http://www.hearstcastle.org/">Hearst Castle</a>, but decided to make a special trip and spend more time there and instead went to visit the elephant seals on a nearby beach. Then we ate pancakes and went to bed early. All-in-all a wonderful trip! :)<br />
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<br />Allysonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11660256837175961982noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3367542433826869202.post-76833045578615744812012-02-07T21:47:00.000-08:002012-02-07T21:47:50.315-08:00Scotty of the OperaDear friends, family, and anyone else who happens to be reading this. In honor of little Scotty's return home from his mission tomorrow, I wanted to post this <a href="https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=1128197958712">video</a>. Sadly, facebook is retarded and won't let me share it on my blog. <a href="https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=1128197958712">Here's the link</a>. Definitely check it out - you're in for some laughs. After two years do you think he'll still be the same? <br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=1128197958712">Scotty of the Opera</a></div>Allysonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11660256837175961982noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3367542433826869202.post-10515229150126005242011-11-22T12:12:00.001-08:002011-11-22T16:24:17.739-08:00Still not really updating, but you have to listen to this song!So, I realize that I haven't posted for a while and this is really just a cop-out but oh well... I <u>love</u> Mika and this song is my [not-so-]new obsession. It's such a great song for a dance party - preferably one late at night in the kitchen, or whenever you happen to be cleaning... Turn. it. up. LOUD!! :)<br />
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Oh, one more thing - I'm completely in love with the different wall papers about halfway through the video. :)Allysonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11660256837175961982noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3367542433826869202.post-10379205879533552352011-09-01T13:01:00.001-07:002011-09-01T13:08:12.738-07:00Get ready for some laughs!Have you heard of Kid History? I stumbled across these little gems some time ago, but then forgot about them. When I found them a second time I figured I had to share them. <br />
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The first time I saw them I laughed so hard tears were streaming down my face! :)<br />
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<i>PS - you should enlarge the videos for the full effect. </i></div><div><br />
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What do you think - are these fantastic or what?!</div>Allysonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11660256837175961982noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3367542433826869202.post-54100802958658799792011-07-26T12:08:00.001-07:002011-07-26T12:12:20.378-07:00Ukrainian Adventures part 2 - Holy WaterOn our way home from the <a href="http://benandallyson.blogspot.com/2011/07/ukrainian-adventures-part-1-stilske.html">potato cellars in Stilske</a>, Igor took us on another little adventure. Apparently there's a little spring of Holy Water in a big field where people picnic in the summers. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lap number 5!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>People go there to bottle their own drinking water from the icy fountain. While there, many people "take the plunge" and circle the submerged cross in the lower pool seven times, bending down to touch the foot of the cross on each lap. From what I understand, if you do at least seven laps, it will cure you of whatever might be ailing you (allergies, illness, etc.)<br />
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It was a hot day, so we all decided to give it a try, even though walking barefoot in the snow is the only thing that might be as cold. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizF4pq-kXQQwFs4defH1pUxiKzOf5W2__Bj2jjrXKO7sGCBaPdB55dFKe8PPjrR_Ejl01lDWxFJrkYXddQwMdJ6aU2MvMZnT2VKXYKH9cFj2HtGXM1x30Inki9hWqnWhRdW91ONyXl0yBC/s1600/IMG_6677.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizF4pq-kXQQwFs4defH1pUxiKzOf5W2__Bj2jjrXKO7sGCBaPdB55dFKe8PPjrR_Ejl01lDWxFJrkYXddQwMdJ6aU2MvMZnT2VKXYKH9cFj2HtGXM1x30Inki9hWqnWhRdW91ONyXl0yBC/s200/IMG_6677.JPG" width="200" /></a>It was too cold for Anne, so she played in the little trickle where people were filling their water bottles.<br />
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I was holding Mary and she loved splashing in the little waterfall on each lap, so we just kept going around and around. <br />
I ended up doing my 7 laps and then 7 more with Meagan and a few more in between.<br />
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<div style="text-align: left;"> Ella even did a couple laps with us! </div><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">I was actually really enjoying it, but it took quite a while to thaw afterwards. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzzCoWT7Dd_VsHWj8Lj8_4uq9QBOwOI7NF07s1vSlfafdSjDHyX-TH2YdDT8m37h1rqbBvmGzR2vqGbtIqryMHFcXwP2wR93o3vCxuOcXu8jT57mgIh7fPMZuUy33uqIBSLk-_RZl9n_F7/s1600/the+results.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzzCoWT7Dd_VsHWj8Lj8_4uq9QBOwOI7NF07s1vSlfafdSjDHyX-TH2YdDT8m37h1rqbBvmGzR2vqGbtIqryMHFcXwP2wR93o3vCxuOcXu8jT57mgIh7fPMZuUy33uqIBSLk-_RZl9n_F7/s320/the+results.jpg" width="235" /></a></div><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">The first lap all you can think about is getting out. </div><div style="text-align: center;">If you make it to the second, your thoughts are the same and you start to wonder if you've gone mad. </div><div style="text-align: center;">At the third lap you start checking to see if your feet are bleeding - because the pain you're experiencing must be accompanied by copious amounts of blood! </div><div style="text-align: center;">As you round the bend on lap number four, things start looking brighter as all blood leaves your legs. Completely numb by laps five and six, you think it really isn't so bad and you could probably keep going for quite some time. </div><div style="text-align: center;">As you totter out after the seventh lap, you'll go through all the pain of your legs coming back to life, so if you make it that long, you may as well just stay in.... a few more laps won't hurt, but they will put off that awful tingly sensation. </div><br />
Don't worry - I wasn't the only crazy one there. One guy went wading in nothing but his underwear! When someone does that you know they're going to do something great - you can't strip down to your skivvies and not put on some show for all the attention you've attracted. He did fun little tricks like underwater push-ups between his laps!<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">Just going in up to my knees is more than enough for me, thank you. </div>Allysonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11660256837175961982noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3367542433826869202.post-81661252032450969462011-07-19T22:52:00.000-07:002011-07-19T22:52:41.908-07:00Ukrainian Adventures part 1 - Stilske cellars<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzhQWziM8rugIdn1es_QwFcZx5xt_iN6YMoGMNeUVTBWU8vUCE2bjfDy1BjZyHYct42j2QSY4hNMmnS-TL_-FZ-_awUPple7oIpCzA00QGlAj43HT6aIQPuOA7PQE2g5NWJXUXQKwlRtnW/s1600/IMG_6606.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzhQWziM8rugIdn1es_QwFcZx5xt_iN6YMoGMNeUVTBWU8vUCE2bjfDy1BjZyHYct42j2QSY4hNMmnS-TL_-FZ-_awUPple7oIpCzA00QGlAj43HT6aIQPuOA7PQE2g5NWJXUXQKwlRtnW/s320/IMG_6606.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoOnIowlhiLOKDbgJPhwORJ8VvuFsBrjuYO_8vvRbLTNP1IzY2p_66XTRcoaOjuJZAsi1bYdFd8_ye3As2Zw4LJRBcZbAymD9JCWKSqumpLURrtSNGgtdLfaVmalCIMcG0U5T56MsJxP6i/s1600/IMG_6551.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoOnIowlhiLOKDbgJPhwORJ8VvuFsBrjuYO_8vvRbLTNP1IzY2p_66XTRcoaOjuJZAsi1bYdFd8_ye3As2Zw4LJRBcZbAymD9JCWKSqumpLURrtSNGgtdLfaVmalCIMcG0U5T56MsJxP6i/s200/IMG_6551.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>Last week we went on a couple little excursions out of Lviv. Together with our driver/bodyguard, Igor; Ella, Anne, Mary, Meagan and I decided to brave an hour's drive to find an "ancient settlement." It was located in a little village called Stilske that was positively charming. We saw people driving around in horse-drawn wagons and beautiful gardens, chickens on the side of the road, and people out walking their geese!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKgFDv03L91BMZ9KYBs7VbPB8d5UJtwcfnmBvNgnB4H9tR3PYtrH2GYuEP-INQtpc4oqz5rhojcjzS27BpqXn36CDfEl9Xso4j-jM3OtdSq9jx45iBsDKV64BME-xciUyu5cZge2M9J7tc/s1600/IMG_6562.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKgFDv03L91BMZ9KYBs7VbPB8d5UJtwcfnmBvNgnB4H9tR3PYtrH2GYuEP-INQtpc4oqz5rhojcjzS27BpqXn36CDfEl9Xso4j-jM3OtdSq9jx45iBsDKV64BME-xciUyu5cZge2M9J7tc/s200/IMG_6562.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC85m1N5qEYk0JCHMLE2nve-KHionrESERdjS8ML2G5brvQA-_g_0nhBAHL-gtNy9TcwEoEwG1r5v0TQBh-lmByDgIDMHCGf6QtKyYtx0Pqf4jHhiRnNZOMYOkiOltvuiDf3r4tqJEtDpm/s1600/IMG_6587.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC85m1N5qEYk0JCHMLE2nve-KHionrESERdjS8ML2G5brvQA-_g_0nhBAHL-gtNy9TcwEoEwG1r5v0TQBh-lmByDgIDMHCGf6QtKyYtx0Pqf4jHhiRnNZOMYOkiOltvuiDf3r4tqJEtDpm/s200/IMG_6587.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2JHnsSIPKie6LH1wS7encK69B4u_I_xh1pdUn0kW878f8AD0QLWNbxuTlKgUHt_TUrSsNC2c40EWms9aVJLGO3J3CfHYwqL6jL8k5RHuf-SS6WiG7ukLAistA4mCpynmPTdiDP9QUmg8a/s1600/IMG_7847.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2JHnsSIPKie6LH1wS7encK69B4u_I_xh1pdUn0kW878f8AD0QLWNbxuTlKgUHt_TUrSsNC2c40EWms9aVJLGO3J3CfHYwqL6jL8k5RHuf-SS6WiG7ukLAistA4mCpynmPTdiDP9QUmg8a/s200/IMG_7847.JPG" width="200" /></a><br />
<div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4HKCviQko5R2Ovw5JI5-LX63jZr3Bsp0zC65I-BetXGli7DUZ3-yasxTGjSB2phWkENaNdPfIl78d_-Br0ak4yDTrtzzgFqTLTv8Eur2MYNwv4vR38mT99lKL8Wlecqal7YcZeO0F4HeG/s1600/IMG_6581.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4HKCviQko5R2Ovw5JI5-LX63jZr3Bsp0zC65I-BetXGli7DUZ3-yasxTGjSB2phWkENaNdPfIl78d_-Br0ak4yDTrtzzgFqTLTv8Eur2MYNwv4vR38mT99lKL8Wlecqal7YcZeO0F4HeG/s200/IMG_6581.JPG" width="200" /></a>The <a href="http://www.adventurecarpathians.com/day-trips/ancient-settlements-around-lviv/">tourist website</a> it was listed on had a picture like this one, and gave this description:<i> "We start our trip at 9 A.M and depart to the Stilske complex which is located near Mykolayiv in about 40 km from Lviv. That is definitely a unique place, as its' origin comes from VIII – middle XI centuries. Despite of the magnificence and historical value, this place isn't so popular among tourists. The capital of the Great (White) Croatia was located right in this area. The city was really huge at that time: fortified square came up to 250 ha, length of the arbor and defense walls – about 10 km. To compare, Kyiv of that time was only 9,8 ha in square. The difference is gigantic."</i></div><br />
It made it sound like we were going to visit some ancient caves that people lived in centuries ago. Stilske was not easy to find, and after stopping for directions multiple times, we finally found it...<br />
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The "ancient settlement" was a bunch of root cellars cut in the side of the mountain where people (currently) store potatoes and other vegetables for the winter. So maybe they were caves that people lived in once upon a time, and finding a farming community's vegetable storage might have been a bit disappointing when we were expecting the former, but it was still pretty cool.<br />
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<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRmzS8PpA4Bh6dZHklOk3OuLVF7tCcGfERYpRcyG3JUJjUzmBpCxJblZlNCaqTKS29wBDls2FCoHxORRG_YIsGS7DuseFl7KTr1-nx6hAbvtnS3C80_XJM7NP7lK17qllpZt7oS8AkAjXo/s1600/IMG_6591.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRmzS8PpA4Bh6dZHklOk3OuLVF7tCcGfERYpRcyG3JUJjUzmBpCxJblZlNCaqTKS29wBDls2FCoHxORRG_YIsGS7DuseFl7KTr1-nx6hAbvtnS3C80_XJM7NP7lK17qllpZt7oS8AkAjXo/s200/IMG_6591.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMKodWzDJKxng0f-L1EKWW7VxuiDRq0zt3T3rwCoGPm0O3b-P7deEVkZFSBBkijmTWnB0jdzvMGJOaLMS9Njd5zreuAYXSA3satQoyEw4HOZdlvxN5DyS6GtA2VTkWYgaG4Dsc5BX88EWf/s1600/IMG_7843.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMKodWzDJKxng0f-L1EKWW7VxuiDRq0zt3T3rwCoGPm0O3b-P7deEVkZFSBBkijmTWnB0jdzvMGJOaLMS9Njd5zreuAYXSA3satQoyEw4HOZdlvxN5DyS6GtA2VTkWYgaG4Dsc5BX88EWf/s200/IMG_7843.JPG" width="200" /></a></div></div><div style="text-align: center;">More pictures of Stilske....</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">The village</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtIDlRU5DnJksFFWrTUHKXi2rMC-kuhOCDa_FmzfFBeYzPZ3yU0oPDv2i3BI0vWMQmIVnymwxDoTgJQWmNt7TmzTyfoDfhXrHe4qNssPTexHS0onrfay8jInlaFH8jZAhPI_G7Zu7hpKK0/s1600/IMG_7858.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtIDlRU5DnJksFFWrTUHKXi2rMC-kuhOCDa_FmzfFBeYzPZ3yU0oPDv2i3BI0vWMQmIVnymwxDoTgJQWmNt7TmzTyfoDfhXrHe4qNssPTexHS0onrfay8jInlaFH8jZAhPI_G7Zu7hpKK0/s320/IMG_7858.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">Gardens</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMUYE42STW_YFMvW4jqmhuLK2DOQl1Irx2WLe9JFdXmdu7GIRyl5vEjz9kZO_qPrqahvH-HmDGQ3kaaaSGb-HrW3i1rhYeNaPMHDHdoPDU1lLKVT_UNB2Iv3m2BsRTVDsEuaTN7fwIZJaJ/s1600/Gardens.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMUYE42STW_YFMvW4jqmhuLK2DOQl1Irx2WLe9JFdXmdu7GIRyl5vEjz9kZO_qPrqahvH-HmDGQ3kaaaSGb-HrW3i1rhYeNaPMHDHdoPDU1lLKVT_UNB2Iv3m2BsRTVDsEuaTN7fwIZJaJ/s320/Gardens.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"> The local church</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDL2R54l1JNoR-Ez46VWSM2lgNKOb-nj9dxiQlYgLJ0-_sSOsh11qzDZJ1gvmueyaoKP5tHniQkdynfHaqTiSG-iEc1uuENup03tKtfnpJ3IWZ-9OZfLF14x_58ui4FVZYL1YEvieJOxAK/s1600/IMG_6614.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDL2R54l1JNoR-Ez46VWSM2lgNKOb-nj9dxiQlYgLJ0-_sSOsh11qzDZJ1gvmueyaoKP5tHniQkdynfHaqTiSG-iEc1uuENup03tKtfnpJ3IWZ-9OZfLF14x_58ui4FVZYL1YEvieJOxAK/s320/IMG_6614.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">Cool Houses</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXoY6Lm4ByPGLdBIX_Sg6oDYrk0rkAdt7zZVsDq446IzbpbgxlPsjQs4t7Ij4g-s24Wv3unOBQ2ilmwPL1pZa9unitXdD3s1Pz6DgQPQjEyPzETbdnGE0PSWu1BbNRNe_J5yP2JgbLEIbl/s1600/IMG_6624.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXoY6Lm4ByPGLdBIX_Sg6oDYrk0rkAdt7zZVsDq446IzbpbgxlPsjQs4t7Ij4g-s24Wv3unOBQ2ilmwPL1pZa9unitXdD3s1Pz6DgQPQjEyPzETbdnGE0PSWu1BbNRNe_J5yP2JgbLEIbl/s320/IMG_6624.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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</div>Allysonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11660256837175961982noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3367542433826869202.post-43169650627072394902011-07-16T07:11:00.003-07:002011-08-03T09:02:09.357-07:00What's your type?Yesterday was hot. I mean, almost unbearably hot, and since we didn't have our driver we decided to stay home and do as little as possible, so as not to sweat any more than absolutely necessary. :)<br />
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Sitting inside like that led to some great discussions, one of which was nature vs. nurture and personality differences. We decided to take a personality test. Have you heard of Myers-Briggs? It's a really good personality test. We took the test <a href="http://www.personalitypathways.com/type_inventory.html">here</a>. <br />
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In one of my Child Development classes, we discussed the idea of Nature vs. Nurture in great detail. Personalities are all different and while some aspects are learned, others are most definitely inborn. Understanding them better helps us to better understand ourselves and in turn become better people. It's easier to see our weaknesses and work to improve them. It's also nice to see our strengths laid out in front of us. I also think that understanding the different personalities of our children can make us much better and more effective parents. <br />
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I don't believe that taking a test like this is or should be used as an excuse for doing (or not doing) certain things. Saying things like, "it's just how I am" or, "that's just my personality" is incredibly immature and irresponsible. However, I do think that it can be beneficial to learn and understand more about your "personality type." <br />
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My Myers-Briggs personality type is INFP - the Dreamer. A few descriptions of this type are <a href="http://www.typelogic.com/infp.html">here</a>, <a href="https://www.personalitymax.com/personality-types/infp-dreamer">here</a>, and <a href="http://www.personalitypage.com/INFP.html">here</a>. It's actually really interesting - I feel like it fits me almost to a T. However, I've definitely noticed other "learned characteristics" not on the list that have helped me <strike>overcome</strike> improve some of my weaknesses. Some of the lists are fun because they list some famous people - real and fictional - with the same personality type. <br />
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Just a couple from my list are: Homer, Mary (mother of Jesus), Shakespeare, Neil Diamond, and the one that excited me most (from the fictional list)... Anne of Green Gables! (ok, I am a little obsessed)<br />
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So, what's your personality type?Allysonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11660256837175961982noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3367542433826869202.post-26473010644300595062011-07-11T09:27:00.001-07:002011-07-11T12:08:08.718-07:00Shevchenkosky Grove<a href="http://dishesanddesigns.blogspot.com/2011/07/old-ukraine.html" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhNt9HDT4BCqwR51aPzSWIC0GHZqS3spL5ZqF0aRyOwc3dYRLfb0eHGbN10TJjy4SPxA8sS3Xf6LjpGkPFPYRu7AdL13Q77mZxuzizpWA7AulFthkfYJCivAhsFsCAtVwSIhWFo6ImSg97/s320/IMG_6426.JPG" width="240" /></a>On Saturday we went to this great little park called Shevchenkosky High. There are all sorts of old Ukrainian log cabins from the 1800's. They are absolutely charming and I couldn't help but think how fun it might be to live in one for a couple months in the summer. (Yes, I know it's not all romantic and there are definitely downsides to no electricity/plumbing, but I still think they're great!) <br />
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I did a whole post with pictures on my design blog <a href="http://dishesanddesigns.blogspot.com/2011/07/old-ukraine.html">here</a>. Check it out! <br />
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As a side note, Meagan and I are reading Anne of Green Gables (my second time this year) and I just have to say how much I absolutely love those books! If you haven't read them, you most definitely should. Meagan was teasing me about how obsessed I was after reading them for the first time. Now we're not even done with the first book and she's already planning her trip to Prince Edward Island. :) (Thanks Becca for the recommendation!) <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Allysonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11660256837175961982noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3367542433826869202.post-65986821134382053862011-06-22T12:53:00.001-07:002011-06-22T21:26:34.195-07:00A little bit of EverythingLviv is truly amazing. There's so much to do and see here! Here are just a few of the things we've been up to. <br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">Ballets at the Opera House</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmOktvqv9JoVevbGhJjMxs4uq7ijPRa7niRhLd0ImYSX82j9vbuerc32JKZdAXhyphenhyphen4aLnBa7lJxfkHSeLpZEBZoHokHFthoJ6dpyw_4rBjjQv4v2fa5fa4xxCLCud10lGp_gjIBRbQORkLV/s1600/IMG_5789.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmOktvqv9JoVevbGhJjMxs4uq7ijPRa7niRhLd0ImYSX82j9vbuerc32JKZdAXhyphenhyphen4aLnBa7lJxfkHSeLpZEBZoHokHFthoJ6dpyw_4rBjjQv4v2fa5fa4xxCLCud10lGp_gjIBRbQORkLV/s200/IMG_5789.JPG" width="150" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_buJm5ARhp3T5qzYjJ5_JM9vklAYfC5OzaUbfwuhAf1EpA9harADJ_gQbemnDXPeylgaCs82lETFr-h65n16HBb4lYf7mhSrn7aE6Zcqi1vDRsUDKNjMaNasKUoTyzoe2RCeOCxcm6UEV/s1600/IMG_5804.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_buJm5ARhp3T5qzYjJ5_JM9vklAYfC5OzaUbfwuhAf1EpA9harADJ_gQbemnDXPeylgaCs82lETFr-h65n16HBb4lYf7mhSrn7aE6Zcqi1vDRsUDKNjMaNasKUoTyzoe2RCeOCxcm6UEV/s200/IMG_5804.JPG" width="150" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">The Creation of the World and Act I of Swan Lake</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdoF8ar8Js-4ljGr0Cfr-Qba6jMvBg3LQV43gi4_rtweeeadCsw_YBjUsqNu3QLjsDxqjgA8HBhRXNr3Nu1ZUSqzS0Z7eqEcRiZvNHHHOKMMY9TaVctwLy8mlpL9qQ6fWVPIV2jOJ6c9DX/s1600/IMG_5801.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdoF8ar8Js-4ljGr0Cfr-Qba6jMvBg3LQV43gi4_rtweeeadCsw_YBjUsqNu3QLjsDxqjgA8HBhRXNr3Nu1ZUSqzS0Z7eqEcRiZvNHHHOKMMY9TaVctwLy8mlpL9qQ6fWVPIV2jOJ6c9DX/s200/IMG_5801.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">When we left Swan Lake, Annie started dancing like a "swan princess" - ballerina arms and everything! :)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4Z_gsz9EC1boDsusmU2d1sOgpXRyIUNZGcB569JWKyo8sJAaT2h5rqwKdrAuO4igiRnHvETkXO_5rX7q9bJWTbz2wREoY14vvRU_v5sdG0axAEuiaRl-pQHif2UZgIdNieoxLTUd8SkgM/s1600/IMG_5817.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4Z_gsz9EC1boDsusmU2d1sOgpXRyIUNZGcB569JWKyo8sJAaT2h5rqwKdrAuO4igiRnHvETkXO_5rX7q9bJWTbz2wREoY14vvRU_v5sdG0axAEuiaRl-pQHif2UZgIdNieoxLTUd8SkgM/s200/IMG_5817.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">There's a market just a few blocks down the street from us.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">The fruit and veggies are great:</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq7V-bRl6WKHxINCaEYgbKoL_9iYQ3atTfD9jIvEeHTDMossIJOQ2kyOLocGIkDzsj95rDVUNoAV3S5q5T8YedhYfd2l6e17qtJ7i9csFBp_tAjqmxtyNx5Grn52Ow3QtOepj19tJsQVnU/s1600/IMG_5747.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq7V-bRl6WKHxINCaEYgbKoL_9iYQ3atTfD9jIvEeHTDMossIJOQ2kyOLocGIkDzsj95rDVUNoAV3S5q5T8YedhYfd2l6e17qtJ7i9csFBp_tAjqmxtyNx5Grn52Ow3QtOepj19tJsQVnU/s200/IMG_5747.JPG" width="150" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">I love the tubs of spices and spice blends - it smells so great!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO8wEzp9yS8pny4uuzxEMdmiNtnndi9csEpiMSWr4_2CiY2e28wUyTaQPI3pIFa129_ocR4pD9fVzISr7vFYaGdOWiw03p_vbzsoMVC_K7AiosChOrWJ25zSjrhyNhpbBQePTDrBMv0AGL/s1600/IMG_5748.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO8wEzp9yS8pny4uuzxEMdmiNtnndi9csEpiMSWr4_2CiY2e28wUyTaQPI3pIFa129_ocR4pD9fVzISr7vFYaGdOWiw03p_vbzsoMVC_K7AiosChOrWJ25zSjrhyNhpbBQePTDrBMv0AGL/s200/IMG_5748.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The plucked chickens with the feet left on is a little odd, but what do you expect when there are whole pigs hanging up in the meat/dairy tent?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjizy6qryKRiIPI4YKJvG8XfuPXGmkkvRZPn5Wnt-8u5upqReF9q4SEfHIXoliUIwcOYf470AB9A6HMwGBwLA3I5kJCOvdQdVwDearjPfsvZYJnLOba_aeaaMRgj5gEvOKzoe87By7OojKH/s1600/IMG_5744.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjizy6qryKRiIPI4YKJvG8XfuPXGmkkvRZPn5Wnt-8u5upqReF9q4SEfHIXoliUIwcOYf470AB9A6HMwGBwLA3I5kJCOvdQdVwDearjPfsvZYJnLOba_aeaaMRgj5gEvOKzoe87By7OojKH/s200/IMG_5744.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">Down by Center we found a cute Book Bazaar. Now if I just spoke Ukrainian...</div><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">Igor (a friend from church who's also helping with the laundromat) brought us a <i>huge </i>box of strawberries from a local harvest... twice! They were absolutely delicious. The second time around we had fun squishing them all and making strawberry sorbet. </div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI4pm9F5Z3jLm5BWTqTyKpXGRP7Lh2SzKWLj_b4T3zdKamybisQKLHHUmF4SJFwjvb4oNRsatGfWun_QwtusS9edX38-mk91fKkFjD9CvdGWBNa5WTn8jjKVpdyLyOa06aXaN2qL9rP1np/s1600/IMG_5848.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI4pm9F5Z3jLm5BWTqTyKpXGRP7Lh2SzKWLj_b4T3zdKamybisQKLHHUmF4SJFwjvb4oNRsatGfWun_QwtusS9edX38-mk91fKkFjD9CvdGWBNa5WTn8jjKVpdyLyOa06aXaN2qL9rP1np/s200/IMG_5848.JPG" width="150" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUQ8GYNsobpBaHMN0KBqsx9wl5-zP_mArgHKM3rCHFfdaXG43O1nsdG0y1jfDoCYLjTVQOkYloUUkM3sFgKDiMsURHOwVdE7AA9MGIV3bmEaB6hLlxcpX_Ev5ociDimcVXvL3XxovePsI-/s1600/IMG_5850.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUQ8GYNsobpBaHMN0KBqsx9wl5-zP_mArgHKM3rCHFfdaXG43O1nsdG0y1jfDoCYLjTVQOkYloUUkM3sFgKDiMsURHOwVdE7AA9MGIV3bmEaB6hLlxcpX_Ev5ociDimcVXvL3XxovePsI-/s200/IMG_5850.JPG" width="150" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">Remember those darling mini strawberries we got at the market? I ended up using them in a strawberry cake with a lemon glaze. Yum.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7ox3HzsOgpNDkwsrldzK-tHU9GAOlHp2j46VSxBq_LsxqCM22nwAMgl9c6fs1uAeJkR0w5nNkEa_50CjerFI-QgmlvvIjpsOcVLQ0ZjfAlnBnrh8_8XuurDnf_npkq8dh8VzN6CSeTSEQ/s1600/Mini-Strawberry+cake+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7ox3HzsOgpNDkwsrldzK-tHU9GAOlHp2j46VSxBq_LsxqCM22nwAMgl9c6fs1uAeJkR0w5nNkEa_50CjerFI-QgmlvvIjpsOcVLQ0ZjfAlnBnrh8_8XuurDnf_npkq8dh8VzN6CSeTSEQ/s200/Mini-Strawberry+cake+%25282%2529.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">I love seeing all of the local talent at the souvenir bazaars. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">The art is beautiful and some of the matryoshka dolls are positively amazing! </div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCR7EHgKWSsI8yGbc5Mlp561B9UwYO06PpykE9io1NEnsoDJLPYfVl1RgSROiCytmS_O-t7o__dx-WazeYxhl0cqim80I-21QK59MgGpvS3pPh8u4Ivxnq5lqG40wpPDjvoDTYNrS5niQ-/s1600/IMG_5763.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCR7EHgKWSsI8yGbc5Mlp561B9UwYO06PpykE9io1NEnsoDJLPYfVl1RgSROiCytmS_O-t7o__dx-WazeYxhl0cqim80I-21QK59MgGpvS3pPh8u4Ivxnq5lqG40wpPDjvoDTYNrS5niQ-/s200/IMG_5763.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7bPZKWFiwL3a0TbrZ5KOlH_tgmIRgronzCTE8J6cYI4HjCsPyT3hk7mmwqch03ruWuJ0WmwieVPjUykuBkIjMopimHfKf1Ye9VXnUCqtQLzqnTlgJ5FTHvluk2GIyGfmNMi1j1o1mBU1P/s1600/IMG_5754.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7bPZKWFiwL3a0TbrZ5KOlH_tgmIRgronzCTE8J6cYI4HjCsPyT3hk7mmwqch03ruWuJ0WmwieVPjUykuBkIjMopimHfKf1Ye9VXnUCqtQLzqnTlgJ5FTHvluk2GIyGfmNMi1j1o1mBU1P/s200/IMG_5754.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">The hand-made textiles are stunning</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEissqUeq07KCaNwKdXZOJSNu2ZtE8AwqchEvE9W_Tw-vqV2UEXXuYe1m66vF7ZwtBac6OcPR3Q4sd1DgWXYWWqQluQR-tCCnsSwutRlS99dd3DhuhiuhTEwchA9K51h-UQac6jsh6fIzxeK/s1600/IMG_5760.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEissqUeq07KCaNwKdXZOJSNu2ZtE8AwqchEvE9W_Tw-vqV2UEXXuYe1m66vF7ZwtBac6OcPR3Q4sd1DgWXYWWqQluQR-tCCnsSwutRlS99dd3DhuhiuhTEwchA9K51h-UQac6jsh6fIzxeK/s200/IMG_5760.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">I'm kind of a sucker of these hand carved wooden plates and boxes. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9TVfkstCvumcsxWXLqv8H53wHRdjj7s8WlAaUJS_teUlbUzMC5WHitLiGSU9TrzQ4V9tFO3EdsFRJmggBh_t_3phW0n-Gp7KGbDH39Od9M77wz9YKcxRTVYB3iB6y_X7yipPSH8vPnedM/s1600/IMG_5759.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9TVfkstCvumcsxWXLqv8H53wHRdjj7s8WlAaUJS_teUlbUzMC5WHitLiGSU9TrzQ4V9tFO3EdsFRJmggBh_t_3phW0n-Gp7KGbDH39Od9M77wz9YKcxRTVYB3iB6y_X7yipPSH8vPnedM/s200/IMG_5759.JPG" width="150" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Along with all of the traditional tents for people to display their goods, there are also tarps laid out with all sorts of things for sale. You never know what treasures you might find. :) </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP_Hg7qR_u5oTMLoHi8QvgCU7RdiANMgkQ_py3KPLS06iPFztGkaAp-lrnjLr9UUoi6GVurHcrBMpZWBGyK3ZheAHz64vcMrrhmt799UrFe_uF5N8ezhcmYcY4sQZr_zD0LZbOFPRwir-f/s1600/IMG_5777.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP_Hg7qR_u5oTMLoHi8QvgCU7RdiANMgkQ_py3KPLS06iPFztGkaAp-lrnjLr9UUoi6GVurHcrBMpZWBGyK3ZheAHz64vcMrrhmt799UrFe_uF5N8ezhcmYcY4sQZr_zD0LZbOFPRwir-f/s200/IMG_5777.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><br />
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</div>Allysonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11660256837175961982noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3367542433826869202.post-83260454094888168262011-06-15T14:17:00.004-07:002011-06-18T12:16:28.450-07:00Life in LvivWe've been in Lviv for almost a week now. It's been something of a whirlwind adventure getting here - I drove to Utah with Meagan and the girls and got to see my family for a couple days. Then I met back up with Meagan and Benj at the airport and we were off to Paris. <br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5j2N7aSKHZmuz2cP5X86QHvc7lvW9Uph37e6gojn1IfyIm7ZKr9C2MUv91Q5WgfdfHp44R3ptLc-CWUzVHMuv0qRJf-uIFVhaPcmE07XwPUMwrveX3iGp1jrGUDhqfpxiYc93EiLYGUHI/s1600/sunset+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5j2N7aSKHZmuz2cP5X86QHvc7lvW9Uph37e6gojn1IfyIm7ZKr9C2MUv91Q5WgfdfHp44R3ptLc-CWUzVHMuv0qRJf-uIFVhaPcmE07XwPUMwrveX3iGp1jrGUDhqfpxiYc93EiLYGUHI/s200/sunset+1.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sunset in Kiev</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
Paris was great, but I have to admit - I sometimes feel like it's a bit overrated. Especially when you look at the prices! But regardless, I had a great time there and thoroughly enjoyed seeing all of the incredible architecture and eating delicious food. <br />
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After Paris, we flew into Kiev for a day before continuing on to Lviv. <br />
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Before we got here, I was a little bit worried about where we'd live, what we would eat, where we would shop, etc. I don't know why I worried. This place is incredible! <br />
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Around the corner is a "Metro" - a <i>huge </i>Costco-like store with everything you could ever want or imagine. There is a whole aisle solely dedicated to noodles (this is especially great since Meagan and the girls like to eat them at least once a day)! What's really cool is that they sell small/regular sized packages, and two of these wrapped together, as well as huge bulk packages. It's the same way with cheese - normal sized blocks of cheese all the way up to cheese wheels roughly the size of a small tire! Half of Metro is dedicated to food, while the other half has clothes, kitchen equipment, toys, exercise equipment, you name it!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJGMO3mi3lqu2bh73tfX_AvgcqUL3bDLgX0mTWh4VtHjkFCD_uMWVvGHI0yioZ-dsUpD3knIR_zK0NUY1eOtu0bmxai9YhQPrQ_sEJUgu9LwRElih6TUd_PtwEs0Uezh4l2dXbLiunsM9m/s1600/Food+Bazaar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJGMO3mi3lqu2bh73tfX_AvgcqUL3bDLgX0mTWh4VtHjkFCD_uMWVvGHI0yioZ-dsUpD3knIR_zK0NUY1eOtu0bmxai9YhQPrQ_sEJUgu9LwRElih6TUd_PtwEs0Uezh4l2dXbLiunsM9m/s200/Food+Bazaar.jpg" width="200" /></a>Today we went to a food bazaar. It was amazing - and it's only Wednesday! It gets really crazy on the weekends. There were long lines of tables with people selling all sorts of fruit and vegetables. On other side, there was a whole meat and dairy room with every animal body part you could need - and then some.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSlJ2xzig8rFpZmYcJD0JoIn4PJutG8DLziBs6ooiBp4i1J_xKPbbZB1znkSEb2TaQu4kpg_ULJIDwHMYpzwclwBS6-3nVLPuqWbM4pLaf6_LuoBlboHGKPEo8gYfcc_kkr24ITou1uNXv/s1600/Meat+market.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSlJ2xzig8rFpZmYcJD0JoIn4PJutG8DLziBs6ooiBp4i1J_xKPbbZB1znkSEb2TaQu4kpg_ULJIDwHMYpzwclwBS6-3nVLPuqWbM4pLaf6_LuoBlboHGKPEo8gYfcc_kkr24ITou1uNXv/s200/Meat+market.jpg" width="200" /></a><br />
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We bought some peas and the most adorable miniature strawberries I've ever seen! I can't wait to make something with them. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC8Onu5ApK0o4Ch7zMNJ1ax7sA4JE5UrFPWPgKzcs6-Ekj8rTfo6I-ulh_-vfsgnpcfOay7UUJNHw5r_kW_haqJTHoJ9ihxw3Skx3NCIyc2yRNWS-m_7vJ8TkXq92RSDTnz29l0r6VPlDx/s1600/Mini+strawberries.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC8Onu5ApK0o4Ch7zMNJ1ax7sA4JE5UrFPWPgKzcs6-Ekj8rTfo6I-ulh_-vfsgnpcfOay7UUJNHw5r_kW_haqJTHoJ9ihxw3Skx3NCIyc2yRNWS-m_7vJ8TkXq92RSDTnz29l0r6VPlDx/s200/Mini+strawberries.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb8368Xu4kDhAwPhVBXZLy4g6jjNLQeguacASeJVAmUc4x8d8vigg1GUIMWV28NLoNiKUGrZfl0sfE9sqaRRGci0bo294PfdYHQ74K5HllNE8tSWo3gGrQkxh_enlZAJ8wjFn4UC8iomnf/s1600/Buying+peas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="176" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb8368Xu4kDhAwPhVBXZLy4g6jjNLQeguacASeJVAmUc4x8d8vigg1GUIMWV28NLoNiKUGrZfl0sfE9sqaRRGci0bo294PfdYHQ74K5HllNE8tSWo3gGrQkxh_enlZAJ8wjFn4UC8iomnf/s200/Buying+peas.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br />
Between Metro and the bazaars, we're pretty much set for life. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_-tOi_fLKs_tfbwQHp3wS4FyOKOov3jDdEDYHp9a3hAevVbjWU7CJZ9Jyok3Jj13oi0FlrSG6g9XoEXDjwIqjMi0lt96ZGlWA_AJCaArwd6HuqZiSED_X6TZu1xm-S1fXWbWs7b_Hlklv/s1600/Sacks+of+Grain.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_-tOi_fLKs_tfbwQHp3wS4FyOKOov3jDdEDYHp9a3hAevVbjWU7CJZ9Jyok3Jj13oi0FlrSG6g9XoEXDjwIqjMi0lt96ZGlWA_AJCaArwd6HuqZiSED_X6TZu1xm-S1fXWbWs7b_Hlklv/s320/Sacks+of+Grain.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzDqaWWchpXZbSnxy8hAb5hwGGFqtT8y13oBHoXOZBv5irmDyo2chrwdUjcZ-HXuHJyg9ZEI0asTqAcn4R3TPEjEV6r17wX9xoVsLuAKSHQds-itMOx3JO7rTcQAZDQvVZXzw-mqvoC9NT/s1600/church.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzDqaWWchpXZbSnxy8hAb5hwGGFqtT8y13oBHoXOZBv5irmDyo2chrwdUjcZ-HXuHJyg9ZEI0asTqAcn4R3TPEjEV6r17wX9xoVsLuAKSHQds-itMOx3JO7rTcQAZDQvVZXzw-mqvoC9NT/s200/church.JPG" width="200" /></a>We had a fun experience on Sunday. Since I was here last, Lviv now has it's own free-standing LDS meeting house - the first in Ukraine! The branch is pretty small and there were a few key people missing, so when we went to primary, there was only one other family there, and no teachers. We all jumped in - Benj taught a lesson, two-year-old Annie said the prayer, and I played the piano. (Actually it was an electric keyboard that they brought in for me!) :)<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEqK4SzA2D0fV8uEvHSEAViznQcOrRr63HsI5YWPTwVs-eI3hLU4CmO64Aq9rDEHV4ShsjzbnX1mHeSVTdp13LbeOUgnNgL_TydLAacIU8gRJCpoWmBCQRXS_hmQW4PffApy3H6kQ9xmzi/s1600/Primary+singing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEqK4SzA2D0fV8uEvHSEAViznQcOrRr63HsI5YWPTwVs-eI3hLU4CmO64Aq9rDEHV4ShsjzbnX1mHeSVTdp13LbeOUgnNgL_TydLAacIU8gRJCpoWmBCQRXS_hmQW4PffApy3H6kQ9xmzi/s320/Primary+singing.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dymxO7NZp9fMgGdNBD08aw4JOzDYQz5VixzSwYQEoI92Sr8YyjvRRWY7Vh6eVi9FJAW-eW411YK48avEA7KWw' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>Allysonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11660256837175961982noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3367542433826869202.post-51065403220683224192011-06-14T12:55:00.005-07:002011-06-14T12:58:46.609-07:00Summer PlansFor those of you that don't already know, Ben and I have some pretty great summer plans this year. Ben was hired as a legal intern in San Francisco and I'm so proud of him. Internships for first year law students are like gold, so this is wonderful. He's learning a lot and really enjoying himself. <br />
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Before Ben got the internship, our friends - the Beckers - told us they were moving to Ukraine and starting a business. They invited us to come over with them and help out. We thought it would be fun and decided to go along... and then Ben got the internship. Since we had already accepted their offer to go to Ukraine with them and help out and Ben was going to be really busy with his internship, we decided that just I would go.<br />
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It was a hard decision, since that meant we'd be apart for about 2 1/2 months, but the opportunity was too incredible to pass up and with Skype, we thought we'd make it through. Ben will also be coming out to meet me at the end of the summer and we'll get to spend some time together in Europe before starting back into "real life."<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZISAqp3glIA22rxBBeRCn05KXM5SJwDsBRzZRpHsEUNOwxWPj9p1HOVzVRt9ralNyqNzaScOfkJPcOc8ixooP-QSmOp9FBEknawaNsm1tn6TCVBw5wVD_RKOeEPETxHoOpymrHI3blGSR/s1600/Lviv+Center+-+Opera+House.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZISAqp3glIA22rxBBeRCn05KXM5SJwDsBRzZRpHsEUNOwxWPj9p1HOVzVRt9ralNyqNzaScOfkJPcOc8ixooP-QSmOp9FBEknawaNsm1tn6TCVBw5wVD_RKOeEPETxHoOpymrHI3blGSR/s400/Lviv+Center+-+Opera+House.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
I'm currently in Lviv, Ukraine and absolutely loving it! Honestly, this place is incredible! It has everything you could ever want or need! I can't believe how much it's changed since I was here last.<br />
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For photo highlights of Paris, check out my <a href="http://dishesanddesigns.blogspot.com/">design blog</a>! <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5VB2DywsqdMgiHOUBBfCRoGcTwrjv6I0eV4TlEMHsIiOhyphenhyphenoUDSa6_vDd1dxZvg3yvDOTgOqCoK8E8UGi70JtEMO7c8_Rj8nrj9iAcwPN7zUfVMWBl0eJ1Lkxk5u8hEHnrc-3bWTE6Cnr3/s1600/Buying+flowers+from+Babushkas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="284" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5VB2DywsqdMgiHOUBBfCRoGcTwrjv6I0eV4TlEMHsIiOhyphenhyphenoUDSa6_vDd1dxZvg3yvDOTgOqCoK8E8UGi70JtEMO7c8_Rj8nrj9iAcwPN7zUfVMWBl0eJ1Lkxk5u8hEHnrc-3bWTE6Cnr3/s400/Buying+flowers+from+Babushkas.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Allysonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11660256837175961982noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3367542433826869202.post-55552266025264178032011-04-26T23:10:00.000-07:002011-04-26T23:10:49.302-07:002 Years!Yesterday, Ben and I celebrated our 2 year anniversary. It seems like just yesterday we were shivering outside the Salt Lake Temple, wondering what had happened to the beautiful spring weather we had been enjoying the week before... but not not really caring since we had just been sealed for time and all eternity.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia6pRRheGMhPjLopC3YpzUiq1R3uO4yXsc91js2M5Ymvqcl9N4Cc6i4NYwuLRBymABHoy11NzuCBpgSRj8TWhfn9MEugDaCNO2WS52Kh0Vb5RpSlpbKYcYP-i2ZGW7H3wUpd6fpuHRoXdc/s1600/I_0335.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia6pRRheGMhPjLopC3YpzUiq1R3uO4yXsc91js2M5Ymvqcl9N4Cc6i4NYwuLRBymABHoy11NzuCBpgSRj8TWhfn9MEugDaCNO2WS52Kh0Vb5RpSlpbKYcYP-i2ZGW7H3wUpd6fpuHRoXdc/s320/I_0335.jpg" width="212" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH-CKZavjFKzckcW9rApENIaKZ0WPy5P-0sxsTJLBky7m1KA3g4lAQLaJeCHyKrUYkTsXfWeecP_D_ylaSqPc_iEU6a2XCnYxZ_XSX72j6cxhSZYFxpe82NBDHqkg_JyUctGqoxtyzID8-/s1600/I_0577.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH-CKZavjFKzckcW9rApENIaKZ0WPy5P-0sxsTJLBky7m1KA3g4lAQLaJeCHyKrUYkTsXfWeecP_D_ylaSqPc_iEU6a2XCnYxZ_XSX72j6cxhSZYFxpe82NBDHqkg_JyUctGqoxtyzID8-/s320/I_0577.jpg" width="212" /></a>Mondays are hard days for us. Ben goes to school early and I head off to work. Regardless of what time he gets home, he spends the rest of the night studying for finals, and I go straight to class from work. (I'm taking an Interior Architectural Drafting class on Monday nights this semester.) After 3 hours of class, I get home a little after 10 and fall straight into bed. when I saw that our anniversary fell on a Monday this year I was a little bummed. I knew that by the time I got home I would be too exhausted to do much more than say hello.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCmcWgXqdtXAUnUsSSwVoBR4r7tHGNZrybkn9C9RjSwpZphVgukGwt2EuR4a-SHxfG1s9WonioqO-kFIUw4jt79IyzHFJEDUkRzNODhz3ZehOH2Cf_sf9HkCeWNW2Kg9Qjm-Zu94-QaA7z/s1600/DSCN9159.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCmcWgXqdtXAUnUsSSwVoBR4r7tHGNZrybkn9C9RjSwpZphVgukGwt2EuR4a-SHxfG1s9WonioqO-kFIUw4jt79IyzHFJEDUkRzNODhz3ZehOH2Cf_sf9HkCeWNW2Kg9Qjm-Zu94-QaA7z/s200/DSCN9159.JPG" width="150" /></a>Well, Ben - being the wonderful, amazing husband that he is woke me up with breakfast in bed! When I finally got home, I was surprised with a beautiful bouquet of flowers, a card, and a clean room. As if that wasn't enough, at the last second, before I fell asleep, he pulled a little jewelry box out of nowhere. I was completely shocked! It was a beautiful necklace that Ben picked out all on his own! What a guy! I really have the best husband ever!<br />
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You know, it's really amazing to see how far we've come in these past two years. I would have struggled to believe that I could ever be more in love with my darling husband that on that cold April day, 2 years ago. But as we've grown as a couple, I know now that I love him so much more now than I could have ever imagined. It makes me excited for the rest of well, forever!Allysonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11660256837175961982noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3367542433826869202.post-25595263093204074052010-12-25T20:14:00.000-08:002010-12-25T20:14:40.252-08:00Merry Christmas!<b>Merry Christmas</b> everyone! This year has been full of adventures, to say the least. We've only been married for a year and a half, but we've already gone through a rather serious <a href="http://benandallyson.blogspot.com/2010/03/catch-up.html">car accident</a>, moved back and forth across the country (a number of times), and started graduate school! <br />
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For those of you that don't know, Ben and I are currently living with his parents in California. It's a party all the time here, because we're not the only ones living here - <a href="http://darandgreg.blogspot.com/">Darlene and Greg</a> and their soon-to-be baby are living here as well! Ben just finished his first semester of Law School and he's absolutely loving it! Sometimes it's hard to talk to him because he's off in his own little "lawyer world" and analyzes everything with a lawyer perspective. :) I'm working part time as a mother's/teacher's helper and I absolutely love it! I'm also heading back to school in January to finish up my Interior Design degree. <br />
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We're enjoying this new phase in our lives and we're really excited to see where it takes us.<br />
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Love you all!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI7LdyTVeLajwwdbLGLfSKKgtFnOtAnqEWUIIawvwdCmATAAxkWGvMVRSqHQ3hVYOWzRYnQh-SRgT7ui_MBOlAmZvkyKaXUauxJdn6ANn4wdZXremhE4aRv2qIJPCMkFzN4K02ITFlCjKJ/s1600/Christmas+2010.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI7LdyTVeLajwwdbLGLfSKKgtFnOtAnqEWUIIawvwdCmATAAxkWGvMVRSqHQ3hVYOWzRYnQh-SRgT7ui_MBOlAmZvkyKaXUauxJdn6ANn4wdZXremhE4aRv2qIJPCMkFzN4K02ITFlCjKJ/s400/Christmas+2010.jpg" width="340" /></a></div>Allysonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11660256837175961982noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3367542433826869202.post-65150152132759279052010-10-05T16:00:00.000-07:002010-10-05T16:00:31.136-07:00Nielsen KitchenSince moving to California, I've done a lot of cleaning, organizing and painting. With Darlene's help, we've completely transformed the kitchen, giving it just a bit of an English Tea Room feel. Here are a couple pictures, but there are a lot more on my <a href="http://dishesanddesigns.blogspot.com/">design blog</a>. Enjoy! <br />
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I have one large wall space that I'm planning to put a plate collage on. Here's the catch - I want input on the designs. Click <a href="http://dishesanddesigns.blogspot.com/2010/10/kitchen-complete.html">here </a>and tell me what you think! Thanks a million! :)<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><b>Before</b></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqq3D9QnZCHLLKl60WHGvC4js9oFLPdD9KWhX8vZtYP4UDwT-2oqBhNpx_9nILwA8tanaRjyUnq6IcAy6fluy1dNauIWgluYW4mCE0M4_SKA6A6gsKwzQaIUFby69urveXY5h0Rok-P1LQ/s1600/DSCN7960.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqq3D9QnZCHLLKl60WHGvC4js9oFLPdD9KWhX8vZtYP4UDwT-2oqBhNpx_9nILwA8tanaRjyUnq6IcAy6fluy1dNauIWgluYW4mCE0M4_SKA6A6gsKwzQaIUFby69urveXY5h0Rok-P1LQ/s320/DSCN7960.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><b>After</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicOE0Umpd_OE_5MUDXFeU77YiX1QKkSL9fiqHVfnJ6hfAEr_xRHSs8vEloXMz_TpbTaExpA9Oup-_n2QsamGtKI2bG8GasH0mUDcPKI6riMR8ucLSftQ8AoOhW_x0RTCwlZXr5BB-Z8bvn/s1600/DSCN8337.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicOE0Umpd_OE_5MUDXFeU77YiX1QKkSL9fiqHVfnJ6hfAEr_xRHSs8vEloXMz_TpbTaExpA9Oup-_n2QsamGtKI2bG8GasH0mUDcPKI6riMR8ucLSftQ8AoOhW_x0RTCwlZXr5BB-Z8bvn/s320/DSCN8337.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">For more before and after pictures, click <a href="http://dishesanddesigns.blogspot.com/2010/10/kitchen-complete.html">here</a>. </div>Allysonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11660256837175961982noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3367542433826869202.post-86691187084620823482010-09-17T21:26:00.009-07:002010-09-17T22:02:32.180-07:00Wake me up when September ends...Sorry I've been so neglectful lately. I can't believe I haven't updated in so long! It's been really busy, with family and parties almost every weekend. Also, I have to confess, I started a new <a href="http://dishesanddesigns.blogspot.com/">Design blog</a>, and I've been spending a little more time there lately.<br />
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So here's the condensed version of what's been happening lately:<br />
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With the help of a number of wonderful friends, Ben and I packed up our two bedroom apartment in Provo and moved to San Francisco. Now, before you go thinking "what fun! - they're living in the city!," let me inform you that we're not actually right in the city. We decided that it would be better to save some money and live with Ben's parents while he attends Law School. The funny thing is, that Greg and Darlene had that same thought, when Greg got a job in the city. So now we're re-living one of the shows from our childhood - Full House - and all living together under the same roof. I must say though, for roommates, the Swapps and the Nielsens are pretty awesome. (and no, I'm not just saying that because Darlene's sitting across from me on the sofa right now.) :)<br />
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Ben has successfully started Law School. He seems to be cut out for this stuff because he's doing so well, and loving his classes. I'm so proud of him! I'm looking for a job and planning to finish up school myself in January, as well as taking on the project of re-doing some of the rooms here at my in-law's home.<br />
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In other news, my <a href="http://mhannaht.blogspot.com/">awesome and gorgeous sister is in Jerusalem</a> right now at the <a href="http://ce.byu.edu/jc/">BYU Jerusalem Center</a>! I'm so happy she gets to have this experience, even though I totally wish I could be there as well.Allysonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11660256837175961982noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3367542433826869202.post-52241570239625049672010-06-29T12:47:00.009-07:002010-06-29T16:29:10.480-07:00Camping!When you're prepared, camping can be one of the most incredible experiences - turning off technology, slowing down the pace of life, and discovering some of the most beautiful things nature has to offer. If unprepared however, you probably won't ever want to try it again.<br /><br />Since we got married, I've wanted to take Ben out camping, but lack of necessities like a tent and sleeping bag prevented us a number of times. I have to say though, part of me wondered if this city boy I married would even be able to handle the great outdoors.<br /><br />Well, we finally had our chance to go camping a couple weeks ago. We went down near <a href="http://www.utah.com/stateparks/goblin_valley.htm">Goblin </a><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galaxy_Quest">Valley </a> with 3 other couples and had an awesome desert camp-out. After breakfast and breaking camp Saturday morning, we went on a beautiful hike and even found a cave! Unfortunately, I completely forgot that I had my camera until we were on our hike, so I don't have pictures of our camp site or anything. :(<br /><br />On our drive to and from the camp site, we listened to some Louis L'Amour short stories. It was fun walking around the desert pretending we were in one of his stories, braving the harsh winds and searching for a desert oasis.<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTCXi429T6_yosfMZsHnYpLZjLDjlR7EBnbG8CeiVFcB2aNjtQ4essAT5iUsRtOlt7tT_EmrtfOXdQUyq-gKGcBLtapd3-r4OVgy9CuVExx8buUKBiUvvv7o5-YZRh6eOG3zxgE6SuexY-/s1600/DSCN7707+edited.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 478px; height: 324px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTCXi429T6_yosfMZsHnYpLZjLDjlR7EBnbG8CeiVFcB2aNjtQ4essAT5iUsRtOlt7tT_EmrtfOXdQUyq-gKGcBLtapd3-r4OVgy9CuVExx8buUKBiUvvv7o5-YZRh6eOG3zxgE6SuexY-/s400/DSCN7707+edited.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5488266358924772738" border="0" /></a><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitPGlBfOdoVqK5ecZCfcOhrCSRehQNg0WtvVJE54kKey1go8CyVOnwnYmL-ArZxc_yq6agB-epiv4GAHLC8D2_OSewHmDHDO8TtVAzEHzwVzd1A2vc4zGCQ1t5_FnVMnk-fdhjUIbj_e4s/s1600/DSCN7722+edited.jpg"><img style="display: block; 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margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 468px; height: 350px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzXtM68yQjzEhl5t8RKogKQXFWuZRaeHzWi_sJ7_NtChMxbmfTofXMk5NoNc8YCmTXgWJCUD0ZstJ3znab4zWOmZk-HTxdp6JpKOVyg9avYOqLWh1FhHtYHLkVxzvHq7xeHJ6uKbQ8gLAH/s400/DSCN7747.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5488271679023530210" border="0" /></a><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ7nqSwE6_G58JX84d113MYlfzYlo4DSR5pbWd7POBPuS9Ffw3tBHjjZBy2iCBYb6gZhIp5V-lMKyuDIaiMjwGmhIZLpPHTaQ9g5D5iRdB_8CflcKSzbONdPK0-isLr205ZgxYRIzIAjli/s1600/DSCN7771+edited.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 466px; height: 348px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ7nqSwE6_G58JX84d113MYlfzYlo4DSR5pbWd7POBPuS9Ffw3tBHjjZBy2iCBYb6gZhIp5V-lMKyuDIaiMjwGmhIZLpPHTaQ9g5D5iRdB_8CflcKSzbONdPK0-isLr205ZgxYRIzIAjli/s400/DSCN7771+edited.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5488273709057896818" border="0" /></a><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcX-mROlrPOVMfpMWUkG8VTWsjc6vvzT2fOOb1FSoqrB5-cG-F-58JbJgEFJcuPEdyZEqRSFlK6w6lVmbYCuGj7KE5rVGIFUNon1Z-tNOf_xzV8LPor3B5WUUFuoYOmOtRaViA3_HIIkUs/s1600/DSCN7787+edited.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 473px; height: 353px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcX-mROlrPOVMfpMWUkG8VTWsjc6vvzT2fOOb1FSoqrB5-cG-F-58JbJgEFJcuPEdyZEqRSFlK6w6lVmbYCuGj7KE5rVGIFUNon1Z-tNOf_xzV8LPor3B5WUUFuoYOmOtRaViA3_HIIkUs/s400/DSCN7787+edited.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5488276581508288914" border="0" /></a><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div> <div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3drjb0CT5i_C0qW0WTbs-lGnLhCcuU6DfKolbjXmqyhITU9A7qzsgDQrPnBGfSLafIoa1b1lfQ3KPBI-WtvZKLKplhtGM_EwcGkolOEUPV_yivQhBfG-b9kGv15zW0MYpgcduxnj1Wc8G/s1600/DSCN7819.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 476px; height: 355px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3drjb0CT5i_C0qW0WTbs-lGnLhCcuU6DfKolbjXmqyhITU9A7qzsgDQrPnBGfSLafIoa1b1lfQ3KPBI-WtvZKLKplhtGM_EwcGkolOEUPV_yivQhBfG-b9kGv15zW0MYpgcduxnj1Wc8G/s400/DSCN7819.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5488278369153298690" border="0" /></a><br /></div> <div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLreesvaD7gLQ5tevEGAeR8XLKTnmjYceME-HvBU5qR29hnwUUR7H0SIazAptM8AlNJnxRd1CCNzV3NOOAY_Vv-n3xFfy0EOas3VCNi6XJyT_Lwda93Ny0vreNpiW0Egp6Fr6qILusV5YJ/s1600/DSCN7821.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 477px; height: 357px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLreesvaD7gLQ5tevEGAeR8XLKTnmjYceME-HvBU5qR29hnwUUR7H0SIazAptM8AlNJnxRd1CCNzV3NOOAY_Vv-n3xFfy0EOas3VCNi6XJyT_Lwda93Ny0vreNpiW0Egp6Fr6qILusV5YJ/s400/DSCN7821.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5488284396919250226" border="0" /></a>Allysonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11660256837175961982noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3367542433826869202.post-47928107348259431982010-06-15T10:41:00.003-07:002010-06-15T16:44:21.368-07:00Enjoy Life<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1xjfDmypgJu-UnECu0V-e2KouyOpRz17rYVPP9DjLwmmY6RMqU1s5nKgoagToDs4cepvOZ6sy1Lo4WrJjTpg03IB7aIth2dn1n5Bchs1DWWJBc-wi4tPflGfrvWG2_JZeh8TR9qXM1UpE/s1600/247611454_00f51922cf_o.jpg"><br /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzNe0lv_JHMwggD6N5tbKLRRae0Tr6dCvUVyA3Cf8SzQAURsfRgzybmo0ddd8-h75D9fUlAP98wXKdvDQSwhoWnxTdxfuTaFzxB4HSMa_mtWr-jR-zFYgpzMJ3mgcWShXKupSdKpXBP9yW/s1600/Ice-Cream-Cones.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 152px; height: 191px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzNe0lv_JHMwggD6N5tbKLRRae0Tr6dCvUVyA3Cf8SzQAURsfRgzybmo0ddd8-h75D9fUlAP98wXKdvDQSwhoWnxTdxfuTaFzxB4HSMa_mtWr-jR-zFYgpzMJ3mgcWShXKupSdKpXBP9yW/s400/Ice-Cream-Cones.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483056310473547762" border="0" /></a><br />I recently ran across <a href="http://1000awesomethings.com/2010/05/19/502-fully-justifying-whatever-terrible-thing-youre-eating/">this blog post </a>that totally made my day. The blog serves as just a little reminder to recognize all those great moments in life that we take for granted.<br /><br />Why obsess over our appearance and weight? While I'm a firm believer that you should exercise and look your best, the key to it is looking YOUR best, not the <a href="http://www.dove.us/#/features/videos/default.aspx[cp-documentid=7049579]">photo-shopped-model-on-the-magazine-cover's</a> best. Part of the <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUXNQFlqE_9yDfWvabKaw5VF5x3JNxOfu7pTRn2x6UiF9BQcb497j4sSe0WzNSYS_TUuALVgJUjQaWcikw_3YJl-m415iRGx9kAcFnuFjVBrb0xp5cGIltLOISR04Rw616ljcf3luQUQyh/s1600/AAAADNx28XYAAAAAAArSnw.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 168px; height: 168px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUXNQFlqE_9yDfWvabKaw5VF5x3JNxOfu7pTRn2x6UiF9BQcb497j4sSe0WzNSYS_TUuALVgJUjQaWcikw_3YJl-m415iRGx9kAcFnuFjVBrb0xp5cGIltLOISR04Rw616ljcf3luQUQyh/s400/AAAADNx28XYAAAAAAArSnw.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483056806953321650" border="0" /></a>wonderful blessing of having a body is getting to enjoy the pleasures of life. Enjoy that extra scoop of ice cream or that second (or sometimes third) slice of cake. Don't deprive yourself - Just remember to do it in moderation. Enjoy <span style="font-style: italic;">every</span> moment in life - the exercise AND all of those yummy treats.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1xjfDmypgJu-UnECu0V-e2KouyOpRz17rYVPP9DjLwmmY6RMqU1s5nKgoagToDs4cepvOZ6sy1Lo4WrJjTpg03IB7aIth2dn1n5Bchs1DWWJBc-wi4tPflGfrvWG2_JZeh8TR9qXM1UpE/s1600/247611454_00f51922cf_o.jpg"><br /></a>Allysonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11660256837175961982noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3367542433826869202.post-14532328188841557562010-05-24T12:33:00.001-07:002010-05-24T12:36:24.366-07:00A little odd, don’t you think?This morning I woke up to a blanket of snow. Typically, this is really exciting because I <span style="font-style: italic;">love </span>the snow. In the last week of May though, things are a little different. I’m ready for sunshine and summertime.<br /><br />While I was getting ready this morning, I decided to listen to Josh Groban. With five albums (one being Christmas), I decided to just turn it on to shuffle. When I do this, I always run the risk of an occasional Christmas song coming up in the mix. However, this has only ever happened once – maybe I’m just lucky. Today was different. After the original song that I turned on, <span style="font-weight: bold;">every </span>song after that was a Christmas song! I switched to Michael Buble (8 albums and only 4 Christmas songs) and the same thing happened! How does that even happen?Allysonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11660256837175961982noreply@blogger.com1