Things I'm missing right now

Numero Uno: ROMANIA.

I had a wonderful facebook chat yesterday with a young man that I saw from beginning to end find the church and get baptized after a lot of trials including getting permission from his parents, siblings and friends being opposed--you know, the typical issues that these brave people tackle in order to do what they feel is right. It's not easy, and even after someone joins the church in Romania, as a missionary you are still anxious that these young people can stay strong and make good choices. Gabi got baptized a year and a half ago. And say what you will about the cons of facebook and the internet, but the fact that I can still find out how he is doing and be able to keep contact with all the wonderful people that I met in Romania is amazing to me. You go, internet!

Anyway, Gabi and some other youth from Romania were able to go to an international Especially For Youth session in Germany. For those of you who went to EFY and remember the so-called "spiritual high" that you came home with, it is easy to see that this kind of upliftment is just what these teenagers in Europe need to help them get through those times when it's easy to get discouraged. It made my day to hear Gabi talk about how wonderful it was for him and how much stronger he is now. Then he asked me to share a verse of scripture with him and he asked if he could do the same. It was so cute! And in a wave of emotion, I was taken back to my missionary days where life was simple, sometimes heartbreaking, but always fulfilling.

Numero Dos: Provo.

Whaaaat? Did I really just say that? I guess maybe I should rephrase to say the people there, the restaurants, the Sweet Tooth Fairy, my spring classes talking about Toni Morrison all day long, the outdoor summer concerts. Well, I guess I should just admit it--I miss Provo. That's something that I never thought I would say when I first moved there. Those of you that have lived there, you know what I'm talking about.

Numero Tres: my wedding.

It went by too fast! And, I just got the pictures yesterday, and they brought back so many wonderful memories, and also some regretful moments of photos that I neglected to have taken--like one with just my grandparents, or one with my bestie Kelsy. Where's a time turner when you need one?

Click here to see my wedding photos!!

And numero cuatro: my husband. Come home from work already!

Anywhaaay, I guess I should go get dressed. It is, after all, noon (don't judge), and my birthday festivities are beginning today with a trip to the salon. Nothing too drastic though!

Let the birthday weekend extravaganza begin!

The District

From the mouths of babes

Did you hear? We got called as nursery leaders. The reaction that I have heard multiple times from people was "why do they do that to newlyweds?!" and "don't let that be another form of birth control for you." Thanks for the advice. It will be taken into consideration.

Hanging out with and trying to teach two and three year olds definitely has its advantages and disadvantages. The one advantage that my husband had to wrack his brain to find was that you get snacks in nursery. The advantages that I have found is that you get to talk to three year olds (who are hilarious), it's only for two hours, and if they have a scream attack or bathroom emergency, you just hand them off to the parents. Fine by me.

But besides all that, you get a chance to see how in tune and "with it" these babies are. People think that you can't have spiritual experiences at church when you're in the nursery. This is not the case, I think. They know the basics, and everything is so simple with them. The answer to every question to them is "Jesus." Who do you think made the nest for the baby birds? Who answers your prayers? Who is the nicest person you know? I love it.

So, back to the part about how three year olds are hilarious. Right after I graduated high school, I helped in the nursery. Combine that with the kids I am teaching now, I have learned that you can typically see what kind of personality they will be when they grow up, even as early as three years old. Here are the examples from my own nursery class (names will not be used to protect their innocence).

There's the boy who Victor and I call Marky Mark. He dresses fab, and you can tell that he will be a hottie when he grows up. We call him Marky Mark because his pants are just a little too big for him, and he ends up walking around with his pants around his ankles.

Then there's the girl who will definitely be OCD when she grows up. Considering the fact that she methodically puts strips of toilet paper on the seat before she has you carefully place her on the seat, it's a given.

And let's not forget the lovable nerd, the drama queen, the fashionista, and the sweet quiet one who everybody loves but kind of forgets about because she never causes any problems.

So there you go. I realize this post was mostly about the advantages of working in the nursery. There are disadvantages, but for me they don't fit into the theme of this post because they involve the younger group of the nursery--the dreaded 18 month olds who are new to the nursery. They're the ones who put a damper on nursery, in my opinion. I'm positive that my husband can think of more disadvantages. He is just completely out of his element right now, so it's a bit of a struggle for him. It's amusing to watch.

Loves, Annie

Happiness is...

Happiness is new wedding dishes. I am in love.

I was about to return them and opt for the much cheaper Ikea ones. But my mom convinced me that these ones are much better. I agree with her, but my husband will probably say that his wallet doesn't. Oooooh well!

The plates are Lenox, and the cups are from Anthropologie, which was a big hot mess, because I bought them months ago, and then got all up in arms when they weren't with all my other dishes that my mom sent. Well, I found them today. Sorry, Mom, for accusing you of secretly keeping them for yourself. They're just so cute, so who wouldn't want to kife them?

Our first house guests

Don't mind the messy apartment--it's still a work in progress!

My parents decided to come up and see us after a week in Florida. They chose to drive up and see us since we were relatively "in the same neck of the woods." They soon realized that that was quite a stretch. But I'm still glad they came!

We didn't have much time together, so we decided to stick around here and show them the charms of Virginia life south of D.C. We live right by Fredericksburg, a cute historic city full of antique and vintage stores, Civil War battlefields, and the boyhood home of George Washington, which we visited while the husband was working.

This is where the main house used to be

My dad has mastered taking the self portrait--but we are still struggling to not look ridiculous

It was here that George Washington cut down his father's cherry tree and infamously answered when confronted about it "I cannot tell a lie." It's still up in the air whether this is actually a true story: personally, I think it's just something that teachers make up for when they're teaching snot nose children their abc's (name that movie!).

Either way, I really like this painting that they had there, because not only is the cherry tree cutting still in debate, but the joke is that we really can't even try to imagine our first president as a child.

So now the question is, when are YOU coming to visit?! We have a guest bedroom with your name on it, and we live just 30 minutes (give or take, ok mostly give, depending on traffic) from Washington D.C., so fly into that airport. See you soon!!!

Forget about being baby hungry...

These are my neighbors dogs. Every time you pull up, they pop their heads up simultaneously and greet you. It makes me melt!! Don't you just love them?! I've named them Old Dan and Little Ann.

(side story about the dogs' names. my parents have been in town and they were smitten by these cute puppies as well. I said about their names, referring to Where the Red Fern Grows, "isn't it Big Dan and Little Ann?" My dad got all defensive and was like "you think I don't know Where the Red Fern Grows?!" Mind you, it's like his favorite book of all time, so he gets very defensive about it, apparently. Never read it? Do it now. It's a wonderful book.)

Anyway, back to the puppies: I WANT ONE.

Seriously, I have wanted a dog for a while now, and the yearnings just get stronger and stronger. I guess I know what it's like for all those women who yearn to be mamas. But right now for me, I just want to be a puppy mama!! So stay tuned, I guess.

Happy weekend. Loves, Annie

On the grounds of Brooklyn, your honor

Name that movie. Anyone?

For 4th of July weekend, we decided to take a little trip up to New York City. Saturday was gorgeous, so we decided to walk over the bridge into Brooklyn. I love the Brooklyn Bridge, and it gives you sweet views of the harbor and the city. And it's free--can't beat that! We stopped and had some pizza as well. Delish. I swear the highlights of my time spent in NYC is always the food (for good reason, because the restaurants in my neck of the woods are crap, but that's another post for another time).

Anyway, we had a great time. We also took in a show, Anything Goes. A good old musical time, and I got to see Sutton Foster perform in it, which was incredible. What a performer! Case in point:

A fun weekend all around. It tuckered me out, but I can't wait to get back!

Love love, Annie

Honeymoonin'

I learned a lot about myself on my honeymoon to the D.R. (that's the cool abbreviation for the Dominican Republic).

First, that I could indeed live on a diet of potato chips, fresh fruit, and pina coladas. Unfortunately, the husband can't.

Second, I have NO tolerance for high temperatures, high humidity, and no air conditioning whatsoever. We went to Santo Domingo for a day, and it was HOT. So hot, that it was a struggle to enjoy anything else. It kind of made me a grumpy gus. But Santo Domingo was a sweet city, with a lot of cool history. I just couldn't wait to get back to this view:

Third, I am such a sucker for spa treatments. This probably just confirms your assumptions about me that I am a diva, but I don't care. Massages are incredible, and I think I converted my husband as well through the juice and private infinity pool available only for spa users.

Fourth, I have finally been to a country where I find that the guys just as attractive as the girls. The D.R. is full of beautiful people, and unlike China and Romania where the girls are beautiful and the guys...eh...not so much (my apologies to any Chinese or Romanian guy that is reading this, which is very unlikely), both the girls and the guys are very attractive. Oh, and guess what: I married one of 'em!

Fifth, I really like being married.