New Hair for Winter!

It's not permed, but the hairdresser did it all nice and curly for me. I decided to go a little darker for the wintertime. :)

It's Christmastime!

This Friday was Thrive's 1st annual Christmas Party. We had a great time at the Homestead Resort with a wonderful dinner and entertainment. The Improv group Comedy Sportz came, and they were a riot. There was a pretty sleigh out front where we took a nice Christmas picture!

Well THIS was an especially fun-filled week. We got to spend our Thanksgiving with Seth and Ashley and the kids and had a nice Thanksgiving Dinner. Then that evening Amos, Ashley, and I went to see the new movie Australia, which we really liked. The showing we intended to see was sold out so we decided to see Twilight while we waited. Honestly I never showed much interest in the Twilight series, but after seeing the movie (while Ashley kindly explained to me what exactly was going on) I've decided I should start reading the books. I'll have to grab some for the long flight to England!
Friday and Saturday we did some deal-hunting and ended up with some new jeans, more board games to add to the collection, a Guitar Hero Wii game for me, a new apartment, a sofa, and a vacuum.
Yep, we're moving! BYU kicks us out of married student housing as soon as Amos graduates, so we had to find a place to move into before we leave for the UK. We are moving up to Midvale, which will be a nice change of scenery. We're leaving our cinder block realm for... drumroll please...drywall, a walk-in closet, and plush carpets!

So along came the decision to get a sofa for our living room, along with a vacuum so I can keep things clean. The sectional is extremely comfortable and I've had my eye on it for quite a while. I will probably re-cover the gold pillows with a deep red.
My new vacuum is the James Bond version of a vacuum. It's a Dyson one with the roller ball so it pivots around corners, is really easy to manuever, lightweight, and easy to clean. It's more like a gadget than an actual chore-aid, so I can't wait to use it :)

And finally, to end the shopping, we ate at a quirky little place called Mimi's Cafe, that I've wanted to try for a while. Unfortunately, the menu I looked up online wasn't the one they were using, so I had to struggle to find something interesting. Our meals ended up being pretty good, but they did skimp on portion size. But...the surprise was that if it is your first visit to Mimi's, which it was, they come out at the end and bring you a case of 4 big muffins, free!

Ugly Sweaters a-plenty

I was finally in town for the Annual Ugly Christmas Sweater Party put on by my friends! This year they rented out a great place in Park City and we all had a great time catching up, eating a variety of soups and desserts, and exchanging some pretty funny white elephant gifts. A great way to start out the Christmas Season!

Saturday of Solace...Quantum of Saturday...

Quantum of Solace, rather! We began our Saturday afternoon of errand-running with a great trip to the brand new Cinemark theater to see the new Bond movie. We had great timing, actually, as the BYU game had just started, and not many people wanted to give up good football for Britain's favorite fast-driving, womanizing, secret agent! The film was very action-packed and we can say we certainly enjoyed it.

Next we hit Costco for some good afternoon snackage, and some good deals. Amos found some breaded Tilapia and thinks he can get me to eat some, we'll see about that... Maybe if he eats some Marzipan in exchange!

Then we finished up our Christmas shopping at both Provo Town Center, and University Mall. We ended up heading to PF Chang's for dinner, and getting takeout. While we were waiting I wandered across the sidewalk and to my amazement found that California Pizza Kitchen has Red Velvet Cake on their dessert menu - fantastic!

After collecting all our takeout goodies, we headed back to our humble abode and enjoyed our meal and watched Step Up 2: The Streets. Cheesy, I know, but I sure wish I could dance like that!

Oh, Red Delight!

Red Velvet Cake, that is. I was SO excited when I stumbled upon it on California Pizza Kitchen's dessert menu this Saturday. This lovely little delicacy is my favorite and is nowhere to be found, except for Cabella's and now CPK, I guess. Last New Years Eve we found and bought a Red Velvet Cake from the grocery store, and much to my disappointment it was not very good. It was just unflavorful cake, dyed red, with sweet sugary frosting - NOT a true red velvet cake. I've been meaning to try the Cabella's version, but haven't made it up there in a while, so finding some TRUE Red Velvet at CPK, so close to us, was like finding a ninja in Utah.

Now, I understand that some may think I am being slightly overdramatic, but if you've ever made one of these cakes, you'd understand. It requires some funny ingredients like cocoa powder and buttermilk, is 3 layers high, and has a cream cheese frosting. It's a lot of work to make, and bless my mother's dear heart, she made it for me (at my request) for every birthday since I was 10! As a matter of fact, one year she made a cake, carefully froze and packaged it, and sent it to me in Utah. Absolutely Amazing!

Games and More Games!

Amos and I love to play games. We just bought the best party game in the world, Apples to Apples, along with one of its expansion packs and love to play it with our friends. However, when it's just the two of us, we usually opt for Speed, Scrabble, or the Wii. Sometimes I can convince Amos to play Friends Scene It, since both of us have watched all 10 seasons of that show... but I still whoop him every time :) Speaking of whooping him, I have to take a chance to gloat each time I do, because it doesn't happen often - but I beat him at Speed tonight!

When we're out we like to stop in game stores to see what's new. I've gotten into the habit of taking pictures of Amos along with some games that fit right along with his personality. Most of them begin with "smart." Take a look...

And it's hard to tell, but this one says "smarty pants" :)

The Golden State...

California! Lucky Amos spent the majority of his time there this week! Two companies flew him out for interviews; one on Monday and one on Friday. On Monday to LA, and the next time to San Francisco. Having wanted to go to San Francisco for the past year and a half, I tried to convince him to pack me in his luggage, (trust me, I fit) to no avail. He ended up meeting about 6 other BYU students that were also interviewing, and they all headed out to Bubba Gump Shrimp Co! While walking along Fisherman's Wharf they enjoyed the nice weather and the music being played along the pier, and even saw a 'just for lefties' store! See... I knew I should have gone!

Because I missed out on all the San Fran fun, Amos decided to spoil me on Saturday. We went to my favorite store in the world, Kohls, and then to the mall -which is now packed with Christmas shoppers. Now I know why Amos is so intent on getting all of our Christmas shopping done by the end of October :)


Then we went to the Old Spaghetti Factory because I've been wanting Spaghetti for a while, and we had a coupon for a free Italian soda with any entree - and you get to keep the collector's glass! If you've never had an Italian soda before, (I hadn't) It's sprite mixed with a fruity flavoring of your choice, and loaded with lots of cream. Delicious. We'll surely have to get some in Italy when we're there. Not only did we get free Italian sodas, but a scoop of spumoni (cherry, chocolate, and pistacio) ice cream comes with the meal, and we got to sit in the trolley!

Happy Halloween!

We didn't have any costumes or parties to go to this year because we both had to work late, but we did carve a pumpkin and have toasted pumpkin seeds! Happy Halloween!

A Resident and a Webmaster!

It was a big week for Amos and I. On Monday he had his interview and acceptance for his Green card. The interviewer was pretty intimidating, and asked a lot of rapid-fire questions, but afterward he was quite friendly. Seriously, though, I haven't been that nervous and 'on-the-spot' for as long as I can remember - and I'm a true-blooded American. I can't imagine what it was like being in Amos' shoes!


This week was shaping out to be a pretty nice week until Saturday. I have been building a website that was all set to launch by Saturday afternoon, and that is when I got locked out. The company I am using for my web builder would not let me log back in until I got a 'go ahead' from one of my former bosses - on Monday! Seeing as my website needed to be published by Monday, this put me in a bad spot. I ended it re-building the WHOLE thing on Saturday, along with creating a blog and writing articles to go along with it. Not the most fun weekend, but it got done, and can't wait to start marketing it! Check it out... PoshBabyCribs.com

Viva La Italia!

That's right, we're headed to Italy! Not yet, but when we go to England to spend time with the Hobbys at Christmastime, we'll take a brief hiatus for our long-awaited honeymoon! Woo hoo!

Amos has been playing a lot of intermural soccer with a new team he was invited to be a part of. He always manages to make the right connections and find teams with at least 1 other foreign 'footy' player. His team plays GREAT together. For the past 2 games the opposing team has had 5+ subs and our team has had NONE! However, we still manage to pass the ball nicely and just keep scoring! Not only that, but one game two players did a true bicycle kick - which is so fun to watch! (Yes, Amos was one of them!)

I haven't posted on this blog in a while, and every weekend that goes by without one makes me feel guilty - so I'm going to try a little harder! We haven't had too much going on except for work and school. The fall weather has been faboulus. It is the best time of the year for sure! Campfires, crisp air, football games, intermural soccer and red leaves!

*Sniff Sniff* *Ahh-CHOO* *Cough* *Sniff Sniff*

So that's pretty much what living in the Hobby household has been like this week!

I've found myself with pretty bad allergies, and Amos came down with the fall bug that's going around. We've pretty much just been like little vampires this weekend - keeping it extra dark with curtains closed and watching TBS movies most of the day! Being sick is never fun, but sometimes it's nice to take a weekend to just relax and rest.

Since Amos is the one who really needs the sleep, and I'm not truly "sick" I decided to go antiquing on Saturday afternoon. Now, I NEVER thought I would go antiquing by my own will, but sometimes I surprise myself. I used to go with my mom when I was little and she would always buy me cool things like hats, earrings, broaches and marbles. Lately I've been on the lookout for a hand crank music box. They are little and round, and you have to constantly turn the crank for them to play. My grandma had 2 I used to play with when I was little and I just love them. If anyone knows where to find some, let me know!

Amos started intramural soccer this week! He is excited about his team - they seem like they're real good. He has a friend, Mike, on his team who also grew up playing 'footy' in England, so they play well together. I enjoy going to watch all of the games, and it's fun to meet and chat with the other Soccer WAGs (wives and girlfriends) who are there.

Waterfall Garden Paradise

Amos gets Saturdays off work from now on!! This means we can plan a whole bunch of day trips now. Since I haven't yet successfully convinced him to come to Oktoberfest up at Snowbird, we decided to go to Thanksgiving Point Gardens instead!


I've been wanting to go there for a long time because I found out they have some huge man-made waterfalls (the largest in North America). I knew the waterfalls would be cool, but the rest of the gardens were much more exciting than we expected. I really never thought I'd say a garden was 'exciting' but honestly, it was. It was almost maze-ish and there were 15 different themed gardens with winding paths, rivers and bridges, a rose garden, a garden shaped like a butterfly, an Italian garden with a 20-level cascading fountain, a secret garden (probably my favorite), and a duck pond (complete with a frog on a lillypad)! There was more, but my explanation can't do it justice, and neither can the picture above!

They even give you the option to ride around in a golf kart, which Amos petitioned for unsuccessfully! We compromised and took some shortcuts by walking through the perfectly manicured grass (don't worry, it's allowed!) It really did seem paradisaical there. If I was a bug, that is DEFINITELY where I'd live. All in all, well-spent fall afternoon!

Zions Adventure

We had an amazing weekend in Zions with family and friends! On Thursday morning we headed down with Seth & Ashley and fam, and Paul & Alice and fam. Kids these days are SO lucky that they can watch movies in the car. Man I wish we had that when we were making the 10 hour treck to South Carolina when I was little! And adults are lucky too, because they don't even have to hear the movies - everyone who wants to watch gets their own wireless headset. Technology rocks.

So we made it down to our hotel in the early evening and then got all settled and took a dip in the pool. Everyone got a kick out of the 'pool towels' that were literally about the size of a hand towel, but it was fun!

The next day we hiked "The Canyon" which is a pretty flat hike because it goes along a river. When you get to the end of the path you can keep going; you just walk through the water and along the rock deposits. It's supposed to turn into a pretty narrow slot canyon, but it takes a while to get there. The guys and I left the group behind to try and see how long it would take to get to the narrow part, but it was another 1 1/2 miles up the river so we decided to call it quits. On the way back I managed to walk myself into a deep hole and got SOAKED. Then, when I thought I'd had my embarassment for the day I tripped and practically face planted into the water for another soaking. Needless to say, the guys got their entertainment for the day!!

Saturday was our last day at Zions so we decided to do an easy, short hike up to the lower Emerald Pool. It was a very scenic hike and by time we'd gotten to the lower pool (that you can't really swim in) we decided to keep on going up to the next one. We got to that one, and it was pretty cool so we thought..."eh, that wasnt too hard, let's keep going." The hike up to the top one seemed pretty long, and wasn't as easy as the others, but we finally all made it. There was a nice pond up there that we could swim in, and I even caught a tadpole! I do realize that I am not a 10 year old but I just wanted to see if I could do it! And I could :)

Then we headed back down for some delicious ice cream at the Lodge before heading out. A 30-min hike turned out to be about 3 hours but everyone had a nice time on our last day there and was nice and tuckered out for the drive home.

It was our first time since being married that we actually got to 'get away' for a few days and we had such a great time. Good hiking, good food, and good company!

Family Festivities!

The Hobby's came to visit all the way from England and we had a TON of fun! We packed an awful lot into those 2 weeks. Caleb and Jesse came down to Provo for EFY and seemed to have really enjoyed themselves. The girls got a kick out of their accents and both of them came home with about 20+ phone numbers each! Yep, we can definitely tell they are Hobbys!! They had tons of fun stories to tell, and anyone who hasn't heard Caleb and his "one star" and Jesse and his "westside sprinkler" is really missing out!

Meanwhile, while they were at EFY the rest of us headed off to the Cheesecake Factory! They FINALLY built one in Utah and Amos and I hadn't been yet. I love that place, with their 20 page menu and delicious cheesecake! Not to mention they have the best brown bread anywhere. And that's saying a lot coming from someone who doesn't like to get within 5 feet of wheat bread! I know it's healthier but I still have taste buds! haha.

One Saturday we decided we'd all head up to the Park City outlets for some good shopping, and that it was! Afterward in the afternoon the plan was to head up to the ski resort to do some ziplining and alpine sliding. Not the best timing because right as we got up there it started to thunderstorm and hail. We tried to wait it out but those rides were closed. The only one that wasn't was the Alpine coaster, so we figured we'd give it a shot.

I was wondering how we were going to make it because it was pouring down cold rain, but sure enough everyone is a great sport (even the little ones). Eliza was toughing it out better than I was! This was the only ride I have ever been on where the operators told you about ten times to "go as FAST as you can, don't slow down!" So you get into a little cart where they strap you in and it hauls you for about 10 minutes to the top of the mountain, then, as soon as you get up there you have to push forward the handles to make you go fast, and off you go through spirals and around curves and over jumps. It was SO fast I really thought we were going to fly out. I was seriously scared and Eliza took it like a champ! I haven't been that scared in a long time, so it was awesome! Definitely need to go do it again :)

Pioneer Day: July 4th, Round 2

In Utah the 24th of July is just about as big as July 4th is for the rest of the US! It's the day the Mormon Pioneers arrived in the Salt Lake valley and it is celebrated with parades, 5k runs, fireworks, and the day off work (for some!)

Amos and I both had to work, but when he had a break we celebrated with a quick trip to the BYU creamery for some delicious raspberry cheesecake swirl ice cream. Since I've been living in Provo I haven't been there for ice cream yet so that was a nice treat. It reminds me of a grocery store in the 50's - every cashier is friendly, and wears a name tag that says where they're from. We brought the carton and some spoons back to the shade at the MTC field and practically ate the whole thing!

On Wednesday we saw Batman: The Dark Knight, which we've both been anxious to see. We really liked it! It's a long movie, so if you haven't seen it yet, don't go hungry. Thanks to my purse and McDonalds' dollar menu, we sure didn't! All the actors did a great job, and Amos has been having fun acting like the joker and creeping me out! He's really good at it, so when they make another one with the joker in it, i'm nominating him! In real life he's much more like Batman, seeing as this movie quote embodies him quite nicely:

"Know your limits Master Wayne"
"Batman has no limits"
"But you do, sir"
"Well, can't afford to know them!"

That's Amos! Always very ambitious and knowing no limits; a great example for those around him!

Busy Busy!

I wondered when I'd get a chance to post again! It's been a while. (Thanks to Ashley for the encouragement to get my rear into gear and finally update the blog!)

So here it is, a 102 degree Saturday afternoon and I have some time to spare.

I absolutely love my new job. I get to teach all of our employees about business, websites and internet marketing, and make sure they are being effective consultants to our clients around the world. I've wanted to do something like this for ages and was very excited for the opportunity when it came. I get to work with a lot of great and motivated entrepreneurs and we all have a good time. We work hard, though, so there is no time for facebook, blog updating, or any of those other great internet time-killers that I used to enjoy so much! Don't get me wrong, I still enjoy them, but it's harder to find the time.

Our latest hobby aside from work and school is the TV series 24. Amos happened upon all 6 seasons on DVD and we have been watching those almost non-stop during our free time. I will not even tell you how fast we got through them because it's quite embarrassing! We've enjoyed ourselves, though. Just waiting until Jack Bauer returns to the TV screen in January, 09.

Also, we are the proud owners of 2 apartments. Well, renters, rather. They are kicking us out of our current apartment in the middle of August for BYU's Education Week so that they can rent the rooms to people attending. The problem is that Amos has all of his finals the same days we have to move. This week he found a great place in Wymount Terrace (BYU's married student housing) so we can slowly move from one place to the other. The new place has a fairly large porch so we got some fold-up 'soccer mom' chairs from Sports Authority so we can enjoy the nice fall weather out there. We also picked out some awesome Poang Chairs and footstools from IKEA (thanks Mom & Dad) for our new place because we won't be renting furniture. Amos, me, our chairs, footstools, Netflix, the TV and we're good to go!

Zippin' & Slidin'

Amos usually doesn't get off work on a Saturday, so when he did we decided we would make it an extra fun-filled day!

First, we had to take care of business. He went to work at the MTC for a few hours and then we headed up to Salt Lake for his biometrics appointment. He now has official fingerprint records with the government, so I told him to make sure he behaves if he wants to stay in America! I did make a slight fool of myself asking him what color ink they used to fingerprint him, assuming it was black. Well, apparently they do all digital fingerprinting now - no more ink. I thought his hands looked pretty clean!

We made a quick trip to Bed, Bath, and Beyond to replace the wooden spoon that our blender chewed up. Amusing story: One Sunday we decided to make strawberry milkshakes with our new blender. Since the strawberries were frozen they really weren't blending very well so I was using a wooden spoon to push them down into the blade (while the blender was running.) I served Amos his milkshake and he was really enjoying it until he spit out a small piece of wood. And then another one, and another one... We took a look at the spoon and yep, turns out there was a huge chunk of wood missing from it, so needless to say he quickly abandoned his woodchip milkshake in favor of a purely strawberry & ice cream one. Whoops!!

Anyway, back to our fun Saturday. After replacing the spoons (with cool bamboo ones!) We headed up the canyon to Snowbird. I'd seen several ads for their Alpine Slide and Zip line and really wanted to head up there to participate. We got tickets for both, and headed up the lift to go ziplining. We went at the same time and Amos beat me by a pretty hefty lead. It was a pretty cool ride, but not very steep, therefore not very fast. The most fun part of that zip line was the end and how fast we stopped. The wire runs straight into a long spring just before the end, and you wonder if you're going to stop before hitting the wall!

Then back up the lift to go down the Alpine slide. It looks just like a water slide except you're in a little cart with wheels. We watched other people go down and it doesn't look like it goes very fast but it does!! Amos beat me off the line but I took the lead after a few turns. I beat him, but not 'officially' because I slowed down before the stop sign rather than after, like he did. Just trying to follow the rules and look where it got me! But I still think I won so we'll go with that... :)

The big 24!

Yep, that's right...I robbed the cradle!

Amos was the first one of us to have a 'married' birthday so it was my job to make sure that it was a good one! I went to the London Market and bought him his favorite soda, Apple Tango, and a few other chocolate treats from home. Since he grew up in England he's quite the chocolate snob and does NOT enjoy American chocolate, so it's always good to make a trip to the market to get him the stuff he really enjoys. I left the kitchen table full of his favorite treats for him to wake up to.


Since I had some extra time the Saturday before his birthday, I took the liberty of stuffing all his presents with extra dish towels and washcloths before I wrapped them. Seeing as most of his presents were books, and also a DVD, it would have been too easy for him to guess what they were before opening them - and what fun is that?! He thought I was slightly crazy for doing that - and said he'd been wondering where all the dish towels went! I didn't wrap his tennis racket in dish towels, however, but hid it underneath the bed for him to search out once I got home from work.


Since I know that Amos loves carrot cake, I decided that I was going to make the best 3-layer carrot cake ever!! Well, it doesn't appear that way from the picture, does it? I was disappointed to find that each cake layer caved in, so it didn't make for the prettiest cake out there. I wouldn't even let him see it until I had all 24 candles on, hoping it would hide it a bit. However, Amos told me that it was the best carrot cake he has ever had! He doesn't just dish out compliments like that unless he really means them, so that made me feel great! All in all, a good 24th birthday for Amos!

Santa Drives a Bus

Today is my last day commuting! I never thought I'd say it, but there are a few things that I will truly miss.

To begin, the happy "carwash man" who is out with a hose at 6am and waves as I hop the fence across his property each morning on my way to the bus stop. And Bob the bus driver a.k.a. "Santa" who drives route 811 from Provo to Sandy. He is a happy jolly man in his 60's with a long white beard, cherry red nose, and a big belly. Santa to a Tee! He loves to tease, and has helped me out a few times when I've misplaced my pass; he also stops for me when I'm late so I don't have to run! (Quite a sight -a girl with a computer bag running in high heels.) Even more, it's 6am, he's been up since 4, and he still manages to be HAPPY!! Santa likes to call me "sleeping beauty" because as soon as I take my seat, within 5 minutes I'm out!

Trax is great for people watching. I must mention the "regulars." The nurse with red spiky hair, the lady who does her makeup -LOTS of it -on the train (once she even forgot to take one of her curlers out!), the Law student with a young family, the women who seem to be the real-life versions of "Sex in the City" girls (though I've never seen that show), the skinny masseuse with the cool tin lunchbox, the sweet quiet Asian lady, and the mustache man with shorts, white socks, big boots and aviator glasses.

The thing that's had the biggest impact on me, however, is getting a chance to observe the true kindheartedness of people. The ones who will get up to hold the door open for people running to catch the train. The men who will let you go first when stepping onto the train or bus, and who will practically jump out of their seat and offer them to women when there is standing room only.Or people who will give up a seat to someone who is older, not as well-bodied, or has their hands full. The thing I found most surprising is that it's not always the people who you'd expect. Sometimes it's the well-to-do businessmen, but many times it's the blue collar construction workers, or 'punk' teenagers, or young working girls who will serve others most selflessly. Their families will never know, their boss or church leaders won't see, and nor will their friends. The person they helped can only offer a simple 'thanks' in return, yet they are still willing to serve. That's true character.

Commuting hasn't been fun, but it's taught me lessons I couldn't have learned as effectively any other way. The experience has taught me how to spot someone in need and to be quick to offer the help that I can. It's taught me not to judge someone's character by their appearance, and it's taught me humility. I will never be able to repay those strangers who have brightened my day for a moment, who have sacrificed something for me, or sparked a friendly morning conversation, but what I can do is to do the same for others, and pay the kindness forward.

Lots of "New"s

It's always exciting when life switches up on you a bit - especially when it's all at once! Amos has just started a new semester in school, we have just started a new calling as primary substitutes, and I have just accepted a new job!

I am very excited to begin working at Thrive Learning next Monday! The company does consulting for clients who want to build and market online ventures. I have missed being in the ecommerce industry and am very happy to be back. I'll be working as a trainer for our consultants; something I absolutely love to do. This is a very welcome change, as I'll be closer to home, with a flexible schedule, and doing something I enjoy.

Speaking of teaching, Amos & I have been teaching in the Primary in church for the past few weeks. It's summertime, and since many of the teachers are going on long trips, we've been called as substitutes. It's a very fun experience and we're learning a lot - especially me, seeing as I've never been in Primary before. Everyone knows the songs but me! The first week was a little frustrating because I have no idea how to keep kids entertained while I'm trying to teach! They have a LOT of energy and not a very long attention span. Amos is great with kids and has come to my rescue every time by introducing a great balance of of doctrine, discipline, and entertainment. Not to mention, the girls all like to flirt with him and they get a kick out of his accent!

Amos started a new semester at school last Monday. It's going to be a busy one for him. I can't imagine taking 3 classes during summer term plus working a part-time job (and entertaining a wife!) He said his classes aren't too bad, though some are a bit boring and they require a lot of reading. He'll do great like usual and then hopefully have a more laid-back schedule during his last semester in the fall :)

It's official...

...I am now a blogger! It's been a long time coming, really. But what better time to start when you're young and newly married with lots of stories to tell!

Perhaps I mention the time I fed Amos a strawberry & woodchip milkshake, or our fondue frenzies, or our little apartment that I just adore. I mean, really, if you haven't lived somewhere with a finicky refrigerator, a bathroom the size of a phone booth, cinderblock walls, and twin beds pushed together on the floor then you'll never have any funny "when we first got married" stories to tell your kids! Plus, I think it builds character :) However, I must say that we are quite lucky to have found one with a pool and 2 bedrooms. That means I get my own closet(s) and Amos gets his own study room, which is wonderful.

We've been married almost 2 months now! It's been fun for both of us, and quite the adventure - as we are complete opposites. Tidy vs. Messy; Rational vs. Emotional; Saver vs. Spender...not to mention the cultural differences! It's so great because we have so much to teach and learn from one another. For example, I no longer attempt to serve fruit or jell-o with dinner anymore because 'dinner is savoury, dessert is sweet.' Haha, not in America. Silly Aussies! On the other hand, Amos discovered I have a strange affinity for opening mail. One day I returned to find all the mail so neatly opened and sorted. As great as that was, there was nothing left for me to open! Bills, junk mail, whatever it is, I like to open it. It's the kid in me I guess. Now Amos will kindly leave a pile of mail for me to open when I get home from work. Aw, lucky me!

Other than that, we're just staying busy with work and school, fitting some good fun in when we can, and enjoying the summertime weather!