oh holli

o little town of bethlehem

2012-01-26T14:32:00.003-07:00

hi amber. i totally stole this pic from your blog. sue me.

After megan and I decided to sing "what child is this" for the family on christmas eve, somehow i convinced jacob to learn a song to perform on his guitar. however, i don't think it really took much convincing, but really, just a little encouragement. (i think he secretly wanted to do it anyway.)

I found a really cool arrangement of "o little town of bethlehem" and he started practicing away. It was a really nice piece, but challenging. I took a whack at learning it, and gave up pretty fast. The chords were all over the place! I was so proud of Jacob for learning, memorizing, and performing it for everyone.

Lately it seems we are often too busy to pick up our guitars and other hobbies as much as we would like to. still, this year i really want us to develop and share our talents more (goal?). In-laws, that means more christmas musical numbers in the future! hope you're okay with that.

remember when it was fall and it was beautiful?

2012-01-25T14:33:00.000-07:00

Some pics jacob took on our way home from october conference.

(we took the scenic route to see the fall colors and do some exploring)

In the thick of winter, it is sometimes hard to believe there was a time

when utah wasn't covered in snow, and even looked this glorious!

oh i miss it i miss it.

unicorns and other matters

2012-01-24T08:55:00.001-07:00

On my daily commute to SLC, I have been listening to the Chronicles of Narnia, and I am loving it.

How is C.S. Lewis so erudite and so charming?

I love the world he creates in this series.

And as Jacob works diligently on his engineering homework, I curl up next to him and read "The Last Unicorn."

It was recommended to me a awhile ago, and so I recently picked it up from the library.

I'm only a few chapters in, but already intrigued.

What the heck?! When did I become such a children's fantasy nut?

I've never really got into fantasy literature, even as a kid. I guess I have always been more of a realist?

But I have to admit that I find myself getting absorbed in this stuff.

Shout out to me if you have any recommendations for my fantasy reading list!

the happiest new year's on earth

2012-01-23T11:48:00.005-07:00

Reminiscing on this day, I can't help but think, "Wow. me and Jacob are CRAZY!!!" with a bit of awe and satisfaction. We literally got up at 6 am, drove from Stockton to Anaheim (about 6 hours), and went straight to Disneyland—arriving there at about 2 pm and dragging ourselves out of the park, completely drained from new year's craziness, at about 3:30 am. We didn't know that this was going to happen. We didn't even know we were gonna go to Disneyland. We just did.

And I have to say, after making this very illogical and spontaneous decision, we walked through the gates of Disneyland feeling like a million bucks. And the rest of our new year's looked a lot like this...

Scared faces in line for the Tower of Terror.

Jacob was nice enough to go on this ride with me, even though it makes him a bit queezy.

Of course, we had to watch the show at the Golden Horseshoe. We were thrilled that they were still playing Christmas songs.

this is one of my favorite places at Disneyland.

3-D glasses for the new Star Tours ride.

the Haunted Mansion was decorated all "Nightmare Before Christmas" style

we were super stoked that they still had all the Christmas decorations up.

Besides the magical atmosphere that already pervades the park, all was jolly and bright.

the countdown was both completely insane and completely awesome. SO MANY PEOPLE!

the last ride of the night on Space Mountain.

Highlights:

+ making a very spontaneous decision and walking into Disneyland like two giddy children.

+ the Golden Horseshoe Christmas show

+ Splash Mountain was open again! Every time I go, it seems to be closed.

+ Captain EO, OF COURSE. I mean, Michael Jackson + George Lucas + Disney = how magical can you get?

+ All the lights and decorations made Christmas linger a little longer

+ the new and improved Star Tours ride

+ Getting to see the World of Color show for the first time. AMAZING.

+ the countdown at the castle! super insane, but super fun. lots of dancing + music + i got my new year's kiss. Unfortunately, the fireworks were a little weak because it was really, really foggy.

+ Riding all the rides after the countdown. The park really cleared out after midnight, which meant we got to run on all the rides! woo hoo!

+ The park was closing in about 10 minutes and I convinced Jacob to run to Space Mountain for one last ride. We made it just in time. In fact, we were literally the last people to ride it! after us, they shooed everyone away to close the park.

We went home so insanely tired. I can't remember the last time I was ever so tired, but so satisfied. I don't think taking a road trip to spend your day in a crowded park on one of the biggest holidays of the year is everyone's cup of tea. But I guess me and Jacob really love Disneyland. Besides the fact that Jacob wants to be a Disney imagineer someday and it is my dream job to be Sorcerer Mickey—we were due for a crazy adventure.

my christmas present

2012-01-22T15:35:00.002-07:00

for christmas, jacob gave me a cute lil' pineapple-shaped ukulele.

i used to play my roommate's ukulele all the time, and have been wanting one of my own for so long!

guess it's time for me to learn some new songs.

friday night

2012-01-18T20:49:00.000-07:00

wanna go to the library and goof around?

feeling like big kids after getting our first provo library cards.

point vicente + lacma

2012-01-17T11:23:00.001-07:00

While visiting my grandparents in southern california, jacob and I went out exploring for a day. We didn't really have specific plans—just a few maps and some binoculars. We went wherever the wind blew us.

we started at point vicente to see the beautiful lighthouse and look for whales.

For this purpose, my grandpa lent us his binoculars.

and lucky us! we actually saw some gray whales passing by on their migration to mexico.

It was pretty surreal.

After whale-watching at point vicente, we headed up to L.A. for some museum action. We started at the la brea tar pits museum (AKA the museum they visit in the movie Encino Man) and then we headed over to one of my favorite museums, the LACMA.

we strolled through a number of galleries and found ourselves playing in some of the art.

It was a great time to enjoy the heat + sights + culture + be completely carefree before heading back to Provo for a new semester.

exploring in southern california:

+ whale-watching at point vicente
+ gray whale/marine world museum
+ L.A. for La Brea Tar Pits/LACMA museum
+ dinner at Gulliver's english pub
+ bella terra to see the new Sherlock Holmes movie

the one that i want

2012-01-15T09:02:00.003-07:00

I never cared that much for the musical, but this might be my favorite song right now...

oakland temple + san fran day trip

2012-01-13T09:13:00.001-07:00

+ session at the lovely oakland temple
+ lunch in san fran chinatown (new hong kong menu)
+ legion of honor art museum and saw Bernini's Medusa
+ racoons jumped all over our car while we were parked at a lookout point—totally freaked me out!
+ listened to the new buskin cuffs album on the way home:

the classy man

2012-01-12T10:01:00.002-07:00

for jacob's christmas present, I put together something called

The Classy Man: Starter Pack

This starter pack (guaranteed to make any husband look classy) is complete with classy robe, classy cardigan sweater, classy socks, a book called "the lazy intellectual," and a classy bubble pipe. He loved it—especially that robe! No kidding, he wears it all the time.

as you can can see from the picture above, the pack has already begun to work it's magic. What a handsome devil—and classy too.

christmas pavlova

2012-01-11T10:49:00.001-07:00

this was my third year making pavlova on christmas eve.

yes, the sugary, fruit-topped, melt-in-your-mouth, meringue dessert from down under.

i hope to make this a tradition.

24

2012-01-10T11:19:00.000-07:00

+ Jacob surprises me by picking me up at my office in SLC, so i don't have to ride the bus on my birthday. I literally screamed when I saw him! I couldn't believe he came all the way out to salt lake to get me.

+ dinner at the Banana Leaf for Sri Lankan and Singaporean Cuisine: I had avocado juice and masala curry with roti paratha. Jacob ordered the Sri Lankan beef kothu. we loved it.

+ Jacob surprises me again by taking me to see The Nutcracker, performed by the utah regional ballet. definitely the best Nutcracker I have ever seen.

+ cake and candles at our house

It was the first time me and Jacob have been able to spend my birthday together, and it was a lovely lovely time. just the two of us.

private dance party

2012-01-10T08:49:00.003-07:00

Got home from work last night. empty house. took off my work badge. put on this song.

had a one-girl dance party.

After my private dance sesh, I called Jacob and our conversation went something like this:

J: I'll be home in a few minutes. Whatcha doing?

H: nothin... just got home [panting and sounding extremely out-of-breath from dancing so hard]

J: did you have to run home? you sound like you're out of breath!

H: well. . . i was just doing some. . . physical activity.

J: Huh? What do you mean, physical activity?

H: Nothing! Don't worry about it!

J: Come on.

H: I was just. . . dancing.

J: [lots of laughter] Why wouldn't you tell me? You don't have to be ashamed of that!

H: yes I do!

J: Why?

H: cuz you'll laugh at me!

When I was single, I could get away with this kind of "physical activity" completely undetected, all the time. But I guess when you're married you can't keep much secret--not even your secret one-girl dance parties.

At least, when he got home he gave me a good audience.

the wedding band

2012-01-05T09:27:00.004-07:00

The other day I was watching videos of my brother's band on Youtube, and I happened to come upon this lovely video of the band playing at my own wedding reception--a video that I didn't even know existed on the internet. I was happy that I could finally share some footage from, perhaps, the most magical night of my life...

"my dream of a wedding that I didn't even know I had came true"--Jacob

It really was an amazing night. One i would like to relive, if i could--the music, the dancing, the friends, all of it.

Sky is probably the best little brother in the world for putting all those songs together with the band. The live music really added a lot of magic to the atmosphere. My favorite part is when he breaks into singing "at last." It seriously gives me the chills. He reluctantly agreed to sing that song, though he thought he didn't have enough "soul" to sing a legendary etta james anthem like that. But i thought he pulled it off magnificently. Etta would have been proud.

the band's set-list was as follows:

+ "Paper Moon"

+ "L.O.V.E."

+ "At Last"

+ "Let's Stay Together"

+ "Forever my Friend"

+ "The Way You Look Tonight"

+ "Bold as Love"

+ "Domesticats"

christmas vacation california tour

2012-01-04T13:03:00.001-07:00

AKA the "big loop"

It was a long, wild road-trip filled lovely sights and wonderful people, but it's good to be back in good ol' Provo.

happy birthday to me

2011-12-20T15:14:00.001-07:00

+ i'm declaring this my official birthday "theme song." i'd be dancing to it all day if i wasn't at work.

+ thank you husband for the big, tasty breakfast you made me at 5:30 am

+ for warming up the car and waiting for the bus with me

+ the love letter was nice too

+ thank you BYU-I for sending me a birthday email, even though i don't plan on joining your alumni association

+ thank you new version of ldsjobs.org for launching successfully today

+ thank you office friends for bringing me birthday cookies and singing to me

+ thank you unknown person for bringing the hummus, greek yogurt dip, and pitas to the office today. i probably ate about half of it.

+ thank you for all the birthday wishes from friends and family

+ thank you husband for having secret birthday activities planned for tonight. i can't wait to see what you've got up your sleeves.

my birthday is a pretty nice day.

DON'T STOP! DON'T STOP! DON'T STOP!

christmas cookies

2011-12-19T08:40:00.000-07:00

These are the christmas sugar cookies that Jacob made for our sunbeams class at church. Yeah, Jacob made them, not me--but i helped frost! Sometimes i really think he is more domestic than i am.

The cookies turned out so cute and so tasty.

our little sunbeams loved them.

christmas time

2011-12-16T08:51:00.000-07:00

friends + gingerbread houses + holiday music + Elf = christmas time is here

llama caroling

2011-12-15T09:26:00.003-07:00

llama likes a lil' scratch behind his ear

we went caroling for canned food with llamas, just like last year. this time our group got two very grumpy llamas, but they still warmed everyone's hearts. I really thought the 90-year old woman we visited was going to explode with happiness when she saw them on her doorstep.

though our llamas didn't really seem to have the true Christmas spirit (and who can blame them? I mean, they're hindu, right?), they were real troopers going door-to-door caroling with us on a cold, cold night. and they certainly helped us collect a lot of canned food for the needy. i guess even grumpy llamas are cute.

xmas lights

2011-12-13T10:41:00.001-07:00

the xmas lights at our house are a bit modest, but we wanted our neighborhood to know that we have christmas spirit too.

best idea

2011-12-12T20:36:00.003-07:00

Instead of watching movies/tv last night (which is our usual default activity), Jacob had the idea to take turns singing and playing the guitar for each other. best idea EVER. Consequently, it turned out to be a funny/entertaining/lovely night altogether.

Even after dating for a year + being married for a few months, we are both still shy to sing in front of the other—but that just made it more sweet. Jacob is always especially embarrassed to sing for me (not that he should be—i love it!), so it was a rare treat to hear him bashfully sing a sweet lil' tune with the guitar. So much better than any movie we could've watched.

why don't we do this more often?

p.s.

turn off your TVs, guys!

gettin' tikka wit it

2011-12-12T09:32:00.005-07:00

Upon eating our indian food leftovers on sunday afternoon, we soon broke out into this song:

(to the tune of Will Smith's "gettin' jiggy wit it")

"Naan-naan-naan-naan-naan-naan-naan! Naan-naan-naan-naan-naan-naan!

Gettin' tikka wit it!"

chicken tikka masala + naan

I often find myself breaking into song over things that make me happy.

and indian food certainly makes me happy.

straight

2011-12-08T09:17:00.001-07:00

for the first time in forever (probably over a year), I straightened my hair. I kinda look like me in high school. I kinda hate it. Jacob even took up calling me "cheerleader" because of my resemblance to this picture:

(it makes me happy when people have a hard time believing this is me. because i often feel that way too. Why didn't someone throw away my flat iron and tell me to stop over-plucking my eye brows?)

Without the volume, frizz and curl-city--it's like I don't know who I am anymore. 5 years of college and growing up and finding my identity just disappeared. Is it a little absurd how much my hairstyle can send me into existential crisis?

Still, the ability to slide my fingers through my hair is pretty fantastic. On a normal day, that is almost impossible.

the help

2011-12-07T12:59:00.004-07:00

Jacob and I saw this movie at the dollar theater last weekend, and it was like WHOA good.

I laughed. I cried. I didn't fall asleep (which often happens in long movies). I never wanted it to end. Probably the best movie I have seen in a long time--along with Lion King in 3D, of course. If you haven't seen it yet, you know what you need to do. Get on over to your dollar theater. don't walk. RUN.

p.s.

there's some quality about this trailer that makes it look like it might be a chick flick (maybe the music, sassy women, hugging?)--but it's not. Jacob loved it too.

homemade FAIL

2011-12-06T08:32:00.000-07:00

With an adventurous heart, I attempted to make delicious homemade flan the other night. And let's just say that Holli's homemade flan = homemade FAIL. Hearts broken. Dreams crushed.

(the perfect flan I was imagining)

Jacob was still nice enough to eat some and tell me it was kinda good. However, I knew it really tasted like spongy eggs covered in cinnamon and goop. *Huff!* I think next time I have my sweet-Mexican-custard craving, I'll opt for this fool-proof method...

Unless there is a Flansmith out there who is willing to apprentice me,

I am pretty sure this is my one shot at flan redemption.

spirit of thanksgiving

2011-12-05T09:31:00.006-07:00

Despite the lovely holiday that it was, I have to admit I was feeling pretty homesick on Thanksgiving. The most homesick I have felt in a long, long time. It was the only time I had not been home for Thanksgiving (besides the time I was in London--when I was going to tea in Kensington Gardens, singing "God Bless the USA" with my london gals, seeing Lion King the Musical in the West End, and having so much fun that it should've been illegal). Needless to say, I was missing my fam, the warm weather, all the nieces and nephews, the traditions, and the memories I felt I was missing out on.

Jacob could sense my odd mix of nostalgia and gloom as I laid and told him all the things I would be doing if I were in Mesa for Thanksgiving. Not long after, he told me he had something that would cheer me up and disappeared to fetch it. I didn't believe him; however, he returned with my macbook to show me this:

On Thanksgiving night, they turn on the Christmas lights at the Mesa Temple, and my family often goes to see them. As we watched this silly little video of the lights, temple, and cheesey christmas music, I could feel my gloom begin to fade. It warmed my heart to revisit the memories via youtube, but even more that Jacob had been so sweet and thoughtful. Then the spirit of Thanksgiving slapped me in the face. . .

I am so thankful for my husband, for our "little family," and the memories we are making together.

fall leftovers

2011-12-01T15:10:00.001-07:00

sassy lost n found sale

not your average circus bear

tiger + vader

a pic that didn't turn out, but still like

"i touch you once, i touch you twice, i won't let go at any price"--my love song to pizza

newlywedders

christmas claymation

2011-12-01T09:45:00.005-07:00

how would we get into the christmas spirit without those classic claymation movies?
I like to think that these lil' characters flew straight to my mailbox in their little hot air balloon.

thanks netflix!

another mrs. robinson

2011-11-30T14:11:00.002-07:00

I remember seeing this painting at the Wallace Collection in London when I was on study abroad, and being absolutely taken with it. It is a rather large portrait by Thomas Gainsborough of a very scandalous woman in the 18th century. Mrs. Mary Robinson was an actress, a poet, a feminist author, and a mistress with many admirers (including the Prince of Wales). The Prince, in fact, commissioned this painting after terminating their relationship. You can find his small, blurred portrait inside the locket she is holding in her hand.

"You idiot, Your Highness" is jokingly said to be the message of the painting.

Now I didn't actually know anything about her when I saw this painting. But in person, you can almost feel the story radiating from her expression and eyes without knowing anything about her scandalous life. I didn't know what it was, but I knew Gainsborough had captured something intriguing about her. It is still one of the most memorable paintings I have ever seen in person (and for those who were in london with me, you know we saw A LOT of paintings!).

Ironically, she is nicknamed "Perdita" for her most famous role as the Shakespearean heroine. The name means "lost little thing" or "lost little woman." And for the most part--despite her many talents, writings, and infamy--she is mostly forgotten.

trite, but true

2011-11-29T16:05:00.002-07:00

I am thankful for. . .

+ a wonderful husband, who I am deeply in love with

+ our "little family"

+ a family and home to miss on the holidays

+ the new muppet movie--that might've been the best part of my whole thanksgiving

+ mine and Jacob's jobs

+ public transportation

+ our healthy bodies

+ our education

+ the simple "newlywed life"

+ good friends

+ beauty all around

+ animals

+ music

+ laughter

+ love

+ luck

+ challenges

+ survival

+ a heavenly father who continually blesses me with all of these things

+ a gospel that makes life a lot easier

+ the joy and happiness I feel every day of my life

Jokkmokk

2011-11-23T09:22:00.007-07:00

Jacob working hard at assembling our dining set. I helped too.

Got our first dining set at ikea last weekend. before we were just using some odd table that jacob found at d.i. and two office chairs that he stole from the MTC. It was very charming. However, we decided if we ever wanted to have people over, we probably needed somewhere for them to sit. Luckily, a friend told me about Ikea's jokkmokk set--quite the steal. we headed out to Ikea to check it out.

Just by our luck, ikea was having a special deal that weekend. If you spent over $100, you could eat in their cafe for FREE. And there was no "catch." No fine print with stipulations to easily miss. We could eat as much as we wanted, just as long as it did not exceed the price of our dining set.

ummm. . . hello, early Ikea thanksgiving???

We pigged out. And I mean, chicken tenders, fries, lingonberry juice, mountain dew, a half rack of ribs, mashed potatoes, cornbread, swedish meatballs with lingonberry sauce, and even a slice of chocolate mousse cake to top it all off. Not gonna lie--we left feeling like sick gluttons, but it was kind of a happy feeling.

and seriously. they just deducted all that food from the price of the table.

Ikea, why are you so good to me?!?

Selah Sue

2011-11-22T13:56:00.000-07:00

a hot european chick who makes reggae/funk/soul music? toured with prince? sang on one of cee-lo's tracks?

I want to BE her.

real robots, real engineer

2011-11-21T09:29:00.004-07:00

This is a little robot that Jacob made out of legos for one of his classes. Yeah, my husband makes robots and stuff. I totally support (and am jealous) of all the cool engineering stuff he does--as long as he promises not to create a an evil robot race that will someday take over the planet. That would be so embarrassing!

And what else? He just got the job offer we had been crossing our fingers for. Right next to our house/right across the street from campus/real engineering experience/flexible work hours/great pay. What more could we ask for? My lil' husband is on his way to becoming a real engineer--and I couldn't be more excited for him.

3 months

2011-11-18T10:06:00.004-07:00

Two days ago was mine and jacob's 3-month marriage mark. And after being married to my sweet husband for three months, I feel like my heart has grown three sizes. I love him more than I ever thought possible, and it feels like that love only grows by the day.

Maybe we are still in our little "honeymoon" phase? how long does the "honeymoon" last? Will things always be this rosy? The answer to these questions is really of no importance to me. Whatever life brings us, I know that we will always look back on these, our first months and years of being newlyweds, fondly. Every day seems so precious and significant as we create our very own way of life together.

reach for the rainbow

2011-11-15T15:55:00.005-07:00

Two of my siblings are in this ol' 90's commercial, which makes me cry with laughter:

Tricia is the one in the maroon shirt w/ the white floppy flower hat (so 90s). She is easy to find because she is front-and-center during the most of the dancing segments and the camera loves her.

TJ, on the other hand, is a little bit trickier to find. BUT we finally found him. At the end, you'll see him in the back, wearing black, sporting a stylish bull cut, and in Tricia's words, "doing cabbage patch chugs with his arms and then a high school musical tuck jump."

Can't stop laughing.

Dream Job

2011-11-14T11:16:00.009-07:00

Throughout life, you always get asked the question, "what is your dream job?" And I always think, okay, here is my chance to show how cool and ambitious and interesting I am! Yet, for 23 years I haven't had a very cool/ambitious/interesting answer to that question. Finally, after a sublime epiphany, I realized a pursuit that (in my opinion) blows all other dream jobs out of the water--to be "Sorcerer Mickey" in the finale of Disneyland's pyrotechnic/water/light show, Fantasmic.

like so:

I would love to rock out like that every night. I seriously get chills. So magical.

Someone buy me a red, sparkly Snuggie and a wizard hat quick.

he humours me

2011-11-11T14:29:00.001-07:00

sundance

2011-11-10T09:52:00.005-07:00

Turns out, our friends have some pretty sweet hook-ups for cabin homes up in sundance, and they thought us cool enough to invite for a little weekend getaway in mountain paradise. This is actually our second trip up to sundance with our friends--the first time was a luxury, 5-bedroom cabin with a sauna, indoor pool, hot tub, and bidet (which i wasn't brave enough to use). This time was a little less luxury, but still a cozy 5-bedroom cabin in the mountains. And this time, we had an N64 with Mario Kart and Goldeneye + all the Hot-N-Readies we could handle. Plus, we got to see our friends' band, Archer's Apple, play at the Owl Bar.

Here's a little taste of their music. . .

Despite the fact that our drive down the mountain was almost a catastrophe (SO MUCH ICE!!! we got really lucky. . .) it was a lovely time-- full of friends, pizza, and the gorgeous sundance scenery. it was perfect little holiday.

let's stay together

2011-11-07T09:12:00.000-07:00

Let's Stay Together (Skyler Hale) by ericthesmith

My little brother's band played this tasty version of Al Green's "Let's Stay Together" at our wedding reception. So glad they decided to do a little recording of it. Love this song. Love those funky keys. Love the soul in Sky's voice.

Love the memories.

bird of paradise

2011-11-04T10:49:00.002-06:00

this is probably one the coolest moments in the Planet Earth series. I mean, how does that lil' bird of paradise DO that? It doesn't even look real. also, that female bird looks a bit frightened--but like any proper female species, she is probably just playing coy. It is so fascinating to see all the ways that the male species tries to impress their lady counterparts: fighting, singing, tidying up their mating arenas, dolphins lifiting rocks out of the water to prove their worthiness. Likewise-- monkeys lifting and throwing large rocks to show the lady-monkeys how strong they are. I suppose, we really aren't that different from the animal world after all. But wait a minute...

Jacob, why didn't you do something this cool to impress me?!?

Happy Halloween

2011-11-01T14:45:00.001-06:00

Inspired by the Rumours album cover.

Gotta love Fleetwood Mac.

Gotta love Halloween.

circus bear

2011-10-31T11:19:00.001-06:00

Circus Bear made another appearance on saturday night. Those clown pants, bear head, and crushed-velvet chest never stop being funny. I literally die every time I look at this picture. Way cuter than my ghost-bear costume last year.

I love my circus bear.

MISSING

2011-10-28T11:23:00.004-06:00

You guys--I lost Cloudz, my neck pillow. I am super devastated. Commuting almost 100 miles every day on the bus, it's almost unbearable to live without. No one loved a neck pillow like I loved that neck pillow! It's disappearance is still unexplained. As I got out of my car I can still remember seeing it safely attached to my purse. I ran to catch my 6:30 am ride, and right as the bus pulled up, i looked down at my purse and Cloudz was gone.

I had a choice in that moment. I could retrace my steps to find Cloudz/miss my bus OR I could get on the bus, hoping that Cloudz would be somewhere near my car when I got back in the afternoon. I have since regretted my decision of getting on that bus. I even had Jacob go search for it before school, but it was too late. Cloudz had vanished.

I haven't given up hope yet. I am guessing my precious neck pillow is now in the hands of a jogger who needed a makeshift sweat towel, selfish BYU student, or a hobo. If it's the third option, I'm out of luck. But if it's the first two, I'm counting on the honest people of Provo to return the pillow to the BYU Lost and Found and get Cloudz back on my neck, where it belongs.

I know what you're thinking--get a new neck pillow. But seriously, all other neck pillows look like crap compared to Cloudz-- the spandex bottom, the soft microplush top, the snug little button in the front, the thousands of polystyrene beads on the inside that conformed to every sleep position imaginable on a bus! Cloudz was PERFECT.

To be realistic, Cloudz could be anywhere by now. I mean, what if that hobo hitch-hiked to LA?? *Huff!* Still not giving up. Please let me know if you've seen my dear neck pillow.

disclaimer: this post is kind of a joke, but also kind of serious. If you rode the 801 Express every day, you would understand.

high-five a tiger pumpkin

2011-10-26T13:34:00.004-06:00

Last night, Jacob and I had our own little pumpkin carving party, and I have to say that we really out-did last year's pumpkins. Pumpkin carving is a delicate art, and this is definitely the most advanced I have ever gone.

Jacob made a Darth Vader pumpkin to keep our Star Wars theme going from last year.

And I made a beautiful tiger! I like to think that he is "Shere Khan" from Jungle Book. I got my stencil from WWF's wildlife pumpkin patterns. Check it out here. That tiger stencil isn't for babies. but I love the way it turned out.

While carving, we watched this 1931 classic horror flick. Supposedly, this is the only horror film to ever win "best picture." It didn't disappoint either. We also baked our pumpkin seeds to munch on-- but i think we baked them a little too long. They were. . . okay. FAIL.

I think these two make a good duo.

At the moment it seems like our lives are constantly flooded with school, work, commuting, tests, projects, to-do lists, and doing it all over again the next day-- Man, things are so BUSY lately! When is there time for ANYTHING?! That said, it was nice to take a night to get into the Halloween spirit, even at the cost of our precious early bedtime (usually 10:00 to 10:30. yeah, we are grandmas). That tiger seriously took me 2 HOURS to carve. Still, the satisfaction I felt seeing that fierce, stripéd, pumpkin-creature staring back at me was so worth it.

late wedding gifts

2011-10-25T15:55:00.001-06:00

We got these in the mail from some of Jacob's dear friends. . .

SERIOUSLY SO BLESSED!!!

You have know idea how stoked I am about owning these (especially the 2nd one).

I don't know you gals, but thanks SO MUCH.

circus bear + circus poodle

2011-10-24T09:36:00.003-06:00

We were invited to an awesome alice in wonderland themed "un-halloween" party on saturday (thrown by our lovely sister-in-law/friend, Megan). We were instructed to dress in our halloween best-- and so we threw this together about an hour before the party.

Last-minute D.I.costume SUCCESS!!

CHEMISTRY RULES!

2011-10-21T09:40:00.002-06:00

Last night, Jacob and I celebrated National Chemistry Week by attending BYU's Chemistry Magic Show. Along with the cookies 'n cream liquid nitrogen ice cream they were selling for $1 in the hallway-- it was pretty cool. They did all kinds of crazy experiments, explosions, and even made some kind of green fire tornado-- still can't get over that. it seriously looked like something from Dragon Ball Z.

Leaving, I kinda felt sad about my English major--regretting that I could've gained some serious scientific powers by being a chemistry major--GREEN FIRE TORNADOS!!! I mean, WHHAAA?!?

oh well. English majors are. . . kinda cool!

Seriously though. I think they are doing more of these magic shows this weekend. I urge you to go! fun times for the friends and fam. But if you don't go, here's a recipe for liquid nitrogen ice cream if you are a domesti-chem super-genius.

mormon celebrity sighting

2011-10-18T21:34:00.003-06:00

while taking my lunch yesterday, i saw this mormon movie star stroll through temple square:

Albert from 17 Miracles! Jacob and I had only watched this movie the night before (sunday flick), so I was pretty starstruck--and frightened. I mean, the night before he was the inspiring lil' crippled pioneer who died on the trek to zion (spoiler!). Total heart-breaker. 18 hours later, as far as I could tell, he was still the inspiring lil' crippled pioneer who DIED on the trek to zion! At this time, the veil between reality and the magic of mormon film was very thin.

But in reality, he's just an employee who, like me, works at the church office building. And as I was staring at him with dropped jaw-- he was even nice enough to say "hi" to a dork like me.

Guys. Albert from 17 Miracles said "hi" to me. :O!!! Almost as cool as the time the Relief Society 1st Presidency visited the office. I'm just crossing my fingers for an apostle/prophet sighting before my internship is over. This place is a mormon celebrity hot-spot.

really though.

2011-10-18T11:21:00.000-06:00

Why did i think it was a good idea to wear green tights today? It seemed so hip and fashionable at 5 in the morning. Now i have green legs all day. Why do i have these tights anyway? *cough-thoughtless-london-fashion-purchase-cough* WHY?!?

FAIL.

pumpkin cookies

2011-10-17T09:45:00.004-06:00

On saturday I had a potluck/get-together with my london girls. Unfortunately, (after attending the annual lost-n-found sale--aka BYU's "Black Friday") I had no time to actually make anything to bring. Luckily, Jacob agreed to make these cookies for me while I showered and got ready. He's such a good little housewife!

Anyway, this is my favorite recipe for pumpkin cookies. Kind of a twist on the typical chocolate chip ones you get every year. Also, this recipe supposedly belongs to my friend's German grandma, so that's authentic, right?

glazed pumpkin cookies

2 cups flour ½ cup butter, softened
2 tsp. baking powder 1 cup sugar

½ tsp. salt 2 eggs

2 tsp. cinnamon 1 cup pumpkin

½ tsp. nutmeg 1 cup golden raisins

¼ tsp. ginger

lemon glaze

1 ¾ cups powdered sugar

1 T. grated lemon peel

1 T. lemon juice

directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. With a whisk, mix together flour, baking powder, salt, and spices.

3. In large bowl, with electric mixer at medium speed, beat butter, sugar and eggs until fluffy.

4. At low speed, beat in pumpkin. Then stir in the flour mixture and beat with the mixer just until combined.

5. Stir in the raisins.

6. Drop by tablespoons onto cookie sheets.

7. Bake 12 to 15 minutes until golden. Do not overbake. Remove from oven and place on paper towels. Glaze while still warm.

I have a peculiar memory with these cookies. When Jacob and I had just started dating last year, a friend gave us one cookie to share--hardly enough to satisfy. The cookie was SO tasty, but we politely took turns taking one bite at a time. Finally, as the cookie began to get smaller, Jacob took one colossal-sized bite to finish it off. I watched in horror, thinking 'that could've been like THREE more bites!' I couldn't believe he just shoved the whole thing in his mouth right before my eyes! It was seriously like a stubborn three year-old being introduced to the concept of sharing for the first time. After being single for so long, I realized that I never had to share much with anyone else. I had my own schedule. I made my own plans. for the most part, I did what I wanted when I felt like it. AND i certainly ate my own cookies.

It sounds so silly now, but in moment, as I resentfully watched Jacob wolf down my precious cookie-- I was enlightened. 'So this is dating. . . you have to, like, share your cookies and stuff.' I looked at my dreamy boyfriend again and decided, 'Well, i guess he's worth it.'

A lot has changed since then. We are really good at sharing now, and not just cookies either. We share EVERYTHING--our time, energy, abilities, and devotion (as you can see so perfectly from the picture above).

three new albums

2011-10-13T11:59:00.002-06:00

three lovely ladies.

my current rotation as of late.

squash lover

2011-10-12T13:57:00.004-06:00

my baby blue hubbard squash.

Isn't it the cutest little squash you ever saw? I guess because I don't have babies yet, I dote on things like sugar pumpkins and colorful winter squash. Ask Jacob-- he has even seen me caressing and talking to them adoringly. kinda creepy, i know. Really though, something happens to me the moment October comes. I've got pumpkins dancing in my head; I crave the creamy, nutty flavor of butternut squash; I long to visit the farmer's market; and it takes everything inside of me not to buy a pumpkin smash smoothie every time I pass a jamba juice.

How could i refuse this precious little hubbard, with its cute name and bluish-gray skin? And not only is it cute, but it made a tasty tasty squash soup. I used this recipe. the flavor wasn't too different from the classic butternut (my favorite food when i was a kid), but I think hubbard has something more "pumpkin" about it. In fact, a farmer at the Provo farmer's market told me that they actually use a lot of hubbard squash for pumpkin foods because it is generally sweeter, but still has that "pumpkin" taste.

Along with my hubbard squash soup, this month I've made yellow squash, a tasty butternut pasta sauce, and stuffed golden zucchini. By the way, i highly recommend the farmer's market for your squash necessities. My zucchini was HUGE, cheap, delicious, and what? there's such thing as a GOLDEN zuchinni?! There is at the farmer's market! I also bought a little sugar pumpkin at the store the other day, and i'm trying to decide what the heck I should make with it. so many possibilities.

Okay, I really don't know if this is of interest to anyone. I'm no chef or food connoisseur-- i just really like squash. that's all.

p.s. let me know if you have any good recipes I should try!

view from the office

2011-10-11T08:50:00.002-06:00

I work on the seventh floor of the Church Office Building in a little corner known as “intern alley.” No windows or fancy cubicles for the interns, but often as I am meandering through the office, I get a glimpse of this. . .

It takes me by surprise every time. This pic was taken last Thursday when it was insanely cold and drizzly all day, but the temple still looked strikingly beautiful under an overcast sky. (and if you look closely you can see a wedding party coming out of the temple, despite the rain and cold) Before the weather shifted so dramatically, I would always go outside and eat my lunch on a little bench facing the temple. I loved to look at all the flowers and people scurrying through temple square—especially the brides and grooms posing for their pictures. But even now that I am tucked away from the cold weather, I always awe at the peaceful feeling in the presence of the Salt Lake temple. It’s always there. It never changes. I feel lucky to be able to work so close to this temple every day—even if it’s only a glimpse from the office windows. I mean, how many people have an office view like that?

weeper

2011-10-07T10:13:00.002-06:00

If it is not apparent from this and this post, Jacob and I basically have the same taste in movies as a five year-old. The last time we went to D.I. we picked the following VHS tapes: The Rescuers Down Under, The Land Before Tim e, Just Like Dad, and The Babysitter’s Club. And if that is not bad enough, both of us are weepers—particularly in movies involving anthropomorphized cartoon animals in distress.

I already told my story about watching Dumbo, and a few weeks ago there was an incident with Land Before Time when that sweet little brontosaurus’s mom dies—seriously, the depression never ends in that movie! Do they really make these for kids? I was falling apart.

Anyway, it wasn’t too long ago when I realized that Jacob has the same tendency. We were watching An American Tail, the story of Fievel Mousekewitz, the little Russian emigrant mouse who is separated from his family on the way to America. In his journey, Fievel has many setbacks including: being kidnapped, being put to work in a sweatshop, escaping evil cats, and continually losing hope that he’ll ever find his family. Pretty hard times for a young mouse.

Finally, at the end of the film Fievel is reunited with his father. It is a touching moment between Father and Son Mousekewitz, and the happy emigrant family is reunited! At this point in the movie, I look over at Jacob, and what do I see? TEARS. Tears welling in his eyes. I couldn’t believe it! He was just like me! At this discovery, he quickly became embarrassed and hid his face so I couldn’t see him. But I wasn’t gonna let this go. . .

H: “Awww. . . Honey! You’re crying! I didn’t realize this movie would affect you so much!” [lots of laughing and teasingly comforting Jacob]

J: [Becoming more embarrassed and defensive—as more tears escape] “Well, it’s just REALLY touching!! Okay?? I can’t help it!”

I hope this doesn’t embarrass you, Jacob. I just love this moment so much, and I wanted to write it down before I forgot about it. It makes me happy to have someone so tender-hearted. We can always be weepers together.

revisiting childhood favs

2011-10-05T09:16:00.004-06:00

I am so glad I married someone who will use his netflix one-month free trial to order Homeward Bound, watch the whole movie with me, and love it just as much as I do. so heartwarming.

cuddling with husband + this movie + bowl of graham canyon ice cream = perfect tuesday night

our first house guest

2011-10-04T09:30:00.003-06:00

we love you, kari.

come and visit us again.

you can sleep on our futon whenever you like.

love her

2011-10-03T13:08:00.002-06:00

wedding day: the reception

2011-09-28T11:18:00.002-06:00

When I walked into the Val Vista Lakes Clubhouse, I had no idea what it was going to look like. A few months earlier, I basically met with our decorator, told her my colors and some flowers that I like, and just hoped it would all turn out something like I had wanted. I was pleasantly surprised with what I found. It was more beautiful than I could have imagined.

I loved my reception. Sometimes I wish I could go back and freeze time, so I could just walk around and look at all the beautiful flowers and decorations again, eat more of that delicious food, and say hi to every single person there. It all went so fast. Thanks to my wonderful photographer (camitakesphotos.com), I've got the closest thing to that dream in these lovely photos.

The cake was beautiful. I wanted it to look both traditional and modern, and I think it really worked out. The best part about it was that our cake decorator made it out of real whipped cream instead of fondant, so it actually looked pretty and tasted good!

Our lovely rings, both in rose gold.

I believe this is Megan (best friend/sister-in-law) modeling them for us.

my bouquet

Some of Jacob's friends who traveled to be at the reception.

My lovely grandma, Gloria.

I really think some of the most stunning photos were of the wedding cake. so lovely.

the band. they look so perfect in their matching getup.

+ courtney cotter, their lovely and talented guest pianist

Jacob's lovely grandma

During the band's first song, we got up and danced with all the kiddies

the daddy-daughter + mom and son dance

mine and Jacob's first dance as a married couple.

we danced to the band's rendition of "at last" by etta james.

baby crew

jacob gets some last-minute advice from alex. . .

The whole night was so perfect. I never wanted it to end. In preparation for the wedding day, a lot of people told me, "just be prepared for something to go wrong. don't let it ruin your day, but something will go wrong." I took this advice to heart, but surprisingly, I think everything went right. It all seemed so perfect, and I loved every moment. I will always think fondly of my wedding day and cherish the memories. Thank you, everyone who shared it with us. Love you lots.

reception S N E A K P E A K!

2011-09-27T13:45:00.001-06:00

so many photos coming.

wedding day: family pictures

2011-09-25T16:31:00.002-06:00

this post is mainly for our family members who want to see all the group shots. these were taken right before the reception, outside of val vista lakes clubhouse. i love the way they turned out. again, all photos taken by cami dunn (camitakesphotos.com).

the robinson fam

the robinson "originals"

(minus spouses and babies) + me

mother and father of the groom

the wilsons,

jacob's sister's darling family

adam and megan robinson + lil' elijah

eli's face just kills me!

alex + jacob

(best friends)

camilla is so darling

my uncle don, who left his conference in san antonio early to make it to the wedding

my new nephew, dane!

i seriously wanted to kidnap this kid, he's so dang cute.

the hale "originals" + jacob

(minus TJ, who couldn't get out of a business trip)

the whole hale fam

mother and father of the bride

the glovers

(my sister, jheri's cute family)

TJ couldn't make it, but my awesome sister-in-law, Tressa, still came with little Luke

the campbells

my sis, tricia + chase +kate + baby crew

these little girls were helping me with my dress all night long

sisters

all the ladies

i'm not so good at the "fake laughing" thing, but jheri has it down

the wedding party

the handsome men

you have no idea how hard it was to take this picture with all these crazy little girls. i am literally holding kate by her shirt to keep her in place.

one the best things about weddings is just getting all the family together. it was so lovely to see everyone and celebrate. and shout-out to my fam: if any of you guys want these photos, let me know and i will send them your way! love you.

wedding day: the temple

2011-09-22T14:33:00.000-06:00

walking out of the mesa temple as a newly married couple was the most amazing feeling. the happiness was tremendous.

when we first kissed outside on the steps of the temple, my little nephew (the one who is always scolding us about kissing) leaned over to my sister and asked, "aren't they supposed to kiss longer than that?" so funny.

all our fans

my fam (+ some friends)

his fam

my precious lil' niece, kate

hale fam in front of the temple

Our sealing in the temple is what made the rest of the wedding day special. i am convinced that nothing could've "ruined" my day after that beautiful experience. for instance, i am pretty sure it was scorching hot while we taking these wedding photos-- but look at my face! i am so happy, i can't even feel it!

i wasn't expecting a lot for the temple sealing-- only because so many people have told me it is a very short and simple ceremony. but wow. just walking into the sealing room filled with our friends and family members moved me to tears. and the ceremony itself was simple, yes, but so beautiful. without a doubt, the most powerful experience of my life. i will never forget the way i felt. there's nothing like sitting across the altar from the one you love and being sealed for time and all eternity.

bridals: desert shoot

2011-09-21T10:25:00.008-06:00

on day two of shooting bridals, we hit up some pretty awesome locations. i didn't really know where i wanted to go for our second shoot, so i left it up to cami (camitakesphotos.com), our photographer, to pick the spot. the only thing i requested was a pretty, natural landscape with an element of color. before i knew it, we were in the car at 4 am taking an hour drive to superior, arizona-- a little town i had never even heard of. as we drove, the early morning light started peaking over the mountains, revealing sweeping hills of beautiful desert. but what we really came for was the ol' copper mine, marked by its colorful appearance due to the mineral deposits. with the sun just beginning to rise-- this place was pretty striking in person.

after shooting near the mine, we drove around in search of more lovely scenery for photos. we pulled over on the side of the road to take some shots on a classic desert landscape-- paloverdes, creosote, prickly pears, and a majestic saguaro. i thought my dress blended well with this terrain, and it felt good stickin' to my arizona roots and taking some desert shots. so glad we stopped here.

next we headed back into superior--this was the goofiest little town you have ever seen! pretty run down, but there were lots of interesting photo opportunities here: an old high school, a rustic building, and murals on about every other wall. plus, everyone in town was super friendly! every time somebody drove or walked by they would stop and day hi to us and dote over our wedding apparel. "awwww!! you're getting married! congratulations!!!"--almost every person. we were the biggest stars in superior that day.

being a major horse-lover, i couldn't pass up taking some pics in front of this colorful pony mural. so cute! cami told us to get "crazy". . . how did we do?

it was a long and rigorous photoshoot. jacob carrying me over his shoulder in my big, immobile wedding dress through the desert terrain + nasty lil' gnats flying in our faces + lots of driving + lots of posing + more driving + lots more posing. not to mention, i had to change (literally) on the side of the road as well as a very questionable public bathroom, BUT it was a lot of fun and definitely worth all the effort. wouldn't you agree?

well, that concludes the bridal photos. hope you like! many more photos from the wedding day to be posted soon!

bridals: temple shoot

2011-09-20T09:44:00.013-06:00

the following are photos are from the first bridal shoot at the mesa temple. it had just rained the night before, so it was a pretty muggy morning in late july. hot and sticky-- even at 5 am. the humidity was oppressive, and you can see my hair become progressively frizzier throughout the photoshoot. still, we had a lot of fun taking these photos. we were so excited to be on the beautiful temple grounds where we would be getting married in less than a month. but i was the most excited to finally show jacob my wedding dress and to see him in his brand new suit (doesn't he look handsome?). we weren't married yet, but we knew we were gonna be very soon. . .

all of these lovely photos were taken by Cami Dunn (camitakesphotos.com) and the video was done by Colton Lee, both of whom i highly recommend! so happy with the way they turned out.

many more wedding pics to come!!!

Bridals S N E A K P E A K!

2011-09-19T14:24:00.010-06:00

the pics are in!

now just give me some time to load 'em up.

one month

2011-09-19T09:46:00.007-06:00

To celebrate our "one month" landmark of being married, we had a lovely evening at the temple + a tasty dinner at Guru's (best sweet potato fries in town), and then we did this. . .

that's right. we camped indoors. our original plan was set up camp in the backyard, but the rude weather kept us in the shelter of our home. Still, pitching our tent in the living room was such a success. we put our futon mattress in there + mattress pads + our softest blankets + tons of pillows. it kinda looked like the inside of the "I Dream of Jeannie" lamp when we were done with it:

okay. . . maybe not that cool, but it was super comfy!

then we turned the lights out, and laid under the stars. . .

I got one of these cute little star lamps for jacob last valentine's day. finally, we put it to good use! yes, we are cheesey, romantic dorks.

After setting it all up, we snuggled in our tent and watched Tangled on my laptop via netflix. . .

we had never seen it before, but we both loved it. really cute and the animation was so beautiful! i am notorious for falling asleep during movies, but this was one of the few that I stayed up past midnight to watch-- which is actually a huge success for me. poor jacob has to watch the end of most movies by himself.

we loved our tent so much that we actually slept in it all weekend! friday night + saturday night + a 3-hour mega-nap on sunday. finally, we had to make oursleves take it down sunday night and sleep in our "real" bed. i predict that we will whip out the tent again soon though-- hopefully for real camping. best wedding gift ever!

i can't believe we have been married for a month already. the days are flying! i am happy to say that we have comfortably settled into married life. it has been a natural transition. in fact, not much has changed. we are still the same people going through life doing the same things we always did. now we just get to live the way we've been wanting to for the past year--sharing everything together. and let me tell you, it's a lot easier (and more fun) to face the day-to-day with the one you love.

discovering married life has been exciting and revealing altogether. there are so many things i want to say about marriage and my husband. i feel like i learn something new and valuable every day, and that marriage (so far) is making me a better person. maybe i'll express these thoughts more in the future, but for now i'll just say. . .

the state of the union is strong!

WEEKEND!!!

2011-09-16T10:37:00.001-06:00

my power anthem as of late. . .

oh yeah, and skip the first 2 minutes of this vid-- they are pointless.

winner winner chicken dinner!!!

2011-09-15T14:52:00.010-06:00

Last weekend, Jacob and I did the unthinkable-- we shared a 50 piece order of McDoanld's chicken mcnuggets for just $9.99. We had been talking about this for a long time, but I found that you will never feel completely "prepared" for this kind of undertaking. You just have to brave it.

a beautiful sight.

Holli vs. Mcnuggets

25 for Jacob. 25 for me. and no one was allowed to leave until every last nugget was gone. we also sampled every single kind of McDoanld's dipping sauce, so now I am pretty much an expert in this area. I'll give you the low-down on the situation:

sweet n' sour sauce: can't go wrong! this stuff seriously brings me back to my days of happy meals-- when all that mattered was the teenie beanie baby in the bag and the liquid gold that smothered my mcnugget. it's sweet. it's sour. it's timeless.
hot mustard: i had never seen this flavor before, but it was surprisingly good. granted, it doesn't deviate far from its description-- it tastes very much like hot. . . mustard. but not even that hot. some might say common, but some might say bold. jacob and i approved-- and sloshed our nuggets with it.
tangy barbeque: FAIL!!! this one was such a let down. first of all, because it sounded like something i would want to inhale. i love tangy! i love bbq! i will obviously love tangy bbq sauce--nope. all I can say is that it tasted like aftertaste. but maybe i am being too harsh. jacob said he liked it, but he also seemed to favor the other bbq variety, which brings me to. . .
chipotle bbq: WINNER WINNER CHICKEN DINNER!!! this was maybe my fav. i think me and jacob licked that lil' white tub clean. classic bbq flavor with just a hint of chipotle edge. has anyone else noticed how chipotle seems to be creeping its way into every food now? kinda trendy. a little chichi. mostly hip. PREDICTION: one day chiptole will take over the food market, and instead of 2 bbq flavors, there will be "chipotle bbq" and "tangy chipotle." bye bye tangy bbq--you can't stop the beat.
creamy ranch: hold the phone--i can't really hate on ranch because there is really nothing wrong with it. it's classic, likeable, and always there when you need it. still, i think i've been "over" ranch since about 2001 (unless, of course, you are talking about the tomatillo/cilantro ranch form cafe rio-- aka "elixir of life"). I kinda feel about ranch the way i felt about jack johnson when he got all big. everyone seems to like him. there's nothing wrong with him. he just doesn't do it for me. not even that cute song about banana pancakes. but many people genuinely do like jack johnson, just as many genuinely love ranch-- for instance, jacob. (not sure if jacob likes jack johnson. . .)
honey mustard: fair. this one fell a little flat for me. it mostly just tasted a lot different than i was expecting for a "honey mustard." and i really think it had coconut milk in it or something--a little awkward. a few bites of this flavor was enough for me. not bad. . . but not good. comme ci comme ca! (hope i used that expression correctly)
spicy buffalo: couldn't wait to try this, especially since i generally love anything "buffalo wing" flavored-- especially the buffalo wing pizza at SLAB (so tasty!)--and actual buffalo wings are good too, i guess. but for the sake of criticism, i think this stuff was a little too strong. exciting, but maybe too much thrill too fast. i could only take a little bit at a time.
pure honey: BONUS! okay. now this, technically, is not one of the 7 "dipping sauces" Mcdonald's advertises for mcnuggets. however, there is surely a stash of honey packets hidden in every Mcdonald's restaurant. okay, i've decided-- this is definitely my fav. if you love a taste that is pure, sweet, unadulterated. . . honey is your dip. I know what you're thinkin. just try it. you won't regret it. TIP: if you wanna go crazy, combine pure honey + chipotle bbq with a double-dip. COMBO!!

for our last bite, jacob and i dipped our mcnuggets in every tub of sauce for a "soooper doooper dip" finale. it was nuts. don't ever do it.

after the storm.

we left this place a Mcmess.

Health! Wealth! Happiness!

highly recommended, but we definitely left with the Mcgurgles.

too many nuggets!!

WHAT?!!! I SAW AMY WHAT?!!!

2011-09-14T08:21:00.003-06:00

sister hansen and the robinsons.

qtd. from sister hansen's missionary blog that alison has been keeping up for her:

". . .let me just tell you about the best day of my life yesterday. mrs. holli hale robinson is probably the best human on the planet. imagine my surprise when, as i'm getting ready after gym to go to lunch, i heara knock on the door in my residence hall and open it up to see her smiling face. WHAT?!!!! SHE BROKE INTO THE MTC TO BRING ME CAFE RIO WHAT?!!!! not that i'm condoning breaking into the mtc. that girl has guts. but seriously. it made my day. no. it made my mtc stay. it was so awesome to see her and hug her! it was like unreal though. i think i've become one of those socially-awkward-around-normal-humans missionaries. which is unfortunate. but i was so happy to see her. and then when i walked back into the room with that pork salad (i'll be honest, i very briefly considered running and hiding and eating it all by myself in the bathroom or something, but i decided to try and be christlike, and also the mental image of me eating a pork salad by myself on the toilet was just too pathetic), there was much rejoicing in the land. everyone went crazy. it's like we were on drugs for real, we were all so happy. so holli, if you're reading this (i'mgoingto write you a letter anyway), just know that you made a lot of people happy that day. i'm pretty sure you will be exalted for that. and you freaking snuck into the mtc. respect forever and always."

FHE

2011-09-13T08:47:00.001-06:00

I like FHE as a married couple.

Jacob gave the prayer, I gave a quick lesson, and then we spent about a half hour watching videos of baby animals on youtube...

now i want a baby bulldog puppy! Do you hear this lil' guy snarling? so precious.

And of course we finished off with some brownies and milk for our refreshment. We did that part right! Maybe one day we'll be more adult about Family Night. . . or maybe we'll go classic skating.

FHE-- easy as 1, 2, 3.

sleep-talker episode II

2011-09-12T10:52:00.002-06:00

Remember the “spider webs” sleep-talking incident from last week? Well, if you thought that was bad (so did I), just wait till you hear what happened a few nights later:

It is about 4 am. Jacob and I have been sleeping peacefully through the night without any disturbances. I wake slightly and decide to roll over on my side towards my edge of the bed. As soon as I roll, a pair of hands suddenly grab me and whip me onto my back. Jacob is now leaning over me and holding my wrists down on the bed. He looks scared and very intense.

J: ARE YOU OKAY?!?!

At this point I am thinking, 'did he think I was about to fall off the bed?? Not that big of a deal, but I appreciate the concern, I guess. . .'

H: [half-awake and confused] Yeah, I’m okaaay. . .

J: WHAT HAPPENED??!!?? ARE YOU OKAY, HONEY??? WHAT HAPPENED??? [his voice grows in intensity as does his tightening grip on my wrists]

I am sure now that he is asleep. He doesn’t even sound like himself. It is apparent that he is having some kind of intense adventure-dream, and I am the damsel in distress.

H: [laughing and unsure of what to do—after all, he is holding me down with great strength] Nothing happened!! I am OKAY, honey!

J: [he suddenly calms] Okay. . . Come ‘ere. [he lies down and holds me tightly in his arms—almost protectively—and kisses my forehead]

I laugh quietly to myself and think ‘well this is nice! I like to cuddle at 4 in the morning!’ When he seems to have passed out again, I wriggle from his arms and go back to sleep.

Of course, in the morning Jacob didn’t recall any of it—not even the dream.

H: Honey, do you remember grabbing me at some point last night?

J: Uhhhh. . . where did I grab you???

Nothing.

I have to say my nights have become much more interesting ever since I got married! From spider webs to intense situations to sweet cuddling. . . I never know what to expect anymore.

sent from his ipad

2011-09-12T10:37:00.002-06:00

True Love Ways (My Morning Jacket) by concordmusicgroup

a lovely buddy holly cover + a paint scribble from my love

costa rica honeymoon part IV

2011-09-09T10:29:00.003-06:00

After getting back from Esterillos on the 6th night, I am pretty sure we just went back to our hotel and crashed. We were pretty exhausted, and a week of non-stop fun and adventure was starting to catch up to us. While I took a nap, Jacob went to talk to Esteban (one of the friendly hotel staff at La Posada) about check-out, returning our rental car, booking a hotel closer to the airport in San Jose, confirming our zipline tour for the next morning, etc. However, he also asked Esteban about a special place he could take me for dinner, since it was our last night in Manuel Antonio. Esteban recommended the restaurant at the fancy Hotel Makanda.

When we got in the car for dinner, Jacob wouldn't tell me where we were going. We passed many of the popular restaurants in town until we got to a strange, dark road that was very steep and curving downward. It looked like we were driving straight into the jungle! Soon we got to a gate. Jacob told the man we were there for dinner, and he ushered us in. We then walked down a long path of white stairs to get to a beautiful poolside restaurant. There were purple tents set up everywhere with lights, candles, tables, tablecloths, and all the fancy dinnerware set out for us. Again, we were literally the only ones there! It was extremely romantic.

The picture really doesn't do it any justice, but this place was so cool and fancy. I couldn't believe how beautifully it was all set up, and with only me and Jacob there! When we got there, they were playing some "clubby" pop music that was a little obnoxious. Jacob asked our waiter if they could put on something a little more soft and romantic, and he did gladly. The mood was so strange and lovely. I told Jacob, "I feel like you are going to propose to me or something! But you already did!" Jacob laughed, "Me too!" I think there was just a lot magic in the air.

And then the food came! And it was like "WHOA" good. I ordered the red pepper and fetta stuffed chicken, and Jacob ordered an amazing tenderloin in a portobello mushroom sauce. And you can see for yourself that the presentation was beautiful. Probably one of the best dinners I have ever had. And we couldn't leave without having some cheesecake-- Jacob's favorite.

My dish.

I seriously start salivating every time I think about that chicken. So amazing.

A little jungle frog came and joined us for dinner.

It was a beautiful dinner and a night to remember.

The next morning, we decided to end our trip with a BANG. We had scheduled a zipline canopy tour for 7 am, but unfortunately it rained really hard all night and our tour was cancelled due to flooded rivers that made the roads a little dangerous. We were a little bummed, but the hotel staff told us that if a later tour opened up, they would let us know.

Luckily, another tour did open up later, and because this tour was having a special discount that day-- it was WAY cheaper than the one we had originally signed up for. Before we knew it, we were in a tour van headed for the ziplines!

In the van headed for the Titi Canopy Tour.

All strapped up and ready to go!

Awww yeah. . .

As we hiked the trail to get to the platforms, we saw a ton of wildlife!

poison dart frog!

Don't touch! These guys are deadly!

One of two sloths that we saw on the trail.

(I think we woke this one up. He' s nocturnal)

Getting ready to go!

One of our canopy guides kept saying "rock n' roll baby!" the whole time to get us pumped, so I picked it up pretty quick.

Time to sail through the canopies!

Here comes jacob!

The first time I went down the zipline, I was so exhilirated that I forgot to break at the end. I ran right into the poor little costa rican guy who was there to catch me at the end. Oops! But I always have to do something mildly embarrassing and somewhat dangerous. It's kinda "my thing."

It was so cool to literally be soaring through the jungle. It felt like some cross between Tarzan and Superman.

The views were awesome at this place.

Not a great picture (we had to take Jacob's cheapie camera becasue my strap broke), but we saw a ton of monkeys! All the squirrel monkeys were fighting with the white-faced monkeys. They were jumping and soaring all through the trees. Pretty entertaining.

The path to one of the platforms was a suspension bridge! Scary!

In this picture is a guy from our hotel-- the friendly and sassy Mike from Tennessee.

This line was the best. It was SO LONG!! You could not even see where it ended!

I always asked for an extra push, so I could go extra fast.

Can you hear me screaming in the vid? It is so faint as I disappear into the treetops.

We loved the tour, and we were so glad it all worked out-- despite the heavy rain from the night before. It was great to end our honeymoon with a little adventure.

When we got back to La Posada, we found out that it just happened to be "National Park Day" and entrance to Manuel Antonio was free for the whole day. We didn't have a lot of time left before we had to catch our bus to San Jose, but we bought a few souvenirs and decided to take one final stroll through the park.

We came across a little jungle deer! I was scared to get close to it, thinking it might get spooked and kick me or something, but Jacob egged me on.

It didn't seem phased at all, so I went ahead to pet it.

Still not phased. In fact, it seemed to like me!

It gave me lots of kisses! So cute!

At this pont, Jacob's camera started to get a little funky. It pretty much stopped adjusting properly, so these pics are a little wacky. Oh welll. Here we are in front of the Manuel Antonio entrance.

Saying goodbye to Esteban, our friend at La Posada.

I loved how he, like many Costa Ricans always said "Pura Vida!" or "pure life." It is kind of their little catch phrase over there, which is obviously why they seem so laid back and happy all the time.

"Bye Esteban!"

"Pura Vida!"

Saying adios to "Blancita" the friendly hotel dog.

And that was basiacally it! We got on the bus and took a crazy drive back to San Jose-- we were literally driving this giant bus through little villages and shanties out in the middle of nowhere. Some of the places we stopped at were a little questionable, but hey, we slept through most of it. We finally made it to our little hotel near the airport-- and when I say little, I mean our room was barely big enough for our bed! But it was actually really cozy, the hotel staff was very helpful, and they made us a pretty nice dinner-- so we can't complain!

Jacob on the airplane. No one loves SkyMall more than this guy! He was so mesmerized by everything.

The whole way back, I just kept saying to Jacob, "I don't wanna go back to the US! Can't we just stay in Costa Rica??" If only. We definitely plan to go back someday-- hopefully not too far in the future. But for now, it is back to real life. real jobs. real school. real responsibilities. *huff!*. . .

But don't get me wrong, the honeymoon isn't over :)

PURA VIDA!!!

costa rica honeymoon part III

2011-09-08T09:27:00.008-06:00

After our adventure with the monkeys, our trip took an interesting turn. Turns out, the guy who made both of our wedding rings owns some condos in Costa Rica, and often lets people who buy rings from him stay there for a reduced price. Of course, when he told Jacob this, we had already made all our arrangements at La Posada for the week. Still, he said that we could stay there one night for free and just pay the cleaning fee. And so we said, "sure! why not?"

The condos were in a town called Esterillos Oeste-- about 45 minutes north of where we were staying in Manuel Antonio. So we hopped in our little Toyota Yaris rental car and drove up the coast. We stopped at a little gas station, where we were met by a man named Javier who took us here. . .

Pretty nice condos, right?? Here is the inside. . .

Jacob is my model.

Everything in here looked brand new and beautiful.

We were very impressed-- and these pics really don't do it much justice.

This was the view from our balcony.

We could hear the waves crashing right outside our bedroom!

But as nice as our condo was, we really just wanted to go enjoy the beach.

It was a little overcast that afternoon, but it was a beautiful beach. And the best part was that (with the exception of a few distant surfers who were minding their own business) we were the only ones there. It was just this great stretch of sand and beach and trees and then-- us. There was something so enchanting about it.

This beach didn't have the striking blue waters of Playa Espadilla in Mauel Antonio, but it had a different quiet charm that was just as beautiful. It really felt like it was all ours.

The other thing we really liked about this town was that it felt like we were really in Costa Rica. It had this small-town village feel, instead of the tourist paradise that is all around Manuel Antonio. Although we really enjoyed the touristy areas as well, this was just peaceful and authentic. That night we went to a little restaurant in town (maybe the only restaurant in town) that Dave, our ring designer, recommended for us. The restaurant was called "Almendros"-- and boy was it good. I had some amazing spicy Jamaican Jerk chicken while Jacob had a more typical costa rican dish with rice beans and fish, but we both loved it. Unfortunately, we forgot to bring our camera, but the best part of this resaurant was, again-- we were the only ones there. Well, except for some goofy, old, american expat having a quiet dinner by himself. Other than that, in the whole restaurant, it was just me and Jacob. Very lovely. Very romantic.

The next morning, we got some breakfast and headed back to the beach! This is Jacob attempting a cartwheel. I was impressed. Although, I had no-idea he was left-footed until he did this.

We coudn't leave costa rica without a good "dip" pic. It is kind of our trademark.

That morning on the beach was exactly the same-- just us, for the most part. When we first got there it was very sunny, but the clouds slowly started rolling in. Still, it was very beautiful in its own way.

My swimsuit kinda looks skin-colored in these photos-- I apologize. In person it is like a shiny golden color. Bad lighting! (picture taken by a log)

The water was very warm and the waves very peculiar, so we spent a lot of time body surfing and playing in the waves. We also found tons and tons of really cool sea shells at this beach, and we made a little collection to take home with us.

A storm eventually started rolling in, and we enjoyed it!

We then headed back to the condo. Did I mention there was pool on the roof overlooking the ocean?? So awesome. Did I also mention that we had it all to ourselves? Well, we did-- and not just the pool-- the WHOLE CONDO COMPLEX. Just me and my love.

After all of our adventures in Esterillos, we decided to head back to Manuel Antonio. But on the way back we started to get pretty hungry. We were kind of in the middle of nowhere, but Jacob found this really beautiful beachside hotel in Bejuco. It was called Hotel Delfin, and inside there was a really nice restaurant with white tablecloths and panoramic windows facing the beach. Again, we were literally the only ones there!! I was tempted to start singing "empty chairs and empty tables" form Les Mis. It was almost kind of eerie, but romantic at the same time. Every place we went seemed be waiting there just for us.

The food was great. I had some tasty sea bass and Jacob finally got the burger and fries that he had been craving! You kind of feel bad ordering a burger when you are at a fancy restaurant in costa rica, but you never regret it! so good.

After lunch we got back in the car and headed back to La Posada in Manuel Antonio. Though we loved Esterillos Oeste and really enjoyed our fancy condo, after one night we were starting to miss our cozy little bungalow hotel back in Manuel Antonio. That little "parrot room" kinda felt like our home!

And thus ended our adventures in the lovely and peaceful Eterillos Oeste. . . but we still had one day left in Manuel Antonio! One final post to come.