Shelly and the Kids

My Sister-in-Law Shelly and her kids have been in town this week. On Thursday we had dinner with them at the Porcupine Grill. Mark and I had a lot of fun and had a very different experience than we are used to (kids are crazy).

Here are some pictures outside the restaurant. I was so mad when we got home and looked at the pictures and saw that this is the only one with Shelly in it!

Of course all of the kids love Mark. Evan started to chase him in the parking lot, so the other two had to join in. This is Abby shoving all the stuff she was holding into my arms so she could go get Mark.

Nathan about to get Mark

After dinner we went to see where they were staying

Mark and Abby playing video games

Me and Nathan

Me and Evan

Nathan, Abby, Me, Evan, Mark

We had a great time with you guys! I wish my family would come up here more often!

Balloon Launch

Right now the Freedom Festival is going on in glorious Provo. This morning Mark, Wendy, and I went to the balloon launch. It was awesome! they had 20 balloons!! So here are some pictures.

Mark and I with Tony

Wendy and I are SOOO excited!!

and for your viewing pleasure Mark and I did some pretty cool dancing. They were playing music that we just couldn't resist!

Treasure Hunt

So when i came home from work today i found this on the table:

So i read it, and immediately think of the fake flowers we have in our bathroom. (yes i know this is what you would say "tacky" but trust me, it's better than nothing) So i look in there, thinking that maybe Mark switched them out for some new ones or something, but they're the same and everything looks just like i left it. So i think, maybe i got it wrong and i should look in other places. i re-read it and think "certain location" this can only mean one thing to Mark: the refrigerator. But yet again, nothing. So i continue looking everywhere. Before long i give up and just call Mark to tell him i can't figure out where he put my prize. He just laughs at me and says "I tried to make it hard." then he says "which one are you on?" so then i get it, there are more instruction cards. So i go back to the fake flowers and find this hidden in them:

I quickly hang up with Mark because i want to figure it out on my own. So i read it. Nothing. Trident?? we don't have any gum. and since when does Mark like Trident? Obviously the underlined letters have something to do with it. LITR. Did he mean litter?? am i supposed to look in the trash? So i call Mark back to tell him i can't figure out this one either. Apparently only the L and T are underlined. So??? still nothing. Then Mark says "what do we refer to as LT?" Oh i get it "Learning Technics" (a program we are doing) So i hang up with Mark and run over to the basket we keep all the LT things in (in my defence, Mark has refered to Learning Technics as LT maybe 2 or 3 times in our lives) So i look and find this:

What the ????? So this time i don't even try. I just call Mark again. What the flip does this mean?? He asked me to read it to him so i said "curve arrow three forward arrow three forward slide I right bend and pull." Exactly, no sense whatsoever. So then he explains, curve arrow means turn around, three forward means take three steps forward, arrow means turn left, another three steps, slide I right means slide one step to the right, then bend over and pull. By following these instructions it took me to the desk (why he couldn't have said "go to the desk" I'm not certain)where i bent over (not really necessary, but amusing to watch i am sure) and pulled the drawer open and found these:

Zebra tissues. I love everything zebra (as long as its cute zebra and not ugly zebra). Isnt he so sweet? confusing, but sweet!

Tradition

Ever since Mark and I got married, we have had this unofficial tradition. Every "regular" Saturday (a Saturday where we don't have anywhere to be) we sleep in then get up and make danish's. Then we eat them while we watch "Sell This House" and "Flip This House" on A&E. I absolutely love it. Our schedules have been kinda crazy lately so we haven't done it in a while and i really miss it. But i hope we start again soon and do it for the rest of our lives!!

this picture does NOT do them justice.

Mark and Callie's Danish's

2 cups Original Bisquick Mix
1/4 cup butter
2 tablespoons sugar
2/3 cup milk or cream (obviously cream tastes better!)

mix in a mixing bowel with a pastry blender
shape into large balls and make a well in each one
fill each well with jam

bake at 450 degrees for 10-15 minutes

Glaze:
2/3 cup powdered sugar
2 teaspoons warm water

1/4 teaspoons vanilla

pour over baked danish's

Washington D.C.

So Mark and I just got home from our great trip to Washington D.C. We had so much fun and saw so much!! So here are a few pictures from the trip.

Please don't judge how hideous i look in this picture. We left on Wednesday morning at 8:30. Landed in New York around 12:30. Then waited on the plane for an hour while they brought the "people mover" over to get us. For some reason they didn't bring us directly to a gate, so they had to bus us over to the terminal. Then we had a few hours to sit in the airport. This was my first time to New York and it definitely didnt count because we didnt have enough time to go do anything there, and i couldn't even see anything from the airport. not even one little building.

Then we got on a new plane and flew to Washington and got there around 9:00 p.m. So we spent all day in airports and on planes. Yet again they didnt bring us to a terminal, so here I am, standing next to airplanes, looking like i spent all day in airports and on airplanes. So once more, don't judge. (in case you can't tell, i'm pointing to the Washington Monument)

We took a taxi to the hotel where Mark's dad was waiting for us. He was smart and paid the extra money for a direct flight. he left 3 hours after us and got there 5 hours before us.

The next day was "business day." We met all the Utah delegates (2 senators and 3 congressmen) Here we are with Jim Matheson

After our meeting, we went and had lunch in some basement of some congress office building. I had a crispy chicken wrap. it was pretty delicious!

Then Mark and I headed over to meet the other congressional award people for a group picture. It was pretty miserable, but it had a great view!

We spent the rest of the day meeting people. Then we had the award ceremony. Sorry no pictures. I didnt want to be like all the other annoying family people stepping over everyone for a picture.

Then that night we had a very fancy, fantastic dinner with the congressional award people. It was just delightful! We sat next to people from Wyoming, and lets just say they have a lot of "state pride."

By the end of the day i wanted to scream because i had been wearing my heals all day and walking EVERYWHERE!! My feet will never be the same.

The next morning we had an appointment with Orin Hatch. I almost cried when i had to put the evil heals back on my poor feet.

After Hatch's meeting we went over to the Supreme court building. It was pretty cool. Plus, Mark's dad got us into the library there which you can't get in unless you are a lawyer. So we felt pretty cool.

Here is Mark, just reading a book from the Supreme court library.

After that Mark and I took a taxi home (i could/would not walk one more step in those shoes.) to change our clothes (hallelujah!!)

Then we set out to see some museums.

Here i am in the Smithsonian Natural History Museum.

Mark and I outside the National Art Gallery. ( i think that's what it's called)

Mark being a dork. Isn't he so cute??

Then we went back to Senator Hatch's office and a nice girl there took us on a Capital tour. It was really cool. Then she took us out to where all the President's are inaugurated on the front balcony thing of the Capital. So here we are standing on the inauguration spot!

Every state gets to have 2 statures up in the Capital. I dont know who this guy is, but he is one of Arizona's, so i got a picture with him. (In case you were wondering, Utah has one of Brigham Young, and one of whoever invented the T.V.)

Then Mark and i headed over to the Library of Congress. I must admit, i was not excited about this. Mark kept saying he wanted to go there and i just didnt get it. I mean, come on!! we are students, we spend our lives in libraries. But once we were there, it turned out to be one of my favorite places we went.

The outside

the inside

Then we headed back to the hotel for a little rest. Then later that night we went to see the monuments. I think seeing them at night is definitely the way to go. they just look so much cooler all lit up!

This night we also saw the WW2 memorial and the Viet Nam memorial

Then the next day we went to the Newseum and the Holocaust museum. Both very cool, if you can call the Holocaust cool.

Mark trying on Lincoln's head in the Newseum.

Then we said goodbye to Mark's dad, and the two of us headed over to have some lunch.

We have some friends, Dave and Karly, who live in D.C. They had been out of town until Saturday night. So, we went over to their apartment, got their car, and picked them up from the airport. Then we went to see the National's and the Orioles. It was pretty awesome!

That night we went and saw the Jefferson monument and the FDR monument. Both very cool.

The next morning, Mark and I got up and went to wait in line for the National Archives. We had been trying to see these the whole time, but every time we walked by the line was huge. We were so glad we went first thing in the morning because the wait was definitely much shorter.

Then we met up with Dave at the Smithsonian Air and Space museum. Here we are in front of some plane!

We took this picture looking into the helmet of a space suit. Cool huh!

Then we went and picked Karly up and had lunch at the Burger place Obama went to. I know, we are such tourists!

Then we went to Arlington Cemetery and saw the Changing of the Guards and JFK's grave.

Then we got on a plane and came home. well kinda. We got on a plane, taxied out to the runway, then had to turn around and go back to the terminal while they fixed something for an hour, then flew to Mineappolas and waited for about 2 hours then flew home. We didn't actually get to our apartment until 2:00 am.

All in all we had a great time!! Everyone needs to go to D.C. i think!

Hair History

So i thought i would put a little "history of my hair" in pictures on here for your pleasure and enjoyment!

Disclaimer: some of these hair styles are pretty scary. continue looking at your own risk!

No history of my hair can be complete without including this little beauty. This was the first 8-10 years of my life: "the side pony"

skip to my 17th birthday

Later that year:

and later that same year:

Corny High School graduation picture:

the "brown" phase:

Back to blond:

Ha Ha!!! I just noticed i was wearing the same shirt in those pictures!! I must have really liked that one.

engagement hair:

just married hair:

Long hair:

another awful "brown" phase:

March "back to being me" hair:

May grown out hair:

And are you ready for it???





are you excited yet??




the NEW hair: