Two is better than one

It's crazy how since we've been married, we feel like we see each other WAY less than we did when we were dating or engaged. Have any of you experienced that?

Since I started working 40 hours a week, and since he decided to take the LSAT, our time together has decreased significantly! I don't think I have made the big blog announcement but yes, Joshua is taking the LSAT on December 5th! It is something he has always been interested in doing and with the economy being the way it is, he decided that in order to be more successful in the future, law school was the right fit for him. When he decided to go ahead with the LSAT, I asked if he wanted to watch "Legally Blonde" to give him some inspiration, but he shot that down!

I fully support him in this new endeavor. And if any of you know Josh well, you know that he is VERY good at arguing and winning! :) He has done really well on his practice tests and has continued to improve each week. I am one proud wife!

This is one of my favorite pictures from our bridals. His face is so adorable.

I feel like I love Josh more and more everyday. Marriage is a big adjustment, but I am grateful to be going through this big adjustment with Josh. He is so patient with me and he works so hard in all that he does so that we can have a successful future. Our busy lives make our time together that much more precious. Sometimes I find myself missing him like crazy while I'm at work. Especially on days when I know I will only see him briefly in passing as I get home at 5:30 and he leaves for his LSAT study course from 6 until 9. I don't know if he knows how excited I get to see him.

We always have so much fun together-whether it's popping popcorn and watching some episodes of "The Office" together, or going on dates, or teasing each other about the weird people we used to date :) or snuggling in bed, it's always a good time. We are also learning how to adjust to living with each other. Josh is ALL man and I am ALL girl, so you can imagine that life can get a little interesting for us. I am learning that Sunday afternoons are spent watching MANY football games(I've actually been learning a lot about the NFL) and he is learning that I HAVE to get my sleep or else I can't function very well and most of all, he has had to learn that I cry a LOT. Most of the time, it's for no reason but I have always been that way and wish I didn't have such powerful waterworks!

I am so grateful to have Joshua for eternity. I love him more than anything and can't imagine life without him. A few weeks ago, my alarm went off and when I woke up, I realized we had been holding hands in our sleep. Life is good.

This is a picture from our wedding day that my brother took. I don't know why, but I LOVE this picture. I think it just captures our personalities very well.

I love my hot honey.

Defying Gravity

If you haven't ever heard that song, you should probably listen to it! Amazing! And the belting at the end of the song is incredible!

In case you didn't know, that is the name of a song from Wicked!! Yes, I am back and Wicked was everything I hoped it would be and more! My mom and I had such a great time in Colorado. It was a super short trip-only 48 hours long, but well worth it. We got to do a little shopping, and believe me, the shopping there is WAY better than the shopping here! We also got to spend some quality time with my uncle(my mom's brother) Richard and my aunt Tammy. They are a ball of fun and they treat you like royalty when you stay with them!

Tuesday night was the big night! We had a DELICIOUS steak dinner in downtown Denver and then we were off to enjoy some Wicked! My mom said I was like a little kid on Christmas. But I think she was almost as excited as I was. We had no idea where our seats were since my aunt had ordered them for us, and she tried to trick us and tell us they weren't as good as she hoped they would be. So as we're walking in the theatre, we kept walking down closer and closer to the stage and it turns out that we were on the 4th row in the middle section and my aunt turned to us and said, "Okay I lied."!! I almost started crying! Being up that close puts a whole new spin on going to the theatre. You can see their facial expressions and so many more details and you almost feel like you're part of the show. But Wicked is amazing from any seat!

Anyway, my mom LOVED the show! I think as much as I did! Especially because she ended up watching a lot of Wizard of Oz with me when I was young. I am so happy she liked it! It was fun to spend time with her, even though I missed being away from Joshua. Unfortunately I did not take a single picture on the short trip! We wanted to take one outside the theatre, but it was about 35-40 degrees and raining/snowing so we hurried inside and forgot to take one inside. I'm bummed but I guess that means we'll just have to see Wicked again! :)

In 48 hours....

I will be enjoying this....



And this.....



That's right folks. On Tuesday, I am seeing Wicked with my mama in Denver! I am so excited for her to see it. She was nice enough to give Josh her ticket back in April when it came here. Words cannot even begin to describe my excitement. I think I could quite possibly be one of the biggest Wicked fanatics out there. And let me explain why:

When I was a little girl, I was never really into a lot of cartoons or shows directed towards young children(with the exception of Mr. Roger's and Today's Special of course.) At an early age, my mom exposed me to such classics as "Pollyanna," "The Parent Trap,"(Hayley Mills version) and my all time favorite, "The Wizard of Oz." I was absolutely obsessed with all things Wizard of Oz. I was completely fascinated by the movie. I couldn't get enough of it. I still can't. Anytime I see anything Wizard of Oz, I must stop and look at it. This year marks the 70th anniversary of the release of the movie, so lucky for me, Wizard of Oz merchandise is everywhere. That is pretty much heaven for me. When I have told friends that The Wizard of Oz was my favorite movie, a lot of them said they were afraid of that movie when they were little because of the witch and the flying monkeys. I never classified that movie as being scary at all, but I can definitely understand why it could be scary for children. Anyway, just to give you an idea of my obsession...

This is on my 4th birthday. I would not put my Dorothy doll down. I still have her.

Here I am with some more of my Wizard of Oz goods. My dress my aunt made me, my Toto dog and basket, and of course, my Dorothy doll.

And here I am again. Judging by my awesome bangs, this was probably sometime during or after kindergarten. I think my aunt made me 2 Dorothy dresses and I wore them as often as my mom would let me. And if you look closely, you can notice my red shoes. If I couldn't wear my Dorothy dress, I had to at least be able to wear my red shoes.


They were one of they things I was most obsessed with . Still am. There is a lady on eBay who custom makes some amazing replicas in your size and I fully intend on purchasing some someday! :)

Anyway, I am super stoked to be able to see Wicked again. I can't get enough of it! When I first heard about Wicked 5 or 6 years ago, I didn't have any high expectations of it because how on earth could anyone even attempt to create a "prequel" to such a classic. Lucky for me, they couldn't have done a better job tying Wicked into The Wizard of Oz without ruining anything! And the music in both is just amazing. Seriously, there is nothing I love more than great music! If you ever get the opportunity to see Wicked, DO IT!! You will NOT regret it! Also, I highly recommend that all of you whip out the old classic and watch The Wizard of Oz in the near future! After all, one of the best songs of all time is in it! :)

p.s. There is a rumor that in The Wizard of Oz you can see a man hang himself in the background. Let me assure you that this rumor is FALSE! I have seen that movie literally hundreds of times, and it does not happen! I have watched that supposed scene several times and did not see any man hang himself.

funny story

About a week or so ago, Josh and I babysat Ava at our apartment for a few hours. When Ava first got there, Josh was watching a DVD for his LSAT course, so my original plan of watching a Disney Princess movie with her had to be put on hold. Since there's not much to entertain a 2 year-old with in our little apartment, I resorted to showing her pictures from the wedding on our computer. Ava LOVES to look at pictures, so this was working out well.

After going through the wedding pictures, I started showing her pictures of our honeymoon. As you know, we went on our honeymoon to Hawaii, so the majority of our pictures were taken on the beach in our swimsuits. When I got to pictures of Josh at the beach, she started saying, "Josh naked, Josh naked!" I started laughing, but didn't think much of it because whenever Ava sees a man mowing his lawn or running without a shirt on, she always says, "Man naked, he's naked."

When we were through looking through the pictures, Josh was still occupying the TV, so I decided to paint her fingernails. As I am painting her nails, she says, "I wanna see naked Josh, I wanna see naked Josh!" I could not stop laughing! Which was probably a bad thing because then that just egged her on to keep saying it! I guess her little crush on Josh has escalated to a whole new level! :)

I just hope when she sees Josh at church on Sundays she won't yell out, "I wanna see naked Josh!"

Kids really do say the darndest things!

Interesting....

If any of you have looked through this month's Ensign, you probably saw the articles about blogging. Josh actually pointed the articles out to me. I found it very interesting that the church encourages positive blogging. It can be a great missionary tool and I had never really thought of it that way. Very cool!

Anyway, I really liked the article and thought I would share my favorite parts with you. There was a section called, "Better Blogging: Tips for Safety and Courtesy." I thought it had some good advice and some good reminders for bloggers. Here it is:

Better Blogging: Tips for Safety and Courtesy
Do you want to start a blog? You can keep in touch with friends and family or share the gospel by blogging. (Remember that you are speaking only for yourself and not the Church.)
“Better Blogging: Tips for Safety and Courtesy,” Ensign, Oct. 2009, 27

Blog Safety
Avoid Specifics
Chelsea Belton, who blogs to keep in touch with family and friends, never posts personal information online. She avoids mentioning addresses, birth dates, anniversaries, and other details that would make it easy to locate her family. Some bloggers also use partial or fictional names or general phrases like “my son” or “our friend” when referring to individuals in blog posts.

Moderate Comments
David Habben, who maintains both personal and business blogs, says that reviewing comments is an important part of safe blogging. While an author’s original post may be harmless, comments from readers may be less innocent. Some entities also use blog commenting to advertise or disseminate unwanted information. David uses a security feature that informs him by e-mail when someone wants to make a comment. He can then review each comment and delete those that are inappropriate or unwanted before they appear online.

Selectively Post Pictures
“Once I posted [a photo of] a birthday party invitation I had made [for my son],” says Rachel Davis, creator of a group blog for LDS women. “I used photo editing software to blur out the location of the party because I just didn’t want [to take a] chance. It was a small thing to do, but it made me feel safe.” Be aware of information you may be giving inadvertently in the photos you display on your blog. Wisely screening photos will allow you to share ideas while protecting yourself and your family.

Blog Courtesy
Think before You Post
Search engines are the “conscience” of the Internet. They can call up almost any Web site from any period of time. So assume that what you post on your blog is permanent. The pictures of your children doing silly things as little kids may be funny or cute right now, but imagine those same pictures appearing when your children are 12 or 45. Carefully consider the pictures you post and the things you write.

Be Positive
“I have been surprised when … ward members or even old friends from high school read my blog,” says Kacy Faulconer, who writes personal and group blogs. Blogs should not be a “forum to complain or criticize people behind their backs,” she says. Instead, keep your comments positive. You never know who may be reading.

Respect Others’ Work
Sue Anderson, who began a blog because she loved reading her daughter-in-law’s, says it’s important to respect other bloggers’ work. Instead of copying and pasting something from a blog you like, “send friends a link to the blog itself.” She also recommends that “if you want to use something on your blog from someone else’s, [including photos], ask them first.” This protects others’ work and keeps you honest.


I thought that this was all great advice. Especially since it came from a church magazine. It gave me some things to think about-especially when Josh and I decide to start a family. I will probably decide to make my blog private someday.

The part that really stuck out to me was the "Be Positive" section. I love that it emphasized that blogs shouldn't be a "forum to complain or criticize people behind their backs." This hit home to me because I have been a victim of that. I had someone make a blog post criticizing me and some of my interests. My name was not mentioned specifically, but it was obvious that the post was about me. Thankfully, that particular blog is now private, but I am still aware of unfavorable things being said that are directed toward me. It is very hurtful and offensive that this has happened, but I'm not going to let it bring me down. I'm bigger and better than that.

Because of that incident, it has made me want to make my blog a positive one. I hope I never hurt or offend anyone because of what I post on my blog. I do understand that a blog is a place to share your feelings, ask for advice and even vent-BUT, if the venting turns into hurting someone's feelings directly, even if you do not care for that person, I think that is extremely inappropriate. Anyway, that is just my opinion! Here's to better blogging!!! :)


To read the full article, click here
http://www.lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?hideNav=1&locale=0&sourceId=931e52605a4e3210VgnVCM100000176f620a____&vgnextoid=2354fccf2b7db010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD

Babies.

No, I am NOT pregnant!

But...a lot of people around me have been or are currently pregnant!!

This one's for you, Nat!!

My good friend Tiare had her darling baby boy, Caleb, on September 14th! He is so cute and I think he's gonna look like his mama! I sure love little Caleb! And lucky for us, Tiare, James and baby Caleb live below us in our apartment complex. We love spending time with them and love our new Thursday night "Office" parties! Here are some pictures of baby Caleb.

(p.s. Who thinks Tiare needs a blog?? I sure do! )

He has long fingers!

Me and the babe!

Yawn.


I think he's smiling at his mama in this one!

So cute!

Another cute baby is the new elephant at the zoo!! A few weeks ago, I was able to go to the zoo with Tyson and Ava and see the baby make its grand debut! She is the cutest little thing and I think it is so neat we are able to see such amazing animals up close. There are also baby tigers, a baby giraffe, baby snow leopard and a baby crocodile at the zoo right now. I love baby animals! Well, maybe not baby crocodiles. :) Here is the cute baby elephant. Her name is Zuri.

Scratching up against her mama

So tiny next to mom.

Loves.

I have come to the conclusion that Josh is secretly baby hungry. He won't admit it, but I think he is more than he knows it! :) He likes to joke that we won't have kids for 10 years.(don't worry, I WON'T let this happen!) I know when the time is right, he will be the cutest dad. He loves our friends' babies!

Here he is with cute little Jaxon.

See. Baby hungry.

This is the baby I miss everyday! My cute little Ellie belly. My Elle Woods. Oh how I love her. Look at that face. Adorable. Not seeing her everyday has been the hardest thing for me about moving out of my parent's house. She's a princess.

And last but not least, my other favorite baby girl! Miss Ava Anne. I have not yet made the blog announcement that she is going to be a big sister! That's right, Baby Girl Bringhurst(#2) will join our family the beginning of February! I can't wait! I've never seen Josh around a baby girl, so that will make it even more fun! :) Don't worry Ava, we'll give you some cousins to play with in a few years!