lucky #7

welcome to the world,

ella jane anderson

we are so glad you are finally here!!

this makes the count 2 nephews and 7 nieces.
congrats to nate & lauren! congrats to aunt lindsey & uncle brad- we get one more round pink fat squishy little person to love :)
woot woot!

2008 vs. 2009:

2008/2009:

#roommates:

17/5

#states lived in:

3/1

#boyfriends:

5/1

#husbands:

0/1

#countries visited:

0/3

#new states visited:

0/1

#times i cried to myself:

300/65

#jobs:

4/1

#nieces/nephews:

6/9

#cars owned at one time:

2/3

#perfect weddings:

0/1

#times attended disneyland:

4/a bajillion.

basically 2009 rocked.

thanks for changing years. here's to 2010!!

poor lil guy...

matthew and his little happy pumpkin.


my nephew matthew, who is 6, was in a sledding accident yesterday. he ran into a tree and has a fractured skull and jaw. he's a primary children's in SLC and is going to be there for a while, for observation and make sure his brain bruising doesn't keep bleeding, etc. our prayers are with him & his family. we just love that little bugger so much! he knows all about egyptian pharoahs and star wars jedi and harry potter and is the funniest busiest little blondie on the playground.
we love you matty!!
get well soon, buddy.
any prayers and thoughts would be appreciated.

aren't my nephews so darling!?

blogger baby

i have a new blog baby. to go along with my new email baby.
one good thing about having a last name everyone spells wrong is that all the emails and blog URL's aren't ever taken. ha.

www.barttels.blogspot.com.

my grandmother

i got a gift at my bridal shower addressed "to lindsey love, grandma rebecca."
well. that gave me a start. my grandmother has been dead many years.
i then realized that this was going to be a gift that was once hers!!! i was so excited to open a box with three beautiful decorative plates. they were safely stored until i had a proper place.
BUT today i found an awesome plate holder at homegoods! and for a mere $6.99 and a $6.00 can of black spray paint (it was a weird brass color but i saw the vision) this is the final result!!
i was alone when i hung the plates up with care. i got to reflect a second & look at the beautiful plates & think how lucky i am that i have a little bit of grandma becky in my very first kitchen. :)

(gets choked up with happiness.)

my husband, the plumber.

brad wanted to install a new shower head and extender than makes everything taller. i said cool. he's tall. he'd like a shower head that hits higher than between his shoulder blades.

tuesday: purchases anything needed. i shower in the event that it becomes a fiasco.
(thank goodness.)
wednesday: i come home from work and a late appt (around 7:30) and this is what i find:and most especially this:"tomorrow, tomorrow," my husband, the plumber, says. "it wouldn't stop leaking, i had to take it down. i'll ask mike (our awesome manager) to help me tomorrow."

thursday: i come home and nothing's changed. every tool is sitting exactly where it was wednesday. i panic. we're having company over- i need to at least wash my hair. i do the "wipe with washrag & baby wipes & wash hair under faucet" bathing method.
friday: i realize i feel gross half way through my work day and call to make sure my husband, the plumber, has fixed the shower head so i can wash when i get home.
"i'll do it this afternoon after work," my husband, the plumber, says.

i then realize
WHY AM I THE ONLY ONE CONCERNED IN OUR HOUSE THAT WE HAVEN'T SHOWERED IN 3 DAYS???
doesn't HE want to shower?? i am then very concerned at the lack of concern of my husband, the plumber. boys are gross.

luckily i came home to this: and a freshly washed this:brad. my husband, the plumber.

it's beginning to look a lot like...

a poor, pathetic, happier than church mice, newlywed little christmas. :)

so maybe i get umcomfortable, okay?

room full of people i don't know. check.
trying to talk to people & being kinda rejected. check.
having nothing to say. check.
sticking to brad's side like glue. check.

sometimes i am totally comfy & happy & outgoing & talkative & its awesome. i feel like myself and can talk to strangers & feel confident. i prefer this. i enjoy this. :)

but once i've vomited, gotten a migraine or cried at the thought of going somewhere, being with people i don't know or have had an awkward or bad encounter with, there's no way it can turn out to be pleasant. my mind has a hard time overcoming my matter. i have to warm up for a long time. i really really want to like you, and for you to like me, i just feel awkward.

what if i have to go see people tomorrow i had an AWFUL HORRIBLE experience with last time we saw each other and i'm already having anxiety about it?? i got a headache as soon as brad said we were going. he didn't ask bc he knew my vote. tricksie husband.

advice cyber friends?
help.

santa baby

i thought and thought. i looked at ideas. i found the PERFECT thing to do: thoughtful. fun. lasts for more than one day. AND as of lunch today...

brad's gift is FINISHED

!!!!!!!!!

you have no idea what a christmas miracle that truly is. ALL our shopping is DONE. and we still have a week :)

i shall celebrate by eating my favorite greek salad. delish.

seen in local irvine ralph's.....

donuts cookies cookies cookies vodka wine. ha.
someone's having a hard day.

al gore invented it.

you know what was nice? when mrs. barttels discovered that our apt had a lovely neighbor with unprotected wireless internet. brad & mrs barttels could surf, pay bills, print off restuarant coupons, look up words on google, etc whenever we wished!

you know what wasn't nice? when "our" internet- tho still unprotected- would not work anymore. i'm sure it's more irritating to those who pay for it... but maybe not.

brad thinks this means we should get a cable/internet package... but mrs. barttels does the finances & thinks we get enough football on regular channels. ;) ha

anyone have one of these layin' around?

I'M RELIVING IT ALL OVER AGAIN!!!

i love my photographer.
i love my husband. i loved our wedding.
and looking at these photos makes me giddy and excited & SO THRILLED all over again!!!
visit rachel's blog here to see the magic!

well that proves it

if you beg cry plead pray hope and do all that you can do to sell a car, and you finally resign, come to terms, relax, stop trying and decide to keep it bc its a good car anyway- it will suddenly sell.
the barttels now are normal people with two cars. three cars for two people really is a bit on the ridiculous side, even if one of them is a work car.
i now get to drive the civic. dirty and mistreated by a boy. poor car. i shall show it some love. :)
conclusion: prayers get answered, even if 8 months later.

it IS a pretty wonderful life

FHE 12/7/09:

The Plan: meeting with new friends for a $6 movie on the Seal Beach pier @ 8.

Ruby's was having a retro deal: $2.70 for a burger and fries. there is a Ruby's on the Seal Beach pier. how convenient! NATURALLY the barttels jump at the deal.

BONUS! it is FREEZING and raining & windy & cold so almost NOONE braved the freezing pier so ruby's was lovely warm & not busy, despite the deal.

since it was cold NATURALLY the barttels purchased larged delicious cups of peppermint hot chocolate after dinner. & walked down main street arm in arm. then they sat in an uncrowded old theatre, eating popcorn, with new friends, watching one of the best movies ever made:

(yes i took a picture in the theatre. it says welcome to bedford falls and the guy's head in front of me is the black hump. i wanted to prove i was really enjoying such a classic in a theatre. i was so happy i could pinch myself!)

movie and dinner and a lovely evening for 2: $20.00. priced to perfection!

calling all yogis!!

looking for a truly relaxing, fun and cheap yoga retreat!? check out Amara Bliss!
a few of my good friends, yoga instructors & fabulous women, have finally seen a dream come true! please check out their new yoga retreat company website! they have a mexican retreat coming up in march- who wouldn't want an all inclusive, 6 night stay in a little mexican village, do yoga on the beach at sunrise/sunset and have one-on-one time with amazing yoga instructors??
love it.
brad & mrs barttels wish they could go!!

a merry murderous saturday

last saturday was a blast from start to finish. brad worked, mrs. barttels exercised (shocking! i know!), met for breakfast, did some needed shopping, came home and got to enjoy football & the company of rodney and lisa ashton- we miss and love them so much! then to top off the day we got to enjoy a murder mystery party that was just tops!! thanks to our hostess, amy, for a fab evening, delicious dinner and even some leftovers to take home!
kudos to brad and nick for picking the right murderer, aubrey & jeremy for my fav costumes & farrah and tk for playing their parts so well! i'd definitely be interested in doing another someday!

blast you sappy country songs!

i try to avoid christmas music on the radio like the plague at this point in december, bc about a week before the holiday i find myself tired of it. i also refuse to listen to mediocre artists tarnish the beautiful music of christmas on soft rock stations. BUT sometimes i listen to the radio, and when i'm lost in thought i can get sucked in without knowing.

today one minute i'm singing country, "hey!, white liar..." and after a moment pondering car insurance, i find myself tuning back into the radio.

oh no.

its one of THOSE songs.

the kind that you love to hate and hate to love and wish you didn't know every word and not only is it CHRISTMAS but its COUNTRY CHRISTMAS even worse it's SAPPY COUNTRY CHRISTMAS!!

next thing i know i'm all choked up, crying "sir i wanna buy these shoes for my mamma please..."

baha.

am i the only one out there....

i'm going to say this, but before you judge, read it through!

it's not that different being married.

wait wait! don't go. here's my logic:

women are emotionally based. i've been emotionally married/committed to brad for a long long time. that's why it doesn't feel very different.

bc emotionally i've been watching movies, taking out trash, going on walks, driving in cars, making dinner, talking, laughing, spending time, planning, budgeting with brad, and only brad, for what seems like forever. so its only natural we continue doing so and just share the bed, couch, apt and cars & last name officially now!

which to some might seem like a let down to some bc marriage should be this GREAT! AWESOME! EXTREME! change, but for me it is another peaceful, very undramatic, quiet and calm reminder that this is just how it's supposed to be. :)

adventure #1

the barttels now own a couch, so we have some furniture.
said couch is the subject of much hilarity & definitely a memory of being newly married...

scene.

wednesday

brad: (looking on craigslist) hey what do you think of this couch!?
mrs. barttels: awesome. call em. buy it.
brad: (puts cash money for couch in a ripped open envelope labled "couch $" and puts on kitchen counter.)
mrs barttels: (does not see where he put envelope. assumes he has money.)

friday

couch guy: i will be there in 30 minutes

brad: awesome! where's the envelope with the couch money?
mrs barttels: what envelope?
brad: what do you mean? the one on the kitchen counter.
mrs barttels: i see no envelope on the kitchen counter.
brad: i labeled it and put it right here on the counter.
mrs barttels: uh oh. (she's been throwing away all trash for 2 days....)
brad: we mustve thrown it away.

team barttels begins searching through the house like crazy- that envelope had a lot of cash in it. it's not in the apartment. the apartment is NOT that big.

brad & mrs barttels walk confidently to the dumpster and without hesitation start rummaging like rats. (keep in mind this is the day AFTER thanksgiving) mrs barttels climbs on side of dumpster wall. watches as ants crawl over toe of her shoe. brad picks up dripping bag of turkey guts and leftovers and removes from dumpster. repeats action multiple times. (cue awkward neighbors walking out to stare) mrs. barttels lifts, separates, jiggles, pulls and tries to get down to the trash that got taken out BEFORE Thursday.

couch guy: (pulls up in truck.)
brad: dude, we think we threw your money away.
couch guy: no, really??
both awkwardly laugh.
couch man stands there while we continue to search.

mrs. barttels: AHHHHHHHHHHHHH BRAD!!!! i found our bag of trash!!!! (begins to laugh hysterically in horrified relief) but, uhhhhh, the bag was open. half of it fell down into the dumpster.
brad: (smiles in glee! reaches arm completely down into dumpster) I FOUND IT!!!!! (pulls hand out with envelope in hand!!!!! arm has unidentified slime on one side.

couch man: seriously man??
brad: yeah dude. here's your money.
both awkwardly laugh. mrs barttels is in fits thinking about the horribly hysterical events that just occurred.

end scene.

yes, its still funny.

an adventure in being barttels...

two weeks today i tied the knot with brad. a perfect day. truly.
and this is what we look like all day everyday. (not. but close.)we enjoyed mexican sunsets. explored everglades.
kissed alligators.went to disneyworld. (yes we bought matching tshirts. no shame.)basically two weeks of marriage feels a lot like this:
lots of fun to be had, to be sure! the barttels are now officially couch, vacuum, lamp and kitchen aid mixer owners. life is good. :)

2.

me. brad. just us two in the trenches against the world.
i think we both got what we wished for on this abnormally huge dandelion... ;)

3.

brad likes my mushy posts. its funny. when i read him #8 he got all gushy. love it. so here it goes another.
three words to describe my future husband: unselfish, kind & mine :)

brad is a supernally spiritual, wonderful, unselfish person. over and over again i feel like mud compared to his sweet nature... don't get me wrong. he is a HUGE tease. he is a boy. he likes football and pizza. and gives everyone a hard time. but he also is really a dear. (yes a dear, like a grandma would say.)

brad gets choked up at church more than i do. and loves loves loves serving other people. he was SO sad to be leaving our ward bc he has lived there for almost 8 years. he will miss all the people he's loved & served & counseled & befriended. he's sad we're moving to a family ward where he can't pass the sacrament. c'mon! is this guy for real!?

i don't know how i got so lucky or so stuck with this guy. he is so ridiculously kind in thought to others. he has NEVER sat and critisized anyone in front of me- and since we spend alot of time together- i figure that he never does at all. he always thinks of the kindest way to say anything negative if he has to.

gosh i love him. i wish i could convey to you how positive and kind this man is. he's going to be my husband. i hope that i don't feel so completely undeserving of him always. i am in awe of that he loves love LOVES LOVES me. seriously guys. you have no idea the sacrifices and unselfish way he treats me always. he just LOVES me.

wow.

4.

after 4 weeks of dating (or thereabouts) i discovered brad talks in his sleep. whilst snuggling on a couch to something on tv, sir bradley james fell right asleep and proceeded to mumble and grumble away the next hour or so. i don't remember any of the words/phrases he mumbled away bc he topped them all by saying this:

"i opened the wrong box to make cupcakes."

he said it crystal clear, calmly and seriously. concerned as if he had made betty crocker turn in her grave.

i could not contain my histerical laughter, woke the poor boy up & told him what he'd said. :)

now whenever it's late or we're tired or we are having trouble communicating, saying this little phrase puts us into fits of giggles and smiles.

5.

i ask alot of brad sometimes. to be understanding & kind to me in the midst of frustration or grief or irritation. and he always is patient & kind. i didn't know someone would ever be so unselfishly understanding towards me. and for that i am grateful. and i'm having the kind of day where thats about all i'm grateful for. sorry.

6.

reason #6 brad and i will be working out for eternity.

we both love ol' blue eyes.

in fact, it's our favorite rhapsody station. and we've worked out a deal (aka i do what i want & he loves it) where i'm allowed to sing to every song, any time i want :)

so young & handsome, frank....

7.

Almost seven years is what separates Bradley and I in birth. Never once has he seemed old or I seemed young. I thought it would be weird. But it's not. Nor has it ever been.



Except once.

When we went through his boxes of old trophies and he found this beauty:
(i'll insert picture here when i get a chance & am back from vegas LOL)


Tee Ball 1985.
Brad got this trophy before I was born. Classic. ha.

8.

the 8th month we dated both brad & i moved houses.
we both stayed in the same complex (i in mo'manor & he in beachwalk) but changed addresses. kinda funny.
i moved the first weekend of June and brad moved the 3rd weekend. lots of boxes & cleaning & throwing away stuff- mostly on the part of brad. his house was WAY more a mess. boys!

i wasn't sad when i moved out of my place- i was ECSTATIC to be living with meredith & julie & i like moving & changing spaces. but when it came to moving out of brad's house... whew! i'm a sentimental gal (cue wicked) and when i realized i'd never go in the room where brad told me he loved me again or snuggle where he told me he wanted to marry me... that was hard to leave. it wasn't even MY house, but i loved that we fell in love there.

i LOVE our new little apt that will be our first home together. but often i think fondly of the dirty room over the garage where i knew and felt and cried when i knew i'd someday be here, counting down the days til i'd be lindsey barttels.
:)

9.

reason #9: this may work.

if you have lived in a cave, or never met brad, you are the few who don't know he LOVES the oakland a's.

he loves baseball + i like baseball = good.

story: once i really felt like i wanted to do something for brad. just to show i loved him & make him happy & thought & thought (the man wants very little & asks for even less so i wanted to think of something besides making pizza- which is always a winner, btw)

so i bought an oakland a's hat.
i met him for lunch at roscoe's and when i sat down at the table, hat upon head, he looked at me like he NEVER HAD before. he was SOOOO happy! and just was so surprised!!
all i could think was "geez this man is easy to please."
:)

i am behind on blogging.

1. i have pictures of the BEAUTIFUL cake amy made for my birfday.
2. and of our new apt. and funny lack of furniture.
3. and lots of things to be grateful for.

4. but the most important thing today is i've successfully sucked up my pride to concede to something i am not comfortable with AT ALL to make brad happy. and boy is he happy.
therefore: i am happy, and that helps with the discomfort. baby steps baby steps...

I Have A Date Every Thursday Night...

and it's with a cold metal bleacher.

at brad's softball game.
every thursday night.
until probably the end of time.

and i'd be lying if i said i didn't like it. i like watching sports. sometimes it's cold, and more often than not, i'm alone in the stands. the guys on the team tease me saying "nice to see you, couple more weeks & we'll never see you again" bc all the other wives & chillen's don't really come. sometimes they do to games when its summer & warm & earlier.

but i like it.
and it makes brad SO HAPPY that i'm there!
he's so easy to please. :)

GO 2-OUT RALLY!

to serve and protect....

thank you irvine police dept. you set such a good example.

sidenote: he saw me take a picture of him. and then proceeded to drive JUST behind me in the other lane so i couldn't write down his car number & call the police dept with a copy of the picture for proof. i woulda done it.

i love those chicas

i got to hangout, chit chat, eat delicious soup and snacks and laugh my head off with so many lovely ladies in HB last night at my bridal shower.

thanks for the lovely gifts & most of all, thanks for the company.

its really the laughing & talking & being with people i love & enjoy that i REALLY loved about it all. :)

happy thought of the day:

why i love brad in 100 words:

he is warm and cuddly and doesn't get mad when i want to turn the heater on in the car and snuggles right up on the couch & doesn't complain that i need a blanket, even in july. he is happy all the time. he is loving and kind and truly unselfish. i do not know ONE person who has ever come in contact with brad barttels that didn't love him on the spot. all waitresses, gas station attendants, Disneyland ride workers, church leaders and friends love him. he loves everyone & treats them like they deserve it.
including me.

waited in line for space mountain for 85 minutes

loved it. loved that we were on a triple date with AWESOME chicas & corresponding men folk.
loved that we passed a group of our friends every time we snaked back and forth.
and mostly loved brad for carrying me piggy back when i was falling asleep towards the end and my feet were all swollen from walking and standing for 3 hours in flat, not comfy, shoes.
lovely company.
lovely evening.
AWESOME ride.

clever and hilarious and stranger than fiction

a plug for one of my favorite movies of all time. seriously. it's clever. and hilarious.
"his wristwatch thought the single windsor made his neck look fat, but said nothing."
and even at stupid party games brad guessed this as my favorite movie without hesitation. HA!

Stranger than Fiction: Opening Sequence
by Razorbuzz

i love this

thanks shauna. you reminded me how much i love this.
i didn't techincally get "pinned" but i am pretty much in love with brad.
and this video pretty much sounds like my middle school play of bye bye birdie in which i played two parts, had a solo, wore saddle shoes, a poodle skirt & got to swoon over an "elvis" character.
i was so cool at 13.

goin' steady, goin' steady steady for good....

it rained.

wish to dance in it all day.
walk to the coffee shop for a hot cocoa with an umbrella.
bottoms of my pants wet.
lovely lovely lovely wetness.
precipitation.
ambient noise while i slept.

i think maybe in the beginning, i watched God form the skies and the waters & i thought
"when that stuff meets it's gonna be AWESOME"
:)

the thing is...

you might spend more time staring out your desk window at the lovely grey skies wishing to be out walking around in a scarf instead of working, and that's okay. i still get my work done. and as i ate a PERFECT crispy apple for lunch i thought of how lovely fall is... :)

i both need a transmission flush and a brake fluid flush

neither are a huge deal. routine maintenance after a few years & a few miles.

regular trans flush ~$120
regular brake flush~$85

dealer wanted $235
place where i'd usually go $200

our final price instead ~$120.
knowing that my fiance looked through every coupon called every place and asked for a deal and sweet talked the guy & wouldn't take no for an answer ~ priceless.

i'm bragging. i don't care.

i'm so in LOVE right now. and i love having PROOF.

(besides the empty pockets & pretty shiney rock on my hand)

to make up for that last post...

go here & watch it.
if you're heart doesn't melt with the cuteness thereof, than its not my fault you're made of stone.

Shameless.

i shamelessly love shakira.

i'll tell anyone it's true.

her album fijacion oral vol 1 is what did it to me.

i couldn't understand half the lyrics (as they were in spanish) so i couldn't be bothered by trite & stupid metaphors, irritating repetition, or more importantly any of the questionable content. i could sit back, enjoy the espanol and pretend that only the beat & catchiness of the song were important. :)

by the time "hips don't lie" came out, i was a gonner. it was my ring tone for about 2 years. ask anne. the first time we hung out i sang every word driving in logan canyon.

(i think i frightened her. miracle we're still friends)

i know that this is ridiculous. i mean, she's shakira. not really in my usual realm of music taste. but i can't help it, every time i hear her distinct voice on the radio instantly love the song.

kinda pavlov's dogs-esque.

currently i am obssessed with "she wolf."

i will spare you the link to the you tube video as it is both suggestive AND incredibly stupid.

but promise me, if it comes on you'll ignore the howling (i know, hear me out) and just listen to it once.

it's catchy.

it may get stuck in your head.

aowooooo!

ha.

brach's knows best

i'm not much of a candy person. if you ask me to eat anything but runts it's pretty much a no-go.

i prefer cookies and brownies and things that make you fatter quicker.

however, there is an exception.

i love candy corn.

perhaps bc its made with real honey, so i think its more healthy, or you can only buy it in FALL, which we know now i'm obsessed with... but i seriously could eat a whole bag of autumn mix myself.

and in fact,

this week i already have.

ha.

ode to a season...

i'm feeling autumnal.

i LOVE FALL.

i love slightly grey skies, slightly shorter days, fresh apples and straw. leaves changing, crisp air pinching the corners of my cheeks and nose as i walk to school...

this is purely an east coast influence. if i did not grow up watching skies darken, baskets of apples rest in stands on the side of the road, and have labor day signal the beginning of school & renewal of learning, i probably would be like every other Californian: unobsessed.

the week after labor day i craved a new book. to crack the binding and soften the pages with the

oils of my fingertips.

to open a new pen & see my words fill the very first page of a new spiral notebook.

i wish for cooler skies and sweaters and pants.

i have been begging the skies for precipitation.

i can't help it. i miss autumn. real autumn. not "California kinda weird cool warm Santa Ana winds" fakey Autumn.

i give Logan UT honorable mention for fall. the fall of 2007- albeit the worst semester of my adult life- it was a beautiful transition into winter. the slowly cooled and darkened until Christmas & the season of lights.

oh autumn. i love you. miss you. i'm glad that some where on the globe people get to enjoy you. *sigh*

the clouds outside my window are giving me false hope for rain.

if i beg brad do you think he'll take me to Boston instead of hawaii for our 1st year anniversary next year?

if you buy a brad a cookie...

he will resist and not spoil his dinner of gourmet quesadillas.

but then as you go to take the cookies home he will ask you to leave "a few" for him.

if you buy a lindsey a cookie. she will eat it. right then and there.

and then she will put them in the cupboard so as to not snarff up the rest of them that moment.

then she will wake up the next morning wanting one for breakfast, only to discover she left them a brad's.

i'm going straight to his house after work. i'm been craving a cookie for 9 hours now. :)

i'm grateful for...

.friends who are traveling in 6 weeks to my wedding.
.brad who does anything and everything i ask him to help me with.
.a friday where i had an hour to READ A BOOK for my own sanity.
.books about WW2. i've read more books about that time period than any other. it's both fascinating and horrific to read about. infact, this book had already made me cry at the thoughts of the horrors people survived. it makes me so grateful.
.people in my life who are discovering the Gospel all over again and i get to teach and share my testimony with them almost daily. it reminds me i not only know what i believe but that i BELIEVE it.

apparently once a few months ago i told him i wanted one...

so this small box arrived in the hands of a handsome courier last night:

(please excuse the cell-phone pictures...)

apparently he likes to buy me things in platinum lately...

and also-

GO GET ONE. it works. it's amazing!!!