adventures in being barttels...

My new babysitters

2012-01-26T15:31:00.001-08:00

Is it more sad our awesome that she will stand here for like an hour watching the kids play outside?! I wish she was a bit bigger...or that they were little girls, like our old neighbors, so she could play with them!
A it is, i'm happy that she is happy. She talks to them through the screen and in general is content just watching them run around!
(also how come the picture turned?? Mobile blogger help?)

here is a happy thought :)

2012-01-04T12:00:00.000-08:00

today i woke up earlier than usual. showered. got dressed. CURLED MY HAIR (gasp!) made breakfast for me and pookie and got out the door early, with everyone happy, fed and clothed for a sunday.
success!!

also, it seems like every single person i know today is having a terrible day, what's up with that?? i'm sorry, everyone.

go watch the first episode of the biggest loser and think about how you are NOT 150 pounds overweight and don't have terrible health. (i have a crush on dolvett's smile.. daaaang!) then, go out and stand in the sunshine for a few minutes (even if where you live it is cold) bc the vitamin D on your cheeks will feel sooo good. also, try turning off the tv and read a book or magazine instead.

tomorrow will be better. have a great day! <3

do you listen to adele?

2011-12-30T11:08:00.000-08:00

you should. i just love her.

How much is that doggy in the window?

2011-12-22T12:52:00.001-08:00

By happenstance I am home today, so we have our neighbor's doggy for a few hours. They are at work and he escaped.... Faye is thrilled! He is a good little thing to, besides the escaping, so he's even been allowed in the house since it is CRAZY windy outside and I feel bad for him!
I wish I knew his name, but I don't so I've just been calling him ''honey.''

Mobile blogger...

2011-12-20T21:15:00.001-08:00

I now have in my hands a smart phone. Yay!!

How about a sidewise photo of my two loves bc I don't know how to turn it :-)

2011

2011-12-13T12:06:00.000-08:00

i finally got a phone upgrade. after 3 years. ive been using an old broken phone of brad's for almost a year it was time. this means my phone now sends (and RECEIVES!) texts, calls, i can retrieve my voicemail AND have the pleasure of email/apps/books/scriptures & the like.

so far in 4 days i've only used it to make 2 phone calls, send a few texts and to read pride&prejudice snuggled in bed with the light off(it came free on my book app-how did it know??). apparently i don't use my phone very much, which is why i probably never got an upgrade before now. BUT it's exciting! thank you samsung s 4g. i love you already.

today

2011-12-06T15:09:00.001-08:00

dear faye, thank you for taking a long long nap today. uninterrupted. you didn't even cry or fuss. you just went right to sleep. so instead of doing dishes i just snuggled up on a couch and watched a british murder mystery.
only after treating my brain to dessert i got up & did the dishes. and cooked dinner. and started a load of laundry. and cleaned up. and made a grocery list. and sang christmas songs via pandora the whole time.
i liked today. makes up for yesterday. :)

im bitter today.

2011-12-05T17:09:00.001-08:00

maybe i'll make up for it tomorrow.
im sorry my parents didn't pay for my education, room&board, car, credit cards, bills, didn't buy me all my cell phones and let us live with them rent free and grocery bill free.
my parents have helped me a ton, but im glad to say did not give me everything. brad parents did not help him at all with anything. that is why we are debt free and know how to live within our means. this also means we live in a dumpy freezing apartment, have few friends bc i work still so i am not fun enough to be part of any moms club and we do not own a house.
today is one of the days i pray we move to costa rica. the end.

employment

2011-12-02T09:03:00.001-08:00

well, i am happy to annouce i have both found my camera cord (as im sure you can tell from all the recent blogging) and brad found a job! he starts on monday. i have mixed feelings about this, which seem RIDICULOUS bc he's been out of work(or income anyway) for over 6 months.

reasons why it is great:
- brad is super happy to be working again. he is not really a lazy person. yes, he can spend a lot of time in front of the tv, but if there is work to be done, he will do that first. i know being busier will make him happier.
- he is a man & father, afterall, and wants to be the protector/provider/presider and this will give him back 3 out of 3.
- potential for having enough money for gas trips to south county or temecula or vegas again. hooray!
- faye will go back to our babysitter who basically loves her to pieces and she will have 2 or more friends to play with EVERYDAY. rina always has her 2 kids and usually a few more of other people's at her house at all times. she is an all-star. faye will be soooo happy!
- we will not spend almost every waking hour together and this will probably reduce contention.
- i can do errands much faster when i'm not with someone who insists on walking up and down every aisle and buying things not on the list.

reasons why it is not great:
- i have to go back to taking care of faye all day, well after work. let me explain: i love her, she is my baby, but when it comes to whom she choses to feed her, change her, play with her and snuggle with- it is ALWAYS daddy. i love this. i love they love each other. but now that she's had him all to herself for her whole remembrance, how am i gonna stack up?? i will not feed her cookies for breakfast, nor will i let her skip naps, nor give her my keys to play with. i am going to be a big meany for a while til she figures out the system has changed. this i am not looking forward to.
- who is going to change the gross poopie diapers?? (i am really fast at "not it!")
- salary + commission is the perfect option. money comes home at all times, but brad still has the motivation to make what he wants. this salary is like the lowest of any job ever so we will still be cutting major coupons and trimming all fat- BUT it is enough to make ends meet, so that's really all that matters.
- we will miss spending so much time together.

i know i must sound incredibly selfish, but it's just that change is hard. and this is a big change. i am a much more efficient mother when i have another pair of hands, and i know faye is going to need sometime to adjust to a new schedule. it was not easy when she was tiny & i was working and taking care of her. now that she is huge and mobile it just might be more interesting! i can't just strap her in the car seat anymore and let her sit there for 10 min while i get the rest of everything ready. :)

i am incredibly greatful that brad found some work. we don't think this is his next career, but it is something new to learn & be excited about. prayers do get answered, not always how you expect it, but answered nonetheless!!

new page. new adventure. wish us luck!

oh ya im 26

2011-12-01T21:04:00.001-08:00

my birthday happened in the middle of the month-of-sickness in our house as well as right before our move. i pretty much completely forgot that it was happening, but brad managed to wow me with gifts i didn't know i wanted, as well as a slice of key lime pie. delish! happy birthday to me!

is 26 old? i felt like 25 was a milestone to "real"adulthood, and 26 feels just the same as 25. having faye made me old. like i am officially a mom and a wife and birthdays are just another boring nonimportant things that happen each year, like going to the dentist... sigh. maybe if i fit into my pre-preg pants i'd feel better or happier about the whole thing! :)

Young Women

2011-12-01T20:21:00.001-08:00

for 2 years I had the privilege of being a leader to a group of 12-18 year old young women at church. when we moved, we went to a new ward (congregation) so i had to leave them. sad sad day. i watched them for 2 years grow up into beautiful strong & delightful women! miss them. they were funny, clever, happy, and great examples to me!! shout out to my ladies!

i think its time for a family pet

2011-11-17T10:43:00.001-08:00

i might go buy a fish today...

lately:

2011-11-11T12:50:00.001-08:00

we moved!! moving is a wonderful nightmare. you throw away and consolidate and clean and get to completely rearrange and start again... you also have to let go, clean, rearrange and start all over again. hmmmm.... let's find a way to make that easier? :)

we have all been sick for WEEKS. ugh. this cold season has really killed me this year. i had it for 2 weeks, then faye got it, and she so kindly gave it back to me! ah the family: virus paradise!

i have been forbidden from blogging about anything about brad's job situation, but COME ON. this guy gets like a million interviews in the last 6 months and no one has given him a chance, but at least we are happy! (we really are! promise!) we keep saying "we will NEVER be a family like this again. we get to spend a TON of time together, brad and faye are bffs all day while im gone and someday we will look back on this and be like 'wasn't that nice to be so close and together all the time???'" ahh the elusive someday. :)

currently i am enjoying making baby food again. for a few weeks faye was eating jars cause it was just easier.. but now that i know where my magic bullet is and i've actually gone grocery shopping, we are back in the saddle! it's easy and i like making combos of veggies faye will eat. i feel its the only super cool mom granola-hippie thing i do. :)

how are you lately?

auntie huli

2011-10-26T22:32:00.000-07:00

hui came over monday night and made us dinner and let me bore her with stories of being sick for a week. i love faye's auntie huli!

(she even read my little pookie a story about pookie!) :)

This is Halloween!

2011-10-26T22:20:00.000-07:00

we carved pumpkins with our neighbors today. so fun!! i didn't take any pictures of the little girls carving... bummer, i was having too much fun and my hands were covered in pumpkin guts!!
brad did a ghostie, but i just wanted a happy pumpkin this year. a big goofy grin. how did i do? :)

happy thought

2011-10-26T11:27:00.000-07:00

"I love to laugh Ha Ha HaHa

Loud and long and clear
I love to laugh Ho Ho Ho Ho
It’s getting worse every year
The more I laugh Ha Ha Ha Ha
The more I fill with glee
And the more with glee He He He He
The more I’m a merrier me!"

yesterday we laughed A LOT. about funny things brad says, faces our baby makes, tv shows, and just talking and joking amongst ourselves. you should have a good belly laugh every day. it's good for the soul.

sometimes life is very stressful, disappointing and quite frankly, the pits. especially lately. the fact that we laugh a lot makes it that much easier. i love that brad is so happy, and positive, and can make us laugh. after having a big belly laugh yesterday, it made me remember again why i love our life. i love our family, our life, and that through anything, we can laugh and find JOY! :)

i choose to laugh instead of cry. crying just makes me look bad. *wink* did you laugh today?

Wow I made it sound so much more exciting than it is...

2011-10-04T17:25:00.000-07:00

welp it's out of the bag! to HB it is!!

we are moving. it may not seem like the most exciting thing in the world to you. in fact, you may look at a map & think that the barttels family moving back to huntington beach is the least exciting thing you've heard today- it's like a 3 mile difference or less... but it is the biggest thing to happen for a long time in our little world!

moving to HB means moving back to the stake where we know everyone. where brad lived for 9 years. where our friends are. where the beaches are long & crowded & main street hops every tuesday night. moving to HB means we can use our beach cruisers more. moving to HB feels like we are moving home.

i loved costa mesa for 2 years & i am going to miss the super cheap, tiny, uncrowded, quiet nail salon next door where i periodically go to pamper my feet... but i am so ready to go home.

oh yeah

2011-10-03T12:08:00.000-07:00

big shout out to my boss today. he took us to starbucks & french's bakery just bc he felt like being nice.

i never blogged about my 3 year anniversary, so here's what i have to say about it:

3 years ago in August i came to CA for a quick vacation & to scope out moving down here.

i went to a staffing agency for a prelim interview thing at 11 AM thursday. then WOOOSH i had a REAL interview at 1 PM.
i had a second interview for breakfast at 8AM friday. i told him i had to drive back to vegas, so no, i couldn't come to the office for another interview that afternoon. so we did it in the car driving back.
then i talked to him again saturday. the staffing agency negotiated my contract & called me saturday night with the news- I HAD THE JOB!!!!
i put all my stuff in boxes and into my car, went to church one last time & drove to CA to my friend meredith's parents' house sunday night & started work at 9 AM monday august 11th.

i still can't believe it happend.

that was A LIFETIME ago.

every year as this anniversary rolls around, i will say confidently, clearly, and with NO DOUBT- the Lord has a hand in our lives. everything happens as it should and He WANTS to bless us with everything He can. this job will be one of the many clear-cut, heavenly-directed, completely undeserved at the time, blessings of my life. there is no way it could have happened so perfectly without His hand guiding me (and also answering the prayers of my god-faring boss). im so grateful that i listened to the whisperings of the spirit & for my brother kevin for giving my phone number to a boy i'd never even met or seen.

i quickly met brad, had a few bumps & lived on random couches until i found an apartment in the pierside ward, got on my feet financially & spiritually, met some of the most lovely friends of my adulthood, fell in love, married a wonderful kind man, had a baby & now STILL have this job that sustains our family.

happy late three year anniversary, JMB.

tomorrow! tomorrow!

2011-10-03T11:44:00.001-07:00

i am super super excited about a big change for our family that is going to happen & i can't tell you officially until tomorrow. bc some people need to be told in person first. and no, we're not pregnant.
BUUUUUTTTT...
i. am. so. happy. that the answer to the prayer was YES!
strange things afoot at the circle k!

thursday pep talk

2011-09-29T11:16:00.000-07:00

yesterday i rocked at work. (yes, i am bragging.)
i got a ton finished. i did a good job. i was happy. i was productive. i was proactive.
so naturally today i feel like i deserve to eat cake & blog.

i resisted the cake.... and caved to a short blog.
and to get me back into the groove, let me just say:
i am good at what i do. clients like me. i help. i am happy. im glad i am trusted & valued. :)

dear blog,

2011-09-16T10:49:00.000-07:00

im sorry for being mean about the lady with ugly hair. im sure someone looked at my hair in my two tiny ponytails (affectionately called my "nubbins") and thought that i had the ugliest most adolescent hair ever.

also, life has been CRANKY the last couple weeks. we've tried to stay super busy, but life is getting to be a little overwhleming. luckily its FALL. seriously. the change in season might just save our lives & attitudes. the other night our neighbors woke us up TWICE yelling at their kids/eachother/someone, faye woke up TWICE crying cause she's teething, AND there was an EARTHQUAKE. i mean- even planet EARTH didin't want us to sleep! sheesh.

anyway, blog, i just wanted to say im sorry for being so grouchy. remember when i used to post short funny anecdotes & memories? i should do that again. it made me remember how many funny/happy/cute things are happening in the world around me.

affectionately,
linds

p.s. this morning i heard j-lo's "im real" on the radio and i knew ALL THE WORDS. i was actually impressed and surprised at myself. i didn't even know i knew any of that song. apparently that obsession with lyrics from high school made them permanent. :)

ramblings

2011-09-13T12:05:00.000-07:00

1. i thought about 9/11 a lot before and on 9/11. im glad im old enough to remember it, understand the consequences and realize how lucky i am to live where i live & enjoy the freedoms i do. God Bless America & my wonderful ancestors who got on disease-ridden boats and moved their homes, lives & hopes to this country!

2. i am SO HAPPY its getting to be fall for a TON of reasons- one being our Disneyland passes work again. we went yesterday- we sat on the curb at the parade & pluto came right up to faye & talked to her, as well as about 3 other dancers- i guess she is pretty cute! she was sooo happy watching everything. :)

3. also i saw the WORST utah hair in the world yesterday. everything about this woman screaaaamed utah style & i wanted to go up to her, touch her on the shoulder & say "excuse me, but your ridiculous outfit attempt to cover your garments & your HUGE TERRIBLE hair-school hair cut is ruining my disneyland experience- can you go back to utah now?" i didn't say it, bc that is a terrible thing to tell a person, but sadly, it was true.

4. we are counting down 2 years of marriage. we sat through a 90 min seminar on our honeymoon & are taking a free cruise to ensenada- woot! there is nothing to get you through a recession like a free vacation to look forward to!

5. faye has started to be clingy. and cry when we leave the room. or vacuum, or put her to bed. it's not fun sometimes, but secretly, i kinda love it. she has NEVER been snuggly- as soon as she got enough body control to push out of our arms- she did. now she cries & wants me to hold her. that's nice. she does love me!

6. week 8 of p90x. "i hate it, but i love it!" i feel great- not much skinnier, but stronger & all the endorphins, and having chick-time with my neighbor everyday help alot :)

shouldn't i be tired?

2011-08-18T00:40:00.000-07:00

i mean, in the past 6 days:
i moved an entire office in boxes for 4 days. i played with crazy cute children. i stayed up late talking. i did p90x (okay i finally had to skip a couple days, but i made up for it.) i went to the MIL's and got a migraine from the dog. i stood and baked, filled & frosted 300 cupcakes. i cut & washed piles of fruit. i worked 5 hours every day. i clean up a wedding reception. i washed dishes. i carried around a 16.5 pound baby. i stood for an hour helping teenage girls do baptisms. i even got like 5 hours of sleep every night for the past week. head, back, feet- all in uproar. i feel like i piled on the ingredients for a much needed slumber.
so i beg the question... WHY CAN'T I SLEEP??

something about poop

2011-08-06T10:02:00.000-07:00

my daughter likes to poop a couple times a week. makes it nice bc i only have to clean up poop a few times a week, right? wrong. when she goes it is usually in a cute outfit, in somewhere uncomfortable, hard to clean up & a terrible embarrassing mess.
.
here are a few places that have been graced (?) by her explosive bowels:
1. at a bridal shower in someone else's house when i forgot a change of clothes(that mistake was never made again!) poor huli has holding her & got a wet handfull!
2. at the grungy mechanic's getting an oil change/smog & i had to change her on a greasy, gross chair in a waiting room. surrounded by middle eastern men. with cigars and chest hair peeking out of their shirts. not a lie.
3. at the tire place getting our rims replaced in a brand new- never before worn outfit. i had to change her on a table covered in car magazines. hello bikinis. oh, also that time she pooped THREE times so i ran out of diapers(also hasn't happened since) and had to drive home diaperless, hoping she didn't pee/poop all over the whole car.
4. standing in the middle of red rock canyon taking anderson family pictures. that was perfect timing. not. that time at least i was with family!

and to TAKE THE CAKE:
5. on a delta flight home from SLC. oh faye, faye, faye... why do you do this to your mother????
i decided i couldn't hold my own pee til we landed so i take her with me into the stall. i am hovering, holding one wall and a baby in the other arm. naturally, at this moment of time we decide to hit turbulence and i hear the seatbelt sign go "ding!" i wish i was making this up. all my energy is now focused on not hitting my baby against the stall wall. we make it out alive & mostly dry *wink* and i get back to my seat. literally 2 seconds after i sit the captain says we are starting our decent & should be at the gate in half an hour.(haha half an hour- anyone else watch 30 rock?!) anyway... then i hear it- *pwwwwwoopppppojkgykd dcghjresfvhcaet!" the sound that means 3 days worth of poo has been released. no seriously. she couldn't have waited until we landed. or were off the plane. in the airport. at HOME in an hour???
i rush to get her super cute im-in-public-look-at-how-cute-i-am pjs off to salvage what i can. then i hear round two "ppppppwieahieudfbjslfjvdshizoITOE!!"
i am thinking "OMYGOSHWHATAREYOUDOINGPLEASESTOPPOOPINGWHYHEREWHYNOW!!"
eek.
i look at the wonderful mother/nurse sitting next to me & say- I NEED YOUR HELP. she holds baby out while i lay down a big blanket & then a burp cloth on top over my whole lap. we put her down. we get out a arm & hammer baggie from the diaper bag (thanks melissa!) and i peel off the diaper. poop is everywhere. ev.ry.where. there was poop on the seat, my clothes, up my arm & im sure some other places i can't remember. all i know is i wiped anything and everything in sight. in the end i just threw out the burp rag with the diaper and 25 wipes(okay, slight exaggeration). bless that sweet woman & her daughter next to me- they were helpful & kind & not grossed out at all. i don't know what i would've done with out their help!
by the time it was all over we had about 2 minutes before landing.

i wish that these stories weren't true. and that i was a big fake phony who makes up poop stories & plasters them on the internet. but they aren't. you can't make this stuff up. oh faye, we love you, why can't you just go at home in your ugly onesies? plus, who wants to read blogs about poop???

Mr & Mrs Werner!!

2011-08-06T09:35:00.000-07:00

a few completely AWESOME things happened last weekend.

faye & i flew to salt lake city on saturday morning, attended a wedding & reception, stayed the night in a hotel with grandma wendy & flew out sunday morning back home. im getting really awesome at really short trips! whew!

#1. this lady who i LOVE got married to the perfect man. how did i know he really WAS perfect?? when they got engaged he basically said "i love you, will you marry me, and to sweeten the deal i bought you this kayak!" match made in heaven! they got married in the draper, ut lds temple. i went to find a restroom and walked passed the bride's room. i thought happily to myself "jamie is probably in there right now!" and then as i passed who should come out?? JAMES!!! we cried & hugged & squeezed and held on tight. it was the best moment of my whole day! :) perfect timing! the whole day all i could think was how kind my Father in Heaven was to bless me with a friend as seriously RAD as jamie.(ugh. i am seriously the least photogenic person ever. i wish i had another picture of us together.)

(waiting for aunt jamie to come out!)

#2. then to make it even BETTER, my bff tyler from high school came up to see us & even crashed the reception! classic. i was sad brad couldn't come with me, but i'll take a friend like tyler as a substitute date anytime! it was a momentous meeting- after all, tyler lafayette vermillion thinks my daughter is his namesake ;)

#3. on the way out, grandpa's flight came in early so we even got to see grandpa keith for a half hour in the airport! hooray!! we don't see him very often so it was so exciting for him to see how much faye has grown in 2 months! love you pops!

sincere wish

2011-07-28T11:36:00.000-07:00

today i wish, in all seriousness, that i lived in a british country manor wearing constrictive gowns and having nothing to do but read books, walk, ride horses, and embroider.

or at the very least throw this reporting software out a window. :)

am i hispanic??

2011-07-22T09:23:00.000-07:00

this morning as i sang along to all the lyrics of 'fotografia" by juanes & nelly furtado, i realized i might be becoming a latina.

here's how i figure:
i loved & learned tons of spanish in high school. i begged my friend in college to mostly talk to me in spanish to help me learn & remember. on my list of "things important in the man i will marry" right after "faith in Jesus Christ" was "speaks spanish". if i had gone on a mission i am convinced i would have learned spanish. someday brad & i will go & i hope its somewhere warm, beautiful & latino!
i love spanish music. not so much the "bum-bum-bum-bumbum-bum-bum-bum" but pop spanish music? yes. i love it. shamelessly. (you all know my ridiculous love of shakira, i mean it's really sad but true.) i listen to Mana Pandora radio at work roughly 3x a week. i want faye to learn some basic words so we always play "touch your nadiz with your pie" (nose/foot) and give me a "beso" (kiss)
also lately with the lack of cable and the lack of good shows on tv now that its summer, maybe i sometimes find myself laughing at goerge lopez. (okay, maybe that one is a little shameful!)

i'd say im on my way to latina-ville for sure. i don't think it's unhealthy... yet. when i start drawing on my eyebrows please have an intervention ;)

Kelli's Graduation

2011-06-19T22:20:00.000-07:00

HOORAY!!! My best friend graduated college!!!
Back in May we took a weekend trip to Vegas to go to my bff Kelli's graduation. It was awesome- what an accomplishment.We got to sit and cheer her on getting that diploma- I was SO PROUD!

We love you Aunt Kelli!!

Kelli & her parents, Leesa & Dave, & her son, Dylan.

"What? I'm eating my hands."

DOUBLE FISTED. Hilarious. Sucking on one hand at a time is not enough apparently. She sat through the whole thing with out a peep. She loves to sit and watch all the action.

i'm in doctrinating her young

2011-06-10T14:15:00.000-07:00

things my baby is learning very young:
1. how to eat gluten free brownies from the pan with a fork
2. how to watch old cheesy lovely G-rated English TV shows (as many episodes we can fit in until daddy comes home and makes us change it) like this:

if you don't have something nice to say....

2011-06-04T00:37:00.000-07:00

well i DO have something to say because it IS nice! :)

.
do you ever think "gosh i am due for a good day any day now??" like so many crappy days have come on top of each other and so much stress compounded in your left shoulder blade that SOMETHING has got to give??
well today it did.
i have felt overwhelmed and tired. stressed and alone. work, church, family all sometimes pile on top of each other and it's hard to climb out of the mess without something getting thrown to the ground ungraciously.
its a sure sign that i am stressed when i don't want to talk about it. or that i don't. or that i hide on my couch nursing a netflix addiction instead of going to mutual. i'm not even blogging cute pictures of my angel baby. WOWZA.
.
but my friends, i am happy to announce i am going to try harder now. lots of reasons for stress have been either resolved or begun the process of resolution.
this is good. i can do this.
i am grateful to my loving Father in Heaven for much needed help. and answers to prayers we started 2.5 years ago. and a sweet little baby who smiles HUGE when she wakes up from naps. and new cars that are very quiet on the freeway. it's really the little things that help. it's amazing how much pondering you can get done when you aren't distracted by the irritation of too much road noise!
i have wonderful friends. they may be few but they are true and beautiful and wonderful confidants and cheerleaders.
ra ra shish boom ba! goooooo lindsey!
i'm glad it's friday, and most of my favorite little people are coming to see me tomorrow. i miss their little faces and tiny food covered fingers. i wish i could hug them as tight as i love them, but i also don't want to hurt them, so in true female fashion we usually raise our voices to a very high & loud pitch.
.
in short, i was due for a good day and today I GOT IT.
everything went as it should. happiness is not overrated.
and sometimes being mostly bald with a crazy cowlick is exactly perfect.

some things you just shouldn't dispute..

2011-05-13T13:43:00.000-07:00

like how sweet this little munchkin is!

sorry about the cell phone pictures... i just only seem to remember to document her little life when my camera isn't around!

she is getting so sweet nowadays. she smiles and TALKS and snuggles and loves to sit in her little bumbo chair. she is AWESOME.

i love how happy she can be. and predictable. bless the child that loves a schedule. she cries when she is hungry and starts to fuss when she is tired. she doesn't like it when her bows slide down her head and cover her eyes. she doesn't like the car seat when she is tired bc i think it's hard to fall asleep in bc she's uncomfy. we've had a few hard days here and there, but mostly things are GREAT in our little home! she's so funny and squeals when she smiles- who can resist that!?

Where's the baby?

2011-04-25T23:34:00.001-07:00

The Easter Bunny

2011-04-25T23:30:00.001-07:00

Look what the Easter Bunny left in our basket!! A little fat baby girl!

Don't you just love her jammies?? They look just like an egg- so fitting :)

Get me outta this stinkin' basket! haha

it was 80 degrees today :)

2011-04-16T11:03:00.000-07:00

Did anyone else get CRAZY HORRIBLE postpartum migraines? Maybe bc I'm susceptible to headaches to begin with, but at about 4 weeks I started getting a headache like.. everyday. I know you are thinking, "DUH you don't sleep for 8 hours straight ever anymore" but honestly I feel like I get A LOT of sleep. Faye sleeps 5-7 hours a night.

Case and point: She slept from 11:30- 4:30 last night, got up and ate, and then slept from 4:50 to 9:50. That's like 8 hours of sleep for me with only one small interruption! I am super lucky.
.
I just wonder maybe it is just me, or how I'm sleeping or eating.
Either way, I'm over it.

In other news Faye, Amy and I went to the beach today while Brad ran Ragnar. :)

some love from the coworkers

2011-04-07T16:53:00.001-07:00

hilarious & cute babies

2011-04-07T16:41:00.001-07:00

one of the many perks of having 2 friends with babies all due in the same week is that they are all practically the same age. it's fun to see them all grow and their mommies shrink! ha
the best part about these pictures is lyla didn't cry at all until these pictures, jude was totally calm before these pictures & faye was crying before the pictures.

our babies are hilarious, cute & awesome.
they are all so darling i want to pinch their cheeks!

lyla a., jude h. & faye b.

i call her my pookie

2011-04-06T14:59:00.000-07:00

piggies

2011-03-29T22:15:00.001-07:00

this little piggy went to target
this little piggy stayed home
this little piggy likes the car seat
this little piggy likes daddy's arms
this little piggy cried wee wee wee all night long!

today i took my baby to work

2011-03-18T17:28:00.000-07:00

i am so fortunate. in so so so many ways.

i have the best husband in the world. he is kind, happy, patient, takes one of the middle of the night feedings, snuggles our baby like it's going out of style, and is basically the primary reason i laugh and smile each day. he can get me to laugh and laugh and laugh. i love him.

i have a fantastic office and work situation. its been a HUGE blessing in so so many ways. i love who i work with and have been truly blessed with employment. i count finding my job as one of the many moments God has directed my life and showed his love for me when i least deserved it.

today faye and i took a trip to visit my work(since i'm still on leave). the two grandmas went crazy bc they only have grandSONS and this baby came wrapped up in PINK, the other young girl has nervous bc she'd only ever held one other baby, and my 6'9'' boss was a very sweet gentle giant. it was SO NICE to go and see and hug and tell them i miss them and love them. it was nice and comfy and familiar and the drive there was weirdly natural. my work has always made me feel confident and empowered and I CAN DO IT. i'm good at it. it's awesome.

but my favorite moment today was picking up my waking baby from her cradle, snuggling her up, feeding her and getting her back to sleep. no fuss. no drama. with confidence and getting-better(not perfected) technique. it's been almost 3 weeks and today i felt the strong contrast of the I CAN DO IT of my wonderful employment, and the I CAN DO IT of my wonderful job: being faye's mom & brad's wife. and that job is yet another more powerful reminder that God loves me and has faith in my abilities and capabilities and blesses and directs my life. :)

first trip to target!

2011-03-10T14:54:00.000-08:00

due to a diaper purchase mishap, i discovered this afternoon we had over 100 size 1 diapers and exactly ONE size newborn in our house.
now, miss poopy pants really has a great GI tract. its like clockwork. it functions MORE than adequately. this means this one solitary diaper will not last till daddy comes home to go to the store. i could use a size 1, but then i risk more disaster.
this means one thing: baby's first outing to target. a momentous occasion. i wish i had had the presence of mind to take a picture, bc she will surely become addicted like her mother, and her first trip should have been documented. so sad. oh well, too bad.
i had to wake her up from a nap, change diaper (we now have zero diapers of correct size in the house), put on clothes, put her in car seat, get myself dressed and out the door. we managed to get there, get into the store, purchase what we needed (ON SALE to boot!), find out the "$5" giftcard i found in my wallet really had 20 DOLLARS on it (sweet!) and get home without any drama.
in fact, she didn't even cry. she just slept. like an angel. :) hooray for our first trip out of the house! a success!

i've been a mom for a week

2011-03-06T20:03:00.000-08:00

it's surreal. it's awesome. it's crazy. i love my little snuggly faye. she is SO GOOD and we love her so much! GO HERE to see some pictures :)

baby faye....

2011-02-19T15:54:00.000-08:00

is NOT HERE YET. gotcha! ;)
so instead i've been doing a few things:

#1. major nesting going on around here.

there are to do lists everywhere. if brad looks, or thinks, or attempts to talk to his wife- its like the "we need to still dos..." come pouring out of my mouth without even trying.

if she doesn't come soon we are in a fair way to have a completely different house in a few days. i've already bought a new shower curtain, towels and decor for our bathroom. its very nice and much cuter... but necessary...? probably not. again, its like my car drives itself to tjmaxx home goods. i don't even have to think about it- its like a MAGNENT that store...

we bought new couches this morning. THIS MORNING. we've been talking about it for a LONG TIME and been saving our pennies and looking and looking and finally we took the plunge! they arrive tomorrow. I CAN'T WAIT!! I am sitting on our crappy cheap uncomfortable couch, for what may be the LAST TIME- halleluJAH!! i can't wait to snuggle my baby on a snuggly couch.

this couch situation is a testimony for craigslist. we found some couches we thought we'd want last night, came home and put our couch on craigslist. SERIOUSLY ten minutes later we'd had 2 calls and a text. an hour later some lady who lives down the street came & brought us money. she's picking it up in like half an hour. AMAZING!! now if we could convince someone they want this AWESOME Restoration Hardware Oversized chair (which saved me my whole pregnancy bc its so deliciously comfy) we'd be set!! (or else our living room will be VERY crowded)
want it?? http://orangecounty.craigslist.org/fuo/2222530304.html

#2. my 3rd nephew was born this week. Aksel Anderson. i am in love with him already. i love all my nieces and nephews. seriously i can't talk, brag, or hear enough about them. i think my family is, quite frankly, the best producer of funny cute children ever. their faces are plastered all over our fridge.
he is teeny tiny at 4 lbs 9 oz and came about 3 weeks early. this means he is a trooper AND he beat his cousin coming to earth. MAJOR BUMMER. well, not for him, but for me. i am now more impatient than EVER to hold my little person. course... when she gets here i'll have her forever, so i think i'll be able to handle a few more days. wish me luck!!

one of these things is not like the other....

2011-02-13T21:31:00.001-08:00

bahahahahha. one fat foot. visibly. its awesome. :) one more week!!

Things I will NOT miss about being Pregnant:

2011-02-04T09:07:00.000-08:00

1. The whole hips aching/popping thing going on. I know they are loosening up and getting ready to have a baby and all.. but seriously- can you make it stop? I've lost my balance once or twice from sitting or laying down and getting up and trying to walk bc they are soooo wobbly and painful.

2. Heartburn. I had NO IDEA what heartburn was. Never had it. In fact, after describing how I felt, it was Brad who had to tell me what it was since I'd never felt that way EVER before. Now me n' heartburn are best frenemies.

3. Having my spleen, kidneys, stomach, intestines, cervix & whatever else is in there get kicked around. I love that she's active, but it does get a little tiring to feel like a punching bag!

4. Feeling like the size of a house. And most importantly not being able to do anything about it. I can't wait to wear my one favorite pair of jeans again. :) My favorite(or most torturous) pregnancy dreams have been the ones about running. I'm always wearing my fav pink sports bra, black tank & black & green nike shorts. Sometimes I'm outside and sometimes i'm at the gym. I'm always running good and feeling on top of the world... THEN I wake up and feel sad bc I miss running. Give me a few months!!

Things I will miss about being Pregnant:

2011-02-04T08:34:00.000-08:00

1. Nice people: Once you cross the "Is she fat or pregnant?" threshold and the clearness of your pregnancy is 100%, people are SO NICE to you. They ask you how far along you are, what you're having, names, if it's your first, they tell you how exciting and how wonderful children are. I LOVE IT. I love having doors opened and nice people picking up things off the floor of the grocery store that I drop. It's like the whole world is on your bandwagon cheering you on to the bitter end! Someday when I am done being pregnant and am just FAT, it will be sad to go to the grocery store and get no sympathy from anyone.

2. Service: I do not get myself snacks, pillows, or drinks once Brad is home. He brings them all to me. He asks if I need anything. At 3 Am he refills glasses, adjusts pillows, and brings saltines. He finds my phone, which seems to be always lost. He's nice like that. One day I will not be fat and slow, and actually physically able to pop off the couch with ease, and it will be sad.. think of all the blessings Brad is getting from serving me so faithfully! ;)

3. Brad and Lindsey as a two person team: We are going to have to change the whole game plan. No more one-on-one: we will have to play Horse or Pig. Bocce ball is a lot harder with 3 people. Chess & checkers, too. LUCKILY tho our family house favorites are Uno and Yahtzee, both of which accomodate the masses and thereby secure future Family Home Evenings where everyone can participate. I am going to miss the times we end up at Costco or Disneyland or the beach and don't have to pack any diapers or worry about feedings and nap times. It's a lot easier to pack for 2 than 3, I can imagine...

4. Not being alone: I can be alone. I can even enjoy it... but NOT being alone is infinitely more enjoyable. I like that I have had a very small little buddy for the past 8+ months and she goes everywhere with me, and without complaint. She likes Target and the doctor's office and TJMaxx and the grocery store. She even likes sitting by the pool in the sunshine. I talk to her while I drive and sing to her- she likes musicals, Matt&Kim, and country music alot. Granted, I realize now I will NEVER be alone once she comes... but soon she will have an opinion on what we do & what we listen to. :)

5. Anticipation: I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT IS COMING OR WHAT TO DO. WHAT WILL SHE LOOK AND BE LIKE??? This is the only time I will REALLY be looking into the face of the unknown. It's scary and grand and wonderful all at the same time!

6. Comraderie: I love that I have friends and family all prego with me at the same time. I love that we can commiserate. And share ideas of what to eat. I love that we all had baby showers and got to celebrate each other's wee ones. I love watching other people's bellies grow huge and the same rate mine is. :)

Do you see what I see?

2011-01-17T17:41:00.001-08:00

Two oranges.
Two delicious, round, orange little fruits that grew on our tree!!
We had 7, but these 2 were the winners who lasted til the bitter end. We are going to pick them and see if they are any good yet- it's still a young lil tree.
I love having plants- this year we had GREAT blooms and leaves and general green-ness in abundance! :)

Hello, my name is Lindsey

2011-01-17T10:02:00.000-08:00

and I am:

35 weeks pregnant. I'm really hoping I only remain pregnant for another 4. That would be ideal. Although, I love being pregnant nowadays. I spent the better part of the first... um.. 7 months of pregnancy feeling like utter and complete crap, so NOW that the swelling- oh the swelling!- travel and hormones have evened out, I'm feeling pretty awesome. I can do this for 4 more weeks... but preferably not much longer than that!

a part-time employee. That came up real fast. I have worked full time almost continuously since May of 2007. A few weeks here and there I had off between jobs, but pretty much working has been a major part of my life. Granted, I will still be working 6-hour days for a couple weeks, but just the fact that I am starting into the "Part-Time Working Mama" phase of life is kinda CRAZY. I have BIG plans to get a pedicure and do laundry in that time I've gained this week :)

nervous/tired/excited/happy/worried/thrilled/bummed/sad/ready/prepared/utterly unprepared ALL AT THE SAME TIME. Life is about to change for good. For ever. Completely and totally. My social life is already at an all time low, my weight at an all time high, my sleep at low, coupon-cutting skills high, my husband's happiness at all time record breaking highs, house mess: high, cute small pink shoes/outfits/blanket count: high, fear of the unknown:high, potential for greater eternal happiness: high.:)

blackbird?

2011-01-05T12:46:00.001-08:00

i feel like its somehow sacrilegious.... but seriously EVERY OTHER VERSION of "blackbird" is better than the Beatles original.
how does that work?

yesterday (and today for that matter)

2010-11-29T08:48:00.000-08:00

i was grateful for snow chains.
and my husband staying calm when i was freaking out.
and my parents rescuing us from being crashed into a snow drift.
and the nice strangers who let us sit in their house while we were stuck.
and the nice guy in a suit & tie on his way to church who helped dig out our car.
and that even after smashing into barriers and snow -twice- we didn't damage our car.
and most especially that when we spun around and stalled on the freeway horizontal across 2 lanes of traffic that no one was behind us. and even when we were facing traffic there were not many cars coming our way. and they all saw us, and were able to slow down. and we could turn around. and keep going.
i am very grateful that Heavenly Father kept us three Barttels safe.

just so you are all aware

2010-11-18T15:49:00.000-08:00

the sale of GM today was 9 BILLION dollars less than the bailout they received.

that means the federal government, and ME AND YOU, the taxpayers, just LOST 9 BILLION dollars.

hey- next time a crappy car company makes bad financial decisions and makes cars no one wants to buy, let's not bail them out, k? if they were some regular business, joe's coffee shop, and joe made crappy coffee and gave himself bonuses even when there's no customers, no one would bail HIM out.

and no comments about how it was necessary, please. i listen to this financial stuff ALL DAY LONG.

congrats. your bailout didn't work. i dare you to TRY to find that on the news somewhere. i GUARANTEE its not on nbc.

i find it interesting

2010-11-16T09:20:00.001-08:00

that at 26 weeks i decided to get nausea at 9 AM every morning. again.

baby, are you trying to tell me something? you don't like oatmeal anymore? i am your mother and i am not feeding you peanut m&m's for breakfast. end of story.

a nice compliment

2010-11-15T15:40:00.000-08:00

someone today told me i am "smart and dependable." i really like this person, we're not that great of friends, but i highly respect her. i don't know how she would know i'm smart OR dependable, but i appreciate the compliment all the same! i feel like sometimes those are weaknesses i have that i am always combating. maybe it will be a self-fulfilling prophesy.

conclusion: people are nice :)

breakfast of pregnant champions

2010-11-03T09:05:00.001-07:00

like half a bag of trader joe's milk chocolate covered pretzels. i'm not even close to sorry.
:)

quarter century

2010-11-02T07:57:00.001-07:00

thanks for the birthday dinnner with friends friday, family ice cream cake sunday, dinner courtesy of my SIL lauren (delish!) on monday and my husband for the lovely gold chain necklace of which i am now the proud owner.
lots of love. :)

things i learned this week:

2010-10-28T10:17:00.000-07:00

1. watching a new friend from europe carve a pumpkin for the first time is seriously great.
2. if you use newspaper under the pumpkin carving, you will be able to read the newspaper on your table the next day.
3. pumpkins always start to mold too soon.
4. having a rat living in your ceiling is not fun.
5. naming the rat after 3 days helps you come to terms with it living in your ceiling.
6. all my siblings can, on command, name a different movie quote about rats.
7. the night it gets caught and dies in your ceiling you sleep like a baby bc its suddenly very quiet.
8. i don't want to have more rats in my ceiling.
9. listening to musicals all day at work makes the day seem brighter and the time go faster.
10. i know A LOT of lyrics to musicals.
11. i want to go back to doing community theatre.
12. my favorite role was the witch in Into The Woods in 8th grade. i still know all the words.
13. it's frightening the volume of words and music i have stored in my brain permanently.
14. if you do laundry, you will inevitably spill your breakfast on your clean dress pants
15. there's nothing like having a full linen closet of perfectly fluffy, clean, folded towels and sheets.
16. we own 25 pillowcases.
17. how did we GET that many pillowcases????
18. i sleep better when not getting charlie horses in my thigh (and there are not rats in my ceiling).
19. i wake up so much happier when i sleep good (not learned this week, just reaffirmed).
20. drinkable organic yogurt is delicious for breakfast (even when it a drip is now smudged on your pants).
21. my baby like yogurt for breakfast. i can tell.
22. my husband is in love with our baby. as am i.
23. we are 23+ weeks along now... and it all seems kind of unreal still.
24. this is too long of a list now.

i know it might seem silly

2010-10-12T12:03:00.000-07:00

but i basically cry everytime i remember that my best friend is coming home from her mission TODAY.

i love her.

when she #1 told me she was going on a mission, #2 got her call, and #3 actually left, i was a super excited supportive best friend. and then i got off the phone, called my mother and cried.

i'm a sap sometimes, okay? :)

either way, she's coming in at 11:59 tonight. and i will see her this weekend. my arms have never been so EAGER to hug someone they miss hugging.

conclusion: Heaven Father is very kind. He places people in our lives we can love. And love oh, so much.

give me a K-E-L-L-I

2010-10-08T18:34:00.000-07:00

ashley beat me to it. (awesome pictures ash, btw, i love them.) so i will just add this:

kelli is the bomb.

she's my best friend.
she's the first person i told (besides brad) i was pregnant.
we talk pretty much everyday and i love her to pieces.

the end.
happy birthday, kelli!!!

oh hello, little girl :)

2010-10-06T10:10:00.000-07:00

she kicks, headbutts, elbows, and sticks her little teeny butt into my sides, bladder, and belly all day long! she is a mover & a shaker! it's hilarious.

its especially awesome for brad bc he can feel her now whenever i lay down and relax! she knows when i'm done moving around it's her time to wake up & party!

warm bread

2010-10-05T11:09:00.000-07:00

there is nothing like a slice of warm bread, fresh out of the newly-aquired breadmaker, slathered in homemade peach jam at 11:00 PM. it is still steaming. the jam is runny & warm. the crust warm and crunchy. it warms the soul.

it made all the stress, tears, confusion, sickness and HEAVINESS of the world go away. yesterday the world was very heavy on me. the worry consuming.

why oh why is there so much confusion to others about things that are so clear to me? what is the world going to teach this little baby we are bringing into it? will she know of the love her parents, both earthly and eternal have for her?

i pray outloud at the kitchen sink, furiously cleaning dishes. it's amazing how many answers have come to me over tears, soapy hands and crusted pots. i highly recommend this method of revelation. it is cleansing in many ways.

i knew very clearly i was going to marry brad over a kitchen sink. it works.

i say with assurity i DO trust my Father in Heaven.

i know of the love my father and mother on earth, my husband, and my Father in Heaven have for me. brad has large shoulders. they handle the heaviness of the world with greater ease & have lots of square footage to cover in tears & wrap in hugs. he speaks words of comfort and peace, he validates and supports me. conclusion: the bread was delicious, filling & comforting. my heart calmed. my manna from heaven.

i am grateful for many things, among them love, comfort and warm bread. :)

i think they said something about not eating processed foods...

2010-09-24T17:09:00.000-07:00

but what if it sounds really good?

one very small foot

2010-09-21T09:57:00.001-07:00

I shall kiss this very small girly foot in February. And we are so excited!!

LIES!

2010-09-08T15:22:00.000-07:00

Whilst eating some classic Barnums' Animals Crackers today I took a good look at the hippo.

IT IS ANGRY. It does not resemble the calm happy hippo on the box. Its fangs are out ready to SNAP. I was both disturbed and shocked. I mean, come on?? Do we WANT to scare our children into the truth with animal crackers? Do we really want them to learn that "Hungry Hungry Hippos" are REALLY hungry bc they kill more people a year than lions?

Also, while googling an image to put on this post I found THIS and laughed OUT LOUD.

It's like that scene in Armaggedon. So true, Ben Affleck, so true.

8 is GREAT!

2010-09-03T14:02:00.001-07:00

quick shout out to my oldest nephew JACOB!!

he's sweet, loves baseball & his little sisters, laughs at ANYTHING his dad says, and insists that his name is not "stinky" and other such names of love which i like to call him.

i remember holding his little teeny body when he was like 2 days old. my first nephew/neice and i was IN LOVE.

tomorrow we get to watch him be baptised! crazy!

if you'd like to see what a STUD he is.. go here.

happy birthday little man, you will always be little to me!

hollywood isn't the same

2010-09-02T18:55:00.001-07:00

im adding old movies to my netflix queue and i refound my favorite movie star crush.

so handsome, errol. how do you do it? i've loved you since you saved climbed up the trellis to maid marion's window... sigh.

Mrs. Reily "Roo" Moss

2010-08-30T10:52:00.000-07:00

In Logan at USU, I shared a bunkbed and room with this BEAUTIFUL BRIDE for 2 years. I LOVE HER. In fact, she came to visit me last year after returning from her mission, remember?

Isn't she gorgeous!? I wish I had better pictures...

I was at Girls' Camp for her actual wedding day.. (I was so incredibly sad about it, but no matter..it worked out great!) so we went to her second reception in Heber City, UT. I may have cried a little when she ran across the room to hug me as we walked in. It made all the hours of driving & no sleep TOTALLY WORTH IT. We got to see her all beautiful & blushing (as a 2 week newlywed) and got to meet her cute husband, Tyler. HOORAY Mr. & Mrs. Moss!!

It actually worked out AWSOME bc we went to dinner after the reception, just the 4 of us and we had a great visit laughing & talking. You don't get that kind of one-on-one time on the REAL wedding day, so it was PERFECT!

I am so grateful for such wonderful friends I have & I'm so glad we got to see her so happy & married! It was important to me to go & Brad was super supportive. Thanks to my lovely husband for driving 15 out of the 20 hours, he's such gem. :)

Also, on the way we got to go to lunch & see the new SLC pad of my bff Anne!! She is hilarious & I loved seeing her too! Thanks for letting us shower at your house & make fun of your 2pac poster. :) This picture cracks me up.

p.s. Thanks for letting us crash at your house, Tami & Brandon! Seeing your cute little girls was a huge treat! :) ADDED BONUS: we stopped at Kelli's house to visit & saw her cute kid sleeping.. visited Wendy for a some food & then stopped at Melissa's to eat & visit with all the crazies (aka cutest kids alive).

Lots of driving. Glad to be home. SO WORTH IT.

Girls' Camp

2010-08-30T08:00:00.000-07:00

5 days of madness. hilarity. spirituality. fun. laughs. I LOVE THESE GIRLS.

my girlies with our bishop :) aren't they so great?whole stake acting like crazies! :)

getting our stake pres & bishops to dance like morons.. priceless.

moved her whole bed outside to the fire ring. FUNNIEST PRANK EVER.

Ahhhhh.. girls' camp skits.Here's to a great week! :)

at this very moment

2010-08-10T23:20:00.000-07:00

6 lively hilarious chicas are camped out in my living room giggling to their hearts content. we watched "gidget" as our sleepover movie. OH.MY.HILARIOUS. it was a great movie before- watching it with 12-14 year olds makes it SO MUCH BETTER. hahahah

i love them. so much.

we all go to girls' camp tomorrow. i'm super excited!!

i became the foursome heathnatlinzlaq at girls' camp- the greatest friendship i think i can remember. i love them (heathnatlaq) and thinking of going to girls camp makes me ache for them. to "be attached" to them. to be 14 and not yet have the cares of the world on our shoulders. to light leaves on fire. and hide under beds from "the gestpo". i miss them terribly somedays. our poor adolescence was robbed of so many crazy fun times... but all for the better in the end, i suppose.

i'm grateful to fall asleep (hopefully at some point tonight) to the voices of tween girls laughing & talking. they are funny, and smart, beautiful and i love working with them. i would give up all my tuesday nights for forever to keep this job.

i figured i better blog how much i love them BEFORE i spend 4 days straight trying to keep them from being overly sugared & insane. which they will be. and at the end i will be very tired & ready for a break. :) but i will love them none the less.

and that is really cool.

consider me slapped.

2010-08-05T09:57:00.000-07:00

if we all voted for a president, and then someone decided the other guy would do a better job and overturned a public vote- would you feel like your rights had been taken away? WHY DO WE HAVE A PUBLIC VOTING OPTION THEN???

"If Prop. 8 is ruled unconstitutional, that's a slap in the faces of nearly 7-million Californians who voted, in November, 2008, to limit marriage to a man & a woman, and to put that definition in the state constitution."

Read more: http://liveshots.blogs.foxnews.com/2010/08/04/key-ruling-on-gay-marriage/#ixzz0vkiEhJLp

ooooohhh where did the months go?

2010-07-31T23:00:00.000-07:00

lets not try to play the catch up game. let's just put up some pictures. :)

solvang is LOVELY.
summer and nature upclose is AWESOME.
family visiting is WONDERFUL.
julie is one of my best friends, we threw her a little birthday dinner and i LOVE HER.
now it is August... oh dear.

Perfect Weekend

2010-06-21T10:33:00.001-07:00

Dear Sunshine,

Thank you for being out all day Saturday and Sunday. I had 2 lovely long walks by our house. Brad played volleyball for 4 hours. We got tan lines. We ate at the Chili Cook Off in downtown HB. We watched the surf competition from the pier. Because of your warm rays the salt from the ocean dried on my legs all weird, but thats ok.
You made my weekend. You can stay out all summer if you like.

Your biggest fan,
Lindsey

i love this face.

2010-06-15T14:50:00.001-07:00

she comes home from taiwan in 4 months. believe me, you want to be friends with her.

Who is your FAVORITE AUNT?

2010-06-12T10:44:00.000-07:00

Well, for 7 year old Matthew, it better be ME! :) I will say it again, I LOVE BEING AN AUNT. I love holding little people's hands and getting to have special time with them. I took Matthew to Disneyland this Friday and we had SO much fun. He was so good and happy and it was a great day! We watched shows I hadn't seen before, rode the train around, saw fireworks, played all over Tom Sawyer's Island, and DEFEATED ZURG!

i confess i love the tiki room. i shamelessly sing along the whole time. lucky for me, matthew loves it too! he sang with me, so we went twice. almost 3 times. :)

BEST SHOW AT DISNEYLAND- go see it!

mmmmm.... churro.
"Aunt Lindsey! It DOES taste kinda like a donut!"

"What do we win if we pull the sword in the stone?"
"You win Disneyland."
He tried to pull it out SO HARD. hahahah

CAN I JUST SAY

2010-06-10T07:46:00.000-07:00

that nothing riles me up more than hearing our president substitute profanity for leadership. just DO something, like you said you were going to. there is no excuse, and never will be, for someone in that position to act like an uneducated, unclassy school bully "LOOKING" for someone to beat up. hey, we know you didn't personally cause an oil spill, just do what you can do to fix it.
i feel sorry for your mother who had to listen to her son talk like that on national tv. she should wash your mouth out with soap.

whenever i hear the sound of the birds or look at the blue, blue sky.

2010-06-09T13:33:00.001-07:00

You know the only thing better than getting home from a long vacation?
Having a present waiting on your porch when you get home!!

My friend Lisa Lewis is a talented gal. When I saw THESE it took me about 5 seconds to visualize them happily hanging in my kitchen window.
And HERE THEY ARE!

(it LOOKS like its a messy kitchen, but really it's all clean dishes sitting drying, i promise.) The pictures don't do them justice. Really, they look so happy looking at the blue-ish overcast Southern California sky :)

If you are in the market- PLEASE check out her Etsy Shop: http://www.etsy.com/shop/fluxstainedglass

At this point, my kitchen is the only COMPLETE room in our house. It feels SO GOOD. It is now completely finished as far as curtains, decor, organization are concerned and seeing these birdies in my window this morning just made the morning BRIGHT!

moo moooo

2010-06-09T12:00:00.000-07:00

Calling all Vegetarian, Vegan and Lactose-intolerant friends:

Milk ain't my friend no mo'.

WHAT CAN I EAT so I don't cry everytime I see cheddar cheese??

home again home again jiggity jig!

2010-06-08T10:50:00.000-07:00

many posts to come (probably on the barttels' family blog, tho') about our weekend away...

2 days at brad's dad's house in atwater,ca.
2 days with the middletons in sacramento area.
seriously wonderful people and an incredible time.

highlights being:
beka's graduation
tawni's salsa
family wiffle ball
"camp barttels"
5 very small and DELIGHTFUL children.
"uncle brad"
rafting down the american river
the "talent" show (oh my the video to come is to DIE for)

THANK YOU to the barttels and the middletons!! we love you all so VERY much & it was quite the pleasure to visit with you!
pictures to come :)

remember that time i ran an awesome 3 miles?

2010-06-01T23:24:00.000-07:00

really good time.
really great run.
got out a lot of energy.
i'm so glad i bought those awesome new white shoes....
i'll spare you the picture of the tarnished new shoes. it's too sad.bloody sock.

i saw this picture and it reminded me of a home i had 10 years ago.

2010-05-26T12:06:00.001-07:00

i am a jersey tomato.

and although i haven't stood on your shore, or crossed the ben franklin bridge in a while...

you'll always be my first home.

new jersey.

hopefully soon one day i'll bring brad to meet you.

and we shall eat fresh apple slush.

or white corn from a stand.

and marvel at the grass that just grows by itself.

http://framed-mylifeonepictureatatime.blogspot.com

this morning

2010-05-19T12:19:00.000-07:00

reason # 32 why i love brad:
my husband made me a sandwich for lunch this morning. he makes delicious sandwhiches. he knows the perfect ratio of ham:pickle::mustard:lettuce.

and i just opened it.

and this was tucked inside:

he's so cute that darling husband of mine.

i love these little stickies. my sisterface sent them to me. there's like 6 different ones and although i'm not usually into the japanese-type cartoons, i think they are hilarious and cute. our favorite one has a picture of a girl with a princess crown and it says "Disenchanted." ha

i heart my job

2010-05-17T22:35:00.000-07:00

reasons i love my job:(yes, my boss is 6'9'' and yes, i am the only one under the age of 48...ha)

#1. i have one.
#2. i have wonderful co-workers.
#3. we do service. and we LIKE IT.
if you are in the market for service opportunities, i highly recommend trying out GLEANING. here. at this park.
we planted zucchini, picked broccoli and pulled weeds. for hours. i loved it. it felt so good to HELP PEOPLE. and be in the SUNSHINE.
it was lovely. seriously.

i love it when we're cruisin' together...

2010-05-17T22:25:00.000-07:00

sunset boat cruise.. dana point harbor... saturday evening with friends... live reggae band... sounds like a dream, right!?
it was sunny and beautiful and clear UNTIL we reached dana point. oh well.
BUT 'twas a lovely evening. :)
(remember next time to take a picture with my husband.. not just my friends. oh, and please back my HUGE face away from the camera.)

do you ever just have a good day?

2010-05-11T08:31:00.000-07:00

yesterday was a good day. nay, a great day. it seems like wonderful things are happening all over to people i love. :)

i think also because i finished up all the gifts i need to send to people. i loved picking out each one and wrapping and writing the address on the box. thinking and hoping that each recipient would like it. and know how much i love them.

i also recently made a new friend. and she lives right down our street. so yesterday i walked to her house to bring her something & got to spend a little FHE time with her husband & son & watch a little Jaws 3. hilarious. i remembered some of what i watched, but as soon as the shark starting causing trouble i walked home! no need to hash up old childhood trauma. :)

i feel like i don't have a lot to say, and there is no news or anything special to be excited about, but it's just a GOOD DAY. :)

cup runneth o'er...

2010-05-10T14:38:00.000-07:00

they're having a baby.
and so are they!
and they are graduating college.
they are moving to the east coast.
they bought their first home.
and so did they!
they finished a hard semester.
they got a promotion.
they got a job!
they got a new car.
they are coming to visit.
and so are they!

i am so GRATEFUL that so many wonderful things are happening for people i love!!
my cup runneth o'er.. and so do my leaking eye lids. :)

hello, old friend.

2010-04-28T20:55:00.000-07:00

i love orange gatorade. it's the best kind.
i also love that my husband went to von's at 11:30 at night to buy me and my stomach some.
i love even more that each 32 oz bottle was only 79 cents!! score!

course... now all i've done today is sit on the couch, watch episodes of House, Parks & Rec, 30Rock, and 10, yes i know, 10 episodes of Arrested Development, and drink orange gatorade.

i hate being sick. and now i'm kinda sick of orange gatorade, too. boo.

nice things about people

2010-04-26T17:27:00.000-07:00

saturday night i was at target holding lots of things. (i have a rule that if i cant carry it i can't buy it. comes in handy in that little $1 section. and when cookies are on sale.) and a wonderful husband & wife let me go in front of them bc i "looked awkward". we got to talking. and laughing. they were lovely and nice. in fact, i wanted to be their friends after 3 minutes in line. i left target, went next door to the grocery store & saw them there too!

today i stood in line and the lady behind me let the guy behind her go in front because he only had one thing.

it made me smile. it was nice to notice that people are still nice to each other. :)

here sharky sharky!

2010-04-13T08:13:00.001-07:00

amy and julie and i went to the free shark pools at the long beach aquarium on friday. i felt nervous at petting the sharks... even tho they are like bottom feeders and can't hurt anything.

look at the crazy saw-fish! it looked crazy in real life!

after getting used to the little guys, i wanted to pet the BIG sharks! :)

sometimes i just LOVE doing simple things like petting sharks. get up close & personal with nature & really appreciate how COOL it really is!

4 miles today.

2010-04-12T18:16:00.000-07:00

yep. you heard me. and i feel pretty good. like i still have the energy for a dance party...
:)

row, row, row your boat...

2010-04-02T17:35:00.000-07:00

gently down to... nowhere.

i signed up for an indoor rowing class. one class down and 3 to go. I LOVE IT. the instructor won a gold medal in like 1992. and is swiss. and hilarious. here's his blog.

it's like spinning, but rowing. (not that that makes sense, but it does.) the machines have actual water in them &you can hear the SWOOSH sound- i just close my eyes and imagine i'm in boston in a 1950's movie, rowing down a river.

(this picture is like perfect, btw. HA imagine it's me.)

basically after 1 class i'm going to start a crew club and buy a rowing boat. wanna join?? :)

my orange tree has a blossom!!!

2010-03-22T17:25:00.000-07:00

i love the little life growing on my little patio!

itchy

2010-03-16T11:16:00.000-07:00

i know i'm not the only one who gets itchy.
not like flee/misquito bite itch.
not like winter dry skin itch.
not like coming down from illegal drugs itch.

THE itch.

the "i gotta get out of this place i've been living for 1.5 years" itch.
the "i need a new job/hobby/schedule" itch.
the "i can't put my finger on it but something's gotta give" itch.

THE itch. you know what i'm talking about.

i discovered that my discontent is almost always cause by boredom & repetition.

any suggestions on how to break the cycle before i go mad? some ideas i've researched are:
- take a class for rowing or swimming or something i don't know how or normally do at the community center.
- i already changed my worked schedule a couple months ago and that helped a little.
- running away to hawaii with my credit card brad can't access yet.

brilliant cyber friends? ayudame?

that episode where ___ happened

2010-03-15T11:58:00.000-07:00

ever feel like you should be living an episode of friends? or the office?
i do.

this weekend could be a whole disk of episodes:
- the one about skipping work for disneyland & playing yahtzee
- the one about the migraine & the ring-around-the-rosey-trying-to-transport-large-paintings
- the one where i felt like pam and phyllis
- the one about accidentantally locking my husband out of the house when i was grumpy- HONESTLY it was an accident, but he was MAAAD. i thought it was ironically hilarious. :)
- the one about forgetting to change clocks & getting to church an hour late.
- the one when brad& lindsey both had a cold & headaches & sat on the couch/lovesac for like 6 hours bascially without moving.

wow. lots happened this weekend. no wonder i'm tired today (maybe it still has to do with the cold).

3d

2010-03-11T09:51:00.000-08:00

we went and saw alice in wonderland last night. conclusion: <3

i'm a huge tim burton fan. i love his movies. i love the almost normal/not normal weirdness.

i liked the story. thought it was clever and really developed. thought the casting of the characters was well done- except am i the only one who really was distracted by Snape the Blue caterpillar? haha.

oh and ugh! i was sufficiently jealous of alice's hair by the end of the movie. i'm going to start saving my money for extensions. :) those wavy/curly locks have never been within my reach!! i just wanted to touch her hair the whole time. is that weird?

the only thing i didn't LOVE was 3D. infact, i hated 3D. i always hate 3D. it's $3.50 more to get a headache. i'm bitter that this movie didn't have a 2D option. *sigh*

but now i can't wait until it comes out on regular DVD and we can watch it in blue-ray... hooray! :)

soap box warning:

2010-03-05T19:07:00.000-08:00

i am grateful that my husband was always a faithful home teacher.
you know how i know?
bc he STILL talks about the men and women he home-taught over the years. he knows where, what, how, who. he still cares for them. he knows who they married, where they worked, what they struggled with and was always willing, worthy, and HAPPY to serve and give blessings, move furniture, and do whatever they needed.
he is a caring wonderful man. and i am so grateful.

he understood, even at 24, that he was the priesthood power in their homes. that he was the first resort, the one who should ALWAYS help, and volunteer to help, for that matter. he loves people and when he has been asked/called/required to help someone he ALWAYS DOES.

i see good, well-bodied men NOT helping and NOT caring for the people they are supposed to help, love, and care for. it makes me sad, mad, frustrated and disappointed.
you know what, crappy friends, unfaithful HTs and unhelpful men?? when our friends' HT's won't return their calls, or someone doesn't feel comfortable with who they are SUPPOSED to call- they call brad.

he is trustworthy, thrifty, friendly, brave, morally straight and mentally awake.... or something like that. :)

and for that, and many other reasons, i love him. :)

finally finally finally!!!

2010-02-26T21:54:00.000-08:00

so ugly. and dirty. i hated them.

so i did this. i love them. love love love.

well the seats.

not the weird metal backed-chairs. we'll work on that another day.

all by myself. with a drill. and a staple gun. no help. and it took about half an hour. AWESOME.

it makes such a HUGE DIFFERENCE. i can't wait to make my curtains!!

roller skating? hawt.

2010-02-18T10:03:00.000-08:00

70's roller skating. 5 stakes. 16-18 year old girls & boys. awesome.

i decided lately i like being a YW leader. it's fun. BUT i'm also young looking, like a teenage chick and had 17 year old boys checking me out at first. sweet, dude. not.

i also happen to LOVE rollerskating/blading so i was out there dancing like a crazy & helping the girls get back up when they fell (which may have been frequent for some of the less atheltically inclined. ha) unfortunately i forgot my camera. so this is all i got: can't you tell we have the greatest laurel's ever? oh wait.. you can't even see them.

but really if you had us as YW leaders, wouldn't you think we were awesome? bc we are.

lent.

2010-02-17T10:58:00.000-08:00

no, not the past-tense of "lend." it's the day after Fat Tuesday. the beginning of the 40 days before Easter Sunday. that most blessed & holy Catholic holiday that i have been celebrating all my life, thanks to an east coast upbringing! i have given up something, chocolate or soda usually, each year for as long as i can remember. i love it.

this year i'm trying something different.

i'm giving up my TIME. that most precious, hoarded, selfish thing. i decided to give up my time each day to do things i don't necessarily WANT to do everyday.

i'm giving up the time i take to sit and mellow out, or the time i take reading blogs, or the time i take just sitting on the couch playing solitaire, relaxing from the day, the time i really am DOING NOTHING. yes, even the eposides back-to-back of jeopardy/wheel of fortune that brad watches.

i'm giving up that extra wasted time to go for a run/walk/jog/bikeride/yoga (yes, i do realize you can't "go for a yoga"). to sit down with books and study until i understand, not just til i'm bored. to read and study and prepare for church activities.

it's an experiment. we'll see how it goes.

oh, i'm also giving up the costco sized salty kettle chips brad's been buying. those things are killer. killer good.

#7

2010-02-09T14:03:00.000-08:00

6 days in a row. showered. dressed. primped. lunch made. on time. HEELS. i'm so proud!
morning #7 (aka this morning) was a little more dificil, but i made it! :)
also, we are going to vegas this weekend. to see the new baby. my bro in law asked me why we'd volunteer to go babysit for our first valentine's day?? my reply- we don't have kids- every saturday is valentine's day!!
i just get so excited thinking about it! why wouldn't you want to go see these kinds of small funny people??

check, check.

2010-02-01T13:24:00.000-08:00

yesterday my husband called me a quitter and i was a little mad. so what if i make wishy washy resolutions on purpose? or make goals specifically designed to allow loopholes? every good goal needs a way OUT, right? :)

but as much as i like to avoid goal making (bc i'm SO good at breaking them), i did decide a few days ago that being on time to work and actually getting dressed EVERY morning should become a priority. i've been a little lax in that dept. i assure you i shower, but when you pull your hair into a ponytail everyday it suggests a lack of concern for one's hygiene...

today i got up.
did my hair. (and makeup)
wore office-appropriate dress clothes.
coordinated jewelry.
wore HEELS. (i know!)
and caught all the signals so i was EARLY.

take THAT. on time? check. dressed to kill? check.
already ready to reduce my goal to three days a week? check.
ha. :)

i'd like to take a moment to shout it out:

2010-01-28T16:00:00.001-08:00

this is late. and i have a lot more people to add to this list. forgive me if you aren't on here. better late than never to say "thanks & i love you!"

anne.

best friend extraordinaire. teller of hilarious stories. looker for lindsey's passport at 2 AM. shower door breaker. buyer of razors. taker of pictures. errand list checker. entertainer, calmer, laugher and irreplaceable bride helper. i'm glad she was with me in my apt the nights before i got married. i couldn't imagine a better time.

tyler vermillion rules.

came from ut. one of few high school best friends who made the trek to CA. one of oldest friends there. i didn't realize how important it was that he was there until he was the ONLY person who made the bride cry. (i cried only once that lovely perfect day- in the sealing room being hugged by this most beloved friend. not kidding.) he is the most elegible 24 year old bachelor i know what the best heart and worst taste in movies- any takers?? he's willing to go on blind dates.

julie aka "huli."

roommate extraordinaire. reception decorator. last minute picker-upper. bride therapist. shoulder to cry on. happiness bringer. wedding planner. wedding dress opinion giver. after brad & i's first dance- he grabbed julie for a swing around the floor. he told her something like "she might not think it's a huge deal but we'll never forget what you've done for us." and it's true.
amy clark clark.

gchat venting listener extraordinaire. bridal shower fantastic cookie maker & planner. reception setter-upper. voice of reason. validater. probably listened to more venting when i was engaged than anyone else- sometimes you just need to SAY it to feel better. thanks!
kelli lyman.
best friend. only person who knows EVERYTHING. doesn't get offended by slips of off-color language. brought cutest child to our reception. las vegas bridal shower thrower expert! her and her mom gave me an amazing shower with TONS of good food. she was the person i was most excited to see outside the temple.:)
wendy bird.
my motha'. what i will look like in 31 years. end of story.

speakin' of movies

2010-01-25T13:59:00.000-08:00

i forgot to make mention of a movie brad & i found a few months ago. i think before we were even engaged- but we were talking about it last night so i thought i better blog it before i forget again.
i don't highly recommend alot of movies. but this one was really surprising and really enjoyable. another one kinda under the radar. it's kinda about being positive and we both thought luke wilson did a great job.
plus george lopez is in it. who can resist george lopez?? haha.