The First Year...

Makay and I have officially been married for an entire YEAR today! Where does the time go? It has been the best year of my life. Everybody says the first year is the hardest, but I disagree. This past year will never be remembered as the difficult one... it will be remembered as the time I found true companionship. The first year I woke up everyday to a beautiful face that I adored and many kiss that still make me melt. The first year I walked hand-in-hand with someone who would face every battle with me. The first year when my heart smiled as much as my lips did.

I have learned many things on this new journey of ours...

• Something I have come to understand in my mind but which is still difficult for me to apply is the fact that it is not always right and wrong. It is possible for two people to have two completely different opinions and each opinion can be right! One person doesn't have to be wrong; though, sometimes it would be much easier that way.
  

• Plainly stated: Boys and girls are different... in a lot of aspects... Pretty much everything I have come to understand can be sub categorized beneath this statement...

• The greatest and most life altering thing I have learned is something which is continually being taught to me... how to love. It is amazing. The capacity of love that one being can hold for another. The only thing that I can compare it to is light. It seems that love and light have the same effects. They each have the ability to instill safety, protection, and guidance. Life is dim--if not dark--without each. I often wonder why it is that love is learned in steps. I know we have all experienced the incomprehensible feeling that we couldn't possibly love someone or something more than we do at that moment. Then a year goes by and somehow that love--that you once felt couldn't get any greater--has had an exponential increase. It wasn't until I compared light and love that I understood this concept.
  

"That which if of God is light; and he that receiveth light, and continueth in God, receiveth more light; and that light groweth
brighter and brighter until the perfect day."

CELEBRATE

Happy Anniversary!

We finally went to Paulo's Restaurant! I walk past this restaurant everyday when I go to and from work. It always smells SO delicious. We have been saving this restaurant for our anniversary. So... here we are... finally! The waiter let me pick where we wanted to sit so... I thought this cute table by the fountain was a good idea... more on that later...

This is my handsome husband. How could I not fall in love with this face?

THE CULPRIT

You know how I said the waiter let me pick our own table. Well, it looks like I chose to sit right under a bird. Go figure. The bird thought to relieve himself right on top of my head and arm during the first three minutes of me sitting on my chair. I immediately went into the restroom and cleaned up. I then returned to my chair to enjoy a beautiful meal. I sat back down in my chair because I figured a two-for-one deal wasn't in my future. I was wrong. I guess I was roaming this bird's territory because he did it again! It plopped down right there on my shirt. How rude! (Oh, I have realized that I have been wearing this same shirt in almost every post lately. I would lie and say it is a coincidence, but I really do wear it a lot. It's one of the five shirts I actually have out here in Virginia... and HE had to poop on it!) The sad thing about this whole adventure is the fact that I had to go straight to work after this... for 8 hours! So I had a bird poop stained shirt all day. Gross, I know.

Our waitress happened to be from Russia and when she saw what happened she was so happy! She told me that in Russian Culture when a bird poops on you in means you are a happy person. Makay had told me this earlier, but I thought he was just trying to make me feel better. Next time I'd rather not have the birds two cents on my happiness...

What a Looker!

I just had to post this picture. Isn't my husband just so handsome! Woo... what a looker!

The Temple

The Washington D.C. Temple



Last Sunday, Makay and I took a little trip up to the Washington D.C. Temple and the Visitor's Center. It was exactly what the doctor ordered. Just being on the Temple Grounds and walking through the Visitor's Center made such an impact on me. It truly is amazing. It was actually kind of frightening to realize that it has been awhile since I felt the spirit so powerfully. I think that one of Satan's biggest tactics is eluding the members into thinking they are spiritually in-tune when in all actuality...they're not . "All is well in Zion"....right?

The most powerful thing for me was the new Joseph Smith movie. I have seen it before, but the second time was just as good if not better than the first. The spirit was overwhelming. I felt such a surge of... what's the word... anxiety? excitement? I was enthused with the great need to share the gospel. I was in aw as I watched the life of Joseph Smith. He lived every moment of his life for the Lord and the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and he gave his life for the same righteous cause. Can I not just simply share this cause with those around me. Why do I fear placing a Book of Mormon or handing out a pass-along card? If I do not share this burning conviction within my heart, I fear that the life and death of Joseph Smith was merely in vain. So let us all press on. Out of respect, honor and love for the prophet Joseph Smith, let us strengthen our brethren.

My Life

Welcome to Cradle & Crayon

Well this is where I am alllllllllllllll day long. The picture on the right is me pretending to work. I really just have fun all day long. What can get better than pregnant tummies and little babies?

My co-worker, Erin, and I recently started referring to Stella as 'Our Mom.' So, naturally, before she left for Peru I asked for an allowance. It is after I made this simple request that the picture on the left was taken. However this picture doesn't do her kindness any justice... my next paycheck I had a dollar raise....



The children's clothing is on the left side of the store. We carry many different brands... I love all of them! Tea and Cakewalk are two of my favorites. How come things are always so much cuter in miniature? Next to the clothing on left (sorry I didn't get any pictures of that portion of the store) are the toys that we carry. None of which have been recalled during this last rampage of recalled toys...



We carry a lot of Morigeau-Lepine furniture. This is a French-Canadian company located in Quebec. My favorite is the 5000 series in chocolate. Ironically, the crib shown in this picture isn't from this company. This is a Shermag crib. I wasn't thinking about displaying anything in particular when I took this picture so I apologize! The stroller in front (which you can only see half of) is a Phil and Ted's stroller. It is genius! I don't know if you can tell, but there is a seat behind the main stroller seat. So it can be a double stoller, but it moves and feels like a single stroller. PLUS, the extra seat is an attachment... so you can use it as a single stroller first THEN when number two comes along you just have to pop on the double seat. AWESOME! The red one is my favorite. You can see better pictures here...

Down to the far right are the maternity clothes. Only the sales rack is seen in this picture. Sorry! We even have some REALLY cute maternity clothes. I mean, really cute. Some of the brands are: Olian, Japanese weekend, Um a Nove, etc. Olian is my favorite. To the right of the picture are: polka dot, wood letters from New Arrivals; small diaper bags from Fleurville, slings by Hotslings (the Ana Stretch is my favorite print...)

These are a few of the nursing chairs that we carry. It is the Storytime series of Best Chairs. The mint colored one seriously amazing. That fleece jacket on the left is actually pretty hilarious. It is Daddy gear. It's a wearable diaper bag. Haha. There are hidden compartments for diapers, wipes, bottles, etc. We also carry fine art work for kids by Oopsy Daisy and Goodnite Moon. They have some really cute stuff... from murals to personalized growth charts....

Well here is where I work! I love it! I am so sad to be leaving. I have really grown to love this little boutique...

Texa Road House

These pictures are dedicated to my mother: diet coke with a lime and a cherry. Does life get better than that?

Girl's Night Returned...

GIRL'S NIGHT... AGAIN...

Well, our husbands have been out of town for the week and Aly and I were feeling, well, kinda bummed. We really needed a picker-upper if you will. So... what better way to feel OK about your husbands' absence than to eat at his favorite restaurant? TEXAS ROAD HOUSE... here we come! We spent the first 45 minutes doing and re-doing our hair and make-up so we would look good in the pictures... so our husbands could see what they've been missing. This is when I discovered that I feel a lot better about myself off camera than what I do on.