Melissa & Christopher

More Pictures of Hank

2011-10-08T07:46:00.001-07:00

I guess I don't really care if people are getting overloaded with pictures of baby Hank. I can't handle how cute he is, and my awesome friend let me play with her camera the other day, so I have new material. I love how these turned out--and I'm seriously thinking I need a fancy new camera for Christmas this year...

New Blog!

2011-04-07T06:58:00.000-07:00

Due to some weird issues concerning blogger, we've created a new blog and transferred all of these posts. If you're interested in seeing Brazil pictures and getting sporadic life updates, here is the new link.

http://melissapluschristopher.blogspot.com/

Does anyone still check this?

2010-09-30T08:10:00.000-07:00

I wouldn't blame you if you didn't. Things have been going a million miles an hour around here and we haven't done a good job keeping in touch with people, updating the blog, or cleaning the apartment. But we also have been doing really great. Here's a quick update for you. Ready?

1-quit my job at Duke Hospital in June

2-Jessica came to NC and we visited Lacey in Nashville

3-started a new job at Chapel Hill Violins. This job has been a lot of fun and I can't believe how much I've learned about violins so far.

4-went to Utah in August for most of the month. Saw Mandy get married!

5-Got my first violin student

6-Started playing the piano for the Raleigh Ballet Studio. It has been the most challenging, coolest thing I have done in a long time. I can't believe how much I love it. I think I'll write an entire post on this job soon.

7-Joined the Chapel Hill Philharmonia.

Christopher has been busy too! He worked on some very cool research this summer about protein models. He has learned a ton, and we are both happy that he likes what he's doing. This semester has been his busiest so far. He is a teaching assistant, a research assistant, and taking challenging classes. He just got called to be the ward clerk at church. He is in charge of the statistics campout group for Duke bball tickets this weekend. I don't know how he manages to balance everything and still be my buddy.

Listen to this-last week he brought me lunch at the violin shop. Look what was nestled in the bag along with the sandwich, chips, and fruit.

Yes, that is a bag of M&Ms. Since Christopher knows how hot it can get in the shop, he filled another bag with ice and made the M&Ms a homemade cooler. It was a small thing, but it made my day. He's the best.

Looking forward to more blogging soon!

Back to Primary

2010-06-13T17:47:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone, it's Chris. One of the main challenges for me in primary is to keep from laughing when the kids are misbehaving. Today during sharing time the teacher prefaced a section with, "Now I want to tell you a story! Some of you may have heard it before--"

"--and some of us may not like it!" one of our boys immediately chimed in. I know I shouldn't find this as funny as I do, and from a kid any older I certainly wouldn't, but with this boy it just kills me because he is completely being himself. It's also especially hard to hide fact that I'm laughing since this kid loves to sit on my lap.

The other choice moment today came from one of the sunbeams. A few weeks ago, the new primary presidency instituted three basic rules that they hope the children can keep in mind. They began the meeting today by asking if any of the kids could remember what those rules are. One of our boys quietly raised his hand and correctly stated, "Raise your hand." When the primary president asked for another volunteer, one of the sunbeams jumped up with unrestrained enthusiasm and yelled, "BE QUIET!" Apparently aware of the contradictory nature of his announcement, he immediately clapped his hands over his mouth and whispered, "be quiet?"

I get more thankful for our calling each week!

Late Post-Easter 2010

2010-05-24T07:31:00.001-07:00

I am loving it here in North Carolina, but still get pretty homesick for family, particularly around holidays. So on Easter this year, Christopher and I took special care to plan a great day. I find that planning big dinners, pretty decorations, and fun things to do helps distract me from missing the usual traditions.

Maybe some of the things I do to celebrate seem a little over-the-top. And maybe it isn't very grown-up or practical to have "birthday weeks" and elaborate celebrations for two people. But I love it!

For our Easter brunch we had a sausage egg tart using this recipe for the crust, roasted asparagus, fresh strawberries and pineapple, and pretty chocolates from Whole Foods bakery. It was so fun to listen to General Conference and have a feast in between sessions.

This picture is a little fuzzy, but they turned out really cute this year. I did the pink ones, and Chris did blue/green

I made bunting! It looked so pretty we kept it up all week.

Christopher hid candy for me all over the apartment. It took over an hour to find it all. He couldn't stop giggling. Some of the candy had letters on the back. When I (finally) unscrambled it with plenty of hints, this is what it said. Yay for new music!

Something Therapeutic

2010-05-18T13:09:00.000-07:00

Want to know something that can help you when meanies are getting you down?

Here's a suggestion. When I'm at work and someone calls, usually they are really nice. But sometimes they aren't. I just hung up with a very important person who was inconsiderate and made me feel bad. When I passed along the message to my boss by email, I wrote...

"Dr. ____ just called and would like you to give him a call back when you get a chance. His number is 555.5555 and I don't like him."

Then, right before I send it, I delete the last part, and I'm good to go. The idea of actually sending one of the uncensored emails makes me laugh, and usually I feel a little bit better.

Another email, uncut.

"The reason there is no orange juice left over from Bagel Tuesday is because I forgot to put the OJ away so a few of the residents drank all 48 remaining bottles of it last night. I think we should be glad because this means that they weren't drinking coffee, and let's be honest--they could all use a breather on the coffee."

And finally, an email to everyone in the office.

"I don't know who ordered the caffeine free pepsi. Please stop bugging me about it because it wasn't me. I know it looks suspicious because I don't drink alcohol or coffee, but trust me, if I had ordered a favorite beverage, it would be diet, and coke. And it isn't hilarious when you see me in the breakroom and joke about how I have my own personal stash. I do have a personal stash and it is under my desk. And it isn't even caffeine free so I guess the joke is on you.

Thanks!

Melissa"

Wahoo!

2010-05-11T03:48:00.000-07:00

This picture says it all. The beach getaway was so much fun!

Hitting the Books

2010-05-07T05:38:00.001-07:00

Our plans for the weekend are a little unbalanced. I'm leaving work early today, driving to the ocean with a big group of awesome ladies, and spending the entire weekend in a beautiful beach house reading good books and eating chocolate.

Christopher is staying behind, studying up for his terrifying end of year exam on Monday. Poor guy.

Happy Mother's Day Weekend!

Reader, I marrried him....

2010-04-27T05:55:00.000-07:00

Sometime, when you feel bad because your family visited you and then left, and then you had to work on a Saturday morning, and your job is hard, and you are in a bad mood, and....

You should watch this. I LOVE Jane Eyre and the BBC did a great job with the film adaptation. Plus, I always felt like the Bronte sisters had one over Jane Austen anyway. I missed my sister Jessica while we watched it, since she's a big fan of lengthy movies. Me too, Jess!

Since Netflix only sent us disc one out of two, I was horrified when I realized that we would have to leave Jane hanging at her dying Aunt's house, far from Thornfield until we could get the second DVD. Thankfully, after Christopher called all the Blockbusters in the area, he went to Barnes and Noble where he bought disc 1 and 2. For $30. Yes, I am that pathetic, and he is that awesome. Full confession: he did all of this while I was getting a pedicure.

So on Saturday, we watched four hours of Jane Eyre, and had cookie dough for dinner. Hip hip!

Done!

2010-04-12T11:50:00.001-07:00

lomography

So I'm learning how to be a ghostwriter at work.

Last week, I was given the task of writing a congratulations letter from the Dr. I work for. It was supposed to go to a resident who recently had a (sadly) not so cute baby....

All it had to say was something like:

Dear Dr.____

Thank you for sending us the picture of your beautiful baby. The Dept. wishes you all the best

Sincerely,

Dr. _____

But you know what? It took me multiple drafts to finally get an approved letter. And then it took 4 days of spending every spare moment trying to print the letter and address on the custom sized paper and envelope. The printer ate almost everything I fed it. On the off tries when it worked, it would print the words upside down. Then it ran out of ink. Since the printer is located down the hall from my desk, I was forced to trek back and forth, alternately pressing "print," then running down the hall to watch it jam again.

This does not help me to have a good attitude about things.

But now I have fantastic news. The letter is finished. I put it in the mailbox this afternoon and it is perfect.

I am prouder of that stupid letter than the mother is of her (not that cute) baby. Seriously.

Peking Acrobats

2010-03-26T12:31:00.000-07:00

Want to know a reason why Christopher is such a great husband?

Here's why. For my Christmas present this year, he searched far and wide for tickets to Taylor Swift. I love her. But unbeknown to him, she is supposedly not so hot live. So it's kind of a blessing that he couldn't find reasonably priced tickets.

Instead he got me tickets to the Peking Acrobats. If he was going for the biggest surprise, he probably won, because tickets to a March show of the Peking Acrobats was one of the last things I expected to open on Christmas morning.

We went last night. And it was AMAZING. People were standing on each others heads! Not just on their shoulders, but with feet balancing on foreheads. One trick involved 12 people balancing on a single bicycle and riding around the stage. It was just one thing after another, and Christopher and I absolutely loved it. It was the funnest show!

One thing that made me laugh--when we showed up the concert hall in Raleigh the other stage was hosting Ben Folds. When we presented the lady with our tickets, she expressed surprise that we weren't going to watch him, and were heading for the acrobat stage instead. Christopher jokingly told me, "I guess the acrobat show is for oldies." When we sat down in our assigned seats we were right next to a huge community from a retirement home, on a field-trip. Yeah.

Here are some pictures but they don't really do the acrobats justice. They were also found on the internet, since we're both lame and forgot the camera. (Chris your phone doesn't count!)

Christopher, you never cease to surprise me. Thanks for making life so fun!

A little note

2010-03-19T10:54:00.000-07:00

Just a little note.

Christopher--I guess it is only fair that if I make you watch The Bachelor with me, I can listen to hours of March Madness updates from you. Did you know that last night I asked you if you loved that show? It was in the middle of an intense moment in one of the games. You nodded and said, "yeah." So I guess this means we're on for The Bachelorette?

Neighbor/Great Friend--last night you brought molten chocolate cake and your four rambunctious children to our apartment during a particularly tired/stressful moment. Did you know that you are one of my favorite people? And that your kids are adorable?

Job--you are getting better. I wish that I could say I really looked forward to seeing you every day, but I guess these things take time.

Mother/Father-in law-You guys are the greatest. I had the best time vacationing with you last weekend. I only wish that I had not worn unmatched sweat pants and sweat shirt ensembles in every picture, or I would post them all on this blog.

which reminds me...

Blog-You have been very boring lately. Now that I'm feeling more comfortable at work, I think I will try posting once in a while.

Signing off now,

Melissa

PS. Did you guys know that the US postal service is selling 44 cent stamps based off 10 awesome abstract American paintings? Go here to find out more. I'm really excited about it.

Primary

2010-02-28T15:29:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone, it's Chris. Melissa still hasn't made me an official contributor on this blog (though it bears my name, too), so I have to hijack her account every now and then.

Today our primary class, while par for the course for us, just had too many moments for me to not record a few of them.

Primary President: Here kids, everyone take a magnifying glass.

Boy 1, looking at me through glass: You look huge. You look huge and boring.

Most of the rest of sharing and singing time were spent helping Boy 2 depict the various escapades of Batman, as usual. He really likes to draw (and misbehave) but doesn't always trust himself to make things as look as good as he would like, so here's how it went today:

Me, whispering: What do you want to draw?

Boy 2: Draw Clayface right here. Do you know what Clayface looks like?

(It happens that I do, of course.)

Me: Sure, he's kind of lumpy and oozing, right? How does this look?

Boy 2: Pretty good. I wanted one of his arms to be a hammer, though.

Me: Oh, well we can change that, it's not too late.

Boy 2: Do it.

Me: Okay, how's that?

Boy 2: Pretty good--now draw Batman over here. Have him swinging from his gun that shoots swings and make him punching Clayface.

Me: Got it.

Boy 2: Clayface can grow more arms for himself, so draw another arm throwing clay at Batman.

Me: Done.

Boy 2: Do you know how to draw a bat-a-rang?

Me, insulted: Of course!

Boy 2: You're really good at drawing Clayface and Batman!

This is the most sincere (only?) praise I've gotten from him--I guess my pictures of the Joker, Scarecrow, and Man-bat in previous weeks haven't really been up to snuff. Maybe I'm really getting better, but I'll let you be the judge.

Work

2010-02-27T06:05:00.001-08:00

My sister Mandy has a few really great posts about loving one's own self--she's really easy to love, so that isn't very surprising. But lately, I've been having to teach myself what this means.

I started a new job on Monday, and it was a tough week. I work for someone very important at Duke hospital, and there are so many new things to learn, I still don't sleep well at night, knowing I have to face another day in the morning.

The first day on the job, a woman called to say that her husband's guts were falling out of his stomach...I told her to call 911. It was scary.

Sometimes people are mean.

I make a lot of mistakes. I know that the people I work with probably talk about those mistakes, maybe even laugh about them.

So starting about Wednesday, I started thinking about my sister's posts. About how she loves herself in spite of certain flaws--or rather, because of certain flaws. (She doesn't actually have any of those, but whatever). It's actually what got me through the end of my week. I kept telling myself that I was fabulous, even when my coworkers were rolling their eyes when I asked how to make coffee, or when I thought I looked kind of chubby in my new work pants.

I know that things will get better at work. I know that soon I'll be wishing that I had new things to learn, because I'll be bored with the old stuff. But I just don't ever want to forget that new people--whether they are new at work, or at school, or at church--are trying to remind themselves that they really are great, despite what they may be feeling at the moment. And I really hope that I can be there to help them out.

unrelated photo: of course

Valentine's Day

2010-02-15T19:09:00.001-08:00

We had the best V-day. I made a huge mess making Christopher dinner, and he woke up extra early today to clean it up. Want to know what I attempted? Filet mignon with bleu cheese, carrot souffle, pan roasted pears served over frisee letttuce, and chocolate molten lava cakes with dulce de leche ice-cream. I gave the dinner a 3.25 out of 4. Christopher gave it 3.99. He says it's because I wouldn't let him give it a 4 but I know better.

Here's the thing. When the lighting was dim, I could tell that the steak was on the rare side. But when we turned the lights on to clear the dishes, my leftover steak was still on my plate and it looked a lot like it did before I took it out of the package....and before I cooked it....yeah. But on the plus side, the carrot souffle was divine, the pears turned out great, and the molten lava cake's weird texture and flavor was drowned out by the hagen daaz ice-cream.

After dinner we watched "The Ghost and Mrs. Muir" which sounds spooky but is actually quite romantic. It features a widow who falls in love with a ghost that haunts her seaside cottage. Kind of hard for me to relate but...whatever.

I love that Christopher will wake up extra early to clean the dishes. I love that he knows I prefer tulips to roses, and I love that he washes down raw steak and weird cake with huge gulps of sparkling cider just to spare my feelings. Happy Belated Valentines!

23

2010-02-03T07:18:00.001-08:00

Some pictures from my perfect birthday last week.

For the first time in my life, I was living in a place that wan't buried in snow on January 27. We celebrated by driving to a nearby lake and having a picnic. It was beautiful!

We went to our final Duke basketball game and beat Florida State soundly.

When we got back to our apartment after the game, the door was decorated to perfection by our awesome friends Jared and Carolyn. Yep, we all love The Office.

Besides the door being decorated, there was also a cake waiting on the mat. Christopher lit the candle and sang me Happy Birthday "Madson style" even though it was after midnight. If you don't know what "Madson style" is...well, let's just say, the neighbors weren't happy.

The next night, Christopher took my to my favorite restaurant and then to...Mamma Mia! I was in heaven! During the curtain call there was a big sing-along and everyone was belting out songs from the show and waving their arms. It was the funnest moment! I tried my best to get a video, but cameras are strictly forbidden, so I apologize for the poor quality. Just trying to be sneaky. :)

My family gave me the most wonderful gifts, and Christopher has a way of planning things that make me feel like the luckiest girl in the world. Thanks everybody--you guys are the reason I'm going to love being 23!

Update

2010-01-21T08:49:00.001-08:00

Today is the first day in awhile when the temperature hasn't reached above 60. We've been busy hiking, playing with friends, and working on various projects. Christopher has started school but it hasn't really picked up yet, so we still feel like our schedules are very open, especially since the GRE is behind me. Here are some pictures.

This is a canvas Christopher and I painted to go in our living room. I promise that it looks better in real life. We're really proud of it. But I still don't think we can call it a painting, or even a piece of artwork. It's just a nice canvas.

We went hiking along the Eno River Trail at a nearby State Park. It was gorgeous.

But I got tired of taking breaks for pictures. This was the last one we took and then Chris put the camera away. For the best.

lucky shirt

2010-01-12T06:05:00.000-08:00

Guys, I took the GRE yesterday. It wasn't fun, and I felt like throwing up at various times throughout the exam, but I did alright! I scored a little higher than I thought I would in the math section, and a little lower in the verbal. Kind of surprising. But my overall score is great, and I am so so relieved to have it behind me.

I credit my success to two things. One-Christopher. He bravely worked on math stuff with me, even when I got frustrated or sad. He quizzed me on vocab words and helped me think of memory tricks for the ones I couldn't ever remember. Sometimes he would read next to me while I studied, just so he could be close when I had a question. For the past week he cooked, cleaned, and did grocery shopping so I could take practice tests. He took me to the testing center yesterday even though it was thirty five minutes into Raleigh, just so I wouldn't get flustered trying to find a new address and place to park.

Two-Christopher's lucky t-shirt. I'm the first person besides Chris to ever put this on. But it has gotten him through the ACT, SAT, GRE, multiple actuarial exams, plus a killer final he took last month in theoretical probability. (Yikes). And seeing as how he has done...well....really great on all of these tests, always wearing his powder blue math shirt, it was really gracious of him to entrust it to me. And I know how dorky this is, but the shirt actually made me feel better during a few moments of the test when I felt hopeless.

Christopher took a picture of me before we left. He was having a rough time getting a smile out of me because duh, I was leaving to take the GRE, and also, truthfully, I felt a little nerdy in his lucky shirt.

Sisters

2010-01-07T05:30:00.001-08:00

If there is one thing I love in life, it would have to be my sisters. So when I found out that my sweet niece was going to get a little sister of her own in May, it made me think about how lucky I am to have four of the best.

Congratulations Lacey and Drew!

Nerf

2010-01-05T19:39:00.001-08:00

One of the best things about Duke is the generous vacation they give doctoral students. Christopher has an entire month of for winter break, which means that we've been able to hang out together all week. And we've been having fun. I'm using my free time to get ready to take the GRE in just a few days (eek!) and Christopher has been using his free time to watch me get ready to take the GRE. Today when I stopped drilling vocab words to use the bathroom, he allotted me four minutes and then made me get back to it. Seriously.

There is one activity that Christopher always gives me time off for. My littlest sister gave us a Nerf basketball hoop that hooks over the door for Christmas this year. Chris set it up immediately and has been challenging me to one on one games ever since. This morning Christopher killed me while we played a championship game to an NBA style beat on our new keyboard. (PS. He cheats). If anyone is wondering why we just sold our guest bed and mattress, apparently it is because we needed a basketball court instead of a comfortable bedroom for visiting loved ones. Sorry guys.

While I was writing this post, Christopher worked really hard to get a picture of his winning shot.

Back Home

2010-01-03T07:03:00.000-08:00

Yes, I've been neglecting my blog this month. I've been in vacation mode and have pretty much ignored my phone and email account for the past few weeks.

But now I'm back in NC. I have so many pictures, and tons of good things to say. I promise. To start, check out this awesome bowl Christopher gave me for Christmas. I showed him a few months ago and promptly forgot about it. But he remembered and I love it!

More to come soon!

2009-12-09T14:39:00.000-08:00

Christmas is watching Charlie Brown Christmas with your husband while you eat grilled cheese for lunch.

Hounding your mom for recipes like cinnamon rolls and rocky road to make your apartment feel like home.

Ringing bells like crazy with your sunbeams at church while they belt out "Stars Were Gleaming"

Insisting that Christopher stay away from the guest room, laundry room, and entry way cupboard where unwrapped gifts are hiding. Since these place cover major square footage in our apartment, he is getting anxious for me to buy some wrapping paper.

Searching far and wide for Bendaroos and finally finding them on Amazon where they were previously sold out. Yay for having such great sisters to give presents to!

Texts from Jessica about Christmas songs I miss hearing so much at the MTC. :)

Magnolia's grill--the famous restaurant here in NC where Christopher and I are going for dinner on the night of our little Christmas party.

Appreciating the fact that Christopher gets enough time off from school that we can spend so much time with our families this year. We can't wait to see everyone.

Setting up and decorating a Christmas tree in a beautiful new apartment. When I turn on the lights every night it doesn't matter that the temperature hit 75 during the day. It feels like Christmas is really here!

A close-up of some of our decorations for Mom. :)

Thanksgiving

2009-12-02T11:29:00.000-08:00

We had the best Thanksgiving. Really. We got to play with Christopher's family in Memphis and then spend a day in Nashville with my sister. We played with babies, ate ridiculous amounts of food, got stuck in even greater amounts of ridiculous traffic, studied GRE vocab during the traffic, and loved every minute of it (Maybe not the traffic.) We really appreciate our awesome families and their genorosity!

Maybe this is what held up traffic. Ha ha.

One of the best parts? Coming home to our spanking new apartment. We've been working on it ever since and it looks beautiful. My advice for anyone who is renting a little place? The first day that you move in, invest in this showerhead. It's less than $20 at Home Depot and it will change your life. The showerhead that our apartment complex installed is a joke! But Christopher put this one in the other day and it. is. the best. Now I totally get the appeal of living in your shower.

We're putting up our Christmas tree tomorrow, so pictures are coming!

Moving!

2009-11-16T07:38:00.000-08:00

So Christopher and I (okay, mostly just me) began to wonder if we could really make it until August in our little apartment. And being the champion problem-solver he is, Christopher marched down to the apartment office and asked if we could move to a different one. Without selling our lease. Thankfully, they said yes! There is one unoccupied apartment in the same building we're in now. It has high ceilings, a second bathroom, a laundry room instead of a laundry closet, a view of the pretty trees instead of the swimming pool, a coat closet, AND most important, seven windows. Our current apartment has three and since the view is of the pool, we mostly have to keep our blinds closed.

Since it's November and the apartment market is really slow, they're allowing us to transfer and our rent will only raise $20 a month. So we'd be crazy not to do it...right?

We'll just have to keep telling ourselves that as we take down the pictures Christopher has painstakingly hung, and unpacking the cupboards that I have arranged just so. Mostly we're just getting really excited for the weekend when we can start transferring our things to our new place. Come and see us soon!

Pretty please...

2009-11-12T11:36:00.000-08:00

Maybe it's the fact that Hurricane Ida has been drenching NC with buckets and buckets of water for days, but I really want these boots. I spotted them in Nordstrom the other day and it took more than a little strength of will to leave them behind. I'm not even a huge boot person, but I think I could actually enjoy the extended rainy season in this place if I could count on these lovelies to get me through.

I'd take them in the pea green, or the pretty plum. Aren't they great?

Challis Inc.

2009-11-10T06:29:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I drove Christopher to school. I do this almost every morning and depending on what time it is, we're either bleary-eyed and not quite awake, or full of energy. On the energetic days we usually sing really loud to "I've Been Thinking About You" by Londonbeat (Shi-pow-pow!)

But yesterday when I dropped him off, I told him that I felt like we'd just finished up a business meeting. We talked about everything we needed to get done, people we needed to contact, health insurance, possible dentists, mailing problems, maintenance issues in our apartment, and of course, money. Instead of giving him a hug goodbye I felt like a handshake was much more appropriate.

I thought about it (don't worry, I still gave him a big hug) and I realized that we have to talk about that stuff sometimes. Even if it's way more fun to laugh about Londonbeat's terrible song, or stare out the window when we're tired. Sometimes a marriage is like owning a little business and even if that isn't incredibly romantic, a successful business is something to be proud of. I'm proud of ours!

Happy Halloween!

2009-11-02T09:30:00.000-08:00

Christopher and I went to the much-awaited Statistics 2009 Halloween Gala on Saturday night. We danced our hearts out, had a blast seeing everybody in costume, and drank a lot of cream soda in order to fit in with our more alcohol loving friends.

Before the party. Christopher's mustache was a huge hit.

The professors went all out on their costumes

Christopher with friends from the program

Our good friend Jared as Dwight. As soon as I get a picture of his girlfriend, I'll put it up. Her costume was amazing!

Christopher with one of his professors. In the fish tank. We were laughing so hard after this picture, because he begged us not to make fun of him. He didn't understand that we really thought his costume was great!

Hallelujah

2009-10-17T09:22:00.000-07:00

When we left Utah, one of the toughest things about the move was leaving behind the family and friends we had close by. Also, it was tough to leave behind Red Mango. I fell in love with their yogurt near the beginning of the summer, and Christopher took me their ALL the time. The small serving size only has 125 calories, and if you have them sprinkle strawberries or pineapple on the top, it isn't much more. Rich, creamy, tangy, and delicious. It was a heartbreaker to drive away from all that.

Once we got to NC, we discovered that a Coldstone creamery was practically next door. So that became our frozen treat destination. I'm not sure how many calories fits into a small Chocolate Devotion, but I'm guessing it's higher than the 125 region. Yes, much higher.

I knew we had to change our ways. Last night we went to a nice earthy little shop called Local Yogurt. And it is so similar to my beloved Red Mango, it's uncanny. The yogurt is so luscious and buttery, I would say it's downright sinful. :) Also, it's a little lighter on the wallet than Red Mango which made Christopher happy. After finishing my yogurt accompanied by fresh strawberries and a few chocolate shavings, I nervously approached the laptop in order to read up on the nutrition facts of this heavenly treat. The results? 125 calories for a small cup.

Since we moved here, I don't think I've been happier. Now I just need to convince them to provide punch cards...

The Wright Idea...

2009-10-13T19:09:00.001-07:00

Christopher and I got to visit Kitty Hawk on our way home last week. Fact: I did not have the best attitude about this. I was hungry, and it was raining, and I had sand in my shoes. But deep down, I really did want to visit the Wright Brothers Memorial and Christopher and I are both glad we did.

We hiked up Kill Devil Hill where Wilbur and Orville did most of their early glider experiments. It was raining pretty hard by the time we made it to the top so we didn't get the best pictures, but a couple turned out. At the foot of this very hill the first flight took place. Pretty amazing. I am so grateful for these two men right now! Especially since I just went on Expedia and booked a flight to visit my family in Connecticut next week. Their glider has come a long way!

Also, as soon as we left the Wright Memorial, Christopher and I bought a pizza and I changed into my sweat pants in the car. So everything turned out okay after all.

Outer Banks

2009-10-07T10:10:00.000-07:00

Christopher and I had the best time during our weekend at the Outer Banks. I realize that this is a lot of pictures. There are tons more so you can all look forward to that in the future. :) Maybe we're just hoping that they convince you guys to come with us on an Outer Banks trip next time. Spring Break, anyone?

I got to see a cotton field for the first time in my life. An old farmer told us to go ahead and pick some, so we did. And it was cool. It turns out that cotton on the plant is pretty much the same thing as the cotton balls under your bathroom sink.

We had to take ourselves and car across Pamlico Sound on a ferry in order to get to Ocracoke Island. So gorgeous. We played Scrabble to kill time and I won by one point. It was a sweet victory.

We rode these bicycles all over Ocracoke. We were glad we went in October because some people told us that before Labor Day it's so crowded on the streets, you can't very far on a bicycle. We rode them to the lighthouse, all around the harbor, and to the ice-cream shop.

I had no idea Christopher was taking this picture.

We went kayaking in the Sound, and discovered a really cool trail on the nature conservatory section of the island.

I love this picture of Christopher.

On our way home we stopped at this famous lighthouse in Cape Hatteras and climbed to the top. It was so so cool. I hummed Pete's Dragon songs the whole time.

On the way home we also stopped at Kitty Hawk and checked out the Wright Brothers Memorial. I'll definitely post pictures of that later. We really did have so much fun playing on the pier and eating pancakes at our little B&B. Happy Fall Break!

Fall Break

2009-09-27T15:05:00.000-07:00

In celebration of Fall and the fact that we have survived NC for over a month, Christopher and I are going to take a ferry out to Ocracoke Island next week, where we'll be staying at this little beauty...

Can you tell I'm excited?

Crash with us

2009-09-24T06:16:00.000-07:00

So I'm not so sure how I feel about North Carolina yet. Things are definitely getting better, but I still sometimes ask Christopher if we can move back to Utah. He always says yes, but I know we should stay here. :(

I'm being a whiner. What I really want this post to be about is......the new guest room! Which means that Utah (and Connecticut, Tennessee, Hawaii, Kansas, and Alaska) can now come to me!

I have to tell you guys--remember this post? How we almost killed ourselves bringing the mattress back home? Okay. After driving that very mattress across nine different states and buying a lovely bed to place it in, we discovered that we had a full-sized mattress in a queen-sized bed. And just in case you are wondering--that makes a big difference. Just one of the many mistakes we've made since moving. After many tears, we decided to rent a van and drive the stupid mattress to the nearest IKEA--in Charlotte NC which is 2 hours away.

You know what? We had a great time. We spent a ton of money. We returned the too-small mattress and bought one that fits perfectly. And now the guest room is completely finished and we need to advertise it so we can get some visitors soon.

Ta-Da! We can't wait for you guys to see it in person. :)

North Carolina

2009-09-01T09:38:00.000-07:00

Okay you guys, we made it. And there is so much to report, I feel bad it's been so long.

1-Our apartment. Small and cute, second floor, with all windows facing the busy complex swimming pool. This is not my favorite feature. As of this moment, I can hear kids playing some crazy tag game that involves a lot of squealing. But it hasn't been such a big deal. I mean, who really cares if it's noisy during the day? Everyone is really good about leaving when it gets dark except for this one large man who murks in the pool after hours and always creeps us out. But it should cool down soon and be less of an issue. Right...? Right?

2-Christopher's first couple weeks at Duke. Awesome. He's made friends, become a Stats 101 TA, and is even challenged with homework occasionally, which is great. He works really hard at school and then comes home every night to hang pictures.

3-The job hunt. Yikes. The market here isn't great, and there are all kinds of rumors about hiring freezes and high competition for the few jobs that are available. But I'm doing fine-I've applied all over the place and work hard to find a job every day. And I'm taking the time without employment to fix up our apartment and become acquainted with NC. Also to watch America's Next Top Model...don't judge.

Every day gets a little easier. I'm getting used to the lack of Mexican food available both at restaurants and grocery stores. Maybe I can turn my attention to the overabundance of Asian stuff instead. The weather is graciously cooling down a little. We're being nice to people and making friends. But we miss Utah like crazy!

oh my gosh...

2009-08-11T09:45:00.000-07:00

According to mapquest, the drive from alpine UT to durham NC should take 32 hours and 17 minutes. With a moving truck stuffed to the brim, it will take hours longer. We've got books on CD, podcasts, music, and I'm in charge of treats, so obviously, they'll be good. Also, Christopher's generous father is coming to Utah to help us get as far as Kansas City. Hallelujah! But what will really get us through is seeing this little baby...

and this not so little baby...

We can't wait!

moving

2009-08-06T09:40:00.000-07:00

We have exactly one week before we head out to Durham, North Carolina. In Durham we will become DUKE Blue Devils which will be quite a change from BYU Cougars. Especially since with BYU's honor code and the way they convert every building into a church house each Sunday, they could easily be known as the Blue Angels. Ha ha....

Needless to say, we're busy packing and playing with friends before we leave. I told Christopher last night that we will be eating every dinner at Cafe Rio and getting Red Mango every day before we leave. He didn't take the news well.

The good news about our move is our apartment has 2 bedrooms and we're already working hard to convert the spare into a fabulous guest room. That means everyone who reads this blog needs to plan on visiting if they would like to remain friends. (Or sisters, in most cases).

We even bought a guest mattress at IKEA the other day, since they offered a deal we just couldn't pass up. However, in all the excitement, we forgot that Christopher drives a small Mazda 3. Yikes. But we secured our new purchase with all the free rope IKEA could offer and headed home. The mattress was safely tied on the car, but both ends hung off the roof and we had to hold on to the rope from the inside. We drove about 50 mph on the highway, and EVERY SINGLE CAR laughed and pointed as they drove past. I was positive we were going to a. die b. get arrested c. both. It was the longest drive home I have ever experienced. When we stopped at a red light, a man next to us rolled down his window and laughed hysterically.

When we (finally) made it home, Christopher was laughing too. And he insisted on taking a picture. In the picture, I do not think this is a funny story yet. It's taken awhile.

library

2009-07-27T14:11:00.000-07:00

This summer hasn't been all play. A tiniest portion has been dedicated to work. I just finished clearing out our family library, which includes not just books, but movies, journals, audio books, violin music, piano music, strings for instruments, manuals, vases, pictures, a large number of fake plants in baskets, and a collection of magazines dating back to the seventies. Phew! The thing is, I could have finished a long time ago if I didn't have the need to sit down with every book and re-read it. Now that I think about it, I was probably the worst person for the job.

Anyway, my favorite thing about this project was seeing all the books that have been ripped into four or five sections due to hard wear. Beverly Cleary paperbacks just don't stand a chance when four daughters read them over and over through the years. I found six pieces of Harry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone. Pride and Prejudice was missing its cover and back cover, and I found the Babysitters club book that I spilled tomato soup on when I was nine. What's the moral of the story? Maybe invest in hardcovers. I don't know. But I'm glad I come from a family of big readers, even if it meant that I had to search through piles of rubble just to find the missing middle section of Harriet the Spy. I probably should have been cleaning anyway. :)

Christmas in July

2009-07-21T08:06:00.000-07:00

When you marry someone like Christopher, you have to accept that for every birthday and Christmas, when you ask him what he wants he'll probably say nothing. And he's SERIOUS. My lists are always endless and detailed so I don't understand this at all. So for Christmas last year, I was so fed up trying to think of a present that he would actually like, I bought him a paragliding flight. He hasn't ever expressed interest in paragliding. We had never even talked about it. But a paragliding trip is what he got. That's what happens when you don't a-s-k.

Luckily, he liked the idea, and insisted that I come along with him. The weather was finally good enough for us to go last night and we had an incredible time. Here's a video that Christopher took of me in flight.

If you are wondering if we felt sick after half an hour of flying like that, the answer is yes. But it was totally worth it. Merry Christmas!

one year!

2009-07-17T09:21:00.000-07:00

On July 15 2008, I married Christopher. I feel like we've celebrated for an entire year, but we had the best time on our anniversary.

Chris left for work on Wednesday morning promising that he would be back around 5:00 so we could go out... 10 minutes later he rolled back into the driveway with beautiful lilies and a plan to play in Park City all day on the zipline, alpine slide, and the new alpine coaster. He took me to breakfast at my favorite bakery and then we got nice and sunburned playing in the mountains. During Harry Potter 6 (which I LOVED) we had a picnic lunch, and then found our quaint little bed and breakfast. We strolled main street and shared a caramel apple. Heaven.

The best part of the day was when Christopher completely surprised me with gorgeous diamond earrings. They sparkle like crazy and I can't believe they're mine. I open the box they came in every time I pass by, just to check them out.

I feel so lucky to have this guy for another year!

summer

2009-07-13T15:02:00.000-07:00

I thought our Fourth of July festivities would be lonely. And admittedly, I really did miss boating and eating my mom's potato salad. But Christopher and I did pretty well for ourselves. We had pancakes with coconut syrup at our ward breakfast bash and laughed at an old guy wearing a flag imprinted gangster bandanna over his bald head.

Then we hiked to Timpanogas Cave and marveled at the stalactites before heading home to clean up and make it to Ruth's Diner for dinner. You guys. If I ever find out that you went there and didn't order the banana bread pudding for dessert, I'll be speechless. So so good.

After fireworks and listening to our talented friend Suzy Lind sing, we headed home and I fell asleep before we got there. Chris swears I was singing in my sleep to 'Mama Mia' but I'm sure he was imagining things. :) God bless America!

payback...

2009-07-09T11:36:00.001-07:00

Here is my extra hot husband who made my morning by shaving off his beard in stages.

I'm nice

2009-07-06T08:53:00.000-07:00

So today, just because I'm the best, sweetest, most gorgeous wife on the planet, I got up early and cleaned out Christopher's car for him under the pretext of being on my morning run. What can I say? Sometimes I just can't contain the goodness flowing through me.

changes

2009-06-30T21:16:00.000-07:00

Since Latin is long behind me, I decided to change my blog title so that every time I look at it, I'm not reminded of Virgil and Ovid, even if mensa secunda does mean dessert. Christopher and I debated long and hard before I chose the super original title...Melissa and Christopher. I know, I know.

I'm back...

2009-06-29T09:51:00.000-07:00

I think Christopher missed me while I was back East...

Because when I got home he took me here to eat the best pizza of my life, and then to Singin' in the Rain at Hale Center. The show was darling, and everyone got really wet.

On Saturday evening we went to the Utah Arts Festival at the SLC library. If any readers are ever in town at the end of June, they should definitely not miss this! We spent hours browsing the booths and talking to artists. We went to the Utah film show and voted for our favorites out of the top six short films of the year.

We went to the micro-writers booth where they provide a prompt and only let you write about it for 60 seconds. Not easy! It was hilarious to read everyone's finished products. Here was our favorite from the prompt "When she sat on the purple velvet couch..."

We left after eating steak tacos while listening to the finalists of the poetry slam. (yikes) and we talked about our favorite artists the whole way home.

It's really good to be back!

summer update

2009-06-10T11:58:00.000-07:00

It's been awhile--thanks to my mac crashing and erasing it's hard drive when I had it open on the counter making a new chicken recipe I found online. Don't worry, the chicken pulled through, but my pictures, music, and papers probably won't. The nerve...

But I still wanted to update. On Memorial Day Christopher and I hiked and pickniked on the Pine Hollow trail in American Fork canyon. It was absolutely beautiful and it was great training too, because we're leaving for Havasupai tonight and that hike is going to be a million times harder. I got a pedicure to mentally prepare.

And here are a couple pictures I promised Lacey. We made candle jars for a barbecue we held last week for my cousin Danielle. The bbq probably canceled out any training the hike mentioned above could have done for us because we ate queso dip, chips, and ice-cream cake all night. Below that are some flowers I planted just to see if I could keep something alive. So far so good!

The Town of Hill

2009-05-20T14:28:00.000-07:00

A couple months ago Christopher and I went on a little date in downtown Salt Lake City. We went to the Dodo restaurant and got a delicious toasted cream cheese appetizer with fruit and crackers. We shopped around Gateway and he bought me ice-cream on the way home to eat while we watched The Office.

But before all that we went to Sam Weller's used bookstore and completely fell in love with it. It has a sturdy wooden ladders hooked on the all the tall shelves, and tons of great art on the walls. Christopher found a couple classic sci-fi novels from the 50's, and worked really hard to find me a perfect source for my research paper on Proust. I spent most of my time in the poetry section, not because I know a lot about poetry, but because the books were so pretty! I ended up with a slim volume called "The Town of Hill," by Donald Hall (former poet laureate.) The book is beautiful, but as a bonus, the poems are great too, so I thought I would share my personal favorite. Don't worry, it's nice and short.

Breasts

There is something between us.

:) I love it.

Graduation!

2009-05-15T14:43:00.000-07:00

I know this happened a few weeks ago, but I decided to post some pictures of the big day. I loved BYU but was definitely ready to go. My dad came out from Connecticut which was awesome, but stressed me out a little because I was worried that I wouldn't actually get the diploma--I was convinced I was getting a D in Latin, and would have to go spring semester. Miraculously I got a B- which Christopher and I both believe was mathematically impossible. I will never forget this last parting gift. :)

Christopher and my sisters threw me a surprise party that evening, and my dad bought me cake and a bouquet of pink tulips. It was the best day.

DisneyWorld

2009-05-09T13:03:00.000-07:00

Christopher and I had an awesome time this past week finding housing in NC and taking a little detour in Orlando to play in DisneyWorld. Christopher is a perfect traveling companion. He gamely ordered cran-apple juice and mixed it with my ginger-ale on our flights making the perfect little cocktails. He gallantly squished the cockroaches waiting for us in our $23 a night hotel room every evening while I sat on the bed cheering, and sometimes crying. He held my hand as we rushed through the parks and insisted on wearing the backpack filled with our supply of cheez-nips and granola bars the entire time. He was just the best.

Here are some other trip highlights besides Christopher.

1-Finding a perfect 2-bedroom apartment in Durham that is in our price-range and doesn't appear to have a critter problem.

2-Choosing to go to DisneyWorld over 2 days that were record-breaking empty. We honestly ran right on almost every ride we wanted to. We waited in two lines.

3-Hearing an old man yell at his grown daughter because she was rushing too quickly when Magic Kingdom opened. He shouted that people were cutting him off and looked at us. Guilty.

4-Seeing as many types of mickey hats as there were people in the actual parks. Pirate hats, newly-wed hats, various princess hats, and uncomfortable looking coonskins.

5- Witnessing every child in DisneyWorld completely fall apart around 3 in the afternoon. We learned that this was the best time to go on rides in Fantasyland, and the worst time to get ice-cream.

6-Finally, we loved watching the fireworks over the castle from our log boat on Splash Mountain. The workers let us ride it again and again without getting out. It was a perfect ending to a wonderful vacation and we felt so lucky.

We're so glad we went, but we're happy to be home!

Hollywood Studios

After we got soaked on our last Splash Mountain ride

By the Castle

2009-04-02T13:10:00.000-07:00

You guys- I love the new Indigo Girls CD. Their last album "Despite our Differences" came out during the first few weeks I was in London on study abroad, and was feeling homesick for all things American. To this day it ranks among the highest on the "most played" feature of my iTunes library. Their new CD may not top their last. I'm not sure anything could. But I love it anyway. My favorite tracks (as of now) are "Fleet of Hope" and "I'll Change." If you can help it avoid listening to "Driver Education" at all costs. Especially if your husband or friends who aren't already big Indigo Girls fans are listening. They will make fun of you, probably forever. You've been warned.

2009-03-04T15:33:00.000-08:00

I want summer--everyone was tricked for a minute when the weather got so balmy, but not me. I even told Christopher that I wasn't buying it this year. I knew the cold would be back, and here it is. Seriously though, I checked the mail in nothing but a t-shirt and lived to tell about it. I did my Latin homework at the kitchen table instead of in front of the fire. It really was a convincing thaw. And then I heard someone in my class say that winter was finally over! The fool.

Personal Vacation Day

2009-02-28T09:14:00.001-08:00

On top of a lion in Trafalgar Square. Where I wouldn't mind being right now.

My little sister is headed to Hawaii in the fall, and the other is talking about going to New Zealand. My big sister is packing for Italy, and I'm wondering how everyone got so exotic all the sudden. Sure, I'm going to live somewhere else in the fall, but I guarantee it won't be out of the continental US.

So that is why I decided that today will be my vacation. Christopher is out of town, so I will shop as long as I want with birthday gift-cards, take myself out to dinner, bake, and maybe even watch Three Men and a Little Lady. Kind of a pathetic vacation, but it will have to do. Bon Voyage!

2009-02-17T15:40:00.000-08:00

My family is back in town for the week which has made me incredibly happy. Suddenly our house isn't so quiet. We have Dad doing any chore he can get his hands on, Mom making great food, and Taylor begging people to throw him catches. Callie worked forever on an art project yesterday themed off my favorite things--trees, flowers, and books. She is such a funny kid!

More Good Tunes

2009-02-04T15:30:00.000-08:00

I downloaded the Dan In Real Life soundtrack on my shiny new green iPod (see post below), and am absolutely loving it. I liked the music in the movie okay, but it wasn't until I heard it wafting over the speakers at Pizzeria Seven Twelve, while eating fresh mozzarella, real sun-dried tomatoes, and the best dressing I've ever had over crisp arugula, that I decided to give it a try. Truthfully, that salad put me in such a good mood, they could have been playing a Miley Cyrus/Kenny G duet and I would have bought it. But I promise, this soundtrack featuring Sondra Lerche is better than that. Songs like "Hell No" and "To Be Surprised" have been playing constantly as I've commuted to school and back, made dinner, and even cleaned the laundry room. Whether you liked the movie or not--this is a good one.

Many Happy Returns!

2009-02-03T19:39:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday to me! Some highlights-

1- Christopher woke up early on January 27 and told me he was going to shovel the driveway. After all, he still had to work, wife's b-day and all. I believed him in my sleepy state, and woke up to a tray of sweet rolls, fruit, hot chocolate,

and a sausage biscuit from my favorite bakery. And yes, I do rate bakeries. Breakfast in bed! The start of a wonderful birthday tradition.

2-As if breakfast with my down comforter wasn't enough, Christopher brought himself to do my Latin homework the night before, freeing me to celebrate my birthday however I wanted. Also, my Latin has never been done so thoroughly and correctly. Sad, but true.

3-Tickets to Throughly Modern Millie at BYU! The seats were great, voices fantastic, and costumes sparkly. I loved every minute.

4-Getting tired? I was too. But when we got home, before falling asleep in my crumb-covered sheets, Christopher surprised me with a gorgeous apple green 8 GB iPod and converter for my car!

5- I'm bragging. But the iPod is a real beauty. And it hasn't left my side since January 27.

6-My sisters and husband threw me an AMAZING party on Saturday. It was a murder mystery set in the 20's, complete with dozens of bottles of sparkling cider, (it was prohibition, after all), blackjack and craps, and a lovely dinner. They spent all day making it a fun night for everyone, who in turn, did a great job with costumes, and that tricky New York accent. I've never felt so loved. Thanks guys!

7-Finally, on Sunday afternoon, my sisters made another great dinner and we opened presents. My family and friends were more than generous this year, and I have so much to be grateful for. I'm happy I was born, and even more happy that other people seem to be happy about it too.

PS. As soon as I have them, I'll post some awesome birthday pictures from the big murder mystery event.

Merry Christmas

2009-01-06T09:33:00.001-08:00

Sorry everyone--this greeting is a little late, but sometimes the best things in life are. Like this morning, for instance. Christopher woke up early in order to get ready for the first day at his new office. I kept sleeping of course, but woke up when Christopher threw a black dress sock on my face and said "Merry Christmas." I pushed it away, muttering something about how next year he'll have to settle on a lump of coal, when I felt something heavy inside. Inside the sock was a pretty vintage necklace I showed him over a month ago, along with a few hair-pins I wanted as well. Christopher placed them in my lovely black dress sock stocking that was (hopefully) clean and gave me a great late Christmas morning surprise. It made me so happy that I decided to tell everyone about it, even if I'm sitting here with jet-lag, no food in the fridge, a 2-foot stack of mail to sort through, and four stuffed suitcases full of dirty laundry. I hope everyone had a great holiday--we certainly did! Merry Christmas!

Good Stuff

2008-11-17T14:52:00.000-08:00

So I wrote my last post at school so my husband read it while he was at his office. He must have known I wasn't in the best of spirits, so on his way home he picked up the new Death Cab CD. It was waiting on the kitchen counter when I walked in. Yay! This CD is good. I mean, it is really really good. So good that after I put it on my iPod, I walked up the hills by my house instead of running so I could listen to it longer. (He he. I obviously didn't need much incentive). So if you guys are in need of some musical spicing-up, check it out.

Oh, and thanks Chris--you're the best.

2008-11-11T11:32:00.000-08:00

I wish things were different a lot. I wish I had enough money to buy the gorgeous black scarf for $68 I found the other day. I wish summer came back--it just wasn't long enough this year, and now you need a coat outside even when the sun is out. When you go running your ears ache, even when you wear a dorky lime sweatband with neon squiggles all over it that you found in your dad's old ski jacket. That is terrible.

So I have the blues, and lately it seems like everyone else does too. I wish I could offer some encouraging words, but the truth is, no one likes those people who act cheery when they don't really mean it. Sometimes you just want to take your gratitude journal and throw it in boiling water. Not that I have one of those but...okay, I love this poem, it makes me laugh every time I read it and I want to share it with you. So cheer up!

I Chop Some Parsley While Listening To Art Blakey’s Version Of “Three Blind Mice"

And I start wondering how they came to be blind.

If it was congenital, they could be brothers and sister,

and I think of the poor mother

brooding over her sightless young triplets.

Or was it a common accident, all three caught

in a searing explosion, a firework perhaps?

If not,

if each came to his or her blindness separately,

how did they ever manage to find one another?

Would it not be difficult for a blind mouse

to locate even one fellow mouse with vision

let alone two other blind ones?

And how, in their tiny darkness,

could they possibly have run after a farmer’s wife

or anyone else’s wife for that matter?

Not to mention why.

Just so she could cut off their tails

with a carving knife, is the cynic’s answer,

but the thought of them without eyes

and now without tails to trail through the moist grass

or slip around the corner of a baseboard

has the cynic who always lounges within me

up off his couch and at the window

trying to hide the rising softness that he feels.

By now I am on to dicing an onion

which might account for the wet stinging

in my own eyes, though Freddie Hubbard’s

mournful trumpet on “Blue Moon,”

which happens to be the next cut,

cannot be said to be making matters any better.

Billy Collins

2008-10-27T13:04:00.000-07:00

I'm about to admit something that could leave me forever branded with the nickname of Halloween Scrooge. But I need to get this burden off my shoulders. I can take a little heckling.

I hate Halloween. That's right, I do! You want to know why? Let me tell you.

1- I can't stand dressing up. I'm terrible at thinking up good ideas, and even more terrible at mustering up the time to get a costume. If I could get away with it, I would just wear my pajamas and back-up glasses every year. "Sleepy Melissa." That's what I'd call it.

2- Also, costumes are uncomfortable. Ever try being a cowgirl for three years in a row? I was one from 6-9. And you know what? The velcro on my fringed skirt just got tighter and tighter. So did my faux-white leather cowgirl boots.

3-I guess I always trick or treated in the wrong neighborhoods but I always got an abundance of salt-water taffy and scary looking off-brand tootise rolls. It wasn't until I moved to Alpine that they give king-size candy bars away, and then you only have to hit one or two houses. So dressing up at that point is kind of lame. One year I put a blanket over my head and my sisters lead me to the front door.

4-Scary things are not funny to me. If one kid comes to my door dressed like the Joker, no candy for him. I'm serious.

5-Cutesy things are not cute to me. If I see one more dorky Halloween craft, or friendly looking witch saying something like "Bone appetit!" I will die.

6-On that note, I put one single Halloween decoration up this year. It is a realistic, rather severe looking life-size witch. And it scares Chris and I every time we walk past it. That is the perfect amount of scare. Just perfect.

7- Has anyone else noticed that it's always FREEZING? I used to secretly dread the actual trick or treating because I was so cold. I merely pretended to be excited in order to fill my pillow

case with candy that probably cost a total of 4.50+tax.

8-Last year, Chris and I took my little brother and sister trick or treating. We approached a highly-decorated house with tons of pop-out skeletons, fog machines, and haunted music. My little sister barely got past the curb before retreating. "I don't think they were thinking of kids when they did that!" she said with passion. I know how she feels. Halloween in all its entirety did not think of people like me.

Forgive me, pagan gods. I couldn't hold back any longer.

Salt Lake Temple Pictures

2008-10-20T13:40:00.000-07:00

Okay everyone (more like the three people I know who read this baby), I finally got my wedding pictures and thought I would share a little peek before I get around to making a facebook album or something. But everyone knows what a lame facebooker I am, so we'll see... Christopher and I love the way our pictures turned out and would like to thank Allison Cox of Allison C. Photography for her amazing talent. Check out her blog at http://blog.allisoncphotography.com/

Lars Lindstrom: [after giving some flowers to Bianca]

"See they're even fake so they'll never die."

The Constitution State

2008-10-02T12:20:00.001-07:00

My mom called me on the first day of school. If you are a daughter in the Madson family, this is not a big deal. After all, I talk to each of my sisters and my mom every single day and sometimes when there is actually something happening, we call each other over and over. My sister Lacey and I will talk while we're grocery shopping, and then hang up to check out, call back, hang up to talk to the bank teller, call back, and finally, hang up to take the groceries in the house, and once more call back. We're one of those people you hate to drive behind, or wait in line with. Sorry. It's just how we are.

But this time, on the first day of school, my mom had big news. My dad got an awesome promotion in Connecticut and

decided to move my mom, little brother and sister all the way across the country. Shocking. Also, Christopher and I are moving out of are chic, finally decorated apartment, and into a large, already-decorated house with vines climbing up the brick. There is a basketball hoop, neighbors with children above eight,

and an actual lawn to mow. Yikes!

Still, Christopher and I are so grateful

for this chance--and even though we'll miss our parents, it will be great to have an excuse to head to the east coast!

Workers of the World, Unite!

2008-09-05T15:42:00.000-07:00

I have to laugh at myself sometimes. I just get so so excited about things. Christopher enjoys this, and often has to remind me that I cannot expect him to get quite as worked up about things like getting mail, or gas prices falling two cents. Just the other day, I was hurt because when I reminded him that Labor Day was only five days off, he didn't do anything bigger than to say "I know, that's great!" This left me confused--when a holiday approaches, whether it's my birthday, or Cinco de Mayo, I just can't do anything for days before. And when I win at Catch Phrase, or eat healthy for two meals straight, my day is golden.

So with that background, everyone should appreciate exactly what Christopher did for me on August 26, 2008. This historic day was spent working my last 8 hours at the Missionary Training Center. This has been an awesome job for three years and I've absolutely loved the girls I've worked with...but that being said, it was time to go. I walk into

the apartment, after scouting our parking lot for Christopher's car--nowhere to be found. So I'm unsuspecting as I open the door and almost have a heart attack when Chris jumps out of the laundry room wearing a Transformers party hat, shouting "Surprise!"

I look around and there are signs all over the apartment that say "No More MTC!" and "This is a Work-Free Zone!" among others. They're everywhere. And on the IKEA coffee table there is a board game, modified to the name "MTC Escape!" Here, Christopher changed all of the board spots to say things like "Take notes at a meeting. Go back five spaces." Or, "Spend an entire afternoon without helping someone. Go back three spaces." "Leave early, roll again!" And my favorite spaces were the most frequent. "MTC party, take a treat!" where I could choose out of two bowls filled with my favorite candy.

After the game, the pizza guy came with our dinner, and we watched a movie. I am free--the MTC has no more claim upon my soul. And Christopher was actually excited!

2008-08-12T13:56:00.001-07:00

Because I am married now, I suppose it's high time I figured out this whole cooking business. I used to blanch at the idea of cooking just because one is married. Surely as a newly-wed student, I would have more important things to do than have lasagna or meat loaf on the table at 5:00 sharp. But I've had a change of heart. There are various reasons for this fact, but it boils down to how much I love eating and how I now have limited access to my mom's amazing cuisine.

I ordered this great cookbook called The Food You Crave by Ellie Krieger. It has recipes that focus on healthy fats and a ton of fruits and vegetables. I've been playing with it a little and Christopher has been a forced participant of my newest craze. Don't get me wrong--the lemon chicken soup with orzo and thyme was great, and the peach french toast bake wasn't bad either. But last night I attempted fettuccine with roasted red pepper sauce and it was pretty terrible. And it was completely my fault. I decided that a hand mixer could take the place of a food processor, and I forgot to drain, rinse, and slice the roasted red peppers. The whole jar went right in and it seriously messed with the sauce's consistency and flavor. Sad.

Christopher gamely took seconds and told me not to get too discouraged. But the truth is, I should have relied on a trusty plate of nachos instead.

"She did not cook so much as assassinate food. "
--Storm Jameson

2008-08-05T13:44:00.000-07:00

Last night, my husband and I went to the James Taylor concert at the USANA amphitheater. Being a newlywed, I assumed that it would be a luxury to go to the show now that we have to buy so many things we never knew we would need. (Not-fun things like an iron, comet, flour, etc...) But since I have an awesome husband who can always tell what I want before I'll even admit it
myself, Christopher surprised me with tickets to the concert the day before. It was a great night.

What I love about James Taylor is that he's the voice that has always been around. When I was a little girl, my sisters and I would dance to Steamroller and Shed a Little Light for attention until my dad would pull out his video camera. In junior high, following my oldest sister's lead, I would play his stuff every morning while I failingly attempted to apply makeup only a seventh grader could believe looked good. At the end of that particularly rough school year, Lacey and I got his autograph together at one of his shows in Salt Lake. I consider his voice an old friend by now. His lyrics are so great that just hearing Carolina makes me believe that the south is full of geese in flight, and moons and omens, instead of what is probably true--that it's full of varmints and probably doesn't have a Nordstrom.

Now that James Taylor is getting older, and I am getting older, we remain friends. He let me put Never Die Young on my wedding video, and I changed plans to go to his concert last night. And in another act of friendship, I will suggest that you check out his latest at http://www.jamestaylor.com/

2008-07-30T15:04:00.000-07:00

Back from Hawaii! I've got to say that being married is the best. We've been busy setting up our apartment and have become frequent guests at our next door neighbor's place, IKEA. If you have any interest in talking to this happy couple, I'm sure if you wait outside IKEA's glass doors long enough, you will eventually see over-excited Melissa and good-sport Christopher wheeling a cart stacked with things for him to put together. Lucky I married a patient man.

Besides the apartment, we are back to work and feeling a little blue about it. So to cheer myself up, here are some Hawaiian highlights. Enjoy.

--having to say Aloha at least 3 times at each event at the Polynesian Cultural Center until we reached the entertainer's enthusiasm satisfaction.

--playing with the sea turtles and swimming with the dolphins.

--seeing a couple dressed to the limits of tourist style (complete with matching flower print shirt and shorts for the woman, fisherman hat and fanny pack for the man) in two different locations on two different days.

--getting a worthwhile sugar headache from a strawberry shaved ice/vanilla ice-cream treat at Matsumoto's in Haleiwa.

--playing on boogie boards in the ocean with Christopher.

--having a husband who loves me enough to help me build a sand castle replica of Thomas Cole's Course of the Empire series complete with snapshots of all five phases...Savage State, Arcadian State, Consummation, Destruction, Desolation...yeah, we already made fun of ourselves enough thanks.

--eating stuffed shrimp at Jameson's overlooking the ocean.

What a great trip.

here we go!

2008-07-03T13:45:00.000-07:00

Time to get married! Well, we actually have an inauspicious thirteen days, but we're getting close. Needless to say, we are very very happy. It is so strange that life is normal, and then you decide to get married. Things stay normal, other than a sparkly ring on your left hand, and an ever-present guilt caused by years of swearing that you will never worry about the colors at your wedding celebration, and then actually wanting to cry when the paper store runs out of chartreuse and you're stuck with olive. But one day, you walk into a pretty building with your special friend of choice, someone says a few words, and presto! Everything is different. New ward, new apartment, new utensils, and new kitchen appliances you never knew you needed. Also, you have a new roommate. A boy... And the thing is, semesters, contracts, and study abroad have no effect on the longevity of this roommate experience. No, it doesn't matter if they always forget to rinse their macaroni bowl, or if they use your toothbrush. You can't move home, or politely decline to sign up with them again in the fall. Which is why I'm really lucky that my roommate is Christopher. Because we'll make up for each other's weird habits, I think. I'll let him beat me every time in scrabble, and in return, he'll let me steal his sweats. We'll learn how to use those exotic kitchen appliances together. Everything will work out, just like he's been telling me all along.

Some luck lies not in getting what you thought you wanted but getting what you have, which once you have got it you may be smart enough to see is what you would have wanted had you known. --Garrison Keillor, Lake Woebegone Days

2008-07-02T13:24:00.000-07:00

I made this blog today. When it came to the section where I had to name this thing, I panicked. What clever, witty, charming, appropriate title could become the name of my blog, which I am not even convinced I want yet? So I opened my Latin textbook and found that mensa secunda means dessert. Perfect. Thank you, Professor Frederick Wheelock.