Be still my coeur!

Brand and I had a beautiful Saturday in Coeur d'Alene, ID. We had so much fun and relaxation! We ate, swam, and then ate some more (Gooey's!!).

At one point I asked Brand if he too felt a little like we were on a honeymoon. He said yeah! I think it was because we were away from the routine, from the errands, and were able to just focus on each other. It was a lot of fun :)

The lake :)

My sweet

Post-swim

Brand with our Huckleberry Gooey!

Me with our Hucklberry Gooey (yes those are two chocolate covered strawberries, yum!)

Conquered!

W00t!

I'm pretty excited for the next few weeks!
Here's why:
1.) Brand is taking me to an outdoor performance of Much Ado About Nothing which will be awesome because I love the Idaho Shakespeare Festival (For you Non-Idahoans..it's brilliant and it's all outside in this beautiful ampitheater) so I'm pretty excited to get my fix which I haven't had for awhile!
2.)Brand and I are going swimming at Lake Coeur d'Alene this weekend and I'm excited to get the HUGE ice cream afterwards :)
3.) Part 1 of our anniversary celebration is going to take place 5 days before in Seattle when we get to see Blink-182 and My Chemical Romance in concert! We're going with my little bro Stevo and his friend and we're pretty excited for the whirlwind day!
4.) Part 2 of our anniversary celebration will take place in Boise! We're going back to B-Town for Labor Day weekend to see family, eat Brazillian, and of course...nervously watch BSU play their opener against Georgia...THEN we'll be taking the 4th to spend time together  in the city we got married and spend a lovely romantic evening somewhere special to us.(We will be taking a break to meet the sibs and friends to do some fantasy football drafting)
5.) Part 3 of our anniversary celebration will happen on our actual anniversary and basically it means I get to eat the best Kobe beef ever. We also get to keep up some traditions we started last year. I'm pretty stoked about it :)


And not in the next few weeks but coming this fall..
1.) Cassie's birthday celebration! Mollie and I always get together with Cassie either in Spokane or in Walla Walla to get the gang back together and rock the world together.
2.)NYC trip!!! Plane tickets aren't bought yet but they might as well be. So excited to see the Big Apple with a few of my favorite girls in the world (Dani, Mollie, and Cassie!)


But tonight..
I have a special date night planned just for Brand. I'm excited to drive him around Spokane blindfolded...so he can feel what it was like when we got engaged and I was blindfolded half the time haha.

Anyway, have a lovely week, fall, year!

Reunited

I've started working out again. Makes me feel old but rejuvenated at the same time.
I wish I could just go for a nice run like most of you but it's incredibly painful and I'm pretty sure it has to do with my low blood pressure. So I've resorted to my 8 years of conditioning in gymnastics to create my own little routine. It's fun to be back in the metaphorical saddle again.

In other news, I've cut down my soda intake to one a day...which has been helpful in the "eating right" department.

In "Brand was right" news...Brand always thought that despite my love of junk food, I wasn't eating enough calories every day. Thanks to a handy dandy Android App (My Fitness Pal if you are looking for a handy calorie counter) I found out that I'm short about 200-500 calories a day! Sheesh! So I've been working on that which is really hard when you're trying to eat right but I'm looking for a healthier lifestyle in all arenas.
Speaking of which...I'm hungry...I'm going to eat some cookies (Thanks mama Adams!)

A Date Night for the Books

Wow! With a title like that we must have done something huge, spectacular, romantic, and something extremely expensive...
Well if that's what you thought then you really don't know Brand and me very well.

As Brand and I near closer to our two year anniversary I constantly find myself finding more things that makes me fall deeper in love with him (ahem...sorry for the cheesyness..that may be the last for this post..I can't promise anything).

So what was this amazing date?

1.) Branderpants made some yummy tacos!
2.) We played Scrabble...at Brand's request...Brand hates board games..so this was out of pure love (P.s. I beat him finally..by a lot! Losing millions of games of Words with Friends on my phone mainly against my brother have finally paid off!) Then this exchange totally proved that we are definitely made for each other:
(Showing him the picture I took of the letters I had during the game that spelled Ass Text)
Me: A message sent from your pocket!
Brand: OR...
Allison: An ancient Mexican people!! (Aztecs)
Seriously..no one else would have given me this comic gold, and no one else would've not flinched when I totally knew what he was talking about.
3.) We watched Dead Alive. Which is the bloodiest movie ever made (seriously, most fake blood ever used in one movie...for instance, the last scene had 300 liters of fake blood) I almost puked a couple times. And I definitely laughed until I cry...I could have not watched this movie and enjoyed it THIS much with anyone else. (Yes we will be owning this movie someday!)
4.) I get to share my love of British TV with him. I didn't think he would enjoy it as much as I do even though he loves the Monty Python crew. But he certainly does! It also proves that we would totally survive in Ireland. (P.S. Check out The IT Crowd...it's brilliant! We are a wee bit addicted. British comedy with an Irish man in the lead? Sounds like good craic to me!)

God really got this one right. He definitely picked the best partner in life for me.
I love you Brand to Caprica and back :)

Full of Contradictions

I married Brand for a myriad of reasons, many of which I try to highlight here because he is amazing and I feel everyone should know that (not that most of you care but whatever). But one thing I like to brag about my husband is his incredibly progressive views on women.

I'm incredibly fortunate that he has these views because I'm a bit...gasp..progressive myself.

I am a woman wrapped in contradictions. I'm a domestic, Christian, progressive, feminist. Not a feminist in the traditional sense (though I do appreciate their advocacy and their incredible intelligence) but a feminist in the sense that I am sensitive to the plight of women past and present and what I can do for them in the future.

That being said...

I also enjoy cooking, cleaning, baking, and will one day stay at home to be with my children (happily!..and my choice!) Today I cooked a lot and had a sparkly clean kitchen at the end of it. In fact, I always have a sparkly clean everything. I clean everyday...a little bit here, a little bit there (it's actually a lot more organized than that but you get the point). However, I think the cleaning is more driven by my OCD than my need to please my husband. I also cook and bake for fun (though knowing Brand will enjoy the outcome is also a fun driving force, because in the end...I love him and I do things that will make him happy). I feel energized after an afternoon of cooking and cleaning.

However, I feel the feminist bit kind of shaking her head at me sometimes.
Why as a college-educated, honors graduated woman must you be so thrilled with these little domestic, mundane tasks that the women before you worked so hard to free you from?
Why did you spend $35,000 on a degree where you get to be socially active and make a difference in the world..just to eventually end up staying at home raising a bunch of snot-nosed brats? (To really piss Ms. Insider-Feminist I tell her that I would've spent more to find the man of my dreams like I did...oh man she hates that!)

Well Ms. Insider-Feminist..here is how I answer you:
First of all, the women before me worked so hard so that I could choose my path in this life. I want to raise my children to believe they can be anything they want to be, even if that means staying at home with their children (yes..my sons will be raised to believe that if they want to be Mr. Mom then good for them!) Also, a part of my OCD and need for control yearns for the simplicity of my domestic tasks. I work in a field that can be incredibly challenging and heartbreaking. Sometimes there aren't answers for the questions that face me. So I like to come home and do those things that I know I have a bit of control over. It can be quite therapeutic (so can a Battlestar Galactica marathon on Netflix..yes to add to the group of adjectives..I.Am.A.Nerd).

Secondly, my choice to be a stay-at-home mom was made long before I met Brand. Thankfully he was okay with whatever made me happy. I know that he values my intelligence and how hard I have worked my whole life to be a good student, a thirsty learner, and a productive member of society. Brand is a man that sees me as his intellectual equal and never doubts my abilities (usually he's the one encouraging me OUT of my own self-doubt). To be a stay-at-home mom does not mean that I have given into the American Dream's ideals or even to some people's version of Christian ideals..it means that I want to take on the incredibly difficult task of being a mom at home. It means that I will put faith in God that He will provide for us with only one job so that I can be close to my kids. However, I know if I decided to go back to work one day..Brand wouldn't hesitate to back me up. And the kids won't be at home forever, and at that time I will get the chance to look at a new journey and to see what God has for me next.*

I.am.not.a.trophy.wife. My husband brags about me..yes about my banana bread and my spinach dip..but he mostly brags about me to others about what I do for a living and about who I am...not what I produce in the kitchen. I am incredibly blessed to be married to a man who was raised by an incredibly strong woman. To be married to a man that believes in justice for women and to be married to a man who looks at me much more than his cook, his maid, and his baby-maker. I am valued way beyond that in his eyes.

Because my value isn't in my cleaning skills, my baking or cooking skills, my ability to organize, my performance at work, the way I look, or even the way my husband sees me...it is valued in God and His grace for me. That's why I can be a contradiction because all those adjectives don't really define me...they just help describe how God made me.



*Check this funny blog post out regarding the stay-at-home mom vs. working mom debate...love it! Yes there is some foul-language..I told you I'm progressive people!

Happy anniversary to my favorite couple!

Dear Josh and Rheanne,

The first time I met you Rheanne I'm pretty sure I knew that this was the girl for you, Josh. You brought her to mom's apartment after you both watched me perform in Steel Magnolias my senior year of high school. And, to say the least, Josh, you looked completely ga ga over Rheanne! Which makes sense because you are a beauty Rheanne :)

Josh, I remember the day you came home with Rheanne's engagement ring. You looked so nervous but so excited! You slipped the ring on my right hand because Rheanne and I had similar hand sizes and held it and you said "yup that's right!". 

I remember the day you were going to propose. Dad and I were nosy so we took a day trip to Redfish Lake to say hi to the unknowing Rheanne and the nervous Joshie. We were so excited to hear that Rheanne said she'd be your wife when you asked her on the beach, at sunset, at one of the prettiest spots in Idaho.


 And a little less than a year later...

No wonder your kid is so darn cute...you guys are good looking!

Josh and Rheanne, I admire your relationship. For one thing, you both make each other better people (Rheanne, you definitely make Josh more awesome haha...I think you were just amazing to begin with). I also love that you guys are always completely yourselves. I am so happy that you guys didn't hide in your love cave like so many newlyweds do and that you included all of us in this crazy new adventure. You guys have been a blessing to me, to our family, and to my new marriage.
Josh, you told me when I was engaged what you liked the most about being married. You said that you loved not having to leave Rheanne at the end of the night. That you were home and home was with her.You were so giddy and so obviously still in love with Rheanne.
You guys rock at your marriage and rock at being parents to the best kid around.
These past five years have been so amazing to watch you guys grow as a couple and as parents. I love you guys so much and I'm so happy to have you in my life.
I hope you guys have a fantastic anniversary!

Love,
Allison

P.S..This wouldn't be complete without my demand of another niece or nephew...so go make one :)

Making our HOME look like a HOUSE

So, confession time!

Brand and I have lived in our humble abode for over a year and a half (we spent the first four months of our marriage in a tiny apartment that inhibited us from having the large dog we wanted and due to the close range of all the smokers...frequently smelled like an ash tray). We happily moved to our split level 3 bedroom 1.5 bath with den and yard in January of 2010 (I have to say...I'm pretty sure this house is the biggest house I've ever lived in...even when I lived with my 3 siblings and two parents). However, due to several circumstances out of our control that left us only spending money on food and necessities (and dream trip to Ireland)...this house has remained mostly...blank.

We have two pictures...TWO..pictures up that are actually engagement pictures. We never even got our wedding pictures up because of the cost. But now, that is going to change :)
For our 2 year anniversary gift to each other, we are finally getting our wedding pictures blown up and framed how we want it. Hopefully it'll be the kick in the pants to do the rest of the house.

This is the longest I've lived somewhere since I graduated high school and it does feel like home and I'm tired of these white walls.

Each room is, of course, going to be carefully planned. The only crappy thing is that I cannot paint these walls since we are renting so I'll be adding color here and there.

The room I'm most excited about is the Lair. It is our family room downstairs that is used most frequently for LAN parties (and cooling off in the hot summer because we do not have AC). While all the other rooms will be classy and sweet but still have our style, the Lair will totally feed into our nerdy side. We'll have posters of our favorite movies, fun movie quotes, and of course...a nod to our love/fear of zombies. It will be brilliant! It'll take time and money (time because we don't want to spend all the money at once) but it will be fun. We're not sure how long we'll live here but I'd rather make it home now.

Also, this will allow me to do some much wanted (note: not needed) organizing.

So this will be my project for the next however long it takes me. My dilemma is I see how everyone decorates their house and it all seems to look the same to me. So I'm trying to figure out a way to make it look modern but US. I want one of a kind pieces and things that scream US (without it being obvious like BSU Broncos and zombies). It'll be hard to pull off but I've been looking at thrift stores and hope to hit some markets. Plus, Rheanne is an amazing artist (so is her sister who I'm pretty sure I will be commissioning to do her adorable robot paintings for our children's nurseries when the time comes) so I'm not lacking in the artistic eye section in the family. And when we were in Ireland I was really inspired by the design of the homes and the whole vibe that Ireland gave off. It was a little different and felt it had depth and history to the design rather than just copying the pages out of Pottery Barn. I'm not artsty at all and I don't think I'm a designer but I'm really excited to get started...
Hopefully I'll have pictures as things progress!