Among other things...

I am thankful for

DVRs

flatirons

my GPS

cell phones

and Lincoln

I just can't remember how I got by without these things in my life. They are in no particular order, but I am sure you can all guess what has changed my life the most.

He did it... I knew he would

Lincoln passed the bar!!!

Actually, he didn't just pass the bar, he demolished the bar.

He took that bar and showed it who was in charge. He did AMAZING!! I am so proud of him. We are so pleased with the results.

Now onto finding a job.

Life moves so fast.

Below is a picture of Lincoln I tried to take during the talks. Can you see him? The best part of the picture is the two bald heads at the bottom. They are perfectly placed that they look like someone's butt... or boobs! :) The funny thing is, these bald guys were sitting like three rows apart!! HA! I couldn't of planned that.

Carving time

I LOVE LOVE Halloween. I remember when I was in grade school, all the students were asked what their favorite holiday was. Everyone seemed to say either Christmas or their Birthday, I on the other hand, said Halloween. I love dressing up and I love candy, the weather is usually perfect and I LOVE pumpkins. This year Lincoln and I invited our good friends Clint and Laurie over to carve pumpkins and enjoy some homemade soup. Laurie is a wonderful artist and Clint is almost done with medical school. They make a pretty good team when it comes to carving pumpkins.

Lincoln loves to keep his ideas secret until the big reveal. He never disappoints.

Clint is using his medical skills to slice into the pumpkin. Too bad he isn't planning on becoming a surgeon.

I hate the look on my face when I am concentrating.

What do you expect from two very creative people. They made a pumpkin with a rodent on it with a acorn. Even with the rodent, it was very well done. :)

Below is our annual picture of Lincoln and I with our pumpkins. We did this two years ago when we were just starting to date. I love having a tradition. We try to wear similar things each year and pose the same. I think it is so fun, and Lincoln is such a sport to do it with me. I love that we have something that we have done now for three consecutive years.

I love Halloween.

Denim by the numbers

Yesterday I had on of my AWESOME clients bring me a surprise. She works for Express Corporate and has the chance to shop their sample sales a few times a year. She has brought me stuff before from Bath and Body Works since they are owned by Express. The sample sale is for employees of the company only and they get a chance to rummage through a huge amount of stuff and purchase it for a crazy good deal. Well, when I went to get her for her service, she handed me a bag with TWO pairs of new jeans! I was shocked! She knew my size from conversations we have had in the past (apparently we talk about everything) and she was kind enough to think of me while at this sale and grab me two awesome pairs of jeans. When she handed them to me I was so touched and happy to get them. Who doesn't want free jeans?! But I found myself saying, "oh, my gosh, I really needed some new jeans." Here's the thing, I DON'T need any new jeans. I came home all excited to show Lincoln my new pair of jeans, only to realize, that I own WAY too much denim. The real issue is that I only really started wearing jeans on a regular basis like three years ago, but for some crazy reason I own a stock pile of jeans. I can't wear jeans to work and I have always found slacks or skirts to be more comfortable, but it never seemed to stop me from buying jeans. I do wear jeans in the winter, so I am thinking that is my reason for the collection.... maybe. I don't want to sound ungrateful for what my client did for me. I am so excited to have two new pairs of jeans, that fit great I might add. However, I feel so glutenous with all the jeans I own. I have to admit that a few pairs I don't wear on a regular basis they are just there for when I might paint a room or work in the yard (I always say this before trying to throw them away, but I have never worn them to do either things) and I have a pair from college with a huge hole in the crotch that makes them unwearable, but I can't seem to throw them out. So, that makes about 3 pairs that I might not need, but what am I doing with the rest? I need you all to count your denim and help me see if this is a personal problem, or if it is just the way things go with denim. Here are my numbers

jean skirts- 3 don't worry they are cute

jean jacket-2

jeans- 18

jean jumpers- 0 thank goodness, right?!

(gulp) is that allot? I have always known that I have a large wardrobe, but if anyone knows me well, you know that I wear almost all my stuff. And if I don't wear it, I get rid of it... except for maybe my jeans.

Acting my age

The other day while I was throwing a tantrum to my mom, I realized that I might be too old to throw tantrums. I know you might be thinking to yourself, "you were throwing a tantrum?" and the answer is obviously yes since I just admitted to throwing one in my first sentence. The reason for the tantrum doesn't need to be discussed since it isn't the point of this blog. Besides, if you were to ask me about said tantrum, I would just deny that I ever threw one. So, let's move on. As I was saying, I decide that I was too old to be throwing a tantrum. After looking back on the day I realize that the tantrum was brought on by a lack of sleep and food and a hormone issue. Either way, I am just too old to throw a tantrum. After giving this allot of thought I have decided that there are many things that I am just too old for. I am 31 now (almost 31 1/2) and I need to know what is age appropriate. I don't want to walk around trying to rock pigtails. I have decided to make a list of things that I am too old for and a list of things that I am not too old for. After making this list I will try not to violate it in anyway. I will have to add on as I get older and adjust the list accordingly. Let me know what you think.

Things I am too OLD for-

1. pigtails- maybe not if I am working in the yard or wearing a hat and.... no, no, I can't make excuses. I need to just decide now that I am too old for them.
2. tantrums- that was already decided
3. pulling an all nighter- this was no big deal in college, now if I stay up past 12 I suffer.
4. wearing short skirts or shorts- this isn't as much a problem for me as it is for some of the women I work with. hint, hint.
5. eating whatever I want- I now feel it and show it way differently then when I was younger.
6. sleeping on uncomfortable beds- I wake up with too many kinks and stiffness to just sleep anywhere without paying for it.

Things I am NOT too OLD for-

1. zits- apparently this is the case of me, but I wish it was on the other list.
2. getting pregnant- let's hope!
3. watching shows on Disney- laugh all you want, but there is just something about those shows that make me happy. Although, things just haven't been the same without Lizzie Mcguire and Even Stevens. Ok, maybe this will be one of the things I might need to move to the other list in the near future.
4. being married to a younger man- that's right Lincoln is five years younger and he doesn't think a thing of it. It took me awhile to get over it when we were first dating, but it really isn't a big deal now.
5. learning new tricks- the saying, "you can't teach an old dog new tricks" doesn't really apply to me. I am learning new things everyday.
6. get scared from the dark- when I was younger I thought I would be so brave once I grew up, well not so much.

The list is a work in progress. I know this might seem crazy, but there is nothing worse then seeing a grown women wearing a sweatshirt with a picture of Winnie the Poo on it. I just want to act my age... give or take a few years.

Thanks for the article, but I don't believe it.

I recently got this article sent to me from my dear husband, Lincoln. I have a problem with falling asleep and he seems to just hit the pillow and crash. I think this article may suggest that I am just complaining, but I have always had a very difficult time with falling and staying asleep. I swear he is in a deep sleep and snoring in seconds, while I toss and turn for hours before I fall asleep. Then, in the morning, he just wakes up all ready to go with a big smile on his face. I, on the other hand, have to hit snooze like ten times and crack every bone in my body as I slowly walk up to the bathroom. I can't fully open my eyes until I have been awake for at least 15 minutes and my voice is all froggy until at least another few hours. I swear women have a much harder time with sleep then guys, or am I just complaining? How do you sleep?

Family Camping and Labor Day Weekend... we love being outside

I am still trying to catch up on my summer updates. I decided to throw a bunch of pictures on here at once. I think I have been writing too much lately and I wanted to just have a post filled with summer pictures. So, here you go.

This is up at the cottage in Pentwater MI. We have the best time up there ever. I love how beautiful it is up there. You can't be up there without seeing some of the most amazing sunsets and natural scenes. I love it.

I have this new habit of trying to take Lincoln and my picture while doing things like canoeing or riding our bikes. I am getting pretty good at it.

We had a great canoe ride all around Pentwater.

My family wanted to go on a little family camping trip. We had a great time and loved using all of our camping gear we got from our wedding. Thanks for the tent, Christy and Reza!

These two girls are so cute. They had the best time playing with the rocks and leaves.

The triplets were way too busy to pose for the camera. They were playing all these great imaginary games. It made me want to stop talking with the adult and join them in their games.

We are for sure the cool aunt and uncle who help the kids climb really big rocks and do things their mom freaks out about. I know I am in for it when we start having kids and my sister gets me back for all the things I do with her kids that she doesn't like. For example, climbing big rocks and convincing them it's time to pierce their ears.

This has been a great summer. I have loved all the canoeing and camping and hiking. It sure beats all the indoor stuff we will have to do once the Ohio winter hits.

PT Loser

I have always wanted a PT Cruiser. I never drove in one, I just liked they way it looked. I am not one of those car people who care about the horsepower or the tork(?) I just care about the color the shape and the stereo. I was in the market for a new car about two years ago and I was seriously wanting to look at a PT Cruiser. I was dating Lincoln at the time and he was adamant that I NOT get one. He hated the everything about them. We had sort of talked about marriage and stuff at this point, but we didn't really have the "talk" yet. It didn't really matter what he thought, but it sort of did. He started calling them "PT Losers" this basically ruined it for me. I ended up getting a totally awesome car that I am now in love with. I love the shape, the color, and the stereo. It is a Mitsubishi Outlander and it is perfect for me, even if it took me a few months to properly pronounce Mitsubishi.

Well, a few weeks ago I was being my safe driver self and I sort of got into a little fender bender. I don't want to get into any details because they are boring and I don't want to tarnish my name as a safe driver. Did I mention that I have NEVER gotten a speeding ticket? Well, Lincoln has been a total dream about everything. He has been just great. He has done everything with the insurance and since he works down at traffic court he is working on things so I might not have to go to court. It has been so great to have him be so calm and helpful. He even took care of taking the car into the shop and picking up the rental. He decided to just put it in his name since he was going to be picking it up and I would just drive his car. He is such a helper. Well, I am sure by now you can guess what the rental car was that we ended up getting... that's right, a PT Cruiser! My poor husband who has been doing so much ends up with his nightmare car. It was so funny when he came home to tell me. I was jumping up and down with joy and he was not happy at all. The poor guy has to deal with a wife who got into a stupid accident, take care of all the paperwork, and then drive a car he hates. I really owe him big for this.

Oh, and just for the record, after riding around in the PT I have decided that I made the right decision by not getting it. Thanks again Lincoln!

I HATE RODENTS

If you know me at all you will know that I struggle with a few things in life.

1. Singing in public-  I can sing in church next to Lincoln because he has a great voice and he usually drowns me out.  However, I really hate singing in choirs or small groups.  It just freaks me out.  Because of this I HATE kareoke, not just doing it, but watching people do it.  I think this is why I don't like American Idol.

2. I can't handle people touching my face.  I have always struggled with dirty hands and more importantly, those dirty hands getting on my face.  Lincoln is trying to rid me of this fear by touching my face every so often.  I can handle it sometimes, but I still freak when he does it in public or before I know he washed his hands.  It's a work in progress.

3. The number one thing that I can't handle is RODENTS!!!!!  I hate them.  I hate mice, rats, squarrels, rabbits, possums, chipmunks, you name it, I hate them.  They are creepy and dirty and I think that they have no reason to be on this earth.  Even spiders have a purpose, name one good reason for any rodent.  I hate them so much that when I talk about them, my feet automatically have to rise off the floor.  I can't talk about them without thinking they will run by and eat my toes.  

This has been the summer of the mouse!  That's right, it has been awful, well, the mouse part of the summer.  There has been some construction by our condo next to a field close by.  Well, you can only guess what that brings to our house.  We have only had two, but in my opinion, that is two too many.  We only had evidence of the first one with little signs here and there that we had a unwanted house guest.  Lincoln took care of that and we thought we were done.  Unfortunately, the other night I was sitting on my couch minding my own business crocheting a blanket and getting ready to watch Project Runway when I saw something in the corner of my eye.  I thought I was just imagining things when the disgusting thing actually had the nerve to run into my living room and hide behind the tv.  Well you can only imagine the mass hysteria that came out of me.  Lincoln was upstairs playing a live video game and was feeling really torn between rescuing his wife and finishing the task he was working on with his friends online.  I on the other hand was torn between taking my own life then and there or jumping out the window behind me.  I decided to do neither of those things (too messy) and after a few minutes of playing chicken with the mouse, I swear it was staring me down, I grabbed the things around me that meant the most to me and I bolted upstairs to safety.  After having a mini nervous breakdown I decided I could not go back downstairs until the matter was taken care of.  I made Lincoln run down and close our bedroom door so the mouse wouldn't get all cozy in our bed then go out right away and purchase the some mouse killing items.  I don't care what PETA says about it, I hate rodents!!  I spent a very restless night on the floor of the office having nightmares of little mice chewing at my fingernails and nesting in my hair.  I was a mess.  Before you judge, I need to remind you that fears are irrational and you too have a fear that I would laugh at.  Anyway, long story short, I have since done research on how to mouse proof our home and Lincoln was my hero by taking the very dangerous task of making it happen.  I am so grateful that he has been so good about not making any jokes about seeing a mouse and faking me out.  I am slowly getting my pulse down to the normal rhythm and I am back to sleeping in my own bed (but not after bleaching EVERYTHING.)  

I know this was a very long post, and posts without pictures are usually boring, but I didn't really want a picture of a creepy rodent on here.  I thought about putting a picture of my clean house on here to prove that my home is in good condition and not a place you would normally expect gross creatures to roam, but I thought that would seem a little desperate.  Just trust me, I don't deserve this!!  Nobody is perfect and we all deal with our own little fears and issues.  I think that by admitting I have a problem is the first step.  

sum sum summertime

I know, I get it, I am a slacker. I am still working on this blog thing. (Even after over a year of having it.) Here is a little rundown on Lincoln and my summer...

We basically had a summer dedicated to studying for the Bar, the dreaded Bar. This is only a few of Lincoln's MANY note cards he had to go through over and over. We tried hard to have a little fun in between the studying.

We had a great weekend in Michigan with the family.

We loved our bonfires at the cottage.

Lincoln and Jarren took the kids around the lake.

We were speedsters in our go-carts.

We love our little river by our house. Every time we drive over the river I have to comment on how it looks.

We enjoyed Jenny's ice cream, maybe a little too much since it they put one within walking distance of our house. The way I see it is if we walk there the calories work their way out of our system.

We enjoyed movies in the park....

and some wonderful games of whiffle ball with our friends.

All in all it was a pretty good time. Even with the major studying. I feel like our summer really began on August 1 once the test was over. I will blog about that soon... I promise. Now that I am mostly caught up I can start fresh and promise to be a more consistent blogger. I hope you all had a happy summer too.

It's just a little crush

I don't know what it is. The hair, the accent, the body with the amazing legs, the great personality, the wardrobe... I just can't put my finger on what it is about this person that I just love so much. Lincoln knows my feelings for this person, and he doesn't really care. He doesn't feel threatened one bit. Do you want to know who it is?

Cat Deeley!

I love her. I think if I met her, we would be friends. This is NOT a romantic crush, just a "I want to be her" crush. If guys can have man crushes on other guys, or bromances, then I can have a girl crush too. I used to have one on Cameron Diaz. Now I am not saying that Cat has taken Cameron's place, I just think I see more of Cat lately. She is the very awesome host of So You Think You Can Dance. I try really hard to just casually watch the show, but every time she is on Lincoln says, "you want her outfit/earrings/ makeup/ hair don't you?" I can't help it. She is awesome, and I know that if we met, we would be friends.

One year later

and the cake was still amazing... I think that's a good sign.

Here's to many more wonderful years with you.

LINCOLN GRADUATED FROM LAW SCHOOL!!!!!

My dear, sweet, wonderful husband graduated from law school last friday and we are so excited. He has worked so hard, and having that chapter complete is a HUGE relief. Sure, he still has to pass the bar, but let's just take one step at a time. We had a fun party the night before at my sister Margo's house. She is just about the BEST hostess ever and made it super easy for me to help throw a party for my husband. The big surprise of the night was having Lincoln's dad fly here from London for the weekend. We didn't think he would make it due to being all the way out there, but he pulled a fast one on us and showed up at the party with Lincoln's mom. We were so shocked and way excited. We had a great weekend. It was so fun to have Lincoln show us around his school and office for work. He has worked so hard and I am sooo impressed. Here is a little taste of how our weekend went.

Smile for the (video)camera

Does this ever happen to you? I hope so, cause it seems to happen to me allot! My mom was trying to take a picture of me and some of my friends, and well, this happened-

Here's what was supposed to happen-

Caitlin, Candace, Christy, Stacy, Kate, and me.

A few more jems from my collection of thinking it is in camera mode.

Here is another try...







I could go on, but it takes too long to post video, and I think I will spare you more fake outs. Just beware when you are taking a picture with me or by me, you might end up being videotaped without even knowing it.

step bump, step bump bump

This video is dedicated to my wonderful husband who deals with all the crazies in traffic court everyday. I love you honey

a little help from friends

Today I needed a little pick me up. Nothing major, just with the economy, the job market, swine flu (actually, this makes me want to laugh), the rain... a girl could use a little help. I was looking through my pictures and this one did the trick.

Thanks girls...

Pink Hair

I know what you are all thinking, "but Mallory, you're 30, and you're Mormon!"  I get it, but let's not forget that I don't feel 30, and Mormons can have fun with hair color too.  

Truth is, this isn't the first time.  My roommates and friends can attest that I have had many different colors in my hair.  I have had orange, blue, pink, and purple.  Those are just the "unnatural" colors.  I have a thing for going dark every few years.  I have always loved going red as well, but that never seems to look right on me.  

No matter what the color changes to, I will always consider myself a blonde.  I am such a conservative person, but a small part of me wants to be a little wild once and awhile.  I am sure like all of my other colors I have done, this won't last too long.  But it is spring and adding a little color to my life is a good idea.  Besides, my mom likes it and I can't say the same for when my hair is any other color.  

Penzone Party

Thanks to my husband for being such a trooper and coming to my work party.  Thanks to my mom for taking our pictures afterwards making me feel like we were going to prom.  Not to mention helping me find the only dress in Columbus that was modest yet didn't look like I was a mother of the bride.  Thanks to Charles Penzone for being in business for 40 years so we could have a fun time.  Wow, I sure do feel old when I go to work parties.  

My childhood flashed before my eyes

I can't wait!

(It is in wide screen on YouTube so a small portion of it is cut off on the right.)

Anthropologie, or something like that

If you know me at all you know that I LOVE Anthorpologie!  It inspires me to be a better person.  Seriously, when I leave the store or finish looking at the catalogue I am a happier, more creative person.   Just walking into the store and seeing how they decorate their displays with honey bottles or lollipops or crumpled paper I get tingles, it is magical.  I have been in love since I was in high school when I surprisingly got my first catalogue in the mail.  It was an absolute treat.  Before that, I was blessed with only the pages from J.Crew to read and dream over, and let's be honest, J.Crew is a great store, but it doesn't hold a candle to Anthro.  I love it!  

But I digress.  My love has always been a hard one due to the cost of Anthro.  I know you have to pay big for big style, but come on!  The sales room is great and the online shopping helps me keep on top of what goes on sale (btw, the sales items are updated every tuesday.)  However, it still doesn't feel like the best deal when you buy something on "sale" that costs more than $50.  Luckily, my amazing mother-in-law just sent me to a site that is so very Anthro like, but way less in price.  It is a vintage inspired store with some handmade stuff as well as other things that really made me excited to look at.  Here is the link to Ruche.  I know there are so many other stores like this, but I just don't know about them... yet.  After enjoying the awesomeness of this store, let me know of any other online stores that you love.  

Until then, my heart will always belong to Anthropologie.  I will always wander around the store trying not to drool, while Lincoln sits in one of their many beautiful chairs reading one of their uber trendy book about Audrey Hepburn or birds.  As I dream of one day purchasing without guilt.  Ah, dreams.   

NEW YORK CITY

Ah, New York. It is such a wonderful exciting city. Lincoln and I took a trip up there to visit my sister Nikki, her husband Cameron, and their amazingly adorable son, John. It was Lincoln's LAST spring break so we knew we had to do it in style. Here are our (out of order) pictures from our trip.

This picture is dedicated to my friend Kate who loves taking pictures of random signs. This is in SOHO (is that how you write it?) where we did some great shopping. I am now in love with a store that you can only find there in the US. It is called UNIQLO. My friend Jon gave us a heads up about it, and Nikki confirmed that it was awesome. We were not let down.






The entire gang at a museum called Cloisters. It is beautiful. It is right off the Hudson River, it is really pretty but we didn't witness any miracles on the Hudson that day.










Lincoln in the M&M store getting "scanned" to see what M&M color he is. For the record, he is silver. I don't know what that means, but it was fun. I really wanted some cinnamon bears so we went into all the candy stores in Time Square. Unfortunately, we didn't want to spend $10 on a small bag that wouldn't curb my craving. So we went to the ever dependable Duane Reed and purchased a box of Hot Tamales. It did the trick.


These are a few pictures of our many adventures on the subway. It is a must when going to NYC. Luckily, Lincoln is a great navigator and we only had to stop one time to look at the map. I had total faith that he wouldn't get us lost. We also saw a little critter on the tracks one day. Lincoln had to take a picture, and if any of you know me at all you can only imagine how freaked out I was. I had to really concentrate on my breathing so I wouldn't pass out. I HATE RODENTS!!!






















Beautiful Central Park. We spent tons of time in Central Park. It is so close to Nikki and Cameron and you can't help but want to spend time there.














We had a great time. We are so happy to have such wonderful family who will let us stay with them and show us around their city.