Self-Improvement

Yes, we're back. All I can say is that the key to self-improvement is never giving up. I'm only a failure if I never do another blog post right? So, wow, June. It's really okay that I don't update this too much because if I did you might then see how mundane the lives of Adam and Jen really are. I know we give off the impression of glamour and high adventure - do not be fooled. So let's see....we survived a rather tempestuous spring and are now officially into summer. Oh, summer, I love you so much! I would say I wish it could be summer all year round, but being a homeowner has made me appreciate when my yard is covered in a blanket of snow and I don't have to worry about yard work. But right now, loving the sunshine, warm weather, flip flops, shorts, etc.

Adam is done with the video game programming world. There were a lot of perks to that job such as silver passes, discounts on resorts, cruises, vacations, movie sales every six months w

here you could purchase any Disney or affiliated company movie for $7.50, but his hours were so crazy that he couldn't enjoy it. Miraculously, he didn't even have to look for a new job. His old manager contacted him and offered him a permanent position with their company. He was a contractor before which is why he left in the first place. He's much happier now and gets to geek out using all sorts of obscure programming languages. No silver passes and apparently the air-conditioning makes for arctic conditions, but his vending machines take debit cards, they have a pop corn machine and a pizza-cooking vending machine and he gets every other Friday off if he chooses to do nine hour days. Nice. Plus, he doesn't have to wear nylons. Lucky!

Next - right before Adam quit, we went to the Oregon coast with his family. It was so nice to have a long weekend away! Adam's parents rented a beach house near haystack rock in Cannon Beach. It's so pretty there! We went on runs every morning, read a lot, watched movies. went to Astoria and on a nice hike, and ate lots of Tillamook cheese curds and chocolate covered pomegranates. I really wish I had some now. I already posted a bunch of pics from last year's trip and since we were at the same house, they're pretty much the same, but here are a few good ones:

I took this one on our hike. It's so much more impressive in person, but still pretty cool.

The Ard clan with the exception of Adam's dad who is taking the picture. I have great in-laws!

Adam and I on top of the Astoria Column which you'll see below. I love Adam's face - he always gets caught mid-expression in pictures. That usually happens to me, too, but I look more cartoonish when it happens, which is why those pictures never show up here.

This is the Astoria Column (?). To be honest I can't remember if that's the actual name or something I made up, but it is a column and it is also in Astoria so.....You can take stairs to the top, which reminded me of being in Italy a little. I miss Italy!

I really need to keep a travel journal! I think this is the mouth of the Columbia River with the bridge going over to Washington. At least I finally know how to pronounce Wilamette.

So, I also want to mention that Adam and I attempted a little tomato and basil container garden. Things were going great until a nice wind storm and some really cool temps almost decimated them. I'm not sure they'll make it. I'm hoping for the best. They're starting to feel like children to me, which I guess fills the void until my own finally decide to make an appearance, but kind of weirds me out. If I blog about having a nice Caprese salad later this summer, you'll know that we got at least something out of it. I just don't know!

Now I'm just looking forward to our visit to see my parents in July and when Collin and Tianna come and stay with us at the end of the month! Does anyone else want to come and stay with us? You're always welcome at Casa Ard. We'll introduce you to Friday Night Lights. We are addicted.

Quarterly Report - I know, I'm bad

Warning - this is a long post. You may want to stop reading now. I meant to blog at least a couple of times a month, but a couple of times a quarter is okay, too, right? This first quarter of 2010 is all about love and maybe birthdays, too. Love of family, friends, and yes, even a few material objects. Let's start with January:

One of the things that I'm most grateful for about going to BYU is the super, ultra, fabulous friends I made there. My French friend/roommate Rachel was in town the first week of January and I got to meet her, and her mom, and her cute kids for lunch. Rachel and I became friends in French class our Freshman year. She is partially responsible for my now horrible French pronunciation. Many years later, she was also one of my roommates in Salt Lake. She is one of the funniest and coolest cats I know. Thanks for lunch!

My cute nephew Connor and his personable dad, Kurt had birthdays! I'm so glad these two guys are part of our family. Connor can melt my mother's heart just by looking at her. I think it's the blue eyes. Really, he looks like he should be more my baby than Wende's. I offered to take him off her hands, but she said no. One of the things I like best about my brother-in-law, Kurt, is how easily he can provoke my sister - it's awesome. Sorry, Wende, but it is entertaining.

There's only one other thing that I really fell in love with in January. As part of my Christmas present to myself, I ordered a pair of leopard print heels. This is something that one has to do when one works where I do. There is a frump factor when you have to wear nylons everyday. It has to be battled diligently. These shoes really hurt after 8 hours, but the pain is worth it!

February: My dad has a birthday! I wish I could have been there for this one, too. I know that other people may argue this point, but I really do have the best dad. He's never been one of those distant father types. He tells his children he loves them all the time. That has always meant so much to me. He's fun to talk to. He used to dance around the kitchen when my mom wasn't around making up songs for us kids about the cold cereal we were eating, but he will deny it if you ask him about it. He has a stage presence and, if he chooses, a voice like thunder that has scared many a deacon in our ward. I think some of those boys are still afraid of him, but really, he's a marshmallow. The smart people figure that out. Happy birthday, Dad!

Another old friend comes to town! This time, it's Ingrid. Lis and I met her during our junior year at BYU. We bonded over the Sound of Music, slurpees, and salt and vinegar potato chips - a lasting bond. She wrote me a soliloquy once - that should really say it all. I love that girl. I love the types of friends who you don't talk to for months and months or even years, but when you see them it was like you were never apart (except for the whole two kids thing). She brought Camila and Henry with her. Oh, the eyes on these children!

Adam's grandma has her 80th birthday! Her children threw a surprise party for her and I was cursing myself for not bringing a camera. She looked so happy when she came through the door and saw everyone. On the invitation for her party, they put a lovely picture of her when she was really young. I was remarking to Adam on what a nice picture it was and then I said, "We both have such pretty grandmothers! Don't you think our grandma's are so pretty?" He said he didn't feel comfortable analyzing the attractiveness of his or my grandmother.

Then, as a symbol of our love for one another, Adam and I got iPhones at the end of February. This is a huge upgrade for Adam and I, who have often been mocked for our outdated phones. Mock not, world. I knew that Adam was the one for me when we realized we had matching Nokia brick phones in 2007. I'm now in love with my iPhone as well. Do you realize I can play the Oregon Trail on this thing!?! Love it.

March: Adam has a birthday! He doesn't like to make a big deal out of his birthdays so I had to content myself with a family party on Saturday and making him a birthday hat, which he was a good sport about wearing upon request. His actual birthday was yesterday. He's been working so much lately that Sunday's are usually the only day he has off. We had so much fun just hanging out and doing nothing...and eating the left over birthday pies. I love him the

most.

A BCW reunion! For the first weekend in March I got to hang with not one, but three of the best friends a girl can have. Lis, Kim, and Abby were my roommates my senior year at BYU. We all live close to each other except for Abby, who came into town for a week and oh, what times we had. We are older and wiser than we were (that is particularly true in my case), but I think we're just as much fun. I'm sure that Kim's baby, Lily, thought so...

Things yet to come - my sister has a birthday! Born on St Patrick's Day. It's a shame we have no Irish blood. I wish I were going to be there for her birthday, too. Why aren't NY and UT closer!? Happy Birthday, Wende. I love you, too!

Was this a little sappy? I don't think of myself as a sappy person, but really, other than the aforementioned happenings, my life during these dark, dreary months of winter is pretty boring. I am so not a winter person! The older I get, the more aware I am of how difficult life can be for me and the people around me. Isn't it lucky that there is also so much to compensate for those hard times?

Airy Voices

"He is ne'er crowned with immortality who fears to follow where airy voices lead." John Keats said that - did anyone catch the movie "Bright Star" this year? If you haven't seen it, check it out on Netflix or however you view movies. Warning: It's sad, but so, so beautiful! And if you haven't guessed yet, it's about the life of John Keats. This is not a quote from the movie, but one I actually read a long time ago that was quoted in the L.M. Montgomery novel, "Emily Climbs." If you've read any L.M. Montgomery, we'll probably be friends or at least we'll have something to talk about. Anyway, I've always been intrigued by the quote. What exactly are these airy voices? Are they the random, beautiful thoughts/inclinations that swiftly enter and leave one's mind? How do I follow them when they pass so quickly? Does this mean I need to be more spontaneous? I'm going to factor this into my new year's resolutions once I make them, which will hopefully be relatively soon as it's New Year's Day.

So, the new picture at the top of my blog is a picture of Adam and I in Siena, in the Tuscany region of Italy. We went there the first week of November in part to celebrate our second anniversary. Yes, we made it two years! Now can I start giving out marital advice or do I still ne

ed more experience? I meant to blog about this sublime, am-I-really-here trip that we took, but I got busy. Sorry - I should have a better excuse, but I don't. If you'd like to view the photos I took with my running commentary, view here:

http://picasaweb.google.com/zundelje/ItalyTripNov2009?feat=directlink

We went to Florence for four days and to Venice for two days. It was my first European experience and I loved every minute of it. The highlights for me: our nightly gelato runs, walking through the Sienese Duomo, and seeing Michelangelo's David. I loved all three cities we stopped in, and I can't wait to go back!

But this post is not about Italy. It's not even a catch-up post, really, or at least I didn't intend it to be. It's more just a friendly, "hi, it's been awhile" post. We had a great Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday run. I love Thanksgiving and Christmas! I love the long weekends and vacation days that allow me to catch my breath after busy work deadlines and Christmas parties. I have mixed feelings about Christmas parties this year, especially when I essentially had three work Christmas parties this year. Another potluck - really? I also love the feeling on New Year's Day when you realize that the holiday craziness is past and that normal routines will set in again. I like routine...For awhile. I like making new year's resolutions. Starting today, Adam and I are giving up refined sugar - again. I want to last at least a month. I'm putting this in my blog post as to document the start and create greater accountability. But I have just one question. Does today count? It is a holiday after all.

So, for Christmas this year, I got a new nephew and new experience in building snow caves. Adam is reliving his Boy Scout past this week. We've built caves in our yard and in Adam's parents' yard. The one in his parents' yard is over 6' and has not been fully excavated yet. I have a feeling I know what the rest of my day will hold. Mom and Dad, here are some pictures from the last little while:

Christmas Day 2009 - note the copious amounts of snow outside

My first gingerbread house ever - mine is the far left and also the most structurally unstable

Adam's brother, mom, and sister creating their masterpieces

Adam in the snow cave in our yard

Adam and Jen preparing to build the second snow cave - note the head flashlights, a present from Adam's mom. Adam looks like he could rob a bank

As you can see, our Christmas decorations really added something to a drab living room that I've been meaning to decorate. I'm really going to miss them!

Blah, blah, blah

I'm tired of recaps - it's like when you get behind in your journal and then feel like you need to do a massive update so as to correctly record history, but then you don't want to write in journal because it will take to long. Can you tell I'm not much of a journal writer? Or like when you have a good friend you want to call, but you feel like if you do, it will be a three-hour phone conversation because it's been so long and who has that kind of time unless you're sixteen and talking to a boy you like? Of course, nobody is requiring me to do an update in my journal, stay on the phone for three hours when I call them or recap my entire summer on this blog - it's all in my mind. So, I'm going to ignore my mind and just throw out my favorite pics from July and August - here we go!

My cousin Devin got married at the beginning of July. Since all of the other pictures I have of Adam and I were taken with me extending my arm out with my camera, I thought I'd include one where that wasn't happening.

Here's the wedding party in all their splendor, smiling as though they haven't been taking pictures for hours...

This is my cute grandma eating an ice cream cone at the wedding. She told me to delete this picture. How could I possibly?

This little guy and his mom and dad left us in mid-July. See the bottom of this post for a video of Tianna and her good friend Candace boxing it out the night before they left. After witnessing this, I will never challenge Tianna to a fight. It was a sad, sad morning when they left and I cried myself back to sleep (it was 5:30 AM). We miss you guys!

I consoled myself by forcing Adam to let me take a picture of him like this. This was after a Sunday afternoon nap and I couldn't let that hair go to waste. It's hard to tell but he's wearing a leather jacket. He's like a taller, brunette Billy Idol. Well maybe not Billy Idol but you know what I mean.

July was definitely a wedding month - shouldn't that be June? Nicole got married - woohoo! She was a beautiful bride and this was the first wedding I've ever been to where the groom's cake was an iPod. I should've taken a picture of that!

Since my birthday was on a Monday, we celebrated all weekend long....and into the next week. This picture was taken Saturday night at Sugar House Park - we had a picnic. Sunday, Adam's mom cooked an amazing dinner for me, Adam's dad, and Ben since we all have birthday within like a week and a half. It's an intense time in the Ard Family. Monday, Adam and I went to an amazing Italian restaurant and then...



This was taken on my actual birthday (August 24th - mark your calendars) as proof that I've really matured...



Still my actual birthday. This was what the sky looked like driving home - not to brag, but this was taken from a moving car. Can you see the penguin? I took it as a good omen for this next year of Jen. Penguins are lucky, right?

Hooray for extended birthday celebrations! I love celebrating for a week. We had a great time alienating the other restaurant patrons.

Rest of NY Trip

So, maybe some people are wondering, why does Jen have to try and update the last four months? Well, it's partly because I took a million pictures that I feel I should do something with. I'm not really sure about other reasons other than it seemed like a good idea at the time. I'm getting kind of bored with the immediate past - I may run out of steam soon. It's like the time I decided that I was going to get a head start on writing my memoirs during the summer of 2005. It seemed like a good idea. I have a head crowded full of memories starting from about the age or two or three. Why not jot some down on paper and maybe create some more room in my brain to memorize more Top 40 songs? Anyway, I was maybe a little too detailed at first. I filled at least 10 pages in a notebook and only got to age four. I got a little discouraged and gave up the attempt, although one day I'll get back to it. I'd like to note that the discouragement may be partially due to the mocking tone that my roommate Lis employed whenever she would tell people what I was doing.

So, to finish with the NY trip, I wanted to include some shots from one of my very favorite places - the church sites in upstate NY. Do you know how beautiful upstate NY is in the summer? Some of you do, but for those of you who don't, I will simply say that there is a reason that Rochesterians brave those bone-chilling winters and continue to live there. Adam and I went to the Hill Cumorah and the Sacred Grove. It was a perfect summer day and surprisingly not too hot. We had a nice, peaceful stroll through the grove. This was my second time going there with Adam. I took him there right before we got engaged and so it was fun to recall that time as we walked around. Next we drove over to the hill. As we were walking around the monument at the top of the hill, we saw this black and white cat just lounging in the shade, looking like it owned the place. It soon got up and started following us around - maybe the cat is employed for security?

After we finished visiting the site and headed home, the heavens opened up and it rained the rest of the day. We stopped at Wegmans for lunch and soon after headed over to my sisters ho

use for some Pontillo's pizza. If we had been able to stop for some ice cream at LuGia's, then this may have been the most perfect day possible. I have to include the two pics - I overlooked them in my last post and they're my favorite. Can you see why I'm such a proud aunt?

This is Aiden's smile every time you take his picture.

I had my finger on the flash when I took this of Owen, but look at those brown eyes!

They're lots of fun. Here are my shots of the grove and the hill. Visit if you can!

A Midsummer Night's Dream

Should there be an apostrophe in the title of this post? Lisa? I think you're my Shakespeare expert so if you still check this blog, I'm counting on you. So, yeah, I made it to my June update and it's only August! Woot! Tia Juana, you may just be able to read about July in September - no promises though. I'm all about the shout outs tonight. How about this one: Hey Wende, just because you're with child and you have three little boys to chase around, doesn't mean you can just neglect your blog. What? Like you're busy? I mean, I thought I was bad. Who wants to hit me yet? No one? I could go all night. August is my birthday month and that means that I get to be a diva. Hey Jess and Rachel, what is this come-to-Utah-and-don't-call-Jen-or-Lis-while you're-here-business? You can blame family obligations all you want, but the next time around, I expect to hear from you. Do NOT mess with me. I am almost 31 (does snap in z formation in the air). No one gets to mention that last fact but me.

This blog post should really be titled, "A Lack of Focus." To the task at hand: June. I know that I was alive in June and that I did more than just go and visit my family back east, but I am seriously drawing a blank. At work, my job revolves around a series of three approving committees that meet every single week. That means that I have three weekly deadlines that I am constantly having to meet. The one thing that keeps me from going crazy is the fact that the committees break from mid-June until August and then for most of the month of December. This makes mid-June feel like salvation and July feel like happiness. I guess what I'm trying to say is that I probably spent most of June reveling in my lack of things to do. I took long lunches, I left early, Adam and I sometimes slept in and got there a little late. One day, encouraged by Tianna, Adam and I bought a slip and slide. It turns out that those things aren't really as fun when you're an adult; however, they can be refreshing if you just use them as a place to sun bathe.

Then along came June 16th. Adam and I were discussing when we should go to see my parents and sister. We were thinking July, but then Adam told me that he couldn't leave until after the 20th, which is right when I start to get busy again, preparing for July. What a quandary! Then, Adam said, "what about next week?" Huh. What about next week? To make a longer story shorter, we bought tickets that next day and were on our way by Saturday. I am not usually that spontaneous - ask anyone. We had a great time! I love visiting my parents. They are seriously the best hosts. They go out of their way to make people feel comfortable and welcome, and they have more food than anyone I know. Plus, I am addicted to my nephews. Adam and I slept in, watched movies, went on multiple ice cream runs, visited the church sites in Palmyra and played with the kiddies to our hearts content. I went on my second zoo trip this year. Who knew?

These pics do not show up as well in this format. Let's try these:

Out of time! I'm sorry I only take pictures of my nephews. Next post will contain non-nephew photos.

May

So now here's my recap for May. To be honest, it's kind of a blur. The tree in our front yard bloomed. We celebrated three birthdays - Adam's sister Jenny (although we really celebrated when were all in Oregon), Adam's sweet mom, and Liam's first birthday. Since Liam's party was at our house, I only have pictures from that celebration. He greatly enjoyed his cake:

Of course there was also Mother's Day and Collin, Tianna, Adam, Amber and Ben (Adam's younger brother and sister) and I cooked dinner for Adam's mom. I think we overdid it as far as how much food needed to be cooked, but it was really fun to host it at our house. We need a bigger table, but I did finally use the cloth napkins I registered for.

We also had a fun Memorial Day spending time at Hogle Zoo with Liam and Tianna. It was my first visit to the zoo since 1987. I have decided that going to the zoo makes me feel both good and bad. It's fun to see the animals up close, and I know that they were raised in captivity and don't know any different, but still...Would you like shrieking children around you every time you ate and went to the bathroom? Anyway, I did bring my camera that day and yes, I'm subjecting you to those photos as well.