Dollar Store Pity

Meet my new sock purse.

Here is the story about how she came to be:

The day that Jake and I left for London
(more on that trip later), we ran
to Dollar Tree to pick up
some supplies.  I specifically
wanted some sort of change purse,
and the only kind I could find
were of the sock purse variety.
At the checkout line,
we realized that we didn't have
our wallets (they were packed in
separate bags for our trip).
So Jake ran out to the car
and found some change (literally, nickels
and dimes) to pay for our few items.

Because we were low on coinage, I decided
the sock purse wasn't really a need,
so I put it back on the shelf and went outside.

Jake lingered in the store for a minute
more, and the cashier slipped him
this sock purse (for free) to give to me,
which was so sweet.

Now, Jake and I are really blessed and
are financially stable (well, as long as you don't
mention "student loans").  But you know we must
have come across as real ragamuffins when
the dollar store cashier thought we were
too poor for a sock purse!

I must say though, the purse sure did the trick
in London holding our pounds and pence
(also known as quids and p's).

Happy Valenbirthaversary

Yes, I have finally jumped onto the Modern Family bandwagon.

Anyway, due to Jake's work schedule and a string

of visitors, we celebrated Valentine's Day
a week late, on February 21st.
This also happened to be our six-month anniversary
(when you haven't hit a year mark yet,
you have to celebrate by months).  

And last but not least, this day was special because

Jake's cousin Tiff and her husband Albert were

blessed with a baby boy, Quentin.

So it was a big day!

Jake planned a lovely evening out.  Here is a picture of us

eating at the romantic Antonio's Italian Restaurant:

Meet the In Laws

In February, we hosted Jake's mom, Claudia,

and her fiancé, Karry, for 10 days.

As Jake was working during the majority
of their stay, I got to spend some
quality time with them!

They were even kind enough to take me
out on Valentine's Day, since my
"Valentine" spent the holiday at the hospital.

I also worked during part of their visit,
but luckily Claudia and Karry are very self-sufficient
and found plenty of ways to stay entertained.

In fact, I think they saw Florida at its finest!

Here are some picture highlights of their stay.

Visiting Disney's Epcot Center:

Disney's Hollywood Studios, where Claudia

was able to go on her favorite ride, 

Aerosmith's Rock 'N' Roller Coaster":

Disney's Animal Kingdom

On Jake's afternoon off, we all went to
Universal Studios, where Hogwarts
was definitely a highlight:

 This picture really sums up our time together.

Claudia collects smashed pennies,
and Jake helped her find just about every
smashed penny machine in the greater Orlando area.
I think we're keeping the smashed
penny industry in business.

 On their own, Claudia and Karry went golfing

(that's a gator in the lake)...

...made it out to the Kennedy Space Center...

...the beach...

...and even the Daytona 500 Race!

 This is the only picture we managed to snap

with all 4 of us.  Jake is appropriately
in his scrubs standing outside of
Winnie Palmer Hospital.

Thanks Claudia and Karry for a great visit!

3.14

Happy Pi Day!

We celebrated by eating

homemade chicken pot pie

made with sweet potatoes and lots of veggies.

Maybe next year I'll attempt my

favorite dessert: homemade peach pie.

29 for reals

January 21st came and went again this year.

This is the ONLY year I'll be able to say 

that I'm 29 (that magic number that people pretend

to be every year after they turn 30) and mean it.

Since Jake and I celebrated my birthday last year in

New Orleans, we decided to have a 

New Orleans style celebration again this year.

We made beignets and hot chocolate for breakfast

(notice the cute bouquet of flowers from Jake).

Jake surprised me with dinner at a fancy

New Orleans style restaurant at Universal's City Walk

called Emiril's.  I enjoyed some delicious seafood.

Jake was a good sport and accompanied me

to get a pedicure, the only thing I really

wanted for my birthday.  

I wish I had taken a picture of Jake taking

a nap in the massage chair next to me!

Anyway, it was a great birthday.
Thanks to Jake for making it so special, 

and thanks to all my friends and family

for the phone calls, cards, and gifts!

Lights up on Washington Heights...

...up at the break of day

I wake up and I got this little punk I gotta chase away

Pop the grate at the crack of dawn, sing

While I wipe down the awning

Hey ya'll good morning

These are the opening lyrics to a musical

called "In the Heights".  Jake and I are HUGE

fans.  I'd seen it in New York back in 2009,

but Jake had only listened to (and memorized) 

the soundtrack.

So when we found out that "In the Heights" was

ending its Broadway run, we immediately (or should

I say impulsively?) bought plane tickets to 

New York and tickets to the show.

The show was amazing.  

I think that seeing it helped us get the music out of our 

system a little (let's just say that Jake has finally picked 

new music to sing in the shower in the mornings).

While we were at it, we enjoyed checking

out the sites in Manhattan.  I had never

been there at Christmastime before, and it 

was fun to see the changes that the 

holidays brought to the city.

Like Times Square...

And the Rockefeller Tree...

The skating rink (Aw, we witnessed a 

happy couple get engaged)...

The Macy's holiday windows...

And even the annual SantaCon pub crawl.

Only in New York!

Not only did Jake get to see "In the Heights,"

but he had another dream come true when

we found Pommes Frites, a tiny hole in the wall

that specializes in french fries and sauces.

Jake was in heaven!

We taste tested many sauces, and ultimately

picked Dill Lemon Mayo, Pomegranate

Teriyaki Mayo, and Curry Ketchup Especial.

Another food highlight was wining (with

complimentary sparkling water) and dining

at a little Italian restaurant that we happened upon.

It was the perfect place to rest our feet after 

walking all day and enjoy a hot and delicious meal.

We capped off our weekend by going 

to church downtown and then grabbing burgers

before heading to the airport.  

Almost missed our flight home, but that's another story...

Welcome to Miami

Oh man, I knew I would quickly

get behind in the blogging world.

Especially now that I'm working (I finally

found a nanny job in Orlando, hooray!).

Anyway, in December Jake and I drove 

down to Miami (3 1/2 hours away)

for a weekend getaway.  

Dr. Deines had a free 2-night stay at the Marriott 

left over from his interview trail last year.

It was a quick trip, but we fit a lot in. 

We tried Cuban hamburgers for the first

(and probably last...) time.

Jake finally got to see Dolphin stadium.

He's been a fan since childhood.  He had

to pick some NFL team to cheer for since

Utah doesn't have one.  Why Miami, you ask?

"Because the colors are cool."  

I got to see the newest Norwegian ship, 

the Epic, which was docked in Miami that day.

Wow, what a monster!

We walked along South Beach,

and I found a particular BBQ salmon salad

that I had tried there 4 years ago, which was exciting.

It was just as delicious as I remembered.

After that, we weren't quite sure what

else to do in Miami, so we took it to Google.

We were led to "Coral Castle," a weird but 

interesting historical site built in the early 1900's 

by an eccentric man named Ed Leedskalnin.

He apparently worked alone, at night, to move 

and position slabs of coral (each weighing several tons)

and create this "castle," (complete with 

furniture), in which he lived.

When asked how he did this, he claimed he knew 

"the secrets of the pyramids," which he never shared.

There are a lot of theories people have come up with 

to explain how he created Coral Castle,

but his methods remain a mystery.

Kinda strange, but we enjoyed it.

Hoping to get down to Miami again

during our time in Florida.