Thanksgiving Point.

Dad & I had been hoping to have an overnight getaway before Aimee's birth, but living out of state from family, we weren't sure how we'd make it work.  While finalizing details to our quick trip to Utah I realized that you kids would already be at Aunt Julie's & Uncle Walt's over night so I asked if they could watch you while we did a getaway.  Aunt Julie said that of course they could, but that we needed to at least extend our morning long enough to have a nice breakfast too.  How sweet is that?  After the wedding dinner we were going to stay at a hotel downtown, but it'd been a wonderful and full day and we weren't feeling very ambitious.  We ended up just driving across the Thanksgiving Point parking lot and stayed in one of the Marriott's there.  

The next day we had a wonderful breakfast at the hotel bistro and took time to count the blessings from the trip.  Afterwards we stopped in the gift shop, got a cute little sign for our house (We don't have it all together, but together we have everything.) and Dad thoughtfully suggested that I pick out a few scarves to buy for myself.  That sweet man.  

I sure love your Dad and was grateful that I we got to spend one-on-one time together and that we had a chance to think back on our own sealing day and celebrations.  How blessed I am to be sealed to him for eternity!  I hope that each of you find an equally wonderful spouse someday.

Celebrating Six in St. Louis.

To celebrate six years of marriage, we decided to do a "getaway" here in St. Louis. We celebrated a week late so that Bry could be done with his Summer paper and presentation.  A BIG thanks to the Gublers who watched ALL three kids so we could enjoy some "honey time."  Love that they call it that :0) It was the perfect timing (with some BIG upcoming decisions to discuss) and was so nice to be just us for a little while.

While Isabelle babysat the kiddos, we started off our date by checking out the City Museum.  We'd heard that it was a crazy place and it was!  "Explore the unexpected at this exciting, interactive museum for children and adults. A mixture of funhouse, playground and architectural marvel."  I had never seen anything like it.  My claustrophobia took over and I wimped out.  But it was fun watching Bry brave a few of the slides, tubes and tunnels.  

(30-31 August 2013)

view of the city from the roof.

Other than the brightly-colored recycled materials throughout the museum and the views from the roof, I'd have to say that the highlight for me was happening upon a craft area that they had.  Table with old magazines + scissors + glue + free reign = a little bit of heaven for me ;0)  (Took me back to my freshman year in college when I'd get stressed...I'd cut out scraps from magazines in the art lab and make collages.)  Bry was super sweet and humored me in making "self portrait" collages/anniversary cards.  Here's mine...

Once the kids were dropped off for the night, we headed downtown to the Westin Hotel.  I had found a Groupon for an overnight stay + free buffet breakfast.  We snatched it up to use for our anniversary.  It was a very nice hotel and an awesome deal.

We got dressed up (thanks again Elaine for the outfit) and headed to Franco's for dinner.  They had sent me an email about getting two glasses of wine on the house for our anniversary.  In the notes for our reservation I asked if they could do a non-alcoholic beverage instead.  When we arrived our server brought us a sparkling citrus soda with a sprig of rosemary.  I was so impressed that they had been so accommodating.  Wasn't so pleased when I accidentally spilled part of it on the tablecloth and my dress.  Just keeping it real ;0)

~ESCARGOTS baked in shell, saffron-garlic butter, Spanish chorizo, Madeira

~SOUP OF THE DAY (artichoke bisque)

~GRILLED MISSOURI RAINBOW TROUT crème frâiche gnocchi, English peas, beech mushrooms, 

pea shoots, mustard seed gremolata

~COQ AU CHAMPAGNE champagne braised chicken, baby turnips, carrots, roasted Yukon gold, 

truffle salt

~CINNAMON BEIGNETS confiture de lâit

our hotel fridge--I had to push the pre-stocked beverages aside to make room for Lij's little bottle of pumped milk.

 After the delicious hotel breakfast buffet, we finished off our getaway by checking out the Soulard Farmer's Market for the first time.  It reminded me a lot of Pike's Place Market.  I loved seeing all of the fresh produce and bright colors.  We got some sweet cherries and blueberries (and a pear) to take home with us.   

When we pulled up to pick up the kids, we were greeted by sweet Lij, happy as a clam.  

I was SO relieved that he had taken a bottle and had been a good baby.  Way to go little man :0)

Pre-5th-Anniversary Getaway.

While in Utah Bry surprised me with a pre-5th-anniversary getaway to Park City!  (Beth bless your heart for watching the kiddos for us.)  He even reserved the very same room we stayed in for our honeymoon.  Some of the highlights were...strolling Main Street in Park City * dinner at Main Street Pizza & Noodles * Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory * watching "Young Victoria" (we LOVE that movie!) * freshly baked chocolate chip cookies and milk * making breakfast together (especially our croissants creations) * going on a morning stroll and enjoying the fresh mountain air * lunch at Café Rio * and a session at the Jordan River Temple.  It was lovely.  Not to mention the beautiful necklace and sweet card he gave me.  AND thank heavens that my morning sickness really didn't start to hit til the next day.  What a wonderful way to start off our vacation!  Thank you, Bry.

P.S. Looking back on the third day into our trip it's still a mystery to me why I gained any weight on this trip ;0)  More mention of delicious food to come :0)

That's better.

For part of Bry's Spring Break (his first one since high school) we headed down to Springfield and spent a few days with our good friends, Ben & Ashley Petersen. I was a little reluctant to go because my first and last time there happened to be during first trimester...and the very thought of going back made me want to hurl. Oh first trimester. How oddly and unfortunately the negative associations stick with me. In any case, we went and had a LOVELY enjoyable time.. and now I get to hang on to those memories instead. Yay!

Saturday 12 March 2011---

We enjoyed the beautiful Spring weather
at Nathanael Greene Park.

Ben & Ashley watched Brie while Bry & I had a mini getaway for the evening. We ended up going to Bass Pro (it's like Disneyland for outdoorsey people. I honestly didn't think it was going to be that cool, but I was so impressed. It's an experience just to walk around the place.) and then having dinner there at Hemingway's. I like eating at restaurants that are unique to certain areas. Plus it was fun to eat at the restaurant that was more of the "special occasion" restaurant for Bry when he was growing up. Bry got the Pan Fried Ozark Trout and I got Hemingway's Shrimp (Coconut Shrimp).

Sunday 13 March 2011---

We attended church and then spent the evening at some long time family friends, the Canes. We had yummy stir fry for dinner, met their three pigs (they're raising them for meat), watched Mykelle and Brie play together, and chatted. They're getting more and more into "self-reliance" and growing/raising their own food and it was fun to glean a bit from their knowledge and experience.

** I can't forget to mention that Ben, owner of Resolve IT Computers, was SO wonderful to work on our computers for us. They're new and improved and working great. Thanks, Ben!! **

Monday 14 March 2011---

We visited "Mrs. Ellison" (Janet), Bryan's piano teacher from when he was growing up. It was so cute to hear her brag about Bryan and his musical abilities and fun to listen to Bry play a few of his old time songs. AND Gary, her husband, even played us a really lively and entertaining rag time piece. So fun! Anyway, we had a delightful morning with her and her husband!

For dinner the five of us went out to Lamberts, yet another experience in and of itself. It was good ol' Southern type cooking and I bet we each consumed 5,000 + calories (OK, maybe not THAT many :0))! I ordered a Chicken Fried Round Steak, Candied Yams and Peaches. Bry got the BBQ Pork Steak, Baked Beans and Applesauce. Our meals came out in full on skillets...they were HUGE! My favorite part about Lamberts' is how they around with fresh rolls and throw them to whoever is interested. We were often interested. Yum :0)

Afterward we dropped in at a birthday party for one of Ben's nieces (Danielle). It was fun to spend time with his family, especially since Bry knows them well from his Springfield days.

Tuesday 15 March 2011---

Bry, Brie and I went and visited Bing Steinmetz, one of Bry's good friends from high school. It was great meeting him and hearing as he and Bry caught up. And his parents were so laid back and sweet. Benno, Bing's Dad, was so cute with Brie, giving her rides in Bing's wheelchair, getting her snacks, familiarizing her with the dogs, etc. And Barb, Bing's Mom, made pizza and salad and had us stay for dinner. They were all so nice, welcoming and friendly!

Anyway, after meeting and visiting with all these people I feel like Springfield is a home away from home. I'm excited to come and visit them all again another time! (Pictures of Bing and his parents are above in the collage, "reconnecting with friends")

I decided that I wanted to make Alexander a quilt and Ashley was my partner in crime. She helped me pick out fabric, decide how much I needed, cut out the squares and sew half of it together. Did I mention that she stayed up with me til 2 in the morning to get all of that done? THANK YOU, Ashley! I can't wait til we get to wrap little Alexander in his blankie from Mom and Aunt Ashley :0)

We had a WONDERFUL, fun and relaxing time...
thank you Ben & Ashley!!

Winter Getaway 2011.

This year for our Winter Getaway we decided to go to Downtown SLC. We used the rest of Bry's Marriott points and got a room on the 16th floor. Or was the 18th? In any case, we had a great view! For lunch we shared a Café Rio chicken salad then picked out 1lb. of Sees' chocolates for dessert...and late-night snacking :0) After checking into our hotel we bundled up and took Trax over to the Gateway for some shopping. That evening we got dressed up a bit and had dinner at the Melting Pot, then got hot coco/herbal tea and fresh baked cookies at the Concierge Lounge and snuggled up to watch "the Pursuit of Happyness"---great movie! The next day we did a session in the SLC Temple and met up with Grandpa Stevenson to do sealings (with him as the sealer). To finish things off we got lunch (soup and sandwiches) at the Nauvoo Café and headed home.

*Thank you to my Family AND to Julie for watching Brie so that we could getaway!*

(click to enlarge.)

trying to get an aerial shot of my baby bump.
Look how small my feet look :0)

(Click on the picture to enlarge...I love this series! :0))

Oh how I love getaways with my sweetie. And there is just something about getting away while it's snowy...extra romantic ;0) Thanks for the good times...sure love you, BRY! :0)

Springfield---Walk Down Memory Lane.

For our 3rd wedding anniversary we decided to head down to Springfield (where Bry spent most of his "growing up years") for a walk down memory lane.

Famous frozen custard from Andy's.

after attending church at his old ward.

We spent the weekend with Ben & Ashley.
Thanks for EVERYTHING guys!

After a visit with the Zahn Family.

Ben & Ashley made us breakfast in bed AND THEN watched Brie ALL day long so that Bry and I could enjoy our anniversary just the two of us.

Bry's old house was up for sale and the real estate agent was so nice to let us walk through it. It was fun to hear Bry reminisce and share fun memories associated with each room.

We got AMAZING sandwiches at an international market...French & German sodas too.

We visited Bry's old high school....KICKAPOO High.


One of Bry's science teachers.

I have to admit that nausea hit me HARD on this trip, but other than that we had a WONDERFUL time. It was so fun to finally see Bry's old stomping grounds AND so sweet of Ben & Ashley to let us stay with them.

Winter Getaway 2010.

The getaway started with Bry bringing home these beautiful flowers on Friday morning. He usually gets me gerbers (since their some of my favorite), but he wanted to change things up. I'm glad he did. The vibrant colors are beautiful!!

We got a bit of a late start, but by 11AM we were on our way.

I think I'll make it a getaway tradition to take funny pictures of myself
in the car while Bry's filling up or running in the store ;0)


The drive to Manti was absolutely beautiful.
Take a look for yourself...

I couldn't help but pull out my telephoto lens to snap a few shots.
Or a lot of shots :0)

Driving down Main Street in Manti. This was a first time here for both of us. I loved the small town, homey feel.

Our first stop was the Manti Temple. WOW. The hymn that came to mind was, "A Mighty Fortress is our God." A mighty and majestic fortress it was. Quite the sight to behold. Bry was sweet and offered that we first wander the grounds for a little photo shoot of the temple. He knows me well :0)


(If you click on this picture, you'll see on the enlarged version the snow falling through the sun rays. It was magical.)

me and my sweetie.

(a wedding party and a COLD but beautiful blue-skied day.)




We came across this little wooded path behind the temple.
We didn't last long though, it was FREEZING!!!!!

But we did last long enough to spot...

Some beautiful deer.

By that time we were ready to head in from the cold. It was so nice to be inside of the warm, clean, reverent temple...to feel of the wonderful spirit there and to meet some of the wonderful saints in Manti. We felt so at home and had a lovely time doing a session. We even got to see one of the famous spiral staircases. Overall, it was such a sweet experience to share together and a perfect way to spend the afternoon.

After leaving Manti we headed to Richfield, where we checked into our hotel.

Bry was able to use some of his hotel points--that he accrues when he stays at Marriotts while traveling for business--to reserve us a beautiful room. I loved the modern look and the accents of lime green throughout.

Once we had unpacked our things and changed into more casual clothes we were off to Pepperbellys for dinner. (Pepperbellys = a unique retro service station feel meets Mexican)

I LOVE booths (they make me feel like I'm having my own dining experience instead of surrounded by a restaurant full of other diners) so we requested one. Usually Bry sits across from me, but the table was TOO wide and we felt too far apart (it's TRUE!), so he came and cozied up next to me :0)

Other than getting a strawberry lemonade to share, we decided to order some of their "Mexican" items...chips & bean dip, quesadillas, an enchilada, tostada and sweet pork smothered burrito. OH and to finish it off we got their fried icecream with caramel & chocolate, whipped cream and sprinkles on top. Yum. It was A LOT of food, but we wanted leftovers to take with us :0)

The next day we woke up at 8:30 and enjoyed just staying in bed cuddled up and chatting...without a cute little one year old wanting us to get her out of her crib :0)

We had a yummy continental breakfast in the lobby and then I insisted on bringing up something to eat in bed while watching Saturday morning cartoons. I brought up Strawberry Pop Tarts and Bry brought up some cereal. None of the cartoons really interested us so we ended up watching a few fascinating minutes of "The Woodwright's Shop." Ok, probably not a show for everyone, but it brought back good ol' Saturday morning memories of watching, "This Old House" and "Bob Ross." :0)

We savored a few minutes of lounging around on a Saturday morning, got packed up and were off!

We considered driving to Bryce Canyon or Capitol Reef, but, since we probably would have run out of time, we got back on the road and....


...enjoyed more beautiful & snowy scenery, being together, chatting and listening to Michael Bublé's "Crazy Love"....and decided to visit Fish Lake.

Bry's (Stevenson) relatives spent many a Summer family reunion there, so we thought we would revisit their old stomping grounds.

We pulled into the parking lot and were surrounded by trucks...



...and more trucks!

I think we were the only car there! Our little Chevrolet Malibu :0)

The vehicle next to us had the best bumper stickers plastered all over their side door. My favorite was the "Have a Crappie Day" :0)

And here it is in all its frozen splendor...

Fish Lake.

We couldn't help but walk out on the Lake to talk to some of the ice fisherman. After all, I had NO clue what ice fishing was all about. We couldn't pass up the opportunity to get a little 101 education. AND plus, it's not every day that you get to say you walked ON a Lake :0)


Me, walking on Fish Lake.

Afterward we headed home. Our excursion to Fish Lake made for a lot of driving, but we enjoyed the beautiful scenery and the chance to chat, set goals and plan. What a great trip!!

Bry, thanks for planning such a fun getaway. You're awesome! I sure love you :0)

**Now it's time for me to let the Valentine's Day scheming begin!**