Survivor

I've been waiting to blog because I wanted to be able to say we made it one whole week without Sam. And here we are, alive. We really did make it. I can't promise that Bria and I retained all our emotional stabilities all week, but we are alive. And the better news is that Sam is coming to visit us two weeks from today. He'll be at a conference in Chicago and will stop through SLC for six days before he heads back out to VA. Sam is still working hard at the job search. He's talked to a lot of people and learned a great deal that will hopefully help him find a job. Until then, we are remaining positive!

Bria and I have tried to keep ourselves busy this week. Bria has taken it upon herself to dazzle and delight her grandparents with her endless tricks. She has developed some very impressive dancing moves, which I will try to capture on camera. She started imitating my mom with pat-a-cake. She did most of the movements for a while, but now she will only do "and throw it in the oven." Which gets her pretty excited.


She really loves anything having to do with tomatoes. She will eat them like apples and she will eat spoonfuls of pizza sauce, ketchup, and now salsa.


She also loves to make a mess, of course. She was playing with a water bottle, saw that it poured water, poured said water all over the floor, played with the water, and then wiped it up when I brought her a towel.




My brother, his wife, and their two boys came to town, and Bria thoroughly enjoyed reading books with her cousin Tyler and my mom.

Today Bria found one of Sam's Red Sox hats and has been wearing it around the house all day. She loves to put it over eyes and walk around blind, laughing. It makes me fairly nervous, but I did manage to snatch a couple shots before pulling it up so she could see.



So now we're just counting down the days (hours, minutes . . . ) until Sam gets here. We've done some video chats this week, which have been great. And Bria definitely started calling Sam Da-da (not to be confused with the movement), since every time she sees a picture of him, she yells it out and points excitedly.
We're trying to come up with some fun things to do here in SLC so we don't die of boredom; if you have any ideas, please share!

Step One

This has been a whirlwind week. I had a vacation with my sisters, we packed up our apartment in Provo, moved our stuff into a storage unit, moved up to Salt Lake, and Sam leaves for Virginia this afternoon-- not to mention Father's Day and our 4-year engagement anniversary. It has been very exciting as we take all these steps toward our final destination (sam finding gainful employment in Virginia and our subsequent reunion).
I wish I had some pictures to share from the past week, but my camera cord is packed somewhere-- I'll get to it soon. In the meantime, I need to pack for Sam (as he finishes packing up our apartment in Provo), and then I will spend some quality hours with Sam. We are both trying not to think about his leaving. The most difficult part is not knowing how long we'll be apart. We've been together for over four years, and we're still absolutely crazy about each other. I'm sending positive vibes and thoughts out into the universe, hoping the return will be a speedy reunion. Until then, I'll just be partying it up in Salt Lake with my parents! (and teaching Bria how to go down stairs . . . )

Any Suggestions

On how to get vomit smell out of carpet?


(thanks, Bria.)

Counting Down

I am kind of in denial that our days in Provo are nearly over-- not because I don't want them to be over, but just because we've been here so long. So when I tell myself, "you need to pack! you are moving in ten days!" I then think to myself, "yeah, right." Hmmm . . . my to-do list is growing rapidly, and I'm feeling rather overwhelmed, which is exactly why I'm blogging right now.

Bria's new favorite activity is putting any cloth she can find over her head and then walking around laughing. Kind of dangerous. Kind of hilarious.

Also, Jen, Max, and Mallory (Sam's brother Matt's family) were in town visiting Jen's family and we got to hang out with them for a couple hours. After the initial 30 seconds of uncertainty, Bria quickly warmed up to her cousins and aunt as well as Jen's sister, her three kids, and Jen's mom. This picture shows her excitement fairly well, I think.

She also demonstrated her skills by tickling Mallory and saying "ticka, ticka." Unfortunately, Mallory (four months her junior) was not a fan.


We had a great time hanging out, and we were so glad to see them while they were here! Sam will see them in just another two weeks, since he'll be staying with them while he's in Virginia.
Ok. Seriously. I need to go pack. Or watch Alias while eating a fudge bar.

New Addition!

In addition to the frenzy of moving, I have started a food blog. I'm excited to have a place to document my culinary excursions. Please visit!

www.poshganache.blogspot.com


And as a way to celebrate the birth of the new blog, Bria has decided to start trying to climb out of her seat every meal time. It can be really fun-- especially if someone forgets to buckle her in.

The Update

So . . . Sam and I have been trying to move to Virginia for over a year. This isn't news. But we're finally doing it! Sam's job right now is freelance and we just found out that his contract is up on June 15th. We have been discussing our options for quite a while, but we didn't expect to have to make a decision so soon! So after a rather stressful week or so, we hammered out a plan. On June 22nd, we will put all our stuff into storage and move up to Salt Lake with my parents. Then, the next day, Sam is flying out to Virginia with a one-way ticket. The goal is for Sam to find a job in Virginia as quickly as possible so he can come fetch us from Utah. Needless to say, we are so blessed to have family in both Utah and Virginia.
It's crazy that after six years here, I'm finally leaving Provo! I couldn't be happier! But, on the other hand, change can be difficult and I feel nervous to move to the opposite side of the country. The excitement definitely outweighs the fear, but Bria and I are really going to miss Sam while he's away.

This is what Bria thinks of the plan:
So, we're busy packing things up and enjoying our last weeks in Provo. I'm starting a list of places to go-- mostly restaurants-- before we head out: J-Dawgs, Sweet Tooth Fairy, Sammy's. Wow. We need to get started on that. I'm also getting excited to spend some quality time with my parents before moving away. This will be quite the adventure!

It's Been A While

A rundown of what we've been up to:

A couple Fridays ago I met up with some friends from my old job at Spinal Interventions. That was the worst job in the world, but these women helped me make it through every day so I didn't explode into a ball of stress. Anyway, now most of us don't work there any more, but it was so great to get together and chat.

Bria has discovered the art of discovery.


She also discovered the goggles I wear while chopping onions. She thinks they are hilarious, which they are.



I discovered that Bria loves blueberries. I put some on a plate on the floor and she thought it was funny and wonderful.


Basically Bria loves to eat.


And she's still learning how to feed herself. I'm not sure why I pick the messiest items to let her try with a spoon: cous cous, curry, tortilla soup. Clearly I don't think things through. Thank goodness for paper towels, wet wipes, washing machines, brooms, and vacuums. (and, yes, this is her new favorite face-- usually accompanied by vigorous head shaking.)


My friend Anna came to visit from Colorado.


Bria loves the fan in the front room. I did notice a pen stuck in there, and I don't think it's ever coming out. I hope that's ok.



Bria knows where nose, hair, ear, and mouth are. She loves to clap for herself after pointing to them, but sometimes she just skips right to the clapping.