Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year Everyone!

Things the Season Brings

I spent the morning in the Emergency Room with my niece and my sister-in-law, more out of curiosity than support. The Christmas season brings so many wonderful traditions and memories, some of which involve crafts (for ambitious moms like my sister-in-law). Thus the 3 cornered beads that you string on pipe cleaners come out in red and green to create beautiful ornaments. Hannah, my niece, decided to decorate her nose this morning and forced one of these oddly shaped beads up her nose so far it was hardly visible. No amount of blowing would budge it and when the pediatrician said it was too risky for them to dislodge it, we were off to the hospital. I really wondered how they would manage to free this tiny piece of Christmas cheer, so I had to go along. Plus, someone needed to take the pictures for posterity's sake. It took quite a few tries for the PA, with a nurse, a tech, and my sister-in-law restraining the 3 year old. Tis the season to make new promises, and she faithfully promised all involved she would never stick anything up her nose again. :)

Is There A Dr. In The House?

Well, I have to say that my hiding under a bushel for my fears of not being able to control my future are finally over. In the past months that I have neglected this poor blog I have re-taken the MCAT, finished my medical school applications including what seemed like hundreds of entrance essays. I have had 2 interviews so far, and today I got a phone call with my second acceptance. Thus, I can now come back out of my hiding space and tell you all of the happenings in the Sowby household. Dr. Sowby will be in the house.... just give it quite a few years for me to finish up :) The important thing is that I am finally on my way! Move over House, Dr. Sowby is on the way up. So far my acceptances are to a school in NYC (HARLEM) and one in the sticks of Tennessee. I'm not sure how I feel about living in the city of cement in a tiny apartment, but Craig hasn't decided yet which he prefers. NY would definitely do well for his line of work, but the school in Tenn. is in the middle of the mountains with great hiking trails. It's a tough call for him :) Anyway, I have fully repented of my folly and will keep up with the updates.

P.S. On other big news, baby #2 is on it's way at the end of May. Man do we have some changes coming to us! I obviously think this is not merely news for a Post Script, but am always unsure on how to break such news. Thus, I have resorted to the PS. Plus, those that get bored up top won't have patients (like my Dr. joke?) to find out the exciting news thus entered:) haha!

Brian May Remembered

This week is the one year mark of my cousin-in-law Brian May's death. He was/is an awesome guy and I can't remember back to when he and my cousin Stacey weren't married. He was a VERY large man and I remember as a child being nervous at his towering above me, but it always wore off after his friendliness came through.

I loved hearing about the way they met and fell in love. Stacey was an early morning custodian on campus at BYU and Brian was at her apartment (visiting her roommate) when she came home looking lovely from the early morning cleaning. I might not be remembering it completely accurately, but it seems that he made some smart comment, she returned one, and she wasn't much impressed with him. Needless to say they later fell in love.

Brian was a BYU football starter and so this past weekend my cousin Stacey was in Provo for a fundraiser etc. She and another BYU football widow were interviewed and carried the alumni flag onto the field at the game.

Here is the clip.



We love you May family and we miss Brian.

Snaggle Tooth

It was getting to Suede's 16 month birthday and I was getting extremely anxious about the fact that no teeth had yet popped into her gum filled mouth.

Web MD says, "Usually, the first primary tooth comes in (erupts) at about 6 months of age, although it can be as early as 3 months or as late as 1 year of age. In rare cases, a baby gets a first tooth after his or her first birthday."

Thus, Suede was EXTREMELY RARE being 4 months past her first birthday. Finally, just as I was getting ready to schedule an appointment with her Doctor (a day after her 16 mo. birthday) a tooth popped in. YEAH!

Again she is unusual in that it wasn't the bottom 2 teeth (that usually come in first), but her top front right tooth. I'm excited that the time of breaking food up in extremely small pieces is almost over. I had to get a picture, but as you can see, she wasn't the happiest about it at the time.


I was told that our friend Brad didn't get his teeth until really late as well, and he seems to have a good brain, so lets hope there's a correlation there :)

Hawaiian in the blood

It all started back in Utah when my Ward (church congregation) was having a Luau. A member of our ward was an AMAZING Polynesian dancer and teacher and she taught us a Tahitian dance and a Hula. It was so much fun I couldn't stop. I started taking Tahitian but soon got pregnant and my expanding hips couldn't take it. Here's a picture of my awesomeness (OK Maybe it's not me. I wish. I'm really white when it comes to this stuff. Someday I'll be able to shake like this).

Thus, I switched to Hula and the same dancer in my ward came over and gave me private Hula lessons right up until I delivered. Let me tell you, it is an amazing leg and hip workout.
Here's a taste of what it supposed to look like

After visiting Hawaii and hearing the music, my Dad became convinced that he was supposed to have Hawaiian blood running through his veins. Now I think I agree.

Anyway, all of this to say that I have once again started taking Hula lessons. I found a Halau in Stafford, Va. (Hoku Hula) and am really loving it. Someday I'll be good enough to share :) As of now I'll just continue to be extremely sore every Saturday afternoon.

Rambo vs. Black Ninja

Those of you who have spent even a short amount of time with me and Craig have inevitably seen us have it out at one point or another. Don't get me wrong, we are madly in love, but what else could happen with two extremely stubborn people. Heads collide and we let them roll. They are (mostly) stupid things that have no relevance to our lives together and we end up laughing at them mere hours later. Yesterday was such a day as we were leaving stake conference (for you non-Mormons that is when a bunch of congregations in the area meet together to listen to the area leaders). We had just left a meeting in which we learned to be more charitable and more Christlike and as we entered the car, exploded into one of these wonderful battles. I argue like this....

With bazookas and machine guns and all out explosions. Craig on the other hand argues like this....

With stealth modes an untrained eye cannot recognize.

Thus commenced our argument. I blowing up the car with yelling and Craig sneakily taking out my feet. It's quite a site if you are ever fortunate enough to observe this theatrical event. Thus brings me to a jewel of a quote provided by my dear husband.

Speaking of our "spiritual meeting" we had just left he replied with a calm voice, "Well I am glad that you felt the spirit...(big pause)... of contention."
This was was followed by some great explosions on my part of course.

Now it is a wonderful laughing matter :)

Old Dogs and New Tricks

Don't believe people when they say you can't teach an old dog new tricks. My first experience going anywhere with Craig proved a lot about both of our personalities. We walked up to his car, he got in and I stood in front of my door waiting. He looked at me oddly at first then reached over (from the inside) and opened the car door. I closed it. He opened it again. I closed it. He then shrugged and started to back out. I smiled. He stopped the car, got out and opened my door and we had a lovely afternoon. Needless to say I didn't marry a hopelessly romantic fellow. We spent our honeymoon camping across America (other than the wedding night hotel provided by my parents). Practice has definitely paid off and yesterday I was provided with a WONDERFUL birthday. I awoke to, well, a crying baby, then I was presented with a menu selection.

I chose my breakfast of waffles, got ready, and we went to my favorite store, Barnes and Noble, where I picked up A Left-Hand Turn Around The World to read about all of the left hand places I need to visit, The Female Brain to help me in my quest to help Craig understand how I think (and to understand myself), and My Cousin Rachel by my favorite author Daphne du Maurier. As you can see from the itinerary I was only supposed to pick 2, but I convinced him to let me get 3 since 2 were on sale. We had a wonderfully tasty lunch at Maggiano's and returned home to eat some delicious chocolate cake (made from scratch by my sister-in-law Gina). This cake is labeled WAGONFOOD (as you can see in the video) so I can safely eat it on my diet and still stay "on the wagon".

I then was ushered into the car not knowing where we were going. We arrived at The Whistle Stop Bed and Breakfast in Louisa, Va. and had a relaxing time reading on the porch, putting coins on the train track to get squashed, eating a fruit tart and drinking sparkling apple cider (provided by my sister-in-law and mom), watching a movie, and "going to bed early". It was an awesome birthday thought up entirely by my wonderful husband, who when I first met him was unwilling to make an effort to even open my door. Thus, Old Dog, new trick.
P.S. I have since learned how to operate a car on my own (comment added by Craig as he was proofreading my writing. He has to feel manly somehow I guess. Just know he still does open my door.)

Beaches and Butterflies

We've done a few fun things thus far this Summer. All in all I realize that as soon as you have kids things are changed from, "This will be fun for me." to... "This will be fun for the kids!" The only way they coincide is if you happen to live through their enjoyment (that was said with a smile on my face if you were wondering). A trip to Virginia Beach with my mom and 7 kids (4 of my sister's and 2 of my brother's and Suede) proved my patience has not grown to the heights I had previously thought. It was a fun trip though and I really did like seeing them have so much fun.



Her first visit to the ocean was a big success and I had a hard time convincing her that she wanted to be playing in the sand by the blanket so I could read my book. The water was just to tempting to her and she would run for it at every chance. I did prevail for about 3 pages though.



With DC so close we feel the need to start her experience of the Nation's Capitol early. Last week we rode the metro and visited the Natural History Museum.


Before going to the museum we visited the Old Post Office for lunch and went up to the tower. They have these huge bells and every Thursday evening. the bell ringers come to practice and you can hear it out on 12th street. They do some crazy patterns that don't repeat themselves and have something like 5000 sequences or something (without music). At the tourist shop I saw something you will only find in our wonderful Nation's Capitol. Check out these pre-printed license plates. Not John or Mary but...

and

and


At the Natural History Museum I decided to get her started on her anatomy early. And starting with the skull is always easiest.



It was about 2 hours after nap time while she decided to have a melt down in front of hundreds of tourists, that I vowed never to take her in public again. Luckily that all melted away and I found the trip completely worth it when we visited the butterfly house. It was filled with hundreds of butterflies with the most amazing colors. You first enter a little room so they can ensure that none will escape and as you walk in the door a fan blows down on you to try to keep them contained. After you leave you have to enter another room and get checked to make sure none of the butterflies were hitch-hiking their way to freedom. Although, who would want to leave that paradise of flowers and fruit. It was amazing having them land and sit on me. Suede loved them. If you're ever in DC make sure to go to the Natural History museum on a Tuesday b/c that's when the butterfly house is free. I would suggest getting your tickets early though. We had to wait about 2.5 hours for our time to come up. Hence the break down. All in all it was a great time and I love visiting my favorite city.




Have you ever had a butterfly on your head? Well I have...

Memories!

My sister claims I'm a narcissist, and well truthfully, aren't we all? We all look for our picture first in a group photo. Anyway, when I saw this on my sister-in-law's blog I couldn't resist. I want to hear all about... well ME! I might be sorry later, after I start to remember things long since past :), but I'll give it a shot. Note for rule #4, as long as it is funny and won't be too unbearable it's fair game in my book. Here are the instructions as copied from her blog:


1. As a comment on my blog, leave a memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you know me a little or a lot, anything you remember. If we're only blogging friends write about a post that is most memorable.
2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. It's actually pretty funny to see the responses. If you leave a memory about me, I'll be sure to write one about you....either on your blog, in my comment box, or I will email you one back.
3. If the memory happens to involve my husband, please include him.
4. If you can't say something nice, don't say nothin' at all.



That's me contemplating all our memories together :)

Happy blogging!

Happy Anniversary

Craig and my anniversary is on July 5th, so this year (6th anniversary) we decided to abandon my family and the tradition of spending the 4th on the Mall in DC for what I thought would be a spectacular show in Philadelphia. We also managed to leave Suede as well :) I do have to say our hotel was great and I found this Italian restaurant with a pasta dish that was so tasty I had to get it again the second night. We walked down Ben Franklin Parkway with all of the booths fit for a fair and finally reach the stage at the end for the show. It began to rain and after hearing the "Jersey Click Girls" perform we decided that no fireworks were worth that wait. (I tried to do a google search for these famous click girls and found NOTHIN- just picture 3 wanna be Hannah Montanas with microphone stands and mic covers adorned with sparkly sequins). We ended up leaving the show to go back to our hotel room and watch the show in DC on TV instead of live. I think we were actually asleep before the Philly fireworks even began. But let me say again. It was a nice hotel and I quite enjoyed it. The next day....our anniversary... we decided to see the historic sites. We stood in line for tickets to Independence Hall and then.... we went back to the hotel for a bit of a snooze. Craig got a migraine and ended up staying in that wonderful hotel to sleep while I ventured out on my own to walk back down to tour Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell. (Those of you that know my sense of direction and incredible anxiety for being lost should be quite impressed with this feat) After a few hours of rest, he seemed up to going to the festival down at the water. It was going to be spectacular. There were food vendors from all of the great restaurants in the city and Boys II Men were going to perform. If you have forgotten this jewel of a band from the 90s here's one of their hits for you.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZcG0NBMcDA

(Sorry they blocked being able to put the video on blogs. You'll have to go to the link)

Well, we sat on the steps waiting for the show to start for an hour past starting time until Craig finally decided it wasn't worth waiting for (I had my doubts before we even entered the gated cement park with shoulder to shoulder people). Thus, we were to leave, but not without Craig's blessed funnel cake. We stood in line for another hour to get the powdered sugar coated fried pancake batter that cost $5. All that matters is that it was worth it to him I suppose.

Trying to exit this wonderful facility was another matter. There were 3 entrances with people charging through and the staff WAS NOT letting anyone out. We stood amidst an angry crowd that was getting more and more agitated as the minutes passed with cops that merely opened up another entrance instead of letting anyone out. Finally after about 45 min. we were permitted to leave (as I think they realized no one else could even fit inside). I think what finally opened their eyes was the woman who passed out and was being carried by her distraught husband trying to find the ambulance. I watched a policeman stare at this man in great need of help without even acknowledging his existence. I WAS DISTRAUGHT and proceeded to yell at the cop (much to Craig's embarrassment).

It all ended well though because I got that incredible pasta dish to go and we once again missed the fireworks and relaxed in the hotel room and watched the first stage of the Tour de France (another one of my loves).

All in all, it was a great anniversary, but next time I think I'll stick with the best and spend my Independence Day in DC as always. Here's a taste of what we missed.



At this point I would like to turn to the wisdom of Tevye.



TRADITION!!!

Coldplay Contest With Jubeus Opening

Craig recently joined a new band named Jubeus. Here is a video that they did right before he joined for a contest to play with Coldplay. I hope they win! If you want to hear more of their music you can go to www.jubeus.com
He's having a lot of fun with them and they have shows every weekend throughout the Summer.

Suede's Mural

So it's been quite a while since we have done a post. I hope I haven't lost all of our readers. For Suede's birthday my mom (Judy) and my sister-in-law Gina painted a mural for Suede on her wall. She loves books so they combined storybook characters. Raggedy Ann and Andy, Beatrix Potter characters, and Pooh. They did an awesome job and I can't believe how cool it is every time I walk into her room. The most amazing thing to me is that they did it all FREE HAND. They just looked at a picture and drew it on the wall. It still amazes me. It was the best birthday present for Suede and she really does love looking at the pictures. As you can see she has a book corner in her room that she spends a lot of time in. Thank you Mom and Gina!

I always knew I was the daughter of a Sultan

You Are Jasmine!

Independent and adventurous. You don't want much; just to break out of the guilded cage society has put you in and experience life to the fullest. Following orders isn't really one of your strong points, and you would rather live a life of poverty than being forced into something that you hate.

Which Disney Princess Are You?

Suede's Birthday Bash

Suede's 1st B-day was April 25th. Taralyn was proud of the ladybug cake she and her mom made. Meanwhile, Taralyn's dad was exhausted from all the work Taralyn and her mom had done. 

Johnny Cash @ the Muppets singing with Miss Piggy

I've had a rough well.....school year. I finished my first final of the semester this morning and needed a much needed break. I decided to listen to a bit of Johnny Cash to ground me. Wow, did it do the trick. I couldn't help but move and tap my feet. I'm sure those around me in the study room found it quite odd that in the midst of hell I was tapping my toes with my headphones on. I decided to share the wealth and post a bit on Johnny and came across this treasure. Nothing better than Johnny and the Muppets to make your day. There's more too if you need some extra pick-me up on You-Tube. I'm still smiling.

Fiddler On The Roof - Bottle Dance.

I knew I had seen Suede's skills somewhere. Thanks to Corbin for pinpointing it. Fiddler On The Roof bottle dance. She's got an early start. Soon we'll be able to add the bottle.

Suede's Scootin' Shufflin' Shimmy

"When words are scarce they're seldom spent in vain" Shakespeare

This pictures is a bit old (about 3 mo ago), but I felt it was fitting for her first word. Let me introduce the family dog. We enjoy all the perks of being dog owners without any of the hassle i.e. feeding, cleaning, walking. Our upstairs neighbors (my brother and his family) have the best Boxer. He's smart, sweet, and cuddly and Craig never lets us forget he's also stinky. He's amazing with kids and Suede squeals every time he comes down to visit us. So her first word was not the loving expression of Mama, but that of "Boo" the family dog. You can see here she is tugging at his ears while he just lays in waiting for what may come next. He has one blue eye that is thus red in the picture and I'm starting to think he might be deaf in one ear. His hearing is very acute, but he has trouble spatially; figuring out where the sound comes from is sometimes a challenge. He opens doors to get in the house (which can be bad if you want to keep his muddiness outside). But like I said, I have the joy of hearing about the messes without having to take part in their cleaning up :). He actually assists in OUR clean up with his rapid actions under Suede's high chair after meals. So, all in all I don't feel slighted by her choice of word. I think he's rather great too.

DISCLAIMER: Craig, being the one that sees the most of Suede during the day, states that Suede's first word was in actuality Dada. I was not told of this at the time, thus if he wants me to concede to such things has to keep me abreast on all the latest happenings in the world of Suede.

Happy Easter

Happy Easter to everyone. I had a wonderful week leading up to Easter Sunday preparing to speak in Sacrament Meeting (to the congregation). I've never spent that much time contemplating the Resurrection of Christ before Easter actually comes, and I think I'll make it a yearly tradition (hopefully not counting the speaking part). It really helped me to appreciate it much more than I have in the past. We spend so much time leading up to Christmas, but Easter, the most important event of all we kind of glaze over until the day of. It was a little nerve racking having me and Craig as the only speakers on Easter Sunday, but we got through it.

My favorite quote of this year for Easter is by Howard W. Hunter (in his talk "He Is Risen"):

“Think of it! When his body was taken from the cross and hastily placed in a borrowed tomb, he, the sinless Son of God, had already taken upon him not only the sins and temptations of every human soul who will repent, but all of our sickness and grief and pain of every kind. He suffered them all. He did this to perfect his mercy and his ability to lift us above every earthly trial. But there remained one more set of chains to be broken before the Atonement could be complete; the bands of death... It is the responsibility and joy of all men and women everywhere to “seek this Jesus of whom the prophets and apostles have [testified]” (Ether 12:41) and to have the spiritual witness of his divinity. It is the right and blessing of all who humbly seek, to hear the voice of the Holy Spirit, bearing witness of the Father and his resurrected Son.”

Here are some pictures of Suede and her cousin Hannah in their pretty Easter dresses. Happy Easter!

Deer Me! Hiking (a wee bit of) the AT

What's the AT? you ask. For us veterans of long distance hiking, we have our own explanation. For the rest of you couch potatoes, the Appalachian Trail is 2,175 miles of the most bucolic and famous hiking trail in the US. We decided to tackle the AT (well,  4 miles of it anyway). This was just the first of many warmups to our June 2-6, 5 day, 56 miler.

The first thing we discovered was that we were not alone.

What we didn't realize was that Pete's dragon was somewhere near.

We found some huge cliffs with a giant lake beneath.

Well, it looked big on the book cover.

Taralyn decided to use her awesome hooded exercise jacket to it's fullest.

We made it to the top of Stony man Mountain, second highest point in Virginia.

I love Jane Austen

Take the Quiz here!

I was quite surprised. I always pictured myself as an Elizabeth Bennett :)

4 Generations

My 86 year old grandmother was in town last week for my cousin's wedding so we took the opportunity to take some pictures of our 4 generations of womanhood. Let me say she is absolutely amazing. She exercises every day, is computer savvy, and of course keeps up on politics. Just last March she even traveled to Israel. I'm proud to be carrying her mitochondria and passing it on to Suede. Thanks to my sister the photographer. It's always nice to have a professional around.

Absence makes the heart grow fonder

It's been absolutely wonderful returning to my home of Virginia after a seven year excursion in Utah in which I gained both an awesome husband and a wonderful daughter. I did enjoy my time there, but I really never expected to miss it this much when I came home. Here's a short portion of what I miss about that Beehive state inspired by Leslie's recent post.

1. The Sowby Fam
2. Huge looming mountains with snowcapped tips
3. Beautiful temples around every bend of highway
4. An excess of great music concerts (played and watched)
5. SNOW, SNOW, SNOW, SNOW
6. Did I mention the SNOW?
7. Being able to walk to church (instead of driving 40 min.)
8. Hiking
9. Rock climbing OUTSIDE
10. Great bike trails
11. Sunday drives on the alpine loop
12. Many nights of debate and fun with the Wittusens
13. Sunday dinners at the Orchard's
14. FRIENDS

Leslie I must say, and I never thought I would, I heart Utah as well!

She has potential!

When Suede gets excited, and then you watch it slowed down to 70%, it looks like she is conducting a symphony. So here it is in full score. This is just a teaser for her feature film. Enjoy!