New York City!

Last weekend I went to the Big Apple! First time ever. It was a blast! Jake travels all over for work and is gone pretty much every weekend, and this time I tagged along and was able to get a last minute flight to the city. It was fun to see all the sights. I got in and it was gorgeous! I sometimes forget how green the east coast is (although it comes at a price...humidity...ugh) It was the perfect time to go because the leaves were changing and it was so pretty, and it wasn't too hot or cold. It was perfect :-)

I got in Saturday evening and spent the time at Jake's trade show with him volunteering my services (kind of) as a promo girl. But mostly I just wondered around. It was actually a lot of fun! We were staying in Long Island, and by the time the show was over we were exhausted and it was pouring down rain so we just went to dinner and back to the boatel. (It was a hotel on water...cute huh) Then Sunday we did the show again. It was a good thing I did because I would have gotten lost in the city by myself.

Afterwards we went into the city at night, which was amazing! We had pizza on the Brooklyn Bridge, then went and saw Times Square and some of the other sights, like Central Park. I'm so glad we went at night, because it looks so different.

Monday morning we went back. We went to Central Park again and Times Square, and saw WAll Street and the financial district and the site for Ground Zero. We also went to where the Statue of Liberty was. We rode the subway all around and ran into some interesting characters! I love New Yorkers; they are hilarious. It was a GREAT time and I'm so glad I went! We had a blast!! I need to make a slideshow of all the pictures i took but I'll do that later. I'm tired :-)

Updates!

Well my Jill Blog is in desperate need of an update. I've been terribly busy so for the three or four of you who actually read it, I'm sorry :-)

Let's see...Sara's wedding! I flew out to Indianapolis for a week to go to the wedding and help. It was a whirlwind of activity! I got into Indy and spent the next few days helping out with stuff. Being a *good* Maid of Honor is quite a task!

A few days before the girls went to dessert at the Cheesecake Factory in Indianapolis. It was nice to get out and talk. Here is a picture of me and Sara. (I'm usually not so luminous...must be the flash.)



We drove out to Nauvoo for the wedding itself, which was fun (the wedding and subsequent funtivities, not the drive.) A lot of Ben's family flew in, and we all stayed in a mansion on the banks of the Mississippi River. Sadly it rained the two days before the wedding so we were mostly inside but that's ok. There was a lot of work to do. Andy and Hayley brought Poppy and Charlotte, which was a blast. I hadn't seen them since Christmas and it was unreal to see how much they've grown.

We were so worried because of all the rain, but it could not have been a more beautiful day! It was sunny and dry and perfect. I "got" to watch the kids during the temple sealing, which was fine. They slept the whole time. Then we went back and waited for Sara and Ben to make their grand exit. Sara looked STUNNING. Everyone kept saying she looked like she walked right off the set of a bridal magazine or a Vogue shoot. I have never seen a more beautiful bride! They looked so happy together.

There were approximately a billion pictures taken (no joke) and here are a few. I want to get more up but I'm waiting on the slackers who have not downloaded all their pictures yet. (You know who you are.)

Peachy!

I don't really cook much for two reasons -- one, I tend to leave out ingredients and skip steps (ADD anyone?) and two, being single I don't really like to cook for just myself--it's a little depressing and I end up throwing most of it out. But in my recent efforts to become more...domestic, I recently decided to try my hand at making homemade peach jam. My mom makes this and it's so good on scones and biscuits and waffles. It turned out great! I think next time I won't grind up the peaches so much, because I do like a chunkier jam :-) but overall I was really pleased!

Poor car!

This is me and my little car during happier times.
Now, though, it's cursed. I've gotten in 2 pretty bad wrecks in as many months. And in case you're wondering, neither one was my fault! Unfortunately the law didn't agree with me for one of them, but we all know the truth :-) So the first one, a lady in a huge SUV (packed to the brim with junk, I might add) crossed over into my lane. (Who went into whose lane first was the subject of controversy. In the end 7 witnesses said it was my fault... impossible unless all 7 were in the car directly behind me and only 2 people, not 7, stopped.) We were both going about 80 on the freeway. I went spinning across 4 lanes of traffic and landed, considerably shaken, in a ditch facing the oncoming traffic. Luckily I landed in the ditch and didn't stall in the middle of the freeway, or I would have for sure been a goner, esp since a semi and a ton of other cars were headed straight for me. But I drove away (yes drove!) without a scratch. Three weeks later I got my car back. **As a funny side note, Jake and I were in the car about a month earlier and he said something about my driving. I told him I'd never been in an accident to which he immediately replied, "How many have you caused?"**

A short month after that I got read ended on the freeway. The damage wasn't nearly as bad but it was still annoying. Even more annoying when today, just 2 days after I got it back, the whole back end of my car is loose. Apparently they didn't tighten all the screws or something. I am very irritated by it, but I'll take it back in on Monday and see if they can get it right this time.

The cool thing about it, though, is that both cars who hit me were totaled but I drove away both times, even the first. So it's a sturdy little car!

Congratulations Sara and Ben!

Look at this cute little couple! My sister Sara recently got engaged and will be married soon in the Nauvoo temple. I'm so happy for her that she has found the man she will spend forever with! She is so sweet and caring and fun and she deserves the best and to be happy!

Because I'm the maid of honor, I've been busy doing all the little things that entails. It's been a little difficult seeing as how I live so far away, but it's still been a lot of fun. I'm excited to get out there and see everyone and participate in this special time. Obviously I won't be going through the temple but Andy and Hayley (who were married in the same temple a few years ago but I didn't get to go) will be there too and of course they're bringing the girls, so I'm stoked to see my little nieces. It will be so much fun and such a happy time for our family and I can't wait!!

Congratulations Sara!!! I heart you! :-)

My new house!

So... in March of this year I closed on my first house! I was so excited! It's nice that my days of renting are finally behind me and I have something that's MINE that I can do whatever I want with! If I want to paint, I can, if I want to get a dog, I can (that should be happening soon!) So it's exciting.

After I closed Mom and Dad came out to kind of help me get things set up. They were kind enough to get all my blinds for me (I was under the mistaken impression that blinds are like $10 apiece. Not so.) and Dad even put them up. Fortunately he is a perfectionist, unlike me, so they actually look good.

Mom helped me with all the decorating. I feel like I'm learning more about that now! I've loved picking up little things here and there for my new house. It's been so fun!

And here is what my house says about me! According to this highly scientific quiz.

What the House Test Says About You

You consider yourself important, but no more important than anyone else. You love attention, but you don't feel like you deserve more of it than anyone else. You can't stand community oriented people and annoying "buy local" campaigns. You prefer to live the best life possible, and that doesn't really involve many other people. You are a playful, charming, and seductive person. People feel instantly close to you. You take good care of your physical appearance. You dress well, stay in shape, and do your best to look great. You are moved by romance and love. You are optimistic about people, and you love hearing about happy endings.

The House Test

This is a work in progress!

I have a Jill blog! Yay. I know these are mostly made by people who are married or about to get married, but who cares, I want one too! I will figure this all out and get going on it soon.

Peace!