Hershey

Despite the fact that it was raining for the third Saturday in a row, Chris and I ventured down to Hershey, PA to meet Jon, Lauren, and Ryan for the day (a few weeks ago).

We fit quite a lot into one afternoon!
The Bird in Hand Farmer's Market:

Chocolate Tasting (very hard work... Jon is preparing for the difficult task at hand, hence his serious face... :)
Trying on Hershey stuff:
3D Hershey Movie:
(Chris wasn't drooling on himself, his rain jacket wasn't zipped up all the way when we came in- or so he says)
Awe :) Such a cute familyRyan apparently isn't old enough to appreciate the amazing 3D technology...
The last time I was in DC, Allison and I introduced Lauren to Madewell's Boyfriend Shirt. They are the BEST t-shirt ever... really... when I actually get dressed, they are all I wear :) I got used to checking with Allison to make sure we weren't wearing the same one on the same day... apparently I'm going to have to start checking with Lauren too.

Thanks for a fun day guys! Can't wait to see you for Thanksgiving :)

I have BLINDS!!!

And an awesome husband :)

Short 'n Sweet

A quick trip to DC + ice cream + these girls = a great weekend
(it was fun to see Ryan & Jon too :)
xoxo

Life in Pennsylvania

There's not a whole lot to report from our little corner of nowhere... We're all settled into a nice routine with work & school and have started to explore a bit. Last weekend we went to Black Moshannon and did a fun little hike around one of the lakes. By little, I mean 11 miles, which was a bit on the ambitious side for me considering that the most exercise I've been getting lately is going up the stairs to get to the bedroom, but it was a great morning none the less. The leaves are starting to change & are absolutely beautiful... I think all of the warm, pretty oranges and reds make the cold weather a bit more bearable for me!

Pretty- huh?

We also found this.
I like it :)

In other news, working 5 days a week sucks. I LOVE 12 hour shifts! And I want them back! But for my orientation (4 months) I have to work five 8's a week. Which means I'm commuting an hour there and and hour back... five times a week. The driving isn't actually that bad, it's the all the time wasted that's killing me! I love what I'm doing- so trust me, it's worth it- but still. I hate inefficiency. And this is seriously inefficient!
So what exactly AM I doing, you ask? Well. I'm working in the Operating Room at Geisinger Medical Center. I'm a circulating & scrub nurse, meaning that I either run the room or assist the surgeon (hand him/her instruments and such), depending on the day. My orientation is so long because there's about a million new things to learn (and yes, I'm exaggerating, but only slightly).... but I couldn't ask for anything more. I love the OR, I love the variety, I love the team dynamics, and I love being up close and personal with so much amazing technology.
And why am I driving so far away? Geisinger is considered a bigger, better, more advanced, higher level hospital that offered me a better job with better pay... and because the second I walked into my interview there I knew it was where I was supposed to be. All and all, as soon as I get to go to 12's, things will be perfect. For now, I'm loving the challenge of everything a new job brings with it and am dealing with drive :)

Chris is doing really well in school as well. Things have started to pick up a bit, so he spends pretty much every day on campus from 9-5. It ends up working out fairly well because I work 7-3, but don't end up getting home until 4:30ish, so we get to see each other and have dinner together almost every night. He's working really hard, but enjoying it (or so he tells me :)

Ryan's Blessing Weekend

I promise we are going to school & work... but going to DC for the weekend is more exciting, so I'm opting to post about that:)

The occasion warranting this weekend's excursion was the blessing of our nephew Ryan- Lauren (Chris' sister) and Jon's new addition to their little family. I could try to describe how cute he is... or I could show you lots of pictures :)

This is his favorite sleeping position... It's hilarious. (Lauren has further proof on her blog.)

Baby Ryan with his most favorite cousin, Ashley (who, might I add, is apparently doing an amazing job taking care of him this week)

Aunt Jen & Ryan

Grandma & Ryan
Grandpa & Ryan

My favorite nephew and niece!Chris, Ryan & Ash
The Strombergs (and Averys and Funks) after Ryan's blessing (Brent, Mary, Lauren, Jon, Ryan, Jen, Ashley, Amanda, Chris)

Thanks for such an awesome weekend everyone!
We had a blast with those who were able to come & missed everyone who couldn't...
Lauren & Jon, thanks for sharing your special day & home with us.
xoxo

Garett's Birthday

So. I'm old. And so is my cute little (but not so little) brother Garett.
He's FIFTEEN.
What?!
And he's taller than me. WAY taller than me.
(For the record, Carli is the only one of my 'littler' siblings that is still actually 'littler' than me...)
He just started high school, seminary, and the tennis team... not to shabby, huh?
I could brag about him for hours- how studly he is, how he's a freshman in Spanish 3, how he's practically a professional pianist- but I won't... he gets embarrassed when people talk about his amazingness :) When it comes down to it, I'll just say that he's my favorite brother & that I miss him terribly. I hate that I'm not there to watch his tennis matches & help him with his homework (let's be honest, he's not needing help :), but he seems to be doing just fine without me for now.
I love you G!
He got to go to NYC with my dad to see the finals of the US Open... and we got to meet them there and hang out for the day. (It turns out that our little piece of the middle of no where is conveniently located driving distance away from NYC :)

We took the subway down to Aubrey's new & specular salon - The Whittemore House - where she just started working a few weeks ago. It was awesome to see her there... just because it's so obvious that it's where she belongs. For any of you who know her, Aubrey is 100% her own person... it's one of the reasons I love & admire her so much. I'm so glad that she found somewhere that appreciates & values her quirkiness & attitude. She's living proof that if you're willing to work hard enough, you can do anything you want, anywhere you want... one day I'll be as awesome as she is :)
Next was a quick bite to eat at 5 Guys & a little wandering around town until Miss Aubrey was off work.

(I know this is out of focus- my dad isn't great with a camera- but I still love the picture)
A fence of tiles commemorating 9/11

My boys

She took us to an awesome pizza place for dinner & then an even more awesome ice cream shop (names of these places will have to be supplied by Aubs).

We strolled through the streets of the city for a while & eventually made it to Aubrey's apartment (I had never been there). She has a great little apartment on the river.... it's so her. We had to wait for a bit b/c she forgot her keys... This also serves as proof that we actually saw her because it's the only picture I have of her from the trip!
And then, all too soon, it was time to go home again.
It was a really relaxing little day trip & it was so much fun to see my family! (or at least part of them!)
They went to the Open the next day (we had to go back to work/school) & had a wonderful time, or so I'm told...
Anyway. Love them. Love NYC. Love weekend trips :)
xoxo

Just what I needed :)

So... the downside to having an incredibly smart husband in law school and an awesome job is that... well... those two things happen to be smack dab in the middle of nowhere right now.
I love the area we're in- it's beautiful, quiet, green- and therefore the exactly the opposite of where I was raised. What can I say, apparently 19 years in Vegas will kind of make a girl miss neon lights, noise, and heat...
We even have an awesome ward & neighborhood... but sometimes that doesn't replace having family down the hall/street, especially when Chris is at school all day & I haven't started work yet.
As it turns out, however, a visit from my mom was all I really needed :)
Since she's never been to Pennsylvania, she flew into Philadelphia so that she could get a taste of the whole state. I met her there, picked her up, and we headed to our hotel. That night we wandered around downtown and grabbed a bite to eat at at Hard Rock. The next day was perfect. We saw a little bit of everything: the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall, the Philadelphia Mint, Macy's (the most beautiful one I've ever seen), and even had time to grab a yummy Philly Cheesesteak.

Next stop: Lancaster. Pennsylvania is known for its Amish/Pennsylvania Dutch, and Lancaster is kind of their commercialized hub... making it the perfect place to browse quilt shops, furniture workshops, and bakeries. We also found an awesome art show that featured some beautiful jewelery, photography, and paintings from around the state.
Last, but not least, was State College. It was so much fun to have her see my new house! And she was a HUGE help. We spent a lot of time trying to figure out a new color scheme for the bedroom... I'm a little (ha) picky and had already driven Chris nuts with the whole thing, so I really needed her! We ended up deciding on eggplant purple, light blue/green, and chocolate brown- and I love it. I have to wait for the fabric to come in (the Joanns here is tiny so they have to special order a lot of things), re-cover my headboard, sew my curtains, and make a few pillows... so I still have a lot of work ahead of me! But just finding the right colors/ fabrics was a big accomplishment. I'll post pictures when I'm done with it all... hopefully in a few weeks!
What I can post pictures of is the kitchen- it's officially done :) I love how much space I have... it makes cooking that much more fun & enjoyable. I'll post pictures of other rooms as they get finished...
Aside from playing interior decorator, we made salsa, went to eat at Texas Roadhouse, drove around town, went to see Chris' school, and hung out... just had fun. I also got an early Christmas present :) It turns out that another downside of living all the way our here is that I no longer have access to my mom's sewing machine... so I got one! It's sooo pretty... and it does a ton of stuff (most of which I've never done before). Hopefully I'll be able to get crafty enough to use all of it's features!

On Wednesday it was time for her to go home... so sad. But it was an awesome week & exactly what I needed :) Love ya mom! (She was super in love with the tall corn we have all over the place... so we had to take a picture with it :)

And... my honey is officially a law student! He started two weeks ago... but this is him on his first day. So cute :)

And here are his books- gotta love those. As many of you know, law school involves lots and lots (and lots) of reading. As it turns out, Chris' undergrad majors- Russian and Poli Sci- both involved a lot of reading as well... so it's been a fairly smooth transition thus far. Hopefully it stays that way!