More than hope, more than faith...

...This is true, this is fate...
8.26.06

Points for anyone (besides my sister Laura) who can correctly identify where I got the title of this post.

Last first day of school ever

For someone who groaned when I brought up taking a few back-to-school photos, he really got into things once the camera started to roll.
This one needs a frame! Perfect head shot for when he tries out to play the "Young Uncle Rico" on a Napoleon Dynamite prequel.
Please take a few seconds to appreciate the award-winning grounds we enjoy at the Old Monterey. You'd probably appreciate them more in person...
Seriously though, we are both really really really excited for Anthony to start his LAST YEAR of school.

That Darn Cat!

I don't know when exactly I developed an allergy to cats. When I was young I loved to play with the kittens at my grandma and various cousins' homes in Idaho and never noticed a problem. A few years ago I learned that both my mom and sister (Laura) are allergic to cats. Maybe it's sympathy pains or the power of suggestion, but now I can't spend too much time around a cat without suffering. It seems like a pretty simple problem--avoid cats and you'll be okay. The thing is, Anthony and I are trying to make friends and be more sociable and many of our new friends are cat owners! You would think it would be easy to tell people you are allergic to cats and would appreciate it if they kept their feline away from you. Most of the time it is, but I'm finding out there are quite a few people who get offended when you tell them that their "baby" is putting your immune system into serious overdrive. If I know we are going somewhere where there will be cats I can pop some Benydryl and the cats don't bother me too much, although I do become incredibly drowsy. Last night at Tony's graduate programs' back-to-school BBQ and game night I was caught unaware and slowly started to look like Hitch while we played Catchphrase! First my eyes got red and watery, then my ears itched, and finally my throat started to close up. For those of you unaware of the ins and outs of Catchphrase!, being able to yell and be heard are essential to your being an asset to your team. So we made an quiet exit politely explaining our (my) situation. As soon as we got home I got out of my contaminated clothes, took a shower, popped some anti-histimines, took some eye-drops, passed out in bed and had some of the weirdest dreams I've had in a long time.
Hopefully none of our kids will be felinophiles like Angela from the Office.

525,600 minutes...

...how do you measure, measure a year?

On Sunday evening as we were driving back home after our Mexican vacation with the Juan familia, we realized that it was exactly one year to the day that we were pulled into Springfield for the first time.

It has really gone by really fast.

Seems like only yesterday we were driving around town looking for a smoke-free place to live and unload our belongings before 7 pm. We were both so excited--and nervous--to leave Provo and make our own place in the world. I would have to say that although we miss living close to so many family members and friends and we've had some challenges, we've been extremely blessed this past year and enjoy living closer to my parents and making lots of new friends here. Here's to another great year!

Our year in Springfield, by the numbers:

0--dishwashers in our apartment :(
1--number of bedrooms and bathrooms in our apartment and years of school left for Anthony(!)
2--jobs for Carrie--one good, one bad, and trips back to Utah
3--weeks it took to get our furniture delivered, and times we've had to leave our car overnight at the shop, and number of Wal-Marts within 10 minutes of our apartment
4--church callings total between us
5--overnight guests we have hosted (not all at once!)
324--our apartment number
417--our area code

These pictures were taken by my mom the day after we moved into our sweet place.

BTW, we would love to up our overnight guest numbers...hint, hint.

Orange goodness

I know July is National Ice Cream month, but I just wanted to give a shout out to orange sherbet because it helps me make it through these hot summer nights. Don't get me wrong, I love ice cream--always have, always will. However, I recently made the switch to sherbet because it has fewer calories and is "fat free." That is why tonight, after I finished my long run in 93 degree heat and 65% humidity I had to stop and buy some even though I think I scared the cashier with my sweatiness and it made Tony late for church basketball. I didn't think I would be able to make it through the night without it.