A Valentine's Day

Haleakala & Some Beaches

2012-02-01T22:16:00.000-08:00

Haleakala is one of the two volcanoes on Maui. On Tuesday we drove to the summit and did a little hiking into the crater. We didn't go all the way down - it would have taken a least 5 hours and there was no cover from the sun.

Audrey spent most of the day like this:

On the drive back down we felt like we might have gone to heaven - the clouds below us were so thick we could have driven right onto them.

The next day we went to a beach in Makena. Audrey wants nothing to do with the sand (too yucky) or the water (waves are scary). But she was perfectly happy to play with sand toys on a blanket.

After playing and relaxing we checked out the remains of the last lava flow on the island.

Then finished off with some more relaxing and wave watching.

We bought a coconut and drank it's juice and headed to Iao Valley.

The plants that grow in Hawaii are so surreal - I wish my backyard looked like this.

We're In Hawaii!!

2012-01-30T22:21:00.000-08:00

On Saturday morning we got on a plane and flew six hours to California. Then we got on another plane and flew six more to Maui. It was a loooooong trip, but we can't complain because Audrey was an angel. Oh yeah, and because we flew to Maui!

The next morning (Hawaii is 5 hours behind us, so getting up at 7 was like getting up at 12 - awesome) we went to church. Very rarely are we the minorities at church - it was fun.

We are staying with some longtime family friends, Scott and Tauna Neerings. That night they took us to walk around a resort and watch the sun set on the beach. It was beautiful.

Audrey was very confused about the sand and water. And it probably didn't help that we were hanging out at midnight her time.
We watched as several whales played out in the distance from us. Yay, we're in Hawaii!

Monday morning we took a hike to Twin Falls.

We played around in the cool pool that the falls fell into.

Chris got a little adventurous. And so did Audrey...

A Day in the Life of Audrey

2012-01-18T18:18:00.001-08:00

Audrey is getting so big. It's so fun to see her personality really coming out. Lately she loves to pick things out of the recycling bin and carry them all around the house.

It was so beautiful out a few weeks ago we took a little trip out in our canoe.

She LOVES it up in the loft.

This is how I found her the other day.

She was pretty excited to get a closer look into the pantry -she knows that's where we keep all the good stuff.

Christmas 2011

2011-12-27T07:53:00.000-08:00

We had our first Christmas in our first home with our first baby this year. It was a great weekend full of family, food, gifts, more food, and lots of laughter. And I finally made Christmas stockings for us this year!

Audrey was a trooper. When she opened her presents (with lots of help, of course) she was so delighted to see a new toy.

We got to spend some time with Great-Grandma Laura on Christmas day. Here's a 4 generation pic.
And we also spent some time with my family, including Audrey's furry cousins.

We were especially lucky to have Deg and Jessica visiting for almost a whole week. We LOVE aunts and uncles!!

Ho, Ho, Ho

2011-12-19T11:42:00.001-08:00

Audrey met Santa Claus at my family's Christmas party on Saturday.

She thought he was cool until we put her on his lap. Then, she did exactly what any sane person would do if they were dropped onto the lap of a strange, smiley man wearing a furry suit. She cried.

She was so relieved to be back in her Daddy's arms.

Thanksgiving

2011-11-30T19:31:00.000-08:00

We had a fantastic Thanksgiving weekend. My sister Malley and her husband, Chris, came to visit. We had the entire Nisula clan at my parent's house for dinner. We LOVED seeing Auntie Malley :)

We had a turkey that was bigger than Audrey (and tastier too!).

And over the weekend Audrey got so comfortable walking with one hand holding onto her cousin that she started taking some steps on her own!!

Now that Thanksgiving is over, Christmas has begun. Charlie Brown himself couldn't have found a better tree. We just love it.

Time Flies

2011-11-10T07:09:00.001-08:00

Wow, the months are zooming by - Audrey is already 8 1/2 months old and it seems like everyday she learns something new. She starting to really like reading books. A couple days ago she was in her room playing and I noticed she was rather quiet. Thinking that she was getting into trouble with something, I walked in to find her like this:

She found "Pat the Bunny" - her favorite book. She's still a little water baby. Whenever she sees the bathtub she gets sooo excited.

It's always sure to put her in a good mood.

Audrey was a giraffe for Halloween. She totally knew she was cute.

My favorite part of her costume was the mohawk. Sweet.

And this is why we had to put those annoying child safety locks on our cabinet doors. I decided I no longer wanted Audrey's "help" while making dinner. Now, when she tries to open the door and it won't budge, she screams. Haha.

Birthday

2011-10-19T09:19:00.000-07:00

For my birthday on Saturday we celebrated with a hike up Mt. Monadnock. Audrey did a great job - she sat happily in her pack on Chris' back making happy noises, smiling at the other hikers and babbling the whole way.

When we reached the summit, Audrey took a little snooze (it's EXHAUSTING climbing a mountain).
Kudos to Chris who carried her on his back the whole way and still said it was "easy".

Audrey took her first couple steps "by herself" last night. Looks like this might be a new favorite toy.

A "Big" 7 Month Old

2011-10-09T18:21:00.000-07:00

Audrey is 7 1/2 months old!And boy have things changed around here in the last month or so.

Audrey doesn't take baths in the bathroom sink anymore, but I like this picture so much I thought I'd share.

She had her first visit to the Gardner Fire Station, where my dad works. She thought she was so cool.

She has been crawling and standing up on EVERYTHING.

For some reason she always wants to bite on this knob.

Yes...she is chewing on a bone..and loving it.

She is a really happy girl. What you can't tell in this picture is that she is actually screaming right now. That's how she laughs. She just gives a high-pitched squeal.

A Big Weekend

2011-08-31T12:34:00.000-07:00

We had a pretty big weekend. First, Audrey met her Uncle Deg and Auntie Jessica for the first time! We were very excited to have them here for a few days.

They came for Uncle Dan and Auntie Lisa's wedding.

It was a really great time - we danced and danced and had so much fun being all dressed up.

Then there was a HUGE hurricane...which ended up being just a bunch of rain, phew! And we found out that although Audrey loves the water she is not too fond of it coming very fast from the sky.

living room

2011-08-11T13:53:00.000-07:00

WE MOVED IN!!! It's been a few weeks, but I haven't blogged because there are a lot of things that we are still finishing. The living room, however, has been done for a while now (except for window treatments - who knows when that will happen). So here it is, all the hard work is starting to pay off.

Here are a a couple befores and afters..

A Five Month Old

2011-08-01T16:36:00.001-07:00

Audrey has become a real baby. No more sitting still and being happy with it. She loves to play with toys, watch people, smile (a lot), and grab, grab and grab. She easily rolls onto her belly from her back.

She constantly needs a change of scenery. Her day consists of floor, mommy's arms, swing, exersaucer, mommy's arms, floor, exersaucer, floor, mom's arms, mom's arms, dad's arms, floor, exersaucer, mom's arms..okay you get the idea.

She has a newfound love of water. She immediately splashes around.

She also LOVES watermelon.

Where did my newborn go?

Summer Happenings

2011-07-04T19:00:00.001-07:00

Although I haven't updated about the house recently, that doesn't mean nothing has been happening. We FINALLY got our counter-tops in and they look better than we had imagined.

Yay for no more plywood!

Audrey had her first experience in a pool. She wasn't totally thrilled, but she wasn't upset either. Then again, how can you be upset when you're in 90 degree water?

And in honor of America's birthday, Audrey wore her birthday suit at our family party. She was feeling pretty independent! :)

Four Months Old

2011-06-22T19:51:00.000-07:00

Audrey is 4 months old! A friend from church told me that ages 3 - 9 months is "magical" and I'm starting to agree. She's becoming such a little sweetie. Here are a few pictures...

Happy Father's Day!

2011-06-19T20:20:00.000-07:00

Happy 1st Father's Day to Chris!!

SuperSaucer

2011-06-01T13:50:00.000-07:00

How awesome would it be if they made Adult ExerSaucers?!?

I wonder what I would want on mine...

Floors & Appliances

2011-05-19T11:58:00.001-07:00

The last couple of weeks, the main project at the house was floors. We have awesome looking tile in the kitchen and bathroom, bamboo in the living room, our bedroom is stained, and the back entryway has roofing slate that Chris bought off some guy on Craigslist. It looks really cool, I'll get some pictures of it soon.

Last weekend my Dad brought over some loam and leveled out our backyard. Now we need some grass seed.
And a couple of days ago Chris and his Dad brought our appliances in. It feels awesome to know that we're actually going to have a real house soon.

Auntie Malley

2011-05-12T07:15:00.000-07:00

My sister Malley came to visit for a week just before Easter. It was the first time Audrey got to meet her aunt.

Needless to say, she wasn't in need of any love or attention that week.

We did fun things like give Audrey a bath - she used the opportunity to pee all over Malley.

We also blew eggs and painted them pretty colors for Easter.

During Auntie Malley's visit, Audrey also got to meet her Great-Grandma Fox.

It's so neat having 4 generations on both sides of the family.

We were so sad to see Malley go - we got used to hanging around and eating good food all week. Can't wait for her next visit!

Had an Eggcellent Easter!

2011-05-03T08:04:00.000-07:00

Paint!

2011-04-15T12:51:00.000-07:00

We finally have paint on the walls! I'm so in love with the colors we chose. And since Audrey hates to be left sitting alone, I let her help me...

6 Weeks

2011-04-05T07:36:00.002-07:00

Our little doll is 6 weeks old today!

Upset

2011-03-27T16:34:00.001-07:00

Getting Somewhere

2011-03-27T16:21:00.001-07:00

Although it may seem like work at the house has stopped because I haven't blogged about it for awhile, this is untrue. Things are really moving along, and it was a productive weekend. Almost all of the drywall and mudding is done!

We also had Audrey's baby blessing today. She was so sweet in her white dress.

Did I mention I just love her?!?

Sleep

2011-03-24T11:23:00.001-07:00

Sometimes you just want to sleep in.

4 Generations

2011-03-20T19:18:00.000-07:00

Today was a big day for Audrey; she got to meet one of her great-grandmothers.

Audrey is the first of the 4th generation on that side of Chris' family. She is one special girl. And thanks to Amanda, she met Great-grandma Laura in style - I'm referring to the awesome boots on her feet. :)

Milestones

2011-02-28T07:25:00.000-08:00

There are certain milestones that a baby reaches in the first days of her life. One being the nap with Dad. I heard they're the best - I think she agrees.

There's also the first sponge bath at home. I heard they're not so great.

She agrees with this one too.

Isn't she a sweetheart??

Little Valentine

2011-02-28T00:05:00.001-08:00

On Tuesday, February 22nd we said goodbye to the bump...

And hello to Audrey Luisa Valentine.

I started having contractions 6 am on Monday morning, we arrived at the hospital at 1 pm, and Audrey made her grand entrance at 6:45 the next morning. It was the longest day of our lives, but we're so happy to finally have her with us (and completely overwhelmed, but that comes with the territory).
Our first family picture, only minutes into her life.

When we were packing up to leave the hospital on Thursday, Chris said, "Ugh, I always said I wouldn't be that guy." "That Guy" being the dad who holds onto the car seat, girly wife bag, diaper bag, and anything else his hands can grab. Guess what, there's no getting around being "that guy".
We changed Audrey into some real clothes, bundled her into her snowsuit, and took her home.

It's a totally surreal experience to arrive at the hospital a twosome and leave it 3 days later as a family. We are going through all the motions - the lack of sleep, the worries over everything and nothing at all, and the joy that only a 7 pound person can bring.

Happy Un-Birthday, Baby!

2011-02-18T19:59:00.000-08:00

It's interesting that for 40 weeks I have been counting down to this day. And now it has passed just like any other ordinary Friday.

I suppose that means the real countdown begins...

A Warm House!!

2011-02-12T14:09:00.000-08:00

Progress is being made at the house. This past week, our electricity was basically
finished and (drumroll please...) we got insulation!!! It's green spray foam insulation and it looks really cool.

We're way happy that we will no longer be heating the cold winter sky - and thatwe're that much closer to putting up drywall. Yay!

38 Weeks

2011-02-06T11:16:00.000-08:00

Valentine Baby is almost on the way!! My due date is in 2 weeks, but if this baby is anything like its parents, punctuality won't be priority. For now, we'll play the waiting game.

And what better way to wait for a baby than playing with your sister's kids? Laci always wants to kiss "the baby" when she sees me. Isn't that the sweetest thing?

Baby Shower!!

2011-01-25T10:16:00.000-08:00

I had my Baby Shower on Saturday. It was a blast! And thanks to some very lovely ladies (and the men in the kitchen - thanks Dad), the decorations were spectacular and the food delicious.

Amanda (my soon-to-be sister in law, yay) and her mother were responsible for these ridiculously awesome centerpieces. Who knew you could make diapers looks so beautiful??

And Geena worked her magic yet again with these favors:

After filling our tummies we played some hilarious games then ended the day with gifts.

I received so many things, including this baby blanket made by my mother. Thanks, everyone!

When I got home, I showed everything off to Chris. He was excited as a man can be about baby things, and after trying on the "Hooter Hider" that Mandy made for me (yes, it is what it sounds like) he made Bella try out a Swaddle Me.

I think he's going to get a hang of this whole Daddy thing..

The Rebuild

2011-01-12T14:10:00.001-08:00

The last couple of weeks, Chris and his father have spent countless hours framing the house. It has definitely proved to be a long and drawn out task. They've removed rafters, sistered remaining rafters and put up new beams (I'm just regurgitating words I've heard them use). But the end is in sight!! They're almost done, which means we're that much closer to the fun stuff.

However, we're no longer hopeful that we'll be moved in when the baby comes. Some things are impossible, no matter how hard you work. We're disappointed, but we would rather be in a warm, safe, un-smelly house when the baby comes. And Chris' parents' home is that and more.

Christmas Head

2011-01-08T14:00:00.000-08:00

Last weekend, Deg and Jess came from Indiana to celebrate Christmas Valentine style. The snow was perfect for snowman building, so the boys went out to play. But instead, they decided to build a replica of one of those gigantic heads from Easter Island.

Only, after they finished we realized it wasn't an Easter Island head they built, it was Deg's head!!

A Very Merry Christmas

2010-12-30T09:34:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas from the Valentines!!

I won't bore you with all the details of our holiday, however I will show off the homemade gifts I gave.

I made this Halloween decoration for my mom, whose true self shines in the month of October.

And of course, stockings. I love them!

31 Weeks Down...

2010-12-18T20:36:00.001-08:00

...nine to go. There are times when I walk by a mirror and see my protruding stomach that I think, "Oh my gosh, this is really happening." There are times when it's uncomfortable to bend over and tie my shoe that I think, "Ugh, how am I going to get bigger and still be able to do things?" Then there are other times (most times) when I feel something rolling inside of me that I think, "Yes! Oh, I can't WAIT to hold this teeny little baby and know it's mine."

I'm feeling really good. So far, this pregnancy has been super easy! We're down to the home stretch. :) :)

The House

2010-12-06T15:51:00.000-08:00

So, a little explanation about the house. Chris has completely ripped out the ceiling in the kitchen and living room because he is planning on creating a cathedral ceiling in those two rooms. It will open up the space nicely, but is definitely adding a lot of work. It will be several weeks before we have a ceiling, and then we'll feel like we're getting somewhere with our home. But until then, we plug away...

I learned how to use a power-washer this weekend! Don't be fooled by the grin; I was actually quite a baby and whined maybe a little too much about getting my pants wet. But now we can say that our house is no longer covered in mildew (I can't take credit for it - Chris did all the hardest parts like a good man should).

He also installed deadbolts on all three doors leading outside. Now that no one can break in, this means we can't either - guess we'll have to start remembering to bring a key!

Thankful

2010-11-28T15:46:00.000-08:00

As soon as the deed for the house was signed, the demolition began. We have gotten so much done on the house already. Thanks to a few boys from church who helped Chris rip out the ceilings and all of the family that have come by (even on Thanksgiving) to lend us a hand, we filled an entire dumpster in only 4 days.

The yard that used to look like this...

(this doesn't even show the worst of it; there were loads of trash and rotting wood along with years worth of leaves and tall grass)

...now looks a little cleaner.

And the kitchen that used to look like this...

...now looks a little dirtier.

A Special Request

2010-11-23T17:22:00.001-08:00

Dear Baby Valentine,

Your father and I would like to remind you that your due date is February 18th. We would like to ask that you remain where you are until this time. Come later if you must, but no earlier. This may sound like an odd request, however we are certain you will understand.

You see, today we bought you a house.

As you can see, the house needs a lot of work. And we need all the time we can get before you arrive.

Love,

Mom & Dad-to-be

(More pictures and plenty of updates to come!)

The Skirt Fits

2010-11-07T17:47:00.001-08:00

I bought a white skirt several years ago that I really love to wear. But it's never fit; I've always had to pin it because it's too big. I haven't worn it for a couple months. This morning, getting ready for church, I pulled it out of the closet. For the first time, the skirt fit.

Trunk or Treat 2010

2010-10-30T17:18:00.000-07:00

For those of you who believe babies have to be born in order to enjoy Halloween:

We went to the Trunk or Treat tonight. I went as myself, bringing the baby along of course. And Chris went as himself as well - only, deader.

He was totally creative with decorating our trunk this year.

He built this coffin an hour before the party and hung Aunt Em's awesomely haunted chandelier from the rear door. The picture doesn't do it justice; with only a small flashing light and the candles burning (yes, real candles) in the chandelier this was very dark and scary. Go Chris, for making little kids scream tonight :)

Baby Valentine

2010-10-30T17:13:00.000-07:00

The baby was curled up so tight last week at our ultrasound that it was really difficult to get a good picture. Look at that cute little pointy nose!!

Birthdays Are Soooooo Nice

2010-10-16T07:14:00.000-07:00

What's one of the coolest animals you could spend your day with on your 25th birthday??

A penguin.

We spent the afternoon at the New England Aquarium in Boston.

I LOVE fish tanks. The beautiful colors, the strange looking creatures, the magical mysterious underwater world (I used to wish I was a mermaid).

My favorite was the turtle. He had an extremely huggable neck and arm area.

We found out at the end of the day that the penguins who were in a "relationship" with one another had matching arm bands. The penguins on this rock were all couples. They were perfectly content to stand still next to one another all day long. These penguins, and my pleasant day with Chris, made me think of a quote from the movie Big Fish:

"A man might travel his entire life and never find a place so inviting.

My journey had scarcely begun and I had arrived.

I can't imagine any place better than here."

The Bump

2010-10-04T17:45:00.000-07:00

When I first learned that I was pregnant, 18 weeks ago, I was ecstatic. Yes, I couldn't wait to become a mother. But there was another much more selfish reason: pregnant women are beautiful. I COULDN'T WAIT to begin growing that bump that lets the world know you're carrying a baby; the bump that says, "I'm tired, but strong. I'm scared, but ready. I'm irritable, but happy. I'm 25 pounds heavier than I was several months ago, and I've never looked more beautiful."

Okay, so my bump is far from looking like the bump I long for. But still, I think it's finally worthy of a picture on the blog.

Nisula Girl

2010-10-01T19:10:00.000-07:00

I have a dear, sweet, bright niece who is turning 6 this month. As most of you who read this are my family members, I'm sure you would agree. I was watching her and her siblings last night when I was told by my nephew that he found a mouse in Bella's bed in the garage. Well, this niece started wiggling her body, shaking her hands, and jumping up and down. With a scrunched up face she said, "Eew, eew, eew, I HATE INSECTS!"

All I have to say is, you don't have to carry the last name to be a Nisula girl at heart. :)

My Love for the Heirloom Tomato

2010-09-23T09:25:00.000-07:00

If you were to watch me during the day, every once in a while you would see me stop suddenly and hold my body very still. A smile would glide across my face. I would wait: feeling, searching, wondering. And the moment would pass as I return to my task. You would be witnessing my reaction to feeling the tiny being inside of me knocking at the inner parts of my tummy. Each time I feel it I'm amazed that there is a baby in there. It does not happen too frequently yet, so whenever it does I am left yearning for more. This morning as the baby let me know three times in a row that he/she was awake I felt the elation that comes with its tapping. And I realized I am falling in love.

I am 19 weeks pregnant; one more week and I will be halfway to meeting my first child. Right now the baby is the size of an heirloom tomato - six inches long, 8.5 ounces. Oh, how I cannot wait to hold my little tomato!

Pregnancy Update

2010-09-12T17:59:00.000-07:00

I'm officially four months pregnant!! I still don't look too pregnant yet (sometimes with certain outfits) so I'm not going to put a picture up of my belly. We already had our first ultrasound several weeks ago, and we'll probably get another in a few weeks from now. We've decided not to find out the gender of our little one; I LOVE surprises and can't think of a better surprise to wait for. A few days ago I felt the baby move for the first time which was really cool, but really fleeting. I have no complaints - I feel good most of the time and am completely obsessed with talking and reading about the baby growing inside me.

So Long, Motorcycle

2010-09-12T17:46:00.000-07:00

Many moons ago, when we left Idaho, we sold two motorcycles and told ourselves that it would be awhile before we ever owned another. Well, a couple months later Chris bought a bike. But this time it would be a special project of his. He spent hours on this bike and enjoyed his time changing the look of it. But when the project was over, so was the desire to own it. So yet again, we are bike-less people. But something tells me that this time it really will be awhile before we get another. Goodbye, motorcycle.

Rock, Rock, Rock

2010-08-01T18:53:00.000-07:00

Chris was at it again. During his kayaking man-paddle with our brother-in-law he picked up a bundle of sticks. Not just any sticks - he climbed up on a beaver hut and dam to select the sticks he wanted to use. He made me a rocking chair, and I'm in love with it.

Our cat loves playing with string--as you can see she decided to help Chris make the seat, but he didn't make it so I could rock her. As many already know, and those of you who don't, Chris and I are expecting our first child in February. I'm 11 weeks pregnant and so excited!

Merry Christmas?!?

2010-07-27T14:15:00.001-07:00

Every Christmas my Dad gives each of his children and their spouses an envelope with cash to buy something special for ourselves. We've been waiting until this summer to go on a fun weekend trip for our Christmas present. Last weekend we headed up to the White Mountains in New Hampshire. We had soooooo much fun. We did a lot of hiking and found some really beautiful sights.

The cabin we stayed in was perfect. http://www.maplelodgecabins.com/cabins/

Our last day was our biggest hike. Using Tucker's Ravine trail, we hiked about 7 miles round trip - it took 6 hours.
Here we are, 2.4 miles into our hike. See way off into the distance, the top of the ravine on the right hand side of the picture? Yeah, that's our destination.
We crossed over the top of this waterfall to get to the top - I couldn't let myself look down.

Here we are at the top of the ravine. We were only 3/4 of a mile from Mount Washington. My calves were sore for 4 days!! For our next trip to the White Mountains, we're planning to summit Mt. Washington. :)

Happy Birthday, Chris!!

2010-07-27T14:08:00.000-07:00

When Chris found out that my sister, Mandy, was going to bake him a cake for his birthday, he immediately texted her, "I want a kayak cake". You see, he's been doing a lot of camping and kayaking the past couple of weeks. So, since she's pretty awesome, she made him an awesome cake.

If...

2010-07-18T18:28:00.000-07:00

If both of the batteries for our camera were not dead during the Fourth of July Weekend, you would see these pictures up on our blog:

Chris' Great Aunt Emily's stuff scattered around the lawn in front of her enormous house across the street from the ocean in Connecticut. (She passed away several months back and we helped out during the estate sale).

Chris and I snuggling on the beach as fireworks lit up the sky in front of us.

Chris, surrounded by fearless seagulls, using Aunt Emily's golf club to whack golf balls into the calm ocean waters early in the morning.

Me, wearing an amazingly tacky beach hat of Aunt Emily's, halfway into the ocean and begging Chris to join because it was 8 in the morning and already wicked hot.

Chris and I standing in front of the looming skeleton of a dinosaur while visiting the Peabody Museum in Connecticut.

But of course, our batteries were dead that weekend, so I have nothing to share.

Marblehead

2010-05-22T20:12:00.001-07:00

Today we took a trip to Marblehead, MA; a quaint old fishing village full of east coast beauty and history. Its narrow streets are lined with houses dating back to the 17 & 1800's.

Here at the very tip of Marblehead Neck, we are standing at Lighthouse Point. Not too far from here there is a large rock, named Castle Rock. It was used as a lookout for fishing fleets and for pirate and enemy ships. Below the rock there is a stony beach.

So naturally, I made Chris take a cute picture. It's my favorite.

Old Burial Hill was the site of Marblehead's first meeting house (which is no longer standing). They buried their dead in the church-yard. It all looks quite sleepy hollow. Here, 600 revolutionary war dead are laid to rest.

On the other side of the hill, sits Redd's Pond. It is named after Wilmont "Mammy" Redd, a town resident accused and convicted of witchcraft in the Salem witch trials. Legend has it that that it is so deep the bottom has never been found. Of course, it's actual depth ranges from 3 to 11 feet. Haha.

Fort Sewall, originally called Gale's Head, protected the people in the village. Here, we are sitting next to the bunkers and underground rooms used to detain prisoners. In one of the rooms, you can peer inside and see an old bed frame and table. Cool!

Lovis Cove is also known as "Screeching Woman's Beach". The locals will tell you that a 17th century pirate ship landed here and murdered a woman from a captured ship. She was buried in a nearby swamp and every year, on the anniversary of her tragic death, you can still hear her distant cries.

After a fun day, we met up with family to eat dinner in celebration of Damen's and Amanda's graduation. They both graduated from Salem State College today. Go team!

Shoe Rack

2010-05-19T19:55:00.001-07:00

I've had a love affair with shoes ever since I can remember. When I walk into a shoe store my mouth waters. I've always said that a shoe is a woman's best friend; it will never make her look fat. Now fortunately, when I enter a shoe store the tiny frugal angel that sits on my right shoulder usually wins. But I still have a lot of shoes. So much that for the past few years I've resorted to piling them like small towers on my shoe rack. But that is a thing of the past. Chris, with his woodworking ability, constructed a second rack to make me happy.

He attached the new and the old to create a wall of shoes. Now I can keep them so orderly and neat; my little servants standing constantly at attention, ready to be worn at any moment of the day.

Only problem is, I can't help but think of the many more shoes I could own if I teetered little shoe towers on double the space...

ps--you know your life is boring when "shoe rack" is the title of your latest post. humph.

Addition to the Family

2010-05-01T16:19:00.001-07:00

We've decided to move up the food chain...

Today we adopted a 7 month old brown tiger kitty. She's a partial mix, mostly an American Short Hair; but that doesn't matter, all we really care about is her awesome personality and the fact that she already knows how to use the litter box.

We find it appropriate that her name, Bella, means 'beauty'.

Laura's Llamas

2010-04-25T14:38:00.000-07:00

Llamas are awesome...especially when you visit them with Grandma Laura.

Two Years Ago

2010-04-21T18:48:00.001-07:00

It's been two years since this perfect day. While part of me thinks, "Wow, 2 full years - such a long time", there is another part of me that thinks 2 years doesn't sound like enough. Like two years (or even the 4 1/2 that we've known each other) couldn't possibly be the amount of time we've been in each other's lives. Because it feels like Chris has always been a part of me, and I him.

We ate sushi every 12th of the month for our first year of marriage to celebrate our "monthaversary". To follow tradition, we devoured the amazing sushi that our favorite place, Karma, has to offer. In a couple of weeks we're going to treat ourselves to a weekend getaway; stay tuned!

Theater Times Two

2010-04-21T18:21:00.000-07:00

Our family has been quite theatrical lately. Chris' dad was the "stiff" in Lucky Stiff at the Cannon Theatre (http://thecannontheatre.blogspot.com/). He did a fantastic job, and we were so proud of our dad, the dead guy.

It was very "weekend at bernie's", with John being wheeled around the stage wearing sunglasses to hide his creepy "dead" eyes. It was a great laugh and we all enjoyed it.

The same day we saw his performance, we headed into Boston to watch Lisa skate with her theater on ice group, Imagica.

They did a cute little Under the Sea number and Lisa got to be a beautiful blonde mermaid!! Yay for theater!!

A Boy Named Chen

2010-04-21T17:34:00.000-07:00

Sometime in the near future, Chris and I will need to own a more economical vehicle. Since we loved our red Jetta and our Elantra hatchback (two of the cars we owned in Rexburg) we were excited to go check out a red Elantra a couple of weeks ago. I pulled out our GPS to figure out where we were going when Chris tells me, "I think he said 'Christian St' but I'm not really sure because he had a really thick Asian accent." Well, Christian St. did not exist in Worcester. So Chris calls Chen to ask for his address once again. Kristin Street. Nope, I tell him, there's no such thing. So he asks for the spelling and I hear Chris repeating the letters back to him. C-R-I-S-T-O-N. Criston Street. Sounds weird, but okay. What does the GPS say? Negative; no Criston Street. Finally, we get Chen to give us directions. As we turn onto his street we glance up at the small green sign. Ah, yes. Clifton Street. It all made sense.

Well, the car smelled like smoke, so although Chen was very kind we had to decline. But to make our trip worth it, I took a picture next to Freud at Clark University. After attending this school for two years I was always sad that I never took a picture with the statue of which the Psychology students were so proud. Since we were close by, we took some time to walk the campus and reminisce about the place I lived when we first met. So there you have it, a Freud picture and a good story. Sounds like a great Saturday morning.

Lillie Love

2010-04-09T13:52:00.000-07:00

So now that Dexter is gone, Chris and I have nowhere to direct our love and affection except toward each other (boooooring). Lately we have found ourselves wandering onto adoption sites for dogs. Huskies. Malamutes. Wolf mixes. Images of a big, beautiful dogs fill our daydreams. Since buying a dog isn't in our immediate future, naturally we enjoy directing our attention to Lillie, my parents' 3 year old yellow lab. She's a lap dog, or so she thinks.

This is how we watched General Conference last weekend. Okay, so not the whole time, because 80 pounds is a lot to have on your chest. Everybody loves Lillie.

http://i133.photobucket.com/albums/q64/alliebrownie/129copy.jpg

Morphed

2010-03-29T20:09:00.001-07:00

No, this isn't an ugly picture of me. It's an ugly picture of me and Chris. Meet Chreagan.

http://i133.photobucket.com/albums/q64/alliebrownie/129copy.jpg

Field Trip: Becket Quarry

2010-03-22T13:50:00.000-07:00

To celebrate the first day of spring, and the 70 degree weather, we took a trip to an old abandoned quarry.

Old cars, sheds, thick cords, and other random metal objects are left to rust all around the quarry grounds. So, naturally, we played around a little.

Only thing was...we expected that there might be snow even on such a beautiful day...

...but not this much.

Altogether it was a fantastic day; especially because of the box of cider donuts from The Apple Barn that we ate on the way there. Mmmmm.

http://i133.photobucket.com/albums/q64/alliebrownie/129copy.jpg

2010-03-13T10:38:00.000-08:00

Since Chris hasn't had formal employment recently he has spent some time practicing one of his favorite hobbies--woodworking. This is his latest creation, he calls it Scrap-Wood Table. It was made entirely of um... wood scraps. The side braces are scraps from an old high school shop class project, and the rest were just lying around the basement.

Champions

2010-03-09T17:22:00.001-08:00

Did I mention that my brother is a hockey star? I'm not the only one who thinks so - he was awarded MVP of his last tournament and played beautifully against Fitchburg State College last Saturday. We had so much fun at the game. We went into overtime, which really rattled our nerves. But it didn't take long for Salem State to sink one and the crowd went wild. It was a high like I hadn't felt in a while.

My mom's talent: whistling. It means two things: "time to come home"; and "I think you're awesome". It meant the latter this weekend.

For some really weird reason, whenever Fitchburg State scores a goal the fans throw fish out onto the ice. I know, gross and totally inappropriate. So this time, Amanda brought this Got Fish sign and when we scored she held it up high. When we scored the winning point, she threw it out onto the ice. She's awesome.

We are oh so totally proud of Damen! Going out as the number one team is such an awesome way to end his college hockey career. Go Salem!!

If you want to read about him, go here:

http://www.telegram.com/article/20100307/NEWS/3070460/1009/sports

http://i133.photobucket.com/albums/q64/alliebrownie/129copy.jpg

Hockey Star

2010-03-05T19:01:00.000-08:00

Some of you may not know that I spent 90% of my childhood in a hockey rink. Why? Because my brothers are hockey stars. My parents have watched 22 years of their sons playing hockey, and tomorrow afternoon will be the last game of my little brother's college hockey. Chris and I have so enjoyed Damen's last season as Captain for Salem State. We've spent most of our Thursday and Saturday nights rooting for his team and we won't know what to do with our time now that it's over.

As captain, Damen is always talking to the referees. I have always wondered what they say to each other..but he just tells me, "stuff."

Last week, Amanda (Damen's girlfriend) hooked Lana and Logan up with a ride on the zamboni. They felt like movie stars up there.

I am sad that it's over, but everything must come to an end. Fortunately for us, hockey runs in the Nisula blood. It's only a matter of time before Damen and Derek have little hockey players of their own.

http://i133.photobucket.com/albums/q64/alliebrownie/129copy.jpg

Chris' Creations

2010-02-25T15:14:00.000-08:00

Living in Bar Harbor, we saw some really beautiful things. For example, wood. Pieces of driftwood can be really pretty. These pieces of old and tattered wood combined with Chris' uncanny ability to make something out of nothing produced two masterpieces.

The first, this totally awesome treasure chest, Chris crafted while we were still living there. It is made entirely of wood we found on Bar Island. The bottom is a piece of fiberglass from the side of a boat. Even the metal piece on the front came from an old boat chair. I am so in love with it!

The one thing we bought for it was this old Pakistani lock. We found it in a really cool shop on the main strip.

Chris just finished his second work of art. An awesome new lamp.

The shade came from D.I. in Rexburg - we knew it would be smart to hold onto it. As for the switch? See that cord coming out of it? You touch it once, it has a dim glow, you touch it twice, it brightens a tad, you touch it thrice and it's beaming. (Don't touch it four times, you'll turn it off.)

So I'm pretty excited about our homemade decor; you can't beat decorating with your own creations. We're just lucky that Colt isn't around, or these might end up as firewood along with that bookcase. :)

http://i133.photobucket.com/albums/q64/alliebrownie/129copy.jpg

Geocachers

2010-02-21T11:36:00.000-08:00

The icy chill has subsided a little, so Chris and I decided to venture outdoors. We've done some geocaching in Rexburg and really enjoyed it, so we figured it was time to explore MA.

(Geocaching is an outdoor activity in which the participants use a GPS receiver to hide and seek containers (called "geocaches" or "caches") anywhere in the world. A typical cache is a small waterproof container containing a logbook. Larger containers can also contain items for trading, usually toys or trinkets of little value. Geocaching is most often described as a "game of high-tech hide and seek".)

Okay, so maybe we're nerds. Here's Chris checking out the GPS - the cache is somewhere under those rocks!

Found it! This cache was full of random toys like a gorilla, a ninja turtle with no arms, and a children's book about dinosaurs. We traded a seashell from Sanibel Island, FL (where we honeymooned) for a tiny green Buddha.

http://i133.photobucket.com/albums/q64/alliebrownie/129copy.jpg

A Tribute

2010-02-10T18:23:00.000-08:00

If you had told me two years ago that a rat would be the first pet my new husband and I would share, I would have laughed in your face. If you had told me that a black rodent would give us hours of entertainment in our home, I would have thought you were crazy. If you had told me we would care deeply for this rat and offer our affection and love I would have said, “Eew.” If you had told me that I would mourn his passing and shed tears at his grave, well, you’d have been right.

Lab rat Number Ten was timid and small. I chose him because he was the least scary looking of them all, and it still took me four days to touch him. Chris came with me to my labs to watch me reinforce the little critter’s behaviors, and very quickly fell in love. On the last day of my psychology class, I took him home in a Dexter shoe box. And then? Well, see for yourself…

Dexter died today. It’s hard to imagine our lives without him, because we’ve been a threesome now since we were first married. We’ll miss him climbing up our legs to see what we’re eating. We’ll miss the shock he always gave our guests. We’ll miss the piles of food and papers he’d hide under the bed, couch, and bureau. We’ll miss seeing him dart across the kitchen like he was being chased by a monster. We’ll miss his tiny hands. His soft fur. His beady eyes staring back at us. We’ll even miss finding pieces of fabric from Chris’ chewed up pillowcase. Although Dexter’s final resting place is by a tree in the back yard, his memory and the joy he brought will forever reside within our hearts.

Dexter Valentine Nov. 2007 - Feb. 2010

Valentine For a Valentine

2010-02-06T17:21:00.000-08:00

I'm a craft lover. When I see things in stores I immediately think to myself, "I can make that for half the price." So here are a few of my latest creations that I made to get into the Valentine's Day spirit.

I made this heart wreath with pieces of fabric tied onto two coat hangers.

The buttons were a little tedious, but you might as well do something with your hands while you watch a movie. And no, this isn't going to turn into a craft blog - I was just excited about these. Now I just have to figure out what to make for St. Patrick's Day...

http://i133.photobucket.com/albums/q64/alliebrownie/129copy.jpg

Wuv, Twu Wuv

2010-01-28T09:02:00.000-08:00

That's right, Malley and Chris were married on Jan. 22nd in the Boston Temple. Aren't they just lovely??

Here's the whole clan, the Nisulas and the Blacks.

Once again, Chippie did an amazing job with the cake.

Gotta love cousin-friends!

The centerpieces were fantastic - we have Geena to thank for those. Anybody need a wedding planner?

It was a beautiful night and we had a ton of fun dancing, eating good food, and mingling. Congratulations to Mr. and Mrs. Black!

http://i133.photobucket.com/albums/q64/alliebrownie/129copy.jpg

A Birthday!

2010-01-26T12:14:00.000-08:00

We celebrated Grandma Laura's 93rd birthday last night. Wow, 93!! Chris' grandmother has Alzheimer's, which is very sad, but also brings fun times every now and then. We sang happy birthday before eating cake. A few minutes later, Grandma started singing happy birthday to herself so we all joined in and sang again. Then, when she was asked if she'd like to go home she said, "But you have to sing to me!" So we happily sang for the third time. What a wonderful woman. :)

p.s. - my little sister got married on Friday!! A post is soon to come...
http://i133.photobucket.com/albums/q64/alliebrownie/129copy.jpg

Wicked Good!

2010-01-14T09:48:00.000-08:00

I was able to cash in on my Christmas present last week. Wicked the Musical was all I've been dreaming it to be. I have loved the music in the show ever since a friend introduced it to me my senior year of high school. For 6 years I've been aching to see it, and I was certainly not disappointed.

The picture doesn't do it justice, but the theater was absolutely amazing.

Chris wanted to buy me a t-shirt, but I refused to pay $39 for a piece of cotton. At the end of the show, he stood to applaud and his wallet fell onto the floor. What does he find under his seat when he stoops to pick up the wallet? Two twenty dollar bills. So he convinced me to buy the shirt. I see it as a gift from Elphaba. :)

http://i133.photobucket.com/albums/q64/alliebrownie/129copy.jpg

A Bridal Shower

2010-01-14T09:30:00.001-08:00

On January 2nd we threw Malley a Bridal Shower. Even though it ended up being in the middle of a snow shower, we still had a good turnout.

Here we are, the Nisula girls, old and new.

We all pitched in to make some delicious treats. To go along with the snow falling outside, I made this cute little snowman cheeseball. Geena made awesome coconut shrimp (seen in the picture) and brought a huge chocolate fountain; Lana made herself the official chocolate fountain dipper, bringing people chocolate covered somethings whether they asked for it or not.

We played some fun games, all with the objective of making Malley feel a little silly - that's what happens when you're the bride-to-be. When the shower was over and most of the guests were gone, Chris came to pick me up. All of a sudden he starts taking his sweatshirt and t-shirt off and throwing it at Malley. He was giving her a strip-tease!! Haha, my dear husband.

http://i133.photobucket.com/albums/q64/alliebrownie/129copy.jpg

Happy Day

2010-01-09T19:22:00.000-08:00

Chris and I had a fantastic 2nd Christmas together. For Christmas Eve, we had a Nisula/Valentine bash that was full of tasty food and lots of laughs.

It was so great to have Malley home for the holidays!

Chrismas day, we had breakfast with Chris' parents and Dan and Lisa. Then, it was time to open the gifts.

It was Dexter's turn first - Santa brought him an alfalfa-stuffed log. Mmmm, delish.

It was a great morning!

Afterwards, we celebrated with the Nisula side. We had so much fun giving out presents this year. I made stockings for Dan and Lisa and Malley and Chris Black. I am so proud of them! Of course, I couldn't have done it without learning how from Alicia Thornburg last year - thanks Alicia!

Aren't they super cute?!?

All of the presents we received were so great, but the best came from my hubby - WICKED TICKETS!!!!!!!!

For New Year's Eve, we had a traditional cousins sleepover - just like old times. We ate pizza, played games, and drank sparkling cider at midnight. It was the greatest New Year's Eve since, well, the last cousin sleepover.

Earlier in the evening we took Xavier to the fire station to see my dad because he was asking where "Uncle Dave" was. So now my dad is so cool in the two year old's eyes, because who else will let him drive a fire engine?

It was a wonderful way to end 2009. And we're ready to see what 2010 will bring us.

http://i133.photobucket.com/albums/q64/alliebrownie/129copy.jpg

Merry Christmas to all...

2009-12-24T12:03:00.000-08:00

...and to all a good night.

http://i133.photobucket.com/albums/q64/alliebrownie/129copy.jpg

Can't Stay Away

2009-12-18T20:51:00.000-08:00

Chris and I found ourselves back in the hospital Monday night. Just to let everyone know, there was a minor complication with his surgery and the doctors found an 8x5 cm abscess sitting on top of his bladder. On Tuesday a drainage tube was put inside him and it will continue to drain for the next two weeks. We wanted to give an update, but didn't want anyone to lose their lunch so we won't post a picture.

http://i133.photobucket.com/albums/q64/alliebrownie/129copy.jpg

The Explorer Lives Again

2009-12-09T13:46:00.000-08:00

So after we moved across the country, we put our unregistered, white SUV aside to use our registered, white SUV. Well, tonight the Explorer has been reawakened. We had our first big snowfall of the year (I know, late). And Chris, who was told by the surgeon that it takes 3 months for muscle to heal and he shouldn't be lifting anything heavy, decided that we MUST put the plow on the car. Needless to say, I did some heavy lifting. Turns out the intimidating plow isn't so back-breaking after all, and Chris finally felt like he's accomplished something since his surgery.

Here he is, in all his "i'm-wearing-pj's-because-i'm-recovering-from-surgery" glory. And no worries, he opted out of shoveling. So after two hours of mild activity, the little bugger was wiped out and spent the rest of the night on the couch.

http://i133.photobucket.com/albums/q64/alliebrownie/129copy.jpg

Where's Waldo?

2009-11-27T18:41:00.000-08:00

One of these things is not like the other...

http://i133.photobucket.com/albums/q64/alliebrownie/129copy.jpg

A Surprise & A Welcome Home

2009-11-25T13:47:00.000-08:00

On Sunday afternoon, Chris and I were out on one of our laps around the floor when Dan (his oldest brother) arrived to visit. We said, "Walk with us." But he replied that he had something in the room for Chris; it was obvious he wanted us to cut our stroll short. So we turned around to redirect our course and from behind the wall enters Deg. What?! Deg?! But he's in Utah!!

Dan was the mastermind behind bringing our faraway brother to the East Coast. He didn't even tell his parents! Chris was so thrilled to have him here. Thanks Dan!

The next day, Chris was told he was ready to leave. We jumped for joy, but delayed our departure.

Because Chris, being a Valentine, had to do a good deed before he said goodbye. His second roommate, Steve - who broke both legs, his back, his pelvis, and his tongue while plummeting from the top of a tree, was in dire need of a haircut. Upon hearing that the man's friend who was meant to cut his hair continued to ditch him, Chris decided that he could do it. And so he did.

We arrived home Monday evening to find a quiet house, an inviting bed, and a roommate who wanted nothing more than to cuddle (Dexter).

http://i133.photobucket.com/albums/q64/alliebrownie/129copy.jpg

Getting Comfortable

2009-11-23T06:24:00.000-08:00

A couple days ago, we said goodbye to our first roommate, Jonathan. He was a really nice guy with a really tough life. There are some people you meet that you just won't forget, and he was one of them.

Our day: I arrive sometime around 9 am. Chris gets up and takes a few laps around the floor (it's really good for him to walk). He gets his vitals checked, they bring him a lunch of broth and juice that he doesn't drink, we walk again. I eat lunch with my brother Derek. Chris tries to sleep, I try to read, he gets up and walks again. Chris writhes in pain because he's extremely bloated and it's difficult to think, the nurse changes his IV bag, we walk again. We watch TV, we walk again. I leave at 11 pm - we get up and do it all over.

After 6 days of this, we're getting pretty comfortable here in the hospital, but we're also getting irritable and ready to go.

Yesterday afternoon Chris ate food for the first time since last Monday night (5 1/2 days without eating!) Thank goodness for PB & J and tapioca pudding!

http://i133.photobucket.com/albums/q64/alliebrownie/129copy.jpg

Warning: Not for the Faint of Heart

2009-11-20T13:54:00.000-08:00

Want to see Chris' battle wounds? This one's for you, Ropers:

Okay, so here's how it works. The two smaller incisions are where the doctor put her tools inside of him. The larger incision (which really isn't that large at all) is where she pulled his small intestine out of his body. At this point she made the cuts she needed to and sewed him back up. She also needed to cauterize the wound to stop the bleeding before she put him all back together. Sorry if that's gross, but I find it super interesting!
http://i133.photobucket.com/albums/q64/alliebrownie/129copy.jpg

A Foot Shorter

2009-11-19T06:31:00.000-08:00

The surgery on Tuesday went well! Dr. Bourdianou took a foot of small intestine out of Chris through a small incision at his belly button. But first, she took care of a microperforation (a tiny leak) that had stuck itself to his large intestine because of some pus (sorry for the mental image). The doctor said that if he waited much longer he would have lost part of his large intestine as well.

We are so blessed that Chris was able to get into surgery as quickly as he did. We know it was an answer to prayer. Now, it's time for the recovery - he is able to walk around (the nurse actually said last night that he's walked around the most that she's ever seen after surgery like this) and he's feeling "better". He'll be in a lot of pain for awhile, but he's going to feel really great pretty soon.

http://i133.photobucket.com/albums/q64/alliebrownie/129copy.jpg

Call the Doctor

2009-11-16T15:24:00.000-08:00

Over the past year or so, Chris has been having Crohn's Disease symptoms on and off. Crohn's Disease is a form of IBD which presents itself as inflammation in the gastrointestinal tract. Basically, whenever Chris eats too much or too fast, especially when he's eating foods high in starch, he gets an incredible amount of pain in his stomach (or more accurately, his small intestine). He was diagnosed with the condition about 7 years ago, and it hasn't been an issue until now. A couple of weeks ago, the symptoms became quite severe. It got to the point where he was unable to digest the food he was eating and could barely drink water without feeling like he gorged himself. Naturally, we went to see the doctor. We found that a portion of his small intestine had become inflamed so often that scar tissue formed in his intestinal wall, allowing little food to pass through. This was causing the healthy intestine above to dilate (stretch out) and collect a build-up of half-digested food. Since medication can only reduce swelling and not fix scarring, Chris is heading into surgery Tuesday the 17th to either remove or repair the scarred area. Here's a little diagram of what his insides look like right now:

Chris should be in the hospital for about 4-6 days, depending on how fast he recovers. And then he'll be lying around for several weeks while he heals. Looks like Thanksgiving will be a little weak this year.

http://i133.photobucket.com/albums/q64/alliebrownie/129copy.jpg

A Bug's Life

2009-10-24T07:55:00.000-07:00

There was a Trunk or Treat at church last night and we had such a great time. Chris was a bug catcher and I was a bug.

After a fabulous dinner and a costume parade (in which Harry Potter/Logan, Hermione/Lana and a Giraffe/Laci participated) all of the kids "trunk or treated" the cars in the parking lot. We dressed the back of the car with flying bats and this jack-o'lantern we carved a couple nights ago. Chris had so much fun laying in the back seat and jumping out at the kids as they reached their little hands inside to pick a piece of candy. Would it be Halloween without a few screams??

http://i133.photobucket.com/albums/q64/alliebrownie/129copy.jpg

A Tale of Two Sisters

2009-10-20T19:39:00.000-07:00

A long time ago, in a distant land, there lived two sisters. These sisters were more like friends, really; they spent almost everyday together. Their lives changed somewhat, however, when the older sister, Meagan, went off to college.

After studying for awhile at her first choice, Meagan realized that she was not happy at her school. She was convinced to transfer to BYU-Idaho and was so happy with her decision.

Meagan fell madly in love with her boyfriend, Chris (who lived not too far away in a place called Blackwill). After dating long enough, Chris finally proposed.

Meagan was ecstatic to have a beautiful diamond sitting on her ring finger - and of course, to be marrying the man of her dreams.

There was a lot to do while planning for their upcoming wedding. Meagan and Chris took their engagement pictures beneath a rugged willow tree.

They bought a cute red jetta that fit their price and their needs.

Meagan felt so lucky to be marrying a man who came from such a great family. She knew Linda would be a great Mother-in-Law.

Meagan and Chris were married in the Boston Temple on a bright, beautiful day and could barely control their joy!

Only three years after her older sister graduated from high school, the younger sister, Malley, followed in her footsteps and went off to college too.

After studying for awhile at her first choice, Malley realized that she was not happy at her school. She was convinced to transfer to BYU-Idaho and was so happy with her decision.

Malley fell madly in love with her boyfriend, Chris (who lived not too far away in a place called Blackwill). After dating long enough, Chris finally proposed.

Malley was ecstatic to have a beautiful diamond sitting on her ring finger - and of course, to be marrying the man of her dreams.

There was a lot to do while planning for their upcoming wedding. Malley and Chris took their engagement pictures beneath a rugged willow tree.

They bought a cute red jetta that fit their price and their needs.

Malley felt so lucky to be marrying a man who came from such a great family. She knew Linda would be a great Mother-in-Law.

Malley and Chris were married in the Boston Temple on a bright, beautiful day and could barely control their joy!

Meagan and Chris, and Malley and Chris lived happily ever after.

Moral of the story: a good life deserves to be lived twice.

http://i133.photobucket.com/albums/q64/alliebrownie/129copy.jpg

happy birthday to me!

2009-10-16T18:56:00.000-07:00

I turned 24 yesterday! We celebrated with sushi at a cute little place called Karma and a great chocolate cake that Linda made. It was certainly a fantastic day!

http://i133.photobucket.com/albums/q64/alliebrownie/129copy.jpg

Mr & Mrs

2009-10-12T15:43:00.000-07:00

Last week the whole Nisula family flew to Michigan for Derek and Geena's wedding.

In our hotel, we so enjoyed the pool and the hot tub - here we are with the newly betrothed :)

After the rehearsal, we ate dinner at a really nice Italian place that had two Bocce Ball courts in the middle of the party room. Malley and Chris kicked our butts, but then again we never really finished our game, so who knows?

The night before the wedding we prettied up our faces with a Mint Julep Mask. That's right, even the boys indulged their skin (and Derek did too, but he won't admit to it, so keep it hush hush).
Since Geena's family is from India, all of the bridesmaids wore Saris. Her aunts wrapped us up real good in the most beautiful fabric that her mother bought in India.

We brought our portable hair salon with us - we were fortunate that Danielle came to the wedding and helped us with our do's that morning.

We all felt so pretty in our saris and the boys looked so dashing in their tuxedos.

During the reception, Geena changed from her gown into a sari as well. Doesn't she look like a goddess? I don't know what Derek did to deserve her ;)

The wedding was certainly the event of the year. Everything was so beautiful and we all had the night of our lives dancing at the reception. We're so excited to get such an awesome sister-in-law!

http://i133.photobucket.com/albums/q64/alliebrownie/129copy.jpg

Guess What?!

2009-10-01T18:47:00.001-07:00

MALLEY GOT ENGAGED!!!!

I had no idea that when we took this picture in April, Malley and Chris Black would be engaged 5 1/2 months later. So get this, Malley's husband's name is going to be Chris. Malley's mother-in-law's name is going to be Linda. Sound familiar to anyone?? Anyway, we're super excited. Next week we'll be adding a sister to our family and pretty soon we'll add a new brother. Man, the Nisula's are growing.

http://i133.photobucket.com/albums/q64/alliebrownie/129copy.jpg

Bringing Home the Bacon

2009-09-08T17:11:00.000-07:00

Chris was offered a position with Rocket Software last night. Today was his first day. This whole being a "real" adult and going to work everyday, doing the same thing day in and day out, is going to take some getting used to. Such is life, right? Anyways, yay for making money!

http://i133.photobucket.com/albums/q64/alliebrownie/129copy.jpg

Mini Golf!

2009-09-07T19:48:00.001-07:00

So, I love mini golf. I think it's fantastic. We finally got to go this summer with Chris' parents.

I guess there's a first time for everything: Chris beat me. He beats me at a lot of things, yes. But he's never beat me playing mini golf. So, good job Chris :)

http://i133.photobucket.com/albums/q64/alliebrownie/129copy.jpg

Fire Island

2009-08-29T08:00:00.001-07:00

After the great swim, we stayed on Fire Island for the better part of the day. At a little place called Sailor's Haven, we walked through Sunken Forest to make our way to the other side of the island.

The boardwalk led us through the trees and dumped us into the beach.

There were HUGE clams shells everywhere.

So Chris figured he should make out with one.

We even braved the waves; and the water was beautiful!

The following day, on our way back home we stopped by New York City to see if we could catch a show. It was raining and there were no matinees, so we left almost as soon as we got there. NYC is great - a wonderful reminder that we never want to live in a big city. After frustrating ourselves trying to find our way out, the should-be 3 1/2 hour drive home turned into a 6 hour bumper to bumper ride. Awesome.

Moral of the story: Never drive north of NYC on a friday afternoon.

http://i133.photobucket.com/albums/q64/alliebrownie/129copy.jpg

The Great Birthday Swim

2009-08-28T18:35:00.001-07:00

For Chris' dad's birthday, he treated himself to a 4 1/2 mile swim. I know, isn't it crazy? He swam across the Great South Bay, starting in Patchogue, NY and finishing on Fire Island.

His mother had trained for this same swim when she was young, but was never able to accomplish her goal because she got sick. He wanted to make this goal in her name and do it on his 60th birthday, which so happens to be her birthday too. Cool, huh?

That morning, we woke up real early and got on the boat to ride over to the starting line.

Once there, Dad suited up, kissed his honey goodbye, and dove into the salty, murky waters.

We on the boat (me, chris, dan, lisa, and mom) had a fantastic morning cheering the little fish on and watching the sunrise.

When the sun was finally up, its rays began peaking their way through the clouds.

Halfway through, Chris decided he'd go for a swim too. So he suited up, kissed his honey goodbye, and lunged in.

Father and son finished the last two miles together.

Touching the dock at Davis Park Marina, he finished his goal in only 3 hours. We are all so proud!

http://i133.photobucket.com/albums/q64/alliebrownie/129copy.jpg

Massachusetts Welcomes Idaho

2009-08-20T10:39:00.000-07:00

Chris Black and Malley recently visited us from Idaho for an entire week. Since Chris and I (I have taken to calling him my Chris to distinguish between the two) are recently unemployed, we were able to hang out everyday and have awesome East Coat fun.

Naturally, the family took a trip to Water Country and disappointed Logan's wish of "I hope we don't get wet under that waterfall".

We took the two lovebirds out on the boat and my Chris enjoyed whipping Malley and I around on the tube. After a lot of giggling, a wipe out that felt like a cat scratching my face, and Malley almost losing her bathing suit we called it a day.

But that doesn't mean we weren't up for some Candlepin Bowling! We found out that although the balls are much smaller and you get 3 balls instead of 2 each time, the game is no easier than regular bowling and we probably won't go again any time soon. But for the record, I won.

We spent a day in Boston as well, of course, with Mandy as our tour guide and with the three kids as our carry-along entertainment.

There's no better city than Boston to force smootchy pictures on your sister and her boyfriend.

That night we met up with Derek, Geena, and Jeff for dinner and a box of infamous cannolis. Two thumbs up for Boston.

Their last Saturday here, we went blueberry picking and ate lobsters at Mom and Dad's house (an annual event). Dad bought 20 lobsters. That's about 30 pounds of lobster. Awesome.

It was a fantastic week and we were sad to have Malley and Chris, a.k.a. CB, leave.

http://i133.photobucket.com/albums/q64/alliebrownie/129copy.jpg

Farewell, Bar Harbor

2009-08-20T10:27:00.000-07:00

After much deliberation, Chris and I have decided to cut our stay in Bar Harbor short. There are many many reasons, and we feel it is the best decision for us. So, sayonara Bar Harbor and peace out Del Sol.

Our next adventure: Living in MA and finding jobs. Aack. Time to be real adults.

http://i133.photobucket.com/albums/q64/alliebrownie/129copy.jpg

Summer..Finally!

2009-07-14T17:51:00.000-07:00

Now that summer is back from it's four week hiatus, we can finally enjoy the outdoors. This Sunday we took a bike ride along the carriage trails.

Afterwards, we took our new (new to us, anyway) 4-Runner up Cadillac Mt. to overlook Bar Harbor.
And before the sun could go down completely, we hiked into Anemone Cave, a cave that is no longer advertised to the public (you have to be locals, like us).

There are some really cool tidal pools inside the cave. We found a starfish and an eel hanging out together.
I just love the colors of all the sea creatures stuck to the cave floor!

The next day, we hiked Beehive Trail. A very steep slope up, there are iron rails to hold onto so you won't fall. Here's Chris, talking business on the phone (Cam -- you made it to our blog, that's you on the other line!)

Here we are at top overlooking Sand Beach.

After the hike, we went on a Whale Watch on a ship called the Friendship V. We were all bundled up; it was so windy!!

Here's a Humpback Whale that flashed his tail at us a few times. We had a front row view, standing at the very tip of the bow. It was so much fun!

http://i133.photobucket.com/albums/q64/alliebrownie/129copy.jpg

Return to the 80's

2009-06-22T12:56:00.001-07:00

Some may call it lame. Others may call it awesome. Chris and I just finished watching the entire first season of MacGyver. He is now our hero.

http://i133.photobucket.com/albums/q64/alliebrownie/129copy.jpg

First Visitors

2009-06-17T20:30:00.000-07:00

Chris’ parents came to stay with us for the weekend. We had a ton of fun sightseeing and hanging out. We had a picnic lunch on this hike overlooking Sand Beach.

I carried Chris down the mountain when he got too tired.

We sat by the coast and watched the waves crash into the rocks.

And I finally received my park ranger license.

All in all, the weekend with our first visitors went well. Look how happy we made them! Do you want to be happy too? Just schedule an appointment to come visit St. Valentine’s Inn – we have openings in July and August!

http://i133.photobucket.com/albums/q64/alliebrownie/129copy.jpg

Del Sol

2009-06-10T14:49:00.000-07:00

We've been here for three weeks, so I figured I should probably put up some pictures of Del Sol. If you were to walk into Del Sol Bar Harbor today, you would see Chris with his brilliant smile waiting to greet you.

After a bright hello, I would give you a fantastic demonstration of our color-changing products.
Indoors, away from the sun, this fairy shirt has no color in its print (seen on the right). But while walking under the UV rays of the giant fireball in the sky, the fairy bursts into color (seen on the left). Of course, you would be so enthralled with the product that you would buy two t-shirts (and get a free tote bag), 3 nailpolishes (and get one free), a set of Sol Pearls for only $69, and probably some solar slime for the kids. Great deal!!

Here's Chris in action. He had no idea I took this picture, don't tell!

http://i133.photobucket.com/albums/q64/alliebrownie/129copy.jpg

Islands and Beehives

2009-06-09T18:55:00.001-07:00

We’ve now had lobster twice since we’ve been in Maine. We just can’t stay away from the seafood. On Sunday we walked across a sand bar during low tide to get to Bar Island.

We walked along the coast of the tiny island looking for treasures, which consisted of rusted metal objects and broken lobster pots.

Behind me in this picture is the main strip of Bar Harbor.

On our way back on the sand bar, Chris picked some mussels so we could have fresh seafood. It sure beats paying $1.50 a pound!

Okay, so I know it’s really random, but a few days ago a man came into the store and we found out he’s a beehive keeper. Who knew that was even a profession? Anyways, he talked to Chris for an hour and gave him a crash course on traveling across the country with his bees pollinating people’s fields. He’s been in Milbridge, Maine for the past month pollinating massive wild blueberry fields. So naturally, we made the trip up to see Eric and his bees.

We toured the wild blueberry fields in his work truck for over an hour. This entire field is covered in billions of tiny blueberries just recently pollinated.

And man, did we see bees. Each of these stacked boxes holds a beehive and its queen. Eric, with his thick South Carolina accent, talked a mile a minute about the beloved creatures. Did you know that the male bee mates once with his queen and then dies? Yikes.

http://i133.photobucket.com/albums/q64/alliebrownie/129copy.jpg

Lobsters, Trees and Ocean

2009-05-28T15:24:00.000-07:00

The five hour drive from MA to Bar Harbor was nothing for us. The unpacking was fairly easy compared to all the packing we had done just a week before. We were sure to eat lobster immediately, and even Dexter joined the fun. (He didn’t know that you aren’t supposed to eat their faces.)

We gave ourselves a tour of Mount Desert Island to see what it’s all about. Here is the top of Cadillac Mountain, the highest point on the East Coast.

Here is Sand Beach. The only beach with a stretch of sand along the shore, the water here never exceeds the 50’s. Yikes!

Bar Harbor is full of rocky shorelines…

antique lighthouses...

quaint homes peaking from the trees...

and crowded lobster pounds.
In general: it's good.

http://i133.photobucket.com/albums/q64/alliebrownie/129copy.jpg

Moving

2009-05-27T19:20:00.001-07:00

We packed our lives and everything we own into the Explorer and our trailer, and said goodbye to Malley, our friends, and the life we knew in Rexburg, Idaho. We spent the week in Utah with the Ropers at Jessica’s aunt’s horse ranch. So naturally, we took a ride on Rocket.

After a week of horses, Utah salt flats, Del Sol training, and the Kennecott Copper Mine we left Morgan, Utah at 4:30 in the morning to begin our ridiculously long drive.

We made it to Wyoming to watch the sunrise. It seemed like forever to get across the massive state, but at least the landscape was really pretty.

As for the state of Nebraska, we’ll give that a big old B-O-R-I-N-G. Here’s our packed car with Nebraska behind it. We drove about 9 hours with nothing but flatness in all directions.

We slept in the car in Illinois that first night (for about 3 hours). Here we are crossing the Mississippi River.

The second day felt longer than the first. We were so close and yet so far. But the stinkier and sleepier we became, the closer and closer we were to home. We slept in Pennsylvania the second night, and arrived in MA by noon the next day. Yay!

What a welcoming sign this was. We are so relieved to have the ride complete with no accidents or problems.

http://i133.photobucket.com/albums/q64/alliebrownie/129copy.jpg