Chris' Creations

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. :)

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Geocachers

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.

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A Tribute

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

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...

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Wuv, Twu Wuv

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!

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A Birthday!

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...
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Wicked Good!

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. :)

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